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Equator Man: Episode 14

Tension and thrills abound as we get a hefty serving of courtroom drama with a shocking side of depravity. As of now, Equator Man seems less like a revenge tale and more like a quest for justice, since that’s all Sun-woo is asking for. And by going through the legal system, he’s asking pretty nicely. What will our good-hearted, morally upright hero do if the system fails him?

Note: Equator Man won’t be getting an extension after all, and will end with its originally planned twenty episode run.

 

EPISODE 14 RECAP

With those last biting words that the man in front of her isn’t the one she once knew, Ji-won leaves. Sun-woo belatedly attempts to chase her down but is too late, as Ji-won disappears into a taxi.

He returns to his office dejected and slumps down into his chair. An attempt to look at the cityscape from his impressive windows only gives him a hallucination that Ji-won is also in the reflection – and in case you weren’t sure that Sun-woo is doing some serious pining, he’s also got the picture of Ji-won to make a sad face at.

We find Kwang-choon hooked up to a lie detector as he tells the story from that fateful night, and his nervousness is palpable. The needle stays even until he claims, “I didn’t see anything that night.” And just as the needle starts to go haywire, Kwang-choon hears someone call his name…

It’s Kyung-pil in the flesh, asking him for help. “Why didn’t you help me on that day?” the specter asks. “I could have lived if you helped me.” Kwang-choon becomes scared out of his mind as Kyung-pil approaches, screaming frantically, “I didn’t see anything! I didn’t see anything!”

And then, he wakes up. The serious moment is undercut with a bit of physical comedy when Kwang-choon face plants on the floor, and the intense orchestra music from the nightmare abruptly cuts off at the same time.

Soo-mi is drawn to the commotion, and quickly surmises that her father is stressed about being summoned. Surprisingly enough she tells him to go even though he doesn’t want to, and at least tell the police that it wasn’t a suicide. Kwang-choon raises an eyebrow. Is she over Jang-il now?

Jang-il calmly informs his father that he might get a call from the district attorney, and that it’s nothing to worry about. No one knows Yong-bae is his father, and they’re just looking for witnesses – so he coaches his father to simply say he saw nothing and knows nothing.

I like that his face is lit in such a way that half is in the sun and half is in shadow, showing the dichotomy of Jang-il working for the law while also working to circumvent it. There’s probably some Jekyll and Hyde symbolism too, although there’s not much Jekyll in Jang-il. (Or if we want to go really deep, the shadow on his face is caused by his father, who was the initial catalyst for Jang-il going down such a dark path. Or the director was just playing with light.)

Yong-bae is firm in blaming Sun-woo for bringing up the past, like murdered fathers aren’t big deals these days. I wonder if he really can’t figure out why Sun-woo would go so far to submit a police petition, or if he just doesn’t want to believe it.

Regardless, Jang-il assures his dad that the case will be ruled as a suicide again. Sun-woo gives him a call to glibly mention that Yong-bae need only say what Sun-woo once heard from him over the phone to help the case. Yong-bae is ready to snatch the phone out of Jang-il’s hands to give Sun-woo what-for, but Jang-il manages to hold his own in the conversation even when Sun-woo suggests that Soo-mi and Kwang-choon be questioned by his colleague and not him.

But Jang-il’s answer is pretty priceless, in that he knows how to separate personal life from work. After all, he wasn’t on Sun-woo’s side during their interrogation, right?

Min-yun notices that Ji-won isn’t at work today, and Sun-woo tells him that she requested a sick day. We find her at a bus stop when she receives a text from Sun-woo telling her that he has a surprise waiting at the place where they first met, so it’s back to the college for her to listen to an audiobook Sun-woo recorded with the central theme of severely missing the person you love.

I expected Sun-woo to meet her there at least, but he’s got his hands full with the petition case. He’s sure that Kwang-choon will be on his side… but he’s not so sure about Soo-mi.

Surprisingly enough, Soo-mi is far better prepared for the hearing than her father, who’s nearly catatonic with fear. She’s fine with him not going, and claims she’ll tell all to get revenge on Jang-il for mistreating her. “Everyone else did once, except Kim Sun-woo,” she admits. I have so much more respect for her now that she at least realizes that fact.

Kwang-choon simply curses the day he was ever in such a wrong place at such a very wrong time. He wants to help Sun-woo, but is too scared to do anything.

It’s the day of the hearing, and Jang-il watches from behind a two-way mirror while his colleague handles Kwang-choon. The funny thing is, Kwang-choon seems to know Jang-il is behind the glass and approaches it, which makes Jang-il recoil in his seat.

Sun-woo is practically itching in his seat far away from the actual interrogation, where a sincere Kwang-choon continues to be shocked by the amount of information the prosecution has gathered. They even know his business failed (via Geum-jool’s intel in a flashback), and that he visited Sun-woo in the hospital every day. Why would he do that, if they were only neighbors?

Kwang-choon admits that Sun-woo’s father was a good man who loved his son, and that he wouldn’t commit suicide on his son’s birthday. So if it was a homicide, then he believes Sun-woo’s accident was related. Jang-il is doing a good job of hiding it, but he’s certainly growing more and more nervous.

