The Price of Confession

Presentation

For more…

Overview

Synopsis

Ahn Yoon Soo is an ordinary arts teacher. One day, her husband is murdered and she’s accused of the crime. She’s then sent to prison. There, she meets Mo Eun. She’s called a witch by others prisoners because of her ability to read through people. Both women have secrets and decide to make a deal.

My Opinion (No Spoiler)

The Price of Confession is an excellent drama! It is suspenseful, full of tension and so many mysteries that I was unable to guess who the culprit was until the big reveal. Like Yoon Soo, you put the puzzle pieces together one by one, you doubt everything and everyone. When it comes to characters, the lead duo is excellent. Both have their own path and even though they sometimes overlap, neither strays away from her main objective. Mo Eun is an amazing villain and the drama did a good job at explaining her story right from the start. As for Yoon Soo, she’s resilient, determined, refuses to act against her conscience and always tries to find an alternative way to prove her innocence. Both women are strong and carry the show. The prosecutor is the character I liked the least because he’s stubborn, obtuse, and also the reason why it gets messy. Finally, the drama shows how failures of justice can lead to catastrophic consequences and the importance to seek for the truth, not a truth. Compelling intrigue, gripping tension, complex characters and a very good pace, these are all the elements that make The Price of Confession a must-watch!

Analysis

• Ahn Yoon Soo, the designated culprit
• Mo Eun, the pathetic villain
• Baek Dong Hun, a biased prosecutor
• When did it all go wrong?
• Entangled revenges
• The price of confession
• The ending

Ahn Yoon Soo, the designated culprit: Not only is Ahn Yoon Soo (Jeon Do Yeon) the collateral victim of her husband’s murder, but she’s also the prosecution’s designated culprit. Her artsy looks, her detached and awkward behavior during interrogations and her overall suspicious vibe made her guilty in the eyes of the police. But it was her unconventional reactions throughout the investigation that ultimately worked against her. She was nervous and overwhelmed, which translated in brief smiles, a soft tone of voice and lack of tears. In reality, she had just not processed the death of her husband, was still traumatized by the events of that night and had to remain strong for her daughter. Yet, the police saw these cues as signs of guilt and pinned her as the murderer right away. Ahn Yoon Soo claims her innocence, but she’s still trialed and sent to prison. There, her encounter with Mo Eun (Kim Go Eun) puts her in yet another tricky situation. In exchange for turning herself in as the real killer, Mo Eun asks Yoon Soo to kill someone else. Though cornered, she doesn’t bend in to external forces and never betrays her values. The fact that she refuses to kill someone to save herself proves how strong, kind, empathetic and resilient Yoon Soo is. She wants to find out the truth with her own methods without hurting innocent people – Mo Eun included.

Mo Eun, the pathetic villain: At first, Mo Eun is a the epitome of a psychopathic killer. She is completely unaffected by the murders she’s committed and doesn’t even care about her sentence. But the more you scratch the surface, the more humane she is. Her behavior in prison betrays a good and empathetic side, like when she saves an asphyxiated Pudgy (Sim I Na) or uses her medical skills on Gu Hui Yeong (Lee Jae In). Turns out that Mo Eun suffered immensely in the past causing her to give in to her pain and hatred. She used to be a doctor dispatched in Thailand’s countryside, while her sister and father remained in South Korea. Tragedy strikes when her sister is raped and the culprit, Ko Se Hun (Nam Da Reum), sends the video to all her friends and family. Se Hun only receives a light sentence for his misdeeds thanks to his wealthy parents, while Mo Eun’s sister drowns in despair. She then commits suicide, quickly followed by her father. Mo Eun hears the news of their passing amidst the COVID pandemic and is stuck in Thailand. She blames herself and nurtures her desire for revenge. When she finally comes back to Seoul under a new identity, she immediately kills Se Hun’s parents. Only the teenager remains, hence her deal with Yoon Soo. Once you’ve heard everything that Mo Eun’s been through, you can’t help but empathize with her. Justice failed her and her family which resulted in a series of tragic events. Mo Eun is not a bad person per se, she became one because of circumstances.

Baek Dong Hun, a biased prosecutor: The whole point of the drama is to make Baek Dong Hun (Park Hae Soo) change his mind regarding Yoon Soo’s culpability. He’s a police officer-turned-prosecutor who’s known for his questionable methods. He relies on his instinct rather than evidence, making the investigation sloppy and biased. From the get-go, Baek Dong Hun doesn’t trust Yoon Soo and her testimony. He’s convinced she’s the killer and thus does everything in his power to make the evidence match his hunch. Once Mo Eun confesses she’s the actual culprit, Baek Dong Hun keeps on investigating Yoon Soo. He’s stubborn and obtuse, proud and unbending. The drama relates his journey, as he gets rid of his prejudice and opens his eyes. Truth is not always what it seems to be and you should always question even the smallest detail. Baek Dong Hun is the reason why it all gets messy in the first place. If he had not been so focused on Yoon Soo and actually explored other trails, he would’ve realized that she was a crucial witness who offered him the killer on a silver plate, she had no motive to kill her husband and other individuals gravitating around her husband were far more suspicious. At the end, he confronts the real murderer in the interrogation room. She’s accusing her dead husband of everything. She even uses Dong Hun’s previous mistake as leverage against him, emphasizing that he doesn’t want to make the same error with her as he did with Yoon Soo. This is bittersweet because we all know she’s guilty, but the evidence might play in her favor. Baek Dong Hun hesitates and doubts, but he’s learned his lesson.

