Parole Examiner Lee: Episodes 7-8

1 December 11, 2024December 11, 2024

Parole Examiner Lee: Episodes 7-8

by starrygazer

What a case we have this week! There is more to see of our favorite loan shark too — but another question looms. Is our newcomer to the story actually the worst villain ever? It’s starting to look like he may be the lesser of two evils, and that’s pretty scary.

EPISODES 7-8

Doing his due diligence, Han-shin is looking into what will be this week’s case. He notices that inmate EUN-JI is serving an usually long sentence for her first offense — voice phishing – with lower than usual damages. Eun-ji thought she was doing a legitimate part-time job, and she had had run away from an abusive home and got arrested unbeknown to be pregnant. *Gasps for air*

After having the baby in prison, if Eun-ji can’t get parole this time she will probably have to give up her baby for adoption. (Can I just add that this baby is super cute and has won over Eun-ji’s cellmates and the correction officers too?) One of the correction officers must be vlogging the baby’s journey and Ji-soon is a huge fan, begging Han-shin to look into her case.

Even though Han-shin feels for Eun-ji’s unfortunate situation, that’s not a great reason to look into her case. But Han-shin does feel the law has over exercised its right this time, so he goes to visit Eun-ji in prison. Han-shin hears Eun-ji out and sees her sincerity, which is also backed up by her chief warden. Eun-ji really doesn’t want to put her baby up for adoption (her abusive father was her adoptive father so who can blame her), and so, Han-shin decides to take her case on. Yay!

Advising Eun-ji to get a license in prison to help her gain employment on the outside is the first thing Han-shin suggests. The next card Han-shin has to play is getting Hwa-ran involved. *More happy dancing* My ears are pricked and I’m settled in watching the brilliant Baek Ji-won shine.

Eun-ji needs a guardian in order for the court to trust she can handle her affairs after parole (with a guardian as a “safety net”). And so what does Han-shin do? He writes up the contract to sell Hwa-ran the building she really wants from him — and adds in that she will be Eun-ji’s guardian.

Our Hwa-ran is not convinced about taking on this “guardianship” even though Han-shin assures her she only has to put her name to the documents for the parole hearing, like a “puppet CEO.” Han-shin implores Hwa-ran to just meet Eun-ji to help her make a decision. Hwa-ran going to the prison with her right-hand man and seeing this burly bear of a man gurning at the baby was superb. Not only does Hwa-ran have a huge heart, but it seems her men do too.

At the prison Hwa-ran finds a mirror of herself in Eun-ji, abused by a drunken father and left alone in the world in a fight for survival. Hwa-ran, it seems, wasn’t given the option for naivety when she was young, unlike Eun-ji.

It pulls on Hwa-ran’s heart strings hearing Eun-ji’s story, and rather than be sentimental and tearing up (which she refuses to do), Hwa-ran shows her teeth instead: she wants the baby’s father’s name so she can find this bastard.

Another string to Eun-ji’s parole hearing bow is getting her visitation up, so everyone gets involved. Both Hwa-ran’s employees and Ji-soon go to visit Eun-ji, thus allowing her time to study while the visitors play with the baby. With Eun-ji’s newly acquired chef’s license, she is all set for her parole hearing.

Meanwhile, Hwa-ran has found the baby’s father and finds out he’s not as innocent as he pleaded he was. The baby’s dad claimed he didn’t know it was a voice-phishing operation either, and even wrote a letter to Eun-ji in prison under Hwa-ran’s watchful eye. But Hwa-ran is not convinced. After a chat with Han-shin, she follows her hunch and finds out this dude was part of the voice-phishing and is planning to set Eun-ji up as a scapegoat again as soon as she gets out of prison. This makes Hwa-ran seethe and hand him into the police herself haha.

It’s disappointing that Han-shin won’t be using Nae-kyung (the female parole examiner) in his revenge scheme, because she has been replaced on the parole board — by none other than Dong-hoon, Chairman Ji’s top legal counsel. The way my jaw hit the floor when he walked in!

