As worlds collide, our genius engineer finds himself running for his life, but no matter where he turns, someone is out to get him. Though our future woman tries to warn him of the dangers, she still can’t get him to comply and is forced to drag his non-compliant butt out of harm’s way. Try as they might to escape, the outcome feels inevitable, and our hero stands at a crossroads: return to his old life and live in ignorance or take a step forward and learn the truth.
EPISODE 3 RECAP
Seo-hae rushes to the stage, shooting back at the killer, and drags Tae-sool behind the podium. She throws a smoke grenade and uses the brief reprieve to wake him up. They escape through the side door, but the killer follows Tae-sool’s trail of blood and finds them stumbling down the hall.
The killer shoots at his target—obviously missing because plot armor—and Seo-hae shoots back, effectively keeping him away. When the killer stops firing, she peeks over the edge, but the door behind her swings open.
She reacts in time to dodge, and they each get in a few blows before Seo-hae kicks him to the ground. She smacks him with a fire extinguisher and then points her gun at him. The killer tells her that this is all futile, but Seo-hae snaps at him to leave and pistol whips him.
Witnessing the entire fight, Tae-sool shrinks from Seo-hae, but she holds him in place by his sweater. When the police arrive, he motions for their help, but Seo-hae points her gun at his head and uses him as a hostage. She drags him into the stairwell, and one shot at the door scares the police from pursuing them.
As the police call for backup, the window above them shatters, and they notice Seo-hae sliding down the roof with Tae-sool screaming by her side. They plummet towards a roof landing, and Seo-hae uses her gun to slow their fall.
She tells him that they need to run, but Tae-sool shoves her aside and demands an explanation. She bops him on the head for screaming at his savior, and Tae-sool finally gets a good look at her and recognizes her from the wedding photo. He shows her the picture, but before they can talk, they find themselves at gunpoint, again.
While the two lackeys have their guns aimed at Tae-sool and Seo-hae, Mr. Park saunters over and introduces himself as the man from the call. He invites Tae-sool to join him so they can discuss things without shooting, and Tae-sool agrees. However, the lackeys knock them out with their guns, and Tae-sool mumbles about Mr. Park lying as he faints once more.
The news calls the conference incident an attack of terrorism and claims that Tae-sool is recovering in the hospital while the culprit was caught. Seung-bok ordered the media coverup, but the detectives in charge tell him that it won’t last long. They have no leads on the suspect, and their best guess is someone with a grudge against Tae-sool.
Seung-bok hands them a stack of files containing the most serious threats against Tae-sool, but the detectives look alarmed by the amount. When they don’t even know how long the victim has been missing, Seung-bok yells at them for treating this like a simple lost person case and not understanding the magnitude of the situation.
Officer Choi informs his superior about Tae-sool’s last whereabouts and assumes their targets fled to a nearby motel. After a quick sweep of the place, Officer Hwang finds a shotgun shell and corrects the misguided officer: “It’s brokers.”
Already in Seoul, Tae-sool and Seo-hae sleep soundly in a van, and sitting across from them, Mr. Park dozes off as well. They arrive at a small mart where the cashier looks unperturbed by the whole scene, and the brokers tie their guests in the storage room.
Mr. Park opens a suitcase and laughs at the useless junk inside. While he complains to his lackey, the broker with a scar, Uhm Sun-jae, escorts Tae-sool and Seo-hae into the main room. The cashier, Bingbing, flirts with Tae-sool, which irks Sun-jae, but one stern word from Mr. Park silences the entire group. He leads everyone into the secret back room where they already prepared dinner.
After they eat (or at least, Mr. Park ate), they watch the news about Tae-sool’s “recovery,” and Mr. Park complains about the lack of transparency. However, Tae-sool is more concerned about Bong-sun who is reported to be in critical condition.
Mr. Park orders the other broker, Uhm Sun-ho, to make him a cup of coffee with specific instructions, but regardless of how many times he asks, Mr. Park tells his guests that Sun-ho always gets it wrong. He wonders if they rested well, and Tae-sool lifts up his cuffed hands in response.
Getting down to business, Mr. Park formally presents himself as the owner of Asia Mart which mostly acts as an unofficial embassy. Tae-sool asks why he’s trying to kill him, and Mr. Park tells him that the Control Bureau is the real culprit. Besides, if the brokers wanted Tae-sool dead, then they would have already done it.
Tae-sool has dozens of questions for Mr. Park, but the broker tells him that not knowing might be better. He offers Tae-sool a chance to reconsider and poses a question of his own: how much would he give to return to the past to fix a mistake? Tae-sool responds, “Everything.”
With a grim expression, Mr. Park says that he understands that feeling all too well, but he breaks into his easy grin when Sun-ho arrives with his coffee. After a sip, Mr. Park scowls and explains to Tae-sool that the future is like this situation. As he starts to elaborate, Seo-hae finishes his thought, “[The future] is a mirror of the present. It can’t be changed.”
Mr. Park agrees to answer Tae-sool’s question in exchange for the key and orders the others to show him the truth. With their guns pointed at them, the brokers lead their guests to another room where Bingbing searches the computer for something. Seo-hae recognizes it as a downloader, but this means nothing to Tae-sool.
Sun-jae shoves a vest at Tae-sool, and seeing him struggle, Seo-hae helps him with it. He grumbles at her for tightening it too hard, and uses this chance to ask Seo-hae about her place of origin. She tells him that where isn’t important, but Bingbing cuts their conversation short when she finds the next location. As they head out, Bingbing hands Tae-sool some pills to help with motion sickness.
As Tae-sool claimed, his GPS is off, and Mr. Park gives him a bank account number to transfer the funds, which now include a 500 million won access fee. Tae-sool sends him the money, and Mr. Park hands over the diary.
While Seo-hae grumbles about Tae-sool’s meddling, he tells her that they’re even since she’s his supposed savior. Seo-hae whispers to Tae-sool, warning him not to give Mr. Park the key since he’ll die, but Tae-sool figured out that much by himself.
They arrive at the rundown center where people line up for work, but they aren’t the only visitors today. While a fight breaks loose between the Korean and immigrant workers, two people carrying suitcases run away. Not long after, the Control Bureau arrives, and Officer Choi checks the area for any suspicious readings.
He smiles when the machine buzzes, and the two people from the future try to escape. The Control Bureau quickly chase them down, and from afar, Mr. Park watches everything with a scowl. He calls Bingbing for the location, and they drive to an abandoned warehouse.
Tae-sool looks around the dilapidated building in confusion, and Mr. Park tells him that they’re waiting for a person. He changes topics and grumbles about the national pension, which leads him to the subject of unexplainable phenomenon. He asks if Tae-sool experienced anything such as a photo of himself from things that never happened, and Tae-sool remembers the pictures from Tae-san’s camera.
Mr. Park tells him to think harder, and the pieces come together for Tae-sool. He realizes that “when” was the important question, and on cue, the machine behind them buzzes. The items around them lift off the ground, and a suitcase materializes out of thin air. Tae-sool stares wide-eyed as a body appears next, and Mr. Park repeats the Gibson quote. Opening up his arms, he welcomes Tae-sool to the future.