Bloodhounds (Season 1): If you are looking for an action-filled show that has an element of sportsmanship, believes in justice and a world that shows you the right and the wrong, then Bloodhounds is the show for you. The show keeps you on the hook with incredible fight scenes as our main heroes show the power of boxing to take down even a man with a weapon. There is also a slight hint of how someone can change for the better if they choose to. This is a story of loan sharks and their dominance versus the weak who want to fight for justice.
This article contains spoilers.
Bloodhounds (Season 1) Recap:
Episode 1:
The episode opens in December 2020. We see Kim Geon Woo (Woo Do Hwan) practicing inside the boxing ring. He comes to the bus stand to find a drunk man trying to enter the bus without a mask. Geon Woo brings the man down and the man tries to fight him but Geon Woo defends well. He climbs onto the bus to find the passengers cheering him. He gets home to find his mother asking for money from someone on the phone and says she will repay them the following month.
We see a news anchor mentioning that building construction had stopped because the workers had got COVID and the company had gone bankrupt. The banker, vice-president, and Director Hong Min Beom (Choi Si Won) discuss the situation. Hong tells the banker that because of COVID-19, there WILL be no foreign or domestic investment in the hotel and hence he would pay back only a sum more than the whole. The banker finds this unacceptable. Kim Myung Gil (Park Sung Woong) joins the discussion. Hong tells him he will contact him later that day.
The banker realizes Myung Gil is a moneylender and is uncomfortable. Myung Gil tells him that he helps people and there is nothing wrong with it. He tells Hong that his boss had helped his father when he was still a baby. When an IMF crisis hit Korea, his father’s company went bankrupt. He then asks what the difference in amount that has to be paid is, and the banker tells him that it is a hundred billion won.
With the banker’s permission, Myung Gil agrees to invest 100 billion won. Hong asks him what the conditions are. Myung Gil tells him he has three conditions. The first, to build a casino on the highest floor of the building and Myung Gil will run it. Secondly, to build a bar in the basement and make sure that if a crisis like COVID hits again, this hotel should be a quarantine space.
Myung Gil gets into the car where we see his girlfriend, and Im Jang Do (Ha Soo Ho) driving the car. The girl asks if they took the offer and Myung Gil says that they did. After he wipes his face, we see a huge scar. Jang Do is disrespectful towards Myung Gil’s girlfriend, and Myung Gil asks him to apologize and give her more respect.
Hong Woo Jin (Lee Sang Yi) is participating in the ‘Rookie of the Year’ boxing tournament, and we hear the commentators mentioning that there is no audience because of COVID-19. Geon Woo and Woo Jin are fighting against each other to win the title of the Rookie of the Year. Woo Jin is overconfident as a marine but Geon Woo destroys him with his left hook to the body. Woo Jin tries to intimidate Geon Woo, but his tactics backfire, and he faces the winning shot from Geon Woo. Woo Jin’s coach asks him if he is alright and Woo Jin tells him that he tainted the name of the Marines. He asks the coach for food and the coach pays him money.
As Woo Jin gets out, Geon Woo is waiting. He asks him to grab a meal of pork belly with him. At first he refuses but then joins him anyway. They go out for a meal and start talking about each other’s life. Geon Woo is poor and has worked many part-time jobs. Woo Jin’s father won a bronze medal at the Olympics in boxing and is always disappointed by Woo Jin. As they continue their conversation, they realize Woo Jin is older than Geon Woo, and Woo Jin teases him about it.
They also realize that they were both Marines, and that Geon Woo was a senior there. Woo Jin gives him a respectable salute and Geon Woo asks him to be casual with him. On their way back, they discuss loan sharks. Woo Jin mentions that he had worked as a money lender as because of COVID, people are in dire need of money, and these loan sharks have now come out to play. Geon Woo tells him that his mother’s café is not getting any business but the owner is taking the same rent. Woo Jin promises to treat him to a fancy meal the next time they meet.
Geon Woo gives the prize money to his mother and asks her to repay the money they owe to his uncle as he is also having a hard time. His mother promises to pay him back with interest and they walk home. Geon Woo notices a black car stop near their store as he continues to talk to his mother. Myung Gil arrives in that black car to meet someone in a building nearby. He meets with other members and they inform him that all the tenants owe money to the bank, and that he intends to bring them all to him by the next week. The loan sharks promise all the tenants that they will pay off the debt for them and charge a lower interest rate compared to the banks. Geon Woo’s mother also signs the contract.
Geon Woo comes to his gym to find out that one has tested positive for COVID, so the gym will be closed. He calls Woo Jin and asks him if he wants to work out Woo Jin refuses as he wants to get some sleep but sends him his address and asks Geon Woo to visit him at home. As he reaches his house, Geon Woo sees someone chasing another man. He chases after that person but is caught off guard when the person uses a Taser on him. It is revealed that it is a girl and she asks him who had sent her to follow her. Geon Woo honestly tells her that she thought the man she attacked was in danger. She is annoyed and tells him that he is fake and to stay out of things he does not know about.
A woman visits a man in a library, on a wheelchair, paying him back for helping her out during her difficult times. She informs him that Mi Yeong’s surgery had gone well thanks to his help. He checks off her name from the list of people who owe him money.
Cha Hyeon Joo (Kim Sae-Ron), who Geon Woo attacked, is seen entering the library and telling the man that she had found Yang Jae-moong (Bae Jae-gi). He says he does not have money, but she snatches a watch from him. President Choi Tae Ho (Heo Joon Ho ) tells her he has borrowed only 10 million won but the watch costs at least 20 million won. Hyeon Joo says that it is interesting. She asks him how long he intends to loan money to people at zero interest and he tells her that he always pays her commission fees. She tells him that she is asking for his benefit and not hers. She tells him that many former criminals are dressing up as the homeless and applying for loans. He asks her to be careful.
