Remember—Son’s War: Episode 15

by dramallama

Betrayal is the name of the game, as our sons’ allies finally pick their sides. Gyu-man’s entitlement and arrogance become so intolerable that even his smarmy smile can’t seem to help him anymore. Dong-ho and Jin-woo lose valuable partnerships, but those losses result in a potentially stronger partnership between themselves. Though Jin-woo remains skeptical and distrustful of Dong-ho, his reluctance seems ameliorated by Dong-ho’s assertive contribution to their Mission: Impossible — Bring the Nams Down.

 
EPISODE 15 RECAP

Gyu-man calls Secretary Ahn to help him escape the party. They switch jackets and cars to mislead the police, and it’s a success. Secretary Ahn gets caught in Jin-woo’s trap, and Gyu-man escapes the scene, clear of charge.

When Gyu-man returns home, he asks a freshly-quitted Dong-ho to cover his ass again and make sure Secretary Ahn doesn’t say anything to incriminate him in the interrogation. Dong-ho yells at Gyu-man to come to his senses — soon, he’ll receive the punishments for all his crimes. Still drugged up, Gyu-man responds with a laugh.

Secretary Ahn sits at a bar after his interrogation, and Jin-woo takes the seat next to him. Jin-woo knows the importance of Secretary Ahn’s role in covering up Gyu-man’s crimes and warns him that he will end up carrying the cross for Gyu-man’s sins. Though Secretary Ahn sticks to his guns, he looks nervous.

Lawyer Song proudly presents his captured footage of Gyu-man and his buddy Chul-soo. Jin-woo tells his team that they will send the footage to Prosecutor Tak to ensure its legitimacy in the trial process.

Yeo-kyung slams the door to her brother’s room, and Gyu-man stirs awake. He thanks his prosecutor sister for helping him out, and she demands to know how many crimes she’ll need to cover. Gyu-man cryptically says that he has too many crimes, which prompts Yeo-kyung to ask point blank about the Seochon murder case. Was he the killer?

Gyu-man initially attempts to brush it off, but Yeo-kyung pressures him more. He readily admits to committing murder and uses their father’s rationale as his excuse. Since people are only tools, all he did was get rid of a tool. So why is everyone crazy about accusing him?

Yeo-kyung freezes in shock, and Gyu-man looks confused at her reaction. Isn’t this what she wanted? He shoos her away, and she hastily leaves her insane brother.

Dong-ho runs into Prosecutor Hong while leaving the firm for good, and he throws him a couple candy-coated insults. He tells Prosecutor Hong that he’ll have some trouble cleaning up after Gyu-man, but as President Nam’s faithful dog, he’ll figure it out. He hints that they’ll see each other often and tells him to look forward to their reunion.

Lawyer Song tells Jin-woo about Dong-ho’s resignation, and they speculate that maybe Dong-ho could be on their side.

Gyu-man seems surprised at Secretary Ahn’s quick release, and Secretary Ahn explains that he didn’t have any crimes to be charged for. Gyu-man takes that as a pointed comment to him, and he tells Secretary Ahn to take more money. He reasons that Secretary Ahn only sticks with him and endures being treated like a dog for the money. As Secretary Ahn turns to head out, he takes a long glance at the horse decoration (that holds the murder weapon Gyu-man used).

Dong-ho meets with Prosecutor Tak and Officer Bae to share his crucial piece of evidence from the gas company witness, Ha Young-won. He tells them that he’s hidden their witness in a safe place, and we jump to Sang-ho escorting Ha into an old quiet home. But from afar, a masked figure keeps watch.

Gyu-man visits Chul-soo in jail and says that he can’t do much to help his friend out. Chul-soo threatens to reveal Gyu-man’s involvement to reduce his own sentence, but Gyu-man offers to destroy his father’s company in return. Gyu-man reminds his friend that not everyone is born with the same silver spoon. Even the chaebols have a hierarchy.

