Burning (2018) - full transcript

Excuse me.

Welcome. Please come in.

It's a blowout sale!

We're giving away expensive products
at low prices!

Welcome! Come in!

You can receive a gift
just by coming inside.

BASED ON THE SHORT STORY
BARN BURNING BY HARUKI MURAKAMI

Come in and get your gift.

We will start the raffle drawing
in ten minutes. Have a nice day.

We will start the raffle drawing
in ten minutes.

Please come in and check out
the high-end items



you usually see in department stores.

Come in and get your free gifts.
Hello. Please come in.

- We're giving away
- Come later for the raffle drawing.

Expensive products at low prices!

Just come in and take a look!

We will start the raffle drawing
in ten minutes.

The next prize is a yoga mat and I have
the lucky number right here in my hand.

It's number 49! Does anyone have 49?

Congratulations, sir! Congratulations!

Let's move on to the next prize.

The next prize is a luxury sports watch!

Who will be the lucky winner?
Please pick a ticket.

Okay. Drum roll please.

The lucky number is 85! Congratulations.



Who has number 85?

Does anyone have number 85?

Oh there you are! Congratulations!

Do you have a girlfriend?

I don't.

What are you going to do with this?
This is a girl's watch.

You should start looking for one.

Lee Jong-su.

Don't you remember me?

We lived in the same neighborhood
when we were little.

Manu-ri, Tanhyeon-myeon in Paju City.

It's me, Shin Hae-mi!

I had plastic surgery.
I got pretty, right?

Are you free? It's my break soon.

Did you serve in the military?

Of course.

And then?

And then what?

I graduated from college

and I have a part time job now.

But I'm doing something else on the side.

Like what?

If I may ask...

I'm writing

You're writing? What are you writing?

A novel.

Wow. Then are you a writer?

Not officially.

I'm trying to become one.

How cool.

Writer Lee Jong-su.

- How's work?
- Okay.

It's fun.

I like this kind of work. Physical work.

I only come to work when they call me
so it gives me a lot of freedom.

So that's cool.

Now you seem like
the Hae-mi I used to know.

Do you want this? From the raffle.

I've never worn a watch before.

Damn. It's so tacky.

Hey, do you want to
grab a drink with me tonight?

Why not?

Guess what?

I'm going to Africa.

Africa? Why?

I've been saving up to travel.

But why Africa?

This is pantomime.

I'm learning pantomime these days.

Why? Do you want to become an actress?

You think anyone can become an actress?

I'm just learning it for fun.

Look. I can eat tangerines
whenever I want.

That's good. You're talented.

This has nothing to do with talent.

This is how it works.

Don't think there is a tangerine here.

Just forget that there isn't one.
That's the key.

The important thing
is to think you really want one.

Then your mouth will water,
and it'll really taste good.

Do you know the Bushmen
who live in the Kalahari Desert?

They have two types of "starving people."

Starving people. "Hunger" in English.

"Little Hunger" and "Great Hunger."

Little Hunger is a person who is
literally hungry.

Great Hunger is a person who is
hungry for the meaning of life.

Someone wishing to know why we live,
what meaning there is in life,

that sort of thing.

They are the truly hungry people.
So they are called "Great Hunger."

So you're going to Africa to meet
"Great Hunger"?

Cool, right? Great Hunger...

Jong-su.

Lee Jong-su.

Will you do me a favor?

I have a pet cat.

Can you feed it while I'm in Africa?

Do I have to bring the cat to my place?

No.

You have to come to my place

because a cat shouldn't be removed from
its house.

What's with all the luggage?

I'm moving into my house in Paju.

- Today?
- Yes.

Who lives in your Paju house?

No one.

My mom left when I was little

and my sister got married a few years ago.

So only my dad lives there
raising the cows,

but he ran into a problem,
so now I have to return home.

You're not asking what the problem was?

There are always problems.

We're here.

Hello.

Nice place.

The toilet was next to the kitchen sink
in my old room.

This room faces North,
so it's always chilly and dark.

It gets sunlight only once a day.
From over there.

The sunlight hits the Seoul Tower window
and bounces into my room.

It's only for a brief moment.
You have to be lucky to see it.

Boil.

Come on out.

Boil.

Your cat's name is Boil?

Yes, Boil.

