Remember—Son’s War: Episode 18

by odilettante

What is this strange and unusual sensation? Is it the feeling of success? Of intricate plans working out as anticipated? Of the good guys finally starting to win? Of people admitting the truth and confessing their feelings? Yes, yes, and more yes! It’s about time Jin-woo and his team finally see the fruits of their labors in trying to out-smart the Nam family and reveal their true crimes and corruption. Loyalties are tested, and while some are found wanting, others grow stronger in the face of death — and love.

EPISODE 18 RECAP

A short recess is declared after Jin-woo’s shocking declaration that the defendant didn’t kill Jung-ah. In-ah checks in with him, offering to take over if he needs her to, but it was just a momentary lapse — he’s confident he can continue.

His main concern right now is Dong-ho, who sits in his holding room. When Jin-woo arrives, Dong-ho worriedly asks him if he’s okay. Jin-woo admits that he should have told Dong-ho about his illness and that Dong-ho can replace him as his lawyer if he wants. But Dong-ho smiles reassuringly, telling Jin-woo to see it through until the end.

Word of Jin-woo’s bizarre behavior in the courtroom has reached Gyu-man, who orders Assistant Ahn to check to see if Jin-woo is suffering from Alzheimer’s like his father.

The trial resumes, and the prosecutor calls one of Joo-il’s men to the stand to ascertain if there was a motive. The gangster affirms that Joo-il and Dong-ho recently fought (back when Dong-ho said he’d never call Joo-il “hyung-nim” again). For once, one of Chairman Nam’s witnesses isn’t lying.

It’s Jin-woo’s turn, and he calls Detective Bae to the stand. He shows the evidence that Joo-il’s attacker should have wounds due to Joo-il fighting back, but Dong-ho doesn’t have any. Detective Bae explains that the black box was the evidence they used, since it showed Dong-ho at the scene of the crime.

But when Jin-woo plays the footage, he points out that once Dong-ho walks around the corner of the building, out of sight, the black box camera begins to shake violently. If Dong-ho killed Joo-il, then the car should have remained still. Instead, it implies there’s a struggle inside the car after Dong-ho left.

He asks Detective Bae if there is a chance that the attempted murder happened after Dong-ho walked away, and grudgingly the detective admits that it could be. Jin-woo uses his confession as fodder for his passionate argument that all the evidence pointing to Dong-ho is circumstantial, warning Seok-gyu of the burden that could come from a false accusation. Aw, In-ah looks so proud of him.

Chairman Nam is none-too-pleased to find out that Joo-il is still clinging to life, and orders Attorney Hong to take care of matters.

Meanwhile, Jin-woo knows that the only evidence he has is circumstantial, and in order to guarantee a “not-guilty” verdict, he needs to figure out who actually tried to kill Joo-il.

Assistant Ahn delivers Jin-woo’s medical records to Gyu-man, confirming that he has Alzheimer’s. This means it’s game over for Jin-woo, since he’ll soon not only be without a family, but his memory, too. Don’t remind me. *sob*

Gyu-man is pleased by this news, but seeing Assistant Ahn’s frown, he wonders if his assistant actually feels sorry for Jin-woo. Assistant Ahn reassures Gyu-man that this is a good thing for his boss, but that hug Gyu-man gives him in response looks super awkward.

Jin-woo’s plan to catch the real murderer is set in motion. He convinces one of Joo-il’s men to loudly declare that their boss is on the mend. Word gets back to Chairman Nam, and soon a masked figure quietly slips into Joo-il’s hospital room, creeping towards the man in the bed.

But surprise! It’s Sang-ho, and he and Jin-woo trap the masked man, who in desperation pulls out a knife to fight them off.

The trial is getting ready to start, and In-ah looks around the courtroom in worry. Jin-woo isn’t there, and at this point, it could be a real fear that he’s forgotten about it.

But he’s just too busy trying not to be sliced with a knife. Thankfully the police he had waiting outside rush in and quickly disarm the masked man, who turns out to be the same guy that had been following Dong-ho previously. It all definitely points back to the Nam family.

The trial has officially started, and Dong-ho asks Seok-gyu for a few extra minutes, confident that Jin-woo will show. And show he does, barging through the doors with a confident swagger.

He apologizes for being late, but he says the reason for his tardiness should come from the prosecution. A note is handed to the prosecutor, and while Jin-woo smiles smugly, the prosecutor stands to announce that the lead suspect has been arrested, and they’re dropping the case against Dong-ho. Yay, victory!

After everyone leaves, Jin-woo and Dong-ho sit in the empty courtroom. Dong-ho thanks him, saying it’s a little ironic that Jin-woo cleared him. He wonders how he can repay all the debts he owes, but Jin-woo says he won’t be able to. He reminds Dong-ho back when he said a good lawyer doesn’t put his client on the stand.

