Remember—Son’s War: Episode 10

by odilettante

After so many episodes of suffering, it’s about time we see some happy faces. Especially since it’s down to the wire with the retrial, and Jin-woo and his team are pulling out all the stops to have the truth revealed and his father set free. Jin-woo’s had such success in getting witnesses to re-testify despite all the odds, so it seems like there’s no way he could lose. Except, of course, his opponent isn’t just the court of law, but the corrupt and all-powerful Il-ho Group. Yeah, those smiles aren’t gonna last long, are they?

EPISODE 10 RECAP

After Jin-woo is taken away to the hospital, Prosecutor Chae gloats to Dong-ho that the trial will be an easy win. But Dong-ho isn’t ready to give up on Jin-woo, even though he’s careful not to make it clear which side he’s truly on.

It seems Jin-woo’s fainting spell was due to fatigue, since he hasn’t slept much in preparation for the trial. Despite his team’s concerns about his health, he immediately returns to the courthouse where a worried Dong-ho tries to caution him about taking care of himself.

When Dong-ho sincerely tells him that all he wants from the trial is for Dad’s innocence to be proven, Jin-woo sneers that it’d be interesting to hear how Gyu-man would react to such a statement. He still believes that Dong-ho is an untrustworthy traitor, but Dong-ho tells him simply to focus on the case until the end.

The trial recommences, this time with the doctor in the witness stand. To everyone’s surprise (except Jin-woo), Doctor Lee confesses that he originally lied about Dad not having Alzheimer’s and Jin-woo’s supposed attempts to bribe him. Jin-woo also asks who was responsible for telling the doctor to commit perjury four years ago, but Doctor Lee stubbornly insists that he did it on his own accord.

That’s not the answer Jin-woo was expecting, but the doctor did it to protect Gyu-man, who pays him a little visit after the trial concludes for the day. Gyu-man is in full intimidating form as the doctor pleads with him, begging for his understanding. But Gyu-man drops the doctor’s glass nameplate on the ground, telling him that the only way he’ll forgive him is if the doctor crawls out of the room, carrying the broken nameplate in his mouth like a dog. Ah, the humiliating rites of appeasing a sociopath.

As he leaves the doctor’s office, Gyu-man gets on the phone to warn Prosecutor Chae that since she lost the first round today, she has to find a way to make absolutely sure Jin-woo’s father is proven guilty.

Jin-woo studies his wall of evidence, but this time his focus in on the news clippings of Dong-ho as he remembers Dong-ho’s recent acts of support. Boss Ajumma worries about Jin-woo’s new memory loss, but he warns her to keep it a secret. Instead, he wants to know if she thinks Dong-ho’s statement that he wanted Dad to be proven innocent was sincere. She says they’ll just have to wait and see.

When Jin-woo visits his father at the jail, he’s surprised when Dad greets him excitedly, recognizing his son. Dad chatters on about memories of when Jin-woo was younger, and it’s so lovely to see them laughing as they remember the good times.

Prosecutor Hong pays In-ah a visit, and she informs him that she’s aware of all his shady dealings with Il-ho Group. He’s not concerned, though, because she’s been reassigned to a new prosecution office — on the other side of the country.

Gyu-man is euphoric after his father compliments his business dealings and hints that he’s the only one who will be able to take over Il-ho Group, because apparently daughters don’t count. Ugh. But Gyu-man needs to make sure that Jin-woo doesn’t find Detective Kwak and put him on the witness stand like he did with Doctor Lee.

Jin-woo is already on the scent, though, having determined that Detective Kwak is the next likely suspect to help reverse the case. He tracks down the detective, now relegated to traffic cop. They both know that Gyu-man will be busy trying to eliminate all connections to the detective, and Jin-woo offers him a chance to reveal the truth.

In-ah hands in her resignation notice to Prosecutor Hong. She refuses to work in an environment that is so deeply corrupt and vows that, even though she will no longer be a prosecutor, she’ll make sure Prosecutor Hong is punished for his crimes. As she carries out her belongings, she runs into Prosecutor Chae, who cheerfully warns her that no matter where she goes, there will always be corruption. Gee, thanks.

Returning home, In-ah cautiously tells her parents that she quit her job. Mom is in disbelief, but In-ah says that she had no choice — it’s impossible to become a righteous prosecutor like she once dreamed of being. Mom is furious, pointing out that it’s ridiculous to quit a good job just because it doesn’t live up to your ideals, ordering her to go beg for her job back.

