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Catch the Ghost: Episode 5

Theme of today: trust issues. Partners have to know they have each other’s backs, but it can be difficult sometimes for our chief inspector to keep up with his newbie officer. And she’s going to need the backup, not just because she’s good at getting herself into trouble, but also because the Subway Ghost seems to be creeping closer to her with each passing day.

 
EPISODE 5 RECAP

At the station, Soo-ho shows Ji-seok and Yoo Ryung the case file of pro boxer Won-tae’s murdered ex-girlfriend. The deceased’s missing ring and wallet led the investigators to assume a mugging at the time, but Yoo Ryung recognizes the ring in the woman’s file–it’s the same one Won-tae’s fiancee Hye-jin now wears.

But while they’ve been discussing the file, Won-tae has been on his knees begging forgiveness, and Hye-jin gives in and indicates that she won’t press charges. Won-tae gloats as Man-jin removes the cuffs, but Yoo Ryung’s not ready to give up yet.

Even as Ji-seok protests, Yoo Ryung pulls Hye-jin aside to show her the file with the photo of the ring. Yoo Ryung pleads with her not to return home with Won-tae and asks her to consider how sad her family would be. But that seems to have the opposite effect Yoo Ryung hoped for, and Hye-jin leaves with Won-tae.

Ji-seok tells Yoo Ryung to turn the new ring evidence over to the detective working the murder case, but Yoo Ryung doesn’t want to give up her efforts to protect Hye-jin. Ji-seok puts his foot down though, saying that they’ll only aggravate Won-tae if they persist, and he refuses to cave to Yoo Ryung’s pleading stare.

At their home, Hye-jin’s eyes keep darting to the furniture where the ring fell off, but Won-tae offers to take care of the broken dishes himself and asks her to make him soup. This requires a trip to the grocery store, and once Hye-jin is out of the house, Won-tae retrieves the ring himself.

Meanwhile, Yoo Ryung won’t let up, and asks her team to at least reach out to Hye-jin’s parents. But it seems that Hye-jin doesn’t have any family to contact, and this news sets Yoo Ryung’s resolve. She tells Ji-seok that she’s got to go, and she doesn’t stop when Ji-seok order her to keep away from Won-tae. Sigh. Soo-ho moves to go after her, but Man-jin stops him, and Ji-seok tells them both that he’s decided to stop caring and plans to transfer Yoo Ryung. Double sigh.

The ring is gone, of course, by the time Hye-jin returns home and looks for it. Won-tae is right there, leering down at her, and he asks again for his soup. Won-tae heads down to his home boxing ring to record his moves, and Yoo Ryung arrives outside their home and calls Hye-jin.

Hye-jin looks out to Yoo Ryung from the window as they talk. Hye-jin thinks Yoo Ryung is here to get the ring from her as evidence, but Yoo Ryung instead shares her own family situation. She tells Hye-jin that her little sister is the only family that she has, and she doesn’t know whether she’s even alive. She tells Hye-jin that even if they catch the person who hurt her sister, if she’s dead already, closing that case won’t bring her back.

Yoo Ryung tells Hye-jin that she understands that Won-tae is family to her, and then offers to let Hye-jin move in with her to build a new family support system. Yoo Ryung’s words move Hye-jin to tears, but Won-tae turns up and Hye-jin ends the call. Won-tae locks his gaze on Yoo Ryung from the window.

Yoo Ryung maintains her vigil into the evening though, and only leaves when she receives a call from Ji-seok demanding her presence at the station. On the dark streets, a figure dressed all in black follows behind Yoo Ryung. But is it Won-tae, or the Subway Ghost?

Yoo Ryung makes it to the subway, and in the next train car the dark hood of the Subway Ghost appears, watching Yoo Ryung through the car window. There are still other passengers in Yoo Ryung’s car though, so he doesn’t make a move, and Yoo Ryung calls Ji-seok to confirm that she’s just two stops away. She tries to apologize to him, but Ji-seok wants to talk in person.

The car empties at a stop, and a new figure dressed all in black wearing a face mask climbs in Yoo Ryung’s now empty car. This one’s definitely Won-tae, and he beats Yoo Ryung bloody. Yoo Ryung’s phone skitters across the floor, Ji-seok still on the line as Yoo Ryung’s blood pools around her. Won-tae takes off, and now it’s the Subway Ghost’s turn to advance on Yoo Ryung, a wire held taunt in their hands. New passengers spot Yoo Ryung, thank goodness, and the Subway Ghost flees.

The subway boys split up as they frantically try to find Yoo Ryung. It’s Ji-seok who finds her, and he calls for an ambulance as he loads his nearly unconscious partner on his back. She manages to gasp that it was Won-tae who hurt her before falling unconscious, and Ji-seok piggybacks her off the train and to the ambulance.

