The Crusher and the Sandpaper
What a tense episode! Woman of 9.9 Billion has certainly picked up the pace and delivers two really strong episodes full of suspense and drama. The actors carry on delivering some strong performances and in particular Jung Woong-In, depicting the psychopath husband in a very chilling manner. We begin in the scrapyard where the last episode left off with Min-Gyu questioning Tae-Woo about the key. Tied to the seat of a car, the latter remains tight-lipped. Instead, he tells him he knows he’s up to something and that he will be in trouble if his brother-in-law finds out. Not getting the answer he wants, Min-Gyu starts lowering the car crusher onto the car Tae is in. Meanwhile, In-Pyo has his wife tied to a chair in their house telling her how upset he is over her betrayal. He then goes on to ask her where she’s hiding the money and threatens her with sandpaper. However, she remains quiet so he stuffs a cloth in her mouth and starts rubbing down her feet with the sandpaper. At the same time, Min-Gyu continues to threaten Tae-Woo with the car crusher. We cut back to In-Pyo as he cleans his wife’s foot and offers to let her leave him in exchange for half the money. She agrees to it but only if he promises to keep his word. She then goes on to tell him the money i in the old well by the abandoned house. He then gags her again and leaves to find the money. In-Pyo heads to the old well but soon realises that his wife was lying while she tries to free herself. Jae-Hoon rushes to In-Pyo’s house and as he frantically knocks on the door, Seo-Yeon uses a broken piece of a mug to cut her gag open. She manages to do it just as he leaves and gets his attention. Heading inside after she gives him the password, he is able to free her but as soon as he does, he asks where the money is. They both rush out of the flat quickly just as In-Pyo returns. It’s touch and go for a while as they try to hide but he’s cunning and he soon finds them. As he catches up, he grabs Tae-Woo but Seo-Yeon manages to escape both men. Seo-Yeon heads to Mr Oh to warn him about her husband and just in time too, as he arrives soon after with Jae-Hoon. He then sends his men after them and they drive off while we see Min-Gyu dumping a bloody Tae-Woo on the floor. As he comes to, he makes a deal with Min-Gyu: the identity of who gave him the key in exchange for what happened to his brother. The truth finally comes out: Min-Gyu was embezzling money and Tae-Hyeon knew about it. That night, he was supposed to meet with him but he never turned up and that’s all he knows. Seo-Yeon decides to come back to Mr Oh with the money and asks him to give it back in exchange for Tae-Woo’s release. They almost do it but stop themselves as they get a call from Tae-woo, asking to be picked up. Min-Gyu and his men drive away with Tae-Woo and the latter uses this opportunity to escape their clutches by causing the car to crash while we see Hee-Joo’s father give her divorce papers to sign. He mentions that someone they know will return to cause a lot of trouble and that a lot of money will change hands. Meanwhile, Min-Gyu reminisces about a meeting with Tae-Hyeon where he mentioned dealing with a much stronger person who happens to be the one who framed his brother. We then cut to Mr Oh, Seo-Yeon and Tae-Woo heading back to his flat. Tae-Woo berates her for trying to give the money back but she replies that she wanted to make sure he was saved and explains what happened with her husband. As they talk, we see In-Pyo spying on them as he has installed a camera and microphone in the flat. Hee-Joo’s father, Ho Sung, decides to pay a visit to Geum-Ja to discuss the danger ahead and how they should prepare themselves by making a move. She just laughs it off, reminding him that his daughter back-stabbed her and that she’s the reason she lost all of her money. The episode ends with Seo-Yeon heading to see Hee-Joo and Tae-Hoon as she surprises them while they are having lunch together with their daughter. Woman of 9.9 Billion is certainly getting better each week and this latest chapter is no exception. There were plenty of tense moments as both Seo-Yeon and Tae-Woo tried to free themselves. This was quite the clever parallel between the two scenes as we cut back and forth between them. Both managed to escape but their freedom is bound to be short-lived as they have quite a few people after them. Another mystery has been added in this episode too as many characters mention this menacing person returning and whom everyone seems to be scared off. The reveal that Ho-Sung is an old acquaintance of Geum-Ja is certainly a clever twist too which makes the show even more interesting. I am really enjoying seeing the evolution of Seo-Yeon’s character and it seems that she will be probably getting closer to Tae-Woo. Will they end up together and share the money? Will all our characters make it to the end of the series? All these questions should be answered soon but in the meantime, Woman of 9.9 Billion is certainly a decent thriller drama and one of my favourites to watch each week!
