(All characters, organizations, places, entities, and events...)
(in this drama are fictional.)
Yes. I signed the papers and sent them.
(10 years ago)
Explain to the kids.
Okay. Sorry you had to put up with me all these years.
I hope you'll be happy too. Yes.
Okay.
You scared me.
- You jerk. - Mom.
I was talking to the kids' mom.
Do you really plan to get a divorce?
Will you give your babies to that witch?
What choice do I have?
Your precious grandkids will live in debt...
if they stay with me.
My gosh. My goodness.
I should've stopped you...
when you sold your father's family gravesite to start a business.
And you.
I told you not to wash...
and just keep your body clean before the ritual.
But you couldn't wait and were going to smoke this?
Anyway, Mom. Why are we doing a spiritual ritual?
Quiet.
Nothing is going your way...
because of an unlucky spirit.
Don't say a peep.
I took care of it and brought a famous shaman.
That's ridiculous.
Don't jinx it.
- Forget it. I won't do it. - Shut it.
- Seriously. - Stop whining.
You just do as I say.
- Go. - Forget it.
Get up there!
Go!
(Jin Jong Hyun November 7 Wish Fulfillment)
There. Sit down.
Seriously.
Ma'am, we're ready.
Seriously, Mom.
- Now. - Gosh.
Sit still.
You chose a great day...
to have a good fortune ritual.
Hey, you. You totally lucked out today.
- Bow. - Forget it.
Hello, Mr. Kim. I'm heading back to Seoul now.
My mother suddenly wanted to see me.
No, no. She isn't sick.
She's very healthy.
Sir.
I'm always grateful.
Okay. I'll talk to you later.
Gosh. A ritual? Give me a break.
If those things work, everyone would be successful.
What is that smell?
Watch where you're going!
Gosh.
I'm exhausted.
Excuse me.
If you park so close, I can't get out.
Get out the other way.
Why are you whining? It is perfectly parked in the spot.
Excuse me. If you'd park a little to the left...
Ma'am!
Seriously. This is maddening.
This is so annoying.
Seriously.
That lady is so stubborn.
What's the big deal about moving the car?
Gosh.
This is nice.
It's beautiful.
Darn it.
Gosh. Darn it.
Hey, Mr. Kim.
Remember that social network business I mentioned before?
Let's push forward with it.
Sir. Why do you suddenly want to get into IT?
You should've done it...
in the early 2000s. It's way too late.
I have an idea. That's not it.
All the big foreign companies are here already.
Gosh. Sir.
If you have money for that, pay what you owe the contractors.
I want to do something different from foreign social media networks.
You're being so unreasonable.
You're so frustrating.
Where did you go?
- Jin Jin! - Hello?
Jin Jin!
- Hello? Can you hear me? - Jin Jin!
Sir?
- Mr. Kim. - Yes?
- Don't bother coming in tomorrow. - Sorry?
You're fired, punk!
- What was that? Sir? - You brat.
Sir?
Seriously.
Jin Jin! Has anyone seen a little puppy?
- My gosh. - Please help.
My precious Jin Jin.
Hi, there.
Someone, please help.
There.
- Mommy's looking for you. Look. - Where are you?
Mommy.
Why did you come here? You should go to mommy.
You're so cute.
Jin Jin!
She's so darn loud, just like a dog.
Where are you? Where did you go?
Jin Jin! Jin Jin! Where are you?
Jin Jin!
Have you seen my dog?
(The Cursed)
(Episode 3: The Cursed Forest)
Hello, Ms. Jin.
Hello.
Did Mr. Lee tell you?
Nothing you've ever touched, or worn on you...
They can't get any of it.
Yes, I'm well aware of it. He told me.
We only have a few more days left.
Don't spend your energy.
Okay. I understand. Thank you.
Okay. Don't worry and sleep comfortably.
Hi, baby. It's Daddy. How have you been?
You'll get to meet our princess who looks just like Daddy...
in less than a week. How do you feel?
Why would she look like you? How could you say that to a girl?
I know,
but look at her. She clearly takes after me.
Daddy will make lots of money...
and get you plastic surgery... Wait. That's not right, is it?
I take it back.
- Kick him. - Ouch.
Did you tell your captain?
No.
- No? - No.
