Terius Behind Me – Episode 1 Recap
The scene opens with Kim Bon standing on a bridge and a voiceover saying, “Today is D-day.” We see a montage of images (a woman clicking photographs, a gunshot, Kim Bon holding the woman who is probably dying from a gunshot) as a woman’s voiceover says, “If I don’t make it to our next appointment, know that something went wrong”. Kim Bon’s voiceover says “Don’t worry, I’ll be watching over you”. The woman’s voiceover continues, “Just kill me.” A man’s voiceover says, “The next target is the woman’s house.” We see a montage of what seems like a mission as Kim Bon stands over a motionless man and someone shoots Kim Bon from behind.
Kim Bon (So Ji-Sub) wakes up from his nightmare breathing heavily as the alarm sounds at 5.00 am. He gets up after turning off the alarm and we see that the bullet wound on his shoulder has left behind a scar. He gets ready for his morning jog after drinking a morning rice drink. Before leaving the house, he looks at the apartment’s entrance through his monocular and finds it deserted. He locks his door and pastes clear tape between the door and the door frame (to know if someone has broken into his home in his absence).
As he jogs down the street a voiceover narrates, “Some people spend their morning with rules and order”.
Meanwhile, its morning at another household as two extremely active kids (Joon Soo and Joon Hee) are fighting as their mother Go Ae-rin (Jung In-sun) makes breakfast. She goes over to them and tries to break them up. They seem to be quite a handful as they continue to give her a tough time. She manages to get them to brush their teeth.
Go Ae-rin then peeks out of the door. She doesn’t go out but just puts her hand into the bag containing the morning supplies. She rummages through the bag and removes the items one by one. Her children come out while brushing their teeth to find their mother busy rummaging the bag. They decide to poke her from behind.
Just then, Kim Bon walks out of the elevator (they seem to be neighbours). As he walks across, Ae-rin drops the yoghurt which rolls on the floor and comes to stop at his feet. Kim Bon bends to pick it up and just then, Ae-rin’s kids poke her from behind. Ae-rin is startled as she falls forward and knocks Kim Bon to the floor.
She straightens up to find that Kim Bon’s nose is bleeding. She tries to wipe the blood using her apron but he pushes her away and she falls on the floor again. He asks her what she is doing and she explains that his nose is bleeding. He stiffly says its alright and tries to walk inside his house but she stops him and apologises. She stuffs the yoghurt in Kim Bon’s hand as a gesture of apology. Ae-rin notices her kids laughing and chases them as they all run back into their house. Kim Bon looks at the yoghurt in his hand, which is leaking.
The voiceover narrates, “Some people spend their morning in chaos and confusion.”
Go Ae-rin struggles to get the kids to the school bus, which is waiting outside. The other parents look at her and comment that her family is very noisy. She manages to get them into the bus and waves at the children along with the other parents as the bus leaves.
She speaks with her neighbours and leaves. Kim Sang Ryeol and Bong Sun Mi discuss attending the first-year anniversary at the bakery and home shopping and they leave.
The voiceover narrates, “A lot of information is exchanged during a chaotic morning.”
Ae-rin walks with Shin Eun-Ha who tells her that she can’t find any information about J-international (a company where Ae-rin has applied). She says that since its a secretarial post Ae-rin should wear a dress suit for the interview.
Ae-rin rummages through her wardrobe and finds her suit that she had worn before she got married. She manages to get into it after a long struggle and manages to wear it though it is a tight fit. Before leaving the house, she pulls out her mobile and checks the horoscope for Aries. It shows the magician card that means everything will go according to plan. She is delighted and leaves.
The voiceover narrates, “Tarot cards may be simple entertainment to some.”
In his house, Kim Bon sits with his laptop and sees the Horoscope for Aries. He looks at the Magician card. He zooms in to see some coordinates on the bottom of the card. He keys in the coordinates to find a location; a building called “Star tower”. He closes the laptop and walks out.
The voiceover narrates, “To some, tarot cards can be important information.”
