Close to its final weeks, “Phantom Lawyer” keeps surprising us with its versatility and dynamic plot. One minute, they are making you bawl your eyes out with heartfelt goodbyes, and the next, they are in a thrilling persecution that gets you on the edge of your seat. If you’ve been following Shin I Rang’s (Yoo Yeon Seok) story so far, you’ll know that there is more than one surprising and emotional twists ahead of each episode. Here are some of the most heartwarming and shocking moments our hero went through in the latest episodes of this show.
Warning: spoilers from episodes 11-12 ahead!
HEARTWARMING: resolving the elderly ghost and his wife’s case
When everything seems to be lost after revealing that the shoemaker ghost’s (cameo by Lee Deok Hwa) wife forged his last will to divide their company’s assets, Shin I Rang and Han Na Hyun (Esom) get a mysterious message that leads them to discover that the elderly couple’s friend is still alive. With this new turn, I Rang and Na Hyun find a clever way to make sure the woman and her son can have fair compensation after many years. But not only do they get a satisfactory arrangement, but this separated mother and son can finally have the long-awaited reunion they always wished for.
The most touching part is that, regardless of the law, the human factor wins in this case. The shoemaker’s son, who at first hesitated to give away part of the assets of his father’s company, reminds himself how warm and kindhearted his father was and ends up giving up on the lawsuit. Furthermore, the elderly man’s last moments show that, despite his Alzheimer’s, he never forgot what was most important in his heart: his beloved wife. And it is through one last pair of shoes that his wife also realizes that she was the only one for him, proving that true love can arrive in many different forms.
HEARTWARMING: Han Na Hyun falling for Shin I Rang
Though romance hasn’t been the primary focus of this show, the natural way in which I Rang and Na Hyun start to develop feelings for each other is still quite enjoyable. Slow burns may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but it works here. In Na Hyun’s case, it is clear that it took her a lot more time to open up to this clumsy yet kindhearted man. However, now that she has seen much of his struggles, gotten to know about his past, and still sees him choosing to remain optimistic and kind, there’s no doubt why she would choose him instead of someone similar to herself.
For I Rang, after watching so many souls suffering from regrets, he finally decides to confess his feelings for Na Hyun, which have been pretty evident since the beginning. Sadly, writers just won’t let them have their sweet romance just yet, and before he can say anything, he gets possessed by a new ghost. Afterward, their awkward encounters make them all the more endearing to watch because that’s exactly what happens when two introverts like each other: they flirt in the most unconventional ways.
HEARTWARMING: Shin I Rang bonding with a boy’s ghost
Every time I Rang meets a new ghost, he proves to have a heart of gold. He might be their lawyer, but he also quickly turns into a friend of sorts for them. Being the only one who can watch and hear them creates a unique bond. On this occasion, having a small kid around not only becomes a new challenge but it also shows how deeply caring, sweet, and dependable he is. Despite the inconveniences this could bring to his life, I Rang goes as far as to let the boy take on his body to play with his small niece and eat all the pizza he wants.
This enhances both the character’s personality and the actor’s great acting range. Playing from a composed adult to shift into a cheeky boy, aside from the visual queues that they give, is fantastic. Furthermore, the chemistry between I Rang and every ghost is endearing in many ways. He somehow makes every story more relatable since he can see things from their perspectives and understand what they’ve been through. That alone makes these scenes all the more important for the show.
SHOCKING: Yang Byeong Il’s sketchy attitude
Unfortunately, not everything is as endearing as it appears, and funnily enough, it isn’t the ghosts that are bringing the darkness to this story, but the living ones. If we thought Yang Do Kyung (Kim Kyung Nam) was somehow shady and a little twisted, in these couple of episodes, we understand that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. His father, Yang Byeong Il (Choi Kwang Il), who at first appeared to be the complete opposite of his son, is slowly revealing his true colors.
His particular interest in I Rang and his late father, as well as his constant visits to his mother Park Kyung Hwa (Kim Mi Kyung), make him more suspicious the more he tries to appear friendly and determined to vindicate I Rang’s father’s name. It wouldn’t be that much of a shock if he turns out to be the one who actually framed I Rang’s dad and is trying to erase the last pieces of evidence that could incriminate him. Whatever it is, he surely isn’t as innocent as he wants them to believe he is.
SHOCKING: Shin I Rang saving a kidnapped boy
While working as a lawyer for these spirits, I Rang faces many dangerous and unexpected situations, but none quite as this one. What starts as a simple investigation to find the little boy’s identity and know the circumstances in which he died ends up becoming a gripping and tense kidnapping scene. In that sense, I Rang is a specialist in being way too trusting of suspicious people, and sure enough, the detective who seemed to be there to help him is, in fact, the perpetrator. Luckily, almost like a superpower, the boy’s ghost takes on I Rang’s body, helping him to escape and save the other little boy along the way.
However, this time the cost for this heroic feat is more than a few punches and some scratches. Leaving us shocked with an illegal cliffhanger, we see I Rang watching himself lying dead on a hospital bed with none other than a devastated Han Na Hyun by his side. It would be impossible, and certainly too tragic, for things to end like this. After all, he is supposed to be a lawyer for the ghosts, not a lawyer turned into a ghost. But we’ll have to wait until the next episodes of “Phantom Lawyer” to know how he’ll come back from this massive plot twist!
Keep up with the latest episodes of “Phantom Lawyer” here:
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Andy zar is an avid drama watcher, from K-dramas to C-dramas, she believes any weekend is a good weekend to enjoy 12 hours of binge-watching dramas. She loves romance, web comics, and K-pop. Find her on Instagram @wuaitboni.
Currently watching: “Phantom Lawyer” and “You Are my Fateful Love”
Plans to watch: “Yumi’s Cells 3“ and “Filing for Love”