Stranger (비밀의 숲)

ALL CHARACTERS, ORGANIZATIONS, LOCATIONS, AND INCIDENTS

DEPICTED IN THIS DRAMA ARE ENTIRELY FICTITIOUS

Doggedly chasing after the truth

and marching towards what's right

is a never-ending process.

To stop, even for a moment, is to fail.

Marching towards change

is like having two needles as your feet

with an invisible thread trailing after you,

never stopping for a breath as you march on.

In the belief that a handful of hope

is better than immeasurable despair,

we move forward with unwavering determination

once again.

EPISODE 1

MARCH, 2019

Mr. Jung, a man in his 40s who abandoned his car

and fled a DUI checkpoint, has been arrested.

Nambu Police stated that his blood alcohol content

was approximately 0.187 percent, which is enough to suspend his license

according to the Widmark formula

that calculates BAC based on the amount of time elapsed.

Moving on to the next story.

The news that the Ministry of Justice may shut down…

- Mr. Hwang, where are you? -…all cryptocurrency service providers

has resulted in a sudden drop in the value of all cryptocurrency.

Here are the weather updates for each region.

Dense fog advisories have been extended.

Beaches will remain closed,

and the nine ferries that connect Tongyeong

with its surrounding islands have also been canceled.

Dense fog advisories will likely continue overnight.

We advise all drivers to use fog lights

and drive slowly.

This information was brought to you by the Vessel Traffic Service Center.

MR. LEE

-Hello? -Mr. Hwang, where are you?

The branch chief is almost here.

The man of the hour can't be late.

Mr. Lee, send me the Marine Environment Management Corporation's number.

The KOEM?

Yes, a part of the restriction line is damaged.

-They should fix this. -Where are you now?

Well, I'm…

TONGYEONG-SI YONGNAMHAEAN-RO

I'm on Yongnamhaean-ro.

Yongnam?

The whole thing's been damaged?

-Hello, sir. -Oh, he's here.

-Hello, sir! -Hello, sir.

-Hello, sir. -You've got to hurry!

Do you still want the number for KOEM?

Don't worry about it. I can't be there right away.

You have arrived at your destination.

Route guidance will now be terminated.

TONGYEONG TOURIST HOTEL

Aren't you going in?

Aren't you?

-What is it? -Someone died.

My gosh. I heard it was someone young.

-Come on, let me take a peek. -No, I can't let you.

-Oh, my goodness. -It's insane.

-My goodness. -What's going on?

-Isn't it over there? -I think it's this way.

-No, it's over there. -No, it's this way.

-A college student? -It says, "Do not enter."

My goodness. Someone drowned.

-Swimming in this weather? -They weren't supposed to go in the water.

What were they thinking?

Go this way!

They've already been that way!

What the heck were they thinking?

The sign says not to enter so why would they?

What a mess.

They say there's only one boat!

Why don't they ever listen?

It clearly says, "Do not enter."

I guess he was sober enough to take off these expensive shoes.

These are expensive?

These are the limited-edition shoes that your son asked you to buy him.

Goodness, look at this. He took them off as if they're some precious treasure.

Will the owner be found alive

or dead?

Do these belong to your friends?

Does that mean

they left these here and went this way towards the water…

POLICE

Over there!

911 RESCUE

This was our first trip since starting college.

I was so drunk

I didn't even know my friends had gone out.

We're at the ocean!

The ocean!

Here we come!

-Hey, wait. -What? Why?

Oh, right.

Hey, what are you doing? Come on!

We're at the ocean!

Hey, Seung-jun!

Seung-jun!

911 RESCUE

Goodness, they were only 20 years old. I can't believe they died like this.

All they've done is study.

They were just spreading their wings.

Why do people always go into the water when they're drunk?

Gosh, I feel so bad for their parents.

-Why did they go into the ocean? -Oh, dear.

Mr. Hwang, where are you?

I told you, the branch chief is here.

Don't you know he's throwing this going-away party for you?

He's saying you don't care because you're leaving.

He's fuming mad that you're making all these people wait!

Hello?

Mr. Hwang.

You're still there, right?

Car emissions account for approximately 25 percent

of the fine dust generated in the country.

So when it comes to fine dust, cars can be seen as the perpetrators,

and all citizens are the victims.

The double-shift vehicle system

mentioned earlier has proven to be very effective.

The government is considering implementing the system

but is hesitant at the moment.

Let's find out what their concerns are. Kim Ju-na has the story.

DRAGONTIGER_973 #MARVEL FESTIVAL

-They went there to see this? -People are still driving freely

even with the emergency fine dust reduction measures put in place.

Everyone's having a blast.

Only government workers are expected to follow the double-shift system.

Since this is used for freight…

Even civil servants are not abiding by it.

Public officials who are not abiding by the new system

the government has implemented

should be reprimanded.

Some say we should implement a total double-shift system

- that everyone must follow. -What's this?

Are my fingers getting fat?

#TONGYEONG BEACH #FOG

- When the system was implemented... -Tongyeong.

...for the 2002 FIFA World Cup,

the fine dust levels in the metropolitan areas dropped by 21 percent.

And research shows that the ultrafine dust levels in Beijing

also went down by 25 percent four years ago.

-It's an urgent issue indeed. -Where did it go?

Next up, a high-ranking officer at the National Police Agency

has been accused of interfering in a case the prosecution was investigating.

The prosecution plans to summon the officer for interrogation soon.

-Kim Ho-geun has the story. -Who could this be?

A high-ranking officer at the National Police Agency has been accused of leaking

information about a case the prosecution was investigating.

In June of 2018,

Mr. Kim, a high-ranking officer at the National Police Agency,

was approached by his high school friend, Mr. Park.

At the time, Mr. Park was being investigated by the prosecution.

He contacted Mr. Kim, the high-ranking officer,

to ask whether or not he would be arrested.

Mr. Kim then gave him information about an ongoing case,

-according to the prosecution. -Who is this?

The identity of the man who fled a DUI checkpoint last night

is a deputy chief prosecutor at the High Prosecutors' Office.

The prosecution finds itself under fire once again for moral laxity.

Internal Affairs at the Prosecutors' Office

-has stated that disciplinary action... -Hurry up!

...will be taken as soon as the police complete their investigation.

-Jeez! -Last night in Tongyeong,

all beaches were closed due to dense fog.

But two tourists under the influence went into the ocean

and drowned.

Both deceased were university freshmen.

It's speculated they met their deaths after entering a prohibited area

while heavily intoxicated.

However, some have pointed out that the accident could have been prevented

had the area been properly sectioned off in the first place.

The beach had already been known as an accident-prone area,

and the restriction line installed in the area

had been damaged two years ago due to faulty installation.

KOREAN NATIONAL POLICE AGENCY

INVESTIGATIVE PROCEDURE REFORMATION UNIT

Good morning.

-Good morning. -Good morning.

Chief Choi is at the Intelligence Bureau.

-Go there if you have any updates for her. - Okay.

SENIOR INSPECTOR HAN YEO-JIN

#TONGYEONG BEACH #FOG

Last night in Tongyeong,

all beaches were closed due to dense fog.

But two tourists under the influence went into the ocean

and drowned.

TONGYEONG DROWNING ACCIDENT

Hey, how could you not show up?

What about everyone who gathered for your going-away party?

I know there was an accident, but why would you go there?

Are you one of their dads?

How could you be so disrespectful to not even show up to your own party?

Do you even care that people were waiting?

My goodness.

-What's going on? Is he getting an earful? - Yes, obviously.

Mr. Hwang is so consistent. Even on his last day.

You're here.