REVENANT
THE CHARACTERS, PLACES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND EVENTS IN THIS DRAMA ARE FICTITIOUS
CHILD ACTORS WERE FILMED IN SAFE SITUATIONS
Mr. Kim?
Mr. Kim, are you in there?
What are you doing here? I looked everywhere for you.
I think there's something in this village like you said.
Did you find the straw dolls?
There were no straw dolls. Ms. Park lit them on fire.
What?
She summoned the wandering ghosts to this village,
because she wanted to see her daughter again.
What do you mean, she summoned the ghosts?
How?
We have to figure out
what method she used to summon the wandering ghosts.
The jangseungs...
The second...
What about the jangseungs?
Jangseungs didn't just act as guardian deities of a town.
They played another important role as well.
The jangseungs, located at the village's cardinal points...
"RED GENERAL OF THE SOUTH"
served as a compass for travelers at the time.
But that's not all.
The jangseungs with directions to major destinations written on them
played a similar role as current destination signs.
THIS IS BAEKCHAGOL, LOCATED LESS THAN 10 RI FROM THE GATEWAY TO JEPYEONG
THE YELLOW SEA IS 30 RI TO THE WEST AND HANYANG IS 220 RI TO THE NORTHEAST
Simply put,
jangseungs were like the GPS of their time.
She used the jangseungs.
She didn't make a path for humans...
but a path for ghosts.
What are you doing?
It isn't the real thing, but this contains
the yearning of the many people holding the memorial service at the time.
It'll buy us some time.
- Please make sure it doesn't stop playing. - Professor Yeom!
Where are you going, Professor Yeom?
The gateway the ghosts travel through should be in the northeast.
It's most likely the jangseung in the north where the sun doesn't shine.
STORE
What?
BLACK GENERAL OF THE NORTH
Red General of the South, Red General of the South...
She changed the north to the south.
The gateway for ghosts in the north.
She blocked the path to the afterlife and confined the ghosts.
Dad.
It's me, Sanyeong.
Dad,
do you...
recognize me?
It's...
not me.
What...
are you saying?
It's not you?
I won't let anyone harm my daughter.
Please stop, ma'am.
- Your daughter has already died. - She's not dead!
Look, she's clearly alive!
Do you want all the villagers to die?
I need to stop this,
so do as you please.
I'm sorry.
I had no choice.
I was wrong.
Please, just let me
be with my daughter for one day.
Please move.
Please, I beg you!
I said, please move.
No, please.
Not like this.
No, don't! No!
No, please. No!
No!
What do you mean, you had no choice?
I'm sorry, Sanyeong.
I'm sorry.
Dad?
Dad.
Dad?
Dad,
I still…
have so much to tell you.
There's still so much I didn't get to tell you.
Dad.
I have so much to ask you!
Dad!
Are you okay?
Hold on, I'll go and get a doctor.
I met my dad.
What do you mean?
My dad was there.
He appeared as a wandering ghost?
Are you sure it was him?
He said, "It wasn't me."
He said he was sorry and that he had no choice.
Then he disappeared.
Sanyeong!
One moment, please. Only one guardian at a time.
I'm her guardian. I'm her mother.
Please let me verify this...
- Sanyeong! - You're here.
What's with you?
Why do you keep getting involved with Sanyeong?
Her blood pressure and pulse rate are normal.
But you should get a thorough examination at a big hospital...
Why do you care about my daughter?
Whether she gets an exam or not, I'll take care of it.
So don't contact Sanyeong ever again.
Sanyeong. San...
That's enough, Mom.
What happened to you? How did you end up like this?
I would like to be discharged.
What's with you? Are you getting angry with me?
Do you know how worried I was when I heard you were...
What else have you lied about?
You said Dad was dead when he was alive and well.
And you kept your hometown a secret too?
- Stop it. - What happened here?
Why did you tell me to leave this place?
I said, stop it.
ESTIMATED DUE DATE
February 25th,
in the year I was five years old.
What did that day signify?
It said "estimated due date."
What was that day?
It was your younger sibling's due date.
The one that died here.
The birth of your younger sibling who died here.
YEAR 2002
We're expecting our second child in just two months.
Do you think we'll have a boy or a girl?
I hope it's a girl just like Sanyeong.
But I think
it could be a boy because its movements are different
from when I was carrying Sanyeong.
