The Hypnosis (2021) Movie Script
SMILE ENT and CAPITAL ONE present
THE FRIDAY PICTURES, SMILE ENT and JCUSTOM GROUP production
Executive Producers - Sunny YOON, SONG Seung-yeop
Producers - LEE Young-min, Sunny YOON, LEE Jung-hyun, KIM Ji-han
David LEE
Johyun KIM Do-hoon
NAM Min-woo KIM Nam-woo
How are you today?
Relax and get comfortable.
Lets try to recall what happened that day.
Looking at this light will make you feel relaxed.
Now, the elevator arrives.
Jin-ho. When you get in, itll go down.
When it stops on the first floor,
go back to the past where your friend was.
Written & Directed by CHOI Jae-hoon
Now.
The elevator doors open.
Go inside.
THE HYPNOSIS
ANSAN UNIVERSITY
Any memories youd like to erase?
My ex-boyfriend.
He was a scum.
When he got drunk, hed hit and curse.
Then hed apologize as if nothing happened.
Should I look at the camera?
You can look at me or the camera.
I bumped into him at a store.
The jerk didnt recognize me.
He bullied me for 3 years.
See this scar?
Its from getting beaten by him.
Human memory can be cunning.
It tends to erase disadvantageous memories.
Dont just translate the lyrics,
but write the meaning behind them.
Its not too difficult. It should be easy to analyze.
Whoever is done, may go.
Bye, Professor.
Do-hyun.
Yes?
Write your name.
Oh!
Im sorry.
KIM DO-HYUN
You look good on camera.
Im going to the basement.
PAST LIFE EXPERIENCES
Not bad, huh?
Did you try to stop them?
I followed them.
I want to tell them to stop.
Oh no...
I have to tell them its wrong!
What is it?
What the heck!
You scared me.
Youre on TV? Youll make it big soon.
If I can make it big with that, I wouldnt be here now.
Isnt this stuff all bullshit?
Hypnosis cant be all fake.
If I hypnotize you and tell you to love me, you will?
Sleep!
You love me. You want me.
But you know we cant be together.
Wanna die, retard?
A teenage star should use nicer vocabulary!
If you want nice, think nice!
You always have horny thoughts.
Healthy men like me always think of food or sex. Right?
Nope.
Ask any guy walking by. If they could use hypnosis, they will.
Why you...
Does it hurt?
No, Im fine.
I gotta go.
Bye.
Wanna get going?
Sure. Help me up.
Lets go.
Hey.
How can you skip practice?
At least act like youre sorry!
Crazy bitch.
Im the only one who didnt know the time change?
You all kept it from me?
Dont act like a big star.
What star? Shes nothing.
You called me here for help. What are you filming?
I need to film some interviews. Know any free-timers?
I think Byung-joon might know.
Ill call him. Lets go out for a drink tonight.
Ill console you all you want.
Youre on! I could use some consoling.
Youre a warm dude.
Do-hyun.
Go to Professor YEOs office.
Shes looking for you.
Thanks.
Sure.
Shes hot! Who is she? Hook me up with her.
Introduce me to her!
Let go!
Forget it!
Come on!
Hows your video coming along?
Im still working on it.
I called you in for a favor.
I see.
Theres a new transfer student.
Hes been sick due to an incident.
Hes still being treated.
I was hoping you could help him out.
Sure.
Hi, Jin-ho. Welcome.
Say hi. Hes the student rep.
You two are the same age. Hope you get along well.
Ask him things and such.
I will.
Youre an English major, but youre making a video?
Its for my Psychology class. Im making a documentary.
Based on what?
Ah, peoples sense of guilt.
Not feeling guilty as a child, then having it as adults.
Something about memory.
Sounds interesting.
Yes, Professor. Im on my way.
Where are you going?
I receive treatments once a week.
Is it still pretty bad?
I lost my memory from the incident.
Im getting hypnotherapy from a professor here.
Hypnotherapy?
Yup. Wanna come? Itll be fun to watch.
In the early 2000s in Korea,
there was a study of children with violent personality disorders.
The study tried to control violence by hypnotizing fear into their minds.
Today, hypnotic psychotherapy is used
in countries like the U.S. and Japan with great reliability.
Also, hypnosis is used in criminal investigations.
Yes?
What happened to the domestic study?
Back then, hypnosis was considered as a pseudo-discipline.
And the induced fear from hypnosis changed to assault...
...toward the target, so it was suspended.
Thats it for today.
Dont forget to hand in your assignments by the 20th.
Good class.
Thank you.
Professor!
Hi, Jin-ho.
I came with a friend.
Hello.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
Its okay, sir.
There are so many interesting things here.
Theyre things to help with hypnosis.
Ive collected too many.
-Have a seat. -Yes, sir.
People are talking a lot about hypnosis these days.
Theres a TV show on experiencing past lives.
Maybe its because of that?
But can you really see your past life?
Well...
Deep in a hypnotic trance, you experience subconscious memories.
Some say the subconscious images are from the past life.
Then they were seen but forgotten?
We cant say theyre all from a previous life,
but while hypnotized
some people talk about the distant past in great detail.
I guess well know whats right with more research, right?
I once saw someones memory being changed with hypnosis on YouTube.
I thought it looked staged.
Youre really interested in hypnosis, huh?
Then...
