The Scarecrow (허수아비)

(This program was supported by the MSIT and KCA.)

(The characters, locations, institutions, groups...)

(were filmed safely with expert supervision.)

Hey, Lee Yong Woo.

Up until now, everyone's coddled you every time you opened your mouth,

but things are different in here.

It's not my job to believe every word from a scumbag's mouth.

Back in the day,

I would've strangled her.

Don't you serial killers have a thing

about who's killed the most people?

You all keep score to see who's number one.

That darn prosecutor thought I was a bluffer.

She kept asking if I committed the seventh case.

She must think you're lying because of your notoriety.

For the notoriety? Me?

There have been actual cases like that.

Son of a gun.

Hey, Tae Joo. The prosecutor doesn't believe me.

How is anyone else going to believe me, then?

So what I am trying to say is...

What do I have to do to make them believe what I say?

Will you even get the chance?

Prosecution summons for your questioning are done.

- There's nothing more... - The trial! The trial!

That's right. The Seok Man case.

The witness for his retrial. I will do it. Okay?

So hurry up and tell me. Quick. What exactly do I need to say?

About the Seok Man case...

I have one condition for testifying.

A condition?

Wasn't testifying supposed to be done for you?

- You said you'd show the real you. - Yes, that's right.

I changed my mind.

What's the condition?

My nephew.

Let me see him.

What?

After they dragged me in, I couldn't sleep for a few days.

They wouldn't let me sleep until I confessed something.

If I refused to write a statement,

they kicked the chair I was sitting on.

As you can see, I have a bad leg, but they still made me run in place.

Are you claiming you were abused during your interrogation?

- Yes. - That never happened.

Back then, a suspect died from abuse during an interrogation,

so everyone was on their best behavior.

And most importantly, I'm illiterate.

Then how did you end up writing the statement?

They gave me a pre-written one and told me to copy it.

But that's because we recorded Im Seok Man's testimony,

and transcribed it for him.

We were just

trying to be as accommodating as possible.

I wasn't part of the interrogation at the time, but...

I saw Im Seok Man at the station several times.

I don't recall seeing any signs of assault.

The evidence back then was so conclusive

- that we didn't need to be rough. - What evidence was that?

The culprit's body hair was found, and the test results

- showed it belonged to Im Seok Man. - And what test was that?

It was from a Radioactive Isotope Analysis.

And who ordered this test?

It was an error in judgment on my part.

What exactly was the error?

It doesn't identify a culprit like DNA testing can.

It can only give a general idea of the culprit's lifestyle.

So you're saying

there's no direct evidence proving the defendant is the real culprit?

Yes, that's correct.

As an officer of the law,

I made a grave error in judgment,

and I admit it.

And I'd like to take this opportunity

to offer my sincerest apologies

to Mr. Im Seok Man.

I have one more question.

The defendant claims he was abused during his interrogation.

- Do you believe him? - Yes, I do.

What makes you so sure?

You didn't witness his interrogation yourself.

Because another suspect was tortured during a previous interrogation.

And who was that?

He was a suspect being investigated for the Kangseong Serial Murders.

His name is Lee Seong Jin.

Detective! Sir! Detective!

Help me, please. It wasn't me.

Your Honor, I'd like to call Lee Seong Jin to the stand.

Yes.

I was tortured by the police.

Are the officers who tortured you in this courtroom right now?

Yes.

Who are they? Would you please point them out?

Jang Myeong Do.

Do Hyeong Gu.

Those guys right there.

Nothing further, Your Honor.

Your Honor.

The fact that this witness went through that

doesn't prove the defendant suffered the same abuse.

This witness was also a suspect in the same case,

and he even gave a false confession despite being innocent.

His case is hardly any different from the defendant's.

Why would the defendant be spared the violence this witness endured?

Your Honor.

This witness's testimony is grounds for reasonable doubt.

I'll allow it.

Excuse me.

Hello.

My name is Cha Yeong Beom. I'm a reporter from Noise Cut.

I'm not doing any interviews.

My father was a victim of torture too.

He eventually passed away from the torture.

I'm sorry to hear that.

What did you want to ask me?

The people who assaulted you back then...

Was it just Jang Myeong Do and Do Hyeong Gu?

What about Detective Kang Tae Joo?

He's the one who saved me.

If it hadn't been for him...

I ended up

confessed, just like that other man.

That bastard of a prosecutor threatened me into it.

Which prosecutor?

Cha Si Yeong.

Prosecutor Cha Si Yeong.

I'll never forget that name.

Mr. Lee's testimony today was a huge help.

Please be sure to tell him how grateful I am.

I'll take care of persuading Lee Yong Woo.

- Okay. Sir, let's go to my office. - Okay.

Hey, Kang Tae Joo.

Has it been 31 years?

When I first saw you on TV,

I have to admit, I was a little hurt.

I thought you'd at least look me up when you got back.

About that... It was harder than I thought.

I liked seeing you on TV, though. I watched every one of your reports.

You're exactly the same Seo Ji Won I remember.

- You're still amazing. - Amazing? Hardly.

Then you should've come in person. Why send a tip?

Huh?

Scarecrow1988.

Right?

As soon as I saw that username, I knew it was you.

So does that mean... You knew about

what happened to Hye Jin even 30 years ago?

And the reason you kept quiet...

- Was it because of Sun Yeong? - To keep Sun Yeong alive,

they told me I had to leave Kangseong.

So that's why you left. That explains...

My Gosh.

Why didn't you say anything to me?

- If I had known... - If you'd known,

do you think you would've sat back and done nothing?

You would've done anything to solve Hye Jin's case.

And that would have put you in danger too.

And I...

I had no idea. Gosh, I can't believe...

I kept wondering how you could leave so irresponsibly.

All I did was resent you.

Regardless of the reason, it was still irresponsible of me.

Because of a promise I made to save my sister's life,

I kept silent for 30 years.

Long enough for the statute

of limitations to run out and then some.

I know it's late, but

now I'm going to

make things right.

You're right. I can't just stand by either.

Let's do this together.

Okay.

By the way, I'm worried about Sun Yeong and Yeong Beom.

If they find out what Cha Si Yeong did,

they'll be devastated. Don't you think?

I won't let Yeong Beom know about his father.

But as for the Im Seok Man and Yoon Hye Jin cases,

the two of them will have to know.

("End In Sight For Kangseong Serial Murders...")

For arresting Im Seok Man, the Kangseong serial murderer,

commendations were awarded to four officers and a prosecutor.

The recipients include Commissioner Cha Jun Young...

My uncle?

Sergeants Jang Myeong Do, Do Hyeong Gu,

Officer Park Dae Ho, and...

Prosecutor Cha Si Yeong.

Both my uncles received awards for this case?

Hey, Reporter Cha.

When those are done copying, bring them to the conference room.

Oh, right. Okay.

How could the police bury a child to cover up a case?

I had a hard time believing it at first too.

Right, Yoon Hye Jin went missing after Im Seok Man was arrested.

Kangseong Police were celebrating catching a serial killer.

So when another body turned up, they must've wanted to hide it.

- Even if it meant burying her. - Who on the force would do that?

We need suspects before we dig, or we'll face backlash.