(Episode 9- Ba-reum’s brain)
Han listens to classical music in his earphones as he performs brain surgery. He tells the unconscious patient not to feel wronged but be content that he gets to live on. It looks like Han removes the frontal lobe and implants another in its place. The patient is Jung Ba-reum. Han finishes the implant.
At present, Bong Yi confirms that it was Han who operated on Ba-reum (after Ba-reum sends her Han’s photo).
Ba-reum scans through the head hunter articles on the internet. He finds a photo of the corpse with a puncture in its little finger and a code on the hand, “F25, 17S.EX”.
Ba-reum goes to the evidence room and checks the victim files. He figures that F is for Female, 25 is the age. He wonders if the following letters are an abbreviation. He then remembers the puncture on the little finger and recalls the mouse’s ear (Han had in prison when he met him) was punctured too.
Later Ba-reum learns that tested mice are punctured on their left ear (ear tags/ ear punch) in lab testings. He figures out that SEX stands for Subject of EXperiment. In this case, Sung-Soo Jung was 17 S.EX meaning the 17th test subject for the experiment. He realises that the finger punctures were like ear tags.
Ba-reum recalls his surgeon telling him that increased sensitivity to smell is possible if the olfactory bulb of the frontal lobe is replaced. A memory surfaces where the girl tells the mouse boy that if he doesn’t kill the mouse, he will end up like the snake. She also says the mouse has a nasty brain.
He realises that Han might have replaced his frontal lobe with that of Sung Yo Han’s.
At the prison, Ba-reum asks Han if he implanted Sung Yo Han’s brain in his. Han smiles saying Ba-reum figured it out earlier than he expected. Ba-reum is horrified as he asks if Han killed the victims and took their heads to test the brain.
Han confirms that he even opened the victims’ brains when they were still alive. He says he was about to make a breakthrough when Mu Chi recognised him as the Head Hunter. He says he took only a few human heads to benefit mankind. He smiles saying every achievement requires minor sacrifices.
Ba-reum is furious as he asks if human lives mean so little. Han says Ba-reum owes it to the victims for surviving his injury. Ba-reum can’t believe his ears.
Detective Kang goes berserk as Mu Chi is escorted to the station for Woo Jae Pil’s murder.
Hong Ju rushes into the precinct to see Mu Chi lying in the prison cell with his eyes closed. Kang tells her that Mu Chi decided to go to prison to kill Han on the very same day he was going to ask her out.
Flashback
Mu Chi and Kang are at a stakeout to catch the sisters’ killer. Kang finds a set of rings in a ring box in Mu Chi’s car. He figures out that Mu Chi plans to ask Hong Ju out the next day at dinner. Mu Chi says he is nervous.
Just then they see footage of Han’s interview in the news. He says he has found peace and doesn’t get nightmares anymore after confessing to God and receiving forgiveness. Mu Chi is stunned. Kang switches the news off and steps out of the car to do a perimeter check.
Mu Chi switches the interview back on and Han says he hopes the families of his victims find peace. Mu Chi says he is still suffering endlessly and says he will do what the nation couldn’t do. He vows to kill Han. The news says Mu Won submitted a petition asking not to execute Han.
Mu Chi runs out of his car chasing the sister killer. He tells the man to run and shoots at him. The man is alarmed. Kang rushes back in time and stops Mu Chi from doing something foolish.
At present, Kang, the Chief and detective Park are drinking. Kang is drunk and he blames Park for using Mu Chi to get his revenge. The chief tries to get Kang to keep quiet.
AT the correctional facility, one of the guards watches Ba-reum walking out. He makes a call and informs someone that he thinks Ba-reum is in shock.
30 Plus Years ago
Han is a young doctor at Cambridge. The chief congratulates the surgeon’s work on the patient with Cerebral Palsy (Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. CP is the most common motor disability in childhood. Cerebral means having to do with the brain. Palsy means weakness or problems with using the muscles.). He says the patient is doing well. They say that she was Dr Gary’s patient since she was 5 years old which was 15 years ago.
After the rest of the doctors leave, Han finds a book on the brain by the patient. She has a dopamine supplement tablet (Levodopa) clasped in her hand. The attendant says that a man was cleaning the rubbish bin a while ago and he may be the one who left it.
