#or dongsik and sangyeob

[vindicated-truth]

Beyond Evil enjoyers would know exactly who would say which part of the message 😆

[hikarisbeam]

[vindicated-truth]

The most shattering evil can actually be borne from love—too much of it.

When you love someone too much, you choose that person over everyone else—to the detriment and suffering of everyone else.

Jihoon protected Jeongje because he’s his friend. Jihwa protected Jihoon because he’s her brother. Do Haewon protected Jeongje because he’s her son. Jeongje and Jihwa protected Dongsik because he’s their friend. Dongsik protected Jeongje because he’s his friend. Dongsik protected Lee Sangyeob because he’s his partner. Nam Sangbae protected Dongsik because he’s his surrogate son. Cho Gilgu protected Lee Kangja because she’s his wife.

They all had reasons to keep secrets, all with supposedly good intentions, but in the process of protecting the person they love, they also prolonged everyone else’s suffering precisely because they kept denying the truth.

The truth that could’ve set everyone free if only they owned up to it at the very beginning.

It’s why Joowon, as the outsider, is the one anomaly that came to Manyang: because he was the one person who had no loved one to protect—and no one to love him in return—he had nothing to lose in uncovering the truth.

Until he met Dongsik.

And even at the end of it, despite how he finally learned how to genuinely care for someone else (and be cared for in return), his strict moral compass dictated that he do what is right—even when it broke his heart.

Joowon is the anomaly in Manyang in that he was the one person who did not let love get in the way of truth and justice.

And in doing the right thing, in adhering to the truth, despite all the sacrifices he had to make to reveal that truth—he finally set ALL of them free.

And it shook him to his core, finally understanding love, and understanding that the consequence of finally learning to love someone is knowing you’re going to have to hurt them if you’re going to do what’s right.

so sexy of beyond evil to present us with a creepy spooky serial killer and then turn around and say that's not it. real monsters aren't hiding in the shadows. they're among big important cops, local politicians, sleazy businessmen. they're your co worker, your boss, your father, your mother, your ex. they're boring, bland and unimaginative. they ruin lives and get away with it because they can, because it suits them and because others let them. the system lets them. they don't plan it, they don't look back. you're an afterthought to them. evil is obvious. evil is stupid. you want it to be clever but it's not. you want this clear split between light and shadow but there isn't one. monsters are everywhere. they don't have to hide when no one's looking

[moonjvwon]

So anyway when Joowon tells Dongsik "the gun...give it to me." he emphasized on the gun the same way Lee Sangyeob did when he told Dongsik "That bastard...has a gun" when he was dying. Additionally, specifically Sangyeob's emphasis on "the gun" is recalled in a short flashback by Dongsik when Joowon was holding him at gunpoint.

Added to the list of Sangyeob/Joowon parallels as well as joowon holding dongsik/kihwan at gunpoint parallels

[forgive-and-take]

Finally ordered and received the BE script books. I'll look closely later, but from a quick skim:

Both Juwon and Dongsik were born at 7 am. Considering this book has fake forensic reports and phone records, I'd bet money their natal charts were part of the decision.

Juwon's blood type is AB (generally considered the "worst" personality type) and Dongsik's is O (generally considered the "best").

Juwon was exempt from military duty due to graduating from police university.

Sangyeob was also a police uni grad and the same age as Juwon, which Dongsik noticed.

Dongsik left RIU because he was saying shit like, "I killed them all," feeling guilty for Sangyeob's death.

Juwon grew up w nannies - mom was very unwell after giving birth and convalesced in Hawaii.

[noona96n]

Beyond Evil characters as the major arcana

Han Juwon | 0 - The Fool 

He’s literally a dumbass, like boi accused my man Dongsik of multiple murders T^T 

But on a more serious note, in upright position, The Fool can mean beginning, innocence, free-spiritedness, idealism, adventure. All the good and beautiful things in life that are experienced by a ‘newborn’ / a fledging is symbolized by The Fool. And is Juwon not all of that?? Did Beyond Evil not started by Juwon starting a sting operation? Is it not his adventure? Is he not living by an idealistic set of morals and principles that he tries his very best to uphold even in the worst of times? He basically begged to be arrested for his sting operation and forcing a victim and mtfckn setup the scene for the arrest of his own father. He is the embodiment of The Fool. 

In reverse, The Fool represents recklessness, inconsideration, dumbassery. It can also mean to be taken advantage of, to be naive and gullible and foolish. And, uh, Juwon. Just- recklessly starting the sting operation, accusing Dongsik and barging into his basement and pointing a gun to his head and jabbing his chest, naively thinking that the world is black and white only to have the rug pulled from under him. 

The major arcana is considered as The Fool’s journey in life… so The Fool can either be placed at the beginning (= starting a journey) or the end after The World (21) (= an adventure just came to an end, time to go on another one). I actually wanted to do a Beyond Evil-Major Arcana thing bcs i feel like the drama is a study in Juwon’s character development (or hero’s journey tbh… the phases Juwon went thru throughout the drama isn’t dissimilar from the hero’s journey way of storytelling). And that the character(s) I think fits The World is the ending of Juwon’s foolishness and naivety, the one who completes his story and ends the Beyond Evil story. 

Lee Dongsik | 1 - The Magician 

Dongsik walks a fine line between policeman and criminal w/ the way he moved Minjungie’s fingers and took her and Lee Geumhwa’s phones… with the way he tried to incarcerate himself, with the way he’s more than willing to break the law to achieve justice. And that’s what The Magician is… an inbetween of magic and mortal, of heaven and earth.

