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presented and distributed by Showbox / Mediaplex
a Bidangil Pictures production
Even with all the talk about
global recession and the liquidity crisis,
PARK Yong-ha nothing beats buying stocks in Korea.
KIM Min-jung You've heard of ants', right?
PARK Hee-soon Individuals who invest on rumors.
KIM Moo-yeolAs long as they're around, Korean stock market will thrive.
I'll delay the legalities.
Quietly handle the shares before then.
We're the grateful ones.
You see, there's always a reason behind information getting out.
Omega Telecom declines
Yeah.
***.
No, it's nothing.
I suddenly have a meeting to go to.
You have two days.
Won't you let your son finish studying abroad?
Smoking is prohibited here.
I saw the text message. Get rid of it.
It doesn't matter. Sell it all.
Hire a fund manager who can take it in a bulk.
I'll take care of it whatever it takes,
so don't sell it, okay?
I didn't curse at you!
Who the hell did this?
If you invest in stocks, you'll always hear this.
'Don't put all your eggs in one basket. '
Which means don't get greedy and make safe investments.
Whatever, it's all a joke.
When will I ever get rich off this petty change?
producers KIM Su-jin and YUN In-beom Ever heard of the phrase, 'Kick the ladder'?
The *** who reaches to the roof first
kicks the ladder
so that others can't climb it.
That's human.
written and directed by LEE Ho-jae That's capitalism.
THE SCAM
Five years ago
Mr. Kang Hyun-soo.
- You studied stage act? - Yes.
Then you must be good at talking in front of people.
I know that you signed up for marketing,
but it's good to do sales first.
If you do sales,
you'll understand the company's product more.
You've used our product before, right?
Power-up *** for men
Hey, Ji-hyuk! I was planning to call you.
Never mind. Why did you call?
Jin-young?
Korea's investment paradigm.
The general trend now is IT.
That's why I set up a dot com biz.
I heard Internet businesses don't make money.
You really don't get it.
Making things don't make money lately.
Stocks make money, you see.
First, You set up a dot com firm,
and list it on the stock market.
Then you can lure in millions.
Anyway, what are you up to lately?
Oh, me?
Working in marketing.
Wait, so you haven't listed it yet.
Then sell the stocks
at face value to your friends first.
Sure, that's no problem.
Hyun-soo, you want in?
No, I'll think about it.
Think over what?
Wait, Then how about
I take his share and put in more.
Come on, let's do it.
I'm telling you it's a sure thing.
Mom, just think of it as an early inheritance.
You're ready to dig my grave.
You're really persistent. Mom doesn't have any money.
Mom, tell him.
Tell me what?
I bought this house.
The owner put it up for a cheap price.
What?
So stop talking about those stocks,
and get a job to help out.
I'm having it hard.
Who'd buy this place when it has no future profit?
This neighborhood will never go up.
You know nothing about real estate.
If it's decent and comfortable,
that's all that matters.
We're living in this mess
because of that attitude of yours.
What's wrong with how we live?
We now have a house of our own and I sent you both to college.
Who looks at college diplomas lately?
A mediocre college, a mediocre company,
a mediocre house.
Others are in stocks and real estate,
but what about us?
Aren't you upset at all?
What's there to get upset about?
If you are, then work harder.
Work harder?
So you didn't work hard enough?
You worked your butt off to get only this far.
This crummy apartment is your life's greatest success!
A better lifestyle, better culture.
Sign up for our credit card
through this special promotion.
We have special gifts and events waiting for you.
'How I became a millionaire'
yeah, stock market is the ticket out of this petty life.
Welcome, sir.
I'll put money in for just three months.
Goddammit! This is a scam!
That winter was when the dot com boom
turned into the dot com bubble.
My friend who promised a fortune ran off to the Philippines.
And as for me, who trusted his promise,
I went to the river.
I didn't go home after that day.
But I didn't jump either.
I usually can't sleep when I get upset.
Hyun-soo's five years The market is not a merciful place.
If I had saved up all my tuition
I could've bought three luxury cars.
The battle starts at nine in the morning.
Enemies are faceless and there are no allies.
This battle is about devouring money
from ants, institutions and foreigners.
Your purchase has been made.
Profit rate -68% Your sale has been made.
A minute is eternity in stocks.
If I hesitate, someone else buys it.
Then sells it while I eat.
Sale
Total profit rate 187% Five years of hardship and disgrace.
I became a day trader who lives off of trading stocks.
Yes.
I am an ant.
Why is this beef so expensive?
This is sirloin steak.
I'm treating so don't worry and eat.
How's mom?
Street markets are dead now.
Just come home and ask her yourself.
People go to discount stores now.
Well, but mom owns an apartment.
What's the price on it lately?
You know that mom will never sell that place.
That's what upsets me.
Just sitting on money gets you nowhere.
You have to invest it.
Think hard about your future.
You should've picked a better major.
Microbiology will get you nowhere.
Hey, you majored in theater.
Taxi!
- I'll just take the bus. - Come here.
Give this to mom, it's an allowance.
You should give it to her.
Not yet.
I'll go when the time's right.
You just study hard for your test.
To Kwacheon!
I'm busy.
I told you not to call me during trading time.
I lost 3 grand this morning.
Help me out.
You have a job, so what are you crying about?
Damn it.
Don't you know that I'm under a contract?
That money was for my mom's seventieth birthday party.
I can't just have it at some pathetic corner diner.
Omega Telecom.
That's a stock rig for sure.
What isn't a rig in Korea?
Yeah, anyone can pick a manipulated stock.
But the timing is important.
It's all in the charts.
Buy it now and sell it at the end.
Don't get greedy, or you'll kick the bucket.
This is a sure thing, right?
- Don't trust me then. - Okay, okay.
Thank you so much, Hyun-soo.
Hey, hey.
Keep this to yourself, don't spread it.
It's all mine, bye.
Slimy bum.
I got a sure tip.
Omega Telecom. I'm hanging up.
My brother-in-law gave me a good tip.
Your sale has been made.
***.
Ten grand in one shot.
The day I make one million, this lifestyle is done for.
Just 10 cents short of the target price.
***, you scared *** out of me.
It's obvious.
Someone must've slipped while drinking.
