**This Café Minamdang Episode 15 Recap contains spoilers**
Trigger Warning: Topics of suicide, murder, rape are a ongoing theme of this show. Please look after yourselves.
Police arrive outside the hall where the Jakdu-dong Project ground-breaking ceremony is held to arrest Mayor Lee Myung-Jun.
Inside the hall, Cha Seung-Won, Lee Myeong-Jun and the other high officials try to control the situation caused by Han-Joon and Su-Cheol. As they attempt to get them removed from the stage, the police walks in and a chaotic fight ensues.
Auntie Im tries to take advantage of the overall chaos and escape out a back door. She is however spotted by Jae-Hui who goes in pursuit. Presenting the woman with a arrest warrant against her, Jae-Hui proceeds to handcuff her to a nearby staircase. Following this she rejoins her team in their apprehension attempts of the other culprits.
At the same time Hye-Joon casts further incriminating videos starring Mayor Lee and his companions unto the big screen. Trying to sneak away, they are stopped by Han-Joon and Su-Cheol, who drop a big net over them.
Watching from the control room, Prosecutor Cha observes his brother being escorted outside by a security detail without the police taking notice. Afraid Seung-Won will manage to get away, Cha himself runs out to cut him off. Jae-Hui is then able to arrest him.
Amidst the flashing camera lights of present media and while everyone is read their rights, Han-Joon asks about Auntie Im. However, when Jae-Hui leads him to where she left her earlier, the woman is gone, leaving a pair of unlocked handcuffs behind.
Café Minamdang Episode 15
Everyone is taken to Daeun station and considering the high profile individuals involved in the case, Media coverage is rampant. The chief of police gives a press conference, promising that they will continue to investigate the matter until the end.
Jae-Hui and her team start by interrogating Mayor Lee and this two companions, leaving Cha Seung-Won for last. All three men refuse to cast any blame on Cha and Mayor Lee states that he was only following Auntie Im’s instructions. Even re-interviewing Park Dong-Gi reveals no new information as he still refuses to accuse anyone else.
Meanwhile at Café Minamdang, Park Jin-Sang is thanking Shaman Nam for saving his father’s life. CEO Lee is present as well. Both are also concerned about Han-Joon’s safety going forward. Cha Seung-Won is sure to be released soon due to his lawyers capability and the lack of evidence against him. They worry he might come after the shaman since he was involved in the day’s events ending in Cha’s arrest.
Café Minamdang Episode 15
Their hunches could not have been more accurate. Jae-Hui is already facing off with Seung-Won and three of his lawyers inside the interrogation room. His legal team claims he had no knowledge of anything illegal going on with the Jakdu-dong project. Seung-Won himself reiterates that he trusted Auntie Im based on her long-time connection to his family, his uncle Park Dong-Gi, and other high officials. With 48 hrs having passed since his arrest and not enough evidence, the police is forced to let Seung-Won go.
Prosecutor Cha witnessed the interrogation from the next room and afterwards catches up with his brother in the parking lot. While he tries to convince him to turn himself in, Seung-Won instead warns him to be careful. Since their father is no longer alive to protect him, Cha Do-Won might find himself in trouble. Once again their discussion turns to Do-Won having been the favourite son, something Seung-Won clearly still feels sour about. Do-Won admits not understanding at the time why his father handed him the majority of Choekang’s shares, but he is starting to get it. He beliefs their father wanted him to keep Seung-Won from becoming the chairman al along.
Seung-Won, obviously angered, once again warns his brother to thread carefully since his tolerance does have a limit. Instead of being scared, Do-Won replies with a warning of his own. He will come after Seung-Won for everything he has done, whether it be recent or in the past. Including a specific case from 20 years ago that his brother never took responsibility for.
Café Minamdang Episode 15
Once back at Choekang Constructions, Cha Seung-Won discusses with a team of directors the company’s current state. Due to the Jakdu-dong project cancellation, the scrutiny of the press, and police investigation, company funds are running low. They are also unable to access several sources of money since it would cause suspicion. Trying to retrieve funds from their offshore account, the team discovered that Auntie Im appears to have transferred these into accounts only known to her. This results in Seung-Won yelling at his team for their incompetency.
Things get even worst when Seung-Won’s secretary deliver the news that the upcoming shareholders meeting has been postponed until the investigation is completed. Observing the tell-tale state of his boss, the secretary silently ushers the others to leave the room. As soon as everyone is gone, Seung-Won walks up to him and stabs him in the stomach area with a pen he had been holding. He blames the man for not keeping a closer eye on his brother Do-Won, but also wants to know about Shaman Nam.