The most important question comes: does he have anyone in mind? Kwang-choon says no.

With the questioning over, we cut back to Sun-woo and Tae-joo, who admits that Chairman Jin saw him at the banquet that night. He doesn’t want to reveal himself yet, so when Sun-woo gets an impromptu call from Chairman Jin saying that he’s about to drop by the office, Tae-joo disappears behind a closed door to remain out of sight.

And for good reason, too – it seems like Chairman Jin only came to try and find Tae-joo. He’s in incredibly good spirits due to a little alcohol in his system, and is all smiles when playing mind games with Sun-woo.

Soon the formalities end, and Chairman Jin asks about the petition Sun-woo submitted naming him as the chief suspect. Uh oh. He keeps smiling throughout, acting like it’s all fine and well because he didn’t do anything wrong.

However, he finds the reading glasses Tae-joo left on the coffee table, and the look on his face tells us that he’s got all the evidence he needs. Tae-joo listens from behind the wall as Chairman Jin offers the glasses for Sun-woo to wear, since Sun-woo claimed they were his. Man, he is devious.

Sun-woo finally puts them on and seemingly appeases Chairman Jin, who finally asks about a Moon Tae-joo being on the guest list. Sun-woo claims he can’t remember everyone that was on it, but knows that Tae-joo is planning something big as far as the mining industry goes.

That’s too bad, according to Chairman Jin, because he had something he wanted to ask Tae-joo. He says he’ll tell Sun-woo when he meets him, and finally takes his leave – his Cheshire grin disappearing into a scowl as soon as his back is turned.

Jang-il, meanwhile, learns that Sun-woo is favored by his superior for sponsoring one of their colleagues set to be on the presidential ballot soon. Now all eyes are on the petition case, which is the exact opposite of what Jang-il needs now.

We find Chairman Jin and his family putting on yet another act for Jang-il’s prosecution team, who have come disguised as novelists from a couple of centuries ago (seriously, why don’t they go for gold and use quills with that getup?). Since Jang-il let him know in advance, the whole family checks for possible bugs in the furniture as soon as the prosecution has gone.

Soo-mi gazes at her Wall of Crazy, torn between the one memory she has of Jang-il being kind to her compared to the many others where he treated her with sheer disdain. She finally takes one of the moment young Jang-il hit Sun-woo and puts it into a gift bag.

Ji-won meets with Jang-il to pay him back for her mother’s hospital bills. He doesn’t want money at first, and says she can just buy him a big dinner, clearly hoping for a date. “I can’t be more than a friend, right?” he asks. “I want to call someone every day, text her every day, ask her what she ate for lunch, what’s bothering her. But it can’t be you, right?”

No, it can’t. Ji-won affirms that they’re just friends, which prompts Jang-il to ask if she’s still waiting for Sun-woo, who can’t remember her or is pretending not to. It’s a sore subject for her, so he backs off with the admission that Sun-woo is a lucky man. He pockets the money and leaves.

Allegories abound as Sun-woo visits the center for the visually impaired he once frequented to listen to one of Ji-won’s audiobooks. It’s the same one she’d listened to, only he re-recorded it, since the dialogue shares their feelings. Basically the gist is about miscommunication and longing.

Just as Ji-won is leaving from a recording session she sees Sun-woo outside the door. He quotes a passage from the book to her, a direct continuation of what she had been recording: “I feel the same. Something is weighing down on my heart. It probably means that I long to stay in your heart.” See? The quote from the book also explains his feelings for her.

She tries to avoid him, but he pleads with her to hear him out. He gives her the police petition and explains everything. Even with that, she still can’t understand why he pretended not to know her. “You just had to tell me you were going through something difficult,” she claims. She would have understood.

But Sun-woo affirms that he only tried to protect her because he didn’t want to see her again with vengeance in his heart. Ji-won: “So you just made me a bystander?”

He planned to ask for her forgiveness when it was all over, though she doesn’t have plans to forgive him. “I will wait until you do. I won’t lose you again. I won’t leave,” he claims. When she attempts to leave he wrist grabs her, and once again she has to brush his hand away. “That’s what you think.”

“The Hemingway that I know would slap me at a time like this, and take me back,” he says. But there’s no energy in her gaze as she admits that she’s not the girl he used to know, still unwilling to accept the reasoning behind his lying. She leaves, though Sun-woo is more sure than ever that he will wait for her for as long as it takes.

Ji-won wanders the school, haunted by her shared memories with Sun-woo. Only when she’s outside does she think to herself that she was wrong, because she thought she was the only one who had a hard time.

She brings Sun-woo the box of his things she’s been keeping all this time, and wears the scarf he once gave her to work. She’s accepted him again.

Finally with the box in his hands, Sun-woo sees Kwang-choon’s letter… and then passes it up once he realizes that she kept the letter he wrote to her long ago, asking her to wait for him. He hurries to her office, finding only a note for them to meet at a park. (Love can wait, Sun-woo! Read the darn letter!)

They reunite there, and Sun-woo pulls her into an embrace the moment he sees her. “I will never leave you alone until I die,” we hear him say in voiceover. And she pledges to support him the best she can.

