REVENANT
THE CHARACTERS, PLACES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND EVENTS IN THIS DRAMA ARE FICTITIOUS
CHILD ACTORS WERE FILMED IN SAFE SITUATIONS
EPISODE 8
I...
I'm sorry, sir.
- Did you eat? - Sorry?
Follow me.
Sir, I have something to tell you.
Eat first. We can talk afterward.
Somebody wanted me to tail you.
Aren't you curious about what I said to them?
Why would I be? You're not someone who would betray your superiors.
I don't know who it was, but they must have nothing better to do.
Why would they be curious about
this soon-to-retire Rookie Shaman of Violent Crimes?
You know Junghyeon Capital, right?
Professor Yeom Haesang's family owns it.
And they wanted you to tail me?
I haven't found out why yet.
But I stumbled across something odd
while looking into them.
Rumor had it that those who'd put Junghyeon Capital at a disadvantage
committed suicide, so I looked into it.
And the rumor turned out to be true.
Four people committed suicide.
And they all had red bruises on their wrists.
BOTH OF THE VICTIM'S WRISTS WERE BRUISED
I don't think the case you're digging into was just a simple suicide case.
Capital.
Yeom Haesang.
I initially thought these cases first started in 1995.
But I was wrong.
It all began in 1958.
LEE MOKDAN CASE
Do you remember the juvenile ghost case?
- I do. - It all began
with this shaman who made that ghost.
SHAMAN CHOI MANWOL
She died in her cell with red bruises on her wrists
while being questioned by the police.
Then Reporter Go Gyeongho who wrote about that incident.
You heard about him too, right?
Yes, I remember him.
"REPORTER GO GYEONGHO"
He died in the same way.
But that is not all.
Detective Hwang Taehyun, who was in charge of the juvenile ghost case,
also committed suicide.
And... Shin Seungju.
A villager of Jangjin-ri who taught at a nearby school
also committed suicide around that time
and had bruises on the wrists.
When did you find that out?
I was also quite busy these past two days.
I found the report on Lee Mokdan's case.
You found the report?
Where?
In that storage you gave up on.
You also found out
about the strange deaths related to Junghyeon Capital.
Right.
I'll take over from here.
Yeom Seungok founded Junghyeon Mutual Finance.
His son, Yeom Jaewoo, took over after his father's death
and changed the name to Junghyeon Capital.
Yeom Jaewoo faced a big crisis right after he took over.
He was questioned by the prosecution on suspicions of illegal loans.
Lee Taekhee, the chief prosecutor of the central investigation department
of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, who was in charge of the case,
was found dead in his house,
and the case was dropped due to insufficient evidence.
Next was Choi Wonchul, the CEO of Taejang Construction,
a business rival of Junghyeon Capital.
After that were the on-site manager and the broker
who were in charge of Junghyeon's construction project.
They were all found dead with red bruises on their wrists.
After that, those around Professor Gu Gangmo were found dead.
In 2000.
2002, PROFESSOR GU GANGMO'S MOTHER-IN-LAW IN BAEKCHAGOL, LEE OKJA
2007 CIVIL SERVANT HWANG CHAHUI
2022 LIBRARIAN CHAE SEORIN
Go on. There are more.
Correct.
All right.
In 2022.
Professor Gu Gangmo.
In 2023.
Voice phishing.
"VOICE PHISHING OFFENDER, LEE OKKYU"
Kim Seokran.
PROFESSOR GU GANGMO'S MOTHER
From 1958 to 2023.
Do you think there really is a serial killer...
who murdered them all?
There's a pattern.
These were related to Lee Mokdan.
These were related to Junghyeon Capital.
Professor Gu Gangmo.
And...
Gu Sanyeong.
I saw Sanyeong and Professor Yeom having a big argument.
Apparently, his family made a big fortune by murdering a child
and turning her into a juvenile ghost.
What?
What do you mean?
I've yet to find out the details.
But what if...
that juvenile ghost was related to Lee Mokdan's case?
Then Junghyeon Capital
and the strange deaths related to Professor Yeom's family...
Don't you think
they are connected like this?
- I'll dig into Lee Mokdan's case. - Okay.
You look into Junghyeon Capital's case.
- Yes, sir.
Also,
you can choose our next case.
Right.
Don't skip any meals.
MR. GU GANGMO OPH BAE HEECHUL
OPHTHALMOLOGY IS THE BRANCH OF MEDICINE FOCUSED ON EYE-RELATED DISEASES...
YEONEUI UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
OPHTHALMOLOGIST BAE HEECHUL
Professor Gu suffered from a rare case of optic atrophy.
