The School Nurse Files (2020–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - Episode #1.4 - full transcript
I SOLEMNLY SWEAR THAT I WILL ABIDE
BY THE NATION'S CONSTITUTION
AND PERFORM MY DUTIES AS
A PUBLIC SERVANT TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY
CERTIFICATE OF APPOINTMENT
FOR TEACHING AT MONG-LYEON HIGH SCHOOL
NAME: HONG IN-PYO
-[knocks on door]
-Yeah?
[door opens]
[Ga-young] In-pyo!
Who's there?
[chuckles]
It's me, Hwang Ga-young.
I guess you don't remember me.
In elementary school, we played together
and had so much fun.
Oh, that's right.
Seongmun School.
Second grade, class eight,
number thirteen?
-Mm-hm.
-[In-pyo] Hey, yeah.
Come in, come in.
[chuckles]
My back has been in so much pain recently.
Would you mind if I sat down here?
Oh, please, sit.
[sighs]
[chuckles]
[snickers]
My mom said she was going to meet
with your mom
and that's why I tagged along.
[chuckles]
Yeah, I was 18 in alphabetical order.
-Mm-hm.
-The same goes for you too,
but there were more boys than girls
in that school.
-Mm.
-And our homeroom teacher was Go...
-Go Pil-sun.
-Right.
Remember she got fired
for trying to sell the water cooler?
[both laughing]
[groans]
My back's firing up.
[chuckles]
Okay.
[soft chuckle]
[Ga-young] I heard about your accident.
I'm happy to see
that you're doing all right now.
[chuckles]
So, what have you been up to
these days, huh?
Oh, well, not much really.
I have been doing some volunteer work,
and then I've been mentoring
some disadvantaged kids.
So, you're a social worker.
I guess you could say that. Mm-hm.
They pay isn't that great
but the job itself is terrific, yeah.
Anyway, I just started it.
-It's great what you're doing.
-[both chuckle]
So, you're married?
Oh, this? It's nothing.
Ah.
[chuckles]
[woman cackling]
[snorts]
[laughs]
[both laugh]
Goodness. I'm sorry,
I believe I just spat on you.
[laughing hysterically]
That's crazy!
Yeah, it was.
[laughing]
[Ga-young] Oh, my back!
My back's killing me!
Dude, give me back... Wait, hold on!
Here!
[indistinct chatter]
[ominous music]
[sighs]
Ji-hyeong,
where'd you get those sneakers?
Online.
They're too expensive
for a student like you.
So, what did you wanna talk about?
Ji-hyeong,
are you fond of him? Mr. Mackenzie?
[breathes heavily]
[Ji-hyeong sighs]
[sighs heavily]
Something's going on.
Enjoy the rest of your day!
Oh, Mr. Hong, were you contacted
by Mr. Mackenzie?
Uh, no. Why?
Oh, he wanted to know
if you had the key to the basement.
[security] I understand
there's some gardening tools down there.
Sir, I told you,
no one is allowed to go down there.
Okay.
Well, I'll see you.
[security] Sure.
[In-pyo] Why do you think
Mackenzie's interested in the basement?
He seems to know something.
I should probably get in touch
with Ilgwang Sterilization first.
[Eun-young]
I'll keep looking into his background.
You can focus on looking
for Ilgwang Sterilization, okay?
[tense music]
SEARCH BY NAME: MACKENZIE
[old woman] He's so handsome.
-Oh. He's good-looking.
-[old woman] I know.
[Eun-young] You have weird taste.
[chuckles]
[Hwa-su] I think he's handsome.
You had better stay strong.
[Eun-young] I know how to control myself.
[Hwa-su] Does he have a girlfriend?
Mm. Don't worry. I highly doubt it.
[gasps]
[Hwa-su] What should I do then?
So long.
[device clinks]
[suspenseful music]
[In-pyo] I found the address
for Ilgwang Sterilization.
It says "HSP" in big, bold letters.
[lively music]
[operator] Happiness. Safety. Protection.
We always laugh out loud.
Happiness. Safety. Protection.
We always laugh out...
[clattering]
[gasps]
[gasps]
[operator] Happiness. Safety. Protection.
We always laugh out loud.
Happiness. Safety. Protection.
We always...
PLEASE "DUN'T" TOUCH WHAT'S IN THE TUB
[tense music]
[elevator dings]
[indistinct screaming]
Nineteen...
