Sir, what brings you here?
I wanted to look someone up.
Did you get the Director's approval?
Do you need one to view another Reaper's Book?
Yes, because privacy laws are just as strict here at Jumadeung.
I'd like to take a look at my Book.
Just a moment, please.
That's odd.
You can take a look at your previous life
but the one before that is locked.
It's locked?
It's not common,
but the only person who can look at this
is the Director.
-How so? -Because the Director locked it herself.
I'll be off then.
Wait.
Are there Reapers besides me whose previous lives are locked?
Just a moment.
There is one more.
Ms. Koo Ryeon.
ESCORT TEAM EMPLOYEE JEON BO-YUN
I've been newly assigned to the team. My name is Jeon Bo-yun, sir.
It's been a long time.
Have you finally become a Jumadeung employee?
Do you remember me, sir?
I almost didn't recognize you. You've changed your appearance.
I thought you wouldn't remember me because I'd died when I was young.
You are not the only exception.
I remember everyone I've escorted.
I was told at the Training Center that souls find it uncomfortable
if they are being escorted by a child.
I was told I should present myself as an adult.
Do you think they'll be uncomfortable with this hair color?
It's fine as long as you do your job well.
Is today
the day that person dies?
Yes, it is.
Seeing you at the end of such a difficult life
will help them pass peacefully,
so escort them well.
Thank you for your consideration,
Mr. Park.
I…
I wanted to tell you
that you are the person I admire the most in this world.
EPISODE 13: SPRING
-You're going to see Ms. Yoo Bok-hui? -Yes.
She has been on our list for a long time
but her level has spiked recently.
It seems the RM Team and the Escort Team are meant to work together.
For this case,
you are to work with the Escort Team's new Reaper.
The Escort Team?
Why do we have to?
Think of it as a similar case to Mr. Lee Young-chun.
Your team must save the suicide risk case,
while the new Escort Team Reaper will escort the newly departed soul.
The soul that the new Reaper will be escorting
is someone related to Choi Jun-woong's past life.
-What? -Not that he knows yet.
Yes. Here she comes.
Hello, ma'am.
You must be Ms. Koo.
-Do you know me? -Of course!
You're the most famous Reaper in Jumadeung.
You are renowned among the new Reapers.
Notorious, more like.
Anyway,
-I understand. -Okay.
Say hello, everyone.
This is the new Reaper in the Escort Team. She'll be working with us.
Gosh. A newbie?
I used to be like that once too, right?
Nice to meet you.
Okay. Ms. Jeon, right?
Working at Jumadeung is a bit hard,
but don't be nervous. Just relax.
Make yourself comfortable.
Okay. Thank you.
There are so many nice people in the Risk Management Team.
Hard times really are soon forgotten, I see.
-Let's get to work. -Yes, ma'am!
Yoo Bok-hui.
91 years old.
Has one son and one daughter and a husband who passed away.
She's well-off with no apparent problems.
She's on good terms with her grandchildren too.
So why…
Who will you be escorting for this case?
Ms. Lee Jeong-mun desperately wants to see Ms. Yoo Bok-hui
before she passes.
I wonder how the two know each other.
STATUE OF PEACE
MOUNTAIN
Ms. Yoo Bok-hui?
Don't worry.
Our team is cleaning the statue.
Most people just pass by the statue, but why were you…
There's a childhood friend of mine
that I've been looking for for a long time.
I've been
searching for Yun-i desperately, hoping that it wasn't too late.
But she…
Yun-i…
I only found out recently that she was forced to become a comfort woman.
May I ask how you found out about this?
My grandson is studying history at university,
and he's very interested in the Japanese Colonial Period.
I happened to look at the pictures he printed
of the Imperial Japanese Army's comfort women.
Among the young girls in the pictures
was my friend.
There was no way I couldn't recognize her.
Because she was wearing the scarf I had given her.
It never occurred to me that Yun-i…
had been forced to become a comfort woman.
So whenever I see the Statue of Peace,
it reminds me of my Yun-i,
and my heart aches so much.
So when it rains,
I put an umbrella over her so she won't have to sit in the rain.
