The Manipulated (2025) s01e08 Episode Script

The Manipulated
All Purpose
General Electric.
There a problem?
Of course not.
Detective, I'd like to ask you a favor.
-What?
-It's about Noh Yongsik.
He gets startled anytime
he sees me on the street.
So if we barge in there right now,
it'll piss him off.
Go easy on him, would you?
You listen to me.
Are we here to see an old friend?
If you don't want to go in,
then stay here.
I can do this without you.
No. Well, that's not good.
Coming!
Officer.
-How have you been?
-Coming through. Move!
-Hang on!
-What's that smell?
Can I help you with something?
You know Park Taejoong, right?
Uh, yes.
-I heard you were close.
-Yeah, sure.
Have you had any contact
with him recently?
-I wanted to know how he was doing.
-What else?
-I asked him if he was staying healthy--
-All right.
So, uh, are you all right?
-Yes.
-A lot has changed for you.
Was it overwhelming at first?
Well, yes, it was really difficult.
I mean, I wasn't used to taking the bus.
I'd never used a cell phone.
I figured it out eventually, though.
Of course you did.
Oh! Why don't I bring us
something to drink?
-I'll be right back.
-No need.
Come here.
-Come here.
-Okay.
You don't look surprised
that I'm bringing him up.
Something you want to tell me?
You're right.
It is a little strange, actually.
Whenever I'm talking,
you better look at me.
It's just Taejoong is in prison.
What do you need from me?
He escaped.
Have you seen him? Was he here?
Uh, no.
You won't mind if I take a look inside?
No. I live here, so I'd rather--
-It'll only take a second.
-Hey! Please.
-Come on.
-That's private! No, that's private.
It'll only take a minute.
Hey, get your hands off me!
Oh.
Shit.
Who are you guys?
Huh? Just barging in here like this?
I just need to look in there.
Yeah, why is that?
Trying to look at my underwear?
Hey. No, these two are
This man is a prison officer
and he's with the police.
Gentlemen, this is my daughter.
Shut up. Don't tell them that.
Why are a prison guard and a cop
in my house?
It's work related.
We just have some questions.
Ah. You two have some questions,
and that gives you the right
to search my house?
If you'll let us look inside,
we can leave.
I know my father went to jail.
-That doesn't mean you can harass him.
-No, we're not--
You're treating him like a criminal.
It's not right.
Did you hit me, you little punk?
You don't get to call me that.
You were trespassing!
Get out now! Hear me? Get out!
Get out! I said get out!
Leave now! Get out of here!
Get out of here, you motherfuckers!
-Just go outside!
-Go! And don't come back.
-Sorry for the trouble. We'll leave.
-Get the fuck out!
-Get out!
-Sorry for the trouble.
-You, too.
-Huh?
Go out and make sure they leave.
All right.
You two are driving me insane.
Shit.
I apologize.
I know this was a surprise,
and we made a mess of it.
-I'll come back later.
-No, don't.
I would prefer it if you didn't come back.
-Sorry?
-Frankly, I
am not comfortable speaking with you.
That goes for the detective, too.
All right.
I won't bother you again.
Goodbye now.
I said
You could have been
a little more considerate.
You can be considerate
for the both of us.
Sound good?
We got to keep searching.
All right?
All right, let's go.
The Manipulated
Yes. I'm getting off the bus now.
Are you here?
Do I walk over?
It's not an issue.
I can go over to you. Stay there.
Okay. Got it.
See you then.
Oh, hi, there.
Oh, is the phone yours?
It is. Thank you for coming.
My daughter has severe asthma,
so I can't leave her alone for long.
I get it.
-Here you go.
-Ah. Yes, thank you.
Stop by and get your hair done sometime.
I will.
You have a great day.
Ah! What the Hey!
Go after that guy! Hey!
Oh, God!
Hey! There he is!
Someone stop him!
Where do you think you're going?
Get him!
Yeah.
Hold on.
Someone stole the phone?
Are you serious?
I'll call the auction house.
Just head back for now.
So, this pianist is the victim.
