"You know those freight planes?" "The size of passenger jets..." "How many barrels of kerosene do you think it takes to fuel one?" "Tell me." "Have a guess." "700 maybe?" "700?" "You need to pitch higher than that!" "Even more?" "That's one helluva lot!" "3,000 barrels, no less." "3,000." "Really unbelievable, isn't it?" "The crazy ambition humans have to fly." "It's very lengthy." "It will take longer than you thought." "Can you fill it in here?" "Go into the office if you like." "It's all right." "I'll do it here." "But... will I be able to meet the doctor today?" "Finish all that first, then we'll talk." "Isn't there even a cheap inn round here?" "It's such a pain to track you down." "My boss is up in arms." "Are you actually getting any writing done at all?" "Take a good look at this contract." "A lot of conditions have changed." "Don't just flit through it." "Take a close and and careful look." "Heck!" "There you go again, signing regardless." "Didn't you hear me say read it?" "Got a cigarette?" "Remember, there aren't many publishers like us nowadays." "We've paid you three advances for a book you've not even written." "I can really understand the boss's annoyance." "Don't you?" "Have you really been writing?" "The boss says I've got to stick by you till you get it finished." "Ah, Jeez..." "Tired?" "Come this way." "Up the stairs." "When did you realize your bones were different?" "Pardon?" "How old were you when you started feeling uncomfortable in your body?" "Well..." "I'm not sure." "From being really small I've always felt I was somehow different." "From what age, precisely?" "Well, I can't be so precise about it..." "But..." "If you wouldn't mind..." "Can't you look me in the face when we talk?" "Have you made all the preparations?" "If you can't go ahead, how would you feel?" "Come back." "Come here!" "Hey, are you sick or something?" "Come with me." "Come with me, I tell you!" "You bastard!" "Get lost!" "Stop there!" "Hey!" "Bitna hasn't been here long." "I was minded to send her straight back, but she said in a week or so, you'd be coming for her." "Still no word?" "No." "Now listen..." "I'm not sure it's my place to say this, but how long has it been now since her mother left?" "And here you are, still wandering here and there." "If only for Bitna's sake..." "Did that bitch pay any thought to Bitna when she disappeared?" "Watch your mouth." "Bitna's listening." "You mean "it's shameful, so shut up"?" "That attitude got us into this mess." ""Bitna mustn't know!", "What if rumors start?"..." ""What if people talk again about things best forgotten?"" "Isn't 15 years long enough to spend fretting over losing face?" "Well..." "I don't know." "Some people can be really cruel." "Hello?" "Hello, this the Marketing Manager of Stanley  Co Finance, Alice Kim." "Am I speaking to Kim Jeong Suk?" "Make it quick." "This year, our company is hosting a special event, and we'd like to invite 16 artists to..." "Why did you come after me?" "My stupid daughter ran off." "Of course I came after you." "What do you mean, your stupid daughter?" "Listen up, you punk." "Did you inherit running away from your mother?" "You're just the same as her." "I don't even recall her face." "How can I take after her?" "More like it's you I resemble." "And it's not like I was wandering from place to place like you." "I left your sister's and went to my mother's sister instead." "So what?" "Hey, don't you go talking back to your father like that." "Blame yourself for bringing me up badly!" "You..." "Dammit..." "I'm frightened and anxious." "I'm excited at the thought of a new life..." "I'm worried about what lies immediately ahead." "I've spent all my money, and I'm not sure what the outcome of the tests will be." "I'm certain enough in myself." "But the test outcomes aren't in my power to decide." "That's why I'm scared." "You don't mind me coming in?" "Of course not." "Were you examined today?" "Yes." "They say it can go ahead." "With just one examination?" "Yes." "But I need further tests to establish what bones I need." "I've had one examination after another for six months now." "Lucky you!" "If this is already too much for you, how can you go through with it?" "I can do it!" "I can do it!" "In the coming week, you'll both be tested to see what form of bones you'll develop." "It will be painful, but it's vital to bear it." "And at the same time you'll need to pay." "In cash." "I'm already prepared for everything." "I have to run through these things." "Hear me out." "If you're both found suitable, we'll send you on to the herb gatherer." "He may want to do some further examinations." "It's best to be sure." "Still more examinations?" "But I've used up all my money." "You'r'e not finished yet." "There'll be more examinations when you get there." "What's wrong?" "I thought you knew all this before you came?" "The herb gatherer's examinations are just a formality." "Our tests establish essential physical and pyschological suitability." "The herb gatherer merely tests whether your constitution can cope." "There are some people whose constitution just can't take it." "Everything we're doing is in your interests." "Don't harbor such doubts." "It's not us that feel the need, after all." "So... planning to go to music college, are you?" "Or art school?" "Uh?" "Where are the textbooks you ought to have?" "Is this your idea of watching her?" "Bina's not a prisoner." "Why keep her under surveillance?" "And she did tell us she was going to your wife's sister." "Yet you said you didn't know where she'd gone." "Ah... that just slipped my mind." "You aren't concerned about her at all, are you?" "Why blame other people for your kid running away?" "Don't you realize what Bitna put your sister through?" "You closed your business down, didn't