Wanted: Episode 11

by TeriYaki

Help comes from an unexpected source as both teams are faced with the most important mission yet. Unfortunately, the network’s new ownership puts the mission at risk. Seung-in gets closer to finding out who the kidnapper is trying to expose, forcing him to be careful about who he confides in. Hye-in suffers a betrayal from someone near her, putting her and those she is with in danger.

 
EPISODE 11 RECAP

After Hye-in’s confrontation with Detective Park, she drives away from UCN followed by a black sedan. Once Hye-in enters Seung-in’s apartment, the story literally rewinds to the conversation between Hye-in and Seung-in as they sat in his car earlier that day.

Seung-in breaks the news that Dr. Ha hanged himself in his cell. Hye-in wonders what caused Ji-eun’s mother and Dr. Ha to suddenly kill themselves. Seung-in believes they were murdered, and that their deaths were made to look like suicides. Hye-in asks if they were killed to cover up the event that the kidnapper is trying to reveal from seven years ago.

Seung-in thinks it’s likely, especially if Jo Nam-cheol told Dong-wook the truth: that he was hired to kill Im Hyung-soon and Detective Kim. Jo Nam-cheol also claimed that his confession was covered up by a prosecutor.

Hye-in analyzes the possible culprit as “a person that can contract out murders and has the power to manipulate prosecutors.” Seung-in adds, “Also, a person with the ability to hire someone to kill a man in a private cell in a prison. Who do you suppose that is?”

Before Hye-in can answer, Seung-in adds that seven years ago, Han-sol’s father, Professor Kim, was conducting research for a large company. Seung-in tells her that company was SG Group. The money for the project was deposited into Professor Kim’s personal account, proving the research was unofficial. Ji-eun’s father also worked for SG Group during that same time.

Seung-in concludes that the targets and accomplices are connected to SG Group. Hye-in asks in disbelief, “Then the people who ordered the hit on Na Jae-hyun and my husband… are you saying it could be SG Group? How could that be? He was family.”

Hye-in acknowledges that her late husband believed his family was ruthless. Seung-in admits they need more information before they can determine who is behind everything.

Hye-in realizes that the only remaining person who knows what happened seven years ago is Ji-eun. She worries that if Ji-eun talks about SG Group on television, Hyun-woo could be in danger, because SG Group will have a reason to interfere with the show. Seung-in is concerned that if Ji-eun returns to prison, she could be murdered like Dr. Ha. Hye-in asks Seung-in to help hide Ji-eun.

Returning to the present, Hye-in stands before Ji-eun in Seung-in’s apartment. Outside, two men sit in the car that followed Hye-in. One of the men makes a call to report her movements and we see he is speaking to Hye-in’s brother-in-law at SG Group. He finds it odd that Hye-in would go to Seung-in’s apartment while a search is underway for Ji-eun. Hye-in’s brother-in-law orders the men to check if Ji-eun is there.

In Seung-in’s apartment, Hye-in tells Ji-eun that her mother didn’t actually commit suicide. Just then, there is a knock at the door. Seung-in looks through the peephole and sees the cap of a security guard. He then looks out the window and sees the sedan and a man exiting the car.

Seung-in opens the door to the guard and the other man from the sedan. Pretending he is the downstairs neighbor’s grandson, the man insists on checking Seung-in’s apartment for a leak.

Keeping up the pretense about a leak, the man looks around the apartment and asks to see the bathroom. He throws open the door to find Hye-in crouching in front of the sink, crying. The man’s gaze falls on the shower curtain just as Hye-in stands up, asking him to leave. He tries to continue his inspection, but Seung-in promises to do a thorough check the next day. The security guard agrees and escorts the man away.

As soon as they are alone, Hye-in throws back the shower curtain and helps Ji-eun out of her hiding place. Seung-in tells them they need to find a safer place to hide. Hye-in mentions a place she uses to prepare for new projects that Jung-ho and her manager don’t know about.

Seung-in loads a large, heavy looking bag into the backseat of Hye-in’s car. She drives away, and the sedan follows her to a parking garage. After she walks away, the two men check the bag and realize they were misled. They call Hye-in’s brother-in-law with an update just as his secretary announces that Hye-in has come to see him.

Hye-in sits with her brother-in-law and tells him about a lead. She says that someone has been following her since she left the network, and that she was even followed to SG Group. Hye-in thinks it’s someone who’s after Ji-eun, mistakenly thinking that she has her. She tells her brother-in-law it could be the kidnapper, or the people he wants to expose from seven years ago.

