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Flower of Evil: Episode 2

Our protagonist is equally parts endearing and terrifying as he juggles his past and present lives. Determined to stay hidden, he risks everything to investigate why there’s a sudden interest in his past. But he still has plenty of time to prove that he’s the ideal husband and father when it comes to the ladies in his present life.

EPISODE 2 RECAP

Ji-won and Hee-sung first met when he walked into the convenience store where she worked to buy beer. Ji-won checked his ID and pronounced him too young looking to have been born in 1982. After Ji-won guessed that he was new in the neighborhood, Hee-sung told her, “It seems like a nice place to start over.”

In the present, Ji-won sleeps in while Hee-sung practices smiling in the bathroom mirror, using tips from a lecture that he’s watching on his phone. Hee-sung makes sure to include his eyes when he smiles.

After his practice session, Hee-sung expertly prepares breakfast while a playful Ji-won sneaks up on him. When Hee-sung sees Ji-won’s smiling face, his eyes crinkle as he smiles back. Ji-won smiles even more when she shares that she had a dream about their first meeting.

Ji-won tries to help set up breakfast but she isn’t very good in the kitchen so Hee-sung has her get Eun-ha dressed instead. While getting Eun-ha ready, the little girl mentions a friend but Ji-won doesn’t recognize the name and her daughter sighs, “Why do I even bother?”

When it’s time to blow-dry Eun-ha’s hair, the girl voices her preference for her dad. Eun-ha brings the hair dryer to Hee-sung who asks, “Where’s your mom,” and he hides his alarm when she confides that Ji-won went downstairs to clean his workshop.

In the basement, Moo-jin’s eyes open when he hears Ji-won enter the workshop. Struggling to free himself, Moo-jin’s wrists start to bleed as Hee-sung runs downstairs. Hee-sung finds Ji-won picking up a broken shard from his favorite tea set and she asks about his guest because he always serves hot beverages for long chats.

Hee-sung stammers that it was a friend from middle school and Ji-won reminds him, “But you said you were a loner as a boy.” Hee-sung explains that it was actually nice to run into each other again as he steers Ji-won back to their place.

Ji-won catches Hee-sung studying her face and asks, “What’s with that gaze? I must still be the prettiest woman on earth to you.” Throwing his arm around his wife, Hee-sung teases Ji-won as they head upstairs and Moo-jin gives up his struggle.

A young social worker makes the long climb up the many stairs leading to the home of an elderly client. Inside, she screams when she discovers that the old woman is dead.

A police team is already collecting evidence when Ji-won arrives with Jae-seob and Ho-joon. Jae-seob notices that the victim’s thumbnails are missing and Ho-joon mentions the similarity to the Yeonju City serial murders.

Ji-won remembers that was the case that Moo-jin wrote about but Jae-seob isn’t familiar with it. Ho-joon explains that the case was closed when the culprit committed suicide and the news was overshadowed by the World Cup. Ji-won can’t understand why someone would copy an 18 year old case just as the victim’s son runs in and shouts, “Mom! Mom, I’m here!”

At his store, Hee-sung turns his sign to “Closed” and unlocks the basement door. After he pulls the tape from Moo-jin’s mouth, his prisoner asks, “Hyun-soo, why are you doing this?” Expressionless, Hee-sung reminds Moo-jin about an incident from 18 years ago, “I was in your shoes, and you were in mine.”

In a flashback to the summer of 2002, Moo-jin taped Do Hyun-soo to a tree with the help of some classmates. Waving a bandaged finger in Hyun-soo’s face, Moo-jin warned, “Did you think I’d let you get away with doing this to me?” When Hyun-soo hissed back, “I should’ve twisted your neck,” he was slapped.

Moo-jin taunted Hyun-soo, “You saw your dad committing murder, didn’t you…did you help him do it, just like what the rumors say?” Moo-jin cruelly added, “The village foreman told me that you’re weird because you take after your dad,” while he and his friends searched for rocks. Moo-jin warned, “If it hurts too much, don’t hesitate to tell me,” before launching the rocks at Hyun-soo.

In the basement, Hee-sung picks up a small hammer and drags it across Moo-jin’s face. When Hee-sung echoes Moo-jin’s warning, “If it hurts too much, don’t hesitate to tell me,” the frightened reporter whines, “We were young then…That’s how kids grow up.”

Pulling back, Hee-sung chuckles, “If I was really going to kill you, I would’ve covered the floor with a plastic cover.” When Moo-jin confesses that he’s scared, Hee-sung reminds him that he takes after his dad and warns, “You’re making me want to cover the floor…” Yikes. Pulling the reporter’s phone from his pocket, Hee-sung calmly demands, “From now on, don’t make me repeat myself. Tell me your passcode.”

At the post-mortem, Ji-won learns that there were no ligature marks around the victim’s neck so the rope was only there for show. After the victim died from her stab wounds, her thumbnails were removed and her ankle was broken and the doctor makes the connection to the Yeonju City serial murders. Seeing a residue on the victim’s thumb, the doctor collects a sample.

During a team review of the case, Jae-seob shoots down Ho-joon’s theory that they’re dealing with a copycat killer. Jae-seob argues that the victim, JUNG MIN-OK, knew her killer and points to a crime scene photo of an apple as proof. Jae-seob theorizes that she shared an apple with a friend and the knife used to cut it is the missing murder weapon.

Detective Lee Woo-cheol asks about CCTV footage but the closest camera was broken. Chief Yoon Sang-pil inquires about money problems but Jae-seob recalls that the social worker described the victim as a major donor of the welfare center. Chief Yoon asks about heirs just as the victim’s son ransacks his mother’s house in search of something.

When Chief Yoon asks Ji-won why she’s been so quiet, she asks, “Why Do Min-seok…he’s not very famous.” Ho-joon blurts out, “Reporter Kim… It’s because of the article he wrote.”

In the basement, there’s now plastic on the floor (chills) as Moo-jin tells his boss over the phone that he won’t be at work. She reminds Moo-jin that he’s rarely in the office and mentions his deadline before hanging up, just missing Moo-jin’s desperate message, “Ms. Kang, I’m tied up.” Hee-sung estimates that he has at least three days before Moo-jin will be missed.

Still thinking that his former classmate works for Baek Hee-sung, Moo-jin reminds him that his boss’ wife is a detective. When Hee-sung asks, “How do you think I got away with being a wanted man for 18 years,” Moo-jin finally realizes that Hyun-soo is Ji-won’s husband.

Moo-jin can’t understand why he’s been imprisoned if Hee-sung/Hyun-soo had nothing to do with the foreman’s death. Ominously, Hee-sung asks, “Do you want to know the truth. Once you know though, you’ll have to pay for it.” Moo-jin insists, “I don’t want to know,” but Hee-sung places tape over his mouth and then whispers into Moo-jin’s ear, “It was me.” Noooo!

In a flashback, Do Hyun-soo’s school uniform was splattered with blood and in his hand, he held a bloodied tool. As Hyun-soo looked down at the dead foreman, a shaky Hae-soo told him, “…this is wrong. You can’t do this. Hand that over to me.” Eerily calm, Hyun-soo admitted, “I actually feel quite all right,” and a huge smile spread across his face.

While Ji-won reviews the Yeonju City serial murder cases, Ho-joon looks up Moo-jin’s most recent article and reads that all of Do Min-seok’s victims were found with a noose around the neck, an ankle injury and their thumbnails removed. Pointing to the Yeonju City crime scene photos, Ho-joon explains that the noose was actually a specific brand of dog leash, but that detail was never released. The ankle injury that was found on the victims was a severed Achilles tendon, not broken bones, and Ho-joon concludes, “…this culprit doesn’t know about Do Min-seok at all.”

Ho-joon admits that Jae-seob was right, their killer copied the Yeonju City serial killer to confuse them but Ji-won wonders, “…why Do Min-seok though?” Ji-won’s thoughts are interrupted when the kindergarten principal calls and asks her to come to the school right away.

After locking the basement door, Hee-sung turns off Moo-jin’s phone and hides it in a secret compartment in the back of his closet. When Hee-sung checks his own phone, he sees the missed calls from Eun-ha’s school.

Outside of the welfare center, the victim’s son catches up to the social worker and demands to know the whereabouts of his mother’s ledger. Jae-seob arrives just in time to intervene when the desperate son grabs the social worker by her jacket. After the altercation, the social worker, Park Seo-young, explains to Jae-seob that the son, Ahn Jong-goo, has a gambling problem. When Jae-seob has more questions, Seo-young mentions Jung Min-ok’s will.

At school, Ji-won checks to make sure that Eun-ha’s only injury is a bloody nose and then urges her daughter to accept Soo-young’s apology. When the girl’s mother blames Eun-ha for the incident, Eun-ha explains, “I just wanted to hold your doll because it was really pretty.” Ji-won is appalled when Soo-young’s mom accuses Eun-ha of theft.

Hee-sung walks in and bows to Soo-young’s mother, “I apologize. It’s my fault.” Crying huge tears, Eun-ha dutifully obeys Hee-sung and apologizes to Soo-young, Soo-young’s mother and the principal.

After the meeting, Ji-won confronts Hee-sung and when he sees how upset she is, he touches her shoulder softly and reminds her that he’s a first time dad. She orders him to smooth things over with Eun-ha and when Hee-sung promises, “Leave it to me,” with a smile, Ji-won punches him. A call from the NFS doctor with news that lipstick was detected on Jung Min-ok’s thumb beckons Ji-won back to work.

Hee-sung treats Eun-ha to her favorite dessert but she’s too upset to eat because Hee-sung took Soo-young’s side. Hee-sung insists that he’s on Eun-ha’s side and promises, “I’m going to raise you to become a nice kid.”

Hee-sung explains that Eun-ha now has a good reputation, which means that when something bad happens, no one will suspect her. Eun-ha doesn’t care about that so Hee-sung shares that he saw Soo-young crying after she lost her doll. In a small flashback, we see Hee-sung washing his hands after dumping Soo-young’s doll in a trash can. Feeling better, Eun-ha takes a bite of her dessert and announces, “Dad, you’re my favorite person in the whole wide world,” and Hee-sung tells her, “Right back at you.”

