BAEK HEE SUNG
AND
CHA JI WON
FACE OFF
IN
TVN
FLOWER OF
EVIL
TEASER 3
 
Baek Hee Sung and Cha Ji Won confront each other in the third teaser of Flower of Evil. The brilliant
performance of the Lee Joon Gi and Moon Chae Won, the breathtaking beauty and
astonishing imagery, cinematography and the unique storytelling augur well
for the drama.
Flower of Evil Teaser 3 focuses on contrasting the facets of Baek Hee Sung’s personality. Baek is shown to be a loving family
man and an attentive, devoted father on the one hand, and a psychopathic murder
suspect on the other hand.
The opening scene of Flower
of Evil Teaser 3 is amazingly and aesthetically beautiful. One notices
the perspective, the clear lines and balance of the artistic image. The
picturesque external scene with its beautiful, tranquil landscape bears more
than a passing resemblance to the picture of the perfect, harmonious Baek family within closed walls. The
family of three, Baek Hee Sung, Cha Ji
Won and Baek Eun Ha, seem to be
on a holiday in a secluded holiday resort. The three are enjoying a light and
healthy continental breakfast of croissants, fruits, fruit juices, milk and
perhaps, oatmeal. Behold the image of the perfect family with enviable
healthy relationships and a healthy lifestyle.
  The happy family is perfectly framed in an image that resembles a life-like painting. The image is a blend of lovely pale, soothing colours except for Baek Hee Sung’s jarring dark blue outfit that stands out like a sore thumb. That image of Baek seems to convey the message that he is the villain in the piece. 
The scene is a real eye-opener about the characters. Baek Hee Sung, as is his habit, is
feeding their young daughter while his wife looks on in contentment and satisfaction.
Baek, the epitome of the perfect
father, makes it seem that looking after their offspring is such an easy and
pleasant task. The ‘househusband’ seems to have Eun Ha eating out of his hand (oops, spoon) literally and
figuratively.
It may seem quite strange to conservative minds that it is not
her, Cha Ji Won, the mother, who is
feeding her young child. She seems to lack maternal instincts. The
husband-wife duo does not conform to the usual stereotypes - stern father
figures and nurturing women homemakers. Cha
Ji Won upsets the norms; she is more of a career woman than a
homemaker. Being more at home with her homicide detective colleagues at the
police station, she has left family matters like child care and education to
her compliant husband who works at home as a metalcraft designer.
Baek’s tender smiles and warm
interaction with their daughter is heartwarming. Enjoying the full attention
and love of her father, the little girl smiles from ear to ear.
Lee Joon Gi’s convincing performance might have aroused in
women the desire to have a husband with such nurturing characteristics.
Cha Ji Won seems contented and happy in the moment. But then, something
is eating into her. She has the sneaking suspicion that her husband is not
what he appears to be. Her eyes are suddenly drawn to the glass windows
through which she could scan the natural scenery outside the building.
The sudden shattering into pieces of a glass panel startles
her. An amazing transformation takes place as the broken shards of glass
morph into a black screen. Is the illusion the result of a stressed and overwrought mind?
In the image that flashes across the screen, Baek Hee Sung and Cha Ji Won are seated opposite each other at a table in an
interrogation room at the police station.
The scene is fascinating, yet puzzling as none can be sure about
whether the image is a prediction of their future or an allusion to their
past? Is it a vision that flashes forward to a future confrontation or, is it
a flashback of a nightmare situation that has already occurred between the married
couple?
The unique shattered glass scene is awesome because there is a Picture within a Picture which
provides a Comparison and Contrast of
the two images, and it is also a striking metaphor.
COMPARISON
The beautiful, harmonious family is compared to the picturesque,
serene natural landscape.
The conflicted couple is compared to the dark
interrogation room. Shattered trust.
CONTRAST
The beautiful bright and pleasant scenery is juxtaposed
with the dark interrogation room filled with suspicion and tension.
The happy family of three is contrasted with a husband-wife
pair who are drenched in suspicion and distrust.
METAPHOR
The shattered glass is a metaphor for brittle love, a broken heart
or broken trust. Cha Ji Won’s heart
is broken by Baek Hee Sung who had
lied to her all these years. Distrust and Suspicion. Perhaps their love had started with a lie. Is
their marriage and love doomed, and a happy ending is out of question?
To some, glass can symbolise transformation, the inevitability
of change, eternity and rebirth.
In the image, Baek Hee
Sung, a murder suspect, has been personally handcuffed and brought to the
police interrogation room by Cha Ji Won,
his homicide detective wife. She sticks
to the letter of the law and enforces it.
The Alpha female homicide detective might subordinate herself
and bend to Baek’s will at home but,
as a person of authority and control in the police station, she exerts her power over him by
cuffing his hands. Cha Ji Won has
arrested her husband without fear or favour. Has she erred in arresting him?
Like all suspects, Baek is left isolated in the cold interrogation room to make him ill at ease. But,
he is unfazed. In fact, he is disappointed in his wife who has turned against
him but he is powerless to fight back.
Is she in the observation room watching his every move?
Baek is outwardly calm save for
his fidgeting fingers, an indication of his disturbed or agitated mind.
She enters the room and his eyes follow her. Unlike most murder
suspects, he seems to be at ease. She is baffled.
Baek Hee Sung eyes her with resentment
for handcuffing him like a beast. He is her husband after all but for her, the law
comes first. Duty comes before love and family. Cha notices the stony glint in his eyes.
 
