Summary
Episode 13 moves to the murder investigation, and in true Hyowon style, the family makes the investigation as frustrating as possible; we are in for an exciting last run of chapters.
This recap of the Netflix k-drama series Mine season 1, episode 13 contains significant spoilers.
Read the recap of the previous episode.
The K-Drama series has found the opportune moment to move the series aggressively to the murder investigation. A small part of me felt the writers would keep dragging this out until the finale, but Mine has gotten everything right so far.
Episode 13 begins with a funeral gathering — Ha-joon is absolutely distraught. It then flits to Mother Emma running to the police station in the rain — she tells the police that it was a murder, and she saw the blood. And then, the episode moves to 7 days after the murder — Mother Emma tells the investigator that Hi-soo is the murderer — she warns him that all the family members will lie. Hi-soo tells the investigators that she cannot remember anything from that night — Seo-hyun claims Hi-soo is suffering amnesia due to the trauma suffered from that night; she states Ji-yong fell after a heart attack, but the investigator notes that Mother Emma has a different story. The investigator wants to know who was the other person that was there that night. The other family members also deflect.
Episode 13 demonstrates that the investigator has a job on his hands.
11 days before the murder
Episode 13 then moves to 11 days before the murder; Ji-yong has ordered an assassin to kill Kwak Su-chang, the man who is upset about his brother being in a coma — the same assassin shares an elevator with Lee Hye-jin. For a fleeting moment, it looked like she was going to be killed as well. When Lee Hye-jin gets in her car, the man tries grabbing her, but she manages to lock the door and drive off. She rings Hi-soo and tells her that she thinks Ji-yong has hired someone.
10 days before the murder
You can sense the fear in episode 13 — certain family members do not want Ji-yong to rise to the top; the consequences would be unimaginable.
Jin-ho gets a call from the police station, telling him that Kwak Su-chang was found dead, and he was the last person in touch with him. So they ask him to go to the police station. He tells the investigator that he’s sure that Ji-yong is involved in this and that his brother runs a fighting ring — he wants him to be arrested. Seo-hyun and Hi-soo hear the news about the murder, and they also share the same suspicions — Hi-soo tells Seo-hyun that she’s bringing in Lee Hye-jin, so she’s safe.
So Lee Hye-jin arrives, and Ji-yong is not happy at all — he gets in his car, but Lee Hye-jin stands in front of it, so he cannot move. She asks him if he killed Kwak Su-chang, and he admits it and even reveals he tried to get her killed. Lee Hye-jin warns him that he will end up killed. And then, in a shocking moment, Ji-yong asks Lee Hye-jin to kill Hi-soo so she can raise Hi-soo. Meanwhile, Seo-hyun raises a board meeting and asks members for their help to save Hyowon Group — she asks for their trust so she can run the company.
5 days before the murder
Hi-soo tells Lee Hye-jin that she’s counting on her. Ji-yong learns that Kwak Su-chang’s brother has come out of a coma, and then someone unexpected knocks on his office door. Seo-hyun meets for a drink with Jin-ho, and they both agree Ji-yong must be taken down. This family is beyond peace until Ji-yong is gone. And then, Seo-hyun decides to “come out,” and he tells Jin-ho that she’s a lesbian, and she apologizes — she offers a divorce but wants Ji-yong out of the picture first. Jin-ho has many questions, but he’s happy that she’s told him — he’s completely understanding. Seo-hyun then raises that Ji-yong knows as well — Jin-ho explains that sexual identity has nothing to do with competence, and he says he will support her. He also states they don’t need to embarrass, and Seo-hyun is relieved and happy. This is a fine moment in k-drama history — there needs to be more supporting scenes for the LGTBQ+ community in this industry.
Hi-soo tells Ji-yong to hand himself in, but he doesn’t feel he has to. She pities him that he’s turned into a monster, and she gives him one more chance, but Ji-yong isn’t interested in entertaining anything. The conversation turns to Ha-joon, and they argue over their son. Hi-soo reveals Ha-joon is going to Boston before he learns what’s going to be said in the media and that if he doesn’t turn himself in, she will disclose everything publically. She then reveals that Kwak Su-chang’s brother is awake, and he will testify by her side.
4 days before the murder
At the dinner table, Hi-soo tells Mother that she’s filing a divorce and warns that the police will question Ji-yong as a murder suspect. She reveals the plans for Hye-jin to take Ha-joon to another country to protect him. Jin-ho then tells the table that he’s giving his shares to Seo-hyun and tells the rest of them that they should help too — he then states that Ji-yong is not the biological son of Father, and Mother is shocked and goes into her usually rant ways.
It feels that with each dinner, this family grows more dysfunctional.
Kidnapping Ha-joon // video evidence of Kwak Su-chang’s murder
When Lee Hye-jin picks up Ha-joon from school, the kid is dragged away from Ji-yong’s men — she rings Seo-hyun and asks her for help — Ha-joon is reunited with Lee Hye-jin, and there’s plenty of emotions; she explains to him that they are off to the United States. Hi-soo is then shown a video by Kwak Su-chang’s brother where Kwak Su-chang says that Ji-yong is the one that arranged for him to be killed. He asks Hi-soo to kill Ji-yong for him.
The ending of Mine episode 13
With tensions increasing, Hi-soo asks for Mother Emma to come over. Lee Hye-jin confronts Ji-yong about what he did to Ha-joon — she makes it clear that he may never see his son again. It then flits back to the murder investigation — Mother Emma asks Seong-tae to ring an ambulance, but he looks phased and asks the nun not to follow him inside. The investigator asks Jin-ho if he thinks the housekeeper Seong-tae could murder; however, as he isn’t a suspect, and he’s in Monaco, they can’t get to him.
Near the end of episode 13, Ha-joon is upset that his mother, Hi-soo, doesn’t recognize him, but she said she would try to — it’s difficult to tell if she’s making it up or not. The investigator approaches her, and she reiterates that her memories from the day of the incident are still missing. Hi-soo asks the investigator to determine if her husband was murdered or if he had a cardiac arrest.
As the episode ends, the police have a search and seizure warrant, so the lead investigator enters one of the homes and looks at the crime scene.
Episode 13 moves to the murder investigation, and in true Hyowon style, the family makes the investigation as frustrating as possible; we are in for an exciting last run of chapters.
Additional points
- Ji-yong fires Mr. Choi.
- Seo-hyun tells Father that Ji-yong is evil enough for murder and that they must be careful of his damaging ways.
- Ji-yong hires a woman as the Chairman’s caregiver, but Seo-hyun isn’t having any of it and asks the woman to leave the house.
