THIS SERIES IS INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY
BUT CHARACTERS AND EVENTS HAVE BEEN REIMAGINED FOR DRAMATIC PURPOSES
SURINAME BORDER
Do you know of a country called Suriname?
You probably don't.
A small South American country, just north Brazil,
with a population of about 500,000 people.
It's a multiracial, multilingual country where half of its land is a jungle
and more than half of its population is involved in the drug trade.
What's a Korean guy doing in a place like that?
The story I'm about to tell is a story about just that.
It may be hard to believe, but everything I'm about to share with you
is what I experienced firsthand.
Some of you will have a lot to say about the authenticity of my claims.
Hear me out before coming to your own conclusions.
In 1968, the year I was born,
my father volunteered to fight in the Vietnam War.
He fought for five long years in the jungle
until the Americans finally pulled out and the war was over.
DONGDUCHEON, YANGJU KOREA
He came back from the war with a limp.
The day after he returned home, he headed out to start working.
In the only picture where I could clearly see his face,
he was holding a huge gun.
I wondered what he had been up to in that far-off country
and what he needed that big gun for,
but for some reason, I was too scared to ask him.
It took me 30 years before I could figure them out.
In middle school, I started judo after a teacher suggested I try.
This was because I could go to school and eat for free.
Hold onto him properly.
Just focus on the legs!
There you go!
I was 14 when I started my judo training.
Kang Ingu!
That's when my mother passed away.
YOGURT
In the middle of a winter night, she collapsed during her yogurt delivery.
It took more than three hours for anyone to find her.
My younger siblings and I cried for what seemed like forever,
but my father never shed a single tear.
He just kept pouring soju down his throat with a side of fermented skate
and never said a word.
Yes, my father loved eating his fermented skate more than anything.
He raised the three of us by making cement deliveries.
He drove 20 hours a day for six long years.
But that was as long as my father could endure.
That's when I understood why he could never cry at Mother's funeral.
The burden of debt and the reality of life
crushed whatever sadness felt at the moment.
I had to make a living somehow,
so I sold makgeolli to the hikers at the top of Mount Soyo during the day.
Hey, there you are.
And at night, I worked at a karaoke bar.
Have a great night, sir.
-Is that all you can drink? -Hey, have a drink!
That's how I learned a lot of the stuff they don't teach you at school.
Thank you, sir.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your night, sir.
PLEASE DON'T PARK HERE
Because I was hardly at home, my place was always a mess.
Clean up the house, you punk. Damn it.
I figured I couldn't do it on my own any longer,
so I made some calls to the girls who said they liked me.
Hey, this is Ingu. How have you been?
Yeah, I just wanted to call and ask…
Well…
Will you marry me?
No, I'm not joking!
I thought about it a lot before making this call.
Money?
I mean, we can start saving it now.
You know what the adults always say. Money comes around once you get married.
A house?
Come on, woman.
Once we save up some money, then we can buy a house.
What's with all these questions?
A condo?
Hey, isn't that a little too much?
You're not going to cut it. Just forget what I said.
They all seemed surprised when I proposed to them.
But then, one said we should go for it and moved in with all her stuff.
BOARDING HOUSE
This time, I was surprised.
GROOM - KANG INGU BRIDE - PARK HYE-JIN
JAEIL CHURCH
My wife made my life stable.
Once my siblings graduated high school, life eased up a bit.
And in the midst of all that, my own babies were born.
But with two more mouths to feed, getting by wasn't going to be enough.
I learned how to repair cars
and ended up opening a garage in front of the Dongducheon US Army Base.
Thanks to one of the guys I did judo with,
I was able to deliver food supplies to the US base as well.
And to survive, I had to learn English.
At the bar, I even made it to manager getting commissions for the clients.
I ended up buying the place out.
-Wow! -Whoa!
And I also leased a house, although I had to take out a huge loan.
MATH 100/100
4TH GRADE - KOREAN FINAL EXAMS KANG HYUNGJU 100/100
My first child was smart, just like me.
It made all the hard work worthwhile.
-Dad! Hey.
Can I go to your karaoke bar tomorrow?
Daddy's karaoke bar is for US soldiers only.
So you have to be a US citizen to get in.
I thought that I was set for the rest of my life.
But I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep up at the pace I was going.
