(Characters and places associated in this drama are fictional.)
(Episode 8)
Shin Chang Ho's counsel...
consists of the best criminal defense lawyers in Taebaek.
Three of them used to be chief prosecutors.
It won't take long for them to catch the culprit.
Mr. Shin won't live more than six months.
He can't appear in court since he's sick.
The defendant won't be present for the trial.
I will find a way to delay the trial.
Trust me, Gyung Ho.
Of course, I trust you. Jeong Il.
But I don't trust the person whom you trust,
Su Yeon.
Since when did everything begin to fall apart?
Did it start when I met you in the US?
Let's make someone a scapegoat for the murder at the fishing site.
It will be Su Yeon.
- Gyung Ho. - What?
- I love... - Yes, you love her.
Let's protect the only thing we have.
Okay? Our lives.
What do you think?
Should I start plotting?
Don't.
Mr. Baek.
We must meet.
Find some time in the afternoon.
We have two interviews.
The first is a newspaper and the other will be on TV.
"The judge who did not kneel before the chief justice,"
"Judge Lee Dong Jun's married life."
The media is really interested in us.
CEO Choi.
Like you said,
I stopped yesterday's interview from getting printed.
Mr. Song went out of his way.
He promised to give them the exclusive news...
when you two get divorced.
Honey.
What do you mean, a divorce?
We will get divorced soon, ma'am.
The trial is today at 2pm.
You can get there by yourself, right?
I told the counsel...
to not consider you as my daughter.
I told them to treat you as the key witness...
to Kim Sung Sik's murder case.
It'll be hard.
You should eat up.
My husband puts me in a court...
and my dad calls attorneys to interrogate me as a witness.
Mom.
This is the life I live.
The trial will end around 5pm.
Your mother will be worried,
so you should eat dinner at home.
Set up an appointment with my dermatologist at 2pm today.
I do want to know this.
Why was I summoned as a witness for Kim Sung Sik's murder case?
Baek Sang Gu.
Isn't he involved with your businesses?
I wish you would carry out my business too.
Let us...
stop the trial, Mr. Lee.
If I take my hands off of Mr. Shin's case,
Jeong Il will be safe.
And you'll live as the son-in-law of Taebaek Law Firm.
That's the way the most people can be happy.
- What do you think? - If you refuse to show up today,
you will be apprehended the next time.
Have a good one, Su Yeon.
I received a call from the counsel at the court.
Ms. Choi did appear to witness.
Mr. Kang and Ms. Choi...
has been dating for over four years.
And they still are.
I doubt Ms. Choi would...
easily open up about the incident at the fishing...
The court is where a married couple who was married for 30 years...
would nitpick over the smallest weakness for their assets.
Su Yeon is standing in that very court.
My dad's illness is getting worse.
I think he's more afraid...
to die as a murderer than death itself.
I had a hard time to convince him to stay this morning...
when he said he wanted to go to the court.
Young Ju.
This time,
the winner will be the one who is more desperate.
(Kang Jeong Il)
This is Lee Dong Jun.
(Witness stand)
Attorney, you may examine the witness.
I am sorry...
for underestimating you all along.
I also want to commend you for something,
but I have nothing.
The law is not about judging, but about compromise.
We are not judging the sinner.
Sinners are there to come to a compromise.
I will give Mr. Shin what he needs the most.
Time.
I heard he has six months left.
It's sad to see the time fly by over a fight in court.
He'll need some time to spend with his family.
Since he was a reporter, he can write up a memoir.
I have information about the real murderer...
of Kim Sung Sik.
It's apparently one of Baek Sang Gu's people.
If you would like,
I'll make him turn himself in.
Are you trying to put the blame on someone else other than Mr. Shin?
Mr. Shin will be acquitted,
and I will be safe.
You will live the life you want.
That makes everyone happy.
Why do you...
need to be happy?
You covered up the truth behind Mr. Kim's death with money,
and you ruined Mr. Shin's life with power.
You will never win against me when it comes to law, Mr. Lee.
