The episode begins with Dae Goo starting at his war board as he thinks about the phone conversation between Thug and Pan Suk. Thug taunts Pan Suk, telling him that it's been a long time… Team Leader Seo. And Pan Suk hasn’t forgotten his voice has he? Pan Suk asks if he’s back for good and Thug again taunts that it turned out that way and they should meet.
Dae Goo thinks about Thug in his home, talking to someone on the phone. Does he still think that Pan Suk was working with this guy? It sure looks like it. And his eyes are glossy thinking about Oma and this guy. S calls Dae Goo. Dae Goo repeats what he texted S, that Thug is back (although they’re calling him the man with shoed feet, which is just weird. Of course, he’s wearing shoes. Viki translates it as “Boots” which makes more sense.). It sounds like S questions this, because Dae Goo adamantly insists that it’s him and he wouldn’t forget Boots’s voice even if 110 years passed (not just 11). Dae Goo mentions the acid and says that either Thug or Creeper Threat man will have the scar from it. It’s Thug, Dae Goo. Creeper wouldn’t get his hands dirty. It would ruin his manicure. Dae Goo’s sure they’re going to contact Pan Suk soon, so he’s going to start watching him 24/7. (Pan Suk restless, sitting on his couch.). As Dae Goo watches Pan Suk do nothing, he looks haunted and angry and not just a little determined.
His stalking is interrupted by the arrival of his roommates and Soo Sun, who are all loudly, drunkenly singing. He stomps out of his room and shushes them, using a pointed finger to his lips for emphasis. Soo Sun joyfully greets him, throwing open her arms to grab him in a hug, but he stops it with two fingers to her forehead. Her saying “Par-teh-ner!” and ending in a squawk cracks me up and I have watched it at least 5 times. He demands to know what the ruckus is about – because Dae Goo is 85 and these young whippersnappers are being too loud! He glares at Soo Sun as he has why she’s there. Even though it’s totally obvious to everyone *but* him: they’ve brought their celebration back to the flat so that Dae Goo can be a part of it, too.
Soo Sun declares that it’s a perfect night for chicken and beer. She’s really dorky and cute as she says it. No wonder they’re all going to fall for her. She starts to gush over how awesome their apartment is. And it is pretty amazing; that flat screen TV is way bigger than mine. And I do like that there’s dumbbells by Dae Goo’s door. I guess that’s how he stays in shape. Gook declares that right now is the moment a government worker feels pride and dignity. He and Tae Il invite her to see their room, which leads to the conclusion that Dae Goo is in a room *by himself.* She eagerly wants to investigate… Dae Goo’s room, but he closes the door as she tries enter. She slaps him for being rude and he glares at her in shock that she hit him. Even though it’s deserved. It cracks me up that it was Dae Goo’s room that she wants to see immediately, not the other boys… Dae Goo stands by his door, rubbing his arm, as the boys settle in at the table and dig into their feast. That they brought home with them so you can eat it, too, Dae Goo.
Soo Sun continues to gush over the apartment. Gook didn’t know about Soo Sun’s situation, so Tae Il explains. And Dae Goo already knew, but he’s being a butthead… He makes a face, folds his arms and leans on his door. Soo Sun proceeds to say that aren't they… considered family? And what is family? Living under one roof watching TV and eating chicken and beer together. Dae Goo orders her to finish up and leave, but Soo Sun isn’t done yet: she tries to sell them on what a great cook and interior decorator she is, after all, he mother has a Korean cuisine chef degree. Dae Goo drums his fingers on the door frame in frustration. Finally, he pulls her up by the arm and tells her to get out. She wrenches free and pouts at him.
Next thing we see, the *four* of them are sitting around the table, everyone – including Dae Goo – a little (or a lot) drunk. All the food’s been eaten. They’re reliving their victorious performance with the guy at the restaurant. Dae Goo’s still trying to be above it all and sits there, straight-ish backed and with his arms crossed.
Soo Sun starts to talk about it all – and it’s the first time I realized just how much in the back of her throat she can speak – she talks about how she was nauseated and mentally out of it. But still... her heart was pounding like crazy. She gets a little emotional as she tells them that she thinks she finally found something that makes her heart pound. The sort of sleeping Dae Goo – Gook and Tae Il are out – lifts his head and looks over at her, where she’s smiling a goofy smile and not looking his way at all. He blinks, as he ponders her. He totally likes her, in spite of himself.