Shall we test it on you?
Test, sir?
Try it. Itll be fun.
Okay.
Ill try it.
Now, relax.
Get comfortable as if youre ready to fall asleep.
Breathe in and out to help you relax.
Once relaxed, open your eyes and look up.
Stare at the light.
Imagine yourself in space in a weightless state.
Your body feels lighter and lighter.
Youre standing at the end of a long and narrow dark tunnel.
Slowly, go out through the tunnel.
When the bell rings, youll be fully hypnotized.
Are you okay?
I kept giving the signal to wake you up,
but you mustve been hypnotized too deeply.
Take a big breath.
Try to calm down and relax.
Can you tell me what you saw?
I was inside a building.
I saw some ashes.
I cant remember.
Its okay.
The memory will come to you in time.
Get a 2G phone, why dont you?
I said Im sorry, man.
You never answer the phone.
Youre really quitting boxing?
My life wont change much by getting on the national team.
Our starting lines are different from rich kids like them.
But we can cross the finish line faster than them!
Listen!
Im going to leave my mark and die heroically!
Make money and leave your mark in life.
Why do that in dying?
Snap to it! Dont be like Do-hyun!
What?
Hello?
Come down.
Hey, genius. Why are you so late?
I had to drop by somewhere.
Whos this?
He just transferred to my school.
Jin-ho is helping me with a project.
Lets all have a drink.
Sure. Have a seat.
-Another plate, please! -Coming.
What school did you transfer from?
Just somewhere.
Where? Its okay. Im studying for the third time to get in.
-Proud of that? -Yup.
Its just I dont want to talk about it.
He doesnt want to tell you. Forget it.
Have we met before?
No. I dont think so.
Since when did you call to drink?
We havent met in a while.
Whatever.
Drink it.
Cheers!
Cheers!
Im going home.
Thanks.
Does the food go with this drink?
What?
No rooms here?
Lets go. Ill buy.
Didnt you have practice?
I can go later.
Have a seat.
Its been a while.
Yup. Its still very awkward.
Its just you, not me.
Come on. Lets get along.
You two havent met in a while. Act like youre friends.
You do it for me, man.
Im outta here.
Byung-joon! Wait!
When will you make up with Hyun-jung?
Dont know. Forget it.
Some personality you have...
Just realized my personality sucks?
But a good personality like yours can make you a pushover.
So, decided on what youll do after quitting boxing?
Since when did I make plans?
I dont want to do anything.
Its damn frustrating.
-Really? Youre on! -I want the right.
Shit.
What the hell?
Cut the freakin racket!
What?
Who are you staring at!
Come here, asshole!
Damn son of a bitch!
Scumbag!
Damn retard!
Stop it!
I told you not to stare, asshole!
Thats enough!
See ya, Byung-joon.
Take care.
-Tidy up. -Yes, sir.
HYUN-JUNG
Can you clean my office too?
Sure.
Im taking a nap.
What if someone comes in here?
Theyre all gone.
Why didnt you take my calls?
I drank with my friends.
Since when were we friends?
Got a headache? Want pills?
No, its okay.
Had a nightmare?
The Sound and the Fury.
Its a novel by William Faulkner.
Divided into 4 parts, it expresses the flow of consciousness.
Not busy these days? You come to school often.
Its to fill my attendance requirement to graduate.
I cant be a teen idol for life.
HYPNOSIS
Hey.
That show about experiencing your past life, was it real?
I just did as the writer wrote.
Why?
Its nothing.
Thats it?
Did you see the professor I told you about?
I cant just see any doctor
and have weird rumors going around.
Hes a professor here. It should be fine.
Jin-ho, the one from the bar, is seeing him too.
For what?
Problems with his memory.
Really?
Okay, then.
I gotta go.
See ya.
Did I fall asleep?
Its okay.
Its because you felt comfortable after the session.
Stupid.
Arent you going to study?
Youre not my mom.
Its hard enough without you nagging.
Its because you never study.
Its hard even if I do.
Its Professor CHOIs book.
Let me see it.
It was interesting.
Why are you suddenly interested in hypnosis?
I once followed Jin-ho to his hypnotherapy and...
Do you mind?
Its fine.
Im getting hypnotherapy to recover from a bad incident.
A fire broke out at home and my stepfather died.
My head got messed up from that.
But does hypnosis actually work?
There once was a hypnosis study of
people being told their stomachs were getting smaller.
Then endoscopies showed they really shrank.
The book says
people can be hypnotized with simple leading questions,
but its harder to wake them up from the trance.
Theres a chance they may not wake up.
What?
Then theyre hypnotized forever?
Not sure...
Wanna try it?
No way! What if I never wake up! Thats freaky!
Think I can do it? I just want to try it for fun.
Wanna try it on me?
Im highly susceptible.
Ill probably get hypnotized even by a beginner.
Really?
Hey!
Stop fooling around!
Damn it.
It hurts!
Shit.
I told you guys to stop! Turn the lights on!
Look at the light and relax.
Imagine theres an elevator right before you.
Ready?
Now, lets begin.
Go on the elevator down to the basement.
Youre going
lower and lower.
When I count to three, youll be fully hypnotized.
One, two, three.
Your hand feels light as a feather and starts to rise.
Walk to the tree before you, pick an apple and eat it.
Shh!
Walk past the tree and go into a dark tunnel.