But In-ah retreats to her room, fighting back tears for both the destruction of her belief in the justice of the prosecution office as well as disappointing her parents. Mom’s still angry and orders to her to get out, which In-ah does — but more due to a phone call from Jin-woo than anything else.

Joo-il and Dong-ho sit dispirited in Gyu-man’s private nightclub room, and even though Joo-il attempts to go through the pretence of being jolly and helping Gyu-man entertain the ladies (or help the ladies entertain them), soon Gyu-man leaves in bored disappointment. That means it’s just Joo-il and Dong-ho left in room, and Dong-ho quietly reveals to Joo-il that he discovered his father was responsible for accidentally killing Jin-woo’s family.

He wonders why his father was driving like that in the first place, and asks if Joo-il knows anything about what happened that day. Joo-il says that he doesn’t, but his slight hesitation seems mighty suspicious. He asks if Dong-ho has decided what path to follow — to either stay by his side (and thus Il-ho Group’s side) and prosper, or be dragged down and destroyed through Jin-woo. Dong-ho chooses Jin-woo, vowing to repay his debt via Dad’s trial.

Jin-woo seems adorably astonished to find out that In-ah’s quit her job, but she reassures him that it’s all for the best because now she can start over with a fresh start. He could totally use another attorney in his law firm, right?

They celebrate her joblessness with beer and snacks, becoming adorably tipsy. He wonders if she’s going to cause him more trouble like she did that time when she drunkenly called him from the bar on Christmas (and he had to piggy-back her home), and she claps a hand over his mouth to shush him. They both freeze in sudden realization of their close proximity and awkwardly return to their corners of the sofa.

When Jin-woo says it must be difficult to give up everything she’s worked so hard for, In-ah tells him that all she ever wanted was to help the innocent who were wrongly accused. But she’s learned that hard work doesn’t always pay off. Aw, he sets up his bed for her while he takes the sofa, and they bid each other good-night.

That evening, Dad writhes in pain on his jail cell, but the guards walking by just ignore his anguished cries since it’s something he’s been doing every night lately.

In the morning, Attorney Song and Boss Ajumma arrive at the office, surprised to discover Jin-woo asleep on the sofa. They assume he fell asleep there while working late on the case, but when In-ah greets them, they take in her rumpled appearance and leap to some romantic conclusions. Alas, it’s not true, but everyone’s looks of amusement are so dang cute and it’s adorable to know that Attorney Song totally approves of this pairing.

There’s no time to dilly-dally, though, and as the loyal team of three get down to work, In-ah hesitates a moment before asking if she can be a part of the trial — this time as an attorney, not a prosecutor. She’s immediately welcomed into the “family,” and they commemorate the moment with a selfie. It’s all just so cute and everyone is just so happy, there’s no way it can last.

Annnnnnnd it can’t, as Jin-woo gets a phone call and rushes off to the hospital where he finds Dad in critical condition.

Joo-il and Assistant Ahn are making their covert plans to get rid of Detective Kwak, but their nearly-empty sauna is not as private as they think it is, since Attorney Song’s overhead everything and reports back to Jin-woo.

In-ah’s father finds her at Jin-woo’s office. Aw, he’s just the best dad ever as he reassures her that he trusts her decisions, knowing she’s thought a lot about it. Even though he (and her mother) might be sad that she’s no longer a prosecutor and will have to figure out how to make a living elsewhere, he encourages her to stay true to herself as she bravely begins this new journey as an attorney.

Late at night, Detective Kwak is strapped to the hood of a car, frantic as he watches the junkyard machines crush another car, foreshadowing of what is about to happen to him. Joo-il clearly hasn’t forgotten his gangster roots as he order his men to proceed with the utmost secrecy. Looks like the detective can kiss the world good-by as a giant crane extends down to pick up and crush the car he’s tied to.

But it stops at the last second — Jin-woo drags the crane operator out of the cab and takes over, using it to strategically place another car to block the gangsters from getting access to Detective Kwak. Then Attorney Song arrives in time for them to free the detective and drive off to safety. Detective Kwak is relieved, to say the least, by the sudden rescue.

At the hospital, Dong-ho checks in on Jin-woo’s father, demanding to know why his condition degraded so suddenly. The doctor thinks it likely has to do with the poor treatment (or no treatment, to be precise) Dad received while in jail. Dong-ho slips a wad of cash into the doctor’s hand, begging him to do everything he can to try and save Dad’s life. He needs Dad to live long enough to see Jin-woo prove his innocence.

He’s just leaving the hospital as Jin-woo arrives, and when Jin-woo is suspicious that Dong-ho is there, Dong-ho solemnly promises that tomorrow in the courtroom, he’ll pay back the sins he owes.

