A cryptic trail of murders spanning a decade forms the chilling core of Nine Puzzles, a new psychological thriller series that pairs two unlikely detectives in a gripping game of cat and mouse. Kim Da-mi stars as Yoon E-na, a brilliant yet unconventional criminal profiler haunted by her past, while Son Suk-ku plays Lieutenant Kim Han-saem, a weary detective still consumed by his first unsolved case. Directed by Yoon Jong-bin and written by Lee Eun-mi, the series balances intense suspense with sharp humor and character-driven drama.
The mystery begins in 2013, when a teenage E-na finds her uncle Yoon Dong-hoon murdered at home, a jigsaw puzzle piece left beside his body. Despite being the prime suspect, E-na is released due to lack of evidence. A decade later, she works as a part-time profiler, astonishing colleagues with her insight but unnerving them with her brash personality and disregard for protocol.
When E-na discovers a new murder eerily similar to her uncle’s and receives another puzzle piece, she is convinced the killer has returned. Reluctantly partnered with Han-saem, who remains obsessed with the original case, the pair are drawn into a web of escalating violence and enigmatic clues that hint at a serial killer with a meticulous and twisted plan.
Kim Da-mi brings E-na to life with eccentric flair—scruffy hair, mismatched clothes, and relentless energy—yet beneath her quirky exterior lies a deeply scarred soul battling trauma and insomnia. Her therapy sessions offer glimpses into her psyche, while her brilliance at profiling allows her to see connections others miss.
Son Suk-ku’s Han-saem is her perfect foil: restrained, methodical, and emotionally burdened. A decade of failure to solve E-na’s case has stalled his career, and the tattoos hidden beneath his shirt hint at a complicated personal history. Together, their clashing personalities evolve into mutual respect as they confront new cases and inch closer to the truth.
Nine Puzzles thrives on its character dynamics and subverts genre expectations with moments of levity and social critique. Even when the plot meanders through red herrings, the interplay between E-na and Han-saem remains compelling, challenging conventional structures both in the workplace and the mystery genre itself. With strong performances and a storyline full of twists, Nine Puzzles offers a fresh take on the psychological thriller.
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