Nine Puzzles- Episodes 5-6

Soju, Suicide, and a Killer Building Their Magnum Opus

Nine Puzzles Episode 5 opens with a jolt—someone sketches Chi-mok’s dismembered body into the third puzzle piece and mails it to I-na. Creepy? Absolutely. But also a clue. I-na realizes the puzzle killer didn’t murder Chi-mok—they manipulated Yang-hee into doing it. The killer outsourced the crime and watched it unfold like an artist finishing a masterpiece.

I-na visits Yang-hee in prison, and the widow finally connects the dots. She and her lover, Jae-wook, carried the infamous red suitcase to the lake—but it was the puzzle killer who left the fake tire tracks to guide the police. Yang-hee? Just another pawn.

And then, boom—new murder. Choi Young-han, a factory worker, dies from nicotine-laced soju during a casual hangout with his coworkers. The scene? Spotless. The suspects? Sketchy. And the motive? Nowhere in sight.

Naturally, I-na appears. She tries to bond with Sergeant Nam over their mutual therapist, but Nam acts like they’ve never met. Burn. Han-saem, per usual, is grumpy about I-na’s uninvited arrival. She throws it back: why not just profile her and be done with the suspicion?

Back to the case: three coworkers—Jung-chul, Gap-je, and Deok-mun—are all acting suspicious. One bought soju he didn’t drink, another ordered nicotine online, and the third stayed behind and found the body. Classic whodunnit setup, but no one had beef with Choi.

Cue: weirdest (and best) crime-solving scene of the series. I-na drags Han-saem back to his apartment and forces him to roleplay the suspects with her. He resists, then gets way too into it. Their banter? Perfect. The result? They figure the real killer might be outside the trio—someone turning them against each other.

Enter: Janitor Yeom. He smokes, hates the break room parties, and spills the real tea—a year ago, Choi’s son Dong-kyung died in a factory accident.

Turns out, Dong-kyung was left with a dangerous task while the trio goofed off. When something went wrong, they rushed back—but it was too late. Worse, they covered their tracks before calling the cops. Choi never got over it.

I-na and Han-saem visit Choi’s place. It’s eerily spotless, with a single photo of him and the three men. Han-saem recalls his terminally ill friend doing the same before attempting suicide. And just like that—it clicks. Choi poisoned himself. This wasn’t murder—it was revenge by self-destruction.

Flashbacks confirm it. Choi laced the soju, set the trap, and drank it himself while the others were conveniently out of sight. His way of haunting them forever.

I-na vents to Dr. Lee, furious that Choi’s plan was so... inefficient. Dr. Lee drops a quiet truth bomb: some people kill others when pushed, some kill themselves. Choi, like I-na, is “soft.” Frustrated, I-na sulks—but something clicks.

Later that night, she breaks into Han-saem’s apartment (again—someone revoke her keys) and brings soju. She asks him to guess: is she the type to kill others or herself? He says she wouldn’t hurt anyone, drinks the soju, and—no poison. She smiles. Finally, he trusts her.

And then she hits him with a new theory: maybe the puzzle killer isn’t targeting victims... maybe they’re eliminating perpetrators. Dong-hoon, Mi-young, and Chi-mok might’ve hurt the killer in the past. Which means there could be six more “puzzle pieces” coming.

The episode ends with the full puzzle finally forming… and it’s a face.

Who it belongs to? We don’t know yet. But you can feel it: the killer’s story is just beginning, and I-na’s finally caught the rhythm of their twisted game.

This puzzle’s not just a pattern—it’s personal.

Tattoos, Soju, and a Spy Among Us?

Episode 6 of Nine Puzzles is full of delicious tension, dark twists, and maybe the most suspicious needle mark in K-drama history. It’s part murder mystery, part rom-com with a body count—and yes, we’re living for it.

We kick off with I-na casually taking over Han-saem’s apartment like it's her Airbnb. Turns out, they drunkenly agreed to make his place their “base camp.” She bribes him with coffee, flatters his undercover thug tattoo (he preens), and basically moves in. Han-saem is exasperated. We're not.

The latest suspect in the puzzle killer case? Do Yoon-su, slick president of DH Construction. He’s connected to Chi-mok, who called him three times the night he died. Han-saem gets suspicious when Yoon-su pretends he doesn’t even know Chi-mok.

