Café Minamdang Episode 10 Recap (2022 Korean Drama)
**This recap of Café Minamdang Episode 10 contains spoilers**
Trigger Warning: Topics of suicide, murder, rape are a ongoing theme of this show. Please look after yourselves.
Han-Joon and Jae-Hui walk into the police station thinking Gu Tae-Soo has come to turn himself in. Instead, turns out he is there to accuse Han-Joon of attacking him when he came to visit Jeon. He then ran away to escape from Han-Joon
When told to expose his wrist, there is a big new burn which according to Gu he suffered the previous night while fighting off Han-Joon. Him being the culprit of killing Jeon must have all been a misunderstanding.
Hearing him spout so much nonsense, Han-Joon punches Gu, insisting they do a DNA test to confirm that he is in fact the killer. However, his little outburst promptly lands him in a holding cell. After wiping Gu’s blood from his knuckles with his handkerchief, he hands it Jae-Hui and Jang with instructions to give it to Su-Cheol. He wants someone on his team to take it for testing.
Gu is interrogated about Eun-Hye’s death and his connection to Jeon. In his version of events, he went to help Jeon who said he wanted to become legit. He was then attacked and forced to flee the scene.
Jae-Hui tells Gu there us no point in running since someone saw him. He agrees to give his DNA to clear himself.
Café Minamdang Episode 10
The scene depicts a jolly gettogether of high officials and politicians including newly elected mayor Yang with Auntie M. It reveals how there seems to be this secret society involving the people in charge from different sectors of the government. (A/N: This part of the episode gave me the shudders. Like watching a pit crawling with snakes.)
Prosecutor Cha’s office continues to investigate the connections between all characters of the case. Their board reveals a nasty picture of nepotism and corruption (read: pit of snakes).
Meanwhile Han-Joon, annoyed at the bickering of his cellmates, decides to solve the issue they’re fighting about. One group accuses the other of murdering someone in their gang. While going all-in on his shaman persona, he uses his sharp observation to detect the real killer among them. The police chief and several detectives are witness to this happening.
The Chief gets a call which results in a talking to for Jang and Jae-Hui for involving Gu. The result for the DNA voluntarily provided by Gu comes back as not matching the blood found from Choi’s killer. They are forced to let Gu go and Jae-Hui is taken off the case as punishment for causing all the uproar. Despite this she sends Detectives Kim and Na to quietly tail Gu after he leaves the station.
Café Minamdang Episode 10
Prosecutor Cha approaches Gu and his lawyer outside the station. They have a meeting at a nearby coffeeshop. The detectives loose Gu as he leaves the shop.
Unfazed by the DNA test results, Han-Joon states that he half expected this to be the case. He guesses that someone inside the police probably tempered with it. Jae-Hui expresses her wish to deny this accusation but is not sure she can since she herself has her suspicions.
Jae-Hui begs Han-Joon to trust her and catch the killer together but he declines. He does not want her to loose her sense of justice. In his line of work, rules often get bent and sometimes even broken.
He leaves the police station and Su-Cheol takes him home, after sharing with him that the DNA he sent in came back with a match. It did in fact match the DNA obtained from Choi’s killer at the hospital. This confirms that Gu Tae-Soo is in fact the murderer. Once at home the team discusses that someone even more powerful must be behind Gu. Someone with enough say to command the chief of police. Hye-Joon sends a spam text to the police chief as a means to hack his computer.
Café Minamdang Episode 10
The arrival of Deaconess Kim in company of a priest interrupts their scheming. The Nam siblings mother has come to perform a ritual to free her son from being a shaman. After requesting to speak with the priest without his mother present, Han-Joon tells him the truth that he is faking the whole think to catch a killer. The man promises to keep his secret.
The priest assures Mrs. Kim that Han-Joon will soon return to them as his normal self. They just need to patiently wait for that day to come. Both take their leave shortly after.
