“One Dollar Lawyer” takes us into Ji Hoon’s past when Ma Ri asks his ex-colleague about what kind of person he is. Attorney Lee Ju Yeong seemed to be an important person in Ji Hoon’s life, and Ma Ri got curious about Ji Hoon’s past because she found Ju Yeong’s picture in his drawer. Ji Hoon met Ju Yeong when he was a prosecutor, and she was a lawyer at Baek law firm.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Was Ji Hoon Conflicted?
Ju Yeong defended Choi Ki Tae against embezzlement, and she was against Prosecutor Cheon Ji Hoon, who was known to be stubborn. He was raised in France but moved to Korea after his mother passed away. He had no family on record, and he was fearless when he investigated a case.
Ji Hoon wanted to summon Ki Tae for interrogation, but Ki Tae had connections and was allowed to give a written statement. However, thanks to Min Hyeok and Ye Jin, he got permission to bring Ki Tae for only one direct interrogation. That was enough for Ji Hoon to bring Ki Tae to confess.
Ki Tae’s manager, Yang Sang Gu, has disappeared after leaving a will for his family, and Ji Hoon holds Ki Tae responsible for it. Even though Ju Yeong told Ki Tae to keep quiet, he kept on talking. Ki Tae spoke confidently that he had nothing to do with Sang Gu’s disappearance, but the way Ji Hoon talked showed he had proof. So, Ji Yeong asked for a break.
Sang Gu had tried to hang himself, but Ji Hoon saved him. Sang Gu was afraid that Ki Tae would kill him if he went back, but Ji Hoon assured him of his safety. He proclaimed that Ki Tae would be glad to see Sang Gu alive. While Ju Yeong asked Ki Tae about the actual incident, Ji Hoon played the voice recording of Ki Tae telling Sang Gu to kill himself.
Ji Hoon really had proof which scared Ki Tae. Ju Yeong told him that the punishment for this is similar to that for murder and that he should prepare himself. In no time, a police officer arrived and arrested him. However, Sang Gu also arrived at the same time, which acquitted Ki Tae from the murder charges. Ki Tae was happier to get arrested for embezzlement than for murder.
Ju Yeong lost the bet against Ji Hoon and had to treat him to drinks. Ki Tae changed his lawyer, and Ju Yeong was sure that he would not speak up about for whom he worked for. Sang Gu told Ji Hoon that he used to supply cash to someone but never saw the person’s face because he would keep the money in the car’s trunk and leave.
Ji Hoon summoned many small thugs and showed them a booklet with pictures of different men. One of them finally reacted after seeing Sang Gu’s face, and Ji Hoon made him reveal everything in exchange for acquitting him of his petty crimes. In the meantime, Ji Hoon had gotten comfortable with Ju Yeong, and she asked him to go out with her.
The Thug followed the same process as Sang Gu to deliver the money, but only once; he had waited to see who took the money. The Thug didn’t see the person, but he saw the car’s license number.
Amidst his busy schedule, Ji Hoon took time out to visit his father on his birthday but got a surprise. His father’s car’s license number matched with the Thug’s said number. His father, Kim Yoon Seob, was a former prosecutor and was soon to become a presidential candidate. Ji Hoon was conflicted and only hoped that his father was not involved in the embezzlement.
When the time came to summon his father, Ji Hoon ate Jjajangmyeon with him first to reminisce about the old times. Ji Hoon’s father answered Ji Hoon’s summons and arrived for interrogation. Ji Hoon had a hidden agenda behind this and made his father listen to what other senior prosecutors thought about him.
The other prosecutors started informing assemblymen that they should clear their names and planned to trap Ji Hoon’s father alone in the embezzlement case. His father revealed all the involved assemblymen’s names, but he was not confident that Ji Hoon could handle such a big case. While his father was leaving, Ji Hoon told him that he had always wanted to become a great prosecutor like him.
Why Did Ju Yeong Quit Her Job?
Ji Hoon’s father was proud of his son when he saw him on a poster as Seoul’s best prosecutor. Long after his father had left, Ji Hoon received a call from his secretary that his father still hadn’t come out. They looked for him, and Ji Hoon found him deceased. It looked like he had jumped off the building. Afterward, Ji Hoon picked up a call on his father’s phone from a mysterious man who was asking his father to hurry up.
Ji Hoon believed that his father had been murdered and tried to find out who was the last person he talked to. His brothers wanted him to stop because, to them, Ji Hoon was the reason their father committed suicide. Ji Hoon continued his investigation and targeted many politicians who had burner phones with them. Ji Hoon’s seniors were upset with him, and they had to seize his office to stop him from investing.
Ju Yeong heard about Ji Hoon’s condition and tried to comfort him by saying that it wasn’t his fault, but he told her grievously that Kim Yoon Seob was his father. After hearing that, Ju Yeong tried to stay by Ji Hoon’s side as much as she could. Ji Hoon was feeling lost as no one could understand him, but Ju Yeong supported him unconditionally.
Ju Yeong had a good job at Baek law firm, and she was even offered a partnership in the firm. However, she resigned from her job because she had a new dream. She didn’t like defending rich people who were obviously at fault. She decided to open her own office and asked Ji Hoon to work with her. Ji Hoon still hoped he would find his father’s murderer and wouldn’t leave the prosecutor’s office.
Ji Hoon felt that Ju Yeong had done a lot for him, and he needed to do something in return for her. So, he asked her to get married to him. They got engaged, and Ju Yeong opened her new office. She got her first client on the very first day, and it was Sa Mu Jang. Because of him, she decided to keep the legal fee at just a thousand won. Ju Yeong was happy and shared the news with Ji Hoon first.
‘One Dollar Lawyer’ Episode 8: Ending
On her last day at Baek law firm, Ju Yeon bumped into a person whose documents had gotten interchanged. The person realized it first and sent someone to retrieve the controversial document from Ju Yeong. By that time, Ju Yeong had already read that document and informed Ji Hoon that she needed to show him something.
Ju Yeong got on the subway to meet Ji Hoon at the prosecutor’s office, but Ji Hoon waited for her at the subway station. When Ju Yeong didn’t come out of the train, Ji Hoon entered and found Ju Yeong bleeding. She was stabbed in the stomach. He took her to the hospital, but it was too late, and she died.
“One Dollar Lawyer” was filled with humor until now, but Ji Hoon’s tragic past story reveals why he is eccentric. He started wearing sunglasses to hide his eyes filled with pain, and he worked in Ju Yeong’s office to fulfill the dream that she had.
See more: ‘One Dollar Lawyer’ Episode 5 And 6: Recap And Ending – Did Ji Hoon Prove Min Jae’s Innocence?