Can you win against Su Yeon?
I wonder what Su Yeon will say at court...
about her relationship with Baek Sang Gu.
Baek Sang Gu is in charge of practical affairs.
I think I've seen him twice.
But he was very far away.
There is no evidence of Su Yeon asking...
Baek Sang Gu to destroy the document regarding bulletproof vests.
There is no money transferred to his account...
before and after Kim Sung Sik's murder.
Me, Su Yeon, Baek Sang Gu.
There is nothing that ties the three of us together.
Mr. Lee.
Baek Sang Gu...
took over a construction company.
He took out a huge loan...
without any collateral.
I want to take over a small construction company.
Look into some loans.
Don't you think that's something he took for covering up a murder?
It looked like Taebaek was the one who helped him get that huge loan.
(Loan Contract)
Su Yeon has already acknowledged the relationship between...
Taebaek and Baek Sang Gu.
There must be someone who helped him...
get that huge loan within Taebaek.
He must be the murderer.
The court will summon you within a few days.
This time, you will be summoned as a witness.
However,
you will soon be summoned as a suspect.
Have some.
I'm sure you're probably thirsty.
The prosecution is after the savings bank.
He is trying to find out...
that I was the one who pressured them to give Baek Sang Gu a loan.
Father, please...
stop the investigation.
The prosecution and the law are...
Il Hwan's specialty.
Il Hwan is doing this on his home ground. It won't be easy.
You can try to put...
the advisors you took from Taebaek to...
I took them out to save my assets.
I can't use all of them to save my child.
Father.
I am in danger.
You need my power,
but you won't work for me.
It doesn't make any sense.
You said you didn't want to live like your corrupt father...
who sold weapons.
Then you dated Su Yeon to go into law.
But you ended up hurting yourself.
Jeong Il.
They will eventually find out you gave the loan to Baek Sang Gu.
Father.
Then...
I'll be arrested for murder.
You just tried to protect a woman you love.
They can't find you guilty just for that.
Su Yeon paid...
Baek Sang Gu to do the whole thing.
It's Su Yeon who killed the reporter at the fishing site.
As Baek Sang Gu wanted the money,
Su Yeon asked you...
to help him get a loan.
What do you think of the plot I've come up with?
I didn't check the money used...
to take over a construction company.
I'll check what you witnessed today and your alibi for the day again...
in case you will be accused of perjury.
Okay.
Excuse me.
You won't be acquitted of perjury,
but you'll get away with murder if you're well prepared.
Kang Jeong Il assisted Baek Sang Gu...
to get a huge loan...
without telling you.
There were three people at the fishing site.
Kang Jeong Il, Baek Sang Gu, and you.
The other two met without you.
What would they have talked about?
For what did Jeong Il help...
Baek Sang Gu get a loan?
It was when the best lawyers of Taebaek were put in the trial.
Jeong Il is...
not that kind of guy.
What kind of guy is he?
He killed a man and put the blame on someone else.
Jeong Il is that kind of guy from what I know.
Now he's on the verge of going to jail.
Is there anything he wouldn't do?
You should be careful...
of Jeong Il.
Baek Sang Gu.
I need to see you.
Have a seat.
Here.
The prosecution is conducting an investigation into the bank.
They will focus on the loan for Baek Sang Gu.
Jeong Il will be busy.
Su Yeon is out of office. Maybe...
She's probably meeting Baek Sang Gu.
Kang Jeong Il and Choi Su Yeon.
I guess they still trust each other.
The trust will diminish.
Even you...
and I.
This will be...
the last verdict which you will deliver.
Will you make the verdict for Shin Chang Ho...
or will you make it for your own life?
You should abandon him first.
Lee Dong Jun.
Then your father can live.
The people who put us to the test...
will be put to the test now.
They will see how fearful it is to see what they believe collapse.
That's nice.
All the executives of the savings bank...
were summoned to the prosecution.
Once your name falls from their lips,
you'll be arrested. Then what about me?
If Baek Sang Gu is summoned,
Jeong Il,
we don't know what he'd say.
