CHIEF OF STAFF 2
THIS DRAMA IS PURELY FICTIONAL AND IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH
ACTUAL PEOPLE, PARTIES, LOCATIONS, CORPORATIONS OR INCIDENTS
The hearing is over.
I'm on my way to the office.
Check Mr. Jo's schedule.
Yes, sir. By the way, the information about Assemblyman Lee's campaign fund
probably leaked out from the prosecution. An internal investigation is going on.
Who is in charge of the case?
Mr. Jang.
Chief Prosecutor Choe Gyeong-cheol of Special Investigation Team.
You really impressed me at the hearing.
I'm Prosecutor Choe Gyeong-cheol.
Prosecutor Choe Gyeong-cheol is well known to be a prosecutor
who focuses on investigation without getting swayed by political pressure.
With the personnel changes,
we will make sure to faithfully reform the prosecution
and eradicate
corruption of high-ranking officials...
There's no way back.
We will align the organization...
I forsook the way back
because I have a way to go on.
Mr. Jang.
I know people like you
very well.
I know how you climbed all the way up here from the bottom.
You dress yourself in fancy clothes, but the stink of the gutter remains.
Politics? I'm not interested in it at all.
My job is to put trash in its place.
See you around.
I must never stop.
Even if muddy darkness drags me down.
The second I stop,
I will sink into a deep swamp.
EPISODE 3 SWAMP
Prosecutor Choe Gyeong-cheol is known to be specialized in corruption cases.
He worked in the Supreme Prosecutors' Office
and served as the chief of Special Investigation Team.
He has an excellent investigatory power and tremendous drive.
He's also known to be meticulous and tenacious.
Mungwang Group, Guhong Group, and Hose Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering.
He's been in charge of those conglomerate cases.
He holds fast to his principle and never gets swayed by political pressure,
so he has a good reputation.
The predominant view is that Minister Song chose someone
whom the politicians and even the prosecution can't object to.
The deputy chief prosecutors
of Seoul Central Prosecutors' Office are his seniors.
Some prosecutors would submit their resignation.
Some would say a generational change has been accomplished soon.
And the approval rating for Minister Song would rise.
That's what they are going for.
He can't appoint one from his people or the opponents,
so he's decided to start afresh.
PERSONNEL CARD
I had no idea that a rat had been eating up
all the food in the barn.
If it weren't for you, we would've been in big trouble.
They say
a man should hold his tongue
-and act succinctly. -I agree.
Prosecutor Choe will take care of Tae-jun.
I failed to fathom your intentions earlier.
I'm sorry about what happened the other day.
It's all water under the bridge.
We're in the same boat already. We should work together now.
Please let me meet with Prosecutor Choe sometime.
I'll make sure to serve you right.
Okay.
Well, about Kang Seon-yeong...
Minister Song.
I do have a sense of shame.
I've already taken care of it.
You have?
Now she won't be
running her mouth anymore.
I scared her a little.
Please eat.
Please show us the entrance of Building 106.
ENTRANCE OF BUILDING 106
Zoom in on the elevator number three.
ELEVATOR 3 OF BUILDING 106
The suspect covered his face and had some tools.
It seems to be a premeditated crime.
He was wearing gloves, so we can't take his fingerprints.
We will check the CCTV footage and dash cams in the vicinity
and call you back once we find any clues.
-Thank you. -You're welcome.
Let's go if you're done.
Assemblywoman Kang.
I'm sorry
you had to come.
It's okay.
Are you all right? Aren't you hurt?
I'm fine.
Was Mr. Lee Chang-jin here?
I guess he's trying to warn me.
I must be a thorn in his side.
Ms. Kang.
Be careful.
It's not a good idea to be out so late without even a personal secretary.
It's a dangerous world.
Just leave it there. I'll clean this up.
Assemblywoman Kang.
I called him.
You should take her to a hotel.
Okay.
You should stay at a hotel for the time being.
I'll stay here.
Ms. Kang.
If I stay at a hotel,
Mr. Lee
would think I'm intimidated.
Mr. Han.
Will you help me?
Yes, ma'am.
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
Hello, sir.
Look into Jang Tae-jun's connections with the police.
Detective Lee Hyeong-bae is still waiting to be assigned.
Not the detective.
He even got involved in the reinvestigation of Lee Chang-jin.
