Hyper Knife: Episodes 3-4

by starrygazer

With more shocking twists this week, it is scary how similar our protagonists are. Our female lead still has some maturing to do, but damn does she throw hissy fits in a major and unique way. And as for our male lead, let’s just say there are more questions than answers about him this week.

EPISODES 3-4

In our first shock of this week, Se-ok is face to face with Deok-hee in the woods over the ankle monitor dude’s dead body. Deok-hee suggests Se-ok makes the grave bigger (huh?!) and asks if the body is discovered where will she run, stating that she’ll end up in prison for the rest of her life. Of course Se-ok, with her black-and-white view on things, admits she would kill herself first, and I for one believe her. Can I ask why Deok-hee is not more shocked by this? Because I am slightly freaking out right now. People are way too casual about murder in this show…

Our two unhinged neurosurgeons bicker for a bit over this dead body when Mrs. Ra interrupts them by calling Deok-hee. She’s coming up the mountain to find him, so Deok-hee lies that he has already come down. Deok-hee seems genuinely concerned that Mrs. Ra will find them, so he leaves, making an excuse that Se-ok is burying her dog. (That’s a tad harsh.) But is it wise for Deok-hee to have Mrs. Ra following Se-ok when Se-ok is this unpredictable?

It would appear Deok-hee has been covering for Se-ok for a long time (shock number two!). In a jump to the past, we see Se-ok take a very rare day off from the hospital. Deok-hee is suspicious of this and when he goes to see her at home, he finds a dead body in the shed – just like every other normal day to these people…

Se-ok tries to lie at first but then admits it was self defense — which it was. But Deok-hee just asks what she is going to do, to which Se-ok says she plans to bury him in the woods. Deok-hee asks if she can do it alone and when she says yes, he leaves. (Hold on just a minute… Deok–hee knew Se-ok was a murderer back then and did nothing?! I’d be speechless if I didn’t have so many questions.)

In another glimpse into the past, we see Deok-hee agreeing to do surgery on “friend” KIM MYUNG-JIN (Kim Hak-sun), who is brought to the hospital by his son KIM KI-YOUNG (Ryu Hae-joon) in a white Rolls Royce. Fancy. Se-ok observes Deok-hee with Myung-jin and she knows that he is smiling too much and trying too hard, so she comes to the conclusion Deok-hee hates him and is planning to botch the surgery. After Se-ok creatively removes all the doctors from Myung-jin’s surgery and does it herself, he survives. Se-ok didn’t want Deok-hee to get a stain on his reputation.

However, Se-ok realized that Deok-hee was pissed with her, as this surgery was directly before he made sure to destroy her career. In a jump to the present timeline, Se-ok runs into Ki-young, who explains how his father went missing after the surgery. Ki-young had also received a mysterious phone call from his dad telling him to have a good life and not worry about him anymore. Se-ok confronts Deok-hee about Myung-jin’s surgery and the impact on her career — indeed, she asks Deok-hee outright if he killed Myung-jin afterwards. Deok-hee doesn’t like the mirror being held up showing him he is not that different from Se-ok, so he leaves the room, neither confirming nor denying.

In an attempt to find his missing father, Ki-young asks Se-ok for help, and she is more than willing to do this as Deok-hee is really annoying her. Deok-hee is applying yet more pressure to get Se-ok to do his surgery by having her pharmacy and Doctor Han’s clinic suspended from operating for thirty days through an investigation from the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Se-ok is mad and is going to lash out by helping Ki-young find his dad, whom she is sure Deok-hee has killed. Because he’s just like her.

In one attempt to take down Deok-hee, Se-ok teams up with Ki-young. Ki-young shows Se-ok a news report about a hospital that was closed down because they were illegally taking in patients and keeping them drugged. Ki-young had a tip-off from someone who saw his dad there, so he wants Se-ok to go and check it out with him. But when they meet the handyman who sent the tip, things get out of hand.