Moon Kwang-moo (Park Hoon) receives a call from President Choi. President Choi asks him to find him a bodyguard who is a good human being, well-built, and who understands the loan business. Woo Jin and Geon Woo are having ramen on the terrace. Geon Woo tells him that he admires a boxer with a good heart who does not give up. Geon Woo asks what Woo Jin does for a living, and he says he used to be a kindergarten gym teacher, but because of COVID, it was shut down, and he did not know what to do. Geon Woo asks him to join him in making food deliveries and earning some money while getting good cardio and working on his balance to help their boxing skills. Woo Jin asks him if he is going to compete in the series or not, and he tells him that it has been postponed because of COVID. Woo Jin tells him that he has a boxer’s heart.
Myung Gil is partying with the rest of the team and they make a bet on Kang In-beam (Tae Won-Seok) to see if he can cut a watermelon with his bare hands, and he succeeds. As the party continues, Mr. Park gets a call from the Mayor. After the call, he informs the group that the Mayor has accepted the casino bid. Myung Gil gives him four gold tortoises as a gift and tells him that his money has never seen failure and to have a long-lasting relationship in the business. He tempts Mr. Park by telling him about his dreams of getting into the National Assembly. As Mr. Park accepts the present, one of Myung Gil’s men smirks at the CCTV. As they put Mr. Park in a car to send him home since he was drunk, inside the room, they discuss how to bring down assemblyman Seo. They make arrangements to make people give up easily.
The first place they go to is Geon Woo’s mother’s café. The loan shark tells her according to her contract, she had to pay a certain amount of money and that she has breached the contract. As she threatens him, saying that she will call the police, the loan shark goes outside and waits. She calls Geon Woo. When she finishes speaking, the loan shark’s men smash the café into pieces. Hearing this, Geon Woo comes running, attacks one of the thugs, and notices that inside the café the loan shark is physically abusing his mother.
Geon Woo fights the thugs using his boxing skills. Myung Gil comes to the store and asks Geon Woo to calm down and tells him his mother has borrowed money from their company and asks him to pay them back. Geon Woo tells him to pay for the damages first. Myung Gil asks In-beam to finish him. Geon Woo puts up a good fight against In-beam, but he almost destroys him. Myung Gil tells Geon Woo that he appreciates people with grit and asks him if he wants to work for him, and Geon Woo spits in his face.
The episode ends with Myung Gil sitting on Geon Woo’s chest and cutting Geon Woo’s face matching the same scar he has on his face while laughing in a sinister fashion.
Episode 2
This episode begins with Geon Woo in the hospital getting treatment for his injuries, and his mother waiting on him, praying for things to be all right. Geon Woo’s mother apologizes to him for everything that has happened. When Geon Woo returns to the hospital to get the dressing done, the doctor advises him to undergo a procedure so that the scar can be sealed completely but he refuses as the procedure will be expensive.
Woo Jin asks Geon Woo to show him the scar and after seeing the damage, he wants to get back at those thugs in any way possible. He asks Geon Woo to call the cops, but he refuses, saying the thugs had warned him that if he called the cops, his mother would be killed. Woo Jin explains everything was mentioned in the contract but in fine print so that no one would notice it; it was a con, and his mother did not know about it. He will have to pay back the amount. Geon Woo is upset upon hearing this. Woo Jin tells him that he will treat him to a meal and takes him out.
Woo Jin tells him this is his regular hangout and asks him to eat his food quietly. Geon Woo calls his mother and informs her that she was tricked into signing the contract, that it was not her fault, and that he will clean up the café on his way home. Geon Woo overhears Woo Jin asking someone for a loan and begs him to get a loan, and Geon Woo tears up.
Woo Jin takes him to the moneylender, who asks him how they got into such a huge debt. Woo Jin informs him of Smile Capital; the moneylender tells them that Smile Capital is a huge company and they are not normal goons. He offers to give them the money but tells him that in return, he has to work as a Bloodhound for a year, and he will give them a bonus for it too. Geon Woo refuses the offer stating that this work will involve beating up the weak to get money, and that they are boxers and will not prey on the weak. Woo Jin fist-bumps Geon Woo for taking this step.
Hyeon Joo follows a couple of men into the building who are discussing collecting the IDs of the homeless. She sits away and captures their faces. One of them is the manager of Smile Capital, Kim Jun-min (Jo Wan-gi). Moon Kwang-moo (Park Hoon) interviews the candidates, but no one makes the cut. He receives a call from Woo Jin. He meets up with Geon Woo and Woo Jin.
Kwang-moo tells him that only one man in the whole of Korea can move a lump sum amount of cash, and that is Chairman Bang; no one has seen his face except President Choi, and he is able to make a living because of President Choi. He tells them that President Choi is looking for a bodyguard and after seeing a dozen candidates all day, none of them made the cut. At the right moment, Woo Jin calls him and says that he will put in a good word for both of them to President Choi. Woo Jin tells him that he needs a loan and Kwang-moo tells him to write their identification down and meet the President.
Geon Woo thanks Woo Jin for the help. Woo Jin asks him what he will do if asked to work as a debt collector to pay off his mother’s loans. Geon Woo sighs. Woo Jin assures him that they will find a way.
Hyeon Joo shows Jun-min’s picture to President Choi and asks if he knows this man from Smile Capital; Choi tells her that he does not. He tells her how these people open shell companies and borrow loans. Hyeon Joo asks him if he is not going to help these loan sharks who are getting conned as they are sort of his colleagues. He refuses and says they need to figure things out independently as he is not part of that world anymore. Choi asks Hyeon Joo if she would like it if he hired someone to work alongside her, but she blatantly refuses.
Jang asks Myung Gil why he had cut Geon Woo’s face; he tells him that Geon Woo had spat on his face in front of the boys, and so he had to make an example out of him. Jang Do advises him not to get personally involved but Myung Gil intimidates him.