Once the doctors take Yoo Ryung away, Ji-seok calls the boys and asks them to find any security footage of Won-tae on the train. There aren’t any cameras on the train to show the beating, but they watch for Won-tae boarding the train. And that’s when they spot the hooded figure, who definitely doesn’t have the same build as Won-tae. They keep going though, and capture a blurry whirl that is likely Won-tae hopping on the train. They call Ji-seok with the news, that it might not be clear enough to arrest Won-tae.

Hye-jin has Yoo Ryung’s number up on her phone ready to call, when Won-tae returns home still covered in blood. He tells Hye-jin that he took care of the police officer that was bothering her, and tells Hye-jin to lie that he was at home practicing all night if anyone asks. Hye-jin manages a tight smile and nod before she runs to the bedroom to look for the ring.

And indeed, Hye-jin finds not just the ring, but also the missing wallet of Won-tae’s former girlfriend, both hidden in the bottom of a trophy. Won-tae discovers her snooping, and advances on her as he murmurs, “People who love each other shouldn’t have trust issues.”

Ji-seok’s mind rumbles with guilty as he recalls Yoo Ryung trust in him as a partner, and he watches from afar as she wakes at the hospital. When the doctors ask for family contact information, he strides forward to serve as her guardian. Yoo Ryung asks Ji-seok what happened with Won-tae, and he tells her not to worry and to just rest more.

And then Ji-seok’s on the street, running as fast as he can, his shirt still soaked with his partner’s blood. He barges into Won-tae’s private gym where Won-tae is practicing. Ji-seok demands that Won-tae spar with him, since he should have been there earlier with his partner to take a beating at Yoo Ryung’s side.

Won-tae lets Ji-seok into the ring, and he doesn’t hold back as he strikes hard and pummels Ji-seok. But even as Ji-seok’s eye swells and his lip bleeds, he gets up again and again, until finally he gets a rush of adrenaline. With a scream, he charges at Won-tae, more nimble than the meaty fighter. Ji-seok gets in a mighty uppercut, and that sends Won-tae to the floor. “Don’t touch my partner again,” Ji-seok says as he leaves the ring. Upstairs, he finds Hye-jin cowering against the wall.

Backup arrives to escort Won-tae to jail and Hye-jin to the hospital. Soo-ho gapes as he realizes that Ji-seok faced off against Won-tae and won, and he declares that he would totally fall for Ji-seok if he were a woman. In the ambulance, Hye-jin holds the ring and wallet tightly in her hands.

Hye-jin finds Yoo Ryung in the hospital, and she thanks Yoo Ryung for reaching out to her. Hye-jin hands over the wallet and ring to Yoo Ryung. Hye-jin won’t be moving in with Yoo Ryung, but Yoo Ryung offers to still meet up with her. At this, Hye-jin tells Yoo Ryung that she has family and presses a USB key into her hand. Once alone, Yoo Ryung watches the footage of Ji-seok avenging her in Won-tae’s boxing ring.

Yoo Ryung wipes the tears away as Ji-seok arrives to visit her. He worries over her bruises, but she returns the worry at the sight of his swollen eye and torn lip. Ji-seok, of course, lies and says he fell while drinking.

The rest of the subway crew is excited to do a televised perp walk with Won-tae, and Ji-seok tells them that he’s no longer planning to transfer Yoo Ryung. Yoo Ryung watches the news from bed with a smile of satisfaction, and she’s not the only one who’s watching. In the commissioner’s office, Officer Jeon eagerly takes credit for Ji-seok’s heroics. Ma-ri watches in her mother’s office as well, and is that a hint a jealousy in her face when she hears that Ji-seok fought Won-tae to defend his new partner?

Once Yoo Ryung is discharged, the team meets up for a celebratory meal. And to make things official, Ji-seok finally presents Yoo Ryung with the fancy baton he bought for his new partner. The new official partnership is sealed with warm smiles and a toast.

As the team wraps up the Won-tae case, the guys review the security footage and spot the lanky figure in a hood following Yoo Ryung onto the train. Yoo Ryung comes over to look as well, and she immediately thinks of the photos she found in the station at night. But she denies knowing of anyone who might be following her, though she peeks at her drawer of evidence once Ji-seok leaves for the night.

Ji-seok leaves with a clip of the security footage on his phone though, and he’s still got it pulled up when bumps into a woman at his mother’s nursing home. As the woman picks up his dropped phone to return it, she seems startled to see the hooded figure in the clip.

Ma-ri and Woo-hyuk are working late as they walk the neighborhoods where phone calls were placed by the ghost. Ma-ri runs to the payphone where the ghost called his fourth victim, the one she is certain is near where the ghost lives. She dials a number, but the phone is out of service.

In the middle of the night, Yoo Ryung continues her exploration of the subway tunnels, and she finds a passageway not on the blueprints. The way is barred by a gate with a heavy lock.

Yoo Ryung nearly nods off in their department meeting the next morning, but they’ve got an important day ahead: it’s club day. It’s the end of the month, and the police hope to catch all the perverts that will be out with the crowds that Hongdae’s club day will bring in. Yoo Ryung eagerly gets on board with the plan when they suggest that good arrest numbers might help Ji-seok escape any further disciplinary action.