Kim Bon reaches the elevator and he finds Ae-rin already in the elevator. She greets him as he gets into the elevator. She tells him that she usually is not that clumsy. He says she needn’t explain herself. She tries to strike a conversation and asks him where he is going since he hardly comes out at daytime. He immediately gets suspicious of her as she figured out his course of movements. She asks him to stop by Bonjour Bakery, as it is their first year Anniversary. She says the first 200 people will get a free loaf of sliced bread. She smiles saying that he always buys sliced bread and Kim Bon again wonders how she knew he bought sliced bread. She says she will give him a gift and starts rummaging her bag. He says it’s okay and gets off the elevator. She finds it and runs behind him. She catches up with him and places a candy in his hands and leaves. He watches as she almost trips over but manages to walk away. He looks at the candy in his hand and its wrapper reads, “I am watching you”.
His voice-over narrates, “We were two people who lived in the same space, but in very different worlds.”
Moon Sung Soo (Kim Myung Soo), Head of National Security, walks upto one of the public lockers and opens his bag. He finds the locker’s password printed inside the bag. He keys in the password and opens the locker to find another bag inside. He swaps his bag with the one inside the locker. A man watches Moon Sung Soo walk away and calls his superior.
Jin Yong Tae (Son Ho-Jun) receives the call and learns that Moon Sung Soo has taken the bag. He comments that Sung Soo is a hypocrite. He then asks his secretary to send the interviewee in.
The secretary asks Ae-rin to go in. Ae-rin asks her why she was quitting. The secretary says that she had given him her wedding invitation and he had asked her for her resignation letter. Ae-rin looks puzzled.
Jin Yong Tae looks at her resume and seems unimpressed. He asks her if she is married and has kids. She says she is and that she is a mother of 6-year-old twins. He asks if she hadn’t read the prerequisites and says that he is looking for an unmarried person. She says that the prerequisites stated that the applicant should be married and even better if she had kids. Yong Tae catches his secretary giving him a wicked smile. Yong Tae realises that his secretary has deliberately given the wrong prerequisites in the job profile.
Yong Tae asks her to leave saying he won’t employ her. Ae-rin refuses to leave and says that he didn’t ask her any important questions. He says that he already asked her the important questions. When she doesn’t budge, he says that he is the employer and he can hire as per his requirements. He asks her to go and do housework. Ae-rin gets angry and says that she has to earn money as they have a mortgage to pay off while raising 2 kids. She says she is sorry she wasted his time and gets up to leave. She tells him that he had also wasted her precious time by putting up the wrong job posting in the advertisement. She asks him to apologise to her.
Yong Tae leans forward and takes the resume. He asks her to take a seat. She sits down. He asks for her job experience in the last 6 months. When she starts to answer, he says that he didn’t ask about housekeeping and looking after kids. He says he means real work. When she doesn’t respond, he sternly asks her to get out and stop wasting his time. Ae-rin asks him what kind of work this company does, as there is no information online. He says they import bags. She thanks him.
As she heads out, she bumps into Moon Sung Soo who is on his way in. She watches as he goes into Yong Tae’s office.
Inside the office, Moon Sung Soo places the bag on the table as Yong Tae asks if the money wasn’t enough. Moon says that he now knows how Yong Tae makes deals and warns him to prepare for the worst. Yong Tae asks Moon to reconsider, as it is a million dollars (he opens the bag on the table and it contains cash). He says that Moon just has to sign a document for this. Moon says he isn’t interested. He says the North and South are at a peaceful place. Yong Tae asks Moon to be tactical as to where he places his weapons. Moon is furious as he says he won’t waste National Finances on outdated combat planes for a ridiculous price like that.
Yong Tae gives a resigned look and says that he is sorry to have bothered a righteous person. Moon gets up and says that both Yong Tae and his company will pay for bothering him. As Moon leaves, Yong Tae wishes him good health. Moon looks puzzled as he leaves.
A man (Cho Tae Kwan/Jasper Cho as K) stands outside the Star Tower building and is told to initiate Plan B.
Kim Bon stands on the rooftop of the building across the street and watches the man through the monocular. He thinks to himself that he is sure that is the man and starts walking.
Kim Bon walks into Star Tower scanning the lobby for the man. He hears a female voice saying, “If you come to Seoul ill buy you a mojito at Namsan Towers”. He turns around to see a woman (Ae-rin) with her back to him, talking to someone over the phone.