Shower scene. Lee Seung Gi’s been working out. Dae Goo’s thinking about her, what she said. He totally likes her, in spite of himself. Out in the living room, the boys are still out (mostly. Gook is out of it under a pillow, asking someone to save him.). Soo Sun sits up, cuddling a stuffed animal. She gets up, crouched over because of her stomach and heads for the bathroom. Where Dae Goo is currently taking a shower. Or not. Dae Goo emerges from the bathroom, shirtless, drying his hair with a towel. He isn’t looking where he’s going. Neither is she and they collide with her planting her lips on his chest. Freaked look from Dae Goo. Soo Sun is oblivious and comments on how it takes like strawberries. He stares at her in horror and she asks him if he uses strawberry body lotion. She moves on toward the bathroom – where I’m *sure* she has to go – but Dae Goo has had enough. He drags her out of the apartment and shuts the door on her. As she knocks to get back in, Dae Goo touches his chest where she ‘kissed’ him, freaked.
[Episode 5: Sometimes just live with it!]
Passage of time, because we’re on the rooftop of part of the police station. Soo Sun’s pitched a tent up there. Clever, but wow, that’s sucks. At least she’s young so she won’t be so completely sore… And all her stuff is now in this tent. She happily gets up and heads downstairs to freshen up. She pulls back her hoodie to reveal… above-the-shoulder-length hair. Aw! She cut her hair because Pan Suk said he doesn’t let people with long hair on his team… Love her, so much.
Pan Suk, with purpose, drives off from his apartment. Dae Goo’s waiting in the parking lot to follow him. A meeting with Boots? No, because Pan Suk’s not dirty. So where is he going? Pan Suk gets out of his car and purposefully walks toward a housing complex. Dae Goo plops on his black ball cap and follows.
Sa Kyung is leaving her apartment and is startled by a younger man who’s been sitting outside her door. And he has holes in the knees of his jeans. Who does that nowadays? He demands to know why she’s not answering his calls. She can’t believe he’s being so foolish, since their fling was just for fun and not so serious. Wow, she must have some serious mojo, if every man she’s slept with still has the hots for her… She calls whiner a cab and leaves him there.
Sa Kyung walks around the corner and comes across Pan Suk, waiting by the elevator. I hate the look on his face, hurt, hurting, hurt for her, for them… It’s evident that he hates how she’s humiliating herself. She sighs, rolls her eyes and walks past him to wait for the elevator. Pan Suk just sadly stares straight ahead. The elevator comes and he almost lets it go, but then changes his mind and gets on. Around the corner, Dae Goo sighs and mutters, “Darn it.” Told you it wasn’t going to be a meeting with Boots. He wonders if they’re dating.
In the elevator, Pan Suk and Sa Kyung don’t look at each other as sad music plays. Pan Suk brings up the guy and mentions how young he was. Sa Kyung responds that it’s trendy to go out with younger guys. He tries to scold her, since she’s the Gangnam Station's *Missing Persons Team Leader.* She doesn’t see the big deal, since he’s not a minor. He starts to cluck at her and looks in her direction and quits. Then he can’t take it and asks her, facing her, if she’s still living like this. She turns to look at him and he asks her if she still wants to live this way. She tells him that he should have held his tongue like he intended to. Spitefully, she asks him whose fault is it that she’s living this way. Pan Suk chokes out the question, “What do you want me to do, hunh? It was ten years ago. What do you want me to do?” So I was right! It was related to Ji Yong. What the heck happened between them. This has to be more than an affair. Both of them are hurt and angry. She exits the elevator without another word. And I admire that he’s still fighting for her, even though she keeps pushing him away.
Police Station. Now our fearless detectives are having to share space with the Missing Persons Division, at least until they move into the new building, since the old space is being demolished. Not a plot device at all… Gook wonders how this is going to work, since this isn’t Hollywood. Hunh? He gets Eung Do’s attention and declares that Kim Sa Kyung and Seo Pan Suk have become Gangnam Station's Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. When he first said this, I thought he made a mistake, since it’s Brangelina, but then I realized that he’s talking about the bad breakup. Eung Do hisses at that one. Gook bugs him to explain why the pair got divorced. The other kids – including Dae Goo – are there and also want to know. The moment is interrupted as everyone notices that Soo Sun cut her hair. Dae Goo’s a little taken aback as well – but that’s a good, ‘I’m-attracted-to-you’ thing. He scratches his face to recover but Gook is dumb struck. Tae Il and Eung Do compliment her but Dae Goo goes back to work.
