[♪ cheerful music]
[parkgoers cheering]
20 years ago
Dream Land
[children chattering, laughing]
[distorted laughter]
[children screaming]
[♪ faint ominous music]
[distant carnival laughter]
[voice] Ms. Seungjoo Lee?
"10 years ago"
Ms. Seungjoo Lee?
Hansung University Hospital
These are yours.
They once belonged to your mother.
[♪ somber music]
You changed your name so finding you took me a while.
My apologies.
If these were hers, why do you have them?
And how…
How do you know my mother then?
We were colleagues.
I worked in a restaurant with her 10 years ago.
I want you to know…
Namsuk wanted to find you, no matter what.
So do you know where my mother is right now?
[sighs softly]
[♪ theme music]
Nine Puzzles
[♪ soft tense music]
[door creaking]
[footsteps]
[Dr. Lee] Ena.
Can you turn around?
I don't think you'll be needing any further counseling.
That's right.
[breathes shakily]
This was the face I saw.
Yes, you're right.
It was me.
I guess it was really entertaining…
watching me doubt myself and try to remember.
Watching me struggle to solve the meaning of the puzzle pieces you left behind.
I guess that was a lot of fun.
[soft groan] Not really.
It was quite the opposite.
I was trying to…
allow you to get close, but not close enough.
[scoffs]
You did a very nice job, Ms. Yoon.
Really good work.
[exhales shakily]
So who's the next victim?
Muryong Kim?
Why don't you come along
and I'll tell you?
[laughing incredulously]
This is fun.
You must be a little curious
who the last one is?
They're still alive?
[soft chuckle]
Let's find out.
Oh.
I suppose…
you could arrest me instead.
Or maybe you'd…
prefer to kill me.
[footsteps receding]
[ignition clicks]
-[engine starts] -[whirring]
[♪ ominous music]
[seatbelt clicking]
[sighs]
[seatbelt clicking]
[sighs]
[phone buzzing]
[buzzing continues]
Hansaem Kim
[buzzing continues]
[engine idling]
Hansaem Kim
-[line ringing] -[distant siren wailing]
The number you have called…
Hansaem's gonna come looking for me.
I don't wanna be interrupted.
[♪ ominous music]
[Hansaem] Commander.
Uh, I haven't been able to reach Ena for a while.
She went to go pick up a document, but I haven't seen her since.
[engine revving]
Did you know that no one knew?
No one was curious at all
as to why the victim was murdered
or what the meaning of the puzzle was.
If no one was curious, then why even try?
So I stopped killing.
But then I ran back into you, Ena.
[exhales heavily]
[soft chuckle]
Imagine my surprise when I saw the child I left behind that day
reappear before my eyes.
[♪ somber music]
[inhales sharply]
Why didn't you kill me then?
You did nothing wrong.
Why would I want to kill you?
Captain Jungho also didn't do anything wrong,
and he ended up dead 'cause of you.
It wasn't me who fired the gun though.
That handkerchief…
It once belonged to my mother.
Did you know that?
We wanted you to live a normal life like everyone else.
I did.
And so did your mother.
You should go skiing.
Spend some time at the ocean.
And maybe enjoy Christmas together with your friends.
[sighs]
Please stop, Seungjoo.
I really have no idea what you're talking about right now.
[Jungho] You can speak freely.
I'm not recording any of this.
Will getting back at them change anything?
Then why do you bother helping those children?
Do you really think that's gonna change anything?
Yes.
It really does.
I just have to believe it does.
[sighs]
Live your own life.
Just like those children do.
[sighs]
It's too late for me.
Here's what I suggest.
You should return to what you were doing.
[inhales sharply]
The life that you've lived must have been full of misery and hurt.
I understand that.
You must hate the world.
I was like that.
You "understand," do you?
How can you?
[scoffs]
[chuckles]
[Jungho breathes deeply] You're right.
I can't understand completely.
