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From Wikipedia: “Healer” is a 2014–2015 South Korean television series starring Ji Chang-wook, Park Min-young, and Yoo Ji-tae. It aired on KBS2 from December 8, 2014 to February 10, 2015.
Genre: action, thriller, romance.
The drama won “Best Korean Drama – Melodrama” from the 4th Annual DramaFever Awards.
The drama was written by Song Ji-na (best known for writing “Eyes of Dawn” (1991) and “Sandglass” (1995), two of the most influential and highly rated Korean dramas of all time. It was directed by Lee Jung-sub (“Dali and Cocky Prince,” “Angel’s Last Mission: Love,” “Queen For Seven Days”) and Kim Jin-woo (“A Model Family,” “Suits.
Though the drama received modest ratings in its home country, it gained a fanbase overseas and made Ji Chang-wook known outside Korea.
How I wrote these episode summaries with no spoilers
1. I assumed that you will be reading these summaries and watching the videos chronologically.
2. I narrated some of the main actions in each episode without revealing the plot’s twists and turns.
3. At the beginning of each summary starting with Episode 2, I placed in a table a recap of the major twists and turns of the previous episode. But because you have already watched the video of the previous episode, they aren’t spoilers anymore.
4. I followed this structure all throughout, except for Ep. 20 (Finale) where I included spoilers. Reason — most people want to know if the drama has a good/happy ending or a sad ending before they invest the time in watching it.
Episode 1
Seo Jung-hoo aka "Healer" is a night courier, with business partner Jo Min-ja (“Hacker Ahjumma”) as his IT and electronic communications expert. His current mission is to escort a guy who’s delivering a package, but on the subway, he and the client are chased by agents of Double S Guard, a rival
night courier company owned by Bae Sang-soo.
Chae Young-shin is an online entertainment reporter for the small “Someday News” tabloid. While on assignment digging up some dirt on a celebrity, she chances upon Bae Sang-soo in a building’s parking lot. Bae Sang-soo gets a call from his men that Healer has interfered with their mission. As he drives away in anger and frustration to oversee the mission personally, Young-shin quickly snatches from his convertible the picture that could
identify who Healer is. Later on, she tells her father Chae Chi-soo that she’ll become a famous journalist if she can identify the mysterious Healer.
Kim Mun-hoo is a well-respected and famous journalist, who works for ABS News. While covering with his news team a labor unrest at Sa Mang Industry, he learns about an employee who set himself on fire as a way of protest. He assigns one of his team members to cover the labor unrest so that he can go to the hospital to interview the injured employee.
Kim Mun-sik is the CEO of a large news company that’s protecting the interests of Sa Mang Industry. He’s also the husband of Choi Myung-hee, a wheelchair-bound woman who continues to mourn her daughter’s death.
Flashback, 1980 ... A group of idealistic college students operate a mobile radio station that broadcasts materials against the military government. Kim Mun-sik drives the mini-truck cum radio station while his young brother, Kim Mun-hoo, tags along for the ride.
Episode 2
| Ep. 1 recap:
In the tunnel, Jung-hoo beats up the agents from Double S Guard, who were hired by Mun-hoo. To keep his identity a secret and his missions confidential, he never asks for the client’s name. But the person he’s escorting becomes so afraid for his life; he demands that Jung-hoo’s client (Jaeil News Company) send him to safety in the USA. Despite being warned by his producer at the TV news program, Mun-hoo broadcasts the story about the man who burned himself as a protest against Sa Mang Industry. At home, as she watches the broadcast, Young-shin admires Mun-hoo and his work. Desperately looking for a missing person, Mun-hoo hires Jung-hoo and Min-ja’s courier service. Based on the background information, Jung-hoo identifies the missing person as Young-shin. |
Flashback ... Young-shin’s father Chae Chi-soo is a lawyer, who also runs a café. Besides police officers, she grows up among ex-convicts, who teach her various skills such as picking locks and pockets.
Jung-hoo’s mission for Mun-hoo is to get a DNA sample from Young-shin; unable to do so in the bus, he follows her to a busy market. But having grown up among police officers and ex-convicts, Young-shin’s instincts tell her that she’s being followed.
At the ABS News station, news chief Min-jae warns Mun-hoo about his investigation into SooSun Corporation, their channel’s major advertiser. But Mun-hoo says that he’s been investigating the corporation for the past several months.
While Mun-hoo visits his sister-in-law Myung-hee, his brother Mun-sik asks him to resign from ABS News, promising to set up a news station for him. After helping Myung-hee get to sleep, he looks at the group picture that he took some 20 years ago and remembers how Myung-hee took care of him. Later, he goes to Mun-sik’s study.
While Jung-hoo eats at his lair after finishing a job sneaking into a company’s computer room, Min-ja tells him that Mun-hoo has given them a new assignment regarding Young-shin. The next day, in disguise, Jung-hoo goes to the café of Young-shin’s father.
Jung-hoo follows Young-shin and plants a tracking device in her bag. He sees her at a parking lot where her attention is fixed towards a woman who’s being abused by a man inside a car.
Episode 3
| Ep. 2 recap:
While studying the footage from the spy camera that he planted in Mun-sik’s study, Mun-hoo finds out that the DNA test results show, with 99.999% probability, that Young-shin is Myung-hee’s daughter. Besides assigning Jung-hoo to find out about Young-shin’s adoptive family, Mun-hoo assigns him to find out several other things such as whether she was abused as a child, about her job, how competent she is at it, and what her style is. Young-shin abandons her tabloid assignment and rushes to the rooftop where the abused woman has gone to. As she tries to persuade the woman against taking her life, Jung-hoo hears her narrate how she was abused during her childhood. Jung-hoo becomes the suspect in the death of the man he escorted for Jaeil News Company. Min-ja thus tells him that they should hide for a while, but after seeing his picture posted on Young-shin’s wall, he says that he has to keep close to Young-shin. |
Jung-hoo goes back to the café to plant monitoring devices in Young-shin’s room and in her father’s law office. Meanwhile, at the TV station, Moon-ho gets into trouble over his latest on-air antic of attacking his own station over its acceptance of advertisement revenues from a company he’s investigating.
Jung-hoo tells Min-ja that it’s suspicious that he got framed for the murder; he wonders if Young-shin is just a bait to catch him. Min-ja finds out that Detective Yoon of the cyber crimes team is leading the investigation; she also hacks into the National Forensics Service server to get the autopsy results.
Flashback ... after the man he was escorting demanded that he be brought to the USA for his safety, Jung-hoo calls up Jaeil News Company; later on, his sidekick Dae-young gives the man his passport.
Jung-hoo spots Mun-hoo, who’s outside the café watching Young-shin from his car as she cleans up the café for the night. When Young-shin sees Mun-hoo, she approaches him, but he speeds off. With Min-ja tracking Mun-hoo’s movements, Jung-hoo chases him.
Young-shin’s father Chi-soo agrees to represent Yeon-hee, the woman who Young-shin saved from taking her own life. He plans to sue a certain President Hwang who finds young, struggling actresses and pimps them to powerful men by drugging, threatening, and blackmailing them. He asks for Young-shin’s help in publicizing the case; however, when she finds out that one of the men Yeon-hee was pimped to is Assemblyman Kim, Young-shin says that she can’t help because she’s just an entertainment reporter for a small online tabloid.
Mun-hoo drives to his brother’s mansion where he sees Myung-hee. After studying the mansion’s security layout, Jung-hoo leaps over the wall. He ends up inside Myung-hee’s bedroom where he sees at her bedside the 1980 group photo of the five idealistic college students. He contacts Min-ja, telling her that things are starting to get very interesting; in his lair, he has a copy of that photo.
