I’ll begin with frippery.

6. Team Cop or Team Hacker?

Team Hacker. Just because the incongruity of the match creates more unpredictability and therefore, tension.

Although The Hacker professed no interest in SeAh, he didn’t like it when The Cop showed up to interrupt his date. That’s a plus.

When he could have used The Cop’s surprise appearance as an excuse to leave her (she already returned his outfit), he chose to stay and have dinner with her and The Cop. Another plus.

He didn’t like The Cop’s familiar conduct with SeAh, so he demonstrated territorial behavior (e.g., publicly marking her as his girl when he wiped off the smudge on her face). Plus or minus? Many viewers could reasonably call him out for acting dog-in-the-manger-ish but I think he has another reason for his behavior. Definitely a plus, for me.

Many viewers also disliked him for bluntly telling SeAh bluntly that she wasn’t his type. But I say that he was acting cruel to be kind. It wouldn’t do to entertain her childlike crush on him. Another +10.

SeAh: You just seem pretty different from how you were at the restaurant. You haven’t said much at all.
Hacker: This is the real me. Earlier, I was putting on an act.
SeAh: Why would you do that?
Hacker: Do you like me?
SeAh: Yes. I mean, no. (sighing) Yes.

The way I see it, his “act” earlier was meant to save SeAh’s pride/face in front of her buddy, The Cop. He didn’t want her to be pitied by her buddy, so he acted like he was interested in her. But he could hardly continue the sweet act after The Cop left because it would mean leading her on. So, he was coming clean, in private. Nice job. +10.

Hacker: I’m sorry. But I have no interest in you. You’re not my type. I’m sorry for asking you out. It was way too impulsive. Sorry. That’s what I wanted to tell you, so I asked to see you today.
SeAh: Then what is your type?

Great follow-up question, SeAh.

Hacker: (reflecting on his first meeting with BoNa) I’m attracted to a woman strong enough to hold my life in her hands. A woman who could hurt me at any time but chooses not to.

Interesting choice but rather understandable. For one, because of his high-stress job, he wants to find relief with an alpha woman after work. He can yield his life to her without worries. A woman who can call the shots enables him to relax and recover. +5.

For another, opposites do attracts . He demonstrated during the company’s field day that he was super-klutzy and unathletic. A strong woman would complement him. +5.

As for the plot twist, I like that his rejection places the onus squarely on him to chase SeAh and convince her that he changed his mind and that she fit his ideal type after all. It makes a better story. +10.

Hence, I’m on Team Hacker.

5. Re. the screenwriter

According to mydramalist, this kdrama was adapted from the webtoon “A Bona Fide Killer” written by Yun, illustrated by Gum Doong. I have no plans of reading it and making a comparison.

Just so we know the difference:

Manga: comic books created in Japan
Manhwa: comic books created in South Korea
Webtoons: Comics created for internet reading (i.e., you scroll down instead of flip pages)

The screenplay is written by Kim EunHee, a veteran writer. Though she has plenty of kdramas to her name, I only watched a couple of them, namely, “Prime Minister and I” (2013) and “Sweet 18” (2004).

She also co-wrote that seminal kdrama “Winter Sonata” (2002). I’m no longer surprised that the winter episodes were exceptionally written. (Yeah, I should finish my write-up on the dialogues….)

4. “A Million Roses”

To many viewers, the mothers’ bonding time at the noraebang (or private karaoke rooms) may look like a filler. But I think it rounds out BoNa’s character. She’s forming ties with the other mothers and expanding her world. I’m also interested in her choice of song.

The song is originally a Russian song from the 1980s. It’s called “Million Scarlet Roses” and sung by Alla Pugacheva.

There lived an artist alone,
Who had a house and canvases,
But he loved an actress
Who loved flowers.
He then sold his house,
Sold his paintings and shelter,
And with all the money bought
A whole sea of flowers.

Chorus: Million, million, million scarlet roses,
You see from the window, window, window.
Who is in love, who is in love, who is in love and seriously,
Will turn his life into flowers for you.

The meeting was short.
At night, the train carried her away,
But in her life there was the insane song of roses.
The artist lived his life alone,
He had been through many misfortunes,
But there was the whole square of flowers in his life.

