“Extraordinary Attorney Woo” gave us an entertaining and enlightening story of an autistic lawyer and her journey to fit into a world that is not yet accustomed to people like her. This 2022 Netflix series became a hit in no time, not only because of its story but also because of all the interesting characters in it. Young Woo has only one friend from high school and another one from law school who also becomes her colleague. Young Woo’s little social life is restricted to her office, where she meets both supportive and discouraging people.
Character Of Woo Young Woo: Explained
Woo Young Woo is a child born out of wedlock and has been raised by a single father. Her mother, Tae Su Mi, didn’t want to get married, let alone have a child, and hence, made a deal with Young Woo’s father not to contact her after Young Woo’s birth. Young Woo was only interested in Law from childhood since her father was a lawyer himself. She passed law school with the highest grade but failed to get a job for many months because of her autism. However, Hanbada Law Firm’s CEO is her father’s friend, and she gives Young Woo a job finally. Young Woo’s mentor was doubtful about her initially but handled Young Woo’s eccentric behavior patiently.
The only other thing Young Woo is obsessed with, other than the Law, would be whales. She compares every situation in her life or any case she is working on, with whales and their lifestyles. Whenever she is happy or finds a solution to a problem, she imagines whales floating around her. Young Woo is peculiar about everything and wants everything neat and clean. She only eats Kimbap because she gets surprised if there are unknown ingredients with unknown tastes in a dish. Her behavior often comes off as eccentric to others, but it is the only way for Young Woo to be comfortable around people. She speaks without hesitation and doesn’t understand, even if it is rude or offensive to others. However, she is a genius when it comes to Law, and it outshines all of her flaws.
Young Woo may be autistic and unable to understand emotions and situations like others, but she is not afraid to do what she hasn’t done before. Be it walking through a revolving door or trying to eat meat for the first time, She learns through experience and doesn’t shy away from admitting when she doesn’t know something. She knows herself too well to understand that her boyfriend must be feeling lonely because of her eccentricity. She is innocent and has a pure heart, and that’s what adds to her charm.
Character Of Lee Jun Ho: Explained
Lee Jun Ho works in the litigation team at Hanbada Law Firm and is already famous among women for his charming looks and kind personality. He works with Young Woo’s team and accompanies them to most of their cases. He falls in love with Young Woo, and it is not out of sympathy. Young Woo was love at first sight for him, and he didn’t need a reason to love her. Her autism doesn’t matter to him, and he is understanding of her. He listens to her talk about whales the entire time but gets jealous when she talks about another man once. Though everything about him looks perfect, he is not. He couldn’t understand if Young Woo liked him for such a long time but dared to ask her in the end.
Jun Ho is non-judgemental, kind, and lives life on his own terms. He loves Young Woo dearly, but that doesn’t stop him from communicating the issues they have, just because Young Woo is autistic. When Young Woo breaks up with him, he doesn’t badmouth her. Instead, he lets her take her time. After she finally opens up to him, he doesn’t force her to accept his love but makes her understand his love in a way she can understand. His love for her is unconditional but not blind. If she is wrong, he tells her so, and they work it out together.
Character Of Jung Myeong Seok: Explained
A senior attorney at Hanbada, Jung Myeong Seok, is intelligent and a workaholic. He had his doubts about Young Woo at first but was still patient with her. After knowing Young Woo’s potential, he starts to support her in every way. He doesn’t get annoyed when Young Woo starts talking about whales or another irrelevant topic in the middle of a conversation. He is supportive not only of Young Woo but of his other juniors as well. He gives them a chance to put forth their ideas without judging them. He covers for their mistakes but also gives them an earful when they need it.
Myeong Seok’s wife divorced him because of his workaholic nature, but after he gets diagnosed with cancer, he wonders if he really lived a good life. Myeong Seok loves his work, but his obsession starts dying down after the surgery, and he rethinks getting back with his ex-wife. His juniors become his source of strength unknowingly, and they don’t let him regret the life he has lived until now. He is an open-minded and optimistic person who only wants to live a happy life.
Character Of Choi Su Yeon: Explained
Young Woo’s only friend from college is Choi Su Yeon, and Young Woo calls her Spring’s Sunshine. She always helps Young Woo in doing the little things like opening a bottle cap or informing her whenever the café is serving Kimbap. She is a genius lawyer herself but never sees Young Woo as her competition. Her father is a judge at the supreme court, but she doesn’t let that fact pressure her to prove her worth. Like most women at their firm, she also had a crush on Jun Ho, but she was also the first to find out that Jun Ho liked Young Woo.
Despite having a crush on Jun Ho, she helped Young Woo realize her feelings for Jun Ho, and she was supportive of their relationship. She often fights with Kwon Min Woo and is the only one who tells him off whenever he tries to bully Young Woo. However, as she gets to know the other side of him, she develops a crush on him and becomes the spring sunshine in his life as well. She is a warm person who assures people that their existence is worthwhile and that they matter.
Kwon Min Woo
The most hated character of the series until the final episode, Attorney Kwon Min Woo, was notorious in law school as’ The Tactician.’ He is ambitious and wants to climb his career ladder as quickly as he can. He acknowledges that Young Woo is a genius, and he sees her as his rival. He often feels that Young Woo gets special treatment because she is autistic and tries to pick on her every time he gets a chance. He even tries to get her fired from the job to get himself a job at the Taesan law firm. He knew that Young Woo was Tae Su Mi’s daughter before anyone else at Hanbada. His ambition for success had made him greedy, but he knew he could be a better person. He just didn’t want people with money and power to walk all over him.
Min Woo believed that he would live a comfortable life as he neared his thirties, but life turned out differently for him than he imagined. His parents are sick, and he is the breadwinner of the family. All he can think of is having a stable job and a decent income so that he can have a comfortable life for himself and his family. He sees everything as a competition, but Su Yeon changes him in the end. When he realizes his feelings for Su Yeon, he realizes that he has been ignoring everything good around him. He refuses to live pitifully anymore.
The main characters of “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” spent a lot of time with each other and influenced each other’s lives. Young Woo, Myeong Seok, and Min Woo got a lot more from this professional friendship than anyone else. When Young Woo felt accepted for the first time when she got to work with such a supportive team, Myeong Seok worked for so long, but these juniors made him feel like his life was worth it when he was going through a hard time because of cancer. Lastly, Kwon Min Woo. It was easy to ignore him because of his wicked intentions, but he grew out of that mentality, only thanks to his team. If anyone had the best glow-up by the end of the series, it would be him.
“Extraordinary Attorney Woo” is a 2022 South Korean Legal Drama series streaming on Netflix with subtitles.
