(Artificial City)
(All people, places, organizations, and incidents appearing in this series are entirely fictional.)
(Episode 11)
Mrs. Yun will be here soon.
Right now,
it's just the two of us.
I've never…
lived my own life before.
I've always had to do as others wanted.
We're not supposed to do this.
With you,
I can truly be myself
in just a small aspect of my life.
You…
have a wife.
I know perfectly that Yun Jae-hui
is a great mother
and a remarkable woman, indeed.
But she doesn't make my heart race.
Then,
can you divorce her?
Is that what you want?
Answer me.
Can you…
divorce your wife?
Where do you think you're going?
You haven't
answered me, yet.
We can talk again when you've made up your mind.
I see you're quite confident.
Do you want a divorce?
Stop wasting time on insignificant things.
I didn't think you'd need another explanation.
Are you…
being jealous?
Would you like a taste
of the consequences of those
"insignificant things"?
Where is Mrs. Yun?
Probably at the concert hall.
I told her Mr. Jung was here, and she left.
[KIM YI-SEOL]
Where are you?
I know perfectly well
that Yun Jae-hui
is a great mother
and a remarkable woman, indeed.
But she doesn't make my heart race.
Where are you? I need to see you.
No. No need.
With you,
I can truly be myself
in just a small aspect of my life.
[PROSECUTOR PARK JEONG-HO]
[PROSECUTOR GENERAL CHO GANG-HYEON]
Hello, sir.
Sit.
Open it.
[INVESTIGATION ON PARK MAN-JAE, THE CURRENT MINISTER OF LAND]
Take a look at it
before we summon all those involved.
Make sure they don't have
anything up their sleeves.
Did you…
receive this from Sungjin?
What does it matter where I got it?
Hey Jeong-ho,
each one of us 2,292 prosecutors in Korea
is an independent investigator in their own right.
When a prosecutor
discovers a crime,
what does he do?
It's not like I'm making you do anything wrong.
I'm not asking you to make something up out of thin air.
It's their fault for breaking the law.
Am I wrong?
There are times
when everyone's fate converges into one outcome.
We all used to stand alone,
but now we're uniting under one mission,
to make Jung Jun-hyeok President.
You don't have to if you don't want to.
There are plenty who would love to have the opportunity.
Or consider this.
Who do you think most wants this to happen?
Isn't it Yun Jae-hui?
So, what's stopping you?
[REMEMBER HYEONGSAN-DONG, 2014]
[MAY THE VICTIMS REST IN PEACE.]
Excuse me!
Jae-hui!
Are you all right?
There.
I'm sorry to be bothering you like this.
Don't say that.
I wasn't sure what to get,
so I got these.
This will do.
Oh, okay.
By the way,
why did you walk all the way here from the gallery?
Just because…
You know, sometimes,
you just feel like taking a walk.
And this is where you ended up?
Isn't that something?
It's just
a coincidence, really.
Well, I'm sure it was.
I think both you and Jun-hyeok
are awesome people.
I-I'm curious
h-how the preparations are going for the talk concert.
Oh, I…
I can give you a lift home.
No, it's fine.
You should get back to work.
Just wait here a bit. My car's parked nearby.
You shouldn't walk with that foot.
I said I'm fine.
You don't have to worry.
I'm just worried
Jun-hyeok might be disappointed that I didn't help you.
Don't worry about that.
- Still… - Dong-min.
Just because I'm smiling
doesn't mean I'm not serious.
Wouldn't it
make you uncomfortable
if I turned you down with a frown?
Thanks anyways.
[YUN JAE-HUI]
Ms. Kim Yi-seol.
Mrs. Yun isn't here.
Actually, I'm here to talk to you about No Yeong-ju.
[ID / NO YEONG-JU]
Jae-hui doesn't know
about you and No Yeong-ju.
She'll be shocked if she finds out about your hidden intention.
Ms. Kim,
Jae-hui
does not have anything to do with No Yeong-ju's death.
I did everything myself
from reporting her death and taking care of her belongings.
Please leave before she finds out about this.
If I just leave,
do you think
she won't have any more problems?
I heard the birthmother was in a top university.
There are quite a few girls like that
working as escorts.
It looks like No Yeong-ju brought somebody she knew.
Have you found the broker yet?
Don't get me started.
It looks like word got around,
and the guy reached out to me first. So I ran a check on his number,
and it was a burner phone.
This guy's a professional.
When he sent me this document,
he said
he wanted to talk about money after we've seen the document.
He knew that it would make us more generous
when we learned
that we'd lost a healthy child.
That must have been his strategy.
By the way,
are you sure it will be good for us to find the child at this point?
What about for Jun-hyeok?
You don't have to worry.
I've come up with a plan.
Cho Gang-hyeon
has started the investigation on the Minister of Land.
