Jisung and his colleagues became targets of corrupt power.
On the 6th, in episode 11 of MBC Friday-Saturday drama The Judge Returns (planned by Namgung Seong-woo, Chang Jae-hoon; written by Kim Kwang-min; directed by Lee Jae-jin, Park Mi-yeon; produced by OH Story, Slingshot Studio), the perilous struggle of Lee Han-young (Jisung) and his helpers, who risked their lives to infiltrate the heart of corrupt power, was portrayed.
That day, the ratings recorded 14.2% in the metropolitan area and 13.2% nationwide, based on Nielsen Korea household ratings, firmly holding the top spot among Friday-Saturday dramas. In particular, when Lee Han-young revealed to his colleagues that the head of the shadow government was Park Kwang-to (played by Son Byung-ho) and said, "Soooje is the real power that moves Korea. They are terrible and strong men, so you can stay out of it," prosecutor Kim Jin-a replied, "But you said we're one team. One team," and the moment the real Panvengers formed shot the momentary nationwide household rating to a peak of 15.3% based on Nielsen Korea. Moreover, reflecting changes in media consumption, the 20-54 channel competitiveness core indicator rating was 5%, ranking first among all programs broadcast that day, making the The Judge Returns craze palpable. In this way, The Judge Returns achieved a triple crown in metropolitan, nationwide, and 20-54 household ratings, proving its Friday night dominance.
Kang Shin-jin (Park Hee-soon) revealed his lust for power, saying, "I'll get rid of Park Kwang-to (Son Byung-ho), who believes in shamans, and become the owner of Soojae," and sent a love call to Lee Han-young, saying, "When the time comes, I will need someone to establish a new justice with me." Lee Han-young pretended to agree with Kang Shin-jin's theory of justice that justice must be faster, clearer and ruthless than evil, but inwardly vowed even more to root out Kang Shin-jin, thinking, "The justice you envision is self-righteousness."
Meanwhile, Lee Seong-dae (Jo Sang-ki), who obtained the call records between Lee Han-young and Park Cheol-woo (Hwang Hee), learned the details of the incident in which 3 billion won was taken, putting Han-young in a precarious situation. Lee Han-young summoned Park Cheol-woo, who said he would return 500 million won, and Oh Se-young, who promised to give Seong-dae a lawyer position at Haenaru law firm, and tried to persuade them. Seong-dae, who had been rejecting the shocking offer, finally raised the white flag when 3 billion won was about to be deposited under his daughter's name, because it made him look as if he had embezzled the 3 billion he had reported as fraud and siphoned it away without Kang Shin-jin knowing. At that moment, Baek Yi-seok (Kim Tae Woo), who suddenly appeared, came in with documents containing Seong-dae's trial dealings and illicit solicitations and drove the point home with "Shut up and leave," showcasing the essence of bold team play.
With the momentum, Lee Han-young's gaze turned higher. Knowing that the illegal loans of Jang Tae-sik (Kim Beom-rae) would be exposed when a loan officer at Jeongdawoon Savings Bank was arrested on embezzlement charges, Lee Han-young informed Kim Jin-a (Won Jin-a) and fired the starting shot for the investigation. While investigating the embezzlement ringleader, Kim Jin-a obtained the eS Shopping loan details from him, and when Jang Tae-sik was urgently arrested, Song Na-yeon (Baek Jin-hee) spread rumors to senior and junior reporters about Jang Tae-sik's slush fund. The rumor quickly spread and reached the ears of Jang Yong-hyun (played by Kim Byung-kee), chairman of eS Group and Jang Tae-sik's father.
Chairman Jang Yong-hyun, who, together with his son Jang Tae-sik, had used Jeongdawoon Savings Bank to amass a slush fund of more than 500 billion won, felt the heat on his heels. He immediately called Kang Shin-jin to ask for help, but Shin-jin, noting that eS Group, which grew through collusion between business and politics, could fall out of Park Kwang-to's favor, instead urged him to admit Jang Tae-sik's illegal acts and accept trial. However, he proposed a backroom deal to have Lee Han-young preside over the trial and release Jang Tae-sik on suspended sentence, and the brazenness of demanding 100 billion won in return raised viewers' anger. Meanwhile, sensing he had been sacrificed to take the fall after hearing that the prosecution would indict, Jang Tae-sik dreamed of revenge, thinking it was Kim Jin-a's plan.
At that moment, Lee Han-young confessed to Kim Jin-a, Seok Jung-ho (Tae Won Seok) and Park Cheol-woo that the true power moving Korea was former president and head of the shadow government Park Kwang-to. Lee Han-young, concerned for his team members' safety, gave them an opportunity to step back, but the "Panvengers" instead strengthened their resolve and showed the appearance of a true one team. Lee Han-young targeted the Sunjin Happiness Foundation, suspected to be Park Kwang-to's slush fund reservoir, and announced the plan, "We will cultivate Jang Tae-sik's trial properly and strike Park Kwang-to as well."
However, at the end of the broadcast, the mood sharply reversed when Kim Jin-a was threatened by a killer hired by Jang Tae-sik. In the desperate moment when a cold blade touched Kim Jin-a's neck, the sight of Lee Han-young racing down the road sensing the danger plunged viewers into extreme tension and exploded curiosity for the next episode.
Immediately after the broadcast, viewers reacted heatedly, saying, "Jisung completely swallowed Lee Han-young," "Kang Shin-jin is so despicable but Park Hee-soon is truly great at acting," "Team Lee Han-young divides tasks well in group projects. Baek Yi-seok is the finishing touch!," "Please let Han-young and Se-hee be happy in this life," "Every time Won Jin-a and Kim Beom-rae interact it's intriguing," "Han-young and Jin-a's story breaks your heart," and "It's such a shame next week is the final episode."
MBC Friday-Saturday drama The Judge Returns episode 12 will air on the 7th at 9:50 p.m.
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