So information leaked from inside?
I should've just trained those ***,
or taught them right.
Okay, that's enough.
This time it's real.
Don't you worry.
I've already mapped it out.
No.
It's time for a new plan.
With the best.
Even the invincible Cho Min-hyung has his bad days too.
How could an educated person like you swear at a customer?
But your punishment isn't as severe
because of your superb performance.
A securities company is also a service business.
Think of it as going back to the basics
and go work at the window.
Number 29, please.
How would you like your withdraw?
In cash.
All of the seventy thousand?
Omega Telecom
Is there a problem?
No, sir.
Your recent profit rate is great.
It was nothing.
I found a stock rig and won some.
I will get your cash ready, sir.
Will you be able to take all of it?
You're right.
Put the rest of it back in.
Pardon?
I'm depositing it.
Can't I?
I understand, sir.
***...
You've won a lot.
Yes?
I must be lucky today.
Luck is also a skill. I'm Mi-yeon.
I'm Kang Hyun-soo.
When it rains, it pours. Same goes for luck.
You're too aggressive.
Come on, turn off the lights.
I need the lights to see your undies, ***.
Who are you people?
*** stutters.
Who are you?
I'm busy. You're busy. Let's end this quickly.
Where'd you get the information?
What are you talking about?
Rookie, go get me a long one.
He seems to have a bad memory.
This is all that I could find.
You *** idiot.
This is the boss's club.
Sorry to interrupt,
but couldn't we sort this out like civilized men?
You think we're pushovers because we wear ties?
Wait! Wait!
Why? Does it hurt?
What do you know?
Get up, ***.
Omega Telecom. Does that ring the bell?
Who told you about it?
What are you talking about?
Is your head pain magnet or are you just stupid?
Damn it.
I checked the candlestick first and bought it.
Yeah, you should've confessed earlier.
Is the candlestick your gang's secret code?
It isn't a code, it's a chart on stocks.
The candlestick chart.
Do some studying, idiot.
How the hell did you become manager?
Hey, ***.
Talk simply, you ***!
Who is flapping dust in my office?
What are you waiting for?
I heard that you're good at stocks.
What do you do?
I'm an individual investor.
So you're unemployed.
But you tampered with our Omega.
I didn't know anything about it.
I just looked at the chart.
So no one told you to buy it?
I swear on it.
Then how did you know it was rigged?
Explain.
I became interested in Omega Telecom
three weeks ago.
If you look at this day, there is a huge purchase.
I predicted the rigging period to be three months.
Despite a low BPS,
the growing trading volume caught my eye.
A pullback here meant that the manipulators...
I mean, the investors were short on cash
Mr. Lee.
What is a BPS?
A BLT? Isn't that a hamburger?
To be honest, I don't understand a single word.
But I'll make him squeal when I bury him.
Please leave him to me, sir.
BPS, book price per share!
Stop being a stupid thug!
Hwang Jong-ku.
He ran the Deadly Green Snake gang in Ansan city.
Hwang Jong-ku was very interested in stocks.
His body moved in the dark,
but his mind was in the light.
He thought that organized crime had no future.
And if there wasn't any change, he wouldn't be able to survive.
Don't live like me.
When he saw a CEO of a conglomerate
leave prison on a wheelchair,
Hwang discovered his calling.
He disbanded his gang,
and set up an investment company.
The name was DGS Capital and Holdings.
Literally taking the initials of his Deadly Green Snake gang.
Well, LG Group came from lucky gold'
and SK came from its owner's initials.
But he lost half his money
Financial institutions collapse during the credit card crisis.
So he jumped into the world of stock rigging scams.
And I unknowingly sabotaged his prized rig.
Okay, that's enough.
So this is all it took you to discover the target price?
- It was purely... - Luck?
- You can look at it that way. - Fine.
Then let's see how lucky you are.
Now for the double earning rate rally of DGS Capital and Holdings.
Raise the earning rate by 20% today.
Then I'll believe you.
Twenty percent in a day?
If not, I take a finger per each percent.
But that's not humanly possible...
Your purchase has been completed.
Your sale has been completed.
Your purchase has been completed.
Your purchase has been canceled.
Your sale has been completed.
Okay, that's enough.
It's 17.6%.
Wait! Wait!
There's still time after the market closes.
That's also part of trading day!
23% Your sale has been completed.
Can I go now?
Isn't it trade ethics for you to pay back what you've stolen?
But it was a legal financial transaction.
Do you live by the law?
Your name was Kang Hyun-soo, right?
But why do you live like that?
Pardon?
You're good at stocks, but you look like ***.
Look.
There's one hole, right?
You know what that means?
It was made to fit my waist.
It was hand-made in Italy.
All those big name brands?
Who wears those factory clothes?
Look.
Look very closely.
Initials instead of brand tag, see?
H J K
Hwang Jong-ku.
That's me.
Very nice.
It's a difference in capital.
- What? - For the same one percent gain,
it's 10 for 1,000 and 100,000 for one million.
The rich and ants are no match from the start.
Okay, that's exactly it.
Winners always win no matter the odds.
Sucks, doesn't it?
It'll take a long time to pay me back with pocket change.
Well, you can physically pay it off.
You decide. Go after shrimp or shark?
Wait, hold on.
Fine, I'll forget about Omega.
But you look at the chart
for this heavyweight I'm preparing.
You want me to look at a stock rig?
Don't kid me around.
We're just supporting a hidden low-valued stock.
It's still a corporation, you'll need a title.
Director? Manager?
A financial trader usually starts as a deputy manager.
Okay, so be it.
Mr. Han, our company's deputy manager can't be dressed like this.
Welcome.
Welcome.
What the hell is this?
Come sit down.
This is our new deputy manager, Kang Hyun-soo.
That's deputy manager of Sujin Assets, Cho Min-hyung.
Wait, you're all deputy managers.
You can't bring a nobody off the street.
Security is our lifeline.
This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't screwed up.
He knows his ***.
This is my high school junior.
Although you ruined him through Omega,
he's still hell of skimmer of this ground.
Why is everyone so late?
Hey!
Yes, sir.
We can't wait for latecomers. Start serving.
What was that sake we drank last time?
That Hekasake or Hanagaki...
