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Friend: The Great Legacy (2013) movie poster

Timeline

Friend: The Great Legacy (2013) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2013 · 124 mins · Korean
Directed by
Kwak Kyung-taek
Starring
Lee Jun-hyeok, Yu Oh-seong, Gi Ju-bong, Ju Jin-mo, Jang Young-nam, Kim Woo-bin

Following a tragic event, Joon-seok is incarcerated for his role in Dong-soo's death. While in prison, he encounters Dong-soo's son, concealing his identity and forming a tentative alliance to be realized upon his release. However, their carefully laid plans unravel when Sung-hoon discovers the truth, threatening to expose their connection and disrupt their future.

On this page (4)
  1. 1 Events in order (12)
  2. 2 Timeline questions answered
  3. 3 Movie threads
  4. 4 Every angle

12 events in order · contains spoilers

Friend: The Great Legacy Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Friend: The Great Legacy (2013) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. 17 years later: Joon-seok’s prison release

    The story opens in the present day, 17 years after the previous film. Lee Joon-seok has just been released from prison and finds a world that feels alien after his years behind bars and the criminal landscape he once led. He remains haunted by rumors that he ordered Dong-soo's murder, a charge he never truly deserved. He wonders how to fit back into a world that has moved on without him.

    When
    Present day, 17 years after the previous film
  2. Eun-ki’s de facto leadership

    Eun-ki has effectively taken the reins and presents herself as the boss. Joon-seok watches from the shadows, planning his next move while letting the current order stand. The power shift sets up a tense cat-and-mouse dynamic between him and Eun-ki.

    When
    Present day
  3. Joon-seok starts a covert plan

    Secretly, Joon-seok begins plotting to undermine his current leadership from within. He seeks to realign the gang to his own vision without openly challenging Eun-ki yet. The move signals his return to the center of the power struggle.

    When
    Present day
  4. Recruiting Sung-hoon and his gang

    Joon-seok extends an invitation to Sung-hoon, whom he met in prison, and to Sung-hoon's gang to join his covert operation. Sung-hoon, who respects Joon-seok after their time together behind bars, agrees to participate. The alliance introduces a new force into the organization and shifts the dynamics.

    When
    Present day
    Where
    Prison
  5. Sung-hoon’s background and motivation

    Sung-hoon is the twenty-something son of one of Joon-seok's female high school friends, now working as a bar hostess. He had served a one-year sentence for beating his mother's abusive husband, earning him a hard-edged credibility. His loyalty to Joon-seok is cemented by the respect developed in prison.

    When
    Present day
    Where
    Prison
  6. Tension over Sung-hoon’s background

    Sung-hoon quickly learns the truth behind his background, which strains his loyalty to Joon-seok. The revelation tests the mentor-protégé bond and threatens to derail the plan. This personal twist highlights how past secrets drive present conflict.

    When
    Present day
  7. Flashback to Lee Chul-joo and Busan origin

    Interspersed with present-day plotting are flashbacks to 1963 Busan, where Joon-seok's father, Lee Chul-joo, is depicted as the gangster who founded the organization. The sequence links the present to the origins of the clan and its enduring power.

    When
    1963
    Where
    Busan
  8. Origins of the organization

    The Busan origin story reveals how Chul-joo's leadership shaped the clan's rules and ambitions. Those foundations echo in the modern hierarchy and loyalties. The flashbacks provide context for the characters' decisions in the current plot.

    When
    1963
    Where
    Busan
  9. Remorseful car moment: leaving Dong-Su behind

    In a car, 17 years earlier, Joon-seok leaves his childhood friend Dong-Su behind after a dangerous moment. He is deeply remorseful for not protecting Dong-Su, a wound that haunts him into adulthood. The scene foreshadows the heavy price of leadership and the bonds that bind him.

    When
    17 years ago
    Where
    In a car
  10. Dong-Su’s murder rumor and Joon-seok’s claim

    The backstory recalls how Joon-seok claimed responsibility for ordering Dong-Su's murder, even though he did not commit the act. That misattribution taints his reputation and complicates the trust within the group. The rumor shadows him as he tries to regain power.

    When
    Past
  11. Present-day power balance tested

    Back in the present, Joon-seok tests the balance of power by courting new allies while observing Eun-ki's authority. His subtle maneuvers reveal a leader who wants to redraw the lines without sparking a direct confrontation. The interplay promises a tense confrontation to come.

    When
    Present day
  12. Imminent power struggle looms

    With the new alliance and old loyalties under strain, a larger power struggle begins to loom. Secrets and ambitions threaten to erupt into open conflict within the organization. The timeline teased by these events sets the stage for an escalating clash.

    When
    Present day

Last updated: March 05, 2026 at 18:42

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Timeline questions answered

Friend: The Great Legacy Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Friend: The Great Legacy (2013): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why did Joon-seok claim responsibility for Dong-soo's murder if he didn't order it?

Joon-seok took the blame to protect someone or maintain his honor within the gang, though the exact reason remains tied to the guilt he carries throughout the film. This false admission haunted him for 17 years in prison and became the foundation of his desire to reclaim power and clear his name.

Foreshadowing: The car flashback shows Joon-seok leaving Dong-soo behind in a dangerous moment, suggesting his failure to protect his friend led him to accept the blame.

