“Episode 2- Eye For an Eye”
Newspapers report on a family murder in Guryeong. It says the eldest son who is in elementary school is the suspect.
Young Jae Hoon undergoes the lie detector test and he denies all the charges (of killing his father brother and sister) against him. There is no abnormal movement on the polygraph. Jae Hoon walks out.
Adult Jae Hoon’s voiceover says, “But the almighty never answered my prayer. I ended up a killer. My first kill was sloppy and I remember being exhausted. However the excitement and thrill I Felt that day lingered in my thoughts and after that day the killings continued.”
We see a montage of a church through the window and a charred body in a boxing ring with smoke coming from it.
The news reports that a burnt body of the head trainer was found in the boxing club in Moojin. It points out that the victim is a family member of a Head Hunter’s victim Song Soo (Episode 1).
Jae Hoon narrates that the psychopaths (the top 1% genes) are predators and compares them to the lions who hunt for rabbits. He says that other humans are preys.
A woman gets off a bus on a rainy night. She is followed by a figure in black. She is nervous as she tries to lose him. But the figure comes up and stabs her.
Jae Hoon’s voiceover calls himself a predator. He says it is how he was born.
Elsewhere the next day, Detective Mu Chi (Lee Hee-Jun) chases a suspect up the stairs of a tall building. He floors the murderer and points a gun at the man’s head. The man is terrified. Mu Chi remembers a male voice telling him not to allow another man to ruin Mu Chi’s life. Just then, the murderer takes advantage of Mu Chi’s pause and runs to the roof of the building.
The man climbs on the ledge saying he is scared Mu Chi will shoot him like last time. Mu Chi puts the gun away and asks him to come down so he can arrest him. Mu Chi says the man has raped and murdered two sisters and yet there is no execution in this country. He says the man has to rot in a prison cell forever among perverts. He notices that the man is going to jump. He suggests that he can shoot the man and the man can fall with Mu Chi’s bullet in him. The man jumps to his death from the ledge before Mu Chi can shoot.
A disappointed Mu Chi sits on the roof drinking. He dozes off on the roof. He receives a call early in the morning.
Elsewhere at a crime scene, Detectives Kang and Shin are speaking with the woman who reported the crime. She says she saw a flash of light and went to check. She says she found this woman under the bridge. She says the woman struggled too much to raise her daughter.
Just then a drunk Mu Chi enters the crime scene. He looks at the body under the bridge and wonders why she is moving (he is hungover). Kang is upset with Shin for calling Mu Chi here. Mu Chi says it is the same suspect and this is his case. Shin drags him away and pushes him out of the crime scene. To Kang and Shin’s horror, Mu Chi goes straight to the reporters and starts addressing them. Shin apologises to Kang saying Mu Chi forces him to give him a call whenever there is a murder. he rushes over to stop Mu Chi.
A figure (Jae Hoon) watches the news on which Mu Chi claims that the person who killed the boxing trainer and this woman is the same. He adds that the killer might be hating the deity or craves attention. The walls of the room in which the figure sits are lined with photos of his dead victims.
Mu Chi visits Han in prison. Han learns that Mu Chi failed again and he says he will grow old and die at this rate. Han says Mu Chi challenged him a year back that he would come and kill Han after he caught the sisters’ killer. He points out that MuChi still hasn’t come for him. Mu Chi says there is no rush. Han says Mu Chi doesn’t have it in him to kill. He calls Mu Chi an average human being. he says Mu Chi’s eyes are filled with emotions whereas a killer’s eyes are empty. Killers cant feel anger, pain, fear, regret, sympathy and love. He killers are not made, they are born.
Mu Chi swears that he will kill Han soon. Han smiles and says he is looking forward to it. In Han’s eyes, Mu Chi is still the small boy who stabbed him from Park’s car. He advises Mu Chi to cut him in the neck next time and not on the cheek.
Mu Chi recites a bible verse about giving back what you receive. He says he will give Han back more than what he received. He says he should kill Han in front of Han’s kid.
Han says it too bad that he doesn’t have a kid. Mu Chi says he saw Han’s kid with Han’s wife and tells him to stop lying.
