Search

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Title : Search

Episodes : 10 episodes

Genre : Military, Thriller, Mystery

Director : Lim Dae Woong

Writer : Go Moo, Go Myung Joo

Network : OCN

Cast : Jang Dong Yoon, Krytal, Yoon Park, Lee Hyun Wook

Plot : 

Few weeks before his discharged, Yoon Dong Jin who is a dog handler in the military search team was send to search for missing soldier in the demilitarized zone (DMZ). Aside from his teammate, the KCST also sent Son Ye Rim to them as there are evidenced that the area might be contaminated. Yoon Dong Jin and Son Ye Rim was once a lover but drifted apart due to work. During this mission, they discovered the missing soldier was dead and infected by unknown virus that bring him back to live and attack the living. The Commanding Officer Lee Dae Shik and Congressman Lee Hyuk who used to be in the military and was considered as hero of the nation due to the Sector 21 Incident formed a team to track down the man that spread the virus. The team consist of Yoon Dong Jin, Son Ye Rim, Lee Joon Sung, Jo Man Chul, Park Ki Hyung and Captain Song Min Gyu. With the given one week time, the mission is carried forward, and more secrets are uncovered.

SPOILER ALERT

The first episode confused the hell out of me. At first, there was a mass shooting at the DMZ where a North Korean woman with a baby wanted to defect to South but was caught by the North Korean soldiers. The situation was bad. Suddenly, there were two soldiers wondering in the woods and was attacked by mysterious creature. I don't know how to make sense of this episode as it was two different accident and completely unrelated. As the story progress, it became clearer how the two of the incidents are related and what actually happened in the Sector 21.

As there are only ten episodes, I can says that it was perfectly fit with the story line. It wasn't too rushing nor too dragging. The first few episodes hold so much suspense due to the mystery creature and its agility. Their mission is to kill the target, but it wasn't easy to kill it because of the mutation cell inside the body of the target. Every time they went hunting the target, it was so nerve-wrecking! 

In between all those tensions, there also some scenes that balances out the tension. The scenes that involve the people of the village were always light and a little humorous. I especially loved the scene where Kim Da Jung, a retired elite soldier and also the tour guide of the local museum beat out the gangster who make scene at her work place. It was a bit cliche but who says all cliche is bad? Not me. And not to mention all those somewhat flirty but not really flirty scenes between Dong Jin and Ye Rim. Their chemistry is really great! Also the testosterone-filled scenes between Captain Song and his assistant, Lee Joon Sung. They always have opposite opinion and neither is willing to back down (but of course what the Captain said goes). 

I wasn't expecting the plot twist  where there is a 'host' that carried the dangerous virus and spread it around. And I didn't expect what is the host is. It was really shocking and very much heart-wrenching. What I can is... The hero of DMZ is a total faux. Lee Hyuk, is a very despicable and disgusting human being. What he did then and now was so selfish. So many people were in despair because of his selfishness. I feels like killing his character thousand times and that won't even make it up for the people's despair (glad that he is only a character).

While I am glad that everything is working out to their advantage, I can't said that I am not sad. For loss. It was a bitter pill to swallow. To loss not only one but three comrades in a span of one week. And that the death of two of them on the last mission by their own choice hurt so much. I could feel the emptiness during the scene where they gathered at Dong Jin's mom's restaurant after the catastrophe. The promise that they fulfilled but wasn't complete. 

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-thes