In an interrogation room, Jae-seob shows Ahn Jong-goo his mother’s will leaving all of her money to the welfare center. When Ahn Jong-goo realizes that he’s a suspect, he refuses to answer any more questions.

After the interrogation, Jae-seob and Ji-won have another one of their heated exchanges when they disagree about the importance of the lipstick evidence. Waving the will in Ji-won’s face, Jae-seon shouts, “What’s wrong with you? This is the strongest motive for murder!”

Grabbing the will, Ji-won realizes that the thumbprint was applied with lipstick. While Ho-joon has the document analyzed, Ji-won shows Jae-seob and Woo-cheol that after applying lipstick to the thumb, residue is left under the nail.

Ji-won puzzles over who was present when the thumbprint was applied and Jae-seob remembers that Park Seo-young alerted him to the document’s existence. A call from Ho-joon confirms that the thumbprint was made with lipstick.

After leaving Eun-ha with Ji-won’s mother, Hee-sung examines the contents of Moo-jin’s bag. He sees Hae-soo’s necklace but sets it aside to go through Moo-jin’s notebook and stops when he sees the name Nam Soon-kil.

Down in the basement, Moo-jin whimpers when Hee-sung appears with a bottle of water. After the tape is ripped from his mouth, Moo-jin begs for some water but first Hee-sung wants to know about Nam Soon-kil.

When Moo-jin claims that it’s nothing, Hee-sung pours water onto the floor until he says, “I remember now.” Moo-jin explains the Nam Soon-kil called him with a tip but he refuses to say anything more until Hee-sung gives him some water.

After allowing Moo-jin a mouthful of water, Hee-sung learns that the tip was about him and Moo-jin explains, “I wrote an article…about your dad and you.” Hee-sung learns that they arranged a meeting for that very day and Moo-jin asks, “Wouldn’t it be bad for you if I don’t show up?”

At the welfare center, Ji-won finds Seo-young washing her hands in the bathroom. After identifying herself as a detective, Ji-won asks for a DNA sample for comparison to the lipstick but Seo-young refuses.

Jae-seob and another detective review the elevator security footage from Seo-young’s apartment complex and notice that when she came home, her dress was inside-out to hide the blood evidence. Jae-seob sees an envelope in Seo-young’s hand and guesses that it contains the murder weapon and the victim’s thumbnails.

Wearing a black baseball cap, Hee-sung stares down at Nam Soon-kil from a covered walkway. Hee-sung calls with Moo-jin’s phone and explains that he can’t make the meeting and asks for a brief phone interview.

Hee-sung inquires about Hyun-soo and Nam Soon-kil pulls out a copy of Moo-jin’s article. He explains that he lived with Hyun-soo from the fall of 2002 until the summer of 2005, when they both worked as deliverymen.

Nam Soon-kil admits that he was always suspicious of Hyun-soo but he never imagined that he was a killer or the son of a killer. Hee-sung is about to hang up when Nam Soon-kil adds, “Hyun-soo has been threatening me.”

While thinking about the envelope in Seo-young’s hand, Jae-seob reasons that she didn’t bring it into her apartment. According to the security footage, Seo-young was home the rest of the night but she told Jae-seob, “I saw a shooting star last night. I feel like she was saying goodbye.”

Running up to the roof, Jae-seob sees an access panel. As he approaches it, we see Seo-young walking towards the panel with the envelope in her hand. Pulling open the panel, Seo-young tossed the envelope inside and it’s still there when Jae-seob looks down.

Ji-won blocks Seo-young when she tries to leave the bathroom just as Jae-seob calls with news that he found the missing evidence. As Ji-won arrests her, Seo-young asks to put on some makeup since she went makeup free to look sad. When Seo-young explains that her sentence could be influenced by her appearance, Ji-won allows it.

While Seo-young applies lipstick, Ji-won asks why she killed Jung Min-ok and she calmly explains, “There were too many stairs.” A montage shows Seo-young going up and down the stairs that led to Jung Min-ok’s place day after day.

In a flashback, the old lady applied lipstick to her thumb while Seo-young peeled an apple. After placing her thumbprint on her will, Jung Min-ok asked Seo-young, “Just come here every day, talk to me, and keep me company like a granddaughter,” but all the social worker could think of were all of those stairs.

Turning around, Jung Min-ok asked Seo-young to scratch her back and with the knife in her hand, she answered, “My pleasure.” Before reporting the murder, Seo-young was emotionless but as soon as she got on the phone, she cried uncontrollably.

After telling her story, Seo-young tells Ji-won, “…about three percent of the people are like me.” Seeing a small razor in her bag, Seo-young warns, “There may be one near you too.”

Nam Soon-kil tells Hee-sung, “A month ago, I got a call from a payphone at 4 am.” In a flashback, Nam Soon-kil assumed the caller was Hyun-soo when he said, “I’ve been waiting for your life to become the happiest ever.”

Nam Soon-kil insists that Hyun-soo is the only person he fears and when asked why, he confesses, “I wronged him.” In another flashback, Hyun-soo and Nam Soon-kil wore black raincoats as they searched the woods for Hyun-soo’s missing wallet. Nam Soon-kil pulled out a knife and plunged it into Hyun-soo’s shoulder but Hyun-soo was saved when they tumbled down a hill. Nam Soon-kil picked up his knife and confessed that he stole Hyun-soo’s wallet because he needed the money.

Hee-sung tells his former roommate, “Do Hyun-soo died…So you should forget all about him.” Nam Soon-kil is relieved, “He was on the run after killing someone anyway…It’s better for certain people to die,” and Hee-sung agrees.

Ji-won glares at Seo-young as a tiny slash on her cheek begins to bleed and is told, “What a shame. I really hated your eyes.” Dropping her razor, Seo-young holds out her hands so Ji-won can arrest her but she gets slapped instead. In the hallway, Ho-joon hears the commotion and tells the patrol officers with him, “It’s okay.”

When Seo-young protests her treatment, Ji-won reminds her that suspects are sometimes killed during altercations with the police. Holding the razor to Seo-young’s neck, Ji-won coldly offers her a choice, dying in 12 seconds from a cut carotid or 3.5 seconds from a severed subclavian artery. Seo-young begs, “Please, don’t kill me,” and Ji-won smiles, “I’m only joking. How can a police officer take a life,” and then takes her into custody.

Hee-sung surprises his mom with a visit just as a customer is leaving. When they’re alone, Mom announces that the fact the her customer takes anti-depressants brings her joy, “If I can’t be like others, I’d rather they be like me.” When asked about the reason for his visit, Hee-sung tells his mother, “I need some sleeping pills.”

Hee-sung waits for Ji-won outside of the station with an umbrella. When she runs out to meet him, Hee-sung sees the bandage on her cheek but Ji-won claims it’s just a paper cut. Wrapping her arms around Hee-sung, Ji-won calls the rain romantic and they walk away as someone wearing a black raincoat enters a pet store to buy a dog leash.

Alone in a closed Chinese restaurant, Nam Soon-kil holds the printout of Moo-jin’s article about Do Min-seok and Hyun-soo. He calls Moo-jin’s number and leaves a message as someone on the street approaches, swinging a dog leash.

Nam Soon-kil tells Moo-jin, “I recently heard that Do Hyun-soo assisted his father in the killings.” When the stranger walks into the restaurant, Nam Soon-kil stammers, “Do Hyun-soo is here!” Pulling a knife from his pocket, the hooded stranger advances and Nam Soon-kil screams, “I said he’d come for revenge!” When Nam Soon-kil reaches for some scissors, the killer runs up and stabs him.

As lightning flashes, the black hooded figure walks past some mannequins and walls covered with articles. When he uses his knife to pin Moo-jin’s article, now stained with blood, to the wall, another flash of lightning reveals that the articles are all about Do Min-seok’s crimes.

At home, Ji-won wakes up alone and sees that it’s 3:30 in the morning. She walks out of the bedroom to look for Hee-sung just as he returns home wearing a hooded black raincoat. Lightning lights up the living room as Hee-sung pulls off his hood and faces Ji-won.

COMMENTS

Oh my, I must confess that I have a serious problem. I have fallen so completely under Lee Jun-ki’s spell that I can’t accept that Hee-sung/Hyun-soo actually killed the foreman when he was in high school. Thanks to all of those flashbacks, the fact that both Moo-jin and Nam Soon-kil terrorized Hyun-soo at different times in his past only feeds my need to believe that he’s somehow not culpable for his violence. There has to be someway to justify something as awful as murder, right? Like defending the other high school student on the scene, Hae-soo, who seems to loom large in both Hyun-soo’s and Moo-jin’s teenaged life. I can’t wait to find out why and learn what happened to her.

I’m hoping that @lollypip is right, that Hee-sung sincerely cares for his wife and daughter because I don’t see how he can pretend to be so devoted if there isn’t something there. I just love Hee-sung’s exchanges with his daughter Eun-ha, who like her mother, isn’t afraid to tell her father exactly how she feels. She was so upset after she had to apologize to that stinky Soo-young and she let Hee-sung know. I found Hee-sung’s perspective on the apology, even though Eun-ha did nothing wrong, to make so much sense considering his background. And I might have enjoyed seeing Soo-young’s doll in that trash can a little too much but Hee-sung is clearly all about doling out justice right now. What I found really interesting is that Ji-won was eerily similar to Hee-sung when she threatened to kill Seo-young, “Which artery do you want me to cut?” I loved it, especially because it means that Ji-won will understand Hee-sung’s thinking when the time comes.

The case of the hour put sociopathic tendencies front and center, which only fed my hope that Hee-sung isn’t really a sociopath, he was just raised by one. As cold and terrifying as he can be, he’s only returning what he’s received from Moo-jin and Nam Soon-kil and we’ll just ignore the dead foreman for now. What has me concerned is what is Hee-sung going to do about Moo-jin? The fact that he put plastic on the basement floor can’t be good but if Hee-sung can figure out a way to keep Moo-jin quiet, he won’t have to kill him. Moo-jin clearly wasn’t a good guy in his youth so is there something that Hee-sung can find to blackmail him with? See what I mean? I’m so desperate for Lee Jun-ki not to play a killer that my mental gymnastics have me pouncing on blackmail as a way to save Hee-sung.