Though I do understand the anger and pain you have inside.
I grew up in an orphanage just like you did.
It is not too late.
Look, I can take care of everything.
So let it go
and start living.
How are you gonna take care of everything?
This is the life that I want.
[sighs]
Why did I have to come looking for you?
The fault is mine.
[breathes shakily]
Since I'm the one who started it,
I should end it all by telling the world about it.
That is what you want, is it not?
[exhales sharply]
Stop, please.
[raises voice] No, this is not what I wanted at all!
Why in the world are you doing this?
[breathes shakily]
Would things have gone differently?
If your mother hadn't taken Captain Yang in
when he had nowhere to go…
do you think he would've died instead of your mother?
Could that have happened?
What if he never found you because you changed your name?
Would it be different?
Would this story have played out another way?
You know, Jungho often wondered exactly the same thing.
What if, what if, what if…
No.
This story was written this way.
How about we go see the city lights?
[engine rumbling]
[♪ suspenseful music]
[line ringing]
[phone buzzing]
Hansaem Kim
[siren blaring]
[Lt. Choi] We've put out an APB for Lieutenant Yoon's vehicle.
We know the route they took till Dumugae Road.
We're trying to figure out where they went.
But why the hell was Lieutenant Yoon kidnapped?
Do you think, maybe, she's the final piece of the puzzle?
She's not.
Ena's got nothing to do with the puzzle.
[Lt. Choi] So then why?
[inhales sharply] If they went that way…
The One City.
They're going to The One City.
Are you sure about that?
That's where they're going.
It's where this all began.
That place is built on the ashes of Shindonga Market.
She's trying to end it there.
[♪ suspenseful music continues]
[engine revving]
[tires screeching]
[soft clicking]
[seatbelt clicks]
Aren't you going to ask why I killed them?
[inhales sharply] Wasn't there any other way?
And what other way was that?
I mean…
none of them ever apologized.
Not a single one.
You'd think at least one of them would've apologized
even just to beg for mercy.
No.
None of them ever did.
Why?
It's because they forgot
that Namsuk Lee… existed.
[inhales sharply]
So that's why you're killing people?
[inhales sharply] Where are the victims?
That's why we're here.
Unit number 5802.
The next piece is there.
[♪ suspenseful music]
[sirens blaring]
[breathing nervously]
[sirens blaring]
[beeping]
Muryong Kim!
This is the police!
-[door closes] -Mr. Kim!
[breathes shakily]
[gasps]
[Hansaem panting]
-[loud thud] -[splattering]
[breathing heavily]
[♪ suspenseful music continues]
[Hansaem panting]
[♪ music fades]
What the hell happened?
Where's Seungjoo?
[sighs]
I don't know.
[sighs]
What the hell were you thinking following her here, huh?
I thought I might be able to stop her from killing again.
I wanted to believe her, though it was a lie.
Don't you realize the danger you just put yourself in?
Why would a serial killer who's killed seven people
suddenly decide to spare their victim, huh?
Right?
Then why did she come to see me?
It's not like she was here to kill me.
[sighs]
[scoffs]
Do you think she wanted to see my powerless face?
Here.
I found it on the table in Miyoung Lee's house.
Is this the last one of them?
This is just a black puzzle piece.
There's nothing drawn on it.
What could it mean?
[inhales softly]
Remember the Shindonga Market fire?
When it burned down?
Do you think it has to do with that?
[♪ soft pensive music]
[rain pattering]
After '87, private companies took over the demolition of redevelopment areas,
now called demolition service agencies.
Yoonsu Do started it all with Jeoksan.
They practically monopolized redevelopment area demolition
from the early to mid-90s.
They were notorious for using whatever means necessary,
including force, to get what they wanted.
They got so much bad press that construction companies and cooperatives
were reluctant to offer them any contracts.
That's why Yoonsu made a subsidiary under someone else's name.