Once youre out of the tunnel,
youll go to your distant past life.
What do you see?
What do you see?
Jin-ho! Jin-ho!
Hey!
Jin-ho! Wake up!
Jin-ho!
Jin-ho! Snap out of it!
Come on!
Jin-ho! Jin-ho!
Are you okay?
HYUN-JUNG
Are you sure youre okay?
Did you see something? Holy shit!
Why isnt she answering?
HYUN-JUNG
DO-HYUN
Shit. I cant believe this.
Did you call Byung-joon?
Hes not answering.
What happened?
Did something happen to her?
Im not sure.
But you were there.
When she killed herself...
Why would she do that?
Didnt you sense anything from her?
Talk to me!
About what! I dont know anything!
Stop asking me, man!
Dont yell at me.
I can ask, cant I?
Shit! I gotta watch what I say?
Stop treating me like a retard!
Since when did we treat you like a retard?
Youre doing it now!
What did we ever do!
Forget it.
Excuse me.
Police.
Are you SEO Hyun-jungs friends?
I didnt notice anything different.
We dont know why she...
Did she really kill herself?
Yes. We found her handwritten note.
A suicide note?
But the content...
Its sounds like a metaphoric poem.
Any ideas on what day she was referring to?
Were not sure.
I see.
Call me if anything comes to mind.
INSUNG POLICE STATION
Youre really quitting?
Yup.
Im calling it quits with you too.
Fine. Leave the keys in my office.
What?
Why are you here?
Hey!
What is she doing?
DO-HYUN
Hi, Do-hyun.
Where are you?
Im at the gym to pack up.
Come to Je-il Funeral Home.
Hyun-jung committed suicide.
What?
Cut the crap.
Hyun-jung is right here.
What?
Thats crazy! Whos with you!
Hyun-jung jumped off the roof at our school today!
Byung-joon! Its not Hyun-jung!
Get out of there now!
Keep your eyes closed.
Dont trust what you see.
DO-HYUN
Where are you?
Im at the gym.
Come to Je-il Funeral Home.
Hyun-jung committed suicide.
What?
Before she committed suicide, Hyun-jung called me.
Do-hyun...
I keep seeing weird things.
After being hypnotized,
I keep hearing things.
I think something is wrong.
While hypnotized...
I saw Seung-min from back then.
Hyun-jung. Its okay. Calm down.
I saw something under hypnosis too.
Its just a memory.
No, its not just some memory!
Do-hyun.
It was fun when we were young, right?
But why...
Do-hyun...
I think Seung-min is here.
Thats crazy! Why was she hypnotized?
She was struggling with depression.
After breaking up with you,
she had problems with her peers.
She broke up with me first!
She wanted to focus on her career,
so I agreed and broke up.
I know. Im not blaming you.
Anyway,
I introduced her to a psychology professor for help.
After hypnotherapy,
she said she kept seeing Seung-min.
Who the hell is Seung-min?
Hyun-jung mustve thought I knew Seung-min too.
But I dont remember or know anyone by that name.
If I just show it and stay,
I was promised to be forgiven.
Its okay. Ill be fine.
Jin-ho...
Theres not much time left.
Call 911!
Call 911! Hurry!
Did you notice anything different about Jin-ho?
Nothing special, maam.
Im not sure.
Okay. You can go.
Bye, Professor.
YEO KYUNG-HEE
It was fun when we were young, right?
I think Seung-min is here.
Ja-woon?
JA-WOON
Ja-woon Funeral Hall...
Ja-woon Transport...
Ja-woon Church.
JA-WOON CHURCH
He cut himself? Why?
I dont know.
Maybe from stress or something to do with the fire.
Damn! Why do things keep happening?
Do you guys remember this?
Thats me.
Thats Byung-joon.
Thats Chan-kyu. Thats Hyun-jung.
Im not sure about the others.
What does this have to do with Hyun-jung committing suicide?
What Hyun-jung mentioned before kind of bothers me.
She talked about our childhood
and that she could see Seung-min.
What? Does that mean Seung-min is in this picture?
Im not sure. I cant remember.
But when did we take this?
You and Hyun-jung were both hypnotized by Professor Choi?
Yeah.
Lets go and see him.
Since you say you grew up in the same neighborhood,
its possible to recall similar memories.
She called me before she committed suicide.
She was scared
and said she could see what she saw under hypnosis.
Recalling a forgotten memory
could be an afterimage left in her subconscious.
It didnt sound like an afterimage.
Actually,
Im seeing things after being hypnotized too.
If what you say is true,
then it could be a hypnotic trigger.
What does that mean?
It means when put under certain conditions of hypnosis,
you get hypnotized again.
Is that really possible?
If you give a trigger while in hypnosis to feel depressed or scared,
it can induce you to feel suicidal when you wake up.
Were you ever hypnotized by anyone besides me?
No, sir.
If hypnotized by a trigger,
will we keep having hallucinations and kill ourselves too?
Hypnotized by a trigger?
Do-hyun.
Ive never been hypnotized.
But I think I saw what you saw.
I didnt see anything strange yet.
Doesthatmean Imnexttoseethegirl?
Lets report it to the cops.
Report what?
That we keep seeing a strange girl?
Wanna go to the loony bin like Jin-ho?
Crap! This is insane!
