The Escape of the Seven: War for Survival (2023) Episode 3

Episode 3 of The Escape of the Seven starts in 2003 with Da-mi and La-hui relaxing on a boat. La-hui thinks about the doctor’s diagnosis of Da-mi and later visits Da-mi’s father to ask for money to take Da-mi to a hospital. He sends them away, and later, La-hui abandons a young Da-mi on a bridge. 

In the present, Da-mi tells La-hui that she remembers that she abandoned her. She vows they are done and will never let La-hui get any money from her grandfather. She also recalled that La-hui was watching her outside her grandfather’s house, waiting for her to collapse so she could get money from her grandfather.

Da-mi goes to leave, but La-hui attacks her. She says she should never have given birth to her, but Da-mi gets herself up and leaves the house. 

Do-hyeok and his family are still hiding from Jin-mo’s men. Da-mi goes back to her adoptive parents’ house. They tell her the story of how they found her at Jeju Island. The next scene shows Hwi-so and Nan-young when they find Da-mi crying on the bridge, taking her around, trying to find her mother. She tells them about the news spreading online that she helped a friend, but she framed her. 

Da-mi and her father return to Myeongju Girls High School the next day. Parents are protesting outside the school, preventing them from entering the school, but Da-mi manages to force her way in while the protestors attack her father. 

Myung-ji pushes the disciplinary committee to expel Da-mi and even offers to visit her parents’ house to get them to sign the withdrawal forms. Meanwhile, Da-mi enters the office and asks the principal to hold another disciplinary hearing to clear the false charges. She asks the witness who says she saw her give birth to come forward.

Elsewhere, Myung-ji arrives at La-hui’s house and asks her to sign the document, but La-hui says she does not know any Da-mi and is not her mother. The vice principal calls Myung-ji to ask about her testimony on seeing Da-mi give birth. In a brief flashback, Myung-ji did see Da-mi and Mo-ne in the art room, and she therefore holds that she did see her. The teachers refuse to listen to Da-mi.

Elsewhere, Ju-ran sends a tip to the Scarlet Letter saying that La-hui is Da-mi’s mother. Some thugs wanting to collect money from Ju-ran make a fuss at the hospital. They tell her to pay what her ex-husband owes them and threaten to go to Chairman Bang. Ju-ran threatens to kill him if he dares to say anything to the Chairman. 

Back at school, Da-mi takes over the broadcasting room and tells the whole school that Mo-ne gave birth, but nobody still believes her. Mo-ne does not confess the truth but instead says that she has evidence of Da-mi admitting to being in love with her adoptive father. Mo-ne says there is evidence in Da-mi’s locker about her pregnancy, and when they open it, they find a maternity booklet.

A brief flashback shows Mo-ne planting the booklet in her locker. Do-hyeok manages to escape the hideout and goes to the police station to hand in Jin-mo’s recording. He, however, changes his mind when he thinks of Da-mi and chooses to go to the school. He arrives just in time to save Da-mi from an angry mob.

Elsewhere, her father, Lee Hwi-so, arrives at the university and finds students protesting him for being a sex offender. Chairman Bang’s assistant gives him a pamphlet for an organization that can help Da-mi, the Youth Digital Crime Victim Support Center. He calls Da-mi, sends her the location, and asks that she go there to ask for help.

Detective Nam Cheol-woo arrives at Da-mi’s adoptive parents’ house. Do-hyeok’s mother is their neighbour, and he forces himself into the house, saying he needs to check if Do-hyeok is hiding on the verandah. While Detective Nam checks around the house, Nan-young gets a call from her husband, Hwi-so. They are on call when Hwi-so gets arrested at the university for assault and destruction of property. 

Do-hyeok tells Da-mi how he came across her nametag, and Da-mi figures out that it was Mo-ne seen with Jin-mo at the hotel. She takes out her phone to do something, but Do-hyeok stops her. He tells her not to fight back without a plan, or she will lose again. She needs to fight just like them and prove her innocence.

Her grandfather sends her the address, and they come across Jin-mo’s men on the way. Do-hyuk tells her to escape while he fights them. Jin-mo tells Do-hyeok they did not come to fight him but to tell him that Paeng-hee has his parents.

Da-mi arrives at the rescue centre and speaks to Director Gong. He asks her how he wants them to help, and she says she wants to punish the people who hurt her the same way they did. 

At LH Media, La-hui and Mo-ne hold a press conference about a drama they produce. La-hui is heading out after the press conference, and Yoong-joo waits in her car. He tells her that he has evidence she is Da-mi’s mother and asks for one million dollars in exchange for him keeping quiet.

Later, all the people involved in Da-mi’s misery, including Myung-ji, Ju-ran, Mo-ne, La-hui, and the owners of Scarlet Letter Yong-joo and Man-du receive texts from Da-mi to meet at Seoul Culture Forest the next day at 7 PM. 

