I really found a hidden gem in Missing: The Other Side. I hope we stay this way up to the finale!
Displaying a complete story package, Go Soo and Heo Joon Ho are making me root for them in their advocacy in Missing: The Other Side. The series has packed each episode with drama, humor and thrill that are neatly combined together.
Settling to the big picture of this series gave me such a K-Drama fangirl affirming moment through its ingenious plot. Limned tidily, there has been no wasted frame in the narrative so far.
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What has transpired since the opening week of Missing: The Other Side?
Kim Wook (Go Soo), a con man who stumbled on a village inhabited by dead people, whose bodies have not been found yet, spins the story of Missing: The Other Side. He creates connection with Jang Pan-suk (Heo Joon Hoo), a mountain dweller, who also sees the mysterious Duon village.
Through a missing boy case, the two also interact with Detective Jin-ho (Ha Joon), who previously bump Wook with his car while being chased by the thugs. From there, they start helping each other to work on a case involving Wook’s sworn brother Nam-guk and Jin-ho’s missing girlfriend, Yeona (Seo Eun Soo). The latter has entered Duon village, and Wook can’t find the right moment to reveal to Jin-ho about Yeo-na’s misfortune.
More details about why Pan-suk has been helping the dead people in Duon village was also unveiled. His yearning to be with his missing daughter has also been established as one of the loose ends to be resolved in the story.
It seems that fate has brought Wook to Duon village or his mother’s earnest wish. Apparently, his mother who left him when he was young is also living in the village. Initially, they are both mutually unfriendly toward each other. Then, Wook picks up the same necklace he recognized to be his mom’s and realized he found the mother he has been looking for all his life.
Where The Story Heads To?
After six episodes, helping Wook, Pan-suk and Jin-ho to their goals of solving cases related to them became voluntary for me. Applauding their selfless acts of sealing gracious closures to the souls trapped in Duon village naturally becomes a favorite thing to do for this drama’s followers.
I don’t know how they will squeeze it in the next six episodes, but based on how each chapter has been presented convincingly, I have confidence that happy endings are in the horizon for the “missing” people in the village.
Closing in to the connection of the three orphans murdered and a big conglomerate business seems to be one of the things left to be unfurled. We also expect Pan-suk to be rewarded of his good deeds by getting a concrete answer if his daughter is still alive.
Mid-Series Peak Points + Musings
Utilizing Duon village as a place where dead people of sad memory rest leaves a heartening message. The featured people have all entered the village because their bodies are yet to be discovered. Some, like Thomas, has been there for decades while others just drop by in passing. Most of them suffered merciless and agonizing deaths.
Duon village has given them meaningful friendships and happiness they did not achieve when they were alive. The “Memory Day” episode was such a sweet moment that highlights a feeling of hope and encouragement.
It is a normal thing in a K-Drama for the characters to move in such a small world. That stays true in Missing: The Other Side, but it moves to a harmonious direction credit to the impeccable portrayals of its living and ghost characters.
Concocting humor, thrill and drama was so spot on in this series especially when Pan-suk and Jin-ho go to their usual adorkable banters. Moreover, the small side stories inserted efficiently fit into the end game it is heading to.
What We Hope To See…
The concept of miracle was introduced in the story as well as the cryptic door that connects the village to the outside world. As an advocate of peace and happy endings, I wish the remaining ghosts at Duon village be given the happiness they want. If it’s not too much to ask, a new life to live would also be amazing.
Missing: The Other Side airs on OCN every Saturday and Sunday.
Photos: OCN
Videos: VLENDING | OCN
