After a week of traditional, taking down the rich bad guy, style plot we return to the intensity that this drama does so well.  We have a new (or old depending on the timeline) serial killer to catch.  One that gives the viewers chills in that he not only kills women but does it in a scary and torturous way.  Let’s just say that I had a bit of a hard time walking outside after dark the night I viewed both episodes.   Before getting to the main serial killer event we need to discuss some other details pertaining to the overall story arc.  Specifically, things that Hae Young learns that might just make him rethink using that magical walkie talkie which found its way back into his possession.

A magical walkie talkie that Hae Young finds broadcasting from his boss, Section Chief Ahn’s desk. This, of course, sends up all kind of waving red flags for Hae Young. And when he gets caught standing next to Section Chief Ahn’s desk, walkie talkie in hand, he goes on the offensive.

Oh my word that was some intense glaring between Hae Young and Section Chief Ahn.  So intense that I am surprised that it did not get physical.  Although in this drama words have as strong an as impact as a well-placed uppercut.  If you did not watch, this is pretty much what happened…. Keep in mind there was crazy glaring being thrown in all directions while this conversation happened.

Hae Young – This is my walkie talkie

Section Chief Ahn – This was Jae Han’s.  Why do you have it.

Hae Young – Do you know something about Jae Han’s disappearance?

Section Chief Ahn – No

Hae Young – Nonverbal glare that says – I don’t believe you, you evil cop scum.

Section Chief Ahn – Don’t touch my desk or I will kill you.

Hae Young – I am taking my magical walkie talkie back because you are a horrible person and probably a murderer to boot.  Die scumsucker.

And end scene.  OK, I know that is not really the actual dialogue, but my subtext translator was totally spot on.

A few things I found interesting during this conversation.  First, Chief Jung did not seem to hear that the walkie talkie was on.  Which makes me wonder if not only is the walkie talkie magic but only useful to Hae Young.  Makes me a bit sad that Soo Hyun might not get any walkie talkie time with mentor/boyfriend.

Also, I think we can say that the proverbial gloves are off when it comes to Chief Ahn and Hae Young.  They both know that something suspicious is going on with the other and they know that each other knows.  Which means that the hatred is probably not going to be concealed behind procedure anymore.  For a little while I was leaning towards Chief Ahn feeling remorse for what happened, but once again, I am not sure about this sketchy character’s endgame.

Section Chief Ahn is not the only one who is searching for answers. Soo Hyun is also increasing her suspicion in regard to Hae Young.  She openly confronts him about his involvement in cold cases that only Jae Han was also involved in.  I cracked up at Hae Young’s awkward vague smile.  It practically screamed guilty secret.

But Hae Young is distracted from distracting Soo Hyun when he learns that Jae Han had been involved in the investigation of the Injoo Rape Case.  Remember that this is the one that Hae Young’s brother was arrested for and contributed (I assume) to his suicide?

I thought we might finally be where we get into Hae Young’s backstory, but after chatting with Jae Han, we discover that it is still two years away from that point in time.  Sadly, it gets thrown onto the back burners yet again.

But that is OK since we have one hell of a good serial killer running about.  YAY for serial killers (in dramas at least).  Before getting into the details of the investigations let’s chat about the specifics of our big bad first.

Enter convenience clerk serial killer cameoed by Lee Sang Yeob.  At first glance, he looks like a perfectly normal khottie.  You might even be tempted to take a quick picture of him to share with your friends. Hot hot hot.  But this is not a hottie you want to lust after since he has some very bad habits. Bad habits like luring poor depressed women to their deaths and smothering them with garbage bags.

I don’t want to jump back and forth too much so I am going to split the details between the past and present to make it a bit easier to understand.  Hopefully, this will all make sense since it truly is a great story line (If you are not watching, you should, at least, watch these two episodes since it is truly well done.)

The Serial Killer Case – The Past

It is actually  Hae Young who gives Jae Han the hint that something is going on in Hongwon-dong (a nearby neighborhood).  Hae Young had acquired a paper that Jae Han had written all their cases down on but when he had searched  Hongwon-dong cold cases he came up empty.  In order to find out if anything really is going on in the neighboring department, Jae Han goes on a info fishing trip and questions a friend that works there.

Jae Han is fatefully in Hongwon-dong when a murdered girl is found with a very specific style of body dumping.  Suspecting that this might be the case Hae Young had been talking about, Jae Han widens the investigation and finds a second body dumped in the same manner, but in a different precinct.  If they can find one more body it will officially become a serial killer case.

Jae Han realizes what he is looking at right away and tries to convince his boss to let him investigate the murders.  He, of course, is turned down by Director Kim who wants to ignore the signs since no one wants a serial killer to ruin their reputation (just when you think he could not become more of a scum.)

Jae Han decides to ignore his boss (understandably) and investigate the case anyway.  Lurking in the hallways, young Soo Hyun decides that she is going to help Jae Han on the sly.  She dons some casual clothes and starts walking around the neighborhoods of the two murder victims and see if she can find any connection.

QUICK NOTE…………  I Loved the new song that was played in this scene.  Check it out below if you are interested.

 

Jae Han stumbles across Soo Hyun while she investigates and sends her home with a scolding.  But the damage is already done when she had entered Killer Clerk’s store and caught his interest.  Sure enough, Soo Hyun is lured by an injured dog and captured by the psycho.

Soo Hyun awakes with a black plastic bag on her head and the Killer Clerk caressing her face and telling her she will be out of her pain soon.  Killer Clerk leaves his house and Soo Hyun manages to escape, still tied and with the bag on her head, she runs frantically away from the killer.  She simply runs forward but hits something and is knocked out.  Next thing Soo Hyun knows is that Jae Han has found her and taken the bag off her head.  In the background, we see Killer Clerk slink back into the shadows.

The Serial Killer Case – The Present

A new body is discovered on a hiking trail wrapped in the exact way Killer Clerk had disposed of his victims in 1997.  The arrival of a third body makes this an official serial killer case and also brings up terrifying memories for Soo Hyun.  When Soo Hyun suggests the Cold Case Squad take on this mystery she admits that she was also a victim.  Soo Hyun also informs the team that the murders had supposedly stopped after her attack in 1997.

Jae Han suggests that they send in a team to look at the hillside where the newest body was found.  Due to the fact that the mountain was just recently made into a hiking area, chances are good that they will find more bodies if the killer had continued to be active.  Sure enough, they come across nine more victims and proof that there is indeed a killer still on the loose.  The hunt is officially on.

My Thoughts:

I will admit I totally freaked out at the Clerk Killer plot.  He is just so fudging creepy that I can’t focus on the specifics or I start suspecting every person I pass on the street of nefarious intentions.  I know I say this every week, but this show just manages to up the intensity over and over.  Now that we are halfway through I am looking forward to discovering the facts surrounding the overall mystery arc as well as seeing how the Clerk Killer case gets solved.  Will the past detective team manage to stop 20 years of future murders?  Or will it be Soo Hyun and the Cold Case Squad who take down the big bad.  It is always exciting that I don’t really know which way the writer is going to go.  Makes things as exciting as seeing competent cops in a kdrama for once.  YAY for good writing.

Til next time,

Kmuse