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Mystery Queen: Episode 13

Special Unit Seven is fully—if unofficially—functional, with all kinds of buddy dynamics warming my heart, and a secret headquarters to boot. But their newest case threatens to upset the delicate balance of Seol-ok’s home life, and disaster seems to be approaching our Scooby Squad from multiple directions. How long will they be able to enjoy their newfound camaraderie?

 
EPISODE 13 RECAP

Inspector Woo fires a warning shot, then points his gun at serial killer Park Yong-soo. “Let’s end this,” he says. Seol-ok tries to get out of Joon-oh’s cruiser, but he stops her. Inspector Woo hesitates, his gun hand shaking, as he remembers the moment he discovered Jin-young’s dead body. Seeing that Inspector Woo is unable to pull the trigger, the serial killer drives his cruiser straight toward him. Wan-seung runs up, grabs the gun, and pushes Inspector Woo out of the way, yelling, “Are you trying to actually kill him?”

Wan-seung shoots the serial killer in his hand, stopping his advance. Park Yong-soo reverses quickly, and Wan-seung shoots the cruiser’s tires to slow it down. As it turns, Wan-seung leaps over its roof to the driver’s side door and hacks at the window with his gun until it shatters, then he pulls Park Yong-soo out, wrestling him to the ground. Backup arrives, and Seol-ok and Joon-oh run to check on Yoon-jeong, who is unconscious.

Park Yong-soo laughs like a madman as he’s dragged away. Kwang-tae joins Inspector Woo and says that it’s all over now, including Jin-young’s case. The serial killer growls at them as he’s taken away. Seol-ok and Joon-oh go with Yoon-jeong in an ambulance, and soon only Kwang-tae, Inspector Woo, and Wan-seung are left. Kwang-tae tells Inspector Woo, “See, I told you we should do it together.”

The younger man asks if it’s really all over now, but Wan-seung says their work is never truly done—they have countless more criminals to catch. Kwang-tae puts an arm around Inspector Woo’s shoulder and tells him that they’ll live tenaciously, eating three meals a day. As they walk off, Wan-seung acknowledges Inspector Woo’s skills and takes back calling him a fake profiler, but the man says nothing in reply. “He’s still a jerk,” Wan-seung mutters to himself.

The next day, Inspector Woo finally goes to Jin-young’s grave to say goodbye, apologizing for holding onto him for so long. That night, Kwang-tae, Wan-seung, and Joon-oh meet for drinks, congratulating themselves on their success. “Special Unit Seven, fighting!” they crow with wide grins.

As they’re leaving, Joon-oh offers to drive Kwang-tae home, and Kwang-tae pats his cheeks, calling him a good boy. Wan-seung calls Joon-oh a suck-up, but the two men ignore him and walk off arm in arm, leaving Wan-seung to follow.

A bit later, after they’ve dropped Kwang-tae off, Joon-oh grumbles that Wan-seung always goes home with him—doesn’t he have a place of his own?
But Wan-seung just pinches Joon-oh’s cheek and reclines his seat for a nap.

Seol-ok spends the next morning cheerfully catching up on all the housework she’s been ignoring. Wan-seung, on the other hand, wakes to find himself in a fancy apartment, with Ji-won making breakfast nearby. She explains that she called him last night, but that Joon-oh answered his phone and brought Wan-seung here at her direction. Ji-won asks why he doesn’t sleep in his own home, but he says that it’s none of her business.

Wan-seung calls Joon-oh, who has just gotten up himself, and asks how he could hand him over to “another woman.” Ha. Joon-oh says he merely took him home; he can’t sleep when Wan-seung is over because he snores like a dog. Wan-seung promises him, “I’m gonna crush you.”

Ji-won says that cooking for Wan-seung is fun and offers to do it sometimes, but he says that he’s not interested in women who cook well. (Omo. Is that a confession?) Ji-won says that CEO Ha wants him to come home, but Wan-seung says he’ll only do it if he’s reinstated to his team before telling her to return the key to his apartment.

We see a listening device flashing on the bottom of Ji-won’s purse as she tells Wan-seung that Hyun-soo is dead, and he should forget her now. Wan-seung must think that Jang Do-jang killed her, too, she points out; there’s been no trace of activity from her in the last seventeen years. Ji-won says that she’ll prove that Hyun-soo is dead, but Wan-seung replies, “Hyun-soo is alive,” and leaves.

