01x10 - Though Memories Fade, feat. How to Forget Bad Memories

[bunniefuu]

THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION THAT ADDS
IMAGINATION TO SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE

ALL PEOPLE, LOCATIONS, ORGANIZATIONS,
AND INCIDENTS IN THE DRAMA ARE FICTITIOUS

STAFF ENSURED THE SAFETY OF MINORS
IN THE FILMING OF THIS DRAMA

EPISODE 10

THOUGH MEMORIES FADE
[FEAT. HOW TO ERASE BAD MEMORIES]

Okay, then.

Think of the appearance
of the suspect who walked past you,

smelling like a swimming pool.

The back of his hand...

There's blood on it.

And...

there's a scar.

The smell of a pool.

The scar on the back of the hand.

The k*ller's the younger brother,

Kim h*-young.

Hello?

Hello, is this Kim h*-young?

This is Geum Myeong-sae, the detective
in charge of your mother's case.

We discovered a new lead
regarding your mother's case.

What is it?

Well...

I think it's better
that I tell you in person.

Where are you now?

I'm at the swimming pool.

My gosh, are you training this late?

When will you be done?
I'll come and pick you up.

No, that's...

I swear, high-schoolers these days
are so cheeky.

You know I'm a detective.

How can you lie to me like that?

I'm sorry.

It just felt like a hassle.

Right, I get it.

You must be tired of us
making you come and go.

Oh, right. Have you eaten yet?

You need to look after yourself now.

You're still growing,
so make sure to eat well.

You don't want your mother
worrying about you from up above, do you?

Let's go.

Let's get a warm bowl of noodle soup.

We'll eat first, then talk.

Can I go inside quickly and get changed?

Let's just go. We don't have much time.

Then let me just drop off my bag.

Why?

Is there something important inside?

I guess there is.

Is it something important?

Hey, Kim h*-young!

Kim h*-young! Stop right there!

Hey!

Kim h*-young! Stop right there!

Hey, Kim h*-young!

Wait!

Why is that punk so fast?

Hey.

Are you all right?

-You!
-Ye-jun!

Ye-jun!

Thank you!

It's all good. Please calm down.

Thank you so much!

Try to calm down.

Thank you so much.

Don't worry about it.
You must've been so scared.

Where did that punk go?

Goodness.

Darn it.

I've confirmed that he turned that way.

We're analyzing the security footage
to figure out where he went.

How incompetent.

I would've caught him had I tagged along.

I lost him
because I had to grab the stroller.

You should've caught him before that.

You're a cop, yet you can't run.

Look, Dr. Brain. You didn't see him run.

Don't even get me started.
He ran like Usain Bolt.

But Kim h*-young is a swimmer,
not a sprinter.

Either way, he is an athlete!
A sprightly, teenaged one at that!

I would've caught him,
no matter how sprightly he was.

That's enough.

Drop it, both of you.

By the way, Dr. Brain.
You have the perfect mindset for a cop.

What do you say?

How about you drop the brain research
and join the force?

No, thanks.

I thought you'd want to,
given all that enthusiasm.

Right.

Let me make something clear.

I'm serving on this case as a consultant

on the condition that
Detective Geum donates his brain...

The credit card company called.

A transaction was made
using Choi Jung-yoon's credit card.

It has to be her son,
Kim h*-young, who's using her card.

Nice.

I've confirmed that he got cup noodles,
two giant sausages and a beverage here

before taking out a cash advance.

Didn't Captain Seol
confirm all that already?

Let me finish.

The employee saw where he went.

Here we go

to Motel Rose.

Last night,

a young man came in
wearing his hood like this.

He checked in alone.

Is he still here?

Let's see.

Yes, he is.

What is this?
She said she didn't see him leaving.

Could we be in the wrong room?

No, this is the right room.

Cup noodles and giant sausages.

They're exactly what he bought
at the convenience store.

He must've stepped out for a moment.

I guess it's time for another stakeout.

I thought you were asleep.

It's unlike you, keeping so quiet.

Gosh, my chest feels heavy.

My traumatic memories
must be creeping up again.

Trauma?

That doesn't suit you.

What is it?

Forget it.

Talking about it
will only make me more depressed.

I could teach you
how to erase bad memories.

There's a way to do that?