And they were trying to plant this phone
at the hair salon
to frame her just like you.
-Yeah.
-Wow.
I'd go crazy if I knew I was being framed.
No matter how many times
you say you're innocent,
who would believe you?
I mean, these movement patterns
match exactly.
Oh! What about those guys
hanging around the hair salon?
Looks like they vanished.
Then the chain of connection is broken.
Hmm. No, I wouldn't say that.
I have their expensive phone, after all,
and they're gonna want it back.
Also, the police stopped by earlier.
-What?
-No, it's fine. Don't worry.
They came by to do
some routine questioning,
Eunbi went off on them
and kicked them out.
It was I wish you had seen--
-Yongsik
-Huh?
I don't think staying with you
is a good idea.
No, no, no.
Don't you worry about that.
It's much better for you to stay here.
And you know what they say.
The safest place
is under your enemy's nose.
So don't worry,
they won't be coming back here.
I'm sorry I have to keep
asking you for favors.
Hey, don't talk like that.
You're not just some random stranger.
Oh, this. Here.
Hello?
Looks like I have your phone, doesn't it?
If I return it to you,
how much are you willing to pay?
What the hell did you just say?
I could always sell it to someone else.
Wait, what? Okay, hold on.
Just tell me how much you want for it.
It'll cost you a lot.
And I know you have it.
Just get it ready.
Just my fucking luck.
What the hell happened?
That guy on the bike
drove off with the phone.
He took it? Are you fucking serious?
He said if we pay him,
then he'll return it to us.
This asshole is trying
to sell our phone back to us?
What do I do?
It's fine, okay?
You give this guy whatever he wants.
Just get that phone back.
Son of a Hey, you're gonna go too.
Make sure you kill this motherfucker.
This guy thinks he can take my stuff.
You're gonna eat shit and die, asshole.
I'm at the spot we agreed on.
Where are you?
You have the money?
Yeah, I have it.
A delivery man
will stop in front of you.
Are you here for the delivery?
Is he there?
Now give him the money.
What if you take it and run?
Isn't the phone
something you guys need?
If you don't like it, then forget it.
Didn't you call earlier?
I gave him the money. Where's the phone?
On the mailboxes
in the building behind you.
Shit.
Shit. Why isn't he answering the phone?
You don't have to worry.
The scheduling delay
isn't going to be a problem for us.
We still have a window.
BAEK DOKYOUNG
You're not one to make mistakes, Director.
I hope this doesn't happen again.
No, it will never happen again.
Throw this away for me.
Trust me.
We're gonna get the phone back.
The thief said he wanted money
for the phone, so we made a deal.
It'll be back here any minute.
-What are you saying?
-What?
You decided that
without getting my permission?
-No, I just What I mean is I
-I made it very clear to you.
You were not to fail me again.
Blood splattered all over.
I want you to take care
of this today, and I want a photo of it.
Okay, I will.
Shit.
What do you mean?
What do they collect?
Everything.
From everyday household trash
to cigarette butts.
They collect anything
that could be linked to the victim.
That's how we were able to frame you.
Yongsik.
Hey, Taejoong,
Something's going on at the salon.
Yeah. Go quickly.
Hey, who the hell are you?
What's going on out there?
- Get him!
- Go, get him!
Excuse me, miss. We're closed for the day.
The cash is right over there.
It's inside the drawer.
You can take all of it. I don't care
Can I get my hair done?
What?
Don't let him get away!
Shit!
It's become coarse already.
I just arrived in Korea
and I'm already so busy.
I'll go grab some cuticle oil
for your nails.
You sure about that?
Your daughter in there
will be put in danger, too.
I wouldn't
put your daughter at risk.
Who are you?
-You all right?
-Yes.
Taejoong. You all right? Huh?
The police are on their way here.
They're right in there.
-In there?
-In that room.
I'm here to help. It's okay.
Park Taejoong.
What are you up to?
Are you looking for me?
Are you trying to meet with me?
Nanny, come.
Park Taejoong is on his way to meet me.
You have guests waiting.
Guests? That's unexpected.