Lets not jump to any conclusions.
Maybe well find something at the church in the picture.
Arent you coming?
I gotta go to study hall.
Fine. Well call you later.
Do you remember anything?
Excuse me.
By chance...
Do you know where this church is?
This isnt a church.
Its a hospital run by the church.
A hospital?
NO TRESSPASSING
WARNING
Shit.
What now?
We came all this way. Lets go in.
THIS IS A PRIVATE PROPERTY.
THOSE WHO ENTER WITHOUT PERMISSION WILL BE CRIMINALLY CHARGED.
JA-WOON
There was something here...
Do-hyun!
DIRECTORS OFFICE
Whats wrong?
Its nothing.
Whos there?
Im the caretaker here.
This closed down 10 years ago.
Why was it shut down?
Something bad happened here.
What happened?
Why are you asking so many questions?
We lived in this neighborhood
and came here once in a while.
Were looking for a friend we used to play with.
Who?
Do you know a girl named Seung-min?
I do.
The bad thing that happened...
She died here.
This hospital
counseled and treated kids with some problems.
The director would lock them up
in the basement if they misbehaved.
He did terrible things to girls too.
Then one day, a fire started here.
Seung-min was trapped in the basement and burned to death.
The police questioned the director.
But he killed himself not too long after.
Since the incident, this place was shut down.
But a young kid went crazy
and was sent to the Forensic Psychiatry Division.
Forensic Psychiatry?
FORENSIC PSYCHIATRY DIVISION
Ill go to Professor CHOI.
Okay. Ill call you later.
Byung-joon!
Call Chan-kyu and stay with him.
Dont be alone.
Your nose is bleeding.
Shit! This is what they saw?
Hes been released.
Really? When?
About a month ago.
Do you have his number, sir?
Thats personal. I cant give you that.
I have to meet him. Please, sir?
I cant. Its the law.
Chief?
-Found it? -Yes.
CONGRATULATIONSINCOLLEGEACCEPTANCE
The girl, I saw while hypnotized,
died a long time ago.
Icantrememberher.
I have no idea whats going on.
Do-hyun.
Lets try the hypnosis again.
Then youll be able to see who put what kind of hypnosis on you.
Now, relax and look at the light.
Youll feel comfortable and calm.
Your face is scary, so wear this.
Stay turned around.
If you take it off, youre dead.
Stay here till we let you out or else youre dead.
If youre hungry, eat this.
It was us.
We did it.
What do you mean? What did you guys do?
It wasnt the director, but us.
What does that mean?
Did you see who hypnotized you?
Did you see it or not?
Do-hyun.
Are you okay?
Whats wrong?
Seung-min is behind you!
What? Theres no one there.
You and Hyun-jung were both hypnotized by Professor CHOI?
Whats wrong with you?
You mean...
She committed suicide from being hypnotized?
And you suspect Professor CHOI?
She said she saw things after the hypnosis.
I started having the visions after being hypnotized too.
What? Okay, fine.
Can you explain her last note?
Theyre lyrics to a song called Sealed.
Know what that means?
What?
The weight of my memory is different.
Its like a sharp blade of a rock.
The rock presses down on me.
I ask to forget that day and beg forgiveness.
Ill die to become the wind and fly away.
This song was written by a Korean who committed suicide years ago.
But his wife is a professor at your school.
My school?
Her name is YEO Kyung-hee. Do you know her?
Their daughter with a facial disorder also died young.
I called you in for a favor.
Why isnt he answering!
Shit.
BYUNG-JOON
Thats Jin-ho, isnt it?
Does he really go to your school?
Im not sure.
But I think I know who hypnotized all of us.
Who is it?
The woman in the picture.
Shes the professor who introduced me to Jin-ho.
What?
It wasnt Professor CHOI, but her?
Byung-joon.
When we were young...
Why did we do that?
What do you mean? What did we do?
What the hell did we do?
Not now.
Come to my school with Chan-kyu. Lets talk in person.
Shit.
YEO KYUNG-HEE
Youre the one who hypnotized us, arent you?
Smells nice, huh?
Its made of thujone.
Its used as a hallucinogen
and a scent to induce hypnosis.
Hows your video coming along?
Do-hyun.
Write your name.
What have you done to us?
Im not the one who left a trigger
or erased your memories.
I just made you meet Jin-ho again.
Why did you make me meet him?
Think about why and remember.
Memory can be so cunning.
We believe what we want to,
and that becomes the truth.
Thats why you and Jin-ho
said that the director killed Seung-min.
No.
We were just playing.
Right.
Just playing.
You did it as a joke.
You were kids who could do that as if it was nothing.
You tortured Seung-min over and over again for fun.
Help me!
Let me out! Please!
No!
No...
My husband thought he could cure kids like you.
We were just scared of Seung-min...
But the truth will never change.
Stuck in the barrel through the fire,
Seung-min died.
Look.
If you go in there,
Seung-min will be waiting.
POLICE STATION
What in the world happened?
In the early 2000s in Korea,
there was a study of children with violent personality disorders.
The study tried to control violence by hypnotizing fear into their minds.
Seung-min,
Daddy made sure they cant torture you anymore.
Now, they will be scared of you.
The induced fear from hypnosis
changed to assault toward the target,
so it was suspended.
When you meet Jin-ho again
and hear this song,
youll fall into the hypnotic trance
and see Seung-min again.
