Death's Game (2023) s01e01 Episode Script

Death

1
THE MOST PAINFUL DEATH TO A MORTAL
IS ONE THAT IS FORESEEN
BACCHYLIDES
What did I ever do?
Why do I have to go there
when I haven't done anything wrong?
You are guilty of coming to find me
before I came to find you.
Damn it!
Wait.
I wanted a clean death.
That was
the only thing I ever wanted.
To be able to do that,
I can't
let myself die like this.
DEATH'S GAME
EPISODE 1
DEATH
The train will depart soon.
Please step behind the safety line.
7 YEARS AGO
Hey, Ji-su.
Are you there?
Not yet. I'm almost there.
I can't believe
how awesome my boyfriend is.
What do you mean?
You know what I mean.
You're a finalist at Taekang,
and you haven't even graduated yet.
It's not like they've hired me yet.
I'm so nervous.
Don't worry.
If Taekang knows what they're doing,
they'll definitely hire you.
Just show them your natural self.
That'll be more than enough.
Thanks, Ji-su.
I'll call you after the interview is over.
Okay. You can do it!
Thanks.
I need to get a job before I graduate.
I can do this.
No.
I have to do this.
Are you all right? Sir.
Are you okay?
APPLICANT ID
NAME: CHOI YEE-JAE
Mr. Choi Yee-jae.
Mr. Choi Yee-jae?
Mr. Choi Yee-jae!
Yes, sir.
Why don't you answer this one?
I'm sorry, but I didn't hear the question.
Could you repeat the question
one more time?
Next.
-But…
-Mr. Jeong Jae-han, you may answer.
An opportunity to work at Taekang…
I was given a chance ahead of my peers,
but I blew it in the blink of an eye.
What I hadn't realized then
was that I'd spend the next seven years
hunting for a job.
Having failed to secure employment,
I started off with debt
due to my student loans.
And with COVID-19
sweeping the entire world,
it only became harder to find a job.
Yes, sir.
I'm on my way.
It'll be about five minutes.
Sure. I'll be there soon.
I'm almost there, sir.
Why can't you find a job
when you're still so young?
There are plenty of jobs…
While others gained more work experience,
I had to work part-time jobs
so that I could pay off my debt
and finally get a proper job.
Here's what I learned
while caught in this vicious cycle.
-Did you call for a designated driver?
-There he is. Thanks.
-Good job today.
-Thank you, sir.
-Get going.
-Get home safely, sir.
-Have a safe trip home, sir.
-See you tomorrow.
The most difficult thing to achieve…
I'm getting married.
…is an ordinary life
where you get a job and get married
just like everyone else.
While I stood in place,
unable to move forward,
and the days kept repeating,
what scared me the most
was my uncertain future.
While I wrote hundreds
and thousands of cover letters,
went to job interviews,
and repeatedly failed to get a job,
I consoled myself by saying
that everything would work out.
And after spending seven years like that,
I managed to become a finalist
at Taekang again.
2023 TAEKANG NEW EMPLOYEE FINAL INTERVIEW
Mr. Choi Yee-jae,
you have a high TOEIC score
and even have an HSK,
but you've never once studied abroad.
That's right, sir. I haven't.
Experience is important
when it comes to language,
but all you ever did
was work part-time jobs.
He must've been really desperate
to have listed his part-time jobs
on his résumé.
The reason I listed
my part-time jobs on my résumé is--
I think I may know why.
You wanted to show us
your tenacity and persistence, didn't you?
Yes. That is correct.
You lost your father at a young age.
Yes. He passed away when I was five.
I think that explains
why you had to work so hard.
Even while continuing to work,
you managed to get
all these certificates and licenses.
You know how to work on yourself.
Mr. Choi Yee-jae.
You're admirable.
Thank you, sir.
INTERVIEW ROOM
Hey, Tae-sik.
Hey, Yee-jae.
Did you invest in Hyeon-su's deal too?
What? Why do you ask?
He got involved in a scam
to manipulate the market,
lost all our money, and took off.
Hyeon-su.
It's me, Yee-jae. Open up.
I know you're in there, Hyeon-su!
Open the damn door!
You bastard!
You bastard!
How could you do this to me?
Open the door right now!
Open up!
Please open the door.
Please.
Please.
You should've known better.
Destroying a door and screaming
would naturally get you reported.
I thought you were a crazy person.
How could I not go crazy?
I lost all the money I had.
Please catch him.
You said it was an investment.
Since the investment was made
with profit in mind,
you won't be able to sue him for fraud
just because there was a loss.
How does that make any sense?
That's just the law in Korea.
There's this company
that'll be listed on the KOSDAQ next year.
Invest in that company.
You're guaranteed to make money.
-But still--
-Dude.
How long will you keep living like this?
And aren't you going to marry Ji-su?
