The drama opens on a dramatic view of the swirling waters of what
seems to be a shrimping pool in which Baek
Hee Sung, who was bound with ropes, was struggling. It is a stunning scene. Beautiful. Fascinating. It must have kept many
viewers enthralled and unbridled enthusiasm could have bubbled up inside
them.
Baek must have been dumped into the disused swimming pool by a nemesis because his ankles had been tied together with some ropes. His hands, likewise had been bound together to a stainless-steel grab or handle bar which was anchored to the floor of the blue tiled pool. Blood flooded the space around his head.
Distressed and in pain, he struggled for breath. Blood had also oozed out from his injured hands as he twisted them to get free. Exhausted from his
struggle, he was dangerously close to death’s door. It was almost a hopeless
situation.
Cha Ji Won, his wife, had miraculously found him. As she jumped into the pool, there was a flash of red. Red here represents love and happiness. It could also mean danger. The water had bubbled up forming what seemed like the white
clouds of Heaven.
The camera, having panned in on Baek’s face earlier is now focussed on her terror-stricken face. When Baek opened his eyes, she was overcome with joy. Happiness was
finding him still alive. And, she kissed him.
Cha Ji Won had always looked out for her husband and always had his best interests at heart. The attempt to save her husband is an act of love and it had put her life at risk. Realisation dawned upon her that she loved him unconditionally. The crux of the matter is that Cha Ji Won would bleed for Baek Hee Sung.
Enlightenement. Baek was dazed but not confused. Need Baek cover up his past life anymore? He had to overcome his demons. He gazed at her thinking, ‘Should I tell you what kind of person I am?’ The rhetorical question could imply the duality in his character. Bae Hee Sung seemed to have two faces. One face is known; the other, unknown. His dark past had caught up with him. He was after all the son of Do Min Seok, a serial killer and he was a suspected accessory to the killings. It was a foregone conclusion that he should live the rest of his life as a fugitive. But, if he was an accomplice, was he an unwitting or unwilling one? Could the prejudiced public who thought he was his father’s son be wrong?
It was impossible for Cha Ji Won to let go. Having nearly lost him, she thought to herself. ‘I’ll love you even more from this moment. i'll be good to you.' Her seemingly prophetic words echo in the viewer's mind. ‘Then, before you know it, everything will
change in a way that seems unreal.’
The last sentence is impossible to interpret. What does
she mean by ‘in a way that seems
unreal’?
Surprisingly, the metal craftsman and the homicide detective
looked beautiful in the water. The colour of the water had an almost spiritual quality. It was as if a certain light had touched their souls; their faces seemed to be illuminated by yhe soft glow of knowledge and wisdom. The image seems surreal; it is more like a dream than reality. It is certainly not real. In a real-life situation, staying that long in the water is impossible. Death calls. Even the cool, rational detective would have panicked. Kissing while underwater is folly. Untying the near comatose Baek and dragging him out of the water would be her top priority.
Should we assume that Flower of Evil is a metaphorical puzzle?
Baek hovered between life and death. As Ji Won floated in the water, she kissed him. It must be the Kiss of Life. Or, it was Baptism in the water for Baek Hee Sung. Water is life. If he was raised out of the water, he would be cleansed of his sins and resurrected to a new life. Forgiveness. Redemption. Salvation. This opening scene is designed to open the viewer's eyes. This is perhaps the future scene of the Baeks. After his trials and tribulations, Ji Won just wanted to love Hee Sung. Cha Ji Won was Baek Hee Sung’s salvation. Given another chance in life, Ji Won would know what she wants the most. The best gift in life is a second chance. The opening scene of Flower of Evil is the end
of the Baeks' pain and suffering and the ending of the
drama. The Past had ended and it is the start of their Future and the
beginning of their new life together. The Beginning is The End and The End is The Beginning. Perhaps, this interpretation is wrong. In oder to understand and solve the metaphorical puzzle, the narrative has to move backwards to the past to reveal the Backstory. The opening scene seems strange. Is it a dream sequence? Perhaps, Baek Hee Sung woke up from a coma and discovered that it was all a dream or a nightmare. Perhaps, Baek Hee Sung woke up from an operation or a near-death experience with a fractured mind. He is not being able to distinguish between reality and imagination. Reality is distorted. Or, Baek Hee Sung probably sat down at his computer and made the whole thing up. A maker of a myth. The answer lies with the director who may want us to lose our tunnel vision.
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The next scene is an intense romantic kiss in the Present. The camera focuses on the loving couple, Baek Hee Sung and Cha Ji Won whose inverted
image is reflected on the transparent
dust cover of a record player. It is strange and hard to believe that the
turntable trend is not dead. The truth is it has made a comeback and is more popular than ever.
The record player symbolises revival or rebith. The viewer is left to wonder if it is a reference to the possible revival of the fortunes of Baek Hee Sung, the psychopath. A romantic song wafted through the air. The powerfully sensory experience puts the couple in the mood for love. As the camera moves away from the couple, the viewers see the whole range of creative and unique decorative metal products and jewellery, all beautifully crafted by Baek, a metal craftsman. A decorative kettle with 2 pairs of bars are bound together by a black handle. It makes one think of the marriage or the home being held together by two love birds. The thing that’s unusual is there are 4 bars instead of 2 bars. An ambiguous marriage.
The camera studies the wedding ring on Baek’s finger. It represents a vow
that marriage is forever. The ring has no beginning and no end which
symbolises that marital love will never cease. The pair of beautifully carved metal letter openers refers to the pair of lovebirds. Beautiful but sharp. It is the foreshadowing of a conflict between the couple. Do all these raise the viewer’s hopes that the couple will be bound together for life, albeit with some difficult challenges in life?
Suddenly, the song ended, alerting Cha Ji Won to the time. She chastised her husband for being a hungry wolf. It was bad timing for him to get amorous. She nudged him away and
scanned his 3-dial chronograph watch.
It’s easy to notice the terracotta brick walls which feature prominently in the house. The Baeks will be late for Baek Hee Sung’s 39th birthday celebration if they did not hurry. Cha Ji Won had invited his parents to celebrate his birthday with them. She gave quick instructions for him to get Eun Ha, their daughter, ready for the event. She specifically
indicated that her dress must be one with a distinctive brand logo ostensibly to impress
her in-laws, implying that the wealthy and high class elderly Baeks would kick up a fuss about keeping
up appearances.
It seems Baek has a
nagging worry that Cha Ji Won might
be uncomfortable with her in-laws. Gong Mija, Baek's adoptive mother frightened the daylights out of Eun Ha and she even felt that
her mum was intimidated by the old lady.
