You.
Why were you there?
No.
Why was I there?
Where?
In my nightmares.
All Reapers remember the last life they lived.
The same goes for me too.
Yes. Even though I don't want to.
In the memories of your past life,
was I there as well?
No, you were not.
My past life was full of sins.
There's no way we could've encountered
or even passed by each other in that life.
As you have said,
it was just a nightmare.
Yes.
It was just a dream.
I shouldn't have said anything.
Forget that I said it.
MIRACULOUS COVER LETTERS BY-THE-BOOK COVER LETTERS
EPISODE 9: SOMEDAY, BECAUSE OF YOU
Choi Jun-woong, get up already!
The sun's been up for hours, it's practically setting.
Wake up, come on.
-Mom, just five more minutes. -Get up right now.
-Goodness. Aren't you going to get up? -Mom.
Why are you doing this to me first thing in the morning?
Jeez.
Mom?
Yes, what?
I mean…
-Is it really you, mom? -Gosh.
Of course! I'm your mother.
What? What's going on?
What about Team Manager Koo and Mr. Lim?
What "Team Manager"? You're unemployed, for crying out loud.
He must have lost it after all the rejection.
Hey, watch your mouth when you talk about your brother.
What? It's not like what I said is wrong.
He is unemployed.
Mom.
Min-young.
Mom, Min-young.
Mom…
Oh, jeez.
Mr. Choi? Do get up now.
Mr. Choi?
No!
You must find the company to be very comfortable.
To sleep like that.
Anyway, it's a shame.
If you hadn't woken up, you would've become a full-time employee.
Gosh.
I almost swore right then and there.
You…
TEMPORARILY CLOSED DUE TO PERSONAL REASONS
Is something really up?
Did something happen? Why is it closed?
Who are you?
What?
I asked, who are you?
Do you have any idea how worried I was?
Who are you?
It's me, you idiot.
What?
Right…
Did something happen to the owner?
Yes. She's a little unwell.
-Where? How much? Did she get hurt? -What?
I mean…
It's just that I can't eat tteokbokki from any other place.
I get cranky if I don't eat it for a while.
-Okay. -Yes.
Yes, hello?
Yes, that's right.
Grade Eight?
Yes, I can teach all subjects.
Okay. I'll send you a text.
Okay.
She'll be on a break for a while.
You do private tutoring?
Yes. Why?
My nephew's in middle school.
Really? I tutor middle school students.
I'm taking some time off from college, so I have the time.
If you want to hire me,
you can look up Choi Min-young on the Neighborhood Teacher app.
You're taking time off from school.
Yes, I have to make money.
But you have to keep this a secret from my mom.
Okay.
Okay then.
Please let me know.
TEMPORARILY CLOSED DUE TO PERSONAL REASONS
SEOUL UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
Jun-woong!
-Get me the defibrillator, quickly. -Okay.
The clause stating a temporal error will occur
if your temporary body gets close to your real body.
You could forget your own face.
Then you can't return to your own body.
Simply put, you'll die.
This is as far as I can go…
Yes. It's nothing, really.
I took the meds.
Why are you making such a fuss? Fine, I'm hanging up now.
Hello.
Aren't you the owner of Jung-im's Snacks?
Yes, I am.
Right.
I can't eat any other tteokbokki besides yours, you see.
I've only eaten your tteokbokki since I was born.
Really? I wonder why you don't look familiar, then.
It's not that I'm a regular or anything.
I just go every now and then.
I haven't been able to go lately because something came up.
I see.
So why are you here?
It can't be a good thing to run into you at the hospital.
My friend is here.
I see.
For me, my son is here.
Right, I saw that your store was closed.
Oh, that.
My daughter made such a fuss about me not looking well,
so we're closed for a bit.
Goodness, you must have gone and found it closed.
It's no big deal.
Still, it's nice seeing you here.
You're right. Fancy us running into each other like this.
Goodness.
Are you okay?
Yes, I'm fine.
I've lost my sense of balance
now that I'm getting older and all.
Thank you.
I'll give you a lot of extra food the next time you come.
I have to go wash up my son.
What's wrong with him?
I don't know. He's been like this the whole time.
Choi Jun-woong, did something happen?
It's nothing.
If it's nothing, then get it together.