Good to see you, my friend.
Wow! What a nice house.
So, this is where you live?
-I don't recall inviting you here.
-You're right. You didn't.
You kept your address a secret.
Why don't you sit down and join us?
You can return to your work now.
Yes, master. As you wish.
I hope you'll excuse me
for showing up at your home uninvited.
It's all right. I get the message.
No matter where I go,
you can always track me down.
Very well played.
Oh! He didn't even bat an eye.
You're a real badass,
you know that? Isn't he?
I'll get straight to the point.
Do you know who this is?
Yes, I do.
This guy blew up
the game field and took off.
So what?
Seriously? So what?
Wow, you really are shameless.
That's my avatar.
Did you think I wouldn't find out?
You said they'd all die on their own.
So why the hell
is mine wandering outside?
Why? Goddamn it!
And how the hell are you gonna fix this?
I don't think this is a problem at all.
What you think is irrelevant.
If I say it's a problem, it's a problem.
Understood?
Not really.
If you take a large sum of money,
then you have to bear
all the responsibility that comes with it.
Now, I was willing to pay
what you were asking for
because you said
you'd handle this discreetly.
But if he's still alive
and walking around out there,
that's not what we agreed to.
Listen to me.
This can be solved quite easily.
I want results by the end of this week.
Otherwise, the next time I visit,
it won't be for a friendly chat
like it was today.
Oh.
That's quite foreboding.
Now, listen
I'm still your friend.
Hmm?
Because I don't want this to be
a master-servant type relationship.
Hmm?
Well, you know, I never
thought of you as a servant.
Actually, I think I'll find him
and kill him myself
and get a refund from you.
That sounds good.
Since there's no ashtray.
Hey, I want you to stay abroad
until we catch this guy. Got it?
Yeah, of course.
-You say jump, I jump.
-You punk!
Careful how you talk to me.
Goodbye.
Fuck.
Shit!
This is upsetting.
I gave them the opportunity of a lifetime,
and this is what they chose to do with it.
They're down to making threats.
How would you like this handled?
Let's just end this thing.
Yes?
You're saying he took
the woman and the kid?
Looks like Park Taejoong
is closer than I thought.
Hold on. Instead of shutting it all down,
I'll offer it as a gift.
A gift for who?
Park Taejoong and his friend.
They're on the hunt and they want answers.
We should at least give them a hint.
Hey
Why is it dark? Where are they?
Is this son of a bitch a stalker?
What the hell?
Wow!
-Huh? Hey, what is this?
-Just a minute.
-Wait. Who are they?
-It's all right. It's all right.
- I'm scared.
- We're okay. We're safe now.
Ah, you're here, Eunbi.
This is really crazy.
What?
-Grandfather!
-Hmm?
Can I play with this one, too?
Sure. You can play with that one.
I'm letting you play with it
because you ate all your food.
There's lots of cool stuff here.
Go have fun.
And be careful, all right?
What is all of this?
Uh, it turns out there are
people watching you,
tracking your movements,
going through your things.
And we found this.
It's a file full of information about you.
Uh I don't think it's a good idea
for you two to stay here.
Can you stay at a friend's house,
or maybe with a relative?
We have nowhere to go.
We should find somewhere new,
a place with no previous connections.
I think that would be the safest option.
Where are we gonna find that?
Huh? What?
Why are you looking at me?
-Come in, you can lay her down.
-Okay.
The sheets are all freshly washed.
Thank you.
I'm gonna be sleeping in my friend's room.
Tell me if you need anything.
All right, I will. Thanks.
Also, I just want to say
this means a lot.
Thanks for doing this.
Hmm.
Isn't it nice having people here
after so long?
-Have a good night.
-Good night.
-Yes. Good night.
-Sleep well.
So, this is where you live.
You're not having any leaks
or anything, are you?
Uh I'm gonna go to the store
and get some stuff you might need.
I'll be back.
Hey, what the hell?
Look, that little girl in there
has asthma.
The smell of smoke isn't good for her.
You're gonna follow me.
What are you doing? Let's go.