When they met Baek’s
parents face-to-face, the little child sensed tension in the air. Baek was far from his happy self. It was an unnatural family gathering. Their coversation was stilted.  The two old folks were cold, standoffish, stiff and formal;
they were even more stiff than the English uppercrust. The luxurious and
classy restaurant felt freezingly cold. It was apparent that the elderly Baeks were keen to put some distance between themselves and the young family. They were ungracious not to greet the younger Baeks warmly. The churlishness and uncivility of the old folks sent Eun Ha hiding behind her father for protection. Gong Mija, the grandmother with the no-nonsense manner, was particular about impeccable manners and upbringing. She obnoxiously demanded to know why her granddaughter lacked breeding and manners. Baek Hee Sung was not one to be tyrannised or intimidated by his overbearing adoptive mother. He was forthright and outspoken about the time that his elderly mother had slammed the door in their faces on their previous visit.
Cha Ji Won, who had sized up the tense situation, acted proactively
to restrain his outburst. It was revealed that since their royal highnesses had not
summoned them, the younger Baeks should not have trespassed on their
property. This fact was stranger than fiction since they were family. How can
a son, even an adopted one, not be able to drop in at his parents’ house
unannounced? Though his mother was royally pissed off, his father did nothing to alleviate the tense situation. The elderly Baeks gave them withering looks. One shakes one’s head over the boorishess of it all. Perhaps, everybody was putting on an act for Cha Ji Won and her daughter. The wall of the place was plastered with beautiful pictures but on the right was a picture probably of an indeterminate animal. Was it a cow? Could the animal-like behaviour of the elderly Baeks be likened to that of commonplace beasts? But, strangely, all seems like an act. One suspects that they had rehearsed their parts properly in their own show. Baek Man Woo, his adoptive father and Gong Mija, his adoptive mother seemed to have put Baek Hee Sung at arm’s length. They also do not seem real in their interactions with Cha Ji Won and their grandchild.
Cha Ji Won encouraged her little girl to go through the routine
of making herself cute with her ‘Grandpa,
Grandma, I love you’ words and action.
Being cold and passionless, they did not respond to their
grandchild’s cuteness. Baek’s cold stare was expressive of his disapproval. They
must have conditioned him to act like that.
The shocking twist in the tale was only Baek's wife and child
sang the birthday song to him. He had turned 39 years old. His self-absorbed parents acted in a most bizarre fashion. They were strangely uninvolved and looked on in a disinterested way. A cloud of unhappiness hung over them. But the younger Baeks seemed to be accustomed to such a lack in civility. Fortunately, the event was made pleasant by Eun Ha’s cheerful words that she was her gift to her father. The sweet and cheerful child was indeed a gift from God. Perhaps, the innocence and purity of his daughter touched him in some ways.
Ji Won gave him a pair of black straps on which his name was engraved.
It was for his 3-dial chronograph watch. When Ji Won left the room with her daughter for the powder room, the camera dwelled on the elderly couple’s cold and stiff image which was reflected on the glass windows.
Baek Hee Sung bore the brunt of his mother’s vitriolic tongue, ‘Did you call us to show off? Harbouring some deep malice, she made it a habit to make him miserable. It was as if it was a crime to have found happiness. She resented his happiness.
Her sarcasm was lost
on him. ‘Why have you come? You
could’ve come up with an excuse.’ ‘Does your life feel like it’s yours now? Her words were full of animosity. It was as if his happiness stood out like a sore thumb. Apparently, the elderly woman like to wallow in her own misery and forbade him from being happy. Prepared for the biting attack of his highly-strung mother, he calmly reassured her that his life was never his in the first place. Smiling enigmatically, he claimed that he didn’t know what it was like to be in the real Baek Hee Sung’s shoes.
Gong Mija was not pacified. Visibly irritated by Hee Sung’s sense of humour, she countered, ‘If wasn’t for me ….’ What she meant to say was if it weren’t for her, her adopted son would not have such a comfortable and happy life. One is fascinated by what followed. Unhappy with their childish squabble, the quiet and taciturn father banged the table with his glass. The father rebuked them. Their constant bickering spelled trouble for them.
 ‘We’re all in the same
boat. If you don’t want the boat to sink, don’t cause trouble to each other.’ The trio, who were talking in riddles, were apparently hiding a secret. Theirs was a dysfunctional family. Viewers might have suspected that the real son of the elderly Baeks had died and Baek Hee Sung has assumed his identity. Some unfortunate incident had definitely occured in the past. If that was true, it was obvious that they had begrudged him his blissful life and resented the fact that happiness had eluded them. It is hard for the viewers to nail down the truth. When Ji Won came back from the restroom, she was embarrassed to inform them that a new case demanded her immediate attention at the police station. Her disapproving mother-in-law accused her of taking revenge because she did not welcome them the previous year.
When the homicide detective walked out, the cold and scantily-lit passageway awaited her. Having a meal together with his parents had suddenly lost its appeal and Ji Won was glad to flee from the restaurant to the Gangsu Police Station. Her eager escape was reflected in the hanging mirror. The camera peers at the remaining members of the family through a green-framed mirror in the restaurant. Image within an image. The reflection compared the bright and beautiful hanging lamps of the classy restaurant with the desperately unhappy family, in their fine clothes.
Gong Mija immediately went into a rampage to disparage Cha Ji
Won. 14 long years. His wife was dumb for not being able to unmask Hee Sung all
these years, which in itself, implied that her adopted son was scum.
‘Ji Won and I are made for each other.’ It meant that their
marriage was a match made in Heaven. His complacent answer irritated Gong
Mija.
In fact, his smirk and happy remarks egged her on. His mother taunted
him. ‘You’re a guy with a dirty past and she’s a cop. And you think you guys are made for each other.’ The scorching words, which were an appalling smack in the face, were designed to make him feel small and to damage his ego. Her insults were carried out probably through a force of habit. She treated him like some kind of freak who was undeserving of Cha Ji Won. Expecting him to reel from the searing attack, she was surprised it did nothing to his ego. He was cold and passive. The father never could foresee that his adopted son would have such a successful marriage. Never in their wildest dreams did they expect that he would climb up the social ladder because of them. He had married up. The woman cattily insinuated that her abnormal adopted son sounded like ‘a normal human being’. It was as if she was talking to an inanimate object without feelings.
