3.5
Summary
Episode 13 is grinding towards the finale with another comfortable chapter. It has become one of those series that has taken a while to bed in, but we can now enjoy it.
Law School episode 13 is important for two reasons. First, it establishes whether the self-defense case for Ye-seul was achievable, and second, it develops a new culprit for the murder of Professor Seo (at this point, I don’t think we care). It’s a little strange that the Ye-seul case felt more significant than Professor Seo’s murder — we can only assume it’s because Professor Seo was not a good person, so we engage less in the issue.
Episode 13 begins with the judge telling the jury for a verdict for Ye-seul — they are dealing with “what measure of reasonable doubt” to see if the defendant is innocent. Then, in a funny moment, the judge asks Professor Yang to explain guilt, not guilty, and reasonable doubt to the jury. The professor uses the jigsaw analogy.
Lee Man-ho tries to kill Professor Yang and play it off as suicide
The story then flits to Han Joon-hwi looking at Kang Sol A’s CCTV; Lee Man-ho is beating someone up — he rushes out. Meanwhile, Lee Man-ho has Professor Yang tied up — he’s managed to remove his tracker from the ankle. Professor Yang asks Lee Man-ho why he killed Professor Seo — Lee Man-ho gets out an injection of meth to kill him with an overdose, but Yang says it will not look like suicide to buy himself time. But as he is about to inject him, he receives a call, and Professor Yang shouts, “he’s not at home,” and kicks the man. However, Lee Man-ho manages to get on top of him and starts injecting him with meth. Han Joon-hwi rushes into the apartment and stops him.
Afterward, Professor Yang is high, and he smiles at Han Joon-hwi, which confuses him. Han Joon-hwi shows a photo of Choi Jae-cheol, who worked for an ankle monitor manufacturer and who visited Ki Du-seong. He was in prison for embezzlement, which is how he met Lee Man-ho.
The verdict
And then the grandstanding moment, continuing from the previous chapter — we receive the results of Ye-seul’s trial, which is surprisingly an emotional period of the series’ story.
The jury reaches a verdict for Ye-seul — the case is accepted as self-defense. The cameras close in on Ye-seul, and she looks understandably emotional. When Assemblyman Ko hears the news, he is furious. He asks his team to stop any news getting out about Yeong-chang. Kim Eun-suk warns Professor Yang that Assemblyman Ko will be expecting an appeal. In the Bad FaMa trial, they were proven innocent. Kang Sol A asks Kim Eun-suk if Assemblyman Ko truly wanted that outcome — Kim Eun-suk admits she was desperate and gave the politician the Lee Man-ho act as well. Kang Sol A then reveals to her that Kang Dan is her sister.
A new culprit
And then Law School episode 13 offers a new culprit — remember at the start when there was a new culprit per chapter? This one took a while.
Prosecutor Jin tells Reporter Choi that he shouldn’t stab him in the back. He then receives a call from Professor Yang, who tells him they have a new culprit in the Professor Seo murder case — it’s Lee Man-ho after he was caught trying to kill Professor Yang. However, Lee Man-ho refuses to speak until he has a lawyer. The investigation against Lee Man-ho begins, and new evidence is brought forward — Prosecutor Jin shares information with Assemblyman Choi, who asks him to roll bark recent remarks.
There’s plenty of evidence against Lee Man-ho, so he is officially arrested.
Kang Sol B’s admission to the plagiarism
Han Joon-hwi asks Kang Sol B about the paper and why she plagiarized it if she was good enough. Finally, Kang Sol B comes clean to her parents, and her mother is in despair and fears she will lose her position as a judge if she gets kicked out of law school. So she pleads with her husband to do something. Th next day, Kang Sol B admits she copied the paper, but she could have done it herself. The Vice-Dean (the father) tries to resign and hands in the letter to the Dean as a result.
But where is Kang Sol B’s story leading? It doesn’t seem right that she will not have a law career.
Who would benefit from Ji-ho’s suspected crime?
Ji-ho asks a couple of investigators to leak that Prosecutor Jin leaked his suspected crime to the media. Then, he raises how the prosecutor leaked his father’s suspected crime. Kang Sol B asks who would have benefited from leaking his father’s suspected crime, and wonders if it is anything to do with the toy company competing with him (I-bit). An angry Ji-ho confronts Prosecutor Jin and asks, “was Assemblyman Ko behind you?” and insinuates the politician took money from I-bit’s CEO. Ji-ho’s friends calm him down and drag him out of the office.
Han Joon-hwi speaks to Ji-ho privately. He tells him nothing good can come from this. Afterward, Han Joon-hwi tells Prosecutor Jin that he can no longer work for him as he intends to prove Ji-ho’s case.
Can you defend a bad person?
Episode 13 then brings the nature of morals in the eyes of the law, something that lawyers must battle with daily.
The Dean asks a class if it is right to defend a bad person. The students say every person has the right to legal support, but as long as they do it with dignity and it doesn’t damage their career or the system. Flashbacks show that Kang Sol A worries about defending bad people, so Professor Yang tells her not to take the bar. Meanwhile, Professor Yang visits Lee Man-ho in prison; he tells him that he looks abandoned. Lee Man-ho laughs at him, but Professor Yang tells him his sentence will be reduced if someone instigated the murder. Afterward, Professor Yang tries to ring someone about Lee Man-ho’s son, but Kim Eun-suk gets in his car, so he puts the phone down. Kang Sol A visits Lee Man-ho — she asks about his son, and he gets angry.
The ending
Due to Ji-ho’s persistence, Prosecutor Jin is hounded for the indictment of leaking a suspected crime by journalists, and he attends his first court session. Meanwhile, Lee Man-ho begs for Professor Yang to see him as he has information; however, when he arrives at the prison, he sees an ambulance and panics. The prison warden tells him he cannot see Lee Man-hoo. Prosecutor Jin gives his opinion on the charge and says there is no precedent.
As the episode ends, it’s revealed that Choi Jae-cheol’s bail has been processed, but Lee Man-ho is severely wounded and in critical care in the hospital. Professor Yang shakes Lee Man-ho and tells him to wake up. Lee Man-ho whispers to him, “I can’t go down alone. Damn it. That jerk…” and it’s implied he’s talking about Assemblyman Ko, but without Lee Man-ho saying the name, Professor Yang has nothing.
Law School episode 13 is grinding towards the finale with another comfortable chapter. It has become one of those series that has taken a while to bed in, but we can now enjoy it.