Ji-won calls someone and asks them to find out everything about Jang Do-jang. The man who’s listening in sends this recording to Lawyer Jung, who orders his own minion to dig into the man. Do any of these lawyers do their own investigating?

Elsewhere, a woman collapses outside a house, clutching her chest and moaning. Kyung-suk and her friend find her and call an ambulance.

Wan-seung arrives at the side dish shop, where Kyung-mi is tsk-ing over another of Seol-ok’s failed creations. When Kyung-mi asks why he came, he says that his team’s office is here, and he heads to the back room with a grin. Soon Joon-oh arrives, looks at what Seol-ok is cooking, and says, “Fighting!”

Kwang-tae follows a few minutes later, and immediately takes off his jacket to take over stirring Kyung-mi’s pan, telling her not to strain her delicate wrists. Kyung-mi gives a token protest but allows him to do it, agreeing that she’s not as strong as she used to be. Seol-ok watches with a smile as they flirt, and quietly leaves them to it.

Wan-seung and Joon-oh are about to leave when Seol-ok asks where they’re going, and Wan-seung asks if she ever actually works—isn’t she a part-timer at the shop? Then again, he says with a smirk, maybe it’s helping for her not to do anything. Joon-oh tells her that someone collapsed at the senior center, and although Wan-seung pretends to be angry about the revelation, he casually mentions that someone added pesticides into the woman’s drink.

When Seol-ok finds out it’s the senior center that Kyung-suk goes to, she tells them that she’s busy because it’s her wedding anniversary. Wan-seung plays it off like he wasn’t waiting for her to follow them and teases that she must be wearing polka dots today for Ho-chul.

Wan-seung and Joon-oh arrive at the scene, and Joon-oh says that he wants to get older quickly so he can become experienced and wise. Wan-seung tells him that he’ll help him age, and Joon-oh retorts that he’s been helping plenty already. Joon-oh greets CSI Na, and she smiles bashfully at him. Aw, does someone have a crush?

Wan-seung and Joon-oh question Kyung-suk and her three friends, who tell them that victim Mrs. GO MAL-SOOK is the manager of the center. Kyung-suk says that Wan-seung looks familiar, and one of the ladies reminds her that they saw him on TV, copying his “I’ll arrest you!” pose. Joon-oh snickers into his notepad.

CSI Na finds a bottle of pesticide and a pair of gloves near the wall outside the center. In the fridge, they find a row of glass bottles labeled with the ladies’ names. CSI Na tells Wan-seung and Joon-oh that the ladies have fought because of the drinks before; it’s the third time she’s had to come here. A flashback shows Mrs. Go getting angry that someone drank her red ginseng tea.

Kyung-suk and Mrs. Lee saw Mrs. Go collapse but didn’t see what she drank, while Mrs. Kim says she saw Mrs. Go drink the red ginseng. She gives Mrs. Song a significant look, which causes her to suddenly agree that she saw it too.

Back at the station, Wan-seung and Joon-oh try to figure out who had a motive, but all four of the ladies have recently fought with Mrs. Go. Joon-oh is doubtful that any of them would mix pesticide into her drink and wonders if it was outsider who wanted to bring Mrs. Go down. Wan-seung points out that the only outsider who knows about the arguments and the separate bottles is CSI Na, which startles Joon-oh.

Wan-seung remarks that this is a perfect case for Seol-ok and agrees with feigned reluctance when Joon-oh suggests that they call her. (Sure, dude. You obviously miss her.) When she refuses, claiming the shop is busy, Wan-seung tells Joon-oh never to share case details with her again. When Joon-oh asks why he’s getting so angry, Wan-seung shouts that he’s not and stalks off, muttering that Joon-oh called Seol-ok just to embarrass him. Hahaha.

Ho-chul calls Seol-ok and tells her that he won’t be able to come home tonight, and instead asks her to bring him a change of clothes. He doesn’t get the hint when she asks if he’s forgotten something. Once she hangs up, Seol-ok looks sadly at the lavish candlelit dinner she’d set out for them and sighs.

