I Dol I: Episodes 2-4
by SailorJumun
Your Honor, I love them. Our troubled rockstar and his (secret fangirl) lawyer join forces, needing to trust each other if they’re going to prove his innocence. With the prosecution, the media, and even his own band members against him, he’s so close to giving up. But his lawyer won’t let that happen. Not while they’re together, and not while the real killer is still out there.
EPISODES 2-4
Previously, Ra-ik woke up to find his band member and best friend Woo-sung stabbed to death in his living room. The next thing he knows, he’s at the police station waiting for an attorney. Upon hearing the news, Se-na is of course the first to arrive. It’s surreal for her to see her favorite idol in this state, especially as he breaks down and curses out his crazed fans (thinking the sasaengs that broke in before could be suspects). Se-na leaves in a daze, remembering the Ra-ik she thought she knew.
Apparently, in high school, Se-na was severely bullied for being a murderer’s daughter. It was so bad that one day, she went out to the river, intending to unalive herself. She stopped when a boy showed up singing an uplifting ballad. The mysterious stranger gave her a music player with the song, hoping it’d help her the way it helped him. Inspired, she dropped out of school and studied for her GED to become a lawyer. And years later, she saw the stranger again, in an announcement for a new boy band.
Se-na eagerly went to the Gold Boys’ first performance, and sensing their nervousness, she cheered them on. With that, the group dived into their song, and seeing Ra-ik shine, Se-na cried happy tears. Aghhh… I did not expect to adore them this much this early on, but omg, how can I not?
Se-na is hesitant to take Ra-ik’s case, but she makes up her mind when she learns that no other lawyer wants to defend him. And when she learns that the prosecutor in charge is none other than KWAK BYUNG-GYUN (Jung Jae-kwang) — the heir to a long line of elite prosecutors, as well as one of the assholes that bullied her in school.
We get a taste of Se-na and Byung-gyun going head-to-head with Ra-ik’s first warrant review hearing. Se-na has Ra-ik claim his innocence, arguing that the prosecution hasn’t gathered enough evidence and that there’s too much room for doubt. The arrest warrant is successfully dismissed, and Ra-ik seems rightfully impressed with Se-na.
Though this is a small win for our team, Ra-ik is still feeling lost and hopeless. He doesn’t want to return to his apartment (it’s being seized anyway), and he doesn’t have anyone to call. So he wanders around drinking, sadly remembering when he and Woo-sung would give street performances. The alcohol and tinnitus get to him, and he passes out on the street.
The police find the unconscious Ra-ik and call Se-na to come pick him up. She has Ra-ik stay at her place, in her room, which is now clear of all Gold Boys posters and memorabilia. She notices him crying in his sleep, so she holds his hand until his face relaxes. AGH, Show, stop. I can’t take all the sweetness.
Later, Byung-gyun and the lead detective visit the medical examiner, and they learn that Woo-sung only had one stab wound. Though Byung-gyun wants to believe they already have their prime suspect, he has to agree that it’s unlikely Ra-ik could be that precise when drunk. Byung-gyun relays all of his newfound doubt to his father, but his father asserts that his job is to get a confession. And he expects Byung-gyun to do just that, especially since this is an “easy case” that will help him get into politics.
Meanwhile, Se-na goes around getting statements from Ra-ik’s friends and colleagues. She quickly realizes that everyone — the remaining band members, the manager, the CEO — believes Ra-ik was capable of killing Woo-sung. To make things worse, Se-na learns that Ra-ik’s mother is giving interviews for money. The mom has been leeching off her son his entire life, and seeing that she has no intention to stop, Se-na threatens to charge her for defamation.
While Ra-ik is out walking, he’s jumped by a couple of punk guys who recognize him. He’s too exhausted to care, even yelling at them to just kill him. Se-na and her friend Chung-jae come a little too late, as the guys are already leaving. As Chung-jae beats the shit out of them, Se-na hurries over to where Ra-ik is, crying in an alley. (As if her heart couldn’t break any more for him.) She sees how absolutely broken he is and gently tells him that he can’t give up; they need to find the truth for the person he lost. And she promises to stay by his side until then.
Back at Se-na’s home, after Ra-ik’s recovered, he tells her his life story. Growing up in a bar, where his mother would perform. Wanting to get up on stage to sing himself. Being discovered and eventually used, by both his mother and the CEO. The only bright side to all of this was meeting Woo-sung and chasing after their dreams together. He can’t bring himself to attend Woo-sung’s funeral, but with Se-na’s encouragement, he does get to say his final goodbye. He even gives a statement to the press, confidently stating that he’ll be cooperating with the investigation so that the real killer can be brought to justice.
Unfortunately, Byung-gyun and the police get their hands on some CCTV footage that shows Ra-ik meeting with someone the night of the murder. When Se-na finds out about this, she chides Ra-ik for keeping secrets; she can’t help him if he doesn’t tell her the whole truth.
As it turns out, Ra-ik has been withholding to protect this someone. He was going through a rough breakup with his girlfriend HONG HYE-JOO (Choi Hee-jin), and he agreed to see her that night to officially end things. What’s curious, though, is that when he tried to leave, she nearly hit him with her car. Was she… was she trying to kill him?
Maybe not, because despite her hurt feelings, Hye-joo does believe Ra-ik is innocent. She tells Ra-ik that she saw band member Jae-hee that night, though when Ra-ik asks Jae-hee about it, he denies ever being there. The plot thickens when we later hear Jae-hee on the phone with someone, asking, “Why should I keep it a secret?”
Ra-ik doesn’t want to suspect Jae-hee, but he doesn’t want to keep secrets from Se-na anymore either. He tells her she should probably look into him, and though she agrees, she’s acting a bit off.
She escapes to Chung-jae’s place, and she reveals that the closer she gets to Ra-ik and sees how much he’s been hurting, the more she hurts. She wishes she could go back to watching him from a distance, so she could love him safely. Oof, and poor Chung-jae merely sits there, remembering how he and Se-na met as kids. Guess he wishes they could go back to the way they were too.
The next day, Se-na and Ra-ik voluntarily meet with Byung-gyun to clear things up about Hye-joo. They’re able to clear her as a potential suspect (for now), and Ra-ik is so relieved that he hugs Se-na. Girl is understandably flustered, and she’s still flustered later, when they’re driving home. Then, out of nowhere, the car malfunctions, making her lose control, and they fly off-road.
Oookay, that final scene came across as a little silly, with the slo-mo and their facial expressions. But, shit, I’m really starting to realize how much danger our duo is in. They’ve been so busy just trying to maintain Ra-ik’s innocence that it’s easy to forget that they’re also targets.
But who could be targeting them? Who could’ve gone through the trouble of killing Woo-sung and framing it on Ra-ik? It’s sad to think that it could honestly be anyone in Ra-ik’s life — because everyone in his life sucks. Like Ra-ik, I don’t necessarily suspect Jae-hee, but I do think whatever he’s hiding is key. Something just isn’t sitting right.
Two weeks in, the show is still going strong. I’m fully invested in this mystery, in the legal battle, and in our main characters’ journey. They have such a powerful bond set up, with him initially giving her the strength to live, and now her doing the same for him. It’s a set up that’s sure to destroy my heart. And I can’t wait.
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