I Remember You: Episode 7

by dramallama

We return to the question that started it all: How are monsters created? But more importantly, how do you know if you’re a monster? Hyun finds himself conflicted in self-doubt, especially seeing a reflection of himself in young Jung-ha. But this isn’t all about him, as he realizes that Lee Joon-young scarred Ji-an and left her with just as much pain. He finds solace in sharing the pain, which — given our duo’s annoyance with each other — leads to some awkward moments of acknowledgement and encouragement.

 
EPISODE 7: “Let’s be partners?”

Hyun voices Ji-an’s suspicion about him being a monster like Joon-young, and her hesitation confirms her doubts about Hyun’s true intentions. Despite him knowing about her speculations, the distrust still seems to sting.

Ji-an sends the picture of Jung-ha and Jin-woo to her team, and they begin their search of their new suspect. In the car, Ji-an tries to break the awkward silence but Hyun doesn’t give her a chance to.

He gets a call from Lawyer Jung, who notifies him of Jung-ha’s critical condition. Hyun pulls over to the side of the road and gets uncomfortably close the Ji-an to kick her out of the car. As he drives away, Ji-an chastises herself for feeling sorry towards Hyun for a moment.

At the hospital, Hyun delivers the book to Jung-ha, whose condition has since become stabilized. Lawyer Jung watches curiously as Hyun warmly asks Jung-ha to fight through and tells him that they’ll be going after Jin-woo now.

Hyun thanks Lawyer Jung for his services, offering to provide compensation, and swiftly leaves. But Lawyer Jung follows and asks about Hyun’s relationship to this boy. Hyun compares his concern to the random propensity towards a certain flower during a hike. Just because. Lawyer Jung doesn’t seem to buy it, and Hyun takes note of his personal interest.

Lee Jin-woo (oops, Jung-ha’s friend, not his brother) walks home from school and notices the kitchen knives at a local convenience store. We see his index finger wrapped up in a bandage.

Cut to Joon-ho, describing that the weapon — a typical kitchen knife — would have left a cut on the killer’s finger from the force of the stabbing. Ji-an thanks him for the insight.

Ji-an arrives at the stakeout for Jin-woo, where Team Leader Kang and Myung-woo poke fun at Hyun for wimping out right before they catch their suspect. They spot Jin-woo while walking towards his house, and the pursuit begins.

After meandering through the neighborhood, they corner Jin-woo, but he takes out his knife. Ji-an goes head to head with Jin-woo, and she expertly disarms and handcuffs him, coming out with just a busted lip. Her two team members look at her with a mix of worry and admiration, but she deals with it all like a pro.

In the interrogation room, Jin-woo keeps his mouth shut and blames Jung-ha for the crime. As Chief Hyun and Team Leader Kang consider their options, Hyun pops in and suggests that they turn up the AC — it’ll make their suspect more anxious. Before he leaves, Hyun mentions to Chief Hyun that they’ll talk later.

In the office, Hyun runs into Ji-an and notices her busted lip. He asks if it’s Jin-woo’s doing, and Ji-an shrugs it off, saying that it’s a part of the job. Before Hyun gets a chance to make a starky comment about her cut scarring, Ji-an beats him to it: “Even if my cut scarred, my face is pretty enough to handle it.” Haha.

Hyun asks Ji-an to accompany him to Jin-woo’s house, since he needs her help. “You need me? Well, if you insist…” Betraying a smile, Ji-an follows. Hyun admits that he actually needs Myung-woo, but she’ll do.

At the house, Hyun sits Ji-an down to figure out the password to Jin-woo’s computer. She suggests that they send this to digital forensics, but Hyun assures her that she can do it. “Don’t think too much, don’t even use your head. Just imagine yourself as a volatile and ignorant high schooler, as you usually are.” Ji-an realizes that this is why Hyun needed her or Myung-woo. Ha.

As Ji-an works on the password, Hyun examines the room. Noticing the extra lock on the door, Hyun notes that Jin-woo was very private. Almost too extreme for it to be just angsty adolescent puberty. He seemed to have a tendency to be violent, and his different school uniforms show that he transferred schools often, probably due to disciplinary reasons. All his movies are about fathers, suggesting a deep longing for his father. But his relationship with his mother is broken.

Hyun meets with Jin-woo’s mother, comforting her by saying that her son’s charge isn’t for certain yet. He asks about Jin-woo’s father, and Mom reluctantly shows her newspaper clippings, the same ones found in Jung-ha’s room. She says that the prisoner (Jung-ha’s father) killed Jin-woo’s father, but Jin-woo knows nothing about it.