Actually, you do seem like someone
who'd know of a way.

So spill it.

I can't tell you for free.

Forget it, then.

Come on.

Fine, I'll tell you for free.

There are only three people in the world
who know about this.

About 10 years ago, there was a r*pist
with 13 prior convictions

who fell right back to his old ways
as soon as he got out of prison.

We found out
that he was hiding at a motel,

so we were on a stakeout
in the parking lot.

10 YEARS AGO

When was the last time you went home?

It must be hard on your wife.

That's the life of a detective's wife.

I told her to go to her parents' place.

We really need to catch this punk already.

This is exhausting.

And I miss my daughter like crazy.

How old is she now?

She's six.

She's a pie. A sweetie pie.

-Do you want to see a photo?
-Sure.

What is it?

-What's wrong?
-Maybe next time.

-Why?
-I'm going to go.

-Go where?
-I'm not feeling it today.

-One minute.
-What is it?

Just stay like this for one minute.

What's going on?

It's nothing.
Just stay like this for a minute, okay?

Why, you...

Seriously, what do you think you're doing?

I need to get going.

But we're already here.

I'm tired, that's all.

Let's talk inside.

Detective Geum.

Detective Geum!

There's nothing wrong.

-What is it?
-Honey.

"Honey"?

Why, you...

Detective Geum!

-Please hold back.
-Let go.

-Who are you, you punk?
-Detective Geum!

-No, don't.
-Let go of me!

Hold it in.

My memories are a little fuzzy after that,

but I lost my mind and destroyed his car.

Good for you.

That's the first compliment
you've ever given me.

I give compliments where they're deserved.

I would've complimented you more
if you'd messed up the guy too.

What happened to him?

He claimed they were only discussing
whether to go inside the motel.

He argued that it wasn't an affair
since nothing happened.

He even had the audacity to demand
that I pay for his car damages.

Don't tell me you did.

I know I'm a pushover,
but I'd never do that.

I told him to sue me if he wanted

and yelled that I'd rather
just mess him up and go to prison.

That intimidated him, and he backed off.

Ever since then,
even the sight of motel signs

makes me angry and sick to my stomach.

That's valid. I can see why.

Do you have any
nauseating memories like that?

-I don't.
-I see.

Your life must've been
full of rainbows and butterflies.

As if.

I lost both my parents at the age of six.

Oh, right. I'm sorry.

I just control myself

so that I'm not drained
by negative memories.

It's foolish to let
past memories hold you back.

No way. So that's possible?

I'm impressed. You truly are impressive.

How do you do it?

Wait, you said you'd teach me
how to erase bad memories.

Are you sure
you want to erase that memory?

Of course.

I'd even open up my skull
if it meant I could erase it.

We have an emergency.

The suspect, Kim h*-young,
is attempting suicide

on the roof of a nearby motel.

Kim h*-young!

Hey, Kim h*-young!

Don't come near me!

If you do, I'll jump!

Okay, fine. I heard you.

Let's just talk for a bit.

Cut the nonsense and get lost.

You little brat.
That's no way to talk to a grownup.

Fine. If you don't want to listen,
then you do the talking.

I'm sure you have something to say,
don't you?

Just get down from there.

Get down so we can hear you out.

Wouldn't you feel wronged
if you left this world

without speaking your mind?

I'm sure you had your reasons.

And what about your brother?

You should at least clear his name first.

Do you know the first thing he does

when his memory resets every 30 minutes?

He asks if you're okay.

Don't you feel bad
that he only worries about you

-in spite of everything?
-Don't talk about that jerk!

Wait, Dr. Brain!

This might not be high enough.

I'll ask you one question,
and I'll ask it once.

Think carefully before you answer.

Do you really want to die?

I do.

Are you sure you mean it?

If you are,

I'll grant you that wish.

Dr. Brain!

Pretend you died once,
and go live your life.

Are you all right?

I'm fine.
Please attend to the kid instead.

What on earth was that?
Are you all right? Are you hurt?

-Don't be so dramatic.
-You're the one who's dramatic!

Are you out of your mind?
Why did you do that?

Do you have lives to spare?

I did it knowing I wouldn't die.

I'm not as reckless as you, you know.

Even with the inflatable mat,
it was still dangerous!

