Nine Puzzles Episode 2: Murder, Memory, and a New Puzzle

Nine Puzzles Episode 2 kicks off with an unsettling discovery. At 11:15 pm, I-na arrives at The One City, hoping to catch Han-saem during his weekly visit to his mother. But things are already out of sync—Han-saem is home, showering, while his mother turns I-na away. As she wanders the parking lot, trying to remember where she left her car, I-na stumbles upon the vehicle of a girl she saw at the bar. The headlights are still on. Inside, the girl has been strangled to death.

The time is 11:20 pm. I-na calls the police, and by 11:50, officers arrive — among them, Sergeant Nam, the familiar supermarket cop. By the time Han-saem shows up, I-na is gone. She had sent him a flurry of texts at 11:38, alerting him about the murder.

A New Victim and Familiar Clues

The victim is soon identified as Lee Mi-young, a wealthy bar owner who also lives in The One City. Nothing seems to be stolen, and the estimated time of death falls between 10:10 and 11:30 pm. Although Han-saem doesn’t say it directly, he’s clearly suspicious of I-na — after all, it was she who found the body.

But I-na doesn’t flinch. Instead, she brings him deeper into her theory: this is the work of a serial killer, the same one who murdered her uncle Dong-hoon. She has another puzzle piece as proof. Han-saem begins investigating on his own — checking CCTV, questioning his mother, and tracing I-na’s steps. One key detail stands out: the murder site — Mi-young’s car — was parked in a CCTV blind spot.

Suspicions, Therapists, and Uncomfortable Questions

Han-saem visits I-na’s therapist, Dr. Lee, and shows her the puzzle piece. She refuses to answer. Yang, I-na’s mentor, grows frustrated with Han-saem’s obsession with I-na. Coincidentally, I-na arrives and confronts Han-saem, accusing him of ignoring logic in favor of suspicion. She theorizes the murder happened precisely at 10:32 pm, but he refuses to listen.

Han-saem heads to Mi-young’s bar, Griffin. There are no surveillance cameras, but the manager remembers four customers that night. Mi-young had spent time with a tall male customer — possibly a police officer. Han-saem checks if I-na had visited, but no one at the bar recognizes her.

A clue emerges: Mi-young received a call at 8:00 pm and a missed call at 9:45 pm. The number belongs to Hyun Ho-geun, the precinct chief and Dong-hoon’s old friend. Hyun claims he simply called to make and cancel a reservation, but Han-saem treats him like a suspect, which enrages him.

Clashing Methods and Missing Pieces

I-na also approaches Hyun, but with a lighter, more casual tone. She wants to understand if there’s a link between Dong-hoon and Mi-young. Hyun doesn’t see one. Meanwhile, Han-saem interrogates every cop who’s ever visited Griffin, creating friction within the force. The internal investigation leaks, triggering media scrutiny. Griffin’s manager finally identifies the bar customer — Commander Dong-su.

Dong-su says he left early, around 9:30 pm, since Mi-young had to close up. He’s offended by Han-saem’s thorough questioning. Meanwhile, Sergeant Nam admits she noticed Mi-young speeding earlier that night and wonders if the murder happened in the parking lot. This makes Han-saem pause — that angle hadn’t occurred to him.

Adding to the confusion, both Dong-su and Hyun lack solid alibis. Yang provides a breakthrough: Mi-young’s resident registration card is missing — a small but significant detail.

I-na’s Seminar and A Haunting Memory

While the investigation unfolds, I-na gives a seminar on criminal profiling, emphasizing its use in catching serial killers. She compares Mi-young and Dong-hoon’s murders — both were clean, planned, and cold, connected only by the puzzle pieces.

Later that night, in the rain, I-na tells the building’s caretaker to stay over for safety. The caretaker leaves anyway. Alone in the apartment, something unlocks in I-na’s memory. She finally recalls the moment of Dong-hoon’s murder: from a reflection, she had seen someone hiding behind her. Before the lights came back on, they had slipped out, locking the door behind them.

Observation: A Narrative of Mistrust and Memory

Episode 2 of Nine Puzzles continues to blur the line between logic and intuition. Han-saem’s methods are thorough but increasingly personal, particularly where I-na is involved. Meanwhile, I-na’s growing certainty about the serial killer’s pattern comes from emotion, trauma, and instinct — all things Han-saem tries to keep at bay.

Their conflict represents more than a professional disagreement — it’s a tension between cold evidence and emotional truth. As the puzzle pieces accumulate, the case no longer seems like just a whodunit. It’s a psychological maze, one that tests not just I-na’s memory, but her trust in the very people meant to protect her.