Then they kiss, over and over again.

With the air now cleared between them, the office atmosphere is much improved. Luckily Ji-won reminds him of the letter, and he finally opens it…

His eyes go wide. Ji-won takes the letter and reads it for herself, which plainly claims that his father was killed by Jang-il’s father, and that Chairman Jin was involved. Finally.

We next find the letter in Tae-joo’s hands, and he thinks it might be a prank. Min-yun isn’t so sure, and neither is Sun-woo. But until they can find out who sent the letter, Tae-joo advises that they keep it out of the evidence pile for now. It must have been someone close to Sun-woo to send it.

This launches Sun-woo into a series of memories involving Kwang-choon. Smart boy.

And before you can blink, Kwang-choon has been invited to Sun-woo’s office. Sun-woo has him write down his address in order to test his handwriting, all without Kwang-choon realizing what’s going on. He even sneaks the paper to Min-yun for immediate handwriting analysis.

It’s Soo-mi’s hearing day, and she arrives with the gift bag. Jang-il meets her in the hallway and notices it, knowing that whatever’s inside can’t be good. Once again he’s relegated to staying behind the two-way mirror while his colleague does the questioning, though Soo-mi’s words (“You’ll regret it.”) keep running through his mind.

She frankly tells the prosecutor that Sun-woo’s father didn’t commit suicide – someone murdered him. And when Sun-woo went to deliver the petition, someone deliberately stopped him. You can see Jang-il stiffen when his colleage asks her who, and she looks toward the mirror with a sly smirk, like she knows the torture he’s going through.

Once again she uses the words “attempted murder” to describe what she saw, of someone hitting Sun-woo and throwing him off the cliff for dead. When she’s again asked who, she gets up and approaches the mirror, just as Jang-il does the same…

“Prosecutor Lee Jang-il, who is investigating the case,” she says. Whoa.

Jang-il punches the glass separating them, as though he would have hit her face. “Stop lying!” he screams.

And then… we realize it was all in his head. We’re back at the beginning of the interrogation, and what we just saw was Jang-il’s worst nightmare manifested.

The real interrogation is much different, with a teary-eyed Soo-mi recounting events from a regretful perspective. “I should have told Sun-woo what I saw,” she claims, which sets Jang-il’s heart pounding.

But she doesn’t want to say. The prosecutor presses her, and the air grows tense. “What did you see?” he asks.

Soo-mi: “I saw Mr. Kim… buying ropes with a sad face at a local marketplace.”

Wow. She went there. She really, really went there.

And she keeps going there, telling the story as though Kyung-pil was already suicidal. That he had even spoken to her about life not being worth living. Jang-il’s eyes go wide as he realizes what Soo-mi is doing for him, and my eyes are just wide, period.

We cut briefly to Sun-woo, and the words “The End” on his television screen. How fitting.

Soo-mi even displays a sketch of the way she saw Kyung-pil that day, looking depressed. She even cries tears of supposed regret.

Jang-il follows her into the hallway, and for a moment they both turn their backs to each other without exchanging a word. He finally turns back and so does she, with tears in her eyes. They share a long, silent look before going their separate ways.

Meanwhile, Sun-woo gets the results of the handwriting analysis. It’s a match, which makes him wonder why Kwang-choon tried to tell him when he was blind.

The prosecution team has met up with the fake employees Chairman Jin planted, who wove tales of Kyung-pil’s suicidal tendencies, with even one attempt to kill himself. Jang-il looks silently pleased – he’s winning – but colleague Joon-ho, at least, seems to doubt this information.

Sun-woo pays a late night visit to Jang-il in his office, who acts regretful that his father’s case may end up the same way it did way back when – as a suicide. But hey, that’s better than having your father murdered, right?

That’s actually what Sun-woo’s here to ask about. A moment of silence passes between them before he asks, “Was my father murdered by your father? Fifteen years ago… was it your father who killed my father?”

 
COMMENTS

Oh, Soo-mi. You are dead to me.

It was definitely a nice twist to have her give a false testimony, since she’d done a decent job showing her torn loyalties between her friendship to Sun-woo and her obsession with Jang-il. So it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that she sided with Jang-il, but juxtaposed with the dream sequence before it where she outed him, her testimony was all the more chilling. The depths to which she lied and the extent to which she cried were all soulless and terrible. If I think from Soo-mi’s warped psyche I can understand why she chose to save Jang-il, but it’s not enough to excuse the harm she’s doing. She’s out for revenge, but what she pulled was risky – Jang-il might not have enough of a heart to allow himself to be indebted to her for life just because she saved him, which is my guess as to why she did it.

In fact, I’d be interested if they manage to turn her around at some point during the series, because this seemed like a point of no return for her. Even if she changes her story later there’ll be too much doubt, and with conflicting stories all over the place it’ll certainly be hard to prove much of anything about Sun-woo’s father. It’s why I actually liked the cut to “The End” on Sun-woo’s TV, because it really is the end for this case. Now I’m all the more curious to see how Sun-woo makes a new beginning if the legal system fails him.