Soo-ho can’t help but film his chief and maknae’s new partnership, and it turns out he’s doing it for a personal vlog. Man-jin gasps that Soo-ho is giving away police secrets to the world, but it turns out that Soo-ho’s only viewer is his mom. Womp womp. Soo-ho turns the topic to the recent disappearance of a popular vlogger, Avocado.

He shows them the video, where Avocado returns home from the clubs and then looks beyond the camera in fear. The video ends suddenly, and Avocado has apparently gone missing. Some think it’s a hoax, while Yoo Ryung of course looks ready to pounce on the case. But Ji-seok drags her back, reassures her that another officer has already been assigned, and refocuses her on club day. And for once, Yoo Ryung listens. Now it’s time for disguises.

The whole squad steps out in slow motion in their best attempts at the club crowd, covered in glow sticks and sunglasses. Oh. Wow. Not to be outdone though, Chief Inspector Gong arrives with his crew all dressed as leather-clad rock stars.Chief Inspector Gong reminds them to stick to their turf, and the pervert hunt begins. As the gang tries to blend in, they hear a group of women discussing the Avocado case, and blaming it on a train ghost.

And because the ghost rumor is rising, Commissioner Kim calls Ma-ri in to investigate the Avocado case. Ma-ri is certain that it is not related to the Subway Ghost murders, but the commissioner wants to be sure.

Back in the subway, Yoo Ryung makes her first arrest when Ji-seok spots a guy filming a group of women with a camera he’s placed in a toy dinosaur box. This is the first arrest of many, as Yoo Ryung pairs her enthusiasm with her knowledge of the subway halls and chases down even the most evasive creeps. Ji-seok sends Man-jin and Soo-ho back to the station with their line of arrests, but Chief Inspector Gong is feeling hurt by their aggressive patrolling and banishes Yoo Ryung and Ji-seok to a distant exit.

There’s no one left to arrest, but the pair run into Ma-ri and Woo-hyuk. Ma-ri explains their involvement in the Avocado case, while Woo-hyuk asks to speak with Yoo Ryung alone. Ji-seok and Ma-ri are left standing bewildered as their partners duck away.

Woo-hyuk asks Yoo Ryung if she’s really going into the tunnels and asks her to stop. Yoo Ryung wants to know if Woo-hyuk finally believes her after ignoring her two years ago. Woo-hyuk replies that he thinks it’s impossible to transport bodies in the tunnel. When Yoo Ryung asks him why he invited her to Metro, he replies that he knows that she won’t stop looking, so they may as well work together until the end. In flashback, we see that even as Ma-ri and Woo-hyuk rejected Yoo Ryung’s request for help, Woo-hyuk was there to hold an umbrella over Yoo Ryung in the rain.

Yoo Ryung retorts that she needs a detective who will find her sister, not offer pity, and she stalks back to Ji-seok. Ma-ri, meanwhile, is still thinking about Ji-seok defending Yoo Ryung, and she awkwardly departs (“I hope you catch a big pervert since you’re all dressed up,” haha).

Ji-seok looks surprised when Yoo Ryung launches into complaints against Ma-ri and the way she disrespects Ji-seok. When Yoo Ryung asks why Ji-seok isn’t at Metro, she doesn’t seem impressed with Ji-seok’s explanation that he was looking for a safe job that let him go home every night.

Ji-seok is ready to give up on arrests for the night, but he catches a wistful look on Yoo Ryung’s face as they look across the street at the crowd of dancers. He thinks about their last stop in a club, and he asks if she envies the partygoers a bit. She denies it, but Ji-seok drags her across the street to join in.

It turns out it’s a silent dance party, and everyone is wearing headphones with music pumping through them. Yoo Ryung resists the headphones, and then takes them off when Ji-seok makes fun of her chicken-esque head bobs. But he puts on his own headphones and shows off his own lack of dancing skills, and soon the two of them are shimmying and shaking together in the crowd, their grins growing larger by the moment.

 
COMMENTS

It’s nice to see an “average” day for the subway team. Like Ji-seok said, it’s impossible to live at Yoo Ryung’s speed every day, and I’m glad that for once she’s listening to her partner and sticking to the task at hand.

I think this gradual change we’re seeing comes with learning to trust her partner, and Yoo Ryung understanding that Ji-seok isn’t just another cop who dismisses cases and the people involved. Ji-seok taking on Won-tae is the most unrealistic fight ever, but I’ll allow it if it means that Yoo Ryung finally sees that Ji-seok isn’t just your average police slacker. I think she’s starting to see that she’s part of a team, not just some renegade with her own agenda, and that she needs to give as much to Ji-seok as he’s willing to give for her. Partners need to stick together, and it can’t be Ji-seok always chasing after Yoo Ryung.

