Criminal Minds Episode 14: Perfect Unison

PERFECT UNISON

THE MURDERER KIM JUNG SOO The Present One need not see the man’s face to understand his state of   mind. The hurried way Kim Jung Soo moved showed that he was in a state of panic. He seemed to be packing his suitcase for a quick getaway. The Past Flashback Flashback. 2003. It was the year of the Nadeul River murder 14 years ago.    Someone, who was waiting in a car, was on the watch out. It was Kim Jung Soo’s father, the Head of the Cheongju Youth Institute. He saw a police car arriving at the Youth Training Centre.  Sergeant Oh Jeong Taek had entered the premises to search for criminal evidence in Kim Jung Soo’s administrative office. He finally found some photographs hidden under the office desk writing pad. Those were images of male students. Kim Jung Soo was crouching in the corner. The detective screamed at him for being a pervert. A paedophile. He preyed on young boys for his pleasure. He was handcuffed but the pervert was not in the least ashamed to confess that he had victimised 6 boys.  He said it did not mean a thing to him.  He even sniggered when confessing that he thought that the young boys were 'cute'. The admission only seemed to fuel his feelings of pleasure of having abused the boys. ‘Why did you kill Ji Eun?’ The question was left hanging in the air. The Present Kim Jung Soo was kidnapped at knife point. The NCI team arrived at Kim Jung Soo’s house but he was nowhere to be found.  Only his passport and open travelling suitcase showed that he had been preparing to escape. There were no traces of him in the house.

COP TURNS ROGUE SERGEANT OH JEONG TAEK Kim Hyun Joon was still under police custody and was mulling over the interrogation that took place moments before. Team Leader Kang's words rang loudly in his ears. ‘The Nadeul River Murder has remained unsolved for 14 years. I believe your brother’s case has also been manipulated.’ Kim Hyun Joon requested to have a word with Detective Tae. THE EVIDENCE THE STAGED ACCIDENT Nana Wang informed Team Leader Kang that  Sergeant Oh Jeong Taek was the one who reported on Hyun Joon’s brother’s accident on 12 August 2003. CLUE SOMEONE  WHO KNEW  KIM HYUN JOON The Team Leader remembered Ha Sun Woo’s words that the murder could be related to someone who was familiar with Kim Hyun Joon. It would not be surprising if that particular person had also been following the case from the very beginning.  Upright cops can also turn bad. Or probably bad cops put on a pretence of being good. The story now takes on an omniscient point of view with the audience being given a view of the suspicious character, Sergeant Oh Jeong Taek. His look of fear directed at the Head of the Cheongju Youth Institute was suspect. It was also suspicious that he did not want his subordinates to watch the latter part of Kim Hyun Joon’s interrogation by Team Leader Kang. LACK OF TRUST IN LOCAL POLICE When Detective Tae appeared, Kim Hyun Joon conveyed his fears that Sergeant Oh Jeong Taek was the one covering up the crimes of the murderer. It had been 14 years but he still could find no evidence of the crimes.  The profiler argued that Kang Ho Young had refused to divulge all the important information to the police but had called him instead. It showed Kang's distinct lack of trust in the local police. Having proven that his brother was not involved in the murder, Team Manager Kang has given Kim Hyun Joon given him inspiration to pursue the case without any guilt.  It was as if he was given a new lease of life. He now has a loose tongue. He placed his cards on the table. Someone in the local police force was manipulating the case. CHANGING POLICE STATEMENT ‘At first I testified that I saw the young man who had taken Ji Eun away. I said that it was my brother but later, I told the police that I was mistaken and I changed my statement. He accused Sergeant Oh Jeon Taek of persuading him to do it.’ There was only one reason. No one related to Kim Jung Soo should be involved because it was one way to protect himself. So where was the evidence? ‘Do you know who investigated Kim Jung Soo’s alibi? And the officer who proved Kang Ho Young’s innocence?  Sergeant Oh was the first one to arrive at the site of my brother’s accident.  His work history has to be checked. Sergeant Oh might have taken Kim Jung Soo captive to obliterate all the evidence of his crimes. Kim Hyun Joon  made a shockingly bold demand to be set free. It sounded like a plea in Detective Tae’s ears.  He wanted to hunt Sergeant Oh down and bring him to justice. If something went wrong, he would take full responsibility. It did not require much persuasion on Kim Hyun Joon’s part and soon Detective Tae was nodding in agreement.  Though the detective may have previously exuded toughness appropriate to his post as a detective, he now assumed a humble stance.   He made Kim Hyun Joon promise to keep him updated and to call him as soon as he found the rogue detective, Sergeant Oh. When Detective Tae invited Kim Hyun Joon to give him a punch on the face to make things even if anything untoward were to happen to him, the audience could sense an impending drama.   Did Kim Hyun Joon give him that punch?