GARLIC - GOCHUJANG
Life continued to weigh heavily on me.
Hey, is this your place?
Quit your job if you don't want to work!
-Call the guys! -I'll show you!
My mother and father lived like this too.
They never took us out for a nice meal.
All they did was struggle to make ends meet
until they finally passed away.
What's the point of just living for the sake of living?
I knew that I shouldn't let my kids live the way I did.
Something had to change.
JOB OPENINGS
Let's see.
Dum-dum!
My, my.
I'm back from a trip around the world, and I can't get a proper hello?
Look at this asshole.
I thought you were selling fish, not slapping soybean paste on your hair.
How did you not get arrested?
Jeez, what the hell would you know? You're trapped on this tiny peninsula.
This right here is the latest trend over in Shinjuku, man.
Hey, this is for your wife and kids.
Wow, I bet I could make some wash rags out of this stuff.
Flower-printed rags, huh?
You have no taste, man.
Just take it home to your wife. She'll go crazy over it.
Come and massage my shoulders. The pain is killing me.
Wait.
-Who's this grandma? -What?
Hey, softly!
-Ma'am, please leave Eungsoo's body. -Hey! Shit!
Please leave his body!
Do you like that, asshole?
-Here's your samhap. Enjoy. -Thank you.
-Do you want the soup heated up? -It's delicious.
In ninth grade, my dad passed away, and things got hard for us,
so I didn't go to high school, you know?
You couldn't go because you had the lowest grades.
Tell it right, boy.
Anyway, I skipped high school and started to learn all about shipping.
After 20 years of working my butt off on those boats,
I can still barely afford to raise my kid. The same goes for you, right?
You and I both did all kinds of rotten stuff just to make a buck.
That's life for everyone, man. Nothing special about mine.
Do you remember what you told me when you quit judo?
You felt like you had to do something, or else your life would go to shit, right?
But after working your butt off, what have you got to show for it?
At least I got a lease on a condo, dumbass.
Idiot, that place isn't yours. It belongs to the bank.
You can barely pay off your debts.
Hey, if we keep living like this, we're really going to get messed up.
Working our asses off until we keel over, dead.
You're talking gibberish in a weird way.
What are you trying to talk to me about?
This skate that you're shoving down your throat,
did you know that 99% of it comes from Chile?
They label it as "domestic" before selling it.
And this stuff ain't cheap, man.
I heard even Chilean imports are too expensive to buy these days.
What's with the fish talk? What's your point?
What I'm saying is,
if you bring in these skates for free and sell them here in Korea,
what's going to happen?
Hey, if it were that easy, someone else would be doing it by now.
It's like printing your own money.
But who would give you free skates? You must be crazy.
There's a country where nobody eats skate, and they all get tossed out!
And I'm the only one that knows about it.
Have you ever heard of "Suriname"?
Suriname? What is that, a country?
See? No one knows about it. Hey.
I've lived on boats for 20 years,
and I went there for the first time earlier this year.
Check this out.
It's this tiny country north of Brazil.
The entire population is only 500,000.
And its coastline is packed to the brim with skates.
But it turns out these people think
that skates look weird and smell like shit,
so they just toss them out.
I asked the head fisherman, this old toothless grandpa right here.
He told me he'd sell them for pennies!
So, if you could bring in these skates and sell them here in Korea,
what do you think would happen?
Is this for real?
Do you have to taste the thing to tell if it's poop or chocolate?
You can come with me to Suriname, then.
No, there's no point in thinking about it.
And you're not even talking about America. Suriname, really?
I didn't even know such a country existed.
That's the point though.
Since Asia and South America are so far away,
such information is not easy to get, hence this business opportunity.
Check this out.
I know Eungsoo is a good man.
But look at his gift. I can't trust him.
I don't trust his taste in anything, but he's diligent.
I went along with it and did some of my own research.
And it turns out he's telling the truth.
In Suriname, no one eats skate.
I got this from Yongtaek at the fish market today.
Look.
Take a seat. Come on.
Frozen Chilean skate at wholesale prices
go for 30,000 won each.
But since there's been a lack of supply, the prices are only going up.
Imagine what's going to happen
if we get Suriname skate for free and sell them in this market?
This is some seriously lucrative stuff!
But still,
you can't shut down all your shops and leave to a faraway country.