(Father)
Father.
I hired someone to tail Su Yeon...
and got these pictures.
Jeong Il, Su Yeon is making a move.
Do you want me to weave a plot?
Good luck.
What?
What's that?
Are they meeting now?
Look, Jeong Il.
You, Su Yeon, and Baek Sang Gu were at the fishing site.
And they are meeting without you.
See?
Jeong Il.
Su Yeon.
Where...
are you now?
Well...
I'm here to see my dermatologist.
I'm about to start treatment.
I see.
Okay.
I'll...
talk to you later.
Okay.
What did she say?
Gyung Ho.
Start plotting.
Now.
The prosecution will summon Kang Jeong Il...
for the loan from the savings bank.
And he won't answer the summons.
Until they issue an arrest warrant, we will have to...
Kang Jeong Il said he'd answer the summons.
Kang Jeong Il is answering the summons...
because he is ready to make a counterargument.
There's also some evidence that Kang Jeong Il pressed...
the director of the bank hard.
It is impossible for him to make a counterargument.
Then why is he acting on what we planned?
They'll summon Baek Sang Gu...
if they find the money was in return for a favor.
And if Baek Sang Gu says what happened at...
the fishing site, Jeong Il will be a murderer.
What happens if Baek Sang Gu gives false testimony...
in favor of Jeong Il?
And what if they fabricate other evidence?
Jeong Il will be charged only with helping Baek Sang Gu...
get a loan for Su Yeon.
We should find a way to postpone the summons.
We have to put off the trial or do something else.
We don't have time for that.
My dad has limited time.
So we can't put off the trial.
When you testified...
about your whereabouts on the day...
I was praying all night at my grandfather's church.
We are setting up the alibi...
with people from the church.
All we have to do is hide the counterevidence.
If they get the evidence...
that you were at the fishing site on that day...
You should go to the security department.
You have to delete the surveillance footage of the parking lot.
Okay.
I don't need you now.
I didn't call a secretary.
I'm here as the practitioner of Shin Chang Ho's legal team.
I'd rather say I'm here to give you advice...
as I've been falsely accused.
Kang Jeong Il will be...
summoned to the prosecution soon.
He will spot you...
as the culprit.
That's ridiculous.
I thought the same thing.
Reportor Shin who has led an upright life his whole life is a murderer.
I thought that was ridiculous, but you guys made it.
Jeong Il won't...
abandon me.
He even killed a man for me.
It was for his own sake.
Once the bulletproof vest documents are revealed,
Bogook Industries will collapse...
and as the son of the owner, he himself will also be ruined.
Jeong Il and I...
have been in a relationship for over four years.
Dong Jun was a judge for 10 years.
Even Dong Jun, a judge of faith eventually caved in.
I wonder whether that four years can stop Jeong Il?
After all, he has to save himself, doesn't he?
(Hwang Bo Yeon)
- It's me. - I'm at the security office.
Apparently, someone was here today to make a copy...
of the surveillance footage of the parking lot.
Who was it?
Attorney Cho Gyung Ho.
I think Mr. Kang gave him orders.
Just believe one thing.
It's time to choose between the spirits...
or Jeong Il.
This is the surveillance footage...
of the parking lot on the day of the fishing site incident.
You'll see the video in front of you.
These are images from surveillance cameras installed on the highway.
Su Yeon...
claimed she attended a prayer meeting all night that day in court.
If we just prove her alibi is false,
her other arguments will become useless.
Jeong Il. When the prosecution questions you,
admit to the loan facilitation.
Then naturally, Baek Sang Gu will be summoned.
I'll make sure Baek Sang Gu gets what he deserves.
And once Baek Sang Gu testifies that Su Yeon committed the murder,
Su Yeon will, of course, be arrested for murder.
That will end the case.
And for violating the Financial Transaction Act, you'll...
probably get your attorney license revoked.
What's there to worry about?
If you get your attorney license revoked,
you can come work for Bogook Industries.
- Father. - What's so great about the law?
