(Episode 12- The Yo Han in Ba-reum)
12 Years ago 7 am
Young Jae Hoon walks under the bridge while playing his handheld video game. His voiceover narrates, “There is a reason why I choose this path rather than the shortcut. One that is rarely occupied by the others. I enjoy these moments of uninterrupted peace.”
Jae Hoon looks up when he hears someone calling for help. He walks towards the sound to find a puppy yelping next to a blanket under the bridge. Jae-Hoon lifts the blanket and he finds a critically injured boy lying under it asking for help. Jae-hoon puts the blanket back and walks away annoyed for being disturbed while playing a game.
He knows that the news channels are covering the boy’s story and wonders why everyone is crying about the boy.
Present Day
Under the same bridge, blood seeps out of a body wrapped in a blanket.
Ba-reum had visited Daniel Lee with the body bag. He had told Daniel Lee that he was right in saying he would kill the people he loves if he doesn’t embrace his instinct to kill. He tells Lee that it felt exhilarating and refreshing.
At present, Ba-reum is having coffee at home. He smiles.
Meanwhile, Mu Chi rushes to the crime scene where his team is waiting under the bridge. They uncover Kang Duk Soo’s body.
Ba-reum’s aunt ring’s Ba-reum’s doorbell. Ba-reum’s nephew is fast asleep on the couch.
The previous night, the cat attacks Ba-reum before he can attack his nephew. Ba-reum follows the cat to her bed. She is vicious as she sees Ba-reum with the wrench. Ba-reum comments that the cat is trying to protect her kittens. He lifts the wrench high and hammers it down.
Just then, the news reports that a woman in her 70’s (Kang Duk Soo’s mother) was found hanging in the Park along with a suicide note. Her body had severe bruises on it.
Ba-reum realises that the note lying next to Kang Duk Soo was also written by his mother. He learns that the mother wanted to stop her son from committing more crimes ( Daniel Lee had mentioned the killer will continue to kill and evolve).
Ba-reum knows that Kang Duk Soo will go after Bong Yi. He drives down to track Bong Yi and finds Bong Yi’s umbrella on the road. He tracks the footprints and manages to get to the field where Kang Duk Soo attacked Bong Yi.
Ba-reum finds her lying in the field. He goes over and she begs him to save Yu Na. Ba-reum walks over to find him. He lands strong blows on Kang’s face. Kang Duk Soo begs him to spare him. Ba-reum bends down and bites Kang Duk Soo’s face. He attacks Kang Duk Soo the same way he had attacked Bong Yi.
At present, Mu Chi looks at Kang Duk Soo’s body. It has bite marks on his face, strangulation mark on the neck and bruises all over. He notices that the injuries are the same as the ones Bong Yi had sustained when she was assaulted by Kang Duk Soo many years ago.
Shin clicks a picture of the boot print on the soil. He also shows Mu Chi that Kang Duk Soo’s genitals have been removed.
At Ba-reum’s home, Ba-reum’s aunt tells off Hoon Suk for coming along with Ba-reum. She hits Hoon Suk and Hoon Suk starts crying. She drags her son out as Ba-reum apologises and mentions the note he had left for her on the fridge. His aunt ignores him and rushes out with Hoon Suk.
Flashback
At the trial, Kang Duk Soo maintains that he is drunk. He says he doesn’t remember anything. He says if they find out if he was the one they can go ahead and cut out his penis.
In the field, Kang Duk Soo confesses to Ba-reum that he wasn’t drunk that night. He swears he won’t do it again. Ba-reum says Kang won’t be able to do it again. He takes out granny’s knife and he cuts off Kang Duk Soo’s penis. Later, Ba-reum drags the body along the field and on to the road where it leaves a bloody trail.
The voiceover says, “When one harms his neighbour, whatever he has done must be done to him.”
At present, Mu Chi stands over Kang Duk Soo’s body. The crime reminds him of the cross killing case. He deduces that the killer is a psychopath.
Meanwhile, Ba-reum tries to feed the kitten which walks away. Ba-reum folds his hands and apologises to the kitten as tears well up in his eyes. Daniel Lee had told him that Ba-reum will feel a rush of guilt once he is back to being himself. He says this will be very painful.
Later Ba-reum mourns the cat’s death as he stands near its grave holding its kitten.
The news reports that Kang Duk Soo was found with his penis cut off at a crimes scene from 12 years back.
Hong Ju is with Bong Yi in the hospital when Mu Chi rushes in. Bong Yi is sleeping and is badly injured. Hong Ju says Mu Chi should have been with Bong Yi instead of chasing after Kang. Mu Chi tells her to get out.
