(All characters, organizations, places, and events are fictional.)
Punishing evil by becoming evil themselves.
This guy is a psycho.
This also happened 20 years ago. An execution-style murder.
Execution?
Square one. We had forgotten square one.
We have a witness. Someone who clearly saw the Executioner.
My memory.
The mask. The silicon mask.
Prosthetic makeup.
Why Jo Sung Dong?
He wasn't alone.
The cameraman who got there second.
As of this moment, we will begin the search and seizure...
of your residence.
That jerk offered up the victims...
as an offering.
Was she really my mother?
Was she my mother? Tell me!
We have the lab results.
The skeletons were from animals.
Someone's going to get murdered...
tonight.
I found out Jin Jae Gyu's trick.
A motorcycle?
Jin Jae Gyu escaped through a secret passage.
Old man, I want you to go meet Jo Sung Dong.
Stop right there!
Move and this bullet goes in your skull.
I can't remember anything no matter how hard I try.
He has the ability to erase people's memories.
How did you get your accomplice to move?
Read my head.
- Are you serious? - Of course.
Because those who will die have already been chosen.
The one you made physical contact with...
will die before the end of the month.
What did you see in his head?
- The secret passage. - Isn't it strange?
He's so thorough. Why did he leave a trail for the water pump?
Just tell me what that is already.
An accomplice.
As in, he exposed the secret tunnel to hide his accomplice?
Yoon In Tae.
Yoon In Tae owns dozens of property here in fake names.
They're all in sketchy locations.
You found me.
But it'll only take me three minutes to deal with you both...
and get on the boat.
1 minute and 30 seconds.
He has a knife.
You failed.
The mother and son are safe.
What?
Something's weird.
No.
(29 years ago)
Hello, everyone. Today, the Soviet Union...
has officially collapsed.
Among the 15 republics of the USSR,
apart from the three Baltic states and Georgia,
11 states will gather tonight...
at the capital city of Kazakstan.
- They will all agree... - Sang Ah.
Say goodnight to your dad and go to bed.
And they will sign...
Have a goodnight.
Can't you be nicer to her?
Sure.
- Okay. - How long are you...
going to be so cold...
I'm sorry.
I'm sensitive these days.
No, I'm just too weak.
You'll get better soon.
I promise I'll help you get better...
no matter what.
Thank you.
I thank both you and Sang Ah.
Take it easy.
Did you get anything?
No, not yet.
Are you sure he's not the murderer?
Jin Jae Gyu isn't the Eraser.
"The Eraser"?
The culprit who killed six people including Park Ki Dan.
A murderer who can erase people's memories.
Who is that person?
It's all erased.
- You mean his memory? - Everything?
He erased everything about his identity.
Then scanning him won't do you any good.
I'll have to find a lead.
What kind of lead?
Jin Jae Gyu wasn't a random choice for the Eraser.
I'm sure he had his reasons.
How can you know when he has no memories?
I'm sure the Eraser has been close by.
Close by?
Are you sure?
- What will you do? - I'll look for him.
The real devil who's been circling around Jin Jae Gyu.
You'll exhaust yourself at this rate though.
He's awake.
Sang Ah...
Don't forget your meal and medication.
I'll be running late again.
So I have everything you requested.
It doesn't sound like you approve.
Well, no lawyer would recommend this.
A marriage license will reduce inheritance tax...
I won't be alive for much longer anyway.
That's all the more reason to...
It'll only make it harder on my wife...
because of my family.
I see. I'll have the documents ready for notarization then.
I have the ring you requested.
I'm jealous of your bride-to-be.
There's only one of this in Korea, you know.
I'll take that too.
Goodness, you have such good taste.
I'm afraid that isn't a matching set with the ring.
Since that's the case, may I recommend that one?
Actually, the necklace is for my daughter.
Your daughter? Again, I'm super jealous!
A groom-to-be but also a sweet father?
She consumed rat poisoning, so we'll have to wait and see.
What if I took her to a bigger hospital?
The doctors there will only give her fluids too.
I'll take her though.
Sure, as you wish.
I guess she's a little rattled.
- Aren't you going to join me? - What?
I ate with my colleagues.
Come to think of it, we haven't eaten together in a while.
What?