If all those remarks were from his biological mother, it would
have been a punishment by ‘a thousand cuts’. Carrying his sleeping daughter in his arms, he boldly faced his mother. His penetrating eyes bored into hers. Baek Man Woo pointed out that the truth was of great importance to them. ‘Did he develop a special bond with Ji won after they had a child?’ Why was that so important?
'Ji won', he explained, 'is someone who is easily deceived.' She could be brainwashed. She only believed what she saw and he showed her what she wanted to see. He could analyse her quite easily and could see through her. He had lied to her for 14 years. It meant that he was living a lie. He faked his love for her. He faked it till he made it. It was all an act. He told them not to worry. Their secret would be safe.
What is real and what isn’t real, the viewers are yet to understand. The trio were putting on an act.
A quote from Shakespeare comes to mind:
All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts
William Shakespeare As You Like It
The world is like a stage show for the three members of the
adoptive family who are actors. And Baek Hee Sung played many parts. He led a
double life. The metal craftsman was seen rocking his daughter in his arms through his reflection in a green-framed mirror. He was the perfect father and househusband. Who actually was Baek Hee Sung? The metal craftsman put his daughter to bed when they returned home.
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 The images of Cha Ji Won and her sidekick, Lim Ho Joon were reflected in the one-way mirror in the observation room of the Gangsu Police Station. They were observing Choi Jaesup who was interrogating an attempted-murder suspect. Kim Sang Jin,
the father of Kim In Seo, a 12-year old boy, was accused of an attempted murder by his own son. The boy, who was found unconscious in a pool of blood, had serious head injuries. He had fallen from an emergency staircase of an apartment in Seokin-dong. Upon awakening, he accused his father of attempting to murder him.
Kim Sang Jin, a lawyer who was supposedly a revered pillar of
society, was asking for trouble when he started an affair with a doctor. The man not only reeked of infidelity but was also guilty of the appalling crime of giving his hapless wife mind-control drugs. His lover and mistress was his partner-in-crime.
It was discovered later that his son told lies to get him into trouble as he
was trying to harm his niave and defenseless wife who is wholly dependent on him. The camera depicts the lawyer at a slanting angle at the top of the stairs to indicate his guilt.
The drama juxtaposes two types of investigation methods, Cha Ji Won’s fact-based investigations and Choi Jaesup natural instincts method. The 43-year old Choi Jaesup, a detective with a rough-hewn character, has an unusual way of doing things. He often used illegal means of arriving at a solutions to problems. He could literally ‘smell a rat’ in his criminal investigations. Acting on a hunch, the hilarious detective literally bent to smell the suspect in the interrogation room. He declared that the man smelled of ribs, soju and beer. Through experience, the seasoned Choi Jaesup knew that the decent looking lawyer was not what he appeared to be. When asked to analyse the case, Cha Ji Won did not hesitate in siding with the lawyer. She pointed out that as soon as Kim Sang Jin heard about his son’s injuries, he came running wearing only ill-fitting slippers from the restaurant. One of his socks was dirty. With the flimsy analysis, she pronounced the man’s innocence. Exasperated, Choi Jaesup decried her total trust in evidence. Led by intuition instincts, he believed a detective should study the character of the person first. He was adamant that his hunch was correct. Claiming that the suspect had given him goosebumps, he declared that he was guilty. The detectives were called to attend a discussion with Lee Woo Chul, the Head of their investigation team. The 43-year old Lee, who was cool and rational delegated duties to his subordinates. He instructed Cha to secure the security footage from the accident site. Lim Ho Joon, her sidekick, took the lady detective as his role model.
Choi Jaesup, who was contemptuous of rigid rules when investigating criminal cases, was his usual obnoxious self. Even before instructions could be given to him, he joked about wanting to beat the truth out of the perpetrator. Lee Woo Chul stared at him coolly while instructing the impetuous man to check the whereabouts of the suspect at the time of the incident. Lee discouraged his subordinate from using illegal means to get what he wanted.
 Upon arrival at the hospital, Cha Ji Won discovered that Kim Moo Jin, the inquisitive weekly reporter, was way ahead of them in questioning the suspect’s wife. Were the police slower than the news-gatherers? The reporter’s passion and nose for news had propelled him to be the first to get the scoop. The accused’s wife, Ko Ae Young, fiercely defended her husband, Kim Sang Jin. Kim Moo Jin got pally with Lim Ho Joon. The journalist flaunted his intended sensational headlines for his upcoming newspaper story. They stank of insensitivity and exaggeration. ‘Hatred For His Obese Child or ‘Father Who Made His Son Walk The Stairs of Death’. They were just downright ridiculous. One finds the situation hilarious. But the reporter had no scruples; he published his sensational articles on his website to get more attention, more likes or followers. He lived for such news. His articles would bring in lots of views and followers. ‘This is the kind of story I live for.’
Lim Ho Joon liked his article about the serial murders in Yeonju City. Kim Moo Jin diclosed that ‘The whole town was in shambles because of it.’
Moo Jin’s pen ran out of ink so
Ho Joon lent him his unique pen, the
one that Baek Hee Sung, the metal
craftsman and husband of Cha Ji Won,
made for the members of her detective team. When he heard that Baek was a metal craftsman, he was
intrigued.
When they discussed the case of the lawyer, Kim Moo Jin argued that a murder did
not require a grand motive. He quoted the case of the psychopathic metal craftsman
who killed 7 people for kicks and buried their bodies, including that of his
wife who left him, in the woods.
Kim Moon Jin teased Detective Cha that he would give further details if he could get a fancy
pen from her husband, so she handed over Baek Hee Sung's business card.
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Back home, Ji Won
told Baek about Kim Sang Jin’s attempted murder case. One wonders why brick walls abound in the house.
According to the lawyer’s wife, they had a perfect family. Ji Won wondered why the wife had no inkling that something was wrong with her husband. ‘I don’t know why she can be so clueless.’ Amazed that the
aggrieved party didn’t see it coming, it hadn’t dawn on Cha Ji Won that ‘Ignorance is bliss.’ The question was, ‘Is she avoiding the truth or covering it up?’ Did she suffer from self-delusion? Perhaps, the woman wanted to delude herself as long as she could and refused to face reality. Burying the truth was a way to protect her husband and her family.