Baek’s eyes challenged her; there was an accusing look in his
eyes.
Cha Ji Won is brought back to the present. Her face is engulfed
in fear and confusion. What do her hard-nosed detective instincts tell her? Has
her husband, whom she had trusted and loved so much deceived her? They have
been married for 14 years and yet, a serial killer with a secret past shares
her bed and lives with her right under her nose the whole time.
Cha Ji Won slips again into the
vision. Baek’s handsome face seems
peaceful but his eyes watch her like a hawk. He is indignant that she has
brought him to the police station to be questioned. His eyes will hers to
meet his. Is he going to adamantly maintain his innocence?
The morning light shines on Cha
as she grapples with the facts. Has it illuminated her mind? Doubt has unconsciously crossed her
arms.
It is an impossible situation. Seated on the interrogator’s
chair, the tough detective subjects her husband to tough questioning and probably,
tears all his responses apart.
Baek clenches his hands with fingers laced together. His
thoughts, like windmills, swirl in his head. All his dark secrets had been buried deep in the recesses of his mind and he had hoped the wickedness
would never see the sun again. 14 long winters have come and gone so quickly.
Is the happiness that he has striven so hard to achieve over now? Have the
footprints of their love disappeared in that instant? Baek’s mind fractures in many places.
The psychopath. Baek
is beginning to detach himself from his emotions. Those eyes that she loves
so much now stare blankly back at her. He seems restrained. Baek Hee Sung
has seamlessly metamorphized into a stranger. Emotionless. Unfathomable.
Inscrutable. A whole new person.
Cha Ji Won stares at him uneasily. Baek Hee Sung faked his love for her. Was she shocked that he had her
fooled completely? Like the viewers of the teaser, Cha is in a state of denial, her brain is frazzled for a moment.
But, if he is a psychopath, can she find it in her heart to forgive him and accept him for what he is?
 
Baek Hee Sung, the psychopath would escape and Cha Ji Won, the homicide detective would hunt him down. It would be a dangerous thrill for her. The story conjures up the image of the prey, a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, in a battle of wits with the Eagle, the hunter. It brings to mind the Kazakh people of Mongolia who hunt wolves with eagles.
 
This teaser about the unique tale of the psychopathic husband and his homicide detective wife, who are on the opposite sides of the law, engages the mind and the eye. It would be impossible for the drama not to broach the issues ‘What it means to be human’, 'True Love' and 'Life.'
One cannot deny that the awesome performance of the two actors,
Lee Joon Gi and Moon Chae Won, in the third teaser of Flower of Evil, has won the viewers’ hearts. Lee Joon Gi’s subtle
and nuanced acting sends shivers down the viewer’s spine. It will bring the
viewers beyond their nightmares. Moon Chae Won has also impressed with her facial expressions.The cinematography, dramatic music and
storytelling are also amazing.
Flower of Evil, the most highly
anticipated drama of 2020, will premiere at 10:50 p.m. KST on 22 July 2020. The
16-episode Wednesday-Thursday TVN drama is written by Yoo Jung Hee, directed
by Kim Cheol Gyu, and produced by Monster Union and Studio Dragon.
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