The secretary tells him about the shaman’s involvement in raiding N.Joy Club, and that he works out of Café Minamdang. A place which Do-Won seems to frequent quite often in recent times. The man further states that he will find Auntie Im as quickly as possible. Seung-Won tells him to use whatever resources he needs to accomplish this task. He also instructs him to send a warning message to the people involved in ruining the ground-breaking ceremony.
Later that night, several men clad in dark outfits and wearing masks sneakily approach the front of Café Minamdang. After gaining access to the front door, they enter.
Café Minamdang Episode 15
The following morning, Han-Joon enters his sister’s room after she does not respond to his calls for breakfast. He finds her computers in disarray and some missing, but no sign of her. A mannequin wearing her clothes is hanging from the ceiling. After initially thinking it is his sister, Han-Joon is distressed and starts crying. He is then joined by an equally startled Na-Dan.
Shortly after, Hye-Joon enters the front of the Café with Su-Cheol. To their surprise, they are hugged by a tearful Han-Joon and Na-Dan, instead of being scolded for spending the night out [together]. Han-Joon fills them in with Jae-Hui also being present.
In his worry about what could have happened to her, Su-Cheol ends up revealing they were out together. It is now that Han-Joon tells them that he already knew about them dating all along since they were so obvious. He gives them his blessings along with some protective older brother ground rules.
Once everyone has settled down to some refreshments at the downstairs area of the Café, Jae-Hui shares that their investigation has not revealed anything new. Gu Tae-Su also still refuses to admit anyone else’s involvement in the murders.
Café Minamdang Episode 15
Su-Cheol on the other hand has had more luck looking into Cha Seung-Won’s old neighbourhood. People around there still talk about animals dying inside the Cha house and daily exorcisms being performed. Then one day their son, even though he had been accepted to a prestigious local university, was sent to study abroad all of a sudden. While the team ponders aloud about the reason for this sudden change in plans, Do-Won enters stating that he might be able to shed some light on the matter.
Without further ado, he tells them that his brother killed someone when he was young. Do-Won himself witnessed Seung-Won strangling his classmate named Oh Heon-Yu in their garage, fainting as a result. When he came to a few days later, the official story was that the classmate committed suicide. The autopsy could not confirm foul play and the case remained unsolved. He is sure however that it was a cover-up done by their father who would always clean up after Seung-Won. His brother went abroad right after.
Han-Joon decides to try and solve the 20-year-old case with help from Jae-Hui and of course, Do-Won. Meanwhile Su-Cheol and Hye-Joon will continue to search for Auntie Im’s whereabouts.
Do-Won directs Jae-Hui and Han-Joon to his childhood home where the incident took place. A look at the big beautiful house and its landscaped surrounded has Han-Joon exclaim his admiration. Upon arrival, they immediately proceed to walk into the garage where Do-Won recounts what happened that day. As he does this, he starts reliving the event becoming increasingly affected by a traumatic response. Unable to continue, Han-Joon and Jae-Hui take him outside from some fresh air.
Café Minamdang Episode 15
Not discovering anything new, they decide to seek out Seung-Won’s former classmate Hong Myeong-Su, who was also present that day. Since Hong is now CEO of Choekang Construction’s subsidiary, Do-Won offers to bring him to Café Minamdang.
Meanwhile the detectives narrow down the location of the hotel room Kang Eun-Hye died in. This leads them to a elite resort, well known for its popularity among the rich and famous for its tight security. They go onsite with the crime technicians to look for any clues inside the room in question. While there, they notice staff putting up plastic coverings on the windows of another room. Questioning them, they learn there was a privacy complaint by a famous singer named Harry after his last stay. One of his fans managed to fly a drone close to the windows to take pictures of him.
The detectives’ ears perk up at this. Turns out this happened the same night that Mayor Lee was staying at the resort and his room was just above this one. Hoping the fan could have unknowingly captured things happening in the mayor’s room, detectives Jang and Kim meet up with her. The female fan insists there is no film, she only captured Harry, and refuses to let them see the footage. When the detectives tell her that taking photos of someone without their consent can get her arrested, she tries to hurriedly leave.