Han looks up as this comes as news to him.
Mu Chi says Psychopaths love their children and Han’s kid won’t forget it if he sees Han dying in front of him. He says he will make Han feel the same pain Mu Chi felt.
After Mu Chi leaves, Han recalls his wife telling him that she had killed their baby with her own two hands as soon as he was born. She said the baby looked like him and she killed him because she didn’t want him to become like Han. Han yells in fury as she leaves.
At present, Han is thrilled to know that his son is alive.
Mu Chi sits in his car as he recalls visiting Sung Ji Eun at her shop when he was a teenager. he had demanded her for money for Mu Won’s surgery. Sung Ji Eun was flustered and her eyes welled up as he yelled at her for being a killer’s wife and living well. He had seen her child calling her.
At present Mu Chi hits the breaks as someone jumps in his way. He yells at the man. The man- Jung Ba-Reum (Lee Seung-Gi) profusely apologises for startling Mu Chi. He explains that the bird was injured and it couldn’t move out of the car’s way, so he jumped in to help. Mu Chi yells at him and drives away wondering if the man is kind or stupid.
At the prison, prison guard Na Chi Kook escorts Han to his cell. Han says his hands will get stiff if he doesn’t practice and asks for some thread. Na Chi Kook says inmates are not allowed to use medical equipment. Han says his predecessors gave it to him without complaint. Na Chi Kook says he is not Han’s servant and locks him in. He tells Han that Han must think he is King but points out that he is just a mayfly with little time left.
Later, the prison doctor gives Na Chi Kook some thread and tells him to give it to Han. He says a prison guard who refused Han became disabled and had to retire. He says Han doesn’t do anything but others do it for him.
Just then the doctor gets a call from someone who forgot their ID. He says he will come and get them.
Jung Ba-reum walks into the Prison auditorium where everyone is getting ready to put up a performance for the prisoners. Na Chi Kook walks in and the physically handicapped priest congratulates him on his new job. Koo (Chi Kook’s friend) tells him to remove the cheap watch. Chi kook refuses saying it was a gift from all of them and he cant remove it.
Koo says Ba-reum got conned (he bought the watch for 1000 dollars) as the logo reads Anmani instead of Armani. Just then, Ba-reum realises that they forgot to bring the thread which they need for their performance. Chi Kook gives them the medical thread intended for Han.
Koo asks Chi kook if he has seen the head hunter. He reveals that he has joined the head hunter’s fan club. Chi kook loses his cool and says murderer crop up because of people like Koo. he says a woman got stabbed 20 times in the latest murder case.
Koo gets angry and he leaves. Ba-reum says Koo quit studying for his civil service exam. He says he is pursuing his dream of writing about psychopaths. he says he joined the club to gather information. Ba-reum asks Chi-kook to make up with Koo after drinks.
Later, Chi-kook helps Ba-reum carry a heavy box (used for magic) inside. Ba-reum says it has to be carried so the wheels don’t get damaged on the gravel. They take a break and watch the prisoners on the grounds.
Chi Kook indicates Han and says that is the Head Hunter. Ba-reum comments that a monster lives inside Han but he looks normal from outside.
A man approaches Han saying he will take care of Na Chi Kook. Han says he wants the man to locate someone. Han looks up right at Ba-reum and Ba-reum looks away.
Meanwhile, Mu Chi retraces the path from the crime scene. He reaches the spot where the victim was stabbed. He puts a swab near the gutter where there is some rice spilt. The swab comes off with some blood. He bags it. He then finds a large boot print. He clicks an image of it.
Choi Hong Ju (Kyung Soo-Jin) waits outside the police station. She follows Mu Chi into the station bombarding him with questions regarding the sisters’ murderer and Mu Chi’s viral drunk interview. Mu Chi ignores her as she continues walking. He tells her he was off duty.
She pursues him asking how he connected both the cases as they are from different neighbourhoods and M.O is not similar. He tells her to get lost and walks inside.
The Chief yells at Mu Chi as he enters. Mu Chi says it sounds like a lullaby. The Chief gives up.