But Dong-ho’s opinion has changed, having sat in the defendant’s seat himself. Now he thinks a good attorney is one who trusts his client. Dong-ho promises to uphold their old contract, fighting for Jin-woo until the end. Jin-woo knows that there isn’t much time left to take down Gyu-man and he’ll request a retrial of his father’s case right away.

Now a free man, Dong-ho rushes to Joo-il’s bedside. Weakly, Joo-il tells him that he endured this long just so he could see Dong-ho one more time. Dong-ho, overcome with emotion, reminds him that he promised to be at his wedding, sitting in the father-of-the-groon’s spot.

Joo-il gasps out an “I’m sorry” as he raises his hand. The two men share one last fist-bump just before Joo-il flat-lines. Nooooooo!

At Joo-il’s memorial, Dong-ho stares down at the disc with Gyu-man’s confession as he listens to a recording from Joo-il. On the recording, Joo-il wonders if he remembers how happy he was when Dong-ho became a lawyer — he was convinced that those who used the law were better than those who used their fists. But since then, he’s discovered that there are those bastards with money and power who control the law, and they’re the truly evil ones.

He leaves Dong-ho with a gift — the recording switches to Chairman Nam’s voice. Turns out Joo-il secretly recorded him when he had ordered Joo-il and his men to not only take care of the people involved in Gyu-man’s trial, but also Dong-ho.

Jin-woo arrives at the memorial to pay his respects and give Dong-ho the proof that Detective Bae was bought by Chairman Nam. As he downs cup after cup of soju, Dong-ho tells Jin-woo he doesn’t care any more. But Jin-woo’s words echo Joo-il’s: Dong-ho is an attorney, and he should fight back with the law, not his fists.

Assistant Ahn interrupts Gyu-man’s business meeting with some urgent news: Jin-woo has requested a retrial of Jung-ah’s murder. Annoyed, Gyu-man starts to destroy his office. His department heads look uncomfortable at their president’s displays of rage, and he orders them to get out and for Assistant Ahn to bring the car around: he has to see that bastard Jin-woo.

Dong-ho confronts Chairman Nam, who defends himself by saying the sacrificing a few people to benefit the larger corporation is just good business sense. But Dong-ho isn’t buying the idea that people are just tools to be thrown away when they’re no longer useful, warning Chairman Nam that karma will come back to bite him. We can only hope.

Gyu-man barges into Jin-woo’s office, demanding to know about the retrial. He needles Jin-woo, asking if he remembers who he is, what with his condition and all. But Jin-woo isn’t bothered, because at least he isn’t a whiny-baby with anger management issues who doesn’t have a single person around him he can trust. Ohhhh, burn.

When Gyu-man rankles at being considered pitiful, Jin-woo points out there’s no one on his side. Gyu-man will be the one to disappear before Jin-woo’s memory does. He adds that Gyu-man should just wait, because soon the world will know of his sins.

As Dong-ho and Sang-ho share a quiet meal in their office, Detective Bae arrives. Not happy to see that traitor again, Dong-ho grabs him by the collar, ordering him to get out.

Detective Bae apologizes — he may have agreed to side with Chairman Nam in order to pay his father’s hospital bills, but he didn’t send Seo-kwang Group’s president overseas. That gets Dong-ho’s attention.

It’s a rough day for Attorney Hong, who has to convince both Gyu-man and Chairman Nam that he’ll take care of the retrial to make sure it doesn’t go anywhere.

Prosecutor Chae is slated to head up the trial, which makes them nervous considering what happened last time, but Prosecutor Tak promises Chairman Nam that he’ll find someone to replace her. Chairman Nam also bribes his judicial connections with the hope they’ll be able to stop the trial.

Gyu-man is in the middle of a check-up with his doctor, who gives him more suggestions on how to deal with his anger issues. That just sends him into another outburst and Assistant Ahn has to restrain him while the doctor escapes. These rages seem to be getting worse.

Dong-ho tracks down Seo-kwang’s ex-chairman to his secluded home in the country and tries to convince him to come back and testify. The chairman says that Dong-ho really takes after his father, remembering that Dong-ho’s father was the type who would do anything for his son — except murder. He agrees to testify.

At the office, In-ah and Jin-woo work on the case, and she recalls the doctor telling her that as Jin-woo’s condition worsens, it will become more difficult for him to not only work, but remember people around him. But without the help of others, he won’t be able to do anything. She takes his phone to upload her information as his main contact, and they decide to take a break and enjoy Ha-young’s newly acquired pizza-making skill.

Jin-woo’s team, along with In-ah’s parents, happily dig into their meal, and Jin-woo compliments Ha-young, adding that his father would love some, too, when he gets off work. Everyone stares at him in confusion while In-ah and Boss Ajumma try to cover, saying that he meant that he just wants a pizza to enjoy later while they’re working.

