I am intrigued and confused by episode twelve of "The K2", but I call that an improvement after a boring time lately. A major attack against Yoo-jin is launched by brother dearest, Je-ha gets a major Cloud Nine promotion and Yoo-jin opens up about Hye-rin's death. It is this last part which confuses me, but at this point I will take anything I can get in terms of forward movement.
Before addressing "What" elephant in the room, let us talk about Seong-won (Lee Jeong-jin). His character is worthy as an antagonistic force due to his sly nature. What makes his current use a problem, however is how Ahn-na (Yoona) has been dumbed down in order to fall for his tricks. Rather than explaining this to her, Je-ha (Ji Chang-wook) keeps giving her vague warnings, which just perpetuates the deceit and stretches it beyond reason.
On the other hand, Je-ha is not a babysitter and he is caught between several rocks and hard places. He cannot trust anyone and his allegiance is not dependent on money or politics. He sees good in Yoo-jin (Song Yoon-ah), but he loves Ahn-na. He wants revenge, but he also wants to spare Ahn-na from such a life. Seung-won is the first hope Ahn-na has had for freedom, so perhaps Je-ha does not want to speak without certainty over the man's motives.
I can guess and understand his confusion and conflicts, but I do wish they were fleshed out more. Be it in his romance of alliances, the writing is not letting us in on his thoughts and feelings. This becomes clear when Yoo-Jin makes her big revelation about not being murderous to him, because she is. She has tried to kill Je-ha and Ahn-na. Je-ha has been present in both situations, so where does his faith in her really come from?
Which brings me to Yoo-jin. On one hand, she has been teased as Hye-rin's (Son Tae-yeong)killer too much, which is usually a sign of a twist. I can consider her admittance of guilt to Se-joon (Jo Seong-ha) as a lie, but we have seen ample proof that she orders killings. I am not sure if the writer believes we have forgotten this or if Yoo-jin and Je-ha are not being honest with each other.
Whatever the case, this statement by Yoo-jin makes things interesting again and so does her bigger and this time certainty real statement in front of the press. I still wish we knew what Je-ha thinks and feels about things, but I will not look a gift horse in the mouth for now. As long as Ahn-na and Yoo-jin's past is addressed, this series can save a little face.
"The K2" is directed by Kwak Jeong-hwan, written by Jang Hyeok-rin and features Ji Chang-wook, Song Yoon-ah, Yoona and Jo Seong-ha.
Source:HanCinema