He visited our hospital in 1999 when the symptoms first emerged.
He showed signs of amaurosis fugax, or temporary loss of vision.
His symptoms...
were just like yours.
You'll see a cross.
Please look at it.
Please relax and look at the screen.
So...
you're saying I have the same illness as my father?
Correct.
What's the cure?
I'm afraid that we haven't found
the cause of this illness.
As of now...
there is no cure.
Then...
does this mean I'll eventually lose my vision?
That's what I told your father.
I told him we had to monitor the progression of his illness.
But it was highly likely that he would become blind in a year or two at minimum
or five to six years at maximum.
But...
perhaps I was wrong.
I ran into him on the street
last year.
ONE YEAR AGO
Professor Gu Gangmo?
Hello.
Have you been well?
I hadn't seen you for a while, so I was concerned.
It's been over a decade, right?
By the way, are your eyes okay now?
Yes.
This illness has a big hereditary, genetic component.
I hope your condition will improve
just as it did for your father.
I'm sorry. I had no choice.
You chose the evil spirit
because that was the only way to recover your vision?
Must I...
do the same thing
as you did, Dad?
FOR LEASE
You found a decent place. It's the right size.
Where have you been?
It's not a bad spot either.
It's near the subway station, so there will be enough foot traffic.
But there's a shopping mall ten minutes from here,
so opening a clothing store may not be the best option.
I said where have you been?
What about a café instead?
- What? - Most of the cafés nearby
are franchises.
So their coffee is a bit expensive.
What if we sell cheaper coffee to-go?
Coffee to-go?
You wanted to study and get barista certification.
This is the closest barista academy from here.
I already signed up under your name.
Jeez. When did you do all this?
Can you please tell me where you've been all this time?
Hwawonjae.
What? Your dad's place?
Have you gone insane?
I never wanted you to live there.
I only accepted the inheritance so I could sell it!
I already put it on the market.
But I want to stay there for a while before it gets sold.
I already told you about what happened there.
I know how much pain that house has caused you.
But I grew up
in that house.
My memory is vague,
but I want to remember my childhood.
Even still--
There's so much to fix around the house.
Wouldn't it be better to fix it up and sell it at a higher price?
I don't care about selling it at a higher price.
I'm just worried about you. You're all I...
Mom, don't worry.
I'll return home soon.
Why do you keep calling me? You're such a bother.
Bbaekse.
What's wrong with you?
You said I was annoying.
That was...
I'll explain everything later.
Get in first. We need to go somewhere.
What's this? Did you rent a car?
Are you insane? It must've been so expensive.
I bought it secondhand.
Have you really gone insane?
Maybe.
I've always wanted
to drive my own car.
Get in.
Is this really yours?
This is your house?
Yes.
Sanyeong, I'm so happy for you!
This still doesn't mean I forgive you.
Okay.
Say hello.
That's my dad and my grandmother.
I would've dressed up more had you told me beforehand.
Hello.
I'm Ggu's... I mean...
I'm Sanyeong's friend, Baek Semi.
It's nice to meet you.
Now let's go.
Go where?
We should celebrate you passing the civil service exam.
Hey!
What's all this?
You really hit the jackpot.
What a great house.
Let's clink our glasses.
Sure. We must drink to commemorate the occasion.
Baek Semi.
I sincerely congratulate you
on passing the civil service exam.
Thanks.
But this doesn't mean I've completely forgiven you.
Okay.
So tell me.
What got into you that day?
I'm sorry.
To be honest...
I've...
been possessed by a ghost.
It's a heinous evil spirit.
And it has killed two people already.
But I need this evil spirit.
What should I do?
Look at you.
That was very original. It was all because of an evil spirit?
Even I couldn't believe it at first. I wouldn't expect you to either.
So tell me.
Did that evil spirit tell you to seduce Hongsae?
What?
I gave you the chance to come clean, but you still won't do it.
You sat next to him and smiled like this.
Then you leaned on his shoulder and whispered into his ear.
That was the most unforgivable thing you did that day.
- That? - Yes.
Why was that the most unforgivable thing?
Because he was my first love.
Don't tell me you really have feelings for him.
What's going on between you two?
Are you guys dating?
Should we?
I've never been in a decent relationship before.
Do you really want to die?
No, I guess I shouldn't date him if I want to live.
Stop teasing me!
Look me in the eye and tell me the truth.
You cut the nonsense!
Just drink.
You confessed your feelings to him.
Just drink already.
Does he like you too?
Is that why he took the jacket and went after you?
Just drink.
Did you guys go elsewhere afterward?
You did. Didn't you?
You did. Right?
Darn it.
You're right.