you?" "What?" "What's that got to do with this?" "How many times is it that I gave you cash for your business?" "When I think of all I've done for you over the years..." "Looking after a kid..." "Is it really so hard?" "Is he naive beyond belief or self-absorbed beyond belief?" "I'm not sure which it is now." "It's just naivety." "Don't think badly of him." "Yes but... a man who'se still naive past 40 has something wrong with him." "Hello?" "Ah yes." "This is Alice Kim." "I called you earlier." "Who?" "Kim Soyeon's my Korean name." "I badly need to talk to you." " Not interested" " Hold on a second..." "Don't hang up." "You see..." "I ..." "Are you all packed?" "These are the last things now." "How do you think your test results will turn out?" "I'm not sure." "Let's just hope they're good." "Did you sleep well?" "You must be wondering." "Both of you are psychologically completely suitable and there are no particular physical problems, either." "So now I'll brief you about the herb gatherer." "I'll tell you how to get there, and explain what you'll need." "Did you pack all your things?" "Yes." "A car will soon be coming to take you to the foot of the mountain." "Head up the mountain for 30 mins to an hour, and you'll encounter the herb gatherer." "The going isn't very hard, so don't worry." "When you find the herb gatherer, follow all his instructions to the letter." "Don't ask any awkward questions, and do exactly what he says." "Come on, this way." "I'm sliding all over the place!" "Not too fast now." "Are you alright?" "You must be weary?" "Have a drink of this." "You've done well to make it this far." "If you lose your way on the mountain, you're not far from death." "Do you really want this so badly?" "Could you tell straight away why we're here?" "Your physique, your gait," "the look in your eyes..." "Aren't you aware of those things?" "I've seen a good number like you." "If you respond well to autumnal herbs, we can see how well spring and summer herbs suit you." "This is the best time for herbs now." "Both of you get some rest." "We have to set off at daybreak tomorrow." "You dressed her in red, my absolute favorite color" "Wow!" "She's the spitting image of you!" "She's totally cute!" "Could you please double-check all the data from the trial and confirm the contact data?" "Yeah, I'll double-check it if you guys send it to me." " That would be lovely." " OK, I'll do that." "OK, then I'll see you later." "Bye." " Bye." "I've kept you waiting, I'm afraid." "Shall we go somewhere where we can talk?" "You look very different from your photos." "I'm going to help you." "With what?" "I've been reading your books every day." "As I was reading," "I was astonished to sense someone I shared a common soul with." "What gives you a claim to share my soul?" "There is indeed something we share." "I'll guide you on the way to find it." "For over ten years now, you've been looking for that path." "Do you really think that random wanderings will take you to her?" "Do you know my wife?" "If I do... will you come along with me?" "Crazy bitch." "I didn't deliberately set out to meet her." "We met because we were destined to, she and I." "There's a reason why I sought you out." "I was obliged to find you, but for a long time I shirked that obligation." "I asked do you know my wife." "I do." "I'm going to help you in your search for her." "Hey!" "It's me." "Alice Kim." "Kim Suyeon." "Just call me Suyeon." "Can I get in?" "So where are we headed?" "Ganghwan Island." "Why?" "We just are." "In other words, you're just aimlessly wandering around." "She abandoned her husband, and even her child..." "She must have had a reason." "Have you never considered that?" "What have you been doing these past 15 years?" "Just wandering aimlessly from place to place?" "Simply thinking "I'll come across my wife somehow?"" "Were you never curious about why she ran off?" "Gee, you sure talk a lot." "Are we both going to sleep here?" "Aren't we going to a hotel?" "I don't sleep in hotels." "I saw a hotel back there." "I can't get to sleep under a strange roof." "Grab hold of this." "But how can we sleep in that?" "Are you serious about that?" "In that case, what do I do for a toilet?" "We're both going to sleep in that?" "[What we felt and saw together were Fortune's gifts.]" "'Why did my wife really run away...'" "Did that question never once cross your mind?" "In your last book, after all, a man's wife goes missing, so he goes in search of her." "When I read it, I thought to myself "this writer plainly shares the same soul with me"." ""Even though he's not exactly a romantic, he's someone who can lend a sympathetic ear to someone else's pain," I thought." "But obviously your personality's not a bit like your books." "Crazy fool!" "What?" "[I have to seize this chance, because it will never come again." "For both of us, to love someone besides ourselves was a miracle." "Thank you." "Don't try to find me.]" "Are you Mr Kim, the writer?" "Yes, it's him alright." "Why is he so hard to find?" "Excuse me." "Sorry to show up so late at night." "This is such a remote spot it was really hard to locate." "What on earth's he doing here anyway?" "Excuse me!" "We've come to accompany Mr Kim somewhere." "There's no need to be suspicious of us." "Who the hell are you?" "Like I said, we're here to accompany you somewhere," "If it's too late for you tonight, we'll come back up tomorrow morning." "Today or tomorrow," "I need to know who you are before I decide to come with you or not." "Ah, that's rather a tricky question..." "Please just come along with us for now." "Honestly, we're not sinister people." "It's just that the situation's a bit peculiar." "Alright?" "Tough, isn't it?" "Think of it as packing a lifetime's walking into a single day." "How long have you been