The resolution of the Won-tae case is… complicated. I remain in agreement with Ji-seok when it comes to this case and exercising caution and restraint. Yoo Ryung put a lot of people at risk, especially the woman that she wanted to help, when she kept pushing at Won-tae. Ultimately, her efforts did backfire and Yoo Ryung was dealt some serious damage. But Yoo Ryung is not to blame for what happened to her. Yoo Ryung made some really bad choices, but I am not here to blame the victim. It is not her fault that Won-tae attacked her, no more than it’s Hye-jin’s fault that he was abusing her. So while I’d like to see Yoo Ryung temper her impulses, I don’t see this as comeuppance.

The real take away here is that these two need to start working together, and that’s only going to come with honesty. Won-tae was the one who brought up trust issues in his own creepy way, but it’s a problem that Yoo Ryung and Ji-seok are going to have to eventually sort out with one another if they expect to figure out how to work together. Honestly, it feels like the whole main cast is harboring secrets that are going to somehow add up to the Ghost Subway reveal. It’s going to be about finally trusting one another to get to the end together.

I’m not sure that I like the way that they’ve cut the last few episodes, ending with a cliffhanger for one crime of the week and then splitting the next episode between two different situations. I suspect it’s meant to prolong the building tension, but I like an episode that can be summed up with one theme threaded through, and these cuts leave the episodes feeling unbalanced. We’ll see how that shifts in coming weeks as we likely move from crime-of-the-week to more focus on the ghost.

Speaking of the Subway Ghost, I’m officially declaring my first suspect: Woo-hyuk. Part of it is that there’s so much chemistry between the cast members in every other scene, so when that moment when Woo-hyuk spoke with Yoo Ryung fell flat, my hackles rose. And boy did that scene fall flat for me. Woo-hyuk’s romantic interest in Yoo Ryung just doesn’t ring true right now. It feels more like a fascination, and the way the Subway Ghost has been trailing Yoo Ryung feels similar. Yoo Ryung may be particularly interesting to the Ghost because she looks exactly like his first victim, her sister.

Woo-hyuk’s pity for Yoo Ryung or confidence in her detective skills also don’t add up to me. The moment that got me was when he told her that he didn’t believe her tunnel theory. We know that the tunnel is important, so why would Woo-hyuk want to work with Yoo Ryung if he really thought it was a dead end? It would be a really great idea for the Subway Ghost to keep his enemies close, and if Woo-hyuk really is the murderer, he’s already got the most competent detective Ma-ri as his partner for safekeeping. Now that he knows that Yoo Ryung is on to the tunnels, the best way to get her off his trail is to lure her away from the subway and to his side.

I’ll be watching his shoulders for any twinges in the next few episodes, and rooting for Ji-seok and Yoo Ryung to keep breaking down their barriers and being cute together.

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Thanks @abirdword for this recap.
I like this episode especially 2 scenes: (1) JS telling the nurse he is the guardian of YR and YR was touched by this; (2) the silent dancing by JS & YR-at first each did their own moves, and in the end they danced with some choreography as if to signify their partnership has started to align. 👍🏻

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I felt the same way about Woo Hyuk during that scene.
I wanted last week's case to resolve today and I got my wish but I didn't expect it to be so violent. This episode reminded me of why I generally avoid crime genre despite watching a lot of them before. I hate abuse storylines or extremely violent stuff. I skipped some those parts just a little bit.
I laughed at the slow motion walk and loved the dance party, it was nice to see them have fun.

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@abirdword, thanks for really fast recap!
When shows take on really sensitive topics like DV, I really wish writer do some basic research and use it for entertainment, I winced more then once the way YR handled that case, not only she put the victim in danger, and she was basically lucky that abuser take it on her and not on the girl, and the way she tried to convince her to leave him was the same emotional manipulation abuser used to have her drop the charges. I have no idea where writers want to take her as a character at this point, there wasn't much growth no matter how dangerous situation she faced so far, and how many times we will watch her jumping head first into water to find out she still can't swim???

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Soo Ho to Ji Seok: If I were a woman, I would totally fall for you.
Me: I am a woman and I love your dimples, but getting yourself beaten to a pulp is totally foolish.

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Thank you for the recap, @abirdword!

I was talking about this yesterday but Yoo Ryung really frustrated me this episode! I wish she gives herself some time to think before making any decisions! That was so foolish of her to go back to the tunnel the minute she's out of the hospital! I understand she is desperate and wants to find out what happened to her sister but at this rate I'm afraid she'll end up dead herself (but of course that wouldn't happen for obvious reasons), being fearless is one thing but being thoughtless is another, I wish she stops putting herself in danger like that!

Also, pity or not, I hope she takes Woo Hyuk's offer, she needs to start working with someone, and to trust that others can help her and since she isn't planning to tell Ji-seok, Woo Hyuk it is then! At least someone would know where to find her if she'll ever go disappearing in that tunnel!

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Also, my frustration with Yoo Ryung doesn't stop me from loving her with the team, they've got a good rapport when they are working together.. and I was so relieved when she listened to Ji-seok, for once!

That dancing scene of them together was so adorable!