What we already know it that there’s a killer who’s well versed in the Yeonju City serial murders. Is it possible that Hee-sung’s father wasn’t the culprit or is there really a copycat killer running around? Whatever the case, Hee-sung is already finding himself caught up in someone else’s web through his connection to Nam Soon-kil. Whoever threatened Hee-sung’s former roommate, Hee-sung knows that he didn’t do it but because of Nam Soon-kil’s guilty conscience, he just identified Hee-sung as his attacker (probably his killer because he’s certainly dead). Hee-sung is going to be forced to revisit his past to get to the truth in the present.

Ji-won is sure to be assigned to Nam Soon-kil’s case, which will put her on a collision course with Hyun-soo/Hee-sung. That means that Hee-sung and Ji-won will be working on the same case but with different agendas. How will she make sense of the man that she’s lived with for so long when she’s faced with the evidence against him? As Ji-won has shown, she approaches evidence from a unique perspective and she may finally bring to light that Hyun-soo isn’t a cold blooded killer, at least that’s what I’m hoping she’ll do.

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This episode is totally what sold me on the drama. It was just so good! The duality remained, the characters got more interesting, and daaaaang LJG is a good actor.

There were 2 moments that really got me going:

First was the dolly--it was so misguided to think that throwing away the other girl's plaything was the best way to show love for/avenge his daughter... but so in character for him, it was great. I also think it proves he must feel SOMETHING for her (and talk about sketchy daddy-daughter principle teaching moments!) It was cool to see him in action identifying emotions and appeasing them when his wife was upset with him on the matter too.

The other part that I just LOVED was when our FL kind of lost it in the restroom. She didn't even blink when the murderess lady hurt her, and then seeing how her colleague was just waiting outside the door even though there were strange sound coming from inside gave me chills. It just told me "there could be more to her than meets the eye" and I really want to see her set loose on her husband's past. So good!
PS Thanks for the recap, TeriYaki!

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The last time I saw LJK was in MLSHR and I don't think I ever realized how good of an actor he really is!! I'm really falling in love with the drama and I'm hoping it maintains this momentum throughout.

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Right? I feel like I've seen a few dramas that really let him do and be the actor he is, and the rest just are kind of meh. But I think he's really in his element here, I'm pleased (I also tend to like him better in present day dramas than historicals)

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I regretfully haven't seen him in any present day ones but this one just shines in his capabilities.

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If you enjoy his duality portrayal, another of his present day dramas where he did that is Time Between Dog and Wolf. [Which I'm doing my darndest right now to hold back from marathoning to refresh my memory and compare it against his performance in this show.]

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@lilyleftthevalley Oo~ thanks for the rec! I'll add it to my watchlist :)

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Another present day drama that I love with Lee Joongi is Two Weeks! He also plays a father with a questionable past.

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I am bitterly slashing my long post to bits. I wrote a long post and it disappeared. I may never get over it. So what I wrote was this. Hot Metal Man ---- what is his name???? ---- may not know what love is, but I think, to him, it is a sense of possessiveness and protectiveness, he will not let anyone harm his family, the wife and the child he has drawn into his inclusive world. Note the utter contempt and disdain and ruthlessness he demonstrates in the doll in the trash scene. I think he killed the guy as a youth to protect the girl who was probably being abused by her stepfather, perhaps. Again, driven to protect.

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@yyishere, I think I finally found a way to help me with names. I've got Asianwiki open to the show's page in a different tab so I can quickly reference it without crazy scrolling up and down on this page when I'm replying. YMMV, but so far it's helping me. (Then again, I can't help but wonder if you just like the excuse to write "Hot Metal Man". 😉)

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Sheesh. You saw through me. Okay, okay. It does give me a kind of cheap thrill to type HMM.

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I've been doing this for ages, because it's impossible for me to remember a single name.

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lololololololol I may re-unlearn their names just so I can call him Hot Metal Man now. Hot Metal Man, Basement Dude, and Possibly Psycho Detective. I like it.

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Referring to Asianwiki is a longtime ploy of mine--I have to use it a lot.

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I agree with you that his love for his family is not exactly love but tolerance.
Also, I was a bit disappointed we didn't get an scene of him with the disgusting little girl and the doll being "killed" but I guess that would have been too much.
Also, I think he killed the old man to defend the girl.
Also, it doesn't change the fact that he enjoyed it.

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I'm with you in him killing the village foreman to protect the girl. The way she asked him to give her the knife may indicate that she knew it would look like self defence if she took it

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Mani-chan, " him killing the village foreman to protect the girl. The way she asked him to give her the knife".
<- I really liked Lee Joong Gi in Arang And The Magistrate and other dramas and don't think that he will end up like another big favorite, Park Bo Gum in I Remember You.
Something about the way the blood was spread all over teen LJG seemed excessive, although the spray from the guy's neck on LJG's face seemed possible.
When she said something like, "This isn't right. Give it to me." and he smiled and refused,
for some strange reason, (after watching too many Kdramas, and suspecting EVERYONE),
I wondered if a twist could be that the girl did it, and he was "taking the blame", since he was planning to leave that accusatory town anyway?

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Ahhh I hate it when that happens (the comments disappearing thing). I like the idea that he's driven to protect though, because it doesn't have to be necessarily affection behind that as just a sense of connection or even posessiveness. ...I'm still rooting for love, though.

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Hot Metal Man 😍😍😍

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With u on questionable parenting lessons 😅. It was weirdly touching that he was passing on an unfortunate truth of the world we live in to his innocent daughter coz it's his way of preparing his kid? Reputation CAN make or break you. In an ideal world, we should all be able to look at incidents in a case to case basis but we always let our prior perceptions color our judgements. It's a painful lesson that HS has learnt by experience..being linked to a 'weird' father automatically made him a serial killer suspect. It makes sense that in his 'new' life he has painstakingly built a great reputation - as the perfect husband and father..
And yeah JW's sudden switch in that bathroom got me spooked.I mean, I was expecting HS to be creepy (given he's supposed to be the eponymous flower of evil) but to suddenly watch a violent,vindictive streak in our FL when she was being set up as the moral center of the story... that's a twisty turn and part of me kinda like the idea if having two anti heroes working against each other.🤞

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Truth. Although, I actually do see some value in it in that it helps us to potentially build trust in personal relationships... it just really comes down then to whether they're faking it or not (dangit stop teaching your daughter to be manipulative, Hot Met Ma--I mean Heesung!

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I hope they decrease the red herrings. IT can be too much. Also, I want people to understand, just because you don't recognize emotions, doesn't mean you don't have them. He clearly has emotions, but for whatever reason he has a hard time recognizing them, which is illustrated so beautifully in this episode. I give full and utter kudos to Lee Joon Ki showing that, it is well done.

As for if he is a serial killer, who knows. He obviously didn't kill that man, so I've already dismissed that from my mind. As for the punishment being exacted on his enemies, definitely deserved.

The actress playing their daughter is a true charmer. She is adorable.

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A thought came to mind when I was reading your post. I fear the writer may have spread out the Trope Deck, and chose "face blindness"--a more recent addition to the deck--which will be their excuse later as to why he has a hard time reading emotions/intent in others, and since he couldn't mimic what he saw he has to practice as well.

Even though it makes no sense for a host of reasons--I still fear the writer drew from the Trope Deck because that has ruined many a good drama for me. If it is this, it will make me want to throttle somebody very...very...VERY slowly. Like I might even take naps in between the slowly sessions. I am SO DONE with the Face Blindness Trope Card.

And now I'm wondering if there is a way to do a Korean Drama Trope Tarot deck. Wooo late night brain! So prone to making leaps and bounds for no good reason at all. 🥴

(And WHY OH WHY did I look up face blindness to see if this random suspicion was possibly a thing even though we've all now seen so many face blindness based shows we should know all the rules. [NARRATOR: It actually isn't.] "Most people with face-blindness are able to recognize emotions based on facial expressions, but it is possible for a person to have difficulty recognizing both faces and emotions. Difficulty with emotion recognition is a separate neurological condition usually associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, autism, traumatic brain injury and schizophrenia." Ok...so even though he may suffer from PTSD, at least they can't use the Face Blindness Card even if they drew it. Whew.)

Sorry/Not Sorry for the tangent...but I've really been crushed by the Trope Deck before. Do Not Want.

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I understand your fear, however I don't think that is where the writer is going with this or hopefully not😬. I think it is something else, what only the writer knows.

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Here's to hoping it is something else only the writer knows! 🍻

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The face blindness thing is also getting old for me lol. But I don't nind the "unable to recognize emotions" thing as much either haha^^

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I don't think he's the guy in the basement with all those articles and stuff. And I don't think he's the one who killed the guy in the restaurant (well, I guess he was killed).
I guess there's another killer. I've read somewhere that maybe his dad was not the killer and he was framed and then faked the suicide. It could make sense that the actual killer is still out there, although it doesn't change the fact that I still feel HeeSung is a psycho.

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To me, if it is another killer, it's someone that knew the details that were not released to the public. So my curiosity is definitely piquing to see who the raincoat figure at the restaurant truly is.

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wow, i'm actually early for once! this drama definitely has me on the edge of my seat because like what was mentioned above, i think most of us want LJG's character to be good and to actually have a heart.

as of now, i find HS really unpredictable especially with his dealings with the reporter MJ. i'm sure his past is gonna slowly be uncovered episode by episode it seems. i'm curious about how HS's current parent's became his parents and how that will tie in together with his "dark past" and previous self.

as for JW, first it's so good to have MCW back in drama land! her chemistry with LGJ is really sizzling so far, so i'm looking forward to how they'll be once more things are unraveled. i'm just really scared for their girl.. anyway JW's as a character did surprise me when she joked about killing the social worker. she's perhaps not as innocent as we see either, so it'll be interesting to see more of her past as well. their family moments in general are just so cute, but sadly foreboding.

i do remember from interviews that i've seen, LJG and MCW were hinting this show is more of a melo than an actual thriller, so hopefully we can count on the writers to do a good job of fleshing out our characters and making us root for them! <3

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The actor who plays MJ is a lead so I'm concerned on how that's going to play out since HS really can't just let him go... I'm hoping that doesn't become a plot hole...