doing this work?" "Work?" "I've never actually thought of it as work." "So how long has it been?" "A good ten years, I guess." "So you must have encountered a lot of people like us." "That's true," "Let me think..." "Fifteen or thereabouts." "I sent two or three of them back." "Kids who came just because they found life difficult, I sent away again." "It's true, after all." "We aren't born into this world to live in comfort." "That's not why you're here, is it?" "My father owns three prestige apartment blocks, and my mother's a doctor." "My grandfather owns even more real estate." "I'm not here to have fun." "This is no joke to me, OK?" "What do you breakfast on?" "This past week we've been eating small insects, along with seeds and suchlike." "We've brought some supplies along with us." "From now on, you have to be very careful about what you eat." "Things resembling wholesome foods... could actually poison you if you eat them without thinking." "Inside the egg, you have to survive for fifteen years." "What a tragedy if you hatched out dead through eating the wrong thing." "You have to start with fairly weak mixtures to grow accustomed to them." "It's a matter of slowly altering your constitution, so you mustn't complain." "Now, your body will start reacting to the changes with fever and pains." "But don't be afraid." "It's a purely natural process." "There's nothing to worry over." "Why am I not hurting?" "Why isn't my body resisting?" "Why?" "I told you not to complain." "Everyone's constitution is different." "If you're to withstand fifteen years in the egg, this degree of discomfort should be bearable to you." "No-one who fretted this way ... was ever allowed to have the surgery." "But you keep on being so discouraging..." "That's what's making me fretful." "Endure it." "Withstand it." "If you can't manage to do that, go back down the mountain." "I'll bear it." "I'll bear it, I really will, so don't send me away." "Don't send me away." "Don't send me away." "You say he's a famous novelist?" "Even better known than the top best-sellers?" "So how come his face isn't familiar?" "He hasn't published anything for some time." "But he's famous all the same." "Hmm.." "So you haven't been writing because you've been searching for your wife?" "Is this your girlfriend?" "So it's not for love that you're searching for your wife..." "It's my daughter that I'm looking for." "Come and sit down and we'll talk." "This lady is Mme. Lee, President of the Daeheung Group." "So does that make you more famous than the boss of Samsung?" "People of your sort... like to seek out fame, but people like me... see no advantage in being recognized." "My daughter ran away from home without warning." "Seven or eight years ago now." "America, Japan, England," "We've searched every place I could think of." "I engaged all the finest specialists in the field, but they came up with absolutely nothing." "Not the slightest single thing." "So much money, and so much time, and all for nothing." " We did come up with things here and there..." " I'll grant you that." "It wasn't entirely for nothing." "Seeing how you found out about Mr Kim here." "A certain amount of money, along with a cellphone for contacting me." "Just get in touch we me from time to time." "Otherwise carry on the same as before." "Is this how you handle your business matters, too?" "No need to get prickly." "I thought you wanted to find your wife?" "Speed dial #1 calls me, and speed dial #2 calls my colleague here." "So just use #1 or #2 to call us." "Among families reporting a missing person, we found 6 cases showing similar features." "Have you seen this man before?" "He calls himself Lee Eunho, but his real identity is hard to establish." "For some 20 years he's been practising folk medicine, acupuncture, acupressure, and that sort of thing." "He doesn't appear to have any qualifications, but elderly people have always liked such things." "Someone who listens to them, and treats their ailments." "A bit like the way leaders of crazy cults get started." "It seems he started devising strange therapies for mental health disorders." "In order to seek him out, a number of females ran away from home." "In July of 1986, three women from Ganghwan Island all went missing at the same time." "In 1981 at Haenam in Jollanam Province a twenty-year old woman, and one in her forties, vanished." "Those are the hard facts we've confirmed so far." "For the rest, we can only speculate." "Rather like army conscripts, the women sent home the clothes they'd been wearing, along with their wallets." "Isn't that weird?" "A few actually included a letter." "And that's the common feature." "You wrote in your book about getting a package, otherwise we couldn't have known about you." "To be honest, we aren't novel-reading types." "But the astonishing thing is..." "En route for Haenam, I came across your book in a rest-stop toilet, and it opened just at the right pages." "Amazing, don't you think?" "Destiny always finds away to make things happen." "So you're looking for this man?" "Finding him would be a welcome bonus." "Is she going to be alright?" "She's been this way for half an hour now." "She's alright." "When you embark on a new life, this degree of pain is an inevitable consequence." "So why aren't I feeling any changes at all?" "Everyone's different." "The herbs are having a powerful effect on her." "As for me..." "If I don't get this surgery I'll kill myself." "Why are you telling me that?" "So you won't tell me to go away." "You can be happy in any form of life." "Who says so?" "Happiness is living the way you want to live." "Do you know how deprived I feel?" "What makes you feel so deprived?" "Absolutely everything." "I find it hard to talk to other people, hard to eat, to eat, to speak." "everything