Conflict is rife in our team as greed and pride threaten to tear our lawyer and reporter apart. Coupled with their client’s betrayal, everything that they built up seems to crumble before their eyes, and no matter what they say, it all sounds like lies and excuses to their client. However, giving up was never an option for our tenacious lawyer who will not stop until the trial ends.
EPISODE 14 RECAP
Tae-yong informs Sang-man of the bad news, and the retired detective offers to meet Doo-shik in his stead. Overhearing the call, Yoo-kyung wonders why Doo-shik would fire him without warning and asks if Sam-soo knows about this situation. In response, he directs her attention to the shredded contract.
Doo-shik meets with Partner Kim who offers his legal services as well as some financial assistance. The bald-faced liar claims to have always been on Doo-shik’s side even when he was the chief prosecutor, but the truth is far from it.
When Sang-man enters, he finds the odd ensemble of characters and is disgusted to his core. He warns Doo-shik that this is a failed union where he is bound to die, but Partner Kim has the audacity to blame Sang-man for creating this predicament in the first place. Despite Sang-man’s pleas, Doo-shik avoids looking at him and leaves with his new group.
Sang-man reports back to Tae-yong, and the news about Partner Kim entering the foray raises flags. These series of events seem too peculiar for the group to chalk up as coincidental, so Tae-yong maps out their current enemy lineup to piece together this new puzzle.
Partner Kim treats Doo-shik and Boss Kim to a meal, continuing his guise as the caring attorney. When Doo-shik excuses himself from the table, the friendly demeanors drop, and Boss Kim asks about his commission.
After the meal, Partner Kim informs Justice Jo of his progress. He asks how long he has to work with a lowly gangster, and the justice tells him that it will end soon. Making a quick call to the judges in charge, Justice Jo makes it clear that he wants the retrial finished quickly, and points out that the knife submitted as evidence has no fingerprints.
Tae-yong lists the four institutions currently fighting against them, and at the top is the secret mastermind linking everything together. Their brainstorming session takes a break when Attorney Hwang calls, notifying them of their retrial update. Much like the last case, the courts have set a date sooner than expected.
With no time to lose, Tae-yong goes down to meet Doo-shik in person while Yoo-kyung attempts to bring Sam-soo back to the team. She offers to meet Sam-soo who’s down by the sea, but he yells at her to leave him alone.
When Tae-yong asks her why she joined their team, she gives him a simple answer: because they are cool. He scoffs at the comment, but she truly means it. Seeing the two of them with nothing going against people who have everything looked sexy to her.
At a different restaurant, Sam-soo asks Yoo-kyung why she works with him, and she tells them that it is because of the shoes. When he does not believe her, she recalls the first time they came here and received apples from Myung-hee’s grandmother. She still remembers the taste and how the grandmother thanked them.
Legislator Kim praises Justice Jo for his latest work and invites him over to meet in person next time. Outside the justice’s office, Prosecutor Jang knocks, and when no one answers, he walks in. The unannounced visit irks Justice Jo who scolds the prosecutor for his late reports.
Prosecutor Jang asks when they should call in Sam-soo, but the justice wants to wait since a media frenzy would only give the other side more ammo. The prosecutor voices his disgruntlement with the decision, but Justice Jo will not budge on the matter.
The justice notices the prosecutor’s eyes scanning his desk, but by the time he hides the document about the Osung retrial, Prosecutor Jang already read the title. As soon as he leaves, the prosecutor smirks, fully aware of the judges meddling.
While Yoo-kyung does more research on Justice Jo’s rulings, Tae-yong continues working on Doo-shik’s case just in case. He wonders if she heard anything from Sam-soo, and she calls them both petty for not reaching out to each other when they clearly want to.
Since the article funding was terminated, Kwi-hyun offers Sam-soo a new job writing about the products they are selling on their site. Sam-soo grumbles at first, but once he hears about the money, the reporter takes the next bus to investigate. Contrary to his expectations, getting a story about the product turns out to be quite difficult as Sam-soo fails to connect with the farmers who scoff at his colorful language.
