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[This is a fictional story about real-life people with a creative twist.]
[Jongno ("Bell Street"), 1972]
Used a fancy mount since it's for exhibition.
Thank you. I didn't expect it to be ready in time.
No problem. I'll wrap it right up.
[Revitalizing Reform Vote In Progress]
Welcome.
Here you go.
Make sure to keep it dry for a few days.
I will.
Have a nice day.
Need a mount?
No, I want to sell.
Pardon?
It's a portrait. You sell portraits here?
Well, yes, but... Is it your work?
I don't have much experience buying paintings.
Give it a look-over. How much will it fetch?
Well.
Sir...! Is this...?
Are you sure? Master Gu's work?
Yes, I think it's "Portrait of a Friend."
Poet Yi Sang, drawn by Gu Bon-ung in the 1930s.
The very one!
The poet who died in his prime and his friend, the celebrated artist.
If this is authentic, then it's priceless.
It's not a fake. It used to hang at Swallow.
Swallow Teahouse? Owned by Yi Sang himself?
It used to hang above the gramophone.
In company of writers Kim Yu-jeong and Park Tae-won.
Were you also part of that literary circle, sir?
They've either passed on or defected to North Korea.
How did the portrait come into your possession?
A soul without secrets...
...is as lacking and deprived as one without wealth.
Or so Yi Sang used to say.
Life is mysterious and the times are enigmatic.
As things were forty years ago.
I first met Yi Sang then, when Seoul was Gyeongseong.
The capital city was like a disabled man dressed in swanky clothes.
New department store downtown, modern boys and girls at every corner.
All while the alleys reeked of cow dung!
Korea was a Japanese colony, yet life trudged on.
What other option was there?
Yi Sang was a microcosm of the capital.
Our meeting was fate.
[Swallow Teahouse]
[Server boy wanted]
Lookin' for a job?
What was he like?
Coffee?
Coffee is such a hassle. Requires boiling water.
How about this Calpis drink for the same price?
Pardon?
Nice and refreshing.
And that's how it's done. Got it?
But...
Boy!
Lazy through and through.
The first little one is terrified. The second little one is also terrified?
Well?
This is a poem?
Speechless, eh? I have 2,000 more masterpieces like it.
Two thousand more?
He was unbelievably abstruse.
Uncle, are you okay? Where... your meds...
Stop fussing.
This is just proof that my blood is a mix of minerals.
Come again?
Get to work.
He was a strange man, as per his reputation.
Together we had a wondrous experience of which the world knows not!
Yi Sang, Above and Beyond
Mr. Hiroshi!
It was buried in the ground.
Why would he go there?
Chosun Jongang Ilbo, time to repent!
Repent! Repent!
This is trash, not poetry!
Trash! Trash!
Cancel publication of "Crow's Eye View!"
Cancel! Cancel!
Ban the serial!
Ban! Ban!
Hey, Bon-ung!
Hello!
It's been too long. I'm glad to see you.
Hope you've been well.
When did you get back?
It's been three years, and I'm back for good.
Thanks for giving our paper an exclusive.
Don't thank me, it was Sang's request.
Ah, Sang...
Yes, well, I'm grateful to him.
What is the commotion about?
Protests every day since we published Sang's "Crow's Eye View."
They don't acknowledge it as poetry.
Some are threatening to bomb us if we don't cancel the serialization.
My neck is dangling by a thin thread here.
"Crow's Eye View" is nothing but a pile of poop.
Trashy poets like Yi are ruining our nation!
Let's burn them all!
How can he call this poetry?
Want to borrow my lighter?
Tryin' to light a fire, right? Lighters are more convenient.
Made in the USA.
Here.
A roaring fire.
What's he...?
Fabulous! What shall we burn next?
How about what's-his-name, Yi Sang?
Uncle Sang!
That's right, I wrote the pile of poop.
Let's go. Why are you making a scene?
Why, kid? Because I feel wretched.
I wrote something so complex, their simple minds can't follow.
Talk about casting pearls before swine.
Uncle!
Pearls before swine? Is he talking about us?
How dare you!
But you are! And I'm here to formally apologize.
Come, you're jealous that the courtesans adore me.
Then let us switch your wife with my courtesans for a few days.
After all, I shouldn't be having all the fun.
What! You crazy...!