It’s a late night for everyone, as In-ah studies the documents in the case, Dong-ho ruminates over a disc labeled “Evidence,” and Jin-woo watches over his father, silently promising that he’ll win the trial and begging him to hold on a little longer.

In the morning, Dong-ho is stopped by his assistant, who’s worried about what Gyu-man will do if Dong-ho reveals his evidence. Oooo, so did he actually keep a copy of Gyu-man’s hidden-camera confession? But Dong-ho is determined, and once he walks away, his assistant nervously pulls out his phone.

Detective Kwak holds out his hand as a peace offering, apologizing for everything he’s done to Jin-woo — which presumably includes the attempted murder. It’s no surprise that Jin-woo ignores his attempt at a peace offering, merely agreeing that he, too, hopes his attitude towards the detective will be changed after the trial.

The trial begins, and Jin-woo notes his father’s empty seat beside him. Prosecutor Chae looks awfully smug, and for good reason — there’s a new judge. Seok-gyu is furious, demanding to know why he’s been disqualified as the judge for the retrial, and he’s told that they felt the trial should go to someone with more experience.

This new judge is clearly in Chairman Nam’s pocket, as the first thing he does is throw out the witness’s video tape that was submitted previously. He deems it inadmissible as evidence due to not being credible, and warns In-ah that her staunch protests could have her dismissed from court. Across the way, Prosecutor Chae smirks.

When Dong-ho arrives at the courthouse, his path his blocked by a bunch of Joo-il’s men. They immediately try to take him down, but he’s not the son of a boxer for nothing, and in the end it requires three of them to restrain him while Joo-il retrieves the evidence disc from Dong-ho’s briefcase.

Joo-il warns him that he can’t stand to see Dong-ho continue to dig his own grave like this, and he takes the disc and leaves while his men continue to beat up Dong-ho. It’s for his own good. Yeah, sure.

At the courtroom, Detective Kwak sits in the witness stand as Jin-woo questions him. It looks like the detective is answering honestly until Jin-woo gets to the most important question: did he illegally coerce a confession? Detective Kwak confidently answers that he didn’t, much to Jin-woo’s surprise.

Turns out, Gyu-man was using the detective as bait to lure Jin-woo into using him as a witness so that they could make sure the trial continue to go their way. Ohhhh, you evil, evil genius.

Time for closing statements, and Prosecutor Chae gives a passionate detraction of a desperate son determined to save his father at any cost, but the truth remains and in order to uphold the law, the original judgement of “guilty” should remain. It’s a crushing blow to our little team, who still seem dazed by Detective Kwak’s reversal.

A bruised and aching Dong-ho slips into the courtroom just in time to hear the judge ask Jin-woo for his closing remarks. Jin-woo describes the vivid image of his father, suffering from Alzheimer’s and rotting away in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. In the middle of his speech, his phone buzzes — it’s Boss Ajumma, and she’s crying. Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no.

Her voice breaks as she tells him that his father passed away just now. Jin-woo bows his head as he processes that information, and the judge asks if he’s going to finish his closing argument. In-ah leaps up to offer to do it instead, but Jin-woo says that he’ll continue.

As he struggles through his tears, he informs the court that his father took his last breath in the hospital. Powerful people may be able to get out of jail free, but the powerless can’t even get basic care when they’re sick. This reality is what led the defendant to his death, and even if the verdict comes back as “not guilty,” it won’t bring back his father. But only the truth will be able to redeem the defendant’s death.

The judge reads out the verdict for the retrial, pointing out the facts didn’t really change much from the original trial. He reconfirms the guilty verdict and death penalty. As soon as the gavel bangs, marking the end of the trial, Jin-woo bounds out of the courtroom.

He hurries his way to the hospital room where his father lies covered in a sheet. Jin-woo stares down at his dead father, and then collapses to his knees next to the bed, weeping his heart out as he asks how Dad could just go and leave him like this. Now what can he do about his father being falsely accused?

Gyu-man catches up on the news report about the trial, disappointed that he can’t act happy about the verdict due to the unfortunate timing of Jin-woo’s father’s death.

As Jin-woo holds his father’s memorial with only In-ah, Attorney Song, and Boss Ajumma in attendance, Chairman Nam holds a large press conference to reveal the business merger Gyu-man set up. But Chairman Nam has one more announcement — Gyu-man is now officially the head of Il-ho Group.