[foreboding music]
ELECTRICAL SAFETY INSPECTION NOTICE
LOOKING FOR APARTMENTS FOR SALE AND RENT
[sighs]
[indistinct shouting]
[operator]
This is the partner you can trust,
Ilgwang Sterilization.
All our contacts and our agents
are busy at the moment.
Please hold.
[telephone ringing]
[ringing continues]
[creatures chittering]
[Eun-young] "1165-25.
Bogwang-dong...
Yongsan-gu, Seoul."
That's our school address.
[suspenseful music]
[suspenseful music continues]
[whirring]
[whirring continues]
IT'S NOT A GARDENIA, IT'S A BALSAM TREE
[scoffs]
PLEASE "DUN'T" TOUCH "WAT'S" IN THE TUB
[woman chuckles]
[Mackenzie] No.
Fuck.
[In-pyo] Hwang Ga-young.
Wow.
[students chanting]
[chanting continues]
[chanting continues]
[teacher] Let's do the laughing hyena!
[laughing hysterically]
[ominous music]
What's wrong?
[A-ra] I don't see Ms. Ahn.
Where'd she go?
SCHOOL NURSE AHN EUN-YOUNG
[doctor] It seems like poison ivy.
What on earth did you touch?
[sighs]
[doctor] Call in sick at work
for a few days.
Take this medicine, and rest at home.
[Eun-young sighs]
[In-pyo]
What's it like to live a life like yours?
[Eun-young] What do you think?
[In-pyo] Exhausting.
Still, you're fun to be around.
[chuckles]
I'm sorry.
I LOVE YOU, CHEAT AND I'LL KILL YOU
[In-pyo] Do you know how hilarious
my grandfather's will was?
[In-pyo chuckles]
"Laughing will bring good fortune."
If only he hadn’t suddenly passed away.
He would have said something fitting.
He had had high blood pressure.
He was having surgery
for his broken ankle.
He never woke up again.
It's all right, though, I guess.
It happened so fast,
it just doesn't seem real.
Have you been able to reach
the Ilgwang Center?
I went to their office, but it was closed.
Are you intrigued by my story?
Sort of.
Ah.
Then there's something you have to see.
-I'm good.
-Oh!
I'm sorry.
[Eun-young]
Hm? Who has he been hanging out with?
[indistinct shouting]
[light music]
[chuckles]
[In-pyo] My grandfather used to spend
a lot of time here.
I can't believe it's almost been a year.
I lived with my grandfather
since I was little.
My father passed away
when I was very young.
Until I picked up on hanmun.
[calm music]
It looks like you really liked him a lot.
I did.
If it wasn't for him,
I wouldn't have become a teacher.
[Eun-young] Your grandfather
read these books all the time, didn't he?
[In-pyo] You're right.
FENG SHUI
A RELIGIOUS TERM RELATED
TO THE SYSTEMATIC STUDY OF THE EARTH
[clears throat]
Look here.
Interesting that the word "heuphyeol"
keeps repeating.
It's here.
And here's another one.
Here too.
Bloodsucking?
It's a breathing hole.
There's a hole under the Apji Stone.
[tense music]
[In-pyo] "Chi-heup-hyeol,
e-gok-dae-un
ga-ja-guk."
CHI-HEUP-HYEOL E-GOK-DAE-UN GA-JA-GUK
IF YOU CAN CONTROL THE BREATHING HOLE,
YOU CAN TURN GREAT LUCK TO YOUR FAVOR
AND CONTROL THE NATION AS YOU WISH
[tense music]
Can you translate it?
Huh?
[faint chattering]
How did you hurt your leg?
On a motorcycle.
It slipped on the road while I was on it.
And I got sucked under a moving bus.
The doctor said
it was a miracle I survived.
Thanks to that,
I didn't have to serve in the army.
And started my career sooner.
It's hard to believe
that I rode a motorcycle.
I used to be good at sports.
[In-pyo sighs]
STRENGTH RECOVERY RETURN COMPLETION
Do you know hanmun?
Not very much.
I can write my name.
"Young" means flower petal.
And the word "Eun" means subtle.
[sighs]
I’m not compatible with that character.
[Eun-young] It doesn't feel right.
How come?
I've got a strange feeling that the school
is getting me untangled with things.
[Hwa-su] That's not
the Literary Chinese teacher's fault.
[Eun-young] What the fuck?
How many people have you saved...
in the course of your life?
Just a few clients.
I guess I helped.
