20. Ghost (Phantom)

Broadcast: May - Aug 2012
Episodes: 20, Crime, Action, Investigation
Cast:
So Ji Sub as Kim Woo Hyun/Park Ki Young
Lee Yeon Hee as Yu Kang Mi
Uhm Ki Joon as Jo Hyun Min
Kwak Do Won as Kwon Hyuk Joo
Song Ha Yoon as Choi Seung Yeon
Daniel Choi as Pak Gi Young/Hades
Im Ji Kyu as Byun Sang Woo
G.O as Lee Tae Gyun

This  action drama is about police in the cyber squad team who investigates cyber crimes. Cyber criminals are like ghosts that hide behind computers, and hence the name. Nothing to do with ghosts or spirits as I initially thought without reading/watching the previews :)

Kim Woo Hyun graduated top of his class and is the team leader for the cyber squad team 1 in the Korean police force. He is handsome, neat, organised, righteous and a workaholic. He and his team everyday captures cyber criminals and the current one he is wanting to capture is Hades, a hacker that's been causing havoc in the cyber world.

A huge investigation starts after a famous actress Shin Hyo Jung is killed. Evidence included videos that were circulated and distributed online of the murder. This initial murder, as they try to find the killer unravels to more murders that occurred in the past and happens later on in the future.

The original video of the murder of Shin Hyo Jung is tampered and points to Hades as the murderer. Woo Hyun crosses paths with Hades and finds out that Hades was actually a close friend of his who they studied together at the police academy. Hades' real name is Park Ki Young who left the academy before finishing for some unknown reason to Woo Hyun. All will be revealed as the drama progresses.

Woo Hyun confronts Park Ki Young. Ki Young swears he is not the murderer and has been framed. The two meet at a warehouse to talk things through. The killer wanted both of them dead and bombed the factory. Before he died, Woo Hyun  begs Ki Young to right the wrongs and solve the mystery. 

Ki Young is badly burned from head to toe. No one recognises him, but Yu Kang Mi knows he is Park Ki Young, knows that he is innocent. The two work together, and pretends that Park Ki Young is Kim Woo Hyun. Once Ki Young recovered, he undergoes surgery and is surgically enhanced to look identical to the real Kim Woo Hyun. This was the only way to find the killer and solve the mystery of all the murders.

As the drama progresses, eventually, the cyber squad members know Woo Hyun is Ki Young. They all help him find evidence to catch the killer. The killer is known from the very start. The drama was just unfolding the truth of the murders and finding evidence to bring the killer to justice.

This was an awesome drama. It was interesting and keeps you on your toes. So Ji Sub as Kim Woo Hyun; he is very good looking, fit, athletic and a great actor. Though, his usual look is that of a non-nonchalant personality who looks sleepy most of the time. His character is so intelligent which I found appealing :)

Yu Kang Mi reminded me of a prettier, younger version of HK actress Michelle Yim.

I feel for Park Ki Young who can't have his life back. He has to live as Woo Hyun for the rest of his life. The ending was nice though, and you could tell he didn't mind too much. He would exceed Woo Hyun as a police officer because of his intelligence.

Discrepancies: Did no one notice the height difference between Park Ki Young and Kim Woo Hyun? Park Ki Young was like several centimeters taller! How about the voice? they sound different too. Also, after the surgery, Ki Young has scars behind his ears, on his body and arms, but all the scars seemed to disappear after the 2-3 episode!

The front entrance scene to the police building was used several times in several episodes. It's the same because the people that passed it is the same - wearing the same clothes and doing the same things. Seriously, it's just laziness in using the same shot. If it was a static scene of the building, that wouldn't have been so bad.

The mad bull team leader Kwon Hyuk-Joo  and Truth Story reporter Choi Seung Yeon talking about dating each other at the end. All I can say is ewwww. He's like 2x her age and looks like her father!

OST: I only liked one song here which was Burnt Out by Block B. They sound a tad bit like Big Bang. It's a very fast, rhythmic and catchy song.

I didn't give this one a 5 because I felt that it was missing the romance element. Ki Young as Woo Hyun and Kang Mi were potentials for romance, but this part was never explored. Maybe in a later sequel if they ever make one?

Good action drama, I recommend it.

Rating: 4.9/5