The Escape of the Seven: War for Survival (2023) Episode 13

Episode 13 of The Escape of the Seven starts with Kang Ki-tak jumping off the cliff with Mathew Lee. Kang Ki-tak lets himself drown silently, hoping his suspicions are invalid and Mathew Lee really is Lee Hwi-so.

Chairman Bang left all his money to Lee Hwi-so under the custody of Kang Ki-tak. He should not tell Lee Hwi-so about the money since money makes people greedy. Kang Ki-tak remembers instances that made him suspect that Mathew Lee wasn’t Lee Hwi-so. 

For Instance, K’s red Lamborghini has the same number plate as Mathew’s, and unlike Lee Hwi-so, who could not swim, Mathew Lee is a pro surfer.

As he continues to feign drowning, Mathew Lee saves himself and swims out of the water. The scene then reveals that Mathew Lee and K are the same person.

Mathew wears a facial mask when he acts as K. All the instances involving K in the previous episodes were all Mathew Lee acting as a double. Mathew Lee is responsible for fooling Dong-hyuk and making him believe that Kang Ki-tak is working with Sungchan Group. He ransacked Dong-hyuk’s place with Kang Ki-tak’s aesthetic facemask and planted his shoes in Kang Ki-tak’s car. 

Mathew Lee and Kang Ki-tak both swim out of the water, and Kang Ki-tak has his gun trailed at Mathew, who confirms his suspicion. Kang Ki-tak calls his men, not knowing that they all work for Mathew. They capture Kang Ki-tak in a net and beat him up.

Baek Ik-ho tells him it is their nature to join the person with power and money. Mathew shoots Kang Ki-tak. 

Meanwhile, the six gather at a restaurant to celebrate getting rid of Mathew Lee when Paeng-hee calls Jin-mo. She tells him about the man talking to Ha-na, and her description makes Jin-mo realise that it is Sim Jun-seok. Jin-mo rushes out to join Paeng-hee, and La-hui overhears his conversation. 

Elsewhere, Do-hyuk wakes up to find himself back in Mathew’s house. Do-hyuk wants to look for Kang Ki-tak, but Mathew says he has disappeared. He tells him how Kang Ki-tak might have joined Chairman Shim’s side.

Mathew tells Do-hyuk that it is possible that Chairman Shim used Kang Ki-tak, took all of Chairman Bang’s money, and killed him. Do-hyuk says he will kill everyone who ruined Kang Ki-tak most cruelly. Mathew asks Do-hyuk to rest since they will be at war starting the following day. 

Mathew Lee opens a secret door to a room where he holds Kang Ki-tak captive. Lee Hwi-so is seen on one of the monitors. Kang Ki-tak wants to know when Shim Jun-seok became Mathew. He accidentally overhears a conversation between Kang Ki-tak and Lee Hwi-so at the hospital, and he got the surgery instead of Lee Hwi-so. He even got the tattoo.

How did Kang Ki-tak figure out that Mathew is not Lee Hwi-so? Kang Ki-tak tells Mathew that Lee Hwi-so has a water phobia. In addition, he would give up everything to get revenge for Da-mi and would not have thought about getting rich. Mathew Lee wants to know where Kang Ki-tak hides Chairman Bang’s money. 

Elsewhere, Jin-mo meets with Paeng-hee and Ha-na. He wants to take them into hiding so no one knows their whereabouts. Ha-na agrees and starts warming up to Jin-mo.

Mathew Lee is still grilling Kang Ki-tak about the whereabouts of Chairman Bang’s money. Ki-tak tries to get information from him and realises that Lee Hwi-so might still be alive. Mathew used him for TIKITAKA’s business plan, and Ki-tak wonders why he kept him alive. What other use could he have for Lee Hwi-so? 

Kang Ki-tak knows that Lee Hwi-so is not Mathew’s primary target but Do-hyuk. What inferior complex does Mathew Lee have because of Do-hyuk? Mathew Lee says he dislikes people who are good at reading others and starts pouring acid on Kang Ki-Tak.

Elsewhere, the doctor drugs Do-hyuk upstairs before Mathew calls him downstairs. 

Jin-mo hides Paeng-hee and Ha-na at a motel and asks them to wait until he processes Ha-na’s passport. Paeng-hee shows concern for him, but he says it will be impossible for him to join them. If someone follows him, he will put them in danger.

He asks them to leave first and promises to find ways to join them later. He exits and sees men outside entering the hotel. Jin-mo manages to save Ha-na and Paeng-hee from them. 

Mathew asks the doctor to inject Kang Ki-tak with drugs that would make him reveal the whereabouts of the money. Kang Ki-tak almost tells them something, but Jin-mo’s phone distracts them.

Mathew receives the phone and uses a voice changer. He learns that his daughter with Mo-ne is still alive and is with Paeng-hee from Jin-mo. Jin-mo thinks he is talking to Kang Ki-tak and asks him to send Ha-na and Paeng-hee abroad.

