An auctioneer is said to have taken Seol-ki, the child we seek.
The trading floor will soon open. Let us head there now.
Is she serious?
After our years of fruitless searching,
she cannot expect to find it so easily.
We did a thorough search too.
Just stuff your face already.
I heard word of a child vanishing from the village below.
Again?
- Yes. - Maybe someone really is eating children.
Why does this keep happening?
Whose child? When and how did the child disappear?
A boy, seven years of age.
His maidservant says she clearly saw him go to sleep,
but the next morning, he was gone without a trace.
An only son of a similar age from a wealthy household.
Sound familiar?
It is similar to Hongrang's disappearance 12 years ago.
Do you know what is really odd?
This maidservant later confessed
that she had seen a ghost… on her way back to her room that night.
A ghost?
She probably needed an excuse for failing to protect her young master.
But why a ghost, of all things? Who would believe such a thing?
What happened to her?
What do you think? Probably beaten mercilessly or…
Is she alive at least?
Who knows?
Please find out for me. I must meet her.
All right. Another good day, sirs.
Please look around while you enjoy your drinks.
All right.
I shall bring out the next boy.
Another boy?
It's a boy again?
Stop resisting, damn it.
Please take your time.
This boy may not look it, but he is rather strong.
Did you not search our place just two days ago?
We are here due to an urgent matter, hence our unannounced arrival.
"Urgent"? What is?
I am afraid we suspect one of your own.
One of my own?
Are you suggesting the vile person who took my son is in my own home?
Please have everyone in your household gather here now.
Another thing.
Where is the girl who was looking after your son before he disappeared?
That wench
was beaten as punishment and is now bedridden.
I see.
We shall see her another day, then.
Listen up.
Have every living thing in this estate gather out here.
Yes, my lord.
Goodness, what in the world?
Look here. This time, we have a girl!
Now, now.
This is no ordinary girl.
Here. She is with child.
You get two for the price of one!
Over here! I bid 12 nyang!
We have 12 nyang!
- Thirteen nyang! - Thirteen.
Then, 15 nyang!
Fifteen nyang! Any more offers?
Will that really be all? But this is such a rare find!
Just look at her plump, round belly!
She is undoubtedly carrying a girl.
How can you be so sure? We need to undress her to be sure.
Indeed, you are right.
Hear, hear!
Take that off, girl!
If not, at least let us have a feel.
It is a girl.
It is indeed a girl!
Fifteen nyang is a bargain!
DEAR HONGRANG
- Come on, now. - Get out here.
- Move it! - What is this about?
Hurry along. Come on.
- What is going on? - Come out.
Stand there. Hurry now.
Show me your faces. Look here, will you?
We have 15 nyang so far. Any more bids?
Eighteen nyang!
- Eighteen! - Eighteen?
Eight-fucking-teen? Fuck it. You take her, then.
How can we end the bid for this rarity at just 18 nyang? Any more bids?
If there are no advances, 18 it is!
- Come here. - Go.
No!
Sister.
Is that boy part of the deal?
I am feeling generous today. You may take him for just five more nyang.
Wait.
Blast, why is she not here?
Do you think they killed her already?
Help me…
Please help…
Help…
Over there.
Help me…
This is insane. How can they do this?
Child, can you see me?
Wake up, will you?
What are you doing? Don't tell me you want to take her out of there.
We can't leave her like this.
Damn, you are driving me crazy.
None of your servants seem to be at fault.
Take care, then.
Excuse us.
The officials will make more visits.
- Dig that bitch out and get rid of her! - Yes, my lord.
Goodness, what on earth?
- Where did she go? - How is this possible?
My lord!
Come quick!
Hurry!
What is this? I thought you just wanted to talk to her.
This was not part of the plan!
Enough already. You cannot save every poor soul in Joseon.
She was buried up to her neck.
If we had left her, she wouldn't have survived the night.
You are okay now, children. You are safe.
Follow that man and do not look back, okay?
Behold how hardy this child is!
He will last many years, even if worked to the bone!
He will come in handy at night as well.
Let him mate with the girl so they can produce offspring!
Now please focus! We have another girl!
