Café Minamdang Episode 6 Recap (2022 Korean Drama)
**This recap of Café Minamdang Episode 6 contains spoilers**
Trigger Warning: Topics of suicide, murder, rape are a ongoing theme of this show. Please look after yourselves.
<<<3 years ago>>>
Officer Han Jae-Hui and her partner are in pursuit of a strawberry thief out in a rural area. Loosing sight of the culprit, they decide to use the dash cam of a small truck parked nearby to hopefully tell them where to look. Seeing no sign of the driver, they walk around to the back. That’s when they spot blood on the back door of the truck and a blood trail leading to a nearby barn.
While her partner calls for back-up, Jae-Hui enters the barn. She discovers what, based on his attire, seems to be the driver, sitting on the floor next to a still smoldering partially burned corpse.
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Profiler Nam Han-Joon is in Prosecutor Han Jae-Jeong’s office and they two are enjoying some friendly banter before getting down to business. Topic of their discussion is the recent murder case of Do Jun-Ah, the burned corpse in the barn. The barely conscious driver found next to the body turns out to be Choi Yeong-Seob. Although tests confirmed a high amount of sedatives in Choi’s system, it was not enough to kill him.
Police suspect Choi killed Do, his daughter’s rapist, in an act of revenge. Six months earlier Do managed to evade jailtime due to a lack of evidence in the case. Choi’s daughter took her own life the day after this happened. Choi admits his guilt when officers arrest him on the scene, but due to the drugs in his system cannot recall the details. Contrary to the majority, Han-Joon doubts this chain of events from the start.
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As the two of them go to personally investigate the scene of the crime, Han-Joon continues profiling the real culprit. Based on everything he knows, Han-Joon feels convinced this was not the suspects first murder. Both suddenly become aware that a figure dressed in black complete with baseball hat and mask has snuck up on them.
A foot chase ensues when they try to apprehend the fleeing person. After loosing sight of him among some buildings, they instead notice an old man looking at them from the entrance of his small shop. They sense he wants to talk to them.
Turns out this man worked in his field that day when he noticed smoke coming from the barn where they later found the body. As he watched, someone exited the barn walking backwards while sweeping the ground in front of him. The individual departed on foot, leaving the truck behind.
The man’s timeline indicates this would have been mere minutes before Jae-Hui and her partner discovered the body. Prosecutor even goes to confirm the timeline with his sister Jang-Mi (Jae-Hui), the first officer on the scene.
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During their conversation, Jang-Mi (Jae-Hui) finds out that her brother has been friends with profiler Han-Joon since high school. Even though Jae-Hui thinks all profilers are quacks, this does not change her feelings for him. Excited to learn of her brother’s close connection to her long-time crush, she begs Jae-Jeong to set her up on a date with him. Her brother hesitates to do so but Jae-Hui decides to make Han-Joon notice her by solving the case.
After Choi’s release from the detention center, Jae-Hui follows him as he takes a cab out to the barn. Gun in hand, she confronts him inside the building. Forced to place the phone he was holding down on the ground, Jae-Hui sees he has been watching a video on it. The clip shows someone wrapping a body in burial shroud. Choi angrily states that she should have just believed when he admitted to the crime. Now more people starting with Prosecutor Han are going to die and she is to blame.
A physical altercation results in Choi escaping after overpowering Jae-Hui and knocking her unconscious.
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Meanwhile Jae-Jeong calls Han-Joon to tell him he believes to have found a link possibly tying Choi to the actual culprit, but refuses to give detail over the phone. He invites the profiler to his apartment with the instructions to bring a meal of jokbal (pigs feet) and soju in exchange for the information.
When Jae-Jeong arrives home, he receives a call from his sister telling him about the Choi incident and warning him to be careful. He invited her to come to his place asap as he also has something important to share with her regarding the case. In the midst of their conversation, Jae-Jeong drops his phone as he comes under attack by someone laying in wait in his apartment. Jae-Hui keeps calling out to him on the other end but gets no response.
