JE GEUN-U HAN YEONG-HUI
It happened when I was in high school.
My mom drove her car into the ocean, with her and my dad inside.
They got her body out of the water, but my poor father
is probably still wandering somewhere down there in the ocean, all alone.
My mother was insane.
She left fingernails behind for me.
That's when I knew their deaths hadn't been an accident.
You think it was insurance fraud?
Looks like it.
She had committed murder and suicide all at once.
But I never told anyone that.
I was still too young then to handle everything.
After all that, how could I have lived a normal life?
I developed a severe panic disorder.
From then on, I couldn't leave the house without my medication.
But even with it, I chose not to.
A happy and peaceful confinement.
Maybe that was when people outside
first started to see me
as a rat hiding in a hole.
It's in this area along the Han River
that a woman thought to be in her early thirties was found dead.
Authorities are working to identify her,
yet they haven't found any direct leads,
including any means of contacting the woman's family.
The area was closed off temporarily, but even after the search…
Even now,
I can't bring myself to leave the house.
- Hold up your hand - …her personal belongings…
But the world carries on just fine without me.
The past three years, while I've been locked up in here,
it seems like every day on the outside is just
as lively as it ever was.
Goddamn it.
Nothing out there ever falls apart.
But I'm stuck in here, popping pills to try and control my panic disorder.
YOUR ORDER IS PLACED! ARRIVING TOMORROW MORNING (SAT)
People say that I'm some kind of genius writer.
Reclusive, mysterious,
shrouded in secrecy,
known only by a pseudonym.
No face, no real name.
An enigmatic writer who burst onto the scene, blazing like a comet,
and releasing back-to-back hit novels.
A comet?
At least comets can drift through space as much as they want.
Fuck them.
They don't know anything.
Aah.
Moon-jae!
The same nightmare every night.
And the same panic attack every day.
Nothing ever changes here.
Aah.
Let's take a look, then.
See how similar the world is to yesterday.
The yogurt guy.
Postman. Saying hi.
WOMAN IN THIRTIES FOUND DEAD
The news is always the same.
Maybe the world outside really is just some sort of simulation.
The body of a woman in her thirties
was reportedly found yesterday morning
in a neighborhood that many regard as a very quiet…
I'm so sick of it all.
…deployment of investigators to the scene,
has left local residents with a palpable tension hanging in the air.
The victim was found with severe injuries and external trauma.
Police have secured CCTV footage
showing a suspect leaving the scene of the crime,
and are currently working to identify the individual
and trace their movements.
BARO BANK
BARO BANK CERTIFICATE
Hmm.
FINGERPRINT NOT MATCHED
Ugh, are you serious? What the hell?
FINGERPRINT NOT MATCHED
TOO MANY FAILED ATTEMPTS ENTER YOUR PIN
What?
Bug in the code?
DONGBU POLICE STATION
- There he is! - Hey, where were you? Courthouse?
Is all that still going on?
Hey. Go to hell.
I'm actually working. On your shit, too.
Fuck, we're already shorthanded here.
- Oh, good morning, sir. - Hey.
- Hello. - Hello, sir.
- Wake up, asshole. - Ah, shit!
Where were you, anyway? The courthouse?
You couldn't just say where you were goin' before you left?
You're a fucking cop. Why are you getting hauled into domestic violence court?
But I wasn't violent, I told you.
'Kay, so I punched my goddamn wall. That doesn't count, though.
But that's violence, isn't it? You beat up a wall.
Great job, yeah, real smart.
Hey.
Everyone get to work. Got it?
- You get to work, all right? - I should just shoot you jackasses.
Hey.
Someone left you a lead.
A lead?
I think it's about the remains found in the Han River.
Why'd it come to you? Is it someone you know?
- From who, does it say? - Anonymous sender.
- Then I can't tell you about 'em, can I? - Not the sender. Take a look at the photo.
All right, just give me a fuckin' second.
Great. Ah, Jesus…
THE BODY FOUND IN THE HAN RIVER WAS NOT A SUICIDE
KIM YEONG-GEUN APT 704, BLDG 104, CENTUM HEIGHTS FORE
Know that guy?
Nah, I've never seen him before.
There must be a reason this was sent to you.
Hey, who would send this in the mail?
Why not just post the tip on some bulletin board online, right?
