Notable Actors/Actresses
Park Eun-bin: Woo Young-woo
Kang Tae-oh: Lee Jun-ho
Kang Ki-young: Jung Myung-seok
Director:
Yu In-sik
Yu In-sik
Producer:
AStory
AStory
Recapper: FanFanX
Recap Grade: A
First Impression: 4.5/5
First Impression: 4.5/5
Romcom / Romance Checklist
How much of the plot is angst/romance?
0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
The ML:
Cold / Warm / Shy / Falls in Love First / Noble Idiot / CEO / General /The FL:
Bold / Cute / Cool & Independent / Falls in Love First / Better Than ML / Noble Idiot / Describe the Relationship (the tropes):
Bickering Start / Childhood Connection / Cohabitation / Contract Marriage +/- Fake Couple / Enemies to Lovers / Hidden Identity / High School to Adulthood / Love Triangle / Married Couple (Real) / Secretly in Love (ML) /Relationship Progress (officially together; first (official) kiss; breakup*):
Ep 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14* / 15 / 16 # of CPs (including main CP):
0 / 1 / 2 / 3
0 / 1 / 2 / 3
Ending:
Happy / Sad / Open Happy / Open Sad / BadFanFanX: Be prepared to fall in love – with any one of our leads or all three of them! Go, Team Whale! 🐋 FYI, I’ll be slowly recapping this one… So, whoa, whoa! 😉
Note: Slight formatting change with this one, as I'm adding a Micro Recap before my usual not-so-mini recaps for each ep.
Latest update: I finished watching this series when it was still live airing a while ago. But I'm behind on full recaps (currently still drafting Ep13 as of this post). If you want to peek ahead, Go to Comments and sort by oldest first to find my spoilers there.
Mini Recaps
Micro Recap: Woo Young Woo starts a new job and makes a new friend. Her first case is an assault case involving an elderly couple.
11/17/2000. At five years old, Woo Young Woo (“Young Woo”), hasn’t uttered a single word but she does understand words, context and language. The doctor thinks she's autistic. She doesn't like being touched, not even to hold onto her father’s hand. When they return home, their landlord, Mr. Park, accuses her father, Woo Gwang Ho, for not paying the rent - and for having an affair with his wife, Ms. Choi. Mr. Park starts physically attacking her father along with yelling and cursing at him. During the loud commotion, Young Woo puts her hands over her ears and suddenly speaks: “Inflicting bodily injury. A person who inflicts bodily injury upon another person shall be punished by up to seven years of imprisonment, up to ten years of probation, or a fine of up to ten million won.” Everyone stops moving. Dad is shocked which turns to joy that his daughter finally spoke. Back inside their place, he soon realizes that she’s been reading his thick bound law books. Young Woo has heightened sensory perception - in particular, sound and touch.
Today, 27-year-old Young Woo wakes up in her whale-themed bedroom which is also full of law books. Since she is starting her first day at her new job, Dad has gotten her a new suit. There’s a note indicating that he's removed all traces of any labels for her already. Downstairs, Dad runs a gimbap restaurant and makes her usual Woo Young Woo gimbap for breakfast. It’s her favorite food as she can see every ingredient so she will not be alarmed by any unexpected texture or flavor. Before she starts eating, she adjusts the pieces so they’re sitting perfectly neat on the plate. After she finishes her breakfast, Dad warns her to not repeat people's words or talk about weird things – especially whales.
As she’s making her way to the subway station, she almost has a dance to her walk. Once she's on the subway, it's sensory overload for her as it's crowded with people and there's a lot of noise. She listens to whale sounds through her large over-the-ear headphones and is comforted by the thought of a whale following her to work. Love the use of CGI here. ^_^
When she arrives at the building, she struggles to figure out how or when to enter the cycle of the revolving door, as the stationary doors are closed for cleaning. When she goes inside the spinning contraption, she can’t figure out the timing on when to exit and ends up right back outside the building. But she’s a bit dizzy from all of the spinning. A friendly voice comments that the door is confusing, isn’t it? So the handsome man helps her enter the spinning contraption again, by walking in with her, and they exit at the same time to get into the building together. She thanks him. He then flashes her a beaming smile and asks her where she needs to go. She states Attorney Jung Myeong Seok’s office. He says he’s heading that way, so they can go together. Once they’re out of the elevators, she follows behind him, as Lee Jun Ho (“Jun Ho”), is walking through the offices of Hanbada Law Firm and cheerfully greeted by everyone who sees him. He shows her where Attorney Jung Myeong Seok's (“Myeong Seok” or “Attorney Jung”) office is and asks if he should knock for her. She says no, she’ll do it herself, so he leaves her to it.
She knocks on the door, opens the door, and then does a countdown from 5 to 1 on one hand before finally stepping inside to introduce herself. She tells the three people inside: “I'm Woo Young Woo, the new attorney who will be working at Hanbada Law Firm.” Attorney Jung is not sure if she's supposed to be here today. So he pulls out her resume and sees the sticky note at the top right corner: “Take care of her, please. From Han.” She notices and tells him that her resume is missing its second page. So he asks what it says. She replies, “Special note, autism spectrum disorder.” He asks her if she has anything else to say. She looks at the other woman in the room, who gives a slight shake of her head.
WYW: My name is Woo Young Woo, whether it is read straight or flipped. Kayak, deed, rotator, noon, racecar, Woo Young Woo, and Yeoksam Station (역삼역). The Korean palindromes actually used are: 기러기 (wild geese), 토마토 (tomato), 스위스 (Swiss), 인도인 (Indian), 별똥별 (shooting star), 우영우 (Woo Young Woo) and 역삼역 (Yeoksam Station).
One of the associates, Kwon Min Woo (“Min Woo” or “Attorney Kwon”) barely stifles his laughter at this. Attorney Jung leaves his office and tells them to get acquainted with her. Choi Soo Yeon (“Soo Yeon” or “Attorney Choi”) then chides her for saying such things. Min Woo asks if they know each other. Soo Yeon admits that she knows her as they went to the same law school. Min Woo asks Young Woo how she knows the CEO as there was a note from Han (of Hanbada) to take care of her. Young Woo doesn’t give an answer, and is instead making sure that the tissue is neatly popping up from its box.
Attorney Jung goes to see the CEO, Han Seon Young (“Seon Young” or “Attorney Han”) to ask her if she knew about the second page which states that she is autistic. She says she did. She then asks if he was too focused on the missing page to even notice the first page, that she graduated with top honors and scored over 1500 on the bar. He's skeptical as he needs an attorney who can meet with clients and go to trials, not just one who has great memorization skills. He needs someone with good social skills and can speak eloquently and asks how he can train someone who can't even introduce herself properly. Attorney Han laughs and asks if he introduced himself well on his first day here. He says that she's different from him. Attorney Han asks in what way. He doesn't have an answer to that, but replies that he'll assign her to the rookie as a test to see if she's qualified or if he's prejudiced. And if he's correct, then they'll have to let her go. She agrees to his test. After he leaves, a little smirk appears on her face.
Case 1. Attorney Jung gives Young Woo her first case, which involves an elderly couple. The defendant is a lady in her 70s, who takes care of her husband who has dementia. They had an altercation on the day of the accident. The husband had been mouthing off, so his wife got mad and hit him on the forehead with an iron.
When Young Woo sees the photo of the iron, she notices that it bears a resemblance to a sperm whale. She then starts listing off facts about sperm whales. He interrupts to ask if she will focus on the case right now.
The old couple turn out to be Mr. Park and Ms. Choi. When Ms. Choi had answered the door for her dried persimmons, she had been friendly and chatting with the delivery man. She had asked if he had a girlfriend, and he had said that he didn't. She had then said if she had a granddaughter, she'd match her with him. While laying on the couch from a headache, Mr. Park starts sputtering at this, so she had closed the door on the delivery man. In a jealous tirade, he had pushed away the basket of persimmons when she had offered them to him. He had then started yelling about her being a whore. In a fit of anger, she had yelled back that the two of them should die together, and she had lifted the heavy iron to hit him with it. In the scuffle over the iron, she had hit him on the head with the iron. When she realized he had become unresponsive, she had dialed out for assistance. He had suffered a brain hemorrhage, which will take twelve weeks to heal. Ms. Choi has now been charged with attempted murder.
Young Woo repeats the facts as Attorney Jung continues telling her about the case. Finally he asks why she must repeat everything he says. She apologizes and says that use of echolalia is prohibited. He asks what echolalia is. She replies that it's the act of repeating after others and a common symptom of autism. He tells her to stop with the echolalia, and so she repeats his words quietly inside her head. The prosecution hasn't applied for the warrant for the old lady's arrest, so there's a low possibility of imprisonment for her as she's elderly and taking care of her 80-year-old husband with dementia. He asks her what she should do for the defendant. She doesn't have an answer and so he tells her, to get probation, as even with the charge of attempted murder, it is possible in this instance. They then meet with the defendant, Ms. Choi, who seems skeptical that Young Woo, who won't make eye contact with her and she's clutching a blue notebook with a whale on it, is working on her case. She asks Attorney Jung if he will be looking at the case as well, and he assures her that he will but Young Woo is the one in charge. Before he leaves, he quietly says that she graduated with top honors.
Young Woo says she was surprised when she saw the address and that they still live there. Ms. Choi is confused by her words. Young Woo says she and her father lived there 22 years ago. Ms. Choi remembers the father and daughter duo and recalls that he had graduated from law school. It then dawns on her who she is. She marvels that she really did become an attorney and then grabs Young Woo in a tight hug. Young Woo is uncomfortable with the hug and carefully extricates herself before going straight to business. She finds out that the husband had been diagnosed with dementia about five years ago. He had been a section chief at the district office, and their source of income is her husband's pension and the rent they collect. The villa is in her husband's name, even though the building is named after her.
Afterwards, Young Woo brings Attorney Jung the Attorney's Statement of Opinion - to make a plea of not guilty. He explains to her that the prosecution intends to give the defendant probation from the start, so showing them that the defendant is remorseful and the victim doesn't want the defendant to be punished is enough. So even if they do nothing but sit next to the defendant, they will give her probation. He asks why she wants to argue over guilt and innocence. She feels that this is a case where they need to argue as it’s interesting like the whale quiz she enjoys. She says the key to this case is civil law. Even if she gets probation, then she won’t inherit the husband’s pension or the house, if she’s been criminally charged with attempted murder. She wants to get her charged with inflicting bodily injury, instead of attempted murder. He is impressed as he realizes that this is something that he had overlooked. He tells her that she needs to visit the hospital, and he’ll send an ordinary attorney with her. Before she leaves his office, he realizes what he just said and quickly apologizes as it was rude of him to say “ordinary.” She says it’s okay because she’s not an ordinary attorney.
Back in the litigation department, Jun Ho has a female admirer (an employee) at his desk. The woman is chatting him up as she's brought him the gift of dark chocolate. Another coworker interrupts them and the woman is forced to unhappily leave. Jun Ho then puts the chocolate into his desk drawer, along with all of the other female admirers' gifts of candies, gift cards, etc. Heh. He's told that he needs to accompany a rookie attorney to the hospital for work, as this coworker has heard that she’s a handful.
Young Woo is downstairs looking at the revolving door spinning around and around, and Jun Ho appears right next to her to ask if she needs help. She says no, as she’s waiting for someone. He says okay, and stands there to wait. She looks at him and he says he’s waiting for someone, too. She then explains the reason for revolving doors - to seal off the area to keep the outside air out and keep the inside air in, but it still allows people to still come and go. She continues that it’s slower in handling traffic than the average door, especially as children and elderly get caught in it. It’s also difficult to use for wheelchair users. She wonders if they can persuade the landlord to get rid of it. He suggests that she think of it as dancing the waltz, as it’s easy to get through when one gets into the rhythm. So he starts counting the steps, “koong, jjak, jjak.” She starts repeating “koong, jjak, jjak” along with him and they even move their legs in sync to the sounds. He laughs encouragingly and says that they can do it together when they head out. He then excuses himself and steps away to make a call. Her phone rings and she answers the call. He turns around and realizes she’s the attorney he’s been waiting for. He introduces himself as Lee Jun Ho from the litigation team and extends his hand for a handshake, and says he’s accompanying her to the hospital. She introduces herself as Woo Young Woo and gives his hand a brief touch of her fingertips. With a smile, he repeats her full name a couple times before commenting that her name is quite interesting as it’s the same backwards. This makes her look around and tell him quietly that one isn’t supposed to say things like that at work. He nods and asks if they should take it outside then. He walks toward the revolving door and then does the waltz countdown for her, and they walk together to enter and exit the revolving door. So cute!!! She is amazed that it worked as she’s standing outside with him. He laughs as he watches her walk ahead of him as she continues saying “koong, jjak, jjak.” My guess is Lee Jun Ho isn't an attorney but a paralegal or some other similar capacity. Here, the attorneys have their own offices, while he sits in an open area of work stations.
At the doctor’s office, they’re told that the husband has a subdural hematoma (blood between the skull and surface of the brain), which is usually caused by external injuries. It’s the most severe of all traumatic brain illnesses with a mortality rate of over 60% and even when treated, there are a lot of aftereffects. Jun Ho points out that there was no fracture. The doctor says that they see cases like this from time to time. Young Woo asks if there’s any chance that it might not have been caused by the assault. The doctor says it’s unlikely as he was hit on the head with an iron and didn’t normally have high blood pressure or anything. How could the cantankerous man not have high blood pressure?!
When they arrive at Mr. Park’s room, Ms. Choi is closing the blinds as Mr. Park has just fallen asleep. When she sees them, she suggest that they talk outside as to not disturb him. Mr. Park suddenly wakes up and asks who's there. So she tells him that Young Woo is the former tenant’s daughter. He gets quite angry and starts calling Young Woo’s father a bastard. He continues ranting that he always snuck into the place when he was away, and then he tries to attack Young Woo. Jun Ho and Ms. Choi hold him back but he continues spewing vitriol at her and tries to hit her with a blanket which makes her back away as she’s covering her ears. Ms. Choi tries to get him to calm down but it only makes him angrier, so she finally sends Jun Ho and Young Woo away to wait outside for her.
Afterwards, Ms. Choi apologizes that her husband just loses it sometimes. Young Woo asks her how she felt during the initial incident as she had told the police that she wanted to kill her husband. Ms. Choi says if she should’ve killed him when she had the chance, then she wouldn’t be living with the mess now. She doesn’t know and asks why it matters how she felt at the time. Young Woo explains that if she wanted to kill him, it would be attempted murder. If she wanted to hurt him, it would be inflicting bodily injury. If she wanted to hit him, it would be an injury resulting from violence. If it was just a mistake, it would be bodily injury by negligence. The law takes intention very seriously and how she felt at the time changes her charges.
Ms. Choi says when she sees her husband behaving like that, she thinks she might’ve wanted to kill him, to be honest. Jun Ho sympathetically says maybe it’s because she’s having a rough time right now. Young Woo says it’s hard to fathom how someone feels. She doesn’t think she would close the curtains so the light doesn’t disturb their sleep if she wanted to kill that person. And she wouldn’t mind if they woke up from the sound, as these are things you do for someone you love, and not people you want to murder.
Jun Ho and Young Woo return to Attorney Jung’s office with an update. Young Woo says that she needs to get a letter of non-punishment next time as the victim caused such a scene today. Jun Ho says that his temper is no joke as he cursed the second he laid eyes on Young Woo. He can relate to the old woman, so it’s no wonder she hit him. Attorney Jung asks why he cursed at her and she explains that the man thinks the defendant and her father had an affair. He asks what he said to her and she tells him the exact words, “You're going to die after spitting your damn nonsense like that!” This is met with an awkward silence, until Attorney Jung says that he wants to request a jury trial. They need to show that the wife is in a pitiful situation by appealing to the jurors' hearts. Min Woo and Soo Yeon both try to persuade Attorney Jung to allow one of them to assist Young Woo in the trial – as they each have good speaking skills to appeal to the jury. Attorney Jung asks for Young Woo’s opinion on who she should have helping her. She replies that showing the defendant’s pitiful situation is the key point, and there’s nothing more pitiful than a disability, as she herself has autism spectrum disorder. Jun Ho peeps a little smile at this. Attorney Jung says then she try to handle it by herself to the end. As she’s going to court as a Hanbada attorney, he suggests that she needs to practice speaking to avoid getting humiliated. She agrees and gets up to leave even though Attorney Jung is still in the middle of talking.
In the elevator Min Woo asks Soo Yeon if she really is a disabled person. He wonders if she’s pranking them by acting like she’s dumb. Soo Yeon says her nickname in law school was FWA, as in “First place is Woo Young Woo Anyway.” She admits that she helped her out because she felt bad for her clumsy actions, but in the end, she always fell behind while Young Woo got first place. Min Woo says then don’t help her, as why would she help someone who is stronger. Because of human decency? Upon exiting the elevators, Soo Yeon sees Young Woo struggling to go through the revolving door (she is doing the waltz countdown!) but she leaves her to it. She looks back and reluctantly turns back to help her get out of the cycle by stopping the door with her hand. She then tells her to use the other door if the revolving door is so difficult. Then she asks if she’s stupid, and then an idiot before walking away in a huff. Young Woo doesn’t say anything but thinks about her name, Young = Flower; Woo = Luck, translating to a lucky charm as pretty as flowers. But she wonders if perhaps “clever” and “foolish” would have been a better fit. She remembers every single book she’s read since birth but can’t go through a revolving door.
Dong Geu Rami (“Geu Rami”) is cleaning up for the night, and essentially forcing her boss, Kim Min Shik (“Hairy Boss”) to listen to her singing/rapping as she's doing this task. He tells her to stop cleaning, and the two start fighting over the broom until Young Woo shows up at the pub. They immediately stop their squabbling immediately and the two women share a funny greeting with each other.
DGR: Woo to the Young to the Woo! Dab moves to the right and left.
WYW: Dong to the Geu to the Rami! Returns dab moves to the right and left.
DGR & WYW in unison: Huh! They both cross their arms at the wrist and bow for a second. and end with a dab salute. This is the most animated we’ve seen of Young Woo! (See GIF in the comments.)
Day 1 of Trial. Young Woo struggles to even answer to her own name when the Judge addresses her. Attorney Jung hilariously answers as her, saying “yes” in a high-pitched voice. XD But he quickly apologizes in his normal voice and says that Attorney Woo Young Woo is present. After the prosecutor gives his opening statement, it's the defense turn. But Young Woo has to prepare herself and takes so long that Attorney Jung goes to do it himself. She suddenly stands up and slams her hands on the table before walking to the front of the courtroom.
She announces that before she gives the opening statement, she asks for their understanding. She admits that she has autism spectrum disorder. To them, her speech and actions might seem inarticulate and awkward but she loves the law and her respect toward the defendant is no different than any other attorney. As an attorney, she will do her best to help the defendant shed light on the truth of this incident. In the audience, Woo Dad tears up proudly at this and Jun Ho smiles. Geu Rami stands up to loudly cheer and clap for her before she's told to be quiet, and Woo Dad pulls on her to sit back down. The Judge is happy to hear that she loves the law. The prosecutor is tough on the defendant and both Young Woo and Attorney Jung take turns objecting. However the prosecutor keeps asking if she intended to kill him, if she wanted him dead, etc. before the Judge orders her to answer the prosecutor’s question. She finally tearfully answers that she lives for her husband and had felt bitter that he didn’t acknowledge it. She then begs to be spared. It’s not looking well for their case as the prosecutor is angry that they decided to go this route instead of accepting probation.
Day 2 of Trial. Mr. Park is on the stand. Attorney Jung had intended to question him himself, but at the last minute, he actually tells Young Woo to do it instead. He tells her that he wants to use Mr. Park's reaction (to curse at her) to demonstrate why Ms. Park had hit him. Young Woo almost tiptoes her way to the stand. So the minute Young Woo says her name, Mr. Park flips out by yelling at her and starts hitting her with his blanket. He starts cursing at her and dumps water on him. Jun Ho looks concerned for her, as this is the second time he's seen this happen. The couple then start arguing and the husband is eventually removed to be transported back to the hospital. In the middle of Young Woo's closing, the prosecutor announces that Mr. Park has passed away, and then he asks to change the charge from attempted murder to murder now. Ms. Choi faints at the news of her husband's passing.
At the funeral, Young Woo thinks if she hadn’t been the one to question him, or taken the case, then maybe he’d still be alive. She tries to console the widow by apologizing for causing this, but Ms. Park only cries harder as she talks about her husband's complaints of headaches and how she didn’t know his time was limited. Young Woo slowly walks over closer to her, and tries to put a hand on her shoulder, but she’s unable to make that final contact. So she leaves her hand hanging mid-air for a moment before finally dropping it down by her side. With her own tear-filled eyes, she stands next to the widow as she can only listen to her sob away.
At the office, Jun Ho brings by the autopsy report which cites the cause of death as brain hemorrhage. He notices the board in her office and sees the picture of the iron and comments that it resembles the thing in Moby Dick. She replies, a sperm whale? He agrees and then says that she really beat a person with that scary-looking thing. Young Woo stares at him in shock until he realizes that she's just staring at him. He asks what's the matter. She says that there are certain things that one can’t do at work — repeating after others, saying weird things (kayak, deed, rotator, noon, racecar), and being blunt. He says oh, he didn’t know that. She continues saying especially talking about whales, unless absolutely necessary. He replies, if it’s just the two of them, wouldn’t it be okay? She asks if it’s okay for the two of them to talk about whales then? He replies yes, of course and gives her a smile. (~1:06:00) She murmurs a sound of agreement. She then looks at the photo of the iron and has an epiphany — complete with wind-blown hair and whale sounds! She realizes that the iron looked as strong as a sperm whale and they need to look at civil law to solve this case. She recalls Ms. Choi had mentioned him having complaints of headaches. She has Jun Ho pull out the police statement as she recalls the exact line and page for him to find the exact quote. They realize he had a headache even prior to being hit with the iron. She says it might mean that the brain hemorrhage isn't because of the iron.
Final Day of Trial. Young Woo asks the doctor about Mr. Park’s injury. He had attributed his subdural hemorrhage to being hit with the iron. However, Mr. Park did not have any skull fractures, nor any wounds or bruises on his head from the iron, as he had blocked the attack with his arms. His arms had some minor wounds. The doctor had based his findings on what the detectives had told him — he’d been hit with the iron and fainted as a result. Severe headaches are typical early signs of cerebral hematomas. She asks if he knew that Mr. Park had had a severe headache before being hit with the iron. He doesn’t and so she shows him the statement that Mr. Park had given to the police: “A package arrived when I was laying down on the couch because of a headache.” The doctor admits that he wasn’t aware of that. Young Woo asks if a spontaneous subdural hematoma is typically seen in the elderly and is a common occurrence for patients with dementia, which the doctor confirms as true. She then asks, if he’s 81 years old with dementia, with a severe headache right before the incident, is he sure that Mr. Park suffered from a subdural hematoma caused by external injury? Perhaps it was a spontaneous subdural hematoma? The doctor states that a spontaneous subdural hematoma would’ve been possible. Attorney Jung provides the diagnosis written by three doctors, that based on his medical record and autopsy report, his illness and cause of death was a spontaneous subdural hematoma. Young Woo states that Mr. Park’s brain hemorrhage did not occur from being hit by the defendant but from a pre-existing illness. She asks to have the defendant tried for the crime of inflicting bodily injury. The Judge asks the prosecutor if he’s going to change the indictment charge.
At her office, Jun Ho excitedly lets her know that the ruling is out: Not guilty of murder and receiving probation for the crime of inflicting bodily injury. Young Woo accepts the news with her usual stoicism. Then he tells her that Ms. Choi is here to see her and lets her in. The woman hugs her and thanks her as she’s happily crying. Young Woo allows her to continue hugging her, and slowly hugs her back by putting her arms up and just barely touching her. Jun Ho and Attorney Jung both smile at this display.
Epilogue: In the pouring rain, Attorney Han pays a visit to Woo Dad after-hours at the restaurant, and she greets him with “Gwang Ho sunbae, it's been a while.” He's surprised to see her.
[Ep2] “The Wedding Dress That Slipped Off”
Micro Recap: Due to a humiliating experience with the wedding dress, the father of the bride sues the hotel. Young Woo and Jun Ho pretend to be an engaged couple to investigate further.
A bride walks down the stage with her groom, but she suddenly stops when she spots someone in the crowd. The groom turns back and grabs her hand to lead her and so she moves forward and steps on the front of her dress and the strapless dress slips down and exposes her to all of the guests. While the groom hugs her to cover her front side, her large back tattoo — a large image of Guanyin Bodhisattva — is still exposed. The grandfather of the groom starts having a fit about the tattoo.
Woo Dad is watching a father walk his daughter down the aisle on TV as Young Woo is eating her breakfast. She asks him if he’s changed the ham in the gimbap. He replies that he has. She says that it doesn’t taste good, and he tells her to just eat it. She returns to eating as he wistfully hopes that he’ll walk his daughter in a wedding dress someday. She says to humans, weddings are a ritual through which mating and independence from the parents are accomplished at once, but for whales… She abruptly stops talking. He’s surprised that she stopped talking about whales on her own. She asks if he wants to hear more. He says no but this is out of character. She declares that from now on, she is not going to talk about whales to people who don’t want to listen, because she has someone who offers to listen now. Dad looks shocked and asks who it is. She replies that she’s late and gets up to leave. Dad puts her lunch in her bag and she puts on her headphones to leave. She has eaten all of the gimbap except for the offending ham and left the pieces in an X-formation on the plate. She actually ate around it!
Case 2. Attorney Han and Attorney Jung meet with Kim Jeong Gu, the father of the bride, as he wants to sue Daehyeon Hotel for the wedding mishap. Kim Jeong Gu says that he asked for the best, which cost him 230 million won with one thousand VIPs (guests). O_o Attorney Jung writes that the damages are in the range of 250-300 million won. Before Attorney Han can even say the number, the irate father interjects to say if it’s less than 1 billion won, don’t even say it. Attorney Jung asks if they’ve spoken to the hotel. Kim Jeong Gu’s secretary relays that they’ve offered a full refund for the wedding and gifting the bride and groom with a hotel voucher worth 10 million won. Attorney Jung says that 240 million won is not bad. A very furious Kim Jeong Gu roars that all of the friends, relatives and clients saw his daughter’s naked body and he’s so humiliated that he can show his face anywhere! Why do I feel like this isn’t anything about his daughter - you know - the person whose naked body was exposed. He’s outraged that his pride is only worth 240 million won. Seong Young tries to calm him down by saying instead of paying for damages of assets, it should be psychological distress. It’s not easy to get approved for this type of compensation and the amount is usually not that great. Kim Jeong Gu clenches his face as he’s even less pleased with this answer. Attorney Jung points out that the hotel has offered a full refund and a voucher which is quite reasonable. He isn’t coming around to reason, and scoffs at this and says that Hanbada is no different than Taesan after all. Seong Young bristles at this. Kim Jeong Gu explains that as a businessman, he’s gone through many lawsuits and given it to Taesan this whole time. He thought that Hanbada was going to be different, as he was told the same thing by Taesan. She asks what the amount of compensation is, and he says the price of having been made a fool of, so shouldn’t he get at least 1 billion won. She agrees to this.
Now Attorney Jung is going over the case with his team, Min Woo, Soo Yeon and Young Woo. Attorney Jung asks about the types of damages. As usual Min Woo and Soo Yeon compete to get the answer to him: active (a loss in assets owned), passive (when someone is unable to obtain an asset they could’ve gained), and compensation (reparation for psychological distress). Once the two are done stepping over each other to provide this information, Young Woo chides Attorney Jung for having been a seasoned attorney who still doesn’t know this. lol He calmly replies that he didn’t ask because he didn’t know, but to teach.
So the 230 million won already paid for the wedding (active damages) and the costs for another wedding, another 230 million won (passive damages) as they wouldn’t have had to pay for this if the incident hadn’t occurred. However, this becomes double compensation which makes no sense. But the client wants 1 billion won. Ultimately, they have to demand compensation of a minimum of 500 million won. Min Woo points out that according to the method of calculation of compensation by the supreme court, the most someone can receive even when they die in a car accident is 100 million won. This present case is defamation at best and it falls under normal damages, not serious damages. So the most they can ask for is 50 million won. Attorney Jung agrees with this assessment and says that sometimes one will come across clients like this who made such ridiculous demands. Since they’re in charge of this case, they need to find a way.
Soo Yeon says that Daehyeon Hotel integrated all wedding-related work when they created a wedding business team - so the dress, venue, and everything else was done by the hotel. Attorney Jung asks if this is really the hotel’s fault, intentional or accidental, as without this, the entire claim for damages will be meaningless. Min Woo and Soo Yeon are asked to go undercover to find out about the process of preparing the wedding dress - they need to pretend to be a bride and groom and try on a wedding dress. The two are flabbergasted by this but they accept their assignment. Attorney Jung is having Young Woo go with Jun Ho to meet the couple. Soo Yeon immediately asks to go to the hotel with Jun Ho, and not go with Min Woo. Yes, she, too, has a crush on Jun Ho. Min Woo asks if Young Woo is okay with the change, and she replies that she would also prefer to be alone with Jun Ho but she’ll yield. Soo Yeon looks affronted by this and asks if they’re close. Young Woo says if the definition of “being close” is “having a specific topic to discuss when alone,” then yes, they’re close. The three exchange a look as Young Woo looks down at the table.
Min Woo and Young Woo meet with the bride, Kim Hwa Young, who hasn’t left her room since the wedding. FYI, her room is no simple room. Okay, rich people. Young Woo forgets to introduce herself to Kim Hwa Young and when she is told to do so, she says her name is Woo Young Woo even when flipped around. Min Woo makes the excuse that she’s new at the firm and then puts his hand on her back which makes her pull away. Young Woo is more interested in looking around than sitting down until Min Woo waves at her to do so. Min Woo asks when she plans to have the wedding and she replies that they should ask her father, as both families have different opinions on this. She says that Hong Jin Uk’s (the groom) grandfather used to adore her. He’s the church elder and conducts the choir. She played the piano accompaniment, and he introduced her to his grandson. She’s heard that his grandfather has mentioned breaking off the marriage as he is very disappointed in her - because of her tattoo. He makes note of this and then asks her when she noticed a problem with the dress. She says it was tight during the dress fitting but it was quite loose during the morning of the wedding. The woman helping her had said that she must’ve lost weight and they put more pins inside her dress. She confirms that she has not lost any weight. He asks if there was anyone who can testify about this, such as a friend who overheard her concern about the dress. She replies no, none of her acquaintances were there, as her father took care of the guest list so they were his guests. Min Woo then asks Young Woo if she has any questions. Young Woo asks if she loves her husband. Both Min Woo and Kim Hwa Young are flummoxed by her question. Min Woo quietly chides her for asking such a thing. Young Woo points out that there are a lot of pictures in the room - photos of her with her friends and family and not a single one of her husband. Kim Hwa Young says that they must be back at their place. Young Woo then points out the one photo but it’s turned on its side and somewhat obscured by some bins and she’s noticed that her wedding ring is sitting on her vanity, and not on her hand. She’s wearing several rings though. Young Woo asks again if she loves her husband.
Now they’re talking to Hong Jin Uk, the groom/son of the CEO of Daehyeon Construction, who complains about how odd his father-in-law is as he himself doesn’t even want to think about that day, so he doesn’t understand why he’s even suing the hotel. He mutters that it seems that he wants to start a fight between the two families. Young Woo asks if he doesn’t want the lawsuit to happen. He replies that it makes him mad when he thinks about what happened, as how could this be a wedding service prepared by a five-star hotel. No one gives a fink about the bride here. He also says that Daehyeon Hotel and Daehyeon Construction are affiliated with the Daehyeon Group, so it’s all a disgrace to his family. He confirms that his grandfather did like Kim Hwa Yeong until he saw that tattoo. She had said that she got it done as a joke back when she was immature, so he had thought nothing of it. It’s hard to remove it and it’s not out in the open. That’s one huge tattoo for a joke. It must’ve taken at least 3 sittings. However, his grandfather feels betrayed by this as he’s a devout Christian and is encouraging him to not get married to her. Young Woo asks if he will end things, and he replies that he’s not sure as he’s waiting for the adults to figure it out. Min Woo asks if he’s discussed things with Kim Hwa Young. He replies that it’s been a while since they’ve seen each other, as she’s “gotten sensitive and sees a psychiatrist.” They also fight whenever they meet.
After the meeting, Min Woo sarcastically tells Young Woo that there must be some kind of law that says rich people can’t mature. She replies that there’s no such law, and when he looks at her, she realizes it’s a joke. He then goes on to say that they need to be independent from their parents, as they don’t know how to do anything for themselves, and probably haven’t even prepared a meal by themselves. She stops walking and asks him if he’s prepared his own meal before. He has, but she’s never done this.
On the drive over, Soo Yeon and Jun Ho are discussing the details for their pretend wedding dress consultation. He asks what they should call each other, and she says she’ll call him Jun Ho Oppa. He then tests out calling her Soo Yeon-ah which makes her smile. He says they shouldn’t call each other by name as they don’t know what could happen. He suggests they call each other jagiya, which makes her heart thump. They’re interrupted by a call from Young Woo, which he answers on speakerphone as he’s driving. She asks him if he also thinks an adult should prepare their own meals and be independent of their parents. He says he’s not sure but it would be nice. She says that killer whales stay with their mothers their whole life and they’re essentially mama’s boys and girls. Soo Yeon interrupts to ask what she’s doing. She chides her for asking this during business hours and she shouldn’t keep a busy person on the phone. Jun Ho tells Soo Yeon that it’s fine, and then he sweetly tells Young Woo that he’s a bit busy at the moment and will call her back later. When the call ends, Soo Yeon asks if she does this often. He says no… just sometimes.
One time, Jun Ho who is in the middle of brushing his teeth, stops to answer Young Woo’s call. She asks him if he’s ever heard that they know more about the dark side of the moon than about the deep sea. She continues, for example, no one’s ever witnessed a blue whale giving birth, even though the whale is the size of a plane and would give birth to a calf as heavy as a hippopotamus. That’s because the ocean is so vast and deep and it’s keeping the whales’ secrets. And then she hangs up on him without telling him. As he’s wondering what happened to the call, his roommate Min Woo looks over at him.
Another time, he exits the restroom at work and she’s waiting outside to tell him that the feces of a blue whale is red. He tells her that she scared him. She continues that it’s because of the main staple in their diet – krill which are red. As they walk through the office (there are other people around!), she continues excitedly chattering about the feces acting as a pump that pulls nutrients from the deep parts of the ocean, and when they excrete it on the surface of the sea, it becomes nutrients for phytoplankton. Hehe.
On another day, he exits the elevator with her as she’s going on and on about more whale facts. When they get to the revolving doors, he asks if they should use them today as it’s been a while. He even does the steps! How is he so cute? She tells him no, as she’s working overtime. He realizes she came all the way down just to talk to him about whales. She turns around and heads for the elevators to go back up.
He’s been relaying all of this to Soo Yeon who asks how is that sometimes as she’s been following him around the entire time. Jun Ho says it’s fine, and with a smile, continues saying that the more he listens, it’s all useful information and… who else would listen to that talk if he doesn’t? It’s nice if at least he does so. Soo Yeon gives him a look and asks if he’s going to listen to her forever. She suggests that if he’s not, then he should be the one to set boundaries. She thinks that’s the right thing to do for her [Young Woo]. Jun Ho thinks about it but then they’re interrupted by the loud sounds of her gurgling stomach. He asks if she’s all right but she tries to play it off. Her stomach gurgles again, even as she claims that she’s all right. She’s actually in dire need of a toilet. He’s aware and steps on the gas to get to the hotel.
Young Woo takes the subway to bring something for Soo Yeon. She’s not allowed to tell Jun Ho what’s going on, so she only says it’s something for Soo Yeon but she’s not allowed to tell him what this is about. In the women's restroom, Soo Yeon takes the bag from her. However, instead of suit pants, they’re a pair of fuzzy pajama bottoms complete with hearts and berries on them. Hahaha. An embarrassed Soo Yeon Eonni isn’t happy, but as her stomach continues gurgling, she tells Young Woo about the cover story. They shouldn’t call each other by their names but use jagiya, and the reason why they’re in a hurry to get married is because she is expecting, so before she starts showing, she wants to wear a beautiful wedding dress. Young Woo asks about the definition of “expecting” as she assumes it’s not “regarding something as likely to happen.” Soo Yeon replies that it’s about Jun Ho’s baby - and right on cue, her stomach starts gurgling and she’s bent over with a pained look. XD She softly tells Young Woo to take care of Jun Ho as she rushes back into a stall.
In the hotel lobby, Young Woo tells Jun Ho that Soo Yeon’s out. And he has to marry her, Jun Ho. She corrects it to jagiya. He looks startled by the term of endearment, as he just blinks at her before finally looking at his watch. He says then they should get going as they’re late for their appointment. She says okay, jagiya and leads the way. He just follows her. Heh.
At the dressing fitting, she quickly tells the wedding director that they’re in a hurry to get married because they’re expecting. She then explains that she doesn’t mean “regarding something as likely to happen” and asks if she understands this. (His face. ~29:10) Jun Ho sweetly interjects and says, “Of course, jagiya. I’m sure she knows what you mean.” The director just smiles and asks if they know what kind of style of dress they wanted as she hands them the tablet. They choose a strapless dress and the director tells them that it’s pretty but a bit out of fashion. He replies that perhaps his jagiya is too thin for it as the dress might slip off, as that happens sometimes, right? The director laughs quite boisterously at this and says that could never happen. They do very thorough fittings. Young Woo insists on trying on that strapless dress. The woman says that they must like bold styles. With a smile, Jun Ho says wryly, “I guess that’s probably why we got pregnant.” Young Woo agrees by saying “That’s why we got pregnant.” LMAO! There’s a pregnant pause before Jun Ho finally laughs loudly and soon the director joins him. (~30:00) The director then calls for Ji Hye to start the fitting, but she doesn’t answer, so she yells the name. Another woman answers her and says that Ji Hye still hasn’t returned. The director demands to know where she is, and the other woman timidly reminds her that she sent her on an errand to the bakery.
While in the bathroom, Ji Hye, with a bakery bag, is on the phone complaining about being her errand girl, as she washes her hands. She says if Ju Hui were here, she would’ve said something on her behalf. She then says that Ju Hui was fired for the wedding dress incident. After she leaves, Soo Yeon pops out from her stall, and immediately calls Jun Ho to tell him about an employee, Ju Hui being fired. She also says if Ji Hye is the employee, then she’ll show up with bread - and as he hangs up, Ji Hye walks through with the bag. He follows her into the break area to ask about Ju Hui. He claims that he had a consultation with her about three months ago but she’s not here today. Ji Hye says that she resigned and asks what this is about. Jun Ho says it’s a long story and asks for her contact information. Ji Hye says that she can’t give out private information as the director shows up behind him, to tell him that they’re ready.
In the waiting area, a concerned Jun Ho calls Soo Yeon back to tell her that he looked into it but he doesn’t think it’ll be easy… and then he looks over and sees Young Woo in the wedding dress complete with a tiara and veil. His face goes soft as he’s rendered speechless and he stands up and drops the phone from his ear and forgets all about his call. He just stares, slack jawed, at Young Woo. Squeeeee. They ask Young Woo how she feels, and she replies that it’s extremely uncomfortable as it feels like it’s made out of labels. The director then sees Jun Ho's face and says “Gosh, look at his face. He’s totally in love.” Young Woo actually giggles and then smiles before asking him, “Did you fall in love?” She then laughs into the bouquet in her hands. He remains wordless as he watches her smiling face. *heart eyes at this scene!*
In a closed session, the Judge tells everyone that the wedding dress incident could’ve been laughed off. But instead, there are now seven attorneys from two major law firms involved for 1 billion won. He’s concerned that this is a waste of judicial power. Attorney Jung says Kim Hwa Young has been seeking psychiatric help for over two months over this incident, and there are talks about breaking off this marriage. And if the result of this incident is a broken marriage, then the damages cannot be overlooked. The attorney for the hotel says that the incident was due to the plaintiff’s carelessness so it’s not the hotel’s fault. They’re not responsible for her psychiatric treatment nor the marriage. As there is no agreement on settlement, this case will become a lawsuit.
The psychiatrist tells Soo Yeon and Min Woo if he has to diagnose Kim Hwa Young with anything, it would be post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as the trauma from the incident continues to distress her. She’s doing better now, but right after the wedding, her insomnia, eating disorder and social phobia were quite severe. Soo Yeon asks if PTSD could cause her marriage to break up. The doctor replies that they’re the attorneys, so they should know. Min Woo says they need a professional’s opinion that states her PTSD could be the cause of their marriage being in crisis. He then asks the doctor if he can testify in court for the patient’s sake. To their surprise, the doctor refuses.
Young Woo is at a bakery with Jun Ho as she makes sure that the bread slices remain neat and evenly on the plate. When their drinks arrive, Jun Ho takes a bite of the whipped cream on his beverage first. She comments that whipped cream contains about 30 percent fat. He says really? So she continues that the milk of right whales and other whales is much thicker than whipped cream since it contains 30 to 50 percent fat. A blue whale mother produces 200kg of this high-fat milk every day. She asks how much weight the whale calf gains after drinking that for six months. He smiles and says that he doesn’t know. She answers happily that it’s 17 tons and then sips her beverage. He asks if she has anything else to say to him besides whale talk. She shakes her head and says no. He says, “Right. You don’t?” She says “No, I don’t,” and she returns to stirring the ice in her drink with the straw. With a smile, he asks if from now on, they can set up a specific time to talk about whales, instead of talking about whenever. She agrees and asks him what time he prefers. He looks at her (she rarely makes eye contact) and asks about lunchtime, as they talk while they eat together. She agrees, and then asks when it’s not lunchtime…? He says they can talk about anything other than whales. She repeats his words and then looks at him (she’s making eye contact!) and asks what if they’re in a situation where whale talk is necessary. With a grin he replies, “Then we talk about whales.” She grins back at him and says, “Yes, ‘then we talk about whales.’” Why/how are they so cute?! 🐳
Ji Hye arrives at the same bakery to pick out some bread and Jun Ho and Young Woo approach her to ask for Bae Ju Hui’s contact information. She politely bows and declines and goes back to picking out bread. Jun Hoo mentions that the wedding dress incident happened two months ago and they’d like to talk to Bae Ju Hui about it. She asks what they want to know about it. Young Woo replies with what really happened. Ji Hye asks if the two of them are here to investigate. He asks if she knows that the bride is still receiving psychiatric treatment and her marriage is about to break up over this incident. He says they’ll proceed quietly so no harm comes her way. She admits even if she gives them her number, she won’t be easy to reach as she’s left the country. Get a private investigator/skip tracer?
Day 1 of Trial. Plaintiff's witness is late. The Judge says they will need to reset the interrogation date. But then Jun Ho arrives with Kang Ji Hye. When asked on the stand about what happened that day as she was the one who had helped with the dress. When Kim Hwa Young had commented that the dress was too loose, she had replied that it couldn’t be true and she must’ve lost weight. Attorney Jung asks her why she had said that and she replies that brides usually lose a lot of weight before the wedding day. The weight loss is possibly due to dieting or from not drinking water the day before the wedding. They have a very experienced and skilled tailor, so she doesn’t think the tailor would’ve slacked off on the fitting for the dress to fall off due to some weight loss. When Attorney Jung asks if she still believes that, Ji Hye gets an encouraging nod from her boss, the wedding director, but she hesitates to answer. She finally says no. She admits that after the wedding, she found out about a mix-up for the dress. The dress that had been fitted for Kim Hwa Young had been torn, a mistake made by Bae Ju Hui (the fired employee). And so they used a dress of the same design but it was slightly bigger. He asks if the team hid this fact from the bride. After firing the employee, the director had told them that she’d fire them if they didn’t keep quiet. She then admits that she came here today knowing that she might have to quit. She didn’t know that the bride was having such a hard time and then apologizes to Kim Hwa Young for not speaking up sooner.
Kim Hwa Young is on the stand and is asked by defense counsel if she’s been having a hard time since the wedding. She seems confused but says yes. He then asks how so, and Attorney Jung objects as he’s badgering the plaintiff with vague questions. The Judge says it’s not badgering but sustains and asks defense counsel to ask specific questions. He then asks if she knows of an online community called Wagle. She confirms that she does. He states that she’s written quite a few posts under the username, Sally Ride. He asks if that’s correct and she starts looking worried and doesn’t provide an answer. He tells her to respond and she finally says yes. Soo Yeon finds her post (one week post-wedding) on Wagle, “How I ruined my wedding” as defense counsel hands the plaintiff the print out to read out loud a specific section. She doesn’t and defense counsel does so: “His family is talking about breaking off the marriage. It’s rather a good thing. If I hide behind my trauma for a little longer, I might not have to get married. I won’t have to live a fake life with a man I barely know.” Defense counsel asks which one is the truth: the trauma and breakdown in her marriage caused by the incident, or the fact that she doesn’t want to be married anyway.
Later, Kim Hwa Young admits to Attorney Jung and company that her father was thrilled to become an in-law of the Daehyeon Group family, and the gifts. The groom’s grandfather owns some land in Dogok-dong which she would have received once the two were married. Her father was most excited about that gift, and had all these plans for how to use the land. She wonders if it’s right to be forced into a marriage like this. She admits that she and Hong Jin Uk don’t care about each other. She tearfully asks if everyone lives like this. Min Woo replies that most people don’t receive land as a wedding gift. Soo Yeon stops him with a tap on the table. Jun Ho hands her some tissues and she says she thinks that her father is going through with the lawsuit out of spite. He won’t get to be an in-law of a chaebol family, so he’s trying to put them through the wringer before ending it. It’s not like she thought she could get married with just love, but it’s her life. She doesn’t know what she should do.
Young Woo has an epiphany and suddenly stands up to say that it’s a good thing that it was a gift of land, as the damages can not only be divided into three categories, but two. She asks Attorney Jung if he knows this, and he retorts if she’s asking him thinking he wouldn’t know the answer. Soo Yeon asks if she’s referring to general damages and special damages. Young Woo confirms that general damages are those recognized to occur ordinarily, and special damages are those occurring due to special circumstances. The cost of the wedding falls under general damages (only 230 million won), but with the donative promise of the land, then asking for 1 billion won is possible. If the dress hadn’t slipped off, then the groom’s grandfather wouldn’t have seen the bride’s tattoo, then he wouldn’t have been disappointed and the donative promise of land would’ve been fulfilled as expected. The new argument is that she couldn’t go through with the wedding due to the hotel’s negligence, so the hotel is on the hook for the loss of the land (special damages). Soo Yeon is relieved that they don’t need to deal with compensation because whether or not her psychological distress from her marriage breaking off has nothing to do with this special damage. Attorney Jung then asks Young Woo to write up a statement of opinion on this and they will then present it to the CEO and Chairman Kim. Min Woo rolls his eyes at this. She is excited and quickly leaves to do this, even though Attorney Jung still needs to talk to her. Kim Hwa Young hasn’t said a single thing during this part of the discussion.
They find out from the Chairman and his secretary that the property was appraised at 33.2 billion won. Your daughter’s life is worth less than this land. Sigh. Attorney Han says then they can demand compensation of 33.2 billion won as the groom’s grandfather was aware that Kim Hwa Young would receive the property at that value when the marriage went through. Now they can argue “Give me the same amount of the wedding gift worth 33.2 billion because it’s your fault I can’t get it.” She then explains that that amount is too much for a judge to make a ruling on, so they will ask for it from the hotel, and wait for them to request a settlement for a reasonable sum. She plans to start at 3.32 billion won, which is 10 percent of 33.2 billion won. Chairman Kim is ecstatic while his daughter looks more distressed by this. While her father is gleefully cackling over this possible outcome, Kim Hwa Young asks if her opinion is not important and says that she doesn’t want it. Her father yells at her to keep quiet as the adults are talking. She asks what difference will it make for him to get that money for the land. He ignores her and tells them to proceed.
Day 2 of Trial. Attorney Jung asks the Chairman of the hotel, who is also Hong Ji Uk’s uncle, if he knew about the wedding gift during the meeting of the two families. Initially he says that he doesn’t recall, but then Attorney Jung brings up the land and that he had been overheard saying “You are too generous.” Defense counsel starts shaking his head like crazy but Chairman Hong remembers now and says it’s not easy to give land worth tens of billions of won, no matter how much he likes his granddaughter-in-law. Attorney Jung presses on that he was aware that his father promised to gift the plaintiff property that is worth tens of billions of won then. He says yes.
Soo Yeon’s stomach is giving her issues again, so she leaves the courtroom to find a restroom. Kim Hwa Young watches her leave and then she notices a woman in a suit arrive. The two exchange a look before the woman sits down. Attorney Jung asks for a change of the purpose and the cause of the claim, which the Judge allows and asks for it to be done in writing. The Judge then asks if there is nothing else that needs to be said today, then — and suddenly a hand goes up. Kim Hwa Young says that she does! He asks what she wants to say. She announces that she wishes to withdraw the lawsuit.
After their last meeting, Kim Hwa Young had a private discussion with Young Woo, about how to stop this lawsuit from happening. Young Woo had said that she needed to withdraw the lawsuit. The withdrawal is still considered a win, so the commission fee is very high. She had asked if she was okay with that, and Kim Hwa Young said she’s not worried about the money. There was one of two ways, and the simpler one was telling the Judge that she would like to withdraw the lawsuit. She was surprised as to how easy this sounded and wondered why she didn’t do that sooner. Young Woo had replied, because she wasn’t psychologically independent from her father. Young Woo had admitted that these were Attorney Kwon’s words, and in his eyes, she herself would seem to be that way as well. She had then asked Kim Hwa Young if she had ever prepared her own meal.
Back to the present, Chairman Kim is having a fit over his daughter’s words. The Judge explains to her that if she withdraws, then it’ll be as if she had never made the initial claim. He asks if she’s sure. She is. He then asks the defendant if he agrees to the withdrawal of the lawsuit, and with a nod from his counsel, Chairman Hong nods and says he agrees. The Judge announces that the lawsuit is closed as the plaintiff withdrew the lawsuit. Court is adjourned.
Kim Hwa Young looks so relieved and the woman in the suit comes over to stand beside her. Her irate father runs over to yell at her, demanding to know why she wants to humiliate him. She replies that her tattoo isn’t a joke due to immaturity, as she is actually Buddhist, and her Buddhist name is Bo Deok Sim, which means the heart of Guanyin Bodhisattva. He looks at his secretary and then asks her if she’s kidding him. She firmly says it’s her lawsuit, her marriage and her life. Her father raises his arm to slap her but his secretary and Attorney Jung intervene. She starts yelling if he knows why she’s having a hard time or why she’s seeing a psychiatrist. He’ll always be oblivious. She says they’ve been inseparable for the past ten years and he doesn’t even have a clue. He then looks at the woman standing beside her, as Kim Hwa Young says she isn’t just her friend or just her school friend. At the wedding, Kim Hwa Young had seen the woman in the crowd and that’s what had made her pause. In her room, with the photos of friends, many included this woman next to her. Now, Kim Hwa Young links her fingers with her lover’s and says that if she has to get married, it’ll be with her, with the person she loves. Everyone is surprised by this and she leaves with her lover even as her father has what looks to be a mini heart attack. Young Woo quietly claps as the two women hold hands and leave together. Soo Yeon finally returns from the restroom, and Min Woo asks if she emptied her bowels as she missed something amazing. She asks what happened. Young Woo says that it was great and Min Woo agrees with her. Soo Yeon begs them to tell her but neither one does.
Attorney Han joins the team for dinner but she notices that Young Woo is eating a sushi roll and Soo Yeon is having a bowl of crabmeat juk while there’s a feast on the table. Soo Yeon says that she has an upset stomach and Young Woo says that she likes seaweed sushi, so that’s what she’s eating. Attorney Han says they’re eating this while she’s treating them to a 300,000 won meal (per person) on the table. Attorney Jung says that their team is very colorful. She then praises them for today’s outcome and then informs them that Chairman Kim has given them new cases. Attorney Han makes a toast and everyone brings their cups into the middle, including Young Woo but hers is right outside the circle. Jun Ho quietly makes sure clink his cup to hers.
Afterwards, Young Woo walks out with her headphones on and doesn't notice Jun Ho, who smiles when he sees her and calls after her, "Attorney Woo!" She only bows in response and then walks off to the subway. He just watches her walking away with the usual bounce in her step. Stop making me like him. I’m not ready! Young Woo returns home with the leftover 300,000 won meal and hands it to her starving father. When he opens the box, it’s seaweed sushi rolls. He wryly says that she brought him rolls, when he makes gimbap all day long. lol He continues that at a restaurant that sells 300,000 won meals, his Young Woo brought him seaweed rolls. She’s pretty proud of herself. Nonetheless, he eats a piece and then she announces that it’s highly likely that she won’t be able to get married since she has autism. He looks at her and she continues saying but if she ever does meet a person she loves and has a wedding, they will walk down the aisle together. Not have him walk her down the aisle and then hand her off to her partner, because she would be getting married as an adult. Instead she will give him the bouquet. She says because as a single father, he’s never been married before. After she gets married, she would prefer for him to get married than for him to live alone. Aww. He gives a light laugh, and then says she’s been thinking a lot. She then leaves to go take a shower. He then seems in deep thought and tears up as he eats another piece of the roll.
Epilogue: The CEO of Taesan Law Firm is giving an interview and says that the thought of returning as an active attorney makes her heart race. Tae Soo Mi (“Soo Mi” or “Attorney Tae”) has resigned as the CEO to do so. The interviewer says it’s a very brave and respectful decision. As they’re the number one firm in the country, it will set a good example to other law firms that haven’t been able to break away from a hereditary structure. Attorney Tae admits that she’s proud of her father for founding Taesan and grateful to have followed in her father’s footsteps to become an attorney. But she has no intention of forcing her own son to walk the same path as them. When asked what her son’s dream is, she replies that she’s not sure as he’s taking his time to find one. After the interview ends, her secretary tells her that Chairman Kim withdrew all of the cases he had with them, and switched to the Hanbada Law Firm. When she looks at the paperwork regarding the 33.2 billion won land and claims for damages, she notices Woo Young Woo is the plaintiff’s attorney and asks who that is. Her secretary says it’s a rookie attorney, and then asks what to do about Chairman Kim. She tells her to let him go. When something upsets him at Hanbada, she’s sure he’ll come back to them.
[Ep3] “This is Pengsoo”
Micro Recap: A death involving two brothers, one of which who has ASD. Young Woo finds a creative way to communicate with the client.
A couple return home and start calling for Jeong Hun. Suddenly they hear yelling and see their son, Jeong Hun, hunched over their other son, Sang Hun, who is laying on the ground. Jeong Hun, who is much larger than his brother, is yelling and beating his fists repeatedly on his brother’s body. The father slaps Jeong Hun and pulls him off of his brother and then the two roll around on the floor. The mother takes a look at Sang Hun and touches him but he isn’t responding at all. He has blood trailing from his head and some trickling from his mouth even as his eyes remain wide open. Jeong Hun starts hitting himself on the head with his fists and starts yelling “Die! Die! Stop!” over and over.
At Hanbada, Young Woo is looking happily at the nameplate outside her office, “Attorney Woo Young Woo.” She is interrupted by Soo Yeon who asks if she’s happy. She says she is. She then asks if she wants her to take a picture of her. Young Woo hands her her phone. When she goes to take a picture of her, Young Woo doesn’t look at the camera lens, nor does she smile which makes Soo Yeon ask if she’s mad. So Young Woo turns her head to the right and gives a forced smile but Soo Yeon doesn’t like that and tells her to go back to looking mad. They’re interrupted by a call from Attorney Jung, who tells Young Woo to go to his office immediately.
Case 3. Sangjeong Pharmaceutical is a long-time client of Hanbada but Chairman Kim is going through a rough patch right now. It appears that the younger son beat the older son to death. Chairman Kim and his wife witnessed this. The cause of death is thoracic trauma. He had 22 rib fractures that caused internal bleeding in his chest leading to his death. There’s some sort of faint mark on his neck, but it doesn’t seem like it would’ve been life-threatening. Young Woo is reviewing the case file and finally asks if all this resulted from the younger son’s assault. He says yes, at least that’s what the prosecutor seems to believe. The fractures to the front of his ribs may be attributed to CPR, but the remaining 11 fractures, it’s hard to explain with anything other than assault. The blood-alcohol level of the victim at the time of death was at intoxication levels. He comments that he doesn’t think it would’ve ended up like this if he’d been sober. Kim Jeong Hun has been charged with bodily injury resulting in death. He’ll be the one handling the case and wants her to join him. Then he tells her that the defendant has autism. She stops reviewing the documents for a moment and he points out that there is a psychiatric evaluation on the defendant. She asks if he’s assigned her to this case because she’s autistic. He asks wouldn’t she know the defendant better than he does. Yes and no. He also says that Chairman Kim will feel more assured if a lawyer with autism was on the case. She says the official diagnosis for autism is Autism Spectrum Disorder - as the word spectrum denotes, there’s a wide variety of autistic people. She then compares this to whales, as blue whales and right whales have a totally different ecosystem and social structure from humpback whales. He interrupts her to ask what it is that she is trying to say. She says according to this evaluation, the defendant is on the severe end of the spectrum with a mental age of somewhere between age six and ten. She has never met someone like him. He says that she’s still better than himself, who didn’t even know the official term for autism. He tells her to meet with them first, and not to be scared.
When Attorney Jung and Young Woo meet the clients, she introduces herself in her usual manner - her palindrome introduction. The clients are a bit taken back by this. Attorney Jung explains that she has autism spectrum disorder like their younger son. The clients don’t look happy about this though, especially as Young Woo doesn’t make any eye contact. When they start the meeting, the mother stares at Young Woo. Attorney Jung says Jeong Hun is reported as having said the words “Die. Die. Stop.” The mother says no matter how many times they ask him about what happened that night, he only keeps saying, “Die. Die. Stop.” The brothers had a good relationship as Jeong Hun was especially fond of Sang Hun. Before Sang Hun got busy with medical school, he always hung out and took care of Jeong Hun. Chairman Kim says that Sang Hun was perfect. He got into SNU med school with a perfect score on the CSAT but he was also humble and warm and was so good to his brother. Young Woo loudly asks if Jeong Hun normally often says the words “die.” His mother says no, as him saying something like that is quite unusual. He gets misunderstood by people because of how big he is but he’s a nice kid. Sometimes, he doesn’t listen to her and can be a bit stubborn, but he never threatens or attacks anyone. Attorney Jung asks if they have any idea why their younger son beat up their older son. She says no and then woefully says that it seems that she doesn’t know much about what goes on in her sons’ minds. Attorney Jung asks if it’s okay if they meet with their younger son. She says meeting with him isn’t the issue but she’s not sure if he’ll talk as he goes silent when he meets strangers. Chairman Kim says they should still meet with him at least once as Jeung Hun is the defendant. Attorney Jung says that they may never know. Then he gestures at Young Woo, and says that he might open up with Attorney Woo.
It’s lunchtime, and everyone, including Jun Ho, waits for the elevator. But when Jun Ho sees Young Woo heading towards her office (which is right next to this elevator), he gets on the already full elevator and asks for them to wait a minute, as he patiently holds the button to keep the doors open. Young Woo walks into her office and grabs her lunch box and then stops right at the elevator to do her countdown. A coworker complains that he’s so hungry, and when she’s done counting, she finally gets on.
In the cafeteria, Jun Ho and Young Woo share a table and sit across from each other with their lunches – his tray of rice, seaweed soup and side dishes, and her gimbap from home. She makes sure each piece of roll is neatly in the box before she picks up with her chopsticks to eat. He tells her that if he’d known that she was bringing her lunch from home, he’d have come down first. He tells her that next time, she should come down a bit later. She asks exactly how much later does he mean by “a bit later.” He replies, about ten minutes? She says okay. Then she says while they work on the 17th floor and eat lunch on the first basement level, whales feed in the coastal waters of Ulsan (their kitchen) and sleep on the west coast of Japan (their bedroom). She then continues talking about their feeding schedule. As she overhears Young Woo’s chatter, Soo Yeon complains to Min Woo that she’s doing it again, and asks if she should stop her. He looks over at Jun Ho who has a pleasant smile on his face, so he says just leave her be as he doesn’t seem to mind. She’s confused. He clarifies that with the look on Jun Ho’s face, it doesn’t seem like he minds. She now notices Jun Ho is smiling as he’s listening to Young Woo. He sure is!
For their first meeting with Jeong Hun, Young Woo and Attorney Jung close the blinds and dim the lights in the conference room. The massive Jeong Hun arrives with his petite mother who holds him by the hand. Attorney Jung shouts Pengsoo as Jeong Hun is wearing a grey sweatshirt with a large penguin character wearing yellow headphones on the front, and it’s also on his cap and bag. Jeong Hun also wears bright yellow over-the-ear Pengsoo headphones and a pair of black sunglasses. Jeong Hun doesn’t say anything and seems to be looking around. Jeong Hun’s mother tells him to sit down as she guides him by the hand to a chair. He repeats the words “sit down” and then sits down. When he sits down, he lightly taps on the table, as if he was playing piano keys. His mother tells him to remove his sunglasses and headphones. He tells her that he won’t take his sunglasses and headphones off as he continues lightly tapping on the table. His mother says, “Listen to me. You promised, right? Jeong Hun replies with, “Listen to me. I didn’t promise, right?” Attorney Jung says it’s fine as the headphones and sunglasses look cool.
While Attorney Jung is introducing himself to Jeong Hun, Young Woo is noticing the pattern that he’s tapping on the table. Attorney Jung then gestures at Young Woo next to him and she introduces herself. Attorney Jung continues saying that they have a lot to ask him, and Jeong Hun replies with tongue-trills. Attorney Jung asks her if she knows what he’s saying, and she says she doesn’t. Attorney Jung tries to emulate it but then his mother tells him to stop as she puts a hand in front of his eyes. Attorney Jung asks Young Woo to ask him a question. She asks him if he recalls the day Sang Hun died. He stops making sounds and stops moving his fingers. She then asks why he beat up Sang Hun. Attorney Jung tells her to take it easy. Jeong Hun now starts banging on the table with his hands and repeats the word “why” over and over. He then starts hitting himself on the head with his hands and continues repeating the word “why” over and over. Attorney Jung and his mother try to get him to calm down with words and holding onto his arms. At this point, Young Woo is greatly affected by the noise and starts covering her ears.
When Young Woo returns home, she tells her father that she has an inquiry for him. He’s all ears. She says she has to communicate with a 21-year-old autistic man but it’s difficult, so what should she do? He asks what this is about. She replies that she can’t tell him the details due to attorney-client privilege. She continues that she’s asking because she thought he’d know since he lives with an autistic person. He says for him, it’s him and her against the world. But she, as his daughter, has no interest in him. She still doesn’t but it was worse when she was younger.
After a frustrating call with his mother, Woo Dad had hung up and walked into the living room but young Young Woo had laid out Lego pieces into the middle of the living room, which he stepped on. He had yelped and hobbled on one foot in pain. He had then sat down on the floor and had asked her to blow on it, but she only spared him a glance and then went back to organizing the pieces by color. He had then pretended to cry and even said he was crying and she just ignored him. He had then really started crying as he laid on the floor right by her.
He now says, how should he put it, it’s like the feeling of a father and daughter living in this world, hand in hand, is missing. It felt like as long as she was fed, she would’ve been okay with anyone even if it wasn’t her father. T_T She asks if he still feels this way. He says it’s much better now, because he can have conversations with her. She liked putting the Lego pieces on the floor, but she also really liked law. It was a relief because it was something they could do together.
One day, her father had gone looking for her as she'd gone missing. He had finally found her having a fit next to some toy capsules as the owner of the store tried to get her to stop crying. When Dad tried to pick her up, she just continued crying and screaming. He finally told her that this action fell under public disturbance. If she didn’t stop crying, he would call the cops for minor offense and obstruction of business at the Obuk Corner Store. This made her become silent and she had stopped throwing the tantrum. He was then able to take her hand and they walked home together to read up on minor offenses. Law is their way of communicating. (He’s a wonderful single father. ~15:15, about 5 minutes.)
He now says that the way she likes law, that person must like something. So she should dig into that. She asks if his method isn’t too obvious. He replies if one wants good grades, study; want to lost weight, exercise. If one wants to communicate, make an effort. As her father continues talking and trimming his spinach, she quietly slips away as she understands now. When her father realizes that she’s left, he finishes saying that conversations don't just happen right away simply by making an effort.
Right before their next meeting with Jeong Hun, both Soo Yeon and Attorney Jung ask Young Woo if this is really necessary. She says yes. When Jeong Hun and his mother arrive, they greet him with their right hands up as they say “Peng-ha!” He responds by raising his right hand and says “Peng-ha!” back. Attorney Jung then tells them to take a seat. Young Woo pulls out her cell phone and plays some music. She then pulls out two microphones and stands up to start trilling into one microphone. She then hands him the other one, a Pengsoo microphone. She starts dancing and then passes the microphone to Soo Yeon who starts singing.
Let’s soar through the sea
And go to the Billboard
It feels different
I feel good
With my little wings
Swim over the sky
I’m the very best
I’ll be number one
Attorney Jung grabs the microphone from her and points it at Jeong Hun as he’s supposed to call out these letters: G-I-A-N-T! P-E-N-G-S-O-O! but he remains silent. Attorney Jung then starts rapping:
Let me introduce myself
My name is PENGSOO
South Pole Peng, Amazing Soo
It can’t get any better than this
Than this!
I’m a penguin, an Emperor penguin
The captain of all penguins
Marching toward the Billboard…
Soo Yeon takes back the microphone to sing her part again. Finally Young Woo takes the microphone and actually starts rapping and dancing:
Fantastic Pengsoo multiplies
The more you divide
Thank you for sharing your love
Penguin’s day
It’s ya birthday
There’s no last place
We can all take up the challenge
Smiling dazzling eyes
Put your hands up, yes!
March, march, Captain Penguin
Confident legend of the South Pole
In unison, the three call out these letters a few times: G-I-A-N-T! P-E-N-G-S-O-O! Eventually they all stop as there's been no response from Jeong Hun. Suddenly, Jeong Hun starts yodeling into his microphone: “Yodel-oh-ee-dee!” (A dozen plus times!) The attorneys clap and join him. When it ends, he says, “Again. Sing again!” (~21:35, I actually love Soo Yeon's part the most.)
Young Woo says no, they can sing again only if he answers. Jeong Hun repeats the words, again, sing again into the microphone and she takes it away from him and tells him to answer her first. She asks why he beat up his brother. For a moment he’s silent, and then he starts waving his hands around and starts yelling “Why?” over and over. Young Woo asks him again and he’s suddenly silent. Then he starts yelling “Die! Stop!” over and over as he’s hitting himself on the head. :( Young Woo suddenly has an epiphany and asks if his brother was trying to die. His mother and Attorney Jung both look at her, as she explains that “die” could be an action, not what was said. Not what his brother said but what he did. She continues saying that when he died, Sang Hun’s blood-alcohol level was 0.321 percent and he was unconscious. (0.30-0.39%: A dangerously high blood alcohol concentration. 0.40 and higher causes one's heart to stop and may result in coma or death by respiratory failure.) In the autopsy report, there’s a record of a mark on his neck. It was written that it is unclear whether or not he was strangled with a rope because the mark was too faint. Attorney Jung asks Jeong Hun's mother if her older son ever attempted suicide when he was alive. She says no, and asks why he would do such a thing. Young Woo asks Jeong Hun if his brother tried to commit suicide. To their surprise, he says yes. His mother immediately denies it and says that Sang Hun isn’t like that. Attorney Jung says that she heard him say yes, too. She then asks her son if his brother tried to die. He says yes. Then she asks if he tried to live, and he also says yes to this. She asks if his brother never tried to die and he also says yes to this. Uh oh. She says that she appreciates the effort but this is the last time they will meet with Jeong Hun and then she takes her son with her.
Jun Ho is walking with Young Woo to the Kim residence as she’s hoping to find evidence that Sang Hun attempted suicide. However, she’s worried there isn’t much useful evidence left as the police have already gone through everything. He says in this situation the case itself is very simple and clear, so the police wouldn’t have felt the need to work hard to obtain evidence. He hopes that there’s something left among his belongings. Suddenly a woman shouts “Jun Ho Oppa!” She asks him what he’s doing here, and if he lives in these apartments. He says no, he’s here for work. The woman then notices Young Woo who is now very visibly bothered by the loud noises of a nearby leaf blower as she starts covering her ears. The woman then asks him if he’s still doing volunteer work. He’s confused. She asks if he is volunteering for Nanuri right now. He then looks over at Young Woo, and asks the woman what she’s talking about, and no, this isn’t like that. He tells her that she should get going as he’s running late. The woman goes to leave but she stops to put a hand on Young Woo’s arm, and tells her “fighting!” Jun Ho looks embarrassed by this. After the woman is out of sight, Young Woo asks him if Nanuri is a volunteer organization for disabled people. He apologizes and says that she’s a friend from college and that was rude of her. She says it’s okay. She has autism, so she guesses it could be seen that way. He apologizes again. She just walks ahead of him. But when the leaf blower starts up again, she starts running with her hands over her ears. (~27:25)
At the Kim house, Jeong Hun’s mother lets them into Sang Hun’s room. She tells them that she kept this door closed because seeing the room was upsetting. It’s a huge “room” for a mere bedroom. She tells them that all of his things are still there but she’s not sure if they’ll find anything helpful. Jun Ho asks if they can look by themselves as they’ll let her know if they find anything. She agrees and leaves and he closes the door after her.
