SQUEEEEEEE!  I am so excited to be recapping this drama with Drama Geek.  So much so, that instead of sleeping like a sane person, here I sit typing out my thoughts.  Because sometimes fangirling over great plot and OTP chemistry trumps real life.  So join me as I share all the moments that I loved in episode 3 & 4 of Suspicious Partner.

I am sure that Drama Geek shared all the basics about our co-capping (I assume since I am writing this before she has her recap done so I can fit it in between my shifts.)  So if you are expecting step by step, this is not the place.  Although, I am happy to answer any questions you might have in the comments if I did not touch upon any specific scene.  I am also sure she touched upon the new drama formatting that several of the stations have switched too.  Just in case you were wondering, I hate it with a passion.  Just because you say it is episodes 3 and 4 doesn’t mean it isn’t just episode 2 with a larger commercial break in the middle.  But sadly, I don’t control South Korean TV scheduling so here we are.

I was a tiny bit nervous when Drama Geek and I 1st discussed recapping this drama.  As many of you know, we just came off a recap project of a drama that was less than stellar in the plot department.  I still have poop wine flashbacks now and then. I was actually leaning towards tackling a more serious drama such as Circle or Forest of Secrets.  But once I learned that the writer of this drama was the same person who penned I Remember You, I was all on board.

A perfect night for murder

I am ecstatic that we didn’t have to dither around for 6 episodes while wondering what actually happened to the scummy ex-boyfriend (am I the only one happy that we don’t have to see his smarmy face on our tv screens anymore?)  We find out what happened right away, as we observe our leading lady witnessing the dumping of a body on a neighboring rooftop.

Or Bong Hee would have witnessed the dumping if she had actually had on her glasses.  Instead, the killer assumes that Bong Hee saw his nefarious actions when really she was staring blurrily out into the night thinking how humid it was.

So what is a good killer supposed to do when he thinks that somehow this random girl has seen him lurking on rooftops dressed all in black and getting rid of corpses?  Go over to her apartment and murder her as well of course.  Why stop at one murder when you can cover your tracks with two?  Or make that three since instead of Bong Hee, the killer finds Jackass Ex entering the apartment in a drunken attempt to get back with Bong Hee.

And since this is a Kdrama, our killer and Bong Hee have to cross paths in the darkened streets as he leaves the scene of the crime.  The Killer pauses in shock as he realizes that he murdered the wrong person (Really?  Didn’t you kind of get the impression that the person you killed was a guy and not a girl? This killer really doesn’t do well with small details does he?) and Bong Hee pauses enough for dramatic effect and to realize that the man she just passed was whistling.  Of course he’s whistling because at least 20% of all serial murders in kdramas enjoy whistling a little ditty post-murder.

Jailhouse OTP

Bong Hee is brought in for questioning, still covered in Jackass Ex’s blood and seemingly still in shock.  She awkwardly rambles about how she, of course, is the main suspect to the police only to be stopped when Relationship Wrecking Hoochie bursts in screaming that she killed him.

Inside the jail cell, Bong Hee uses her phone call to call the one person she can trust….Noh Ji Wook.  Once again, I am amazed at these two actors stellar chemistry as they stress banter back and forth over Bong Hee’s imprisonment.  The end result is Ji Wook stomping over to the jailhouse, pulling at his hair and muttering about how he has met the woman who is fated to screw with his life.  There was a whole thing with a monk when he was a child giving life predictions, but I won’t go into detail.  Just watch the episode for yourself for details.

It looks like things might be looking up for Bong Hee.  She might be in prison, but she has a friend in Ji Wook who will take her side and help… right?

Between a rock and a hard place

Or maybe not, since it turns out that Jackass Ex was the son of a high-level prosecutor and the grieving father is determined to make his son’s killer pay.  He forces Ji Wook to take the case (ethical conflict be damned) and informs the poor prosecutor that if he doesn’t win he will promptly be fired and never work as a lawyer again.

What is a poor, extremely hot, and mostly ethical prosecutor supposed to do in a situation like this? The answer is to do his best to both win and lose at the same time.

Making a deal with the devil

Enter Ji Eun Hyuk.  Our puppy lawyer who is begging to get back into Ji Wook’s good graces.  He will literally do anything our leading man asks, including defending Bong Hee against Ji Wook in the upcoming murder case.

I really enjoy all the hidden angst between the two men (Ten to one he was the person Ji Wook’s ex was cheating with.) and I am starting to like the growing friendship between Bong Hee and Eun Hyuk.  Eun Hyuk’s moments with both of our leads was a mix of puppy cuteness morphing into sudden intensity.  Have I mentioned yet how much I highly appreciate the deep thought that went into casting these actors?  The combo of solid acting and stellar writing is just connecting 100% with this viewer.