Yeah. But have you ever failed?
[sniffs]
[Hwa-su] Of course, I have.
Well, you can't be successful
every time, you know?
[breathes heavily]
In the hospital where I worked...
I lost many there.
[sniffs]
How can you save everyone at a hospital?
[sniffs]
That comes with the territory, you know.
[sobs]
But I'm working at a school now.
If I make a mistake,
or fail...
[gasps]
[sighs]
[sniffs]
Mm.
Your life's destiny is with another.
[Eun-young] I hate the word destiny.
So stop saying it.
[Hwa-su] Just let things run their course.
That's how life is, anyway.
But then again,
the competition can be very tough.
And who is it this time?
[Hwa-su] How should I know?
[Eun-young] Forget it.
I'll take charge of my destiny.
Would you open the window right now?
My eyes are burning.
[ominous music]
Hye-min.
Baek Hye-min.
Baek Hye-min is coming.
[woman chuckles]
[Eun-young] What is this?
Hey.
Why isn't it dying?
[tense music]
Hey. She lives in an institution.
-No, really?
-Yeah.
-Her uniform looks second hand.
-[girls laughing]
-Oh, don't be mean.
-[girl 1] Hurry!
I feel bad for her.
-I really need to go!
-[girl 2] I bet she smells.
-[girl 3] She does.
-[girl 4] Really?
She must not be able to shower.
[girl 3] Oh, dear.
What's there to feel sorry about?
-[girl 4] Gosh.
-[girl 3] Who cares?
[girls laughing]
[laughter continues]
-[girl 2] She smells.
-[girl 3] She does.
-Wanna get a snack?
-[Hye-min] What?
Let's go and get lunch.
[Radi]
Hey. You guys should go take a shower.
[A-ra] Let's go.
-[boy 1] Hey, man, let me see it.
-[boy 2] That hurts!
-[girl 1] How could this happen?
-[man 1] Yeah, you're okay.
-You're gonna be fine, don't worry.
-It's a really...
-[boy 2] Take a look.
-Yeah.
-You're gonna be okay.
-Don't stress too much about it.
It's fine.
Ms. Ahn!
You can sit over there.
Ms. Ahn! Oh, gosh. That hurts!
[groaning loudly]
[Seo-u] It hurts.
[Eun-young] Seo-u, you're next.
-How did you injure yourself?
-[Seo-u] I fell down the stairs.
[ominous music]
[Eun-young] Are you injured too?
Uh, no.
[Hye-min] I'm a mite eater.
I'm a transfer student.
A mite eater?
I catch mites.
Mites can only be perished permanently
in a mite collector's gastric acid.
No, don't.
[Eun-young] Don't do that.
No, don't!
I don't always have to live this way.
It's only when the mites start to spread
that I have to eat them.
And this school is my district.
Mites are migrating toward this school.
The large number of them suggests that...
the ground here is not stable.
Did you do something to the Apji Stone?
You really know what that is?
Of course, I do. I live, die,
and relive my life right around here.
The administrative districts
have changed a lot.
But the area
within a 5.38 kilometer radius from here
seems to be my world.
[In-pyo] So those damn mites
that make you itchy...
Are you saying that she... she eats them?
Yes.
Do you see any of them on me right now?
[sighs]
She said they're migrating
towards the school.
I think it's because we messed
with the Apji Stone that day.
[Eun-young] Everyone will be miserable.
Starting now, things will be different.
[groans, grunts]
Are you all right?
[message alert tone]
[chuckles]
[In-pyo] Uh...
I just saw an old friend.
Ga-young's her name.
I'm sure you'd like her as well.
Hwang Ga-young.
Oh.
Ahh.
That reminds me.
[In-pyo] I found an old photo.
Please, have a seat.
[playful music]
This is me and my grandfather
at a fishing site.
And this is the first fish I ever caught.
And see, if you look closely,
you'll see some Chinese characters.
They mean "Ilgwang Sterilization."
The name on the back of the jacket
is Ilgwang Sterilization.
How long have you
and Ga-young been friends?
Uh...
Since childhood.
ONLY ILGWANG STERILIZATION
IS ALLOWED IN THE BASEMENT
Look, I found the fishing site
in this photo.
Come and visit there with me?
Where is it?
In Busan.
I can't.
That's too far away.
We're not even dating.
I can't.
[chair rattles]
[door opens, slams]
[heavy breathing]
[Eun-young]
I have another tough competition.