I...
want you.
What do you need me to do?
What do you want?
BLACK GENERAL OF THE NORTH
SOUTH
He needed to find five objects
and identify the evil spirit.
That's all he told me.
GENERAL
I need to meet with Professor Gu.
I'm going to get rid of...
the evil spirit...
that my grandfather and father created.
JUNG HEONKI DOCUMENT APPRAISAL CENTER
Burning incense again?
Is it someone's death anniversary?
Jeez, you reek of cooked meat.
Can you smell it?
- What meat? - You had thin pork belly.
Look at you. You still got it.
Long time no see.
We last met at Gyechul's funeral.
He always loved alcohol and women.
And always investigating the Odaeyang case...
Detectives have such vain lives.
Enough chit-chat. Let me see what you brought.
Right. Here.
A massage chair?
- Does this work?
It does.
Is this from 1958?
This won't be easy.
Come on. You're a pro.
We didn't always have it easy.
Put your heart into it like the good old days.
Here he comes.
Here comes the ace of the Cold Case team.
We're not open yet.
Mr. Choi Jinho?
Hello, sir.
I'm a detective of Violent Crimes at Seoul Metropolitan Police.
In 1983,
your father, the owner of Taejang Construction,
was found dead in his own house.
You were the sole witness.
Could you explain what happened?
You didn't listen to me back then when I pleaded with you guys.
And now you want to talk after decades have passed?
What do you mean?
My father didn't commit suicide.
He died because of Yeom Jaewoo, the CEO of Junghyeon Capital.
We have Yeom Jaewoo cornered.
It's only a matter of time until he surrenders.
Don't worry.
Can you get that, Jinho?
Who are you?
Mr. Yeom Jaewoo?
What's wrong?
It's not me.
- Dad. - No!
Dad.
Dad!
Dad, no!
No one believed me.
Because there were no traces of Yeom Jaewoo anywhere.
Not even on the CCTV footage.
Let me get this straight.
Are you saying
that your father died against his own will due to an unknown entity?
Correct.
I know it sounds absurd, but it's the truth.
I witnessed it with my own eyes.
I see. Thank you.
Excuse me.
Is this your only painting of the realm of hungry ghosts?
Yes, that's correct.
- Hello? - Do you remember me?
I'm the village head of Baekchagol.
Hello, sir. How have you been?
I've been doing well.
But can you come down here?
Hey.
- Oh, dear. - Hey.
Professor Yeom! Professor Yeom!
Wake up, Professor Yeom! Professor Yeom!
I didn't know whom to call.
Then I thought of you.
Why don't you call his family?
I already did.
A strange, old lady picked up.
She said she couldn't care less if he died.
Why don't you eat some of this?
Here. Please?
Goodness, he's out of it.
He needs to eat.
Goodness, what do we do?
No!
You opened the door.
You're the one who killed me.
The porridge has gone cold.
I'll reheat it.
Goodness.
What took you so long?
Have you been well?
Follow me.
The doctor said nothing was wrong, but he's been like that ever since.
What's wrong with the wallpaper?
What do you mean?
There's nothing wrong with it.
I think...
it's spreading.
Can you not see that?
Don't bother. He can't see it.
I should get going.
Well...
It looks like it won't be long now.
What are you talking about?
Excuse me for a minute.
Ma'am.
What did you mean?
What did you mean by "it won't be long"?
You saw that thing back there.
I did. What is that?
A ghost.
A ghost?
That's a ghost? That can't be.
I didn't even see it with a mirror.
Believe it or not, it's a ghost.
It's the spirit of darkness.
The spirit of darkness?
Stare into the darkness for too long,
and it'll grow bigger.
Eventually, you'll be engulfed by the darkness.
What do you mean?
Are you saying he'll die?
He let my daughter die.
And now, he'll meet the same fate.
How can I stop it?
How could you do nothing when you know he'll die?
I don't know how to stop it.
Even if I did, I wouldn't want to save him.
The night is approaching.
Professor Yeom.
Please take care of him. I'll get you something to drink.
Let's go.
Professor Yeom, wake up.
Can you not hear me?
If historiography mainly focuses on
the history of palaces and the ruling class,
folklore focuses on the lives and culture
of our actual ancestors and the people outside of the palace.
We study what kinds of food we ate...
- I think he's crazy. - ...what games we enjoyed...
- Are you nuts? He's going to hear you. - ...what we believed in...
- He can see ghosts. - ...and what we feared.
You all killed me.
Darkness.
The opposite of darkness.
Sir!
Yes?
Look.
I need to move him.
Can you help?
Professor Yeom.
You all killed me.
Professor Yeom.
