Original subtitles

Law and The City

CHARACTERS, ORGANIZATIONS, EVENTS, AND PLACES IN THIS DRAMA ARE FICTITIOUS

ALL CHILD ACTORS FILMED SAFELY WITH PARENTAL SUPERVISION

Well, is there a problem?

I'm still currently handling Moon Chanyeong's case.

Right.

Isn't it a bit much to assign me a case

to defend a perpetrator of school violence?

Who are you to turn down cases?

- I know I'm just an associate, but-- - No.

I mean aside from that.

You're a lawyer. You don't get to cherry-pick cases.

Perpetrators can't be defended?

Yes. They can, but...

But right now, I'm representing a victim of school violence.

Could you at least not give both cases at the same time?

Do you defend your clients

with your feelings?

It seems you have it all wrong.

A lawyer's job is to translate

what a client wants to say into legal terms.

That's it.

We're just technicians.

So you take cases on opposing sides at the same time?

What does it matter?

Episode 10 Difference in Perspective

Let's do our best today.

Okay.

Because this could be my last case.

SEOUL POLICE STATION

I've read over the statement you sent, Attorney Cho.

Mr. Moon Chanyeong?

- Yes? - Do you admit to the charge?

Yes.

He's trying to say he admits to the stabbing,

but he's not pleading guilty.

Yes, I understand.

You explained it very thoroughly in your statement,

so I get what you mean.

What happened to the victim?

The kid who got stabbed?

- Yes. - He's fine.

I mean, he wasn't stabbed anywhere vital.

But calling it self-defense...

You know how tricky that is.

The issue is,

it wasn't just self-defense.

It was more like an attack.

There are precedents that recognize aggressive retaliation as self-defense.

The bullying went on for a long time.

We can't say the moment Kim Jeongmin took out the knife

was the only time Chanyeong was attacked.

We've had a lot of internal discussions too,

but we decided to send it over for indictment.

We couldn't have just dropped it.

Because it's an attempted murder case.

Kim Jeongmin had already stopped attacking too.

No.

His attack wasn't over.

What if he had picked up the knife first?

Or if Chanyeong grabbed it and Jeongmin took it from him?

The violence went on for two years. It wasn't just kids joking around.

I have a kid too,

so honestly, I didn't want to do this either.

But I'll submit your statement to the prosecution,

so go home and wait.

You never know. They may decide not to indict.

Excuse me, where's Munjeong--

- Which area is Bae Munjeong in? - Just a moment, sir.

You can go to Yellow Zone Number 2.

Yellow...

Munjeong.

Are you okay?

There's a lot of other patients here. Quiet down.

What did they say? Are you going to be okay?

I don't know.

Bae Munjeong?

You must be her guardian.

- How's the baby? - How is my wife?

Let me take a look.

Your uterus grows as you enter the second trimester,

so you may have stomach tightening.

When that happens, it's best to relax your body

and get some rest.

I'll take a look at your stomach.

If it feels tight for over 20 minutes,

or if it happens more regularly,

it could lead to contractions.

In that case, come straight to the hospital.

And don't go anywhere alone.

Make sure to always be with your guardian.

Okay. Gel, please.

Okay, we'll take a look.

The baby's doing well.

He's a strong one.

Don't worry.

Once you get all of the muscle relaxant, you're good to go home.

- Thank you. - You're welcome.

Don't cry. He said you're fine.

I'm not crying.

I don't think it's right to split the corporate tax based on revenue.

That means even firms not making profits would have to pitch in,

and that's not fair.

I also agree with what Ms. Kang said.

The numbers we calculated separately

keep clashing with the total net profit after taxes.

That's the issue.

Let's keep it simple and go by revenue.

Breaking down and calculating expenses for each firm is tough.

Even if it's difficult, doing proper calculations

will be better in the long term.

Just how long term are you even thinking?

Are you in the red? Is this to avoid the corporate tax?

How could you say that?

Let's just do things the easy way, okay? Geez.

You're pushing to go by revenue,

- because it benefits you this year. - Is that not allowed?