like that." "And no-one hears what I actually say." "And above all," "I so much hate having these hands." "Hands..." "I hate these stupid hands so much." "I want to chop them off and discard them." "I told you about this gentleman already, it's the writer Kim Jeong Seok." "Mme Lee has agreed he should join forces with us." "I've heard a lot about you." "For fifteen years... you've been looking for your wife, I'm told." "Who's your young lady companion?" "Is she in the same situation as we are?" "Just think of me as Mr Kim's assistant." "Don't be nervous about me." "Aren't we being too eager to accept him?" "He's no use to us at all." "All the same, he's got time on his hands." "The rest of us have to work to earn a living." "How could any of us afford devote 15 years to a search?" "It was Mme Lee's personal decision in any case." "So what's the point of our discussing it?" "None of us knows how much time we have left." "Don't you all want to find a missing loved one?" "And the man responsible... don't you want to find him as well?" "As we all know, everyone here.." "has lost someone from their family circle thanks to him." "A lost daughter, a lost grandchild, a lost wife, a lost lover." "Seoul, Daejeon, Daegu, Busan... we were spread all over Korea, yet the packages came from a limited area." "Kangwha Island, Incheon," "Muju, Jeonju," "Mokpo, Ulsan, Pohang." "My younger sister was born in the States and spent her whole life there." "so why I got a package from Mokpo, I've no idea." "Your package... where was it sent from?" "Ganghwan Island." "And what was in it?" "The clothes she'd been wearing, her bag, her pillbox, her diary." "So what was in the diary?" "Why should I talk about that?" "Because none of the others left a diary." "What the fuck?" "Are you spoiling for a fight or something?" "Mr Kim is prepared to help give new impetus to our search." "So the last thing we ought to do is undermine our mutual trust." "What, as a mystery writer?" "Is that really the sort of person who can help?" "Mme Lee has already made the decision." "All the missing persons are female." "From the police's point of view, since they all arranged their own disappearance, there's no reason to get involved." "Fortunately, we've pooled our knowledge, but the fact is, we can't even be sure how many victims there have been." "Tell me, are you aware how many people go missing in Korea every year?" "What was in the packages sent to other people?" "Basically, just the personal effects they had at the time." "I got a letter as well." "I'll pass on to you all the items that were sent." "Who knows, they may be of some help." "Right then..." "I formally propose Mr Kim here... as leader of the new phase of our search." "Let's give him a big hand." "I'll be in touch roughly once a day." "Thank you in advance." "Mr Kim..." "I'd like a word." "When you set to work, if anything turns up, please let me personally know." "There's something more I want to tell you." "What is it?" "Tell me now." "I've something else to tell you that the others don't know about." "It's awkward right now." "I'll get in touch again later." "There's nothing special in what the others sent." "They all say "I'm fine." "Don't try to find me"." "That sort of thing." "Nothing out of the ordinary." "Did someone disappear from your family?" "Well..." "Kind of..." "How do you plan to set me on the right track?" "You've kept visiting the same spots over and over, haven't you?" "Where's the sense in going round in circles like that?" "You ought to look for things the disappearances have in common." "Think about it." "People with nothing in common went to similar places then disappeared in similar circumstances." "There must be something behind that." "They all sent back home the things they had with them when they disappeared." "They obviously had no further need of them." "Why not?" "Why no need of clothes, money or wallets?" "In 1998 a 42-year-old woman disappeared." "After being a patient for 3 months she vanished on a day she attended for treatment." "Then in 2003 a woman of 27, after two months as a patient, also disappeared on her treatment day." "And in 2001 a 31-year old woman from Busan also disappeared after he'd treated her for a week." "She was observed twice on Ganghwan Island." "Those are the only cases where there's a direct link to that man." "Still, it's good to have three cases where there's a direct link." "I guess so." "Suppose we start by checking out oriental medicine clinics and other alternative therapists?" "So where do we begin?" "With the ones closest by." "Did your wife say anything to you as she was leaving?" "Don't you recall anything?" "She said she was finding things hard." "That she couldn't sleep and was anxious." " Why was that?" " How would I know?" "Don't you realize that's the sort of thing women are always saying?" "Have you never thought over why she was finding things so hard?" ""What was I born for"?" ""Why to evil-doers always prosper?"" ""Why does Korea never get any better?"" ""Why in this world... are kind and innocent people always the ones to do all the suffering?"" "Alright, alright..." "You're just looking for your wife to give her a thrashing." "That's why you won't find her." "What?" "How do you know my wife?" "No comment." "So is this it?" "Is this as you remember it?" "I'm not sure." "It was all so long ago." "15 years, you know." "What had brought you here?" "I've told you already." "It was just a casual trip." "And you met her somewhere near here?" "I think so." "A chance acquaintance, someone you'd just met, but you were so eager to do her a favor?" "But it was no big deal." "She just asked me to post a package." "But why would you remember a woman you met just once 15 years ago?" "Just what is it you're suspecting?" "You think