Jang-il’s reaction to the testimonies was interesting – or rather, his lack of decisive action. He couldn’t control Kwang-choon’s testimony, and unless he was 100% sure that Soo-mi would lie for him, what on earth was he thinking? If he was just willing to let the chips fall where they may, it’s pretty passive considering how he was willing to kill in order to assure his future before. So now with everything hanging by a thread, why he didn’t try to change the course of events is a mystery to me. Yes, he would have had to cater to Soo-mi a bit, but after everything he’s already done to save himself, what’s one more thing? He clearly knows that she’s obsessed with him, and could have quite easily turned her into his puppet if he so chose.

It makes me wonder then whether it was pride, arrogance, hatred, or plain stupidity which prevented him from assuring the outcome of Soo-mi’s testimony. His thought process concerning this whole legal debacle and possible end to everything he’s suffered for is much more interesting than Soo-mi’s, or even Sun-woo’s, for that matter. We all know what they want, and what they’re after. I used to think I knew what Jang-il wanted, but now I’m not so sure.

 
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Cannot wait to read this recap - loving all the recaps thus far :] (will update when I finish reading!)

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Oh my. Just oh my. I can't believe what Soo-mi did...but what's also interesting to see is that I like how this drama shows how corrupt the legal system can be.

I kinda wish that Soo-mi said what actually happened...but then, we wouldn't have that beginning we saw from the start, I suppose. Somehow, that will tie in at the end.

(Been a silent reader, but thank you for the recaps~!)

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Heads....2 recaps in one day? =O Thanks for this though. ^^ Hope you'll be getting some sleep now.

1. I'm glad EM is not getting an extension. *whew* What a relief.

2. I agree.....Soo Mi is dead to me...wait, she was dead from before but with this episode she came back to life for the sole purpose of dying again.

3. Jang Il, I believe knows how pathetic she is and so although it was risky, he allowed her to testify because really....if she went this long without saying anything, chances are she won't say anything. He trusted in her stupidity and it paid off.

4. Sun-Woo will learn now that the law is not on his side, although I figure that he already suspects. He now needs some more hardcore revenge methods.

Show....this is the last lap. Don't disappoint me please.

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I dont know why but i really like Soomi´s character its easy to hate but i think it just add something at least more than Jiwon

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i like watching soomi and jangil couple too...i think they are more intense, interactive, dramatic and juicy... hope that there are more screen time for them in the rest of the drama...and i really can't figure out what else jiwon can do in the coming episodes..seems she has done her job already...haha...

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i think it was pretty much expected that Soomi is not going to say anything that easy atleast not this early since we're only half-way through the serie. There's get to be something really big going on for her to spill the truth.
But Soomi is fun to watch cause you don't know what she's thinking and her next move, compare to bland Jiwon who pretty much stayed in the background.

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soomi is so interesting to watch,you never know what she's thinking and i am also wondering why jang-il made no effort to
persuade soomi to be on his side when it wouldn't be that hard to do,he was clearly shocked that she lied for him,so that part made no sense..

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soomi is so interesting to watch,you never know what she's thinking and i am also wondering why jang-il made no effort to
persuade soomi to be on his side when it wouldn't be that hard to do.He was clearly shocked that she lied for him,so that part made no sense when we know that he is someone who would go to far lengths to get what he wants..and as disappointed as I am with soomi she is still a better character than ji-won,at this point I want her completely off the show,all her scenes are as boring as dirt and I don't care about her romance scenes with sun-woo.I hope they give her very little screen-time in the future,but that's probably not gonna happen since she is the lead girl uugh.Other then that the series is quite enjoyable and I can't wait for ep 15!

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Soo-mi is really such a self serving b*tch. How can she cover for him and mess up Sun-woo? How on earth does she still love Jang-Il, the almost-murderer bastard that he is?

Soo-mi has been really boring me lately and somehow I end up hating her more than I dislike Jang-Il or even Yong-bae. At least they have legitimate reasons for not saying who the murderer was....

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You hit the ball out of the park! Soo Mi has had Sun Woo defend and be her friend since childhood and for her to callously LIE like that is unforgivable. I can't wait to see Sun Woo's reaction. He already expected to side with Jang Il but to LIE? Ep 15 will be interesting!!

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wow...I don't even know what to think about this episode...

This is why I usually avoid watching multiple dramas like Equator Man at the same time. They're so frustrating. I can only take them one at a time every six months or so.

Let's just put aside Jang-il for the moment and talk about people who are supposed to be friends of Sun-woo.

I'm really concerned regarding Soomi's and her dad's take on justice. I understand that people will avoid getting mixed in with lawyers and the police and everything, especially if they have a previous record, because they're scared and all that. But this isn't a case of selling fake medallions, this is about a man who was killed and bringing justice to the murderer. This is about helping a friend to whom you admit has never mistreated and is probably the best thing in your miserable life. I really don't know how they sleep at night, knowing what they know and how easily they can help bring justice.

Sure Kwang-choon, you're afraid but how can you not tell the police about what you saw. That has always been a problem for me ever since we found out that he was a witness to the murder. For that, I can never forgive him. And the fact that he still doesn't to tell just makes me sick and all his loving gestures and concern for Sun-woo seem fake and cruel.

