Tale of the Nine Tailed (2020) s01e03 Episode Script

1
THE TALE OF THE NINE TAILED
It's hot.
-Don't be such a baby.
-Your hand is so hot.
It's burning hot.
Long time no see, Lee Yeon.
I'm so thirsty.
EOHWA MINI MAR
12 HOURS AGO
Water!
Water. Water.
I need water.
Water.
Water. Water.
DEATH
EPISODE 3
THE SECRET OF THE DRAGON KING
Wow. He really is a sailor.
He actually drowned.
He drowned?
-In that toilet?
-I pulled him out with my own hands.
Look. His belly is as big as a mountain.
He's been chugging water all day long…
Captain, please call the police right away
and close this bathroom.
Human lives are so vain.
He lived such a hard life, and yet…
What do you mean?
You know Eunha,
the fishing boat that flipped over?
He was on that boat too.
Then he was with Pyung-hee's father…
Yeah. Four people got on,
including Mr. Seo.
Hello? Is this the police?
It must've been a special night.
Oh, gross!
-Why?
-That fishy smell.
-What fishy smell?
-He smells like rotten fish or something.
The body hasn't even started to decay yet.
Is that hair?
But he's got gray hair.
The smell of the sea…
and a faint smell of the blanket
from that house.
That house?
You mean Pyung-hee's house?
DEATH
FISHERMEN RETURN ALIVE
Take a look at this.
This man. It's him.
There were a total of four sailors
on board the sunken Eunha.
Three came back alive,
and the remaining one--
Came back as a skull?
Please let me see my dad!
Dad!
From the looks of it,
he won't be the last one.
You mean more people are going to die?
Then we shouldn't be doing this.
-Why?
-We must go stop it.
-I don't want to.
-What?
It's a hassle, and none of my business.
-And I don't like any of their looks.
-That's enough.
Looks are important to me!
THE SECOND SURVIVOR OF EUNHA
Who's there?
Jin-sik, it's me.
Mr. Seo?
Are you Mr. Seo?
Jin-sik.
Jin-sik.
I'm hungry. So, so hungry.
THE THIRD SURVIVOR OF EUNHA
I'm hungry!
I'm hungry. I'm hungry.
Who's there?
My goodness.
-What the heck?
-Why are you acting as if we've never met?
Your house is a mess.
I heard you were with that skull that day.
Get out of my house. Get lost!
I'll get out only when I want to.
You bastard.
Who the hell do you think you are?
From here on, answer my questions nicely.
If not, you're going to lose your fingers,
one at a time.
What did you do on the boat?
Wave and wind put the fishing boat
on its side.
-The weather forecast was wrong.
-Then why did only three of you return?
Mr. Seo was swept away by the sea,
and we were circling around on the sea…
-Circling around and?
-I don't remember what happened after.
I swear!
When I opened my eyes, I was back on land.
Okay, the pinky goes first.
Wait!
You were scared, weren't you?
Twenty-eight long days
on a shaky lifeboat with no food or water.
The perfect conditions
to drive someone crazy.
A blazing hot August,
with the sunlight slapping your skin.
Your skin was slightly burnt.
The boat is shaking all day long.
You didn't eat, but felt like throwing up.
Waiting for the rescue,
with your teeth clenched--
The more you thought about it,
the angrier you got. "Why me? Why?"
Shut your mouth!
The fifth day was the hardest.
It didn't rain the entire time,
so you must've experienced
symptoms of dehydration first.
No, stop.
Help!
Are you nuts? You have a death wish?
We're all going to die anyway.
I don't want to die.
I don't want to die!
I'm so thirsty.
Pyung-hee must be worried sick.
Pyung-hee…
I'm thirsty.
I'm so hungry.
I'm hungry.
I'm hungry.
But isn't it strange?
You didn't lose much weight
for someone who starved for 28 days.
You couldn't have used a delivery app
in the faraway sea with no Wi-Fi.
-What did you eat?
-It wasn't me!
I didn't do it! It wasn't me!
I didn't do it!
I will not die out here.
Never.
What are you all doing? Stop it!