I'm in cahoots with that Lee Eunho guy?" "Then why would I be here helping you find him?" "Hello." "Did you come up with anything?" "No." "So what plans have you made?" "I'm going to walk around, investigate and have a think." "You need to be more specific than that." "We have to write our report." "Just because you gave me cash, you think you can order me around?" "If so, you can have your money back." "But you know you need cash." "Your bank account's completely empty." "How about we focus on oriental medicine clinics established 15 years or more ago?" "Clinics?" "You said it was an unlicensed place." "This man Lee Eunho..." "I don't know what he is." "But the place I met your wife was an oriental medicine clinic." "Definitely." "So let's look for older oriental clinics." "You know, your wife was a really good person." "Have you ever been to Mongolia?" "No." "Did you never take a trip there with her?" "You never stop talking, do you, kiddo?" "Are you sure you've never been to Mongolia?" "Is this the place?" "It looks like it." "Are you sure?" "I want to know if you're sure." "Is there something I can do for you?" "Is the Doctor here?" "He is indeed." "I'd like a brief consultation." "Through the door next to this one, then up the stairs." "I'm going upstairs." "You take a look around the place." "Have you an ailment of some kind?" "Please take a seat." "You know Lee Eunho, don't you?" "A number of women he treated disappeared." "He definitely practised here 20 years ago." "So I'm sure you must know him." "Has a member of your family... gone missing?" "My wife." "She left home fifteen years ago." "15 years..." "That's going back a long time, but still... it's actually not all that long ago." "15 years means... that the time of awakening must be approaching." "Read through the list." "See if your wife's name is there." "What are all these?" "You wife's name may be there." "Look for it." "Here." "Ah, yes, her!" "I remember her." "Your wife was really beautiful!" "What on earth... did she come here for?" "She came for tests." "What sort of tests?" "You're the first person ever to come asking me that." "In the course of 20 years," "I've handled around 20 such operations yet this is the first time anyone's approached me about them." "I thought no-one had any real interest." "Where is my wife now?" "A hard question." "Knowing this eventuality might arise," "I'd composed my thoughts to offer an explanation," "But now..." "I don't fully recall what I thought out, so I'm unsure where to start explaining." "It's been a long time." "What sort of animal do you think this bone's from?" "Don't you remember?" "Who are you?" "I've lived in hell for 15 years." "There's no way I'm giving up." "What?" "Where's that man now?" "We never heard from you." "We thought you must be alright." "Not for one moment have I given up." "Although bones of different animals differ in density and makeup, those having similar functions tend to be similar in form, as you're no doubt aware." "In an unexpected chance discovery," "I found that human internal organs... with similar forms to those of animals... can be gradually modified to have a different function." "That man..." "Lee Eunho, was a pupil of mine." "Give me back my life." "I can't bear to carry on living like this." "You were all mistaken." "Why tell me this?" "Couldn't I at least be tested again?" "Tell me where that man is." "I'm going to have the procedure again." "I meet all the preconditions." "There's no point coming to me with questions like that." "Your wife... did you love her very much?" "What?" "It might be hard to come to terms with," "But, thinking of her happiness, can you not just let her go?" "If I found the herb gatherer, could he help?" "Sounding off won't get you anywhere." "If you've coped for fifteen years, you can manage for the rest of your lifespan." "But I told you it's been hell, didn't you hear a word?" "Everyone else lives with it." "Life may be hell, but with a bit of help from cigarettes and liquor, they manage to get by." "Where's the herb gatherer?" "Is he in the mountains?" "What month are we in?" "If you trust my word and are prepared to let your wife go," "I'll be able to tell you everything." "Hello?" "Mr Kim, I believe you're on Ganghwan Island right now?" "I'll come to meet you there." "I've things to tell you." "Is it urgent?" "It is." "I'm on my way." "Alright." "What do you want me to do?" "Shall I tell you?" "Why are you waiting there?" "To point you the way." "To the next stage." "Well... eight years ago my elder sister left home." "Both our parents died young, and though my sister wasn't much older than me, she became like a parent to me." "She had difficulty getting to sleep and problems eating." "She had a hard time settling at school and later at work," "Watching her, I felt strongly what she was going through." "She graduated from Veterinary School then went into research." "Studying endangered species, she travelled all over the country." "Hooded cranes on Ulleung Island, black-tailed gulls on Hong Island, herons in Muan." "Creatures of that kind." "She spent six months or more away on field-work for her research." "But then... whenever she came back from field-work," "I kept sensing strange things about her." "She told me she was planning to undergo surgery." "It would involve preliminary tests taking between a month and a year." "and if the tests proved unfavorable, the surgery might be ruled out." "Didn't you tell anyone else?" "Who would have believed such a story?" "And also..." "And also?" "If my sister really did have this surgery, it would surely be best to keep it secret from the world outside." "Jioh... there's something I've got to tell you." "Jioh..." "I think I'm going to have to leave you." "I'm going to start a new life, you