Careful, I've got tuberculosis.
Keep on shaking, and I might spit blood on your face.
Strange, I coughed up blood this morning.
Doesn't matter, I didn't expect them to understand my poetry anyway.
Those fools don't even realize they've fallen behind on the times.
That's why there's no hope for MY country.
Even so, Sang...
Listen, Bon-ung!
Mischa Elman's violin.
Wait for it.
Here, right here! My favorite part!
He's on a whole other level, wouldn't you say?
Now THAT'S the 20th century.
Just give up. "Life is to be tolerated."
That's the halfwit's slogan.
Halfwit?
And that's being nice.
Gave up being a draftsman and opened this pathetic teahouse.
Writes bizarre poetry and listens to the gramophone all day.
Isn't that precisely why you adore me?
And delusional, on top of everything else.
Let the silly halfwit live the way he wants.
Hear that? I'm a silly halfwit.
Says the petty writer! Such drivel, dull expressions.
This is no time to be cheeky.
What if you lose the hard-earned serialization?
What can I possibly do?
If such is my misfortune, I will gladly bemoan my fate.
Don't believe in a silver lining!
That's cruel Fate toying with your emotions!
Missus Geum-hong!
Come, stay the night.
May I?
Oh, you were in?
Here already? Isn't it a tad early?
You know Geum-hong, I'm sure.
It's been a while.
Hope you've been swell, Mister Artist.
Who...?
Oh, my husband.
What?
Nice to meet you.
This is a bore. Let's go to my house.
Wait a moment... this is...
When you come home, come quietly.
Or better yet, don't come at all.
I won't go home.
What is this nonsense! Just end it already!
Why should I?
Sang!
Let the 19th century die in peace, dear Yu-jeong.
Smile, this is nothing but a funny little incident.
I've heard these stories of his private life.
They're all you've heard. An eccentric poet.
His scandal with Geum-hong.
What I've heard is that he's a genius.
But I don't know why, I'm just a layman.
I, too, don't know why he is a genius.
I couldn't tell his poetry from drivel.
A miserable youth full of despair and cynicism.
I assumed that was him in his entirety.
We're closed for the night.
Hiroshi?
How long has it been?
First time since you left the Public Works Department.
Ah, I was transferred to Department 2.
Chief Architect?
Took over my spot after I left, eh?
You haven't changed.
I have something to ask you.
You've always been quite clever with riddles.
Even your poems seem like brainteasers.
And?
I'm in charge of enlarging Deoksu Palace.
At the behest of its private owner.
But...
[Gyeongseong Public Library]
[Hiroshi]
He's not home yet?
Hiroshi?
Huh?
Hiroshi? Are you inside?
The door was unlocked...
Hiroshi!
Hiroshi! Hiroshi!
Wake up! Hiroshi!
What's going on? What happened?
Mr. Hiroshi!
No! It wasn't me!
Help! Help!
Wait! Wait!
Hiroshi...
Come with me. I know the alleyways.
Well? They'll catch you if you stay!
It wasn't... I didn't...
I know, you didn't kill him.
I also visited his house.
Let's go.
Huh? Uncle Sang?
Blood! Did you cough up blood?
It's fine, it isn't my blood.
Are you alright?
I'll settle down in a bit.
So...
Who are you? Why...?
Who are YOU?
Why did you visit Hiroshi? What do you know about him?
Know? What do you mean?
Look here, YOU should be the one explaining!
You found Hiroshi first. Did you...?
No, I didn't!
Hiroshi was already dead when I found him!
Uncle! What are you...?
I'm Izaki Hiroshi's lover.
Lover?
[Closed for Today]
What is it NOW?
Now it's your turn.
Who are you? Why'd you go to see Hiroshi?
I'm Hiroshi's friend.
We worked at the Public Works Department together.
A few days ago, he came to me for help in solving a riddle.
A riddle?
That's right.
The mysterious riddle found at Deoksu Palace?
You saw it?
I did. Why...?
Then you're in danger, too.
It wasn't just Hiroshi.
Everyone who has seen the riddle has died mysteriously!
What?
Bon-ung!
Who...?
No need to worry. They are my closest friends.
Couple of bums.
Oh, except that fellow.
Tell us what happened.
People have died? You're in danger?
This here.
This riddle is the bringer of death.
