(THE INVISIBLE ACCOMPLICE)
Late Summer of 1997
Hee Sung stands on the edge of a building’s holding a brick in his hand. He watches people walking on the street below and sees a pet dog being walked by the owner. He drops the brick on the dog.
He watches as the people crowd around the owner and the dead dog.
Later at the psychiatric hospital, Hee Sung sits before a counsellor saying he doesn’t remember anything. His mother is beside him. Hee Sung says he thought of dying after receiving his report card. He cries as he asks if the dog died because of him. He apologises to the counsellor. The counsellor asks Hee Sung to wait in the hall while she talks to Hee Sung’s mother.
After Hee Sung goes out, Hee Sung’s mother tells the counsellor that everything is her fault. She says he becomes like this every time he gets the report card.
Outside, Hee Sung wipes his tears and struts down the corridor with an accomplished smile on his face. Hee Sung goes to another room and sits down.
Do Hyun Su is at the other table listening to the cassette player. He is called to draw. Do Min Seok sits across Hyun Su reading a newspaper.
After Hyun Su is escorted away, Do Min Seok strikes a conversation with Hee Sung. He asks if Hee Sung is the one who threw a brick from the rooftop. He asks if Hee Sung knows why he did it. Hee Sung says it is due to academic stress.
Do Min Seok comments that Hee Sung was curious to find out what will happen if he threw a pebble in his calm life, just like throwing a pebble in a calm pond. He says Hee Sung wanted to see the ripple effect it caused in his life.
Hee Sung asks why he would do that. Do Min Seok says Hee Sung doesn’t know how to have fun and he hasn’t met anyone similar to him. He comments that Hee Sung might have been very lonely.
Present
Hee Sung puts the scarf around Soo Young’s neck and stuffs it back into the body bag. Just then, the bell rings and his father goes to check. Both of them are alarmed when they learn it is Do Hyun Su.
Hee Sung’s mother speaks through the video doorbell asking why Hyun Su is here without calling. Hyun Su says he has to speak with his father. Hee Sung’s mother says she is tired today.
Ji-won says she knows everything that happened in this house and asks if they should really go back. Ji-won and Hyun Su exchange a look when the door creaks open.
They walk in to find Man Woo/ Hee Sung’s father and Mi Ja/Hee Sung’s mother waiting for them. Man Woo asks them to be seated. he asks why they are here while he was told that he was off to the business trip. Hyun Su says he thought Man Woo will be home.
Mi-Ja asks Ji-won how much she knows. Ji-won asks how much Mi-Ja is hiding.
Man-Woo asks why Ji-won is hereafter learning everything about her husband. Mi-Ja asks if she decided to accept everything. Ji-won says she will stay by Hyun Su’s side no matter what happens.
Man-woo says it looks like the four of them have a lot to talk about today. Ji-won says it is not just the four of them and asks where Hee Sung is.
They escort them to the secret room. They see Hee Sung lying on the bed with the life support system attached to him. Mi-Ja says they had an argument over the car accident which led to this state. Man Woo says whenever Hee Sung got worse, they injected drugs into him to keep him awake. He says this caused Hee Sung’s kidneys to fail. He says his son suffers from multiple organ failure because of this. He says Hee Sung’s heart may stop anytime.
Man Woo promises to let Hyun Soo live as Baek Hee Sung for the rest of his life. Hyun Su smiles saying Ji-won isn’t here to hear Man Woo’s promise. He checks his watch and says it is almost time to find out who the accomplice is. Hee Sung clenches his hand under the blanket.
Yeom drives down the freeway.
Choi reaches the summer house before Yeom and stations two cops outside the house.
At Hee Sung’s house, Man Woo pours them a drink and asks if they think he knows who the accomplice is. Hyun Su checks his watch and says it is past 10 pm. He says he would’ve reached the summerhouse by now if he went on the business trip. He says only Man Woo is aware of that information other than Ji-won and himself. He says if Yeom arrives at the summerhouse, it means Man Woo is the one who gave him that information. Ji-won says the cops are already there. Mi-Ja is jittery. She runs over and pours herself a drink.
