That Woman
Episode 3 of D.P. begins with Jun-Ho and Han being praised following their efforts in the D.P. department. They’ve already caught seven deserters and as a reward, are allowed to head off on leave for a while. As they start enjoying their newfound freedom, a phone call sees the pair forced to head off to Busan. They’re going to help out another DP unit but this doesn’t look like a straight forward task. Unlike the Jun-Mook situation, this kid is generally quite scary. While at a swanky hotel, Han and Jun-Ho meet Kim-Gyu, the captain in charge. Their target is Jeong Hyeon-Min and last they heard, he’s held up at his father’s place. Hyeon-Min is certainly not of sane mind. The army has wound him tighter than a screw and eventually he ends up fleeing from Jun-Ho and Han when they come calling. Ho-Yeol badly hurts his back in the ensuing chase that follows. After hearing this report, Beom-Gu gets an earful from his Captain, with the story spun as the pair causing a nuisance in the Busan district. Unfortunately Beom-Gu won’t let them back either until they catch Hyeon-Min. The pair eventually head to a karaoke bar where they attract the attention of a group of women associated with Yeong-Ok. This woman immediately takes a fancy to Jun-Ho, encouraging him to head out for some food with her after. Yeong-Ok is in an abusive relationship with Hyeon-Min, who beats her down and constantly asks for money. She’s basically been conned by Hyeon-Min, but it gives the D.P. boys a solid lead. They decide to catch Hyeon-Min through Yeong-Ok, but in doing so it means coughing up 3 million won to clear the girl’s debts and free her from his grip. Jun-Ho has a real soft spot for this woman, linking back to his past. She promises to pay him back and agrees to their deal. Down by the docks, Hyeon-Min is cornered but it takes Jun-Ho jumping in and striking the boy across the face to stop him in his tracks. Jun-Ho’s boxing experience comes in handy here, as the officers work together to stop him in his tracks. As Yeong-Ok slips away, one final twist in the tale reveals that she’s actually taken off with the real money. The notes down at the docks are complete fakes and actually just gift certificates. As the pair head back the base, Captain Lim informs the pair that they’ve used their entire leave in Busan and they’ve got no more left. Well, that may need to be changed. Beom-Gu shows up and informs Jun-Ho that his father has just collapsed back home.
The Episode Review
D.P. shifts its focus across the Busan this episode, offering up a slightly different flavour of surroundings. At the same time, the show effortlessly shows off these deserters in a different light with some strong character growth along the way. None of these deserters want to be found and some are outright crazy and violent when their cover is broken. That’s certainly the case when it comes to Hyeong-Min but seeing Jun-Ho played at his own game by Yeong-Ok shows that there’s really no black and white when it comes to these sort of situations. Either way, the ending concludes another really good chapter; this k-drama has been brilliant so far.
