Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Recap: I Hear Your Voice: Episode Three

Updated: 03-MAR-2024

The Korean drama, “I Hear Your Voice” is really starting to pick up now. If you were hesitating to watch this show, don’t hesitate anymore because each episode is packed with action and laughs with a strong storyline, even if it may look ridiculous at times. I think the writers redeemed themselves this episode because I found fewer flaws and I was pleasantly impressed with their writing.

I am writing weekly episode responses for the Dramafever Drama Club: I Hear Your Voice along with other writers, Jhon and June. Check out my thoughts on episodes three and four here: Episodes 3-4 and Wrap Up.

If you would like to watch “I Hear Your Voice,” you can watch it on Viki for free with English subtitles.

Episode three, titled, “I’ll Be There,”  is about how Jang Hye Sung (Lee Bo Young) resolves Go Sung Bin (Kim Ga Eun)’s court case with major help from Park Soo Ha (Lee Jong Suk), Cha Kwan Woo (Yoon Sang Hyun), and Shin Sang Duk (Yoon Joo Sang). Released from jail, criminal Min Joon Gook (Jung Woong In) makes his appearance.

WARNING: Please do not read if you don’t want to see spoilers. I am reviewing the story as it progresses.


A frazzled attorney, Cha Kwan Woo (Yoon Sang Hyun), walks through the courthouse with Jang Hye Sung (Lee Bo Young)’s criticism still on his mind. Hye Sung’s previous sharp criticism sends Kwan Woo into a fury and he wonders why Hye Sung decided to become a lawyer instead of a prosecutor.  He asks two nearby women for answers, but they flee from him as if he is crazy. 


Kwan Woo decides to watch Hye Sung’s trial and if he finds anything wrong with her actions, he would report her to the office of legal administration.


Kwan Woo enters the courtroom and slouches into a seat. He criticizes Hye Sung by calling her a statue and thought she would plead guilty for her defendant, Go Sung Bin (Kim Ga Eun). 


Kwan Woo imitates Hye Sung’s response of pleading guilty, but to his surprise, Hye Sung makes a charismatic turn to plead innocence for her defendant.  From here the games begin.


Round one: Do Yeon states that the defendant says that she never bullied the victim. Do Yeon reads aloud many of the curse-word ridden text messages that Sung Bin sent to victim, Moon Dong Hee. Sung Bin looks down in shame.


Hye Sung  tries to argue that just because harsh words were used, it doesn't mean that her defendant is guilty. She tries to argue that young people consider curse words not as harsh as it may seem.


Judge Kim Gong Sook (Kim Kwang Kyu) shakes his head and thinks Hye Sung is a psycho.


Soo Ha interprets Judge Kim's thoughts and gives Hye Sung an “X” signal with his arms. Honestly, I could have figured that out too when Judge Kim shook his head.

Round two: Do Yeon calls a student witness who claims he heard fighting and a thud sound so he walked towards the fighting only to see Dong Hee, unconscious on the flower bed.


Hye Sung asks if the witness directly saw the crime. The witness squirms and thought hearing it and seeing it were the same thing. Kwan Woo starts to wonder if Hye Sung will get the innocent verdict.


Judge Kim thinks that he sees a point and nods.


Soo Ha gives Hye Sung a “[” sign gesture with his hands, which apparently means “a little more” when I asked my husband what it meant. Again, I could have figured it out when Judge Kim nodded. 


Kwan Woo is surprised.

Round three: Do Yeon states that the more important thing to determine in an attempted murder case is whether there is intent to kill. Go Sung Bin went around school saying that she wanted to kill Moon Dong Hee.


Hye Sung counters that if this is a valid point, then the whole school body needs to be prosecuted. Even teachers who try to threaten students with a killing phrase if their students’ grades drop should be prosecuted.
Judge Kim nods.


Soo Ha gives the “OK” sign this time.

Round four: Do Yeon also argues that the defendant pushed the victim out of the window.
Hye Sung retorts that there is no proof. If Dong Hee was pushed out the window, most of her wounds would be on her head, but most of her wounds are on her legs.


Soo Ha has a daydreaming moment where he views Hye Sung in a righteous light, the kind of person he knew and loves when she pointed out Min Joon Gook as the killer.


Do Yeon counters that the defendant was the only person in the music room. She has a witness who testified that he saw the defendant arguing with the victim.


Hye Sung fires back by saying that being accused of attempted murder based on circumstantial evidence is too dangerous and risky. According to sect 307 Code of Criminal Investigation, a crime has to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Factual, direct evidence is needed. 