You're also pushing for what benefits you.

All I'm saying is we should do it properly.

Well, we don't have an accountant.

Tracking expenses is a pain, so handle it yourself.

Don't just shrug it off so irresponsibly like that.

At this rate, we'll never be able to wrap this up.

Let's...

set the criteria again.

What have we been talking about then?

Yes?

I need you to go over these too.

We suddenly received five lawsuits all at once.

Okay, ma'am.

You're very busy, right? I'll tell them to throw in a bonus.

It's okay.

Is something wrong?

No, nothing's wrong.

Okay.

Let's hang in there.

Yes, ma'am.

The defendant must respond diligently to the request for clarification.

The next hearing will be held here

on May 15th, 2025 at 2:10 p.m.

We will proceed with the next case.

Civil case number 2025-2736.

Who are in attendance today?

Attorney Kang Jeongyun from Law Group Hyungmin.

Attorney Seong Yudeok from Law Group Hyungmin.

What?

First, have a seat.

What's going on?

Did you submit the wrong power of attorney forms?

- You're the plaintiff's counsel? - Yes, Your Honor.

- And you're the defendant's counsel? - Yes, that's right.

It's a conflict of interest. Neither of you knew?

A LAW FIRM CANNOT REPRESENT BOTH SIDES

No.

Well, first of all...

Let's postpone today's hearing.

Please have this sorted out.

- Yes, Your Honor. - Yes, Your Honor.

We'll move on to the next trial.

You should withdraw, Mr. Seong.

- You should withdraw. - We're the plaintiff.

The case started when we filed the complaint.

The defendant likely hired counsel after receiving it.

Chronologically, we were first.

The plaintiff kept threatening to sue,

so we were hired in advance before the complaint came in.

When were you hired?

- Last winter. - We were hired last fall.

I meant late fall. Winter came early.

How do you know your client? I know mine well. You should withdraw.

Then, it'll be easier on you to ask for their understanding.

How much was your retainer? Let the cheaper one withdraw.

That's not how this works.

Your rate must be pretty low.

You folded before we even discussed it.

If I withdraw,

will you split the retainer?

- No, why would I? - Exactly.

The retainer doesn't matter.

The one who was hired later should withdraw.

No way.

I didn't hit him.

It was just a joke.

What, guys can't joke around a little?

And what do you think, sir?

My son says...

he did nothing wrong.

Are you claiming

- that you're innocent? - Yes.

Dad, didn't you tell him in advance?

So Attorney Cho...

Can you get him off the hook?

He isn't innocent though.

You have to make that happen as my lawyer.

I'll pay you a fat retainer.

Son, just relax. It's okay.

It was just a joke, right?

Can we get some sides here?

Is Munjeong going to be okay?

I talked to her on the way out. She's fine now.

I wish she could take a few days off.

- Isn't she busy with a bunch of trials? - Yeah.

I can take on a few of her cases.

Let me know if you need help. I owe Munjeong too.

Yeah.

- Let me know if you need me. - It's fine. I have it covered.

- Did you get a perm? - It looks nice, right?

Yeah.

Right. Did you hear that my boss and your boss

ran into each other in court?

No, I didn't.

They were on opposing sides of the same case.

What? A conflict of interest?

- Yeah. - He really takes just any case.

Who agreed to withdraw?

Mine would never back out.

Mine's not one to cave that easily either.

Clients from both sides heard and couldn't trust them, so they canceled.

They're both off the case now.

Geez, serves you right.

Not your boss. Mine.

- Bye. - Bye. Get home safe.

- Good luck. - Good luck.

What happened? What's wrong?

It's nothing.

Is the school violence case not going well?

No, it's not that.

I took on another school violence case.

This time, I'm defending the perpetrator.

Gosh, some things never change.

Hey, that's just how Mr. Seong is.

Just keep it strictly business.

Says the one who couldn't stand him and left.

I only left

because I was offered more money.

So? Are you happy now that you earn more?

I have to be happy!

Pull an all-nighter because of me?

Why are you already back? I told you to rest.

