Woman With a Suitcase: Episode 3

by TeriYaki

Geum-joo’s life continues to have its ups and downs as she adjusts to her post-prison existence. No one seems to appreciate her potential more than our hero, but our heroine is understandably wary when it comes to trusting him. But with her suitcase at her side and her burgeoning relationship with the young and inexperienced Suk-woo, what will it take for her to join forces with the persistent CEO of a gossip rag?

 
EPISODE 3: “Being Someone’s Subordinate”

Bok-geo explains to Geum-joo that his offer is for her to take charge of K-Fact’s law firm. He tells her that she can choose a lawyer for the firm until she gets her own lawyer’s badge. Pointing out that she has good intuition, Geum-joo reasons there are two explanations for the offer – there is something suspicious going on, or Bok-geo has fallen for her. Bok-geo suggests that they just say that he’s fallen for her.

Geum-joo exits the K-Fact compound just as Attorney Goo drives by in her car. Recognizing Geum-joo, she stops and asks her why she’s there, and Geum-joo answers that she met with a client. But Attorney Goo encourages her to admit that she is only working as a housekeeper.

The next day, Geum-joo runs to catch a train, pulling her suitcase along. As the train leaves the station, she explains in voiceover that inside of “Joojoo” is evidence that she is working hard. While traveling, she checks her tablet and reads about the Jo Eun-seon: Starperlis Couple Murder Case.

Inside a detention center, the defendant charged with murder, JO EUN-SEON, is escorted by a guard. In flashback, we see her at home, on the phone with a man who tells her to wait, causing her to shake with fear. Her husband announces himself as he walks through the door, completely drunk.

Jo Eun-seon is then seen pointing a rifle before we see her husband tied to their bed, his wrists bloody. Jo Eun-seon then shakily moves to suffocate him with a pillow, which is when we switch back to the present, where a dazed Jo Eun-seon meets with Suk-woo. He congratulates her on getting the most handsome lawyer in Seochodong. (So modest, too.)

At his K-Fact office, Bok-geo reviews Tomy Kim’s Pagebook. He recalls the rest of his meeting with Geum-joo, explaining that he made her the offer because K-Fact always has to deal with lawsuits. He chose Geum-joo because she needs a job, even though she didn’t seem to buy his explanation.

Jo Eun-seon explains to Suk-woo that when her husband was drunk, he would beat her almost to death. One time he even tied her up and contacted a call girl, and when she trails off, Suk-woo explains that he will argue for self-defense, explaining that it can be used for longtime victims of abuse if they fear an impending assault. Suk-woo shares the results of the autopsy, noting that there was evidence that her husband’s wrists were bound. But Jo Eun-seon denies having tied him up, explaining that his injuries were due to his sexual escapades.

Suk-woo later sits outside of a convenience store to review Jo Eun-seon’s case. Seeing the empty chair across from him makes him think of Geum-joo, as he realizes that they probably won’t see one another again. But when he returns to his office to find someone cleaning it, he’s surprised to recognize none other than Geum-joo.

Geum-joo doesn’t understand why Suk-woo is so surprised to see her cleaning her office. Realizing that he wasn’t expecting to work with her again, Geum-joo fumbles to remove her apron just as Suk-woo gives her a big hug. She protests, but he calls it a, “Welcome greeting.” Geum-joo later looks through Suk-woo’s unpaid bills, and orders Suk-woo to follow her.

A woman begins to enter a law firm, but then changes her mind. Waiting nearby, Geum-joo approaches her to ask if she needs a consultation. Cut to: Suk-woo driving Geum-joo around in a van full of women who all want to petition for bankruptcy, but who have no money to pay for legal help.

Outside of Suk-woo’s office, Geum-joo hands out business cards, promising to handle bankruptcies for a cheap price. Suk-woo pops his head out, asking for Geum-joo’s help, since all the prospective clients from the van are inside. As Suk-woo explains a case to Geum-joo, Bok-geo walks in. The new clients assume that he is applying for bankruptcy too, hah.

Bok-geo explains that he came for Geum-joo. Outside the office, he admits that she has provoked his competitiveness as he hands her an envelope with a contract. She wants to know what he’s scheming, pointing out that she doesn’t want to go to prison again. Bok-geo promises that he won’t let that happen, and gives her a week to make her decision.

When Geum-joo returns to the office, Suk-woo wonders if Bok-geo is hitting on her. She affirms that it’s something like that, and then asks him why men think that women are playing hard to get when they say, “No.” Suk-woo adorably assures her that he’s not that kind of guy, and then offers to report Bok-geo as a stalker.