Stop it! Don't kill me!
I will not die!
It wasn't me!
I'm hungry.
I'm starving to death.
Meat.
Meat. Meat.
Meat.
Give me my meat!
Meat!
My meat! My meat--
Sir! Get up!
Sir!
Hair.
He's dead.
SEO PYUNG-HEE, DAUGHTER OF
SEO KI-CHANG, WHO DIED ON EUNHA
Dad…
Dad…
Stop crying.
Your wish has come true.
There's only one remaining now.
But what will you give me in return?
Which bastard keeps messing
with the List of the Dead?
Oh, dear. Honey! Honey!
What's wrong?
It happened again.
WARNING
ERROR REPOR
Oh, dear. It's an error.
The ones who are not on
the List of the Dead died again!
Don't get too hysterical, honey.
Hysterical?
I mean, stressed.
It was a slip of the tongue.
This is clearly stress from work.
What were you doing
while I was busy at work?
You were watching TV, weren't you?
No, I was watering
the clothes hanger tree.
For three hours? A single tree?
Honey, that's not the problem right now.
The List of the Dead is a mess!
I'll go and get the statistics
of the dead people by region right away.
As soon as possible.
Please wait for a moment.
Oh, right.
Just what kind of a calamity
is about to happen?
I've seen many folk paintings
while investigating for stories,
but I've never seen
such a spooky painting before.
I wonder why.
There's something missing
from this painting.
SEARCH IMAGE
PORTRAIT OF THE DRAGON KING
You scared me!
Oh, sorry.
How can you eat snacks
at a time like this?
Why? These are my favorite chips.
Two people died already.
So?
Don't you have a more reasonable
reaction than "so?"
Do you know how many people died
in just 50 years
during the Japanese invasion
of the Joseon Dynasty?
3.5 million.
I've seen more deaths than
all the funeral homes in Korea combined.
Even if 3.5 million people died,
I'm sure at least one of them
was heartbreaking.
Look here.
We saw the same painting
in the other house too.
Isn't it the portrait of the Dragon King?
It is, but it looks nothing like him.
-You've met him?
-Ages ago, when I was a mountain god.
I took a kind of leadership lecture
with him.
It's too much. He's not this handsome.
But this one's different
from the paintings that I've seen.
Look. This is a normal portrait
of the Dragon King.
Can you tell the difference?
What is this,
a game of "Find the Hidden Picture?"
It has no legs.
Legs?
Speaking of which…
A dragon with no legs. What could that be?
This isn't a dragon. It's a snake.
An imoogi.
Are you Lord Lee Rang?
I've been waiting for you.
Is it really asleep here?
Yes, lord.
The immoral god,
the king of the dishonest.
It's Lord Imoogi.
No way.
That was so cheesy!
You think adding
a bunch of childish titles
will turn this snake into a dragon?
I heard it died fighting against Lee Yeon
with that woman.
Before he went into that girl's body,
he left a part of his body with my family,
a house of female shamans.
I guess it doesn't go all in.
The total opposite of me.
Anyway, did you prepare everything?
A woman born in the Year of the Lamb,
a living sacrifice, and…
Leave Lee Yeon to me.
Go to the graveyard
and pick some evening primroses
that grew on the flesh and blood
of corpses.
I'd like to ask you one thing.
Isn't Lee Yeon your brother by blood?
We are brothers.
To be precise,
half brothers from different mothers.
If he wakes up,
Lee Yeon will not survive.
So?
Why are you helping your brother's enemy?
Just follow me.
-What's going on?
-Pack your bags and leave.
-Get off this damn island immediately.
-What?
I have a bad feeling about this.
-What do you mean?
-If you stay here, you're going to die.
You said you're not here to save people.
Why am I an exception?
That's none of your business.
I won't go home,
for reasons I don't understand.
So why don't you go look
for whomever you came to see?
I have to find out why my parents
came to this island.
Why am I helping my brother's enemy?
It's good that you don't
completely trust your partner.
No, that's not what I meant…
Did you meet Lee Yeon
when he was a mountain god?
-I've only heard stories.
