I just finished this drama, I don’t know where to start on how good it is. Honestly, I didn’t expect it to be one of my favourites, dongbaek just seemed like a character that I would get tired of watching with his impulsiveness. But I found myself unable to drop the drama, even though I usually prefer to marathon dramas instead of watching 2 episodes a week because of my short attention span. I followed it closely every week, the storyline just got better and better and dongbaek slowly grew on me. And Han Sunni omygosh, she’s my idol. I loved Lee Seyoung in this, I really hope she gets more of these serious roles. Yoo Seungho is one of those actors I like but don’t seriously follow, but he did decent in this drama I guess, I would personally have preferred if he was more intense and fierce, but at this point I don’t think it’s his acting but his boyish visuals HAHA.

The plot is great but I feel like the pacing could have been a lil better. The prologue was dragged too long, and I felt like I was most likely to drop the drama after the 1st two episodes. Otherwise, episodes 4-14 onwards were all pretty great. I also felt like the last episode was a lil rushed. Things just kept happening and they could’ve been developed a lil more. Also not a fan of the last episode “smile while doing everything” ”tie up loose end vibe”, but that’s just me. I love the fact that there’s no romance in this. If they tried to squeeze in a kiss or some slow or heart fluttering moment I would’ve probably dropped this. The characters stayed true to their personalities and watching their teamwork made me smile. These 2 individuals which are so drastically different in their thoughts and actions always managed to reach the same goal with their own methods. The storyline is not like your typical serial killer, 1-case-per-episode drama, it was an entire web of discovering his past + identity, corrupted officials and a thin line between right and wrong, many characters struggled because of their unwavering belief to follow their morals and *no spoilers*

Alarge part of what made the drama so good was the cinematography, the appropriate use of angles and slowmo. It made the tension rise at every scene and I was always left in curious confusion after every scene. Seriously!! I can’t elaborate on this because I’m not an expert but it really really contributed to how great this drama was and is honestly one of the most essential things for crime dramas.

I saw a lot of people complaining about the music but I personally didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. I loved the 2 themes they played at the end of each episode and the beginning theme got me excited for each episode. Also that one creepy track they played everytime one of the detectives went exploring made me so anxious and tensed.

Loved it, as much as every single one of my romance or contemporary faves. Definitely worth a watch and rewatch.
9/10 because it doesn’t deserve that full marks yet, but it was A in every sense.