Forget it. I'm fine.

Hey. If things are hard, say it. Don't just say you're fine.

I am fine.

Want me to get you a coffee? You said decaf's okay, right?

You've learned a lot from your girlfriend.

I'll buy coffee later.

- Ms. Jang, could you submit this for me? - Yes? Sure.

JOB LISTING DETAILS HIRING EXPERIENCED LAWYER

Well, this isn't...

He didn't say to upload it now. He said to just get it ready.

I was just going to save it for now.

MANAGING PARTNER NA KYUNGMIN

Hey, there.

Are you feeling okay?

- Are you planning to post a job listing? - Oh, that?

I told them to have something ready just in case.

It's just to have some resumes on hand.

- Are you hiring my replacement? - We're not hiring right away.

- We don't know what will happen with you. - Exactly.

We don't know, so why jump the gun?

- Are you telling me to leave? - No.

Don't think of it that way.

I'm just worried. That's all.

I'm still good enough to work.

If something comes up, I'll let you know.

Until then, you don't have to worry.

My goodness, you're back.

Yes.

Attorney Cho.

What's written here...

Is this correct?

Yes, it is.

You want the charges dropped?

Yes.

But the evidence is pretty solid.

To say it wasn't assault at all,

that's a little...

It may look like assault just from the photos.

But...

it was just a result of kids joking around.

Kids joking around?

Yes. And apparently, that student tends to get bruises easily.

LAW GROUP HYUNGMIN

- Attorney Cho. - Yes?

The result of Moon Chanyeong's case arrived.

I put it on your desk.

Okay, thank you.

Damn it.

RESULT OF DECISION INDICTED WITHOUT DETENTION

MOON CHANYEONG

Attorney Cho.

Yes?

Does this mean I'm going to jail now?

An indictment just means the case is going to trial.

It doesn't mean you're guilty.

Are you still...

going to argue self-defense?

About that...

I'm thinking about what would be best for you.

What would you like to do?

I know...

that I did something wrong.

But...

Still, it's so unfair.

Attorney Cho, I'm so scared.

I don't want to go to jail.

I heard there were disagreements about the corporate tax,

so I had it sorted out.

First of all, the amount paid

will be based on the net profit calculated by each firm.

Going by revenue is much simpler though.

For expenses used on entertaining or golf with guests,

if there were no records of who it was for and how they were entertained,

they weren't counted as expenses.

I'm on board with this.

And on the last page,

you'll see the amount of corporate tax that each firm has to pay.

Take a look, and if there are no major issues,

we'll move forward with this.

- Okay, then... - It looks good.

- Let's go with it. - Yes, sounds good to me.

All right, then.

Will we be able to afford to do this next year too?

We lost a case for nothing.

The feeling is mutual.

Just a heads-up here.

If a similar situation occurs next time,

I won't be backing down.

I knew merging wouldn't be all positives.

But still, it's been trying in many ways.

This merger was decided on by all of you.

As you know, revenue has increased significantly.

I'm aware of the issues the merger has caused.

If there's anything I can help with, don't hesitate to let me know.

Okay.

It's just to have some resumes on hand.

We don't know what will happen with you.

I HOPE WE CAN BE FRIENDS

MIN JEONGIN

Munjeong!

It's been too long.

How long has it been?

Right?

You look great.

Really?

I've been feeling off lately.

What are you talking about?

You look way better than when you were an in-house counsel.

Back then, you always looked drained, like a fish with dead eyes.

I agree.

I guess litigation suits you.

You look great too.

Me?

I'm just your average working mom now.

Do you feel more relaxed than when you did litigation?

How's the vibe of the legal team here?

You've done it before, so you know.

It's a whole different world from Seocho-dong.

But here,

I can come in and leave with my kid, and that's nice.

- They go to your company's daycare, right? - Yeah.

At what month did they start going?

Did you go back to work right after giving birth?

Are you pregnant?

- Yes. - My gosh!

My goodness!

- Congratulations! That's amazing! - Thanks.

You must have a lot on your mind, right?

