Original subtitles

Why did you come to work so early?

Well, I just woke up early.

Judge Lee.

The clerk in the administration gave it to me yesterday,

but I forgot.

(Defendant Choi Kyung Ho's petition for retrial is denied.)

(Defendant Choi Kyung Ho's petition for retrial is denied.)

They can't hold...

my brother's retrial.

Try to accept it.

You can start again only after that.

It's too early to be disappointed.

I get that in my head,

but I just feel so dejected.

Nonetheless, I must try again.

I'll do it.

Pardon?

I'll make sure...

that your brother gets a retrial.

If I made a wrong decision at that time,

it means there is something I must have missed.

That could be our new evidence.

Let us...

take a look at what I had missed even though it's too late.

Professor Yoo.

I want to take responsibility of my wrong ruling.

I'll help you catch the real culprit...

and reveal the truth...

about your brother's case...

just like Jang Soon Book's case.

What if the real culprit is...

Even if it turns out to be him,

if he committed a crime,

he must be brought to justice.

Professor Yoo.

Yes?

Seriously?

You're at a hospital?

How did you fall?

Okay, I see.

I'll switch my night shift with Go Soo...

and head to the hospital right away after work.

Okay. Yes.

Where did he go?

Goodness. Unbelievable.

Dear Judge Choi.

When I saw you in court,

I was reminded of a young guy from my church.

He was a nice, quiet guy who always studied hard.

I wrote this letter to sincerely ask you to make a wise ruling,

Your Honor.

From Myung Soo Jin.

Were you...

the nice guy from her church?

No.

I went to a temple.

She's not my first love.

Ms. Jang Soon Bok served her time in prison for 10 years...

on the charge of murdering her husband.

It is made aware that Assemblyman Do Jin Myung played...

a pivotal role in proving her innocence and acquitting her.

Mr. Kim Ik Chul, the real murderer, who once worked...

as the caretaker of his cottage...

That's right, but we must direct our attention to this point.

The trial was 10 years ago. Her initial trial's presiding judge,

President Sah Jung Do of Jungmyung Law Office,

- The attention I thought I'd get... - was the attorney whom...

- is all going to Assemblyman Do. - Assemblyman Do consulted with.

In the end, Assemblyman Do personally pointed out...

his best friend's incorrect ruling.

We will hear directly from Assembly Do regarding this matter.

Do you know the first thing...

my friend, Sa Jung Do, said...

after Ms. Jang Soon Bok was found innocent?

He said...

that he was very relieved...

to see that his misjudgment...

was corrected by me, his friend, at least now.

You're not going to talk to the press?

What could I tell them?

You're right. Assembly Do is taking care of the press.

Oh, right. You said you were going to meet with Ms. Jang Soon Bok.

Did you meet with her?

All right.

Look.

Yong Soo, since your mother is found innocent now,

why don't we get rid of that board?

No, Kyung Ho was wronged too.

Okay, okay. I get it.

I think Yong Soo is hungry now.

Let's stop with the pictures. Good job, everyone.

Excuse me.

If you take that photo,

you can't print mine.

Step aside.

She's going to stay at the cottage, so take her there safely.

Let's go.

Slow down.

It's yummy.

- Please eat. It'll get cold. - Okay.

What about you?

I'll eat too.

I'll find a place...

somewhere other than the cottage for you.

I'd prefer it if you don't owe Assemblyman Do any favors.

I'm sorry.

No, no. That's not what I mean.

I'll look for a place for the two of us to live.

Did you file the request for compensation?

My lawyer said he'd do it.

Okay.

Over here, Jung Joo.

Why didn't you eat yet?

More daikon please.

Would you like more?

He ate a lot already. You're full, right?

I can eat more.

Really? Should we order more then?

I'm done. Eat this.

Eat, Jung Joo. It'll get cold.

- Please eat. - Okay.

Kyung Ho...

I heard that you're his sister.

Yes.

Kyung Ho said that his sister...

really likes jjajangmyeon.

Kyung Ho was wronged.

Kyung Ho...

asked me to go with him to save Ga Young.

Let's go wash your face.

Let's go.

The fact that the court overturned not just the prior verdict,

but a grave error by the court is significant.

Assemblyman Do Jin Myung...

sent a warning to the court...

A warning regarding the incorrect verdict...

Hi. I'm fine with you raising your approval rating,

but did you have to burn the court when I'm here?

You should've considered my position as the head chief.

Come on now.

If you had dismissed Jang Soon Bok's request...

for a retrial when I told you to, this wouldn't have happened.

What use would that have been,

when someone else was the real killer?

We would've been criticized even more.

See? I guess you really are just a judge...

regarding things like this. Don't you think so?

Don't be like that. You should rather look into...

the appropriateness of Na Dong Soo's sentence.

I'll have to see.

I have a meeting, so I need to go.

Have a seat.

I looked through the draft decision, and there was...

a big question mark.

Did you misspell the chief's name?

That question mark was to ask how you could write...

such a perfect decision.