see." "I've come to understand myself." "And why my life so far has been so difficult." "My darling little sister," "I'd like to call out to you, but I sense that now I have to start shedding my old life." "In all this world, you and I... had no-one but each other." "From now on, we're both going to be alone, and that thought pains me so much... but knowing you wish me more than anyone else does to be happy gives me the courage to take this step." "Thank you." "I love you." "So, your sister... do you know what kind of life she's living now?" "No." "I know nothing at all for certain." "If the surgery went wrong, she may no longer be with us." "If it succeeded, how would she be able to contact me?" "I just have to trust in her word that she'll never abandon me." "So... you haven't found out anything else at all?" "For several years now... there have been reports of migratory birds staying where they are," "And shovelbills and Korean woodpeckers have been observed changing their habitats." "It's a sign that your sister will never leave you." "Why are you telling me this?" "I feel I have to find that man." "The truth is," "I don't trust all those others." "If I told them these things, how do you think they'd react?" "You're right." "We're obviously thinking along similar lines." "I need to finally discover what sort of life my sister is living." "And where she is." "That's what I want to know." "That's why I want to locate that man." "Do you think you can find him?" "The first step, is to find the herb gatherer." "Find him, and we can find Lee Eunho." "Around this time of year, he'll be on Mount Odae near the sources of the Cheongkye Stream, or anywhere above the 1,200 meter line." "Failing that, he could be on Mount Jiri or Mount Seorak." "gathering roots and collecting seeds." "Meaning we'd have to spend maybe months scouring those mountains?" "If you don't want to go up the mountains, you could try staking out the terminals where the rural buses leave." "But if you miss him there, it might mean waiting for months or a year or more." "I'll come along, too." "Fuck it!" "I said we shouldn't trust those bastards." "If you came too, it would arouse suspicion." "So don't do that." "Bloody hell!" "Once we find the herb gatherer, there's still another person we have to locate." "Oh fuck!" "Are they playing some kind of game here?" "Do we report this just as it is?" "How should we put it across Mme Lee?" "What are you bothered about?" "Finding the herb gatherer is the next step, obviously." "We find him, then we find the hunter, and so on from there." "She's right." "If we follow that path, we'll come across Lee Eunho eventually, won't we?" "I guess so." "He never stays put for long." "Apart from when he has special surgery to perform, he's always somewhere deep in the mountains." "Gathering animal bones, and watching over the eggs." "The eggs?" "The surgery culiminates in creating an egg." "And the patient incubates in it for 15 years." "Before very long, your wife will wake up inside the egg." "How do you know all this?" "The time for you to go down to the valley has come." "Neither of you has a problem constitution-wise." "You're robust enough the withstand the 15 year period after the operation." "Now you can meet the hunter." "I will tell you the way, but... you, young lady," "although your constitution is satisfactory, it's not outstandingly so." ""Satisfactory, but not outstandingly so" What's that supposed to mean?" "Can I go ahead, or can't I?" "I'll ask the hunter to lead you there, but whether you can actually have the surgery or not, isn't for me to decide." "But I've been backward and forward for a whole year." "And still not to know for certain..." "How can you say such an irresponsible thing?" "I want to avoid acting irresponsibly That's why I'm saying it." "Life is long, and with that in mind, there's no matter that I can decide with absolute conviction." "Even if you have the operation, you have to endure 15 years after that." "But you said I was strong enough to cope with the surgery." "It's my life, and it's what I've decided on, so why not?" "Let's meet the hunter first." "We'll take one step at a time." "You've done really well so far, after all." "When you go down to the market, you should find an apothecary's stall." "Show him the prescription I'll give you and give him the ingredients." "Pay him in cash and after that... the hunters will know how to find you." "Don't approach the hounds too closely from now on." "Sorry?" "You going to have the surgery aren't you?" "Yes, that's right." "So I'm talking about your scent." "We don't want the dogs getting confused." "Down!" "Down!" "Didn't you get something from the herb gatherer?" "Here it is." "Since it's nearly sunset, rest up here for tonight." " Alright" " We'll set off tomorrow." "Right." "Elbows to your chest." "Breath in." "Then half-empty your lungs." "Face to the front." "Shoot!" "Let's get going." "Summer's End is still a novice." "So let Summer's Start guide him." "If a boar appears, he may go into a panic." "We'll have to get round to ridding him of that fear." "Yes, father." "We'll have to find a cross-breed with a domestic pig to train him on." "Seek!" "This is where it really starts." "What does?" "The chase." " Oh no!" "Help!" " Be quiet!" "There's blood." "It put up a fight before it died." "They don't bleed if they die instantly." "It's when they've fought for their life that they're bloodied." "We're going to have to make a slight detour." "Wild boar ... generally stay well clear of humans." "If they don't, it's because they have young." "If we make a detour, they won't attack us, so don't be scared." "Let's retrace our steps." "They always return to the location of a kill." "They're certain to come back." "Let's get away from here