I’m enjoying this kdrama. My write-up on Episode 1 may or may not come; I don’t know if it’s necessary. Spoilers.

From Episode 2.

1. Kingfisher has been sniping for 16 years, with 93 deaths attributed to him. She began in 2010. (Timestamp 16:39)

But it’s possible that a few of those deaths were done by copycats. As we shall see in Episode 8, there are two Kingfishers.

One is Yoo Bona, or the bona fide assassin. Note: BoNa’s name in Latin means good, and bona fide means a) genuine or real, and b) in good faith, or acting with sincerity and without the intention to deceive or cheat. Yoo Bona is the bona fide assassin in both senses of the phrase.

The other Kingfisher is TaeSeong’s abductor. As of Episode 8, I’m assuming he’s Sergei Volansky aka SeulGi.

Note: I’m not Korean but both his Russian and Korean names sound like “sseulegi” or “trash” in Korean. 🙂

In contrast to Bona, SeulGi is the evil one, acting in bad faith, with the intent to hard and deceive another person. He’s a copycat riding the popularity of the real Kingfisher.

Note: as of Episode 8, I can’t tell whether he’s working alone or in cahoots with a criminal syndicate. The man-in-black who spoke to the jailed murderer/rapist in Episode 8 could either be SeulGi himself or a member of his dark organization. Let’s see if that jailed murderer/rapist will end up dead while in police custody.

2. Kwon TaeSeong is recognized as the foremost expert on Kingfisher in the media. But something happened to him in the recent past that put an end to his in-depth research on Kingfisher’s activities and psychology. I think that “turning point” happened “four years ago in Haegong-dong.” His detective friend mentioned a Haegong-dong incident up, but didn’t elaborate. (Timestamp 25:14)

3. At first, TaeSeong was merely curious to learn that a Baby Shark sticker was found at the shooting site. But then, he was shaken when he saw a Baby Shark sticker on BoNa’s sleeve. If that fake/copycat Kingfisher had once threatened to go after his wife Bona, then it was understandable that he instantly assumed that the sticker on BoNa’s sleeve was meant to be a warning to him. 😕 He didn’t know that it was purely accidental that Bona dropped a sticker at the shooting site, and that his daughter stuck the sticker on Bona’s sleeve.

Nonetheless, he started getting nightmares that a monster would take her away from him after the sticker incident. (Timestamp: 36:11)

From Episode 3.

4. Six years ago, in 2020, BoNa’s coworker The Poisoner spotted BoNa and TaeSeong dating. She felt disenchanted. In her eyes, Bona lost her god status. (Timestamp 9:22)

But BoNa corrected The Poisoner’s wrong impression and said, “If I were your savior, the man who saved Kingfisher was Kown TaeSeong. It was him.” BoNa added, “He saved something even greater. I received an even greater gift.” She meant that he gave her the gift of a family. She has him, then Yul, her in-laws, and “ordinary, everyday life.” It was a gift that kept on giving.

Note: I’m assuming that the lipstick case that she keeps handy contains the “Mist” concoction she created which is “10,000 times more toxic than arsenic.” I’m not surprised that she chose to deal with poison. On that Christmas Day in 2011, she was going to poison her ex-criminal father but changed her mind out of guilt. Back in 2011, BoNa was a relative neophyte; she began her career in 2010.

From Episode 4.

5. The Hacker is also a trained psychologist and he’s “analyzed” BoNa’s personality. According to him, “BoNa actually doesn’t like seeing blood. She also hates watching someone die painfully right in front of her. That’s why she prefers sniping. She doesn’t have to confront them up close, and it’s not a method that involves unnecessary cruelty, violence, or suffering. It’s only meant to make them disappear from this world. But people who hurt children were exceptions. That’s why other team members handled them until now. I don’t know. Maybe she thought it was too easy a death, or maybe there’s another reason.” (Timestamp 51:22)

In other words, BoNa reserves her bloodlust just for those criminals who hurt children. She presents a different, more savage and merciless assassin when dealing with child abusers and molesters. They don’t deserve a quick death from her bullet. I wouldn’t be surprised if she tortured them so their death was prolonged.

Thus, the team handles these criminals, instead of her.

I’m assuming that she must have been abused or molested when she was a child.

6. Given his strong sense of justice, TaeSeong wants to report on the Kingfisher’s recent activities but he restrains himself because of the fake/copycat Kingfisher’s previous threat.