Then I'll have my people
lobby the Redevelopment Association.
This is for Jun-hyeok's presidential election.
Be careful not to
let it drag on for too long.
It's for our oldest son.
Of course I'll be careful.
This has to go well
to make sure there's enough money to buy Sungjin Electronics shares.
But what good is all this effort going to do
without a grandson to inherit Sungjin?
Yu-ri will marry and join another family.
Remember not to speak of such things in front of Ju-yeon.
Why bother nagging a daughter-in-law when she's already quite old?
I don't think
the bloodline should matter too much.
Adoption could be a way to add a valuable asset
to the family.
We'll be setting an example.
If an adopted child inherits Sungjin,
nobody will criticize us for nepotism.
Although for some,
this might only complicate things.
You're invited to join the family breakfast.
Would you like a taste
of the consequences of those
"insignificant things"?
You're invited to join the family breakfast.
I know perfectly
that Yun Jae-hui
is a great mother
and a remarkable woman, indeed.
But she doesn't make my heart race.
With you,
I can truly be myself
in just a small aspect of my life.
♫ I used to believe I could have it all ♫
♫ The traces I left as I fought my way ♫
♫ God help me to see all the things I have done that I didn't deserve ♫
♫ In the past ♫
♫ Let me be there ♫
♫ So that I can find myself ♫
♫ Hold me, please ♫
♫ To find myself someday ♫
This is your last chance.
You can tell me if you don't want this.
You know I'm not a good man, right?
Are you scared that I'll abandon you?
A good man is not what I need.
There is only one thing
that I expect from you.
To have
the world at your feet.
♫ Don't leave me alone ♫
♫ In the darkness of this city ♫
♫ As I struggle to reach ♫
♫ the dim light ♫
♫ Let me be there ♫
♫ To find myself someday ♫
Up to this point,
it's going to be similar to the script you wrote.
There won't be much that's new.
Except for this last one.
I've never seen this piece myself.
I don't even know who owns it.
The painter couldn't even afford paints
when he first started.
Later he started making his name
and living in comfort when he painted this.
It's a memory of his life in poverty
which now hangs in some rich person's living room.
I wonder how he'd feel about that.
Are you offended
by what my husband did?
Are you okay?
Well, I…
To be honest,
I suspected you.
I thought you might be one of those
trying to seducing him, hoping to take my place
by his side.
Mrs. Yun.
I knew you'd never do such a thing.
If this were just your problem,
I would have taken your side
like any good friend would.
Actually,
I would have jumped right in
and given him a good slap.
But weirdly enough,
I found myself
doubting your intention, thinking you might have
let him make a move on you.
The more I thought about it,
the more I found myself blaming you
for not being careful enough.
He also knows
about the relationship between us.
And I didn't want to
even entertain the thought
that it was just him all along.
It would have been too humiliating for me.
So you would rather
be suspicious of me?
You once asked why I married a man like him.
No, no. Don't touch. Wait.
- You ready? - Yeah.
- You excited? - Yeah, I am.
Now, I'm going to count down.
- Are you ready? - Yep!
- Here we go. - Yeah!
Three, two, one!
Go!
We did it!
That was awesome!
My son is my reason.
He was adopted.
And nobody knows.
I had to protect my position
as Jung Jun-hyeok's wife.
Seol,
I love Jun-hyeok so much.
Will you help me
so that I won't have doubts about you?
I need to know that
you're truly loyal to me.
If my parents say anything that disturbs you,
just ignore it.
What's up?
What?
Or they might not say anything.
Why are you alone? Where's Jae-hui?
Oh, she's not feeling well.
You had a fight?
Stop talking such nonsense.
Jun-il!
What's up with Jun-hyeok?
It looks like Jae-hui's not well.
What?
She's sick?
How would he know?
You can ask Jun-hyeok yourself.
Or is my husband just easier to talk to?
Let's go.
How's everything going?
I heard you're working late preparing for the concert.
I heard Jae-hui
had to go out to meet some potential panel guests.
I'm excited to see
what brilliant people she'll bring on board.
I thought
she was home resting because she's sick.
Was she not home last night?
What?
You don't even know where wife is and with whom?
I don't know what this is about, but you need to fix this soon.
Her presence will be indispensable in many events.
I'm sure that
you know better than anyone else how instrumental
your wife was in getting you to where you are right now.
It's hard to find anyone with such devotion, these days.
Devotion to his success, or her own?
She's as cunning as a fox.
A great wife
would have told her husband
if she wasn't going to be home.
There must be a reason.
She would have come home if there hadn't been
some kind of a problem.
Think about that.
Why did you just do that?
Even if you noticed something was up,
you didn't have to bring that up, did you?
Why start trouble?
You talk as if
I'm causing all conflicts in this family.
