ClickTheCity was invited to an exclusive virtual press conference for Disney+’s new crime K-Drama Nine Puzzles, featuring stars Kim Da-mi (Itaewon Class, Our Beloved Summer) and Son Suk-ku (My Liberation Notes, Big Bet). Joining the leads were supporting actors Kim Sung-kyun (Reply 1988, Moving) and Hyung Bong-sik (Gangnam B-Side, Gyeongseong Creature), alongside director Yoon Jong-bin.
‘Nine Puzzles’ is a crime drama where Kim Da-mi plays Yoon E-na, a high school student who was the first person to find her uncle’s murdered body. No witnesses, no evidence of a forced entry, Yoon E-na became the prime suspect but because there is no evidence or witnesses (or motive), E-na’s charges were dropped. The investigator, Kim Han-saem (Son Suk-ku) insists that she’s the culprit. 10 years later, E-na is now a criminal profiler and discovers a murder victim that is somehow connected to her uncle’s murder 10 years ago by a mysterious puzzle piece. Kim Han-saem must work with her while still suspecting her for being the culprit in a chase over a mysterious set of serial killings that involves the police and other high-profile targets.
It’s a unique buddy-cop dynamic with Yoon E-na hides her trauma by acting cold and child-like, which infuriates the gruff and tough Kim Han-saem, who cannot shake the feeling that Yoon E-na is the killer. The interplay of this creates an interesting relationship between the two and fuels the show’s heart and soul.
During the press conference, the most striking thing to notice is Kim Da-mi, who looks awkward and aloof throughout the photo session at the beginning of the session. Son Suk-ku and other cast are chill, unafraid to get silly or cute when doing their poses for the photographers, but Kim Da-mi is quiet and is working hard to try and give a sincere smile. It’s such a far-cry from her characters in her previous works like ‘Itaewon Class’ and ‘Our Beloved Summer,’ where she plays characters that are larger than life; people with big personalities – much like her character in the show, Yoon E-na. Later, it is revealed that Kim Da-mi is a huge introvert, which explains her reserved nature. Son Suk-ku, when asked about his working relationship with Kim Da-mi, said “Kim Da-mi and I are very similar. We are both introverts and we are both no-frills so it was easy to work together.”
Kim Da-mi, on the other hand, is grateful for Son Suk-ku for his professional approach, which she appreciated. She said, “When I saw Son Sok-ku for the first time, he was friendly, and he came up to me and talked about the show and how we can rely on each other. I really appreciated that.”
There’s so much chemistry amongst the cast that was present at the press conference. In the show, Hyun Bong-sik plays the youngest, as his character is the latest addition to the violent crimes unit, and so he is treated like everyone’s junior, even Yoon E-na. “I usually play the head of the police department,” says Hyun, “so this was new for me. I really liked the script.”
It’s the script that also drew Kim Da-mi to the show. “I read the script in one-go,” she says. She was so invested in the story that she knew she had to do it. For Son Sok-ku, it was because he’s a huge fan of the director. When he was asked to be a part of the cast, he said “of course.” The same for Kim Sung-kyun, who had worked with director Yoon Jong-bin before, 14 years ago, and calls it “like a reunion.”
Director Yoon Jong-bin knew he wanted Kim Da-mi for Yoon E-na the moment he saw the script. He admits that Yoon E-na can be a frustrating character to follow but immediately thought of Kim to play her because “she could play this character without the audience hating on her.”
The child-like quality of Yoon E-na can be off-putting. Especially since she is also a prime suspect and her dismissive nature to other people’s emotions or the current situation can make her seem apathetic and even more suspicious. For Kim Da-mi, her approach was to to use E-na’s trauma to define her. “E-na is kind of stuck in that time period,” she says, referencing the show’s opening scene when E-na discovers her uncle’s dead body. “She is vulnerable inside,” she continues, “but has childish characteristics. She says what she wants and does what she wants.”
When asked by the reporters on-site how Kim Da-mi sees the relationship between Yoon E-na and Kim Han-saem, Kim softens and smiles. She takes a while to answer the question and then says, “He becomes someone she can’t live without.”
The cast is very careful about spoilers. When you watch the show, you will notice so many twists and turns throughout the investigation that keeps you on your toes. It never goes where you think it does and so the whole time at the press conference, they were so careful about giving anything away.
At some point, Son Suk-ku just talks about how he put his character together like how he was able to influence Kim Han-saem’s use of beanies throughout the show. “I like wearing beanies,’ admits Son, “so I asked the director if his research says investigators can’t wear beanies and when he said that it doesn’t break any rules, I started wearing them in the first few episodes.” The director like it so much that they wrote it into the script.
The chemistry was so strong, and you can see this in the show, how well the actors play off each other. But it wasn’t easy for director Yoon Jong-bin to do this. He tells the story: “I like to bring the cast together and have a meal and drink. It creates organic chemistry but it was so difficult with this cast because Son Suk-ku and Hyun Bong-sik doesn’t drink and Kim Da-mi is an extreme introvert.” But he was able to manage something because what he ended up with is a cast that worked so well-together that the show shines because of their dynamics.