Only to be interrupted by Soo Sun, who grabs the box out of his hands and wrist-grabs him to drag him outside. Gook’s jaw hangs open as he watches her go (with that ‘I’m in love with you’ lighting effect). And did I call that or what? Outside, Soo Sun tells Dae Goo that he needs to apologize. Which he *does*. Dae Goo can’t believe she’d even suggest it. She points out how he skipped town and choked Pan Suk. He needs to apologize; Pan Suk’s not someone to just let it go. She tries to drive the guilt home by mentioning how she was completely ostracized while he was gone. It’s getting to Dae Goo, so Mr. Prickly (defense mechanism) comes out and asks her why she cut her *fur,* since it was was the only thing he liked about her. She starts to protest, but then she realizes that he just said that he liked her long hair, so she starts to break out in a big smile. Trying to stop the smile, he declares it was because Pan Suk hated it, that’s why he liked it.
Dae Goo tries to leave again, but she grabs his arm. He jerks it free and declares that he'd rather cut out my tongue than apologize to Detective Seo. She tells him that she wants to do well, so he needs to apologize. She wants to earn the right to quit. He’s obviously swayed. He sighs and she realizes that she’s got him. She does a little shimmy with her shoulders in his direction as she says, “Par-te-ner. Please?” He steps back and, with pointed finger for emphasis, tells her that if she does that again he'll kill her. Heh. As he walks off, she shimmies at him a little more. He totally likes Birdbrain.
Pan Suk arrives. He notices Soo Sun’s hair and is surprised. She bows and declares that she’s no longer a long-haired team member. She declares that if he forgives her, she'll do her best not to disappoint him again and really become his *kid.* Interesting idea, that they’re his kids rather than trainees. Pan Suk looks at Dae Goo expectantly and Dae Goo just stares ahead. Those boys and their pride. Soo Sun has to pinch him to get him to do it and he barely mutters an “I'm sorry.” Papa Eung Do tells Pan Suk to forgive them, since they did a great job at the restaurant. Pan Suk scans their faces and as usual, all of them but Dae Goo are eagerly begging to be forgiven. Dae Goo just stares straight ahead like he’s waiting to endure a beating. As the camera pans all their faces, I ask myself: why does Gook constantly look befuddled?
Pan Suk throws his clipboard on the table and sighs. He declares that his intuition has never been wrong. Except in the Ji Yong case. When are you going to finally humble out and admit that mistake? Then Ji Yong, er, Dae Goo will stop hating you and you guys can work *together.* Pan Suk declares that they don't have the looks or actions of a detective. His critiques:
Tae Il: No sincerity or urgency.
Gook: No persistence or tenacity.
Soo Sun: You're all over the place with no foresight. Reckless fervor set a bad example.
Dae Goo: Out of control psychosis.
He calls them amateurs with no sense of true rage.
Wow, he really actually called it. Except for when he says that they’re amateurs with no sense of true rage. Dae Goo’s got plenty of true rage. And Pan Suk already saw it when they had their ‘altercation.’
Pan Suk declares again that his intuition says they’ll never become detectives. And I am sitting here staring at Pan Suk in disbelief. They did a good job. Why is he?...
Then Pan Suk shows that he’s not a completely arrogant fool. He admits that like lightning strikes, sometimes his intuition could be wrong. Wow. I think I’m going deaf. Did he just say that his intuition could be wrong? Pan Suk gives them their props for the hostage situation at the restaurant and tells them “Good work.” That gets a smile out of everyone… but Dae Goo. Things aren’t working out the way he planned. He doesn’t want to like anyone, most of all Pan Suk, and they’re winning him over. Papa Eung Do giggles happily and puts a hand over his mouth to hide his grin. Pan Suk has a hard time suppressing his own smile. Aw, he likes them. He gives Eung Do a nod. Eung Do declares that they should do a team dinner. Pan Suk starts to smile again and stops it with a shake of his head. Hehe. And I love that Pan Suk is smiling in spite of himself. He and Dae Goo are *so* alike! The father he never had. Unless… no, they wouldn’t do that… Oma would have been more squirrely around him if that was the case…
Team dinner. They drink together, declaring, “Freeze! You're all surrounded! I’m surprised. It’s not just their team but the entire department, including the Chief and Toad. I just thought that Eung Do meant them not everyone. The Chief looks nice, too. The Chief tells them that, with the hostage situation at the restaurant, their quick thinking and team cohesion was outstanding. She declares that their rookies proved their worth and any worries that she had that the detective unit would be weakened by the overhaul of the police department, they refuted them in one shot. Wow, high praise. And what’s with the fog machine? And Toad can only grit his teeth and agree. Another group toast. Pan Suk actually looks like he’s enjoying himself… which we never see, and Dae Goo is trying really hard to keep frowning. Everyone clinks glasses and Soo Sun makes Dae Goo clink hers.