Ho-chul belatedly remembers that it’s their anniversary today, but he’s at a clothing store with a pretty young woman, who asks his opinion of the dress she has on (it costs 1.5 million won, or about 1,300 US dollars). It’s “practical,” she says, in contrast to the other one she tried, which would really be hard on his prosecutor’s salary. Ho-chul gives her a strained smile and says he likes it. When she goes to change, the salesclerk tells him that the dress comes with a free matching umbrella.

Ho-soon comes home and instantly begins scarfing down Seol-ok’s anniversary dinner. Seol-ok watches her eat dejectedly, until Ho-chul texts her with an apology and a promise that her anniversary present will arrive tomorrow, which cheers her up immediately. Oh, you dog.

Lawyer Jung calls the mysterious Mr. Kim, who recognizes him instantly, and the two agree to a mutually beneficial connection. A bit later, he meets CEO Ha privately, promising that if the old man entrusts Ha & Jung to him for a while, he’ll make sure that Wan-seung stops chasing what he shouldn’t and getting himself in danger. Ji-won watches this from afar.

After an hour-long “tea break” with CEO Ha, Lawyer Jung comes into Ji-won’s office in a good mood. She tells him not to feel too comfortable, as he knows that CEO Ha changes his mind according to whatever benefits him, but Lawyer Jung is unmoved. As he leaves, Ji-won receives a call from Jang Do-jang.

A package arrives for Seol-ok from Ho-chul, and as expected, it’s the umbrella, with a note that says he loves her. Ugh. Kyung-suk sulks to find out that it wasn’t for her as she’d expected, but Seol-ok admires it, overjoyed, and takes it with her when she goes to deliver Ho-chul’s clothes. He’s away from his office, so she gives the bag to a security guard. As she leaves, Seol-ok passes Ho-chul eating lunch with his girlfriend in a cafe, but she doesn’t see them.

Her next stop is to go to Kyung-mi’s to show off her new umbrella, and while her friend admires it, she wonders if it’s the sign of a guilty conscience. Seol-ok tells Kyung-mi not to be so twisted, adding that Ho-chul isn’t like other men—he’s loyal to his wife no matter how many other women might pursue him. Oh, honey.

At home, Ho-soon sees a newspaper article about Seol-ok helping to find the serial killer and unsuccessfully tries to hide it from her mother. Furious, Kyung-suk ignores Ho-soon’s attempts to calm her down and stomps out of the house on her way to confront Seol-ok. At the front gate, they run into Seol-ok, and Kyung-suk shows her the newspaper. Seol-ok promises that she’s stopped, but Kyung-suk tells Seol-ok to pack her things and get out of the house.

Wan-seung and Joon-oh, meanwhile, have found a match for the prints on the pesticide bottle, along with witness testimony that the suspect bought it before the incident. When they arrive at the suspect’s address, Wan-seung is surprised to see that they’re outside Seol-ok’s house.

Spotting them, Seol-ok tells Ho-soon to take Kyung-suk inside and whispers to the two men to leave. Wan-seung simply asks her if she’s going to choose to know him or not, and she watches in shock as he informs Kyung-suk that she’s a suspect for attempted murder.

Locked in a holding cell at the police station, Kyung-suk insists to Ho-soon that although she did buy the pesticide to kill mites, she’s innocent of the attack on Mrs. Go. Kyung-suk refuses Seol-ok’s help, but she also tells Ho-soon to keep it a secret from Ho-chul, saying it’ll ruin his career if word gets out.

Ho-soon tells Seol-ok that she’ll work on convincing Kyung-suk to talk to her. Seol-ok replies that they have to figure out who the real culprit is, especially since the police have evidence implicating Kyung-suk. “Come on,” she tells Ho-soon. “Let’s put that expensive education of yours to good use.”

Seol-ok and Ho-soon interview the three ladies, starting with Mrs. Kim, who claims that Mrs. Go did it to herself in a bid for attention, which Ho-soon says is a lie. Mrs. Song says that she’s innocent, but that Mrs. Lee did often drink Mrs. Go’s red ginseng, causing arguments—not that she thinks it was Mrs. Lee, of course. Truth, says Ho-soon.

Mrs. Lee thinks that it was Mrs. Song acting on Mrs. Kim’s orders, because the former has been acting servile toward the latter ever since Mrs. Kim paid her overdue fees. Ho-soon says that she’s telling the truth. When Seol-ok asks Mrs. Lee if she was planning to drink some of the red ginseng that day, she refuses while nodding, which Ho-soon interprets to mean that she’s lying.