It must be someone in a higher position.
I have to find out who it is.
Yes, sir.
-Where did he go? -What? He's not in there?
-Please wait inside. -Okay.
Hey, Lee Gwi-dong.
How would I get such money all of a sudden?
Of course I want to take care of it.
I'm still working on it. Just tell them to wait.
Gosh, I can take care of it.
What are you doing there? Minister Song is here.
Just hang on. I'll call you back.
What were you doing?
-Are you deaf or what? -I'm sorry, sir.
I kept calling for you. Gosh.
-Goodbye. -Bye.
Gosh, he's unbelievable.
I'm sorry, sir.
What about the confiscation warrant for Lee Chang-jin?
I don't think we can get it issued for now.
The prosecutors are saying they don't have enough evidence.
They want the evidence that Lee Chang-jin was involved.
Don't contact me for the time being.
Minister Song will try to look into my connections
with the police.
You don't have to worry about me.
I'm good at hiding.
Just hang in there.
I've come all the way here counting on you.
You can't back off like that. That doesn't sound like Jang Tae-jun.
SEOUL CENTRAL PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
INVESTIGATION OF HOSE MARINE ENGINEERING
PERSONNEL CARD
PROSECUTOR CHOE GYEONG-CHEOL
The new chief of Seoul Central Prosecutors' Office, Choe Gyeong-cheol
is to take over his official duties this morning.
-Thank you. -Prosecutor Choe will
-Nice to meet you. -have a brief meeting
with other prosecutors and employees on his first day
without an inauguration ceremony.
-Please tell us how you are feeling. -I believe the true role of prosecutors
is a proper investigation.
I'll try to restore public trust
by focusing on the investigation.
I know there will be plenty of challenges.
I will appreciate your help.
Is there an investigation you're planning on?
Doubts has been expressed about corruption of high-ranking officials.
Since public disappointment is rising regarding the issue,
we will soon launch an investigation.
Prosecutor Choe vowed to restore public trust in the prosecution
by focusing on the investigation.
-Yes. Come in. -He also announced
that he will focus on the investigation
of the corruption of high-ranking officials.
This is the data for Chief Choe's internal investigation of Tae-jun.
My goodness.
He's being unbelievably meticulous.
The only problem with him is that he's too slow.
Are you sure you handed all the data over to him?
Yes. I gave him all the data we have.
Then why is he taking so long?
I heard Prosecutor Choe is very cautious.
He never requests a warrant without clear evidence.
I already set a table for him. Does he want me to feed him now?
That fool.
Tell him
I want to meet with him.
I should treat him well so he can do things right.
Yes, sir.
But Jang Tae-jun is an incumbent assemblyman.
If we investigate him without evidence, we might face public criticism.
And Tae-jun has his history with Lee Chang-jin.
If something goes wrong, you might be affected.
What's going on
with the redevelopment issue in Jang Tae-jun's district now?
Apparently, it's still pending.
Everything's ready.
Why is it still pending? They say time is money.
Hello, Mr. Lee Chang-jin.
Yes, it's me.
I heard
Prosecutor Choe is reinvestigating Assemblyman Lee Seong-min's case.
Are you okay with that?
I'm fine.
What about you?
Don't worry about me.
My answer never changes no matter how many times they question me.
You'll soon be reinstated.
I'm sorry.
You don't have to apologize to me.
Here.
There were three CCTVs from the place where Go Seok-man last met with you
to the place he died.
But the CCTV footage for about an hour has been deleted.
What I gave you is all we have left.
Find the cars in the footage and check their dashcams.
There must be something.
I don't think Seok-man drove to the place he died.
Okay.
It's hard to identify the plate numbers, so it will take a while.
-Thank you. -Don't thank me.
I owe you a lot.
And it seems like someone is digging into your affairs.
Is it from the prosecution?
No. I don't think it's a prosecutor or a cop.
I didn't find out who it is,
but he asked around about your past at the police station.
They're putting a tail on me.
Okay. You should be careful.
Okay.
HE WILL FOCUS ON INVESTIGATION TO RESTORE PUBLIC TRUST
PERSONNEL CARD
ASSEMBLYMAN JANG TAE-JUN OF THE DAEHAN PARTY AT THE HEARING
HE DID NOT ADMIT HIS FAULT
Darn it.