It’s karaoke! Toad is singing some song that I really *don’t recognize. And he’s really into the karaoke. If you watch the episode just for that… All worth it. He worked up a sweat! And no one is paying attention. That says a lot about his true authority. Suddenly the music guts off, much to Toad’s annoyance, but it’s the guy acting as MC. Everyone claps because it’s over. MC wants Pan Suk to come up and sing. Pan Suk doesn’t want to but the entire department goads him into it. Sa Kyung begrudgingly smiles and claps. Aw, she still loves him.
I am smiling at the upcoming awesomeness: Pan Suk doing karaoke. Eung Do’s also joining. The rookies end up joining them on stage, Dae Goo only at Soo Sun’s insistence. Hehe. I’m loving it. Sa Kyung gets a text and steps outside to take it.
Elsewhere in the club, a guy is out with his buddies and mutters that the group is really loud. Shot of Pan Suk *dancing* (the arm wave move). Total awesomeness. Guy laughs in disbelief. Toad looks like he’s trying to moonwalk and walks back into guy. And they know each other. Toad gives Guy a deferential bow. I already know I am not going to like this guy, who really, really looks like a Frog. But I don’t think this Frog and Toad are friends. Toad goes over and turns off the music and Frog really acts like he owns the joint. Numerous colorful phrases come to mind to describe this guy…
Frog addresses Pan Suk, declaring, “Long time no see, Detective Seo.” Pans of the audience. Chief looks like she’s waiting to see what Guy will do… Who is this Guy? Pan Suk goes over and greets him with a respectful bow. Prosecutor Han. He’s definitely a frog. Han/Frog complains about the noise and declares that he can't tell whether they’re detectives or thugs. Chief chuckles and tells him that even if it's a joke, it's insulting to the police officers. And he pretends like he just now saw her. Whatever, dude.
And Frog truly is a… jerk. I’m being delicate for the younger members of the audience. Frog orders *Pan Suk* – even though there’s a roomful of detectives who could do it – to go to the morgue at the Korea Hospital and draw 10 cc's of Kwon Dae Eung's blood for a poison test. Everyone knows that Frog is being a turkey. Pan Suk tries to play it off, asking if Frog is meaning right now. Which is completely *unreasonable* and Frog knows it. Considering he’s out for a drink with his buddies, he’s not going to be in the office waiting for the results…
Frog is condescending in his answer, of course. He orders Pan Suk to do it in the next hour. Pan Suk responds by pointing out that the dead guy committed suicide over finances. The cause of death is typical for suicide by hanging: Esophageal pressure leading to aortic jugular and carotid artery blockage. There’s no reason to suspect homicide. Frog chuckles, arrogantly, and tells Pan Suk that he talks too much. Is it a birth defect? If a prosecutor gives orders for a blood test, detectives need to go get it. Toad is insulted in the background and the Chief is looking like she can’t believe this guy, but also that she can’t step in to intervene. Which totally bites. What kind of system is that, where the prosecutor has more power than the police?
Who is this guy and why does he hate Pan Suk so much?... He has got to be the prosecutor of the case that Ji Yong’s mother was murdered over. Has to be. Why else would this guy hate him so much and be so snotty. And Pan Suk is so deferential…
Pan Suk isn’t one to just roll over, though. He replies that Frog knows that the needle won't penetrate the chest. Frog doesn’t see why not. Pan Suk points out that twenty-four hours after death, the blood clots. Frog shows just what a donkey/turkey he really is and orders Pan Suk to cut out a vein or bring him some clotted blood. Pan Suk nods and declares that they should still be able to get a blood draw from the groin, after all, since it's not an autopsy they can't cut into a deceased person. He leaves to get the blood draw. And who does the Chief need to talk to, to get this guy dressed down. This is ridiculous. Eung Do and the gang leave with Pan Suk.
They’re all driving together in that van. That just cracks me up. Soo Sun wonders what Frog’s deal is. And so do I. Eung Do gives them a glare. Soo Sun’s voice over as they watch the blood draw: The first day we got complimented by the legendary Seo Pan Suk, Team Leader showed us the reality of being a detective. It reminds her of when she was little and thought her dad was Superman but found out one day that he was only human. Once the blood draw Papa Eung Do tells the gang to go home. Pan Suk gives them a wave without turning around.
