01x04 - Chapter 4: Verge of Death

[bunniefuu]

"Tale of the Nine Tailed"

It's empty.

What? Everyone's gone.

What do mean?

It's as if the entire village vanished.

Not even a human shadow is in sight.

"Eohwa Supermarket"

Did you check the restroom?
There's nothing.

What? The dead body from yesterday...

is gone.

It became a desert island overnight.

They weren't taken against their will.

I see no signs of a
struggle or hesitation marks.

Maybe they went on a group tour.

And took the corpse with them?

They left behind their
wallets and other valuables.

They just vanished.

Where could they have gone?

They vanished?

Right. 22 homes?

All 41 of the villagers?

Got it. I'll send some backup,

so call me if you find
anyone dead or injured.

Sure.

What is it?

That.

Since when have those been there?

It's said...

that bamboos can call the spirits.

Is it true?

They're hollow,

making them the perfect
guesthouse for lost spirits.

Doesn't it look like someone
formed some sort of path?

For the Dragon King.

I came across one while
covering a Jeju folk festival.

It's the path greeting the Dragon King,
right?

It is, but the direction is off.

Now that you mention it,

it faces southwest.

Gwimunbang.

"The bearing that lets
those evil in and out"

The bearing that lets
those evil in and out.

So this door wasn't set up...

to welcome the real Dragon King.

I'm Hyeonuiong of the
Afterlife Immigration Office.

How's King Hades?

I just called because we
need more shroud today.

Would an express delivery be possible?

Okay.

All right.

Have a good one. Bye.

What did you find out?
I don't get why this is happening.

Are you sure it's an Imoogi?

Are you not able to see where it went?

Did it use a talisman? It
didn't leave a single trace.

Shouldn't we tell Yeon?

Stop causing a fuss.

Yeon should never find out.

But... Shut your mouth.

Okay.

I wonder if this was why...

I couldn't foresee Yeon's future.

Hey.

I actually heard something
weird past midnight yesterday.

What did you hear?

It sounded like a crying baby.

Be more specific.

It was a little over 2am.

I woke up because I got thirsty.

At first, I thought it was a stray cat.

But it wasn't. I'm sure it
sounded like a crying baby.

There were no pregnant
ladies on this island.

All the old ladies are over 70.

What was the time again? It was 2:40am.

Are you sure? Yes.

The clocks weren't working.

Both the wall clock and table clock.

My watch isn't working
either. It's exactly 2:40am.

It's the hour of the cow.

"The hour of the cow:
In between 1am to 3am"

It's when the door to
the other world opens up.

I wonder what happened last night.

"Chapter 4: The Verge of Death"

Happy birthday Dear Yu Ri
Happy birthday Dear Yu Ri.

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday.
Happy birthday, Yu Ri.

Here. This is from me.
And this is from me.

Thanks, you guys.

Do you like it? Of course.

I'm so happy that I might cry.

Sweetheart,
when are you going to get married?

She's still young.

She's 24. That's not young. She's 25.

No, she was 24.

Dad, do you have dementia?

Didn't that accident
occur when she was 24?

She was a senior in college.

What accident?

Yu Ri went to Nepal to go trekking.

But she fell and died.

Honey,
why would you say something so horrible?

I'm serious. I'm sure I saw...

her body back then.

Dad, I told you to forget all
those unnecessary memories.

Who... Who are you?

Why are you buying me a cell phone?

Because my little brother
stole your cell phone.

I'm not being nice. I'm
just doing what I should.

Keep in mind that you need
to use follow the 48 month-plan.

You can pay for the penalty.

I downloaded an application.

Don't answer any calls from
unknown numbers or my brother.

I'm surprised you're a techie.

I realized it's pretty difficult
to keep things traditional.

What?

Around this time last year,

I got a call from Seoul Central
District Prosecutor's Office.

Someone illegally used my name!

Don't tell me it was a
voice phishing scam.

I ripped off the ears of the guy
who stole 20,000 dollars from me.

