Suspicious Partner Episode 4 Recap
No Ji Wook (Ji Chang Wook) finds the murder weapon under Bong Hee’s refrigerator. He remembers the victim’s father (Ji Wook’s big boss and the victim is Bong Hee’s ex-boyfriend Jang Hee Joon) telling him the murder weapon would show up. The inference is that the knife has been planted. Recall Ji Wook’s assistant just received a call the murder weapon was found in a field (which is where the murderer dumped the knife). Ji Wook asks forensics to test both knives for the victim’s blood. Ji Wook asks them to consider the knife found in the field as top secret.
Eun Bong Hee (Nam Ji Hyun) tells Lawyer Ji that she worked hard to pass the bar to give her mother and herself a comfortable life. All this is at stake now. She isn’t a charity case. She’s a woman about to lose everything she’s worked for. Well said!
Ji Wook meets Lawyer Ji Eun Hyuk (Choi Tae Joon) (though they sit a different table and don’t look at each other). Lawyer Ji assures Ji Wook he will give Bong Hee a good defense. He says he’s doing it for Ji Wook. That doesn’t go over well and Ji Wook heads to the elevator. Lawyer Ji follows and asks if Ji Wook will ever forgive him. No, is the simple answer. Undaunted Lawyer Ji says he’ll see Ji Wook in court. He yells he loves him to the retreating Ji Wook.
What is their relationship? What caused the rift between them?
Ji Wook storms into the interrogation room and yells at Bong Hee that it’s her fault he had to talk to someone he hates. She shrinks back. Ji Wook feels guilty for yelling. He asks his assistant what progress has been made. What to eat (black bean noodles) has been decided. Ha!
Ji Wook recalls telling his assistant that if there’s blood on both knives, Bong Hee isn’t the murderer.
Ji Wook tells Bong Hee this is the last time they’ll meet with her as a suspect. Next time she’ll be the defendant. Bong Hee tells Ji Wook she believes in him and she knows he believes in her. He doesn’t respond.
The next day Ji Wook arrives in the courtroom in his prosecutor robe. Bong Hee stares at him. Ji Wook flicks a glance to her.
Ji Wook makes his opening statement. Lawyer Ji doesn’t accept the charge of murder. Na Ji Hae (Kim Ye Won) testifies to Bong Hee’s negative relationship with Hee Joon. She recounts the threats Bong Hee made. Lawyer Ji counters those threats were made in jest. Ji Hae stands firm that Bong Hee’s threats implied intent to harm. Lawyer Ji reminds her that she claimed she’d kill Bong Hee at the police station. That lessens the impact of Ji Hae’s statement.
Another witness testifies to the curse song Bong Hee sang that included a statement about killing. Lawyer Ji points out that the witness asked Bong Hee on date after Bong Hee broke up with Hee Joon, but was rejected. Lawyer Ji asks the witness if he’d want to date a woman that could kill someone. Lawyer Ji asks if the witness is angry Bong Hee rejected his date. That lessens the impact of the witness’ statement.
Bong Hee testifies that she did say mean things and sing the curse song but that was because she was angry in the moment. Bong Hee says if she’d wanted to kill him she wouldn’t have advertised that fact. Bong Hee makes the point that threats release anger. She observes everyone in the room has likely wanted to kill someone at some point, but that doesn’t mean they’d act upon the anger in they felt in a moment. That doesn’t resonate as she hoped.
The reporters boast that Bong Hee practically admitted to killing the victim. The public consumes the news reports and assume Bong Hee is guilty.
The only ones impressed with Bong Hee are her cell mates. Ha!
Ji Wook gets the forensics results from the lab. He reads the results and puts his head in his hands.
The next day Ji Wook sees Bong Hee brought in from prison. The reporters swarm Bong Hee again.
In court, Ji Wook asks to submit a knife found at Bong Hee’s house. Lawyer Ji says the original search found no knife at Bong Hee’s house. Ji Wook brings the knife to the judges for examination. Lawyer Ji argues a knife doesn’t suddenly materialize. The judge accepts the knife into evidence but asks for the forensic expert’s opinion.
The forensics expert says the knife matches the wound in the victim’s body. Lawyer Ji suggests the knife is fabricated evidence. The forensics expert doesn’t agree or disagree. Lawyer Ji concludes the possibility exists.
As Ji Wook gives his closing argument, he remembers his father saying his older sister was killed by a criminal. Because of that his father because a prosecutor that fought for justice. He was Ji Wook’s hero. A young Ji Wook cries for his dead father. His father was killed just like his sister. That spurred Ji Wook to become a prosecutor. He finishes the closing argument and asks for a 15-year sentence for Bong Hee.