Dasan Development, owned by Chimok Kang.
So, how much do you know?
[inhales sharply] About…
[scoffs] …my uncle?
I'm sure you read up on Superintendent Yoon as well.
I guess he got paid out for dropping the case.
Or was promised a promotion.
Donghoon Yoon…
received three apartment units in The One City for covering up the fire.
And then,
he claimed them under his niece's name instead of his own.
And the year his niece became a high schooler,
he sold The One City units
and bought a luxurious house in Hannam-dong.
You know, my parents joined the Shindonga Market Cooperative.
They owned 10 lots in the market.
[inhales sharply, sighs]
Where do you think this story is going to end?
[Ena] How far down does this rabbit hole go?
[breathes heavily]
[Hansaem] Mayor Kim had been receiving bribes from Yoonsu Do
since he was a city council member.
Later, he helped Yoonsu rebrand himself as a contractor
when he was chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Council.
Who do you think's gonna be next?
Someone involved with the Shindonga incident?
'Cause they could be the final piece of the puzzle.
Somehow I don't think Shindonga has anything to do with the last one.
The piece had Mr. Kim sitting on a throne, didn't it?
[inhales sharply]
The black puzzle piece…
Come on, think, why is it black?
It's black 'cause…
We need to figure out what it means.
Let's think about where Seungjoo Lee might have gone.
Where would she wanna wrap up this story?
[sighs]
The puzzle is set in a theme park, right? Dream Land.
Where Seungjoo lost her mom at the theme park.
And The One City.
From her point of view, that's also where she lost her mom.
The black puzzle piece…
[Ena breathes heavily]
[phone buzzing]
Hey, San.
Lieutenant Kim, I think we figured out where Seungjoo's going.
Really?
I checked the CCTV footage for The One City's parking lot
at the time Muryong Kim fell to his death.
You can see Seungjoo Lee getting into a deluxe taxi.
And the taxi driver also confirmed it.
He said that he dropped her off at a funeral home in Namyangju.
A funeral home?
Yeah. But, uh, listen…
[sucks teeth]
It's the same place where Captain Yang's body is being kept.
Why did she go to Jungho's funeral home?
"Ena Yoon"
Do you think the black puzzle piece means death?
I mean, you do wear black to a funeral.
Guess we'll find out what it means when we find her.
Let's split up and look.
You go to the funeral home, I'll head to Dream Land.
Wait, you wanna go there by yourself?
Sky Light Funeral Home
[indistinct chatter]
[♪ suspenseful music]
[rain pattering]
Sky Light Funeral Home
[Lt. Choi] She just stood there for 30 minutes,
without doing anything, then left.
She'd be soaked from the rain.
She must have known that Jungho was here,
so why did she just stand outside like that?
She never went in.
[inhales sharply] So why did she come here?
[♪ music fades]
Hello again.
I've been waiting for you.
[sighs]
You're not a coward, Seungjoo.
You shouldn't end it this way.
My mom and I…
went on this ride.
I was so little.
I couldn't go on many rides.
[♪ somber music]
We also went on the merry-go-round
and the bumper cars were really cool.
My mom got us cotton candy.
Time and again,
I waited for my mom right here…
not knowing she was waiting for me at the restaurant.
[children laughing]
[Dr. Lee] I used to have this fantasy.
I would dream about seeing my mom's face one day.
In my dream, she would smile
and cry when she saw me.
She'd tell me how long she'd been looking for me
and that she hadn't abandoned me.
[♪ somber music continues]
I also wanted to tell her about how long I had been looking for her.
[sad chuckle]
I couldn't remember what restaurant she worked at.
[lights clunking]
I'm sorry.
That's not what I wanna hear from you, Ms. Yoon.
Why would you want to… apologize?
Now that I know
my parents' story, and that of my uncle…
I think that maybe…
I'm not really that different
from the puzzle-piece characters.
Ena, that's not your fault though.