Yeah.

By the way,

how do you take maternity or parental leave here?

Counsel, are you maintaining the claim of self-defense?

Yes, Your Honor.

All right.

We'll conclude the evidence review.

Would you like to question the defendant, Counsel?

Yes, Your Honor.

COUNSEL'S SEAT, DEFENDANT'S SEAT

Mr. Moon, what grade are you in right now?

I'm a senior in high school.

It's pretty rare to transfer schools as a senior.

What caused you to transfer?

I was bullied...

for over a year.

PROSECUTOR'S SEAT

It became too hard to keep attending, so you transferred, correct?

Yes.

What is the name of the student who bullied you?

It's Kim Jeongmin.

When Kim Jeongmin showed up at your new school,

how did that make you feel?

"This is never going to end."

Even if I reported him...

Even if he got punished...

Even if he got expelled and I transferred schools...

I knew it wasn't going to end.

When Kim Jeongmin came

and held a knife up to you,

you fought back for the first time and the knife fell, correct?

Yes, that's correct.

You stated you grabbed the knife because you felt you had to get it first.

What was going through your mind in that moment?

"I want to live."

"I don't want to die."

At that moment,

if the one who grabbed the knife first

was him and not you, what would've happened?

I wouldn't be here right now.

Nothing further, Your Honor.

Would the prosecutor like to cross-examine?

No, Your Honor.

All right. Defendant, please return to your seat.

Prosecutor, state your sentencing request.

We request

a sentence of one year and three months, suspended for two years.

You're requesting a suspended sentence?

Yes, Your Honor. Based on all of the circumstances,

we're requesting probation.

Okay, I understand.

- Hello. - Hello.

Okay.

Attorney Ahn, I need you for a consult later.

Okay, sir.

- It just got rescheduled to tomorrow. - Okay.

FAMILY RELATIONS CERTIFICATE

I requested a family registry for the first time in a while.

It turns out our father had passed away.

- And you weren't aware? - No.

Our parents divorced 20 years ago, and we've had no contact with him since.

I didn't feel great about it, so I got in touch with our relatives.

Apparently, he passed less than a month ago.

And...

You two hadn't heard about your father this whole time?

No.

We weren't in contact with him after the divorce.

It's been over 20 years since we heard from him.

Then, you probably don't even know he remarried.

Hyeonwoo!

Say hello.

Hello.

Hi.

It felt a little strange.

Our parents got divorced when we were about his age.

His second wife passed away last year from a chronic illness.

Our father passed away from cancer this year.

In a case like this, are we still included in the inheritance?

Yes, you are still legal heirs despite the divorce and living separately.

Right now, it's the two of you and this child, so it's three joint heirs.

I see.

Then, we'll need to take action too.

From what we found, he had a lot more debt than assets.

In that case, can we just renounce the inheritance?

It's been less than a month since he passed,

so you can file for renunciation.

It is possible, but...

Never mind. Renouncing is the best option.

Okay, let's go ahead with that.

Okay, then.

Once you renounce, isn't that the end of it?

Technically, yes. But I'm just worried about the kid.

If my clients renounce, all that debt goes over to him.

- He can't renounce his inheritance? - No.

When all the children renounce, the siblings are next in line.

But one of them is the child's guardian, and they'd have to renounce for him.

If they do that, the debt shifts to them. So chances are, they won't.

- You want it done for the kid too, right? - Yes.

Getting consent from them won't be easy.

Goodness. I renounced my inheritance when my dad passed too.

Tracking everyone down one by one was no joke.

The verdict comes out today, right?

- Yeah, at 2:00 p.m. - What do you think?

No idea.

Ms. Kim, did Chanyeong go to hear the verdict?

Yes, with our office manager.

Did his grandmother go too?

No, he went alone.

Is that so?

You're Moon Chanyeong's attorney, right?

Yes, Your Honor.

Please come join your client.

Defendant Moon Chanyeong.

Yes?

Before I read the verdict,

I want to say this was a difficult case for us as well.

We recognize the defendant was a victim of school violence.

