'The Judge Returns' has kicked off a full-scale war between justice and great evil, drawing attention to the Lee Han-young line and the Kang Shin-jin line within the court.
MBC's Friday-Saturday drama 'The Judge Returns' (planned by Namgung Seong-woo, Chang Jae-hoon, written by Kim Gwang-min, directed by Lee Jae-jin and Park Mi-yeon) features Lee Han-young (Jisung), who lives a second life, and with a satisfying narrative in which he punishes villains in unpredictable ways has drawn strong responses and gathered praise from viewers. As Kang Shin-jin (Park Hee-soon) began to take an interest in Lee Han-young's actions, the outlines of the Lee Han-young line and the Kang Shin-jin line, which will ignite conflict within the court, were revealed, heightening curiosity about the next developments.
The returned Lee Han-young struck and captured serial killer Kim Sang-jin (Bae In Hyuk) with a car. Upon hearing the news, his superior, chief presiding judge Im Jeong-sik (Kim Byung-chun), scolded Lee Han-young, but at the remark, "My parents gave birth to me and chief presiding judge raised me," he immediately softened his expression, drawing laughter. In addition, he delivered the good news to his cherished junior Lee Han-young: "The court chief was pleased to hear about this case." In this process, Lee Han-young and Im Jeong-sik's lively back-and-forth revealed the intimacy between the two while shouldering the cheerful atmosphere that eased the drama's tension.
Afterward, Im Jeong-sik took Lee Han-young to introduce him to Chungnam court chief Baek Yi-seok (Kim Tae Woo). The upright judge Yi-seok welcomed Han-young, saying, "I am pleased when I meet a good junior." When Lee Han-young expressed his desire to go down to the presiding judge's bench to finish the Kim Sang-jin trial, he showed satisfaction, saying, "A judge should have that level of magnanimity." Baek Yi-seok deliberately assigned difficult cases to Lee Han-young to test his ability, and came to fully trust him. Expectations are growing about how the apostles of justice on Lee Han-young's side will confront the great evil.
Meanwhile, Kang Shin-jin's henchmen also began to show a dark presence. In 2035, Kim Jin-han (Jung Hee-tae), who is closest to Shin-jin, pressured him when Lee Han-young, who was presiding over the trial of S Group chairman Jang Tae-sik (Kim Beom-rae) for slush fund creation and tax evasion, submitted his resignation, saying, "Still, your resignation probably won't be accepted for the time being. Chief justice Kang Shin-jin is very interested in this trial." Han-young remained unmoved and handed down a heavy sentence, but that ultimately became the fuse for a tragic death. Even after Lee Han-young returned 10 years earlier, Kim Jin-han's influence remained strong. He recruited Lee Han-young's colleague Kim Yun-hyeok (Jang Jae-ho) to keep a close watch on Han-young and hinted that he would apply the brakes to his actions.
Meanwhile, when Kim Yun-hyeok showed interest by telling Kim Jin-han that Lee Han-young "doesn't seem like a judge who only utters harsh words," he inwardly displayed an uncomfortable expression. The sense of defeat he felt toward his colleague Han-young reached its peak at a meal with Shin-jin. It was humiliating that Shin-jin couldn't properly remember his name but remembered Han-young's name. Moreover, his inferiority complex exploded when he learned that Lee Han-young, through Im Jeong-sik's introduction, even met the youngest daughter of Haenal Law Firm, Yoo Se-hee (Oh Se-young). Attention is focused on what upheaval his relentless jealousy will bring.
With the Lee Han-young line and the Kang Shin-jin line surfacing within the court, attention is focused on the spark of conflict they will ignite. It makes one wonder what fierce war the band of good people pursuing justice will wage against the deep-rooted forces of evil that have continued since the past; the next story is eagerly anticipated.
[Photo] Provided by MBC
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