Episode 4
| Ep. 3 recap:
The man who Jung-hoo escorted was poisoned on the train and was dead even before he was thrown off the train. Detective Yoon tells his cyber crimes team that Healer has graduated from breaching data, trespassing, and theft to murder. Flashback ... Mun-ho and Mun-shik visit Myung-hee and her newly born baby named Ji-an. Outside the café while watching Young-shin, Mun-hoo remembers how she (as baby Ji-an) held on to his hand; he tells himself, “After that day, I keep dreaming that dream. It will be dormant for months, but every time I think it might be forgotten, without fail it comes back to me. Because I have committed a sin.” Young-shin becomes ashamed of the difference between her timid reaction upon knowing that her father and Yeon-hee will be going up against powerful men and her big talk of becoming like her idol, investigative journalist Oriana Fallaci. She agrees to help Yeon-hee, saying that she believes in fate and destiny. Moon-shik buys from Bae Sang-soo his entire courier agency. To continue watching Young-shin, Jung-hoo disguises himself as a nerdy guy named “Park Bong-soo” and becomes a rookie reporter in “Someday News” tabloid. As Young-shin leads Jung-hoo across the street, Moon-ho watches them from a distance. |
Despite Min-ja’s warning, Jung-hoo says that he’ll continue working in Young-shin’s tabloid because he’s convinced that Young-shin is the proper bait to lure out whoever framed him. He suspects Mun-hoo whom he has seen twice already but thinks that there might be somebody bigger behind him.
At the meeting organized by Mun-sik, a group of powerful media owners want Mun-hoo to be their representative in politics. The first thing they want him to do is to help Assemblyman Kim’s campaign for the upcoming mayoral election.
At the cyber crimes team office, Detective Yoon studies the footage on the subway that shows the agents of Double S Guard chasing after Healer and the man he’s escorting. Despite the hacked gaps in the CCTV footage and the way the subway train was stopped, he assures the investigator from Seoul that the police station’s server is safe from any hacker.
Young-shin, her editor, and her colleagues at the tabloid are at a restaurant, with Young-shin still trying to convince her editor to publish her article about Yeon-hee and how she was sexually exploited. Meanwhile, Jung-hoo visits someone to find out more about the group photo that he and Myung-hee both have.
From the restaurant, Jung-hoo brings the drunken Young-shin to her home. While Yeon-hee tries to settle Young-shin in her bedroom, Chi-soo and his assistant lock Jung-hoo and themselves in a room; they warn Jung-hoo about the things he should be on the lookout for about Young-shin.
In her room, Young-shin furiously types out her article about how Yeon-hee was sexually exploited. When she uses just initials to mention Assemblyman Kim, Yeon-hee insists on fully exposing him, saying that she doesn’t care about her privacy. Young-shin says that she wants to bring down Assemblyman Kim but keep Yeon-hee safe. After finishing her article, she publishes it on her tabloid’s website.
Episode 5
| Ep. 4 recap:
One of the men in the group picture is Jung-hoo’s father; his mother identifies two other persons in the picture as a husband-and-wife team of journalists. Chi-soo tells Jung-hoo (aka Park Bong-soo) never to let Young-shin drink alcohol, beware when she begins talking about dinosaurs, never let her open cans, and most of all, never let her go to any scene of violence. Chaos breaks out in “Someday News” tabloid, with the editor furious about Young-shin’s article on Assemblyman Kim’s sex scandal; however, one of the staffers tells him that their tabloid is number one in the search engine results. Min-jae tries to distract Mun-ho’s attention by assigning him to another article. But Mun-hoo finds about Assemblyman Kim’s sex scandal and goes to meet Young-shin. Young-shin is awestruck to meet her idol Mun-hoo, but Mun-hoo tells her that the story is too big for her to handle alone. On the way home, she seethes, thinking that Mun-hoo is a total hypocrite and achieved his stature by stealing stories from junior reporters like her. Based on Mun-sik’s order to find Yeon-hee and to silence Young-shin by whatever means, the agents of Double S Guard attack Young-shin and Jung-hoo. Jung-hoo protects Young-shin while at the same pretending to be hit and in pain. But with Young-shin starting to have a seizure because of her childhood trauma, Jung-hoo covers his face and fights back against the agents. |
The fight between Jung-hoo and the Double S Guard agents ends when the agents retreat after hearing the police sirens.
Myung-hee becomes hysterical when Mun-hoo asks her about what she would do if Ji-an turns out to be alive. Later, Mun-hoo confronts Mun-sik about what he did with Ji-an and Myung-hee’s first husband. But Mun-sik retorts that Mun-hoo has been complicit with everything that has happened since 1992.
Mun-sik learns from Bae Sang-soo about Healer interfering with the Double S Guard agents when they tried to take Young-shin. When his secretary says that they can’t completely cover up Assemblyman Kim’s scandal, he doesn’t become concerned because their opponents are weak; he also chuckles after hearing the code name “Healer.”
The next day, Assemblyman Kim’s sex scandal disappears from major newspapers and broadcast stations; Young-shin’s article about the scandal disappears from the search engine results. Assemblyman Kim also files a defamation case against “Someday News” tabloid. Young-shin gets berated by her editor, who gives her two options, the first of which is for her to resign from the tabloid.
Jung-hoo sends to Min-ja a copy of the group picture, asking her to identify three of the persons in it, between his father and the man he calls “Teacher.”
Young-shin takes Park Bong-soo (Jung-hoo) with her to see President Hwang at his house. When they see the Double S Guard agents milling around the front gate, Young-shin panics and gives Park Bong-soo (Jung-hoo) conflicting directions on what to do. The agents surround them and take them to President Hwang, who’s in his greenhouse with a young woman.
Episode 6
| Ep. 5 recap:
When Mun-hoo asks him about what he did with Ji-an and Myung-hee’s first husband, Mun-sik replies, “Exactly what you think.” He also gets from the bookshelf the book where Mun-hoo hid the spy camera. He mocks Mun-hoo that despite being aware of everything that transpired in his office, he has done absolutely nothing about it. When Min-jae tries to prevent him from continuing to investigate Assemblyman Kim’s sex scandal, Mun-hoo resigns from ABS News. In a total about face, Young-shin’s editor tells her to pursue her story by gathering the evidence against Assemblyman Kim and President Hwang. After Jung-hoo sends her the group picture, Min-ja contacts the man in the picture who Jung-hoo called “Teacher.” Min-ja calls him “Jeong Chi-beom” (which could mean “political prisoner”); he turns out to be the guy on the motorcycle who protected the idealistic college students back in 1980. She warns him that his student Jung-hoo is going astray because of a woman; she asks him if he has any guys in training who could take over as Healer. Young-shin begins to have a seizure when President Hwang brutalizes the young woman; she flashes back to the abuse she went through as a child. Jung-hoo contacts Dae-young, who calls up a group of bikers to harass the Double S Guard agents at the gate with squirter guns and bags of flour. With Min-ja hacking into Bae Sang-soo’s BMW, Dae-young creates chaos with the car. Bae Sang-soo and some of his agents rush from the greenhouse to the gate. President Hwang taunts Young-shin, but despite her fears and traumatic flashbacks, Young-shin replies that he’s trash. In the ensuing confusion set off by Jung-hoo, she takes Park Bong-soo’s hand and leads him away from the greenhouse. As they run away, Park Bong-soo (Jung-hoo) looks at Young-shin and smiles. |
While Detective Yoon is amused with seeing the chaos and commotion before him and the Seoul detective, Park Bong-soo (Jung-hoo) runs up to him and asks for help against the Double S Guard agents. The agents converge upon Young-shin and Park Bong-soo (Jung-hoo), but Yo-yo, the top agent, recognizes Detective Yoon. Park Bong-soo (Jung-hoo) disappears, having taken the handcuffs from the other detective.
After a brief chase, Bae Sang-soo forces his way into his beloved BMW, with Dae-young still in it.
Detective Yoon tells Young-shin that President Hwang has filed a complaint against her, “Someday News” tabloid, and Yeon-hee. At the police station, Chi-soo finds out that there’s an arrest warrant for Yeon-hee.
When her father fails to answer her call, Young-shin decides to swallow her pride and call Mun-hoo to ask for help. But she becomes discouraged when Mun-hoo doesn’t give her a straight answer and even asks her to just stop investigating Assemblyman Kim and President Hwang.
As the man called “Teacher” sneaks into Jung-hoo’s lair, he communicates with Min-ja, who tells him that Jung-hoo will soon find out not only that he, his father, and Mun-sik were friends but also the truth about what happened to his father.
While Young-shin, her father Chi-soo, and Yeon-hee worry about the three billion won blackmail attempt that Yeon-hee allegedly made against President Hwang, Young-shin gets a return call from Park Bong-soo (Jung-hoo). In a candid moment, she confesses that Mun-hoo was her first love but that recently, she has found a new love, who works as a night courier.
