Based on a true story,
All names, characters and settings
are fictional,
Yoo Da-in
Oh Jung-se
Kim Sang-gyu
Korea Rural Community Corporation
Soju - Hard Liquor
Hey, bro!
You should clean this side, too!
Got it, man?
Who are you?
Are you the new lunchbox delivery girl?
Bro,,,
Who are you?
Where's the manager?
Sir, you have a guest,
Who are you?
I'm assistant manager Park Jeong-eun from headquarters,
Which desk is mine?
Are you drunk?
Why are you here?
What do you mean?
This is wrong,
Why?
An educated person like you belongs at headquarters,
not here,
The cost of living is cheap here,
but so is the cost of labor,
Cheap is good,
but not when it comes to people,
Do you understand?
There's no desk for you here,
I officially transferred here,
Park, don't be ridiculous,
You're a subcontracting company,
while I'm from headquarters,
I'll fulfill my duties for a year,
then go back,
People only come here
to make their kids
eligible for university special admissions,
An old friend of mine asked me for that favor, too,
That jerk,,,
Is that what you're after?
Yes, it is,
What the heck,,,
Soju - Hard Liquor
That comes to $3,70,
Thank you,
Here you go,
- Hold on! - Don't stand so close to me!
I don't like it, either,
It's all because of her,
I never imagined a lady would work here,
If you can call her that,
But, where are those lunchboxes?
- Bro? - They were delivered to me,
Newbie, don't forget the ground rod this time,
Okay,
Gather round,
Two, three,,,
We are life and light, Safety first!
Bring the lunchboxes, bro,
I can't believe she's still here,
The lady from headquarters
is still here, yo!
Maybe she'll leave soon,
Get lost, headquarters lady!
Listen, Park,
I'm saying this for you,
This isn't about whether or not
a woman can do a good job,
okay?
Of course, I know how you feel,
Okay,
We're willing to compromise,
Just one year, and then,,,
Come back,
That's settled, then,
Hey,,,
Hey, yo!
What is it?
I just need you to check the table outside,
There's something for you, yo!
Am I supposed to eat it or clean it?
What the heck am I supposed to do?
Working weekends?
SAFETY CHECKLIST, TOWER FACILITY INSPECTION CHECKLIST
How can they force us
to cut down on costs?
How should we survive?
I can't believe those scumbags!
Sir, may I see the supervision manual?
I will do my job,
And what would that be?
I'm assuming it's supervision,
since I'm from headquarters,
What are you talking about?
Park, supervision is my job,
I'm the manager here!
Do you know anything about this job?
I know the basics, I'll learn the rest,
The basics?
There are things you just can't learn,
You've already been here a month,
Just leave,
- Sir,,, - I just don't get it,
You got into headquarters,
so you must have brains,
And women don't even face discrimination anymore,
You have a bright future, You have hope!
Sir, please wait,
Sir!
I said, that's enough,
Take this, too,
Write down your name and fill out this form,
Just answer the questions,
What is this?
I want to create a work log
to increase efficiency,
What the,,,
Gather round,
This company is facing a crisis,
Headquarters set a budget for the latter half of the year,
Starting from the second half,
they want us to cover the dispatched worker's paycheck,
It's a smaller budget for more workers,
Other companies are firing people left and right
for efficiency,
Subcontracting companies like us are getting a raw deal,
But we need to do as they say!
Do as they say, yo!
What?
- Sorry? - What did you say?
You said that we need to do as they say,
What else can we do?
You empty-headed scumbag fool!
This is serious,
With the new budget,,,
One of us is getting fired
before then!
Who do you think has the lowest job evaluation grade?
We all know who's to blame!
Put the insulator in place,,,
Strike it with a wrench to connect,,,
Don't you eat anything when you drink?
I don't want to get fat,
That comes to $3,70,
And Mr, Seo, what are you doing here?
Making extra money,
Here you go,
How greedy of you,
When are you going to leave?
I'm working on it,
- I'm off, then, - Bye,
Hello, did anyone call for a driver?
Oh, it's you again,
Wait,,, Please wait a second,,,
Sir, the driver's here, You should get going,
Staff Wanted/ Open to Foreigners
Why are you guys still here?
Remember, safety first, Get to work,
But, sir,,,
You promised to come with us today,
I did?
We need you to fix the power lines,
I told you last time,
Damn it,,,
Can't you take care of it yourself?
I have a local managers meeting to attend,
Without your help, it will take too long,
Damn it, why today?
I'll go, sir,
Don't be ridiculous, This is a field job,
I took a basic training course
on fixing power lines,
Do you think training is everything?