Why can't you
try to be on good terms with everybody?
Let me ask you this.
Why are you so obsessed with being on good terms with everybody?
That's…
because we're family.
So,
you want me keep my mouth shut
for your fantasy of a happy family?
Ju-yeon,
why are you being so offensive?
You pity your father and Jun-hyeok,
and in the meantime,
you wish that Mother were kinder to them
and that Jun-il would be more understanding.
And I'm sick of that goody two-shoes act of yours.
Ju-yeon!
Consider yourself lucky
that you aren't involved in any of the fights and keep it that way.
And stop judging me.
Oh, and I suggest
you stop doing anything stupid
like telling my husband to look after Jun-hyeok.
After the talk concert,
we will conduct another poll on presidential candidates.
If you're one of the top three,
we will have Congressman Min Seong-sik
lead a task force team in your support.
I'll have to think about whether it will be the right move
to join the Liberty Reformation Party.
Congressman Min
is a real strategist who has made two presidents.
Although politics in Korea
depends more on people than parties,
it is impossible to win the presidency without a party's support.
But still, the public perception of that party is…
Well, that's why they need you.
I'm getting the impression that they're trying to use me.
You like to play the victim.
Is that a habit you've acquired
playing the poor and pitiful stepson?
He's doing this to help the family.
Why are you being so harsh?
You don't think I have anything against Jun-il?
If you feel that you're
making a sacrifice just for the sake of others,
you can quit now.
There are
always other people I can use.
You shouldn't blame others
for the problems that you created.
It's unfair.
If I have a habit of playing victim,
it's all because of you.
You've always treated Father and me
like we were your servants.
Jun-hyeok.
You chose to marry Father
to avoid the ridicule of giving birth out of wedlock.
So, you shouldn't have been so hard on us.
Make up your mind.
Are you the pathetic bastard
who suffered from a vicious stepmother
or a proud son of the white knight
who saved this single mother from misery?
Don't switch characters like that on a whim.
I find that quite disgusting.
Now, everything
depends on what you do.
If I'm indeed trying to steal your husband,
I could use your secret to my advantage.
But then,
if I keep your secret,
will you trust me?
If you do that,
then I'll
trust you completely.
Were you not home last night?
Did Jun-hyeok tell you?
You know he would never tell.
I hope it's nothing too serious.
I have a question for you.
Why did you turn a blind eye
when you already knew Hyeon-wu was adopted?
Always so blatantly honest
and tough to handle.
I'm talking about you.
Any woman in your shoes
would have sided against me
because I don't favor
her husband.
But you're not like that.
You don't side with anyone.
You simply took
what you needed and wanted from both.
It's because no one would accept me.
I hate him to the bone.
The way he acts like he deserves everything…
He probably takes that from his mother.
What's even worse is
the way Jae-hui treats Father.
How dare she
talk back to him and ignore him?
Hey,
I didn't know
you were so fond of him.
That's not it.
She only landed Jun-hyeok because he's a bastard.
She never deserved to be part of this family.
But she forgets her place
and acts like she's something.
I also noticed
Jae-hui can sometimes be overly confident.
We need to teach her a lesson.
How will you do that?
Will you arrange me a meeting with Congressman Min?
Everyone is the same, after all.
Each person has their own problems.
Problems they won't share with anyone else.
So they come to think
that they've been dealt an unfair card
and feel that nobody in the world understands them.
That's human nature.
You chose to marry Father to avoid the ridicule of giving birth out of wedlock.
So, you shouldn't have been so hard on us.
I thought you went out with Mother.
She sent me to fetch something.
Well then,
I'll see you.
She bought it herself.
Your mother bought
the frame herself,
when she could have had me do it.
She took her time with it,
looking through the album
and picking out the photo.
I see.
Thank you, Seon-mi.
Such self-pity makes them magnanimous about their own faults.
What is this?
I have no idea.
No Yeong-ju gave birth to a child?
- No! - When did she?
I don't know.
Where is the baby? Where did you hide it?
I never hid anything.
This is nonsense!
Get back here right now!
Talk to me!
And they think they're the ones with the deepest scars.
Well, I don't think the polls matter too much.
I just hope that
you will take good care of Jun-hyeok.
Think of him as your own son.
Well, I'm just doing my job
as party leader acquiring such a great asset as Jun-hyeok.
This must be why you're so well-respected, Congressman Min.
There aren't many men
as kindly disposed as Mr. Jung in my experience.
Don't you agree?
Of course.
He's always cheerful and ebullient
and quite pleasant to look at.
If he had been born into a better family,
he would never have married the likes of Seo Han-suk.
Don't you agree?
Oh, sure.
In that case,
would you consider switching places with me?
I mean wives.
Come on.
That was way over the line.