I told you to tell him that you quit.
A big case just broke out, so I need to finish that first.
There's always a case.
When isn't there a case?
I know you're right,
but I can't leave while everyone's busy investigating.
Plus, I'm the only one my captain trusts, so...
- Hey. - What?
Doesn't that captain have other detectives?
You always say you're all he has.
I don't want to worry about my husband getting hurt...
after I have our baby.
And if we're going to run...
the greengrocery wholesale business together,
we need to find a space.
A fruit business...
Is it because of the captain's leg?
Yes. I keep telling myself to tell him, but...
I can't say it once I see his leg.
It wasn't your fault.
How was it not my fault?
He was stabbed while taking my place at a stake-out.
Did you know that would happen?
You were only taking your sick wife to a hospital.
Plus, if you had been there that day, you would've been hurt.
Exactly.
That's why I can't bear to tell him.
Regardless, he caught the perp and got promoted.
How could you say it like that?
He has to live with it for the rest of his life.
So what? You won't tell him?
I will.
After we close out this case.
Hey, Yang Jin Soo.
What?
It became clear to me after what happened to him...
that something may happen to you too, someday.
Promise me.
- Seriously... - Now!
Why are you crying?
Fine. I promise. I'll tell him tomorrow. I will.
I'll just die if something happens to you.
What would happen to me? Daddy is Superman.
You're scaring me. Come quickly and save me.
(Seodong Police Station)
(42nd President Kim Ju Hwan)
Captain Jung. Hi. Sit down. Sit.
I think the Kim Ju Hwan case was just an accident.
But Chief, according to the autopsy,
there's a chance he was drugged and killed.
And looking at his call records,
I'm sure it is related to Forest.
Darn it.
Didn't I tell you to drop Forest?
I found someone else who will testify about Forest.
I can bring you results this time.
Stop it.
Plus, that autopsy report isn't enough...
to warrant further investigation.
There are no external injuries, evidence of a break-in, or anything.
Furthermore,
I heard Jin Hee came in to give a statement.
I won't say anything more. Drop it. I'm done talking about it.
- Chief. - Hey.
Why aren't you bringing in the professorship application?
I'll close out this case first.
Hey, Jung Sung Joon.
This is a great opportunity.
"This case"? This isn't even a real case.
Drop the case, and bring me the professorship application stat.
Got it?
Captain, I'm terribly sorry.
I think I'll have to start a greengrocery wholesale business...
with my wife and her family.
My wife says my job is too dangerous,
and is just too worried. I'm sorry.
I'll provide you with free...
- Who are you apologizing to? - Oh my gosh.
To my wife. I'm apologizing to her...
since we don't go home often. Here you go.
How did the discussion go with the chief?
I'm losing my mind here.
He says we can't investigate the Kim Ju Hwan case,
and told me again to drop the Forest case.
That's not good. We were going to bring in one of the programmers...
from when Forest was founded.
I don't think we can continue...
with the investigation because of the chief.
So do we have to drop it?
We're not the type to do as we're told, though.
That's right.
We can't let the chief know,
so you'll have to do it yourself.
Yes, sir. I'll report right away if I find anything substantive.
You know you're all I have, right?
Don't say that.
- Jin Soo. - Yes?
Doesn't this look familiar?
(42nd President Kim Ju Hwan)
Kim Ju Hwan.
(42nd President Kim Ju Hwan)
I think I saw this in Kim Ju Hwan's office.
- Right? It's the same name too. - Yes.
Where did you get this?
Well... I found it somewhere.
Okay. I'll look into it.
- Okay. - Captain.
Yes? What?
Well... I'm really sorry to have to tell you this...
Never mind.
It's nothing.
This coffee doesn't cost much.
- Should I get you one? - No, no.
I quit coffee.
You should go. It's cold.
Okay. I'm counting on you.
Sure.
(Jin Hee, we need to hurry.)
Jin Hee, we need to hurry and do a procedure on Jin Jong Hyun.
Call me.
(Joongjin Daily)
Listen up.
I know everyone's uncomfortable because of what happened,
but the president wants things to get back to normal soon.
It may seem too soon...
since the police are still investigating, and we don't know...
whether or not there was foul play,
but we can't leave the section editor position vacant.
Im Jin Hee.