Jin-woo pays Yeo-kyung a visit and asks for her feedback on his set-up. He reveals that he reported the illicit drug usage and acts amused that Yeo-kyung happened to be the prosecutor on the case. He takes out the recording pen and implies that it contains footage incriminating both her brother and herself. Deeming her unqualified for her job, Jin-woo says he’ll pass on the evidence to her superior.

Prosecutor Tak watches the footage with Jin-woo and In-ah, and he’s clearly annoyed with Yeo-kyung. In-ah assures his that they will compile all the evidence; all he needs to do is deliver his part in court. Prosecutor Tak agrees but takes a good long look at the USB pen.

President Nam commends Yeo-kyung for helping her brother and tells her to continue to do so, despite her protests. After excusing her, President Nam turns to Gyu-man and slaps him hard across his face. He scolds him for jeopardizing the company he dedicated his youth to and warns him to get his head on straight.

Yeo-kyung waits for her brother outside the room and tells him that Jin-woo set up this whole situation. Gyu-man responds with a smile, wheels turning in his evil mind.

Late at night, In-ah waits outside for Jin-woo to return to the firm. Jin-woo greets her, and In-ah covers up her waiting as just taking a breather. As they head back, Jin-woo turns in the wrong direction and realizes his repeated mistake. In-ah pretends not to notice, but Jin-woo’s already aware of her acting. He asks her when she found out, and In-ah casually says that she was bound to know anyway.

In the firm, Jin-woo explains to In-ah that he was haunted by his exceptionally good memory because even his worst memories could be remembered in detail. He wanted to forget, but his mind would remember. In-ah holds his hand in support and encourages him, “Because you’re a special person, you’re just different from others. An illness is just one part of a person, and you’re still you.”

In-ah says that she’ll help him remember and stay by his side. She stays optimistic and says that he can get better. Thankful for her support, Jin-woo pulls her into a hug, and they both cry.

Prosecutor Tak stares intently at the Il-ho Group X-files and the recording pen, deciding his fate. Upon making his decision, Prosecutor Tak visits President Nam and hands him the two gifts. He also offers to release Joo-il from prison. President Nam compensates him with money, but Prosecutor Tak is looking for more than money. He wants a partnership to lead him up the ranks of Il-ho. Nooooo.

Prosecutor Hong escorts Prosecutor Tak out of the Nam residence and asks what he’s really up to. Prosecutor Tak admits that he wanted in and warns Prosecutor Hong that he may surpass him.

Lawyer Song reports the peculiar outcome from this drug trial — that Gyu-man was not arrested. He wonders if Prosecutor Tak betrayed them. In-ah insists that he helped them a lot in their previous cases, but the recording was solid evidence to arrest Gyu-man. It had to be betrayal.

Dong-ho bursts into Prosecutor Tak’s office and accuses the traitor of betraying his trust. Prosecutor Tak notes the hypocrisy of Dong-ho’s outburst and dismisses him. He’s got more important things to deal with now.

Jin-woo visits Chul-soo in prison and taunts him before diving into his offer. Provide information to incriminate Gyu-man, and Jin-woo will help him. Chul-soo almost misses the offer but stops Jin-woo before he leaves with information on a very similar case to Jung-ah’s. She was an aspiring actress, but her life got ruined after her encounter with Gyu-man.

In-ah enters a nightclub and finds the woman, Song Ha-young, in this buried case. In-ah tries to convince the woman to tell the real story, but she refuses to dig up her painful past. Knowing her limits, In-ah doesn’t push it but tells Ha-young that Gyu-man killed a woman in a similar case. She leaves her business card, in case Ha-young changes her mind.

Jin-woo and In-ah read up on the case, extremely critical of the methods used to frame Ha-young as a gold-digger. Dong-ho was the lawyer at the time, making matters even more complicated.

Ha-young refuses the physical advances of a sleazy old man, and he hits her for being rude. That reminds her of her trauma with Gyu-man, and she walks out of the room.

Joo-il walks out of prison scot-free, and he thanks President Nam for coming through on his promise. President Nam credits Prosecutor Tak for doing the work, and it seems that a larger rivalry between the Prosecutor Tak and Prosecutor Hong is brewing.