Kim Bon remembers travelling with a woman (from his nightmare) and she had said, “When we get to Seoul, you have to buy me a Mojito at Namsam towers”. He remembers walking on the beach with her.
At present, he is dazed as he walks towards the lady (Ae-rin) with the phone. Kim Bon stops in his tracks as the lady addresses the person on the phone as her mother. Ae-rin hangs up and turns around. She is startled to find Kim Bon standing near her. Kim Bon is surprised to see her too. She asks if he followed her here and he denies it. They both walk away. Kim bon watches her as she walks out.
In his office, Yong Tae gives the man (whom Kim Bon had followed) the gear (lethal injection) he had asked for. The man takes it and leaves.
At the Bonjour Bakery, the neighbours sit at the table discussing why Ae-rin was applying to be a secretary despite specialising in computers. Sang Ryeol says that it is because she had quit working for 5 years. One of the women tells the man that he is an engineer too. He says that he doesn’t work but he supports his wife from home. He says he is saving on the maid’s salary which had to be paid if he had chosen to work. They also say that Ae-rin lives frugally as she has maxed out on her loan and has to earn money to pay for the mortgage.
Just then, Ae-rin walks in with her kids. The children say they will go get bread and she sits with the neighbours/friends at the table. She says she isn’t going to get the job.
Meanwhile, the cake toppers fascinate Ae-rin’s kids and they start removing them from the cakes. It is too late by the time Ae-rin notices them and she comes running as they already have the toppers in their hands. She panics as she turns around to see the bakers giving her a meaningful smile. Ae-rin wears a defeated look on her face.
Elsewhere, Ae-rin’s husband Cha Jung II (Yang Dong-Geun) is at work and he receives a credit card statement of 114$ being spent on Bonjour Bakery.
Joon Soo and Joon Hee walk with the cakes on the street and Ae-rin walks behind them carrying two more boxes. Ae-rin gets a call from her husband who is furious that she is wasting money. He says that all she does is spend money and he hangs up. Ae-rin and her kids continue walking.
At the office, Cha Jung II’s boss urges him to pressure the writer, Mr Heo, to finish the script faster. He asks Jung II to inspire the writer as an editor. He asks Jung II to buy some tarts and go to Meta Palace where Mr Heo stays. He urges Jung II to finish the work faster. The boss says that Jung ll’s job will be at stake if he doesn’t publish a best-seller this time.
At home, the kids are having cake an Ae-rin says serves another piece saying that today’s dinner is cake. She says that they will have cake for breakfast lunch and dinner until they finish all the cake that she had to buy. She asks them if they will remove the cake toppers again and the kids shake their heads.
Kim Bon is at home and Ae-rin’s voice echoes in his head. He wonders if she is monitoring him. He remembers her with her kids and thinks that she can’t be. He walks over to his glass work-board which has the photographs of the woman from his memories pinned on it. She is marked as ‘Failed to defect, Deceased’. The photos of the man who took the gear from Yong Tae is also there and a voiceover says that “He appeared every time the tarot magician card appeared over Aries and then someone died. They are on the move”. There is a blank space marked “Killer” (supposedly the boss). The voiceover says, “Who is the target this time”.
At the Blue House, a man asks Moon Sung Soo how long he will stall the purchase of Lucas Con’s fighter planes. Sung Soo asks the man if they paid him off. The man denies it and Moon asks him to leave.
Meanwhile, Kim Bon wonders why the Magician was at Star Towers. He takes out some sliced bread and starts to eat it.
Episode 2
Jung ll comes home to find the house messy with toys scattered all over the living room. He steps over one of the toys and gets annoyed. Ae-rin walks in and he asks her what she does at home all day without even cleaning. He asks if she was busy spending money at the bakery. He removes his socks and dumps it under the couch. She says she always told him not to do that as it is difficult to take it from under the couch. He says that she doesn’t do anything at home so he is doing her a favour by giving her work. He lies down on the couch and watches TV.