The second child will die.
I'm going to kill it.
Honey?
Sanyeong.
Come to me. It's okay.
Everything is okay.
BAEKCHAGOL VILLAGE
Mom!
- My gosh. - Mom.
Gosh, what are you doing here?
- Did you come alone? - Yes.
Gosh, you must be exhausted.
My gosh.
What? You want to give birth here?
I feel comfortable with you around.
What about Sanyeong?
I wanted to bring her, but my mother-in-law strongly opposed it.
I'll go and get her once I recover after giving birth.
You said you didn't like the countryside and got married to a man from Seoul.
Then you stopped visiting after you had Sanyeong.
Why are you suddenly acting like this?
Did Gangmo agree to this?
What is it?
Tell me.
I don't know.
Mom, I'm so scared.
What's wrong?
- I don't know. I'm just so scared, Mom. - My child, it's okay.
You probably heard wrong.
- Do you think so? - Of course.
How could a father say that about his child?
You said he adores Sanyeong.
That's true.
Get some rest today.
- Okay, you should get some sleep too. - All right.
Go to sleep.
The second child must die.
No!
You need to eat something to regain your energy.
It's a shame that the baby died, but you need to live.
Aren't you going to think about Sanyeong?
Come on, just one bite.
You were right.
Gangmo came by that day.
Gangmo?
Are you sure…
it was him?
Yes.
I was so busy worrying about you and calling 911,
but by the time I came to my senses, he was gone.
I tried calling him after you were brought to the hospital,
but he wasn't home.
I asked them to let him know what happened to you,
but he hasn't even come to see you.
This is why I was against this marriage.
A folklorist or whatever he is, he's only ever chased ghosts.
He's a gloomy person
without a trace of brightness about him.
- Mom. - What is it?
Mom, I'm scared.
Mom, what about Sanyeong?
Nothing will happen to Sanyeong, right?
Of course not.
First,
I'll go to Seoul and bring Sanyeong.
- You just relax. - Okay.
ROOM 201 YOON ♪♪♪♪♪♪MUN
The person you are calling...
Mom, where's Sanyeong?
Mom?
- Mom, did you bring Sanyeong... - Stay away!
Run away!
Mom?
Mom, what are you doing there?
I told you to stay away!
Mom, what's wrong?
Get Sanyeong and leave that house.
You must never return to that place!
Mom!
MUNSAN, GEUMTAN 770 YEONSINNAE
After your grandmother passed away like that,
I took you and ran away.
That was the last time.
The jangseung in the north will be rebuilt with the village budget.
The ritual that wasn't held this time will be held on a different day.
Regardless of when you die, you have to keep moving forward.
Thank you for helping us realize
that all our efforts thus far weren't in vain.
Don't mention it.
There it is. That's the house you were looking for.
The house Professor Gu Gangmo's in-laws lived in.
Oh, my. Look at this.
All right, come inside.
Oh, goodness.
The elderly woman who owned the house
committed suicide here a long time ago.
I heard a company bought the site,
but nothing has been built yet, so it's just been left like this.
Why is there a straw rope here?
Gosh.
I don't know why something like this happened here,
but one thing is certain.
Professor Gu Gangmo...
My Dad…
was possessed by the same evil spirit that possesses me.
Why and how did he become possessed by an evil spirit?
Just what happened to Professor Gu Gangmo?
SHARED PUBLIC SECURITY, SAFE GWANGCHEON
I don't know what he's been searching for in the storage over the past few days.
What's in the storage?
All the garbage that has accumulated since Gwangcheon Station's establishment.
A lot was thrown away when we computerized the data,
but it just houses a random collection of investigative records.
It's over there.
All right, thank you.
What in the...
Sir, what are you doing here?
I'm just searching for something.
I'm making sure I haven't missed anything.
Missed anything?
I thought I had found
all the bruised suicide victim cases
that have happened,
but apparently, I hadn't.
I think I need to start from the beginning with Jangjin-ri.
Sir.
This... My gosh.
I told you this is all a waste of time.
Would those ancient records remain in a place like this?
We should still try our best.
Don't worry about me and go do your work.
1981 UNSOLVED CASE FILES INSPECTOR LEE HEECHAN
2018 WASTE REGISTER GWANGCHEON POLICE STATION
2000 GANGNAM RAW FISH RESTAURANT SUICIDE CASE
What is this?