What on earth is it?
"The imperial family's last gold. Joseon's limitless dream.
Joseon's fluid eternal day lies sleeping beneath
twelve pillars of the red sky and prophecy of the blue snow scripture.
No longer seen, yet everlasting, you will recognize the heartfelt memory."
What on earth?
Hold on! The imperial family?
The last gold?
Expectedly, as a gold mine enthusiast, you catch on rather quickly!
The famous legend among seekers of gold.
Gold bars supposedly hidden by Emperor Go-jong of the Korean Empire.
Gold bars?
Yes, gold bars! The missing gold of the Korean Empire!
Uncle Sang!
Go ahead, you know more than I do.
I'm sure you've all heard rumors.
Emperor Go-jong supposedly possessed gold valued at millions.
The gold that involved Royal Treasurer Yi Yong-ik?
The very same!
When Japanese annexation grew inevitable,
the emperor had the gold secretly moved,
intending to use it to regain our independence.
The Japanese Government-General caught on and gave chase.
Unfortunately the story ends there.
The Keeper of the Privy Purse committed suicide.
And the location of the gold was lost forever!
A clue was found at Deoksu Palace, where Emperer Go-jong passed away?
Which means the gold must really exist.
And these are the instructions to find it!
Sang, did you figure out the riddle?
Can you?
Let us search for the gold.
If people are being killed, it must be the Government-General.
He's right, we can't let them take away Joseon's gold!
Jeez, this is unbelievable.
You all believe in this mysterious gold?
Then what of the other rumors regarding the Korean Empire?
Did Empress Myeongseong survive and escape to safety as well?
This is different! We have a solid clue!
We have to determine the truth of the matter!
Don't you agree?
Increase the security around the house.
Yes, sir.
Master!
Did you check the police reports?
You'll be safe here.
You're in danger as well. How about tea...?
I haven't introduced myself.
My name is Han Kyeong-hye.
I'm Yi Sang.
I am already aware of your name.
But I didn't know you were Hiroshi's friend.
And I had no idea that Hiroshi had a Korean lover.
Ours was a passing relationship.
Passing?
Since I am Korean...
Conservative, aren't you?
Pardon?
So you bid him farewell? Since he is Japanese?
Please do not speak lightly of the matter.
Korea is a Japanese colony.
It wouldn't be right.
Your attire reflects an intellectual attending a technical school.
Probably hang out with other like minds of the intellectual sort.
Debating your mission in life and the fate of our nation.
Listen carefully, Miss.
Talking about it won't change a darn thing.
In fact, it will only further distort the truth.
I suspected as much that you would think so.
I've read your work before.
Though full of cynicism and despair, perhaps you harbored deep hope.
Or so I had wanted to believe.
This isn't the appropriate time to discuss our beliefs.
Let's discuss the riddle.
Do you suspect its meaning?
Will you look for the gold?
Gold does create fickleness of the heart.
Just lost your lover, and it's gold you speak of.
The emperor of a ruined empire hid gold for future independence.
What do you think I will do?
The owner of the palace was murdered last night.
But the police have written off his death and Hiroshi's as accidental.
The Government-General's influence.
Yes, it's entirely possible.
Finally, a spark of something interesting in my otherwise tedious life?
Wait, are you implying...?
Yes.
I want to get to the bottom of this tomfoolery.
As you know, solving riddles is my thing.
Speaking of which, I have a favor to ask.
But why?
You're not one to be blinded by the promise of gold.
You're right, I'm not interested in the gold.
That's a fantasy created to soothe the masses.
There are no such things as angels.
And paradise is but an empty dream.
Then why are you bothering?
Why? I wonder.
To prove that I am right? That everything is just a pipedream?
A perverted desire, if you will.
You know that I can't rest until I have proven myself right.
To prove that everything is a pipedream?
You wish to dissuade me?
Not at all.
I won't stop you.
I know what kind of person you are.
That's why I drew your portrait.
Su-young!
The streets are bursting with officers. It's because of the gold, isn't it?
We best hurry. Let's move along!
Red sky, twelve pillars, blue snow.
Sleeping beneath the prophesy of the scripture.
These lines are the key. The other lines don't matter.
Uncle Sang? Any ideas?
Yes, an inkling!
My poetry is easier to comprehend than this riddle.