A black car pulls into the summerhouses driveway (it is different from what Yeom is driving (white car)). A person gets out of the car with a pair of shears. Choi and the cops surround him and arrest the man.
Hyun Su tells Man Woo that someone offered Yeom double of what Hyun Su was offering if Yeom kills Hyun Su. He says only Man Woo knew how much Hyun Su was paying Yeom. He adds that Man Woo wanted Hyun Su to kill Park and disappear. He says Man Woo also offered him money to disappear. He says Man Woo is worried that his true identity will get exposed because Man Woo is the Yeonju Serial Killer’s accomplice.
Man Woo raises his voice as he gets up. Ji-won threatens to arrest him even if he shows a bit of violence. She says once they confirm with Yeom, she will ask him to come to the Police Station voluntarily. Just then, Hyun Su receives the call from Choi.
Choi says they made a mistake. He says they arrested the caretaker. The caretaker is beside him explaining why he is here.
Hyun Su maintains a passive face as he hears this. Ji-won frowns. Man Woo asks how Hyun Su thought he could be the serial killer.
Hyun Su says he underestimated Man Woo. Man Woo says it isn’t him. Hyun Su says Man Woo is the only person it can be. Man Woo asks how he can prove it. He asks Ji-won how she can threaten a person without evidence. He accuses Hyun Su of trying to fit the evidence against him. Hyun Su says all of this confirms that it is Man Woo.
Mi-ja puts down the glass and says she is the person whom they are searching for.
Inside the secret room, Hee Sung has already changed and is pulling his hair into a ponytail. He smiles saying, “From now on, you will be the game piece on the board that I set up, Do Hyun Su.”
In the dining room, Mi-ja says she is the one who leaked the secret. She brings a note from the drawer. She gives it to Ji-won. The power goes out before Ji-won can open it.
Man Woo says he will check and walks to a door. He opens the door and Hee Sung is waiting there.
Flashback
Hee Sung stands beside Man Woo as Man Woo talks on the phone with Yeom. He is ordering the hit on Hyun Su when Hee Sung grabs the phone.
He asks Yeom if he has given Hyun Su their identity. Yeom says he hasn’t but says he told Hyun Su that someone paid him to kill him. Hee Sung tells Yeom to stay out of it. Hee Sung says he doesn’t need Yeom anymore and hangs up. Man Woo asks what he is doing.
Hee Sung explains that it is obvious this is a trap set by Do Hyun Su. He says Hyun Su will confirm Man Woo’s involvement if Yeom goes there. Hee Sung realises that Hyun Su doesn’t have proof. He says Hyun Su will probably try to corner Man Woo and get a confession out of him. He says they should prepare a gift for Hyun Su as well.
At present, Man Woo opens the door and Hee Sung walks out of the house.
Hyun Su holds the torchlight while Ji-won read the note which says, “I quit. Thank you for taking care of me all these years.” Ji-won says the nurse was deaf and mute. The culprit spoke to Yeom on the phone. Ji-won points out that the maid cant talk.
Mi-ja says the maid, reporter Kim and Do Hae Soo know the truth too. She says it could be any of them. Hyun Su says she is trying to protect her husband. Hyun Su asks what she knows. She asks if he doesn’t trust her. He asks why he should trust her.
Flashback
Earlier, Hee Sung goes over the plan with his parents. He says he will switch off the mains. He tells Man Woo to stall by saying he will check the circuit breaker while Mi-ja will light the candles.
At present, Mi-ja says she will light the candles and walks away. Ji-won says she feels like something is off. Just then, Mi-ja shrieks and Hyun Su goes to check. Mi Ja has dropped the tray and he helps her with it. He picks up the items fallen on the floor.
MiJa says she had thought of him as a family all along. Hyun Su says he has never once wondered what her true feelings where.
Just then, the power comes back and they walk back to Ji-won. Ji-won asks if Mi Ja is not checking on her son as he is attached to electrical devices.
Man Woo walks in saying the devices have battery back up which lasts for hours.
Meanwhile, Hee Sung walks over to Hyun Su’s car and he puts maid Park Soo Young’s hair in the car’s trunk.
