EPISODE 8
DON'T GO LOOKING FOR DEATH. DEATH WILL COME FIND YOU.
Mom?
This is too cruel.
No.
Please don't.
No!
I had always thought that I knew a lot about my mother.
But it turns out that I didn't know anything.
Mom used to be a girl with big dreams.
That girl full of dreams
became a woman,
a wife,
and then a mother.
She even had a child with the man she loved.
Her happiness, which she thought would last forever…
was but fleeting.
CHOI JUN-MO
I didn't know then
that the reason my mom didn't break down
was because of me.
Hello?
I'm sorry?
Hang in there, Yee-jae.
Stay with me, Yee-jae.
Yee-jae.
I'm so sorry.
I wish I could be sick in your place.
Mom's heart was torn to pieces
because she couldn't be sick in my place.
Sir.
How could you just fire me overnight?
The company's going through tough times.
-Sir. -Let go of me.
RESIGN
UNJUST FIRING IS MURDER
WORKERS HAVE RIGHTS TOO!
My mom
walked through a much darker and deeper tunnel
than I had ever walked.
And yet,
she never gave up
or looked back.
She simply kept trudging onward.
I was blessed to have a mom like that.
But foolishly…
I never counted my blessings.
Cheer up, son.
I'm always on your side.
MOM
The person you have called…
Hello?
Are you Mr. Choi Yee-jae's mother?
Yes.
What is this regarding?
My goodness.
Please confirm his identity.
Yee-jae.
Mom is here.
Let's go home.
Wake up.
Yee-jae.
My poor baby shouldn't be lying here.
Mom's here to take you home.
Hurry and wake up. Come on.
Yee-jae.
It's your mom.
Open your eyes for me.
Please don't die, Yee-jae.
CHOI YEE-JAE
Death is contagious.
As I disappeared from the world…
Yee-jae!
my death
remained behind
with those who loved me.
When did you last see your son?
A week ago.
Did he not show any signs of suicide?
I don't know.
Why do you think your son died?
I killed him.
It's due to my many faults.
Had he been born to a smarter woman,
this wouldn't have happened.
Such a smart kid.
-Your grandson's a year old already? -Goodness.
-This rice cake is excellent. -Congrats.
-I'll enjoy it. -It looks delicious.
-Isn't your grandkid almost a year old? -Here, Seon-hui.
-Yes. -Gosh.
Thank you.
-I know, right? -This looks great.
Totally.
-She's right. -Already?
Seriously. They grow up so fast.
I've already become a grandma.
You're too young to be a grandma.
You can say that again.
-What? -Here.
Buy some clothes for your grandson.
Gosh, there's no need for this.
It's fine, really.
Take this with you!
Wait…
Why would she give me this?
It's bad luck.
That's right. You don't want it to rub off on you.
Don't get clothes for your grandson with that money.
I'm not even going to invite her to my daughter's wedding,
so you better keep quiet.
THE FUTURE DESTINY OF THE CHILD IS ALWAYS THE WORK OF THE MOTHER
NAPOLEON
So you killed yourself because your life felt hopeless?
Is that so wrong?
It's not like I did harm to anyone.
Think carefully
if you really didn't harm anyone.
I forgot about the dead girl's family when it should have been obvious.
Of course you did.
You are a selfish brat who fails to think about the sadness
the bereaved have to go through.
He thought I'd killed his daughter.
Of course, he'd want to kill me.
Then who would your mother want to kill?
Death had always known
what I had actually done wrong.
I experienced 12 painful deaths as punishment for what I did.
The death that caused me the most pain
wasn't when I burned to death
or when my limbs were severed.
Ji-su…
It was the death of someone…
that I loved dearly.
The hellish pain that I had put my mom through
had come right back to me.
I decided to continue living as my mom.
It was a punishment that I decided to give myself.
The first subway train of the day
was full of people's parents
who were doing their best to get by.
Could I ever say
that I did my best in life before them?
I felt unbearably ashamed of my own death.
HOUSING SUBSCRIPTION SAVINGS ACCOUNT CHOI YEE-JAE
This savings account
is a gift that I prepared for you
so that you can buy a house later on.
Gosh.
Can't you take your time growing up
so we can live together for a long time?
The doors are closing.
Please step back for your safety.