I found him abandoned in
the basement boiler room.

He hides and doesn't come out
if there's a stranger here.

He has severe autism.

Boil doesn't exist only in
your imagination too, does he?

Am I coming here to feed an imaginary cat?

You think I asked you to come here
to feed an imaginary cat?

That's funny.

Should I forget that there isn't a cat?

Do you remember?

You said that I am ugly.

Really? I said that?

One day, on my way home from school,

you crossed the street and told me that.

"You are really ugly."

It was the only thing
you ever said to me in junior high.

Now tell me the truth.

Why can't you say anything?

Wait.

Put it on.

What, punk? Moo...

Hello?

Hello?

Hello?

Recent figures prove the severity
of our country's youth unemployment.

It is growing at the fastest rate
among OECD member countries.

Reporter Park Seong-ho will explain.

The growth of our unemployment rate
is the fastest within the OECD.

He claims that he set
a new vision for America.

A poll by the Washington Post and ABC
found that 94% of Trump voters...

Hello?

He was awarded high marks
for fulfilling his campaign promises,

such as immigrant deportation,
the Mexico border wall,

and abolishing Obamacare.

Boil, where are you?

Boil?

Come out, come out, wherever you are.

Look what we've got here?

What's this, Mr. Boil?

If you wanted to hide,
you should've hidden your poop too.

You're introducing your poop to me first?

Before a "Nice to meet you"?

You will not be disadvantaged for
refusing to testify.

However, if you forfeit your right
not to testify and do testify,

your testimony may be used against you
to prove your guilt.

Do you understand?

Yes.

Now. Would the prosecution
please state the arraignment?

The defendant, a livestock worker,

assaulted and injured
a civil servant of Paju City,

obstructing
the legitimate execution of duty,

and fracturing
the government official's right hand,

requiring six weeks of treatment.

Fine. Did you receive the indictment
including what you've just heard?

Yes.

Then do you accept the charges?

And do you have anything else to say?

The defendant accepts all charges,
Your Honor.

Okay.

Mr. Lee.

Do you agree
with your attorney's statement?

Mr. Lee?

Did you graduate from college?

Yes.

But you still don't have a job?

What was your major?

- I studied creative writing, sir.
- Creative writing.

So you studied writing.

What kind of writing
are you going to create?

I'm planning to write a novel.

Novel?

Wow...

So, what kind of novel
do you want to write?

I'm not sure yet...

How about writing about your father?

In my opinion,
he's like a protagonist in a story.

Look at his life! It's so turbulent!

He was nuts back in the day.
Aren't all protagonists nuts?

He was number one in Paju High.

Not for his grades, but for his pride.

After he returned
from working in the Middle East,

I told him to buy an apartment building
in Gangnam with the money he earned.

I promised he wouldn't regret it.

But he didn't, because of his pride.

Instead, he returned to Paju
and became a livestock farmer,

and now he's broke and in jail.

Even now.

He should apologize to the victim
and write a letter of apology.

He should submit a petition
to the judge for a reprieve.

But he's being stubborn.

He doesn't even listen to his lawyer.

That's why I wanted to see you.

Visit your father and talk to him.

Tell him to tame his temper
and write that letter of apology.

Immediately. Like tomorrow.

Got it?

Hey, I'm back.

You're still not showing yourself?
It's been over two weeks.

Hello?

Hello?

Hello?

I got through. Hello?

It's me, Hae-mi!

It was really hard making this call.

We might get disconnected.

I'm at Nairobi Airport in Kenya.

There was a bombing near the airport.
I was stuck here for three days.

Are you okay?

Yes, I'm okay.
I think it happens often here.

Anyway, I finally got a flight
out of here.

I arrive at 4 p.m. tomorrow.

Will you come to the airport?

I'll be there. For sure.

Hello?

Jong-su!

You're here.

Give me that.

Ben! This is my one and only friend,
Lee Jong-su.

Hi. I'm Ben.

We're Nairobi comrades.

We were stuck at Nairobi Airport
together for three anxious days.

We were the only two Koreans there.

I'm hungry.

I slept through the flight
and didn't eat anything.

I want some Korean food.

Like tripe stew.

Does it have to be tripe stew?

I've been craving it for some reason.

I know the best tripe restaurant in Seoul.

Really?

