Parasyte: The Grey, a Netflix series based on the Parasyte universe, tells the story of Su-in, a young woman who gets infected when a horde of parasitic extraterrestrial larvae descend upon the planet. While the other victims of these Parasites end up getting killed and replaced by these aliens, Su-in turns out to be an exception. She ends up retaining her humanity as the Parasite inside her fails to take over her brain completely. As the story progresses, Su-in’s mental state comes more into play as the Parasite inside her, Heidi, is exposed to Su-in’s emotional turmoil and her traumatic past. Abandoned by almost everyone in her life, the only person she has been close to is Kim Cheol-min.
A senior detective at Namil-gun police station, Cheol-min is one of the central characters who has a major role in moving the story forward. If it weren’t for Cheol-min, Su-in would’ve been transferred to the Team Grey HQ, where she would’ve been experimented on and tortured. In the Parasyte universe, the war between humans and Parasites has no good or evil. From an objective perspective, both the Parasites and humans are doing what they must to ensure their own survival. In any war, there are martyrs, and in this war against Parasites, Kim Cheol-min is the first martyr who actually dies for a good cause.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Does Cheol-Min Protect Su-In?
Su-in was only a child when she had to call the cops on her father. Her father was an abusive man whose violent outbursts drove her mother away. One of the respondents who showed up to rescue the child was Cheol-min, who comforted and praised Su-in for her bravery. More than just an honest police officer, Cheol-min is an empathetic man resonating with the sufferings of a poor, abandoned child.
Ever since, Cheol-min and Su-in have been close to each other. Su-in regards her as a father figure in her life. Though Cheol-min has a life of his own, he is the closest thing to a responsible parent figure that Su-in has had. From the moment Su-in had been involved in the incident that took the psychopath’s life, Cheol-min had had his doubts on Su-in. Especially after Su-min’s wounds heal in a flash, Cheol-min’s suspicion of Su-in being a Parasite start to grow. However, Cheol-min doesn’t want to believe that she is indeed one. Cheol-min knows Su-in, and from what he has gathered about Parasites, Su-in does not fulfill the criteria. Su-in, according to Cheol-min, is an emotional girl with a troubled past she seems to be running from. But for her to be a Parasite is not believable for Cheol-min. This is why he is insistent on protecting Su-in from Team Grey’s unethical practices as well as the Parasites’ pursuit of her. It is quite unfortunate that Cheol-min, even though the most formidable strategist on the Team, ends up becoming a martyr for protecting Su-in.
How Does Cheol-Min Die?
Cheol-min had been informed about Won-seok being a collaborator with the Parasites. Kang-woo had told him about how Won-seok killed the Hunting Dog on the directive of the Pastor. However, Cheol-min couldn’t completely believe Kang-woo, considering his criminal background. Perhaps not believing Kang-woo was Cheol-min’s biggest mistake in the end.
When the board of ministers decides to have Su-in transferred to Team Grey HQ, Cheol-min, who intends to rescue the innocent Su-in, hatches a plan with Kang-woo. Their plan fails because Jung-kyung decides to prepone the transfer. On the way to the HQ, a group of Parasites ambush the convoy. Using the chaos as a distraction, Cheol-min and Kang-woo rescue Su-in and flee the area. Cheol-min pretends to pursue them by joining Won-seok, but the latter has other plans. In the middle of their pursuit, Won-seok takes a detour to meet The Pastor, revealing that he is a Parasite sympathizer. Won-seok tries to convince Cheol-min to join their cause, but Cheol-min, being a righteous cop, fatally shoots the Pastor. Unexpectedly, the Parasite inside the Pastor’s human body detaches itself from the body and slices off Cheol-min’s head, killing him and assuming his identity instead.
Cheol-min’s death is what pushes Su-in to fight this war as a human. With his passing, Su-in had shut off everyone she knew, but it also served as a driving force for her to face the Pastor. The fact that the Pastor commanded Cheol-min’s body was disrespectful to the late detective as well, and Su-in couldn’t stand that. Cheol-min died because he stood up against his own race to show that there’s a reason why morality exists in this world.