Hey. Do you not smell something toasty?
I know. Something must be leaking from your behind.
- Sixteen nyang! - Wait a minute.
- Eighteen nyang! - Is that smoke?
- Fire! - What the hell?
- Fire! - Fire! It is a fire!
Come on. Let's go.
- Fire! - There is a fire!
Where are you all going? Wait!
Please let us out!
- Please help us! - Please let us out!
Please help!
Damn it.
Who are you?
Do you feel better now?
Do not worry. You won't have to go back to that place.
I wish to ask you something.
You said that you saw a ghost on the night your young master disappeared, correct?
Can you tell me exactly what it was that you saw?
Where did you send this child?
I have sold dozens of children around that age.
I hear this child was called Seol-ki.
Seol-ki?
That fair, pretty-looking boy, he…
He was stolen.
I am speaking the truth. Some monster snatched him up, I say!
A…
monster?
The ghost
looked around seven to eight cheok tall.
A monster as tall and thin as a pole.
It let down its hair… which came down to here,
and the hair was pure white like that of an old person's.
But it was not just its hair that was white.
I looked at its arm, and even its skin was as white as snow.
The figure had a human face,
but it was devoid of color, pale and lifeless like a sheet of paper.
Even its eyes were white.
I told you that I had a strange dream.
I saw someone with white hair, a white face, and even white pupils.
That was not
a dream.
That strange figure was like…
Indeed. It resembled the Snow Man I had only heard whispers of.
It was the Snow Man!
The Snow Man…
Do you know where he came from and where he went?
I do not.
If I may ask,
why do you seek…
such a monster?
Because I must know
who did this to me.
Before Hongrang disappeared for good…
perhaps three months or so before,
he once disappeared for a short while.
Madam!
He went to sleep in his room, only to be found outside the next morning.
Young Master!
What are you waiting for? Inform Madam now!
- Madam! - Madam!
- We found the young master! - Madam!
Physicians were called in, but none could offer an explanation.
It was concluded that Hongrang had secretly left the house
and lost consciousness in the thick of night.
But some suggested that he may have been sleepwalking,
that he had caught a ghostly disease which made him walk in his sleep.
Those afflicted would walk into fire or even drown, thinking it was a dream,
and eventually die.
I had a dream.
In it, I saw someone with white hair and a white face.
Even their pupils were white.
After that, Hongrang often mentioned that dream.
In that dream, the pale person took me to someplace dark. But you see--
Do not think about that dream anymore.
He tried so hard to tell me something,
but I made no attempt to listen.
Until now, I had forgotten all about it.
We should make a move.
We need to find that white ghost, or whatever it is.
If what you're saying is true, it must have taken Hongrang.
The Snow Man.
I, too, have heard of such a thing.
A pallid and slender monster
that only comes out at night because its flesh burns in the sun.
Yikes, I am spooked.
A creature as white as snow that melts in the sun, hence the "Snow Man."
Let us start by searching for it.
Come this way.
Child, come this way. Up you come.
Seol-ki was with me.
What?
When?
A huge, pale person took Seol-ki and me somewhere.
Where exactly?
It was a dark room that smelled like inksticks.
Upon seeing me,
someone said I was of no use to them and ordered for me to be sent back.
That is why I am here while Seol-ki remains at that place.
Was there perhaps… a painter there?
I do not know.
They had covered my eyes like this.
Is that so?
All right, thank you.
As we thought, the Snow Man appears to be on the move again.
In other words,
the painter has begun to work again.
There must be more missing children. Let us look into it.
You should inspect the stone warehouse, then our stores by Gwangtong Bridge.
Competition among store owners has grown fiercer of late,
yet it has led to improvements in both quality and distribution.
I do believe it would be best for you to encourage them rather than mediate.
I shall do just that. Let us set out within the hour.
Do you have more to say?
Please look into Hongrang's past.
Sooner or later, nuisances will show up, attempting to leech off of him.
We must know the life he has led and the people he has associated with
and if there is any wrongdoing that he may be blamed for,
so as to prepare the appropriate measures.
Madam is here, sir.
Where is my son?
Were you expecting him to come here?
I simply cannot find him anywhere.