Jun Ho then looks up at the ceiling and says if he were trying to hang himself in this room, and points at the exposed rafters. She points out where Sang Hun was found on the floor, which helps Jun Ho triangulate the spot where he would’ve done it. He asks her if Jeong Hun is tall and she says he seems almost two meters tall. Jun Ho pulls out a camera, turns it on, and then raises it well above his head, and shows her what Jeong Hun’s view would’ve been on the screen. Clever! Jun Ho says he opened the door and saw his brother hanging by the neck, so he must’ve tried to stop him. Since he’s tall, he could’ve reached up and untied the knot. With one free hand, he demonstrates that Sang Hun would’ve fallen to the floor with a thud and then they crouch down together. But then he says wait a minute and continues panning the camera around the room, and as he’s walking around, Young Woo follows him. It’s as if they’re waltzing a second time! (30:00) Eventually he notices something sitting on top of a bookcase. When Jun Ho tries to grab it, he accidentally knocks it down behind the bookcase. He then has to move the bookcase away from the wall and Young Woo (wearing gloves) picks it up. She then hands over what looks like a homemade “rope” to Jun Ho, who examines it and says there are traces on it as if it has been roughly torn off. He wonders if this is the rope that Sang Hun used and the same one that Jeong Hun tore off when he found his brother. Jun Ho says that they’ll have to check and compare it with the mark on Sang Hun’s neck. Young Woo returns to the area behind the bookcase and picks up the fallen books behind it. And then she finds Sang Hun’s diary from the previous year.
Back at Hanbada, Attorney Jung tells the clients that he sent the rope to forensics to have it compared to the mark on their son’s neck. He also tells them that they’ve gone through their son’s diary and prepared a few pages that they should see. According to the diary, it appears that this incident happened a few times last year as well and Jeong Hun had witnessed it, too. The Chairman asks what he means by “this incident”? Attorney Jung says that he’s talking about suicide attempts. The mother says that he’s making her repeat the same thing over and over – Sang Hun is not like that. Attorney Jung reads them the highlighted portions.
2021.10.21. The only thing I’ve been good at was studying. I’m not even sure what that is now. Is memorizing until I throw up studying? I’m someone who is the worst at what he does best. Simply put, a loser.
2021.11.28. The exams will probably continue. And I will probably continue to fail. I can’t tell the difference between life and death. I can die. If I die…
The mother says that there isn’t anything people can’t write in their diaries. That’s allowed when you’re having a hard time. Attorney Jung tells them that the important part is right here.
2022.5.14. I do it as it’s become a habit. I don’t care if my brother sees me. He can’t seem to get a good night’s sleep ever since he saw me hang myself. Does he have nightmares? He watches me every night. The idiot who doesn’t even know what dying is shakes in fear, worried that I might die. That is comforting to me.
The Chairman asks if they’re punishing them. Did they call them here to let them know that their child, who died a miserable death, had suffered in life, too? Attorney Jung says even on the day of his death, their younger son might’ve been trying to stop the older one. He might’ve beaten him up because he got angry after seeing his brother attempting suicide continuously. The Chairman asks what difference that makes. The kid who was famous all over the country for being good at studying frequently attempted suicide because of mere academic stress. If this gets out, what will become of their Sang Hun? What would it be besides disgracing a dead person?
WYW: Isn’t getting a sentence reduction for Jeong Hun who is alive, more important than the honor of Sang Hun who is dead? He can’t be seen as a person who beat his own brother to death without any particular reason. There was a specific reason that made his temper explode. And now that that reason has been removed, we’ll have to show in the trial that he won’t commit violence anymore.
The Chairman angrily yells at her to be quiet. Then he roars what makes her so special that she’s calling his precious sons by their names and judging them. He then points violently at her and yells that she’s autistic herself. She flinches at this. His wife asks him what’s wrong with him. The Chairman then sighs and says let’s just call it quits here. He will give this case to an attorney who won’t insult his son. He announces that the relationship between Sanjeong and Hanbada is over. He then runs out of the office and his wife follows suit. Attorney Jung goes after them as Young Woo stays behind.
Jun Ho returns home as Min Woo is making ramyeon. He asks if he’d like one and Jun Ho says no and just goes to his room. He tosses his bag on the bed and then sits down on the bed with a sigh. He pulls out his phone to start a draft text to Young Woo: “Attorney Woo, the mistake my friend made last time…” He deletes the last part and changes it to “What my friend did wrong last time keeps bothering me. I want to give you a proper apology.” He doesn’t send it and mutters out loud, “You want to apologize to her. So what?” He then closes his phone and flops back onto the bed.
Young Woo is still at the office and watching a video online covering the story of the two brothers. She then looks at the comments:
- Isn’t the med school student dying while the autistic guy is living a national loss? There are 299 likes for this comment.
- I’m sure he’ll be found not guilty by pleading insanity.
- He knows everything even if he has autism. Send him to prison.
- I have an autistic neighbor and it’s actually scary.
- This is why they should be isolated.
- Let’s not go easy on him just because he’s autistic.
Young Woo’s eyes tear up as she continues reading these comments. Horrible. I want to air hug her.
The next day, she gets on the elevator with Soo Yeon, but Min Woo stops the doors from closing and greets them with a raised hand and says Peng-ha twice. *rolling eyes* The doors close and Min Woo says that he heard they got fired even after they sang a song. Soo Yeon says that people often tell him that he’s rude, right? Min Woo replies that people often tell her that she pretends to be nice, right? Poor Young Woo is sandwiched in between them. When they get to the first floor, Min Woo runs out to tell Attorney Jung that he heard about what happened with Sangjeong Pharmaceuticals so he must be upset. Attorney Jung says that he’s fine but Attorney Woo worked really hard on this, so it’s too bad. Min Woo then raises his fist at Young Woo and says “fighting.” Soo Yeon is quietly mouthing at him to stop. Young Woo looks past him and sees that Jeong Hun is outside but someone is trying to stop him from leaving. She runs outside to find Jeong Hun in the grasp of the taxi cab driver who is asking where he thinks he is going. When Jeong Hun sees Young Woo running to meet him, he starts making trilling sounds. She makes the same trilling sounds back at him and then asks him what the matter is. He just continues happily trilling at her. Attorney Jung, along with Min Woo and Soo Yeon, show up behind them and asks what the problem is. The taxi cab driver says he just got into his car and kept yelling Hanbada over and over. So he brought him here but he won’t pay. When he asked him if he had money, he said yes. Attorney Jung offers to pay for his fare and reaches for his wallet to pay the guy. Once the guy leaves, Jeong Hun starts saying “Again. Sing. Sing again.” Attorney Jung says okay but tells Young Woo to call his mother and tell her to come pick up her son, and for her to stay with him until she arrives. She leads him inside to wait for his mother.
Now, even as he’s been eating, he continues trilling. His mother arrives and says she was so worried about him. She then apologizes to Young Woo for the inconvenience. Young Woo says okay and then goes to leave, his mother stops her to ask if it really needs to be revealed in court that Sang Hun tried to make such a choice. She wonders if Jeong Hun can get a reduced sentence anyway as he has autism, so maybe by pleading insanity. So these parents really don’t want the taboo of suicide hanging over their name. She was hoping that they would take back the case as she doesn’t think there will be anyone else who would treat Jeong Hun with sincerity. She continues if they don’t bring up that thing about Sang Hun, she’ll convince her husband. Notice the words used for his suicide - “a choice” and “that thing.” Young Woo says okay and she’ll talk to Attorney Jung about it. When she turns to leave, Jeong Hun’s mother stops her to say that she apologizes for what her husband said. She knows that she shouldn’t say this but they felt conflicted seeing her. She and Jeong Hun are both autistic but they’re so different that they couldn’t help but compare. She says they’ve heard that sometimes people with autism are brilliant. But seeing it like this in real life made them feel strange. She knows that with autism, most cases are like Jeong Hun, and it just takes too long for them to be hopeful that he’ll get better. That’s their problem: There is no better or worse. It just is.
WYW’s thoughts in the elevator ride down with Jeong Hun and his mother: Hans Asperger, the first person to do research on autism, thought there was a positive side to it. He said, “Not everything that steps out of life, and thus ‘abnormal,’ must necessarily be ‘inferior.’” That with their new ways of thinking and experiences, people with autism can later accomplish great things. Hans Asperger was a Nazi collaborator. His job was to separate children who were worthy of leaving and who weren’t. To the Nazis, people who were not worthy of living were those who were physically disabled, terminally ill, or mentally ill, including autistic people.”
When they get outside, his mother tells him to say goodbye to Young Woo. She tells him to say “I apologize for the trouble I’ve caused. Thank you.” He raises his right hand and says “Peng-ba.” Young Woo returns the greeting.
WYW’s thoughts as she watches them walk away: Even just 80 years ago, autism was an illness that was not worthy of living. Even just 80 years ago, Mr. Kim Jeong Hun and I were people who weren’t worthy of living. Even now, hundreds of people click the “like” button on a comment that says, ‘It is a national loss if a medical student dies and an autistic person lives.’” My heart hurts.
Jeong Hun suddenly turns around to look at her and shouts “Peng-ba!” as he raises his right hand. Young Woo returns the same greeting.
WYW’s final thought: That is the weight of this disability that we bear.
Day 1 of Trial. The doctor says that he believes that Jeong Hun had a meltdown, which is a phenomenon that occurs to people with autism from time to time. It is when they explode due to not being able to withstand any longer the stress they have been suppressing. It’s not something that is done intentionally. It just happens when they are overwhelmed by the feeling of extreme helplessness. There are a variety of types. There are those who cut off all communication and withdraw, but also those where it can manifest in very aggressive ways, such as screaming, crying, and even self-harm, as well as displaying violent behavior. Young Woo then asks if at the time of the incident, the defendant’s behavior was a meltdown that he had no choice or control over, thus a symptom of autism spectrum disorder? He says yes, he believes so. The prosecutor cross-examines the witness and asks if he’s a psychiatrist who is well-informed about autism. He confirms this. Then the prosecutor asks how many autistic patients are in this courtroom. The witness is confused by this. The prosecutor says he’s asking because it seems to him that there is one more besides the defendant. He asks him what about the attorney who just questioned him just now, and then he looks over at Young Woo. Young Woo becomes a bit unnerved by this. Attorney Jung stands up and objects by saying that the prosecutor is insulting the attorney with statements that are both irrelevant to the case and discriminatory! To his surprise, the Judge overrules this. The Judge says, while the prosecutor’s question may be badgering the attorney, she doesn’t see it as being irrelevant to the case nor as discriminatory. She then tells him to take a seat and for the prosecutor to continue.
The prosecutor asks the psychiatrist if the attorney who questioned him just now is an autistic patient. Patient again? He responds with, “Just because one has autism does not mean they all have to get treatment. And I believe the phrase ‘autistic patient’ is inappropriate.” The prosecutor then gestures at Young Woo, and says even when she’s doing that? Young Woo is rocking side to side in her seat. Attorney Jung stands up and asks what he’s doing. The prosecutor says he’s asking whether or not the defendant’s attorney, Woo Young Woo, has autism. The psychiatrist replies that he is aware that Attorney Woo has autism spectrum disorder. However, he only knows because he’s heard, and he did not diagnose her. Young Woo is touching her face in agitation now. The doctor continues that he can’t say someone is this or that the moment he sees them.
Then the prosecutor asks, does Attorney Woo Young Woo have autism or not? He admits that she does but – The prosecutor interrupts to ask does he think that the defendant is a mentally unfit person? (Yes). Because he has autism? (Yes.) Then does he think the attorney is mentally unfit? Attorney Jung objects again. He says that they’re on trial about the defendant, and asks why he keeps mentioning the attorney. The attorney’s medical history is irrelevant to the defendant, the incident and the trial. The prosecutor argues that it’s not irrelevant because the defense is arguing for a reduced sentence due to the defendant’s autism. If the autistic defendant is mentally unfit, can’t the same be said for the attorney? Attorney Jung asks if the prosecution does not know what mentally unfit is, as having mental or physical disorders does not mean they are all mentally unfit. It is only when the disability affects one’s ability to discern things and make decisions that they are considered to be mentally unfit. The prosecution then says so the sentence of the autistic defendant should be reduced compared to other criminals, but the arguments of the autistic attorney should be recognized as equal to other legal professionals? He asks if something doesn’t feel off to them? He’s just pointing out the irony of the attorney’s argument. Attorney Jung looks livid. Young Woo starts rubbing her face and drops her head down as she continues squirming in her seat. A concerned Jun Ho watches her. Remember when Jung Myeong Seok was dismissive of Woo Young Woo? He’s her biggest champion now.
Back at the office, Jun Ho knocks on Young Woo’s door and receives no response. So he opens the door and sees Young Woo standing on her desk, as she’s about to hang herself from the rafters. He yells “Attorney Woo,” and then quickly runs in to grab her around her legs with his left arm, and then unties the noose with his right hand. But this makes her fall backwards, and he puts his other arm around her as they fall down together. She looks shocked as landed he’s right on top of her. After a brief pause, the first words out of her mouth are: “Your hand is still grabbing onto my butt.” LOL!! He looks startled, then he looks down and quickly removes his hands from her body and gets up. She sits up and says so that’s why she fell onto her back. (50:21) She has an epiphany and just gets up and runs off without her shoes. Jun Ho has no choice but to grab her shoes and follow her.
Outside Attorney Jung’s office, she knocks on the door and then starts her countdown (her shoes are on her feet!) before entering - and Jun Ho is right behind her doing exactly the same thing! *melting* (~51:50) The two barge in and interrupt Attorney Jung's meeting with the Chairman. She quickly says that she was just hanging herself and Jun Ho saved her. She then proceeds to describe and demonstrate with her own hands how Jun Ho first used his left hand to hold up her butt and then he used his right hand to untie the knot around her neck. Jun Ho looks a bit embarrassed by her admission. XD His face! (~52:15) She asks if they know what happened next. They just look at her. She then says her body was tipped backwards and she fell on her back and she leans way back, and Jun Ho quickly puts his arms out to catch her - just in case. The Chairman asks what this is about. She brings up that the autopsy lists that the victim’s ribs had a total of 22 fractures: five on the front of his right ribs (numbers 3 to 7) and six on the front of his left ribs (numbers 2 to 7). Then she uses Jun Ho’s back to point out the 11 fractures on the back of his right ribs (numbers 2 to 12). But he doesn’t have fractures anywhere else. The fractures from the front are highly likely from CPR. My initial thought. As to the ones on the back of his right ribs, unless the defendant struck the victim’s back in a straight line, it’s hard to get this type of fracture. However, if the defendant tried to save the victim with the same method as Jun Ho, it is possible. So because the defendant was holding onto the victim’s butt, he fell on the floor, back first. The Chairman asks what difference that makes.
Attorney Jung tells the Chairman that his younger son is not guilty of causing bodily injury resulting in death. Of course, he will be found guilty of assault. But he’ll be able to get off from the charge of killing his older son and the sentence will be much lighter, too. But for them to plead not guilty based on this, they can’t hide the fact that his older son attempted suicide. Attorney Jung says that he needs to decide. The Chairman sighs and says that he’s given this a lot of thought and doesn’t want to admit that Sang Hun was unhappy but what isn’t there he wouldn’t do for Jeong Hun. He says to go ahead and proceed with what they’ve just said. Then he says that he has one more thing to say, which he had planned to say to Attorney Jung in private, but since they’re there already, he’ll tell them now. He wants the trial to proceed without Attorney Woo. He knows how hard she tries, but she’s heard what the prosecutor said during the trial. So please think of what’s best for Jeong Hun. Attorney Jung says that he just heard what Young Woo said, so they can take this in a different direction than the last trial. They’ll not only emphasize his younger son’s mentally unfit state, but also plead not guilty based on scientific evidence of the autopsy report. Young Woo finally says something.
WYW: I think the Chairman is right. When I walk with Jun Ho, people think he’s doing volunteer work for a disabled person.” Jun Ho looks ashamed at this. But it’s not his fault. When the taxi driver was holding on to the defendant, I had money, too. But the driver didn’t see me as someone capable of resolving the situation. I can tell how my autism and the defendant’s autism are similar and how they’re different. But the prosecutor can’t… which means neither can the judges. I’m not an attorney who is helpful to the defendant. I’m not an attorney who is helpful to the defendant… T_T Nooo.
Attorney Jung then asks CEO Han to convince the Chairman to allow Young Woo to stay on the trial. He says it’s not like she’s bad at her job or that she made a mistake. It’s discrimination to not let her go to trial because of the reason that she won’t be able to effectively make her defense due to her autism. She asks if he isn’t the one who said: “Did you not see the second page of her resume? You saw that but still accepted her? How am I supposed to train someone who can’t even introduce herself properly?” She laughs and asks what’s happened since then. He replies that back then she wasn’t on his team, but now she is. CEO Han laughs heartily at this and then says that she agrees that what the Chairman asked is unfair and discriminatory. But she’s the CEO and she has to do what the client wants. So she says that he doesn’t go to court either, to show that the two of them are one team. She’s reassigning the case to Attorney Jang and wants the files handed to him directly. He turns around and asks why Jang Seung Jun of all people. She says that this is his penalty, as the Chairman might think of this as very unpleasant - him protesting because he’s upset about what he said. He accepts it but looks like he wants to say something else.
Attorney Jung drops off the files to Jang Seung Jun (“Attorney Jang”) who makes him ask for the favor — even though he already knows. When he asks, Attorney Jang claims that he can’t hear him as he’s hanging upside down on an inversion table. Attorney Jung walks closer and asks again, and this jerk attorney says that he can’t hear him, and basically forces him to flip him right side up on the inversion table. When they’re face to face, Attorney Jung asks again. Attorney Jang says “Can’t you live without me, Myeong Seok? How long do I have to keep cleaning after you, Myeong Seok?” Attorney Jung can only give a polite smile at this. Attorney Jang laughs heartily at this and then tells him to leave the case files and for him to leave. Attorney Jung leaves but then Attorney Jang starts having problems with the controls for his inversion table, and starts yelling Myeong Seok’s name. Bye! Ha!
At the new trial, Attorney Jang asks the medical examiner what the victim’s cause of death was. She replies that he had internal bleeding in his chest due to broken ribs. When asked why he would have broken ribs, she replies that the anterior fractures seem to have been caused by CPR. When the paramedics arrived, the victim was already not breathing and his heart had stopped, so it is understood that the fractures happened after his death. The problem is on the posterior side of the ribs, with a series of fractures in the form of a slanted diagonal line. It seems to be from a single, continuous impact, rather than separate, independent impacts. So it would’ve been caused by a single big impact. He asks for an example. She says at the time of incident, the victim seems to have fallen to the floor after hanging from the ceiling by his neck. The rope that was found in his room matches the scratches on his neck. As his blood-alcohol level was as high as 0.3 percent, there wouldn’t have been any reflexive behavior when he fell. Then it’s highly likely that the fractures are from the fall. He asks if there’s no possibility for the ribs to have been broken due to the defendant’s assault. She says of course there is, but it’s a bit awkward. She heard that the defendant was extremely agitated when he was attacking the victim. It would be difficult to aim at the victim’s ribs in the shape of a neat line.
The Judge asks Jeong Hun directly if he dropped his brother to the ground. He says yes. She then asks if he was trying to save his brother’s life. He says yes. She asks, and it's not that the rope broke on its own? He says yes. She asks him to say it clearly - was he the one or not the one to drop his brother? He bites his fingers before saying yes. She asks if he was trying to save his brother or not. He starts crying and looks over at his mother and then says yes. The people in the courtroom murmur at this. The Judge says that she asked these questions to check if the defendant is capable of understanding and answering questions and testifying about what happened at the time of the incident. She thinks it is certain that the defendant is mentally unfit as of right now. Wouldn’t a medical expert need to evaluate and determine that first, and not just go by the judge’s word?
Afterwards, Attorney Jung tells Young Woo that the results will be good. Young Woo replies that she was shocked that the prosecutor demanded seven years of imprisonment and claimed medical treatment and custody. He says no matter what he demanded, they provided their argument well. And most of all, the judges seem to be understanding. He thinks it’s likely that he’ll be found not guilty of bodily injury resulting in death and he’ll probably get probation for the assault, too. If not, they can always appeal, so don’t worry too much. Attorney Jang is walking with the clients and telling them that it was an honor to be able to finish their case himself. When Jeong Hun’s mother sees them, she says that they both worked so hard to prepare for the trial. She apologizes to them, especially to Young Woo, who must be so disappointed, and she puts a hand on Young Woo’s hand. Young Woo moves away from her hand and says it’s fine. The Chairman thanks Attorney Jung for his efforts. Then Attorney Jang realizes who she is and points at Young Woo to say “She’s the –” and Attorney Jung grabs his hand in an awkward handshake and says thank you before saying that they’ll get going. Attorney Jung and Young Woo walk away, but she looks back at Jeong Hun who is in his own world with his headphones on.
Epilogue: Jun Ho buys a gift for Young Woo. It’s something round like a globe. But when he gets to her office, he sees that she’s not there. He notices that the attorney sign on her desk is missing and lets out a sigh. Young Woo is listening to whale sounds on her headphones as she’s at the copier. She’s looking at her letter of resignation. A whale swims by the amber windows next to her. She then packs up her stuff and removes the nameplate from her office. Omo!
[Ep4] “The Strife of the Three Brothers”
Micro Recap: Young Woo has resigned from Hanbada but she ends up having to help Geu Rami’s father with unexpected debt. Jun Ho gives Young Woo a gift.
Two men barge into another man’s home as he's working on roof repairs. They’re there to talk to their younger brother about the compensation for land expropriation - their late father’s rice paddy land. The eldest brother says that the eldest gets 50 percent, the second-born gets 30 percent and the youngest gets 20 percent. The man asks his other brother, who agrees that the eldest should get the most shares, especially as he’s holding the memorial service for their parents. Why wouldn’t it be equally divided three ways? The eldest brother claims that he’s already had an attorney who specializes in inheritance law look over this. The youngest brother looks over the documents more closely with his wife and asks for more time to think it over. The two brothers tell him that he knows nothing because he’s been farming all of his life. And so he takes the stamp from his wife's tight grip and puts the seal on the gift contract. Giver: Dong Dong Sam. Recipient: Dong Dong Il and Dong Dong I.
At Hanbada, Soo Yeon notices that Young Woo didn’t come in to work again. Jun Ho leaves his wrapped gift on her desk. Meanwhile, in his office, Attorney Jung looks at Young Woo’s resignation letter.
Young Woo is quietly eating her breakfast at Dad’s restaurant when Geu Rami runs into the store. The two exchange their usual greeting of rap-and-dabbing. Then Dad offers to make her some gimbap as he knows that she hasn’t had breakfast. Young Woo asks why she’s here so early. Geu Rami complains that her father is so annoying, as he got tricked by her uncles and signed some weird memorandum. She explains that it’s a memorandum that says he’ll share the land compensation with her uncles. The land belonged to her grandfather and is about 5,000 pyeong. (1 pyeong = approximately 36 square feet.) When he passed away it went to her father. But it became a development area recently, so the government is giving compensation in the amount of 10 billion won. She says her stupid father said he promised to share the money with his brothers, so he’ll only be left with debt. Uncle Dong Il gets 50 percent, Uncle Dong I gets 30 percent and her father, Dong Sam gets 20 percent. Young Woo asks about their names, and Geu Rami explains that their names are Dong Dong Il, Dong Dong I and Dong Dong Sam. She laughs and says her grandfather put in very little effort. Il, I and Sam in Korean Sino = 1, 2, 3.
So her father will receive 2 billion won, but he foolishly agreed (his brothers tricked him!) to pay all the taxes by himself. The transfer tax and local income tax together totals 2.26 billion won, so her father has a debt of 260 million won. Woo Dad asks why her father gave his stamp on the documents then. She says her father thinks her uncles are amazing as they went to universities in the city, while he farmed. They also have a big age gap, Dong Il is 12 years older than her father, so her father can’t disobey her uncles in any way. Yikes. She says that her uncles have underestimated them. They think they’re brainless nincompoops and don’t know any attorneys. She had told them that she knows an attorney. Young Woo replies that she’s no longer an attorney. Both her father and best friend now want to know why. Young Woo says she’ll recommend her to an attorney and asks for the memorandum. Geu Rami doesn't have it as it’s in her father’s possession. Dad says then let’s go. Let’s close the shop and go get it together in Ganghwa Do!
It’s been seven years since Woo Dad has been to Ganghwa Do, as they had moved to Seoul when Young Woo got into university. He asks them if they want to visit their high school, and neither are excited with his suggestion.
Woo Dad had moved them to Ganghwa Do because she used to be bullied in school. He had hoped that things would be better at a small school in the countryside. Unfortunately, things were not any different in the countryside. At school, they had called her a loser. Their favorite prank to play on her was the “I’m sorry” game. When she’d drink milk, a student would purposely bump into her and then apologize as if it had been an accident. Another time, a male student would purposely stick out their leg and make her trip over it and then apologize. Then he quickly snickered at her with his friends. In the cafeteria, she took her tray to a table and would pull the stool over to sit down, but when she sat down, a female student had pulled it out from under her and she ended up falling and spilling the food all over herself. No one would help her, and instead they just laughed. This is so cruel. T_T She had to find somewhere safe so during recess, she had hidden in the teachers’ office. And during lunch, she had escaped to the security office. No matter how much she escaped though, she couldn’t stop what happened during class.
One day, in class, she was given a note and a female student had whispered something to her. She had then raised her hand and said that she had a question.
WYW: Where did you get your eyes done, student teacher? The other students laugh at this. It looks like you have your inner corners done, too. Was it done at the same hospital? Seated a few seats behind her was Geu Rami who had watched the note being passed to her and wondered what was going on. The surgery seems to have been successful, so many students are curious.
The other students then chime to ask how much she paid for it, they’re pretty, it turned out good, etc. The teacher slaps Young Woo across the face. And the female students who set this up just laugh at this. WTF is wrong with people?! I’m angrily crying. It’s awful. Geu Rami realizes what just happened. The teacher stalks off angrily as the mean student says “I’m sorry. I thought she wouldn’t mind if the top student asked that.” Young Woo is sitting there clutching at her wounded cheek. In her green jacket, mismatched socks and slippers, Geu Rami stands up and the scrape of her chair is heard by all. She walks over to Young Woo and grabs the note from Young Woo’s hand and sees the directions on it: Young Woo, ask the student teacher where she got her eyes done. She puts down the note and smacks the mean girl on the back of her head and says “I’m sorry” in the exact fake sincere tone, and continues with “I thought it wouldn’t hurt because you’re a bonehead.” Crying and laughing at this. The student stands up and hits her on the arm and calls her a psychotic brat. Geu Rami yells back that she’s going to be a drum in her next life and get her head beaten by sticks all the time. Someone starts asking if she's dating her [Young Woo] and so she goes to grab her chair and lifts it above her head, starts swinging the chair around. She roars yes, they’re dating! And If any of them have a problem with the psycho and loser dating, step forward, as she continues swinging that chair.
Geu Rami was called psycho in school, and skipped school to hang out at the noraebang instead. Once she got banned from going there, she ended up using the school’s broadcast room as the place to sing. One day, at the bus stop, Young Woo waited for Geu Rami, who was 48 minutes late. Nonetheless, Young Woo still followed her until Geu Rami asked why she was following her. Young Woo admitted that when she was with her, she was safe. Geu Rami asks what she gains from hanging out with her. Young Woo had said she would be her friend, as she doesn’t have any friends. Geu Rami had laughed with shock and said that she can’t believe a loser said that to her. Then she continued walking. Young Woo had just stood there so Geu Rami had turned around to yell at her to go as they were already late. And that was the start of their friendship.
At Dong home, Young Woo confirms that this contract is very disadvantageous to Dong Dad, and he is responsible for all the taxes when receiving the compensation. Dong Dad asks if there’s any loophole, but there isn’t as this contract is legally effective. Young Woo asks why he signed such a document. Dong Mom says he’s more afraid of his brothers than his own parents, and he thinks their word is the law. Woo Dad asks if his brothers intimidated him in any way, and he denies this and says that they only speak in a more refined manner than him. Geu Rami scoffs at this, and says they’re so refined that they lied to their youngest brother to take his money? He tells her to be quiet. Young Woo asks what’s the lie? He says that according to Dong Il, that’s just the way the inheritance law is - eldest getting the most, and so on. Young Woo asks if his father passed away before 1991. No, he had passed away 20 years ago, in 2001. She says then it’s not true. The inheritance law that’s been revised and presently applied states that all children should receive equal amounts of inheritance, regardless of birth order, gender, and marital status. Geu Rami proudly declares that her friend is so smart, and pretty much points at her father to say “I told you so.”
Young Woo says that his brother’s lie legally falls under deception. Deception is defined as the action of going against the principle of good faith and saying something is true when it’s not or covering up the truth. This is met with confusion, until Woo Dad says to put it simply, it was fraud. Young Woo then says, in her usual fastidious way, he can take back his expression of will that was made due to fraud or compulsion, as what Dong Il had said about inheritance is fraud. If one considers how Dong Dad usually felt uncomfortable around his brothers, they might be able to claim compulsion as well. Then canceling the memorandum would be possible. He’s concerned about suing his brothers. She clarifies that suing is only used for criminal matters, and this would be filing a complaint. Dong Dad is worried about having the hassle of going to court, trial, etc. Geu Rami rolls her eyes at this and says her father still hasn’t come to his senses after everything he’s been through. She suggests that he go into debt then as he can give all his money to his brothers and live the rest of his life paying it back with her mother. He chides her for saying such a thing to her own father, but her mother says that she’s correct as he’s worried about his brothers and not them. He concedes that if he has to do it, then he will. He then asks if Young Woo will be his attorney, and Woo Dad says of course she will as it’s for Geu Rami’s family. Both her father and Geu Rami try to persuade (guilt trip) her into helping her best friend’s father. She says no, she’s not an attorney anymore and will instead refer them to an attorney she knows.
While on the phone with Young Woo, Geu Rami goes to Hanbada Law to see Attorney Jung but he’s not in his office. Young Woo then suggests that she go to the litigation team and look for Lee Jun Ho. When she gets to the litigation department, she asks her how she will know who to look for as there are so many people around. She says that Lee Jun Ho is popular. Geu Rami asks how she is supposed to find him with that, so describe his features. Young Woo says he’s tall - and good-looking. Geu Rami then spots two tall guys talking, Jun Ho and Min Woo, and says she’s found them and hangs up. She marches over to the guys and addresses Min Woo as Mr. Lee Jun Ho. Heh. Jun Ho answers that he’s Lee Jun Ho and she finally looks at him instead. She says really? He says yes, and she looks back at Min Woo, who tells him to take care of it for him and takes off. As he’s walking away, she actually turns to watch him leave. Heh. Jun Ho asks her what brings her here. She turns back to him and says that Young Woo told her to look for him. He’s confused, and she clarifies, Woo Young Woo. He perks up at this and asks if she’s an acquaintance of Attorney Woo. She says she’s her friend. He then asks how she is doing. Gaaah, he’s so earnest. She nearly smirks at this, and only says she’s doing well. She admits that she actually told her to go to Jung Myeong Seok but he’s not in his office. He then points to somewhere behind her and says that he’s coming this way.
The adorable Young Woo earnestly and painstakingly carries a tray of gimbap and soup to a customer’s table at Dad’s restaurant. She drops off the crab gimbap and soup at the table but then launches into the fact that the crab gimbap isn’t crab but actually crabstick and then goes on about its ingredients. Luckily, Dad overhears this and rescues the customer from this disclosure. I feel the same way about crabstick. lol As Dad is chiding her, they’re interrupted by her phone ringing, and he tells her to answer her phone, Ms. Part-Timer. It’s Geu Rami calling to say that Attorney Jung said no, as she’s walking around in his office. She continues that he won’t defend and he clarifies that he didn’t say that, he said the chances of her winning is low. She tells her to tell him about Article 110 of the civil law code. Geu Rami tells Attorney Jung, civil law. He says no civil law. Young Woo asks why not? Attorney Jung responds with “Attorney Woo is a rookie who is not aware of practicalities”, which Geu Rami repeats verbatim to her. Both women are confused, so Geu Rami puts the phone on speakerphone and leaves it on Attorney Jung’s desk.
He tells Young Woo that he’s been working at Hanbada for 14 years and asks if she knows what perplexes him the most. She guesses the revolving doors which confuses him and makes Jun Ho chuckle nearby. Gaaah, his laughing face here. As he goes to reply to her, Geu Rami decides to play with the Newton’s Cradle Balance Balls on his desk, which makes him glare at her. Heh. He stops the balls from making further noise and says that the client has already signed and sealed the paperwork. A rookie attorney whose law school degree is still fresh, wouldn’t know how scary these disposition documents are. She then brings up deception and compulsion and he asks if she has proof. She isn’t sure what to say, but he sternly says he’s not taking the case and if she has anything else to say, do so in person. He ends the call by saying he’s busy and promptly hangs up on her. Jun Ho smiles at this. Young Woo is confused so her father asks if she should go to the office then. Heh. Everyone's nudging. Dad has her put on her jacket to go but she’s forgotten to remove her apron.
Now in the cafeteria, Geu Rami walks right in front of Jun Ho, so she can sit right next to Min Woo. Soo Yeon asks who she is and Attorney Jung answers that it’s Young Woo’s friend. Jun Ho sits down across from Min Woo, who gives him a questioning look. Jun Ho just shrugs his shoulders at him. Geu Rami is eating as she blatantly stares at Min Woo. XD Suddenly Young Woo arrives, and the two besties do their customary greeting, which surprises everyone else at the table. It’s always cute! Jun Ho looks quite happy to see her, and goes to greet her but Soo Yeon beats him to the punch. Just look at his face! (~30:50)
Attorney Jung reads out loud what it says on her apron, “Woo Young Woo Gimbap” and asks when did she open her own business as it hasn’t been that long since she quit. I want that apron. She just tells him that Mr. Dong Dong Sam will be in extreme debt if he can’t cancel the memorandum. Then she says that she can’t watch the father of her only friend go broke after being fooled by his older brothers. Geu Rami nods at her words. She continues if he won’t take this case, she’ll ask Attorney Choi [Soo Yeon] or Attorney Kwon [Min Woo]. Soo Yeon looks away and Min Woo glares at her. Geu Rami appears to be oblivious to his glare. Attorney Jung says that neither Attorney Choi or Attorney Kwon can make it work. If it’s a case that must be taken to court even if failure is evident, why would she irresponsibly hand it over to her colleagues. She replies because she’s not an attorney anymore. Min Woo smirks at this. I don’t like him. Attorney Jung asks her why she isn’t an attorney anymore. They’ve all been on the same team for months now. He asks if it makes sense to her to just leave a letter of resignation without any explanation as to why she’s quitting. He couldn’t process her resignation yet because he wasn’t given a proper reason. Jun Ho smiles at this. Attorney Jung continues saying that she is still an attorney at Hanbada who’s been taking a lot of absences without notice. Min Woo loses his appetite at this and excuses himself. *rolling eyes* Attorney Jung says “Since it’s an urgent situation, Attorney Woo, you take on this case. I’ll be going to court with you as a senior attorney, but just to watch. I won’t be helping or poking my nose into the case. We’ll talk about your resignation later.” Jun Ho watches to see what her response is. She doesn’t say anything but adjusts the napkin in the napkin dispenser on the table. Attorney Jung just pulls a napkin for himself, and both Soo Yeon and Jun Ho smile at her. Aww, Attorney Jung wasn’t going to let her walk away that easily. This is now her 4th case.
Later, she’s waiting by the revolving door and Jun Ho cheerfully calls her name and runs up to her. He says that he’s missed eating with her. He’s smitten and I don’t even know if he knows how smitten he is. She only says okay. He then asks if she stopped by her office as he left something on her desk for her.
WYW: Oh, that.
LJH excitedly: Yes, that. Did you open it?
WYW: I threw it away because I didn’t know it was from you. I laugh because it’s her.
LJH loses his smile: Ahhhh. Right. Already? He sucks his teeth and then sighs. That was fast. He then drops his head. (~32:50)
See Remarks → BTS. There’s a deleted scene on what his present actually was.
They’re interrupted by Geu Rami who calls Young Woo’s name and tells her, let’s go. She says goodbye to Jun Ho and walks towards the (not revolving) door. Jun Ho with a crestfallen look on his face as watches her walk away, which is noticed by Geu Rami, who looks back and forth at him and Young Woo as she exits the building. He just sighs as the two women leave.
In court, Young Woo asks Dong Il about what he told his brother, Dong Sam: “Let’s divide the compensation so that the eldest gets more than the second-born, and the second born gets more than the youngest.” He says yes. But when he’s asked about saying “According to the inheritance law, the eldest gets more than the second-born, and the second-born, and the second-born gets more than the youngest. I’ve had it looked over by an attorney who specializes in this,” he says no, he does not recall. Dong Dam looks concerned as Dong Mom and Geu Rami exchange a look. Young Woo tells him to tell the truth. She also says if he gives false testimony, he’ll receive punishment. Defense counsel objects and says that the plaintiff's counselor is threatening the defendant based on incorrect knowledge of the law. LOL, What is with Dong I’s expression?! He’s the defendant in the case, so he cannot be a witness and won’t be punished for perjury even if he gets false testimony. Dong Il sneers at her. Defense counsel then says this is a Supreme Court ruling - did she not study? She asks if he’s admitting that the defendant is giving false testimony. He says no, just stop threatening the defendant. She replies that the court can impose a fine for false testimony even if it is the party the civil suit was filed against. It’s stated in Article 370 Paragraph 1 of the civil law - did he not study? Attorney Jung cracks a smile as does Geu Rami. The Judge says to Dong Il whether he’s punished or not, he is in court and should tell the truth. She asks if he understands this. He says he does. And so the Judge poses the same question asking if he’d said this to the plaintiff, and he says no, he didn’t. Geu Rami stands up and says to stop lying. The Judge orders her to sit down, and then asks Dong I if his older brother said this. Dong I says that everything about the inheritance law was never said, and everything Dong Il said was true. The Judge says she sees that the contents of the memorandum are disadvantageous for the plaintiff, but he will need proof to claim that this was an expression of will due to fraud and compulsion. She needs the evidence.
Afterwards, Dong I asks Dong Sam if he’s happy to have brought them to court and if he’s been blinded by his greed for money. Dong Il chimes in that if their parents saw this, they’d be so shocked, that they’d come back to life. These two brothers sicken me. The knucklehead brothers leave and Attorney Jung asks Dong Dad if there really isn’t any other evidence – threatening texts, phone call recordings, or even a witness who saw what happened. Dad says no there isn't, as they had just barged in out of the blue and pulled out the memorandum. Mom says maybe the head of the village, Jin Hyeok (who’d been there to help Dad with the roof) heard something, as he wouldn’t have left right away. His curiosity would’ve gotten the better of him.
Dong Dad and company return to Ganghwa Do to ask him about that day. Jin Hyeok did stop to tie his shoelaces and eavesdropped on their conversation on inheritance law. He asks Dad if he doesn’t watch TV, and how he was so easily fooled. Dad happily hugs him as everyone else cheers. For once, a small town’s ears are better than none. When Jun Ho, Young Woo and Geu Rami leave to return to Seoul, Geu Rami suddenly says that she’s staying with her parents tonight. Before Jun Ho leaves, she pulls him aside to tell him that Nakjo Village is 30 minutes from here, and it’s famous for sunsets. Jun Ho is confused. She clarifies that Nakjo Village is a famous date spot in Ganghwa Do. With a pointed look, she says she’s giving them privacy. Bestie approves! Jun Ho is baffled by this, so she says she’s rooting for him and he’s got this.
On the drive back, Jun Ho tells Young Woo that it’s his first time in Ganghwa Do. She says okay. He then asks if she has any plans for the rest of the day. She says that she doesn’t. He hesitates but then he comes right out and asks if she would like to go see the sunset. And now they’re at this beautiful spot by the water for the sunset. (~40:55) Now they’re walking along the shoreline, she tells him a whale that is frequently found in the Yellow Sea is the Indo-Pacific finless porpoise, and it lives in shallow waters. The porpoise has a stubby snout and has narrow bumps on its back. It’s cute because its face looks like it’s smiling. He asks if she’s ever seen a whale in person. To his surprise, she says no. He asks if she’s been to an aquarium. She turns around to look at him as she’s aghast at this suggestion. She says aquariums are like jails for whales. It’s like slavery for them as they are trapped in a small tank eating only frozen fish and putting on shows all year without any days off. He realizes that he’s asked the wrong thing now. She continues that dolphins, which have an average life expectancy of 40 years, can only survive for four years in an aquarium. 10% of its normal life expectancy. She then asks if he knows how huge the mental stress would be. He says he wasn’t aware. She turns back around and continues walking as he follows behind her.
She says that in the town of Daejeong, Seogwipo city, Jeju Island, one can frequently see Sampal, Chunsam, and Boksun swimming with baby dolphins. He asks about Sampal, Chunsam and Boksun. She replies that they’re Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins that have been released back into the sea of Jeju due to a Supreme Court ruling, after being trapped in an aquarium and being forced to perform shows. She then happily declares that one day, she will go see them. The two then stop to enjoy the sunset. He then asks why she is quitting and longer an attorney. He also says he was worried because she submitted her letter of resignation after the last case. He admits he’s kept thinking about the mistake his friend made when they were out investigating the scene of the incident and he felt bad.
WYW: Even when I’m working as Attorney Woo Young Woo, it feels as if I’m autistic Woo Young Woo in people’s eyes. He looks at her, as if he hurts for her. Autistic Woo Young Woo is the weakest link. If you have me on your side, you lose. It’s better if I’m not part of it at all.
LJH: I want to be on the same side as you, Attorney Woo. She looks at him in astonishment. I want an attorney like you to be on my side. She makes direct eye contact with him! He then smiles at her. She just blinks and then takes a deep breath to process this.
Back in Attorney Jung’s office, Min Woo asks if Attorney Woo will be given a penalty. Attorney Jung is surprised by this. Min Woo continues that she’s been on leave without notice, and she isn’t coming into the office. It’s making him uncomfortable to watch her only take on cases she wants without managing basic time and attendance. Attorney Jung says that’s understandable but this is just a temporary situation, because he didn’t process her letter of resignation yet. He’ll be processing it whichever way soon. Min Woo asks why he didn’t process it yet. He then chalks it up to giving her special treatment because she’s disabled. Attorney Jung interrupts him to say it’s not special treatment, as he thinks Attorney Woo is doing pretty well. The way she tenaciously hangs onto a case is great, and her way of thinking is creative. He then suggests if he [Min Woo] takes a close look, he’s sure he can learn something from her, as colleagues are supposed to learn from each other to grow. Min Woo can only say okay.
Back in court, Jin Hyeok is on the stand as Young Woo asks what happened that day he helped Dong Sam with the roof. He admits to being interrupted with the brothers barging in, and then he sat down to tie his shoelaces. When asked if he had overheard what the plaintiff and his brothers were talking about, he replies, no as he couldn’t hear them. The Dong brothers smirk at this. Young Woo asks if he couldn’t hear them. He says, no, as he was outside and they were all inside. Dong Dad is shocked while defense counsel and his brothers smirk at this. She says when he was about this before, he definitely said that he had heard them, so why is he changing his word now. He replies that at that time, it seemed like Dong Sam wanted him to say that he had overheard. Young Woo is forced to back down. Dong Il gives an approving nod to Jin Hyeok which is noticed by Dong Dad.
Afterwards, Young Woo and Geu Rami are at the latter’s work, the pub, and Geu Rami complains that only people who lie are alive in this beautiful ecosystem. Young Woo admits she didn’t expect people to lie in court and she should’ve found indisputable evidence before anything. Geu Rami asks how she could have found evidence that doesn’t exist, as it’s not like her parents recorded anything. Then she gripes loudly, it’s not like she can make the evidence. Young Woo has an epiphany: make evidence.
A drunk Geu Rami shows up to her grandfather’s memorial service with her parents in tow, and she’s still drinking from a bottle. She’s loudly yelling to her grandfather that his granddaughter is here. Her uncles are outraged and scold her for her outlandish behavior in this setting. So she starts deep bowing but she’s still laughing about it. Uncle Dong Il says that’s some uneducated behavior. Like father, like daughter. She replies that he’s the best, Uncle, and that she respects him so much. She then says he said that’s how the inheritance law is and how the law itself is. She goes on about what happened during the trial, and laughs maniacally about how he couldn’t recall what was said. She starts clapping and says, “Let’s live shamelessly like Dong Dong Il! That’s how you make five billion!” Dong I starts yelling and asking what she’s doing. She then says, “Big brother is right. I’m his dog.” And then she starts barking like one. Uh oh.
Dong Il finally yells at her father to get his daughter out of here. Dong Dad asks why, did she say anything wrong? Geu Rami tells her uncles that they did scam her father. They called him a farmer who doesn’t know anything but rice. They underestimated him and treated him like some brainless nincompoop. She continues yelling in front of their families, that the compensation is 10 billion, and they each take 5 billion and 3 billion. But her father is left with 260 million in debt. She asks what kind of nonsense law is this and gets in her Uncle Dong Il’s face about it, which provokes him to slap her. Her parents fret over her. And then her father asks Dong Il who he thinks he is? How dare he hit his daughter! Dong Il angrily asks if he just said “how dare you”? Dong Sam roars back “Yes, I did, you bastard!” Then he points at his two brothers and yells, “You call yourselves my brothers?” Dong I grabs him by the front of his jacket to shake him and asks what he’s doing during their father’s memorial. Geu Rami tries to separate them but then Dong Il gets in there and slaps Dong Sam and makes him land onto the memorial table. Dong Sam gets up and every time he gets back up, one of his brothers hits him. While everyone else is fighting, Dong Mom calls the cops to say that her brothers-in-law are beating up her husband and daughter.
Back in court, Dong Sam looks quite beaten up as he’s wearing a bandage around his head and on his face. The Judge asks if he’s injured and he says yes. And then the Judge inquires about Geu Rami’s injuries. Young Woo stands up and tells the Judge that she wishes to submit evidence and a written statement regarding the injuries of the two. As she’s approaching the bench, Min Woo comes in and sits down to watch the proceeding. Young Woo then announces that the defendants recently assaulted the plaintiff and his daughter, and they will need two weeks and week to make a full recovery, respectively. She is submitting the diagnosis of the plaintiff and his daughter, and the record of the call that was made to the police at that time as evidence. Defense counsel interjects that this trial is about the gift contract that was made between the plaintiff and defendants. He continues that the diagnosis and police call are irrelevant to this case. Young Woo responds that it’s not irrelevant.
There is one situation in which a gift can be legally canceled. Article 556, Paragraph 1, Item 1 of the civil law: When the recipient commits a crime against the giver or the giver’s immediate family, the giver can cancel the gift contract. The defendants, who are the recipients, assaulted the plaintiff, who is the giver, and Dong Geu Rami, his immediate family. It was done together by two people, so this falls under Article 2, Paragraph 2 which is the Act on Punishment of Violence, etc. Therefore, the plaintiff wishes to cancel the gift contract he has with the defendants. He wishes to keep the original purpose of the claim, which is cancellation of expression of will due to fraud and compulsion, but also add cancellation of the gift contract based on Article 556, Paragraph 1, Item 1 of the civil law as a primary purpose of the claim. Defense counsel objects to ask if the assault was perhaps induced aiming for cancellation of the gift. Young Woo asks if he has evidence to support his claim. Teehee! He has nothing to say to that. Attorney Jung smiles at this as does Min Woo. The Judge approves the change of the purpose of the claim and they will make the decision based on the newly added materials. Dong Il asks his attorney what’s going on, and he replies that they’re screwed. Dong Mom and Geu Rami quietly bump fists. Hehe. Dad looks back at them and Mom throws him a finger heart. Oh, stop it! XD Dad has a hint of a smile on his face now. Young Woo sits back down at the table and Attorney Jung tells her good job.
At Hanbada, Jun Ho is taking Young Woo to the main conference room, even though their meeting isn’t being held there. He tells her that there’s something he really wants to show her. So he opens the door for her, waits for her to do her countdown and then she runs inside to look at the amazing view of the city. He tells her that what he wants to show her is behind her. And so she turns around. And it’s like her heart stops for a second, and then she smiles with so much joy, as even her eyes are smiling. She’s beside herself at the sight of this massive black and white photograph of a blue whale. Awww. His 2nd gift! He listens well.
He stands next to her and goes to say something, but when he looks at her face, he stops as he sees the tears of joy welling up in her eyes. She’s so overcome with emotion as she just stares up at the whale, and so he doesn’t say anything. And there's a blue whale swimming by outside by their building. Perfect use of CGI.
The brothers come to Hanbada to meet with Dong Sam and Geu Rami. The brothers kneel on the floor before Dong Sam and apologize for what they’ve done. Dong Il admits that they may not look like it, but they’re not that well off as he’s still trying to pay off old debts, and Dong I lives paycheck-to-paycheck. Dong I cries and sniffles at this. Dong Il says when he heard that the compensation was in the billions…it’s hard to understand people’s feelings. The feeling of gratitude was gone in an instant, and he just felt like it was a waste – to split it with his brothers and pay the taxes. That’s why he orchestrated this horrible plan.
Dong Sam doesn’t say anything but Geu Rami looks at her father whose face remains impassive. Dong I tells Geu Rami that she must’ve been in so much pain and says that they’re sorry. She says, okay, sure. Her father finally tells his brothers to take a seat, and the two men get up and sit down across from them. Dong Sam says if they go by the law, then the ten billion is all his. His family wouldn’t have to worry about going through any more hardships and he can finally let his daughter live in luxury. She says in a whining tone, then let her, let her live in luxury. He smiles wryly and says he’s not like the two of them, as he won’t be greedy for what was not his in the first place. That’s what their late parents would want. So after paying the taxes, they’ll split the remainder equally amongst the three of them. His brothers thank him and say they’ll be forever grateful. Young Woo says after the taxes are deducted from the 10 billion won, everyone would receive 2 billion won each. She then distributes the agreements for all three of them to sign. As they’re signing, Geu Rami shows Young Woo the new tattoo on her right arm - the clause that saved her family from being screwed. Then she hugs Young Woo, who tolerates and even smiles through the hug. I'd still hold a grudge against them.
On a different day, Attorney Jung is awoken from his nap, by Young Woo’s knocking. She asks him if he’s processed her resignation. He says not yet, but he was about it. Sweet lie. She asks if starting today, if she can come back to work. With a stern face, he says “Yes, suit yourself.” She turns to leave and he tells her that she can’t take days off now. She used all of it with her absences. She says well, she couldn’t take days off in the first place, and then bows before leaving. She’s really smiling when she closes the door behind her! And then he finally smiles, too. He mutters that she always has the final say. Young Woo goes to her office and puts her name plate back on her office door and goes inside to cheerfully dance at her desk. So cute. Her joy = my joy!
Epilogue: A few months ago, when Attorney Han had gone to see Woo Dad…
Over beers, she mentions that his daughter had applied to Hanbada. He asks how she knows this. Then he says that Hanbada must be different as the CEO would even look at new employees’ applications. She admits that she was preoccupied at the time and they had rejected his daughter within that time. They didn’t recognize such a talent. She tells him to send her to Hanbada now. He asks why she wants her as she’s already been rejected once. He asks if their recruitment period isn’t over already. She says that her HR team made a mistake when she was preoccupied.
She then says if Hanbada doesn’t take in the attorney who graduated summa cum laude from SNU law school, and got a near-perfect score on the bar, who else would take her.
WGH: Seon Young. My daughter is smart, but she has autism. That’s why she hasn’t been hired by anyone for over six months since she graduated from law school.
HSY: I know. All the other law firms are making a mistake right now. He smiles tearfully at this.
He walks her out to her car and thanks her. On her ride home, she’s looking at a photo of Young Woo and says that she resembles her mother.
[Ep5] “Wild Card vs. Tactician”
[Ep6] “If I Were a Whale…”
[Ep7]“A Tale About Sodeok Dong I”
[Ep8]“A Tale About Sodeok Dong II”
Epilogue. The Jeongui Iibo reporter is doing a live broadcast of the residents dancing around the hackberry tree, as this tree in Sodeok Dong, Kiyoung, Gyeonghae Do has been designated as a natural monument. The Cultural Heritage Administration explained that this hackberry tree is not only great in its historic, scenic, and aesthetic nature but also in good condition in terms of growth, having an exceedingly high value as a natural monument. The residents of Sodeok Dong were in the middle of administrative litigation demanding Gyeonghae Do change the planned route for Haengbok Ro, claiming that it was designed to not only penetrate the town but also the tree. The focus is now on whether the court and Gyeonghae Do will listen to the voices of the residents with the announcement of the hackberry tree being designated as a natural monument.
Micro Recap: Young Woo gets tips on how to tell when someone is lying. Young Woo is forced to be competitive with Min Woo over their latest case involving ATM cassette security technology.
The Director is giving a pitch on the new Ihwa ATM, Model Name: WIAQ8521, which will be resistant against bank clerk (insider) embezzlement. There have been reports of 40 such cases resulting in damages exceeding more than ten billion won. The press always says it’s due to negligence in the management and supervision by the bank and that the system of inspection is the problem. The money is manually loaded into the cassette of the machine by an employee, but who knows how much cash actually goes into the machine or not. Ihwa ATM has created a new cassette which checks the amount by the weight of the paper money. So the employee would not only have to record what is loaded into the machine but they have to enter it onto the counter on the cassette. He demonstrates that if an employee has to load in 300 bills but only places in 299, the cassette door will not lock. It’s accurate enough to notice the exclusion of even one single bill.
A man asks the woman next to him if this isn’t the same thing as before. He then asks if that’s the strength of this product. The Director confirms it is. The man says that Geumgang uses this as well. Another man says that Leaders use it as well, and that the model was recalled last year. The Director says that it’s their technology and they developed it two years ago and applied for model utility rights, too. Yet another man asks if that’s like a patent. The Director says this isn’t technology that can be patented, but they worked very hard into designing this. The technology is enough to get model utility rights. (A utility model is a patent-like intellectual property right to protect inventions, which is available in many countries except for CA, UK and USA.) The woman then says that maybe the technology was leaked then and suggests that he look into whether or not another company stole what Ihwa developed. The first man says that what matters to the banks is cost. Whether it was copied or not, the same technology is also used in Geumgang’s ATMs and they’re cheaper, so they’re going to sign a contract with them.
Young Woo grabs a bottle of water from the work fridge and finds out from Soo Yeon that Min Woo didn’t tell her the ATM company case, and they’re supposed to be working together on it. As Soo Yeon continues that Attorney Jung was going to call her about it but Min Woo said that he would tell her about it, Young Woo has been struggling to open the bottle of water. Soo Yeon takes the bottle from her, opens it and hands it back to her. She then tells her what Min Woo’s nickname was: Tactician Kwon Min Woo. She tells her to be aware as it seems like Min Woo’s tactics have already begun as he didn’t tell her about the case they’re assigned to.
Young Woo goes to see Min Woo at his office and asks why he didn’t tell her about the case. He says he’s sorry as it must’ve slipped his mind. My foot slipped and it’s aiming towards his… So he overloads her arms with case materials, and implies that since she’s a genius, she’ll be up to speed in no time. He then drops a bomb on her: They’re meeting with the client today at 2 p.m. and uses the excuse that it slipped his mind again. It’s 1:55 now! They go meet Attorney Jung who asks if they’ve reviewed the materials. Min Woo replies that he’s managed to go over all of it. Poor Young Woo is trying to read whatever she can before going inside but to no avail.
When they go inside for the meeting, Attorney Jung introduces himself to Director Hwang Du Yong. Then Young Woo goes to introduce herself but is rudely cut off by Min Woo who just says her name and then introduces himself. Director Hwang and Min Woo get along as they trained at the same military unit site and even salute each other. Jun Ho enters the room to distribute the meeting materials. He is then asked if he trained in the marines, and he only says no. When Young Woo struggles to open her bottle of mulberry juice to join the men in a toast, Jun Ho notices and opens the bottle for her before leaving.
Case 5. Attorney Jung asks Director Hwang if he wishes to file for a sales ban injunction against Geumgang ATM. The Director explains that Ihwa ATM and Geumgang ATM are close rivals, like Hanbada and Taesan. Attorney Jung likens it to jjajangmyeon or jjamppong. Min Woo chimes in to pour the sauce or dip the sauce for tangsuyuk. Young Woo adds blue whales or humpback whales and is met with confusion. Insert whale sounds. Director Hwang mentions that a new player, Leaders, went out of business last year. So he’s hoping that the Geumgang people learn a lesson this time. They shouldn’t be taking the technology that they’ve worked really hard to develop. They’ve done this several times, including this cassette. Attorney Jung asks Young Woo what a cassette is and she rifles through the stack of materials in front of her to find the answer. Director Hwang goes to answer and Min Woo enthusiastically answers that it’s a container where the cash is put with a handle on the front. Director Hwang is very impressed by this. He says the cassette was developed by them, and they’ve applied for its model utility rights. But it hasn’t been registered yet as there were a lot of procedures to go through even after the application. Min Woo asks for more materials and asks to have them sent to him. After the client leaves, Attorney Jung says he’s going to be mentoring on the sidelines, so it’s her and Min Woo’s responsibility to work on this case. He then chides Young Woo for not knowing what a cassette was, and tells her to review the materials thoroughly. She can only say that she would – as Min Woo just watches and lets her take this. What a jerk.
Once Attorney Jung leaves, she tells Min Woo that she had a hard time because she didn’t receive the case materials beforehand. She tells him to share them with her without forgetting next time. He says no, why would he share materials with his competition. *facepalm* This petty little… He says that she’s really not getting her contract renewed then, because if she were, she wouldn’t have had all of those absences. She replies that she’s interested in having her contract renewed. He retorts with a smirk, so then they’re competitors, although it seems that he’s winning. Before he leaves, he points out that her business card is still on the table, and says she won’t be receiving the next batch of materials either. I want to punch something with his face on it.
In court, opposing counsel has provided materials to substantiate that Ihwa ATM’s application for model utility rights is false in action. They accuse Ihwa of plagiarizing this technology. In 2019, at an exhibition in Chicago, an American company presented an ATM with the same technology, and made it available to the public as open-source technology. Geumgang is accusing Ihwa of taking this technology and claiming it as their own, and applied for its model utility rights so no other companies can use it.
Young Woo argues that the two designs look similar but there is a clear difference. Ihwa’s cassette has a much more segmented sensor from measuring the weight of the bills than the American company’s. They didn’t copy the American company’s technology as is - but in fact, added new technology. Min Woo states that Geumgang made their cassette security device in 2021, while Ihwa ATM had already applied for model utility rights back in 2020. He then asks if Geumgang copied Ihwa’s technology.
Geumgang’s CEO states that Leaders is the original company who first used this technology after the exhibition in 2019. If one looks at Leaders product, it looks exactly like Ihwa’s. Unfortunately, Leaders has now folded after their products were recalled due to a defect, so there aren’t any Leaders’ products left in the market. So, there’s no evidence to substantiate Geumgang’s argument.
The Judge says it’s difficult to make a ruling on whether this technology was solely developed by Ihwa or if it’s a slight variation of technology that was already released based on these materials alone. Since more material is needed from all parties, they’ll reconvene at a later date.
Afterwards, Young Woo asks Director Hwang if Geumgang’s claims are true. But he leaves to answer an incoming call. Attorney Jung leaves, she asks Min Woo if they shouldn’t check the facts with the client. He replies that they can only check the facts if he tells them the truth. She asks if he thinks their client is lying. He says he’s not sure, and it could be that Geumgang is committing fraud. She argues that the direction of the defense depends on whether or not Ihwa developed the technology themselves, so they need to find out what the facts are. He tells her to go find out and he’ll do his own thing. But don’t interrogate the client about what the facts are or she’ll get him fired, too. Then he says, come to think of it, she never handles cases quietly. That time she was taken off a case, because she upset the Chairman of Sangjeong Pharmaceutical (Case 2). It’s not like she’s “Wild Card Woo Young Woo.” She gets angry enough to call him Tactician Kwon Min Woo. He’s surprised by this. But they’re interrupted by Geumgang CEO’s yelling. He’s telling Director Hwang to stop lying, and when the exhibition happened, everyone copied that technology. Director Hwang denies that this is true for Ihwa, and then accuses him of stealing their technology. the two men continue their heated argument. Min Woo asks Young Woo if she can even tell who is lying. She’s not able to.
Later, she’s playing a game of Cham Cham Cham with Geu Rami, involving a meat tenderizer ergo a makeshift gavel and a ramyeon pot. (Game play: Two players face each other and one player simply has to point left or right. If the other player turns their head in the same direction as the first player pointed in, the other player loses. And this case, the loser holds the pot on their head and suffer through a bang of the gavel.) Geu Rami flinches and turns in the same direction as where Young Woo points the gavel over and over at her. This is supposed to help Young Woo tell the difference between what’s true and false. When she questions Geu Rami’s method, she is then asked what her books told her. She says that if a person is lying, their body releases a chemical called catecholamine, which causes the tissues inside the nose to swell up. Pinocchio was actually a fairy tale based on facts. And if a person lies, their blood pressure rises, which stimulates the nerve tissues at the tip of the nose, making it feel itchy. Geu Rami yelps and says that hearing this makes her nose really itchy right now as she covers her nose with her hands. She then asks Young Woo, as she points to herself, if what she just said was true or false. Young Woo is thinking about it but looks confused. Geu Rami tells her to remember Cham Cham Cham and to look straight into the other person’s eyes. Young Woo replies that it is the most difficult thing in the world for someone with autism, as she doesn’t even make eye contact with Geu Rami. Geu Rami tells her to then look between their eyebrows – the area of truth. Then she’ll get a feeling – if what they’re saying is true, then she’ll get a feeling of it being true. Cham Cham Cham! And if they’re lying, she’ll get the feeling of it being a lie.
Geu Rami says that she’ll guess first and tells her to say anything that comes to mind. Young Woo says she doesn’t want to lose against Attorney Kwon Min Woo. Her bestie asks if Kwon Min Woo is the good-looking guy. Young Woo says no, not Lee Jun Ho. It’s Kwon Min Woo. With a knowing smile, Geu Rami says yes, not Lee Jun Ho. Kwon Min Woo. The good-looking guy. Heh, she already knows that Young Woo finds Jun Ho to be good looking…(~22:20) She then asks her what about Min Woo. Young Woo says she’s working on a case with him… and finally says that he’s a jerk. Geu Rami says that’s true, as she really wants to beat Min Woo right now. Young Woo confirms she really does.
Now it’s Young Woo to guess, so Geu Rami poses a question, Cham Cham Cham style with the gavel: “Lee Jun Ho likes Woo Young Woo.” Young Woo seems a bit flustered and asks her what that’s supposed to be. Geu Rami says she’s supposed to guess, as she [Geu Rami] knows the answer. Young Woo asks how she would know that. Geu Rami laughs and asks if they went to Nakjo Village or not. Young Woo nods and says that they did. Geu Rami repeats that Lee Jun Ho likes Woo Young Woo - true or false? Young Woo widens her eyes and actually makes eye contact with her but she doesn’t say anything. Girl is pondering.
Meanwhile, Min Woo and Jun Ho are playing basketball but they stop when Min Woo receives a call. It’s Attorney Jang and they talk about the case and Young Woo. Jun Ho overhears his roommate say that Attorney Woo had a disability - well, he meant a handicap. He claims that he has no choice but to shoulder certain things. Min Woo says there are people who make time to go do volunteer work so this is the least he could do. Jun Ho clenches his jaw at this, so when Min Woo gets off the phone, they’re back to playing on the court. Jun Ho is rough at keeping the ball away from him, and actually knocks him down to make his shot. When Min Woo gets up, Jun Ho pushes him down and sends him flying before making another shot. Finally, Min Woo whines, “What’s wrong with you? Hey! Come on, let’s play fair.” Jun Ho replies, “What? Play fair?” Then he throws the ball at him to say, “You play fair by yourself,” and then walks away from him. Min Woo is confused as to why he’s mad, when he was winning already.
Woo Dad is fairly busy at the restaurant but a new customer complains about how expensive (3,500 to 4,000 won) the gimbap is. He says the price is due to the cost of ingredients. She yells that gimbap is still gimbap. Nonetheless, she stays and angrily demands to have the table cleared for her. Young Woo finishes her meal and pulls out the gavel and asks her father if he thought that the woman is a rude customer. He looks at her and then the customer, who has overheard this question. Young Woo wants to know if she can tell if her father’s answer is true or not. The woman gets up and angrily yells if she just called her a rude customer, and she said that the gimbap is expensive because it is! She continues that she’s ruined her morning. You’ve ruined all of our mornings! Dad quickly apologizes and then the woman continues yelling to ask if she’s his daughter, and how he just used his daughter to talk bad about a customer. Dad denies that she’s his daughter, and while calling her ma’am, tells her to leave. Dad has a slight frown between his eyebrows but Young Woo is confused as she continues holding her gavel. She finally says yes, ahjussi, gives a bow and then leaves. She was able to lie!
As he’s driving them to Ihwa’s headquarters, Jun Ho tells Young Woo about a former colleague, who was a former detective. He would always say, “The most honest part of the human body are the legs and then the hands.” Apparently, the further things are from the head, the more difficult it is to fully control. One can fake a facial expression, but it’s hard to control shaky legs or sweaty palms. If someone is sitting down like they’re ready to bolt out of the room, or has their arms stuck to their body as if they’re tied to the chair, as he demonstrates with his arm straight at his side. He continues or if they keep stroking their thighs with their hands. All those things could be signs of lying. She replies that Geu Rami told her to look between people’s eyebrows, and this former detective said the legs and hands are the most important. She asks if she has to look at the entire body as this is quite difficult. He suggests that she try to have a casual conversation and trust her instincts. She says that her instincts suck as people with autism are easily fooled and are not able to lie. If there was a competition for someone to be fooled, a person with autism would win. He asks why is that - is it because people with autism are innocent? She says people live in a world made of her and him, but people with autism are more used to living in a world made up of only her. People can think differently from her or have different intentions and trick her. She can understand this with her head but she keeps forgetting. She has to make a conscious effort at all times to not be fooled by lies. What a quandary for someone in law. And it’s no wonder she loves law, yet at the same time, law is about one’s interpretation, too! He looks at her and then gives a rueful smile before saying that these stories help. She says they do? He says yes, as they help him understand her. Their faces here.
When they arrive at Ihwa, before they leave the car, he asks her if they should practice. So he’ll be Director Hwang and she can ask him questions and determine if his answers are true or not. So she pulls out the gavel from her bag and he’s not sure what to think about the gavel. Ha. She says she’ll try in the spirit of Cham Cham Cham, and then she looks him in the eyes (or at least in that area), and asks him, “Lee Jun Ho likes Woo Young Woo. Is this true?” O_o He’s speechless as he looks at her for a moment before he slowly replies, “That… is too hard of a question, for Director Hwang Du Yong to answer.” She agrees to say it was a practice question. But they continue looking at each other. She’s making eye contact with him! (~30:00)
Min Woo meets with a man about the cassette security device and shows him a picture on his phone. The man asks if it’s Ihwa’s. Min Woo says that he’s aware that Leaders had made a similar cassette. The man replies more like it’s the same one. Min Woo asks if that was made with open-source technology. The man says that they really worked hard back then to be number one in the industry. The exhibition had been held in April 2019, and they were already trying to manufacture the product in October that year. But he regrets overdoing it now as they pushed themselves too hard. They stayed up every night to keep the factory running but they made one crucial mistake – there was an error in bill recognition. And so the new product that they worked so hard to prepare was all refunded and eventually, the company went under. Min Woo asks if there are no Leaders products left in the market at all. The man says that they were all disposed of.
Now Jun Ho and Young Woo are meeting with Director Hwang, who has sustained injuries to his right leg, left hand and across his face - including the area between his eyebrows. Omo! He says he was in a car accident. Jun Ho asks if he should be working in this condition, and he replies that he’s fine. Poor Young Woo is quite flustered by his injuries, which are absolutely preventing her from telling if he’s lying now. Director Hwang says he’s in charge of sales, so their questions about product development would be better directed to someone else. He introduces them to Manager Bae Seong Cheol of Ihwa’s R&D lab.
Young Woo notices that nervous-looking Manager Bae’s arms appear to be stuck to his sides and he’s unable to maintain direct eye contact with her or Jun Ho. When she asks when he came up with the cassette security device, he stammers out the end of 2019. She then asks if there was an incident that made him come up with this. He asks “incident”? Jun Ho clarifies that he knows that Ihwa didn’t just take the American team’s technology but that they developed it themselves, but there are others who are suspicious. Young Woo also notices that Manager Bae is rubbing his hands on his thighs. Jun Ho continues saying if the occasion or its process is more specific, it has more credibility why Attorney Woo must’ve asked. Manager Bae struggles to answer the question, and Director Hwang chides him for being shy. Director Hwang says that Manager Bae was a theatre actor before working here. Manager Bae finally cracks a smile.
When Young Woo asks him if he attended the American exhibition in 2019, he promptly drops his smile and starts rubbing and scratching his nose which has suddenly turned red. Director Hwang chides her for acting like a prosecutor. I don’t like these two guys. Since she’s interrogating them like this, it makes them feel like they’ve become the suspects. He asks if she’s on their side. Director Kwon then answers a call from Min Woo, and puts him on speakerphone. Min Woo tells him that he’s met with the man whose number he gave him. He then says he confirmed with him that their products were all refunded and disposed of, so none of their products can be found on the market. Min Woo says that he has nothing to worry about and no matter how much Geumgang wants to nitpick, they have nothing to bring as evidence. Director Hwang looks happy to hear this while Manager Bae is exhibiting signs of worry. They hang up the call and Director Hwang asks Young Woo if they can stop this interrogation as Attorney Kwon said not to worry. This is the most ridiculous and possibly unprofessional way to work a case - two attorneys from the same firm with little communication with each other and then giving the client conflicting viewpoints. And it's totally Min Woo's fault.
