Flower of Evil Episode 1
Baek Hee Sung (Lee Joon Gi) is tied up and in a pool. He can’t loosen the ropes and stops trying. Cha Ji Won (Moon Chae Won) dives into the pool and makes her way to him. But the ropes are caught. They stare at each other.
Hee Sung voiceover…Shall I tell you what kind of man I am?
Ji Won voiceover…I’ll love you forever and be a good to you. From now on everything will change.
She kisses him.
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Hee Sung and Ji Won kiss in his store (he’s a metal craftsman). She tells him they are late. He teases her this is only a family dinner.
Hee Sung and Ji Won drive to the dinner. They hold hands. Hee Sung worries this will be uncomfortable. Ji Won is clear they need to do this. Their daughter, Baek Eun Ha (Jung Seo Yeon) pipes up that Grandma is scary. Ji Won calls that silly.
It isn’t a warm welcome by Hee Sung’s parents. Eun Ha edges behind her father. Gong Mi Ja (Nam Gi Ae) (Hee Sung’s Mother) chides Ji Won for not teacher her daughter manners. Hee Sung points out they shut the door in their face last time. Poor Eun Ha is prompted to tell her grandparents she loves them. They stare in icy silence. Eun Ha believes they hate her.
Ji Won and Eun Ha sing happy birthday to Hee Sung. His parents say nothing. Ji Won’s gift is an engraved watch band. When Eun Ha needs to use the restroom, Ji Won leads her daughter out of the dining room. Hee Sung’s mother snaps he’s showing off. She asks if he thinks his life is his own. Hee Sung counters his life was never his own. His mother starts to speak but Baek Man Woo (Son Jong Hak) (Hee Sung’s Father) cuts her off. He reminds them they are all on the same boat and they need to be civil so the boat won’t sink. When Ji Won returns, she apologizes that she must leave for work. His parents aren’t happy. Hee Sung urges his wife to leave and he’ll handle his parents.
Hee Sung hurries away and out the door.
Hee Sung’s mother looks at his sleeping daughter and declares his new wife is stupid. His father translates their surprise at his happy marriage. Hee Sung states he and Ji Won were made for each other.
Gangsu Police Station…Ji Won arrives and puts her badge on as she enters the station.
Hee Sung’s mother notes he has a dirty past and she’s a cop. She laughs. His father asks if their daughter created a special bond. Hee Sung states Ji Won only sees what she wants to see. And he only shows her what she wants to see. Hee Sung says he can see through his wife, so he can handle her and they shouldn’t worry.
Yikes!
Gangsu Police Station…In the interrogation room, Ji Won learns a 12-year-old boy was found at the bottom of the apartment stairs with a head injury.
Flashback…When the boy woke in the hospital, the boy declared it was his father that tried to kill him. Per the child, his father forced him to go up and down the stairs until exhaustion. When he refused, his father said his fat son disgusted him and pushed him down the stairs. He left his son to die.
The victim’s father declares he’s not guilty. Detective Choi Jae Sub (Choi Young Joon) asks why his son would lie. He says believing the child is the natural outcome.
Flashback… Per the father, he walked the stairs with his son. He got a phone call from a friend and left his son alive when he departed.
The father declares his child is precious and he’d never do that. Detective Choi sniffs the father and asks if he had soju and ribs with his friend. The father confirms that.
Hee Sung puts his daughter to bed.
The police discuss the case. Officer Im Ho Joon believes the father. Detective Choi declares 80% of the time the parents are the culprit. Ji Won points out the father is wearing slippers from the eatery because he rushed out as soon as his wife called about his son’s injury. She notes his socks are dirty because the slipper can off. Detective Choi declares his gut says the father is guilty. Ji Won declares she’s Officer Im’s favorite. They are interrupted and told to meet with Team Lead Lee Woo Cheol. He gives each one of them an assignment. Ji Won says she’ll start by talking to the wife.
Reporter Kim Moo Jin (Seo Hyun Woo) gets the wife to admit her husband can be strict when he interviews her. Ji Won and Officer Im arrive and ask what the headline will be.
Officer Im admits that he enjoys Reporter Kim’s articles especially the ones about the serial murders in Yeonju. Reporter Kim says that case destroyed the town. Reporter Kim is pleased to learn the father is lawyer. His pen runs out of ink. Officer Im gives him the pen Ji Won’s husband made for the team. Reporter Kim is intrigued by the design and the fact that Ji Won’s husband is a metal craftsman.
Ji Won asks the mother about her son’s relationship with his father. The wife says her child is sweet and wouldn’t lie. But she’s adamant her husband wouldn’t hurt her son. She yells there isn’t trouble in her family. Ji Won asks if the son has an insurance policy. The wife confirms this.