Hye-in discloses that the police are following her in hopes of catching the men and finding out who they are working for. Complimenting the superiority of SG Group’s intelligence unit, Hye-in asks her brother-in-law to look into the matter for her. He calls his henchmen and asks them to investigate who is following Hye-in. Understanding his meaning, the men agree to suspend their surveillance for the day.

Young-gwan and Mi-ok go through Professor Kim’s files at the police station. Young-gwan finds an email sent by Professor Kim to Lee Yong-hwan, Ji-eun’s father, who worked at SG Group. Mi-ok notes that it was sent to a personal web account, not a company account. Young-gwan informs Mi-ok that the funds for Professor Kim’s project were deposited into his personal bank account.

Mi-ok concludes that Professor Kim was conducting research for SG Group that wasn’t for public disclosure, and that Ji-eun’s father was in charge of that project. That experience led to Lee Yong-hwan’s alcoholism and suicide. Young-gwan realizes the kidnapper targeted Professor Kim because of the incident related to Na Jae-hyun seven years earlier. Mi-ok thinks Dr. Ha must somehow be involved in that incident as well.

Young-gwan asks Mi-ok if she’s heard from Seung-in. Realizing that Seung-in has been out of touch, Mi-ok calls him as he drives Ji-eun to the new location. He tells Mi-ok he is sending her an address and wants her to meet him there without telling Young-gwan.

Seung-in and Ji-eun enter a well appointed apartment. Seung-in removes the handcuffs from Ji-eun as she asks if it’s true that her mother didn’t commit suicide. He admits they are waiting for the autopsy report to be sure. Ji-eun asks Seung-in if her mother was killed by SG. Before he can say anything, Hye-in enters the apartment.

The production team meets with Detective Park and Dong-joon. Dong-wook blames the police for losing Ji-eun while Detective Park suspects the production team even more because someone destroyed the emergency generator.

Dong-joon notes that everyone can be accounted for except for Joon-gu, who claims he was in the hallway on the phone with Bo-yeon. Detective Park lists the possible ways the production team could have managed the escape, but Dong-wook points out that they shouldn’t just accuse the team. Writer Yeon admits that they can’t be sure who took Ji-eun: the kidnapper, or the ones who are afraid she might reveal something.

Detective Park acknowledges their theory, but insists that he needs to retrace the team members’ movements. The detectives take Dong-wook and Joon-gu for individual questioning and tell Writer Yeon to wait for them to talk with her. Writer Yeon uses her time to call Bo-yeon, who just got the all-clear for her discharge from the hospital.

Writer Yeon encourages the girl to rest and not worry about the show as Bo-yeon clutches the note Na Soo-hyun left with her. Bo-yeon recalls her talk with Writer Yeon after Professor Kim was killed, when she wanted to quit the show. Writer Yeon told her then to take responsibility and see her commitment to the end. Bo-yeon opens the note and we finally read its contents: “That never happened. The police commissioner stopped it. A man named Choi Pil-gyu gave me money to start my own business.” The note was signed by Detective Go.

Bo-yeon tells Writer Yeon that she will return to work the next day. She admits that producing Wanted is wrong, but she wants to help solve the case. Bo-yeon thinks if she can improve the show by even 1%, she should take responsibility and finish what she started.

Na Soo-hyun sits in his parked car and speaks with someone on the phone, becoming distraught. He says, “No, if you were going to do this, you shouldn’t have started it! I… killed people. I believed everything would turn out the way you planned. My brother and my little sister… everyone would know how they died. I believed that those guys would be punished! I’m going to follow our original plan. I’ll save Ji-eun some other way.”

An attendant helps a drunken man leave a hotel, calling him Lawyer Choi. A designated driver was hired to drive the lawyer home. Lawyer Choi is asleep in the back seat when the driver suddenly speeds up. He awakens to find that his hands and feet have been tied.

Na Soo-hyun turns around, and the lawyer recognizes him. Calling him by name, Lawyer Choi identifies Na Soo-hyun as Jo Nam-cheol’s killer. Na Soo-hyun tells Lawyer Choi that he doesn’t plan to kill him. We then see Na Soo-hyun walk away from the car, parked underneath a bridge next to a river. Inside the car, Lawyer Choi is unconscious.

While Ji-eun talks with Hye-in, a text comes through with the location of the eighth mission, South Wonhyo Bridge. Just then, Seung-in enters with Mi-ok, who takes in the scene in surprise.