The same can be said for Soo-mi and more because in addition to knowing SW's dad's murder she also saw SW getting almost murdered. When she went in for questioning, I thought finally she'll tell the truth and cut some slack on poor Sun-woo but no, she puts on a f*cking show that made me wanna throw my laptop away. What is it that she's expecting? She says she's over JI but she gets weak in the knees with just one look from him. Supposedly she's a strong woman, I rather she be a dead woman.

Rather than JI being the worst, I think Soo-mi and her dad are worse than him because they put on an act of being concerned friends but they're doing jack sh*t for Sun-woo. It's this ambiguity that is so frustrating for me. Like they say, who needs enemies when you've got friends like them?

The scariest thing for me is that these characters are also found in real life. They might not exactly be like the ones in dramas, but they might do the same thing as soo-mi and her dad are doing; screwing some poor soul under the facade of being helpful. I hope no one has to go through that.

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Well said! I absolutely agree. Thank God, I'm not on my own in seriously disliking Soo-mi and her wimp of a dad.
Worse than JI and his old man.

I feel sorry for Sun Woo. It's so unnecessary. And thank God they don't extend this series to a gut wrenching other 4 episodes. It's a bit too much to ask for the viewers. Difficult to stomach such nasty, convoluted-in-their-logic characters.

Soo-Mi is despicable - I never liked her (from the moment she withheld vital information prior to their 'reunion') and that hasn't changed - regardless as to others' thinking she's 'interesting' - she's just really f-d up. And in spite of Ji Won being 'boring as dirt', at least she has decency which is something that the others lack in spades.

Something tells me that Son Woo will bring about JI's and chairman Jin's downfall (remember the first episode flashback where JI wants to shoot chairman Jin and it's actually Sun Woo that keeps Jang Il from pulling the trigger?).

This is a very twisted plot with extraordinarily twisted and f-d up characters. I liked the kissing scene between Sun Woo and Ji Won. That was some real 'juice' there - for a change...

Me thinks that Soon Mi will get her share in the latter part of the series (episode 18 & 19 right into the early part of episode 20). I wouldn't be surprised if she'll meet her demise through some strange 'accident' - except nobody will come to her rescue this time (as well there shouldn't). I don't like to think she'll be getting away that easily and screwing two people's lives up (not including her own of course) for making her dad promise to never tell anyone and for letting down Sun Woo for own selfish agenda (whatever THAT is!).

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Remember we think Somi is a interesting character to watch rather than watch bland Ji Won. But this doesn't mean we think Somi is better than Ji Won, because she isn't. She is despicable but still more fun to watch than Ji Won who just stays there looking to Sun Woo... and just that. Where is the awesome girl who throw that throw that stone in Jin's car over and over?

Somi might be crazier and all, but at least she her character is doing something, be it to our like or dislike, Ji won does what?

Ji Won us a good person, but her character is very boring....

I find SM and JI pair more interesting than SW and JW's pair! Which is quite something since JI and SM aren't really a pair and SW and JW are. But everything between Sw and JW is so boring. I don't even smile at their supposed cute and loving scenes.......

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i think sunwoo and jiwon's part is kind of odd and rigid...especially when sunwoo pretended not knowing the girl which was really unconvincing....

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This is why i tend to avoid REVENGE dramas. Sun woo wont get revenge In korean dramas they never get revenge smfh

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You're right, I can excuse but not forgive JI and Dad but Soo Mi and Dad? That is unforgivable!

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Soo mi, you are Soo dead!
Sun woo, if legal system failed to provide you with justice, then just make your own justice!

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Soo-mi's character is consistent through out this drama. She has never told Sun Woo that she saw Jang Il's attempt to murder him fifteen years ago. Why would she rat him out now since she is horribly obsessed with him? In her eyes, Jang Il can do no wrong even though he doesn't and never has cared for her. That's her stupidity, and she is the creepiest character where she pretends to be Sun Woo's caring friend.
Unfortunately, Soo-mi is more an interesting psycho than Ji Won who is boring as dishwater. Soo-mi and Jang Il would make a perfect couple since they're both psychos, but Jang Il has never given her the time of day. Both actors are great in their parts, and I can't wait until they are finally exposed in this drama.

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"Jang Il has never given her the time of day"...
i wonder if jangil is going to, the way he stared at soomi was a bit different in the hallway after soomi's hearing...

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I'm sorry but I love Soomi. I always had a thing for psychos. LOL. Her & Jang-Il make the perfect couple. I think he's finally going to start warming up to her. The way he looked at her after the hearing says it all.

Also, that scene he had with Ji-won confirming their friendship didn't seem to bother him as much as I thought it would. He has finally let Ji-won go.

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Thank GOD JI is consigned to SW/JW relationship. That was a story line I did not want to see continued! It was over back in college as far as I was concerned. He was lucky she still talked to him!

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LOL, DaDa,
I also love Soomi, and I understand perfectly why she behaves like that.

You see, I also once loved someone so much but it did not work out well. So, I love it if I held a secret of him and used that secret to crush him some day... It didn't mean that I didn't care about my best friend... it just that the need to hurt back was just too much.

Now, I sound like Soomi, uh, oh...