I was told the witnesses would be questioned again.
Thank you. I'll call you back.
First floor.
You look tired.
I am tired. I couldn't sleep because of someone.
Are you sure Assemblyman Jang can catch Minister Song?
What do you mean?
Assemblywoman Kang is helping you because of what he said.
Then he should do things right.
If he wants to catch him, he should do it right.
If he messes things up, we are the ones who will be suffering.
What are you talking about?
Assemblywoman Kang doesn't know
that I don't believe in Assemblyman Jang.
I guess he's just using her.
We're working together, but he seems to be hiding something.
Assemblyman Jang
is taking a lot of risks
to stand against Minister Song.
Please don't misunderstand his sincerity.
Is he?
But why does it feel like something's wrong?
Tell Assemblyman Jang to get things done the right way.
Before I misunderstand him even more.
-You're here. -What about Assemblywoman Kang?
She's in her office.
Gosh, she's so stubborn.
-Hello. -Did something happen yesterday?
PERSONNEL CARD
The bill will be announced within today.
You never give me a break.
I'm sorry.
We should prepare additional materials and the written consent--
I already got the written consent of assemblymen.
Schedule a press conference.
I will.
You're back.
-Is Assemblyman Jang in his office? -Yes.
Yes?
Assemblyman Jang.
Prosecutor Choe is going to question the staff of Assemblyman Lee's campaign.
The staff don't know anything about the case.
He won't find out anything.
I'm not sure about other staff,
but if the accounting officer in charge of the campaign fund
gives false testimony against you, things might change.
Was it Secretary Lee Mi-jeong? You should call her first.
I can't reach her.
I lost touch with her after the investigation
of Assemblyman Lee's case was resumed.
That's why she wasn't questioned as a testifier back then.
We're looking for her, but no one knows where she is.
Fortunately,
the prosecutors also don't know her whereabouts.
I'll look into it.
You have a lot of work to do. Is it okay?
Yes. Please let me take care of this.
LEE MI-JEONG
Secretary Lee Mi-jeong's parents are in Samcheok.
You should look into it.
Things will get easier once we hire another chief of staff.
Hang in there until then.
Yes, sir.
Mr. Jang.
I heard Assemblywoman Kang is in trouble.
-Is it Mr. Lee Chang-jin? -Yes.
I heard Mr. Lee Chang-jin went to her place.
Mr. Jang, Mr. Ahn just called.
You should hurry to Seongjin now.
There was an accident in Redevelopment District 4 of Seongjin.
-Tell Mr. Ahn I'm on my way to Seongjin. -Yes, sir.
Call the development director and find out what happened.
Okay.
A clash broke out
between residents and demolition workers during the process of demolition.
There have been reports of injuries,
and some local residents were rushed to a hospital
with severe wounds such as broken arms.
According to the officials, this morning, the demolition workers...
Choe Gyeong-cheol and Lee Chang-jin.
Tae-jun must be troubled with all that.
What about Kang Seon-yeong? She's running wild with the bill.
Don't worry about it. I already called Assemblyman Ahn Hyeon-min's office.
Now you're finally worth your salt.
Good.
I'd do anything for you.
You can count on me.
I'll take Tae-jun's place and lead you to the Blue House.
-Let's go. -Please.
All right.
My goodness. What do we do?
Honey, wake up.
Honey! Please wake up.
Honey...
WE OPPOSE REDEVELOPMENT
Why are you being like this? You promised.
-My goodness. -How could you do this?
You can't use force like this.
I can't believe this.
This is ridiculous.
I can't believe what's happening.
-This isn't right. -Are you all right?
-What happened? -Look at my face.
My goodness.
Do they want us to die or what?
Gosh, what happened to you?
This isn't just fair.
What happened?
We have some time left before demolition.
They just barged in and proceeded with demolition.
They just withdrew for now due to the resistance of local residents.
-What about the development director? -He's just arrived.
Sir.
Yes.
Stop the demolition work immediately.
We still have a month left before the day we agreed on.
The thing is, all the administrative procedure is finished.
We have no reason to stop the demolition work.
A lot of residents are still living in the neighborhood.
The house owners as well as tenants get only little compensation
because the land area is too small.
You know they can't move back in even if the redevelopment is complete.
I know. That's true,
but like I said, all the administrative procedure is finished.