-Recite them.
The most merciless of the four
mountain gods who rule this land…
No one dared to take his forest,
so the Baekdudaegan Mountains
flourished indefinitely.
My brother may be called a mountain god,
but he doesn't care about others at all.
But, you know,
even when we split an apple,
he always gave me the bigger half.
I can still taste the sweetness
of that green apple.
Then why…
With the same hands
he used to split the apple,
he cut my stomach open.
And I was left heartbroken,
far worse than this scar.
-So you're trying to--
-I am a fox, after all.
I must repay him properly.
I'm going to go to hell.
And I'll be taking Lee Yeon with me.
Producer Nam.
I'm at the library,
just as you instructed.
You want me to look for…
corpses?
So, you mean dismembered corpses?
Set Eohwa Island as the keyword
and look into all incidents and accidents.
-If you find anything, call right away.
-What are you looking for?
The stories from the old ladies
are bothering me.
Don't tell anyone you heard it from us.
This isn't the first time it happened.
You know-- the head.
Old hag.
Have you heard any news about that thing?
What thing?
I'm talking about Imoogi.
Didn't you… kill it with your own hands?
-I did.
-Then why?
I'm just worried, that's all.
If by any chance
Ah-eum was reincarnated in this world,
I can't let that thing roam around.
How loyal of you. If it showed up,
there's no way I wouldn't--
Got it. Bye.
That little arrogant bastard.
Pyung-hee.
You're back?
What are you reading?
Why?
You're not Pyung-hee, are you?
How did you…
There's no better place to come read.
By the way, you're here alone.
He's nearby.
No, he isn't.
I'm really good at picking up his scent.
It was you, huh? You killed the fishermen.
You got the wrong person.
You have any proof?
That book.
This? I'm into the classics.
Moby Dick is a novel based on a true story
about a shipwrecked whaling ship
in the 19th century.
And what happened to that ship?
They ate each other and got eaten.
Just like what happened
to Pyung-hee's father.
Geez, you scared me!
You almost gave me a heart attack.
What do we have here?
There's another one.
What are you doing?
-I'm the one asking questions.
-What the hell do you think you're doing?
I said I'm the one asking questions here.
If your answers aren't clear,
you'll never hold a fishing net again.
What is this painting?
But, you know,
if I'm the culprit, I must have a motive.
What could it be?
To bring them to justice?
I wasn't sure before,
but I think I get it now.
The fishermen's deaths are like fireworks.
Fireworks…
You want to distract us
with a noisy incident
to cover our eyes and ears.
Why would I?
To hide your true intentions
of coming to this island, perhaps?
That was amazing. Wow.
You're pretty smart for a human.
Since you got it right,
I must give you a reward.
-You're looking for your parents, right?
-Give that back!
Why? You saw it in your dreams.
-How did you…
-Just say the word.
Who knows?
I may have the answer.
You can…
really find my parents?
Yeah.
Want me to grant you that wish?
I asked you what this painting is.
It's the Dragon King.
He's known to calm the waves and wind
and bring fish to sailors.
So we held big rituals
praying for the wind.
That's a lie.
They say the sea isn't
supposed to be farmed by humans!
-I'm cutting it off.
-I'm serious!
Where did you get this painting?
An old grandma in the village bought them
at a market and passed them around.
Ask any one of the villagers!
Forget everything that just happened.
-How much?
-When did you get here?
That'll be a dollar.
By the way, how many people
came from the broadcasting station?
A pretty-looking young man
just stopped by,
asking where Pyung-hee's house was.
A young man?
You just need to say one word.
Say yes.
My answer is no.
-Why not?
-I heard foxes always repay kindness.
In other words, if I'm indebted to a fox,
it won't be for free.
Geez, so stubborn.
Why are you being so inflexible?
Between you and me,
let me give you a piece of advice:
Don't gamble on someone's misery.
Humans call jerks like you…
a bastard.
You!
I despise everything vulgar!
If you ever call me that again,
I'm going to kill you.
Why me? Why do you keep hovering around--
I'm not talking to you.
But let me give you some advice too.