There's something strange.
What?
I connected the lead we recently found to these cases.
A new lead?
Professor Gu Gangmo.
The name of the deceased,
who committed suicide in a Gangnam raw fish restaurant's bathroom in 2000,
was Seo Sanghun.
He was a pretty prestigious Korean literature professor,
but he wrote this in the expert column
he contributed to.
I looked into it and found out that he disliked Professor Gu quite a bit.
He called him a cultist and a fraud.
Let's see...
And here,
the deceased in this case and Professor Gu were also connected.
- Lee Okja? - Yes, her name was Lee Okja.
She was the mother
of Professor Gu's ex-wife.
In other words, she was his mother-in-law.
They divorced, so it wouldn't have popped up on a background check.
That's probably why you didn't make the connection.
You're right.
- That's not all. - What is it?
The deceased, Hwang Chahui,
was a civil servant from the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.
He majored in economics at Dongwoon University,
where Professor Gu taught,
but he also double majored in folklore.
He was Professor Gu's student.
What about this one?
Did you look into this one too?
No.
However, I think if we keep going,
we'll find other connections too.
You're incredible.
As expected of the Police University’s top student.
Hey,
I haven't been able to go through these yet.
Can you investigate these again,
focusing on the bruised suicide victim cases?
Me?
I knew the top student of the Police University would be different.
Thumbs up.
Wait.
You didn't take your medicine again.
I told you that you have to take it regularly.
I'll take it on my own, so get out.
Do you remember this book?
It's the book Dad wrote.
I told you to stop talking about him.
Mom.
I'm your daughter,
but I'm his daughter too.
Everything I thought I knew was a lie.
I need to know now,
about my family...
and my dad.
So please, tell me.
What kind of person was Dad?
Your dad was...
a very good listener.
I'm Gu Gangmo,
a folklore professor at Dongwoon University.
What brings you here?
I'd like to get some advice from the village head.
When I was working at the town office,
your dad came to ask for help in conducting a local survey.
He's a folklore professor
- from Seoul. - Hello.
He was a strange person.
He listened to old wives' tales that no one cared about,
stories of the past that were considered boring,
and all of the stories that I knew.
I thought he did that because he liked me,
but later, I found out
that's just what folklorists do.
And?
Let's stop talking about the past.
Why?
Can you tell me a little more while you're at it?
I can't do it. I'm too scared.
What's wrong?
What are you scared of?
I didn't realize it then,
but what he said never sat well with me.
"The second child must die,"
just like in the story about that village.
What are you talking about?
He said that the second child always died in a village called Jangjin-ri.
Jangjin-ri?
Only the energy of a person who was killed
may suppress the object containing a loose-haired evil spirit's energy.
1995 FOLKLORE DEPARTMENT AUTUMN SURVEY DONGWOON UNIVERSITY
Professor Gu Gangmo.
I thought he just knew a lot about evil spirits,
but he was possessed by one.
What brings you here without prior notice?
What is this?
These are cases similar to your mother's.
They're about those who committed suicide with red bruises on their wrists.
In 2000, Professor Gu Gangmo's colleague,
his mother-in-law, and even his student
died one after another.
And this deceased individual was a librarian.
According to her colleagues,
she met Professor Gu the day before she died.
And last but not least, Professor Gu Gangmo himself
and his mother.
Professor Gu Gangmo also died in a similar way?
PLEASE PASS ON THE HAIR ACCESSORY IN THE WOODEN BOX ON MY DESK TO MY DAUGHTER...
What is this?
Is this Professor Gu's will?
Yes, that's right. It was found at the scene.
I wondered why he passed on the hair accessory.
I thought it was strange from the start.
What are you talking about?
Folklorists dislike breaking taboos,
and writing names in red
is a superstition even ordinary people avoid doing.
So why did Professor Gu use a red pen to write both of these notes?
IF I DIE, PLEASE HELP MY DAUGHTER. HER NAME IS GU SANYEONG...
This one too?
It's a bit unsettling.
But maybe he only had a red pen on him.
I met my dad.
He said, "It wasn't me."
"It wasn't me."
It wasn't Professor Gu.
If I die, please help my daughter.
Her name is Gu Sanyeong.
Please pass on the hair accessory
in the wooden box on my desk to my daughter, Sanyeong.