Attorney Goo receives a report that her husband went to a motel over the phone. Hye-joo walks in with a case file for a client, Yoon Mi-ra, which Attorney Goo is not in the mood for. She takes out her frustration by marking up the file and yelling, asking if Hye-joo learned anything from Geum-joo or her time abroad. Hye-joo asks Attorney Goo to patiently teach her, adding that she has heard she is the best at divorce cases.

Geum-joo finds Manager Hwang at the library, and he tells Geum-joo, “It bothers me that it’s Ham Bok-geo. There were lots of rumors about him when he quit being a prosecutor.” Manager Hwang’s intuition is warning him that Bok-geo’s offer doesn’t seem like a good idea. Geum-joo looks pensive, considering that the last time Manager Hwang warned her, she ended up in jail.

At the K-Fact office, Bok-geo and his team discuss Yoon Mi-ra’s affair and pending divorce. Bok-geo leaves to take a call from Geum-joo, who appears as “Spam” on his phone. She confirms his hunch that she is declining his offer for the law firm. When he asks for her reason, she explains that she now understands that all actions have consequences.

Suk-woo and Geum-joo review the autopsy photos for Jo Eun-seon’s husband. The doctor guesses that cable ties were used to restrain him, so the two visit the crime scene, where Suk-woo mentions that he finds the use of cable ties strange. Geum-joo reminds Suk-woo that the use of cable ties is just a theory.

Suk-woo asks Geum-joo why she didn’t open the envelope that Bok-geo gave her, and she teases that she didn’t open it because she likes Suk-woo. Wide-eyed, he asks her if she means it, and she laughingly tells him, “No way.” Deflated, Suk-woo entreats her, “Please don’t joke around like that anymore. You got me excited for no reason.” She asks him if he’s serious, and so he tells her, “Of course not.” Liar.

Before they leave the scene, Suk-woo ends up finding some bloody cable ties that someone was clearly trying to hide. Back at his office, he reviews Jo Eun-seon’s story that her husband showed up with a hunting rifle, causing her to suffocate him with a pillow. He finds it far-fetched now that he’s found the cable ties.

Geum-joo reminds Suk-woo that he is Jo Eun-seon’s defense attorney, but he points out that she lied to him, so now he doesn’t know what to believe. Geum-joo explains that lawyers don’t defend clients based on what they believe, and Suk-woo seems to see Geum-joo in a different light as the two argue about the ethics of the case and the duties of an attorney. Suk-woo finally concludes that he can’t offer Jo Eun-seon the strongest defense unless he can find out why she tied up her husband.

Geum-joo places the cable ties in the office’s safe before warning Suk-woo not to risk his credentials — as his paralegal, part of her job is to protect him. Suk-woo admits that everything seems so straightforward to Geum-joo, while she tells him that everything is so complicated for him.

At K-Fact, Editor Go asks Bok-geo if he was rejected again. Bok-geo said he expected it, since Geum-joo always exceeds his expectations. Editor Go wonders if Bok-geo told Geum-joo the reason he opened the law firm in the first place, and points out that he had to quit being a prosecutor over a similar case, one very much like the homeless girl (Min-ah’s) murder case.

Editor Go reasons that Bok-geo and Geum-joo can work together to discover the truth in those cases. He urges Bok-geo to open up to Geum-joo, but the K-Fact CEO admits that he’s afraid that Geum-joo will want to run away even more once she knows the truth. Bok-geo then admits his offer to Geum-joo was also motivated by his curiosity.

Alone in his office, Suk-woo paces as he glances at his safe, struggling with what to do. In front of the courthouse the next day, Suk-woo asks if Geum-joo brought the cable ties, but she claims that she forgot them. She half-heartedly offers to retrieve them in a way that makes it seem as though she really doesn’t want to, so they just go inside.

Prosecutor Choi questions Jo Eun-seon’s sister-in-law, who claims that her brother was good to his wife. Prosecutor Choi then asks why Jo Eun-seon would want to kill her husband, and the sister-in-law reasons that it was because Jo Eun-seon wanted her brother’s assets to go to her son, who’s studying abroad.

The judge gives Suk-woo a chance to question the sister-in-law, but he declines under Geum-joo’s concerned gaze. Prosecutor Choi then introduces the autopsy photos, showing that Jo Eun-seon’s husband was presumably tied with cable ties. Under questioning, the doctor affirms the allegation, and again, Suk-woo declines to cross-examine the witness. Geum-joo texts him but he deliberately ignores her and turns his phone off.