But yes!! I thought JW really shone in this episode and that was just the perfect scene for her! HS has such a dark past and we really know nothing of JW's so far, so I agree with you about wanting to know more, plus something's telling me JW is hiding something as well. Though, I could just be stirring up more melo than required LOL

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What I wouldn't give for a preview function...

Once it comes out that the last known phone calls of the victim are linked to the reporter, the reporter may choose to stay locked up.

Because who's going to believe him that this guy he just happened to meet through a police officer because they are married is really the son of a murderer he just wrote a story about even if their names are different who just happened to kidnap him on the night of the murder of the person he called even if he says the victim was a tip/source? They'll all think the reporter is grasping at straws as to why he's not guilty. (Yes, his injuries will be an issue from the zip ties and such if he gets released soon, but we'll see on that score.)

I'm actually curious to see how that plays out as the case unfolds.

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Good point.
I'm feeling journalist will spend a loooong time in the basement.

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Definitely agree there.

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I am starting to wonder if this will be the case too. Which of course will be interesting to see if the writer does the typical "ignore bodily functions/needs that are inconvenient".

I'm secretly hoping the two reconcile if only frenemies for the short term to clear both their names as possible suspects to the tipster's death.

Even better if the reporter helps him clear his name from tipster's death plus the bonus of clearing the accomplice to Dad/Dad himself issues as well if my current far flung theory of Dad being a patsy proves true.

What I'd be darn impressed by is if the writer manages to pull off the reporter helping him clear Hee Sung's of the above list of crimes because he comes to believe Hee Sung is innocent, and then it turns out Hee Sung wasn't. To me, that would really be fantastic to see play out, especially if we are led to believe in Hee Sung's innocence the entire time.

[I've left out the foreman from the list because to me it's still a possible "killer, but self defense/+ girl" situation. Because there are people that despite remorse they may have later (and trauma), in that moment, there often is a justified immediate satisfaction felt by those in similar situations. In particular if the conflict that caused that result was long standing.]

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... ... I was also excited to be early, but I commented first last time and now I feel bad about it. Oh well, so goes life--so long as the drama is good! :)

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PS I mentioned this in the ep 1 recap (I know, I'm working on not spoiling TT TT but the moment where he threw the dolly away and kind of avenged his daughter totally reminded me of "My Deepest Secret" a webtoon where the boyfriend really IS a secret sketchy serial killer. Super good webtoon, SUPER sketchy boyfriend.

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Definitely the bathroom scene could be a way of showing that Ji-won may put on a socially acceptable mask it certain situations that covers a darker side.
But I'm used to cop shows showing cops do things like this, so I'm not really expecting her to be as dark or darker than her husband.

Good point about how Ji-won and Eun-ha are very open about their feelings with Hyun-soo. It probably makes it easier for him and I wonder if it is one ofvthe reasons he ended up in a relationship with Ji-won?

I got a little satisfaction from the doll being thrown away too. It was a, "Oh, he does care!" moment. 🙄
But if he survives the show, maybe he shouldn't be a moral guide for their daughter.

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Lol same... Watcher was probably the first one that clued me into it as a big theme, but I've definitely gotten more used to morally gray detectives over time. But. I really kind of want for this to become like a secretive potentially sketchy side of her character, if only because I think they'd make a power "we're partially psycho" couple. It just appeals to me lol

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I'm definitely hooked! If not for the story line, then for Lee Junki. The way he carried himself through this episode was spectacular. From the beginning, the focus was on how Heesung is maneuvering his emotions and I absolutely loved the nuances in his character. Especially in the scene outside of the school with Jiwon, you can see that Heesung is trying to figure out her emotions and that just adds to his character and it was so good.

Like so many others, I loved that scene with the dolly. It fit so nicely with his character and the lesson he shared with Eunha spoke so much to his background. Everything so far about him is really nicely put together and I appreciate it.

Jiwon really grabbed my attention this episode. I really like how the writer is showing all these different parts to her that we usually don't see. Yes, she's very affectionate with Heesung and Eunha and her family life is seemingly really put together. However, that scene in the bathroom really showed her dark side and was a complete 180. These episodes have highlighted her detective skills and have definitely made her a strong FL but that scene really sealed the deal. The similarities between her and Heesung (although minimal) are becoming present and I'm excited to see how that plays out later in the show.

Also, the actress that plays Eunha? She is the cutest thing ever and definitely a scene stealer. And, no one can convince me that Heesung doesn't truly care for her. It's fine if he doesn't care for Jiwon, but with these adorable interactions, he can't not fall for Eunha.

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I liked the scene between Ji won and Hee sung in his workroom. That during the conversation we saw a bit of the detective pop out. That maybe it isn't as easy to fool her as he told his parents.

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Right? And I don't know why, but him physically guiding her away from the workshop (arm around her) was just so creepy for me. Just the righ touch *ahaha potential pun intended*

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She picked up on a lot regarding Heesung and his actions that I was worried about her for a second LOL

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They didn't skimp on the casting. That even the characters in the flashbacks who played the younger versions of the present characters were selected both for the similarity in looks and talent. I really appreciate that. Young Do Hun Syu is mezmerizingly chilling. Another is the directing. The choice of scenes and transitions are really well thought out.

I have a feeling (I hope my gut feel is right haha) that it won't turn too procedural-ly given that the 3rd case has direct link to Hee Sung already. The 2nd case was kind of meh actually since I already figured the culprit from the get go.

I keep coming back to what Hee Sung said to his fake mother that Ji Won is the "perfect" partner for him. I think it has to do with the fact that Ji Won doesn't take things at face value. She doesn't rely on mere gut feel to execute a judgment. Hee Sung struggled all his life dealing with people like Moo Jin and Nam Soon Kil who find it easy to put blame on people like him because he's different. At this stage in the story, I think Hee Sung is not the serial killer and the killing of the foreman is merely for self defense.

If it turned out that he's actually a killer then him marrying a detective can be a "perfect" setup given that psychopaths actually crave for this kind of thrill. But I highly doubt they're going this route even though this sound more exciting.

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Ooh, excellent catch on why HS chose to stick with JW who doesn't let gut feelings and vibes affect her. She must have felt like a safe haven after what looks like many years spent being judged based on your parent's reputation and being punished for your differences.
I do find JW interesting. Really respected her in 1st ep, when she refused to pass on the husband's philandering news to the wife and rightfully said his affair and the case are two seperate things. Granted they ended up being cause and effect but she made her decisions based on evidence rather than moral judgement or gut instincts. In this episode however she did seem more personally invested . Was it because it was (inarguably) a bigger sin?was it the killer's trivialising of human life,total lack of remorse and general flippancy or was it in-fact direct physical attack on her that triggered JW to play judge/executioner for a brief while? It's interesting how we seem to know more about the 'moral code' of our supposed anatgonist while the protagonist seems to be more of a mystery!

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Yes! I honestly find the duality in her character more interesting since we already know more about Hee Sung and the dilemma of his character. Also the reason why the casting of this show is particularly smart. Moon Chae Won generally have that natural "coldness" in her that's befitting her character. I really love the lingering stares she gives when she's trying to analyze/read her subjects. Hence, the comment that she's devoid of ability to judge a person's character is not exactly true or that she's totally objective when it comes to her judgment.

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Same. I wonder what her backstory is, too, if she has one?

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Unpopular opinion but I want Hee Sung to be the real killer, I don't want another misunderstood character that's overused in kdramas. I straight up feel the killer vibe in him. Also, he may have sort of an attachment to his family but he doesn't love them the way normal people do, I do think he has affection for their daughter but definitely not for the wife.

Also unpopular opinion but I don't like any of the characters in this drama, not yet anyway. And I feel like there are too many psychos in this.

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Psh, we're all allowed our own opinions--I also think it would be interesting if he was a total serial killer and we were all duped... but my heart would also be left torn and bleeding in my chest ahahahaha

we all have different drama preferences though, so don't feel bad about it!

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I agree, we all feel and react to things very differently. I'm always open to other opinions and insights but it doesn't mean I have to agree with them.

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I actually completely agree with your first opinion! I came into this drama thinking that Heesung would be the real killer and am expecting the drama to take that dark turn when it gets revealed to Jiwon and the family dynamic just deteriorates. I feel like if they put the blame on someone else, the power behind the drama weakens and the plot isn't as solid. I also agree with your idea about the family - something about the way Heesung and Jiwon interact (on his end) seems a lot more forced than his interactions with Eunha.

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Same! I want to see how the wife reacts in the aftermath of discovering her husband may be a sadistic serial killer. I know the setup right now paints him as a possibly misunderstood character but I just wish they'd go completely dark with his character because the potential is there and it'd be such an interesting conflict.

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I want that, too. Imagine how intriguing that would be. Wouldn't it be cool if the wife proves that he didn't do it, and the very final scene, it is revealed that he did it, he used the wife to get away with murder. I remember this old movie Jagged Edge where the girl fought for him, and proved his innocence, and in the very last twenty minutes of the show, she realized that he had played her for a fool. In the very last five minutes, he came for her with a knife, the "jagged edge", that made a peculiar pattern on his victims' bodies, but she was waiting, ready, she said, crying, "Don't make me do it", he paused for a beat, then he rushed at her, she shot him point-blank, and he fell, dead. Give me an ending like that, show.

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Also, similar to the movie Presumed Innocent, starring Harrison Ford.

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Thaaaat would be a cool ending. I could get behind that. Then my heart wouldn't be ripped out until the very last second, and I would still be totally satisfied haha^^

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Yes! Yes! Yes! I can already feel the tears and heartbreak that I would go through as a viewer, but that would be such a good ending.

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I think Hee Sung probably killed the foreman, and the reason is probably related to the girl in high school uniform. I think Hee Sung was trying to protect the girl when the murder happens. But I don't think he killed the rest.

I based this opinion on how Hee Sung (prior to episode 2) has no intention of extracting revenge on Moo Jin and Nam Soon Kil even though those two has wronged him, especially Nam Soon Kil who even tried to kill him.