When they question Kyung-suk, she says that she thinks it was Mrs. Kim, since she and Mrs. Go were both planning to run for president, and Ho-soon says this is true. Kyung-suk lies when Ho-soon asks her why she fought with Mrs. Go, saying that they merely had a difference of opinion during their seminar, but Seol-ok says she’s just embarrassed to admit that she was playing cards in front of her daughter-in-law.

At the side dish store, Kwang-tae watches Kyung-mi arrange lunch boxes in admiration. “How pretty,” he says, looking at her face, and when she looks at him in surprise, he says he was talking about the food. They both laugh, loudly and awkwardly. Oh you two.

Seol-ok joins Wan-seung and Joon-oh at a table, asking what they’ve figured out. Joon-oh shares that each bottle had its owner’s fingerprints on it, except the red ginseng, which also had Mrs. Lee’s—which still looks bad for Kyung-suk. Seol-ok makes what Joon-oh calls her “figuring it out” expression, though Wan-seung says that she just looks dazed. After some thought, she tells them that she has an idea of who did it, but she’s not 100% certain.

Ho-soon arrives, and Seol-ok tells her to take some food to Kyung-suk, and also to ask her every detail about the gloves she used when she was spraying the pesticide. Wan-seung silently motions for Joon-oh to write all this down. A bit later, Ho-soon calls Seol-ok to tell her that Kyung-suk left her cotton gloves on the flowerbed. Seol-ok asks where the police found the gloves, and Joon-oh tells her that they were inside out, lying on the flowerbed.

Seol-ok looks into to the distance. Wan-seung tells Joon-oh that she’s in a daze again, and to be ready to write down her conclusions. Seol-ok turns to them and announces with a smile, “I know who put the pesticide in the drink.”

 
COMMENTS

I’m torn between two emotions at the end of this hour, so let’s get the less-pleasant one out of the way first: frustration. How is it that we’re still so lacking in plot development with only three episodes left? We did get some revelations (more the promise of future revelations, if you ask me) but it seems like the further along this drama gets, the slower its plot moves. We still have no answers to any of the questions I had at the end of my last recap about Ho-chul and Ha & Jung’s shady dealings, Jang Do-jang and how he connects to any of this, or the truth behind Seol-ok’s parents’ murders.

We did find out that Jang Do-jang is probably behind whatever happened to Hyun-soo, but most of us had guessed that already. Instead of any of these very important answers, we got a random mystery involving Kyung-suk and her frenemies, and while they’re great as comic relief characters, I really don’t care about them in any other capacity. I’m glad that at least Ho-soon and Kyung-suk found out what Seol-ok has been doing with the police, but we couldn’t properly explore the fallout from that in their family dynamic, because everyone was too busy dealing with this attempted murder case. (Speaking of which, Baebang-dong is unbelievably dangerous. Is it realistic to have so many murders in such a nice neighborhood, in this short a span of time?)

On the other hand, I thoroughly enjoyed the majority of this episode for its many squee-worthy character interactions. My favorite thing (although only by a hair, because man is it hard to choose) was Wan-seung pretending to be irritated by the idea of Seol-ok helping with the case, while secretly wanting her to join them—he was hanging on her every word while acting as though he couldn’t care less as to what conclusion she came to. I’m convinced that him telling Ji-won that he’s not interested in women who can cook is a confession of his feelings for Seol-ok, since we witnessed him later mocking her terrible cooking skills at the shop. The only thing cuter is the way he uses Joon-oh to ask Seol-ok the things he’s too embarrassed to ask her himself. The three of them together are pure comedic gold.

Then we have Kwang-tae and Kyung-mi, who are clearly in the throes of an unspoken flirtation that grows more dorktastically adorable by the day. Kyung-mi was already a favorite as the no-nonsense yet loyal-to-the-death best friend, but seeing how this practical middle-aged woman turns as giddy as a schoolgirl when Kwang-tae does nice things for her is just precious. I don’t know if we were ever told whether Kwang-tae is single, but I really want him to be, because him looking at Kyung-mi and going “Pretty!” might be a tired trope, but it’s never made me swoon so much.