At this point, I wonder if my computer screen has some dirt in it because there is a mark next to Hye Sung’s mouth. After rubbing the screen a few times, I realized that the mark on Hye Sung’s face is intentional.
Kwan Woo smiles.  Judge Kim nods. I guess we have to assume the other two judges do the same.


Is it a K.O.?


Do Yeon uses her wild card to call victim, Moon Dong Hee, up to the witness stand if the defense attorney allows it. Apparently, the victim woke up earlier in the day, but Do Yeon thought it would be too strenuous for the victim to testify. Sung Bin is excited with glee as she thinks the case is over and Dong Hee will reveal the truth. Judge Kim announces a break until Moon Dong Hee arrives from the hospital.


Hye Sung is so happy that she does a skip down the hallway. She even becomes a narcissist, posing in front of a full-length mirror. During this time, she receieved an English text message from an unknown sender: I’ll be there. She wonders if it’s a prank.

Hye Sung sees Soo Ha, who happens to be holding a phone, and calls him Gumshoe instead. I asked my husband what the term, gumshoe, means in Korean, and he says that it is hard to translate, but something that is sticky and also magnetically draws something in. I prefer this definition by Merriam-Webster: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gumshoe , which means one who engages in detective work. The term makes Soo Ha sound so cool, even if Hye Sung didn’t have that kind of intention.


Hye Sung runs up to Soo Ha and thinks he has a monstrous power. Hye Sung wants Soo Ha to help her out in the future with hand signals, but Soo Ha retorts, “for free?”  Hye Sung really does rely on Soo Ha too much when I could have figured this all out by looking at Judge Kim. 


Soo Ha notices the pen mark on Hye Sung’s face and points to his own cheek near his mouth.


Hye Sung is confused, but thinks she understands what Soo Ha meant. She kisses her own hand and plants that hand on Soo Ha’s cheek, surprising him. Hye Sung thanks Soo Ha, but Soo Ha wanted to know what the kiss is all about. Hye Sung says that Soo Ha will not get a kiss so he will have to be satisfied with this gesture instead. Soo Ha tells Hye Sung about the marker in annoyance. 


Hye Sung realizes what Soo Ha truly meant and Soo Ha leaves, yelling that he has to wash his face.


When out of Hye Sung’s sight, Soo Ha does a personality turn, becoming excited over the indirect kiss. As he walks down the stairs, his happiness is cut short when he hears a familiar thinking voice. Soo Ha looks frantically into the floor below him. Min Joon Gook’s thoughts tell Soo Ha that he is surprised that the kid is a defense lawyer at the courthouse and how interesting that is. Soo ha races down the stairs towards a man with a similar build to Min Joon Gook. Min Joon Gook walks past Soo Ha and smirks.

I thought Soo Ha could only read a person's mind when he looks into his or her eyes. I'm not sure where he is looking when he heard Min Joon Gook's thoughts. I tried to look at the video many times, but I don't see Min Joon Gook anywhere until he voluntarily appeared in front of me.


Kwan Woo is back in the office, recounting the events of Hye Sung’s court case.  He has a whole new perspective towards Hye Sung and saw the glint in her eyes, which told everyone that Do Yeon is the prosecutor and Hye Sung is the attorney. According to Kwan Woo, when Do Yeon threw Hye Sung a curve ball, Hye Sung retaliated with a throw of her own. 


Kwan Woo pretends to hold a machine gun in the air: Gwang! Gwang! Gwang! Gwang! Gwang! Clerk Choi Yoo Chang (Choi Sung Joon) and head attorney Shin Sang Duk (Yoon Joo Sang) quietly go back to work, but Kwan Woo continues his speech. 


According to Kwan Woo, Hye Sung is a bull-cock, a total warrior: Joan of Arc. As Kwan Woo pretends to aim an arrow to portray Joan of Arc, Eo Choon Shim (Kim Hae Suk) walks into the office.  Yoo Chang immediately treats her like a respectable client, but Choon Shim specifies that she is Hye Sung’s mother.

The hearing resumes in court. Dong Hee enters the courtroom in a wheelchair with a bandaged forehead and swears to tell the truth or be punished. Sung Bin tries to wave at Dong Hee, but Dong Hee looks away. I knew the trial wouldn’t be that simple. Do Yeon wastes no time and asks Dong Hee if somebody pushed Dong Hee out the window.  Dong Hee hesitates and replies, "Yes." Do Yeon asks if the person who pushed her is in this court room. Dong Hee also affirms without looking at anybody. Hye Sung stands up to object, but Dong Hee points to Sung Bin with shaky fingers. Sung Bin snaps, stands up, and flings her wig off before yelling a slew of curses at Dong Hee. Hye Sung and the court officers try to calm her down as Dong Hee is wheeled away. 