Chorus: Million, million, million scarlet roses
You see from the window, window, window.
Who is in love, who is in love, who is in love and seriously,
That one will turn his/her life into flowers for you.

Source:russian lyrics

I like the tie-in to BoNa’s past. Since BoNa had Russian connections, I would assume that she knew the original lyrics. Like the artist in the song, she too would give up everything — no matter the cost to her — to create a rosy future for the people she loved, TaeSeong and Yul.

I also think the Russian song foreshadows the direction TaeSeong will take in order to uncover Kingfisher’s identity. He’ll eventually track her and her organization down by following the trail of flowers gifted by BoNa’s ex-director (or by BoNa herself? 🤔) to the orphanage.

This Russian song was given a new meaning in the Korean version. It was sung by Sim BooBong. Here’s the English sub from Viki.

Long ago, from some distant star
When I came into this world
I heard a small voice
Telling me to come give love
That only blooms when you love
Roses of love in bloom
Without a heart full of hate
When you give love without holding back
Millions and millions of roses bloom
And I can return to our beautiful, beloved star
Without a heart full of hate
When you give love without holding back
Millions of millions of roses bloom
And I can return to our beautiful, beloved star.

So, how does this Korean version of the song relate to BoNa?

Well, the obvious answer is it describes her assimilation. Being part of a family and sisterhood once felt alien to her as she had belonged to neither one in her previous life. But as she thrives in her new identity as TaeSeong’s wife and Yul’s mother, she’s learning to love and spread love. She’s abandoning the old world for this new idyllic life of hers.

The not-so-obvious answer is another foreshadowing. There’s a sense of doom that Seulgi and his people will soon come crashing into her new world and take her back to grim reality, whether she likes it or not. The reference to her “beautiful, beloved star” is actually an “antiphrasis” or the exact opposite of how she views her existence, pre-TaeSeong. She cherishes her new life and wants to sever ties with Seulgi and his cohorts.

3. Winter 2011 at the gukbapjip

The prologue at a gukbapjip (or soup and rice restaurant) moved the goalpost. Previously, we were given the impression that BoNa met TaeSeong for first time on June 27, 2018, or on the night of Korea won against Germany in soccer. Their first meeting actually happened much earlier.

By happenstance, she encountered TaeSeong and his buddy DongJin (DJ) in Winter 2011, or sometime between January to March of 2011.

Notes on the timeline: the killer of DJ’s parents had been eluding the police since 2007. He would be caught, tried and convicted, then sentenced to prison sometime later in 2011. (Would it be too much of a coincidence if BoNa and/or her group had something to do with his arrest?) Also, remember The Poisoner? BoNa eliminated The Poisoner’s father on Christmas Eve, 2011. The year 2011 must have been a busy one for BoNa.

Anyway, to continue…

BoNa was eavesdropping as the guys strategized on how to capture the killer of DJ’s parents.

TS: You talked me into being a report, and now you’re betraying me. The more I think about it, the more pissed off I get.
DJ: Hey, if we’re all digging, who’s going to catch the fish? You just keep on digging, and I’ll catch the fish. You do your job, and I’ll do mine. Bang, bang!
TS: Oh, please! Don’t get beaten to a pulp by some criminal later.

Three things:

a. The division of labor they agreed upon simple. They planned a two-prong attack. TaeSeong took care of investigating the crime; DJ was in charge of apprehending the criminal.

b. If I were BoNa listening to DJ’s “Bang. Bang!” I would’ve had trouble suppressing a snicker. DJ sounded so confident that he could calmly shoot a man. It’s the nature of youth to assume that what they desire is easy to attain without shedding sweat, blood or tears.

c. Flashforward 15 years: DJ couldn’t kill the killer; BoNa did. BoNa was the anonymous Plan B mover, and executioner.

The other noteworthy point about this encounter at the soup restaurant is BoNa actually HEARD DongJin’s unfiltered opinion on Kingfisher. She had just completed her 9th “client meeting” the previous week and the news was reporting on it and Kingfisher’s growing fanclub.

DJ: (scoffing) A fan club? Have they all lost their darn minds? Why are they cheering for that lunatic?
TS: Maybe they get some catharsis from it. He picks out the worst criminals and kills them.
DJ: Catharsis, my foot. Hey, isn’t killing a murderer still murder? Even if he only kills criminals for now, who’s to say he won’t kill an innocent person someday?

