Café Minamdang Episode 14 Recap (2022 Korean Drama)

**This Café Minamdang Episode 14 Recap contains spoilers**

Go here if you prefer a first look at Café Minamdang without spoilers

Trigger Warning: Topics of suicide, murder, rape are a ongoing theme of this show. Please look after yourselves.

While Han-Joon and Jae-Hui are trying to talk Gu out of setting fire to the place, Su-Cheol and Hye-Joon are waiting outside the house. Once they receive Han-Joon’s signal, Hye-Joon starts the machine in order to blow smoke into the inner yard. There her brother is convincing Gu that Kang Eun-Hye’s spirit is right next to him. Begging him to stop his evil deeds and pay for his crimes. Gu, believing him and responding to her spirit, says he is doing all this so they may be free together. Han-Joon answers that the way to set Eun-Hye free is to punish the one who killed her.

As Gu Tae-Su remains still, Han-Joon motions for Jae-Hui to safely apprehend him. Just as she is about to remove the lighter from his hand, Su-Cheol appears on the scene and punches Gu. There seems to have been a miscommunication or his timing is off. In the ensuing scuffle, Gu manages to turn on the lighter and toss it towards the nearest building.

Luckily Han-Joon manages to catch it just before it reaches any gasoline soaked material. At the same time Jae-Hui subdues Gu and puts him in cuffs. Her team of detectives arrive shortly after and take him into their custody.

A crying Park Jin-Sang arrives alongside the police and runs to hug his father. Questioning why his kidnapped father is also in cuffs, he is told that Park Dong-Gi is being arrested for drug trafficking. Hearing this has the old man complaining of a injury stating they need to go to the hospital first. Han-Joon, aware he is faking it, admonishes the man. He has just saved him from certain death and he is already about to shorten his life again. To keep the spirits happy and live a long life, he needs to confess and pay for his sins. Jin-Sang heartily agrees with the shaman, promising his father to look after him in jail.

Cha Seung-Won finds out about Park and Gu’s arrest and calls Auntie Im. While he is all freaked out, she remains calm, telling him she will take care of things on her end and all will be well. Seung-Won goes on to threaten her that he will take her at her word because if things go awry she will also not walk away unscathed.

Auntie Im, disguised as part of Park’s legal team, goes to see him at the detention center. Initially threatening to reveal all unless Seung-Won gets him out of there, he soon has a change of mind. Starting to have difficulty breathing, he realizes that the water bottle he just drank from was poisoned. Giving him the antidote, Auntie Im tells him to keep his mouth shut if he wants to live. The moment he starts talking his life will be over. A terrified Park agrees before being allowed to drink the antidote.

Meanwhile Jae-Hui and the detectives continue to take a closer look at the Jakdu-dong Land Development Project as all roads seems to lead there. Although at first glance it seems like a legit project, on close inspection there are several suspicious things about it. Not to mention some of the shady people involved.

As they are still discussing the case, detective Na shows them a newsclip. Mayor Lee Myeong-Jun of Sinmyeong is doing a news conference on the future site of the Jakdu-dong project, promoting the beneficial impact it will have on the city.

Unbeknownst to the police, Auntie Im and some high officials are present but standing off to one side. This is all part of Cha’s plan to move up the date of the ground-breaking ceremony, which will then allow them to start selling the apartments. Auntie Im also reassures the men with her that all is still going well, there is no risk of Park talking and they will soon see a manyfold return on their investment.

During their interrogation of Gu, neither Jae-Hui nor Detective Jang can get him to reveal anyone else involved. He vehemently sticks by his story that he is the sole perpetrator and did not act under anyone’s command. He simply punishes sinners. Jae-Hui’s insistence of similarities between his mother and Eun-Hye make him lose his composure for a moment. According to him they were completely different. Gu warns her that she will end up like her brother Jae-Jeong if she keeps mouthing off like that. He confesses to killing her brother, stating that he was an exception since he was a good person.

It is at this moment that the detectives on her team become aware of her relationship to Prosecutor Han. After this revelation many things are put in a different perspective for them. All three of them agree to not bring up the matter until she tells them personally about it.

After the interrogation Jae-Hui goes outside to calm down and is joined by Prosecutor Cha. Turning down his invitation to dinner, she is instead going to see Han-Joon to make sure he is alright. When she is about to leave, Cha grabs her wrist and asks her to stay. Because every time she is around Han-Joon, she gets hurt or is in danger. Jae-Hui is about to ask him if he has feelings for her but he beats her to it and confesses to liking her.