Soo Ha runs over to Dong Hee to look into her eyes. Dong Hee thinks that everything will be over if she told the truth. She is wheeled out before Soo Ha can say anything.


After the court session, Hye Sung is sitting alone in defeat. Do Yeong walks over to Hye Sung and tells her that today’s trial was memorable. Do Yeon notes that Hye Sung did well—for a public defender. Hye Sung becomes enraged.

As Hye Sung walks back to the office outside the courtoom, Soo Ha stood outside, waiting for her. Before he can speak, Hye Sung shoots him a look, warning him not to show himself in front of her again. Ouch. Soo Ha wanted to tell Hye Sung about Dong Hee’s thoughts, but Hye Sung walks off.


Everyone in the office is eating Hye Sung’s Fried Chicken. Sang Duk offers Choon Shim a piece of chicken and Choon Shim takes it out of respect for him. Choon Shim is curious to know if Hye Sung is awkward, stiff, or rigid at work. Yoo Chang starts to agree when Kwan Woo cuts in to tell Choon Shim that Hye Sung is tough, but is soft inside. Choon Shim, surprised that Kwan Woo knew Hye Sung so well, immediately grabs Kwan Woo by the hand to tell him that Hye Sung skipped most of high school and is lacking in social skills. She appears prickly on the outside, but is smooth as a newly-polished floor on the inside.


Choon Shim’s thoughts are cut short when everyone hears Hye Sung yelling at Soo Ha outside the office. Everyone rushes outside. Hye Sung tells Soo Ha to get lost and that everything is his fault. If they admitted to the charges, they would have got away with a lesser charge. Soo Ha does not believe Sung Bin needs to admit guilt when she is innocent. Hye Sung argued that Sung Bin would have to go to jail and Hye Sung would be crushed and humiliated by the prosecutor. Soo Ha tried ot tell Hye Sung that Dong Hee fell by mistake, but Hye Sung tells him to stop. Soo Ha asks Hye Sung if she is not going to even try. 


Hye Sung sarcastically remarks, “Does one need to go to the Himalayas to know that it's cold up there? Does one need to jump into the fire to know it’s hot?” 


With the victim’s testimony, it is game over.


Upon hearing the words, “game over,” Choon Shim hollers at Hye Sung, threatening Hye Sung with a beating, scaring everybody, especially Sang Duk. Hye Sung tried to explain who the prosecutor was, but Choon Shim could care less. Hye Sung tried to tell Choon Shim that Do Yeon is the prosecutor, the same Do Yeon that threw them out into the streets ten years ago. Hye Sung says that she felt so humiliated, but Choon Shim fires back that Hye Sung is the one humiliating her. To Choon Shim, Hye Sung is not even a loach trying to become a dragon, but a worm. Wow, the mother has even more fire power than the daughter. Ouch, ouch, ouch. Before we move on, here’s a definition of loach: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loach - Loach is a freshwater fish related to a carp. Choon Shim is trying to say that Hye Sung is trying to become someone greater than who she is right now.


Choon Shim prepares to leave, but Kwan Woo tries to stop her. Choon Shim makes up an excuse, saying that she forgot she had something important to do. She is going to take down her banners and cancel the celebrations. She is too humiliated to face anyone. Choon Shim walks up to Hye Sung and remarks that Hye Sung calls herself a lawyer.  Finally, Choon Shim roars at Soo Ha for looking at her before leaving.


Sang Duk visits an inmate named Hwang Dal Joong (Kim Byung Ok) in jail. I confirmed that he was the same guy who was Joon Gook’s cellmate in episode two. I wonder if he is some type of spy. Sang Duk and Dal Joong are sitting on opposites sides of the visitor’s window playing celebrity bingo, scratching off each celebrity name as they each take turns calling out a name. Actually, that looks like a fun game. Sang Duk talks about Choon Shim’s temper and thinks Hye Sung will quit within a month. Dal Joong wanted to know how old Hye Sung is and Sang Duk guesses 27 or 28 years old. That would make Hye Sung and Soo Ha ten years apart, which seems weird. She looked like a middle school student to me ten years ago. Dal Joong thinks of his daughter, Ga Yeon. Something is fishy and his daughter is somehow out of the picture.

Dal Joong mentions that his former cellmate, Min Joon Gook, is close to someone in Sang Duk’s office. Sang Duk is alerted to that fact.


Hye Sung walks home in casual clothes, thinking about what her mom says. I think it’s funny that her T-shirt says, “Be the change you want to see.” A basketball rolls by and it is the same students who were playing basketball from the other day. The boys are upset and ask Hye Sung if she remembers throwing their ball down the street where it deflated afterwards. Hye Sung cautiously denys it and runs away. Soo Ha view the scene from a distance.

