Witch’s Court: Episode 6

by Sunny

Just as the handling of Ah-reum’s case five years ago caused our heroes’ current dilemma, facing that past demon has consequences of its own. Luckily, not all consequences are dire, and this episode is a breath of fresh air after recent events. Leave it to Yi-deum to make the best of a bad situation.

 
EPISODE 6 RECAP

Following Ah-reum’s tracker signal, Jin-wook and Yi-deum arrive at an intersection at the same time Hyun-tae’s van darts across. Unfortunately, neither of them notices and Jin-wook slams on his breaks to avoid colliding with the oncoming traffic. Our prosecutors continue to follow the signal only to find the bracelet discarded on the side of the road. Reasoning that Hyun-tae must be hiding since he’s barred from flying, Yi-deum quickly calls to look up Hyun-tae’s credit card activity.

Meanwhile, Ah-reum awakens to find herself in her room at home. She shuffles out into the kitchen where dinner’s on the table and calls out to her mother. She realizes something is off just as a door opens, and Hyun-tae emerges holding a cake with a single lit candle.

Arriving at Ah-reum’s apartment complex, Yi-deum informs Jin-wook that the charge statements show that Hyun-tae has always been around Ah-reum. Investigator Gu runs up and tells them that the CCTV shows Hyun-tae’s car nearby. Realizing that Hyun-tae must’ve always been watching, Jin-wook pinpoints the apartment directly across from Ah-reum’s (which turns out to belong to Hyun-tae’s father).

Inside, Hyun-tae gleefully tells a sobbing Ah-reum that today marks the beginning of their life together. Horrified, Ah-reum shakily calls out for her mother, but Hyun-tae says that he had to send her mother far away, which only causes Ah-reum’s cries to grow more frantic. Laughing benignly, he wipes her tears as he playfully tells her to stop crying—this is a happy occasion. Creepy…

In the hall, Investigator Gu hesitates to break in, but Jin-wook promises to take responsibility. The sound of the drill alerts Hyun-tae, so he locks Ah-reum in his room and grabs a nearby kitchen knife. Our team bursts inside as Hyun-tae swings the knife wildly, accusing Jin-wook of coming between him and Ah-reum while Jin-wook spits that he became a prosecutor to catch scum like Hyun-tae.

In a fit of rage, Hyun-tae lunges forward, but Yi-deum heroically dives between them, the knife slicing her side as she falls to the ground. Jin-wook deftly takes Hyun-tae down and Yi-deum glances at her blood-coated hand, releasing an annoyed sigh before she passes out.

Soon, Yi-deum is carted away by two EMTs and a worried Investigator Gu while Jin-wook stays behind to confront Hyun-tae. Although Hyun-tae sneers that Jin-wook won’t succeed, Jin-wook is undeterred. Meanwhile, Ah-reum reunites with her mom and tearfully says that they don’t have to hide anymore.

Jo Gap-soo watches the press conference led by Prosecutor Min and laughs at the irony of finding her useful as a news clip tells us that one of his political opponents has dropped in the ratings.

Back at the hospital, Yi-deum checks the news on her tablet and laments that while she did all the work, others are reaping the benefit. Wincing in pain, she flashes back to the night before, and we see the incident replayed from her perspective. In truth, Yi-deum had tried to flee, but had tripped over her own feet. Thinking quickly, she’d calculated that the best alternative was to push Jin-wook in the way, but he’d shifted at the last minute and she’d fallen into the path of the knife instead. Hehe.

In the present, she whines at her folly but straightens up when Jo Gap-soo arrives with a posse of reporters. He hands her a basket of flowers and then poses holding her hand while cameras flash. Yi-deum mutters under her breath that it seems unfair that he use her directly for his campaign, but he replies that the articles will benefit them mutually.

When asked about their relationship, Jo Gap-soo assures everyone that he merely came to cheer on a dedicated prosecutor, spinning it into a pledge to ensure that citizens feel safe. Meanwhile, Jin-wook arrives at the hospital with the rest of the Crimes Against Girls Unit, and they meet Jo Gap-soo on his way out. After Prosecutor Min sends the rest of her team ahead, she asks him why he’s here. Jo Gap-soo simply replies that he’d met Yi-deum before excusing himself.