He’s willful, smart and resourceful, and so, so good at his job. But he’s also full of trickery and deception, more than willing to manipulate the police, the evidence, the circumstances for his own gain. Juwon fell into his trap many times. 

Also, in The Fool’s journey, The Magician is the first being that The Fools encounter… whatever tool The Fool chooses from The Magician’s table (pentacle, sword, coin, wand) will help him through his time and maybe even indicates what kind of adventure he’s going on… So, if The Fool is the adventure, then The Magician is the one leading us down the road.

Even though I place him as The Magician, I think Dongsik can be represented by A LOT of other tarots… as himself or in relation to Juwon. I think he could also be: 

2 The High Priestess = Dongsik is smart and intuitive and he knows everything, he holds the answer to everything Juwon wants to know. But he’s sneaky and secretive and confusing… he held all the cards but messed w/ Juwon constantly, he hid who he really is, hid his intention. His actions didn’t always align w/ his true intention and he continuously sowed doubts into everyone’s minds. 

7 The Chariot = the way Dongsik has continues to live on in spite of all the tremendous loses and unfairness pitted against him… the way he’s determined to catch Kang Jinmook in the act even if it means breaking the law, the way he’s so focused on bringing justice to Yuyeon and putting her to rest. But also, the way he just… got lost and gave up on life after what happened to Sangyeob. And also, Dongsik was the one turning Juwon’s life upside down… he was the person who made Juwon lose control and question everything. 

8 The Strength = i think Dongsik is the reason why Juwon becomes compassionate and confident in his ethics and profession. By wanting to save Dongsik from further hurt, Juwon also mustered the courage and bravery to stand up to his father and take him down. I’m not saying Juwon’s moral won’t hold up on his own, I’m saying Dongsik gave him that inner strength to arrest his father because he had wronged Dongsik so terribly. He gave him conviction. Dongsik was also the person who shook Juwon’s foundation and made Juwon doubt everything. 

12 The Hanged Man = Dongsik’s literally the definition of The Hanged Man with his enormous capacity of love and compassion and kindness and the alarming lack of self-preservation. 

20 Judgment = Dongsik was literally the reason why Juwon went to Manyang… so yeah, quite obvious there. But in a more emotional context, I like to think that Dongsik was the reckoning in Juwon’s life… the rebirth, the only forgiveness that mattered, the promise of a new beginning. But I also think that he might’ve instilled some degree of self-loathing into Juwon as well, esp if Juwon had the time to sit down and reflect on his past actions toward Dongsik. 

21 The World = there’s always an emptiness within him bcs of what happened to his family and how his twin was never given closure, how he wasn’t given closure. But, at the end of it all, he managed to give himself closure… to his sister and family and all of Kang Jinmook’s victims as well. He closed the cycle. He can move on with life now, he can be at peace now. He’s also the culmination of Juwon’s hero’s journey and the closure to a dark and tumultuous period of Juwon’s life. The one who soothed Juwon’s doubt and instilled a sense of clarity into him and sent him on another adventure: repent by helping the lost ones and their families. He is The World just as much as Yuyeon is. 

Dongsik is The World to Juwon.

Dongsik is the only person I couldn’t place in one single tarot. (Can u tell how much of a simp I am for him? I love him and his poetic suffering so much.) 

JWDS

6 The Lovers = this card is about unity and harmony, about balances and choices. But, in reverse, it means bad decisions, disharmony, chaos. Well, I don’t really need to explain, do I? 

10 The Wheel of Fortune = Dongsik is literally the turning point in Juwon’s life… and vice versa. Resisting each other is impossible. 

13 Death = the end of a cycle, transition, metamorphosis… Dongsik is able to move into a new, more beautiful chapter of his life because of Juwon and Juwon extracting himself from under Han Gihwan’s heels and becoming someone who’s softer and kinder and more considerate because of Dongsik. Juwon also went through an internal transformation because of Dongsik. 

Do Haewon | 3 - The Empress 

She’s a mother who’s suffocating her child… she loves Jeongje so much she’s willing to ruin his life if it means she can keep him ‘safe’... she’s just so- idk 

I think she sees Jeongje as an extension of herself but not in the way Han Gihwan sees Juwon as a self-extension to gain glory for himself, I think Do Haewon sees Jeongje as a literal part of herself. Not sth to use but sth to love and protect like oneself. 

Kang Jinmook | 4 - The Emperor 

This is the card of fatherhood but also the card of tyranny. Kang Jinmook was a literal serial killer… he was obsessed w/ Hyemi, obsessed w/ killing her. And he’s so controlling of Minjung too. 

Kwon Hyuk | 5 - The Hierophant 

He’s Juwon’s tutor. No, seriously, he’s Juwon’s tutor, educator, the one who gave Juwon the info he needed and that’s what The Hierophant is. Also, he’s the middleman who’s been keeping the peace in the Han household for ages. He is The Hierophant. 

Also also, my man conformed, conformed, conformed… until he didn’t anymore… until he thought for himself and rebelled which yas. And it’s literally so funny that in career context, a reversed Hierophant means peer pressure and bureaucratic suffocation and Hyuk was literally choking on the pressure Han Gihwan put on him. 

Oh Jihwa and Nam Sangbae | 11 - Justice 

It’s a no-brainer for Jihwa tbh… she’s a straight-laced police officer who's all about fairness and accountability and consequences and integrity and JUSTICE. She has never wavered in her fight for justice. She’s so admirable and I am in awe of her. 