We'd like you to fill in as acting section editor.
From now on, Im Jin Hee is the section editor of local news.
Just so you know.
Im Jin Hee.
Ms. Im Jin Hee. Is that okay with you?
But...
- Sir, I... - Consider it...
an important duty during difficult times. Please help us.
Okay. Applause.
You don't look happy.
But then again, these aren't happy times.
Investigate all you want,
and please do your best to help Ms. Im Jin Hee. Okay?
- Yes, sir. - Yes, sir.
Hang in there.
Congratulations.
Thanks.
Congrats.
Why did she...
Hey, not like that.
Be careful.
- Be careful with that. - Yes, sir.
Careful.
Don't put it in like that.
Okay. Hands. Show me your hands.
You're not holding anything, right?
Put your uniform and everything in here.
Please take them off now.
If anyone takes anything from this office,
you'll be fired right away. Got it?
- Yes, sir. - Yes, sir.
Take it off.
There's nothing in your pocket, right?
Sir.
Sir?
We've cleaned everything out.
- Sit. - Yes, sir.
I'll bring you fresh underwear and clothes...
to change into every day.
And put what you've worn in that room over there.
- Lee Hwan. - Yes, sir.
How long must I do this?
Ms. Jin Kyung is looking into it as quickly as possible,
so you should be careful and minimize going out...
One week from now...
is our company's IPO.
It is impossible for me not to go out.
I'll check the status on Ms. Jin Kyung's side...
and report back to you.
What item did that performer use for the procedure?
According to Ms. Jin Kyung, it was his fountain pen cap.
Where is it?
I instructed Detective Lee to find out...
if any of Kim Ju Hwan's belongings...
went missing from the evidence locker.
I've already talked to him about it.
- You have? - Yes, sir.
Ma'am.
If they used an item to curse someone,
maybe it was a voodooist.
- A voodooist? - Yes. I think...
it may be a follower of the Loa of Vodou.
Voodooists take an item of the person being cursed...
and combine it with a voodoo doll and stick pins into it.
Don't you think it's similar to this situation?
Voodoo dolls were created in movies.
Real Voodooists...
don't have hideous curses like this.
Plus, do you think that interesting deity came from that far away?
It's from Japan.
This deity came from Japan, so look there.
This is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
I asked Professor Kumamoto.
I'm pretty sure...
I saw something similar in "Shokoku Monogatari".
Shokoku... What?
- Joo Bong. - Yes?
Repeat after me.
Shokoku Monogatari.
"Shokoku Monogatari".
What is that?
Study a little.
It's a book of curses from the Edo period.
No. Actually.
Look into instances of Japanese spirits coming to Korea.
Professor Kim Joon Ha.
Start with Professor Kim Joon Ha's papers up there.
- I'll take it. - No, I'll carry it!
- I got it. - What is all this?
There are so many.
Yes. Well, there were a lot more,
but since it's the winter,
some of them died.
Minky, a puppy we were raising, died a few days ago.
- I see. - It's hard to take care of them.
- Come in. - Okay.
This way.
Hello, Ms. Jin.
Hello there.
What brings you all the way here to my humble abode?
Well... Where do you get all of these things?
That's right. How do you feel?
It's what I usually go through after partying it up a little.
Have a seat.
So? Did you find out?
Not yet.
I asked around here and there, so we'll find it soon.
What about the chairman? Did you remove all his things?
But the chairman is very nervous.
We need to do something soon.
Can't you write up a talisman or something?
Listen, young man.
You need a diagnosis from a doctor to get a prescription.
Can you take any drug, not knowing whether it's a cold or indigestion?
But the chairman is very nervous, so can't you just write him one?
Wait for a little.
I asked experts from all around the world,
so we'll find out...
which spirit it is, and what talisman works the best.
Tell the chairman to be cautious for a while longer.
Yes, ma'am.
Anyway, did you look into the fountain pen cap?
Yes. I planted one of ours with the police,
so he's looking into it.
He's still looking into it?
What's the use in finding you the answer?
The one with the pen cap requested the procedure.
Pardon?
That's the person.
(Evidence Storage Unit Authorized Personnel Only)
(Officer in charge: Jung Sung Joon)
(Joongjin Daily Section Editor Officer in charge: Jung Sung Joon)
Detective Lee.