“She didn’t get stabbed for you,” Prosecutor Min calls after him, “She’s there to catch people who live well… even after committing crimes like you.” They exchange warnings, and Jo Gap-soo dares her to stop barking and just bite him if she can.

He leaves, but outside, his secretary shows him a news update that the two opposing mayoral candidates are thinking of uniting.

Prosecutor Jang asks Yi-deum how she feels, and Yi-deum busts out the theatrics as she whimpers that she’s dizzy and weak. Unaffected, Jin-wook points out that the knife only grazed her, but Investigator Gu adds that she’d gotten hurt in his place.

The other two prosecutors are astonished at this revelation, and although Yi-deum looks equally shocked, she rolls with it. Yi-deum declares that she only did what she should, as a senior, when her junior was in danger. Jin-wook doesn’t buy it, but the others nod at her magnanimity until Prosecutor Min arrives and asks if she didn’t just trip while trying to flee. Ha!

Wondering if Yi-deum was angry about missing the press conference, Prosecutor Min reprimands her for the interview with Jo Gap-soo, but upon seeing Yi-deum looking apologetic, she agrees to let it slide just this once. She asks about Yi-deum’s cut, which immediately inspires another round of theatrics.

Jo Gap-soo meets with mayoral candidate Heo at HJ Hotel to ask if they can become “friends.” Offering him a position in his own party, Jo Gap-soo promises to uphold Candidate Heo’s pledge to create a regulation-free zone for his father-in-law’s corporation, but Candidate Heo only scoffs. Looking Jo Gap-soo in the eye, he asserts that he can’t be friends with someone that sexually tortures others.

To his surprise, Jo Gap-soo begins to laugh before warning that it’s in Candidate Heo’s best interest that they be friends rather than enemies. In response, Candidate Heo tosses a bill on the table and stalks out. Infuriated, Jo Gap-soo calls Sang-ho and tells him that it’s time to “collect the investment.”

In the hospital, Yi-deum struggles to get up, finding it impossible to put on her boots in her condition. Noticing the slippers beside another patient’s bed, she asks the girl if she got them at the hospital, but the girl replies that they’re from home.

Cue Yi-deum calling Jin-wook to demand slippers. At his confusion, Yi-deum explains that she’s never been sick and therefore didn’t know she’d need things. Jin-wook is still bewildered but smiles when she snaps that she got stabbed for him, and so he basically owes her. He asks if she needs anything else, which leads to a series of texts throughout the day requesting different things.

Jin-wook becomes increasingly annoyed as the texts repeatedly interrupt his work, but at the end of the day, he’s dutifully fetching the things Yi-deum asked for when she calls him with yet another request.

Cut to: The two of them seated at an outdoor table laden with food, which she happily devours. Yi-deum compliments the cooking and admits that she doesn’t care for the healthy hospital menu. Exasperated, Jin-wook points out that she’s not at the hospital to eat but Yi-deum disagrees, revealing that she hasn’t had time off in ages.

When the food is gone, Yi-deum reaches down and pulls out a can of beer, which Jin-wook promptly confiscates. She says that it’s to help her digest, but Jin-wook argues that alcohol isn’t good when she’s unwell. Reaching for the can, Yi-deum tells him that just one is okay, but he steps back and she chases him until they’re close enough for the sexual tension to crackle.

Suddenly awkward, Yi-deum relents and returns to her seat while Jin-wook coughs and looks away. Taking note of Yi-deum’s arms wrapped around herself, Jin-wook tosses his jacket over her shoulders and suggests that they go back.

As they walk, Yi-deum asks about Hyun-tae, and Jin-wook says that they put him away for 18 years. He happily shares that Ah-reum is optimistic and hopes to become a cop. Yi-deum nods, guessing that she wants to be able to shoot Hyun-tae, but Jin-wook flatly corrects that Ah-reum wants to protect other suffering children.