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These two are A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E!! It has been so long I found a couple so adorable, last probably Bok ju and joon young. I'm loving their chemistry. Hopefully they will stay this cute throughout the series

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You really caught me by surprise with your suspicion of Woo-hyuk. Although you make a good case for how he might be the ghost, I just saw his interest in YR as trying to build a relationship with an attractive young woman. Some reasons why it might not be him: he seems to have a slightly broader build than the tall, thin figure in the hooded coat, and his shoulder doesn't twitch. It would take a lot of guts to be a serial killer and the junior partner of the #1 major crimes detective. WH just doesn't come across as having that kind of sinister depth. Now I'm interested to go back and see whether they were ever active simultaneously -- was the ghost ever shown out and about while WH and Ma-ri were investigating?

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I thought he is serious case of "my dick is my boss" rather than serial killer. But it still weird that he is so on board with her investigating on her own, and isn't worried about her safety.

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Her theory took me by surprise as well and I have something to add to her case but it's a spoiler for the next ep so I guess I should keep myself shut for now.
Now for your case, Woo Hyuk spends a lot of time with MaRi and other detectives so I think hiding a twitch would be hard but then I don't think those detectives know about subway ghost having a twitch, it's a clue only we have! Or maybe the show would reveal that the twitch only happens with regards to certain stimuli and Woo Hyuk was never exposed to that stimuli when he was with the detectives so they never caught it!!
Also how @abirdword mentioned that Woo Hyuk seems to have a fascination with Yoo Ryung rather than a romantic interest, seems very plausible and interesting.

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So to sum up Subway Ghost case:
- the known victims were found in subway cars
- victims were frequent subway users (?)
- some of the victims were lured by mysterious phone call in place unknown
That's not whole lot make absolute statements about killer or victims like Mari&co. I hoped she would be better detective but all police in this show is pretty incompetent YR included.

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are the victims all women?

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No, there was at least one man shown on police board.

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Woo Hyuk being the culprit would be quite the twist. After watching Tale of Nokdu, I am on the lookout for second male leads who turn out to be more than meets the eye...

With Yoo Ryung and Ji Seok developing feelings for one another, I don't know if it's the best idea for them to keep working together.

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It would be convenient for Woo Hyuk to be the killer, but since they work almost all the time when he would have the time to plan and kidnap all those people? He could be connected somehow to the killer, but I need more evidence to connect him to the killings.

It was about time Yoo Ryung gets hurt by her stupid actions, maybe next time she will think for a second before rushing. This show is very with trusting aspect, no one is in a hurry to share valuable information and move on the investigation.

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*very stingy

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Have you ever seen the show "Dexter"? He was murdering a whole bunch of people while simultaneously working hard to "solve" those same murders...

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Of course, I have, but he was a medical examiner, he worked tons of other cases and still almost got caught a few times and had to clean house...
Woo Hyuk is with Ma Ria almost 12/16 hours every day, so when he will have physically the time to stalk, plan and murder?

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I hated how Ji-Seok felt guilty at her getting hurt - it was Yoo Reung who rushed off WITHOUT her partner and BOSS, who told her NOT to go. It's her own fault! It's a testament to Ji-Seok's patience and character that he felt guilty for this stupid hoobae's reckless and dangerous actions. And it's not even like he didn't try to stop her; she just decided to GO by herself as usual.

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Wow, and here I was thinking that it's the boxer with anger issues that's at fault but no, it somehow the victim that brought it upon herself. That dude is a murderer, he killed his girlfriend but somehow YR deserved to be beaten half to death? She didn't freaking cross the line, she just phone called the dude's girlfriend so she somehow deserves to be beaten for a phonecall? Do you and those woh upvoted even read what you write? Since when was dramabeans infected by so much trash?

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Yes, because she did on purpose. If you go and provoke boxer with anger issues, you can expect reaction. JS warn not to go there for this very reason.

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Still trash for thinking she deserved getting beaten up. So your idea of fixing domestic violence issues is turning a blind eye to it, huh? Take a seat and just shut up unless you want to keep making a fool of yourself.

I thought YR was actually reasonable and more proactive than JS. She offered that poor woman a place to stay and an option to get away from the violence.

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@crayon @HaveAHeart I'm sorry you (both) feel this way, but there's really no need to be verbally abusive and call people names; you can just agree to disagree or persuade me that your viewpoint is superior rather than calling me "trash" that "infects" this site. I don't see how you aren't a cyberbully with your rather hurtful and vindictive words.

Like others on this thread, I absolutely feel that the abuser should go to jail for his actions. I was simply pointing out that there was no need for Yoo Reung to have been so reckless about the situation. She could have spent more time persuading Ji-Seok; she could have called in Metro (c'mon she has Woo-Hyuk on a string!), she could have approached it from a smarter way, and not just from a zero-sum game of "my way or the highway". For dramatic tension, I understand why it was presented this way - one of my frustrations with the way Yoo Reung's character is that she's really very rash, and I wish she was written a little better/more sympathetically.

I can chalk this up to her character's inexperience in dealing with domestic violence situations, but I really hope that her character education arc develops quickly!

