In the ENA Monday-Tuesday drama ″Scarecrow,″ Jung Moon-sung took on the role of a serial killer, showcasing a dramatic transformation in his acting.

″Scarecrow″ is a drama inspired by the Lee Chun-jae case, known as the ″Hwaseong serial murders.″ The Lee Chun-jae case involved a series of sexual assaults and serial killings that occurred about ten times within a 3km radius of Taean-eup, Hwaseong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, from September 15, 1986, to April 3, 1991. At the time, the police failed to catch the real culprit, leading to the case being called the ″Hwaseong serial murders.″ This case was featured in investigative programs such as SBS’s ″Unanswered Questions,″ KBS’s ″Chase 60 Minutes,″ MBC’s ″PD Notebook,″ and was also the subject of director Bong Joon-ho’s film ″Memories of Murder.″ On August 9, 2019, Lee Chun-jae was identified as the prime suspect through DNA comparison, and on September 24 of the same year, he confessed, bringing closure to the cold case.

The drama ″Scarecrow″ centers on detective Kang Tae-joo (played by Park Hae-soo), who confronts the real culprit after a long investigation, set against the backdrop of cold cases from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. In the drama, Kang Tae-joo meets the real culprit after becoming a professor with white hair. During this process, the identity of the culprit is revealed to be Kang’s childhood friend Lee Ki-hwan (played by Jung Moon-sung). Lee Ki-hwan initially appears as a quiet person running a small bookstore in their hometown, but after the serial murders occur and his younger brother Lee Ki-beom (played by Song Geon-hee) is suspected, he becomes central to the case. Lee Ki-beom was identified as a suspect by prosecutor Cha Si-young (played by Lee Hee-joon), was tortured, and died from the aftereffects. Lee Ki-beom knew of his brother’s possible crimes and left a message saying, ″Brother, Sun-young must not be harmed,″ before dying on his way home. However, Lee Ki-hwan did not confess.

Jung Moon-sung portrayed both the human side of Lee Ki-hwan and the dual nature of the serial killer. He concealed his identity as the culprit with a soft and steady tone and warm eyes, while as the real culprit ″Lee Yong-woo,″ he created tension with a crazed gaze and anxious demeanor. Although the same character, he surprised viewers with completely different appearances. ″Scarecrow″ has attracted attention by recording a peak viewership rating of 7.4% among ENA paid broadcast households.