The chief… Well, he made mistakes in the past but they were honest mistakes… he owned up to it and apologized and tried to amend things by taking care of Dongsik in his own ways. He caused an injustice and he continued to pay retributions… he tried to right his wrongs until his moment of death. 

Han Gihwan | 15 - The Devil 

Mtfck is so obsessed w/ power and so goddamn controling 

The fact that he has zero compassion for anyone, not even his own son… he only gives a fck about himself

Park Jeongje and Lee Changjin | 16 - The Tower 

My least favorite card in the major arcana… sorry? I just think it’s the most evil card ever… it has the most unsettling illustration in every deck… a tower splitting and catching fire while thunder and lightning kick up a fuss everywhere. It’s just so… chaotic and so insecure and disastrous and traumatic. In reverse, it literally means averting a disaster but only in the sense of delaying the inevitable.

I fckn hate this card and I’m sorry to Jeongje but he is The Tower thru and thru. 

Lee Changjin is The Tower bcs he's the mtfck who's a part of the whole clusterfck… helped cover up for Han Gihwan only to have him thrown jail later. And he just gives me anxiety in general, so… 

Yoo Jaeyi | 17 - The Star

She is The Star to Minjungie's moon and Jihoonie's Sun… the youthful inspiration for Minjungie and Jihoonie.

She's the twinkling hope in the sky that kept on believing in her mom and searching for her… even thru hopelessness and despondent, she still managed to kept her spirit up and let go of despair. 

Even when she thought Kang Jinmook was going to kill her she still kept a somewhat positive outlook and believed that Dongsik would avenge her. 

She's had loses but she also endured. She had suffered so beautifully. She's The Star to me. 

Kang Minjung | 18 - The Moon 

I’m not saying that Minjungie’s life is a lie but I associate her life with lies… but mb that’s bcs I think of her in conjunction w/ Kang Jinmook… i mean, she wasn’t his child and we were literally introduced to Minjungie thru lies… she went out partying instead of studying like she was supposed to. 

Anyway, it's Minjungie who lifted the veil of deception off of Kang Jinmook… like, she’s the revealer of truth… anddd she was the first to fully embrace the fact that she wasn’t Kang Jinmook’s child… she was no longer going to live in this farce 

Also, her fear… her being buried alive... the way her breathing can be heard when Dongsik wrecked that yard looking for her 

also, i think like she's really full of love and emotions, mischievous, child-like emotions, and i associate those w/ The Moon

Oh Jihoon | 19 - The Sun 

His smile, his softness, his kindness, his compassion. He's not the glaring summer Sun but the soft one in spring that glows rather than burns. 

He’s just so full of joy and spirit, ya know? Such a sweet character, so easy to love. 

But also, he can scourge the earth and burn everything in his path with his recklessness and anger as well.

Lee Yuyeon  | 21 - The World 

Yuyeon has always been The World to me… to Dongsik… and to Juwon too, in a sense. 

She was the reason why Dongsik has been living half a life but she was also the reason why Dongsik was able to move on. The truth of her death also closed a chapter of Juwon and Jeongje’s life. 

She holds all the cards. She's the full circle. She’s the beginning and the end. 

PS. im an amateur tarot enthusiast, i went w/ vibes and my own interpretations more than anything else

wholehearted thanks to frog-san for encouraging this nonsense ✩

[vindicated-truth]

Question re: Nam Sangbae’s murder—

I never really noticed this detail before, because when the scene pans to his already dead body, it was already on the ground—

But then I always assumed that because Changjin was heading to the sea, that he was going to dispose of Sangbae’s body there—

And when I went back and watched the reveal of Changjin as Sangbae’s murderer, I realized he was walking away from the sea without Sangbae’s body, which means it’s already presumed that he already threw Sangbae’s body to the sea—

And I realize��that’s what Joowon came upon as soon as he arrived there? Sangbae’s body out at sea?

And I realized that’s why he was soaking wet? Because it wasn’t raining?

But because—he jumped into the sea to desperately try and recover Sangbae’s body?

And that’s how Dongsik found him—hunched over and shivering from the cold and crying over the body he failed to save in time—just by a hair’s breadth?

And I realize—this is again a horrifying, heartbreaking mirroring and parallelism between Dongsik and Joowon, because this, what Joowon experienced in failing to save Sangbae in time, is exactly what Dongsik experienced with Lee Sangyeob?

And both Sangbae and Sangyeob made the reckless decision to go after the perpetrator on their own—at the cost of their own life?

That flashback to Lee Sangyeob makes all the more sense now. Narratively, the same thing was happening all over again—this time, with Joowon.

My god.

[pepi-nillo]

lee sangyeob really left a big impact on dongsik. first of all, watching the scene where ds finds minjeong's fingers in the basement is such an experience, ds getting more trauma stacked on top of his already existent and untreated trauma, the debate of what to do, his hands getting tied by the country's law and finally deciding to "make the indisputable evidence" pointing to jinmook... oh dear, what a perfect performance from shin hakyun

while the thing that hold him back from calling the police on kjm was his own words about the risk of the culprit going free without a corpse, what gave him the push to tamper with the scene were sangyeob's words of making the evidence to catch the killer. that was amazingly portrayed

is this why he asked sangyeob in his head how far was jw willing to go in that one scene? the way sangyeob and then dongsik did?