Okay, I'll get it together.
Jeez!
I said I'd get it together, I mean it.
What?
What's this?
Out of the suicide risk cases we've had so far,
Namgung Jae-soo had the highest Negative Energy Level, at 98 percent.
It's a very high-risk case.
-Thankfully, we can track the location. -Let's go.
Gosh.
Jeez. Let's just teleport.
It's at 99 percent now!
There are many security cameras.
What?
-Choi Jun-woong! -Mr. Choi!
Hey, Choi Min-young!
Choi Min-young, are you crazy?
Are you out of your mind?
-I don't have my business card on me. -Okay.
I'll save my number on your phone.
We'll compensate you,
whether it's for the car repairs or any psychological trauma.
Are you okay?
Yes, I'm okay.
Are you all right?
I've seen this puppy the past few days around where I go to tutor.
I saw it on the road so I went to rescue it.
You're the customer from before.
You can't rush out there like that. You could've really hurt yourself.
You should think of yourself too.
You're right.
But I couldn't think of anything else other than rescuing it…
Thank you.
Sure.
Could you…
I rescued it, but I can't take it with me.
Don't worry.
-We'll take care of it. -Wait, we will?
Okay, thank you very much.
His name is Kong.
Here.
Thank you.
Who was that? You acted like you knew her.
She's my younger sister.
I guess it's in your genes to jump into things recklessly.
I've handled…
the compensation.
What are you planning to do? It's not like we can take it to Jumadeung.
That doesn't matter.
He's the suicide risk case.
-What? -He…
He is?
FAMILY ADDRESS
I thought only people were on The Red Light…
It's not technically limited to humans.
But this is very rare, so it must be some kind of error.
It's also my first time seeing a suicide risk case that's an animal.
It's the same as it is with humans.
There must be a reason why they tried to commit suicide.
We need to find that reason
and save them.
Animals are no exception.
His owner might be looking for him.
Let's start by checking all the nearby veterinary clinics.
-Okay. -Okay.
VETERINARY CLINIC
Goodness.
Hello.
This little guy is Kong. Do you have his owner registered here?
PATIENT SEARCH: KONG
We don't have any dogs under the name of Kong.
Really?
-Okay, then. Thank you. -Sure.
Can I get some information on a dog named Kong?
Did you mean this Kong?
I guess they just have the same name.
Thank you.
VETERINARY CLINIC
He's not registered at our clinic.
Seeing as how he has a collar,
it does mean he had a family.
Is there a possibility that his owner lost him?
Then they must have lost him in the neighborhood.
Dogs can usually find their way back, at least near their home.
I don't think he's a dog from this neighborhood.
Let's check how Kong is doing first.
Okay.
He had a family, so why…
That means he might have been abandoned.
Kong is inside resting and drinking some water.
He's around 13 years old.
But he's so small!
-Looks aren't everything. -How long has he been out on the streets?
Judging from the tear marks around his eyes,
I'd say it's been around three weeks.
It seems like someone took good care of his teeth, but…
-What about his general health? -Well…
It's pretty bad.
Why? How bad is it?
I don't think he has much time left.
He's an old dog.
And given the stage he's in, the owner must have known too.
I think you should prepare yourselves for the inevitable.
I mean, seriously.
How could someone abandon a sick dog?
He should burn in hell.
What is it? Come on.
Let's not jump to conclusions.
We don't know anything for sure yet.
KONG
How do we get Kong's levels down?
It's hard because we don't have any clues.
We have to start looking for a way.
Choi Jun-woong, go and talk to the Editing Team at Jumadeung.
The Editing Team?
If Kong doesn't have long to live, they must be preparing a video.
You would know. You've been there.
EDITING TEAM CHOI JUN-WOONG
What?
Right.
Okay. I'll go.
Hello.
-Look who's here? -Hello.
Look who it is. Mr. Choi, it's been a while.
Yes.
Ms. Koo gave me a call.
Yes. Do you make flashback footage for animals too?
Of course.
We do it for every life that lives and dies.
That's why it's so busy and difficult here.
-Right. Here. -Okay.
I was just working on Kong's flashback video.
For Kong?
Kong doesn't have much time left.
That's why editing the flashback is so important. It's like a final gift.
I hope he only has good memories.
