Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Hello and welcome back to the recaps for Crime Scene Returns, where we’ll be starting up the last case (unfortunately) after finishing up one of the best last episode. For Episode 9, we’re tying everything together, which is a fascinating choice by production.
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Okay, so this is the last case of the season, and has the potential to be amazing because they’re tying all the storylines together now. The Fungmu Group has been involved in this show from the first case, and now the chairman of said group is the victim of the murder being investigated.
From the company’s corruption to the stock manipulation to the chemtrails to the custom diseases to ordering hits, it’s all here again. We’re going back to the first case in terms of detectives as well, as it’ll be Detective Park (Park Ji Yoon) for this one. Again, that could be a waste considering how great she is at playing characters, but we’ll see.
Surprisingly, this set is more like the ones from the original runs.
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Victim – Kwak Gokdu
- 70-year-old male chairman of the Fungmu Group
- Stabbed in heart by old-looking Fungmu-engraved knife, both hands covered in blood
- Keyboard has blood on “J”, “G”, “S” in Korean and “W”, “R”, “T” in English
- Madam Jang figured out the order is “G”-“S”-“J”/”R”-“T”-“W” due to blood trail
- Suicide note left that takes responsibility for the scandals, likely written by murderer
- “According to plan” phrase mentioned in motto and note
- Father is Kwak Wonjo, has ties to Tongryeong political family through marriage to Madam Jang
- Asked human resources director Go Shimbok to promote Yujin Kwak to Fungmu BioValley manager and appoint him as a director of Fungmu Group
Probably one of the more confusing things about this death is the notepad in his desk, as he talks cryptically about hearing God guiding him and stuff. In 2015, he was told to complete the medicine. In 2020, he said it will rain from the sky. In 2023, he said God was trying to rule over Fungmu. I can only assume that’s somewhat related to the Researcher Joo, whose resume was on his desk. There’s suspicions that he was talking about releasing the JV-45 virus through chemtrails in order to sell the cure that Researcher Joo was developing.
Another curious thing is how exactly the murder happened when he ended up just sitting in his chair like that and was apparently still alive long enough to type on his keyboard.
Of course, there was also a cliffhanger, this one related to a false wall in his office.
Madam Jang (Jang Dong Min)
- 63-year-old female, wife of victim, former president’s oldest daughter
- Marriage of convivence in 1965 due to her being a part of the Tongryeong political family
- They have a kid in Daughter Kwak, who she wants to be the heir
- Had Agent Jang keeping tabs (1985/1990) on victim’s mistress, Ahn Naeyeon, and Yujin Kwak
- Victim put illegitimate son Yujin Kwak on family registry
- Brother is Jang Samdeung, who is running for political office, but supported Father Jang instead
- Alibi is she was waiting at home at time of murder
Not a ton of mess for now, but she argued with the victim during their meeting because the victim wanted to give the company to Yujin Kwak, while she wanted to give it to Daughter Kwak.
The best part of this character’s arc so far is just these exchanges:
President Key (SHINee’s Key)
- 47-year-old male, president of Fungmu Group and second-in-command
- Father was a founding member of Fungmu Group
- Hired in 2000, becomes chief director in 2015, and president in 2018
- Collects antiques, including old watches … like Luxury Jang or no?
- Obsessed with beauty and youth, uses viagra
- Business head of the chemtrail stuff for the company
- Article on Fungmu Group corruption and copy of Jeon Minkyo’s petition in desk
- His alibi is that he was at home at the time of the murder
Requested a shareholders meeting on January 16 for the purpose of stripping managerial rights from the victim, but claims he wasn’t gunning for the chairman role. However, it was later found out that he had a nameplate calling himself chairman already made.
Secretary Jang accused him of having a knife like the murder weapon as a part of his antiques, but he explained that those aren’t passed down from his father. Not a terrible theory by Jang Jin, honestly.
Yujin Kwak (IVE’s Yujin)
- 40-year-old male with the family name Ahn that’s the director’s illegitimate son
- Had picture of Kwak Gokdu and mother from 1984, Madam Jang chased them away to America
- Came to Korea on December 25 of last year, found out father didn’t know where he was all this time
- Victim gave him control of Fungmu BioValley to apologize
- Has a home full of mirrors and is narcissistic, into fitness, and is obsessed with appearance
- Birthday is March 1, Independence Movement Day, which will probably be relevant later
- Claims his alibi is that he was at home when the murder happened
A torn up newspaper talking about Fungmu Group’s troubles were in the trash, which uncoincidentally related to him being appointed in charge of BioValley. He took his work seriously and might blame father for loss to his rep, as he could be responsible for the mess that transpired. Theorized that the victim wanted to promote him to chairman to have him take blame as a fall guy and then use Daughter Kwak to move company forward.
In his mother’s diary, it’s revealed that she owned a laundromat, missed his father (the victim), and was depressed. Motive is straightforward in the sense that he was abandoned for years, only to come back and think he was being accepted, but is instead made to be the fall guy from father’s mess.