And we agree the plaintiff Kim Jeongmin's aggression

was ongoing as well.

This means

we recognize the element of immediacy that justifies self-defense.

However,

in regards to the act of stabbing Kim Jeongmin with a knife,

we cannot say

it meets the standard

of social acceptability as a means of defense.

Therefore,

we cannot accept the claim of self-defense.

That said,

since even the prosecution has requested a suspended sentence,

it's clear that all parties

have taken the circumstances of this case into account.

We will now deliver the verdict.

The defendant Moon Chanyeong is sentenced to one year and three months in prison.

However, this sentence will be suspended for two years

from the date of the ruling.

You did well.

Thank you, sir. Thank you so much.

PROSECUTOR'S SEAT

Who wants dinner? It's on me.

Me.

That's amazing. Well done, Cho Changwon.

No. All the credit goes to the prosecutor.

I mean, I fought for my client.

But it's not easy for a prosecutor to go that far.

Hey. What would you have been if you hadn't become a lawyer?

- Why ask that all of a sudden? - Well...

I was honestly surprised.

Ever see a suspended sentence request for attempted murder?

Nope.

I've never seen it for even lesser charges.

Exactly.

Even the judge looked surprised.

So, it made me think.

If I were the prosecutor, could I have done that?

I mean, did you ever want to be something else?

Well...

I did, but I decided not to.

What was it?

I'm not doing it, so why tell you?

- Come on, what was it? Tell me. - I don't want to!

- You don't want to? - No.

Then, take a hike.

- Are you crazy? - Cheers.

I'm heading to prison now.

Was there a reason you became a lawyer?

You just kept studying and ended up as one.

A lawyer's job is to translate

what a client wants to say into legal terms.

That's it. We're just technicians.

You're requesting a suspended sentence?

Yes, Your Honor. Based on all of the circumstances,

we're requesting probation.

2025 PROSECUTOR APPLICATION GUIDE FOR EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONALS

What is your name?

Shin Jihye.

Okay. What can I do for you?

My husband is dead.

What happened?

He took his own life.

He was an insurance agent.

FOR PERFORMANCE AND INCOME, IT'S NOT OVER UNTIL IT'S OVER

Hey. It's me, Taehyeon.

How are you?

Yeah. Well...

He was with a firm called Deus GA.

Pressure on performance there was high.

Do you happen to have any cancer insurance?

If they didn't meet the daily quota,

the whole team wasn't allowed to go home.

And if nothing worked,

you'd have to sign up for a policy under your name just to go home.

CONTRACTOR KIM TAEHYEON

We can finally go home now.

If you can't make a sale, you should've done this earlier.

- I'm sorry. - Yeah, yeah.

Good night.

- We can go home now. - Good night.

- We're finally going home. - Good night.

- I'm so tired. - I have to take a cab now.

All right, I'll see you tomorrow.

- Good night! - Good night!

Let's do our best again tomorrow.

Geez.

Honey.

Honey?

- What? - Here.

You forgot your phone.

I could see him slowly falling apart.

What? He came in today?

Great. I guess we're working late again.

So annoying.

All right. Let's try to do well today. Okay?

It looks like we're not going home again.

- Again? - He always just sits there.

- What is he doing? - It'll be overtime again.

Shouldn't you feel bad for being inept?

- He's making us suffer. - He has no clue.

- He's so bad. - Incompetent and irresponsible.

- Seriously. - Unbelievable.

He's hopeless.

But I didn't know he was struggling that much.

I figured...

stuff like this only happened to others.

Are you planning to sue the firm?

I already filed the complaint.

But doing it alone is overwhelming.

Right.

I'm sorry. Attorney Ahn, could I have a moment?

Just wrap things up. Don't let her hire you.

- Why? - Things got a little messy.

I should've told her not to come, but the message wasn't conveyed.

Just make something up and slip out.

You'll have another consultation later. You'll see then.

FAMILY RELATIONS CERTIFICATE

Hello, this is Attorney Kang Huiji.

I'm sorry to bother you.

You mentioned you visited the child once.