But that's still not enough.
I can't sleep at night.

Here.

Give me your number.

You told me not to answer any
calls from unknown numbers.

Don't you know enough about me now?

There are a few things I
didn't get to ask last night.

And I want to know more
about you while I'm at it.

Fine. You're very consistent.

People tend to say that about me.

I'll see you again.

It's me, your beloved daughter.

What was your wish?

I wanted my daughter
to come back to life.

I gave you what you wanted.

Who is she?

She's my daughter, Ki Yu Ri.

She's 25 years old,

and she's going to take
over my department store.

Okay, you guys can go now.

Rang, I missed you.

Did you meet the vet?

Yes. How was he?

He was a lot cuter than I had imagined.

He got scared as soon as he saw my g*n.

You can keep that. He'll
come for it at the right time.

What should I do then? Can I k*ll him?

Yu Ri.

Do you know when clams taste the best?

No, not really.
When peach blossoms bloom.

That's when the shells become
hard and the flesh becomes juicy.

If you want the best ingredients,
you need to learn how to wait.

Treat him well, and show him a good time.

Yeon really cares a lot about him.

Okay.

Are you going somewhere?

Yeon is probably dying
to see me right now.

I should go greet him.

Why did you want to meet here?

I got curious. You
always spend time here.

Let me try your mint chocolate ice cream.

Don't touch it.

Gosh,
it tastes like chocolate and toothpaste.

Why do you eat this?

I played along with your nonsense,
so tell me.

Tell you what?
The people on that island.

Where did they all go?

Who cares?

I know you don't care about them.

From what I know,
one of them wasn't human.

I also heard a similar rumor...

saying something peculiar lives
inside the well in the mountain.

What's that? Why?

Do you think it might be him?

The snake that took
your lady away from you?

I already k*lled that thing.

Life doesn't always go as you planned.

What's that supposed to mean?
I don't know.

But I know one thing for sure.

Your lady...

won't get to live a
long life this time either.

Have you ever heard
of "the vanishing effect"?

"Vanishing"? As in "Disappear"?

It's when someone
suddenly vanishes into thin air.

And something similar
also happened on an island...

in North Carolina.

In 1590, every single person
on this island disappeared.

All their belongings remained the same.

Only the people disappeared.

Why did you become so messed up?

You were the one who abandoned
the forest to protect your love.

600 years have passed since then.

And I spent all those years cursing you.

What do you want me to do?

There's only one way to stop me.

k*ll me here and now...

with your own two hands.

k*ll me.

Just like how you came
to hunt me down that day.

Please... Please don't k*ll me.

Please don't k*ll me.

Rang.

Yeon.

Is it really you?

How long has it been? You were alive.

I didn't hear from you since
you went to the Samdo River,

so I thought you had died.

I've missed you.

I've missed you so much, Yeon.

Why didn't you come for me?

I did.

I did,

but I couldn't find you.

I lost you.

After you left,

people set fire to the mountain.

I wanted to wait for you there,

but it was too hot and scary.

Is that why you k*lled all these people?

Even the innocent ones?

They're sinning by just
being alive and breathing.

I just wiped out a village.

They knelt at my feet
and begged for their lives.

I see.

You couldn't walk past
an injured dog before.

You've changed so much.

Join me.

Let's teach the humans who we are.

Rang.

Yes?

Raise...

Raise your sword.

What are you saying, Yeon?

It's the order of the afterlife judges.

Lee Rang,
who m*rder*d countless innocent lives...

shall pay...

for his sins today with his life.

You're a real jerk.

You dumped your brother for a girl,

then you betrayed him
to bring your numbers up.

As long as you save up your
miles and get her reincarnated, right?

I survived only because
you missed a vital point.

If I had died then,
I'd be burning right now...

in the Underworld of the Fiery Cauldron.

What? You can't get
yourself to do it twice?

k*ll me.

That's the only way your woman can live.

Fine. It wouldn't be so
bad to end your life early...

rather than live recklessly like this.