When did it all go wrong? Both Mo Eun and Yoon Soo’s lives spiraled down due to the failures of justice. Using his family’s power and influence, Ko Se Hun got away with his crime and his parents never felt remorse. Abandoned by the system, Mo Eun decided to make justice herself. Regarding the murder of Yoon Soo’s husband, his wife appeared to be the perfect culprit. The police and the prosecution needed a scapegoat. So, they naturally designated her as the murderer without analyzing evidence or even listening to her when she claimed she’d seen someone that day – which turned out to be true. Justice failed her once again at her trial when her lawyer told her to plead guilty to reduce her sentence. After that, events escalated, leading to the deaths of three protagonists: Se Hun’s, the actual murderer behind Yoon Soo’s case and Mo Eun’s. At the end of the day (and the show), the drama gives away a precious lesson. If the police had done their job correctly and justice had not let victims down, none of this would’ve happened. This catastrophic domino effect stems from corruption of the judicial system, but also people’s inability to look for the truth rather than accept reality as it comes. If Ko Se Hun had accepted his sentence and felt remorse – or if he had paid for his crime – he would still be alive today. If Baek Dong Hun had been more meticulous and determined to get to the bottom of his case, Yoon Soo wouldn’t have gone through such an ordeal. Actions all have consequences.

Entangled revenges: Mo Eun and Yoon Soo’s fates become intertwined when they make a deal in prison. Or should I say when Mo Eun forces a deal onto Yoon Soo and asks her to kill Se Hun. By doing so, Mo Eun intends on fulfilling her revenge. Interestingly, there’s a shift that occurs mid-drama. Though Yoon Soo was the one dragged into someone else’s revenge at first, it’s now Mo Eun’s turn to get involved into Yoon Soo’s. She helps her while she’s on the run, supports her to gather evidence and uncover the killer’s identity. At the end, Se Hun dies which frees Mo Eun from her revenge. So, she frees Yoon Soo from hers by killing Lee Ki Dae’s (Lee Ha Yul) murderer. The entanglement between both women is now severed for good.

The price of confession: Every confession has a price. The real question is: can you afford to pay? It all starts with Mo Eun’s confession that she’s the real culprit behind Ki Dae’s murder. This helps Yoon Soo regain her freedom, but this statement was not free of charge: Ko Se Hun has to die in return. This is exactly what happens, even if Ahn Yoon Soo is not directly responsible for it. In any case, Mo Eun’s statement precipitated Se Hun’s murder, as his death was the only way for Ki Dae’s murderer to blame Yoon Soo and have her go back to prison. The payment of that single confession is two-sided in the show, as Mo Eun got entangled in Yoon Soo’s business and paid with her life. While on the run, Yoon Soo confesses that she’s indeed killed her husband, as a way to clear her name from Se Hun’s murder. She pays a heavy price too because her daughter gets kidnapped by Se Hun’s grandfather who’s certain that she’s the real killer and that she’s in cahoots with Mo Eun. He even tries to kill her, but thankfully fails. Ko Se Hun, his parents and his grandfather all had to pay the price for their fake confessions to the police, following Se Hun’s crime. They were decimated by Mo Eun’s revenge and the grandfather lost his entire family. Even Gu Hui Yeong who betrayed her friend by lying to the prosecution ended up in prison and tried to commit suicide. Most characters learn that words have weight that can sometimes crush you.

The ending: At the end of the drama, we discover the real motive behind Ki Dae’s death. Turns out he was rude to lawyer Jin Young In (Choi Young Joon) and his wife, after Ki Dae had commented that the painting they had donated was at the heart of a plagiarism controversy. Lee Ki Dae refused to apologized, so they killed him. The absurdity of the motive highlights how pathetic human nature is. If our ego is bruised, we’re willing to avenge ourselves in the most violent way. In the final scenes, Jin Young In dies and his wife is arrested. She’s the real culprit, but she’s now blaming her husband for everything. It’s up to Baek Dong Hun to properly investigate and prosecute her. Mo Eun dies while protecting Yoon Soo. On the one side, Mo Eun’s got nothing left to lose. On the other side, she doesn’t want Yoon Soo to commit any murder. Yoon Soo is finally acquitted and goes to Thailand with her daughter to visit Mo Eun’s past. She leaves her watch – symbol of Mo Eun’s spirit – in a place where she used to be happy. In the final scene, we see that Mo Eun and Yoon Soo had already crossed paths in the past when Yoon Soo was celebrating her wedding (which is also the opening scene of the show). The circle is complete.