I Remember You episode 15 recap

Side dish: Dinner with two serial killers, one of whom is your brother, seems like a stressful affair. Did you know dark chocolate can combat stress? Make this dark chocolate pie from Oh She Glows next time you have dinner with serial killers. Better yet, skip dinner and run for the hills.

Episode Recap

Police detective, Cha Ji Ahn (Jang Na Ra) is caught sneaking around the house of medical examiner, Lee Joon Ho (Choi Won Young), by coldblooded attorney (and Hyun’s long lost brother, Min), Jung Sun Ho (Park Bo Gum). Meanwhile, genius criminal profiler Lee Hyun (Seo In Guk) tries to distract Joon Ho from returning home by finally confronting him with what they all know to be true: That Joon Ho is actually serial killer, Lee Joon Young.

To prove his identity, Joon Ho takes Hyun’s hand and presses it to his neck where, just as he had done at their first meeting, he shows Hyun that he has no pulse on his left side. In voiceover, Hyun says that this moment is the entire purpose of his trip to Korea. As they face off, Joon Ho smiles, since he already knows this to be true.

In Joon Ho’s house, Ji Ahn throws out the excuse that she’s simply waiting for Joon Ho to come home and tries to leave. Sun Ho smiles, and informs her that Joon Ho will find out exactly where she was and what she took. He wonders why Ji Ahn doesn’t seem to have any fear for her life.

Meanwhile, Joon Ho asks Hyun why he was looking for him. Hyun was intending to ask Joon Ho why his own father thought he was a monster, but since he already has the answer to that questions, instead he asks why Joon Ho murdered his father and kidnapped his younger brother, turning Min into a monster. Joon Ho is surprised to find that Hyun blames him for what happened, but thinks back to the words of Sun Ho and his only childhood ally, Park Joo Ah, who told him that he creates problems when he tries to help.

Hyun can’t be grateful for Joon Ho’s intervention, but Joon Ho tells him straight, that Min was a monster like himself, and that Hyun couldn’t have handled him alone. Hyun is adamant that Min would have grown up to be normal with him, but Joon Ho is doubtful.

Adding fuel to the fire of this discussion, Sun Ho (aka Min) demands that Ji Ahn give him back what she took from Joon Ho’s room, stating that he’s only being nice about it as a favour to his brother. Ji Ahn turns it around, and asks him to help her and Hyun catch Joon Ho. As Sun Ho pauses, looking thoughtful, Joon Ho informs Hyun that he’s stalled enough and that it’s time for him to go home. Hyun grabs his arm, but Joon Ho is done cooperating. He’s disappointed that Hyun didn’t understand what he was trying to do, but he controls his anger and removes Hyun’s hand. As he walks away, Hyun calls Ji Ahn.

Back at the house, Ji Ahn shows her ringing phone to Sun Ho, claiming that Hyun is waiting for her, but he has no visible reaction. When she tries to go, Sun Ho grabs her by the wrist, but rather than stop her, he smilingly directs her to the other exit. His smile fades as she leaves the house.

Outside, Ji Ahn runs into Hyun, who berates her for being reckless. She shows him her haul, three pictures of children, and tells him about the other photos of children in the album. She wonders if Joon Ho had killed these children, but Hyun refutes this idea. When she discovers that Joon Ho was killing parents who abused their children, she pauses, but rallies again, stating that even if they were bad people, Joon Ho was still committing murder. Hyun is more concerned with the fact that Joon Ho would know what she had done, but Ji Ahn had no time to think better course of action. She tells him that she was caught, in the end, by Sun Ho.

Back at the house, Joon Ho is upset that Ji Ahn took a picture of a specific kid. Sun Ho seems unconcerned, as he tells Joon Ho that the picture doesn’t constitute proof. Instead, he’s more concerned with his newfound knowledge that Hyun never abandoned him. Unruffled, Joon Ho explains that he took Min, because he thought he’d get in Hyun’s way, but also because Min had ended up in his getaway car, and one glance had told him that Min was the same as him.

