Episode 2 of *Queen Mantis* opens with a haunting flashback of a teenage Su-yeol enduring a brutal beating at the hands of school bullies. Though he possesses martial arts skills, fear grips him—a fear of unleashing lethal force and accidentally taking a life. Jeong-ho, sensing his internal struggle, offers a piece of sage advice: channel his strength into something meaningful by becoming a police officer and dedicating himself to saving others.
Fast-forward to the present, and the police are hot on the trail of a leak, tracing its origins back to the prosecutor's office. I-shin's crucial file has vanished without a trace. Among the memories stirred up by the investigation is a visit from a seemingly friendly yet uncomfortably awkward clerk, Seo Gu-wan, who had stopped by a year prior. The prosecutor recalls the encounter vividly, noting Gu-wan's false claim of sharing an orphanage background with him, despite Gu-wan being a genuine orphan.
That fateful night, the police set up a stakeout at Gu-wan's residence. Tension lingers in the air as Na-hee and Su-yeol share an awkward moment, their relationship strained. Nevertheless, Na-hee offers a reassuring promise: together, they will find their balance and overcome any obstacle.
The suspense builds as Gu-wan makes a sudden appearance, only to vanish into the shadows the moment he spots the police. In a desperate move, the officers break into his home, uncovering a treasure trove of files on everyone from I-shin to the police force itself. Hyuk stumbles upon a stash of pills, leading them to confirm that Gu-wan suffers from schizophrenia. Among the clutter, they discover letters from I-shin, offering chilling advice on how to commit murder. Su-yeol, fueled by a mix of anger and concern, confronts I-shin, who chastises him for his carelessness.
A swift investigation reveals that the letters were, in fact, forgeries crafted by Gu-wan himself, adding another layer of mystery to the case.
The scene then shifts to Gu-wan, who arrives at the home of a captive family. There, he assumes the role of patriarch, sitting down to share a meal with them. The real father is nowhere to be found, and the mother, desperate to protect her children, urges them to play along with Gu-wan's delusions.
Meanwhile, the police delve deeper into Gu-wan's digital footprint, hacking into his computer and uncovering a disturbing collection of photoshopped images. In these manipulated photos, Gu-wan has seamlessly inserted himself into the family's cherished memories, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy.
Back at the apartment, the son stands defiant, refusing to play along with the charade. In a fit of rage, Gu-wan decides to mete out punishment. Thankfully, the police arrive just in the nick of time and take the man into custody.
It's then unveiled that the missing father, Tae-seok, is none other than Gu-wan’s half-brother. Their mother cruelly abandoned Gu-wan at a hospital, only to go on and marry Tae-seok’s father.
Na-hee attempts to interrogate Gu-wan, but he cunningly turns the tables, bringing up her autistic son and the heart-wrenching fact that she had abandoned him. Her temper flares, and she's summarily ejected from the room. It turns out that Gu-wan had orchestrated this scene solely to isolate Su-yeol, so he could wax lyrical about I-shin.
While Su-yeol plays along, despite being thoroughly repulsed, Tae-seok catches on to the subterfuge and retreats into a shell of unresponsiveness. With no solid leads on Tae-seok’s whereabouts, Jeong-ho floats the idea of arranging a meeting between Gu-wan and I-shin. Su-yeol vehemently opposes this, as he's loath to rely on her.
Meanwhile, Su-yeol’s wife, Jung-yeon, and her friend, A-ra, are hard at work in the ceramic studio. They engage in a lively discussion about children, and how Su-yeol has no desire to have any, blaming his unresolved mommy issues. A-ra finds this amusing, especially when Jung-yeon reveals that Su-yeol calls out for his mother in his sleep.
Gu-wan is beside himself with excitement at the prospect of meeting I-shin, and she obliges him. However, when she probes him for details about his murders, he hesitates. She swiftly realizes that he is not the copycat she's been hunting and decides to bait him. Frustrated, he threatens to blow Su-yeol’s cover.
At this, I-shin springs into action, attempting to kill him. The police are forced to intervene. I-shin tries to persuade Su-yeol to eliminate Gu-wan, labeling him a liability. Amidst the chaos, Gu-wan manages to snatch a guard’s gun and makes a break for it. In the front yard, he suffers a mental breakdown and turns the gun on himself. I-shin panics, mistakenly believing that Su-yeol has been shot.
Gu-wan is rushed to the hospital in a critical condition, and Su-yeol finds himself briefly pondering his mother’s words.
Meanwhile, completely unaware of the altercation, Na-hee decides to press on with the interrogation. Upon learning that Gu-wan has been taken to the hospital, the unit is incensed at being kept in the dark.
In the meantime, Su-yeol formulates a theory that Tae-seok might be hiding out in the very hospital where Gu-wan was abandoned. Gu-wan has a plethora of photos of the hospital and has devoured transmigration novels where the protagonist assumes the life of another. Sung-gyu dismisses the theory, but Na-hee throws her support behind Su-yeol.
They hurtle towards the hospital, frantically scouring every nook and cranny. Their efforts prove futile, and Sung-gyu, his patience worn thin, insists they cease squandering precious time. Na-hee, too, appears to have succumbed to despair.
As memories of I-shin's third victim, drowned in a tragic turn of events, flash through Su-yeol's mind, he springs into action, questioning the hospital staff with a sense of urgency. His inquiries lead him to a clandestine laundry operation, hidden away from the prying eyes of regulations. There, amidst the whirring machines, he catches sight of Tae-seok, lifeless and submerged in a washing machine. Without a moment's hesitation, Su-yeol leaps into action, performing CPR with frantic desperation.
At the climax of Queen Mantis Episode 2, a chilling revelation unfolds: I-shin, with a cunning glint in her eye, conceals leaves within her mouth. In a macabre display of forethought, she then meticulously stores them in the false ceiling of the bathroom, a silent testament to her sinister machinations.