No, it's Hakaisan. Bring some of that.
Yes, sir.
And Miss, don't stand in front of the door.
Yes, sir.
Also, give us that Ginzou, too.
She heard me, right?
Hey! What's up! guys. Dude, sorry.
Traffic is *** jammed. It's crazy out there.
- Damn English before dinner? - Yesterday,
I played golf with your boss.
He kept missing his swings. It was like farming, not golf.
Hey! Who the *** is he?
I'm not working with *** stranger.
*** you, ***.
Talk Korean, are you a *** Yankee?
Hey. You know...
You know we don't work with just anyone.
'Just anyone'?
I brought him here, you ***.
That over there is Bri...
Bri, what was your name again?
Brian Choi.
Say it right in Korean, ***.
Choi Brian, fund manager,
but no *** manners.
Bri, say hello to my new deputy manager.
Kang Hyun-soo, he's working under me.
Hey! I'm Brian.
No hard feelings, okay?
No hard feelings, ok? Nothing...
Nothing personal.
If others can't do it properly, don't do it, ***.
How are you related to Park Chang-joo?
The most famous rich playboy in Korea.
I met him when I worked in construction.
You know Daesan Construction, right?
It did well during the Middle East development period.
That was when his father was the president.
When the princes inherit the companies, they ruin them.
It's nothing but a shell right now.
Gas should be ten dollars a gallon.
Why are there so many cars out there?
Hey, Jong-ku!
Park Chang-joo, Daesan Construction's president.
The origin of our scam.
Schematic
What's the estimate?
The plan looks good. We can harvest $60 million.
That's all you can make out of this great idea?
The experts will handle the details.
Mr. Park, you just hold on to the share.
The major shareholder has to hold steady
for the ants to come chase after him.
What's the company you're merging with?
Hankyul, an environmental venture company.
The president is my old classmate.
I didn't know him back in school.
He studied while I partied.
You know I have an allergy for nerds.
And?
But
He came to our high school reunion
for the first time in twenty years.
Why'd a successful guy like him pop up at our reunion?
There are two types who come to reunions.
One, those who come to brag about his money.
While the other come to borrow some.
I heard
He wasted all his money on his research.
But it turned out to be something.
He's developing this thing,
which purifies even the *** water,
into drinkable water.
They call it a water-purifying bacteria.
Anyway, I merge with that research center.
- Sang-tae, long time no see. - Hey!
And I skyrocket my stocks with that.
Thank you, Chang-joo!
Backdoor listing!
Thank you so much.
So when the stocks go up, boom!
We sell them and we're out.
That's right.
Mr. Kang, what do you think?
Yes?
A new drug, alternative energy, environmental technology.
Three poular themes for the stock fraud.
Who is he?
Don't worry about him.
Mr. Hwang brought this nobody in to roll the dice.
At first, Ji-yong was going to do this.
But his company is being audited by tax authorities.
Got someone else to back you up?
How about we go somewhere else?
Okay.
We should've just gone to a gentlemen's club.
Not just anyone can come in here.
It's a membership-only club.
Who's a member here?
You must be Ms. Yoo Seo-yeon's guests.
Please come this way.
Who's Yoo Seo-yeon?
I'm asking you who's Yoo Seo-yeon?
You said you were worried about money, right?
This woman is our source of the fund.
How does she have so much money?
It's not her money.
She manages rich people's money.
It's a hefty amount.
Remember when HS Group was about
to be bought out by foreigners?
Yeah, some national stock was offered
and managerial control was protected.
That's what everybody thought.
But it was Yoo Seo-yeon who mobilized
all the fake-named shareholders.
I heard that Masan Venture Capital is one of her clients.
What kind of company is it?
It's not a company, it's a person.
A super ant who lives in Masan city.
He has more money than an investment company.
It's a nickname.
So there's no way to fold after playing the cards, right?
Men have even bigger mouths, isn't that right, Mr. Hwang?
Hello.
Private banker, Yoo Seo-yeon.
She's an asset manager for people who can't go to banks.
For people with credit defaults?
No, for those ethically-challenged.
Overnight millionaires who hate taxes.
Politicians who need to launder.
They all come looking for her.
High profit and tight confidentiality
make her attractive.
Clients are her assets.
Her strength is safely protecting her clients.
Not only money but power is deposited
and withdrawn from her bank.
It's not a bad idea.
But let's be clear about one thing.
Anything you'd like.
Please don't look too much into the investment fund.
Okay, we like to be clear as well.
Who's he?
Kang Hyun-soo, my new deputy manager.
eputy manager, my ***.
He just looks at the charts.
This isn't a place for just anyone.
Miss, is there someone here who was born to scam?
I'd like to get involved directly this time.
Ms. Yoo, directly?
Come to my office.
We'll talk in detail then.
We can't talk about this in front of anyone.
Wow!
She's tough.
Even I'm impressed, Man!
I told you to speak in Korean, ***.
This uptight *** makes me dizzy.
Let's *** out of here.
Okay! Everybody listen up. This is the bomb. Okay?
I told you to talk in Korean, idiot.
If you don't drink this, you can't go home.
This is called the Dracula. You drink it like this.
Yeah! I am a Dracula!
I'm telling you this...
I trust you...
Kang Hyun-soo, you son of a ***.
Nobody here is better than you.
There will be plenty of scams like this.
So do a good job.
You've spent five years on stocks, but you sleep past six?
It's a basic rule to check the U.S. stock market before the market opens.
Your job is to quietly buy Daesan stocks.
Buy it when it's cheap and sell it when it's expensive.
Isn't that the basics of trading?
Are you locking me in?
Loser, just think of it as a business trip.
You want me to buy stocks all day in this run-down place?
You're used to it.
I'm holding onto this while you're here.
The game kicks off after the M&A news gets out.
The ants will only observe at first.
If it keeps going up for two days, no one can resist it.
No need to drag it on. Finish it in a month.
That's why we need a media star like Kim Seung-bum.
A famous analyst from Korean Finance TV.
Here he comes.
Seung-bum!
Hey!
Kim Seung-bum.
Kim Seung-bum.
You're more handsome in person.
You have great skin.
Where do you get it managed?
Seriously
Do you know what his nickname is?
The Pope.