After he hangs up the call, Young Woo says that it’s good that Geumgang won’t have any evidence to submit – but they still need to substantiate that their [Ihwa’s] claim is the truth. She continues if Manager Bae gives a testimony on the development process himself, she’s sure it’ll have a positive effect. He’s surprised that she wants him to be a witness. Director Hwang asks if this idea was approved by all the other attorneys as well. He then grabs his phone and says that he’ll ask Attorney Kwon. Young Woo replies that this case is an injunction hearing, so the jargon is a bit different. Obligee instead of plaintiff, obligor instead of defendant, reference witness instead of witness. She reluctantly says that the reference witness doesn’t swear in. In layman’s terms, even if he commits perjury, he won’t be punished for it. Interesting. She tells Manager Bae that it’ll look like he’s lying if he strokes his thighs, as he continues to stroke his thighs. Studies have shown that the jury doesn’t like it when the witness’ hands are hidden under the stand. There isn’t a jury in an injunction case, but the judge wouldn’t trust a reference witness who hides their hands either. Manager Bae finally sits his hands flat on the table but then he clenches his hands before he starts scratching his nose again. She tells him most importantly, don’t rub the tip of his nose as he’ll look like Pinocchio whose catecholamine (a type of neurohormone; stress response) was released. Director Hwang is pleased that she’s coaching him and tells Manager Bae to write this down. She tells him since he was a theatre actor, she’ll expect him to be good at this. Director Hwang is happy about this but Jun Ho notices that Young Woo looks more worried than anything else.
Back in court, Young Woo introduces Manager Bae as the reference witness as Geu Rami slips into the courtroom with a direct view of Min Woo. She mistakenly waves at him when he nods at Manager Bae to signal him to go up to the stand. Girl, drop this crush. Young Woo asks Manager Bae to introduce himself, and he seems quite calm and collected as he does so. She then asks him about the key technology of Ihwa’s current machine - the cassette with the security device. He says that he developed it with his own two hands and raises his hands. He says it was the winter of 2019, on an extremely cold day in November. When asked if there was a particular incident that motivated him to develop it, he replies that that winter, there were many cases of ATMS being rigged for embezzlement. So they received some orders from higher-ups requesting the creation of a new cassette. The blood and tears of the people in Ihwa’s R&D team went into this cassette. Until the day they filed for the model utility rights for the cassette security device in October 2020, they toiled tirelessly. Geumgang’s CEO slams his clenched fist on the table and asks if he’s putting on some kind of play. He yells that they know they took someone else’s technology. The Judge tells him to not interrupt as he’ll have a chance to speak later.
Young Woo asks Manager Bae if he attended the Chicago exhibition in 2019. Manager Bae’s red nose is twitching like a rodent’s, and he shakes from trying to not scratch it but he ultimately puts his hand over his face and starts sobbing uncontrollably. Geumgang’s CEO scoffs at this display. Manager Bae says calmly, “Your Honor. Ihwa ATM is a very small company. There are only five people in the R&D team. Those five people put their heads and hearts together and researched and developed for days.” Then his voice quivers as he says, “It’s such a waste of our efforts for us to be framed for taking someone else’s technology. People all think similarly, so similar products may be released around similar times. However…” He then starts sobbing as he says, “...to lie about another’s technology? We’re not the kind of company to lie about having developed something ourselves. Neither Director Hwang, who is sitting over there, nor I would ever do such a thing.” Young Woo notices the frown lines above his eyebrows. Geumgang’s CEO says passionately, “It still takes days and nights of working and to take and use someone else’s technology. It’s always like that!” The Judge tells him that they’re in the middle of questioning the reference witness, so… Geumgang’s CEO then stands up and yells, “This is a show, not a questioning!” He says that he’s going through every junk shop to find evidence that will reveal their outrageous lie. Manager Bae remains looking tearful on the stand as Geumgang’s CEO continues saying if only he can find one of the cassettes made by Leaders… The Judge asks if he’s found it, and he admits that he’s looking all over the country. So the Judge tells him to talk after he finds it and to sit down for now. Young Woo is done with her questions and goes to sit down. Attorney Jung tells them that they’ve done a good job, and Min Woo immediately takes full credit for preparing the reference witness’s interrogation. *rolling eyes*
At Hanbada, Director Hwang goes to Young Woo’s office to tell her that the injunction was decided - all production and sales by Geumgang have been banned. He thanks the attorneys at Hanbada for this and hands her a large bag. She pulls out what's inside -- it’s a painting of a sunflower. He excitedly says it's to bring in more wealth — make more and more money, the way a sunflower grows taller and taller. Ick. He then looks for a spot to hang the painting, and actually removes the Attorney’s Code of Ethics on her wall, because she must have it memorized by now. O_o Who does this?! He hangs up the sunflower in its place and says “Take in all this energy and get rich!” Luckily, someone knocks on her door and gives her the mail, so Director Hwang leaves. How does one shake off slime?
Young Woo goes through her mail and finds a letter from Geumgang’s CEO, Oh Jin Jong. She quickly runs to Attorney Jung's office but he's not there. So she goes to Min Woo's office, and immediately asks him if he’s received a letter. He hasn’t, and so she hands him the letter.
Please read this, Attorney Woo.
As I repeatedly said before, that technology was developed by an American company and was made public at the exhibition. Both Geumgang and Ihwa took it to make products. Then Ihwa ATM submitted for model utility rights because they wanted to monopolize it.
Why are you disregarding the truth? If the ban on production and sales is prolonged with this injunction, Geumgang, which is smaller than Ihwa, will be out of business soon.
Do you want to be a competent attorney who only wins in court? Or do you want to be an honorable attorney who reveals the truth?
As they’re going over the letter, we see that Geumgang’s facilities are full of new machines just sitting there. They’re receiving numerous phone calls about the ban of sales and production. The investors are about to descend upon them, as they’re outside banging on the doors and demanding answers. The employees are telling the CEO to leave but he just stays and waits for them to enter.
Min Woo’s response to the letter is only to ask why he didn’t receive a letter from him. So petty. Young Woo says if this letter is true, shouldn’t they do something about it? He asks, like what? They pleaded the client’s position well and got them the injunction they wanted, so what more should they do? Young Woo says again if the letter is true – but Min Woo cuts her off and asks when she’s going to stop talking about whether something is true or false. He asks if she didn’t visit Ihwa’s headquarters to figure that out. She asks what if they should show this letter to the people at Ihwa and persuade them to apply for revocation of the injunction. He doesn’t see the point. She asks again what if the letter is true. He asks where is her evidence. Then he tells her if she can’t trust the client, then she shouldn't have taken on the case. When he calls her Wild Card Woo Young Woo, she yells at him to not call her that. She asks if he likes being called Tactician Kwon Min Woo. He says that she’s the tactician here. He brings up that she coached the reference witness, as the questions and responses seemed quite scripted. He asks her to be honest, and if she thought the witness was telling the truth. She looks at the sunflower painting on his wall. He continues saying she helped him sound like he was speaking the truth because she thought he wasn’t, and that’s exactly what using tactics is. If she decided to trust the client, then stick to it. She owes that to the client as an attorney. She leaves his office and slowly walks out of there and is spotted by Attorney Jung, who asks what it was that she had called him about earlier. She grips the letter in her hand as she tells him that she had something to ask him earlier but now she doesn’t. Aww. She’s scared. She goes back to her office and looks at the sunflower on her wall. She finally puts the letter away in her desk drawer.
Later, Young Woo sets a tray across from Soo Yeon, who is surprised to see her eating from the cafeteria. Young Woo says that gimbap was on today’s dinner menu as she puts her gimbap pieces into very neat rows. Soo Yeon says that she should tell her whenever they’re serving gimbap from now on. When she struggles to open her bottle of water, Soo Yeon quickly does it for her. She then brings up her calling Min Woo by his nickname. Young Woo replies this is only because he called her Wild Card Woo Young Woo and it's not her nickname. Soo Yeon then asks her to make one for her. She then cutely suggests Babyface Choi Soo Yeon with her chin resting on her hands or Most Beautiful Choi Soo Yeon with one hand cupping her face. Young Woo curtly says no as those aren’t her. Soo Yeon asks what she is then. Young Woo replies that she’s like the spring sunshine. Soo Yeon is surprised by this. Young Woo continues that she’s thought so ever since they were in law school, as she had told where the lecture hall was, when class was canceled, and when the test material changed. She tried to stop the other students from making fun of her or bullying her. Even now, she opens her water bottles for her, telling her that she’ll let her know when they serve gimbap again. She sees her as a bright, warm, kind and sweet person. She’s Spring Sunshine’s Soo Yeon. Soo Yeon is surprised and her eyes tear up as she's touched by this. So sweet! Min Woo interrupts their meal to ask Young Woo if she knows that Geumgang filed an appeal for the injunction, and now they’re saying there should be an on-site verification at a bank. Geumgang’s CEO may have found something after going through the country’s various junk shops.
At the bank, they're all standing around a Leaders ATM. They compare the cassette from this ATM with Ihwa's. The number pad and the weight measuring sensor for the bills is inside at the bottom for both machines. The two cassettes are identical-looking, and the interior design is the same as well. Ihwa ATM applied for the model utility rights in October 2020, and Leaders made this product in October 2019. Novelty is the most important factor in the application of model utility rights, as it can’t be the same as prior technology. Therefore, Ihwa is not qualified to acquire model utility rights for this technology. Geumgang requests that the Judge revoke the injunction prohibiting production and sales that have been issued to Geumgang.
Afterwards, Attorney Jung tells Director Hwang that the injunction will likely be invoked. Director Hwang doesn’t seem too bothered by this. Then Attorney Jung tells him that the possibility of the model utility rights not passing the evaluation seems high as well. Again, the Director takes this in stride. Attorney Jung is surprised by his response and asks if he’s all right. Director Hwang says he’s fine as when the injunction was issued, he had completed most of the supply contracts with the banks. So even if it’s revoked, it won’t affect them much. Young Woo asks if this was his plan the whole time. She asks about him developing the technology with his own hands but Min Woo interrupts and tells Director Hwang that he’s glad he’s fine, and they’re only a little bit worried because Geumgang won the trial. Director Hwang says winning the battle doesn’t matter, as they lost the war. He says that Geumgang’s CEO probably already knows that Ihwa has won all the contracts so he’s mad and dragging it out to the end. He then gleefully says that this one should hurt quite a bit. He wonders if Geumgang will be following the path of Leaders. With a smile, he thanks them for doing an amazing job. He totally used them. After he leaves, Young Woo stares at Geumgang’s CEO with tears in her eyes for a moment before walking away.
Young Woo is organizing the drinks in the fridge at work when Jun Ho greets her. She woefully says into the fridge that she helped Ihwa take advantage of the law. He’s confused. She continues that applying for the model utility rights, and filing for the injunction were all lies to monopolize the contract. Instead of stopping them, she helped them. He sighs at this. She says what’s worse is that she thinks she already knew that. She finally closes the fridge door and turns around to face him and says, “When we visited Ihwa ATM, did you think Director Hwang and Manager Bae were speaking the truth?” He thinks about this but she interrupts to say that there’s no way he did. She tells him to try to remember what Manager Bae was like at the time. Sitting down with his legs looking he was ready to bolt out of the room, arms stuck to the side of his body, repeatedly stroking his thighs and even rubbing the tip of his nose. He was a lie in and of itself. In the end, she fooled herself, pretending not to know the truth when she did. Because she wanted to win. She starts crying and says she’s ashamed as she hangs her head. Jun Ho walks a step closer to her and reaches out with one hand but he stops himself from touching her. He can only watch and listen to her heartbreaking tears. :(
When Young Woo returns to her office, she pulls out the letter from its drawer. She pulls down the sunflower painting and tapes up the letter from Geumgang’s CEO instead. These words stand out to her: Do you want to be a competent attorney who only wins in court? Or do you want to be an honorable attorney who reveals the truth?
Epilogue: Attorney Tae is a running candidate for Minister of Justice. However, they're looking into every aspect of her life, and there are rumors circulating about her giving birth to a child out-of-wedlock. When Administrator Kim from the Office of the Secretary asks her about this rumor, she maintains her composure as she denies having any illegitimate children.
Micro Recap: Young Woo and Soo Yeon work together on a public interest case involving a North Korean defector. Jun Ho ponders the answer to Young Woo's question.
At the Gureum Orphanage, a woman holding a sleeping child in her arms is being asked her name. She says it’s Gye Hyang Sim, and when asked about her daughter’s name, it’s Gye Ha Yun. The woman says that she’s sleeping so hard even though it’s in the middle of the day. Gye Hyang Sim says that’s because she gave her medicine, so she won’t fight being separated from her. When she asks for her address, Gye Hyang Sim says firmly that she’s not abandoning her daughter. She says they can’t put her up for adoption as she’ll be back for her. The woman still needs an address, and Gye Hyang Sim adamantly says that she’s only leaving her here temporarily because she might have to go to the correctional labor camp – prison. She goes back to hugging her sleeping daughter. The woman asks if she’s a North Korean defector. Gye Hyang Sim with tears in her eyes, says don’t discrimination Ha Yun because she’s a North Korean defector’s daughter or be mean to her because she’s the daughter of a criminal. She’ll be back for her no matter what.
As she leaves the orphanage, her daughter wakes up crying for her mother. She tells her daughter that she’ll be back for her. Her daughter tearfully screams after her to not leave, as the lady at the orphanage holds her back. Her mother tearfully bows and turns her back on her sobbing daughter as she walks away.
At Hanbada, Young Woo knocks on the conference room door and Attorney Jung comes out to meet her outside. He tells her that Attorney Choi [Soo Yeon] has a public interest case. A North Korean defector charged with injury resulting from robbery.
JMS: But how should I put this? I think Attorney Choi is overly passionate. Young Woo is trying to understand his point. It seems she’s overly empathizing with the defendant. So I was thinking you could take on the case with her and stop her, like “whoa, whoa.”
WYW: Like “whoa, whoa”?
JMS: Yes, so cool down Attorney Choi so that she doesn’t treat this case emotionally. Like this. He raises his arms up at chest-level and then brings them down in front of her, and he slowly repeats this motion. Whoa, whoa.
WYW repeats the motion: Whoa, whoa.
JMS: Yes, like that. Waves his arms. Whoa, whoa.
WYW: Whoa, whoa. Waves her arms in a similar fashion. They do this together for a moment.
JMS: Make her relax. Whoa… Some people walk by and watch them. He then moves his hands to one side. All right, get going.
WYW: Whoa… Still moving her arms.
JMS: Cool her down. Whoa, whoa. He returns into conference room.
WYW: Whoa, whoa. These two are quite a pair. lol (~4:39)
Young Woo goes to Soo Yeon’s office and it’s a state of disarray – there are stacks of papers everywhere, food wrappers, etc. Soo Yeon is wearing a neon yellow-green sweatshirt with her fuzzy pajama pants and her bangs in a huge pink curler as she’s reviewing documents at her desk. Young Woo asks if she did not come to work, or did not go home? Soo Yeon tiredly replies, “‘Go home’? What does that mean? Is it like having a life after work? The thing that only exists in fantasies and not in real life?” Young Woo doesn’t really know what to say to that and can only look around uncomfortably. Soo Yeon asks about her, and if she doesn’t have a lot of work. Young Woo says that she has a lot of work as her wrists hurt because she typed for more than ten hours yesterday. She already has austism and at this rate, she’ll end up with carpal tunnel syndrome, too. Soo Yeon says that she’s started growing white nose hairs from not sleeping, and then she removes the curler from her hair. She then starts removing her sweatshirt to change into something else. Young Woo turns her back to her and tells her that she’s on the public interest case with her, the North Korean defector case. Soo Yeon says oh, Hyang Sim Eonni’s case? Young Woo is confused. Soo Yeon says the defendant’s name is Gye Hyang Sim, and she’s met her once and she’s really cool. She’s like a tough older sister. Young Woo tells her that Attorney Jung thinks she’s overly passionate about the case, and overly empathizing with the defendant. She then says that he told her to “whoa, whoa” her, and she starts doing the waving movement with her arms as she’s repeating “whoa, whoa.” Soo Yeon laughs and then asks her if she’s been to the detention center before. Young Woo says that she hasn’t been to one yet. Soo Yeon tells her to hurry and request visitation so they can go meet Hyang Sim.
At the detention center, after Soo Yeon introduces Young Woo as the attorney who will be working on the case with her, Young Woo introduces herself quite loudly. Hyang Sim thinks she said her name is Woo Hyang Woo. Young Woo tries to correct this but Soo Yeon suggests that they all sit down first. She then asks how she’s doing in here as it must be difficult. Hyang Sim says they feed her and put a roof over her head – this is like a hotel. She just misses her daughter, Ha Yun, and that breaks her heart. Young Woo says she’s heard that she’s a North Korean defector and asks her why doesn’t use the dialect. Hyang Sim, taking this in stride, says Comrade Woo Hyang Woo, that it’s been a while since she defected, so why would she ask such a thing. She then exclaims that detention centers in South Joseon look like hotels! She asks if she has to speak like this to be a North Korean defector, which makes Soo Yeon smile and Young Woo immediately apologizes.
Since it’s Young Woo’s first time, Soo Yeon says they’ll start at the beginning of her case. She asks if she and the victim, Lee Sun Yeong know each other before the incident. Hyang Sim says no, as Lee Sun Yeong isn’t a North Korean defector nor was there a reason for them to cross paths. The day she went to get the money was her first time meeting her, and she only got to know her because her Mom had told her about her. Young Woo asks if the mother she mentioned was North Korean defector broker, Choi Yeong Hui. Hyang Sim replies that she’s not her real mother but her foster mother and they all call her Mom. She ruefully says, if only Mom had paid back the money she borrowed from her.
Case 6. Five years ago, Hyang Sim had asked “Mom” for the ten million won she borrowed from her. Rather than paying her back directly, Mom had told her that Lee Sun Yeong had money to give to her, and Hyang Sim could get it from Lee Sun Yeong instead. Hyang Sim confirms that the ten million won debt Lee Sun Yeong owed Mom was transferred over to her and Jeong Hui. Young Woo asks if she’s referring to her accomplice, Kim Jeong Hui. Hyang Sim asks Comrade Woo Hyang Woo, does her head hurt because there are too many people involved? Young Woo says no. Soo Yeon asks if she was friends with Kim Jeong Hui. She replies that they weren’t really friends, as they only came to know each other through her mother. She calls her a friend, as she’s also a North Korean defector like her and they’re of the same age. Soo Yeon asks if she had intended to split the money with her once Lee Sun Yeong gave it to her. Hyang Sim says the problem was why would she just hand them the money that she didn’t even give to Mom. This whole thing sounds fishy to me.
So to look like people who couldn’t be taken advantage of, the two women had decided to barge into Lee Sun Yeong’s house armed with a stick and a brick to demand for the money. Lee Sun Yeong’s face was already covered in bruises and cuts, but she’s confused about the demand for money. Kim Jeong Hui got angry and broke a glass table with the stick in her hand, and yelled that she pocketed Mom’s ten million won and hasn’t paid it back. Hyang Sim had slammed down the brick and then asked where she hid the money. She asked if it was in the room behind her. Lee Sun Yeong had run to close the door, and then had gotten down on her knees and said that she was in a difficult spot. She begged for them to let it go just this once. Kim Jeong Hui had started smashing more things inside the house and even cursed at her. She had then yelled if she thought that they were doing this because their situation was any better. Hyang Sim told Lee Sun Yeong to step aside. The three women then started fighting, rolling around on the floor, and yelling so loudly that the woman living downstairs had called the cops. Lee Sun Yeong was heard yelling that she didn’t have the money over and over.
The police had come because the landlady who lived below the victim had reported it. Kim Jeong Hui and Hyang Sim were arrested then and there. Hyang Sim admits that they really didn’t beat her up that much, but when the police saw the shattered glass, the stick rolling around and a stone brick, it must’ve looked pretty serious. Young Woo interjects to say that at the time, she had applied for a jury trial with Kim Jeong Hui, who had received a four-year sentence for injury resulting from robbery, but Hyang Sim had fled before the trial. She asks why she had fled. Hyang Sim says four years and realizes that Kim Jeong Hui must be out now. Soo Yeon says yes, probably. Young Woo persistently asks why she ran away. Hyang Sim replies that Kim Jeung Hui doesn’t have any kids, but she has a daughter, who was three years old at the time. If she’d been sent to the correctional labor camp, her daughter would’ve been abandoned. As she’s a North Korean defector, they have no one. She admits that Mom isn’t her real mother, and her friend isn’t her real friend. Ha Yun’s father died in a car accident soon after she was born. Without her, there wouldn’t have been anyone to take care of her daughter.
Soo Yeon asks where her daughter is now. Hyang Sim says she’d been left at an orphanage. Then she went to the police station. Young Woo asks why couldn’t she have left her at the orphanage five years ago? Hyang Sim says if she’d left her then, she would’ve forgotten about her as she was too young then. :( She’s eight now, so when she goes back to get her, she’ll remember her mother. Young Woo asks if she ran away so she could raise her until she reached an age where she could remember her mother? Hyang Sim says yes, and now Ha Yun has to attend school, so she can’t keep living as the daughter of a fugitive. It’s only right that she hurry up and goes to prison and then returns. Young Woo says like a whale mother. The maternal instincts of a whale are known for their devotion. They have to be, because there aren’t that many safe places in the ocean to raise babies.
Soo Yeon asks how she got by after she ran away. Hyang Sim said that she cleaned at a motel, and lived in the spare room with Ha Yun. She starts tearing up and says that she feels bad for her daughter, as other kids went to kindergarten and daycare centers while her daughter was stuck in a motel room all day because she was her mother. Young Woo says she’s sure that she was happy because she was with her mother. Hyang Sim is comforted by this as she wipes at her tears. She asks Soo Yeon if she gets a four-year sentence like Kim Jeong Hui, if she’d come visit at least once. She knows that she’s busy but she wants to know if she should come just once with Ha Yun. Young Woo suddenly stands up and slams her hand on the table. She then yells, “Don’t be so weak-minded! There will be no four-year sentence.” The two other women are quite surprised by this outburst. So much for Attorney Jung’s idea of having her “whoa, whoa” Soo Yeon. lol BTW, this totally crosses the line in “promising” an outcome to the client…
Now Young Woo and Soo Yeon are in Attorney Jung’s office. Young Woo passionately declares that “Ms. Gye Hyang Sim must get probation!” as she slams her hands onto Attorney Jung’s desk. She's fired up! Soo Yeon says with a raised first that they will do everything in their power to get the defendant probation. Even Young Woo joins her with a raised fist! Attorney Jung deadpans that that was passionate. Then he asks if the defendant has some kind of irresistible charm, because it seems that everyone she encounters becomes so heated. He then asks Young Woo what happened to the “whoa, whoa” mission. XD She doesn’t say anything but looks up towards the ceiling. He continues that defending this charge is as difficult as defending murder. He asks if they know why. Soo Yeon says because the statutory penalty is high, and it’s a life sentence or at least seven years of imprisonment for robbery. Then he asks what the maximum amount that can be reduced at the judge’s discretion. Young Woo replies that mitigation of punishments in extenuating circumstances cannot exceed the range of statutory mitigation, and with a fixed sentence, it is limited to half of the term of imprisonment, so at least 3 years and 6 months. Attorney Jung says to get probation, the sentence has to be less than three years. So if they don’t find reasons for not only mitigation in extenuating circumstances but also statutory mitigation to get it reduced even more, they won’t be able to get probation. That’s why they say injury resulting from robbery always ends up with prison time. And on top of that, the defendant had run away, so that could lead to additional punishment.
The two defendants’ issues are almost identical. So it’s as if Hyang Sim has already had her trial. Since Kim Jeong Hui has claimed everything that could be claimed, and everything that could be dismissed has already been dismissed, and after going to trial, she ended up with the four-year sentence. Young Woo says that Hyang Sim testified that she only held onto the victim’s clothes and hit her a couple of times. She asks what if they claim that this can’t be legally seen as bodily harm. He then shows her the photos of the victim’s injuries. Soo Yeon says that they seem too severe as the defendant has a small frame, and her accomplice might be a bit bigger, but even so, the two women hit her with their bare hands. They were also arrested by the police not long after they had arrived, so they wouldn’t have had much time to cause injuries that severe. I had wondered. Young Woo takes a closer look at the photos. Attorney Jung agrees that it’s necessary to look into what really happened. Soo Yeon says that they plan on meeting with Kim Jeong Hui’s defense counsel as there could be something from the earlier trial that they had missed. Attorney Jung agrees but stresses that time is the most important resource to an attorney. He cautions them to balance it so they’re not spending all of their time on this one case. Both women agree but Young Woo leaves first. Attorney Jung tells Soo Yeon to “whoa, whoa” her as he points at Young Woo’s retreating back. LOL
At home, Min Woo and Jun Ho have been drinking and a drunk Jun Ho says he’s going to tell him a story.
LJH: There’s this person. There’s a person. And I think I’m making that person think that I don’t like that person.
KMW: When you actually do like the person?
LJH nodding: Yes.
KMW: What’s the matter? Just tell the person how you feel.
LJH continues drinking and then sighs: But… it’s not that simple.
KMW: Why? Is it an office romance? Jun Ho looks at him in surprise. Hey. What is there to worry about when you’re the most popular guy at Hanbada? Jun Ho sighs at this. Hey, Jun Ho. Just give them each a number first. Number one, two, and three. And date all of them in order. *facepalm*
LJH: You’re talking nonsense. Forget it. I’m not talking to you. Hand me the bottle. He picks up a bottle.
KMW smiling: Is the person an attorney?
LJH: Hey. Does that matter? It’s just someone who I see often.
KMW: Goodness! She’s in litigation? Jun Ho doesn’t look happy. Geez, let me see… It can’t be Woo Young Woo.
LJH yells: Gosh! I told you to forget it! You. You know what? You’re an idiot. You’re an idiot who’s only focused on who it is. He gets up from the floor to lay down on the couch. Forget it. Just go to sleep.
KMW whining: I’m just trying to help you. But I can only help if I know who it is. He lays down on the floor next to the couch. Hey, tell me. Jun Ho. I actually know everything though. I can see what’s going on. Choi…Jun Ho’s eyes remain open as he’s rubbing his head and thinking. (~18:55) Oh, I guess her question got to him. Think, smitten guy!
Soo Yeon and Young Woo wait to see Attorney Kwon Ju Ho, who handled Kim Jeong Hui’s case. They watch him being dismissive to his client, a homeless man who reeks and carries all of his belongings in his arms, and asks for change for the ride home. Kwon Ju Ho replies why would he need that when he doesn’t have a home and gives him a condescending pat on the back to send him on his way. After the client leaves, Soo Yeon and Young Woo approach him to discuss Kim Jeong Hui and Gye Hyang Sim’s cases from five years ago. He recalls that Gye Hyang Sim had disappeared and is surprised that she’s resurfaced. He admits that he might not be of any help as it’s a case from five years ago so he doesn’t really remember much. He admits that as public defenders, they take on so many cases that it’s like they work on cases just to get them out of the way. He says this was a smile. Soo Yeon asks, doesn’t that make him wish he had done something, or perhaps something he wanted to look into or things that he had no choice but to pass over. He says that he’s not sure. Young Woo says that Gye Hyang Sim’s frame is on the smaller side, and asks how was Kim Jeong Hui’s? He replies from what he recalls, they were both small. Soo Yeon shows him the pictures taken of the victim at the time of the incident and asks if he remembers. She asks if the injuries appear to be too severe to have been caused by two small women in such a short period. The victim has an injury in her head under her hair, left eye is bruised, lacerations on the left cheek and her lip appears split on the left side. She also has red marks around the left side of her neck.
Attorney Kwon admits that she’s right but does she know that the evidence that is most difficult to flip in a criminal trial is a doctor’s diagnosis. Most of the diagnoses used in criminal trials are clinical speculation written based on what the patient says. So not many of them have objective test results to back them up, which is why it’s natural for there to be questionable and ambiguous parts, but it’s usually difficult to refute. Before he leaves, he says that he thinks the doctor was a bit biased. After the trial, he’d seen an article by the doctor who’d written the victim’s diagnosis, and the piece he’d written was biased against North Korean defectors. Young Woo asks if he recalls the name of the article. He finds the article on his phone and shows it to them: "A Korean woman who was assaulted by North Korean defectors came to see me." He had felt a bit bitter after reading this as he wondered why in a case where all the defendants were North Korean defectors, this man had to be the one who wrote the diagnosis.
Jun Ho joins Soo Yeon and Young Woo on their field trip to Lee Sun Yeong’s home. When they walk towards the building, the door on the second floor is violently flung open by a man who is cursing loudly. This loud noise makes Young Woo cover her ears and cower, and both Soo Yeon and Jun Ho reach over to protect Young Woo. However, Jun Ho brushes his hand with Soo Yeon's, who is a bit flustered by the contact. His attention remains on Young Woo a moment longer before he turns back to the commotion. A woman is trying to hold on to a man, but he flings her away from him, causing her to fall down the stairs onto a landing. She’s screaming that he can’t take that money. His response is to slap her across the face and then kick her several times even as she’s yelping in pain. The man tells her to stop being so dramatic before walking away and crossing paths with the trio on the street.
Once the man is gone, Soo Yeon says that she’ll call the police, but Jun Ho stops her as someone is already doing that. It’s the same landlady complaining about how she’s about to go mad because of how loud they are upstairs and tells the cops to hurry up. The injured woman – it’s Lee Sun Yeong, with her battered face, as she cradles her left arm as she crawls up the stairs to go back inside.
Soo Yeon knocks on the door and says through the door that they’re the attorneys representing Gye Hyang Sim. While Young Woo and Soo Yeon are trying to get Lee Sun Yeong to open the door, Jun Ho is listening to the landlady complaining (and taking notes) about the man upstairs, who is constantly breaking, smashing and throwing things every day. She claims that she might die soon as her heart keeps trembling. She tells him that she wants to kick them out in any way possible – but she pities the wife who gets beaten up. And before she knew it, it’s been five tiresome years. He asks if she’s called the police every time they were like that. She says yes, and then asks if he thinks that wife-beating punk listens to her when she tries to stop him. But he calms down when the police arrive, even if it’s only for a little while. Jun Ho asks if she’s the one who called the police on them five years ago. She says of course, and when she calls now, she just gives them her address and the precinct sends the police to her as if they’re delivering jjajangmyeon. They’re interrupted by Soo Yeon who says she's been unable to get Lee Sun Yeong to answer the door. The landlady asks if they think she’d want to show her face when she gets beaten up by her husband like that. She finally says that she’s sick of all this and goes inside. Jun Ho tells Soo Yeon that the landlady calls the police whenever there’s a ruckus, so wouldn’t there be records of her reports before the incident, too. Soo Yeon takes off ahead of Jun Ho and Young Woo. Jun Ho goes to ask how she’s doing but Soo Yeon calls her name, and Young Woo hurries to catch up to her. He just lets out a deep breath and follows after her.
Back at the office, a smirking Min Woo asks Soo Yeon how she feels about Jun Ho as a man. She scoffs and says he must have a lot of free time these days. She walks away from him but he stops her with these words: “I really think the person Jun Ho likes is you, Attorney Choi.” *facepalm* I should look away but I can’t. She turns back to look at him in surprise. He continues saying, “Works at Hanbada, an attorney on the litigation team, and someone who he sees often. That’s Choi Soo Yeon.” She just widens her eyes at this. Min Woo asks if she doesn’t like Jun Ho because he’s not an attorney. She looks around before asking him if Jun Ho said something about her. Min Woo coyly says they live together so they talk about a lot of things together and then asks if she’s curious. She says no, but a small smile appears on her face.
In a closed session, Soo Yeon requests to summon the victim, Lee Sun Yeong, as a witness. The prosecutor says that the victim was already cross-examined at the trial from five years ago, so summoning the victim again is unnecessary and unfair. He also mentions that the defendant ran away and then came back as she pleased. So what right does she have to make the victim come and go, and – Young Woo interrupts to say that it’s the people’s basic right to get a fair trial. She asks if the defendant who fled and came back, not a citizen of Korea? The prosecutor goes to reply but the Judge interjects to ask her about the origin of her surname. It’s the Woo family of Danyang. The prosecutor smirks at this. The Judge asks why she’s in such a rush that she’s cutting off other people’s words. He tells her that cutting people off doesn’t look good, so don’t do it. In this courtroom, he’s the presiding judge, cutting people off is prohibited. She says okay. The prosecutor then starts brown-nosing the Judge about his highfalutin surname, Ryu family of Pungsan, and mentions that they are both from the same hometown. Soo Yeon rolls her eyes at this. Girl, me too! Soo Yeon redirects Judge Ryu’s attention back to the victim. But he cuts her off to ask about her surname. Young Woo interjects with “Your Honor. You just cut another person off while she was speaking.” XD ^5, point to WYW! Judge Ryu is surprised at this as is Soo Yeon. Young Woo repeats his words about cutting people off being prohibited in his courtroom. With a little sigh, he says from now until the trial is over, attorneys must raise their hands if they have something to say. So they cannot speak without his permission.
Soo Yeon raises her hand, and when he asks what it is, she says her family origin is the Choi family of Wonju. Judge Choi Bo Yeon, whose office is on the same floor as his, also originates from the Choi family of Wonju, and he’s her father. Judge Ryu cheerfully says Chief Judge Choi is a dear junior colleague of his as they even have dinner together from time to time. He knows that Judge Choi’s son is a doctor and now he knows that his daughter is an attorney and it seems like he raised his children well. The prosecutor looks miffed by this. Ha! Soo Yeon says that she’ll send his regards to her father, and Judge Ryu laughs heartily at this. He then asks what they were discussing. She replies they were discussing the summoning of the victim as a witness. He jovially agrees to do it. The prosecutor is baffled by this. Judge Ryu says they’re going through with a trial, so they might as well do it properly. He then asks if something’s wrong. The prosecutor can only say no, sir. XD ^5, point to CSY!
Back at Hanbada, Young Woo struggles to open her bottle of water but is startled by Min Woo’s remark that he was right that it was her. He’s watching Jun Ho and Soo Yeon chatting and laughing across the room, and asks Young Woo if they look good together. She watches them as he continues saying they’re such a good-looking match. He then asks if she thinks Jun Ho likes Attorney Choi. She watches the two sharing a laugh, as they’re talking about coffee. Min Woo dismissively says she doesn’t know much about that [relationships]. She’s thinking about it as she focuses on Jun Ho’s smiling face, so Min Woo walks away muttering about where his other half is.
In court, Lee Sun Yeong is called to the stand to swear under oath. Everyone, including the jurors, notice the state of her face - she’s covered in bruises and cuts with swelling on the left side of her face. God only knows how battered the rest of her is – what we can’t see. Judge Ryu tells Young Woo that she can start her questioning. Attorney Jung stops her, and tells Soo Yeon to go ahead as the jurors are already sympathetic to the victim, so they shouldn’t be too stiff. He wants Soo Yeon to go out there and be gentle.
Soo Yeon tells Lee Sun Yeong that she knows it must be hard for her to have to recall what happened five years ago, and thanks her for being here today. She then says that she has a lot of bruises and wounds, and asks how she got hurt. Lee Sun Yeong starts pulling at the lapel of her jacket as she’s now even more self-conscious. The prosecutor objects on the grounds that this is irrelevant to the case. Soo Yeon asks Judge Ryu to allow her to question her a bit more as it’s related to the case. He allows her to proceed, so he’s overruling the prosecutor’s objection, who is rolling his eyes at this.
Soo Yeon repeats her question, and Lee Sun Yeong hesitates to answer. Soo Yeon then asks if her husband hit her. The prosecutor objects again. Soo Yeon replies that there are police records that say the police were called two days before the incident on November 6, 2017, as Lee Sun Yeong was assaulted by her husband. She argues that differentiating whether her injuries were caused by the defendant’s assault or caused by her husband is important. She wants to check the factual relationship. Judge Ryu says he understands what she is saying. But she should stick to questions about what happened at the time of the incident, so no more questions about current injuries. Soo Yeon then asks Lee Sun Yeong if she recalls the police being called to her house on November 6, 2017. She replies if she’s asking about 2017, that’s already five years ago. Lee Sun Yeong does not recall. Soo Yeon continues, that day, her husband hit her, so the landlady, who lives below her, called the police. She then shows her the police records and asks if she cannot recall. Lee Sun Yeong repeats that she does not recall. Hyang Sim suddenly stands up from the table, and loudly bangs on the table as she yells “Pure lies! Have you gotten dumb from being beaten up by your husband?” This makes Young Woo jump about a foot off of her seat, while Attorney Jung admonishes Hyang Sim and tells her to stop talking.
Judge Ryu asks Hyang Sim what she just said. She says she wasn’t beaten that much by them. Even if they wanted to, they didn’t have time because the police arrived. Poor Soo Yeon is shaking her head at her for saying these things. Hyang Sim continues saying, look at that wretched thing with her ulterior motive. She then yells that she’s trying to frame the beatings she usually gets from her husband all on her - it’s all a lie! The prosecutor says that the defendant is insulting the victim, making a mockery of the court, and is showing absolutely no remorse for her wrongdoings. I don’t want to agree with him but this isn’t the right place for her outburst. Young Woo just does the “whoa, whoa” movement at Hyang Sim and she finally sits down. Judge Ryu agrees with the prosecutor. Attorney Jung tries to say something but Young Woo stops him to tell him to raise his hand as in this trial, the attorneys have to raise their hand first. They need to get the Judge’s permission to speak. So he raises his hand and when asked what it is, he apologizes for the defendant’s loss of control and asks for a recess so the defendant can settle down. Judge Ryu asks the prosecutor if he has questions for Lee Sun Yeong and he says no. So he dismisses Lee Sun Yeong, and then announces that he will no longer allow the victim and the defendant to meet in this courtroom again. He calls for a ten-minute recess. Before Judge Ryu leaves, he tells the defendant to get ahold of herself.
During the recess, Attorney Jung tells Hyang Sim that she can’t get in their way. She says, get in their way? They were beating around the bush, so she pointed it out. He says so she pointed it out and look at what happened. There is an order and formality in a trial as this isn’t some marketplace fight. Please help them get through with their strategy. She looks miffed at his use of “marketplace fight.” She says so if an attorney does it, it’s strategy but if she does it, it’s a marketplace fight? She stands up and asks who he thinks she is. Soo Yeon tries to smooth things over by saying that he didn’t mean it like that but this makes Hyang Sim more agitated as she asks if she’s siding with him because she’s an attorney. She yells that she did it because she was too frustrated to just sit still and watch! Young Woo then starts saying “whoa, whoa” as she moves her arms up and down in front of her. She then says that this trial isn’t for her to release her frustration, but to get a reduction on her sentence. She reminds her to think of her daughter who is waiting for her at the orphanage. If she wants to see Ha Yun as quickly as possible, she has to listen to them. She then goes back to saying “whoa, whoa” and waving her arms until Hyang Sim finally sits down. But she continues saying “whoa, whoa” until Attorney Jung tells Young Woo that she’s done a good job but to stop for now.
Their next witness is the doctor and Attorney Jung says they’ll be lucky if he accepts without reservation that the injuries could’ve come from the husband. But if he says otherwise, then they’ll have to go in strong too. He tells them to emphasize that the witness is biased against North Korean defectors to discredit him. Why are they having this conversation in front of the client? He looks at the two women, and then tells Young Woo that she should go. She asks if it’s because she’s stiff. He nods and says to show them what she’s got.
The doctor is on the stand and the prosecutor shows him the diagnosis of the injuries that he wrote five years ago after seeing the victim himself. He asks him to read the underlined portion: “Fourteen days of treatment needed for sprains and strain of the cervical spine from the date of diagnosis. Lacerations and bruises all over the body due to indiscriminate assault. Damage to the hair roots and scalp caused by excessive pulling of the hair.” The prosecutor asks what he thinks is the cause of these symptoms. The doctor looks over at the defendant, points at her and says, the assault by the defendant sitting over there and her accomplice. Hyang Sim shifts in her seat but Soo Yeon puts a hand on her arm to calm her.
It’s Young Woo’s turn to cross-examine the doctor. She states that on November 6, 2017, two days before the incident, the police were called because Ms. Lee was assaulted by her husband. She asks if he was aware of this fact when he issued his diagnosis. He shakes his head and says he wasn’t. She asks if he now thinks that Ms. Lee’s injuries could’ve been caused by her husband’s assault, not the defendant? He says no, he still thinks the defendant is to blame. She asks why that is. It’s not like the name of the person responsible is written on injuries. He says that he knows by looking at the injuries, because he’s a doctor. She asks if he can explain how he knows based on medical facts. He says he’s already given a doctor’s opinion, so what more does he have to do.
Young Woo walks back to the defense table and Attorney Jung hands her some papers and says to push him into a corner. She sets the papers down in front of the doctor, and says in 2018, he wrote this piece for a newspaper. She asks him to read the title out loud. The prosecutor objects on the grounds that this is irrelevant to the case. Young Woo raises her hand and the Judge tells her to speak. She says that the first sentence of this piece is “A Korean woman who was assaulted by North Korean defectors came to see me.” The piece directly mentions this incident which means this piece is relevant. Judge Ryu looks over at the prosecutor and says the objection is overruled.
Young Woo asks the doctor to read the title of the piece. The doctor asks Judge Ryu if he could not talk about this. Judge Ryu asks if he’s refusing to testify and for what reason. The doctor says he’s received a lot of hatred and criticism after he wrote this – hate comments, phone complaints and threatening letters. Oh, boohoo. <sarcasm> Judge Ryu says unfortunately, none of those fall under the reasons for refusal to testify. He tells him to read the title of the piece. He reads the title, “North Korean defectors are becoming a criminal group.” Young Woo says the witness argues that “in Korean society, North Korean defectors are already a huge issue,” and that “the government giving North Korean defectors funds to settle is like providing criminals with an incentive for criminal acts.” She asks him if this is correct. He says he meant, well, he’s not biased or anything like that. The statistics speak for themselves. He asks her if she knows what the violent crime rate of North Korean defectors is. He says it’s as much as 10%, which is more than twice the average crime rate of South Koreans. The rate of second offenders is also more than five times as much. He asks her if she still thinks that North Korean defectors aren’t a criminal group.
She asks if his opinion on being able to tell who caused the injury just by looking at the victim’s injury is unrelated to his usual thoughts about North Korean defectors. He looks frustrated at this question. She says that he’s saying the defendant is more at fault than the victim’s husband, correct? Because the husband is South Korean but the defendant is a North Korean defector. The prosecutor objects as this is leading, which the Judge sustains. The doctor asks if it’s right to make an abusive husband out of a normal South Korean man just to do something good for North Korean defectors. He continues saying that this trial is done with the tax paid by the citizens. So the trial should protect them, not that North Korean defector! And he wags his finger at Hyang Sim, who is angry and tries to get up out of her seat but Soo Yeon blocks her. Attorney Jung whispers to her to take it easy as the jury is on their side now. She takes a look at the jurors who are looking perplexed. Judge Ryu says while he respects his opinion, North Korean defectors are citizens of South Korea as well – that’s why they’re having this trial. The doctor can only say that’s right, as the prosecutor practically facepalms at this.
A livid-looking Attorney Jang finds Attorney Jung in the cafeteria eating with Young Woo and Soo Yeon. He pulls Attorney Jung up out of his seat as he yells, “How can you be eating, you idiot?!” Attorney Jung flings his hands off of him and asks him what’s wrong with him and if he’s crazy. Attorney Jang replies that he’s the one who’s crazy. He asks him if he knows how hard he worked to get GRD as their client. Attorney Jung is clueless about who GRD is. Attorney Jang yells, it’s GRD as in the Group of Righteous Doctors, and he blew it! He then throws down a piece of paper. Soo Yeon and Young Woo see that it’s an article about the doctor and the rekindled controversy.
Attorney Jang says that he put Kwon Byeong Gil on the witness stand without knowing that he’s an executive of GRD. He rages on, asking if he knows what he just had to deal with from the Chairman just now. Dr. Kwon said he didn’t want to talk about the piece but the Hanbada attorney insisted that he talk about it. Both Soo Yeon and Young Woo are flinching from Attorney Jang’s loud voice and accusatory finger pointing. He then looks at the women, and asks Attorney Jung if this is because of a public interest case he’s doing with the rookies. He asks how someone with his level of experience makes such a mistake. He roars how he could cost them a client worth billions over some mere public interest case! Attorney Jung calmly says that he understands and that he can stop now. Attorney Jang continues yelling that the one peer he has who should be helping him is bringing harm to him instead. Before he walks away, he yells that he’s so annoyed and he’s the only one worried about the firm.
Attorney Jung sits back down at the table and Soo Yeon apologizes for not running a background check on the witness. Young Woo apologizes for making him lose a client that’s worth billions.
JMS: It’s nothing for rookies to apologize for. It’s my mistake. It’s my fault and I’m really embarrassed right now. But let’s not think of it as “some mere public interest case” or “some mere North Korean defector.” Let’s work hard even if it’s not a case that’s worth billions of won. *clapping for this man’s principles*
Both women agree with his words. He tells them to finish their food. Then he says he’s going to go because he’s embarrassed. He leaves with his tray. Both women stand up and watch him leave with a new level of respect and admiration. *more clapping*
At the detention center, Soo Yeon and Young Woo are with Ha Yun, who are waiting for Hyang Sim. When she sees her mother, she says Eomma and goes to hug her immediately. Her daughter continues saying Eomma over and over and both mom and daughter are crying copiously. Hyang Sim tells her that she’s sorry over and over. T_T Both Soo Yeon and Young are teary-eyed as they watch the duo hug.
Young Woo remembers a past Family Sports Day.
Dad had asked her to eat some of the fruit he’s prepared for her. She had looked around at the children with their parents, especially with the ones with their mothers doting on them. She had then asked her father why she didn’t have a mom. Dad had looked at her but he didn’t have a response. His face. :(
Back in the present, Soo Yeon is driving and telling Young Woo that the statutory penalty for injury resulting from robbery is too high with 7 years while murder starts at a minimum of 5 years. She suggests they file an adjudication on the constitutionality of the law. If the Constitutional Court finds this to be unconstitutional, Hyang Sim can be acquitted. Young Woo finally says that this has happened a few times already - 2001, 2006 and 2016 but they were seen as being constitutional. Soo Yeon asks if a North Korean defector is technically a kind of refugee, and aren’t there any laws that are generous to refugees, immigrants and foreigners. Young Woo says no. Soo Yeon tells her to think harder, so Young Woo goes through her database. She says no, and there shouldn’t be anything like that, as it’s like giving a criminal license to refugees, immigrants or foreigners. Soo Yeon lets out a heavy sigh and asks then what else could there be. She says, “Young Woo, you’re a genius. Think of something!” Young Woo sighs and then sees a dolphin on the big screen outside. With this epiphany, she says it’s a bit far-fetched but there is one thing she can think of.
Back in court, Young Woo cites Article 288 of North Korean criminal law - robbery of personal property: “Someone who has robbed personal property by means of assault or threat to a person’s life or health will be sentenced to a maximum of four years in a correctional labor camp.” Soo Yeon adds that according to Criminal Law published by Kim Il Sung University Publishers, North Korea’s crime of robbery, in comparison to South Korea, requires a high level of intensity in the assault and threats. The assault should be intense enough to kill or seriously injure and threats should be one of assault that will result in immediate death or serious injuries unless the victim does not comply with the criminal’s requests. If the assault and threats don’t meet these standards, the crime of robbery cannot be established and it would merely fall under the crime of stealing personal property. Judge Ryu asks, a crime of stealing personal property? I’m curious to know what North Korea defines as “personal” property.
Young Woo cites Article 284 of North Korean criminal law: “A crime of stealing personal property. Someone who has stolen personal property will be sentenced to a maximum of one year of labor discipline.” She then asks the Judge to focus on the sentence. Robbery of personal property is a maximum of four years of correctional labor camp, ergo four years of imprisonment. But the sentence for stealing personal property is a maximum of one year of labor discipline. In South Korea, this would merely be a sentence of a maximum of one year of community service. Judge Ryu says that enough about North Korean law, and asks what they are trying to claim. She says that the defendant is used to North Korean law than she is to South Korean law. The defendant only tried to get back the money she was supposed to get. There was no intention to rob the money by oppressing the victim’s free will. But they barged into her home to do just that! Moreover, she didn’t think that she would be sentenced to a life sentence or a minimum of seven years of imprisonment because of her action. Because in North Korea, the defendant’s actions aren’t enough to establish the crime of robbery. The prosecutor says the attorneys are claiming that since the defendant thought “this isn’t robbery in North Korea, so I’m not committing robbery,” is what she’s saying? He says that this is the most unprecedented logic that’s ever been heard. Judge Ryu agrees that it’s unprecedented but perhaps they should look into it.
He asks Hyang Sim directly, if she thought her action wasn’t robbery because she was more used to North Korean law. She looks at her attorneys, and then she says yes. He then asks what she was going to do if the victim didn’t hand her the money. He asks didn’t she think of getting it even if she had to force her. Attorney Jung raises his hand and asks Judge Ryu to once again notify the defendant of her right to refuse to testify. Judge Ryu says she doesn’t have to testify but he would like to ask so they can have a fair trial. Both Soo Yeon and Young Woo give her little signals indicating not to answer the question. She goes ahead to say that she went there to get it at all costs as that was her money. He then asks what she thinks of what the attorneys just claimed. Does she really think that should threaten the victim only enough so that robbery wouldn’t be established according to North Korean law. She says that she’s not sure as she honestly doesn’t know all that about North Korean law. The jurors are surprised by this and the prosecutor just smirks at this. This is infuriating. She has counsel and when the attorneys signal at her to not answer, she decides to go ahead and answer anyway. This is the second time she’s blown it for herself! Now the jurors need to start their review and Judge Ryu will give a verdict after that. Attorney Jung says that he needs to return to the office and both women say that they want to stay until the verdict is out. He says that no matter what the verdict, they did their best. No thanks to their client who just won’t shut up. As Hyang Sim is taken back to the retaining area, Young Woo has an epiphany. She says that there’s a claim that they haven’t tried yet – adjudication on the constitutionality of the law. Soo Yeon is confused as she had told her before that other people tried it and they were seen as being constitutional.
Young Woo just runs out of the courtroom and Soo Yeon has to run after her. She asks what she can do at this point as the jurors are already reviewing. Young Woo says the verdict hasn’t been given yet, so they can still request the resumption of the hearing. She’s going to meet the Judge. Soo Yeon tells her that she can’t enter the judge’s chambers without a visitor’s permit. Young Woo says then they’ll ask for the visitor’s permits. Soo Yeon says she can’t just ask for them, as she needs the Judge’s permission. Young Woo starts running to the security desk and asks to visit a judge’s chambers. The man behind the desk asks which judge and Soo Yeon interrupts to say Chief Judge Choi Bo Yeon’s chambers on the eighth floor. He asks what the purpose of their visit was and if he’s expecting her. She says it’s a personal errand as Judge Choi is her father. So he makes a call about Judge Choi’s daughter wanting to visit. When he hangs up, he tells them to write down their names and gives them their visitor’s permits.
When they are upstairs, Young Woo tries to look around but Soo Yeon stops her and asks if she knows what all that was about. Soo Yeon says it’s to stop people like them, to stop people from trying to plead their case to a judge outside the courtroom. Young Woo denies that they’re trying to do that as they’re just trying to request the resumption of the hearing. Soo Yeon asks if she thinks that’s how the prosecutor will see it, and she can’t believe that she let Wild Card Woo Young Woo talk her into this. XD They end up in the Judge Ryu’s office and Young Woo raises her arm before immediately asking for the resumption of the hearing. He asks if she doesn’t know that the juries are reviewing right now. Soo Yeon says that they do but they had no choice but to come see him, even though they knew it was rude. It’s too late for them to submit a request form for a resumption of the hearing. He says no, if they’re not satisfied with something, they can appeal. He walks away as Young Woo continues raising her arm, taking turns with the left and then right, as she follows right behind him into his office. XD *instant replay*
When he gets to his desk, he finally sees her raising her arm and frustratedly asks her what, what is it? Young Woo says the defendant ultimately never got the money from the victim. It’s unconstitutional for this to be on trial for injury resulting from robbery. Please allow for the resumption of the hearing. He tells her that attempted injury resulting from robbery does not mean robbery was attempted. There must be an attempt to cause injury in order for this charge to be established. She asks if there isn’t room for a different interpretation - an attempted injury resulting from the robbery charge is more favorable to the defendant than an injury resulting from robbery charge, and criminal law prohibits any reduced interpretation of a law that is favorable to the defendant without reason. He asks if they’re going to trial because they don’t want to yield. First, they claimed the victim’s injuries are not the defendant’s fault. Then they brought up North Korean law to say there wasn’t any intention in the robbery. And now it’s unconstitutional for the defendant to be tried for injury resulting from robbery because she didn’t get the money. He yells if they’re kidding him and then lets out a deep sigh before plopping down into his chair.
He says he understands that they’re passionate as young attorneys. However, there is a time and place to be passionate. Young Woo says it’s not because they’re young attorneys, it’s because Gye Hyang Sim is a great mother, like a mother whale. He's listening. Young Woo says Gye Hyang Sim lacks common sense and does whatever she pleases. Even now, it doesn’t seem like she fully understands what she did wrong. But she chose to be a fugitive for five years to not abandon her child. Maternal instinct is not a reason for mitigation but she begs him to think of the circumstance of a great mother who thought she had to raise her daughter before going to prison so that she would be old enough to remember her mother once she was released. And then both women bow. He says that this is an argument made outside of court. Isn't this ex parte communication? He says that he’s not going to hear any more of this or reflect it on the verdict. He won’t allow for resumption of the hearing either. He warns them if they don’t leave right now, he will call a bailiff.
Now the two women are sitting outside, as Young Woo tells Soo Yeon that the most famous way of hunting whales is to kill the baby first. They throw a harpoon at the weak baby, and as it’s swimming around in pain, the mother never leaves its side. She can’t abandon her baby that is in pain. That’s when the second harpoon is thrown at the mother who is the ultimate target. Soo Yeon just sighs and says humans… Young Woo says whales are intelligent. She knows that she will also be killed if she doesn’t abandon her baby but she never does. She continues, “If I were a whale… would my mother have abandoned me?” Soo Yeon realizes how important and personal this case is for Young Woo.
Back in the courtroom, Judge Ryu announces the jurors’ review:
- Charges, by unanimous decision of the indictment of all seven jurors – Guilty.
- Opinion on sentencing, by unanimous decision of the indictment of all seven jurors – 4 years of imprisonment.
Then he reads the formal verdict: Formal adjudication. The defendant is sentenced to one year and nine months of imprisonment. However, the execution of the sentence against the defendant is suspended for three years following the date of the verdict. The court orders that the defendant be on probation and 80 hours of community service. Young Woo looks shocked as Soo Yeon gasps at this. Hyang Sim asks what he is saying. Soo Yeon says it's probation! When she hears this, she’s so overcome with emotion that her eyes well up with tears.
Judge Ryu continues saying that the nature of this crime is offending as the defendant colluded with an accomplice and assaulted and threatened the victim with the intention to take property by force. Considering the fear the victim must’ve felt during the crime and how the defendant fled after the crime without being tried, it is necessary to punish the defendant severely. However, considering that the defendant is not used to South Korean laws and regulations as a North Korean defector, it is a first-time offender without a criminal record, and most importantly – and then he pauses. Although it has been five years, she confessed without forgetting her crimes, with the intent of receiving punishment. Thus, the court is taking into consideration these special sentencing factors. Young Woo and Soo Yeon realize that her confession was the most basic reason for mitigation, which they had both forgotten about. Young Woo says they’re idiots as Soo Yeon says perhaps the Judge is the smart one. She says, it’s the cleverness of a veteran. Hyang Sim stands up to deep bow in gratitude to the jurors, then the attendees, and finally to her attorneys. She continues sobbing happy tears.
Epilogue: Attorney Tae is shopping for clothes but is watching several mother-daughter pairs shopping together. The salesperson tells her that headquarters has been marketing towards the younger generation, so they have more customers who bring their daughters with them. Then she asks if she has a daughter. Attorney Tae says no, just a son.
Soo Yeon makes Young Woo go shopping with her and they end up at the same shop as Attorney Tae, who is busy making sure that the shoes are neatly lined up. Nearby, Young Woo is making sure the clothes are neatly stacked. Soo Yeon shows up and makes her go with her to yet another shop.
Micro Recap: Residents of Sodeok Dong file a class-action lawsuit to stop the construction of a freeway through their town. Hanbada is up against their biggest competitor, Taesan. Young Woo tries to find an answer to a perplexing question.
A man announces that Gyeonghae Do and Dongbang Land and Housing are moving forward together with the construction of Haengbok Ro Road to respond to the transportation demand of the planned city of Hamun. He then shows on the slideshow that Haengbok Ro Road will just pass by Sodeok Dong. An angry citizen, Jang Dong Gun stands up to say that the freeway is actually plowing through Sodeok Dong. Other angry citizens chime in in agreement. The man at the podium says that Gyeonghae Do is in agreement with this route, and Dongbang is merely carrying out the business on their behalf. The crowd continues jeering, and so another man, the representative of Gyeonghae Do's construction division starts speaking to them. They're obligated to notify the residents of the decided route but they're unable to make changes to the route through this briefing session. He explains that the route was decided upon by experts after much consideration. The crowd continues protesting. A man suddenly stands up and says he’s Choi Han Su, the head of Sodeok Dong. He provides how Gyeong Do has treated Sodeok Dong so far – they’ve kicked dozens of long-time Sodeok Dong residents out and dug up the entire village to build subway line 10. Then he brings up what Seoul has done to their village – a garbage incineration plant for all of Seoul’s trash, not even Sodeok Dong’s own trash. The representative from Gyeonghae Do's construction division asks how this is relevant as they’re discussing Haengbok Ro right now. Choi Han Su says they’re talking about Sodeok Dong right now, and all of the citizens agree with him. He continues that the construction for the subway just finished, and the construction for the incineration plant finished just before that. And now this construction for this freeway. He yells enough with it already, as the people of Sodeok Dong have had enough! All the citizens stand up and make noise to show their support.
At Hanbada, Jang Dong Gun is now telling Attorney Jung and the three associate attorneys about this freeway going through their village. The fact that they decided this route means they want its inhabitants to leave. The number of cars going up and down on Haengbok every day will mean that the residents below will be covered in all that noise, exhaust and dust. Choi Han Su says that when they mentioned this to Gyeonghae Do and Dongbang, they suggested – Jang Dong Gun has to help him with his thought – a soundproof wall. Choi Han Su continues that they think a soundproof wall will resolve it, but then it’ll be like a retaining wall, which would be splitting the town in half and isolating each side. Attorney Jung asks if he’s spoken to Gyeonghae Do or Dongbang in regards to compensation. Choi Han Su scoffs and says they didn’t even offer proper compensation to those whose land was expropriated (land taken away from the owner) and then asks if he thinks they’ll pay for those who stayed behind. Attorney Jung is surprised by this. Jang Dong Gun explains that Sodeok Dong is in a greenbelt area (areas retained as largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas), so the appraised land value is a lot cheaper, which is why when they built the subway line 10, the people who had their land expropriated took a hard financial hit. Many lost their homes but they didn’t even get ten million won in compensation. He asks where could someone who has lived in Sodeok Dong all their life go with money that’s not even enough to pay a rental deposit in Seoul? Choi Han Su says they’ve done everything they can: created a Residents’ Countermeasures Committee, submitted petitions, made hundreds of complaint calls, and even protested in front of the provincial office. But Gyeonghae Do has no intention of hearing them out. So what’s left is - he asks Jang Dong Gun what it is – a trial? Young Woo guesses if it’s a lawsuit seeking revocation of the road zone decision of Haengbok Ro? The two men nod and say that’s what they want to do. While she’s celebrating her correct guess (she’s cutely bouncing in her seat), Attorney Jung understands their wish, but cautions that they’re not experts on road construction, so they’re going to need some time to look into Haengbok Ro. He asks if they can investigate before they decide whether or not to accept this case. Choi Han Su says of course, but please make the decision quickly. They started construction in the planned city a while ago - and then Choi Han Su looks at Jang Dong Gun to ask what it is, and with a cupped hand lifting up - the attorneys try to guess what it is. Shovel? Hydraulic excavator? Jang Dong Gun raises his arm and does a forward digging motion before saying a digger. lol Young Woo looks disappointed that she didn’t get it this time. Choi Han Su says yes, it won’t be long until the digger comes for their village. Attorney Jung assures him that they’ll be in touch.
After the two men leave, Attorney Jung asks them what they think. Soo Yeon asks why they planned a route like this as she looks at the map left behind. She then says there must’ve been a way of taking a detour, too. Min Woo says it’s due to costs as going straight through instead of around means a shorter road to build. Young Woo says if this decision was made solely for costs, then they could claim a violation of the Principle of Proportionality under administrative law. An administrative agency has to choose the method that has the least infringement of rights for the other party. But even though Gyeonghae Do had an alternative detour, they didn’t choose it with costs being the only reason. So they violated the principle of minimal damage of the Principle of Proportionality. Soo Yeon asks if they could calculate the damage to the residents as social costs, couldn’t it be greater than the benefits from the construction of Haengbok Ro? Then this planned route has a conflict of interest. Attorney Jung agrees that both women have made good points, but the Judicial Branch is typically reluctant to make a judgment on what the Executive Branch does, especially in cases like this where it gets technical. Min Woo who has been researching on his laptop says that perhaps it’s what he just said, there haven’t been many residents winning in similar administrative litigations so far. Attorney Jung tells the team to visit some experts first, and determine if this planned route is the best or if there are any alternative routes as it’ll help them decide on whether or not to take this case.
Our trio are now listening to one expert, an architect, who tells them that civil engineers in Korea are so simple. They completely ignored the shape of the land and drew a straight line. In Europe, they consider the way from the airport to the capital a scenic road, so they don’t build it straight like this. They make the most of the natural curves of the land so that the road winds just enough. They get people to take their time and enjoy their way, creating an idyllic atmosphere with the road itself and promoting the image of the country.
The next expert, a civil engineering professor, points at the map and says from a civil engineering perspective, this planned route isn’t that bad. He knows the neighborhood, and asks his students to do city design assignments based on this neighborhood. The first time he heard that a road was going to be constructed here was in 2016 and that was six years ago. Soo Yeon asks what if Haengbok Ro is designed to go around Sodeok Dong instead of going through it? He replies then the road has to be built next to Pyeonghwa Ro, a highway below Sodeok Dong, or right above and next to subway line 10. But to build it near Pyeonghwa Ro would require a lot of tunnel construction and it would be tricky to build an intersection. It would be better to build it next to subway line 10, but the nearby land belongs to the University of Defense Security.
They go back to their architect who tells them that if going below or above is difficult, then take it underground, an underground road. Min Woo asks if that’ll cost even more. The expert says no, not really. In areas where the land is expensive, building roads underground costs much less compared to building it on the surface, and if the road is built underground, the land on the surface can still be used. If they consider the utilization value of the land, it can offset additional fees that come from changing it to an underground plan. Soo Yeon asks if there is no huge difference in costs, then why aren't Gyeonghae Do or Dong Bang considering underground roads? He explains that everyone who builds roads is a civil engineering major, and they only deal with the roads on the surface. Taking it underground is an architectural concept. It may be simple but it’s true.
And back at the civil engineering expert’s office, he disagrees and asks if the land in Sodeok Dong is worthy enough of preservation to build an underground road? The answer is no. Sodeok Dong is a suburb of Seoul, but it also has a military purpose. Lifting the greenbelt zoning is not likely and there’s almost no possibility of it becoming a planned city.
At Hanbada, Choi Han Su and Jang Dong Gun are being told by Attorney Jung that based on the information they’ve obtained, it would be hard to claim that there’s a better alternative to the planned route, and the chances of winning the suit are very low. Also, administrative litigations take a minimum of three months for a ruling, or up to a year and a half. Attorney Jung is concerned that too much time and energy will be spent on a lawsuit that has a low chance of winning. Choi Han Su says that he didn’t want to bring this up but he’s a bit well-off. Jang Dong Gun says that he’s a great man of wealth. His family has lived in Sodeok Dong for generations, and the land he inherited from his ancestors is not only in Sodeok Dong but all over Ki Young. He continues that one can’t pass through Ki Young without stepping on his land. Choi Han Su tries to stop Jang Dong Gun from going on and on about this. He then likens this lawsuit to the idiom, hitting a boulder with an egg (an uphill battle against a very strong opponent) but they’re going to do this. Even if they lose, and even if he is on his own, he’ll pay as much commission fee as they want. Then he asks if they could please stand with the egg. Attorney Jung doesn’t look compelled so Jang Dong Gun suggests they visit Sodeok Dong to make their final decision. Attorney Jung says that the material they’ve shown them is enough, and they have so much to do and so little time. Jang Dong Gun persuades them to go as Sodeok Dong is really close, it’s only an hour’s drive from here. Choi Han Su says even if they reject them, do it in Sodeok Dong. The attorneys try to say no but Jang Dong Gun grabs Attorney Jung by the hand and drags him out of his chair to go with them. XD (~12:20)
Now everyone’s loading into a 7-passenger minivan. Jang Dong Gun is driving with Choi Han Su as his front passenger. In the two seats behind them, Min Woo occupies one while the empty seat is being held for Attorney Jung. So Jun Ho ends up sitting in the third row, right next to Young Woo with Soo Yeon on the other end. When he sits down, Young Woo thinks about what Min Woo said last time, that Jun Ho and Soo Yeon look like a good match, and how he had asked her if she thought Jun Ho likes Attorney Choi. So she asks Jun Ho if he would like to switch seats with her, as the good-looking match should sit side by side. Jun Ho and Soo Yeon are both confused by this but she just gets up and waits for Jun Ho to move over. He doesn’t move so she beckons him to do so with a slight head tilt and points with her eyes. He awkwardly moves over to sit next to Soo Yeon, who gives a tiny grin at this before pressing her lips into a neutral expression. Young Woo comes back to sit next to him, so Jun Ho is stuck sandwiched between the two women. A smiling Min Woo compliments Young Woo for catching on quickly. (~12:50, I just love Jun Ho’s microexpressions so much!) Jun Ho looks uncomfortable while Soo Yeon can’t help but smile on and off about this.
On their drive to Sodeok Dong, Jang Dong Gun points out the red flags set up by Dongbang’s people, to mark the route of the construction. They arrive in Sodeok Dong and are asked to take a walk around. Attorney Jung takes in the countryside scenery and comments that the town is beautiful. Choi Han Su agrees and adds that the people who live here are even better. He then points out and waves at a farmer, the “Kim Jang Hoon” of Sodeok Dong (a singer of the same name), who waves back at them. Soo Yeon asks why he is “the Kim Jang Hoon of Sodeok Dong”. Jang Dong Gun answers that’s his nickname, as he’s a donating angel. Every year, he donates the rice he grows to City Hall for those less fortunate in Ki Young. Their next stop is at the “Son Heung Min” of Sodeok Dong (a soccer player) as this town is competitive with sports (but not any good at it).
The group continues walking to the home of the “Mother Teresa” of Sodeok Dong, who is the president of the women’s association. Jang Dong Gun explains that they don’t have a public bathhouse in town, so she takes all the elders to the one in the next neighborhood once a month. She scrubs their backs and even takes them out for seolleongtang afterwards. She waves her hand at this and says she does it with the town dues. Choi Han Su says it’s not easy to make the time and effort to do it every month and it’s only possible because she’s Teresa. She then shakes all of the attorneys’ hands, except Young Woo who pulls hers back, and thanks them for taking care of Sodeok Dong.
As they continue walking through the town, Attorney Jung asks if the two of them have nicknames as well. Choi Han Su says of course, it’s the “Lee Kun Hee” of Sodeok Dong (a business magnate). And we find out that Jang Dong Gun’s nickname is fashioned after a handsome actor, as per Choi Han Su, whenever a woman passes by his house, they straighten their clothes. Jang Dong Gun says no unmarried woman does such a thing, as the average age of the residents is 65. Heh. Choi Han Su then teasingly says that's why he’s been unable to get married this whole time. Choi Han Su then suggests they enjoy a view of the town, which will require a hike up onto the hilltop where Sodeok Dong’s natural monument is - the hackberry tree. The Hanbada team is in awe of the sight of this large hackberry tree on its hill.
Jun Ho asks if it’s been designated as an actual natural monument. Jang Dong Gun replies no, it’s just a natural monument - just like the Jang Dong Gun of Sodeok Dong. Choi Han Su says that they asked back in 2016, but the experts came to check and said it’s enough to be designated as one. Attorney Jung says that it’s so majestic that he thought it would at least be a protected tree. Choi Han Su says so what if it doesn’t have a title, as there’s no one in Sodeok Dong who hasn’t climbed up that tree as a kid, hosted a party under it, or prayed in front of it. It keeps their town safe like a guardian tree.
As they’re walking up this hill to the tree, Young Woo manages to slip and fall. Jun Ho turns around to help her stand up. However, she’s torn the sleeve of her jacket and he insists on giving her his denim jacket. She says it’s fine but he says that she’s working right now. She sees his point, and so he gently drapes his jacket over her shoulders. (~20:15) When they resume walking up the hill, this time, he stays behind her to make sure she doesn’t trip again. Soo Yeon notices his attention (and his jacket) on Young Woo as they finally join the group at the hackberry tree.
When everyone’s seated under the tree, Choi Han Su offers everyone a cup of sikhye to cool down after that uphill climb. There’s a man in a suit with a bowtie waiting with a violin, who Choi Han Su introduces as the Eugene Park of Sodeok Dong (electric violinist), and he works at the Gyeonghae Do provincial office. The group is asked to enjoy the view of the town as the violin music starts. Choi Han Su has given it a lot of thought about how to show them the worth of this town. If one only looks at the numbers, it doesn't have much to show for, as there aren’t that many residents and the price of land is cheap. It’s not a neighborhood that can just be torn down and made to disappear like that.
Case 7. The team returns to Hanbada and Attorney Jung tells the three attorneys that they have to know everything about Haengbok Ro. From the moment the construction was first planned to when they decided on the area of the road. He tells them to organize it all in chronological order and look through the materials thoroughly, including going through relevant regulations and precedents. As they enter his office, he says that Jun Ho has put the case materials in his office so they should divide them. Then they see the boxes and piles of materials that take up at least half of his office space. The three are shocked and each says that they’re not sure they’ll be able to get through all of this material for the class-action lawsuit. Attorney Jung says “fighting!” and tiptoes out of there. XD Must be nice to be a senior attorney.