It was the best decision...

I have ever read.

It's a completely different question mark from what I received.

I'd like to learn the know-how for writing a perfect decision.

There is no know-how.

I simply read the casefile over and over again.

I read it numerous times again too.

That's right. You asked before, right?

About my being your brother's public defender.

I thought about it, and I recalled taking on the case...

because our firm's managing partner asked me to do it.

But he had said he was asking me...

because someone else had asked him.

Who was that?

He said it was someone he personally represented on minor matters.

I asked recently, and he said he did that for many people back then,

so he can't remember very well.

Would you find out if Assemblyman Do Jin Myung was among them?

Assemblyman... Assemblyman Do Jin Myung?

I have lunch plans, so you'll have to eat by yourselves.

- Okay. - Okay.

You seem pleased somehow.

I am not.

I think lunch among just associate judges is necessary at times.

I'm sure.

- You can curse out the chief. - Yes.

Don't make it only "at times." I'll leave forever.

Chief.

Hi, Father. I need to ask you something.

Do you know who represented Assemblyman Do...

for his minor matters before you took over?

Why do you ask about that?

I don't know that much. Okay.

- What is it? - It's nothing.

I doubt that.

Is Eui Hyun acting crazy like my son...

because of that girl, Lee Jung Joo?

It's not like that. You're the one who needs to chill out.

I'm one thing.

Did you have to use Jang Soon Bok and her son like that?

Hey. This is true politics.

A politician...

must be gifted at turning risks into opportunities.

I'm a man of the law.

I didn't take off my robe...

to be a politician's pawn.

If you're so honorable,

what were you doing late at night with someone else's wife?

Do you know why we met?

Because I heard Myung Hee was being abused.

Who said something absurd like that?

That's what I hope too.

If not,

I'll kill you.

Psycho.

Professor Yoo said...

that she'd look over my brother's file and records...

to take responsibility for her mistake.

She heard the initial trial 10 years ago.

Would that be a divulgence of classified information?

I don't know.

I don't think reviewing a file of a case decided on 10 years ago...

on behalf of the petitioner for retrial...

would be a divulgence of classified information.

You say things like, "I don't know,"

and "I don't think."

I don't know everything.

You seem ever so slightly human today.

Pardon?

Okay.

Let's go eat.

Okay.

That stupid designer bag.

Why did I borrow it?

My daughter said that we don't need such things...

and we should just live within our means.

But you're a mom.

If my in-laws were that wealthy,

I'd have done the same to save my child's face.

What do I do now?

The lawyer says it'll be hard.

He did?

Why? Because she was found not guilty in criminal court?

What kind of a law is this?

I'm not asking for something I didn't give.

I'm just asking her to return the extra that I gave her.

Why can't I get it?

I know.

Eat.

You have to eat. You need your energy.

Did something happen to your mother?

I'm not in a position to speak loudly here.

I was warned...

not to say a word in the courthouse.

What do you do when people ask for a favor about a trial?

I wouldn't know since no one asked me for such a favor.

People ask for favors only to those they think may comply.

It took a lot for my mom to ask me for a favor too.

What was that favor?

It's all the same.

She wanted me to put in a good word to the presiding judge.

Since most of the people involved in trials...

worry that they may not get a fair trial...

due to their lack of money or connections,

so most of them ask for nothing more but a fair trial.

To those in court,

the trials are their last resort.

There's a good reason to pay attention to their wish.

Chief Moon.

What would you do if your first love was a defendant on your trial?

Pardon?

I would consider if I should recuse myself or not...

depending on my feelings towards my first love.

What about you, Judge Sah?

Why would you ask such a thing?

The fact that you think judges can't render a fair ruling just because...

the defendant is their first love is prejudice.

Don't you agree, Judge Sah?

My opinion is rather different.

I believe...

that the feelings for first love stay forever.

Anyway, since the feelings for first love are very illogical,

I do believe that the feelings may cloud our judgement.

I knew it, Judge Sah. You're always level-headed.

By any chance, did you have your first love as the defendant...

on your trial, Chief Choi?

The case regarding Myung Soo Jin's case.

She was sued for fraud charge in the criminal court,

but he swiftly ruled that she was innocent.

I told you not to criticize my ruling.

It violates the independence of...

It's not about the independence of judges,

but it goes against the conscience judicial officials must keep.

In the eyes of legal conscience,

I am not ashamed of my ruling at all.

He says he kept his legal conscience clean,

but could he distinguish the line from his personal feelings?

Anyway, in my opinion,

it's best to recuse oneself under vague circumstances.

Then what about you, Chief Moon?

After finding out about the defendant,

aren't you going to apply the law more severely?

Excuse me?

In what way do I seem like I can't separate my work and life?

That's exactly what I've been telling you.

In what way do I seem like I can't separate my work and life?

Sadly, you do seem like you can't.

The eyes of the Almighty? As if.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

You think I'm incapable because you are.

Did you...

just call me, "incapable"?