THE FRIDAY PICTURES, SMILE ENT and JCUSTOM GROUP production
Executive Producers - Sunny YOON, SONG Seung-yeop
Producers - LEE Young-min, Sunny YOON, LEE Jung-hyun, KIM Ji-han
David LEE
Johyun KIM Do-hoon
NAM Min-woo KIM Nam-woo
How are you today?
Relax and get comfortable.
Lets try to recall what happened that day.
Looking at this light will make you feel relaxed.
Now, the elevator arrives.
Jin-ho. When you get in, itll go down.
When it stops on the first floor,
go back to the past where your friend was.
Written & Directed by CHOI Jae-hoon
Now.
The elevator doors open.
Go inside.
THE HYPNOSIS
ANSAN UNIVERSITY
Any memories youd like to erase?
My ex-boyfriend.
He was a scum.
When he got drunk, hed hit and curse.
Then hed apologize as if nothing happened.
Should I look at the camera?
You can look at me or the camera.
I bumped into him at a store.
The jerk didnt recognize me.
He bullied me for 3 years.
See this scar?
Its from getting beaten by him.
Human memory can be cunning.
It tends to erase disadvantageous memories.
Dont just translate the lyrics,
but write the meaning behind them.
Its not too difficult. It should be easy to analyze.
Whoever is done, may go.
Bye, Professor.
Do-hyun.
Yes?
Write your name.
Oh!
Im sorry.
KIM DO-HYUN
You look good on camera.
Im going to the basement.
PAST LIFE EXPERIENCES
Not bad, huh?
Did you try to stop them?
I followed them.
I want to tell them to stop.
Oh no...
I have to tell them its wrong!
What is it?
What the heck!
You scared me.
Youre on TV? Youll make it big soon.
If I can make it big with that, I wouldnt be here now.
Isnt this stuff all bullshit?
Hypnosis cant be all fake.
If I hypnotize you and tell you to love me, you will?
Sleep!
You love me. You want me.
But you know we cant be together.
Wanna die, retard?
A teenage star should use nicer vocabulary!
If you want nice, think nice!
You always have horny thoughts.
Healthy men like me always think of food or sex. Right?
Nope.
Ask any guy walking by. If they could use hypnosis, they will.
Why you...
Does it hurt?
No, Im fine.
I gotta go.
Bye.
Wanna get going?
Sure. Help me up.
Lets go.
Hey.
How can you skip practice?
At least act like youre sorry!
Crazy bitch.
Im the only one who didnt know the time change?
You all kept it from me?
Dont act like a big star.
What star? Shes nothing.
You called me here for help. What are you filming?
I need to film some interviews. Know any free-timers?
I think Byung-joon might know.
Ill call him. Lets go out for a drink tonight.
Ill console you all you want.
Youre on! I could use some consoling.
Youre a warm dude.
Do-hyun.
Go to Professor YEOs office.
Shes looking for you.
Thanks.
Sure.
Shes hot! Who is she? Hook me up with her.
Introduce me to her!
Let go!
Forget it!
Come on!
Hows your video coming along?
Im still working on it.
I called you in for a favor.
I see.
Theres a new transfer student.
Hes been sick due to an incident.
Hes still being treated.
I was hoping you could help him out.
Sure.
Hi, Jin-ho. Welcome.
Say hi. Hes the student rep.
You two are the same age. Hope you get along well.
Ask him things and such.
I will.
Youre an English major, but youre making a video?
Its for my Psychology class. Im making a documentary.
Based on what?
Ah, peoples sense of guilt.
Not feeling guilty as a child, then having it as adults.
Something about memory.
Sounds interesting.
Yes, Professor. Im on my way.
Where are you going?
I receive treatments once a week.
Is it still pretty bad?
I lost my memory from the incident.
Im getting hypnotherapy from a professor here.
Hypnotherapy?
Yup. Wanna come? Itll be fun to watch.
In the early 2000s in Korea,
there was a study of children with violent personality disorders.
The study tried to control violence by hypnotizing fear into their minds.
Today, hypnotic psychotherapy is used
in countries like the U.S. and Japan with great reliability.
Also, hypnosis is used in criminal investigations.
Yes?
What happened to the domestic study?
Back then, hypnosis was considered as a pseudo-discipline.
And the induced fear from hypnosis changed to assault...
...toward the target, so it was suspended.
Thats it for today.
Dont forget to hand in your assignments by the 20th.
Good class.
Thank you.
Professor!
Hi, Jin-ho.
I came with a friend.
Hello.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
Its okay, sir.
There are so many interesting things here.
Theyre things to help with hypnosis.
Ive collected too many.
-Have a seat. -Yes, sir.
People are talking a lot about hypnosis these days.
Theres a TV show on experiencing past lives.
Maybe its because of that?
But can you really see your past life?
Well...
Deep in a hypnotic trance, you experience subconscious memories.
Some say the subconscious images are from the past life.
Then they were seen but forgotten?
We cant say theyre all from a previous life,
but while hypnotized
some people talk about the distant past in great detail.
I guess well know whats right with more research, right?
I once saw someones memory being changed with hypnosis on YouTube.
I thought it looked staged.
Youre really interested in hypnosis, huh?
Then...
Shall we test it on you?
Test, sir?