Seung-in drives while Hye-in makes a call and gives someone the location of the eighth mission. They pull up behind Lawyer Choi’s car and find him with the mission written on the back of his shirt: “Make this man pay for the crime he committed seven years ago.”

Another car pulls up, and Dong-wook jumps out with a camera. As he begins filming, Lawyer Choi coughs, alerting them that he is alive.

Writer Yeon updates the production team with the identity of the man Hye-in was sent to find, Choi Pil-gyu, the man listed in Detective Go’s confession. SG Group sponsored his education, after which he was hired for their law firm, Oh Sung, where he represents SG Group.

Dong-wook stresses that they need Choi Pil-gyu to appear on the show to complete the eighth mission. Writer Yeon thinks that will be impossible because he is heavily protected at the hospital. But Dong-wook is insistent, and points out that Choi Pil-gyu was left alive so they could solve the mission.

Writer Yeon counters that it’s wrong to confine a man forcefully, so the team tries to think of other ways to complete the mission. Hye-in has been distracted and Joon-gu asks her if something is wrong. She reminds him she hasn’t received proof that Hyun-woo is alive. The team realizes they forgot about the boy, and are ashamed because Hyun-woo is the reason for their show.

Captain Jung goes over Choi Pil-gyu’s ties to the other case files with Seung-in and Young-gwan. Choi Pil-gyu was the lawyer who represented Jo Nam-cheol while he was in prison and arranged for his parole. Jo Nam-cheol had claimed he was hired by someone powerful to commit murders. Seung-in recalls Na Soo-hyun’s note that connected Detective Kim’s death at the hands of Jo Nam-cheol to his investigation into Na Jae-hyun’s disappearance.

Young-gwan remembers that Jo Nam-cheol’s girlfriend claimed that he had a job when he was paroled. The detectives realize that Choi Pil-gyu must have promised to get parole for Jo Nam-cheol in exchange for the murder of Im Hyung-soon.

Seung-in wonders if the two men worked together to kill Na Jae-hyun. Captain Jung recalls Im Hyung-soon’s fake tip to the police to turn in Jo Nam-cheol the night Detective Kim was killed. Im Hyung-soon then fled to the Philippines out of fear.

Seung-in thinks that if Im Hyung-soon returned to Korea after seven years, he either had a plan or had run out of money. Im Hyung-soon probably contacted SG Group, which led to his elimination. Captain Jung cautions Seung-in to proceed carefully, worrying about the danger as he continues the investigation.

Bo-yeon interrupts the meeting and asks to speak with Seung-in. She finally delivers the note Na Soo-hyun left with her. In flashback, we see Na Soo-hyun instructing Detective Go to write down the names of those who made him quit the investigation on his brother’s case. Bo-yeon tells Seung-in that she understands that Choi Pil-gyu is the newest mission’s target.

The production team discusses ways to complete the mission when Hye-in’s brother-in-law walks in with a team from SG Group. He introduces himself as Ham Tae-seok of SG Life, and explains that he obtained UCN to help find Hyun-woo. Ham Tae-seok explains to the team that the show has problems, and Dong-wook realizes that SG Group is planning on determining the content of the show.

An attorney steps forward and introduces himself as Lawyer KIM SANG-HO from the Oh Sung Law Firm. He heads the team tasked with providing legal advice for Wanted and UCN. Ham Tae-seok makes it clear that UCN must adjust to working with SG Group and asks for the team’s cooperation. Writer Yeon states that they are preparing for a show. Before leaving, Ham Tae-seok instructs Lawyer Kim to keep his meeting with the team brief.

Back in Hye-in’s secret apartment, Mi-ok wakes with a start. Alarmed, she looks for Ji-eun, who is sitting close by. Ji-eun assures the detective that she won’t run away, because she has nowhere to go. Mi-ok urges Ji-eun to share what she knows to save Hyun-woo. Ji-eun insists that she can’t ruin the kidnapper’s plan and that he wouldn’t use her as Mi-ok has suggested.

Hye-in paces in her UCN dressing room when she receives a video proving that Hyun-woo is alive. The video is of Hyun-woo watching the latest episode of Wanted, and a woman’s voice can be heard in the background saying, “Hyun-woo. I told you not to watch that. It’s not a good thing to watch. Your mom wouldn’t like it either.” After watching the video, Hye-in runs to her car and drives away, followed by Na Soo-hyun.

