# Flower of Evil (악의 꽃) (South Korean TV series)
**Flower of Evil** (악의 꽃) is a 2020 South Korean television series broadcast on the cable channel tvN, in which a detective begins to suspect that her husband of fourteen years is a serial killer living under a false identity. The sixteen-episode Wednesday-Thursday drama ran from July 29 to September 23, 2020, directed by Kim Cheol-kyu and written by Yoo Jung-hee, and was produced by [Studio Dragon](https://www.edgepedia.org/studio-dragon) and Monster Union.[1](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/evilflower/) • [2](https://www.starnewskorea.com/broadcast-drama/2022/08/17/2022081709451326235) It stars [Lee Joon-gi](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-joon-gi) and [Moon Chae-won](https://www.edgepedia.org/moon-chae-won), with Jang Hee-jin, Seo Hyun-woo, Nam Gi-ae, Choi Dae-hoon, and Kim Ji-hoon in supporting roles.[3](https://www.cjenm.com/en/featured-contents/flower-of-evil/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Broadcast | tvN, Wednesday-Thursday slot, July 29 to September 23, 2020; 16 episodes[1](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/evilflower/) |
| Creative team | Directed by Kim Cheol-kyu; written by Yoo Jung-hee; produced by Studio Dragon and Monster Union[2](https://www.starnewskorea.com/broadcast-drama/2022/08/17/2022081709451326235) |
| Genre | Mystery/thriller, romance, drama[3](https://www.cjenm.com/en/featured-contents/flower-of-evil/) |
| Ratings | Premiere 3.357% nationwide; finale 5.7% nationwide average with a 6.2% peak, the highest of the run (Nielsen Korea)[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Flower_of_Evil/Episode_Ratings) • [5](https://www.soompi.com/article/1427376wpp/flower-of-evil-finale-achieves-highest-ratings-of-its-entire-run) |
| Awards | Best Director for Kim Cheol-kyu at the 2021 Baeksang Arts Awards[3](https://www.cjenm.com/en/featured-contents/flower-of-evil/) |
| International remakes | India (Duranga, ZEE5, 2022), the Philippines (Viu, 2022)[6](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20220817/thriller-series-flower-of-evil-becomes-first-k-drama-to-be-remade-in-india?top-stories-page=2) • [7](https://www.contentasia.tv/eNewsletter/2022/ContentAsia_eNewsletter_20-26_June_2022.pdf) • [8](https://m.kinolights.com/season/151121) |
| Streaming | Available on Netflix and Rakuten Viki[9](https://www.netflix.com/cy/title/81357268) |
## Premise and characters
The story follows Cha Ji-won (Moon Chae-won), a detective in a violent-crime unit, and her husband Baek Hee-sung (Lee Joon-gi), who runs a studio selling handmade metal crafts and appears to be a devoted husband and father to their young daughter.[10](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2022/10/398_296644.html) • [3](https://www.cjenm.com/en/featured-contents/flower-of-evil/) Hee-sung is in fact Do Hyun-soo, the son of an infamous serial killer, who changed his identity to escape his past.[10](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2022/10/398_296644.html) When Ji-won investigates a series of murders, the evidence begins to point toward her own husband, and the couple is forced to confront a truth neither wanted to face.[9](https://www.netflix.com/cy/title/81357268)
The supporting cast includes Jang Hee-jin as Do Hae-soo, Hyun-soo's sister, and Seo Hyun-woo as Kim Moo-jin, a tabloid journalist and Hyun-soo's former high school classmate who is briefly held captive by him early in the story before the two form an uneasy alliance.[3](https://www.cjenm.com/en/featured-contents/flower-of-evil/) • [11](https://news.tf.co.kr/read/entertain/1816211.htm) Kim Ji-hoon plays the real Baek Hee-sung, whose return drives the final episodes.[12](https://sports.donga.com/ent/article/all/20200918/102993634/1)
