Wanted: Episode 4

by TeriYaki

The kidnapper has just raised the stakes should Hye-in fail to complete the second mission, as a serious development comes into play in the aftermath of the first mission. As the team hurries to complete its task before going on the air, everyone involved has to ask themselves just how far they are willing to go to save a little boy’s life.

 
EPISODE 4 RECAP

Hye-in opens the kidnapper’s video to see the mukbang kidnapping victim Ji-eun, who holds up a photo of a man. She identifies him as a murderer who has escaped notice. The second mission is to prove his guilt by that evening’s broadcast or Hyun-woo will die.

The production team meets to review the mission. Hye-in knows the man in the photo because he is Hyun-woo’s pediatrician, Dr. HA DONG-MIN, Pediatrics Director of Soo Jung Hospital. The doctor provides care to underprivileged children, causing Bo-yeon to observe that someone like that doesn’t seem like a murderer.

Hye-in points out that Dr. Ha is the best known pediatric cancer authority in the country and calls him trustworthy, a description Dong-wook finds odd. He observes she would need a trustworthy doctor only if she has something to hide. Hye-in denies any meaning to her description of someone she considers a good person.

Suddenly, another broadcast appears on their television. A shaken Ji-eun praises the team for saving a woman and child from a life of abuse. She turns around showing a room in disarray. Lying on the floor is the tied up, bloody body of the person who committed that abuse. Ji-eun explains he has been punished for his sins. It’s Professor Kim from Wanted’s first mission, looking very much dead.

The members of the production team all react with shock. Dong-wook takes a second to think, then cautions the team they can’t know for sure that Professor Kim is really dead. Joon-gu proposes stopping the show before it leads to any more deaths.

Hye-in’s voice rises as she argues to continue the show, reminding everyone that whoever is behind this has custody of Hyun-woo. Dong-wook agrees, emphasizing that if the team quits the broadcast now, there is no hope of finding Hyun-woo.

Overcome, Bo-yeon steps out with Writer Yeon behind her. Crying, Bo-yeon tells Writer Yeon she wants to quit. Writer Yeon evenly explains that for her, the show is a job that pays very well, which she needs. She thinks Bo-yeon accepted a spot on the team because she couldn’t get hired anywhere else with her resume. Writer Yeon advises Bo-yeon to not only grab this opportunity, but to take responsibility for finishing what she has started.

Still rattled, Bo-yeon wonders how everyone can carry on, not understanding how Hye-in can be so cold about a death that resulted from her show. Writer Yeon points out that Hye-in is so desperate to find her son that she’s not concerned about whether her decisions are wrong.

Sitting in Hye-in’s car, Manager Kwon is about to text Young-gwan about the promised list of Hye-in’s stalkers, only to delete it. Instead he calls Hye-in, feigning an emergency that requires him to be away for awhile. Saying he will return before the broadcast begins, Manager Kwon leaves on foot.

Writer Yeon and Bo-yeon return to the team’s meeting room. Bo-yeon apologizes and takes her seat. The team agrees to share their information with the police so everyone can help complete the mission by broadcast time.

Seung-in and manhwa-loving sunbae Mi-ok walk into UCN’s lobby together, engaged in comfortable banter. Seung-in brushes off Mi-ok’s concerns about her unauthorized help, promising that he will take care of her. “But I think your job might be in danger,” Mi-ok worries. Detective Park spots them and wants to know what is going on—Mi-ok is supposed to be on vacation. Detective Park accuses Seung-in of not doing his job properly and informs him that Ji-eun just murdered someone, causing Seung-in and Mi-ok to hurry off.

The police team is together as Detective Park lectures Dong-wook about failing to share his information with them. Dong-wook promises it won’t happen again, but Seung-in challenges him, believing Dong-wook is more concerned with producing the show than with finding the kidnapper.

Dong-wook defends himself, noting that producing is what he does best, thereby freeing the detectives to catch the criminal. Young-gwan rushes in with an IP address traced to Han-sol’s house that they tracked down from the broadcast.