I also really liked that Ho-soon was instantly supportive of Seol-ok in the face of Kyung-suk’s anger, and it was sweet to see them teaming up to catch the real culprit and free Kyung-suk. Ho-soon’s a bit spoiled and very lacking in common sense, but it’s heartwarming to see that she does care about Seol-ok, because Kyung-suk and Ho-chul certainly don’t. I was so angry at the way Kyung-suk grabbed what was clearly Seol-ok’s package out of her hands, and then had the nerve to be upset that her son had sent his wife a present on their anniversary. Maybe it’s a small thing, but it’s just one more indication that Seol-ok isn’t treated with the respect and love due to a true family member.

As for Ho-chul—well, we knew he was a jerk, but now he’s been confirmed as a grade A cheating bastard. It’s not really a surprise considering the early revelation that he goes around telling his coworkers that he’s single, but it was incredibly low for him to give Seol-ok that free umbrella for an anniversary present. I so wanted her to turn around after she dropped Ho-chul’s things off and see him with the other woman! The way he treats her is especially heartbreaking because of how much faith Seol-ok has in his loyalty, and how genuinely happy she was to receive the umbrella, when any other wife would still be angry that he didn’t come home on their anniversary, gift or no gift. Seol-ok is always so grateful for the smallest crumbs of affection from her family, and it’s clearly the result of being a charity case living on the kindness(?) of strangers after her parents’ death. This hasn’t materially changed since her marriage, even though she legally has every right to expect the status of a family member. I hope that once she clears Kyung-suk’s name, she’ll wake up to what kind of man Ho-chul really is, pack her bags, and set off on her own adventures with Special Unit Seven.

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Please let there be an extension or/and second season. Three more episodes doesn't feel enough to progress the plot :(

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Yes, please :(

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+1

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Yes. This is my favorite of current shows. I could do with a 2nd season.
It's probably too late to extend without messing up the plot (?) I'll trust the writer to find a way to wrap up the main points in the remaining episodes(?). In the silver-lining dept, we probably won't have a episode of pointless filler after the climax :)

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After watching 16.... they wrapped up enough, and a season 2 is looking at lot more likely than I thought. :)

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The next episode seemed to move things along, but ditto on the wish for there to be an extension or/and second season. Seol Ok has a whole wall full of cases to solve!

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I wish for a second season, but I doubt it would happen. There is still so much to explore, especially the dynamic among the different characters. Alas! The season is coming to an end.

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I am so happy this episode brought the mystery close to home. I ma hoping this will give our Seol-ok a chance to finally let the cat out of the bag and maybe even get her Mother in law to see just how good she is at her job. I hate that her husband turned out to be cheating scumbag (even though we all totally knew this was coming). I wished we had gotten a chance for Seol-ok to come to terms with her marriage without the cheating things hanging over her head, and to finally realize herself what she was missing in her life. But if this had to happen then I am at least glad she can have her mother and sister in law by her side, and supporting her. Because that is totally what will happen right? Please tell me she will not end up losing her family over her scumbag of a husband!

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Her MIL is no better than the husband, just bad in different ways. I think it would be best for Seol-Ok to just get away from that pseudo-family ASAP. But given how clueless and naive she is, I doubt that will happen.

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true. I gave Seol-ohk's husband the benefit of the doubt, thought he respected her at some level, but giving her the seconds of his girlfriend's gifts is a low blow

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The worst of all, the free gift is more of an afterthought for the husband, something that landed on his lap without him reaching for it. He isn't even looking for a gift to give her, for goodness sake. That jerk!

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Also, how cute are Wan-seung and Seol-ok??? At this point in their relationship they communicate with this adorable mix of teasing and gruff denials off affection (mostly on Wan-seung's part) that just borders on flirting really! But there is just so much more to their relationship than plain flirting or affection or even attraction. Its the implicit trust and respect they have for one another and the way they both have each other's back in every single instance that just kills me! I don't even care at this point that we don't have much forward movement plot wise because watching these characters grow and the way they interact with one another just makes me so happy! I love them! So even though there wasn't much plot movement, the fact that the characters get to learn about each other just makes my day. I might totally regret saying this once the show ends though!