We must figure it out soon. The Japanese are on the move.
Boggling...
Did you solve the riddle?
We're analyzing it. The results will be out soon.
The last emperor's gold.
You must hurry. And no one must find out!
Yes, sir!
Ah-ha! Red and blue lines!
Red sky and blue snow!
Perhaps they're referring to latitude and longitude.
Latitude and longitude?
Yes! The twelve pillars are...
Twelfth parallel north!
And if "scripture" is referring to the Book of Changes,
Add together 8 trigrams, 64 hexagrams and 10 wings!
82nd meridian east!
Why so delighted, you great fools?
Not only is that not Joseon, but it's in the middle of the ocean!
I already tried latitude and longitude last night.
You did?
Why are these two lines so hard to figure out?
This Go-jong fella wants to have a go, is that it?
It'll be this riddle, not tuberculosis, that is the end of me!
Hey!
Hey, Sang!
I spotted them on the way. We got out in the nick of time!
Have they caught onto you?
But how...?
The lady, Uncle Sang!
The pretty lady from yesterday. Where is she?
Lady Han!
I need you to find out something.
Hey, Bon-ung!
Do you have it?
Fortunately I know someone in Administration.
You think she sold us out?
But wasn't she Hiroshi's lover?
Come on, Sang, let's stop here.
Forget the gold, you'll lose your life!
Ah! Oh my goodness!
Kid! What's with you?
I'm sorry, but the pigeons flew in my face...
What?
Ah, birds...
That's it! Birds!
What? Birds?
Perspective! Why didn't I think of that?
A change in perspective.
What are you babbling about? Did you figure it out?
My poem "Crow's Eye View!" Get it?
It's about our world as seen from a bird's perspective.
Everything looks different from above.
Only people place importance on certain things.
Everything looks equal in the eyes of a bird.
Making no sense!
What's this about birds and people?
Don't you get it? Red sky, blue snow!
We were fooled into focusing on the literal meanings!
When the riddle should be read in its entirety!
See!
The Five Elements construed as compass points.
North corresponds to water. Its color is black.
South is fire, the color red.
West is metal, East is earth and therefore green.
So what?
If each phrase is given the same weight in meaning,
the gold is metal and indicates West.
"Limitless dream" represents zero, therefore 0 degrees West.
What flows eternally is water, so North!
Joseon's day is 24 hours! 24 degrees North!
If you're right, then red refers to South.
12 degrees South, and blue is 82 degrees east!
If Deoksu Palace is the starting point...
Sang...!
Uncle Sang!
Unbelievable! This Go-jong king was a spectacular...
How do I say it? Trickster.
Almost... almost a genius on my level!
Um, Sang!
If you're right, then the location is...!
Chosun Siksan Bank?
Go-jong rented a safety box?
Don't be silly. This was farmland back then.
No one could've predicted it would become a bank.
Isn't this a lose cause? How will we sneak inside?
Nope!
We can't walk away empty-handed after all our hard work.
Safety inspection of the building?
Chief Architect of Dept. 2, Izaki Hiroshi.
Safety inspections were omitted in the second half of the year.
I wonder why.
But we didn't receive any notices.
My arrival IS the notice.
What's going on?
Sir, a safety inspection by the Public Works Dept.
Inspection? I'd better confirm with the Government-General.
Confirm?
Listen, aren't we screwed? This is clearly a strong, new building.
Mr. Hiroshi?
Ah...
What a coincidence.
Yes, fancy meeting you here.
An acquaintance?
Yes, Mr. Hiroshi from Public Works.
He handled the renovations of my vacation home.
Oh, is that so?
I can't seem to reach the department.
Provide him with what he needs.
Yes, sir.
Come with me.
The coast is clear. I don't think the officers caught on yet.
Darn it, I wanted to go inside.
Too bad you don't look nothing like an intellectual.
I hope it works out. We're so close.
The blueprints that you wanted.
Thank you.
Do you need anything else?
No, go about your business. We'll take a look around.
Thank you.
I nearly had a heart attack.
Why did you drag me into this mess?
I know you're secretly enjoying the thrill.
Not as much as you.
I didn't tag along because of the gold.
I came to watch you.
What do you mean?
Bon-ung told me what you said.
You want to prove that everything is a pipedream.
Do you truly mean it?