Don't be so sensitive.
That's why you have trouble falling asleep.
The guilt isn't yours to bear.
There's something I'd like to know.
In Miyoung Lee's car,
why did you play the piece Nocturnes, Op. 15?
I want to know. What did it mean to you?
I didn't select that.
Miyoung played it as soon as she got in the car.
I thought about turning it off.
But it was…
[breathes shakily]
…so beautiful.
I never…
had a chance to listen to much music.
How nice.
How beautiful.
Those concepts meant nothing.
But that piece of music was so beautiful that it made me forget…
I was there to kill someone.
It's not too late.
You're still able to…
You can live a life like that.
You see, Ena…
I've done all I set out to do.
I don't wish to go on living.
Nor do I have a reason to.
Why is that?
Why?
Why don't you want to keep on living? [breathes shakily]
[♪ melancholy music]
[inhales sharply]
I…
can no longer…
tolerate myself.
That's how you feel now. [breathes shakily]
Stick it out!
Stay alive, pay for what you've done, and keep on living!
[Hansaem] Seungjoo Lee!
[Hansaem pants]
Come out of there.
[♪ somber music]
Seungjoo Lee…
you are under arrest on suspicion of serial murder.
Put your hands up and walk this way.
I really hate people.
Why the hell do you work so hard just to stay alive?
Why would you struggle to live?
I don't see the point of it.
[♪ dramatic sting]
[♪ dramatic music]
Why?
Ena…
Why would you just… Why would you?
Why would someone kill one person…
to build a place where another can live?
[♪ dramatic music continues]
[whimpers]
[whimpering]
[whimpering continues]
[Dr. Lee groaning in pain]
[Dr. Lee shrieking, screaming]
Tell us how it all went down.
What did you talk about with the suspect while you were alone with her?
Lieutenant Yoon.
I, uh…
don't remember.
You don't remember?
And you?
You got something to say?
[car alarm beeps]
[door opens]
[door closes]
[sniffles]
[sniffles, sighs]
[inhales sharply]
I wanted to stop her, no matter what.
[inhales softly]
I finally understand why you did what you did.
[breathes shakily]
[sniffles] I'm sorry.
[door buzzes, opens]
I'm back again.
How is she today?
Same as she was yesterday.
Poor girl's cooped herself up in her room for days.
Can you give her this?
[sighs] She hasn't drunk a single one of these.
[birds chirping]
[popping on phone]
[distant car door closes]
[distant car engine starts]
[distant car engine revving]
-[breathes deeply] -[popping on phone]
Letter of Resignation
So… you sure this is what you want?
I've put in a lot of thought. It is what I want.
Sure you won't regret it?
Yeah.
[breathes deeply]
So what are you gonna do now?
Hmm… Hard to say.
I'm still pretty young. I'll figure something out.
Tell you what.
I'll put a hold on this.
If you change your mind, you can come back.
Thank you very much for letting me work here.
[♪ somber music]
[birds chirping]
[breathes deeply]
[voice] Lieutenant Yoon.
It's good to see you out of the house.
[Ena sighs]
The Insa-dong murder case, what are your thoughts on that?
What murder case?
The one that's all over the news. Where have you been?
Three people were murdered in a hanok, and they still don't have a suspect.
[inhales sharply] Don't you tempt me.
Besides, Insa-dong isn't even in your jurisdiction.
It's just…
interesting.
I wasn't expecting company. I hope it's okay.
Eat it while it's hot. [chuckling]
Dig in.
It does.
It tastes like black bean sauce.
[soft chuckle]
Told you so.
-So, Curry Kim. -Hmm?
Riddle me this real quick.
How did your mother end up living in The One City?
[chuckles]
Well…
When I said I was gonna be a cop… [chuckles]
…my mom used my name to apply for a unit
'cause she was worried the job wouldn't pay well.
Then she won it in a lottery.
Whoa… No way.
