Nine Puzzles (나인 퍼즐)

Open the door.

I swear to God I'm gonna break down this fucking door, you little bitch!

Let me in!

- -

Nine Puzzles

Chimok Kang hasn't been home since yesterday,

- so go file a travel ban first, Choi. - Got it.

Especially 'cause he's a flight risk.

Track down Chimok's whereabouts, and find his car too.

We're gonna head to the last place his phone was pinged.

Copy that, sir.

Let's see if we can find Chimok's vehicle.

- I'll look over there. - Sounds good.

License plate number: 118M 5221

I'm with Hangang Station and my name's Capt. Yang.

I'd like to request a forensics team, please.

Chimok Kang.

Violent,

impulsive, and an addict.

Meticulous, elaborate, apathetic,

and extremely disciplined.

Those are the traits of the suspect I'd profiled for the other cases.

But Chimok's the complete opposite.

- That's him, right? - Yeah.

2023-11-01 Wednesday

Could you fast forward it?

Looks like he doesn't return to his car.

Anything else, sir?

What's behind this rest stop? Can you tell?

Well, I guess there's a mountain. That's it.

- -

The dashcam and the navigation SD card are missing.

- And the toll transponder? - Also gone.

So he must've gotten rid of anything that might track him.

Think maybe he's faking a suicide?

Well, he was going to Seoul, which is where he lives, so no.

Sir…

I think this was all planned out.

He made sure to clean his tracks.

Let me see.

- San, have you tracked his whereabouts? - Yes, sir.

Chimok Kang left the restaurant last night at 2100 hours,

then went to Hannam-dong to his house.

After that, he left and got on the highway towards Chuncheon.

Didn't Chimok's wife say

that he didn't come home last night when we questioned her?

Yeah, so he must've turned the car around after stopping by,

'cause not even five minutes later,

he was caught on CCTV in front of his house.

After that, we caught him on the highway at 2300 hours,

heading towards Yeongpyeong Reservoir.

Later, he shows up at 0229 hours on the highway

coming from the reservoir.

Finally, he ends up at the rest stop where you're at.

He spent more than three hours over in that area.

Either he was fishing or cheating.

For now, let's head over to the reservoir.

San, why don't you meet us there?

Doesn't look like a good spot to fish.

Sir, we got Mr. Kang's credit card transaction history.

The last place he used it was…

Uh, in Yeongpyeong, at a "Y Hotel." Huh.

Isn't that where people go to have affairs?

I don't work the weekends,

so I'm not sure if this guy was here yesterday.

Well, would you check if a Chimok Kang shows up in your system

or had a reservation last night?

Gimme a minute.

Hmm…

Oh, yeah.

- There he is. - He is?

Mr. Kang booked a one-night stay.

Wait. The system has him checking out last night.

From which room?

- -

What kinda freaky shit were they doing in here?

I mean, what could they have done to make a mess like this?

Sorry to interrupt you.

Lieutenant Kim. Could I poke around a little bit?

Wait, did you finish cleaning already?

Not yet.

Just came in a second ago.

Could you hold off for now?

Huh.

What the hell is this?

How many more is this fucker gonna kill, huh?

Think this guy's long gone.

Where'd they hide the victim's body?

I was able to confirm that he checked in at 9:00 p.m. on the hotel kiosk.

Security footage is already erased.

The hotel does that as part of their policy.

Policy is to erase footage at the end of the day?

Privacy is huge for the average customer.

If he checked in at nine, he must have had someone else check in earlier.

Have you talked to the night staff yet?

Oh, that reminds me to tell you…

a lot of complaints of really loud music were reported last night

coming from the fifth floor.

- Loud music? - Yeah.

And while the staff was figuring out how to handle it,

at two in the morning,

a guy with red pants pulling a suitcase

was seen leaving out through the hotel lobby.

A suitcase?

Yup, a red one.

His pants were red, and had a matching suitcase with him.

Mr. Kang was wearing red pants, wasn't he?

- Ready? - Going in!

Police officer

Unit 1! We're starting here!

Careful, the water's pretty deep!

I'm certain that Chimok Kang stormed in foaming at the mouth.

So there has to be traces of a confrontation.

- -

Not a scratch on the floor,

or a dent in the wall.

Not a single sign of a struggle.

The room looks untouched.

So he must've been able to restrain his victim from the get-go.

How exactly did he subdue the victim?

Violence, impulsiveness, and addiction.

Chimok Kang isn't the type of guy to plan things out in advance.

- -

Missing the hands and a head.

To ID them won't be easy.

Start with the hotel, then search around the reservoir.

Think the body parts are hidden here?

We won't know until we check.

- Start looking. - Yes, sir.

We got a lot of ground to cover, so get going!

Yes, sir!

You in a freeze frame or something? You're not moving.

Looks like I can't escape you.

The culprit and I have similar taste.

I bought a red one too. It's a nice color.

Beating me to the punch by confessing?

Can't be me. Different brand.

And it's not Chimok Kang either.

Are you saying that Ms. Lee and Chimok aren't connected?

Or saying that Chimok didn't kill that guy in the suitcase?

Yeah and yeah.

You guys must be looking into Mr. Kang's history, right?

He was expelled from school due to fighting

and couldn't hold down a job. What does that tell us?

He was easily swayed and emotional.

But what about Ms. Lee's murderer?

Her killer was disciplined and precise,

making sure to leave no evidence at the scene.

Additionally, my analysis suggests incredible self-control

and emotional restraint.

Cold and calculated.

But what about Chimok?

His temperament's too hot.

What are you, a weatherwoman?

The guy has a clear motive and his fingerprints were in her car.

Don't you remember seeing how Ms. Lee was in her last moments?

In the footage?

Her shoulders were all hunched over,

with her hands gripping the wheel tightly and her eyes like a deer in headlights.

Extreme fear

is what she had to have been experiencing.

Reminds me of a beginner driver who just got their license.

Ms. Lee was a person who opened a bar at a young age, far away from home.

She was strong and brave.

Her reaction tells me

that she didn't expect it to be Chimok Kang,

who she knew to be an easy-to-read and impulsive kind of guy.

It looked like she was reacting to the situation

as if it was a complete stranger attacking her,

unsure of their capabilities.

It's like being in that murky water, unable to see what's beneath it.