Hong Ju finds Ba-reum outside. They sit on the bench outside the hospital and Ba-reum apologises for not taking her call. Ba-reum watches the sunlight through the branches and he frowns.
Hong Ju recalls Sung Yo Han saying that seeing the sunlight pour through the branches saddens him. Hong Ju immediately gets up and walks away.
Ba-reum walks into Bong Yi’s hospital room and finds Mu Chi beside her sleeping form. Mu Chi gently caresses Bong Yi’s head as he apologises for not being there for her. Ba-reum walks over and removes Mu Chi’s hand from Bong Yi’s head. Mu Chi is startled. Ba-reum asks him to leave as he is here now. He doesn’t loosen the grip on Mu Chi’s hand when Mu Ch says he will leave. Mu Chi wriggles his hand free and walks out with a confused expression. Once outside, Mu Chi wonders if Ba-reum is jealous of him.
Hong Ju drives back home. She walks in and overhears the nanny on the phone. The nanny says it gives her chills and the baby is unusual as he never stops crying. She is reading the news about Hong Ju dating Sung Yo Han.
Hong Ju sends the nanny home. After the nanny leaves, Hong Ju hugs her baby and cries as she apologises.
At the police station, the chief tells Mu Chi that he wouldn’t be having the job if Kang Duk Su’s mother hadn’t brought them the letter claiming Mu Chi’s innocence. Shin says detective Lee didn’t bring the letter to the chief. Mu Chi says he doesn’t like Lee one bit. The chief says the mother hoped Kang would stop killing if she died. Mu Chi says psychopaths don’t feel guilt. Mu Chi asks to be on the Special team investigating Kang Duk Soo’s murder.
The chief asks where Mu Chi was the entire night. He says Mu Chi will be on top of the list of the suspects if he doesn’t have a convincing reply.
Mu Chi is sheepish as he says he was mugged.
At the hospital, Bong Yi wakes up with a start asking for Yu Na. Ba-reum calms her down saying Yu Na is unhurt. She asks about Mu Chi and Ba-reum says he doesn’t know what happened. He then tells her Kang Duk Soo died. Bong Yi doesn’t seem surprised and she looks away. He asks if she knew about this. She says she doesn’t know.
At the precinct, no one believes that Mu Chi was mugged. He tells them to check the CCTV and says his wallet is missing. they still aren’t convinced. He says he also wants to have been the killer but he isn’t.
After he walks out, the captain says they have to catch the killer before Mu Chi. They agree.
Mu Chi is walking down the corridor as he recalls the letters “OZ” marked on the attacker’s hand.
Shin confronts Lee for not giving Kang Duk Soo’s mother’s statement immediately to the chief. Lee says it serves Shin right as he only cared about being on TV.
Ba-reum had washed the murder weapon and put it in a ziplock bag and placed in it the car’s trunk.
Mu Chi checks the CCTV and he is told that the attacker’s vehicle had a stolen licence plate. Mu Chi groans that it was his only family picture.
He then wears his chain with the locket containing his family photo.
After Mu Chi walks out of the evidence room, Ba-reum walks into the evidence room with an evidence box. He notices the CCTV camera above him. He walks to one of the aisles and he moves out of the camera’s sight. He takes a knife which he brought and places it in another evidence box titled “Predator Serial Murder Case”
The news relays that the public is against the police searching for investigating Kang Duk Soo’s murder.
Ba-reum walks into the evidence room the next day to find Mu Chi claiming that the killer is a psychopath like Sung Yo Han. He vows to kill Kang Duk Su’s killer.
Mu chi is upset that the evidence hasn’t been sent down yet. He goes upstairs with Ba-reum. He is startled to see The President waiting in the precinct along with Choi. Mu Chi and Ba-reum watch from the side of the room as the Chief briefs the president. He says Kang Duk Su had Yu Na’s photos on the phone and he had been planning the crime since then.
The president asks about the suspect. The chief says a light taser gun mark shows a female suspect. Shin had confirmed that he gave Bong Yi the taser gun earlier.
Detective Kang says the killer has reenacted the case and he implies that Bong Yi is the suspect.
Mu Chi breaks the silence by saying Bong Yi isn’t the killer as the killer is a psychopath. He says that the slash across Kang Duk Soo’s neck was made postmortem because the killer forgot about it. He says the killer came back to slash it. He also mentions a lighter burn that is a new wound that Bong Yi doesn’t have.
