Choi Chil-seong, an infamous match-fixer, dies under mysterious circumstances upon arriving in Geosan. Won Hyun-joon plays Choi Chil-seong in Like Flowers in Sand.
Choi Chil-seong is a match-fixer who once set up a gambling scheme worth billions of won. Even politicians were involved in that gambling scheme.
The police have been chasing the man for years, but with no success. He has managed to stay off the grid for quite some time.
After being elusive for almost a year, he arrives in Geosan. However, by the time Seoul police discover his whereabouts, Choi Chil-seong is already found dead.
Choi Chil-seong’s mysterious death
Choi Chil-seong had visited Geosan once before, 20 years ago. His arrival marked the beginning of match-fixing and illegal gambling activities in the area.
Soon after, Mi-ran’s father, Joo Cheol-yong, a ssireum wrestler, was killed. It was believed that he was murdered because he refused to participate in match-fixing.
Du-sik’s father, Oh Jun, was Joo Cheol-yong’s coach, and he was accused of killing Joo Cheol-yong. However, both Du-sik and Mi-ran think he is innocent.
They believe that Choi Chil-seong had something to do with Joo Cheol-yong’s murder, which is why Du-sik returns to Geosan to investigate Choi Chil-seong’s death.
Choi Chil-seong killed himself by driving his car into a reservoir. The police find it odd that he came to Geosan, where no one knows him, just to kill himself.
Additionally, they fail to recover his phone from his car, further indicating foul play.
Du-sik, now a police officer, is determined to find out why Choi Chil-seong came to Geosan, as this may finally uncover what led to Joo Cheol-yong’s death
Choi Chil-seong’s reason for coming to Geosan
Du-sik discovers that Choi Chil-seong came to Geosan to meet Mi-ran. Somehow, he knew that Mi-ran is Joo Cheol-yong’s daughter, even though she had not told anyone about it.
For two months, he visited her cafe but did not say anything to her. One day, he struck up a conversation with her about her father’s murder.
He admitted that Joo Cheol-yong’s death was his fault. As he blames himself for Joo Cheol-yong’s death, he believes that he killed him.
He dragged Joo Cheol-yong into a mess, and he does not want the same to happen to Mi-ran, so he asks her to leave town.
Choi Chil-seong knows who killed Mi-ran’s father, and he tells Mi-ran that the murderer is still living in Geosan.
He takes Mi-ran with him to answer her questions. Someone keeps calling him, and when he finally picks up the call, he argues with that person.
Choi Chil-seong then asks Mi-ran to meet him at his hotel the next day. However, Mi-ran never sees him again, as Choi Chil-seong dies that very night.
When Mi-ran goes to Choi Chil-seong’s hotel room, she finds a bag full of cash. Choi Chil-seong wanted to give Mi-ran the money as well as his ledger.
He knew he could not give Mi-ran the father and the life she lost, but he wanted to give money as compensation, even though it would never be enough.
Also Read: Joo Mi-ran: Like Flowers in Sand character explained