Training was how we learnt to talk,
What should we do?
Damn it,,,
What would happen
if we didn't take her?
Let's take her with us, yo!
Once up,
she'll never insist on coming with us again,
Damn,,,
You guys handle this one,
If she's coming with us,
who will guide her?
Seung-woo, you do it,
Come on, man!
I'm not a social worker,
I taught Newbie bro,
so it's your turn,
Why are you yelling at me?
Stop making me do everything!
Who else is there?
Excuse me,
Hey!
- Where are the coveralls? - Coveralls?
They're all in there,
Aren't there any other ones?
That should be plenty,
What are you doing in there?
Hey,,,
When you're on the tower,
can you have metal wires on you?
No, you'll die,
Aren't there any other coveralls?
What's wrong with that one?
It's so dirty,
- What? - Be thankful it's free,
But coveralls are supposed to be free,
Who would pay for these?
We pay for them ourselves,
Headquarters don't provide us with work clothes,
Consider yourself lucky,
Let's go,
Hey,
We are life and light, Safety first!
What did the hospital say?
They said my mother is just getting old,
- Here's the lunchbox, - Thanks,
- Hey, - What?
Did you end up seeing your kid?
Yeah,,,
He barely recognizes me anymore,
Didn't you go see him a year ago around this time?
I tried, but I couldn't,
My wife was too busy then,
Health Clinic
But I couldn't move at all,
They're called 'specific phobias',
It can cause intense fear towards a specific target,
Common triggers are sharp edges,
knives, snakes and cats,
It's psychological,
so it's treatable,
Why do I have it?
You told me that you're scared of heights,
The additional stress might have caused you
to fixate on transmission towers,
I can't be sure why,
Anyways, don't forget to take your meds,
We are life and light, Safety first!
Jeong-eun!
It's been so long!
- Are you doing okay? - Yeah,
You've lost weight!
Wow,,,
This place is so beautiful!
I'm getting something
out of this trip, too!
Do you come here often?
Yeah, it's right between my house and the office,
Then, you won't bump into your co-workers here,
You're right,
You should see this,
What is it?
Jun-woo from HR told me about
your job evaluation grade,
This is mine?
You're at risk,
If you get one more D, you'll get fired,
They're out to get you,
Damn,,,
Don't start dreaming about opening a fried chicken place,
What are you talking about?
I don't even have the start-up money,
If we leave this company,
no one else will hire us,
Remember how we studied like crazy
to get in this company,
Even after we got in,
we worked our asses off,
You're right,
And so did Seon-yeong,
What the,,,
Damn,
Apparently, this grade was based
on your manager's evaluation,
So, they're all in on it,
The manager?
Yeah,
Are you sure?
It's so unfair,
Should we report them?
But,,,
I guess that's a long shot,
You were a legend
among the other girls,
Office slogans, sporting events,,,
Even marketing ideas,,,
You were the best at everything,
But our male colleagues acted like you didn't exist,
Scumbags,
Female colleagues are no different,
If you decide to report them,
keep my name out of it,
Don't worry,
I'll add your name
in Chinese and English, too,
This sashimi is so good!
Why do I deserve a D?
Answer me that,
I said that I'd do field work
on top of supervision,
Don't my efforts mean anything?
I evaluate your work,
not your personality,
Look, this says 'field work',
What else can you do in this office?
Park, you should have known before you came here,
- This is,,, - The Labor Relations Commission?
I'm Park Jeong-eun, a dispatched employee,
This is an urgent question,
What should I do
if I'm not assigned any work?
If that's true,
it's unfair labor practice,
The person in charge should be investigated,
The company could also receive a warning,
Can I report the person in charge?
Yes, that's possible,
If you decide to do so,
the company will be investigated,
The person in charge will receive a warning,
You could file a lawsuit
and ask for compensation,
You need to assign work to me, for me to do something,
How else will I get a higher grade?
How can you complain about that?
I was just looking out for you!
Is that why I got a D?
If I report you to the commission,
you're screwed,
Come on, get your gear,
How can she do that to the manager?
Right, bro?
- Did you remember the lunchboxes? - Yes, I did,
Let's get going,
Give it a break,
I'm on a break right now,
Don't do this,
Am I harming you in any way?
If not, just let me pay,
That comes to $21,40,
Hey,,,
Hold on,
Those won't work,
What?
These are work clothes,
Do you think any clothes will work?
That's why I'm buying insulating tape,
You still need proper work clothes,
Special coveralls
can cost up to $1,000,
If it doesn't block electricity,
you'll die on the job,
Got that?
