Nam Joo-Hyuk and Yoo Ji-Tae’s Vigilante is one of those highly anticipated K-dramas with an ensemble cast, but the premise is one that we’ve seen numerous times this year alone. While we wonder if this show will do anything different or new by the end, we can’t help but watch it anyway for the sheer star power. At the end of episode 4 of Vigilante, we learn that Jo Heon already knows Jiyong is the vigilante. Jo Heon tries to persuade Jiyong to take a step back and stop trying to take the law into his own hands. Miryeo and her friend are getting closer to the truth about Sewool, and this might end up becoming problematic for them. What is Jo Heon playing at? Let’s learn in episodes 5 and 6 of Vigilante.
Spoilers Ahead
What does Choi Miryeo Find?
At the end of episode 4, Miryeo and her source find an abandoned place. Miryeo and her partner make it inside, and she captures everything she can with her GoPro. There are dozens of computers, all leading to the Sewool group, like she had suspected. This is where they’re running their illegal servers, and they also have a cryptocurrency titled “QQ Coin.” Before the two of them can do much there, a knife-wielding man in a hat shows up. They both try their best to hide, but Miryeo’s partner ends up getting murdered while she escapes, thanks to him. When Miryeo returns at night with the police, there’s no trace of anything—not the computers or her murdered friend—on the spot, making her look like a fool. At least she has some evidence on her GoPro.
Miryeo puts out everything that’s happened in the past 24 hours on the news, and the broadcast station is furious. She’s so confident that she even exposes The Vole to the public with no real evidence, making the broadcast station fire her. In the meantime, someone tries to attack her on her way home, and Jo Heon saves her because he happens to be there to talk to her, possibly to warn her. He takes the assailant with him to get new information, though. When Miryeo sees the real Vigilante act out, she chooses to resign.
Who Is The Vole?
The university president, Eom Jaehyub, has been taking bribes from Sewool and helping them; hence, all their illegal activities are easily managed with no problems. Eom Jaehyub is “The Vole,” and he’s also instructing Jo Heon to make sure that the Vigilante is caught so he can breathe easy. After all, eventually, the anonymous individual will find him.
Who Is Mr. Bang?
Mr. Bang, Soedol, and The Squeezer (a very nice name) are Samdoo’s three musketeers who will do anything at his beck and call. Mr. Bang is the one who got his man to attack Miryeo, and so Jo Heon gets information from him. Jo Heon takes the guy to the same pig farm where Samdoo fed two of his men to pigs (AH!) and beats up everybody there, making it seem like they’re a team of vigilantes. Jo Heon’s mission is to make the Vigilante look bad in the public eye, so he is trying to get everyone to believe it’s a group of criminals. Seeing as he has no choice but to show himself, Jiyong carries out another attack on a criminal who is part of the Sewool group and was convicted of sexual assault charges. This guy has a confidential ledger with details about the Sewool group which is now in the hands of the Vigilante.
What Does Jo Heon Think Of Jiyong?
We can’t really tell what’s on Jo Heon’s mind because he seems to be on the side of good but is also against Jiyong. He tells Jiyong that he’s a traitor for going against the country’s laws and systems. This is the biggest sin one could commit, and he will become a monster who enjoys hurting people rather than a man who is delivering justice for the people. Jo Heon wants to put an end to Jiyong’s vigilantism, and he thinks the only option he has is to kill him (too far, brother). All this time, Gang-Ok is actually watching what’s happening between the two of them as well, possibly to jump in when really necessary.
Jiyong distracts Jo Heon by bringing up the Vole to save himself. Jiyong believes he was born to be a monster that ends all other monsters. He doesn’t care about what the world thinks of him as long as he is able to stand up for the weak. Jo Heon mentions that Jiyong would’ve been a great police officer had he not gone off to be an anonymous justice-seeker and that he should follow Jo Heon, but Jiyong tells him that the only way he could follow him is if he could show him that the law will side with the victims and not the perpetrators. The Vole is obviously angry about how things have turned out and fires Jo Heon from the case. He, too, is getting transferred because of the public interest in him, thanks to Miryeo.
When Does Gang-Ok Reveal Himself?
Jiyong asks his anonymous helper to support Miryeo in reporting about the Vigilante. It’s like a barter for them to work together. She promises to reveal the truth and also tells her viewers that she would never end her life while working on this case, so if she did end up dead, it would be murder. In the meantime, Jo Heon gets his hands on the Squeezer in order to get to Mr. Bang. On the other hand, a new guy is handed over the case in place of Jo Heon, and it’s hard to judge whose side he’s going to be on, but it looks like Jiyong’s professor isn’t a big fan of his. Jiyong finds a Miyong Church in the ledger and gets there just in time, as a man is trying to get rid of the evidence of a slush fund in the church’s name. Jiyong grabs the evidence to share it with Miryeo.
Finally, he is face-to-face with Gang-Ok, who reveals himself after Jiyong agrees to work with him. Jiyong hands over the thumb drive with the slush fund information on it for Gang-Ok to give to Miryeo. He tells Gang-Ok that the money that Sewool is hiding is for some powerful politician, so whatever they do next is really crucial. At the university, Jiyong is told by the professor to quit the app work for some time to get some rest. The Vole ironically gives a speech about being a great police officer when he’s still under investigation.
Does Jiyong Kill The Pastor?
Jiyong finally ends up doing what he said he wouldn’t and killing the pastor of the church to make his grand statement. The Vole is obviously worried for his own life, but Samdoo promises to handle things within 5 days; after all, it’s his entire business at risk. Miryeo realizes that the Vigilante and Gang-Ok must be close because he has the evidence piping hot from the oven at the same time as the Vigilante. She attempts to expose the information on the thumb drive, but before she can, Jo Heon stops her. He reminds her what a threat to her life the whole situation is, but she seems to be unbothered by it all. Jo Heon leaves after giving her a warning, but he’s met with his match, Mr. Bang, in his car.
It’s two against one, with Mr. Bang and Seodol on one side and Jo Heon on the other. While Jo Heon is a large man and is capable of fighting off both of them, because he is caught off guard, he gets stabbed a few times by Mr. Bang’s knife. Finally, while he’s trying to fight off Seodol, Mr. Bang stabs Jo Heon in the stomach. Jo Heon is still quite capable of getting them both (you know, cinematic superpowers and all). He tries to hold them both down with his arm, but Mr. Bang pushes the knife in hard, making Jo Heon fall to the floor. Jo Heon promises to kill the guy if he appears in front of him again, should he survive this. And survive, he does, because Jiyong shows up right in time with sirens wailing in the background. Mr. Bang and Seodol get away after telling Jiyong that they will meet again, and Jo Heon sits unconscious on the floor. Of course, Jo Heon is not dead, and Jiyong will do what he can in his power to help the man. It’s not quite clear what kind of relationship they have, but it seems they’re somewhat fond of each other, if not each other’s methods.
