Lookout: Episodes 9-10

by TeriYaki

Suji and Do-han are anxious to bring down a common enemy, but are they working together or against one another? Unless they straighten that out, it’s possible that they won’t know success, which would leave some very bad people free. In order to achieve their goal, they need to get on the same page, but that requires communication, not so easy when they are both buried deeply in the shadows.

EPISODE 9 RECAP

A loud tick-tock magnifies the silence as Prosecutor Oh sits with Chief Prosecutor Yoon. When Prosecutor Oh understands that he’s expected to take the blame for everything related to Woo-sung’s case, he recalls Do-han’s advice to use his leverage against the chief prosecutor. Prosecutor Oh reminds the chief prosecutor that he knows enough to derail his nomination.

Chief Prosecutor Yoon offers to pour Prosecutor Oh a cup of tea and notes, “If you do too much, it overflows.” The hot tea spills over, and Prosecutor Oh drops and breaks his cup. He’s asked, “It can’t be fixed, can it?” Chief Prosecutor Yoon then cautions, “Don’t make me an enemy.”

In interrogation, Woo-sung denies the recorded claims about his release the year before. From behind the one-way mirror, Soon-ae tells Eun-joong that faced with Choi Myung-hoon’s testimony, Woo-sung admitted to kidnapping and attempted murder, but nothing else. Eun-joong concedes that they know nothing about how Woo-sung was released and Soon-ae worries that Suji’s efforts will be wasted if they can’t link Chief Prosecutor Yoon to the criminal.

Do-han presents his resignation to Chief Prosecutor Yoon since it was his idea to release Woo-sung the previous year to cover up Prosecutor Oh’s mistakes. Do-han then bows in belated congratulations for the chief prosecutor’s nomination and is asked, “Do you want to remove Prosecutor Oh so you can take his place?” Do-han can hardly contain himself as he answers, “I’d like to be useful to you.”

Chief Prosecutor Yoon asks what Do-han can do in return and he offers, “I will catch Jo Suji.” Do-han believes that the chief prosecutor is her real target and argues that an ally is needed on the joint investigative team who will catch her, yet protect the chief prosecutor.

At home, Do-han surveys an evidence board projected onto a wall that lists Yoo-na’s accident, the Missing Housewife Case (linked to Kyung-soo) and the Yian Apartment Murder Case (linked to Bomi). Do-han recalls Chief Prosecutor Yoon’s agreement to give him only one chance to catch Suji and wonders if he should follow his plan or take a dangerous shortcut. His television broadcasts the news that a sexual assault suspect was arrested after fifteen years.

At the hideout, Suji and Kyung-soo watch televised news of Prosecutor Oh’s resignation. Kyung-soo wonders why Chief Prosecutor Yoon didn’t resign and Suji mutters that he slipped away again. Do-han is behind the chief prosecutor when he announces a joint investigation to catch Suji. Kyung-soo recognizes him from Yoo-na’s case and applauds his survival skills as Bomi notes his close association to the chief prosecutor.

Chief Prosecutor Yoon makes it clear that Suji’s accomplices will be held responsible. Suji realizes that the direction of the investigation just shifted and Bomi suspects that Kyung-soo’s hacking left traces, but he insists it was flawless. Suji urges caution and explains she’s worried the others are in danger.

Wearing a patrol officer’s vest and hat, Suji exits an apartment building, only to be stopped by another officer. When she runs, he catches her and throws her against a car.

And then we rewind through the previous thirty hours, showing us the highlights and stopping just before Do-han enters the Joint Investigation Headquarters. He greets the team as Soon-ae awkwardly returns the sentiment. Do-han declares it the perfect day to catch Suji.

Eun-joong walks in and Do-han reminds him that he works in the countryside. Not anymore, though; Eun-joong announces that he’s joined the team and Do-han quietly inquires if he used his father’s influence. Do-han laughs in delight when Eun-joong answers that he’s there to catch Suji because he can’t allow someone like Do-han to do it.

A prosecutor enters and introduces himself as PARK JOON-PYO, head of the joint team. Do-han becomes curious when he notices a glance pass between Eun-joong and Prosecutor Park.

Later, Soon-ae catches up to Eun-joong and he explains that they can’t let Suji remain a fugitive because her situation worsens with each crime that she commits. After she walks away, Eun-joong remembers his meeting with Prosecutor Park the night before.

Prosecutor Park had asked Eun-joong to join him in Seoul and promised to help him get revenge for his demotion. He explained that he was forced to follow orders the year before and suggests that two powerless men should work together.