You can buy them there,
Why can't you just take care of her?
Even her parents had no problem abandoning her,
Is that all you've got?
What more do you want from me?
I'm busy with my own work,
Don't screw me over!
Even insects would be better
at this than you,
Other managers are great at
driving out useless employees,
Why are you just twiddling your thumbs?
Our inspector will make a visit,
You might lose your employees
or your business license,
Understood?
Hello?
You damn,,,
Scumbag!
Hold on!
You guys,,,
need to inspect B-357 T/L today,
Check for loose bolts and rusty parts,
Inspect the insulator strings,
the power lines and the towers,
You have three towers to inspect,
so keep it moving,
And,,,
Damn it,,,
An inspector is coming
from headquarters,
So, stay focused and
do everything by the book,
You, don't doze off,
That's why your grade is so damn low!
Grab the rope,
Our work is done,
Where's the next tower?
Over there,
Did you succeed on your first try?
How long did it take?
About 40 years,
Don't you get electrocuted up there?
What are you supposed to do?
I thought you received training,
Up there,
your co-workers are all you have,
You need to trust them,
- Hey, Mr, Newbie,,, - Yeah?
Don't you want another part-time job?
Huh?
I want you to teach me,
Not interested,
With the extra money,
you could buy dolls for your daughters,
We have a lot to do, so just hurry,
Daddy, You're the best!
Sorry, I forgot,
I'll be right there, I'm really sorry,
Head down that trail,
There's a bus stop,
- Wait,,, - Oh, right,
Take this, just in case, Return it to me later,
Hey, Mr, Newbie!
Trust your co-workers, huh?
Oh,,,
How can you leave me alone up in the mountains?
I'm sorry, I forgot that I changed shifts,
That's because you always sleep on the job!
What does that have to do with anything?
I don't sleep on the job,
only during breaks,
That's why your job evaluation grade is so low,
Mind your own grade,
You got a D,
You know nothing about me,
I worked my ass off,
Look, I'm working my ass off right now,
Then, why do you need to pay for your own work clothes
and hold down a part-time job?
Mind your own business,
You don't even know
what's really important to tower climbers,
What's so important?
People like us die twice,
From the electricity, and then from the fall,
345,000 volts kill you instantly,
But that's not what we're afraid of,
What we're afraid of,,,
is getting fired,
Then, we'll have to survive on part-time jobs,
You're from headquarters, so you wouldn't understand,
You just get fired,
To you,
dying is scarier than getting fired,
That's why
you can't climb up the towers,
To you,
that's the bigger problem,
Jeong-eun,,,
Even opening a fried chicken place takes money,
What should I do?
How will I survive?
I'm scared,,,
Getting fired, dying,,,
They're the same thing,
We can't work on days like this,
The air can conduct electricity,
so it's too dangerous,
The inspector is coming tomorrow,
From today, the HR and inspection team will start the inspection
of your transmission tower maintenance company,
For 30 days, we'll check the office
and how you carry out field work,
Let me introduce your inspector,
Today, we'll evaluate
your job mastery,
Ms, Park will also be evaluated,
although she's a dispatched employee,
Just so you know,
this is standard procedure for our company,
So, there's no use filing
a lawsuit,
- Isn't that right? - Yes, of course,
Let's start, then, No need to be nervous,
Suspension clamp,
Arcing ring,
Cross yoke,
Sag control set,
Insulator,
Arcing horn,
That's,,,
What's it called?
It doesn't have a name,
I see,,,
Come on, it's lighter than a sack of rice!
Just look at that knot,,,
You have to tie the rope tighter!
Use your thighs,
Grip the insulator between your thighs,
so you won't slip, like this!
Bring the rope higher,
Move your hands,,, This is useless!
Do you find this funny? This is a disaster!
I just,,,
She's stopped moving,
What the heck,,,
What do you plan on doing next?
What are you waiting for?
There she goes again,
Don't look down, just climb,
Think of them as stairs, and
climb one rung at a time,
Just climb as high as you can,
What do you think you're doing?
Do you like interfering in other people's business?
What do you think, Manager?
Maybe they're sleeping together,
What a fine couple,
Our organization has already been privatized,
We can't tolerate inefficiency,
Today's evaluation results are bad,
Why is that?
Ms, Park,,,
Your results are the worst,
If your performance doesn't improve,
it'll be bad for the both of us,
Inefficient employees result in
an inefficient organization,
That's why so many companies are downsizing,
Mr, Seo,,,
Your results aren't great, either,
Remember that,
- Manager,,, - Yes?