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Same thoughts. Would dig it if they went full serial killer LJK but so far it looks like the stage is being set for HS merely being the 'fruit' of evil rather than being evil flower himself .
Btb did y'all clock the empty swimming pool next to the serial killer Pinterest board? Me thinks this is the pool HS is shown to be dumped in the first scene of the series.
Also I thought it was implied the girl was his noona, but apparently not!

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There are elements that suggest he may not be the killer, but narratively speaking, he should be. I did notice the swimming pool, I think it's the same swimming pool as in the first episode and it's probably a scene from some time in the near future.

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I'm pretty sure he killed the foreman and liked it. And I doubt he'd stop there after deriving pleasure from killing someone the first time. Nam Soon Kil called out Hyun Su just before he was murdered and Hee Sung has a motive to kill him (revenge for trying to kill him years ago), so it fits the narrative for him to have been the killer. As for Moo Jin, I'm sure Hee Sung is still keeping him alive to make sure no one else is looking for him or into his past like him.

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Exactly. He may not be the serial killer and he may have killed the man to defend the girl (which may be the owner of the necklace MooJi keeps), but he enjoyed it. That doesn't make him a serial killer, but he makes him a little psycho.

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I want to agree, but then the informant non-friend had to go and be happy he had "died". I feel like Hee-Sung changed when the friend mentioned that, and show wants us to believe that is his motive to kill the guy (I still don't think he did, that's too obvious)

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If he turns out to be real serial killer, which I very much doubt, you can rest assured he will be redeemed. Hyuk was a horrible, horrible man in TLE, but, man, we were crying buckets of tears for him in the end, weren't we, @katakwasabi @transient @cozybooks ?
Though my biggest fear is this: a killer is a killer. No matter how much he redeems himself, he has to pay for his sins. He has to die for his sins, saving his beloved. I don't think Korean drama is ready to have a killer go off scott-free, like, say Jake Gyllenhaal's character in the haunting Nightcrawler. That is, assuming he killed someone...the foreman, for one, even if it was to protect the girl.

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I agree, a killer is still a killer and no amount of redemption can change that, justice has to be served. As for killer go scot-free, two words, Born Again. I'm sure he killed the foreman and judging from his reaction afterward, he enjoyed it.

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He did it, right? His face. It was so exultant. He was grinning. He said it made him feel good. I loved that scene.

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Hyuk was special, TLE was the only drama where I root for the antagonist and couldn't care less for the ML.

Maybe the foreman murder was not premeditated, and is an unwanted result of Hee Sung protecting the girl. If this is the case and if he is convicted, Hee Sung will probably go to jail for 10 years and get reunited with his wife and daughter afterwards. He can then have his happily ever after after he has redeemed himself

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He will jump out of the police car on the way to prison and leap off a cliff. His body will never be found. It will be an open ending that will make us go, What????

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The camera will zoom out and showed us that the cliff is actually Lee Jun Kliff.

We won't be throwing things to the screen this time around (unlike for Moon Lovers) because the we already know that he will survive the fall from Lee Jun Kliff

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I cried so much at the end of Kill It.
But a killer is a killer.

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Yaaaaaaaas!!!!!! Oh my heck that show was something else. I was so sad. He was so terrible. But we cried.

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Wait, why should he die if he killed someone when he was
- underage
- to defend someone.

That is like one uncomfortable visit to court and that's it. Even if he grinned after murdering that dude

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I'm with you about Hee Sung. I really hope he's a psycho.

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For me, I've been leaning towards his presumed innocence because I've been disappointed before when I did want to see an actor I really like get to be truly, awfully, ain't-no-question-about-it-evil. The only one I can think of off the top of my head actually getting to do that is Yoo Ah-In. Of course, there are many dramas/movies I have yet to watch where I may again be pleasantly surprised.

Maybe because LJK is playing the ML, I'm a bit colored on this because of ML:SHR where although he still did awful things, they so heavy handily doled out the "because reasons" you were drowning in them by the end. There's tragic heroes, and then there's I GET IT ALREADY WRITER-NIM tragic heroes.

It could also be that they've been so heavy handed in the promos about the opposites attract factor of cop/murderer. If he really is, for some reason I can't name I'd think they'd have been at least a bit more subtle. I'm grasping for an example of another promo/show, but coming up empty.

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i thought i'm the only one feel this..he actually looks like he annoyed with the wife

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I don't know what to do about Hee Sung~! Conflicting emotions. It's early, but after this episode, I think he is NOT the main serial killer. It feels like the drama is leaning towards this. He kept the reporter alive (so far). The real killer attacked his old roommate. Part of me wants him to stay a morally ambiguous character and not veer towards complete evil so that I can root for him. On the other hand, this kind of antihero is sorta common. A serial killer being the main lead in a kdrama is rare. He probably did kill the village foreman unless his sister did it before he got there. The moment I saw his sister in the flashback, I immediately thought the man had assaulted her.

Pulling back, Hee-sung chuckles, “If I was really going to kill you, I would’ve covered the floor with a plastic cover.”

I admit this earned a chuckle out of me because he sounded so matter-of-fact.

I didn't not expect Ji Won to show a vicious side when she confronted the social worker killer. The fact that the rookie detective blocked the door made me think the team (or at least him) is aware that she can be physical and brutal.

I thought she seemed glowing in the premiere, but now I wonder if she can fake it when she wants to. If she's been hiding her shady self, I don't think Hee Sung has an inkling about it. He hid the basement key in a typical, open place and the basement door wasn't even concealed by a rug/mat, etc. He said that she only believes what she sees so he is not threatened by or worried about her uncovering his secrets.

Things are going to be bad for him next episode. Moo Jin missing his deadline or being absent from his job is not the only issue. The dead roommate's last phone call was to Moo Jin. The cops will likely investigate him and trace his call location to Hee Sung's workshop. Excited to see Hee Sung maneuver his way out of this situation. xD

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He did spread plastic cover on the floor in episode 2.

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Yup I know he did it later. Seeing it was still funny, but also more scary. XD;

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Two things about the plastic...
1) How long now has our dear reporter been in that basement with no bathrooms breaks? (This is one of my biggest pet peeves with most live captive situations in media.) So it might be...practical in a way? {I know, I know, very unlikely.}

2) It could simply be he put the plastic down to keep our dear reporter ill at ease and obedient. Kinda like a "since I have to leave you here alone for a while, let's just leave this reminder of how close you might be to death."

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If I were BD, I'd use the plastic sheet as a weapon. Like hurl it over Hot Metal Man's face and sit on him (I'd aim for his head) until he suffocates.

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Lololol this. The other thing I could see happening (and would totally die of happiness if it did) is if Ji-Won found Basement Dude... and then freed him, and not say anything about it to Hee-sung. Like secretly she's known he's sketchy for a long time, but has turned a blind eye, but this makes her start investigating?

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At first, my brain was all...but his hands are tied! So then the show took a comic turn in my head trying to imagine how he could hurl it over his shoulder or something, and failing so miserably.

Oh, the outtakes from that would be even more hilarious as the poor actor fails over and over again to successfully figure out a way to get the plastic in the proper place. 🤣

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@cozybooks, I dunno. He's a reporter...who wrote an article implying her husband assisted a serial killer. How would she ever get him to keep his mouth shut about being kidnapped by same? It's one thing to expect an average person to keep quiet if she takes him to the station so it's obviously on the up and up she needs him to go into hiding (as opposed to claiming she will investigate but won't because spouse/coverup)...it's a completely different thing to expect a reporter to do the same.

On the other hand, if she left him there but told him she would investigate so stay tight, would he keep his mouth shut when Hee Sung was back and not tell him his wife found him down there?

That's a tough call...🤔

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Mmmm both intriguing options... I'm considering a third as well where she finds him, says "hmm my husband hasn't done this in a while" and leaves him there to rot. But the reporter still might tell on her then. I'll think on it.

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That was such a thoughtful detail.

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The foreman mystery is the one I really want Hee-Sung to somehow not be guilty in... but it's kind of terrible that I think that way, since he's obviously committed enough crimes on screen with us watching him to put him in jail... but I'M STILL ROOTING FOR HIM. I don't even know... but I really hope he didnt' kill the foreman. The blood though... gah I'm so sad/conflicted/shouldn't be conflicted, just sad.

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I hear ya. Now that I replayed the scene, the evidence is pretty damning. Hae Soo & Hee Sung both got blood on their uniforms, but the blood splatter on Hee Sung looked like it came directly from stabbing the guy.

I can't tell what tool he used... /random/

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If it were grown up LJK, I would say he used his jaw.

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Oh my heck yes. I'm all in favor of adding that to a killer's weapons list. Hammer, cord, syringe, and Lee Jun Gi's jawline.

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@cozybooks The plastic sheet, too. Don't forget to add that to The Potential Weapons List.

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Ah yes, of course. Can't forget the plastic sheet. The best thing is, we can fit all of these instruments into the truck of doom--I'm even considering turning LJK's jawline into a franchise, a detachable weapon to be used for dates, photoshoots, and murderous escapades (apologizes to LJK who I hope I never meet and never reads this)

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Ahh I forgot a few things! Favorite parts of this episode I mean.

1. The fact that Ji-Won isn't as in tune with her family life. I really thought it was interesting that she wasn't so sure about who her daughter's friends were, that she wasn't used to their kitchen and Eun-Ha didn't like the way her mom dried her hair. Eun-Ha is definitely a daddy's girl, and her dad seems to be the primary caregiver... so it makes sense to me that Ji-Won might not notice as much wrong in their house. She's super observant though (that comment about which type of tea he'd served was also a favorite point) so I'm looking forward to her reactions as she starts focusing in more on her family life.

2. The daddy-daughter talk--I mentioned it in passing before, but I thoroughly enjoyed and was thoroughly creeped out by Hee-Sung's talk with his daughter. He's obviously taken an interest in her upbringing, and it just flipped my mama bear switch a little bit when he was talking about her maintaining a good reputation just to avoid suspicion in the future. I mean, I'm not gonna lie I also try and keep a good reputation or image just for the sake of it/I believe in trying to be an upstanding individual... but the way he talked about it was just cold!