Don't trust Lee Yeon completely.
What do you mean?
If he finds what he's looking for,
you'll experience hell.
He's gone.
And you're not harmed.
What did that punk say?
He said he can find my parents.
So?
I never make a half-and-half order,
even for chicken.
I just choose one flavor.
-What are you trying to say?
-I rejected your brother's offer.
I bet on the fox
standing right in front of me.
You really are a woman with knowledge.
Is that all?
Don't trust Lee Yeon completely.
That's all.
I'm hungry.
Why don't you pack and leave now?
-What?
-Your brother.
He seems to be preparing
something special.
That's what I'm waiting for.
-She's a newcomer, huh?
-She's not a native Korean fox.
-Then?
-She must be from overseas.
No wonder she looks so fancy.
I wonder how much her jewelry costs.
Whose name is the reservation under?
Ki Yoo-ri.
Oh, my! She's the director
of Moze Department Store.
She doesn't look like the type
to succeed on her own.
Maybe she won the lottery.
Foxes with money and power these days
are one of two types.
Either they're born with a silver spoon
and noble blood, like Lord Lee Yeon,
or they broke a taboo
and stole a human's life.
This makes everything that happened
earlier seem like a dream.
It would be great to live a simple,
boring life like this every day.
Then move to the countryside.
Don't you miss nature?
Not really.
There are no department stores.
I especially can't give up Americanos
or mint chocolate chip ice cream.
What kind of a fox are you?
Life is the same for everyone.
Old country grandmas
may be wearing flower pants,
but that doesn't mean flowers
are blooming in their hearts too.
You'll find harsh, weary years within.
Is that the same for you too?
I was just wondering what all those
long years must've been like.
Then what about you?
What's making you wait for your parents
for such a long time?
For me, it's simple.
I miss them.
My mom and dad.
Same here.
I'm waiting for someone I miss.
Your first love?
Is she a human? Or a fox?
Your face is full of regret.
Why did you break up with her?
You're not going to tell me, huh?
That first love of mine happened
to be a human, and she died,
so I still can't let her go.
Happy now?
You said you're waiting for her.
So, you're waiting for a dead person?
She promised…
to be born again.
Clean up after me too.
Hey, that's for staff only.
Oh, dear. My mistake.
I don't think it was a mistake.
I don't look poor enough
to be stealing things.
How about we introduce each other?
Since we're the same species.
I'm Yoo-ri.
To be frank, we're not the same species.
Are you Russian?
-You have a good eye.
-How did you come to Korea?
-Could it be--
-Right. I was smuggled.
Have you ever been on a nine-hour flight
stuck between Makarov pistols?
As soon as I landed, I wanted to shoot
the smuggler in the face.
It must've been hard.
So if you judge me by my looks
and say I'm not the type
to succeed on my own,
don't you think it'll hurt my feelings?
You know, that was…
It's my duty to confirm these things.
So you're curious
about my secret to success?
-Yes.
-It's nothing much.
Come here.
Closer.
By being sweet like this…
and brutal when I need to be.
Thank you.
How could you get that stolen?
I'm doomed.
Without that necklace, I can't
understand what animals are saying.
You've been going on about how
you're the master vet. Serves you right.
What? The thief was strikingly beautiful?
You know, the most pathetic thing
in the world is to be blinded by a woman.
So what? Didn't you also ruin your life
because you were blinded by a woman too?
What did you say?
-Anyway, what should I do?
-Isn't that obvious?
You know her identity. Barge in.
I can't. She has a gun.
You're damaging the pride of a fox.
A gun shouldn't be a problem!
You know I'm traumatized
since I lost my tail
to a gunshot from a hunter years ago.
So please come back home!
Stop whining and go get it back!
My goodness.
Why is this branch broken?
It must've hurt.
Eat well and grow strong.
The northwest wind is blowing.
Something's on its way.
Hey, Jae-hwan.
You really found similar cases?
What about the victims?
All four are unidentified females.
When was it?
The first case occurred in 1954.
August 13.
1954…
After the end of the Korean War,
something vile came to the island
through a typhoon.
