The character of Gi-Oh Cha
Hello! A little post about a character that is not often mentioned in the series!
(For fanfiction: I wrote the final chapter, and I'm writing chapter 2 – I hope to finish it at the end of next week -)
Can we talk about a very underrated character in the series ?
Gi-Oh Cha.
A character that is not so impressive at first glance and who resembles the cliché of the "old cop" : an old man who has worked at the police station, who has dedicated his whole life to fighting criminals and who now has only one obsession, to bring down his "great enemy", regardless of ethics or morals.
He even becomes a rather pathetic character when we see his apartment for the first time: a lonely man, with no family or any other relatives than Pildo, whose apartment is a mix between a brothel and an archive depot because the only thing that keeps him going is his revenge against Dongcheon (as Jiwoo doesn't own anything in his apartment because she is focused on her own revenge by the way).
And yet, he is the one who gives Mujin the most trouble !
The ship ? If it hadn't been for Jiwoo to shoot the electrical box, Mujin and Taeju would probably have been captured.
Gangjae ? If it weren't for Jiwoo's warnings that releasing Mango was a trap and that he was waiting for him to move, Mujin would have been fooled and Gi-Oh Cha would no doubt have had ways to corner him more easily.
And that's not to mention the fight between Dongcheon and Gangjae where Mujin would have been arrested if Taeju hadn't saved his skin!
And Cha-Gi Oh owes his near-successes to his in-depth knowledge of Mujin's psychology:
He knows Mujin well enough to know that he would demand to see the new lab once he owns it, because Mujin is eager and ambitious and will want to get it up and running as soon as possible to increase their numbers.
He knows him well enough to know that Mujin will want to seek to kill Gangjae directly because his pride has been hurt and his authority challenged. And he's right since that's literally what Mujin says to Taeju:
Mujin: "Find Gangjae"
Taeju: "It's risky to act now"
Mujin turns to him, "Are you scared Taeju?"
Taeju : « No Mister. »
Mujin looks away and retorts, "If we don't fight back, we lose everything. They must know that those who attack the Dongcheon pay with their lives. »
But he is also cunning :
Already, he quickly understands that there is a mole within their unit, and, logically, thinks that it is Oh Hye-Jin since his arrival coincides with the leaks.
And what does he do to get to the bottom of the mole ? Announce that he has returned a Dongcheon (without mentioning who) to the entire team and, with Pildo's help, simply wait to see who will come to find out the mole's identity. And as a bonus ? This meeting will throw a spanner in the works of Doncheon, weakened by Donghoon's betrayal.
Then, seeing that Mujin does not react against Gangjae as hoped, he changes tactics instead of giving up :
If Mujin doesn't want to destroy Gangjae, so be it. Gi-Oh knows that Gangjae wants revenge on Dongcheon... so he will use Gangjae, who is much more unstable and desperate.
Which works since the police pressure is enough to make Gangjae crack who will offer him Mujin on a platter in exchange for his freedom.
And when you put it all together and you see how much he manages to put Mujin in trouble in a few months (while he has Jiwoo as a mole!)....how did he manage not to lock up Mujin after all these years ?
Especially when you remember that he has Donghoon's files... you know, the famous reports that detailed the meetings and the associates of Dongcheon met.
And precisely :
Donghoon wrote these reports for years. Day after day, he detailed every meeting, every decision made, every company or partner related to Dongcheon.
So how come Dongcheon is still standing ? All this information should have destroyed them, and it's not like Gi-Oh Cha still has to protect Donghoon since he is dead.
We can assume two things :
First, it can be assumed that in reality, Donghoon's reports would not contain much incriminating: perhaps he says that Mujin met with an X but that he could not actually detail the content of their conversation.
After all, after years of being around Mujin and Taeju every day, it must have been hard to betray them. And perhaps Donghoon, consciously or not, may have omitted some sensitive information to protect it.
The second theory is that Donghoon's case has been closed and the fear that the evidence will disappear.
After all, Donghoon's case was closed without investigation thanks to Mujin's contacts. It can be assumed that Gi-Oh Cha originally intended to unveil the files but must have feared what would happen if he presented the evidence (destruction ? corrupt justice ?). Not to mention that in recent years, many of these reports must be completely unverifiable and outdated.
It would also explain why they are desperate to bring down Mujin in a way that would make his accusations damning and difficult to silence in court: a gang war, videos showing him in a methamphetamine lab... These are far harder things to challenge and silence than dusty reports written by a mole whose loyalty and reliability could be challenged.)
In any case, it can be assumed that Cha Gi-Oh preferred to be much more cautious after Donghoon's death and probably hunted other small fish while waiting for the opportunity to go after Mujin again.
Gi-Oh Cha may not be the most charismatic character on the show, but he's a very cunning and intelligent person. He also shows how much knowledge of his opponent can be enough to destroy him! Something that Mujin has always neglected on his side, seeing in Gi-Oh Cha only a fool and probably an insect to be crushed.