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Hmm sounds like someone is back-tracking a little. It was said quite clearly that it was her OWN fault for getting hurt. And from the rest of the context, it seemed like you were almost saying 'served her right'. Correct me if I'm just reading between the lines, but the way you worded it was extremely close to victim blaming.

While I don't agree with the name calling, I can see why @crayon and @haveaheart called you what they did. The mindset you have in your original comment was more hurtful and vindictive than simply calling someone trash. You can call it choosing the lesser of two evils but I personally would choose name calling over victim blaming mentality.

I can see that you were frustrated with how the character was written and was venting about it but unless you're prepared to be called out by these internet warriors maybe next time you should try to phrase it better.

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Lol, what can I say? You guys are wonderfully persuasive in making me change my mind about my statement. I still do think there is some personal responsibility required in reckless actions, but yes I agree that my perspective could have been presented a little better. Thank you for all your understanding and guidance on my poor state of mind; I will be more careful with my words.

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Purebristles, I don't seem to have a "reply" under your later entry on this #11 thread, where you say, "Thank you for all your understanding and guidance on my poor state of mind; I will be more careful with my words.". 

I don't feel you have any need to apologize for your reasonable comments that were worded well.  Unthinking, untrained, rash and dangerous actions often have negative consequences. Action, reaction. When you said it was her fault, I understood you were meaning that, not the OTT accusations that you were saying that she "deserved" the beating.
It was highly likely that her impulsive call when loose cannon WonTae was home, and standing right outside the window put herself, and the other woman in his sights.

I was quite put off  by the uncharacteristic vitriol and name calling of a couple of the replies here on Dramabeans, which has always been so civil.
I felt that their emotional, tunnel-vision assumptions and accusations showed a lot of immaturity, ignorance and mean-spiritedness on their part and you, similar to Ji-Seok, do not need to take on the offense in other peoples' minds.

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Thank you for the kind words @drabea. Most of the comments were from unregistered users, and that usually signals trolls, so I was a loath to continue feeding the discussion.

This discussion put me off-kilter for the better part of a month and I went into a bit of self-doubt for a while, but I'm fine now, thank you for the kind affirmation.

I think there's personal responsibility in action/reaction as you said; I think actions should be measured. The torrent of anonymous abuse I got from this Dramabeans wall was quite scary and to some limited extent, scarring.

It spoilt the show for me, and put me off engaging with kdramas for a while, and I've definitely not logged in for a while, as you can tell from my delayed note to you.

I really, really do appreciate the affirmation. <3 Happy end of 2020 to you!

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Thanks for the recap @abirdword!

The pacing and the strange narrative cuts are starting to bother me too, and the cliffhangers are getting a little annoying. To make matters worse, I'm also not on board either ships - Yoo Reung with Ji-Seok OR with Woo-Hyuk - I am just not feeling it. Actually I'm feeling a lot more chemistry between Ji-Seok and Ma-Ri (maybe it's just Kim Sunho and Jung Eugene being good together!); if there were more of their past scenes with them being cute, it might make some of these episodes a little more palatable.

But right now I can't see any sensible relationships - all I see is Yoo Reung using and abusing her relationship with Ji-Seok, and Ji-Seok doing all the giving and encouragement. Yoo Reung better step up her game if I'm to believe this isn't a one-sided lopsided relationship they have.

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As a woman, seeing the domestic violence case get sort of swept to the side by everyone else besides YR made me feel extremely frustrated. While I agree with a lot of the comments that are saying she was reckless and a bit clumsy in the way she approached this case, I'm still glad she did SOMETHING (also, maybe I'm more of a rebel at heart haha). Cases like this hit close to home, and I'm glad that they attempted to address these issues even if the execution was fairly flawed. Can't wait for your review on the next episode @birdword ~

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She did something that could put victim in danger of retaliation from abuser, JS warn her about, he told her that they need to be careful not make him retaliate against his fiancee but she didn't listen and was lucky that the boxer went after her and not took it on his girlfriend.

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You're a bit sick in the mind if you truly think she's lucky that the abuser went after her at all. The only place the abuser should go after is behind bars for his violence. Comments like yours are very shortsighted and toxic to people who are proactive and do not tolerate violence.

I get that this is just a drama but these are actual issues in society that they are raising awareness.

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And how exactly abuser should go behind bars? Just because you said so? She was lucky it was her he attacked and they could arrest him for that, because she aggravate him and he could attack his fiancee instead. So yeah I'm considered her lucky that her rash action didn't cause more harm upon the victim. Please read upon proper response in DV situation.

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He would've gone behind bars anyways for being a murderer not because I said so. If I had the power to lock people away just because I said so, people like you would be behind the 'internet jail bar', duh.

Also evidenciary support from the cctv, photographs from crime location and a proper witness statement from police and victim statement should be able to press charges. And in regards to proper response to DV, is first getting the victim separated from the abuser which was what YR was trying to do.

You should be the one reading about it.

