Lawless Lawyer Recap – Episode 12

Lawless Lawyer Recap – Episode 12-

At the martial arts studio, Jae Yi offers Sang Pil her hand to get up but he doesn’t take it. Jae Yi realises he is not telling her something. Kwang Soo interrupts them and they see the press conference where Judge Cha accepts the candidacy for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The father of the prisoner who received the death sentence turns up at the scene causing a commotion and hits Judge Cha across the head with a glass bottle. She is taken to the hospital.

Oh Ju watches this on television and guesses that this was a premeditated attack to take the attention off the photograph incident. Gwan Dong suggests visiting Judge Cha at the hospital but Oh Ju refuses, saying that she wouldn’t like it but since he is the mayor he had to go. He receives a call from Soong Ja who asks him to come to the hospital.

At the law firm, the newsflash of the incident is on and Jae Yi comments that Judge Cha is at least paying for one of the things that she did. Everyone agrees when Sang Pil comments that its actually the opposite. He says that the Judge went from being a suspect to a victim because of this incident. He asks Kwang Soo to check the videos or photos on the internet of the incident from different angles.

Oh Ju reaches the hospital and is swarmed by reporters. Jae Yi’s father is among the crowd of Judge Cha’s supporters. Oh Ju walks into the hospital room with flowers and Judge Cha is asleep as Soong Ja sits quietly beside her. Soong Ja tells him that the doctor said that Judge Cha would’ve gone blind if she had taken the hit few inches lower. He feigns concern and Judge Cha calls him by his name. She asks him to release a statement saying that she still hasn’t regained consciousness and asks Soong Ja to ask the Editor In Chief to come and see her tomorrow. Both of them acknowledge. She asks Oh Ju to leave when he keeps hovering around.

On the way out Gwan Dong asks Oh Ju if Judge Cha thinks he is the one who leaked the photos to which he says that Judge Cha has placed a knife to his neck. He says that since both of them wear a mask, they have to be very careful and one small mistake will cost them dearly. He says that he feels all this is coming to an end.

He tells the reporters at the entrance that Judge Cha is still unconscious. Then he goes on to tell Kiseong is a safe city and it saddens him to see that such an incident has taken place. He says he will find the person behind it and make it pay.

Kwang Soo finds a video from a different angle and puts it up on the screen. Sang Pil notes that Judge Cha knew the man was going to hit her but still she didn’t move away and used this to her advantage. Kwang Soo asks if Judge Cha planned it in a short window and Geum Gang is astonished at this. Jae Yi says that Judge Cha always plans ahead and Sang Pil says that she is overcoming a crisis with another crisis.

At night, Judge Cha is at the hospital watching the news report. Since the incident, the news of the photos have taken the back seat and it says that the people have started questioning the credibility of the pictures and that there’s a high possibility of it being fake. Judge Cha leans back with a satisfied smile.

The next day, at the law firm, Geum Ja and the others tell that Judge Cha supporters are camping outside the hospital and people have forgotten their photos. Jae Yi notes that Sang Pil’s mind is elsewhere. Sang Pil comments that Judge Cha gets her experience from presiding over so many trials and knows people behaviour, hence she is able to manipulate the public easily. Jae Yi asks him if Judge Cha will be satisfied, now that she has become a victim. Sang Pil avoids eye contact and doesn’t reply, instead tells Kwang Soo that they have to go out and walks away. Jae Yi is confused by this behaviour.

The Editor In Chief and the Chief Prosecutor visit Judge Cha at the hospital. Cha asks the Chief Prosecutor regarding the condition of the suspect and he says that he is being held in a cell and that he will try to get the maximum sentence for him. She orders him not to do anything for now and asks the editor in Chief to gather a group of reporters. She asks Soong Ja to bring her clothes.

Judge Cha arrives at the Police stations and there are a group of reporters and a large number of supporters waiting there (Jae Yi’s father cheers loudly for her). The suspect is also escorted out as she begins the press conference. The entire lawless law firm is also there. Judge Cha starts to say that she understands the father’s actions as he is a parent and he acted like that because he was devastated. When asked about the punishment she says that an act done out of punishment should not be legally punished and earns a round of applause from the crowd. The father falls to his knees and begs for forgiveness and she stands him up and comforts him. Jae Yi watches as her father claps for Judge Cha.