Seung-in and Young-gwan enter Han-sol’s house, where, amid broken lamps and furniture, they find Professor Kim Woo-jin’s body. They also find Ji-eun calmly sitting on a chair. Seung-in asks her if she really killed Professor Kim, and she responds by silently lifting her hands to be handcuffed.

Noticing her slight build, Seung-in knows she couldn’t have killed Professor Kim by herself. He asks her who committed the murder. As she remains silent, Seung-in arrests her in connection with the murder of Professor Kim Woo-jin and the kidnapping of Song Hyun-woo.

As the production team continues their investigation, Dong-wook proposes two possibilities that would make Dr. Ha a murderer – either he killed someone for personal reasons or during a medical procedure. But either option will be difficult to prove in so little time. Bo-yeon is asked to hack Dr. Ha’s personal email and phone logs. When she hesitates, Dong-wook tells her the broadcast comes before her conscience, wanting to know which side she will choose. With determination, Bo-yeon promises, “I’ll do whatever I can and find it no matter what.”

Dong-wook presents Jung-ho with a request for a larger budget. An extra five hundred million won (about $435,000) will be offered as a reward to the person who provides proof Dr. Ha is a murderer. Jung-ho calls it bounty money, but Dong-wook tells him to think of it as buying viewers.

Analyzing the newest videos, Dong-wook is joined by Joon-gu who watches him silently. Dong-wook invites him to talk. Joon-gu reminds Dong-wook that the show was started to find Hyun-woo. At the very least, Joon-gu wants them to accomplish that much.

The video with Dr. Ha’s photo accompanies the reward announcement, capturing widespread attention. Dr. Ha becomes aware of the coverage and makes a phone call from his office. He asks someone to complete a task without leaving a trace.

Seung-in and Young-gwan have brought Ji-eun to the police station. A desperate Hye-in shows up to ask Ji-eun about Hyun-woo’s whereabouts. Seung-in invites her outside to talk, but she kneels down and begs Ji-eun for information, promising to do anything she can to help the young girl.

The detectives allow Ji-eun to walk up to Hye-in, and she whispers into her ear. Hye-in stands up and runs out of the station. Seung-in and Young-gwon chase after her, wanting to know what Ji-eun told her.

The two detectives drive Hye-in to an apartment building. Hye-in promises Seung-in she will allow him to enter the house first. He goes in slowly and someone runs past him, knocking down Young-gwan just outside the door.

Seung-in chases after him but the culprit steals a motorcycle and speeds away. Not to be outdone, Seung-in hops onto a delivery motorcycle to continue his pursuit. Driving into a parking structure, the suspect hits a car and is thrown from the motorcycle. Seung-in goes down to avoid hitting the same car. Now on foot, Seung-in corners his suspect on the roof. The suspect pulls out a knife but Seung-in disarms him and takes him into custody.

Back at the apartment, Hye-in looks through every room. Young-gwan announces no one else is there. In the main room there is an open suitcase, its contents strewn onto the floor. Young-gwon finds an airline ticket for someone named Kim Sang-mi. Hye-in opens another, larger suitcase and falls back when it tips over, revealing the body of a woman.

Mi-ok knocks at the production team’s door and explains that Seung-in asked her to join the investigation as an advisor. Dong-wook motions her in and their meeting continues. Detective Park theorizes that as Hyun-woo’s doctor, Dr. Ha might have resentment towards Hye-in. They haven’t found any connection between the doctor and the other victims, Park Se-young, or the family of Han-sol.

Mi-ok observes the criminal may have a motive for the broadcast, and may only be using Hye-in and Hyun-woo to promote his agenda. Detective Park calls her theory a story, but it grabs Dong-wok’s attention and he asks her to continue. Because Hye-in is a famous actress whose husband runs a broadcasting company, Mi-ok thinks the kidnapping of their child was used to attract huge interest, which was the real focus of the kidnapper.

Writer Yeon remembers that in the most recent video, Ji-eun said, “Because Han-sol’s dad died, someone that committed a sin has been punished.” Mi-ok surmises the broadcasts are designed to reveal hidden crimes followed by private punishments. Because the two kidnap victims were children and Dr. Ha is a pediatrician, she also believes the kidnapper is on a mission to save children.