3. Finally, the mom. She seemed so conflicted when she made that phone call, I felt like there was more depth to her dislike of Ji-Won as well... like she doesn't actually totally hate her/also has a bit of a conscience? Totally added to the creep factor that he's so dualistic about how he feels about the "mom hates daughter in law" relationship though. And the sleeping pills? I'm terrified. That one he needs to do some atoning for, if he really gave them to her.

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I was assuming he hasn't used the sleeping pills yet. Maybe, they're for himself. Maybe, he can't sleep.

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... ... ... Please let that be the case. When she didn't know when she'd fallen asleep I got so worried.

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I thought it was his way of putting his wife out of action while he did his “dark deeds?”

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Well, if he did, he has got to get his pills elsewhere. The wife woke up. Right when he comes home. Like, aren't those pills supposed to knock her out?

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I was thinking if he did get them for her, he doesn't necessarily have experience using them. So getting the dose right could be tricky. I honestly thought when he asked for them that they were for the reporter to keep him quiet as often as possible. (Probably because of Faith, where the Queen gets dosed by her kidnappers, but I want to say there's another show that did something similar that's just not making it through my sieve of a brain.)

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He would want to dose as lightly as possible; after all, she is a violent crimes detective - he can’t have her staggering around under the influence. And if this is the first time he had to knock her out, getting the dose right wou,d be a problem.

And there’s also the possibility her physiology is not normal either...

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I don't think mum hates JiWon, it's just that HS is very explicit in them not to bond, and giving the fact that he's already told his mum that she can only have him as long as he is BHS, it's clear to me that she has to obey.

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mm that's what I'm inclined to believe, too. I wonder how they got put together as "mom and son"

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I believe HS did killed the foreman but to only protect the girl Haesoo from being rape because it was the foreman that was spreading rumors of HS involvement with his daddy murder. So the foreman was a dirty old man.

I'm pretty sure he does care for his family and may even love them. I mean why go through all trouble of being with them if he wanted to keep his past hidden even his (fake) parent were surprised that HS had a *successful* marriage. And also note the fact that it was JW who had fell in love with HS first she even confessed she *seduce* him first. Even in the trailer it was JW who initiated their first kiss and the the shock look on HS face spoke volume.

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It is my first LJK drama and I thought the acting was really good. I actually thought throughout this episode that he's probably not the killer until the last scene. Idk. Maybe I don't want it to go too dark so I don't want him to be the killer either cause otherwise I would probably not be able to root for him. As I said before I don't mind the side cases as they help to learn more about the Ji won. Her reaction in the restroom was surprising. But also that means there's something to her that's not how we thought before. Maybe she does suspects something? I mean yes she is indeed pretty observant so it can't mean she would be fooled for so many years I think.

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That last scene was so sketchy! I don't want for those two to be the same person, but still... gah!

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I posted a comment and pressed Send and it disappeared.

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That's happened to me, too. My condolences, @yyishere.

(And it's fun when I find that you are still talking with toast, my friend)

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I posted again and it disappeared! Argh!

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Emperor, it is a ploy to keep me from revealing what I know. That:

1. There is another killer in a hoodie. Biological Father, Fake Father, or Fake Mother. Or it could be a team effort.
2. The wife is a woman with secrets.
3. Basement Dude is staying hydrated and alive with mineral water and the cup of tea he drank.
4. Am I the only one worrying that the rain would flood the basement? Remember Parasite?

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Basement Dude better not drink too much... toilet?

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A thousand times this.

Although I did wonder (after the plastic sheet use discussion) how hilarious it would be for Hee Sung to force depends on Moo Jin if he doesn't kill him anytime soon. "You should be thankful I got these for you. Imagine how unpleasant it could be if I didn't."

Only two episodes in, and my brain keeps wanting to script a parallel universe Frenemy Comedy for these two. 🤪

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@depends Oh my heck I totally wondered about the same thing lol

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Just one thing: According to Chinese Wikipedia (It's strange that the English entry doesn't show), Hyun-soo has a twin brother. Does that answer your question, @yyishere?

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Oh my gosh. A twin????? Whattt???? Noooooo. I don't want a twin! That would be too easy.

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OH NO! TROPE DECK WINS AGAIN!

*buries head in hands*

Then again...I might still get my wish...to see him play a truly ain't-no-question-about-it-evil character...while still watching him get exonerated for helping his Dad...AND might still get my "Dad was a patsy" save...although then maybe the Dad actually committed suicide when he found out the one son was the murderer...🤯

So much to process now and decide if I now love this show or want to cry.

I must rewatch the first two episodes with this new potential info in mind.

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Oooh that's actually interesting to me. I haven't seen a drama in a while that's pulled the twin card. But it would make sense if they look the same, then the dead guy really would have seen "Hee-Sung".

...now if only in an alternate universe they were secretly in cahoots and taking turns playing the nice husband. Now that would be twisted.

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I forgot to ask, does the Chinese Wiki make it clearer that Do Hae Soo (the younger girl in the flashback) is in fact Baek Hee-Sung's/Do Hyun-soo's sister? I know some last names are more common than others, so wasn't really sure in this case.

And NOW I just remember the scene with the blonde hair...is that the twin? *quickly pulls up scene to check* Nope...his ID was for Hyun-Soo, so it must have been after the event in question.

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@cozybooks Unless Ji-Won is in on it and she's very happy with the arrangement, that's just a bit too icky for me for them to do so without her consent. (And let's not speculate on how weird that would be for the daughter.) Sorry to buzzkill on the fanfic, but...that's a bit too far from my comfort zone/close to way out makjang to entertain happily.

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The real question for the Basement Guy is where are all his waste products?

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In his, um, *whispers* pants?

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Biological weapon(s). To be unleashed at the opportune time. Now, if only his hands were free.

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@yyishere if in the pants, there would be visible signs on the pants, floor, etc. along with odors. Since there’s no sign, a mystery exists.

Perhaps the Guy in the Basement is playing our anti-hero?

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I am so upset my comment disappeared. Seriously. I could break a whole tea set in my frustration.

I just hope this gets through. LJK's jaw is so sharp it is a natural weapon. He can use it to slice through scotch tape or rope. Cut through wire. Stab a belly.

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*imagining LJK stabbing someone in the belly with his jaw*

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He could target the neck, too. But then, he would have to angle his jaw up. it's easier to jaw-stab the belly.

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He should never aim for the neck. That specific act of aligning his jaw to another's neck brings back flashbacks of a drama that shall not be named, which contains vampires and excessively fair and long haired LJK

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@transient Oh, my goodness. That drama. I had forgotten all about it. I watched a bit and gave up. I'm not a fan of vampire shows.

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Same here. The scene will be just as powerful as Ji-won offering a choice of cutting somewhere.

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China tea set is not to blame.
Break something else, please.

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To be fair, his profile in Lawless Lawyer was even more angular...even more than when he was in Moon Lovers. (That office kiss scene...now THAT's a sharp jawline shot! He looked positively elven then.)

Ok...I tried to insert the image here, but it dumped my post. So look at my fan wall in case you didn't see/forgot how sharp he was there!

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On last episode's recap, I said that Serial-killer Husband vs. Detective Wife is probably an illusion for us audience. Both Hee-sung and Ji-won understand the importance of being in the good side, as Hee-sung dumping her daughter's nemesis' doll, and when Ji-won threatening the woman she is about to arrested.

Hee-sung telling his daughter "to be on the good side" is shocking, but actually not as unexpected, but when Ji-won offers Seo-young a choice of "dying in 12 seconds from a cut carotid or 3.5 seconds from a severed subclavian artery", it sounds like a threat from a serial killer, not a police arresting a culprit. Reputation is also very important in terms of South Korean psyche: it will be a shame to be, let's say, a son of a serial killer. I guess the show is subtly criticizing this "bad habit" of the society somehow, with both characters working in opposite.

The show always remind me, somehow, of Silence of the Lamb, which just happen to be doing an investigation by an investigator and a serial killer, with some twist. I am not sure Hee-sung is a serial killer yet (or maybe Ji-won, in fact?), but I do have this feeling. It will be a fun ride, just don't settle who is good and who is bed yet.

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I'm with @TeriYaki and @jushi I'm on his side. I cannot believe that he is totally evil, especially after this episode when we see people's prejudices about him get so much focus. As @jushi says, *Hee Sung struggled all his life dealing with people like Moo Jin and Nam Soon Kil who find it easy to put blame on people like him because he's different.* I'm more disturbed by the seemingly "normal" people who think stoning another school kid is what kids do when they are growing up.

Just can't go there, in spite of the wishes of beanies who want him to be a serial killer. My money is on him getting much grief, even from his wife, because of his inability to show his emotions. Hence the melo element. Sorry to those who don't want a misunderstood antihero. LJK will do this sooooo well.

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The practicing of the smiling in the bathroom and the sudden appearance of the plastic on the floor of the basement, were two of the details that kept the creepy factor just where it should be in a show like this.

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Yaaaas! I agree. The plastic on the floor really scared me for a bit haha

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My concern for reporter MJ took a sharp nose dive once I saw his teenage 'antics'. I'm sorry,we were young and dumb don't fly as an excuse when you are tying up a fellow classmate and straight up stoning him like it's the middle ages. I am now highly concerned about how he came to have the necklace that seemingly belonged to the young Hae soo(who is HS's sister??) With that kinda backstory, MJ is getting the VIP treatment(in context of HS's supposed psychopathy)!(What with 🔨 caresses, rationed water and plastic covering to keep the thrill alive). It also lends serious credence to HS's cold words about reputation. What young MJ and his classmates did to HS was highly disturbing but MJ's reputation doesn't seem tainted by it. Probably because the victim was from a 'tainted' family so his infamy predisposed people to ignore the crimes done against him?
Most characters linked to HS so far are morally grey so we can't 💯 condemn his actions when he seems to be returning the treatment he was dealt with so far. There's no innocent victim (apart from their darling daughter) and most people coming up HS's path seem to have some evil inside them.
I'm willing to bet that the village foreman wasn't a benevolent figure especially with him meeting his end in that sketchy looking place with two teenagers.
The brief glimpse of the place JS grew up seems to be stifling and it could possibly be a study in how prejudices and mob mentality can feed into forging the monsters they were scared of in the first place.