Team Jin-woo discuss their options with Song Ha-young’s retrial, and Lawyer Song argues that they need Dong-ho to ensure their success. In-ah and Boss Ajumma oppose the idea, for Jin-woo’s sake, but there seems to be some hope with Dong-ho, especially since he left Il-ho.

Dong-ho meets with Prosecutor Chae and requests for her help, reminding her of the debt she still needs to repay. He tells her that he’s trying to bring Il-ho down, and if she helps this scheme unfold, she could surely become one of the most reknowned female prosecutors. That definitely has her intrigued, and he says that he’s got a key witness to prove his case. Guy knows how to get through to people.

When Dong-ho returns to his office, Joo-il’s gang is tearing the place apart. Dong-ho yells at them to get out, and Joo-il confronts Dong-ho about giving up this rebellion. He asks about Ha Young-won’s whereabouts, and Dong-ho says that it won’t be easy to open his mouth.

Gyu-man orders Prosecutor Hong to cut ties with Chul-soo’s family business, since he doesn’t want anything to do with his friend anymore. Joo-il joins them and greets Gyu-man with gratitude. Prosecutor Hong bitterly tells him to fulfill his part of the deal, now that he’s out of prison, and Joo-il ensures him that he will. Gyu-man requests that Joo-il get rid of Jin-woo completely this time, and has one more request, which we aren’t privy to just yet.

Dong-ho enters Jin-woo’s firm with a suitcase full of files on the Se-kwang explosion. He explains that he’s starting a war against Il-ho and offers to join hands in their pursuit of the Nams. Jin-woo doesn’t seem too convinced but mentions that he could use Dong-ho’s insight in Song Ha-young’s case.

Dong-ho figures that it will be a perfect partnership, but Jin-woo can’t trust him fully. Understanding this lack of trust, Dong-ho asks Jin-woo to trust his actions, not necessarily him. And he starts with best foot forward: He offers to hand over the related files to Jin-woo.

Dong-ho’s assistant runs out quickly to get food while on house arrest duty, during which a masked figure dressed in black enters the home and takes President Ha. Dong-ho assumes that it’s Joo-il’s doing and interrupts his welcome back celebration to dig up information.

Joo-il insists that he isn’t the culprit, but Dong-ho doesn’t fully believe him. Dong-ho refuses another offer to return to his subservient days and warns Joo-il that he may have trouble respecting him (or even calling him hyung-nim) going forward.

Next, Dong-ho charges into President Nam’s office to demand the release of President Ha. He suspects that President Nam may have killed the witness off, but the president neither confirms nor denies this assertion. From behind, the kidnapper reveals himself, and it’s another traitor: Officer Bae.

Dong-ho corners Officer Bae and grabs his lapels. He demands to know where they’re hiding his witness, and Officer Bae answers that the witness is now abroad. He couldn’t kill an innocent man because he’s got his police officer reputation to uphold. Office Bae explains that justice doesn’t put food on the table, money does. He tells Dong-ho to wake up.

Ha-young finds her way to the firm, and In-ah thanks her for her courage. Ha-young asks why In-ah wants to pursue this case, so she explains that Gyu-man’s crimes must be punished to prevent future injustices. With this support, Ha-young retells her account of rape. Gyu-man “buys” her consent with a big bill, and she had no power to prosecute him for his grave crime.

Ha-young gives In-ah the business card of her former manager, and In-ah vows to reveal these injustices to give Gyu-man his proper punishments.

Dong-ho updates Prosecutor Chae on their new road block, and she seems less convinced that they can proceed against such a large scale business without a key witness. But Dong-ho knows how they could indirectly weaken President Nam — through Gyu-man, of course. Though Prosecutor Chae has her doubts, Dong-ho assures her that no one knows more about Gyu-man than Jin-woo.

