After the previous episodes, it looked like things were, for the most part, going uphill in “Good Partner.” Or so it seemed.
Although Cha Eun Kyung’s (Jang Nara’s) position as senior divorce attorney is still up in the air, at least her messy divorce got a fairly good resolution. Choi Sa Ra (Han Jae Yi) left town to heal and, more importantly, shouldn’t be causing any more problems for the characters in her absence. Even Eun Kyung’s unlikely friendship with Han Yu Ri (Nam Ji Hyun) has been flourishing.
But last week’s episodes really said sike and threw a terrible client, a change of power at the law firm, and a murder at us, all at once. To catch you up to speed, here are five of the most intense moments from episodes 12-13 of “Good Partner.”
Warning: mentions and images of violence.
Spoilers for episodes 12-13 below.
1. Yu Ri and Eun Kyung are threatened by an abusive husband
Everything starts going downhill when Yu Ri and later Eun Kyung are tasked with defending Chun Hwan Seo (Kwak Si Yang) against his wife’s abuse allegations.
The case already starts with a huge conflict of interest: Hwan Seo happens to be the son of the head of the Chun Medical Foundation, one of the biggest financial supporters of Daejeong Law Firm. So from the very beginning, Yu Ri and Eun Kyung are put in a position of feeling pressured to get a favorable ruling for Hwan Seo, regardless of the allegations.
Hwan Seo’s wife, Yoo Ji Young (Park Ah In)—who gives a stellar performance, by the way—has tried filing for divorce many times before for the same reason, but so far she hasn’t been able to provide any evidence that she is being abused. Hwan Seo, of course, denies everything and says his wife is doing it for settlement money.
But with Yu Ri’s intuition and Eun Kyung’s expertise, it doesn’t take them long to figure out something else is going on here, and Hwan Seo slowly reveals his true personality when the case doesn’t go his way.
Eventually, Hwan Seo’s bold enough to admit to Eun Kyung that everything his wife says is true, and if that isn’t shocking enough, he also threatens her to clear the charges, or else end up like his wife.
2. Eun Kyung finds out Attorney Jung’s hidden identity
At the same time, Eun Kyung discovers she’s been lied to by Attorney Jung Woo Jin (Kim Jun Han) for years.
It has already been shown that Attorney Jung is related to the CEO, Oh Dae Gyu (Jung Jae Sung), but Eun Kyung had no idea. Flashback scenes even show the two talking about who the CEO’s relative in the office could be during one of their routine after-work dinners.
Eun Kyung is completely caught off guard when she learns during a business meeting with Attorney Jung, Hwan Seo and his father, and Dae Gyu that Attorney Jung’s father is sitting right next to him. Even more, she’s taken aback to find out that Attorney Jung has already taken the position of CEO.
Attorney Jung explains that he did it to protect Eun Kyung and the divorce team as his father had planned to fire Eun Kyung and potentially even end the whole team. It’s hard to fault him for wanting to protect Eun Kyung, but not telling her the truth all these years is definitely a breach of their trust.
Though it certainly caused some disagreement between them initially, it didn’t last long at all. With all the craziness going on, it’s at least comforting to see the main characters sticking together through thick and thin. Here’s hoping it stays that way.
3. A divorce case turns into a murder case
As Hwan Seo’s case proceeds and his wife continues to stand her ground, things only get worse for her. She’s unable to get her own attorney, and no one seems to believe her claims, not even her own parents. Then something terrible happens.
Eun Kyung gets a call from Hwan Seo telling her that she should come to his house, and she immediately knows what has happened. When she gets there, she’s proven right. His wife Ji Young is lying on the floor, barely breathing.
There was a chance to potentially save Ji Young before she passed away, but Hwan Seo grabbed Eun Kyung’s phone and attacked her. Outside the house, Yu Ri calls the police but doesn’t go inside according to Eun Kyung’s instructions.
It’s all the more sad because Ji Young foretold her fate while pleading for help days before.
4. Eun Kyung has a traumatic experience
Ji Young’s case might be the most heartbreaking one shown on “Good Partner.” Both Yu Ri and Eun Kyung are left in shock from the events, especially Eun Kyung, who witnessed Ji Young’s death and had a physical altercation with Hwan Seo. That night, by the time the police showed up, Eun Kyung had barely managed to escape. She only makes it back to her home after being chased barefoot through the dark, empty streets.
Considering Hwan Seo also threatened to hurt her daughter Jae Hee (Yuna), she gets anxious and worried about her safety. But it’s actually her daughter who comforts Eun Kyung when she notices something is wrong.
5. The law firm drops their biggest partner
The Hwan Seo case also leads to the firm’s biggest loss.
With Attorney Jung now the official CEO, the big decisions are up to him, and thank goodness they are. And yes, it was very satisfying to hear him point this out during a board meeting in front of his father, who has a vendetta against Eun Kyung for unclear reasons. There’s a new boss in town. Period.
Upon Ji Young’s murder, Attorney Jung rightfully drops Hwan Seo’s case and makes the difficult decision to end the company’s relationship with the Chun Medical Foundation.
It may be a big loss for the company financially speaking, and who knows what problems it may cause in the future, but it was definitely the right thing to do.
Start watching “Good Partner” now:
Were you shocked by the way episodes 12 and 13 played out? What are you expecting to see unfold in the next episodes? Let us know in the comments below!
Asya’s a BL-biased Soompi writer with a love of K-pop and all types of Asian dramas. Some of her favorite shows are “Psychopath Diary,” “Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice but to Kiss!,” “Light On Me,” “The Untamed,” “Go Go Squid!,” and “Cherry Magic!”
Currently watching: “First Note of Love,” “Good Partner,” “The On1y One,” “The Trainee,” and “Seoul Blues.”
Looking forward to: “Your Sky the Series,” “The Time of Fever,” and “See Your Love.”