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WS definitely has some affection for SO. It's too obvious, from his words and gestures. SO, on the other hand, seems to be treating their relationship on a platonic level than anything romantic, probably because she has a family and therefore does not entertain the thought of WS as a romantic partner. However, despite the differences in their affection for each other, I love how they interact with each other. So casual, so relaxed, so concerned like two friends who have known each other for a long time. And the respect they have for the other's crime solving abilities... daebak! I love how WS constantly has SO's back, even if she does not know it, and is always looking out for her.

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Next episode will answer why we spent so much time on Kyungsuk's case...

I actually like the pace and how each case serves to reveal some extra information about our characters. Plus all the interactions we get (and I don't mean only our main solving duo)! Love it <3 <3

Only... can't imagine that the drama is ending soon... I could watch it forever...

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I know right. I love how they enrich the characters through the cases of the week or their banter. It's better than blatantly telling us to our face what each character's preferences or traits are.

I can't imagine the drama is ending soon either. Sigh.

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Why am I so happy seeing HoChul being the real jerk? Is it because of WanSeung and his swooney eyes when looking at our SeolOk?

I'm quite surprised that SeolOk' secret little detective activities got caught so easily like that. And why is KyungSuk so angry with SeolOk involving with the police? Does she know anything about SO's parent death?

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That huge over reaction got my attention also - and your theory might explain how this whole "taking her in" thing got started. Guilt? I dunno...

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me too! I couldn't tell if she knew something about Seol Ok's parents' death or if she's upset that Seol Ok's involvement with the police will cause trouble for her precious son. I think Seol Ok bothered the police a lot in the initial year after her parents' death and may have reached out to them every few years.

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hahaha! I felt the same way too but still I want to punch him really hard!! Oh I think I can use the umbrella to hurt him so badly...

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I don't think she knows anything more than SO does about her parents' deaths. However, she seems angrier for a more selfish reason, namely her son. We know how much she values her son because he is a high flying prosecutor and all, and SO's involvement with the police can potentially bring problems to her son. She can also be displeased because she thinks SO has not forgotten about her parents' deaths and is persisting for an answer to their demise. Maybe she thinks the dead should just stay dead?

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I need a guy to stare at me the way Captain Bae stares at Kyung Mi. Gosh can they just get together already!!

So what was the point of the Inspector Woo arc? He kind of disappeared after catching the culprit and it didn’t move the plot along

Bless the writers for giving me another reason to dislike Ho Cheol. Seok Ok can finally get divorced and follow her dream.

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Wan Seung should learn a thing or two from his captain on how to flirt with a lady!

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Captain Bae and KM are gold! The way they are naturally drawn to each other and complete each other's thoughts... daebak! I never thought there would be a pairing between the two.

Yes, I also thought there is no point to Inspector Woo's arc. They need not bring in Inspector Woo for the case at all, but I suppose they want to pose an obstacle to SO and WS's team to solving the crime.

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I was hoping for more Inspector Woo. :( Like maybe he'll be so impressed with Seol-ok that the MIL will be convinced to let Seol-ok practice profiling in earnest.

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I agree with your frustration. I still feel this story is all over the place and just when I start to think we're heading into some depth, bam! We're back into the shallow end.

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Oh, I didn't catch the implication of Wan-seung saying he doesn't like a woman who can cook, that's apt of Laica. Am loving the progression of affection between him and Seol-ok, it's lovely they are actually good friends now. Even with hubby's reveal as a lowly bastard, not sure whether they will be a couple by the end of this show, tho, he's still so hung-up on his missing noona. Will be happy if they end the show with both of them opening a PI agency, they have an office already anyway, haha.

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I don't think they will end up romantically at the end either. I really like your PI agency idea!

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22 Doshirak-er Street ?

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I love your PI agency idea too. Maybe the second season can be all about that. That would be fun, but alas!

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If second season will be these 2 with Scooby Squad solving cases without interference of stupid husband, clingy mother-in-law, psycho self-appointed fiancee and gangster father, I'm totally all for it. Yes indeed, but alas!

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Thanks Laica!

One other thing that struck me, is that when Ho Soon came looking for Seol Ok in the shop, Joon Oh seemed to take notice of her, a little surprised perhaps that the sister-in-law is quite pretty. Perhaps we have another makings of a couple there?