Hongrang is no longer a child.
But he ought to be here.
Why do you still
discuss matters of the guild
with that lowly thing, as opposed to your son?
It is time you get rid of that.
Pluck this stake out and return my son to his rightful place.
As of now, there is no one in the guild
who can perform the duties of a grandmaster better than Mu-jin.
Neither overseeing the guild
nor seeing Hongrang take over, as you so desire,
would be possible without him.
Why would that be impossible?
Above all, I am the one overseeing the guild's operations and its personnel.
But you must not forget that it was my father who made it so.
And the Min Family's Guild, to which you owe your duties, belongs to me.
Does this mean you intend to wield the deed as a weapon
to dismiss the grandmaster and chief merchant at once?
Do you truly believe the guild can withstand such an upheaval?
What good will it do to have your son inherit a dysfunctional guild?
Your son is nowhere to be found, yet you seem unconcerned.
Find Hongrang for her at once.
Yes, sir.
Madam seeks you.
You called for me?
My son.
Where have you come from?
I was at the library.
I thought that seeing the books I read as a child
may stir up some memories.
Is there something wrong?
Not at all.
The days we lost weigh on my heart.
Even if only for a moment, I long to keep you in my sight.
Please lay your worries to rest.
Now that I have returned, I will not disappear again.
Our high shaman.
She is Madame Gwigokja,
the one who blessed me with you.
As for this man…
do you perhaps recognize him?
Hongrang recognized his grandfather.
He conjured up an old memory after seeing a portrait of Father.
And what is it that you have remembered?
It is rather hazy,
but I remember sitting on his lap as he recited something.
And his scent.
Pine.
I believe he smelled of pine.
Father always drank pine extract to treat his bowel condition.
Of course. Yes, that is quite right, Hongrang.
Who does not know the face of Min Ban-yoo of the Min Family's Guild?
Even without seeing him, his face is easily recognized from a description.
What else? He sat on his lap, did he?
All grandchildren sit on their grandfathers' laps.
How about his bowel condition?
And the pine extract he used to treat it?
Well, that is…
Even I did not know of such a thing.
Word of the grandmaster's ailment would have been kept behind these walls.
Do you know, Hongrang,
that you have a birthmark on your neck?
You are right.
How did he obtain knowledge of such an intimate nature?
How thoroughly did he prepare to come here?
What is he truly after, and what are his true colors?
Things are growing more and more unsettling.
Start at the courtesan house
in which that bastard Dok-gae supposedly found him.
Look into his past in detail.
Exercise caution to avoid the eyes of anyone in the guild.
As you wish.
Eat some more.
You must be trying to feed her until her stomach blows up.
An empty stomach leads to an empty heart.
I know it is hard, but please be patient. We have a way to get you to Naju.
You need to stay here for a few more days.
We must take extra caution.
Her master has men looking for her all over the place.
It was utter chaos.
He seemed intent on finding both his son and this one here.
Worry not. We shall help you return safely.
Thank you.
When that lord's son disappeared, a maidservant was said to be with him.
I hear that men disguised as officials came and helped her escape.
These men helped the maidservant escape…
but why?
Were they simply rescuing her, or were they seeking information?
Or do they perhaps…
already know something?
It is fine. I am quite all right. It was a mere graze.
I will tend to it. You look into the whereabouts of the maidservant.
Did you search over there?
Yes. Let us finish quickly and go back.
Surely, you are not here to steal the guild's medicinal herbs.
I have no idea what you are plotting, but I warn you not to tarnish that name.
Do not disgrace my brother's name with such vile conduct.
Then why did you ever lose him?
Why did you fail to protect the brother you so adored?
And what did you do afterward? Did you do anything at all?
You neither protected nor found him.
If I am him, you have also failed to recognize him.
You know nothing.
I know that all you can do is whine while clinging to these rags.
Give that back.
No. Let us see if they fit me.
Give it back! I said give it back!
Give it back!
See?
You could never be him…
because he would never do this to me.
Everyone wanted me dead.
They all clawed at me, seeking my death,
but not Hongrang.
That child…
could even revive a dying heart.
Goodness.