President Choi decides to bring in Geon Woo for the interview. When both of them arrive at the sushi place, only Geon Woo is allowed to enter and meet the President. President Choi offers him the job of a bodyguard for Hyeon Joo, and Geon Woo clarifies that he does not have to collect debts, and he says he will not. Choi tells him how he watched his father die at home because loan sharks beat him up. Geon Woo tells him he got into boxing to get stronger, as his father would beat his mother up when he got drunk. Woo Jin asks Geon Woo how the meeting went and he tells him it was good as he did not speak much but listened to what the President had to say. The President orders his men to arrange for money for Geon Woo and tells them that he is no fun but a good kid.
Woo Jin is invited to have dinner with Geon Woo and his mother. As they are having dinner, a man sent by President Choi comes to their house. The man gives Geon Woo 100 million won, saying it is an advance for two years of work. Geon Woo thanks him and starts to sob. He then tells his mother and explains his job. His mother apologizes to him for crushing his dreams, and he says his dream is to see her happy and have a roof over their head. Geon Woo thanks Woo Jin for all the help.
Myung Gil arrives at a hotel to meet a Chaebol’s son, Hong Min-beam (Choi Si-won). His girlfriend warns him about his connections and capabilities. Jang Do tells Myung Gil that Min-boom had brought an officer with him. Min beom makes Myung Gil drink a lot, and the officer he brings with him tries to intimidate Myung Gil by showing the handcuffs. Mr. Hong confronts him, asking about the money he lends to people, as one of the people he lent money to was his mother. They make fun of Smile Capital’s revenue. The police officer asks Myung Gil what they had taught him in prison. Mr. Hong warns Myung Gil never to mess with his family again because he will kill him if he does. Myung Gil retches the alcohol out and asks Jang o follow Beom and search for something big and useful.
Geon Woo and Woo Jin visit President Choi. Woo Jin gives a huge speech to get himself to work with Geon Woo. The President agrees to let him work but tells them that they need to be interviewed by Hyeon Joo. This worries Geon Woo as he has to return the money if he does not pass the interview. Woo Jin asks him if he can convince Hyeon Joo to hire both of them and if he would also get paid, and the President agrees. He also tells them that they should stick to each other no matter what.
As they wait for Hyeon Joo to arrive, they see millions of won lying around and are shocked by it. Geon Woo tells Woo Jin that he has met Hyeon Joo before and explains the situation. Woo Jin asks him to lay low as he will take care of things.
Woo Jin and Hyeon Joo argue. Geon Woo explains his difficult situation to Hyeon Joo and tells her about Smile Capital. Hyeon Joo takes them both out for a meal. During their meal, Hyeon Joo tells them about the shell companies and her tailing Yang Jae-myeong. She shows them a picture of Jun-min and asks if they know him. Geon Woo tells her that he knows her. In the car, she explains that their mission for the day is to find out how many IDs have these goons stolen and asks them to be calm no matter what happens.
The episode ends with Geon Woo and Woo Jin following the goons into a metro station. They watch how they pretend to be from a charitable organization to collect the IDs. They inform Hyeon Joo that they have collected 4 ID cards so far. They try to take ID card details from an old homeless man without realizing that they have stolen his identity. The old man tries to fight them but the goons beat him up. Geon Woo wants to help the man, but Woo Jin stops him. Ultimately, Geon Woo gives in and runs toward the goons to beat them up.
Episode 3
The episode begins with Woo Jin and Geon Woo fighting the thugs. They call an ambulance to save the homeless man. Hyeon Joo gets annoyed as she had asked them not to get involved. Woo Jin calms Geon Woo by explaining that this was their first job, even though they didn’t do anything wrong and needed to apologize for the sake of the job. Hyeon Joo asks them to meet her at the bookstore.
At the bookstore, Woo Jin and Hyeon Joo get into an intense argument about what is right and wrong. Geon Woo apologizes, shows her his scar, and tells her that the boss of Smile Capital had done that to his face and that if he had not saved that old man, he would be a worse person. They go out, and Woo Jin and Geon Woo argue because of frustration, but they receive a message from Hyeon Joo asking them to get back to work tomorrow, as she is wrong. They jump and hug each other, and Hyeon Joo watches that from the CCTV camera.
Yang Jae goes to Jang-do and tells him that he has borrowed money from someone, and they had recently asked for it. The caps that the boys wore had the same symbol. Woo Jin explains to Hyeon Joo what had happened the previous night. They plan to target the loan sharks and get to Yang Jae. Through the CCTV, they see two thugs entering the building. Hyeon Joo asks them how they found out, and Woo Jin tells her he does not know. Yang Jae and Jang Do come to the bookstore and try to kick the shutter down but to no avail.
Jang Do stares at the CCTV camera while Woo Jin, Hyeon Joo and Geon Woo watch him. Hyeon Joo asks them if they were followed last night, and they say that they are not sure. She tells them that they need to figure out how they had found out about the place. Geon Woo realizes that it was the cap that they wore that led them to the bookstore. President Choi comes to the bookstore and questions Hyeon Joo about what had happened. She explains, but they get into an argument.
Hyeon Joo asks Geon Woo to show his scar and tells Choi that if they don’t weed out thugs like Yang Jae, all the charity work he does means nothing. President Choi asked Geon Woo who had done that to him. He tells him the owner of Smile Capital. He asks for a name but Geon Woo does not know; he says he has a similar scar on his left cheek. President Choi asks them to leave.
President Choi asks the man who works for him to check if Myung Gil is the CEO of Smile Capital. Woo Jin and Hyeon Joo tease each other. They go out for a meal. While Geon Woo gets the meat, Woo Jin and Hyeon Joo have a fun conversation. Hyeon Joo asks Geon Woo to speak to her casually, and he asks her if she and President Choi are related. She tells him that she met him in an orphanage owned by President Choi, and that he had paid for everything that she knows today.
