The Last Witness

Oh Byung-ho is assigned to investigate the murder of brewer Yang Dal-soo in Munchang. He soon learns Yang had aided guerrillas during the Korean War, hinting at a motive rooted in a long-buried past.

Kang Man-ho recalls Son’s orders to safeguard his daughter Ji-hye and to protect a map showing the location of a fortune. The memory links the murder case to the guerrilla lineage and the hidden treasure tied to Jirisan.

A brutal attack follows, and Son is removed from command and executed for disobeying orders. In the chaos, ten guerrillas, along with Ji-hye, Bau, and Dong-ju, perish or are captured, leaving thirteen survivors.

Hiding in the basement of a school, Bau and Man-ho conspire to surrender to the enemy with Yang’s help to shield Ji-hye from further harm. They keep their fragile arrangement secret from others involved.

The surrender attempt leads to a militia confrontation and the school is set aflame. Ji-hye and Bau survive and are interrogated, while Man-ho serves a two-year sentence and retreats into isolation afterward.

Byung-ho accuses Man-ho of being Ji-hye’s father and of allowing her to be raped to hide that truth. The accusation shocks Man-ho and he dies in a shock-induced collapse.

Though wanting to withdraw from the case, Byung-ho is urged to persist and is sent to Seoul to track down Ji-hye. The pursuit shifts from the battlefield to the city’s streets.

Ji-hye remembers giving birth to her son Taeyoung and living with Bau. They search for the fortune using the map attributed to Man-ho, with Bau being arrested for Dong-ju’s murder during the surrender, while Ji-hye seeks Yang’s help to access Jirisan.

Yang manipulates Ji-hye, leading her into Bau’s prosecutor’s bedroom. With nowhere else to go, Ji-hye lives with Yang and bears a daughter, while Taeyoung remains with Bau’s family.

An elder reveals that Dong-ju may still be alive, prompting Byung-ho to pursue leads back in Munchang. He confronts Bong-ju, Dong-ju’s brother, and Bong-ju dies in the confrontation, while Dong-ju’s faction later orders Yongjae killed.

Bau is released on parole and Taeyoung is raised by Bau’s sister and nephew. When Bau returns, Taeyoung grows distant and eventually disappears, prompting Bau to travel to Seoul in search of him.

Taeyoung is abducted from a mental hospital; Byung-ho and Eom uncover that Dong-ju is alive and had been financing deaths through Yang and Kim. Taeyoung is rescued and Dong-ju is arrested, while Bau, seeking to prove Taeyoung’s innocence, commits suicide. Ji-hye kills herself at Bau’s funeral, and Byung-ho, unable to save them, dies by suicide after scattering the ashes in the river.