Jong-su, let's go eat tripe stew.

Yeah, I'm on my way.

I'm in my friend's car.

He came to pick me up.

What?

Yes, I'm fine.

You know health has never been an issue,
thanks to my superior DNA.

What?

Come on...

Wow... How can you be so naive?

You're old enough to know better.

You should keep a record of that.

Because that is an epic event
in the life of Ms. Kim.

Yes...

I miss you too.

Okay.

I'll stop by sometime this week.

Yes.

Okay, Mom.

I joined the Sunset Tour
on my way to the Kalahari Desert.

It's a program that shows you
the sunset of the desert.

But it turned out to be a parking lot.

There was nothing but trash
tourists left behind.

Everybody came with someone,
but I was the only one by myself.

I really felt all alone there.

I wondered why I was even there,
all alone.

Then the sun started to set.

The sun was setting beyond
the endless sand-covered horizon.

At first it was orange.

Then it turned blood red.

Then purple, then navy.

It got darker and darker
as the sunset disappeared,

and my eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

"I must be at the end of the world."

That's what I thought.

"I want to vanish just like that sunset."

Dying is too scary, but...

I wished I could disappear
as if I had never existed.

It's fascinating to see people cry.

Fascinating? Why?

Because I've never
shed a single tear in my life.

I suppose I did when I was really little,

but I can't remember ever shedding a tear.

That is fascinating.

But you do feel sadness, don't you?

Maybe. I'm not sure.

But since I've never shed a single tear,

I'm not sure
if it was real sadness that I felt.

May I ask what you do for a living?

Well, I do this and that.

You wouldn't understand
even if I told you,

but to put it simply,

I play.

You play?

Yes.

Nowadays, there is no distinction
between working and playing.

May I ask

who your favorite writer is?

William Faulkner.

Oh, Faulkner.

When I read his work,

I feel like I'm reading about myself.

Since you write fiction,

I'd like to have a chat with you sometime.

I want to tell you my story.

Isn't she cute?

She falls asleep anywhere
when she's sleepy.

It doesn't even take ten seconds.

- Hey, you're here!
- Yes.

- I parked the car out front.
- Thank you.

Excuse me for a second.

Did you step on it?

No.

I just quietly
followed you from the airport.

That's harder.

Speeding up and slowing down...

- Thanks.
- You're welcome.

Hae-mi...

Hae-mi! Wake up.

It's time to go home.

Want me to take you home?

Go ahead.

I have a long way to go, anyway.

Jong-su, it was nice meeting you.

Likewise.

Say something.

If you called you should say something.

Why did you call
if you are not going to talk?

DEAR HONORABLE JUDGE,

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK. WE WRITE
TO REQUEST YOUR FAVORABLE CONSIDERATION

FOR THE DEFENDANT LEE YONG-SEOK WHO IS
BEING TRIED FOR OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE,

ASSAULT, AND PROPERTY DAMAGE.

LEE YONG-SEOK WAS AN HONEST FARMER
AND OUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBOR.

Hello?

Excuse me!

Nobody's home. What is it?

What is it about?

Is your husband home?

He isn't here.

What is it?

I'm here to get signatures for a petition.

He isn't here.

- I'll come back again.
- Okay.

Actually, I don't know
your father that well.

He didn't really interact with us.

Whatever he did, he always did alone.

Sir, this is just a petition.
It won't cause you trouble in any way.

No, it's just this part.

"Lee Yong-seok was an honest farmer
and our friendly neighbor."

Frankly, he was never friendly.

Sorry about that.

You write very well.

We still have a calf left at our house.

Do you know anyone who'd want to buy it?

- A calf?
- Yes.

Boy or girl?

It's female.

I'll have to ask around.

Hello?

Is someone else here?

Good to see you again, Jong-su.

Hae-mi wanted to see you.

No, Ben kept asking me to call you.

Did you have trouble finding this place?

No. I used my phone.

Ben says he lives near here.

It's nice.

It's quiet.

Keep going.

Ben was reading my palm.

Hae-mi, you have something different
from other people.

What's that?

There's something in your heart.

A stone.

The stone is making you suffer.

That's why you can't fully enjoy things.

That's why you can't appreciate
tasty food,

or tell a guy you like that you like him.

Then what should I do?

You need to remove the stone.