- Judge Sah. - Judge Lee.

- Do I seem incapable? - Do I seem incapable?

Do I seem funny to you?

- No. - In my opinion,

the difference between...

You cannot go inside, sir.

Oh, I see.

I'm Prosecutor Do Han Joon of the Seoul Central District Court.

I already told the detective on the case.

It will only take a minute.

I...

have nothing more to say.

Mr. Kim,

that's not the answer I need.

You know Assemblyman Do Jin Myung, the one who forced you to confess?

His approval ratings are off the charts.

If he becomes the president, I'm going to...

Do you know what you have done?

Don't do this to me, please.

No, don't do this to me, please, Mr. Kim.

Ga Young, Seo Gi Ho, and Jang Sook Bok aren't the only ones.

What about Mr. Choi Kyung Ho?

A wronged and innocent man was framed for murder...

and murdered in prison.

And he couldn't clear his name even after his death.

Have you thought about what his family must be going through?

Mr. Seo Gi Ho definitely knew.

He knew that Mr. Choi Kyung Ho didn't kill Ga Young.

There's no way...

Mr. Seo didn't tell you, his best friend.

That's what Seo Gi Ho told you?

Yes.

The murderer who killed your daughter...

is not Choi Kyung Ho?

According to him,

the vehicle owner of 1371 is...

My son is the murderer?

The approval ratings...

of Assemblyman Do from Daehanjunjin Party...

are skyrocketing at a rapid pace.

The polling exports analyze that his role in acquitting the charge...

of an innocent woman, who served in prison for 10 years,

contributed to the rise.

From this incident, the public has witnessed Assemblyman Do's...

strong leadership skills and his sense of justice...

Aren't you going to sleep?

Go to bed without me.

What are you reading so fervently?

Wait.

(Defendant Choi Kyung Ho)

Why are you reading his case file?

Didn't' he already die?

Because I killed him.

What?

If I didn't put an innocent man in prison,

he wouldn't have died in prison in cold blood.

There's nothing innocent about him.

He recanted his confession. How could you believe him?

Mr. Seo Yong Soo.

He was with Choi Kyung Ho...

at the time of the incident.

Seo Yong Soo, that punk,

just looks like a man, but he's just a kid.

Why are you letting his babbling getting to you?

His alibi could be fabricated.

Just like yours.

After lying for your alibi,

I realized it's not a job for people without some guts.

In order to manipulate alibis, one must be very elaborate.

It's not something someone who has no filter can do.

So what?

Are you telling me that you're going to catch the real murderer or what?

Yes, I am. I'm going to catch the real murderer...

and make up for my mistake to Jung Joo and her brother.

Do whatever you want.

However,

don't forget that you're my wife.

If this conflicts with my campaign,

then I will not let it slide either.

So what if you can't let her slide?

What will you do?

Don't take it out on weak women. Take it out on me.

Han Joon.

Mom, could you please go inside?

I think I need to put an end to this with this man.

What? "Put an end"?

You scumbag. How dare you?

Do you think I'll let you punch me?

Let go. Let go of my arm.

Mom, don't let him hit you either.

- You jerk. - Don't let him.

If you aren't strong enough to stop him, bite him off.

Let go of him.

Mom.

Listen to me.

You punk.

Drink this.

Why did you stop me?

Mom.

You didn't need to give birth to me.

You shouldn't have married and lived with such a monster like him.

You shouldn't have.

Are you sure you don't want it?

I'm sure.

Going around one last time. You don't want it, right?

I told you that I don't want it.

Well, you can't ask for some later, so don't even try.

See? I said no.

This is mine.

I don't know the secret to writing good decisions,

but I know why you don't write it well.

It's because you don't treat the casefile like your life.

This is my brother's casefile, and it isn't even the original.

I made a mistake.

Thank you for the food.

Okay.

You know how my brother was running from loan sharks back then?

My mom and I were at the hospital,

and my brother was on the run,

so I didn't get to see him very often.

I didn't even know he knew Seo Yong Soo.

When I heard he went with Seo Yong Soo...

to save Kim Ga Young that day,

it felt weird.

I think that's how my brother was.

Even if he got hurt,

my mom and I couldn't get hurt no matter what.

The type that doesn't spare his own body...

in order to save someone else.

If that's how he was,

I'm sure there's a way to clear his name.

That's right.

- What is it? - If my brother...

was with Seo Yong Soo on the day of the incident...

and went to save Kim Ga Young,

there must've been a motive.

Like a call from Kim Ga Young or something.

That means she had her cell phone on her.

There's nothing in the casefile about the whereabouts of her phone.

It isn't on the evidence log either.

You're right.

If she had her cell phone until the end,

it would've been found...

in the vicinity of her body when she was found.

Someone may have...

intentionally removed the phone during the investigation.

Otherwise, it means her phone was somewhere else.

If her sneaker fell off as she was dragged away by someone,

the cell phone may have also...

She may have dropped it.

We should ask Yong Soo.

Should I go with you?