Ji Won proclaimd that either way, it was not justifiable. She was being judgemental. It was ironic that she did not know she was talking about herself. She was dim. That was how her mother-in-law would describe her. The portrait of her happy family is compared with the topic of discussion, the dysfunctional family of the lawyer, Kim Sang Jin and his wife. Ji Won was still puzzled over the smouldering resentment Baek's parents had against her. Her mother-in-law’s unreasonable wrath defeated her understanding. The homicide detective boasted all her virtues to her husband. She couldn’t think of many people who harboured any hatred against her. Moreover, she had a charming personality. Her bubbly personality was stamped on her face - she always had a smile for everyone. Furthermore, she had given her in-laws a granddaughter. She triumphantly declared she had a stable job.
What more do her in-laws want? Probably, they were emotionally damaged or scarred. They remained cold and critical of her no matter what she did. A smooth relationship between her and her in-laws did not evolve although she had tried to please them. Hee Sung had a knowing smirk on his face. Bragging again. Dim as she was, Ji Won understood she was an unwanted presence in the Baek family. She playfully confessed that had she known, she wouldn’t have seduced him back then. It was a confession that she was the one who made the first move in their relationship. She had staked her claim on him. Baek tried pacify her emotions. Her insecurities and feelings of inadequacy dissipated. Having been stimulated by her love talk, Baek looked amorously at her.
The discussion about their past romance provided strong
stimulus for love. 14 years had not changed their hopelessly romantic
relationship. They were like incurable teenagers in love. The eager Baek wanted to hold her close to his
body again but she was rushing to meet Ho Joon, her junior. Their romantic
talk has a humorous ring to it.
At the police station, Cha went through the case again. It was clear that there was a switch in gender roles in the Baek family. The husband was a househusband and took care of household chores and their daughter while Cha was given the latitude of being a career woman. Being a good father, he sent his daughter to kindergarten and even thoughtfully prepared meals for the teachers. Impressed by his social intelligence, the teacher was unstinting in her praise for him and emphasized to Eun Ha that her father was not only handsome, sweet and witty but also a good cook.
Surely, he would be voted to be the poster child for the ideal
househusbands, oops, the perfect father and husband.
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 Kim Moo Jin read the responses to his sensational articles. Being self-satisfied, he smiled like a Cheshire cat. This shed light on the reporter. It was troubling, to say the least, that instant gratification was what he wanted. Did he have the license to distort the news? He did not seem to have high ideals or ethics and did not appear to be one who crusades for justice or to champion the downtrodden. His shocking stories
amused and excited his audience. The truth was Kim Moo Jin liked nothing better than to bask in the approval of
the masses. To say that the situation was disgraceful is too light an insult. The sad truth was his readers didn’t care about the truth. They enjoyed feasting on his despicable articles. Moo Jin had confided to Lim Ho Joon, Ji Won’s sidekick that they were the kind of stories he lived for. He was shallow, petty, gossipy and lived on public adulation. The Yeongju City Serial Murder Case which involved Do Min Seok and Do Hyun Soo, his son, excited him. It would soon be clear that he had a vested interest in it. Kim Moon Jin was seduced by the idea of an increasing number of followers and comments. It measured his popularity and the excitement his articles stirred. One question was ‘Is psychopathy really genetic?’ Moo Jin was supposed to meet Nam Soon Gil to obtain more information from him about Do Hyun Soo but the cook and owner of a Chinese restaurant was busy. He promised to meet Moo Jin the next day.
The restaurant owner was cooking and the fire roared fiercely. The fire was
a metaphor for the news that he was going to disclose. It would certainly be
‘a raging fire’ which will sweep
through the city. Who would be at risk with such destructive breaking news?
Do Hae Soo, his girlfriend in high school suddenly popped up in his thoughts. He wrote his appointment ‘Cheonggecheon Stream, Nam Joon Kil 5 pm’ in his notebook.
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Baek Hee Sung dropped in at his mother’s pharmacy as planned. The
sole purpose of his visit was to demand that his mother call Cha Ji Won, his
wife and put on an act. She was encouraged to throw an unreasonable fit to discourage Ji Won from making contact with her. Hee Sung was brutally frank about wanting it to
be an elaborate pretence. Her outburst of anger against his wife would fool
her and totally destroy her hopes for any reconciliation. His primary aim was to alienate his wife from his adoptive family and prevent any contact or communication between them. It was a wise precaution that they should take to ensure that their secrets were kept under wraps.
Mean as she was, Gong
Mija was shellshocked and bewildered by his demand. Clutching his shirt,
she declared that she had a right over his life. As he removed her hand from
his chest, he placed a reassuring palm over her hand, calmly emphasising that
his life was hers as long as he lived as Baek
Hee Sung. He wrestled with the fear that his temperamental adoptive mother could not fool his wife. Cha Ji Won was a homicide detective after all. Baek Hee Sung chillingly drove home the point, ‘You can’t put on an act like me.’ Baek Hee Sung’s life was a lie. To be able to deceive his wife for 14 years required a fair amount of guile and a flair for acting.
Perhaps, he felt he had the lion’s share of responsibility of
keeping their secrets safe from everyone. He stared unblinkingly at his mum.
Suffice to say, his look was persuasive enough to convince her to accede to
his demand.
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Choi Jaesup suspected Dr
Bae Eun Seok to be the other woman in the life of the lawyer. He dropped
in at her clinic. Dr Bae and Kim Sang Jin, the lawyer, were former
collegemates. Choi suspected an illicit relationship. Being the uncouth and crude detective that he was, he sniffed her like a dog. He discovered that her fragrance was similar to the one that emanated from Kim Sang Jin’s shirt. The lowlife lawyer reeked of infidelity and his mistress was no better. The unconventional detective pretended to drop some coins and when she bent to pick up one, he stole her handphone. With the help of a technician, he found a lot of photos of the adulterous pair in her phone.
It was soon discovered that Kim
Sang Jin had given his naïve wife drugs passed to him by the female
doctor. Cha ji Won knew that Choi Jaesup did not find the cell phone by chance but stole it. The illegally procured evidence is not admissible in court. Kim Sang Jin’s infidelity was irrelevant and had no connection with the case. The lawyer was a degenerate as he had recently asked a colleague regarding divorce and he was upset about child support. Choi Jaesup asked her, ‘Which type of psychos are the biggest headaches?’ His answer was the patient ones. The camera leads us to Baek Hee Sung’s metalcraft workshop. He is hard at work firing some metals at the workshop furnace. The fire was blazing hot. This tells us that Baek Hee Sung was patient when trying to ensnare his foe. There was a twist in the attempted murder case. Cha Ji Won managed to ferret out an answer from a young boy who confessed that his pet dog, Ttori had caused Kim In Seo to roll down the stairs. The young owner of the dog was afraid to confess his dog was the culprit because Kim In Seo’s mother had, in the past, threatened to have the dog put down if the dog bit her son again. In the light of his confession, Choi Jaesup, the embarrassed detective, was compelled to release the lawyer.
