My Thoughts — Save Me— Episode 12
Nutshell Summary:
Sang Mi’s mother has risen from the drug induced fog and goes to find her daughter to tell her to leave this horrible place. But faithful leader Kang Eun Sil grabs her, returns her to room and injects her with a drug that puts her under. When Im Sang Mi (Seo Ye Ji) arrives, her mother’s hair barrette in hand, she sees Eun Sil hiding a needle behind her back. She gets angry but Eun Sil has the power and Sang Mi has to back down and beg for forgiveness.
Seok Dong Cheol (Woo Do Hwan) continues his indoctrination process at the cult. He observes the emotionally whipped up followers who believe whatever cult leader Father Baek Jung Ki (Cho Seong Ha) dishes up. The lure of salvation is a huge driver. He learns new members must pay $2M to join. Dong Cheol snoops around the facility and runs into Father Baek outside the individual prayer rooms. He feels the pull of Father Baek who is an excellent salesman.
The undercover reporter tells Sang Mi that her mother is drugged consistently to keep her docile and mentally out of it. Sang Mi tells her to meet with Dong Cheol with the information so he can search for evidence. Dong Cheol’s search includes a drug lab. He avoids discovery by an evening guard. Dong Cheol learns that the life water everyone sprinkles on their food is water from Father Baek washing his face or feet.
A hiker discovery a body of a young woman not far from the cult. The police detective investigates and recalls a grandmother begging him to help find her granddaughter. The young woman is the grandmother’s granddaughter. Bold as brass, the police detective goes to the church and demands to speak with Father Baek. Eun Sil, deacon Jo Wan Tae and Sang Mi’s father try and block his access but Father Baek appears and agrees to speak with the detective. The police detective asks questions about Sang Mi and her upcoming joining with Father Baek. He bluntly asks if Father Baek plans to have sex with Sang Mi. Everyone disguises the truth with flowery words about spirits joining. Sang Mi is summoned and must state that she is doing this willingly. The police detective doesn’t believe her, but cannot proceed without a complaint. As he sits in the parking lot he sees the Governor and his assistant arrive to speak with Father Baek. He shakes his head that his task master (the Governor) is a supporter of Father Baek. Wan Tae asks the police detective to find the boys that took Sang Mi. Wan Tae tasks his brother to search for the boys in town.
Han Sang Hwan (Ok Taecyeon), Woo Jung Hoon (David Lee), and Choi Man Hee (Ha Hwe Jung) search for information about the cult. Unbeknownst to them they are tracking the girl whose body was recently found.
Sang Mi searches Eun Sil’s room and narrowly avoids being found by hiding in a closet.
Sang Mi has a moment alone with Father Baek. She demands to know why she and her family were targeted. Father Baek recalls watching the happy foursome eating supper together and his lust for Sang Mi flaring. He tells her that once he cared for a girl but didn’t wait long enough. He hasn’t made the same mistake with her. Sang Mi is repulsed. Father Baek won’t take no for an answer and slams Sang Mi to the ground. His hand goes up her skirt. Sang Mi stares at him in horror.
My Thoughts
Father Baek will have Sang Mi, with or without her consent. Father Baek manipulates with the lure of salvation. But Sang Mi doesn’t believe that so her mother is the leverage the evil cult trio (Father Baek, Eun Sil, Wan Tae) use against her. As these episodes have unfolded the individual motivations have become clearer. Father Baek is a partial nut job, who almost believes what he preaches. Eun Sil’s dead daughter was to be the bride for Father Baek, but she committed suicide. Now Eun Sil must force Sang Mi to be the bride for Father Baek to earn salvation for herself and her daughter. Wan Tae is in it for power and money. I still want to know the connection between Father Baek and Wan Tae.
Sang Mi got a rude shock when Father Baek physically overwhelmed her. She thought her disdain would be a shield, but Father Baek showed her willingness wasn’t necessary. While Sang Mi has support from the undercover reporter and Dong Cheol, in many ways she’s in this alone. She’s fighting to save her mother but the evil trio holds all the cards. It’s too bad the police detective decided to question Sang Mi in front of the evil trio, she had no choice but to lie. I did enjoy the police detective grilling the evil trio and Sang Mi’s father if Sang Mi would be forced to have sex with Father Baek.
Sang Hwan and his friends managed to not be found by Wan Tae’s brother. Wan Tae wants retribution. I keep wondering WHY someone (Sang Hwan or the police detective) doesn’t look into the background of the trio of evil. What brought them together?
Dong Cheol searched for evidence but came up empty. His horror at finding out the life water as discarded washing water from Father Baek was echoed by me when I watched the reveal.
Ranking the episodes (on a scale from 1-10) had me rank the episode 11 as very good. My episode ranking chart is below.
The fourth song of the OST is “Out of The World” by INKII:
Asian drama fan. I watch and blog dramas on https://kjtamusings.wordpress.com/.
amusings 
Well, I think it is official, Deaconess Kang is evil 😈. She is knowingly keeping 💉 Sang Mi’s mom, and who knows how many others, prisoners at the nursing home – there is no attempt to make anyone well.
