The Accomplice
Tae-Ju charges into the interrogation room, where Eun-Seok is ready to question Ye-Eun.
Despite a bandage across her hand, Ye-Eun relays to Tae-Ju that her attorneys are acting as her legal guardians. Given that both of her parents are out of the country, it has fallen to Geobo law firm to represent her. Specifically, an attorney called Ms. Heo is present, but her attempts to hit out at Eun-Seok’s late-night interrogation are met with venomous wrath. ..
Je-Eun is a victim of domestic violence. She has the phone records and enough intimidation and tenacity to crack Eun-Seok’s defences. She brings up Seong-U’s pleas while he was taken out of court and even plays the footage of her in the elevator too. ..
Eun-Seok, who was actually at the cafe after-hours and violating her probation anyway, could still technically put her away at the Juvenile Center. ..
Kang is in a tough position. He’s heard the staff of the Criminal Collegiate discussing how to undermine his rules, but he doesn’t want them to get away with it. He reprimands them both and throws papers across the room.
Eun-Seok comes to the staff meeting and stands up for them, taking the brunt of the blame and also calling out that the juvenile center is a joke and rife for exploitation unless they throw the book at these kids and try to get a fair sentence for them all. Breathing heavily, he caves as Eun-Seok confirms she’s going to use the law mercilessly.
The detective investigating the murder of a high school student is in communication with the mother of the victim online about what happened. He has a much softer touch, and believes in making sure these kids don’t re-offend, intent on rehabilitating them.
The reporters who caught wind of Ye-Eun’s detainment for questioning were quick to criticize the way in which Eun-Seok was handling the situation. Specifically, they pointed out how brash and unorthodox her methods were. This has caused a lot of uproar among the public, who are concerned about her safety.
Eun-Seok and Kang have had a tense relationship for some time. This latest news only makes things worse. Eun-Seok knows who is responsible for this, and calls out Ms Heo when she arrives at court. Heo smirks as Eun-Seok is reprimanded by Kang for what’s happened.
The result of this sees the case reassigned to Tae-Ju who tries to cover for her until Eun-Seok stops him. She’s aware that she’s in the wrong but compares it to losing an arm in order to cut off the head of the enemy.
Despite the fact that this news has become mainstream, the judges in the murder trial are still determined to go ahead with it. Both Seong-U and Ye-Eun are on the stand, with Kang, Eun-Seok and Tae-Ju all present. ..
The trial goes ahead and the lawyers realize they’re in a bit of a bind with both Ye-Eun and Seong-U together. So naturally, Eun-Seok suggests separating them both to incriminate the other. It works an absolute treat, and the pair end up screaming out their truths to one another.
The mother of Ji-Hu, who made a voluntary confession, takes the stand and pleads with the judges to give out a tough sentence. She says that her son was coerced into making the confession and that he is still in pain from it. The judges agree and give Ji-Hu a sentence of 10 years in prison.
That sentence comes in the form of Ye-Eun put in jail for 20 years while Seong-U is given probation level 10 and 2 years imprisonment. There’s justice for Ji-Hu, and as Eun-Seok watches the pair being taken out the court, the camera pans down to show a photo of Ji-Hu on her desk.
When Seong-U’s mother comes storming in, confronting Tae-Ju about changing her mind, Eun-Seok is quick to point out her son is responsible for what happened to Ji-Hu. and deserves to be punished.
In private, Eun-Seok calls out Tae-Ju for making false promises and then sighs harshly, telling him she can never get used to juvenile cases. She does also tell Tae-Ju that he’s done a good job before heading home.
The punishment may have made up for the crime, but does that mean the culprits will feel remorse? And is there such a thing as justice? These questions circle this heart-wrenching story as the camera pans down to show a frightened girl – Yu-Ri – banging on the doors to the juvenile center.
The Episode Review
The show does a great job of delivering the story and making sure that the viewers are invested in the characters. This episode was another strong example of how well Juvenile Justice is doing and I look forward to seeing more great episodes in the future.
This episode was quite the dramatic affair though, with Ye-Eun and Seong-U trying to play the system but coming up short in the end. While they both ended up behind bars, is that really enough to make up for what they’ve done to poor Ji-Hu?
This episode does a great job depicting the challenges that families face when their loved ones are incarcerated. It manages to weave this story into a poignant and thought-provoking chapter that asks some tough questions. The final scenes hint that we may have more drama to come, leaving the door wide open for where this one may go next.