Prosecutor Choi argues that the victim was in a defenseless position when he was killed, and stipulates that no matter how threatened Jo Eun-seon felt, she suffocated her husband as he slept. He asks for a sentence of fifteen years for the crime of murder, and the courtroom murmurs at the length of the sentence.

Suk-woo is asked to deliver his final statement. He hesitates before he finally stands to address the court: “Defendant Jo Eun-seon is guilty.” He says that though she was a victim of domestic violence for a long time, she didn’t ask for help, which makes her guilty. He acknowledges that her husband’s hands were tied up and that she hid that fact, another reason for her guilt. She killed her husband as he slept, eliminating a defense based on imminent attack.

Suk-woo then pulls the bloody cable ties from his briefcase and presents them in court. However, he also presents Jo Eun-seon’s medical records from three months prior that show marks on her wrists made when she was restrained by cable ties.

He presents another set of medical records from ten years earlier showing identical injuries to his client. It proves Jo Eun-seun’s claim of long-term abuse. Suk-woo argues that she couldn’t find help to leave her abusive husband, and that was why she killed him. He asks the jury to avoid imprisoning her any more by finding her not guilty.

Attorney Goo meets with YOON MI-RA, instructing her to discuss her winning fees with Attorney Park. Yoon Mi-ra has a serious case of attitude, and counters that Attorney Goo should win the case to get those fees. Attorney Goo points out that they just won her case, but Yoon Mi-ra doesn’t consider giving up 700 million won a win.

Hye-joo explains that Yoon Mi-ra obtained the divorce she wanted, so she can’t consider the case a loss. The client snipes that the wife of the man she was involved with shouldn’t have appeared in court, before laughing about the wife’s shoddy appearance, saying, “No wonder her husband fell for me.”

Since this hits close to home, Attorney Goo suggests that Yoon Mi-ra should speak more kindly, but all it takes is a little more lip from the client before Attorney Goo loses it and jumps on her, screaming. The scorned wife in Attorney Goo comes out as she calls Yoon Mi-ra a home wrecker who should be sorry for what she did.

Hye-joo meets with her boss as he asks for details about the fight, wondering if the client started it to get a discount. She easily volunteers that Attorney Goo is struggling because of personal issues, and shares that Attorney Goo is not performing her job properly. Her boss notes that Hye-joo has a talent for using a situation to her advantage, so he asks her if she can take over Attorney Goo’s position. As she thanks him, he asks if she confirmed a certain rumor.

The employees who witnessed the fight are re-enacting it when Attorney Goo walks by, but stop when they see her. Attorney Goo informs them that she was just fired and asks who will to work with her. No one volunteers.

The jury in the Jo Eun-seon case deliberates, clearly divided about the decision. In court, the jury foreman announces that they determined that Jo Eun-seon acted in self-defense, resulting in a not guilty verdict. The judge calls the verdict unacceptable since Jo Eun-seon restrained her husband and killed him as he slept. But, taking into account her abusive situation, he sentences her to one and a half years. Jo Eun-seon tearfully thanks Suk-woo, who looks terribly conflicted.

Hye-joo sits with Bok-geo in his office and informs him that Attorney Goo had to leave the law firm. She then claims that she’s nervous to speak with a former prosecutor who resigned over a scandalous case, even though she notes that some of his cases were legendary.

At Geum-joo’s prodding, Suk-woo finally admits that he is not all right, but he invites her to eat anyway. Hye-joo and Bok-geo sit at a bar as she expresses surprise that she is the first attorney who’s ever bought him dinner, though he notes that he didn’t join her as a client.

Geum-joo and Suk-woo share a quiet dinner in a restaurant. Geum-joo apologizes to Suk-woo for not bringing the cable ties to court, but what hurts him the most is that Geum-joo didn’t trust him to do the right thing, and even took away his chance to decide what to do on his own.

He ponders how he can work with a partner who doesn’t trust him and tells Geum-joo that they can no longer work together. Hye-joo sees Geum-joo at the table with Suk-woo as she’s walking out with Bok-geo and points her out to him, saying that they shouldn’t say hello because of the serious mood. Hye-joo comments that she had no idea that her sister had a man as Bok-geo walks away, perturbed by the sight. She looks so pleased with herself as she follows him out.

