Episode 12 starts with Dae-woong phoning the authorities and rescuing Head Choi and Shin Cha-il. Dae-woong accidentally found the place while tailing Se-woong. Choi is in the hospital, with Cha-il wanting to halt the funeral, leading the team, Han-soo and Seo-jin, to quickly head to the temple before the late chairman is finally buried. They try to stop Cha iL due to his weakened state but he is determined.
They are able to stop the family from moving the body for cremation and in front of everyone, Cha-il blames Dae-woong for killing the president, so his sister-in-law, who dislikes him, consents to the autopsy. Dae-woong and Cha-il came up with this plan while at the hospital. However, the president Se Woong looks concerned that he will be discovered and Dae woong assures him he will be found out.
Han-soo and Cha-il later encounter Choi’s wife, who informs them that, following Se-woong’s instructions, only she has permission to see him. Not long after, Dae-woong is brought in by the police for more questioning because his lighter was discovered in the ex-president’s room. The findings from the autopsy show a substance in the ex-president’s body, clearly pointing to foul play.
At the same time, Cha-il is taken off the audit team and moved down to the support team which doesn’t sit well with his members. Se-woong and the others quickly learn about Head Choi’s death. Shin Cha-il meets with the undersecretary and presents proof of the company’s bribes to him, asking for a just investigation into Dae-woong.
Se-woong promptly arranges a unique stakeholder gathering to oust Dae-woong as vice president, blaming him for the company’s failure and using the murder allegations against him. After the approval of the motion, Dae-woong and Shin Cha-il eventually show up. Cha-il reveals Se-woong as the real orchestrator of the slush fund, providing proof obtained from Head Choi and phone recordings.
Head Choi, still breathing, also shows up at the meeting and exposes Se-woong’s attempted murder on him. It was disclosed that Shin Cha-il had given Choi a heads-up about the attack, and they were able to clandestinely capture Se-woong’s assassination plot on video after Choi made necessary preparations.
Se-woong is then captured by the police. Cha-il questions why he was scouted by Se-woong before being taken away, to which Se-woong answers that he aimed to rid the company of corruption but Cha il points out he ended up being the biggest corruption.
Later on, Dae-woong takes on the role of president. Cha-il tenders his resignation, indicating that his tasks at the company have been fulfilled. Dae woong is unhappy about this insisting he stays but Cha Il still leaves. The late chairman’s hospitalization was a result of his deliberate attempt to kill the president, as revealed during Dae-woong’s visit to him in prison, despite Se-woong’s insistence that it was accidental.
The audit team hosts a goodbye celebration for Cha-il, where they come to the realization that he is departing from the company. When he leaves, Han soo who is more heartbroken than the others, follows him out and thanks him for everything he has done. Cha-il hands over his favorite tape recorder to Han-soo and discloses that his father died in a corruption-based industrial accident due to his own negligence as a new auditor because he turned a blind eye to corruption. He tells Han-soo he wishes to live in a world full of trust but advises that until then, he should put on a strong facade and not reveal his weakness. He cautions Han-soo to be cautious in audits going forward, as they have the potential to impact someone’s life directly. Then he leaves, never to return.
Several months later, Han-soo has embraced Cha-il’s dedication to work and is progressing towards becoming a tough model auditor, while Seo-jin has been moved to another department as per her arrangement with Dae-woong to transfer after the previous case. In the last scene, the Director of the Board of Audit and Inspection of South Korea encounters Cha il while he’s alone in a remote island and enlists his help in catching bigger fishes.
The End
So the series ended. It was a great one and turned out to be a hit series. The acting was phenomenal. Although I wished Cha Il remained with his team. Still, the reality is understandable.