Please fulfill my request.
Gu Gangmo.
What if it wasn't Professor Gu Gangmo
but the evil spirit?
What do you mean?
My gosh, it's hot. Why am I still wearing this?
Who is it?
What? Is it that young lady again?
I will contact you later, so you should go home now.
What?
But...
Gosh.
Leave it. I'll do it.
He's the detective from before, right?
Are you guys close?
Professor?
Yes.
The detective and I go way back.
Come in.
Would you like something to drink?
I came to tell you something.
It's about Jangjin-ri.
What about that village?
My dad told my mom about that village
when they first met.
In the village of Jangjin-ri,
whenever there was a big disaster, they evoked a juvenile ghost.
It was worshipped as the village's guardian deity
which prevented evil and brought prosperity.
The child sacrificed to evoke a juvenile ghost
had to be the second child,
because Confucian customs called for
the protection of the firstborn.
Do you remember the news article we found?
This is about Mokdan.
I thought she was killed by some crazy shaman,
but she went through something a lot more terrible.
The family she trusted and her neighbors...
All the villagers took part in her death.
YEAR 1958, JANGJIN-RI
How could such a terrible custom exist?
Unfortunately,
human sacrifice is a custom found all over the world.
Lee Mokdan,
I'm sure that child is the evil spirit.
If that happened to me,
I would have become an evil spirit to get revenge too.
You said we had to find out the evil spirit's identity, right?
What do we need to find out next?
What is the evil spirit inside of her thinking?
Why did it want the hair accessory to be passed on to her?
Why did it involve me in this?
Professor?
What do we need to do now?
Ms. Sanyeong,
I will look into it some more.
I'll contact you again.
All right.
Oh, right.
What did the cop say?
He came by for a personal matter.
I see.
That woman can't see me.
Of course not. There's no mirror.
What is it this time?
Do you desire Sanyeong's youth?
Even in death, you can't rid yourself of a hungry ghost's habits.
There's a saying that goes, "dog-eat-dog."
Due to its rapaciousness,
a hungry ghost continues to covet others' things
but remains insatiable until the very end.
No matter how much you take, you'll never be satiated.
It's karma for how you've lived.
Did you forget?
You're the person who made me this way.
BBAEKSE
Sanyeong, I passed the written exam!
We promised to tell each other first if we passed.
Call me.
Did you not come to Yoonjung's wedding on purpose?
She was practically begging for someone to take pictures with her, so I'm here.
The after-party is being held at a hotel wine bar.
You better come to the after-party.
Let's cheer up and party then.
Drink and be merry!
You better come.
One moment.
Open it, please.
NEW POST
It's been a while since I last ate alone.
This is the place with 500,000-won course meals.
Your purse is so pretty!
This place is a total hotspot.
Oh, my gosh. I've been wanting to go here!
I heard it's hard to get a reservation.
Go out with me!
Please tell me where you got your clothes.
Hey, are you busy? Why aren't you still here?
What kind of hotel has bugs around?
What's going on?
Professor Gu Gangmo was possessed by an evil spirit.
KOREAN SHAMANISM
He knew the most about evil spirits.
I'm sure there's a clue in there about how to get rid of an evil spirit.
ONLY THE ENERGY OF A PERSON WHO WAS KILLED
MAY SUPPRESS THE OBJECT CONTAINING A LOOSE-HAIRED EVIL SPIRIT'S ENERGY.
"The energy of a person who was killed?"
There it is. That's the house you were looking for.
The house Professor Gu Gangmo's in-laws lived in.
The elderly woman who owned the house committed suicide here a long time ago.
"The energy of a person who was killed."
A location where someone died because of the evil spirit.
Where...
Why is there a straw rope here?
Straw rope.
The straw rope was twisted to the left?
- Yes, the left. - Are you sure?
When I got your call, I went to check.
- I'm sure it's to the left. - Thank you.
Straw ropes are usually twisted to the right.
If it's twisted to the left, it's a Line of Prohibition.
It's time to stop the ghosts.
YEOM ♪♪♪SANG 5,350,000 WON
Thanks for coming.
- Cheers. - Cheers.
- Congrats on your wedding. - Thank you.
- Hold on. - Like this?
Yes, like that. Okay, done.
- How much did you drink? - I passed.
- You passed? - Yes.