 When they went to the pharmacy to buy medicine for Lim Ho Joon’s toothache, it suddenly dawned on Cha that the multivitamins that Ko Ae Young took were white but the real drugs were actually bright yellow. Kim Sang Jin had given his wife some harmful drugs. Two kinds of medicine were contrasted. The yellow multivitamins and the white mind-numbing drug.
The meaning of bright yellow colour of the pills is contrasted with the meaning of Kim In Seo’s bright yellow jacket. Duality is showcased here. The different symbolic meanings of the yellow colour are compared. Although yellow is the colour of happiness and creativity, the dark side of yellow is cowardice, betrayal and madness. Those who were condemned to die during the Inquisition wore yellow as a sign of treason. In Russia, a colloquial expression for an insane asylum used to be a yellow house. Yellow House? This reminds us of Vincent van Gogh's painting, The Yellow House. The genius was said to be mad. When Cha Ji Won visited Kim In Seo at the hospital, his parents were there. Using the audio recorder of her phone she recorded her conversation with the boy and found out why he lied and about the pills that his father gave his mother. The sad face of Ko Ae Young could be seen through the glass partition of the door. According to him, his father had taken him on a hiking trip in the hills, a place for his rendezvous with Dr Bae Eun Seok, his mistress. A shot of them as they crossed a bridge showed that the leaves of the bare trees had fallen. It symbolised the adulterous affair or the family relationship was withering or dying.
It was unusual that his father was blatant about his affair with his lover in his presence. His father had requested for a bottle of drugs for his wife. The drugs could 'temporarily hinder neural stimulus abilities'. The insane lawyer was pond-scum. The callous and self-centred man would stop at nothing to get his wife’s consent for divorce. The drugs had an effect on his wife who was now a completely different person. She had become at odds with reality. Her mind was slow. The lawyer and the doctor had stepped into an ethical minefield. His lover encouraged him to ask for divorce. She reminded him not to let go of the couple’s assets and the custody of his son. He had embraced a casual approach towards marriage. Infidelity and marriage vows were unimportant. This marital aspect is compared to the sacred vows implied by the ring on Baek Hee Sung’s finger.
Cha Ji Won cuffed the lawyer and Ho Joon took him away. As the camera moves away from the hospital scene, Ji Won was seen facing the woman in a one-point perspective view. The homicide detective represented the Truth and Ko Ae Young, who had been trying to avoid reality, was compelled to face the truth. Truth stared her in the face.
There was some blurry red in the distance. Red symbolises
happiness. Did it indicate Cha Ji Won’s happiness in solving the case? She
was happy for the woman. Although Choi Jaesup might be wrong about the attempted murder, he had to be applauded as his instincts were correct. The lawyer was a lowlife.
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 The camera zeroes in on the most importat aspects of Baek Hee Sung’s metalcraft work. The metal craftsman was in the process of making some
metal object and was firing some metal in his workshop furnace. He was wearing
a protective heavy-duty cowhide apron with huge straps for his dangerous
work.
The blazing fire in the small furnace of the workshop foreshadowed some conflict or danger.
The weasel, Kim Moo Jin,
dropped by the metalcraft workshop in the double storey house. It was a residence-cum-workshop
with wide glass windows. There is a short flight of stairs leading to the front door.
Kim moo jin’s reflection was caught in
the mirror.
He wanted to fix a silver item. His trip there is a cautionary
tale for those who are drawn to a psychopath’s liar.
The twist in the tale. When they came face to face, Kim Moo Jin
remembered him, a person from his past. Baek’s
face was immobile. His emotions were restrained. It was certain that he resented Kim Moo Jin's intrusion.
No sooner had Baek recognised Kim Moo Jin than fear descended on him. An impervious expression masked his feelings. The other man was certain of his identity. The friendly smile fled from his lips. He declared that the
shop was closed to avoid unwelcome visitors and questions.
The viewers are told straightaway that Baek Hee Sung is Do Hyun Soo. Kim Moo Jin asked him whether Do Hyun Soo recognized him. How could he forget Kim Moo Jin? Kim Moo Jin’s image had been seared in Do Hyun Soo‘s mind.
Do Hyun Soo prepared himself for the moment of truth. He had not expected the past to catch up with him so quickly.
He had already rewritten his personal history. He would brook no
investigation into his past. The cautious metal craftsman locked eyes with the nosy reporter. From that moment, the perceptive man knew what he should do. Sun Tzu’s philosophy, expounded in ‘The Art of War’, popped out unsummoned. 'Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.' 'All warfare is based on deception.' Do Hyun Soo felt vulnerable but he put on a pretence.
Kim Moo Jin had walked into the
spider’s web. It was now the survivor of the fittest. There was a hunting
thrill in Do Hyun Soo’s searing
eyes. Kim Moo Jin still did not know that Do Hyun Soo was Baek Hee Sung. The guest had offered himself as a sacrifice. Was Do Hyun Soo not going to play an amusing cat-and-mouse game with him? It was going to be thrilling by the looks in Do Hyun Soo’s eyes. He smiled pleasantly but his eyes glittered with menace. One could understand Do Hyun Soo’s psychology. He was a suspected accomplice of his serial killer father. His life was in shambles and he was compelled to retreat from the world. He was cold and impassive. Cha Ji Won fell in love with him and loved him unconditionally. His life was now normal and he was happy. It gradually dawned on Do Hyun Soo that what he feared most had appeared in the form of Kim Moo Jin, the reporter. He feared that his pursuit for happiness was now in danger or might be truncated. Kim Moo Jin, if he ever uncovered the past, was a threat to his normal, serene life. Do Hyun Soo was more than shocked that
they crossed paths again. He was paranoid. The situation could not be
salvaged.
At this point, Cha Ji Won received a message from Choi Jaesup
about Kim Sang Jin's conversation with his colleague concerning divorce and
child support.
 Do Hyun Soo was also the kind of patient
psychopath that Choi Jaesup referred
to.
The camera returns to the metalcraft workshop. The reporter
seemed to be nervous in Do Hyun Soo’s
scary presence. Kim Moo Jin was feeling hot. Like the good host, Do Hyun Soo coolly offered fragrant tea to him. Stalling for time, Do Hyun Soo disarmed him with his patience and serenity. Moo Jin let his guard down.