She tells them that President Choi always taught her that to judge a person’s character, one must open up their heart. The good will return that sincerity in kind and the bad will use it against one. As they walk back to the bookstore, Woo Jin asks Hyeon Joo to do something about the fact that Yang Jae knew about the bookstore. She tells him that she will talk to President Choi about it.
Myung Gil devices a cunning plan to sabotage Mr. Hong’s hotel. She plans to record all the gambling in the hotel, and once enough evidence is gathered, he will ask Jang Do to hand over the evidence to the police. Once the hotel is worth nothing, he will take over it completely. Jang Do sends in thugs to beat Mr. Hong at the car wash station. Jang Do arrives and threatens Mr. Hong. He tortures him, asks him to strip naked, and records everything.
Myung Gil trains hard in the boxing ring. Jang Do sends him a video of Mr. Hong stripping, and Myung Gil laughs. President Choi’s men inform him that Myung Gil is the CEO of Smile Capital and informs him that he will arrive soon to pick him up from the bookstore. President Choi recalls the time Myung Gil had worked for him. In the past, Im Beom tried to steal money from President Choi’s locker in the office. When President Choi was questioning the robbers as to who had sent them there, he was attacked by Myung Gil. This fight was the reason for Myung Gil’s scar on his face and President Choi’s need to use a wheelchair.
Hyeon Joo waits for Choi to talk to him about his decision. He tells her that he is old and tired and does not dare fight them. He wants to move the bookstore and, in his remaining days, live in peace and teach her everything he knows. Myung Gil shows Im Beom his gold depository and tells him that if their business in Korea goes down, he will take him to Vietnam, and that they both can live like kings as he has planted someone in the Vietnamese government. Im Beom is grateful.
Woo Jin and Geon Woo bring Hyeon Joo to the stir-pork fried place to see it smashed. The owner had taken a loan and could not repay it, of which this was the result. Woo Jin tries to persuade the loan shark, but they do not budge. They devise a plan to tip the loan shark on Yang Jae’s whereabouts to help catch him and, in the process, make some money.
The episode ends with them reaching Yang Jae’s hangout spot. Yang Jae calls Jun Min, and he asks him to make a move in exactly two hours. They follow Yang Jae’s car. Woo Jin and Geon Woo follow Yang Jae into the metro station. Yang Jae calls Jun Min and asks him to come down and calls out Woo Jin and Geon Woo to come out. Hyeon Joo sees thugs entering the station and calls President Choi for help.
Episode 4
The episode begins with Jun Min seeing Geon Woo and asking someone to send him Geon Woo’s mother’s number while Geon Woo and Woo Jin fight the goons. Hyeon Joo joins them in fighting the thugs. They beat them to a pulp and escape. Yang Jae breaks into Geon Woo’s house and kidnaps his mother. A mysterious man comes to her rescue and beats Yang Jae and his men. The mysterious man goes to the metro station to find the goons limping. One of the goons tries to attack him, but he beats him and walks away. The mysterious man was Hwang Yang Jung (Lee Hae Young).
Geon Woo’s mother calls him and gives the phone to President Choi. As they arrive at his house, he yells at Hyeon Joo, saying he is worried sick as she is like family to him, and they are never to attempt any more dangerous things. Geon Woo tells him he wants to help, but President Choi tells him that this is not a game of winners and losers but a war that will end only when one of them is dead. Choi asks Hyeon Joo to take Geon Woo’s mother to the shelter the next morning.
President Choi asks Jung what he can do now that the situation is so bad. Jung tells him he can finish this once and for all, as it should have been done a long time ago. He asks Oh In-mook (Min Kyung-jin) for details about Myung Gil’s men. Choi opens his locker, removes his pocket pistol, and aims but gives up as he is old with shaky hands.
Myung Gil visits the hospital to get details on Jung. He asks Jun Min to call Im Beom to the office for a meeting. At the sushi place, Jung is preparing to move, and Min Dong tells him he wants to help, but Jung refuses. Jung meets his friend Lee Doo Young (Ryu Soo Young) and decides to finish Myung Gil for good. Myung Gil has a meeting with his men and tells them that Choi had five knifers working for him back in the day. He tells them that when they brought Choi down, they got rid of the knifers but could not take out two important ones, Jung and Do yeong. He asks Beom and Jang Do to stake out the place. Do Young finds out about Mr. Hong’s incident.
President Choi, Oh In Mook, Do Young, and Jung discuss how to tackle each man from Myung Gil’s entourage. They let Woo Jin, Geon Woo, and Hyeon Joo move the cash from the bookstore elsewhere. Geon Woo’s mother prepares a meal for all three of them. She asks Hyeon Joo if Choi owns the whole orphanage and she tells her that it was Choi’s dream to help those in need when he earned money as he grew up poor. Geon Woo’s mother asks Hyeon Joo what she loves to eat, and she says rolled omelets. She asks her to eat some, but Geon Woo and Woo Jin have finished it. She makes some more for Hyeon Joo. She receives a message instructing her to move the cash from the bookstore.
Hyeon Joo, Woo Jin, Geon Woo, Jung, and Do yeong make a move as planned. As Hyeon Joo, Woo Jin, and Geon Woo enter the bookstore, they are followed. Through the CCTV footage, Hyeon Woo sees Im Beom enter the basement and shut the door. She goes out running and is attacked by Jang Do; he handcuffs her. Woo Jin and Geon Woo fight Im Beom. Jang Do carries Hyeon Joo, bites him, and makes him drop her. Hyeon Joo fights Jang Do with the handcuffs. She beats up and handcuffs Jang Do and rushes to the basement. Woo Jin and Geon Woo defeat Im Beom and tie him in the basement. Jang Do escapes.