Oh, dear.
I hope you're not offended or anything, Mr. Jung.
Oh, by no means.
I would gladly
switch places with you if I could.
Of course.
I told you he's a man's man, didn't I?
The broker said he will give us the child's whereabouts
after he meets you in person.
As soon as
we locate the child, we can start
thinking of a plan to bring him back.
- Sounds good? - Sure.
And they think those scars give them justification
to commit even greater sins.
Your father-in-law
knows that Hyeon-wu's adopted.
Don't be surprised.
He's using this
as an excuse to bring home Jun-hyeok's bastard.
What's your next move going to be?
Please help me so that
I can make the first move.
- Daddy. - Yeah.
When is Mommy coming home?
She'll be home soon.
It's quite late.
Shall we go to bed?
It's Mommy!
Jae-hui invited me to dinner.
Mommy!
- Good evening. - Oh, good evening.
Yi-seol!
What's your favorite fruit?
Me?
Strawberries.
How about you?
I like apples most.
What are you doing?
You should have discussed it with me.
You never discuss things with me beforehand.
It's nothing but a dinner
with your favorite company.
Don't flip out over nothing.
Anyone care for some wine?
Oh, of course.
Wine sounds nice.
Daddy.
Isn't Yi-seol pretty?
Yes.
I like her.
Her favorite fruit is apple.
It's my favorite, too.
Okay.
It's time to sleep.
Daddy,
can you invite her again?
Yeah?
To come over and play with me.
Okay, I will. Let's sleep.
Anything I can help with?
Will you take these wine glasses?
Sure.
You're okay, right?
This is an opportunity to prove your intention.
I hope you seize it.
Let's go.
Isn't it good?
It is.
This is some professional work.
Why don't you say something, Seol?
He gave you a compliment.
Thank you, Mr. Han.
You're a good writer.
Mr. Han.
Thank you, Yi-seol.
I'll have water.
Any particular reason you can't drink?
It's just…
There.
By the way,
Seol and Dong-min,
you'll be seeing each other a lot.
Do we need all this formality?
Dong-min
calls you by your name,
but you keep calling him Mr. Han.
You should call him by his name.
Or
how about oppa?
Dong-min oppa.
Don't guys like to be called oppa?
Well, she might…
be uncomfortable with that…
Some people these days
find it inappropriate to use oppa.
It could leave an impression that I'm above her.
And-
Is that it?
I'm sorry, Seol.
It's okay.
As old as I am, I still have a lot to learn.
I hope you understand.
I heard something funny recently.
Something that I simply cannot understand.
What is it?
Someone told me that
for a man, all other women besides his wife
are nothing but toys
to quench their desires.
What do you think that means?
What kind of an asshole would say that?
What?
Whoever said that unspeakable thing must be a total moron.
You think?
Because of those ignorant few
all men in Korea have to share the blame.
Jun-hyeok.
Yeah.
Let this talk concert be an opportunity
to prove yourself to the public.
Show them you're the man who can
to resolve the inter-generation
and inter-gender conflicts.
Sure.
That will be just perfect.
Don't you agree?
Well then,
shall we have a toast?
Cheers!
Oh, the wine…
Oh dear.
Some tissue…
It's cold.
Are you okay?
- You can sit. - Okay.
I thought you knew better than to behave like this.
I planned this dinner for you.
I see you're not enjoying it.
Then what would you like?
Should I stop everything
and tell the world that
my husband is cheating on me?
They'll say that after all
you're an asshole just like your father.
Is that what you want?
I would sometimes pity your mother
for having to put up with your father.
But you're just the same.
I don't expect you to be a different man.
Just be careful in front of others.
Please.
Also,
I wanted to let you know that
Yi-seol is not interested in you.
Too bad.
Is that what she said?
And you believe that?
I'd better.
I will.
Or else,
I might slit her throat myself.
It's funny indeed how people
change their minds so easily.
We'll begin the operation.
Scalpel.
He looks exactly like his father.
They all use their scars as weapons
only to face humiliation in the end.
- Oh, by the way, - Yeah?
Why are you so fond of my husband?
Why all of a sudden?
Well, I feel a bit
awkward to say it,
but…
I think he has the potential to bring
the right change to the world.
You know how
people with power
only seem to use it to their own advantage…
(Artificial City)
I was quite successful as an anchor.
What do you mean, my child?
I will not accept a child
born out of a random woman as my own.
I will not let this taint my reputation.
The peace that I have dreamed of…
He's just paying the price.
Nothing comes for free.
I don't understand why
everybody's so hesitant.
You can just get rid of him.
But I find it weird
that you want her to divorce him
because you want to protect her.
Take care of this as soon as possible.
Yes, ma'am.
Do you think I'll back down so easily?
After all…
I'll ruin his life for good.