Prosecutor Park added that not all prosecutors were loyal to Chief Prosecutor Yoon, plus others on the outside were ready to help. He had announced his appointment to head the joint team and urged Eun-joong to call if he wanted to join him.

Now in the present, from a short distance away, Do-han observes Eun-joong.

Bomi gazes at a family photo, remembering the horrible moment she saw her father in bed, bleeding from his abdomen, and her mother dragged away by her feet. Bomi whispers to her family, “I’m sorry,” and breaks down in tears. The doorbell interrupts her and Bomi sees that the courier just delivered another envelope.

Kyung-soo tells Suji that they have a new mission — a photo and national ID number accompanied by a message: “This is the first and final warning. Only do the work that you’re ordered to do.” The others know the message is aimed at Suji, but she ignores Bomi’s criticisms and asks about the man in the photo.

Kyung-soo recognizes him as the sexual assault suspect who was arrested after fifteen years, but Suji argues that faces of suspects can’t be made public. Bomi notes, “That’s the difference between the news and the internet.” When Suji worries about the legal penalties, Kyung-soo promises to use information that others already hacked.

Meanwhile, at the high school, a group of girls scribbles on Suji’s wanted poster. When they call her a psycho, it’s too much for Soon-ae’s daughter, Se-won, who argues that Suji is a mother who lost her daughter. The girls consider Se-won odd because she sides with a criminal even though her mother is a detective. That’s news to Shi-wan, so the girls explain that Se-won tells her mother what happens at school, and that’s why no one bothers her. Shi-wan looks at Se-won’s desk and a corner of his mouth curls up.

Shi-wan’s mother meets him outside the school with a new driver/bodyguard who drives them to his private academy. His mother informs him that he will be escorted by the man because Suji has resurfaced, and Shi-wan smiles at his mother’s concern.

However, that smile triggers another memory for Mom, who flashes back to the chaotic scene in the interrogation room when Suji had rushed at Shi-wan. When Mom had gazed down at Shi-wan, she’d seen him smile to himself. (She knows!) And now in the present, as soon as Mom turns away, Shi-wan’s smile disappears.

Prosecutor Park starts a team meeting and wonders why Suji pursued Woo-sung, who had nothing to do with her daughter’s death. Soon-ae believes that Suji intended to expose the cover up of Woo-sung’s case. Eun-joong thinks that would support a claim that Shi-wan’s crime was also covered up.

Prosecutor Park asks why accomplices were mentioned at the press conference and Do-han shows up to explain. The police assumed that Suji was aided by someone close to her, but it was actually a complete stranger. Do-han claims that her accomplice will be found within the hour because cyber investigators set a trap.

Suji watches the courthouse from her car while the latest target, Lee Jang-soo, is on trial. Bomi is confused, because the charges of special robbery and rape don’t explain the victim’s death. A flashback to 2002 shows a young girl running from a man — she ran into the street, she was hit by a truck. The parents arrived too late at the hospital and her father collapsed outside as he processed the news that his daughter Se-im jaywalked and was hit by a truck.

The father had overheard two doctors question why the girl’s underwear would be missing in a simple car accident, but they’d dismissed it. Se-im’s father scoured the area near the accident site and found her underwear, and he’d sobbed in agony as he realized that his daughter was sexually assaulted.

In the present, Bomi struggles to understand why the law doesn’t hold Lee Jang-soo responsible for Se-im’s death.

Suji and Bomi watch as Se-im’s father stumbles out of the courthouse and in voiceover we learn the court’s verdict: “Not guilty.” Suji follows Lee Jang-soo after he exits the courthouse and boards a bus and laments, “No one will know what the man sitting next to them has done.”

Suji instructs Kyung-soo to find all records related to Lee Jang-soo’s case. She then texts him to determine if the case is connected to Chief Prosecutor Yoon and to keep it a secret from Bomi.

The cyber team alerts Prosecutor Park that the hacker broke into the criminal information system. Prosecutor Park compliments Do-han, but questions how he could issue orders on his own — and Eun-joong questions how Do-han knew the hacker would breach their system.

Do-han dramatically explains that Suji’s upload of Woo-sung’s confession was an attack against the judicial branch and reasons that she wouldn’t ignore a case like Lee Jang-soo’s. The cyber investigators announce that they expect to have the hacker’s location soon and Do-han enjoys his victory.

When Do-han pulls out his phone and tries to slip out, Eun-joong asks if he’s sending updates to someone in real time. Do-han returns the phone to his pocket and has a grin in place when he turns around. He objects when Eun-joong suggests that officers should check on Lee Jang-soo, but Eun-joong correctly reasons that Suji must be after him, so Prosecutor Park allows it.

