Pro Bono episode 11 features two very striking cases, both kind of involving Da-Wit as a defendant, but the second is about a surprise character, Yeong-Sil’s father. Since the show began, Yeong-Sil has been quiet; he’s been flying under the radar, and everyone likes him loads, but he doesn’t really get to do many lawyer-y tasks. However, in this episode, we finally have the full answers to why he had a stammering problem, and what led him to live a life separate from his family. This episode tackles the taboo of the live-in relationship, i.e., mistresses of old men. So many times this is a plotline that gets used as a comedic punchline or just something random that’s used as a common trope, but it’s really not? I don’t know why old men think they get a free pass. Anyway, I quite liked what this show has done with it, and the second half of this episode was especially entertaining. With only one episode remaining in the show, though, I can’t help but feel like it’s going to feel rushed in a way. But, at least it won’t feel empty, so with that said, let’s jump straight into episode 11.
Spoiler Alert
Does The Team Prove Da-Wit Guilty Of Abuse Of Power?
Episode 10 of Pro Bono ended with Da-Wit’s shocking confession while he was being cross-examined by Gi-Ppeum that he was guilty of wanting revenge against Chairman Yoo. The plaintiff, Yoo’s son, Jae-Beom, seemed to have him right where he wanted him, on the verge of ending Da-Wit’s career and sending him to prison. But then, Gi-Ppeum, of all people, started saying Da-Wit had only confessed to feeling like he wanted revenge, not actually having done anything that would qualify as an abuse of power. Even the judge starts questioning why Gi-Ppeum, the attorney for the plaintiff, would defend the man, but she says she wants a true guilty verdict, not some half-truth presented as justice. When Jae-Beom freaks out and makes a scene in court, the judge calls the session for the day, asking everyone to reconvene at a later date.
This is when the pro bono team decides to go hunting for more evidence, though Jun-U in particular is furious at Gi-Ppeum for standing up for Da-Wit; he’s CEO Bae’s spy after all, and his job hangs on the outcome of this case. Gi-Ppeum ends up taking the team to see the mother of Min-Seok, the 17-year-old kid who died in the factory fire all those years ago. They find out that the burnt cup noodles were really his, not just fake evidence that Da-Wit had planted, meaning someone had intentionally omitted all mention of them from his mother’s testimony. Also, they start to grasp the true nature of Yoo’s abuse and the scale of the terror that he inflicted on his employees. Turns out, not only did he pay technical students like Mi-Seon a pittance, claiming they were earning valuable experience, but he also caught the kid “stealing” defective paper and decided to punish him by forcing him to work for free. So, at the time he was pulling overnight shifts and got caught in a fire and died, to add insult to injury, Mi-Seon wasn’t even being paid.
Finally, everyone gathers at court, and the factory overseer is called in as a witness, the same one Da-Wit interrogated ten years ago until he got him to admit that fire safety preparations at the factory were not up to par. Gi-Ppeum presents the factory floor plan as evidence and points out that there was a door Mi-Seon could have used to escape, which the overseer had claimed was rusted and poorly maintained, to the point that Mi-Seon apparently died with “broken hands and feet” trying to get it open. When she starts pressuring the overseer, saying it had been long enough that the statute of limitations had passed, meaning he shouldn’t perjure himself now, he finally cracks and admits that he had personally locked the door shut after Chairman Yoo threatened to fire him following the paper “theft.” He’d been carrying the guilt of the boy’s death ever since, and now he finally gets it off his chest.
Of course, Jae-Beom is furious and starts claiming the man’s lying, but nothing can be done. When the overseer’s cross-examination is done, Da-Wit stands up to speak for himself and says it was Jae-Beom’s mother who convinced him to treat Yoo fairly. And he did; he admits that he couldn’t prove as a judge back then that Yoo was responsible for that door being locked, but he did manage to force him to admit he’d under-budgeted on safety features, for which he was able to give him the maximum 7-year sentence. He now asks the court to judge him based on the evidence they’ve collected, and the court wraps up for the day. Next thing we know, Da-Wit and the pro bono team are out to dinner together, and initially it seems like a breach of ethics for the defendant to be mingling with the plaintiff’s team. But then we find out that the prosecutors were so sure the case would end in acquittal that they dropped all charges, making it a happy ending for everyone, even though Jun-U says he’ll be fired now. We do get to see a cute moment between Jun-U and Nan-Hui, though, which is unexpected, given she was the one who did the digging on his betrayal, but they actually kind of work together.
What Happens to the Team?
There’s no denying it; what the pro bono team did was kind of a breach of ethics. As an attorney, you’re supposed to represent your client’s interests; your duty lies in furthering their cause, and if that means uncovering the truth, that’s a nice bonus. Gi-Ppeum’s always been a righteous crusader; that’s the reason she’s even on the pro bono team in the first place, even though she’s qualified enough to join any regular team at a law firm. When Jae-Beom told her to uncover the truth, it seemed she took it to heart, even though doing so cost Jae-Beom the case. So, when the pro bono team walks into work the next day, they’re appalled to find that their office has disappeared. Just like that, they’ve all been fired, with CEO Bae saying management unanimously voted to dissolve the team, citing dereliction of duty. At least Yeong-Sil gets his mushrooms back on the way out.
