01x09 - Episode 9

[bunniefuu]

-[thudding]
-[Seol-ah gasps]

[groans] Let go of me! [screams]

[gasps]

[sobbing]

[tense orchestral music plays]

Don't you move.

[dramatic choral music plays]

[panting]

Hands up, don't move!

Freeze!

-No.
-Take one more step, and I'll sh**t.

[panting]

[grunting]

Are you okay?

Seol-ah.

What the hell happened, huh?

Seol-ah, tell me.

Arrest that woman.

Hold on. No!

Let go!

God damn it! Hey!

Seol-ah. Let go!

This is a m*rder case!

Get it together, damn it.

-[poignant song playing]
-Come on.

Han Seol-ah. You're under arrest
for the m*rder of Paek Jun-beom.

You have the right to remain silent,
and the right to an attorney.

Anything you say or do
can and will be used

against you in a court of law.

Do you understand the rights
I've just read to you?

Take her.

EPISODE 9

[shutter clicking]

DIED AUGUST 27, 2025
DATED, THEN PROPOSED

[grunts]

GANGHA POLICE STATION

[Gong] Freeze!

Take one more step, and I'll sh**t.

I've submitted
the firearms discharge report.

You followed the manual.
Cha Woo-seok was the one who jumped in.

Woo-seok's injuries aren't serious.

Luckily, the b*llet only grazed him.

You didn't do anything wrong.

Forget about it, okay?

Sure.

[line dialing]

The weapon was inside.

[Seol-ah] Get off me! Let go of me!

Don't do this.

Stay away.

I already died once because of you.

Why not make it twice now?

[Gong] Ms. Han Seol-ah.

Ms. Han Seol-ah.

Are you going to keep refusing to talk?

Can you not hear me?

[Seong-il] You think you can keep this up?

Ms. Han Seol-ah. You know
you were caught in the act, right?

You can't just walk out of here.

[scoffs] She's not right in the head.

[Seong-il] What? Planning to plead
diminished capacity?

If this is just an act until then,
then that's clever.

Right.

If you wanna get away with m*rder,

you better act really well.

[intriguing music plays]

[shutter clicking]

[Woo-seok] Honeycomb-textured gloves.

Someone intentionally flipped the breaker.

If someone else was involved...

they went that way.

[intense music plays]

-[door opens]
-I mean, this makes no sense.

-[door closes]
-k*lling a VIP client?

We can't keep shielding Ms. Han.

It's our chance to fire her.

Is that important now?

[stammers] If not, what?

The owner of the Stiller painting
is dead now!

That was supposed to be the highest piece

in our auction's history,
and now it's blown.

So what now?

What are we going to do?

[stammers] True.

You're right. Yeah.

Have Attorney Kim come in.

We'll just take care of Ms. Han first.

Got it?

Sure.

[sighs]

[Eun-gyeom] She's refusing
all visitors and meals.

I can't believe they only let us
drop her clothes off.

This is nuts.

What is going on with Seol-ah?

[sighs] Why is she acting like this now?

Is she really guilty or something?

[door closes]

The person who died
at the villa last night,

it wasn't Paek Jun-beom.

What kind of bullshit is this?
I saw it with my own two eyes.

The real Paek Jun-beom died
seven years ago in Syria.

-What's that?
-[groans]

Then who's the man that was k*lled?

Lee Su-h*.

Lee Su-h*?

-Han Seol-ah's ex who died in Syria?
-[Woo-seok] Right.

Paek Jun-beom was also in Syria
at the time.

The one who died there was not Lee Su-h*.

It was Paek Jun-beom.

What the hell are you talking about?

Lee Su-h* had plastic surgery
to look like his dead friend

and has been living as Paek Jun-beom
all this time!

This isn't a movie. Is that even possible?

H-How did you find that out?

His iris.

When Lee Su-h* returned
to the company with Paek Jun-beom's face,

the security system didn't recognize him.