Would you mind telling me where he lived?

We thought it'd be best to include him in the inheritance renunciation.

We'll handle that ourselves.

We heard you're Jinyeong and Jina's lawyer.

Then, just focus on them. Why bother us?

Jinyeong and Jina will renounce their inheritance.

That leaves Hyeonwoo as the only heir,

which means all of Kim Wonho's debt would go to him.

If you agree, we'll include the child in the renunciation.

Then, what about us?

If he also renounces, it'll all fall on us.

You think I wouldn't know that?

It's not like you're including us too.

What if I can?

Well, then...

Go ahead.

You're from Deus GA?

Yes. Hello.

I'm the branch manager.

And this is our president.

Hello.

STATEMENT OF FACTS

Our company isn't that overbearing.

You'll know once you look at this statement of facts.

All of our agents confirmed we didn't operate oppressively like that.

I do feel for his wife. I really do.

But asking us for damages? That's a bit much.

You saw her earlier, didn't you? Shin Jihye.

- Yes. - She keeps making a scene

about taking this to court,

so we have no choice but to start preparing ourselves.

Excuse me. Making a scene?

Don't talk like that about someone who's hurting.

Yes, sir. I apologize.

- Sir, what's going on? - About what?

How did they find out about us?

Well, I don't know.

You want to take their case now?

They're paying a much higher fee. What can we do? We can't take both sides.

This could be a problem.

Ms. Shin never officially retained us.

It's not even against Attorney-at-law Act.

What's the issue?

Still, she came to us first and we were in discussion.

You can't reject her without any reason just to take a bigger fee.

What? You don't want it? I'll hand it off to Attorney Bae then.

No, I'll do it.

When we file for Kim Jinyeong and Kim Jina to renounce inheritance,

how about including their half-sibling and relatives too?

But they're not our clients.

That's true,

but it's just a matter of adding their names.

It won't be complicated or extra work.

More work isn't really the issue.

That's something you can adjust on your own.

But we're not doing this for charity.

We can't just do it for free.

But if only our clients renounce the inheritance,

that child ends up taking on all the debt.

That can cause concern,

but we can't take on every case that weighs on our minds.

Let me try convincing them again.

Could we at least add the child?

I really do admire this about you,

but my perspective's a bit different.

I get that it's heartbreaking.

But when we're working, let's set our emotions aside.

It's only natural to say that, but it was still surprising.

I thought she was someone who was similar to me.

It was likely the right call as a boss.

It's easier to justify things that way.

At times like this, just say I'm right and take my side.

Wait.

You said it was only natural to say that too.

I just said that to be polite.

As my boyfriend, you should do the same for me.

Now, repeat after me.

"Your boss was out of line."

"What's so hard about helping with that?" Go on.

Your boss was out of line. What's so hard about helping with that?

Good job.

I know what you said wasn't wrong. My boss has her reasons too.

But he's still just a kid.

If adding clients is the issue, then I'll have to find another way.

Now, it's your turn.

My turn for what?

Something's bothering you. It's obvious.

My boss made me turn down a client

and represent the other side instead.

I don't think I'll be able to find another way.

Wait, what? Did I understand that right?

A client came to you,

but you turned her down to represent the opposing side?

Why? Because of the retainer?

Yes, pretty much.

That's so messed up.

It's fine.

Once you get around 10 years,

you have to be.

And I am fine.

You're not saying "nine years" anymore.

Your boss was so wrong.

Try this. It's delicious.

I'm currently employed at the Gang-ro branch of Deus GA,

and I worked with the late Kim Taehyeon.

After Mr. Kim's death,

claims of the company's pressure on performance arose

and there were misunderstandings about it.

So I'd like to set the record straight.

Our office has a family-like atmosphere that doesn't put pressure on performance.

On our team, we encourage and help each other.

There was no culture of unreasonable meddling in

or pressuring our individual performances.

The claim that agents couldn't go home without meeting quotas

is a delusional exaggeration.

Working hours were flexible based on one's own task completion.

Geez, you're so frustrating.

