Bridal Mask (2012) Episode 3 Recap
by: whodat
The episode starts with Kang To pleading with Konno asking to be given one last chance to capture Gaksital. The Kimuras, also present in the room are smugly smiling expecting Konno to turn Kang To down. To the shock of the Kimuras, Konno agrees to Kang To request and gives him one final chance to capture Gaksital. Kenji vehemently protests asking Konno why he did not believe the citizens of the empire who have always supported him. To answer them, shows them the photo that Kang To had recovered from Choi Myeong's office and asks Kang To, “The relationship between these two people (Taro and Choi Myeong), didn't I ask you to investigate”? Konno goes on to explain that the mark Gaksital was leaving and the mark on the uniforms of Taro and Choi Myeong were the same. Konno finally asks Taro for an explanation. Instead of explaining or defending himself, Taro indirectly threatens Konno by saying, “As the saying goes, 'Nothing matters once you are dead'. For me to have been able to rise up to this position, I have no regrets. But Chief, you're a graduate from a law university, are you going to be okay?” Konno calmly thanks Taro for his concerns but once Taro and Kenji leave, Konno fumes not believing that Taro had threatened him in his own office. Konno orders Kang To to apprehend Gaksital in order to uncover Taro's misdeeds.
In the police station, Kenji is talking to Sasaki telling him that Kang To had to be killed. Sasaki expresses his doubt explaining that he would be the first suspect in Kang To's murder should it happen. Kenji informs him that after his attempt on Kang To's life, he was locked away giving him a solid alibi. Sasaki is satisfied with Kenji's explanation and asks him how he should kill Kang To.
In Taro's office, Kenji is confidently explaining to his father that he has placed people in place so that should Kang To capture Gaksital, they would both be killed together confirming that Kang To indeed conspiring with Gaksital. Taro appears nonchalant as Kenji is talking but after Kenji mentions Sasaki as the trigger man, his father is both shocked and displeased. Taro asks Kenji why he was using that idiot (Sasaki) again. Kenji starts explaining that Sasaki is a remarkable sniper but his father cuts him off angrily reminding him that, “Konno is the one giving instructions from behind. […] The one betraying us and conspiring with the enemy is Konno”! When asked how they should then proceed, Taro tells Kenji to contact the Tokyo headquarters.
In the Khisokai headquarters in Tokyo, the man responsible for supervising the murder of Lee Seon and his family is kneeling before the Khisokai chairman begging forgiveness for not personally confirming the death of all members of Lee Seon's family and taking Gwon Su Jeong word as fact. The Khisokai chairman raises his cup and tells the man before him, “The time for you to die honorably is before we put our tea cups down”. The chairman assures the man that Khisokai would look after his family after he is gone. The man thanks the chairman and commits Seppuku assisted by the chairman's bodyguard after which the other members of Khisokai present chant, “Khisokai! Khisokai! Khisokai”!
Ueno Hideki, the Khisokai chairman, receives a phone call from Taro. Taro begins by apologizing for not being able to settle the Gaksital issue. Hideki advises Taro to start looking for Lee Seon's family members as he believes that Gaksital is related to them. Taro however informs Hideki that Konno had found out about the relationship between him and Choi Myeong thus catching Gaksital would not resolve everything. Taro implores Hideki to send him assistance which he agrees to, stating, “if you want to catch two rabbits, you need to send a hungry hyena”. Hideki explains to Taro that for the prosperity of Khisokai, the Gyeongseong branch was vital and orders Taro to protect the members and warns him, “From now on, you can't let even one of them be killed by Gaksital. […] Taro, I'll have to take your life first”. Taro is pleased with Hideki's response to his request as he hangs up the phone.
Hideki makes his way to see his adopted daughter Ueno Rie. He informs her that she would be leaving soon for the place she had always been yearning for, Joseon. Rie bows to her father and tells him, “I'll trample on the Joseon that trampled on me”.
Mok Dan is stumbling through the woods in a semi-conscious state. She is having difficulty walking and after struggling for a while, she loses consciousness and collapses in a ditch.
Kang To goes back to the Gyeong Seong Inn looking for Mok Dan and again he does not see the dagger he gave to her hanging on the wall. He calls over the manager, Song, after realizing that the circus troupe had left and asks where Mok Dan had gone. The manager tells Kang To that he did not care much for any woman because his business was on a downward spiral as a result of Kang To's previous visit. Upon requesting the register book, Kang To is not pleased when he sees that the register was blank. Kang To informs the manager that not keeping a register was against the law and threatens to close the inn for three months. The manager begs Kang To not to close his business and Kang To explains him that the only way to do that was for the manager to remember something about Mok Dan.