Don't get rained on.
And when anyone horrible vandalizes her,
I wipe her clean.
That's how I've been living.
Unless I'm wrong,
I take it you two are Reapers from the afterworld.
Yes.
How did you know?
I guess my senses have evolved at this age
because I notice things others wouldn't.
Not to mention the aura you both have.
However, we are not here to escort you.
-Sorry? -Our duty is to help people live out
their given lifespan.
You were preparing to take your own life,
so you were wrapping up any loose ends.
How did you know?
Is it because
you feel guilty about Yun-i?
Yun-i…
Is Yun-i alive?
-Or… -She died a long time ago.
If you could look here,
at this woman.
I'd like for you to meet Ms. Lee Jeong-mun.
I've lived
a good and comfortable life, so I didn't have any regrets.
That is until I found out that I was the one who had sent Yun-i to that place.
I have no right to see her.
Because I have wronged her and Yun-i.
You might come to regret this even more.
Because time waits for no one.
Ms. Lee Jeong-mun does not have long to live.
She is holding on to life with great determination
because she wants to meet you, someone who remembers Yun-i.
Why don't you see her before you decide?
Seriously, this is awful.
How crazy do you have to be to vandalize this?
I just wish it wasn't a Korean who did this.
Then it'd be like being stabbed in the back.
Are you cold?
You shouldn't have taken off your jacket.
Well…
She looked a little cold.
By the way, how did you come to work at the Escort Team, Ms. Jeon?
Isn't Mr. Park a bit scary?
I first met Mr. Park during the Japanese Colonial Period.
Things were completely bleak during that time.
We were mercilessly crushed because our country was weak.
But isn't the afterworld divided by country too?
That's right.
Back then, things were not easy for Jumadeung either.
"Please, let me live."
"Let me live, please."
You got it exactly right.
If they wanted to live so much,
they should have been born in the Empire of Japan!
That's right. Stupid Josenjings.
I want to see my mother and sister.
Please, let me return to my homeland.
-Please-- -Shut up!
What are you doing?
He's only a child.
Why do we have to go to the Japanese afterworld?
Shut up!
What homeland or afterlife is there for bastards who have no country?
The sheer arrogance of these Josenjings.
Rubbish.
You worthless Japanese bastards!
You are a Josenjing, a vermin!
How dare you insult the Reaper of the Empire!
You wish to suffer pain even in death, is that it?
Why do we have to follow you,
even after death?
All right.
If that's your wish, so be it.
I shall cut you all down to your souls!
Stop!
Who's there?
Wait!
That's not a departed soul.
What do you mean?
I am the Head Reaper of Souls
of the Joseon Afterworld's Escort Management Division,
Park Jung-gil.
I do not want an unnecessary fight, so just hand them over.
Stop talking nonsense! Your country is gone!
Tell your leader.
Joseon's Reapers shall take Joseon's souls,
and this will no longer be tolerated.
Get out of my way.
Souls of Joseon, follow me.
-Goodness! -Thank you.
-Let's go. -Hurry!
He's someone I admire the most in this world.
He's the reason I became a Reaper of Souls.
I see.
I wonder why someone like him hates the RM Team so much.
I don't know.
I'm sure he has his reasons.
This way.
JOSEON WHORE
You…
You are Yun-i's childhood friend, right?
Thank you.
My name is Lee Jeong-mun.
I've been waiting for you.
I remember Yun-i telling me,
that she had a close friend back home.
I sent Yun-i to that place.
You?
Yes.
Even though it has been a very long time,
very few people come to find me
with a look in their eyes like yours.
I'm thinking there is a story behind it.
It doesn't change the fact
that I have wronged her.
Any reasons I give will only be excuses.
No.
There are people who don't even make excuses
because they are afraid it will shed light on the wrongs they have done.
It's okay.
You can tell me.
Shall we take a look?
-Ta-da! -I wonder if it will turn out like yours.
Yun-i was a friend who was like a sister to me.
Yun-i and I were one year apart
and grew up together ever since we were little.
My family was better off, so whenever I returned from school,
she would always ask me what I'd learned that day.
Yun-i was the only one among us
who knew Japanese.