The late Mr. Kim had always struggled to adapt to the company's culture.

Mr. Kim struggled due to his own limitations...

The company did not pressure or criticize him much.

They instead made efforts to support him.

I hereby sign and affirm that this statement is true.

Kim Juhyeok.

Goodness!

Attorney Ahn, what brings you here so unexpectedly?

Hello.

Would it be possible to meet the people

who signed the statement of facts you gave earlier?

Why?

I'd like to get a clearer picture of the atmosphere here.

Sure.

Okay, but...

most of them are busy.

Maybe one or two at most are available.

Yes, that's fine.

It's all true.

You mentioned Mr. Kim always had trouble fitting in.

In what way was that so?

Well...

He'd look drained as soon as he came in for work.

He barely said hi to people.

Was that from the beginning or did he change over time?

I'm not sure.

But he was definitely like that toward the end.

I thought maybe his depression had come back.

What? His depression came back?

So he had always suffered from depression?

Yes, he said he struggled with it when he was younger.

So he was already dealing with mental health issues.

How did you know that?

We used to be close at first.

We'd have drinks, and he would talk about his past.

He said he struggled a bit when he was younger.

So you're saying he didn't always have trouble fitting in?

Did I say that?

I guess so.

- Yes. - Attorney Ahn.

What does that matter now?

What matters is that we weren't the cause, right?

Yes.

SHIN JIHYE, DEUS GA

We'll proceed with our next case.

Civil case number 2025-37845.

Plaintiff, Shin Jihye. Defendant, Deus GA.

Who is in attendance?

This is the plaintiff, Shin Jihye. And I'm Attorney Kim Sehyeon.

For the defendant,

I'm Attorney Ahn Juhyeong with Law Group Kyungmin.

Okay, have a seat.

The defendant

enforced oppressive practices,

such as not allowing an entire sales team to go home

if an agent were unable to meet their quota.

The plaintiff's husband developed depression due to this stress,

and this ultimately led to his suicide.

Therefore, the defendant is liable to compensate the plaintiff for damages.

Okay, I understand.

First off, we've received the NHIS's response

to the document submission order.

- Defense counsel, have you received this? - Yes, Your Honor.

Okay, please present your statement.

According to the documents submitted by the NHIS,

the plaintiff's husband, the late Mr. Kim,

had already been diagnosed with depression in his twenties.

To claim damages from the defendant,

the plaintiff must prove a link between the suicide and the depression

and another between the depression and the work he did at his company.

However, Mr. Kim's depression

appears to have existed before he joined the company.

Therefore, it has no connection to the defendant.

No! That's not true!

I don't know how he was when he was younger,

but after we got married, he never showed any signs of it.

Per the statements submitted by other agents,

the defendant's company was not operated in the manner the plaintiff claims.

Since the burden of proof lies with the plaintiff,

and because she has not provided...

evidence to overcome this...

we request the court to dismiss this claim.

There's one thing I didn't get to explain last time.

It's best for both of you to renounce your inheritance.

It's the simplest option.

But if you both make that decision,

all of your father's debts will be given to Kim Hyeonwoo.

Won't he give up his inheritance too?

If he does, that debt will pass on to your father's siblings.

They're currently taking care of Hyeonwoo.

That's why they won't let him renounce it.

It'll all go to the child?

There's another option you can take aside from renouncing inheritance.

It's called qualified acceptance.

QUALIFIED ACCEPTANCE

What's that?

If renunciation means you don't inherit assets or even debts,

qualified acceptance means you only repay debts

up to the value of assets your father left behind.

If the debts exceed the assets,

you're not responsible for repaying all of that.

So for us, it's basically the same as renunciation?

That's right. If you go with this

and even if Hyeonwoo renounces his inheritance too,

your father's debts won't move on to his siblings.

It all ends with you.

That would make your relatives willing to let Hyeonwoo renounce.

Then, we can do that.

Yes, but there's a catch though.

Renunciation can be wrapped up in a few days

or a couple of weeks at most.

But qualified acceptance takes longer and is more complicated.