Well, they're mostly good memories,
but there are things he wishes he'd done,
things he's sorry about, and things he regrets.
You know, a wide variety.
Yes. Right.
-Well, thank you. -Okay.
-Take care. -You too.
-Bye. -Bye.
What do we do?
-It's a puppy. -Mom.
Hello?
Yes. There's…
There's an unconscious dog here.
-Mom, the puppy is shaking. -Yes.
Yes, it's bleeding a lot too.
-Are you okay, puppy? -It's Ilsan-ro 285 beon-gil.
Yes.
Hey…
What do we do?
What do we do, Mom?
It's dangerous, so let's get him out of here first.
Come on.
Yes. Please, come quickly.
Yes. Ilsan-ro 285beon-gil.
-Mom. -Yes?
I chose a name.
-What is it? -Kong.
Kong?
-Because his eyes look like beans. -That's a great name.
He's so cute.
From now on, your name is Kong.
Kim Kong.
Kong, come on here.
Okay, come here.
Kim Hun, Kim Kong!
You could've gotten hurt!
Kong, I'm okay.
Hey, Kim Hun.
Put your arms back up.
Kong, let's hurry home.
Let's hurry.
Kong, come on.
Kong, no, Kong!
What do I do?
Hey, kid, are you okay?
-Hey, kid. -The kid's hurt.
What do we do?
Someone call 911.
Wait, I'll call 911.
Kong!
My Kong.
Kong, let's go.
Ta-da.
What do you think?
This is what you call a scar of honor.
I'm really okay.
Come on, look, it's fine, right?
Kong.
Kong, let's go.
Let's go.
There.
You're doing great, Kong.
I'm home.
Kong, come here.
There we go.
Kong.
Look at this. I got a tattoo.
It's totally awesome, right?
Come here, Kong.
Come here.
There you go.
Good job.
Say "give me."
Good job.
The weather's nice.
What is it?
You really seem to like this view.
I like it too.
From now on, we'll be living here together in this house.
Try to understand if I can't play with you a lot, okay?
Want me to throw it?
Go get it, Kong.
There you go!
Kong.
Go away, I'm not in the mood to play with you.
Yes.
Okay, let's break up.
We found a tumor on Kong's kidney
and it's metastasized to the other organs.
So even if we do surgery,
he's quite old, so I can't guarantee the prognosis.
I'm saying he needs surgery right now because he's sick!
What do you mean, "prepare for the inevitable"?
He did abandon him, that bastard!
He took good care of him at first but became negligent.
He abandoned him because Kong's old and sick.
I'll leave him at the hospital, so come keep a good eye on Kong.
Okay.
Well?
We searched the area, but there weren't any fliers looking for Kong.
I think he's been abandoned.
Is that why you were trying to die?
But too bad.
I'm a Reaper who saves lives.
So this isn't going to go the way you planned.
KONG
Kong.
Does it hurt?
How much does it hurt?
How could he abandon you when you're so tiny and cute?
That bastard.
Right? He really is awful.
It's not like you wanted to get sick or old.
But he abandoned you.
He's a bastard. Seriously.
Wait.
Seeing as how he has a collar, it does mean he had a family.
Is there a possibility that his owner lost him?
Then they must have lost him in the neighborhood.
Dogs can usually find their way back, at least near their home.
Did you…
Yes, ma'am.
If I'm correct, I think Kong ran away from home.
-Ran away? -Yes.
I think it'll be quicker to search the online boards for pet owners.
And the owner has a tattoo on his right arm covering up a scar.
I think it'll be good to keep that in mind.
-Okay. -Okay.
Mr. Choi was right.
I filtered it using the approximate dates.
This person has been looking for Kong since three weeks ago.
He has a tattoo on the back of his hand too.
That's weird.
If he wasn't abandoned, why did Kong choose to run away from home?
Su-hyeon, what about the design the dog cafe people sent us?
Hun just needs to finish the illustration and that's it.
Are you almost done with the illustration, Hun?
Yes.
Hun, are you crying?
Did something happen?
He's crying?
Hey, are you all right?
Yes, I'm fine.
-Is it because of your dog? -Dog?
The dog he's had since he was young suddenly disappeared.
That's why he's been rushing out whenever he gets a call.
This is just about a dog?
