The ending of most serial killer shows is about exposing whodunit, but that’s not really how A Killer Paradox works. We already know who the serial killer is – it’s Lee Tang, the show’s protagonist, and we’ve spent the entirety of Season 1 watching him become that very thing. Episode 8, then, is about whether or not he gets away with it, and whether we’ll be getting a second season.
Roughly following the plot of the same-titled Naver webtoon, A Killer Paradox unfurls mostly as a cat-and-mouse game between Tang and detective Nan-gam, who is pursuing him. Fold in Tang’s sidekick Roh Bin – get it? – and another killer named Song Chon and we have a nice little ensemble for the finale.
A Killer Paradox Season 1 Ending Explained
At the top of the finale, Roh Bin and Tang are on the cusp of escaping the police and South Korea altogether, but Roh Bin’s sense of responsibility in stopping Song, and Tang’s desire to protect Roh Bin, keeps them local for the time being. Nan-gam is out for revenge, and it’s going to be a bloodbath, so Roh Bin proposes they team up – like a certain dynamic duo maybe? – to put a permanent stop to his exploits.
How does Roh Bin die?
Roh Bin and Nan-gam, while disagreeing about whether Tang is validated in his killings because everyone he offed ostensibly deserved it, manage to work together to track Song down to an abandoned factory. Song is rather unbothered by the whole affair, smug about having killed Nan-gam’s father and eager to kill Tang, though not especially worried about anyone else.
Song livens up when Tang arrives and a shootout erupts. Tang remains unscathed, but Nan-gam takes a wild shot at Song which hits its target but causes Song to fire at Roh Bin, killing him.
Tang is devastated by Roh Bin’s fate and furious with Song, not to mention the obvious similarities between them. Nan-gam, of course, remains determined to put Song to bed, but he has some more stuff to reveal before that.
Why did Song paralyze Nan-gam’s father?
Song regales Nan-gam with a tale of his dear old deceased dad, who it turns out was kind of awful. He was abusive to Nan-gam and also to Song himself when they were both cops, stymying his career and preventing him from achieving his dream of working in the Violent Crimes Unit.
Why would he do such a thing? Well, he was really just a scumbag. Song’s father was a murderer, which didn’t help. But either way, Jang Snr was awful and had caused the death of a canteen lady who he had used to try and smuggle drugs out of the country. When she was caught with a gift box full of narcotics – given to her by an oblivious Song, making him complicit – she was convicted of drug peddling and killed herself. Jang Snr didn’t care.
When confronted, Jang Snr started laying into Song, and Song lashed out in return, paralyzing him (and echoing Tang’s own journey into becoming a serial killer by smacking that guy with a hammer in the premiere.)
What happens to Song?
Nan-gam doesn’t like this story, understandably, and shoots Song dead.
Already on the path of extrajudicial killings, Nan-gam turns his weapon on Tang, but the chamber is empty. Nan-gam writes this off as Tang’s “dumb luck”, which we have seen exhibited throughout the season in all of his endeavors. Whether it’s a fly crawling across a CCTV camera or a dog slurping up all the evidence of his presence, things just seem to work out for Tang.
We see these flashbacks after a funeral for Jang’s father and an investigation into Nan-gam’s involvement. Roh Bin’s body was burned up in an electrical fire – more of that dumb luck? – that erupted in the factory, but the police think he was working alongside Song to commit all the murders, which protects Tang.
How does A Killer Paradox Season 1 end?
The first season of A Killer Paradox ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. While Tang was able to safely escape to the Philippines, it turns out he needn’t have bothered, since no physical evidence exists against him. His criminal record is completely clean, and he can return to Korea legally.
And so he returns. Pretty soon after, Nan-gam hears about a man being murdered who just so happened to be a killer himself. Tang is on the prowl, and it doesn’t look like his luck is about to run out any time soon.
What did you think of A Killer Paradox Season 1 Episode 8 and the ending? Let us know in the comments.
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