But In-ah’s mother gets to the point — is he trying to say that his father is still alive? Glancing around at everyone’s worried faces, Jin-woo suddenly realizes his lapse and quickly excuses himself. In-ah tries calling him, but he ignores his phone.

Having now found out about Jin-woo’s condition, Mom orders In-ah to return home. Dad is a little more sympathetic, knowing it must be hard for him to go through this at such a young age. But when In-ah says that Jin-woo needs her, Mom angrily points out how much pain she’ll go through in dealing with someone with Alzheimer’s. In-ah stands her ground, though — she’s not leaving Jin-woo.

Gyu-man orders Assistant Ahn to do whatever it takes to stop the retrial request, but Assistant Ahn screws up his courage to tell Gyu-man that they should just stop. Does Gyu-man really think that he can cover it up forever? It’d be better for Gyu-man to suck it up and take the punishment.

That’s crazy talk in Gyu-man’s world, and he warns Assistant Ahn that not even Seok-gyu will save him. He grabs his gold golf club and orders Assistant Ahn to get down on his hands and knees to prepare for his punishment, but instead Assistant Ahn surprises him by grabbing his arm and blocking the blow.

This is the last time that Assistant Ahn will put up with Gyu-man’s rages, and from now on, he’ll have to clean up his own messes. He storms out of the office, leaving a slightly dazed Gyu-man behind.

Alone in the office, Gyu-man begins to piece together the hints, realizing that the “evidence” that Assistant Ahn has must be the original murder weapon. He uses one of his father’s men to “take care of a problem” for him — that “problem” being Assistant Ahn, who finds himself beaten up and bound to a chair in an empty shipping container.

Gyu-man arrives to gloat, asking why Assistant Ahn looks so scared. He then reveals the ticket Assistant Ahn bought to leave the country, only to tear it up in front of his face. He crouches down, asking if it’s true that Assistant Ahn swapped out the corkscrew, giving the original to Jin-woo.

But Assistant Ahn points out that they’ve never really trusted each other, and he used the evidence as leverage to stay alive. That life might be as long as he thinks when Gyu-man grabs him by the neck, telling him that the only way he’ll live is to get back the corkscrew. But of course Assistant Ahn can’t do that, and Gyu-man tells him he’ll give some time to think about it, leaving him in the shipping container.

Seok-gyu is there at Jin-woo’s office to promise his allegiance to them, offering to do all he can to help the retrial go through. Just then Boss Ajumma finds a clue where Jin-woo might be, and In-ah takes off running to find him.

He’s at a tree that is covered in little love notes. He finds a specific note from his father that thanks him for growing up into a fine young man, promising to continue to make happy memories together for as long as they live. Ooof, it’s hard to see those flashbacks to a happier time with Dad.

In-ah finds him there, and Jin-woo tells her that she should leave him and return to being a prosecutor. This isn’t her battle to fight, and it will be hard for her as his memory gets worse. She tells him that it isn’t his place to make decisions about her life. Why does he think she’s like this, anyway? Does he think it’s just pity?

It’s more than that — it hurts her heart to see him struggling but she’s unable to do anything to help him. She knows he’s afraid, but he shouldn’t be alone any more. They should continue to work to win the case together.

But he knows that he’ll soon forget her name and her face. With tears in her eyes, she admits that she knows that she’ll just become a memory. Stepping closer, Jin-woo leans in…

…and they kiss!

Meanwhile, sitting alone in an empty restaurant, Gyu-man enjoys his dinner. He recalls Jin-woo telling him he’s pitiful because he’s alone, but he eats his steak with relish anyway. In the morning, he hands over a plane ticket to France so Yeo-kyung can study art like she’s always wanted.

She’s angry that her brother is trying to make her quit being a prosecutor, insisting that their father won’t stand for it. But Gyu-man says it was their father’s idea in the first place. He calls out a cheery “good-bye” as she stands frozen in shock.

It looks like that final rejection is just the thing to send her to the other side as she meets with Jin-woo and In-ah. She brings up what In-ah told her just after the verdict of Jin-woo’s father’s trial, that thanks to thinking of the trial as a game, a life has been destroyed, and his son’s life, too.

Yeo-kyung also admits that she knows of her brother’s involvement and In-ah encourages her to convince Gyu-man to surrender, as that would be the ideal situation for both parties. Yeah, like that will happen.

Gyu-man is too busy making sure everything is going in his favor, including replacing Prosecutor Chae with a more “understanding” prosecutor. Prosecutor Tak is on the case as he meets with the Chief Prosecutor, who’s not at all sympathetic to Chairman Nam’s plight.

He also adds that his time with Il-ho Group is coming to an end, and in a flashback we see that Prosecutor Tak joined Il-ho Group at Jin-woo and In-ah’s request in a covert operation. Yes! I knew he wasn’t shady! When the Chief Prosecutor asks if Prosecutor Tak has found someone to replace Prosecutor Chae, he just grins.

