Kim Nam-gil becomes Korea’s first profiler in new teaser for Through the Darkness

by tccolb

A new video teaser has been released for SBS’s upcoming crime thriller Through the Darkness (a.k.a. Those Who Read Hearts of Evil), featuring lead actors Kim Nam-gil (The Fiery Priest), Jin Seon-gyu (One the Woman) and Kim So-jin (Marriage Contract, Escape from Mogadishu).

The story takes us back to South Korea in the 1990s, when a string of murders took the nation by storm. With no discernible links or motivations, it was a challenging situation for the police. Amidst this turmoil, South Korea’s first criminal profiler came into being.

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The teaser begins with a quote from South Korea’s real-life first criminal profiler, Professor Kwon Il-yong: “Remembering it was like entering a darkened room through a door that couldn’t be opened again once you’ve already gone through it.”

On a rainy night, we see a woman get off the bus and hurry home when an unknown person starts following her. In voiceover, we learn what’s happening in the news report: “Police have reported that there are still no clues about the identity of the Red Hat who has been terrorizing women in the Seoul area since last May.” Just before the woman is attacked, the onscreen text explains the backstory: “In the late 1990s, a motiveless homicide.”

The teaser then cuts to Kim Nam-gil interrogating a prisoner and recording their conversation. Kim asks, “I would like to hear why you thought they weren’t the culprit,” and the prisoner replies, “If you don’t catch them, there’s going to be another incident.” Kim meets with Jin Seon-gyu afterwards, who asks, “Have you heard about profilers?” Handing Kim a book called Mindhunter (by former FBI agent John E. Douglas), Jin explains, “It’s criminal behavior analysis and requires an open mind, intuition, common sense, and logical reasoning. I’m certain that you’re the right person for the job.”

Kim Nam-gil and Jin Seon-gyu continue their police investigations as the onscreen text continues: “A dangerous conversation with serial killers.” An angry voice says, “These guys don’t have a motive! Even among us, there’s going to be someone who is merciless without reason.” Jin wonders, “What if our suspicions are right and it was because they failed to get the intended target?” Kim responds, “Then that means there are two serial killers in our country.”

We hear the prisoner from earlier saying, “The ones who get a taste for it can never quit.” In a sequence of shots, we see the unknown culprits attacking different people and hear two different voices: “You’re here again, old man?” and “They didn’t die? You’re saying they didn’t die?”

As the promo comes to a close, the onscreen text reads: “Walk into the devil’s heart/The birth of the nation’s first profiler.” We’re introduced to the drama’s three main actors: Kim Nam-gil, Jin Seon-gyu, and Kim So-jin. Returning to Kim Nam-gil, the teaser ends with his vow: “I will not stop here. I’m going to catch him no matter what.”

Written by Seol Yi-na and directed by PD Park Bo-ram, SBS drama Through the Darkness premieres on January 14, following Now We Are Breaking Up.