Sung Han has been patiently waiting for the time to come for revenge his against his sister’s in-laws, who brutally took her son away from her. “Divorce Attorney Shin” has one motive, and that is to give justice to his sister. Sung Han is moving quietly because he doesn’t want his nephew, Gi Yeong, to get hurt in any way by his stepmother. However, things change when Sung Han discovers Gi Yeong’s stepmother’s involvement in his sister’s death and how Gi Yeong is being treated by her.
Spoilers Ahead
‘Divorce Attorney Shin’ Season 1: Recap
Shin Sung Han, a piano professor in Germany, returned to Korea and studied law to become a lawyer specializing in divorce. His past is a well-kept secret that only his two closest friends are aware of. Despite his background in music, he is exceptionally good at law and has a high win rate. As the story proceeds, his motivation behind this career change is revealed. His sister, Ju Hwa, was wronged in her divorce case, and it disturbed her mentally. Sung Han was in Germany at that time, and by the time he came back, Ju Hwa had lost her life in an accident. Sung Han has returned to get revenge on her in-laws and her attorney, who betrayed her for money. Meanwhile, things aren’t going great for Ju Hwa’s in-laws. Her mother-in-law has filed for divorce, and her lawyer is Sung Han.
Sung Han has few friends, but they are loyal to him. Hyeong Geun works with him as a paralegal, and Jung Sik has his real estate office in the same building. Sung Han has no real family members left except for Ju Hwa’s son, Gi Young, but his friends fill that void in his life. Lee Seo Jin, a former radio host, loses her job and reputation after a scandal, but Sung Han fights her divorce case with all his might so she can get custody of her son. She eventually starts working at his office and is later joined by lawyer Choi Joon, who joins the office after he loses a case against Sung Han. Sung Han is surrounded by people who all have their own distinct stories and characteristics. Sung Han’s revenge battle has not even started yet, but Ju Hwa’s ex-husband’s new wife, Yeong Ju, is insecure and making her move recklessly first. She worries that Sung Han will take her share of the property for Gi Yeong. However, Sung Han has different plans.
Why Does Sung Han Drop Out Of Geum Hwi ‘s Divorce Case?
After Sung Han’s sister Ju Hwa got divorced, Sung Han wasn’t in Korea, and Ju Hwa was by herself. Throughout the divorce process, Sung Han didn’t come to support her, saying she was an adult who could handle things on her own. However, Ju Hwa wasn’t fine. She had lost custody of her son, and she missed him. One day, she received a call from her son’s stepmother, Yeong Ju, who threatened her to stay away from her son if she valued his safety. Moreover, she told Ju Hwa that it was in her son’s best interest if she died, and right after that phone call, Ju Hwa died in a car accident. Sung Han found out after all these years that Yeong Ju was the one who called his sister before she died, and he won’t let it slide. Right now, he is more concerned about Gi Yeong, who ran away from his academy to meet him. Gi Yeong doesn’t want to go home because he feels suffocated there. The only person he could trust at home was his chauffeur, but now his stepmother has fired him as well. He is scared to go home and wants help from his uncle to get away from that place. Sung Han promises to help him, but he needs to send Gi Yeong back home first.
Yeong Ju becomes cautious after Gi Yeong runs away to his uncle. She speaks with Park Yu Seok, who knows her secrets, and asks him what he plans to do further. She knows that Yu Seok is going to resign after they clashed last time, but she can’t lose him to Sung Han. Yu Seok knows that Yeong Ju had accessed Ju Hwa’s psychiatric records, which played an important factor in her divorce. She is ready to give Yu Seok anything he wants to keep his mouth shut. Meanwhile, Sung Han is preparing to acquire parental rights over Gi Yeong. It is difficult for him to get parental rights as Gi Yeong’s uncle, but he is going to try his best. The first thing he needs to do is drop out of Geum Hwi ‘s divorce case because it could work against him when he tries to get Gi Yeong’s parental rights. Sung Han’s friends are also helping him, but Jung Sik does something he shouldn’t have done. He tails Gi Yeong’s car for days to find out about his new academies and his schedule. The driver reports him as a stalker, but Sung Han gets him out. This, too, could work against Sung Han in court, but he gets touched by the lengths his friends are willing to go to to help him. Meanwhile, Seo Jin and Choi Joon are working on a pro bono case to help a young girl get allowance money from her mother, who has abandoned her, but they are not troubling Sung Han about it because he is already struggling.
What Was Geum Hwi ‘s Purpose Behind The Divorce?
Yeong Ju accuses Sung Han of being money-hungry for making her mother-in-law ask for her shares when she had never been interested in them and now for trying to get custody of Gi Yeong for his shares. This is when Sung Han realizes Geum Hwi ‘s motive for getting a divorce at this age when she has already suffered everything she could have with her husband. He confirms from Geum Hwi that she is saving those shares for Gi Yeong because she doesn’t trust Yeong Ju but Sung Han doesn’t want her to make a sacrifice. He talks with her husband and requests that he give Geum Hwi her shares without getting a divorce. He settles their case and files a petition for parental rights for Gi Yeong. Yeong Ju knew Sung Han would do something, but she didn’t expect him to take such a drastic step. Geum Hwi cares for Gi Yeong because she adores Ju Hwa like her own daughter and was the first to know when Ju Hwa is pregnant with Gi Yeong. However, she can’t help Sung Han this time as she still has to support her own son.