Kang is interrogating a man whom the bus driver placed at the stop which the victim got off. The man claims he is innocent. The police arrest him. Mu Chi notes that the suspect’s boot size doesn’t match the one at the crime scene.
Mu Chi tells Kang that the witness didn’t witness the murder. Kang tells him to stick to his case and not cross the line. Choi Hon Ju creeps up to him after Kang walks away. She pleads with him to cooperate. She says they have to air this case now and she has nothing to go on. He says he won’t help her as she may badmouth him as she did for the sisters’ case.
Choi Hong Ju says she is an award-winning producer and she can’t walk out on this one. Mu Chi doesn’t budge. She shows him a photograph of him indulging in illegal gambling. She walks away with a smile saying she will air this news if she doesn’t get information on the boxing club case.
Later, Mu Chi drives her to the crime scene. He asks why she is interested in this case. She says the victim Song Soo Ho is also the brother of Head Hunter’s victim Song Soo Jung. She says she wants the killer to be caught for the sake of their mother. She says she feels responsible.
He takes her to where the rice is spilt. He says he found blood and a footprint there. He says the soles on the boots are removed so they can’t trace it. He says the killer killed the victim here and dragged the body 100 metres to the drain and left her there. They wonder why the killer would do that.
At the prison, Koo and Ba-reum wait for their turn to perform. They note that Chi Kook is held up in paperwork and he can’t be here.
As their turn comes Ba-reum and Koo put up a magician’s act but the crowd isn’t impressed. The priest watches them with a smile.
Just then, Han walks in and sits in the last row.
Mu Chi takes Hong Ju to the drain. He positions her just like the victim with the middle finger pointing upwards. She says it is embarrassing as it feels like she is swearing. He tells her to look where the finger is pointing at. She looks up and it is a church. Mu Chi says the culprit is swearing at the cross. She says the killer might have broken the finger to steal her ring.
Meanwhile, Ba-reum wheels in the box for his final act. He puts a volunteer in the box and says he will make him disappear. Everyone gets excited.
Ba-reum turns the box around and opens the door but the crowd boos as the volunteer is still there. Ba-reum tries again and opens the box. He is confused to see the shocked gasps from the crowd.
He peeks into the box and falls back in horror.
Mu Chi escorts Hong Ju to the boxing ring. She notices a photo of the victim with his sister. Mu Chi calls her into the boxing ring and he sits in a chair. He says the burnt victim was tied up and his finger was pointing up. He says the finger was broken before he was burnt. He says Song Soo ho didn’t wear any rings. He tells her to look out of the window which the killer left open. She says there is a church (cross). he says the killer burnt the victim and moved the body to give the finger to the cross. He says the killer takes trophies from the victims. He tells her to try and find what is missing from this room. He says the killer took the ring from the other victim which was a gift from the victim’s daughter. Hong Ju thinks hard and notes a boxing glove in the photos. She asks if the killer took the boxing gloves.
Mu Chi says she is right and that Soo Ho wore those gloves every day. He says Sung Soo Ho’s sister was killed (by the Head Hunter) the night when she got him the boxing gloves. He says the killer is a dangerous psychopath. He says the killer might be hunting someone right now.
Back in the prison, Ba-reum sees that inside the box there is an unconscious person who is bleeding badly from his injuries, stipped to his underwear. Ba-reum recognises the person as Chi-kook. He pulls Chi kook out yelling for help. A guard calls the prison doctor.
Han sits calmly in the back row.
In his office, the prison doctor tells his visitor that he will see him later and says he has to go tend to an injured person.
The disabled priest is revealed to be Mu Won (Mu Chi’s elder brother). He watches Han walking to the front offering to help and shakes in terror. He asks for the needle and thread used in Ba-reum’s act. Ba-reum refuses because Han is a killer.
The prison doctor comes and says they have to take him to a big hospital. Han says Chi Kook will die from blood loss on the way. Mu-won intervenes and asks Han to help Chi Kook as he is the only person who can save Chi-Kook. Ba-reum closes his eyes as he is unable to watch Han stitch Chi-kook up.