The drama's stated premise asks what happens when a wife of fourteen years comes to suspect her husband is a merciless serial killer, framing the story as a high-density emotional chase between a man who has acted out even his love and a wife who begins to doubt his true nature.[1](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/evilflower/) Critics described the series as a psychological thriller powered by a character-driven story that balances crime, mystery, family, friendship, and romance.[13](https://dryedmangoez.com/2021/02/04/good-ol-review-character-driven-flower-of-evil-an-emotionally-resonant-thriller/)
## Production and broadcast
**Casting and reunion.** Lee Joon-gi and Moon Chae-won had previously worked together on the 2017 Korean remake of *[Criminal Minds](https://www.edgepedia.org/criminal-minds-south-korean-tv-series)*, and [Flower of Evil](https://www.edgepedia.org/flower-of-evil) marked their second collaboration.[10](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2022/10/398_296644.html) The series was positioned in tvN's 2020 lineup as one of the channel's anticipated second-half projects.[14](https://cjnews.cj.net/?p=2528)
**COVID-19 disruption.** Production was halted once because of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving a gap in the schedule; no new episode aired on September 3, when a recap special was broadcast instead. Outdoor filming was also delayed by an unusually long rainy season and typhoons.[11](https://news.tf.co.kr/read/entertain/1816211.htm) • [4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Flower_of_Evil/Episode_Ratings) Despite the interruption, viewership rose steadily over the sixteen-episode run.[15](https://www.soompi.com/article/1427592wpp/flower-of-evil-director-writer-and-producer-share-thoughts-on-the-drama-overcoming-initial-prejudice)
## Reception
The premiere drew a nationwide rating of 3.357% (4.248% in the Seoul capital area), and the series averaged 3.927% nationwide across its run.[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Flower_of_Evil/Episode_Ratings) Episode 15 set the drama's own record at the time with 5.1% nationwide and a 6.0% peak, and among tvN's target demographic of viewers aged 20 to 49 it averaged 2.8% nationwide with a 3.4% peak.[12](https://sports.donga.com/ent/article/all/20200918/102993634/1) The finale on September 23 then reached 5.7% nationwide on average with a 6.2% peak, the highest figure of the entire run, and took first place in its time slot across all channels, including public broadcasters, among viewers aged 20 to 49.[5](https://www.soompi.com/article/1427376wpp/flower-of-evil-finale-achieves-highest-ratings-of-its-entire-run) Studio Dragon later cited a peak of 7.3% in the Seoul capital area for the final episode.[2](https://www.starnewskorea.com/broadcast-drama/2022/08/17/2022081709451326235)
**Awards and recognition.** Kim Cheol-kyu won Best Director at the 2021 Baeksang Arts Awards for the series.[3](https://www.cjenm.com/en/featured-contents/flower-of-evil/) Lee Joon-gi received the Best Artist award in the actor category and an Asia Celebrity award at the 2020 [Asia Artist Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/asia-artist-awards).[16](https://v.daum.net/v/20210111110019606) In the 2020 Weibo Drama Awards, the series placed in the top three of the overseas popular drama category with 590,000 votes, first among Korean dramas.[17](https://v.daum.net/v/PRhLN9LxLm)
## International remakes and adaptations
Flower of Evil became the first [Korean drama](https://www.edgepedia.org/korean-drama) series to be remade in India. Studio Dragon sold the remake rights to ZEE5, one of India's largest local platforms, and the adaptation, titled *[Duranga](https://www.edgepedia.org/duranga)* (meaning "the two shadows of lies"), premiered on August 19, 2022 as a nine-part series.