Why are you yelling at me?
You weren't the one in danger.

Stop the yapping and help them clean up.

Wait, but...

That darn jerk. What is his deal?

SEOBU POLICE STATION

This way, please.

Joon-young.

h*-young.

What are you doing here?

Joon-young.

h*-young.

Why is my brother here?

Your brother was arrested
as a suspect for your mother's m*rder.

What?

What is she saying?

Did you really do it?

Let's go.

We should go too.

Come along.

h*-young.

h*-young!

Calm down, Mr. Kim.

Let go of me!

My brother didn't do it!

h*-young!

We must go.

-h*-young!
-Mr. Kim!

Settle down.

Let's go.

Why did you do it?

Why did you do that to your mom?

I didn't mean to hurt her.

I meant to k*ll myself.

I wanted to...

get away from her.

Because she was a monster.

My mom knew that Joon-young
wasn't able to remember long.

When my dad or anyone else was around,

she'd act like a loving mom.

In reality, she abused Joon-young.

He was so sweet.

His last memory...

It was my fault that he was scolded
for missing swimming.

I had whined about not wanting to go.

That's why we skipped practice.

But Joon-young said
he'd talked me into skipping...

and got in trouble instead.

If you're an older brother,
you should act like it.

Even if he wanted to skip,
you should've talked him into going.

Instead, you talked
your innocent brother into skipping?

If you want to quit swimming,
quit it yourself.

Don't talk my son
into slacking off with you!

What is this?

Lower your hands.

You dare disobey me?

After that day,

Joon-young said he had a headache.

And after a while,
he started acting weird.

And Mom knew.

Yet she didn't take him to a doctor?

Probably because
she feared he'd regain his memory.

If he remembered what happened,

her abuse would come to light.

So it started off
as a typical case of child abuse.

He'd stay in his room

because of his headaches.

Then he gradually turned strange

and became a homebound recluse.

What about your dad?

Did he not know?

My dad...

believed my mom,

that Joon-young was a recluse
addicted to games.

He was always busy and rarely home.

It's possible

that he knew, like I did,

and pretended not to know.

I'm not sure.

He and I never
talked about things like that.

Did the abuse get worse
after your father passed away?

That's when...

my mom began to show odd behavior.

She started...

mixing cleaning solution
into Joon-young's food.

I should've intervened.

But I couldn't do it.

All I could do was...

Don't ever eat the food Mom gives you.

You'll die if you keep eating this.

-Why?
-Just don't eat it!

Do as I say.

Only eat this.

Only eat what I give you.

Okay?

Do you understand?

He kept forgetting,

so I had to tell him again every day.

But oddly enough,
he seemed to remember my words.

That memory

made him intuitively refuse
the short rib soup.

You don't have much of an appetite?

No.

You're right.

Your brother seemed to like
bread and milk.

Because memories may disappear,

but emotions remain.

Still, I was worried about him.

That day,

I came home to find my mom
screaming at him again to eat.

I'd had enough.

I plucked up the courage
to stand up to her.

Please stop!

You'll be punished for this!

"Punished"?

How could you say that to your own mother?

Who do you think I'm doing this for?

Why do you think I'm doing all this?

I'm doing it all for your sake.

If you're to have everything,
he needs to go.

What?

Why do you think I married his dad
and put up with him for so long?

It was for you,

so that all of this could be yours.

I'm doing this for you.

If it weren't for you,

I could go on pretending to be sweet.

Don't use me as your excuse.

I came home that day...

after spending the night
at an internet cafe.

You're moving into a dorm tomorrow.

I don't want to.

Why not?

So you can keep delivering
bread to that brat?

Mom.

How dare you do this behind my back?

Think of everything I sacrificed for you.

My life wouldn't be such a mess

if I hadn't gotten pregnant with you.

I wouldn't have had to turn so spiteful!

That's when I knew...

that I had to die.

What now?

Do you plan to stab me to death?

No.

I'm going to k*ll myself.

You always blame me.

You said I was your misfortune

and that I turned you into a monster!

It'll all be over if I disappear.

You're just as immature
as your father, aren't you?

Fine.

Do it.

But one thing.

If you want to k*ll yourself,

k*ll me first!

Let go!

-Let go!
-k*ll me!

k*ll me first!