Her name is Hwang Ga-young.
In-pyo's friend from school.
[Hwa-su] Hold on.
Hwang Ga-young?
-[Eun-young] She used to be one of us.
-[Hwa-su] Oh.
Let's confirm it.
SEARCH BY NAME: HWANG GA-YOUNG
[Hwa-su] Oh. Yes. That's her.
HWANG GA-YOUNG, 27, FEMALE
[Hwa-su] Last year,
she became the head of the order.
[Eun-young] Bitch.
[sighs]
-[A-ra] Those are bread too?
-[Hye-min] Mm.
Yeah.
-[A-ra] She must love her bread.
-Eat it all.
Try this.
[Hye-min] Mm.
Hello.
-Hello.
-[A-ra] Hello.
[rock music]
[munching]
[A-ra chuckling]
[A-ra] Really? No way.
[Hye-min] Some more, please?
I'm still really hungry.
-[Radi] Really?
-[A-ra] I love your sneakers.
[inaudible]
[A-ra] Huh? Why?
What were you thinking?
It would probably taste better
with chili flakes.
You're so right.
Make it not so bland.
[slurping]
Ms. Ahn, can I get an antacid?
There are too many mites at this school.
[groans]
[Hye-min] My stomach burns
if I eat mites on an empty stomach.
That's the reason I need
to keep eating other things.
[door closes]
-Let's go.
-Okay.
Let's go to our next class.
What's wrong? Are you all right?
PMS is so annoying, you know.
She's in pain.
PMS.
Does it hurt?
[A-ra] It's her first time being a girl.
[Hye-min] Why would you tell her that?
-[Eun-young] What?
-[A-ra] It's all right.
You can tell her.
Ms. Ahn understands everything.
[Eun-young] That's what you think.
[Hye-min] I've been living my lives
only as a man so far.
This is my first time being a woman.
[Eun-young] What?
I'm genderless, though.
Technically speaking.
[Radi] Hye-min was never born.
She only exists when she's awake.
She was never a baby,
and so, she has no parents.
That much I'm aware of.
You know, she's a lot like Radi
in a way, actually.
I was adopted from an orphanage.
Mm.
I thought of this today,
that if we were living
inside a computer game,
then I would be what you'd call
a non-player character.
[Hye-min] I exist automatically
and I'm stuck in my own section.
Her memory
goes all the way back to Baekje.
Do you like living in a woman's body?
Um...
[Hye-min] I don't know.
It's new.
Apart from PMS, I like it.
It is scary to wander
around at night alone, though.
When I went to fight on a battlefield
as a man,
I knew that my life
was coming to an abrupt end.
I deliberately fought at the front
since I was going to die anyway.
[light music]
[Eun-young] Lie down.
[relieved sigh]
That feels so nice.
[sighs]
Dying is easy.
It ends quickly.
I'll live again.
And yet,
I'm curious this time around.
It's fun. I like coming here.
If only I could be over 20
at least one time.
What do you mean by that?
She dies when she reaches 20.
Just living until 20,
I'm not sad about it.
Can you help her so she will live?
I'm supposed to live until I'm 20
and then I just disappear.
Nothing is set in stone.
That's how it is for our kind.
Don't believe it.
[Eun-young] That young girl
has been eating mites all on her own.
Do you think...
Do you think there's a way
you can help her?
[sighs]
I could catch all of them for her,
but she still has to be the one
who will eat them.
But then, I hate having
to give them to her to eat.
She's already
having stomach issues as it is.
To make the school safe,
you're going to have to catch them all.
In order to help her.
What about us?
Pay attention to your life.
Because that's the life you have.
That's easy for you. You're a healer.
Not for me. I'm a soldier.
This is how we are.
[sighs]
[squeals]
[sighs heavily]
Oh, damn it!
[Eun-young]
I need to dye my fingernails too.
[Eun-young sighs]
[termite groaning]
[annoyed sigh]
You're being such a silly girl now.
Man.
-[whimpering]
-[sighs sharply]
[Eun-young sighs]
[light music]
[Eun-young]
Why do you think Ilgwang Sterilization
abandoned the school?
I'm exhausted.
I just wanna quit the school.
