CERTIFICATE OF APPOINTMENT
I will do my best
to serve you just as you served President Jang
when you were his prime minister.
I will thoroughly execute the duties of my role.
After all, if it weren't for you,
I wouldn't have made it this far.
[applause]
[suspenseful music playing]
[Su-jin] My fellow citizens, I stand before you honored
to accept the role of prime minister in the administration of Park Dong-ho.
I extend my deepest gratitude to the President,
the Assembly members from both parties,
and the citizens of Korea for their trust in allowing me to lead
the Cabinet as your prime minister.
My vision is to create a society where every citizen,
especially the less privileged,
is empowered to thrive and where there is opportunity for all.
Say something.
I'd like an apology from you.
"I'll keep silent about the private equity fund."
"Just find proof that I didn't assassinate the president."
"I'm just an innocent businessman
who was framed and incarcerated by President Park Dong-ho,
so please find a way to get me out of here."
Do you remember saying any of that?
-The verdict of the first trial-- -The first of multiple trials.
-Park Dong-ho is the president now. -Not for long, he's not.
[sighs] He's too high up the ladder.
President Jang was high up the ladder too.
Keep your mouth shut.
And your eyes open.
I'll
help you get back to your office at Daejin Group.
So please
keep your cell clean.
Very soon,
this cell will belong to Park Dong-ho.
I'll have you…
and him
eating right out of my hand.
[suspenseful music playing]
I need you to
set up a meeting.
[opening theme music playing]
THE WHIRLWIND
EPISODE 8
[mysterious music playing]
SAFE HOUSE IN SAMCHEONGDONG
[Yeon-sook clears throat]
KANG YEONG-IK THE CHAIRMAN OF DAEJIN GROUP
[knock on door]
I just learned Chairman Kang has been discharged from the hospital, ma'am.
He asked for a meeting with the president at the Samcheongdong Safe House.
We finally get to meet, you and I.
I told your eldest son sitting over there
I would expose my sins
if he exposes the sins of his brother.
However,
Prime Minister Jeong Su-jin still has a firm muzzle on your son Kang Sang-un.
Do you think you can remove it?
And what do I get in return?
What power will you put in my hand?
[suspenseful music playing]
[Yeong-ik] That man used to work for me.
I think you'll find him useful.
[Su-jin] He'll demand the chairman position of the NPS.
Every year, they invest about 900 trillion won just in stocks alone.
That's more than twice the national budget.
Daejin Group's stock price will skyrocket if even a tenth of that money is moved,
and Chairman Kang will end up making trillions in profits.
So what you're asking me
is to use the National Pension as Daejin Group's seed money?
That's right, but only a portion.
I will only use what I need and put the rest right back.
You formed an illegal slush fund worth hundreds of billions of won and now--
That was over a decade ago
when you were still a prosecutor.
I'll request another arrest warrant. Apart from the tax havens, there are…
[Yeong-ik] You kept on investigating my overseas stocks and bonds.
You pretty much forced me to
cut more than half of the fund.
Five years ago…
Once I'm in the Assembly, I'll resume the investigation.
[Yeong-ik] You joined the National Assembly, and I lost another half.
That national investigation forced me to move all of it to a Swiss bank.
You chopped my fingers off,
and you left me with nothing but this one right here.
That wasn't nice.
So if you want a favor from me,
then you'll have to find a way to give me all that money back.
[Man-gil] Do you think Dong-ho will team up with him?
A lion will never feast on rotten flesh,
even when on the verge of starvation.
For that reason…
the lion's fate is sealed.
It looks like I was mistaken.
I thought you were a reasonable man, Chairman Kang.
I shouldn't have wasted your precious time before you return to prison.
[Yeong-ik] This won't affect the people or the country in any way.
The money's only being used within the group to
influence our stock prices.
The reason I'm borrowing money from the National Pension
is to fix my succession problem.
You want to get rid of Kang Sang-un
so that Kang Sang-jin can become your heir?
Is Vice-chairman Kang aware of your plans to erase him from Daejin Group?