I thought it was something serious.
Come on, don't cry.
If you want to make him feel better, do it properly.
What do you mean, "just about a dog"?
You call a dog a dog, what else would you call it?
I'm going to take a break.
Jeez, he's making such a big deal out of it.
You and your mouth. Just shut up.
What did I do?
LOOKING FOR A DOG NAMED KONG
You okay?
How many weeks has it been? Three?
Just give up now.
How long are you going to be like this?
Seriously.
You've done more than enough. You can stop now.
How can I do that?
To be brutally honest, are you going to ruin your life because of a dog?
What, you'll die too if it dies?
Hey.
Hey, Kim Hun!
LOOKING FOR A LOST DOG, KONG!
NAME: KIM KONG
Kong, I'm busy.
Later. Let's play later.
Yes, I'm going right now. Yes.
Kong, no.
I'm sorry, Kong.
I'm so sorry.
I FOUND KONG, PLEASE GIVE ME A CALL
-Hello? -Yes.
Yes, this is Kong's owner. I can go right now. Where are you?
-I'll send you a link to the address. -Okay, I'll go right now.
What about Kong? Where's Kong?
He's not here.
What?
Do you people think this is funny?
I came here,
knowing he might not be here, that it might just be a scam.
Do you know how I felt, coming all the way here?
That's Kong, right?
He's with our friend right now.
Then why didn't you bring him? Why?
I'll get straight to the point.
Kong…
tried to commit suicide.
-What? -Kong ran into the road.
And we found him.
What is that supposed to mean?
Who are you people?
That tattoo on your arm.
You got it to cover the scar you got from that accident trying to rescue Kong
when you were young, right?
We found out through Kong.
I'm sorry, but that's all we can tell you.
Right now, our colleague is watching Kong, so he can't make any rash decisions.
You're lying. That makes no sense--
You know that Kong doesn't have much time left, right?
If you want to get Kong back, just believe us first.
At first, I thought Kong was abandoned because he was sick.
What do you mean, abandoned?
He went out when I left the door open for a minute.
It's my fault.
I didn't think he would go out.
Right.
Turns out he had run away.
We found him quite a distance from home.
Why do you think he did it?
Why do you think he chose to leave his home,
and why do you think he tried to kill himself?
That can't be. Why would Kong…
He's on his way.
To see you.
But I think
I understand a little why you wanted to leave home.
You're right. Fancy us running into each other here like this.
Goodness.
Are you okay?
Yes, I'm fine.
Yes, I have to make money.
But you have to keep this a secret from my mom.
To my family,
I'm just a sick son
and a brother racking up a big hospital bill.
I had forgotten, since I've been spending time like this.
The family I love is having a hard time because of me,
and there's nothing I can do for them right now.
If I feel this way,
you must have felt worse.
So you didn't want to be a burden.
So much so that you thought it would be better to die.
Right?
You're right, he's old. He's 15 years old now.
I'm worried. He's having problems in a lot of places these days.
I'm saying he needs surgery right now because he's sick!
What do you mean, "prepare for the inevitable"?
Hey, do you live life thinking that you'll die?
You just live.
No. I can't live without Kong. I don't think I can live without him.
If Kong dies in front of me, I'll go crazy.
If something like that ever happens,
then I'll die with him too.
You're so pretty.
Where's your owner?
Is he lost?
It's my fault.
It's because of what I said that Kong…
But Kong isn't just a dog to me. He's my family.
So please,
can't you let me see Kong?
Will you stop being so stubborn?
You know that you don't have much time left.
It's not an easy thing
to choose death for yourself.
I know too.
You must have been very scared on your own.
You must have thought of Hun,
and you must have missed him.
And you couldn't go back home
because you didn't want him to see you die.
But…
Kim Hun is desperately looking for you.
Did you know that?
Kong leaving home was Kong's choice.
Choi Jun-woong.
If we let Mr. Kim see Kong, then what about Kong's feelings?
What about Kong's choice?
If Kong dies like this,
Mr. Kim will live a life full of guilt and regret,
thinking he wasn't able to protect him.
We can't let him live the rest of his life feeling like that.
Choi Jun-woong.
Do you have any idea what kind of hell it is
to part ways without a proper goodbye?
