ENA 'Honour' shocked living rooms with an unprecedented three-stage ending, hinting from the death of Seo Hyun-woo to the revelation that the daughter of Lee Na-young, thought to be dead, is Jeon Soyoung, and that Yeonwoojin is the real mastermind. Episode 9, broadcast on the 2nd, recorded nationwide ratings of 4.3% and 4.2% in the Seoul metropolitan area, both up from the previous episode. (Provided by Nielsen Korea, based on paid households)
ENA Monday-Tuesday drama 'Honour' (directed by Park Geon-ho, written by Park Ga-yeon, planned by KT Studio Genie, produced by How Pictures, hereafter "Honour") in episode 9 secured testimony from victims of the "Connect-in" who had come forward to the world through the three L&J (Listen & Join) lawyers—Yoon Ra-young (Lee Na-young), Kang Shin-jae (Jung Eun-Chae), and Hwang Hyun-jin (Lee Chung-ah)—and made a full effort to identify users. In that process, it was revealed that another victim they had been protecting, Han Min-seo (Jeon Soyoung), was the "green hood" attacker. However, she had already disappeared after leaving behind the deceased reporter Lee Jun-hyuk's laptop with a note that read "It's a gift." Although she attacked Yoon Ra-young and Hwang Hyun-jin, her dual actions—on the one hand attacking them, and on the other leaving decisive clues that brought down the secret prostitution organization—made her identity even more mysterious.
Afterward, L&J hacker Ahn Dong-je (Kim Moon-gi) succeeded in breaking the strong encryption on the core files stored on the laptop. The revealed files were the user list of "Connect-in," a cartel of top-tier "predators" across the legal, political, media and business sectors who could shield each other in exchange for dirty desires. L&J held an emergency press conference and, through victim testimony confirming sexual exploitation crimes, disclosed the real names of some users, warning that they would file criminal charges and saying, "We will fight to the end so that not a single person can escape." Cornered, the cartel tried to deflect public opinion by exposing a top idol's drug scandal, but L&J escalated its counterattack by additionally suing the idol's agency CEO as a "Connect-in" user, turning the scandal to their advantage.
Meanwhile, Seong Tae-im (Kim Mi-sook), head of Haeil, suspicious of Baek Tae-ju (Yeonwoo), CEO of IT company "The Prime," who had apparently shot himself in the foot and joined hands with his daughter Kang Shin-jae, conducted an intensive background investigation into him. The probe revealed that the overseas Korean student hacker who first leaked the sexual bribery list related to rookie actress Seo Ji-yoon's tragic death 20 years ago was Baek Tae-ju. At the time, Haeil siphoned the list out of the prosecution to protect top clients, which allowed it to prosper for the past 20 years. Kwon Jung-hyun (Lee Hae-yeong), whose name was exposed and who was now in danger, pressed Seong Tae-im to manage the situation by emphasizing that those from 20 years ago were still clients.
As a result of Seong Tae-im's actions, a joint police-prosecution investigation task force was formed, and its blade turned toward L&J. They burst into the office with search warrants on charges of illegal evidence collection and judicial obstruction and swept up materials. Realizing at once that it was a setup orchestrated by her mother, Kang Shin-jae erupted in anger, but Seong Tae-im remained impassive and said firmly, "I'm just doing what I've always done for Haeil and its clients." Then she warned to be careful of Baek Tae-ju, saying, "I've put you and me both on the palm of my hand."
Meanwhile, prosecutor Park Jae-yeol (a person surnamed Park) was made to take the fall by the organization and stood at the photo line to surrender for all the crimes. At that moment, videos of the sexual exploitation scenes involving "Connect-in" users were released on social media. The videos, which exposed the victims' faces intact, instantly turned the scene into chaos. It was then revealed that the person who exposed these videos was Han Min-seo, building toward a shocking ending. Moreover, L&J lured Park Jae-yeol, who was panicked after being accused as the leaker, to the safe house where they had sheltered the victims.
Trying to stop Park Jae-yeol, who went on a rampage and fired a handgun, Kang Shin-jae and Hwang Hyun-jin were brutally beaten as they had been 20 years ago. As he was about to pull the trigger on them, Yoon Ra-young struck his head with an iron pipe, and Park Jae-yeol died on the spot. Han Min-seo filmed the entire incident on her phone and sent Yoon Ra-young a message that read, "Thank you, mom. For killing my father." Around his neck was the necklace Yoon Ra-young had left at her daughter's gravesite.
The finale of the shocking ending was decorated by Baek Tae-ju. With a voice saying, "The safest way to dispose of a bomb whose usefulness is over is to pull the pin out completely," he, too, was watching on his phone as Park Jae-yeol was taken out like an insect that had bitten a trap, unaware that the terrarium-installed trap was a snare. Baek Tae-ju, who had left a meaningful remark to Seong Tae-im—"I like poetic justice"—left viewers exploding with curiosity as to whether the sex trafficking scandal that would shake the nation, beginning with the sexual bribery list from 20 years ago, was a scheme he had designed as "poetic justice" or a hint of the true mastermind's identity.
Episode 10 of ENA's Monday-Tuesday drama 'Honour' will air tonight (3rd) at 10 p.m. on ENA and will be released on KT Jini TV and Coupang Play.
[Photo] ENA 'Honour' broadcast screen capture
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