And who was the suicide in the Han River?
Why are you asking me that?
I'd say it's your job now. It was sent to you.
- Bye, sir. - I've gotta talk to you.
Just hang on. Who is this guy?
Where do I even start on this?
Damn it, seriously? Newbie, hey.
Yeah?
Run a quick check on this guy.
Name's Kim Yeong-geun.
ID number is…
Track it down.
Okay…
SON SOO-HYUN APT 704, 104 CENTUM HEIGHTS FORE
BILL: 558,660 WON
Hey, you call me way too often, just 'cause I'm nearby.
Jesus, you sure crank up the heat in here. What, you got a cold?
How could I possibly be sick,
when I never even so much as step outside?
Unless you brought it in with you.
Hey.
What happened?
Bug got into the code. Caused a glitch.
I saved my number in there.
I mean, who else are you gonna call, anyway?
It's weird. Your phone was working just fine before this, wasn't it?
Clicked on porn, huh?
Seriously?
If not, why is it acting up all of a sudden, then, huh?
I don't know. The fingerprint thing is shit
and I can't even send payments or anything.
You just got it for me a few months ago. Why does it keep breaking?
Hey, it's your fingerprints.
Guess you wrote so much that now your fingerprints wore off.
Is this amusing? Huh?
Hey. Just let me buy it.
Can I assume it's urgent? You want me to get everything from the cart?
Uh-huh.
Oh, the one-time password is in there still,
so register your fingerprint on the bank app and use it.
You really are a handful, man, seriously.
Then you got a better idea?
The accounts are in your name, you're the only one who can get the funds.
I know, and you can trust that I'll always keep your money secure.
- Need any more help? - Uh-huh. Look.
I'll call someone to take care of it.
My day-to-day routine hardly changes in the slightest,
and this happens all at once, just like that.
Hey, who knows? I guess it could be that the window and phone were intentional.
The simulation theory, right? That short story you wrote?
Hang on, the character was just gaslighted until he thought all of it was true.
- Did you actually read my story? - Seriously, man?
I went and got a copy and you got paid.
Does it really matter if I read every single word?
- Ugh. - You good?
- On your meds? - I've still got some left.
Okay, then.
I guess, thanks to you, I get to act like I've actually got the panic disorder.
I'm getting better and better at it.
Is that it, then?
Mm-hm. You heading out?
Us accountants are busy guys, you know?
Today is our high school reunion, too. Been buried doing all that.
Really? You guys still all meet?
Everybody else attends, yeah.
All the boys who've had any success financially.
Jesus. I hated that place.
Reunions are bullshit, so why do you even bother going?
Aren't you getting sick of just being stuck in here?
It's been almost three years now.
And anyway…
Who else sees you besides me?
I am sick of this.
You were supposed to help me. Will you get me out of here soon?
You can't stay here.
Being out somewhere near the ocean, the beach…
everything would get better.
A little longer. We'll get you there.
Gotta go.
When are you coming back?
Call me if anything happens. But I'm sure you'll be fine.
Hey, I…
BARO BANK CERTIFICATE FINGERPRINT NOT MATCHED
Already? What the fuck?
Who is it?
Oh, yeah, hey, police. Open up.
Just following a lead. You Kim Yeong-geun?
- Uh, no. - You're not?
No, I'm not.
Does Kim Yeong-geun live here?
No. It's just me here, sir.
Ah, shit.
A report came into the station and, uh…
Do you mind if I poke around a little?
- Sure, go ahead. - Okay.
I'll be quick, shouldn't take long.
Wow. Ooh, nice place you got here.
A bird hit the window earlier.
Oh, yeah?
I didn't think birds still flew into windows like that.
Weird, huh? Must've been painful.
- It's just you here? - Yeah.
Wow. You've got a lot of space.
If you've confirmed the person you want isn't here,
then, would you leave, please?
Yeah, be outta your hair in just a minute, okay?
Kim Yeong-geun lives here according to our records.
So who is this man? What did he do?
I'm not sure, really. Who knows? He could be hiding in there.
After you.
Thank you for your cooperation.
If you're done, then please leave.
Hmm.
Sure thing. Sorry to be such a pain in the ass.
By the way,
what do you do for work?
The anonymous tip was just a prank.
Yeah, that Kim Yeong-geun apparently never lived here,
but there was a guy there who let me come inside.