Ae-rin grabs the remote from him and switches off the TV. She is angry as she asks him what he does other than lying on the couch watching TV. She asks him if he bathes the kids, feeds them and puts them to sleep. Jung ll gets up and yells that he makes money. He says that he wants to watch TV after spending the whole day working. Ae-rin says that she works all day at the house too by doing the laundry, washing dishes, taking care of kids and cleaning. She says that her work is repetitive without break. She says she would rather go out, work and be arrogant like Jung ll. He asks her why she isn’t working. She is teary-eyed, as she says her work experience has expired and no one wants to hire a mother. She says she used to be really good and now she doesn’t know where to start from.
Jung ll says that he saw an advertisement in the elevator asking for someone to deliver milk. He asks her to try that. He says that she always wanted to lose weight and she can earn and lose weight in this job. She asks how he could say that to her. She says that she tries to lose weight so that she can fit into clothes that she used to wear before she got pregnant. She says she is trying to lose weight because she can’t afford to buy new clothes. She asks if it is so much of a waste to spend money on her. She walks away crying. Jung ll shouts after her saying that he never told her not to buy.
Ae-rin walks out with her suitcase and Jung ll asks her if she was ready to leave. She says that he is right and that she was waiting for an excuse to leave. He asks him if he is happy now and walks out. He yells after her.
Ae-rin walks out of the building and crosses Kim Bon, who is walking into the building. He turns around and looks at her walking out.
As he stands near the elevator, he notices a wallet on the floor. He finds Ae-rin’s identifications in it.
Ae-rin walks on the street wishing that her parents’ house were closer and not in Jeju Island. It starts to rain and she goes to the bus stop. She sees the bus driving into the stop but notices that she doesn’t have her wallet. She also notices that she doesn’t have her phone and she sits down and starts to cry. She opens her suitcase to take out her cardigan but to her shock, she sees it filled with toys. She realises she has taken the wrong suitcase while walking out. She places her hand over her head as she sits and she hears a voice says, “Listen, Excuse me”.
Ae-rin thinks that it must be a thief or a pervert. She starts rummaging the suitcase.
Kim Bon walks up to her holding an umbrella. Ae-rin jumps out pointing a gun at him and Kim Bon freezes. She is anxious seeing him here and asks if he followed her here. He addresses her as Ms Go and asks her to put down the gun. She panics and asks him how he knows her name. She asks him if he is a stalker. He asks her whom she works for. She asks if he even wants to know who she works for and he nods.
Ae-rin says that she is unemployed. She asks if he is making fun of her and pulls the trigger. Kim Bon falls down to dodge it. Ae-rin bursts into laughter and asks him if he thought it was a real gun. She says he has seen too many movies and asks who carries a real gun.
Kim Bon looks away and gives her the wallet. She is extremely thankful as she takes it from him. He says that he didn’t follow her and ask her not to imagine things. She apologises for startling him and he says he wasn’t. She controls her smile and asks if that’s why he fell on the ground. He asks her why she has a toy gun with her. She explains that she ran away from home. He asks her about the children and she says she knows. He gives her the umbrella and asks her to go back home and get the right suitcase. He takes her suitcase and says that he will deliver this to her home and walks away carrying it. She calls after him but he goes away.
She laments to herself that she can’t go back immediately as she had just now left home. She shouts after him to wait and runs after him.
Both of them walk out of the elevator and he places the suitcase in front of her house. He takes back his umbrella and asks her to go into her house. She thanks him and asks him to leave first. Kim Bon checks the tape at his door before going in.
He closes the door behind him and looks through the peephole. He sees Ae-rin pacing outside the door.
Ae-rin sits on her suitcase and is agitated. Kim Bon opens the door and asks her why she isn’t going in. Ae-rin is startled as she falls from the suitcase. She says she is going to and he asks when. She responds saying right now. She puts the key in and walks into the house. He watches her go in and closes his door. As she walks into the house, she notices that the house is tidy and clean. She says that she will forgive him this time and she smiles as she wheels the suitcase in. She lies on the couch and goes to sleep.
In the morning, she wakes up to the noisy chatter of her kids who have scattered their toys again in the living room and are playing around. She goes over and drinks some water. She finds an envelope on the table with the words, “I am sorry about yesterday. Please buy yourself a new outfit.” She opens the envelope to see cash in it. She smiles.