Myung Gil is enjoying himself when he receives a call from Jang Do. Jang Do tells him that he could not get in touch with Im Beom and needs to visit the ER before going back in. Myung Gil is annoyed and asks him to clean up his mess before he does anything, bringing all three of their heads to him. All three of them start moving the cash to the car. Myung Gil’s men are on their way to the bookstore. Woo Jin and Hyeon Joo are packing the gold while Geon Woo moves the cash to the car. They are about to leave, and they see the cars of the thugs in front of the bookstore. Hyeon Joo calls Geon Woo and asks him to follow her. They take another route out and the thugs tail them. Jang Do, on purpose, hits Hyeon Woo’s car, but Hyeon Woo hits his car harder, making him stop his vehicle while she takes off. The thugs ask him to ride with them.
The episode ends with a car chase and continuous attacks from Hyeon Joo, making the thug’s car topple. Hyeon Joo’s car engine gives up. The other thug’s van appears, and Woo Jin and Hyeon Joo take the bags and run towards Geon Woo’s car. Geon Woo is unloading the cash boxes and the thugs are running behind Woo Jin and Hyeon Joo.
Episode 5
This episode begins with Woo Jin and Hyeon Joo dropping the gold and Geon Woo leaving the cash and escaping. President Choi apologizes to Jung for not taking care of Myung Gil back then, as he was afraid that he would lose him. Jung receives a call from the group informing them about the run-in with Myung Gil’s men. Jung informs President Choi and tells him that they lost the money; Choi is only concerned about their safety. He asks him to find Myung Gil’s surgeon as Im Beom must be treated. Jung says that he will ask Do Yeong to find him.
The group brings the remaining money to the house. Jung stops Woo Jin and asks him to meet him the next day for lunch. Choi asks Hyeon Joo if she is hurt, and she says she is not. She apologizes for losing the money from the safe, but he does not care about it. Jang Do tells Myung Gil that Im Beom will be fine, but his eardrums have been busted. He has license plates and will run the test the next day. Myung Gil asks Jun Min to get Choi’s address and Jang Do to get CCTV footage of the cars.
Myung Gil asks Jang Do to send men near the hospital as he knows they will surely send Do yeong to track Im Beom. He asks him to put men behind Jun Min as he is weak, and Choi and his men would already have information about him. President Choi tells Geon Woo to take his mother and open a nice café somewhere. Choi will invest in it and give him a good bonus for bringing the money safely. But Geon Woo tells him that he wants to see to it till the end, until they catch Myung Gil.
Jung treats the kids to a meal, and Woo Jin is an expert food critic. Hyeon Joo asks Jung what the next course of action is, and he tells her that they need to go after Myung Gil’s clean-up crew to find Myung Gil and kill him. Do yeong joins them. They get to know each other. Do yeong warns the boys that their boxing days will be over once they have a record. Geon Woo tells him that Myung Gil is a terrible man, so he wants to join hands with them to fight him. They devise a plan to split and hit to win this war.
Do yeong takes Hyeon Joo to pick up bikes for them to strike Myung Gil’s men, and Jung teaches Woo Jin and Geon Woo how to use a knife to protect themselves. Im Beom hits his goons at the hospital. Jung, Woo Jin, and Geon Woo wait near the hospital. Jun min drives, followed by Myung Gil’s men. Jung advises both of them never to rat out friends and family and instructs them that once they enter the hospital, if he asks them to run, they better run without arguing. Woo Jin argues that it contradicts his advice, and Jung tells him that he is a criminal and not family.
In the parking lot, Do yeong instructs Hyeon Joo to make a move. He slits Jun Min’s throat and rides off, only to be caught off-guard by a goon’s car, which runs him over, and Do yeong falls. They are about to put Do yeong in the trunk, but Hyeon Joo saves him. They both fight the goons and leave the parking lot. Jung and the team enter the hospital. As they wait for the elevator, they hear a loud thud and realize it is Im Beom and run up the stairs.
Jung fights Jang Do, and Woo Jin fights another goon. The hospital receptionist is seen calling someone. They bring Jang Do out of the hospital in a wheelchair. President Choi is still trying to aim with his pocket pistol. Jung informs Choi that they have Jang Do. They tie Jang Do up in Do Yeong’s shop. The President informs Jung that he will arrive in 5 mins to ensure Hyeon Joo and the boys watch what happens. Myung Gil sees the footage from the hospital and informs one of his men to track the license plate of the attackers. Myung Gil is informed that Jun Min is unconscious.
Jung asks Hyeon Joo to watch as it is Choi’s order. They torture Jang Do, and Hyeon Joo cannot take it and rushes out to vomit. Geon Woo rushes after her to check on her. President Choi arrives, and Hyeon Joo asks why she had to watch it. He tells her that this war will not end until someone dies and that someone could be him, and she needs to be prepared. Hyeon Joo gets annoyed and runs out, and Choi asks Mr. Oh to take care of her. He asks Geon Woo to protect the others if he ever fought Myung Gil. He also gives him tips on how to take down an organization.
Choi plays his best cards against Jang Do by messing with his head using psychological tricks. He plants fear in Jang Do while convincing him that he will plant doubt about Jang Do in Myung Gil’s mind. Jang Do loses his cool, and Choi makes him an offer. He tells him that if he can truthfully give details about Myung Gil, he will send Jang Do to a country that Myung Gil would not have heard of, which was his promise. Jang Do gets arrogant, and Jung warns him to do what he’s asked.
The episode ends with Jang Do revealing everything he knew about Myung Gil’s business. He tells them that he had captured 50 videos, which were encrypted in a safe in Myung Gil’s bedroom. Captain Jung handles the service center and the bodies. Choi tells him that he will get treated in a hospital, and once this is over, he will send him away to lead a good life. Jung warns him not to contact anyone because they will find him if he did. Choi asks him where he has stashed his gold, and Jang Do tells him only Im Beom knows, as he is like a brother to him.