Once Hye Sung is surrounded by the boys, she tries to scare them off with the law. She will charge them with assault if they lay a hand on her. If several people attack her at once, there will be more serious charges. The boys laugh.

Park Soo Ha shows up and Hye Sung’s face lights up when she calls for Gumshoe to call the police or notify somebody for help. Soo Ha confidently tells Hye Sung that he will take care of these guys if Hye Sung promises to not give up on Sung Bin. Hye Sung doesn’t understand why Soo Ha is bringing that up now, but when Soo Ha starts to leave, Hye Sung vows not to give up on Sung Bin.


The Boys are agitated since they were left out of the conversation. Their leader, henceforth known as "Leader," tells Hye Sung that she should be talking to them, not to Soo Ha. Soo Ha acts like the big brother and asks the “kids” to come to him. Leader can’t believe Soo Ha’s audacity and tells Soo Ha to come to him instead. Suddenly, one of the boys recognizes Soo Ha and tells his leader that Soo Ha is the one who beat up Choong Ki. Soo Ha plays the role and starts cracking his neck in preparation for a fight. The boy tells Leader that Choong Ki is known for his fighting skills. Suddenly, their leader is not so sure anymore.


Leader tells Soo Ha that they have to go to their after school lesson. They will talk some other time. Soo Ha brazeny puts his food on the stair rail to block the boys. Leader swallows his pride and crawls underneath it. His boys do the same.  One by one, they duck underneath Soo Ha’s leg. I doubt that there are any after school lessons so late at night. That sounds like a crazy excuse to me. Anyway, in general, crawling underneath somebody’s pants reminds me of a Chinese term, 捐褲浪, which means to lose self-respect and to suffer disgrace.

Hye Sung watches in amazement at how easy Soo Ha handled the situation. Soo Ha tells her not to forget her promise.

Hye Sung and Soo Ha walk home and Soo Ha tells Hye Sung that Dong Hee was hanging on the windowsill before she fell, but he did not have time to figure out why. Hye Sung tries to think of ways to prove Sung Bin’s innocence. She could bring Dong Hee back to the witness stand, but Dong Hee might lie again. Hye Sung needs evidence. Soo Ha reads Hye Sung’s mind and tells Hye Sung that he thought she gave up. Hye Sung tells him that she didn’t do it for him.


Hye Sung is in front of her home and Soo Ha tells her to go inside. Hye Sung manages to mutter her thanks to Gumshoe, but in a “sorta” kind of way. After Hye Sung goes inside, she wonder how Soo Ha knew where she lived. Another “I’ll be there” text message arrives in Hye Sung’s phone. Hye Sung thinks Soo Ha is the one who sent it and goes outside to the balcony only to see him turn around to look at her as he leaves.


At the attorney office, Sang Duk is giving Kwan Woo valuable pointers on how to cut his workload. Inside of going to the actual scene, Sang Duk tells Kwan Woo to use the road view pictures instead. A jealous Hye Sung finally makes up her mind to ask for help. She plops her files in front of Sang Duk and asks for his help on Sung Bin’s case. Sang Duk asks why and plops down on the next seat instead. 


Hye Sung starts to explain the case when Sang Duk takes out his hearing aid and tells her that he can’t hear anything because the hearing aid battery died. Haha- this is such a sweet, hilarious, and revengeful moment. Hye Sung writes on the Post-it note instead. She writes that she will take care of all of Sang Duk’s needs. Sang Duk continues to switch chairs, but Hye Sung bothers him. After a circle of musical chairs around the table, Sang Duk leaves in frustration. Kwan Woo looks at Hye Sung and offers his help. He used to spend his police days working with crime scene investigations. Hye Sung tells Kwan Woo to forget it.


Hye Sung goes back to her desk. Kwan Woo mutters that Hye Sung used all his Post-it notes and that she such a rude girl. Desperation settles in and Hye Sung rolls her chair over to partition between her and Kwan Woo, asking him how he would help. Kwan Woo lights up and tells Hye Sung that he picked up a set of skills during his police days. What? Is he the next Liam Neeson in the movie, "Taken"?


Kwan Woo and Hye Sung are in front of Soo Ha’s school dressed as students. Kwan Woo tells Hye Sung that he will check out the scene of the crime while Hye Sung should question students for more information. Hye Sung doesn’t like being told what to do, but Kwan Woo heads off to do his part.


