Juniper
From the first episode of “Flower of Evil”, the new Korean drama starring Lee Joon-Gi and Moon Chae-Won in lead roles, I was hooked. I started watching yesterday and have just completed episode 2 today. Lee Joon-Gi is Baek Hee Jung whose real identity is Do Hyun Soo. On the surface, he plays devoted and loving husband to Moon Chae-Won’s character, Cha Ji Won who is a detective. Good at solving cases, you will wonder how she never suspects her husband of anything which means Baek Hee Jung, a metal craftsman has done such a good job at hiding his past. They have a little daughter and Baek is just as loving to the daughter as to his wife.
Baek, wife and daughter attend his birthday dinner with his parents who look more like they are attending a funeral as they wear dour expressions throughout the dinner and are just as cold to their granddaughter. They are aware of their son’s wrongdoings and we’re not talking about white-collar crime here. Baek is a serial killer and a pretty skilled one at that. He has married Cha Ji Won as a cover. I guess it’s keeping your enemies closer. Of course, his wife is completely in love with Baek and has zero inkling about his past.
I think that Lee Joon-Gi is such an incredible actor, I have liked his acting since “My Girl” which was over a decade ago. In this drama, he puts on a gamut of expressions ranging from love, caring, happy to pure evil. Reporter Kim Moo Jin who has written about Do Hyun Soo drops by Baek’s workshop one day not knowing that Bae is actually Do Hyun Soo. By the time he sees his face, it’s too late and there is no escape. Baek is such a cool character that he invites Kim to sit down for tea and have a chat before attacking him and imprisoning him in the workshop basement.
Meanwhile, Detective Cha Ji Won is busy solving cases. It’s an interesting drama because it isn’t just about Baek, it’s also about other crimes committed by all sorts of people & how Detective Cha goes about uncovering the culprits but little does she know (yet) that the most wanted man is right next to her. It’s chilling to see Lee Joon-Gi’s expression when he is about to strike at his victims but in a flash, he can go back to putting on the caring father and husband face.
Can’t wait for more episodes as it is very engrossing and I am sure it will be even more compelling when Detective Cha learns of her husband’s past. How will she handle the revelation? In my opinion, this is Lee Joon-Gi’s best role yet, he just gets better and better.