This is ridiculous. She's just a kid
and she keeps bossing me around.
So, who are you, really?
Are you serious?
That's why you dragged me out here?
I'm seriously fucking confused.
None of this makes any sense.
I want to know the truth.
Did you actually kill someone or not?
Think whatever you want.
If you walk away right now
without answering,
I'm gonna kick out that woman and her kid.
Don't do that. Come on.
Then why don't you explain it to me, huh?
Help me understand.
Can you stop moving around?
Go to sleep.
-You know, Seona
-What is it?
What if you were accused of murder?
Suddenly they lock you up.
And worst of all, they say you have to
spend the rest of your life in prison.
How do you think you would feel?
What's with
the stupid questions, huh?
Seriously, stop being annoying
and go to sleep.
That fucking idiot.
He's really pitiful.
Hello?
Yeah. Yeah. What?
Yes.
Yes. Okay.
It's Eunbi. She said to call this number
if anything happens.
How come you get so nervous
whenever your daughter calls you?
If she called twice,
you might have a heart attack.
Actually, that was my first
phone call with her.
I didn't even know her phone number.
Hmm?
Hey, I found out
where my daughter lives today.
I even got her phone number.
I think you're my lucky charm,
Taejoong, eh? Yeah.
What kind of daughter doesn't
give her dad her phone number?
And she won't even tell you
where she lives?
I don't know how you put up with her
when she's so rude to you.
Oh, no, she's really sweet
underneath all that.
I took something
that was very precious to her.
I've committed many sins.
Too many to ever pay her back.
Oh. Here. Hold the wheel for a moment.
-Right now?
-Yeah.
-I want to save her number.
-You can save her number later.
-Wait. Hold on
-Keep your eyes on the road.
-All right.
-Just wait till we get home.
-It can wait.
-Just hold on.
- Here.
- Oh, Jesus!
Come on! Eyes up front.
-This is dangerous.
-I saved it. We're good.
Geez!
Oh, dear. It looks like So Hyeon
turned this place into a playroom.
Wow, We were so out of it,
we forgot to turn off the TV.
-Ah, well, let's see
-No, give it to me.
Oh! Okay.
Why don't we go ahead and eat?
I'll clean all this up later.
No, I can clean this up.
Now an important news update.
Previously, we reported
on the horrific story
Hey, I'll do that later.
Let's eat while the food's hot.
-Right, okay, I'm coming.
-Huh?
The case has drawn public outrage
due to the gruesome nature of the murder.
The police have suspected
that the perpetrator
was someone
that the victim had known closely,
and yesterday at 4:00 p.m.,
they announced they had already secured
substantial evidence and were narrowing
-their investigative network
-What is it?
The police were able to
make an arrest.
The suspect, who is now in custody,
was revealed to be
Doesn't the phone belong to that pianist?
the victim
had frequently visited.
The police believe the suspect committed
suicide immediately after the crime,
and we have reports that they are now
-speeding up their investigation.
-Shit.
Hold on. Does this mean there was
another target besides So Hyeonjung?
What on earth is this?
Now, on to our next story
I told you, didn't I?
Everything falls into place eventually.
For now, I'd recommend you send
your kid away on a trip or something.
I look forward to your support.
Thank you, Minister.
Shit.
I know
there was some trial and error.
Fortunately, everything worked out.
And it was all thanks to you, sir.
Did it seem like trial and error to you?
Was it not?
I told my clients these guys
would all drop dead on their own.
They would simply kill themselves
once they got desperate enough.
That's what I was betting on.
-And it seemed foolproof.
-Hmm.
But not with Taejoong.
Don't you think this will end up
becoming an issue?
It's an opportunity to grow.
From now on,
there will be no more exceptions.
Perhaps I should be thanking him
for helping us.
TO PARK TAEJOONG
Son of a bitch!
GIFT HAS ARRIVED
BAEK DOKYOUNG IS THE REAL CULPRI
NOW FIND BAEK DOKYUNG
I'LL GIVE YOU A HINT @d kyung
Now it's time to follow the right path,
Park Taejoong.
The Manipulated