The trio spend days and nights going through the seemingly insurmountable amount of Haengbok Ro documents. One morning, Jun Ho comes into Attorney Jung’s office with an armful of materials. Young Woo continues reviewing the materials while Soo Yeon begs him to say that those aren’t additional documents for them to review. They’re the documents the Residents’ Countermeasures Committee sent to Gyeonghae Do, and the latter’s responses. He sets down one set in front of Soo Yeon and the other for Young Woo who won't even acknowledge him. He looks at Young Woo who continues ignoring, and he continues flipping the pages for her. Soo Yeon notices that his eyes remain locked on Young Woo, who won’t even look at him. After an awkward silence, he finally tells Soo Yeon to keep up the good work and takes his leave. (~26:30)
Once he’s gone, Soo Yeon asks her if she doesn’t know or if she’s pretending to not know. Young Woo doesn’t say anything so Soo Yeon gives her a closer look, before Young Woo finally asks what. Soo Yeon says from what she sees, she thinks Jun Ho likes her. Young Woo says that she doesn’t think so as she’s asked him. Soo Yeon is surprised and asks what she asked him. Young Woo tells her about their Cham Cham Cham moment in the car. Soo Yeon says that she interrogated him, and asks what he said. Young Woo says that he avoided speaking on the matter directly. Soo Yeon asks her if she’s in the middle of a trial - and is love a trial? She wants to know what she meant by that and Young Woo says he changed the subject without giving a clear answer. Well, she was supposed to ask about work-related questions at that time. Soo Yeon repeats the question she had posed to Jun Ho and says of course he did. She says if she asked him like that, did she expect him to say, “Yes, that is indisputably true”? She admits that even she would avoid speaking about it directly. Young Woo murmurs sounds of understanding. Soo Yeon then asks if she likes Jun Ho, which makes Young Woo scrunch her face in concentration. When she doesn’t say anything, Soo Yeon sighs and gets up to walk away. Young Woo finally says it’s not easy for someone to like her. She tells Soo Yeon that she’s a good-looking woman while she has autism. Soo Yeon angrily yells that she shouldn't such weak-minded things and asks what she means that it’s not easy?! She then stalks away in a huff.
After work, Young Woo is at the pub to discuss this matter with Geu Rami - trying to find out if she likes Jun Ho. Hairy Boss interrupts their conversation to suggest that she should ask someone who knows something about dating, and not her. Geu Rami retorts that she’s the femme fatale of Ganghwa Do, and she’s the second most fatal thing after hwamunseok mats (they requires hundreds of hours of handwork). Young Woo is more focused on her food so Geu Rami yells at her to focus - and picture Lee Jun Ho now. She’s thinking about their first meeting at the revolving doors, and when asked about how she feels now - she says that he’s kind. Then she thinks about when he gave her his jacket in Sodeok Dong and she says he’s a warmhearted person. Now a nearly-smirking Geu Rami asks her what about when she’s with him - does she get nervous? Does her heart pound like crazy? Young Woo thinks about their sunset not-date-date, when he told her he wanted an attorney like her to be on his side. And she gets this little smile on her face as she admits that there was a time when it did. She even starts blushing which Geu Rami teases her about. Geu Rami says that she totally likes him. Young Woo starts touching her flushed face in confusion. Geu Rami says if she’s not sure, then she should try touching him. Young Woo is surprised by this suggestion. Her friend says to measure heart rate to see how fast it beats when she touches him. If it’s only 150 per minute, then she’s just interested. But her heart beats like crazy and it feels like it’s about to explode because it’s thumping so loud, then she really likes him. Hairy Boss interrupts her to say that’s a crime. Young Woo agrees to say that one shouldn’t touch other people without their consent. Geu Rami suggests, then ask for his consent. Heh.
In court, Hanbada is going head-to-head with Taesan for their case with Attorney Tae as the senior attorney. Attorney Jung presents the current route of Haengbok Ro which would split Sodeok Dong in half, and then shows the alternative options: the road going around the southern or northern parts of Sodeok Dong, or underground. He says the defendants have underestimated the rights of the plaintiffs and overestimated the benefits of the construction of the road, and came to a decision that has a conflict of interest.
Attorney Tae then demonstrates why the three routes suggested by the plaintiffs are not a good alternative. The southern route, next to Pyeonghwa Ro, would require the road to be stretched out for five more kilometers. There is also a garbage incineration plant near Pyeonghwa Ro, which would be impossible to relocate, so that would require tunnels and elevated roadways to be built. And to connect it to Seoul, it would need to have a sharp curve. The additional construction would be over 300 billion won, and with the longer road, it would also be bumpy like a rollercoaster which would lead to countless accidents. The northern route, next to subway line 10, would require passing on land owned by the University of Defense Security. They wouldn’t agree to it, so it would become an unsafe path of driving through various barns. Attorney Jung stands up and says that the plaintiffs don’t agree to this. He understands that the University of Defense Security's wish to not give up their barns is important, but defendants are ignoring the wishes of the residents of Sodeok Dong.
Attorney Tae tells the judges that the planned city of Hamun starts the move-in process next June. If the lawsuit causes a delay in the completion of Haengbok Ro, then Seoul and Gyeonghae Do will face the worst traffic situations imaginable. Other towns included in the planned route of Haengbok Ro understood this and gladly gave up their land. She then points out that Sodeok Dong, the town with the smallest population in all of Gyeonghae Do, is being exceptionally uncooperative and is even bringing up underground roads. She states this is clearly regional chauvinism, and - She’s interrupted by Choi Han Su who yells what she is talking about as she’s just denouncing their wishes. Jang Dong Gun adds that the other neighborhoods must’ve received proper compensation to cooperate, and their situations are different from Sodeok Dong. She then asks them if they’re proceeding with this lawsuit to receive more compensation. She says billions of taxpayer money can be wasted and traffic disruptions across the entire area are fine as long as they get more compensation? Why isn’t Hanbada saying anything? She says stopping this with a lawsuit is the very definition of regional chauvinism. I don’t like her. The two men try to reply but Attorney Jung tells them to sit down. She goes back to the bench and tells the judges that the construction for Haengbok Ro is already substantially underway with goals to be completed by the end of this year. If this decision is revoked now, then tens of billions of won will be wasted. While the rest of team Hanbada looks worried, Young Woo actually seems to admire Attorney Tae.
Back at home, Woo Dad finds Young Woo doing research on Attorney Tae and looks concerned when he sees Attorney Tae’s image on her desk. He looks like he’s seen a ghost. He asks her what she’s doing. She says that she was the CEO of Taesan Law Firm until she recently resigned and she’s married to the president of Gangcheon Group and has one son. Dad asks why she’s looking into her. Young Woo doesn’t notice Dad’s distress, as she simply replies that she’s the opposing attorney of the case she’s on right now. Young Woo admits that she saw her plead her case and finds her to be amazing. She wanted to be like her. Dad looks very worried.
Meanwhile, the construction of Haengbok Ro continues and they start digging in Sodeok Dong. The town’s inhabitants show up to protest this. Choi Han Su informs the workers that they’re in the middle of a lawsuit to stop the construction as they’ve applied for suspension of effect. The workers tell them that this is sanctioned by the government, so take it up with a judge. The residents continue protesting so the foreman asks if they will be taking responsibility if they’re not paid for being unable to finish on time. Then he just turns around and tells everyone to keep working. The residents try to physically stop the workers from operating their machinery. During this madness, Choi Han Su calls Attorney Jung to ask him when the suppression of effect will be in place as the construction workers have barged in through the town’s entrance and are digging up the ground.
Attorney Jung informs him that a decision hasn’t been made about the suppression of effect, so there’s no way to stop the construction right now. He will request the court to speed up its decision. When he hangs up the call, he informs his team that it seems like they’ve started the construction near Sodeok Dong. Soo Yeon asks if the decision takes this long, as the court couldn’t have forgotten about it, right? Attorney Jung thinks they didn’t forget and they’re going to hold onto it and dismiss it along with the original draft. This means that the judge has no possibility of ruling in favor of the plaintiff. Min Woo points out that it puts a lot of pressure on the judges. Whether Haengbok Ro exists or not would cause drastic differences in the land value in the planned city of Hamun. If they revoke it recklessly, they might become a public enemy. Attorney Jung replies this is why they have to find the cause of illegality. The only time the court can revoke what the government is doing is when they come to a judgment that the work is illegal. Young Woo says that she’s found a cause for illegality. They violated the process of the Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment. Min Woo says they did the assessment though. She says they did but it’s a matter of when they did it. According to the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, the Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment has to be done when a plan that impacts the environment is being established. In this instance, the plan for the road design was established in 2017, but the assessment was completed in 2019. So Gyeonghae Do made a mistake and Attorney Jung urges them to lead with this. Min Woo asks if they should put more effort into their presentation. Maybe not like the 3d game screen Taesan used but something flashy. Attorney Jung asks him how they can be flashy about showing that the assessment was done late. Soo Yeon says she’s heard of companies that create presentation materials, and asks if she should call one of them.
Attorney Jung suggests they go the opposite way. The more Gyeonghae Do tries to win over the judges using a major law firm and flashy materials, shouldn’t they put the sincerity of Sodeok Dong’s residents first and approach this more straightforwardly. He admits they’re a major law firm but they’ll want to use a more humane approach compared to Taesan – an emotional strategy. Young Woo asks what if they apply for an on-site verification for Sodeok Dong. He’s confused. She mentions that at first, they didn’t want to take on the case, but they changed their minds and accepted it after their visit to Sodeok Dong. He mentions that they don’t have a just cause to do an on-site verification, so they’ll have to think about it. He then tells her she did a good job which makes Min Woo grimace.
Woo Dad is waiting for Attorney Han in her office. He asks her about the case that Young Woo is working on, and if she’s aware that the opposing attorney is Tae Soo Mi. She sounds surprised but he thinks that she’s known all along. He thinks it strange that the CEO would make a home visit to give another opportunity to a rookie attorney when she was already rejected. She asks did she visit only as the CEO of Hanbada? She wanted to visit him as well. He tells her if she really sees him as a friend, then be honest. He asks if she gave Young Woo a job because of Tae Soo Mi? She says as he’s saying all of this, then the rumor between him and Tae Soo Mi is true. He says yes, and he’ll allow it once. She asks allow what? He replies that he’ll allow her to use his daughter to get to Tae Soo Mi, just once - in return for giving her the job. She repeats his words in surprise, and asks him how he could say that. He says that she wants to make Hanbada number one, and to do that, she needs to beat Taesan. But it would become a problem if Tae Soo Mi makes her way into politics, because she won’t be able to beat her even more once she becomes a minister. He finishes with, that’s why she gave Young Woo the job. She says so he’s saying that she gave his daughter the job just so she could tell the whole world that Tae Soo Mi’s child out of wedlock is here? He says if that kind of scheme is what got his daughter this job, so be it. With such pain in his eyes, he says but just once. Just once at the most crucial moment. Don’t just throw them together in the same courtroom like this.
She laughs it off and asks what kind of father is he? If he thinks that she’s taking advantage of his daughter, then he should be stopping her as isn’t that what parents do? He replies if he stops her, she’ll kick his daughter out. She’ll make any excuse to get her to stop working at Hanbada. She looks surprised by this. He explains that the world doesn’t offer Young Woo chances. Even if she graduated summa cum laude from SNU law school and got a near-perfect score on the bar, they say they can’t accept people with autism. She applied everywhere, from law firms to private practices, but never got a chance to interview. Watching his daughter like that and not being able to do anything for her was… he pauses, he’ll just be the bad dad. No matter how much Young Woo resents him, that’s on him. Even if he has to collude with a bad friend who took her in to use her. He wants her to have an opportunity. Attorney Han breaks eye contact. I want to believe Dad knows best. I really do.
When Woo Dad leaves Attorney Han’s office, he runs into Young Woo and Min Woo. She’s surprised to see her father and asks what he’s doing here. Dad says that he just came by to see someone he knows and then he says he’s going. As Dad is leaving, Min Woo asks if her father knows the CEO. She’s confused. Min Woo says he just came out of the CEO’s office and said that he was here to see someone he knew, which means he knows the CEO. Young Woo is clueless about this. Min Woo brings up that she’s mentioned her father graduated from SNU law school, so that means the CEO went to school with him. He then says she did get this job through connections. Young Woo isn’t sure about this. He says in disbelief that he knew that something was off – she had connections. He continues muttering this and walks off. She’s left pondering about this.
Soo Yeon goes into the break area where Jun Ho is making coffee. When he sees her, he offers it to her. She says no, as she’s planning to make one for Young Woo, too. At the mention of her name, his face lights up and he even looks around for Young Woo. His face! Soo Yeon asks him if he still eats lunch with Young Woo. He says yes. She then asks if it’s really fun listening to her talk about whales. He says well… She says she was fine with it at first too. She thought it was great for her since she tells her all these things when people have to make time to watch documentaries. lol Throwing shade. She admits it was honestly fun to hear about the blue whales, humpback whales and dolphins. He smiles at this. She continues, but then when they get to narwhals and the Yangtze river dolphins, it gets exhausting. She was crying because she failed a test, but then Young Woo came in after getting the highest grade, talking about how the whale’s ancestor is the Pakicetus. (An extinct genus of amphibious cetacean of the family Pakicetidae, the earliest whales with functional legs.) She yells it really made her want to smack her. Jun Ho loses his smile and looks perplexed. Then she says she still hasn’t forgotten about that wretched Pakicetus as she puts her hands on her head. Jun Ho says he’s not sure he’s following her. She sternly tells him not to act like he’s going to listen to her whale stories forever and then tell her to stop not even after a year. If he’s going to hurt her like that, he shouldn’t start anything at all. One look at Jun Ho’s face - it’s obviously still not sinking in.
CSY: I’m telling you this now. If you think your feelings are temporary, don’t be nice to her.
LJH yelling (nearly a whine): My feelings are not temporary!
CSY yelling back: Then go tell Young Woo that your feelings are not temporary! Why are you confusing everyone?
LJH: What on earth did I –
CSY: Young Woo. Min Woo. Me. We were all confused because of you! Jun Ho looks distressed by this and just sighs. I blame Min Woo for this "triangle". (~49:40)
Back in court, Attorney Jung presents the new argument that the defendant violated the process for Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment. According to the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, the assessment should be conducted when a plan that would impact the environment is being established. There is a problem with the timing, as the road’s basic design and implementation design were made in 2017 and the assessment was conducted in 2019. The judge sighs and asks for the defendant's counselor’s response. Attorney Tae says it’s true that the assessment should be conducted when a plan that would impact the environment is being established. She then pulls up a slide of the Urban Planning Standard Procedure and highlights this portion: The determination of the best route is done toward the later stages of the overall road planning. She continues that Haengbok Ro’s determination of the best route was made in October 2019. The assessment that the plaintiff is referring to was conducted in June 2019. However it was done before the plan that would impact the environment was established, so it’s not illegal. While the clients and team Hanbada look crestfallen at this, Young Woo has an epiphany – and declares in court that it’s not true.
She argues if the defendant’s counselor’s claim is correct, then when the plaintiffs filed a complaint, they should’ve been able to change the road construction plan, thus the route, before October 2019. But if one looks at Gyeonghae Do’s reply at the time, there’s a phrase that says “the design is already complete, so changing is impossible.” The Judge asks where this language is as there are so many pieces of evidence submitted. While Min Woo and Soo Yeon flip through the documents, Young Woo takes a moment to sort through her eidetic memory databank, and then she says April 3rd, 2019. The second line of the third paragraph on the Gyeonghae Do’s response to Sodeok Dong’s Residents’ Countermeasures’ documents. Attorneys on both sides are looking for documents now as she continues saying “The basic design and the implementation design have already been completed, thus the decision of the road’s route cannot be changed” is the phrase. Plaintiff’s Exhibit 4, the reply that was sent in the name of Gyeonghae Do’s governor. Attorney Tae looks impressed. Meanwhile, Min Woo and Soo Yeon have located the exact text and provide it to the judges. The presiding Judge looks at it and says that according to this reply, Gyeonghae Do had already acknowledged that the route of the road was decided in April 2019, which means the plaintiff’s counselors’ point that the Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment was done afterward seems reasonable.
After Young Woo sits down, Attorney Jung stands up to request an on-site verification of Sodeok Dong, so the Judge can see how much damage the freeway will cause to the residents, and it would be of huge help to his wise judgment. The Judge says that there’s a lot to look at from the submitted evidence alone, so just take a picture. It’s too far for him to personally go there. Jang Dong Gun suddenly stands up and says that it’s not as Sodeok Dong is very close to here. It’s an hour’s drive. Choi Han Su adds there are definitely things he can only know by seeing the town in person. He then beseeches the Judge to come to Sodeok Dong just once. Afterwards, Attorney Tae introduces herself to Young Woo in the bathroom and then she compliments her on her impressive memory.
Outside the courthouse, Jun Ho is busy loading all of the bags and documents into his car. His car is so full that he has only one extra seat available, and offers a ride to anyone who is heading back to the office. Min Woo goes to open the passenger door and Soo Yeon says that Young Woo should get in. Young Woo nods and Min Woo is forced to let go of the door and let her get into the car. Soo Yeon signals with her eyes, for Jun Ho to talk to Young Woo on this drive. Soo Yeon and Geu Rami and Spring Sunshine are onboard for this ship. Min Woo is confused as to what just happened.
After Jun Ho drives away, Min Woo says he wanted to get back comfortably. Then he asks what’s wrong with her and she should’ve given up her own seat. She retorts that people with rotten instincts don’t deserve to go comfortably. He says, rotten - is she talking about him? Yes, rotten apple. She says if he’s taking a taxi, she’ll get him one. As she’s ordering one on her phone, he asks her if she knows that Young Woo’s father graduated from SNU law school and he seems to be friends with CEO Han. She scoffs and asks how he figured that out with those rotten instincts. He asks if Attorney Woo getting a job here through her connections with the CEO is funny. With a sneer, he asks if this isn’t something that everyone should be furious and nervous about. She asks why and he says it’s unfair employment. She realizes that he’s serious and asks if he has proof. He says that he saw her father coming out of the CEO’s office. Think about it – Hanbada, Taesan and all the major law firms confirm employment before law school graduation, and she joined the firm six months after graduation and after the orientation and workshop. She asks if he’s going to report it to the police or the audit team? If he puts it that way, then did the CEO become the CEO just because of her abilities? Did she not inherit her position from her father, the founder of Hanbada. He says so what? He asks if she’s saying if they work at a company where even the CEO is problematic, this level of dishonesty should be overlooked? He then asks if she feels guilty because she could’ve also benefited from her high-ranking father? Or is she sympathizing with Attorney Woo? She tells him not to act self-righteous when he just wants to bully Young Woo. If he really wants to make an issue out of this, do it with the CEO first. She asks why he’s doing this to Young Woo when he can’t even mess with the strong? Min Woo angrily roars that Woo Young Woo is strong! His ego. He asks how she can’t see this as she’s the one who said her nickname in law school was “First Place is Woo Young Woo Anyway.” He says this is an unfair game as Young Woo wins against them every time, and yet, they shouldn’t attack her. Why? He answers, because she has autism. They are always to be considerate of her and help her. They even have to give up that one empty seat in the car! He says don’t think that Woo Young Woo is weak.
On their drive back, Young Woo stares at Jun Ho’s arms and hands as he’s driving, and then she pauses on his face. Eventually, Jun Ho notices her staring and asks if something is wrong. She says no and looks out the window instead. After they’re done unloading everything into Attorney Jung’s office, Jun Ho asks if they should head out. She nods in agreement and he heads towards the door. She stops him from leaving.
WYW: Lee Jun Ho-sshi?
LJH turning back around: Yes?
WYW: Can I… touch you just once? His face is stuck in between confused and gobsmacked. XD Jun Ho is erroring out… (~1:01:30)
LJH: What?
WYW: I want to check whether or not I like you. The confusion disappears from his face.
LJH: Right. I see. He looks at her with a hint of a smile now. Can you only check by touching me? She looks at him and becomes visibly flustered by this question. She starts blinking fastidiously and looks away. Is he being flirty?!
WYW: Well… I’m trying to check my heart rate to see how fast my heart beats when I touch you.
LJH starts walking towards her: So… He’s smiling as he continues walking as she starts backing away from him. – your heart doesn’t race if we’re not touching? She continues walking backwards. He keeps walking to close the distance between them. Even when you’re with me? She continues taking little half-steps behind her but she’s not able to go anywhere so she finally looks up at him.
WYW: [No response.] She's trying to keep herself from falling over as she’s up against the back of the sofa.
LJH wistfully smiles: That’s disappointing. She locks eyes with him now. He walks forward until their feet are nearly touching and she fidgets in place. He leans forward and her eyes widen in response. Eventually she leans back, closes her eyes tightly and waits. O_O!! (~1:01:16)
Epilogue: Young Woo returns home as Dad is sitting and waiting in the dark restaurant, staring off into space. She then says that she’s going upstairs but Dad says he has something to tell her. She removes her headphones and says to tell her tomorrow as she’s very tired. She turns away as Dad admits that CEO Han Seon Young is a friend of his from university. She turns back to look at him as he continues saying that they were very close but once they graduated, they lost touch because they were both busy. He tells her that she came to see him, and she had offered to give her a job at Hanbada. Young Woo takes a moment to process this before asking if she got her job through her connections with the CEO. She is visibly distraught at the thought that she has benefited from nepotism. Dad replies whether she has or not, he’s grateful for Seon Young. They both had a hard time because she couldn’t get a job. She’ll understand when she becomes a parent herself, how painful it is to watch one’s child be discouraged. Young Woo remains wordless but her eyes are full of pain. Dad then says there’s another reason why she gave her the job. Young Woo interrupts to say that she wants to be completely discouraged, as she would like to face it and cope with it herself. Because she’s an adult. She tearfully says she doesn’t like it when he intervenes in her life and try to prevent discouragement all the time. She tells him to not do it and then she runs away from there. He calls after her but she doesn’t stop.
At an internet cafe, Min Woo is posting about Hanbada’s Hiring Practices on Hanbada’s anonymous bulletin board.
Micro Recap: Sodeok Dong’s class-action lawsuit continues. Young Woo learns the truth about her parents.
Geu Rami is making folded gimbap (egg, rice and kimchi) for breakfast for herself and Young Woo, which she serves as Dong Geu Rami gimbap. Young Woo sits down and promptly asks where the ham, spinach, and boiled burdock are. Geu Rami tells her to go boil her own burdock, as it’s eat-what-she-gets – that’s the Geu Rami gimbap. Heh. Young Woo finally takes a bite and Geu Rami asks her if it’s good. Young Woo says yes, and it’s strange. Geu Rami says it’s strangely good which makes them giggle in agreement. Geu Rami then asks her if she got into a fight with her father. Young Woo denies this. Then she asks if he asked her to leave. Young Woo says she left on her own. She nods and says that she gets that she left on her own but asks why she left. Young Woo replies that she’s going to move out because she’s an adult. Geu Rami asks if she can afford that.
Young Woo gets to work and everyone is whispering and looking at her but she doesn’t seem to notice.
KMW’s voiceover: Exposing Hanbada’s Corrupt Hiring Practices. Recently, I found out that a rookie attorney at Hanbada benefitted from nepotism. Unlike the other rookies, this attorney joined the firm after Hanbada’s official recruitment period had ended. She did not participate in the training for rookies either. How is something like this possible? Wasn’t it because this rookie attorney’s father and the attorney at the highest position at Hanbada went to school together. If it weren’t for the unreasonable request of her father, would that rookie attorney have been able to work at Hanbada?
If someone is given a job because they know high-ranking personnel, how can we call that society fair and just? I truly feel robbed seeing someone use personal connections to be handed the job of attorney at Hanbada, which I gave up my youth to earn.
In her office, Attorney Han scowls at this post. In his office, Attorney Jung looks concerned while Soo Yeo just scoffs at the same post. When Min Woo shows up in Attorney Jung’s office, Soo Yeon glares at him and then says oh-so-sweetly, “I’m sorry to hear that you felt robbed.” He acts confused. She calls him out for writing that post about Young Woo on the anonymous bulletin board. Min Woo looks over at Attorney Jung who just clears his throat and resumes looking at his computer screen. They’re interrupted by Young Woo’s knock on the door. When Attorney Jung goes to start their meeting, Attorney Han appears and joins them at the conference table. She brings up that the opposing attorney in their case is Tae Soo Mi. Attorney Jung confirms that it’s a lawsuit for the revocation of the road zone decision for Haengbok Ro that’s being built by Gyeonghae Do, and their defense of Sodeok Dong’s residents. She asks how it’s going. He says they’re having difficulty proving that there’s a better alternative to the current planned route, but they managed to find a reason for illegality. He explains Gyeonghae Do did their Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment a bit later than the law allows. She says this won’t affect the decision on the road as this is probably only a minor procedural mistake. She asks if they’re still doing the construction on the road. Attorney Jung says they’ve requested a suspension of effect but it’s unconfirmed so the construction is ongoing. She says they’re losing then. He replies they knew that this wasn’t going to be easy. Then he mentions that Sodeok Dong is quite beautiful and the residents are easygoing, so they’ve asked for on-site verification as an appeal to the judges to change their mind. She says this is a romantic way of doing things but not everything works that way.
Attorney Han suggests that they come up with a way to solve this politically and less romantically – have someone from the media outlets who is on good terms with Hanbada, take interest in this case. Frame this lawsuit as a fight between David and Goliath to stir up public opinion and make the judges feel uncomfortable to side with Gyeonghae Do. She says it may not seem like much but sometimes things like this work. A person’s heart wavers even over groundless gossip posts on an anonymous bulletin board. Everyone but Young Woo knows what she’s referring to. She then tells them to win – as in not lose to Tae Soo Mi.
After the meeting, Soo Yeon pulls Young Woo aside to show her Min Woo’s post. Soo Yeon says it’s about her. Young Woo asks how she knows it’s about her, and she replies that she was the only one who joined the firm after the official recruitment. Young Woo admits that it’s all true as her father and the CEO are friends from university and she benefited from nepotism, which is heard by some people in the office.
CSY: Students with good grades at SNU law school all do internships at major law firms and get employed before graduating! You were always the top in school but you weren't hired anywhere. Everyone knew it was unfair. But they didn’t do anything about it because it was none of their business. Including me.
WYW: Well, since I have autism –
CSY very loudly: HEY! Min Woo is walking nearby and stops in his tracks to look over at them. Young Woo looks a bit frightened but she’s listening. Discrimination against the disabled is legally prohibited! You not being employed anywhere with your grades is discrimination, dishonesty, and corruption. No matter how you got here – she sees Min Woo walking away and shoots eye daggers at his retreating back – it’s only fair that you joined the firm, albeit late! She calms down. I think Attorney Kwon wrote this. So when it’s just the two of you, smack him on the back of his head. She demonstrates with her left hand swatting at imaginary Min Woo. Or hit him hard in the stomach. She shakes her clenched left fist in the air.
WYW: But that’s a crime.
CSY: Don’t just let people walk all over you, you idiot. And stop acting pitiful saying you benefited from nepotism! She puts her arm around Young Woo’s shoulder. You heard the CEO, right? Young Woo starts shifting away from her hand. We should be political too, okay? Young Woo just nods in agreement. Less romantic, okay?
WYW nodding: Okay. Soo Yeon gives her a final squeeze and then a firm pat on her shoulder before walking away. Spring Sunshine is in her corner!! 🌞 Young Woo is startled but ponders over her words.
It’s a heavy downpour as Team Hanbada arrives in Sodeok Dong for the on-site verification. When Team Taesan arrives, they're all carrying matching red Taesan umbrellas. Attorney Jung asks if they don’t have umbrellas as they look like a mess - everyone is holding a different colored/patterned ordinary umbrella. Jun Ho says they do and pulls out the navy blue Hanbada umbrellas from the trunk. Not long after, a reporter from Jeongui Iibo joins them at Hanbada’s invitation. When the Judge arrives, both Attorneys Jung and Tae greet him and shelter him from the rain with their umbrellas. He steps out of the car and opens his own umbrella, a black one with a dolphin logo, which is spotted by Young Woo. Choi Han Su begins the tour by pointing out the rows of red flags indicating the planned route of Haengbok Ro, which cuts across the residential area, so all those residents will be kicked out of town once the construction begins.
Their first stop is at Son Heung Min’s house but the man isn’t as exuberant as their first visit, and answers to Attorney Tae’s greeting of Mr. Kim Jeong Hwan. She then provides his signed consent form to the Judge, as he’s accepted Gyeonghae Do’s land expropriation compensation offer. Jang Dong Gun is shocked by this as he’s a board member of the Residents’ Countermeasures Committee. Kim Jeong Hwan was offered twice the original amount. Choi Han Su asks how he could do this without even telling them. Kim Jeong Hwan asks if he would understand where he’s coming from, as he [Choi Han Su] is well-off. He says he’s not the only one who consented and points at Cheol Min aka Kim Jang Hoon who is riding by on a scooter. When Jang Dong Gun asks him if he consented, too, the man only flips down the visor on his helmet and drives away quickly. Attorney Tae confirms that he signed the consent form as well.
Attorney Jung says if Gyeonghae Do decided to raise the compensation amount, they should’ve informed the Residents’ Countermeasures Committee first, as it’s unfair for them to discreetly contact individual households and get them to sign consent forms. Attorney Tae counters that the decision to raise the compensation hasn’t been confirmed yet. Gyeonghae Do merely wanted to check beforehand on how many households would consent to the increase in compensation. The consent form is just a mere formality. Attorney Jung protests to say that’s an even bigger issue as they’re just feeling out the residents when they’re not actually going to raise the compensation. He says this is the defendant’s counselor’s trick to win the lawsuit by dividing the residents. She replies that the head of the town has too much power over the residents so it’s hard for the powerless residents to speak up for themselves. So please understand the wishes of the brave residents who are expressing their intentions through the consent forms. Now the reporter is taking note of this. Both Choi Han Su and Jang Dong Gun are flummoxed by her conjecture. She continues that out of the 488 households whose land expropriation has been decided, a total of 343 households have signed the consent forms so far. More than 70 percent of the households have consented within fifteen days. If that isn’t the true intention of the residents, then what is? She then tells the Judge that she’s submitting these consent forms as evidence. Attorney Jung argues that the consent forms merely show the residents consenting the amount that Gyeonghae Do might be raising, as the increase in compensation hasn’t been confirmed yet. There’s nothing that the consent forms can prove. The Judge says that today’s the on-site verification and they can submit the evidence later. For now, they’ll focus on looking around the site.
Attorney Jung tells Choi Han Su that they have no idea how many people Taesan spoke to, so for now, stop the resident introductions and suggest they head for the hackberry tree. So everyone moves towards the hackberry tree site, except for Min Woo and the reporter, who asks Min Woo if something’s not working out here. Min Woo replies that the residents used to be united and it was quite a beautiful town. The reporter comments that they were one-upped by Taesan.
As they climb up this hill in the relentless rain, we see that Young Woo is wearing sneakers this time. When the Judge slips,Young Woo points out that she’s wearing sneakers in preparation for this kind of situation. The Judge looks at her and asks if she’s bragging. She denies this and then offers him the use of her jacket. The Judge refuses and walks off. She follows him and tells him to take extra caution when climbing up this hill. Attorney Jung tells her to be quiet. Leave the Judge alone! They arrive at the spot under the tree where Teresa and Eugene Park are waiting. Teresa pours a cup of sikhye which Jang Dong Gun offers to the Judge. The Judge refuses as it’s raining and chilly so why would he want to drink that. Attorney Jung signals at Eugene Park to wait a bit before playing, but the man misreads his hand signal and starts playing immediately. The Judge asks Choi Han Su what it is that they’re supposed to see and to show them now. So now Choi Han Su signals at Eugene Park to stop playing and then points at the town below. He says that the strain will be immense on the town residents if Haengbok Ro penetrates Sodeok Dong. The Judge looks at the farmland and houses, but then a large gust of wind comes through and everyone is further drenched by the rain. The Judge says visiting Sodeok Dong in person makes him seriously doubt if it’s right to acknowledge the plaintiffs’ claims as he doesn’t even know who the plaintiffs are. He asks if the Residents’ Countermeasures Committee is properly reflecting the wishes of all the Sodeok Dong residents. Jang Dong Gun answers that the committee has always been in contact with the residents and closely communicated with them. They weren’t able to show him what they’re really like because the attorneys used tricks to try to split them apart. The Judge says he’ll give them an opportunity to prove what he said. He then tells both parties to get the residents’ consent forms by the next hearing date, as he’ll need to see for himself whether there are more residents who agree with the cause of the committee or follow the decision of Gyeonghae Do. If the number of residents against building the freeway according to the planned route is not the majority of Sodeok Dong residents, they will have no choice but to dismiss the plaintiffs’ claim. The reporter tells Min Woo that he doesn’t have anything to write right now, but let him know when things get settled.
Hanbada attorneys are now looking at a map of Sodeok Dong residents with houses marked in red and blue. The blue ones are highly likely to side with Choi Han Su and the red ones who would move out after receiving compensation. Soo Yeon says as expected, the houses that aren’t included in the road zone are mostly blue. Choi Han Su says the households that are getting their land expropriated are thinking they can just move with the compensation, even if it is at a low price. It’s especially tempting since the compensation might be increased. Attorney Jung assures them that there’s still time to convince the residents. Jun Ho arrives with their consent forms and tells them to check outside. Taesan has brought in full reinforcements – a busload of part-timers armed with forms to visit every household, versus their team of only 5 plus Choi Han Su and Jang Dong Gun. Team Hanbada isn’t doing too well as the residents only want to hear about compensation. Jun Ho has now hired their own crew of part-timers but it’ll take them a bit of time to get there. Teresa then offers to gather the women’s association to help.
Next, our Hanbada team and the clients are in a room full of senior citizens as Teresa is giving instructions on how to complete the form. Some of the senior citizens are not sure who to trust, and Attorney Jung is asked to sing so they can see if he’s trust-worthy. They start singing, “If you can’t sing, you can’t defend…Hateful person.” A panicked-looking Attorney Jung asks Soo Yeon if Jun Ho is on his way. She leaves the room to contact him. Young Woo then leaves to look for her bag that she thinks she left under the hackberry tree. Min Woo tells her to hurry up as it looks like they’re going to have to sing and she’s leaving. The senior citizens do the countdown for Attorney Jung to sing as Min Woo hands him a wooden back scratcher as his microphone. XD As the singing and clapping gets louder, Young Woo makes her way towards the exit. Min Woo asks where she’s going and she says that she’s going to look for her bag. Attorney Jung is singing horribly but the citizens are pretty jovial and signing the forms which are being collected by Min Woo.
Young Woo looks for her bag around the hackberry tree but is unable to find it. Then Attorney Tae comes around the corner with the bag slung on one shoulder as she’s finishing up a call. After she hangs up, she asks Young Woo if she’s Attorney Woo Young Woo. Young Woo says yes, and then spots her bag on her shoulder and asks about the bag. Attorney Tae takes it off her shoulder and says it was under the tree and she had planned to take it down with her to find its owner. She returns her bag to her and says that she remembers where she’s heard her name before – She’s the one who wrote the Statement of Opinion for Chairman Kim’s case, the wedding dress case. (Ep2.) She then asks if she’s having fun working at Hanbada. Young Woo is confused by this. Attorney Tae comes right out and asks if she wants to work for Taesan. She knows that the reason for the on-site verification was to show the intangible value of Sodeok Dong – the residents’ love for their hometown and such. She then says there’s nothing weaker than a person’s mind, especially in the face of money. She ends the conversation by telling her to come visit Taesan when this case is over. She feels like Taesan could be a better fit for her. She then says let’s win trials together and hands Young Woo her business card. Young Woo accepts the card and then looks up at the massive tree above them. She says, “I think this every time I see it, but this hackberry tree is amazing.” Attorney Tae agrees with her and the two remain under the canopy of the hackberry tree in the sunshine (albeit windy). Down below, Min Woo spots the two of them chatting.
Afterwards, when Young Woo comes down from the hill, Min Woo is waiting for her. He asks her what they were talking about. Is my response, “about your mom” an appropriate answer to his question? :P She replies if she tells him what they talked about, if he’s going to post it to the bulletin board again. He plays dumb and asks what did he do. She raises her left hand as if she was going to hit him and he flinches and ducks in response, even though she didn’t make contact. She then swings her right arm towards his stomach which makes him flinch again and this time he yells angrily what is she doing. Use those Spring Sunshine moves! She tells him sternly if he does that one more time, she’s going to smack him on the back of his head - and does the same move with her left hand. Then she says or she’ll hit him hard in the stomach, and swings her right fist towards him again. She says she won’t let him walk all over her. The pompous twerp asks how she can be so shameless. Frankly speaking, it doesn’t matter who wrote the post. At the end of the day, it’s all true, as her father and the CEO were friends at university and it’s nepotism. He asks why she’s so shameless.
Back at home, Young Woo rolls out a luggage bag with a killer whale cover on it. (The text on the cover is “Lorem Ipsum” which is placeholder text for laying out print or websites. LOL All the budget went towards CGI but not this detail. I’m dying.) Dad is surprised to see her and asks if she’s back home. She replies that she’s going back out as she was just here to grab her clothes, and moves to leave. He blocks her and asks where she’s going. She says she’s going to move out and she’ll be staying with Geu Rami until she finds her own place, so he doesn’t need to worry. She leaves the house and he follows her out and tells her to talk to him. She says no. He asks how she could decide something as big as moving out alone. She tells him that she’s going to change firms, as she won’t work at Hanbada anymore. He asks where she is going to work instead. She says she’s going to Taesan as she received an offer from Attorney Tae Soo Mi. Dad looks like he’s seen a ghost and starts saying no, she can’t go there. As she’s walking away, he says “That woman, Tae Soo Mi is your mother!” This finally makes her stop in her tracks and she turns around to look at him. He softly says that Tae Soo Mi is the person who gave birth to her. She’s her mother. Young Woo looks shocked by this and turns away to leave but she loses her footing on the stairs and tumbles down them. Her very concerned father runs down the stairs.
Later Young Woo wakes up in the hospital and Dad asks if she’s okay. She replies that her whole body hurts. He says they said she has bruises all over her body. He asks if it hurts a lot and if he should ask for painkillers. She says no. He says luckily she didn’t break any bones and she’ll get better soon after getting some rest. Dad apologizes for not telling her sooner as he had lied about her mother passing away while giving birth to her. Young Woo says she knew that. He’s shocked. She admits that her grandmother had told her when she was very drunk and yelling about it: “Your mother is not dead. She abandoned you and ran away.” Dad tells her that he and Tae Soo Mi lived in different worlds. He’s the son of a poor farmer and she’s the daughter of the founder of Taesan. But they met in university and ended up liking each other. They were new to dating and she was conceived when they weren’t ready. But once Soo Mi found out she was pregnant, she changed completely. He guesses that she wanted to return to the world she came from rather than getting married to a man with nothing and becoming a mother.
About 27 years ago. Woo Gwang Ho and Tae Soo Mi are arguing outside in the rain. She couldn’t believe that he had come to her house. He had said what else he was supposed to do as she’s been refusing to see him. He asks for them to talk and she says there’s nothing to talk about. He reaches for her arm and she shoves him away from her and walks away from him. But then she turns back and sees that he’s not getting up and asks if he’s okay. He stays down on the ground and says that it’s all their fault. He then says, “Let's have the baby.” With tears in her eyes, she says that they’ve talked about this already. He says he promises to not put her in a difficult position. If she can have the baby, he’ll take the baby and disappear. He’ll quit his studies, won’t take the bar and won’t do anything. He’ll make sure that she’ll never see them. He begs her to consider this.
In the present, Dad says she eventually agreed to have her. She spread rumors that she went to study abroad in the U.S. but had actually stayed home throughout her entire pregnancy. During that time, he graduated from university and as soon as she was born, she became his, as promised.
Dad is given a newborn girl with a bag by one of the Tae family personnel. When he asks about how Soo Mi is, he’s told to not ask about her. And there’ll be no need for them to contact each other ever again. He’s left holding the baby and even tries looking into the very dark-tint windows of the car. But he’s unable to see anything except the disappearing tail lights.
Back in the present, Dad tells Young Woo that he kept his word. He had given up taking the bar so he wouldn’t run the risk of running into her. He only worked jobs unrelated to law and raised her. And now, he regrets it a lot. She says, he regrets it? He replies when he saw how she was unable to get a job anywhere, he regretted it so much. He thinks that he was delusional. He thought keeping the promise he made to the woman he once loved made him loyal and cool. When all that really doesn’t mean anything. Young Woo says he is loyal and cool. He says he should have become an attorney one way or another. He should’ve hired and taught her when nobody accepted her. He should’ve been a competent father who had a practice to pass on to his daughter. He’s realized through experience that everything in life is political. There’s a political reason for Seon Young hiring her. And Soo Mi abandoning her wasn’t because she hated her. There were political reasons that stopped her from marrying a guy like him. He didn’t know that’s how everybody else lived. The foolish guy who went on and on to himself about promise and loyalty…ultimately made his daughter pay the price for him not succeeding in life. T_T
Young Woo suddenly sits up as she’s had another epiphany. She asks if that could have been the case for the hackberry tree in Sodeok Dong. Dad is confused. She thinks back to the civil engineering expert who had mentioned he had first heard about the road being constructed in 2016, which was six years ago. She also recalls Choi Han Su had mentioned asking the provincial office about designating the tree as a national monument that same year. She asks her father about her phone so she can call Attorney Jung. He asks even at this hour? She says yes, and tells him to step out due to attorney-client privileged information. He hands her the phone and she promptly tells him to hurry up and leave. lol Dad leaves the room as she calls Attorney Jung.
When a sleepy Attorney Jung finally answers, she says her father thinks that everything in this world is political and that every decision has a political reason behind it. He looks at the time on his phone and then asks her, yes, so what? She asks if it isn’t odd - the hackberry tree of Sodeok Dong. Why couldn’t such an amazing tree become a protected tree let alone a natural monument? He asks if this has anything to do with the case. She replies if the hackberry tree couldn’t be designated as a natural monument because of a political reason, then it does. The Sodeok Dong residents had inquired about the tree to the provincial office in 2016. But by then it was secretly known that there could be a road built in Sodeok Dong. She says even the civil engineering professor knew about it. She’s met with silence and then she hears snoring. She yells into the phone: “Are you asleep?!” lol Attorney Jung jerks awake from the sound squawking next to him, and picks up the phone to ask her if she knows what time it is. She says it’s 3:10 a.m. He asks and isn’t everyone asleep at 3:10 a.m.? The birds, the lambs, and even Myeong Seok? Haha. She’s confused. He continues saying, even if they try to check whether or not there was a political reason, shouldn’t they do it during the day? What can they do right now? She understands and the call ends. Dad is outside waiting patiently.
Ever a gentleman, Jun Ho holds open the car door for Young Woo and even makes sure she’s protected from the rain with his umbrella as they’re on their way to meet the clients at the provincial office. Jang Dong Gun explains that to designate the Sodeok Dong hackberry tree as a natural monument, they have to ask Gyeonghae Do first. The Gyeonghae Do Cultural Heritage Committee does the first review, and if they think it’s worth designating, then they write up the report asking the Cultural Heritage Administration to designate it. She asks them if they asked Gyeonghae Do themselves in 2016. Choi Han Su says no, that had left it to Yu Jin who worked at the Gyeonghae Do provincial office back then, too. Jun Ho asks if he means the person who plays the violin - yes, it’s Eugene Park. Young Woo asks what his real name is - it’s Park Yu Jin. She’s surprised and Choi Han Su explains that’s why he learned to play the violin - the shared name with the famous violinist. Jun Ho asks if he still works at the provincial office. Choi Han Su says he does.
Now our Hanbada duo are meeting with Park Yu Jin. Young Woo mentions that they asked the Cultural Heritage Administration and they said they never received any reports on the hackberry tree in Sodeok Dong. She asks if the Committee decided to not write a report. Park Yu Jin says it was such a long time ago that he doesn’t remember clearly but he thinks so. She asks why was the hackberry tree deemed not enough to be designated as a natural monument? He cagily says, “What? By who? By me?” Young Woo says no, as she meant the Committee. Jun Ho asks if there are records of the meeting discussing the hackberry tree. He mentions that Choi Han Su told them that the experts came on-site and saw the tree in person, so there must be materials like the meeting minutes or reports. He then asks to take a look. Park Yu Jin looks uncomfortable but he tells them to wait and he’ll go look for them.
Once he leaves, there’s a bit of an awkward silence until Jun Ho finally asks if she got home safely that day. She ponders this and asks, that day? He says yes, in Attorney Jung’s office. Young Woo thinks back to that evening…
As Jun Ho leaned closer, she closed her eyes shut and clenched her fists as her heart was racing away and waited. As he continued leaning closer, before he could touch her, she had opened her eyes and shoved him away. And then she ran away, right out of the office and left him there. Omo, she ran?! So did she close her eyes in anticipation of a kiss, or was it more of a reaction to sensory overload? Or both?
Back in the present, Jun Ho says that she just ran out all of a sudden. Young Woo says that day, her heart rate was really high. Even though she didn’t touch him at all, her heart was beating very fast. So… she thinks that she does like him. Ah, our brave Young Woo confesses first! (~51:00) He looks at her and says, “Attorney Woo, I…” Young Woo interrupts to say “Running away?” as she’s looking at something behind him. Jun Ho is confused. Young Woo says Park Yu Jin… is running away as she points at the man in question, who is indeed walking away while holding an umbrella. When Jun Ho says his name and starts following him, Park Yu Jin starts running now. Jun Ho runs after him even as he politely asks where he’s going, and Young Woo is trying to keep up with them. When the elevator takes too long to arrive, Park Yu Jin runs down the stairs with Jun Ho not far behind him. Young Woo, carrying an umbrella, takes the elevator instead. Jun Ho chases Park Yu Jin down the stairs until he exits the main floor. But Park Yu Jin nearly runs into Young Woo and he turns around to encounter Jun Ho right behind him. He changes course again and collides into the delivery man with his cart of parcels. Young Woo rolls the cart back as she apologizes to the delivery man.
Park Yu Jin continues running outside even though it’s raining and he almost gets hit by a truck and he’s startled enough to fall onto the ground. When Jun Ho asks if he’s okay and goes over to help him, Park Yu Jin gets up and opens the umbrella in his hand and tells him to go away. So the chase continues as the two men are back to running, and Young Woo is following them with her now open umbrella. Finally, the chase ends when he’s stopped by an employee who thought he was a criminal or something, which results in Park Yu Jin getting his face pushed into the ground. He pants out that he works here. The guy asks why he was running away then. A soaking-wet and panting Jun Ho asks the same thing. And then Young Woo arrives to loudly ask the same thing. Park Yu Jin finally yells that he was embarrassed!
As it turns out, Park Yu Jin’s friend had stopped him and called him an idiot. He had said that the subway line 10 was coming into Sodeok Dong soon and they were building Haengbok Ro, too, so he shouldn’t inquire about designating the tree as a natural monument. If the tree had been designated as one, they wouldn’t be able to build the subway or freeway. Young Woo asks what he did next. He says he asked some friends he works with at the provincial office to act as experts from the Cultural Heritage Committee evaluating the tree in front of the head of the town [Choi Han Su], and to say that the tree was not enough to be designated as a natural monument. Jun Ho says he didn’t even ask the Committee then. He admits that he didn’t and now he knows that the subway and Haengbok Ro aren’t good for their town. And then Young Woo notices his umbrella – black with a dolphin logo on it. The same one as the Judge’s? Back then, he thought the two favorable factors popped up in a neighborhood where the land value never goes up. Young Woo asks him where he got that umbrella with the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin printed on it. He says it’s Kyungpo Construction’s logo, and when he went to look at a model house, they gave it to him.
Back in court, the Judge asks for the consent forms and the results. Attorney Jung goes to answer but Attorney Tae cuts him off to say that the population of Sodeok Dong is 4,176 people with 2,513 households, and they have 1,557 households consenting to Gyeonghae Do’s decision, which is more than half. Attorney Jung tries to respond again but he gets cut off by the Judge who says that the court has no choice but to dismiss the plaintiffs’ claim. He then starts to wrap it up but Attorney Jung interrupts to say that they would like to file a motion to challenge the court. He further asks for the proceedings to be suspended until the acknowledgment of the motion to challenge is decided. The Judge asks if they’re just trying to buy time, and demands to know what grounds they are filing a motion to challenge the court.
Attorney Jung asks if he recalls the umbrella that he brought to the on-site verification. Team Hanbada shares photos of the Judge with the umbrella in question. Young Woo happily talks about the dolphin on the umbrella which ticks off the Judge who asks what she’s talking about. She returns to her table and Attorney Jung answers that the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin is a logo of Kyungpo Construction. The umbrella he’s holding is given to visitors at the model house for Kyungpo Ocean Park Apartments, which is planned to be built by Kyungpo Construction in the planned City of Hamun. The Judge asks if plaintiffs’ counsel is saying that he went to the model house to buy an apartment in Hamun? He then denies knowing about how this umbrella came into his hands. Attorney Jung replies just in case, he is interested in purchasing the apartment that is planned to be built in Hamun, there are concerns of an unfair trial, which is why they’re filing this motion. Young Woo adds that there is nothing weaker than the human mind in the face of money.
At Taesan, Attorney Tae is with the head of HR and discussing Young Woo while they’re waiting for her. When Young Woo arrives, she is introduced to the head of HR, but she says that she should speak with Attorney Tae alone. Both women are confused by this as Attorney Tae was going to introduce her to the head of HR and then leave them alone. Young Woo insists that she should be the only one to hear what she is about to say. Attorney Tae sends her away and Young Woo finally sits down.
Young Woo asks her if she does not recognize her. Attorney Tae is confused. When Young Woo says that she’s Woo Gwang Ho’s daughter, Attorney Tae’s smile drops. Young Woo asks again if she does not recognize her. Attorney Tae looks petrified by this. Young Woo says she had planned on leaving Hanbada as she had wanted to move firms if Taesan accepted her. But recently, she found out who she is, so she doesn’t think she can work at Taesan. Attorney Tae has tears in her eyes but she looks almost angry. Young Woo says she was trying to leave Hanbada to be independent of her father and be a real adult. But she can’t leave her father just to join her mother’s firm. Especially not when her mother gave birth to her, abandoned her and doesn’t recognize her at all even now. She then thanks her for offering her the job at Taesan. But she’s going to continue working at Hanbada and she will stay by her father’s side. Attorney Tae remains speechless but her face looks quite pained as tears run down her face.
Young Woo then receives a message on her phone informing her that the hackberry tree will be designated as a natural monument. Whether the court changes or not, Gyeonghae Do will have to change the planned route for Haengbok Ro. She continues saying that this is great news for the residents of Sodeok Dong. Attorney Tae asks if she resents her for what she’s done. Young Woo looks at her with eyes welling up with tears, she says, “It was nice when we looked at the tree together on top of the hill in Sodeok Dong. I wanted to meet you at least once. It was nice to meet you.” Then she gets up, deep bows and then walks away. Both women are teary-eyed and sniffling.
Epilogue. The Jeongui Iibo reporter is doing a live broadcast of the residents dancing around the hackberry tree, as this tree in Sodeok Dong, Kiyoung, Gyeonghae Do has been designated as a natural monument. The Cultural Heritage Administration explained that this hackberry tree is not only great in its historic, scenic, and aesthetic nature but also in good condition in terms of growth, having an exceedingly high value as a natural monument. The residents of Sodeok Dong were in the middle of administrative litigation demanding Gyeonghae Do change the planned route for Haengbok Ro, claiming that it was designed to not only penetrate the town but also the tree. The focus is now on whether the court and Gyeonghae Do will listen to the voices of the residents with the announcement of the hackberry tree being designated as a natural monument.
[Ep9] “The Pied Piper”
Micro Recap: The self-proclaimed leader of the children’s liberation movement gets arrested for kidnapping a dozen children. Young Woo becomes extra nice to Jun Ho.
Many kids are boarding the waiting yellow buses to various academies. A dozen kids are happily chatting inside a bus when they hear the shrill sound of a whistle being blown. A man in the driver’s seat ten announces that this bus was supposed to take them to the Mujin Academy, which is short for “Mujin Unfortunately is Just Insufferably Never-Ending.” He stands up and continues saying but, he, the Commander-in-Chief of the Children’s Liberation Army, has taken over this bus. There’s also another man asleep in the front passenger seat. How is he not waking up from this whistle?! He continues saying that his bus isn’t going to the academy. One girl asks who he is. He repeats that he’s the Commander-in-Chief of the Children’s Liberation Army, and his name is Bang Gu Ppong. The girl grins and asks if his name really is Bang Gu Ppong, like “fart”? 방귀 Bang Gu = Fart. The other kids start giggling now. He shows her his resident registration card which does indeed show his name is Bang Gu Ppong. She then passes the card to the other kids as they each look and giggle at it. He then blows the whistle again and says that those onboard are qualified to join the Children’s Liberation Army. Children who don’t want to join or want to go to the academy should get off the bus right now and the door opens. No one gets off the bus. One boy asks what the Children’s Liberation Army is? He explains that the Children's Liberation Army plays, plays, and plays even more. They play until it’s a miracle that they haven’t died while playing. They play so much their guts - and then he starts fake sobbing - until their guts sob from all the fun. All the kids laugh in response. One girl asks if she can ask her mother and he says no and then he says he’s leaving as he moves in slow-motion towards the door. The kids giggle again at this. And then he reverses his movements quickly and says if anyone doesn’t want to be a part of this army, then get off this bus right now. He points at the door but no one moves.
He then squats down and stage whispers to the kids, to not tell their mothers. He asks if their mothers would understand that instead of going to the academy, their goal of playing is to achieve children’s liberation. The kids shake their heads and say no. He says then the Children’s Liberation Army proclaims the following: 1) Children must play immediately; 2) Children must be healthy immediately; and 3) Children must be happy immediately. He, the Commander-in-Chief, Bang Gu Ppong will presently defeat the sly demands of schools, academies, and parents and will immediately sing for happy children. Then he starts shouting, “Let’s play!”, closes the door and then gets behind the wheel to drive.
Young Woo is on the phone with Attorney Jung as she’s trying to quickly make her way to court. She says she doesn’t think she’ll be late for the judgment of the arrest warrant, but she’s worried that there won’t be enough time to interview the defendant and she hasn’t even looked at the case materials either. Attorney Jung is understanding as she’s just taken on the case. He then says that Jun Ho left with the case files, so she’ll be getting them soon. She hangs up the call and hurries to get through the security gates. Then Jun Ho greets her from across the way and tells her to hurry and points to where she needs to go. She’s reviewing the materials on the elevator ride and then as she’s walking to the hearing. Jun Ho is telling her that the defendant is a 26-year-old male, who’s been arrested for the kidnapping of minors. Two days ago, he hijacked a Mujin Academy bus and took 12 elementary school kids onboard to a mountain nearby. Young Woo says she heard that the person who asked Hanbada to take this case is the Director of Mujin Academy. Jun Ho says that the defendant is the youngest son of the Director. He hijacked the bus of his mother’s academy. She asks what he did with the kids at the mountain. Jun Ho says they just played, as he did recreational activities for about four hours with the kids. Four hours?! He was arrested after the academy bus driver reported it to the police. She continues flipping through the case materials but he stops her to point out that there’s an eyelash on her left cheek. And so he goes to remove this eyelash, but his touch and close proximity reminds her of their last close encounter – when they were in Attorney Jung’s office. He finally removes the eyelash successfully and the two separate quickly from each other. He says it was hard to grab as he just managed to take it off. (This is apparently real as KTO had a very difficult time removing it. lol!) She’s a bit flustered and then remembers that she needs to meet with the defendant now. She clutches the documents to her chest and quickly runs away. He sighs and watches her for a moment before he leaves in the opposite direction.
Case 8. As she’s waiting for the client, Young Woo is quickly trying to review all of the information she can. When Bang Gu Ppong arrives, he sits down and asks her who she is. They’re separated by a plastic partition. She introduces herself as an attorney from Hanbada and recites the palindromes. But then she looks down and sees his name on the documents and looks a bit shocked. lol She manages to maintain her composure and says she’s been assigned as Mr. Bang Gu Ppong’s defense for the case. He says that he doesn’t need an attorney. She replies if she doesn’t take this case, then he will be appointed a public defender by the court. She asks if that’s what he wants. He replies if he can be tried without an attorney. She says no. They don’t have much time so she’s just going to ask right away. Is Bang Gu Ppong his real name? He asks why. She replies his name is strange and she’s concerned that the judge might take it negatively. He replies that when he says his name, children laugh. He then says a name like Woo Young Woo wouldn’t make any child laugh. He then mentions one of her palindromes and she finishes reciting them. He says it has a nice flow but it’s weak and not funny. It’s not supposed to be funny! He starts singing, “Woo, Woo, Woo, Woo-Woo-Woo, Woo, Woo-Woo-Woo, Woodpecker’s Booger.” She blanches at this. And he finishes singing with Woodpecker’s Butthole. She’s quite horrified by this. He says it should be at least something like this – having a name that makes children laugh and adults angry and living up to it. That’s the revolution he’s trying to start. He then says it’s nice to meet her and suggests that they shake hands, and he sticks two fingers through the small opening in the partition separating them. She slowly puts up her hand and touches her fingers to his and she even smiles!
At arraignment, when the Judge asks for the defendant’s name, the client answers Bang Gu Poong. The Judge asks if that’s his real name and did his parents name him that. He replies that he legally changed his name two years ago so now it’s his real name. When asked about his occupation, he replies that he’s the Commander-in-Chief of the Children’s Liberation Army. Young Woo suddenly stands up to object, which confuses the Judge and prompts him to ask her why she’s being this way. She apologizes and then replies that she was surprised by her client’s answer. He agrees that he was, too. She then tells him that she didn’t have enough time to interview the defendant as she was just assigned this case. She asks if she could have a quick word with him so that he can properly respond. The Judge allows this and urges her to hurry up.
She sits down and turns the microphone away from them as she quietly tells Bang Gu Poong that providing his job title like that will get him detained. They have to show that he’s of sound mind, not a flight risk and won’t destroy evidence. He says but that is his job. She says it doesn’t matter as the Judge will write down “unemployed” or “unknown” anyway. She tells him to do as she says and then turns the microphone back towards him. The Judge asks the same question and he looks at Young Woo who is nodding before saying unemployed…or unknown should not be written down. Young Woo and the Judge are both confused. He repeats that he’s the Commander-in-Chief of the Children’s Liberation Army.
At Hanbada, Bang Gu Poong’s mother is meeting with Attorney Jung, Young Woo and Min Woo. Her son has been detained as the court is concerned with his responses: his job as Commander-in-Chief of the Children’s Liberation Army as his job, and his address is living in “children’s hearts.” Attorney Jung apologizes as he knows she was concerned about him being in the detention center. She understands and says it’s her son’s fault for answering like that. Min Woo asks what happened to the students he took to the mountain and if they still attend the academy. She replies that all 12 of them have quit and she’s refunded their tuition. Word travels fast in the neighborhood and they are very sensitive about reputation, so many students followed suit. Attorney Jung asks if she’s met with the parents of the 12 students, and she replies that she met them once at the police station and apologized to them. She asks if she should reach out to them. Attorney Jung says yes, and if she gets a letter of non-punishment from the parents, it could help a lot in reducing her son’s sentencing and the parents might request settlement money. She says she expected as much, so she’ll prepare the settlement funds and try to get a letter of non-punishment. Four hours with a stranger is a tall order to ask parents to forgive. She admits that it hasn’t been easy raising her three boys after their father passed away. She’s a mother who sent all three of her sons to SNU. She had started the academy based on her own personal experience. What’s the point of only her sons succeeding - other kids should succeed as well. Now she sees that she was too busy taking care of other people’s kids that she didn’t realize her son was headed down the wrong path. She tells him that she’ll pay however much he wants in commission fees. They couldn’t stop him from going to the detention center but her son shouldn’t be sent to prison. She tearfully asks for their help.
Young Woo has dinner at Hairy Boss’ restaurant, and her seaweed sushi shows up with a large glass of beer. She says she didn’t order the beer and Geu Rami says it’s hers as she takes a long sip of it. lol Young Woo asks if someone said they like someone and that person doesn’t say anything back, that means they’re just not going to answer, right? Geu Rami gasps and asks if someone said they like someone? Who? Young Woo says she did. Geu Rami asks if it was to Lee Jun Ho. She says yes, and Geu Rami says daebak! Even Hairy Boss glances over at her now. Geu Rami then teases her friend, and says the quiet one expressing her feelings to a guy while she’s back here doing the dishes. Hairy Boss says he’s the one who did all the dishes today. Ha! Loafing on the job. Geu Rami goes back to drinking her beer. He tells Young Woo that she’s not at all how she seems. He then says that she’s very brave and gives her a thumbs up. She gives a little smile at this. Geu Rami asks what she said - not anything weird, right? She goes over her words to him - racing heart without even touching him, and that she likes him. When asked what he said in response, she replies that he said “Attorney Woo, I…” and then explains they had to run after Park Yun Jin who was running away so they didn’t finish the conversation. He hasn’t said anything after that. Geu Rami is surprised and asks why that is. Young Woo says she’s not sure, so perhaps he doesn’t like her. Geu Rami says from what she’s seen before, he seemed to like her a lot.
WYW: Jun Ho is still kind and warmhearted. He smiles when he sees me and removes the eyelash on my face.
DGR with eyes widening: What? Eyelashes? Eyelashes! That means he really likes you! Doesn’t it? She looks over at Hairy Boss. How can you touch someone’s lashes if you don’t have any feelings for them?
KMS: You can pick off eyelashes on someone without liking them. It doesn’t mean much. After all, it could blind the person if it gets in their eyes the wrong way.
WYW: Should I ask him again how he feels?
DGR: No. Are you crazy?
KMS: I don’t think you should either. Young Woo hangs her head and looks quite sad.
DGR: What if you are nice to him too? Young Woo lifts her head up and looks at her in anticipation. Be really nice to him without saying anything so he can also be confused. XD I can’t wait.
WYW: Be nice to him so that he gets confused? How do I do that?
DGR: If you want to date someone, what do you do to be nice, Hairy?
KMS: Well… I pull out their seat for them, open the car door for them, make sure they walk on the inside of the sidewalk, and carry their things for them. Young Woo is making a mental note of everything.
At the detention center, Bang Gu Ppong looking beaten up sits down in front of Min Woo and Young Woo. Min Woo asks if he got beaten up or got into a fight. With a dismissive wave, Bang Gu Ppong says it’s the milky way, which is met with silence. lol Min Woo mentions the fact that he’s kidnapped minors, but he didn’t harass them. So he can get a reduced sentence and in order to do that, he must acknowledge his wrongdoings. Bang Gu Ppong says the phrase “minor” doesn’t sit well with him. Young Woo asks what they did after he took the victims to the mountain. He says the term, “victims,” is also a bit… and then suggests calling them the Children’s Liberation Army as they’ve already joined the army. She says no, she’ll call them children. So she rephrases the question as what did he do with the children after he kidnapped them to the mountain. He says they had an enlistment ceremony.
What had happened that day. Up on the mountain, he told the kids that the enemies of the children in Korea are schools, academies, and parents. They don’t let children play as they’re afraid of happy children and healthy children. They want anxious children, suffering children and obedient children. They manipulate the law and institutions of Korea to make children busier and worse so they turn their backs on the world even before they become adults. One of the boys, Lee Se Won raises his hand and says he agrees with him. He then goes over Children’s Liberation Army’s proclamation again and requests the kids repeat after him this time. They happily do so, and then he says that he will presently defeat the sly demands of schools, academies and parents and will immediately sing for happy children. He tells them when he says “Kids”, they should say “Let’s play”, and so the kids play and explore happily on the mountainside with their new leader. He even makes them roasted sweet potatoes over an open fire.
Min Woo says then he didn’t do anything incredibly original. Bang Gu Ppong says the thought that playing has to be original is what creates gimmicky children’s camp field trips without the field part. Taking children here and there, making them do this and that so they can experience something novel and education – that’s not playing. He then looks out the window with bars on it and says even if all they’re doing is looking up at the sky and snickering at the clouds floating by, as long as a child is smiling and is happy in that moment, that’s what playing really is. Young Woo says he seems to have his own philosophy on children playing but she’s not sure if that will be of help in getting his sentence reduced. He replies that a reduced sentence is what his mother wants, not what he wants. In a hushed tone, he beckons them to come closer, and then says what he wants is children’s liberation.
In the cafeteria, Young Woo is putting pieces of gimbap on her tray as she talks about Bang Gu Ppong’s suggestion that her name should at least be Woodpecker’s Booger or Woodpecker’s Butthole to make children laugh, to a less-than-thrilled Jun Ho. He’s giving her some serious side eye. XD She continues saying if she happens to find herself defending a child, she will change her name temporarily. Jun Ho says in a near-whine/bored tone that she’s talking an awful lot about Mr. Bang today. But not one word about whales. It’s not like her. She replies that Mr. Bang seems like an even stranger person than she is, so… He asks, so? She says that it’s nice when she’s with him and then this big smile appears on her face. Jun Ho almost smiles when he sees her smile, but he quickly goes back to sulking. He sighs and says it must be nice for Mr. Bang as this is the first time he’s ever seen her smile like that talking about someone. Jealous? Yes. Heh. He puts the tongs back and then sighs and leaves with his tray in his hands to walk towards an open table. (~24:30, Hehehe, her enthusiasm paired with his expressions!)
She watches him walking away and then she suddenly gasps. She practically sprints to get to the table first, sets down her tray and then she pulls out a chair for him. She then gestures at the empty seat with her hands and tells him to please sit here. He’s now holding his tray midair and with a confused look, he asks what, why? She quickly replies if it isn’t hard to pull the chair out when he has a tray in his hands. Jun Ho looks around and says, okay, right and he thanks her and sits down in the chair. He sets down his tray as she pushes the chair beneath him. She then quickly sits down in the adjacent chair and notices that he’s about to eat a piece of gimbap with a piece of pickled radish. As the food is hovering right by his lips, she asks if he likes pickled radish and offers some of hers, and goes to pick some off of her tray. He says no, it’s okay as he has enough and then he finally eats his gimbap and pickled radish combo. She tells him all right, and to enjoy his meal and then smiles. He continues eating his food as he notices Young Woo’s jaunty smile. She is so cute! Item No. 1 - done!
Day 1 of Trial. The bus driver says his whole body felt groggy after drinking misugaru. And when he came to, the bus was parked at the foot of the mountain. He was so startled that he checked his phone and saw that four hours had passed. The prosecutor asks if he had called the police as soon as he woke up. Yes, and when the police arrived, he was explaining the situation when “that guy was coming down the mountain with all the kids behind him like some sort of pied piper. And that’s when the police made the arrest.”
The prosecutor asks when the defendant handed him the misugaru, if he knew that he was Mujin Academy’s Director’s son? He did and he’d been to the academy a few times before. Meanwhile, Jun Ho is taking a long look at Bang Gu Ppong. Heh. The driver says now that he thinks about it, he wonders if he might've been trying to find out information about the bus schedule. Min woo objects as this is speculation. The Judge tells the witness to not speculate and only state the facts. The driver continues saying that he knew who the guy was as he’d been told he was the Director’s youngest son. The prosecutor asks if that’s why he drank the misugaru from the defendant without any suspicion, correct? The driver says of course, so would have thought that he would put something in the misugaru. Young Woo suddenly stands up and objects that this is speculative as it’s not a proven fact that the defendant did that. Bang Gu Ppong interrupts to say no, there’s no objection - which surprises the Hanbada attorneys. The Judge asks what he just said, and he replies that Attorney Woo might have an objection but he doesn’t. Omo, these interjecting clients in open court are killing me! *facepalm* The Judge asks if he realizes that the attorney is on his side. He replies that the objections brought up earlier - he doesn’t have any objections regarding that either. Young Woo just slumps back down into her chair as Bang Gu Ppong continues that what the bus driver said was true - he did visit the academy to find out the bus schedule and he spiked the misugaru with sleeping pills and gave it to him. The jurors murmur about this admission. Bang Gu Ppong then speaks to the driver directly - by apologizing and then saying there was no other choice for the liberation of children. And he asks for his generous understanding. The Judge asks the stenographer to record everything the defendant said, word for word. I’m pretty steamed that the client said anything at all! Young Woo turns the microphone away from him.
On the drive back, Attorney Jung hangs up his call with Director Choi and relays that she couldn’t get a single letter of non-punishment. The parents are planning to file a class-action lawsuit against Mujin Academy. Young Woo asks if she can meet with the children. Everyone’s surprised by this. She says that it might be an upsetting situation for the parents but it might be a fun and exciting memory for the children. She thinks the children might be able to persuade their parents. From the front passenger seat, Min Woo points out that they’ll be in trouble if the parents find out about this, plus they must already be sensitive about their kids’ safety. She asks what if she doesn’t approach them hastily but naturally, as if she ran into them while walking? Attorney Jung says is approaching them naturally even possible as it’s her? Young Woo doesn’t understand, and Jun Ho, who is driving, cracks a smile at this. Min Woo notices this and suggests that he go with her and Jun Ho pleasantly agrees to. Attorney Jung says then the two of them should go together and not to try too hard to persuade them, and just find out what the kids think about the case. Approaching these kids, who are the victims, on the sly like this, rankles me. How is this a good idea? Is this even legal or ethical?