Meanwhile, Ji-an works intensely on figuring out the computer password. She finally gains access, and Hyun commends her for staying true to her ignorant 18-year-old mind. He leans in close to search through Jin-woo’s accounts, which quickly silences Ji-an’s complaints. Hyun finds an email from Lee Han-chul, the prisoner who is also Jung-ha’s dad, and he points this out as Jin-woo’s motive.

Ji-an asks our question for us: How did this happen? Hyun explains that Jin-woo’s mother had remarried and changed her family relations through the official registry, so Jin-woo had no record of his biological father. Jin-woo mistakenly assumed that Lee Han-chul was his father, and Jung-ha probably knew of his friend’s mistake. That’s why he wanted to cover for Jin-woo.

In his hospital bed, Jin-woo holds the wolf book on his lap. Lawyer Jung walks in and tells Jin-woo that the book is a bit childish for his age. Jin-woo says that he likes the story nonetheless. As his heavy eyelids shut close, Lawyer Jung eerily wonders aloud, “What did he like about you?”

A new fingerprint has been found at the crime scene, and Myung-woo excitedly bets that it’s Jin-woo’s prints. He orders his team to confirm the evidence and hand over the case to the prosecutor, but Hyun walks in and claims that they’ll get a confession first. Myung-woo teases Hyun for arriving after they caught their suspect, but he’s in no mood for a clever comeback.

In the interrogation room, Hyun lists off Lee Han-chul’s numerous crimes and calls him a filthy piece of trash. Jin-woo takes offense to this and seethes at Hyun for maligning his father. The investigators observing the interrogation are taken aback by this revelation, but Ji-an looks upon with sympathy.

Hyun continues, “So is that why you killed this man? He was the witness to Lee Han-chul’s last crime. Thanks to him, Lee Han-chul is rotting in prison and the world became a little better. But another piece of trash killed him.”

Jin-woo rephrases Hyun’s accusation and claims that he merely got revenge on the man who took away his father. Hyun smiles and points out that Jin-woo just confessed his crime.

The investigative team wonder why Jin-woo keeps calling Lee Han-chul his father. Could it be some birth secret? Ji-an shakes her head and explains.

Jin-woo and Jung-ha became friends through a meeting for broken families. Jung-ha probably approached Jin-woo knowing that his father killed Jin-woo’s father. Jung-ha was a loyal friend, and it seems that Jin-woo opened up to him. (We see that Jin-woo’s computer password was “Lee Jung-ha.”) By chance, Jin-woo found his mother’s newspaper clippings about Lee Han-chul, and he made the wrong assumption.

Back in the interrogation room, Hyun presents Jin-woo with the article. Which one is his father? The killer or the one who was killed? Jin-woo seems positive that Lee Han-chul is his father. But is he sure?

Slowly, it dawns upon him that it may be the other way around. Hyun confirms that Jin-woo’s real father is the man Lee Han-chul killed. Jin-woo was manipulated by his father’s murderer to commit another murder. Jin-woo convulses in anger and denial, and the investigators rush into the interrogation room to hold him back.

The scene unfolds with Lawyer Jung reading the Native American Cherokee legend of the two wolves:

An old Native American chief told his son, “There are two wolves inside of us. One is evil — suffering from anger, envy, jealousy, arrogance, superiority. The other is good — having happiness, peace, love, hope, faith. These two wolves always fight inside of us.”

Then the boy asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”

And the grandfather replied, “Whichever one you feed.”

Lawyer Jung finishes reading the story to Jung-ha just as Hyun and Ji-an arrive. He updates them that Jung-ha’s fever won’t go down and keeps hallucinating him as Hyun. The doctor warned him to expect the worst. Ji-an pulls Lawyer Jung outside so that the two can have their space.

Outside, Ji-an talks to Lawyer Jung in a curt manner, still not very approving of his ways. He wonders the connection that Hyun has with Jung-ha, and Ji-an seems to know. She thinks, “Because he knows how it feels to suspect yourself.” She refuses to tell Lawyer Jung, and he seems conflicted with Ji-an’s consistent hatred of him.

A tear rolling down his face, Jung-ha tells Hyun about his efforts. “I was afraid that I would become like my dad. I tried every day. I tried and tried and tried again.” Tears brimming his eyes, Hyun nods and smiles. Jung-ha smiles back and slowly closes his eyes. Hyun gasps and reaches out to hold Jung-ha’s hand.