At the boxing club, Hong Ju asks if there was no motive. Mu Chi says all of Song Soo Ho’s bones were broken before he was burnt. He says the killer beat him up very badly and watched him as he was burnt alive. Mu Chi says the motive was revenge.
He says he found a bible with Song Soo Ho’s blood mixed with his saliva. He says the killer would have made him read the verse out (eye for an eye).
Chi Kook is wheeled into the hospital. The nurse takes the right index finger from Ba Reum and asks them to find Chi Kook’s left middle finger.
Mu Chi says the killer put the bible back in the bookshelf upside down so the police can find it. She reads the verse. “Fracture for a fracture, tooth for a tooth….”
Hong Ju comments that Song Soo Ho would’ve burnt someone alive if he is getting back what he did. Mu Chi says it is possible. He then asks her if she located Han’s son. She pauses for a moment and is uncomfortable. She says her superiors did not allow it.
She asks if Mu Chi plans to harass the son in Han’s place. She says the son has done nothing wrong. Mu Chi says the son’s father is a serial killer. He says his parents were innocent. He says he wants Han’s son to carry the horrifying memory that Mu Chi carries.
Hong Ju says he is intentionally avoiding finding Han’s son. She asks if he wants to create another Mu Chi by recreating what he went through. He says he is curious to know who the son is.
Ba-reum is in the hospital. Sung Soo ho’s mother is in the next bed after attempting suicide. She yells asking why they saved her after she lost both her son and daughter. Dr Sung Yo-han (Kwon Hwa-Woon) walks over to her and says she should cut deeper near her wrist so she will surely die.
Koo grabs hold of Yo-han and asks him to apologise. Yo-han refuses to do so. Ba-reum stops Koo from attacking Yo Han. Koo walks away and Ba-reum apologises to Yo-han. Yo-han walks over to the next patient.
Ba-reum consoles Song Soo ho’s mother though she is a stranger. Just then, the guards rush in with Chi-kook’s severed finger which they found at the corner behind the stage. As there are no other doctors available, Yo-han agrees to scrub in. Ba-reum is cynical about this but he is told Yo-han has a lot of experience. He remains silent.
Mu Chi and Hong Ju are returning. Mu Chi says the killer knows the human body well as he is skilled with the knife.
Meanwhile, Yo-han performs the surgery.
Ba-reum learns from the internet that Yo-han is the youngest surgeon there. The doctors come out and say that the surgery went well but they have to wait and see. They say they are impressed by the first aid given to Chi-kook. They are told Han Seo Joon/ the head hunter was the one who performed the first aid. Ba-reum watches as Yo-han’s expression becomes grim as he walks away.
Later, Yo-han overhears Mu Won telling Ba-reum that it was one of Han’s followers who attacked Chi-kook as he wanted to teach him a lesson.
It is raining in the evening as all the schoolgirls walk back from school. Oh Bong-Yi (Park Ju-Hyun) looks up at the rumbling sky. She dials a number and calls the person on the other end to come out quickly as it is going to rain.
Bon Yi walks to a bridge and waits. She gets scared as lightning strikes and calls up again but the call goes unanswered. She becomes worried. She braces herself and walks across the bridge on her own.
As she walks down the bridge with earphones in her ear, someone follows her. She walks faster and she stops when she sees a puppy tied to the bars. She freezes on the spot as the figure catches her. She screams in alarm and falls.
Bong Yi’s grandmother (Kim Young-Ok) reaches the figure and thrashes the figure with her umbrella. Ba-reum says it is just him (Officer Jung Ba-reum) and asks her to stop hitting him. She immediately recognises him and gets over to helping Bong Yi. Bong-Yi says, “Puppy..” in a state of shock. The grandmother says she chased it away. Ba-reum holds an umbrella over them.
Bong-Yi goes into her house fuming. Ba-reum apologises to her grandmother saying she called out Bong Yi’s name but she didn’t hear him. She says it is alright. She learns about Chi Kook and invites him in. She offers to wash his bloodied clothes and asks him to have dinner with them. After refusing many times, Ba-reum gives in.
