Summary
Episode 14 emphasises what the series does best; when the stakes are high, the drama is full flow and on edge. As we draw nearer the end, the moving parts are starting to come together.
This recap of K-drama Netflix series Stranger season 2, episode 14 (Secret Forest) contains spoilers.
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The opening
Yeo-jin continues to look in the room behind the garage that Kim Hu-jeong was in. Si-mok continues to chase the suspect. Flashbacks show how Kim Hu-jeong’s bullies returned and forced a road trip on him; after he drowned them in the water, he went home to dry himself and then returned to the beach and called the police. In the present, Si-mok and Yeo-jin capture Kim Hu-jeong and ask him where Dong-jae is.
Episode 14 is a full on interrogation — Yeo-jin and Si-mok put their anger for good use.
Interview room
The pair then put Kim Hu-jeong in an interview room and ask him a range of questions. Yeo-jin asks if Dong-jae is alive and when he doesn’t answer, Yeo-jin gets frustrated. Yeo-jin and Si-mok go through Kim Hu-jeong’s acquaintances to try and get information. The father of Kim Hu-jeong comes over and is angry that they’ve arrested his son.
This is a typical parent being defensive and viewing their son as a saint.
You have rights
The father makes out that Kim Hu-jeong bonded with his bullies and middle school was ages ago. The subject of Dong-jae comes up and the father accuses Yeo-jin and Si-mok of trying to close the case — but it is obvious Dong-jae suspected that Kim Hu-jeong had committed a crime which led to recent events. Yeo-jin raises the blood in the house and Kim Hu-jeong says he hit a dog that died after with his car. Si-mok wants to separate the suspect from the father. In private, the father tells Kim Hu-jeong that he has rights in this situation — he promises that his arrest warrant will be denied.
I found this to be naive from the father; it reeks of desperation, especially when his son seems culpable.
Get a warrant!
The police and Si-mok have an address and a lead after bringing in Kim Hu-jeong. Si-mok starts hitting a clothing bin near the address and finds a bag that smells bad with a whiff of bleach. They need a warrant so the police look to Si-mok.
This shows how difficult the authoritative conversation is between police and prosecution.
Si-mok interviews Kim Hu-jeong and they talk about bullying. He tries sympathizing with him, listing his achievements, and raises how his father is proud. He asks what changed. Flashbacks show the bullying continued to harass him which turned into a random drive to the beach. That’s when Kim Hu-jeong planned to get his revenge. In the present day, Si-mok asks him how it felt taking it into his own hands. Si-mok then presses him about Dong-jae. He then raises the clothes they found which was his in the neighbourhood that he bleached.
Arresting the suspect
Si-mok rarely gets angry, but he does here and slams his fist on the table when he isn’t getting answers. Yeo-jin brings Kim Hu-jeong outside and calls Hu-jeong an attention seeker; she then cuffs him and tells the father it will be an obstruction of justice if he continues to intervene. Si-mok shows the father the photos of the clothes as they drive off.
It’s effective when Si-mok gets angry because he’s so routinely calm normally — it makes for compelling drama.
Where’s the body?
On the drive, Kim Hu-jeong seems a bit more open about what happened. He then talks about throwing Dong-jae’s body in the mountains — he left him unconscious and bleeding for a long time and when he touched him again, he was dead — or at least he thought so at the time.
Search party
Yeo-jin asks where the body is but Kim Hu-jeong isn’t sure as it was dark at the time. They drive near the location to see if he can remember. The father follows and asks his son why he didn’t tell him. A search team is sent out. The press gets wind of the investigation and gather near the search party.
The search party find a body. Dong-jae is alive but he’s unconscious and in hypothermic shock. The police head to Jeon Gi-hyeok’s place and ask if they can speak to him. Detective Jang checks out Kim Hu-jeong’s confession and realises he didn’t send the bloody tie.
There’s plenty of moving parts regarding this investigation which is starting to come full circle as we head into the final two chapters.
The ending
The police ask Jeon Gi-hyeok about the police watch and if he purchased the necktie himself — the floor and table where the photo was taken were in his house. Jeon Gi-hyeok points out that loads of houses have the same flooring. Si-mok walks in and wants to ask questions; he asks him if he remembers him. He tells him he received a strange phone call and asks him if he has connections with the prosecution because he wants to know if he will be harmed if he digs into this. Si-mok asks which office he has a connection with. Jeon Gi-hyeok denies having any connection. Si-mok threatens to come after him if he is hurt.
Suddenly, Jeon Gi-hyeok is interested in the “strange phonecall” which piques Si-mok’s interest.
Stranger season 2, episode 14 emphasises what the series does best; when the stakes are high, the drama is full flow and on edge. As we draw nearer the end, the moving parts are starting to come together.
