"The job market is brutal these days, but for former paper factory employee Man-su, it becomes murder, literally. Man-su was once pulp man of the Year, but now out of work, he's desperate, so much so that when his wife says of a competitor - compared to my husband, he is nothing. Can't he get hit by lightning? (SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "NO OTHER CHOICE") SON YE-JIN: (As Lee Mi-ri, speaking non-English language). RASCOE: ...He gets his own idea. Why can't he just take out his competition?"
"(Through interpreter) I thought this idea behind the novel was so brilliant, the fact that this main character - if someone has this job that he wants, he's hoping that this man would get an accident, and that would be nice. But then he realizes that that wouldn't directly bring him the benefit of the job. So the main character decides to do something that is very similar to the very company that fired him. He creates a fake company and collects resumes and chooses the best candidate."
"And here lies one difference between the company and the main character, which is that the company would hire the best candidate, but the main character would eliminate that best candidate. And the act of elimination is also very similar to how companies fire people as well. (Through interpreter) And another thing that interested me is this role and responsibility of a man within the family. So after this main character has lost his job, he feels that he's also lost respect from his wife and his son. But then he regains his self-confidence as a man as he begins to successfully kill other people"
Man-su loses his job at a paper factory and becomes desperate. His wife's contempt for a competitor sparks his idea to remove rivals by murder. He creates a fake company, collects resumes, and selects top candidates only to eliminate them rather than hire them. His method mirrors corporate firing practices, blurring moral boundaries between employer and killer. The story focuses on male role and familial responsibility after job loss. As Man-su succeeds in killing competitors, he regains respect from family and restores his self-confidence through violent acts. The narrative contrasts societal pressures about employment with individual desperation and the dehumanizing nature of hiring and firing.
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