Things are darkest before dawn and most fun is always had before a tragedy. The tenth episode of Like Flowers in Sand is as fun as it can get for this show. The cat is out of many bags, and it is truly the last step of the investigation. There are some hints regarding who the actual culprit might be, and though Like Flowers in Sand has been a little slow, these indicate that it was well written, and the following is the recap.
Spoiler Alert
Is the town talking about Du Sik?
Baek Du tells Du Sik that he likes her but refuses to hear her reply and just runs back home. Du Sik is certainly thinking about him so much that Hyeon Uk thinks that she may have put on a blusher because her cheeks are flushed.
Back in Geosan, the entire village is shaken up because of Baek Du mentioning Du Sik. They are all surprised to see him lose his temper, but it has also brought back memories that they hadn’t addressed in a long time. Baek Du’s mother feels guilty about not understanding what her son was going through this whole time. When Du Sik had disappeared, Baek Du had cried for a few days and then stopped mentioning her altogether, which led her to think that he was over it the way children are. But he had just buried it deep in his heart and suffered endlessly. Even Tae Baek hears of Baek Du’s outburst, and his feelings are more complicated than he is letting on. In the previous episode, Baek Du had told Tae Baek that they should not have let Du Sik leave that way all those years ago. In this episode, Tae Baek says that he agrees with Baek Du, but he has made some wrong decisions at times, and back then, this was the only thing he could possibly do. Meanwhile, Jin Su’s mother is furious about the rumors, and she remembers that someone else was the last person to see Cheol Yong before he died, though her and the man’s memories are unclear. If Chil Seong had been match-fixing, everyone in the ssireum hall must have been aware of him, and that includes Baek Du’s father and the other wrestlers. They are the most obvious lead for the officers, which they haven’t thought of till now.
While people are discussing the witch hunt of Du Sik’s family and how they may have contributed to it, they also remember an older rumor about Cheol Yong being killed by his childhood friend. Was that Baek Du’s father?
What is the progress in Chil Seong’s investigation?
Seok Hui wonders whether Snowball was purposefully released from her leash by someone. It is not possible that a dog gets away multiple times so effortlessly without even chewing on her leash. But what could the reason be since there is no theft and Snowball is not being kidnapped? That is when Snowball’s owner tells Seok Hui that the dog was heard barking near the reservoir, so maybe that is where she keeps going every time she is free. The person who releases her has to know that, and that is why he is doing it, which means that there is something near the reservoir of a criminal nature. Elsewhere, the records of Chil Seong’s burner phone show that he received multiple calls from a payphone in the area, meaning that someone from Geosan was indeed his killer or involved with him in some capacity.
Does everyone know that Yu Gyeong is Du Sik?
Seok Hui’s theory is that Baek Du spoke about Du Sik to take attention away from himself and his possible affair. In fact, the fact that he brought up Du Sik has convinced Seok Hui that Baek Du is indeed having an affair with Yu Gyeong. He tells Jin Su about how Baek Du had asked him to run a background check on Yu Gyeong to find out whether she was Du Sik, but all Seok Hui had found were her old photographs, which he dismissed because he was convinced that Du Sik must have grown up ugly.
When Jin Su sees Baek Du and Du Sik talking and bickering, he remembers how they were in their childhood and starts considering that Yu Gyeong may indeed be Du Sik. Later, Baek Du announces to his group that he likes Du Sik. Nobody knows that she is Yu Gyeong. Later, he also badgers her to let him join the investigation team, and Du Sik finally agrees. Baek Du makes his way into her house to check whether the bathroom door works and if she locks her door when she sleeps, so that she is not in danger from Hyeon Uk. The two irritated men decide to hold a drinking match, and Du Sik ends up drinking for Baek Du since he can’t hold his liquor. This is proof enough that she has feelings for him.
At the end of Like Flowers in Sand Episode 10 Du Sik calls Baek Du to the cafe to discuss the case, and Jin Su witnesses this interaction. It convinces him that there is something going on between them and that Yu Gyeong is Du Sik. He tells Seok Hui that the pictures look similar to him now because he believes in their identity, but Seok Hui is still adamant. He insists on confronting Baek Du and Yu Gyeong together in the cafe where they are present. Seok Hui starts a rant about how ugly Du Sik used to be, and no matter how much his friends try to stop him, he keeps talking. He believes he is giving a compliment to Yu Gyeong and calling her pretty, but when she talks to him like Du Sik, he understands the mistake he has made and runs to save his life from her beatings. Due to Seok Hui’s foot-in-the-mouth behavior, Du Sik finally has all her friends back like before.
Final Thoughts
It is probably clear by now that Baek Du’s father is related to the murders, and this revelation is going to have a devastating impact that will majorly derail the love story. However, it is the only solution that will make sense.