Hae Soo is inside her house, holding the chain which Kim gave her. She wonders how he had held on to it for so long. She hears something outside and she goes to check.
She goes out and notices 3 cigarette butts on the floor beside her window. She shines the light over her glass window and is shocked to see a palm imprint on the glass.
Hyun Su and Ji-won drive back. Ji-won says Hyun Su is gathering enemies with every passing day. She says Man Woo will hold a grudge on Hyun Su from today. She says the police should take care of matters from here.
Hyun Su says he has to meet the caregiver (Park Soo Young). Ji-won asks if he heard what she said just now. He says he has to find out how much Soo Young knows. Ji-won says it is a bad idea.
Hyun Su bangs the steering wheel and says he doesn’t want this to progress any longer.
Hyun Su says the Serial Killer is someone who enjoys killing. He says someone like that is in his life. He says the thought that someone like that reaching Ji-won and Eun-ha scares him to the core.
Ji-won puts a reassuring hand over his. She says the arrest rate at their station is 120%. she says they even caught criminals whom they couldn’t last year. she says they will eventually arrest every murderer. She adds that Yeom is both their witness and evidence. She says once he is caught, everything will fall into place. She tells him not to be scared as serial killers are also humans like them. She tells him that they are tougher than the killer.
Hyun Su smiles saying it is weird that she sounds so convincing when she says things like this. Just then, she receives a video call from Eun ha who calls them to come faster. Ji-won promises to be there in 10 minutes.
A frustrated Yoon drives to Choruk village Psychiatry Hospital. A woman is escorted to the visiting room. Yeom asks if she can get discharged today as she has no family. The caretaker asks for money. Yeom reminds him that he has already paid him lots. The man says that was for keeping an eye on her.
Yeom hands over his luxury watch. The man asks who this woman is and Yeom says she is his insurance.
After the man leaves, Yeom speaks to the woman, “Long time no see, Miss Jung Mi Sook.” Jung Mi Sook (7th victim and Park’s wife) looks up at him and asks why he is calling her as Jung Mi Sook. Yeom smiles.
Hyun Su wakes up to his phone ringing at 2:30 am. He sees the call is from the number 02-029-1050. He takes the call.
The caller asks if it is Baek Hee Sung and he confirms it. The caller says Hee Sung’s wife is Cha Ji-won working at violent crimes unit and Eun-ha is his daughter who goes to Small Bird Kindergarten. he ask if he is right. Hyun Su is worried as he asks who this is.
The caller says he is a fan of Hee Sung’s artworks. Hyun Su speaks in a low voice. He asks how the caller knows about his family. The man says he knows because he is a fan. He comments that Hyun Su is sensitive and hangs up.
Hyun Su traces the number to a payphone and her drives to that location. He sees a car parked there with its dashcam light flashing. He sees the owner’s number written in the car. He calls up asking for permission to view the footage. The woman says she is on vacation and says she will call him once she gets back to Seoul.
Hyun Su walks to the payphone booth. He finds a message scribbled on the booth, “Hide-and-seek! I can see you but you can’t see me.”
In the morning, some volunteers are picking trash in the woods. A man finds a scarf and tries to pull it but it doesn’t budge. He moves the soil a bit and screams hysterically upon seeing SOo Young’s corpse.
Hyun Su is deep in thought as he pours juice into the glass. He recalls the accomplice’s threat call to the witness. He finds it similar to the call he received yesterday.
Ji-won walks in saying he spilt the juice all over the table. Hyun Su noticed that the glass has been overflowing. He takes a cloth to clean it.
Eun-ha runs up to him holding a hairclip. He puts it on for her. She asks him where he went last night. Ji-won frowns as Eun ha says she woke up last night to go to the bathroom and saw him go outside. Ji-won asks if he went outside.
Just then, she receives a call and she takes it. She tells Hyun Su that she has to go and leaves.
Hyun Su asks Eun-ha if she spoke to a stranger recently. Eun-ha thinks hard and says she didn’t. He asks her to repeat the rules. She says she isn’t supposed to speak to strangers. She says adults won’t ask a child for help. She says mom, dad and grandmother will never ask someone else to come and get her. Eun-ha says her tummy is growling and Hyun Su asks if she wants egg soup. She says she does.