KANG HO YOUNG PARTNER-IN-CRIME THE MURDER OF MO JI EUN KIM HYUN JOON’S GIRLFRIEND Sergeant Oh Jeong Taek had kidnapped the pervert, Kim Jung Soo. The man was bound with ropes and gagged with tape. The Past The present rolled back to the past. Mo Ji Eun and Kim Tae Joon were talking and he promised to stop ‘everything’. Mo Ji Eun had gone through a harrowing ordeal. She was lured by Kang Ho Young to a deserted road where Kim Jung Soo was waiting.  Kang Ho Young had lied to her that Kim Hyun Joon wanted to talk to her, so she had meekly followed him. They brought her to the Youth Training Centre where she admitted seeing him sexually abusing Kim Tae Joon. She was a spunky girl and warned him not to harass Tae Joon ever again or she would report him to the police.  Ho Young tried to reason with her but she lashed out that they were birds of a feather. When Ho Young caught hold of her, she kicked him but she was attacked by Kim Jung Soo who pulled her hair.  The pervert cupped his hands over her mouth. She slumped to the floor and fell unconscious. Straddling her, he snuffed out her life by strangling her. Kim Jung Soo then also pulled the young boy’s hair and dragged him away.

PERFECT UNISON Detective Tae was putting on a show for the police in the police station. Kim Hyun Hoon had escaped and they were ordered to give chase to the escapee. Kim Hyun Joon did punch him after all. The detective’s face was bloodied.  It seemed a struggle had taken place and Detective Tae had been overpowered by Kim Hyun Joon. The detective was handcuffed to the legs of the table. Having fled from the police station, Kim Hyun Joon tried to evade recapture by moving through dark back alleys. The profiler tried to find his way to his friend's shop. Choi Sang Woo was in the CCTV business.  Meanwhile, Team Manager Kang had to pacify the local police force not to panic as Kim Hyun Joon was not a dangerous figure, even though he had taken Detective Tae’s gun. They sounded unimpressed but Team Leader Kang’s tone conveyed anything but pleasure. Ha Sun Woo reminded Team Leader Kang to focus on searching for Kim Hyun Joon first as he may be in danger. Now Kim Hyun Joon knew what it was like to be a fugitive. He felt an uneasy chill.  He flagged down a taxi. Nana Wang reported to the Team Leader that Sergeant Oh had been caught on CCTV near Kim Jung Soo’s house. The Team Leader’s suspicions had been confirmed. Sergeant Oh had taken Kim Jung Soo because other than the local detectives, the information that they had gathered was unknown to others. Team Leader Kang knew that Kim Hyun Joon was very intelligent and even more perceptive than the rest of the team. He was praising the younger profiler when he claimed, ‘Hyun Joon caught on faster than we did.’  They now have to figure out fast Sergeant Oh Jeong Taek’s next move if he had taken Kim Jung Soo with him. WHERE THE STORY BEGAN The story comes a full circle. Sergeant Oh had taken Kim Jung Soo to the Youth Training Centre, the place where everything had begun. Kim Jung Soo appeared fearful. ‘I told you never to appear in front of my eyes again, and live your life in hiding, didn’t I? But you created another mess. Idiots like you should die. How did I ever get involved with an idiot like you, Jung Soo? Let’s put an end to this!’ CHOI SANG WOO Meanwhile, Kim Hyun Joon had been looking for his friend, Choi Sang Woo, a CCTV shop owner.  When he saw him, he cupped his friend’s mouth to stop him from screaming out or causing a commotion.  Kim Hyun Joon revealed that he had learned of what had happened in the Youth Centre. Putting a reassuring hand on his friend’s shoulder, he promised that he would lock up those responsible for abusing his brother and him. The profiler wanted to hear the information that Choi Sang Woo wanted to divulge to him earlier.  Choi recalled that a couple of days before he died, Kang Ho Young had visited him. Kang sounded determined. He regretted that they could not turn back the clock but reassured him that they could put things right.  He confided that he had hidden some evidence in a secret place.  Kim Hyun Joon remembered the night when Kang Ho Young had phoned him to arrange for a meeting but his childhood friend never turned up. ‘Is Sergeant Oh behind all these?’ Kim Hyun Joon remembered telling the detective about the planned meeting with Kang Ho Young. He had confided that Kang might have some evidence which was connected to the murder.