There's nothing the city can do about it.
Move over.
Assemblyman Jang, why is all this happening?
You said you'd let us live here longer.
Assemblyman, my ass.
What is happening?
You paid lip service during the election.
But you're just bulldozing us out after you won.
Is your election pledge a joke?
Were you just saying that for fun?
I'm sorry. I'll make sure to stop the demolition work.
Do you actually expect me to believe that?
What are you doing?
-How could I believe you? -Please stop it.
-Stop him. -How dare you...
-Let go of him. -Please stop.
WE OPPOSE REDEVELOPMENT
I appreciate your hard work, Mr. Jang.
I clearly told you the other day.
I asked you to postpone it until the day we agreed on.
"Agreed"?
I don't think that's for you to say after stabbing me in the back.
You're one scary man.
I had no idea you'd change your mind like this.
Do you have to go this far?
What do you think?
This is just the beginning.
Will you stop pretending to be so righteous?
You just got the badge with my money.
Just because you buy an easy life with money,
do you think others would do the same?
If you do, you're totally mistaken about me.
I'll show you who I am.
Everything from what happened today to what you did last night...
I'll make you regret this. By all means.
Lee Chang-jin will start the redevelopment of District Four.
Mr. Ahn can't cover the whole city of Seongjin.
Send Mr. Jeong.
Get me the list of subcontractors and suppliers for the redevelopment,
and the Ministry of Environment materials. I'll be back soon.
Okay.
Mr. Jeong.
You should go to Seongjin and help Mr. Ahn.
-There are complaints from the residents. -Okay.
Da-jeong, get me the list of subcontractors for the redevelopment.
-I'm going to the Ministry of Environment. -Okay.
Hello. Hey.
Hello. Hi, guys.
Everyone's busy.
What brings you here? Are you spying on us?
Gosh, what are you talking about? We are colleagues.
I heard you are hiring a chief of staff.
I read the notice. Did you find one?
Not yet.
Really?
Are you here to ask that?
No. I was wondering if we could have lunch together.
They have pork cutlets today. Do you want to come?
I don't like pork cutlets.
Enjoy your lunch.
All right then.
I'm thirsty. Do you have anything to drink?
Just give me anything.
Hang on.
Here.
Thank you.
Your face looks nice and bright. You'll look good on the screen.
-What about the conference? -Mr. Han is getting ready
at the press room.
Let's go.
Hello, Assemblywoman Kang.
Are you going to announce a bill?
I didn't know you were interested in my bill.
I'm not the only one.
A lot of people are interested in your bill.
I guess Minister Song and Mr. Lee care a lot about this.
Tell them I appreciate their interest.
I heard you're back. You are looking fine.
Is your work going well?
You just gave birth. You shouldn't work too hard yet.
I'm afraid something unfortunate
would happen to her after overworking.
Minister Song wants to tell you this.
If you rush into things blindly like that,
you might fall down and break your nose.
Good luck with the conference.
Oh, right. I heard you had a son. Congratulations.
I'll see you around.
Watch your step. You might break your nose.
Darn it.
Assemblywoman Kang.
Assemblyman Ahn Hyeon-min is having a press conference at the press room now.
Here.
And the subject is...
I'm Assemblywoman Ahn of the Daehan Party.
The occupational health and safety law I'm proposing today
is to improve the working conditions of workers exposed to danger
and strengthen safety management of business owners.
The bill requires the government's management
and an increase of penalties.
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
It is a bill proposed by Assemblyman Lee Seong-min before he sadly passed away.
Since it has Assemblyman Lee's sincerity for the people,
-I hope a lot of people... -It's the same as our bill.
will support the bill.
What brings you here?
-Is Assemblyman Jo in his office? -No, he's not.
Where is he?
He went to Busan to attend an environment seminar.
You didn't know that.
-Did Mr. Kim go with him? -Sure.
-When is he coming back? -He has some work to do there.
He will be back in two days.
ASSEMBLYMAN AHN HYEON-MIN
Did you not announce it to the assemblymen?
I did. This is strange.
I guess he can't answer the phone as he's inspecting the nuclear plant.
Tell him that
I want to meet with him once he comes back.
Okay.
Look at her glaring like that.
Mr. Jang. I checked the redevelopment schedule.
District Five will be demolished within this month.
They are running it at the same time so I can't stop them.