Damn it.
Ji-su.
Thanks.
-Take care.
-Okay. Bye.
-Drive safely.
-All right. See you.
Yee-jae.
What are you doing here?
I had business nearby.
Have you been drinking again?
What's wrong?
Am I not even allowed to drink
on a day like this?
What do you mean by "a day like this"?
A day where nothing goes right.
No.
Things never really worked out for me.
I'll get going then. Bye.
Wait.
I know you skipped
your part-time jobs this month
because of the job interviews.
Did you find a new boyfriend?
-No.
-Then what?
Were you on a blind date or something?
I told you that's not it.
Ji-su.
Should I just let you go now?
What?
I feel bad that you're wasting your time
on a loser like me.
It's too much pressure.
I've only ever been a burden to you.
Why don't you try to
work even harder instead?
How long are you going to keep this up?
"Work even harder"?
What do you think
I've been doing all this time?
No matter how hard I try,
nothing ever changes for me.
I'm sick and tired of this too.
Look at our relationship.
Are you really okay
with how things are?
Let's just end it here.
I've put you through so much.
Have a good life.
What's this?
Damn it.
I'm keeping your deposit
to make up for the overdue rent.
A new tenant is moving in in two days,
so take your things by tomorrow.
Seriously?
Damn it!
The number you have reached…
Damn it.
YOU HAVE FAILED
YOUR FINAL INTERVIEW WITH TAEKANG
THANK YOU FOR APPLYING
KYOHAK UNIVERSITY
NUMBER 1 EMPLOYMENT RATE!
"Number one employment rate."
I guess I won't be helping out
my alma mater with that.
Did Korea have the highest suicide rate
among all OECD countries?
Well…
I guess that's something
I can contribute to.
Looking back,
the reason I'm standing here
is that man from seven years ago.
My life ended up this way
because of that bastard.
There's no further hope for me.
It's life that I'm afraid of.
I'm not afraid of death at all.
Death is merely
a means of ending the pain I'm in.
I refuse to struggle to survive anymore.
MOM
What's this?
Have I died?
Why is it so dark?
What's this over my eyes?
What's going on?
Am I on an airplane?
Do you travel to the afterlife on a plane?
I guess heaven really must be
someplace high up above.
What?
Who is this?
This isn't my face.
"Death is merely
a means of ending the pain I'm in."
"I'm not afraid of death at all."
I enjoyed reading that, Choi Yee-jae.
How do you know my name?
You wrote this.
That's my will.
How did you get that?
You died.
I'm here as proof of that.
So you think I'm simply a means
for you to end the pain you're in?
What?
What happened?
Are we in hell?
No.
I brought you here
while you were on your way to hell
because I need to punish you.
Why?
Why should I be punished?
Because you sinned.
Since you have made a mockery of me,
your punishment won't be light.
Who are you to punish me?
I am the only being
that never dies.
"The only being
that never dies"?
What are you?
I am the thing you mocked.
Death.
Death?
You will be punished
for insulting me.
So?
What is this punishment?
God graced humans with a privilege.
And you will be stripped of that.
A God-given privilege?
What is that?
Humans
only have to die once in their long lives.
You call that a privilege?
I would love to see you say that
after you have received
your punishment in full.
You are now going to die 12 times.
Your soul will enter the bodies
of 12 people facing imminent death.
And you will end up dying
regardless of which body you wake up in.
Experience for yourself
how painful death can be.
But if you manage to avoid
the deaths they face,
you could carry on living.
"Carry on living"?
That's right.
If you avoid death in one of those bodies,
you will live the rest of your life
in that body.
But I don't want to live.
Life has been hell for me.
That's why I killed myself,
and you want me to live again?
I don't want to.
I'm already dead.
It's all over now.
Do you still think
death is the end of it all?
This is only the beginning.
I'd like to see you try
controlling death as you please,
just as you implied in your will.
Am I going to die now?
You will end up dying
regardless of which body you wake up in.
Damn it.
There's no need for that, sir.
The turbulence is only temporary.
-It will stop soon.
-No, it won't!
The plane will stabilize soon.
It's going to crash.
This plane is definitely going to crash!
Sir.
The seatbelt sign has turned off.
What?
I'm sorry. I get scared very easily.
You may take off your lifejacket.
I'll do it later.
Right. Okay, sir.
Did I survive?
What's all this?
What's that?
Am I the only one who can see this?
My name is Park Jin-tae,
and I'm 33 years old.
I'm the second son of Taekang's CEO.
I grew up thinking that every family
had a pool and a garden
and that they all had
at least three private jets.
-It's mine.
-Let go. It's mine.
Even so, competition
has always been a part of my life
since the moment I was born.
It was always a race between two people.
I was competing against my older brother.
I always knew
-that the only person
-Well done.
I had to beat in life was my brother.