Everyone flocks, no questions asked,
when he points his magical finger.
It's amazing.
After this scam, some of your fans may lose faith.
He's right.
I'm just someone who recommends. They're the ones who decide.
My followers won't lose faith after one or two failures.
Good shot!
How much goes to Masan Venture Capital?
Normally, the money lender gets seventy percent.
The bear does the tricks, but the owner gets paid.
That's not all.
Kim Seung-bum has expenses on top of everything else.
And at least one million goes to Brian.
Do we have to give so much to that Yankee?
Jong-ku.
If this job goes well, I have someone to introduce you to.
Someone at your inheritors' gathering?
There's this one guy. His family is loaded.
He develops gas fields.
If the deal goes well with the Indonesian King,
he'll make 100 million.
I'm always interested. Just set up a meeting for me.
Okay, nice putt!
Okay, 30, 20, three bills, two bills.
You got a double bogey.
You have to give me 20.
It won't even make up my fee.
Cut me five.
Why are the rich stingier?
This is humiliating.
That's ten.
Excuse me.
There's no hot water in...
Women's locker room
Gym
You won't reach the volume like this in time.
If I raise the trading volume, others will quickly follow suit.
That's what ants like you would think.
'Flooring paper' is faxed each morning.
Know what that is?
It lists who bought what and for how much during yesterday's market.
We know it all in the morning.
We can even look into their accounts.
So don't use your worthless brain
and just do what you're told.
This is why ants always lose money.
*** thieves.
You all cry about being victims
of stock rigs and speculators, huh?
But never once blame self stupidity.
The Korean economy?
We are the ones who run it.
You think the stock market runs on its own?
People like us need to stimulate it, shake it up,
and excite it for it to move forward.
that to those who jumped the bridge after loosing their savings.
Nobody forced them into anything.
The stock market is a war.
The ants carry a popgun into a battlefield with missiles.
So who can stop them?
Get started!
Senator Jung said you're quite good,
but you're younger than I had thought.
I don't need interest, but do your best with my money.
Isn't your nomination screening in three months?
Your money will be withdrawn as an unregistered bond.
Is that okay with you?
Let's have dinner with Senator Jung later.
Of course.
Take care.
The person you had mentioned, Kang Hyun-soo.
There are no records of him working at a company or anything.
No affiliation to any company? Nothing?
He was once part of a theater troupe called Daybreak.
Theater?
Keep looking into it.
I don't know why you brought in a nobody like Kang Hyun-soo.
He's a nobody, but he's good at analyzing charts.
That damn Ivy League pride.
I know a lot of guys who are good at charts.
It's not just charts.
Leave this to me, this is my field.
What is this?
Accounts under a false name.
Make the deals with what's in there.
They are untraceable accounts.
The official certificates are inside.
Purchases have already started.
How could you do this now?
So you can't trust us?
Drinking and looking for camaraderie are for men.
So we just change it with this?
I'd also like to know where you are dealing.
Kang Hyun-soo, you're the best.
For someone who does a lot of trading, what's with your face?
Smile.
Like this.
See? It's nice to smile.
Hyun-soo, my boy, let's hug it out.
Hyun-soo, I love you.
15 days till M&A announcement at stockholders meeting.
We raise it to fifty a share,
and sell it all after the meeting.
I wouldn't go to fifty.
Why not?
The majority share hold is too small.
And you bought too much from the start.
Look, you already
have a lot of buyers who've sniffed it out.
What?
Who's screwing with our rigged stocks?
First, sell the bought shares and bring down the price.
They'll get scared and leave,
and we buy it at a low price again.
But if they buy our shares, then we're through.
They look like day traders coming in at the last minute.
They bail in a split if it doesn't look promising.
200,000 shares?
Your sale has been completed.
Are you *** nuts?!
This will scare them off. Don't be a chicken.
Your purchase has been completed.
See? Our shares have gone up.
You ***.
Hey ***,
you know you could've just ruined a huge rig?
That's enough.
***.
I admire your audacity.
Being on the fence is just not me.
But you'll fail some day. You know why?
Because you always risk everything.
Even with a winning streak,
you can lose everything in one big pot.
Mr. Cho, reset the target price. As well as that graph.
Ms. Yoo, are you saying that we listen to this loser?
I'm the one who plans things.
I'm not investing into your pride Mr. Cho.
Daesan stock price, $2
Daesan stock price, $2
Financial Supervisory Service Investigation Team 6
Take a look at this. It's Daesan Construction.
What's the problem?
The trading volume keeps rising,
but it avoids surveillance.
Feels like someone is manipulating it.
Got another feeling' again?
If it's not certain, then drop it.
We have seven-hundred items to monitor.
Deputy manager.
Yes.
Are you busy?
Well, not really.
Do I need to go to college to do that?
Do what?
Stocks?
I've been a gangster for three years,
but I can't save up any money.
So I thought I'd learn that.
Smokers don't tell others to smoke, right?
It's the same thing.
You don't make any money and ruin your health too.
Does this look great to you?
It wouldn't be any harder than what I'm doing now.
Where is Mr. Hwang?
He went to play golf.
Does he have to play ball every day?
That's too bad.
Mr. Kang, come with me.
He's not supposed to go anywhere.
I told Mr. Hwang that I had to go to Hankyul
before we go public.
Since Mr. Hwang isn't here, will you go?
Mr. Kang has to go at least.
Mr. Kang, what are you doing? We're late, get ready.
You should've called in advance. The test results will be out soon.
What would I know? You take care of it.
The second tests are almost done and our researchers' pay...
You call this a research center? Clean this place up!
Think I'll be able to bring investors here?
Data comes in at any time, so it gets crazy here.
Hello? What are you talking about? It's almost done.
Of course.
No thank you, I have one.
I saw on TV that it will be commercialized soon.
I told them not to say that.
You haven't read the monthly report?
So you're saying that it could fail?
Science is never a 100% surefire.
We can't guarantee anything from the start.
We can only raise the possibility through trial and error.
I see.
They must be your daughters.
Yes.
Mr. Kang, what are you doing? We have to go.
Oh, right.
May I take this?
Yes.
Thank you.
You need to get some fresh air.
It's nice, isn't it?
- Hyun-soo. - Yes?
