Extraordinary Attorney Woo: Episodes 7-8
by Unit
As we come to our midpoint this week, we explore a variety of relationships — whether it’s the one between the residents of a small town, that of parent and child, friends, coworkers, or even lovers. When the chips are down and secrets are revealed, how will the people in these relationships handle it?
EPISODES 7-8 WEECAP
When the residents of a town decide to file a lawsuit against the proposed construction of a highway passing through their town, our lawyers at Hanbada are hesitant to take on the case because the winning rate is low. But the town’s representatives don’t back down and practically drag the lawyers to visit their town. (And this is just random, but a section of the town is named Ki-young, just like Myeong-seok hehe.)
Much to Min-woo the mismatch-maker’s delight, Young-woo gives up her seat in the middle for Jun-ho and Su-yeon to sit together on the trip to the town. And as they arrive, I see why the representatives insisted that the lawyers pay a visit. It’s such a lovely place with delightful residents who are proud of the majestic Hackberry tree that stands on a hill in the town. Unfortunately, its designation as a natural monument was denied and it’ll be chopped down if the highway construction happens.
As our lawyers climb the hill, Young-woo trips and the fall rips a part of her jacket. This leads to a swoon-worthy moment where Jun-ho covers her with his own jacket – and this doesn’t go unnoticed by Su-yeon. Later on, Su-yeon asks if Young-woo hasn’t noticed that Jun-ho likes her. But Young-woo replies in the negative, and says it’s not easy for someone to like her because she’s autistic. If only you knew, sis.
Back to the case, CEO Tae makes her first appearance in court as the senior attorney on the opposing side, and Young-woo is wowed by her aura and her defense in court. I mean, I would be too. The woman is good! But Young-woo’s fascination with CEO Tae upsets her dad, and he goes to confront CEO Han for hiring Young-woo just to use her existence as CEO Tae’s illegitimate daughter (thanks for the confirmation, Show) against CEO Tae. I really wanted to believe that CEO Han took Young-woo in because of her potential as a lawyer. Sigh!
Young-woo’s dad painfully tells CEO Han that he will ignore her scheme because there’s no other firm willing to accept an autistic lawyer. And he begs her not to put Young-woo on any case involving CEO Tae. As he leaves, he bumps into Young-woo and Min-woo, and Min-woo realizes that Young-woo’s father is CEO Han’s law school senior. He then accuses an oblivious Young-woo of entering Hanbada via nepotism, and leaves in a huff. Pffft.
And while Min-woo is upset at Young-woo, Su-yeon directs her frustration at Jun-ho. She tells him to be clear with Young-woo if he really likes her and to stop confusing all of them with his unconfessed feelings. Lol. She totally gives off the if-you-hurt-my-friend-I-will-haunt-you energy, and this is one of the reasons why she’s like a spring sunshine to Young-woo.
At the next court appearance, our lawyers argue that one of the construction assessments was done after the planning stage rather than before as stipulated by the law. And CEO Tae’s attempt to argue against this is foiled by Young-woo’s accurate recollection of the date and footnotes of this assessment amidst the mountain of evidence submitted to the judge. Whoa! It’s CEO Tae’s turn to be impressed by Young-woo.
Back in the office, Young-woo takes Geu-ra-mi’s advice and asks to touch Jun-ho to check if she likes him. Seizing the opportunity, Jun-ho leans in closer, and she closes her eyes… *swallows*. But my excitement is soon dampened when Young-woo learns from Dad that she got into Hanbada via nepotism. She tells him that she’s an adult and doesn’t like when he intervenes in her life. And elsewhere, Min-woo uploads an anonymous post on Hanbada’s bulletin board on the unfair hiring practices at the firm.
Min-woo really chose violence, didn’t he? Unfair hiring practices? Pfft. What’s unfair is Young-woo not getting a job due to discrimination in the first place! And this might be my bias speaking, but if it’s by skills, she’s better at the job than Min-woo is. If she was incompetent, it’s a different story. But she has consistently proven herself, so what else does he want? Min-woo and his inferiority complex should take several seats, please.