Let go!

I got scared at the sight of blood,

and before I knew it, I was running off.

If she was stabbed in a skirmish,

it's not m*rder.

It's manslaughter.

One thing still doesn't make sense.

If you wanted to die
to escape your monstrous mom,

why did you frame your brother?

I didn't.

It wasn't me.

Are you saying

Joon-young framed himself?

Yes.

h*-young.

What happened? Were you in a fight?

I k*lled that woman.

You don't remember for long.

I envy you.

Soon, you'll forget everything again.

I wish...

I could forget everything like you.

I keep...

I keep thinking about it.

h*-young.

Take this off and wash up.

Go wash up.

I'll take care of everything, okay?

h*-young.

I just...

laid down, trying not to think,
and fell asleep.

Then the cops showed up at our house.

I thought they'd caught me,

but they said
Joon-young had turned himself in.

That was when I found out...

that he'd taken the fall for me.

What is your emergency?

Is this the police?

I k*lled that woman.

I'm the one who k*lled her.

When I heard that he'd turned himself in,

I thought I just might be able
to get away with it.

So without even realizing it,

I pretended not to know anything.

I didn't mean to frame him.

I really didn't know
he'd turn himself in to cover for me.

I don't understand

why he did such a thing.

It's because of his memories.

When we were questioning him,

we asked him

what his happiest memory was.

I was an only child,

and my mom was ill,
so I was always lonely.

Shortly after my mom passed away,

I met my stepmother and brother.

My stepmother was scary,

but I adored my little brother.

He always listened to me,

and we were like friends
despite the age gap.

For the first time in my life,

it felt like I had someone on my side.

You see, we used to go swimming together.

One, two, three!

I felt the happiest
when we were in the water together.

I didn't have to hear
my stepmother's angry voice,

and it felt like
it was just us two in the world.

I was so happy.

I think of that moment
whenever I'm struggling.

I feel at ease when I think of my brother.

Your brother framed himself

to protect the person dearest to him.

I'm relieved

that he can't remember.

No.

I'm sure he'll remember.

You see,

the brain is better
at holding on to bad memories.

Experiences accompanied by
intense anger or sadness

are specially marked and stored
in the limbic system.

It's so that we can avoid
having such experiences again.

Your brother may not remember
the incident itself,

but the traces of the horror, shock,
and sadness he felt

are likely still stored in his brain.

And you're the one who left those traces.

Joon-young.

Joon-young.

RESTRICTED AREA

HOPEFUL CORRECTIONS FOR A BETTER TOMORROW

Mr. Kim.

Who are you?

I'm with the police.

You will be under police protection

until you get a designated guardian.

Please come with me.

Why does the police need to protect me?

You have a memory disorder, Mr. Kim.

We are here to help you.

I have a memory disorder?

You'll find it helpful.

"I have a memory disorder
and I am currently undergoing treatment."

"My brother will be here soon."

You're a good person.

What's wrong?

It's nothing.

I've often been told

that I'm good-looking or smart.

I've never been told
that I'm a good person.

You seem like a good person.

Do you remember him?

No, it's just a feeling I get from him.

We have...

met before, haven't we?

Yes.

PATIENT INTERVIEW

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE THINGS?

All right. This is the last question.

What is your happiest memory?

Being underwater

in the swimming pool
with my little brother.

What's wrong?

I don't know.

I have no idea.

h*-young.

Where's my brother?

Do you not resent your brother?

It seems your stepmother abused you
because of him.

No.

He's more of a victim than I am.

Because he always had to

watch me being abused.

I envy you, Joon-young...

because she's not your real mom.

Where is my brother?

Where's h*-young?

SEOBU POLICE STATION

Why the sigh?

What is it now?

Are you depressed after seeing
a human stand powerless before his memory?

That's not it.

I'm just touched, that's all.

About Reset Man...

He lives in a world of chaos
without his memories,

but he still desperately tries
to protect his brother.

I feel like I witnessed true love.

He's so admirable.

No, humans are so admirable.

I've made up my mind.

I'm going to gift Yi-na
plenty of positive memories

and lots of memories of being loved.

I may not be able to
bestow her a fancy apartment,

but I'll enrich her life
with positive memories.

That's a noble task, I'll give you that.