Bo-yeon is at Soo Jung Hospital questioning an employee and discovers there was a nurse who suddenly resigned a month earlier. Hye-in and Seung-in are also at the hospital, having brought Ji-eun in for an examination. Hye-in leaves Seung-in to wait for Ji-eun so she can meet with Dr. Ha. On her way, she calls Dong-wook, advising him to prepare the broadcast to include an appearance by the doctor.

Dr. Ha is not very receptive to Hye-in’s invitation to have him on the show. He reminds Hye-in she entrusted her son to him for seven years and he kept her secret all that time. Expressing her gratitude, Hye-in explains she is giving the doctor a chance to clear his name. She hands him her phone with a photo of the woman from the suitcase, identifying her as Nurse Kim Sang-mi, discovered in her home earlier that day. Hye-in adds they have evidence the doctor hired someone to murder her.

As the protestors outside of UCN continue to call for a stop to the live broadcasts, Reporter Jang joins their group. Identifying himself as a reporter, he urges a woman to tell him her story. The woman is a mother whose child received free cancer treatment thanks to Dr. Ha. As they sit in a cafe, she tells the story of her family’s financial hardships, and of borrowing money to afford her son’s first surgery. When he relapsed, they gave up hope but were contacted by welfare organizations.

The parents had to sign a liability waver to allow treatment for their son. For once, Reporter Jang looks serious and asks the mother, “If you don’t sign it, do you not get the treatment?” She answers, “Even so, who wouldn’t do it? If there’s a glimmer of hope, you’d grab it.”

When Reporter Jang asks if her son got better, the mother tells him no. She explains he improved the first month, but developed breathing problems, quickly going downhill. She was told the treatment was started too late to help him. Even so, she is thankful for the help her son received.

Hye-in is in the studio as the live show begins. In the control room, Writer Yeon tries to find out if Dr. Ha has arrived at the network via telephone. She’s talking to Bo-yeon, who is in the parking garage just as Dr. Ha arrives.

The doctor is on the air with Hye-in in the studio, explaining that he was angry when he heard about the mission but then he became scared. Manager Kwon, Jung-ho, and Joon-gu watch the broadcast from the studio. They listen with interest as Dr. Ha shares details of a case he had as a resident, a young patient who died from complications after cancer treatment. Dr. Ha thinks this case may be why he is being called a murderer. The parents sued the hospital for malpractice, suspicious that the doctor mixed up the similar looking drugs, however, they lost their case.

Hye-in asks the doctor for the truth. Dr. Ha admits that he made a mistake. He apologizes to the patient’s parents, promising to compensate them personally. From the control room, Writer Yeon observes the doctor is really smart to confess to a crime from fifteen years ago, knowing he can no longer be charged.

After thanking Dr. Ha, Hye-in wonders if malpractice can really be called murder. Behind her, a picture of a young girl appears as she goes into a story about patients who were given free treatment through the doctor’s program for poor children. As photos flood the screen, Hye-in reports 150 children received free treatment for leukemia over a three year period. Dr. Ha looks alarmed, unprepared for the show’s new direction.

Young-gwan, Dong-joon, and Detective Park move to get to the doctor before he leaves the studio, aware that if they don’t, there will be another corpse the next day. On air, Hye-in reads off six names of children who died during treatment even though they showed early signs of improvement. Outside, Bo-yeon waits in front of the UCN building when a car pulls up. The driver hands her a packet of documents.

Still on the air, those documents go onscreen. Hye-in explains the signed agreements allowed the use of a new drug, NLC136. The drug was recalled due to side effects, but is being researched as a treatment for leukemia.

The doctor speaks up, accusing Hye-in of going too far. She counters that what he did was terrible – he targeted poor, sick children and orphans to conduct illegal clinical trials. After the doctor demands evidence, his recorded voice is heard saying: “They’re just experimental mice. Have you seen anyone stop research just because a few mice died?”

Dr. Ha becomes visibly flustered as a suitcase is rolled onto the set. Speculating about what is in the bag, Hye-in walks over to it. Again a recorded voice is heard, this time telling someone to check their bank account and, if they’re satisfied, to not come to the hospital anymore.