Honey, what makes a family?
A family is supposed to eat together and stay together.
Don't get any wild thoughts. Let's thank the Lord for what we have.
Of course I'm thankful,
but I'm doing this so I can be even more thankful.
If we just get this thing off the ground, making a billion is going to be a joke.
I don't care if you make tens of billions!
The kids are better off living poor than growing up without a father.
How much longer do we have to live like this?
What's wrong with living like this?
Jeez.
One for you, you, you, and you.
Twenty.
Raise. I'll see your 200,000 and raise you 500,000.
Wow. Yun's trying to make it a big pot.
You're so greedy.
Are you trying to earn your sales revenue here?
The cost of living is going up, so we're going to up the ante too.
I'll take this as tax.
How come we do all the work, and you take all the rewards?
With the house rake and the dealer fees, you are the only one making money!
Hey, with the rent and payroll, I'm left with nothing but gas money.
What's with you today?
It feels like you're really trying to make us broke today, that's all.
We all know small change can add up to a fortune.
Jeez, you're awfully sensitive today.
Darn it.
Call.
Dang, I fold.
I'll raise your bottom line today, Yun.
What do you have? A pair of aces?
You think I'd be this confident with a pair of aces?
Get ready.
I have a very, very straight hand. Mountain straight!
Wow, you made it to the top of the mountain.
-No wonder you were so confident. -Jeez.
I never thought I'd see the day.
What is that?
I heard you had no customers today. Sorry about this.
Wow, you got lucky in the end.
And this is because you're always on time with your taxes, okay?
The tax-paying citizen always wins!
I got some good energy from you, Kang. Buy yourself some cigarettes.
I will use it wisely. Thank you, sir.
-Give me one too. -You always say that!
Boss, we have a DEFCON 3 situation.
Go ahead and deal. I'll be right back.
Dammit.
Jeez.
Wow.
Wait outside.
Where the fuck do you think you're going?
Hey, go grab her.
-Hey, come here. Come here! -Hey, now!
What do you want with her anyway? Wait outside.
Sir.
You'll only get mad with them around. Sit down.
Gosh, you gentlemen are some real tough guys.
Our girls couldn't be more sorry.
They went to write down what they did wrong,
so please lighten up.
If you spend all this money and get mad, it's not good for your health.
You'll have diarrhea.
I'd like to offer this bottle of liquor on the house.
And since my girls failed to show you gentlemen a good time,
I'll only be charging you for half of their time.
With everything all put together,
I only ask for 1.2 million won.
Is this some kind of joke?
You want me to shut this place down for good?
I'm not paying, you jerk. You should be paying me!
What are you going to do about fucking up my evening?
Sir… Chairman?
Do we really have to wake up our hardworking policemen
at this time of night?
I mean, how much do you guys have right now?
Just give me that and call it a night. Your wives are waiting for you.
Ah shit.
My money?
It's right here.
POLICE OFFICER CHOI CHEOLYONG
Do you have a license for this joint?
You sure there aren't any minors among those girls?
Your problem is that you're too nice to people.
Hey!
And here we were, trying to let you off nicely.
As long as I work at the city hall,
consider yourself closed for business.
I am so sorry, sir.
Please forgive me and…
This isn't much, but it's for your cab ride.
I'm really sorry.
Fucking hell.
Hey, you fucker!
Hey.
-You fucker. -What? What do you want?
Hey, asshole. You want to have a go at me, huh?
Hey, you think this is about the money?
Is this how you treat your customers?
Huh? What's going on?
Hey, are you okay?
Hey! You bastard, get over here!
Hey, are you okay?
What the hell?
JOHAN ADOLF PENGEL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, SURINAME
WELCOME INGU
It's only been 30 years since they gained independence from the Netherlands.
There aren't a lot of people here, so they always lack the manpower.
That's why there are so many immigrants.
Dutch is their national language, but everyone speaks a bit of English.
Some speak Chinese, Spanish, and others. You know what I mean?
Nice speech. How long did it take to memorize that?
-Let me guess. Two weeks? -Whatever.
Hey, I know a lot more than you do out here.
-So don't mess with me. -Hey.
Did you know that Suriname joined the Allied Forces during the Korean War?
Suriname fought in the Korean War? Why?