The staff assumed it was a malfunction
and replaced the system.

Truth is his iris didn't match.

You can change your face,

but you can't change your iris.

Their DNA records were still in
OnWorld's database, and I verified them.

TEST RESULTS

SAMPLE 1: LEE SU-h*
SAMPLE 2: PAEK JUN-BEOM

SAMPLE 1 AND SAMPLE 2
ARE FROM THE SAME INDIVIDUAL

LEE SU-h*'S DNA PROFILE

PAEK JUN-BEOM'S DNA PROFILE

Even if the victim is Lee Su-h*,
not Paek Jun-beom,

it doesn't change the fact
that Han Seol-ah

was caught red handed at the m*rder scene.

But evidence of a third party
was discovered at the scene.

Hasn't it been reported yet?

[Woo-seok sighs]

I'll hand over everything
that I've gathered so far.

Just do me this favor.

Han Seol-ah.

Let me see her just one time.

Snap out of it, you idiot.
Do you even hear yourself?

She's got the right to remain silent.
She's using it.

She threw herself
in front of a warning shot.

She's given up on everything!

What do you expect her to say?

Do you think it'll make a difference
if she met with you?

I'll give it a try.

It won't hurt the investigation.
I'll do whatever you say.

[dramatic music plays]

He was stabbed in the heart before
he had the chance to defend himself.

The blade went in horizontally...

and struck the breastbone.

The force was so great that it bent
the tip of the weapon.

And the suspect?

Given the angle and force,

it's likely the suspect is a man
with a similar build.

But Han Seol-ah's fingerprints
were found on the weapon.

[sighs] It's not impossible
if we assume the victim was on the ground

when the stabbing occurred, but...

Lee Su-h*, the guy Han Seol-ah dumped,
shows up as Paek Jun-beom?

Those men and Kim Yun-ji.
It's obvious it was all him.

Those photos he took while stalking her

show how insanely obsessed he was.

But this time he's the victim.

Han Seol-ah found out it was Lee Su-h*,
and probably got into an argument.

It escalated and turned into a m*rder.

People have psychological barriers,

especially when committing a crime.

This was far too cold, too flawless
and too ruthless

to be a first m*rder.

Let's go.

Let's go see if Han Seol-ah
decides to finally talk.

[door closes]

[Seong-il] How's it going?

She still hasn't said a single word.

You're not hurt, are you?

Did you get some sleep?

Have you eaten?

[exhales shakily]

How is your arm?

It's nothing.

It was just a graze.

You could've died.

But I didn't, right?

You should've gone to the hospital.
Why are you here?

Paek Jun-beom...

What happened?

Seol-ah.

When Paek Jun-beom collapsed
at the auction house,

you realized he was Lee Su-h*.

Then while I was running the DNA test,

he dragged you to the villa.

You have to tell me what happened.

Someone else was at the villa, right?

The person who k*lled him,

did you see him?

Is it your turn next?

I told you I k*lled my parents,
and you still believed me.

The other men were no different.

If you become Han Seol-ah's man,
you'll be next.

Because you'll take out
an insurance policy.

Every one of those fools did just that.

And I k*lled them.

You're lying.

[poignant song playing]

It was so easy.

Everyone said they just pitied me

that they'd do anything for me,

so I told them to do what my parents did...

to get insurance and die.

So just...

get away from me now.

Are you afraid that I'll get hurt?

You were left to survive alone
against your will,

but you didn't break.

You stayed strong

and you made it this far.

You are not the villain here.

You're a survivor.

Han Seol-ah didn't do this,

so don't give up now. Tell the truth.

You have to fight and survive.

You can fix everything. I'll help you.

You're not alone.

Don't worry.

I'll survive this time too.

[song continues]

Get this man out of here.

He has nothing to do with this case.

[Woo-seok sighs]

I guess we're even now.

Don't worry about it.

I'm fine.

Sure. Take care of it.

Thank you for letting me see her.