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Han-Joon knocks on his friends door with the requested meal in hand, unaware that at the same time Jae-Jeong is taking his last breath on the other side. While he waits, his colleague and close friend Lieutenant Kong Su-Cheol walks up beside him. Su-Cheol explains that his superior ordered him to immediately go to Prosecutor Han’s apartment.
Before they can talk further, smoke starts coming from underneath the door. Han-Joon forces his way and at once takes stock of the situation. He is able to grab the fleeing perpetrator by the wrist, noting the man has a burn scar as he does so. But the intruder manages to break free and escape via the balcony. Su-Cheol runs out in pursuit but soon after looses sight of him.
Repeatedly calling out Jae-Jeong’s name, Han-Joon desperately tries extinguishing the fire engulfing his friend who is lying on the floor. Finally realizing that Jae-Jeong is beyond help, he breaks down in agonizing sobs.
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By the time Jae-Hui arrives outside her brother’s apartment building, the crime unit is already taking away his body. A young man introducing himself as Prosecutor Cha Do-Won, informs her he will be the person in charge of investigating the case. Cha mentions finding Choi’s ID next to the body and that he is their most likely suspect. Numbed by what it happening, Jae-Hui stands there motionless starring straight ahead.
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Han-Joon remains inside the apartment where Su-Cheol is now tending to his wounds. Despite his emotional state of mind right now, Han-Joon keeps insisting that he is sure Choi is not the culprit. Everyone reminds him of the overwhelming evidence pointing towards Choi but this does not deter Han-Joon.
Recalling his last conversation with Jae-Jeong, he starts looking around for anything left behind for him by his friend. Finding nothing of importance, he does take notice of a picture of his friend with his parents and younger sibling.
A worried Su-Cheol ushers Han-Joon out the building to drive him home. The profiler waits in a dazed state for the lieutenant to bring his car around..
Wrapped up in overwhelming grief, Jae-Hui does not register Han-Joon’s presence.
Present Day – Hospital Rooftop
Jae-Hui does not believe Han-Joon saw the killer and insists that Choi is the culprit. Why else would he have confessed to her three years ago, acting all creepy.
They continue arguing, completely ignoring Cha’s presence who has since joined them. She calls Han-Joon a con artist, he rebuttals by calling her a horrible investigator. But his brags about his shaman fame are interrupted by Cha’s statement that he can’t be that good. Or he would have already caught the killer.
Han-Joon’s stunned expression elicits a victorious smile from Jae-Hui. While Han-Joon takes his leave, he reminds them not to rely too heavily on evidence found in Choi’s house but look closer into his alibi.
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Once back downstairs, Jae-Hui severely reprimands Detective Jang for allowing Han-Joon access to Choi’s room. Jang defends his actions stating that he believes the shaman has made some valid points regarding his doubts in Choi’s culpability. She should be more open minded in her investigations and better utilize the capabilities of her team.
A frustrated Jae-Hui mutters that she is not about to act like some incompetent detective. Insulted at this, Jang challenges her to solve the case by herself then since she is so above them before walking away. Having witnessed the exchange, Detectives Kim and Na follow their colleague, after giving disappointed looks to Jae-Hui.
Prosecutor Cha continues to wordlessly stand by. Jae-Hui then suddenly announces her decision to check Choi’s alibi for the recent crime.
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Su-Cheol and Han-Joon are driving away from the hospital when a cab with Cha in the back seat pulls up next to them. His request to talk falls on deaf ears but he continues to drive along side them and insisting. This prompts Han-Joon to say that Cha must not have enough cases to keep him busy seeing how he has time to follow them like this.
Cha breaks into one of his lengthy speeches detailing all his difficult cases since becoming a prosecutor seven years ago. Han-Joon and Su-Cheol can’t believe what’s happening since Cha tends to usually be on the quiet side. They also have no way of escaping since their vehicle is in dire need of repair and can only go very slow.