Mathew agrees on the condition that Jin-mo never calls Paeng-hee ever again. He then sends Secretary Gu Kang-jae to Jin-mo’s location. 

Elsewhere, Wang Yu-jin continues to host Mo-ne’s brothers, and Director Michell visits her sister’s grave. She begs to be given just one chance to make her sister’s killer pay for what they did.

Meanwhile, Mo-ne, La-hui, Ju-ran, Chul-woo, and Myoung-ji are still getting drunk. Ju-ran figures out that Kang Ki-tak gave La-hui the idea to attack Mathew. Mo-ne suggests that La-hui was using Kang Ki-tak, and she has no feelings for him. 

La-hui might have the whole plan mapped out to use Kang Ki-tak and Do-hyuk as the scapegoats once Mathew’s body is found. She would devise a story like Kang Ki-tak, Do-hyuk fell out regarding TIKITAKA Studios, and the two conspired to kill Mathew.

Suddenly, Mathew arrives, carrying his men to the amusement park for a death ride. Later, he makes them agree to continue helping him in his revenge. He gives them one day to ensure Chairman Shim bows to him and apologises. La-hui takes charge and gives them their new orders. 

Michell calls an urgent press conference and invites influential directors from the United States. She intends to reveal the people responsible for Da-mi’s death, but La-hui takes over. She starts by telling the reporters that she is Bang Da-mi’s mother and uses the opportunity to call out Chairman Shim of Sungchan Group and Shim Jun-seok to take responsibility.

She also requests for a re-investigation of Bang Da-mi’s case. 

In retrospect, La-hui had gone to Mathew Lee when Kang Ki-tak asked for help attacking Mathew Lee. She says she needs Mathew to live and will always be on his side. Mathew had rejected her offer and told her to do as Kang Ki-tak said. He did not need her help and could take care of himself. La-hui asked what she needed to do to get his forgiveness, and he told her to put herself on the line and prove her loyalty. 

Therefore, she revealed that she is Bang Da-mi’s mother to get his approval. At his house, Kang Ki-tak lets himself loose from the chains and breaks out of the basement. He sees Lee Hwi-so in one of the monitors, but he cannot get out.

Elsewhere, Michelle reveals to Mo-ne that she is Song Ji-a’s older sister, Song Ji-sun. Ju-ran returns to Chairman Shim’s house and gets his fingerprint and the keycard to the gallery’s VIP room. Myoung-ji enters the room, and they both complete their mission.

Do-hyuk wakes up and goes around the house looking for Mathew. He accidentally opens the secret door, allowing Kang Ki-tak to get out. Before he leaves, Kang Ki-tak destroys Luka’s recordings.

Meanwhile, La-hui camps outside the police station with reporters demanding a re-investigation of Bang Da-mi’s case. Kang Ki-tak calls Jin-mo and asks him for help finding Do-hyuk. Jin-mo asks to meet at the culture forest since talking on the phone is unsafe. 

Protestors outside Sungchan Group demanded Chairman Shim and Shim Jun-seok’s arrest. The Chairman comes out, apologises for causing trouble, and promises to cooperate with the investigation. The police arrive with a search warrant for Sungchan Group’s tax evasion and slush fund. 

La-hui notices Jin-mo hurriedly leaving the conference, follows him to Seoul Culture Forest, and calls Mathew. Baek Ik-ho and his men apprehend Kang Ki-tak before he meets with Jin-mo. Mathew stabs him, and then the men push him over the bridge into the river.

Meanwhile, Chairman Shim tells Secretary Kang to ensure Jun-seok stays hidden on an island so that Sungchan Group can survive. 

La-hui makes out with Mathew Lee, and then the following day, while having coffee, Ha-na runs into Mathew Lee’s arms, and they start to play around. Jin-mo watches from upstairs, and Mathew Lee sends him glances.

At the end of the episode, Kang Ki-tak washes up on the island where Mathew Lee holds Lee Hwi-so. 

The Episode Review

The episode is frustrating and challenging to watch. Knowing that it has been Shim Jun-seok from the beginning and not Lee Hwi-so carrying out revenge for Bang Da-mi is like the last straw. What is the series about? Is Lee Hwi-so’s revenge the main plot, or is Shim Jun-seok trying to destroy Chairman Shim for rejecting him and making his real son Do-hyuk suffer?

That being the main plot somehow throws everything off balance. Most viewers were rooting for Lee Hwi-so and Bang Da-mi, and in 13 episodes, we might still know nothing about Bang Da-mi’s death.

The good thing is that Kang Ki-tak and Lee Hwi-so finally find each other. The real revenge needs to start sooner than later, or the series will be frustratingly agonizing to keep watching.

Why would Kang Ki-tak trust La-hui, who he knows will always selfishly think about herself to help him and not Do-hyuk? Does Do-hyuk not know that Mathew Lee might not be Lee Hwi-so, or is there a counter plan underway that we are unaware of? Watching Do-hyuk get tricked again and again is distressing.