Well, I leave before breakfast and eat dinner before coming home.
I feel like...
we're missing out.
I shouldn't suspect her.
She saved your life.
Why would she poison your meal?
Sir?
What brings you by so early in the morning?
I had food waste to discard.
Gosh, you should've called me.
You're crazy.
What a whimp.
I've been doing this for a week.
She loathes you.
No, she has devoted herself to me.
She's after your money!
The 30 million dollars you inherited.
She's trying to kill you to keep it all to herself.
No!
Did you see something? Tell us.
- I'll have to confirm it. - Who did you see?
They were in the same...
- mental institute. - Mental institute.
As a young man, Jin Jae Gyu spent most of his time...
in a solitary room at a mental institute.
And?
The patient in the next room cut himself on the back of his hand.
That same man circled around Jin Jae Gyu...
even after being discharged...
with a claw hammer in his hand.
(Memorist)
(Ep.9 The Pupil under One's Foot)
Are you saying the real culprit's out there?
But I believe that only one man is good for these murders.
That was aggressive greeting...
for someone in a hospital.
Well,
I guess that's more your style, right?
Where's Detective Dong?
It felt like he sifted through my memories all night.
Mr. Jin,
tell me about the real culprit.
- Didn't Detective Dong tell you? - I want to hear it from you.
I take it you don't believe my memories.
Detective Dong believes that...
another perp was circling around you,
but not me.
How so?
Because a poisonous tree only bears poisonous fruits.
(Fruit of the poisonous tree)
So a liar's memories can only be false?
- Thanks. - That's unfair.
So where shall we begin?
You wish to find holes in my statement?
Go ahead then. Try to find inconsistencies.
We'll begin with how the murderer was born.
Because I must be the only devil you know of?
(Dentist Office)
Mr. Kim Tae Joon. Please come in.
I need to run home.
Stop it.
- Why? - It tickles.
Get over here.
- What went wrong? - What?
Why isn't he croaking?
You said it would kill him quickly.
You'll be suspected if he dies too quickly.
Then when? After I die from frustration?
Hey. You're not the only one suffering.
I'm the one being hunted by loan sharks...
because of your gambling debt.
You're the one who dragged me in there.
Whatever. Wait a little.
If I wait, that jerk will everything to Sang Ah,
and I can't touch any of it until she's an adult.
That's why I said I'd threaten him and get a few hundred grand.
You're the one who wanted the whole 30 million dollars.
Did I do it for myself?
Do you know how sick it makes me to see that psycho every day?
- Get Sang Ah's ready too. - What?
- A burial plot. - Are you mad?
She has a bad heart anyway. That's for the best.
- She's our daughter! - You did nothing as her dad.
You have no right to complain!
Are you done?
This is the veterinary hospital.
I'm sorry to tell you, but your dog has passed away.
It's to save a life.
It's an offering to save a person's life.
I will become a murderer.
One who saves the greater things...
from the sins of the world.
You tried to protect Shim Sang Ah?
Are you disappointed?
Although she isn't even your real daughter?
Do you like sports?
Human beings are so amusing.
They get emotional about anything.
Considering a dog family is almost a given.
But baseball teams, soccer teams,
and sometimes even toward an intangible concept.
Like patriotism.
What is your true self?
How much of you is a murderer,
- and how much is a step-dad... - My true self?
Everyone believes the real person lies within them,
but there is no such thing.
Only their actions define who they are.
What actions will you take...
if you meet the murderer who killed your dad?
There was a seriously ill person next door to Jin Jae Gyu...
in the mental hospital where he was institutionalized.
He had a unique four-line scar on the back of his hand.
But someone with the same scar...
was in his vicinity and watched him after he left the hospital.
It was definitely the same scar.
He held a claw hammer in his hand.
If he had a claw hammer, was it really the Eraser?
He kept saying strange things in the mental hospital.
Everyone is rotten. It is a disgusting world.
You must take revenge under the moon on the last day of the month.
To take revenge under the moon on the last day of the month.
That's the Eraser.
And he was hiding in the caretaker's house.
Oh Se Hoon.
Yes. We're searching for a caretaker who lived in the same town...
as Jin Jae Gyu 20 years ago.
We know an apartment complex was built there.
No, no, no, no. He lived in a farmhouse...
before the apartments were built.