But you should think about
making good memories with her too.

Captain Seol.

Detective Geum has something to say.

Don't be so childish.

If you'll excuse me.

Let's talk at the office.
People might see us.

Sure.

Just k*ll me already.

You want more time to think?

Do you really think
that's an acceptable answer?

I'm sorry.

This isn't something to apologize for.

It just felt like I should apologize.

I'm sorry.

If you're not interested, just say so.

No, it's not like that.

It's just that my situation
is a little complicated right now,

and I have a lot to consider.

Is it because you think
I won't be a good stepmom?

To be frank, yes,
that is one source of concern.

Don't you worry.

As you know,
I'm a little bit off my rocker these days,

so I can easily subdue an unruly teen.

You'd "subdue" her?

I'd subdue her with love.

I'm saying I can dampen
her rebelliousness with love

and that I can raise her with love.

Gosh, I'm not so sure about that.

She's quite a handful.

Let me meet her first.

I'm not sure about that either.

Honey, dinner is ready.

Oh goodness.

My gosh.

You should watch where you go.

What is it? Is something wrong?

Why are the curtains drawn on your face?

What are you even looking at?

Is something wrong?
You can tell me about it.

Are you not in the mood
to look into my eyes?

Honey, can't you at least
answer my questions?

Hey, are you even listening to me?

I am.

What did I say? Repeat it back.

Words.

No way.

I can't ever let them meet.

A patient with anterograde amnesia?

You must have witnessed

a human who stood powerless
before his memory.

You seem like a good person.

I feel like I witnessed true love.

He's so admirable.

No, humans are so admirable.

Actually,

I saw a man protecting a loved one
despite his disappearing memories.

I realized that the human brain

is as infinitely remarkable
as it is infinitely unstable.

Young man,

you are more sentimental
than I gave you credit for.

You can call it my humane side.

All right then, the humane Dr. Shin.

Tell me.

What is your most intense memory in life?

The memory of
opening up a brain for the first time.

I only felt one emotion at the time.

I was enraptured.

Then

tell me,

what is your worst memory?

I'm not sure.

I read a news article

about you losing your parents
at a tender age.

That's right.

They died in a car accident
when I was six.

A car accident?

That's right.

Oh dear.

How did it happen?

Were you also in the vehicle?

Yes, I was the sole survivor.

Then that must be your worst memory.

It's not.

I actually don't remember it.

All I remember is someone
pounding on the door,

someone who had come to rescue me.

I remember nothing else.

Nothing at all?

What about the moment of the accident?

I don't remember that either.

How odd.

A memory that intense

usually traumatizes the brain.

The trauma must've led me to forget.

Don't you want to remember what happened?

No.

I trust in my brain.

I trust that it erased the memory

because it was
more beneficial to my survival.

There's no reason for me
to dig it back up.

You will come across a reason
to dig it back up.

Hey, kid.

Kid.

Come on.

Darn it.

"Hey, kid."

It isn't like you
to make that kind of mistake.

Tell me about it.

I suddenly remembered
something from the accident,

and I lost my concentration.

Something from the accident?

Yes, from when I was trapped in the car.

Why were you thinking about that?

Well,

I talked about it with someone today.

It must've stimulated
my hippocampus and amygdala.

Speaking of which,

on the day of the accident...

was it Director Park
who came to rescue me?

Could my memory have been distorted?

Why would you think that all of a sudden?

I remembered today how he called me

a "kid" that day.

But there's no way
Director Park would've called me that.

He'd have said, "Ha-ru."

I'm not sure.

Perhaps that's the memory

that's been distorted.

BRAIN HUB DIRECTOR PARK CHI-GUK

Why did he suddenly remember that?

He said he talked about it
with someone during the day.

Do you know who he met with?

I don't. I couldn't grill him.

He'd have caught on.

Could it be...

Dr. Hwang?

It can't be him.

He promised they'd never meet.

In any case, I'll look into it.

Bye now.

Hey, there, Dr. Brain!

Goodness.

I told you to come early.
What took you so long?

Why should I do as you say?

Come on now, don't be like that.

You promised to tell me
how to forget bad memories.

Oh, you mean the motel incident?

Yes, please get it out of my head.
I'm begging you.

HOTEL

I asked you to erase it for me,

not remind me of it.

