Crash: Episodes 9-10

by solstices

No crime can be hidden forever, and it’s time for the true culprits to be held accountable. These opponents may be intimidatingly formidable, but our team has the smarts, skills, and synergy to counter their schemes.

 
EPISODES 9-10

Once again, Jung-wook proves his scummy arrogance by winding up at the center of yet another case. After getting high on drugs, Jung-wook had recklessly taken the wheel, driving erratically and knocking down a motorist. So-hee’s dad witnessed it, and he gave chase in an attempt to convince Jung-wook to turn himself in. Irritated, Jung-wook deliberately swerved into Dad’s taxi multiple times, causing the crash. Thankfully, Dad is still alive, albeit injured.

The TCI team takes on the case, discovering that the car in question is an unlicensed taxi — a remnant of the case Tae-joo had failed to wrap up properly. When they track down the hostess that was also in the car, she pushes the blame onto the unlicensed taxi driver, claiming that both she and Jung-wook disembarked before the accident.

On the contrary, the car’s event data recorder reveals that two more safety belts were buckled, suggesting a total of three people in the car. Furthermore, a forensics examination turns up Jung-wook’s blood and clothes fibers in the driver’s seat — but all this circumstantial evidence is moot when the driver makes a timely (and false) confession. Alas, Jung-wook walks free.

So-hee’s anguish is heartbreakingly palpable, spurring Yeon-ho to show her his suspect board and open up about his own accident. All he knows is that the three students had witnessed the crash while driving Commissioner-General Pyo’s car without a license, and they’d claimed Kyung-soo had been behind the wheel. With Jung-wook’s track record of lying, that’s not convincing in the least.

Talking about Kyung-soo, he’s alive, but in poor shape. The masked vigilante tortures information out of him, then uses the confession to threaten Jung-wook into meeting him. Meanwhile, Commissioner-General Pyo is feeling the heat, prompting him to strike first. Temporarily removing Chae-man from his post on the pretext that he’s dragging his feet on Jae-young’s case, he has Tae-joo take over as TCI’s leader. (Bleh, I know I asked for more Tae-joo, but not like this!)

Chae-man may be facing disciplinary action, but nothing can quell a detective’s spirit. Giving Yeon-ho his old investigation notebook, Chae-man reveals more details about his accident — from the suspicious four-minute delay between both of Kyung-soo’s 911 calls, to Commissioner-General Pyo’s involvement in the case. Chae-man points Yeon-ho towards the reporter who wrote the news article, allowing Yeon-ho and So-hee to obtain additional crime scene photos that help them piece together the events of that night.

In addition, Chae-man finally shares that the driver of the black car walks with a pronounced limp — and so does Jung-seob’s son-in-law KIM MIN-SUNG (Kim Dae-ho), who has a prosthetic leg. After getting employed in forensics, Min-sung had found out through the case files that the tire marks on Hyun-soo didn’t match Yeon-ho’s car. Worse yet, there were two sets of tire marks on Hyun-soo — the culprit ran her over, then reversed over her.

We finally see the full truth of what transpired that night, and it’s downright horrific. After hitting Hyun-soo, the three friends had gotten out of the car to check on her. At that point, Hyun-soo had still been breathing, and she’d pleaded for them to save her unborn baby — but Jung-wook had gotten back behind the wheel to end her off, so that she wouldn’t be able to pinpoint him as the culprit.

Noticing that the printer marks on the news article matches those on the documents from forensics, Yeon-ho confronts Min-sung, who fesses up to his vigilante deeds. Min-sung argues that the law won’t punish those who hold themselves above it, but Yeon-ho counters that stooping to their level makes Min-sung no better. He apologizes sincerely to Min-sung for his part in the accident, only to be met with a blow to the head. Determined to finish what he started, Min-sung makes a run for it.

Yeon-ho chases after Min-sung’s car, but he’s not the only pursuer. Under Jung-wook’s command, Jae-young’s father has sent a horde of men after Min-sung. Except it’s not Min-sung behind the wheel, but So-hee — in a series of impressively coordinated maneuvers, our TCI team takes out half the fleet, then leads the remaining half into a police barricade.

Where is Min-sung, then? Well, it turns out that unlike before, Yeon-ho hadn’t acted alone this time. He’d shared his deduction with the team — hooray for character development — allowing them to catch the fleeing Min-sung. Now privy to Jung-wook’s plan to lure Min-sung out to his vacation home, our team decides to turn the trap around.

While our team takes down Jae-young’s father and his men — hilariously dividing them into suits and tracksuits — Jung-wook sneaks out the back door. Except his escape doesn’t last long, because he winds up tag-teamed by Yeon-ho and So-hee, who toss him back and forth with their punches. At long last, our villains are apprehended.

In custody, Jung-wook staunchly feigns ignorance. After all, Kyung-soo’s confession is inadmissible since it was coerced out of him under duress. They need the missing Kyung-soo to testify, and Tae-joo realizes through Min-sung’s dashcam that he has a second hideout. By the time Tae-joo arrives, though, Kyung-soo is no longer there — but So-hee’s name card is. HA.

It turns out Dong-ki had made a copy of Min-sung’s dashcam tape, allowing the TCI team to get there first. When Kyung-soo walks into the interrogation room prepared to confess, Jung-wook’s shocked outrage is truly a sight to see. The truth is finally revealed, blasted across nationwide news broadcasts and hilarious meme videos, and Commissioner-General Pyo ruthlessly cuts Jung-wook loose to save his own career.

However, two can play at that game, and it seems Tae-joo is done being a lapdog. While ignoring Commissioner-General Pyo’s calls, Tae-joo takes a USB out of his pocket, gazing at it meaningfully. Meanwhile, Commissioner-General Pyo hails a ride home — only to realize with a creeping horror that his driver is So-hee’s father.

Yes, give me Tae-joo’s redemption arc, please! Despite his subservience to the Pyo side, there have been hints of his conscience pricking at him — like when he tried to visit So-hee and her father in the hospital — and I hope he finally breaks free to do the right thing. It’s so satisfying to see the haughty Papa Pyo and his conniving son finally toppled from their high horses, with all their despicable crimes exposed for the public to lambast, and I can’t wait for their actual comeuppance.

Also, I’m so proud of Yeon-ho’s growth — from extending empathy and comfort to the hurting So-hee, to proactively taking charge of the investigation and interrogation of Jung-wook, Yeon-ho has come so far since his early days in the squad. He’s learnt to integrate with others while still remaining true to himself, and it truly warms my heart. The TCI team’s smooth collaboration and successful operations are proof of the sturdy trust they’ve fostered between them, and I’m anticipating even more satisfying synergy in the final week.

 
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