At a meeting with Mun-sik in a bar, Assemblyman Kim cowers in fear and silence as he’s told that, just because of a woman, he has crossed numerous lines, thus endangering his mayoral campaign.
Episode 7
| Ep. 6 recap:
Jung-hoo finds out from Bae Sang-soo’s phone that the man who could have framed him is Mun-sik, based on the surveillance photo that Dong-seok took earlier. Min-ja was a former detective who worked with Detective Yoon in the cyber crimes team. She tells “Teacher” that Jung-hoo could soon find out that his father killed a friend and later committed suicide. Jung-hoo is surprised to hear Young-shin’s confession that she has a crush on Healer. At the bar with Mun-sik, Assemblyman Kim bows before the bartender (whom he addresses as “Elder”) and begs for one more chance. Mun-hoo tells Min-jae that he will teach the basics of investigative journalism to a young woman and that he wants her to eventually take that young woman into ABS News. Later, he surprises everyone in “Someday News” tabloid. He has bought the tabloid and the building where the tabloid’s office is located; he plans to establish a video department for the tabloid. |
Min-ja calls up Jung-hoo and tells him to leave for Australia and stay there for a year. But Jung-hoo refuses to go and says that if Ki Young-jae (aka “Teacher”) doesn’t want him to meet Mun-sik, he must tell him face to face.
Secretary Oh tells Mun-sik that Mun-hoo has bought the “Someday News” tabloid and the building where it holds office by selling the land and stocks that are ultimately owned by the "Elder." Munsik questions Secretary Oh as to where his loyalties lie after 20 years — to him or to the “Elder.”
After meeting Min-jae, Mun-sik orders Secretary Oh to investigate Young-shin’s background, especially if she was adopted.
Based on the bug that Jung-hoo planted in Mun-hoo’s phone, Min-ja confirms that Mun-hoo was their client who assigned them to collect Young-shin’s DNA. She also tells Jung-hoo that Mun-sik has given them a new assignment — protect Young-shin from Mun-sik and the Double S Guard agents.
Mun-hoo begins teaching Young-shin how to properly conduct an interview, something a tabloid journalist such as Young-shin hasn’t really learned. He plans to send her to Assemblyman Kim’s press conference slated for this week.
While Yeon-hee is telling Chi-soo that President Hwang has videos of her and other women with their clients (which he uses for blackmail), the ex-convicts who Chi-soo helped converge on the café.
Mun-hoo has ordered Park Bong-soo (Jung-hoo) to collect information on President Hwang’s favorite bars and hostess clubs. Jung-hoo, however, decides to sneak into President Hwang’s house.
Mun-sik bribes someone to spy on Mun-hoo and the “Someday News” tabloid.
Flashback ... Mun-sik asks Myung-hee if she and Gil-han are going to work as journalists after college; Myung-hee says yes and adds that their friend Seo Joon-seok is also going to be a journalist. Ki Young-jae (aka “Teacher”) joins them and teases Mun-sik that he must confess his feelings for Myung-hee, or else, it will break their group of friends apart.
Episode 8
| Ep. 7 recap:
Jung-hoo steals the hard drive containing all the videos of the girls and their clients that President Hwang uses for blackmail. Later, on the tabloid building’s rooftop, as Healer, he gives the hard drive to Young-shin. While Young-shin is blindfolded, he tells her to be wary of people who approach her with kind words and deeds. As she meets Ki Young-jae (aka “Teacher”), Min-ja remembers that after being locked up 11 years in jail, he found out that two of his friends were dead, one was half-paralyzed, and one was a huge success; she wonders why he never investigated why things turned out that way. Jung-hoo threatens Mun-sik that he will hack the evening news program of any TV station and broadcast the video that contains the image of the bartender (the mysterious “Elder”). He refuses the money that Mun-sik offers in exchange for the video but gives him three days to turn the real killer over to the police. As Jung-hoo leaves Mun-sik’s study, he comes face to face with Myung-hee; instead of being terrified, Myung-hee asks him with a smile, “You’re Joon-seok, aren’t you?” |
When Mun-sik stops her from following after the person she called “Joon-seok,” Myung-hee tells him that she wants to talk to Joon-seok’s widow. Meanwhile, as the Double S Guard agents search the grounds, Jung-hoo asks Min-ja about the connection between Myung-hee and his father. But Teacher cuts into their conversation and sets up a meeting between them.
Flashback ... Already suffering from bullying, the 8-year old Jung-hoo endures the pity from his teachers and schoolmates when it becomes known that his father committed suicide.
After showing to Mun-hoo and her editor part of the 220 hours of video of various important men and the women pimped to them by President Hwang, Young-shin confesses that the hard drive with the videos came from a night courier known as “Healer.” Despite Jong-soo (the spy) trying to stop him, Park Bong-soo (Jung-hoo) barges into the meeting and reports that he found out President Hwang’s favorite hostess bar. Before he’s forced out of the meeting, he plants a bug underneath the table.
Bae Sang-soo reports to Mun-sik that Young-shin bounced from one foster family to another until she was adopted at age eight. He also reports that she was found behind a trash can in a Seoul alleyway and was thought to have a speech disability because she refused to talk. Later on, Secretary Oh reports to the “Elder” about Mun-sik and Mun-hoo"s interest in a girl adopted in 1992; the “Elder” orders him to send a warning to Mun-hoo.
Mun-hoo sends Young-shin and Park Bong-soo (Jung-hoo) to interview Yeon-hee at the café. While setting up the camera, Jung-hoo contacts Min-ja, who tells him that Mun-hoo has ordered that Healer must not have any personal contact with Young-shin. Before the interview, Young-shin rants that her first love thinks of her as a bulletproof shield, while her second love thinks she’s a delusional woman.
Episode 9
| Ep. 8 recap:
To her dismay, Young-shin finds out that Mun-hoo and Healer are in contact with each other. She demands to know why Mun-hoo is so interested in her, but Mun-hoo simply criticizes her interviewing skills and makes up an excuse that he had everyone in “Someday News” tabloid investigated. Jong-soo confesses that Mun-sik ordered him to spy on Mun-hoo and the “Someday News” tabloid. After the “Elder” tells him that the missing girl from 1992 is Mun-sik’s vulnerable point, Secretary Oh contacts the Double S Guard tech team. The tech team doctors the audio from one of Moon-ho’s interviews and uses it to direct Young-shin to an empty building. After receiving Mun-hoo’s email, Min-ja tells Jung-hoo that Young-shin fell for voice modulation and that Mun-hoo got a warning from the “Elder.” After rescuing Young-shin from the sabotaged elevator, Jung-hoo kisses Young-shin. |
Mun-hoo bursts onto the rooftop, calling Young-shin by her childhood name “Ji-an.” As he leads the badly shaken Young-shin from the rooftop, she says that she has to find her cellphone, which belonged to her mother.
At Mun-hoo’s penthouse, Young-shin asks him why he called her “Ji-an” and what it means when he said she was used as a warning to him.
Mun-hoo confronts Mun-sik and Secretary Oh; he warns Mun-sik that if he or the “Elder” threatens Ji-an again, he will reveal everything to Myung-hee.
From Jung-hoo’s lair, Teacher cuts in into the call between Min-ja and Dae-young; he thinks that the woman whose DNA Mun-hoo wanted to have for testing is none other than Ji-an, Myung-hee’s daughter. Later on, after Min-ja hacks a copy of the DNA test results, she and Teacher realize that a tragedy is unfolding between Jung-hoo and Young-shin.
Mun-hoo calls up Detective Yoon, saying that he wants to give him the videos from the hard drive taken from President Hwang. When Detective Yoon demurs because he’s just a small time officer working at the cyber crimes unit, Mun-hoo entices him by saying that the hard drive was stolen by Healer. He wants Detective Yoon to provide protection to Young-shin, which will provide him with the opportunity to catch Healer because Healer always hangs around her.
At their office, Mun-hoo offers to replace Young-shin’s lost cellphone. He also offers two alternatives to keep her safe — she can go to Europe to study or become a famous reporter.
At the bar, the “Elder” warns Mun-sik about Mun-hoo; he adds that he shouldn’t add another person to his weaknesses. As they’re talking, President Hwang calls up the bar; he demands that the bartender put him in touch with the “Elder.”