Jin-woo and In-ah meet with Kim Chan, the former manager. They ask about Ha-young and his testimony during her case. He claims that many young aspiring entertainers resort to work in the room salons and that Ha-young was fastidious about money. He walks away for a phone call, and it doesn’t look like either of them are convinced by his claims.

Jin-woo meets with Detective Kwak to apologize for not putting Gyu-man in his neighboring cell just yet. He asks for more information on Kim Chan, and Detective Kwak reveals that this manager was in charge of the newbies and frequently sourced them to rich men. Ickkk.

Pacing in Gyu-man’s office, Secretary Ahn thinks back to his condescending interactions with Gyu-man. He comes to his senses and seeks out Seok-gyu late at night. He apologizes to his friend and admits his crime, pulling out the real corkscrew used by Gyu-man to kill Jung-ah. Though there’s no way to avoid punishment, Seok-gyu thanks his friend for coming out with the truth.

Prosecutor Chae and Dong-ho meet with Jin-woo and In-ah to collaborate for this trial against Gyu-man. The air isn’t particularly friendly, but they’re all working towards the same goal now, so they play nice. Jin-woo provides the case files and evidence against Gyu-man, and Prosecutor Chae evaluates it positively. It should be enough to make a solid case against Gyu-man, and Jin-woo is determined to get him this time.

Gyu-man asks Prosecutor Hong about Jin-woo’s current shenanigans, and he reports that Jin-woo seems to be laying low. He couldn’t have been more incorrect, as Prosecutor Hong enters his office with an arrest warrant for Gyu-man. Privileged little Gyu-man announces his power and rank, but that doesn’t change the process. He’s still arrested.

As he walks out, he tells all the police officers that he’ll remember all their faces for future reference. He comes to a stop when he’s faced with Jin-woo and In-ah. Jin-woo tells him that he’ll face the punishments for all the crimes he’s committed. Gyu-man nods and lifts his handcuffed wrists, “Alright, I’ll be waiting.”

 
COMMENTS

Glad we finally got around to capturing Gyu-man after many rounds of running in circles. As much as I enjoy Gyu-man’s oblivion and insanity, it was infuriating to watch our protagonists run around in circles, as if Gyu-man were the center of the universe. He really isn’t, and if the show reveals any more of his immorality, I may just need him on my hypothetical dartboard to relieve my anger. It’s time for Gyu-man to face his demons (of his own creation, might I add), and I don’t expect him to go quietly. He’ll make a big fuss, throw a couple more tantrums, and completely lack repentance. But I’ll enjoy watching it, I’m sure.

Gyu-man seems to be the one constant in this show, which may be the reason I like his character. He’s impulsive, yet so simple and predictable, while the rest of the characters seem enigmatic, inconsistent, or underutilized. I found the two betrayals to Team Jin-woo quite surprising and unnecessary, since Prosecutor Tak and Officer Bae were important but not always crucial to this story. I picked up on the hints of Prosecutor Tak’s temptation, but it seemed uncharacteristic for him to suddenly disregard his conscience. I take back my fist pump from when he boldly rejected President Nam… it’s a sheepish sight, and I hope the shame will overwhelm him when he comes to his senses.

On the other hand, Secretary Ahn’s betrayal seemed long overdue. I’m not sure what was holding him back for so long, since his friendship with Gyu-man seemed nonexistent from the get-go. Stability? Money? Guilt? I’d guess that his heightened sense of self-preservation contributed to his decision to hide the evidence. So his decision to turn in the real corkscrew implies more than reclaiming justice. He’s got sharp survival instincts (thanks to Gyu-man), so this decision was definitely a way to save himself and come out alive. Doesn’t matter if he gets punished, as long as he’s alive and not constantly threatened under Gyu-man’s rule.

I like how the show is bringing together Jin-woo’s supporters, even if it’s forced in Dong-ho’s case. Just when you thought that Team Jin-woo would outnumber the Nams, they shrink back to underdog status. But underdogs have this fire and heart that far exceeds their enemy’s drive. When you have your backs against the wall, you’ll put your all into the fight, win or lose.

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