Taking the lull in the conversation as an opportunity, Jin-wook stands in front of Yi-deum and sincerely thanks her. Thrown off-guard, Yi-deum is unable to respond until Jin-wook breaks the moment by asking if she isn’t leaving.

They move to part ways, but Jin-wook calls back to her. Yi-deum looks up at him expectantly, but he only asks her to reduce her texting because it’s affecting his work. She agrees, looking a bit deflated as she walks away.

Prosecutor Jang calls in the mother and the janitor from the child molestation case Prosecutor Seo was handling. The mother is not happy, but Prosecutor Jang replays the little boy’s testimony where he’d claimed that the janitor’s hands were rough and he’d reeked of alcohol. Prosecutor Jang then reveals that the janitor’s previous job involved handling strong chemicals and his hands are now so smooth that they hardly have fingerprints.

Startled, Prosecutor Seo can only listen as Prosecutor Jang states that due to liver surgery two years ago, the janitor has avoided alcohol completely. The janitor admits that when he’d seen the boy crying after having wet his pants, he’d felt compassion for the child. Reminded of his own grandson, he’d felt compelled to change the child into clean clothes.

Remorseful, the mother fervently apologizes. Gently, Prosecutor Jang shares that she also has young sons and while it’s hard to imagine children lying, they’re prone to exaggeration when given some attention.

Afterward, Prosecutor Seo stands in the hall feeling thoroughly chastened. She apologizes to Prosecutor Jang but the older woman warns that she nearly sent an innocent man to prison, and leaves her to think about the consequences her actions may have caused.

Finding Prosecutor Seo on a bench outside, Investigator Gu tries to offer her some comforting words but she suddenly wails, leaning her head on his shoulder as she cries. They’re soon discovered by Mi-young who greats them teasingly but the flustered Investigator Gu springs to his feet and announces that it’s not what she thinks. He runs off, leaving the two women confused.

At the hospital, Yi-deum grows bored with her solitaire game. Lying back, she notices the couple across from her and a melancholy smile draws across her face as she glances to the elderly couple beside them, and finally to the mother and daughter in the bed next to hers.

At the office, Jin-wook answers a call from Yi-deum and she asks him to send her some cases. Annoyed, Jin-wook tells her that he’s already busy and is about to hang up when Yi-deum blurts that she’s about to die. Suddenly worried, he asks what’s wrong and Yi-deum whimpers that she’s bored to death. Hee.

Jin-wook sighs deeply and Mi-young stifles a giggle while Yi-deum continues that she’s watched all the shows Jin-wook sent her and even played games for a couple hours but she still has a lot of time and feels empty. “That makes me think of all sorts of stupid things,” she says, “so I think working would be better.”

With a little laugh, Jin-wook tells her to read so Yi-deum sends him to pick up some books from her house where Jin-wook discovers a box filled with romance manhwas under her bed. Scoffing, he digs through but a framed photo of Yi-deum and Mom gives him pause, and he thinks back to the night he’d seen her crying in her sleep.

Yi-deum watches with a tinge of envy as the female patient next to her is doted on by her mother. Her expression is not lost on Jin-wook, who’s just arrived, but just as he’s feeling compassion for her, she spots him and addresses him loudly as “hubby.” Hee.

Startled, Jin-wook looks over his shoulder before realizing Yi-deum was speaking to him. She cheerfully asks what took him so long, tacking on another “hubby.” He makes a beeline for her and quietly demands to know what she’s up to. Before she can reply, the mother of the female patient comments on how handsome and tall Jin-wook is, while the daughter chimes in that she’s jealous since he’s also a prosecutor.

Giggling, Yi-deum says that she stays with him because she’s nice. Totally at a loss, Jin-wook asks under his breath if they’re married now and Yi-deum whispers back a quick apology and tells him to play along for twenty minutes. Jin-wook balks but then the mother asks if they have any children and Yi-deum coyly answers no, but they’re going to try. The mother assures them it won’t take long, they’re newlyweds after all, and Yi-deum pretends to blush with embarrassment.