As Judge Cha starts to leaves, Sang Pil interrupts and asks if it was intentional on her part that she did not try to avoid the attack. She asks him if he implies that she had this planned to which he confirms and goes on to say that it distracts everybody from the case that took place 18 years ago. She stares him down and says that the photos were manipulated and earns a cheer from the crowd. She leaves and Jae Yi says that Sang Pil had predicted Cha’s moves accurately. Sang Pil tells her to call it a day as he will be going back to the firm. Jae Yi doesn’t respond and remains silent as everyone leave.

Hyoon Joo watches her husband (Jae Yi’s father) on the news as he fiercely supports Judge Cha.

Jae is at home and thinks back on when Sang Pil had told her that he would teach her self-defence whenever he had time so that she can be fine on her own. Geum Ja comes by with dinner and they eat. Ja asks Jae Yi if Sang Pil has gone back into the cave and Jae Yi is surprised that Ja knows about them. Ja goes on to say that men are like that and that she should give him some space. Jae Yi says that her father has no idea about Judge cha’s true colours and Sang Pil is distancing himself from her. Ja tells her that Jae Yi’s father will soon figure out the truth. Jae Yi calls her a dating coach and Ja admits that she is jealous of them.

Sang Pil is at his firm as he thinks back to when Jae Yi at the hospital had wanted to know more about him because he is her man and to when her mother asked him to let Jae Yi go if he really loved her. Kwang Soo comes in just then and Sang Pil tells him that Jae Yi’s mother is alive. He asks Sang Pil if Jae Yi knows about this and Sang Pil says that her mother has requested not to tell her so he hadn’t. He tells Kwang Soo not to tell Jae Yi and that he will tell her by himself.

Sang Pil meets Hyun Joo at the beach and tells her that he will end things with Jae Yi. He says that he wants to ask her one last question. He shows her the black notebook and asks her if she had sent it. She goes through the book with a shocked expression before telling him that she didn’t send it. Sang Pil is stunned by this revelation and starts thinking.

Judge Cha is talking with the Judge who disbarred Jae Yi and they talk about his connections with Mr Jo. He gives her a package that contains an antique piece used by Chinese emperors. He congratulates her on gaining back public support. Chief Prosecutor Jang comes in and she introduces him to the judge and tells him to inform Mr Jo that they (Jang and Judge Cha) will be working together from now on.

Gwang Dong and another man are agitated about something as Oh Ju walks in. Oh Ju asks them on what the issue is this time. A worried Gwan Dong shows him an article which reads that the Ministry of Construction has put the Golden City Project on hold. Oh Ju is outraged seeing this and asks why this article wasn’t stopped when the man tells him that project really has been put on hold. A furious Oh Ju calls Gwan Dong and asks him to contact attorney Go In Do. The other man tells him that there were a few legal issues to be settled to which Oh Ju says that Judge Cha had already taken care of it. Gwang Dong Informs Oh Ju that Judge Cha has decided against the project and is not receiving any of their calls. Oh ju walks out of his office.

 

Oh Ju barges into Judge Cha’s office where Attorney Go In Do is there along with her. Oh Ju asks him as to why he didn’t take his calls and In Do closes the door and tells him that Judge Cha and he were talking. When asked about Golden City In Do tells Oh Ju heatedly that the project has been put on hold. Judge Cha asks them to take their fight outside. Oh Ju says that he had worked so hard to make sure that all the lands that Judge Cha owned under other names to be included in the Golden City project. He asks her why she is stopping it instead of rewarding him. She says that she stopped it as it would cause trouble later. When Oh Ju says that Golden City was the promise that he made to the people of Kiseung, both Judge Cha and Attorney In Do laugh at him. In Do reminds him that Judge Cha made him mayor.

Oh Ju sits down and asks Cha if she is alienating him now that she has Ohju group. She asks reminds him that donating Oh Ju group was another promise that he made Kiseung as well. Oh Ju asks In Do if both of them had been fornicating behind his back. In do wears a condescending smile as he slaps Oh Ju and says they were communicating. Oh Ju is dejected and says that the dog you raised bit you on the neck and at that moment there is nothing you could do. He says that he is done following her orders and he will function on his own from now on. He warns them to wait and see and he leaves.

Gwan Dong assures someone on the phone that Mayor will take care of everything while he drives Oh Ju back. Oh Ju asks him to pull over as Gwan Dong asks him for a favour. After they get off he asks Gwan Dong if he ever wanted to order Oh Ju around. When Gwan Dong denies Oh Ju punches him repeatedly and thrashes him. He goes on to bring a paver block to throw at the bleeding Gwang Dong who is lying on the ground profusely apologising. Oh Ju tells him Gwan Dong dare not ask him for any favours again.