Reporter Kim believes the insurance money was the motive. Ji Won points out the child was too young for a payout. Reporter Kim says there was a serial killer of 7 people including his wife who’d left him. He notes the killer was a metal craftsman just like her husband. Ji Won offers her husband’s business card if Reporter Kim writes nice things about the police. She dismayed to learn Reporter Kim is younger than her and she need not speak formally to him.
Ji Won explains the case to Hee Sung when she gets home. She changes clothes to return to the station. She asks why his parents hate her when she’s a wonderful woman. Ji Won is sorry that his parents aren’t happy with him. She jokes that she shouldn’t have seduced him. Hee Sung suggests they make love. She playfully hits him.
Ji Won watches the CCTV of the father leaving the apartment. She notices the husband isn’t rushing away from the stairs. Officer Im sleeps. Detective Choi declares he’ll nail the father soon and she’s wasting her time.
The next day, Hee Sung takes his daughter to school. He brings food for the teachers. Eun Ha’s teacher says her father is kind and handsome. Father and daughter wish each other a good day. Hee Sung calls his mother and says he’s coming over.
Reporter Kim enjoys the comments on his serial killer articles. He gets a call and Mr. Nam says he can’t meet him due to an influx of customers. He’s positive the Do Hyun Soo is the man. Reporter Kim says he’ll see Mr. Nam tomorrow. His pen tuns out. He dumps his briefcase. He looks at the necklace. He remembers a woman wearing the necklace. He jots notes with a pen about meeting Mr. Nam tomorrow.
Hee Sung tells his mother to call his wife. Hee Sung orders his mother to make sure his wife never believes she wants to see them again. Hee Sung’s mother says she won’t see her granddaughter again. Hee Sung says it is better for all of them. Hee Sung’s mother doesn’t want to. Hee Sung tells his mother she owns his life as long as he lives under this identity. He says his wife will realize that she’s putting on an act. He tells his mother to make the call.
Officer Im wakes Ji Won to show her CCTV from the elevator of a child and a dog around the time of the accident.
Detective Choi arrives at the hospital to talk to the doctor who met the victim’s father. Dr. Bae says her friend acted normal. But when he got the call about his son, he dashed out. Detective Choi asks why she didn’t come to the hospital. She admits she was too drunk to treat the child. Detective Choi sniffs her and agrees. While looking for his card, he “accidentally” drops coin. He asks Dr. Bae to pick up the ones under her desk. While she complies, he pockets her phone.
Detective Choi wants the phone unlocked. The man removes the SD card from the phone which has the photo album. Detective Choi smiles when he sees cozy photos of Dr. Bae and the victim’s father. He says he smelled Dr. Bae’s perfume on the father.
The victim’s mother wakes in her son’s room. She’s startled when she finds a cockroach in the multivitamin jar. Ji Won and Officer Im arrive and see the scattered pills. Ji Won believes the bug was intentional. They ask the wife if she recognizes the boy in the elevator. The wife says the boy lives on the 12th floor. She’s worried about her husband. Ji Won notices her sweater isn’t buttoned properly. She says her son and father are close. Ji Won gets photos from Detective Choi with the note that the father is having an affair. The wife asks them to find the real culprit.
Hee Sung works in his shop. Reporter Kim arrives. He asks if Hee Sung can make a repair. The men recognize each other and are surprised. Hee Sung turns and says he’s closing early. Reporter Kim calls him Do Hyun Soo. Hee Sung doesn’t move. Reporter Kim asks if he remembers him. Hee Sung turns and looks at Reporter Kim. He asks what Reporter Kim will do about it. Reporter Kim says he’s here to talk to Baek Hee Sung, Detective Cha’s husband. Hee Sung asks if he knows Detective Cha. Reporter Kim confirms this. Hee Sung asks if he’d like tea.
Officer Im asks Ji Won why she didn’t mention the photos to the wife. Ji Won notes the photos were likely illegally obtained. She says the husband’s affair isn’t relevant. Detective Choi texts that the husband was stressed about paying child support.
I beg to differ that the affair isn’t relevant…aren’t they looking for motives?
Reporter Kim says he barely recognized him. Hee Sung notes he did. Reporter Kim says it is hot. Hee Sung says he is okay. Hee Sung tells him to say what he wants to say. Reporter Kim claims he doesn’t have anything to ask. He drinks the tea and stands to leave. Hee Sung says Reporter Kim is curious and urges him to ask. Reporter Kim sits down and says the rumors about him say on the day he left town there was a murder, a village foreman. Reporter Kim asks if he was involved with the murder.