Do-han turns away to hide his concern and check on his phone, which was connected all along. The priest on the other end heard everything and Do-han calls him later to explain, “We have a slight twist to deal with. I’ll leave it to you if it doesn’t go as planned.”

Suji follows Lee Jang-soo to his apartment, where he finds his taxi littered with leaves and flyers. Kyung-soo gives her the details about Se-mi’s investigation, which was mishandled from the beginning because it was treated as a car accident. Lee Jang-soo was only caught this time when he tried to sell Se-mi’s belongings.

Se-mi’s assault can’t be pursued because the statute of limitations has expired, so Suji advises that the robbery charge is the only chance to convict Lee Jang-soo. But with only days until the statute of limitations deadline, they must find some evidence.

Suji snaps a photo of the taxi’s license plate and Kyung-soo verifies that Lee Jang-soo owned the vehicle at the time of Se-mi’s assault and adds that his business was suspended.

But just as Suji places a tracker under his car, Bomi gets a text: “Stop working on the case right now.” Kyung-soo’s computer suddenly lights up with a warning.

The cyber investigators have tracked the hacker’s location, and Do-han watches as Prosecutor Park dispatches Soon-ae’s team. Kyung-soo panics and Bomi worries that they’re about to be arrested. Su-ji tells Kyung-soo to get out, but he argues that the police are stealing their server’s data — if he leaves, they police will get everything.

Bomi suddenly warns Suji to run, because the police are headed to Lee Jang-soo’s apartment. Suji starts running, but finds every direction blocked as police approach from every side.

EPISODE 10 RECAP

Surrounded, Suji pulls down her cap and runs off.

Meanwhile, Chief Prosecutor Yoon receives a text, “We found the hacker. We’re also tracking Jo Suji.”

On their way to the scene in a police van, Byung-jae sees Jin-ki busy with his phone and teases him about it. He grabs for the phone, but Soon-ae yells at them to get serious.

Kyung-soo is hard at work covering up his tracks as police cars arrive at their destination in a run-down neighborhood. Soon-ae’s team is followed closely by the reporter who confronted Prosecutor Oh about Woo-sung’s case (Episode 1).

On her monitors, Bomi watches nervously as Suji tries to evade the patrol officers. At one point, Suji tries to pass by unnoticed in the apartment building corridors, but the female officer notices her suspicious behavior and grabs Suji’s arm as she passes. When she tries to use her radio, Suji overtakes her.

Soon-ae’s team runs up flights of stairs as Suji walks down some stairs, wearing the patrol officer’s vest and hat. Bomi directs her to get to her car and exit onto the road. That’s when another officer spots her, and when Suji runs away, we catch up to the earlier scene where she was pinned against a car.

But Suji fights back successfully, managing to knock the officer unconscious. Thankfully, she reaches her car without further ado.

Prosecutor Park is informed that Suji has been located. He tells Do-han and Eun-joong that they make a good team, but Eun-joong cautions that no one has been arrested yet. Do-han cockily claims that it’s all but certain, but tenses when he looks away.

Suji manages to drive away as Soon-ae’s team arrives in front of a door and pounds on it, and Kyung-soo looks up concern. The cops bust through the door…

…into a room full of hackers and their computers. Kyung-soo throws his hands up in victory, having managed to evade the police’s tracking program and erase all evidence of his location.

In interrogation, Byung-jae accuses one of the hackers of fabricating the connection between Suji and Chief Prosecutor Yoon, but he insists the information came from a legitimate source. When asked if Suji is his source, the hacker wishes it was true, because he’s her fan. He describes Suji as beautiful and declares, “She’s the lookout, seeking justice for the weak.”

The mood at headquarters is somber as Soon-ae reports, “I think we got the wrong person.” After Jin-ki verifies that Suji got away, Do-han blames the police and turns to Eun-joong for support, but he asks if the assumption about an accomplice was wrong. Do-han acts pleased that his wrong guess cleared the chief prosecutor. Frustrated that Suji eluded the task force, Prosecutor Park barks at the team to come up with a plan.

On televisions, the news reports that hackers were captured, but they had no connection to Suji. As a result, the conspiracy theory that threatened Chief Prosecutor Yoon’s nomination was eliminated.