On the night of BoNa’s second successful mission, he receives a text from the fake Kingfisher. It says, “You keep your promises well. Good. Another good night, TaeSeong.” (Timestamp 57:00)

Meanwhile, BoNa receives a package from Russia. To all appearances, it’s a gift from a friend, but BoNa knows the gift is from an enemy and it isn’t to be trusted. Sure enough, it contains a listening device.

Now, the juxtaposition of TaeSeong’s text from fake Kingfisher and BoNa’s gift from Russia seems to suggest that the senders are one and the same. Perhaps, perhaps not.

From Episode 5.

7. TaeSeong has another nightmare. This time, we get to see him bound and gagged, and we can safely conclude that his nightmare isn’t imaginary. He was actually kidnapped. This event took place AFTER his marriage to BoNa as he’s shown wearing a ring.

He wakes up again, and is relieved to see BoNa sleeping beside him with Yul in her arms. (Timestamp 00:41).

At work, he agrees to take on an investigative report on a suspicious jobsite death in order to avoid being coerced to report on the case of Kingfisher. But as luck would have it, BoNa is working on a case at the same location as his and their paths almost cross.

8. Later, at his mother’s house for the family’s ancestral rites, he confronts his mother for her abysmal treatment of BoNa. He declares that they’re boycotting the ancestral rites and tugs BoNa out of there.

TS: I think I was being short-sighted. I used to think going along with everything you said was the best way to preserve peace, but not anymore. Just as I’m your precious son, she’s my precious wife.

Then, out of the blue, he opens up about his fear. BoNa and the others think that he’s exaggerating. This is again understandable as he kept them in the dark about his past kidnapping and the surge of nightmares.

TS: Mom, I’m so scared that one day she might suddenly disappear from my side. Just imagining it makes me feel like I can’t breathe! She is my precious family. So please, don’t ever treat my wife or my family that way again.

The funny thing here is when his throws an apple at his head. With her quick reflexes, BoNa catches the apple and gives her mother-in-law a death glare. She then apologizes and hands the apple back to old lady. Lol. The apple in Korean is “sagwa” it has a homonym. “Sagwa” can mean apple and “I’m sorry” at the same time.

Returning the “sagwa” is BoNa’s tacit apology for causing the family rift. (Yeah, but her mother-in-law is something else….)

Later that evening – after the scary lost-and-found incident with their daughter Yul – BoNa asks him what that display of emotions was all about.

BN: But how could you do that to me? How could you imagine me suddenly disappearing one day? How could you imagine such a thing?

She reads TaeSeong’s fear as a sign of irrational insecurity about her love for him. In her mind, he’s scared that his mother’s mistreatment of her will one day push her to run away or divorce him. But how is she to know that his fear stems from the reappearance of Kingfisher after a four-year-long hiatus.

To him, Kingfisher = kidnapper = monster who threatens to take away his wife. He doesn’t know that the real Kingfisher is his wife.

TS: Huh? When you have something precious, like an expensive jewel, you’re always afraid of losing it. That’s what you are to me. You’re so precious to me that I’m afraid to lose you.
BN: I mean you’re not usually like this, so why today?

It’s because he received a text from Kingfisher the previous night. He’s been worrying himself sick all day about her safety.

From Episode 6.

9. Six years ago, TaeSeong showed up outside BoNa’s apartment drunk and depressed. He explained why he drank so much when he actually preferred to drink strawberry shake with BoNa. It’s because on that day, he witnessed a criminal beat the rap because of his money and connections.

TS: Cheers! Your favorite strawberry shake. But today, I just drank like this (pretending to chug his soju). I drank because the only thing I could hold in my hand was a glass of alcohol. Not a gun, not a knife, not even a pen. So I ended up with a glass.
BN: Did something happen today?
TS: Something? Well yeah. Something always happens. It’s an everyday thing. Getting slammed into walls, thrown to the floor, and having my heart ripped apart? I don’t know what else I’m supposed to do. Bad people should be punished. Truly bad people should be punished. But I… (starting to cry in frustration)… I can’t do anything about it.
BN: (hugging and patting him)

This is the second time TaeSeong cried on her shoulder.

The first time was when he woke up and found her by his side at the lodge. He had been so scared that she went off by herself to the snowy forest to kill herself. So, he cried tears of relief that she came back alive and safe. He thanked her for coming back alive.

To me, this is the reason BoNa promised to return to her duty as an assassin. Although she would have liked to be a stay-at-home mother for their child Yul, she went back to the workforce for “Reporter Kwon TaeSeong.” She doesn’t want him to feel wearied, dispirited and powerless because his efforts at helping the victims and exposing/punishing bad people are ineffectual.

Next up, Episodes 7 & 8.