That’s the final straw for Jin-wook and he laughs along politely as he draws the dividing curtain. Sitting beside her, he unloads the books and snaps that she sure is busy getting married and having kids now. He wonders if she doesn’t need a mother-in-law as well, which is when his mother, Dr. Jo, steps into the room and Yi-deum’s jaw drops.

Dr. Jo says that she heard Yi-deum took the knife for Jin-wook and Yi-deum humbly brushes it off, reassuring her it was her duty as his senior. Jin-wook leans in to say his mother wanted to thank her in person, but Yi-deum insists it’s unnecessary. Dr. Jo says that Yi-deum’s mother must’ve been worried and Yi-deum fumbles an agreement but Dr. Jo asks to meet her. She starts to wonder if Mom stepped out, so Jin-wook intervenes, reminding her she’d brought Yi-deum food.

Dr. Jo bends down to pick up Yi-deum’s books that’d fallen to the floor and sees one of Mom’s missing posters, prompting a flashback to a terrified Dr. Jo standing outside Mom’s cell as she cried that she wasn’t crazy and begged to be released so she could return to Yi-deum. This time we see that Sang-ho had arrived and slammed the cell window shut. He’d told her that they knew she was hiding from creditors and so long as she took care of “Kim Mi-jung” (the name they registered Mom under), they’d keep Dr. Jo safe.

In the present, Dr. Jo flips the flyer facedown and returns everything to Yi-deum with a weighted expression.

In another ward, Sang-ho meets with the doctor attending Jo Gap-soo’s comatose wife to tell him to transfer her, neither man seeing her fingers twitch.

Escorting his mother to the elevator, Jin-wook notices her dark expression and asks if she’s tired. Dr. Jo brushes the question off and asks if there’s anything going on between him and Yi-deum. Laughing, Jin-wook teases if she wants there to be, but Dr. Jo just smiles and says it’s fine if there’s nothing.

The elevator dings and Dr. Jo’s eyes widen as the doors open to reveal Sang-ho. Jin-wook doesn’t seem to notice and she urges him to return to Yi-deum while she steps into the elevator and closes the door.

Once they’re alone, Sang-ho greets her and wonders aloud if Jin-wook will catch wind of anything that happened fourteen years ago, pointing out that it’d put her in a bad position as well. Swallowing back her fear, Dr. Jo coldly replies that she doesn’t know what he’s talking about since nothing happened fourteen years ago. Satisfied with her response, Sang-ho hands her his business card. He says she’ll surely need to contact him soon and then the doors open and she steps out.

Jin-wook drives Yi-deum home from the hospital. They arrive on their floor and he stops in front of his apartment but Yi-deum tells him she can go home now. Startled, Jin-wook returns her bag to her and she thanks him for everything, promising not to bug him anymore. He watches her disappear into her apartment and mutters that this is a good thing.

From the shower, Jin-wook hears his phone go off in the other room. A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth, but when he checks the messages, he’s disappointed to find they aren’t from Yi-deum.

Next thing we know, he’s standing outside Yi-deum’s apartment with a convenience store bag. Jin-wook rings the bell and Yi-deum, although initially surprised to see him when she answers, gleefully lets him in when she sees he brought her beer.

Many cans later, Yi-deum takes a deep breath and tells Jin-wook she’s ready. He wonders what for, and she clarifies that she’s ready to accept his feelings for her. He asks what feelings and she argues that he ought to know better than her. Thinking for a moment, Jin-wook asks in disbelief if she wants him to say he loves her. Laughing, Yi-deum bashfully says that “love” might be a bit much… but admits that she finds it tiring pretending she doesn’t know how he feels.

Jin-wook sits up and states that he has a lot to rebut—starting with her claim that he likes her. He wants to know how she came to such a conclusion and smiling, Yi-deum replies that he treated her extremely well while she was hospitalized, particularly when he cooked the food she asked. Jin-wook stops her to point out that she’d demanded he make that food but she waves him off and asks why he brought his mother to see her. She thinks that surely he must’ve told his mother he liked Yi-deum and she’d wanted to check her out.

