San

The drama does not simply cover criminal cases and profiling of such, but the deeper embedded layers that exist to advance the personal agenda of individuals. So, instead of justice system that truly works, we get one that is deeply flawed because it is adapted to suit distorted intrinsic motivations. Justice becomes the show individuals put on screen while they only pursue that which protects their sense of power. The search for truth becomes transactional, as if to answer a principle of: does truth pay off for me and does it support my needs and desires?

What is the point of institutions then if not to regulate and optimize the process that is supposed to pursue truth and justice? I think that class separation is also clearly shown in the drama. How connections, money and knowing the right people get you out of trouble yet place someone innocent in the mud instead of them.

Today's episode provoked a stream of thoughts around crime and solving it that is not just focused on the perpetrator but looking at things from a broader perspective. It is not that criminals who get away with crime are all that ingenious. There are those who solve investigations by blindly following orders, greed to ascend socially constructed stairs, protecting personal interests and instead of pursuing truth and justice no matter how long it takes, they pursue their own hidden agenda. Beating a confession out of someone till they feel coerced to admit to a crime they haven't committed is not justice. Closing a case in order to receive applause and praise is not justice. Flaunting medals does not serve justice. So, I am left with the question: How many people are truly seeking justice through fair and truthful investigation? How many are clear-eyed while conducting search, examining evidence and asking questions?

Aren't there signs in childhood as well? When the environment also notices that something is not quite right? The drama doesn't take us back to his upbringing (perhaps they will do so in the upcoming episodes), but none of his family members and friends show signs of recognizing him as such. His rationale for committing a crime shows signs of inferiority - he used to like to scare women until one threw a pebble and hit him. That was the "switch" in the moment yet if we look at other situations and try to position and understand him as part of a family unit and part of society : he is overlooked while his brother garners all the praise (primarily for his look). His mom's reaction when finding out about Gi Beom's imprisonment was to slap Gi Hwan across the face. The girls who visit the bookstore all have their eyes and attention on his brother. These situations seem to be constant. If they had started early on in childhood, his inferiority complex would have sprouted and grown a lot by the time of his first crime. What is interesting to see is how someone like him who is diligent and lives life according to a routine, commits crimes when opportunity presents itself. I was rewatching some of the previous episodes and was reminded that he went from committing an attack to a girl to noticing another woman he later saw was his friend Ji Won and deciding to go after her. That behavior is erratic. While his impulse for crime is always present underneath the polished version of self he presents to society, who he goes after and when he does it appears to follow chance.

How does one remain so detached from a situation and its' consequences while witnessing the death of person whose entire childhood and adult life they have spent together? Gi Hwan's actions are disturbing. They were when related to unknown women but even more so once you realize that the same cold blooded approach extends to his own brother. I understand Gi Beom's need to talk to his brother privately and not share anything with the police nor with Tae Ju. After you have experienced hell on your own skin, you don't want the same for people close to you. He couldn't be sure of the statements of the police. The best course to take was to directly confront his brother. And realizing that he was about to die, the only thing he could do in that moment is plead for the safety of Sun Yeong. A part of him wanted to believe that a sincere, loving plea could change the heart of someone he had always looked up to and shared everything with.

Jun Ho... I am left speechless when observing his actions. How does one erase the will of others and superimposes oneself and their presence where it is unwanted? How much of it is due to his own unmet needs? Where is the line that one eventually needs to learn to draw between hurtful experiences of one's own vs spilling those onto the life of others as ink on paper?

Yeonga Ja's character growth is currently my favorite. She used to put her husband and family on a pedestal only worth of 'the best of the best' as socially accepted. She was quick to accept a union between her son with the heir of the Dream Hotel and equally quick in judging Jang Mi and her family as below her standard. It really took me by surprise that a woman who has seen a lot of different cases and has dealt with people form different backgrounds to still have a lot of prejudice based on status and income. Her awakening is sure accompanied by a lot of pain and suffering, yet I think she uses that as a fuel to become more mentally sharp. I hope that her role will grow in the upcoming episodes and that she will put the final nail on Hwa Yeong's coffin. And I sincerely hope that she will live a life in which she puts herself first. Not for selfish reasons. But as part of her growth as a character who needs to learn self-love unaccompanied by associations based on the roles she had played all her life - devoted mother, loving wife, faithful and loyal to her kids and husband. Those qualities are to be admired. The issue is : what happens when you see your worth only through the scope of a role you play inside a family unit?

Jang Mi and Seo Rin grew up in completely different environments and that impact shows in the construction of their characters. Jang Mi's surrounding was one she could trust, the people were kind, supportive and trustworthy. Seo Rin had to learn to be vigilant, scan her environment for threats and be extremely self-protective. These environmental lessons can so easily be seen in their characters. Jang Mi's natural instinct is not to be self-protective and assign malevolent or threatening characteristics to those around her (even when she should). And Seo Rin's instinct is to protect herself first and sees potential threat even when there isn't one. It can be extremely hard to overwrite that initial reaction they have learned in their life and just magically balance it out.

On the other hand, we have Baek Ho and Jun Ho. Jun Ho is someone who had clearly lacked attention, love, support and nourishment at a young age. Growing up in an orphanage, knowing that he was abandoned but not knowing by whom and why, not having mother and father figure to help him establish a healthy interaction with the environment can shape a character into what he is today - insecure adult figure who is deeply fragile yet masks that vulnerability. Jang Mi was the first person he observed as caring towards the environment and others. I remember a scene where she jumped in front of a trolley and saved a kid. And I remember how Jun Ho looked at her. That deep, hidden need to be protected and loved and projecting that need onto a person who, in his eyes, is the only one capable of selflessly offering that is Jang Mi. Chances are pretty high that in this particular scene he saw his young, unprotected self as the kid and Jang Mi as the protective and nurturing figure he needed and needs. None of this is an attempt to justify an action, but simply an attempt to see the world through the eyes of wounded and imperfect characters. Baek Ho seems to have been adopted at a younger age compared to Jun Ho. He probably had a strong concept of maternal and paternal figure in his life thus not developing an 'I am less than...therefore I need to prove myself and my worth' complex. That said, I believe they have mentioned that Baek Ho is the son of the professor, didn't they? Does someone else remember the scene and what episode it was in?