In the Eastern Circus grounds, the troupe leader is anxiously pacing next to the phone. The phone rings and he is pleased that it is the person he was waiting for, Song the inn manager. Song informs the troupe leader that his inn has been closed for three months. Song goes on to inform the troupe leader that it seemed that Kang To did not know that Mok Dan worked at the circus. After the troupe leader thanks Manger Song and ends the call, the other troupe members stream into his office full of questions concerning their performance that evening. The leader informs them that they were indeed going to perform. There are differing opinions among the members, some are to anxious not knowing when Kang To would barge in and suggest that they leave Gyeong Seong while the others want to stay if only to help Mok Dan. The members start arguing and accusations start flying. Dong Nyun accuses Gye Soon of informing the police about Mok Dan's location. Gye Soon accuses Shunji who Seon Hwa defends. After the troupe members stop arguing and calm down, the leader tells them that since they had time before the performance, they should go look for Mok Dan. Though determined to look for her, the members do not know where to start. At this point, Seon Hwa informs them that she should be near the mountains since that's where Gaksital had left her the other time he had saved her.
In the forest, Mok Dan finally regains consciousness an continues walking. She reminds herself that she is the daughter of leader Dam Sal Ri. After walking for a while, she hears the organ playing and follows the sound to Shunji's school where she remembers him telling her that he played the organ.
In the classroom, Shunji is playing the organ but is still troubled by his brothers remark some days back concerning him placing a knife on their fathers neck. Shunji stops playing and Esther walks into the room covered in blood. Shunji rushes to her and Mok Dan does not believe it is him. Shunji asks her what happened but Mok Dan, unable to explain tells Shunji to hide her before collapsing again. On a rickshaw, Shunji takes Mok Dan to his house. On their way to Shunji's house, they pass Kang To on his motorbike.
In the police station, Kenji is angry and frustrated that Konno got a hold of the photo of his father with Choi Myeong. He walks out of his office and sees Kang To. He warns Kang To that he has touched the whiskers of a sleeping lion. Kang To dismisses Kenji's claim by suggesting that perhaps he should cook the sleeping lion and feed it to his stray dog at home. From his remark, Kang To receives a punch in the mouth which knock shim to the ground.
In Shunji's home, Shunji is wiping the dirt from Mok Dan's face when she comes to and he informs her that she is in his room. Shunji is shocked to learn that Kang To was responsible for Mok Dan condition and from his reaction Mok Dan asks him if he knew Kang To. Shunji admits that Kang To was his friend. Mok Dan quickly stands up ready to leave but Shunji stops her telling her that his room was the safest place to hide. As he is doing this, Mok Dan sees Kang To's uniform hanging on Shunji's wall. Mok Dan condemns Shunji for having a friend such as Kang To but stops herself telling Shunji that she had almost forgotten he was not from Joseon. Just as Mok Dan turns to leave, Kang To shouts from outside announcing his arrival. Shunji hides Mok Dan in his closet and steps outside the room to welcome Kang To. Shunji tries to stop Kang To from entering the room by making small talk but is not successful. As Kang To is changing, he explains to Shunji that there was a woman linked with Gaksital who he had to capture. Shunji notices a piece of Mok Dan's shirt sticking out from the closet. He quickly goes over and sits on it. As Kang To is about to leave, he notices that Shunji is glued to the closet. Shunji denies that he is hiding a woman but Kang To forces him from the door and opens the closet door only to see a woman's back. After making fun of Shunji Kang To finally leaves.
After Mok Dan finishes dressing, Shunji offers her some food but she refuses and insists on leaving. Shunji tries to dissuade her pointing out that there were posters of her all over town. Mok Dan however argues that no one will be taking a stroll in the rain. Shunji asks her if she was not accepting his help because of his relationship with Kang To. Mok Dan lists all the wrong Kang To has done to her but Shunji insists on helping her out which she agrees to. Shunji gives Mok Dan, who is dressed as a Japanese woman a ride on his bicycle.
As the members of the circus troupe a arguing while looking for Mok Dan, they hear the sound of a bell and look to see Mok Dan getting off Shunji's bicycle. They have a happy reunion and after Seon Hwa introduces Shunji to the others, she pulls them away to give Shunji and Mok Dan some privacy to talk. Mok Dan informs Shunji that she would be staying in Gyeong Seong awaiting her father. Shunji cautions her not to move about unnecessarily stating, “Kang To is a persistent fellow” after which they go their separate ways.
As the market venders are setting up shop, Kang To is preparing his men for a raid directed towards catching Gaksital. Kang To has come up with a new strategy: Since Gaksital is a martial arts expert he should have callouses on his hands. He consequently orders his men to arrest anybody with calloused hands. Before they start arresting people, Kang To informs the people at the market that he believes that Gaksital is among them and gives him to the count of three to surrender but no one steps forward. Kang To gives the command for his men to begin and all the men with calloused hands are paraded before Kang To who after releasing the old has the rest loaded onto the police truck and taken to the police station. While Kang To is leaving, his brother grabs a hold of him and begs him to let the people go but Kang To pushes him off and starts kicking him while shouting, “Die! Die! Die! I don't need a hyeong like you”. His mother rushes over and stops Kang To and tells him that no matter how hard he tried, he was still from Joseon. Kang To in turn tells her that his name is Sato Hiroshi not Lee Kang To. Before going over to Kang San, his mother tells Kang To, “The Lee family can't have a Japanese son like you. Disappear!” As Kang To leaves for the police station, his mother and brother go home.