The teapot was unusual. Do
Hyun Soo was serving tea like he was in a tea ceremony. Lest anyone thinks that Do Hyun Soo was being hospitable, think again. They should be assured that it was not the case. How would the hunter stalk its prey? The serpent waits. Patiently.
‘You hand, your tongue look
like the innocent FLOWER, but be the SERPENT under it.’
Macbeth, Shakespeare
There was a permanently closed door in the background with
cloth blinds which were raised halfway. The uncovered portions of the door
look like two piercing eyes looking at the two men like a judge observing their interactions,
a witness to their cautious small talk.
Kim Moo Jin casually mentioned that he recognised Do Hyun Soo immediately because they
were from the same neighbourhood. There could be other reasons that had reinforced
that memory. The fact was the person before him was Do Hyun Soo, a former schoolmate and a suspected accomplice of
his serial killer father.
There was tension in the air. The psychological aspect of what Do Hyun Soo was scheming gave him the
edge over Kim Moo Jin who seemed rather naïve. Do Hyun Soo’s
movements were measured. He hid his feelings behind his façade of
friendliness.
Shakepeare’s Macbeth comes to mind again.
'False face must hide what
the false heart doth know.'
Macbeth, Shakespeare
Armed with the knowledge of the past, Moo Jin proceeded to admit that Do Hyun Soo has changed a lot. Maybe, he misinterpreted the practiced calmness and patience as maturity and wisdom on Do Hyun Soo's part. The reporter was flushed, nervous and
distressed. The tension in the room was almost palpable. He was embarrassed
about something that had happened in the past. The harsh truth was Do Hyun Soo instinctively knew that the investigative journalist would unleash evil against him if he didn’t pre-empt his mouth and actions. So, he had to wise up or his life would be screwed up. The reporter exclaimed that the weather was hotter than usual and he was sweating. The heart of the matter was simple; he felt uncomfortable as he had compelled himself to rein in his insatiable curiosity. The calm demeanour of Do Hyun Soo got the reporter on the edge.
A comparison is made between one who remains calm and composed while the other is sweating and in fear in a tense setting. Perhaps, Kim Moo Jin’s conscience was pricking him and it was working overtime. The sinister Do Hyun Soo who was very cool understood completely why he was insufferably hot. His temperature was rising because he was restraining his inquisitive mind and mouth. It was ill-mannered and discourteous to broach a subject such as murder that involved Do Hyun Soo. Do Hyun Soo was seasoned enough to understand Kim Moo Jin’s psychology. He encouraged the reporter to ask him the question that had popped into his head the moment he saw the metal craftsman. Sun Tzu was present in the room. 'Know your opponent and you will never lose. Know yourself and you will always win.'
The serpent had reared its head but would not hurry into miscalculation and give his scheme away. Do Hyun Soo was eerie. Watching Moo Jin’s discomfiture, a tiny smile, almost invisible played on his lips. Moo Jin denied being curious and quickly gulped down the rest of his tea. He was in a hurry to go. Do Hyun Soo queried, ‘Don’t you want to know?’ You must be curious, you’re a reporter. He paused. Do Hyun Soo was right. As a reporter, he should be more inquisitive. Kim Moo Jin hesitated only for a second and decided to stay. The reporter in him probably thought, ‘There had to be two sides to Do Hyun Soo’s story’. The die was cast. Hemming and hawing, he uttered without much conviction that he
wouldn’t believe any news without corroborative evidence or facts. Rumours
about Do Hyun Soo were treated like
fictitious stories, not facts.
It was a lie of course because Moo Jin had already published a sensational article about the murder that would surely toast Do Hyun Soo. Was the article based on reality or a product of his imagination? He failed to win over the cold and hard Do Hyun Soo, who after all, was still a fugitive. Moo Jin declared that 18 years ago, at the time of the disappearance of Do Hyun Soo from the town, the village chief had been murdered. Do Hyun Soo was 18 years old then. It was baffling that he should have disappeared. It was a particularly brutal crime, perhaps a seemingly motiveless one. Do Hyun Soo stared at the other silently, coldly assessing him. Both must have made instant
judgements of each other.
The eyes in the door continued silently to observe them. Moo Jin watched with rapt attention for his reaction but there was none. Do Hyun Soo’s face was inscrutable. Although he was passive, he wasn’t immune to the pressure exerted by the inquisitive reporter. If Kim Moo Jin had been very observant, he would have detected the twitch in Do Hyun Soo’s left eye. The twitching of the left eye is how the body responds to
stress. Is the involuntary reaction an indication of Do Hyun Soo’s guilt?
Do Hyun Soo calmly and coldly drank
his tea. Looking down, he seemed to be digesting all the information imparted
by Moo Jin. He was under considerable pressure. Was Moo Jin able to draw the
criminal out?
Moo Jin probed, ‘Were you involved in it?’ Do Hyun Soo resented the explicit
question but Moo Jin expected a
candid answer. The metal craftsman avoided a direct yes or no answer to the
pertinent question. He was not going to squirm under intense pressure.
Moo Jin was not on his side nor would he be a champion for justice. If one wanted to understand the reporter, one had to read his articles. Kim Moo Jin was prone to lean towards dramatic and sensational stories. Do Hyun Soo was shrewd enough not to trust him. Could his situation be similar to that of Lawyer Kim Sang Jin, who was accused by Detective Choi Jaesup of attempting to
kill his own son? Accused of the wrong crime. The camera pans in on Kim Sang Jin and then on Do Hyun Soo.
Do Hyun Soo suavely dismissed the pointed question. His tone was unchanged. His words were calm and measured. ‘What’s the use if I say I
didn’t do it? Everybody thinks I killed him, the town people and the police.’
Perhaps Do Hyun Soo knew the murderer of the hideous crime but he wasn’t going to reveal who the killer was. Perhaps, he was protecting someone he loved. Was it his biological sister whom he was protecting? Did she kill the man? If so, why? Sometimes, the gathering of evidence is sloppy. Ultimately, judgements are made without a trial. Rumours and stories could be spun. Or they might take on a life of their own and are embellished over time. Was there any incriminating evidence against him? ‘The question was the
murder weapon was found in your backpack. Why are they still after you? If
you are innocent, you should submit to police investigation and clear your
name.’
The damage inflicted on Hyun Soo's reputation was incalculable. The stiff, cautious and dispassionate Hyun Soo wanted to know how he knew that they were still after him. Without missing a beat, he asked, ‘How do you know they’re still after me?’ Moo Jin divulged that he had heard
it somewhere since he was a reporter.