Episode 10
| Ep. 9 recap:
Jung-hoo finds Young-shin’s cellphone, which belonged to her mother. Jung-hoo’s father killed Young-shin’s biological father. The “Elder” warns Mun-sik that Mun-hoo is a loose canon, who nearly got hold of the “LA video.” Mun-sik tells the “Elder” however that he himself will deal with Mun-hoo. President Hwang tells the bartender (whom he doesn’t know is the “Elder”) that he will not go down alone, threatening to expose everything he knows about the “Elder.” The “Elder” tells Mun-sik that they can use President Hwang as their fall guy. Mun-hoo, Young-shin, and Jung-hoo are blocked from entering the venue where Assemblyman Kim’s press conference and announcement of candidacy will be held. Mun-hoo thus orders a makeover for both Young-shin and Jung-hoo. |
Detective Yoon orders his cyber crimes team to cross check their info and pictures of the “Someday News” tabloid staff with the official records such as drivers’ licenses. Meanwhile, with Mun-sik and the Elder watching Assemblyman Kim’s press conference on television, Young-shin hesitates when the opportunity arises for her to question Assemblyman Kim.
Flashback ... Mun-sik is beaten up and dragged to see the “Elder,” who offers him a chance to save himself and the badly injured Myung-hee.
After escaping from their police tail, Park Bong-soo (Jung-hoo) takes Young-shin to a rooftop where he expresses his emotions for her.
Detective Yoon’s subordinate has found out that Park Bong-soo’s real ID card bears a different picture than that of the picture of Park Bong-soo from “Someday News” tabloid. But this information gets set aside when Detective Yoon gets an urgent call that President Hwang has committed suicide.
Flashback ... Teacher meets Jung-hoo after his release from juvenile detention hall and then trains him in an unorthodox way.
In his lair, Jung-hoo confronts Teacher, asking him why his father committed suicide. Surprised that Jung-hoo knows about how his father died, Teacher reveals that his father allegedly committed suicide after killing someone over money. Jung-hoo becomes outraged and exclaims, “So my father was a murderer, and I’m a thief!”
Episode 11
| Ep. 10 recap:
With Mun-hoo distracting Min-jae away from the ABS outside broadcast van, Young-shin throws the press conference into chaos. The “Elder” asks Mun-sik to replace Assemblyman Kim as the mayoral candidate. Detective Yoon becomes suspicious of the way President Hwang died. Young-shin rejects Park Bong-soo’s confession of affection. Later on, she composes an email addressed to Healer, contracting him and asking for meeting. After Teacher says that there was a sixth member of their group — the young boy who took the picture — who could shed light on what really happened to his father, Jung-hoo sneaks into Mun-hoo’s penthouse. In Mun-hoo’s old briefcase, Jung-hoo finds cassette tapes and an old publication titled “Healer.” Dated May 1981, the publication’s cover page bears the line, “The media exists to diagnose and heal this society’s pains.” In the “Someday News” tabloid office, Mun-hoo stumbles upon the bag with Young-shin and Park Bong-soo (Jung-hoo)’s clothing. Among the clothing, he finds Young-shin’s broken cellphone. |
Park Bong-soo (Jung-hoo) reveals to Mun-hoo his identity as Healer. In return, Mun-hoo tells Jung-hoo that his father was a murder suspect, not a murderer, in the death of his friend Gil-han (Ji-an’s father); he also says that Ji-an died in 1992.
The next day, Mun-hoo takes Jung-hoo to the junkyard where he recounts the day when Gil-han died and Joon-seok was arrested,
with Mun-sik as the witness. He also gives Jung-hoo his research materials on what happened, saying that they must have the records of Joon-seok’s interrogation when he was arrested.
Chi-soo and Young-shin decide to move Yeon-hee to a safe place. Later, Detective Yoon drops by the café and stuns Young-shin by implying that Healer killed President Hwang.
Min-ja forwards to Jung-hoo Young-shin’s email asking him for a meeting; however, she warns him of the dangers that he will put her in if he reveals his identity to her. Later, as Young-shin tries to leaves the house hoping to meet the Healer, she sees the police officers sent by Detective Yoon to watch out for Healer.
After Assemblyman Kim rages against him, Mun-sik gets a message from Healer through Secretary Oh that he will destroy the video now that President Hwang is dead after having confessed to the murder. He tells Secretary Oh that he wants the Healer working for him. But Secretary Oh says that it might not be easy since they framed Healer for murder; he also reminds Mun-sik that they’re not sure what Joon-seok’s widow will tell Myung-hee during their meeting.
Episode 12
| Ep. 11 recap:
Joon-seok’s widow tells Myung-hee that her husband Mun-sik threatened to harm Jung-hoo if she didn’t stop inquiring about Joon-seok’s death and trying to establish his innocence. Jung-hoo sets up a romantic date with Young-shin in a theater. At the archives section of the prosecutors’ building, Jung-hoo finds his father’s file box empty. Despite Min-ja’s warning, he puts in an official request for the interrogation records using his real name and identity as Joon-seok’s son. But the request automatically alerts Mun-sik. While Jung-hoo is detained at an interrogation room in the prosecutors’ building, Mun-sik visits the "Someday News" office to meet Young-shin. |
Flashback ... On the way home from the orphanage, Mun-sik loses Ji-an while he’s away at a convenience store.
Mun-hoo orders Young-shin to get out of the room where Mun-sik has began acting and speaking to her in an overly familiar way. He tells Mun-sik that he should have been on his knees asking for her forgiveness. He further becomes incensed when Mun-sik mentions Seo Jung-hoo.
Mun-sik gets Jung-hoo released and brings him to his house to meet Myung-hee. Meanwhile at the "Someday News" office, Young-shin tells Mun-hoo that they should reinvestigate President Hwang’s death; when Mun-hoo asks her why, she mentions Detective Yoon’s implied suggestion that Healer killed President Hwang.
Based on the photos sent by Jung-hoo, Min-ja identifies Secretary Oh as the one who tried to kill Young-shin by sabotaging the elevator.
After Myung-hee suffers from a seizure, Jung-hoo leaves the house and goes to confront Mun-hoo. Later on, he visits Young-shin.
When Secretary Oh says that Healer has refused to answer their message despite being offered a huge amount of money, Mun-sik says that he has no choice except to force him out into the open.
At the “Someday News” office, the editor resigns when Mun-hoo reveals that Mun-sik will be replacing Assemblyman Kim as the mayoral candidate. Meanwhile, Jung-hoo’s mother gets a text message from Jung-hoo asking her out to lunch.
Episode 13
| Ep. 12 recap:
Flashback ... Ji-an leaves the car when she sees a woman and calls her "Mommy!" After failing to find her on the nearby streets, Mun-sik stops looking for her. Jung-hoo asks Myung-hee point-blank if his father Joon-seok killed her husband Gil-han. Myung-hee replies that she doesn’t believe that Joon-seok killed Gil-han; when she mentions her daughter “Ji-an,” Jung-hoo remembers that after he rescued Young-shin from the sabotaged elevator, Mun-hoo burst onto the rooftop shouting out “Ji-an!” He realizes that Ji-an and Young-shin are one and the same person. Jung-hoo confronts and punches Mun-hoo for deceiving him about Ji-an /Young-shin. But Mun-hoo says that he’s protecting Young-shin; if she and Myung-hee ever meet as daughter and mother, Myung-hee will die. Min-ja sends Jung-hoo by email a picture of his mother and Secretary Oh meeting in a restaurant. Leaving Young-shin in the car, Jung-hoo (in his Healer get-up) runs to save his mother. But Yo-yo and the Double S Guard agents ambush him; Yo-yo hits him with a poisoned dart and slashes him with his yoyo’s cord. As Jung-hoo runs up the stairs, someone pushes him onto the roof while grabbing his black hat and taking off his jacket. That person then locks the door to the rooftop and turns to face Yo-yo and the other agents. Min-ja calls up Young-shin, asking for help in finding Park Bong-soo because he’s in mortal danger. |
As Jung-hoo is being treated at the emergency room, Young-shin calls up the number of the woman who asked for her help in finding Park Bong-soo (Jung-hoo), but she only gets a recording that the number doesn’t exist. Piecing the clues and circumstances together about Healer and Park Bong-soo, she searches Park Bong-soo’s car. When she returns to the hospital, she sees Park Bong-soo being assisted by Dae-young in changing his clothes.