It's not like
we didn't have our own agenda.

We wanted to see if she'd talk to you,
that's all.

She doesn't wanna drag me into this.

You saw her lying to push me away.

Did it ever cross your mind
that it might not be a lie?

What she said in there could be the truth.

She showed me all her wounds.

She said she k*lled them, but her
whole body was saying it wasn't her.

What if she was doing it for sympathy?

Who does that during an interrogation?

I'm legal counsel for Royal Auction.

Where's Ms. Han Seol-ah?

ROYAL AUCTION
CHIEF AUCTIONEER HAN SEOL-AH

[Na-hee] So, what's going to happen
to Ms. Han?

I saw lawyers
coming out of Chair Kim's office earlier.

It's pretty obvious why they were there.

So how serious is the situation?

Do you two really think Ms. Han
would do something like that?

I don't want to believe it either,

but they say she was arrested
at the scene.

What about the auction?

We've sent out
all the promotional materials.

Yeah. You think that's a problem?

One auctioneer fell to her death,
and the other just got arrested.

No way.

Could it be Yun-ji's curse?

Oh, sh*t, that's spooky.
Brush it off your shoulder.

[Sang-mi] If you two keep chatting
instead of working,

I might be the one putting a curse on you.

But it's strange, isn't it?

Ms. Han getting tangled up in this.

Aren't you scared, Sang-mi?

Not really. I'm more scared of you.

Let's just keep preparing for the auction.

The Stiller's out of the picture.
What auction is there?

Ms. Han will return to work soon.

Chair Kim is deeply concerned.

The auction house's image has already
been damaged

because of Ms. Kim's incident,
and now, a client has died.

LETTER OF RESIGNATION

Well, to begin with,

I would like you to resign and cooperate
so all of this can be settled quietly.

Please tell Chair Kim

this won't hurt the company in any way.

Ms. Han Seol-ah.

Because I'm getting out of here.

Still nothing?

[sighs]

Let me know as soon
as the results are in, okay?

The moment he revealed that he was Su-h*,

his attitude totally changed.

And if I'd come back as Lee Su-h*,

would you have even noticed me?

And when you found out
I had that Stiller piece,

you came, wagging your tail!

[breathing heavily]
We can be happy, Seol-ah.

I'm Paek Jun-beom now, I can do anything.

I'll give you whatever you want, okay?

-Huh? Huh?
-You've completely lost it!

[cackling]

Get off me! Let go of me!

I had to protect myself,

so I grabbed whatever I could find
next to me.

And then the power went out.

[panting]

[groans]

Stay right here.

[Seol-ah]
I couldn't just stand there waiting.

So I went outside, and...

Su-h*.

-Su-h*...
-[gasping]

[sobbing] Su-h*.

Su-h*.

[crying]

There was nothing more that I could do.

[Eun-gyeom] Paek Jun-beom... I mean...

Lee Su-h* had signs of pressure
around the wound.

Someone tried to stop the bleeding?

So, Ms. Han, based on your statement,

there was someone else at the scene
where the m*rder took place,

and that person is the k*ller?

Don't answer anything you're not
sure about. Only say what you know.

Well, think carefully now.

Try to remember who you saw there

and what you heard if you want to prove
you're not the k*ller.

I have to prove it?

Isn't that the police's job?

[sighs]

[phone buzzes]

Got the results?

[Eun-gyeom] Sir,
the blood found on the tree

matches the victim's blood.

Oh. Okay. Thanks.

[line clicks]

The blood recovered from the tree
matches the DNA of Paek Jun-beom...

I mean, Lee Su-h*'s DNA, actually.

The two glove prints are also a match.

[sighs]

That means someone else was also
at the scene and fled.

Yeah, it looks like it.

And Han Seol-ah walks free again.

We can't rule her out as a suspect yet.

[sighs]
This is driving me nuts, seriously.

Step aside.

Where is she?

She'll be out soon.

