Crash – K-Drama Episode 9 Recap & Review

Yeon-ho Finds The Truth

Crash Episode 9 begins with Jung-wook wanting to let off some steam, which is code for injecting himself with drugs. One of the women with him goes out and gets the drugs from a man in a parking lot. Once he’s high, Jung-wook comes out. The man from earlier is waiting to drive Jung-wook home but Jung-wook insists on driving.

In his state, he crashes the car into a bike rider. So-hee’s father has just dropped a customer off when he sees the accident. He chases after Jung-wook, trying to get him to stop. Jung-wook rams his car into the taxi till it crashes into another car, leaving So-hee’s father heavily injured.

At present, the detectives discuss how the car was an unlicensed taxi used by clubs. Chief Gu gives the TCI his support. So-hee herself isn’t there, she’s in the hospital sitting by her unconscious father. She recalls hearing her father tell Yeon-ho how the taxi was So-hee’s home as she grew up. Visiting hours end and she’s forced to leave her father’s side.

Outside, Tae-ju is waiting for So-hee. He wants to help but she accuses him of not investigating the case of the unlicensed taxis back when he was in charge. A flashback shows the two arguing about how Tae-ju wrapped up the case without arresting the people involved — children of well-connected people, just like Jung-wook.

Meanwhile, Yeon-ho and Hyun-kyung identify the driver who usually drove the taxi as Lee Byung-chan. They look for him at the club and speak to Mijin, the woman who was with Jung-wook. She says that Byung-chan was driving and got into a fight with So-hee’s father. Back at the TCI, Yeon-ho and Hyun-kyung tell the others that Jung-wook is involved. Although, Mijin insists they got out of the car before the accident.

Elsewhere, Kyung-soo wakes up tied to a chair. A man dressed in black tortures him with electric currents till he says Jung-wook’s name.

By tracing the car on CCTV cameras, the TCI narrows down Byung-chan’s location to a certain area. They look through junkyards and find the car just before it’s completely destroyed. Even though the car is in bad shape, forensics are able to tell that three seat belts were in use at the time of the collision.

Jung-wook’s blood and DNA were found near the driver’s seat as well. Chae-man says they need to tread carefully since this is the Commissioner General’s son. They take this information to Chief Gu, who is naturally anxious about the situation. Chae-man says the next step is getting a confession from Jung-wook.

So-hee learns all of this from Hyun-kyung and storms to the club to confront Jung-wook herself. Jung-wook is smug and taunts her. Thankfully, Yeon-ho pulls So-hee out before she can retaliate. Jung-wook then gets a call from his father who is waiting outside the club. Pyo Myung-hak is furious at the mess Jung-wook has caused. Jung-wook gets angry too and tells his father he’ll manage everything himself.

Elsewhere, Yeon-ho says he was watching the club, waiting for Byung-chan to show up when he saw So-hee go after Jung-wook. He promises to prove that Jung-wook is the culprit.

The next day, Jung-wook is questioned by Yeon-ho but manages to laugh everything off. At the same time, Lee Byung-chan arrives at the police station and turns himself in. He admits the crime and Dong-gi, who’s questioning him, is unable to prove otherwise.

On his way out, Jung-wook provokes So-hee again and the others have to stop her from attacking him. Later, the detectives ask for a warrant but Chief Gu refuses to do so without more evidence. So-hee grows even more frustrated. Yeon-ho says he will catch Jung-wook as he has another personal reason to do so as well.

Yeon-ho then takes So-hee to his home and shows her his investigation into the accident from his past. He tells her that Kyung-soo, Jung-wook and Jae-young were driving Myung-hak’s car without a licence when they witnessed his accident. They said Kyung-soo was the driver but it’s clear that Jung-wook used Kyung-soo to save himself, just like the present case.

He also tells her about the blackmail and that Kyung-soo, who tried contacting Yeon-ho in the previous episode, is now missing. So-hee concludes that something else must have happened that night. The only thing Yeon-ho remembers from the incident is seeing a flash of light. They surmise that this could be the headlights of a car crossing the centre line on the road.

Myung-hak, Jae-young’s father, and Tae-ju discuss the same case. Tae-ju talks about Lee Jung-sub, the girl’s father, and how he was at the hospital at the time when Kyung-soo went missing. Tae-ju suggests to Myung-hak that they “corner” them. We then see Tae-ju and other officers escort Chae-man outside, accusing him of an evasive investigation. In the meantime, Tae-ju will take the post of the TCI’s leader. Even Chief Gu says his hands are tied.

After attending a disciplinary committee, Chae-man returns. He tells Yeon-ho and So-hee that he’s received three months of disciplinary action. Yeon-ho finally asks him what is the connection between him and the Lee Hyun-soo case. Chae-man shows him his investigation report on the case. He says one thing was off — the emergency call. The first call was made by Han Kyung-soo who suddenly cut the call.

The emergency dispatcher called back but Kyung-soo only picked up four minutes later. Something happened in those four minutes. Yeon-ho then tells them how Myung-hak visited him and convinced him to confess to the crime. Chae-man himself was transferred to the countryside not long after. He then directs Yeon-ho to meet a reporter who was covering the incident.

Yeon-ho and So-hee do so and the journalist tells them his supervisors forbade him from writing more about it. He also gives them a bunch of photographs and says the witnesses’ testimony didn’t match the photos. Before they leave, he tells them to be careful.

Tae-ju enters the TCI office and asks for Yeon-ho and So-hee’s whereabouts. The detectives meanwhile examine the photos and realise that the skid marks on the road match the tires on Myung-hak’s car, which was being driven by the high schoolers. They go back to the scene of the crime and Yeon-ho begins to recall more about the incident.

As his memories are pieced together, he realises that he never killed Lee Hyun-soo. It was Jung-wook and the other two who ran over her. On their way back, the two call Chae-man and tell him this. The team leader then tells them that the man who killed Jae-young had a crippled leg.

We then see Chae-man go up to Jung-sub and ask about his son-in-law. Side by side, we see Kim Min-sung, the forensics officer, put on a prosthetic leg. Yeon-ho goes up to him and calls him by his real name – Kim Hyun-min. He’s Lee Hyun-soo’s husband at the end of Crash Episode 9.

The Episode Review

Crash Episode 9 is the first episode that puts a stronger focus on the accident case from Yeon-ho’s past. The show handles it well, using Jung-wook’s encounter with So-hee’s father to give way to the larger, older case. It’s smart to have them fail to indict Jung-wook for the incident, thus giving Yeon-ho cause to bring up his case and even involve So-hee in the investigation.

In all of this, Tae-ju seems to be playing the role of Myung-hak’s lackey and assistant. However, his reaction to So-hee’s accusation about his covering up of the unlicensed taxi business is a bit off. Could it be that Tae-ju has his heart in the right place and is really on So-hee’s side?

We don’t get much insight into his character otherwise, so we’ll have to see. The reveal of Kim Hyun-min is a good twist, after all the suspicion about Jung-sub. It’s not his identity as much as his position as the forensic officer — someone who’s been there all along — that offers the shocking turn of events.