Do it.

Why?

Why can't you do it?

Stop acting like an abandoned child.

You're not a kid anymore.

I can do it.

Do you know why I'm holding
back? Because I want to see...

the look on your face
when she dies again...

before your very eyes.

No matter how weak you act,

I know this isn't your true self.

What?

Bye.

Anyway, please make sure
the media doesn't find out.

I can keep my mouth shut,

but will the families of
the missing people do so?

There aren't any.

What?

They don't have any
families or relatives.

All 41 people from the village? Yes.

What's even eerie is,
they weren't even natives to the island.

Then? They all migrated together...

sometime in the 1950s.

On the same day, on the same boat.

You don't know what it feels like
to live with your direct supervisor.

Shin Ju.

Don't you ever get married.

I don't have anyone anyway.

Marriage for a man is like scoring
into your own goal. Heed my words.

Your brother-in-law is King Hades.

It would at least be a winning
goal during stoppage time.

Are you a ref?

Are you the judge of my life?

Oh, come on.

Why are you picking on Shin Ju?

Don't you get married again either.

Stay... Stay a widow forever.

How could you say that?

I would've punched you already
if it weren't for King Hades.

How did you two meet, anyway?

It was a crime of sorts.

A long time ago, my wife peeped...

while I bathed in a stream.

It was love at first sight.

Correct. I've got a rocking body.

Wait. Then...

did she ask you out first?

I was abducted that night.

She threw a sack over
my head and carried me off.

What? She sat me down...

and said two things.

"Will you live with me
or go to the Underworld?"

"Will you sleep with me
or go to the Underworld?"

So I slept with her.

How dare you?

How dare you forget your
position and k*ll a person?

That shaman?

She looked fine on the outside,
but she was clearly due to die soon.

Regardless, she was not on the list!

It was an emergency.

Your punishment has been
decided. What were you thinking?

I'll gladly accept any punishment.

So don't be so obvious
about worrying about me.

Was it because of that girl?

Did you finally find her?

But...

she doesn't have the
fox bead that I gave her.

You must have the wrong girl.

But she looks too much like her.

Her face.

I'll protect you.

Her voice.

It's burning hot.

Even that jerk's scales that covered
A Eum's body just before she died.

Stop here.

What do you mean?
A fox and a human cannot be.

Your obsession will bring about calamity.

To both you and her who was reborn.

I don't wish for anything that grand.

Then?

Even if we live for thousands of years,

We all have a time we cherish.

The era which we loved above all.

In your case, it was the 80s.

It's when you discovered a new hobby.

"Farewell My Concubine"

When Leslie Cheung passed away,

you drank for three days straight.

So?

That's how it was for me too.

The time I cherish is when she
breathed the same air as mine.

Even if she is reborn,

she wouldn't be the same person.

I don't care.

All I want...

is to see her gradually
grow old while experiencing...

the joy, anger, sorrow,
and pleasure in life.

In order for that to happen,
there's a job I must do.

Yes? What's up?

Oh, well... I'm about to have my meal.

Did you receive your order? Yes. Why?

Send it back to the kitchen.

What are you getting at?

I'm asking you out for a meal.

Granny, I'll be back after I eat.

Hey!

The Laws of the
Afterlife isn't some joke.

But I haven't been able to
take even a sip of water today.

This is the last time I'll be lenient.

You are to be back before midnight.

Wait. Didn't you see someone
suspicious leaving the island?

I'm not your personal dashcam!
I knew you'd say that.

You never help me out.

You're here. Hey.

Come on in. Sure.

Should I close the gate? Yes, please.

Then I will.

Hold on. Did you...
Yes, I made it all myself.

I'm good at pretty much everything.

Not what's most important though.

Modesty doesn't put
food on the table. I do.

By the way, what's that behind your back?

It looks like flowers. It's not.

Muster up the courage to hand it over.

It's a bundle of mugwort, not flowers.

I'll be in debt if I accept
the meal for free...

and I couldn't be bothered.