[vindicated-truth]

There are two things that speak so loudly about both Dongsik’s and Joowon’s characters.

The first is that for Dongsik, this is what he’s learned from Nam Sangbae.

When Dongsik was at the lowest point of his life and career after Lee Sangyeob’s death, and he was drowning himself in guilt, it was Sangbae who pulled him out of that spiraling grief, and told him in no uncertain terms that if he wants to atone, then he should live.

Live, and spend the rest of his life as a cop, to seek justice for those who deserve it the most.

This is Dongsik passing on that wisdom to Joowon. Because he knows what Sangbae’s words did for him.

It saved him. It gave him a purpose. A reason to live, a reason to keep on fighting.

That’s what he’s hoping he can do for Joowon now.

And secondly, as for Joowon—this absolutism in his moral compass is who he is at his core, through and through.

In many ways, he’s the personification of what the law SHOULD be. That no crime goes unpunished, regardless of who the person is.

Even if it was someone he loves.

And it’s this moral absolutism that speaks so much about why it shakes him that he doesn’t get punished, because his moral compass is so rigid and unrelenting that he subjects even HIMSELF to it.

And that’s where his dilemma comes in. If his moral compass dictates that even he himself should be punished, then it is only logical that the same should be applied to Dongsik.

The logic is sound. The heart is telling him otherwise.

Hence his struggle to put on the handcuffs on Dongsik, because he KNOWS it’s the right thing to do—but he doesn’t want to.

Love wars with logic, this time.

I think—that’s what I loved the most about this show.

It was logical. Even the way it ended—it made sense. It was fair. It was right.

But even as it showed a logical ending, it showed the heart of it too. The struggle of doing the right thing, because we’re human, and sometimes our decisions are not always based on logic.

We try our best though. We try our best to balance logic and reason with the wants and needs of the heart.

And I think this scene, and the hopeful open-ended finale of Beyond Evil, captures that balance so beautifully.

do you guys ever think about this scene

[fractalkiss]

if a pushing daises au for beyond evil existed it'd be a dark comedy. two ways this could go -> 1) with dongsik having the ability to bring the dead back to life temporarily through touch and this is how he solves some (read: some not all) murder cases, provided there is a body still intact for the victims to tell him very specific circumstances and details of their death. OR -> 2) if staying true to pushing daisies' romance storyline involving dead childhood sweethearts, park jeongje brings yuyeon back to life but can never touch her again otherwise she goes to back to being dead again so he keeps her alive this way. like if we're following the relationship premise of pushing daisies then park jeongje would have the gift and he'd revive yuyeon and it'd be their secret while kang jinmook gets caught earlier thanks to yuyeon testifying as witness. jeongje keeps her alive for x number of years - yuyeon helps out jeongje, dongsik, and jihwa on their murder investigations in the force as their go-to attorney. but that also means jeongje would never be able to touch her (if their relationship hasn't soured yet) if he wants her to stay alive. yes it would still be a dark comedy.

meanwhile if dongsik has the ability then ofc juwon has heard of the stories about him floating throughout the police divisions, and is Obsessed, but absolutely won't admit it to dongsik when he gets stationed in manyang. he is twisted and stupid enough to suspect dongsik of using his reviving ability as bait ie. how insane would it be if there was another victim dongsik had touched and is just keeping alive enough to draw kang jinmook out. juwon gets suspicious of manyang's residents possibly having been killed and then literally unalived again by dongsik for the sake of catching the actual killer. which lol okay? and dongsik just scoffs and laughs and has to give him credit for it because it's a stupid idea but impressive like "inspector han you might be just as much of a lunatic as i am" and they squabble and argue about morals etc etc which juwon loses every time. he will still be shaking and crying :) juwon CANNOT just stop thinking about what he would do and what he absolutely would not do with that kind of gift/curse if he had it. he'd be terrified. he hates it, he doesn't understand it or dongsik but uh he also desperately needs his help.

anyway, kang jinmook gets convicted and sentenced since dongsik manages to catch him in time to touch minjeong's body for her to say who killed her, but kjm still kills himself. nam sangbae gets killed, body nowhere to be found, dongsik and juwon go through loops tearing munju and half of gyeonggi province to find his body - they do find it, and have lee changjin arrested but nowhere half as close to finding out who ran over yuyeon. because dongsik's reviving touch is limited to time and the condition of the body, you can't make a skeleton talk etc - which is what fucks him up even more since he's always known that. ironic because he has this power called the "gift of life" and has been using it to solve murder cases in the RIU, helping murder victims say one last goodbye sometimes to their bereaved families, gain dongsik a kind of respect that's also fear, and yet it still doesn't grant him immunity either from getting framed for the deaths 20 years ago. plus it earns him a kind of an undertaker reputation instead as well to the ppl who have heard of the stories?? it's a personal slippery slope to work on, one that broke the straw on his back once sangyeob died because that was never something he could have ever prevented either. this is what he tells juwon when juwon says he'd bring lee geumhwa back if it was possible just to ask about the circumstances of her family abroad so they might be able to come to korea and give her a proper burial. because this "gift" doesn't change the fact that when life gets taken away, it's permanent.

[vindicated-truth]

Beyond Evil Trivia: Lee Dongsik never killed Song Jiho

I’m glad this was clarified, because even though it was somehow “accepted fact” in the fandom that Song Jiho—the murderer of Lee Sangyeob—was killed by Dongsik, in the show this was actually never explicitly confirmed, even though it was in the initial script.