So I-na does what she does best—shows up unannounced and chaotic. She corners Yoon-su in his office, ignores his attitude, and casually tells him a story about a taxi driver who beat a rude passenger to death… before suggesting a cleaner method using a needle to the neck. It’s not just a threat—it’s a vibe.

Meanwhile, Han-saem questions Yang-hee, who once visited Yoon-su with Chi-mok. Turns out Chi-mok wanted Yoon-su to officiate his wedding (awkward), and the two apparently shared some “good memories.” Translation: crime buddies.

At therapy, I-na probes Dr. Lee about her living situation with Dr. Hwang. Lee swears it’s just to save money. I-na teases Dr. Hwang about his art looking like a knockoff. We love her nosy villain era.

Then boom—Yoon-su winds up dead. The killer used insulin, injected into the neck—subtle, precise, and impossible to miss. Oh, and the CCTV’s been wiped clean. Classic puzzle killer move.

While waiting for the autopsy report, Han-saem and I-na receive the fourth puzzle piece: a creepy clown surrounded by disturbing amusement park imagery—dolls, cotton candy, dancing kids. I-na’s theory? The culprits did something terrible at a theme park. And this clown is mocking them for it.

But the real kicker? I-na says she finally slept for the first time in 10 years—at Han-saem’s place. She even brought her stuff over. Han-saem grumbles, but let’s be honest, he’s soft for her now.

Even Captain Yang notices the shift. He straight-up asks if Han-saem’s dating her. Han-saem blushes but says it’s all about the Dong-hoon case. Sure, bro. Keep telling yourself that.

Their next stop: Yangyang Resort, where Yoon-su had connections. The site supervisor reveals Yoon-su’s old golfing buddy was none other than Chi-mok. Yoon-su may have been powerful, but Chi-mok clearly had leverage over him.

Meanwhile, I-na tracks down Dream Land—the amusement park from the puzzle. It’s closing down, and the staff say there haven’t been any major incidents. Suspiciously clean history for a place that screams trauma site.

Back home, Han-saem finds the place full of balloon photos. He’s hit with a hunch: the killer is rushing—pushing the timeline because I-na is getting too close.

Then things go full chaos mode. I-na takes off on a random drive, and Han-saem tails her—only to discover she hired a guy to follow her so she could study how the killer tracks her. Absolute maniac behavior. Genius-level sleuthing.

With the case hitting a dead end, Han-saem and rookie Choi San revisit Yoon-su’s murder scene. And boom—San notices something chilling: a handkerchief is missing. It was right next to the body. Not in photos. Not in evidence.

Which means… someone in the room took it. San arrived first. Then Su-gwang. Then Young-ha, Yang, I-na, and forensics. Han-saem suspects what we’ve all feared: the killer—or their accomplice—is a cop.

And just when you think that’s the twist of the episode—think again.

In the final scene, I-na takes Han-saem to Mi-young’s old apartment. Casual chat turns serious: the apartment once belonged to Yoon-su. He gave it to Chi-mok, who gave it to Mi-young. I-na’s theory? Something dark went down there. Something the puzzle killer wants her to see.

Episode 6 ends with a brutal truth: the killer isn’t just picking off random bad people. They’re circling a shared past—and the secrets are hiding in plain sight.

DramaZen's Opinion

Murder, Soju, and Roommate Shenanigans

Episodes 5 and 6 of Nine Puzzles? Absolute chaos in the best way. We’ve got revenge suicides, insulin murders, creepy puzzle clowns, and I-na basically moving into Han-saem’s apartment like it’s her crime-solving crash pad. And he just lets her! Grumpy detective meets unbothered profiler = peak odd couple energy.

Episode 5 had me reeling with that fake-out whodunnit that turned into a tragic setup. Choi poisoning himself? Brutal. Then I-na’s “trust test” with soju? Iconic. She's chaotic, he’s tired, and I want them solving murders together forever.

Then Episode 6 said, “Let’s spice it up with some corporate corruption and a possible cop mole.” I-na casually threatening a shady CEO with a tutorial on clean murder methods?? Gold. And don’t even get me started on Han-saem realizing someone at the crime scene swiped a key piece of evidence. INTERNAL SPY ALERT.

The tension’s rising, the puzzle is filling in, and I-na + Han-saem are slowly turning into the deadliest (and funniest) dream team. This show just keeps getting better. 🧩🔥