By this time, I've actually forgotten the thread about Jang Do Jang or any other crimes that need to be solved. A new question that's added this episode is why Kyung Suk is so against Seol Ok having anything to do with the police, to the extent of asking her to pack her bags and leave. I found that a rather extreme reaction.

However, even if we don't get the answer to that, it will not be a big deal to me. I think now I'm only watching for the character interactions and just want to see our nice neighbourhood detectives get their happy endings. ?

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I feel it's more because she worries for SO, for hanging up on the case for so long even though it's a suicide (or as she thinks). And SO may have been so obsessed in the past that she kept coming to the police station and caused a ruckus.

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That's certainly a possibility. She may have been obssessed with it in the past and at the back of her mind, she is still wanting to find her parents' killer, I'm sure.

The other thing that occurred to me is that Kyung Suk does not want Seol Ok to come up against her own husband. Investigations and police seems to overlap and clash with Prosecutors who do their own investigations. Maybe she set the rule that Seol Ok could do stuff as long as it did not affect Ho Chul's precious status and job. Such a pity, when Seol Ok's great talent is in deductions and sleuthing. ? ?

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I also think that Joon-Oh and Seol-Ok's sis-in-law will be a pair in the end... :)

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I really feel bad for Seol-Ok - and not just because of the way her "family" mistreats her, but because she is so naive that she totally ignored all the clues for years. I think the "charity case" mentality is right on, and she needs to get out of it.

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Laica is right about the crumbs of affection that Seol Ok is so grateful to have. I was heartbroken to see her so happy about the freebie umbrella. I really think she loves her family. it's just sad that she loves them more than they love her. I think they care about her (like when Ho Soon tried to prevent Seok Ok from getting in trouble with the mom), but they're also incredibly distant. And in Ho Cheol case, disloyal. Really, a freebie for the woman who waits on your mom and sister hand and feet? He couldn't just order some jewelry online? In the kdrama world, it seems like everyone has free express shipping.

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Poor Seol-ok, her husband mistress got an expensive dress meanwhile she got the free umbrella on her wedding anniversary?

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To be fair, the husband balked at the price tag of the dress as well. He didn't seem willing to buy it. And yeah, why did he give her the free umbrella as a gift? It's so mean of him. It's like he wasn't looking to buy a present, but one landed on his lap, so he conveniently gifted it to his wife for the anniversary. I would be very hurt if I had a present like that. I would be questioning my worth in my partner's eyes, and wondering what he takes me as?

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I agree that it seems like we have way too much story with too little time to get it done in. Now we still have to solve the old girl friend mystery, Seol-ok's parents' mystery, the father-son issues, the Jang do Jang and shady organization mystery, AND have SEol-ok free her MIL and discover Ho-chul's doucherey. Even if a lot of these plot points get tied up in one super bow--At this point how will we fit in the scene where Seol-ok gives Ho-chul the swift kick in the nether regions that he so richly deserves?

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*AND* I didn't need it before but the show has teased me too much and now I need to see something romantic with Wan-seung and Seol-ok. ?

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This got answered in the next episode. And I have a feeling that the part where SO left hubby to start a new adventure with WS will only be shown for like 5-15 minutes, romance will be hinted and FIN :(

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Her husband is a real cheapskate- giving her the FREE umbrella- hope she dumps him

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He's not even a cheapskate. He's not even looking to give her a present. One just lands on his lap, and he conveniently gifts it to her. He's just very thoughtless and mean, for a husband!!!

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I meant to say Lee Won Geun puppy face. XD

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i really dont understand ji woon, for 1 episodes i have been trying, but failing, dismally. as for Hechul, hes a scumbag. a freebie umbrella, whilst girlfriend gets a thousand dollar dress, on his anniversary. how pathetic

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Please let SO dump HC & go live happily ever after with WS. & please let HC be single for the rest of his life because I don't like him. Lol.

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He is a prosecutor. I am sure there is a long line of girls waiting to marry him if he divorces his wife. He's quite decent looking, and should have no fear for a lack of wife.

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Oh no! I was totally into the Kwang-tae and Kyung-mi ship until I remembered it's been mentioned he has small children. I hope he's divorced or widowed.

