Crime thrillers have always fascinated me, so I was keen to watch this series. What I enjoy is participating in the show by putting together the pieces and coming up with theories on who the murderer actually is.

Given that it was obvious from the onset that So-Woo was murdered, I would say the premiere does a good job in setting things up and dropping enough hints for the fun theory formulation process to begin.

We start off witnessing a fight between So Woo and Woo Hyuk, which we are led to believe was initiated by Woo Hyuk. However, as Woo Hyuk’s parents have connections, he seems to get away scot-free and the school begins its disciplinary process promptly, identifying So Woo as the assailant and Woo Hyuk as the victim. So Woo decides not to turn up for his disciplinary trial and chooses instead to pack his locker and leave. Two weeks later, we meet Joon Young, who leaves home early whenever his parents quarrel, and on his way to school, he sees something sticking out of a bush and upon further exploring, realises it is So Woo’s dead body. Seo Yeon happens to be at the area too and sees the body. The whole school goes in shock, and the school management is keen to close it as a suicide case. Joon Young is so distraught by his family situation and what he has observed that he almost commits suicide, only to be saved by Seo Yeon. In the meantime, the mystery unfolds as a fellow classmate happened to observe what happened that night and saw Woo Hyuk and his friends beating So Woo up. We also get introduced to So Woo’s good friend, Ji Hoon, who is extremely affected by his friend’s death.

So who are the possible suspects?

Woo Hyuk is such an obvious suspect that it’s certainly not him, though he certainly has secrets to hide that will shed light on the truth. Why was he so aggressive and angry with So Woo, who seems largely harmless? Why were they beating him up on the roof that night?

How about the girl who observed what happened on the rooftop? In a show like this, flashbacks are always not to be trusted as there’s always another layer to be peeled back, or another angle not fully seen by the person who tells the story. Nobody’s story is to be trusted in the show like this, not necessarily because their memories may be tainted, but just because the full picture is often more complicated than one person can see. Why was she there so late at night? I’m pretty sure she’s not just a passive witness and has some relationship to what happened on the rooftop that night.

How about the principal who’s so prompt to fire the security guard? Does he suspect that the security guard may reveal some truths about what happened that night? I find it hard to believe that the security guard has no clues about what happened. Wouldn’t there also be security footage that can be reviewed?

Maybe it’s Ji Hoon, since that could be the most surprising twist and all the wonderful recollections in this episode could have hurt even more because of what he did to his best friend? This is of course pure conjecture because we have no other hints, but that’s what makes watching a show like this fun and I’m sure we’re in for more exciting revelations in the weeks ahead.

Besides having the murder to drive the narrative, there are also several interesting character-driven stories going on, which include Joon Young’s family background and suicide attempt, as well as the friendship that will develop between him and Seo Yeon. I’m also keen to see how the student trial will play out as the students take things into their own hands to piece things together, which could be an interesting angle compared to a police investigation. I might not be able to write about this show while it’s running given that there are so many other shows currently going on, but I’ll definitely return to it at some point!