Want me to do it?

You can do that?

Just trust me.

Hold my hand...

And close your eyes.

Now open your hand.

What's this?

What do you think? It's a stone.

I took it out of your heart.

Where did you get this?

Back there from the flower bed.

- To do this?
- Yes.

- You brought one back to do this?
- Yes.

What for?

For fun.

I'll do anything for fun.

Jong-su.

Do you like pasta?

What?

He said he'll cook us pasta at his place.

- Hello.
- How was your trip back home?

Great, thanks to you.

Ben, you're really good.

I envy people who cook well.

Jong-su.

Can you cook too?

I guess, since I live alone.

But I can only make a few dishes.

I like to cook

because I can make what I want,
any way I want.

What's better is that I get to eat it.

Just as humans make offerings to the gods,

I make my own offering and consume it.

Offering?

An offering. It's a metaphor.

What's a metaphor?

A metaphor is...

Well, ask Jong-su.

- Hae-mi.
- Yes?

Do you know where the bathroom is?

Ben, where's the bathroom?

Down the hall.

How much older is he than me?

Six or seven years?

How does he live like that at his age?

Traveling abroad, driving a Porsche,

listening to music while cooking pasta...

I guess he's young and rich.

He's the Great Gatsby.

What do you mean?

Mysterious people who are young and rich

but you don't know what they really do.

There are so many Gatsbys in Korea.

Why do you think he's seeing you?

Have you ever think about that?

He said he likes people like me.

He thinks I'm interesting.

- Hi.
- Hey guys!

Hello.

This is my new friend, Lee Jong-su.

He writes.

You're a writer?

I'm not published yet.
I'm just writing at the moment.

If you write, you're a writer.

A "writer." Someone who writes.

Ben, it was just a question.

I'm going inside.

Me too.

Provence.

You're right.

I remember that well.

The bushmen light a bonfire at night
and dance around it.

They've been doing this
since a long time ago.

The oldest and wisest woman
plays the drums.

Then everybody dances to its rhythm.

At first, they stretch their arms
toward the ground.

Like this.

This is the Little Hunger dance.

The dance of the people who are hungry.

And as the dance continues,

their arms slowly rise
and reach toward the sky.

This is the Great Hunger dance.

The dance which seeks the meaning of life.

They dance from early evening
until deep into the night.

As they dance, Little Hunger
gradually turns into Great Hunger.

I can't explain it in words.

You need to see it for yourselves.

Then show us.

- Really?
- Yes.

Show us. It sounds interesting.

Okay. I'll try.

But I need a beat.

Please clap your hands. Like this.

And slowly, it turns into Great Hunger.

A little calf is sitting on a hot pot

Crying out loud

Mommy!

Oh, my butt is burning up

A little calf is sitting on ice

Crying out loud

Mommy!

Hello?

Jong-su, where are you? Are you home?

Yes, I'm home.

I knew you'd be home.

Listen, I'm heading there now with Ben.

Here? What for?

We were driving by.

When I told him I used to live there,

he said he wanted to see it.

We're on our way now. We'll be there soon.

Hi.

What's that sound?

That's the North Korean
propaganda broadcast.

North Korea is right over there.

Interesting.

It's disappointing
that my old house is gone.

It used to be right over there.

Now it's gone without a trace.

And the well is gone too.

There used to be a well next to our house.

I fell into it when I was little.

Do you remember?

You fell into a well?

How old were you?

Maybe when I was seven?

I fell in while playing by myself.

I was looking up from below
and crying for hours.

I was terrified that I'd die
if nobody found me.

But then his face appeared.

Jong-su found me, and I was rescued.

But he doesn't even remember.

I brought some food.

Okay.

I feel like I'm at my house.

My old house.

This isn't bad.

Except for the smell of cow poop.

This is nice.

This may be my best day ever.

I feel like smoking pot.

Want to join me?

Pot?

Marijuana.

I can't stop giggling when I smoke that.

I hate my father.

My father has an anger disorder.

He has rage bottled up inside of him.
It goes off like a bomb.

Once it goes off,
everything gets destroyed.

My mom left my sister and me
because of it.

The day my mom left,
I burned all her clothes.

My father made a fire in the yard

and made me burn them with my own hands.

I still have dreams about that night.