Even the sweets are exceptional at the Min Family's Guild.
They are pretty, are they not? I made them myself.
You truly must be the Young Master!
You always did have a sweet tooth,
but you hated getting your hands sticky,
so you would wrap your sweets exactly like that,
or I would pop them in your mouth for you.
That one says otherwise.
"That one"?
You mean Mistress Jae-yi?
Goodness. Should you not call her your older sister?
Not a chance. She would have my head if I called her that.
I wonder why she is acting that way.
Perhaps she has grieved you for so long that it is hard to believe your return.
Tell me. Has she always had such a foul temper?
Sorry?
Even a mere clump of grass will toughen and grow thorns
if it spends years facing the biting wind.
Young Master.
Do you perhaps remember what day it is today?
Twelve years ago, on this exact day…
How dare you make my son bow!
You dare make him bow to such a lowly spirit?
It was an absolute calamity.
An ancestral rite table or not, she destroyed everything in sight.
She even ripped the young mistress's swaddling clothes to shreds.
That was the only keepsake the mistress had left from her mother.
Mother, please…
No!
Give it back! I said give it back!
Mother.
Should you, by any chance,
happen to see Hongrang
trying to cross over to where you are,
scare him or strike him if you must.
Please send him back here.
He must not cross over.
Hongrang belongs back here.
Mother, if you feel any remorse for leaving me here alone,
send him back to me,
even if it means you have to force him.
Please.
My goodness.
Sir!
Those rotten bastards. They could have killed you!
So, that damned scoundrel hustled me and reported me to the government office?
Dear me.
I will do everything in my power to end that filthy rat for good.
Wait a minute.
Where have I seen her before?
She looks familiar.
Go. Bring her here.
- Stop her. - Look here. Hey.
I have a question.
That woman. What business has she here?
May I ask what this is--
What now?
Why, she is the mistress of this household.
What? That woman is Sim Jae-yi, Chief Merchant Sim's daughter?
Yes.
How do you wish to pay for disgracing my woman?
Why else would he be on the move
with his sister in a palanquin and her hair down at such an hour?
And I am certain that he referred to her as "my woman."
You heard him also, did you not?
I certainly did.
If the Min family's siblings are having an affair…
the city of Hanseong will be in uproar,
and Chief Merchant Sim will be utterly horrified.
You.
Keep a sharp eye on that wench Jae-yi's every move.
See where the half-wits have their trysts and if they have a token of love.
I want irrefutable evidence of their affair.
Yes, understood.
Are you sure this is where your informant saw the maidservant?
Where has she gone now?
They are pretty, are they not? I made them myself.
This
is from the Min Family's Guild.
Sim Jae-yi.
- How can I help you? - We would like a room.
You wish to stay the night? Please come this way.
The peddlers will arrive around daybreak. Go with them.
They will take you to Naju.
Take care on your journey.
Excuse me.
Actually,
I remembered something.
There was something written upon the neck
of that white ghost.
You mean there were letters of some kind written on the Snow Man's neck?
Yes.
Two characters, to be specific.
I am afraid I cannot read,
but the first character was a line drawn across just like this.
I do not know about the second one.
The character "il"
meaning "one."
I did intend to tell you sooner,
but I feared that the ghost would come for my life
if it ever found out about what I had seen.
I am sorry.
It is okay. Thank you for telling me now.
I am the one who should be grateful.
If it had not been for you, ma'am, I would be dead by now.
Take care.
I have found someone who might know about him.
Excuse me. Hello?
I have some questions.
Do you perhaps know this man?
Did he order you to get rid of me?
Or are you here to collect the last of my limbs?
No, I am not here to harm you. Nor did this man send me here.
How do you know this man?
We worked together.
When he was working as a man of combat at the courtesan house, or before that?
He is no ordinary man of combat.
Meaning?
He is not human.
We call him the "Soul Reaper" as he tears out the hearts of men.
When he sliced my arm off, he did so after reaping the souls of a dozen others.
"One."
"One" on its neck…
One class.
Avoid him. You must avoid him at all costs.
One heart?
Do not let his gaze land on you.
Anything his gaze rests upon, he rips to shreds.
