Crime Puzzle (2021) ~ Unraveling Shadows in a Psychological Maze

“Crime Puzzle” is a 2021 Korean drama, 32 episodes, categorized as Thriller, Crime, Mystery, and Psychological Thriller, based on a webtoon of the same name, and streaming on Viki.

• Memorable Quote:  “… I think he thinks he needs to be in prison for some reason …I’ll go over the list of current inmates …”

SUMMARY: A forensic psychologist confesses to murder and the criminal profiler is determined to uncover the truth behind his shocking admission. Their past relationship collides with a dangerous conspiracy.

♦ He Did Not Murder My Father

The story for “Crime Puzzle” begins with a murder scene. Yoo Hee is the girlfriend and trusted colleague of Professor Han Seung-Min. He murdered her father and confessed to the crime. Even though his fellow detectives, including his girlfriend, who is also a detective, do not want to believe him, he is convicted. The case against him was airtight. It appears the professor made sure of it. Yoo Hee still does not believe he murdered her father. She has a hunch and told her fellow detective what she thinks. “… I think he thinks he needs to be in prison for some reason …”

Professor Han Seung-Min is sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was only in prison for two days, and a hardened criminal was poisoned to death. He and the criminal had history. The warden immediately concluded that the death of the inmate was a suicide. Yoo Hee believed it was a murder. She found a Bible that somebody had tried to destroy by burning it. She took the burned book and had forensics analyze it. Yoo Hee was certain that the pages had been poisoned.

If Yoo Hee could show that the poison on the pages was the same poison that killed the inmate, that would be sufficient to open a murder investigation. She intended to use the murder investigation to continue the investigation of her father’s murder. Yoo Hee refused to believe that the professor had intentionally murdered her father. She preferred to believe that he went to jail ON PURPOSE because he needed to be there. Albeit, she doesn’t know WHY.

NOT Suicide. Murder!

Yoo Hee succeeds in getting the suicide conclusion overthrown and initiates a murder investigation. Determined to uncover the truth, Yoo Hee begins conducting a series of ten prison interviews with Han Seung-Min. Each interview becomes a psychological chess match, revealing fragments of a larger conspiracy. Han Seung-Min, now a lifer in a violent high-security prison, remains cryptic. Yoo Hee struggles with betrayal and grief, while Han Seung-Min appears to push her away intentionally.  She is compelled to uncover the truth on her own terms.

The professor hints that his confession is part of a bigger plan—one that only Yoo Hee is capable of deciphering. She needs to know WHY. Is the professor’s motive redemption, revenge, or something far more complex? Yoo Hee’s hunch was correct. Han Seung-Min’s imprisonment is not a punishment—it is his “strategy” to bring the true criminals to justice. That includes the people who murdered her father.

Main Characters:

• Professor Han Seung-Min (played by Yoon Kye-Sang, “The Frog”, “The Kidnapping Day”, “Spiritwalker”, “The Winning Try”, “Kiss Sixth Sense”)
• Yoo Hee (played by Ko Ah-Sung, “Pavane”, “Thread of Lies”, “Doona!”, “Tracer”, “The Host”, “Snowpiercer”)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 6.7 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 7.5 out of 10 stars
• Dramabeans: 8 out of 10 stars
• Viki viewers rated this series: 8.9 out of 10 stars

My personal rating is the same as the Viki viewers.

I usually like webtoon adaptations, and this K-drama is no exception. But I also enjoy solving puzzles. Do you? If so, then you’ll enjoy “Crime Puzzle”.

• “If you want the truth, you’ll have to solve the puzzle I left behind.” (This is a paraphrased thematic line based on the show’s premise and interview-driven structure.)

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Crime Puzzle (2021) Review  | Wine and a Kdrama

KDrama Review: Crime Puzzle. | K&J Reviews

‘Crime Puzzle’ Pushes through with Yoon Kye-Sang, Ko A-Sung as Leads. | Ahjummamshies

Park Hae Jin Set to Star in ‘Crime Puzzle.’ | Kdrama Kisses

TRAILER/TEASER:

Yamin, Nina. “TEASER CRIME PUZZLE.” YouTube, 14 Oct. 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hfXwvmv4LA.

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