Eungsoo, are you trying to be a travel guide out here?
Stop wasting time on useless trivia,
and please just focus your energy on the skates.
I already discussed it with the local head fisherman,
so you don't need to worry about it.
After liquidating my businesses, I entrusted every single penny
to a guy who flunked out of school. Of course I'm worried.
Do you know how to add and subtract?
Who are you kidding? I never flunked school.
I don't know about anything else, but I beat you at math.
Have you been drinking? You never beat me at math.
And you finished last a few times. I saw it with my own eyes.
Seven, eight.
What?
Seven times eight. We're doing the times table now.
Ingu, you bastard. You must be kidding me right now.
This has to be programmed into you. Seven times eight.
Hey, I'm driving, man! Just give me a second.
You should be able to answer it even when you're driving.
Seven times eight.
I'm not good at multitasking, that's all. I'll answer it later.
Look at the road. You're gonna get us killed!
Oh wow! You really don't know the answer, do you?
Hey, I bought a whole ton at a dollar per kilo.
You see that? That's how business is done!
Mr. Park, I didn't expect this. You did a good job.
Man, how much is all of this?
Why do you have to open it?
Wow, they still stink like crazy, even when they're frozen.
Does that smell like fish to you? Smells like money to me.
It's safe over there, right?
How is the food? What about church?
It's super safe here.
There are restaurants from all over the world,
just like a department store.
It's like a party.
What about church? Did you not go last Sunday?
I tried to make it a few times, but the roads were blocked by the floods.
It's all jungle out here, so it takes time for them to fix it.
I let you go only because you promised to go to church.
I found a local Korean church for you,
so you should go this Sunday and send me some pictures, okay?
Yes, ma'am. You can stop now.
I hear you loud and clear. All right.
Phone calls cost a lot out here, so I'll call you back later.
All right.
Why? What did she say? Why do you look so down?
She wants me to take pics at the church.
Oh yeah!
Going to church was a condition of your marriage, right?
Have you been saying your prayers?
Jeez, I'm worried that my faith is growing every day.
More ice. More!
You missed a few!
I want to see more!
I want a box that's already full.
What's this guy saying?
These assholes are here to rip us off.
Just a little bit.
Okay. That's it. Right there. Okay.
Jeez, let's go.
Look at you. Having some experience doing business really shows, man.
Hey, so now we have the government watching our back, right?
It's going to be smooth sailing from now on.
Hey, you really have a problem with thinking things through.
The last people you should ever trust in this world are government workers.
They lounge around all day and take no responsibility.
These wise words coming from the guy who almost went to jail for beating a cop.
I promise I'll take it to heart.
Wait.
Good morning, Mr. Shin. Did you receive the skates?
Yes.
Sorry? You want 500 kilos by next week?
We've got so many orders backed up. It's hard to keep up with the demand.
Oh no.
Oh, dear.
I guess I'll have to do my best to make it work.
So do you want the shipment by the 23rd?
Okay, sir. Have a great day, sir.
We can't…
You can't just take deals like that. I only get four hours of sleep as it is!
Mr. Shin said that he will pay us 8,000 won more for each kilo
if we ship to him by the 23rd, you son of a bitch!
We'll just have to work all night, you asshole!
-Hurry! -Hurry!
You're not working.
Get to work! No work, no money!
How's the new cram school?
The other kids have already gotten so much further ahead,
so it's kind of hard.
That's better for you. What did I always tell you?
An easy road leads to a predictable life. A hard road leads you to…
-A happy life. -There you go.
If you find your academy classes hard, it means that the happy life is not far.
How nice is that?
Hyungju, I'll call you back. Have Mom check your homework.
-What's up? -Did someone punch him?
Hey, what's wrong?
-Oh, those guys… -What the…
What the hell? Get up.
What in the…
What are these guys saying?
Some local hobos, I guess. Let's just leave.
Are you okay?
Fuck, if your deal doesn't work, what are we supposed to do?
Hey, you don't know the first thing about dealmaking, do you?
You don't stop until you make it work.
IT MUST BE HARD OUT THERE FOR YOU. THAT'S WHAT CHURCHES ARE FOR, RIGHT?
I'LL BE WAITING FOR THE PICTURES.
Ah shit.