[Yeong-ik] It's not like it matters.
He'll never be a free man again anyway,
so I might as well make Sang-un take one for the team,
don't you think, Mr. President?
He is charged for assassinating a sitting president.
That's life in prison without parole, no matter what I do.
So you want to keep your son in prison
for the rest of his life for the president's assassination?
If just one person has to face injustice
in order for all of us to get what we want--
How could you?!
Father!
I trusted you, you bastard!
Put your faith in me, Vice-Chairman Kang.
I need the bank account number for the slush fund that was the source
of your investment in Han Min-ho.
Macao Bank.
[Yeong-ik] No! Sang-un!
Why?!
Eight, two,
one, nine, one,
zero,
three,
one!
[sobbing]
[screams]
[Dong-ho] Get the NIS to secure the Macao Bank account
and the FSS to confirm the details of the transactions.
[Yeon-sook] Yes, Mr. President.
[door opens]
[Jung-gwon] Oh?
Get all 25 prosecutors and 40 detectives from the CIO
on Han Min-ho's case.
Uh, that's impossible. We've got other cases to work--
That was a command.
If you do this, you'll be promoted as my next minister of justice.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Dong-ho sighs]
What will it be?
[gulps]
[Jong-yeong] Detective Lee Jong-yeong from the CIO.
Where is Director Jo Il-gyu?
Director Jo?
Which prosecutor's on the case?
-[Eul-jung] I'm not sure-- -Figure it out!
That way I know which connections of mine to call.
Su-jin! Su-jin!
Su-jin!
-Did you hear? The CIO-- -I heard.
-I'm going to my office to look into it. -[phone vibrating]
JEONG PIL-GYU
Hey, Su-jin, it's me.
I heard something from a buddy in the NIS.
Vice Chairman Kang told them everything.
They got the Macao Bank account.
[suspenseful music playing]
How dare the CIO get involved?! Who do they think they are?
Hey, Su-jin.
Why don't you use your position as prime minister to change the law?
How much?
How much was Kang Sang-un's investment?
First one was five billion.
The second time, he sent me ten billion.
Which account did he get the money from?
Macao Bank, I think.
Are you… okay?
Who's the person in charge of Namsan C&C's books?
Park Tae-sik, the former NCSR director,
and Oh Cheol-min, the guy who let me hide at his place when I was wanted for--
Send him away! Somewhere Park Dong-ho can't reach.
Hurry! Go!
[suspenseful music continues]
Hand over your shares over to Cheol-un, and take a break as CEO of Namsan C&C.
Su-jin, listen. I can fix this, okay?
I'm sorry. This is my fault.
I should have never trusted you.
But I built Namsan C&C myself from the ground up--
I'm done asking you nicely.
-Dissolve your company-- -Jeong Su-jin!
I am Han Min-ho.
[Jeong-yeon] They tracked down the phones of Namsan C&C's personnel.
They're at the Port of Incheon now.
Looks like they're trying to leave the country in spite of their travel ban.
Then call the Coast Guard. Tell them to stop every fishing boat.
The call was already made, but it wasn't me who made the call
to the Coast Guard, sir.
The order came from the prime minister.
Kim Gu, leader of the Independence Movement
against Imperial Japan
wrote this after being tortured.
"The pro-Japanese are fighting hard."
"I'll have to fight harder for our independence."
Call for a meeting.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Dong-ho] We've gathered human intelligence from a secret source.
(EMERGENCY SECURITY MEETING)
Insurgent forces
that were operating in secret are attempting
to flee the country this very moment.
[alarm blaring]
[Dong-ho] Mobilize all military assets of the Navy and Air Force,
including special-purpose aircrafts and airborne warning aircrafts.
I heard you held an emergency NSC meeting.
What kind of national emergency is kept from the prime minister?
I need you to fly abroad next week.
I'd like you to give the keynote speech at the Global Security Council in France.
Is there a reason why you want me out of the country?
I thought I made it clear.