It’s nighttime as Jun Ho and Young Woo are walking side-by-side as he says that the kids usually do the same thing after the academies let out. So he suggests they go to where the academies are and they should take a cab. She agrees, and as they continue walking, she suddenly realizes that he’s on the outside of the sidewalk (the side against the street), so she quickly spins in front of him, to end up on the other side of him. He laughs and asks her what’s going on. She tells him to walk on the inside, as hypothetically, if a car drove onto the sidewalk, being on the inside is safer. He replies, hypothetically, in that case, wouldn’t it be better if he walks on the outside. He thinks he’d be able to avoid it faster than her, and then he goes to walk around behind her, and she blocks him. XD So he keeps walking and then tries to go around the front of her and she stops him again, and they repeat this one more time. While poor Jun Ho looks like a crushed puppy, she’s so proud of herself and actually grinning! LMAO Item 2 - done! (~30:30) Then she spots a waiting cab and opens the door for him to get in first. She just stands there and waits for him as he’s not sure what’s going on. He finally reluctantly says thank you and gets into the car and then she happily scooches in after him. Item No. 3 - done! His face makes me giggle.
Young Woo and Jun Ho are now at Aotteria (coughLotteriacough) and spotted Kim Min Ji who is eating her dinner as she works on her math homework. Jun Ho looks at the photo of her on his phone and asks if she’s a 3rd grader at Hanti Elementary School. She remains wordless, until Young Woo asks if she knows Mr. Bang Gu Ppong. Kim Min Ji laughs at the sound of his name and says she does. Young Woo says they’re friends of his. Jun Ho asks if she’s eating dinner as it’s already past 9 p.m. She replies that she’s eating early today. When she went to Mujin Academy she couldn’t eat anything until 10 p.m. as all the classes at the academy are locked classes. Young Woo asks what are locked classes? Kim Min Jo replies that no one is allowed to go outside until the academy is over for the day. So they can’t even go to the convenience store and need permission to use the bathroom. Young Woo says it sounds like prison, not an academy school. Jun Ho says they want to ask her about Mr. Bang, if she has time. She looks at her phone and says she’s doomed as she’s late and needs to go to the study cafe. She scrambles to pack up her stuff. Jun Ho is surprised that she’s going to a study cafe at this hour. She replies that she can’t fall behind while she looks for a new academy to go to since she quit Mujin Academy. Her mother had told her to go to the study cafe for the time being. She then stops in the middle of packing her bag to ask if Mr. Bang went to jail. Young Woo says he’s in the detention center, but not in prison yet. Kim Min Jo says okay and then pulls out something from her pencil box, and says she still has this with her. She shows them an acorn, and says that she threw away everything else except this. With a smile she puts it back into the pencil case and goes to leave. But she turns back around and says that there’s a nearby convenience store where she’s sure that some of the kids who went to the mountain that day are there, too.
At the convenience store, Jun Ho asks the clerk if the students from the nearby academies drop by here after 10 p.m. Are these kids getting enough sleep for school plus academy plus more study time?! She replies that’s when the academies let out and they should be swarming in anytime now. It’s a whole battle when they do - a battle over dinner. Young Woo is surprised that they’re not having dinner until after 10 p.m. The clerk says one would think these kids from filthy rich kids would eat something special but that’s not the case at all. They eat noodles, triangular gimbap, sausages and other things like that - sweet, savory, spicy instant foods. And then the kids arrive… dozens of them. As she’s checking out some kid customers, she asks Jun Ho and Young Woo if they know what these kids look at when they choose drinks. Highly caffeinated drinks - like this coffee-flavored milk with a lot of caffeine, which are being purchased by this trio of elementary students. She says it’s hard to watch - and if they’re drinking them now, how will they get through high school? :( After these kids leave, she says there are noticeably short kids who always look tired. They’re always the kids who are preparing to attend science or gifted high schools. She blames it partially on their diet, but their lack of sleep makes them small. She then nods at the two kids outside and Young Woo notices the little girl is wearing a necklace with an acorn on it.
They run outside and a girl in glasses is telling the boy to stop crying. Young Woo asks why he’s crying while Jun Ho asks if they know Mr. Bang Gu Ppong. The boy stops crying and starts listening. Jun Ho says they’re friends of Mr. Bang Gu Ppong. The girl smiles and she knows him. With wet tears still on his face, the boy says he does, too. The girl then shows them the acorn, and says she made this with the acorn she picked up when they went to the mountain. And then she shows them the boy’s acorn, he made a bracelet with it. Jun Ho compliments them on their handiwork, and then asks why he was crying. The girl replies it’s because got an “undecided” today. Jun Ho asks what that is. She replies if you’re not done with the mission by ten, then you get an “undecided.” Young Woo asks what kind of mission. The boy dolefully says a mission to solve math problems. They started at three, but he’s the only one who couldn’t finish - it’s too hard. Young Woo asks if it’s an elementary student’s mission to solve math problems from three to ten? The girl hears a car horn and realizes it’s her mother, so she takes off running and pulls the boy along with her. Young Woo stops them from leaving by asking if they want to see Mr. Bong Gu Ppong go to jail. The girl says no. After a pause, the boy echoes this answer. Young Woo then asks if they want to play with him again. The boy thinks about this, but then they hear the insistent and repeated honking of the car horn, so the girl says let’s go and grabs the boy’s hand to run through the crosswalk. But the boy makes her stop, and shrugs off her hand, and runs back to whisper something into Young Woo’s ear. And then the two kids run across the crosswalk together. Young Woo looks pensive.
In Attorney Jung’s office, Young Woo is telling Attorney Jung that children who are only 10 and 11 years old are stuck inside schools and academies studying for 12 hours every day, not being able to properly eat or sleep. They’re like dolphins that are trapped inside small tanks, doing shows and eating only frozen fish. Attorney Jung nearly rolls his eyes at this. She continues saying that orcas that live in tanks have dorsal fins that bend to the side like this, as she puts her arms directly behind her, holds her hands together and then points her fingers to the left. It’s because they should be swimming around in the open sea, but instead, are trapped in narrow spaces and are abused –
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| From the 2013 documentary, Blackfish. This is Tilikum, an orca forced to live in captivity with his collapsed dorsal fin. This is not a normal occurrence in nature. |
Attorney Jung slaps his hand on the desk to cut her off and says that’s very unfortunate. He then asks what she is trying to say. She says what if they claim that Mr. Bang had rescued the kids who were being abused and was taking emergency measures? Min Woo says abused? He asks if she’s saying that sending kids to school and academies is abuse. Then he should’ve reported it to the police instead of kidnapping them. Above all, the motive or purpose doesn’t matter in the kidnapping of minors. It’s a crime, no matter how good the intentions are. I hate to have to agree with him ever but this is valid. She asks what if they claim that this is a case where he had the children’s consent.. He sighs. She continues saying that at the time of the incident, the door of the academy bus was wide open and Mr. Bang told them twice to leave if they didn’t want to go with him. Min Woo says that the consent of minors is not enough. He should’ve gotten the consent of their legal guardians as well. My thoughts exactly. Wait, why/how am I agreeing with him again? Oh, right, laws.
Attorney Jung finally says something – he does feel bad for the defendant as he just took the kids to play and they’ve detained him for it. It does feel unnecessarily harsh. But the more they like that, the more focused they need to be. He asks if she’s going to be swept up by the defendant’s strange logic and keeps on saying odd things. Min Woo smirks at this.
When the two exit Attorney Jung’s office, Min Woo stops at the sight of Soo Yeon with her hair down and fully made up face - which makes Young Woo walk into him and when she sees her, her jaw drops. Min Woo fumbles at words but manages to ask Soo Yeon if she’s going somewhere. She replies that she’s got a blind date. Min Woo looks surprised and asks what about Jun Ho then. Soo Yeon looks aghast at this and immediately looks at Young Woo. She then says he’s still going on about Jun Ho? She chides him for his rotten instincts. Rotten is accurate. She tells them that she’s going to live aggressively from now on, and if he knows someone nice, introduce her to him - because she’s going to win them over. He repeats her words and she says she’s sure even he, Attorney Kwon, must know at least one good guy. She then asks if he can think of anyone. He repeats her choice of words, “Even you, Attorney Kwon”? XD Young Woo says that she can think of someone. They both look at her in surprise. She says he knows a lot about being nice. He pulls out seats, opens car doors, makes the person walking on the inside of the street when walking together, and carries their things. She continues saying that he makes good seaweed sushi and she will introduce her to him next time.
Our Hanbada attorneys and Director Choi are now meeting with the mothers. One mother says they’re lucky that the police arrested them when they did. She says something worse could’ve happened if the police hadn’t arrived when they did - he could’ve been a rapist. Director Choi looks quite pained by these words. Attorney Jung says they fully understand their anger and concerns. He then explains that a lawsuit requires energy and time and it doesn’t guarantee that the result will come out in their favor. He asks if they can tell him what they want without having to go through the trouble of a lawsuit. He continues that Director Choi is ready to give them her sincerest apologies. Another one of the mothers asks what’s the point of only the director apologizing as Bang Gu Ppong had treated these women like shameless parents who disregard their kids’ happiness and are only bent on sending them to college. Another mother agrees and says do they make them suffer because they want to? It’s for their future. What will become of their lives if they play as much as they want at a time when they should be developing study habits. Then the mothers start agreeing that they’ve all put in so much effort, etc.
Director Choi stands up abruptly and then gets on her knees next to the table of mothers, and says that her son is mentally unwell and lacking. He probably doesn’t even know what he’s saying. Everyone’s a mother raising children. She then pleads with them, just this once, forgive her son with the generous heart of a mother. One of the mothers asks if she wasn’t the one who said she’s the mother of successful sons. She promoted her academy saying she sent all of them to SNU. Yet now her son is unwell and lacking? Director Choi tearfully says she was arrogant. It’s her fault. She’ll apologize if that’s what they want, and give settlement money if that’s what they want. Some of the mothers roll their eyes at this. She continues saying that her son is too fragile to handle life in prison. She tries to hold back her sobs to say because if he gets sent off to jail, he might do the unthinkable. She begs them over and over.
Afterwards, Min Woo and Young Woo collect the 11 signed and sealed letters of non-punishment. Attorney Jung tells Director Choi that this is due to her heartfelt plea and thanks her. She thanks them as well. Attorney Jung says they’ll be taking off and the three attorneys go to leave. But Young Woo lingers to ask Director Choi about what she said about her son being mentally unwell and lacking and how he probably doesn’t even know what he’s saying. As his attorney, that’s not what she thinks. Director Choi laughs and asks if she thinks he’s normal. She continues that as she’s only met him a couple of times, she’s seeing him in a positive light. Young Woo says she sees him in a positive light having only met him a couple of times, but as his mother, shouldn’t she do so even more? Shouldn’t she listen to him at least once with an open heart? The children laugh at just the name Bang Gu Ppong. They understand the meaning of the liberation of children that her son is claiming. The only people who do not understand him are adults.
What the little boy had whispered to Young Woo: I want to play all day, every day. I want to be liberated.
Day 2 of Trial. Min Woo asks the witness how he would diagnose the defendant. He replies that the defendant suffers from a delusional disorder, specifically megalomania. Min Woo asks if his claim that he’s the Commander-in-Chief of the Children’s Liberation Army a symptom of megalomania then. The witness replies yes, and patients who suffer from megalomania believe they hold an important position in an institution or an organization. Bang Gu Ppong just hangs his head and remains unresponsive. Young Woo suddenly hears the distress cries of a whale, and then she sees the orca with its collapsed dorsal fin swimming around the courtroom. When it stops in front of her, she suddenly stands up and says, wait, she would like to ask further questions.
She tells the witness that Mujin Academy, where the 12 students used to attend, is famous for running locked classes and asks if he knows what that is. He doesn’t, so she explains that students are kept there all day long and forced to study. The children who attend Mujin Academy are not allowed to go outside until 10 p.m. They are not given any time to take breaks or to eat. They even have to ask for permission to use the bathroom. Children who go to the bathroom more than two times a day are sent home with the reason being they don’t have the right mindset to study. This causes a murmur in the courtroom from the observers to the jurors. She continues saying that the Academy is known for getting parental counsel forms saying that children who do not do their homework can be punished. But the popularity of the Academy among parents is at an all-time high. Only the defendant seems happy for this information to be out in the open. She then asks the witness, despite this fact, does he still believe that the defendant’s interpretation of reality and beliefs are distorted enough to be seen as a patient with a delusional disorder? Attorney Jung asks her what she’s doing. At the same time, a now beaming Bang Gu Ppong interrupts him to ask him if they can’t let her go on a bit more. Director Choi notices the look on her son’s face and wonders out loud what it is that he wants to say that would make his face look like that. Young Woo says children who are only 10 and 11 years old cannot properly eat, sleep, rest, or play because they have to study for 12 hours every day. And yet he’s saying the enemies of the children of Korea aren’t schools, academies, and parents? The witness is baffled and just shakes his head.
The Judge interjects to say that the defense requested the witness. Oh, oops. He asks why she’s trying to get testimony that would be disadvantageous. He asks what it is she’s trying to prove – is what she wants to hear that the defendant’s interpretation of reality and beliefs have no issue, so he doesn’t have a delusional disorder? She says yes, it is. He says she does realize that could be a disadvantageous testimony for the defendant, right?
WYW: Your Honor, the defendant is a person who committed a crime by seeking reformation with a belief that’s against the existing social system. In other words, he’s a political offender. He’s not a heinous criminal who should deserve moral criticism. Min Woo and the prosecutor both scoff at her. If he is diagnosed as a patient with a delusional disorder, it might help in getting his sentence reduced. But it would insult the defendant’s ideology of the liberation of children. Bang Gu Ppong continues smiling. As the defendant’s attorney, I am trying to defend the defendant’s ideology itself.
The Judge says this trial is being held to inquire about the defendant’s crimes, not to spread his ideology. Regardless of what she wants, the question he wants to ask and should ask is clear. He addresses the defendant and asks if he feels remorse for his actions. Before he can answer, Attorney Jung says he would like to remind the defendant of his right to refuse to testify – but the defendant interrupts to say no, he does not feel remorse. The Judge asks if he’s going to commit similar crimes to this. Bang Gu Ppong pauses before finally saying yes.
Afterwards, Min Woo asks Attorney Jung if he’s going to let Attorney Woo slide on this, as she ruined the trial with her outburst. She derailed his plan. As they’re walking together, Attorney Jung replies that he’ll have to talk to her and give her a warning. Min Woo is not satisfied with that answer and says he’s only going to give her a warning again and no penalty. This makes Attorney Jung stop walking to look at him. Min Woo says it’s not like she made a trivial mistake, as her mistake could overturn the outcome of the trial. Attorney Jung says didn’t they have this conversation before. He had said Attorney Woo deserved a penalty for her unauthorized absences. He then says, Attorney Kwon, you must really like penalties. Then he asks him if that’s why he wrote that kind of post on the bulletin board. Min Woo doesn’t have anything to say to that. Attorney Jung walks away but then he turns back and says, “I mean, if you have conflicting opinions while working, you need to talk it out with each other and resolve it. Giving rewards or punishments over who’s right and who’s wrong is not how I work.” He walks away and Min Woo is left to wonder what else he can do.
At the detention center, Attorney Jung tells Bang Gu Ppong that there was a difference in opinion between the attorneys about the defense strategy. He apologizes for not being able to coordinate this before the trial. Young Woo bows her head and apologizes to Bang Gu Ppong, who bows in return and thanks her. He then asks what his mother said. Attorney Jung replies that thankfully she understood. He’s surprised about this. Attorney Jung says that getting the letter of non-punishment is advantageous to reduce his sentence but his testimony that he doesn’t feel remorse is a factor for additional punishment, and he doesn’t think the judge will consider the circumstances. So probation is a long shot. Bang Gu Ppong says it doesn’t matter. He then asks them for a favor: On the day of his testimony, please invite the Children’s Liberation Army to the trial. Young Woo is confused. He says he wanted to give them a happy memory by letting them play as much as they want but he’s afraid that they’ll remember it as, “So the price of playing as much as I want is a prison sentence.” As the Commander-in-Chief of the Children’s Liberation Army, even if he gets punished, he wants them to see him getting punished with dignity. He wants them to see that he never felt ashamed of what he did.
First, Attorney Jung and Young Woo are now trying to persuade Kim Min Ji’s mother to allow her to go on this field trip to the court. Attorney Jung starts off saying that he studied well in school, and he graduated from SNU and passed the bar before graduating. Young Woo says she also graduated from SNU and SNU Law School. Attorney Jung quickly adds that she graduated summa cum laude from both. He goes on to say if Min Ji attends this trial, it would help a lot with improving her grades and motivating her, as it’s not every day that one gets to see the judge, prosecutor, and attorneys working in front of her. Young Woo even tells Kim Min Ji’s mother that she will then naturally want to go to SNU. Attorney Jung assures her mother that they will personally chaperone the kids and take them to court. Kim Min Ji’s mother says she thought her daughter was learning more towards the sciences. She’s giddy at the thought of her daughter wanting to go to law school. The three start laughing together – although Young Woo is hilariously trying to act natural about it.
Next, Min Woo and Young Woo are convincing another mother, as Min Woo says he thinks dreaming of becoming an attorney started at an early age for him was the secret to his good grades. When he asks Young Woo if that isn’t right. She says yes, it was the same for her, too. I get what they’re trying to do here - but I hate that they’re lying to the parents, and then they’re going to let the minors (victims) see who the parents consider to be a perpetrator. I don’t even know how many ethical and moral rules are being broken here.
Back at Hanbada, Jun Ho, who is carrying a box of documents, crosses paths with Young Woo and happily informs her that Director Choi will lend them the academy bus to take the kids to court. She says okay and so he turns to leave with the box. She suddenly realizes that she should help him with the box, so she runs after him and grabs the box from him. She says she’ll carry it but she kind of struggles to carry this box as the documents obscure her line of sight. She quickly asks where it needs to go but she doesn’t wait to hear the answer as she just moves forward with the box. He’s confused for a moment before he lets out an exasperated sigh and then catches up to her and removes the box from her arms.
LJH in an exasperated tone: Attorney Woo. Why are you doing this to me?
WYW stares at him: What?
LJH: You’re being… - A look of confusion passes over his face. - nice to me. Pulling out my chair, making me walk on the inside of the street, opening the car door, and now carrying my things. He’s practically pouting! What’s going on?
WYW: -silence-
LJH: Did I do something wrong?
WYW: No, it’s nothing like that. I just…… like you. She looks at him. He's utterly gobsmacked and speechless now. I was being nice to you because I like you. He’s just staring at her and she finally makes eye contact with him for a second before she bolts out of there! Our puppy Jun Ho is shocked and just lets the box slump down in his arms. (~57:00, her second confession, and his face!)
On a different day, our trio of attorneys and Jun Ho are on the bus with the rambunctious kids. Jun Ho does a headcount and asks if they can get going. In unison, the kids yell, okay! The cute boy asks him - referring to him as ajusshi - what his name is. He then asks if he also has a weird name like Mr. Fart? Jun Ho goes to answer that his name is - but Young Woo interrupts to say with great glee that it’s Lee Butthole. This makes all of the kids laugh. Kim Min Ji asks if it’s really Lee Butthole. Young Woo answers yes, because they’re friends of Mr. Fart. She points at a smiling Jun Ho and says this is Lee Butthole and then points at herself and bobs her head along she says she’s Woo, Woo, Woo-Woo-Woo Woodpecker’s Booger. The kids laugh even harder at this. The cute girl with glasses asks Min Woo and Attorney Jung what their names are. Attorney Jung answers well, they’re just… he trails off as he looks at their waiting faces - but he only says, “Attorneys.” The kids groan in disappointment. Min Woo says he’s Kwon Poop as he shows them the whites of his eyes, which makes the kids laugh even louder. Attorney Jung finally says his name is - pause - Jung Fart Fart! The kids laugh raucously at this and the adults join in, including our smiling and clapping Young Woo!
Final Day of Trial. The Judge asks if the defendant has anything to say. Young Woo turns the microphone towards him and Bang Gu Ppong stands up. He says that he wants to speak to the adults who are raising children. He looks at the children in the front row and says children have the right to play right now. He continues that later is too late. It’s too late after getting into university, after getting a job, and after getting married. Playing a game of toss, tag, malttukbakgi (game of taking turns to become horse or horse rider), and jump rope. Later is too late. In a life full of anxiety, it’ll be too late to find the only way to happiness. His mother blanches at this. He then raises his right fist and says, first, children must play immediately. The children stay in silence until the boy (who had whispered to Young Woo before) repeats his words. Bang Gu Ppong then says, second, children must be healthy immediately. Now all of the children repeat these words in unison. He says third and the Judge interrupts to tell everyone to be quiet. He says that no one else can speak aside from the defendant. Young Woo bangs her hands on the table as she stands up. She tells the Judge that these children are the victims in this case and with his permission, the victims have the right to state their opinions during a trial. Bang Gu Ppong waves his fingers dismissively at these words and the children start giggling. Young Woo continues can’t he accept the children reciting the Declaration of the Children’s Liberation Army as a victim’s statement of opinion. The judges look at each other. But then Bang Gu Ppong runs to stand in front of the kids and starts reciting the proclamation again. The children repeat his every move and word this time. And then he ends it with “kids” as they are now yelling “Let’s play!” At the end of this, the boy shows Bang Gu Ppong his acorn bracelet. This makes all the children follow suit and crowd around near Bang Gu Ppong to show him their acorns, too.
Young Woo then sees the orca with the bent dorsal fin swim out of the courtroom as the children are all crowding around trying to hug Bang Gu Ppong. Outcome for this case is unknown.++
At home, Min Woo and Jun Ho are sitting down to eat jjajangmyeon but Jun Ho is spacing out with the bowl of plain noodles in his hands and just flicking at the plastic wrap. Min Woo asks if he wants chili powder for his noodles and he idly says yes. When he asks Jun Ho if he wants him to pour the sauce on his tangsuyuk, he just says yes. Min Woo asks who it is. Jun Ho says what and finally looks at him. Min Woo asks who is the person that he likes if it’s not Choi Soo Yeon. Jun Ho glumly says does it matter who it is? Min Woo says he can only help if he knows who it is. He can tell something’s not going well from the way he’s sighing like a sick dog. He then starts eating his noodles. Jun Ho just sighs and sets down the bowl of noodles on the table. He admits that it’s just hard for him to imagine what happens next. Min Woo says what? Jun Ho replies, what happens after liking each other. It feels like this is a big deal. Like he should have some sort of great determination. It’s scary to think that if they start things… it might make things difficult for both of them. With a mouth full of food, Min Woo asks if he’s getting married? He asks why is he taking this so seriously? He says date her and then if it doesn’t work out, he can just end things. Jun Ho says with this person, he can’t start anything with the mindset that it won’t last. Min Woo asks if he thinks it won’t last then? Jun Ho looks at him, and replies loudly, no, he doesn’t think that! Min Woo tells him to go, then, as he has his answer. Jun Ho says, go? Min Woo replies, go. Jun Ho actually gets up and runs towards the door. He only stops to put on his shoes as Min Woo asks where he’s going as he’s surprised that he’s really leaving. He only meant it as a metaphorical expression for advancing the relationship. Jun Ho leaves and Min Woo dumps the abandoned noodles into his own bowl and he mutters if he doesn’t read.
At work, Young Woo is attempting to conquer the revolving door again. She starts the waltz countdown: “koong, jjak, jjak” and manages to enter the doorway, but can’t seem to figure out when to exit to step outside the building. She goes through a few revolutions before she ends up outside. A panting Jun Ho has stopped the door with his hand. She realizes he stopped the door and so she thanks him and then walks away. Did he literally run there?! He lets go of the door and tells her retreating back that he has something to say. She stops and turns around as he walks towards her to close a bit of the gap between them. He continues panting for a moment before he says that he likes her. She’s startled by this and looks at him, straight in the eyes and seems to be counting on her fingers.
LJH: I like you so much - panting - that it feels like… - more panting - I’m sick inside. She just widens her eyes at him. (~1:06:53) His [lovesick] confession! Yes, they’re practically in a couple’s outfit!
Epilogue: It's after-hours at the restaurant, and Woo Dad is busy trimming vegetables when Attorney Tae stops by. He’s so startled to see her that he drops the knife in his hand. Outside, the Jeongui Iibo reporter is taking photos of her from his car. He mutters that she’s here alone at a gimbap restaurant without a secretary at this hour. He notices the name of the business is Attorney Woo’s full name. Then he resumes taking photos of her.
++This case created quite a stir. To some, the defendant is a hero to the kids and to others, he’s a pervert. I understand his POV (as someone who was raised to go to school and work at a very young age, which continued well into adulthood) but he did take some random kids (strangers) without their parents’ permission to a remote area and kept them there for four hours. It’s a beautiful sentiment to want to give kids this freedom to play - but - what kind of society are we in to allow people to take other people’s kids whenever/wherever they want like he did? Also, there was no other adult present for this outing, except when the bus driver eventually woke up. So what really occurred in those four hours? Are children's testimony considered competent for this case? And this ending, I'm pretty sure minor victims are not allowed to be present with the perpetrator unless necessary. This is definitely a commentary on children not being able to be children in their youth. This case was a difficult and conflicting one to recap. We have no idea what the outcome for this case was as they left it open-ended. I think the writers got what they wanted though – for us to question the different sides of this issue.
[Ep10] “Holding Hands Can Wait”
Micro Recap: A man faces considerable jail time for taking advantage of a woman with a disability. Jun Ho’s friends frown on his new relationship. Min Woo starts digging into Young Woo’s life.
Young Woo is listening to her whale sounds on the subway, when a man runs in as he’s being chased by two other men. One of the men jumps onto the first man and pulls out a pair of handcuffs. The man being arrested starts yelling and struggling as the cop yells for him to stop moving as he’ll hurt himself. Young Woo is startled by this commotion but she removes her headphones to listen to the men arguing. The man under arrest yells over and over if they have a warrant. The cops chide him for watching too many cop shows but he can talk at the station. Young Woo interrupts to say that it’s an illegal arrest if they don’t have an arrest warrant. One of the cops says this is an emergency arrest. This is a necessary capture of a fugitive suspect so they don’t need a warrant for these situations. Young Woo says even if it’s an emergency arrest, Article 200-5 of the Criminal Procedure Act still applies: “When arresting a suspect, the prosecutor or judicial police officer shall notify the suspect of the facts of the suspected crime, the reason for arrest, their right to an attorney, and give an opportunity to justify oneself… Miranda Rights. Are you not aware of this?” All three men look at her and the suspect yells this is an illegal arrest and starts struggling again. He then yells at the other passengers who are recording this to post it to social media. The cop asks why she’s interrupting official police business – and if she’s some attorney or something. She says yes and continues introducing herself, as Woo Young Woo, an attorney at Hanbada and cites her palindromes. Everyone has been watching them, so now the one cop tells the other to uncuff him. As he’s being uncuffed, the cop says now, Mr. Yang Jeong Il, he’s under emergency arrest, and gets properly Mirandized. The cop looks at Young Woo and asks if that’s enough. She says no, as he didn’t inform him of the charges for his arrest. The cop squeezes his eyes shut at this and then takes a very deep breath before saying quasi-rape of a person with disabilities. Everyone gasps at this. The cop then yells that this piece of trash sexually assaulted a woman with an intellectual disability. He finishes by asking Young Woo if they’re good now.
Case 9. To Yang Jeong Il’s surprise, Young Woo and Soo Yeon visit him at the detention center. He’s ecstatic to see Young Woo and says they don’t know how much he had begged his parents to get him the Kayak Deed Attorney. He actually uses the Korean palindromes: 기러기 (wild geese), 토마토 (tomato). Neither woman appears all that thrilled to be here though. He continues on about her being a total celebrity as she was in the newspaper, too, as the first autistic attorney in Korea, Kayak Deed. She corrects him and says her name is Woo Young Woo. He says he knows but for some reason he wants to call her Attorney Kayak Deed. She refuses to be called that and insists on being called Attorney Woo Young Woo. He finally agrees. Soo Yeon tells him that he’s charged with quasi-rape of a person with disabilities.
She asks if he even knows how severe the punishment is for that – the statutory penalty of rape is three or more years of imprisonment. He rolls his eyes at this. She continues say that the rape of a person with disabilities is a life sentence or a minimum of seven years of imprisonment. He denies that he did anything that bad as he had an HN with FFY, but not rape. He asks doesn’t that involve hitting and swearing and forcing oneself on that person. Both women ask about FFY and HN. FFY is his pet name for Hye Yeong, which stands for “Fool for Yang Jeong Il”, and HN is “Hot Night.” Soo Yeon says even if it is a pet name, why did he choose the word “fool” for someone who is intellectually disabled. He replies that she calls him that, too, FFH as in Fool for Hye Yeong. Young Woo interrupts to ask if they want to match, why isn’t it FFS as the victim’s name is Shin Hye Yeong - or change what he calls her to FFJ – Soo Yeon interrupts her to remind her this isn’t what’s important right now. (It’s the difference of using surnames versus only first name.)
Yang Jeong Il says that they love each other, and this assailant-victim relationship – it’s really nothing like that. Young Woo says they understand that he didn’t use violence or threaten her in order to engage in sexual intercourse with her, as Ms. Shin also said this during the police investigation. However, a sex offense can be established even if there was no force involved with the typical charge of quasi-rape. In this case, the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, Paragraph 4 of Article 6 states, “A person who has sexual intercourse with another person by taking advantage of a person’s inability to resist or difficulty in resisting due to physical or mental disability can be punished.” Soo Yeon says so the prosecution believes he took advantage of Ms. Shin's intellectual disability. He yells that he didn’t take advantage of anything and he’s really not that kind of person. Soo Yeon points out that he had Ms. Shin get a credit card issued under her name and then had her pay the date expenses that cost millions of won all by herself. He dismisses this and says that she’s well-off, so she paid for the dates with her younger boyfriend - is it a crime? Don’t like this guy. Soo Yeon sighs and then asks him why he even joined Eoulrim when he doesn’t even have a disability. The group introduces itself as “A gathering of people with intellectual disabilities, developmental disabilities, and autism.” He says that was for a good cause. Groups like that usually need volunteers. He was a member of Eoulrim when he met Shin Hye Yeong. He then smiles as he says it was love at first sight. Both women look skeptical at this statement. He starts yelling, why doesn’t anyone believe him?! Is it because Shin Hye Yeong is disabled? A person without disabilities truly loving a person with an intellectual disability – is it that hard to believe? Soo Yeon asks when did they say this – and he cuts her off to say people with disabilities are kind and innocent. They’re people who fully deserve to be loved. Then he looks at Young Woo and says Attorney Kayak Deed would know, right? She doesn’t say anything.
Back at Hanbada, Attorney Jung asks where did she pick up such a troublesome case like this. Young Woo says it was on subway line 2. He guesses that she showed off by talking about illegal arrests and warrants. She (and Soo Yeon) remains mum and he knows that’s what she said. He then says this is why they say nothing good comes from letting people know you’re an attorney. She nods and says from now on she will try not to let other people know she’s an attorney. He mentions that sexual assault usually happenes in private, so more often than not, the only evidence is the victim’s statement. He then says in that situation, what should be done to defend the defendant – discredit the victim’s statement. But the victim is someone with an intellectual disability. Then the victim’s statement is more likely to be neither specific nor consistent. But despite knowing this, they still have to discredit the credibility of the victim’s statement. This is quite an unpleasant thing to do as an attorney. Yikes. Soo Yeon asks what if they get off the case now, and they can save on commission fees if they go to a smaller law firm than Hanbada. And this sounds like a better option for Mr. Yang’s parents. Attorney Jung doesn’t think it’s a bad idea and then asks Young Woo for her opinion.
She says that she wants to defend Mr. Yang. Yoo Seon asks why. Young Woo says that what he’s saying could be true. Yoo Seon asks if she believes all of that nonsense. Young Woo hesitantly says that she wants to believe it. She wants it to be true that he and Ms. Shin are really in love. Attorney Jung takes a deep breath and says if she wants to believe the defendant that bad, then she should take the case. He cautions Yoo Seon that it’s easy to get emotional when one wants to believe the defendant, so join Attorney Woo and “whoa, whoa” her so she doesn’t make that mistake. She agrees.
Back at the pub, Geu Rami declares daebak. Then she asks Young Woo to give her the details of the situation, including - as she counts it off on her fingers - the air, sunlight, clouds, wind speed, temperature and humidity. Young Woo tells her that he said, “I like you. I like you so much. That it feels like… I’m sick inside.” Geu Rami throws a fist over her heart and relishes in this sweetness, and then starts pounding on her chest like she’s trying to revive her heart but she’s laughing so gleefully. Hairy Boss also laughs and even hugs himself from the saccharine sentiment.
DGR: He’s sick because he likes you! She’s pounding on her own chest over and over. She then looks over at Hairy Boss and points at him. Call the doctor! Call the ambulance!
KMS places a crown of broccoli next to his ear: Hello? Is this 119? What? You’re not just 119 but 119 of love? Then he starts guffawing which makes Geu Rami laugh even harder. XD These two!
WYW covering her ears from their loudness: All right. The problem is after that. After liking each other. What do I do now? She looks at Geu Rami.
DGR sucks in air through her teeth: How did you respond to him after he said he likes you?
WYW: Well… (~10:45)
After his confession, Jun Ho walked towards her. So she squeezed her eyes shut and listed off palindromes. When she said Yeoksam Station, it had made her realize that she needed to leave and she literally ran away from him! Again?! Jun Ho called after her, “Attorney Woo!” and tried to follow her but she was pretty intent on getting away from him. He looked quite confused. And probably winded from his initial sprint to get to her. lol
KMS: So you ran away after he expressed his feelings to you? Young Woo just blinks.
DGR pointing at her: This punk dined and dashed. Dined and dashed on love!
WYW: At the time, my mind turned blank. So I just wanted to get away from the situation. She looks over at Geu Rami. I was rude, right?
KMS: Well… I wouldn’t say you were rude –
DGR: More like weird. Young Woo nods. Forget about it. Just do something before it gets even worse.
WYW: What do I do?
DGR: You date Jun Ho.
KMS to DGR: Hey, how can you date someone right away just because they said they like you? He then turns to Young Woo. You have to get to know each other first by going on a few dates.
WYW: How do you do that?
KMS: Going on dates? There’s not much to it. Get food, have tea, watch movies, and sing karaoke. Geu Rami is making faces the entire time. Do things you think would be fun together. There’s a lot to do if you look into it.
DGR looking at KMS: Ohh. Look at you. Hairy Boss, you know a lot of things when you don’t even have a girlfriend. Do you go on imaginary dates? XD
Young Woo thinks about Soo Yeon’s words about living aggressively from now on and if Min Woo knew someone nice to introduce her to him as she’ll win him over. She also recalls her own words, that she knew someone nice. Now she asks Hairy Boss if she can introduce him to a girlfriend. Both Hairy Boss and Geu Rami are surprised by this. Geu Rami says she wants her to introduce her to someone, too! Young Woo replies that she’s like an angel in the spring sunshine who recently said she’s going to aggressively win a good guy over. He thinks she sounds amazing. Geu Rami asks repeatedly what about her? Hairy Boss then says in a hushed tone, when is this happening as he needs to go on a diet first.
Day 1 of Trial. In court, defense counsel needs to give their opening statement. Yang Jeong Il looks at the audience and sees that everyone from Eoulrim including Shin Hye Young and her mother is here. So he asks that Attorney Kayak Deed give the statement. Attorney Jung agrees to this.
Young Woo starts the opening statement with the fact that she has autism spectrum disorder, so please excuse her if her speech seems inarticulate and her actions awkward. She says the defendant denies all charges. The defendant, Mr. Yang and the victim, Ms. Shin are in a loving relationship and engaged in consensual intercourse. The courtroom disrupts with cries from the Eoulrim group of this being a lie, what love, it’s nonsense, etc. The Judge calls for them to pipe down as it’s against courtroom etiquette. Young Woo continues saying that Mr. Yang and Ms. Shin used an app called “Alkongdalkong” which was developed for couples. On March 13th, the two chatted on this app and had the following conversation. Soo Yeon turns on the slideshow as Young Woo explains that FFH is the defendant’s pet name, which means “Fool for Shin Hye Yeong” and FFY is the victim’s pet name which means “Fool for Yang Jeong Il.”
FFH: FFY, did you sleep well? Do you want to go to the CK and CFDT?
The Judge asks what CK and CFDT are. Young Woo replies that CK is “Coin Karaoke” and CFDT means “Chicken For Dinner Tonight.” Then she explains HN means “Hot Night,” referring to sexual intercourse. Shin Hye Yeong’s mother looks even more angry even as Yang Jeong Il smiles about this. The Judge then asks about “Shine Shine.” She asks if he’s referring to “Shiii shiii” that comes after the “I don’t know, I don’t know.” It is - and she thinks it’s a modification of the word “shy.” She says based on Ms. Shin’s written statement, the prosecution claims that on March 12th, the day before these chat messages, Mr. Yang sexually assaulted Ms. Shin. She asks if a chat that starts with “Did you sleep well” and ends with “I miss ya” seem like a conversation between a sexual assault victim and the assailant. She asks the jurors if it isn’t fair to see this as a loving chat between a couple who are deeply in love? Shin Hye Yeong’s mother stands up and angrily yells, “You have to read between the lines! Calling each other by pet names and saying “I miss you” doesn’t mean love.” Then she points at Yang Jeong Il and says “that gigolo-like bastard seduced Hye Yeong then took her to karaoke and ate chicken! He even took her to motels! He was just enjoying himself!” Her daughter appears a bit distressed by this. The Judge asks what’s going on and tells her if she keeps speaking up without permission, she’ll be removed from the courtroom. The prosecutor (10 eps in and there’s finally a female prosecutor!) stands up and tells him that she’s the victim’s mother. She says it was wrong for her to speak – But the mother continues directing her anger at Young Woo as she says “That’s how that bastard played my daughter. It’s all up there, but what? A loving chat? How can you call yourself an attorney when you can’t even tell the difference?” The Judge says, “Ma’am. I said to be quiet!” Young Woo is flustered by this as she clutches her hands together, which is noticed by Jun Ho. Someone finally gets the mother to sit back down.
Min Woo meets with the Jeongui Iibo reporter, who wants to know about the information he had on Attorney Woo. Min Woo says it’s nothing but the reporter says that his face says otherwise. Min Woo says that someone [you] posted on Hanbada’s bulletin board that the CEO went to university with Attorney Woo’s father, so she gave her a job at Hanbada. The reporter looks disappointed and asks if there’s anything about Tae Soo Mi. Min Woo isn’t sure where this is going. So the reporter tells him in a hushed tone that Attorney Woo is Tae Soo Mi’s daughter. Min Woo is quite shocked.
When Jun Ho leaves work, Young Woo is waiting outside for him.
WYW: Do you still… He turns around at the sound of her voice. She walks closer to him. Like me? He looks like he wants to grin so badly but he bites his lips to stop the glee. Just look at his twinkling eyes!
LJH calmly: Yes, I do. And I was hurt when you just left like that last time.
WYW: Right. About that… She gives a short bow. I’m sorry. He tries to not laugh at this and fails. His eyes crinkle so cutely in mirth. If you still like me, what if we get to know each other better before becoming an official couple?
LJH with a smile: Yes, that sounds like a good idea. She pulls out something from her bag and hands it to him.
WYW: I researched things to do on dates and made a list. He looks at the “Things To Do on Dates” document and flips through the pages.
LJH: Goodness. There’s a lot.
WYW: Yes.
LJH: Well… Is taking you home not on here?
WYW: What? It isn’t.
LJH: Why? Should I add it? I’ll take you home today. Why is this so cute?!
WYW: Right. Add… Okay.
LJH: Let’s go. (~20:35)
Our new [un]official 🐳 couple walk together side-by-side, as he continues to flip through her list.
LJH: Then I’m assuming holding hands while taking you home isn’t on the list, right?
WYW: No. Even if it was on there, holding hands is not easy for me. My father often wanted to hold my hand too, but I can only bear it for a maximum of 57 seconds.
LJH: Really? What happens if you hold hands for over 57 seconds?
WYW: I want to let go to the point where it becomes unbearable if I don’t.
LJH: Right, I see. He keeps his hand from swinging next to hers, and keeps both clamped together on her list now. She stops walking and he stops to look at her inquiringly.
WYW: Do you want to hold hands even if it is only for 57 seconds?
LJH: Are you sure? She nods and pulls out her phone. She sets up the timer and then sticks out her hand. He holds her hand and she starts the timer and then closes her eyes. Jun Ho is smiling so broadly as he’s holding her hand. She’s trying to endure his hand on hers but ultimately she pulls her hand away from his.
WYW: I can’t do it. She’s panting and trying to get over the sensations.
LJH: Right. Okay.
WYW: I’m sorry.
LJH: No, it’s all right. I’ll just take you home today then. Holding hands can wait. The title of this ep.
WYW: “Holding hands can wait.” And so they continue walking along. (~22:00, How are they both so cute?!)
Day 2 of Trial. The prosecutor asks the expert witness, a psychiatrist, what is the exact degree of the victim’s intellectual disability. She replies that Ms. Shin has a mild intellectual disability with an IQ of 65. (Average for Korea is 106.) Through training, she is able to have a social life and a job. She has the developmental age of a 13-year-old, so a 6th grader. The prosecutor then presents the victim’s statement and asks her how she feels about this statement. Overall, she feels that it has credibility. The descriptions of the circumstances at the time of the assault are in detail and her thoughts and emotions are also expressed consistently. The prosecutor asks about the victim’s thoughts and emotions - such as what? The witness reads out loud, “When the sex began, I started to feel bad. I was scared. I didn’t like it because I thought I would get in trouble with Mom.” She’s expressing herself clearly. The prosecutor asks her why the victim wasn't able to resist the defendant’s action. She says that the reason is written in the statement without her having to speculate – “I said no and got upset. He was about to cry. He said it wasn’t true love.” People with intellectual disabilities are especially vulnerable to violence that takes advantage of relationships or disguises as affection. Young Woo looks at Yang Jeong Il who can’t look her in the eyes now. Shin Hye Yeong starts scratching her neck. The psychiatrist continues saying that the victim seems to have been afraid that she might lose this relationship if she denied the unwanted sex, and it’s highly likely that she didn’t know how to refuse in the first place. Yang Jeong Il rolls his eyes and then sighs at this. The female jurors and Shin Hye Yeong’s mother are glaring at him now.
At the start of cross-examination, Soo Yeon asks the psychiatrist if she’s seen the chats between the defendant and Ms. Shin. She admits that she hasn’t. Soo Yeon says according to the prosecutor’s claim, the defendant raped Ms. Shin on March 12th. Soo Yeon says that Ms. Shin said the following to the defendant via chat, and then she hands the document to the witness for her to read the underlined portions out loud: “I love you. I miss ya. “I’ve been waiting for you to text me for a while now.” “Let’s always be together.”
Soo Yeon says such affectionate expressions are not only seen on the chat on March 12th. The chat between the two is full of Ms. Shin’s expressions of love for the defendant until the day he was arrested and was no longer able to chat. She asks what the witness thinks about this, and she replies that she thinks it’s awfully heartbreaking. Soo Yeon didn’t expect that answer. The psychiatrist says, “We all want to love and be loved. It’s the same for people with intellectual disabilities, too. Rather, the desire is even greater. Because in most cases, it’s harder for them to get the attention or affection they want from others.” Young Woo seems to ponder this and then she looks over at Ms. Shin. The psychiatrist continues saying “Can’t you tell from Ms. Shin Hye Yeong’s earnest expressions of love here? The problem is that, with people who have intellectual disabilities, there are many situations where they misunderstand an impure motive toward them as pure affection.” Yang Jeong Il sighs heavily at this. “Their ability to distinguish between normal and improper relationships is sometimes lacking as well. In that sense, it’s hard to say that Ms. Shin Hye Yeong has sound decision-making capabilities when it comes to sex.” Soo Yeon refutes this point by saying she just said that Ms. Shin’s statement is consistent and detailed, but now she’s saying that she can’t tell the difference between normal and improper relationships. She is able to write credible statements but doesn’t have decision-making capabilities about sex. She asks if that isn’t too vague of a diagnosis and what is Ms. Shin’s exact condition.
The psychiatrist says she’s talking about the ability to protect oneself. Anyone can experience what they thought was a loving relationship actually turn out to be fraud, deception, and violence. But most people can protect themselves even if they go through such a thing, and they try not to repeat the same mistake. But it’s different if one has a disability like Ms. Shin. Even if she has the ability to make credible statements about the situation, the power to protect herself from the defendant’s malicious intent is lacking. She doesn’t think her diagnosis is contradictory.
Afterwards, Young Woo runs into Ms. Shin after exiting the restroom. Young Woo asks if she has something to say. She says yes but – and then her mother calls her name. As her mother is making her way over to her, she quickly tells Young Woo that she’s by herself when she goes to the BA. She then walks to meet her mother, who swats at her bottom and asks why she is by herself. Her mother glares at Young Woo even as they’re walking away. Young Woo is left wondering what “BA” is. An upset-looking Soo Yeon walks up to her to tell her that she heard from the prosecutor that Yang Jeong Il has done this before. He was investigated by the police for dating another person with an intellectual disability at a different organization. Young Woo says but there wasn’t anything on his criminal record. Soo Yeon says it wasn’t a sexual assault charge back then. The problem was that he spent a lot of her money using her credit card. Yang Jeong Il paid her back and settled with the victim which is why the police closed the investigation. She asks how long ago this was - it was only last year. Young Woo says that she must meet with him now.
When they see the client, Young Woo asks him if it’s true and he says, “Young Woo noona…” Soo Yeon cuts him off to tell him to stop calling Attorney Woo by her name, as it’s uncomfortable to hear. Young Woo says he said he was truly in love with Ms. Shin Hye Yeong, that it was love at first sight and that he didn’t expect that to happen. Yang Jeong Il insists that all those words were true. Soo Yeon asks if he isn’t just going around volunteering at organizations for people with intellectual disabilities, looking for someone easy to fool? Is what happened last year even his first time? She asks how many victims were there before Ms. Shin? Yang Jeong Il says in a whine, what does she mean, and how could she say something like that. He insists that he’s really not a bad person. Young Woo says there’s no reason for her to continue defending him if he and Ms. Shin don’t truly love each other. She’s withdrawing. The two women get up from the table, and Soo Yeon says that she agrees with her. Yang Jeong Il shouts that he and Shin Hye Yeong really do love each other. But true love doesn’t have to be one’s first love. With tears in his eyes, he begs them to believe him.
Jun Ho and Young Woo are on a walking date. He asks her if she’s really going to withdraw from Mr. Yang’s case. She says yes, she’s going to talk to Attorney Jung tomorrow and submit her withdrawal. She changes the subject as she looks at the wall that they’re walking along and asks him if he’s heard of the saying that lovers who walk the Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway together will break up. He says no, is that a saying? She says yes, in the past, the Seoul Family Court and the Supreme Court were on the north end of the Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway. This saying originated from having to walk down this walkway to get a divorce. Jun Ho looks sad (like a crushed puppy!) as he stops walking and tells her to wait. He looks at the wall alongside them and asks if they shouldn’t stop walking now. She’s surprised and even smiles as she asks him if he believes in these things. His eyes are wide in fright. She says it has no scientific evidence. Besides, the Seoul Family Court moved to Seocho-dong in 1995 and then again to Yangjae-dong in 2012 along with the Seoul Administrative Court - and then she’s interrupted by the sound of a woman saying, “Jun Ho Oppa!” (~32:25)
It’s Jun Ho’s college friend (from Ep.3), along with two guys who cross the street to say hi to him. The two other friends say that it’s been a long time since they’ve seen him. The woman then notices that Young Woo is standing next to him and she asks him if it’s for Nanuri. Jun Ho says he’s told her it’s not like that. The woman says then…? Jun Ho says he’s on a date right now. The three friends are shocked at this. Young Woo chimes in that they’re on a date - walking down Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway. Jun Ho says he works with her, and introduces her as Attorney Woo Young Woo. He tells them to say hi. Young Woo introduces herself with her customary palindrome tie-in to her name. The three friends awkwardly nod and say hi to her. But then Young Woo notices the text on the sleeves on their coffee cups - “Ask doctors about medicine and baristas about coffee.” She has an epiphany – she goes through the list of known acronyms and realizes that BA is “Barista Academy”! Everyone, including dear Jun Ho, is confused about what she’s talking about. She says according to the chats, Ms. Shin started going to a barista academy a few months ago. She let her know that she’s alone when she goes to the academy. And after going through her mind’s database, she figures out where it’s located and her classes are every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and ends at 9 p.m. She pulls out her phone to check the time and says they have to go now as that’s the only way to meet Ms. Shin. She then takes off running, and she doesn’t even stop even as Jun Ho calls after her. Jun Ho tells his friends that they’ll meet up for drinks soon and he’ll be in touch soon. He then takes off after his sprinting date. lol
Young Woo and Jun Ho catch Shin Hye Yeong just as she gets out of her class. Young Woo asks her what she wanted to tell her. Shin Hye Yeong says that she loves him. Please don’t let him go to jail. Young Woo asks, doesn't she want him to go to jail? Shin Hye Yeong says no. Young Woo says but she gave a statement saying that he sexually assaulted her. She denies that he sexually assaulted her. They’re having this conversation on the sidewalk and random people are walking by wondering what’s going on. She says that her mother made her say that and her mother hates men. She thinks they’re all gigolo-like bastards. Young Woo says that Mr. Yang does seem like a gigolo-like bastard. Shin Hye Yeong says yes. Young Woo is shocked and says she knew he was one? Shin Hye Yeong says yes. Young Woo asks, even so she loves him? Shin Hye Yeong says yes, is that not allowed? Young Woo says there’s nothing wrong with that. Shin Hye Yeong then says please don’t let FFH go to jail. Young Woo asks if she can testify what she just said at the next trial? Shin Hye Yeong says gigolo-like bastard? Young Woo is confused. Jun Ho tells her that she just said that she doesn’t want Mr. Yang to go to jail. She says yes. Then he says that they want her to say that in court, directly to the judges. She says, right, but then she asks what if her mother says she can’t? Young Woo replies that she can testify even if her mother tells her not to. She’s a 27-year-old adult so she can make her own decisions. Once again I’m concerned as to why defense counsel is talking to the victim without her counsel present… Young Woo then says that she [Ms. Shin] knows that Mr. Yang is a gigolo-like bastard, a bad guy, which Shin Hye Yeong confirms as true. Young Woo continues saying that even people with disabilities have the freedom to fall in love with a bad guy. Jun Ho turns to look at her now. Young Woo says whether she experienced love or sexual assault, it’s up to her to make the judgment, so don’t let the court or her mother decide for her.
Elsewhere, Soo Yeon is talking on the phone as she’s walking to her blind date. She’s complaining about her previous dates, asking about her astrological sign, being more interested in her father than her, etc. She just wants to be in a relationship with a good guy. Her friend then asks if she wants to try clubbing, instead of blind dates. She refuses as she says that clubbing is good for one-night stands and such. She hangs up the cool as she’s arrived at the restaurant for her blind date, Kim Min Shik aka Hairy Boss! He’s in a gray suit with a black bow tie at a fancy-looking restaurant that has Renaissance-era art on the walls. However, he’s such a nervous wreck, that he starts with a terrible pun, as Kim Min-[Shik] sickly-prickly. He even repeats the phrase “sickly-prickly” twice in a sing-songy voice. She can only laugh awkwardly and then introduces herself. He then says he made the reservation at this place as he knows that she lives nearby. He’s bombing so hard. XD Someone, send him a life raft! She replies that she actually lives in Bundang but she works nearby. He then says that she must have some good bread where she lives…a food pun for the name of her area, Bun… Dang. She gets it so he starts laughing at his own joke. She suggests that they look at the menu, but then he comments that they have a salad with oranges, and asks, “Orange you glad you came out tonight. out tonight?” He then says he’ll go with gorgonzola cheese pizza, and hopes it’ll be “grate.” He’s riding out on this failboat… As he asks if she’ll have banana cake for dessert, so then she’ll find him “a-peeling.” *facepalm* Her face says everything - it’s outwardly saying “get me outta here!” He just laughs raucously. She mentions that he cooks so that’s why he’s making food jokes. He says that he didn’t even realize. His phone starts buzzing so she tells him to take the call. He says no, he can take it later. She insists that he answer it right now.
So he answers the call and it’s Geu Rami asking how to make suyuk. He loudly whispers into the phone that he’s busy and needs to hang up. Geu Rami replies that she’s not busy and asks about the ingredients - bay leaves and gochujang? He loudly replies why is she putting gochujang into suyuk (boiled pork belly)?! Soo Yeon just smiles politely and he says that he’s sorry that it’s his employee and returns to the call. So she picks up her phone and suddenly yells into it: “What? The house is on fire?! I’ll be right there. I’ll take care of it!!” XD She hangs up (her fake call) and tells him that she needs to go. She knows he made time to see her but she’s really sorry. She runs away from the table and him. Geu Rami whines to ask if he’s even listening to her as she’s still asking about the ingredients. He glumly replies that he’s just been ditched. She asks what he did to get ditched. He claims that he doesn’t know. *facepalm* So cringe. Soo Yeon is walking quickly away as she’s back on the phone with her friend to say let’s go clubbing. Later at the club, a handsome guy approaches Soo Yeon.
Day 3 of Trial. Yang Jeong Il thanks Young Woo and the team for not abandoning him and staying on as his attorney. Young Woo tells him matter-of-factly that it’s not for his sake but for Ms. Shin’s sake. Soo Yeon leans over and chimes in that he should thank her and not them. Young Woo then comments that she smells like alcohol and is wearing the same outfit from yesterday. Soo Yeon tells her to be quiet. Heh. Young Woo asks her how the blind date went. She replies that it didn’t work out.
The Judge comments that the defense has Ms. Shin as their witness. Attorney Jung replies that Ms. Shin expressed her wish to testify in court through Hanbada. The prosecutor asks the Judge to consider that as this is a sexual assault case, it would be difficult for the victim to remain calm in front of the defendant. She requests that the defendant be removed from the courtroom so she can properly testify. The Judge agrees and requests the bailiff remove the defendant. Yang Jeong Il looks over at his attorneys and they don’t say anything. As he’s being removed, he looks over at Ms. Shin, who won’t look at him.
Ms. Shin goes to the witness stand and Young Woo starts by asking her if she wants Mr. Yang to be punished for sexually assaulting her. She says yes which surprises Young Woo, who then asks if she wants him to go to jail. Ms. Shin says no, she doesn’t. When asked why not, she says because she loves him. Young Woo asks if she’s saying that she loves Mr. Yang. She says yes, as FFY and FFH are in love with each other. Young Woo then asks if the sexual intercouse she had and the defendand had on March 12th – consensual intercourse that happened because they love each other. Ms. Shin says yes. Young Woo asks if she’s saying it wasn’t sexual assault then. She says yes, which makes Ms. Shin’s mother sneers in disgust. Young Woo continues asking her, then why did she testify that Mr. Yang sexually assaulted her during the police investigation? Ms. Shin seems perplexed by this question and then starts scratching her hands before finally saying she doesn’t know. Young Woo then asks if perhaps her mother told her to say that. The prosecutor objects on the grounds that it's a leading question. The Judge allows her to continue. So Young Woo asks her if her mother told her to testify that she was sexually assaulted. Ms. Shin has issues trying to answer this and instead says please don’t let FFH go to jail.
During the prosecutor’s cross-examination, she asks if Ms. Shin, as she's said that she loves Mr. Yang, to define what love is. Ms. Shin attempts to answer but Soo Yeon objects that it’s an abstract and vague question. The prosecutor says she’ll ask something more specific - does she know what sexual intercourse is. She answers yes. When asked if she knows what sexual assault is, it’s another yes. However, when asked what the difference is between the two, Ms. Shin is unable to answer coherently and starts scratching her hands in agitation. She then closes her eyes and doesn’t provide a response. The prosecutor asks her to open her eyes. She then asks her about March 12th, and that after leaving the motel that she’d been at with Mr. Yang, she went straight home. After arriving at home, she’d gone straight to her room and scratched the back of her left hand with her right hand so hard that she hurt herself. Ms. Shin nods and says yes.
The prosecutor then shows a photo of Ms. Shin’s hand taken on that day - the top of her left hand is quite raw-looking, red and puffy. Her mother sighs at this and the whole courtroom is stirring at this painful image. The prosecutor asks her why she did this. She replies that’s because - as she continues scratching her left hand again. The prosecutor presses her about being extremely stressed from the defendant’s one-sided sexual advances. Attorney Jung objects to this. The prosecutor continues saying the fact that she didn’t stop harming herself until her mother found her and took her to the hospital shows how taxing the mental aftereffects of the defendant’s sexual assault is. Attorney Jung objects again and says that scratching the back of her hand is merely a habit that she has. It’s speculative for the prosecution to say that it’s because of the intercourse she had with the defendant. After Attorney Jung bangs his fist on the table, Ms. Shin starts really scratching at her hand and then starts calling for her mother, saying that she doesn’t want to do this. She starts crying and runs off the stand to her mother and continues scratching even as her mother consoles her.
Afterwards, Ms. Shin’s mother confronts Young Woo, by yelling that by having autism, she thinks she knows how every person with disabilities feels. She yells about her spewing some bullshit about having the freedom to love a bad guy. Soo Yeon interrupts to tell her to calm down and if she has something to say, she can talk to her. The woman is so incensed that she continues yelling at Young Woo, that she needs to protect her daughter from this messed-up world. She needs to protect her child from the evil bastards who try to take advantage of her in every way possible the second they think she’s innocent and soft! She scoffs about a disabled person’s right to love - as who is she to talk about autism and disability. She asks if her child’s disability is hers. She then yells even louder for her to take her ridiculous attempt at empathizing elsewhere as it’s disgusting. This finally makes Young Woo drop all of her papers and triggers her echolalia, as she repeats the angry mother’s last words. When she clutches at her head, this prompts Soo Yeon to put an arm around her and pats her on the arm to comfort her.
Jun Ho is at a bar with his friends, the same woman and three guys. It appears that everyone’s properly drunk right now. So the third (new face) guy whines about wanting to meet the girl Jun Ho’s seeing. He even suggests that he call her over as he’s the only one who hasn’t seen her. Jun Ho replies that he’ll invite her next time. His other friend, the tall one seated next to him, asked if he’s really sure about this. He continues, even if she’s an attorney, he should think this one through. Jun Ho asks what he means. Tall guy says forget about them – can he really tell his parents that he’s dating someone like her. Jun Ho asks what he means by “someone like her” and why’s he saying it like that? The friend sighs and says honestly, it’s - taps him on the shoulder - he knows. Jun Ho just looks at him and waits. The third guy whines for someone to tell him. The second guy chimes in that it’s just something. The third guy whines again and the woman says that Jun Ho oppa has always been nice. Jun Ho rolls his eyes at this. She continues saying it’s because he’s nice. He interrupts to say that he’s going to get going and sets down his drink. He gets up to leave as he says that he doesn’t get what any of them are saying. Everyone tells him to not leave, and the tall guy grabs onto him to get him to sit back down. (~53:00)
Tall guy says that he’s been in that kind of relationship before. He’s done it and that’s not love. Jun Ho looks over at him and asks what? Tall guy replies with “Dating a pitiful girl you want to help. That’s not love.” Jun Ho’s eyes lose its inebriated haziness and instead become dark and intense. The guy continues saying that’s sympathy. The woman tells the tall guy to stop it, and the second guy asks if he’s drunk and suggests a toast. Third guy repeats the words “A pitiful girl you want to help”? He then asks who is so pitiful. Jun Ho isn’t saying anything but his eyes are glued to the tall guy. Third guy continues asking who is so pitiful. All of a sudden, Jun Ho grabs the tall guy by the shirt and the two men tumble out of their chairs and end up on the floor. Jun Ho tries to hit him but their friends tell him to let go of him and to stop it. The two guys are separated while their table and chairs are in disarray now. A very angry Jun Ho calls him a bastard. Tall guy replies that he’s just looking out for him. Jun Ho angrily yells for him to come over here, and asks him, what does he know?! The two men continue yelling and calling each other names. The second guy is holding him back but Jun Ho continues yelling and trying to lunge at the tall guy again. (~54:00, Whoa! Is it whoa, whoa time for Jun Ho?)
Min Woo is having dinner with Attorney Kim to inquire about Tae Soo Mi, as the latter went to university with her. Min Woo then brings up this preposterous rumor he had heard about her – that she has another child. Attorney Kim laughs at this and says it’s just gossip. Then he says that during university, she suddenly took a break saying that she was going to study abroad. It wasn’t a big deal where or when she went, as her family is well-off. But it was sudden as she hadn’t graduated or even passed the bar, so everyone started speculating and that’s how the rumor started. But he laughs about her having a child then. Min Woo asks if he remembers what year it was when she took the break from school. He recalls it was 1996, so 26 years ago. And if this imaginary child would be 27 years old today.
Final Day of Trial. The Judge announces the final results.
Jury’s review: Charges: 3 found the defendant guilty, and 4 found the defendant not guilty. Not guilty.
The people on the victim’s side object loudly at this absurdity. Ms. Shin’s mother maintains a sour look on her face.
Verdict: Formal adjudication. The defendant is sentenced to two years imprisonment. He is also ordered to complete a 40-hour sex offender treatment program. The defendant’s information will be notified and disclosed through the information for five years. The defendant is restricted from employment for five years at institutions and welfare facilities related to people with disabilities. Grounds of judgment are as follows….
Ms. Shin’s mother looks so relieved by this. Yang Jeong Il is listening but it takes a moment for it to finally sink in. He looks quite shocked as he asks Young Woo if he’s going to jail. She quietly says yes. He looks over at Shin Hye Yeong who looks quite agitated by this outcome while her mother is laughing in joy. As the Judge continues reading the judgment, Shin Hye Yeong starts crying loudly. Her mother asks why she’s crying as he’s being punished. Young Woo watches the victim falling apart at the outcome for the guy she loves.
Tonight, Young Woo is walking Jun Ho home and they end up outside his apartment. He tells her that Min Woo said he was coming home late tonight. He gestures towards the door and asks if she wants to come in for a second. She replies no, as she’s tired so she would like to go home. He says then let’s head out together and he’ll walk her home. So he turns around and she follows him. She looks confused and tells him that there was no point in her walking him home then. And the route was inefficient. He stops walking and turns around to face her.
LJH: Dates are like that. No meaning, no efficiency. Foolish. He laughs.
WYW: If you have a disability, I think merely liking someone is not enough. Because even if I say it’s love, if other people say it’s not, then it’s not.
LJH: Are you talking about today’s case?
WYW: I’m not sure if I’m talking about the case… or myself.
LJH: Even if other people say it’s not, if you say it’s love, it’s love. She looks at him for a moment before looking away.
WYW: Loving me… is hard. He nods at this.
LJH: Yes. He gives her a lingering look. It appears so. He looks away but he has a little smile.
WYW: But are you still going to? He lifts his eyes to look at her face. He pauses for a beat.
LJH: Yes. (~59:55)
Young Woo looks up at him, and then the light goes out. In the darkness, he slowly takes one step and then another towards her. When they’re nearly touching, she backs away from him and the light comes back on. He notices the gap between them so he takes a couple steps away from her and patiently waits. She finally looks up at him. Their eyes lock and then she’s looking at his face. When her gaze drops to his lips, she actually takes a few steps towards him before finally stopping right in front of him. She then puts her hands on the backpack straps on his shoulders – and then she tiptoes to place her lips against his, even though her eyes are still wide open! Jun Ho returns her kiss and then the lights go out again. Jun Ho’s arms are now around her waist. They stay there for a few seconds longer until Young Woo raises her right arm to turn the lights back on. She pulls back to break the kiss.
WYW: Do your teeth usually knock against each other when kissing? He looks a bit baffled by this question. XD Her question and then his face just slays me!
LJH hesitatingly: Uh, no?
WYW: Then what am I supposed to…? He gives a light laugh.
LJH: Well… I think…. He raises his left fist with his thumb and index finger extended and pinched with a small gap between them. She looks intently at his hand. It would be better if you opened up your mouth a bit more. And it would be better… - He pinches his fingers closed and squeezes his eyes shut to demonstrate - if you close your eyes a bit more. 🤏
WYW: Ah. She nods in understanding.
She then puts her hands back on his shoulder and then looks up at him with those big eyes.+++ She closes her eyes and presents her face to him and just waits. He just looks at her with so much… affection! *melting* Are heart eyes real?! He then gives a small smile but when she opens her mouth just a tiny bit and continues waiting, he loses the smile. An intense look comes over his face and then he kisses her ever so gently. The light goes out again but we can see our lovely couple continuing to kiss in the dimly backlit hallway with Jun Ho’s arms wrapped around Young Woo. The silhouettes! *hearteyes!* (~1:01:40, their first kisses!)
Epilogue: Woo Dad is trimming spinach inside the restaurant at night when he hears footsteps approaching. He apologetically says they’re closed and then he turns around and sees that it’s Tae Soo Mi. Dad is so startled that he drops the knife in his hand. She asks if she can come in as she glances around the restaurant and notices the various framed photos of Dad with Young Woo at different ages.
She sits down across from him. He asks how she could come here and what if Young Woo sees her? She pulls out a folder from her bag - it’s for Taesan Boston. He refuses to accept it so she sets it down on the spinach. She tells him to go with Young Woo to Taesan Boston. He finally looks at her and says that Young Woo is working at Hanbada. He asks who she is to tell her where to go when she’s not even working at Taesan? She asks if he planned this with Han Seon Young. Did the two of them plan to get Young Woo employed at Hanbada so they can take her down? He tells her that the world doesn’t revolve around her. He angrily asks about what plan. He says Hanbada gave her the job because Young Woo is outstanding. She agrees that Young Woo is outstanding which is why she’s making the offer. She continues saying this is a great opportunity for her to grow as an international attorney. She suggests that he convince her. I hate her. She’ll provide everything so she can focus solely on her work when she’s away in the States. He laughs derisively before asking if she’s not trying to send her as far away from her as possible because she could get in her way of becoming the Minister of Justice.
She asks if Young Woo has a doctor or counselor. Dad is confused. She says that she has autism, so does he have a professional who takes exclusive care of her? He replies that he gave Young Woo every treatment she needed and she’s doing well without all that. She looks around the restaurant and asks if he’s sure it’s not that he can’t do enough for her. It’s not too late to do what’s best for her. Awareness and treatment for autism are much more advanced in the States than in Korea. Does he have any idea how many communities there are for people with autism just in Boston? Dad isn’t looking at her but he’s looking quite angry. She says there are doctors and counselors who specialize in autism, too. But here, Young Woo’s all alone. She asks if he’s going to take responsibility for her life and help her forever? Dad says Young Woo is his daughter, and then he yells, “Who are you to interfere and tell me what to do now?! You’ve been living selfishly without showing up once all this time. And now, what?” He laughs derisively and says she’s got some nerve. She says he’s one to talk. She asks if he forgot his promise. He said he’d disappear forever if she gave birth to Young Woo. She asks why he broke that promise and showed up again. She asks if he’s trying to get revenge on her by using Young Woo or is he trying to get money from her? Ugh. This enrages Dad to the point that knocks the spinach off the table and yells that get out! She gets up wordlessly and leaves the premises. Dad is eerily quiet for a moment but then he starts kicking and throwing things. But he forces himself to try to calm down.
++ This case is so complicated. The client really bothered me. His initial insistence on calling Young Woo, “Attorney Kayak Deed” made it seem like he’s trying to manipulate her… And then the fact that he has in fact, taken advantage of disabled women before makes him a true jerk. Young Woo addresses a major issue with this case - from a societal view - a person with a disability can’t be seen as being in a relationship. In this instance, it’s apparent that this woman cannot tell the distinction between consensual sexual intercourse versus sexual assault. I choose to believe that she does love the defendant - even if he is a known jerk. Whether she’s able to make that decision (about sex) for herself or not - I’m not sure.
+++ If you look closely, right before their second kiss, you can see that Kang Tae Oh is just barely repressing his laughter here - his jaw and cheek muscles are flexing here. XD I can’t blame him - being up close with Park Eun-bin’s greatly exaggerated wide eyes would make me giggle, too. [See my love for this scene in the comments.]
Micro Recap: Two men seek help with settling a dispute over another man’s lottery winnings. Soo Yeon is dating someone. Jun Ho proposes a sweet offer to Young Woo.
Three men are sitting at a card table in some dark noisy gambling den. They’re watching the lottery numbers come up on the TV as they’re each checking their lottery tickets. One of the guys has all of the winning numbers in his hand, so he’s won first prize.
Young Woo is sitting by herself in the lobby at work and patiently waiting. Her eyes light up when she sees Jun Ho walking in. She’s thinking about their kiss. *heart flutters* As Jun Ho is heading towards the elevators, he notices her out of the corner of his eye.
LJH: Hey, Attorney Woo. She stands up as he walks over to her. What are you doing here?
WYW: I wanted to see you.
LJH: What?
WYW: I waited here because I wanted to see you. She gives him a small smile.
LJH beaming: Then you should have called me over. I almost walked right past you.
WYW: Well… I waited to see you and I did.
LJH: I see. So that’s all you needed?
WYW grinning: I can see your desk from the window of my office. I got curious because you hadn’t come even though it was 12 minutes past the usual time you arrive. He laughs. They’re interrupted by her phone so she goes to answer it. *my heart with these two!* (~3:30)
It’s Attorney Jung telling her to come up to the conference room on the 17th floor for a meeting about a new client. She says okay and then hangs up the call. Jun Ho asks if she has to go. She says yes. So he says he’ll see her at lunch then. She smiles at this and then heads for the elevators. He just watches her go with a smile.
When the elevator door opens for Young Woo, Attorney Han is already inside it. Young Woo looks a bit uneasy, so Attorney Han asks her if it’s manageable. Young Woo asks if what is manageable. Attorney Han says she was wondering if anything was bothering her. Young Woo replies that she does have concerns but she can’t tell her because it’s personal. Attorney Han says the concerns of a Hanbada attorney are the concerns of Hanbada as a whole. They are also her concerns as CEO. She encourages her to talk to her. Young Woo pauses for a moment before saying in a serious tone, “When you kiss, you have to open your mouth so that your front teeth don’t knock against each other. But it’s hard to breathe like that. I’m concerned about whether or not there is a way to kiss and breathe at the same time.” Attorney Han didn’t expect this. She only says, “I see.” XD Young Woo looks at her and waits for an answer. Attorney Han says, “That is your concern.” Young Woo sighs. So this falls outside of the scope of Hanbada’s concerns? XD The elevator stops and the two exit and watch as a man carrying a woman on his back walks by and is overheard asking where the conference room is. Young Woo walks behind the couple and Attorney Han stops and mutters that the firm… is a bit weird.