Do-hyeok and Jin-mo arrive at a harbour to find Paeng-hee and Kang Ki-tak’s men holding his mother and brother hostage. Paeng-hee tells him that the reason Kang Ki-tak let him escape was so that he could witness the death of his family for betraying him.

The men put Do-hyeok’s mother and brother in boxes, nail them, and throw them into the ocean. Paeng-hee then knocks Do-hyeok unconscious and throws him into the water. A flashback shows Jin-mo threatening Paeng-hee’s people, forcing her to do as he says. 

La-hui agrees to pay the scarlet letter whatever amount they want so long as they get rid of Da-mi. At the harbour, Do-hyuk arrives and finds his mother and brother safe. Jin-mo saves them, and Do-hyeok is tricked into turning himself in to kill Kang Ki-tak and get his revenge. Mo-ne calls Jin-mo to tell him about Da-mi. 

Next, everyone is heading towards Seoul Culture Forest, where Da-mi is expected to be at 7pm. At the police station, Detective Nam gives Da-mi’s father a drink before releasing him. Once outside, he starts to hallucinate and faints, and a waiting taxi picks him up.

Crowds gather outside Seoul Culture Forest, counting down to 7 PM when Da-mi is expected to appear. Da-mi goes live, but he says that his father, Lee Hwi-so, ruined her life and she is a victim. She then says she is being threatened and asks for help before her father shoots her. 

The crowd forces itself into the Culture forest, and Lee Hwi-so is found delirious on the ground. There is some blood on the floor next to him and Da-mi’s bobblehat, but there is nobody. Elsewhere, Do-hyeok turns himself in and sees news about Da-mi’s death on television. At the same time, Chairman Bang receives the same news and is furious. He vows to get the people who killed his granddaughter. 

Lee Hwi-so arrives at the police station while Chairman Bang calls a detective, Jo, to request a favour. Detective Nam addresses the press conference and says that Lee Hwi-so stole a gun from the police station. The next day, Detective Nam leads a team investigating Da-mi’s adoptive parents’ house, and they find evidence of drugs indicating that Lee Hwi-so was a drug addict and was under the influence when he shot Da-mi. A Flashback shows Detective Nam planting the drug. 

La-hui delivers money to Yoong-joo, and someone takes pictures. Lee Hwi-so is still delirious when Detective Nam questions him, and Detective Min thinks he might not be the killer. Lee Hwi-so is taken to Chairman Bang on the way to the hospital. He seems unaware of Da-mi’s death. Elsewhere, La-hui finds out that Ju-ran is not pregnant. 

Nan-young goes to ask Chairman Bang for help to find Da-mi. She says Da-mi’s father would never hurt her daughter and shows him the identical tattoo they got after Da-mi got her heart surgery. She also gives him reports from three different hospitals that Da-mi went to that all show she was not pregnant. She threatens to kill herself if he does not believe her. 

Chairman Bang wonders the reason why everyone else is lying. Young-hee tells her that the only thing she is sure of is that they want Da-mi to disappear. When he goes inside the house, he finds Ju-ran drinking alcohol, which makes him doubt that she is pregnant. His assistant returns with information about the person behind the Scarlet Letter, Joo Yong-joo. He is a hoodlum with five criminal records.

Chairman Bang is agitated that such a criminal is shaking the world. The assistant also has photos of La-hui giving Yong-joo money. He also gives him Da-mi’s wallet, and inside, he finds the allowance money he had given her the first day they met. He remembers her saying she would keep the allowance forever. 

Chairman Bang orders the assistant to bring in Yong-joo. He wants to get a confession about his deal with La-hui. He vows to rain fire on Ju-ran and La-hui if he finds out that they were involved with the death of Da-mi.

The next scene shows Chairman Bang’s men storming a casino and beating up Yong-joo before dragging him out. Then, the Chairman leaves his house with many men waiting outside. As they drive away, he is heard vowing to wipe everyone out as the scene zooms in on his murderous look as the episode ends. 

The Episode Review

The episode’s start was challenging to watch, seeing everyone eager to crucify Da-mi without giving her a chance to explain. The length to which Mo-ne would go to frame Da-mi is unbelievable. Her whole existence is a lie since everything about her is made up.

Also, Da-mi’s initial approach of just rushing in and expecting people to listen to her if she yelled “Believe me” was frustrating until Do-hyeok came into the picture and told her she needed a plan. 

Is Da-mi dead? Who is pulling the strings to devise such a complicated plan to kill her or fake her death and blame it on her father? The person must be well connected since they can rope in Detective Nam. Is the rescue centre involved in the case? The episode became thrilling towards the end, and I can’t wait to see Chairman Bang rain fire on the people involved in Bang Da-mi’s misery in the next episode.