Sometimes I burn down greenhouses.

Excuse me?

I said sometimes I burn down greenhouses.

I have a hobby of burning greenhouses.

I choose an abandoned
greenhouse and set it on fire.

Once every two months?

I think that's the best pace

for me.

Pace?

So you burn down
other people's greenhouses?

Of course.

It's a crime, so to speak.

Just like how you and I are smoking
this pot.

It's a clear crime.

It's very simple though.

You spray kerosene then throw a lit match.

That's it.

It takes less than ten minutes
for it to burn down.

You can make it disappear

as if it never existed.

What if you get caught?

I won't get caught. Ever.

The Korean police don't care about
those sorts of things.

In Korea,

there are tons of greenhouses.

Useless, filthy, unpleasant-looking
greenhouses.

It's like they're all waiting for me
to burn them down.

And as I watch them burn to the ground,

I feel great joy.

Then I feel...

I feel a bass sound right here.

A bass that rings to my very bone.

And you judge
whether or not they're useless?

I don't judge anything.

I just accept it.

I accept that they're waiting
to be burnt down.

It's like rain.

Rain falls.

The river overflows,

causing a flood that sweeps people away.

You think the rain judges anything?

There is no right or wrong there,

just the morals of nature.

The morals of nature are like

simultaneous existence.

"Simultaneous existence"?

I'm here, and I'm there.

I'm in Paju, and I'm in Banpo.

I'm in Seoul,

and I'm in Africa.

Something like that.

That kind of balance.

When was the last time
you burned one down?

Well...

It was right before I left for Africa,

so it's been about two months.

Which means it's about time
for another one.

Then you must have decided
which one you'll burn down next.

I have.

A great one to burn down.

I think it'll be really fun to burn down.

To be honest,

I came here to scout.

Scout?

Does that mean it's nearby?

That's right.

It's very near.

Very, very near...

I'm in love with Hae-mi.

Fuck. I said I love her.

This tree has gotten really big.

Why do you undress so easily
in front of men?

Only whores do that.

I'll keep an eye out for the greenhouses.

You do that.

Ones that are really near.

The person you have reached
is unavailable.

Please leave a message after the tone.

Hae-mi. Let's talk.

Come in!

This way!

State your number from left to right.

- One!
- Two!

- Three.
- Four!

- Five.
- Six.

Seven! The end!

Where do you live, number one?

I live in downtown Paju.
It's five minutes away.

- Can you work nights and after hours?
- Yes, sir.

Where do you live, number two?

Bucheon, sir.

How are you going to commute from Bucheon?
It takes 2 hours.

No problem, sir. I can...

Where do you live, number three?

Where do you live, number three?

- Okay, number four.
- Yes, sir.

- Where do you live?
- Munsan, sir.

- Can you work nights and after hours?
- Yes, sir.

ROAD ATLAS OF PAJU CITY

HAE-MI

Hello?

Hello?

The person you have reached
is unavailable.

Please leave a message after the tone.

What are you doing?

Pardon?

What are you doing?

I'm just looking.

The phone has been turned off.

Please leave a message after the tone.

Hae-mi! Shin Hae-mi!

What's wrong?

Hello, ma'am.

I can't seem to reach Hae-mi.

I... need to get in.

I have to feed the cat.

It might starve to death.

There is no cat.

We don't allow pets in the building.

There is a cat.

I used to come and feed it.

You have a master key, right?

You can't ask me to open
the door like that.

I can get into big trouble.

See? There's no cat.

She seems to have gone on a trip.

She cleaned up her room.

She doesn't usually clean
her room like this.

I don't think she went on a trip.

Welcome to the Crop Festival!

They all seem fine, but
you never really know their story.

Some of them are drowning
in credit card debt,

and because of that
some of them go into hiding.

Hae-mi turned her phone off
out of the blue, too.

Frankly, women need to spend money
on a lot of things.

It's difficult for women.

They complain if you wear makeup,

and complain if you don't.

They complain if you wear
revealing clothes,

and complain if you dress casually.

Have you heard of the saying,

"There's no country for women"?

What?

Nothing.

Come visit and enjoy our food.

Is Hae-mi here?

It's been a while since she last came.

I can't seem to reach her either.

Fuck...

Ben.

What brings you here?

I was passing by and saw your car outside.