ILGWANG STERILIZATION
FEBRUARY 5, 2000, SEONGHWA FISHING SITE
IN-PYO'S FIRST CATCH
[tense music]
[laughter]
[ominous music]
BASED ON THE SCHOOL NURSE FILES
BY CHUNG SE-RANG
[ominous music]
Subtitle translation by Hye-lim Park
BY THE NATION'S CONSTITUTION
AND PERFORM MY DUTIES AS
A PUBLIC SERVANT TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY
CERTIFICATE OF APPOINTMENT
FOR TEACHING AT MONG-LYEON HIGH SCHOOL
NAME: HONG IN-PYO
-[knocks on door]
-Yeah?
[door opens]
[Ga-young] In-pyo!
Who's there?
[chuckles]
It's me, Hwang Ga-young.
I guess you don't remember me.
In elementary school, we played together
and had so much fun.
Oh, that's right.
Seongmun School.
Second grade, class eight,
number thirteen?
-Mm-hm.
-[In-pyo] Hey, yeah.
Come in, come in.
[chuckles]
My back has been in so much pain recently.
Would you mind if I sat down here?
Oh, please, sit.
[sighs]
[chuckles]
[snickers]
My mom said she was going to meet
with your mom
and that's why I tagged along.
[chuckles]
Yeah, I was 18 in alphabetical order.
-Mm-hm.
-The same goes for you too,
but there were more boys than girls
in that school.
-Mm.
-And our homeroom teacher was Go...
-Go Pil-sun.
-Right.
Remember she got fired
for trying to sell the water cooler?
[both laughing]
[groans]
My back's firing up.
[chuckles]
Okay.
[soft chuckle]
[Ga-young] I heard about your accident.
I'm happy to see
that you're doing all right now.
[chuckles]
So, what have you been up to
these days, huh?
Oh, well, not much really.
I have been doing some volunteer work,
and then I've been mentoring
some disadvantaged kids.
So, you're a social worker.
I guess you could say that. Mm-hm.
They pay isn't that great
but the job itself is terrific, yeah.
Anyway, I just started it.
-It's great what you're doing.
-[both chuckle]
So, you're married?
Oh, this? It's nothing.
Ah.
[chuckles]
[woman cackling]
[snorts]
[laughs]
[both laugh]
Goodness. I'm sorry,
I believe I just spat on you.
[laughing hysterically]
That's crazy!
Yeah, it was.
[laughing]
[Ga-young] Oh, my back!
My back's killing me!
Dude, give me back... Wait, hold on!
Here!
[indistinct chatter]
[ominous music]
[sighs]
Ji-hyeong,
where'd you get those sneakers?
Online.
They're too expensive
for a student like you.
So, what did you wanna talk about?
Ji-hyeong,
are you fond of him? Mr. Mackenzie?
[breathes heavily]
[Ji-hyeong sighs]
[sighs heavily]
Something's going on.
Enjoy the rest of your day!
Oh, Mr. Hong, were you contacted
by Mr. Mackenzie?
Uh, no. Why?
Oh, he wanted to know
if you had the key to the basement.
[security] I understand
there's some gardening tools down there.
Sir, I told you,
no one is allowed to go down there.
Okay.
Well, I'll see you.
[security] Sure.
[In-pyo] Why do you think
Mackenzie's interested in the basement?
He seems to know something.
I should probably get in touch
with Ilgwang Sterilization first.
[Eun-young]
I'll keep looking into his background.
You can focus on looking
for Ilgwang Sterilization, okay?
[tense music]
SEARCH BY NAME: MACKENZIE
[old woman] He's so handsome.
-Oh. He's good-looking.
-[old woman] I know.
[Eun-young] You have weird taste.
[chuckles]
[Hwa-su] I think he's handsome.
You had better stay strong.
[Eun-young] I know how to control myself.
[Hwa-su] Does he have a girlfriend?
Mm. Don't worry. I highly doubt it.
[gasps]
[Hwa-su] What should I do then?
So long.
[device clinks]
[suspenseful music]
[In-pyo] I found the address
for Ilgwang Sterilization.
It says "HSP" in big, bold letters.
[lively music]
[operator] Happiness. Safety. Protection.
We always laugh out loud.
Happiness. Safety. Protection.
We always laugh out...
[clattering]
[gasps]
[gasps]
[operator] Happiness. Safety. Protection.
We always laugh out loud.
Happiness. Safety. Protection.
We always...
PLEASE "DUN'T" TOUCH WHAT'S IN THE TUB
[tense music]
[elevator dings]
[indistinct screaming]
Nineteen...