The gang watches Pan Suk and Eung Do leave. Tae Il fills them in on the conflict – and I was wrong about Frog being involved with Ji Yong, although I still wonder because… Tae Il declares that Frog was a year behind Pan Suk in high school, but he’s always been disrespectful. And needs that chip knocked off. Three years ago Frog almost got arrested for violence because of Pan Suk, so Frog’s had a vendetta since then. And I think Dae Goo’s starting to soften toward Pan Suk.
Soo Sun makes Dae Goo go and visit Yoon Jung. He’s *not* comfortable and awkwardly offers the token he’s brought. Yoon Jung is glad to see them and says that she feels bad because they keep coming. Apparently, Pan Suk has visited her every day, bringing a cake with every visit, even after he found out there's no space in the refrigerator. Aw. That’s really nice. And that’s a lot of cake – 7 boxes on the counter. Dae Goo shifts awkwardly and you know he’s continuing to wonder how this Pan Suk jives with the Pan Suk he ‘knows.’ Soo Sun smiles and thinks that even without the red cape and blue tights, Superman is still Superman. And Seo Pan Suk is still Seo Pan Suk.
Sa Kyung arrives at the police station. A little boy has gone missing. His mother was late in picking him up (she called to let them know) but he disappeared after the call. Sa Kyung mutters, “Are they crazy? Why did they leave the child alone?” That’s a bit of an over-reaction. He’s playing in the school yard. Who monitors all the kids in a school yard? Detective declares that the missing boy is seven-year-old Kim Min Joon with divorced parents. His mother has custody. Sa Kyung declares a huge manhunt for the kid.
Manhunt. Sa Kyung notices skid marks in the road (and in Korean, they’re called “skidu marka”); they’re fresh. But no sign of debris. Sa Kyung looks really freaked now and declares they should go down to the reeds below the bridge they’re on to hunt. Which is where they find poor Min Joon, unconscious and bloody. They rush hi to the hospital, with Sa Kyung begging Min Joon to hang on, calling him ‘baby.’ Wow. Now I’m wondering if she might have lost a baby. Their baby. But Min Joon doesn’t make it. Sa Kyung is devastated.
The case is transferred to Pan Suk’s unit. Scenes of everyone at work. Eung Do shows Pan Suk shots of the tire marks and declares that they’re unique; not normal tires. Pan Suk voiceovers that in a hit-and-run, the initial investigation and accident scene are most important in catching the suspect. They begin to comb through CCTV footage. They also hang a banner by the scene asking for information. Then the gang combs through local businesses and the area, looking for any witnesses.
Autopsy. Pan Suk’s voice over declares that the cause of death was multiple injuries and head trauma due to the car accident impact and fall. Time of death was around 9pm. Wow, so that kid lay there languishing for several hours before he died.
The analysis of the tire tracks shows that they are exclusive to the Rolls Royce model OV6, and there’s only 6 of the cars in Korea. The group heads out to question the owners and find out their alibis. Soo Sun finds the car, belonging to Kim Shin Myung. Pan Suk, Soo Sun and Dae Goo go to talk to Shin Myung while the others verify that the other cars couldn’t have done it.
The garage door opens to reveal Sa Kyung *punching* his driver for not having the car door open when he got there. Wow. Already we know that this guy is, for a lack of a better word, a douche. And the car looks totally fine now. Dae Goo starts the interview and Shin Myung looks at him like Dae Goo’s poop on his shoes. Driver has an ‘oh, crap,’ look on his face and Shin Myung snottily calls them kids and declares that they aren't allowed to question him that way. Dae Goo isn’t phased. Shin Myung chuckles when Dae Goo goes on, as if Dae Goo’s an idiot. He turns to get in his car – and driver has the door open... Soo Sun grabs him by the arm, telling him to hold on. He sneers at her and asks her how she dares to block his way. Adding bitch, just for good measure. She can’t believe he just called her a bitch. And I’m waiting for Soo Sun to go all thug on his hinny.
Shin Myung arrogantly asks if Soo Sun is the mom. Has she come for a payout? Does she want to sell her dead child? Soo Sun can’t believe him and is at a loss for words. But Pan Suk isn’t. Go, Pan Suk! He stops Driver from closing the door, smiling as he does. Smiling like he really wants to punch Shin Myung. He leans into the car and asks how Shin Myung knew that the deceased was a child, since Dae Goo never said that. Slight reaction of ‘crap’ from Shin Myung. Pan Suk has realized that Shin Myung (and not the driver) was at the wheel that night. Shin Myung killed Min Joon. Shin Myung isn’t that phased. He asks if they have any proof – which they don’t, not really. Stare off and Shin Myung tells Pan Suk to bring him the proof. Pan Suk tells Shin Myung that Min Joon would have lived, if the guy had taken him to the hospital. But Shin Myung doesn’t care. Because he’s a douche. Driver is uncomfortable and Shin Myung leaves. It’s on!