A slightly shaky Han-shin helps Eun-ji plead her case to the parole board. (Side note: I love how when Han-shin feels strongly about something he stands next to the inmate like he’s pleading a case in court.) Han-shin is convinced Dong-hoon will vote against Eun-ji to spite him, and Dong-hoon has the deciding vote. But to everyone’s surprise, Dong-hoon votes for her release. It just so happens he watches the baby’s vlog too – aw, someone has a gooey inside I wasn’t expecting!

Hwa-ran helps Eun-ji get a job when she asks an old friend to look after someone who reminds her of her younger self. This just goes to show how much of a big heart Hwa-ran has. Seo-yoon even asks Hwa-ran for help this week, after a meal with her and Han-shin. Seo-yoon needs to track an unlicensed vehicle — the one that the criminal linked to her sister’s death was found dead in last week.

Hwa-ran is more than happy to help and they track the bloke down, and of course he is Myung-seob’s henchman. With her bosses tying her hands, Seo-yoon is frustrated and venting to Han-shin how this is just like her sister’s case. All Seo-yoon found out from the henchman was that the dead criminal had video evidence of something (probably her sister’s murder), but that’s all. Nothing concrete; no tangible evidence.

Also opening up about his pain, Han-shin tells Seo-yoon about his chief being set up on drugs charges and how he is now doing time in prison, courtesy of Myung-seob and Chairman Ji. Han-shin explains that he had a visit from Myeong-seob who wants to keep his father in prison, so Myung-seob had suggested working with Han-shin for a common goal. Seo-yoon is skeptical, but Han-shin wants to bring down Ojung Group, Chairman Ji, and Myung-seob at all costs – and Seo-yoon is in! Yes!

Myung-seob plays more of a part this week, and we’re seeing whose side he is really on – not Chairman Ji’s! Seo-yoon does rattle his cage a little by calling him out about her sister’s death in front of reporters in the middle of Ojung Group’s foyer. This causes him to sue her for defamation which pleases Seo-yoon no end — she knows she has him rattled. Curiously, I wonder how he will take being on the same team as Seo-yoon?

Also approaching Won-min to be on his side against Chairman Ji, Myung-seob asks her to meet. However, Myung-seob’s nasty temper does not help his plea and Won-min doesn’t want to be anywhere near him. Chairman Ji has already interfered with Won-min getting work and she’s understandably upset and has already dropped the charges against him.

We do find out through this encounter with Won-min and Myung-seob that Chairman Ji took turns beating them both before he went to prison. Also, Won-min heard about Chairman Ji covering up the death of Seo-yoon’s sister. (Not that Won-min is aware that’s who it was, but I think this will become important later on.)

There is a glimpse into the past from Myung-seob’s perspective when he remembers Seo-yoon’s sister dying. The death was an accident, but Myung-seob did drug Seo-yoon’s sister, and then acted like it was nothing when he inadvertently killed her. Then, in a very flippant manner, he got Eung-joon to cover it up. But after seeing Chairman Ji’s treatment of Myung-seob, I’m wondering who’s really to blame for Myung-seob being a spoiled rich boy with a terrible attitude and homicidal tendencies? (The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.)

Needless to say, Chairman Ji is furious that Myung-seob is in the press again after Seo-yoon’s stunt, and that the henchman was arrested. Chairman Ji’s sharpened claws come out and he decides to hit Han-shin where it hurts: his chief. He has the chief attacked in prison, and this leads to him being moved to an outside hospital as he has a nasty gash in his skull. He wakes up to Han-shin by his bedside.

The case for parole took up a big portion of our show this week, and I think it’s to highlight certain characters and get us even more invested in them. I’m already invested in them, though, and am more than a little worried how this will turn out for some of our beloved band of merry men.

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1 GySgt213

December 11, 2024 at 4:15 PM

I was a little surprised by Myung-seob's hatred for his father. But I understand now after hearing how he treated his son in the past and present.

I was so worried that despite the team's efforts, things would not work out for Eun-ji, but they did. I hope we are done with her story and that bad luck doesn't visit her again.