Did you learn the identity of the deceased?
How can I identify some unidentified person?
Then who's the thug in the tip?
How the fuck am I supposed to find out who he is from a single photo?
Am I a fucking FBI agent now?
You fucking wish.
Push till you get the answers.
Hang up, I'm seeing the chief.
But… Are you serious?
Ugh, what a bunch of bullshit.
DONGBU POLICE PARK SUN-YONG
Why do I get the lead?
Who sent me this goddamn thing?
IS THIS THE RIGHT OTP?
SON SOO-HYUN
RISING STAR, FACELESS GENIUS WRITER KNOWN ONLY BY HIS PEN NAME
"INTERVIEW" AUTHOR SUSPENDS SERIALIZATION DUE TO PANIC DISORDER
2 YEARS AFTER VANISHING WITHOUT EXPLANATION
AN IRRESPONSIBLE ESCAPE?
NEW NOVEL EVIL ALWAYS PREVAILS SET FOR HOLLYWOOD ADAPTATION
I…
Oh, yes.
Just look at the view.
You got yourself a great deal on this place.
The kitchen's so big! It's so pretty.
- The kitchen needs to be nice. - This is nice.
- It's so… - It's been fixed up?
- Wow, this is so nice! - Mmm.
- Wow. - Wow.
You were going to renovate?
- Yes. - Who are you?
- What the hell are you doing here? - Why…
- Are you still here? - What?
- Why are you here? You should be out. - I'm… What are you saying?
You can't just barge into someone's house!
- How did you get in here? - I was given the code for the door.
- From who? - The owner.
Just hang on. I'm the owner. Please explain what's going on here.
Look, I'm the agent handling the sale.
I met the owner when I sold the place.
I arranged it myself three years ago. What are you talking about?
The owner's an accountant. Nice young man.
He wanted to sell fast,
and this couple's already bought the place.
The tenant didn't want any visitors.
I had a similar home I had to show them instead.
So just who are you, anyway?
Just wait a second. He's a friend. Hold on.
- Are you the tenant? - No. I said I'm the owner.
Hang on. I'm not too sure about this.
So his name's on all the contracts and whatnot, but I actually own it.
Look, these people are the new owners. They signed a contract.
Regardless, you need to move out today, all right? They're going to remodel.
- Give me a minute. - Sir, what is all this?
- Well… - Ah, shit…
- What is going on? - I'll take care of it.
The number is no longer in service,
or cannot accept incoming calls.
I'll take care of it.
- I told you to look into it. - What?
This is illegal occupancy.
SON SOO-HYUN2
The number is no longer in service.
Just give me some time. I'm about to call my friend.
- I'm really so sorry about this. - Bastard!
- Did he… - You said there was no problem.
WRONG PATTERN
- Huh? - This has never happened before.
Really sorry.
Goddamn it.
RESET YOUR PATTERN
What the hell?
CAN'T REGISTER MY PRINT
A little longer.
We'll get you there.
The number you dialed is either no longer in service,
or cannot accept incoming calls at this time.
The number you have dialed is not in service.
Please check the number and dial again.
Who knows? I guess it could be that the window and your phone were intentional.
Son Soo-hyun, you bastard!
- Hang on! Where are you going? - Just wait!
- Hey, just tell me why you're here! - I'm his friend, I know he works here.
Where is he right now? Where is he?
Soo-hyun's gone. He just quit.
Wait, he quit?
Yeah, it just came out of nowhere,
but he said he was going abroad for a few years.
He seemed to be in a hurry.
Now I'm stuck handling all his work.
Us accountants are busy guys, you know?
Today is our high school reunion, too. Been buried doing all that.
They all get together every quarter.
But they're just meeting up now to get an inside track.
Seriously, man, you were such a loser back in the day.
Never popular, and it's not like you had good grades.
Ugh, God. Nowadays, it's like…
…I always gotta clean up for you.
Nobody remembers you there now, man, not at all.
Well, I guess they remember your name,
but just your name, only 'cause it's so unique.
Je Moon-jae.
Do you remember that place?
Hey, you know the one, right?
The place we always said we'd go for drinks after we graduated.
Exactly, that's the place.
We always meet up over there.
SOONGAM HIGH SCHOOL REUNION
And the Han River was the entire point,
'cause we all bet that the view there was great.
