A ratings-slaying K-drama just rocked living rooms with a shocking twist.
In episode 9 of ENA’s Monday–Tuesday drama Scarecrow, which aired on the 18th, Kang Tae-joo (played by Park Hae-soo) continued digging into the Mu-won murder case and sensed the serial killings weren’t over. Tensions hit a peak as the disappearance of 8-year-old Yoon Hye-jin (Lee A-rin) was suspected to be another crime by the same perpetrator.
Earlier, Im Seok-man (Baek Seung-hwan), pointed to as the mastermind behind the brutal serial murders, had been arrested, making it seem like the case was closed. But after Kang Tae-joo’s relentless pursuit and his warning that "the serial murders aren’t over," Cha Si-young (Lee Hee-jun) and the detectives were forced to face a new, darker truth.
Cha Si-young’s furious mutter—"Kang Tae-joo, do you know how far I went, and you ruined it"—hinted at a massive twist, grabbing viewers’ attention. Then, with testimony from Bang Kyung-mo (Jeon Joong-yong) raising the possibility that Im Seok-man might be innocent, Kang Tae-joo pushed to amend the indictment, signaling a fierce new courtroom battle.
The case only grew murkier when Kang Soon-young (Seo Ji-hye), Tae-joo’s former homeroom teacher, added her testimony. As the unsolved disappearance of Yoon Hye-jin increasingly looked like another strike in the serial murders, a large-scale search got underway. But the body found at the site turned out to be a third victim—not Hye-jin—delivering a fresh shock. Marks consistent with strangulation by stockings were discovered once again, proving the serial killer’s gruesome spree was still ongoing.
The real jaw-dropper came in a flashback at the end of the episode. Detectives Jang Myeong-do (Jeon Jae-hong), Do Hyung-gu (Kim Eun-woo), and Park Dae-ho (Ryu Hae-joon) had already found Yoon Hye-jin’s body in the past—and hid it with Cha Si-young. Even more explosive, another figure, Lee Gi-hwan (Jung Moon-sung), was also at the scene. Vividly recounting what happened, Lee implied he was deeply entangled in the horrific crime, sending chills down viewers’ spines.
The can’t-look-away storytelling paid off in ratings. According to Nielsen Korea, episode 9 scored a nationwide average of 7.2%, marking a new personal best for ENA’s Monday–Tuesday drama and securing No. 1 across all channels in its time slot.
Meanwhile, the well-made chase thriller Scarecrow airs every Monday and Tuesday at 10 p.m.