There&rsquo;s a new crime thriller coming to Disney+ &mdash; and it&rsquo;s not playing by the rules.

At a press conference held yesterday, the cast and director of Nine Puzzles came together to tease what may be the streaming platform&rsquo;s most layered mystery to date. Starring Itaewon Class breakout Kim Dami and Big Bet&rsquo;s Son Sukku, the 11-part series drops its first six episodes on 21 May, with new chapters arriving weekly. Directed by Yoon Jong-bin, best known for hard-edged fare like Nameless Gangster and The Spy Gone North, Nine Puzzles promises a gripping story with psychological nuance &mdash; and a dash of unpredictable character chemistry.

The Long Suspect

Ten years ago, Yoon Ena (Kim Dami) discovered her uncle murdered &mdash; and has no memory of what happened that night. All that was left behind: a single puzzle piece. Now a criminal profiler working with the very police who once suspected her, Ena is pulled back into her own cold case when another puzzle piece surfaces &mdash; and the killings start again.
&ldquo;She&rsquo;s the sole witness to the murder of her uncle,&rdquo; Dami said. &ldquo;Because of that she&rsquo;s a child-like person who is stuck in that time period. Very frank, unapologetic, straightforward, and a bit of a loose cannon. She&rsquo;s very intelligent and sharp, but at the same time, she also has a vulnerable side.&rdquo;
Director Yoon didn&rsquo;t hesitate when casting her. &ldquo;Dami has that charming energy about her that we wanted to lend to that character that may be a tad bit strange to some,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;She was the first person that came to mind when I read the script.&rdquo;

Kim Dami. (Image courtesy of Disney+)

Son Suk-ku. (Image courtesy of Disney+)

Son Suk-ku and Kim Dami. (Image courtesy of Disney+)

The Detective Who Won&rsquo;t Let Go

Opposite her is Detective Hansaem, played by Son Sukku &mdash; a dogged, meticulous officer who&rsquo;s never let go of his first unsolved case: the death of Ena&rsquo;s uncle.
&ldquo;Hansaem is a Violent Crimes Unit detective who&rsquo;s incredibly meticulous and obsessive,&rdquo; Son explained. &ldquo;The only cold case he&rsquo;s left unsolved in over a decade of work is the murder of Senior Superintendent Yoon Donghoon &mdash; which happened to be Hansaem&rsquo;s first case as a police officer. He&rsquo;s always suspected Yoon Ena as the culprit, but hasn&rsquo;t been able to prove it.&rdquo;
That dynamic &mdash; profiler and detective, suspect and investigator &mdash; becomes the core of the series.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s cute watching the two,&rdquo; Son said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s complex and everything in between. Brother, sister, colleagues and detective and suspect. A never-before-seen type of relationship.&rdquo;

Building the Bond

While the series simmers with tension, the off-screen chemistry between Son and Kim helped build the show&rsquo;s emotional core.
&ldquo;Sukku immediately helped me feel at ease the first time I spoke to him,&rdquo; Dami said. &ldquo;I hadn&rsquo;t worked with him before and only met him for the first time just before production began. We immediately hit it off and had lengthy conversations about the series. We spoke a lot about how best to portray our characters as we filmed each scene, and we let each other know when we were struggling.&rdquo;
Son added, &ldquo;Ena is a genius, and I realised that Dami is incredibly smart as well. She also has a way of putting people at ease. Despite the big age difference, we were able to have intense conversations about the project and often shared what we were each struggling with. As we're both introverts, I felt comfortable on set with her to the extent that I could rest without having to talk all the time.&rdquo;

Why This Project?

For Son Sukku, the draw was immediate: &ldquo;I&lsquo;ve always been an avid fan of Director Yoon Jong-bin, so I felt incredibly honoured when I heard that he wanted to cast me for the role. I couldn&rsquo;t believe someone like him would be interested in working with me! My admiration for Director Yoon was definitely the main reason I took on the project!&rdquo;
He continued, &ldquo;I was eager to absorb the know-how and skills he&rsquo;s developed over so many years in the industry. I asked a lot of questions whenever I had time. In a way, I feel like he helped broaden my perspective on stories as well.&rdquo;
For Kim Dami, it was the script. &ldquo;Once I started reading the script, I couldn&rsquo;t stop. I kept thinking: &lsquo;I want to find out what happens next.&rsquo; When it comes to my character, Ena, she has her own way of profiling people that&rsquo;s completely different from what you would normally expect from a profiler. I think I was drawn to how unique and interesting she was.&rdquo;
As for Yoon, the series represented a shift: &ldquo;I was craving something I&rsquo;d never done before. When I first read the script, what struck me was that it was a story led by a female character and that I might not be able to have another opportunity to work on something like this again. The story itself was captivating, which got me excited about how fun this project could be.&rdquo;

Director Yoon Jong-bin. (Image courtesy of Disney+)

Kim Sung-kyun. (Image courtesy of Disney+)

Hyun Bong-sik. (Image courtesy of Disney+)

No Spoilers, Please

Throughout the event, the creative team remained tight-lipped on plot details &mdash; and for good reason. &ldquo;The less you know going in, the better,&rdquo; Yoon urged. &ldquo;This isn&rsquo;t a show where you want it spoiled. Stay on this journey with us. It will be worth it.&rdquo;
With 11 total episodes and what promises to be a fresh take on the murder mystery genre, Nine Puzzles launches 21 May exclusively on Disney+. This definitely isn&rsquo;t one to skim &mdash; or skip!

Son Suk-ku & Kim Da-mi Goes Against a Serial Killer in Disney+’s ‘Nine Puzzles’

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