Hye Sung visits the classroom where she overhears two students gossiping about Sung Bin and her terrible lawyer. Hye Sung joins the bashfest and the students look at her oddly. Hye Sung greets the students with “Hi ru,” which is an outdated way of saying hello and Hye Sung explains that she is a new student with the name Jang Hye Ri. All three of them sit outside to discuss Sung Bin. The students reveal that Sung Bin is the one who created the term “Double Nose” and that perhaps Sung Bin was jealous of Dong Hee and thought Dong Hee was too perfect. Dong Hee had been exceptionally smart and jumped two grades in school. The girls joined Sung Bin with the insults because they didn't want to be bullied as well.

Meanwhile, Kwan Woo checks out the music room. He looks a bit old to be a student.

Sitting at the school steps, Hye Sung asks the students if Dong Hee ever considered suicide. The students don’t believe so since Dong Hee just signed a contract with an entertainment company. Hye Sung asks what Dong Hee usually does at school since she doesn’t have any friends. They reply that she plays the piano or surfs the internet. Soo Ha does a double take when he sees Hye Sung dressed as a student.

Kwan Woo searches around the area where Dong Hee fell. He sees the chalk outline of Dong Hee’s body, which looks funny to me since I don’t take this case really seriously. Kwan Woo continues to search further away and finds cigarettes and a lighter. Isn’t it the police’s job to find evidence? I also wonder why the evidence would still remain there after all these days.

Hye Sung is in the computer room. She wonders which computer is the one Dong Hee used. Without warning, Soo Ha shows up and points out the exact computer Dong Hee uses on a regular basis. He gives Hye Sung the elevator eyes, checking her out, and laughs. Hye Sung tells him she knows and is embarrassed. She tells Soo Ha that she’ll take it from here and he can leave, but of course, Soo Ha remains by her side.


Hye Sung sits in front of the computer, lost, not knowing how to proceed. Soo Ha suggests checking the the internet browser’s browsing history for clues. 


While Hye Sung wonders if she needs technical backup, Soo Ha impatiently walks behind her and puts his hand on top of her hand that was on the mouse. His face is next to hers while he opens up the browsing history for her. Skinship! Love alert!

Once the browser is open, Soo Ha directs Hye Sung to search for the 24th at around two to four o’clock in the afternoon. Hye Sung automatically obeys, but catches herself. She tries to protest, not needing help from Soo Ha, but Soo Ha, in the meantime, had already printed out a computer user report and all the times Dong Hee used the computer. Hye Sung is instantly impressed again. Honestly, as a lawyer, wouldn’t her work involve looking through a lot of internet histories involving her cases? I find it hard to believe that she couldn’t use a computer, but then again, she sort of left high school and who knows what she did after that.

Before Hye Sung can say anything, Soo Ha points out Dong Hee’s weird search history on the monitor. Most of Dong Hee’s searches involve cigarette smoking: How to get rid of the smell, where to buy cigarettes, etc. 


At this time, Kwan Woo barges in to announce that he found evidence. I suddenly feel like this is a “Secret Garden” moment between Yoon Sang Hyun and Lee Jong Suk. Kwan Woo and Soo Ha had already met for the first time at the law office, but I feel like they officially met at this point.

Hye Sung meets Dong Hee outside the hospital to ask Dong Hee to testify again since she lied. Dong Hee refuses to testify. Hye Sung asks if Dong Hee smokes, which Dong Hee hesitantly denies. Hye Sung reveals that she has Dong Hee's computer internet browsing history as well as Dong Hee's cigarettes and her lighter as evidence. Hye Sung says that she understands Dong Hee’s reason, but that does not give her the right to ruin somebody’s life. Hye Sung asks Dong Hee to come to the court tomorrow, but Dong Hee refuses again. 


Sung Bin, who had been watching with Soo Ha from the sidelines, frantically marches over to Dong Hee, calling her Double Nose. Sung Bin doesn’t understand why Dong Hee won’t tell the truth. Sung Bin wants to know if the reason is because she called Dong Hee, Double Nose. Furthermore, Sung Bin asks Dong Hee why Dong Hee would ruin her life over something so trivial. Dong Hee, visibly hurt, asks Sung Bin why Sung Bing put a dirty rag on her lunch and why Sung Bin cursed Dong Hee’s mother, calling Dong Hee's mother an idiot? Sung Bin is silent.


Dong Hee figuratively explains that she has been living in jail, not knowing when it will ever end without a friend or any other person by her side. She wants Sung Bin to experience it for herself in an actual jail. This whole exchange sounds like a adolescent problem to me that requires a counselor, not a court intervention.


