Episode 3 of Shin’s Project opens with a gripping flashback to fifteen years prior. We see Yun Dong-hee, a man confined within a glass prison. Mr. Shin pounds fiercely on the glass, his voice raw with desperation as he demands an explanation: “Why did you do it?” The scene then shifts to the present, where Mr. Shin is seen mourning in the solitude of his home, the weight of past events heavy on his shoulders.
In the current timeline, Philip is in the midst of questioning Judge Kim about Mr. Shin when he receives an urgent call from Shin himself. The urgency in Shin’s voice is palpable as he informs Philip about Lee Sang-hyeon and the looming threat of a bomb.
Meanwhile, Shin manages to persuade Lee Sang-hyeon to grant him access to the warehouse. Through their conversation, Shin learns that Sang-hyeon’s actions are driven by a deep-seated grief for his older brother, who succumbed to cancer. Sang-hyeon harbors a belief that he and three other respected elders in the village fell ill and died due to the contamination from a fertiliser plant situated upstream of a local water source.
As the police, led by Jang Yeong-su, encircle the warehouse, Shin steps forward to engage in negotiations. His first request is simple yet telling: food. Seizing the opportunity, Shin discreetly sends a coded message to his allies—Philip, Si-on, Choi Chul, and Kim Soo-dong—under the guise of ordering coffee.
After partaking in the meal, Sang-hyeon finally unveils his demands. He insists that government officials must publicly acknowledge the factory’s role in causing civilian deaths, take decisive action against the officials complicit in the tragedy, and offer a sincere apology to the families of the deceased. Jang Yeong-su relays these demands to the government, only to be met with resistance from the deputy mayor, who points out that the victims had already received compensation. Moreover, he argues that Sang-hyeon’s family and the other three elders lived over a kilometer away from the plant, thus exempting them from consideration.
In the background, Kim Soo-dong diligently gathers more information on the case and passes it on to Philip. Philip, in turn, brings it to Si-on, who, adhering to Shin’s instructions, hands it over to a woman known as Madame Joo. Adding an air of mystery, Madame Joo reveals a cryptic text message from Shin that simply reads, “Catherine.”
Inside the dimly lit warehouse, tension crackled in the air as Shin made a desperate attempt to jog Sang-hyeon's memory about their mother—a woman on the brink of losing both her children through no fault of her own. Just then, Jang Yeong-su re-entered the scene, his voice cold and unyielding as he informed Shin that there existed no legal ties connecting the government employees to the tragic deaths of the civilians. The statute of limitations, he added with a smirk, had long since run its course on any other charges related to the plant. He dangled the promise of money, but Sang-hyeon's eyes remained steely, uninterested in any monetary compensation.
Meanwhile, Kim Soo-dong regaled Philip with tales of Shin's past as a formidable negotiator, brokering deals on behalf of the government. Yet, he remained tight-lipped about the reason behind Shin's current occupation as the owner of a humble chicken shop. Philip, ever the investigator, dug deeper and soon found himself heading to the warehouse alongside Yeong-su, armed with newfound information. Philip had unearthed evidence—a smoking gun—proving that the mayor had accepted a bribe from the fertiliser company!
Despite this glimmer of hope, Shin delivered a somber message to Yeong-su: Sang-hyeon was no longer in the mood to negotiate. Taking Jang Yeong-su aside, Shin issued a stark ultimatum: cut the power if he failed to emerge for the final round of talks. True to his word, when Shin did not reappear, the lights flickered out. With a mere five minutes left on the ticking bomb, Shin and Mayor Hwang finally stepped out of the warehouse. In a frantic dash, Shin attempted to re-enter and persuade Sang-hyeon to flee, but fate had other plans. The building erupted in a deafening explosion before he could accomplish his mission.
Thanks to Philip's damning evidence, Mayor Hwang's indictment was imminent. Meanwhile, the other police officers informed Yeong-su that no trace of Sang-hyeon's body had been found amidst the warehouse rubble. They concluded that it had likely been consumed by the flames.
Some time later, Kim Soo-dong and Shin found themselves face to face once more. The truth, long buried, finally surfaced. A flashback revealed Shin's desperate plea to Sang-hyeon, informing him that he had uncovered incriminating evidence against the mayor. He vowed to handle the situation and urged Sang-hyeon to make a run for it. As the power in the area failed, Choi Chul swooped in, spiriting Sang-hyeon away to safety and reuniting him with his mother. There, they were greeted by Madame Joo, who handed them new passports, flight tickets, and the promise of a fresh start in a distant land.
Currently, at the police station, Yeong-su receives a text message bearing a photograph of Sang-hyeon and his mother at the airport. His eyes light up as he gazes at the image, and a faint smile graces his lips. Shifting scenes, we return to the bustling chicken shop where Philip, with a hint of excitement, informs Si-on that he will take it upon himself to teach her during the weekends. In a sweet exchange, she reciprocates by offering to teach him the art of riding a bicycle, a skill he'll need for his delivery rounds.
Meanwhile, at Madame Joo's luxurious abode, her assistant, with a puzzled expression, inquires about her uncanny knowledge of the word "Catherine." A flashback unravels, revealing a harrowing scene where a man holds Madame Joo's daughter, Ji-woo, hostage. The kidnapper's demands are clear: he wants Kim Young-woo and an item he presumes Kim possesses. Amidst the tension, Shin, with a calm demeanor, presents the kidnapper with an escape route, free from consequences, successfully rescuing the terrified Ji-woo.
Throughout this ordeal, Shin's phone keeps buzzing with calls from his wife, Jeong Ji-in, but the urgency of the situation forces him to ignore them. Ji-in's calls are spurred by a desperate situation: a drug-addled individual named Yun Dong-hee has her son, Jun, held at knifepoint in a park. Choi Chul and his team swiftly arrive on the scene, attempting to reason with the intoxicated Dong-hee. However, their efforts are in vain as Dong-hee, in a fit of rage, takes the boy's life.
Madame Joo, now composed, reveals to Shin that Kim Young-woo is her ex-husband and speculates that he must have pilfered something valuable from the kidnapper. Shin, ever the protector, suggests that it might be prudent for Ji-woo to seek refuge in a foreign land for her safety. This explains Madame Joo's prior knowledge of the significance behind Shin's coded message – she had crafted a passport for Ji-woo under the alias Catherine. Just then, Judge Kim enters the room, bearing the somber news to Shin. When Shin finally arrives at the morgue, he is met with Ji-in's accusatory gaze, as she lays the blame for Jun's tragic demise squarely on his shoulders.
In the present day, Shin instructs Phillip to leave the restaurant early. Shortly after, Yeong-su pays him a visit, revealing that he is privy to the truth about Sang-hyeon and his mother's escape. He accuses Shin of manipulating the police and orchestrating a power outage to facilitate Sang-hyeon's getaway. Shin, with a tinge of sadness in his voice, explains that his actions were driven by a desire to spare Sang-hyeon's mother the pain of losing another child. Eventually, Yeong-su's anger subsides, and understanding dawns upon him. Outside the shop, a mysterious figure donning a bucket hat keeps a watchful eye on Shin, adding an air of intrigue to the scene.