We need to review all the data about the redevelopment.
We are collecting the data. It will be ready soon.
Assemblyman Ahn of the Daehan Party had a press conference
at the press room about his bill for occupational health and safety.
It is to improve the working conditions of workers exposed to danger
and strengthen safety management of business owners.
The bill demands improvement of working conditions.
-Since the bill is for workers... -What is happening now?
Two same bills are proposed at the same time.
So the standing committee will discuss it.
They will suggest scrapping both of the bills
and changing it to an alternative bill by the committee.
They'll delay the process, saying that it must be discussed.
And meanwhile, the session at the Assembly will be over.
-This is so frustrating. -She startled me.
Damn it.
Where's Mr. Jo?
He's in Busan.
He's at an environment seminar.
If the bill
doesn't get passed during the session,
I must wait for the next session.
I might have to start from scratch.
It will be too late by then.
If we don't make it work now, it will never happen.
I heard that Lee Chang-jin paid you a visit.
Are you okay?
I can't be okay with it.
I will show Minister Song that he messed with the wrong person.
Seeing how Lee Chang-jin took charge,
it proves that this matter is just as crucial.
We must keep putting pressure on the chemical leakage incident.
Do you plan on forming a fact-finding committee for the incident?
In order to form the committee,
We need more definite proof of chemical exposures.
Fine.
Let's try that.
Going up.
The doors are opening.
This is the material on the bill from Mr. Ahn.
They copied everything including the main phrases.
Damn it. Those bastards.
Did you get in touch with the victim who worked at Joojin Chemical?
I can't get in touch with Park Hee-jin.
So I'm trying to obtain her family's contact details through her colleagues.
We'll form a fact-finding committee.
We really need her testimony.
And meet with the victims and former employees of Joojin Chemical
and ask for their cooperation again.
Okay.
-Ms. Lee. -I will inform the civic group of this
and prepare to form the committee.
I'll be back.
Mr. Lee. Mr. Kim. Please help Ms. Lee with her task.
-Yes, ma'am. -Yes, ma'am.
All right. To the conference room.
-Okay. -Okay.
-Bring me the document you gathered. -Yes, sir.
I'm going after Joojin Chemical.
You'll form a fact-finding committee, right?
Yes.
I got it from the Ministry of Environment.
The landfills for the redevelopment are completely filled up.
Yes, the Ministry of Environment gave out an administrative order
to acquire more lots two months ago to continue the construction.
The redevelopment in Uigwang City is currently underway.
Redeveloping District 4 and 5 in Seongjin City now makes no sense.
This is ludicrous.
SEONGJIN CITY REDEVELOPMENT PLAN
It means he is buying the lots illegally.
Look into every purchase of land under Mr. Lee Chang-jin's name.
I'll look into it.
And it's about Ms. Lee Mi-jeong.
She sold her house in her hometown.
I think she moved to somewhere else.
-Keep checking. -Yes.
Excuse me, sir. Hello.
By any chance, have you seen this lady?
I don't recognize her at all.
Is that so?
By any chance, have you seen this lady?
Go down straight and make a right turn. You'll see a restaurant.
Okay.
SAMCHEOK
You don't recognize her, right?
You can go down that way. Go straight down. That's the restaurant.
-It's that way. -Really?
-Her? -Yes.
JOOJIN CHEMICAL
Just because you buy an easy life with money,
do you think others would do the same?
If you do, you're totally mistaken about me.
I'll show you who I am.
Everything from what happened today to what you did last night...
I'll make you regret this. By all means.
Look into the money Jang Tae-jun got. Check where he spent the money on.
Yes, sir.
And Ms. Kang Seon-yeong is trying to
get in touch with the victims of the chemical leakage.
I guess she didn't take my warning seriously.
Pay them to be silent.
Shove some money down their throats so they won't speak a word.
Yes, sir.
I'm Choe Gyeong-cheol.
All right. Welcome.
Let's take a seat.
You can talk to me casually, sir.
-Shall I? -Yes.
I never had a chance to pour you
a celebratory drink after your appointment.
So I called you when I know you're busy.
Okay. Have a drink.
I am sorry, but I have some work left.
My apologies.
-Okay. -Please allow me to pour you a drink.
What? Okay. Sure.
You must have a lot of work.
Right.