The reason is this country has no use for someone like you.
-[Dong-ho sighs] -[phone vibrating]
SO-YEON'S DAD
[Min-ho] Su-jin, Tae-sik and Cheol-min have been arrested at sea.
They're being transferred to the CIO.
[Dong-ho sighs]
[phone beeps]
How dare you mobilize the military for your own personal interests?
Well, I'm only… taking a page from your book.
You want me gone,
out of the country so you can take down Namsan C&C.
Have a great trip.
But when you're back, the CIO will be waiting for you.
The deputy prime minister should attend in my--
[suspenseful music playing]
You've fallen into quicksand.
But don't you dare try and reach out for help.
Whoever grabs your hand will be dragged down with you.
Don't even think about screaming for help.
[Il-jun] You can scream all you want, but it won't matter.
This is the end for you and I.
[Dong-ho exhales]
Farewell.
[Su-jin inhales sharply]
Goodbye.
[breathing shakily]
[reporter] The CIO is currently investigating
Namsan C&C's accounting team leader, Park Tae-sik,
and the finance director, Oh Cheol-min,
who were caught last night while attempting to flee overseas.
Both individuals were in charge of managing funds at Namsan C&C
and are believed to possess key information regarding the company.
After investigating Vice Chairman Kang's slush fund account,
the CIO is now focused on determining how those funds were obtained by Namsan C&C
and the nature of the compensation.
The CIO announced plans to issue a subpoena to CEO Han Min-ho,
with an indication that an arrest warrant will be issued if he fails to comply.
I've lost so much money.
All of my investments,
my overseas funds, and cryptocurrency, it's gone.
Just so you know, Namsan C&C never
profited from being involved in national projects or political moves.
Not even I would fall for that lie.
Do you really think the CIO will?
Listen.
Don't tell them about our dealings.
Su-jin never knew anything about it.
S… say that in your testimony.
You're trying to save your wife's butt.
[shudders]
If she goes scot-free, she'll find a way out for you.
That's your plan, isn't it?
After you're convicted, she'll get you a special pardon.
Then you'll go back into society as if nothing happened.
Vice Chairman, please don't--
[mysterious music playing]
It's too late. There's nothing I can do now.
I never told you this, but
you were always so fragile,
like a broken egg.
The CIO already found
the Bangkok account that was linked to your account in Macao.
At the last election, you received a generous subsidy.
It came from that account, right?
[Min-ho breathes shakily]
So…
what did you tell them? Everything?
When two suspects are being investigated for the same crime,
the person who cooperates first will usually go free.
That's just the perk for helping with the investigation.
[chuckles]
But I never thought I'd end up being the snitch.
Tell your wife to get a lawyer.
If you want, I can send one of mine,
once they're done getting me out.
[Min-ho] Vice Chairman Kang,
please help me.
Please don't do this to me!
Did you know
a boiled egg represents
a new beginning?
Why did I ever look up to someone like you?
[somber music playing]
[door closes]
[Su-jin sighs]
[Su-jin] Why haven't I left you…
after all this time together?
[tense music playing]
[Su-jin sighs]
[sighs]
Twenty years ago,
when you… first tried to get elected…
[poignant music playing]
…only 12 votes kept you from winning.
I wonder what our lives would've been like instead.
I would've been a great politician, I think.
It's already been a decade
from the last time you tried to get elected.
I wonder what if you hadn't lost then.
Well, I think it worked out for the better…
because thanks to that,
you were able to run for office.
You'll get through this, hmm?
Su-jin.
[Su-jin] Back then, you were arrested twice, right?
For breaking the Assembly and Demonstration Act and…
the National Act.
I still remember when thousands of students gathered
in front of the prison and chanted,
"Han Min-ho! Han Min-ho!"
Everyone said you were great.
And I was actually
proud of you back then.
Just know…
that I'm still… proud of you.
[Su-jin chuckles]
[music fades]
That's enough.
Leave it for me.
[suspenseful music playing]
Go get some rest.
