The Recipe (Doenjang / 된장) (된장)

The Recipe

Professor Jang talked about you often

I heard that if my story is chosen I can get an internship here

I'm on a leave until next semester,

I thought it'd be a good experience

It's not that simple

I'm not asking for

a special favor or anything

Just that I couldn't tell it to anybody

since it's concerning the Justice Department and all

What is it about?

You just completed your military service, right?

Yes

Is it a story you heard in the army?

I supposed you could say that

Those stories only work for soldiers, not us

I'll see what I can do about the internship

Now, get out of here! I'm busy

Yu-jin!

What!

I served at the ll-dong penitentiary

So what?

It's the prison Kim Jong-gu was held in

I was in charge of his execution records

The notorious fugitive accountable for

the deaths of dozens of innocent lives during the 5 years on the run,

Kim Jong-gu's execution date has arrived

With the controversial confirmation

of his death sentence

Kim Jong-gu will be the first man to be executed in 1 2 years

Name, Kim Jong-gu

On February 1 0, 2009, the legal execution of the above named

shall be carried out in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Korea

Do you want to make a final statement?

Doenjang...

I'm dying for...

a bowl of that stew

There was no mention of that on the news

All it said was he was calm and regretful

Was there anything else?

That was all

Then, he was executed

Choi Yu-jin, Producer of DBS Special Documentary

Kim Jong-gu, the most heinous criminal and fugitive of all time

The first man to be executed in 12 years since a moratorium was imposed

He was a man who shocked the world continuously,

who lived a life full of unforgettable memories

But, the last thing that came to his mind on the gallows

was merely a bowl of Doenjang stew

Sounds out of place, huh?

But, it also made me curious

Why suddenly feel hungrythen and there? Yoon Jong-hoon, Executioner

Beats me, too

Maybe he got nostalgic about ordinary life Lee Ku-seon, Witness to the Execution

Missing his mother's cooking, something like that maybe? Seon Hyeon-cheol, Executioner

Do you even know who you're talking about? Ku Jin-man, Former cellmate

He broke right through an entire regiment of police

making a run right across the country

That's no fugitive,

that's a fucking legend!

How do you think the legend got caught? How?

Did you read about his arrest? The police's tactics and that crap...

The bastard got arrested eating

a bowl of stew

He was so dazed that

he wasn't aware when they put cuffs on him

I heard this from the man himself

He wouldn't think twice about taking a hostage when cornered

He must have seen the lights and thought there was someone inside

But, the moment he had a breath of that smell,

next thing he knew, he was taking the spoon to the mouth

He didn't even look up

Guns were pointing at him Kim Pil-man, Arresting Detective

but he just kept on eating

Eating and eating... and l, I just stood there watching

It made my mouth water, you know

It just blew us away instantly Lee Hyeong-gu, Arresting Detective

The smell... It just...

Only after the wind blew out the smell

we got back to ourselves

If he left as much as a drop in the bowl,

I swear I would have licked it off

You think I'm kidding?

That bastard didn't even think about running off

He was in a daze even as we escorted him out in cuffs

We couldn't have caught him otherwise

Even now, I wonder what it Choi Su-ki, Arresting Detective

would have tasted like

What the hell are you looking at?

Initially, the angle was;

What came to the mind of the heinous murderer

as he faced his death was nostalgia forthe ordinary

But that's just uninspiring

As I looked into it, it turned out to be a completely different story

How it should go is,

the unbelievable taste of the stewtripped up the killer

No. Use your common sense!

He missed his chance to escape

He knew it was the end and decided to indulge in a bit of ordinary life

Look. He had over 10 minutes before the squad arrived

Hostage situation is his thing but he left the woman untouched

Plus, there were windows and a back door. It can only mean...

that he didn't run away

Right?

He gave himself up over a bowl of stew

Get it on the tape!

Anything related to Kim Jong-gu will work at this time

The last thing he thought of as he faced death was

Doenjang stew

Okay!

I'm out of here

Go for it!

Trust me on this!

Try it!

This is pure awesomeness

There isn't much to it

You need good doenjang to make a good stew!

But then again, making good doenjang is real tricky,

It creates its own taste once the ingredients are mixed

but it doesn't always come out as I hoped

I try but the taste never lives up to my expectations

You're being modest

If it's the last thing a man remembers before death, it's no ordinary thing

Pardon me?

Do you remember Kim Jong-gu who

got arrested here a few years back

I know him!

I asked them to keep my diner's name out

It's not good to get your name known along with a murderer

How did you find out? Not many people know about it

Like you said, hardly anyone knew about it

It was very difficult for us to find you

This isn't a food show?

Why are we talking about the murderer?

Well, we're not actually from a food show...

Then, this interview's over

Ma'am!

It really was damn good, wasn't it?

Yeah

Didn't you eat enough?

But, was it that good? Worth dying for?

Huh?

What if he was on the verge of dying of starvation?

No?

Then, maybe he was delirious from a high fever?

Hypothermia?

It snowed a lot that day, a lot

The snow came up your chest Could frost bite cause...?

No? Can't you stop No'ing me?

No, He was tested negative for any drugs

He was a little sleep-deprived but presumably from long interviews

Other than that, he was in perfect health

He must have eaten well as well

It wasn't that good

Maybe he had two tongues...

What could it be?

Can I help?

Good Lord!

Hello!

Oh, hi!

The stew he ate wasn't mine

It was hers

Anyone who tasted her stew

will never be able to forget it

Not matter how hard I try I couldn't get that taste

Then, the fragrance... I couldn't even get close!

What could I do? She only taught me that much

When she was by herself at the diner,

she would make a stew with Doenjang she made

The fugitive must have been lured to its fragrance

And, her name was?

Jang Hye-jin

What'ya doing here?

What'ya looking at in my land?

There must be lots of pine trees around

Girl must got a doggie nose

Pine trees my ass, all you can see from here are firs

Move over! I gotta sweep up

What is this smell?!

You reek of deliciousness!

I'm drooling here, girl!

You must be some cook

I can tell just by looking at your hands

Hovering around with nowhere to go... am I right?

Hey! What'd you say to snapping up some pancakes with me?

I could use a helping hand

You've got nowhere to go, right?

It looks like you didn't have any breakfast, either. Come on!

Look at you!

Come in and eat something

Gee... give me a hand!

What have you got there?

It's just...

Let me know if it gets too cold

Okay

nothing much to do here in the forest

Have a drink with me if you're not tired?

You didn't look like a drinking type

We've got to find her!

Are you playing a private eye?