Wake up, Professor Yeom!
My mom was heading east.
East. Where the sun rises.
A place ghosts avoid.
No.
No...
Not you!
Not...
you!
I despise you.
I understand...
that it wasn't your fault.
But I just can't forgive you.
But you see,
I saw them...
on my way here from Baekchagol.
I was petrified.
I was afraid.
And I was sad.
"So this is what he sees every day."
Perhaps,
this is how
you've been atoning
for your family's evil deed.
I thought I deserved to die.
But while I was tormented by that illusion,
all I wanted to do was live.
And that's when you took my hand.
Thank you.
Did you buy a car?
Yes.
Professor Yeom.
The evil spirit
keeps directing me to this photo.
At first, I thought it was pointing to the hungry ghost, but it wasn't.
I think it was pointing to this temple.
He was your friend, right?
Do you recognize the temple?
Why do you have this?
This photo should've been at my grandparents' house.
I'm not sure.
I found it in one of the drawers
of my grandmother's vanity in Hwawonjae.
"CEO."
HEMAEM CEO CHEON ILMAN
Goodness, what's all this?
What's this?
What?
Gosh.
- Goodness. - Did you find it?
You bet.
Don't you know who I am?
I'm the Violent Crimes team leader of Geumcheon Police Station,
Cheon Ilman.
Jeez, that's rich coming from someone who got sacked.
Come on.
How many times must I tell you that's not what went down?
I just took the blame for what my subordinates...
Forget it. I'm done.
I worked like a dog all day to find someone who died decades ago.
"Jangjin-ri?"
I can't find that place anywhere!
I thought it was some place in North Korea.
I thought I had to defect to North Korea because of you.
Looks like you are taking great care of your body
despite your business not doing well.
Fine. Thank you for your work, team leader...
I mean, Mr. CEO.
- Forget it. Whatever. - Give that to me.
Don't be impudent.
You used to wash my socks during night duty back in the day.
Give that to me. One, two...
Here.
From the way I see it, that belonged to the village head of Jangjin-ri
who lived there in 1958.
He had dementia and was hospitalized at a convalescent hospital in Seoul
and passed away in 1999.
Hold on. The guardian's name was Gu Gangmo?
He didn't have any immediate family members.
I believe that was an acquaintance of his.
"RECIPIENT GU GANGMO JEONGUN CONVALESCENT HOSPITAL"
These were his belongings.
There were also valuables that he asked us to store when he came here.
Thank you for everything.
You can sign there.
What?
You look pretty confused. What's wrong?
Is something the matter?
APPRAISER JUNG HEONKI
The restoration is complete.
I couldn't restore everything though. Please come and check.
Good work.
I'll wire you the money.
Okay. Thanks.
Munchun, hold on.
You don't know my bank account number.
I'll write it down here.
I like this. Let me take a few.
- Thanks. - Wait.
Munchun, wait up!
Mr. Jin Joyoung?
Hello. I'm Lee Hongsae, your junior.
The unnatural death case
of Prosecutor Lee Taekhee in 1979.
I remember it.
It's been decades. Do you still remember it?
It was such a strange case.
You know what happened before coming here, right?
Yes, he jumped from his apartment building where he had been living alone.
What was so strange about the case?
Did you detect anything suspicious?
Prosecutor Lee
was a very tidy man.
There wasn't a single speck of dust when we got there.
"FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION RESULT"
But we found
a bunch of strange fingerprints at the scene.
Did they belong
to Yeom Jaewoo, the CEO of Junghyeon Capital?
How did you know that?
But CEO Yeom had attended an event outside the city that day.
There were more than 100 witnesses.
And he never once visited
Prosecutor Lee's house.
In the end,
we concluded that there was an error during the investigation
and closed the case.
Hello, sir.
I looked into the cases related to Junghyeon Capital as you suggested.
I found many similarities
to the voice phishing and aquarium store cases.
All right.
Let's talk at the office.
Okay, I'll head there right now.
- Heonki, thanks a lot. - Yes?
I'm sure it wasn't easy.
I'll wire you the money.
He's worse than Gyechul ever was.
Jeez, at least ask for my bank account.
Hey, I snatched these from Ilman's office. They're good.
He was my only friend.
I knew he was possessed by a hungry ghost, but I couldn't tell him right away.
I was afraid of losing another friend
who thought I was crazy.
YEAR 1999
Wait. That belonged to the late Mr. Yeom.
Kim Ujin!
- Are you okay? - Yes.
Ujin has
your late father's belonging.
I told him to get it for me.
Sorry?
What are you doing? Let's go since you got the camera.
This is a strange drawing.