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OOHH, scary! :-D

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I think that Jang Il and Soomi may have come to some sort of an agreement in that scene when he kneels down in front of her. We don't really know what transpired after that.

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Ugh, WHAT THE HELL SOO-MI? WHY? I know she's saving the best for last... BUT THE FUCKING CRYING? Was it really necessary?

"See? The quote from the book also explains his feelings for her".

I actually laughed out loud at that line. You crack me up. Bless~ you HeadsNo2. And thanks for your lovely recap. If it wasn't for you and your recaps, I probably wouldn't be so invested in this drama.

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I don't think the crying was a way to sound believable. I think she cried because she knew she was doing an irreparable wrong to Sun Woo and in an ironic twist, it actually served to support her lie.
And I don't know if you remember but at one point the prosecutor asks her: "Why are you crying?". I think it may be because even if they're friends, her suddenly crying so much for something she could hardly have prevented might have seemed surprising...

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why did soomi's father not tell the truth in the hearing? what was he afraid of? i don't quite get this...i know soomi is not going to say anything, probably she won't say even till the very end of the drama...

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I think Soo Mi convinced him and he is down right scared of repercussions from Sun Woo or the legal system. I'm convinced he would have gone to the police in the beginning if not for Soo Mi.

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Soo Mi is walking on a tight rope. I don't think she realizes it either. She thinks she has all the power but when you come down to it its her obsession that makes her weak. The show really had me going there for a second. I really thought she was on Sun Woo's side. I'm beyond pissed at her but I gotta tip my hat to the writers.

Thank you for the recap!

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Thanks HeadsNo2~♥ (are you getting any sleep?)

This episode is, for me, an example of why the standard K-drama 16-episode run is actually probably too many.
(This one is going to 20, right?) ...seems like it's becoming circular... ~o~ same people doing pretty much the same thing.

I've seen dozens of otherwise GOOD dramas...drag themselves to a slow death...and I feel like they could whip this thing to a *tight* and conclusive ending in only 3 more episodes, but we're gonna get....6.

But that's just my op....and I will of course continue to watch...but I sure would like a *Boom Pow!* ----even if it's Jang-Il and Soo-Mi taking another tumble in bed.

Or maybe Kwang-choon can perform a Voo-doo ritual to free Ji-Won from being a zombie. anything. ;)

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I love you sally_b for the zombie comment! I think now that Ji Won knows that chairman Jin is on Sun Woo's revenge list, let's hope to see more. Agree, her character has been too one-dimensional but I am glad the writers did not foster a useless relationship between her and Jang Il; that would have turned me off.

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I'll wait til the weekend so I can watch two episodes in one go rather than one after the other. I stumbled upon "Who are you?" and so far enjoy it thoroughly. It's an older series but it's a good one to fill the time in between 'waiting' for the follow-ups).

Soo Mi is crazy (not much of a surprise with no mother and such a weirdo as a dad). That's the only thing that makes any sense as to why she is acting the way she does. I don't think that Jang Il and Soo Mi will ever be a 'proper' couple by a long shot. Both are too twisted, self-absorbed and selfish to not let their guard down.

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This episode does focus on justice rather than revenge, and I think that is what is making us all so frustrated. As I said before, I think we all like revenge. We want revenge. Justice is boring. Whenever, you have Ji won--the poster girl for wan inaction/ike a piece of loose leaf paper waiting to be written on--be the voice of action "So, you just want me to be a bystander?", you know you are in trouble.

I do not like Soomi, but we needed someone to put this "justice" business to bed, so that Sun Woo can his revenge back on, and he can still be the good guy because he tried the proper way first.

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But Sun Woo seeking justice first fits his character. Can we forget the kindhearted teenager willing to take a beating for his friend? NOW, once the justice fails, like you, I expect the revenge to happen. What better way to get revenge but to take what's most precious to you? Jang Il, being a prosecutor!; Jin No Sik? money! Yong Bae, the bragging rights of a not-so-perfect son!

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but what he has go through so far is sucks... And It's frustated me as a viewer he still search some justice instead of revenge...

He is too soft heart at this point, after what he has go through... And his almost death experience... please Sun woo doing something significant that will make their downfall... What are you waiting for??? I want something big happen that will make the plot move forward.... Hope epi will will deliver.

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It's one thing to HIDE the truth Soomi knows about JI, but it's a whole other ****t to make up such a devilish lie to prove Sun Woo's father's suicide. If this is an attempt to to get close to JI than its a big FAIL, b/c obviously she will never be able to reverse her testimony, hence the statute of limitations for the case is getting pretty close.

I only feel sorry for SW's dad... The rest can battle it out.

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Right, that's why even though I didn't expect her to reveal the truth, I was still surprised that she took the big step and actually backed up the suicide theory. But I think it was well executed, what with her hesitating, and crying all the while, to show that she's torn until the end.

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There is just one explanation to her devilish behaviour: she is definitely psychotic. It can't be just love.

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P.s I am glad it's not getting extended.

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Is it weird that I find Jang-il and Soo-mi more interesting than the two leads, character-wise? :/ Their scenes are more compelling somehow..