Sung Bin thinks back to the time when she was contemplating suicide at the subway station. She finally understood what Dong Hee meant. A part of me hopes that they will become good friends one day. Hye Sung tries to persuade Dong Hee more, but Sung Bin tells Hye Sung that they should leave. Hye Sung doesn’t give up and tells Sung Bin that Dong Hee is the only person who can verify Sung Bin’s innocence. Hye Sung catches Sung Bin’s hint and changes her strategy. She tells Dong Hee that they can go to trial without Dong Hee’s help. They can try, but have a potential chance in losing the case. Sung Bin tells Hye Sung that there is no other choice. Sung Bin faces Dong Hee and apologizes. Sung Bin admits that she was jealous of Dong Hee. When everybody else joined her with the insults, Sung Bin took it too far. Sung Bin says that she didn’t know that if she threw a rock, the frog would really die. Sung Bin’s quote reminds me of the 2003 Korean movie, “Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring” where the little monk boy tortures the frog to death.

Before leaving, Hye Sung tells Dong Hee that the rock is now in her hands. What will she do? Park Soo Ha narrows his eyes and reads Dong Hee’s thoughts.

After Hye Sung is a good distance away, she starts freaking out, wondering if Dong Hee would really come to court the next day. Soo Ha confirms that Dong Hee will come to court because she heard everything she needed to hear.     


The next day, Hye Sung is packing books in a cloth bag. Yoo Chang offers to help her with the books and Kwan Woo tries to give Hye Sung a gift that looks like a ring box. Hye Sung, feeling strange about all the sudden attention from the guys at the office, tells Kwan Woo that they are not that close, but Kwan Woo insists that she accept it. Kwan Woo says it’s a small gift and opens it, revealing a rubber thumb, the same one that Sang Duk gave to Kwan Woo. Hye Sung thanks Kwan Woo in a sort-of way, almost like she did with Soo Ha after Soo Ha saved her life from punk kids. Both men are oddly similar. Kwan Woo cheers Hye Sung with a “Fighting!” phrase before Hye Sung leaves.

Sang Duk enters the office afterwards and Yoo Chang mentions how hard Hye Sung has been working on this case and she even looked through a stack of files. Unconvinced, Sang Duk remarks that a person works harder when he or she is dimwitted.

Do Yeon runs to catch the elevator, but finds Hye Sung standing inside the elevator alone. Do Yeon hesitates before entering and tries to ask Hye Sung about Dong Hee testifying in court. Hye Sung suddenly gets a flashback of Sung Bin asking Dong Hee why Dong Hee has to go that far over something so trivial.

Hye Sung turns serious and tells Do Yeon that Do Yeon was an awful person in the past, but Hye Sung never questioned why. Do Yeon tells Hye Sung to stop using tactics to sway Do Yeon’s judgement before the case. Sad. Somehow I feel like they could have been friends.


In the courtroom, Dong Hee vows again to tell the truth. Do Yeon reinforces the law to warn Dong Hee that if she changes her testimony, she would be charged with perjury with the punishment equivalent to five years in prison and 100 million won in crimes. Dong Hee is worried while Hye Sung looks on in horror.

Sang Duk, who was sitting in the gallery, texts Hye Sung. Judge Kim asks Hye Sung to start the questioning. Hye Sung sees her phone vibrate and checks the text message: Criminal procedure law, Article 159. I didn’t know we can bring cell phones into the actual courtroom. Usually, in New York, I have to shut off my phone once I am in the courthouse. Hye Sung demands to look at Judge Kim’s copy of the Book of Law, which is in front of him. Judge Kim, alarmed by Hye Sung’s temper, agrees to let her take a look. Hye Sung flips to the correct page and reads that a minor under the age of sixteen cannot be charged for perjury. I think that’s an odd rule and I’m sure there are limitations to that rule in real life. Hye Sung asks Dong Hee if she skips two grades. Dong Hee confirms and tells the court that she is currently 15 years old. Now, I wonder, if Soo Ha is 18 years old and Dong Hee is two years behind, wouldn’t she be 16 and not 15 years old? Unless some of his classmates are 17 years old and Soo Ha was born earlier. I also wonder how Sang Duk knew Dong Hee was under 16 years old.

Hye Sung explains to the court that Dong Hee cannot be charged with perjury and continues the questioning.


At the office, Yoo Chang excitedly informs Kwan Woo that Hye Sung won her case. Yoo Chang compliments Kwan Woo for his “hawk eyes” at the crime scene while Kwan Woo credits Yoo Chang for his work on the case. It is a victory for all and the men clap. Sang Duk is the only one missing and the men think Sang Duk is too uncaring for Hye Sung when Sang Duk, in fact, helped Hye Sung in a major way. Yoo Chang admits that he respects Sang Duk, but doesn’t like him sometimes. Kwan Woo laughs and holds his upper teeth up as if he had dentures. That was mean.