You idiot.
If you don't have a license,
you can always have someone do your job for you.
Abetting murder is also a serious crime, isn't it?
Of course.
I'm sure he'll get at least 10 years, am I right?
Father.
Are you intending to get CEO Choi too?
While we're at it, it won't hurt to spice things up a bit.
It'll finish the job. Don't you agree, Jeong Il?
(Kim Sung Sik murder case)
You haven't been answering my calls.
Jeong Il.
You don't mind if I come in, do you?
Come in.
Who's this I see? Welcome, Su Yeon.
It won't be long until we'll be summoned to the prosecution,
so we were just having a meeting.
Since your father's planning to send Jeong Il to prison,
I couldn't just sit back and wait.
I hope you're father's doing well.
Jeong Il. I have something to tell you.
Why don't you wait for me in the sky lounge?
That's a good idea. There's a bottle of liquor I have saved there.
Help yourself to a glass while you're waiting.
As soon as I finish,
I'll be up to join you.
Do you think what you have...
planned...
will go well?
Yes.
I see.
Jeong Il won't...
abandon me.
He even killed a man for me.
It was for his own sake.
Jeong Il and I...
have been in a relationship for over four years.
Dong Jun was a judge for 10 years.
Even Dong Jun, a judge of faith eventually caved in.
I wonder whether that four years can stop Jeong Il?
After all, he has to save himself, doesn't he?
Dad.
What should I do?
Let's make a move on Baek Sang Gu. If we get him to talk...
Let's wait just a bit more.
If she finds out Jeong Il has other intentions, Su Yeon might testify.
This proves we've lived different lives.
You expect the best...
while I prepare for the worst.
Send me the request for witness summons form.
I'll appear again as a witness.
Su Yeon.
What you two want is the truth.
What I need...
is safety.
If my husband stands on my side,
will I be ensured safety?
Summon the defense team...
and reapply for the request for witness summons.
No. If they find out she'll be appearing as a witness again,
Jeong Il's people will take measures first.
Su Yeon.
We'll be handing in a tape-recording as evidence.
You may begin.
I've committed perjury.
On the night Reporter Kim Sung Sik was murdered,
I wasn't attending a prayer meeting all night.
I was actually at the fishing site.
(Baek Sang Gu)
Let's call it a day.
Do you think what you have...
planned...
will go well?
I was at the crime scene together.
I tried to stop him,
but it was too late.
The person that murdered Reporter Kim was...
It was Lawyer Kang Jeong Il.
When he left...
the crime scene,
he knew Mr. Shin Chang Ho was on his way to the scene.
He reported it to the police beforehand.
The murderer left the scene,
and the first witness...
was framed.
Mr. Shin Chang Ho...
is innocent.
Is this enough?
So Su Yeon...
saw this?
Oh, my.
We have to start afresh then.
She must have gone to her father.
Before Il Hwan comes at us, we should...
If we stop CEO Choi,
Dong Jun will take over.
Then we should come up with a plan to destroy him.
If we stop Dong Jun,
CEO Choi will take over.
You do the thinking. I will support you.
Father.
There is a way to stop...
both CEO Choi and Dong Jun...
at the same time.
- Gyung Ho. - Yes?
I need you to go somewhere.
Hi.
Mr. Song.
Are you busy?
Since our superiors are not getting along,
we have become strangers too.
We used to drink three times a week together.
Do you want to drink with me? It's been a while.
Oh, right. There is a new bartender at a nearby bar.
She is totally your type.
Hey, Gyung Ho.
You're buying.
Of course. Sure.
Let me get your bag.
Gyung Ho.
How old?
You don't even know my age?
Not you.
How old is the bartender?
- She's 21 years old. - Good.
Mr. Song.
I have to go to the restroom. Please wait for me in the lobby.
Jerk.
I will handle this problem quickly and be there shortly.
(Enter the security code.)
(Jeong Il)
Jeong Il. I found it.
Yes.
You have a meeting with a client...
on the day of your summon to the prosecution.