As Han walks out of the room, the other surgeon tells him that they know Han killed his patient Emma. He says that is why he had operated on Han’s patient. He says Dr Gary is investigating and soon they will know his true face.
As he walks away, Han wonders if he was too careless. He walks away wondering if he should give a real performance.
At present, Ba-reum comes to a place since Han had told him to check for himself if Ba-reum didn’t believe him.
Flashback
At a seminar, Han wheels in his patient with Cerebral Palsy. He says he can make her walk. He holds the wheelchair and to everyone’s surprise, she gets up. Han says he believes that Dr Gary misdiagnosed this patient. Han says this patient had a rare disease due to a lack of dopamine in the body caused by GCH-1, the mutation located in chromosome 14. He says it is called Segawa Syndrome.
Han says he saw a book in the patient’s bed. He says CP patients showed decreased brain function and they don’t read. He says he gave her 3 tablets of Levodopa per day and the patient can stand.
The patient thanks Han. Han points at the man near the rubbish can and says he is the person she should thank. She looks up at the person who is Daniel Lee.
Earlier, Han finds out that the person who was collecting rubbish was called Daniel. He goes over to Daniel’s address.
He sees Daniel and his sister Jennifer who walks with the help of a crutch. She asks him how the patient with the same disease as her doing now. Daniel says he is secretly giving her Levodopa. Han peeks in and finds Daniel’s board filled with workings.
At the seminar, Han gives full credit to Daniel Lee.
Han’s voiceover (directed to Ba-reum )says Dr Gary who was suspicious of Han, had to leave the hospital, thanks to Daniel Lee’s findings. He adds that no one suspected Han of the deaths after that.
Later, Daniel Lee approaches Han with a small sack of mice. He says the school offered Daniel a place to study genetics and they would also give him a degree. He says the mice are all that he can give Han. He thanks him profusely. Han smiles and thinks that he should be thanking Daniel as he was the perfect cover for Han’s true identity.
Ba-reum reaches the train track where Hong Ju went that day. Han had told him to go check his lab. He mentioned that no one knew about Han’s lab.
Flashback
Daniel Lee is in Han’s lab where Han is working on mice. Han says he is attempting brain implants. He says he is working on connecting the complicated neural circuits.
Daniel asks why he is doing this. Han says he feels like he is controlling someone else’s life, like a deity.
He asks what Daniel dreams of. Daniel says he wants to find good genes and create a world without crime. Han asks why not find the bad genes and prevent them from committing crimes. Daniel says Han’s is right and says he will work on it.
Han’s voiceover says he came to Korea after killing Jennifer and became the best neurosurgeon here. He says he was enjoying the fame and forgot about his dream. One day he sees the news report which says Daniel has successfully detected the psychopath genes. He says this suddenly shook the entire world. He says he couldn’t believe that Daniel was invading his realm of the divine.
At present, Ba-reum explores the lab and he finds many preserved brains.
Flashback
Han experiments on all kinds of animals like rabbits, mice and dogs. He is furious as he isn’t successful.
He approaches a homeless person and lures him by promising him food. He kills the man.
Han’s voiceover says he needed human brains.
At present, Ba-reum knocks over a box and a few skulls roll on the floor. As he is about to run out, he sees an image of Han operating on a victim. Han takes the brian in his hand and looks at it. Ba-reum rushes out of the dark lab.
Bong Yi waits at the theatre. She calls Ba-reum as he didn’t turn up yet but he doesn’t answer. She watches Mu Chi’s arrest on the news.
Ba-reum walks into Han’s house. The house is filled with graffiti on the walls asking him to be executed. ba-reum recalls Han saying that everything was perfect and he was even about to have a son. He says Daniel had called him saying he was visiting Korea. Han says Daniel was just a prop for his act. He says he couldn’t let someone so inferior take over the realm of the divine that Han dreamed off. He says he felt a need to find prey for his last experiment after he dropped Daniel at the hotel.
Just then, Mu Chi’s father had asked him for directions. Han turned around to see Mu Chi’s mother, Mu Chi’s father and Mu Won. Han decides that 3 brains were more than enough to carry out his last experiment.
Ba-reum heads over to the campsite where Mu Chi’s family was killed. He visualises the murder in dismay.
Han’s voiceover says he committed 20 murders in one year without making any mistakes but he got caught when Mu Chi tripped over the snowman.