Detective Jang goes to see Jae-Hui afterhours saying he has found something regarding Han-Joon’s old case. The Forensic Specialist testifying in Han-Joon’s case recently tried to recant his testimony stating it was not Han-Joon but Jung Cheong-Gi that bribed him. It seems increasingly certain Han-Joon was framed and has been telling the truth all along.
Prosecutor Cha shows up at the same time and Jae-Hui invites them both inside for tea and to discuss what they found out. Detectives Kim and Na call Jang soon after informing him they are outside. Suspicious of Cha, they followed him since the coffeeshop. Cha clears up that he had coffee with Gu so he could take the other’s used cup afterwards to swab it for DNA.
Jae-Hui suggest they keep all this information between just the five of them until the case is over. Everyone agrees.
Café Minamdang Episode 10
Hye-Joon discovers the Chief has been getting blackmailed because of his son’s gambling debt. The team starts surveillance on him and discovers his son is now being held for ransom.
Han-Joon and Su-Cheol set up a scheme to convince the chief that Shaman Nam has been hearing a spirit asking for his Dad to help him. After some begging from the chief they agree to help.
Na-Dan, disguised as a delivery boy, places surveillance devices inside the underground gambling den where the chief’s son is being held. The team discovers they use cards rigged with electronic chips . After hacking their system, Han-Joon goes in to play against some regulars under the guise of Shaman Nam.
He ultimately goes up against Dae-Tong, the owner of the gambling hall. They play Go-Stop with the freedom of the chief’s son as the ultimate prize. Initially loosing, Han-Joon eventually turns the odds in his favor (read: figures out how his opponent is still cheating).
Café Minamdang Episode 10
After returning his son to him, Han-Joon tells the chief that he has misfortune looming over his head. In order to ward these off, he needs to return the murder case to Jae-Hui. If he doesn’t, it will become the conduit for ghosts to haunt him. Hearing Shaman Nam’s words, the chief feels scared.
In the meantime, Jae-Hui and Cha are meeting with the Forensic Specialist in person to ask him further details. He confirms that he received payment to switch out a DNA sample and lie about Han-Joon bribing him. When he later regretted his decision and went to the prosecutors office to recant it, he discovered they were in on the whole thing. This revelation seems to surprise Jae-Hui but not so much Cha.
They go to meet Gu Jong-Man in prison, someone also involved with the case. Despite Jae-Hui’s insistence he refuses to tell them anything, stating that he will end up dead if he talks. Just like the superior who at that time gave him the order. Jae-Hui’s [naïve] promise that she will protect him if he helps her, evokes only a incredulous scoff on his part.
Upon their return from that interview, the chief summons Jae-Hui to his office. Worried he might have found out they are still secretly looking into the case, she is surprised at his reason for calling her. The chief insists she take back the case and work on it but demands she do so in secret. Noticing a small fan in his hand with Shaman Nam’s logo on it, does clear up things for her a bit.
Café Minamdang Episode 10
Her and Cha discuss afterwards that it likely was Han-Joon who got her the case back, a thought that brings a smile to her face. Cha comments on how despite not being the one by her side all the time, these days she seems to rely on Han-Joon a lot more then on him.
Jae-Hui replies to him that she used to misunderstand Han-Joon but has come to change her opinion of him. As she is thinking about this, she decides to go see him. Cha tries to dissuade her by saying that it could put them all in danger, but she already is aware of this. No matter what, it is her job to protect him.
Han-Joon and his team are in the middle of a briefing when Jae-Hui walks in. After Su-Cheol and Hye-Joon find excuses to leave, she approaches Han-Joon who appears not trilled about her presence. She proceeds to handcuff his right hand to her left hand and tells him to stop running away.
She finally reveals to Han-Joon that she is Han Jae-Jeong’s little sister and proposes they unite forces to catch his killer.
Epilogue
A look at the other side of the chiefs earlier phone conversation regarding Gu’s case and to suspend Jae-Hui reveals much. It appears Choekang Group’s CEO put pressure on the chief’s superior.
Café Minamdang Episode 10 END