In court, Gi Yeong’s previous driver testified that Gi Yeong had been depressed and that he was fired when he informed his stepmother. Moreover, he reveals that Gi Yeong had been binge-eating fast food on a regular basis, but his stepmother chose to turn a blind eye to it. Yeong Ju bribes Gi Yeong’s new driver, so she refutes all the claims made by the old driver. Moreover, the cook at their home says that Gi Yeong usually eats large portions of food. However, Sung Han shows CCTV recordings of Gi Yeong running away from the academy and stuffing himself with fast food in a convenience store until it’s hard for him to breathe. Later, Yu Seok appears as a witness, even after Yeong Ju bribed him. Sung Han brings up the topic of how Yu Seok was hired by Geumhwa right after he lost Ju Hwa’s case, and now he has received an entire cafe as severance pay, which is unusual. It’s as if he has some special relationship with the Geumhwa firm. Sung Han asks Yu Seok if he received all of it in exchange for betraying his client Ju Hwa in the past, but Yu Seok keeps claiming that he wasn’t involved with the Geum Hwa firm in any way before the case.
It is tiring to fight against six lawyers alone and Sung Han’s friends advise him to take Choi Joon with him the next time, but he is adamant about doing it alone. For a change, he looks into Choi Joon’s case and is impressed by his progress. Choi Joon helped the young girl get money from her mother without even taking the case to court and settling it. On the other hand, Seo Jin has received an offer to return to the radio station, but she wants to stay at Sung Han’s firm to support him. He had helped her get custody of Hyun Woo, and she thinks she should be there to support Sung Han morally when he’s trying to get custody of Gi Yeong. However, Sung Han doesn’t want anyone to sacrifice anything for him and tells Seo Jin that she should return to the radio. With Hyun Woo, her young but mature son, ‘s support, she is already calling out her haters on her livestream, and now she has a friend like Sung Han who pushes her to get what she deserves.
‘Divorce Attorney Shin’ Season 1: Ending
Gi Yeong’s father is rich, and he gives Gi Yeong everything he needs. The lawyer claims that Gi Yeong would live more comfortably with his own father than with his uncle, who is an erratic artist-turned-lawyer. He says that Sung Han’s petition to get custody of Gi Yeong is unreasonable. To this, Sung Han replies that Gi Yeong could be physically fine, but emotionally he is not. His biological father doesn’t have time for him and doesn’t have an idea about what’s going on in his life, while his stepmother controls everything he does. While they are fighting here in court for his custody, he raises the question of whether they have asked Gi Yeong what he wants or how he feels. Gi Yeong’s father feels guilty after hearing this and agrees to testify. He had initially refused to do so but Sung Han’s words hurt him. His mother had told him that Yeong Ju had told Ju Hwa to die and threatened Gi Yeong’s safety. Geum Hwi knew everything from the beginning but kept it a secret until now. Gi Yeong’s father feels that he doesn’t deserve to keep Gi Yeong in a family like this. He reveals to the court that he had accessed Ju Hwa’s psychiatric rewards with help from Yu Seok to get custody of Gi Yeong. This becomes the decisive statement as Gi Yeong’s father is judged for his bad character, and his ability to raise his son in a healthy environment is questioned. The court rules in Sung Han’s favor, and Gi Yeong happily leaves his parent’s house to live in a new home with his uncle.
Yeong Ju isn’t too upset with the result because Sung Han has refused to keep any shares in Gi Yeong’s name, so she and her daughter get his shares as well. However, her relationship with her husband is ruined. He doesn’t talk to her anymore and is only staying with her for the sake of their daughter. He doesn’t wish to ruin yet another child’s life. Seo Jin has returned to the radio station and is getting support from her old listeners. She is learning to be confident in herself once again. Hyeong Geun, who had a hard time letting go of his ex-wife, finds new love in So Yeon.
From the beginning, it was hinted that Sung Han wanted revenge, but his real motive in “Divorce Attorney Shin” had always been to get custody of Gi Yeong. It is a little disappointing to see all the piled-up climaxes dissolve so easily, but Sung Han’s character was never lost once in the storyline. He remained a calm lawyer who fought wittily in court. However, if Gi Yeong’s character was going to be this important, his story should have been explored more. Seo Jin’s story was a heartwarming one with her one-of-a-kind relationship with her son, but lawyer Choi Joon’s character needed more exposure. He was used as a filler character when he was not the main character. His character and his story have the potential to grow. Now, it’s unlikely we’ll see Sung Han in another season, but we wouldn’t mind seeing Choi Joon as a divorce attorney with his quirky and witty personality. Nonetheless, the series was a fun one to watch with no pressure of trying to understand the complexities of the law, comic characters, and a touch of warmth to all the characters and their individual stories. It was a happy ending and a satisfying one at that.