fast." "That's where he is." "In you go." "What?" "He's most likely in there." "If not, he'll be back soon, because the eggs are here." "But it you just leave us, what do we do next?" "I thought you'd come for surgery?" "Yes, but why aren't you guiding us any further?" "I've done what I'm paid to do." "Strangely enough, close by the eggs there's a lot of game is to be found." "I don't want to know what sort of surgery you two are here for... and I don't much care." "Are you a poacher?" "I'm selective about what I hunt." "I just take one or two animals to meet my needs." "And so... if your surgery is successful, be wary of folk like me." "This is hard." "Have you come for surgery?" "We have." "Did you bring your medical notes?" "The surgery may perhaps be completed in a single session, but it's possible two or three operations may be required." "Unless special procedures prove necessary," "I'll operate here where the eggs will incubate." "Enclosed in the egg, you will have to endure for somewhere between ten and fifteen years." "You realize that, I hope?" "During that time," "I will keep the eggs in my care as you see here." "It's vital they receive careful attention." "They mustn't rot, or get frozen, or, through some accident, be eaten by wild animals." "But the greatest risk... comes from humans." "The surgery itself is gruelling, but more arduous still is the time you must spend inside the egg." "because you will be conscious the whole time." "An unborn infant in its mother's womb enjoys enviable peace." "Once it emerges into the world nothing but suffering awaits." "However, if you were required to return to live in your mother's womb," "that would be more harrowing still." "True peace is beyond our power even to imagine." "Is that not so?" "Every single choice open to us involves some sort of suffering." "Still, knowing all that, you made your way here?" "In this place, you'll be safe." "There are no worries about decaying or freezing." "You came at the right season." "But what about wild animals?" "The hunters will protect you." "We're over the 1,200 meter line and this has been freshly dug up." "That means he's somewhere nearby." "Are you so well versed in these things?" "Of course I am." "How could I forget a taste like this?" "Why didn't you have the surgery?" "I did." "You did?" "You're wondering why I didn't become a bird?" "It must have failed." "Well, that's roughly it." "You haven't changed the slightest bit." "I have a healthy diet and no stress." "It's understandable I age less than other people." "This is the writer Kim Jeong Seok." "His books are famous." "I know." "I've read them too, his novels." "So your companion back then... must have been his wife." "She's stayed in my memory." "The time's approaching for her to leave the egg." "Mr Kim is keen to see her once last time." "Please help us find the hunter." "And you?" "Why have you come along?" "I'm acting as his guide." "I made his wife a promise." "And you've no other motive?" "No." "Please provide the herbs we need to meet the hunter." "If you can't be happy in this existence, you won't be happy in that other life either." "I know." "Thank you." "Nowadays there aren't many seekers." "You may not be able to find the hunter." "I've no worries about that." "If you're in pain, chew on this as you go along." "I once lay beside your wife looking up at the stars like this." "I made her a promise, you see." "That I'd arrange for her to see her child and her husband." "What does your husband do for a living?" "He's a writer." "Didn't you tell your husband anything at all?" "At that, he chased after him, saying "I'm thirsty, brother." "Give me a drink of milk."" "We've got a child now." "For her sake can't you go smoke outside?" "Will you be sleeping at home tonight?" "I can't get to sleep at home." "It's been a long time." "What about your father?" "He passed away." "I think it's going to snow." "We'll stay at the hunting lodge till it stops." "Hello." "I'm on his track now." "Be patient." "If Mme Lee finds out, we'll be in hot water too." "You've got to keep me filled in with more details." "Are tailing me?" "That's exactly what people in our line of work are for." "The task of finding Lee Eunho... you think we can still trust you with that?" "You didn't entrust me with it." "You bullies forced in on me." "Well now!" "You call yourself an artist, but you talk very coarsely." "So do you want us to take over the investigation and the search?" "Would that suit you?" "In that case, I'll report accordingly." "Right." "Seek!" "Shall we get moving?" "I see you don't have the same dogs." "I ate Summer's Start on the first day of summer heat, and Summer's End on the last day." "What?" "That was a joke." "Can you use that thing?" "I hope you're fucking joking?" "Do you have to say "fuck" every other word?" "Someone's following us." "Even though there's not a sound to be heard." "Are you sure?" "No, ma'am." "We've confirmed his location." "Within 2 or 3 days I'll be able to report on events." "No, no." "It's not a matter of deliberately failing to report things." "Does she know all about it?" "She must have another team on the job as well." "Well, that's no real surprise." "What does that matter?" "Why should we worry?" "Our job's just to get Lee Eunho." "Seems like she doesn't trust us." "Why else would she hire another team?" "Still, we have to make sure we're the ones who find him first." "Do we have to resort to this?" "We don't know who they are, after all." "They're hunters." "But so are you." "Hunting is banned in this area." "Other hunters being around is suspicious." "How do you know?" "My mother signalled me a warning." "My father always used to say humans were the most dangerous animals." "It's best to be a bird of prey like a falcon or an eagle, you