Ji-won joins Choi at the crime scene. She apologises for the previous night. He says they will talk about it later.
Kim is in his office. The production Director of “All Perspectives” is meeting with him. Woo Han Soo says he wants Kim to sit on their panel. He says he liked Kim’s live telecast during the drug trafficking and the ones before that too. Kim says he has good informants.
Just then a staff walks in and says Kim has to go the scene where a body was discovered. She says the victim’s left thumbnail was removed.
At the scene, they discuss how to interpret this. Ji-won says it confuses their investigation. Ho Jun says the victim hasn’t been identified yet. He says there are no personal belongings with the victim. He guesses that she was killed elsewhere and dumped here. Choi notices a notepad lying beside the victim.
Hae Soo visits Hyun Su and says that someone was watching her last night when he was with Man Woo. She says the accomplice might not be Man Woo. He asks if she called the police and she says she did but they can’t do anything because nothing has happened yet.
Hyun Su says he received a strange call the previous night and he is sure it isn’t Man Woo. He says he is reminded of the accomplice’s voice on the recording.
Just then, Kim walks in and he says the dead body found in the woods this morning is missing her left thumbnail.
Elsewhere, someone is lifting fingerprints from a work desk.
Choi puts up Soo Young’s notes from the notepad on the whiteboard. They read, “I never told anyone. There is no one to tell.” “You can’t treat me this way. Don’t touch me.” “If You do this again, I will tell Madam and Director Baek,” Choi says it is probably the victim’s conversation right before her death. Lee says it means that the victim knew the killer. Ho Joon wonders what Director Baek means. Just then, Ho Jun receives the call saying they have identified the victim as Park Soo Young. He is also told that they found a fingerprint on the tape she was tied with.
Lee tells Ji-won and Ho Jun to go and wait there till they get the results. Ji-won watches the note with Baek’s name on it.
Baek Man Woo is in his office reading the article about the dead body in the woods. His secretary gives him the list of volunteers from 1999 to 2002.
At the forensics, Ji-won is said that the fingerprint is clear but it isn’t part of the database. She says it is possible that either the killer is someone under the age of 17 or someone who never got a government ID.
Just then, Choi calls her up and says that Park Soon Young was Baek household’s housekeeper. Ji-won recalls Eun-ha saying Hyun Su went out yesterday night. She also recalls him saying he has to see the housekeeper. Her hand trembles as she says she will call him back. She asks Ho Joon for the car keys and runs out.
At the craft shop, Kim asks why the accomplice called Hyun Su the previous night. Hyun Su says the accomplice gave him the fish keychain too. He says the accomplice is obsessed with him.
Kim says serial killers can’t stop killing on their own. Kim says the killer might have been on a phase in which he couldn’t murder people. He says the killer might have been locked up.
Hyun Su asks Kim to crosscheck the people who went to prison in 2002 and the ones who released this year. He tells Hae Soo to stay with Kim till this is over. He says she may be the next target as she has seen the killers face. He asks Kim to promise he will never let Hae Soo alone. Kim gives him his word.
Hyun Su says he is going to meet Yeom and use him to get close to the accomplice.
Yeom brings Jung Mi Sook to Do Min Seok’s home in Gakyeongri village. She asks if she can really meet her family here. He asks her if she doesn’t remember anything.
Jung Mi Seok says she remembers walking with no destination in her mind.
We see a montage of Jang Mi Sook walking through a tunnel frazzled and her clothes are shrivelled. She says she walked and walked. She says she bounced from place to place till she ended up at the psychiatric hospital. She thanks him for finding her family for her.
Yeom says it is not a problem as he will get paid for this. He says she is of grave importance to all of them.
Meanwhile, Ji-won heads home and she lifts Hyun Soo’s fingerprints. She cross-checks it with the fingerprint found on the tape. Her eyes well up as the fingerprints match. She calls up her mother and asks her to pick up Eun ha today from the Kindergarten as her husband wont be able to make it.