[Min-ho] "Until the day I die, I long to have no speck of shame
when I gaze up toward heaven."
[footsteps approaching]
[music fades]
[Min-ho] Just like this verse from a poet who lived through Japanese colonialism,
I've always made an effort to live a life without shame.
[door closes]
[Man-gil] Your car's ready, ma'am.
[Su-jin] He plans to kill himself.
The police!
Call the police. Hurry!
The investment isn't the only money your husband received from Kang.
The vice chairman supplied election funds
to over 100 candidates of the Korean Liberal party.
And more than 50 of them were successfully elected.
If this had come to light
after your husband was summoned,
the Korean Liberal Party would've completely crumbled.
He's my husband, So-yeon's father!
It's too high a price to pay.
[Man-gil] President Jang paid the price.
[suspenseful music playing]
You made sure with your own two hands.
If your husband stays alive
then more than 50 people would fall with him.
Even if he were to come back to us, he wouldn't be able to save us.
In that case, it makes sense that all of this is really for the better.
Wouldn't you agree?
Lee Man-gil!
This is what he wanted.
He told me himself.
He was embarrassed of the last ten years of his life.
I wanna feel
like the honorable NCSR President Han Min-ho I once was…
as I take my life.
It's what he wants, ma'am.
[breathes shakily]
[police siren blares]
[Min-ho] I spent my entire life fighting against injustice and dictatorship,
but the blades of political investigation cut too deep.
I can no longer witness the arrest of my innocent friends
and colleagues for something they didn't do.
I swear in the name of my beloved country and its history
that I, too, am innocent.
I hope that no one else
will fall victim to the same fate as me.
Han Min-ho.
EMERGENCY CALL 112
[phone vibrating]
[weeps]
[somber music playing]
[Su-jin crying]
[man] This was found next to his body.
[Min-ho] Su-jin,
I want to be remembered
for who I was.
[door opens]
[door closes]
[chanting] Han Min-ho! Han Min-ho!
[Su-jin] I'll never forget…
[crowd chanting] Han Min-ho! Han Min-ho!
[Su-jin] …the passionate and ambitious young man I fell in love with.
I'll make sure you are remembered
for the person you once were…
Min-ho.
And when I finish here…
we can…
cry together.
[cries]
[music fades]
[Su-jin] Our country sometimes compensates victims kidnapped by North Korea.
But according to the law,
only national martyrs, those who died in the line of duty,
and patriots are entitled to that compensation.
I'll find a way
to make sure that your father receives that recognition.
After all, he was kidnapped, then later murdered.
So, if he
receives the title of a national martyr--
The voices of your supporters will only grow louder.
[gasps]
[suspenseful music playing]
[laughs]
Really? This is the greatest gift I've been given in a while.
Let's hear it.
What do you want in return?
[suspenseful music continues]
You are the head of Public Security at the Prosecutors' Office,
and I handle the Cultural Propaganda Division.
That makes for an amazing team.
PRESIDENT PARK DONG-HO
[Su-jin grunts]
[suspenseful music playing]
TO: THE CHIEF PROSECUTOR SEOUL CENTRAL DPO
PARK DONG-HO
After I was demoted to the Institute of Justice,
I took up hiking.
As I was climbing over rocks and hills, I would think,
"What should I do now?
If Gi-tae was still here, what would he say?"
Gi-tae had faith in the justice system.
He was a man of principles. He followed the law, even if it took--
That's why my brother
didn't make it.
So is that why you went to Artemis?
SIX MONTHS AGO
[solemn music playing]
[Jang-seok] Jeong-yeon, tell me, did Dong-ho
tell you to get the drug?
I know it was his idea
to poison President Jang. Tell me the truth.
It wasn't.
It was Gi-tae's idea.
At his funeral, I heard him telling me to do whatever it takes
to stop President Jang Il-jun.
He cried out from his grave and told me to do
whatever it took to bring Jeong Su-jin to justice once and for all.
I heard him loud and clear.
You're his friend. You didn't hear anything?