Hi, Jin Soo. What's up?
I needed to check something. What about you?
Me too. I came to check something.
- Did you eat yet? - Yes, I did.
Why? I thought this case was declared not a homicide.
I know, right?
(42nd President Kim Ju Hwan)
It's a perfect fit.
Hey. Where did you get that?
Never mind.
Jin Soo. Where did you get this?
I'm in the middle of a secret mission.
- What? - Nothing.
I'll tell you later.
What secret? It's me.
I can't tell you.
Lock up behind you. Check what you came to check.
I'll get going now. Bye, sir.
- But... - I can't.
Hey. Jin Soo. Hey!
Hi, Jin Sung. Did you find anything?
What? Who?
What's the detective's name?
Okay. Okay. Got it. I'll call you back in a little bit.
Okay.
What was that about?
He found out who had the pen cap.
That's good.
Call the chairman and get his confirmation.
Yes. Call the supplier.
I'll get going too.
(Woori Gallery)
Where do you get things like this?
Which one?
This one.
That one?
It was used to kick out evil spirits...
from the end of the Han Dynasty until the Tang Dynasty.
There are documents that discuss its use.
They came to our country during the Three Kingdoms of Korea.
I don't know how it was brought here exactly,
but it was hard for us to get.
How much is it?
It's not for sale.
How about this one?
That's not for sale either.
Okay.
(Forest)
Hello?
(Seodong Police Station Yang Jin Soo)
Close the shutter!
(Local News Section Editor)
If we were unlucky, innocent people...
may have been put in danger.
Know something?
That you're a piece of trash?
Let go. Let go of me.
You have a death wish, don't you?
I'm done.
Okay. Got it. Thanks.
Jin Hee...
Ms. Im Jin Hee.
Just call me "Jin Hee".
I can't do that. You're the section editor.
Anyway, I'm so happy.
I feel bad toward Mr. Kim Ju Hwan,
but you are much more qualified to be our section chief.
You're a righteous person.
Are you the only one who's righteous?
I'll go now.
Let me know if you need anything,
Ms. Im Jin Hee.
Just call me "Jin Hee".
Will do, Ms. Im Jin Hee.
(He's an evil spirit! Please believe me!)
(Did you decide yet? We must do the procedure on Jin Jong Hyun)
I know, right?
That's so insane.
Hey, you. Aren't you going to clean?
I'm getting the water. Are you blind?
Don't give us that. The water is overflowing.
I'm leaving. You guys should clean up too.
I was talking...
What is this?
Do you still think you can push me around?
Why are you still picking on me?
You splashed us. You should apologize first.
And what if I refuse?
Are you going to call the jerks from yesterday again?
Did his nose stop bleeding?
Why you...
If you keep bugging me,
I'll kill you without anyone knowing.
That psycho...
Mi Jung, are you okay?
Don't cry.
Don't cry because of that stupid orphan.
How?
How can I get revenge on her?
Mi Jung. Do you want to do that?
What?
You know, that thing that's popular right now.
Forest of Curses.
- What? - "Forest of Curses"?
(Violent Crimes 2)
(Police Academy Application for Instructor)
(Yang Jin Soo)
- Hi, Jin Soo. - Captain.
I'm at the meeting...
with the programmer from Forest when they were founded.
The person you said you were meeting?
Yes. I couldn't reach him for a while,
but he must have changed his mind after Min Jung In died.
Go straight home after the meeting.
Yes, sir. I'll call you later.
- Good night. - Okay. Thanks.
Captain.
You know that pen cap you gave me earlier?
That's right.
I think it really was Mr. Kim Ju Hwan's.
Really?
Yes, I compared it in the evidence locker.
Where did you get it?
Thanks.
Keep up the good work.
Let me know right away if you find anything new.
Yes, sir. Good night.
Mr. Kim Min Jae?
I'm Detective Yang Jin Soo. We spoke on the phone.
- Hello. - Hello.
Do you mind if I record our conversation?
- Sure. It's okay. - Thank you.
You said you were a programmer when Forest was founded, right?
Yes, I was one of the very early members.
I see.
Do you know that a whistleblower...
who was a programmer at Forest died in an accident?
Yes.
I didn't know him personally.
I was fired not long after the company was founded.
