Lookout: Episodes 25-26

by TeriYaki

It’s the moment of truth as Do-han faces the man who changed his life. He’s not taking any chances as he risks everything to secure the fall of his nemesis. Since his opponent always manages to survive, the question is, will Do-han’s efforts be enough, or has he sacrificed his future in vain?

EPISODE 25 RECAP

Suji watches as Shi-wan and Se-won walk out of school together. They appear friendly as they confirm plans for Se-won to visit later that afternoon and smile as they wave goodbye. Once Shi-wan is out of sight, his smile disappears.

Chief Prosecutor Yoon arrives at the National Assembly for his hearing and promises the reporters that their questions will soon be answered.

In his office, Do-han is on the phone and adjusts his promise of three witnesses to two. Police detectives enter to arrest him for forgery.

Just before he’s called in to his hearing, Chief Prosecutor Yoon advises someone over the phone to discover a link to Suji during interrogation to eliminate two threats.

The priest watches Yoon’s hearing in his room, but is interrupted by detectives who explain that he’s needed as a witness in Do-han’s case.

Chief Prosecutor Yoon’s hearing begins as he takes the candidate’s oath and promises to tell the truth.

The priest sits in interrogation with Do-han and is asked if Lee Kwan-woo is his real name. He’s warned that he could be charged as an accomplice, which Do-han considers a threat. Do-han demands proof of the allegation against him and the detectives produces some documents.

Assemblywoman Chae directs a question at Chief Prosecutor Yoon: “Do you believe that the prosecution shouldn’t interfere in politics?” When he agrees, she asks about his interference in the Miseo-dong case in order to protect the ruling party.

The ruling party objects to her making an accusation without proof, so the assemblywoman calls Lawyer Oh as a witness. But then she’s given a message and glances over at a very calm Chief Prosecutor Yoon.

The lead detective shows Do-han school records that list his blood type as AB, as opposed to recent records that list it as type O. Curiously, the priest’s blood type was type O before it became type AB.

Do-han laughs that school tests are unreliable and wonders why he was arrested over something so petty, suggesting that someone very powerful is behind it. The detective clarifies that his question was meant for the priest, who has refused to say anything. The detective advises the priest that his silence could work against him if the search of their belongings yields incriminating evidence.

Lawyer Oh ignores his ringing phone as we see in flashback that Chief Prosecutor Yoon offered to make up for what he had done to him. Lawyer Oh asked for an end to all of the investigations aimed at him before he would discuss any compensation. As he ignores another call from the assemblywoman, Lawyer Oh smiles broadly.

A phone call informs the lead detective that a second phone was discovered in Do-han’s car. Do-han looks up at the CCTV camera in the room as the detective orders the call history. The priest finally speaks and asks the detectives to stop their investigation because he’s the real Lee Kwan-woo. Even after the detective reminds him again that he will be charged as an accomplice if he’s lying, the priest insists, “I’m telling the truth.”

Do-han threatens a lawsuit for false arrest. The lead detective argues that if Do-han is that confident, then he should agree to a DNA test to prove his identity. Because Detective Nam requested the test earlier, Do-han’s signature can release the results, and if test shows that he’s not Lee Shin-hyuk’s son, he’ll be released right away. Do-han mutters that this is what they were after all along.

Assemblywoman Chae realizes that Chief Prosecutor Yoon somehow interfered with Lawyer Oh’s testimony. She asks her assistant about their informant, but he’s remained anonymous, so there is no way to contact him. The assemblywoman notes that instead of having three witnesses, she now risks a charge of false accusation.

Do-han and the priest look anxious as the lead detective reviews the DNA report. But then, he announces that Do-han is not related to Lee Shin-hyuk. Do-han stands to leave, but the detective detains them until Do-han’s second phone can be investigated and promises to arrest him if it turns out to be a burner phone (untraceable, illegal).

Chief Prosecutor Yoon testifies that he’s never gone against his principles as a prosecutor. Assemblywoman Chae is given another message, and this time she announces a witness who can challenge his claim. And then Do-han enters the hearing.

In a flashback to nine hours before the hearing, we see Do-han visit the team’s hideout to ask for help. Kyung-soo and Bomi had monitored Do-han’s interrogation once the hearing was underway. From her car, Suji encouraged them to hurry while Yoon took his oath, which coincided with the discovery of Do-han’s second phone.