Once inside, Ba-reum is wearing lady clothes while granny washes the clothes. Bong Yi stares him down as she argues with her granny for being late. Food is served and Bong-Yi doesn’t allow himself to have the rolled omelette. He notices the hostility and has the other items. Her granny asks him to take the omelette. He says he doesn’t like it. Her granny takes buttons from Bong Yi’s shirt and sews them onto his shirt.
Ba-reum notices that she has scraped the skin on her palm. He blows on it. Bong-Yi notices her granny eyeing both of them and she pushes him away. She goes inside her room and locks it after throwing a tantrum.
Her granny tells him that Bong Yi has a good heart and he nods. She says Bong Yi is shy because she has a crush on him. She then asks if he has thought about what she said earlier. Ba-reum says the neighbourhood has the wrong idea about Bong-Yi and him. He says Bong Yi’s is just 18. Granny corrects him saying she is 19. She says though Bong Yi is skinny, she is voluptuous. Ba-reum gets up saying he has to leave.
Meanwhile, Hong Ju is listening to her recorded conversation with Mu Chi earlier in the day. Mu Chi says he doesn’t have the motive for the other victim Byun Soo Yung’s murder.
Hong Ju recalls interviewing Dr Daniel Lee, who had mentioned that the psychopath gene lies dormant until it is triggered.
Jae Hoon watches Mu Chi on the TV. Mu Chi says the killer started killing because of a trigger and the next murder was random.
Elsewhere, cops find a decomposing body of a homeless man in his 50’s. An axe protrudes from his chest. It looks like the chair on which he was tied has been pushed over. A pile of bricks are lying around him. His middle finger is broken and is pointing at a cross on the church outside the window. The police deduce that the person was dead for 15 days.
Elsewhere, Jae Hoon looks at the weapons he has in his hideout ranging from rope to axe to knives.
Jae Hoon’s voiceover says, “I am not in my best condition today. That is why I will be choosing an easy prey. Someone petite who will obviously lack strength. How ideal”
Jae Hoon is in his car following a woman walking on the road.
In her show “Sherlock Hong Ju”, Hong Ju says that they must not rule out the possibility of a serial killer. She says Zodiac himself wrote a letter to the police asking for help because he couldn’t stop. She says if the killer, in this case, is a psychopath he may be seriously needing help.
At night, a woman is walking her dog. The dog finds a bloody shoe lying inside a building.
The next day, Ba-reum is violently sick after seeing a dead cat with no teeth. He is told off by his superiors for this behaviour.
Bong Yi and her grandmother are having lunch. Her grandmother says today is Mo-won’s last mass at this church since he will be moving. Bong Yi says she can’t come to the mass because she has to go to the library with her friend. She says there is no point in getting high grades because her granny can’t afford school. Grany tells her to marry Ba-reum. Bong Yi says she won’t marry an old man but her granny retorts that he is in his twenties. Granny goes on to list Ba-reum’s good qualities and smacks her on the head when she badmouths him. Bong Yi is annoyed as she walks out of the house.
On the way, Ba-reum gives her a poster and asks her to find out if any of her friends know information about the person killing cats. She is rude as she grabs the poster and tells him he is doing a sloppy job as they haven’t found the killer yet. he gives her some medicine and asks her to treat her injury. She tells him to mind his business and runs away.
Just then, granny comes along and he offers to drop her off in the cycle. He says he won’t be able to make it to the mass because he has to go see Chi-Kook. He notices that granny’s leg is injured and he puts a goat-man character bandage over her wound. He learns that granny was late to pick Bong Yi up that day because she had slipped. Ba-reum offers to go pick up Bong Yi if it rains hereafter. Granny agrees to take his help till her leg gets better. He asks why she is scared to cross the bridge when it rains. Granny tries to avoid the question saying Bong Yi is a timid girl. Ba-reum doesn’t press into it. He then asks why she mentioned a puppy. Granny says Bong Yi had a puppy when she was small and she lost it.
Bong Yi walks into a street to see a woman fighting with Mu Won as he had forgiven the killer on TV. The crowd tries to keep her under control. Bong Yi asks Mu Won if he believes in God. He says he does as God is the saviour. She disagrees with him and says she can’t stand God.