In the Double S Guard headquarters, Teacher comes face to face with his college friend Mun-sik. He insists that he has been the Healer all this time; he asks Mun-sik, “Is Myung-hee still sleeping? How many hours does she sleep a day?” He also warns Mun-sik that he will protect Jung-hoo and Young-shin.
Flashback ... after being released from prison, Ki Young-jae (Teacher) confronts Mun-sik about what happened to their friends and how he suddenly became a department chief at a newspaper.
After saying goodbye to his mother, Jung-hoo meets Mun-hoo, who assures him that Mun-sik won’t target his mother anymore. Mun-hoo also says that they should go after the “Elder” who’s responsible for everything.
Mun-hoo assigns a stack of research materials to Young-shin, Jung-hoo, and Jong-soo. In the café the next day while continuing to study the research materials, Young-shin comes upon a photo of Mun-sik and his wife.
On her security monitor, Min-ja sees Secretary Oh meeting with someone whom she recognizes as one of Detective Yoon’s men; she alerts Jung-hoo, who then rushes to the police station.
Episode 14
| Ep. 13 recap:
Young-shin realizes that Park Bong-soo and Healer are one and the same person. Based on Min-ja’s tip, the police and Detective Yoon raid the building where Teacher is being held captive; they bring him to the police station for questioning. Young-shin finds out that when Jaeil News Company was on the verge of bankruptcy, a company named “Omega Holdings” bought up shares, and immediately afterward, Moon-shik became president. One of Detective Yoon’s men poisons Teacher’s breakfast. Sensing that he has been poisoned, Teacher confesses to Detective Yoon that he is Healer and that his latest work for Mun-sik involved President Hwang and Go Seong-chul (the man whose death was framed on Jung-hoo). Jung-hoo arrives at the police station, but he’s too late; he sees an ambulance taking away Teacher’s lifeless body. |
Jung-hoo fights off Dae-young and other guys who try to prevent him from rushing off to the morgue. Meanwhile, based on Min-ja’s call, Mun-hoo goes to the morgue, but Detective Yoon sees him there.
At the “Someday News” office, Young-shin asks Mun-hoo to help her schedule an interview with Mun-sik. But Mun-hoo surprises her by saying that from today, Mun-sik is no longer his brother. Young-shin doesn’t delve into his reasons but says that she wants to interview Mun-sik’s wife.
Min-ja hacks into the police station’s server to access the video of Teacher’s investigation, but Detective Yoon notices the suspicious activity on the server.
After viewing the video and ignoring Min-ja’s advice, Jung-hoo disconnects his computers and takes the battery out of his cellphone; for the next five days, he doesn’t report for work at “Someday News.”
When ABS News station schedules an interview with Mun-sik as a live broadcast, Mun-hoo decides to use it to his advantage and gives Jong-soo a special assignment. Later, he gives Young-shin Myung-hee’s cellphone number, telling her that she can use his name in getting an interview with Myung-hee.
Episode 15
| Ep. 14 recap:
Mun-hoo blocks Jung-hoo, who’s on his way to kill Mun-sik. But Jung-hoo disregards his pleas that he will figure something out in dealing with Teacher’s death. In the video, Teacher denies killing Go Seong-chul; he also addresses Jung-hoo, saying, “Give it up. Go live with the woman you love, raising two kids, a dog, two cats, a few goldfish. I should have.” As Myung-hee finds the secret panel in Mun-sik’s study, she gets a call from Young-shin; she’s surprised that Mun-hoo is no longer working for ABS News. She tells Young-shin that she’ll think about her proposed interview. Min-ja goes to the café and tells Young-shin that she hasn’t been able to contact Park Bong-soo (Jung-hoo) for the last five days, she gives her instructions on how to get to Park Bong-soo (Jung-hoo)’s lair. Using her lock picking skills, Young-shin gets into Jung-hoo’s lair. When Jung-hoo tries to force her to leave, she refuses. |
Jung-hoo and Young-shin spend the night together.
Jung-hoo visits Mun-hoo, telling him that he wants revenge for Teacher’s death and to clear his father’s name. Mun-hoo says that in bringing down their enemies, they must use the same ways that Jung-hoo’s father and Gil-han used; he also tells Jung-hoo about how Mun-sik became involved with the “Elder” and Secretary Oh.
Through Jong-soo, Mun-hoo gets hold of Moon-shik’s prepared question list for his live TV interview. He also sends Young-shin to interview Detective Yoon on the pretext that she will tell him about Healer in exchange for telling her about President Hwang’s death.
At the police station, Jung-hoo tries to access the network server, but to Min-ja’s consternation, Detective Yoon has ordered that their network server be reset and isolated from external access to prevent a repeat of the previous hacking incident.
Secretary Oh gets hold of the immigration record that shows Jung-hoo arriving from Russia as he had claimed and a photo of “Park Bong-soo” taken by their mole in Detective Yoon’s cyber crimes team. He also plays for Mun-sik the recording of the telephone call between Myung-hee and Young-shin.
After Min-ja identifies the mole in Detective Yoon’s cyber crimes team, Jung-hoo goes to the mole’s apartment and searches it.
Mun-ho calls up Detective Yoon, offering to give him all the information about the mole, with the condition that “Someday News” be allowed to cover the case and broadcast the arrest.
Episode 16
| Ep. 15 recap:
With Young-shin providing the distraction, Jung-hoo gets the opportunity to access Detective Yoon’s computer, allowing Min-ja to access the police station’s network server before it’s reset and isolated from external access. At the mole’s apartment, Jung-hoo finds bankbooks under different names and a glass vial. With Young-shin and Jong-soo covering the raid, Detective Yoon and his team barge into the mole’s apartment, finding him bound and gagged. Mun-hoo broadcasts a special story about Ki Young-jae (Teacher), how he and his college friends made pirate radio broadcasts against the military government in the 1980s, how he was imprisoned for fighting for the truth, and how he died while under police detention. He exposes the mole’s connection to Secretary Oh and shows that Mun-sik was spotted at the scene of the kidnapping. Secretary Oh is picked up by Detective Yoon’s men and brought to the police investigation for investigation. Young-shin gets a call from Myung-hee, who says that she has agreed to be interviewed. But inside the car that picks her up at the cafe is Mun-sik. |
Jung-hoo tracks down the detective who took down his father’s statement during the investigation. After some prompting, the detective’s daughter tells him to follow up the other detective involved named “Park Dong-chul.”
Min-ja alerts Mun-hoo that Young-shin has been taken to the Jaeil News Company headquarters. There, Mun-sik shows Young-shin the group picture, pointing out Jung-hoo’s father and Ki Young-jae (Teacher); he tells her that Young-jae turned Jung-hoo into Healer and that Healer has crossed the line.
Mun-hoo gets Young-shin out of the Jaeil News Company headquarters. When Young-shin becomes confused about why powerful and influential men like Mun-sik and Mun-hoo would be interested in her, Mun-hoo finally reveals to her that Myung-hee is her biological mother and that her real name is Oh Ji-an.
As he follows up the lead on “Park Dong-chul,” Jung-hoo gets ambushed by men sent by the “Elder.”
Back at her house, Young-shin ignores the call on her cellphone, deeply distressed about everything that Mun-hoo told her about who she is and Myung-hee’s delicate medical condition. Upon looking at the records that Mun-hoo gave to her and remembering what Manager Ahn told her at the Jaeil News Company headquarters, she’s shocked upon realizing that Jung-hoo’s father killed her biological father.
Episode 17
| Ep. 16 recap:
Mun-hoo gives to Young-shin Myung-hee’s hospital records, which list epileptic seizures, brain injury, and depression, with stress as the main trigger. Later on, he also tells her that tomorrow is her birthday. At the café, Jung-hoo apologizes to Young-shin for not telling her about her mother and about their intertwined history. Young-shin is at first cold towards Jung-hoo but later promises that she’ll do her part in proving his father’s innocence. At an empty cathedral, Park Dong-chul tells Jung-hoo that the official file on his father’s statements during the investigation was falsified and that he has a cassette tape of the real statements. Jung-hoo offers to buy the cassette tape at quadruple the price that he was offered, but Park Dong-chul refuses and secretly turns on his cellphone. The leader of the thugs calls up Mun-sik, asking what their priorities should be — to get Seo Joon-seok’s recorded statement or to kill Jung-hoo? Unknown to Mun-sik, Myung-hee is listening in to his call; she calls up Mun-hoo to warn him that Jung-hoo is in danger. The thugs sent by the “Elder” catch up with Jung-hoo and Park Dong-chul. As Jung-hoo fights them off, one of the men strikes Park Dong-chul on the back of his head with a heavy metal pipe. Before dying, Park Dong-chul whispers something to Jung-hoo. Arriving at the scene first,Young-shin sees Jung-hoo’s bloody hands and face. When Mun-hoo and the police officers arrive at the scene, Jung-hoo runs away. |
Jung-hoo tells Min-ja that Park Dong-chul whispered to him the numbers “3-9-1” before he died. Meanwhile, at the café, Young-shin reveals to Chi-soo that her biological mother is still alive.