Mr. Lee will hold the meeting.
I'm here to get the materials for the meeting.
Materials for the meeting?
You handed over the work...
I was in charge of to other teams.
Do you think...
I will become...
a suspect from a witness and be arrested?
At least this once,
the law will judge justly.
By the way,
don't regret just yet.
Once you're in prison,
you have all the time in the world to regret.
(Father)
- Yes. - Jeong Il. Come right away.
I will reinstate the advisors...
who sided with me back in Taebaek.
We remodeled their offices on the ninth floor.
It's an indoor garden now.
Even if they come back, we don't have room for them.
Goodness. Il Hwan.
You must have been pretty upset.
Il Hwan.
When your friend reaches out to you,
you should hold his hand.
How about Jeong Il?
He will resign from his position.
If a team manager of Taebaek is arrested for murder,
it will hurt Taebaek's reputation...
which Mr. Kang thinks to be of great importance.
Il Hwan, is there evidence that Jeong Il committed the murder?
I saw it happen.
Jeong Il.
At the fishing site, you killed Reporter Kim Sung Sik.
I will...
testify truthfully.
Jeong Il.
What are you going to do?
You should testify truthfully too.
(Seoul Southern District Court, Ruling)
This is the ruling of Mr. Shin's first trial which Mr. Lee made...
during his days as a judge.
This is on the server of the court as a record.
And...
(Seoul Southern District Court, Ruling)
This is Mr. Shin's ruling...
which is saved on Taebaek's secret server.
The drafter of this ruling...
is CEO Choi.
This was drafted...
a week before his ruling.
It's been a while since I wrote a ruling.
This is for Mr. Shin's trial for murder.
I will make that ruling.
Isn't this strange?
Il Hwan, why did you write...
the ruling for Shin Chang Ho's trial?
They are identical documents, right?
Even the typo is the same.
What will happen to him?
He married Su Yeon as a payment for his ruling.
Since he was a public official,
he will face an aggregated sentence.
You instigated to buy off his ruling.
When your son-in-law is arrested,
how will your wife live in that big house all by herself?
How about weighing out...
these documents to the video...
of Su Yeon's statement?
How does that add up?
Il Hwan.
I will...
take Jeong Il's hand and leave.
Stop this trial.
You can keep Taebaek.
You should take your friend's hand while it's available.
Father, will CEO Choi...
He will take it. Why wouldn't he? I told him to keep Taebaek.
Are you giving up on Taebaek?
Jeong Il, over the 60 years of my life,
the only thing I ever gave up was your mother.
After we destroy Su Yeon's video...
and the sentencing,
Il Hwan will be empty-handed.
Jeong Il, I have...
a hidden card.
The sentencing is in his hands.
If anyone finds out about the staged trial...
If that sentencing is released, Bogook Industries will be hurt too.
Chairman Kang...
will not release that.
CEO Choi.
I will continue the trial as we have planned.
Bogook Industries...
will get hurt too.
Trees with deep roots...
don't dry up so easily.
Disassemble the counsel.
Destroy all related documents.
CEO Choi.
Mr. Shin's trial is...
We are discarding Shin Chang Ho.
Also, take in Shin Young Ju for...
- fabricating official documents. - CEO Choi!
You must have a lot to say.
I was going to visit you in prison.
I wonder how you found the sentencing.
All of the times we spent together in the US...
and the times we spent here.
You know how stupid I am.
I seemed to have forgotten all about them.
Su Yeon.
I'll only remember what I saw yesterday.
I will...
remember that for a long time.
Jeong Il.
This is Lee Dong Jun.
Do we have anything more to discuss?
People even talk with terrorists.
I thought you said...
you can make someone turn themselves in for Kim Sung Sik's murder.
You are the one...
who turned down that offer.
Aren't you the one who said the law is about compromising?
CEO Choi seems to have made up his mind.
Why would I compromise with Mr. Lee...
who is about to leave Taebaek soon?
Su Yeon's video is...
in my custody.