She had you to thank for that, I see.
Though it was a time of tragedy,
Yun-i and I didn't know any better and were happy.
I can still clearly see
how we used to laugh and chat then.
-Good. -Like this.
-There. -Good.
And…
And you do it like this.
Yun-i!
Dad!
-I see Bok-hui is here too. -Hello.
Hello, Bok-hui.
I brought potatoes. I'll boil some.
Sounds great!
Okay.
-It looks so good! -It looks delicious!
-Hot! -It's hot!
It's so hot!
Have a bite, Yun-i.
-Okay. -Here.
Here.
-How is it? Is it good? -Yes.
-Is it that good? -You try it too, Bok-hui.
But…
those peaceful days only lasted for a moment.
Yun-i's father became ill.
He couldn't work anymore.
After that, I happened to see an ad in the newspaper.
I thought it would be of great help to Yun-i.
-They get you a job at a factory in Japan. -Really?
They provide housing and pay you well too.
I asked Mr. Kinosita about this.
-He said it was a good place too. -Really?
Thanks, Bok-hui.
It's nothing.
Here, it says, "provides housing, pays a lot."
Like an idiot, I suggested it to Yun-i
without even the slightest bit of doubt.
Here, I'll take it from here.
What?
Make sure to dress warmly.
But this is your favorite.
I'd love for you to have it.
When you're hungry,
use the money I gave you to buy good food.
Don't worry. I promise I'll come back with lots of money.
I'll miss you.
Me too.
Take care, all right?
Time went by
and the country was liberated,
and there was yet another war.
Just living through all that, I've ended up here.
I was lucky, so I've lived a good life.
I'd had this vague idea
that Yun-i would be living a good life somewhere too.
It's too overwhelming, I can't speak.
I didn't know anything
and they dragged me in.
They ripped my clothes off just to satisfy their urges
and did whatever they wanted, and I couldn't bear it…
I can't believe something so awful happened.
I lived during that time period too. I've never heard of anything like that.
Grandma.
Yes?
This all happened.
What?
Surely…
Even when one woman, who was forced to be a comfort woman,
found the courage to tell the world what happened,
I still didn't believe it.
But one day,
I happened to see what my grandson had gathered for his thesis,
and in one photo,
I found Yun-i.
DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE IMPERIAL JAPANESE ARMY'S COMFORT WOMEN
Ever since that day,
I started looking into other people forced to become comfort women.
My goodness.
Once I faced the truth,
I couldn't breathe because of the guilt.
Yun-i had to suffer such a brutal indignity
and eventually lost her life.
All because of me.
So I came here, even though I know that I don't deserve to see you.
Because I wanted to hear about Yun-i.
Yun-i…
was such a cheerful girl.
She was someone who never gave up hope.
How pretty.
She was someone who would always smile
and say that if we didn't give up on life, spring would definitely come one day.
I'm sure it's not a bad place.
Three years. I only need to work for three years.
I don't want to go. Let me off. I want to go home!
I don't think I can do it anymore. I want to see my mom!
Thank you.
Is there anyone else
who wants to go home?
Me…
and the other girls on the truck.
We could tell we weren't simply going to a factory.
Don't!
Get a move on!
Get in!
Hey.
You.
Just wait here.
They made us change
and took us to a long corridor
where they put us into rooms, one by one.
What is it?
Did something happen?
It's weird.
I'm not menstruating.
Roll up your sleeve.
Even now, soldiers are dying for our dear Emperor.
I am not obligated to treat a Josenjing.
Everyone was worried about her.
-Out of the way! -But…
it was hard for all of us even to take care of ourselves.
I was worried I'd get beaten if I was found taking care of her.
Fear got the best of me.
Because to them,
we were nothing more than disposable items.
As long as we weren't too damaged from the waist down,
they made us take soldiers until we died.
We were just disposable items that could just be tossed over the hill when we died.
Go back to your room. What if they catch you?
-Then, -It's fine.
the girl who started taking care of her first was Yun-i.
Hey, you over there!
What are you doing there?
Do you want to die? How dare you try to pull tricks on me?