This is between us,
but you'll get nothing from this scam.
So I have a proposition.
I want you on my side.
When Hwang's about to sell,
just give me a call.
I'll take care of the rest.
And of course, you'll be rewarded.
Rather handsomely.
Lee Jae-hak, investigation team six.
He's famous for being a loony in the Financial Supervisory Service.
You know, the type who thinks that he's a detective.
What a pain in the neck.
It won't be anytime soon,
but when the game begins, he could be problematic.
What was his name?
Lee Jae-hak.
He seems to be a hard worker. He deserves more.
Hello Vice-Minister, this is Yoo Seo-yeon.
How have you been?
Have you been lobbying behind my back?
Lobbying?
I thought you were simple and honest, but you're a cunning fox.
What are you talking about, sir?
I got a call to send you to the Planning & Coordination Office.
That's the core of our organization.
To the Planning & Coordination Office?
Stop acting so surprised. It shows.
You'll be loaded with work when you go there.
I wouldn't go if they had asked me to.
No one-man show today?
What brings you here at this hour?
I came to see a play.
Isn't it better than Choco Pie?
I like Choco Pie just fine.
I thought you'd have the sense to know
when an opportunity came knocking.
So you want me to call you with this before I sell.
But for me, you can't...
One call is all it takes.
And in return?
You'll find out.
If I oppose?
I don't think you're that stupid.
Did you change your number?
This civil service exam is no joke.
The odds of me passing are 100:1
Is it that hard to live an ordinary life?
Never mind that.
Come see me at once.
At this hour? The buses won't be running.
Just do as I told, you idiot!
Get here fast.
Why did you drink so much?
What's your name?
Ho-jae.
You're good-looking.
Okay, that's enough.
Get out, let me be.
We should go too.
Now it's time to talk about the real scam.
The real scam?
Joon-soo!
Going up and down, up and down.
It drives me up the wall. Stocks don't seem to suit me.
Once we start the matching transaction, it'll be over soon.
Why'd you want to meet this late?
How much will we make if we succeed?
Minus this and that, at least 10 million.
How much money do we have in stocks?
20 million.
We have more in our hands, so why go through this crap?
Stocks ruined you again, huh? Are you running away?
No, idiot. I'm in the middle of an operation.
An operation?
Are you back in the army?
No, stocks!
Listen very carefully to what I say.
This is an account that I made. Switch the stocks over to this.
What's this all of a sudden? You think they'll let this slide?
You think I'm asking for your opinion?
Don't worry.
I've already coaxed someone.
The stocks will go up like crazy soon.
You know where my studio is, right?
There's an account book in my second drawer.
Yoo Seo-yeon, Park Chang-joo.
All swept away.
This will be over in one stroke.
Joon-soo, listen carefully.
This is the chance of a lifetime.
The election will be held soon.
It'll take about 2 or 3 million to get nominated.
I didn't know you were into politics.
In this country, you can't just have money.
Money.
Power.
You need to have them in both hands
to be on top of everyone.
What about that *** Hyun-soo?
There should be at least 70,000 in my account.
Use all of it to buy Daesan Construction's shares.
I'll make at least ten-fold.
Then 700,000?
At least.
Listen carefully.
We steal Masan Venture Capital's money.
Then they'll be looking everywhere for the money.
But who is the most suspicious of us all?
- Kang Hyun-soo. - Exactly.
But if Yoo Seo-yeon finds him first,
then she'll know it's us.
She won't find him.
Never.
The one thing that my guys are good at is burying people.
But isn't this dangerous?
There are millions being traded,
so a few hundred thousand won't be noticed.
Plus, it's my rig, so how will I get caught?
Don't worry and buy the stocks once the market opens.
Daesan Construction?
But shouldn't you know what you're buying?
It's just an empty shell.
It's merging with a firm called Hankyul.
This is the research report.
Isn't this Professor Yoon Sang-tae's research center?
How did you know that?
He was my professor back in college. So he's still working on this.
Great, then you take a look at the research.
It's money without an owner anyway.
Better me than someone else.
See you later.
The scam begins Stand-by.
Five, four, three, two...
Good morning.
Today's financial news.
We have with us Mr. Kim Seung-bum,
Korea Financial TV's exclusive analyst.
He'll give us an overview of the market.
Mr. Kim, what news do you have for us today?
The market remained steady throughout the day.
The biggest issue of today
was the M&A between Daesan Construction
and Hankyul Environment and Engineering.
Hankyul is a bio venture
that succeeded in creating a bacteria
that improves the quality of water.
Let's meet Park Chang-joo, owner of Daesan Construction.
We have always been interested in the environment.
The merger with Hankyul is
our duty to society by improving the environment.
It is also meaningful
in terms of dominating the future of environmental technology.
I look pretty handsome on TV, don't I?
Daesan has reached its highest share price on the news of its merger.
The closing price is at $15
Trading volume reached as high as 15,420,000 shares.
It looks nice.
Very nice.
Don't sell yet. We now lower the price.
T o reach the target price of $40,
we do away with the small fries, and we lure the big ants.
Stop dragging it and let's end it quickly.
Wait a little longer.
When the major shareholder exits, there's no scam.
Worried about not getting your share?
Stop whining, you baby.
Who are you calling a baby?
Aren't you lowering it too much?
How will you raise it again?
That's why ants can only crawl so far.
Hey! Man!
I'm at the gym. What's up? Yeah! I was born ready for this.
Brian Choi's day
You know what Koreans can't resist the most?
Foreign goods.
Damn Koreans would buy fake luxury brands if they have to.
In stocks there are foreign goods as well.
The fund that Brian manages is owned by a U. S. investment firm.
So it's made in America.
So when he buys stocks
then the market thinks it's an American.
The ants love to latch on when foreigners buy them.
Brian is what you call a black-haired foreigner.
Hell no.
I raised it by forty percent in three days.
What are you guys talking about? Let me in the loop.
Go outside.
Hey.
Get out of here.
*** ***.
When Joo-hee comes into our room, she never leaves.
She hears what we say and buys the stocks instantly.
Crazy ***.
Anyways, what do you wanna talk about?
Since we've raised it to its max, it's time.
Aha, matching transaction, right?
I love it.
Can you handle it?