In the final iteration of the story—and with what I imagine was writer Kim Sujin’s careful consideration of the real victims and families she interviewed—Song Jiho’s fate was left completely vague because they didn’t want to promote the agenda of personal revenge or advocate the pursuit of vengeance.

From a character standpoint, this also makes the most sense to me because I don't think Dongsik would be the kind of person to actually kill someone, no matter his deep-seated hatred, just because he is at his core a good person, whom (as his surrogate family in Manyang always say) had to endure a lot of suffering.

He has never, in my opinion, seemed to me the kind of person who would give up his morals in pursuit of his own vindictive vengeance. Because if he was, then he should've already went down that path 21 years ago, when he was not only wrongly accused, but physically beaten into submission by actual police officers—Nam Sangbae included.

Granted, it's a different, immediate trauma to actually witness someone you care for die in front of you with what happened with Lee Sangyeob (with every other person he loved whom he lost, he only experienced it after the fact: his sister, his parents, Minjeong, Sangbae).

But as we've seen with how he acted in finding Minjeong's fingers and finally piecing all the clues together and realizing that the serial killer is in fact his pseudo-brother he trusted for 20 years, he had never succumbed to personal vengeance. He isn't as clear-minded as Joowon in taking steps to act, but he isn't as prone to letting his emotions free reign either. His actions with Kang Minjeong's fingers showed that clearly: he still set out with a plan of his own.

In the actual storytelling of Beyond Evil as well, I had never once thought that Dongsik killed Song Jiho for several logical reasons:

1) When it was revealed that he was demoted from the RIU, the reason that was repeatedly given was that he could not explain the death of his partner, Lee Sangyeob. That was the only reason. If he had killed Song Jiho, or at least when Song Jiho had been found dead at the scene, that would've been one of the major reasons why he was demoted. Therefore, Song Jiho did not die.

2) At the very least, Song Jiho was rescued at the last minute. When you watch Episode 7, you can already hear the sirens of the ambulance wailing while Dongsik was already beating up Song Jiho, so the paramedics would've already arrived at the scene shortly after. Lee Sangyeob had already died prior so they couldn't save him, but the paramedics would've arrived just in time to save Song Jiho.

3) The whole point of Dongsik’s character is that he’s someone who still bravely powered through life despite being wrongly accused as a murderer. He’s not going to turn around and suddenly prove the accusations right.

If for nothing else, he’s stubborn enough to fight the system precisely by proving them all wrong. He was stubborn enough to keep his silence in protecting Lee Sangyeob’s dignity even after his death, and he paid the price in being demoted. He’s fighting the system precisely by continuously defying them—and proving them wrong.

Him becoming a murderer would have only proved them right.

(As a side note: I actually addressed this in my fic here, which I'm glad to see now that my deductions were closer to canon. I could have never believed Dongsik capable of killing anybody.)

[vindicated-truth]

(Originally written here, inspired by the gifs)

It must be a curse, Dongsik thinks, to be saddled with partners who can't seem to take care of themselves.

He thinks of Jihoon, too, whom Jihwa has once unceremoniously entrusted in his care—he isn't fooled at all that it was Sangbae who made the decision for him to be Dongsik's partner, given how he's caught Jihwa conversing quietly with the Chief one too many times at Jaeyi's when Jihoon was finally inducted as a police officer.

The kid struggled a lot with anxiety and depression, this much Dongsik knows, because he has grown up with Jihoon's fierce and protective sister. And while she is now only too happy to see her little brother finally come out of his shell, the worry that comes part and parcel with being family never really goes away.

Dongsik wonders if it's a curse that these people think of him as family.

He thinks about how Sangbae assigned Lee Sangyeob into his care too, and wonders if Sangbae has a knack for remarkably picking out incompetence in a sea of bottomless options to thrust into Dongsik's responsibility.

Dongsik grips the steering wheel tightly. No, he thinks fiercely, that isn't fair at all.

Jihoon isn't incompetent. He just believes in the good in people far too much.

Sangyeob isn't incompetent. He just sought justice far too recklessly.

Joowon isn't incompetent. He's—

"I'm in pursuit now."

Dongsik has absolutely no idea what brand of lunacy Han Joowon has.

"I'll make sure I don't lose him. I'll stop him no matter what. I'm going to rescue Chief Nam, and no matter who it is, I'm going to catch this jerk. No matter what. I will catch him for sure."

Dongsik doesn't know what it is with partners who burrow themselves inside his ribs to take a piece of his heart and then rip it out of his chest when they willfully run headfirst into danger like this.

���I’m on my way,” Dongsik says in response to the idiot’s impassioned report of pursuit, surprising even himself with how steady his voice sounds. “I’ll hurry. Be careful until I arrive.”

Don't these stupid partners know, Dongsik thinks in despair as he furiously blinks away the way his vision blurs with hot tears pricking the corners of his eyes, that he doesn't have many pieces of his heart left.

He doesn't know how much more he can afford to lose.

“Lieutenant Han,” Dongsik can barely keep his voice from cracking as the silence stretches on because the idiot doesn’t think it’s unsafe for Dongsik’s erratically beating heart to not answer him. “Do you hear me? Respond,” Dongsik demands, not caring anymore when the cracks of his heart seeps into the trembling of his mouth, the shaking of his hands on the steering wheel. “You need to be careful.”

Dongsik’s breath catches in his throat, making the words stick to the roof his mouth, and he inhales sharply, ready to go on another tirade—when Joowon’s staticky voice rumbles through the speakerphone.