As an investigation was ordered on the phone’s call history, Do-han had looked up at the camera, knowing his teammates were watching. Before the hearing, he’d asked Kyung-soo and Bomi to hack the camera in the interrogation room to keep an eye on him.

During Do-han’s interrogation, Kyung-soo changed the numbers in the call history to local takeout restaurants (as if Do-han would frequent such places!). As far as the DNA report, Do-han anticipated that it would be used to prove his true identity. While Kyung-soo and Bomi monitored Do-han’s interrogation, Suji had headed for the NFS (National Forensic Service) to switch the DNA report.

So now, Bomi and Kyung-soo use CCTV cameras to watch detectives chase down the takeout restaurants listed on Do-han’s call history. The detectives hand out flyers with photos of Suji and Bomi and one ends up in the hands of the realtor that Kyung-soo met with that morning.

Bomi and Kyung-soo witness her exchange with the detectives and realize that she has the hideout’s address. Kyung-soo regrets that he used the numbers of neighborhood restaurants as the realtor leads the detectives to her office. Bomi and Kyung-soo work fast to move their suspicious hardware to a secret room.

Suji wears a mask as she makes her way to the DNA lab at the NFS. With the employees out for a break, she manages to switch the envelope that contains the real report with a different one. Checking CCTV footage on her phone, Suji can see when a detective arrives in the parking lot and is ready to meet him, dressed in a lab coat, to hand over fake report.

Bomi monitors the detectives from her phone as Kyung-soo encourages her not to worry. He uses a large valve to close off the room and then alters Bomi’s photo on his phone just at the police walk in.

Kyung-soo protests that his detective agency uses strictly legal means to help their clients, and acts offended when a detective suggests that his girlfriend is a fugitive. That detective checks Kyung-soo’s ID as Bomi listens from behind the wall. Kyung-soo concedes that his girlfriend does look similar to the fugitive, but shows the altered photo to prove how they’re not the same, declaring his girlfriend prettier.

Kyung-soo takes his charade a bit too far when he glances in the direction of the secret room while he inquires about the reward for Suji and Bomi. The detectives decide to check the agency more closely and become suspicious about the wall that closes off the secret room. Bomi grabs a walkie-talkie and moves away as the lead detective throws himself against the wall and tries to find a way to open it.

The detective is about to turn the valve that opens the room when we cut over to the police interrogation room, just as the DNA report is delivered. While Do-han remains detained until his second phone has been investigated, Suji reads the real DNA report in her car.

Suji reads the findings that Do-han is Lee Shin-hyuk’s son and recalls his request that she change the DNA report. She had cautioned Do-han that he and the priest would be stuck with their false identities, but he promised to set everything straight after the hearing — with both the priest’s real identity and Yoo-na’s case. Until then, he’d asked for Suji’s help to finish his revenge.

Back at the hideout, a police radio crackles with a report that Suji was sighted in the neighborhood. After the police run out, Kyung-soo opens the secret room and Bomi holds up the walkie-talkie.

Kyung-soo announces that they make a great team, although she ignores his high-five. Bomi warns that Do-han is in danger until they can alter his phone’s registration.

Eun-joong’s father, Justice Kim, takes out a cell phone and a piece of paper with a code on it. He’d used his standing as Detective Nam’s attorney to claim his belongings, which is how he ended up with Nam’s phone.

Justice Kim enters the code into the phone and listens to Detective Nam’s most recent recording, in which Nam tells Chief Prosecutor Yoon that he tortured and killed on Yoon’s orders. He stops listening when there’s a knock at his door and hastily puts the phone into his desk as Eun-joong enters to ask for a talk.

Eun-joong asks his father if he accepted Detective Nam as a client because of the Lee Shin-hyuk case. Eun-joong guesses that the ruling in that case was wrong, but Justice Kim defends his verdict.

Eun-joong admits that he knows Lee Shin-hyuk’s son and explains that because of the verdict, the man and his family suffered. When Eun-joong suggests that his father should admit his mistake, his father insists that his verdict was based on the evidence. Eun-joong calls an effort to hide a mistake an even more serious matter, but his father suggests that they talk about the issue later and walks away.

As Do-han waits for the report on his second phone, he looks up at the CCTV camera, and Kyung-soo manages to change the registration just in time. Having outsmarted their opponents, Do-han and the priest are finally permitted to leave.