Let’s pause for two points:

a. As this isn’t law school, let’s go over through this quickly so we’re at least on the same page.

We all know that it’s unlawful to kill a person, irrespective of his crime/noncrime, guilt/innocence. “Thou shalt not kill” and all that.

Homicide is the umbrella term, and neutral term, to mean killing a human being. The word doesn’t impute guilt or imply judgment on the event. When DJ used the word “murder” however, he was indicating his stance that killing was unlawful because by definition, murder is the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought.

Now, since homicide (i.e., killing a human being) is a neutral term, the act may be considered legal or justifiable in these circumstances:

self-defense and/or defense of others from immediate threat of death,
lawful execution, and
combat.

Based on the comprehensive dossiers that BoNa and her whole Team 3 of Durumi Electronics are regularly getting, AND the existence of other chapters with their own local clienteles, AND the generous retirement benefits of her ex-team leader, I’m getting the sense that their covert operation is actually government sanctioned. (At least, that’s how I think the screenwriter will play this out to avoid turning BoNa into a murderer.)

b. DJ used the slippery slope argument to oppose Kingfisher.

While he expressed a valid concern, he’s been proven wrong. As of 2026, Kingfisher has yet to slip up and eliminate an innocent person. DJ falsely assumed that Kingfisher was working without protocol and/or ignoring built-in safeguards. (I thought the screenwriter took deliberate care to depict Kingfisher “meeting” with “clients” who are in the act of committing another crime.)

TS: If, by chance, I mean, seriously, what if just hypothetically, Kingfisher killed that punk…
DJ: That punk? Who? Do you really think I’d feel happy or thankful?
TS: I mean, he’d be taking revenge for you, or something like that.
DJ: Darn it. Yah! If another murderer kills my parents’ murderer, is that revenge? If anyone’s going to take revenge, it should be me. What right does Kingfisher have?

Hmmm…is he saying that revenge killing is acceptable? That killing his parents’ murderer would be justified if he was the one to kill because he was the victim? No, absolutely not.

DJ: (calming down) Yah! My revenge is to catch him and put him in prison for the rest of his life. To me, they’re both the same murdering punk. Once I catch that punk, I’ll catch Kingfisher next. No matter what. Just wait and see.
TS: Alright.

Next thing they knew, DongJin’s chair got bumped forcefully from behind, and he almost choked on his rice soup. BoNa rose from her seat, and apologized.

BN: Oh, my, I’m so sorry. (talking to the owner) Ma’am, one plate of boiled pork, please. (talking to DongJin) To cover for the dry cleaning. Keep your strength up, future detective.

She settled her bill and walked out.

Three things:

a. I thought it was funny that she quietly listened to their whole conversation the whole time. She knew that TaeSeong wanted DJ to order the more expensive boiled pork. And she knew that DJ had yet to take and pass his police exams.

b. DJ’s outburst about taking revenge indicates an inner conflict, a very human one. Speaking from emotions, he desires vengeance like anybody else. But speaking objectively, from the police perspective, he knows he’s bound to act in accordance with laws, rules, regulations, his moral code, etc.

c. TaeSeong was grinning as BoNa left the gukbapjip. I don’t think he remembers her, but I wonder if subconsciously, he recognizes her.

2. When the rubber meets the road

DJ’s mad determination to catch Kingfisher boils down to cognitive dissonance.

After Kingfisher shot the murderer, he had to own up to wanting the murderer killed himself. For years, he maintained that he only wanted to do what was legal, but at the critical moment, he found himself wanting to shoot the murderer himself, to take the law into his own hands.

He couldn’t tolerate this internal inconsistency because he prides himself in being black-or-white person.

I thought the showdown on the street spotlighted his inner turmoil. You can see it, visually and symbolically. He was on the same street – or at same level – as the murderer.

Remember what he said at the gukbapjip in 2011? “Isn’t killing a murderer still murder?” But as he was chasing the murderer through the empty streets, he lost his ground. He was someone who always insisted on taking the “high road,” i.e., the moral, lawful, and ethical course of action. But at this critical point, he was on par, or on equal footing, with the murderer.