What's he saying?
Know what a matching transaction is?
I've heard about it.
Hearing about it and doing it are different.
Let's assume that this is the stocks we own.
Now I raise the price a little,
and hand it to Brian.
Then I add a little more,
and hand it to you.
That's right, and then you hand the stocks over to me.
The stocks keep rising as it goes around between us.
The ants will go crazy wanting to buy it.
But they can't.
The trading volume
and timing are matched exactly in this transaction.
They are traded in a flash.
There's no time to get in.
Bottoms up! Baby!
The stocks are traded like that and raise it to the price we want.
Are you guys done talking?
Come on, this is no fun.
Okay, you come in.
Then we slip out.
Now the ants swarm in and go after whatever we sell.
Pump and dump, baby!
What are you doing? Bottoms up.
Are you crazy? How can I drink all of this?
If you drink it all, this grand is yours.
Hey, didn't you hear him?
Drink up.
That's enough.
Am I forcing her? She wants to drink it.
***, that's what you're doing!
Shall I ask her again?
You don't have to drink this if you don't want to.
But if you do, I'll give you double.
Two thousand.
I said enough, ***!
Why, you jealous?
Then work hard and earn your share.
*** like you con and cheat.
What? 'Work hard'?
Then what's a righteous *** like you involved in this?
*** idiot.
A matching transaction depends on timing.
Don't slack off.
When did the matching transaction start?
A week ago.
The price reached over forty today.
Time to slowly get out.
It'll go over to Hyun-soo tomorrow.
I've matched everything with Brian.
Pity, I'm going to miss my deputy manager Kang.
Deputy manager, my ***.
He'll be a con from tomorrow.
Don't take your eyes off the monitor when you're trading.
What are you waiting for?
Drag him out right now.
What's going on?
Let's go.
You can't trade without this.
Don't come near me.
Stay away, you ***!
I said stay away!
You son of a ***!
Open the door, you son of ***!
Loser
That ***.
Excuse me.
Don't let me bother you.
Trying too hard.
Well, there isn't much to talk about.
Let's meet again later.
Freeze all Daesan accounts right away.
Ms. Yoo, I'm off then!
Too bad.
You're not needed anymore.
You planned this from the beginning?
I sure did.
Did I upset you, Mr. Kang?
Consumer items are usually expendable, you see.
1,590,000 shares.
They've all been handed over.
Okay.
Ms. Yoo, where are you?
I was about to call you.
Something's up, Kang gone.
What are you talking about?
He must've took off after stealing the shares.
Kang Hyun-soo stole the shares?
How did you find out?
The stocks didn't come in on time.
I checked and he was gone.
If they're the accounts I gave you,
then you couldn't have checked them.
You're right.
Min-hyung, we need to hurry up.
Mr. Kang, thanks for all your trouble.
Have a good rest.
Hello? Hello?
Who the hell are you?
Okay.
Take care of it and call me.
He was doing a lot behind our backs.
He was hiding some cell phones.
There goes Korea for you.
It can't improve because of backstabbers like him.
Wait.
He could've been plotting something
with Park Chang-joo or Yoo Seo-yeon.
They're involved in some way so they can't go to the police.
Then the one who holds the stocks is the winner.
Your sale has been completed. ***!
What?
What's wrong?
What's with the stocks?
1,250,000 shares have been sold.
Which *** did this?
The major shareholder.
Park Chang-joo, that ***.
***!
The share prices are plummeting.
Hey.
You want to get stabbed first? Or just buried alive?
I personally recommend the first one.
Yes, sir.
Find Park Chang-joo right now.
Right now!
Yes, sir.
Leave this with the rookie and let's go.
The boss wants us to find Park Chang-joo.
Gangster life is better than this ***.
Duk-sang, that's enough.
Join us after you finish things here.
Yes, sir.
*** it.
***.
Duk-sang, don't do this.
If you kill someone, things will never be the same again.
Your life will be over!
You said you wanted to do stocks and quit this, right?
I'll teach you everything.
You need to think about your mom back home!
What's wrong?
What're you doing?
Duk-sang.
You made a good decision.
You may be scared about betraying your gang,
but that gang is no big deal.
Ms. Yoo, it's me. I'm near Youngjong Island.
Yes, I'll be waiting.
Ms. Yoo scouted me.
Also, I live with my mom now.
Jack the reaper of stock market
Who are we meeting?
He's notorious for resolving screwed-up scams.
An ant' dies for every stock he touches.
So he's called the stock killer.
Doctor Woo?
He doesn't move unless he gets paid in advance.
You think I don't know that, idiot?
Yoo Seo-yeon will discover the fake bank account in no time.
If we can't cash in fast, we're both going to kick the bucket.
Looks like you stuck in a dead end.
The game is over, son.
I checked all the accounts. He hid them away.
Let's just drop it.
But we've overlooked Park Chang-joo.
He owes millions in gambling debt.
Because of his debt in Macao,
a Chinese gang came looking for him.
Find this amusing? I almost died back there.
Hwang is probably dumfounded.
He stole the shares, but he can't cash in because they've crashed.
I'm sure he'll do
whatever it takes to sell the stocks.
If we get the timing right and sell first...
You have stocks to sell?
There's a stock I secured when we first started.
I also bought some shares that Hwang doesn't know about.
Man, everyone was busy looking after their own ***.
All of you rich scammers do what you want.
You're the one who said that people weren't born as scammers.
And now you're an innocent victim?
You all started all this. Why are you blaming me for it?
So is that why you told your brother to buy Daesan stocks?
This is your only chance to recover your money as well.
You also risked everything this time.
This isn't the first time I've kicked the bucket.
I got you all wrong.
If I had known you were like this, I wouldn't have come this far.
Is that so?
How shall I repay you for saving my sorry life?
One million? Ten million?
What a pity, I'm flat out broke.
How'd you end up doing this worthless job?
I'm sorry.
But I don't want to risk my life to make money.
I looked at the chart, and it doesn't look good.
Well, there have been cases like this.
And some were even more severe.
This will take a lot of effort.
Start as soon as possible, and let's settle it at one million.
Call me when you've decided.
5 million
***. I knew it efore I saw it.
at a *** mess.
it here.
