Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases
The Unresolved Disappearance
A preacher's demand for sacrifice frames a report about disappearances tied to the Church of Almighty. Do-woon prepares for ordination but refuses to abandon the question of his mother's disappearance.
Key Events
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Preacher Demands Sacrifice — A cult preacher claims salvation requires sacrifice.
Location: Church of Almighty
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Disappearances Recalled — A report links disappearances to the Church of Almighty.
Location: Unspecified
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Mother's Case Remains Open — The report recalls the unresolved disappearance of a single mother.
Location: Unspecified
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Do-woon Prepares for Ordination — Raised with care by a priest, Do-woon prepares to be ordained. Characters: Do-woon
Location: Unspecified
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Questions Threaten His Future — Questions about his missing mother put Do-woon's future in tension. Characters: Do-woon
Location: Unspecified
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Do-woon Chooses the Search — Despite the threat to his plans, Do-woon remains determined to learn what happened to his mother. Characters: Do-woon
Location: Unspecified
A New Vanishing
A man connected to the Gleaners disappears, drawing Joo-young into an investigation. Do-woon follows a clue to Kwang-woon, whose arrest and warnings deepen the uncertainty.
Key Events
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Gleaner Goes Missing — A man connected to the Gleaners disappears.
Location: Unspecified
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Joo-young Opens an Investigation — Police lieutenant Joo-young investigates the new disappearance. Characters: Joo-young
Location: Unspecified
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A Business Card Links Kwang-woon — A victim's belongings contain Kwang-woon's fortune-telling business card, leading Do-woon to him. Characters: Do-woon, Kwang-woon
Location: Unspecified
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Kwang-woon Is Arrested — Kwang-woon is arrested after attacking a client. Characters: Kwang-woon
Location: Unspecified
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Kwang-woon Denies Knowledge — He denies knowing what happened to the missing woman. Characters: Kwang-woon
Location: Unspecified
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Fortune-Telling Revealed as an Act — Kwang-woon admits that his fortune-telling is an act and urges Do-woon to find the real perpetrators. Characters: Do-woon, Kwang-woon
Location: Unspecified
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Warning of Further Violence — Kwang-woon warns Do-woon that pursuing the truth could lead to more violence. Characters: Do-woon, Kwang-woon
Location: Unspecified
The Mother's Fate
The investigation reveals that Do-woon is the missing woman's son and revisits her attempt to save her sick child. A Gleaner manipulated her into a sacrifice ritual that ended in her killing.
Key Events
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Do-woon's Identity Is Revealed — The investigation establishes that Do-woon is the missing woman's son. Characters: Do-woon
Location: Unspecified
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A Mother Seeks Help — The account looks back thirteen years to Do-woon's mother's desperate search for help for her sick child. Characters: Do-woon
Location: Unspecified
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Ritual Is Proposed as a Cure — A Gleaner persuades the mother that human sacrifice could cure her child.
Location: Church of Almighty
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Mother Is Placed on Altar — The mother is drugged and placed on an altar while an accomplice carries out the killing.
Location: Church of Almighty
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Recovery Reinforces the Ritual — The boy recovers afterward, and the coincidence strengthens the Gleaner's belief in the ritual. Characters: Do-woon
Location: Unspecified
The Threat Returns
Do-woon's renewed illness strengthens the Gleaner's belief that another victim is needed. The investigators connect this belief to the present disappearances and find a troubling clue at the hospital.
Key Events
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Illness Returns — With Do-woon sick again, the Gleaner believes a younger, healthier victim is needed. Characters: Do-woon
Location: Unspecified
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Investigators Connect the Disappearances — Do-woon and the investigators link the ritual obsession to current disappearances and uncover his mother's fate. Characters: Do-woon, Joo-young
Location: Unspecified
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Hospital Clue Raises Alarm — The closing investigation discusses the ritual's history and finds a troubling tranquilizer bottle at the hospital. Characters: Do-woon, Joo-young
Location: Hospital
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Another Sacrifice Is Feared — The evidence points to another threatened sacrifice as the investigation exposes religious desperation and manipulation. Characters: Do-woon, Joo-young
Location: Hospital