KOREAN CHURCH, PARAMARIBO
There is a refuge here
So all those who are in need
Are welcome to come
The land may change
And the waters may rise
To top even the highest mountains
But I am not afraid
May it ring out from this room
Across the nations…
Oh, wait.
-Can you see my bruises? -Yeah.
I don't want her to get worried. Just take a shot of me praying.
There you go.
Try and get all the people in the frame.
-A wide shot. -Oh, wide.
Here, I'm praying.
You can see all the people.
Okay, that's it.
As it was written in the book of Timothy,
"for we brought nothing into the world,
we take nothing when we depart it."
"But if we have food and clothing,
we will be content with that."
Amen.
"The Lord has said that money is the root of all evil
and that those who covet it
will have pierced themselves with many sorrows."
"They will have a glimpse of hell."
Amen.
Some brothers have come all the way here to follow the words of Jesus.
Right over there.
As you long to pursue God's meekness and love,
let's give them a round of applause.
Hallelujah.
I'm Kang Ingu from Dongducheon, here for a seafood processing business.
Nice to meet you.
Yes, we actually work with skates,
and they are high in protein and great at removing toxins in your body.
We'd be more than happy to provide you with skates at our cost.
Feel free to reach out to us at any time!
What thoughtful words, full of nutrition.
Let's greet them with a warm hallelujah.
Hallelujah!
Come in.
Taking skates from Suriname and selling them in Korea.
That's a neat idea.
I'm a bit embarrassed to be talking about business in such a holy place.
No. It's not like that at all.
The Lord said in his Book of Proverbs
that those who are sincere in their work will serve before kings.
As long as you are sincere in your work, you will be blessed by god.
Thank you for your kind words.
I just have something that's been bothering me.
Have you been facing a lot of difficulties running your business recently?
Your faces…
This?
It's sort of a trade conflict between countries.
I'll be sorting it out soon.
If it's not too much trouble,
may I ask you what kind of situation you got involved in?
Let's just tell him.
I don't think that's necessary.
We secured a supplier for our skates,
but some Chinese guys asked for money, saying that the ocean was theirs.
We've been paying some soldiers for protection,
but they say that they only deal with issues on land.
So it's causing us quite a lot of trouble.
Sorry for bothering you with our issue. Let's go.
Did one of the Chinese men
happen to have long hair, and did he…
Did he look like he'd smell really bad?
Yes. Do you know him, sir?
Yes.
He's a Chinese gangster named Chen Zhen.
He's the type of guy who kills if the price is right.
Satan is what he is.
Lord,
is this all part of your great plan?
Seeing as how he sent two Koreans here to our church
and how he let me learn about your recent story,
I believe that God is ordering me to step in.
It won't be easy, but I shall find a way.
If you can figure something out for us, I promise to make a sizable donation.
Brother, money truly does not mean anything to me.
All I'm doing is following what God has ordered me to do.
Yes, Preacher Byun?
I'll have to hold a service in Chinatown.
CHINATOWN, PARAMARIBO
Welcome.
All of this right here is what we call idolatry…
Mr. Byun.
Shall we place our orders first?
Yes, sir.
Lay out some hot pots and baijiu on the tables.
Yes, sir.
Brother Kang.
-Yes, sir. -Brother Park.
Yes.
Who's making all this noise in my territory?
This asshole.
Mr. Byun.
I don't like to mix with any heretics who indulge in idol worship.
Just say what you need, sir. I'll let him know.
All of the skates in Suriname belong to God.
Brother Kang, over here,
was sent by God to come to this land and catch his skates.
Brother Kang is here on God's orders.
If you interfere and persecute him,
you will be judged by God just as the Amalekites were judged,
with the wrath of many swords and spears.
If you don't let him have the skates,
I'll cut you into tiny pieces.
Byun Kitae. You tell him.
We should all stick to the territories we agreed to stick to.
If you bust in here with your Jesus talk and try to do as you please…
This is what God commands, you son of a bitch.
Chen Zhen?
Chen Zhen.
Today is the day when even God is supposed to rest.
Today is the Sabbath…
So, let's solve things peacefully and get some rest for ourselves too.
Let's get some rest.
How about that?
So your god has to get involved over a little dispute about fish,
and he can't even get a break on his day of rest?
What a piece of shit!
I'm going to let you save face today.
