ENA ‘Honor : Their Court’
ENA ‘Honor : Their Court’ delivered yet another shocking ending as Lee Na-young was attacked, striking home viewers. Moreover, the secretly operating app ‘Connect-In’ behind a prostitution scandal that could shake the nation surfaced, driving immersion to its peak. As a result, episode 2, which aired on the 3rd, recorded 3.2% nationwide and 3.0% in the Seoul metropolitan area, up from the previous episode, setting in motion what could be the biggest hit in ENA Monday-Tuesday drama history. (provided by Nielsen Korea, based on paid households)
Episode 2 of ENA’s Monday-Tuesday drama ‘Honor : Their Court’ (directed by Park Geon-ho, written by Park Ga-yeon, planned by KT Studio Genie, produced by How Pictures) opened with a shocking scene as Jo Yoo-jung (Park Se-hyun), a minor victim of sexual assault, appeared bloodied at the 10th anniversary party of the law firm L&J (Listen & Join) and confessed, “I killed reporter Lee Jun-hyeok (Lee Chung-ju).” Jo Yoo-jung insisted that she had been raped by Lee Jun-hyeok and killed him impulsively, yet screamed, nearly out of breath, “I will just go to prison. Please leave me alone,” lashing out in despair.
The murder’s fallout also shook the relationships among L&J’s three attorneys. Hwang Hyun-jin (Lee Chung-ah) went to the home of her ex-boyfriend Lee Jun-hyeok to obtain reporting materials, witnessed his gruesome body, and, by instinct, took the phone that was at the scene. She made this risky choicewhich could cast her as a prime suspectto avoid exposing the mistake of the previous night. However, knowing Lee Jun-hyeok better than anyone, Hwang Hyun-jin could not believe Jo Yoo-jung’s statement that he was a rapist. Accordingly, she clashed with Yoon Ra-young (Lee Na-young), who planned to defend Jo by claiming self-defense and diminished capacity. In the midst of this, managing partner Kang Shin-jae (Jung Eun-chae) steadied the team by urging them to find the materials on the prostitution scandal in question.
Yoon Ra-young did not abandon Jo Yoo-jung, who had sunk into despair and even refused attorney interviews. Jo testified that she herself had disposed of Lee Jun-hyeok’s phone that Hwang Hyun-jin had secured. Yoon did not miss her self-harm habit of biting her nails until they bled whenever she lied and felt anxious. Reading the fear hidden behind the false testimony, she kept asking why she confessed to murder without killing Lee Jun-hyeok. To Jo Yoo-jung, who still would not open her mouth, she said firmly, “I will definitely find out why you are doing this.”
Meanwhile, Hwang Hyun-jin, who was excluded from Jo Yoo-jung’s defense as her husband, detective Gu Seon-gyu (Choi Young-jun), took on the murder case, chased the truth alone, burdened with guilt and questions. While inquiring with Lee Jun-hyeok’s colleague about the whereabouts of his laptop, she confirmed CCTV footage showing him being threatened by a group of assailants the day before he was killed. Also, after again seeking out Lee Sun-hwa (Baek Ji-hye), who had helped Lee’s reporting at personal risk, and persistently persuading her, she learned that the prostitution scandal he had been investigating was connected to a secret prostitution app called ‘Connect-In’.
The true nature of ‘Connect-In’ provoked chilling public outrage through the sexual exploitation of yet another victim. What appeared before the victim, who had been indiscriminately beaten by a sex buyer and fled, was not a rescue team but the organization’s cleanup squad. They meticulously wiped away bloodstains and incinerated evidence, and treated the blood-drenched victim to keep her alive. Even amid that, an alert sounded among them for a ‘lesson,’ the term used to mean a prostitution booking. It was the moment the app’s brutality, which treated people like objects and trampled even their dignity, was laid bare.
The puzzle pieces of the truth came together through a third figure found in photos on Lee Jun-hyeok’s phone, discovered by Hwang Hyun-jin. Strangely, numerous photos that captured the murder scene exactly as it was that day had been saved; when zooming in on a photo of Jo Yoo-jung holding a knife, someone wearing a mask was reflected in the Nike statue on the desk. Along with this, through Jo’s recollection, it was revealed that an assailant grabbed her wrist and forced her to stab Lee Jun-hyeok, sending chills.
Just as evidence was secured that Jo Yoo-jung did not kill Lee Jun-hyeok, another shock ending unfolded. As Yoon Ra-young stepped into her home, she was attacked by an intruder who slipped in just before the front door closed. Overpowered in an unguarded moment, Yoon screamed as a sharp awl punctured the back of her hand, delivering extreme suspense and heightening curiosity for the next episode.
Meanwhile, another mystery followed on this broadcast. Haeil Group CEO Sung Tae-im (Kim Mi-sook) cut L&J’s budget to pressure her daughter Kang Shin-jae to return to Haeil. However, Kang Shin-jae did not yield and revealed ambitions for independence, asking Haeil’s No. 2, Kwon Jung-hyeon (Lee Hae-young), to help establish a public-interest foundation. Yoon Ra-young’s remark, “You still do not know who your daughter takes after?” hinted that there is a reason Kang stands so opposed to her mother. The flashback to Yoon Ra-young’s past assault revealed through the second episode also raised questions. In relation to this, Hwang Hyun-jin, driven into a corner, made a slip of the tongue, saying, “Are you not getting too carried away with Jo Yoo-jung?” sowing further doubt. Expectations for the unfolding mystery narrative were amplified over how the three attorneys’ struggle, as they began to approach the truth of the ‘Connect-In’ prostitution app, would mesh with these breadcrumbs.
ENA’s Monday-Tuesday drama ‘Honor : Their Court’ airs every Monday and Tuesday at 10 p.m. on ENA and is available on KT Genie TV and Coupang Play.