Hye-in asks to speak with Ji-eun alone, and reminds her of the two months when she lived alone after her father died. Then Hye-in shows her the video of Hyun-woo and shares that she has never seen that expression on his face before. He’s been missing for a week now, so Hye-in asks Ji-eun to identify the woman heard in the video. But the girl doesn’t know who it is.

Ji-eun seems moved by the lost look on Hyun-woo’s face. Hye-in points out that Hyun-woo is innocent, and is in no way involved in the terrible things that Ji-eun has endured. Ji-eun insists that she doesn’t know the woman in the video. She assures Hye-in that the kidnapper promised her that Hyun-woo would be safe.

Ji-eun asks if the mission involves Lawyer Choi Pil-gyu. Hye-in wonders if Ji-eun is aware of the kidnapper’s entire plan. Ji-eun admits she only knew the plan up to this point, but she knows that today is a very important day. She asks for paper and writes down some information.

Ji-eun hands the notepad to Hye-in and explains that her mother had a storage locker for her father’s belongings. Ji-eun wrote down the locker’s access details and tells Hye-in to look for a cassette tape and some notes her father left behind. She cautions Hye-in that she needs to complete this mission to keep Hyun-woo safe.

Jung-ho returns from a trip and is met by one of Ham Tae-seok’s henchmen. The man makes a call and hands his phone to Jung-ho. Next, we see Na Soo-hyun parked in the underground garage as two cars pull up. Jung-ho exits the first car and takes the elevator upstairs. He walks into Hye-in’s apartment, startling his wife and Ji-eun. Jung-ho warns Hye-in to not make trouble for SG Group before leaving abruptly.

Mi-ok calls Seung-in to let him know that Jung-ho visited them. She lets him know that she has to move Ji-eun right away, and Seung-in tells Mi-ok he is on his way. As he leaves, Seung-in asks Young-gwan to investigate Dr. Ha’s suicide more closely. Young-gwan wants to know where Seung-in is going and if he knows where Mi-ok has been.

Seung-in remembers his last meeting with Detective Kim and explains to Young-gwan that he can’t answer his questions for his own good. He promises to stay in contact and asks Young-gwan to continue his investigation on Dr. Ha.

Jung-ho approaches the second car with Ham Tae-seok’s men and speaks with them briefly before driving away. Upstairs, Mi-ok prepares to move their group, deciding not to cuff Ji-eun so they can move more easily. The women leave by the emergency staircase just as the henchmen exit their car. The younger man stays behind to move the car closer to Hye-in’s vehicle while the other man goes upstairs. Na Soo-hyun follows the man upstairs, noting where the elevator stopped.

Walking towards Hye-in’s apartment, the man senses he is being followed and turns around, but Na Soo-hyun manages to hide. The man enters Hye-in’s apartment, but quickly realizes it is empty. He runs from the apartment with Na Soo-hyun close behind.

Mi-ok leads Hye-in and Ji-eun to the elevator vestibule where they see the other man waiting by Hye-in’s car. At Mi-ok’s signal, Hye-in unlocks her car remotely. With the man’s attention diverted, the group runs from their spot. The man who had gone upstairs is in his car and blocks the three women. The noise alerts the man by Hye-in’s car, and the group is forced to dodge the car and the man on foot.

Suddenly, the man on foot is thrown to the ground by an unknown aide, giving the women a chance to get away. Ji-eun looks back and sees Na Soo-hyun. He turns to her and they connect for a moment before Hye-in pulls Ji-eun away.

Na Soo-hyun fights with the man he knocked down while the other man chases after the women with the car. Mi-ok calls Seung-in to tell where they are. Meanwhile, Na Soo-hyun is no match for his opponent, who pulls out a knife and stabs him.

The man in the car gets out to look for the women in-between the parked cars. Seung-in pulls up and blocks him, yelling to Mi-ok to get in the car. She drives away with Hye-in and Ji-eun, leaving Seung-in to confront the man who was chasing them. Seung-in is well trained and, after exchanging some blows, the man runs away.

As Mi-ok drives, Hye-in wonders if Seung-in will be all right, and asks where they are headed. Mi-ok says she knows of some locations used for witness protection. Hye-in informs Mi-ok that she needs to make a stop to help complete that day’s mission. She points out that she can’t solve anything if she is in hiding, which gets Ji-eun’s attention.