But it’s not going to be that easy. The service center where Shin Myung would have repaired his car has no record of any repairs. Gook declares that it seemed like they were hiding something, so Pan Suk and Eung Do decide to go back again. Eung Do’s cell goes off. It’s Frog. Pan Suk rolls his eyes but tells Eung Do to answer it; they’re going to have to see Frog anyway to get the travel ban for Shin Myung anyway.
Dae Goo’s back at Pan Suk’s flat. Messy as usual. He starts to look through Pan Suk’s phone, but Pan Suk comes home. Dae Goo quickly hides. Pan Suk’s come for his phone. But they he stops and grabs a box out of his closet – and just barely misses seeing Dae Goo. Pan Suk looks inside the box and then leaves. What’s in the box?
Frog’s Office. He’s on the phone. And he is a total scumbag. He’s talking to Shin Myung’s father, telling him to send Shin Myung abroad for a few months. He calls Pan Suk an idiot, but says that he can’t risk his career to get Shin Myung out of this. Pan Suk arrives so Frog quickly gets off the phone. Slimeball. Now I’m really wondering if Frog was somehow involved with Ji Yong’s Oma’s murder. It would explain how Thug/Boots got the pendant. Pan Suk respectfully approaches with the no-fly paperwork but Frog doesn’t even ask. He tells Pan Suk to go to the Pusan Prosecutor’s office and escort a defendant. Pan Suk respectfully agrees to this. He presents the paperwork. Frog rolls his eyes and says that he doesn’t think Shin Myung will flee, since his identification and residence are confirmed. Even though he was *just* telling Shin Myung’s father to get him out of the country.
Pan Suk replies that there was a similar case two years ago in February – so Shin Myung has done this before?! Wow. I wonder if Frog covered up for him then, too. Frog laughs at Pan Suk’s ‘audacity’ and tells him that he has a birth defect. Pan Suk replies that it’s not a birth defect, but excessive worry. Frog cuts Pan Suk off, repeating his order. Pan Suk crunches the envelope to hold himself back and respectfully bows and takes it. Then Frog adds to the insult by telling Eung Do go escort the defendant Ahn Suk Hwan to Kwangju station. Eung Do can’t believe this guy and Frog is snotty.
And Pan Suk has had his fill. He turns around and asks Frog how long the guy’s going to torment him. Frog calls Pan Suk a bastard. Pan Suk walks over the Frog’s desk, saying, “I'm not your bastard. Are you my father?” Eung Do starts trying to get Pan Suk to leave. Pan Suk declares that he’s going. This is the current legal system and he can't just leave his rookies behind and quit so he'll go. But Frog’s orders better not have any connection with Kim Shin Myung! Frog didn’t even glance at the travel prohibition request, but Frog’s so certain of the facts. Eung Do mutters to Pan Suk to calm down. Seething Pan Suk leaves.
Police Station. They’re still working to gather evidence. Dae Goo glances over in Soo Sun’s direction. She’s deep in thought with her lips pursed. He stares at the lips and thinks about the ‘kiss.’ He looks down at his chest and then smacks it and rubs it a couple of times. Also there is Min Joon’s mother, weeping. Sa Kyung is having a hard time. The ex arrives with his mother, who declares that the mom killed Min Joon. Why didn't she pick him up on time? Why did you leave him alone to work so late? Probably because you weren’t giving her enough child support so that she *had* to work late. Mom tells Dad to shut up; if he had been on time with the alimony this wouldn't have happened. Turkey! Royal turkey!
Sa Kyung had gotten up to leave, but Mom’s words stop her. She lays into Mom, totally projecting survivor’s guilt on the poor woman. Mom should have protected her own child! She let him get killed. Why cry now? Pan Suk has arrived to witness Sa Kyung’s diatribe. He comes over and tries to get Sa Kyung to stop. Sa Kyung tells the mom that she has no right to blame anyone else or call herself a mother. Pan Suk yells at her to stop. She turns her rage on him, asking what right *he* has to say that. I definitely think they lost a kid. It would explain why he’s so contrite and broken when dealing with her and why she’s so angry (and emotional at the moment).
