The Defects Episodes 1 to 4 recap: Ah-Hyun and the abandoned kids uncover an illegal adoption cartel 

The recently released thriller K-drama The Defects follows Korea's obsession with the 'perfect' children and presents this harrowing issue with a fictional tale of bioengineered children. The K-drama follows Kim Se-Hui, the chief director of a large hospital. While she is a respected doctor, she is secretly operating a charity foundation that replaces 'defective' children with a child with superior genes.

Se-hui's organization aims to help parents with 'defective' kids by kidnapping (and killing them), thus replacing them with a perfect child. Se-hui is helped by Jung Hyeon and Tae-sik, who are the henchmen and kidnap and kill these 'defective' children.

The Defects began in 2011, when Ah-Hyun was kidnapped as a child by Tae-sik. However, he had a change of heart and spared her life, taking care of her and three other children like her. Ah-hyun grows up to find this disgusting illegal adoption cartel and the truth about these 'kidnapped children' and decides to fight against it.

Here is the complete The Defects Episodes 1 to 4 recap.

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The Defects Episodes 1 to 4 recap: Tae-Sik's murder endangers the children

While Tae-Sik initially took up the job of killing children for money, he was consumed by guilt and instead saved four of them, including Ah-Hyun. While the grown-up children are now barely surviving, Tae-sik trained them well and also warned them not to escape into the outside world, which is filled with people who want them dead, including their parents.

However, after one of the children, So-Mi, complains that she is tired of living in hiding, Tae-sik worries that the kids will be caught soon and plans to send them out of Korea. However, he never gets to act on this plan as a new 'defective' child, Si-Woo, comes into the picture.

Se-Hui visits her daughter's school, where she meets Si-woo's mother, who is worried about her son's grades and wants a perfect child in place of him. Se-hui instructs Tae-sik and Jung-Hyeon to kill Si-woo and replace him with a perfect child. However, Si-woo overhears this conversation and runs to the bathhouse, where Ah-hyun and the other children are hiding.

The Defects take a dark turn when Jung-Hyeon realises that Tae-sik has not killed Si-woo yet, and he has probably saved other children as well. He goes to the bathhouse and kills Tae-sik, leaving the five abandoned children without a guardian to protect them.

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The Defects Episodes 1 to 4 recap: So-Mi learns the truth behind her abandonment

The Defects Episode 2 follows So-Mi's backstory, where we learn that she wanted to become a K-pop idol, a dream that was not supported by her parents. Since her mother was against this dream, she believes that she was abandoned and replaced in the program. In addition, So-mi's adoptive father was a pedophile who hypnotized and abused her in childhood.

In the present, the group learns that So-mi's father is a school President and still has a liking for young girls. Ah-hyun disguises herself as a designated driver and tries to seduce So-mi's father to learn more information about the black card, which is important for reaching the adoption cartel's leader.

So-mi's father takes her to his house, where he is tortured by the other children for information on the black card. So-mi's father also reveals that her mother was unaware that he was about to replace their daughter, and she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital soon after her daughter's disappearance.

The children manage to find the hospital's address where So-mi's mother is being held, but it is guarded heavily by Jeong-Hyun’s men. While So-mi is unable to save her mother in The Defects, she finally gets closure by discovering that her mother did not abandon her.

Also Read: If you are a fan of K-dramas, these 5 shows are a must-watch

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The Defects Episodes 1 to 4 recap: Ah-hyun plans to go against Se-hui

The Defects Episode 4 featured a little about the third child's backstory, Sung-Woo, who is the son of an assemblyman and was returned by his parents three years ago.

Meanwhile, Ah-hyun gathers information about Se-hui's adoption cartel from Tae-sik's belongings, and the children realize that they were all willingly abandoned by their parents and decide to join hands with Ah-hyun.

Ah-hyun learns that Se-hui runs an organization where eggs and sperm from the crème of society are collected to create perfect babies. The gang also discovers that the organization is collecting women's eggs, and only the black card can allow them to enter the venue.

In The Defects Episode 4's final moments, Ah-hyun steals a black card and disguises herself as a nurse. She sees the adoption cartel operation with tubes, grades, and babies labelled as products for replacement. She is nearly caught by Jung-Hyeon but manages to escape.

The Defects Episode 5 will premiere on August 4, 2025.

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