1987: When the Day Comes

Park Jong-chul, a student activist, dies under interrogation during the oppressive military regime. The room is tense as officials push for a cause and the official report claims a heart attack. Witnesses later allege foul play in the handling of the arrest.

Commissioner Park Cheo-won orchestrates efforts to cover up the death. Park's men pressure Prosecutor Choi to approve cremation and conceal the true cause. Choi resists, refusing to be part of the scheme.

The autopsy is performed with Park's oversight and Jong-chul's uncle present. The results show death by asphyxiation, not a heart attack, contradicting the official narrative. The uncle publicly asserts foul play outside the hospital.

Yoon Sang-sam, a reporter, obtains the autopsy findings and begins digging into the story. He works against a national prohibition on reporting the death. The information he uncovers hints at a broader cover-up.

Public outrage erupts as authorities scramble to assign accountability. Park declares two detectives should bear the blame, and promises Jo Han-kyung a reduced sentence for involuntary manslaughter. The promise can't be kept, fueling tensions with colleagues during prison visits.

Detective Jo Han-kyung finds himself cornered as fellow officers challenge his loyalty. He confronts the harsh reality of being used as a scapegoat. The strain grows as information from the investigation begins to surface.

Prison guard Han Byung-yong reveals he has ties to high-ranking activists. He urges the warden to disclose the visitation records that could expose the cover-up. His actions threaten to destabilize the regime's control over information.

Yeon-hee, Han's niece, is drawn into the activist network after a violent clash between protesters and police. She is saved by a fellow student and begins attending campus meetings, though she remains hesitant to join the movement. The campus becomes a stage for the uprising's voices.

The warden agrees to release visitation records after witnessing Commissioner Park threaten Detective Jo and beat his supporters. Yeon-hee refuses to deliver the records, and Han tries to arrange delivery himself.

Before he can pass the records, Park's men locate Han's contact and abduct him. He is tortured in the same interrogation room where Jong-chul was killed. Park reveals harsh details of his own North Korean childhood and violent family history.

Yeon-hee, distressed by her uncle's arrest, eventually delivers the information to Han's contact. The records reach the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice, who publicly state that Jong-chul was killed during interrogation, with Park overseeing and covering up.

A flashback shows Detective Jo taunting Jong-chul, implying that if he dies in that room, no one will care. The scene exposes the truth about Park's direct involvement and the government's complicity in the cover-up.

Park discovers that President Chun has personally approved arresting Jong-chul and pinning the death entirely on him. The revelation ties the case to the highest level of government.

Han is eventually released from prison and reunites with his family. The experience leaves him scarred but free to continue his life amid the ongoing struggle for truth.

A photo of Lee Han-yeol, a student protester killed by police, devastates Yeon-hee and convinces her to join the movement for democracy. Her involvement marks a personal turning point in the struggle for change.