Han River Police (2023) K Drama Episode 2

Episode 2 of Han River Police starts with the rescue operation after the River Ferry ship collision. On the bridge, Director Go argues with the Captain due to differences in handling the situation. The Captain wants to send a distress signal informing the passengers of the mishap, but Director Go wants him to tell them nothing is wrong and to stay put. Na-hee and Hyo-sun calm the passengers as the Han River Police team arrives on the scene. 

The passengers are uncontrollable, and Sergeant Han climbs up to help Na-hee with the passengers. One man pushes the others, and a woman almost falls into the river. Elsewhere, Director Go on the bridge still tries to start the ship, and a fight ensues with the Captain. Sergeant Han arrives in time and knocks Director Go unconscious. 

They scour the ship looking for survivors, and outside, the Han Police team has taken care of the situation, and the passengers now calmly exit the ship. Inside the ship, the Captain and Sergeant Han find Na-hee in the kitchen trying to rescue an employee stuck under some equipment. They manage to pull him out, and the Captain supports him as Sergeant Han and Na-hee head to the upper decks to help more passengers. 

As they head outside, Sergeant Han notices Baek Chul, who has arrived to lend a hand. He gets angry, but Cheon-seok calms him down since they need help. The rescue continues, but waves move the ship and collide with the barge. People fall from the cruise ship into the water, including Hyo-sun. Baek Chul acts promptly and dives into the water to rescue Hyo-sun, and the passengers applaud his swift rescue. 

Everyone is safe and back on shore where the police, the fire rescue and the emergency medical officers are waiting. Sergeant Han notices Director Go getting violent with someone and goes over to calm him down. He tries to tell him his actions will affect the company, but he retaliates by getting violent with Sergeant Han. Chairman Hwang arrives in time to calm him down. He apologizes to the reporters for the incident.

Later, reporters arrive at the station and ask to interview Ji-soo, after which the team go out for a meal and drinks. 

Elsewhere, Director Go visits a fortune-teller. She tells him that to get his uncle’s approval, he must carefully clean up the River Ferry accident. Ji-soo, Sergeant Han, and Cheon-seok go for a meal and are later joined by Na-hee. Sergeant Han realizes that Baek Chul is joining them and wants to leave, but Cheon-seok does not let him. 

In a flashback, the past relationship between Sergeant Han and Baek Chul is revealed. Sergeant Han blames Baek Chul for his brother’s death. Han Won-jin married Eun-suk, Baek Chul’s sister, and had a son called Han Jun. They all worked at the Han River Police Force and had a good relationship. They would meet up for food and drinks at Han River Moonlight restaurant, where Won-Jin and Eun-suk announced their marriage and pregnancy.

Na-hee follows Sergeant Han to his brother’s memorial site, and she introduces herself as Won-jin’s sister-in-law. She also urges Sergeant Han to invite her the next time he visits his nephew, Han Jun.

Next, Baek Chul visits Han Jun at the hospital. The doctor informs him that the next treatment procedure is expensive and not covered by insurance. He leaves an envelope of money under Han Jun’s pillow, and Eun-suk finds it. She wants to return it, but Baek Chul insists she keep it. She asks if Baek Chul is doing something shady and worries he might end up like Won-jin. He assures her and asks her to be vital for Han Jun.

Elsewhere, Chairman Hwang tries to reach the mayor, but he does not pick up his calls. He asks Director Go to take care of a man, and their henchman, the hitter, beats him to death. Director Go later attends a meeting with furious shareholders of Kyungin River Cruise Company. He assures them of double returns after the completion of the Han River First City Development Project.

Sergeant Han, Ji-soo and Cheon-seok investigate the collision and notice that they will need to dig at least one meter deep to salvage the ship. Cheon-seok suggests they wait until the spring tide in ten days when the water rises, and the ship will pull itself out. Director Go is not satisfied with waiting ten days, so he visits Baek Chul to give him a job. The two seem familiar with each other as if they have worked together in the past.

Baek Chul even mentions not taking any more jobs from him, but Director Go tells him he can only quit if they let him go. He asks him to help with one last job, after which he will no longer ask him to work for them. Baek Chul agrees.

Baek Chul and his team, including the hitter, leave for the collision site while Director Go instructs the doctor to work on something else. It is raining heavily. Sergeant Han and his team are notified over the comms that a drowned body has been reported near Mapo Bridge. They head out to the rescue. 

At the River Ferry collision site, Baek Chul and his team fetch the box of lobsters from the ship’s cold storage. The doctor is at some old factory pressing workers to finish working on something in 30 minutes.

The body drowned at Mapo Bridge is fetched from the water, and Sergeant Han recognizes him as the Captain of the River Ferry. Ji-soo thinks it is a homicide case, but Cheon-seok tells him they must wait for the autopsy report. The team heads back after handing over the body to the police. 

Baek Chul and his team are still at the site, lifting the last boxes from the ship. Ji-soo notices a barge anchored next to the ship while its rescue is on hold. They decide to have a closer look. The hitter impatiently jumps before the boxes are safely on board, causing one of them to crush to the floor and the other to sink into the river.

The boxes are full of gold, and a fight breaks out with Nam-gi, who suggests they take care of Director Go and the Hitter, and take the gold. Baek Chul takes control of the situation and asks his team to fish the box that fell into the water. Just then, they notice the police ship approaching, and the episode ends with Sergeant Han glaring at Baek Chul. 

The Episode Review

The episode reveals that the suspicious boxes are full of gold disguised as lobsters. Eun-suk worries that Baek Chul might be doing something shady, and he seems familiar with Director Go. Did Baek Chul and Won-jin carry out a shady task for Director Go in the past due to Han Jun’s medical cost, which led to his death? Sergeant Han mentions that Baek Chul refuses to tell him what happened and how he died. 

The mysteries of Chairman Hwang’s business are still unknown, especially with the introduction of the new bigger cruise ship, the River Ferry. Everyone seems to wonder why the company invests so much in a new ship while the business is making losses. Whatever they are doing, it is important enough for them to kill the Captain over the collision.

Gold in the water and some scattered on the barge with police approaching; how did Director Go and Baek Chul handle the situation? We will find out in the next episode of Han River Police.