“All right. I'll be waiting.”

And Dongsik furiously swipes at the salty wetness on his cheeks then, because he needs to be able to see clearly on this godforsaken highway damn it, because he can’t get into an accident now, he can’t be stuck in traffic now, he can’t lose the trail now—

Not when Joowon has promised to wait for him.

Joowon isn’t incompetent, Dongsik thinks as an almost hysterical laughter bubbles up his throat. He simply matches Dongsik's own brand of lunacy perfectly.

Because Han Joowon, it turns out, is the kind of lunatic who listens.

[vindicated-truth]

Beyond Evil Trivia

We don’t know why Lee Dongsik took a leave of absence for a whole year after Lee Sangyeob’s death—if he was suspended, if it was part of his demotion, or if he was simply mourning the loss of his partner for that long—but it means that his partner’s death impacted him deeply and significantly.

It makes the scene of Nam Sangbae finally urging Dongsik to get up and live in honor of Sangyeob all the more impactful and meaningful now.

[vindicated-truth]

Destabilizing hierarchy: Lee Dongsik's and Han Joowon's equality of partnership in an unequal society

When Joowon vowed to Dongsik that he would go to hell for him, and when Dongsik vowed in turn that he isn't going to let Joowon go to hell alone, these aren't just dramatic proclamations.

They did exactly what they promised, in ways that are far more literal, significant, and impactful than mere empty vows, precisely because in doing so, they are finally, finally on equal ground as true partners.

To analyze Beyond Evil is impossible without studying it within its cultural context, and it's important to note that while unequal power structures exist everywhere in the world, there is a distinct prominence of it in South Korea wherein the country's culture is steeped in traditional hierarchy. And whenever those in the higher hierarchy uses these established systems to enforce their power over those in the lower hierarchy, it becomes abuse.

This is what Beyond Evil excels in showing so starkly, so brutally: the multiple ways these hierarchies—from the macrocosm of societal structures all the way down to the microcosm of the familial unit—are taken advantage by those in power.

The most prominent of these abused hierarchies of power are: the power of the police force over ordinary citizens; the power of men over women; the power of the rich over the poor; and most of all, the power of parents over their children.

Hence, the reason why it's so fascinating to study the partnership of Lee Dongsik and Han Joowon is because even though the story is hinged on the concept of them as partners—which in itself should connote a semblance of "equality"—it is difficult to see them as such in the beginning of the story precisely because they are already starting in unequal hierarchies, on multiple levels, especially within the cultural context of South Korea.

Lee Dongsik is of a higher hierarchy over Han Joowon in terms of both age and seniority. Dongsik is 40 years old while Joowon is 27 years old, making Dongsik older than Joowon by 13 years. Dongsik is also Joowon's senior by 10 years, as Dongsik entered the police force in 2007 while Joowon started in 2017.

Han Joowon, however, is also of a higher hierarchy than Lee Dongsik when it comes to position, status, and wealth. Because Dongsik had been demoted after the death of Lee Sangyeob, he now only has the position of Sergeant / Assistant Inspector, while Joowon already has the title of Lieutenant / Inspector. Therefore, in the beginning of their partnership, Joowon is technically Dongsik's superior.

This is similar to how Jihwa constantly refers to herself as Dosoo's partner and boss: because Jihwa is of a higher rank than Dosoo. This is the same situation with Joowon and Dongsik.

More than that however, Joowon also has far more power over Dongsik when it comes to both wealth—clearly denoted by his family's lifestyle and material possessions—and status: he's the son of the Deputy Commissioner, the second highest officer in the police force.

This is now what's most fascinating about the show: the entire plot served in multiple ways to recalibrate that balance scale between both of them that at some point, it somehow creates an unexpected equilibrium of equality.

At some point after the arrest and untimely death of Kang Jinmook, because of Joowon's insistence on being punished for abusing his power over Lee Geumhwa, and Dongsik accepting his promotion over arresting a serial killer, the hierarchy between them due to position is now suddenly abolished.

Both Joowon and Dongsik now hold the position of Lieutenant / Inspector, erasing Joowon's higher hierarchy over Dongsik due to position.

And when Dongsik was ironically promoted by Han Kihwan himself to the Seoul Police Agency as part of The Inspection and Survey Team / General Investigation Unit, working directly for Han Kihwan, this raises Dongsik on an even higher hierarchy over Joowon in their field.

This recalibrates their balance scale, because Joowon is now a mere Inspector working for a substation while Dongsik is now back at the Seoul Police Agency—which now has a specific power over all police officers, as an agency that investigates illegal acts of the police force—making Dongsik higher than Joowon now not only in age and seniority, but also in rank and power.

This, however, is also recalibrated later on when Han Kihwan reinstates Joowon after his suspension to the same agency, ironically making Joowon and Dongsik partners again, this time not in Manyang substation, but in Seoul Police Agency—and this time in a much more equal footing as both Lieutenants / Inspectors.

What Dongsik now holds over Joowon in seniority and age is only balanced out by Joowon's status as Han Kihwan's son, both in terms of still having more wealth over Dongsik, and the fact that being Han Kihwan's family will always take precedence over any position in the agency.

And yet as it is clearly shown towards the end of the series, being Han Kihwan's son is also exactly what makes Joowon lose all of his previously prevailing privilege.

Because when Joowon vows to go to hell to Dongsik, this is what he means: that he will also allow himself to fall from the higher place of hierarchy he has over Dongsik.