They stare at each other, tears streaming down Sa Kyung’s face. Pan Suk looks like he’s about to cry and it doesn’t look like he’s breathing either. Sa Kyung walks away. Chief approaches and apologizes to the family. Pan Suk also sadly leaves the precinct. The kids don’t know what it means. Later, they’re trying to figure it out – at least Soo Sun and Gook are. Tae Il looks like he already knows. From that dalliance with Sa Kyung, maybe? Gook declares that it’s not possible; Sa Kyung doesn’t have the figure of someone who gave birth. Dae Goo testily declares that if it was a situation similar to Min Joon, then they don't have a child anymore. And I think Tae Il knows something about Sa Kyung’s figure, especially with how he’s looking right now…
Gook looks over at Tae Il and realizes that he knows something. Tae Il says that he found out during training. Again, that could be during their tryst. He says that Pan Suk and Sa Kyung had a son. It was a case similar to Min Joon. Wow. That even more sucks for Pan Suk. No wonder he’s so broken. Lost Ji Yong, lost his son, lost his wife… Lost so much.
Pan Suk was supposed to pick him up but couldn't because of work. The boy wandered outside of the kindergarten. And like Min Joon... Dae Goo actually looks like he feels bad for Pan Suk. The whole team reels for him.
Sa Kyung is up on the rooftop of the station. Chief approaches her and says that she thought Sa Kyung was over it; she thought that Sa Kyung had shaken it off. Sa Kyung replies that it's not like her child was dust or something... why do people keep telling her to shake it off? Chief pats Sa Kyung on the shoulder and leaves her to her thoughts.
Pan Suk’s driving in his car and remembering the day their son, Joon Hee, died. And I have to sit through this horribly painful scene where the both of them are destroyed. I really didn’t want to have to watch this. It’s so gut-wrenching, especially when Pan Suk collapses to the floor in shock and sorrow that his son is dead. Sa Kyung cradles Joon Hee and all Pan Suk can do is sit there and silently cry. At home, he looks in the box: it’s stuff related to Joon Hee. He pulls out a toy and thinks of his son declaring that his Daddy is the bravest in the world. He beats up bad guys. Pan Suk weeps. Pan Suk puts the toy away and goes back to the precinct where he yells at the gang for dozing off.
Pan Suk has new resolve and is pissed that they haven’t found anything. He widens the search area for them to hunt through. They need to look for people who pass through the location habitually. But then Pan Suk realizes how hard they’ve been working and gives them a pep talk. They need to do this to lessen the injustice of Min Joon’s death.
Dae Goo’s hunting through CCTV footage and finding people. Gook’s posting to message boards and, as he almost falls asleep, he happens to find a break: a post with Shin Myung’s car (picture of broken headlight and everything) asking where he might fix a headlight. Pan Suk’s about to go capitalize on the break with Frog sends him on another escort request; Frog’s asked for Pan Suk *personally.* Pan Suk looks like he wants to punch someone and when he tells Eung Do to refuse for him, Eung Do reminds him what will happen. It takes everything for Pan Suk to obey, but he grabs a flashlight, shovel and broom to take with him.
Scouring the area for people that Dae Goo found through the CCTV.
Night and Pan Suk’s looking for pieces of broken taillight. He works all night long.
More looking for witnesses and Dae Goo spots an old guy from the footage. They call Pan Suk to let him know. Pan Suk tells them to bring the guy into the station quickly. But first, old guy has asked for a meal. He’s a really good witness; pretty much saw everything. Old guy goes to the bathroom, where someone crooked approaches. We don’t see it, but bad guy threatened old guy, so old guy recanted. Eung Do declares that he thinks it was Frog who did this; his investigation team has been coming to the station too often lately. Pan Suk hangs his head like he’s trying to control his rage and then tells the gang to go find another witness.
Pan Suk is now scouring the reeds where Min Joon’s body was found. It’s night so he’s using a headlamp to see. He’s out all night. The phone rings and it’s Prosecutor Han's office on the phone, requesting a defendant escort from Daejun. Pan Suk refuses and tells them to do it themselves. Then he hangs up on them. He kicks some reeds. The phone rings again. They have another witness.
It’s a high schooler who likes chewing gum. He’s at the station, so there’s no chance of threats in the bathroom. The kid saw the sign they hung and came in. Pan Suk tells them to follow the kid into the bathroom, just in case. Then he hurries to head back to the station, but as he’s running, he spies something: His perseverance pays off: he finds part of the headlight. It matches the headlight from the photo.
