“Flower of Evil” (악의 꽃)

By Jae-Ha Kim
Substack
October 9, 2020

☆☆☆☆
Baek Hee-Sung (played by Lee Joon-Gi)
Cha Ji-Won (played by Moon Chae-Won)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.

A police detective is underwater staring at her husband, who has been bound and beaten. There is a flash of hesitation in her eyes. Why? What is making her hesitate?

Cha Ji-Won and Baek Hee-Sung are two of the more intriguing characters from any Korean series this year. She is a by-the book police detective. He is a gifted craftsman with his own popular boutique. At home, he does the cooking, cleaning and takes their young daughter to and from pre-school. There is no question that he is the favored parent. To the outside world — and Ji-Won — he is the perfect husband and doting father.

But when no one is looking, his face grows cold — as if it has gone back to its natural state, where he doesn’t have to worry about how people perceive him. What is he hiding from his loved ones?

In the early episodes, we are led to believe that Hee-Sung has a hidden criminal past. He drags an old high school frenemy into a workshop and beats the crap out of him. Leaving him there, he padlocks the door. His wife — a police detective — doesn’t seem to find this even remotely strange. She buys his excuse that it’s for the safety of their daughter, who might accidentally head downstairs and hurt herself on his sharp tools. But when she starts to hear noises in the basement, she begins to have suspicions.

Is Hee-Sung a killer? Will Ji-Won cover up for him if he is? Before I address that in the Spoiler Alert below, let’s take a moment to talk about how so  many of these characters needed mental health help from their youth. Not just once a week therapy, but perhaps hospitalization to deal with the childhood traumas they faced.

Airdates: Sixteen episodes — about an hour each — aired from July 29 to September 23, 2020 on tvN.

Spoiler Alert:

Do Hyun-Soo is the son of a serial killer, Do Min-Seok, who was thought to have killed himself. It turns out that Min-Seok was actually murdered by his younger accomplice, Baek Hee-Sung. After a convoluted storyline that left Hee-Sung bedridden and in a coma for decades, we learn that his wealthy parents had Hyun-Soo take over his identity to keep up with the pretense that they were a happy family.

Hyun-Soo’s identity is safe, until his childhood frenemy Kim Moo-Jin (played by Seo Hyun-Woo) re-enters his life. A journalist hungry for a big story, he begins to research Hyun-Soo (thinking he’s Hee-Sung). The two initially loathe each other, but begin to rely on each other to catch the real serial killer and clear Hyun-Soo’s name.

As Baek Hee-Sung, Kim Ji-Hoon is a chilling adversary. With his soft spoken voice, rock star hair and model good looks, he is frightening to watch as he torments his victims and parents, who do him no favors by constantly covering up for all his deeds.

The chemistry between Lee Joon-Gi and Moon Chae-Won is strong. And while there are many unbelievable moments, viewers never doubt the couple’s love for each other. One of the most telling signs of their love is that even when she isn’t sure who he really is, she never stops referring to him as 자기야 / jagiya, which is a term of endearment used by couples. Literally, it means that he is hers.

It was disappointing that the finale featured the loss of Hyun-Soo’s memory. But there was also a glimmer of hope that he and Ji-Won might eventually start their lives afresh, without the baggage of his complicated past.

© 2020 JAE-HA KIM | All Rights Reserved