Turns out, the handyman is trying to prove that he saw Myung-jin to get the reward money. When Ki-young sees that the handyman is wearing his dad’s ring, they fight outside in the rain and end up rolling over a steep ledge. This lands Ki-young in critical condition and the handyman ends up dead. Boy, there is literally never a dull moment around Se-ok. It’s unclear whether Se-ok will give up on finding Myung-jin, but I highly doubt she will.

Se-ok attempts to sabotage Deok-hee again at the annual awards for neurosurgeons — it’s his tenth year of being the winner, but Se-ok has other ideas. Before the awards, Se-ok overhears people saying the sponsor’s son is sick, and Se-ok gets an idea. (That scary lightbulb just went off again.) Se-ok has met the sponsor before and visits her in her hotel room. There, Se-ok shows a video of her performing the exact same surgery her son needs. Even though the sponsor’s son is a hemophiliac, Se-ok promises to do the surgery and in record time for a small favor: make sure Deok-hee doesn’t win the award this year.

The sponsor talks to Deok-hee about Se-ok’s proposition, because she doesn’t trust Se-ok, but Deok-hee tells the sponsor to allow the surgery, thus forfeiting the award. Deok-hee explains that Se-ok is worth a hundred of the surgeons present for this award ceremony because she doesn’t hesitate, and doesn’t let the concept of failure enter her head — that’s what makes her brilliant. When Se-ok is strutting towards the plane to go and do the surgery with her shades on in the middle of the night like a rockstar – her arrogance is limitless. (This did make me laugh.) Se-ok’s cool head is tested during the surgery, but it is a success in the end.

It really is quite scary how alike Deok-hee and Se-ok are. In a flashback, Deok-hee tells Se-ok that another student had told him she may be addicted to stimulants. But Deok-hee knows Se-ok is addicted to surgery, because he is too. Both Deok-hee and Se-ok want to know all there is to know about the brain and Deok-hee even comments that if they go deep enough, will they be able to find humanity? (That is both brilliant and terrifying at the same time, which is exactly how I feel about both of these characters.)

This weird parallel between them may help explain partly why Deok-hee is constantly protecting Se-ok. Back to the present timeline, Deok-hee receives a phone call from his detective friend Inspector Yang about a tip-off they have received from the medical broker who has since fled the country. The tip has led them to the derelict temple where we saw Se-ok perform her illegal surgery on a gang boss last week, and they want Deok-hee’s help in looking at the scene, as he’s an expert. This is all well and good until the police find the body of the nurse Se-ok killed last week and the case gets messy.

Se-ok brazenly goes back to the scene of the crime to watch the search at the temple, and even chats to Detective Lee and mentions that she has Rottweiler’s. (This may seem random, but bear with me, because this is important.) Deok-hee has dinner with Inspector Yang and Detective Lee that night and we learn they found a clump of dog hair on the nurse’s clothes and are checking the breed now. After a little poking around by Deok-hee’s friend Mrs. Ra, they find out that they are Rottweiler hairs.

And the third surprise this week is when Deok-hee is on his way home. Blasting past a speed camera to make sure to get caught, he tells his butler to make him some porridge and then he can leave. As Deok-hee pretends to be in the shower, the butler drops off the porridge and leaves for the night. (Alibi.) Deok-hee then goes up to a little garage not far from his property and drives out in a white Rolls Royce. (That looks familiar!) Simultaneously, we see a past memory and the present moment: Deok-hee had presumably put a sticky substance on the door handle and then offered the person who touched it some sort of wipe. (Drugged, I’m assuming.)

In the past it was Myung-jin, and we see Deok-hee holding a knife to his throat to make that suspicious and final phone call to his son. And in the present it is Detective Lee, who is suspicious of Se-ok with the whole dog hair tying her to the murder situation. This week ends with Detective Lee passed out in the passenger seat, and Deok-hee driving with his creepy gloved hands.

Well, after last week I didn’t expect to still be surprised, but this has me wondering just how alike Deok-hee and Se-ok are. And why doesn’t Deok-hee want to admit it? I can’t wait to see how we will be surprised next week.

 
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