Dong-ho arrives at Jin-woo’s office to see how he’s doing on the case, reminding him that without decisive evidence, Gyu-man will find a way to walk free. Oh, but Jin-woo does have decisive evidence, and shows him the original murder weapon.

That’s exciting news because it means taking down the Nam empire sooner rather than later, and when Jin-woo says that he must keep running to take them down until his father is exonerated, Dong-ho says that he’ll be running next to him, too. Aw, do those smiles mean we’re back to trusting each other?

They watch the news report about the trial being reopened (thanks to Detective Kwak’s admission that his original confession was false and coerced). Jin-woo tells Dong-ho that the copy they have of Gyu-man’s confession won’t be admissible in court due to the illegal way it was obtained, but it will create quite the sensation outside of court. Time to finally make that video go viral.

Chairman Nam and Attorney Hong are excited to meet with Prosecutor Tak’s new protégé, completely unaware that all the news stations are showing the video clip — censored to protect the identity, although the online video makes it clear exactly who is confessing to murder.

Gyu-man watches it, too (and it looks like the video has been viewed over six million times in just one day. Yikes). He takes out his frustrations on the laptop, slamming to the floor and stomping on it while screaming about Jin-woo.

Speak of the devil (or angel, in this case): Jin-woo walks into Gyu-man’s office, casually asking if he’s watched the video Jin-woo sent him. Uh, yeah, he has. This time it’s Jin-woo with the smug smile and Gyu-man looking helplessly frustrated.

Attorney Hong and Chairman Nam find out about Gyu-man’s confession going viral just moments before the new prosecutor arrives. But they shouldn’t get their hopes up, because that prosecutor is none other than In-ah.

COMMENTS

Yessssss! *fist pump*

I’ve grown so accustomed to ending episodes on something that makes life difficult for our heroes that it’s exciting to realize everything is finally going their way. I knew Prosecutor Tak couldn’t join the dark side that easily! And now In-ah will get to have a re-match with Jung-ah’s trial, only this time she’ll be prosecuting the correct person.

This also means that Prosecutor Tak has likely been gathering evidence against Chairman Nam, too, so while Gyu-man is punished for killing Jung-ah, Chairman Nam will probably be dealing with evidence of how corrupt his business practices are — and whatever happened during the Seo-kwang Group’s factory explosion will be revealed, too, giving Dong-ho some closure. I do feel for Dong-ho, now having lost two father figures. But I’m glad that he and Jin-woo are back on the same team.

In fact, I’m glad that so many people are now Team Jin-woo, including Yeo-kyung. I think I’ll forever be bewildered at how utterly underutilized she was throughout this drama, but I’m hoping she’ll have a hand in taking down her father’s company. After all the time Chairman Nam spent rejecting and dismissing her, I want her to be the one to let him know that his company is now worthless. He never took her seriously, either as a potential heir or as a prosecutor, so it’s only fair she gets the satisfaction of making him wonder what might have happened if he’d let her join the company.

As for Assistant Ahn, I’m hoping he just makes it out alive. He’s been put between a rock and a hard place, but it’s always about survival for him, which is an understandable motivation, but perhaps not the most ideal one. Fear can only command so much loyalty, and even though Gyu-man can threaten the worst, the reality is Gyu-man’s power is dwindling, too. While I wonder what would have happened if the video confession had been released back when Jin-woo’s father was still alive, perhaps they would have found a way to bury it, and then justice wouldn’t be served. Now that Gyu-man has cut all his ties and destroyed any sense of loyalty for his so-called friends, I can’t imagine there will be anyone lining up to be a character witness on his behalf.

Also, let’s talk about that kiss! Finally! While it’s a bittersweet kiss, knowing that their relationship won’t have the “happily ever after” ending I’m sure we’d all prefer, it’s still absolutely lovely that both of them are honest with each other. They know that it won’t be easy when Jin-woo finally succumbs to the disease, and I don’t blame him for wanting to make sure she didn’t have to deal with him like that. But she also know he shouldn’t be alone, and they both know that they’d rather go through this together and deal with the consequences later. I’m still hoping for some last-minute miracle cure, but I’ll also respect the show if it allows the Alzheimer’s to take its full grasp.

I can just imagine In-ah and Dong-ho sharing responsibilities for taking care of Jin-woo (with Boss Ajumma and Sang-ho helping out, too). After all, Dong-ho doesn’t have any family left now, either, so he might as well consider Jin-woo a brother, and having grown up around gangsters, he knows that family takes care of each other. It’s a little ironic — or perhaps poetic — that the kind of loyalty that the Nam family can’t buy with all their billions can be found in a simple 50,000 won contract.

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