Pro Bono: Episodes 9-10
by solstices
A dredged-up case from the past splits our pro bono team along opposing lines, forcing them to reevaluate everything they thought they knew about their team leader. But what is the truth? And how far can righteous morality take you before the lines begin to blur?
EPISODES 9-10
Shooing the scammer out of the office for a conversation away from curious ears, Gi-ppeum holds her own against the smugly smarmy man, refusing to assume David’s guilt. But Jae-beom dumps a whole stack of evidence on her, then boldly turns himself in to the police since he’s wanted for fraud. A way to protect himself from other forms of retaliation, perhaps?
In any case, the story goes like this. Jae-beom’s father YOO BAEK-MAN (Kim Yong-joon) had been the CEO of a paper mill, until a fire broke out in the factory due to a short circuit and inadequate fire escape routes. It resulted in one casualty — a young high school boy.
During the trial, David immediately granted bail to the factory manager, instead switching the defendant to CEO Yoo. Then David tipped journalists off to the horrific tragedy, and amidst the resulting media furor, he sentenced CEO Yoo to the maximum of 7 years. But CEO Yoo had died in prison, supposedly from pent-up anger over his unfair sentence.
As it turns out, Chairman Oh was the one to spur Jae-beom into making a move. Worse yet, it seems Chief Shin — now a Supreme Court justice — is in on the collusion. Remember the slimy CEO Jang from the first episode? Unfortunately, Chief Shin has just used his newfound power to reverse that guilty verdict. (And judging by Young-shil’s dismayed reaction to the news, it seems CEO Jang might just be his horrible abusive father.)
When Chairman Oh pressures the pro bono team into taking Jae-beom’s case, Gi-ppeum insists on hearing the full story from David. And so David finally opens up — the greedy CEO Yoo had caused David’s mother to lose her hand in a workplace accident. (Oof, Park Yoon-ho portrays the young David’s anguish so heartwrenchingly.) David had given up on college and poured everything into a lawsuit that turned out futile, and it’s only after his mother passed away that he finally made it to where he is today.
But this show is so good at laying down the groundwork. When David denies targeting CEO Yoo, Gi-ppeum and Joon-woo realize that David is defaulting to defense mechanisms that reveal his lies, because he’s displaying all the signs he previously taught them to spot. That has David’s demeanor switching on a dime, and with a smirk, he admits to manipulating the trial. Nooo, it’s so obvious that he’s pulling on a shield of armor to mask his true feelings.
In any case, the trial against David begins. When our team realizes that the presiding judge owes David a favor, they engineer a change in the presiding judge with the help of Young-shil’s rare mushrooms. It’s equal parts amusing and bittersweet that they’ve learnt from David so well, to the point that they’re now using his very own tactics against him.
Unfortunately, that’s not all. When it’s Joon-woo’s turn to lead the argument, he presents a classified internal document demonstrating David’s persistence in being assigned to the same district as CEO Yoo’s factory. Having previously noticed Joon-woo entering Chairman Oh’s office, Nan-hee disguises herself as a janitor to capture evidence of their collusion. And on second thought, the judge hadn’t questioned the document either — they’re all in cahoots. Talk about a targeted effort to drag David down.
It all raises the question — to what extent is bending the rules permissible, and when does it cross the line into unethical collusion? For Nan-hee, she empathizes with David regardless of his methods. Isn’t it important to have someone who fights against the powerful and delivers harsh sentences to those who would otherwise get off with a slap on the wrist?
To that, Young-shil offers a counter perspective. If justice is achieved by breaking the rules, then the opposition won’t accept their loss. Instead, they’ll play just as dirty, creating a vicious cycle. But if the world itself is unfair, then what else is there to do? It’s a good discussion point, because we’ve spent the past 8 episodes cheering when David outsmarts the rigidity of the law and the corruption of the wealthy. Is that acceptable? Or is he toeing the line between upholding justice and becoming just like the ones he despises?
The trial continues, and in walks Jung-in as David’s attorney. Having been ousted from her CEO position by her cutthroat monster of a father, Jung-in has chosen to resign from Oh & Partners altogether. Then she proves exactly how she climbed up so high, immediately tearing down all the prosecution’s arguments with incisive logic.
At the same time that all this is happening, Gi-ppeum’s parents find themselves issued a debt collection notice out of the blue. Upon checking their exemption records, Gi-ppeum realizes the judge had been David. Meeting outside the court, Gi-ppeum opens up to David about how he’d been her role model after he gave her entire family hope. With tears welling up in her eyes, Gi-ppeum sincerely appeals to him, pleading with him to tell her the truth. But David still has his guard up high, and he goads her into challenging him in court. For all that he acts blasé and insincere, though, David doesn’t seem entirely unmoved by Gi-ppeum’s entreaties.
Back in the courtroom, Gi-ppeum questions David, bringing his past to the forefront. Wasn’t it his thirst for revenge against CEO Yoo that drove him? Abruptly, David admits it — he’s never once forgotten the injustice committed against his mother. “That’s right, I don’t deserve to be a judge,” David declares. “I am guilty.”
Oof, what an awful position to be in for all of them. I understand where Gi-ppeum is coming from, because she approaches the world with a sincerity that wants to see the good in everyone. That’s the entire reason she came around to David in the first place, because she saw his genuine sincerity in the courtroom, and why she’d been so shaken up by the bribe video, because she couldn’t bear the possibility that he might be corrupt. It’s also why Gi-ppeum is so persistent in trying to hear a candid answer from David himself, because she wants to believe in his sincerity and character.
I think this is where Gi-ppeum’s idealism works against her; she’s so kind and honest that she seeks to trust before doubting others’ intentions, which does cause her to take certain things at face value a tad too often. It’s almost as if the thought of fabrication or a further conspiracy doesn’t occur to her until the evidence of it is presented. This keeps her two steps behind others’ schemes, and ironically, it’s this innate faith in humanity that causes her faith in those around her — like David — to waver when shaken.
As much as the pro bono team’s righteous idealism might get tiresome, I also found myself equally frustrated by David’s unwillingness to be anything other than opaque towards his team. Yes, he’s pushing them all away as a defense mechanism, but overtly dismissing their attempts to connect and belittling their benefit of the doubt amounts to making a mockery of their sincerity. While they could try a little harder to see past his facade, David did start off on the wrong foot with them, which makes his arrogant persona seem more possible to the team than it does to us viewers, who have had the benefit of seeing his sympathetic perspective.
At the same time, though, David is such a compelling character. He’s so adept at reading and manipulating people, but that was never an inherent trait; he’d built these skills up out of sheer necessity. And that’s both admirable and sad in its own way. Given how shrewd he is in always thinking five steps ahead, I’m almost certain these emotional reactions he’s provoking from the pro bono team are entirely calculated and intentional. I can’t wait to watch the full extent of David’s strategy unfold next week — it seems like he’s acting out on his own, but perhaps this is his roundabout way of working with his teammates.
And what’s that about Jung-in finally apologizing to David for their breakup, since Chairman Oh had forced her hand? I don’t think there’s a place for romance in this story at all, but I like the additional layer this adds to their intriguingly complex dynamic. Rather than Jung-in being the bribe mastermind, it’s starting to look like Chairman Oh and Chief Judge Shin colluded to tear David down, and Jung-in simply saw the opportunity and swooped in to further her vision for the pro bono team. Jung-in is a force to reckon with, especially in court alongside David, and I hope we get to see more of this sharp-tongued pair in the drama’s final week.
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