But is this really why you brought me here?
I heard two students died...
at your school.
It wasn't your fault. You're just possessed by a ghost.
What are you talking about? A ghost?
And I have nothing to do with their deaths.
I've been reading some books and studying.
The hungry ghost in the painting.
That's the ghost that has possessed you.
That's enough.
Get this film developed.
Your eyes will look red in the photo.
I told you to stop.
I think there is a way to help you.
This temple will be holding a ceremony to appease the hungry ghosts...
I told you that's enough. Okay?
Not too long after,
Ujin attempted suicide by running into a moving vehicle.
And he passed away in the ICU.
I clearly remember
putting that camera back in my father's study.
So why did Professor Gu have it in his house?
And why did the evil spirit...
lead us here?
Maybe it's related to my dad.
Just like Jangjin-ri and Baekchagol.
What is this?
These are cases similar to your mother's.
They're about those who committed suicide with red bruises on their wrists.
In 2000, Professor Gu Gangmo's colleague,
his mother-in-law, and even his student
died one after another.
The North Gyeonggi reservoir suicide case.
25TH LIBERATION CEREMONY AT SEOKIMSA
SEOKIM RESERVOIR BEHIND DAEUNGJEON
An acquaintance of Professor Gu
passed away somewhere nearby.
What do you mean?
"Only the energy of a person who was killed may suppress
the object containing a loose-haired evil spirit's energy."
Do you remember?
My dad wrote that in his thesis.
"The energy of a person who was killed."
It's the location where someone died because of an evil spirit.
We can suppress the evil spirit's energy
if we seal an object related to it there.
An object related to the evil spirit
could be buried nearby.
It's him.
He visited last year and donated a flowering tree.
Where did you plant the tree?
Our temple owns a reservoir nearby
where we hold liberation ceremonies.
He planted it there himself.
Which tree is it? How can we find it?
Professor Yeom.
Let me get a shovel.
Professor Yeom, hold on.
A red hair accessory, a blue pottery piece, a black rubber band,
a jade hairpin, and a glass bottle.
A jade hairpin and a glass bottle?
Professor Gu Gangmo said that...
five objects must be found, and the evil spirit must be identified.
LEE MOKDAN
Both my mother and Professor Gu
wanted to get rid of the evil spirit by sealing the items.
But the evil spirit got to them first.
Are you saying
my dad passed away while trying to get rid of the evil spirit?
Correct.
We need to look for other locations that are connected to him.
We need to find a jade hairpin and a glass bottle.
But why did he fail?
Your mother
and my dad
both failed to get rid of the evil spirit.
They knew the five items and even the evil spirit's name.
So why did they fail?
They must've left something out.
Let's look for the other two items first.
Then we'll be able to find out why they failed.
Detective Seo, I'm--
What took you so long? I called several times.
Where are you? I have several questions for you.
I've restored the report
on Lee Mokdan's case, so let's meet up and talk.
Okay, I'll come over right now.
Ms. Sanyeong?
FAMILY REGISTER
She wasn't the secondborn.
Where should I pull over?
Are we already here?
- You can pull up right here. - Okay.
Are you okay?
What's the matter?
It...
It's happening again.
There will be another victim.
Seoul.
Police station.
There was...
"Violent Crimes Investigation Division" written on the building.
Why didn't they turn off the light before leaving?
Professor Yeom.
Detective Seo, where are you?
At the police station.
I'm waiting for you.
Don't open the door.
You must never open it.
What? What do you mean?
Don't open the door even if someone knocks.
You must
never open the door...
until I get there.
What is he on about?
I don't know what you're talking about.
But I just need to keep the door shut, right?
- Correct. I'll be there soon. - What?
- Hello?
He hung up first again.
Who is it?
Who...
Who is it?
You almost gave me a heart attack.
Why are you so startled?
Why would you fling open the door?
What?
Never mind. Just shut the door behind you.
No.
Better yet, lock it.
Lock the door?
Yes, do it right now.
I didn't see who the victim was.
It may not be him.
Hold on.
I think someone's outside.
Shouldn't we open the door?
Just give me a minute.
It's me, Yeom Haesang.
Jeez.
Seeing how superstitious I've become, it's about time I retired.
Should I open it?
Yes, we agreed to meet here.
You opened...
the door.
REVENANT
When did I come here?
Do you not remember?
I'm starting to remember less and less.
- What did you see this time?
I couldn't see anything.
She was ripping a book?
A weakness that the evil spirit doesn't want anyone to know about.
That book contains a secret.
What did I do this time?
I'm going to get rid of that evil spirit inside you
at all costs.
Translated by Sooji Kim