Outside the police station, Do-han apologizes to the priest, since he promised to restore his name. The priest admits that he disliked Do-han and his father for a long time, even though Do-han did nothing wrong. He tells Do-han not to worry about his name, that his focus should be on proving his father’s innocence.

At the hearing, Chief Prosecutor Yoon addresses Assemblywoman’s Chae’s allegation that he interfered in the Miseo-dong case. When he maintains that he never went against his principles, she calls her witness. We return to Do-han’s entrance as he looks straight at the chief prosecutor and prepares to testify.

EPISODE 26 RECAP

As Suji drives down the street, she sees a broadcast that shows Do-han made it to the hearing. But she’s alarmed when Bomi and Kyung-soo call with news that Se-won is on her way to Shi-wan’s house.

The housekeeper escorts Se-won inside, where she introduces herself to Shi-wan’s mother. Shi-wan comes downstairs and explains that they plan to watch the Han River fireworks from the rooftop. His mother looks concerned as Shi-wan shows Se-won to his room.

Kyung-soo can’t hack into either Shi-wan’s computer or phone and guesses that he reformatted them. Bomi cautions that it may be a trick and suggests that they proceed carefully.

Se-won admires Shi-wan’s large canvas, and he asks if she brought what he asked for. Se-won hands over a bag of fireworks from her backpack, and he suggests that they can set some off during the fireworks display and save some for another time.

At the National Assembly, after Assemblywoman Chae introduces Do-han as her witness, the hearing adjourns for a short recess.

Do-han meets with the assemblywoman, who only now realizes that he is her informer. She didn’t expect help from someone loyal to Yoon, but Do-han explains that she’s the one helping him. Assemblywoman Chae wonders how that can be true when he’s about to take the witness stand. She shares that he’s now her only witness, as Lawyer Oh didn’t show up as planned. Do-han has hardly absorbed the news when his phone rings with a call from Chief Prosecutor Yoon.

Detective Ma stares at Detective Nam’s desk and asks Soon-ae if his case is closed. He admits that he didn’t expect their colleague to commit suicide, but Soon-ae answers that Detective Nam died as he lived — he did whatever he pleased.

Soon-ae steps out of the office when she gets a call from a restricted number. It’s from Suji, who asks Soon-ae to get in touch with Se-won because she is with Shi-wan. Soon-ae is suddenly worried when she realizes that her daughter lied when she promised to stay away from Shi-wan.

Suji explains that Se-won was an outcast at school and Shi-wan took advantage of her loneliness to get close to her. She reminds Soon-ae that no mother can know everything or be everywhere and asks her to check on Se-won before she hangs up.

Se-won is at work on her sketch of Shi-wan when her mother calls. She declines the call and asks about the fireworks show, and Shi-wan excuses himself to check out the rooftop.

Alone, Se-won approaches the large canvas, which she discovers is covered by a sheet of paper. She’s about to lift a corner when Shi-wan’s mother delivers some snacks. She asks how Se-won and Shi-wan became friends and learns that they never spoke until recently. Shi-wan’s mother is surprised when Se-won shares that Shi-wan approached her first.

Shi-wan’s mother notices her sketch and Se-won admits that it was a gift, in thanks for helping her. His mother recalls Shi-wan’s scorn when she’d asked if a friend drew the sketch — instead, he mentioned that something fun might happen if he hung out with the girl long enough. Shi-wan’s mother tries to hide her tension as she politely invites Se-won to have fun.

Do-han meets with Chief Prosecutor Yoon, who asks if Do-han heard that Lawyer Oh changed his mind. Do-han laments that people don’t listen to him and risk ending up like Detective Nam.

Chief Prosecutor Yoon says, “All you can do is ramble on for a few minutes with that mouth of yours. But I don’t even need to do that. Even if I don’t say anything, people already know what I’m capable of. That’s what power is.”

Do-han levels a look at the chief prosecutor and promises, “After this hearing, those people will realize that you don’t have much time left to abuse power as you want.” Chief Prosecutor Yoon chuckles that with Detective Nam dead and Lawyer Oh on his side, Do-han can’t hope to accomplish much by himself.