She hit the jackpot.
She did. She hit it big.
She dreamed of a house like this.
Guess her wish came true.
Well, it's a pretty common dream.
Everybody wants a nice home.
You can't judge them for it.
[♪ suspenseful music]
"The puzzle murders"
Hello, everyone, and good evening.
We have a special interview for our viewers right now.
Nine puzzle pieces, and only one culprit.
Does that sound familiar?
The high-profile Puzzle Murder case
left a terrifying trail of eight deaths in its wake.
The case caused a huge stir
when a member of the National Assembly ended up dead.
We have with us today
a former police officer and criminal profiler
who brought this case to light.
It was her analysis that helped solve the case.
Welcome, Lieutenant Yoon.
"Ena Yoon Former Seoul Metropolitan Police profiler"
Please just call me by my name. I'm no longer a profiler after all.
[anchor] Oh, right.
Then Ms. Ena Yoon, uh…
let me start with what you might say is a boring question.
Why did you become a profiler?
That is a boring question. [chuckles]
[anchor] Right.
Looks like we found the right person for this interview.
This should be fun.
Do I need to be more entertaining?
[anchor] Oh, no, you're doing great already.
[inhales sharply] I became a profiler to profile myself.
[anchor] What?
Oh, would you… mind telling us what you mean by that?
I wasn't sure if I killed my uncle.
To be clear, my uncle was Superintendent Donghoon Yoon.
And he was the second victim in the Puzzle Murder case.
[anchor] Hold on. Just to make sure,
I wouldn't happen to be interviewing a murderer now, would I?
"Consider yourself a suspect."
That's the reason I became a profiler. I had to make sure.
Then…
are you now done suspecting yourself of his death?
"Forced demolition is an act of murder! We will never back down!"
-And then they bled out? -Yeah.
We should get another look.
[indistinct radio chatter]
[dogs barking in distance]
[indistinct chatter]
-[Ena's colleague] Hello. -Hello.
Looks like they called every profiler on the force.
Who called them all?
Apparently, the case is so weird the chief requested backup right away.
-Guess he doesn't trust us. -[scoffs]
[indistinct radio chatter]
-She doesn't have anything on her? -[inspector] Hey, Hansaem.
D'you ID her yet?
[inspector] Uh, hold on.
Looks like her prints just got run.
Miso Jeon. She was 23.
Her address was 7 Changil-dong.
And the cause of death?
We're not gonna have a complete report until we do an autopsy.
But judging by the incision around the neck,
we're assuming she bled out…
after which the killer seems to have sewn up the wound.
Her time of death is, uh…
around two days ago.
Looking at the gash and that stitch job, I don't think a surgeon did this.
Her face seems a bit too pale to have been killed two days ago.
-Sure you got the timeline right? -Mm.
Yeah, I'm sure. [inhales sharply]
She had her blood completely drained.
Otherwise her face would've turned black by now.
The killer left her like this intentionally.
It's like she's been preserved.
Why would they put her on display like this?
[voice] 'Cause they wanted everyone to see it.
This is their finished work of art.
They combed her hair and redid all of her makeup,
just the way they like it.
They even gave her a pretty dress.
She's on display.
This was a long-held fantasy.
A twisted notion they perfected in their head,
born out of an attempt to appease the sense of emptiness
that lives inside a lonely heart.
I'd say, the moment they laid eyes on her,
they decided that she would be the perfect vessel to fulfill it.
Once the deed was done,
they probably wanted to show off their signature work.
That's why she's on display.
It's pretty, but…
it's damn unsettling.
Hmm. [inhales sharply]
They may also have wanted to debase the victim.
The object of one's desire tends to manifest in two ways,
becoming both yearned for and hated.
Mm…
Why would the killer dump a body out here? It's completely abandoned.
The culprit knows this place well.
What I mean is… they're closer than we think.
[♪ dramatic music]
[♪ dramatic music continues]