At home, Ji-an bangs her head on the table. She’s heartbroken about Jung-ha, and she can only imagine how Hyun is feeling. Or maybe he isn’t feeling? Her aunt has no idea who she’s talking about, but Ji-an keeps talking to herself about being justified to suspect Hyun of conspiring with Lee Joon-young.

Aunt tells her to continue suspecting him, since that’s the only way Ji-an endured all these years: by having someone to hate and suspect. Then she makes a comparison to squid — that more squid stay fresher and alive when they’re mixed with their predator fish because they bond together to survive. So Ji-an is the squid and Hyun is the fish? Ha.

Ji-an calls Hyun to meet him at the park located exactly between their houses. When they meet, she starts with a string of insults which catch him off guard. She follows by clarifying: “But I don’t think you’re a monster, nor do I think you’re on Lee Joon-young’s side. So what I’m saying is… after stalking you from afar and then getting to know you in person, you don’t seem that bad.”

She starts trailing off and avoiding eye contact, so Hyun turns her towards him. She continues by softening the insults: “So you’re weird, but not really, a jerk but not really. But you really aren’t a monster. So don’t think of yourself that way. If you think that way, you’re wrong.”

Hyun stares intensely at her, and Ji-an tries to step away and break the tension. She asks if he remembers her requests, continuously rejected by him. Now, she’s really requesting with her hand held out, “Let’s be partners.”

She ends up grabbing his hand to shake, and Hyun notices their contact after they shake hands. Trying to overcome the awkwardness, Ji-an abruptly suggests that they go see a movie and then quickly regrets saying that after the words come out of her mouth. Ahhh I cringe for you.

Hyun seems amused by her sudden suggestion and the aftermath of her explaining that she goes to the movies to overcome awkwardness. He agrees, but not today since he’s busy. He suggests tomorrow, but Ji-an says she’ll have to check her schedule. Then, she makes a painfully awkward exit.

Ji-an quickly bikes away, scolding herself in mortification. Ahaha thank goodness you had a bike for a quick getaway.

Hyun pays a visit to Lee Han-chul to deliver the news of his son. He read his letters to his son, but his son never opened a single letter. Han-chul seems offended by this stranger reading his letters, but Hyun continues with his point. “Do you know how your son lived? He feared any personal attraction or imagination perfectly appropriate at his age because of his father. He feared that he would become a murderer like you. He lived 18 years of fear and died.”

The news doesn’t seem to sink in, so Hyun uses a proverb to make it clear. “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and the stone will come back on whoever starts it rolling. Jung-ha died because he tried to block Jin-woo, who you manipulated to kill the witness.” Han-chul is convinced it’s all a scam, but Hyun has the official documents to prove Jung-ha’s death. The father mourns, and Hyun watches with vengeance.

On his drive back, Hyun thinks about Ji-an’s assurance that he’s not a monster. He wonders if that’s really true.

In the office, Team Leader Kang commends his team for keeping busy even on the weekend. But they’re actually doing nothing. Myung-woo asks what Team Leader Kang is doing, and he responds that he lives with his father (Deputy Chief Kang), so he figured maybe coming to work would be better. He does seem a little disappointed that Ji-an isn’t there.

Ji-an dresses up for her movie date, and though she initially decides to go with a dress, she ends up going in jeans. Atta girl.

When Hyun arrives at the movies, Ji-an has already browsed all the movies and knows that there are no films that match his taste. She suggests that they go out to eat instead and knows to search for a quiet and clean place.

She can’t find anything that matches his taste, which she knows from her intensive stalking, so Hyun suggests that they just go with her taste. So she decides that they go to an amusement park.

The amusement park seems to be long-abandoned and nonfunctional, but Ji-an insists they play anyway, since it used to function when she came here with her dad long ago.

Hyun gets dragged onto rides while Ji-an cheers as if the rides were in full swing. She struggles to take selfies, so Hyun takes her picture and even takes a selfie with her at her request. Hee.

Then, Hyun notices a figure in black watching them in the shrubbery. As they walk out, he looks back to check on their stalkers.

On their way out, yellow butterflies mesmerize Ji-an (wait, did the butterflies just stop mid-air?!), and Hyun takes a moment to pat her head with a compliment: “You’ve had a tough time too. But you grew up ignorant, volatile… and strong.” Ji-an looks touched and thankful, and they walk out together.

Back home, Hyun sips on his tea and reminds himself about a puzzle he momentarily forgot about: Joon-ho. As Ji-an relives her day — it was a date that wasn’t a date, but it felt like one — she gets a call from Hyun asking her to retrieve the autopsies and death certificates that Joon-ho personally wrote, not the ones typed up by the wards.