Dramatically unzipping the bag, Hye-in reveals it to be empty. Instead, she declares that Nurse Kim Sang-mi was discovered earlier in the day as a photo of the nurse’s body appears onscreen. Hye-in introduces the viewers to the person who proved Dr. Ha was a murderer. A woman wearing a black cap stands next to the suitcase. When she removes the cap, everyone sees the presumed dead nurse, very much alive.

With noticeable bruising on her neck, Nurse Kim claims she almost died, alive only because Hye-in found her in time. She verifies the audio file they played was Dr. Ha trying to bribe her. Nurse Kim was about to report the doctor to the government if he didn’t stop the clinical trials. Instead, he transferred money to her bank account to make her look like an accomplice. Nurse Kim feared for her life because the doctor promised to kill her if she didn’t leave the country. Dr. Ha is arrested in the studio and he tells Hye-in her secret won’t be a secret anymore.

After the show, Dong-wook finds Hye-in sitting alone. He believes the doctor’s threat has to do with Hyun-woo. He knows the boy is the son of Hye-in’s ex-husband, making Hyun-woo the flesh and blood of SG group. Hye-in insists that has nothing to do with the show, but Dong-wook makes the connection that Dr. Ha, the object of the mission, just so happened to be Hyun-woo’s doctor. How can her secret not be tied to the broadcast? Hye-in even told Dong-wook her secret to get him to produce the show.

Dong-wook worries that should Dr. Ha reveal Hye-in’s secret, it will take interest from the show and involve SG group. Dong-wook lists himself, Jung-ho, Joon-gu, and Dr. Ha as those who know her secret, asking about anyone else. Hye-in says there is no one else, so Dong-wook promises to try to keep it that way, but cautions Hye-in to prepare for the secret to come out.

Bo-yeon and Joon-gu review the audio file of Dr. Ha talking with Nurse Kim. On the recording Nurse Kim negotiates payment in exchange for her promise to leave the country. Realizing Nurse Kim lied about turning in the doctor, Joon-gu calls Dong-wook. He admits he wasn’t concerned with the truth, only with crafting a story the audience would watch.

Nurse Kim and Writer Yeon meet and the nurse asks about the reward money, her reason for appearing on the broadcast. Writer Yeon is taken aback, but agrees she will see that Nurse Kim gets the money and walks away. The nurse asks Writer Yeon if she thinks she is trash for talking about money.

She tells Writer Yeon she was once a witness for a patient in a malpractice suit and ended up getting fired, and found it difficult to find work after that. She shares that she learned, “Even if the truth is revealed, the world doesn’t change. Only my life changes.”

A crowd of reporters and cameramen are waiting outside the UCN building as Dr. Ha is escorted to a police car. Amidst the chaos, the mother who gave the interview to Reporter Jang approaches the doctor with a box cutter, demanding he return her child to her. Stopped by Dong-joon, the bereft mother falls to her knees reciting her son’s name, Ji-won, over and over. Just inches from her face, Reporter Jang rapidly shoots photos of her with his camera.

Seung-in interrogates Ji-eun with little success as Mi-ok and Captain Jung watch the interview behind a two-way mirror. The captain laments that Seung-in ignored his order to stay with the broadcast team. Mi-ok hands Captain Jung a candy bar, noting that Seung-in never listens, that’s how she ended up getting dragged into the investigation. Captain Jung retorts she won’t even get paid. She recalls having a sunbae just like Seung-in once. Captain Jung shoots her a look. Is she talking about him?

Having nodded off in the network’s dressing room, Hye-in wakes with a start and checks her phone. There is a text from Manager Kwon apologizing for not going into the station, leaving Hye-in alone. She looks up frustrated and struggles to collect herself. Suddenly we see Manager Kwon beating someone to a bloody pulp, sweaty from the exertion.

Mi-ok crouches, studying the evidence board when she is interrupted by a call. She quickly puts her phone away when Seung-in joins her. Noticing her mood, Seung-in asks Mi-ok if something is wrong. She tells him someone named Jo Nam-cheol was released, and that she wants him to know so he won’t get into trouble if he hears about it later. Mi-ok urges him to focus on the kidnapping investigation as the case with Jo Nam-cheol is finished. After shouting, “What’s finished?!” Seung-in leaves the station.