He seems slightly stunned at this reveal, and as everyone stands up to applaud Gyu-man’s promotion, Joo-il calls Dong-ho’s assistant to demand to know where he is, since this is an important event and he needs to get down here, ASAP.

Later, as Gyu-man makes the rounds at the party, Joo-il tries to reassure him that Dong-ho is on his way, but he was hurrying to finish up some projects first. Gyu-man, in his pleasant-yet-terrifying way, warns Joo-il that if Dong-ho thinks he can escape Il-ho Group, he’ll be immediately destroyed.

Dong-ho’s more urgent matters turn out to be attending the memorial. Jin-woo is understandably furious to see him there, blaming him for his father’s death since Dong-ho was the one who failed him in the first place.

Dong-ho’s eyes fill with tears as he earnestly apologizes, but Jin-woo threatens to do whatever it takes to ruin Dong-ho and everyone related to him. Those threats somehow lose their sting due to the way Jin-woo clutches Dong-ho as he breaks down in grief.

Chairman Nam commends both Prosecutor Hong and Prosecutor Chae for their work in Jin-woo’s father’s trial. It seems like they can relax once again. Gyu-man offers a toast to the future of Il-ho Group, and as the powerful drink to their success, Jin-woo returns to his home for the first time in four years.

His father’s shoes are still as Jin-woo left them, waiting for his return. As he sits in the darkened house, Jin-woo goes through his father’s belongings from jail, discovering the letters Dad wrote during his lucid moments.

He wrote that he misses his son, wondering if his shoes are still by the door, and even if Dad’s memory fails him, he knows that Jin-woo will remain in his heart forever. He hopes that Jin-woo will become a person who has more happy memories than sad ones. Ooof. Jin-woo cries as he reads the letter, and then clutches it tightly as he looks up with renewed determination.

COMMENTS

How am I supposed to type through these tears? Give me a moment. *sniffle, sniffle*

…okay maybe one more moment, because I’m not ready to say good-bye to Dad just yet. Maybe I’m just as idealistic as In-ah, but I thought we’d find a way to clear his name and have a happy family once more, even if I didn’t think we’d accomplish it until near the end. So it’s a bit of a surprise to have both the retrial over and Dad gone when we’re only halfway through the show. It almost feels like we’ve reached the end of “part one” and we’re moving on to “part two,” which I presume will have a deeper focus on finding ways to take down not just Gyu-man, but the entire Il-ho Group.

I’m kind of excited about this, actually, since Jin-woo has the potential to be a total renegade now that he pretty much has nothing left to lose. While I’m sure he’d still love to clear his father’s name posthumously, realistically there’s nothing keeping him going except for plain and simple revenge. I want to see what sort of unhinged shenanigans would need to be required to go up against the loose cannon that is Gyu-man, especially now that Gyu-man has even more power. (Who thought that was a good idea? Oh, yeah — his equally psychotic father.)

But, as we all know, with great power comes great responsibility, and while Gyu-man is sneaky and smart, he is also the weak link thanks to his unpredictability. I also can’t wait to found out how deep the corruption goes, and if/when other people are swayed to Jin-woo and Dong-ho’s side. Attorney Ahn seems to grow more and more conflicted, and I wonder if he could be a possible ally. Prosecutor Chae also seems a bit iffy to me — I got the feeling she was once like In-ah back in her early days, and clearly there’s some history with her and Dong-ho. She hasn’t felt like too much of an opponent since she’s been there mostly to sit smugly at the prosecution table, but I think there’s potential for her to either be a formidable opponent or join Jin-woo’s crew (ideally the latter, because the more allies, the better).

I’ve come to love so many of our characters (or love to hate, in some cases), and I just really want to see them somehow succeed. Gyu-man can’t always win! In this “David and Goliath” scenario, David has to win in the end, right? Right? I’m at least hoping for some more cute moments, because seeing how happy In-ah was to be a part of Jin-woo’s team (and Attorney Song’s delighted approval about the potential for some romance) made me realize just how many anguished tears we’ve seen these past ten episodes. Would it really be so terrible to let the cute have more screen time than just a few seconds? Not that I necessarily need the presumed romance that will come between In-ah and Jin-woo — I just want everyone happy and smiling and banding together like the adopted family that they are.

I thought the war was going to be about Jin-woo’s father, but that was just one of the battles, it seems. This war goes deeper than we realize, and as we march towards the second half of this show, I’m excited to see what kind of secrets and decades-long corruption will be revealed — and how our intrepid team will survive through it all as they cling to their faith in the truth and try to avoid the long-reaching arm of Il-ho Group’s corrupt power.

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