I just had to be smarter
and stand out more than him.
I just had to do things
better than he ever did.
Why don't you take over
as the CEO of Taekang, Jin-tae?
I was finally named Taekang's successor.
Thank you, Father!
I am now being trained
to become the new CEO.
What just happened?
A lot of strange memories
flooded into my head.
Is this man…
the CEO of Taekang,
the company I desperately
tried to work for?
Does that mean
I can carry on living as him
with all of this in my possession?
Fine.
Since it's come to this,
I'll go on living.
It's not like I'll ever get
another chance to live like this.
This could actually be…
an opportunity.
No!
Sir!
Are you all right?
Over there! The engine's on fire!
Your hand! Give me your hand!
Grab my hand!
You're almost there! Come on!
I'm back.
Was it 12 times?
There's 11 to go now.
What is this place?
How did it feel to die again?
It was bearable.
What's with those bullets?
The number of deaths you have left.
When I shoot one into your head,
it all starts again.
Doesn't a bullet to the head
usually kill the victim?
To me, death…
is the beginning.
What was that weird orb I saw earlier?
That orb transfers
the memories and abilities
of the body's original owner to you.
Their memories and abilities?
It's like a video game.
A video game?
What happened to Park Jin-tae?
Don't tell me
I ended up stealing his body.
Since you likened this to a video game,
let me explain it to you in those terms.
The original owner of the body
played the game until the ending
without saving it once.
But you started that same game
from the save that was made
right before the ending.
Depending on your efforts,
you may have a different ending.
It really is like a game.
Is it even possible for me
to reach an ending where I survive?
What could I have done to survive
on an exploding plane?
That is for you to think about.
What comes next, then?
"What comes next"?
What do you mean?
What if I fail to survive until the end?
Then you'll go to hell.
Hell? Why would I?
Consider it your lucky day.
Hell's right behind that door.
I'll give you a tour.
What?
Wait, I…
What did I ever do?
Why do I have to go there
when I haven't done anything wrong?
You are guilty of coming to find me
before I came to find you.
Damn it!
Each day felt like hell while I was alive.
Now I have to go to hell even after I die.
Humans really are amazing.
They say their life is like hell,
but they bear with it
and carry on living
in their so-called hell.
What's your impression of the real hell?
Do you think you can
even last a minute in there?
I guess you'll have to survive, then.
What good will that do?
I'll just end up back in hell!
Who knows?
Depending on your actions
after surviving in someone else's body…
you might avoid going to hell.
Is that possible?
Is that really possible?
Yes.
At that point,
your judgment will be handled
by the softhearted God, not me.
I can't end up in hell.
I have to survive.
That's right. This is an opportunity.
I need to grab onto it, no matter what.
But these aren't bonus rounds.
This is a punishment
that will teach you
how scary and painful death can be
before you go to hell.
-But--
-Sure.
You may end up surviving.
-Do you mean it?
-Yes.
Then,
how about we start the second round?
Wait!
What? Why don't I have a parachute?
You said I could survive!
Help me!
Help me!
A PARACHUTE IS THE ONLY LIFELINE IN A FALL
My name is Song Jae-seop.
I'm 38 years old.
Having been a fan
of extreme sports since my youth,
I've constantly lived a life of danger.
My challenges have secured me
a whopping four Guinness World Records.
The record I'm going for today
is diving without a parachute
from 8,000 m above ground
and landing right onto
a safety net installed below.
This never-before-seen challenge
is being aired live on national TV
with the help of my powerhouse sponsor.
It is also being live streamed globally
on my personal streaming platform.
If I am to succeed in today's challenge,
my sponsor will hand me
three billion in cash.
Why do I feel so confident?
I'm not scared anymore.
Three billion?
Fine. Let's give it a go.
I've managed to regain my balance.
Great.
I must've absorbed this man's abilities.
Gosh, he almost gave me a heart attack.
The ratings have just reached 17%.
That's good.
Keep your eye on the ratings,
-and let me know if it rises any further.
-Yes, sir.
Everyone will get a paid vacation
if our ratings surpass 25%.
Okay!
Let's look for the net first.
Found it.
All right. Here I go!
Let's go!
We're at 19%!
Great!
I think he's okay now.
We've reached 20%!
That's it.
I'm almost there!
I'm going to succeed
and start over with my three billion!
I'm going to make it!
We've reached 30%!
Yes! We're getting a paid vacation!
Nice!
Yeah!
Are you still standing there?
Are you afraid to turn back?
The face I somberly remembered
The person I'm grateful for
The person I owe
Although there's no miracle we hoped for
Nor the strength to get back on our feet
Listen to the voice that embraces you
"I love you"
"I love you"
If you're still hesitating
I hope you find the courage
To stand up again
And overcome it
Subtitle translation by: Sonya Hong
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