Episode 3 of "The Frog" dives deeper into the 2000s, as Gi-ho scurries out with a bulging bag of bottles, his destination the bullies' lair. He ventures inside, only to be met with taunts labeling him a loser and the revelation that he's already tardy.
Shifting to the present, Sung-a reappears at the rental, her intent clear: to spend the night. However, fate seems to conspire against her as Yeong-ha's daughter, Ui-seon, arrives unexpectedly, initially intended to stay but now merely visiting for dinner. A tense dance ensues between the two women, with Yeong-ha reluctantly conceding that Sung-a may stay. Yet, his mind is elsewhere, preoccupied with tending the barbecue alongside Ui-seon's partner, Ji-su, his hand seared from the flames, and his gaze constantly flicking to his wristwatch.
It's evident that Yeong-ha awaits Sung-a, who, in turn, appears preoccupied. She surveys her room, her eyes lingering on the vinyl player before adorning herself in a stunning black gown. Her request for Yeong-ha to operate the player is met with a curt denial, a subtle hint at her knowledge of the blood-stained record's disappearance.
Post-dinner, Ui-seon departs, leaving Sung-a to sip wine in the doorway's shadows. A nightmare of shoveling earth in a garden haunts her slumber, precipitating Yeong-ha's direct interrogation about her true motives. In response, Sung-a descends to the pool, diving beneath the water despite her professed fear from a year prior. Meanwhile, Si-hyeon's absence looms large, casting a shadow over the narrative's crux.
Back in the past, Eun-gyeong's downward spiral accelerates as she secretly sips, her employment tenuously held by Sung-jun's intervention. Amid chaos, they unite in their decision to sell the rental, a move that necessitates a steep price cut. Eun-gyeong harbors optimism, yet the specter of Gi-ho looms; he, oblivious to his mother's impending sobriety, continues pilfering bottles of soju from the fridge. Eun-gyeong, determined to turn her life around, embarks on a purge, discarding every last drop of soju, marking a turning point in her journey.
Sang-jun harbors a unique perspective on the tapestry of life, forged through adversity. At the tender age of seventeen, he lost both his parents, and at one bleak moment, even found himself amidst the harsh realities of homelessness. His journey since then has been a nomadic odyssey, bouncing between disparate vocations until 1985, when fate steered him to helm a factory. It was there, amidst the clamor of machinery, that he first encountered Eun-gyeong, a fleeting moment that etched itself into his memory.
Yet, the allure of the Lake View Motel lured him away from that factory, prompting a sale that led him to this very crossroads. But alas, it seems the sands of fortune are shifting beneath his feet, as the motel's future hangs precariously in the balance. Desperate to escape the weight of the past, Sang-jun clings to the hope of selling the motel, yet finds himself tethered to the daily grind of maintaining it.
Eun-gyeong, too, trudges through her days, laboring without the crutch of alcohol to dull the sharp edges of her memories. Post-traumatic stress disorder claws at her sanity, haunting her with visions of the deceased. Her reliance on sleeping pills offers fleeting respite, unaware that Gi-ho, on his quest to meet with a group of youths, inadvertently carried them with him.
Drama unfolds with the wail of an ambulance, piercing the tranquility. Accusations fly, fingers pointing at Gi-ho as the instigator, though he himself bears the heaviest burden. His secret consumption of the sleeping pills is exposed as he collapses, unconscious, the words "Murder Motel 9pm" scrawled on his palm becoming Eun-gyeong's somber discovery.
Sang-jun's world shatters upon learning of this revelation, realizing the tumultuous legacy the motel has wrought upon their lives. His anger boils over, spilling into a confrontation with the parents at the school, a confrontation that further tarnishes the motel's reputation. The revelation that the prospective land developer is intimately tied to the students' families deals a crushing blow to the motel's prospects.
Amidst this turmoil, Eun-gyeong finds herself with few options but to rise to the challenge once more, determined to set the motel aright. Gi-ho, engrossed in his research on the notorious Hyang-cheol case and the impending documentary, finds himself in the midst of it all, with Bo-min witnessing the intricate web of events unfold before her eyes.
The relentless pursuit of the truth has irrevocably shattered Sang-jun and Eun-gyeong's marital bond, and as the media descends upon the motel for the somber anniversary, Bo-min inadvertently finds herself embroiled in the fray. She lambasts the reporters for their exploitative nature, merely cashing in on the visuals before moving on to the next sensational story. Yet, amidst this horde, Yeom Dong-chan stands out as a beacon of sincerity, his demeanor more akin to a dedicated investigative journalist. He yearns to do right by the Motel, seeking justice amidst the chaos.
Jang-du, a steadfast ally, vouches for Dong-chan's integrity, and when the latter arrives, he reveals a damning revelation: Hyang-cheol, in the throes of arrest, has been spewing venomous tales, viewing his heinous crimes as mere conquests to boast about. This narrative, if unchecked, threatens to irreparably tarnish the motel's reputation. Dong-chan, driven by a sense of duty, proposes an interview with Sang-jun, aiming to present a more humane, sympathetic portrayal of his plight. Sang-jun, however, declines the offer, only for Bo-min to receive a call at the station, prompting her to rush off.
Shifting gears to the present, Sung-a sits down to a meal that echoes the pasta and tomato sauce she once prepared for Si-hyeon. This time, however, it's a shared meal between her and Yeong-ha, their presence side by side a testament to the unspoken bond that still lingers. Her return, after a year of relentless thoughts, speaks volumes of her inability to let go. And she knows, just as surely, that he too has been unable to erase her from his heart.
As Yeong-ha awakens, he finds himself disoriented on the floor, the remnants of their meal still gracing the table. Sung-a's absence is palpable, and without hesitation, Yeong-ha rushes to the police station, his nose bleeding profusely. In his pocket, a clue unfolds—a photograph of their daughter, her face meticulously circled, igniting a new sense of urgency within him.
Flashing back to the tumultuous events of the 2000s, Bo-min arrives at the motel to find Eun-gyeong lifeless in Room 403, Sang-jun beside her, shattered. The grim scene is punctuated by a bottle of soju and a scattering of pills, a tragic testament to Eun-gyeong's final moments.
As the episode draws to a close, we are once again transported to the present, where Yeong-ha scrutinizes the note, the image of his daughter's face, circled with love and longing, igniting a fire within him to uncover the truth.