After Secretary Oh is released from detention, Detective Yoon meets Mun-hoo and asks for help, starting with identifying the young man with glasses and a hat and with extraordinary fighting skills.
Min-ja warns Jung-hoo that someone is tracking Young-shin, who’s on her way to see Myung-hee; she also warns him that Secretary Oh has been released from detention. Jung-hoo rushes to Mun-sik’s house.
While Myung-hee narrates to Young-shin what happened that fateful day in 1992, Secretary Oh calls up the “Elder,” who says that they must protect Mun-sik at all costs.
At the bar, the “Elder” tells Mun-sik that they can’t allow an old case to derail his mayoral candidacy; he says that he can make Mun-hoo disappear.
Min-jae visits Mun-hoo at the “Someday News” office and warns him that he cannot trifle with Omega Holdings, which is Mun-sik’s financial backer. Later, after Dae-young barges into his office, Mun-hoo tells his staff that they will immediately do a live broadcast in which he’ll expose the puppeteer who’s controlling Mun-sik.
Jung-hoo and Min-ja decipher what “391” means, but when Jung-hoo and Young-shin arrive at the place where the tape was hidden, the thugs sent by the “Elder” are right behind them.
Episode 18
| Ep. 17 recap:
Flashback ... Myung-hee and the 5-year old Ji-an (Young-shin) run from the thugs sent by the “Farmers,” a group that believe themselves to be cultivating Korea through their efforts — planting barley and corn, eliminating weeds, building their country. Myung-hee hides Young-shin in a pile of trash, telling her to keep quiet and assuring her that she will come back. While Myung-hee and Young-shin are talking, Jung-hoo interrupts Secretary Oh’s conversation with the “Elder.” Taking the phone, he tells the “Elder” that he wants to see him. Jung-hoo figures out that “391” refers to his father’s vault number in the charnel house. Through a caper with Young-shin, Jung-hoo misleads the thugs sent by the “Elder” while Dae-young retrieves the tape from the vault in the charnel house and then gives it to Mun-hoo. Through another caper, Jung-hoo and Young-shin mislead the thugs into thinking that he’s retrieving the tape from his father’s vault in the charnel house. Young-shin escapes in the police car, while the thugs capture Park Bong-soo (Jung-hoo). After Park Bong-soo (Jung-hoo) tells the thugs that the Healer is offering to exchange the tape and also the “LA video,” they bring him to the “Elder.” The video taken by Jung-hoo through his glasses is fed into Mun-hoo’s live broadcast, and the face of the “Elder” is shown on TV. |
Young-shin waits outside the compound, with the police officers with her unable to do anything. Meanwhile, as he’s being questioned by the “Elder,” Park Bong-soo (Jung-hoo) loses consciousness.
Flashback ... Seo Joon-seok reports to the police the activities of a group known as the “Farmers,” who view Korea as their vegetable garden for plowing and who sow money to reap all sorts of benefits — legal, political, financial. He, Gil-han, and Myung-hee have been investigating the group for the past year. When they got information about something to be shipped in a truck, they interpreted it as the group moving a slush fund; as the truck they were following arrive at its destination, they saw one truck with large metal paint canisters and another truck with boxes containing huge sums of cash.
Secretary Oh sneaks into Mun-hoo’s penthouse; meanwhile, at the “Someday News” office, Mun-hoo orders his staff to follow up the leads on the “Elder” which have been posted on the tabloid’s message board.
On the day of Mun-sik’s televised interview with ABS News, Mun-hoo and his team’s plans are thrown into disarray when Mun-sik tells his interviewer (Min-jae) that she can ask him anything, deviating from their planned script. Meanwhile, Myung-hee and Young-shin watch Mun-sik’s interview together.
Min-ja and Dae-young watch as the team from Jaeil News takes over the operations at the Double S Guard agency; the team is headed by Manager Ahn, the man who tried to convince Young-shin that the Healer is a dangerous person. After Dae-young sends her the picture of Manager Ahn, Min-ja thinks that she has seen him before.
The next day, the “Elder,” his accomplices, and his thugs strike against “Someday News,” Mun-hoo, and Young-shin.
Episode 19
| Ep. 18 recap:
Flashback ... The large metal paint canisters that Seo Joon-seok saw in one of the trucks contain fake red lead, chemicals that lead to the weakening of steel used in construction projects. As he’s saying this to the investigators, men in suits barge into the room to stop the investigation. After accepting the proposal made by the “Elder,” Mun-sik betrays his friends by testifying that Seo Joon-seok killed Gil-han over money. Present times ... Jung-hoo tries to live a normal life with Young-shin, working a regular job at “Someday News.” On the other hand, Min-ja trains Dae-young to be the next Healer. While he and Young-shin follow up on the fake red lead that Seo Joon-seok talked about to the investigators, they find out that the Seodo Bridge that collapsed used the fake red lead. Secretary Oh steals the cassette tapes and the Healer underground publication from Mun-hoo’s penthouse. During the televised interview, Mun-sik uses these materials and the group photo to portray himself as someone who has fought for press freedom all these years. The officials from the National Tax Service descend on the “Someday News” office, alleging that the tabloid was bought in a dubious manner and confiscating everything. At his building’s parking garage, Mun-hoo is kidnapped. Jung-hoo chases after Mun-hoo and the kidnappers, but the kidnappers transfer Mun-hoo’s cellphone (which Min-ja is tracking) to a motorcyclist, who speeds off in a different direction. As Young-shin waits for the elevator to get to Mun-hoo’s penthouse, Secretary Oh comes alongside her. |
While Secretary Oh threatens Young-shin, Manager Ahn sets up a trap that will force Jung-hoo to work for the “Elder.” Meanwhile, Mun-hoo is ushered into a meeting with Mun-sik and other media bigwigs.
Min-ja identifies Manager Ahn as being involved in the last case she worked on as a detective. On the other hand, Jung-hoo begins collecting the fingerprints of Manager Ahn’s men so that he can identify who killed Park Dong-chul at the cathedral. He also sends to Min-ja the black box chips of the vehicles used by Manager Ahn and his men.
Despite Mun-sik’s pleas, Myung-hee leaves him, saying, “My daughter Ji-an might be alive. I need to find her myself.”
In his next live broadcast, Mun-hoo continues his story based on the 1992 deaths of the former pirate broadcasters. He explains how the fake red lead paint led to a bridge’s collapse and the subsequent takeover by Omega Holdings of the company that constructed the bridge. He also identifies the “Elder” by his complete name and title.
Episode 20, Finale (with spoilers)
| Ep. 19 recap:
With Secretary Oh threatening to poison Young-shin, Manager Ahn forces Jung-hoo to make a videotaped confession of killing Park Dong-chul; he also asks Jung-hoo to hand over the record of the tip about the “Elder” that came from Russia. Mun-sik entices Mun-hoo to take his place as president of Jaeil News Company. Mun-hoo identifies the “Elder” as CEO Park Jung-dae of Omega Holdings. One of the chips from the black boxes alerts Manager Ahn as to Min-ja’s exact location. As Yo-yo and the Double S Guard agents chase after Min-ja, Jung-hoo arrives and help her escape. |
Flashback ... At the café, Jung-hoo rescues Chi-soo and his assistant from thugs sent by the “Elder.” On the other hand, Dae-young helps Mun-hoo escape from being entrapped in a sleazy setup involving a female high school student.
The “Elder” orders the release to the police of Park Bong-soo’s video confession of killing Park Dong-chul.
After finally revealing to Myung-hee that Young-shin is her daughter Ji-an, Mun-hoo arranges for them to meet in the café.