I thought it might be yours.

Is that so?

Have a seat.

May I?

Do you want to order something?

It's okay.

I have to leave soon.

Are you still working on your story?

I'm trying.

You said you liked Faulkner,
so I wanted to give him a shot.

Come to think of it, I was wondering...

What happened to the greenhouse?

The greenhouse.

You still remember that.

I burned it down, of course.

Without a trace.

I said I would.

Near my house?

Of course.

Very near.

When?

THE COLLECTED SHORT STORIES OF
WILLIAM FAULKNER

A day or two after
I stopped by your house?

That's strange.

Ever since you came by,
I checked every morning.

I checked every single greenhouse
near my house.

You checked the greenhouses every day?

Yes, every single one.

If any one of them had burned down,
there is no way I could have missed it.

Yet, you have.

It happens.

Maybe you missed it
because it was too close.

I don't think so.

How strange.

Sometimes you can't see things
that are too close to you.

Ben!

Sorry I'm late.

Something came up at the store.

It drove me crazy.

It's okay.

But we're running late,
so we don't have time to drink tea.

Hello.

Are you in touch with Hae-mi?

It's been a month
since I last talked to her.

Right?

I can't reach her either.

Hae-mi just

disappeared into thin air.

Did Hae-mi say anything to you?

Like what?

Like wanting to go on a trip...

Or maybe...

I'm not sure,
but I doubt she went on a trip.

She can't afford it.

As far as I know, she's broke.

She doesn't contact her family

and doesn't have any friends.

Hae-mi is lonelier than she seems.

Jong-su. You know...

Hae-mi thought of you as someone special.

She told me so.

She said you were the only person
in this world she trusts.

That you'd always be on her side.

It made me jealous for some reason.

I had never been jealous before
in my life.

Jong-su?

Aren't you Jong-su?

Yes.

He is!

You haven't changed one bit!

How have you been?

What brings you here?

Did Hae-mi send you?

No.

Hae-mi...

You couldn't have just come in here
by chance, am I right?

Eat.

Yes, ma'am.

Su-jin must be married by now.

Yes, she has kids as well.

She does?

Do you keep in touch with your mother?

No.

I'm guessing that Hae-mi sent you here.

So tell her

she can't come home until she pays off
all her credit cards.

By the way,

do you remember
when Hae-mi fell into a well?

A well?

Did that happen?

When she was seven,

she fell into a well.

She cried for hours
down at the bottom of the well.

Crying and looking up,

just staring up at the round sky,

waiting for someone to find her.

I'm sorry.

I was just thinking about
how Hae-mi must have felt.

That never happened.

If it did, why wouldn't we know about it?

Is that what Hae-mi told you?

She makes up stories really well.

Her stories are very believable.

There wasn't even a well
next to our house.

- Good morning, sir!
- Yes?

I have a question.

Was there a well here a long time ago?

A well?

Yes.

A well deep enough to fall into.

I'm not sure. I don't think so.

Through Him, and with Him, and in Him.

O God, Almighty Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

all glory and honor is yours,
forever and ever.

- Amen
- Amen

- Amen
- Amen

- Amen
- Amen

Hello?

Jong-su.

This is Jong-su, right?

Yes.

It's Mom.

They come to my house
and call me all the time.

They even come to the bathrooms
that I clean in a department store.

In their black suits.

They look like grim reapers.

All that for just five million won.

If only I had been younger,
I'd have sold my organs.

Look what I'm saying to my son
who I haven't seen in 16 years.

I'll take care of it.

What?

I'll take care of it.

Don't worry.

You have money? How?

Mom.

Yes?

Remember Hae-mi's house
in the middle of the village?

Did it have a well?

A well?

Yes, it did. A dried up well.

Really?

Hae-mi said she fell into it once.

I don't know about that,
but there was a well.

What's wrong?

BEN

Hello?

Jong-su, where are you?

I'm in Gangnam.

Where in Gangnam?

Let's see...

I thought this truck looked familiar.
It really was you.

What brings you here?

Are you here to see me?

Actually, I'm here to talk about Hae-mi.

You could've just called.

Come inside.

You're here already, so come in.

You can park in our garage.

Going up.

Good timing, actually.

My friends are coming over
for dinner and drinks.

Join us.

You've already met them, so it'll be okay.