The man continues carrying the woman on his back to the conference room with a curious Young Woo following behind them, and she notices that he’s carrying a pair of shoes in his hand. Attorney Jung is inside waiting for them, and asks if the woman needs a wheelchair or something. The man explains that his wife’s heel broke off on their way there. The wife fusses that she told him to put her down, but the husband replies that the floor is cold. Attorney Jung tells them to sit down and the man puts his wife down onto a chair. The man explains that his wife wore heels to see him, but he can’t even afford a new pair of heels for her as he puts them back onto her feet. The wife says it’s because she usually doesn’t have an occasion to wear heels. Attorney Jung comments that it’s nice to see him care for his wife as they’re like a pair of mandarin ducks. The husband says since he doesn’t make a lot of money, the least he can do is be good to her.
Young Woo interrupts to say mandarin ducks are not that loving to each other. During the mating period, the male duck stays with the female and builds a nest together. But once that period is over, he leaves for another female, leaving the female duck to raise the babies on her own. Attorney Jung is giving her some serious side eye here. lol No one says anything in response to that. Attorney Jung asks what brings them here. The man says recently, two other people and he pooled their money and bought lottery tickets. They had promised to split it evenly if any of them won, and one of them actually did win first place. The man who won suddenly went off the grid. So he went to his house and the guy said he never made such a promise and won’t share a single penny of it.
Attorney Jung then asks if this promise was made in writing or recorded. The man says they only discussed it. When asked how the three men know each other, the wife answers that they’re his gambling buddies. The husband says he frequents gambling houses and the lottery tickets were also bought with the stakes. Attorney Jung asks if it’s an illegal gambling house. Attorney Jung says gambling is an illegal act that goes against the social order, so there may be an issue with how the ticket was bought with gambling money. The court may consider the promise itself to be invalid. The man starts yelling about what kind of law is that as gambling and a promise are two different matters.
Young Woo says, “‘Article 103 of the Civil Law. A juristic act that can be described as contrary to good morals and other social order shall be null and void.’ According to this law, you don’t have to pay off gambling debts. Gambling itself is an illegal act that goes against the social order, so the law does not protect the promise to pay off gambling debts.” The man says that the lottery prize is over 6.2 billion won, and after taxes, it’s 4.2 billion. If it’s split three ways, his cut is 1.4 billion. He then says he’ll bring the other person who didn’t get his share to Hanbada. If Hanbada represents the two of them, it would be a lawsuit worth over 2.8 billion. He can’t afford to pay him right now, but once the trial is over, there will be a contingency fee. Attorney Jung tells him it’s not about the fees, it’s that the case may not even be legally valid. The desperate man says can’t they say that the lottery tickets were not purchased with the stakes? Both attorneys are both surprised at this. The man quickly says that he and the other man can agree to say – Young Woo interrupts to ask if he’s saying they’re going to lie? In court? She adamantly says they can’t. The wife says that her husband isn’t into gambling because he likes it. When they got married, he opened an internet cafe but lost the money because he was conned by his partner. And so he started to gamble to make up for it. Gambler’s logic... She mentions that they saw him carrying her on his back, and he might be a gambler but he’s a good husband to her and a sweet father to their kids. Attorney Jung tries to say that it’s not about that but - the wife cuts him off. She says that they have a connection, Attorney Jung is the son of the acquaintance of her third aunt’s friend. He agrees as he’s heard that she’s the niece of his mother’s acquaintance’s friend. She replies that she really needs the 1.4 billion won. They’ve been married for 15 years and their kids are 13 and 11 already. She tearfully says, they’ve had a proper house, so they’ve always been moving around and living on what she makes from her gimbap shop. This is a once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity. She begs them to help her family, and the husband grabs onto her hand to beg them as well.
Back at the pub, Hairy Boss hands Young Woo her seaweed sushi and then asks how Soo Yeon is. Geu Rami chides him for having no pride - why would he ask about someone who ran away from him. Young Woo is surprised to hear that she ran away, as Soo Yeon only told her that the date didn’t work out. Geu Rami says she really is a good person as she didn’t expose Hairy’s atrocious behavior. She asks Hairy Boss if he was possessed by some lame dad spirit as he cracked Dad jokes the entire time thinking he was so funny. XD Lame dad spirit! Noted. Hairy Boss says he’s not usually like that but guesses he was particularly nervous that day. Young Woo asks, “Dad jokes”? Geu Rami says for him to tell them what he said that day - and he tells the orange, grate and a-peeling jokes. Geu Rami yells at him for being so nuts and frustrating. Young Woo finds it funny that he cracked jokes using words with similar pronunciations. Geu Rami then surmises the problem was they were food jokes, and he should’ve made attorney jokes as the angel [Soo Yeon] is an attorney. Geu Rami then tells a joke: The thread and the needle were fighting and the police arrested the thread. Why? Because the needle sewed the thread. Young Woo is delighted by this. Hairy Boss enthusiastically shares this joke: Eight vowels, eleven consonants, an exclamation mark, and a comma appeared in court today. Because they are due to be sentenced next week. *facepalm* Why are they encouraging him?!
Soo Yeon is working late again, and then she receives a call from Jung Gwon, who asks for her to step outside for a quick moment as he’s outside her work right now. She freshens up before she heads downstairs to meet this guy, Jung Gwon who has his hands behind his back. Who dis?? Club guy? She asks what he’s hiding. He replies that he has something in his right hand and left hand, so which one does she want to see first. She picks the left hand and he gives her a flask filled with a good-for-your-body cocktail. He’s made honey water with lemon, yuzu, lemon, mint, cinnamon and turmeric. When she asks how it tastes, he says it’s awful like medicine which makes her laugh. She says she’ll enjoy it even if it tastes awful. He then reveals in his right hand a bouquet of bright yellow flowers but he doesn’t know the exact name - marigold, French marigold or calendula. (Marigolds and calendulas are in the same family but different genus. So not the same thing.) He just bought it because he likes the meaning of it – “Happiness that will surely come.” This makes her smile brightly at him.
Case 10. Young Woo is following Shin Il Soo (the husband who wants his share of the lottery winnings) into an illegal gambling den. When they get inside, a woman in a glamorous dress smiles and waves, and then she asks who she is. He says that she’s an attorney as he’s in a lawsuit for lottery winnings. She asks Young Woo if she’d like some coffee, which she refuses. Shin Il Soo asks for her to get Ashtray and the woman leaves to get the person. Young Woo asks if she’s the person who’ll be testifying. He replies no, that’s Coffee Shop and the kid who is testifying is Ashtray. She is confused by these names. He explains the person who sells coffee here is called Coffee Shop and the person who runs small errands is called Ashtray.
So Ashtray shows up and Shin Il Soo asks if he remembers the day he left to buy lottery tickets. He explains that Park Seong Nam, Yun Jae Won and he pooled their stakes together and asked him to go buy some tickets. Ashtray recalls that they won the first prize. He then asks if he recalls hearing them promise to split the prize. Ashtray says he recalls hearing him say “If one of us wins, we’ll split it evenly no matter what.” She asks about his use of evenly. He replies, there were three of them, so a three-way split. She then asks if he will testify to what he just said, in court. He sputters at this. Shin Il Soo assures him that there’s not much to it, as all he has to do is repeat what he just said. TBH, I’m not sure if this meeting is appropriate at all. Usually the attorney would interview the witness without the client there to avoid undue influence. Ashtray says he’s never done anything like that before and then claims that he’s quite busy and gets up to leave. Shin Il Soo grabs onto his arm and yells that there are billions on the line and he’s worried about this place? He then begs him to help him, and if he testifies, he’ll give him a lot of money, enough to quit this job. Young Woo says he can’t give him lots of money, as agreeing to provide travel expenses or excessive benefits that exceed the typical expenses makes that testimony invalid as it falls under the illegal acts contrary to social order. Bingo. Shin Il Soo whines that they’re together to convince him, and then yells why can’t he give him money as it’s his money. Now it’s alleged bribery, coercion and undue influence. It’s not like he’s asking him to lie, he’s just asking him to tell the truth. Shin Il Soo starts whining for her to be flexible. Ashtray gets up to leave but Shin Il Soo grabs his arm and pulls him back down into his chair and begs for him to testify for him, and he’ll repay the favor within the bounds of civil law - not excessive.
At Hanbada, Jun Ho’s colleague says his name and then gestures with his head in the direction of Young Woo’s office. From his desk, Jun Ho looks over and sees Young Woo peeking through her blinds. XD It’s not subtle! (~23:15) His colleague whispers that she’s been that way for quite some time and it’s freaking him out. Young Woo blinks at Jun Ho which makes him smile from ear-to-ear and then he gets up to walk towards her office. She quickly lets go of the blinds and turns around and waits for him. As Jun Ho is about to reach for the door, he is waylaid by an attorney who wants to talk about a case. Jun Ho stays right outside her office, puts his hands on his hips and chats with the man. He then quite casually puts his hand up against her window as he continues chatting. She stares at his hand for a moment before sliding her hand through the blinds and places it against the glass behind his larger hand. Are they “holding” hands now? How is this so cute?! Jun Ho glances over and notices her hand behind his, and he briefly smiles before returning to his conversation.
Day 1 of Trial. Per defendant’s counsel, the defendant, Yun Jae Won, denies the existence of an agreement between himself and the plaintiffs for distribution of the lottery prize. Even if there is such an agreement, it is merely a joke made while imagining the very rare situation of winning the lottery, not a legal act with validity. The defendant and plaintiffs didn’t even put the said agreement in writing nor did they specify the ranking of the lottery tickets that were to be divided. He then mentions that when the defendant won first place, Shin Il Soo also won fifth place, so which of the award money should be divided. Shin Il Soo asks if there’s a problem now because they didn’t split the 5,000 won, and if so, they can split it right now. He pulls out some cash from his wallet as he and the other plaintiff, Park Seong Nam, discuss how to split 5,000 won three ways. Young Woo says it’s 1,666.666 each. So the two continue pulling out bills and change. The Judge asks what they’re doing and asks for order in the court. The two sit down. She asks the defendant's counsel if he has anything else to say. He repeats that the agreement the plaintiffs are claiming was not put in writing, nor was there anything regarding the legality of the act, therefore it’s invalid. Attorney Jung counters that oral agreements are also agreements and are legally binding. The three had promised that no matter who won the lottery, they’d split the prize evenly three ways. So it’s fair to say that they decided to divide all the lottery tickets they won that day. Whether it’s first place or fifth place, it’s obvious that there’s no need to specify the ranking.
The Judge says she understands the argument on both sides but the issue at hand is whether or not there really was a joint distribution agreement. She then asks about the plaintiffs’ witness and a frazzled-looking Jun Ho runs in to whisper to Young Woo as Attorney Jung calls Mr. Han Byeong Gil [Ashtray] as a witness. Young Woo suddenly says not at this time. Attorney Jung is confused but then Jun Ho quietly tells him that he can’t get in touch with Mr. Han, who is an undocumented Korean Chinese immigrant. He thinks he went into hiding to avoid getting deported if he testifies. That's why he was so cagey before. The Judge asks what’s going on and Attorney Jung replies that Mr. Han is unable to come today, and they’re going to need to review another witness. He asks if they can apply for another witness and the Judge gives him some side eye.
Afterwards, Attorney Jung asks the clients if anyone else heard about their promise. Park Seong Nam says if there’s no one else, they can just make one up, right? And they can give them money, right? Young Woo asks if they’re going to buy a fake witness and make them commit perjury? She says they can’t and Park Seong Nam yells then what are they supposed to do. He then says she should know when to be flexible. Why are they helping these jerks? *rolling eyes*
Shin Il Soo calms him down and then says that someone must have overheard as there were so many people at the gambling house that day. He assures them that they’ll find another witness and then takes away Park Seong Nam who is still quite vexed and muttering at Young Woo. Attorney Jung tells Young Woo to gather more material that would be advantageous for them. The point of this case is whether the agreement to divide the prize of a lottery that was bought with gambling money is legally valid or not. Look into Juristic Acts Contrary to Social Order, Performance for Illegal Causem and other things related to illegal acts.
Young Woo stays late at work and calls Jun Ho who has fallen asleep with a book on his lap. When he answers the call and realizes it’s a video call from her, he quickly removes the sleep from his face. When he answers, it’s a close-up of the lower half of her face, and he tells her that he can’t really see her face. She replies that she can see his face well. Heh. That is more important. He replies to let him look at her face too, and suggests holding the phone a bit farther away. She moves the phone away and he chuckles at finally seeing her face.
LJH: You’re still in the office, right? You must be exhausted.
WYW: Yes. I’m going to hang up now.
LJH confused: What? Then why did you call me?
WYW matter-of-factly: I called you because I wanted to see you and I did.
LJH: Right, so that’s it then? Since you got what you wanted?
WYW: Yes. He laughs.
LJH: But… What about how I feel as the person who answered the call? From now on, please ask if I want to hang up too.
WYW: I’m sorry. Do you want to hang up?
LJH with a chuckle: No. I couldn’t just hang up on him!
WYW with a smile: I see.
LJH: Let’s just talk a little bit more.
WYW: Okay.
LJH: Well… Do you have anything you want to tell me? Not about work or whales, but just small talk?
WYW: Well… The thread and needle were fighting and the thread was taken to the police station. Do you know why? He seems to give it some thought.
LJH: Because the needle sewed the thread?
WYW looking happily surprised: Correct. Eight vowels, eleven consonants, an exclamation mark, and a comma appeared in court today, because…
LJH: They are due to be sentenced next week! She smiles at his chuckling. His dad laugh is so cringe-y here, yet so apropos. XD Maybe it’s because you’re telling them, but even dad jokes are funny.
WYW: Yes, they’re so funny.
LJH: You should get back to work now, right? Should we hang up?
WYW: Right. Yes. Well… But… You keep popping into my head like whales. Even though you’re not one. He waits. This is the first time I’ve constantly thought of someone, so it’s quite strange. He still doesn’t say anything but waits. She then hangs up on him. On the other end, Jun Ho smiles so sweetly at this. (~29:20) Jun Ho ≧ 🐳??
Day 2 of Trial. Defendant’s counsel tells the court that the defendant still denies the existence of this agreement. And even if there was one, it’s a distribution agreement for the prize of a lottery ticket that was bought with gambling money, which is a criminal act. Attorney Jung retorts that gambling is gambling and an agreement is an agreement. Just because gambling money was used to purchase the lottery ticket does not mean the agreement to share the prize can be considered invalid due to violations of good morals and other social orders. Young Woo stands up and says for example, in a case where a secret fund was entrusted to someone else to hide, there’s a Supreme Court ruling that says, “Even if the secret fund was illegally created by acts contrary to social order, the act of entrusting money to others should not be seen as a Juristic Act Contrary to Social Order.” Defendant’s counsel argues that there are many precedents that support the defendant’s claim as well. A financial institution gave a loan to an illegal entertainment business employee, and the loan agreement was considered a Juristic Act Contract to Social Order in violation of Article 103 of Civil Law. Thus, this case received the verdict of being invalid. He asks if plaintiffs’ counselors are still going to consider the illegal entertainment business and a loan agreement as different matters. She argues isn’t it more appropriate to view that case as being invalid due to the violation of Article 10 of the Act on the Punishment of Arrangement of Commercial Sex Acts than Article 103 of Civil Law? There’s a clear cause that says, “Any claims held to a person who has engaged in acts of selling sex shall be invalidated regardless of the form or title of the contract.” She says loudly, “You can’t compare that case to the joint distribution agreement of this case!” The Judge says that she understands the argument for both sides. In actuality, the expression of “good morals and other social order” itself is abstract. Whether this case falls under Article 103 or not, will be judged based on specific points. But first, they need to know whether this agreement exists or not.
She then asks Attorney Jung if his witness is present today. He says yes, Ms. Choi Da Hye is already in the courtroom and we see that it’s Coffee Shop who goes up the stand. Attorney Jung establishes that she sold coffee at the gambling house, and then asks her if she knows Han Byeong Gil who used to run errands at the same place. She says she wouldn’t say she knew him well, as they only worked together. Shin Il Soo is openly staring at her with a little smile on his face. Attorney Jung then asks her about the day of incident, when Han Byeong Gil cashed in some of the stakes per request of the defendant and plaintiffs, and went out and bought lottery tickets for them. She’s asked if she was aware of this and she says yes, she saw Han Byeong Gil leaving so she asked where he was going. He had replied that he was getting lottery tickets as an errand for table three. When asked if that was where the defendant and plaintiffs were seated, she looks over at the plaintiffs and appears to make eye contact with Shin Il Soo before saying yes. He looks relieved. She then says that she’d asked him why lottery tickets. He’d laughed and said “If one of them wins, it’s going to be split evenly no matter what.” The defendant stands up to angrily yell that it’s a lie, and why would Ashtray have said all that without her asking. The Judge tells him to not interrupt during witness questioning. He loudly retorts that this is all a lie. He then says that this woman and Shin Il Soo are seeing each other. Choi Da Hye drops her smile and Shin Il Soo asks him what kind of nonsense he is blabbering about right now. Park Seong Nam joins in to ask if he has proof that they are seeing each other. The Judge breaks it up and asks Choi Da Hye if what the defendant said is true. She then asks if she’s giving false testimony because of her relationship with the plaintiff. She says no, they’re not seeing each other. She’s telling her exactly what Byeong Gil said. The Judge accepts this and tells Attorney Jung to continue with the questioning. Shin Il Soo then throws a very quick finger heart at Choi Da Hye, who acknowledges it with a quick flash of a smile before returning to serious mode to listen to Attorney Jung’s questions. Ugh. Young Woo notices this quick exchange but doesn’t say anything.
At Hanbada, Min Woo is looking up details on Tae Soo Mi, and wonders how an elite like her was in university for six years and the Jeongui Ilbo reporter caught that, too. He then pulls up the Hanbada profile pic of Young Woo and compares it side-by-side with Tae Soo Mi’s. He’s thinking about what he’ll do with this information.
Young Woo returns to the restaurant to tell her father that she’s home. Woo Dad, who is reviewing the Boston Taesan folder, quickly hides it when he sees her. Before she can leave to go upstairs, he asks if there’s anything he, as her father, can do for her. She’s confused by this question. He asks if maybe she wanted him to find her a doctor or counselor who specializes in autism to take exclusive care of her. Aww, Dad…! She ponders on this for a moment before telling him that sometimes she’s thought it would be nice to have a doctor or counselor like that. He looks as if a huge weight just landed on his shoulders. She continues saying when it was too difficult for her to know what others were thinking or feeling, when she didn’t understand how she was feeling, or when she got anxious because there was a sudden loud noise while she was working. Every time something like that would happen, she wanted to hear expert advice on how to handle these situations or hear about the experiences of others with autism. With a deep sigh, Dad asks why didn’t she tell him any of this, and did she think he wouldn’t be able to afford it? She says she’s not sure. Probably because it’s hard for her to share something like this to begin with, as it takes her time to process things. As there's so much other stuff going on, it’s not necessarily a priority item for her. He says she must be tired and suggests she get some rest. So she leaves and Dad looks even more worn out now.
Final Day of Trial. Shin Il Soo’s wife is in attendance today as the Judge announces the formal adjudication.
- The defendant is ordered to pay a total of 1,403,402,000 won to each of the plaintiffs.
- The defendant needs to pay for the litigation costs.
- At the time of the agreement of this case, the plaintiffs and the defendant had decided that the winning lottery ticket was subject to distribution, regardless of the rank of the winning tickets. Therefore, it cannot be said that there is no specific target for distribution. Also, the agreement on the distribution of the prize can’t be deemed invalid merely based on the fact that the money used to purchase the lottery tickets came from gambling money.
- The plaintiffs’ claims are reasonable and should be cited, so it is decided as per formal adjudication.
Shin Il Soo and Park Seong Nam yell in celebration, while Yun Jae Won is shocked by this outcome. Shin Il Soo’s wife starts sobbing, so Shin Il Soo gets up to go comfort his wife. He takes her hand and tearfully says he knows it was rough providing for him and the kids for all these years. She starts sobbing even louder now and he finally hugs her.
Later, Shin Il Soo visits Young Woo in her office, but he looks different - his floppy hair is no more, and he’s wearing fancier clothes. He presents her with a department store gift card and she says that he’s already paid a contingency fee to the firm so he doesn’t have to give her anything separately. He insists that this is a gift from him to her and tries to hand it to her. She pushes it away and says she can’t take it. He chuckles and puts it back into his breast pocket and says okay, the inflexible Attorney Woo. He then pulls out a wrapped box and places it on her desk, it’s gimbap that his wife made. She looks pleased with this gift and thanks him for it. There’s an awkward pause as he continues sitting in her office before he finally says that he wants to ask her something. He asks if one gets a divorce after winning the lottery, does the prize have to be divided as well. Red flag. Male mandarin duck? She answers that it depends on the specifics, but according to the precedents so far, it doesn’t in most cases. The division of assets can be claimed for the assets jointly accrued by the couple, but a lottery prize is entirely due to the luck of the winner and not subject to the division of assets. He asks if she’s saying then that it doesn’t have to be divided, right? She says yes and then asks why he’s asking. He plays it off by saying that someone asked him to inquire about it. He awkwardly laughs and says he has to go and practically bolts out of there.
In the cafeteria, our Spring Sunshine, Soo Yeon is smiling at her phone as she’s reading sweet text messages from Jung Gwon. Young Woo suddenly shows up at her table and immediately sits down to say that she’s been through a divorce, right? Jun Ho, who isn’t far behind her and sits down more calmly next to Young Woo. Soo Yeon is miffed at this and says she hasn’t even been married yet to be divorced. lol Young Woo isn’t the most tactful. Young Woo says she’s taken on divorce cases before. Soo Yeon says ah, right, yes. So Young Woo asks her if a man asked an attorney about the division of assets in the case of a divorce, did he have divorce in mind? Soo Yeon says there’s no way to know with just that inquiry and asks if there were any other signs. Young Woo says that he held up a finger heart - and she demonstrates with her fingers - to a woman who is not his wife. Young Woo wonders if they could be seeing each other. Soo Yeon asks if she’s talking about the man from the lottery case. Young Woo says she can’t answer that because of attorney-client privilege.
So Soo Yeon points at the condiments on the table and calls them Mr. Salt, Ms. Pepper, and Attorney Soy Sauce. So Mr. Salt asks Attorney Soy Sauce about the division of assets in the case of a divorce, right? Young Woo is confused. Jun Ho explains that since she can’t speak about the matter because of attorney-client privilege, she’s saying they should make up fake characters. He grabs the individual condiments and places them one by one on the table - Mr. Salt, Ms. Pepper and Attorney Soy Sauce. Now she understands and says that Mr. Salt asked Attorney Soy Sauce a question. Soo Yeon says it must’ve been about the lottery prize, right? Young Woo says she can’t answer if she asks like that. Soo Yeon rephrases the question: It must have been about a peculiar property that he acquired in his own name during his marriage, right? Young Woo says to be exact, he asked her whether this peculiar property is subject to a claim for division of assets in the event of a divorce. She realizes her flub and quickly says he asked Attorney Soy Sauce. Soo Yeon asks if Ms. Pepper has no idea. Young Woo says no. Soo Yeon asks if there is anything that Mr. Salt promised Ms. Pepper. Perhaps he expressed his intention to give a conditional gift to Ms. Pepper if he acquired a peculiar property. It would be better if there was proof. Young Woo says she has no idea, as she would have to ask Ms. Pepper. Soo Yeon says securing evidence is also the key to such divorce cases. If there’s no evidence, it’ll only turn into a psychological battle. Like appealing to the judge’s emotion about who is more pitiful. Young Woo admits that Attorney Soy Sauce can’t give any legal advice to Ms. Pepper. Soo Yeon agrees as Mr. Salt was Attorney Soy Sauce’s client. She then says that Attorney Soy Sauce must be in a difficult position, and then pat the top of the soy sauce container. Jun Ho watches Young Woo fidgeting as she’s trying to process this. She looks at the container of gimbap from Happy House.
Attorney Jung is now eating the Happy House gimbap and asks what Young Woo thinks they should do? Is she suggesting that they should at least tell Ms. Sung Eun-Ji, and that they think her husband is planning to divorce her? Young Woo says then Ms. Sung can come up with her own contingency – Attorney Jung interrupts her to ask who she is. Young Woo is confused. Attorney Jung says “Article 26 of the Attorney-at-Law Act. No attorney or former attorney shall divulge any confidential matter that he or she has learned in the course of performing his or her duties.” So what happened to Attorney Woo Young Woo who was so strict about the law to the point that she was inflexible? He asks again who she is. He continues, Mr. Shin Il Soo was their client, so who he sent a heart to and what he asked her - they’re the client’s secrets. He warns her to not even think about saying a peep, especially to Ms. Sung Eun Ji. He asks if she’s got it? She doesn’t answer but watches him eat his gimbap and she says that the gimbap made by Ms. Sung is special. With a mouth full of food, he says yes, he can taste it. Heh. She says that the Woo Young Woo gimbap that her father makes does not have fried tofu. She goes on about the texture and flavor profile of fried tofu, so he asks if fried tofu has replaced whales as he continues chewing. XD She quickly asks if it isn’t okay to go to Happy House to buy fried tofu gimbap. Without giving him a chance to say anything, she says that’s not a violation of the Attorney-at-Law Act and then runs out of there. He asks the empty room why did she bother asking him if she was going to go anyway?
Jun Ho and Young Woo are now walking to Happy House and discussing that they’re going there to buy fried tofu gimbap, not to violate the Attorney-at-Law Act. As they’re approaching the shop, they hear loud crashing sounds and raised voices. Jun Ho goes to investigate as Young Woo pulls out her headphones. Shin Il Soo is inside the restaurant yelling at his wife as he’s throwing things onto the floor. He’s yelling about why, as it’s his money to use. He screams who she is to tell him what to do. She yells back that they have two kids, two little kids who they have to provide for. She asks how can a father be so thoughtless. She tearfully asks if he isn’t sick and tired of constantly moving around because they don’t have a house or a shop of their own. He gets even more angry and says he’s sick of it, sick of her complaints and goes to grab more things to destroy. He says he’s so sick of them and stalks out of there and doesn’t notice Jun Ho or Young Woo standing outside. Shin Il Soo is hurriedly walking away to meet Coffee Shop, who he hugs to his side. Young Woo looks angry and disgusted by this display. The turn of events is a bit extra painful for me, as I've seen one parent grovel for the other to stop and think about the family over and over.
Inside the shop, Sung Eun Ji is cleaning the wreckage from her husband’s tantrum. Yup, that’s what I’m calling it. Jun Ho walks in with Young Woo, and asks Sung Eun Ji if she’s okay. She recognizes them as being from Hanbada and asks why they’re here. Jun Ho says Attorney Woo told him the fried tofu gimbap here is special, so they came to get gimbap and saw the two of them arguing. She stands up with a catalog and says that he said he wants to buy this with the money he gets from winning the lawsuit. Jun Ho looks at the catalog - it’s a flashy car. She asks if it makes sense to get a car that costs over 300 million won (more than 20% of the 1.4 billion of the settlement funds). She says that her husband may have been a gambler but he was sweet and kind to her and the children. She admits that this is the one thing that got her through to this day. She tearfully asks how could a person change like that in an instant. She wonders how much more she has to take and waits until he comes to his senses. Young Woo sees the news report the first spotting of a sperm whale in the East Sea, and she’s hit with an epiphany. She yells “You should know when to be flexible!” Conflict of interest has nothing to do with flexibility! Jun Ho looks at her, and Sung Eun Ji says, “Excuse me, Attorney Woo?” Young Woo says loudly, no, she’s not an attorney. She’s a customer and so she orders an order of fried gimbap. Sung Eun Ji says as she can see, the ingredients are all on the floor, so she has to make them again. Young Woo says then go ahead and do that as they will wait.
So while the two are sitting and waiting at a table, Young Woo pulls the salt, pepper and soy sauce containers from the holder and places them on the table. She asks if he knows the story of Mr. Salt, Ms. Pepper, and Attorney Soy Sauce. He quite loudly says no, he doesn’t.
WYW: Once upon a time, there lived Mr. Salt. He married Ms. Pepper and recently acquired a peculiar property. She pushes the salt and pepper together.
LJH: “Peculiar property”? He’s looking over at Sung Eun Ji’s back. What’s that?
WYW: It refers to an asset that one had before marriage or an asset acquired in their own name during the marriage. Peculiar properties are excluded from a division of assets claim in the event of a divorce because each makes profits –
LJH: So… For example, like the prize from winning the lottery? Sung Eun Ji is definitely listening now.
WYW: Yes. That could be an example. Sung Eun Ji looks over at their table now. Mr. Salt wanted to know if he had to divide this peculiar property - she separates the salt and pepper from each other - if he were to divorce Ms. Pepper. And Attorney Soy Sauce replied that he most likely wouldn’t have to. Sung Eun Ji walks over to their table to interrupt.
She asks if they’re talking about her husband. Young Woo says no, she was talking to Jun Ho about Mr. Salt, Ms. Pepper and Attorney Soy Sauce. Sung Eun Ji asks what does she mean he asked if he has to divide the prize if he gets a divorce. She says they might have misunderstood after seeing what just happened. The day he won the lawsuit, he promised he’d give her all of the prize with tears running down his face. They had cried in each other’s arms and he’d said that the kids and her would have a better life now. Jun Ho tells Young Woo, apparently Mr. Salt promised to give Ms. Pepper the whole prize while crying as he heard this from Ms. Pepper. Young Woo asks if Ms. Pepper had this promise put in writing or recorded. Jun Ho turns to ask Sung Eun Ji. She angrily asks what kind of married couple does something like that. Jun Ho quietly tells Young Woo, apparently there’s none of that. Young Woo lifts the pepper container in her hand and says could he let Ms. Pepper know it’s not too late. She must at least find a witness who heard Mr. Salt making such a promise. Evidence is necessary to receive Mr. Salt’s peculiar property and then she slams down the pepper container. Sung Eun Ji can only sigh at this.
At dinner, Soo Yeon is telling Jung Gwon about the lottery case. Jung Gwon admits that he’s won the lottery – as she’s his lottery. Pfft. This makes her laugh, and then he excuses himself to use the restroom. Suddenly, a woman shows up and sits down in his seat, and asks if she’s a doctor too? Soo Yeon is confused. The woman then lists off the following choices: prosecutor, judge accountant, certified appraiser? Soo Yeon asks who she is and what’s wrong with her. The woman looks around the place and says since he brought her to a steakhouse, it has been about two weeks since she met him, right? She tells her to eat up today as today’s most likely going to be the last day he spends his money. And from now on, he’ll keep saying he lost his wallet. Soo Yeon asks what is she saying – the woman interrupts to ask if she still doesn’t know what she’s saying? She sighs and says that bastard Lee Jong Gwon only goes after women with elite jobs. He’s a bastard who uses women’s feelings to take money from them. Soo Yeon just stares speechlessly at her.
The woman asks if he gave her flowers, and he probably went on about the meeting too. Soo Yeon looks surprised at this detail. The woman then asks if she drank the “don’t-get-sick cocktail”? The honey water with all these ingredients mixed in. Soo Yeon replies “Good-for-your-body.” She dejectedly admits that she had the “good-for-your-body cocktail.” Said bastard in question walks towards the table but stops when he hears the woman yelling his name. She gets up and yells that he said he had to make money for his father’s operation, which is why he was going to work on a fishing trawler. She then asks “Does this look like a fishing trawler to him, you bastard?” Then she continues berating him. He laughs uncomfortably and tells Soo Yeon to hold on. The woman then demands that he give back her money – the 50 million won he took for his supposed father’s surgery. She then starts shaking him, and he has the gall to tell Soo Yeon that this is his business partner.
While the woman continues berating him, Soo Yeon gets up and walks towards the exit. She stops and turns back and goes to the bar instead. She tells the bartender to give her the most expensive drink here. He’s confused. She points at the bottles and says he has so many bottles behind him, give her the most expensive one. She nearly yells “that bastard” but she stops herself and calmly says he – pointing at the arguing couple – will pay for it. The guy just stands there, so she slams her hand on the countertop and tells him to hurry up. He quickly snaps into action and grabs their most expensive bottle of alcohol to hand to her. She stalks out of there and opens the bottle and starts drinking directly from it, even as she’s crying the entire time. Aww. Our poor humiliated Spring Sunshine.
Back at Hanbada, Sung Eun Ji is meeting with Young Woo and Attorney Jung. Sung Eun Ji is woefully talking about her husband asking for a divorce. He even hits her and smashes everything in the house. He comes to shop every day and gets in the way of her business. Two days ago, her oldest child had charged at him to try to stop him. Her voice breaks as she says he even hit his own kid. Attorney Jung says that he can still picture how Mr. Shin came in here with her in his back, so his drastic change must be so hard for her. She admits that she no longer wants to live with this kind of man anymore. She made all the money, did all the chores, and raised the kids all by herself anyway. But she wants to receive a proper division of assets, which is why she came back to see them. That man received the prize through his older brother’s bank account just in case she’d go after it. He doesn’t want to share a single penny with her.
Young Woo asks if he has ever made a promise to share the prize with her before he changed all of a sudden. Sung Eun Ji says that she said last time that she needed proof. Young Woo pretends to not know what she’s referring to while Attorney Jung is genuinely confused. Sung Eun Ji looks at her, and Young Woo just shakes her head. Sung Eun Ji says that she had a customer at her shop who was an attorney. Young Woo says yes, Attorney Soy Sauce! Sung Eun Ji says she tried to get proof like the other attorney told her to, so she texted her husband and tried recording their calls. But he seemed to know as he just played dumb and asked if she was trying to get proof. Young Woo as if there are no witnesses – someone who heard him promising to split or give the prize to her. She replies no, as they talked about it when they were alone. Attorney Jung apologizes for having to tell her this but they can’t take on this lawsuit. They’ve already represented Shin Il Soo in a different case and this case is relevant to that one. He offers to refer her to an attorney who specializes in divorce law. She’s grateful for that but asks if there’s a possibility for her to get some of the prize? He tells her that she should speak to the attorney in charge about the specifics, but his personal opinion is that the chances of her legally winning are low. He thinks the best way would be to try to get as much alimony and child support expenses as possible.
Afterwards, Jun Ho and Young Woo give Sung Eun Ji a ride back to her shop. They then walk with her to Happy House. She thanks them for the ride, and they both say they’re just there to buy fried tofu gimbap. As they’re waiting to cross the intersection on foot, Sung Eun Ji notices a flashy car and her husband gets out of it. He sees who she’s with and angrily accuses her of meeting with an attorney. He says he should have known that's why she wasn’t signing the divorce papers. He starts yelling about how she’s planning to sue him. From across the street, he continues yelling at her to come over and meet him. Sung Eun Ji asks Young Woo and Jun Ho if they can avoid him for now, as he’s here to cause a scene to get her to sign the divorce papers. Jun Ho suggests that they go back to the car. As they’re walking towards Jun Ho’s car, Shin Il Soo angrily runs to his car and drives towards them but then he gets T-boned by a truck which pushes him in the car for quite a distance before finally coming to a stop.
Sung Eun Ji starts stumbling towards the wreckage as Jun Ho asks if Young Woo is okay as she’s covering her ears with her hands. Young Woo stays where she is. When Sung Eun Ji sees her husband covered in blood at the wheel, who has died with his eyes wide open, she starts crying and screaming in anguish. Jun Ho and other bystanders try to keep her away from the sight and to calm her down, but she’s spiraling out of control in horror. Jun Ho yells for someone to call 119.
Young Woo is trying to walk towards the crash site but she’s going through severe sensory overload right now as she’s clutching at her head and her eyes are welling up with tears. She’s not able to filter out all of the varying voices yelling, nor able to process all the emotions after witnessing that crash, and knowing that the man inside the car is dead. Young Woo starts making sounds of distress and starts hitting herself on the sides of her head to deal with the sensory overload. In this mayhem, Jun Ho spots her in severe distress and leaves Sung Eun Ji to the bystanders, to run over to Young Woo. To stop her from injuring herself, he holds onto her hands and says that it’s okay. He then moves to stand behind her while continuing to hold her hands together with one hand and places them on her chest, meanwhile wrapping the other arm around her. She continues panting and crying and seems to be struggling in his arms but he continues holding onto her. She tearfully and painstakingly pants out the word, “tighter.” So he wraps his arms even tighter around her. She seems to feel some relief but she continues hyperventilating and repeating the word tighter and so he tightens the hug again. (~1:03:00, Park Eun-bin’s expressions for this scene made me hurt for her. See clip of scene in BTS section.)
Some time has passed and Jun Ho is walking Young Woo home this evening. She tells him that Eun Shin Ji came by to see her and Attorney Jung today. Jun Ho says that he hasn’t seen her since Mr. Shin’s funeral and asks if she’s doing okay. Young Woo says yes, but she didn’t bring fried tofu gimbap because she’s closed her shop for now but she had good news. She and the kids will be inheriting the remaining 1.1 billion won from the lottery prize that Mr. Shin left, because he was still married at the time of his death. On top of that, they will receive 300 million won from his life insurance. So a total of 1.4 billion won, the same amount that was distributed to him through the trial. Jun Ho says the 1.4 billion won really took a long time to find its owner. She nods in agreement. They stop when they arrive outside her place, and she thanks him for hugging her when they witnessed Mr. Shin’s death.
LJH: Oh, that. He smiles and then laughs. It’s fine. (~1:05:40) His smile = my kryptonite.
WYW: For people with autism –
LJH: Anxiety can be relieved if pressure is put on the body during sensory overload, right? She blinks at him several times.
WYW: Yes… Yes, that’s right.
LJH: In France, they have hug chairs for people with autism.
WYW: Hug chairs?
LJH: Yes. He lifts his arm and places his right hand behind his head. The back is blocked like this. Then he brings his arms forward with his hands fisted. And when someone sits down, the inside of the chair swells up and hugs the person really tight. You can control the pressure with the remote control too.
WYW: Ohh. Can I buy that chair in Korea?
LJH: Do you really have to buy one?
WYW: What? He looks at her for a moment.
LJH: I’ll be one for you. Your personal hug chair. She looks at him and then a smile slowly appears on her face at that thought. (~1:06:40. He's so sweet that it makes my teeth hurt.)
He smiles and then can't help but laugh at her cute face. He continues looking at her face and then his face gets serious as he walks towards her. When he stops right in front of her, he slowly puts his hands on her elbows and moves his hands up to rest near her shoulders. She looks at him with a small smile and then flutters her eyes and closes them with her lips slightly parted as she waits expectantly. He leans in slowly before finally kissing her gently. They kiss and kiss... (~1:07:00, it's all so sweet and lovely!)
Dad walks down the stairs with hands full of garbage bags and is startled to see a couple kissing on the sidewalk. But he’s stupefied when realizes it’s his own daughter with a man, and his arms drop down by his sides.
Epilogue: Min Woo meets with Tae Soo Mi in her office. She asks what he’s here to see her about. He says that he would like to work for her at Taesan. She says this is something he needs to see HR about. She suggests that he can try next year and she’ll remember his name. He then says that he works at Hanbada with Attorney Woo Young Woo. He knows that when she took a break from university during her senior year in 1995, and then went back two years later. She had told people that she was leaving to study abroad but there are no records of it. Most importantly, in 1996 while she was taking a break from school, Attorney Woo was born. She asks what he is doing. He says he’s trying to impress her as he wants to work at a firm where knowing the secrets of other people can be his strength and weapon. He wants to work at a firm where attorneys know how to take risks to win and to be political if needed. The way he sees it, Taesan is like that, but not Hanbada. He doesn’t want to become weak by working under a hypocritical senior lawyer, who only pretends to be nice.
Tae Soo Mi gets up from her desk and walks around to stop in front of him. She then tells him that it’s not enough to know other people’s secrets. He has to be capable and show her. She coldly asks if he thinks he can make Attorney Woo quit Hanbada, and it doesn’t matter if she quits or gets fired. He looks taken back by this and asks why she wants that. She firmly replies that it’s none of his business. But if he makes this happen, he’ll become an attorney at Taesan working directly under her. Min Woo says that he understands. She is the very worst being.
[Ep12] “Yangtze River Dolphin”
Micro Recap: Young Woo is working on a wrongful termination case and discovers Hanbada’s dark side. Young Woo and Jun Ho are now dating, but only one of them seems to knows that.
Mir Life is in the process of being acquired by SB Life so there will be restructuring. Under SB Life, there’s a new policy – “Employees who are married within the company are eligible for voluntary resignation,” including Ms. Kim. Because they have relative stability, as those married have a double income must have a more stable life than single-income employees. BS! Ms. Kim tells the head of HR that even if she adds up her income with her husband’s, it wouldn’t match up to the executives’ salaries. He replies that “If one of the employees of a married couple does not voluntarily resign, the husband will be subjected to unpaid leave.” If she doesn’t resign, then her husband will be fired. He suggests that she think hard about which option would be more beneficial, and as a wife, should she really be getting in the way of her husband’s career. He then mentions what kind of in-laws would like seeing their son hanging around at home while their daughter-in-law goes to work. He ends with, this is when she should support her husband. O_o She leaves the office looking shell shocked and tries to warn the next woman, Ms. Lee, whose husband also works in the company. Ms. Lee is called into the office, before Ms. Kim can say anything further. She then receives a text message from her husband saying they need to talk. He was told to convince her as the company wants to get rid of female employees. She crouches down in tears, and says she took off maybe two weeks after giving birth, voluntarily gave up the remaining days of her maternity leave and came straight back to work. She’s been a dedicated employee but now she’s told to stay and be a stay at-home mother. She starts sobbing and her husband just watches her fall apart. WTF. He’s just going to watch?
Attorney Jung has spent the night at the office, barring going home at dawn to get some rest. Now he’s eating a burger and fries for breakfast before his client meeting. Attorney Han then tells him that one of his former clients, Jang Jae Jin, who murdered his father, has just gotten out of prison. He paid a visit to Attorney Park (the other attorney on the case) and swung a knife at him. As the police are still looking for Jang Jae Jin, Attorney Han has increased security in the building. Attorney Jung is upset and paranoid by this news.
Case 11. Moon Jong Cheol, the head of HR at Mir Life visits Hanbada about the lawsuit against them for being discriminatory towards women. When Young Woo reads the policy on penalizing the husband, she says isn’t it discriminatory towards men though. Mr. Moon readily agrees with this. Out of the 112 married couples in the company, 98 of the wives have already resigned. Soo Yeon argues that the policy says it would penalize the husbands but it was mostly the wives who “voluntarily” resigned. So they’re not allowed to complain and their husbands are essentially held hostage in the company. Two of the 98 wives have filed this lawsuit now. Young Woo asks if they made these considerations before this policy was created. The man is flustered at this. Attorney Jung interrupts to say that it’s quite difficult to proceed with major restructuring without any issues, so Mir Life just found the most efficient method. The two women are identified as Kim Hyeong Jeong (“Ms. Kim”), Senior Manager who was very dedicated to her work, and Lee Ji Young, Assistant Manager who was good at her job, too. Soo Yeon notices that Lee Ji Young (“Ms. Lee”) frequently took days off before her resignation. Mr. Moon thinks they were for her doctor’s appointments but he’ll look into it. Attorney Jung says the more information on the plaintiffs, the better. Mr. Moon is concerned about opposing counsel, Attorney Ryu Jae Sook, who is known for taking on cases involving women, human rights and labor. Min Woo says she has a tendency of taking on big David-and-Goliath-like cases, so her winning rate is not that high. Mr. Moon says that she’s been to their office once and she’s quite… loud.
Then we pan to Attorney Ryu Jae Sook who is outside the courthouse and shouting about Mir Life exploiting the law to force wives to voluntarily resign to achieve gender discriminatory restructuring. It’s a protest of three people, consisting of her and the two women who were fired, Ms. Kim and Ms. Lee, who are chanting with her. Team Hanbada are watching this display and comment that she is quite loud. Min Woo then says it’s almost time to go in as Judge Ryu Myeong Ha is quite strict about everything. Young Woo remembers Judge Ryu (Ep6, N. Korean defector case), and becomes concerned about the fact that opposing counsel and the Judge share the same surname.
At the closed session, Judge Ryu asks Attorney Ryu about her family origin – same as his family – from Pungsan. So he asks her about the generation name that her father uses and she thinks about it and then asks why he is asking about her father and not hers. He replies because daughters usually don’t use a generation name. She replies because they’re seen as outsiders once they’re married and can’t continue the Ryu family of Pungsan’s line? He says no, he means – and she cuts him off to say that the essence of case is sex discrimination, which is forbidden by the laws of this country, such as Framework Act on Gender Equality and Equal Employment Opportunity Act. She then says she’s concerned about a judge who is biased in that she wouldn’t have a generation name because she’s a woman, will be able to see the essence of this case fairly. The Judge is taken back by this. She says the Jae in her name, Ryu Jae Sook, is a generation name that denotes the 26th generation of the Ryu family of Pungsan. She then tells the Judge that the Ha in his name, so she assumes he’s of the 27th generation. He says yes. So she says that would mean in a way, she’s like his aunt. She’s ballsy. This makes her clients gasp, and while the rest of Team Habada are maintaining their composure, Min Woo is quietly chuckling at this. She cheekily tells him that it’s not necessary for him to call her “aunt.” Attorney Jung brings up the protest again but Judge Ryu stops him and says that the protest will not affect his judgment in any way.
At home, Woo Dad asks Young Woo if she’s dating someone. She asks why he’s asking that out of the blue. He replies that he’s just wondering if she’s in a relationship. She slowly says no. Her father is surprised and asks no? He then says but he saw their kiss. He says he didn’t think she had it in her – to do everything like in a Hollywood movie, doing things the American-way. She asks how he knows she kissed someone. Outraged, he shouts, what does she mean how – they were kissing right in front of the house!! He asks if she’s not in a relationship. She replies that they haven’t discussed it yet as they’re getting to know each other first by going on dates. Dad says, then he’s a total punk! He yells that he’s going around kissing her without even asking her out properly? Who is he? Bring him home! He needs to see for himself what kind of guy he is. Poor Jun Ho didn’t do anything wrong! Young Woo doesn’t say anything else as she continues eating her apple.
Meanwhile, Attorney Jung has returned to the office late at night, and is quite paranoid that someone is tailing him. Inside his private office, he fumbles around with a taser gun and a baton before finally pulling out a small pistol gun from his desk.
Day 1 of Trial. Mr. Moon is asked by Attorney Ryu to explain the goal of the new company policy. She asks if they’re trying to get rid of their female workers, as they threaten the husbands’ jobs unless the wives agree to resign. He denies this as they value women and have the utmost respect for women. Even though they’re downsizing, they’re still offering significant benefits to female workers. She then repeats his words to Ms. Kim and Ms. Lee: “As you know, your husband’s job is more important, isn’t it? Wouldn’t your in-laws feel terrible having a son at home while their daughter-in-law is working. It’s your duty. Take care of your husband. When a man loses his job, he becomes jobless. However, if his wife does, she’ll be a housewife. Do you really want your husband to be embarrassed and pathetic?” She asks if he recalls this and he says yes. Attorney Ryu points out that he had just said that his company highly values women, has the utmost respect and offered benefits to female workers. Yet he met with her clients to convince them that their best interest was to submit their resignation letter to him. He says he only intended to give them some advice and he had expressed his personal opinion, which is distinct from Mir Life. She replies that she finds that almost laughable which surprises Team Hanbada. Attorney Jung objects as he finds this questioning to be inappropriate and everyone just heard her insulting his client. He’d like to ask for Attorney Ryu to remain respectful.
Attorney Ryu tells Judge Ryu that Mr. Moon is the HR Manager of Mir Life and met with her clients during work hours and was representing the company. Yet she should let him claim that he only expressed his personal opinion as he told her clients that they should immediately resign on their own? She asks Judge Ryu Myeong Ha (she uses his full name) what he thinks. He clears his throat as he looks at her name tag. He then asks Mr. Moon if he was representing Mir Life in the meetings he held with the two plaintiffs in this case. Mr. Moon says yes, however – but he’s cut off by Judge Ryu who tells the stenographer to write this down. Attorney Ryu is pleased by this while Team Hanbada isn’t.
Attorney Jung asks the next witness, Ms. Choi, a Mir Life employee, about her reaction to the new company policy (getting rid of the wives, threatening the husbands, etc.). Ms. Choi says she doesn’t believe that was the case, otherwise she would have resigned. In her case, her husband was the one who voluntarily resigned. She doesn’t see the company policy as discriminating women – it’s against men, if anyone. He then asks if she met with Mr. Moon as well. (Yes.) When asked if he told her that her husband’s job was more important, she says that she doesn’t recall. However, it wouldn’t matter even if he had. She does recall him telling her that if she agreed to resign on her own, she would receive compensation worth 13 months of salary and the opportunity to work as a contractor for the company. Ms. Kim asks how she could consider this as some kind of benefit and why can’t she see it’s just an excuse to convert the female staff into contractors? Ms. Choi replies that she [the plaintiffs] think it’s a situation of gender discrimination, that the company forced them to become contractors – but why are people who call themselves intelligent and independent now claiming they were forced to make this decision? Ms. Choi angrily says that in these difficult times, the remaining staff are fed up with dealing with the M&A changes and now there’s this trial. How much is she being paid for this testimony? Ms. Kim can only sigh in disbelief.
Now it’s Attorney’s Ryu’s turn to ask the witness questions. She starts by saying that her husband is in the hospital, as he was diagnosed with colon cancer and had an operation. Ms. Kim and Ms. Lee both look pained by this news. Ms. Choi says yes, but that’s not why her husband quit his job. Even if he didn’t have this condition, they, as a couple, would have made the same exact decision. Attorney Ryu points out that before his surgery, she was actually allowed to take one month’s paid leave. This is quite a shocking benefit for a company that is going through hard times and downsizing its workforce, and today she’s testifying in court. So, is this in any way related to the time she had off? Ms. Choi hesitates to answer.
Afterwards, Ms. Kim and Ms. Lee stops Ms. Choi, to ask her how her husband’s surgery went. Ms. Kim says with this stupid trial, they haven’t had time to visit him in the hospital. Ms. Choi says it went very well, and he’s doing better. The two women are relieved and Ms. Kim grabs onto her hand and says to focus on her husband’s health and not worry about this trial. Ms. Kim continues saying if either one of them were in her position, they would’ve done the same thing. Ms. Lee then invites her to get some bungeoppang with them but she declines as she needs to go. Ms. Kim insists and says if they were in the office, the three of them would be at lunch together right now. Ms. Choi starts tearing up and apologizes as she feels so terrible. Both women hug her as all three are sobbing now. Attorney Ryu watches them and starts tearing up as well.
Outside the courthouse, Ms. Lee runs up to Team Hanbada and hands Attorney Jung a bag of bungeoppang, as they’d gotten them for everyone, including them. Young Woo notices a silver tree design on a key ring hanging from Ms. Lee’s bag. Now Team Hanbada are enjoying their bungeoppang in the car with Jun Ho in the driver’s seat. Next to Jung Ho is Min Woo, and in the backseat from left to right are Attorney Jung, Soo Yeon and Young Woo. While they’re sitting at the red light, Attorney Jung asks him to research the two plaintiffs in the case, as he wants to know if there’s anything that can prove that they quit on their own. He wants to know why they accepted it in the end, and what convinced them to resign. Jun Ho agrees to do this. Young Woo looks out her window and notices a red logo on a car, similar to the one on Ms. Lee’s bag, and says there’s a cab. She tells Jun Ho that she wants to see the ad that’s on the taxi cab. She points in the direction of the taxi cab, which is in one of the left turn lanes and asks to get a closer look at the logo which is exactly the same one on Ms. Lee’s keychain. Both Soo Yeon and Min Woo object as they think it’s one of her crazy ideas. Jun Ho asks if everyone’s seatbelts are buckled. Then in full husband mode, he makes a very sharp left turn from the right lane, to get into the left lane to follow this taxi cab! He’s a keeper! XD This makes jostles everyone in the car and the screaming starts as he speeds up to get right next to the taxi cab. He calmly asks Young Woo if she can see the logo now. (~28:00) She looks at the ad – it’s for fertility treatments at Huimang Women’s Hospital. She suddenly has an epiphany.
Back at Hanbada, Min Woo is mulling over his previous conversation with Tae Soo Mi about getting Young Woo fired or to quit, as he’s making a photocopy of the Legal Consultation Statement. He then goes to see Young Woo in her office to talk about Mir Life. He tells her that it’s tough as working at a top law firm, one can sometimes work for the wrong people and against the weak. He asks if she knows who came up Mir Life’s HR policy for them to downsize? She doesn’t and so he says Hanbada did. He’s just read the firm’s consulting reports which were sent to Mir Life last year: “In the official statement, it’s important to penalize the husband in order to be on the safe side. The company should push employees to resign on their own, offering them a decent compensation as an incentive and hiring them later on as contractors only if they agreed to resign.” So Hanbada told Mir Life how to fool everyone. Young Woo asks so all they wanted was to get rid of their female employees? He says yes and that M&A was the perfect pretext to lay off 100 women and make them work as contractors. Hanbada had designed a policy that could not be held up in court. It’s gender discrimination but done in a very smart way. Attorneys and their loopholes. He then starts laying it on thick about Attorney Ryu’s working conditions – her poor little office and how she likely doesn’t have anyone helping her, like Jun Ho - and it’s all so sad. Before he leaves, he hands her the envelope with Hanbada’s consulting report. She starts reading it out loud and Min Woo stops her as he meant for her to read it quietly alone.
After reading the document, she then confronts Attorney Jung about this report regarding the new policy to get rid of Mir Life’s female workforce. He asks how she came across this report. She asks how he could help them carry out a smart gender discrimination that doesn’t break the law. He tells her to not paint this in such a negative light. All they did, as attorneys, was provide their client with the appropriate legal advice so they could achieve their goals without legal issues. She points out if they win at trial, then their advice will result in helping lay off women rather than men. Also, Ms. Lee’s fertility treatment being held against her to prove their case is a shameful maneuver. She then says there’s nothing they can do about Mir Life being their client – but could they keep quiet about Ms. Lee’s condition and fertility treatment? As attorneys, they can’t change the world and make it a perfect utopia but they – He interrupts to say whoever said that attorneys were responsible for a utopian society? He asks who told her this, but he quickly says the bottom line is they are to protect. Their clients need them to protect their rights, and their job as attorneys is to do their best and try to avoid any potential loss for their clients. They hire their legal expertise because that’s what they need and they don’t want to make the world a better place. He asks her if she can guess whose job it is to actually make the world a better place to live – the judges. She then starts to recite the articles of Attorney-at-Law and he angrily interrupts her with a so what, as it’s their current mission to defend their client, Mir Life. Social justice, right or wrong, that part belongs to the judge! It’s not up to him or her and those ideals are not their job. She says it sounds like he’s getting upset, which he vehemently denies. She points out that his eyebrows are still straight, his cheekbones are slightly raised and he’s flaring his nostrils – which are clear signs of someone getting upset. He looks away and readjusts his facial expression before turning back to her with a more neutral expression and calmly tells her to research the fertility issues and question Ms. Lee about them. If she doesn’t take care of that, then he’ll do it himself. She grimaces at this.
Now Young Woo and Jun Ho are wearing dolphin hats and holding protest signs outside the aquarium and attracting the attention of children. 🐬couple! The signs say “Dolphins belong in the wide ocean, not in an aquarium.” Young Woo tells him that there’s another protest happening right now at Mir Life headquarters but she’s ignoring it. She’s here protesting against aquariums that are mistreating and being so cruel with dolphins. She wonders if she should be at the other protest. Jun Ho cheerfully tells her that she’s here for the dolphins but not as an attorney right now… as they’re actually on a date. He then chuckles at this. She asks him what he thinks she’s supposed to be doing as an attorney? Should she be like Attorney Jung and trust the judges to determine what’s right and what’s wrong, and keep her focus on protecting the client? Jun Ho says at Hanbada, he’s heard that a lot. Those questions come up regularly because they’re about one’s own moral values. Whether it’s new attorneys, junior attorneys, or senior attorneys, they all have doubts. She asks do they really? He says, and some attorneys like Attorney Jung, have profound convictions that help them answer these questions and others who constantly try to reflect and form their opinion. And those who can’t take it, they quit the firm because they disagree. She asks if it’s because Hanbada is one of the top law firms. He replies that on the other hand, the top law firms are the ones that handle the largest number of pro bono cases. She says that’s confusing and now she knows even less what to think because of him. He says it takes time to make up her mind on these questions. Don’t rush, and eventually she’ll find the answers. But whatever type of attorney she is, he’ll always root for her. He smiles at her and she seems to be more at ease now.
Day 2 of Trial. Ms. Lee is on the stand and Young Woo rises to start the questioning but she seems intimidated by the number of plaintiffs’ supporters and reporters in the courtroom. She asks if she remembers when she first found out about the acquisition project that SB Life, a German insurance firm, had towards Mir Life. Ms. Lee says it was last year, approximately. Young Woo says she took a lot of sick leave last year, and she left early three days per week over several months. Then asks her to elaborate on this. Ms. Lee replies that she had outpatient care, which only occurred last year. She spent 8 years in that company and never took off as much as she did last year. When Young Woo asks for the name of the hospital where she received treatment, she replies that it's Huimang Women’s Hospital. Young Woo says this is a maternity hospital for fertility treatments, correct? Ms. Lee can only say yes, which creates a bit of a stir with the attendees. Young Woo mentions that during the first month of IVF, patients have to go to the hospital three times a week to receive outpatient care. If they are working, they must take sick leave and adjust their hours. Especially when mature eggs are collected or when the embryos are transferred, since the patient must rest for a full day. She then asks if she had to take so much time off last year for IVF-related appointments as part of her fertility treatment. It's another yes. Even though she looks like she really doesn’t want to ask, Young Woo spits out the next questions: Would she have been able to focus on her treatment had she seized the opportunity to resign on her own? Would that have been a good option and made her pregnancy easier? There's a bit of noise from the crowd accompanied by frantic typing on keyboards. Ms. Lee replies that this has nothing to do with her work, and then her voice breaks and says that she didn’t manage to get pregnant. But even if she would, she would’ve decided to keep working.
Young Woo becomes agitated and is unable to press on, so Soo Yeon speaks for her. She tells Ms. Lee that under the Labor Standard Act, female employees have 90 days of maternity leave to be used before and after giving birth. In the previous hearing, Attorney Ryu said Ms. Choi had received one month of paid time off, which was quite a shocking benefit coming from a company that is supposedly going through difficult times. Is she just as shocked about maternity leaves since it’s also paid time off? Attorney Ryu objects to this as her client received IVF long before she was forced into resignation which is what this trial is about. She continues that Ms. Lee’s resignation and treatment are completely unrelated.
Judge Ryu overrules this objection, and tells Young Woo to proceed with their questioning of the witness. She asks Ms. Lee, if she would agree that it would be better for her to resign and receive compensation while focusing on her pregnancy instead of continuing to work for a company that’s downsizing? All of the attendees including the reporters are discussing this fine point.
Afterwards, Attorney Ryu speaks to Young Woo as she’s the famous attorney she’s read about in articles. She had wondered what kind of attorney she’d be and now she knows that Hanbada has gotten their hooks on her. She thought maybe she would have ended up working for the good guys. Young Woo asks her to define “good guys”. Attorney Ryu tells her that her office would be a much better law office for her. She asks if it isn’t better to defend brave female employees than a ruthless company who is so anti-women like Mir Life. Young Woo looks uncomfortable but she says, bottom line is they protect and defend their clients. Their clients need them to protect their rights. Their job is to do their best as attorneys and try to avoid potential loss for their clients. An attorney’s job is not to determine if his client is a good guy or not but they [attorneys] have to side with them as they are. Attorney Jung’s words. Attorney Ryu nods at this.
RJS: But attorneys are human. Young Woo looks at her. They're different from judges and prosecutors.
WYW: What?
RJS: Each has a role in the courtroom. Prosecutors and judges are here to protect the law. But attorneys have a different role. We’re here to protect the people. A case is simply work for a judge and the prosecutor too, but not for us. And as you know, we need to stand by our client. They need protection and have chosen us. And we’re human beings and we give them support. “Your attorney’s on your side.” And they need to hear us say that. We hold our client’s hand. It’s also part of our job. We’re able to do that because every time we ask ourselves if we should defend this client, if it’s right, if we’re being loyal to our values. To each our own, just don’t deceive yourself. Young Woo takes in her words and looks like she wants to say something. (~42:00)
Min Woo sees the two talking and as a child would - he goes to tattle to Attorney Jung that Attorney Woo is talking to Attorney Ryu and points them out to him. He then wonders out loud what they’re talking about. Attorney Jung says he has no idea and Soo Yeon just looks over with curiosity. Min Woo continues watching them with a smirk on his face.
Later that evening, Min Woo tries to enter Young Woo’s office but is interrupted by Soo Yeon, who tells him that Young Woo left with Jun Ho a while ago. It should be apparent that she’s not here as her lights are off. Min Woo asks where she could be with Jun Ho at this hour. Soo Yeon says they’re roommates and he didn’t tell him? She then asks what he thinks? He asks to think about what exactly? She looks around to make sure no one’s around before saying quietly that they’re seeing each other. Min Woo is surprised and asks why. She replies what does he mean why - they just are! Him and his crappy instincts. Haha. I love her. She then tells him to get lost and walks away in a huff. Once she’s out of sight, Min Woo goes inside Young Woo’s office and starts rifling through documents on her desk. When he finds the Legal Consultation Statement to Mir Life, he puts Attorney Ryu’s address label on the envelope, along with Young Woo’s business card.
Jun Ho and Young Woo are outside her place but she’s looking around for something. Jun Ho looks around but finally asks what she’s looking for. She says she’s looking for her father. He’s confused.
WYW: My father said he saw us kissing last time.
LJH shocked: What?
WYW: He told me to bring you to meet him. But I’m not going to. Because we’re not dating yet.
LJH looking quite crushed: What? We’re not…dating yet? His face.
WYW: Well… We never said we were dating, right?
LJH: Oh…
WYW: Oh…or did we? Anyway… Then are we dating? She looks at him.
LJH: If we’re not dating, why would I protest to free the dolphins on my day off?
WYW: What? Do you not agree that dolphins should be freed?
LJH: Of course, I do. But it’s not the most ideal activity to do on someone’s day off. It’s not like it’s fun.
WYW looking very surprised: It’s not…fun??
LJH raising his hands: Hang on… He sighs and then chuckles. Honestly, the list that you made. (~46:30)
WYW: “Things to do on dates”?++++
LJH: Yes. I’m not… used to those things. People typically don’t do those things on dates. Things like picking up garbage while jogging by the Han River.
For their jogging date, Jun Ho had been stretching his legs as he waited for Young Woo. Young Woo had called his name as she ran towards him. But she was wearing an off-white outfit (jacket, skirt, and sneakers), with a floppy hat, headlamp and gloves, along with a very large weaved basket on her back. She’s also carrying a trash picker in one hand as she had waved at him with a huge smile on her face. He looked quite mollified by her appearance. And then she picked up a piece of garbage and proudly dropped it into her basket. (~48:30, Bwahaha, but she’s soooo cute?!)
LJH: That day, you really only picked up garbage. You picked up garbage again and again as the day got brighter until that huge basket was full. He sighs. Would there be anyone else who goes on these kinds of dates?
WYW: We did go on typical dates. For example, we went to famous restaurants.
LJH: They were all gimbap places. We ate nothing but gimbap that day.
WYW: The list has things you want to do too. We went to the arcade because you wanted to. It was very loud, but I held it in.
LJH: Okay, but we only played “Find the Difference” for three hours. Her behavior and attitude here is consistent with some autistic people who have intense and highly-focused interests.
For their arcade date, Jun Ho and Young Woo (wearing her headphones) played “Find the Difference” against each other. She was quite quick about spotting the differences while he struggled to find even the first one. Given how well she was doing, they had even attracted a small group of spectators. Initially, he was quite impressed with how good she was at it.
LJH practically pouting: And you were too good at it, so it wasn’t fun for me.
WYW: Then… Then why do you keep going on dates with me? It’s not even fun for you.
LJH loudly: Because I like you! I participated in the protest to free the dolphins, picked up trash while jogging, and went to all those famous gimbap places because I like you! And yet we’re still not … He gets this crestfallen look on his face. …officially together? That really… She’s looking right at him now. …just hurts me, you know that? She takes a moment to process this.
WYW softly: Oh, right. He lets out a heavy sigh. Show, you’re killing me with these cutaway scenes. It's understandable why Young Woo doesn't grasp the concept of their new relationship (dating) as certain things need to be expressed explicitly with an autistic person, as it's not necessarily possible for them to read between the lines or grasp sentimental value.
Day 3 of Trial. Judge Ryu asks about the plaintiffs' counselor submitting new evidence. Attorney Ryu says it’s proof that Mir Life had thoroughly planned the sexually discriminatory restructuring policy with the intent to fire the female employees from the beginning. An anonymous informant sent it to their office. Team Hanbada looks concerned, except for Min Woo who is smirking. When Attorney Ryu pulls out a navy blue binder from the envelope, he quickly loses his smirk. She brings it up to Judge Ryu and says this is the notebook of Mr. Moon, the Head of HR at Mir Life. Mr. Moon looks mildly concerned as Attorney Ryu says that she submitted the scanned copies of the pages in question today. Attorney Jung asks Mr. Moon if that’s really his notebook. Mr. Moon replies that the company gave them out to all of the employees last year and his notebook should be in the office.
Attorney Ryu brings up a slide of the scanned pages, and points out that Mr. Moon has a habit of taking notes during his phone calls. Those notes were taken during a phone call in April last year with Mir Life’s Executive Director, Choi Seung Cheol. Now Mr. Moon looks quite concerned. The Executive Director clearly gave Mr. Moon the order to get the wives to voluntarily resign by notifying them that their husbands will be penalized. This creates quite a stir in the crowd. Judge Ryu asks Mr. Moon if this is his notebook. Attorney Jung tries to beat him to the punch but Mr. Moon says he did write that but he doesn’t know how that ended up in their hands. Attorney Jung interrupts to say that Mr. Moon has not agreed to his personal notebook being used as evidence. Therefore, this evidence has been collected illegally. This pertains to Criminal Procedure Act, Article 300 but then he stammers and waves at Young Woo, resident law database, for assistance. She just stares at his hand until he finally asks her in a stage whisper, what is it? Soo Yeon helpfully tells her it’s about the illegal collection of evidence.
Young Woo finally understands and says “Article 308-2 of the Criminal Procedure Act. Any evidence obtained in violation of the due process shall not be admissible.” Attorney Jung latches onto that argument to say that Mr. Moon’s notebook is not admissible as evidence so please exclude it. Young Woo tells him (and through the microphone) that it's a Criminal Procedure Act but this trial is a civil procedure. Attorney Ryu picks up on it immediately and uses it to her advantage. She asks if it isn’t the discretion of the court to accept evidence according to the Civil Procedure Act, which adopts the Principle of Free Evaluation of Evidence. She then turns back to the Judge, “I look forward to your wise judgment, Judge Ryu Myeong Ha. He looks at her name tag: Attorney Ryu Jae Sook. He pauses before finally asking, this notebook was sent by an anonymous source. She says yes. He says then even if the evidence was collected illegally, the degree of violation of the procedure is not large enough to refuse the acceptance of the evidence. So he acknowledges the admissibility of her evidence. Plaintiffs’ supporters cheer at this. Young Woo then notices Ms. Lee giving a thumbs up to someone in the crowd – it’s a smiling Ms. Choi (the first witness). She’d been the one who’d taken the notebook from Mr. Moon’s office, and then handed it over to Attorney Ryu.
There are news reports of the plaintiffs for this lawsuit rallying outside of Mir Life, and making demands for them to admit wrongful termination. This rally was attended by the female employees who were fired from Mir Life as well as dozens of members of women’s organizations and labor unions. Participants of this rally said they plan to file a written statement to the court.
Final Day of Trial. Judge Ryu announces the verdict.
Formal adjudication. All claims of the plaintiffs are dismissed. And the litigation costs are to be paid by the plaintiffs.
Plaintiffs and their supporters are shocked by this. Attorney Ryu looks very upset by this ruling.
This court acknowledges that the defendant urged the married employee couples to voluntarily resign multiple times and notified them of their husbands’ termination or them being subjected to unpaid leave if they did not. However, designating of the employees of a married employee couple for this while restructuring is acceptable from the socioeconomic perspective, and equate they did not specify that it just applied to the wives, it cannot be seen as act against gender equality or the discrimination against women as set forth by the Constitution or the Labor Standards Act. Furthermore, the plaintiffs submitted their resignation letters considering the conditions of voluntary resignation as suggested by the defendant and the various circumstances and interests regarding the options of resignation and continuing to work. Thus, this cannot be considered invalid.
Ms. Kim consoles both Ms. Lee and a very tearful Attorney Ryu. Young Woo notices how they’re still in solidarity even with this critical loss. Young Woo tears up at this.
Afterwards, Attorney Jung asks Mr. Moon why he’s looking so glum even though the ruling was in their favor. Mr. Moon admits it doesn’t do him any good, but for the company. He then says that he thinks that he is going to be fired soon. He asks Attorney Jung if he was aware. Attorney Jung looks surprised as he says he wasn’t. Mr. Moon says he thought perhaps Hanbada gave them another consultation. Such as “How to fire the Head of HR without any trouble,” or something like that. Attorney Jung says this is the first time he’s hearing of this. Mr. Moon says, officially, they’re firing him because he didn’t succeed with the restructuring. The trial, the rally and the new reports – things got out of hand. But the more he thinks about it, the more it feels like this was their plan from the start. They want to give his job to the person that SB Life wants. Attorney Jung says he went through a lot this whole time. It must be difficult for him. Mr. Moon sighs and says no, he fires almost 100 employees. It wouldn’t be right to hope that things would work out for himself. It’s all karma. The company used him to do the dirty work, and then disposed of him as well.