Try it. Itll be fun.
Okay.
Ill try it.
Now, relax.
Get comfortable as if youre ready to fall asleep.
Breathe in and out to help you relax.
Once relaxed, open your eyes and look up.
Stare at the light.
Imagine yourself in space in a weightless state.
Your body feels lighter and lighter.
Youre standing at the end of a long and narrow dark tunnel.
Slowly, go out through the tunnel.
When the bell rings, youll be fully hypnotized.
Are you okay?
I kept giving the signal to wake you up,
but you mustve been hypnotized too deeply.
Take a big breath.
Try to calm down and relax.
Can you tell me what you saw?
I was inside a building.
I saw some ashes.
I cant remember.
Its okay.
The memory will come to you in time.
Get a 2G phone, why dont you?
I said Im sorry, man.
You never answer the phone.
Youre really quitting boxing?
My life wont change much by getting on the national team.
Our starting lines are different from rich kids like them.
But we can cross the finish line faster than them!
Listen!
Im going to leave my mark and die heroically!
Make money and leave your mark in life.
Why do that in dying?
Snap to it! Dont be like Do-hyun!
What?
Hello?
Come down.
Hey, genius. Why are you so late?
I had to drop by somewhere.
Whos this?
He just transferred to my school.
Jin-ho is helping me with a project.
Lets all have a drink.
Sure. Have a seat.
-Another plate, please! -Coming.
What school did you transfer from?
Just somewhere.
Where? Its okay. Im studying for the third time to get in.
-Proud of that? -Yup.
Its just I dont want to talk about it.
He doesnt want to tell you. Forget it.
Have we met before?
No. I dont think so.
Since when did you call to drink?
We havent met in a while.
Whatever.
Drink it.
Cheers!
Cheers!
Im going home.
Thanks.
Does the food go with this drink?
What?
No rooms here?
Lets go. Ill buy.
Didnt you have practice?
I can go later.
Have a seat.
Its been a while.
Yup. Its still very awkward.
Its just you, not me.
Come on. Lets get along.
You two havent met in a while. Act like youre friends.
You do it for me, man.
Im outta here.
Byung-joon! Wait!
When will you make up with Hyun-jung?
Dont know. Forget it.
Some personality you have...
Just realized my personality sucks?
But a good personality like yours can make you a pushover.
So, decided on what youll do after quitting boxing?
Since when did I make plans?
I dont want to do anything.
Its damn frustrating.
-Really? Youre on! -I want the right.
Shit.
What the hell?
Cut the freakin racket!
What?
Who are you staring at!
Come here, asshole!
Damn son of a bitch!
Scumbag!
Damn retard!
Stop it!
I told you not to stare, asshole!
Thats enough!
See ya, Byung-joon.
Take care.
-Tidy up. -Yes, sir.
HYUN-JUNG
Can you clean my office too?
Sure.
Im taking a nap.
What if someone comes in here?
Theyre all gone.
Why didnt you take my calls?
I drank with my friends.
Since when were we friends?
Got a headache? Want pills?
No, its okay.
Had a nightmare?
The Sound and the Fury.
Its a novel by William Faulkner.
Divided into 4 parts, it expresses the flow of consciousness.
Not busy these days? You come to school often.
Its to fill my attendance requirement to graduate.
I cant be a teen idol for life.
HYPNOSIS
Hey.
That show about experiencing your past life, was it real?
I just did as the writer wrote.
Why?
Its nothing.
Thats it?
Did you see the professor I told you about?
I cant just see any doctor
and have weird rumors going around.
Hes a professor here. It should be fine.
Jin-ho, the one from the bar, is seeing him too.
For what?
Problems with his memory.
Really?
Okay, then.
I gotta go.
See ya.
Did I fall asleep?
Its okay.
Its because you felt comfortable after the session.
Stupid.
Arent you going to study?
Youre not my mom.
Its hard enough without you nagging.
Its because you never study.
Its hard even if I do.
Its Professor CHOIs book.
Let me see it.
It was interesting.
Why are you suddenly interested in hypnosis?
I once followed Jin-ho to his hypnotherapy and...
Do you mind?
Its fine.
Im getting hypnotherapy to recover from a bad incident.
A fire broke out at home and my stepfather died.
My head got messed up from that.
But does hypnosis actually work?
There once was a hypnosis study of
people being told their stomachs were getting smaller.
Then endoscopies showed they really shrank.
The book says
people can be hypnotized with simple leading questions,
but its harder to wake them up from the trance.
Theres a chance they may not wake up.
What?
Then theyre hypnotized forever?
Not sure...
Wanna try it?
No way! What if I never wake up! Thats freaky!
Think I can do it? I just want to try it for fun.
Wanna try it on me?
Im highly susceptible.
Ill probably get hypnotized even by a beginner.
Really?
Hey!
Stop fooling around!
Damn it.
It hurts!
Shit.
I told you guys to stop! Turn the lights on!
Look at the light and relax.
Imagine theres an elevator right before you.
Ready?
Now, lets begin.
Go on the elevator down to the basement.
Youre going
lower and lower.
When I count to three, youll be fully hypnotized.
One, two, three.
Your hand feels light as a feather and starts to rise.
Walk to the tree before you, pick an apple and eat it.
Shh!
Walk past the tree and go into a dark tunnel.