Hye Sung catches up to Do Yeon at the court house  in front of the statue of Lady Justice. Hye Sung accuses Do Yeon of stopping the truth from being revealed. Do Yeon informs Hye Sung that she was only explaining the law, but Hye Sung doesn’t buy it. Hye Sung says that Do Yeon is the same person she was ten years ago and that Do Yeon would never admit fault. 


Do Yeon sneers at Hye Sung and tells her that is enough. According to Do Yeon, Hye Sung did a good job as a public defender, but that doesn’t give her the right to belittle a prosecutor. I totally agree with Do Yeon on that one. Hye Sung won the case. She should separate work from personal issues. Hye Sung continues the insult.  She believes God arranged the chance for her to meet Do Yeon at a time when Do Yeon is successful just so a public defender like Hye Sung can beat Do Yeon. Do Yeon firmly states that this situation would not happen again. Hye Sung tells Do Yeon that if they ever meet again in a trial, if Hye Sung wins, Do Yeon has to admit that she is wrong and apologize to Hye Sung and her mother. Hye Sung struts away saying what goes around, comes around and karma in a melodic voice. Do Yeon is so furious that she snaps the pencil she is holding in half. Sang Duk was watching the women argue from the stairs above.

After walking away, Hye Sung receives another baffling text message on her phone and thinks it is from Soo Ha, whom she noticed, did not come to the court house that day.

Soo Ha visits the jail house and makes a request for visitation.

Hye Sung calls her mother on the phone, asking Choon Shim if she took down the banners and flyers. Moreover, She asks if the celebration is still canceled. Choon Shim, sweeping the street in front of her business, firmly responded “yes” on the phone. Hye Sung also asks if Choon Shim is still embarrassed of Hye Sung. Hye Sung tells Choon Shim that she did not give up on her defendant. 


As Hye Sung walks around the corner, she notices the banners and flyers are still there at Choon Shim's business. Hye Sung stares at everything in awe. When she comes to her senses, she tells Choon Shim that the defendant was declared innocent. Choon Shim silently cheers on the phone. Hye Sung smiles, watching her mother and asks her mother if she is proud. Choon Shim is smiling, but tells Hye Sung that she shouldn’t be proud since defending her defendant is her job. 


Hye Sung asks Choon Shim if she’s a worm or dragon. Choon Shim settles on loach for the time being. She tells Hye Sung that Hye Sung has more ways to go before reaching dragon status. After ending the phone call, Hye Sung watches as Choon Shim kisses the phone and does a victory dance. Before Hye Sung leaves, she takes down one of the flyers and puts it in her bag. I think it's interesting how Hye Sung needs to have her mother's approval.

At the jailhouse, an officer informs Soo Ha that Min Joon Gook was released from prison last month.  They don’t know where he is located. Soo Ha gets on the bus and thinks that the voice he heard was definitely Min Joon Gook’s voice. Before he can think further, he sees Hye Sung waiting for a bus across the street. Soo Ha stops his bus and races out.

Hye Sung looks around the bus and doesn’t see a seat. Soo Ha reads her thoughts about how this bus never has any empty seats and that Hye Sung is tired of standing. Soo Ha reads the bus passengers' thoughts and leads Hye Sung, who didn’t notice him, to the woman in a plaid shirt who is about to get off at the next stop. It really doesn’t matter to me since they were the only ones standing anyway. There were two people standing towards the end of the bus, but the situation is not so bad that they had to desperately reserve the spot.


Hye Sung is sitting on the bus seat and tells Soo Ha that he should sell his skill to her. Soo Ha asks Hye Sung how the trial went. Hye Sung tells him that Sung Bin is proclaimed innocent and Hye Sung continues to boast about herself regarding what happened in the courtroom that day. Soo Ha walks away and sits in a seat on the other side of the bus. Hye Sung gets her fourth “I’ll be there” text message and looks at Soo Ha, who is listening to music on his phone.

Soo Ha walks Hye Sung home again and asks Hye Sung if she usually comes home late and whether she could be where there are more people around since the roads are dark. Hye Sung asks Soo Ha why he should care and if he followed her home because he is worried.  Soo Ha denies it. He says his usual line and tells her to go into her apartment.


Hye Sung walks up the stairs when she suddenly remembers the text messages. She calls Soo Ha “Gumshoe" before ordering him not to turn around and listen to her. Hye Sung wonders if it is wrong for her to bring up the subject, but she is the adult in this situation. Soo Ha becomes agitated and asks Hye Sung why she has to make such a long introduction. 