Do you like it?

I'll sit here.

Talk about a soulless response.

It's not what you'd expect
as a housewarming gift.

Should I put this in
water or prep it for a meal?

When no life was present
on a land that was nuked,

mugwort was first to grow.

It's just like you, right?

Yes, it's my cup of tea.

What are you doing?
Animals like being patted.

My dog usually likes
it when I pat it this way.

There.

It's good.

Help yourself to more.

Why the sudden change of heart though?

Humans...

offer food to other people
when expressing their gratitude.

You saved my life twice already,
but this ordinary meal...

was the only way I could
somewhat repay the favor.

It's special enough.

At least to me today.

"Yeou Gogae Accident,
A Professor and Doctor Couple Vanished"

I see you still live here.

It's the same for people
with lost family members.

We can't easily move.

We stay in the same
house so that our families...

can find their way back.

It must've been lonely to
live alone in his big house.

Why are you laughing?

Because I can't cry.

Hearing that I could've been lonely...

makes me wonder...

if that's how it was for me growing up.

They must've been great parents.

They were.

If only they were mean though.

If they were, I might've been able...

to forget about them
and move on with my life.

Doing this sucks the tears back in.

It's a secret I acquired at
nine after losing my parents.

You'll be able to find your parents.

I'll make sure of it.

So enjoy some normalcy
in the rest of your life.

I'm talking about the boring...

but warm life others enjoy.

About that first love you mentioned...

In your dreams.

My first love was like a delicate flower.

And I'm like a weed.

I'm like mugwort that
grows on irradiated soil.

For a mugwort, you grew up fine.

Thank you for what
you did on Eohwa Island.

Don't mention it.

When I was on the brink of
death after being sliced by Yeon,

you saved me.

That's what I call fate.

So how's the kid?

It's asleep.

You're admirable, I have to say.

It astounds me to know...

how you devoted 600
years of your life to serve it.

Because I'm human.

An ordinary human being...

who desperately wants
to find a way to stay alive.

I've never come across
anyone with a decent ending...

who drew power from
my realm to stay alive.

So where do you go from here?

I'll feed, let it sleep,
and wait for it to grow.

I'll look forward to it.

When the protagonist falls
in love with his long-lost love,

their tragic story will
be repeated once again.

A funeral hall?

Must you go there? Why?

It's not the best of time
to go to such a place.

What do you mean by that?

Why do you think your ancestors...

showered and sprinkled salt
after coming back from a funeral?

It's because evil spirits
get attached to you there.

I'm grateful for your concern,
but I must be present.

You've already stepped
foot into my realm.

So you're worried that petty
spirits will latch onto me?

Whatever it is,
what you can see can also see you back.

On top of that,
I'll be leaving Seoul for a few days.

Are you going on a trip?

I guess you can say
it's something like that.

So... I don't want to avoid it.

Especially if I'll be living
in that world from now on.

Wait here.

What?

Here.

It's a bag filled with red
beans that add up to your age.

Don't lose it. Keep it
with you at all times.

Is it like a talisman?

It's old school, but it'll last
a day or two since I made it.

Thanks.

I'll be off now. Have a fun trip.

Okay.

For some strange reason,
I can't seem to leave.

I wonder if it's okay to
leave her all by herself.

What's your favorite movie?

"Toy Story 3". Why?

What's your favorite movie?
"Toy Story 3". Why?"

I just want to know more about you.

Bye.

Do you have the red bean bag?

Yes.

You brat.

I thought you weren't going to come.

I heard you never once cried.

You really are something.

I'm sorry for being late.

My mom...

asked me to take her to a hanbok store...

because they say you live a long life...

if you buy your shroud
in advance on a leap year.

But I kept postponing it. And in the end,
I never took her.

Every time she called,

I always hung up on her saying I'm busy.

Last week,

she made my favorite, dongchimi for me.

But I didn't go because I overslept.

You really were a bad daughter.

I know, right?

Yes.