We talked about the amazing view of the Han River there.
THE HANGANG RIVER VIEW
Where is it? Where is it? Where is it?
- Where the hell is it? - What?
Q2 SOONGNAM HIGH REUNION
SON SOO-HYUN
The number you have dialed is not in service.
Please check the number and di--
DRUNK ON THE HANGANG RIVER VIEW
Uh, you got some cash, then? Or else a credit card?
I'm sorry, wait a minute.
Oh, come on. I don't have all day. Let's go.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!
Stop that guy!
Hey, you! Hey!
13TH ALUMNI REUNION SOONGAM HIGH SCHOOL
…championship last year!
Yeah, it was fantastic!
- Oh, hey! - Hey, how are you?
How you been? Good! All right.
- Here, have a seat. - Sure.
2025 SOONGAM HIGH SCHOOL 13TH ALUMNI REUNION
- Oh… - You gotta stick with it.
- You're working hard. - Yeah.
At our age, we've gotta take care of ourselves.
Huh? Moon-jae?
Huh?
Hey, who are you? Sir?
Where's Soo-hyun? Son Soo-hyun.
Son Soo-hyun?
He's not here today. Said he was traveling overseas.
Hey, just cut the bullshit. I know he was coming to the reunion.
Well, anyway, who are you?
Who am I?
I'm Moon-jae, guys. Je Moon-jae. Remember me?
You.
You too, class president. Min-seok, right?
Lee Min-seok? It's you, isn't it?
You prayed before every test.
So where's Soo-hyun?
Yeah, he's Min-seok, I mean, yeah.
Still, Moon-jae? No way.
Because I just grabbed drinks with Moon-jae last week.
- He came to the last reunion. - I saw him there.
- Moon-jae did. - What the hell are you trying to say?
I've been holed up three years alone in my house, guys.
What are you doing? Who are you?
- How does he know? - I'm Moon-jae, I told you.
- Stop saying that. Clearly, you're not. - I'm Moon-jae, dude! Je Moon-jae!
Things only a classmate would know about.
He's Kyeong-tae.
He was the best student in our school. I forget his last name.
And that's Kwon Yong-hyeon, we played basketball together.
And there is our math teacher, Gestapo!
Okay, okay, okay, just calm down, sir.
This man's not Mr. Je Moon-jae?
He's not. I just had drinks with Moon-jae.
This isn't Moon-jae.
I was his homeroom teacher back then, when he was a sophomore in school.
He and I met up again at the last reunion.
Hey, what's going on?
We know Moon-jae, so who're you?
Let's just calm down. Uh… You must have ID of some kind, right?
I just had to run out of my house. I'm sorry, I haven't got any ID.
You've got your cellphone.
These days, everybody likes to keep their ID saved on their phones, right?
But, it's just that…
It's mine, but I'm not the one who registered it…
See, I'm not… I guess my…
It's just that my name isn't on any accounts or lease right now, you know? So…
Tell me who you are, then.
Seriously? Shit.
I just wanted to meet a friend.
- Why are you hassling me? - We'll talk at the station.
- Jesus. - Watch your foot.
I guess he's a criminal.
Huh?
That's…
Uh…
Just hold on a second.
You gotta face forward. Just relax, sir.
Police have launched an investigation
after a man believed to be homeless was found dead in an empty lot…
Once we confirm your identity, we'll let you go.
The man's exact identity has not yet been determined.
- He was found with no belongings. - Lotta folks losing their minds out there.
Think we should drug test him?
…and worsening living conditions,
concerns for the safety of vulnerable individuals
living on the streets are growing.
Hey, there's nothing. Even his ID number is bogus, too.
What?
…reported to law enforcement. A man…
There's no match for his fingerprints.
Either he's an illegal immigrant or a ghost.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN FOUND DEAD IN SEOUL
That's not possible. His fingerprints aren't on file here?
…investigate the circumstances of his death…
- Nothing's there. - Hm?
The deceased was in his late forties to early fifties.
At the time he was found, he had no personal belongings or ID on him.
- Police… - What the hell?
Where'd he go? Shit. Ah, goddamn it!
I mean, why are you asking me that?
- How am I supposed to know? - I didn't authorize you to do that.
Just tell me what's going on.
All it shows is that it was re-registered two months ago, like I said.
