100 Days of Deception Episode 1-2 Review
Director: Yoo In-shik
Date Created: 2026-10-12 04:17
4.5
100 Days of Deception Episode 1-2 Review: Directed by Yoo In-shik and written by Ryu Bo-ri, the Netflix Korean series 100일의 거짓말 stars Kim You-jung as Lee Ga-gyeong, Park Jin-young as Kim Tae-woong, also known as Sato Hideo, Kim Hyun-joo as Yoo So-ran, and Lee Moo-saeng as Yoo Philip. The cast also includes Jin Sun-kyu as Sato Shinichi, alongside Kam Woo-sung, Choi Duk-moon, Seo Jung-yeon, and Kim Do-hyun.
100 Days of Deception Episode 1 Recap
Set in Joseon Korea in 1932, when Korea was under Japanese rule, episode 1 of 100 Days of Deception is about Lee Ga-gyeong (Kim You-jung), an excellent pickpocket whose life depends on being able to steal from people. After her return from Hoten to Keijo, she teams up with Lee No-ma and steals everything they find on unsuspecting passengers. This time around, however, the thief finds herself entangled in something much more complicated than a simple burglary.
Also at the train station, Korean-American reporter Yoo Philip (Lee Moo-saeng) meets his pregnant wife, Yoo So-ran (Kim Hyun-joo). Inspector General Shinichi Sato (Jin Sun-kyu) is seen coming in with his daughter Sonako and his adopted son, Kim Tae-woong or Sato Hideo (Park Jin-young). Ga-gyeong runs away with the bags of Yoo So-ran and Kim Tae-woong’s wallet using a first-class compartment ticket. After returning to her hideout, she finds that the things she has stolen contain a lot more than she had anticipated. The wallet has almost no cash, whereas the suitcase contains some rice and some bullets. Ga-gyeong plans on earning enough cash to go back to America so that she can sell the ammunition.
On the other hand, the life of Tae-woong serves as an insight into the complex relationship between himself and his adopted father. Sato is proud of having rescued him from the streets and taken him to Tokyo Imperial University. However, Tae-woong recalls how cruel that act was for him because once, Sato murdered one of his friends for stealing something from him. Although he has managed to earn his way into Sato’s house, Tae-woong seems to be forever proving himself worthy of staying at his place.
So-ran, on the other hand, has been preparing for 13 years now to take revenge for the death of her daughter. So-ran and Philip belong to the group called Gugukdan, which aims for Korean independence along with Suzuki and Han Chul-ryong. Their strategy is to kill Sato, whom they consider guilty of carrying out cruel acts of violence on Koreans. Ga-gyeong finds the bullets in the stolen suitcase and goes back to the house of So-ran asking for money. What makes things worse is that she takes So-ran’s American passport as well.
However, things take a very dangerous turn when Sato arrives for dinner with Tae-woong and company. As the guests are sitting down, Ga-gyeong goes around searching the house and bumps into Tae-woong, who recognises her as the thief who stole his wallet. However, before anything else could happen between them, a man dressed up as a cake delivery guy pulls out a gun and says that he will kill Sato.
The 100 Days of Deception episode 1 ends with Ga-gyeong being put in a situation she didn’t want to be in.However, things take a very dangerous turn when Sato arrives for dinner with Tae-woong and company. As the guests are sitting down, Ga-gyeong goes around searching the house and bumps into Tae-woong, who recognises her as the thief who stole his wallet. However, before anything else could happen between them, a man dressed up as a cake delivery guy pulls out a gun and says that he will kill Sato. The 100 Days of Deception episode 1 ends with Ga-gyeong being put in a situation she didn’t want to be in.
100 Days of Deception Episode 2 Recap
In episode 2 of 100 Days of Deception, things continue right from where they stopped off in the first episode. As we had been told, there was an assassination attempt which turned the dinner party into a shootout scene. In the midst of all the chaos, Ga-gyeong, now known as Sohi because of her new situation, gets involved in the scene. They begin questioning the people present in the room as Philip speaks up in her defence, saying that she did help to save some people’s lives. They find out that the person responsible for the attack masqueraded as a delivery man after he managed to subdue the real delivery man.
The suspicion of Sohi by Tae-woong continues as he inquires as to why Sohi was present during such a risky situation. According to Sohi, she had picked up English when she was working with American missionaries as their maid. They soon start talking about the lost wallet. Tae-woong wants to have his money back from it, but Sohi is unable to provide a direct answer to his query. In addition, she wonders why he does not turn her over to the police himself, since he knows she has stolen from him.