Mu Chi is in the prison. He holds the locket with his family picture in it. He cant wait to kill Han.
Han learns of Mu Chi’s arrest. He smiles that Mu Chi actually did it.
Earlier, Han had told Ba-reum that a government official had approached him after Ba-reum’s injury.
At present, Ba-reum tries to get into Chief Presidential Secretary Choi Young Shin’s house but he is stopped at the gates. Just then Choi Young Shin arrives. She takes him inside.
The doctor explains that Sung Yo Han’s brain was implanted into Ba-reum. Ba-reum asks how they knew Han could implant brains. Choi Young Shin says she received a tape from an unknown person and it had footage of Han performing the implant.
Flashback
Choi Young Shin summons Han and shows him the footage. In the footage, Han tells the person recording to keep the camera straight. He performs the brain implant.
Han asks Choi how she got the footage. Choi briefs him about the situation and asks him to do the implant. He asks why she trusts him. She says Ba-reum will die if nothing is done.
Han asks what he will get in return for bringing Ba-reum back to life. She tells him to name his price. Han says, “Freedom”. He says he is stiff from being locked in prison for 30 years. He says it is a waste of resource to let his talents go to waste. He agrees to perform the surgery.
Choi refuses to grant Han his freedom even if she had the power to do it. Han is about to walk away but she falls to her knees and begs him to do the surgery. She says this is the only way he can atone for his sins. She says the whole world is praying for Ba-reum’s life.
Later, Choi watches from the gallery as Han performs the surgery. The CHief doctor assures her that no one will find out about Han’s involvement.
At present Ba-reum is shocked as he asks if Han’s sins will be atoned if he saves Ba-reum. He is told that they couldn’t use the original brain they had prepared because of transportation issues. So they used Sung Yo Han’s brain because he died just then.
Ba-reum accuses them of using him to remain in power. Choi says she truly believed they would be letting the people down if they left Ba-reum to die.
After Ba-reum walks out, the prison guard says Ba-reum won’t talk because he can’t tell people he has a killer’s brain implanted in him. Choi wonders why Han suddenly agreed to do the surgery.
Flashback
Choi is on her knees. Han crouches near her. He asks what he has to atone for. He says there is nothing wrong when a lion kills a few mice.
At present, Choi wonders why Han agreed to the surgery after telling her that.
Later, Han listens to some music. He recalls the person sending the tape to Choi and thinks, “You are still alive”.
Hong Ju is in her office. She wonders why Ba-reum asked for Han’s photo. She watches Han’s photo and mutters that she should have killed him back then.
Flashback
Hong Ju visits Han in prison to interview him. She clutches her pen tightly in her hand. She walks in. She starts trembling at the sight of him and runs out as she is nauseous.
At present, Han sits up saying, “Yes… Park Hyun Soo.” He realises Park Hyun Soo/ Hong Ju made the documentary to kill him. He is happy that Mu Won died because of that documentary.
Meanwhile, Ba-reum comes home to find Bong Yi waiting. As he apologises he learns about Mu Chi’s arrest from her.
Ba-reum calls up Hong Ju who fills him in. She tells him it is suspicious as he didn’t use his gun but a scalpel.
Later, Ba-reum and Hong Ju check Woo Jae Pil’s body. He wonders why there are no defense wounds. He says there is rage in the wounds inflicted. He deduces that Mu Chi’s motive was just to go to jail but this is overkill. He says it is unlikely that Mu Chi would do this.
Just then, he takes out his phone and he drops his kerchief which has a couple of hair ties in them. A thought hits him.
Ba-reum and Hong Ju check the CCTV before Mu Chi came into the hospital. Hong Ju’s eyes tear up as she recognises Park’s wife on the footage. She freezes in shock as Ba-reum tries to get another angle of the room. He suddenly runs away saying he figured out who might have been the killer.
Hong Ju drives up to Park’s house to see Ba-reum waiting there. Park runs into Ba-reum as he is bringing his wife out. He tells Ba-reum that they are going to the station to turn her in. He says she will be scared if Ba-reum arrests her here. Park says he was selfish and he doesn’t expect Ba-reum to understand. Ba-reum asks Park where his daughter’s grave is.