I see.
I guess Forest has a high turnover rate.
Not all the departments.
I think it was only the programmers.
Why do you think that was?
I'm not sure,
but have you ever used Forest?
No. I'm clueless when it comes to that.
You know that Forest is a social media company, right?
Yes. It's like Facebook and Instagram, right?
Sort of.
Forest isn't that different from other social media networks...
like Twitter and Instagram...
if you remove the Forest of Curses.
"Forest of Curses"?
It's sort of a tag play.
A tag play?
Hashtag "Forest of Curses". Hashtag "Guy Next Door".
My next-door neighbor...
- sings so loudly in the shower, - Hashtag "Forest of Curses".
- Hashtag... - I can't sleep at night.
When Forest first jumped into the social media industry,
it lacked the competitive edge against foreign companies.
But as the public cursing of people on the app...
became popular...
Hashtag "Baek Hae Eun".
- She dumped me recently. - It became widely popular.
I hope you date losers for the rest of your life.
So, you're saying they drew attention...
- by cursing others... - Hashtag "Kim Mee Ok".
- in public, right? - Hashtag "Kim Jung Sang".
That's right.
(My supervisor at work...)
(keeps teasing me about being dumped.)
But there are some rules you have to follow.
Okay, that's everything.
You tag "Forest of Curses",
and upload a picture and name of the person...
- you want to curse. - Baek So Jin.
- And you describe the situation. - What should I write?
She bullies me at school.
I don't want to go to school...
and I want to die because of her. How's that?
Nice.
"I want to die." Nice.
Then you upload them.
- Evil spirit, come to me. - Evil spirit, come to me.
- Cast your curse upon this person. - Cast your curse upon this person.
- Evil spirit, come to me. - Evil spirit, come to me.
- Cast your curse upon this person. - Cast your curse upon this person.
- Evil spirit, come to me. - Evil spirit, come to me.
- Cast your curse upon this person. - Cast your curse upon this person.
- Evil spirit, come to me. - Evil spirit, come to me.
- Make her spit up blood and die. - Make her spit up blood and die.
(Baek So Jin)
(Forest of Curses)
(Baek So Jin)
Yes.
Yes!
- Look. - Yes!
- Awesome. - I'm so happy.
They post their curse,
and if it gets a lot of likes,
they think the curse will come true.
What's this?
We used to do seances when we were little.
It's sort of like that.
People tend to hold grudges...
and like cursing others.
It's nothing new.
Those curses don't come true, do they?
I'm not sure.
Sometimes, they'll post an update that the curse came true,
but how could it work?
It's a matter of faith.
People believe in horoscopes and fortune-telling too.
I'm confused about something.
What does this have to do with programmers being fired...
on a regular basis?
That's the interesting part.
When Forest was created,
the programmers were told...
to make those cursing posts become popular posts.
That's the system they wanted.
In other words, they wanted the posts of curses...
to become popular.
That's right.
We were told to manipulate it to make the "Forest of Curses"...
popular among the people.
"Manipulate"...
Why do you think that was?
I'm not sure.
Maybe they needed something unique.
Anyway, the programmers...
ran a macro for posts with the hashtag "Forest Curses"...
so that ghost accounts would keep liking them,
so that they would automatically become popular posts.
They made us keep writing codes like that.
But since they kept switching out programmers...
I don't know how that helped the company.
One thing for sure is,
the post of the curse became popular.
It's amusing. It's not like it costs you any...
to hope for someone else's curse to come true.
I'm not so sure...
(Jin Hee)
- Hi, Jin Soo. - Hello, Jin Hee.
What happened at Mr. Kim Ju Hwan's autopsy?
That?
Go on.
Well... They found ananda...
Anyway, they found some strange chemical in his brain.
But there was no evidence of foul play.
So the NFS is looking for additional evidence.
Then send me a picture of the body...
I mean, send me a picture of the scene.
What? I can't do that.
Why are you doing this to me?
Jin Soo. I know.
I'm sorry.
Please, Jin Soo.
Darn it. Fine. I'll text you.
Good night.
Thanks.
Gosh. It's like this couple only has me.
Am I that dependable?
(Yang Jin Soo)
He died.
His body was probably crumpled up and died.
Isn't that what you wanted?