He ends the call as soon as he’s done, and Ji-an is back to throwing insults at her new partner.

Hyun thinks back to another puzzle, one that came up today. Briefly flashing back to the amusement park, Hyun excused himself to go to the bathroom with the intention of finding their stalker. He ran after the man but lost him.

We see that the pictures taken of the two were sent to Lawyer Jung, who notes that they’re much closer than he expected. He thinks back to Yang Seung-hoon (the first killer stuck in China) and calls his secretary to set up an appointment with him.

The next morning, Hyun brings pictures of the whole investigative team, Joon-ho, and Lawyer Jung to his indebted friend. He asks his friend to dig up their history. When asked why he needs to do as told, Hyun reminds him of his debt. Ha, I really need to know what this debt is.

Before he leaves, Hyun turns around and points out Myung-woo as someone who doesn’t really need a background check, but might as well while they’re at it. He also hints that at least one of these people should be a murderer. That seems like enough to get Indebted Friend onboard.

Lawyer Jung makes a call to Seung-hoon and asks him to take care of just Ji-an. He can take care of Hyun. Then he leaves the room, which has the characteristic painting of two heads and the killer’s signature. What?!

Ji-an shops for groceries and picks up some vegetables just in case Hyun decides to cook for her again. She runs into Lawyer Jung, and she curtly greets him before going her own way. When she gets to the parking lot to go home, her car won’t start.

She tries to figure it out, and Lawyer Jung surprises her from behind. He offers to drive her home, and she obliges. After dropping Ji-an off, Lawyer Jung watches from behind with a creepy look.

Hyun looks through his mail and finds one unaddressed. He opens the red envelope and find a drawing of a car, with the letter V on the bottom. He doesn’t seem to know what it means.

Ji-an arrives at her house, and as she opens the door, a figure in black approaches from behind. She senses his presence, turns around, and her eyes widen.

 
COMMENTS

How twisted is it, that Jin-woo didn’t even know that the murderer actually killed his father? That’s a cruel fate for the kid whose real motive was his deep yearning for his father. I’m sure Mom was doing her best to protect Jin-woo from the truth, but we’ve seen how that worked out for Hyun. Good intentions without the truth leads to some disastrous results. I found that Hyun’s interrogation was painful to watch because I could see the realization slowly settle into reality, though I don’t think Hyun had much sympathy for this kid. You can see it in his cold demeanor. He cared more deeply for Jung-ha’s self-loathing and restraint, which he found in himself.

I would have to agree with Hyun’s sympathy for Jung-ha, who seemed to have the complete opposite problem to Jin-woo. Jung-ha was simply too self-aware, so much so that he destroyed himself trying to not be someone he believed he was fated to be. In this case, the biological and environment factors that Hyun studied for his whole life almost seem irrelevant. Monsters are not born or created. There is a monster in all of us. It’s just a matter of feeding that monster. It’s a conscious choice to act on our better half. I can see why Jung-ha appreciated the story about the wolves so much — he needed someone to tell him that his father’s murderer instincts did not decide his fate. If only someone were there to tell him earlier.

At the amusement park, Ji-an kind of seemed like a crazy lady, but it was sweet to see Hyun endure it all. In a way, this was her way of compensating for her past and trying to relive a precious memory. While we saw that Hyun clearly still lives in the past — it’s basically his whole existence — I don’t think I saw that in Ji-an until this episode. It was poignant to see her bubbly self stuck in tragedy and the nostalgia for her father.

Ji-an’s confrontation with Hyun was the greatest thing. Same thing with Hyun being nice to Ji-an at the amusement park. I just love the awkwardness the two share when they’re trying to be nice to each other. But they fight through the awkwardness to say something genuine, which is a real struggle that I surely can relate to. LOL at Ji-an spewing out her feelings when trying to not be awkward. I cringe because I can totally relate to her mortification and awkwardness. In that way, she is my spirit animal.

I wanted to make a quick kudos to writers of the show for incorporating some great allusions in this episode and past ones as well. The story about the wolves and the proverb are quite relevant to the whole story, and it definitely takes some resourceful writers to create intelligent and engaging stories. The references made in the episodes are incorporated in a way that enhances the understanding of the story, rather than confuse the meaning. I find this kind of rare since most dramas stick to conventional or cliché references that are familiar to the Korean audience. It just seems fresh, and I like the variety.

With each case, we learn more about our duo’s individual stories as well as their mutual annoyance and understanding for each other. It seems like our childhood frenemies will need to warm up pretty quickly, especially with some ambiguous and shady characters in the picture. Maybe a couple more reluctant selfies will help with that.

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