Once youre out of the tunnel,
youll go to your distant past life.
What do you see?
What do you see?
Jin-ho! Jin-ho!
Hey!
Jin-ho! Wake up!
Jin-ho!
Jin-ho! Snap out of it!
Come on!
Jin-ho! Jin-ho!
Are you okay?
HYUN-JUNG
Are you sure youre okay?
Did you see something? Holy shit!
Why isnt she answering?
HYUN-JUNG
DO-HYUN
Shit. I cant believe this.
Did you call Byung-joon?
Hes not answering.
What happened?
Did something happen to her?
Im not sure.
But you were there.
When she killed herself...
Why would she do that?
Didnt you sense anything from her?
Talk to me!
About what! I dont know anything!
Stop asking me, man!
Dont yell at me.
I can ask, cant I?
Shit! I gotta watch what I say?
Stop treating me like a retard!
Since when did we treat you like a retard?
Youre doing it now!
What did we ever do!
Forget it.
Excuse me.
Police.
Are you SEO Hyun-jungs friends?
I didnt notice anything different.
We dont know why she...
Did she really kill herself?
Yes. We found her handwritten note.
A suicide note?
But the content...
Its sounds like a metaphoric poem.
Any ideas on what day she was referring to?
Were not sure.
I see.
Call me if anything comes to mind.
INSUNG POLICE STATION
Youre really quitting?
Yup.
Im calling it quits with you too.
Fine. Leave the keys in my office.
What?
Why are you here?
Hey!
What is she doing?
DO-HYUN
Hi, Do-hyun.
Where are you?
Im at the gym to pack up.
Come to Je-il Funeral Home.
Hyun-jung committed suicide.
What?
Cut the crap.
Hyun-jung is right here.
What?
Thats crazy! Whos with you!
Hyun-jung jumped off the roof at our school today!
Byung-joon! Its not Hyun-jung!
Get out of there now!
Keep your eyes closed.
Dont trust what you see.
DO-HYUN
Where are you?
Im at the gym.
Come to Je-il Funeral Home.
Hyun-jung committed suicide.
What?
Before she committed suicide, Hyun-jung called me.
Do-hyun...
I keep seeing weird things.
After being hypnotized,
I keep hearing things.
I think something is wrong.
While hypnotized...
I saw Seung-min from back then.
Hyun-jung. Its okay. Calm down.
I saw something under hypnosis too.
Its just a memory.
No, its not just some memory!
Do-hyun.
It was fun when we were young, right?
But why...
Do-hyun...
I think Seung-min is here.
Thats crazy! Why was she hypnotized?
She was struggling with depression.
After breaking up with you,
she had problems with her peers.
She broke up with me first!
She wanted to focus on her career,
so I agreed and broke up.
I know. Im not blaming you.
Anyway,
I introduced her to a psychology professor for help.
After hypnotherapy,
she said she kept seeing Seung-min.
Who the hell is Seung-min?
Hyun-jung mustve thought I knew Seung-min too.
But I dont remember or know anyone by that name.
If I just show it and stay,
I was promised to be forgiven.
Its okay. Ill be fine.
Jin-ho...
Theres not much time left.
Call 911!
Call 911! Hurry!
Did you notice anything different about Jin-ho?
Nothing special, maam.
Im not sure.
Okay. You can go.
Bye, Professor.
YEO KYUNG-HEE
It was fun when we were young, right?
I think Seung-min is here.
Ja-woon?
JA-WOON
Ja-woon Funeral Hall...
Ja-woon Transport...
Ja-woon Church.
JA-WOON CHURCH
He cut himself? Why?
I dont know.
Maybe from stress or something to do with the fire.
Damn! Why do things keep happening?
Do you guys remember this?
Thats me.
Thats Byung-joon.
Thats Chan-kyu. Thats Hyun-jung.
Im not sure about the others.
What does this have to do with Hyun-jung committing suicide?
What Hyun-jung mentioned before kind of bothers me.
She talked about our childhood
and that she could see Seung-min.
What? Does that mean Seung-min is in this picture?
Im not sure. I cant remember.
But when did we take this?
You and Hyun-jung were both hypnotized by Professor Choi?
Yeah.
Lets go and see him.
Since you say you grew up in the same neighborhood,
its possible to recall similar memories.
She called me before she committed suicide.
She was scared
and said she could see what she saw under hypnosis.
Recalling a forgotten memory
could be an afterimage left in her subconscious.
It didnt sound like an afterimage.
Actually,
Im seeing things after being hypnotized too.
If what you say is true,
then it could be a hypnotic trigger.
What does that mean?
It means when put under certain conditions of hypnosis,
you get hypnotized again.
Is that really possible?
If you give a trigger while in hypnosis to feel depressed or scared,
it can induce you to feel suicidal when you wake up.
Were you ever hypnotized by anyone besides me?
No, sir.
If hypnotized by a trigger,
will we keep having hallucinations and kill ourselves too?
Hypnotized by a trigger?
Do-hyun.
Ive never been hypnotized.
But I think I saw what you saw.
I didnt see anything strange yet.
Doesthatmean Imnexttoseethegirl?
Lets report it to the cops.
Report what?
That we keep seeing a strange girl?
Wanna go to the loony bin like Jin-ho?
Crap! This is insane!
Lets not jump to any conclusions.
Maybe well find something at the church in the picture.