Ae-rin goes shopping with Eun- Ha, who calls her brave for what she had done the day before. She notices a dress for 179$ but hesitates to buy it. Eun-ha tells her off but Ae-rin ends up buying clothes for her husband with that money. Eun ha comments that Ae-rin has the maid’s disease. Ae-rin calls it angel’s disease. She says she will make up with him tonight by making his favourite Tuna soup.
Moon Sung Soo walks in a parking lot and speaks into the phone that they will arrive in 30 minutes. He gets into his car but the killer is already waiting in the car and stabs Moon Sung Soo in the neck using the lethal injection he was given by Yong Tae.
Meanwhile, Jung ll pulls in next to Moon’s car. He has bought some tart and his car’s door grazes Moon’s car as he gets out. He bends to see the extent of the damage and sees the killer stabbing Moon Sung Soo. The Killer looks at Jung ll, who immediately gets back into his car and drives away.
Jung ll is tense as he drives down the streets and reaches the basement car park of his apartment. He parks his car and goes over to wait for the elevator. He uses the ID card to enter the elevator lobby but the killer sneaks in before the door closes. As Jung ll waits for the elevator the killer comes up from behind and uses the injection on him.
Ae-rin waits for Jung at their home with the clothes she had bought for him. She wonders why he is taking so long and dials his number.
The phone rings next to Jung ll’s limp body on the floor.
Ae-rin wonders why he isn’t picking up.
A security guard sees Jung ll and comes up to him. he tries to shake him awake and wonders if he is dead. The guard attends Ae-rin’s call and asks her to rush down as Jung ll has collapsed on the floor.
Ae-rin waits outside the Intensive Care Unit as the doctors administer CPR on Jung ll. They fail to resuscitate him and the doctor informs her that Jung ll is no more. She is shocked and rushes into the room. She removes the blanket covering his face and tries to shake him awake. She hysterically asks him if this is a prank and asks him to get up.
She turns around to the doctor and frantically says that Jung ll was a healthy man. She pleads with the doctor to tell her that its a lie. The Doctor walks out giving her some privacy. Ae-rin starts yelling and crying asking Jung ll to wake up as she falls to the floor beside him.
Meanwhile, Yong Tae tells the Killer that footage from the Meta Palace basement car park has been wiped clean. He asks for the dash cam footage from Moon Sung Soo’s car and the killer gives it to him. Yong Tae says that all traces have to be erased and he gives the killer the flight tickets for the next day. The killer says that there is a small issue and gives Yong Tae Jung ll’s car number (07-M-2674). He says that he has killed the driver of the car.
At Myeongin University hospital, Ae-rin sits outside on a bench crying. She remembers the doctor saying that Jung ll had an irregular heartbeat but since she had requested an autopsy, they will do one. He had said that it looks like a heart attack.
Kim Bom is working out as he sees the news of Moon Sung Soo’s death on TV. The news says that he was found unconscious and taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Kim Bon gets up and watches the news which says that Moon had passed away from heart failure due to chronic illness.
Kim Bon goes over to check the horoscope and it has the Death Tarot card. He realises that the target was the head of National Security
At the National Intelligence Service, NIS agent Yoo Ji Yeon yells at Director Shin Woo Cheol as she asks for a thorough investigation. The director is startled at her sudden outburst. The Director says that she is overly suspicious and doesn’t believe the autopsy report. He says she wants everything to fit into her scenario. She persists saying that Moon Sung-Soo was against the purchase of Lucas Con’s planes. She says he had many haters. He asks if she suspects that Lucas Con’s people had killed Moon and she says its highly possible.
Director Shin lets out a sigh and asks if she has heard about Occam’s razor. She turns away and says she won’t listen. He says that sometimes logical reasoning is the solution. He says Moon was old and died due to illness. He says he will consider it if she brings proof. Her eyes instantly light up.
As Ji Yeon starts walking out of the office, Chief Kwon calls her and Ji Yeon greets her uncomfortably. Kwon asks about the conversation Ji Yeon had with the Director. Ji Yeon says that it was just a greeting and Kwon allows her to leave. As she leaves, Ji Yeon comments that Kwon is a tiresome woman.
Ji Yeon comes into her office and lies on the couch. Ro Da-Woo sits at his desk and asks her why she lied to a tiresome woman. Ji Yeon realises that he has a listening device on her and she asks him if he had listened again. He sits next to her and comes really close to her. She asks him what he is doing and he removes the phone from her pocket. He shows that the device is on the heart sticker (given by him) on her phone case.