Episode 6
The episode begins with Myung Gil meeting Mr Hong. Hong is on a call with his police officer cousin. Myung Gil takes the call and tells him to find the guy who slit Jun Min’s throat and that he will give him 5 hours to do it. If he does not deliver or pull something on him, Hong’s striptease will go online. Myung Gil takes Hong’s phone and walks away.
Do yeong explains the connection between opening a casino and making money. He tells them that drug addicts and gamblers will likely take a private loan, making Smile Capital rich. Choi makes small talk with Hyeon Joo. They promise each other that they will take Woo Jin and Geon Woo and travel abroad once this is over. Choi invites the boys over for drinks at his house.
While having drinks, they discuss what moves Myung Gil could pull. Their coming out of this alive seems unlikely, but Hyeon Joo lifts their spirits by talking about the good side. Woo Jin makes a toast to bring Myung Gil down. Hong’s cousin is on the way to catch Choi’s team. Do yeong tells Jung that he will be a father in 2 months, and Jung is angry because he has not told him that he has a family. Do yeong tells him that he woud not have let him be a part of the mission if he had told him.
Geon Woo tells Choi that he looks worried, and Choi tells him that he had taught Myung Gil the tricks of the trade, and hence he is his responsibility. He tells Geon Woo that after his body failed, he could not kill Myung Gil and could only manage to look after Hyeon Joo. He recalls the time he had met Hyeon Joo during her father’s funeral. He tells Geon Woo he had lent Hyeon Joo’s father an interest-free loan, but loan sharks harassed him, and just after another month, another person he had lent money to killed himself. He tells him that Myung Gil visited everyone he had lent money to and extracted millions of won, saying it was on Choi’s orders. Geon Woo tells him that his mother had fallen for the same trick. Do yeong is very drunk, and Jung puts him in a cab.
Choi is moved by what Geon Woo has to say and promises to build Geon Woo a boxing ring and a gym until he becomes a champion, with a nice café for his mother on the ground floor. Geon Woo is grateful. Hong’s cousin finds Do Yeong’s shop and informs Myung Gil. Myung Gil and his men break into the shop. One of the men finds Do Yeong’s picture of his wife and him and smiles; they also find his ID card. Myung Gil realizes Choi is in a wheelchair. He tells Beom that they will find Choi first and then Jang Do.
Myung Gil orders his men not to kill Do yeong but harm him as he needs information. The men make a move. They knock at his door, and his wife is about to open the door when Do yeong wakes up and takes her aside. He asks his wife to call the cops and report a burglary and tells her not to open the room door no matter what happens. His wife calls the police, and the thugs break in. Do yeong fights hard but gets hit in the head and face, making him collapse.
Myung Gil arrives at the scene and asks to Do yeong to tell him where to find Jung, which if he does, Myung Gil will let his wife live. Do yeong whimpers, and the gang does not know what has happened to Do yeong. The gang has breakfast together, and Hyeon Joo offers to drop Geon Woo’s mother at the orphanage. Choi asks her if it is okay with her, to help out by making meals for the children as they will love it.
Jung arrives at the sushi restaurant to find the security system disabled. Myung Gil is waiting for him with knives in his hands. Jung asks how he found him; Myung Gil tells him Do yeong had told him. Jung is concerned about Do Yeong’s wife, and Myung Gil tells him he has killed them. They get ready to fight. In the first attack, Jung realizes that Myung Gil has come geared up to destroy him. Myung Gil kills Jung. Myung Gil’s men find Choi’s house.
Woo Jin informs Choi that the thugs are outside the house. Choi asks him to take him to the basement as there is a gun there. Woo Jin tells Choi to get the gun while he fights the thugs. Woo Jin fights the thugs alone, but Im Beom walks into the basement. Choi shoots a couple of thugs down. Im Beom reaches the basement and waits for the right time to attack. Choi calls out to Woo Jin, but he is brutally injured. Im Beom finds the right time to attack Choi and throws him on the floor. Myung Gil comes to the basement.
The episode ends with Myung Gil mercilessly killing President Choi. Hyeon Joo and Geon Woo arrive at the house to see a cloud of black smoke. They rush inside; Geon Woo finds Woo Jin and takes him out. Hyeon Joo finds President Choi dead in the basement. Geon Woo carries Hyeon Joo out to save her from dying inside the house. At the hospital, there is a shortage of blood needed to save Woo Jin, Geon Woo donates his blood, begs the nurse to fill up two bags of blood, and tells her that he will not die and that he really needs to save him.
Episode 7
The episode begins with Hyeon Joo recalling her time with Choi and sobbing. The nurse asks Geon Woo to eat well that day as he has donated two blood bags. Geon Woo comes outside the ward to find Hyeon Joo missing. Geon Woo calls Hyeon Joo, but she does not answer. The surgeon tells Geon Woo that Woo Jin’s surgery has gone well, and he thanks the surgeon.
Woo Jin recovers, and they both wake up early every morning and train hard to get vengeance on Myung Gil. Between their training, Woo Jin and Geon Woo greet Mr. Oh, but he ignores them but watches them train from the house and smiles to himself. Mr. Oh calls them in to have a chat. He asks them to give up as they do not stand a chance, but Geon Woo tells him that they have learned a lot from Choi, Jung, and Do Yeon, and using that advice, they plan on bringing Myung Gil down. Mr. Oh tells them he will not allow them to fight Myung Gil.
Mr. Oh visits Choi’s grave and sees a letter left by Hyeon Joo. In the letter, she tells him she is in Rome and does not expect him to understand her actions. If she lived in Korea, she would constantly be reminded of Choi, and it is driving her crazy, and she cannot stop the tears. She tells him she that loves him and is sorry for everything that has happened. The guys continue to train, and Mr. Oh takes them to a car and gives them the last of their emergency funds. He apologizes for stopping them from hunting Myung Gil down as fear has taken over him. Geon Woo promises to win this time.