Fourth floor.

Are you having a party?

It's more like a gathering,

than a party. A casual gathering.

You must have a lot to prepare
since there are many guests.

Not really.

It's a potluck dinner,
so everyone brings food.

I just prepare the drinks
and some finger foods.

Someone was supposed to come early
and help,

but she's running late.

What's that sound?

Oh, I have a cat.

You didn't have one last time.

Right.

I brought a stray cat home not long ago.

It was so cute.

It really is cute.

Isn't it?

Do you like cats?

What's its name?

I haven't named it yet.

Naming it was more difficult
than I thought.

Jong-su, what kind of
a story are you writing?

If you don't mind my asking.

I don't know what to write yet.

How come?

To me,

the world is a mystery.

Excuse me. I need to use the bathroom.

Sorry, Ben.

I meant to come earlier, but...

- What's all this?
- I bought a bit too much.

Shut the door, or the cat will escape.

Oh my! No! The cat got out!

What do we do?

Go catch it, of course.

Where are you?

Come out kitty.

Here kitty, kitty. Come here.

Here kitty.

Where are you?

Hey kitty.

Hey kitty.

Stay still.

Come here.

Hey, kitty.

Come here, little cat.

Hey Boil.

Boil.

Boil.

Here kitty.

Wow, he caught it!

Amazing.

How did you catch it so easily?

It's very fast.

Can I hold him?

- Did you come out to greet us?
- Yes.

With the cat.

Hey guys.

- How was traffic?
- Awful!

Hello!

Chinese people throw their money
when they pay.

- Like this.
- Why do they do that?

They consider money to be filthy.

We treasure money,

but they treat it like it's nothing.

Maybe it's because they're so proud.

Chinese people have
a strong sense of pride.

They crumple and throw their bills.

They go, "Yi, er, san, si," and throw it.

Like, "Here! Take it!"

The Chinese are similar to the Americans.

We think they're like us
because of the Confucius culture.

How are they similar?

They're both gigantic geographically.

That's true.

They always place themselves
at their center,

whereas we're always conscious of others.

Just like you.

They're really bold when they ask for
makeup samples.

You know how stores hand them out
in the streets.

But our duty-free store gives them out
only if you buy expensive items.

I tell them loud and clear,

"Meiyou. No samples. Meiyou."

But they just stand there and go,
"You! You!"

"You have them! Give them to me!"

Still, I would like to date a Chinese guy.

Please do.

Chinese men are so nice to their women.

They treasure their women.

So a Chinese man treasures his woman,

not his money. He throws his money.

- He should throw it at me.
- Better if it's a credit card.

But at the same time,
he should treasure me.

Korean guys won't even step
in the kitchen.

That's right.

- I do.
- That's right, you do.

- What do you do in the kitchen?
- He eats in the kitchen.

- Seriously.
- I eat too much.

He does. You need to go on a diet.

Look at his gut.

- Is it bad?
- It's not that bad.

Jong-su, why are you leaving?

You should stay and hang out.

Didn't you want to talk about Hae-mi?

I don't think I need to anymore.

Jong-su. You're too serious.

It's no fun being serious.

Enjoy yourself.

You need to feel the bass right here.

You need to feel it ring from your bones.

It's the only way to be alive.

This case is a serious offense.

The defendant assaulted a civil servant
who was performing his duty.

The court finds the defendant
guilty of obstruction of justice,

assault, and damage of property.

The defendant claims this act of violence,

which caused the plaintiff injury

requiring six weeks of medical treatment,
wasn't intentional.

But the defendant swung a chair,
breaking fixtures

and injuring the plaintiff.

Thus, the court concludes
this was clearly assault.

Considering that the defendant is
refusing to settle,

and that the plaintiff wants
the defendant to be punished,

and that the defendant has been
penalized before for a similar crime,

this court concludes that
an appropriate punishment is necessary,

and sentences the defendant as follows.

This court sentences the defendant
to 18 months in prison.

Case dismissed.

Come on. Climb up.

Let's go. Climb up. Go.

Good girl.

So long.

She's saying something.

Hey, Jong-su!

There are a lot of greenhouses here.

Where's Hae-mi?

You asked me to join you and Hae-mi.

Isn't she with you?

Subtitle translation by Jason Yu