Chief Prosecutor Yoon reminds Do-han that he has no evidence to support his claims. When Do-han offers that at least the world will learn what he did, Yoon argues that people will pity him because he was falsely accused. He makes an offer to Do-han — parole for his father if he withdraws as a witness and turns over Suji.

Se-won’s curiosity draws her back to the large canvas in Shi-wan’s room. She lifts a corner of the paper and peers underneath, only to freeze in fear. We don’t see the image, but it causes Se-won to run from the house immediately.

Suji is in her car in front of Shi-wan’s house when Se-won runs out to the street. Suji jumps out and grabs the girl, who is clearly in shock. Suji asks what happened and Se-won confesses that she saw Shi-wan’s drawing. She can barely speak, so Suji asks if it was of Yoo-na. The terrified girl nods and manages to admit, “You were right. Shi-wan killed Yoo-na.”

Shi-wan returns to find his room empty. He notices that one corner of the paper over the canvas is loose and laughs when he realizes what happened. His mother runs in for an explanation, puzzled when Shi-wan suggests that Se-won didn’t like his drawing.

When Shi-wan explains that it was a drawing of their neighborhood, his mother argues that Se-won wouldn’t run out because of that. Shi-wan shrugs, “Maybe she saw it,” and a strange look clouds his eyes as he adds, “The drawing inside the drawing.” Shi-wan’s mother looks shaken as her son chuckles to himself.

Shi-wan’s mother shuts herself in the library to call Chief Prosecutor Yoon. After she hears that the hearing is going well, she blurts out that Shi-wan’s behavior has been strange, and that Yoo-na’s accident was Shi-wan’s fault. Yoon asks for proof and she tells him that she saw Shi-wan smile when he heard the girl was dead. Chief Prosecutor Yoon refuses to believe her, but his wife argues that he only knows one side of their son.

She claims that Shi-wan has always manipulated, hurt and abused others but they coddled him and covered everything up. She begs her husband to see the truth and doesn’t hear the library door open as she admits, “I’m scared of him.” But then, she hears the door close, and turns fearfully to see Shi-wan there. The chief prosecutor is called back to his hearing and suggests that they talk when he gets home.

Do-han broods over Chief Prosecutor Yoon’s offer to save his father if he hands over Suji. Do-han takes out his phone to call Suji.

Bomi watches camera feed of Suji and Se-won, relieved the girl discovered what Shi-wan is really like. Kyung-soo places a gift in front of Bomi and reminds her that she fought with her parents and sister about makeup. Now that she’s an adult, she can wear as much as she wants.

Kyung-soo also gives Bomi a pink phone, and she balks because he had to register it under an alias. He pretends to take it back, so she admits that she likes it. Kyung-soo admits that he knows that Bomi’s life isn’t normal, but promises that once they expose Chief Prosecutor Yoon, they can look forward to normal lives.

Bomi asks if they can go on dates and eat at trendy restaurants. Kyung-soo promises that she can dress up and wear makeup. Bomi confesses that she’ll never be the girl she was before, but Kyung-soo softly suggests that they can learn to be happy in a different way.

Soon-ae waits outside for Se-won and approaches her when she gets home. She asks her daughter to talk to her from now on, because “I’m your mom.” Se-won starts to cry and Soon-ae embraces her and apologizes that she didn’t know what her daughter had to endure.

Shi-wan asks his mother, “Did that woman say I’d do something again?” She asks if that’s why he befriended Se-won, and he responds, “What will you do if it is?” At her horrified look, he admits, “You know I can’t hold back when I get irritated. I don’t know since when, but the fugitive woman bothers me. I want her to know there are things she can’t protect, no matter how hard she tries.”

His mother refuses to let him have his way, but he just laughs and asks, “What will you do? Call the police? Do you want people to know your son is a monster?” In exchange for his parents’ help to cover up his deeds, Shi-wan promises to be a good, smart, obedient boy.

After dropping Se-won off at home, Suji returns to the hideout. She admires the new phone, but guesses by Bomi’s glum face that she doesn’t like the gift. Bomi explains that her reaction is because Kyung-soo envisions a happy future together, but she’s conflicted — while she’s grateful that she survived, she feels sorry toward her family. Suji assures Bomi that her family would want her to be as happy as possible.

Do-han calls Suji and asks where she is. She says she’s at the office with Bomi and Kyung-soo and shares that those two talked about the future. Suji realizes that she’s been so focused on Chief Prosecutor Yoon and Shi-wan that she never stopped to think what would happen next for her.