Do-han meets with Chief Prosecutor Yoon, who reminds him that he only had one chance, but Do-han wasn’t told that it was limited to one day. He argues that catching Suji won’t solve the chief prosecutor’s problems; he has to shut down the rumors that have plagued his nomination. Chief Prosecutor Yoon replies, “You have a brain for shallow tricks, a tongue for speech and audacity,” then adds, “but you’re not a good liar.” He tears Do-han’s resignation in half and instructs him, “Don’t make excuses anymore.”

As Do-han turns to leave, Chief Prosecutor Yoon reminds him that he claimed that they met before, but he doesn’t remember Do-han. Carefully, Do-han admits that it was probably meaningless to the chief prosecutor and then brightly claims it was at an especially impressive lecture during his law school days. When Chief Prosecutor Yoon dismisses him, Do-han walks out with a serious look.

Suji changes the license plate on her car as Kyung-soo apologizes that she was almost caught because of him. He explains that the police expected him and set a trap to catch him. Suji finds it strange that an accomplice was mentioned at the press conference and a tracing program was embedded on the police site in case of hacking — it’s too perfect for the scenario. Kyung-soo wonders how the cops anticipated their plans when the only person who knew their target was Lee Jang-soo is their boss.

Kyung-soo thinks Suji may be right in suspecting that their boss is a prosecutor. He suggests that their boss sold them out, but then Kyung-soo acknowledges they were warned in time for him to to evade the cyber team. Suji argues that whoever knows about them has access to the investigation in real time.

Kyung-soo accidentally lets slip that Lee Jang-soo isn’t connected to Chief Prosecutor Yoon, which he was supposed to keep secret from Bomi. Bomi isn’t pleased to hear that she’s being left out, while Suji says that all she asked was if their mission was connected to the chief prosecutor.

Suji wants to discover the identity of their boss, but Bomi fears that he will abandon them, and she needs the data that he has. Her voice rises as she claims that without that data, they can’t catch the criminal, and Bomi will never be able to leave her room. Suji worries that they don’t know when they’ll be caught, her voice getting shrill as she points out that the chief prosecutor and his son are still living good lives. Kyung-soo urges the noonas to calm down, thinking a reconciliation between them as unlikely as the two Koreas reuniting.

Bomi insists she doesn’t know now to reach their boss, but Suji reminds her that he sent her a text. Kyung-soo suggests that they ask the boss, which is another slip — Suji believed that he was unreachable, but clearly the other two have their ways. Suji pledges to find him herself and hangs up.

Concerned that the noonas won’t be able to reconcile, Kyung-soo is struck with an idea and leaves the hideout. Bomi is about to call him when something on her monitor catches her eye. She zooms in on footage of Lee Jang-soo’s license plate as his car drives off and wonders where he went. When we cut to Lee Jang-soo, we see that he’s driving the streets in the search of an intoxicated, unaccompanied young woman.

Suji follows Kyung-soo after he boards a bus, who ignores a call from Bomi. She tries Suji next, who also ignores her call. Frantic, Bomi insists to herself, “I don’t care,” but the image of Se-mi’s father weeping outside of the courthouse haunts her.

Out on the streets, a young woman boards a cab and assures someone over the phone not to worry. She insists that she’s fine and hangs up as Lee Jang-soo asks for her destination.

Kyung-soo enters a church and Suji watches from a side door as he writes a note, enters the confessional and exits seconds later. Suji remains hidden when Kyung-soo lights the red candle and turns it so the symbol can be seen.

The priest is at his desk when he gets a call, and pulls out a second phone from a box. It has a new text, which reads, “Father, I came for confession.”

As he leaves the church, Kyung-soo finally answers a call from Bomi, who warns, “We have big problem.” She informs him that Lee Jang-soo might commit another crime.

Suji enters the confessional through the same door that Kyung-soo used, unaware that someone is on the other side of the screen. It’s Do-han, who averts his face, but Suji apologizes, “I didn’t know you were here, Father.”

Do-han invites her to begin her confession, and when she hesitates, he suggests she can return another time. Suji wants to know what the young man before her talked about, but Do-han replies that a priest has a duty to keep secrets.

Admitting that she’s not ready for a confessional, Suji turns to leave, but pauses to ask if priests pray for other people. She explains that she committed a big sin and finds that she can’t pray. This time when Do-han invites her to continue, Suji sits down.

Suji confesses that she had daughter, whom she hopes is happy where ever she is. Even though Suji committed a crime, she wants her daughter to know that she hasn’t done anything shameful, and hopes that the girl is still proud of her mother. Suji’s voice thickens when she asks if Yoo-na can appear in her dreams every now and then, so she can see her face.

