Season 1 Plot
Eight years ago, Noh Sang Cheon, the mastermind of a financial fraud scheme that duped tens of thousands of South Korean victims into investing billions of dollars' worth of their savings into a bogus project, went on the run. He attempted to evade the law by escaping to China and the nation was rocked when news of his death broke. Now, almost a decade later, a justice-loving police detective named Goo Do Han makes a startling discovery. In the course of investigating a domestic murder case, Goo Do Han finds evidence implicating Noh Sang Cheon as a suspect. How could it be that this fraudster—thought to have died years ago—is linked to the case? It falls to Goo Do Han to try to determine if Noh Sang Cheon is actually dead or not. If he is dead, who could the real murderer be? If not, where was Noh Sang Cheon hiding all this time? As the detective continues to investigate, he begins to wonder if there might be a link between the fraud of eight years ago and the mysterious murder.
Decoy Season 1 aired on January 27th, 2023.
Season 1 Episodes
1. The Dead
Do-han has his suspension lifted and gets called to a murder crime scene by Jong-hun. As he arrives at the scene, he encounters the dead body of Song Young-jin, the accomplice to the biggest fraud case of the century, the No Sang-cheon Ponzi scheme case. He also finds traces of No Sang-cheon who had died eight years ago.
2. The Victims
As he keeps watch on the suspect Byeong-jun, Do-han suspects that the case is connected with No Sang-cheon's fraud victims' organization. Then comes the second murder, in which the victim reports to the police that No Sang-cheon is trying to kill him. At the scene of the second murder case, Do-han runs into Byeong-jun yet again and reinvestigates the case as a serial murder.
3. The Frauds
As Do-han tries to release Byeong-jun having no clear evidence, Byeong-jun suddenly confesses to the murders. Meanwhile, Na-yeon prepares for a press release about the serial murder cases, and Jong-hun hears surprising news from Byeong-jun when he visits him at the Prosecutor's Office.
4. The Pursuers
Jong-hun looks into the past BIGS Network investigation files and finds out that the unreleased first murder victim was So-ram. Meanwhile, Na-yeon is prevented from releasing any articles regarding the case, so she reveals to Do-han that the murder victims are dying in the order on Jae-hwang's list.
5. The Shadows
Jong-hun, tormented by the impending doom that is written on the list, disappears. Do-han manages to find where the new suspect Jae-hwang had been staying after his release, but encounters Jae-hwang in an unexpected situation.
6. The Decoys
Jong-hun says that he was abducted by Jae-hwang, and the case seems to come to a close with suspect Jae-hwang's death. However, as Na-yeon and the victims' group receive another murder message, everything falls into chaos.
7. The Connections
After learning of Da-jeong's investment briefing, Do-han makes a visit and witnesses a shocking scene. Meanwhile, Jong-hun vows not to cover up anything any longer and starts to delve into the case. In doing so, he tells Do-han the truth about the night of his abduction.
8. The Truths
Determined not to repeat his mistakes, Jong-hun looks back at his shameful past and reinvestigates the No Sang-cheon fraud case. In the process, he unexpectedly runs into the ones that helped No Sang-cheon flee previously.