It's no different than choosing an eternal hell
just to escape the pain in the present.
Kim Hun said that you were his family that he loves.
What about you? Don't you feel the same way too?
I know what you're worried about.
You're worried that he'll have a hard time and be sad if you die by his side.
You left because you didn't want him to feel that pain.
But that should be up to the people who are left behind.
It would be selfish not to let him do even that.
Of course it's hard and sad…
when a family member you love is dying.
But…
you need to go through that time
to be able to miss your loved ones freely.
It might hurt to think about them immediately,
but the sense of longing
is created because of happy memories.
This is your last chance to spend time with him.
You should be smiling
for your final farewell.
Choi Jun-woong.
Take some time to think before you come.
Let's go, Kong.
Kong.
I'm sorry.
But you can't do this.
Why would you run away when you're sick? Why…
Why would you try to die?
Because he feels bad.
He probably felt bad about causing that scar,
about getting sicker and sicker,
about making you worry and causing you pain.
He felt bad about all of it.
Why would you think such silly things?
Because you don't want your family to feel pain and suffer because of you.
Kong.
I'm the one who should be sorry.
I should have taken better care of you and spent more time with you.
I should have checked if you were hurting,
what you did in the empty apartment when I wasn't there,
if you were lonely.
I really wanted to give you everything you wanted.
Because…
ever since you came to me, I was happy every moment.
You're the only one that's given me endless love.
You always console me.
And you always stay the same.
I would have been so lonely without you.
So Kong, you have to take care of me until the very end.
Let me stay by your side until the end, okay?
Come with me.
Already?
Hello, I'm Reaper Jang Hyeon-jun from the Escort Team,
I'm in charge of animal souls--
Right.
Hey, what are you doing?
I'm here because there's an animal soul about to meet its end.
Did I pick a bad time?
Yes. Go back.
It's time, though.
KIM KONG DEATH BY NATURAL CAUSES
That must be Kong.
Take him just 30 minutes later. You can wait that long, right?
No, actually. That's still too short.
Wait an hour and a half before you take him.
No. I'd have to file a disciplinary report.
Our team has a lot of disciplinary reports,
so you can use one of those for reference.
No. Nope. I can't.
The number of late cases for escorting animal souls is over ten thousand.
I don't think one more will make a big difference.
This place has great milk tea.
You can have both of these,
as you take at least four and a half laps around the neighborhood.
Four and a half laps is too…
One and a half hours. I'll be back on the dot.
Okay.
We don't have much time. You know that, right?
Is Kong's life really almost over?
Yes.
But why now?
Death is just like that.
Still, you two can spend his last moments together.
This is the last time,
so don't tell each other that you're sorry.
Spend the time well.
Okay.
Excuse me.
Kong must be pretty cold.
You can put this around him.
Put this on, Mr. Kim.
Kong, shall we go for a walk?
Let's go.
KIM KONG, AGE 15
Kong, do you remember this place?
You're doing great, Kong.
This is where we came for our walks.
Kong.
You wouldn't know this,
but whenever I imagined our last moment together,
I used to think a lot about what I should do.
But I couldn't figure it out.
I'll try not to be too sad.
Because I know that if I'm sad,
it'll make you even sadder, Kong.
Good job.
Thank you, for loving me with all my flaws.
Say "give me."
Good job.
And always being there for me.
Even when you're gone from my life,
I'll work hard
and miss you with a joyful heart.
So please, wait for me for a little while.
When we meet again, I'll play with you every day.
I'll never make you feel lonely.
So the day we meet again…
Kong…
It's okay.
I'm here, don't be scared.
Kong.
It's okay.
Goodbye.
Goodbye, my little brother Kong.
Kong.
Kim Kong.
Don't look so down.
You'll have a lot of friends where you're going.
And Mr. Kim
will be fine too, thinking about you, so don't worry.
We'll get going then.
It's amazing.
How our pets always wait for us
when human relationships are never absolute,
not even between parents and children.
Because they are pure.
Do you think there's any human as pure as animals?
I don't think so.
If there are, maybe newborns.
There are no beings
as pure as animals.
Did you have a chance to say goodbye to Kong?
Yes.
I'm sorry I said that you were making a big deal out of nothing.
It's okay.
I shouldn't have brought my personal life to work.