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I love this show, despite its flaws. I have been frustrated with Yoo Ryung from the get go, but i am still watching. There is so much chemistry btw the leads and they're not even trying.

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Wow...I must be in the minority but I actually like YooRyung's character. While I agree that she's reckless to a fault and perhaps not the brightest bulb among the cops, I still like how she is able to truly empathize with the victims...Also, I appreciate her stark contrast to the male lead's personality. He was somewhat too passive about the cases at the beginning (although I understand about his regard for his own safety and protocols), but after meeting YooRyung, he's starting to blossom back into his 'i'ma catch all the bad guys' attitude while YooRyung is slowly learning to work as a team. They somehow complement each other by making up for what the other is lacking.

Also it surprises me how coldhearted some people can be by saying that YooRyung had it coming when she got beaten up by that fighter dude...even it's just a drama, I don't think anyone deserves getting beat up like that. Imagine if that was your family. Would you really say, she had it coming?

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I love her character too. I don’t understand all the hate she’s been getting. She’s passionate and determined. Even though she’s put herself at risk, the victims lives were saved through her selflessness.

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Thank you for the recap!!

Every time I get frustrated with Yoo Ryung, I see how cute she and Ji Seok are together and I get roped back in. They don't make that much sense together at the moment, but I want them to be together. While a lot of people think it's adorable when the male lead is like a foot taller than the female lead, my preference is more for this couple's height difference.

Notes:
1. It's been days since Yoo Ryung stole Ji Seok's keys. How is Ji Seok not concerned?

2. The fight scene was pretty cringe. I'm not fond of the hero-beats-up-dude-on-behalf-of-heroine scenes. How was that going to get Won-tae arrested any faster? It would have been hotter if he could have gotten vengeance in a clever way. What did this fight mean?

3. I really liked Yoo Ryung and Hye Jin's moments together and was disappointed when they didn't end up as roommates.

4. Love the Club Day scenes. Hilarious and Ji Seok and Yoo Ryung looked like they were on a date.

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1. Ji Seok seems kind of preoccupied with his mother's dementia and paying for her care, so maybe he's distracted?
2. The fight was to get vengeance because he felt bad for leaving his partner alone. But yeah, it was pretty unbelievable for me.
3. Hye Jin probably needed to be in counseling after all that trauma and having a roommate who is gone many nights wouldn't help.
4. Moon Geun Young is surprisingly tall for someone with such a baby face. She's 5'5". I don't like big heights differences either. Kim Sun Ho is 6'.

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I agree in that I adore Yoo Ryung and how empathetic she is to the victims. She is righteous at heart and sincerely wants to help the victims. She prioritizes the victims over herself, which is truly selfless.

Honestly, if Yoo Ryung didn’t care about the victims and their families, it would be so easy for her to just give in to protocols and orders. I mean, she’s not doing what she does because she wants to go against orders. Yoo Ryung is intelligent and even knows all the ins-and-outs of the subway system. There’s nothing for her to gain by not following protocol, but be reprimanded and risk losing her job. She’s doing it because the victims’ well-being and safety are of utmost priority to her even more than herself.

I found it completely corrupt and sick, especially as a female viewer, at how the PR officer would rather bury the domestic violence crime that was caught on record of the subway ambassador just because of the negative impact that it would have on the image of the Subway Police. This is true corruption at its very best, which is very much present in the real world. People care more about maintaining image and their job security over punishing actual crimes and having crimes go unpunished, especially if it pertains to someone who has power. This kind of corruption is present in any field or industry.. going with the flow.. not wanting to rock the boat in fear of retaliation.

I mean if it wasn’t for Yoo Ryung, the domestic violence victim would’ve continued to be physically and emotionally abused regardless by her fiancé and future husband; the victim would’ve ended up like her fiancé’s ex-girlfriend.. dead. Victims often blame themselves and can’t escape the abuse because they believe it’s their fault. I found it particularly moving when Yoo Ryung went to speak with the victim in front of her house, and shared her personal story of being able to relate to how lonely it must feel to live without a family. Yoo Ryung knew very well the dangerous situation the victim was in by living with her abuser, and how nothing would bring back the victim even if justice was served. It shows how much Yoo Ryung cares about the victim to reach out to her and offer Yoo Ryung’s house to live together as a family. For real, how many people would actually offer someone whom they’ve just met to live in their house and help them escape danger. That’s a true sweetheart.

Yoo Ryung has done so much good with her compassion and empathy for the victims.. even if it may seem rash because her actions may not follow protocol. She knows very well how it feels to feel helpless, especially when the police who the victims are supposed to rely on don’t even attempt to help them. Ma Ri should’ve looked into Yoo Jin’s case even if there was no body found. Even in episode one, Major Crimes and Cyber Police blatantly ignored the rape claim as a prank and wouldn’t even look into the case unless a crime was already committed. The lady who was drugged would’ve...

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The lady who was drugged would’ve just been helpless and ended up raped and psychologically damaged for the rest of her life. The flyer lady would’ve mourned the death of her father. The wife and her young son would’ve permanently lost their father.

