Lee Je-hoon Unravels a 15-Year-Old Cold Case in 'Taxi Driver 3'

Lee Je-hoon captivates audiences by uncovering the truth behind a 15-year-old unsolved case.

In the seventh episode of SBS's 'Taxi Driver 3', aired on the night of the 12th at 9:45 PM, Kim Do-gi (played by Lee Je-hoon) showcased his brilliant performance.

During this episode, Kim Do-gi flawlessly transformed into the elegant Italian gentleman 'Lorenzo Kim' to reveal the truth behind the 'Jin Gwangdae Volleyball Team's Park Min-ho (played by Lee Do-han) murder case without a body' that occurred 15 years ago.

Kim Do-gi and the 'Rainbow Heroes' discovered that this case was linked to ongoing illegal match-fixing. An Go-eun (played by Pyo Ye-jin) uncovered that Coach Jo Sung-wook (played by Shin Joo-hwan) was manipulating game results through an illegal betting site, with Im Dong-hyun (played by Moon Soo-young) informing Jo of the bets people weren't placing, leading to a manipulation scheme worth 5 billion won.

An Go-eun suggested immediately shutting down the betting site, but Kim Do-gi insisted, "We need to find Park Min-ho, who died 15 years ago, through this betting site," and devised a plan to use the match-fixing scheme for a reverse investigation.

To execute the plan, Kim Do-gi adopted a new persona as 'Lorenzo Kim', a European league volleyball agent known as the 'Midas of Volleyball', who has produced numerous global stars. An Go-eun disguised herself as a beautiful college student to approach Jung Yeon-tae (played by Lee Myung-ro), while Kim Do-gi fabricated an article with volleyball star Kim Yeon-koung, portraying himself as a sports agent dedicated to discovering Korean prospects. The article included that Kim Do-gi considered Jung Yeon-tae as the most desirable player to scout, instilling hope for a big league debut.

Perfectly transformed into the Italian gentleman Lorenzo, Kim Do-gi appeared at the final match where Jung Yeon-tae was involved in match-fixing. With pomade hair, a luxurious three-piece suit, and scarf styling, Kim Do-gi advised Jung, "There are too many mistakes in the game," and urged, "This must not happen." He further motivated him by saying, "Let's become the Son Heung-min or Ryu Hyun-jin of volleyball." Shaken by the possibility of a European big league debut, Jung Yeon-tae refused Coach Jo Sung-wook's match-fixing orders and gave his best in the game, ultimately leading his team to victory.

After the match, enraged by financial losses, Jo Sung-wook attempted to assault Jung Yeon-tae by grabbing his collar, but Jung declared, "I recorded everything you said, Coach. I'm going to hold a press conference," and demanded Jo apologize to Park Min-ho, pointing to where Kim Do-gi was seated. At that moment, Kim Do-gi, now dressed in Park Min-ho's old uniform, appeared from afar.

Mistakenly believing that Park Min-ho, whom he thought he killed 15 years ago, had appeared, Jo Sung-wook panicked and rushed to the site where he had buried the body, shovel in hand. Following him, Kim Do-gi successfully identified the location where Park Min-ho's body was buried. Although only Park Min-ho's clothes were found, Jo Sung-wook, relieved, made a phone call, only to receive a chilling warning, "Let's meet soon."

The tension peaked with the anticipated appearance of Chun Gwang-jin (played by Um Moon-suk), the mastermind behind Jo Sung-wook and the ultimate villain of the match-fixing cartel, at the end of the broadcast. The preview hinted at an inevitable showdown between Kim Do-gi and Chun Gwang-jin, as the body found by Rainbow Taxi was transported to a funeral home only to disappear again, and Kim Do-gi faced a crisis when overpowered by Chun.

Earlier, during a discussion between Jo Sung-wook and Im Dong-hyun about match-fixing, Kim Do-gi approached Im, mentioning the police's illegal gambling report reward system. When Im left, saying he would contact him later, Kim confidently remarked, "I'm not the one in trouble." Im confessed to Jo that Kim had discovered their secret space, and Kim managed to escape a car explosion by jumping out in time. Kim then declared, "Now it's our turn to attack."

Reporter Chaeryeong Lim, TenAsia syjj426@tenasia.co.kr