Outside the courthouse, the plaintiffs’ supporters are cheering for them. Attorney Rye tells the reporters that regardless of the ruling, they view this lawsuit positively. Ms. Lee says that’s right, they view it as being WLGF! Ms. Kim clarifies by saying, “We Lost, but it was a Good Fight! We feel good that at least we went to trial!” Everyone starts cheering “We feel good!” and then clap in support of this sentiment. Attorney Ryu says they still have the second and final appeal. So they will fight even more bravely for job security and equality. Their supporters continue chanting “Fight!” over and over.
Young Woo and Soo Yeon have been invited to and on their way to the plaintiffs’ after-trial party. Soo Yeon is amazed that they’re having this party and finds it weird that they are going just because they were invited as they were on the opposing side. Young Woo says she wants to go as she’s curious. Soo Yeon asks if she’s interested in those things – dealing with cases about human rights, women, and labor like Attorney Ryu? Young Woo says she’s not sure, as Attorney Ryu is like the Yangtze River Dolphin. Soo Yeon says she hasn’t heard that one in quite some time. Young Woo excitedly asks if she could tell her about the dolphin. Soo Yeon begs her if she can say no. lol Young Woo can’t suppress it and starts talking about dolphins mostly living in the sea, but some populations adapting to rivers, and the Yangtze River dolphin is a model example of that. Just like their name, they lived in the Yangtze River in China, but they were declared extinct in 2007. (Known as baijitun in Chinese. They're possibly extinct as they haven't been seen in over 20 years. They may be the first dolphin species in history that humans have driven to extinction due to use of the river for fishing, transportation, and hydroelectricity.) Soo Yeon asks how Attorney Ryu resembles this dolphin. Young Woo says Attorney Ryu is the type of attorney one can’t find at Hanbada. She just hopes she doesn’t go extinct. Awww. Soo Yeon smiles at this, and the two enter Attorney Ryu’s office. Young Woo is very perplexed by this board covered with sticky notes – because they’re overlapping and not in neat little rows. So she starts organizing them and Soo Yeon is forced to help her. Soo Yeon starts looking at the writing on the notes and asks what it’s like to receive this kind of support – even when she lost. These are notes of encouragement: “I’m rooting for you, Attorney Ryu!” “Don’t be discouraged! Let’s overcome! Let’s fight together!” Young Woo wonders the same thing. They’re interrupted by Attorney Ryu who says hi and tells them to go up to the roof. But then she tells Soo Yeon to go ahead as she has something to give to Young Woo first.
Soo Yeon leaves and Attorney Ryu pulls out a brown envelope. She tells her that she wanted to return this, and she hands it to Young Woo, who is shocked when she pulls out the papers and sees that it’s the Legal Consultation Statement to Mir Life. She asks her why she has this. Attorney Ryu asks if she didn’t send it to her. Young Woo denies ever doing so. Attorney Ryu tells her that her business card is inside it, as if she had sent it to her in secret. That big jerk Min Woo! Young Woo pulls out her card and just looks at her. Attorney Ryu tells her that it seems though it’s complicated within Hanbada as well. She tells her to watch out for herself. Young Woo says she’s had it this whole time but didn’t use it as evidence. Attorney Ryu says if she had, then she would’ve been in trouble. And it’s not like she didn’t have other ways to get evidence. Young Woo smiles at her.
The two then go upstairs to the rooftop and Young Woo is surprised to see how lovely it is with plants along the perimeter and open seating. Ms. Lee and Ms. Kim greet Young Woo and tells her that they’re making bibimbap, and the vegetables Attorney Ryu grows up here on the roof are so fresh. Attorney Ryu sets down a bowl of vegetables and then says she’s a roof farmer part of the time, and it seems that she’s better at farming than at her main job. Ms. Lee and Ms. Kim laugh heartily at this. Young Woo looks around and asks if they only have bibimbap – and not gimbap? She goes on about not being able to see the ingredients in bibimbap all at once, so she could be alarmed by unexpected textures or flavors. Soo Yeon lightly pulls on her sleeve to stop her from saying any more. Attorney Ryu and her clients are all confused by her words. Soo Yeon laughs and tells her then don’t mix the ingredients and eat them all separately and shoves a big bowl of bibimbap into her hands. Young Woo starts balking at this. Through a gritted smile, Soo Yeon quietly tells Young Woo to just eat what she’s given. To be honest, I'm not sure how plausible it is to expect her to just acquiesce. I've been around parents of autistic children, and autistic adults and it's not this simple.
While they were preparing the ingredients for bibimbap, Ms. Lee and Ms. Kim had taken each taken a turn to recite their favorite poem, and now it’s Attorney Ryu’s turn. Young Woo asks if they should be doing that at this time as they have an appeal to prepare for. The women laugh in response before Attorney Ryu finally says Hanbada’s attorneys surely are different. She then says she thinks she’s going to lose again and her clients just laugh at this. Ms. Kim says they can have fun today as it’s an after-party. Ms. Lee says she’s curious as to what poem Attorney Ryu likes. Both women ask Attorney Ryu to recite the poem. And so she stands up on the bench and opens her book:
Though people say many different things,Life isTo become a briquette, gladlyFor somebody else.From the day the floor chills to the day spring comes,The most beautiful thing in the streets of KoreaIs a truck that fervidly climbs up the hillwith briquettes.As if it knows its mission,A briquette burns endlesslyOnce its body catches fire, butI was oblivious even when I hadwarm rice and soup every day.For I feared becoming a lonely lump of ashesAfter loving others with my whole being,I haven’t become a briquette for anyone.When I think about it,Life isTo shatter myself into pieces.I had never thought ofClearing the street for others to roamWhen the world is slippery with snow in early spring.
“A Piece of Briquette” 연탄 한 장 by Ahn Do Hyun (1994). A poem about being truly selfless.
During this reading, Young Woo notices a Yangtze River dolphin swimming in the blue sky filled with white puffy clouds right behind Attorney Ryu. Young Woo even waves at it as it swims further away from them. And then the other women all cheer at the end of Attorney Ryu’s poem.
Epilogue: Attorney Jung is in the elevator when a man wearing head-to-toe black gets on and then he pulls a flathead screwdriver. Attorney Jung hits the button for Floor 15 just to get out and then he runs up the stairs. Not long after, the man in black seems to be following him. However, he receives a call and removes his face mask to cheerfully tell his boss that he got off on the wrong floor as he’s walking up the stairs. He also says that he got both a Phillips head screwdriver and a flathead screwdriver and he’s on his way up. Attorney Jung runs into his office and pulls out the baton and waits. He then receives a text message informing him that Jang Jae Jin’s been caught. (The former client he’s been worried about). Attorney Jung continues panting and then starts coughing. He can't seem to stop and then starts coughing up blood. He wonders if he’s sick and then he laughs wryly at this.
++++ WYW date options (partial) list [From Ep10]:
1. Two-person protest for dolphin liberation2. Tour of gimbap restaurants3. Picking up trash while running in the morning, near home, starting from Han River4. Finding a word that reads the same whether you read it straight or backwards5. Exploring biodiversity6. Watching Sampal, Chunsam, and Boksun at Daejeong-eup, Seogwipo-si, on Jeju-do. [The now released dolphins mentioned in Ep3, during their sunset scene.]7. Watch Dolphin Constellation at an observatoryOne-track mind. :)
Micro Recap: Team Hanbada go on a business trip, as their latest case involves a temple on Jeju Island charging admission to the public for road access. Young Woo meets Jun Ho’s family. Attorney Jung is secretly dealing with personal issues.
Day 2 of Trial: Defense counsel says that the Plaintiff claims that he merely passed through Hwy. 3008 and that he didn’t visit Hwangjisa’s cultural heritage. He then asks the witness on the stand for his opinion on this claim as a Buddhist cultural heritage expert. The witness replies that he thinks it’s an argument that he can make only because he doesn’t understand traditional mountain temples. Defense counsel asks why he thinks that. Witness says that many people think that the Gwaebultaeng of Guanyin is the only cultural heritage of Hwangjisa since it’s been designated as a treasure. But the true meaning of the temple cultural heritage is the surface area. The surface as a whole, as it’s not a movable cultural heritage like a painting in a museum. Rather, it spans all of the buildings and the smaller temples that surrounded the area around the temple, including nature. Defense counsel asks, in regards to Hwangjisa, what would he include as its cultural heritage. The witness says Hwangjisa and its small temples, Sanrokam, Banggakam, and Busaam, and the part of Hanbaek Mountain National Park that Hwy. 3008 passes through. Defense counsel is finished so the Judge asks Plaintiff’s counsel to start their cross-examination. Young Woo stands up to get ready to start but then Attorney Jung who has a sickly pallor suddenly grunts in pain as he clutches at his midsection. When Young Woo asks if he’s okay, he says to wait a moment and then stands up and promptly falls to the ground as he starts sweating and writhing in agony. Team Hanbada is shocked along with everyone else in the courtroom. Jun Ho runs to check on him while everyone else, including the monks look on with concern.
A woman and an older man in a hanbok come to the gimbap shop while Young Woo is eating her breakfast. Woo Dad recognizes the woman as she’s their landlady, and the man is her father, who is here to see an attorney, specifically Young Woo. He asks her if there’s really a law that states that even those who did not visit a cultural heritage must pay the admission fee. She says she needs more details. The woman explains that her father moved and she visited to see his new house. They were driving on the road toward Hanbaek Mountain when this man came out of nowhere and blocked their car. He had said Hwangjisa Temple is a famous cultural heritage site and that they should pay the cultural heritage admission fee. They had told him that they were on their way to Hanbaek Mountain, not Hwangjisa. So why would they pay the admission fee when they’re not even going to see Hwangjisa. Then the man went on to say that it’s legal to collect admission fees. The father asks Young Woo if that’s correct. Young Woo replies that the act of collecting admission fees itself is legal. She continues saying, "Article 49 of the Cultural Heritage Protection Act - An owner of any State-designated cultural heritage who opens it to the public may collect admission fees from visitors." The father then asks if they still have to pay it even though they didn’t see it - just because they were near it? She says that’s debatable.
With a sigh, the father asks if he goes to trial with this, will he get his money back? She asks how much the admission fee was. The woman says 3,000 won per person. Young Woo says then even if he wins, the money he will receive will also be 3,000 won. It’ll cost much more to file a lawsuit, so going through with it would be a loss. The woman says that she told him this, and then asks her father if he heard her. The man angrily says if they were being reasonable, he’d pay 3,000 or even 300 million won but they’re not being reasonable at all. They brought up the law first, so he’s going to retaliate by using the law. Regardless of how much the lawsuit costs, he wants his 3,000 won back, even if it means going to trial. Reminds of the bride’s father from Ep2. Young Woo tells him that she’ll have to look into the details of the case. She asks where Hwangjisa Temple is located. The woman says it’s on Hanbaek Mountain at Jeju - on Jeju Island. Young Woo’s eyes go wide and she says that’s where Sampal, Chunsam, and Boksun were released. She seems overjoyed at the prospect of seeing the dolphins.
Case 13. After Attorney Jung gets the results of his physiological function tests, he returns to his office and finds Soo Yeon, Min Woo and Jun Ho waiting for him. He looks surprised to see them and then remembers that they’re supposed to have a meeting today. After he gets to his desk, Young Woo knocks on the door and does the countdown - which makes Jun Ho smile but then he remembers he’s supposed to be upset with her and he's back to looking stone-faced. (5:55 ^_^ ⇒ -__-, lol) Once she's done counting, she makes a beeline for Attorney Jung’s desk and then promptly if she can go on a business trip. He asks where to. She says Jeju Island, where Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins live in the nearby ocean. Specifically Daejeong-eup, Seogwipo-si, on Jeju-do where baby dolphins are often spotted and is known to be the main habitat for dolphins where they raise their young – and he cuts her off to ask what the case is about. She replies that it’s a claim for a return of undue profits. The claim is for the return of 3,000 won that Hwangjisa Temple on Hanbaek Mountain in Jeju collected from a passerby as a cultural heritage admission fee. Everyone is surprised and Min Woo rolls his eyes. His eye rolls are growing on me. Oh no. lol Attorney Jung asks how she got this case and who is the client. It’s Mr. Kim Yeong Bok, her landlady’s father and he’s made it clear that he doesn’t care how much the lawsuit costs. Attorney Jung agrees for them to go to Jeju. Young Woo is surprised that he’s going. He suggests that they all go. He even tells Jun Ho to come along, as he’ll speak to the team leader of the litigation team for him. He then instructs Young Woo to go ahead and take the case, set the schedule and share the information with everyone when it’s all arranged. Young Woo happily runs out of there to complete the tasks and doesn’t even say acknowledge Jun Ho. 🐳 > Green flag?
Our whale couple are at lunch now and Young Woo is chattering on about boat tours chasing dolphins causing a reduction in the dolphin population as their fins can get injured and the lower birth rate due to stress. So these businesses are actually endangering the animals under the guise of tourism.
LJH in a dry tone: Attorney Woo. I’m still upset with you.
WYW: What? She thinks about this. Right. Because I said last time that we’re not dating yet?
LJH: Yes.
WYW: Oh.
LJH: With that being said – suddenly cheerful – when we go to Jeju, let’s not just see Sampal, Chunsam and Boksun. Let’s go see Seung Hui and Jeong Nam, too.
WYW: Seung Hui and Jeong Nam?
LJH smiling: Yes. Those are the names of my older sister and her husband. They live in Jeju. She looks a bit concerned now but she doesn’t say anything. O_o He’ll introduce her to his family, even though she won’t let her father meet him. (~8:25)
Attorney Han asks Attorney Jung if he has to go to Jeju for the Hwangjisa case, especially as the claim is only for 3,000 won. He says the amount is small but they’re getting a proper commission. She says going to Jeju seems a bit inconvenient and suggests handing it over to Attorney Jang as he happens to have a few cases there. Attorney Jung cuts her off and says with a smile that he’s going. He says it’s a small case but sometimes they become big cases and can even become new cases. He assures her that he’ll do his best as he’s taking several rookie attorneys with him. Attorney Han starts saying that something seems different about him and then she tells him to have a good trip.
Young Woo is back at the pub with Geu Rami and Hairy Boss, and has relayed the fact that she said they were not dating yet and Jun Ho is upset. Geu Rami says, so tell him that they’re dating now and the problem is solved. Young Woo isn’t sure as she asks her what is dating? They have lunch together every day and go home together unless they’re working overtime. They also go on dates on their days off. Hairy Boss smiles as Geu Rami squeals over this. Young Woo asks if they officially date, what changes? Meeting Jun Ho’s sister and brother-in-law? Geu Rami processes this and then asks if she’s meeting his sister and brother-in-law?! Young Woo says yes as she’s going on a business trip to Jeju. Geu Rami asks who is going on this trip. Young Woo says Jun Ho, Attorney Jung, Min Woo and Soo Yeon. Geu Rami perks up at the mention of Min Woo, the good-looking guy. Hairy Boss feigns indifference at the mention of Soo Yeon.
Geu Rami points out that meeting them is pretty serious. She then tells her the rules of meeting future in-laws. She’s to say things that they want to hear. She needs to give compliments about their house, their food, etc. with a big ol’ grin and two thumbs up. Hairy Boss scoffs that these are cheesy lines out of old soap operas. Haha. Okay, Mr. Dad-Jokes. Geu Rami admits that she did hear those lines from old soap operas. He tells Young Woo that whatever she says, it really depends on the situation. Geu Rami adds that most of all, she has to really enjoy the food they give her. She can’t ask for gimbap, no whale talk, and most importantly, she has to be lively. Young Woo isn’t sure what she means about the last one so Geu Rami says she needs to keep smiling. Young Woo practices smiling but it’s kind of weird-looking (because it’s not natural!). Geu Rami then tells Hairy Boss that they need to do a business trip to Jeju. He says no, what about the customers. Geu Rami says Young Woo is their only customer so they should go on the trip with their only customer. Hairy Boss is not on board, and so the two quibble over this.
Young Woo and Jun Ho are waiting at the airport with their bags as she’s quizzing him with images of dolphins in preparation for dolphin-watching. Min Woo and Soo Yeon join them and both refuse to participate in the dolphin quiz. Then Attorney Jung shows up in a brightly-colored tropical shirt, unbuttoned, an orange bucket hat, and a pair of flip-flops. Everyone is shocked to see him looking so casual. And not far behind him are Hairy Boss and Geu Rami. This is seriously inappropriate but okay, Show. Attorney Jung seems to be in a cheerful mood and allows them to join in on the trip.
The colorful and noisy singing trio (Attorney Jung, Hairy Boss and Geu Rami) sit together on the plane. In a different row, Min Woo and Soo Yeon are seated together, and to her surprise, he actually helps her with her large suitcase by putting it in the overhead compartment. Then he tells her that he's only here to reap the benefits of a free vacation. Young Woo and Jun Ho are seated apart from everyone else, and she’s calmly talking about airplanes and death. The airplane is one of the safest transportation methods invented by mankind. The possibility of dying in an airplane accident is only one-sixty-fifth of that of a car accident. The possibility of an airplane accident is merely 1 out of 120,000 flights, and the possibility of dying in an airplane accident is 1 out of 11 million people. Jun Ho just smiles and tells her that she should still put on her seatbelt right, and then he tightens it around her.
When the plane starts getting ready to take off, Young Woo becomes overwhelmed by the motion and loud vibrations. Jun Ho asks if she’s okay and then if she wants the headphones. She says no, and then yes, followed by a what? She says planes are so scary and squeezes her eyes shut. He says but she just said it’s the safest transportation method as he places the headphones over her ears. The plane takes off and Young Woo is repeating that planes are so weird over and over. He only laughs at this.
Jun Ho shows them the car they’ve rented - a very tame black minivan. Hairy Boss shows them the car he’s rented - a flashy red open-top car. Geu Rami cheers in joy. Attorney Jung ditches the Hanbada Team (and his luggage) to go with them instead. lol Jun Ho sighs and says he should’ve gotten a van with an open roof, too. Young Woo quickly tells him there’s no such thing. He can only agree with her in resignation. In the van, the three attorneys are busy reviewing documents as Jun Ho is driving to Hwangjisa. Behind them, the trio are singing and dancing in their seats. They’re stopped at the Hwangjisa Ticket Booth, and the cultural heritage admission fees is 3,000 won/person, so a total of 12,000 won. Soo Yeon is in the back seat with her camcorder on to record this interaction. Jun Ho says that they’re not going to Hwangjisa so do they still need to pay? The man says that he needs to pay to get on this road - this is a lawful collection. Young Woo asks based on what law. The man says the Cultural Heritage Protection Act. He says to just pay the fee as they’re holding up the car behind them. Young Woo asks if he’s referring to “Article 49 of the Cultural Heritage Protection Act. An owner of any State-designated cultural heritage who opens it to the public may collect admission fees from visitors.” The man just blinks at her. According to this act, one can collect admission fees from visitors, and they just said that they don’t have any intention to visit Hwangjisa.
The man asks how he is supposed to know whether they’re going to visit or not based on what she says? Hwangjisa is a huge temple with three smaller temples within it, so it’s a fairly large place for him to be following them around to verify whether they visited or not. Jun Ho says then they should install the ticket booth right in front of Hwangjisa. The man says they’ve been collecting this fee for years and the government is aware of the booth’s location and has permitted it. He then tells them to turn around and go back if they have a problem with it. Jun Ho argues how he is supposed to turn around as the road doesn’t even allow them to make a U-turn here. The man says to pay up then, and then he notices that Soo Yeon is recording him. He insists that she roll down the window, which she does, inch by inch. Once it’s open, he reaches over and tries to snatch the camcorder from her hands but Min Woo reaches over and grabs her hand to protect her from the man’s touch. He argues that this is a paid tourist spot, but they’re not allowed to film? The man says let him see if she filmed the place or him. Jun Ho interjects to say since they’re not letting them through, they’ll pay. The man then goes to Hairy Boss’ car and Attorney Jung just pays the fee. He points out that unless they want to do an illegal U-turn, then they have no choice but to pay to go through.
The two cars go through and Attorney Jung takes in the beautiful canopy of trees above them, and then quietly starts crying from his seat. Their destination is Haengbok Noodles, but they pass by a busy Haengun Noodles shop. Geu Rami says that names are confusing as they’re so similar. Happiness vs. luck. Attorney Jung says to him, Haengbok Noodles was better than Haengun Noodles. When they arrive at Haengbok Noodles, it appears to be closed - and for quite some time as there’s cobwebs on the outside of the building. Attorney Jung says Haengbok Noodles has the best meat noodles. Then he mentions the term bejigeun, a term in the Jeju dialect, to describe a meat broth that is rich and greasy while having a great, deep flavor. Their bejigeun soup is deep, rich, and heavy but without the smell of pork - and it’s their secret recipe. The owner was also very generous with the amount of meat he gave, so it was a bowl of half noodles and half meat. Geu Rami says they should go eat at Haengun Noodles then. Everyone else leaves for the cars and Attorney Jung lingers to look at the building wistfully.
Day 1 of Trial: Soo Yeon’s footage is playing in court now. On the other side of the courtroom are rows of seated monks behind the Hwangjisa defendant, the Abbot, and this seems to intimidate even Young Woo. She states that the experience from their footage is similar to what Plaintiff, Kim Yeong Bok experienced. Despite clearly stating that they wouldn’t be visiting Hwangjisa, the admission fees were collected in a threatening manner without a convincing explanation. Defense counsel admits that the fee collector’s manner might have been a bit overbearing but Hwangjisa is lawfully collecting cultural heritage admission fees based on Article 49 of the Cultural Heritage Protection Act. Young Woo argues that the admission fees may be collected from visitors. The Plaintiff was not a visitor, and he had no intention of visiting any cultural heritage that Hwangjisa owns nor did he actually visit them. He was merely a passerby who just happened to be on Local Highway No. 3008 ("Hwy. 3008").
Defense counsel puts up a slide of a map of Hwangjisa's territory, and says that everything inside the red lines is under Hwangjisa’s control - including Hwy. 3008 which runs through its boundaries. A large portion of Hanbaek Mountain National Park that Hwy. 3008 passes through is owned by Hwangjisa. Young Woo asks if defense counsel is admitting that Hwangjisa has been collecting toll fees under the guise of cultural heritage admission fees. He states that Hwy. 3008 is a tourist road that was built so that people who were visiting Korea for the 1988 Seoul Olympics could conveniently tour the area around Hwangjisa on Hanbaek Mountain.
Young Woo doesn’t have a counter argument but Attorney Jung says that people use roads just to use them. They don’t look into the original purpose of why the road was built before using it. The Plaintiff just drove following the directions of his GPS. He did not choose the road with the intention of visiting the Hwangkisa area. Defense counsel asks if that’s true. When the Plaintiff paid, he was aware that he would be given the opportunity to visit the site that the Defendant owns. Plaintiff starts protesting and asks if he didn’t see the attorneys’ footage. He says the man appeared out of nowhere demanding payment, and so he just paid it because he didn’t want the trip with his daughter to be ruined. The Judge says that she understands the positions of both sides. The Defendant has applied for a witness so they will proceed with this case and set the next court date. This session is done. The Plaintiff bows respectfully to his attorneys and then sneers in disgust at the Abbot before leaving.
The Abbot then approaches Team Hanbada to ask if everyone here is from Seoul. Attorney Jung says yes. The Abbot asks if they’ve been to Hwangjisa. Attorney Jung shakes his head and says no, not yet. The Abbot then asks if they’d like to visit today. Today’s the day monks at Hwangjisa give prayer to Ksitigarbha (meaning Womb of the Earth; bodhisattva, as in “buddha-to-be”).
Team Hanbada is now at the temple. Min Woo is already falling asleep and Geu Rami is fidgeting from her seat. Then everyone around them gets onto their knees to bow and pray, and then stands up, gives a head bow with hands pressed together. They return to sitting on their haunches and then lean forward onto their hands and knees to bow and pray again, and then do this repeatedly. So much core strength! lol Young Woo looks around curiously and the lady next to her whispers that they bow 158 times to offer their sincerity with utmost conviction and devotion. Attorney Jung asks how many are left and Young Woo says 155 bows are left. Jun Ho says there are so many left and does one more and says there are 154 left. Young Woo quickly corrects him - he has 155 left as he started later than Attorney Jung. He resumes bowing and whispers why she is keeping track. She tells him to keep going. XD It’s okay, I’d tell him to keep going just to watch his form myself. ;)
Min Woo has stopped doing it altogether and just stands in the same spot with his hands behind his back and looks outside. Soo Yeon asks him why he’s not doing it and he says that he’s Catholic. He asks why she isn’t doing it and she claims that she’s also Catholic. He asks what her baptismal name is, and gives his own, which is Gabriel. (Sure, an archangel…) She says hers is... Jennie. *facepalm* He repeats the name and says what is she, the saint of BLACKPINK. lol! She glares at him and he nudges her to return to bowing. She sighs and resumes bowing.
Geu Rami tells Hairy Boss that the sound of the temple block is making her want to move her body. She suddenly starts dancing and even starts sitting on the floor and spinning around on her bottom. LMAO. Team Hanbada is watching her in horror. Hairy Boss finally pulls her up from off the floor and tries to wrangle her into “normal” poses. She continues resisting against him trying to control her which the Abbot sees from outside and then he starts laughing heartily at their antics.
Afterwards, the group are on a walk with the Abbot, as he tells them that Hwy. 3008 has frequent car accidents. Not only people but also wild animals often get killed by cars, and the countless trees that were cut down to build the road to begin with. The prayer they just gave to Ksitigarbha is a comfort to those souls who left the world like that. Because Ksitigarbha is the one who leads the dead to paradise. Everyone just nods politely except for Geu Rami who says that is meaningful. Hairy Boss chides her for dancing during such a meaningful activity. She replies what else was she supposed to do when the temple block was bringing out the moves in her. xD She’s like a kid! They continue to argue, which makes the Abbot chuckle loudly.
Attorney Jung asks about the famous cultural heritage in Hwangjisa and when the Abbot goes to answer, Young Woo interrupts to ask if he’s talking about the gwaebultaeng of Guanyin that’s been designated as a treasure. Geu Rami asks what that is and when the Abbot goes to answer, once again, Young Woo answers for him. A gwaebultaeng is a large Buddhist hanging painting that is hung in the front garden of a temple during a ceremony or ritual. The one here is a painting of Avalokitesvara - Soo Yeon waves at her to stop talking but she keeps going - and it’s 10.8 meters in length and 7.3 meters in width. It was created in the 14th year of Jeongjo’s reign in Joseon. Geu Rami asks if 10.8 is long, and Young Woo says it’s longer than the average length of the common minke whale and shorter than the average length of Baird’s beaked whales. Soo Yeon says that’s even harder to understand, so why is she explaining it with the Abbot standing right here. He chuckles and says he appreciates her explaining it so that it can be easily understood. He suggests they go to where the treasure is and leads them there.
At the temple, he asks them to see if they can find the painting. They’re unable to spot such a large painting, so he points to a very long wood box. He says the box is called a gwaebulgwe, which stores a gwaebultaeng. The painting is inside this box. Attorney Jung asks if they can open it. The Abbot says that it used to be taken out once a year on Buddha’s birthday but as of ten years ago, they don’t even take it out for Buddha’s birthday because they’re concerned that the gwaebultaeng will be damaged. It’s a national treasure so they have to take caution in its preservation. Geu Rami asks disappointedly why he said he’d show them the treasure then. He says that he’d take them to where it is. What one sees isn’t everything, so don’t be blinded by what one can see. Keep in mind the essence of what lies beyond that.
Back at their lodging, Team Hanbada are quietly working while Geu Rami and Hairy Boss are preparing the food. Attorney Jung interrupts the team by closing their laptops and toppling the stacks of documents, and tells them to hang out for this first day in Jeju. Hairy Boss says he’ll change the menu so it’ll go well with alcohol then. Soo Yeon then offers to go and get some drinks, and Min Woo immediately offers to go with her. She doesn’t want him to go with her. He offers to help her carry the heavy stuff. She’d rather go alone but Attorney Jung says they should go together.
On their walk back with the drinks, Min Woo suggests taking the scenic route - on the bridge. He then opens a can of beer and says this is one of the perks. He then opens one for her and they walk on the bridge, and he even offers to take a photo of her. She poses for the picture and then realizes that her hair is greasy. They’re interrupted by his phone - it’s a call from his father. Min Woo is the breadwinner for his family and his family’s health is part of his responsibility.
They return to the house and everyone's already started eating. Geu Rami asks if they went to a brewery as it was painful being sober. lol This girl… Soo Yeon asks what they were talking about. Young Woo fills them in on Attorney Jung’s wife leaving him. He’d gotten married when he was 30 but his wife left him 8 years later. Jun Ho quietly tells her to stop saying his wife left him. Attorney Jung says she did leave him. They had honeymooned in Jeju which is maybe why he keeps thinking about it. He had worked a lot back then, too, and he even worked during their honeymoon. They had chosen Jeju because then he would’ve been able to return to Seoul easily for work. Jun Ho says it's sad that he worked during his honeymoon. Attorney Jung says he thinks that’s when it all started. He thought that their issue was that they fought a lot before the divorce. But it started with the honeymoon.
During their honeymoon, while taking photos of his wife at a tourist spot, Myeong Seok answers a call from work which forces his wife to step out of the line. When their food arrives at their table, he is quite preoccupied with reading a work email. His wife tells him to eat but he resumes looking at his phone. Later, in their hotel room, he works all night until 4 a.m. before he even notices that his wife has fallen asleep in bed, and he’s left his dinner uneaten on the table. He then quietly apologizes to his sleeping wife. Back in the present, Attorney Jung says he wonders why he lived like that.
Young Woo is unable to sleep as the clock is too loud. Geu Rami says she’s a real princess as she’s already complained about the floor being too hard (which is why Geu Rami is on the floor), the light from the windows are too bright, the covers are rough, and the temperature isn’t right. This is in line with her heightened sensory perception - it’s not a “just ignore it” thing for her. Young Woo tells her to listen carefully, and then says it’s the one in the living room. Geu Rami gets up to go kill that clock. It’s a small analog clock (that reads 1:30 a.m.) sitting on a bookcase and she quickly removes the batteries from it. Young Woo then sees Attorney Jung sitting outside by the pool, who looks like he’s in a bit of pain as he clutches his stomach. With concern, she asks if they should see if he’s okay. Geu Rami says to leave him alone and the two return to bed.
The next morning, Geu Rami helps Hairy Boss with preparing abalone but she keeps cutting them open, instead of just cutting off the mouth. (Need to remove the hard cartilage part of its mouth.) Soo Yeon comes in and asks if they’re having abalone for breakfast. Hairy Boss says he thought he’d make abalone juk for breakfast. He says they were selling some nearby so he went to get some. Geu Rami loudly complains that he woke her up at 5 a.m. to get them. Soo Yeon says they’re spoiling them. Hairy Boss laughs awkwardly and then asks her if she knows what kind of sandwich abalones like the most. Geu Rami knows where this is going… Soo Yeon is confused. He says baloney. Soo Yeon doesn’t get it. He says a baloney sandwich - abalone and baloney. *facepalm* Then he laughs at this as if it was that funny. The two women look at each other and say nothing.
When Jun Ho walks in holding a bouquet of flowers, Soo Yeon quickly walks over to take a look at the flowers. She says they’re very pretty. Then takes them and sniffs them, and asks if he just bought them. Min Woo comes in with wet hair and a towel around his neck, says that he bought them. Her face goes from a happy smile to one of derision as she flings them onto the coffee table. LMAO! They’re suddenly quite vile. (~52:00) Min Woo says he was out jogging earlier and an old lady was selling them on the street. Soo Yeon doesn’t say anything, so he asks what’s wrong - are they suddenly not as pretty since he bought them? She calls him annoying and then walks away in a huff. Neither guy knows what’s going on.
Min Woo turns on the TV and they’re talking about Tae Soo Mi’s judicial candidacy. When he sees Young Woo enter the room, he purposely turns up the volume. Young Woo continues looking for whatever she’s looking for. Geu Rami comes over to say that it’s time for "Spongebob Squarepants" and changes the channel. Young Woo finds her phone and runs off with it. Geu Rami just laughs at the show and eventually, Min Woo does, too. Attorney Jung is in his room meditating.
Jun Ho knocks on Young Woo’s room and then enters as he says that he just got off the phone with his sister. Young Woo turns around and she’s wearing an outfit similar to her trash-pick-up date outfit, with a pair of binoculars hanging on her neck and two black pieces of sunblock tape on her cheeks. (Gaaah, she’s so cute!! ~54:13) She has a big smile on her face as she asks if this is enough to go see the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins. Jun Ho laughs in appreciation of her cuteness and enthusiasm. She starts talking about sun protection, and then pulls out this camera with a huge extended lens on it. He chuckles and says it’s plenty but his sister and brother-in-law have prepared a lot for them. He continues that it was supposed to be a casual meetup to have some tea together. But his sister hasn’t seen him in such a long time and since she’s going with him, he guesses that she didn’t want it to be just tea. So she’s prepared a lot of food and told him to not have lunch before they come over. He doesn’t think she made any gimbap though. Young Woo asks what kind of food was prepared then. He knows there will be meat and raw fish. She repeats the food items, and he reaches for his phone and offers to ell them that they’re not eating when they come over. Young Woo says no, though she really doesn’t want to, she’ll eat what is prepared and enjoy it. Jun Ho says she doesn’t have to force herself so he’ll just call her. Young Woo says no, don’t worry. He looks a bit concerned for her though.
They’re now looking for dolphins and not a single one has appeared. Jun Ho looks at his watch and says they need to head out to his sister’s now. He takes one last photo before they go. At his sister’s, Young Woo introduces herself with her customary palindrome tie-in to her name, which makes Jun Ho’s sister and husband exchange a look before they politely smile and say okay. Young Woo then quickly says that the interior design of the house is gorgeous and gives them a thumbs up. The husband asks if she can see the inside of their house... as they’re standing outside on the lawn. Jun Ho laughs and asks if they should sit down.
The husband says that his wife prepared all this for days since she heard the two of them were coming. The table covered with plates of food - more than enough for the four of them. Jun Ho says she must have worked hard on this. His sister replies that they have fruit to eat after dinner, too. Young Woo then says that she’s really good at peeling fruit and gives two thumbs up. The husband then sets down a bowl of grapes. There’s an awkward silence right before the three of them laugh uncomfortably at Young Woo’s comment. Jun Ho’s sister tells them to eat up.
So Young Woo picks up her chopsticks to grab a slice of boiled pork and then a piece of raw fish and shoves both right into her mouth. She starts chewing with this look of angst on her face, and Jun Ho looks a bit concerned. The husband says that they must not have seen much of the island since they’re here on business. Jun Ho says they’ve been to a few places like Hanbaek Mountain and Hwangjisa. Young Woo continues to chew her food. When Jun Ho says they went to the beach at Daejeong-eup but there weren’t any dolphins, Young Woo interrupts and says he can’t talk about them. He’s confused. She says he’s not allowed to talk about whales in a situation like this, and can’t ask for gimbap either. She’s applying everything that Geu Rami told her to do and not do… Jun Ho’s sister asks if she’s okay as it looks like she’s forcing herself to eat something she doesn’t want to. Jun Ho tells her to not push herself so hard, and don’t eat it if she doesn’t want to. She just continues chewing and finally finishes swallowing her food before she says she’s fine as this was quite delicious. Then she says her cooking is quite good with a thumbs up and a little smile. Everyone else can only laugh awkwardly at this.
Later when Young Woo is away from the table, Jun Ho wonders why she’s been gone so long and worries that she couldn’t find the bathroom. He stands up and his sister asks if he’s babysitting. Their house isn’t a maze, so why wouldn’t she be able to find it? Omo. Her husband agrees with her, and adds that he said that she’s smart. Jun Ho sits back down. His sister then asks what’s with him calling her “Attorney Woo” and all that extra respectful language he uses with her. He doesn't use banmal with her. She thought the two of them were dating. Jun Ho says that’s because that’s how they talk to each other at work and it’s going to change eventually.
His sister then says he’s not going to tell their parents, right? He asks tell them what? She says that he’s seeing Young Woo. He asks why. She asks what he is thinking and does he want to see them faint. She continues, he’s not going to marry her so don’t make them worry. Jun Ho asks what she is talking about and why they would faint. Her husband tells her to talk about this another time as Young Woo might overhear this. His wife continues saying, he’s in such a difficult relationship. As his sister, she’s upset about it. And if their parents find out – He cuts her off to say noona! She says his full name, and that they just want him to be happy. He should bring home a girl who makes him happy. Young Woo is inside listening to this conversation and the only instance of a reaction is in the way she pinches her fingers together. :( His sister continues saying, not someone he has to take care of. Jun Ho sputters at this and asks how she could say that. It’s her first time meeting her, so she thinks she knows everything about her? His sister repeats for him not to tell their parents. He argues that she just doesn’t know her yet, so don’t think of her that way.
Day 2 of Trial: Defense counsel says that the Plaintiff claims that he merely passed through Hwy. 3008 and that he didn’t visit Hwangjisa’s cultural heritage. He then asks the witness on the stand for his opinion on this claim as a Buddhist cultural heritage expert. The witness replies that he thinks it’s an argument that he can make only because he doesn’t understand traditional mountain temples. Defense counsel asks why he thinks that. Witness says that many people think that the Gwaebultaeng of Guanyin is the only cultural heritage of Hwangjisa since it’s been designated as a treasure. But the true meaning of the temple cultural heritage is the surface area. The surface as a whole, as it’s not a movable cultural heritage like a painting in a museum. Rather, it spans all of the buildings and the smaller temples that surrounded the area around the temple, including nature. Defense counsel asks, in regards to Hwangjisa, what would he include as its cultural heritage. The witness says Hwangjisa and its small temples, Sanrokam, Banggakam, and Busaam, and the part of Hanbaek Mountain National Park that Hwy. 3008 passes through. Defense counsel is finished so the Judge asks Plaintiff’s counsel to start their cross-examination. Young Woo stands up to get ready to start but then Attorney Jung who has a sickly pallor suddenly grunts in pain as he clutches at his midsection. When Young Woo asks if he’s okay, he says to wait a moment and then stands up and promptly falls to the ground as he starts sweating and writhing in agony. Team Hanbada is shocked along with everyone else in the courtroom. Jun Ho runs to check on him while everyone else, including the monks look on with concern.
[Ep14] “The Blue Night of Jeju II”
Micro Recap: Everyone learns about Attorney Jung’s illness. A search starts for the proprietor of Haengbok Noodles. Young Woo is met with hurdles in the Hwangjisa case and in her relationship with Jun Ho.
Myeong Seok is busy on the phone even as he’s in the hospital, with Team Hanbada and our pub duo waiting around his bed. When he returns to Seoul, he’ll need to have surgery for his stage III stomach cancer. Young Woo doesn’t help the situation by reading facts and statistics on stomach cancer and its various treatments. The five-year survival rate is only about 30 to 40 percent. He’s lost his appetite and his stomach gets upset when he tries to eat anything. Everyone is coming up with suggestions but only Young Woo’s suggestion of Haengbok Noodles seems to pique his interest. Geu Rami reminds her that it’s out of business. Young Woo says what if they look for the owner and ask them to make a bowl for an attorney who might die of stage III stomach cancer. Everyone looks uncomfortable at her choice of words but Myeong Seok breaks the silence to tell her to not do anything unnecessary and just focus on the Hwangjisa case.
Outside, Young Woo asks what they need to do to find the owner of Haengbok Noodles. Soo Yeong asks if she’s still going through with that even though Attorney Jung said not to do anything unnecessary. Young Woo replies that he did say that but she never agreed to it. Geu Rami proudly says she raised her well. Young Woo says he might not have a lot of time to live. And if not now, he might never be able to eat Haengbok Noodles again. Geu Rami and Hairy Boss agree with this. Jun Ho suggests if they should go look for the owner, and Soo Yeon looks at Min Woo and he doesn’t say anything. She asks why he’s so quiet. He asks what she means. She replies that this is usually when he would say something and sound like a jerk. She then puts her hands into her pockets and says with a scowl, “Why would we all do that together? You guys do it. I’m out.” LMAO! He says that it wouldn’t be a bad thing if they can find the owner…as he wanted to try those meat noodles, too. They must be really delicious for him to describe them like that. She asks if he’s sure that he’s not the one who’s sick. She’s heard that people suddenly change when they’re nearing death. lol! He sputters at this but sweet Jun Ho tells them that they need to canvass the area to find the owner's whereabouts. He suggests they split up into teams and when Young Woo asks how they’re going to form the teams, an argument starts about how to do it. The game of “Up and Down” or “Down and Up” or “dedenjji.” [Choose to show the palm or back of one’s hands to divide into two teams.] Jun Ho says that there's a different name for it in every region, and Jeju’s version is really long. Eventually, they decide on “Up and Down” and not Hairy Boss’ version using “Shove crap in your trap.” lol So everyone puts one hand into the circle and it turns out that Soo Yeon and Min Woo are the two who show the back of their hands. They play another round, and this time Soo Yeon and Min Woo both show their palms. She insists on another round, and she’s paired with Min Woo again. She wants another round but everyone tells them to just team up and the remaining four will be on the other team. Everyone walks away and Soo Yeon is still protesting and begging to have another go at it.
Their first stop for the foursome is Haengun Noodles, and Young Woo immediately asks if they know where to find the owner of Haengbok Noodles. The guy behind the counter asks why they’re looking for him, and this draws the attention of the chef inside the kitchen, but he resumes working, this does not go unnoticed by Jun Ho. Hairy Boss asks about Haengbok Noodles looking closed and they’re wondering what happened. The guy says he fell behind - as their restaurant grew, he lost his place in the market. He then says he couldn’t beat the original, so they’ve been out of business for a while since they had no customers. Young Woo asks about “original.” She asks if he named Haengbok Noodles after Haengun Noodles? The guy sputters yes and then says he’s already had enough stress from dealing with Haengbok Noodles. He says he’s done talking about this. Then Jun Ho notices that the chef in the kitchen is leaving to get some fresh air.
Soo Yeon and Min Woo are talking to an old lady who says she doesn’t know where the owner went. If they ask anyone else in the neighborhood, they wouldn’t know either. He just closed his restaurant and disappeared overnight, without letting anyone know where he was going. Soo Yeon asks if she knows why he closed the business. She says he couldn’t keep up with the trend as the online influencers and celebs were raving about Haengun Noodles. The woman then admits that the noodles at Haengbok Noodles tasted quite amazing. Soo Yeon asks if she thinks Haengbok Noodles was better than Haengun Noodles, too? She replies that Haengbok Noodles was run by a mother and her son for a long time. The broth made by the mother was very bejigeun and it’s a shame.
It’s dark out and Jun Ho is waiting outside for that Haengun Noodles employee. He tails the guy who goes to the shuttered Haengbok Noodles, and sees him reaching inside an onggi to pull out a bag of cat food. The guy pours the cat food into a bowl and when he turns around, he’s so startled to see Jun Ho standing there that he slips down onto his bottom.
While the cat is eating, the chef says that he taught him everything. Jun Ho asks if by “he,” he means the owner of Haengbok Noodles. The chef says yes, and to be honest, he worked in this kitchen, as he gestures to the building behind them, for a long time. Although, he’s not as good as the owner or his mother. Jun Ho asks so did he move from Haengun Noodles because Haengbok Noodles closed? The chef admits that while he was still working at Haengbok, the owner of Haengun recruited him. But the owner of Haengbok doesn’t see it like that but rather that he betrayed him. He wants to make one thing clear – Haengbok Noodles was the original. They were doing well because word got out about how good they were. Haengun Noodles’ owner recruited him and asked him to make the noodles and changed their shop from BuBu Diner to Haengun Noodles. How is this not betrayal?!? So after stealing all of the customers from Haengbok Noodles and going on television, Haengun Noodles became a stable business while things got tough for Haengbok Noodles. So eventually he closed Haengbok. Jun Ho asks if he knows where he is now. The chef says that he’s been here once without Haengun Noodles’ owner knowing it, and he’d asked where he’d do if they closed. The owner had said he would relax at a place where the mountains and waters are nice.
Later Jun Ho relays this to the team and no one knows where “a place where the mountains and waters are nice” would be, or rather, it could be anywhere. Young Woo asks if perhaps it could be Mountain Water Nursing Home, as there was a pile of unopened mail in front of Haengbok Noodles and most of them were sent from the nursing home. Geu Rami asks if she remembers the address and Young Woo accesses that super computer brain database of hers and is able to recite it. It’s here in Jeju, and everyone is impressed with her skill. Jun Ho says he’ll go to the nursing home and Young Woo raises her hand to join him. Geu Rami starts smirking about this.
Jun Ho and Young Woo go to the nursing home together and bring the mail to show the receptionist. The receptionist recognizes the name and says that his mother lives here and he visits at least once a month. In fact, he was just here yesterday. Jun Ho then asks to see the mother about Haengbok Noodles being reopened, but she has severe dementia and wouldn’t be able to provide much of an answer. Afterwards, our cute whale couple are walking outside and Jun Ho says he thinks the owner is in Jeju as he comes once a month to see his mother. They look so cute in this scene - his blue shirt with her light pink dress. She says he won’t be back for a month, so they won’t be able to meet him before they go back to Seoul. Attorney Woo then receives a call from Attorney Jung who asks where she is. She tries to come up with a plausible excuse and ends up saying, it’s none of his business. He asks what she just said and she says they’re totally not looking for the owner of Haengbok Noodles. Attorney Jung sighs and then asks if she’s found him. She says no, not yet. He then reminds her that they’re in Jeju for the Hwangjisa case, so focus on preparing for the trial.
Day 3 of Trial. Defense counsel asks his client, the Abbot, about the government’s announcement in 1983 on construction of Hwy. 3008 on Hwangjisa’s property - what was Hwangjisa’s thoughts then? The Abbot says they were against the construction of the road because it would destroy the temple’s environment and disturb the monks’ practice. Most importantly, building a road meant countless lives would be taken. Countless trees would be cut down, and countless animals and people would lose their lives to car accidents. Despite Hwangjisa’s objections, the government moved forward with the road construction, and they suggested that they collect cultural heritage admission fees. They agreed because they thought fewer people would come if they were asked to pay money. The best way to delay damage to cultural heritage and reduce the number of lives lost is to stop people from coming as much as possible. He still believes that this is the most important function of the admission fee.
Then Young Woo begins the cross-examination. She asks how much is the profit that Hwangjis earns from the admission fees. He’s not sure as he does not know the exact numbers. She says the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, Hwangjisa earns about 1B won in profits every year from the collection of admission fees, right? He repeats that he is not aware of the exact amount. She then asks how Hwangjisa uses the money collected as admission fees, which he says is used to maintain and repair Hwangjisa and the cultural heritage that Hwangjisa owns. She asks if they aren’t already receiving the budget necessary to maintain and repair Hwangjisa and the cultural heritage from the government? This year the Cultural Heritage ADministration has set aside a budget of 400B won for the repair and maintenance of cultural heritage, of which 12B won was set aside for the repair and maintenance of traditional temples. Hwangjisa will also be receiving support from the Cultural Heritage Administration, so isn’t collecting admission fees from citizens considered double-dipping? He replies that it only seems like a lot when she uses numbers like one billion and ten billion. Hwangjisa has nothing to be ashamed of as they only receive the bare minimum from the government and visitors and use it wisely. She then asks for the breakdown of Hwangjisa’s budget. He replies that it would be difficult because it’s private. But you’re receiving public funds?? She points out that he just said they have nothing to be ashamed of but revealing the budget breakdown would be difficult? Defense counsel slams his hand down on the table and stands up to object to her questioning as being sarcastic and demands more respect for the Abbot. The Judge admonishes Young Woo and asks her to refrain from asking sarcastic questions. Is it really though?
Young Woo moves on to ask if he’s aware that last year there were 62 reports filed to the police about Hwangjisa obstructing traffic by stopping cars at the ticket booth. He’s aware that there are people who complain from time to time. She asks why he didn't come up with a solution, such as moving the ticket booth. He says it’s not wrong for Hwangjisa to collect its admission fees so why would they need a solution while they’re doing the work of maintaining the cultural heritage.
Back in Myeong Seok’s room, his ex-wife, Ji Soo is urging him to go back to Seoul as soon as possible to get surgery. He argues that even if he went back now, he can’t have the surgery right away as his appointment isn’t set for until later. She yells to ask what kind of hospital sets a surgery date so far in advance and then demands that he look into another hospital. They’re interrupted by Young Woo who is agitated and immediately asks him why they’re losing at trial. Ji Soo asks her who she is and Young Woo gives her customary introduction. But she still doesn’t know who she is in relation to Myeong Seok. He says she’s an attorney who works with him. Young Woo asks her who she is, and Myeong Seok says she’s his ex-wife. Young Woo says by ex-wife, he means the ex-wife who endured him for eight years while he only worked and neglected his family and who eventually asked for a divorce. She then bows respectfully at her. He asks Ji Soo if he could speak to Young Woo for a moment, as in, she needs to give them some privacy. So she sighs and walks over to the window. Young Woo tells him to go ahead, even though Ji Soo is glaring at him.
He tells Young Woo that he doesn’t think there’s legal justification. Hwangjisa’s justification is clear, including being able to collect the fees under the Cultural Heritage Protection Act, but they also have a theoretical justification that the concept of temple cultural heritage should be expanded to include its surroundings. On the other hand, Hanbada’s argument is lacking, as all they’re doing is pushing the fact that the plaintiff didn’t visit Hwangjisa. Ji Soo is giving eye daggers as he’s unwell and in a hospital bed, yet still talking about work. He explains that it’s hard for the Judge to take their side, because there’s no legal basis for a ruling. Young Woo asks if they can claim the fact that the system to collect national park entrance fees was abolished in 2007 as justification. Hwangjisa is located within the Hanbaek Mountain National Park. He says that Hwangjisa is collecting cultural heritage admission fees, and not a park entrance fee. She asks what if they asked the Judge to get Hwangjisa to reveal their budget breakdown. She had argued about double-dipping in funds but she was limited since she did not know their exact budget breakdown. He tells her that the trial isn’t about how their budget is executed. It’s about whether or not it’s right for the plaintiff to pay the admission fee. She asks what kind of legal justification could there be then. He doesn’t know either. While they’re still pondering over this, Ji Soo’s finally fed up and waits outside.
Afterwards, Ji Soo tells Young Woo that he hasn’t changed one bit. He looks more alive when he’s talking to an attorney he sees every day than talking to her, someone who he hasn’t seen in five years. When he was with her, his eyes were so lifeless. But right now, there truly seems to be life in them. She then says she’s made her remember why she left him. Young Woo asks why she left him. Ji Soo says when she was with him, she was lonely and unhappy. Young Woo then receives a call from her father.
Young Woo steps outside to answer the call. She asks her father what he was going to do if she brought Lee Jun Ho home. He asks who Lee Jun Ho is. She replies that he’s the person she was kissing in front of the house. He says that punk and then asks why, is she going to bring him home? Young Woo says no, but she’s just curious why he wanted to meet him. He says what does she mean why – he wanted to see what kind of guy he is and whether or not he’s capable of making his daughter happy. He wanted to see if he’s a guy who’s capable of taking care of his daughter the way he does. Young Woo says that Jun Ho is that type of person. He’s someone who can make her happy and he can take care of her like he does. She says the problem is… her. With teary eyes, she asks if she’s someone who can make Jun Ho happy? Wouldn’t she make him lonely? Omo…
Once again, Young Woo and Jun Ho are looking for dolphins in a known location but they still haven’t seen any. He asks her why there aren’t any when they come.
WYW: Jun Ho.
LJH looking through the binoculars: Yes?
WYW: I don’t think that we…that you and I should be together anymore. O_O He slowly drops the binoculars from his face. He loses the happy glint in his eyes, and turns to look at her. She averts her face.
LJH: But what happened? Why tell me this right now? She doesn’t say anything. Is it because of what happened with Attorney Jung? Is it because you feel guilty that we’re out here on a date while Attorney Jung is having a hard time after being diagnosed with stomach cancer?
WYW: I didn’t think about that but you do have a point.
LJH: If it’s not that, then why on earth would you say that? She looks away and doesn’t say anything. He's still processing this. It’s not because you’re disappointed about not seeing any dolphins, is it? She looks at him wordlessly. Gosh. That’s not the reason, right? The dolphins are in the ocean. We just can’t see them right now. Remember how the Abbot said that what you see isn’t everything?
WYW: “What you see isn’t everything. Don’t be blinded by what you can’t see. Keep in mind the essence of what lies beyond that.”
LJH smiling: Yes, that’s what the Abbot said.
WYW excitedly: That’s right! I was blinded by what I could see that I forgot the essence of what lies beyond that. Local Highway No. 3008 is on Hwangjisa property. Jun Ho looks concerned. It was built for tourism purposes from the start. Hwangjisa and the entire surrounding area are temple cultural heritage. I need to look beyond these things. Local Highway No. 3008 is ultimately a road! That’s the essence!
LJH looking so sad: Are you talking about the case right now?
WYW: There’s a concept called “public property” in Administrative Law. Public property is made by an administrative body like the state or local governments to provide administrative purposes. Roads are provided to anyone for transit and are an example of public property. This concept of public property will serve as justification. She’s practically jumping up and down (in her own way). Legal justification! She then spins around and quickly walks away.
LJH: Where are you going?
WYW turning back: I have to go discuss this with Attorney Jung. She turns and walks away from him. Jun Ho looks distraught.
LJH yelling: Are you kidding me?! You say we shouldn’t be together, then just run off? Am I… Am I a joke to you?! Do you even consider my feelings at all? She doesn’t say anything, and only moves to hold her hands together. There are tears in his eyes. Tell me why you’re doing this!
WYW: Mm… I’m very sorry. She gives a deep bow and then turns around to continue walking away from him. Her face shows that she’s actually quite distraught over this. Jun Ho watches her go even as he’s crying. He wipes away his tears, takes a deep breath and walks in her direction. But the distance remains between them, and neither notice the dolphin that finally jumps out of the water. (ಥ﹏ಥ)(ಥ﹏ಥ) (~29:20) I want to hug them.
Day 4 of Trial. When the Judge asks if the Plaintiff and Defendant have anything else to claim or prove, Young Woo raises her hand quite high and says the Plaintiff does. Defense counsel says they have none. The Judge tells her to go ahead so Young Woo stands up and says that Hwy. 3008 is public property. The Judge asks, public property? Young Woo says yes, while driving on the highway, the plaintiff passed through a part of Hwangjisa which is land owned by the defendant and also a scenic spot. However, this only came about in the process of using the highway, which is public property provided by the local government for public transit. She claims that the Plaintiff cannot be deemed as having performed the act of visiting the cultural heritage owned by the defendant, just because he used public property. The Judge nods and makes notes of this.
Afterwards, Young Woo goes to get into the car but she sees a sad-looking Jun Ho in the driver’s seat and tells Soo Yeon that she’ll get in the car with Geu Rami and Hairy Boss. Soo Yeon teasingly asks why, and if she had a fight with Jun Ho. Young Woo looks away and doesn’t say anything, which makes Soo Yeon and Min Woo realize that something’s going on with them. Young Woo walks away and Jun Ho finally turns to watch her go. His face. :( She pops into the backseat of the convertible and Geu Rami asks why she’s not in the other car. Young Woo says she can’t as it’ll be uncomfortable because of Jun Ho. Geu Rami asks why she is uncomfortable with him. Young Woo admits that she told him that they shouldn’t be together. Both Hairy Boss and Geu Rami are shocked by this.
Back in the other car, Min Woo asks if they really had a fight. Jun Ho says no, it’s not like that and goes to put on his seatbelt. Min Woo asks if he wants to go for a drink. He then asks Soo Yeon if that’s okay. She says she’s fine with it. Jun Ho says forget it as he doesn’t feel like drinking…
Jun Ho is now drunk and asking Min Woo and Soo Yeon what they think the reason is. Is it because Attorney Jung is sick? Is it because they didn’t get to see Sampal, Chunsam, Boksun and Jedol? Soo Yeon says she doesn’t think even Young Woo would have done that for that reason. He drunkenly slurs, why is she doing this then? They were fine and all of a sudden… Min Woo says maybe he put too much pressure on her. Either way, she went to her boyfriend’s sister’s house during a business trip. So she would have been so nervous, right? Jun Ho asks if he did ask too much of her. Soo Yeon says he has a point, as there could have been too much for Young Woo. She then asks Min Woo why he is acting like he has some sense in him all of a sudden. He says he’s not like he has – he stops and asks her why she keeps picking on him. Hahaha. Jun Ho says they’re right, she did seem nervous. There wasn’t any gimbap, but she still tried to eat meat and sashimi even though she couldn’t even swallow it. He then starts crying. Min Woo tells him to not cry. He then says it might be a good thing. He doesn’t know it yet but things would have gotten difficult anyway. Attorney Woo is not someone he can handle. Soo Yeon asks Min Woo what he means by that. Jun Ho says she’s right, what is he talking about? Min Woo then says that Attorney Woo was born… and then changes it to that her existence itself is special. He tops off everyone’s drink and when Soo Yeon about to down hers, he notices that there’s a bug in her glass and stops her from drinking it. He picks up the glass and pours it out before asking for another glass.
Meanwhile, Young Woo is in a raucous noraebang with Geu Rami and Hairy Boss who are singing horribly. Even though Young Woo has her headphones on, she’s still disturbed by their screeching. Hairy Boss then chooses to sing a sad love song about being a burden… and this makes Young Woo tear up at the lyrics on the screen.
Min Woo and Soo Yeon drop off a very drunk Jun Ho into his bed. Then Soo Yeon asks to speak to him outside. She asks him what’s gotten into him. He’s confused. She starts saying he’s usually a jerk, who gets on her nerves every time he speaks and makes her want to smack him. He should be scheming in the dark, thinking about what tactics to use, that’s Kwon Min Woo. She asks why he’s suddenly being kind and confusing everyone. She then says she almost reported him to the police for the crime of not staying in character. lol! She asks why does he care if she has a bug in her drink, or whether or not she can put her luggage in the overhead bin, or if she struggles to carry drinks by herself. Why is this Kwon Min Woo going out of his way and being all nice. Min Woo is laughing at this. She continues talking about him jogging on a business trip, buying flowers from an old lady, and finally asks what act he’s trying to pull. She yells that being cool like that doesn’t suit him. She asks why on earth he’s acting like this. He says it’s because they’re in Jeju. She asks so he’s pretending to be a romantic now? He asks her if she’s interested in him. She says no, is he crazy? He asks then what’s wrong with her? She’s listing all those things about him that he doesn’t even know. He teasingly asks if she likes him. She doesn’t respond as she’s thinking very hard on this. He loses his mirth and asks why isn’t she denying this? Soo Yeon doesn’t say anything but she gets the hiccups.
Our loud trio (well, two of three) return and Geu Rami sees Min Woo talking to Soo Yeon. She says that she’s been rejected. Hairy Boss asks what she means. She says can’t he tell from the way Min Woo and the angel are looking at each other. Geu Rami wants to go back to the noraebang as she was just rejected by Min Woo, and she didn’t even get to tell him how she felt. Hairy Boss said nothing really happened for her to say that she was rejected. Young Woo asks if she likes Min Woo. Geu Rami runs to go back to the noraebang to sing breakup songs, and Hairy Boss goes after her. Young Woo slowly follows them…
The next day, Jun Ho helps Attorney Jung pack as he’s being discharged today. Everyone else is waiting at the house for them, so they can go to Hwangjisa together. Jun Ho asks if his guest left. Attorney Jung is confused at first and then realizes he meant his ex-wife. He says she had called this morning saying that she was taking an earlier flight back to Seoul. But he had a dream about pleading with her, saying it was all his fault, that he wouldn’t be like that anymore. So they should get back together. He admits when she called him this morning, he couldn’t say a word. So he acted cool and said okay, have a safe flight back. Attorney Jung says he guesses that he needs to have a habit of saying those things to actually say them. Jun Ho just gives him a sad smile. Attorney Jung then asks him if he likes somebody – if he does, hold onto them. If something happens and he lets go of them, go back and hold on tight. Then he says that he doesn’t seem like the type to make the same mistakes he did. Our poor green flag.
Back at the house, Soo Yeon and Min Woo have an awkward moment right outside the bathroom. Once Soo Yeon goes into the bathroom, Geu Rami asks Min Woo if he were going to a deserted island, who would he bring with him - her or the angel? Poor Min Woo is confused. Hairy Boss laughs loudly and comes over to tell him to ignore her, and drags her away. LOL (~47:00) Even as she’s being dragged away, she continues asking him who he would take with him… and Hairy Boss laughs his deep fake laugh.
The car ride with Jun Ho is quiet as is the one with Young Woo. On their way to Hwangjisa, they pass by the now closed ticket booth that has a sign saying “Free Passage.” Hairy Boss tells Young Woo congratulations on winning the trial. They arrive at Hwangjisa to see the Abbot. Attorney Jung tells him that he’s learned a lot about the position Hwangjisa is in through this lawsuit. The damage caused by Hwy. 3008 all falls on Hwangjisa as the owner of the land. The government has turned a blind to this and is using all sorts of laws to restrict Hwangjisa. With a laugh, the Abbot says at the trial they were trying to get a budget breakdown and making claims of double-dipping – what’s gotten into them? Attorney Jung says that since Hwangjisa has given up a major source of income with the admission fees, he believes the government should step up and lay the foundation for Hwangjisa’s self-management. He suggests bringing together all the organizations, such as local governments, Korea National Park Service, Korea Rural Community Cooperation and Cultural Heritage Administration to discuss that. He then says they should draft an MOU [Memorandum of Understanding] on creating a foundation for Hwangjisa’s self-management.
The Abbot says he’s been thinking the same thing, and it should be something Hwangjisa needs to handle with the government, and not the people. But it’s not an easy thing to communicate with the government. Attorney Jung suggests that the Abbot negotiate with the administration. The Hyeseok Order is a powerful order with many followers, and Hwangjisa is the most famous out of all of the temples in the order. The Abbot says he’ll have to confer with the others in the Order as he can’t make this decision on his own. Then he asks why he’s telling him this. Attorney Jung says doesn’t he think he’ll need help from experts to bring together the government and relevant organizations to sign a deal that is advantageous for Hwangjisa? There’s a government relations team at Hanbada and they go beyond legal services, as they act as a liaison between the government and individual organizations. They’ll be able to help with setting up the foundation for Hwangjisa’s self-management. The Abbot understands what he’s saying and he’ll reach out to the others and be in touch. He then invites them to stay for a meal.
Afterwards, Young Woo enthusiastically tells Attorney Jung that this is the first time she thought he was amazing. He asks, first time? She says yes as she didn’t expect him to make that kind of off to the Abbot. She continues that it was worth working so hard after his divorce to the point where he got stomach cancer. He asks if all that time was worth it. She says yes.
Everyone sits down to noodles with the Abbot. (Jun Ho is seated the furthest away from Young Woo. :()Everyone takes their first bite and Geu Rami goes crazy about the steps in the flavor of these noodles – sour, sweet and spicy. The Abbot says those who cook and practice Buddhism at temples are called gongyangju, and the one at Hwangjisa is especially good at making noodles. It’s difficult to cook so many noodles at a time but their gongyangju is able to tell when it’s ready just by looking at the color of the noodles. Attorney Jung then mentions there was a place that made really good meat noodles called Haengbok Noodles. He says these noodles taste like the ones he had there. The Abbot smiles benevolently at him. Attorney Jung continues saying that he used thicker noodles like these instead of thin ones and the mushroom toppings here look like big pieces of boiled pork. Young Woo has an epiphany and asks why she didn’t think of this sooner. Hwangjisa is on Hanbaek Mountain, and there’s a mineral spring in the temple. Min Woo and Soo Yeon realize this is “a place where the mountains and waters are nice.”
Young Woo says she wants to check if the gongyangju of Hwangjisa is the owner of Haengbok Noodles. So she runs off to the kitchen with everyone following her and finds the man to ask if he was the owner of Haengbok Noodles. He asks how she knows this. Jun Ho says they’ve been looking everywhere for him. He asks why. Young Woo says they wanted to find him and ask him to make meat noodles for an attorney who might soon die of stage III stomach cancer. Everyone looks at her in shock. Attorney Jung whispers to her, “I told you not to do anything unnecessary, but you just had to, didn’t you?” The man says if they’ve been looking for him, then they should know that Haengbok Noodles is out of business and it’s not appropriate to make meat noodles in a temple. [Buddhists generally adhere to a vegetarian diet.] Young Woo says then he can open Haengbok Noodles again. She says they’re attorneys and they can help him. Min Woo and Soo Yeon mention Haengun Noodles poaching his cook, who leaked the special recipe, etc. The man says it’s true but what can he do?
Young Woo asks if he’s heard of the Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act. The man doesn’t know. She says copying the brand name of a famous restaurant is considered an act of unfair competition. Such as a restaurant changing their name to Haengun Noodles after Haengbok Noodles became famous. This kind of action confuses consumers, under Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act, this is prohibited. The man says so what, as the owner of Haengun Noodles said that he didn’t trademark his restaurant’s name so there was nothing he could do. Young Woo explains that even if he hasn’t done it, this can be dealt with by making it an issue of unfair competition. She asks what if they send a certification of content as his attorneys and request Haengun Noodles to stop using the restaurant name. Min Woo says then in that case, isn’t a lawsuit also possible? Look who is helping her for once… He continues saying that he will be compensated for all the damage caused by the unfair competition initiated by Haengun Noodles through a trial. Young Woo says if he opens the business under Haengbok Noodles again, he should register the trademark then and the IP team at Hanbada can help him with this as well. Soo Yeon says he can even prevent his staff from leaking the recipes, as he can protect the recipe as a trade secret. Attorney Jung looks proud as his rookie attorneys are able to assemble all of this together as a substantial case against Haengun Noodles. The man says he didn’t know that the law was on his side and able to help him. He thought all he could was let his heart heal. It pained him to think that he couldn’t protect or carry on the noodle recipe his mother taught him. He thanks them for their advice. So the temple might be losing their gongyangju.
Back at the shuttered restaurant, the man makes them the meat noodles. Young Woo smartly brings out her own food, gimbap and Hairy Boss quickly takes her bowl as his own. Attorney Jung takes his first bite of the noodles and sip of the broth and he looks so happy. He then sees his team, Hairy Boss and Geu Rami smiling and enjoying the food as well. Young Woo is happily eating her gimbap with a smile as she watches Attorney Jung.
On the flight back, Jun Ho looks for his seat, which would be next to Young Woo. Soo Yeon offers to swap seats with him so he can sit next to Min Woo instead. Young Woo is surprised to see Soo Yeon, who tells her she heard they broke up and it’d be uncomfortable for them to sit together. Young Woo looks over at Jun Ho and she slowly tightens her own belt. Both women look over at the row where the guys are sitting, and only Min Woo spares a glance back in their direction.
Epilogue: In her office, Attorney Han is watching the news report about Tae Soo Mi’s confirmation being a month away. They’re going to start the preparations now, including hearings discussing the controversies surrounding her. Her hereditary succession, going abroad to give birth to her son, her close relationship with Gangcheon Group where her husband is chairman. She’s interrupted as the Jeongui Ilbo reporter is here to see her. She asks him if he’s found Tae Soo Mi’s daughter. He looks surprised. She says that she’s heard that he was looking into the daughter she had before she was married. He believes that there’s only one person who could be her daughter, Woo Young Woo but he’s basing it on a hunch, and doesn't have proof yet. So that’s why he’s been hesitating on publishing an article on it. She tells him that she is Tae Soo Mi’s daughter. He’s surprised that he still hired her when she knew. She says she’ll tell him everything she knows in due time, but there’s one condition - he needs to publish it right before Tae Soo Mi’s confirmation hearing so she can’t refute it right away. He then asks to meet with Young Woo, and she says to speak to her first so hold off for now.
Micro Recap: Young Woo clashes with Attorney Jang over a penalty surcharge in a spear phishing case. Jun Ho waits for an answer from Young Woo.
A man opens a work email with a cover letter attachment. When he opens the Word document, it’s totally blank. It says Macrosoft…and Prograhm? So he just closes his laptop and then calls the sender about the document not working. The person on the other end says he didn’t send it. The man, Choi Jin Pyo, runs back to check on his computer and realizes that he’s been a victim of spear phishing and has exposed their entire network to it. [When a malicious link or attachment is opened, it exposes the target to malicious software. The goal is to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and other personal information.]
A glum-looking Young Woo is sitting in the lobby thinking about their breakup. When she sees Jun Ho walk inside, her eyes follow him to the bank of elevators. However, he notices her sitting on the bench, and she tries to hide her face behind her hands and runs outside. He looks quite sad and can only sigh as he watches her go. (~3:25, so sad yet a bit funny.)
Myeong Seok is about to be wheeled into the operating room and is accompanied by his mother. Suddenly, Young Woo appears and she’s even running to him. He asks what brought her here and she says the subway brought her here. lol His mother is staring at her wondering who/what she is to him. He says no, she’s supposed to be at work so why is she here? She says that she wanted to see him because if something goes wrong and he dies, she won’t be able to see him again. His appalled mother stares at her and says “Excuse me?” Myeong Seok waves his hand at his mother, blocking her glare, and says that she didn’t mean it in a bad way. He then tells Young Woo that this is his mother so say hi. Young Woo introduces herself with the palindromes and his mother looks even more dumbfounded by her. Myeong Seok reminds his mother that he’s told her that Korea is number one in the world in treating stomach cancer. With surgery, the survival rate is over 70 percent, so don’t worry. Young Woo says that’s because that number also includes cases of early detection. With stage III stomach cancer like his, the 5-year survival rate after surgery is only 30 to 40 percent – he cuts her off and asks to go in already. His mother starts crying as he’s rolled away, even as he says he’ll see her later. Young Woo follows up with, “Please. Come back alive!” He tells her to be quiet, and she repeats her words in a softer tone, next to his sobbing mother.