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CEO Lee is waiting for Han-Joon upon their return to Café Minamdang. With her connections to the elite, she has been providing the team with essential information regarding select individuals. Lee has found out that Superintendent Lim Min-Jun became a director for Choekang Constructions three years ago.
Word has it that he was offered the position in exchange for resolving an issue the conglomerate was having with the bid for a project. Lim was given the order by a higher up though and not by Choekang Constructions directly. Lee has yet to find out the identity of said higher up.
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Jae-Hui and her team discover that Choi has been finding work through a employment agency, and worked his latest assigned shift two nights ago. Having arrived in Seoul only two days ago gives him a solid alibi for the time the sewer victim is believed to have been killed.
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Scheming to take Choi into a secret VIP room for his safety, Han-Joon and his team dress up as medical staff. While Hye-Joon and Su-Cheol keep watch over the patient, Han-Joon takes his place inside the original room. The plan is for him to lay in wait for the real killer as he is sure the same will make another attempt to get rid of Choi.
Things derail slightly when the doctors don’t believe Han-Joon’s story that he is not Choi but a undercover detective. They believe their patient is suffering from a case of delirium and despite his protests give him a heavy dose of sedatives.
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Jae-Hui catches on to the ploy and furiously goes to give Han-Joon a piece of her mind. When entering the room however, she is met with a Han-Joon still under the influence of the medicine given. In his delirious state he call her pretty, acting all cute. She proceed to punch him but due to his unsteady condition, they end up falling unto a hospital bed, which results in a accidental kiss.
Su-Cheol and Hye-Joon witness the whole incident with a look of pure delight and mischief on their faces.
Jae-Hui starts realizing that Han-Joon seems off and is told the reason for his behaviour. He is clear minded enough however to explain his plan to her and that all she needs to do is guard Choi.
Suddenly seeming lucid again, Han-Joon pulls Jae-Hui close and asks her to believe in him. He will prove his suspicions and catch the real killer for her. Meanwhile she should go and get Choi to confess the actual truth to her. He ends by venturing that one of them is bound to succeed.
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Jae-Hui leaves the room, telling herself to not be shaken by Han-Joon or the kiss. Waiting outside in the hallway for Cha, she updates him on the recent developments and takes him to Choi’s current room. She is overheard by an individual dressed in a nurses outfit standing nearby.
Prosecutor Cha takes down Choi’s statement as Han-Joon’s team listen in via a recording device. Jae-Hui located their video feed inside the room and disconnected it.
<<Choi’s Flashback: 3 years ago>>
While leaving the penitentiary, Choi receives a call reminding him to keep up his end of their deal and continue to take the blame for Do’s murder. Failing to do so will cause the death of Prosecutor Han and many more people.
<<End of Flashback>>
While he clearly remembers more than he lets on, Choi keeps insisting to Cha and Jae-Hui that he committed the crime and to stop trying to prove otherwise.
A nurse walks in just then stating that Choi needs to receive a shot. Within seconds Choi’s vital stats are all over the place and Jae-Hui rushes towards the nurse to detain him.
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Overhearing the ensuing commotion, Han-Joon’s team take a look at their video feed pointing at the door to Choi’s room. Zooming in on the male nurse entering the room, Han-Joon jumps up and starts running towards the other room. The video footage clearly shows a burn mark on the nurses wrist. Just as he though, Goburi came to eliminate Choi.
In pursuit of the suspect, Han-Joon enters a stairway and is attacked from behind with a syringe.
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Epilogue: Comfort Funeral Home – 3 years ago
Han-Joon is approached by Prosecutor Cha outside of Jae-Jeong’s funeral service to talk about the case. The former firmly states that Choi, their main suspect, is not guilty. When he fought with him at the site of the crime, the culprit had a clearly visible burn scar on his wrist. Choi does not have any burn marks on his arms or hands.
END of Café Minamdang Episode 6