They arrive in Seoul at a girl’s house. She gives them instructions and tells them that her grandfather (Mr.Oh) had left them a car, gives them her number, and asks them never to call her. They freshen up and strategize as to who they will target first. Their first attempt to get a loan shark on board is a failure. He does not want to get involved because if their plan fails, he will end up dead.
They visit Kwang-moo and find his office in shambles. He tells them that a couple of days ago, a few gangsters visited him and took everything he had. Smile Capital tricked Kwang Moo. Geon Woo tells him that Choi is dead and so is everyone else. He informs him that they live in secrecy with Mr. Oh. At first, he does not believe them but later starts to cry when the truth hits him hard.
Woo Jin and Geon Woo find Yang Jae and his men. Out of fear, Yang Jae asks them not to hit him but will tell them everything he knows. Yang Jae tells them that Jun Min is alive and Myung Gil has found someone to replace Jang Do. He is secretive about it as he does not trust his men. Myung Gil has been having trouble with the Ill group and Hong, and he’s been frustrated. He also has been planning to buy a golf course. Yang Jae tells them he wants to see the Smile Group crushed.
Myung Gil meets Hong in a building and asks him why the contract is not ready yet. Hong tells him that his father has not signed it. Myung Gil hits him, and Im Beom holds him at the edge of the floor, scaring Hong. Myung Gil gives him a last warning and tells him if he does not have the contract ready, he will release the video and make it look like he jumped off the building because of it. Hong receives a message from Woo Jin, and he tells him he knows where his video is. Hong’s cousin advises him to meet him immediately and tells him that he will ask two of his men to follow him.
All the men gather, and Hong and his cousin force the boys to drink. Geon Woo takes one for the team and drinks with them. Hong starts crying to Geon Woo about what Myung Gil did to him. Hong’s cousin talks to Woo Jin and tells him that they can do whatever they want and he will have their backs until the end. Woo Jin is shocked to see Geon Woo drink so much and be stable.
Hong had invited Woo Jin and Geon Woo over the previous night. They wake up with a hangover, having forgetten what they had discussed. Geon Woo reminds Hong that the police can be contacted to hack into Myung Gil’s phone, and once that is done when Hong meets him on Friday, he has to destroy the safe.
Hong’s cousin introduces the boys to his team, and the cybersecurity head explains how she will hack Myung Gil’s phone. Hong is worked up as he knows how dangerous Myung Gil can be. Hong’s cousin takes Hong out for some fresh air. Hong tells him if that they do not destroy the evidence the next day, he will never be free from Myung Gil. Hong’s cousin asks him to trust him. The team begins the preparation.
The first stage of the operation is going smoothly until they realize that the app that Jang Do had mentioned, does not exist on Myung Gil’s phone. Hong’s cousin wonders if Myung Gil is onto them. Myung Gil meets Hong, and the meeting is about to wrap up, but Hong comes to the room the guys are in. Hong’s cousin tells him Myung Gil has two phones, and that they are figuring out what to do.
Woo Jin asks Hong to ask Myung Gil to delete the video before he signs the contract. Hong tells them that he did not dare to stand up to him, but the others tell him that they will barge in if they see he is in trouble. Hong asks the lawyers to go out to talk to Myung Gil. Hong asks Myung Gil to delete the video. At first, he lies but later agrees to do it. Hong tells him that he wants to delete it as he does not trust him; Myung Gil asks what if he refuses. Hong tells him that his aunt runs the tax department and that in 24 hours, Smile Capital can be audited. Myung Gil tries to intimidate Hong, but he does not fall for it, and Myung Gil gives him the phone.
Hong gives him back the phone, and Myung Gil, mockingly asks if that is it, tells him he will sign the contract. The team manages to destroy the evidence. The boys and Hong say goodbye. Woo Jin and Geon Woo discuss how much the gold Myung Gil has must be worth. They realize he might take the gold and flee the country, but they decide to make sure that he pays for his sins.
The episode ends with Myung Gil coming to the house to find the safe burnt. He calls someone from the criminal investigation department and asks him to find an old man by noon the next day, and that he will pay him triple the amount.
Episode 8
The episode begins with Hong’s cousin sharing the details about Smile Capital without mentioning the name to his subordinate. Myung Gil hires the same subordinate to hunt down the old man. The subordinate informs Myung Gil immediately, and Myung Gil asks him to find out who had helped Hong’s cousin. Myung Gil tells his girlfriend that there was only one hard drive, but everything was backed up in a laptop. His girlfriend asks him to tell Hong that he still has the video, to scare him. The goons find Mr. Oh’s house.
Yang Jae helps Woo Jin and Geon Woo get Im Beom’s profile. He asks for 1 million won, but they assume 1000 won and give him that much. Im Beom sends a picture of the hurt Mr. Oh and asks them to meet him in an hour. He warns them that if he calls the police, Mr. Oh will die. Mr. Oh’s granddaughter, Da Min, insists on joining them with a bow and arrow to help them out. They call Kwang-moo, and he asks them not to go in without him, which is an order.
They devise a plan to attack and make their move. Im Beom orders them to kill him, but the first goon attacks, and they take him down, all their training coming in handy. Im Beom is surprised to see their strength. Kwang Moo fights Jung while Da Min continues to help Woo Jin and Geon Woo. Geon Woo takes on Im Beon head-on. Woo Jin rushes to help Kwang Moo. Woo Jin intimidates Jung, telling him that he needs a knife to beat him. Jung’s ego gets in the way, and they duel. Woo Jin defeats Jung. Geon Woo defeats Im Beom.