My mom made the best dongchimi.

But I can't eat it anymore.

Cry all you want.

If you hold it in now,
it'll leave a scar.

Where is it this time?

Send me somewhere warm if you can.

I'm old now, so I get cold easily.

I said I get cold easily.

Here's a message
from the afterlife judges.

"Lee Yeon,
former mountain spirit of Baekdudaegan."

"Based on Article 24
of the criminal law,"

"you deserve to be sent
to the First Underworld..."

"for having k*lled a human being."

"However, we take into consideration
all the lives you've saved,"

"so you will be put on
probation for a week."

Wait a minute. "A week"? That's too long.

"However, during that week,"

"you will live inside a human body..."

"and feel the pain of life,"

"old age, sickness, and death."

What the...

"Director Ki Yu Ri Will Quickly
Take Over Moze Department Store"

"Ki Yu Ri"?

You're the necklace thief.

Hi. How did you find me here?

I thought you'd come for this,
but you didn't.

That's because you carry around a g*n.

Relax.

I'm not armed today.

What do you want?

Let's have fun.

How is she?

I made her cry a bucket,
and now she's dizzy.

Make sure she eats this. Got it.

The yukgaejang here tastes pretty nice.

What are you doing here?

Stop overreacting and sit down.

I gave her more money
than you for consolation.

Sit down...

if you don't want your friend
to die just like her mother.

What do you want?

Are things going well with Yeon?

Yes, we're really hitting it off...

seeing that his one and only
brother keeps visiting me like this.

Aren't you scared of me?

I am scared. I heard a guy
who has an inferiority complex...

is pretty much like a ticking b*mb.

You got that right.

Why do you hate your
older brother so much?

I'm just bored.

You're lying.

I bet you really liked your brother.

That's why you're being like this.

You weren't lying when you told me
you got smuggled here from Russia.

What are you doing?

I'm a vet.

That scar on your body.

I saw something similar on
animals that were locked up in zoos.

You were abused by a human being,
weren't you?

Don't look at me like
that. It's annoying.

I'm sorry. Don't even apologize.

I'm never going to give
you back your necklace.

It's very precious to me.

That's why I took it from you.

Who is it? Who's making you do this?

Try taking back your necklace yourself.

Then I'll tell you.

A long time ago,
there was a mountain spirit...

who abandoned his own mountain.

All the humans who used
to come and make wishes...

set the mountain on fire
to get rid of all the foxes.

Every living soul burned to death.

The puppies I raised like my own...

all turned into charcoal.

Did that happen...

because of his first love?

Yeon thinks you are her reincarnation.

That's why he k*lled the shaman
even though he was aware...

of the consequences.

"The consequences"?

Where is Yeon right now?

In a place I'm pretty sure
that has bad reception.

"The Snow Mountain Prison"

Where is he?

You don't need to know that.

If you want to live,

you'd better not fall asleep tonight.

Look at room number six.

Why are there so many
people there at this hour?

They all look like small children.

Why are you so interested
in other people's business?

Time in the Underworld flows
differently from the living realm.

One day in this world is
seven years in the Underworld.

You do not eat.

You do not sleep.

You cannot...

even die.

"A Better Tomorrow"

That's how it was for me too.

The time I cherish is when she
breathed the same air as mine.

I'll gladly accept any punishment.

All I want is to see
her gradually grow old...

while experiencing the joy, anger,
sorrow, and pleasure in life.

You fool.

The phone is turned off. Your
call is being forwarded to voicemail.

Please leave a message after the tone.

Is it a blackout?

"Rest in peace"

Hi.

You must be sisters.

How old are you?

What are you doing here?

Excuse me. Excuse me.

Have you seen our dad?
Have you seen our dad?

Did you lose your dad?

Which room was he in?

Do you want me to find him for you?

Let's go.

What's this?

Why are your shoes mismatched?

Ms. Nam!

Hey.

She finished the rice cakes.

Good work.

Ms. Kim told us to go home.

She wants to rest too.

