Nine Puzzles

Nine Puzzles (Korean: 나인 퍼즐) is a South Korean mystery crime thriller television series written by Lee Eun-mi, directed by Yoon Jong-bin, and starring Kim Da-mi and Son Suk-ku. The series follows a ten-year-old cold case that involves a new string of baffling murders, all related to mysterious puzzles. It premiered on Disney+ on May 21, 2025.

Nine Puzzles
Promotional poster
Hangul	나인 퍼즐
RR	Nain peojeul
MR	Nain p'ŏjŭl
Genre	Mystery Crime thriller[1]
Written by	Lee Eun-mi
Directed by	Yoon Jong-bin
Starring	Kim Da-mi Son Suk-ku
Music by	Jo Yeong-wook[2]
Opening theme	"Nine Puzzles" by Jo Yeong-wook     Son Seung-il
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of episodes	11
Production
Executive producers	Jang Hyung-ji Kim Min-ji[2]
Producers	Yoon Jeong-bin Jang Se-jeong Choi Gyeong-suk[2]
Production companies	Moonlight Film Kakao Entertainment
Budget	₩30 billion
Original release
Network	Disney+
Release	May 21 (2025-05-21) – June 4, 2025 (2025-06-04)

Synopsis

Yoon E-na, who, as a high school student, discovered her uncle's body, who had been murdered, with a peculiar puzzle piece found at the scene. As the only eyewitness, she found herself unable to recall how she ended up there, making her the primary suspect in the eyes of Detective Kim Han-saem. A decade later, E-na has become an exceptional criminal profiler, working for the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's criminal analysis team. However, she is still tormented by the unresolved murder of her uncle. A new wave of serial killings surfaces, each one accompanied by identical enigmatic puzzle pieces, echoing the incident that transformed her life. This prompts E-na to collaborate with Han-saem once more, who, despite their tense partnership, still carries doubts regarding her role in her uncle's murder case.

Cast and characters

Main

• Kim Da-mi as Yoon E-na^[3]

A criminal profiler, working for the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's criminal analysis team.

• Son Suk-ku as Kim Han-saem^[3]

Supporting

• Park Gyu-young as Lee Seung-joo^[3]

A psychiatrist doctor therapist at Sunshine Mental Health Clinic

• Roh Jae-won as Hwang In-chan^[3]

Director at Sunshine Mental Health Medicine

• Kim Sung-kyun as Yang Jung-ho^[3]

Captain of Violent Crimes Unit 2 at Hangang Police Station.

• Hyun Bong-sik as Choi San^[3]
• Kwak Ja-hyung [ko] as Ro Su-gwang^[3]
• Kim Do-geon^[3] as one of police cadet.

Special appearances

• Ji Jin-hee as Yoon Dong-hoon^[3]

Yoon E-na's uncle and a former superintendent officer. He was killed in the beginning and his niece has been trying to uncover his death ever since.

• Park Sung-woong as Kwon Sang-beom^[3]
• Hwang Jung-min as Oh Cheol-jin^[3]
• Kim Ye-won as Lee Mi-young^[3]
• Lee Hee-joon as Kang Chi-mok^[3]
• Lee Sung-min as Do Yoon-su^[3]

Production

Development

The series is directed by Yoon Jong-bin, who helmed and produced Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time (2012), Kundo: Age of the Rampant (2014), The Spy Gone North (2018), and Narco-Saints (2022), written by Lee Eun-mi, who wrote Tunnel (2017) and Navillera (2021), and produced by Kakao Entertainment and Moonlight Film.^[4] The total budget of the series cost ₩30 billion.^[5]

Casting

According to Kakao Entertainment in May 2024, Kim Da-mi and Son Suk-ku were cast to lead the series and positively considering to appear.^[6]

Release

Nine Puzzles which consists of 11 episodes, premiered its first six episodes on May 21, 2025, followed by three episodes on May 28, and the last two episodes on June 4.^[7]

Accolades

Award ceremony	Year	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref.
Global OTT Awards	2025	Best OTT Original	Nine Puzzles	Pending	[8]
Seoul International Drama Awards	2025	Best Actress	Kim Da-mi	Pending	[9]