During Lawyer Ji’s closing argument, Ji Wook stands and interrupts. He tells the judge there is one more piece of evidence. Ji Wook admits there was another murder weapon. He produces the second knife. He tells the judge both knives had the victim’s blood on them. He shows where the knife was found, 7 km away from the apartment. Ji Wook calmly states Bong Hee didn’t have time to kill and dispose the knife. Ji Wook says unless Bong Hee had an accomplice it would be impossible for her put the knife where it was found.
The judge asks Ji Wook why he didn’t submit the knife initially. Ji Wook admits winning was more important than the truth. He drops the charges against Bong Hee because of the conflicting evidence.
The courtroom is stunned. Bong Hee is stunned. Byeon Young Hee (Lee Deok Hwa) tells Bong Hee’s mother that Ji Wook just imploded his career to save her daughter. While Bong Hee is happy, she’s not happy at the price Ji Wook will have to pay for his actions.
Ji Wook passes through the gauntlet of reporters without responding to their questions. Bong Hee and Lawyer Ji do the same. But Bong Hee’s attention is captured by the whistle, the memory of a man on a bike on the night of the murder, and she scans the crowd until Lawyer Ji urges her into the bus.
Hee Joon’s father and the big prosecutor boss hits Ji Wook again and again in fury.
I’d like to smack Hee Joon’s father and say he created the situation by planting the false knife.
Bong Hee’s mother goes with her to the apartment building. Her first time back.
Young Hee tells Ji Wook he didn’t have to sacrifice his career to get Bong Hee off. Ji Wook shrugs.
Bong Hee tells her mother she cannot be charged with murder again, now that Ji Wook dropped the charges. Bong Hee amends that if decisive evidence is found, she can be arrested again. Her mother is relieved. Bong Hee knows Ji Wook sacrificed for her.
Young Hee asks what drove Ji Wook to do it. His reply? Fate.
Bong Hee finds that Ji Wook has annotated her journal in all the spots where she wrote things about him. She smiles.
That was cute and a clever way to communicate!
Ji Wook packs up his office, looks at his robe, and knows his career is done. His assistants are sad to see him go. Ji Wook smiles and bids them adieu.
Bong Hee walks with a smile, thinking “I was hurt by a man and didn’t think I could trust a man again. But I ended up liking and trusting another man.” She watches Ji Wook walk with his belongings in a box. Ji Wook spots her. He stops. He stares.
They walk to each other. Ji Wook says they were brought together by fate. She smiles. Ji Wook amends his statement. They have an ill-fated relationship. The smile fades from her face. Ji Wook says they shouldn’t see each other again. He walks away.
My Thoughts
The prequel of their relationship is done. I found it an odd beginning for a romantic comedy. The first two episodes were cute and fun. Then a murder occurred and changed their lives. The second two episodes dealt with the murder and the trial where Ji Wook threw away his career to save her. Actually, he threw away his career because he couldn’t convict an innocent woman. While I admire Ji Wook’s sacrifice, I’m with Young Hee, was it really necessary?
Now we’ll move into the rebuilding of their lives and the “what happens next”. I’d like more romantic comedy and less drama. However, the murderer is still at large. Hee Joon’s father harbors hate in his heart for Ji Wook and Bong Hee. So it ain’t over yet.
Eun Bong Hee (Nam Ji Hyun) manages to make her eyes imploring even behind thick black framed glasses. She bore through the prison stint well, coming out the other side full of gratitude for Ji Wook. But he wasn’t interested in her thanks. He chose to walk away from Bong Hee leaving her unable to tell him what his actions meant to her life and her heart. I like Bong Hee. I look forward to the next phase of her life. I look forward to her future entanglements with Ji Wook. I’m betting she’ll be able to break down Ji Wook’s walls.
No Ji Wook (Ji Chang Wook) sacrificed his career to save Bong Hee. The importance of his career was explained in flashbacks. His honorable father was a prosecutor, hence Ji Wook’s dream to become one too. Ji Wook noted his father and sister were killed. Did Hee Joon’s murderer have anything to do with it? Ji Wook didn’t casually throw his career away, he considered it and found no other alternative where he could control and achieve the desired outcome, Bong Hee’s freedom. Ji Wook has taken the standard stance with Bong Hee, let’s not see each other again. But as he noted, they have a fated relationship. He won’t be able to walk away that easily. And may I say, Ji Chang Wook rocks a suit.
Asian drama fan. I watch and blog dramas on https://kjtamusings.wordpress.com/.