You must be busy with your investigation on the first day of your appointment.
Yes.
So...
You're doing an internal investigation into Mr. Jang?
How is that going?
I'm following the protocol to lead my investigation.
Well, about the case...
You should wrap up the case, have a press conference,
and get a warrant issued.
He's fit to be your first prey to celebrate your appointment, isn't he?
The Ministry of Justice has your back. Don't hesitate.
Thank you, sir.
I will do so once the suspicions are confirmed and I have evidence.
I'm sure you must have gotten the materials for the case.
Did you send me the materials
regarding Jang Tae-jun's case?
I thought it might help your investigation.
With that, you could easily get him indicted and take care of him.
I am truly grateful for appointing me for the seat of the chief prosecutor.
However,
I will lead this investigation.
I know that. Who else will lead it then?
Goodness.
I apologize for my tardiness.
It's nice to meet you.
My name is Lee Chang-jin. I'm the CEO of Joojin Chemical.
I don't believe I belong here.
Please excuse me.
I will request a warrant after I have enough evidence
to indict him based on the protocol.
We ended up getting a tiger involved to catch the viper.
Have you secured Ms. Lee Mi-jeong?
Okay.
Thank you.
Ms. Lee Mi-jeong.
INJECTION ROOM, NON-SURGICAL TREATMENT CENTER
Excuse me. Which way is to Room 907?
It's that way.
Thank you.
Hello.
Yes.
The Legal Team of Joojin Chemical beat us to it.
He asked me to delete all the footage
of his testimony.
I also talked to another victim on the phone.
It seems they already made a deal with the Legal Team.
Okay.
Ms. Kang.
Joojin Chemical's Legal Team is on the move.
They are making deals with the victims.
What should we do?
These are the lots Joojin Chemical recently purchased.
They've been buying land, forest, and fields in the town near their factory.
I think they might be burying waste illegally in those places.
We'll know once we check.
Sir, you have a visitor.
He has information on Ms. Lee Mi-jeong.
So you know where Ms. Lee Mi-jeong is?
Yes.
Where is she now?
I just dropped her off at the prosecutor's office.
Please don't worry.
She won't be able to say anything about you to the prosecutor.
I made sure she stayed silent.
During Mr. Lee Seong-min's campaign,
did Mr. Jang Tae-jun accept an illegal fund?
Will you keep saying you know nothing?
Ms. Lee.
Ms. Lee was pocketing the fund during the campaign.
She owed a lot of gambling debt.
And she went off the grid after Mr. Lee's incident
because of that.
The related documents from the campaign
and Ms. Lee's receipts for the gambling debt are all in here.
I thought you would appreciate these,
so I went to great lengths and got them for you.
LEE MI-JEONG
APRIL, 2015 SURVEY, MEETING, CONFERENCE
What is it that you want?
I want to work with you.
I heard that there is a vacant seat on your staff.
RESUME
My name is Yang Jong-yeol.
RESUME: YANG JONG-YEOL
WORK EXPERIENCE
Nice to meet you.
-I hope we can get along. -Okay.
Da-jeong, who is he?
I don't know.
Let him handle the district matters with Mr. Ahn for now.
Won't that be risky?
You should hire him after looking into him.
We must keep him closer as he may pose as a threat.
Keep an eye on him.
When should I start working?
LEE CHANG-JIN
Did you look into what I asked you?
I looked into it, but I could not confirm that he used it for his campaign.
Then, where did that money go?
After we demolished the market, the merchants moved to a temporary market.
-What about it? -They couldn't run the temporary market
as they didn't get enough monetary compensation.
Uigwang City was trying to raise the fund for the merchants.
-And? -There was
an anonymous donor.
As it so happens,
the amount of donation matches the amount you gave to Jang Tae-jun.
And the temporary market is still being operated with the donation.
TEMPORARY SEOBUK MARKET
Bye. Come again next time.
-Hey, it's the rice cake shop! -Come over here.
-Have some of this. -Try this.
Don't skip your meals when you work.
Goodness.
-Gosh. -You should eat.
-It's okay. -You must be hungry.
I heard that you were a very competent chief of staff.
Please help me
run a stall at the market
with my grandson again.
Please. I ask for your help, sir.
Please help us.
Please.
You bastard,
you gathered all of us here! What kind of ruse is this?
Do you even know what we've been through to get this far?