Researcher Joo (Joo Hyun Young)
- 38-year-old female with the Fungmu Pharmaceuticals R&D team, a special appointment
- Johns Hopkins University doctorate in microbiology, did rejuvenation and anti-aging research
- Called a parachute hire thanks to the chairman’s favor
- Met privately with chairman every Wednesday
- Logs reveal research into JV-45, of which 30 grams could infect 200 million
- Had Japanese medical textbooks … Doctor Jang connection?
- Claims three-month delay in appointment was due to being hit by vehicle in Thailand
- Took oestrogen supplements
- “The day will come” motto in lab
- Alibi was that she was at home during the murder
She found the cure to JV-45, but got chewed out for it in the meeting with the chairman because the research wasn’t hers alone. She herself made no progress since September of 2022, but then had success on January 16 when she stole most of the research from somebody who got closer. That person, Kim Dongryo, was in a coma due to a toxic gas leak on January 15 in the lab.
Additionally, it’s revealed another researcher, Choi Soo Seok, died in a lab explosion back in 1990, which seems to have no connection now, but … is weird. I have a feeling that event and her research area is related somehow, perhaps that’s she lying about her age or something.
The motive would obviously be that with everybody else dead, killing the victim would mean only she would know about the cure and would have a means to get rich.
Secretary Jang (Jang Jin)
- 37-year-old male that was the personal secretary to the victim for two years
- Had business logs in office, showed he knew of Researcher Joo’s delay and order to send Lawyer Joo after Jeon Minkyo
- After Yujin Kwak left meeting, victim told him to change flight schedule for Fungmu Airlines to March, maybe to have chemtrails distract from company controversy
- Claims was at home when the murder happened as his alibi
- Not clear when he actually left the office
After being told to pickup a USB, he made a copy of the case files on it. That left him in possession of documents on a court ruling regarding a clinical trial for Pigonamic-C, which made Fungmu Group famous. It revealed that Park Yeochin’s parents sued after she died in the clinical trial, which resulted in a not guilty verdict and fees were ordered to be paid by parents. The daughter was revealed to be Secretary Jang’s former girlfriend, and it turns out he joined Fungmu to find information related to her. Well, he found out that the company tried to keep the results of the clinical trial confidential, so they knew the danger it posed and went ahead with it anyway. The drink contains opium, but the government cleared it for sale in 1960 in exchange for land.
Additionally, he knew about Secretary Namgoong killing themselves in 2019, the JV-45 virus, and the company’s embezzlement, so he had plenty of ammunition and motivation to get revenge. For me, though, the thing is he had plenty of ways to get his revenge without killing the victim.
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Timeline
- 1:00 PM – President Key with victim in director’s meeting
- 1:40 PM – Madam Jang has 20-minute meeting, confirmed by Secretary Jang
- 2:00 PM – Yujin Kwak has five-minute meeting, confirmed by Secretary Jang
- 3:00 PM – Madam Jang claims she’s waiting at home
- 4:00 PM – President Key claims he went to office for work, says Secretary Jang was missing
- 3:00-5:30 PM – Secretary Jang claims he was instructed to do work outside of office by victim
- 8:00 PM – Secretary Jang claims to have left office
- 8:20 PM – Researcher Joo claims to have went to office by herself for meeting
- 8:30-10:00 PM – Estimated time of death for victim
Votes
- President Key: 1 (Detective Park)
At the moment, I’m going with Yujin Kwak, just because it seems like his story could basically be that his life was ruined indirectly by the victim and his mother’s life definitely was, then he was given a life raft with the company, only to find out the victim was going to scapegoat him. That could lead somebody to kill, especially considering his high pride being destroyed. However, one could argue he’s more likely to kill Madam Jang.
Speaking of, she has a good motivation, just because typically succession wars within families like these are ugly, and bringing back your mistress’ kid to take over the company (what she believed he was doing, at least) instead of your own daughter could get ugly.
Researcher Joo is a prime suspect in real life due to greed, but not so much on this show (so far). More likely she’s a murderer of the other scientists, as there’s not really a motivating factor for her to kill right now. Similarly, Secretary Jang had plenty of personal motivation, perhaps the most out of anybody given his ex-girlfriend’s fate. However, he was compiling a ton of evidence against the company and had plenty of ways to get his revenge without killing the victim. Not really sure on President Key’s motivation at the moment, but it seems like a high possibility that his father’s history will be tied to all this in the end.
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Other Stuff
- Given all the hints they’ve dropped throughout the season, they finally tied up all the cases together as a longer arc.
- There are divided opinions on this approach, but I think it’s actually a great addition, as it’s a nice reward for viewers who watched the whole season, as well as helping to keep the interest in later episodes.
- Discussed this with the first case, but Park Ji Yoon as detective indeed seems like a waste.
- That said, repeating her makes things interesting in terms of the meta, as thankfully the producers are definitely not going the most predictable route with detective and perpetrator assignments.
- Lee Jin Woo screen time!
- PPL is back!
- The IVE references throughout the season have been on point.
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In terms of like comedic stuff, this episode was light on that side of things. However, I loved it because of the sheer amount of character recalls, Easter Eggs, and all the stuff that comes with everything being interwoven now. It’s also pretty complicated as a case so far because of all the history involved, and it only figures to get more so as things go along.
If you’ve seen the other available episodes, don’t spoil it in the comments.
