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Son Suk Ku shares his thoughts on Nine Puzzles.
Nine Puzzles is a mystery thriller that follows Yun Yi Na (Kim Da Mi), a criminal profiler who was the sole witness of an unsolved case from ten years ago, and violent crimes Detective Han Saem (Son Suk Ku), who was the lead investigator at the time and continues to suspect her as the culprit. They delve into the secrets of a serial murder case that begins again with a mysterious puzzle piece.
Talking about the drama's success on Disney+, Son Suk Ku said, "I'm grateful for the fact that so many people have watched it. Since it's a mystery genre, some aspects felt unfamiliar and hard to gauge even for me. Among ourselves, we worked hard and were confident, but we really didn't know how things would turn out in the end." He continued, "Although it's streaming on an OTT, since the episodes weren't released all at once, I was worried that we might lose momentum. But it seems like things have gone well."
Son Suk Ku plays Detective Kim Han. The actor commented on having been suspected as the culprit as the story progressed, saying, "I found it puzzling. The director probably had it all planned out, but I just acted without thinking much, yet people seemed to read a lot into it. Like what the father was like, or what he did to his friend. I think they were expecting a huge twist where Han Saem turns out to be the culprit, but for me, I see it more as a well-crafted and sophisticated mystery."
Regarding the tattoo that fueled viewers' suspicions, he candidly shared, "I don't quite remember whether it was in the script or something we came up with ourselves, but I just thought he got the tattoo while doing an undercover investigation. I didn't think it would come across to the audience as a potential clue for the mystery."
He also revealed that he filmed without knowing who the culprit was, saying, "That's part of the charm of a mystery like Nine Puzzles. Among the people around me, only one person guessed the culprit correctly after watching episode 9. That friend of mine lives in the U.S. Since nobody around me was getting it right, I said I'd send a gift [to anyone who guessed correctly]. And that one friend was the only one who did. I didn't know [the culprit] either."
When asked who he thought the culprit was, Son Suk Ku confessed, "I'm really not good at guessing those things. I'm not good at watching stuff like this. Mysteries are hard for me," and added, "I didn't really think about who the culprit might be. I just thought, 'Well, someone must be the culprit.' I simply followed the flow of the story."
When asked whether he felt any disappointment about the ending, specifically, that the mystery didn't conclude with the culprit being caught or the crime being prevented, Son Suk Ku responded, "There's a certain social commentary in the ending. While I wouldn't say it's directly connected, I do think it's meaningful in how it reflects a slice of our society. I think it was better than a sensational twist."
The "slice of society" he refers to is the notion that "people are killed to build a place for people to live." The actor added, "If you keep that one line in mind and watch from the beginning, I think you'll start to see why we designed the art and positioned the characters the way we did."
When asked whether the new puzzle shown at the end hinted at a second season, Son Suk Ku replied, "There was no such talk. I didn't think of it as an ending set up for season 2, but rather as a way to express that people living in that world continue to go about their lives. Of course, it could be interpreted that way." He added, "It also means copycat crimes. The puzzle, after all, symbolized a murder case, didn't it? So to me, it meant a new incident — just another case. That's how I saw it."
As for the possibility of a second season, he said, "I think the chances are very slim. Not just because of scheduling, but looking at numerous circumstances, I don't think Season 2 will happen."
Son Suk Ku once said he wanted to be a prolific actor. But now, his goal has changed. "I don't think being prolific is it anymore. In the past, I had a clear goal to do a lot of work," and added, "Back then, I felt like I was absorbing everything in the world I had stepped into, and I was excited to learn things." "It's not that I've learned everything yet, but I think this is a time when it's important to express [act or work] meaningfully," and revealed his plan: "I've been working without rest, but once the currently scheduled projects are finished, I plan to take a long break."