In arresting, indicting, and ultimately convicting Han Kihwan, Han Joowon loses all privilege of his previous status and identity, as he is now the disgraced son of the disgraced former Commissioner General, who is now convicted as a murderer.

This is especially significant in the society of South Korea, where your family's image is inseparable from your own image as an individual—where you are also expected to pay for the sins of your own family, regardless of whether or not it is also your own. When Dongsik warns Joowon multiple times that this will ruin his life, this is exactly what it means.

This is what Gwangyoung—now promoted as Captain / Senior Inspector by the end of the series—is alluding to when he says he feels bad that Joowon still hasn't been promoted even after all this time. Joowon's career is now also forever tarnished due to his father's crimes.

More than that, as a convicted murderer who now faces 20 years to life in prison, Han Kihwan's assets are more than likely frozen by the government. Unless Joowon has already been legally assigned as the administrator and executor of those assets prior to Han Kihwan's arrest (or unless the law deems otherwise), it is highly likely that Joowon loses all his previous access to his family's wealth, as well.

In vowing to go to hell for Dongsik, Joowon essentially loses all of his power over him: his status, his image, and more importantly—his wealth.

And yet—Dongsik has also vowed to not let Joowon go to hell alone. Because in the end, Dongsik has willingly surrendered to Joowon as a criminal, himself, in tampering with the scene of the crime of Kang Minjeong's murder and consequently obstructing justice.

It recalibrates the whole balance of their unequal hierarchy again, because Dongsik—despite fighting all his life to clear his name from his wrongful accusation 21 years ago—allows himself to finally be branded as a criminal for a different crime 21 years later, in surrendering himself to Joowon.

And while Dongsik is convicted of only 1 year in prison and 2 years probation, he will forever carry with him now that identity of an ex-convict—which essentially means that Dongsik cannot anymore return to the police force, because ex-convicts aren't allowed to legally carry weapons.

In essence, in surrendering to Joowon, Dongsik now loses all of his higher rank in seniority because he cannot work for the police anymore. He gives all of that up for Joowon.

This is now the only hierarchy remaining between them: Joowon's power over Dongsik as a police officer over an ordinary citizen, and Dongsik's hierarchy over Joowon when it comes to age, which will always remain intact.

Morally, neither of them holds significant superiority over the other: Joowon abused his power which lead to the death of Lee Geumhwa, and Dongsik abused his which lead to the failure to save Kang Minjeong on time.

It should be noted, however, that objectively, Dongsik’s case is more severe than Joowon’s, because Joowon’s accountability is only circumstantial: he had no deliberate hand on Lee Geumhwa’a death and had no knowledge of what his sting operation would eventually lead to. More than that, he readily owned up to his accountability and even sought his own punishment, not just once, but twice.

Dongsik’s accountability on the other hand, is more deliberate, because he had clear knowledge of the crime, consciously planned to tamper it, and deliberately chose to not report it.

Yet Joowon’s slight moral edge over Dongsik is once again compounded by virtue of his being Han Kihwan’s son. Objectively, even without Joowon’s own knowledge nor participation, the way Han Kihwan escaped justiced for 21 years also benefitted Joowon as well, if only indirectly in keeping his family’s wealth, status, and privilege intact for that long—to the detriment of Dongsik’s family.

And this is where the final equilibrium between them is recalibrated, especially in their society's cultural context:

Dongsik and his family will always remain to be the victim of Joowon's family, and for that reason, Joowon will always be indebted to Dongsik.

Yet—Joowon is also the one person who finally brought justice to Dongsik and his family, and for that reason, Dongsik will always be indebted to Joowon.

This is where Beyond Evil has truly succeeded in showcasing and highlighting the partnership between Lee Dongsik and Han Joowon:

Stripped of everything in both their society and their circumstances that made them unequal, at the end of the show, theirs becomes the most beautiful rendering of a true, equal partnership.

[vindicated-truth]

Whenever I do an analysis of any character, I try my best to analyze them from a writing standpoint: whether or not they're well-written characters, regardless of their morality.

And even with regards to their actual morality, I try my best to not be too black and white about it, precisely because even in real life, every action has nuances and context that have to be taken into account.

It's why I can still write something good about characters like Do Haewon and Lee Changjin, both in terms of how complex they are as characters, and how despite their undeniable immorality, they have aspects to their characters that makes them more well-rounded, and not the caricature and flatness of textbook "evil". This can be seen with Haewon's love for Jeongje and her overall agency and power in the story, and the innocence Changjin has for both his ambition and for Jihwa, and his somewhat pitiful loyalty to Han Kihwan.

It's also why it cannot even be said that the so-called protagonists of the show are completely moral or good; every single character, from the main leads Lee Dongsik and Han Joowon, to every single person surrounding them—Kwon Hyeok, Oh Jihwa, Oh Jihoon, Yoo Jaeyi, Nam Sangbae, Cho Gilgu, Hwang Gwangyoung, Kwak Ohsub, Kang Minjeong, Lee Sangyeob—have consciously made decisions that aren't completely moral, or even legal, and have in varying degrees hurt other people because of their own actions.

One of Beyond Evil's greatest strengths is the portrayal of this remarkable depth and complexity to their characters.

Which is why fascinatingly, I cannot write anything good about Han Kihwan at all.

He does not have any redeeming qualities to him both in terms of his morality or the depth and well-roundedness of his character. Unlike Do Haewon or Lee Changjin, Han Kihwan isn't motivated by anything external of himself.