No one registered that address as a residence?
Are you sure?
Okay. Thank you.
There's no record?
No. No one ever registered that house...
where the caretaker lived.
- What should we do? - What else?
Tracking him down is a piece of cake for our old man.
Of course. Nothing gets by me.
Where should we go, Mr. Holmes?
Let's head to where Jin Jae Gyu lived.
- And then? - Then we find a sheriff.
- A sheriff? - There's always one...
very experienced sheriff.
Okay.
Okay what? Fill me in.
(Hakbaek-1 Town Hall)
His last name was Choi.
I believe he was a caretaker.
What?
Yes. Here it is. Choi Kyung Man.
Where does he live now?
I wouldn't know.
He left over 20 years ago.
What about his family?
He was a single dad.
He had one child.
A son?
Yes, a son.
Tell us about the Eraser now.
Who gave him the name "Eraser"?
I don't know. I don't remember.
You named him as the killer, but you know nothing about him?
Pretty much.
- You said you met several times. - He always erased my memory.
Everything about him.
His face, voice, and everything.
Do you expect me to believe that?
I think differently.
There is...
a high probability that you're the Eraser.
Do you have proof?
You even manipulated Detective Dong's telepathic power.
Cognitive dissonance.
Once you have a prejudice, it's hard to be free from it.
What about the vision Detective Dong had?
I don't know. Sadly, I don't have such an ability.
It was just the three of us there!
Do you know why the Eraser is so frightening?
Because I have no idea how he seizes my consciousness...
or how he erases my memories.
All that remains in my head are the memories he wants there.
As in, he did it without physical contact.
Or perhaps...
it's a completely different reason.
What reason?
Hello, sir.
Yes?
Who, may I ask, are you?
Come in.
Tae Gu, you have some guests.
Hey, be careful!
Tae Gu, no!
I was the Executioner.
- What? - I was the one who killed...
all those people in 1999.
Is this a confession?
But the murders that occurred this year weren't my doing.
From Park Ki Dan to Jo Sung Dong.
Mr. Jin Jae Gyu.
Did you also kill the union head of Sungpan Automobiles 20 years ago?
Your father?
The statute of limitations is still valid...
only for that case.
You're only going to admit to the ones that have expired?
Do you want to know the truth?
Why don't we make a deal?
- What deal? - I'll tell you the truth...
including what happened to your father.
- What are the conditions? - Send Sang Ah and her family...
abroad.
He became like that in the army.
He got severely beaten up by his senior.
By the way, what's that?
That's the mark for a sergeant.
The guy who did that to my son was a corporal.
Imagine how upset he must've been...
seeing that he even engraved that mark on his own body.
Did you receive any compensation?
There was nothing I could do to receive anything.
How did you end up managing Jin Jae Gyu's house?
He helped us because he felt sorry for my son.
He gave us a place to live and paid for his hospital bills.
Why didn't you keep living there?
Mr. Jin suddenly disappeared.
I guess he had a change of heart.
No, that's not what happened.
He hurt his head and ended up losing his memory.
My goodness.
No wonder. I knew he wouldn't abandon us like that.
I can't believe I was foolish enough to get upset at him.
Is he always like that?
It doesn't seem to get better.
Detective.
Can you touch my son's head?
- What? - You have superpowers,
so you might be able to heal him.
He can read memories, but he can't...
It's fine. Sure, I'll do that.
I can do that.
My goodness, thank you.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
Thank you, sir.
Thank you so much.
- May I? - Sure.
Okay.
Is a murderer being thoughtful?
What if Detective Dong is the Eraser?
That's impossible.
He was with me when Jo Sung Dong died.
Are you sure your memory is correct?
Of course.
Even in this very moment,
I'm wondering if you're the Eraser.
You could've told me about your true identity...
and erased my memory again.
I want all of you to wait outside.
You're mentally ill.
That's how scary the Eraser can be.
Anyone around me could be the Eraser.
Do you know something?
There are two types of violence found in humans.
You too.
Don't tell Sun Mi that I came.
And tell everyone to keep it a secret.
Okay, sir.
Pleasure and fear.
Serial killers murder people for pleasure.
But normal people attack what they're scared of.
Are you saying I killed people because I'm a coward?