How could I have let a man like that be by her side?
One hour? One minute?
One whole?
One…
Jae-yi!
Brother, why…
I have just been informed of your true identity.
Soul Reaper.
Knowing that, you dare to unsheathe your sword before me?
Given that you two do not share a single drop of blood,
this is reckless and fervent.
I wonder where your heart truly lies.
But, Brother,
Father is coming this way.
Can he see you like this?
Brother. Put that away.
I was just asking Brother when you would be making your rounds.
If Father permits…
he believes it would be best that I join you to see the atelier.
He says that seeing the works of painters would refine my eye for art.
All right, then. You may come along.
Do not forget this.
I saved you once.
Do not challenge him again.
I will deal with him.
Brother, why are you suddenly acting like this?
Give me your word. Please.
Okay.
I could not ask her.
She may not have answered me anyway.
However,
I am now certain that the maidservant saw the Snow Man.
She was thinking up phrases that begin with "one."
The maidservant must have seen the Snow Man's neck.
The markings that start with…
"one."
What? A Snow Man?
So that wench, Sim Jae-yi, is searching for what could be a ghost,
and this "Snow Man" has markings on its neck that begin with "one"?
I was coming home yesterday, and my stomach started churning.
My bowel was on the verge of bursting.
And, good heavens, it started to drizzle on top of that!
The moment I took a squat, it all came plop, plop, plop.
Oh, come on.
Suddenly, something moved behind me,
and I was spooked.
So I looked to yell, "Who goes there?"
In the distance, there was this tall, pale man.
The monster raised its claws like this
and began digging in a frenzy. When she took a closer look…
His white pupils were looking at me, and…
Boo!
…blood was dripping from its pale hands. It was digging a grave, you see!
After seeing that thing, my father trembles at the sight of anything white.
He even refuses to eat white rice.
- Really? - Seriously?
- Is that true? - Really?
- Oh dear. - That is terrifying.
He is not one to let himself be easily witnessed by so many.
It was spotted here in the fields.
The womenfolk say they saw it here. The butcher, here.
And the village school child, here. This all points to…
Here.
Children disappear when the Snow Man appears.
All the places where it was witnessed were…
By children's graves. Only children's graves.
And on all the days the Snow Man was witnessed, it was…
Raining.
It is odd though.
We could not find a single witness during our investigations,
yet rumors are suddenly spreading like wildfire.
Why does that matter? Perhaps the witnesses have big mouths.
Now then, do we wait for it to rain?
The air feels nice and moist. I think it will rain in a few days.
When it rains, we will head to a children's grave.
But how will we fend against a creature that could be a ghost or a monster?
I will talk to my brother.
What use is a damned scholar?
That damned scholar is also quite the swordsman.
These are the paintings that the guild traded.
Make sure to study this list.
ONE DEATH
There was something written upon the neck of that white ghost.
The first character was a line drawn across just like this.
I saw someone with white hair and a white face.
Even their pupils were white.
CHILDREN'S GRAVE
"Hong" meaning rainbow.
Hongrang.
Let's go. She must have gone ahead.
The Snow Man?
Jjo-kkan.
Jjo-kkan! No, Jjo-kkan.
Who was it? Who did this to you?
Jjo-kkan, wake up!
Jjo-kkan…
What on earth is taking Jae-yi so long?
We should get a head start. She knows where to meet us.
Who did this?
Who did this to you?
Jjo-kkan…
You.
It was you who killed Jjo-kkan?
But why? Why?
She is useless to me now.
Telling me what you are plotting and what you are looking for
was the only use I had for that wench.
But you.
Even dead, I could find a good use for you.
When your little brother went missing,
a bounty of 500 nyang was set for his corpse.
I shall kill you and present you at the most fitting time
to receive money for your corpse
and also take the credit for finding you.
How shall I end you?
First, I shall carve that face of yours that can pass as a woman's and a man's.
On second thought, then Chief Sim could not recognize his own daughter.
Then how? Shall I skin you alive, starting with your toes?
Do it. Try me, you filthy bastard!
Why, you deranged wench!
You dare
lay a finger…
upon my sister?
Subtitle translation by: Jimin Choi