I didn't realize the actor and the main character's names were so similar but I need to start off by saying that the actor Kim Soo-Hyun, played Kim Hyun-Soo AMAZINGLY. This boosted him up to one of my favourite actors, I didn't realize he had such a wide range. When he started crying I would cry too because it felt so raw and real. Especially near the end, during the trials, where he says "I didn't kill her' he's so desperate to have people believe him that I was tearing up. JUST BELIEVE MY BABY PLS.

Overall the story was gripping and the main character was someone you just had to root for, he goes through a perfect development through the episodes as he learns to cope with the injustice of his ordeal. We know that he made a mistake, and initially, when I saw the first episode, where Hyun-Soo was leaving the crime scene, and cleaning the mess, I kept screaming NO JUST CALL THE POLICE! But then again, put yourself in that position, your mind would shut off, and you'd have no time to think it through. If you'd stolen your dad's car, your family was in poverty, had a one-night stand with a girl, and woke up to her dead--and not just dead but brutally murdered. Then of course your mind would run wild. He knows he did wrong by leaving, but it's very realistic to how a young college student may act in this situation. Just because he made a mistake doesn't mean he should lose his whole life.

That was the main thread in the plot, mistakes were made but that should not blind the police and make it so that they stop investigating just because there is a clear person to blame. Even in true crimes, we see this a lot, where there is evidence that points to someone, and instead of fully investigating, police instead cut corners to frame the suspect because it'll make the case tie up neatly. It's easier to blame it on someone who was there than to do your job and investigate, putting aside all biases to find only factual evidence. This is what Hyun-Soo faces, the chief police, from the beginning does not listen to the facts, he listens to only his hunch and then pieces all the evidence to support that hunch. In this way, Hyun-Soo is framed and a perfect murder case can be closed as fast as possible.

This drama wasn't perfect, some parts bothered me, like when Hyun-soo began to doubt himself and was becoming too much like Do Ji-Tae, but I think the drama dealt with that well by killing Do Ji-Tae, as to remind Hyun-Soo not to get too comfortable because living in prison means losing your life at any time. So although I had my gripes, they tended to resolve themselves or made sense to the character.

I actually liked how quick the ending was, a lot of people say it was rushed, and maybe it was, but I think the ending makes sense (although it could've been better, could've gotten 9 stars). In cases like these, that's really all it takes, a single piece of evidence that comes to light, one confession. After having his whole life ruined, Hyun-Soo is proven innocent in a matter of minutes. It's ironic and sad at the same time. He will never be the person he was in episode one, he's now filled with trauma and yet the whole time the person who did it was living freely.

Had the murderer kept silent, Hyun-Soo would just have easily stayed in jail. It shows how random these cases can be, but highlights one important factor: the police will construct a story based on what they want the public to believe happened, not based one evidence and it then takes a person who is willing to go above and beyond, like Shin Joong-Han, to find evidence, and for the suspect to wholeheartedly believe in themselves.