After incapacitating Na Soo-hyun, his attacker drives away. Seung-in chases the other man but suddenly stops, allowing him to get away. He backs up and discovers a seriously wounded Na Soo-hyun leaning up against a pillar.

Seung-in runs to the young man and kneels beside him, noting the severity of his injuries. He tries to stop the bleeding while pulling out his phone to call for help. Na Soo-hyun puts out his hand to stop him, and tells him that he always knew things would turn out this way.

Na Soo-hyun confesses that he killed someone as a way of saying that he doesn’t deserve help, but Seung-in calls for help anyway. Na Soo-hyun promises everything will be over soon. Seung-in asks Na Soo-hyun to tell him who is behind everything, but he refuses. He tells Seung-in that “Yeong-hyun” died unfairly, and the detective realizes he’s speaking about his little sister.

Na Soo-hyun describes his sister as “a six year old baby — when she smiled, she was so pretty. She just died. It felt like she died because I couldn’t protect her.” Seung-in sheds a tear as Na Soo-hyun tells him that his brother, Na Jae-hyun, managed to find the people who hurt their sister, but then he died too. In anguish, Na Soo-hyun adds that the police detective who tried to help find his brother died as well.

With that, Na Soo-hyun goes still as Seung-in tries to shake him back to life by calling his name.

 
COMMENTS

Let’s hear it for the Mi-ok, Hye-in and Ji-eun trio. Their escape from Hye-in’s not-so-secret apartment was pretty exciting. Mi-ok continued to prove her worth as she guided her charges to safety. I am enjoying watching Hye-in work together with Mi-ok as they try to hide Ji-eun from everyone. Unfortunately, Jung-ho returned to town just in time to undermine everything Hye-in has been working for, and he put her life in jeopardy. I haven’t been sure about Jung-ho’s motives up until now, but when he told Ham Tae-seok’s men where they could find Ji-eun, it was clear he has always been about his network. I’m sure Hye-in married him because he was in a powerful position and was willing to pose as Hyun-woo’s father, allowing her to honor her first husband’s wishes to raise his son away from his family. However, it’s become painfully obvious that he never valued either of them as he put their lives at risk. I will find it very satisfying if he loses his beloved network before we say goodbye to this show.

We now know who the kidnapper has been trying to expose: SG Group. This reveal isn’t a big surprise, because corporations make good villains. Ham Tae-young must have been working with Na Jae-hyun to expose whatever SG Group has been trying to keep hidden. It was probably his last bit of business before escaping to France with Hye-in. He may have taken his brother into his confidence, which would explain why he was killed the day before he was to leave the country. With so many high-placed connections, it was no wonder everything was covered up. Now that the kidnapper has removed many of those connections, the truth about SG Group is coming to light. The kidnapper has reversed SG Group’s method by killing the people that protected SG Group, rather than those who threatened it.

Even so, the reality that Ham Tae-young’s death was ordered by a family member must be hard for Hye-in to accept. She never suspected her first husband’s death was anything but an accident, and then, she didn’t suspect his murder was at the hands of a relative. I’m sure she would be more preoccupied with the truth of her husband’s death if she wasn’t so focused on Hyun-woo. Not only does she have to work to recover him, but now she has evidence about how the trauma of the kidnapping has hurt him. He looked like a sad, lost boy in that video she received. Hye-in has been tireless in trying to get Hyun-woo back, but it seems she makes no progress with each passing mission. Ji-eun has admitted that she only had limited knowledge of the kidnapper’s plans, and that was supported by her ignorance of the woman’s voice that was heard speaking to Hyun-woo. Hye-in needs a real breakthrough at this point to get her son back before he suffers further harm.

I must confess, I am sorry to say goodbye to the character of Na Soo-hyun. The final scene between Seung-in and Na Soo-hyun was so moving. The end of Na Soo-hyun’s very tragic life felt like such a waste for someone who had once been a happy, older brother. Deep down, I was hoping that he was somehow not guilty of murder, but by his own admission, he did kill people on behalf of the kidnapper. Seung-in really anchored that scene, but the star was Na Soo-hyun. His grief over all he had lost, the torture he endured being left alone in this world, it was all just too much for him to bear, and I felt all of that as he uttered his last words. I’m left wondering if there was any way to exact justice without requiring the life of such a sad, broken man. This part of the story is going to stay with me, so I have to compliment the writer and the actors. Now the question remains, how can the kidnapper demand such loyalty from Na Soo-hyun and Ji-eun, and just who exactly is he?

 
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