Suji is grateful when Do-han promises, “I will pray for your daughter.” After she exits the confessional, Do-han wipes his eyes and struggles to collect himself.

The priest walks into the church as Suji leaves the confessional, and she instinctively turns her face away. They pass by each other quietly, but it’s as she’s walking away that she remembers that she met the priest once before in the hospital. She runs back to the church.

Inside the confessional, Do-han passes Kyung-soo’s note to the priest.

Boss, what should I do? The sisters are fighting a lot! It’s all because you give us missions without allowing us to ask questions. So, can you tell us what your plan is now? Of course, I’m not suspicious of you. So, you shouldn’t get upset. Promise me!

It closes with a couple of hearts.

The priest observes, “They are becoming suspicious of you. You shouldn’t come here anymore.” Do-han simply answers, “It will be over soon.”

Suji ignores Kyung-soo’s call when she arrives back at the church. She’s waiting when the priest exits the confessional and comments that that he’s not surprised to see her, nor is he reporting her to the authorities. He answers that she must need a place to rest and offers to leave her alone.

When he walks by, Suji reminds the priest that they’ve passed each other before, but he pretends he doesn’t know what she’s talking about. She asks if he made contact, and assumes he’s the one who warned them in time to evade the police. She wants to know how he has access to the investigation when he’s at a church and asks about the person behind him, but the priest laughs and claims that he doesn’t understand her questions.

Suji grabs the priest’s wrist when he tries to walk away and admits that his eyes tell her that he knows everything. Still, he sticks to his story and walks away trying to keep his thoughts hidden.

That’s when Suji picks up a call from Kyung-soo, who alerts her that Lee Jang-soo has a woman in his taxi, and Bomi asks her to help them.

Suji reminds them that they were warned not to work on this case and checks with her team that they’re willing to proceed anyway. When Bomi answers yes, Suji asks where Lee Jang-soo went and Kyung-soo notes that the two Koreas reunited after all.

Kyung-soo and Bomi give Suji details on Lee Jang-soo’s location as she walks by the confessional — but instead of leaving the church, Suji is struck with a belated suspicion. Recalling that the priest left the confessional through the same door she’d used, Suji approaches the room again — and this time walks to the other door, the one for the other side of the confessional. Steeling herself, she opens the door.

COMMENTS

At this point I’m all kinds of confused. Is Do-han actually going to deliver Suji to Chief Prosecutor Yoon, or is it some kind of set-up? I honestly can’t tell, and I appreciate that the lines aren’t clearly drawn just yet. On the other hand, I’m frustrated that the Lookout trio has had such little success in spite of their efforts. They did manage to catch Woo-sung, but his connection to Chief Prosecutor Yoon wasn’t proved and Prosecutor Oh was the only other liability. I struggle with the life that Suji, Bomi, and Kyung-soo lead, hidden in the shadows, while Chief Prosecutor Yoon and Shi-wan are living large. I want to see the scales start to tip in favor of our tarnished good guys, soon.

Do-han took a dangerous risk with the team and they know it. Everyone became someone else’s target and now the team is suspicious about their invisible leader. I would welcome a change in the team’s dynamic if Do-han were to be discovered and become more directly involved with them. He’d certainly clash with Suji, but I wonder how he would relate to Bomi and Kyung-soo. It would certainly prevent Kyung-soo from being the only one to referee the girls’ disagreements. It was telling that the event that forced him to contact their leader was the face-off between Bomi and Su-ji, not the fact that they were almost caught by the police.

We are finally learning a bit about Kyung-soo’s and Bomi’s backstory and my suspicion is that the rape case is particularly meaningful to Bomi. She’s haunted by the father’s grief-stricken face and agreed to ignore their boss’ instructions to drop the case. Bomi certainly suffered a serious trauma at some point in her life, but her surveillance work proves that she is driven to catch criminals. There is more to know about what happened to Bomi’s family and how it affected her, but hopefully her search for justice will go far to heal her wounds. It’s what the team has in common and the glue that keeps them together.

As much as Do-han is out and about, his persona is just as buried as the others. He has such little authentic contact with anyone, he’s a mystery, perhaps even to himself. It’s what happens when an obsession consumes someone, they lose themselves in the process. We know so much about Suji, even her moment of truth in the confessional revealed something about her thoughts, but there is little we know about Do-han. In fact, his role as faux priest provided him a rare opportunity to let down his guard and connect with another person. He was clearly moved by Suji’s desire to make her daughter proud and I imagine that he shares a similar wish in regards to his father. It’s crushing to live for someone while at the same time missing them, but that’s what survivors do.

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