[suspenseful music playing]
I have to enforce the law. It's my job as a prosecutor.
When my brother was pushed to commit suicide,
where was the law, Jang-seok?
When Jeong Su-jin covered up the truth, where was the prosecution?
I know it's hard.
And I know
the justice system can take a while.
But I have faith
that, in the end, justice will be served, Jeong-yeon.
Even if the system makes me angry sometimes,
I know the right thing is to wait for due process.
I went to the Artemis club to
grab a few beers with a friend of mine.
It's a weak alibi,
and your investigation will probably refute it in no time,
but Jang-seok…
take the long way around if possible.
If anything, do it for my brother.
Jeong-yeon…
there are some really bad people in this world,
but the people who carry out their own plans for justice
can be just as problematic.
Like you're doing,
and Dong-ho.
[breathes shakily]
[exhales shakily]
It's a list of Cabinet members who will be working with me.
Seventeen ministers and deputy ministers. Trustworthy people.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Yeon-sook] You don't have the power to do that.
Only the president has the authority to appoint--
The prime minister can recommend candidates.
I'll soon have the power to choose whomever I want anyway.
You'll be leaving the Blue House soon enough.
[scoffs quietly]
What should I do first, once I become the acting president?
Suggestions?
[sighs]
I have one suggestion.
Just because your husband recently passed away,
doesn't make you invulnerable.
And here's one for you.
The authority you have as president
doesn't make you invulnerable either.
[knock on door]
[door slams]
[panting]
Mr. President.
[beeps]
New Conservative Party's Assemblyman Jo Sang-cheon
held an emergency press conference today,
requesting that the National Assembly hold an investigation
regarding the late President Jang Il-jun's death.
[Su-jin] You are head of Public Security at the Prosecutors' Office,
and I handle the Cultural Propaganda Division.
That makes for an amazing team.
[woman] Assemblyman Jo Sang-cheon raised a question
about the suspicious circumstances surrounding the late president's sudden--
[beeps]
[mysterious music playing]
The thing about nuclear weapons is
it poses the greatest threat only when a finger…
is resting on the button.
You pushed that button first, and now it's my turn.
[suspenseful music playing]
[man] The New Conservative Party announced a national investigation
to address public suspicions about the late president's death,
including a questioning of witnesses and on-site investigations.
Prosecutor Lee is on his way to the National Assembly Building.
Once he's sworn in and the testimony begins,
that might be the end of us, Mr. President.
[man] Today marks the beginning of the investigation,
with the first witness already selected.
All attention is focused on District Attorney Lee Jang-seok
and what stance he will take.
[phone vibrating]
[mysterious music playing]
Turn the car around.
You will not give a testimony.
That's an order!
I can't.
This first started because President Jang interfered with the investigation.
Please listen.
-You're behaving like President Jang-- -Give me a month. Actually,
all I need is a week.
I promised Gi-tae that Jeong Su-jin would face justice.
Let me do it for you.
I can't stop investigating the PE fund case.
You'll be leaving the Blue House soon enough.
No, only I can do this.
I can't leave the Blue--
I'm sure President Jang also thought that only he could do it.
He evaded punishment because he believed he was
the only person who could fix everything.
Please, Jang-seok.
[Jang-seok] But that's what's destroying this country.
This self-preservation
is what makes you corrupt.
I have to hold you accountable for your actions.
But I promise you, Dong-ho,
after I'm done with you,
I will go after those who began this.
Is that clear?
What should I do first, once I become the acting president?
[Jang-seok] Dong-ho? Dong-ho?
[suspenseful music playing]
[Dong-ho] So no stone
should be left unturned.
No authority should be immune to impartial investigation.
"No stone should be left unturned."
Usually, people who say that are unturned stones.
Go make the arrest.
[tires squeal]
[suspenseful music continues]
I'm Detective Lee Jong-yeong.
Prosecutor Lee Jang-seok, you're under arrest for bribery.
[dramatic music playing]
[music stops]
THE WHIRLWIND
[closing theme music playing]
[music stops]