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Seol Ok and Wan Seung have that "will they or won't they?" vibe that I so rarely see in korean dramas but so typical of american shows. Generally, in k-dramas the couple is obvious and it's obvious they will eventually end up together. In my opinion, that's what takes away all the fun of shipping (in fact I rarely ship in dramas). Not Seol Ok and Wan Seung: 3 episodes left and we still have no idea. Well, obviously a lovey dovey ending is out of question but a subtle thing is still a concrete possibility. Personally, my ideal scenario would be for them to just order a second season hahah.

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Ditto!

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If ever there was a drama that deserved a couple of more episodes, it's this one. I would gladly watch a couple of more hours of this in the hope that we could delve a little deeper into some of the questions still pending. ...... And also to observe that interplay between Seol-ok and Wan-seung because together they're just something else.

On a different note, I almost want to fly to Korea and personally take care of Ho-chul if no one else is because seriously, his level of thoughtlessness is beyond words.

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I almost want to fly to Korea and personally take care of Ho-chul if no one else is

Oh, hell yes. His total unconcern of 'oh, the anniversary' was seriously rage-inducing. And sending her the girlfriend's add-on? To quote "Clue", that was a 'flames, on the side of my face' moment.

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Love this ahjumma

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thank u Laica!! <3

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Thank you, Laica, for the recap! I looooooved this episode; we really begin to see the deepening relationships for our Scooby Squad.

I have come to realize (for me) the writer's overarching plot isn't so much a defined journey from point a to point z as it is a journey of emotional growth for our characters. Wan Seung's telling line to Inspector Woo in the beginning- about 'there is no finish line', represents the writer's intentions for me.....which frankly, is a fair approximation of real life.

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I missed commenting on last week's episodes so sorry if this was already asked, but where is Dong-ki??? I hope nothing bad happened to the actor that they had to write him off...

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I also wondered why they had everybody back but not Dong-ki ? Yeah, hopefully it's not because something bad happened to the actor.

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He was sent to a provincial police station, but I hope that doesn't mean the actor had a real life issue. The team isn't officially reinstated yet - hopefully he'll be back next week?

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I'm okay with the lack of plot development as I think the drama is not really plot-centric. Perhaps this is more like what Koreans termed a human drama, with some mysteries thrown in.

My heart ached for Seol-ok, seeing how happy she was receiving the free umbrella. Man, that is just so ....

On the other hand, Captain Bae and Kyung-mi made me cringe, in a good way. They're so adorable.

I agree that this is a drama that can have a season 2, I certainly would watch it.

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This show's cuteness crept up on me. I thought it would be a crimefighting procedural + ambitions achieved late in life, but the characterizations and motivations are very well- written. I'm sorry to see so much tragedy in SO, WS, and Inspector Woo's lives, but that's what ties them together for me. I'm not sure why he was suddenly dropped into the story partway (and maybe drops out completely), but maybe he becomes a resource they can tap on later in the last 2 episodes we have left?

I wasn't happy with how the show skipped over why his partner died, and why Inspector Woo held the serial killer personally responsible. Surely there were other cases Woo's partner was working on, and therefore he collapsed of exhaustion? (Was there something not translated in subs?) Why blame this one dude and hold him so responsible if he died from overwork?

I love how the shop has become HQ for Unit 7. And I love the flirtations that are happening between Chief Bae and Kyungmi. And of course I love the best parts which are SO and WS of course. The slow burn of the bickering foreplay between older folk in their 30s is also manna from kdrama heaven! Made all the sexier because she doesn't know what's happening to her - finding a lifelong friend who could become much more, and that he sort of knows he kind of likes her but has baggage and a mystery to unravel, but is cheeky enough to enjoy the pigtail-pulling process which is harmless - or so he thinks.

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This episode and the next I really couldn't care less about the plot, because I was consumed with burning rage over Ho-chul and his family's treatment of Seol-ok.

I don't know how this will be resolved in so few episodes - there's a lot of balls in the air, there.

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I'm quite ok with Inspector Woo be written off like that. Seeing his whole arc, it feels like he's just another weekly or case-ish character-like Joo-Yeon&Hee-Chul, but he came out so well that everyone expects more from him. Dong-ki (Wan-Seung's partner) has been also disappeared after the disbandment of Special Unit 7, no one asks about him. Poor guy.

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Honestly, I just want Season 2 to be Seol-ok and Wan-Seung being Best Friends 4-EVA, throwing it down for old-fashioned mysteries and everyone else marveling at their prowess.

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