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I couldn't agree with you more. They are horrible prejudice-filled people.

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I sure hope that Ji Won will be on Hyun Soo's side when the time comes. That is if he is being framed as a serial killer.
I honestly don't think young Hyun Soo would kill that foreman for no reason. There may be something that provoked him which we are not privy to yet.

I am really intrigued on Ji Won's reaction to Soo Young in that bathroom. She is not a goody-two-shoes at all and I like it. I was scared for a moment that she will slash her throat. Cha Ji Won looks to be in the grey area and has a hidden depth to her.

I am really fascinated by the fact that Eun Ha prefers her father to her mother. I think there is a story there. I honestly think that Hee Sung genuinely cares for his daughter and she can sense that. I dont know how that can mean for Ji Won. She is displayed to be competent at her job but not so much at home. There is nothing wrong with that but may just display her lack in housekeeping skills and hopefullu not in her nurturing skills.

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A fast rising violent crimes detective who is always on call probably doesn’t have the amount of time her husband (who seems to be well off - no visible customers in his store) who seems to have easy working hours...

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I have working mom friends who also have high demand jobs, who still find time to get to know their kids. I can understand the lack of houskeeping skills but not so much that she doesnt seem to know about her kid and her friends in school. It can be because of work or something else. It may be nothing since we are only two episodes in.

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I get the feeling that the drama is setting up the mother to also not be “normal”. Given the scene in the bathroom, and her lack of knowledge of her daughter, something is off.

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Yes! It all boils down to the feeling that something is off with her.

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I'm a little late to the party, but here I am.
No wonder creepy HeeSung is creepy considering how he was treated when he was HuynSoo.
I'm totally convinced he's a psycho. His reaction to what happened in the kindergarten is clear: apologize and be consider a good girl, so no one can mistrust you next time you said you didn't do something wrong (and you did).
Also I'm not so clear about JiWon not being a psycho. When she asked the social worker where she should make the cut... well, I thought, they are one of a kind indeed.

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Would love to see this drama go down the road of both of our leads being ... Different from their public image?

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This episode was almost as good as the first. My request is the same. Please be a real psycho! Crime of the ep was a little weaker and I didn't believe in cop wife as a threat for a second but those were easily forgotten because of all the delightful creepy moments of LJK and people from his past.

@lilyleftthevalley The reason I felt he didn't have any leftover emotions from that past was his reactions on many moments. When talking to the older MJ he really did seem to be calm and playing with him, enjoying his fear instead of dealing with some painful memory of his own, this wasn't revenge. Also, he seems to be very methodical and unafraid of legal consequences, if he really had any desire for payback he would just have found this guy a long time ago and dealt with him. The doll situation was also very telling, he didn't show any empathy for his family emotions or any concern about the moral choices, he thought only about the practical and faster way to be the good guy while still making the other pay. There was no doubt on his face, no hesitation. Same with the old roommate, not much of any emotional response except when ironic smiling by the end of conversation.

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I can definitely see how you can see things that way. Honestly, now that the potential of the Hidden Twin Trope has been thrown on the table, I'm a lot further away from following a similar line of thinking than I was even yesterday.

Still, sometimes people react to situations in extreme ways, then realize too late..."How the heck do I unwind this?" (Which can also be used to hilarious effect as with I Picked up a Star Along the Road.) In some ways, I believe that's possible (notice I don't say probable) with what's going on with the reporter.

I think it could be argued that in both the situation with the reporter and the ex-roommate that they both dredged up bad memories, and especially those two incidents so close together could definitely deepen the trigger of fear of being caught as not being Hee sung. That seems to be a theme from the get go with his current family--don't get caught.

He does try to be proactive once the alarm is raised (he has a bit more grace time with the roommate than the reporter), which can definitely be seen (and seems portrayed) as him being calculated. Yet it can also simply be something that was one bad choice that snowballed into another and the writer is presenting his future actions from those "oh noes" contacts in such a way as to lead us down the Path of Misdirection they want us to go.

Do I think he's enjoying getting payback with the reporter? Definitely. I'm just not yet sold on exactly how malicious his intent is. (And after rewatching the notepad discovery scene, I wonder if he put down the plastic because he planned to pour the water out all along as a so called "what bad guys do" tactic--I know this is a stretch, but my brain went there.)

As to the ex-roommate, if there's any weight to the twin thing, maybe the twin was the one that made the threatening call asking if they were happy? The voice modulator was a bit...calculated. (And made me think of W and the whole "I see you have new family now." thing specifically because of the voice mod used there until the evolution of the villain.) Because when they show the flashback to where the roommate tried to rob/kill him, wouldn't he have just finished him off then? They were in the woods, seemingly miles away from witnesses, and in the rain to boot--and now he has a knife! How handy. And it might have been a slip on LJK's part as an actor (or super well intended to be an Easter Egg in its own way), but that last shot in the flashback where the roommate tries to take another swipe with the knife before the scene cut, he looks genuinely scared. I'm not saying a killer can't get scared, just his posture and reactions once the attack starts is not one of a practiced killer--even with the obstacles of rain, stab wound, or whatever. The ironic smile was his acceptance of the fact that once again, the rep that follows him now causes a former attacker to try to frame him for attacking him...

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I think you are replying after watching ep 3 and I haven't yet so I can't comment on that. Hidden Twin Trope? I didn't even know this was a thing kkk. I don't think he can't be scared or that he has to want to kill people just to be a psycho, he can be a more mellow type? Maybe he just enjoys scaring people? Maybe he just kills a certain type of person and only once every ten years? Maybe he is just a really cold and amoral person and that's the extent of his issue. I like all these weird theories, we always get the good guy or the serial killer but most people are somewhere in between.

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Ugh another eaten post. 😶

I have not yet watched ep 3. The episode should be ending soon in SK I think? (It airs at 22:50 Seoul time). It usually takes a few hours for even raw to show up on most sites here.

The twins discussion took fire after @imperialtitus mentioned in the replies to Post #12 above seeing something about twins on a Chinese wiki. (I tried to link to the exact post, but for some reason links seem to be triggering the Post Eating Monster today.)

I figured it could fall under the Hidden Twin Trope because in the show itself, there's been no mention of a twin (yet).

[Although...I learned in my search for an English language confirmation about a twin in this show that there is a manhwa called "The Flower of Evil" by Lee Hyeon-Sook that has twin (brother/sister) siblings in it--but it is a very different premise.]

The reason I mentioned him seeming scared was because it really stood out for me when I rewatched that flashback scene, and I don't mean cowering type scared, more like generally alarmed at the situation because things could go very bad scared.

I totally am with you on as many cut and dry good or bad characters are doled out, with so few gray characters. It's why I get excited when a gray wanders in. 🥳

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Drat..it cut off what I wrote without telling me...

The Doll situation I saw as a harmless revenge for the daughter he knew felt so wronged (and understood why). It was pretty sloppy of him to dump the doll in what could be the men's bathroom in the school. Also, when he looks in the mirror after doing that as he washes his hands, in the back mirror he seems to be taking stock of himself, but when the camera focuses directly on his actual face to his final barely there expression, he seems resigned, not smirking. As if he knows life is unfair and this is the best he can do to make his daughter feel better.

Depending on how things develop (and whether the Twin Trope really is in play), I very well may swing back my thinking to where his intent really lies, and how maliciously. In the meantime, it's been interesting to parse out the possibles rewatching specific moments.

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It's just a doll, not enough to make his black soul that happy to deserve a smirk. :P Yes, I want him to be the real deal but it's still early and drama can still turn him around and make it all just coincidence.

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It's interesting that in your mind a reaction about a doll should be nothing to him, but the more direct human exchange reaction aspect gives him acceptable cause to smirk. Yet it makes total sense given other related portrayals, where a pet or book is more important to them than a human life.

Related, leaning towards he may be someone all out removed from norms behind the scenes, I wonder if he did it more for himself then and any benefit the daughter got was a bonus for him keeping up the good dad role? With the idea that he did so because he had to bow to these strangers that think he and his family are below them just to try to keep things socially acceptable, and that prejudgement fuels the way he has become?

Excellent point, honestly.

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Yes, it could easily have been more for his amusement than any attempt to please the daughter or to punish the girl and her mother. We still need to know what drives him to understand his reactions. My request for the drama has changed to - Please be real psycho and don't be a twin! :P

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I'm totally late for the party, but I just wanted to say I'm sold!

I like how two different stories, Hyun-soo/Hee-sung stuff and Ji-won's detective case are happening at the same time.

And I have never seen an occupation like a metal worker/having a metalworking studio in K-dramas before. That's new!

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RE: his profession--it is refreshing to have a new occupation in play!

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Ditto, I always enjoy something new like that! It makes the series feel fresh even if the ideas aren't completely new :)

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Tick tock!

I am holding on watching this so that I can binge watch. :-D But it is getting harder everyday!

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Wow this drama has me so hooked. It's been a long time since I've gotten on board so early in a currently airing drama so this is gonna be excruciating, but I'm loving the complexity we're getting from our central family. I certainly don't think that HS is the hooded killer with the psycho wall of articles because the camera teased at his shadowed face and hands a million times before we saw HS arriving home in the rain coat and it would've been too obvious. Plus, why would he hold the reporter under his literal house if he had a massive evil warehouse elsewhere?
Seeing JW's aggressive side come through in the bathroom scene was also one of my favorite moments and I do love how this reflects they're more similar in more ways than HS expects, and I want to believe she knows more about his inner self than he thinks. All that said, I still struggle to see how a detective like JW who does seem to have a strong sense of justice can get past the things we've already seen HS do like kidnap her friend and well, lie about his entire identity for the years they've built a family together.

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OMG I hadn't even thought of that point! Why wouldn't he taken him to the Evil Lair? Genious!

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Is it just me or is Eun-ha just an adorable little scene stealer?!?!

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Not just you! Super scene stealer, she's adorable!!

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@lilyleftthevalley The Time Between Dog and Wolf! I remember that drama. It is one of my favourite LJK dramas. I thought he played dual roles amazingly well. And JKH was beautifully sad...it was a favourite for me because of JKH, too. Moon Lovers had its moments, but the weird shots left me laughing at the most inappropriate scenes. I remember Wang So lurching in at the most poignant scene...and I fell over laughing.