Don't let your guard down.

She's still the prime suspect
of the investigation.

She'll continue to be investigated.

Well, shouldn't you track down

the other person
who was at the scene first?

That person is more likely the suspect,

so can't you get a warrant?

If I were you,

I'd start by looking for the person
who first figured out

that Paek Jun-beom was Lee Su-h*.

And who's that?

The person who did the allergy test.

During the event, Paek Jun-beom
drank champagne and then collapsed.

[Woo-seok] He went
into anaphylactic shock.

It was clearly intentional.
Someone targeted him.

Probably Han Seol-ah.

No, it wasn't her.

It's true we tried to obtain a DNA sample
because we had our suspicions,

but we never thought
he could be Lee Su-h*.

Someone who knew about Lee Su-h*'s allergy

used it to test whether it
was really Paek Jun-beom or not.

[pensive music plays]

[sighs]

Ms. Han, you're not cleared
as a suspect just yet.

The investigation is ongoing,
so don't go too far.

Cha Woo-seok really cares.

Don't drag him into this.

If you cross the line,

it'll hurt him too.

[door opens]

No matter how much
you want me out of this,

don't ever lie
at the police station again.

You have to put yourself first,
no matter what.

You saw it too, Woo-seok.

Anyone would say I was caught red-handed,
so why did you believe me?

'Cause I was tearing through the scene
all night like a madman.

I was afraid I might actually find
evidence that you were guilty.

[sighs] What would I do if I'd found it?

It drove me crazy.

I was afraid that I might get rid of it.

Even if you say you k*lled someone,

I'll stay by your side.

This is going to ruin you.

No.

It already has.

Wait.

Let's go to my place.

Your place isn't safe, Seol-ah,
it was under surveillance.

-Paek Jun-beom is already dead.
-But the k*ller is still alive.

[sighs]

Seol-ah. Seol-ah.

Seol-ah!

[sobbing] Su-h*.

[whimpering]

MEDICINE, HERBAL DRINK

[door opens]

Are you feeling better?

I should get going.

No.

You need to eat first.

If you don't, you're not...

I mean...

I won't let you.

For someone who insisted
you eat before leaving,

the spread's a little underwhelming.

Soup and rolled omelet
are the only things I know how to make.

Oh, but the kimchi's really good.

Yeah. It was a gift.

[chuckles]

I'm not sure how it'll taste,

but at least try a spoonful.

They say food's the best medicine.

Hmm?

Then why don't you eat with me, Woo-seok?

[Suk-ji] At least eat this.

Are you gonna stop eating
because of Seol-ah?

[sighs] I'm so relieved she's finally out.

Our Seol-ah really has the worst luck.

Why are all the men around her like that?

And how do they have
the same allergy? How bizarre?

Allergy?

Yeah. Remember Su-h*?

He died in Syria?

Seol-ah's first boyfriend?

Remember Seol-ah's birthday,
we were having Thai food

when Su-h* suddenly couldn't breathe.

Maybe there were peanuts in the salad.

Seol-ah had to give him a shot then.

Was that it?

It was so long ago, I can't remember.

Where are you going?

Just stay here for a while.

If it's uncomfortable,
I can go somewhere else.

Our mutual agreement
to catch Paek Jun-beom is over.

He's gone now.

Paek Jun-beom is dead.

We have to catch the k*ller.

I...

I lost Su-h* a long time ago.

It was really shocking
that he came back and was still alive,

and he died again because of me.

I told you already, it's not your fault.

[slow ballad plays]

I-I just don't think it's my place

to grab on to your hand

and lean on you for comfort.

Don't do this. Please.

Thank you so much.

I appreciate you

for helping me

and trusting me.

I'll never forget it.

[sighs]

Seol-ah.

Please think it over, okay.

You can't keep doing this.

The k*ller is still alive.
This is dangerous!

The k*ller is not after me,

but after the man who's by my side.