The ID number and the fingerprints, too.
Then who could've made the changes?
Nobody asked my permission to re-register anything!
- Je Moon-jae authorized the changes! - I just said that I'm Moon-jae!
- What? - What's he doing?
We've got a customer causing problems.
How can I take your word for it
when you've got nothing to prove who you really are?
Sir, only the person that's named in the file
can re-register any of the information.
I said I'm Moon-jae, though.
And I… I didn't okay any changes to my own info!
I'm not seeing that, sir.
The computer shows it here.
All the changes were authorized two months ago.
Looks like there was concern over a data breach.
And Je Moon-jae is the person who changed it.
Okay.
How about, if it's actually my friend that did all this?
Please, I already explained this.
There's no way that another person did that.
I didn't do any of that.
Isn't there, like, a photo? Or something?
Why not just let me see the screen?
What are you doing? Don't!
- Sir, please don't! - Let me look!
- Please, sir, just stay calm! - Hey, let go! Listen, I'm Je Moon-jae!
We can talk inside--
I said I'm Moon-jae, I told you!
He must be nuts.
Huh?
What is wrong with him?
Hey! What's going on?
What the… What's wrong with him?
Watch it!
I'm… I'm sorry.
I… left my meds at home.
What are you doing here?
Huh?
Why are you over here again? Did you leave something behind or…
"Over here again"?
You moved out before, we talked, then you took off.
And you sure replaced the window real quick.
Gosh, this is a floor-to-ceiling window.
It usually takes people days to get one replaced.
Hah.
Hold on.
Did I do this?
Yeah.
Did you see a dead bird or something?
Down on the ground below here?
Could've run into the glass up here maybe?
Well… your window?
Don't think so.
The security office is right below here.
I'd have seen a bird if it fell on the ground.
Other unclaimed remains
don't get this much attention from the police and the media.
She's famous. She was on the news, right?
They found her in the Han River.
Did an autopsy, and there were no signs of foul play.
- Why are you so interested? - I got a tip, and it mentioned her.
I don't think you wanna see her. She drowned.
So how can someone who was alive and well
just show up one day in the morgue with nothing to ID her?
That's not how things go.
I got three more like her in this morgue alone now. Unclaimed, or unidentified.
There are lots across the country.
No fingerprint match. She might be a foreigner.
Yeah, hello?
Where at?
Violent Crimes?
Han-su over in Violent Crimes says you're looking into Kim Yeong-geun.
I've been busting my ass looking for that guy.
I'm not coming up with shit. There's not even a sheet on him.
Hmm. Hasn't got a criminal record. The bastard's never been caught.
- Yeah? - But he's a real cutthroat guy.
Runs illegal gambling rings, loan-sharking, things like that.
He made good money hosting an illegal gambling site, too.
- Hmm. - Man, thugs can always smell money.
I heard that, most of the time, he's known just as Noja.
Another name for Laozi, the philosopher.
- Noja? - He hasn't been around lately.
We're looking for him, too.
- Hmm. - So what's the tip you got?
Ah, it said that he had a hand
in whatever happened to the woman found in the Han River.
I need something solid, a lead that can get me started.
Oh, that lady?
As far as I know, he just keeps strictly to gang stuff.
From what I hear, he basically functions as the gang's version of,
I guess… Internal Affairs.
Yeong-geun! Stop! How could you do this to me?
He throws money into the graves of guys he buries alive
for causing the gang trouble.
Guess that's why they call him Noja.
You know, the funeral cash we tuck in a casket?
But now the gang's in free fall and all the members are disappearing.
He's still pretty scary, though.
So be careful takin' him down.
He sure is an ugly son of a bitch.
ORGANIZED CRIME OFFENDER KIM YEONG-GEUN
ACCOUNTANT SON SOO-HYUN
Hey, sir You can't just park here!
You need to move.
- Whoa! - Oh, God, what's wrong with him?
Hah!
Noja?
You asshole!
Fuck!
Whoa!
Asshole.
Shit.
It's 'cause you're not used to the place yet.
The doctor said take one if you feel anxious or suffocated.
ALPRAZOLAM
But what can you do, weak as you are now?
I suppose you'll have to hide out here for a while.
Will we…
be okay, though?
We'll be all right. Just trust me.
Aren't you curious…
who I am?
Mouse