Directed by Park Hoon Jung, The Childe is a mainstream action drama that takes you on a thrilling ride, and though the twists and turns get a bit too unrealistic and dramatic at times, the brisk narrative and high-octane action sequences keep you entertained. So let’s find out what was happening in Marco’s life and if he was ever able to overcome the obstacles and challenges to live a happy life.
Spoiler Alert
Plot summary: What Is The Film About?
Marco was finding it hard to make ends meet, and additionally, he needed money for the surgery of his mother who was suffering from a terminal illness. Every day, Marco sat in front of his mother and watched her inch closer to death. It broke his heart that he was not able to help her out and that is why he wanted to find his father, who, according to him, lived in South Korea, and he hoped that he would be able to provide some monetary assistance. Marco used to take part in underground, unsanctioned fights, and he knew that it was a dangerous profession, but he had no other option. He often gave money to Mr. Kim, a friend, and confidante, so that he could hire someone in South Korea and ask him to look for Marco’s father. Marco also wasted a lot of money on betting in the hope that maybe one day, his stars would shine and he would win a lucky jackpot. But life up until then had been a disappointment, and there seemed to be no light at the end of the tunnel.
One day, out of nowhere, Mr. Kim told him that, contrary to what he had believed, his father too, had been looking for him. Marco couldn’t believe what Kim was saying, as it all seemed too good to be true. Apparently, Marco’s father was the owner of the biggest foundation in South Korea, and he was an extremely wealthy and influential man. The men who had come to take Marco told him that his father was not doing very well, and he wanted to see Marco before it was too late. They had already hired a nurse, as they knew that in the absence of Marco, somebody would have to look after his mother. They arranged for all the documents and took Marco with them to Seoul. There was obviously something fishy about the entire scenario, and it did seem like the men were not revealing their real intentions. Marco was too overwhelmed to question their motives, and he just kept doing whatever they told him to.
‘The Childe’ Ending Explained: What did Director Han want from Marco?
At the beginning of the story, we see that an assassin saved the life of a man who was kidnapped on the orders of a gang leader named Mr. Cho. We didn’t know who this assassin was or why he was killing all the goons. He seemed like an eccentric character who was too confident about his skills and abilities. He called himself a professional, and nobody knew his real identity. This same assassin (called “Nobleman” for some reason) met Marco on his flight to Seoul, and he told him that the people waiting for him at his destination wanted to kill him. Marco was still trying to grasp whatever had happened to him in the last 24 hours, and now this man coming out of nowhere and telling him that he was going to die had made things even more absurd.
This same assassin killed Marco’s father’s men, and then he started chasing Marco. Marco didn’t understand why everybody was wanting to kill him, and he just ran to save his life. The Nobleman chased him for some time, but Marco was able to make a near escape. Marco still had the card of the woman named Yun-ju on him, who had hit him with her car back in his hometown. He called her, and she came to pick him up because she was also a part of the plan, and she was given the task to take Marco I’m her custody. Marco got to know that Director Han was his brother and their father, Chairman Han, was in desperate need of a heart transplant.
Now the twist was that Chairman Han’s second wife, Jang, had shrewdly made him sign a will and taken his vocal confirmation, according to which, in the event of his death, everything went to Jang’s daughter, Ga-Young. Director Han obviously didn’t want to let it happen, and that is why he wanted to keep his father alive at all costs. Ga-Young had hired Yun-ju and told her to kill Marco so that the transplant did not happen and Chairman Han died. Yun-ju told all this to Marco, but before she could kill him, the Nobleman struck again, and Marco once again was able to make an escape. Marco was finally caught by Director Han, who immediately took him to the hospital so that the surgery could be conducted and his father could be saved.
The operation started, but once again, there was another twist in the events. The Nobleman, disguised as one of the doctors, was already present inside the operation theater, and he killed each and every doctor and told Marco that he was not going to die there. Director Han got frustrated by his plans getting spoiled again and again, and with all his men, he came down to the operation theater to get done with the nuisance once and for all. Director Han and the Nobleman came face-to-face, and that’s when the latter asked for a sum of 10 million dollars to be deposited in his account if he wanted Marco to stay alive. Director Han hesitated, but he made the transaction, though he had no intention of letting the Noblemen leave so easily. Once director Han got Marco in his custody, he pointed a gun at the Nobleman, but what he didn’t know was that he was dealing with a man of exceptional capabilities.
As the Nobleman said, he was a professional, and before anyone could pull the trigger, he made them face a kind of onslaught they would have never imagined. Nobleman killed everyone and left director Han to bleed to death. The biggest revelation is made during The Childe‘s ending, when we come to know that Marco was actually not the son of Chairman Han and that it was all a trap set by Mr. Kim and the Nobleman so that they could take money from the rich and give some back to their community. They were all Kopinos, and they knew that they could use that black money for the welfare of the people. Marco was shocked when he heard that, and he couldn’t believe that they had used him as bait and almost got him killed. But the Nobleman told him that even though he had to put his life at risk, he now had the money to get his mother operated and live a hassle free life where he does not have to constantly think about making ends meet. Both Marco and Nobleman came back to the Philippines, and the former decided that he no longer wanted to look for his father. The Nobleman gave money to Mr. Kim, who opened a children’s home for all those Kopino kids who had nowhere to go.
Is The Nobleman Dead Or Alive?
We realized that the Nobleman was suffering from some kind of illness, as at times, he used to cough uncontrollably. He did tell Marco that he didn’t have a lot of time left, and that is why he wanted to do some good before he left this world. The Nobleman didn’t want others to pity him or sympathize with his situation, which is why he never revealed to Marco that he was suffering from a terminal illness. But in the mid-credit scene, we got to know that it was one big confusion, and the Nobleman was not going to die. He had gone to some unlicensed clinic that had diagnosed him incorrectly. The Nobleman was perfectly healthy, and the doctor told him that his reports were also just about fine. The doctor gave him some multivitamins and told him to stay away from money. So, if there is a sequel to The Childe, we will see the Nobleman once again in action and trying to tip the scales in favor of the underprivileged in society.