Please bring me the work log of the last three months,
I'd like to check exactly
how hard you've been working,
Sure, that won't be a problem at all,
You can check the documents
after you head back downtown,
First, allow me to show you around the area,
You haven't seen your hotel yet,
We're near the ocean, so the food is great,
Why don't we have some sashimi?
- Sashimi? - Yes,
Sounds great,
They're the inefficient ones!
We are life and light,
Here,,,
We need to eat to survive,
They shouldn't be the only ones to pig out,
Here,,,
Eat up,
Dispatched Employee Request Form
I reviewed the documents that you submitted,
After an incident,
you have three month to file a lawsuit,
Your three months is almost up,
Have you made up your mind?
What happens if I file the lawsuit?
We'll follow procedure and investigate the matter,
The results will have legal ramifications,
You could get your original job back
since you were unfairly forced to transfer,
How long would that take?
That would depend on the company's response,
It might take a short time,
or up to 3 to 5 years,
Can I keep my job during that process?
You can't expect things to stay the same,
The company is sure to fight back,
Forget promotions,
and they might take away your work access,
Also, they could find a legal way to fire you,
They'll definitely try to take you down,
Do you still want to continue?
I'll take that part-time job,
This drink is on me,
Daewon Electrical Training Center
It's the weekend, so I asked to use this place,
Are you sure we're not trespassing?
What do you want?
To be paid in advance,
This might seem like nothing,,,
But it could save your life,
A lot of people fall off
because they skip this part,
Check it three times,
With your body, your eyes and your hands,
Watch carefully,
Hook the rope, then place your foot,
Climb up,
No, look over here,
First, hook the rope,
Then, climb up,
First, hold the rope,
Hook it up there,
Hook the rope, like this,
Go up one rung at a time,
Connect the terminal first, or you'll get electrocuted,
I want to practice connecting the power line first,
No, you should follow the correct order,
I was just about to make it!
Up there, the wind is much stronger than that push,
This time, focus and
follow the correct order,
Show me how,
First, connect the terminal,
Give me your car key,
Seems you can't move a step
without an inspector around,
What did you say?
When I first climbed up there,
I was scared as well,
Do you know who I imagined was up there?
Who?
My daughters that I must protect,
You should imagine someone, too,
Mr, Newbie,,,
All that trouble, for your kids?
It's no trouble at all,
I enjoy my work,
Most people don't get to see scenery like this,
How many part-time jobs do you have?
I'm not sure,
Too many to count?
The number keeps changing,
Part-time jobs are my whole life,
There you are,
It's so delicious,
I might have come for this restaurant,
not to see you,
Then, help yourself,
How about a blind date?
What's he like?
He's fulfilled his military duty,
and he's never been married,
Why do I have to live like this?
If I were a man,
I'd already have a high-powered job,
You'd be on the board of directors,
- Exactly, - Exactly,
That's a position we can only dream about,
That bachelor,,,
He was fired from his company,
But he filed a lawsuit
and won,
I thought he could help you,
I see,
Oh,,, They made me change desks,
Huh?
They posted me to your desk,
So, I won't be able to call you so often,
They accused me of leaking information,
The desk is quite spacious and nice,
There, you have no choice but to focus on work,
I'm so sorry,
You called for a driver, right?
I'm sorry I'm late,,,
- I'm off, - Bye,
The bus will take a while,
Don't worry,
Come, let me see you off,
I guess you like dolls,
Just like my daughters,
Hello?
Park, please come to work,
It's still early,
It's an emergency, and
the inspector is still here,
We need to protect our business license,
Park?
Hello?
Grab your gear, Let's go,
Hurry up, yo!
Did you call the manager?
He said that he'll come with the inspector,
- When will that be? - Who knows?
They show up whenever they want,
like a grim reaper,
Yesterday's bad weather
messed with the transmission towers,
Why are they forcing us to climb in this weather?
- We need to do a perfect job, - Okay,
Sunny one minute and foggy the next, yo!
Won't the air still conduct electricity?
You stay on the ground and send up the insulators,
I'll climb, too,
Co-workers are all you have up there,
That's exactly why,
I guess I taught you well,
You'll do Ms, Park's work, too?
Ms, Park, you should buy him lunch!
Ms, Park, you don't have to do anything,
Just hit the inspector's head with an insulator,
Shatter his stupid skull, yo!
Let's move,
Don't forget the ground rod,
Do as they say, right?
Workers, are you all there?
Did you think that I'd skip today's inspection?