THE BEGINNING OF YOUR SECOND LIFE SEONA MEMORIAL PARK
What?
This is
the station near my columbarium.
Yee-jae.
Mom had been coming here
every day after work.
My son.
How have you been today?
How can I even call myself a mother when I couldn't even save
my precious son?
I don't see why
I keep calling myself your mother when I have no right to.
Yee-jae.
Remember how I asked you to be my son in your next life too?
I take that back.
You should find parents
who are much richer and better than I am
so that you can live happily in your next life.
I'll just watch you from afar
just to see
if you're living a good life.
I won't even act like I know you.
I'll just watch.
In return…
I hope you'll live out
your next life
until the very end.
I wanted to tell Mom that I was sorry
and that I wanted
to be born as her son once more
in my next life.
But none of my words
nor any of my feelings
could reach her.
That's just
how death is.
Mom, is there anywhere you'd like to go with me?
I want to go to Mount Obong.
Mount Obong?
I used to go there often with your dad when we were young.
Once I get a job,
I'll take you to Mount Obong.
Goodness.
My son is the best.
But you know what?
I can't go because of my weak knee.
Nonsense.
I'll carry you on my back if need be,
so hold on a little.
Even though it was late,
I wanted to show Mom
the place she used to visit with Dad
when they were young and loved to hike.
How beautiful.
Mom.
I'm sorry that I forgot.
I'm so sorry
I didn't keep my promise.
Is anyone out there?
Help me.
Please…
You can't die like this.
Please don't die, Mom.
Please don't die.
Thank you for still being alive, Mom.
Yee-jae.
Hurry and wake up.
Let's go home.
Please don't die, Yee-jae.
Mom.
You can't die like this.
Please don't die, Mom.
As I desperately wished for my mom's survival,
I felt the same desperation she had felt
when she sobbed upon seeing my cold body in the morgue.
I'm sorry.
I made a grave mistake.
To fulfill my mom's wish
for me to live on until the end,
I had to…
go on living.
I lived for 32 years…
which was longer than the time I lived as Choi Yee-jae…
in remembrance…
of the people
to whom I've said goodbye.
You can't really say you're living
when you live in constant fear.
But since I was a coward,
I always lived in constant fear.
Afraid that the world wouldn't recognize my worth,
that I would fall behind my peers,
and that I would be rejected,
I ended up taking my own life
due to this fear
before my life could even blossom.
I only realized after dying
that life in itself
was an opportunity.
And the pain that I thought engulfed my whole life
was only a small part of it.
A clear day.
A rainy day.
A windy day.
I learned that life
was made up of these different days.
And that it was okay to fail
as long as I kept going.
It was only after I ended up inside my mom's body
that I finally
realized this.
I never thought I'd say this…
but I missed you so much.
It's just that I didn't realize
it'd take this long to see you again.
Did it?
I have trouble sensing the passage of time.
I did think it took longer than usual, though.
It was plenty long enough for me.
And
I spent all that time thinking about what I should do
when I met you again.
I'm begging you.
Can you please
shoot me again
just once more?
I already used up all the bullets allocated to you.
I know.
I do,
but please give me a chance
to live as myself just once more.
Let me have another go at life as Choi Yee-jae.
I'm begging you.
Please.
Why?
I want to give my mom a hug one last time.
You said that you would beat me
playing by the rules I have created.
You won.
What?
You managed to avoid death and survive.
You received your punishment from me in full.
All that is left for you now is God's judgment.
And before that happens,
I'll give you one more bullet.
Really?
You will be given the chance you asked for
if this gun ends up firing.
What if it doesn't?
Then you will be in God's hands.
MOM
Mom.
Are you standing at the edge of the world?
THERE IS ONLY ONE YOU IN THIS WORLD
Unable to cry out loud
You struggle to call out the name
Of the person you loved
The only one you loved
It's okay to cry out loud
Until your cries are heard In the distant future
If you happen to encounter today
I hope there's no pain
Or despair left
Are you still standing there?
Are you afraid to turn back?
The face I somberly remembered
The person I'm grateful for
The person I owe
Although there's no miracle we hoped for
Nor the strength to get back on our feet
Listen to the voice that embraces you
"I love you"
If you're still hesitating
I hope you find the courage
To stand up again
And overcome it
Subtitle: Sonya Hong ourage