Searching for clues & other Ji Wook moments

I think we need to take a moment and look into the all around actions of Ji Wook.  When he is asked why he is going the extra mile in researching all the case details, Ji Wook simply says he is being thorough so he can convict Bong Hee.  Words that his coworker doesn’t buy judging by the side eye roll look his subordinate is giving him.

While searching the murder scene Ji Wook glances at all the pictures of Bong Hee as a child, commenting that she looks familiar.  Quickly adding that it must be because she was so common looking as a child.  Pphhtt… I think someone is in denial.  Ji Wook is distracted from the photo as his coworker finds Bong Hee’s journal/calendar.  Many of the spots had comments about Ji Wook’s annoying behavior written in the spaces.  But before we can see our leading man’s reaction to the comments, he spies something from the corner of his eye.  Under the fridge (pretty much in plain sight) is a bloody knife.

Just as Ji Wook pulls out the possible murder weapon he receives a phone call that a 2nd murder weapon had been found.  An exact copy of the knife Ji Wook currently held in his hand covered in blood.  Only, this knife was found a few miles away in a field by some random joggers.  Two knives, but only one could be the murder weapon. Anyone want to scream frame job about now?

Courtroom happenings

Surprising, the trial continues despite the unknown presence of two murder weapons.  We have a volley of great legal grandstanding between Ji Wook and Eun Hyuk.  Both men are obviously in it to win it, although Ji Wook looks pained anytime he makes a successful shot against the defense.  It begins to seem that Bong Hee might even have a chance until she blurts out the question, “Doesn’t everyone occasionally think about murdering their husband or boyfriend?”  Hahahaha.  Everyone’s “doh” expressions were priceless as Bong Hee looks around and realizes that it was maybe only her.

As the trial comes to its conclusion we witness Ji Wook’s inner struggle.  His father, the man he looks up to above all others, was a prosecutor who put away the bad guys.  Ji Wook’s whole life had been to live up to his dad’s reputation and follow in his father’s footsteps as a prosecutor.  If Ji Wook follows his conscience than he will be giving up all that he had worked towards. For a moment, it looks like personal interest had taken over our prosecutor as Ji Wook produces the knife found in Bong Hee’s apartment.  While the idea of a frame job is brought up by the defense, it is pretty damning evidence.  Ji Wook even gives the court the sentence of 15 years in prison as the punishment if Bong Hee is found guilty.  I don’t understand South Korean murder laws, but judging from all the gasps, that was pretty dire.

Just as I had lost all hope, Ji Wook interrupts the defense’s closing arguments to produce the 2nd, and real, murder weapon.  Thereby making sure that all charges against Bong Hee are dropped.  WOOT!  This was so much better than if he had just been playing on both sides of the fence.  Extreme internal angst always makes a court showdown better.

An ill fate?

So here we are with a free Bong Hee, who is beyond grateful to her new hero Ji Wook.  Unfortunately, Ji Wook is suffering as he is abused by his boss (I still don’t understand why framing Bong Hee for the jerk’s murder is better than catching the real killer?) and promptly fired from his dream job.  As he leaves the prosecutor offices he runs into Bong Hee and declares that they are ill-fated and he hopes never to see her again.  Ji Wook then walks away without looking back at our crestfallen heroine.

Odds & Ends

Now that our leading lady is free to roam about and fatefully fall into Ji Wook’s path all is right in the world right?  Nope.  We have a killer on the lose still.  A killer that still has Bong Hee in his sights since as she leaves the jail we hear a familiar whistling in the background.  Eeek!  Whistling is so creepy when done right.  I suspect that our killer is here for the duration and that Bong Hee will need a lot of close and personal protection from Ji Wook.

Can we also take a minute to discuss how creepy it would be to go back to the apartment that your ex-boyfriend was murdered in?  There is no amount of bleach that could rinse that trauma from my brain.  I think it is time to move post haste.

And on one last note, can I just say that I am adoring CEO Byun?  I am so used to seeing him as the dastardly villain that I am shocked at how likable he is as the friend/mentor/boss of our two leading men.  Please, can we keep him as the awesome older charismatic comic relief and not make him an evil mastermind?  I am liking the change.

My Thoughts:

I love this drama.  I love this drama so much that if the drama was a person, I would want to stalk it and put photos of it up all around my room.  OK, maybe that is taking things a little bit on the creepy side, but I can’t explain my relief on watching a show that not only has an AMAZING OTP, but an actual plot that gives me chills.  This writer is masterfully mixing humor, character development, mystery, and romance into one huge smorgasbord of drama perfection.  I personally, can’t wait to watch episodes 5 & 6 (insert eye roll since this counting is still so so very stupid) and I hope that you all continue on this drama journey with me.