On a day that starts like any other, Sang-woo, the 9-year-old son of celebrated South Korean news anchor Han Kyung-bae Sul Kyung-gu, vanishes without a trace. A chilling ransom call soon arrives, demanding 100,000 dollars in exchange for his life, and the pressure to act mounts as Kyung-bae and his wife Oh Ji-sun Kim Nam-ju race against time. The crisis sets off a coordinated response from the police, who assemble a secret investigative task force and a forensic team to unravel a case that seems to be moving faster than anyone can keep up with.
At the heart of the investigation is the kidnapper, a calculating antagonist known as the Bastard's Voice, whose methodical patience and cold, emotionless tone reveal a mind always a step ahead. He avoids lingering on a phone call, keeps switching locations for exchanges, and taunts the family with chilling precision. The pressure intensifies when a harrowing incident unfolds: Kim Wook-jung Kim Yeong-cheol—the lead detective—finds himself targeted by the kidnapper, captured from inside a car trunk, and subjected to torture, an ordeal that becomes a brutal display of the kidnapper's control and cunning. The family’s anguish deepens as the kidnapper calls again and again, mocking their desperation while demanding more money and clarity about Sang-woo’s fate.
The investigation continues to circle around possible suspects, including Kyung-bae's former best friend Lee Jae-joon, who carries a heavy grudge and an airtight alibi that seems to exonerate him, at least for the time being. A forensic audio expert later reveals a crucial twist: one of the so-called proofs of life—the boy begging for his life over the phone—may be a manipulated recording, leading the police to reassess how publicly the case should unfold. With uncertainty looming, Kyung-bae agrees to a public appeal in hopes of mobilizing the city against the kidnapper's shadowy game.
A new target emerges when the kidnapper directs another delivery at a location near Lotte World, forcing Kyung-bae to participate in a final, dangerous exchange. He places the money at the specified site, driven by the belief that Sang-woo is still alive, only to confront the grim truth that awaits him at the rendezvous. The days stretch into weeks, and the tension becomes almost unbearable as the promised reunion never comes and the search intensifies.
On the 44th day, the authorities make a devastating discovery: Sang-woo’s lifeless body is found near the Han River park, shattering the family's hope and sending the city into a renewed, anguished vigil. Kyung-bae returns to his anchor chair to deliver the catastrophic news to the public and, in a final act, shares a recording of the kidnapper’s voice with the audience, a haunting scream that marks the end of one family’s nightmare and the enduring call to seek justice.
This story blends the personal pain of a family torn apart by crime with the relentless, procedural pursuit of truth, exposing the fragility of safety in the glare of national attention. It follows how a city grapples with fear, how investigators balance duty with empathy, and how a public figure tries to transform personal tragedy into a pursuit of accountability, all while the clues—and the shadows behind them—slowly come into focus.
