The stakes exploded, literally, in tvN’s “100 Days of Lies” over the weekend, as episodes 9 and 10 delivered the independence fighters’ third operation, a bomb blast at a banquet, a confession, and a cliffhanger accusation: “Are you a spy?”
Episode 9, which aired on November 7, centered on the Salvation Corps’ third operation, staged at a banquet celebrating the opening of the Japanese Government-General’s Ki Song-gwan. The plan targeted Sato Shinichi, played by Jin Seon-kyu, but it ran into complications. Before the mission, Lee Ga-kyung, played by Kim You Jung, learned from Yoo So-ran, played by Kim Hyun-joo, that she could leave for the United States the following night, an opportunity arranged by Yoo Philip, played by Lee Mu-saeng, at So-ran’s request. Although the trip was something she had longed for, Ga-kyung’s heart was torn, because leaving meant leaving Kim Tae-woong, played by Park Jinyoung, behind.
The episode’s emotional peak came before the operation, when Ga-kyung finally said what she had been holding back. Returning the pawn ticket to Tae-woong’s desk drawer on her last day at work, she confessed, “I liked you. Kim Tae-woong as a person.” His reply kept the distance between them: “My name is Hideo Sato. Not Kim Tae-woong.”
That evening, the operation itself unfolded at the banquet hall. Yoo So-ran and Yoo Philip entered the venue posing as a foreign press couple, while Ga-kyung prepared the bomb alongside So-ran. After a congratulatory message from the Japanese prime minister arrived, Song Jeon, played by Jeon Yong-beop, a kitchen assistant infiltrator, rang the fire alarm. In the chaos, So-ran hid the time bomb among the floral arrangements, and the plan seemed to be proceeding smoothly.
Then the plan began to unravel. The Governor-General’s wife ordered the floral arrangements removed, citing the Governor-General’s high fever, and Ga-kyung found the bomb among the discarded flowers in the hallway. She hid it inside a large cake being carried into the banquet hall, with the detonation set for 6:20 p.m., timed to the Governor-General’s toast. But Kim Tae-woong emerged as an unexpected variable: the Governor-General had assigned him to interpret the toast, forcing him to stand beside the cake holding the bomb. As the toast echoed through the hall, Ga-kyung’s anxious gaze stayed fixed on Tae-woong, leaving viewers waiting to see what would happen next.
The episode paid off in the ratings. Episode 9 recorded a nationwide average viewership rating of 7.4 percent, with a peak of 9.2 percent, and an average of 8.2 percent with a peak of 10.5 percent in the Seoul metropolitan area, according to Nielsen Korea’s paid platform data. It ranked first among cable and general entertainment channels in its time slot.
Episode 10, which aired on November 8, picked up the consequences. News arrived that Prime Minister Inukai had been attacked in Tokyo, and the banquet was halted, foiling the bombing plan. Ga-kyung saw Tae-woong standing in front of the cake containing the bomb and tried to move the cake away, but she tripped, the bomb exploded, and Tae-woong shielded her with his own body. Meanwhile, So-ran found Song Jeon dead, shot by Sato Shinichi, and was then shot herself by Fukuda while closing Song Jeon’s eyes. She escaped with Yoo Philip, but one of her earrings fell at the scene.
The aftermath pushed Ga-kyung to a decision. Reaching the train station with So-ran’s help, she found So-ran’s letter, which read, “Live as you wish. Live happily,” along with castella bread. Ga-kyung gave up her trip to the United States and got off the train. When Tae-woong later found So-ran and Yoo Philip, he noticed that So-ran was wearing only one earring, and he set out to verify what had happened himself. Ga-kyung arrived in time to rescue So-ran from the crisis.
The episode ended on its sharpest note. The next day, Tae-woong approached Ga-kyung at work and asked, “What should I call Ms. Geum Seo-hee?” before delivering the line that sets up the next chapter: “Are you a spy?” The question puts Ga-kyung’s cover, and the trust between the two leads, directly on the line.
“100 Days of Lies” is tvN’s 20th-anniversary special Saturday-Sunday drama, airing at 9:10 p.m. on weekends. The period spy romance is set during the Japanese occupation of Korea and follows Ga-kyung, a top Gyeongseong pickpocket turned undercover spy for the independence movement, and Tae-woong, a Government-General interpreter also known as Sato Hideo. The series is directed by Yoo In Shik, known for “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” and the “Dr. Romantic” series, and written by Ryu Bo-ri. It premiered on October 10.
With the operation in ruins, a comrade dead, and Tae-woong now openly suspicious of Ga-kyung, the drama heads into its next episodes with its central relationship under more pressure than ever. Episode 11 airs next Saturday at 9:10 p.m.