Of course, Su-yeon smells the rat behind the anonymous post and calls Min-woo out. She loudly defends Young-woo to the other employees and privately tells Young-woo to smack Min-woo upside the head for writing the post. That’s good advice, Young-woo, take it!
As our highway case continues, Hanbada convinces the judge to hold an onsite verification in the town, but of all days, it chooses to rain on the day of the verification. Hanbada and Taesan lawyers show off with their branded umbrellas, but all Young-woo can see is the drawing of a dolphin on the judge’s umbrella. Awww.
Unfortunately, the Taesan lawyers have gone ahead to convince a good number of the townspeople to consent to the construction and now it looks like the representatives are just working for their own interests. The judge trips as they climb the hill (and Young-woo offers to give him her jacket lol) and the rain makes the atmosphere gloom, so the onsite verification is a total bust for Hanbada.
The sun comes out soon after the judge leaves, and the race is on between Taesan and Hanbada to get the highest number of consent forms for and against the construction. CEO Tae finally remembers Young-woo as the rookie attorney who caught her eye in the wedding dress case, and tries to scout her to Taesan. (Anyone else getting some Pinocchio deja vu here? Just me? Okay.)
Min-woo wants to know what they talked about and Young-woo asks if he’s going to post it on the bulletin board again. Left to me, I’d have rubbed my scouting offer in his face. Tsk. Young-woo actually attempts to smack him, and warns that she will do it for real the next time he messes with her. But with the nepotism thing going on, she tells her dad that she’s switching firms to Taesan. And that’s when he blurts out that CEO Tae is her mother.
The news is so jarring that Young-woo trips from the stairs and lands in the hospital. And while there, Dad tells her his story as the son of a poor farmer who fell in love with the daughter of a rich family. CEO Tae was against keeping their baby, but Dad begged her to have the baby and promised to raise Young-woo on his own. Dad also agreed never to take the bar exam so they don’t run into each other, and now he regrets it because if he became an attorney, he could have hired Young-woo when no law firm wanted to take her.
When Dad tells Young-woo that her mother abandoning her was political, she realizes the Hackberry tree might have also been denied monumental status for political reasons. So she goes with Jun-ho to investigate this, and they end up talking about that day in the office – when she ran out without kissing him. (What? But she already closed her eyes!!) Anyway, Young-woo confesses her heart rate was really high that day and she thinks she likes him.
As it turns out, the application for monumental status wasn’t even filed in by a penny-wise pound-foolish staff at the provincial office. But Young-woo sees that the staff has the same dolphin umbrella as the judge – the dolphin being the logo of a company that benefits from the highway construction. And just as the judge is about to dismiss their case, Hanbada files a motion to challenge the court under concerns of an unfair trial. This is all coincidental, but Young-woo quotes CEO Tae’s words about the human mind being weak in the face of money. CEO Tae is impressed again, but this time, the feeling is no longer mutual.
Young-woo tells CEO Tae about their relationship and says she can’t leave Hanbada and her dad to move over to her mother’s side. And as they talk, good news comes in that the tree has been given monumental status and the highway construction would have to be diverted from the planned route. When CEO Tae asks if Young-woo resents her, Young-woo admits that she really wanted to meet her mother once and it was nice to have spent time with her on the case. And with this, Young-woo says her goodbyes and walks away, leaving CEO Tae in tears.
While I tried to put myself in CEO Tae’s shoes, and understand her decision at the time, I can’t come up with an excuse for her. Over the weeks, we’ve seen a few indications that she’s not completely unaffected by her decision to abandon her daughter (and I suspect she was also in the tinted car when Young-woo was dropped off). So why, just once, couldn’t she reach out?
I can’t imagine how Young-woo must have felt to learn that the woman she was so fascinated by is actually her mother, but props to her for handling the situation maturely. It’s one of the testaments to how well her dad raised her, and I don’t think he should worry as much because his baby girl is in fact, an adult. Besides, despite her mother’s absence, Young-woo will always be surrounded by love from him, and from the other good people in her corner.
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Extraordinary Attorney Woo: Episodes 7-8
Source: Buzz Pinay Daily
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