Let go!
Let's hurry to the market!
You said you were on our side.
How could you do this?
I wish we could keep running the market here.
Right. Who knew that we would get a lucky break?
You didn't see this coming, so you were screaming at him.
"You can't do this!"
Anyway, I guess Jang Tae-jun is really competent.
-Right. Did you just figure that out? -Yes!
Do you know why these people live in such cramped conditions?
Because they feel anxious unless they live as a group.
They needed to learn how to survive
and live through harsh times together.
Because they don't know when they will get kicked out.
Do you have to
split them up and make the lights
in the market go out?
The lights in the market are going out.
It's very hard to light them up again one by one.
We need to make this into a place where the lights will never go out.
-It's only 1,000 won. -Just take this.
It's 2,500 won. It's a steal!
That's a cheap price! It's 2,500 won.
My goodness. You should take it.
This is Jang Tae-jun speaking.
Damn it. Things are getting complicated.
Sir, have you heard?
-What? -That bastard, Jang Tae-jun,
took the money from me and used all of it for Seobuk Market.
Sir, this isn't the time to laugh about this.
I thought he threw everything away, but I guess he didn't.
Pardon?
Tae-jun.
If you want to climb up to the top, you must throw away everything.
How could you go up with such a heavy heart?
If you want this, throw away everything.
If you have a heavy heart, you won't be as sharp.
I expected him to be better than this, but I guess this is it for him.
This actually all worked out. If you were somehow connected to it,
it would have been harder to put pressure on the investigation.
That stupid fool.
He might just end up following Lee Seong-min all the way to death.
Then,
will you just leave him be?
Of course not.
The viper shed his skin and became a monster serpent.
Bring me
Tae-jun's skin.
Okay. I'm on it.
Oh, my. Look at the time. I apologize for asking to meet at such a late hour.
Please get to the point.
You know Ms. Lee Mi-jeong, don't you?
She was in charge of the campaign fund for Mr. Lee Seong-Min.
You know the answer to that.
I interrogated her today to get a statement.
I was hoping that I would find something.
It made me wonder if she really has no idea about you
or someone made it so that she doesn't know.
You're in charge of the investigation. It's up to you to find out.
How much of this do you think you can hide?
As long as I'm the chief prosecutor,
you won't be
able to survive in the National Assembly.
Are you going to kill me?
That's too bad
because I prefer to live.
I still have a lot of work to do.
It won't be easy.
As you have thoroughly investigated me, I'm sure you know
how I'm going to survive this mess.
Are you
telling me that you will interfere with my investigation?
Did it sound like that?
I'll be just focusing on my job.
Some of the civic organizations decided to help us
after reading about a few victims.
However, we won't be able to run the committee
unless the victims don't take charge of this case.
It's the same for assemblymen and women.
They are interested in this case, but they feel uncomfortable joining us.
FATHER
How many victims haven't settled with Joojin Chemical?
There are three, but they quit their jobs a long time ago.
It might be hard to prove that they were affected by the leak.
Why don't we take a break?
-Okay. -Okay.
FATHER
Is there something wrong?
No, it's nothing.
-Hey. -Tell him to come over.
-My gosh. I'm glad you could make it. -Gosh.
-Come here. -Goodness.
-All right. -Chun-bae.
When is the assemblyman coming?
I guess his meeting is running long.
He was supposed to come by ages ago.
Come on, people are waiting.
He's coming, man. Just wait a bit longer.
He was begging us to vote for him, but now we hardly get to see him.
Even so, he's the pride of our town.
-Just wait. -Hello.
-Hello. -My gosh.
Who is he?
You work for Mr. Song, don't you?
Yes. When he heard about the party in Mr. Jang's town,
the Minister sent this basket for you.
My gosh. Goodness.
Are you talking about Mr. Song Hui-seop? The Minister of Justice?
-Yes. -Let's give him a round of applause.
My gosh.
I will never forget that you came all the way to this rural town for this.
Please don't mention it. Of course, I ought to come.
The Minister wanted to come here himself, but something had come up.
The Minister is taking such good care of Mr. Jang.
Oh, my. Tae-jun is indeed impressive, isn't he?
The Minister is taking care of a first-term assemblyman!
The Minister sent this flower basket.
Could we shake hands?
Hey, put this basket where everyone can see.
