Dark Figure of Crime

Kim, a widowed narcotics officer, meets Kang while they talk in a restaurant, and Kang is arrested by the homicide division for killing his girlfriend. Kang confesses to the murder and is placed behind bars. This encounter triggers Kim’s pursuit of the truth and the larger mystery behind Kang’s crimes.

A few months later, Kang contacts Kim from prison claiming he has murdered six other people. He refuses to talk to detectives whom he accuses of fabricating evidence. Kim agrees to uncover real evidence in exchange for information about the other victims.

Using Kang’s information, Kim uncovers evidence showing the homicide detectives fabricated the case to imprison Kang. The detectives are charged as a result, and Kang’s sentence is reduced in exchange for further information on the other victims. Kim’s success fuels a broader investigation.

Kim investigates the disappearance of Oh Ji Hee, a former swimmer forced to work at a village nightclub to support her grandmother. Kang claims he killed her one night after driving her away from the city. Yet locals warn Kim that Kang cannot be trusted.

Kang locates part of Oh Ji Hee’s remains, but when Kim interrogates him, Kang lies about coercion or bribery. DNA results show the remains are not Oh’s, making it difficult to indict Kang on that count.

Kim visits his mentor Song, who advises him to drop the case because Kang seems to be crafting an innocent persona to overturn his current sentence. Kim also learns from Kang’s older sister that Kang killed their father when he was a boy, hinting at a dangerous pattern. These revelations complicate Kim’s resolve.

The sister’s revelation underscores Kang’s history, but Kim cannot bring the father murder to court because the statute of limitations has ended. This legal barrier leaves many of Kang’s past actions unprosecuted and weighs on Kim’s drive to pursue the truth.

With a new partner, Jo, Kim reopens the case file on Hwang and links the murder to Kang. The trial proceeds but relies on circumstantial evidence, and Kang is not convicted. The setback strains Kim’s standing and foreshadows more obstacles.

Kim’s career suffers after the unsuccessful trial, leading to a demotion, and Jo is transferred to the narcotics division. The failures highlight the toll of the case on the investigators and the fragility of the pursuit for justice.

While clearing his desk, Kim notices an IUD birth-control implant in a crime-scene photo, triggering a search for all women who had IUDs around the time of the murders. He discovers Park Mi Yong, Kang’s girlfriend at the time, has gone missing.

Park had moved to the city with her young son and had tried to break up with Kang, which precipitated his killing. Kim tracks Park’s son and brings him to testify against Kang.

With the son’s testimony and accumulated evidence, Kang is finally sentenced to life imprisonment. The verdict seals the case and brings some closure to Kim’s tireless investigation.