Mi-ja is disturbed as she looks out of the window. Hee Sung walks up to her and says they found the body. He tells her that the Police will come soon and asks her to keep up the good work.
Mi ja recalls Hyun Su picking up all the things which she dropped the previous night. The tape roll (used for tying Park Soo Young) was one of the things.
Hee Sung says she is not fragile. He says she gave birth to him, killed him and brought him back to life. He says she is like the almighty to him. Just then, the phone on the desk rings.
Hyun Su waits for the person on the other end to pick up. Earlier Hae Soo had warned him against going after Yeom. Hyun Su had maintained that Yeom won’t ignore his call as killing him will get Yeom his money. Kim said it was dangerous. Hyun Su had said the police will help him once Yeom was out in the open.
Hyun Su calls the number again.
Jung Mi Sook is alone at Do Min Seok’s house. She hears a phone ring in Yeom’s jacket on the chair. She picks it up and says she is Jung Mi Sook. She asks if he is her family.
Hyun Su is taken aback hearing this. She says Yeom is in the restroom. He asks where she is. Yeom grabs the phone and hangs up. He switches off the phone
Hyun Su calls the number again but he gets the message that the number is switched off.
Just then, Ji-won walks in. She asks where he went last night. She asks if he went to Makmun Dong. He asks how she knew that. she says they found a dead body buried in the hill in Makmun Dong. she says the victim is the caregiver park Soon Young who was taking care of someone in a coma. She says the victim worked for Baek Man Woo. Her eyes well up as she says they found fingerprints on the tape used to tie her. She says the fingerprints match with Hyun Su’s.
Choi is at Man Woo’s house. He questions Mi Ja. She says Soo Young left at 7:30 pm. She says she called Soo Young a cab as she wasn’t feeling well.
Flashback
Mi-ja dresses up in Soo young’s clothes and takes a cab. Hee Sung had instructed her to make sure that the CCTV camera records her getting into a cab from their home and getting down at her house.
At present, Choi shows her the notes on Park Soo Young’s notepad. He says the “Madam” in the notepad is Mi-ja and she says it is. Choi says Mi ja knows the culprit and asks if anyone comes to her mind.
Mi ja looks over Choi’s shoulder at Hee Sung, who is watching her. She says there is only one person.
Choi drives down the road as he calls Ho Joon, asking if Ji Won is there. Ho Joon says Ji-won turned pale after Choi’s call and went off. Choi tells him to call him once he locates Ji-won. Lee takes the phone from Ho Joon and asks what Ji Won and Choi are hiding from them. He says there is a limit to allowing things to slide.
Choi pulls over to the side and says Lee won’t believe what he is about to say.
Lee listens to Choi and asks if he expects him to believe that her husband is Do Hyun Su. Ho Joon looks up in alarm.
At the workshop, Hyun Su tells Ji-won that he didn’t do it. She asks him to come to the station and make his statement. Ji-won says she will make sure he doesn’t get punished for what he didn’t do. Tears pool in her eyes as she says right now he is a murder suspect.
Hyun Su looks at her in shock as she says he has to put handcuffs on him. She asks him to co operate with her. She says, “Please…”. Hyun Su nods slightly and closes his eyes as he puts out his hands.
Ji-won holds his hand and feels bad as she puts the handcuffs on him. Hyun Su watches her as she puts the handcuff on his right hand.
He suddenly hears his father’s voice, “I really did love your mother.”
Hyun Su turns around and sees his father standing there and looking out of the window of their house.
Flashback
Do Min Seok looks out the window as he says, “I thought your mother loved me too, but she was in love with an illusion. She couldn’t accept me for who I really was. In the end, she abandoned you two and ran away from me. Love can be very cunning. It can be very sly. It makes you think it can solve everything. But in the end, it betrays you. Hyun su, listen to me carefully. When you feel the urge to trust somebody one day, it means you are becoming weak. That is all there is to it.”
Ji-won notices him staring at the corner. She looks at the corner and finds nothing there. She asks him what it is.
Hyun Su glares at her and she is taken aback. He asks her, “Tell me one thing. Do you trust me? or deep down inside do you believe that I really could have killed her?”
