Kim Hyuk (
Joo Jin-mo) is a detective in the South Korean
National Police Agency, having escaped from North Korea as a teenager. Unbeknownst to his superiors, he also moonlights as an illegal
arms smuggler with his best friend and partner in crime, Lee Young-choon (
Song Seung-heon), who also defected from the North. Hyuk has a younger brother, Chul (
Kim Kang-woo), whom he was forced to leave behind (along with their mother) during his escape. Guilt-ridden over leaving his brother behind, Hyuk has spent the past few years searching for his brother. Eventually, he finds Chul in an
internment camp for Northern defectors, but Chul resents Hyuk for leaving them behind. It is then revealed that their mother was killed by North Korean authorities as retribution for Hyuk's escape. Hyuk goes to
Thailand to complete an arms deal, accompanied by an ambitious gangster named Jung Tae-min (
Jo Han-sun). However, the deal turns out to be a
set-up by Jung, who leaves Hyuk to be killed by the Thai gangsters. He survives but gets arrested and sentenced to three years in prison. After reading about Hyuk's capture in the newspaper, Lee finds the Thai gangster in a
massage parlor and kills him and his henchmen. However, in the ensuing gunfight, he is shot in the knee and crippled. Hyuk is released from prison. Remorseful and determined to start a new life, he finds work as a taxi driver. Meanwhile, Chul has become an officer in the National Police and Jung has become the leader of the arms smuggling operation, while Lee, cut out of the arms operation by Jung, does odd jobs to survive. During an emotional reunion, Lee asks Hyuk to return to the underworld and take revenge on Jung, but Hyuk refuses. He seeks Chul out, hoping for a reconciliation, but Chul rebuffs him, seeing Hyuk as nothing but a criminal and still resentful that Hyuk left the family in North Korea. Jung finds Hyuk and presses him to rejoin the organization, even offering to give Lee his old job back, but Hyuk refuses. Meanwhile, Chul becomes obsessed with arresting Jung. After Jung has Lee beaten and threatens to harm Chul, Hyuk decides to join his old friend in taking revenge on Jung. Hyuk and Lee steal incriminating evidence from the smuggling business, and Hyuk secretly sends it to the police while tricking Lee into paying him a large ransom. Using Jung as a hostage, Hyuk and Young-choon take the money to a pier, intending to escape by boat. Meanwhile, having followed his brother, Chul arrives on the scene but is captured by Jung's men. Even though he is free to escape, Hyuk decides to return to save Chul and asks Lee to leave with the money. Hyuk returns and offers to exchange Jung for Chul, but the trade explodes into a wild shootout. Hyuk and Chul are wounded and pinned down, but Lee suddenly appears and saves them. After killing many of Jung's men, Lee berates Chul, telling him that he should be grateful to have a brother like Hyuk. He is then shot in the back and killed by Jung's men. The police arrive, but Jung flees into a nearby steelyard. Hyuk and Chul chase after him, but Hyuk is shot and killed when he shields Chul from Jung's gunfire. Jung mocks Chul and prepares to surrender to the surrounding police. Despite warnings from the police to drop his weapon, Chul shoots and kills Jung. As the police advance, Chul cradles his brother's body in his arms and tearfully laments that he missed him. He aims his gun to his head and the scene cuts to black as a single gunshot is heard. ==Cast==