Soo Yeon calls Young Woo to come to the conference room as they have a meeting with their newly assigned clients. Young Woo says that she’s not at work. Soo Yeon urges her to hurry up then.
Case 14. Attorney Jang, Min Woo and Soo Yeon are meeting with their new clients, Bae In Cheol, CEO of Raon and its co-founder, Kim Chan Hong, but they’re interrupted by a knock on the door. It’s a late-arriving Young Woo, who then also distracts them with her countdown at the doorway and then fervently bows to the room. When Attorney Jang asks about why she's just standing there, she explains that the shock of moving from one place to another is very overwhelming for her and – Soo Yeon cuts her off and waves at her to get her to stop and to sit down already. Kim Chan Hong says that he gets that way sometimes, too. He says that he doesn’t want other people to think he’s weird so he pretends that he’s not uncomfortable even when he is. He then gives a light laugh which irritates Bae In Cheol who chides him for laughing at a time like this, and for not taking this seriously, just like when they were in school. Attorney Jang asks if they went to the same university. Kim Chan Hong says that he didn’t go to university. Bae In Cheol says that they went to high school together and he graduated from Hana University. Attorney Jang addresses him as hyung as they’re alumni and then gives this horribly tacky fake laugh… He says he was a freshman in 2000, and Bae In Cheol cracks a smile and says he was a freshman in ‘97. Min Woo joins them by saying he was a freshman in ‘13, which makes Bae In Cheol say he’s such a baby. He is. This scene reminds me of the one with the ATM client in Ep5. Soo Yeon snorts at this. Min Woo says when he was in school, Bae In Cheol had come as a special lecturer, and he’d found it very inspiring. He can’t believe that an alumnus created the online shopping mall that the whole country uses. The trio chuckle over this. Young Woo says it’s not the whole country, as based on a recent survey, the number of Raon users is 40,954,173 but Korea’s total population is 51,628,117. The entire room now feels like the air’s been sucked out and Attorney Jang does not look happy. Soo Yeon says, same difference, as it means more than 80 percent of the entire population uses Raon. She then says it’s amazing, and Bae In Cheol somberly says they’re about to go under.
Soo Yeon asks about the employee in charge of the database receiving an email from a hacker. Kim Chan Hong says the hacker hacked into the database manager’s inbox, and was aware of everything he and his younger brother had discussed. The hacker even sent the email using the younger brother’s exact tone. If the attachment containing the malware was an executable installation file, the database manager would have been more careful. But since it was a document file, he didn’t think much of it. Min Woo says that he didn’t know malware could be spread with Word files. Kim Chan Hong says it’s possible, and it was malware that was specially made to attack a specific target, it wasn’t detected by the anti-malware software. Young Woo asks if the hacker’s been caught. Bae In Cheol says no, the police think it was done by North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau. [RGB, North Korean intelligence agency.] Kim Chan Hong then shows the attorneys the landing page from the hacker’s Word document and asks if they notice anything. Young Woo notices the spelling for the word program is actually “prograhm,” which Kim Chan Hong confirms is the North Korean way of spelling program. Attorney Jang says if North Korea is involved, then it’ll be difficult to find the hacker as political issues will be involved as well. Bae In Cheol says no, the even bigger problem is the Korea Communications Commission (“KCC”). They’ve imposed a 300B won penalty surcharge on Raon and that’s why they’re here. They’re the victims of a North Korean cyberattack - and they’re being fined by KCC because they couldn’t safeguard personal data.
Kim Chan Hong mentions that when the hacker broke into the manager’s computer, the terminal connecting to the database server was up on the screen and still logged in. If he’s the manager, why didn’t he log off before he left for the evening? This is fishy. So the hacker had easy access, and the KCC is taking issue with Raon for not setting an idle timeout on their server properly. Attorney Jang asks if “idle timeout” refers to a “limitation on the maximum connection time”? Kim Chan Hong says yes, as after a certain amount of time, the connection would be blocked automatically. One isn’t connected to the server any longer than what’s necessary. Attorney Jang asks if this wasn’t set up on their server, which Kim Chan Hong confirms it wasn’t. Attorney Jang then says he thinks the KCC tacked on too many zeros. The clients are surprised by this. He mentions that a few years back, Aha.com also had a personal data breach, with an estimated leak of two million accounts and they only paid 70M won. JP Communications had an even bigger breach of 10 million accounts, and they paid a mere 100M won. Bae In Cheol asks then why are they being asked to pay 300B won? Perhaps because it’s the largest data breach with more than 40 million accounts, which is 80 percent of the population. Attorney Jang says with a smirk, it’s not like they lost 40 million people’s assets as it’s just personal data. Here we go… He points out that when people create online accounts, they’re aware that their information could be leaked. Bae In Cheol asks why they are doing this to them then. Attorney Jang says he knows some people at the KCC and will look into why the KCC did this and see how it’s going over there. He then mentions that no corporation has ever lost a trial against the KCC so far. The KCC is a government corporation so they can’t hire an expensive law firm. So they always lose to corporations that work with major law firms. He assures them that it’ll be the same this time, so don’t worry as he address Bae In Cheol as sunbae-nim. Such a brown-noser.
In the cafeteria, Soo Yeon is eating by herself but when Min Woo tries to join her, she starts choking on her food. He asks if he can’t sit here, and she says there are plenty of open seats around. So he takes his tray and turns to leave but she says, or he can just sit as they’ve eaten together before. She then notices Jun Ho eating all by himself and comments on his recent breakup. She asks if they should join him at his table. Min Woo looks over and says it’s not necessary as three women quickly join Jun Ho at the four-top. Jun Ho doesn’t discourage them but he looks uncomfortable with the attention. Min Woo smirks as he asks her who it is that she’s worried about.
Back in her office, Young Woo is eating her lunch as she researches materials for the new case. Soo Yeon comes into her office and chides her for being cooped up in her office for lunch. She suggests that she go outside and enjoy the nice weather. Young Woo doesn’t say much, so Soo Yeon asks what happened with Jun Ho, as she's heard that she ended things. She then finds out that Young Woo didn’t give him an explanation as to why, so she chides her for being so rude. Young Woo finally says that she doesn’t think it’s appropriate to discuss personal matters during work hours. Soo Yeon says it’s lunchtime right now. Young Woo then excitedly asks if they should talk about whales, as that’s when she usually talks – But Soo Yeon cuts her off to say she doesn’t want to. She asks her to give an answer to her question. Young Woo avoids answering the question by looking at the time. It’s 12:59 so she starts putting away her gimbap and chopsticks. She then sits there and watches the clock count the seconds until it’s exactly 1 o’clock. She then tells Soo Yeon that lunchtime is now over… so it’s work hours again – no more talking about personal matters. She then runs out of her office.
Young Woo goes to Attorney Jang’s office and finds him laying upside down on his inversion table. She’s not sure what to think but he just waits for her to talk. She says that it’s not a mistake that the KCC imposed Raon with the 300B won penalty surcharge. He asks if she knows why the KCC did it then. She shows him an article - “A Mere 100 Million Won Penalty Surcharge for 7 Billion Personal Data Leaks.” It states that over the past decade, there have been seven billion personal data leaks, but only light punishment has been imposed. The strengthening of punishment such as introducing a class action system and expanding punitive damages is needed. She continues that there are a lot of similar articles. Public opinion on personal data leakage is leaning toward the necessity of strengthening punishment for companies. He asks so what? So the KCC read a few newspaper articles and raised the penalty surcharge from 100M to 300B won out of nowhere? She replies that the Act on the Information and Communications Network is revised frequently. Back when the KCC imposed penalties of 70M won and 100M won on Aha.com and JP Communications respectively, the law had set the maximum penalty surcharge as 100M won. Attorney Jang starts slowly adjusting himself back into the upright position as she continues saying, however, under the current law, a penalty surcharge of up to three percent of sales related to the violation can be imposed. He mutters to himself that she’s so arrogant. She tells him that she didn’t catch that, and he gets off the table and says that this is her first time working with him so from now on, there’s only one rule she has to follow. Don’t say anything she hasn’t been asked and don’t do anything she hasn’t been asked to do. He asks if she understands. She replies if those aren’t two rules. He’s confused by her, so she goes to explain. He cuts her off and erupts into yelling, “Whether it’s one or two, do you understand?” Even though she’s quite startled, she says yes, she understands. This is going to get ugly…
Hairy Boss, Geu Rami and Young Woo are visiting Myeong Seok at the hospital. Hairy Boss has brought some side dishes for his mother. Myeong Seok thanks him for also thinking of his mother. Young Woo hasn’t said a word so Myeong Seok asks if something’s bothering her. She says yes. So he asks what it is. She says she can’t tell him the details because of attorney-client privilege. Geu Rami suggests that she be vague about it and not get into the details. Young Woo asks what she should do if a senior attorney on a case with her will not listen to what she has to say. He asks who the senior attorney is working on the case with her. She says Attorney Jang and he turns his head away in disgust. He then says for her sake, lowering herself and not to do anything that might set him off could be a way – but Young Woo starts crouching down. Myeong Seok asks where she is going. Geu Rami tells her that he didn’t mean that literally! He tries to laugh but then he starts hurting. He tells her that she can’t do it, as she doesn’t even understand what “lower oneself” means. She asks what she should do then. He says she has colleagues, so talk to them. If she can’t get through to the senior attorney, then have even more discussions with her colleagues.
Day 1 of Trial. Attorney Jang starts his opening statement by explaining spear phishing until the Judge tells him that he appreciates the generous explanation, but the plaintiff, defendants and judges here all already know what it is. Ha! Attorney Jang wants to explain more but the Judge points out that it appears that most of the people in the audience are reporters. So get to his argument. Defense counsel for the KCC silently laughs at him as he fixes his tie and suit after being essentially admonished by the Judge. Hehe. Attorney Jang can’t seem to start his argument and asks for a moment. He grumpily gets the tablet from Min Woo before saying that imposing such a hefty fine of 300B won on Raon, who is also a victim of this hacking, is both a deviation and abuse of discretionary power by the KCC.
Defense Counsel objects as it’s neither a deviation nor an abuse of discretionary power. According to the Act on the Information and Communications Network, the Defendant can impose on the Plaintiff a penalty surcharge of up to three percent of sales related to the violation. Exactly what Young Woo said. Raon’s sales last year were 30.3T won, and the Defendant could have imposed a penalty surcharge of 900B won, but took into account the Plaintiff’s circumstances and imposed only 300B won, which is much less than the maximum amount. Attorney Jang then brings up that when Aha.com and JP Communications leaked personal data, the Defendant imposed penalties of 70M won and 100M, respectively. However, to impose 300B won for the same issue just because the law was revised is far too unfair. Defense counsel says that forty million personal records were leaked due to Raon’s carelessness. They leaked the data of the entire country – and the Judge interrupts to say it’s not the entire country. It would be more accurate to say 80 percent of the entire country. Rookie attorneys are happy that the Judge agrees with exactly what Young Woo had said previously. Defense counsel says that she stands corrected, and says that they leaked the personal data of 80 percent of the entire country. She then asks how much would be fair then? Attorney Jang looks at his tablet for an answer. Defense counsel continues saying that the data leaked isn’t just basic personal data. The credit and financial transaction data of 40 million people have all been exposed. So the penalty surcharge, which is one percent of their sales, is too much? This kind of attitude shows Raon’s low level of awareness of their users’ personal data. Attorney Jang doesn’t have a retort to this and just sits back down. Ha. The clients don’t look happy and neither does the rest of Team Hanbada.
Back at Hanbada, they’re now discussing causation. Attorney Jang explains the difference between an administrative fine and a penalty surcharge, as not having time to set up the idle timeout itself falls under an administrative fine. It’s less than 30M won at most. But if not having this idle timeout in place is what caused this personal data breach, then it falls under a penalty charge. The amount would also increase to three percent of related sales. He asks the clients, if an idle timeout was set on Raon’s servers, could it have prevented the personal data breach? Kim Chan Hong likens it to asking if the front door was locked, would a thief still have been able to steal from inside the house. It depends on the hacker’s capability but they don’t know who it is yet as they haven’t been caught yet. Attorney Jang asks him to give a guess as he’s the expert in this, and this is something that will decide whether it’s a 30M won administrative fine or a $300B won penalty surcharge. If it’s this serious, why not hire a third-party cybersecurity expert to determine this?! Kim Chan Hong asks Choi Jin Pyo about the keylogger in the malware installed on his computer. Soo Yeon isn’t sure what that is. Kim Chan Hong explains when the keylogger is installed, they can see what is being typed. For example, if Choi Jin Pyo typed in his login credentials for the server, then they could see that, too, and it only takes a small amount of time. Min Woo asks even if the idle timeout was set, it couldn’t have prevented the hacking as there’s no causation between the two events.
Bae In Cheol returns to the conference room and announces that he just received a call that their users are filing a class-action lawsuit against them, claiming damages for the personal data breach. Attorney Jang asks what law firm has nothing better to do than take on this tiresome case. It’s Taesan Law Firm, who are recruiting litigants through a website. Soo Yeon finds the site and says that the website has been launched less than a month but there are already a million people. Bae In Cheol looks quite distressed by this. She says that it looks like they’re planning to claim 100,000 won for each victim. Bae In Cheol asks Attorney Jang what they should do, as the penalty surcharge isn’t important anymore. If they have a million in less than a month, it’s only a matter of time before they have 40 million, and if each person makes a claim for 100,000 won, that’s 4T won in total. Raon would be done as they’d go bankrupt. Attorney Jang tells him to remain calm as this is how it is for personal data breach cases. In addition to public liability of having to pay a fine or surcharge, he’ll also be expected to bear liability under the “jurisdiction” through civil lawsuits. Young Woo interrupts by saying that he needs to be mindful of his pronunciation. Everyone turns to look at her in shock.
Young Woo says the way he pronounced the word refers to “jurisdiction.” Soo Yeon makes faces at her to get her to stop, but Young Woo continues saying that the last syllable must be stressed in the Korean word for “private law.” Although the two are spelled the same, they mean completely different things based on their pronunciation. Attorney Jang totally loses it and starts yelling about her bringing this up now, and asks how she is teaching him how to pronounce words?! She’s quite startled by his outburst and covers her ears. Bae In Cheol interrupts by placing a hand on Attorney Jang’s arm and asks to have a word with him, outside.
Outside, Bae In Cheol tells Attorney Jang that he’s found out that the presiding judge has been quite active with Hana University's alumni association. He wants to know if they can use that to their advantage. Attorney Jang isn’t sure what he’s asking. Bae In Chael says within the business industry, they treat each other to dinners. Attorney Jang thinks about this.
Attorney Han is reading out loud an article about Raon, who failed to protect the personal information of 40 million users filing a lawsuit against the penalty surcharge, which accounts for only one percent of its sales. This shows Raon’s ridiculous level of awareness of their users’ personal information. She then asks Attorney Jang if he knows how many articles like this are up right now. It’s as if they’re doing the trial to set up their client for criticism. Attorney Jang bows and apologizes for this. She says that the comments are even worse: “They make 30 trillion a year, but they’re whining about 300 billion?” “They leaked the personal data of the entire country but are acting like victims for being hacked.” She asks how did he set up his defense for public opinion to be this bad? He replies that the penalty surcharge that was below 100M won for a similar case has skyrocketed to 300B won this time, which is why they pointed out the KCC’s deviation and abuse of discretionary power and raised the issue of fairness. She just looks at him and he pipes down to say they’ll find another way. They’re going to claim that there is no direct causation between the KCC’s grounds for their disposition and the hacking.
She tells him that the second round, which is the class-action lawsuit being prepared by Taesan, is more important. She stresses that they need to win this lawsuit to have the upper hand in the class-action lawsuit. She says it’s already bad enough to see Taesan representing 40 million citizens, but imagine Hanbada losing that fight. He promises to not let that happen.
Soo Yeon demands to know from Young Woo what was so important about the pronunciation of a word. Min Woo is amused by how fired up she is. Soo Yeon continues saying why the pronunciation matters if she understands what he meant. She explains that things are different from when they worked with Attorney Jung. Young Woo asks if they are. Min Woo says, of course, they are… as Attorney Jung is… generous with her. He just accepts or moves past whatever weird thing she says. Young Woo says, “Don’t say anything you haven’t been asked, and don’t do anything you haven’t been asked to do.” Soo Yeon says yes, that’s correct, so just stick to that. Min Woo then receives a call from Attorney Jang and takes off. Soo Yeon wonders why it’s only him.
Min Woo is at a restaurant with Bae In Cheol and Attorney Jang and they’re waiting for someone. Bae In Cheol pulls out a case and opens it – it’s all cash. He then asks if he shouldn’t give it to him today. Min Woo and Attorney Jang both look a bit shocked by this. Attorney Jang gently closes the case and tells him to see how things go first. When the presiding judge sees Bae In Cheol and his attorneys, he becomes livid. He tells the man that led him here that he said there was a Hana University alumnus in a tough spot and he was going to give some light legal advice. Bae In Cheol promptly gets down on his knees and tells him that he is a Hana University alumnus who’s in a tough spot. He tearfully pleas with him to hear him out, even if it’s just for five minutes. The Judge says this is undeniably an improper solicitation attempt. So be grateful that he won’t cause an issue with this, and don’t ever do it again. The Judge then leaves. Bae In Cheol breaks down into tears and desperately begs and asks Attorney Jang what he should do.
Day 2 of Trial. Attorney Jang doesn’t dare to approach the Judge. Instead, he has Soo Yeon address the court. She admits the fact that the Plaintiff did not set the idle timeout. In other words, a limit on the maximum connection time. But this is merely a violation of protocol, and thus, subject to an administrative fine of less than 30M won, not a penalty surcharge of 300B won. Because there is no causation between not setting up the idle timeout and the hacking, as there was a keylogger within the malware that the hacker installed on DB manager’s computer, which allowed the keylogger to track everything that was being typed on this computer. Therefore, it would have only been a matter of time for the hacker to find the ID and password to connect to the server. Even if the Plaintiff has set a limit on maximum connection time, they wouldn’t have been able to prevent the personal data breach.
Defense counsel says that the causation between a limit on the maximum connection time and the personal data breach is irrelevant. Whether there is causation or not, Raon is still subject to a penalty surcharge. The day the hacker broke into Raon’s servers and leaked users’ personal data was January 19, 2022 which was when the Act on the Information and Communications Network was partially revised. Act on Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, Article 64-3, Paragraph 1, Item 6. Before it was revised it was – Young Woo suddenly recites it: “In the event in which measures to protect personal data were not taken, and therefore, the user’s personal information is lost, stolen, leaked, forged, altered, or damaged.” Defense counsel confirms that’s correct and then asks if she also knows how it was revised. Young Woo says, “In the event in which the user’s personal information is lost, stolen, leaked, forged, altered, or damaged and no measures to protect personal data were taken.” Attorney Jang asks what the difference is, other than just the order of the phrasing.
Defense counsel happily replies that before the revision, if the failure to take protective measures toward personal data is what caused the breach of personal data, then a penalty surcharge would have been imposed. Thus, it was clear that the inaction had to be the cause of the breach. However, the revised law states that within a personal data breach, in any event in which protective measures toward personal data were not taken, a penalty surcharge would be imposed. Thus, if the breach and inaction are both acknowledged, the causation between the two is irrelevant. This creates a stir in the audience of reporters. The Judge says that defense counsel is correct and the court will also be more careful in the interpretation of the legal text. Bae In Cheol suddenly stands up and addresses the Judge directly. He says that millions of users are deleting their Raon accounts every day and the website that’s preparing the class-action lawsuit already has more than ten million members. They’re losing users while the compensation for damages is increasing. A penalty surcharge of 300B won? Attorney Jang and Min Woo look at him with concern. He asks was it that wrong of them to not have set up an idle timeout? He walks away from the table and stands to face the Judge and asks do they - his voice breaks - really have to pay this big of a price? The Judge asks him to calm down. Bae In Cheol says that no other company has done its best to satisfy users the way Raon has. He asks how they’re supposed to stop a hacker who is determined to break in. To be disgraced as a company that leaked the personal data of the entire country and to fall apart like this - his eyes well up with tears - is unfair. He yells that it’s really unfair and then he pulls out a pill and ingests it! Kim Chan Hong runs over to stop him but it’s too late as he starts convulsing and drops to the floor. The courtroom is chaotic now as everyone moves forward to look on in horror. Poor Young Woo is beside herself as she’s going into severe sensory overload from everything that’s happening only a stone’s throw away from her. Bae In Cheol now starts foaming at the mouth. Jun Ho hears and sees Young Woo struggling to cope with the situation as she’s yelping and gasping in the corner. He moves to go towards her but he falters when he remembers that they’re no longer together. Oh, Jun Ho, even so, why wouldn’t you step up right now?!
Bae In Cheol is now laying in a hospital bed hooked up to all sorts of tubes and wires. The doctor tells Kim Chan Hong that they’ve done all that they can, so now they’re keeping him for observation. Kim Chan Hong stays inside with him, while the doctor informs Team Hanbada that they’ve given him an antidote for the large amount of cyanide he swallowed. Due to the large number of reporters waiting for them, Attorney Jang asks Jun Ho to pull the car directly to the front so they can get in immediately. Why not a back or side entrance?! Jun Ho leaves to get the car, and the remaining foursome head towards the doors, but they see the large number of reporters waiting outside. Attorney Jang instructs them to not say anything and then leads them towards the mob, and when the door opens, he ducks out of the way to hide while the rookie attorneys are bombarded with camera flashes and questions from the reporters. Soo Yeon is trying to protect Young Woo as they’re totally surrounded now. When Jun Ho pulls up with the rear passenger door open, Attorney Jang spots him and gets in and tells Jun Ho to drive away. Jun Ho asks what about the other others, and Attorney Jang replies that it’s too late for them and yells at him to go already. Jun Ho steps on it, and the rookie attorneys spot them driving away. Young Woo continues getting worse from sensory overload and starts yelling that this is a betrayal. Min Woo and Soo Yeon try to guide themselves and Young Woo out of the crowd.
The trio are now at the pub, which is empty as always. Hairy Boss is smart enough to give them privacy, while Geu Rami makes herself comfortable at the table just to stare at Min Woo. Hairy Boss quickly drags her away. Soo Yeon asks Min Woo what Attorney Jang had talked to him about when he’d singled him out before. Min Woo says it was nothing and she says she thought it was a Hana University alumni get-together to scheme. Young Woo interrupts their bickering to say that causation is a principle of law. Soo Yeon asks if she’s talking about the case. Young Woo says Criminal Law, Article 17, Causation: “Any act which is not connected with the danger which is an element of a crime shall not be punishable for the results.” Soo Yeon says that doesn’t pertain only to criminal law, but also to civil law. Young Woo says then the administrative punishment should also be like that. To punish Raon so severely with a penalty surcharge when there is no causation between their action and the personal data breach doesn’t correspond to the principles of the law. Min Woo says no matter how much they claim that, if opposing counsel says “This trial isn’t to debate the fairness of the Act on the Information and Communications Network,” they can’t say much else. They’re not going to request an adjudication on the constitutionality of statutes. Soo Yeon agrees with him and then asks why did the hacker have to choose that day, and if it had been a day earlier, it would’ve ended with an administrative fine.
Young Woo has an epiphany about the Act’s revision date of January 19, 2022, which is the same day the hacker broke in. She then recalls the day the hacker sent the email to the DB manager - January 18th at 11:14 p.m. The manager opened the email and downloaded the file at 11:48 p.m. So the hacking started a day before the Act’s revision was implemented. Later, when they present this to Attorney Jang, he isn’t thrilled. He knows the Judge doesn’t like them to begin with. Yeah, no thanks to him! He says this is nonsense and Young Woo argues it isn’t. According to Article 14, Paragraph 1 of the General Act on Public Administration, one may ask for a disposition based on the law at the time of the violation. He says he knows that article but it applies only to facts completed or terminated before the enforcement of the new law. For Raon, the hacking might have taken place before the new law was enforced but the personal data leak occurred after. Young Woo says there’s still room for argument. She mentions Article 14, Paragraph 3 of the General Act on Public Administration, even in the event in which the law before the revision needs to be applied, if the new law makes the sanctions lenient, the new law is required to be applied. She continues arguing in Raon’s favor but he cuts her off by yelling at her to stop already. He gets angry at her for trying to teach him about the law and then he removes her off of the case. He then yells at her to leave and she quickly gets out of there. Soo Yeon tries to say something but Attorney Jang asks what else she has to say. Min Woo quickly says it’s nothing and pulls her by the arm to leave with him.
Outside, Soo Yeon asks Min Woo what he’s doing as he’s stopped her from saying what she wants to say. He tells her that not all of the senior attorneys they’ll be working with will be like Attorney Jung. So they have to learn how to act accordingly. She calmly tells him that he can learn as Young Woo was kicked off the case for no reason. Min Woo asks if she can’t tell that they’re different from Young Woo. She’s not sure what he’s trying to say. He says that she’s a genius, who can do whatever she wants and be kicked out like that, and people will think of her as being a stubborn genius and understand her. He says they’re different and if they act like Young Woo, they’ll be treated as juniors who can’t please their seniors and who are difficult to work with. She takes a deep breath and says he’s right, so right that it’s getting on her nerves. She asks if he can’t just be a fool for once? He asks, “Fool”? She replies for his colleague, for someone he believes is right. She asks if he can’t put down his tactics and politics for a bit and just be brave, like a fool? He scoffs at this and then asks why he should have to do that. She replies because she likes guys who are like that. He just stares at her.
Young Woo walks home and Jun Ho is already there waiting for her. When she sees him, she just stops talking. But when he walks up to her, she slowly removes her headphones.
LJH: Why can’t we be together? For a split second, she looks at him. Why on earth do we have to break up? She only bites her lips. I’ve been thinking about it. A perplexed look comes across his face. But I just can’t figure out why. She still won’t look at him.
WYW: I’m… not sure if I’m someone who can make you happy. I think I’m just someone you have to take care of. He thinks about her words and looks pained by it.
LJH: Did you hear… what my sister said to me? She looks around anywhere except directly at him. Is that why? His voice gets louder and filled with pain. Attorney Woo, I’m happy just being with you. For me to be happy, I have to be with you!
WYW: But haven’t you ever felt lonely when you were with me? He doesn’t have a response to that. All of my thoughts tend to center around me, so I make people close to me lonely. I don’t know when or why I do that. And I don’t know what I can do to stop it. Her eyes start becoming red and filled with tears. I… She looks at him briefly. …like you. But… I’m afraid… that I’ll make you lonely. Jun Ho with his own red eyes just looks at her wordlessly. She then gives a bow with her tearful eyes. (~52:30, Why must the series cut away from the scene like this?!)
Back at Hanbada, Soo Yeon is outside Young Woo’s office and about to knock when Min Woo asks her what she’s doing. She replies that she wants to say goodbye before going to trial. Min Woo teases her for wanting to do this. She gets annoyed at him and tells him to get going. He leaves and she finally knocks on Young Woo’s door. She tells Young Woo that she’s going to Raon’s trial and asks if she should bring back something for her on her way back. She cutely suggests bringing back Choi Soo Yeon gimbap, instead of Woo Young Woo gimbap. Young Woo deadpans that there is no such thing as Choi Soo Yeon gimbap. Soo Yeon says no, there isn’t but she’s going to get going. Young Woo just says okay. After Soo Yeon leaves, Young Woo peeks through her blinds at Jun Ho who is working at his desk. When he senses that he’s being watched, he glances over and their eyes meet for a few seconds before she lets go of the blinds and turns her back to him. They both look miserable. Awww, our poor whale couple. (~57:00)
Final Day of Trial. Attorney Jang delivers his closing argument, as he says that the victims preparing for a large-scale compensation lawsuit is an overwhelming mental burden for the Plaintiff. With a personal data breach, liability under public law and liability under the “jurisdiction” must both be – The Judge interrupts him to be mindful of his pronunciation. Ha! Attorney Jang doesn’t get it. The Judge tells him that he needs to stress the last syllable when pronouncing the word for “private law.” They mean completely different things based on their pronunciation. [I want to look this up but it’ll require more research for another time…] Soo Yeon and Min Woo look at each other, as Attorney Jang can only smile, bow and say yes. But when he tries to ask the Judge how to pronounce it, the Judge just gives him a look. Attorney Jang drops it and tries to figure out how to continue. He falters, apologizes and then returns to the table to regroup.
Suddenly Soo Yeon stands up. She tells the Judge that Article 64-3, Paragraph 1, Item 6 of the Act on the Information and Communications Network was revised and enforced on January 19, 2022. The hacker also got into Raon’s server and stole personal data that same day. But the day the hacker sent the email with malware to the DB manager, was a day earlier, January 18, 2022. Min Woo grabs onto her arm to stop her. The Judge asks what her point is. She says that she’s saying that the hacking began one day before the Act was revised. Defense counsel looks at her documents and the reporters are all making note of this new fact. Soo Yeon then brings up Article 14 of the General Act on Public Administration, which states new laws do not apply to facts that were completed or terminated before the enforcement of the new law, the plaintiff is subject to an administrative fine, not a penalty surcharge, in accordance with the Act before its revision. As she ends her speech, Min Woo pulls her back down into her chair. Attorney Jang asks her what she’s doing as he’s in the middle of his closing argument. Min Woo tells her to stop it and asks if Young Woo would like this. Soo Yeon says this isn’t about her, and she’s doing what she feels is right.
Defense counsel tells the Judge that the hacking may have begun on January 18th but the leak of personal data happened on the 19th - after the revised Act was enforced. Soo Yeon asks with what standard does the Defense counsel determine to be the line between hacking and the leak of personal data. She asks, doesn’t a theft begin the moment a thief breaks into a house? Attorney Jang tells Soo Yeon if she says one more, then she’s off the case. Defense counsel says that Article 14, which Plaintiff’s counsel mentioned as grounds for refutation only applies to facts that were completed or terminated before the enforcement of the new law. She then asks for him to make the judgment based on when the leak of personal data ended, not when the hacking began. Soo Yeon tries to reply, but Min Woo pulls her back. Then he gets up and mentions Article 14, even in the event in which the law before its revision needs to be applied - Attorney Jang is now glaring at him as well - if the new law makes the sanctions lenient, then application of the new law is required. In this case it is advantageous for the Plaintiff if the law before the revision is applied. Soo Yeon is looking at him with admiration. He continues saying, “When in doubt, rule for the accused”, should not be a principle that only applies to criminal law. He then pleas for the Judge’s generosity in understanding the Plaintiff’s circumstances. The Judge says that’s an interesting point and he’ll make a decision after careful deliberation. Attorney Jang can only say thank you and bow to the Judge now.
Back at the restaurant, Attorney Han tells Woo Dad that there are a few resorts across the country that can be used with the Hanbada employee membership. She suggests that he take a couple months off with Young Woo. Both of these CEO attorneys just toss Young Woo and her father around like a ball. She says to think of it as a paid vacation. Dad asks if this is really necessary. She says that she can stop it for now, but once the article is out, reporters will be all over Young Woo, too. So just lay low until things die down and she can return to Hanbada afterward. He asks, return to Hanbada after the whole world finds out that she’s Tae Soo Mi’s daughter who was born out of wedlock? Will she be able to have a proper career with that label on her? Attorney Han says he said he’d allow it once - for her to use Young Woo to get Tae Soo Mi in return for giving her a job at Hanbada. Omo. He slumps down in his seat at her words. She asks why he’s going back on his word. He asks if there’s really no other way, besides revealing it to the press. She says as of right now, this is the best that she can do for him and Young Woo. Dad looks so sad at this.
Epilogue: A boy is playing with a Rubix cube as he’s watching the news about Raon winning the lawsuit for the cancellation of the 300B won penalty surcharge imposed by the KCC. The Seoul Administration Court cited Raon’s negligence of access control, including the limit of maximum connection time, but recognized that it was not the direct cause of the personal data breach and ruled in favor of the Plaintiff. Meanwhile, Raon’s co-CEO, Bae In Cheol, who collapsed after ingesting poison during the trial, is receiving treatment but has been confirmed as still being unconscious. The boy stops playing with the cube and tries to reach someone by phone. He leaves a message: He just saw the news and asks if Bae In Cheol is still unconscious. He’d told him that he was fine, and even said that he was awake now. He asks that he answer his phone. Don’t make him have to hack for his location, too. A knock interrupts this message, and Tae Soo Mi walks in, to tell her son that she’s home early so they should have dinner together.
[Ep16] “Though Unusual and Peculiar”
Micro Recap: Trial starts in the class-action lawsuit against Raon. Young Woo comes across some new evidence but her loyalties are split. Jun Ho follows his heart. Young Woo defines a new feeling.
Tae Soo Mi’s son wakes up in a room filled with various awards, including ones for cybersecurity competitions, medals, and many computer science/coding books. He gets dressed for school and then sits down to breakfast as the housekeeper has made his favorite, gimbap. He also has to place the pieces in a neat and orderly fashion on his plate before he’ll take a bite. Meanwhile, his mother and her assistant are in the living room watching the news. The trial for the largest class-action suit is about to begin today. There are over 30M complainants and the amount being claimed is close to 3T won. Taesun has filed the lawsuit while Raon’s CEO remains unconscious. There are concerns that the nation’s largest e-commerce company will go bankrupt due to the large sum being claimed as damages. This makes Tae Soo Mi’s son hesitate in eating his breakfast. She asks her assistant why the news is taking this direction and if Hanbada is behind it. Her assistant says that he’ll check with the PR department. She says that it shouldn’t seem like the powerful Taesun is running poor Raon out of business. Taesun usually works with companies so standing with the consumers is a show of great courage. They need to promote their representation of 30M citizens despite the risk of looking like they’re attacking their existing clients as well. Tae Soo Mi’s son interrupts their conversation and says he has something to tell her. She tells him that she’s working right now but he says that he did it. She asks him what. He says that he did it. He hacked into Raon. Both adults look at him now.
Alone now, Tae Soo Mi tells her son that she’s glad he told her the truth but from now on, he can’t tell anyone. I don’t like her. At all. She then says she’ll take care of everything. He looks very scared but he asks if she’ll go to the police. She asks him why he keeps bringing up the police. She then asks if he knows how scary and agonizing it is to be punished by the law. He admits that he’s already scared and in agony, and if getting punished makes the situation any better, he’ll take it. He did it, and he’s the reason Raon is ruined and Bae In Cheol is in that state. She yells his name, Choi Sang Hyeon, and asks if he doesn’t know how much is at stake for her right now as her confirmation hearing is right around the corner. He asks what that has to do with this. He asks if she’s afraid that she might not become Minister because of him. She screams yes! Then she asks how he could do something like this when he knew how much effort she’s put into becoming Minister. She asks if she’s asked a lot from him. The poor boy is crying as his mother is berating him. She yells that all she ever wanted was for her son to grow up to be a good person. He asks her – then what about her? He asks if she thinks he doesn’t know. She asks what? He yells Woo Young Woo! He asks if she thinks he doesn’t know.
Back at Hanbada, our rookie attorneys are meeting with Attorney Jang, who asks if they’ve self-reflected on what they did. The three look at each other, and Min Woo finally says yes, he did some deep self-reflection and will be sure to abide by the rules and procedures from now on and not give his opinion as he pleases. Attorney Jang says he’s not upset about rookies giving their opinions. Attorney Han joins them and says that she’ll be part of the Raon lawsuit now. She asks what the plan is.
Attorney Jang says first, they plan to emphasize the results of the lawsuit against the KCC since Raon not having the idle timeout set up wasn’t the direct cause of personal data breach. She agrees and then says because they won the previous trial, they can start this lawsuit in their favor, too. She praises Attorney Jang for arguing that the hack began before the law was revised as it requires looking really closely at the details. He accepts this, even as Soo Yeon and Young Woo are shocked that he’d accept full credit for this. Min Woo, ever the brown-noser, says that they can always learn a lot from Attorney Jang. As Bae In Cheol is still unconscious, Raon’s Board of Directors are appointing Kim Chan Hong as the independent CEO, so he can make decisions in Bae In Cheol’s absence. They will abolish the co-CEO system and change it to independent CEO with both Bae In Cheol and Kim Chan Hong.
Min Woo and Soo Yeon pay a visit to Myeong Seok who is busy with a spa treatment in his hospital room. He’s getting ready for his ex-wife’s visit. When he removes his face mask, Min Woo, ever the brown-noser, tells him that he looks pretty and dewy. Myeong Seok tells them to take care of their health now, and if they continue pulling all-nighters and skipping meals, they’ll get sick as soon as they turn 40 as he points at himself. As they’re discussing who else in the firm is sick, Ji Soo shows up. Min Woo and Soo Yeon quickly excuse themselves and leave. Ji Soo says that he looks well. She gives him a tablet and tells him to watch episodes of a show that he liked. He asks her when he gets discharged, if she’d go to Jeju Island with him. She looks at him. He says that he’s heard there’s a place that makes excellent meat noodles and they should go there together. She comments that when he was young and healthy, work was a priority over her, so what’s going on now that he’s old and sick. He apologizes and then says that he’s made a lot of money thanks to focusing only on work until he’s old and sick. She asks if he’s able to resign from Hanbada, because once he’s discharged and returns to Habada, then nothing will change. She says he should move to a firm where he can have a good work-life balance. She chides him for never thinking about leaving the firm, even though he’s gotten this sick. He tells her that he’ll think about it, if it’s necessary… he’ll quit Habada. He then asks for Ji Soo to be with him.
At Taesun, Min Woo meets with Tae Soo Mi and tells her that if he were Young Woo, he would want to quit Hanbada right now. She asks why. He says that the mentor who was nice to her isn’t at the firm because he’s sick, and the new senior attorney hates her. She also recently broke up with the guy she was dating at the firm. She’s surprised that Young Woo was in a relationship. He says now would be the right time to make Young Woo quit Habada. This is all he came to tell her. She comments so in the end, he couldn’t accomplish this himself. I loathe her. He says yes, he wasn’t able to make her quit or get fired. She asks if he’s giving up then and he says yes. When shhe asks why, he says that he wants to try living like a fool for once.
Once again, it’s nighttime, and a nervous Jun Ho paces back and forth outside Young Woo’s home, and practices what he’ll say to her: “I understand where you are coming from…” “But I like…” “Because I like you…” “Since I like you…” (~17:00, How is he always so… precious?!) When he sees her walking up the hill, he pipes down and waits quietly. However, a man in a suit gets out of his car and approaches Young Woo from behind - he touches her shoulder which makes her yelp, jump and become quite flustered. Jun Ho sees this interaction and quickly runs over to shove the man away from her and then asks who he is. The man flings his hand away and asks who he is. Jun Ho grabs him by the lapel again and now roars “I asked who you were!”, which makes Young Woo scowl in pain. (~17:45, Well, he stepped up this time!) The man avoids answering Jun Ho’s question and looks over at Young Woo, and says he has a message for her. The man flings Jun Ho’s hand away again, and hands Young Woo an envelope from Taesun. Jun Ho notices this and says if he has a message for her, he should send it to the firm. He asks what he’s doing coming to her house at this hour. He asks if he’s really a Taesun employee. Young Woo starts opening the envelope and pulls out the documents inside. The man asks who he is to be butting in – is he her guardian or something? Young Woo is looking at documents for Taesun’s Boston office. Jun Ho goes to answer the man that he’s… and then he stops and looks over at Young Woo and then just thinks about it. (~18:19, OMG, His face. I cannot handle that face. Stop. It.)
Young Woo tells the man to just deliver his message and she will listen to it with Jun Ho. The man asks her if she would like to work for Taesun’s U.S. office in Boston. Taesun will provide housing for her and her father, as well as any necessary educational and living expenses. Jun Ho looks shocked by this. The man continues saying that her salary will be more than double what she gets at Hanbada right now. And for her, they will introduce her to a professional counselor and Taesun will pay for the counseling fees as well. Young Woo asks, a professional counselor? The man says he’s referring to someone who specializes in autism spectrum disorder. He says that Boston is a city with a variety of active communities for those with autism. Jun Ho asks why he’s making a job offer like this. He’s never seen someone recruit a person by staking out in front of their house. The man looks away and doesn’t respond. Young Woo asks if Tae Soo Mi is the one who made the offer. The man says yes, that’s right. Jun Ho says it’s not Taesun’s HR team but Attorney Tae? The man tells Young Woo that his business card is in the envelope, so think about it and contact him anytime. The man leaves and then Young Woo asks Jun Ho if he has something to say to her too. He’s a bit frazzled as he says yes but then he says he’ll tell her another time as she has a lot to think about. He tells her to get some rest. She gives him a polite bow and then goes up to her place. Our sad Jun Ho just stands there. Aww, I want to hug him.
Young Woo greets her father, who says that they need to talk. He tells her that Attorney Han came by a few days ago, and it looks like she’s planning to reveal everything to the press right before Tae Soo Mi’s confirmation hearing. Dad says that she’s the child Tae Soo Mi had out of wedlock. If that happens, the world’s attention will not only be on Tae Soo Mi but also Young Woo, and the reporters will come for her every day and bother her. Young Woo is trying to process the severity of this situation. He says that Attorney Han suggested that they go to some report in the countryside and stay hidden until things die down. Young Woo is nothing but a pawn for these two women who hate each other. Basically, it’s paid leave. Young Woo shows her father the documents from Taesun, for Taesun Boston. He asks if she got that from Tae Soo Mi and when. She says yes, and she just received it from a Taesun employee just now. Dad says he guesses that her offer for them to go to the U.S. still stands. Young Woo looks at him with surprise. She asks if he already knew about this. Dad nods and says that he would hate to comply with her wishes, but right now, that seems like the better option. Rather than continuing to work here, while being the target of gossip and being labeled as her daughter, leaving the country seems better. He asks what she thinks. Young Woo looks like she’s about to break down in tears as she says that she’s unsure. She says so far her life has had nothing to do with Tae Soo Mi. She doesn’t understand why she has to hide all of a sudden and go to the States. Dad says she’s right. He then apologizes for everything.
Day 1 of Trial. Plaintiffs’ counsel says that despite being aware of the hack on January 19, 2022, Raon did not report it to the police until a week later on January 26th. They noticed the users through the Raon website on February 20th, a month after the incident.
Young Woo receives a visitor at the office, a young man claiming to be her younger brother, but he won’t tell the staff what his name is. Young Woo thinks about this and agrees to have him sent in. Choi Sang Hyeon comes inside and sits down and starts solving his Rubix cube. Young Woo asks who he is, and he says his name, and that he’s Tae Soo Mi’s son. She asks why he’s here to see her. He says that he wants to come clean about what he did, but he doesn’t know how. He then says that he hacked into Raon because Chan Hong asked him to. She’s confused by this. He finishes solving his Rubix cube and sets it down on her desk. Then he tells her about meeting Chan Hong at a cybersecurity competition. Chan Hong was a judge the year he won the grand prize. They became close and met up often even after the competition. He even showed him around Raon and introduced him to In Cheol. Then one day, Chan Hong asked him if he could hack into Raon and steal users’ personal data.
Young Woo asks if Kim Chan Hong asked him to hack into Raon, the company where he’s the CEO? She asks why.
Kim Chan Hong had told him that he wanted In Cheol to come to his senses, as he’s lost sight of where they started. Raon is a company created by two developers, and the developer’s spirit is the basis of this business. In Cheol has forgotten about all that and is just a businessman now. He’s only interested in making money by selling things. He has no interest in investing in software development or security. They’ll use this opportunity to properly remind him of that developer’s spirit. He had then suggested that Choi Sang Hyeon hack into Raon and steal the personal data of the users. What a POS. Then he’ll try convincing In Cheol by saying, “I told you. We’re being attacked because we’re not investing in security.” Choi Sang Hyeon had asked if it wasn’t too risky, and if word gets out about the hack, the police will investigate. Kim Chan Hong had said he’d looked into it and a personal data breach is fine. All they have to do is pay a fine of 100M won and then upload an apology statement on their website. All the other companies did that, too. He had assured Choi Sang Hyeon that it’s nothing. WTH!
Choi Sang Hyeon says that’s why he did it. He had left some clues to make it look like it was done by North Korea, and then he stole the personal data of Raon users. She asks what he did with the personal data. He says that he gave it to Chan Hong because he asked for it – all encrypted. But he kept asking him to decrypt it. Young Woo asks why. He says that he doesn’t know. He kept talking nonsense about wanting to see if it was really Raon users’ data, so he just kept it encrypted. Just in case he sells it off somewhere. Young Woo asks why he suddenly wants to confess. He says because In Cheol attempted suicide. He didn’t know that he would take it so hard. He only did it because Chan Hong said it would end with just a small fine. He wasn’t trying to make In Cheol end up like that and ruin Raon. She asks if he shouldn’t go to the police to confess, so why did he come to her.
He replies that he told his mother, but she got mad and told him to not do anything. He went to the police, too, but they got on the phone with his mother, and then they wouldn’t even listen to him. His mother is powerful, and people do whatever she tells them to do. That’s why he came here, because he thought his noona won’t do what his mother says. She repeats the word noona. He says they have different dads but the same mother, so she’s his noona. Young Woo looks startled by this and asks how he knows that she’s his noona. He says that he’s heard the rumor about his mother having a child before she married his father. He had thought it was just a false rumor, but for a while, his mother was acting weird. She would watch something in her room and get startled when she walked in. So he hacked into her phone and computer, and saw that she looked up a lot of stuff about her. He also saw her texts with his grandmother about her. So that’s how he knew.
She asks how he wants her to help him. He pulls out a flash drive and tells her it’s a video of himself confessing to the hack. He asks what if she uses this as evidence during the trial. Then wouldn’t the police start investigating? His mother wouldn’t be able to stop it. She tells him that Kim Chan Hong is her client, therefore, she cannot reveal the fact that he had him hack Raon, because it’s against her client’s interests. He asks her what kind of person she thinks his mother is. He says people say that those who are born rich don’t get punished. Whether it’s drugs, drunk driving or assault. Whatever they do, they get away with it. But his mother was different. If he did something wrong, she’d scold him. But now that something big like this has happened, she’s just the same. She’s acting like those foul rich people you see on the news.
Young Woo visits Attorney Jung and finds out that he might not be returning to Hanbada. She tells him about her client being involved in a criminal act, and the other person involved in the crime wants to confess. But if she helps that person confess, then it’s against the interests of the client. Attorney Jung says so the dilemma is revealing the truth and achieving social justice, or staying loyal to the client’s interests. He brings up the Ihwa ATM case and Mir Life case. He’s worked at Hanbada for 14 years and has always put the interests of the client ahead of social justice. But she’s not him, so how could he give her advice on this and he’s curious to know what decision she’ll make.
Team Hanbada along with Attorney Han are now watching Choi Sang Hyeon’s confession video. Attorney Jang asks why he went to see her of all people. Young Woo denies knowing him at all. Attorney Jang then tells Attorney Han that this is not in the best interest of their client, as they’re not sure if what he’s saying is true or not. Then he asks if they want to be known as a firm that sends its clients to jail. Min Woo agrees with him as Taesun already claims that Raon is responsible for the personal data breach. If this gets out, then they may claim even more damages. Young Woo interjects by saying don’t attorneys have the duty to not cover up the truth about a case. If it’s beneficial to the public, attorney-client privilege doesn’t have to be kept. Soo Yeon agrees with her, and says that hiding the identity of the hacker for the sake of the client’s interests doesn’t sit right with her.
Attorney Han says because Taesun filed a class-action lawsuit against Raon, many companies who are disappointed in Taesun have come to them. At times like this, they have to make a good impression on those companies. So they can’t take the lead in getting Raon’s CEO punished… that would be the case but she really likes this video. This video has power as it can stop an unsuitable person from becoming the Minister of Justice. Young Woo has an epiphany about protecting the client’s interests and revealing the truth about the case – Kim Chan Hong is a man who represents a corporation called Raon, and they’re two separate entities. Hanbada is representing the corporation of Raon, and not Kim Chan Hong. So Raon’s interests are not in conflict with the truth here. Choi Sang Hyeon gave the personal data he stole to Kim Chan Hong but he encrypted the whole thing so nobody could access or use the personal data. So the damage due to the personal data breach hasn’t occurred yet.
Afterwards, Attorney Han calls the Jeongui Ilbo reporter to tell him to put the article about Tae Soo Mi’s child out of wedlock story on hold. When he asks why, she says that she has something better for him. She then tells Young Woo to not go on that paid vacation as she now has something better for her to do.
Day 2 of Trial. Hanbada is submitting video evidence today and has requested a closed court. Attorney Jang says that the witness in the video is a minor. As the witness is confessing to a crime related to this case, they’re requesting the audience to vacate the courtroom when they play the video to protect the identity of the witness. The courtroom empties out and then Attorney Jang plays the video. Kim Chan Hong objects to them playing this video without telling him first, and they’re his attorneys. Jun Ho comes into the courtroom and hands over documents to Young Woo, who examines them and says that they are not his attorneys. They’re Raon’s attorneys. Team Hanbada starts examining the documents. Kim Chan Hong starts yelling that he is Raon, as he’s the CEO. Min Woo says not anymore, as the Board of Directors just dismissed him, and shows him the document saying exactly that.
During the emergency board meeting, a still unwell, but awake Bae In Cheol was present. He had refused to have Kim Chan Hong’s transgressions covered up. He had said it wouldn’t just end with a dismissal. He wants Raon to take every legal action possible to bring Kim Chan Hong down. Bae in Cheol is now the sole CEO of Raon.
Kim Chan Hong starts saying it’s unfair and asks where the proof is that he ordered the kid to do it. He also says that he never received a notice for the board meeting. Attorney Jang says if the CEO deems it urgent, and it is in accordance with the company’s bylaws, the defendant may notify the directors by email thirty minutes prior to the meeting and gather the board of directors that same day. So they did notify Kim Chan Hong of the board meeting. He checks his phone and finds the email notifying him of the meeting. Plaintiffs’ counsel objects to the video as evidence as it is not a credible statement recorded through formal investigative authorities, and they can’t even question the witness in the video.
The Judge says first, the court cannot immediately recognize the change of Raon’s CEO. However, there is no reason to believe that the delegation agreement between defendant and Hanbada is invalid, so they will proceed on the premise that Hanbada is the defendant’s counselor. The defendant should apply for the correction of the party represented with the proper paperwork, such as the registry of the corporation. Second, Kim Chan Hong’s innocence is not something that will be dealt with in this trial. That is something that should be revealed through an investigation conducted by investigative authorities. Finally, as for the admissibility of the video, she will not accept it as evidence. She agrees with plaintiffs’ counsel, as it’s hard to say that the testimony has credibility through that video alone. And since the witness is not here, the plaintiffs cannot cross-examine him. Attorney Jang asks to have Choi Sang Hyeon summoned to the trial as a witness. The Judge overrules on this. They’re unsure if the video is a joke or not. Defendant’s counsel will need to confirm his attendance at the trial but the court will not be summoning him.
Back at Hanbada, Young Woo receives a text from Choi Sang Hyeon saying that he doesn’t think he will be able to testify. She won’t be able to reach him now either. He’s going to the U.S. so he’s at the airport right now. Attorney Han says it’s obvious that Tae Soo Mi is sending him away so he can’t testify. She wants to leak the video so they can start the public opinion battle. She wants it done before Tae Soo Mi’s confirmation hearing. She then says she’ll talk to the Jeongui Ilbo reporter. Young Woo objects vehemently to this and Attorney Jang chides her for speaking this way to the CEO. Young Woo says if they hand the confession video over to the press, Choi Sang Hyeon will forever lose the chance to turn himself in. He came to her to reveal his wrongdoings on his own and to make things right. They can’t turn him into some privileged kid who was caught by the police trying to flee the country, like the foul rich people you see on the news. Attorney Jang asks if they’re Choi Sang Hyeong’s attorneys and then tells her to get herself together. He asks if she thinks she’s really his big sister because he calls her noona. Attorney Han and Min Woo all understand the reality of this statement. Young Woo stands up and says that she’ll try to convince them. Attorney Han asks who, Choi Sang Hyeon? Young Woo says no, Tae Soo Mi, and she’ll try to convince her to allow Choi Sang Hyeon to testify in court. To Attorney Jang’s surprise, Attorney Han allows this. Jun Ho quickly volunteers to go with her to the National Assembly.
In the car, Jun Ho is driving and on the phone with Tae Soo Mi’s assistant and insists on seeing her as it’s urgent. The assistant says he’ll see what he can do but she’s quite busy. He then hangs up on Jun Ho. Young Woo is worried as they’re 30 minutes from her confirmation hearing time but she thanks him for his help.
LJH: Earlier, when you bravely said you would convince Attorney Tae Soo Mi in front of Attorney Han, I made up my mind to be brave and say this. Young Woo looks at him.
WYW: What is it you want to say?
LJH: My feelings toward you, Attorney Woo, are like the unrequited love toward a cat.
WYW: “The unrequited love toward a cat”?
LJH smiling: Cats sometimes make their owners lonely. But they make them just as happy too. When I eat lunch with you and listen to you talk about whales. When we carry out each agenda from your strange list of dates. When I hold hands with you for less than 57 seconds. When our teeth knock together as we kiss. When I see the sparkle in your eyes when you come up with a good idea. When I can calm you down by hugging you tight when you're feeling anxious. Those things make me happy. She turns to look at him. So let's… He looks directly at her. - not break up. She looks at him but she doesn’t say anything.
They're interrupted by the call from Tae Soo Mi’s assistant telling them to meet him at Gate Five. Jun Ho drives her to the gate as she needs to leave to meet Tae Soo Mi. He tells her that he’ll be waiting nearby.
WYW before exiting the car: The expression "the unrequited love toward a cat," is inappropriate! Because cats love their owners too.
LJH looking confused: Right. Okay.
WYW: So let's... not break up. And then she gets out of the car and his eyes follow her as runs onto the crosswalk. She looks back at him and smiles. Finally, a huge smile breaks over his face, and his eyes are now filled with happy tears. (~52:00) Our 🐳 couple is here to stay!! ^__^
Young Woo meets with Tae Soo Mi who says she doesn’t think she’s here to say she’s going to the U.S. Young Woo says no, she’s not going to the U.S. Tae Soo Mi asks why, isn’t it hard for her at Hanbada, as the mentor who is good to her is ill, the senior attorney bullies her, and she’s broken up with her boyfriend. Young Woo says she’s like a narwhal in a pod of belugas. A lost narwhal coexists with a pod of belugas, and she’s like that narwhal – she lives in an unfamiliar ocean with unfamiliar belugas. Because everyone’s different from her, it’s not easy to adjust and there are lots of whales who hate her, too. But it’s okay because this is her life. Though her life is unusual and peculiar, it’s valuable and beautiful. Tae Soo Mi says that she has to go and they can continue this talk next time. Young Woo tells her to please help so Choi San Hyeon can testify in court about what he did - hacking and obtaining the personal data from Raon. He believes that she’s a good mother. A mother who scolds her child properly and gives him reasonable punishment when he does something wrong. Don’t betray her child’s belief that his mother is a good person just for her own benefit. He’ll be hurt if she does that. That wound will be very painful and won’t heal for a long time. Young Woo gets teary-eyed as she says that she wasn’t a good mother to her, but at the very least, please be a good mother to Choi Sang Hyeon. It’s time for the confirmation and Tae Soo Mi leaves for it. Young Woo is left standing there and starts crying. At the confirmation hearing, Tae Soo Mi gives her oath as the Minister of Justice…?
Back at Hanbada, Plaintiffs’ counsel brings the terms and conditions for questioning Choi Sang Hyeon. 1) Cannot question him like they’re interrogating a criminal. 2) Any questions about Attorney Tae Soo Mi are barred. 3) Choi Sang Hyeon can only be questioned by Young Woo. Attorney Jang objects to them stipulating which attorney can question them. Attorney Han, however, agrees to these conditions.
Day 3 of Trial. Choi Sang Hyeon is on the stand today and Tae Soo Mi is in attendance. He admits to hacking into Raon and taking the personal data of its 40,954,173 users. He says it was under the direction of Kim Chan Hong. She asks what he did with the data. He says that he encrypted it and gave it to Kim Chan Hong, who kept asking him to decrypt it. But he refused to decrypt it. She asks if he’s aware that he’ll be punished for hacking into Raon and stealing the data and he says yes, he’s aware. She then asks why he’s willing to testify to his crimes then. He says because he did a bad thing. He’s sorry to Bae In Cheol and Raon’s users.
To the press, Tae Soo Mi issues an apology on behalf of her son, and announces that she’s stepping down from her candidacy for the Minister of Justice. She will self reflect and will continue to be a mother to her son. She apologizes for everything. Kim Chan Hong has admitted during a police investigation that he did order Choi Sang Hyeon to hack into Raon. The police found the encrypted data at his residence.
Our rookie attorneys and Jun Ho are now hanging out at the pub celebrating the dismissal of the Raon users’ case. If they had lost, they would’ve had to pay 3T won. Attorney Jung and Ji Soo join the party. Young Woo asks when he’s returning to Hanbada and he says yes, and then no. He tries to give her a hint by winking at her but Young Woo doesn’t get it. He finally says he’s thinking about it. Ji Soo asks if they like working at Hanbada. Young Woo says she likes it.
It’s another day, and Young Woo gets her customary breakfast of gimbap. She tells her father that she thinks a new emotion needs to be added to the human emotions poster. Woo Dad asks which one. She says she’s not exactly sure what the emotion she’s feeling this morning is. It’s not satisfaction or enjoyment or joy. Dad asks then what is it? Young Woo says starting today, she’s Hanbada’s full-time attorney, Woo Young Woo. Dad is overjoyed to hear that she’s full-time and her contract’s been renewed. He asks why she didn’t tell him sooner. She says he knows now. He asks how it isn’t joy that she’s feeling. He keeps trying to guess what it is but none of it is right. When she finishes eating her gimbap, she then leaves for the subway.
When she gets to work, she decides she wants to conquer the revolving doors by using the countdown – koong, jjak, jjak – and she succeeds on the first attempt!! When she gets inside, she realizes what her feeling is – Jun Ho sees her and calls her name in greeting. She happily tells him - a sense of fulfillment! He’s not sure what she’s referring to. She says the emotion she’s feeling this morning is a sense of fulfillment! He smiles at her and the two beam brightly at each other right next to the revolving doors. Full circle.
The End.
Remarks
by FanFanX
[First Impression (Ep1-2)] How do I put this into a few words? I can’t help but really like Woo Young Woo, and both Lee Jun Ho and Jung Myeong Seok. For me, this series is an instant anandamide!
I just noticed that the director for this series is behind the three installments of Dr. Romantic. That’s already on my PTW list, but now it’ll be bumped up to the top.
[Actors/Actresses] I saw the trailer for this and knew I wanted to watch this. However, I did not like Kang Tae Oh’s character in Doom at Your Service as he was so infuriating to me, and was worried about his character as ML here. But then I watched Ep1 and Lee Jun Ho quickly earned a spot in my heart alongside Park Eun-bin’s Woo Young Woo. She is new for me and I am girl crushing on her. I'm going to start adding more of her series to my list. I’ve also belatedly realized that I’ve seen Kang Tae Oh in his skivvies in My First First Love, which I never finished.
I totally have a soft spot for Kang Ki Young, who is probably most well-known as the sweet but bumbling uncle from Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo and ML’s friend in What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim. I’m excited to see that he’s in a lead role for this series and he’s finally more than just a funny character! (Apparently, for me, WFKBJ has become the central link for several kdramas.) I don’t want to hear about anyone else being in this role. Nope, don’t even test me on this one. :P Perhaps, I just have a soft spot for men with the surname 강 Kang? (Kang Ha Neul was first for me. Fun fact: KHN and KTO's are actually surnamed Kim.)
Joo Hyun Young as Dong Geu Rami has been a real fun ride so far. Her hair extensions sometimes match her bottoms (usually a skirt), she has tattoos and so much attitude. She’s the perfect foil for her bestie, Young Woo. And she’s definitely got the bite to go with the bark. (She actually does bark (once) in the series, hahaha.)
Ha Yoon Kyung as Choi Soo Yeon has been a treat. Oh, you don’t want to like her to start with but then you start seeing that she’s got a mean bark but it’s all for show. And I only recently finished Sunbae, Don’t Put On That Lipstick, where she was ML’s second eldest sister and in a nearly perfect relationship that just unravels from the inside out. She’s definitely a stronger person in EAW.
Everyone, myself included, dislikes Min Woo, but the reality of it is – there are real people just like him. He’s unable to see beyond his judgment and discrimination against Young Woo. To his credit, Joo Jong Hyuk does a good job portraying this character. If you’re wondering why he may look familiar, he’s Goo Woong’s friend in both installments of Yumi’s Cells, and the trainer in Happiness.
Guest Stars
- Ep1. Lee Do Kyung as Park Kyu Shik aka one cantankerous old man. I’ve noticed him from Dali and the Cocky Prince and is currently in Alchemy of Souls, as another cranky man. Ha!
- Ep3. Yoon Yoo Sun as Kim Jeong Hun's mother. She's been a mother in many series, but I remember her the most from Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, and more recently, Yumi's Cells 2 and Jinxed at First.
- Eps3,6,15,16. Choi Dae Hoon as Attorney Jang. He's been in a bunch of stuff but I noticed him in Insider, and he’s quite memorable there.
- Ep5. Yoon Byung Hee as Bae Seong Cheol. Uh, he looks a bit different, but I want to kick him in Insider.
- Eps6,12. Lee Gi Young as Judge Ryu. I’m so used to seeing him as a villain but he's quite the opposite in this and in Big Mouth. Heh.
- Ep9. Song Ji Woo as Kim Min Ji. She’s our adorable Park Seo Yoon from Happiness!
- Ep11. Heo Dong Won as Shin Il Soo, the jerk husband. He's so good at being bad - the frotesque pimp in When the Camellia Blooms, and the murdering psychopath in <u>Insider</u>. Seo Hye Won as Choi Da Hye / "Coffee Shop" – It's our Queen-of-No-Chingus from A Business Proposal! lol
- Ep12. Lee Bong Ryun as Ryu Jae Sook. She brought such heart to this character as she did as she did in Hometown Cha Cha Cha as Yeo Hwa Jeong, a divorced mom of a precocious son.
- Eps13,14,16. Lee Yoon Ji as Ji Soo, Attorney Jung's ex-wife. She is most well known for Goong (2006).
- Ep15,16. Kim Joo Heon as Bae In-Cheol [Raon CEO]. I know him best as the goofy-headed editor in It’s Okay to Not be Okay. More recently, he’s been in Big Mouth as Mayor Choi. I like this actor, and I also keep hoping he’ll bring back the facial hair.
[Behind the Scenes & Extras]
Teaser: It's too cute!
Eps1-2. Park Eun-bin has some long lines that she has to get through fast with Woo Young Woo’s diction. She’s even changed her voice a bit for this role. Kang Ki Young likes ad-libbing, as I think he likes making people break even more. lol Indeed, waltzing through the revolving door is harder than it looks.
Eps1-2. Kang Tae Oh's fake laugh here. *cringe* You know that slack-jawed scene of Lee Jun Ho when he sees Woo Young Woo in a wedding dress? Well, Park Eun-bin was really laughing at his expression in the scene. And it made her such a lovely faux bride! XD Teehee, Kang Tae Oh could barely repress his laughter during the whipped cream/whale milk scene.
Ep3. The Hanbada cover of Pengsoo song. For comparison, the original, This is Pengsoo.
Eps3-4. It’s a real sunset. Yeah, I had wondered if that sunset scene was as windy (and cold) as it looked. lol That Pengsoo song was hard to get through - as they were all laughing too hard at each other. Park Eun-bin tries to stay in character for the most part - and I just love her smile!
Young Woo and Geu Rami's bestie greeting. According to Park Eun-bin, one can thank Joo Hyun Young (Dong Geu Rami) for this.
Extra: A comic version of Young Woo and Jun Ho's sunset scene. I love how much love this series is receiving! This person has drawings of Park Eun Bin's series.
Ep5. Bonus Scene. Remember Jun Ho’s gift that Young Woo threw away because she didn’t know who it was from? This scene would've happened at the end of Ep5 when she gets rid of that infernal sunflower painting. His gift is a projector that casts the ocean on the ceiling and walls of her office. Aww, I guess his other gift, the blue whale photo in the conference room is a better fit for her character, her personality and the overall slow burn effect...
Eps5-6. When there’s really more laughter behind the serious scenes.
- 2:13 I love how Park Eun Bin is really crying during the Spring Sunshine speech, which also makes Ha Yoon Kyung tear up.
- 3:11 Kang Ki Young just makes everyone laugh - as usual. lol The introduction of “whoa, whoa”. I also like how everyone was having so much that no one heard her knocking on the door. Ha!
- 4:07 When Park Eun Bin gets fired up about the case. But Kang Ki Young makes everyone break with his laugh. I love seeing Park Eun Bin laughing. :D
- 5:33 Ah, and when Park Eun Bin jumps up off of her seat, Kang Ki Young says it’s like the [whack-a] mole game. XD
Eps7-8. They were having fun with this two-ep case. I saw an interview with Park Eun Bin who said these two eps took about four months to film.
- 2:10 Park Eun Bin is serious about landing that fall.
- 3:40 Ahh, when they’re rehearsing that “that’s disappointing” scene between Lee Jun Ho and Woo Young Woo.
- 4:32 LOL at Park Eun Bin calling Kang Tae Oh cheesy when he leans in for the scene. (The actual scene is one of my top favorites.)
- 6:00 It was so windy that Park Eun Bin and Jin Kyung had a hard time seeing (hair in their eyes) or getting out their lines under the hackberry tree.
- 6:20 [Spoiler-y] Park Eun Bin makes a crack about why she doesn’t recognize her own mother, which makes Jin Kyung burst out laughing. Ha! [/Spoiler]
Ep8. Deleted scene. Attorney Tae v. Attorney Han.
- 0:35 I just want to say that this is the most people I've seen inside this bar, so far. lol
- 0:57 Ha, when she's being extra nice to him. He's not sure if she was acting or not. Ha.
- 1:50 I live for Kang Tae Oh's face here.
- 2:16 One of the funniest scenes, when she's making sure he's on the inside on the sidewalk. I love her silly leg lift. Haha.
- 3:00 Gotta love the Director for giving Kang Tae Oh instructions on his confession scene. lol
- 6:23 BTS of one of my favorite kissing scenes right now. And this Director is so good at giving them direction on the atmosphere for their kissing scene. ♥️♥️♥️!! One of the sweetest kissing scenes I’ve seen.
- 6:33 Kang Tae Oh can't help but laugh at her huge exaggerated eyes here.
- 8:30 That's a better angle of the kiss!
(Ep9. Of course I can’t find it now, but Kang Tae Oh really did have a hard time trying to remove that eyelash from Park Eun Bin’s face. lol)
Ep11. Their window hand "holding" scene. (I just love this scene! XD)
Extra: Animated version of Young Woo's phone call with Jun Ho. (I love how this fan made two animations for EAW.)
Actual scene. [Spoiler-y] Park Eun Bin's portrayal of Young Woo during the aftermath of the crash scene is so heartfelt and full of heartache. [/Spoiler]
Actual scene. [Spoiler-y] Young Woo's personal hug chair, and then their goodnight kiss. [/Spoiler] I can’t handle Jun Ho. He’s just too much sweetness. (Not a complaint but it makes me go crazy.)
Extra. Animated version of Jun Ho's offer to be her personal hug chair. How cute is this?!
Ep12. Actual scene. Dad is upset that some guy is kissing his daughter, but somehow they're not dating?
- 0:28 Mr. Salt, Ms. Pepper and Attorney Soy Sauce
- 1:50 The calming hug from Jun Ho when Young Woo has sensory overload from witnessing the car accident and its aftermath. Director-Nim is pretty dedicated in making sure the right emotion is evoked from this hug alone. Park Eun Bin's expressions just make me hurt for her in this scene.
- 5:44 The we're-not-dating-yet scene. Director-Nim is very clear in making sure that Jun Ho doesn't come across as being angry here.
Ep13. Actual scene. When the flowers go from pretty to vile for Soo Yeon. lol! (Couldn't find a version without some music overlapping it.)
Eps13-14. Our cast laughs a lot.
- 0:14 Park Eun Bin is seriously cute in her hat!
- 0:30 Bwahaha, telling Kang Tae Oh to make a cute expression for this scene. Jun Ho is sulking about her saying they're not dating. Hehe.
- 1:55 Kang Ki Young's hat has a tangerine LEAF on it. Hahaha. I want this hat.
- 5:35 The game of “Up and Down” or “Down and Up” or “dedenjji.”
- 6:30 There really were dolphins on Jeju Island!!! Our whale couple saw them together! ^_^
- 9:50 I love how Kang Tae Oh is the IG boyfriend here, taking Park Eun Bin's pictures. lol
- 9:57 Stand closer, Ha Yoon Kyung and Joo Jong Hyuk. Nope, too close! Hahaha.
- 10:10 I love it when Joo Jong Hyuk can't help but break into a smile.
- 10:30 I actually like Ha Yoon Kyung and Joo Jong Hyuk's chemistry in BTS.
- 11:05 Joo Jong Hyuk (Min Woo) being nice to Joo Hyun Young (Geu Rami). Heh.
- 11:07 Park Eun Bin is just pure joy.
The locations featured in these two eps, actually exist on Jeju.
Eps15-16. Love the camaraderie of the cast!
- 1:08 I am amused with Kang Tae Oh's inability to do this heart with his hands (because he's not flexible enough) and Park Eun Bin has to show him. lol Her smile is infectious!
- 9:23 Our three girls - Park Eun Bin, Ha Yoon Kyung and Joo Hyun Young together for a selfie. Love this!
[OST]
Flash | Maytree 메이트리 Young Woo's epiphany sounds.Extra: Acapella version of the opening theme song and Young Woo's epiphany sounds.
[Ending] Happy and fulfilling!
[Highlight] When Jun Ho goes from confused to nearly flirty in Ep7 after Young Woo explains why she's asking to touch him. His words...
[Footnotes]
[Review & Rating]
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