know." "They're the safest, because they're protected species." "If you you don't want to be a bird of prey, when you have the surgery, make sure you opt for white plumage." "No white birds can be legally hunted at any time of year." "All the same, it would be a good idea to get away from Korea." "I intend to head for Mongolia." "There's a falconer there who's prepared to take me in." "How you can you just leave us alone like this?" "If they hear you, they'll find us anyway." "To target them I need to move around." "Stay here." "What was that?" "There's someone there!" "Hey, hey look at that crazy bastard!" "He's aiming at us!" "Let's get him." " What a weirdo." "Who are the idiots kicking up such a din?" "Let's find them fast." "Looks like Mr Kim's not moving at all." "Quick, let's head in his direction." "Are you a bird, too?" "Or are you human?" "Just what are you?" "That bastard?" "What's gotten into him?" "Where's the bastard gone to?" "Why's it gone so quiet?" "This is as far as you two are going." "Time you left the mountain, don't you think?" "We can take over the job from here on." "I've got to meet my wife." "You can forget about that." "She left you 15 years ago." "What do you think she'd do?" "The avian kind?" " Crazy rubbish!" " Take it easy there." "Don't you realize how many families that lunatic destroyed?" "All that "avian kind" bullshit." "A bird, are you?" "Are you?" "For fuck's sake, fly then." "Dammit, we obviously shouldn't have brought you along." "Don't be too upset about this." "Go back down the mountain for a while." "We'll catch Lee Eunho ourselves." "When you catch him, what will you do?" "Finish him off, of course." "That's for Mme Lee to decide." "Our job's done once we've found him." "Move!" "When we catch Lee Eunho, we'll find out whether your wife's a bird or in an egg, and let you know." "So all we need to do is track the scent of this?" "So we need a hunting hound." "Do you really believe you're a bird?" "Where does the woman stop and the bird start?" "And what should we describe you as?" "Birdwoman?" "If your wife's a wild goose, does that make you a wild gooser?" "Or a goosed hubby?" "How did you find out?" "That we were here?" "Nowadays these smartphones really are smart." "Nowadays these smartphones really are smart." "Amazing, no?" "One of the tricks of our trade." "You know those freight planes, the ones as big as passenger jets...?" "How many barrels of kerosene do you think it takes to fuel one?" "Dunno." "Tell me." "Have a guess." "Around 700 maybe?" "700?" "You need to pitch higher than that!" "More than that?" "That's one helluva lot!" "3,000 barrels, no less." "3,000." "Truly unbelievable, isn't it?" "the crazy ambition humans have to fly." "Are such indications enough to go by?" "It's someone born with a human body and possessing a human soul." "Can what you're saying make any sense?" "The name of this herb is Horancho." "Its roots are known as Dallaengi and are beneficial for kidney or liver ailments." "Its stem is called Jebimok or sometimes Pureugi" "It can prevent blood clots and improve vision." "The plant is known by various other names, too." "People use it in various ways, depending on their needs." "Some use it all, from root to tip." "Some use only the part from here to there." "Yet again, some use it as far as this portion." "So this herb with so many facets..." "what name should we give it?" "It has several names, and so do the various parts that are used." "And it's put sometimes in one category, now in another." "We categorize ourselves, too, according to convenience and convention." "We too... all live in ignorance of what we are." "Jeez!" "Shit!" "What the fuck's going on now?" "You wanna die?" "You friggin lunatic!" "Come with me quick." "The sun's going down." "There it is." "Do you see it down below?" "Make your way down there." "This is a far as I go." "It's me." "She hasn't woken up yet, has she?" "The time for her to emerge has come." "The signs are visible." "I've brought her husband here." "She said she wanted to see him when she wakes." "The time is approaching." "Be patient." "Be patient." "She'll emerge soon." "I've come to undergo the procedure again." "Don't say I can't." "Can't I try just once more?" "Don't say I can't" "Can't I give it a try?" "Why not?" "For God's sake why not?" "I've spent fifteen years in hell!" "Please." "I'm begging you!" "Please..." "If you can withstand drinking this, I'll go ahead." "If your organs lack sufficient strength, you will rot away to nothing in the egg." "To survive 10 years or more inside the egg, you must have sufficiently strong organs." "You have an adequate constitution, but your organs aren't particularly strong." "Does that satisfy you?" "So get to work now!" "If you couldn't be happy out there, you won't be able to be happy here either." "Happiness isn't what I'm after." "I just want to escape this suffering!" "Do you realize... just how long I've been waiting for this moment?" "[Mongolian] Hello" "[Mongolian] How've you been?" "[Mongolian] I'm fine thanks." "How about you?" "[Mongolian] Are you feeling well?" "[Mongolian] Yes, I am." "Are you?" "I'm just learning it out of interest." "Would you have liked your family to know you were going to become a bird?" "Yes." "Why?" "My husband..." "I'd have liked him to realize who I am." "Alright..." "If I can't become a bird," "I promise I'll fetch your husband to meet you." "Hello." "Mr Kim?" "I've read the material you sent in." "You know this won't do." "We"ve given you cash advances three times." "You can't foist rubbish like that on us." "Just who am I?" "Mr Kim..." "We'll have to meet up later to talk about this." "I had a dream." "In my dream... so many impossible dreams turned out to be true." "That's how I knew... that it was only a dream."