Kwang Moo intimidates Jung and tortures him into telling him where Mr. Oh is. He asks him to choose between work and family. If he chooses work, then Kwang Moo willcut off his balls. Jung stops him and decides to cooperate. Woo Jin, Da Min, and Geon Woo take Jung with them and ask Kwang Moo to get information out of Im Beom.
Hong’s cousin and the team are looking at the video evidence and realize Myung Gil’s reach. Geon Woo informs him about the situation, and he asks them not to move in without him. Hong’s cousin’s subordinate informs Myung Gil. Myung Gil informs his men who are holding Mr.Oh, and they begin to clean the place up . The cops reach the place and find nothing there. Jung clarifies that this was the right place. The cops ask the boys and Da Min to leave, and he will take it from there. Kwang Moo tries to torture Im Beom to find answers, but he laughs. Im Beom bites his tongue not to reveal the secrets, but the gang calls an ambulance to treat him.
Hong receives a video of him, and he calls his cousin. His cousin is poisoned. Hong’s cousin’s team is murdered. One of the cops is attacked. Hong’s cousin uses salt to retch his poisoned coffee. Geon Woo receives a call from Myung Gil asking them to meet him at the fish farm alone. He also informs them that he has gotten rid of the cops, and that they have no one to help them. He warns Geon Woo that if he messes things up, he will kill his mother. Da Min listens to the conversation and tells them that she will join them to save Mr. Oh.
They arrive at the fish farm, and Jun Min asks the thugs to kill them. Woo Jin and Geon Woo realize these thugs have a lot of weapons. They use the environment to create weapons and fight them. Myung Gil asks Jun Min if he cannot take down two kids. Myung Gil threatens the boys that if they get any closer, they will kill Mr. Oh. He yells at the thugs to kill the boys. Da Min saves the day by shooting her arrow at Myung Gil. Jun min takes Myung Gil away and Geon Woo follows him, but they escape. They do manage to save Mr. Oh.
The cops start arresting the goons. The cops also arrest Hong’s cousin’s subordinate and bring Myung Gil’s girlfriend to the station. They find Myung Gil’s many phones. Hong, his cousin, and the other cop survive. Hong mentions an important point to the team that such criminals always leave the country, making the team think about their next course of action. Geon Woo asks them to track Jang Do as he might know how Myung Gil plans to escape. Yang Jae tells the boys that he will surely contact them if they transfer 10 million won to Jang Do’s account.
Jang Do calls the boys and demands a billion won to tell them how Myung Gil will escape. He also tells them that Myung Gil will fly overseas in a few days. Hong gives them the money to get information out of Jang Do, but Geon Woo promises Hong that he will chase him down if he flees after taking the money. Jang Do informs them that Myung Gil will leave for Vietnam and asks the boys to get on the same ship. He sends them a contact to help them once they board the ship. Mr. Oh gives them some money to give Jang Do’s contact.
Hong asks them to be safe and tells them that he and his cousin will take care of the rest. On the ship, they split and searched for Myung Gil. Geon Woo shouts Myung Gil’s name and one man starts to run; he follows him. Woo Jin finds Jun Min and shoots him with a Taser gun. Myung Gil attacks Geon Woo, and they fight. Im Beom finds Woo Jin handcuffing Jun Min and beats him. Myung Gil uses the same technique he used on Jung by attaching blades to his shoes and attacking Geon Woo. Woo Jin takes on Im Beom, and Geon Woo takes on Myung Gil.
Geon Woo tells Myung Gil that if he ever shows his face again, he will beat and kill him. Im Beom is down. Geon Woo feels bad as he realizes he has become a bloodhound. Woo Jin reminds him of the boxer’s heart and tells him that they will find a way back together. They find the gold bars and take Myung Gil’s cell phone.
The episode ends with Hong asking the boys what they want to do with the gold bars. Geon Woo tells him President Choi wanted to help the poor get medical treatment. Hong tells them that he will open a foundation to help the poor and a hospital. Geon Woo requests him to add Choi’s name to the hospital, Hong tells him that it will be difficult, but he will try. Upon asking, Geon Woo tells him that he does not need the gold bars as it is not his money, and he is trying to repay Choi for his kindness. Hong gives Woo Jin and Geon Woo two gold bars each and tells them Choi would have done the same. Geon Woo visits his mother, and they all embrace.
Bloodhounds (Season 1) Ending, Explained:
What a fantastic ending to an adrenaline-filled show. The show kept the typical good guy, bad guy vibe, and in the end, the good guys won but with a lot of collateral damage. We get to see a happy ending with Myung Gil finally down. Episode six gives us the biggest plot twist that can be expected, by killing off President Choi. After that episode, without a boss to run the show, one would expect to find the other members crumbling down, but as Geon Woo and Woo Jin have the boxer’s heart, they come up stronger.
One thing we did miss was seeing Hyeon Joo back. She does not return to the show once she disappears; the sad part is she does not see the good that came out of her grandfather’s name. We also do not see clearly what Jang Do does or Yang Jae’s whereabouts. We do not know if they have changed or remained the same. In many cases, the show’s plot was predictable, but the chase and the fights kept us on the hook.
Geon Woo had to face reality as he never wanted to get blood on his hands, but in the end, he had to succumb to that; on the bright side, he did well socially by eliminating Myung Gil. Geon Woo’s character from episode one to episode eight had a great arc. His confidence and how he carries himself keeps growing exponentially. Woo Jin’s character was required for an intense show as he added some humor to every situation. The friendship between Hyeon Joo, Woo Jin, and Geon Woo is precious, but sadly, we do not get more of it. Ultimately, it is also warm to see Da Min warm up to Woo Jin and Geon Woo.
One of the nicer parts of the show was they did not add any unnecessary romantic tropes and drag the show. The primary focus of the show was kept intact until the end.