Wait here quietly!
I thought I'd do it myself to save you the trouble.
If she dies, I'll take care of it.
Even after that, she'd get beaten
whenever she got caught taking care of her again,
but Yun-i never stopped taking care of her.
You'll exhaust yourself doing it alone. We'll help you.
And one by one,
the others started to help as well.
Don't come any closer.
Hey.
Do you know why this is happening to you?
It's because you're a Josenjing.
The thought of having to take Imperial Japanese soldiers even in my dreams
made my will to live disappear.
I decided to end my own life.
Jeong-mun.
Jeong-mun!
Give it back.
Give it back!
Who do you think you are?
Why are you getting in my way?
How dare you? Who do you think you are?
I mean it, I don't want to live anymore.
That little gesture comforted me more than I could have thought.
I hate this.
I really thought I would succeed this time.
It's all your fault.
If it weren't for you…
I'm sorry, Jeong-mun.
I didn't like how she always worried about the other girls
and constantly tried to take care of them,
when she couldn't even take care of herself.
I didn't like how she stopped me from killing myself.
Don't die.
Even if it's a life no better than a beast's…
Even so,
just as spring comes after winter passes,
if we just hold on and wait…
-Then one day for sure-- -Don't hold onto such useless hope.
If you or I get sick…
we will only be shot to death.
Arirang arirang arariyo
-I saw her smiling, singing "Arirang." -Going over the Arirang Pass
Even after she broke her arm because a soldier hit her.
-I wondered if she'd lost her mind. -My love, who leaves me behind
Jeong-mun.
Do you know what this is?
You need to show me first.
Ta-da! They're balsam seeds.
I just remembered how my dear friend, Bok-hui,
and I used to dye our nails with balsam.
Are you going to plant them?
I'd like to, but they'll beat me again if they catch me, right?
Jeez, you're such an idiot.
You can plant them to your heart's content once you get back home.
What are you getting disappointed for?
Just hold on to them.
But…
-Okay. -Perhaps Yun-i's hope spread to me.
I found myself dreaming of a tomorrow that was different from today.
Hey.
You're pretty too.
I don't know, I feel like I'm missing something.
That was close enough.
I'm going to come back tomorrow. This isn't enough.
Maybe I'll draw a painting next time.
So you do know how to cry.
Stop crying and sit there.
Jeong-mun.
Come on.
I know because they did it to me too.
It'll fester if you leave it like that.
I'll clean it for you.
Jeong-mun…
-We endured those difficult days. -Hey.
We depended on each other,
hoping that come tomorrow,
someone might come and rescue us.
Is it true?
Yes. I heard it.
You know it too.
That things are quite serious lately.
The soldiers are going to kill us all to destroy the evidence.
So let's run away.
If we don't do it now, we'll really die.
Let's hurry.
This way!
Don't let them escape!
-Yes, sir. -Yes, sir.
They aren't here.
Find them!
-Hey. -Hey, over here!
Jeong-mun.
I'll go and buy you some time.
You go on ahead, all right?
No, Yun-i.
No, let's go together.
No.
We'll get caught like this.
I'm the only one who speaks Japanese.
I'm going to lie and say I got lost.
So you go on ahead.
Yun-i…
Excuse me.
Hey.
There's a Joseon girl here.
I lost my way.
Please don't kill me.
Is that so?
Hey.
We…
I…
couldn't do anything.
Jeong-mun, we need to go.
Whatever that desire to live was.
Whatever fear was.
We couldn't do anything but run.
Could you help me up?
Of course.
Thank you.
After walking for so long that my shoe fell apart,
I arrived home.
Mom.
Dad.
But no one was there.
After finding out where I had been dragged to,
my parents became ill and passed away.
She sure has some nerve, that girl!
Hasn't that girl got any shame? Jeez.
How dare she shows herself here?
The nerve of her! I can't believe it.
The look of contempt I received from the people in my village…
Their words were sharper than daggers.
That hurt more than being kicked by the Imperial Japanese soldiers.
I lived alone my whole life,
afraid that someone would learn of my past.
I buried the memories away
and lived in hiding.