[foreboding music]
ELECTRICAL SAFETY INSPECTION NOTICE
LOOKING FOR APARTMENTS FOR SALE AND RENT
[sighs]
[indistinct shouting]
[operator]
This is the partner you can trust,
Ilgwang Sterilization.
All our contacts and our agents
are busy at the moment.
Please hold.
[telephone ringing]
[ringing continues]
[creatures chittering]
[Eun-young] "1165-25.
Bogwang-dong...
Yongsan-gu, Seoul."
That's our school address.
[suspenseful music]
[suspenseful music continues]
[whirring]
[whirring continues]
IT'S NOT A GARDENIA, IT'S A BALSAM TREE
[scoffs]
PLEASE "DUN'T" TOUCH "WAT'S" IN THE TUB
[woman chuckles]
[Mackenzie] No.
Fuck.
[In-pyo] Hwang Ga-young.
Wow.
[students chanting]
[chanting continues]
[chanting continues]
[teacher] Let's do the laughing hyena!
[laughing hysterically]
[ominous music]
What's wrong?
[A-ra] I don't see Ms. Ahn.
Where'd she go?
SCHOOL NURSE AHN EUN-YOUNG
[doctor] It seems like poison ivy.
What on earth did you touch?
[sighs]
[doctor] Call in sick at work
for a few days.
Take this medicine, and rest at home.
[Eun-young sighs]
[In-pyo]
What's it like to live a life like yours?
[Eun-young] What do you think?
[In-pyo] Exhausting.
Still, you're fun to be around.
[chuckles]
I'm sorry.
I LOVE YOU, CHEAT AND I'LL KILL YOU
[In-pyo] Do you know how hilarious
my grandfather's will was?
[In-pyo chuckles]
"Laughing will bring good fortune."
If only he hadn’t suddenly passed away.
He would have said something fitting.
He had had high blood pressure.
He was having surgery
for his broken ankle.
He never woke up again.
It's all right, though, I guess.
It happened so fast,
it just doesn't seem real.
Have you been able to reach
the Ilgwang Center?
I went to their office, but it was closed.
Are you intrigued by my story?
Sort of.
Ah.
Then there's something you have to see.
-I'm good.
-Oh!
I'm sorry.
[Eun-young]
Hm? Who has he been hanging out with?
[indistinct shouting]
[light music]
[chuckles]
[In-pyo] My grandfather used to spend
a lot of time here.
I can't believe it's almost been a year.
I lived with my grandfather
since I was little.
My father passed away
when I was very young.
Until I picked up on hanmun.
[calm music]
It looks like you really liked him a lot.
I did.
If it wasn't for him,
I wouldn't have become a teacher.
[Eun-young] Your grandfather
read these books all the time, didn't he?
[In-pyo] You're right.
FENG SHUI
A RELIGIOUS TERM RELATED
TO THE SYSTEMATIC STUDY OF THE EARTH
[clears throat]
Look here.
Interesting that the word "heuphyeol"
keeps repeating.
It's here.
And here's another one.
Here too.
Bloodsucking?
It's a breathing hole.
There's a hole under the Apji Stone.
[tense music]
[In-pyo] "Chi-heup-hyeol,
e-gok-dae-un
ga-ja-guk."
CHI-HEUP-HYEOL E-GOK-DAE-UN GA-JA-GUK
IF YOU CAN CONTROL THE BREATHING HOLE,
YOU CAN TURN GREAT LUCK TO YOUR FAVOR
AND CONTROL THE NATION AS YOU WISH
[tense music]
Can you translate it?
Huh?
[faint chattering]
How did you hurt your leg?
On a motorcycle.
It slipped on the road while I was on it.
And I got sucked under a moving bus.
The doctor said
it was a miracle I survived.
Thanks to that,
I didn't have to serve in the army.
And started my career sooner.
It's hard to believe
that I rode a motorcycle.
I used to be good at sports.
[In-pyo sighs]
STRENGTH RECOVERY RETURN COMPLETION
Do you know hanmun?
Not very much.
I can write my name.
"Young" means flower petal.
And the word "Eun" means subtle.
[sighs]
I’m not compatible with that character.
[Eun-young] It doesn't feel right.
How come?
I've got a strange feeling that the school
is getting me untangled with things.
[Hwa-su] That's not
the Literary Chinese teacher's fault.
[Eun-young] What the fuck?
How many people have you saved...
in the course of your life?
Just a few clients.
I guess I helped.
Yeah. But have you ever failed?
[sniffs]
[Hwa-su] Of course, I have.