You basically got the job!
You'll pass the interview without a hitch, right?
I guess you can say that.
Semi, you should treat us.
Okay, okay. I will. Come on, cheers.
Congrats.
Hongsae, over here.
Hongsae!
I passed my civil service written exam!
Oh, congrats.
Congrats on getting married.
How could you be late on a day like this?
Sorry, I had a lot of work.
It must have been tough preparing for your wedding.
You jerk, you're always like this.
But wasn't it hard reserving that wedding hall? It's pretty popular.
How did you reserve it?
- Oh, really? - Are you shy?
Should I introduce you?
- Show me a photo then. - What's your type?
Show me a photo of him.
Hey, who does this belong to?
No one was sitting there.
This is a brand-new model.
"LJR?" Who's "LJR?"
It's really pretty.
I heard it's hard to get because it's a limited edition.
Buying from overseas sites is the only way to get it.
But does it really not belong to any of you?
- No, it doesn't. - Then whose is it?
Hey, why didn't you...
- Sanyeong, you're here. - Hey.
- Your style has improved a lot. - Hi.
Have you all been well?
Hey, drink up.
I can sit here, right?
Yes, of course.
Hand me a glass.
Thank you.
Here, I'll pour you a drink.
Cheers.
Hey, what's wrong with you?
What do you mean?
You said we should drink and be merry.
But my glass is empty.
You're a good drinker.
Cheers.
- And so you... - You worked so hard.
- Thanks. - Didn't know the person...
- Let's go out for a bit. - Cheers.
Hey, you've only drunk half your glass.
- I completely understand. - Right?
Do you want some more?
Gu Sanyeong.
Did something happen?
Are you okay?
You have something…
you want to hear from me, right?
I think it's important to mentally prepare yourself.
Are you trying to get me to leave early?
You seem drunk.
I...
killed...
all...
of those people.
- Oh, my! - Are you okay?
- Pass me a napkin. - Are you okay?
- Here's a tissue.
- Did you get hurt? - Oh, gosh.
- Thanks. - What a relief.
- Darn it. - It's 300,000 won for a bottle.
You wasted about 50,000 won.
What a shame.
Sorry, it wasn't on purpose.
Are you done bragging about passing your exam?
What?
It was for a level-nine position, not even a level-seven.
It's not even the final result.
Are you seriously bragging that loudly about passing just the written exams?
This is my wedding after-party,
not a party to celebrate you passing your exam.
Aren't you eating too much
when you only gifted 50,000 won?
Hey!
Are you crazy?
For someone who begged people to come
because you had no friends to take wedding photos with,
you sure are making a scene.
Do you know how much this dress cost?
Hey. Take that and get lost.
Hey, Yoonjung.
- Hongsae, take care of the rest. - That crazy...
Come on!
- This is so annoying! - Enough.
Sanyeong.
You...
Are you a beggar?
What?
Do you really want to be in a place where she flaunts her money?
Or did you want to brag about how you passed that badly?
You're so full of yourself.
Semi.
Where am...
Excuse me.
You wanted all of this.
Be quiet!
Please...
stop it.
How did it go?
Take a look for yourself. I don't know what it is.
I dug into the ground like you asked me to, and I found this.
It's the object my mother was burying.
Why is this here?
Found it.
REVENANT
Did you turn yourself in earlier?
What if I told you that it was a ghost who did it?
Would you believe me?
It's something my mother had.
Are you sure you don't know anything about them?
I said get out of my house this instant.
Do you know what your colleagues call you?
Just shut up and listen!
You're a detective.
It's your duty to relieve dead victims' grudges in their stead.
I want to be alone for the time being, so don't contact me.
Why did the evil spirit drag you into this?
Getting rid of the evil spirit is more important than that.
Why are you doing this?
Why are you doing this to me?
Hungry ghosts?
I was here yesterday.
Among the victim's belongings, an expensive luxury bag disappeared.
The blood vessels in the deceased's eyes had probably burst.
- Who told you that? - It was a hungry ghost.
This case won't be the last.
If a person is possessed by a ghost, I can recognize them from a photo.
Two people are missing.
I don't see Yoonjung and Semi.
What happens to someone possessed by a hungry spirit?
A friend of mine committed suicide.
We have to hurry up and find her.
Translated by Rebekah Hyonha Kim