At the law firm, Kwang so asks Sang Pil as to who would’ve sent the notebook if it wasn’t Jae Yi’s mother.  Sang Pil says that he has a person in mind but not sure about it. Geum Gang and his men come back late after lunch and notice Jae Yi missing. Sang Pil tells them that this it’ll be just them and they will be doing it the old way. He tells them they will be targeting Gwan Dong as he murdered Dae Woong. He says that their job will be to erase him for existence and Sang Pil wants to do to him what Gwan Dong had done to his uncle. They ask Sang Pil if he is willing to get blood on his hands to which Sang Pil gives a determined look but doesn’t reply.

Gwan Dong is at a club and is drunk. He throws a tantrum and starts throwing things around and breaking them. He trash talks Oh Ju as Sang Pil and his men walk in and Dong asks Sang Pil why he is here. Seeing that Gwang Dong is in a bad shape Sang Pil asks Kwang Soo to cheer him up. Gwan Dong gets up and walks on the table towards Sang Pil who tells him to look forward to what’s going to come. Sang Pil moves away as the very drunk Gwan Dong falls over Geum Gangs men, who carry him away.

Gwan Dong is blindfolded and is hanging tied by his hands over a pit inside a building. Hearing Sang Pil’s voice asks him to let him down. Sang Pil says that if he does so, Gwang Dong will fall 10 storeys down. He doesn’t believe him so they drop him a few inches and he is terrified and starts screaming. Sang Pil holds him and tells him that he will do the same thing that Gwan Dong did to his uncle. He asks Gwan Dong what they did to his uncle and it is being recorded on the phone. Gwan Dong says that Dae Woong was stabbed and Sang Pil asks for a knife and Gwan Dong starts screaming hysterically saying that he wasn’t the one who stabbed him and starts apologising. SangPil continues to terrorise him.

Oh Ju is not able to reach Gwan Dong and he calls up his secretary Kim.

Gwan Dong is lowered further down and he admits Oh Ju ordered them to kill Dae Woong. When Sang Pil says he doesn’t believe him, he goes on to tell that he has evidence on his phone that he made for insurance. Kwang Soo unlocks Gwan Dong’s phone and checks it. Gwan Dong begs for forgiveness and Sang Pil says that he cant forgive him and asks them to cut the rope. They cut the rope and he falls just a few feet to the ground and screams in shock as everyone laughs. Sang Pil says that though he would love to kill him, he will leave Ahn Oh Ju to take care of this. Sang Pil waves goodbye to Gwan Dong as he leaves with his men.

Sang Pil asks Kwang Soo to edit the recording properly for use and to thoroughly go through Gwan Dong’s phone. He asks them as to whom they should break the news to and they say the answer is obvious.

Soong Ja creates a racket in Oh Ju’s room as she comes to know about Golden City Project being halted as she loses all the money she put in it. He asks her how she didn’t get the whiff of this. She desperately says that she will do anything for him if she gets her money back. He says they are similar in this when Bong Sang Pil comes to visit him. He sees Soong Ja and calls her a “Butler” and asks if Cha Moon Suk knows about Oh Ju and her meeting up. Sang Pil asks Oh Ju to check the news tomorrow for Gwan Dong’s whereabouts and that it will be a special gift for Oh Ju. He starts to leave after saying that he will inform Judge Cha of OhJu and Soong Ja’s relationship. Oh Ju calls Sang Pil a peddler and points a gun at him, startling Soong Ja. Sang Pil walks right up to Oh Ju and stands in point blank range. Oh Ju lowers his gun after warning Sang Pil that he will shoot him next time if Sang Pil goes on like this. Sang Pil points his fingers at OhJu’s forehead and mimics shooting him and smiles as he walks away.

Sang Pil is back at the law firm and Geum Gang and Kwang Soo show him video evidence where Oh Ju orders Gwan Dong to kill Daw Woong since he has come with just one man. Sang Pil tells them not to send it to the prosecutor’s office but to put it up on the internet as he wants to find out who sent him the notebook. Sang Pil looks a the notebook and tightens his grip on it.

Oh Ju learns from his secretary that Gwang Dong was taken away by Sang Pil’s men. Oh Ju sees the news which shows the video that Sang Pil had obtained along with Gwan Soo’s voice recording in which he admits that Oh Ju had ordered the murder.

At the law firm, everyone is happy but Sang Pil doesn’t seem to share their emotion. Jae Yi walks in and asks him why he didn’t inform her to which he says that he was going to do so. She asks him to come outside.