Well, you can't be successful
every time, you know?
[breathes heavily]
In the hospital where I worked...
I lost many there.
[sniffs]
How can you save everyone at a hospital?
[sniffs]
That comes with the territory, you know.
[sobs]
But I'm working at a school now.
If I make a mistake,
or fail...
[gasps]
[sighs]
[sniffs]
Mm.
Your life's destiny is with another.
[Eun-young] I hate the word destiny.
So stop saying it.
[Hwa-su] Just let things run their course.
That's how life is, anyway.
But then again,
the competition can be very tough.
And who is it this time?
[Hwa-su] How should I know?
[Eun-young] Forget it.
I'll take charge of my destiny.
Would you open the window right now?
My eyes are burning.
[ominous music]
Hye-min.
Baek Hye-min.
Baek Hye-min is coming.
[woman chuckles]
[Eun-young] What is this?
Hey.
Why isn't it dying?
[tense music]
Hey. She lives in an institution.
-No, really?
-Yeah.
-Her uniform looks second hand.
-[girls laughing]
-Oh, don't be mean.
-[girl 1] Hurry!
I feel bad for her.
-I really need to go!
-[girl 2] I bet she smells.
-[girl 3] She does.
-[girl 4] Really?
She must not be able to shower.
[girl 3] Oh, dear.
What's there to feel sorry about?
-[girl 4] Gosh.
-[girl 3] Who cares?
[girls laughing]
[laughter continues]
-[girl 2] She smells.
-[girl 3] She does.
-Wanna get a snack?
-[Hye-min] What?
Let's go and get lunch.
[Radi]
Hey. You guys should go take a shower.
[A-ra] Let's go.
-[boy 1] Hey, man, let me see it.
-[boy 2] That hurts!
-[girl 1] How could this happen?
-[man 1] Yeah, you're okay.
-You're gonna be fine, don't worry.
-It's a really...
-[boy 2] Take a look.
-Yeah.
-You're gonna be okay.
-Don't stress too much about it.
It's fine.
Ms. Ahn!
You can sit over there.
Ms. Ahn! Oh, gosh. That hurts!
[groaning loudly]
[Seo-u] It hurts.
[Eun-young] Seo-u, you're next.
-How did you injure yourself?
-[Seo-u] I fell down the stairs.
[ominous music]
[Eun-young] Are you injured too?
Uh, no.
[Hye-min] I'm a mite eater.
I'm a transfer student.
A mite eater?
I catch mites.
Mites can only be perished permanently
in a mite collector's gastric acid.
No, don't.
[Eun-young] Don't do that.
No, don't!
I don't always have to live this way.
It's only when the mites start to spread
that I have to eat them.
And this school is my district.
Mites are migrating toward this school.
The large number of them suggests that...
the ground here is not stable.
Did you do something to the Apji Stone?
You really know what that is?
Of course, I do. I live, die,
and relive my life right around here.
The administrative districts
have changed a lot.
But the area
within a 5.38 kilometer radius from here
seems to be my world.
[In-pyo] So those damn mites
that make you itchy...
Are you saying that she... she eats them?
Yes.
Do you see any of them on me right now?
[sighs]
She said they're migrating
towards the school.
I think it's because we messed
with the Apji Stone that day.
[Eun-young] Everyone will be miserable.
Starting now, things will be different.
[groans, grunts]
Are you all right?
[message alert tone]
[chuckles]
[In-pyo] Uh...
I just saw an old friend.
Ga-young's her name.
I'm sure you'd like her as well.
Hwang Ga-young.
Oh.
Ahh.
That reminds me.
[In-pyo] I found an old photo.
Please, have a seat.
[playful music]
This is me and my grandfather
at a fishing site.
And this is the first fish I ever caught.
And see, if you look closely,
you'll see some Chinese characters.
They mean "Ilgwang Sterilization."
The name on the back of the jacket
is Ilgwang Sterilization.
How long have you
and Ga-young been friends?
Uh...
Since childhood.
ONLY ILGWANG STERILIZATION
IS ALLOWED IN THE BASEMENT
Look, I found the fishing site
in this photo.
Come and visit there with me?
Where is it?
In Busan.
I can't.
That's too far away.
We're not even dating.
I can't.
[chair rattles]
[door opens, slams]
[heavy breathing]
[Eun-young]
I have another tough competition.
Her name is Hwang Ga-young.
In-pyo's friend from school.