Jin-wook explains that his mother just likes to visit people in hospitals. Shaking her head, Yi-deum thinks things can’t be that simple. Finally, she brings up the night she’d slept at Jin-wook’s place. She playfully accuses him of sneaking in and touching her face, which spurs a flashback where we now see that Yi-deum had woken up, startling Jin-wook who’d been unsure of how to explain himself.

In the present Yi-deum assumes he must’ve wanted to kiss her. Jin-wook looks away, still unable to give her an answer but Yi-deum takes that as confirmation of her suspicions. Jin-wook tries to deny it, but Yi-deum suddenly leans forward and plants a quick kiss on his lips.

Jin-wook watches Yi-deum slowly draw back only to keep going until she passes out on the couch behind her. She doesn’t respond when he taps her leg and he mutters in disbelief that she’s completely drunk.

Meanwhile, a young woman stumbles down a sidewalk. Her face is beaten up and she pulls out her phone to send the text, “I was sexually assaulted.”

Elsewhere, Lawyer Heo meets Sang-ho at HJ Hotel. He guides her to a penthouse and warns her that the money they’ll deposit in her account includes a nondisclosure agreement. Inside, she finds Hyungjae Group’s youngest son, Tae-gyu, passed out on a couch while Sang-ho’s younger brother, Min-ho, greets them.

Sang-ho explains that Tae-gyu had beaten a girl and Lawyer Heo clocks the wrecked dinner table and bloodied bed with a grimace. She wonders why she was called when everyone knows Tae-gyu’s reputation and Hyungjae Group has a lawyer on retainer but Sang-ho tells her that Tae-gyu had lied that he was Min-ho.

Just then, Tae-gyu wakes up thinking that Lawyer Heo is another girl for him to play with. Sang-ho stops him but receives a slap across the face for interfering. Sang-ho escorts Lawyer Heo out but he warns Min-ho to stay away from the hotel or both boys would be in trouble with someone called Mr. Cho.

The next morning, Yi-deum arrives at work and smiles when she spots Jin-wook queued for the elevator. She nudges him with her elbow but is surprised when he greets her in his usual formal way. Snickering, she follows him into the elevator. As they ascend, she asks if he slept well, but before he can respond she answers for him that he couldn’t have after his crush offered to give him a chance. Ha!

Out of the elevator, Jin-wook stops her to clarify that he did sleep well, he’s never had a crush on her, and he certainly didn’t confess to her. Perplexed, Yi-deum asks about the kiss and Jin-wook admits that he acknowledges that… but nothing else. He walks away leaving Yi-deum to wonder whether he’s saying he likes her or not. Giggling, she assumes he must be playing hard to get.

In their office, Jin-wook and Yi-deum meet with the battered girl from the previous night, Jin Yun-hee. She slides a request not to press charges across the table and says that things merely got out of hand. Pointing out that Yun-hee had told the police she’d been sexually assaulted, Yi-deum asks why she’s changed her mind while Jin-wook notes the various bruises on Yun-hee’s body. However, Yun-hee claims that she’d reported him out of anger after a fight.

Neither Yi-deum nor Jin-wook are convinced but all they can do is process her request and close the case.

Outside, Lawyer Heo approaches Yun-hee to tell her the money has been deposited in her account. Lawyer Heo slips in a snide comment suggesting that Yun-hee does this often before threatening her to keep her mouth shut. Lawyer Heo leaves and Yun-hee starts to walk away when Prosecutor Min calls out her name.

After work, Yi-deum asks Jin-wook where he parked. He says he took the subway so she agrees to do the same but they’re stopped by the appearance of Yi-deum’s best friend, Yoo-mi.

They all go out to eat together and Yoo-mi’s eyes practically beam hearts as she tells Jin-wook that she and Yi-deum grew up together. She notices that Jin-wook isn’t drinking beer with them and he shoots a look at Yi-deum who quickly answers for him that he’s too weak for alcohol. Yi-deum asks if he’s taking a tonic which only earns a glare.