However, the failure of the assassination attempt has tragic effects on Philip and So-ran, whose pregnancy is terminated after the failed attack. The fighters now have to consider the fact that they might have been caught in the act by the authorities because of their failed mission. Han Chul-ryong is one person whose name will get on the list of suspects due to his background and involvement in the independence movement. With the authorities looking for a scapegoat, the activists find themselves torn between the decision to allow Sohi to go since she now knows everything about their movements. Sohi leaves no room for doubt on her part.
She did not wish to be part of their struggle. Her only wish was to make enough money to go to America, and she would not give up her life for something she did not choose. On the other hand, Philip and So-ran have a disagreement on how to best go about their struggle for the independence of Korea. Philip wants his wife to stay away from any violent acts, especially because they agreed earlier that he and the rest of the activists will take care of the weapons while she uses her profession as a journalist to show the world what is happening in Korea and how Japan is oppressing the people there.
However, So-ran does not want to be treated as a person who needs to keep off from all actions. This desire to participate comes from the inside of her. A flashback shows that Japanese soldiers killed her daughter, Si-yo-hee, when her husband declined to reveal the names of those who were organising the demonstrations against Japan. She lost everything after this incident and joined the independence movement in Shanghai for 13 years, just waiting for the chance to avenge her daughter.
Meanwhile, Sohi realises that the pawn ticket she discovered in Tae-woong’s possessions is missing, and she becomes extremely eager to retrieve it. The ticket is related to an item pawned in the name of Shin Taejin, and she understands that it might be important for her future.
Tae-woong asks Sato about the state of their relationship and recalls how his adopted father pointed a gun at him when his mother left him. All those years spent on earning Sato’s approval did not bring the security he needed. By the end of 100 Days of Deception episode 2, Tae-woong finds Sohi again, but the issue is not resolved yet. There are many unanswered questions related to the pawn ticket, the failed assassination attempt, and their secrets.
100 Days of Deception Episode 1-2 Review
In all honesty, my first impression of kdrama 100 Days of Deception was just WOW! I had set up very high expectations in the first place because of Kim You-jung. Having seen her in Dear X, I now understand better how skillfully she can portray a manipulative and smart character who can always be at least a step ahead of others. That is why it was especially exciting to watch her in this drama, and the first episodes already gave me an entertaining character.
Ga-gyeong is clever and can think fast, but at the same time, she has her own motive, which makes her actions more understandable: she dreams of escaping her reality and getting to America. She does not want to become a hero or sacrifice herself for another person’s ideals. Another reason why 100 Days of Deception Ep 2 has been successful for me is Park Jin-young. Tae-woong comes across as an obedient man with respect for his position within the Sato family; however, it’s evident that there is a discrepancy between the way the character that Sato claims to have saved behaves and Tae-woong.
Watching him being subjected to brutality from his own father makes this relationship quite tense and complicated. There are many hints at the necessity for Tae-woong to be accepted; however, the problem is that he fails to recognise the criteria for Sato to view him not as an obedient man but as his own son. It is also pleasant that Tae-woong is not portrayed as an omniscient character. He is perceptive; however, his interactions with Ga-gyeong leave many things to grow in.
The interaction between Tae-woong and Ga-gyeong is one of the things that I have been enjoying about this movie. The former needs answers which the latter does not want to provide; neither seems to want to give up on this small conflict. However, the relationship between Tae-woong and Sato is the one that got my attention. The man has been struggling all his life to be the son that his adoptive father would approve of, but the actions of Sato show that he still has a lot to prove.
The story of So-ran is truly sad; after knowing what happened to her daughter, the need for revenge is much more understandable. Kim Hyun-joo makes the woman’s pain believable. Philip has an interesting part in the movie as well, especially in his attempts to protect his wife, who wants to fight the cause.
What I like the most is that the episodes we have seen have already provided us with plenty of reasons for watching the series. The unsuccessful attempt on the life of the main character, the secret about the pawn ticket, and the secrets tying Ga-gyeong and Tae-woong together make me want to watch to know what will happen next. In particular, I would like to see how Kim You-jung plays the manipulative side of Ga-gyeong, since she has already shown how skillfully her character can use an unfavourable situation to her advantage. I hope that the series will continue to provide us with such smart scenes along with emotional development of the plot.
100 Days of Deception Review: Summing Up
Overall, the Korean drama 100 Days of Deception Episodes 1 and 2 have a very good start. The characters are captivating, the primary relationship is complex, and the plot has already given us some mysteries to solve. Most importantly, Kim You-jung has made me even more interested in the character of Ga-gyeong and in how far she is willing to go in order to achieve her dream.
With Tae-woong trying to reveal the truth, So-ran being motivated by revenge, and the failed assassination raising the stakes for the exposure of the independence fighters, I am keen to see how this all unfolds. I am especially curious to learn how Ga-gyeong becomes involved in the dangerous plot and whether her meetings with Tae-woong make her think about her plans.