Don't know if it'll help, but I have something to give you.
What are you doing here this late?
The stocks went bad.
What?
The stocks got ruined.
Don't worry. It's only money.
I won't die over seventy thousand. Don't worry.
Hyun-soo...
Mom's apartment...
What?
I used mom's apartment as collateral...
What the *** are you saying?
You said it was a sure-thing.
I borrowed money from a loan shark with her apartment,
and put it all in the stocks.
Mom doesn't know anything.
You did it on your own without mom knowing?
You said it was a chance of a lifetime.
I just trusted you.
Let's go.
They're not answering.
Don't you get it?
They're hiding out without you.
You almost became a murderer.
If you go here they'll arrange a place for you to stay.
I'll call you once the job is over.
Yes, ma'am.
The purchase timing you mentioned before...
What's the probability for us to match it?
Less than half, at best.
I know what you're thinking, but this is the only way.
If we can't match it, then we make our own chance.
Have you seen this before?
Jong-ku, spare me.
I must've lost my mind.
Hey ***.
Didn't know that my guys were pros at finding people?
How much is left?
Seven-hundred thousand.
How much gambling debt did this *** have?
Useless ***.
Hey, pretty boy.
Cough up all your money by tomorrow.
Yes, sir!
I'll go on my own feet, damn it.
Oh! ***! What the ***!
Hey, Bri!
***, what the hell was your Korean name?
Yo... yo... Man. What's a... What's going on?
What's your Korean name, you son of a ***?
It's, Choi... Choi Hong-man.
You *** Bri ***.
Cough up all the money you took, got it?
Okay.
***, but we're still short of money.
Can't Doctor Woo lower the price a little?
Money is the gangster, damn it.
Call that Doctor Woo or whatever. Let's get it over with.
You're the first person to mention the report.
How to package it is important, not what's inside it.
Hwang Jong-ku had no interest in the research from the start.
But we have to raise the share price
for him to not sell it today.
It all boils down to money.
Hyun-soo.
I have someone to introduce you to.
Must've been very urgent.
I presume it's Daesan Construction.
I also wanted you to meet someone.
So, you're the one who needed to meet Masan country hick?
Masan Venture Capital?
The super ant?
Have you written a book on stocks by any chance?
So there's still someone who remembers that book.
I learned about stocks with that book.
Is that so?
Then you've learned nothing.
You must've taught him the wrong thing.
I have ten minutes.
With that, it'll be enough.
Count it if you'd like.
You don't have to work with me if it doesn't feel right.
I never said that I wouldn't.
I got a call last month about a clean-up job.
He said he'd give me a sizable sum after the job
but I hung up.
I don't know whether he's alive or not.
I get it, so do this right.
The value of Doctor Yoon's research can be seen as almost infinite.
And?
Now is the time to buy and not sell.
If Hwang sells, then the price will go down further.
But why now?
Then they will live off of your money forever.
So buy instead of sell?
Do I look like someone who would fall for this kind of plan?
Nice place.
I thought you ran with my money, I almost unleashed my boys.
I clean others' dirty dishes, but I don't cheat.
Now let's see things through.
Even if I start the job, it won't take effect now.
Once everyone is out,
I set up a trap and then I sell it all.
Heard of 'buy low'?
Buying the stock at a low price?
It's what ants who've taken the last train do.
Believing that the stock will rise after it has hit bottom.
That's what I'll take advantage of.
I'll put in a fake order in the afternoon.
There's always someone who comes in,
thinking that the stock has hit bottom.
I sell it all to him and get out. Then the game's over.
A fake order in a bearish market.
It won't be easy.
That's why a cleaning job is a scam's highlight.
I'll show them just how bottomless this thing is.
Yes.
I think Hwang Jong-ku's team has started to move.
A huge purchase has been reserved.
That's a fake order.
When it goes up,
they'll cancel the order and sell the stock.
But we can't just watch this happen.
If we put it out early,
we can't sell it all and it'll plummet.
We could buy some time if Doctor Yoon's research
is publicized.
Yeah, Joon-soo.
The stocks are going up again. Isn't it time to sell them?
You won't be able to sell half of it.
Mom's apartment will be history.
We've to retrieve at least that much.
What if it falls again?
Joon-soo, listen!
Let's wait it out a little more.
If this doesn't materialize,
then you and I will be in trouble.
Of course.
So will this pay off my debt to you?
Yes, Senator, if you don't need me any longer.
Government designates Hankyul as key science technology
Isn't Yoon Sang-tae related to that research?
What's this?
What the?
Agents send out these flash reports.
It's a source of top-class insider info.
These guys know about everything
that goes on in Korea.
Can we trust this info?
The monthly subscription fee is several thousand.
This will be on tomorrow's news.
So his research was for real?
How should I know, you ***?
Why does everyone come to me
when they have computer problems?
Am I some computer doctor or something?
So will it work or not?
It will work,
but it won't be fixed right away.
Look at the shape it's in. This will take two hours.
Now let's sell it.
Wait.
You want us to sell a stock that's starting to rise for real?
I won't do work that's not part of the contract.
When something like this happens, shouldn't we adapt?
It's your stock so you do what you want with it.
If you're not going to sell, then I'm out.
Hey Doc.
Then cough up the money. What did you do for it?
Don't you know that there's no refund in this field?
Now you're being the true thug you are.
Thug?
Sung-shik, he called us thugs.
What's this?
You thought I wouldn't carry an insurance while out on a job?
I'll make you a new hole if anyone moves.
Just let him leave. We don't need him anymore.
Shut the hell up, you ***!
What about my money?
You son of a ***, you're dead meat.
Stand him up. Hurry up, idiot!
Boss, he's dead for real.
***.
You son of a ***!
- Boss, what's wrong? - You son of a ***!
We kill him,
After we get our money back. ***!
Have you found anything at the gym?
I found a banged-up hard disk drive, I'm trying to restore it.
A pro like Min-hyung wouldn't leave
behind any evidence so easily.
Hyun-soo.
Sell the stocks you have now.
What are you talking about?
Then they'll sell theirs, and no one will be able to sell.
Your seventy-thousand won't have an effect.
Just get out at this point.
That's all that you have.
Cover him up at least.
Don't worry about him and worry about this.