Pan Suk marches into Frog’s office without knocking, with paperwork for an arrest warrant. He slaps it down on Frog’s desk. He glowers at Frog, who glowers back. And another prosecutor picks up the evidence. Prosecutor is amazed at the job Pan Suk did, considering how challenging it must have been hard to find a witness in that sparsely populated area. He compliments Pan Suk, calling the slam dunk Pan Suk’s given them, “Perfect.” Frog is desperately trying to figure out a way to bury this. Prosecutor tells Frog to give his approval so they can get to work. Frog swallows hard and issues the arrest warrant.
But then Frog just has to be the douche he is. He arrests Pan Suk for ignoring the prisoner escort order. Pan Suk’s not even mad. Frog asks if Pan Suk thought he'd be safe. Pan Suk just laughs and said he expected it. Then he repeats how he’s not going to leave his kids and quit. Frog wonders how long Pan Suk can keep up with his bluster and tells then they have a weird interchange about runners and someone who flies. It basically boils down to Frog telling Pan Suk that he doesn’t know who he’s messing with and Pan Suk telling Frog that he doesn’t care and that Frog can stick it where the sun don’t shine. Frog is so sure that he’s untouchable. Pan Suk isn’t so sure and smiles.
Thoughts
This was a really interesting episode, on many levels. One, because we finally get to see what happened between Pan Suk and Su Kyung, and man, is it gut wrenching. The one small silver lining: they didn't break up because of infidelity. But horrible: it was over the death of their child. That was so gut wrenching to watch! For both of them and it made me feel even worse for Pan Suk's sucky life. As usual, Cha Seung Won did a great job of being in the moment and not over acting when he sees his child dead and his wife weaping over the body. That was so horrible.
It also makes me wonder if Su Kyung doesn't actually remember Tae Il and that it was just a fling for her, like with this other guy. That's got to be horrible for Pan Suk to be still in love with his wife, but she's so angry over everything. Her real rage should be to take down the guy who caused Pan Suk to obsess, but they'll get to that. It's funny how that one incident has impacted so many people.
It was a little bit of a let-down that the big cliff-hanger didn't go anywhere. It just lead Dae Goo to redouble his surveilence efforts! I wanted more. Maybe next episode.
Speaking of surveilance: how is it *not* obvious that it's him, since he's wearing pretty distinctive clothes when he sneaks into Pan Suk's apartment. I hate seeing how disheveled his apartment is, how it reflects his life. And is it just mementos of his son that are in the box? Or other things? And when is Dae Goo going to look in the box? I bet it’s going to be another piece in the puzzle to point Dae Goo to the fact that Pan Suk *isn’t* crooked. Oh, please, let that day come soon! I want them to work together to take down Boots and his boss.
This episode also showed how the exterior of Ji Yong aka Dae Goo is starting to crack. As much as he tries to keep them all at arm's length, he's letting them in, in spite of himself. He got drunk with them and now he's having feelings for Soo Sun -- after all, she *kissed* him. (That was classic and what a way to get the accidental kiss cliche in there.) And, of course, we're getting closer to cohabitation hijinks because she's seen their place and knows that Dae Goo has room with an extra bed in it. And they're "like family"! Dae Goo's reaction, to be extra prickly when she pokes a hole in his wall, makes for great laughs for me. And they're par-teh-ners! I like how she ignores his prickliness and this disarms him all the more.
We got another antagonist for Pan Suk, who they call Prosecutor Han, but I call Frog. But I don't think this Frog and Toad are friends... I really wonder if Frog is somehow connected to what happened to Ji Yong, particularly since he told Pan Suk that he doesn't know who he's dealing with. The guy is so crooked. I can totally see him having a similar conversation all those years ago. Sure, I'll take care of the witness... the son... The guy smiles so smugly. I can't wait until someone smacks it off his face.
I wonder over the timeline of things. When did Min Joon die? How soon after Ji Yong disappeared? And does Pan Suk think Ji Yong is dead? And when did Tae Il find out about the whole thing?
Little by little, the kids are showing that they are fit to be detectives. I can't wait for Dae Goo to actually answer with a "yes, sir," when he's supposed to. That's going to happen when he finally accepts Pan Suk as his sunbae, his father figure. And I can't wait for that moment, when Dae Goo gives Pan Suk his loyalty. I really can't wait for it.
So Pan Suk is in jail... for how long... and we need to see that jerk Shin Myung get his!
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