By now, the reporter, having disclosed so much information, was
on edge and fearful. He was in a hurry to go. He was embarrassed to explain
that he had spun out a sensational article about Do Hyun Soo and his father, Do
Min Seok which created new interest in the crime. Having put his career
above ethics, he was brutally unfair to
Do Hyun Soo. What was the gospel truth? There was no question that the public thrived on shocking news. Hyun Soo wanted to know if Moo Jin intended to run to the police and announce that he had seen the murder suspect of the Gagyeongri chief 18 years ago.
 The quick-thinking newsman wasn’t going to put himself at risk. He hurriedly denied he would do that. It was ironic that he blatantly declared that he was not interested in other people’s affairs. The sensation-seeking reporter was clearly lying through his teeth. He failed to placate Hyun Soo.
Instinctively, Hyun Soo
knew that Kim Moo Jin was a
pit-bull reporter, who would not let go of such a juicy piece of news. Fate had
led him right to the suspect’s door step. He could not ignore that scent of
murder that had pervaded the place. Hyun Soo suffered no self-delusions. He studied the reporter carefully. Moo Jin was downright dangerous. The shrewd Hyun Soo wanted to know about Kim Moo Jin’s personal particulars. His deliberate questions intruded into the reporter's private life. Didn't Sun Tzu say, ‘To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.’
He found out Moo Jin was not married. 'Was he a reporter for a weekly?' 'Were his work hours flexible?' Kim Moo Jin turned to look back at Hyun Soo. These questions sounded casual but were ominous. If Kim Moo Jin had caught on, they would have given him the chills. The viewers understood the meaning of the questions immediately. It was scary. No one would know if Kim Moo Jin disappeared for a few days. If he had disappeared forever, who would be any wiser? An uncomfortable silence filled will tension invaded the room. A deadly plan was already forged in Hyun Soo’s mind. He seemed to know what he wanted to do. The camera sees him through the open blinds.
Hyun Soo magnanimously announced
that he would give Moo Jin a gift,
a unique silver teapot, which he was wrapping in a red wrapper. Red indicates danger. Sun Tzu says, 'Let your plans be dark and
impenetrable as night, when you move fall like a thunderbolt.'
The audience did not expect that Hyun Soo would possess such a devious mind. He was relying on his cunning to survive. He diplomatically declared that the gift was a bribe to keep Moo Jin’s mouth shut but Moo Jin reassured him that he didn’t go around spreading gossip. The audience must have been astonished that Moo Jin was such an accomplished liar. The poor fellow had been seduced into thinking that Hyun Soo had no grievance against him. He was not on his guard. One can’t shake off the feeling that the situation was eerie and disturbing. 'Desperate times call for desperate measures'. Hyun Soo invited the other man to sit down and write down his address so that he can send the gift to him. It took a second or two for the tense anticipation to slip from his face.
When Moo Jin sat at the table, Hyun Soo was seen through the glass windows from the outside. ' The voice of Sun Tzu could be heard in one's ears, 'Never interrupt an enemy when he is making a mistake.' The metal craftsman quietly closed the blinds and locked the door. A chill had crept down the viewer’s spine.
The closed blinds and locked door shielded everything inside from the prying eyes of the world. He turned up the volume of some frightful music.
Hyun Soo was like the serpent who
was gathering strength, ready to strike. The look on his face made everyone’s flesh creep
and crawl. The viewer’s hair stands on end. Kim Moo Jin was ignorant that he was a sitting duck. The camera moves towards the back of Moo Jin who turns in time to see Hyun Soo peering eerily at him through the wire mesh partition. The wire mesh partition gave the impression that Moo Jin was in a cage. He was neatly trapped. Hyun Soo was going to psych him out and intimidate him. He stared at the other with menace in his eyes. His eyes were those of an insane assassin. The element of surprise was paramount but he was going to freeze his prey first before he lunged at him. He was no ordinary serpent; he was the cobra who would strike his victim in an instant before he even realised it. Hyun Soo was haunted by the ghosts in his past. The traumas had created the psychopath in him. He could not allow his double life to be exposed by Kim Moo Jin. Though it was not shown, the audience had the feeling from Hyun Soo’s look that the interaction had escalated into something horrible and frightening.
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The scene shifts to Cha Ji Won in a discussion with her junior, Lim Ho Joon. ‘Do you think
she didn’t know?' Was Ko Ae Young
clueless about what her husband was doing or plotting? She was far beyond
naiive, she was plain dumb. Lim Ho Joon
exclaimed that he wouldn’t take the drugs the lawyer had given his wife.
Ji Won pondered sadly. ‘I feel certain truths would destroy my life in an instant. To Lim Ho
Joon’s surprise and amazement, she declared, ‘I know certain truths will be revealed eventually but if I could
delay it by one day, I’ll take the pill too.’
The junior detective insisted that she was insane. Love, like the numbing drugs given to Ko Ae Young by her husband, is a seductive drug. Ji Won would not mind being oblivious of the ugly truths in her life. It was utterly shocking that the rational, logical and passionate homicide detective felt the same way as Ko Ae Young, the naïve and defenceless victim.
Ji Won had a call. She was
standing next to the stairwell of a curved staircase.
As promised, Gong Mija,
Baek Hee Sung’s mother, lost no time in telling Ji Won that she was not fond of her. She did not mince her words.
In fact, Mija hammered her daughter-in-law with
accusations of being clueless and not worthy of being Hee Sung’s wife. He was, after all, the son of a university hospital
director. She gave no time for her Ji Won to breathe. To add insult
to injury, she even attacked Ji Won’s mother. ‘They say daughters are like their mothers. Your mother nagged your
father to death.’ She pointedly accused her of shackling Hee Sung down by
getting pregnant and ‘now you’re using your daughter to barge into our lives’.
Ji Won was also accused of being a gold-digger. ‘You disgust me. We consider
each other dead.’
The accusations, slings and insults were too much for the
grief-stricken homicide detective to bear. She had an emotional meltdown.
Her mother-in-law was the reincarnation of the Hulk. But, what is Truth and what is Fiction? The curved staircase is symbolic of truth taking a turning. This visual metaphor of a curved staircase also describes the obstacles that lay ahead her. The journey ahead was not straight but had many turnings or difficulties. Then, the camera shifts to Do Hyun Soo trying to overpower the bigger and heavier opponent. It was an adrenaline pumping moment. Hyun Soo was powerful and
lightning-fast; he slammed his adversary’s body right across his worktable. His
teapot shattered into pieces from the violent struggle.
