The office of the “One Dollar Lawyer” came into existence because Ji Hoon wanted to avenge the murder of his loved ones. However, Ji Hoon always believed that he had been running the office because it was Ju Yeong’s dream. When he realized his evil side, he disappeared to rethink his life decisions. After spending a year away, Ji Hoon is back and has decided to punish all those who wronged his loved ones. Ma Ri and Mu Jang wanted to help him and, hence, joined hands with him again.
Spoilers Ahead
How Does Min Chul Agree To Testify Against Choi?
Ji Hoon is back with his hilarious and reckless personality, and he barges straight into Cha Min Chul’s office. Min Chul is surprised to see Ji Hoon all of a sudden and wonders what he is there for. Ji Hoon only wants to inform Min Chul and his boss that he is back, and he leaves right after doing so. Ma Ri was with him all along, and she was as confused as Min Chul. Min Chul is Ju Yeong’s murderer, and Ji Hoon cracks jokes with him anyways. Ji Hoon asks Ma Ri if she expects him to beat him. The only way Ji Hoon is going to use it is the law.
Ji Hoon and his team visit Woo Seok, who has been serving a sentence for murdering Ju Yeong. Ji Hoon convinces him to agree to a retrial because he is confident that he can exonerate Woo Seok and charge Min Chul, the real murderer. Returning back to the case means Ma Ri will know that her grandfather is involved in Ju Yeong’s murder. Ma Ri sees her grandfather Baek’s picture on Ji Hoon’s board but doesn’t react. She doesn’t want Ji Hoon to know of her relationship with Baek, but Ji Hoon already knows. However, Ji Hoon drops Baek as a suspect because he talked with Baek after returning and confirmed that his firm represents Ju Yeong’s murderer but has no involvement in her murder.
Ji Hoon has photographs that can prove Woo Seok’s alibi, but they are not enough to prove his innocence. Ji Hoon resorts to his witty ways to set a trap for the culprit. He tells Min Chul that he has evidence against him, which worries Min Chul. In an incomprehensible way, Ji Hoon interrupts Min Chul in his activities and acts friendly with him. Ma Ri photographs them hugging and laughing as per Ji Hoon’s orders, but she doesn’t know why she is doing it.
Seo Min Hyuk left the prosecution and joined the Baek law firm when his investigation into Choi Ki Seok, the chairman of JQ Group, was still incomplete. Surprisingly, he gets assigned to Choi’s legal team at the Baek firm, which makes him want to begin investigating again. He meets his former team at the prosecution office and offers them help. Choi has no idea that his new legal team has a spy and also that he is being trapped by Ji Hoon, who has sent him a friendly picture posing with Min Chul.
As soon as Choi finds out that Ji Hoon has applied for Woo Seok’s retrial, he orders Min Chul to take full responsibility and stop Ji Hoon from whatever he is planning. Ji Hoon threw out the bait, and both Min Chul and Choi caught it. Min Chul is worried that he will lose his position and his life as well. He moves quickly and steals the retrial document from Ji Hoon’s office. He has also planned to kill Woo Seok and has moved him from prison to a hospital. Right after getting the document, he goes to the hospital and tries to inject Woo Seok with poison, but the prosecutors have been keeping a close watch and saving Woo Seok.
Ji Hoon was tailing Min Chul and informing prosecutor Na consequently. They catch Min Chul on CCTV when he enters Woo Seok’s room disguised as a doctor. He makes it onto the news, and he, along with his parent company, JQ Group, becomes the centre of attention in the country. This drives Choi crazy, and he orders the killing of Min Chul. Ji Hoon is still tailing Min Chul and rescues him from Choi’s hitmen on the condition that he testify against Choi.
How Does Ji Hoon Trap Choi?