Out for a run, Bok-geo stops as he thinks of Min-ah, the homeless girl who’s now in a coma. She is now listed as KIM SOO-YOUNG in her current hospital, where Bok-geo visited her. But the last time he went, he found a note on her bed reading, “You’re the only person I can trust, Ahjussi. I’m sorry.”

He ran out as Tomy Kim’s right-hand woman stood close by and out of sight. Back in the present, Bok-geo is approached by a friendly dog and doesn’t take notice of the owner, but we do — it’s Tomy Kim, who stares intently at the K-Fact CEO.

Bok-geo enters a restaurant with Hye-joo’s boss and a colleague. The colleague sees Geum-joo working as a server, and points her out to his boss. After sitting down with Bok-geo, he says that he’s heard that he’s opening up a law firm. The attorneys wonder why he would get back into law, claiming that their industry isn’t fun. Bok-geo remarks, “You don’t practice law for fun.”

Geum-joo enters their dining room with a cart, hesitating when she sees the guests. Later, Geum-joo serves a lone Bok-geo, making light of their chance meeting. When the attorneys return, Bok-geo places a tip for her on the table.

Geum-joo stands in a lobby, debating whether or not to call Hye-joo. Her step sister just happens to walk by with some coworkers and starts to ignore Geum-joo, but when one of her coworkers notices Geum-joo, Hye-joo is forced to greet her. The sisters visit, and Hye-joo finds out that Geum-joo is no longer working with Suk-woo. Geum-joo asks Hye-joo to introduce her to any law firms.

Hye-joo balks at the request, calling Geum-joo a paralegal with a flaw, just like she used to be. Hye-joo points out that she worked hard to come back and tells Geum-joo that she hopes she will recover on her own.

Geum-joo walks alone, remembering happier days with Hye-joo. When a younger Hye-joo learned that Geum-joo got a job, she protested, urging her to study for the bar exam. Geum-joo encouraged Hye-joo to go to law school instead, and offered to pay her tuition when Hye-joo claimed to have no money.

Geum-joo sits alone and calls her ex-husband, asking him what she did that was so wrong. He answers that she just tried to have everything – money, marriage, a sense of justice. Geum-joo can hear his girlfriend’s voice on the other end and hangs up, breaking down in tears as she realizes just how alone she really is.

Geum-joo calls Bok-geo asking to meet, but Bok-geo notes that they have no reason to. She tells him that she has something to ask him, and he smiles to himself even as he’s abrupt on the phone, causing Geum-joo to ask if he’s rejecting her. He claims that he is curious and tells her to meet him in an hour. She runs out to meet him, but then sits with Bok-geo at K-Fact, saying nothing.

She finally speaks, “What would you do if I rejected you because I’m not confident enough? Actually, I’m not confident enough to pass the bar.” Bok-geo shares that he had to take that exam too, and understands the pressure. Geum-joo explains that he has no idea what the fear of failing means to her. He asks Geum-joo if she read his contract, and when he realizes she didn’t, he asks her if she wants to know what he offered and he motions her closer. When she is close enough, he flicks her on the forehead. At her protestation, he does it again. Bok-geo explains he was more afraid of getting flicked than taking the exam.

Geum-joo reviews the contract that Bok-geo drew up. He tells her that he thinks it is a good offer, but she has issues with some of the terms. She has one hour if in the city or five if in the country to meet Bok-geo when he summons her. He also requires Geum-joo to study such things as cooking, languages, and wine. She calls the terms ridiculous, but Bok-geo has the upper hand, and they both know it. Geum-joo finally agrees to the contract, but she tells Bok-geo that she has one condition before accepting his offer.

After saving Manager Hwang from his dead-end job, Geum-joo also recruits An-na to work for their new law firm, “Golden Tree.” Manager Hwang wastes no time in letting all his contacts know he’s back in business, but An-na is more curious about who will lead the firm, since Geum-joo isn’t an attorney. Cue Attorney Goo, who’s just walked in for an interview.

An-na unceremoniously escorts Attorney Goo into Geum-joo’s office, clearly unhappy with this turn of events. Attorney Goo guesses that Geum-joo is getting payback, but Geum-joo admits that she only wanted to check if Attorney Goo is willing to work with her or not. Playing along, Attorney Goo agrees and lists her demands – payment, car, driver, profits – before asking if Geum-joo can deal with her temper. Geum-joo guesses that she will, because the firm needs an attorney’s license.

Geum-joo gets called to Bok-geo’s office, where he chastises her for not keeping her promise to show up at the designated location on time. He calls her out as being late, but she points out the contract hasn’t been signed yet. She asks about her one condition, and he wants to know if she really needs that.