Captain,
I met the former Forest employee.
The Forest of Curses...
She couldn't wait and is calling already.
Hello, my love, my queen.
Where are you? Will you be home late again?
No. I'm out front.
What? What was that?
You want a cantaloupe?
What?
No, no. Not you.
Our princess says she wants a cantaloupe...
What? You want clementines too?
Apples? At this hour? I'll buy them all...
and come right up.
What about strawberries?
Strawberries? Do you want strawberries?
It's okay. Just get up here.
Okay. I'll be right up.
Daddy says he's bringing fruit.
What are you doing?
Why are you sitting in the dark?
You're home.
You know,
I got a promotion today.
What?
Why do you sound like that then?
Just because.
Is something wrong?
No, nothing.
Jin Hee.
Tell me.
What's wrong?
I found a fountain pen cap in the bedroom.
What?
It looked like it belonged to Mr. Kim Ju Hwan.
Don't you have anything to tell me?
Strawberries.
You can have strawberries tomorrow.
But she never eats strawberries.
Does our princess like strawberries?
What's this? Who parked in front of our house?
Darn it.
Sung Joon,
I think I did that...
to Mr. Kim Ju Hwan.
What do you mean?
I think...
I had...
a procedure done on him.
You had a procedure done?
What procedure? No. What's a procedure?
I cast a curse on him using that pen cap,
and I think that's what did that to him.
A curse?
Sung Joon.
I mean it.
Jin Hee. You're just under a lot of stress. It's okay.
No. You have to believe me.
Why don't you take some time off?
Don't feel guilty.
Where's the pen cap? What did you do with it?
Why do you ask?
Give it back.
I can't hold onto that.
Jin Soo has it.
What? Why does he have it?
Jin Hee.
(Jin Soo's wife)
- Hello. - Hello, Captain.
I'm Jin Soo's wife.
I needed to talk to him anyway...
When did you last talk to him?
Just before he left the station.
He called a few minutes ago, saying he was out front,
but he's not here.
His phone is off, too.
His car is here though.
You don't think anything happened to him, do you?
You shouldn't be here, sir.
Isn't it better for me to make sure things go well and report to you?
No. I want to watch for myself.
Hey!
Stop it.
Remove the tape.
Hey, you.
If you answer my questions, I'll let you live.
This.
This fountain pen cap. Where did you get it?
I don't understand a thing you're saying, punk.
Why are you all covering your faces?
I know you're all Forest's losers.
If you don't answer me, you'll die.
You. Who are you over there?
Is Forest's Jin Jong Hyun here?
A noble man came all the way here.
Let me see your face.
You tortured Min Jung In like this too, didn't you?
You jerks.
Put it back on.
Hey.
Stop it.
I think he may die if we hit him more.
What should we do?
- May we kill him? - No, you can't.
We need to find out where he got the pen cap...
and whom he gave it to.
It's not easy.
Isn't there another way to torture him?
Something stronger.
Like killing his family.
Don't kill him. Do something stronger.
Yes, sir.
Hey! Strip him...
and hang him upside down.
What's going on?
Hey, what are you doing?
You need to catch him!
Go!
Hey!
Sir?
Sir. Mr. Chairman!
(Restricted)
Captain.
I want to ask you something.
Did Jin Soo...
tell you today that he was quitting the force?
I guess not.
He said once the baby was born,
we'd run a wholesale fruit store...
so I wouldn't have to worry about him.
He promised.
He promised...
a normal life...
for our baby...
Jin Soo...
Let's do it.
Let's do the procedure on Jin Jong Hyun.
(The Cursed)
(Professor Kumamoto)
Professor Kumamoto.
- Ms. Jin Kyung. - Yes.
Did you find anything?
Yes, I think I found something.
Really?
I'll buy it. Cost is no object.
Well. It may be a bit high.
Is it urgent?
It is.
I understand.
I'll purchase it for you right away.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
- A shaman? - I'm sure...
he has a shaman helping him.
It's a spirit that people create themselves.
It's a very evil spirit.
I have another request.
If I get an object belonging to Chairman Jin Jong Hyun,
you'll pay me 1,000 dollars?
Don't touch me.
I'll go there now.
She's pretty good.
I'll give him a very cruel procedure.
Right now.
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