The first step to erasing a bad memory

is to get used to it
through repeated exposure.

It's the same logic

by which a med student
who fainted during his first autopsy

can learn to eat food
next to a corpse after some time.

Now,

summon the bad memory.

-What's wrong?
-I want to get going.

But we're already here.

Wait, Detective Geum.

The next step is what's important.

It's to activate the prefrontal cortex.

Activating the prefrontal cortex

means viewing the memory
from a third-person perspective,

objectively and rationally,
without emotions.

Now, imagine this.

You're witnessing
a woman having an affair.

I'm just not in the mood today.

-Let's talk inside.
-No.

I'm tired today.

-But we're already here.
-I'm leaving.

What do you think about the husband

who never even saw it coming?

"What a moron."

"The pathetic fool."

That man ran into his wife
outside the motel.

As a spectator,
what does this make you think?

"He must be so angry."

-And?
-"He must be insanely angry."

I told you to be objective and rational
and to put aside your emotions.

Oh, right. Okay.

"He must be furious..."

"But it's for the better."

Why is it for the better?

If he hadn't run into her,

he'd have been fooled for much longer,

and the betrayal would've been greater.

Because the truth
was bound to come out one day.

What was bound to come out came out.

So whose loss is it if he keeps
tormenting himself over it?

It's his loss.

It was he who was betrayed.

If he lets the trauma
stop him from finding new love,

then whose loss is it?

It's his loss.

What happened that day
was indeed shocking,

but someone new has asked him out.

Is that ultimately
a good thing or a bad thing?

I don't know. Is it a good thing?

I guess it is a good thing.

What just happened?

I think it helped.

Every time you remember that day,

you should think rationally,
and the negative feeling will subside.

Turn your bad memories
into a valuable experience

that is essential to your survival.

"Turn your bad memories
into a valuable experience."

That actually makes sense.

Now, to turn the memory of betrayal
into a valuable experience,

what must you do?

"Are you free today?"

No.

"Are you free this evening?"

No, darn it.

What am I even doing?

What am I, a teenager?

Jeez.

What are you doing?

I was about to go inside.

-Are you going home?
-Yes.

-See you tomorrow.
-Yes.

"Turn the memory of betrayal
into a valuable experience."

Captain Seol!

Do you want to get dinner together?

Do that thing for me.

Your laugh.

You have a unique laugh.

What? Oh, that?

That's too...

out of the blue in a setting like this.

But if you want me to, I shall.

I think the food's finally going down.

Doing all this stuff that I'm not used to...

was giving me indigestion.

Did I sound like an old man?

Don't try too hard.
We already know each other.

Right.

I told you we should just
have soju at our regular place.

I can't take you there on our first date.

Have you...

decided to activate your love system?

No.

I don't need to make a decision.

My love system was already activated

a long time ago.

As a man with one failed marriage,

I tried so hard to hide it

because I don't deserve you.

But I kept noticing you

and wanting you.

I want to thank you

for sensing that
and making the first move.

Show yourself.

It doesn't look like
you've taken anything.

If you leave quietly, I'll let you off.

If you so much as swing that...

things will get worse and not no fun.

Dr. Brain?

He taught you that too?

Yes.

For me, love used to be a bad memory.

But he helped me
create a new memory of it.

Dr. Brain really is a pretty decent guy.

Since Dr. Brain
helped you create a new memory,

how about we create a thrilling memory?

What...

Oh, my.

What is this, all of a sudden?

Goodness. Isn't this too sudden?

Gosh, I'm sorry.

Darn it.

I don't need to take this call.

It's okay. Answer it.

-No, I'll call back later.
-No.

Answer it now,

and tell her confidently
that you're on a date.

Okay.

Myeong-sae!

I've got a big problem!

What is it now?

-I'm out on a date...
-There's

a dead body in front of me right now!

I'll take a picture and send it to you!

It is indeed a dead body.

It's a m*rder case.

There's definitely
something unusual happening.

I think this person
is challenging Dr. Shin.

The person who broke into my house

is also the suspect in the m*rder case?

One thing at a time.

Just do as I say.

Could there be something about it
that I don't know?

The defense counsel
is bringing him in as a witness.

At last, the game has begun.

Things won't go according to your plan.