Present times ...
Jung-hoo, Young-shin, Mun-hoo, and Min-ja gather at the airport to meet Kim Jae-yoon, the biochemist working in Russia who gave the tip about the “Elder” and the video of the experiment that caused the epidemic among the villagers.
In the airport, Manager Ahn and the agents from Double S Guard watch Jung-hoo and Mun-hoo closely. Also in the airport is Detective Yoon, who was tipped off by Min-ja.
While Mun-hoo distracts the attention of Manager Ahn and the Double S Guard agents, Young-shin meets Kim Jae-yoon, who gives her the last remaining bacteria samples and a flash drive containing her research materials.
When Kim Jae-yoon agrees to do an interview, Mun-hoo uses his laptop to begin their live broadcast about a village that was hit last year by a mysterious epidemic that sickened numerous people and killed five; nobody knew what caused the epidemic, but Mun-hoo says that they now have proof that it was a biological experiment.
When Manager Ahn sees the broadcast, he orders the Double S Guard agents to search the women’s restrooms. As Detective Yoon and the police officers confront Manager Ahn and the agents from Double S Guard, Kim Jae-yoon panics and runs. But one of Manager Ahn’s men runs after her with a syringe in hand.
Min-jae’s news report identifies CEO Park Jung-dae of Omega Holdings (aka “Elder”) as the man who hired the person who tried to kill Kim Jae-yoon; with the “LA video” showing CEO Park Jung-dae meeting with a Russian chemist, he will be charged for the epidemic that led to five deaths among the sickened villagers.
Fast forward ...
Just like their parents, Young-shin and Jung-hoo work in tandem as journalist and photographer.
On the rooftop, Jung-hoo and Young-shin kiss.
Lessons in photography from “Healer” with in-depth analysis of its visuals, cinematography, and editing
Index: A. The frequent use of “crash zoom” (aka snap zoom or whip zoom) distinguishes this drama’s cinematography; when the camera “zooms in” or “zooms out” at a fast speed, it’s called a ”crash zoom”; the most creative sequence of shots in this drama is in the first 90 secods of Ep. 14 with several crash zooms, slow motion, rack focus, visual cue, and great background music; B. Did the visual style of 2014 and 2015 K-dramas set the template for today’s dramas?; C. From lead room or looking space to short siding: similarities with two shots in “Healer” from Ep. 7 and Ep. 11 with several shots in “A Business Proposal”; D. Similarly composed short sided shots in Ep. 8 of “Healer” and Ep. 6 of “Our Blues”; E. Visual cues; visual cue as a foreshadowing device in Ep. 18; F. Miscellaneous observations: excellently staged and shot scene in Ep. 17; leading lines, one point perspective; minor rant against a Dutch angle shot in Ep. 16
A. The frequent use of “crash zoom” (aka snap zoom or whip zoom) distinguishes this drama’s cinematography.
Studio Binder in its article titled “What is a Zoom Shot and When You Should Use One” explains what “zoom shot” and “crash zoom” are.
What is a zoom shot?
A zoom shot is when the focal length of a camera lens is adjusted to give the illusion of moving closer or further away from the subject. Zoom shots are done with a zoom lens, which have variable focal lengths. The most typical camera zoom types are the “zoom in” and “zoom out,” but it can also be combined with a dolly shot to create a “dolly zoom.”
Why use a zoom shot?
- To draw attention to a specific detail in the shot
- When you want to give a character power
- To emphasize a comedic or dramatic moment
- Use a crash zoom for reaction shots
When a zoom shot is executed rapidly, it is called a crash zoom. When you crash zoom into a close-up, it provides energy and impact to a reaction shot. This type of shot is most associated with classic kung fu movies and can you guess which filmmaker loves kung fu movies?
Tarantino has adopted the crash zoom in a few of his films, most notably in “Kill Bill” and “Django Unchained.”
Relevant resources on crash zoom:
“Tarantino and the Crash Zoom effect”
“Tarantino and the Crash Zoom”
“How To Do The Tarantino Crash Zoom Effect Inside Premiere Pro”
“How to Make a Crash Zoom Effect with Two Clips – After Effects Tutorial”
The “crash zoom” (either a “zoom in” or a “zoom out”) can be created either in-camera or through editing apps. In creating a “crash zoom” in-camera, a “parfocal lens” is used; this type of lens stays in focus while being zoomed. It can also be created by taking two shots (a wide shot and a closeup) and then combining them during editing; please read “How to Create a Low-Budget Crash Zoom from Two Shots” (Premium Beat).
Unlike Tarantino’s crash zoom shots, the crash zoom shots in “Healer” are quite abbreviated (or short) in duration all throughout the drama’s 20 episodes; the most memorable crash zoom shot is in Ep. 14 when Jung-hoo finds out that Teacher has been killed inside the police station.
Examples of crash zoom shots from “Healer” (I slowed down the GIFs so that you can better see the zooming in or zooming out):
Ep. 10: After sneaking into Mun-hoo’s penthouse, Jung-hoo finds the cassette tapes and old publication titled “Healer.” The camera zooms in on him.
Ep. 11: Mun-hoo speaks to Jung-hoo on his cellphone; the camera zooms in on him twice and then zooms out of him once. The shot then cuts to Jung-hoo, and the camera zooms in on him.
Ep. 9, Part 1: Mun-hoo orders a total makeover for Park Bong-soo (Jung-hoo) and Young-shin so that they can enter the venue for Assemblyman Kim’s press conference. (1) The camera zooms out as Young-shin looks at herself on the mirror; (2) The camera zooms out of Park Bong-soo as he looks at himself on the mirror; (3) The camera zooms out as Young-shin looks at the pink dress.
Ep. 9, Part 2: The camera zooms in on Park Bong-soo; (2) The camera zooms out to show Park Bong-soo being startled as the attendant wraps the tape measure around his chest; (3) The camera pans right and then zooms out as Young-shin gets fitted for a dress.
Ep. 9, Part 3: Young-shin walks towards Park Bong-soo wearing a sleeveless red dress. The shot then cuts to Park Bong-soo, and there’s hardly noticeable zoom in on him as he’s dumbfounded by Young-shin’s transformation.
The most creative sequence of shots in this drama is in first 90 secods of Ep. 14 with several crash zooms, slow motion, rack focus, and great background music. This scene was brilliantly staged, shot, and edited.
(1) Jung-hoo arrives in front of the police station; as the lifeless body of Teacher is being brought out on a stretcher towards the ambulance, the camera zooms in on the stretcher. (This is not seen in the GIF.)
(2) The shot goes into slow motion as Teacher’s left hand drops to the side of the stretcher, and the haunting classical music starts.
(3) In slow motion, the camera zooms in on the shocked Jung-hoo.
(4) As the camera pans to the right, the left arm of Teacher becomes out of focus as Jung-hoo in the background becomes in focus; notice that Jung-hoo is slightly boxed in by the stretcher’s legs.
(5) No longer in slow motion, the camera zooms in on Jung-hoo as he staggers backward in shock.
B. Did the visual style of 2014 and 2015 K-dramas set the template for today’s dramas?
I’ve watched five dramas that were aired in 2014 and 2015, namely, “My Love From The Star,” “Empress Ki,” “The Joseon Gunman,” “Six Flying Dragons,” and “Healer.” Except for “Empress Ki” and “Six Flying Dragons,” the visual elements that distinguish these dramas are (1) short siding, (2) overly dramatic Dutch angle shots, (3) dramatic low angle shots, and (4) lower quadrant composition. All these visual elements are used in today’s dramas as you can read in my previous analyses.
(In “Six Flying Dragons,” I think I only saw three short sided shots: one shot of Bang-won in Ep. 16 and two shots of Cheok Sa-kwang in Ep. 32.)
I’ve only watched less than a hundred K-dramas, and so I can’t make categorical statements about how the visual style of K-dramas have developed or changed through the years, or if indeed the visual style of 2014 and 2015 K-dramas set the template for today’s dramas. For example, overly dramatic Dutch angle shots can also be seen in the 2012 historical drama “Bridal Mask” aka “Gaksital.”
(I’ve seen the 2009 “Shining Inheritance” aka “Brilliant Legacy” and the 2012 “May Queen”; I don’t recall seeing short sided shots, overly dramatic Dutch angle shots, etc. in these dramas.)