No.
I've never had a pet, so I couldn't understand.
I don't know if this will make you feel any better,
but people say that when you die and go to the afterlife,
your pet will be waiting there to greet you.
So don't be too sad.
Okay. Thank you.
We found the owner.
Kong passed away, though.
Still, it's a relief that he wasn't abandoned.
And he saw his family again.
He ran away from home.
What?
Pets don't want their owners to see them die,
so they leave their homes or die when their owners aren't looking.
So that's why Kong…
It must be because it's harder to see your family suffer or be sad
than to go through your own pain.
I guess people and animals are all the same.
You go through hard times
because of the people you love.
But they also give you strength
and are why you don't lose hope.
They say my brother
jumped into the Han River to save someone.
Seeing you try to rescue me
made me admire my brother a little bit.
I was so surprised that day that I forgot to thank you properly.
Please tell your colleagues that I said thank you too.
Okay.
Thank you.
SEOUL UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
Excuse me?
Hello.
It is you.
Are you here to see your friend?
Yes, well…
How is it going, healthwise?
My son?
He is getting much better.
I meant you, ma'am.
It must be hard, taking care of him.
I feel better whenever I lay my eyes on my son.
I don't know when he'll wake up, so I have to stay healthy at all times.
He'll be heartbroken if he wakes up to find his mom sick.
I can't do anything to make my son worry.
Right.
He'll wake up soon.
Of course.
Of course, that's what keeps me going.
Thank you.
What?
What for…
Be well.
What?
Just, be well.
Okay, then.
Okay.
Please listen to the following announcement.
There will be a training session for new Reapers today
in the main conference room on the 572nd floor.
We ask that all team managers of the Soul Management Department attend.
-Hey. -You scared me.
What are you thinking so hard about?
It's nothing.
What is it? You can tell me.
Tell me.
If I wake up six months later like we agreed on the contract,
will my family be happy again?
That's up to you.
Your family's happiness isn't something we can control on our end.
No.
I will make them happy no matter what.
I'll make sure to get those benefits
and give them everything they want.
You do that.
My family's having a hard time because of me,
so I have to make it up to them.
Sure.
It can't be easy, just watching without being able to do anything.
So, do you regret the day you saved that homeless person at the Han River?
No, but…
Seeing my family having such a hard time
does make me wonder why I did it…
It's not just you and your family, though.
Whether it's grief, loneliness, pain, or whatever it is,
all humans are subject to an equal amount of time where they have to endure it.
And those who do are rewarded for it later.
I don't think it's equal, the time or the reward.
Everyone…
thinks only the time they have to endure is heavy
and the reward is too light.
Endure it well.
You…
have a lot riding on it.
Okay.
Sure, I'm doing this for the benefits,
but why on earth do Ms. Koo and Mr. Lim do this work?
Probably because they want to be reborn with a silver spoon?
Reborn?
Isn't it a bit late for them to be reborn?
I thought Ms. Koo and Mr. Lim are both really old.
I definitely heard them say they have an objective…
You really don't let anything slide, do you?
Yes.
That's probably why they're remaining here.
Because they have regrets.
The wounds you think cannot heal on their own
leave quite a deep scar.
So I only want
those regrets to end
so the warm sun can shine once more
on their lives of perpetual winter.
Well, that's it for me today!
I'm falling behind on my deliveries, so I'll be off.
Okay, goodbye.
EPILOGUE
You've been well?
It's already been 50 years since you came here.
I see. You've had a good time with your friends?
Yes.
You have to prepare to be reborn too.
You've been good, so you'll be born as a human this time.
But before that, there's someone you need to meet.
We have two cases this time.
You need to be more alert.
-Why? -It's a * assault case.
Didn't you tell me to just go…
Be quiet and walk if you don't want to die.
Please don't kill me.
-I'm sorry. -You want to live?
-I really won't do it. I swear! -Cha Yun-hui! Snap out of it!
Because he's in medical school with a bright future ahead of him.
In the end, his sentence was reduced.
I have heard you were living your life completely unaffected, laughing all day.
But you actually are laughing.
Mr. Lim!
No Reaper may intervene in human affairs. Did you forget that?
-Get out of my way. -Mr. Lim, please!
Subtitle translation by: Jung-in Park