In the meanwhile, Da-Wit went out to dinner with Jung-In on the night of his win, but when she joked that it was a date, he played it all serious. Turns out, he knows that her father was responsible for this whole mess, given Chief Justice Shin went running to Dr. Oh after Da-Wit spooked him that one time. Jung-In doesn’t appreciate this treatment after she basically saved his career and defended him in court, but at the same time, she doesn’t deny any of it. Da-Wit ends up hiring an office space and recruiting all the former pro bono members, jokingly calling Gi-Ppeum “Ms. Unemployed” in the middle of it all, but that’s when they’re hit by a surprise, once again orchestrated by Dr. Oh.
Why Does Myeong-Hun Want 1 Billion Won?
Dr. Oh seems keen to punish CEO Bae for his failure to put Da-Wit in prison, though that was at least in part because Jun-U, his pet spy, decided to turn his back on him. But Bae’s still got an escape plan. He says direct involvement on Oh & Partners’ part in yet another case against Da-Wit would look vindictive, so they must hire a “mercenary.” Enter Attorney Myeong-Hun, of the Baeksung Law Firm, who the pro bono team has faced off against numerous times over the course of the season.
Myeong-Hun demands a hefty sum of 1 billion won after claiming that Da-Wit manipulated his boss, Jang Hyeon-Bae’s trial many years ago. Of course, he’s going off the high of the previous case, trying to defame the guy, but will he succeed? Myeong-Hun’s confidence is commendable, and demanding such a big amount is even more fun. Now, this is when it’s revealed that Hyeon-Bae was later acquitted and is also Yeong-Sil’s father, which is why he’s going to be a big part of this trial. Also, Myeong-Hun’s jealousy of Da-Wit stems from 16 years ago, when they were best friends, and Myeong-Hun had a massive crush on Jung-In. Unfortunately for him, Jung-In was immediately more interested in Da-Wit, thus ruining their friendship forever and making them enemies. Or rather, making Myeong-Hun resent Da-Wit forever.
Does Yeong-Sil Question His Dad?
Soon after Myeong-Hun’s public ask of one billion, he also reveals that he knew Yeong-Sil was Hyeon-Bae’s son. Myeong-Hun tells Hyeon-Bae to trust him, but he’s up to something crazy. The team all sides with Yeong-Sil, understanding that he decided to do what he’s doing because of a petty thirst for revenge. However, it was never just revenge; they remind him that he’s genuinely a good person, unlike his father, and probably resembles his mother more. This makes Yeong-Sil happy, but he still has to deal with his trauma. He vows to fight against his dad because, as a powerful man, he’s ruined too many lives.
The reason Yeong-Sil’s father went to prison was because he was accused of having abused his secretaries and sexually assaulted his housemaids, but now the statements have been retracted by the secretaries, and there’s no evidence regarding what happened to the housemaids. During the first trial, Myeong-Hun goes to court by himself, but the first thing Da-Wit does is invite Hyeon-Bae to give his testimony in court, asking whether he’s not eager to see him face-to-face. A cowardly Myeong-Hun goes to his boss with his tail between his legs. The next thing you know, Yeong-Sil is standing in front of his father, ready to face his fears and handle the case himself. But immediately, his father makes him cry, reminding him of his childhood, where he was traumatically beaten with a belt by the old man. Yeong-Sil immediately begins to cry and instantly starts stammering when he’s meant to be asking his father questions about the case. Myeong-Hun also starts bullying him. Not to mention Hyeon-Bae immediately calling him “son” despite them having been living separate lives for a few years now.
When Yeong-Sil finally musters up the courage to face his father with Da-Wit’s encouragement, he proves that he’s no less than anybody else in the room. He brings out video evidence of Hyeon-Bae beating up his secretaries, to which his father says it’s not him and they’re altered videos. However, Yeong-Sil proceeds to say that the media can mess with these videos and edit funny memes on them, which immediately gets Hyeon-Bae offended. If it isn’t him in the video, why should he care what they do with it? The court will determine whether the video is authentic or not, but then Myeong-Hun points out how there’s no evidence for the sexual abuse. This is when Yeong-Sil calls a witness on the stand, and the witness is Hyeon-Bae’s “live-in” partner, i.e., Yeong-Sil’s mother.
In Pro Bono episode 11’s ending, Yeong-Sil’s mother admits that she moved into the old man’s house because she thought he would legitimize her son. She calls herself an accomplice because she watched Hyeon-Bae abuse the housekeepers and never said anything about them. Finally, Yeong-Sil stands up to his dad even out of the court, telling his father he isn’t afraid of him anymore. But the episode really ends with Da-Wit calling a bunch of powerful people as witnesses to the stand for this case, including Shin Jung-Seok, currently a Supreme Court justice (he’s got an audio exchange between the two), but more importantly, he’s also calling his own boss, Oh Gyu-Jang, as a witness to make the final episode of the show especially exciting.