Mu Chi is let out of the cell. The Chief says it is because of Ba-reum. Mu Chi asks how Ba-reum found out that Park’s wife killed Woo Jae Pil. The Chief is taken aback hearing that Park’s wife killed Woo.
Park and Ba-reum rush to Park Hyun Soo’s grave. They find Jung Man Oh (Woo Jae Pil’s friend) crying there. He about to drink something but Park stops him.
Jung Man Oh cries as he says the girl buried in this grave is his daughter Soo-Jin.
Earlier
Ba-reum had noticed Jung Man Oh in the CCTV. He had gone into the evidence room and finds a similar hair tie (like the one he has in his hand)found next to the remains of Park Hyun Soo. He recalls that the DNA test on the hair (crime scene) had matched Park Hyun Soo’s hair but Jung Man Oh had killed Woo Jae Pil out of rage when Woo admitted to killing Park Hyun Soo.
Ba-reum recalls a missing child Jung Soo Jin from their earlier search of missing children. He wonders if she is Jung Man Ho’s daughter. He gets it confirmed from the office.
Flashback
Jung Man Ho stands in the crowd as forensics comb Woo Jae Pil’s house. Jung Man Ho notices the pink keychain on the murder weapon which is placed in the evidence bag. He recognises it as the same one his daughter wore around her neck.
Man Ho goes to the hospital and takes the scalpel from the empty room. He bumps into Park’s wife on the way. Just then mu Chi calls of the guards. Man Ho sneaks into Woo Jae Pil’s room and asks why his daughter’s necklace found around the murder weapon. he says Woo had helped him look for his daughter back then.
Woo Jae-pil closes his eyes. Man Ho pleads with Jae Pil to tell him that the girl isn’t his daughter.
We see a montage of Woo Jae Pil burying a child’s body along with the hair tie.
Woo Jae Pil apologises to Jung Man Ho and says he felt guilty all his life. Jung Man Ho plunges the scalpel repeatedly into Woo Jae Pil in rage, killing him. He drops the scalpel and runs out. Park’s wife stands by the door as he runs away. Park’s wife walks in.
At present, Park is shaken. Ba-reum and he accompany Man Ho to the precinct. Park says they will do a DNA test of the girl in the grave to check if Man Ho is telling the truth. He thanks Ba-reum. When asked, Ba-reum says he figured it out with the CCTV footage.
Later, Ba-reum looks at the hair tie. he thinks that if he tells Park that he found the hair tie there, Park will figure out that Ba-reum has Sung Yo Han’s brain.
Hong Ju finds Ba-reum and thanks him for finding the killer. Ba-reum asks if she is happy that Mu Chi is released. He says Mu Chi must resent him now and walks away.
Meanwhile, at the correctional facility, Dong Koo is all suited up to meet his fiance’s parents. Kim is beside him. Just then there is an emergency call as a scuffle has broken out between the inmates.
One of the prisoners is stabbed for helping another inmate.
At his home, Ba-reum wonders if Sung Yo Han really had feelings for Hong Ju. Just then, a drunk Dong Koo walks into the house. He says the gangster was bullying inmate Kim and he attacked another prisoner who tried to defend him. He says Kim was locked up for assault but he was trying to find the person who raped his daughter.
Dong Koo says despite his age Kim fought against the gangster but Dong Koo stood still in fear. He says Na Chi Kook wasn’t a coward like him.
The next day, Dong Koo rushes out to work. Ba-reum wakes up from his couch.
The Police dig up Park Hyun Soo’s grave.
Hong Ju walks into a bar to find Mu Chi wasted in the corner. She sits before him. Mu Chi asks if she worried he will harm her boyfriend if she told Han’s son’s identity. He says she wouldn’t have dated that murderer if she cared for Mu Chi. She apologises.
Mu Chi asks why it had to be Sung Yo Han when there are tons of guys in the world.
Hong Ju says she saw a similarity in him and that is why she was attracted to him. Mu Chi goes near her and asks if she killed someone like Sung Yo han too. Mu Chi tells her to get lost.
The news reports of Man-Ho’s arrest and says the police will investigate the motive as to why Woo Jae Pil killed Man Ho’s daughter.
Hong Ju stands out of the bar and recalls an incident.
Flashback
Hong Ju comes to the hospital for her first interview. She asks the bully why he attacked his friend. The boy says he isn’t friends with the head hunter’s son. She sees that the patient’s name is Sung Yo Han.