The Governor and the Father are of the same ilk – willing to hold hands 👬 with anyone who will move their agenda forward. I’m fervently hoping their ‘unholy’ alliance blows 💣💢 up in their faces, bringing them both down‼
I hope our police 🕵 detective is persistent in checking Sang Mi’s welfare. It is appalling 😱 that the potential victim was not taken aside, away from her pertetrators, to assess the situation. Although at this point, even away from her captors, Sang Mi may lie to protect her mother.
I concur with KJT “I keep wondering WHY someone … doesn’t look into the background of the trio of evil.”. Surely AT LEAST Wan Tae and Wan Duk have criminal 🚓 records; bullies usually leave a path of destruction throughout their lives. Although, if these bullies seek mortal 💀 retribution, they may have covered their tracks by burying the bodies. Which begs the question of why the body of the young girl was found so easily and so close to Guseonwon? Did she receive “hands 🙌 on” praying or was she a victim of Wan Tae?
OMO, like my hero Dong Chul, I was also horrified that the New Sovereign ‘sheep’ knowingly sprinkle this disgusting water over their food.
Color 🖍 me 🎉 surprise🎊 Father Baek would forcibly take Sang Mi, especially when the police 👮 were specifically inquiring about the Father having sexual relations with Sang Mi. YIKES‼ I REALLY HOPE 🙏 someone interupts, like her dad; hopefully knocking some common sense into him. Who am I kidding, Papa Im would likely sanction it for his family’s “salvation”. Speaking of salvation, is it the Dramafever captions or what do they mean saying the ‘Mother of Spirits’ is the “scapegoat” for everyone’s sins? That terminology evokes thoughts of human sacrifice…does anyone else wonder or have thoughts?
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Deaconess Kang is evil 😈. She is knowingly keeping 💉 Sang Mi’s mom…
She is self serving (in her evilness). It’s all about earning the elusive salvation for herself and her dead daughter. In that regard, she is like Sang Mi’s father.
I hope our police 🕵 detective is persistent in checking Sang Mi’s welfare.
You have to shake your head when a corrupt police officer is your best hope for justice.
Father Baek would forcibly take Sang Mi…
I remember being surprised at the time jump of 3 years that Sang Mi wasn’t a sexual slave to Father Baek. He explained it before he leered and lunged saying he wanted her to ripen. That makes me shudder! The deliberate plan to keep Sang Mi trapped and under his power through her mother is evil.
Speaking of salvation, is it the Dramafever captions or what do they mean saying the ‘Mother of Spirits’ is the “scapegoat” for everyone’s sins? That terminology evokes thoughts of human sacrifice…does anyone else wonder or have thoughts?
I’d noticed that but had not articulated a reaction as well stated as yours.
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At first, I wasn’t sure I could watch this drama as it is hard for me to watch people in power manipulating the unwitting really brings out my ire, especially when it is children being taken advantage of, like with sweet boy who was lured to the train tracks…I wanted to go through the video screen and make the evil brothers suffer the same fate.
Anywho, I have had hope justice would win, but how much EVIL has to continue before we have justice? As KJT said “You have to shake your head when a corrupt police officer is your best hope for justice.” ✳SHAKING MY HEAD✳
I’m afraid to find out what a “scapegoat” means to these EVIL S.O.B.s
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The grip of the corrupt on the system is a consistent and depressing theme in kdramas.
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JT – I’ve finished the series and now I’m reading the recaps – “scapegoat” – since it was never fully explained, I’m chalking it up to the many phrases they borrowed from the real Bible. In the Old Testament, the sacrifices were representative, or a “stand -in” as it were, for Jesus Christ (i.e. sacrificial Lamb of God) and fun ultimate sacrifice. In the books
(Leviticus & Deuteronomy) regarding the many different types of sacrifices there are procedures for the scapegoat which also represents Christ. I’m assuming Faux-haired Father just used it as an excuse for why his lust would be spent on this young girl and made up a doctrine that doing so would have her carry their sins so they could board that leaky looking ship.
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After finishing the series I concur the outward appearance of “scapegoat” was Sang Mi taking the obligation of everyone’s sins, while in reality it was a made-up doctrine for “father” to fulfill his lust. The actor playing Father Baek really excels at playing disgusting villains.
I agree with you Beez that the thought of used bathwater being sprinkled on food or sipped is ABSOLUTELY REVOLTING 🤢 🤮‼
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Im snurching your “disgust” emojis.
It would’ve been bad enough if they were anointing any part of their bodies with it but ingesting his nasty eye-booger water and between toe and toenail gook…
OMG, JT – I tried to copy your disgust emojis to put at the end of that last sentence and because the last emojis that I copied and used was the lip smacking tongue drooling one that you made me and I used in my lady post about the non-flower boys – that appeared instead! sick ga real!
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I’m glad those nasty emojis worked, they came from my texting app and display as blank empty boxes on my phone internet browser.
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Nah, the disgust emojis wouldn’t let me snurch them after all.
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Oh. And I almost forgot –
When Dong Chul asked why was the “holy” food enhancer water brown and the reply was it was Father’s face water after he washes his face – my reaction was bad enough. But when the other cult member proudly chirped up that she had his FOOT water…
Thank God I wasn’t eating.
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