What's the mood like?
It's been bullish for three days.
If we hold on till tomorrow,
we'll make at least four million more.
Four million...
Four million, you say.
Four million...
What's wrong?
The market is closed.
Didn't you say you'll sell tomorrow?
So what's with the sigh, you ***?
It will rise for sure tomorrow.
I can sell it tomorrow.
I can sell it tomorrow.
Hey, Min-hyung.
You know how we got here, right?
Another body won't make a difference.
Got it?
Let's do a good job.
- Hello? - Hyun-soo,
I tried to fix the hard disk drive you gave me.
But it's completely broken. There's nothing to retrieve.
Was it important?
You haven't eaten dinner, right?
We made them hold today.
Everything will be over tomorrow.
Are you okay?
Yeah.
Come to think of it,
I've spent five years looking at this tiny monitor.
My life would've gone beyond the monitor if I had lived differently.
How'd you first get involved in stocks?
Don't ask. My life is a long soap opera.
Start from the first episode.
I went on top of the Han River bridge.
Actually, I was going to jump.
But I made up my mind while throwing away my credit cards.
'I'm going to make it big with stocks. '
But you know where that friend of mine is now?
He ran off to the Philippines and can't be reached.
I didn't know since I was out all day yesterday.
But when I went to work this morning,
some strange guy was wearing my clothes.
Kang Hyun-soo is in Yoo Seo-yeon's office?
Duk-sang, that ungrateful ***.
I told you I'm smarter in this field. Say hello.
Nam Keun-woo, Yoo Seo-yeon's trusted secretary.
He's too good to be rotting away under an ingenue.
So Kang Hyun-soo is at Yoo Seo-yeon's office.
***!
It's Yoo Seo-yeon!
What is it now?
The stock price.
It's that ***'s work.
I got the transaction report.
You know who raised the price yesterday?
Just say it! Stop asking, idiot!
Somebody named Park Won-suk. The address is in Masan city.
Masan Venture Capital?
***, what the hell is going on?
If they throw out their stocks, we're done for.
Damn it!
Wait.
Yoo Seo-yeon doesn't know that we know this, right?
Then all we need to do is stop her from dealing, right?
Start the engine!
Damn idiot.
Hurry and get in, you moron!
Got everything ready for us to sell right away?
But you need me to go as well?
If you catch them and then call me...
Shut the *** up, ***!
Am I to just trust you?
Stop thinking and just follow my *** lead.
Answer me, ***!
- I got it. - Answer me with respect, ***.
I understand, sir.
Okay, that's enough.
Mr. Kang.
I have some stocks to sell.
So you've resorted to this?
What's wrong with it?
It's honest.
Where's Yoo Seo-yeon?
No one's here.
I thought she was with him.
***.
Where's Yoo Seo-yeon?
Is she somewhere else ready to sell it?
You saw the flash report?
What is this?
Don't blindly trust floating info so much.
You don't know who's controlling it.
Mr. Hwang!
Daesan Construction's future looked bright.
Try burying the stocks and not just people.
Boss.
Let's see who will bury it first.
Since whoever's a second faster wins.
***.
Whether I sell it or not, I'll finish you myself.
Market opens in 3 seconds
Market opens in 2 seconds
Market opens
- Your sale has been completed. - Yes! It's sold!
Okay, that's enough.
Winner always wins no matter odds.
Sucks, doesn't it?
You think the Financial Supervisory Service will let this slide?
It takes them a month to finish investigating.
Is that so?
You're a big entrepreneur now.
This is the police.
You're all under arrest for a flagrant offense.
Put the gun down!
Hwang Jong-ku, Cho Min-hyung.
You will be charged with stock manipulation and faking accounts.
Hey, aren't you the boss of the Deadly Green *** gang.
Now, you want to be a smart ***?
Detective Goh, I'm a violator of economic laws.
Why is a violent crime officer here?
Detective, there's a body in the suspect's car!
Well, what a surprise.
Is kidnapping and *** an economic offense?
No matter how much you struggle,
only the fittest succeed.
It sucks.
Hyun-soo.
I told you Hwang Jong-ku would pop up.
I'm the one who suggested using your secretary to lure them in.
And I'm the one who let out information on our transaction.
I'm the one who risked my life to be the bait.
Just be patient. I'll look for a way.
The Ministry of Science and Technology
announced its authorization
of the water-purifying bacteria research at Hankyul.
I'm Lee Jae-hak.
DGS Holdings president, Hwang Jong-ku.
I kept my eyes on Daesan Construction.
Kang Hyun-soo?
I borrowed this suit, and a card I know came out of it.
If your testimony holds true, we can make the charges.
By the time you find all the evidence,
they'll be out of the country.
Even if you catch them, he'll do a stint and live a rich life.
There is a fine.
Who's scared of having to pay those charges?
Do you have any other idea?
Catching them in the act of selling
the stocks would be a sure thing.
Everyone knows that.
If we can't catch them, then we'll bring them to us.
A scam isn't used for just stocks, you know.
Today's weather.
After the news got out,
Hankyul's stocks kept rising,
and mom's apartment was safe.
So what happened to my seventy-thousand?
Well...
1 year later
Doctor Yoon Sang-tae becomes globally
recognized for breakthrough bacteria
Actor Kang Hyun-soo
I'm sorry, please excuse me.
Hey, it's been a long time. When do you start the play?
It starts tomorrow. When will you come?
You're not one of the villagers again like last time, right?
I have lines this time!
This time it's for real, right?
You're really underestimating me.
I'll go if you send me an invitation.
An invitation?
The rich are stingier, I tell you.
Forget it, don't come!
Okay, you're probably busy making rich people richer.
See you later.
Hello, sir. Have Hankyul's dividends come out?
How much? Two-hundred thousand?
I've found a good company. Put it in there for three years.
I'm not proud of that book.
After I published it, I became penniless six months later.
I 'kicked the bucket', as you call it.
Companies don't grow double or triple in a day or fail in a day.
But in the stock market,
billions are gained and lost in a day.
What meaning does that have?
It has no meaning at all.
Only greed gets tangled up there.
If you know that and invest,
you end up looking at the people before the stock price.
People who actually do the work.
It doesn't look easy.
But it's not over just yet.