Walking home, Yoo-mi asks for a picture with Jin-wook. Yi-deum tells her to stop making Jin-wook uncomfortable, but Yoo-mi insists, so Yi-deum shoots Jin-wook an apologetic glance but relents. Afterward, Yoo-mi shows off a photo editing feature and asks for Jin-wook’s number so she can send him the picture. He directs an annoyed look at Yi-deum but reluctantly gives in.

After Yoo-mi departs, Jin-wook receives the picture on which Yoo-mi has written “The first time we met” followed by a heart, much to Jin-wook’s consternation.

Candidate Heo watches a video of himself confirming the acceptance of a bribe. Turning to Jo Gap-soo, Candidate Heo wonders if he should reveal Jo Gap-soo’s ties with Hyungjae Group, but another guest arrives, which Jo Gap-soo introduces as the chief prosecutor. Finally backed into a corner, Candidate Heo is forced to accept Jo Gap-soo’s proposition.

Jin-wook asks about Yi-deum’s hometown and she replies that while she was born here in Yeongpa, she’d spent most of her youth in Janghyeon-dong. She asks if he knows the place and he affirms that he’d visited once as a senior in high school. Yi-deum asks why and Jin-wook tells her that a woman had asked him to find her family.

Yi-deum wonders who the woman was and Jin-wook says it’s a long story but she’d owned a noodle restaurant and was looking for her daughter, causing Yi-deum to stop in her tracks.

Meanwhile, Candidate Heo holds a press conference announcing his withdrawal from the mayoral election and pledging his support for Jo Gap-soo.

Jin-wook grows anxious at the wavering tone of Yi-deum’s voice and she finally declares that the woman he’d met was her mother who’d disappeared twenty years ago.

 
COMMENTS

I had my suspicions that Jin-wook’s mystery woman might’ve been Mom but I honestly didn’t expect them to figure it out so soon. Regardless, I’m glad, since that means that our heroes can start digging for the truth and hopefully won’t be left in the dark until the final hour. I have to wonder, though, where is Mom? All we know is that Jo Gap-soo nabbed her and had her locked away in a mental institution under a false name. Is she still there? Or are their more twists to be discovered? I just hope that she’s alive, because after all this time, Yi-deum deserves to have her mom back!

Speaking of moms, I’m relieved that this show is avoiding potential incest drama. I suppose there’s no guarantee we’re out of the woods, but with the revelation of Dr. Jo’s involvement in Mom’s captivity, I’m hoping that’s the extent of her connection to Jo Gap-soo. This show has so much going on already, I feel like delving into that mess would unnecessarily complicate the plot (and the romance!).

I find my interest in our bad guys growing—and I’m not talking about the cartoonish case-of-the-week foes that the past few episodes have churned out, but our recurring villains, Jo Gap-soo & Co. I’m really interested in his wife, and I can’t help but wonder if her coma is medically induced and how the game will change when she regains consciousness. Alternatively, Lawyer Heo is such a twisted person that I’m dying to know her backstory and how she came to be that way. Surely she’s not just naturally a witch. And Sang-ho is an enigma—his face reveals nothing of his emotions, and if this show wasn’t firmly placed in the real world, I’d suspect he was a robot.

Last but not least, what is going on with the ominous Hyungtae Group? I doubt that the battery case with the youngest son is really over, especially after discovering that Prosecutor Min knows the victim. The only problem is that the rich and powerful like to play dirty, so it’s hard to say whether or not we’ll get to see this case in court next week or if it’s going to be a longer fight.

On a lighter note, how cute was this episode? I’ve always loved Yi-deum’s interactions with Jin-wook and this hour was chock-full of their antics. It’s so amusing how he pretends to be annoyed while obviously finding her cute. He complained about her stream of texts but missed them when they stopped, argued that she wasn’t that injured but pampered her anyway, and when she kissed him, he looked pretty disappointed when she passed out. He may not want to admit it, but Yi-deum’s claims that he has a crush on her don’t seem to be too far off the mark.

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