That's interesting.
But keep this in mind.
If you want to fight against the Eraser,
you need to be suspicious of your own memory.
(20 years ago)
Who are you?
Where am I?
Who are you?
They killed each other...
with rage?
It wasn't rage.
- It was fear. - "Fear"?
They were all petrified.
Why?
Because all their memories were gone.
All they had left was fear.
Was it the Eraser?
Of course.
- The guy with the sack on his head? - No.
The Eraser was somewhere else.
- Where? - Somewhere near.
- It's not him, is it? - He's clean.
What are we going to do now?
I thought you could find him in people's memories.
Let's operate Plan B.
- "Plan B"? - I'm going to find out...
when the Eraser showed up for the very first time.
The first time his memory got erased.
- Are you talking about... - Yes.
The mob violence that happened 20 years ago.
But there aren't any records of it.
It's weird that no one left a record considering the damage.
There's nothing?
No, they couldn't find anything.
Nothing about any deaths or violence.
Do you think they just reconciled and left the scene?
No, I'm sure they were seriously injured.
Those guys were trying to kill each other.
How can that be when there's no record of it?
But he saw the Eraser.
But he doesn't remember.
Not even the face or the voice.
What I do know though...
is that it was the first time the Eraser appeared.
And he showed off his powers.
Only the information about the brawl can give us a lead.
Okay, Plan B it is.
Yes?
There's no record of an incident.
- I know. - You can't trust his memory.
Why not?
What if Jin Jae Gyu is the Eraser...
and he fooled you with false illusions again?
I already had that in mind too, you know.
I thought you had forgotten about him overpowering you.
I'm not one to forget a defeat.
Then I'm glad.
Do you know that you're even more annoying...
than Jin Jae Gyu is sometimes?
That's a relief.
It's "sometimes" and not "always."
Does someone secretly teach you these puns?
Anyway, remember not to believe everything he said.
If the Eraser doesn't exist, then what you're saying is right.
Because Jin Jae Gyu would be the Eraser.
Speed is the important factor here.
I agree. Then...
Search for incidents before the year 2000.
What if we still can't find anything?
Then keep expanding the search...
until you find a lead.
- Yes, ma'am. - Yes, ma'am.
Ma'am, earlier...
Don't tell anyone Deputy Chief Lee was here.
Especially not to Superintendent Han.
Actually, it's nothing.
What if there wasn't a brawl to begin with?
Then Jin Jae Gyu is the Eraser.
No, it was erased.
- Erased? - His memory?
No, the record.
So the record was concealed?
The incident most definitely happened.
Is it even possible to delete records in this day and age?
So where are we going?
To find what's left of the record.
What's left?
I had a nightmare.
A dreadful one.
However, it wasn't just in my head.
So?
What would you have done...
if you were a killer facing that situation?
I would've wanted to kill him.
It was against the Executioner's rules,
but I wasn't in a position to stick to them.
Because you were scared?
It was more like...
not wanting to lose.
What did the numbers mean?
They were dates.
The dates that I served justice.
(Do not defy me.)
That's when I knew...
it wasn't the first time.
- Regarding what? - My attempt to kill him.
The same thing had happened over and over again.
He'd win the match...
and erase my memory every time.
Just like one erases CCTV footage,
my memories had been gone.
How can you be so sure when you don't recall?
Because...
(Passport)
You can erase the memories,
but not the feelings they give you.
Feelings?
Fear.
A psychopath living in fear?
I may not agree with the term you used,
but I know what fear is.
Were you afraid of death?
No,
the fear of loss.
Loss?
What were you afraid of losing?
Sang Ah.
I was afraid that...
the man watching me could hurt Sang Ah.
That's why you spend 20 years wandering abroad?
Well, he never showed up after that.
But that changed three months ago.
(Come back.)
He returned to Korea as per the Eraser's orders,
but he couldn't tell Yoon In Tae his plan.
He didn't know when or where his memory would be read.
He didn't have a lot of time.
He made the call right after making contact with the Eraser.
Yes.
He told Yoon In Tae to escape with his family.
Dad!
Jin Jae Gyu requested...
that he keep his family safe.
If I die,
follow the protocol.
Get going.
But at the last moment, Yoon In Tae...
deviated from the plan.