She did? Hold on.

Where did the kids go?

Kids? Yes.

They were just here.

They probably went with
their parents. Let's go.

Okay.

Are you taking a cab? I'll drop you off.

No. I'm exhausted,

but my mom said to
walk around for a while...

and shake off all the evil spirits.

She must believe in bad luck.

She goes to church,
but she's so superstitious.

See you tomorrow. Good job today.

When did this...

Ms. Nam!

She lost the talisman that I gave her.

Was it Rang? Or...

Granny.

I need to talk to you.

I know you hear me.

Untie me.

Granny. Please.

Untie me!

Untie me! Quickly!

Untie me already!

Darn it. Darn it, Granny!

Why are you being so loud?

Granny. I need to get out
of here. Untie me. Quickly.

You punk! Don't you know
where you are right now?

I'll go to the Underworld of Knives.

That's where I was headed if
my sentence wasn't reduced.

Then I can get out within the day.

Or you may never get out...

in that body.

I don't care.

Here. Do you feel better?

Yes.

What happened to me?

You fainted outside the funeral home.

I'm cold. You're cold?

Did something happen there?

I saw some young kids.

Twice.

What did they look like?

They were sisters.

They were wearing pretty dresses...

and mismatched shoes.

Were they ghosts?

What? When ghosts imitate humans,

they do the opposite in certain things.

You don't believe in ghosts. Hold on.

"Strange Tales of Joseon",
"Collection of Korean Legends"

I looked into it,

and that funeral home used
to be a children's cemetery.

A children's cemetery?

A cemetery just for children?

Yes. They tore it down
and built the funeral home.

But Jae Hwan. Yes?

Why do you keep...

holding the book upside down?

She caught us.

"The Underworld of Knives"

Cross the bridge.

Take your first step...

and you won't be able
to leave until you cross it.

Could I do it...

in this physical state I'm in?

Whatever it is,
what you can see can also see you back.

It's a bag filled with red
beans that add up to your age.

Don't lose it. Keep it
with you at all times.

Yeon...

Granny, see you on the other end.

The sinner will cross
the Underworld of Knives!

My cell phone.

Who's there?

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

What do you want from me?

Give up your body. We want it.
Give up your body. We want it.

Give up your body. We want it.
Give up your body. We want it.

Give up your body. We want it.
Give up your body. We want it.

Give up your body. We want it.
Give up your body. We want it.

Give up your body. We want it.
Give up your body. We want it.

Give up your body. Give up your body.

Give up your body. Give up your body.

Give up your body. Give up your body.

Give up your body. Give up your body.

Give up your body. Give up your body.

Thanks, Yeon.

The 9-year-old me and
the 30-year-old me...

both lived thanks to you.

You see,

I may not be able to kick
butt and control the weather,

but I'll return the favor someday.

I promised you...

that I will...

protect you.

Your lady...

won't get to live a
long life this time either.

I don't care who she is.

I don't care whether or not she's
the person I've been looking for.

None of that matters anymore.

All I know is one thing.

The pain I feel from the knives
that are digging into my flesh...

is absolutely nothing...

compared to the pain I will
feel if that woman ever dies.

I just want to know more about you.

Then don't die.

Please stay alive.

Please stay alive until I arrive.

I often had nightmares.

And every time I did,
no one was ever there for me.

I was used to that.

But now...

So enjoy some normalcy
in the rest of your life.

I'll make sure of it.

Why am I waiting for you?

Lee Yeon. Lee Yeon!

Give up your body. Give up your body.

Give up your body. Give up your body.

Give up your body. Give up your body.

Please don't die.

Don't die...

because of me.

I found you.

Please be reincarnated.

I promise to find you.

I also...

waited for you.

"Tale of the Nine Tailed"

I was his loyal subject ever
since he was a mountain spirit,

and I am also his housekeeper.

What kind of person was your first love?

Somethings are better left unknown.

I'm looking for someone.

The way you look at me.
All that pain. I can't forget it.