You'd have to provide a detailed accounting

of every asset and debt your father left.

You might even need to go through extra steps like inheritance bankruptcy.

Honestly, if it were just about you two,

I'd be right to recommend a renunciation.

But if you're willing to wait a little,

I'll handle all of the bothersome steps.

So how about considering qualified acceptance as an option?

What if Jina renounces and only I do qualified acceptance?

Yes, that's possible.

We'd still get the same results you mentioned, right?

Yes.

- I'll proceed with qualified acceptance. - I'll do it too.

I just thought maybe you'd wanted to renounce.

If our renouncing means that kid takes on all the debt,

I wouldn't want that.

Thank you for letting us know.

No, thank you.

Let's move forward with this.

Okay, then.

QUALIFIED ACCEPTANCE

So can we go ahead and file for Hyeonwoo's renunciation?

Yes, go ahead.

Let us know when it's done.

Yes, I will.

Hello?

Hello, Attorney Ahn. This is Kim Juhyeok.

Who is this?

You came by our office the other day. The insurance agency.

I'm the one you discussed the statement of facts with.

I see. Yes.

You wouldn't happen to need insurance, would you?

Cancer or accident coverage? Pension insurance?

We have everything.

You haven't clocked out yet?

What?

Well...

No, it's not like that.

Hello?

Hello?

- Okay, I'll sign up for one. - Really?

Thank you. Yes, thank you.

Why didn't you do that earlier?

- I'm sick of this. - Get it right.

- Go on. - Good night.

I appreciate your hard work.

Hey, good work.

The ruling for the Deus GA case just came in.

- Should I leave it here? - I'll take it.

Okay.

You won. Congratulations.

I won?

Yes.

Thank you.

Sure.

SEOUL CENTRAL DISTRICT COURT RULING

PLAINTIFF SHIN JIHYE DEFENDANT DEUS GA

VERDICT

PLAINTIFF'S CLAIM IS DISMISSED COSTS TO BE PAID BY PLAINTIFF

Yes, come in.

The ruling on Shin Jihye's case came in.

Which case?

The case with Deus GA.

I see.

Congratulations, we won the case.

You came just to tell me that?

- Yes, I wanted to report it to you. - Why report this like it's a big deal?

I wanted to report this one.

You were never bothered by this kind of stuff.

What's different this time?

It had always bothered me.

I just got used to the discomfort.

I thought you and I were similar,

but I guess not.

No, I guess not.

Come in.

- Ma'am. - Yes, Attorney Kang.

It's about Kim Jinyeong and Kim Jina's case.

Yes?

We're proceeding with qualified acceptance.

We'll file the renunciation for the child.

And we've received the retainer.

Is that so?

All right. If you've done all that,

then what more can I ask for?

Thank you, ma'am.

Okay, you're free to go.

Aren't you coming to dinner?

I am.

What happened with the case?

We're going with qualified acceptance.

Good call.

You did a good job.

What about you?

I won.

Good job.

Thanks.

The seats...

Five tonkotsu ramen and three orders of gyoza, please.

- Could you pass the soy sauce? - Thank you.

- What? - She wants the soy sauce.

- Here. - Thanks.

Why are your hands so cold?

- They always get cold when I'm stressed. - Did something happen?

Nope.

Other than the boss trying to hire a replacement before anyone quits.

What happened?

She's probably talking about that job posting thing.

Don't pay it too much mind.

- What did he say? - Don't pay it too much mind.

Don't pay it too much mind.

Thanks.

- She says thanks. - She says thanks.

- She says thanks. - No need.

All right. You all did a great job.

Great job, everyone.

Law and The City

Law and The City

It's not like you to take on a case like this.

This is it?

What kind of case is this?

I heard they can't pay the retainer.

Do you feel bad for the old man?

I killed someone.

What's there to understand?

It's been a long time.

Please leave.

It was just bad luck.

If this keeps up, I can't work with you.

Why are you going this far?

You really don't gain anything from this?

Do you only do things for your gain?

Translated by Hye Min Eom