  • joon-seok
  • dong-soo
  • murder
  • prison
  • guilt
  • blame
Q2

Why does Sung-hoon's background threaten the alliance with Joon-seok?

Sung-hoon learns the truth about his own background, which strains the bond he formed with Joon-seok in prison. The revelation about his mother's connection to Joon-seok's past creates a conflict of loyalty that threatens to derail their entire plan.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes establish that Sung-hoon's mother was a high school friend of Joon-seok who later worked as a bar hostess, a detail that becomes significant.

  • sung-hoon
  • background
  • revelation
  • loyalty
  • mother
Q3

Why does Joon-seok want to regain control after 17 years in prison?

Joon-seok's drive stems from both ambition and a desire to restore his honor after being falsely blamed for Dong-soo's death. After losing everything to Eun-ki's rise, he sees reclaiming leadership as the only way to prove his worth and reshape the organization according to his original vision.

  • joon-seok
  • power
  • prison
  • leadership
  • eun-ki
Q4

What is the relationship between Joon-seok and Eun-ki after his release?

Eun-ki is Joon-seok's former subordinate who took control of the organization during his 17-year imprisonment. Now she runs things as boss, forcing Joon-seok to operate from the shadows and plot quietly to undermine her authority without provoking an open confrontation.

  • eun-ki
  • joon-seok
  • power
  • leadership
  • subordinate
Q5

Why did Sung-hoon go to prison?

Sung-hoon served a one-year sentence for beating his mother's abusive husband. This act of protecting his mother from abuse earned him credibility in the criminal world and shaped his tough reputation before meeting Joon-seok in prison.

  • sung-hoon
  • prison
  • sentence
  • abuse
  • mother
Q6

What is the significance of the 1963 Busan flashbacks?

The flashbacks show Joon-seok's father Lee Chul-joo founding the criminal organization in Busan in 1963. This establishes the generational roots of the power structure and explains why the past continues to influence present-day dynamics and loyalty conflicts.

  • busan
  • 1963
  • lee chul-joo
  • founder
  • organization
  • history
Q7

What does the car flashback with Dong-soo reveal about Joon-seok?

The flashback shows Joon-seok leaving his childhood friend Dong-soo behind after a dangerous situation, a moment that fills him with deep remorse. This failure to protect Dong-soo is the emotional core driving his guilt and his subsequent actions throughout the film.

Foreshadowing: This remorseful moment directly connects to why Joon-seok accepted blame for Dong-soo's murder.

  • dong-soo
  • car
  • flashback
  • remorse
  • childhood friend
Q8

How did Joon-seok meet Sung-hoon and why does he trust him?

Joon-seok and Sung-hoon met while both were incarcerated, where Sung-hoon came to respect Joon-seok's charisma and leadership. This bond formed in prison is why Joon-seok recruits Sung-hoon and his gang for his covert operation to reclaim power.

  • joon-seok
  • sung-hoon
  • prison
  • meeting
  • recruit
Q9

What triggers the power struggle in the present day?

Joon-seok's secret plan to undermine Eun-ki's leadership, combined with his recruitment of Sung-hoon's gang, creates a direct challenge to the current power structure. As new alliances form and old loyalties strain, the tension escalates toward an inevitable confrontation within the organization.

  • power struggle
  • eun-ki
  • conflict
  • alliance
  • organization

Movie threads

More Movies Like Friend: The Great Legacy, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Friend: The Great Legacy tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Brooding Crime Dramas of Secret Identity like Friend: The Great Legacy

Stories where concealed pasts threaten fragile alliances in the underworld. Discover movies like Friend: The Great Legacy where characters conceal their identities within criminal organizations. These stories feature tense underworld settings, moral dilemmas, and the heavy burden of a violent past that threatens to resurface.

  • tense
  • brooding
  • regretful
  • identity concealment
  • gang rivalry
  • melancholic
  • Tone: dark, tense, melancholic
  • Pacing: steady, methodical
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative typically follows a protagonist who must maintain a fabricated identity while deeply embedded in a criminal enterprise. As they form genuine connections under false pretenses, the story builds toward an inevitable revelation that threatens to destroy everything.

Why they belong together: They share a dark tone, high emotional stakes, and the specific tension that comes from identity concealment plots within organized crime settings. The pacing is often steady, methodically building dread as the truth looms closer.

Heavy Prison Narratives with Redemption like Friend: The Great Legacy

Character-driven stories of guilt, penance, and fragile hope behind bars. If you liked the prison elements of Friend: The Great Legacy, explore other movies about incarceration, guilt, and the difficult path toward redemption. These films feature intense character drama, heavy themes, and often bittersweet conclusions.

  • prison life
  • regret
  • guilt
  • redemption
  • father figures
  • sombre
  • Tone: sombre, heavy, bittersweet
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories often begin with a character entering prison burdened by guilt or a specific tragic event. The narrative explores their relationships with fellow inmates, often forming surrogate families or dangerous rivalries, culminating in a release that offers a complex, rarely straightforward, form of redemption.

Why they belong together: They are united by the oppressive prison setting, themes of confronting one's past, and an emotional weight centered on regret and the possibility—however slim—of atonement. The pacing is typically steady, focusing on character development over action.

Every angle

Friend: The Great Legacy (2013) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Friend: The Great Legacy in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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