I'll be there soon,
Today, I'll evaluate how well
you repair the insulator strings,
Ms, Park should go up the tower, too,
Don't forget, efficiency is everything!
Are you really going to come?
You say that you will, but you never do,
Also, stop bothering the wrong people,
You're only interested in me,
What did you say?
Ms, Park, send up the insulators,
The weather is damn great,
not at all like yesterday,
Hey, chitchatting lowers work efficiency!
Your job better be done by the time I get there!
Just look at this view!
Yo, yo, yo!
When we're on top of towers,
we're on top of the world!
We're the men of men!
We're tower climbers!
- Bro, hurry! - Let's go!
- Wait,,, wait! - We need to hurry!
Jeong-eun,
I have some information for you,
I'll get right to the point,
I heard that
Mr, Seo's job performance grade is low,
Just do better than him,
The budget is fixed,
so he might get fired instead of you,
Hello?
Hello, Jeong-eun?
Come on in,
HR is taking care of everything,
His wife is dead,
so we'll pay damages to the oldest daughter,
That will get us out of legal trouble,
so there's no need to worry,
What are you doing here?
Sir, it's nothing,
Gyu-ri, if you sign here
you'll get this amount of compensation,
Then, you and your sisters will be able to go to school,,,
I'd like to make a report,
My co-worker died of a work accident
while repairing B-109 T/L,
If you just sign here,,,
- I saw everything, - What are you talking about?
- I saw,,, - Who do you think you are?
You're a nobody,
so shut your mouth,
- Do as I say,,, - I'm not a nobody,
I'm Park Jeong-eun, a dispatched employee,
I witnessed everything,
Things need to change,
Don't be ridiculous,
This is a subcontracting company,
so who the heck cares?
It has nothing to do with us,
Then, why are you here?
Let's talk outside,
- Let's go, - You can't take her,
What the heck are you doing?
I said, let's talk outside!
Have you officially gone insane?
Have you forgotten that
we do everything through paperwork?
Gyu-ri, don't mind that lady,
Funeral Donations
Workplace Accident Report
Today, while repairing,,,
Here's the report,
- I request a compensation review, - Come on!
Let's do this outside,
Compensate accordingly!
Stop screwing me over!
Read the report and compensate accordingly!
You're to blame!
What's wrong with her?
You killed him!
We didn't kill anyone!
I'm trying to be nice,
It's not even a big request,
This is why you were banished here, moron,
Don't you know you should be begging on your knees?
Because I'm a woman, and I didn't go to a good school,
and even worked overtime without extra pay,
Is that why you sent me here?
You parentless wench!
We'll discuss this later,
What do you think you're doing?
Is this revenge?
What are you up to?
You're just mad
because you got a low grade, aren't you?
- Get the manager! - What are you doing?
Why would you rip that up?
We're being nice!
You wench!
- We're being reasonable! - You all killed him,
You,,,
I said that we'll talk about it outside,
Damn it,,,
Are you one of them, now?
Drag her outside!
Unbelievable,,,
What did we do to deserve this?
You're the reason he died,
All we asked for is to not die,
All we want,,,
is to survive,
What are you doing?
Find the generator!
What generator?
The old one doesn't work,
There's no generator?
The body will decay even faster now,
What a shame,
- Hello? - Manager!
We have an emergency,
The entire area's power is out,
It seems like there are defects in towers of district 12,
We need to make repairs in district 12 at once,
Just stay on the ground and check if it's working,
Hello?
- Wait for me! - Hello?
Where are you going?
HR already decided to fire you!
What the heck is she up to now?
I've arrived at B-108 T/L,
Did you cut off the electricity?
Yes, just wait there,
Don't do anything until we finish
with the repairs on our side,
Ms, Park, do you have a death wish?
Why would you go up there?
What a headache,,,
You just want to cause more trouble, don't you?
Park, what are you doing?
Where are you?
I'm going to repair the power line,
That power line is connected to the island,
so it can wait,
We'll repair it after the other towers,
when the winds settle down,
I already told you this!
Why can't you just follow orders?
People on that island are important, too,
There aren't many of them, but don't ignore them,
You don't know what they're going through
right now,
It's also where Mr, Newbie's body is,
My parents fired me before I was even born,
My colleagues also fired me,
And now, my company fired me,
I let others take hold of the noose
around my neck,
I don't know
when I'll fall off this tightrope to hell,
To stop that,,,
To stop walking this tightrope to hell,,,
I don't fire myself,
I Don't
I Don't Fire Myself
Reconnect the power,
I restored the power line,
Director Lee Tae-Gyeom