[song continues]

[Woo-seok] Did you really
just lose everything

and have nothing to do with their deaths?

[Seol-ah] The next man
who will fall in love...

with Han Seol-ah...

[Woo-seok] Usually, it's the adults
who create tragedies.

Will these do?

I've never done this before.

Are you afraid that I'll get hurt?

You stayed strong

and you made it this far.

You are not the villain here.

You're a survivor.

[Seol-ah] Then don't

get hurt. again.

[phone buzzes]

[Dr. Shin] Woo-seok,
I got Ju Hyun-su's address.

[door opens]

[door closes]

Ms. Han.

[stammers] You're back.

Where's Sang-mi?

Mr. Song asked for her.

We'll start our meeting in ten minutes.

-Ow. Hey. What is it? Jeez.
-Get over here.

-Ow, it snagged.
-What's going on, huh?

I thought Ms. Han k*lled someone
and was getting fired.

Well, I guess she didn't k*ll him,
she walked out and even came to work.

Oh, come on.
She got dragged into an ugly scandal.

And why would she follow a client
to his villa at night?

Maybe they were dating or something. Why?

Tae-seok, do you not understand
how serious this situation is?

Yes, but either way,

shouldn't we be backing
Ms. Han in this case?

Are you that clueless,
or do you just have no ambition?

I don't know about that.

But I think I'm more loyal than you are.

[scoffs]

Oh.

Oh, you poor thing.

You've been through so much.

Thank goodness. Seriously.
I'm so relieved.

I'm sorry for causing you concern.

Do you have any idea how much I prayed?

Thanks to the attorney you sent,
we were able to resolve everything.

Thank you again.

At times like this,
you shouldn't let yourself waiver.

You need to be stronger.

I will select the main piece
for the next auction

and ensure everything
proceeds without a hitch.

Just wrap it up
beautifully with your hands.

That would be the greatest gift
you could give me.

If she's done practicing, bring her in.

[sighs]

I wonder what would've happened


hadn't fired me after the forgery scandal.

When he refused to believe me,
I started a revolt,

and with my backers' help,

I was able to take over
the entire auction house.

You turned a crisis into an opportunity.

Life's full of turns.

That's just how the world works.

Something that seems bad at the time
can turn out

-to be a blessing in disguise...
-[door opens]

-...when you look back on it.
-[footsteps approaching]

We ran a mock auction, and she did great.

I'll put her through intensive training
and she'll be ready for the stage.

Keep the handover smooth.

But Ms. Han is back, isn't she?

I heard we might need someone
to step in for the upcoming auction

while you were under investigation.
That's why I've been practicing.

Just because we're in the arts

doesn't mean we can afford to let
our emotions carry us away.

When the air in the room changes,
paintings reveal themselves in a new way.

Ms. Han.

You should take a break.

So you're going to...

kick me out after everything?

Go work at the Busan office
for a while, all right? Hmm?

Then this could turn out to be
another opportunity for me...

just like you back in the day, ma'am.

[Sang-mi] Ms. Han!

It wasn't my intention.
Please don't get the wrong impression.

It's harder to keep a position
than to attain one on your own,

especially when
you didn't earn it yourself.

I'm well aware of that.

But I know you'll do well, Sang-mi.

You've learned so much.

It's about time you took up the stage.

Ms. Han.

Just stand by me one last time.

Please.

[Eun-gyeom] This is it.

His house.

His car.

His face.

Is that him?

This b*stard, I knew it was him.

The moment I saw that older model car,

bam, I had a gut feeling
I should look into him.

And sure enough,
the plate came back canceled.

Guess I'm half detective now...

[lawyer] Ms. Cha,
was in the passenger seat,

was not wearing a seat belt,

and a sleep inducing agent
was detected in her bloodstream.

At the recommendation of defendant
Ju Hyun-su,

she had taken out a two hundred and ten
thousand dollar life insurance policy.

Die, you son of a b*tch!