-It's from the Minister! -Sure.
-This way. -Please take a seat. Sit down.
My gosh.
Goodness.
-The air is fresh, isn't it? -Thank you.
-Please excuse me. -Okay.
Please have some food.
Sir. I just need a moment of your time. Just a moment.
-The guy from Mr. Song's office is here. -Just come.
I just need to talk to you.
We can talk while having some food.
Sir. Please. I'm begging.
Think how desperate I must be to--
Are you trying to ruin his career?
Wait. Hold on. I've lived my life and don't have any ambitions.
But I can't just let my son waste his life away.
I don't expect a lot from him, anyway.
Please ask your son for a position.
Do you think an assemblyman's duty is to look for jobs?
-I know you did other people favors. -No. Unbelievable.
-It's a token of my gratitude. -Stop it.
-It's all right. Take it. -No.
-It's not much. -What are you doing?
You can take it.
VILLAGE HALL
Yes, hello?
Yes. That's right. Is this the father of Ms. Park Hee-jin?
Would it be possible to talk to her?
I was just on the phone with Ms. Park Hee-jin's father.
Can she testify for us?
No, Ms. Park Hee-jin
passed away three months ago.
But her mother is very sick, too.
Her symptoms exactly match Ms. Park's.
Did her mother also work at Joojin Chemical?
-No. -Ms. Park's mother is residing
in the town that Joojin Chemical has been buying lots from.
It's located less than two kilometers away from Joojin Chemical's factory.
I thought she was sick
from the shock of losing our daughter so suddenly.
It's been a month since she could neither eat nor walk.
She's been in her bed ever since then.
I found out after reading the news article
that she had the same disease as my daughter.
What did the doctors say?
They just kept running tests and didn't tell me anything.
Which hospital did you go to?
The affiliated hospital of my daughter's company
was helping us for free.
Is the news article true?
Did she get sick because of the chemical substances?
We must run an investigation, but it's highly likely that she did.
A young couple is living in the house behind ours.
They miscarried four times.
More than 30 families live in the vicinity.
The number will go up if we include towns near Joojin Chemical's factory.
Joojin Chemical started to purchase more lots
after you had disclosed the incident seven years ago.
They are trying to cover up that this area has been contaminated.
Sir.
I found Jang Tae-jun's skin.
-May I? -Okay.
-It looks like Tae-jun's father... -Okay.
accepted bribes in exchange for favors.
Should I tell the Seoul Central Prosecutors' Office?
The prosecutor's being picky.
If we just hand over this information, he will delay it again.
This time, I should just spoon-feed him.
What do you mean?
If a spoon is shoved down your throat, how could you not swallow?
Right. So he'll open up right away. I see.
All right. Let's go.
We must look into the victims first.
I'll take care of that.
I'll have a private organization examine the soil and water.
If it's a governmental agency, Mr. Song and Mr. Lee Chang-jin will find out.
Mr. Jang.
Sir.
This is a request of investigation from the Election Committee.
It is suspected that Assemblyman Jang Tae-jun
of the Daehan Party has violated the Public Official Election Act.
The Election Committee found out that Assemblyman Jang's father accepted
donations which were actually bribes
in exchange for favors during the by-election campaign
and requested the Seoul Central Prosecutors' Office to investigate.
According to our source from the Committee,
they received several tips
that Assemblyman Jang's father took bribes from his friends on several occasions.
They demanded a thorough investigation
of whether or not Assemblyman Jang had directly been involved in the bribery.
As it is a serious matter, the Committee announced that the assemblyman may
or may not be indicted after a follow-up investigation by the prosecution.
The more I flounder, the deeper I'm dragged into the pit.
Many of them helped Assemblyman Jang's campaign and sent flowers...
Once I fall into a swamp,
the more I struggle to get out, the deeper I fall into the swamp.
Is it true that your father accepted bribes?
What the heck are you up to?
I didn't accept any money!
Do you think Mr. Jang could lose his position
when the election is nullified?
One thing is missing from the files you submitted.
The safe deposit box.
Be careful. Yang Jong-yeol can be a bit sly.
And he's ambitious.
I'm working at another assemblyman's office.
It's Mr. Jang Tae-jun's.
I will accept your proposal
as long as you walk out of the prosecutor's office as a free man.
I don't want to leave
any more regrets.