Later, he enters his apartment. Sitting at his desk, Seung-in sees that Han-sol left him a drawing labeled “Police Ahjussi” with a note of thanks. As he sets the drawing back onto his desk, his gaze falls upon a framed photo causing his eyes to fill with tears.

A weary looking Hye-in walks to her car in the UCN parking garage. Just as she gets in, she receives a text that reads, “Evidence that Hyun-woo is still alive is in the research office at Nam-gu Incheon Juandong #1385, Building 1.”

Still sitting at his desk, head in his hands, Seung-in takes a call from Hye-in who tells him about the text. He promises to leave right away and tells her to stay where she is.

Seung-in and Hye-in arrive at the given address, parking in front of a dark building. Seung-in gives Hye-in a flashlight, both looking somber as they prepare to enter the vacant structure. As they begin to move through the building, they hear music playing in the distance and follow the sound.

Running, they stop in a locker room, plastic sheeting hanging from the walls and ceiling. The volume of the music swells as they part the plastic to enter the adjoining bathroom. Seung-in stops, his flashlight aimed towards the floor as Hye-in follows behind him. Screaming at what she sees, Hye-in falls to the floor, trembling.

COMMENTS

It feels as if the show has settled into a rhythm, and the episodes continue to be rich with action, mystery, suspense and even social commentary. The objective of the second mission, exposing a doctor who hides his exploitation of poor, sick children behind the facade of a charity meant to help them was certainly sad. Someone who can look at hopeful little faces and lie to them is pretty much scum. Hye-in’s determined expression as she revealed Dr. Ha’s abuses showed that she had come to that conclusion herself.

The exploitation theme was intensified by Dong-wook and the side characters of Nurse Kim and Reporter Jang. Nurse Kim lied to avoid any criminal involvement while proving Dr. Ha was a murderer, allowing her to collect the huge reward. She skillfully and unapologetically exploited the show for her personal gain. Dong-wook wasn’t disturbed when Joon-gu told him that Nurse Kim lied on the air because his concern was to present a show that viewers would watch, not one that focused on the truth. He exploited the viewers to get the ratings he needed to protect Hyun-woo. Reporter Jang had no qualms taking photos of that poor mother during her most broken moment. Knowing how her family had been victimized by Dr. Ha, Reporter Jang didn’t hesitate to exploit her grief further. That was a hard scene to watch.

While the production team is proving to be an efficient machine, the policemen are giving this show heart. There is a certain ease as they work together and it gives the drama a bit of much needed levity. That scene where Mi-ok has a candy bar in her pocket ready for Captain Jung was proof of two colleagues who have worked together for a long time. It is a joy to watch veteran actors say so much with so few words. I am enjoying Kim Byung-ok as a good guy for a change, since I so often see him play a villain.

This week’s cliffhanger had me wondering what on earth Seung-in and Hye-in found when they got to that bathroom. Seung-in didn’t move a muscle and Hye-in was trembling all over. The mystery surrounding Hyun-woo’s paternity was becoming a distraction for me and it helped to have the answer revealed so that I could appreciate everything else that happened in this episode. Revealing that Hyun-woo’s father is Hye-in’s ex-husband, making her son an heir to SG group, will send this drama into new territory. We don’t understand why Hye-in is so determined to keep that information a secret, but I imagine we will learn her reasons soon enough. That must be an interesting family if she doesn’t want her son to be a part of it.

If the family behind SG group poses any threat to her son, I am sure Seung-in will notice. Mi-ok’s observation that the kidnapper is on a mission to save children made me think of Seung-in because he appears to have that objective as well. He really seems to understand the smallest members in his cases and makes sure they know that they are important to him. I can see how this aspect of his character will be crucial in catching the kidnapper who shares a similar, although twisted, focus. Because he is such a caring character, it was painful to see Seung-in struggle upon hearing that someone from his past, Jo Nam-cheol, was released. It suggests personal turmoil lies ahead for our kind policeman. It will be interesting to see which characters come to his aid.

 
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