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No,I agree with you I have a tendency to root for the psychotic and twisted characters more than the good boring ones(that can't be healthy lol),but I doubt that they'll ever get together(JI and SM)they have good chemistry together but he has always treated her like crap and I don't see that changing anytime soon!

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hello
thanks for the recaps
I love this show I think is one of the best around the complicity of the characters got me hook!
I hope that the rest of the drama ,brings more exciting stuff on the table too!

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Yeah, HeadsNo2, Soo Mi is dead to me also! The final straw that broke the proverbial camel's back was to tell that bold face lie! I was like WTF!?!! And I said it out loud before I could stop myself! Yes, as someone mentioned, Soo Mi is psychotic, probably more than Jang Il would be willing to handle. But she continues to hold the knowledge of Sun Woo's accident over his head plus the knowledge that Sun Woo knows who did cause it.

I always get a kick out of the righteous indignation of the guilty! Between Yong Bae and Jang Il cursing Sun Woo because of his actions but at the same time, I get a kick out of Jin No Sik's nonchalant attitude because technically he did not kill SW's Dad so we have to acknowledge that he does not care about SW more than he cares about Tae Joo!

As far as Ji Won/Sun Woo, I am glad that relationship can now flourish and hopefully we see some collaboration between them as not only Sun Woo gets revenge but Ji Won will also.

And please, writers, I love Minion but let's give him a name that he so richly deserves!

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And HeadsNo2, thanks for recapping! You are the only one actively doing it that I know. Others have given up so here is the only place I can vent. We appreciate all of you recappers, tremendously! :-D

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well now i hope this is the beginning of some actual revenge on sun woos part. i feel like the show is dragging a bit. i want to see jang il/his dad, charimin jin, and soo mi/her dad pay. I need the revenge to be like count of monte cristo where he ruthlessly but very very smartly ruins the lives of the people who wronged him.

i actually want him to ruin soo mi the worst. what jang il did was disgusting but he did it to save his father. but soo mi lying all this time and covering shit up for a guy who despises her? are you serious? pathetic.

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Thanks for the recap.
I am still watching, but I am not enjoying this - there isn't much fun to be had, is there?

It is compelling and I do want to find out how they are all going to end up, but still, I wish things moved faster. I wish we had less of the dramatic drawn out moments, which, at this point, are filled with me yelling things to them...
"Oh, you LIAR!" "HIT HIM!" "Tell him to go to HELX!"

hmmmmmmmm, maybe that is what I am supposed to be doing?

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why I feel sooooo alone in the world ?!!? I feel that I am seeing a different drama or my way of thinking its totally different from most of the people over here ...

For me Jang il its just someone trapped by a mistake he have not done anything really really bad since the hit incident and let me remark that it was acting on impulse that he has teenager and was trying to protect his father . (the stares and bad aura does not count as an of a “very bad person” or being mean to girl/boy because then hello all the planet is guilty)
I do think justifying him but I believe that the final scene in the episode 12 with the pictures (and from my point of view his passivity in this episode corfirm it) when he is asking soo mi first why she did not say anything and second to go ahead to tell everything is like a SCREAM of :please do the right thing that I am not able to do!!!( because cowardice, love for his father , fear to the repercussions or all the reasons together ). For me that was him begging for someone to open the Pandora box, so he can be free .
Was not the first objective of the justice that when someone commits a crime he needs to pay a price? To be honest I think he is paying it (eeey it been yearrrrrrrss yearsssss and sun woo it is alive ) it like he cannot try to “be good” because then he is an hypocrite …. Then what ??!! we are all like this .. we try our best , but at the end we ALL do “small” bad things with the left hand and good thing with the right one its life ….

And now we have this double moral of let’s make sun woo to have revenge so the “hero” can do whatever because is “hero” ?? and he is forgiven (he has not done anything so far but that seems the mindset over here).

You know lets think for a second if you put the line “I am going to destroy them “ in our “hero” all us are here cheering for him but from any other character that would be more than enough to think that she/he deserves to go to hell …

Sighhhh… well I would like to see a revenge drama where the” good ones” could be also judged because of their acts and not being only blindly supported , and where the bad ones are not just the bad because we labeled them in the episode one or two so like in sports we take one side and make the other the enemy, that would be refreshing… agrggr I guess it can’t be helped..

I apoligize for the lecture :P

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Don't apologize, I actually agree with you, to a point. If anyone could possibly be forgiven in the end, it would be Jang Il. I believe it was an act of desperation but here is where I veer off from you. It was not until Soo Mi's pictures that we saw, just a slight, a smidgen of remorse. Never has he apologized even to himself (except for the one scene where he tells his father that they deserved to be punished) to Sun Woo. Its one thing to hit someone in the head with a piece of driftwood but then to callously toss their living body over a cliff into the water depths? Dang, I cannot even re-watch that scene!

Now Yong Bae, a different story. To take the words from one of my favorite movies "YES THEY (in this case HE) DESERVE TO DIE AND I HOPE THEY (HE) BURN IN HELL!" The last of his humanity disappeared when he hanged a living man. See the parallel between father and son? Only difference, one lived by the grace of the drama GOD!