With his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Rear Naked Choke, Do Hyun Soo was able to attack and wrestle his bigger opponent to the ground. He wrapped his hands and legs around Moo Jin and choked him. The other man, who had been taken by surprise, struggled but passed out. When the reporter was rendered unconscious, the fight came to a screeching halt. The eyes, as they say, are the windows to the soul. The pupils of Do Hyun Soo's eyes had dilated. His face may be icy-cold but his eyes betrayed his mental and emotional state.
It was a foregone conclusion that the fit and strong metal
craftsman would be able to subdue the enemy. The record player was playing battle music but by now, Do Hyun Soo’s eyes were glazed. No feeling. No emotion. Freezingly cold. Hard frost. The serpent’s work was done for the day. The warrior is also victorious. Sun Tzu and Shakespeare must have been very proud of Do Hyun Soo. When Cha Ji Won arrived home, she paused a while and stared at the house. On the first floor of the building, there is a portion of red brick wall and another portion which was painted white. The ground floor was wholly whitewashed. It was a pleasant looking house. No one would have suspected that evil lurked inside it. White is for purity but what about the red brick walls inside
and outside the house? If the bare brick walls are not finished and unprotected, they can rot and the dust floats around. It can be compared to unprotected relationships which can rot and disintegrate if not nurtured and protected. Another meaning of the brick wall is the challenge that both husband and wife will face. Baek Hee Sung’s past, which stemmed from his turbulent history, is represented by the brick wall that viewers see again and again in the drama. His past has returned to haunt him and threaten to shatter his present life. Would he struggle to keep what he has? Do Hyun Soo would want to live as Bae Hee Sung until the very end. Will the brick wall stop him from having what he wants the most?
THE BRICK WALL
The brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it
badly enough.
Randy Pausch
Is his brick wall insurmountable? He has a battle that had to be won. The brick wall is a metaphor for change. It is an obstacle. It means that the Baek family is given the chance to
show how badly they want something, like maintaining their happiness. The ground floor where Baek’s workshop is located has huge wide glass store windows. Ji Won climbed the stairs to the living quarters on the first floor and paused at the wooden front door. The door has a frosted glass panel. It is difficult to see through it. It is difficult for her know what had happened within. The audience wait in suspense, expecting her to see the violent fight.
She opened the door. What the audience sees is Baek Hee Sung and Eun Ha having fun together. They were preparing pizza. The little girl flicked some tomato ketchup near her nose and pretended that her nose was bleeding. The play acting of Eun Ha forshadows a similar incident in the future.
Ji Won wanted to be reenergised; she requested for hugs and kisses from her daughter and her husband. She basked in their love. The Baeks frolicked in their home. Peals of laughter echoed throughout the place. The metaphor is ‘Love is a nutrient’ comes to mind. Love gives Ji Won energy. It is compared to ‘Love is a drug’ in the case of Ko Ae Young, the lawyer’s wife, where love drugs her and she could not differentiate between reality and unreality.
The camera moves to the ground floor and focuses on a padlocked trapdoor which is linked to a flight of steps to the basement below. The frightening twist. The camera follows the steps to the basement. A fearful Moo Jin was tied up in the basement. Slapped over his
mouth was a strip of duct tape.
But, why are there colourful stuffed dolls in the basement? As the camera moves away, one sees two lights. Duality. The
drama reminds us of the dual characteristics of things that we see. What is on
the surface and what is below.
The camera moves away from the dark basement up the stairs to the
workshop on ground floor again. We see a happy home on the first floor and the
camera takes us out of the house into the darkness. The ordinary house framed in the darkness, is, in fact, not ordinary. What lies inside the house is impossible to know. The tour round the house is a journey metaphor. It is a journey between heaven and hell. The family would be taken from ‘heaven to hell’ and back again from ‘hell to heaven’. The flight of stairs also connect heaven to hell. The family apartment is heaven. The basement where the prisoner is held captive is hell. The stairway signifies freedom for them. The one who stands at the top of the stairs is powerful. Needless to say, the one at the bottom is powerless. But, could Kim Moo Jin be the Trojan Horse in Baek’s house? |
The first episode of Flower of Evil already shows that the drama is a masterpiece. It
is ground breaking in the way the story is presented. The thrilling and suspenseful core story is
compared with an interesting minor story. It seems the unique drama is a metaphorical puzzle from the beginning to the end. Kim Cheol Kyu, the director and Yoo Jung Hee, the writer, have to be applauded. Lee Joon Gi’s nuanced acting is spectacular. He has brought the manipulative and sinister psychopath to life and has given us the chills. Lee has used his eyes to perfection to express his emotions. One example is one could even detect the lightning-fast twitch in Do Hyun Soo’s left eye when he was being questioned by Kim Moo Jin. His interpretation of the man with many faces is most impressive. Lee has made a great difference to the first episode of the drama with his commanding screen presence. Part of Lee’s enduring appeal is his great ability to slip into the skins of his characters. The awesome and astonishing actor has given the best performance in his life in this episode and is expected to continue to do so till the very end of the drama. Moon Chae Won’s performance is amazing and Seo Hyun Woo has delivered a solid performance. The other actors should also be praised. They make a fine team, Flower of Evil, a brilliant thinking drama, has not shortchanged the audience even in this first episode. The drama treats the audience to a unique feast of interesting stories, music, compelling symbolism and metaphors. One can’t help but notice the prevalence of symbols: mirrors and reflections, glass, fires, stairways, bare brick walls, image within an image and the use of colours, each with dual meanings. Duality is one of the themes in the drama. Flower of Evil not only speaks of the duality of the characters but also the dual meaning of colours, situations and so forth. The minor story, which runs parallel to core story, does not compete but complement and enhance the understanding of the main story. The stories shift from one to the other seamlessly. The audience is drawn to think of the different kinds of psychopaths in life and to differentiate them from sociopaths. Some people like Lee Woo Chul, the Head of the Homicide Investigation Team, are naturally cold. But, are Baek Man Woo and Gong Mija, Baek Hee Sung’s adoptive parents truly cold? Kim Sang Jin, the lawyer husband of Ko Ae Young is a psychopath who is different from Baek Hee Sung. Episode 1 is spectacular. The eerie plot, which is at once romantic and suspenseful, is riveting. The visual effects lend colours to the story. The suspense keeps the viewers on razor’s edge and almost kills them. The first episode of Flower of Evil gives the impression that it is a psychological thriller-melodrama. It has the chilling terror of a complex thriller with its exciting twists, turns and dramatic situations.
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