What was thought to be the judgment of justice, a single line from Jisung, froze living rooms and achieved a peak instantaneous rating of 15.9%, higher than episode 11.
On the 7th, in episode 12 of MBC's 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), Lee Han-young (played by Jisung) brought down Jang Tae-sik (played by Kim Beom-rae) with the "Pan Avengers" members and jailed Park Gwang-to (played by Son Byung-ho), but then surprised viewers with an unpredictable move that stepped back into the den of evil. That day's ratings recorded 12.1% in households in the Seoul metropolitan area and 11.5% nationwide, according to Nielsen Korea, proving its class as the top Friday-Saturday drama. In particular, the ending scene in which Lee Han-young smiles and says, "Congratulations on His Excellency's safe return," at the party celebrating Park Gwang-to's return to Suoje was goosebump-inducing, reaching a peak instantaneous rating of 15.9% nationwide according to Nielsen Korea. In addition, reflecting changes in media consumption, the channel competitiveness core metric for viewers aged 20-54 was 4.2%, ranking first among dramas in the same time slot and showing late-stage strength for the series.
In that broadcast, Lee Han-young received a secret persuasion from Jang Yong-hyeon (played by Kim Byung-ki) to seek a five-year prison sentence for Jang Tae-sik (played by Kim Beom-rae). Avoiding a definite answer, Lee Han-young later visited Kang Shin-jin (played by Park Hee-soon) to ask his intentions. Kang Shin-jin hinted that he wanted Jang Tae-sik taken care of, saying, "Show the justice you talked about. Anyway, if I become the owner of Suoje, they would have been the ones I swept away," and Lee Han-young raised the tension of the drama by promising to judge according to legal principles and foreshadowing a refreshing verdict.
Meanwhile, Kang Shin-jin contacted Attorney Byun (played by Kim Han-gyeol), who was working for Jang Tae-sik, urging him to decide. Previously, under pressure from Jang Yong-hyeon to take the fall for Jang Tae-sik's illegal loans, Attorney Byun, whose trust was broken, informed Kang Shin-jin of the existence of Jang Tae-sik's hidden nominee accounts and promised to hand over half of the accounts' balances, 20 billion won, to Kang Shin-jin.
The Pan Avengers' pursuit aimed at the great evil continued. Song Na-yeon (played by Baek Jin-hee) infiltrated the Seonjin Happiness Foundation office and succeeded in copying the falsified accounting ledgers, which she handed over to Park Cheol-woo (played by Hwang Hee). However, Park Cheol-woo's superior refused to investigate, and Song Na-yeon also met fierce opposition from the desk and failed to publish the article. Lee Han-young said, "Now that the media and prosecutors are moving, the enemies will move too," and waited for the right moment. As expected, Kang Shin-jin learned Park Cheol-woo had the ledgers and met him, urging him to strike the foundation. Lee Han-young saw through Kang Shin-jin's attempt to use the Seonjin Happiness Foundation chairman to cut tails and began to expand the game. The meticulous battle of wits between good and evil greatly enhanced viewers' enjoyment.
Taking full-scale offensive action, Lee Han-young recruited opposition party lawmaker Gwak Sang-chul (played by Lee Jong-Hyuk). With the falsified accounting ledgers that would prove Park Gwang-to's crimes and the extraordinary card of guaranteeing nomination rights, Lee Han-young persuaded Gwak Sang-chul to expose the corruption. At the same time, Song Na-yeon found a clue at the Seonjin Happiness Foundation that nominee accounts had been created using the names of missing and deceased people, and Park Cheol-woo secured CCTV showing Park Gwang-to's driver withdrawing cash from a nominee account, increasing the pressure. As a result, the Seonjin Happiness Foundation became the target of a search and seizure, Park Gwang-to's status changed to that of a suspect, and he was driven to the brink.
On the fateful trial day on which the fate of S Group hung, Jang Tae-sik believed Attorney Byun would take the fall for him, but that hope was thoroughly broken. Attorney Byun betrayed him by releasing video evidence and a recorded transcript containing Jang Tae-sik's corrupt acts and the order to kill Kim Jin-ah. In the end, Jang Tae-sik was devastated, sentenced to 170 billion won in forfeiture and 20 years in prison. Jang Yong-hyeon was also urgently arrested on charges of tax evasion and bribery, and the scenes of the axis of evil falling one after another prompted viewers to rejoice.
However, a huge twist came at the end of the drama. While Kim Jin-ah and Park Cheol-woo were demoted due to a leak of investigative materials, a scene appeared in which Park Gwang-to, who was thought to be detained, enjoyed a lavish party at Suoje with Kang Shin-jin and political and business figures. The shocking ending, in which Lee Han-young, present at the gathering, smiled and greeted, "Congratulations on His Excellency's safe return," raised anticipation for next week's final episode to a fever pitch.
[Photo] Broadcast capture
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