Mu Chi says the killer knicked Kang Duk Soo in the wrong place and covered it up using a lighter burn.
Ba-reum asks if that proves the killer is a psychopath. Mu Chi says a famous psychopath once corrected his error by rubbing the eraser over a paper so hard that it burnt a hole through the paper. he says they try not to erase the mistake but the existence of the mistake. Mu Chi says the killer wants to be in control.
Choi Young Shin watches Ba-reum closely. Ba-reum looks unsettled.
Mu chi continues to say all the bones are broken and he was also castrated. He concludes this was not revenge-driven but a psychotic/sadistic one.
Kang points out that the cigarette burn on Bong Yi was never disclosed to the public. He says only the investigating team knew about it and it was on the police file.
Mu chi instantly says it is one of them. They are asked for the handwritten case file.
After the briefing, the President stops and speaks with Shin. Choi Young Shin realises that Shin is Assembly Chairman Shin Sung-Min’s son. She recalls Shin Sung Min voting against the bill for killing psychopath fetus at birth. He said they had conceived the baby after 10 years. (Episode 1)
The President says that though the victim deserved to die the killer must be found. He leaves after saying he has faith in the police force.
Later, the team checks CCTV footage from the evidence room and finds nothing fishy. Mu Chi is reprimanded for doubting one of their own. The Chief orders the team to look into Bong Yi’s phone records and credit card statements.
Ba-reum, Mu Chi and Park stay behind. Park tells Mu Chi that he can’t allow Bong Yi to be arrested. He tells Mu Chi to get to Bong Yi fast. Bong Yi runs away.
Ba-reum and Mu Chi visit Yu Na and her mother. Yu Na’s mother says she has quit drinking and she owes her daughter’s life to Bong Yi.
Mu Chi records Yu Na’s statement again. He asks about a pair of boots which she saw.
Yu Na says Kang Duk was holding a lighter in his hand when they heard a sound. When Kang looked away, she threw mud in his hand and ran into a grain storage basement. Someone had come up and locked her in. She says the person wasn’t Kang Duk Soo. She says if it was a bad person he would have dragged her out.
She says after a while the door was unlocked but she was scared to go out. She says the cops came and opened the door. She says it was then when she saw her shoes by the door.
Ba-reum walks over to get some plates to keep the apples that he had been cutting for them. Yu Na looks at Ba-reum and she scratches her nose. She says she has nothing more to say and she tells her mother she is sleepy.
Later, Ba-reum tells Mu Chi it is weird that a psychopath didn’t attack Yu Na and left shoes for her. Mu Chi wonders if this means that Bong Yi killed Kang Duk Soo.
Just then, Mu Chi gets a call and he rushes over to the hospital. Kang is speaking to Bong Yi. He says they found records of Bong Yi purchasing a knife at the store.
Mu chi tries to intervene but he is sent out. Ba-reum wonders why Bong Yi isn’t denying the accusations.
Suddenly, Mu chi says Bong Yi must have killed Kang Duk Soo. He says they should erase all traces fast. He adds that if she confesses it’ll all be over.
Ba-reum asks Mu Chi why he is doing all this for Bong Yi. Mu Chi says he would have done the same for Ba-reum too. He says Bong Yi has been through so much. He says she deserves to be happy. He says he will support her decision to kill Kang Duk Soo.
Mu Chi asks Ba-reum to stay out of it if doesn’t want to. Ba-reum says he will help.
Mu Chi says he will meet the person who filed the report. He tells Ba-reum to meet Hong Ju and make sure she doesn’t get suspicious.
Ba-reum meets Hong Ju. Hong Ju says neither Ba-reum nor Mu Chi responded to her calls so she went to Bong Yi’s house. She found the house empty. She later drove down the bridge and found Bong Yi unconscious. She says she took her to the hospital.
The person who reported the murder tells Mu Chi that he was walking past the bridge at night when he dodged an oncoming car. He fell down the bridge. He says he felt something eerie and came back to check at dawn. He notified the police when he found the body under the bridge.
Mu Chi goes over to the crime scene. He notices that one of the large pipes have been pushed away. He checks the pipe. He walks around it to see that there are marks on the side of the bridge.
He immediately calls his team. Ba-reum also joins them as Mu Chi explains. Mu Chi says the killer put Yu Na’s shoes into one of the pipes as bait. Then he had tied a chain around the mouth of the pipe and thrown the other end of the chain over the bridge. He says the killer waited on the bridge holding the chain.
he says Kang Suk Soo walked into the pipe looking for Yu Na. The killer tightened the noose when Kang came crawling out. He had pulled up the chain with his might and Kang was strangled.