I also agree that it’s utterly abhorrent to ever say that someone deserves any kind of abuse, especially when the person is just trying to help the victims. It wasn’t rash for Yoo Ryung to offer help and empathize with the victim who also is without a family, and is left in a dangerous situation living together with her domestic violence abuser. It takes compassion, empathy, and courage to do that.

This is an extreme example not related to the characters in this Kdrama but just because your superior tells you to do something doesn’t mean you should always obey it. During the Holocaust, Hitler and his minion army superiors ordered German soldiers and civilians to do countless acts of indecencies that were just blatantly followed. The real heroes then were the ones who knew that what they were asked to do wasn’t right and stood up for their principles.

Following orders, especially those by one’s superior, is not hard. It only becomes difficult when you want to help others before yourself. Even at the disciplinary meeting, I’m glad Yoo Ryung said if she were in the same situation again that she would’ve done the same thing, and saved someone’s life rather than blatantly follow orders in fear of disciplinary action. Even if I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t be able to live with knowing that someone died because I was too afraid of being disciplined or lose my job.

Yoo Ryung also has nothing to lose because she has lost everything dear to her, which was her sister who was unjustly taken from her without any serious investigation taken by the police, who ironically are supposed to bring “justice.” It takes courage and bravery to do what Yoo Ryung does. It’s easy to follow orders if you don’t care about the victims’ well-being and are more concerned about yourself. I mean who wants to be scolded for not following orders. It’s because Yoo Ryung is righteous and her heart is in the right place.

The synopsis of the drama from the beginning is about opposite characters in Yoo Ryung and Ji Seok who learn how to complement each other. I’m glad to see a strong female lead character who lives with her heart in order to seek justice.
I also hope Yoo Ryung finds out about Ji Seok’s financial problems, so that she could help him with it. I mean she fixed up the motor bike with her own money.
This may be a spoiler from episode six but Yoo Ryung is trying to distance herself from Ji Seok because she cares for him and doesn’t want to endanger him as she seeks justice to undercover what happened to her missing sister and catch the Subway Ghost.

I don’t leave many comments but wanted to chime in as I’ve been enjoying Catch the Ghost and the acting and chemistry by the actors. I’m glad that the show is...

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I’m glad that the show is making us think about how different circumstances can shape people in different ways. I also wish people on the internet would think twice before leaving comments that they would be ashamed of leaving if it wasn’t for the anonymity of the internet, especially comments made by female viewers in regards to serious issues such as domestic violence and abuse. Abuse shouldn’t be condoned and corruption should not persist.

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@MeToo

Well said! I'm giving you a standing ovation
👏👏👏 😊

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Yas, this comment is everything! Also as a female viewer, I agree with everything you said. Very articulate and insightful into the matter. Thank you!

While I don't blame people thinking about their well-being and safety first, being passive and taking no action also adds on to the problem. Just like the case where the tattoo guy was laughing at how the police can't shoot him because he knew the police would face more repercussions from doing so...

Yes I can't stress enough how following protocols and rules are important but seriously, having a good heart and mind to know when to go against it is more special and desirable.

I think that's what attracts JS to YR because at the bottom of his core, he knows YR made the better decision. If he sincerely thought she was wrong, he could've just fired her or sent her away which he ended up doing neither. In some ways, he's actually encouraging her by being there to protect her and 'clean up' after her which she never asked him to do.

*spoiler* In fact, he's actually more hurt that she doesn't want to be his partner and thought maybe it was his reserved ways that made her want to change partners. LOL

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Wanting to help victim of DV is one thing, the more important is to do it in a way that don't put the victim and herself in harm's way. The way YR approached it was wrong and could end tragically in real life. She put a pressure on victim, keep aggravated the abuser and completely disregard the danger she put herself and the victim into. The most dangerous moment in DV situation is when abuser feel he is losing control over victim, women who leave are in 75% higher risk of getting killed than those who stay, that's why those who want to help shouldn't act rashly and without any plan. She was lucky both of them didn't end up dead, and that's why I condemn her behaviour in this situation.

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First I was excited watching this drama. Oh, horror + comedy + crime, me likey :) Then, after episode 3, I lost interest. I really didn't like the way they picture Yoo Ryung. How old is she? She is a rookie, yes, but she doesn't have to be a brat, who seems doesn't know what right or wrong and just pushing her believe that she must capture her sister's at whatever cost. Even if it costs other's people career or worse, life.

It's a problem I find over and over again in KDrama. If you are a male detective, you seem to be so obnoxious, yelling or throwing your weight around. And if you are a female detective, most of the time, stubborn with all about emotion/sentimental.

I see character's development on Ji Seok, at least he tries to be more open. But, again, why it has to be with romantic interest? Can woman and man be partner in business without any romantic interest? Sorry, still be grumpy about Emma Watson's controversy ;p

The one that I really like is the chief inspector. She takes the cake, still holds the grudge over her daughter separation with Ji Seok, kekeke....

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