At the beach, she asks him what is wrong and is upset that he didn’t inform her as she was under the impression that they were working together. She asks if there’s something she can’t know and he apologises as he can’t tell her. Jae Yi walks away.

Judge Cha and In Do watch, the new development on news as Chief Prosecutor walks in. Cha calls Oh Ju a mad dog who needs to be shot before it bites and orders prosecutor Jang to break Oh Ju completely and In Do passes him documents on Oh Ju’s campaign funds.

A wrathful Oh Ju thinks about how to get back at Sang Pil and wonders whether he should kill him. He orders his secretary to find Gawn Dong Immediately.

At the law firm Jae Yi receives a call from Hyun Joo, who wants to have lunch with her and Jae Yi says she will book a place.

They meet at a Thai restaurant And Jae Yi serves Hyun Joo the dishes. Jae Yi tries to strike a conversation and the waitress places a dish which he says is on the house. Jae Yi takes a bite from it and starts to have an allergic reaction. Hyun Joo finds out that the dish contained shrimp and screams for an ambulance saying that Jae Yi is allergic to shrimp. When Jae Yi asks her how she knows about the allergy, Hyun Joo immediately leaves the restaurant as she gets a call from Soong Ja. Jae Yi thinks back on all the previous conversation with Hyun Joo since Dae Woong’s funeral. Tears streak down her face as she gasps and realises who Hyun Joo is.

Hyun Joo gets a call from Jae Yi and she apologises for leaving abruptly and both of them cry as Jae Yi says that only her mother knew that she is allergic to shrimps. Hyun Joo hangs up and Jae Yi tries to search for her frantically.

Sang Pil gets a text from Hyun Joo which says “I am in Judge Cha’s house”. He goes out leaving Kwang Soo and Geum Gang behind.

Soong Ja tells Judge Cha that the massage room is ready. Hyun Joo switches off her phone and takes something wrapped in paper in her hand. She mixes the contents in Judge Cha’s tea.  When Judge Cha comes she tells her that she will get ready while Cha drinks her tea. Cha notices the powder that has spilt over the saucer and tells Hyun Joo that she doesn’t want the tea. Hyun Joo starts the massage as Judge Cha stops and confronts her. She asks her if the man who saved her didn’t tell her not to come back to Kiseong. Hyun Joo finds a candle holder and brandishes it at Cha while telling her how badly she had to live for 18 years because of her. Judge Cha tells her that she should’ve accepted her fate and calls out to Soong Ja when Hyun Joo tries to strike her. Soong Ja rushes in and slaps Hyun Joo and drags her away. Judge Cha faints and falls and Soong Ja rushes towards her.

Jae Yi reaches the place where Hyun Joo had told that she lives in.

Sang Pil is at Hyun Joo’s room and sees Hyun Joo’s passport as he thinks back on the conversation he had with her on the beach. He has told Hyun Joo that he feels Judge Cha has figured out her identity and asks her not to go to Judge Cha’s house again. She tells him that they should use this to their advantage and drive a wedge between Judge Cha and Soong Ja (since Soong Ja had recruited Hyun Joo). Sang Pil refuses saying that it is too dangerous. She is persistent and asks him to let her help him.

Sang Pil pockets the passport and looks a Jae Yi’s family picture on the desk when Jae Yi turns up at the doorway. He is surprised to see her there and she asks him how he is here. She asks him if he already knew that Hyun Joo is her mother. He tries to explain but she doesn’t allow him to and is furious with him for keeping it from her. She walks out and he chases after her and she tells him that Hyun Joo’s phone has been switched off for a while. She runs off saying something has happened to her mother.

She goes to Judge Cha’s office and asks her the whereabouts of her mother. Cha says that Hyun Joo disappeared 18 years ago. Judge Cha tells that the thing called family turn’s people into fools and says that the reason why she didn’t have one because it is a lifelong weakness. Jae Yi tells Judge Cha that she will never know what a family means and again hysterically asks her where her mother is. Judge Cha calls the Guards and orders Jae Yi to be taken away.

Sang Pil comes in and knocks down the guards and they try to get hold of him too. Sang Pil tells Judge Cha that he will take Jae Yi away and Judge Cha asks the guards to free them and tells him to escort her away as she is very agitated. Sang Pil takes her away.

Outside the courtroom, Jae Yi gets out of Sang Pil’s hold and asks him if the reason he kept Hyun Joo’s identity from her was to use Hyun Joo in his revenge. He remains silent at this and maintains that he will not tell her anything no matter what she accuses him of. Jae Yi tells him that she can never forgive him since his intentions for watching her and bring her into the firm was all for revenge. Before leaving she tells him that she doesn’t trust him anymore.