[Hwa-su] Hold on.
Hwang Ga-young?
-[Eun-young] She used to be one of us.
-[Hwa-su] Oh.
Let's confirm it.
SEARCH BY NAME: HWANG GA-YOUNG
[Hwa-su] Oh. Yes. That's her.
HWANG GA-YOUNG, 27, FEMALE
[Hwa-su] Last year,
she became the head of the order.
[Eun-young] Bitch.
[sighs]
-[A-ra] Those are bread too?
-[Hye-min] Mm.
Yeah.
-[A-ra] She must love her bread.
-Eat it all.
Try this.
[Hye-min] Mm.
Hello.
-Hello.
-[A-ra] Hello.
[rock music]
[munching]
[A-ra chuckling]
[A-ra] Really? No way.
[Hye-min] Some more, please?
I'm still really hungry.
-[Radi] Really?
-[A-ra] I love your sneakers.
[inaudible]
[A-ra] Huh? Why?
What were you thinking?
It would probably taste better
with chili flakes.
You're so right.
Make it not so bland.
[slurping]
Ms. Ahn, can I get an antacid?
There are too many mites at this school.
[groans]
[Hye-min] My stomach burns
if I eat mites on an empty stomach.
That's the reason I need
to keep eating other things.
[door closes]
-Let's go.
-Okay.
Let's go to our next class.
What's wrong? Are you all right?
PMS is so annoying, you know.
She's in pain.
PMS.
Does it hurt?
[A-ra] It's her first time being a girl.
[Hye-min] Why would you tell her that?
-[Eun-young] What?
-[A-ra] It's all right.
You can tell her.
Ms. Ahn understands everything.
[Eun-young] That's what you think.
[Hye-min] I've been living my lives
only as a man so far.
This is my first time being a woman.
[Eun-young] What?
I'm genderless, though.
Technically speaking.
[Radi] Hye-min was never born.
She only exists when she's awake.
She was never a baby,
and so, she has no parents.
That much I'm aware of.
You know, she's a lot like Radi
in a way, actually.
I was adopted from an orphanage.
Mm.
I thought of this today,
that if we were living
inside a computer game,
then I would be what you'd call
a non-player character.
[Hye-min] I exist automatically
and I'm stuck in my own section.
Her memory
goes all the way back to Baekje.
Do you like living in a woman's body?
Um...
[Hye-min] I don't know.
It's new.
Apart from PMS, I like it.
It is scary to wander
around at night alone, though.
When I went to fight on a battlefield
as a man,
I knew that my life
was coming to an abrupt end.
I deliberately fought at the front
since I was going to die anyway.
[light music]
[Eun-young] Lie down.
[relieved sigh]
That feels so nice.
[sighs]
Dying is easy.
It ends quickly.
I'll live again.
And yet,
I'm curious this time around.
It's fun. I like coming here.
If only I could be over 20
at least one time.
What do you mean by that?
She dies when she reaches 20.
Just living until 20,
I'm not sad about it.
Can you help her so she will live?
I'm supposed to live until I'm 20
and then I just disappear.
Nothing is set in stone.
That's how it is for our kind.
Don't believe it.
[Eun-young] That young girl
has been eating mites all on her own.
Do you think...
Do you think there's a way
you can help her?
[sighs]
I could catch all of them for her,
but she still has to be the one
who will eat them.
But then, I hate having
to give them to her to eat.
She's already
having stomach issues as it is.
To make the school safe,
you're going to have to catch them all.
In order to help her.
What about us?
Pay attention to your life.
Because that's the life you have.
That's easy for you. You're a healer.
Not for me. I'm a soldier.
This is how we are.
[sighs]
[squeals]
[sighs heavily]
Oh, damn it!
[Eun-young]
I need to dye my fingernails too.
[Eun-young sighs]
[termite groaning]
[annoyed sigh]
You're being such a silly girl now.
Man.
-[whimpering]
-[sighs sharply]
[Eun-young sighs]
[light music]
[Eun-young]
Why do you think Ilgwang Sterilization
abandoned the school?
I'm exhausted.
I just wanna quit the school.
ILGWANG STERILIZATION
FEBRUARY 5, 2000, SEONGHWA FISHING SITE
IN-PYO'S FIRST CATCH
[tense music]
[laughter]
[ominous music]
BASED ON THE SCHOOL NURSE FILES
BY CHUNG SE-RANG
[ominous music]
Subtitle translation by Hye-lim Park