Chaeha VOs about glittery surfaces that hide dark depths (so, evil rich people?) Just when Chaeha thought everything was over, “he” made a proposal that Chaeha couldn’t refuse.
“He” is the intense, large, Prosecutor Taeseon, who we see doing various problematic things to Chaeha before Chaeha grabs him and kisses him!
Back in time to the rewarding work of the Fine Collection Division
A rich drunk lady throws money at Chaeha, then pours booze over his head as he picks it up. While his coworkers do nothing, she tells him getting rid of him would be easy.
On his way to lunch, Taeseon stops Chaeha to confirm he’s on duty, showing us he knows Chaeha’s name without looking at his ID.
A coworker helpfully calls Taeseon a psychopath without feelings who meddles in cases. Because of this, Prosecutor Soyeon committed suicide, Taeseon was demoted, and his chief was forced to step down.
Chaeha, though, admires Taeseon for doing what no one else would do.
In his tiny room, Chaeha pops a pill and thinks of Taeseon
He passes out and has a nightmare about an older man stabbing someone in the neck with an awl. Chaeha’s phone rings. The murderer turns to look at him. And he wakes up.
The phone call is about a body, sending Chaeha to a poor neighborhood near a big shiny casino to meet with Taeseon.
The corpse was a Mr Kim, with a Russian passport but probably Koryoin (ethnically Korean). He’d only been in Korea for a day, and may have died from a drug overdose. Strangely, he has a needle mark on his neck.
Taeseon orders Chaeha to inspect the body, and he discovers plastic in his mouth and scratches in his esophagus.
Before they leave, Chaeha notices a guy in a mask and ball cap leaving quickly.
Over dinner, we learn Chaeha was a cop
But couldn’t adapt and had to quit, even though it meant starting over. Taeseon finds Chaeha’s upbeat attitude naive. Taeseon finishes eating. Chaeha doesn’t, but they leave anyway.
In the car, Chaeha tells Taeseon he’s respected him since reading an article about him while attending University. Taeseon doesn’t think he deserves respect. He became a prosecutor so he could legitimately kill murderers.
Chaeha flashes back to a man being forced to reenact a murder with a sharp weapon. The man drops it and says he didn’t do it, over and over again.
Taeseon mocks the murderers who deny they did it, while Chaeha fidgets nervously.
Later, Chaeha is surprised to discover he’s been promoted to investigator. He asks Taeseon why he’s been given this high position. Taeseon wonders if he doesn’t want it because the cases make Chaeha uncomfortable.
Then sticks his face in Chaeha’s and calls him the son of a murderer.
This is nothing new for Chaeha
He’s been bullied his whole life. He tells Taeseon not to lump him in with his father.
Later, Taeseon calls Chaeha into his office to discuss the autopsy report while wearing a sexy blue rubber thimble.
The report confirms that Mr Kim died of a meth overdose. The plastic and the scratched esophagus seem to indicate he was bringing drugs into the country via his own body. That would explain the overdose.
The body had no phone on it, and there was a single glove nearby. Chaeha thinks this proves the body was dumped.
Taeseon pretends to stab Chaeha in the neck. It looks like Chaeha’s flashbacks about his father, but it’s about that needle mark. Chaeha guesses it was an accident, and the nicotine that was also found in Kim’s body was because he was a smoker.
Taeseon is unimpressed with his brushing those details aside. Then he gets rude about Chaeha’s father being a murderer.
They’re interrupted by a wailing mother
She’s what Taeseon mocked in the car earlier, babbling that her kid is good despite killing someone. When she’s gone, Taeseon guesses that Chaeha feels sorry for her. He wonders if Chaeha thinks his father is innocent.
Somehow after this, the other investigator, Mr Song, gets Taeseon to take them to a welcome dinner for Chaeha. There, Taeseon turns an onion that looked like meat into a teachable moment about betrayal.
Mr Song cheerfully agrees that they all have things they want to hide.
When Chaeha wants Taeseon to treat him fairly, Taeseon says he’ll judge him as he wants.
Then he invites himself to Chaeha’s for ice cream
And gives him one of his gloves because it’s cold out. At Chaeha’s, he scolds him for opening the front door without checking who it is and snoops through his pills. Then he uses Chaeha’s spoon while eating directly out of the ice cream carton.
Then things get dark again when Chaeha asks why Taeseon had him transferred. Taeseon brings up Chaeha saying he respected him, then dramatically crushes his beer can and starts to leave.
When Chaeha tries to stop him, he gets strangled. Taeseon was sickened that the son of a murderer respected him. So much so that he has to kiss him.
Chaeha shoves him away, wanting to know why Taeseon hates him. Taeseon says it’s because he’s Chaeha, and goes for another kiss.
Chaeha shoves him away again. Both their lips are bleeding.
Chaeha is confused. Taeseon says that whatever he does, Chaeha has to take it.
Don’t try this at home, but fictionally, be still my heart
We’re in another dark, horrible world filled with murderers and despicable criminals. Taeseon is morally righteous in his fight against these people, yet horrible to Chaeha. Chaeha, who admires the righteous part of Taeseon so much.
Poor Chaeha, who is used to being able to do nothing about abuse except grit his teeth and hold his head high. To some degree, Taeseon’s treatment must be nothing new. Except probably for the kissing.
And in this cold, dark world where people sit there while booze is poured over Chaeha’s head, Taeseon’s offhand moments of kindness also stand out.
Then there’s the height difference. Truthfully, I would probably watch this show for that alone, but the murder, mystery, and twisted behavior are a bonus.
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