Episode 8 of "The Frog" kicks off with Bo-min sequestered in her car, her mind reeling from Yeong-ha's damning accusations from the previous episode. The specter of Sung-a's alleged involvement in Si-hyeon's murder looms large, casting a pall over the entire narrative.
Sung-a, initially defiant, clings to the belief that her silence and the imminent arrival of her lawyer will secure her freedom. But Bo-min, her mind set on unraveling the Si-hyeon mystery, mentions the cornfield, and Sung-a's facade cracks—a fleeting flicker of guilt across her face. This subtle reaction is all the confirmation Bo-min needs to orchestrate a search party, determined to scour the area for clues.
Confronting the Chief with her plans, Bo-min faces resistance. He chastises her for overstepping her bounds, but she, unfazed, labels him a coward and dares him to call her bluff. Laying out her evidence—a mundane assortment of items procured from a supermarket—she subtly hints at a deeper conspiracy. The Chief, reluctantly swayed, gives his consent.
Bo-min's conviction runs so deep that she's prepared to relinquish her badge and gun should her hunch prove wrong. Yet, she argues, the stakes are lower since Sung-a's release is all but assured, framed as a "false arrest."
Hours later, Sung-a strides out of the station, her legal team and connections to Doctor Yoo—now revealed as her father—securing her freedom. Behind the wheel of her sleek sports car, she threatens legal action against Bo-min for the brief detention.
Yeong-ha, apprised of the developments, erupts in fury, his calls to Bo-min laced with accusations. But Bo-min vows to uncover Sung-a's secrets, come what may. Yeong-ha's patience exhausted, he abruptly ends the call, unaware that the police are already converging on the cornfield.
Meanwhile, Sung-a rushes to the laundromat, where she sets fire to her incriminating clothes, igniting a raging inferno. As the flames dance, Choi spots something amidst the charred corn stalks—not Si-hyeon, but Seon-tae's mutilated body, discarded like trash, his phone still clutched in his hand. Sung-a's callous disregard for life hangs heavy in the air, a chilling testament to her depravity.
Yong-chae's entanglement in the search intensifies as his phone relentlessly buzzes with unanswered calls, their relentless influx a grim testament to the mounting urgency. Amidst this tumult, the police, alerted to the fiery turmoil, hurry back to the scene, their footsteps echoing the urgency of the moment.
Yet, it is not Yeong-ha who first breaches the threshold of the motel, but Jae-sik, his rifle poised and aimed squarely at Sung-a. Desperately, she struggles to reach out to her father, fingers darting frantically over the phone's keypad, only to encounter silence in response. Jae-sik, having infiltrated her digital sanctuary, now holds the damning proof—images of Sung-a, an eerie tableau amidst a crimson-drenched shower, her twisted creativity exposed for all to see.
Her culpability in Si-hyeon's tragic death stands undeniable, and with a heart heavy with despair, she confesses to Jae-sik, who stares back in stunned disbelief. Their exchange culminates in a bleak silence, the air thick with the weight of their shared realization.
Just as Jae-sik's finger tightens on the trigger, Yeong-ha bursts in, a jarring interruption. Sung-a, ever the manipulator, taunts Jae-sik, daring him to eliminate Yeong-ha as an accomplice before she'll divulge Si-hyeon's whereabouts. Yeong-ha, remorseful, apologizes for his complicity, acknowledging his failure to report the murder despite knowing the truth.
Jae-sik's rage unleashes, a bullet tearing through Sung-a's leg. As she taunts him further, Bo-min arrives, the scene erupting into a maelstrom of violence. Sung-a flees, firing a shot that grazes Bo-min's shoulder, leaving her stunned. In the aftermath, the swimming pool transforms into a macabre crimson canvas, its waters tainted by Sung-a's life's blood. A white sheet, shrouding a lifeless form, is carried away, a grim testament to Jae-sik's final act—shooting Sung-a in the back as she fled, then ending her life with a bullet to the head.
Yeong-ha, waist-deep in the tainted water, watches in horrified disbelief, realizing that any chance of finding Si-hyeon alive has vanished with Sung-a. Meanwhile, Ui-seon, awakened in the hospital, sheds a solitary tear, mourning the loss of those entwined in the web of deceit. Bo-min, too, feels a void, her companion—as skilled as she was passionate—having paid the ultimate price for their shared quest.
Yong-chae, though newly liberated from the hospital's confines, makes his way back to the Motel, only to find Yeong-ha entrenched in the basement, valiantly attempting to restore the premises amidst a vexing issue of frozen pipes. Rather than tackling the challenge solo, Yeong-ha wisely opts to summon a contractor, a stark contrast to Sang-jun's single-handed, exhaustive endeavors that ultimately led to exhaustion and an inadvertent slip-up, allowing Hyang-cheol's escape with a damsel in distress.
Bo-min, reluctantly acknowledging the case's intractability, embarks on a visit to Gi-ho, her mind whirling with the realization that the gun that claimed Sung-a's life bears an uncanny resemblance to the one that silenced Hyang-cheol. This revelation, a tantalizing thread linking two mysteries, tantalizes her yet spurs a reluctant resignation. She knows the truth lurks beyond her reach, and for once, she accepts the bitter pill of unresolved mysteries and dead ends.
Meanwhile, Jae-sik, confined once again, finds solace in Dr. Yoo's intervention, his lawyer dispatched to secure his freedom. The narrative lingers on Yeong-ha, as he gathers the family for a poignant final meal, a poignant sign that the Motel's doors may soon close forever. Amidst the festivities, an intriguing detail stands out—Hyang-cheol's hat, a testament to bygone times, hangs proudly on the wall.
Ui-seon's tale, too, has taken a heartening turn. Her child, once feared lost, has arrived, and a new chapter of hope unfolds. Yeong-ha, responding to a rental inquiry, politely declines, unaware that the caller, far from a prospective tenant, is none other than Gi-ho, eager to revisit the place that holds so many memories.
As the episode draws to a close, Yeong-ha's gaze lingers on a toy dog, a poignant reminder of Si-hyeon's words about the silent fall of trees. A year of silence, he realizes, had inadvertently paved the way for Sung-a's escape from justice. The scene, rich with emotion and introspection, leaves us pondering the intricate web of consequences and choices that shape our lives.