Judge Choi asks why he made a false confession, and Doo-shik struggles to speak up in front of the judge. When he manages to answer the question, the judge is skeptical since confessing could have meant the death penalty.
He then asks if the prosecution beat him up and wonders why he did not tell the truth in court at the very least. Doo-shik corrects him since he did profess his innocence then, and Judge Choi apologizes for the blunder since he did not have time to review the case files, either.
After that sad excuse for a trial, Tae-yong confronts Partner Kim in the hallway, and the whole team attacks him for not properly defending his client. Sang-man accuses him of releasing Jae-sung all those years ago, and Doo-shik looks stricken.
Tae-yong turns to Doo-shik and berates him for being so quiet in the courtroom. He asks him the same questions the judge posed, and this time, Doo-shik does not stumble over his words. Tae-yong tells him to answer the questions like that inside, but Doo-shik says that no one will listen. Exasperated, Tae-yong yells back, “Hey, I’m here! We’re here!”
COMMENTS
Having Tae-yong and Sam-soo apart for the majority of this episode made me appreciate how much I enjoy the duo when they are fighting together. While Sam-soo disappearing to the countryside for another Kwi-hyun related side hustle felt a bit repetitive, I enjoyed the pay-off at the end. The two leads’ relationship has really grown over these last couple of months, and though they might deny it, they resemble each other a lot. Both of them are prideful and stubborn, but they are also thoughtful and empathetic. At times, they clash because of their differing goals, but at the end of the day, they want the same thing: to fight for those who cannot.
At first, our lawyer and reporter were only in it for the money, but as the show progressed, it became clear that these retrials became something more for them. This was not an overnight realization or even a smooth transition. The show made it clear that both characters struggled with this decision, and while our heroes are quite admirable, the message is not about two selfless saints fighting for justice. Instead, they are human beings with flaws. They want money, fame, and adoration like everyone else. However, they are able to do these amazing feats because they embrace their weaknesses. This gradual character growth highlights how this is not just a story about two amazing people making history, but the journey of a high school graduate lawyer and dirt-poor reporter learning from these retrials and truly becoming applaudable people.
Though our heroes fight, we know that they will reconcile because they are good people. This is also what sets them apart from the villains who work together not out of loyalty but for their own gain. Signs of unrest within the group was hinted at since the beginning, but in this episode, the backstabbing was set into motion in earnest. Mayor Kang prepares to use his son-in-law for his own purposes, and at the same time, Prosecutor Jang is ready to blackmail the group and his father-in-law at a moment’s notice. It might have been impossible for Tae-yong and his team to bring down the den of evil by themselves, but now that their opponents might be tearing themselves apart from the inside, a victory for the heroes seems more feasible.
The courtroom scene for Doo-shik’s second retrial was almost hilarious if not for the horrific fact that this case and these people actually existed. Though the drama does take creative liberties, I always wonder how much of these events and characters are true to life since this is not a second-hand account. Regardless, that scene reiterated just how much the legal system fails its vulnerable population. The judges, prosecution, and even the attorneys are so removed from the people they serve and fail to understand basic human emotions. As Doo-shik said, those who have never been beat keep telling him that he should not have falsely confessed. They assume no person would lie under those circumstances, and it really shows how privileged and unaware these people are.
At the same time, it also shows why Tae-yong’s background is such an advantage. People like Assemblyman Tak might call it a concept, but it is much more than that. Attorney Hwang noticed this quality in the duo, which was why she joined them. Despite her impressive credentials, she joined hands with two nobodies because they had something she did not have. Because Tae-yong and Sam-soo come from humble roots, they are able to connect with their clients and see things from a different perspective than those in power. However, Prosecutor Jang demonstrates how a poor background does not necessarily mean everyone turns out like Tae-yong and Sam-soo. The world is diverse, and as much as there are evil people running amok, there are still good people out there fighting as well.