-Read them to me in order.
-August 25, 1961,
September 6, 1979
and September 7, 1987.
The term between each incident is long,
but isn't this a serial murder case?
What were the days?
In the same order, it was Friday, Friday,
Thursday and Monday.
So it's not a particular day.
Between August to September…
Hold on.
LUNAR CALENDAR CONVERTER
FRIDAY, JULY 15, 1961
THURSDAY, JULY 15, 1979
MONDAY, JULY 15, 1987
The lunar calendar.
July 15, following the lunar calendar.
If my calculation is correct,
the dates are all the same.
What?
And today's the same date…
Producer Nam,
get off of that creepy island right away!
Just what happened on this island?
Excuse me!
You were on the same boat
as Pyung-hee's father, right?
Two of the survivors have passed away.
Your life is in danger!
Excuse me!
Hear me out, please!
Hold on!
Why are you running away?
Get away from me, you ghost!
Don't kill him!
It's not that bad.
-What is it?
-Home remedy.
It's hot.
-Don't be such a baby.
-Your hand is so hot.
It's burning hot.
What…
What is this?
Long time no see, Lee Yeon.
What are you?
It's me.
The thing you've been waiting for.
What?
By the way…
why…
did you kill me?
Who are you?
You should've just let me go.
What the hell are you?
Our ill-fated relationship
had to come to an end.
If only you hadn't stopped the boat
sailing past the Stream of the Dead.
No.
That woman was born with a mark
that only I can tell.
You don't have it.
You really…
don't know anything, Lee Yeon.
It's hot.
What did you do to me?
That was so hot it almost killed me!
The scar is gone.
Who are you?
-What the hell are you talking about?
-Answer me.
-What's wrong with you?
-Who are you?
It's me, Ji-ah!
You don't remember?
You just…
Aren't we too old to play catch?
Our relationship is
too screwed up for that.
I was trying to throw a dead ball.
No, the photo!
Get out of here.
What the hell? You two dating?
Damn it.
Hurry!
Go now!
-Move.
-No. Come play with me.
Hey, this is domestic violence.
I heard you should use violence
when raising a brat,
but I couldn't do that,
so I turned a fox into a dog.
Then kicked me to the street.
You treat me like a stray dog
every chance you get.
Oh, little brother, I should get you
a muzzle for Christmas.
Where's my phone?
Who's there?
I've never seen you before.
I'm from a broadcasting station in Seoul.
Do you live here?
Yes.
Which way should I go
to get to the village?
The shortcut is over that hill.
Thank you.
By the way,
how long have you been living here?
It's been long.
Much longer than you'd imagine.
Then have you seen these people before?
This photo was taken here long ago.
Wasn't this woman pregnant?
She was. Do you remember them?
Did you talk to them too?
Why did they come to this island?
Drink some before it gets cold.
Yes, ma'am.
I think she said her baby was
upside down in her womb,
or the umbilical cord
was wrapped around the neck.
Anyway,
she came to pray to the Dragon King
at the Jangsan Snake Cave
for a smooth delivery.
-The Dragon King?
-He is very powerful.
Even during Typhoon Sarah,
only our island was completely unscathed.
Back then, we used to hold big rituals.
Was it a ritual praying for a big catch?
You're so young.
How do you know of such things?
When was the ritual?
The Buddhist All Souls' Day.
All Souls' Day?
That's July 15,
according to the lunar calendar.
And did you hold the rituals yourself?
I noticed that this was the only house
on the island with a five-colored flag.
FLAG OF FIVE COLORS REPRESENTING
LIFE, DEATH, FORTUNE, ANCESTORS
It means the owner
of the house is a shaman.
This is how I make a living, after all.
By the way, ma'am,
the pregnant woman
in this photo is a doctor.
If something was wrong, she'd have gone
to the hospital, not a snake cave.
Have a seat.
I'll tell you the full story.
You can tell your story to the police.
You can't get out of here anyway.
I didn't drink the tea.
I don't take food or drink from strangers.
What's happening to me?
But it's not tea.
It's liquid incense.
What's so funny?
Oh, my.
