The real fight begins for our attorney pair as our indomitable partner’s divorce case, which is making quite a splash already, gets underway. They’ll have to be tough and creative since their opponents show they’re not afraid to fight dirty. And they’ll also have to learn to put aside their differences and work as an effective team if they want to win.
Editor’s note: Good Partner will be preempted due to the Olympics and resume on August 16.
EPISODE 5
Boy do Sara’s claws come out this week. She’s not content to watch from the sidelines and takes a more active role in the proceedings. The counterclaim about Eun-kyung’s supposed affair? Sara’s the mastermind behind that, convincing a skeptical Ji-sang that it’s very likely they’ve been intimate. Even while he seems unsure and knows there’s no evidence beyond rumor, he goes to the press while Sara files the counterclaim.
Yuri is exasperated, and Eun-kyung’s own advice about not taking a client’s word for it about cheating comes to bite her. Determined not to be naïve about this, Yuri questions both Eun-kyung and Woo-jin. She comes away convinced they’re not sleeping together, but also sure that Woo-jin is and always has been in love with Eun-kyung, something the whole office seems to be in agreement about.
Woo-jin, of course, denies his feelings, but his claims that he merely respects Eun-kyung for her fearlessness and determination as she’s worked her way up in a sexist environment isn’t all that convincing. Even while he’s embroiled in this scandal, his only thought is for how he can help Eun-kyung. Yuri gently but firmly lets him know the best he can do is stay away and not fan the flames.
Despite, or maybe because of, Yuri’s bold questioning of her higher-ups, Woo-jin has confidence in her. Eun-kyung, on the other hand, is frustrated by Yuri’s assertiveness. Yuri is taking her responsibility seriously and treating Eun-kyung like any other client, and it’s clear Eun-kyung isn’t used to not being in charge. Suffice it to say, they’re testing each other’s patience.
With the case going public, Yuri’s profile is raised. The misogynist, money-grubbing CEO – who happens to be Woo-jin’s birth father, although to say they aren’t close would be an understatement – now knows her name, and it won’t be long before she’s known outside the firm too.
At home, Jae-hee is sullen and avoids her mom (likely having seen the article about her “office husband”). She’s old enough to know what’s going on, even if her parents have yet to discuss the divorce with her. Ji-sang doesn’t even appear to be living with them anymore.
Meanwhile, a still awkward Yuri and Eun-ho get sent on an assignment deep in the countryside. They’re surprised when their client turns out to have filed a fraudulent claim and has now remarried her husband after he’s cleared his debt. They’d decided on the protective move together and trip over themselves trying to claim the other did nothing wrong. Yuri is moved despite her claims that she’s anti-marriage. While I would love to see a heroine who is truly uninterested in marriage for a change, it seems like she’s more afraid of it going wrong and jaded about love than uninterested in the concept.
Eun-ho, however, shares none of her jadedness. After their one night together, he readily admits that he likes her and wants to date. Yuri, on the other hand, wants it to be a one-time deal and to continue being friends. He looks a little heartbroken, but he respects her decision.
Returning from their trip, Yuri has an epiphany that even earns Eun-kyung’s approval. For their counterattack, they need to reclaim the public’s attention and win them to their side. They use legalese to their advantage, getting the same reporter who broke the cheating story on Eun-kyung to publicly accuse Ji-sang of “de facto bigamy,” a fancy term for maintaining two households.
Their high doesn’t last long because shortly after their press conference outside the courthouse, Jae-hee goes missing from school. Eun-kyung is livid to find her with Sara. We leave off with the two women in a face-off as Jae-hee watches.
I never liked Sara, but she’s proved to be worse than I thought. Not only is she unapologetic about the affair, but she’s selfish enough to make false accusations and even drag a kid into this. From the discomfited way she looked when Ji-sang said he was filing for custody, it’s clear she was planning on having Ji-sang to herself and didn’t account for being a stepmom. So I think we can safely assume she’s not that interested in bonding with Jae-hee and is now using her to throw off or even threaten Eun-kyung.
While Ji-sang isn’t a bastion of integrity, I do think he’d draw the line at involving Jae-hee in this. That makes me think Sara is going rogue here or that he’s unaware of Sara’s intent. He may not be a fan of Eun-kyung’s calculating nature – which had they dated longer than three months (!) before getting married, maybe he would’ve been more clued into – but at least she’s straightforward about who she is. I’d wager Sara is just as calculating, even if it’s hidden beneath a warmer exterior.