The boy from the elevator and his mother meet with Ji Won and Officer Im. The boy says his dog got loose.
Flashback…the boy chases his dog who corners the victim who is afraid of the dog who has bit him before. The victim slips and falls down the stairs.
The boy admits the victim’s mother threatened his dog in the past. The boy’s mother says the victim’s mother is tough.
Detective Choi isn’t excited to hear the dog is the culprit via a phone call from Ji Won. She says the victim was stressed about the physical demands put on him. Ji Won smiles with glee and tells Detective Choi that assumptions without evidence is a waste of time. Irked, Detective Choi hangs up.
Detective Choi tells the father he can leave the police station.
Hee Sung says there’s no point in saying he didn’t kill the foreman when everyone thinks he did. Reporter Kim asks why the murder weapon was in his backpack. Reporter Kim notes Hee Sung should turn himself into the police and clear his name. Hee Sung asks why he thinks he’s still be investigated. Reporter Kim gets nervous and stands to leave. Hee Sung asks if Reporter Kim will go to the police and report him. Hee Sung suggests they talk about Reporter Kim. He asks if he’s married. Reporter Kim says he’s single. Hee Sung says reporters must have flexible hours.
Officer Im buys some medicine for his aching tooth while Ji Won looks at ingredients on a package. She realizes something. She tells Officer Im these are the multivitamins the victim’s mother dropped. They notice the pills in the bottle are yellow not white like the spilled pills. She remembers the mother’s adamance that there was nothing wrong. She remembers the mother’s unbuttoned sweater.
At the hospital, the father and wife are there with their won. Ji Won and Officer Im arrive. Ji Won sits next to the victim, turns on the recorder, and asks if he’s the one that put the cockroach in the vitamins to stop his mother from taking them. Ji Won holds the boy’s hand and tells him his mother gets to make her own choices. The boy asks his mother to wait outside. Officer Im escorts the mother and father outside.
The boy tells Ji Won his father is good person.
Flashback… Dr. Bae meets the father and son for a hike. The son sees Dr. Bae give his father pills. His father asks if the pills are mild. Dr. Bae assures the father once his wife stops taking the pills the effects will cease.
Flashback…The wife finds a lipstick stain on his shirt. The husband lies it is paint. The wife believes him.
Flashback… Dr. Bae tells him to get his wife to sign the divorce papers so they can move on with their life. All this with the son watching and listening.
The boy tells Ji Won he wanted to tell his mother but couldn’t. The boy thought if his father were the culprit it would ease the pain for his mother.
The mother wonders what is going on. The father declares he’ll file a complaint for coercing a statement from a minor. Ji Won exits and tells him that drugging his wife without her knowledge is a crime. She handcuffs him. Officer Im takes him away. The wife is stunned.
Hee Sung wraps a teapot and says it is bribe so Reporter Kim will keep his mouth shut. He asks for Reporter Kim’s address. Reporter Kim hesitates and complies. Hee Sung closes the blinds and turns up the volume on the stereo. Reporter Kim turns and finds Hee Sung staring at him.
The police wonder if the wife knew her husband was drugging her but complied because she didn’t want to face the truth. Ji Won declares she’d take the pill if her husband gave it to her. Detective Choi agrees he’d take the pill from his wife. Detective Choi brags his gut instinct about the father was right. Detective Choi demands that Officer Im pick his favorite. He’s saved then Hee Sung’s mother calls Ji Won. She steps aside to take the call.
Hee Sung’s mother is blunt. She doesn’t like Ji Won and believes she’s not worthy of her son. She tells Ji Won her mother nagged her father to death. Ji Won is taken aback. Hee Sung’s mother says Ji Won trapped her son by getting pregnant and she’s using the child to ingratiate herself. Hee Sung’s mother says she’ll never get her money. Hee Sung’s mother says she disgusts her and considers her dead to her. Ji Won asks her not to tell Hee Sung about this phone call because it will hurt him. Hee Sung’s mother hangs up.
Hee Sung puts Reporter Kim in a head lock. He wrestles him to the ground and tries to snap his neck. Reporter Kim passes out.
Ji Won walks to their house. She walks up the stairs to their front door. She enters to find her husband playing with their daughter. She smiles. The three of them hug and laugh. They are the picture of the happy family.
At Hee Sung’s shop, there is a locked door, below Reporter Kim lays on the floor. He wakes and finds himself bound and gagged. He struggles.
My Thoughts
It’s a game of keep away. Writer Yoo Jung Hee was clear. Hee Sung is a murderer. Ji Won doesn’t know. How long can Hee Sung keep this from Ji Won? She’s a capable detective. She’s going to figure it out. When she said she’d take the pill if her husband gave it to her, that tipped us that she’s willing to ignore her gut because she trusts him. Not a good choice when you are married to a murderer. How can Writer Yoo make this work for 16 episodes and keep it interesting?
