Gyeongseong Creature: Did Seung-Jo Kill Lady Maede?

The second season of Gyeongseong Creature might have diluted the interesting premise of the period piece monster fiction of the first season into a generic sci-fi storyline; it has also spread out a number of plot threads, some of which remain unresolved after the end of the season. The story arcs of new characters introduced in this season, especially Seung-Jo, hint at a continuation that will, following the tradition of the series, be quite different compared to the previous installments. Aside from that, a crucial plot point from the first season could find its way to shape up the future of the series, that too with the help of Seung-Jo’s machinations, as is foreshadowed through the narrative. 

Spoilers Ahead

Why Did Seung-Jo Kill Lady Maede?

The Najin Crisis turns out to be the root of all evil in the second season as well, as the breeding ground of diabolical monstrosities—a destroyed Onseong hospital, merely changed its form to Jeonseung Biotech. Lady Maede, who has survived and remained unaffected by the rsvages of time by injecting herself with Najin, has maintained her role as chief patron of the facility’s heinous machinations, and in the absence of Lieutenant Kato, she is the present mastermind as well. While Kato sought to use his despicable creations to change the tide of war, Maede wanted to root out human imperfections using Najin, seeking to assert her dominance using the Najin-injected enforcers, and aimed to control the monsters created by a combination of Najin and anthrax. In her efforts to enact her plans, the presence of Seung-Jo, the first naturally born Najin hybrid, was of seminal importance.

Seung-Jo is the son of Myeong-ja, as the first season finale of Gyeongseong Creature revealed a Najin-injected Myeong-ja met her end during childbirth, and Lieutenant Kato took her newborn under his protection—with the hopes of using him for his dastardly experiments. Later on, Maede raised Seung-Jo and integrated the notion of superiority over humans in him, but at the same time, she ensured that Seung-Jo remained within her control. Seung-Jo’s allegiance towards Maede wavered a bit, as he had learned about his uniqueness as a Najin hybrid specimen, which was the main reason behind Maede treating him as her own. This resulted in Seung-Jo being influenced by Jang’s ideals, because he treated him as an equal, and there was no ulterior motive behind his kindness. With Jang, Seung-Jo was able to feel a familial connection for the first time and even made up his mind to turn on Maeda. However, given how manipulative and sadistic Maeda can be, even an unpredictable hothead like Seung-Jo wasn’t able to escape her influence, and ended up betraying Jang’s trust. 

Without Jang’s presence, Seung-Jo’s negative traits started getting better of him, and the lessons Maede had taught him manifested in the form of a vicious killing spree. Jang’s return to his life once again results in Seung-Jo’s worldview starting to oscillate, but by now his mind has been corrupted by the lust to kill, as he completely shuns his identity as human. Seung-Jo doesn’t even feel sorry for his birth mother’s tragic demise, simply labeling it as a past incident. He doesn’t know the fact that Maeda was responsible for his mother’s tragic fate, but as blinded as Seung-jo is by his power and security, it doesn’t seem the truth would have had much of an effect on him. His delusions fall apart as Maeda sends her henchmen to kill him after he decides to collaborate with Jang and Chae-ok, and for the first time he comes to the realization that he is not indispensable. As Maeda later directly provokes him, mentioning that she should have eliminated him the first time he had decided to betray her trust, Seung-Jo feels more cornered and powerless than ever—and this prompts him to take Maeda’s life at the end. Raised by monsters, Seung-Jo had become one among them as well and unwittingly took revenge for his birth mother’s death. 

What Does the Future Hold For Seung-Jo?

In the mid-credits scene of the second season finale of Gyeongseong Creature, Seung-Jo is revealed to have taken over the control of the Najin operations of Jeonseung Biotech, as he is seen orchestrating a terrible conspiracy of his own. The Najin-injected enforcers are spiking Seoul’s water supply with Najin parasites, which will result in a huge number of people getting infected and turned into brain-devouring killers. Being turned into a monster himself, Seung-Jo wants to watch the world to mirror him, and his actions could result in a global Najin outbreak in the third season. Jang and Chae-ok don’t have any idea about the dangers they are about to face, as the world will be plunged into utter chaos with monsters running amok. 

There is another possibility that could be explored with Seung-Jo’s character arc, as Maede had mentioned about the resurrection procedure of someone influential who can take their Najin experiments to unholy depths. I am guessing that she was talking about Lieutenant Kato, the original mastermind behind the entire monstrous mess, and it makes sense that after Maede’s passing, Seung-Jo decides to resurrect the psychopathic lieutenant. It will provide an interesting aspect to Seung-Jo’s character, as Kato had decided to take him under his protection in the first place, and there will surely be a complicated parental angle between them.