Mu Chi says Bong Yi weighs just 50 kg while Kang Duk Soo is 70kg. Also, she has fractured her wrist and ribs. He says she can’t be the killer. He says the killer is in his early 20’s or 30’s. Everyone is convinced.
Later Mu Chi and Ba-reum visit Bong Yi. Mu chi leaves after telling her that the cops won’t bother her anymore.
Bong Yi recalls what had happened that night.
Flashback
Bong Yi regains consciousness and she still has her knife with her. She limps towards the bridge. She finds critically injured Kang Du Soo wrapped in a blanket under the bridge. She pulls the blanket back to find Kang moaning in pain asking for help. She covers the blanket over his face and leaves him there. She finds a currency note beside Kang. She realises that it is the same one she gave Mu Chi 12 years ago when she asked him to kill Kang Duk Soo when he is released from prison. She thinks that it was Mu Chi who has left the note behind.
Ba-reum is in his house. Suddenly he searches his jacket pockets and finds the currency note missing. A few days before the incident, Ba-reum had taken the currency note from Mu chi’s desk. He had vowed to take revenge on Kang Duk Soo on Mu Chi’s behalf. At present, Ba-reum wonders where he dropped it.
Later in the evidence room, Mu Chi is watching Yu Na’s statement. Shin walks in looking for Ba-reum to give his wedding invite. He shows Mu Chi the ultrasound of the fetus. Shin watches Yu Na on screen and says he too doesn’t want the killer to be caught.
SHin goes on to say Yu Na’s body language shows that she is lying.
Mu Chi goes over to Yu Na and asks her what information she has been withholding. He says the police will protect her. Yu Na refuses to talk. Mu Chi tells Shin to ask Bong Yi to talk to Yu Na.
At the hospital, Ba-reum is disturbed when he learns that Yu Na might have seen him. He tells Bong Yi he will go with her when she talks to Yu Na. Bong Yi is worried if Yu Na has seen Mu Chi. She thinks that Yu Na must not talk.
Once outside, Ba-reum decides that Bong Yi shouldn’t be allowed to meet Yu Na.
Detective Kang is going through the footage of Hong rescuing Bong Yi from the bridge. Ba-reum tells Kang that Bong Yi’s clothes at the bridge were different from the ones she was wearing at the hospital. He also points at Bong Yi’s knife in the footage. Kang is shocked to see the murder weapon in Bong Yi’s hand as Hong Ju helps her to the car. Kang rushes out.
Hong Ju’s sitter takes the baby out in the stroller. Hong Ju catches up with her and tells her she will take the baby. As she walks down the road, Kang comes up to her. He asks her where she put the murder weapon and clothes. he says she can go to prison for 5 years and no one will be there to take care of the baby.
Flashback
Hong Ju finds Bong Yi beside the bridge. She helps Bong Yi into the car. She goes under the bridge and finds Kang Duk Soo moaning. She puts the blanket over him and runs away. She had later cleaned the car.
At present, Hong Ju shows him that she has hidden the clothes and knife inside the stroller.
Ba-reum escorts Bong Yi out of the hospital. Kang stops them and says she will have to go to the police station.
At the station, Mu Chi is shocked to learn of the clothes and knife with Kang Duk Soo’s blood.
Meanwhile, Yu Na and her mother are packing. They want to leave because of the reporters hounding them. Her mom leaves her for a bit to get some trash bags.
A little later, Yu Na looks up to find Ba-reum standing beside her. He sits down beside her and asks what she saw that day. She tells him that he is the one who killed Kang Duk Soo. She pushes his sleeve back revealing the scratch mark from the cat’s paw. She says she saw the scratch mark that day when he closed the door. Ba-reum is shocked to hear this.
Yu Na goes out to put the newspapers. Ba-reum follows her. She turns around and smiles at him. Ba-reum’s hand trembles as he is holding a brick.
That night, Ba-reum is at the bridge, drinking. He tells himself that Sung Yo han will take over his brain completely in the end. he wonders how to handle Yo han then. He is terrified.
Hong Ju comes up to him asking if he is worried about Bong Yi. She helps him up. Ba-reum holds on to her saying he is terrified. Hong Ju is taken aback as these were the same words Sung Yo Han had told her back then.
Hong Ju pushes Ba-reum away and walks away from there.
The next day, Shin is wading through the water and finds something bundled up in a raincoat.