Seeing her awkward reaction he regrets telling her right after and tells her to forget about the whole thing. As he walks away, she calls out to him. She is grateful for his presence which has been such a source of strength to her but she only sees him as a friend and nothing more. Cha states that the next time they meet, he will be back to act within their boundaries of friendship and colleagues.

Han-Joon has gone to see Jae-Jeong at the columbarium to tell him that he finally caught his killer. He also admits to his friend about his feelings for Jae-Hui. A strong gust of wind and a vase shattering nearby makes him think that perhaps Jae-Jeong is not willing to give his blessing to their relationship.

Jae-Hui comes shortly after to also visit her brother’s final resting place. Noticing the fresh flowers she realizes Han-Joon must have been there recently. She goes to look for him at Cafe Minamdang but he is not there. Through Hye-Joon and Su-Cheol she is able to find out that he has gone to a remote camping ground. Hearing the location, Jae-Hui has an idea where he went and follows him.

She arrives just as Han-Joon is struggling to put up the tent. She realizes he has been holding on to Jae-Jeongs camping gear all these years, occasionally using them in memory of his friend. Afterwards they sit down and reminisce about the past. Jae-Hui remembers often going to that same spot with her brother who loved to camp. Han-Joon recalls having to remind his friend not to drag him to any of these remote places as he is not an outdoors person.

They end up going for a long walk just spending the day together like on a date. Sitting at the campsite at night, Han-Joon confesses to Jae-Hui that he likes her and they share their first kiss.

Insistent calls from CEO Lee and Jin-Sang prompt them to return the following day ahead of schedule. Su-Cheol and Hye-Joon almost get caught by Han-Joon since they did not expect him back so soon and were out all night. Na-Dan serves Han-Joon and Jae-Hui breakfast when he notices Hye-Joon scaling the building outside to get inside her upstairs room. With Jae-Hui’s help [who already knows about the couple] he manages to delay Han-Joon’s walk upstairs to wake his sister.

Everyone sits down together to discuss what they have found out so far and to speculate on the likely plan of the mastermind behind the Jakdu-dong project. Park Jin-Sang and CEO Lee have joined them as well. When they hear that investors of the project that are not part of Auntie Im’s inner circle might incur major losses, both seem worried. Han-Joon catches on to what is happening and tells both to immediately pull out any investment they have made into the project. Lee excuses herself first and leaves, pulling Jin-Sang along with her. [A/N: I’m so totally shipping these two. Plus their characters are such a surprising comic relief.]

The team continues to discuss how to stop the project before many innocent people end up losing money. Han-Joon decides it would be best to reveal information during the ground-breaking ceremony to warn people. So as to not get Jae-Hui or her team in trouble, he has prepared a anonymous package containing the info that will be delivered to the station. Prosecutor Cha will be in charge of obtaining the necessary warrants.

Later at Daeun station Jae-Hui and the detectives make a big show about receiving the anonymous box with a USB drive and a card inside. Their loud demeanor has other departments stop and watch them. The card says they have something to tell them about the Kang Eun-Hye case. Opening the USB drive reveals the video captured of Mayor Lee Myeong-Jun and Eun-Hye. When the chief sees the footage, he immediately commands them to get a warrant and arrest the mayor. He puts Jae-Hui and her team in charge of the operation and tells the other units to assist them.

The day of the Jakdu-dong Land Development ground-breaking ceremony has come, with many high officials in attendance. This includes the men from Auntie Im’s inner circle like Cha Seung-Won and Mayor Lee. Park Jin-Sang and CEO Lee are also present as guests and a smug Seung-Won taunts his cousin by bringing up his uncle’s recent arrest.

Auntie Im goes on stage to perform a ceremonial ritual to bless the successful completion of the project. She is interrupted by Han-Joon and Su-Cheol making a grand entrance as Shaman Nam and his assistant. Everyone watches on as the two walk to the front and unto the stage. Shaman Nam announces that Auntie Im’s prayers have been rejected by the spirits. He scolds her for trying to fulfill peoples greed in the name of the spirits. Su-Cheol goes on to present them as two teams in a contest. Han-Joon and Auntie Im go back and forth while both are keeping up their personas of shamans.

Hye-Joon, with help from Cha and Na-Dan has taken over the audio and video control room by tying up the person in charge. She now starts displaying compromising pictures of Mayor Lee, inclusive his shady dealings in relation to the Jakdu-dong project. Han-Joon goes on to expose not only Mayor Lee but also points at Auntie Im and Cha Seung-Won as accomplices.