Mu Chi wakes up in the morning, surrounded by empty bottles and takeaway boxes in his house. He receives a call.
Bong Yi is at a Kiosk where she starts trembling after learning from the news that Kang Duk Su will be released in a month. She has a panic attack when she recalls Kang threatening her when he was being escorted to prison. He had vowed to get her.
Sung Yo Han comes for work when he is told that someone wants to meet him.
Mu Chi rushes into a grape vineyard to find another body. It has the trophies from other victims on it. (The homeless man’s missing boot, Byun So Yung’s ring and Sung Soo Ho’s boxing gloves.) Mu Chi wonders whose watch it is around the wrist.
In a photograph beside Chi Kook’s hospital bed, Chi kook wears the same watch that is on the dead body’s wrist.
At the prison, Sung Yo-han sits across Han. Han says he was curious to see how his son grew up.
At the crime scene, Mu Chi notes that there is no church nor cross and the body hasn’t been moved. He then pries the dead girl’s hand from her mouth. It reals a cross drawn on the roof of her mouth. He notes that the killer has stuck her finger into her mouth against the cross in her mouth.
After the body is taken away, Mu Chi looks up at the ceiling and a message is written in blood across it, “Bingo! Detective Go Mu Chi! Great Deductive reasoning! I hope you like your gift”
As Ba-reum is about to leave the hospital after visiting Chi kook, he stops as he sees the news. The report states that the murders will now be treated as serial killings and a new investigative team will be formed.
Just then, Sung Yo-han walks into the hospital.
Jung Ba-reum and Sung Yo-han look at each other.
Jae Hoon’s voiceover narrates, “My mom said there was another child who had the monster gene. I’ve always wondered what happened to that child. Did he become a predator like me or did he become a normal person unlike me?”
Image Courtesy-TVN
Review
It was revealed that Han was oblivious to his son’s existence for 25 years. I wonder what he makes of Sung Yo Han and if he is satisfied with what Yo Han has turned out to be. Han would know of Yo-han is a psychopath or not as he claims to have a knack for finding if the person is a psychopath or not.
Jae Hoon’s identity remains a mystery though the storyline points towards Sung Yo Han as Han’s son/Jae Hoon/killer. Sung Yo Han has turned out to be a (genius?) surgeon at such a young age. Sung Ji Eun had a lot of reservations concerning going forward with her pregnancy. Though she chose to keep the child alive (as Mu Chi claims), I wonder if Han’s wife would let her son study medicine where he has easy access to weapons and has to work closely with human lives. It would contradict Ji Eun’s character if she allowed Han’s son to become a surgeon.
Mu Chi has grown up to be a hot-headed detective. He still holds a grudge against Han and hopes to find Han’s son and get his revenge.
Lee Seung-gi portrays Jung ba-reum who is brimming with compassion up to a level that one is suspicious if his emotions are genuine. On the other hand, he shows spontaneous affection to the people he loves. Ba-reum a quite a contrast from Lee Seung gi’s previous roles.
Choi Hong Ju is a chirpy producer who adds a touch of humour to the plot. The scenes where she makes an appearance are interesting to watch. She seems to have a soft corner towards Han’s son.
Oh Bong-Yi is a short-tempered and shy teenager. She seems to have a traumatic past and holds a grudge against God.
The prison doctor let someone into the premises without an ID. The identity of that person was not disclosed. I am curious to see who that is.
Jae Hoon’s voiceover sets a good backdrop for the series as it forms the narrative of a predator’s mindset. The killer Jae Hoon has started communicating with Mu Chi which goes to show that the game of cat and mouse has begun.
The final scene possibly indicates that Yo Han and Ba reum are the two children with the psychopath gene.
It is just the second episode and there is 25 years of the story between Han’s arrest and the present day. It looks like anything could have happened during that time.
This episode had a good pace and was gripping. Except for Mu Chi and Mu-won, the rest of the characters set the viewers thinking as to what their (character’s) identity is and how they came about to be what they are now.
-By Soul Sword-
The Writers Room 
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