-And you've been on your own ever since. -Yes.
I can't live my life lying.
I'm honest.
I was there as a comfort woman.
At first, I wondered why she would tell the world about us.
I thought I would be hurt again
by the way people looked at me and talked.
We demand that the Japanese government admit the truth
and issue a formal apology!
-Apologize! -Apologize!
But there were more and more people
who spoke out for me, for us.
So I decided
not to be ashamed of my past
or hide it any longer.
-Because I am the victim. -So then…
And then I escaped.
What I…
what we want
isn't such difficult a thing.
To admit the atrocities they had committed
and make it clear to the world.
To formally apologize for that fact.
But they still say things like,
"It's a pity. We offer our condolences,"
for the damage that had been inflicted on us.
They always just skirt around the issue.
If saying things like that is the only way they apologize,
then what is the point of that "apology"?
As long as I'm alive,
I will speak up until the very end…
to reveal the truth.
That is the only thing
I can do…
for the girls who lost their lives,
like Yun-i.
Ms. Yoo.
The Yun-i I know
would give you a warm hug
if she ever saw you again.
And she would tell you that it's not your fault.
Yes.
So…
don't torture yourself anymore.
Ms. Jeon, are you okay?
You've been looking so down.
It's time for her to go.
I was hoping she'd pass peacefully at least.
I'm worried about Ms. Yoo too.
I don't know how to comfort her.
You can let her meet the person she misses for herself.
Who's that?
You can't.
-Allowing the dead to meet the living… -I know.
It's against the company code.
But what if it isn't the dead
but a Reaper?
There is someone who has come a long way to see you.
Sorry?
Me?
It's the Reaper who will escort Ms. Lee Jeong-mun tonight.
She says she would like to speak to you first, Ms. Yoo.
Bok-hui.
It's been a long time.
It can't be…
Is that you, Yun-i?
It is me.
Yun-i.
Yun-i, who used to follow you around everywhere.
Mr. Jeon's daughter.
How is it that you're…
Tell your leader.
Joseon's Reapers shall take Joseon's souls,
and this will no longer be tolerated.
Get out of my way.
Souls of Joseon, follow me.
-Goodness! -Thank you.
-Let's go. -Hurry!
Sir.
What is it?
Could someone young as me become a Reaper too?
Is there a reason you must do so?
You could be reincarnated into a happy life.
But I'll forget the girls if I'm reincarnated, right?
I don't want that.
I want to remember them forever
and escort them in their final moments.
Someone as clever as you
will be able to pass the tests to become a Reaper without a problem.
But…
you might have to wait longer than you think.
I understand. I can wait as long as it takes.
I knew you would recognize me.
I can't believe I'm seeing you again.
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
I'm sorry, Yun.
I'm so sorry.
I know you can't forgive me, but…
I won't forgive you.
Because there's nothing to forgive you for.
You didn't do anything wrong.
I'm truly glad that you have a happy life.
So please, continue to live a good life, just as you have been until now.
Let's go see Jeong-mun now.
Choi Jun-woong.
You go in too.
You'll find out why once you go in.
Okay.
You must be the Reaper here for me.
Yes.
How can I leave now?
I promised Yun-i,
and the girls who passed before me,
that I would see those bastards
apologize with my own eyes.
And if I go now,
I'll be too ashamed to face them in the afterworld.
Please, I beg you.
Please…
You don't have to carry that burden alone.
That burden you've carried,
we'll live on and carry it instead.
Now that I see you, you look exactly like him.
Sorry?
No matter how many years have passed, I'll never be able to forget.
Stop! Over there!
Don't let them escape!
Don't make this more troublesome!
I've caught you, at last.
You little brat!
How dare you!
I'm sorry!
Josenjing.
Who's there?
I'm sorry. We should have come sooner.
Let's go.
We'll take you somewhere safe.
Thank you
for saving us.
Thank you for fighting for our country.
Killing a few soldiers like this won't bring the country independence.
But it's thanks to people like you, who have bravely endured through it all…
that we don't lose hope.
JOSEON WHORE
Let's go.
He saw us and cried
just as you are crying now.
I don't know, ma'am.