In the heat of the moment, he wanted to pull the trigger and kill his parents’ killer. He couldn’t wait for justice from the courts; he wanted payback for his loss and anguish.

Here’s his admission to TaeSeong.

TS: Lee DongJin, Lee DongJin. Pull yourself together. You have to stay conscious.
DJ: TaeSeong, that punk Jang EunHak, is dead. That punk…is dead. TaeSeong. What do I do? I’m…I’m so glad that…Jang EunHak is dead. And I’m ashamed of myself for feeling that way.

There you go: his cognitive dissonance. He wanted to kill the murderer. Though he wasn’t the one to put the bullet through him, he was jubilant that he was dead.

TS: DongJin, it’s alright. DongJin, it’s alright. It’s alright.
DJ: (confessing) I was the person in the world who wanted Jang EunHak dead the most. Every single day, without fail, I wanted to kill him. Even after twenty years, whenever I think about that day… (sobbing) I imagined shooting him over and over again. I imagined a hole blown through his head, his entire body torn to shreds, writhing in agony, then falling into hell. I wanted desperately to see it with my own eyes.

He didn’t want to admit to these feelings of revenge, wrath, and murder because to do so would contradict his avowed belief in law and order. He pretended that he was above the fray, and it distressed him to admit that he was struggling with these dark emotions all along.

TS: I know, DongJin. I know. But first, let’s go to the hospital. Please. DongJin. DongJin. You need to go to the hospital first.
DJ: I have to catch the Kingfisher.

To me, this is transference; he was redirecting his feelings from the punk to Kingfisher. He couldn’t catch the punk, so he was setting his sights on Kingfisher instead.

TS: He killed that punk! Kingfisher killed that punk. For twenty years, you pictured it over and over again, but couldn’t do it. Kingfisher did. You saw it, right? That punk was trying to kill someone again.
DJ: That’s right. I couldn’t do it. Even when Jang EunHak was running right in front of me, with the back of his head right there in front of me, I still couldn’t kill him. Do you know why? You asked me before? What if he didn’t change? But I already had my answer. If he commits a crime, I’ll catch him and throw him in. If he gets out and commits another crime, I’ll catch him and throw him in again. I’ll keep catching him and locking him up. That’s my way, and it’s the right thing to do.

Ugh…no.

Does he see himself as a modern day Sisiphus who was condemned to endlessly roll up the boulder a steep hill when it kept rolling back down? What’s the point of catching and jailing the punk ad nauseum? Who benefits from this fruitless endeavor? Doesn’t he have any pity for the victims this punk will amass? Doesn’t he have other criminals to catch? Where’s the progress here? What happened to rehabilitation in the prison? What’s the economic cost on taxpayers if he and the punk are both just on replay? Is the kind of society he envisions for the future?

In theory, DJ’s uncompromising way sounds like he’s upholding something ideal and noble. But in practicum, it’s absurd.

TS: No, in reality, those punks never get judged. DongJin, the law isn’t perfect. And you know that, right?
DJ: Oh, yeah? Then do whatever you want. I don’t care whether the law is perfect or not. To me, they’re just the same punks who killed people. And catching punks like that is my job. I’ll do my job, so you do yours. Write a story, cover a case, whatever. You’re a reporter, right?

Ooooh. So dismissive.

Later in this episode, it dawns on TaeSeong that if the law isn’t perfect, then it’s about time to reform the law. If imperfect policies allowed people like Jang EunHak to be released from incarceration without apparent notification to the victims or reentry (or reintegration to society) support services or even anger management/behavior therapy , then it’s time to study how to improve the penal system and “prison culture.”

That’s why he tells his assistant to do research.

TS: (texting) Let’s focus on the parole system for our next piece. Let’s look into possible loopholes in Jang EunHak’s parole review process and focus on preventing measures so this kind of thing doesn’t happen again. Based on your research, prepare a draft article.

His assistant aptly sums up the project as the homework Kingfisher left for them.

And I like this mindset of focusing on what’s possible to change in the current system, instead of DJ’s stubborn, misguided stance.

1. And the most pressing question on my mind: when will he begin to suspect that Bona is involved in this? We’re down to 4 episodes. 😂