What you truly want to see is a dead end?
What are you talking about? Enough nonsense.
We don't have much time!
See here.
Blueprints show the structure AND anything underground.
The gold will be buried where the ground is weakest.
Something in the structure will reflect that weakness.
Good, good, do you see anything?
Give me a sec.
Yes! There!
They doubled the construction because of the weak ground!
Here, this is the exact spot!
Is it really buried here?
Excuse me while I take this call.
Hello? Yes, sir!
Sir, Governor-General!
So Chosun Siksan Bank. Hurry!
Sir!
Put your back into it. We don't have time, hurry!
Weak ground? This is TOO solid.
Move, move! Stop, I'll do it!
How are you weaker than me?
I didn't know you had the strength in you.
Shush, TB patient here breaking his back.
While you jibber-jabber on.
Help me dig! Hurry!
Notify all the departments!
Yes, sir!
Escort the customers out, now!
Hurry, hurry!
What's going on?
Excuse me, but the Government-General is making an inspection.
The Government-General?
That's right.
Halt!
Why? Did you find something?
Are we right? Is it the gold?
No way, this is...!
Have you dismissed the employees?
Yes, most have left. But...
An inspector is here from Public Works.
Public Works?
The soil is wet. There's running water underneath.
Water?
Darn it! The blueprint was reflecting the water underground.
If there's running water, the gold can't be here.
Then this isn't the place?
Darn the whole thing. I was wrong.
What the--? What's going on?
Come on, Sang! We have to go!
We have to leave now!
Wait...
We can't just leave.
What?
I must find something. Let me...
Sang!
This is the location from the riddle. I have no doubt about it.
If not the gold, there must be another clue!
You've lost your mind, I'm sure of it. We have to leave NOW!
What are you hiding? Even if it be false...
Shouldn't there be something here, at least?
No longer seen, yet everlasting.
To remember without trying to forget...
An engraving?
Engraved stone!
"Dark Cave of Jeokseon Temple?"
What are you...?
Sang, we have to leave! Now, you crazy fool!
Go on ahead. Take Su-young and Yu-jeong to safety.
What about you?
This isn't the end. There's more to uncover!
We have to leave now!
You'll get caught if you stay with me!
Leave! Hurry, leave now!
You crazy...!
Go! Capture them!
Sir!
Over here!
Fire!
Get in. Now!
Sang!
Twice you saved me. I should thank you.
But first, an explanation. Why'd you come here?
Did you find it?
Did you find the location in the riddle?
Actually, I don't see the reason I have to tell you.
Forgive me, but I must hear your answer.
Sang... Sang? Did he get out alive?
That halfwit! Idiot! Blockhead!
Shouldn't we be out looking for him?
I have an idea where he went. We need to contact Bon-ung.
Uncle!
You already knew part of the story behind this riddle.
You waited for me to figure out the rest?
What a fine act you put on.
Then again, all women are liars.
Is that the entire story?
We have a ways to go. Spin me another tale.
Keep silent.
I'm leading you there. It's the least you can do.
Put away the revolver.
Lady Han!
Forgive me for deceiving you, but I had no choice.
I had to protect my father's dying wish.
Your father?
Your father? Who...!
It's true.
The Keeper of the Privy Purse, given a special royal mission.
He was my father.
But as known, he committed suicide to protect the secret.
The imperial family's legacy banished without a trace.
That is, until you discovered the location.
I'm sorry. And eternally grateful.
But this legacy cannot belong to one man.
It belongs to the imperial family!
Emperor Go-jong fought protect it. It is the nation's future.
Our final hope.
Though it holds little meaning for you.
Then the rumors are true?
Emperor Go-jong's gold is really buried here?
Lady Han!
Darn it.
Lady Han!
Well? You said this is our nation's future!
Are you going to let the Japanese steal it away?
Let's go! Hurry!
I think this is the place. The only cave near Jeokseon Temple.
Go on, Lady Han. I'll buy you some time.
Uncle!
Hurry!
Don't lose them! Capture them alive!
This is it, the cave near Jeokseon Temple!
This is unbelievable. It was true.
The fantasy turned out to be real.
The emperor believed this gold would one day free his people.
That was no fantasy, no illusion.
It is our future and our hope.
Hold on, let me see.