Bitchy to the last, Joon Ho asks Sun Ho if Hyun is really happy to be reunited with Sun Ho. Given the things he’s done, would a happy ending really be possible for the two brothers? Sun Ho has no response to this question. Instead, he tells Joon Ho that no matter what, it won’t be possible for him and Joon Ho to have a relationship. The two men go on sipping their tea.

Thinking about his father framing Ji Ahn’s father, investigative team leader, Kang Eun Hyeok (Lee Chun Hee) drinks himself to tears, then calls for veteran cop, Son Myeong Woo (Min Sung Wook) to keep him company. Myeong Woo has no idea what’s wrong, but tries to comfort Eun Hyeok anyway. In the end, he gets stuck with Eun Hyeok, since the team leader has run away from home.

Hyun comes home to find Sun Ho asleep, and thinks back to Ji Ahn’s last words, that Sun Ho seemed closer to Joon Ho than she thought, and that she had been afraid that he would hurt her. Hyun thinks back to Joon Ho asking him if he can handle Sun Ho. Hyun answers that he can, and that he’ll change him little by little. Tears in his eyes, Hyun caresses Sun Ho’s head, then leaves the room. Sun Ho, of course, is awake and opens his eyes.

The next morning, the two brothers are in fine form with Hyun nagging Sun Ho to take care of himself as he goes to work. Sun Ho makes a token protest, but looks happy as Hyun fusses over him, then drives him to work.

Meanwhile, at the police station, Ji Ahn’s perky morning greetings are met with silence from the team. When she asks, cheerful rookie, Min Seung Joo (Kim Jae Young) tells her that the results came back for the skeleton they found, confirming that it is her father, and that he was murdered by Joon Young. Ji Ahn looks at the bright side of this news, that this confirms that her father wasn’t Joon Young’s accomplice.

The mood is further dampened when Eun Hyeok takes her aside and confesses her father’s part in destroying her father’s reputation and her life. Knowing that he won’t get her forgiveness, he offers to either quit, or to try to take responsibility for his father’s actions.

Having realized that Joon Young’s influence is so far-reaching, Ji Ahn is worried that she’ll have to suspect everybody from now on. Hyun points out that she suspected him until just recently, too, and Ji Ahn vows not to randomly suspect her own team members. Spotting the two of them sitting together, Myeong Woo wonders if they are dating, but Ji Ahn tells him not to recklessly suspect people either.

Back in the squad room, Ji Ahn puts up the pictures she stole from Joon Ho’s house, and explains that the children in them might be witnesses who can identify Joon Young. Geeky cop, Choi Eun Bok (Son Seung Won) looks at the photos nervously, but says nothing.

Hyun goes to pick up Sun Ho from the courthouse, where Sun Ho has just secured a verdict of not guilty for his client, Seung Min Hyeuk. Sun Ho calls out to a man who walks past them, Professor Kang, who looks at the three men, and promptly walks away. Sun Ho calmly identifies Professor Kang as the victim’s uncle, and that he views Sun Ho as an enemy.

Back at the squad room, Hyun asks Myeong Woo for his login and password to see the case file. Myeong Woo initially refuses, but Hyun easily figures it out, then reads over Min Hyeuk’s case file. Min Hyeuk was accused of murdering his girlfriend, Lee Moon Joo, who was found strangled and sexually assaulted. Going through the crime scene photos, Hyun spots a necklace on the victim’s neck that matches a ring worn by Professor Kang.

That evening, Hyun comes home to find Joon Ho cooking up a storm in his kitchen. Annoyed, Hyun turns to Sun Ho for an explanation, but gets nothing, but a shrug in return. The three of them end up having dinner, where Hyun mentions his theory that the perpetrator of the murder was likely Professor Kang, and that Min Hyeuk was unfairly accused. Both Joon Ho and Sun Ho come to the conclusion that the angry Min Hyeuk is likely already taking his revenge on Professor Kang. Neither Joon Ho nor Sun Ho seem prepared to do anything about a possible murder in progress so Hyun calls Myeong Woo to tip him off. Myeong Woo and Seung Joo arrive at Professor Kang’s address just in time to find a blood-spattered Min Hyeuk walking out of the house.

