In The Defects Episode 3, it takes a dark turn. It shows how deep the rot really goes. Every character is running from something. Every room hides a secret. And every decision comes with a price.
So-mi holds a gun to her foster father’s head. Her voice is steady. She tells him he’ll wish he were dead. The pain is real. This man left her behind like she didn’t matter. Ju-an warns everyone that Jung-hyeon’s people are coming. They need to run. Fast. Jung-hyeon finds Chul-soo tied up in his home. He kills himself. Why? Because Chul-soo’s existence is now a threat.
The four run from the house. But Jung-hyeon’s men find them. Surround them. Just when it looks like Ah-hyeon might die, she throws herself in front of a police car. On purpose. It’s her way out. The others run too. The goons stop chasing.
Later, Jung-hyeon talks to Se-hui. He calls them “kids who should’ve died long ago.” But Se-hui wants Ah-hyeon alive. Her tone is cold. The four hide in an old casino. It’s the same place they robbed before. Now they turn it into a shelter. There’s heat. A few snacks. They build walls from curtains. It’s not much, but it’s better than nothing.
They Were Never Meant to Survive
Ah-hyeon opens up to Seok-su. She talks about her mom. Says she always wanted to shine more than anyone else. It sounds like she’s talking about Se-hui. Meanwhile, Se-hui visits a pastor. He was Seok-su’s father. She tells him that a woman wants to adopt a child who looks just like her powerful husband. It’s clear this isn’t about love. It’s about legacy.
Ah-hyeon (the new daughter) visits Si-woo’s mother. She asks about him. The woman pretends to cry. Says she’s been searching for her son. But the act is too clean. It feels fake.
Ah-hyeon has the S-card she took from Chul-soo’s house. They don’t know what it’s for. Ju-an is on his laptop when they find out Chul-soo is dead. They answer a call from his wife. She thinks she’s talking to Chul-soo. She doesn’t realize it’s So-mi. Her mind is unstable.
She tells “him” not to visit her at the hospital this week. She talks about So-mi needing to practice for auditions. So-mi breaks down. Her mom isn’t well. But she still cares.
Behind the scenes, Jung-hyeon listens. He knows So-mi will come to see her mother. That’s his plan. Trick her. Lure her. Ah-hyeon wants to go to the hospital. Ju-an warns them. It might be a trap. They don’t care. They want answers.
Elsewhere, an assemblyman’s wife meets Se-hui. She wants to use surrogacy. She doesn’t want anyone to know. Not even her husband. She offers money. She wants full secrecy. And if anything goes wrong, she wants Ah-hyeon as insurance.
Bloody Reckoning at the Hospital
At the hospital, the group gets attacked. Ah-hyeon and Seok-su fight back. Hard. They don’t look like kids anymore. They fight like survivors.
Ju-an and So-mi reach her mother’s room. She hugs So-mi. She’s relieved. She didn’t abandon her. But So-mi asks if she bought her. If money changed hands. Her mother finally admits it. But she won’t name the people involved.
Suddenly, the nurses pull out knives. It’s chaos. Ju-an and So-mi try to fight. But more men come. They have to leave her mother behind.
Then Jung-hyeon shows up. He and Ah-hyeon fight. It’s brutal. Up close. Loud. Messy. She stabs him with scissors. Seok-su throws a hospital bed at him. His head hits the glass. Blood everywhere. They flee again.
Later, Jung-hyeon is in a hospital bed. Se-hui visits him. We see a flashback. His dad killed his mom. As a teen, he got called “murderer’s son.” Se-hui tells him she once promised to be his mother. She asks why he doesn’t call her that anymore.
Selling Children Like Cars: The Truth Behind the S Card
Seok-su had placed a tracker on their car. It leads them to a facility. There, they wait. Car after car shows up. Everyone shows an S card to enter.
Ah-hyeon and Seok-su get inside. They’re wearing hidden cameras. It looks like a business. A factory. But it’s worse. They’re auctioning kids. Not just any kids. Children with perfect genes. High IQ. Good health. Pretty faces. They treat them like trophies.
Ah-hyeon watches in horror. She realizes she was once sold like this. And when she wasn’t useful anymore, they threw her out. So-mi, Ju-an, Seok-su — they all see it too. These weren’t adoptions. These were sales. The parents were customers & the kids were products. The system is still running. It didn’t die with Chul-soo.
The episode ends with a short scene. The young Ah-hyeon argues with Se-hui. Se-hui scolds her for losing first rank in school. Ah-hyeon fires back. Says she doesn’t want fake praise. Se-hui says, “You only want to beat your mother, don’t”
It’s personal now. This episode exposes how the black market child adoption in Korean drama is more than just a side plot. It’s the heart of The Defects. Everything ties back to that system — the abuse, the lies, the trauma. This show doesn’t treat it like fiction. It shows the real cost.
Even when the characters run, the past keeps catching up. The black market child adoption in Korean drama stories like this makes us question everything: Who gets to be a parent? Who gets to be a child? And who decides their worth? One thing is clear — the black market child adoption in Korean drama The Defects doesn’t just shock. It demands attention.
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Kavita Mishra is a dynamic writer and passionate Korean entertainment enthusiast, combining her love for K-pop and K-drama with a flair for storytelling. With a keen eye for the latest trends, Kavita crafts articles that capture the pulse of K-pop idols, chart-topping hits, and the most buzz-worthy dramas taking over screens worldwide.
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