Arent you coming?
I gotta go to study hall.
Fine. Well call you later.
Do you remember anything?
Excuse me.
By chance...
Do you know where this church is?
This isnt a church.
Its a hospital run by the church.
A hospital?
NO TRESSPASSING
WARNING
Shit.
What now?
We came all this way. Lets go in.
THIS IS A PRIVATE PROPERTY.
THOSE WHO ENTER WITHOUT PERMISSION WILL BE CRIMINALLY CHARGED.
JA-WOON
There was something here...
Do-hyun!
DIRECTORS OFFICE
Whats wrong?
Its nothing.
Whos there?
Im the caretaker here.
This closed down 10 years ago.
Why was it shut down?
Something bad happened here.
What happened?
Why are you asking so many questions?
We lived in this neighborhood
and came here once in a while.
Were looking for a friend we used to play with.
Who?
Do you know a girl named Seung-min?
I do.
The bad thing that happened...
She died here.
This hospital
counseled and treated kids with some problems.
The director would lock them up
in the basement if they misbehaved.
He did terrible things to girls too.
Then one day, a fire started here.
Seung-min was trapped in the basement and burned to death.
The police questioned the director.
But he killed himself not too long after.
Since the incident, this place was shut down.
But a young kid went crazy
and was sent to the Forensic Psychiatry Division.
Forensic Psychiatry?
FORENSIC PSYCHIATRY DIVISION
Ill go to Professor CHOI.
Okay. Ill call you later.
Byung-joon!
Call Chan-kyu and stay with him.
Dont be alone.
Your nose is bleeding.
Shit! This is what they saw?
Hes been released.
Really? When?
About a month ago.
Do you have his number, sir?
Thats personal. I cant give you that.
I have to meet him. Please, sir?
I cant. Its the law.
Chief?
-Found it? -Yes.
CONGRATULATIONSINCOLLEGEACCEPTANCE
The girl, I saw while hypnotized,
died a long time ago.
Icantrememberher.
I have no idea whats going on.
Do-hyun.
Lets try the hypnosis again.
Then youll be able to see who put what kind of hypnosis on you.
Now, relax and look at the light.
Youll feel comfortable and calm.
Your face is scary, so wear this.
Stay turned around.
If you take it off, youre dead.
Stay here till we let you out or else youre dead.
If youre hungry, eat this.
It was us.
We did it.
What do you mean? What did you guys do?
It wasnt the director, but us.
What does that mean?
Did you see who hypnotized you?
Did you see it or not?
Do-hyun.
Are you okay?
Whats wrong?
Seung-min is behind you!
What? Theres no one there.
You and Hyun-jung were both hypnotized by Professor CHOI?
Whats wrong with you?
You mean...
She committed suicide from being hypnotized?
And you suspect Professor CHOI?
She said she saw things after the hypnosis.
I started having the visions after being hypnotized too.
What? Okay, fine.
Can you explain her last note?
Theyre lyrics to a song called Sealed.
Know what that means?
What?
The weight of my memory is different.
Its like a sharp blade of a rock.
The rock presses down on me.
I ask to forget that day and beg forgiveness.
Ill die to become the wind and fly away.
This song was written by a Korean who committed suicide years ago.
But his wife is a professor at your school.
My school?
Her name is YEO Kyung-hee. Do you know her?
Their daughter with a facial disorder also died young.
I called you in for a favor.
Why isnt he answering!
Shit.
BYUNG-JOON
Thats Jin-ho, isnt it?
Does he really go to your school?
Im not sure.
But I think I know who hypnotized all of us.
Who is it?
The woman in the picture.
Shes the professor who introduced me to Jin-ho.
What?
It wasnt Professor CHOI, but her?
Byung-joon.
When we were young...
Why did we do that?
What do you mean? What did we do?
What the hell did we do?
Not now.
Come to my school with Chan-kyu. Lets talk in person.
Shit.
YEO KYUNG-HEE
Youre the one who hypnotized us, arent you?
Smells nice, huh?
Its made of thujone.
Its used as a hallucinogen
and a scent to induce hypnosis.
Hows your video coming along?
Do-hyun.
Write your name.
What have you done to us?
Im not the one who left a trigger
or erased your memories.
I just made you meet Jin-ho again.
Why did you make me meet him?
Think about why and remember.
Memory can be so cunning.
We believe what we want to,
and that becomes the truth.
Thats why you and Jin-ho
said that the director killed Seung-min.
No.
We were just playing.
Right.
Just playing.
You did it as a joke.
You were kids who could do that as if it was nothing.
You tortured Seung-min over and over again for fun.
Help me!
Let me out! Please!
No!
No...
My husband thought he could cure kids like you.
We were just scared of Seung-min...
But the truth will never change.
Stuck in the barrel through the fire,
Seung-min died.
Look.
If you go in there,
Seung-min will be waiting.
POLICE STATION
What in the world happened?
In the early 2000s in Korea,
there was a study of children with violent personality disorders.
The study tried to control violence by hypnotizing fear into their minds.
Seung-min,
Daddy made sure they cant torture you anymore.
Now, they will be scared of you.
The induced fear from hypnosis
changed to assault toward the target,
so it was suspended.
When you meet Jin-ho again
and hear this song,
youll fall into the hypnotic trance
and see Seung-min again.