@eazal Presumed Innocent with Harrison Ford, oh my goodness, that movie...I remember it. I was so angry with him, he cheated on his wife, and I was so happy he got arrested for murdering the lover. The ending...I have chills thinking about it.

Thank you, guys, you dredged out my memories of long-forgotten shows! And talking about Harrison Ford, have you watched his movie with Michelle Pfeiffer, What Lies Beneath? I thought about it, there was a scene where he fed these paralyzing pills to his wife, oh my God, and as she lay there staring at him, her whole body frozen and unable to move, he kissed her and said, "I love you"... and I wondered whether HMM would do that to his wife, too.

@leetennant Hey, LT. Thought I wasn't going to tag you, huh. Let me ask you a question. If you were a serial killer, would you kidnap this reporter who made your life hell when you were in high school, kidnap him, drag him down to the basement, tie him up, slap tape over his mouth, spread a plastic sheet under his body, threaten him, AND.....LEAVE HIM ALIVE?

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Not in the long run. The reporter being alive has utility right now... When there’s no more use for him except as a dead body or wrap up lose ends? No bets.

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Oops, sorry. Couldn’t help jumping in!

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Why YY, YY why?

I'm not even watching this show and until someone plasters my initials across their back I'm not sure I should be here. (I hope that doesn't happen, I've had enough desperate overtures of love from Hallyu stars for 2020).

*waves to people in Flower of Evil recap*

I'm going to need a lot more information before answering this question. Like - do I achieve something from keeping him alive? Do I secretly fancy him and am hoping for some hot and heavy Stockholm Syndrome? Is he Ji Chang Wook and I'm performing a public service?

So many questions.

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You are supposed to answer my questions, not ask more questions. *GRUMBLING*

1. Q: "Do I achieve something from keeping him alive?"
A: To squeeze more information from him, I guess. On something. I have no idea what.

2. Q: "Do I secretly fancy him and am hoping for some hot and heavy Stockholm Syndrome?"

A: He is hot ----I don't see any fans down here, and it's stuffy and airless --- and he's heavy ----- this guy was a bully in high school, he's a tall, strapping guy, but I'm not sure he's hot and heavy THAT way. I mean, I am shuddering picturing him YOUR way, and no, ew, yikes, just no. Why did you have to mention that, LT? Why? Why?

Another question. If you are lying, trussed up on a plastic sheet, how do you turn that plastic into a weapon to subdue and suffocate your kidnapper and make a run for it? Your hands are tied up, so are your legs. @lilyleftthevalley Maybe, he could use his teeth? Like, bite onto the plastic and grit it tightly between his teeth, and kind of pull...or something. Would help if he had strong, healthy teeth.

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There's an Argentinian movie called "El secreto de sus ojos" The Secret in your eyes" (won the Oscar as best movie) that I highly recommend. Can't explain further not to spo*l.

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Oooo, delicious. Thank you! I will check that out. I watched a Spanish movie, "The Uninvited Guest", and it was brilliant, filled with twists and turns until the last five minutes of the show.

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Hey, thanks for the movie recommendations! Those both sound really good (Presumed Innocent and What Lies Beneath)

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@yyishere, Moon Lovers definitely had some...awkwardness. I'll leave it at that. (I still pine for what that drama should have been.)

I have definitely seen Presumed Innocent. After reading the plot summary for What Lies Beneath, it does sound familiar. Even though I'm not a big horror fan, I will tolerate a thriller and I am a fan of both Ford and Pfieffer. So it's likely I did see it--the detail about her using her toe in a desperate attempt to turn the water tap off rang a strong bell.

Getting back to the drama of the moment, would HMM send our Fair Lady off as such? But then how could we watch his amazing Martial Arts grapple holds and still watch both of the faces without too many annoying camera angle changes...unless he's in the tub behind her...so he's got her in a sort of macabre hug? Oh wait...yes! That could work. So maybe?

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OK, another thought-- I was thinking about how Ji-Won is so out of touch with her family life, and realized Hee-Sung was the one who even put her clothes away in episode one. When he's so in control of their daily household life, it's more plausible to believe she'd get duped--she doesn't seem to know much about how her household runs after all.

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I dont think he has killed anyone. I think that he is a sociopath ( not a psychopath). I also think he doesnt understand emotions therefore he doesnt understand love. I do think he cares for both his wife and daughter ( especially his daughter) and even he may not know it yet.

Hee-sung has been tainted by his father reputation his entire life plus the fact that he was different. We see people constantly try to hurt him in flashbacks. I felt that Hee-sung is not creepy ( as some are saying) but really trying to blend in and make an effort. If he didn't care, trust me he would not work so hard to not lose his family. Plus, when his ex roomate told him that it was him that was stalking him, he seemed genuinely surprised ( so someone is pretending to be him? ). I am not giving up on Hee-sung yet.

Ji Won is a little annoying but I like that she is very cheerful, a counter to Hee Sung dark side. This drama is interesting so far and I cant wait to see what they unfold.

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Since the revelation that the Hidden Twin Trope Card may be in play, I have thrown out many of my original notions/wants on this show, and am tentatively reexamining others. I now may not be able to wait for subs to see what is revealed today so I might better season the seven bean chili that is my brain for this show at this point. (Each bean representing a possible twist.)

*Checks time to see when it is in Seoul, brain starts whispering notions.*

Me: Shush, brain. 🤫 Otherwise I won't get any actual work done today.

Brain: But...but...but now we might have Twins! And in Tarot, the Lovers can also represent Twins! You totally can start plotting out a KTrope Tarot Deck! And it would also sorta fit with @cozybooks idea about both playing the good spouse too!

Me: *sighs*

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Spirits help me, the same page I was reading said further down that Gemini (twins) is also represented in the Minor Arcana by the King of Swords. Depending on how that card is in play, it fits right in for the possible good/evil dichotomy of the twins.

I find this coincidence hilarious because I know very little about Tarot. Yet I have friend that are huge into it and the various decks and how the imagery per deck works well or not.

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Mwahahahaha yess fall deeper into the kdrama trope traps!! Lolol I also tend to watch the episodes first without subs, then with subs, but that's because I'm learning Korean and it's good practice to write down the time signature when I don't understand haha

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@cozybooks @lilyleftthevalley Just watched Episode 3. My jaw almost detached itself. @imperialtitus's theory, omg, what a spin. Was not expecting that.

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Mwahahahaha yaaaas I watched it this morning, then just now with a friend. SO. GOOD. I have to say I saw some of the twists coming this episode, but it was done so well!!

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Surely we will discuss about it on Ep.3 recap. The drama is keeping shocking me. Surely we have so much to talk about.
It is way more juicy then just twins ...

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For the time being, @yyishere, please take care of your jaw.

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@yyishere @cozybooks, @imperialtitus wait until you see ep 4!

I'm not-so-patiently waiting for the ep 3 thread.

SOOOOO much to discuss.

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I didn't watch Ep4 yet just because I have to wait for Viki to have their English subtitle up (then I have to go dinner with my friends)

Surely will discuss once I watched it tomorrow.

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I told a friend I wouldn't spoil it and I'd wait to watch it with subs with her tonight... but the subs are at 45% and I want to watch it today no matter what...

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My spouse said to me (about Flower of Evil), "I don't think I've seen you this excited by a show since W."

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Ahhh I loved W! It was my favorite show for a while, but I have to say I think it was replaed by shows with a more subtle directing/writing style like Stranger. Still, up there at the very top.

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@cozybooks, You're going to have to be more specific. There are near a dozen Kdramas with Stranger in the title. Help a Beanie out, please.

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@lilyleftthevalley There's a kdrama, Forest of Secrets, but the English title is just "Stranger". It was a suuuper subtle, very smart show, I had to watch it twice to catch all the minor connections the characters made. *cannot* wait for season 2^^

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Thank you, @cozybooks.

Sometimes I wonder why Kdramas release something with more than one English translation/name for the title. Drives me batty.

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Very good, surprised me in a good way. LJG is killing it here, he does action well. His micro expressions when he's with his family vs. other people is very good.

I wish Netflix picked this up instead of Viki, b/c this show deserves a bigger/international audience. This show reminds me of You/Dexter but Korean style. I've some theories about where this will end up at.

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Love the editing, love the directing, love the casting for younger Lee Joon Ki, love Lee Joon Ki/Hee Sung/Do Hyun Soo in this and yes I forgive him in advance 😅

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Oh, and I also loved Ji Won in that bathroom scene. But I hate the eyes *shudders* (looking at you episode 3 😤)

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I just saw the first three episodes of this show and... WOW. I did not expect this.
I started the drama to because of Chae Won and damn, it's great. This it's not cheap formula, I love it. I love her role too. It's smart and strong and I feel something else coming so yeah, this rocks.
I have a lot to say about JG's role but I'm gonna shut up till next recap since it contains a bit of spoilers of episode 3.

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the social worker is the one who killed the old woman but why the need to include the scene where she arrived at the old womans house only to horrifyingly discover the woman was murdered?? She was the only one in the house at that time so why would she have to act surprised at the discovery of the body when she was the perpetrator? why did she even have to enter the house calling for the grandmother when she already knew the grandmothers was dead? was that simply to mislead the audience because it just makes no sense for the killer to act in front of no ones

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Plausible deniability.

1) She has a regular schedule of visits. If she were to skip one, she'd have to explain why.
2) She knows the benefactor has a son. Said son could have possibly arrived just before she did.
3) If someone happened to be walking near the home or lived close by, when questioned by the police what they remember of the last X hours is how they saw her enter as she has many times before and then her distress.

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So thankful for your response, I thought the drama was intentionally misleading the audience with that scene but now that you explained it was plausible deniability, i understand why they included that scene, not just to mislead the audience but to also create a sort of alibi for the social worker

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I'm enjoying the dynamic between the two detectives, Ji-won and Jae-sub. And the scene where Ji-won threatens the social worker in the bathroom was really eye-opening and made me look at her in a completely different light. Really enjoying the drama so far.

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