Do-han asks Suji about her plans and she accepts that she will have to take responsibility for her actions. Suji confesses that she’s grateful that they got so far, and that no matter how it ends, she thinks Do-han did a great job.

The hearing resumes, and when Do-han doesn’t appear, Assemblywoman Chae asks for a bit more time to wait. Is he not going to show after all?

Still on the phone, Do-han finally admits to Suji that he deceived her…

The decision is made to proceed with the hearing, a development that pleases Chief Prosecutor Yoon.

Suji rushes to turn on the television just as Do-han re-enters the hearing. It turns out that he’d told her there was something he had been keeping from her, but that he would reveal everything at the hearing. He’d asked her to watch it on television, so Suji tunes in as Do-han swears to tell the truth.

Eun-joong unlocks his father’s desk and finds a phone and password. The screensaver is a photo of Detective Nam’s family, proof that Justice Kim has the evidence from the late detective’s phone.

Assemblywoman Chae asks Do-han if Suji’s claim was true that her daughter’s death was not an accident. Do-han testifies that Chief Prosecutor Yoon’s son, Shi-wan, killed Suji’s daughter, and that he was told to cover up the incident quietly. He followed those orders.

Chief Prosecutor Yoon interrupts that it’s not right to commit slander over a case with no evidence. As Soon-ae also watches the hearing from a television in a hospital room, Chief Prosecutor Yoon labels Do-han’s claims a conspiracy theory based on an old case.

Suji watches as Do-han continues, “On May 5, 2016, Yoon Shi-wan took seven-year-old Yoo-na, Detective Jo Suji’s daughter, to a rooftop. I saw them myself… I could have saved Yoo-na, but I did not.”

COMMENTS

With the realization of Do-han’s plan and Shi-wan’s admission to his mother that he’s a murderer, Chief Prosecutor Yoon is about to face a war on two fronts. He can’t possibly defend himself against both issues and remain unscathed. As the facts of his professional misdeeds and his family defects threaten to come to light, Chief Prosecutor Yoon may finally fall so far that he can never recover. It can’t happen fast enough, which I suppose is a compliment for a villain. Boo, hiss.

While many of the characters were finally unmasked in this episode — think of Shi-wan, Justice Kim, Se-won and Lawyer Oh — the one with the greatest impact is Do-han. With Kyung-soo’s talk about the future, which no one else had thought about, Do-han’s testimony about Yoo-na’s murder guarantees that he won’t have one. He’s burning his bridges as he closes in on his lifelong nemesis. Perhaps the question for Do-han isn’t so much what comes next, but rather, who is he apart from Chief Prosecutor Yoon and the case that destroyed his father’s life? I don’t think Do-han can see any other life for himself and his self-loathing over Yoo-na’s death worries me greatly. He is certainly a tarnished hero, but I would hate to see him suffer a fate worse than Yoon or Shi-wan. With the right encouragement, Do-han could someday live happily, in much the same way that Kyung-soo helped Bomi out of her shell. The only question is, will anyone reach out a hand to him once all of his secrets are exposed?

Thank goodness for Kyung-soo and Bomi — their relationship keeps the drama from getting too dark. I didn’t even realize it until it happened, but Kyung-soo’s talk about the future was exactly what the story needed to remain hopeful. The characters have become so defined by the circumstances of their past, the word wasn’t even in their vocabulary. Of course it was Kyung-soo who would start the discussion. Ever the optimist, it’s part of his nature, but he was also the only member on the team who expected to live happily once he was reunited with his mother. Now that he’s accepted that she’s gone, he wants to realize that dream with the girl next to him. I don’t doubt that someday he and Bomi will enjoy the routine of normal lives.

Soon-ae and Se-won finally reconcile, thanks in no small part to Suji. That doesn’t mean that Se-won is out of danger, since Shi-wan can’t control his impulses. His obsession with Suji still hasn’t been fully explained, but perhaps it can’t be. Sh-wan is a psychopathic stalker and unfortunately, Suji attracted his interest. The problem that Shi-wan has created has to do with his mother. She knows without a doubt that her son is dreadfully twisted. While she may have been willing to help Shi-wan in the past, her admission that she’s afraid of her own son places her future actions in question. I can’t wait for her to discover what’s drawn on that canvas.

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