Episode 8 of "Hunter with a Scalpel" kicks off with a tender scene where Eun-seo tends to Se-eun, who is battling a fever. With a weakened voice, Se-eunconfides in Eun-seo, expressing her reluctance to accompany her father.
Elsewhere, Se-hyun drags a suitcase from the man's abode to the car, oblivious to the hidden cameras trained on her every move. As she does so, she unwittingly leaves bloodstains trailing in the vehicle, a telltale sign of her recent endeavors.
At the police station, Jung-hyun is engrossed in a video testimony from a witness in the Blue Barrel case, who was subsequently dismissed due to a schizophrenia diagnosis. The witness vividly describes encountering a small child with spiky hair, a detail that sparks a connection in Jung-hyun's mind, linking it to the girl in the photograph.
Just as Jung-hyun ponders over this revelation, his colleague enters the room, briefing him on Chang-jin's plight. For two weeks now, Chang-jin has been unable to visit his hospitalized wife, a sacrifice made necessary by Jung-hyun's relentless pursuit of the old case. This workload has inadvertently doubled the shifts for the rest of the team.
The following morning, Jung-hyun fetches coffee for Chang-jin and Seok-woo, seeking to mend fences. He offers an apology to Chang-jin, who gracefully accepts it while cautioning him about a colleague who lost his job over the Blue Barrel case. Jung-hyun reassuringly vows not to let such a fate befall his teammates.
Meanwhile, Se-hyun has transported the body to a new location, her actions meticulous and deliberate. She receives a call from her father, and this time, she firmly asserts her authority, insisting on choosing the meeting point where he can confront Min-ho's remains.
At the police station, Jung-hyun finds himself ensnared in further complications due to his relentless pursuit of the Blue Barrel case. On this occasion, Chang-jin rises to the occasion, confronting their superior and demanding that Jung-hyun be allowed to continue his investigation. As Jung-hyun exits the precinct, his phone buzzes with a call from Joon-kyung of the NFS. Unable to reach Se-hyun, she has resorted to contacting Jung-hyun instead, informing him that the third corpse exhibited traces of pancuronium, mirroring the previous findings.
Driven by curiosity and suspicion, Jung-hyun heads to Seoul to secure the toxicology reports on the first two victims. Upon reviewing them, his worst fears are confirmed – Se-hyun had deceived him.
Elsewhere, Se-hyun steers her vehicle to a vast, desolate parking lot, where Mr. Choi soon arrives. Spotting her car, he peers into the backseat just as she strikes him with a stick, unaware that Se-eun, her sibling, is concealed within Choi's vehicle. She binds her father, draws his blood, and then loops a rope around his neck, initiating a chilling act of strangulation. However, her grim task is abruptly halted by the blaring truck alarm. Rushing to silence it, she overlooks Se-eun slipping out to free Mr. Choi. Enraged and empowered, Choi confronts Se-hyun, assaulting her while vowing not to terminate her life. Just as the situation escalates, a security guard's unexpected arrival provides Se-hyun with a narrow escape route.
Returning home, Se-hyun discovers a blue bucket sitting ominously in her room. The silence is shattered by haunting voices, and her mind succumbs to vivid hallucinations – her father's ghostly figure choking her, morphing into a macabre vision of her own self-strangulation. Terrified, she flees the house, only to be found wandering the streets in a dazed state by Jung-hyun.
We witness Jung-hyun step into Se-hyun's abode, armed with an assortment of medications. His gaze falls upon her blood-stained footwear and the shattered blue bucket lying nearby. Se-hyun, having cleaned herself up, is now attending to a gash on her leg, while Jung-hyun recounts a tale from his past – how he was falsely imprisoned for a robbery. It was a particular policeman who discerned his innocence and tracked down the genuine culprit. That pivotal moment ignited his aspiration to become a law enforcement officer, driven by a desire to bring the real perpetrators to justice. Jung-hyun's perception suggests that Se-hyun harbors secrets of her own.
Just as he delves deeper into his narrative, his phone buzzes with a message from the digital forensics team. The message unveils that the location captured in the photograph is Cheongun Port, situated in close proximity to where the infamous Blue Barrel case unfolded.