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KJT, I kept wondering the same thing about lawyer Ji and Ji Wook, “What is their relationship⁉ What caused the rift between ⁉”
When the D.A. told Ji Wook evidence would turn up, I wondered if he didn’t have evidence planted 🌱? I also wondered if blood found the 🗡 from the field came from the body bag victim; since both 🗡🗡 had Hee Joon blood on them, made investigation and evidence look 🐠-y.
Lawyer Ji worked his legal magic 🎩✨ as he downgraded the importance of the testimonies against Bong Hee, especially Ji Hae’s testimony about Bong Hee’s “death threats”. Using Ji Hae’s own death threat against Bong Hee at the 👮 station. I ❤the way Ji Wook’s back-📸 of his dad morphed into seeing him in present day pictured in muted, almost sepia tones.
I was proud of Ji Wook when he took the ethical path to uncover the truth and getting Bong Hee released. I was DISGUSTED that the D.A. repeatedly hit Ji Wook for ethically pursuing the truth. You would think the D.A., especially being the victim’s father, would would want the real culprit caught and punished rather than frame the victim’s ex-girlfriend as a scape-🐐. Did he simply want the case to be ⁉. It was chilling when Bong Hee recognized the murderer’s whistling; knowing that not only was the culprit was free, but hanging around her vacinity.
If I was Bong Hee, I would not to return to the apartment where someone was murdered, especially when she knows the real culprit was hanging around close by. As Bong Hee moves forward in her legal career I imagined Ji Hae and the D.A. cause road blocks 🚧 for Bong Hee.
I was sad 😞😔 when Ji Wook told Bong Hee he didn’t want to see her again… we’ll see about that…
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I also wondered if blood found the 🗡 from the field came from the body bag victim; since both 🗡🗡 had Hee Joon blood on them
I hadn’t considered that.
I was DISGUSTED that the D.A. repeatedly hit Ji Wook for ethically pursuing the truth. You would think the D.A., especially being the victim’s father, would would want the real culprit caught and punished rather than frame the victim’s ex-girlfriend as a scape-🐐.
The DA’s willingness to plant evidence showed the kind of man he is and honorable isn’t an adjective to apply to him. I agree wouldn’t you want the real murderer brought to justice?
It was chilling when Bong Hee recognized the murderer’s whistling; knowing that not only was the culprit was free, but hanging around her vacinity.
Concur. Whistling can be like nails on a chalkboard but this was had a creepy almost warning vibe.
If I was Bong Hee, I would not to return to the apartment where someone was murdered, especially when she knows the real culprit was hanging around close by.
Excellent point. She needs a fresh start in a new location.
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I’m guessing the Ji Boys are brothers or cousins, but is Old Grey Toupee their father/Uncle? (No disrespect intended because I like that actor but just describing who I’m talking about).
I’m winding why Ji Wook didn’t give the found “extra” murder weapon to Atty Ji to produce on behalf of his client. Them out wouldn’t be his fault that the fake evidence was submitted because nobody other than his partner and forensics dude knew Ji Wook had the extra knife.
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Excellent point about the knife. That would have avoided the career suicide. But as a honorable prosecutor could Ji Wook hand over evidence with a clear conscience?
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I just remembered something that I meant to ask if you guys noticed in this episode (I think it was this episode), as
Bong hee is being escorted by police and the press, Ji Wook covers her handcuffs with his handkerchief. That’s all well & good except, her body and arms had rope wound around like 4-5 times. I thought about this because I’m watching anther drama where a case is cracked because a guy sticks out his hand to shake hands but it’s his left hand and he has blood under the fingernails of his left hand that he used to stab somebody with. I see this a lot in Kdramas, but that would never happen in the U.S. because nobody ever, never, shakes hands with their left. Even if their right hand is broken, they made reach out with the left in a fingers grasping position, but not in the straight position the way we do with a handshake.
So the covering of the handcuffs just looks so funny to me, as of they don’t realize the point is to keep the press and onlookers from realizing the person is under arrest. But that rope being on the person means covering the handcuffs is pointless.
I find these types of misappropriations cute. just like how all Korean dramas are called “dramas” Even if they’re comedies. 🙂
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I find these types of misappropriations cute. just like how all Korean dramas are called “dramas” Even if they’re comedies. 🙂
Good observation. I had not noticed this myself. Love your attention to detail!
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About Wook’s and Ji’s rift, I am guessing that he’s the person Wook’s ex cheated with. She was pretty, the two men were probably best friends and it happens sometime that best friend is in love with friend’s girlfriend… So, few drinks and untimely outcome. If it was one time thing. Note: I’ve not spoiled myself on their relationship, so I am just guessing, even at episode 8. It just seems quite probable.
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