Ma Ri returns to the Baek law firm and sneaks into her grandfather’s office. She wants to retrieve confidential files but doesn’t know the password. After multiple failed attempts, she receives a cryptic message from her grandfather, from which she decides to reveal the password. Her grandfather knows what she is up to, and he doesn’t stop her because he doesn’t like Choi either but is bound to help him as a client. Ma Ri finds a document about the JQ group associated with Ji Hoon’s father, Kim Yoon Sub, and informs Ji Hoon right away.
The confidential document concerns the legalization of narcotic painkillers, which many assemblymen supported, and both Ju Yeong and Ji Hoon’s fathers died because of this one document. Ji Hoon is on his way to meet Choi, while prosecutors Na and Min Hyuk have been recording Min Chul’s testimony. Min Chul has been locked up in a warehouse, and the prosecutors have been working there secretly. Min Chul helps them find another ledger in hopes of getting a shorter sentence.
Choi has never gotten his hands dirty and has always made others do all the dirty work. This makes it difficult to actually convict him of anything because he gets rid of those people before they can testify against him. That is why Min Chul is an important witness. Min Chul has been helping the prosecutors, but when he asks them about his sentence, they tell him that he will still get a life sentence because he has also murdered a person. This makes Min Chul change his mind, and he wants to join hands with Choi again.
Min Chul makes an excuse to go to the washroom and runs away from the warehouse. He asks Ji Hoon to meet him at a port where Choi and his hitmen are already present. Ji Hoon gets trapped, and with no way to escape, he accepts his fate. However, before dying, he wants to know if he caught the right person and asks Choi if it was his order to kill Ju Yeong. Choi has Ji Hoon at gunpoint, and he admits proudly that he ordered that. Moreover, he also tells Ji Hoon the reason his father killed himself. Choi had told Ji Hoon’s father that his son would be ashamed of him if he knew who he really was, and that had made Kim Yoon Sub jump off the building.
Ji Hoon was calm until Choi brought up his father. He fights back and runs away from Choi, only to get shot in the arm and fall into the ocean. Choi runs after him and fires blankly into the water, trying to kill Ji Hoon. After this intense fight, Choi is relieved that his big obstacle is gone. Moreover, Min Chul surrendered and claimed that the prosecutors forced him to give false testimony. Prosecutor Na has to sit before the disciplinary committee to justify her actions. To everyone’s surprise, Na presents solid evidence that changes the trajectory of this case.
Min Chul running away and Ji Hoon jumping into the ocean were Ji Hoon and Na’s plans all along. While Choi confessed to his crimes, Ji Hoon recorded it with a hidden camera. All the prosecutors barge into Choi’s office and leave him no chance to run away. It becomes a high-profile case in the country as many prominent politicians are involved in it. To avoid Choi using his influence, Ji Hoon gets appointed as a special prosecutor to handle Choi’s case. After years of suffering and desperately wanting to avenge himself, Ji Hoon finally succeeds in punishing the man who ruined his life.
‘One Dollar Lawyer’ Ending Explained
Ji Hoon goes back to the “One Dollar Lawyer” office after finishing his job as a special prosecutor. Ma Ri and Mu Jang want to increase the legal fee, but Ji Hoon denies their request. He still wants to be the same lawyer as before, one who works on both petty and huge cases. He takes their leave and goes looking for a client who wants to jump off a bridge because of debt. However, the person got flows to the land nearby after jumping off the bridge, and Ji Hoon brings a paddy boat to take him back.
Undoubtedly hilarious and equally intriguing in the beginning, the series completely changed after introducing Ji Hoon’s past. It was suspenseful but not intriguing enough. Ji Hoon and Ju Yeong’s short-lived love story was doomed from the beginning, and it was hurtful to watch. The humorous approach would have worked better to keep the audience engaged. Nevertheless, it was a good blend of comedy, drama, and thriller to make it entertaining.
See more: ‘One Dollar Lawyer’ Episode 11: Recap And Ending: Why Did Ji Hoon Disappear All Of A Sudden?