Café Minamdang Episode 15
Just then detective Na walks up to their table and bumps into her. The fan looks at him in awe and sits back down. Apparently he looks similar enough to her idol Harry that she is mistaking him for the singer. Quickly catching on to what is happening and assisted by his colleagues’ discreet signals, Na proceeds to take on the singers persona. Under his charm, the fan promptly allows the detectives to view the footage taken by her drone that night. Just as they hoped, it contains evidence of Mayor Lee, Kang Eun-Hye and Gu Tae-Su having been in that room that night.
Meanwhile at Café Minamdang, Do-Won has managed to bring Hong Myeong-Su to see Shaman Nam. Pretending to be in communication with Oh Hyeon-Yu’s spirit, Han-Joon asks the man why he killed him. Myeong-Su admits to hitting the classmate but not killing him and that he was told to keep quiet by Chairman Cha [Do-Won’s father]. He states that him and Seung-Won left the beat up but very much alive Hyeon-Yu and went to a club afterwards. On their way they ran into Seung-Won’s tutor who tried to stop them. This resulted in Seung-Won shoving her to the ground and kicking her. They let Hong leave after that.
Café Minamdang Episode 15
Do-Won is confused after hearing Myeong-Su’s account of that day. He was so sure of his memories from the event. Han-Joon consoles him that the trauma of what he witnessed could have tampered with his memory. Do-Won also doesn’t recall any specific tutors of Seung-Won from back then since they used to change all the time. But he states that he will check with the family’s old butler to see about any records left from those days.
After Do-Won leaves, Han-Joon asks Hye-Joon to see if she can find out info about Seung-Won’s tutor from when he was in 12th grade.
Hye-Joon is currently busy following Seung-Won’s car together with Su-Cheol and Na-Dan after placing a tracking and listening device on his car. They overhear him talking on the phone to Myeon-Su, who appears to be telling him about his earlier experience at the café. Seung-Won commands him to keep his mouth shut or they will both be dead. After hanging up, he directs his secretary to drive to Oegok-dong. Hoping to be led to Auntie Im’s hideout, the team is surprised to find out Seung-Won’s destination is the HyeJoon Mental Institution.
Do-Won obtained the records of Seung-Won’s tutors and forwards a digital copy to Han-Joon and Jae-Hui. As he himself goes through the different profiles, one of them sticks out to him. Looking at the picture of tutor Jung Hye-Joon, Do-Won has flashbacks of her comforting him and also talking to Seung-Won.
Café Minamdang Episode 15
Han-Joon’s team plus Hae-Jui are eating supper [A/N: And now I also want to eat Korean fried chicken] while looking over the list of tutors sent by Do-Won. One teacher in particular catches their attention as she is also a psychiatrist. Her name is Jung Hye-Yoon. Hye-Joon, Su-Cheol and Na-Dan recognize her name as matching the one of the mental institution they tracked Seung-Won to earlier.
The following day, Han-Joon and Jae-Hue go to interview the psychiatrist at her institution. They ask her about student Oh Hyeong-Yu and his death 20 years ago. She at first refuses to share any details, citing client/patient privacy. However, after hearing there might be a connection to recent murders, she offers to show them a diary she kept during that time.
Dr. Jung is attacked from behind and sedated with a syringe while retrieving a disk in her office. The perpetrator places her half-conscious body in a chair while taunting her. Revealing his face we see Prosecutor Cha. (A/N: I just knew it. There was something about him that had me not trust him 100 %. lol.) Images from the past are shown again but now revealing the identity of the young mystery boy being Do-Won. Conscious but unable to move, Dr. Jung is defenseless against his subsequent strangulation attempt.
Epilogue
Cha Do-Won and Gu Tae-Su are sitting inside a car at night in a dark alleyway. While Gu is looking at a document, Cha states that this is the person they will punish next. Someone who escaped from being punished by the law. The man in question is walking up to them and Gu proceeds to strangle him with a burial shroud while Cha remains watching nearby.
In the next scene, we are once again at Han Jae-Jeong’s crime scene. Here we find out that the other person there with Gu that night was Cha Do-Won. He was also the one to strangle Jae-Jeong after the same told him that what he is doing makes him no better than the people he is punishing. While Gu Tae-Su is left to clean up, Cha leaves the apartment. On his way he crosses path with Nam Han-Joon who is coming to see his friend.
Café Minamdang Episode 15 END
Author’s Note
Wow!! They kept on playing with me but in the end it seems like my initial guess was right and Prosecutor Cha is the murderer. Unless they are still messing with us. Lol. Regardless, this drama is a masterpiece all the way. Looking forward to the remaining 3 episodes.
Until next time,