She opens the door to find him trying to jump out the window. She pulls him back and asks him if his life is worse than the bereaved family of his father’s victims. she tells him to live on and prove that he isn’t like his father.
A few years later, Hong Ju is admitted to the ER for a dog bite. Sung Yo Han is a doctor and he treats her. She recognises him from before and talks with him.
At present Hong Ju returns home. The babysitter walks out and Hong Ju sits beside the child.
The next day, Ba-reum’s boss commends him for catching the killer. Later, 2 women come to the precinct complaining about their neighbour who is stalking them. The officer tells them to install a CCTV. One of the women keeps eyeing Ba-reum.
Ba-reum suddenly stops drawing in his notepad and says they will keep them safe. He picks up the notepad and runs into the restroom. He looks at the notepad and sees the sketch of the dead bodies of two women.
He breathes heavily as he tears the paper and flushes it down the drain.
He comes home to find a photo his aunt has left of him from his kindergarten days. He is relieved to see that he isn’t the mouse boy. He comments that those are Sung Yo Han’s memories.
Bong Yi comes to the precinct looking for Ba-reum. They say he left because he was unwell.
Ba-reum is sitting on the couch with his eyes closed. He recalls the memory of the girl and the mouse boy. She says the mouse has a nasty brain and crushes the mouth with her foot, killing it.
Ba-reum gets up with a start. The cat meows beside him and he gets annoyed. He Yells at it to be quiet but it doesn’t. He rushes over to it and grabs it telling it to be quiet.
Suddenly he hears someone outside and walks out.
Mu Chi is standing there heavily drunk. Ba-reum goes over and opens the gate. Mu Chi curses him for arresting the real killer. He Holds Ba-reum by the jacket and curses him.
Ba-reum looks up at him venomously saying, “Darn. When will the whining stop? You childish fool”. Mu Chi looks up and lets go of him. He punches Ba-reum straight on the face asking if he has seen his entire family die in front of his eyes.
Ba-reum puts both his hands over Mu Chi’s neck and chokes him. Mu Chi falls down and Ba-reum continues to choke him saying, “This is all your fault Ko Mu Chi”. Mu Chi loses consciousness.
Ba-reum picks up a stone next to him and brings it down repeatedly.
A person (Bong Yi ?) walks into the entrance and drops her bag in shock.
Blood splatters on Ba-reum’s face as he lands blows continuously in a frenzy.
Image Courtesy-TVN
Review
This episode followed a fast pace.
It revealed quite a bit of Han’s life. Han’s past with Daniel Lee was an interesting watch. The way the flashbacks tied up with Mu chi’s parents’ case was well made. The concept of finding the psychopath gene was originally Han’s idea. Han’s killings were triggered by his inability to accept Daniel Lee taking the limelight.
It looks like Han agreed to do the surgery on Ba-reum as he wanted his offspring to live on.
Woo Jae Pil’s case turned into a deeper mystery as Jae Pil had indeed buried Man Ho’s daughter. I am curious to see the story behind that.
It was revealed that Hong Ju is detective Park’s daughter. I am curious to see why she didn’t approach her parents even after all these years. Han is onto her as he knows she was the one who sent the tapes. It looks like Hong Ju didn’t go through with the abortion (as one was led to believe) as she has a child with her.
Psychopaths don’t have the ability to love. Ba-reum keeps wondering (from the memories) if Sung Yo Han had feelings for Hong Ju. If that emotion stems from Sung Yo Han’s brain, it looks like Sung Yo Han isn’t a psychopath.
I am curious about where Ba-reum got the hair tie. It looks like he is carrying out a secret investigation on the side using his memories. Throughout this episode, Ba-reum tried to keep the killer part of his brain a secret. The scene with his sketch and the cat was good as it shows that he is struggling to control himself and that he does lose control easily.
The last scene was like a repeat of the scene where Sung Yo Han repeatedly hit Ba-reum on his head. One has to wait and see what happened to Mu Chi. Lee Seung-gi has done a great job in portraying the insane side of Ba-reum with the sudden spurts of rage.
This episode brings in the Sci-fi genre with brain implant surgery. It sets up the base for what is about to follow and its content was interesting.
-By Soul Sword-
The Writers Room 
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