[shouts]

LIST OF CHAIR KIM'S PROPERTIES
REGISTERED UNDER BORROWED NAMES

ROYAL VILLAT

[knocks on door]

Next week's auction
is really your last one?

Uh.

The attorney came to the police station
with a resignation letter.

But you just got out.

Weren't the charges dropped?

Try talking to the company again.

If you tell them
that you've been cleared...

It'll be hard to get Chair Kim
to backtrack on her decision.

After everything you've been through
to get this far?

It's okay. Now I can finally do
what I have to do.

[sighs] Uh. Do you have another
auction house in mind?

It's not that.

I've got something personal
I have to deal with.

I'll see you later.

HYUN-SU'S FRUIT

WE'VE CLOSED DOWN FOR PERSONAL REASONS
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

[gasps]

You scared me.

Oh, sorry.

I was worried, so I followed you.

This place. Why are you here?

Can't you just tell me right now?

I'm digging into Chair Kim's properties
under pseudonyms.

I have a feeling Taemyung's paintings
might be in there.

Didn't they all burn up
in the car accident?

Those were all fakes.

I think the real ones
were hidden somewhere else.

So you think they're in this house?

It doesn't look like anyone lives here.

Follow me.

All the meters are shut off.

It's a redevelopment zone,
so they probably moved everyone out.

Starting tomorrow, focus on getting ready
for the auction.

I'll check out the properties for you.

You'll suffer the consequences as well.

That's fine.

I really don't wanna be there
without you anyway.

You have to stop.

Focus on yourself
instead of focusing on me.

Stop it.

Stop doing that.

[door opens]

[door closes]

[device beeps]

HAN SEOL-AH

HAN SEOL-AH

GANGHA POLICE STATION

CHEONGUN CELL TOWER 3 CONNECTION LOG

CELL TOWER DEVICE ACCESS LOG

[Eun-gyeom]
I checked the cell tower records,

Paek Jun-beom wasn't anywhere near
Yoon Seung-jae when he died.

And he left the Royal Auction building
before Kim Yun-ji fell.

If Paek Jun-beom wasn't the one
who k*lled the men around Han Seol-ah...

That makes him the latest victim then.

Start by tracking
who prepared the champagne

that Paek Jun-beom drank,
and where it came from.

That's the only clue we have.

The champagne was probably brought in
by Hwang Suk-ji.

And then the staff served it.

NAME: DO EUN-HYE

INTERROGATION ROOM

What about it?

Could you please explain
exactly what happened that day?

I went about my work as usual.

I don't really have anything to explain.

Where did the champagne
you served come from?

Did you open it, Ms. Do?

We obviously tested the champagne

and we actually found that peanut
powder had been added to it.

Can you please explain what happened now?

Hey. Ms. Do Eun-hye.

I don't remember.

Then do you remember
following the victim that day?

[button clicks]

[Gong] Is this also part of your job?

Ms. Do, we're asking you to tell us
what you did, all right.

[dynamic music plays]

RECIPIENT: HAN SEO-YUL

[Woo-seok] It's similar
to my sister's accident.

The driver is only 23.

When moving high-value paintings
like these, you never do it alone.

So if the paintings were insured
and someone deliberately burned them,

they could collect the full 1.05 million?

Criminals stick to familiar tactics

and repeat methods that worked before.

[dynamic music continues]

[elevator bell dings]

The man you just saw...

[Seol-ah] Ju Hyun-su,
Chair Kim's henchman.

Do you want me
to take a guess why you're here?

Congrats, Ms. Han!

I heard that the Stiller piece
is yours now.

[Woo-seok] There was evidence
the paintings were moved here.

There is one
that the employees can't access.

We have only one week to get in.

[Woo-seok] Are you sure you'll be okay?

I'm offering you an opportunity.

[Eun-gyeom]
The auctioneer should get out fast.

[Woo-seok] Seol-ah?

And you're still saying
this is your last one?