Meanwhile, Mu Chi comes to Yu Na’s house to find it empty. He receives a call from Shin and walks away.
Mu chi meets Shin near the bridge. SHin says he called Mu Chi because the knife may have Bong Yi’s prints on it. he says he doesn’t want Bong Yi to go to prison.
Later, Mu Chi receives the report from the knife Shin found. he is shocked to see the results.
Ba-reum comes to the precinct and joins Mu Chi as Bong Yi is released.
Later, Hong Ju apologises to Bong Yi. She says there is no one to take care of her child if she goes to prison. Bong Yi says she understands. She asks about the favour she had asked Hong Ju. Hong Ju gives her the currency note.
Bong Yi asks if Hong Ju thinks she killed Kang Duk Soo. Hong Ju says she did think that at the beginning and hid Bong Yi’s clothes but right now she doesn’t think so. Bong Yi asks how she knew and Hong Ju says she just knew. Bong Yi thanks her for not saving Kang Duk Soo.
Flashback
Hong Ju had noticed the knife when she helped Bong Yi into the car. Bong Yi holds her back when she tries to go back. Hong Ju frees her hand and goes back to the bridge to check Kang Duk Soo. Kang is still alive and groaning. She pulls the blanket over him again and walks away.
At present, Hong Ju says Kang Duk Soo deserved to die.
Later, Mu chi brings Ba-reum beside the bridge. He asks if Ba-reum isn’t curious as to how Bong Yi got away. Ba-reum asks him how Bong Yi got away.
Mu Chi says Shin found the real murder weapon in the river wrapped in the raincoat. He says the killer hoped the current will carry it away but it didn’t. He says it is Kang Duk Soo’s coat and the DNA matches with it. He says they found another person’s DNA too. He says Bong Yi was released because it wasn’t her DNA. he says the culprit got hurt while stabbing Kang Duk Soo. Mu Chi sees ba-reum clench his fist. he looks at Ba-reum and says he couldn’t believe the results. He says he is confused as he doesn’t know how to interpret this situation.
Mu Chi watches Ba-reum. Ba-reum stares at Mu Chi.
Image Courtesy- TVN
Review
The opening of the episode showed Jae-Hoon seeing a victim under the bridge and walking away. Ironically, Bong Yi and Hong Ju did the same to Kang Duk Soo when he was bleeding to death under the very same bridge. The same actions performed by the characters portrayed contrasting behaviours, i.e psychopathic in the first scene but humane in the latter one.
Kang Duk Soo refused to take a lenient punishment in the hands of the law and in the end, he got a more fitting one in Ba-reum’s hands. The scene showing Kang Duk Soo’s murder was well made as one doesn’t feel even a bit of sympathy for the victim.
The way all the characters felt about Kang Duk Soo’s murder was portrayed well. They all (including) have a soft spot towards the killer and everyone said Kang deserved what he got.
It was interesting to see how the entire episode was made. At first, it looked like Ba-reum was driven by emotion and revenge when he attacked Kang Duk Soo. Slowly when Mu Chi revealed details of the case it looked like it was psychopathic.
As per what it was shown, Ba-reum has killed the cat and Kang Duk Soo. Throughout the episode, there were subtle behaviours of Ba-reum which kept one wondering as to which part of his brain (killer/normal) was active. During the briefing with the president, ba-reum was nervous and tense (probably the normal part of his brain was functioning here). He wasn’t having the confidence of a psychopath. It was also intriguing to see that he was not bothered about Bong Yi being framed. Mu Chi was going berserk to prove Bong Yi’s innocence but Ba-reum was keener on saving himself.
Ba-reum’s aunt is worried about her son being alone with Ba-reum but has no issues letting him out into society.
The scene with Mu Chi and Ba-reum where Mu chi sympathised with Kang Duk Soo’s killer and said he would protect Ba-reum just like he would protect Bong Yi was well made.
I wonder if Bong Yi remembers asking Ba-reum to save Yu Na at the field. Right now she is under the impression that Mu Chi is the killer.
Shin was reintroduced in this episode as the assembly chairperson’s son. He also has a pregnant fiancee. This implies that Choi Young Shin suspects him of having the psychopath gene too.
It looked like Ba-reum hid the murder weapon in the evidence box at the beginning of the episode. I am curious to see how the murder weapon got in the river and if Ba-reum placed it there.
I wonder what happened to Yu Na. I am keen to see what was the result of the DNA test on the knife.
This episode had a good pace and content.
-By Soul Sword-
The Writers Room 
2 thoughts on “Mouse Episode 12 Recap”