He wouldn't have left it out in the open.
Somewhere to bury the gold. At least a foot underground.
Let me see...
Darn, it makes no sense.
What's the matter?
This is granite.
And there are no stone tools around.
Sir!
Is this the location? Under these stones?
But this is granite. It's impossible!
Where could he have hidden it? How?
What were the final lines?
The lines! Final lines of the riddle!
No longer seen, yet everlasting?
You will recognize... the heartfelt memory.
This direction! Hurry!
What on earth are you doing?
It's not buried. It's somewhere else, I'm sure of it!
A ring?
What is this?
It belongs to her.
Empress Myeongseong! I'm sure it is hers!
The emperor's gift. She always kept it with her.
A ring?
No longer seen, yet everlasting.
You will recognize the heartfelt memory.
This is the treasure?
This is it? The end?
We searched so desperately for the imperial family's last gold.
The fallen emperor's weepy, nostalgic keepsake for his dead wife?
Sir!
This trivial trinket is our nation's future?
This little knick-knack?
No, it's not that simple, sir!
This is...!
What will you do?
The Government-General feels pressured.
Embarrassed to have been played like fools by a rumor.
They want to pretend this never happened.
What a relief that we're all safe and sound.
Thank our lucky stars that we didn't find the gold.
I can't help feeling letdown.
I wanted to find the gold.
Me, too.
Bon-ung, what of the lady?
Visitation hour!
Glad to see you don't look too drawn.
I'm glad to see you're in fair health.
I'm a man after all. I can handle much worse.
I had hoped to speak with you. Thank you for visiting me.
I wanted to verify something.
Why did you never question me when you suspected me all along?
You suspected me, didn't you?
You're right, I did.
You were sloppy from the start.
Hiroshi's lover, eh? But he didn't fancy women.
He was a little TOO interested in me, if you catch my drift.
What do you mean...?
There are diverse sexual preferences in this world.
I see that I was right about you from the start.
From the start?
Those who strive to be angels despair at their absence.
Those who dream of paradise grieve that life is a wasteland.
Like you do.
That's why you took up the crusade.
You were hoping to find hope, not prove its nonexistence.
Enough, this is a waste of time. Everything has ended.
No, sir, that isn't true.
You have not yet witnessed the end.
"No longer seen, yet everlasting.
You will recognize the heartfelt memory."
One of your friends mentioned it at the teahouse.
There are other rumors besides the one about gold.
Do you remember?
Other rumors?
The empress survived and escaped...?
You mean...!
Wait, you're not saying...!
Then it's true...?
She who is everlasting, she must've known.
That the ring indicates a location.
And there the future of our nation can be found.
Mr. Yi, I thought you should know.
How could this be?
Why... why me?
Why tell me this great secret? Me of all people?
That is your portrait hanging in the teahouse, is it not?
The artist knows exactly what kind of person you are.
So I thought you deserved to know.
Your face reflects the duality of pained despair and radiant hope.
Thank you for the generous price. Guess Uncle Sang's name means something.
If this portrait is authentic, your story must be as well.
As well as its ending.
Well, I can't say for sure.
Perhaps I made it up to give the portrait sentimental value.
I can see that you want to believe it.
Then believe. As Uncle Sang did.
You asked how the portrait came into my possession?
Um, the newspaper called earlier.
They're canceling the serialization.
Are they?
And I haven't seen Geum-hong. She's not at home either.
Argh! Can't believe it was all make-believe!
One bar of gold would've fixed this teahouse right up.
Which means more customers, which means stable pay for me.
You weren't doing it out of nationalism?
I was going to keep just one bar, that's all.
Worried about your pay? Then you can have that.
The portrait? Why?
Why? It's going to be worth a fortune someday.
Genius poet Yi Sang's portrait painted by Gu Bon-ung.
Worth a fortune, eh?
Weren't you listening? The newspaper and Geum-hong...
Su-young.
A soul without secrets...
How do I explain?
Is as lacking and deprived as one without wealth.
Eh?
And I'm about to make you a very rich man.
Forget it. Not more nonsense.
You'll regret it if you don't hear this.
I said, forget it!
Su-young, take a look outside.
Isn't the world a wonderfully cheery age of darkness?
I plan to enjoy my duality while I can.
Despair and hope.
In the end, both belong entirely to me.