Even Kang Jinmook is motivated by an external locus, however completely immoral and inexcusable: his perception of women "belittling" him as his guise for his outright misogyny and inhumane brutality.

The same can be said even for Jung Cheolmun, as shallow as his external motivations are: his greed and shamelessness in manipulating everyone around him to forward his own career and wealth, regardless of the consequences.

But Han Kihwan, remarkably, is the flattest character of all.

He has no external motivation, which means he's not driven by anything outside of himself. He has no external motivation for love or loyalty (like Do Haewon or Lee Changjin) or even pure unabashed and unchecked hatred for someone else (like Kang Jinmook). He didn't do anything worthwhile himself, didn't take risks or initiatives—however stupid or unplanned, like Jung Cheolmun—to further his own goals.

He just—didn't do much of anything. He let other people do the work for him. And he's not even motivated by anything—whether out of love or hatred—other than himself.

And when you think about it—isn't that the point of Beyond Evil? That when you unmask the true monster behind the scenes, they're the most disappointing of all?

Because that's what our society is like. That's what the true monsters in our lives are like.

The truest evil can be found in people who are weak and cowardly, because a true monster is someone who cares for nothing and no one else other than their own self.

[vindicated-truth]

I want to address this because I also believe this is an important nuance as to why, even though Joowon did feel guilt and remorse over his part on Nam Sangbae's death, it didn't eat him up as much as his part on Lee Geumhwa's death.

(On a related note, I also addressed in a separate post why Dongsik remarkably also doesn't blame Joowon for Nam Sangbae's death. This may also be partly why, even in the end when Joowon arrested him, Dongsik told Joowon he should be punished for his part on Lee Geumhwa's death—but he had never, not once, mentioned that Joowon should be punished for Nam Sangbae's death.)

Lee Geumhwa is the one completely innocent in this situation. She was entirely separate from the web of death spun by Kang Jinmook and Han Kihwan, and was only pushed into the web by Han Joowon blackmailing her for his sting operation.

She, in essence, had no choice in the matter. And Joowon is completely aware of this. This is why the guilt eats him up, his accountability on Lee Geumhwa's death, because while he may not have been the one to kill her, he knows she wouldn't have been in the situation in the first place if he hadn't pushed her there.

Nam Sangbae, on the other hand, in many ways walked to his own death of his own volition. He was killed by Lee Changjin, yes, and he was also somewhat nudged into the situation by Joowon, but in many ways Sangbae himself brought upon himself the series of events that led to his death: he called Cho Gilgu, he talked to Jung Cheolmun, he went to Han Kihwan, he followed the instructions unbeknownst to him by Lee Changjin—knowing full well he may die because of it.

It's the one thing that separates Nam Sangbae from Lee Geumhwa: the complete knowledge of what was happening and the willful decisions done because of it.

When you think about it, the only consequence of Joowon "planting" the fake evidence in Nam Sangbae's vault was him being arrested temporarily without a warrant; even if Joowon didn't do any of these things, Sangbae still would've done everything he did, because it's what he's already doing in trying to pursue the truth that Kang Jinmook knew.

Because even if Joowon had played no part in the situation, Nam Sangbae still would've done all of his actions because he was driven by his own guilt.

It's been alluded to how he had physically beaten up Dongsik to try to get him to confess. And as the detective in charge back then, the way Sangbae arrested Dongsik forever branded Dongsik as the primary suspect for life—hence also smearing Dongsik's entire image and changing his life forever, not for the better.

And despite how Dongsik seems to have already forgiven him for it, Nam Sangbae had spent the rest of his life trying to make up for it: stepping up as Dongsik's surrogate father, stepping down along with Dongsik from the RIU when Dongsik couldn't explain how Lee Sangyeob died, erasing the camera footage of Dongsik planting Kang Minjeong's fingers in front of the grocery shop.

Still, the guilt kept eating away at Sangbae, because when Kang Jinmook was arrested, he couldn't help but pursue the truth this time, because his pursuit of the wrong information 21 years ago is precisely what led him to his sin of abusing Dongsik in the first place.

It's why Joowon didn't feel the guilt of Nam Sangbae's death as heavily as did with Lee Geumhwa, nor did Dongsik accuse Joowon for Nam Sangbae's death the way he did with Lee Geumhwa's.

Nam Sangbae walked into his own death because of the guilt that wouldn't stop pushing him there.

something about the way guilt is portrayed in beyond evil. guilt as a state, guilt as a place you're condemned to. 'i will go to hell' 'life is hell' 'you shouldn't even set foot in that hell' but it's not really the hell we think of, not in the traditional sense. hell is where you're supposed to be sent to suffer and repent forever but all of them go there willingly. (that's why han kihwan will never end up there as juwon wants because he feels no remorse over his actions) they choose to stay and let it scorch the life out of them until all that's left is someone hollow and brittle, real person buried beneath the surface in a grave they themselves dug. in that way it's not lee changjin or the water that killed nam sangbae. it's guilt. that's what doomed him in the end. that hell of his own making he never managed to escape. and as he drowned, he probably thought he deserved that too. jeongje's still there until the end but so much of him died long ago. he's a ghost haunting himself. he tells juwon 'if you don't get out quickly, every breath, every moment of your life becomes a nightmare' if you stay that hell alone long enough, that's what happens. at a certain point you can't wake up anymore. you forget how to leave