Ji Won is silent as she watches him. Hyun Su says, “If you dont even believe me, how will anyone else believe what I say?”
Just then, she gets a call from Choi. She says she is at the workshop with her husband. She says she will bring him to the Police Station.
Hyun Su slaps the phone away from her hand. He grabs Ji-won and pushes her. He holds her before him and takes a blade from the workstation. He holds it at her neck. She asks what he is doing. Hyun Su says from now on he will trust no one.
Choi and the team barge into the workshop to find it empty. Lee notices the security camera and asks to check it. Ho Jun finds the monitor and notices all the cables unplugged.
Earlier
Hyun Su holds the knife at Ji-won’s neck and asks her to walk towards the monitor. He tells her to pull out all the 4 cables.
At present, Choi, Lee and Ho Joon see the cables pulled out. Ho Jun plays back the footage before that. The see Hyun Su making Ji-won pull out the cables.
Hyun Su looks up at the camera with a psychotic look. The team watches Ji-won who looks up at the camera before pulling out the cable and blacking out all screens.
Image Courtesy- TVN
Review
It is ironic how both Hee Sung and Hyun Su came to the counsellor for violence against an animal. Hee Sung, the psychopath was allowed to walk free while Hyun Su a normal boy was given a diagnosis. It was interesting to see how Hee Sung met Do Min Seok and the scene was well-written.
Ji-won is a strong character with a logical mind. There were no dialogues in the scenes where Ji-won figured out that the pieces of evidence were pointing towards Hyun Su. So one is unable to interpret what is running through her mind. Ji-won claims that she will make sure he will not be punished for something he didn’t do. From the looks of it, it looked like she was suspecting Hyun Su’s late-night outing (which Eun ha saw) and him telling her that he has to find Soo Young. The scenes looked similar to the episodes earlier on in the series, back when she used to suspect Hyun Su as a killer. The couple has come a long way from there and her portrayal in certain scenes in this episode seems slightly off for her character.
It looks like there is more to the scene at the workshop as Ji-won could have mentioned that someone was framing Hyun Su and she needs to take him to the Police station. Ji-won definitely did not like putting the handcuffs on him. It seemed like she did it because it was what she had to do.
Hyun Su sees his father’s image whenever he feels a strong emotion. However, this time it was more of a memory than a hallucination.
Hyun Su is very good in erasing evidence yet he didn’t choose to erase the footage of holding Ji-won hostage. This shows he is very much in control of his actions. He wants to show the police that Ji-won is with him as a hostage.
A few days back, Hyun Su was ready to get arrested before Yeom fled. After the memory surfaced, it looks like Hyun Su figured out that he is not going to get out of this mess if he goes to the police station. He realised that no one will believe his statement. Also, this is not the first time he is giving a statement (alibi for 7th victim). The police always chose to ignore his side of the story. It is possible he chose to take matters in his hands this time around.
There is someone watching Hae Soo. It makes one curious as to who that might be.
Hee Sung came up with a meticulous plan. It did mess up things for Hyun Su. Hyun Su unknowingly walked into the trap set for him.
Hyun Soo left his home late at night whereas Park Soo Young died earlier in the day. It looks like Soo Young’s body was found early in the morning the next day. The time of death ascertained by the autopsy should place Hyun su at the scene of the crime at that time if he is the killer. I wonder if the cops will notice that.
It is interesting how Hee Sung chose a similar way (manipulating CCTV using a Taxi) Park chose to deceive the Police after killing Nam.
It is intriguing how no one except Hee Sung’s parents is aware of the fact that Hee Sung is on the loose. Hyun Su himself suspects Man Woo and went as far as searching for recently released criminals.
Jung Mi-Sook, the seventh victim is alive. Yeom’s insurance is an interesting one. There was always an air of mystery around what happened to the 7th victim. I am curious as to what part she will play in bringing Hee Sung to the limelight.
I am curious to see how the investigation goes this time around with Park Soo Young’s case. I wonder if Baek family has someone in the Police Department helping them.
With just a few more episodes to go, I am excited to see how the plot comes together.
-By Soul Sword-
The Writers Room 
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