Cop, The Devil: The Gangster, The

Whoever catches K first gets to deal with him their way. The cop wants an arrest; the gangster wants a slow, painful death.

As they close in, K realizes he is being hunted by both sides and begins to enjoy the challenge, intentionally leaving clues to bait his pursuers. The Climax The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil

The investigation leads them through the gritty neon streets of Cheonan. The gangster’s henchmen and the cop’s unit play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with K. Whoever catches K first gets to deal with him their way

Jung Tae-suk is a hot-headed detective convinced that a string of recent "accidental" murders are the work of a single serial killer. His superiors ignore him, but he realizes Dong-soo is the only living witness to the murderer. The two men strike a deal: The Climax The investigation leads them through the

Jang Dong-soo, a powerful mob boss, is driving home alone on a rainy night. A stranger intentionally rear-ends his car. When Dong-soo steps out, the stranger—a nameless serial killer known as "K"—stabs him repeatedly. Dong-soo fights back with terrifying ferocity, wounding the killer before K escapes. Dong-soo survives, but his reputation as an untouchable kingpin is shattered. The Uneasy Alliance

K is sentenced to death and sent to prison. In the final scene, Dong-soo is sent to the same prison. As he enters the showers where K is hiding, Dong-soo smiles and says, "I told you there are three men who will risk their lives to catch you." If you'd like to dive deeper into this world: of the characters' moral gray areas Comparisons to the real-life "Cheonan serial killer" case