Count Lee Song who has been cooped up in his house out of fear for Gaksital is eagerly waiting for the countess in their bedroom. He is disappointed when the countess appears ready to go out. The countess tells him that if they remain cooped up in the house, they will not know what was happening in the world. When the count tells her that it was dangerous outside, the countess explains to the him that she was going to see the governors wife after which she would go get the count some medicine from the hospital. The count is left shuffling a deck of cards complaining about the difficulties of life.
Back at the police station, the arrested venders are herded in and Kang To deploys the officers accordingly to secure the station anticipating Gaksital's appearance. As they are checking the deployment grid, Abe assures Kang To that they will definitely catch Gaksital should he appear. Satisfied that the security was air-tight Kang To begins torturing the prisoners. As Kang To is going about his business, his brother is searching the police station for him. Kang San makes his way to the torture room where he over hears what is going on. Kenji spots Kang San who does his idiot routine and Kenji has Koiso throw him out. Kang To gets out of the torture room and sees Koiso dragging his brother away but does nothing about it. Koiso throws Kang San out and warns him not to return. While on the ground, Kang San has flashbacks of the torture he underwent.
At the hospital, some Joseon people are pleading with the Byung Joon to examine their son who has is in a coma after Kang To's market raid. Byung Joon turns them away explaining that though they were a government affiliated hospital, their purpose was to treat Japanese. Byung Joon, who was ready to leave sees the countess arrive and invites her into his office. In the office, the countess explains the counts condition and asks Byung Joon to prescribe some sleeping pills for him. Byung Joon, holding the countess' hand, informs her that that was not a problem. However, he expresses his concern that the countess will be bored if the count takes the sleeping pills. The countess tells him that if she could play a game of Go-Stop with him she would not notice the time pass. Byung Joon tells her that he was free that night and they start kissing. As they are making out, Gaksital quietly sneaks into the office, creeps up on them and knocks out the countess. Shocked, Byung Joon tries to run but Gaksital easily blocks his path. With his flute pointed at Byung Joon, Gaksital tells him, “It wasn't enough to betray your comrades, now you even abuse your medical skills as a form of power? […] Retribution will fall on your descendants for your accumulated evil deeds”. Unlike the judge, Gaksital has Byung Joon make a phone call to the police station. Byung Joon tells Kang To that Gaksital had taken him and the countess hostage and would kill them if the Joseon prisoners are not released. Kang To leaves with the prisoners for the hospital and Kenji signal Koiso to follow Kang To. Kang To positions snipers around the hospital to cut off Gaksital's escape route.
After arriving with the prisoners at the hospital, Kang To informs Gaksital that he had brought all the Joseon people therefore Gaksital should hold up his end of the deal and release the hospital director and the countess. While waiting for a response, Kenji arrives at the scene and asks Kang To how it was going. Before Kang To can answer the countess is wheeled out by some nurses. Still in a state of shock, the countess tells Kang To that Gaksital had demanded that the Joseon people be released first. When asked where Gaksital was, the countess points to the roof where Gaksital is standing behind Byung Joon who is standing on the ledge. Realizing the danger Byung Joon was in, Kenji and Kang To order the release of the prisoners. After the prisoners are released, Gaksital pushes the hospital director over the ledge. Byung Joon however does not hit the ground but instead stops a few feet from it thanks to the rope Gaksital had around him. After ascertaining that the director was alive, Kang To goes after Gaksital. The snipers that Kang To had set in place fire at Gaksital. One shot manages to hit Gaksital on the leg but it does not stop him.
Gaksital loses Kang To who continues combing the streets. Kang To ends up on the street where Sasaki is lying in wait behind a sniper rifle. Sasaki takes aim but just as he is about to fire, Gaksital throws his flute and messes up Sasaki's aim. Sasaki starts running when he sees Gaksital and Gaksital gives chase. Gaksital catches up to Sasaki and easily knocks him out. Caught up in the moment, Gaksital does not notice as Kang To sneaks up behind him. Kang To shoots Gaksital's flute from his hand and gives him a speech about how people like Gaksital should be killed. Kang To tells Gaksital that he had a lot of questions regarding Kimura Taro and Choi Myeong. As Kang To is talking, Sasaki regains consciousness and quietly reaches for the knife next to him. Ones he grabs it, he throws it at Kang To but Gaksital steps in the way and the knife stabs his arm. Sasaki draws his gun but Kang To shoots him in the head killing him. Kang To However cannot believe that Gaksital just saved his life. Kang To points his gun at Gaksital and demands an explanation. With none forthcoming, Kang To angrily reaches for Gaksital's mask.
-=End=-
