Tae-ju is a low-level gangster in the Do-gang faction. After successfully helping his boss escape during an internal coup, he rises to become the third-in-command. He becomes rivals with Jae-cheol, who wields an
ashtray as a weapon and is vying for the top position. Five years later, Tae-ju is assigned to oversee the acquisition of the Peace Hotel, the gang's most critical mission. However, his plans are thwarted by a notorious
prosecutor named Ma Dong-pal, known as a figurative nuclear bomb in the legal world. Tae-ju attempts to bribe Dong-pal, but fails. Meanwhile, Tae-ju's wife Hyun-ji, a former hostess, dreams of becoming a poet. She engages in an unexpected affair with a third-rate
poet named Rimbaud. Though she finds sexual fulfillment with him, she eventually hands him over to Ji-na, the madam of a nightclub and the boss's wife. Elsewhere, Jo-pil, who had previously failed in an assassination attempt on the Do-gang boss five years earlier, trains rigorously with his three loyal subordinates deep in the mountains. Together, they form the Bul-sa-pa gang, seeking vengeance. Tae-ju, who has spent fifteen years as a thug with nothing but a knife, begins to solidify his determination to become the number one in the organization. He studies foreign languages to adapt to the increasingly globalized underworld, but his efforts yield little success. Jae-cheol, the simple-minded number two, continues to solve all his problems with brute force and his ashtray. Living in the same apartment complex as Tae-ju, Dong-pal constantly picks fights with him, causing endless irritation. Hyun-ji grows dissatisfied with her husband's dangerous lifestyle. She discovers a fraudulent publishing company that promises to debut her as a poet if she buys 500 copies of her own book, leading her to pursue her literary dreams. Dong-pal holds a unique belief: "The person who commits a crime is bad; the crime itself is innocent". Feared by gangsters for his brutal approach to justice, he often resorts to physical violence. Known for his foul-mouthed outbursts, his favorite pastime is provoking Tae-ju whenever they cross paths in their apartment building. Amidst this chaotic web of characters, including Jae-cheol, who mistakes the internet for an international police agency, and the boss who preaches about creating a globalized gang for the 21st century, the underworld becomes a stage for betrayal, deception, and power struggles. ==Cast==