Oj Ju and Soong Ja meet at an abandoned building and she tells him that prosecutor Jang is going to expose Oh Ju’s campaign funds and asks him how he will handle it. He asks Yeon Hee to handle it but Soong Ja says that she has already told her but Prosecutor Cheon has already taken up the case. Oh Ju realises that it’s going to be very tough since Cheon is a very vicious prosecutor who put the bank president behind bars.  He tells her that if she wants her money back she should be on his side. She accepts saying that money is more important than anything. He reminds her that she was also there 18 years ago and once Judge Cha is done with him she will come after Soong Ja as well. He also tells her that Sang Pil would’ve planned something to take Soong Ja down.

At the Lawless law firm, Kwang Soo tells Sang Pil that Hyun Joo is still out of contact.

Jae Yi is out on the streets searching for her mother.

Prosecutor Cheon walks in and tells Sang Pil that they will be soon launching an investigation into Ahn Oh Ju. He shows Sang Pil the campaign funds documents and asks if Sang Pil was the one who gave prosecutor Jang the files. Sang Pil smiles and says that unfortunately, he wasn’t the one. When Cheon asks him if there was another person who wants to take down Oh Ju, Sang Pil says that the presence of this document confirms the identity of the person.

Judge Cha walks into the empty courtroom.

Kwang Soo asks Sang Pil about the identity of the person who sent the black book. Sang Pil says that it was Judge Cha.

Judge Cha sits at her bench and smiles when she thinks back to when she found out about Sang Pil’s existence when she had checked the list of candidates who had cleared the law exam.

We see a montage where she filled in the information regarding the Seven in the black book and had a person deliver it to Sang Pil anonymously. She had also watched him the day he had come to Kiseung.

Sang Pil says that she is using him to get rid of her people who know her secrets. He says that she made him come to Kiseong and tried to use him as a sword. All the scenes where Judge Cha had orchestrated Sang Pil’s moves are shown in sequence.

Judge Cha calls up Prosecutor Jang and he tells her that Ahn Oj Ju is now completely doomed.

Sang Pil says that Judge Cha needed his vengeance to take down Oh Ju and says that Judge Cha knows about people’s desire and knows how to take advantage of it. Kwang Soo says that Sang Pil’s vengeance ends with Judge Cha. Sang Pil says that she chose him, knowing very well that he is pointing his sword at her. He calls out her name “Cha Moon Suk”

Image Courtesy- TVN

Review

This was yet another fast-paced episode with a lot of information in it. The loose ends are starting to get tied up.

Two scenes stole the show in this episode. One was where Oh Ju realises that Judge cha has actually cut him off and now he is left with nothing and has to fend for himself. Choi Min Soo (Ahn Oh Joo) has done an amazing job in this scene where he finds out that he has been betrayed. The other one was when Sang Pil and his men interrogate Gwan Dong. It was satisfying to see Gwan Dong plead for mercy for what he had done to Dae Woong. As usual Sang Pil looks dashing when he switches to his Gangster side and smoothly carries out the job. Sang Pil , though a lawyer, always showed a liking to being a gangster since his youth, so the scenes where he shows his thug side bring out his stylish personality, as he does what he prefers doing.

Hyun Joo took a rash decision in going into Judge Cha’s house despite Sang Pil’s warning. This decision could have stemmed from watching her husband’s blind trust in Judge Cha in the news. Jae Yi was kept in the dark for the entire episode so she reacted drastically with what she could put together. She misunderstood the entire situation with the little information that she has gathered.

We see a union forming between Soong Ja (also a witness to the incident 18 years ago) and Oh Ju. It will be interesting to watch how that pans out since both of them can’t stand the sight of the other.

Sang Pil finds out to his dismay that the black book was not sent by Hyun Joo but by Judge Cha. He had walked unknowingly into her trap and had done things just the way she had wanted. This makes a lot of sense because she gains a lot from this move than Hyun Joo would. Dae Woong had always advised Sang Pil not to go in for revenge as it was never ending but Sang Pil wouldn’t have thought the outcome would be like this. Dae Woong had placed Scorpion in Kiseung prison for some reason which shows he might have had a plan and could’ve have guessed that Judge Cha was the anonymous sender of the book. This was indeed a great master plan by Judge Cha in which she had almost succeeded and it was a good suspense as we go towards the last 4 episodes of the series.

-Soul Sword

 

Lawless Lawyer Ep 13 Recap