I don't remember.
But I'm…
going to shout it out.
To not forget and remember.
So you don't have to hold on so hard
to that painful life anymore.
You can let it go now
and rest easy, ma'am.
It's Yun-i, ma'am.
The person you wanted to see so much.
What?
What do you mean it's Yun-i?
Wait…
That scarf.
Jeong-mun…
What?
It's understandable for you to not recognize me.
My face was always swollen back then.
And I took on an adult form after I became a Reaper.
Jeong-mun.
Do you remember this?
when I was crying by myself.
So you do know how to cry.
I know because they did it to me too. It'll fester if you leave it like that.
I'll clean it for you.
You wiped it clean, drop by drop.
Yes. That's right.
That's right.
So it is you, Yun-i.
It is you, Yun-i.
I'm sorry.
I shouldn't have left you behind like that.
When I think of what you must have gone through, I…
I never regretted that, not even once.
It must have been so hard, to keep the fight going.
A lot of people helped.
It wasn't hard at all when I thought of how you and all the girls
would be watching me.
Back then and even now,
we were always together, weren't we?
Right.
We were always together.
Jeong-mun.
Like what Mr. Choi said,
you don't have to bear the burden on your own anymore.
You can let it all go.
You can rest easy now.
Bok-hui, don't cry.
You still have a lot of time left.
Let's greet each other smiling when we meet again.
Jeong-mun.
Let's go now.
Where warm spring will greet us.
Yes.
YOO BOK-HUI, AGE 91
MS. LEE JEONG-MUN, FORCED TO BECOME COMFORT WOMAN
BY IMPERIAL JAPANESE ARMY, PASSES AWAY
12 SURVIVORS REMAIN
Thank you for all you've done. Rest in peace now.
I hope you'll forget all of the painful memories and be happy where you are now.
You friggin idiots.
Those comfort women all went voluntarily.
What the heck?
Demanding a true apology based solely on the words of senile women?
This bastard must be out of his mind.
They parade these geezers around whenever there's an event
and when they die, they try to manipulate us with their deaths.
What's this country come to?
Must be a sad day for the politicians.
Since they keep dying one by one when they still need to use them.
Pathetic humans.
Those fools will get their punishment once they get here.
I promise to remember.
I promise.
MONUMENT OF PEACE WE WILL NEVER FORGET
EPILOGUE
I'm sorry
but I'm also grateful.
For never giving up
and living on without losing hope.
But there is still much left to do in the Land of the Living.
Are you worried about those still there?
Those who wish to hide the truth
will want the world to forget
and the truth to be distorted.
But it's fine.
As long as many more people remember,
we will never lose.
Yes.
Because the truth is stronger than anything else.
Right.
I gave Reaper Jeon Bo-yun special leave.
Why don't you all visit your hometown together?
-Jeong-mun! -Jeong-mun!
Yun-i!
-Goodness! -It's you!
I missed you!
I see you've all gained some weight.
-Come on! -Why would you say that?
You're so mean!
No, you all look wonderful.
It's been a long time.
Shall I go and fatten up too?
-Let's go. -Let's go.
Let's go!
Be careful, be careful.
Let's go!
It's so pretty.
Do you put it on your hand?
What's this? This is terrible.
Don't worry, I'll make it look good.
That's what you always say.
This is hard.
Stay still.
-It's done. -I'll unwrap it.
Hey, stay still.
Fine, I'll help you.
-Ta-da! -You did such a good job, Yun-i.
-Good job. -What happened here?
-Look at this. -Mine turned out better.
-It's good. -It is, isn't it?
But we still have this hand left.
I can see that Ms. Koo is having a hard time,
but I don't think she'll ever tell me why.
I see you are now ready to look into Ryeon's pain.
The barbarians have crossed the border and are pillaging villages.
He asked for your help.
You must live.
We shall be able to return home, as long as we are alive.
Did you hear? About the Chief Officer's wife?
They say she's pregnant with a barbarian's child.
Do you think your own life
is worth more than the honor of this family?
You must decide.
Whether you'll die with honor or die by someone else's hand.
Subtitle translation by: Jung-in Park