The Front Line

Early in the war, Kang Eun-pyo and Kim Soo-hyeok are captured by North Korean Captain Jung-yoon. Jung-yoon declares the war will be over in a week and that he knows exactly why they fight, then releases the prisoners so they can help reconstruct the nation after the war. This moment plants a complex dynamic between the captors and the captives that drives later choices and loyalties.

In 1953 the war has not ended and fighting continues around the 38th Parallel. Hills are treated as bargaining chips, changing hands so quickly that ceasefire negotiators struggle to track control. The perpetual back-and-forth heightens exhaustion and mistrust on both sides.

South Korean officer Eun-pyo is sent to the front with Captain Jae-oh and Pvt. Nam Seong-shik to investigate the killing of the Alligator Company’s commander. He finds lax discipline, a morphine-addicted captain, and a unit scarred by past trauma and unresolved guilt. The frontline atmosphere is chaotic and morally complex.

Eun-pyo discovers that their former captor Jung-yoon is now leading North Korean forces against them. Both sides show the war’s weariness as veteran units are strained, and Jung-yoon’s leadership reflects the same fraying nerves that haunt the South.

Soo-hyeok becomes a ruthless platoon leader who murders surrendered North Koreans during a raid. Eun-pyo is shocked by his old friend's violence and begins to question what they have become in this war-torn environment. The moral line between combat and atrocity blurs on the frontline.

The veterans reveal a secret cave storage that evolves into a mail and gift exchange between opposing sides, revealing how war creates unintended human connections. The letters explain the rumors of a 'mole' and show a fragile humanity still evident amid violence. The veterans urge Eun-pyo to keep quiet about their fraternization.

During a rout at Pohang, the company must abandon many comrades to save themselves. They fire on their own retreating soldiers to stay afloat, a memory that haunts the veterans and hardens the younger officers. The earlier actions stain the unit’s conscience as they press on.

On patrol, Seong-shik is shot by a feared Communist sniper nicknamed 'Two Seconds.' Eun-pyo tries to save him, but an artillery strike fails to eradicate the sniper. The revelation comes later: the sniper is Cha Tae-kyeong, a female soldier who is moved by the death of Seong-shik and slips away.

As Chinese pressure intensifies, Captain Jae-oh breaks under the strain and refuses to retreat. Soo-hyeok shoots him dead in front of Eun-pyo, then takes command with Young-il to lead the company to safety. Eun-pyo confronts Soo-hyeok about the killing and the need to protect the unit.

During a renewed assault, Jae-oh’s leadership falters under pressure. Soo-hyeok shoots him dead, justifying the act as a necessary replacement for the protection of the company. The act seals Soo-hyeok’s hold on command and deepens Eun-pyo’s moral conflict.

The winter campaign gradually gives way to summer, but fighting continues and morale remains fragile. The veteran unit is pruned as a dishonorable discharge sends one veteran away, while orphans are evacuated. Soo-hyeok and Young-il work to restore discipline and rebuild the will to fight.

An armistice is signed, but it will not take effect for another 12 hours, so both sides race to seize as much ground as possible. The remnant Alligator Company prepares for a last charge as air strikes are planned to clear the hill, and soldiers on both sides face the toll of fatigue and fear.

The two surviving leaders, Eun-pyo and Jung-yoon, meet in a cave with the gift box. They wonder why they fight as they share a smoke, just as the armistice radio announces the ceasefire. Jung-yoon succumbs to his wounds, leaving Eun-pyo to walk a devastated hill with a broken sense of closure.