Confession of Murder

Detective Choi Hyeong-goo relentlessly tracks the serial killer who has claimed ten victims since 1986. After a brutal confrontation, Choi is left battered and scarred as the killer escapes. He fires a final shot that grazes the killer in the shoulder, but the man disappears into the night.

By 2005 the clock is ticking toward the murder statute. Choi, now an alcoholic haunted by his failure, receives a desperate call from Jung Hyun-sik, a family member affected by the case. Hyun-sik then leaps to his death from a passing vehicle, leaving Choi and the case even more unsettled as the years pass.

Two years after Hyun-sik's death, a man calling himself Lee Doo-seok publishes the sensational memoir I Am the Murderer, claiming responsibility for the ten murders. The book becomes a bestseller and Lee makes public visits to the victims' families to beg forgiveness. Choi publicly dismisses him as a fraud.

As media attention swells, Han Ji-soo and the victims' families hatch a dangerous plan to confront Lee. They release snakes into Lee's hotel pool and stage a fake medical convoy to abduct him, slipping him away to a motel while an unconscious Lee is spirited from sight. Choi pursues and rescues, but warns Lee to stay quiet.

A televised debate about the case draws massive attention, with a chilling caller named J taunting Lee and revealing intimate details about Choi. The public spectacle intensifies scrutiny of both men and the unresolved murders. The pieces of the puzzle start to shift as old assumptions are questioned.

Choi and investigators discover a videotape of Soo-yeon tied up and killed, raising the stakes and casting doubt on who the real killer might be. The evidence intensifies the pressure on Lee and the public to find answers. The case becomes a national obsession as more details emerge.

Choi publicly acknowledges that the truth remains murky and that the killer's identity is not settled. Lee insists he is innocent and did not write the book, escalating the public debate. A second debate draws thousands of protesters and sympathetic fans, with Han Ji-soo ready to strike with venom.

In a dramatic turn, it is revealed that Jung Hyun-sik did not die and that he had collaborated with Choi to lure out the true killer. Hyun-sik had faked his death and assumed a new identity through plastic surgery, using the public-facing persona to trap the real killer. The revelation shifts the investigation's focus and exposes deep deception.

A videotape surfaces showing Soo-yeon’s death on the very date the statute would expire, taunting Choi and J about the window closing. The clock ticks as the pursuit escalates toward a final confrontation. The public becomes convinced the killer might still be at large.

Choi chases J through tense city streets in a race against time, but J escapes for the moment. In a climactic clash, Choi stabs J with the pen, aiming to avert further murders and secure some measure of justice. The killer's true identity has been exposed, but the statute limit remains the ultimate pressure.

In 2012, Choi is released from prison amid media scrutiny and relief from the victims’ families. The investigation leads to an extension of the statute to 25 years, reshaping how justice is pursued in this haunting thriller. The case leaves a lasting impact on the families and on public perception of accountability.