Nine Puzzles Ending Explained: Who is the Killer? Is I-na Able to Apprehend Them?

Nine Puzzles Ending Explained: Disney+ Korean thriller series Nine Puzzles is here to dazzle us with elaborate murders and a twisted storyline that doesn’t intend to let up any time soon. As tensions rise, we are left to understand what is happening and how the murders are tied to the protagonist I-na’s past.

The story starts 10 years previously, when high schooler I-na stumbles upon her uncle’s dead body in their living room. Confused and scared, she goes from the primary witness to the person of interest very soon when Detective Kim Han-saem joins the investigation. In the present, I-na is a criminal profiler and is the star of her team, although people are wary of her because she’s a little “weird”. When another set of surprising murders starts once more, I-na and Han-saem are forced to work together to put a stop to this madness and find her uncle’s murderer once and for all.

In the middle of this drama are the puzzle pieces that the murderer is leaving behind for I-na, giving her clues about everything but refusing to divulge any further. One might also think that the murderer is toying with I-na after getting away with murdering her uncle 10 years ago. Meanwhile, I-na and Han-saem’s relationship starts off frosty as he refuses to believe that she is innocent. However, throughout the 6 episodes, he realises that I-na might be who she says she is and that there is something more evil that he is unable to put his finger on.

Nine Puzzles Ending Explained

Throughout the course of the investigation, I-na and Han-saem realise that the killer has some sort of goal to achieve, and it’s tied to this one apartment in One City complex. All the victims had some sort of connection with it and were also doing something illegal while being in possession of the flat. The series keeps us in the dark and brings forth a ton of different suspects throughout the length of its runtime and finally divulges the truth in the last two episodes.

Who is the Murderer?

Nine Puzzles Episode 10 starts with Hwang In-chan calling the police and telling them that although he is the one who drew the art, he is not the murderer. As he is picked up by the police, I-na goes to his and Seung-joo’s apartment and finds the last puzzle in her apartment. Basically confirming that she is the killer. In-chan tells the police that he drew the illustrations for Seung-joo many years ago but had nothing to do with the murders. When asked why he has been living and working with her, he tells them that only Seung-joo knew that he is gay and kept it a secret from the world.

Either way, he mentions that Seung-joo and Nam Na-ri were acquaintances from before and directs them to talk to her instead. However, the last thing that he mentions is that during college, she took a one-year break for some mysterious reason. With more questions than answers, they talk to Na-ri, who tells them that Seung-joo was abandoned at an amusement park and was eventually sent to live in an orphanage.

Meanwhile, Han-saem learns from Park Il-hyung that Yang Jung-ho has been searching for someone whose mother owned Seojin Diner, but is unable to remember whether it’s Seung-joo. Of course, all that becomes clear when Seung-joo appears behind I-na and confesses that it was she behind her all those years ago.

How is Jung-ho Related to This?

Jung-ho holds himself responsible for all the deaths because he was the one who told Seung-joo the truth about her mother’s love for her and how she was murdered. That’s what started this mess because before this, Seung-joo believed that her mother had abandoned her. However, knowing that she could’ve had a relationship with her that was taken away due to greed pushed her over the edge and made her get on this destructive path.

Why Did Seung-joo Kill These People?

20 years before the incident, Seung-joo’s mother, after losing her job in the amusement park, was forced to give up her diner just before the One City construction began. Jung-ho worked at the diner with Seung-joo’s mother, and one night, Yoon-su sent his men, headed by Kang Chi-mok, to burn the market to the ground. Seung-joo’s mother ended up dying in the fight.

Seung-joo, thus, is killing off everyone who was involved in her mother’s murder – Yoon Dong-hoon, Kwon Sang-beom, Do Yoon-su, Kang Chi-mok, Lee Mi-young, and Lee Gang-hyun.

What Happens in the Nine Puzzles Finale?

Seung-joo takes I-na with her to her last victim and tells her that she stopped getting revenge at first because no one seemed to be interested in the clues that she was leaving behind. However, when she ran into her again, she realised that she wanted to finish what she started. In the end, I-na isn’t able to stop the last victim from being killed, while Seung-joo escapes. I-na finds her at Dream Land with a bottle of poison, reminiscing about the last time she came here.

As Han-saem arrives, Seung-joo lights the ride on fire, engulfing her in flames as well.

In the aftermath, I-na quits her job while Han-saem asks her to consult on another odd case. She does return eventually, but with another puzzle piece that leaves him shocked. Is it another serial killer on the loose? Most importantly, are we getting Nine Puzzles Season 2? The questions are endless!

What are your thoughts on Nine Puzzles? Let us know in the comments below!

Also Read: Nine Puzzles Review: An Enjoyable Start to a Confusing Case!