I think I bought enough time now.
You still don't get it?
Why do you think that woman
came to this island?
-What?
-She's going to be a sacrifice.
There's not much time left.
For your information,
she can't answer her phone.
How can it be?
Her scent has completely disappeared.
It will be sundown soon.
Please hang in there just a bit longer.
Your mother also came to this island…
on her own, just like you.
She said she had the same dream
every day since she got pregnant.
You, in her womb…
lured your mother here.
I am the former mountain god,
lord of the forest, mountains and streams.
Lift this darkness
and take me to that woman!
It's been too long since I've done this.
It's not working.
Let's go!
It's no use.
It was you, wasn't it?
The dead women found on this island.
They were all precious sacrifices.
Bullshit.
Hey, you old hag, that's just murder.
Be my sacrifice.
You're a very special child.
I've been waiting for so long.
Die! You must die!
You must die!
Die! You must die!
You must die!
Stop!
Lee Yeon.
Don't you dare touch that woman.
I'll cut your limbs off.
This has nothing to do
with the former lord of the mountains.
-Go back to where you came from.
-Geez.
You're nothing but a living dead.
Who is it?
Who gave you this longevity
you don't deserve?
I'm asking you, who do you serve?
You can't stop me anyway!
I've spread evening primroses all around!
Die now!
Die.
Damn it! You!
Go back to the dead.
That bastard!
What's wrong, honey?
Lee Yeon has killed a human.
Can you walk?
Help me up.
What was she?
A human.
A normal human,
desperate to live a longer life.
Gosh, I wanted to punch her in the face!
You're all talk.
Hey, you were almost murdered just now.
But I'm still alive.
Lord Lee Yeon!
I know the situation was dire, but still!
How will you deal with the aftermath?
Shut up. Hang up if you're going to nag.
I must suffer the consequences.
This is why I told you not to get involved
with female humans.
That woman knows about Ah-eum's past life.
Producer Nam does?
I don't know what she is,
but I'm going to keep an eye on her.
Everyone in our world
knows of your love story.
I'm sure it's your brother's work.
Starting now, closing sale on fruit!
Special price, only for today!
Don't miss it!
Where are you? At a supermarket?
SPECIAL SALE
NECTARINES, $2.15
Well, I was feeling depressed
from earlier,
and this is like my own utopia.
Did you take my credit card again?
Hello? Lord Lee Yeon?
I can't hear you. Hello? Lord Lee Yeon?
Are these organic?
You're drinking?
I'm only human, so I can't go to sleep
sober on a day like this.
Want to join me?
I wasn't going to say anything because
I didn't want to seem like a geezer,
but you keep talking down to me.
Do you know how old I am?
All men over the age of 60
are grandpas, right?
You may speak comfortably.
Why do you keep saving my life?
You didn't even care
when 3.5 million people died.
So why?
Do I have…
what you're looking for?
I have so many things on my mind,
but let's forget about it for now.
Let me just say one thing.
Thank you, Lee Yeon.
Both the nine-year-old me
and the 30-year-old me
survived, thanks to you.
You know,
I can't fight like you,
or control rain and wind,
but I promise to protect you someday.
I promise to protect you.
Hey.
Can you turn this bottle of soju
into a box full of soju bottles?
Like the miracle of loaves and fishes?
Yeah.
You think I'm Jesus?
Just drink what you have.
Cheers!
Are you leaving already?
You're limping.
Did you give away your leg
to avenge your father's death?
How did you…
You were lucky enough to survive,
but don't ever curse anyone again.
Because it'll all come back to you.
They're gone.
-What?
-They're all gone!
What are you talking about?
It's as if the whole village
disappeared into thin air.
Not a shadow in sight.
TALE OF THE NINE TAILED
The Direction of Ghosts.
It's the direction in which
vile beings come and go.
How dare you!
What the hell were you thinking?
Why do you hate your brother so much?
If you want to live,
don't go to sleep tonight.
What do you want from me?
Your woman will die early
in this life as well.
The Hell of Blades!
Then I can get out today.
Or you may never get out,
for the rest of your existence.