Hye Sung tells him that she doesn’t have time to deal with bumbling feelings from a kid like him. She reminds Soo Ha to put an end to how he feels about her. Soo Ha is astonished. Hye Sung says she is a lawyer and Soo Ha is a high school junior. He should be concentrating on his studies and not on a girl.


Soo Ha asks Hye Sung, “who likes who?” and “Who said that?” Hye Sung tells Soo Ha that it was him who has been sending her text messages every day since the trial. Soo Ha states that it wasn’t him and argues that he does not know Hye Sung’s number. To prove it, he calls his own number with Hye Sung’s phone. I should have known that Hye Sung shouldn’t mess with technology. 


Surprised, Hye Sung asks Soo Ha who would send her these texts. Soo Ha looks at her with bored eyes: Spam.

Hye Sung is stunned and thinks this situation is a total and utter embarrassment for her. Soo Ha reads her mind and laughs. Hye Sung covers her eyes with her cellphone and gives Soo Ha a warning not to read her thoughts before she races up the stairs. Soo Ha playfully repeats her thoughts out loud.


Hye Sung runs towards her couch and plops down on it. She wonders why Soo Ha walks her home every night and whether Soo Ha is the chivalrous type. Thinking further, Hye Sung realizes that she doesn’t even know Soo Ha’s name, but comes to the conclusion that she doesn’t want to know his name. Hye Sung wonders who sent the text then. She takes out the rubber thumb out of her bag. Hye Sung suddenly thinks the mysterious sender is Kwan Woo.

Kwan Woo is working late at the office. Before Sang Duk leaves, he asks Kwan Woo if he knew Min Joon Gook. Kwan Woo doesn’t know him. Sang Duk explains that he has a friend named Dal Joong whom Sang Duk visits regularly and Min Joon Gook told Dal Joong that Joon Gook owed Kwan Woo something. Kwan Woo thinks, but is not familiar with Joon Gook. Sang Duk says Joon Gook saw the newspaper clipping and recognized Kwan Woo in the picture. Kwan Woo says Hye Sung was in the newspaper as well. Curious, Kwan Woo asks Sang Duk about Joon Gook’s crime and Sang Duk answers Kwan Woo with the word, “murder.”

Soo Ha enters Hye Sung’s phone number as “Jang D’arc.” He wonders who sent the mysterious text messages since the trial started. Thinking back to when Soo Ha heard Joon Gook’s voice and when the officer stated that Joon Gook was released out of prison last month, Soo Ha panics and runs back towards Hye Sung’s apartment.

Hye Sung is in bed, but cannot sleep. She wonders if it is really Kwan Woo who texted her, but she doesn’t want to feel embarrassed again. Thinking it might be an answering machine, Hye Sung calls the number and hears Michael Jackson’s “I’ll Be There” ringtone within her home. When she ends the call, the apartment is silent. She calls again and hears the ringtone again. Wow, that is super scary. Is this a scary drama? The I'll-be-there text message is actually referring to the ringtone. 

Soo Ha runs back and screams that Hye Sung doesn’t answer her phone, which I think is strange. When he rounds the corner and goes down the stairs, a basketball is thrown at his face, which he catches. Soo Ha sees seven classmates, including Choong Ki and Leader, surround him. Soo Ha tells Leader to move, but Leader tells him that they still have things to talk about.  Soo Ha wants to talk another time, but Choong Ki says they should talk right now since he heard that Soo Ha humiliated Choong Ki’s guys. A fight ensues, but nothing Soo Ha can’t handle.

With the phone continuously ringing, Hye Sung moves towards to the kitchen to grab a pan. I wonder if that’s the only weapon in the house because that looks funny. Meanwhile, Choong Ki and the rest of the gang are down on the ground in pain. Soo Ha grabs his bag and limps away. Hye Sung moves closer to the door and asks, “Who is there?” out loud.  Soo Ha holds his ribs and continues to runs towards Hye Sung’s apartment with a busted lip and a bruised face.

This drama ended on a cliffhanger! I was actually scared to find out who is in Hye Sung’s house. I’m thinking it’s Min Joon Gook because he is the only psycho of the show. I am starting to like Hye Sung now because she started redeeming herself by actually working hard to defend her defendant. The court room scenes were awesome. I love all the sweet things Soo Ha does for his noona, Hye Sung. I can’t wait to see what happens next!  

2 comments:

  1. Hello..!
    I am currently obsessed with this drama so I can't help trying to find anything related with it, and then I stumbled upon your blog..! Even though I've watched the drama I still like reading your recaps because of your sharp observations and witty comments.. :)
    I can't wait to watch the next episodes and also read your recaps..!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Thi. I am a bit behind on recaps, but I will catch up! The story is so good so far! Look for the next recaps soon. :)

    ReplyDelete

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