Baek Hee Sung (Lee Joon Gi) appears to be the perfect husband…he’s not. Hee Sung looks like a caring husband and father. His relationship with his parents is one of collusion. It appears they know the truth about their son but have agreed to keep quiet. Hee Sung forced his mother to call Ji Won and sever their relationship. Then he crooned to his mother his life was in her hands. Lee Joon Gi flashed smiles throughout – some with practiced ease and some with malice. It must be said, Reporter Kim was an idiot when he didn’t leave Hee Sung’s shop quickly. Multiple times he tried to escape, but Hee Sung kept him talking. Now he’s trussed and in the secret room under Hee Sung’s store. I can’t imagine this will end well for Reporter Kim.
Detective Cha Ji Won (Moon Chae Won) loves her husband…at least the man she believes he is. What an interesting choice by Hee Sung – marry a cop, reestablish himself in a new town, and under a new name. Ji Won is a means to an end. But is she more than that to Hee Sung? Is there any heart in him? At this point, I think not. Ji Won is a good detective but clueless about her husband. Her attention to detail will likely point the way to her husband. The crime of the week established Ji Won’s attention to detail, her humanity, and her statement that she’d take the pill if her husband gave it to her. She’s vulnerable to Hee Sung in every way. But their child’s safety may be the higher priority and saving grace.
I rank this episode as good, 7 on a 10-point scale.
Asian drama fan. I watch and blog dramas on https://kjtamusings.wordpress.com/.
amusings 
HOLY COW, this is going to be suspenseful. Looks like the first case with the boy falling down the stairs is a type of things to come for Ji Won and Hee Sung. Kids seem to have a knack for figuring out adults, even when nothing is spoken … which makes me wonder why Eun Ha is completely enamored with her dad.
I don’t understand why the reporter, who suspected
Hee Sung/Hyun Soo of being a murderer, stayed in the store. I would not consumed ANYTHING from a suspected murderer and would have high tailed it out of there, going directly to the police station. Was it just a reporter’s curiosity that kept him there❓⁉️
I think Lee Jun Ki makes a good villain, eventhough I’m used to seeing him as a hero. I think this is going to be an interesting, but heartbreaking 💔 one.
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I am not sure whether to watch it or not… The ending of scarlet heart ryeo broke my heart so bad that I m still worried about which dramas to watch.
Somehow I feel Lee Jun ki will pull me in with his awesome acting n despite him being the villian I will keep rooting for his safety then the it will end badly.
Call me an idiot but once I see his face I can’t help but root for him 😦
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Somehow I feel Lee Jun ki will pull me in with his awesome acting n despite him being the villain I will keep rooting for his safety then the it will end badly. Call me an idiot but once I see his face I can’t help but root for him 😦
Watching him is worth it. I understand rooting for any character he portrays. How much can he do with this one?
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Although show is pointing all evidence to LJK being a killer, I’m holding out hope that he’s just a cute but harmless psychopath, descended from a psychopath serial killer. 😆 But the reason I’m believing is Reporter is still alive….so far.
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This drama reminds me of an American movie “Deceived” (a rare Goldie Hawn non-comedy). After 5 years of a perfectly wonderful husband father role play, the wife slowly uncovers the truth about him.
I’m in it to watch Lee Joon Gi, although it will depend on how gruesome the depiction of the crimes become whether I will go all the way.
I randomly just rewatched Innocent Man, Moon Chae Won must spend a fortune on diet and skin care and maybe surgery? 😯 She actually looks unchanged from 2012.
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Oh my goodness, I remember that film … it was so good and suspenseful. Flower of Evil does seem to have that kind of vibe. I wonder how Hee Sung’s parents play into his double identity. Are they his bio parents, one of them a step parent or are they strangers he blackmailed …
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Kdramaland tea must be really delicious because nobody ever turns down a cup, even if they suspect their host is a serial killer.
I’m glad they found an actor to play young Lee Joon ki that actually resembles him. Those eyes, had to get those eyes right. 👍
It’s very interesting that once he had the conversation with his parents that his relationship with his wife is fake, every touch (the way his hand closes around her arm very deliberately, palm first and then fingers, as opposed to just grabbing it), every suggestive move, the look in his eyes – now seems calculated. Very, very, ood acting.
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So I started this drama too! It looks everybody has dark secrets in their past. Favorite character so far: the Sniffing Detective!
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It looks everybody has dark secrets in their past
Yes, the potential is there.
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