Examples of short siding from “Healer” (GIF)
In Ep. 17, Young-shin meets Myung-hee, her biological mother, for the first time. After Myung-hee suffers from a seizure, she leaves the house; along the way as she walks in a pensive mood, she meets Jung-hoo. In several OTS (over the shoulder) shots of Young-shin talking with Jung-hoo, she’s frame right. There are also three shots of Young-shin where she’s shot from the side; notice that she becomes increasingly short sided in these shots.
Examples of overly dramatic Dutch angle shots from “Healer”
Examples of dramatic low angle shots from “Healer”
Examples of lower quadrant composition from “Healer”
From the limited number of K-dramas I’ve seen and the research I’ve done from English-language resources on the Internet, these are some highlights in the development of cinematography or visual style of K-dramas:
(1) The 2010 historical drama “Chuno, The Slave Hunters” starring Jang Hyuk was the first K-drama shot with a digital camera, that is, with the revolutionary Red One camera.
(2) ALEXA, the high end brand of cameras for cinematography, was first used in K-dramas with the 2013 “That Winter, the Wind Blows” starring Song Hye-kyo. An ALEXA camera was also used in “Scarlet Heart: Ryeo.” You can read more about this in “ALEXA in South Korea.”
(3) Netflix has invested millions of dollars in the production of K-dramas. I recently read that Netflix dramas now use the 2:1 aspect ratio; I think that recent dramas such as “D.P.” and “My Liberation Notes” were shot in the 2:1 aspect ratio.
Relevant resources: “Why The 2:1 Aspect Ratio (UNIVISIUM) Is Now The Fastest Growing Format In Cinema” and “What is 2:1 Aspect Ratio — Why David Fincher, Ari Aster, and More Directors are Switching to 18:9.”
Perhaps, there are Korean-language articles or studies that discuss the development of cinematography and visual style of K-dramas. It’s too bad that I can’t read Korean.
C. From lead room or looking space to short siding (similarities of two shots in Ep. 7 and Ep. 11 of “Healer” to several shots in “A Business Proposal”)
Overview: Some directors and cinematographers use short-sided shots to depict anger, distress, conflict, confusion, etc.
In my analysis of the visuals, cinematography, and editing of “A Business Proposal,” I praised the cinematographer’s technique of moving the camera such that a character is at first with lead room or looking space and then ends with the character short sided. There are four or five of these shots in “A Business Proposal.” Here’s one example:
To my big surprise, I saw at least two shots in “Healer” where a character is at first with lead room or looking space and then becomes short sided. “Healer” was aired in 2015, and “A Business Proposal” was aired in 2022; this is part of what led me to think that the visual style of 2014 and 2015 K-dramas set the template for today’s dramas.
Ep. 7: Min-ja orders Jung-hoo stay away from Young-shin and to go on a vacation to Australia fir a year to let things cool off. But Jung-hoo refuses, having become suspicious of Min-ja and Teacher’s motives. As he sstands outside the building where “Someday News” holds office, his suspicions abd determination to find out what’s happening is depicted and reinforced when he is at first with lead room or looking space but as the camera arcs clockwise, he becomes short sided.
Ep. 11: Mun-hoo challenges Jung-hoo; as the shots cut between him and Jung-hoo, he’s shown with lead room or looking space. As the camera trucks (moves parallel) to the left, he becomes short sided.
D. Similarly composed short sided shots in Ep. of “Healer” and Ep. 6 of “Our Blues”
In Ep. 6 of “Our Blues,” there’s a static shot of Yeong-ju in the doctor’s office; she and her reflection are both short sided.
You can see in the shot below from Ep. 8 of “Healer” that Myung-hee and her reflection are both short sided. The GIF shows how this excellent image was staged by the director.
E. Visual cues
“Visual cues” are explained in an excellent series of articles from “My Drama List” written by someone with the username “3GGG.”
Popular Visual Cues found in K-Dramas, Part 1: visual ways to establish a conflict, division, or fight between two or more characters
Popular Visual Cues in K-Dramas, Part 2: boxing to establish a character’s vulnerability, solitude, or fear; comfort and respite; change; danger; showdown
Popular Visual Cues in K-Dramas, Part 3: Dutch angle
Popular Visual Cues in K-Dramas, Part 4: Interpersonal cues (using cues simultaneously or one after another
The YouTube video “The Brilliant Cinematography of Parasite” by Thomas Flight (5:04 mark) shows how director Bong Joon-ho used lines to depict the division between the social classes, between the rich family and the poor family.
Examples of visual cues from “Healer” (GIF)
Ep. 17: Young-shin meets her biological mother, Myung-hee, for the very first time and in a day that happens to be her birthday. During their talk, she finds out that Myung-hee did not abandon her. After Myung-hee suffers from a seizure, she goes to the kitchen where she sees the biscuits and other delicacies that Myung-hee has always prepared for her on her birthday. Her conflicting emotions of joy, sadness, and confusion are depicted and reinforced by the frame of the door that boxes her on. This shot was brilliantly staged by the director.
Ep. 14: After getting a call from Min-ja urging to look for Park Bong-soo (Jung-hoo) who’s in mortal danger, Young-shin rushes into the building. Her confusion and concern are depicted and reinforced by the railings on an upper floor and the circular logo on the floor that box her in.
Visual cue as a foreshadowing device in Ep. 18: The Elder calms down when his assistant warns him that there’s a reporter and two police officers outside the compound. Notice that as he lights the incense stick on the table, there’s only a hardly noticeable Dutch angle shot of him and Jung-hoo. In the next shot (a closeup), however, he’s shot with a dramatic Dutch angle. We don’t know what’s happening at that point. About a minute or more, the smoke from the incense stick knocks Jung-hoo unconscious, giving the Elder time to escape without being noticed by Young-shin and the police officers outside.
F. Miscellaneous observations
F-1. Ep. 17, The reveal: As Myung-hee talks with Young-shin in her room, Secretary Oh surreptitiously calls up the “Elder” in Mun-sik’s study.
(1) There’s an establishing shot of Secretary Oh talking to the “Elder” on the phone; he’s frame left while a darkened wall dominate the right frame.
(2) After some shots of Secretary Oh and the “Elder,” we then see a shot similar to the establishing shot. As the camera then trucks (moves parallel) to the left, the darkened wall disappears from view, revealing Jung-hoo looming over Secretary Oh. As Secretary Oh becomes out of focus, Jung-hoo becomes in focus.
F-2. Leading lines
Studio Binder in its article titled “Rules of Shot Composition in Film: A Definitive Guide” says: “Leading lines are actual lines (or sometimes imaginary ones) in a shot, that lead the eye to key elements in the scene. Artists use this technique to direct the viewer’s eye but they also use it to connect the character to essential objects, situations, or secondary subjects.”
The YouTube video titled “8 Important Composition Tips for Better Photos” discusses leading lines at the 6:19 mark.
Examples of leading lines in “Healer”
F-3. One point perspective
From Wikipedia: A drawing has one-point perspective when it contains only one vanishing point on the horizon line. This type of perspective is typically used for images of roads, railway tracks, hallways, or buildings viewed so that the front is directly facing the viewer.
From "Filmmaker’s Handbook: What is one-point perspective?": Quick Answer: One-point perspective is a way of crafting cinematic shots with near-perfect symmetry. The composition of these shots draws the viewer’s eye to a specific focal point within the frame, absorbing them into the dimension of the shot and manipulating the experience by telling them exactly where to look. It also elicits an emotional response, typically of uneasiness or dread.
F-4. Minor rant against a Dutch angle shot in Ep. 16
Young-shin gets a call from Myung-hee, who says that she has agreed to do an interview. She rushes out of the house but is then pressured to get into a car with Mun-sik, who takes her to his office at Jaeil News Company.
In this scene at the office, Mun-sik and Young-shin are shot with a Dutch angle, with Mun-sik lower in the frame while Young-shin is higher. The camera should have been canted to the right so that Mun-sik is higher in the frame and thus reinforce in the viewer’s mind that he’s dominant over Young-shin.
Compare the Dutch angle shot above with the Dutch angle shot of Mun-sik and Young-shin inside the car; Mun-sik is higher in the frame because of the Dutch angle and thus appears to the viewer as dominant, with Young-shin appearing uncomfortable in the situation she was pressured into.