[6](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20220817/thriller-series-flower-of-evil-becomes-first-k-drama-to-be-remade-in-india?top-stories-page=2) • [2](https://www.starnewskorea.com/broadcast-drama/2022/08/17/2022081709451326235) A Philippine adaptation produced for the regional streamer Viu premiered on June 23, 2022 across 16 markets in Asia, the Middle East, and South Africa; its producers retained the spine of the Korean story and its most memorable scenes while adding Filipino elements.[7](https://www.contentasia.tv/eNewsletter/2022/ContentAsia_eNewsletter_20-26_June_2022.pdf)
The property has since extended to Japan. Studio Dragon and Avex Pictures agreed in 2024 to adapt the drama into a Japanese stage play.[18](https://www.contentasia.tv/eNewsletter/2024/ContentAsia_eNewsletter_14-27_Oct_2024.pdf) • [8](https://m.kinolights.com/season/151121) The original series remains available internationally on Netflix and Rakuten Viki.[9](https://www.netflix.com/cy/title/81357268)
## References
1. [악의 꽃 | tvN, CJ ENM](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/evilflower/)
2. [스튜디오드래곤作 '악의 꽃' 한국 드라마 최초 인도 리메이크 [공식], 스타뉴스 (2022)](https://www.starnewskorea.com/broadcast-drama/2022/08/17/2022081709451326235)
3. [Flower Of Evil | Drama | CJ ENM](https://www.cjenm.com/en/featured-contents/flower-of-evil/)
4. [Flower of Evil/Episode Ratings, DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Flower_of_Evil/Episode_Ratings)
5. ["Flower Of Evil" Finale Achieves Highest Ratings Of Its Entire Run, Soompi (2020)](https://www.soompi.com/article/1427376wpp/flower-of-evil-finale-achieves-highest-ratings-of-its-entire-run)
6. [Thriller series 'Flower of Evil' becomes first K-drama to be remade in India, The Korea Times (2022)](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20220817/thriller-series-flower-of-evil-becomes-first-k-drama-to-be-remade-in-india?top-stories-page=2)
7. [ContentAsia eNewsletter, 20-26 June 2022](https://www.contentasia.tv/eNewsletter/2022/ContentAsia_eNewsletter_20-26_June_2022.pdf)
8. [악의 꽃 다시보기 | 키노라이츠 (2026 Japanese remake listing)](https://m.kinolights.com/season/151121)
9. [Flower of Evil, Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/cy/title/81357268)
10. [Romance-thriller series 'Flower of Evil' ends with its highest rating, The Korea Times (2020)](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2022/10/398_296644.html)
11. [[TF인터뷰] 서현우, 확신으로 틔운 '악의 꽃', 더팩트 (2020)](https://news.tf.co.kr/read/entertain/1816211.htm)
12. [[TV북마크] '악의 꽃' 죽음 위기 맞은 이준기…자체 최고 시청률 경신 (종합), 스포츠동아 (2020)](https://sports.donga.com/ent/article/all/20200918/102993634/1)
13. [Good Ol' Review: Character Driven "Flower of Evil" an Emotionally Resonant Thriller, DryedMangoez.com (2021)](https://dryedmangoez.com/2021/02/04/good-ol-review-character-driven-flower-of-evil-an-emotionally-resonant-thriller/)
14. [더욱 강력해진 2020 tvN 드라마 NEW 라인업, CJ 뉴스룸](https://cjnews.cj.net/?p=2528)
15. ["Flower Of Evil" Director, Writer, And Producer Share Thoughts On The Drama, Soompi (2020)](https://www.soompi.com/article/1427592wpp/flower-of-evil-director-writer-and-producer-share-thoughts-on-the-drama-overcoming-initial-prejudice)
16. [[단독] 이준기 "'악의 꽃', 자기복제 될까봐 걱정 많았죠"(인터뷰②), 다음 (2021)](https://v.daum.net/v/20210111110019606)
17. [59만 표 TOP 3 들고 '명작' 소리 들었는데 의외로 시청률 낮았다는 한국 드라마, 드라마피커](https://v.daum.net/v/PRhLN9LxLm)
18. [ContentAsia eNewsletter, 14-27 October 2024](https://www.contentasia.tv/eNewsletter/2024/ContentAsia_eNewsletter_14-27_Oct_2024.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › Korean contemporary drama › Thriller, crime, and mystery series › Crime and mystery thrillers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license