He decided to kill...
the killer with supernatural powers.
Why though?
Why would he risk his life to go after the psychopathic killer?
Jin Jae Gyu may be a killer, but he isn't a psychopath.
What?
What else can he be?
He's keeping it to himself again.
What else did you see in Jin Jae Gyu's memory?
Pain from his childhood.
- His childhood? - What kind of pain?
You're unbelievable. Would you stop being a drama queen?
If this is how you're going to be, don't talk to me from now on.
I'm done with you.
Don't! You're just as annoying.
Why are we here? Will you ignore me again?
To find the records.
He actually answered you.
Gosh.
A record?
If it were logged as an accident rather than assault,
there wouldn't be a police record.
There may be a record at the emergency call center.
I didn't expect you to come too.
- "Too"? - Did someone else come?
- Aren't you together? - Together?
What now?
Right?
Did Superintendent Han send you?
- He's so rude. - Of course.
She's smart.
Are you looking for reported accidents?
Did you find anything?
We're looking for any that had casualties, but...
The details weren't entered into the system, so...
- Let's divide the work. - We don't need you.
What's your problem? It'll help to divide the work.
- I found it. - What?
I'm gifted in these things.
Asphyxiation accident in Shimbae City.
Death caused by carbon monoxide poisoning.
They were all 20 years old?
Baek.
I saw.
What? Saw what?
The survivor.
- Survivor? - One survivor.
Name...
(Shim Sang Ah, age 17)
If she was 17 at the time,
could it be...
What? What do you...
You were at the accident site in Shimbae City 20 years ago.
The moment the murderer first appeared.
I did live in Shimbae, but...
I never...
May I read your memory?
Mine?
Will it help you find my husband?
It may.
It's not in her memory.
Again?
I can't stand this.
He erases memories as he pleases.
What are we supposed to do without powers?
We should just give up and die.
It wasn't erased.
She was taken to the accident site when she was unconscious.
That's right. I was hospitalized once...
for carbon monoxide poisoning.
Do you remember anything else?
I didn't know people had died.
I was very sick for a while afterward.
How could you not remember that...
You two look into the people who died.
- What? What about you? - Go on.
You're always ordering me around.
What choice do I have? I don't have telepathic powers.
That chump.
May we speak in your room for a few minutes?
It'll be quick.
What are you suspicious of?
I know it's in your nature to suspect people,
but I checked everything, including his recent alibi.
- Are you positive? - Will you...
It's your prerogative to doubt my scanning ability, but...
What's wrong?
Doesn't this look familiar for some reason?
Jin Jae Gyu's house.
The black face.
Red eyes.
The Eraser.
- Where is this? - Mr. Jin's house.
- What is this? - Monster.
Monster?
What monster?
Did you see a monster?
May he read his memory?
My son's?
Hyeon Su may have seen something.
The Eraser.
The Eraser was below us.
The underground monster.
- What monster? - The underground monster.
The drain.
The drain...
The drain.
Send backup to Jin Jae Gyu's house right now.
He was there in person. Very close, too.
He touched your shoe?
He needs to make physical contact too,
in order to manipulate your memory.
Step aside.
Seriously...
You can back me up from behind.
That stubborn mule.
I'll take the lead now.
The dressing room under the greenhouse.
Police. Do not move.
This gun is loaded. Put your hands above your head.
(Memorist)
Here. Eat up.
(Epilogue)
My goodness, hello.
Here.
What?
I need to give this to people who let me read their memories.
Otherwise, I'll be in big trouble.
No, it's okay.
My goodness.
I'm not the one who's giving you this.
It's from an international research foundation.
You can use it to treat your son.
And I'll see if you guys can receive other types of support.
No, I can't take this.
No, it's okay. I should go now.
My goodness.
My gosh. Thank you, Detective Dong.
Thank you.
Thank you, sir.
My goodness.
He left behind a message.
"The scapegoat that means the most to you..."
"will die before the end of the month."
Did you figure out who he's planning to kill?
He'll use you to set a trap, and it will be very dangerous.
Not everyone can be partners with a telepathic investigator.
Let's start the real war.
The smell. This place reeks of it right now.
The smell of death.
I'm going to kill you.
Superintendent Han is in danger.