If you want the skates that bad,
then you can have them.
He says he wants to let you save face and take the skates.
Yeah?
I guess things turned out well.
Since you came all the way into my territory,
this one's on me.
Have a drink before you go.
Get the hot pots out.
Apparently, that pastor is no joke.
Last Christmas, he built tons of farms and factories and donated them.
He's close with all the politicians and the president and all that.
Anyway, he has so much influence in Suriname.
People call him the governor of Suriname.
Some Koreans here are saying that he might even run for president.
-Do you believe that? -Why not?
You think being the president is a joke?
Would you vote for a Chinese or a Mexican in our presidential elections?
All sorts of people live together here.
I heard there was a Chinese prime minister a few years ago.
-A Chinese guy? -Yeah.
Are you sure of that?
Come on. Why would I bullshit you while I'm enjoying this expensive fish?
I asked all around the Korean district.
Then let's go visit the governor of Suriname
and pay him tribute.
You know the last shipment of skates that came in?
Let's pick the freshest-looking one and give it to the pastor.
Remember that ginseng liquor your wife sent last week?
Let's send him a bottle of that too.
Hey, my wife sent me that, so whenever I get back home,
we have a go at our second child.
If you actually do have another kid,
how will you pay for everything from baby formula to college costs?
It's our chance for a proper introduction. Are you going to skimp on some liquor?
Wow, look at you, man.
This punk's hesitating again…
Hey, no need to get upset.
I'm disappointed, you prick.
I hope you enjoy that bottle of ginseng and pop out two or three more babies.
You are not business-savvy.
Those are some harsh words. I'm not skimping on anything!
I was just worried about that rule about pastors not drinking.
You saw him drinking the other day.
Monks aren't allowed to drink. Pastors are good to go.
Do your research, man.
Why aren't you saying anything? Go give him the stuff already!
Listen, ginseng liquor is like soul food to us Koreans.
He will like it, no matter what. Just give it to him.
Yes, sir. Mr. Boss, sir.
-Seven times eight. -Fifty-six.
You've been studying, haven't you? You got it right.
I knew the answer all along.
-Eight times seven makes… -Sixty-four.
You're crazy, man!
Hello? Is this Mr. Kang?
This is Captain Kim from the Dolphin!
Yes, Captain. Did you already make it back to Korea?
Korea, my ass!
I had to swing by Aruba to pick up another container
and got hit with an inspection!
They found cocaine in your skates!
Cocaine? Inside the skates?
They just let me out after five days of interrogation.
Have you been loading drugs onto my ship?
No, not at all, sir. I would never do anything like that.
Sir, can you tell me again clearly?
They found cocaine inside our skates?
If you could tell me exactly--
Hey, I don't need any of that.
I left all of your stuff in Aruba. Figure it out on your own!
Hello? Sir?
What's he talking about? Cocaine in our skates?
Yeah, in Aruba.
Aruba. That's a Dutch island, right?
But why would they find cocaine in any of our cargo?
Wait.
What are you doing?
Eungsoo, I need you to go to our local management office
and find out what happened.
-Right now? -It's half past ten. They must be awake.
-Hurry. -Okay.
-What about you? You're not coming? -I'm going to call Pastor Jeon.
He's close with the president, so he might help us.
Yeah, right.
Hey, did you send him the skates and the ginseng liquor?
I sent him the skates,
but the ginseng liquor hadn't aged as much, so I was waiting…
Are you fucking crazy? I texted him we'd be sending him a bottle.
All right, I got it. I'll send it.
I'm going to check in at the office, and I'll call you right after.
-Keep me updated, okay? -Yeah.
PASTOR JEON YOHAN
OUTGOING CALL
Hello, brother.
Hello. I'm sorry for calling you at this hour.
Oh, not at all. What seems to be the problem?
I'm so sorry, but I've been put into a really tight spot.
I had no other choice but to make this call.
Lord, how could something like this happen?
Don't panic.
Wait patiently.
I'll try and figure something out.
Thank you so much, Pastor. Please help us.
The ginseng liquor should be with you shortly.
Yes.
Sure.
The person you are trying to reach is outside of the service area.
Please leave a voice message.
Hey, Eungsoo, where the hell are you?
You were supposed to call me right away!
Get him!
Freeze!
Hands up!