So don't apologize! There sure are a lot crazy folks in this drama (Soo Mi, talking to you)!

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And the difference between them and Sun Woo, he will not try to kill them. Destroy takes on many, many meanings!

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you are not alone, i like your lecture !! and i think in this way too...:)

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We do like to see the revenge dramas in which the characters are endowed with real complexities and tension and we will also try to understand their motives and grievances.

But I am disappointed that the fans of the actor actually try to justify what the character has done.
If you open your eyes and keep a clear head, then you will find that the crime that Jang il committed is much more than an attempted murder.

There is such a logic behide his actions: If you are in my way, I have no choice but to get rid of you by all means. And you have to forgive me because I am not in the position to choose. It's horrible to think of such a person who has no sense of shame or remorse at all.

How I wonder what is on Jang il's mind when he enjoys the fame and success earned by destroying the best friend life? Macbeth murdered Duncun and became the king, but also killed his sleep and collapsed under the weight of conscience.

If you preassumed that Jang il is a good character, you will not find it difficult to defend him. Even a criminal sincerely believes that he has never done something extremely harmful to others' lives or properties, because he always has his "reasons".

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yes, i watch the drama totally because Lee Jun Hyuk, if he is not in the drama, i will have ZERO interest in watching it...:)

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jang il feel remorse when after he hit sun woo... when he received Sun Woo's present, there is a moment for his break down, and beg to Sun Woo that he is sorry and saying that his paid for what his wrong doing is to carry that guilt for the rest of his life.... I will never forget that scene. He seems desperate and acknowldge for his wrong doing. That guilt and regret dissapear for awhile, until soomi remind him again what he has done. That's a reason I feel when he is crying, i believe he expwrience that feeling again when he saw Soo Mi's painting. he feels awful for what he did.. But that's about him and nothing else.

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The only remorse I remember was when JI burrowed himself under the covers when he returned home briefly. After that, it did not present itself until the pictures. At the hospital, that was stark terror of SW only; not guilt. The moments are too short-lived for my taste.

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I agree, the moment he feels remorse is so short..... After that he become a cold heart person who always justify his action for circumstance around him.

But I believe he has experience that feeling at least. I really do think his reason for hitting SUn WOo not only to protect his father, but more than that, to achieve his dream become a prosecutor.

That's makes him pathetic... of course.....

Unlike others, I want him someday realize what his wrong doing and finally feel remorse again, but his punishment for his wrong doing still haunting him.. Wouldn't it much more sweeter? :)

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Pissed off.

Those are the two words that best describe how I felt at the end. I HATED HATED HATED that fake-out scene with Soo-mi revealing the truth in the interrogation. Dramas do that all the time, but this...this was one of the worst instances of it. And then to go from that to the real scene? I officially hate this chick. In my own head, the best outcome would be for Jang-il to end up dead and Soo-mi to commit suicide over him. She's really pathetic and low and I want her to experience the consequences of her choices.

But yay for SW and JW getting back together. I thought their conflict would have lasted longer (and it usually would in other dramas), but it got resolved in one episode. Neat. Of course, now I'm scared for the both of them. Again.

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Be afraid, be very afraid. With remorseless Dad and border-line psycho son, those are the two I would be afraid of most. Chairman Jin is fearless and more worried about getting some imaginary revenge on Tae Joo than the attempted murder of SW's Dad.

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Soo-mi and Jang-il should make like Illithyia and Glaber and join their evil forces together. It will be glorious.

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Oh Man, a Spartacus reference! Love ya! :-D

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About JI, intriguing character, I don't think he feels any remorse whatsoever. In his twisted mind he had to do that to his bff; for his dady and their dreams. Karma though, is hitting him right in his face. If he was even a tiny bit sorry, he'd realised that right after he hit him(and tried to save him..). I can't wait for some justice in any way, be it by law or any other way...

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I don't think I'll enjoy as much if everything is just going to be tied up at the end with plainly simple moralistic notions of sin, punishment, fairness, redemption, etc. Though I really don't know what to expect from this maniacally intricate and huanting character Jang Il. Will wait and see, that's where all the fun comes from.

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can someone explain to me why that painting (moment before tree branch is strucked) back to soo mi's Wall of Crazy?
i thought that was already given to jang il

soo mi's unpredictable character interest me so much, while i just want to fast forward every scene ji won is on

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Episodes 15 and 16, you'll want to slap her silly. Believe me! She is the only downer (acting wise) of the entire cast!

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Back then when jangil conducted the attempted murder, he was more reckless. With his experience as a top prosecutor n legal training, he takes more careful, calculated steps

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What I wanted to say was I can understand jangil's lack of action
it is easy to criticise soo mi for lying, she is confused but she went with her heart, she has been in love with jangil for the longest time even though she knows as well as we do that jangil the BUTT is not capable of repaying her with gratitude

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I was so nervous watching soomi's interrogation scene. I can't imagine what jangil was feeling; I would hv suffered a nervous breakdown if I were him

back to the scene where jangil accepted jiwon's money - the man is so practical. The moment he sized n confirmed it was well n truly over, he pocketed e cash n walked off without even going thru e lunch they were supposed to hv, saying consider it already eaten

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