Good Partner: Episodes 14-15

by quirkycase

We get a lighter week full of new beginnings for all our lawyers who are making changes in work and life. As some grow ever more confident in their choices, our lovable junior lawyer finds himself questioning his path. Meanwhile, a case full of miscommunication and assumptions brings our lawyer pair back together, albeit this time they sit on opposing sides.

 
EPISODES 14-15

My wish was granted and we get a breather this week after last week’s excellent yet dark episodes. Everyone is renegotiating their priorities, none more than Eun-kyung who makes good on her word and gives notice. Everyone at the firm is sad to see her go, but she feels lighter as she readies for a new beginning. Yuri is particularly upset to part and begs to go with her, but Eun-kyung encourages her to learn everything she can so they can meet in the future as partners rather than boss and employee.

While Eun-kyung gets her own firm up and running – ensuring it’s within walking distance of their house so she can be more present for Jae-hee – Woo-jin ushers in Daejeong’s new era. Part of that is reevaluating teams, and he surprises Yuri with the option to move to her first choice of corporate law or even a new social (human rights) team he’s creating. But Yuri surprises herself by realizing that she’s already found her niche in divorce law, helping people find happiness.

For someone used to a case load in the dozens, Eun-kyung struggles to figure out how to fill her time in a new firm without established clients. Even so, she sends her first client Yuri’s way: the woman Yuri so desperately hoped would divorce her drunken, abusive husband but who wasn’t ready to leave.

But never fear because Yuri is looking out for Eun-kyung too and sends her potential client Eun-kyung’s way. I love that not only do they want to support each other’s careers, but they understand each other’s strengths so well. Yuri knew the client needed Eun-kyung’s keen negotiation skills, and Eun-kyung knew their repeat client needed Yuri’s caring, dogged approach to help her finally divorce her abusive husband.

With her own firm, Eun-kyung is noticeably more carefree and comfortable, seeming to find joy in her job again and consequently taking a warmer and more relaxed approach to her clients. When she’s not forcing herself to be cold, she’s much more similar to Yuri than they appear at first glance, something Woo-jin has been saying since the beginning. Her more honest, transparent self is not lost on Jae-hee who is a fan of this more approachable version of her mom.

The women may no longer work together, but you’d barely know it given how often Yuri pops by to see Eun-kyung. But now she buys Eun-kyung dinner as the higher earner in the relationship. Working separately has already put them more on equal footing, and it’s nice to see them growing closer as friends without a professional barrier between them.

Yuri treating Eun-kyung to meals isn’t the only new dynamic in their relationship – they find themselves on opposite sides of a case when they each unknowingly take on a spouse in a divorce suit. This time, it’s a mismatch of libido between a couple causing their woes. The wife argues her husband never wants to do it whereas he swears she has an addiction. Both claim the other needs treatment and have saved voice files supporting their claims.

As usual, though, there’s more under the surface. They’ve been struggling to have a baby due to the wife’s PCOS, and the stress has impacted them both. She thinks her husband blames her for their inability to have kids, never realizing that he’s worried about the expenses of having a baby and has been avoiding her.

Eun-kyung and Yuri’s closeness proves an asset in this case as they both catch onto the couple’s underlying issue and work together to find a reasonable solution. They have the couple talk it out to resolve their misunderstandings. The couple goes through with the divorce due to differing desires on having kids, but they reach an amicable settlement.

While Yuri has hit her career stride, Eun-ho struggles to find his place. He’s always wanted to be a divorce lawyer, so he pursued his position single-mindedly and now feels like he’s missed out on exploring his options. He makes the shocking decision to quit the firm and even more shockingly, he goes to work for Eun-kyung!

I didn’t expect him to be the one she scouts, but she needs his marketing and sales skills to drum up clients. Sure enough, he brings in the business right away and proves he’s well-suited for the startup atmosphere of a new firm. It’s kind of fun that Yuri and Eun-ho have done a mentor switch and get to learn under another great lawyer and improve further.

Leaving Daejeong doesn’t mean Eun-ho’s feelings for Yuri (and vice versa) have lessened. Eun-kyung and Woo-jin are so frustrated by their mentees’ inability to work out their very obvious feelings for each other that they can’t help but get involved. They create a hilariously obvious dinner setup to make them talk. Finally, Yuri is honest about her feelings and tells Eun-ho she wants to date. Thank goodness their mentors got involved because I think these two would be circling each other forever.

We end with one final surprise for the week. Woo-jin’s father marches into Eun-kyung’s firm, asking her to represent him. While I’d hoped we wouldn’t have to see much more of him now that he’s stepped down as CEO, this could be interesting.

I really like where everyone has ended up right now, heading into our final episode. We’ve gotten a lot of growth for all our characters, and their decisions feel in line with their characters. I love that the Woo-jin storyline didn’t play out in the dramatic way it usually would; a quieter transition and approach is much more fitting for his character. I’m glad he’s still every bit the friendly, hands-on mentor he’s always been despite now being CEO. No one acts any differently with him because he treats them all as he always has – with respect and trust. Not the usual drama CEO model, that’s for sure.

Everything is set up nicely for the final episode next week. We’ve already resolved most of the bigger issues – Eun-kyung’s divorce, Yuri’s career path, Eun-ho and Yuri’s relationship, and Woo-jin’s role – so I’m guessing we’ll devote most of the time to Woo-jin’s father’s divorce. With the range of cases this drama has given us, I’m looking forward to seeing our lawyers solve whatever unique issue arises from this final case.

 
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