Hyun gets the news that Joon Ho and Sun Ho were right, and goes back to the dinner table, where the two men are calmly eating. He asks them if they spent a lot of time talking about things like this in the past 20 years, and when Sun Ho confirms it, Hyun walks out of the room. Sun Ho looks taken aback as Joon Ho points out that Hyun must be angry.

In the backyard, Joon Ho comes to Hyun, and hands him his father’s notebook. Hyun can’t muster up any gratitude for the man who stole both his brother and the notebook. Instead, Hyun goes inside and remembers his father’s suspicions about himself, that he was a monster. Hyun has begun to understand what his father was going through, but resolves to take a different approach with Sun Ho, to confront him head on rather than avoid the subject.

Back at the police station, Seung Joo and Myeong Woo come in to find Ji Ahn still working. They’ve just come back from putting Min Hyeuk in a cell, and wonder if Hyun has psychic powers to have sent them there. Ji Ahn scoffs at this, as all three of them notice that Eun Hyeok has been missing all day. Surprised, Ji Ahn goes in search of him, and finds him in the viewing room. He’s been hiding from her, since he doesn’t have his thoughts in order. Instead of worrying about it, Ji Ahn asks Eun Hyeok to help her catch Lee Joon Young. Eun Hyeok readily agrees, but Ji Ahn isn’t done; she tells him that Joon Ho is Joon Young. Eun Hyeok thinks back to the dinner at Hyun’s house (in episode 14), where he asked about Joon Young and Joon Ho denied any knowledge.

Hyun notices a missing page in his father’s notebook. On the following page Hyun’s father wonders if what happened that day was an accident or whether Hyun knew what he was doing. Before he can remember what this note means, Hyun is interrupted by his ringing phone.

It’s Ji Ahn calling, and it turns out she’s dropped by on her way home. Ji Ahn has heard from Myeong Woo about the murder he called in, and asks if it has any connection to Sun Ho. Hyun denies it, and instead suggests they go for a walk. As they walk, Hyun takes her hand and it’s a nice mood, despite the fact that the next topic of conversation is Ji Ahn’s revelation to Eun Hyeok that Joon Ho is Joon Young. The two of them reluctantly laugh at the memory of the dinner at Hyun’s house.

Back at the house, Sun Ho thinks back to Joon Ho’s words as to whether it was a good idea for the two brothers to be reunited. When Hyun comes home, Sun Ho is lost in his thoughts, but remembers that Hyun got a package and hands it over. It turns out to be more of Sun Ho’s message cards, and the two of them sit together to open them. Hyun still can’t remember what the cards mean, but as flashes of memory start to come back to him, Sun Ho promises Hyun that he won’t kill anyone anymore, if Hyun tells him not to. Sun Ho asks if a happy ending will be possible then, and Hyun can’t help, but look down at the cards that are the records of Sun Ho’s murders, wondering how. When Sun Ho concludes that it won’t be possible, Hyun insists that they’ll find a way.

While looking at the photo album with the pictures of the children he’s saved, Joon Ho thinks back to an earlier call from Eun Bok, who is concerned about what the children will say about Joon Ho, if they’re found. Joon Ho seems confident that nothing will come out, but Ji Ahn, who is looking at the photos she took, believes that at least one of them will resent Joon Ho for taking away their family.

The next day, as Hyun drives Sun Ho to the court house, Hyun gets a call from his art dealer friend, Bong Song. Bong Song has the file he was looking for, on Eun Bok, but is waiting for him at the police station. After they hang up, Sun Ho tells Hyun that he can drive himself from now on, but Hyun tells him that since he’s only a consultant, he doesn’t have to keep regular hours. When he adds that the fee is crappy, too, Sun Ho laughs and promises to work hard to feed him.

Back at the police station, Bong Song comes up to the office, to hand off the file to Myeong Woo. When Eun Bok shows up as well, Bong Song can’t help, but react, thus tipping Eun Bok off to the contents of the file. When no one is looking, he steals the envelope and takes it to the washroom, where he locks himself in a stall to look at it. When he finds out that it’s a file about himself, Eun Bok is shocked, but not as shocked as when he drops the childhood photo of himself on the ground, and someone outside the stall picks it up.