As she removes the sticker, he boasts that he is the tester of NIS new technology- the icon of illegal stuff. He asks her not to fall for him. She raises her hand to hit him but he dodges and says that the tech team had sent it over. He writes a review “Not bad” on the sticker.
Kim Bon is dressed in a suit and wears spectacles. He checks the venue of Moon Sung Soo’s funeral and it says it’s at the Myeong University Hospital.
At the funeral, Kim Bon overhears that Moon had been refusing to buy the fighter planes.
Outside Jung ll’s funeral hall, the neighbours discuss that Jung ll had been under stress lately. Kim Sang Ryeol says that everyone is stressed these days. Eun ha says that he had arrhythmia and Jung ll’s father had died a couple of years ago. Bong Sun-mi comments that it must be a hereditary condition. Eun ha mentions he was just 40 years old. She says that they even had a lower premium for life insurance so they won’t get much out of it either.
Kim Bon is walking down the corridor as he comes across Jung ll’s funeral hall. He sees Ae-rin’s name on it. He sees her sitting inside and crying.
Outside, Joon Soo and Joon Hee are playing on the swings. Sang Ryeol asks them to stay on the swings while he takes Seung gi (probably his son) to the restroom.
The Killer lurks behind the bushes and watched the kids on the swing. He clicks a picture of the children. He starts walking towards them.
Kwon walks into the Hospital and finds Kim Bon walking down the corridor. She is shocked she whispers, “Terius”. She orders the agents to go and get him.
Kim Bon starts to run instantly as the men pursue him. Kwon calls Ro Da-woo and asks him to get the footage from the CCTV cameras from the funeral halls. She asks him to rewind it to a minute and asks him to compare the man running away to the profile of code name Terius.
Yoo Ji Yeon instantly gets up as she hears the name Terius. She looks at the profile on screen. It is a red notice, which has his details-
Name-Bon Kim, NIS Black Agent.
Birth – 1981.10.31,
Physical- 182 cm, 75 Kg.
Family Relations- Unknown
Academic Career- Unknown
The search brings back a match to Terius’ profile and the Red Notice alarm sounds.
Meanwhile, Sang Ryeol comes back to find both the swings empty and both Joon Hee and Joon Soo missing.
Ae-rin gets a call from Sang Ryeol that the kids are gone and she is shocked.
Kim Bon runs up the stairs as Kwon’s voiceover confirms Bon’s identity and asks the men not to lose Bon. Bon reaches runs in the corridor and stops as he reaches the end of the corridor.
Image Coutesy-MBC
Review
That was an interesting first episode. I enjoyed watching the contrast between the lives that Kim Bon (mysterious and quiet) and Go Ae-rin (Normal and noisy) lead. I liked the depiction of how the same things meant entirely different things to the leads.
Jung In-Sun has portrayed Go Ae-rin who is a warm-hearted housewife and a mother of twins very well. She is adorable whenever she is on screen and does full justice to her character.
So Ji-Sub portrays a mysterious agent Kim Bon/Terius who seems to have nightmares from his past. His encounters with Ae-rin remind him of the fragments from his past. He seems anti-social but considerate. It seems like he is on a mission of his own.
Son Ho-Jun portrays Jin Yong Tae, the antagonist. He seems to be an interesting character who smoothly gives out deadly orders. I’m curious to see more about his background in the upcoming episodes.
Despite its genre including romantic comedy, the thriller aspect of the plot was fast and exciting. The first episode intricately tied the plot together, though it happened to be a series of coincidences. For instance, Ae-rin had bumped into Mr Moon, whose murder later had a devastating impact on her life.
When I started this episode, the last thing I expected to see was a NIS agent suspecting a homemaker of monitoring him and that part was hilarious. Ae-rin’s interaction with Yong Tae and her coolly asking him what his company does was extremely funny too.
With the plot taking a serious turn and 2 murders taking place in the 1st episode itself, the series already has my attention.
-By Soul Sword-
The Writers Room 
1 thought on “Terius Behind Me – Episode 1-2 Recap”