Head of the Snake
Episode 16 of Again My Life starts with Seok-Kyu learning that Hui-Wu has declared war on Tae-Seob. He’s well aware that Tae-Seob is going to come down hard on him, but Hui-Wu is determined to do everything he can to take the Assemblyman down. Part of that comes from Hee-A buying out JQ Constructions and becoming the CEO, stopping Tae-Seob from moving in and seizing the company for himself. As for Hui-Wu, he’s told to go off and study in the US for a month. Although he agrees, he also tells Seok-Kyu that he’s going to cut off Tae-Seob’s right arm. Pictures are leaked online of Aide Kim Jin-Woo and Seo-Yeon together. He’s fallen for the same honey trap that Hui-Wu managed to successfully navigate away from. “I copied your style.” He taunts. Hui-Wu has a number of different allegations to level against Kim, and whether it be blackmail or contortion, he’s got a mountain of charges and there’s no way he’ll sidestep from this. It’s only a matter of time before Kim is arrested, especially as everything gets leaked online. Off the back of this, Hui-Wu unexpectedly hands his resignation in. He intends to be nominated by Assemblyman Hwang. That way, if he’s elevated to the same district as Tae-Seob, that will give him the power to take out the Assemblyman once and for all. He realizes there’s no way he’ll be able to do this as a prosecutor. The thing is, Tae-Seob is actually impressed by Hui-Wu’s actions and invites him over for a lunch. He believes Hui-Wu’s intention lies in power rather than revenge. That’s obviously not true, but Hui-Wu knows now exactly what he needs to do in order to catch Tae-Seob and take him out. When Hui-Wu leaves, Tae-Seob speaks to Director Han, deciding to hold off killing Hui-Wu until after the election. That way, he can spill blood and use it as a stepping stone to gain presidency. Not only that, but Min-Su shows up with a whole bunch of files to try and help take down Hui-Wu. He’s also got video evidence of Hui-Wu from college and decides to use this to turn Hui-Wu into a demon. That night, Han meets with Hui-Wu privately, in a church no less. Given Hui-Wu hasn’t responded to the attacks in the media, he throws his own bombshell at the media, coming in the form of a marriage to Hee-A. This is, of course, a big PR stunt but he also calls out Tae-Seob in the process, asking him to come and meet for a televised discussion. He also mentions here that all the rumours about him are completely false. The live broadcast works well, with Tae-Seob falling into the trap Hui-Wu has laid for him, including evidence from Il-Hyun testifying against Tae-Seob and secretary Kim’s phone, holding incriminating details. Tae-Seob comes prepared and throws out a video of his own, which happens to be from the rooftop of Hui-Wu with Kim. Hui-Wu promises to get to the bottom of what’s happened, and throws shade at his political opponent, pointing out that he’s to blame. When the broadcast ends, Secretary Han steps up and plays recorded footage from the Assemblyman incriminating Hui-Wu and confirming all the wrongs he’s been committing. While the judges are confident they’ll get everything dismissed in court, it also means Han’s life is hanging in the balance too. Hui-Wu ends up fighting Tae-Seob’s assassin but this time he comes out on top. Just before landing the killing blow though, Han stops him. It turns out Dr. K is actually Han’s brother! After being bested, Dr. K rings Tae-Seob and tells him the mission was a failure. Manager Han also decides to turn herself in, given she too has committed a lot of crimes. Han’s expose stems from her wanting to do the right thing, and after so many years of corruption and scandals, seeing Hui-Wu jump so fearlessly into taking Tae-Seob down has spurred her into action. As Hui-Wu himself mentions, it couldn’t have come at a better time. With nowhere else to turn, Jo Tae-Seob commits suicide. Apparently Min-Su can confirm that the DNA matched and he’s the one to confirm the report, but Hui-Wu has his doubts. With no one receiving proper punishments, despite winning this battle, the pair agree that they don’t feel fully satisfied despite the case being wrapped up. Hui-Wu visits Sang-Man in hospital and he seems to be on the mend. Not only that, but the whole group gather in the familiar restaurant, where Hee-A offers up tickets to fly out to Bali on a chartered plane commissioned by Hee-A and Cheongha Group. They also decide to postpone their wedding but are going to start dating instead. Meanwhile, Chairman Chun gathers all the corrupt officials once more and takes the role of head snake. She wants to set up the secret club Tae-Seob had and make sure they have an ironclad relationship. Chun’s influence comes from money and she’s confident that Jewang Group is going to succeed where Tae-Seob failed. As she laughs maniacally, we zoom out and see Hui-Wu on a skyscraper opposite – the same one he actually was thrown off in his previous life if I’m not mistaken. He’s ready to fight the good fight and take out all those who oppose him. A wry smile crosses his face as he walks away, ready to take out another corrupt official.
The Episode Review
The ending to Again My Life brings mixed feelings. On the one hand, Hui-Wu is successful, he takes down the nasty Tae-Seob and managed to solidify his partnership with all his friends. Unlike in the previous life, he’s managed to gain much more influence and remains steadfast in taking out whatever may come his way. The ending involving this Chairman Chun is a way of showing that the fight against corruption and evil never really goes away, but this time Hui-Wu has learned from his fight with Tae-Seob and is going to be better prepared if it should come to that. At the same time though, the resolution with Tae-Seob feels hollow and unrewarding. I do appreciate that Hui-Wu himself motions this in a self-referential statement but at the same time it’s also disappointing not to at least see him die or jump from a tall building or something. Instead, we have to go by Min-Su’s statement about the reports. Reports which could easily have been forged or manipulated, especially as we saw at the end how many corrupt officials are ready to stand by another snake. Despite those gripes, Again My Lie has been a decent K-drama. It’s certainly not without its flaws but it has been a fun ride and bows things out with a decent enough conclusion.