It turns out to be Seung Joo, who remembers the same photo being one of the ones that Ji Ahn brought in. He knocks on the door to hand it back, but Eun Bok doesn’t respond. Eventually, a troubled Seung Joo drops the photo and walks away. Later, when Eun Bok leaves the washroom, Seung Joo peers from around a corner after him, looking troubled again.

Back in the squad room, Eun Bok walks in to an argument between Hyun and Myeong Woo about the missing file. Eun Bok pretends that the file had landed on his own desk and hands it over to Hyun, as a grumbling Myeong Woo apologizes, and Hyun regards Eun Bok with suspicion.

Seung Joo takes Ji Ahn aside to ask if Ji Soo’s murder was tied to Joon Young’s fingerprints, and not a simple robbery. When she confirms it, he tells her about the task the late planning manager gave him, to find files on Hyun and Joon Ho. Seung Joo also remembers telling Eun Bok about it, but doesn’t pass along that information on to Ji Ahn. Instead, he leaves, as Ji Ahn demands to know what he was about to say.

Later, Hyun goes to the stairwell to look at the file by himself, and takes out the papers on Eun Bok. Meanwhile, Seung Joo takes Eun Bok up to the roof, to ask him if he was the culprit. When Eun Bok pretends he doesn’t know what Seung Joo is talking about and walks away, Seung Joo pulls his gun on him.

Back in the squad room, Hyun asks where Eun Bok is. Eun Hyeok tells him that Eun Bok is on the roof with Seung Joo, just as Ji Ahn arrives. She tells them that Seung Joo was acting weird earlier, and Hyun finally tells them that he believes Eun Bok to be Ji Soo’s murderer, and Joon Young’s accomplice. Myeong Woo, Eun Hyeok, and Ji Ahn go racing up to the roof.

In the meantime, Eun Bok has disarmed Seung Joo, and the two men struggle on the rooftop. When the rest of the team arrive, followed shortly by Hyun, they pull the two men apart, but in the process, kick Seung Joo’s gun in Hyun’s direction. As he picks it up, Hyun starts having flashbacks to himself as a child holding a gun and pointing it. When the barrage of images and memories gets to be too much, Hyun faints as Ji Ahn tries to hold him up.

Comments

Just for clarity’s sake, since both the show and myself have gone back and forth with the names: Sun Ho is Min, and Joon Ho is Joon Young.

With that out of the way, this may be the longest recap I’ve ever written, given that we didn’t have a ton of forward movement this episode. Even with the confrontation at the beginning where Hyun finally spoke openly to Joon Ho, it’s like all the fighters went back to their corners again, and started a new round. I guess whatever revelation is waiting in Hyun’s memory is going to be what propels this show to the end.

In the meantime, this episode seemed more to be about whether Hyun was ever going to come to the realization that he couldn’t save Sun Ho. Don’t get me wrong, Sun Ho’s sad face is pretty heart-breaking. But, unless we are going to get a last-minute revelation that Sun Ho wasn’t a serial killer after all, I’m forced to agree with Joon Ho, that he did save Hyun from the burden of bringing up his psychopathic younger brother. On the one hand, Sun Ho does seem willing to change for Hyun. On the other hand, it’s hard to ignore the fact that he’s already killed nine people.

Speaking of multiple murderers, let’s talk about Joon Ho. I’m not sure why, but he kind of seems like a jealous kid causing trouble in this episode. He tells Hyun that he can’t handle Sun Ho, then tells Sun Ho that Hyun doesn’t really want him around. I can’t really see how the two brothers are going to be able to be together, unless Hyun kills someone and they go to jail together, but watching Joon Ho try to cause trouble so that he can stay between the two of them seems sort of desperate.

Since it’s almost the final episode, let’s end off with something nice. We all wanted our lead couple to have some skinship, and they finally held hands. There wasn’t a ton of chemistry in that scene, but it was nice watching the two of them get some comfort from each others’ presence. Aw.

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I Remember You / Hello Monster (너를 기억해)

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