Once the sentencing is released,
you will be hurt very much for forging a trial...
by request.
I am prepared for that.
It's what I've done.
Make it happen within the day.
Mr. Lee.
Do we have anything more to discuss?
We have the counsel meeting in just an hour.
We have no time to be outside of the office.
Who do we have to meet at this point?
I will postpone the meeting.
The counsel...
has been disassembled, Young Ju.
Dong Jun.
You've been working for a while now in Taebaek,
but we dine together for the first time.
I'm sorry for what happened at the dock.
What can I do?
This is what I do.
Who is the man that killed Kim Sung Sik?
There must have been a fight between them at the fishing site.
That happens often.
Mr. Kim and this guy...
were both very drunk.
Their quarrel quickly became a physical fight.
- In the end, he used the rod... - Dong Jun.
When will he turn himself in?
In a few days,
after our business is concluded.
Give this money to your mother.
I'll give this to her every month from now on.
- Thank you, sir. - Sure.
Good for you, Ms. Shin.
Thanks to him, Mr. Shin will be found innocent.
And the country will pay...
a handsome amount for the period of his restraint.
I have one more condition to add.
You must guarantee Ms. Shin's safety.
And reinstate her to the police.
Have you forgotten?
I have Su Yeon's video.
We even have a video of Ms. Choi's testimony.
We were so close to winning.
- I wanted to win too. - Then why are you stopping here?
They will bring around the judge in charge.
And they'll meet with the prosecutor as well.
They will try to buy time until your father dies.
If we step back now...
Just think about your father.
You cannot let him use...
the rest of his life fighting over this in court.
This is all for the best.
We must avoid the worst situation.
Darn it.
Get that place too.
Most of the people who carried on an independence movement...
had died before the country became independent.
Gosh.
You should see what kind of life their family lead.
Taking care of your family and yourself is the first thing to do.
That's what people in high places have done for thousands of years.
What do you think you are?
When I was covering the defense industry's corruption,
I met a person from Bogook Industries.
If I stopped covering the case,
they would offer me a job at the company.
Taebaek Law Firm sent a person as well.
He said they would pay me,
but I refused it.
Young Ju.
I don't even know why I did that.
I'm dying just like this.
They...
won.
I'll leave Taebaek next week.
The culprit will turn himself in before that.
Everything is over.
Young Ju.
I...
don't even know why I did that.
(Murder Case of Kim Sung Sik)
It took three decades to be here.
Don't you think you should give me a farewell gift or something?
Take the frame if you want.
Let's start.
The sentencing and the video of testimony will be deleted here.
If a copy of it is found or a similar situation occurs...
Taebaek Law Firm and Bogook Industries will die together.
Jeong Il, I have...
a hidden card.
Before I sign with my thumbprint,
I need to watch this.
Let's see if it's the video of your daughter giving a testimony.
Hello. This is the 45th episode...
of "Eye of Reporters" podcast.
Last week, our last episode was finally downloaded...
more than 100,000 times.
It's no use. We didn't even make a list of the top 100 podcasts.
Hey, stop being ridiculous.
We have a special guest today.
He's Reporter Kim Sung Sik of SBC.
- Hello. - Hello, it's nice to meet you.
He is one of my best friends.
He likes fishing, but he can't catch a big fish.
He's just been prying into defense industry's corruption for 10 years.
(Shin Young Ju)
Put me on the speaker.
(Speaker)
Kang Jeong Il.
Can you see...
Reporter Kim Sung Sik that you killed?
Choi Il Hwan.
Do you see...
Reporter Shin Chang Ho that you attempted to kill...
in the operating room?
One of them died...
and the other...
is about to die.
But I'm still here.
I will submit Choi Su Yeon's video...
to the court as evidence.
Young Ju, stop it.
You can't win this game. You will get hurt.
Kang Jeong Il, Kang Yu Taek, and Choi Il Hwan.
The war has just begun.
(Court)
Dong Jun, you have a choice.
Do you want to fight at my side...
or...
do you want to fight against me?
(Whisper)