Bok-geo is being driven to a meeting as he recalls Geum-joo’s condition: “If you bring in Attorney Ma [Suk-woo], I’ll sign this contract.” Bok-geo protested, wondering what she would do with that newbie, but Geum-joo insisted that she absolutely needed him because of his passion for the truth. She and Attorney Goo would provide experience, while Suk-woo would provide them with balance.

Bok-geo sits at a bar with Suk-woo, who wants to know why the CEO needs him. He clarifies that it was Geum-joo who said that she needed him, causing Suk-woo to say that the attorney should hire the paralegal, not the other way around. Bok-geo thanks him for saying no, claiming that Geum-joo misunderstands Suk-woo’s lack of talent as innocence.

At the K-Fact law office, the new team has set up a table of offerings for the fortune of their new business. Later, Geum-joo goes for a ride in Bok-geo’s car after receiving a call from him, complaining that he not only tells her when to come and go, but what to wear. She protests that he should tell her where they are going, but he only tells her it is for the good of the firm. She turns on the car stereo to the sound of “My Forever Friend,” as Bok-geo hums along.

The event they attend is sponsored by Oh Sung Group. As Geum-joo makes her introductions around the room, an older woman makes disparaging comments about Geum-joo. The young woman sitting with her urges her to endure, noting that Geum-joo looks familiar. The older woman identifies her as Cha Geum-joo, the Golden Tree of Seochodong. The young woman wonders about her connection to the K-Fact CEO.

Bok-geo smiles as he notices Geum-joo visiting a table with handbags for sale. A drunken Yoo-ri (the actress who accused him of rape) is being walked out from the event when she sees Bok-geo. Grabbing a knife from a table, she makes a beeline for him just as Geum-joo notices her.

Bok-geo has his back turned and doesn’t see the threat, but Geum-joo runs toward Bok-geo, coming between him and Yoo-ri just as she thrusts the knife. Bok-geo catches Geum-joo, realization coming to him as assesses the situation. He holds Geum-joo as she slumps to the floor, calling her name while bright red blood spreads on her clothing.

 
COMMENTS

There were some very sweet scenes between Geum-joo and her new boss, Suk-woo. They served as the contrast for the crisis that resulted from their first official case together. I was surprised at how quickly they went from teasing one another to looking at each other in disillusionment. Their disagreement served to illustrate how little they know one another and how different their philosophies are. Geum-joo is so much more experienced and jaded, but Suk-woo cannot practice law the way his new paralegal suggests. They are both right in their own ways, but Suk-woo wisely understands that he has to learn and decide for himself how he should practice the law. He senses that Geum-joo may not be capable of giving him the room he needs to grow as a lawyer. It was obvious how hard it was for him to end their association and return to working by himself, but he is a man of conviction, something that Geum-joo comes to appreciate.

The end of Geum-joo’s working relationship with Suk-woo revealed to her how little support she has in the world. Her sister, whose trajectory rises in this episode, is all too happy to point out that Geum-joo is flawed and should correct her problems herself, just like she did. This, of course, is after Hye-joo has enjoyed years of support from Geum-joo. Keeping Geum-joo company in unemployment is Attorney Goo, who goes from taunting the paralegal to working with her by the end of the episode. Knowing full well that she deserves payback from Geum-joo for her poor treatment, she gets a second chance to become the attorney for the new law firm.

Even though Geum-joo and Attorney Goo have been at odds, I can’t wait to see such experienced professionals face-off against Hye-joo. Also getting second chances are Manager Hwang and An-na. And that is how Geum-joo is unique, since she is willing to recognize skill and potential and knows all too well when someone can use a helping hand. Now that she is starting over, both professionally and personally, she has compassion for those who are in the same boat. That makes her a heroine I can root for.

I fully expected Bok-geo’s life to be threatened at some point, but Yoo-ri’s attack of revenge came out of the blue. Geum-joo’s reflexive reaction suddenly put her life in danger just as things were coming together for her. That is part of this show’s attraction, since anything can happen at anytime, moving the story in unpredictable ways. It is understood that danger always seems to be lurking, and the writer is doing a good job of highlighting that without being too heavy-handed.

For now, we can focus on getting all of the characters into place as relationships are established, broken, and rearranged. It was interesting how quickly Geum-joo went from paralegal for Suk-woo to paralegal for K-Fact’s new law firm, but with the team that Geum-joo is putting together, we’ll finally find out why Bok-geo needs a dedicated legal team.

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