Name: Divorce Attorney Shin season 1 episode 4
Director: Lee Jae-hoon
Released: 2023-03-13T00:02:35

The fourth episode of Divorce Attorney Shin sees Sung-han giving Seo-jin a job and coming up with an effective strategy to win Ae-ran’s case in court. The episode is now streaming on Netflix.

Recap

Sung-han is still struggling after an emotionally exhausting night. He is the first one to reach the office the next morning and meets Seo-jin there. She apologizes to him for coming to him yesterday and asking him for a job out of nowhere.

She has a hard time getting a job, as she keeps thinking that people will recognize her. As they are concluding their discussion, Sung-han suddenly receives a lot of clients at the same time.

He runs away from his crowded office after making Seo-jin and Hyeong-geun a team; Seo-jin naturally takes charge and starts managing the clients.

June Man, whose given name is Choi Jun, goes to Sung-han’s office to find out more about his next case. He recognizes him as the Piano Man, whose video he posted and then refused to take down. He gives Yu-seok the information he gathers.

Yu-seok then informs him that his internship is now over. He gives him his first case; he wants him to represent Ae-ran‘s husband, Byeong-cheol. Choi Jun is very excited to go up against Sung-han in court.

Ae-ran tells Sung-han that when her husband saw her snooping around in her mother-in-law’s apartment, she made an excuse that she was looking for anxiety pills.

She then found out that her husband knew about her getting treated for depression for the past three years, but he never said anything. They had an argument, and he eventually told her that what she is looking for is not there.

Ae-ran tells Sung-han that her mother-in-law got the diagnosis and is planning to sue her. When Sung-han finds out about Ae-ran’s depression, he decides that they will file a defamation countersuit.

They will claim that Ae-ran never hit her mother-in-law; in fact, her mother-in-law pushed her in her anger and fell on her back. Now her mother-in-law is spreading rumors about Ae-ran and defaming her.

Sung-han returns to the office to find Seo-jin getting along with his two employees. They have already dealt with all the clients. He then takes Seo-jin to the ramen restaurant and gives her the job.

Sung-han, Hyeong-geun, and Jeong-sik go camping together. When Sung-han tells his friends that he dreamt about Ju-hwa, they remember her funeral. Sung-han was broken back then.

Ju-hwa’s husband attended the funeral as a guest and not as a family member. He did not even bring along their son, Gi-yeong. Sung-han ended up asking him to leave.

Yu-seok approaches Byeong-cheol, representing his firm, Keumhwa Law Firm, and convinces him to let them fight his case. When he tells Byeong-cheol about Ae-ran hiring a lawyer, he goes to confront her.

Ae-ran thinks about the abuse she has been subjected to by her mother-in-law for years, but Byeong-cheol comes and once again brings up how his mother has suffered in her life. An angry Ae-ran tells him that she is going to sue her mother-in-law for defamation.

Ju-hwa’s ex-husband finds out that Gi-yeong is upset because his wife, Yeong-ju, is not allowing him to visit Sung-han. Yeong-ju justifies her actions by saying that she feels like she is living with Ju-hwa when Gi-yeong visits Sung-han.

Yeong-ju made sure that he got Gi-yeong’s custody because she could not bear to see him looking after Ju-hwa and Gi-yeong. Yeong-ju wanted them to be a family, but it feels like Sung-han keeps coming between them.

He accepts her decision but asks her to let Gi-yeong meet Sung-han one last time and say goodbye. However, Gi-yeong, who is unaware that this will be his last visit, excitedly informs Sung-han about it.

Hyeong-geun feels shy using his desk because it is across from Seo-jin’s desk. He then finds out that Ji-eun is pregnant with her lover’s child and leaves the office crying. He goes to the ramen restaurant and buys wine from the new owner, who finds the combination interesting.

Seo-jin wants to have a consultation room in the office, where she will meet the clients before they meet Sung-han. She manages to convince a reluctant Sung-han.

Byeong-cheol, after telling Choi Jun about Sung-han’s plan to file a defamation lawsuit, goes to meet Ae-ran once again. He tries to talk her out of it while she is working.

Ae-ran walks out, but Sung-han comes there and makes him understand that he is hurting her the same way that she is hurting him; if she is lying about not hitting his mother, he is lying about not owing the building to rob her of her share after years of abuse.

Sung-han and Jeong-sik find out about Hyeong-geun’s wife’s pregnancy and want to spend the night at his house to be there for him, but he kicks them out.

Ae-ran’s mother-in-law gets discharged from the hospital, and Ae-ran is scared about the divorce mediation. Before the mediation, Choi Jun approaches Sung-han and introduces himself. He tells Sung-han that he finds him cool.

During the proceedings, the two sides present their arguments. Choi Jun claims that the building was Byeong-cheol’s gift to his mother, while Sung-han claims that the building was protected by Ae-ran‘s sacrifices all these years.

When they argue about the toll on their mental health, Ae-ran admits to hitting her mother-in-law, ignoring Sung-han’s warnings. This prompts Byeong-cheol to be honest, and he admits that the building belongs to him.

Later, it is revealed that it was all Sung-han’s plan to get Byeong-cheol to present the proof himself in court; they never actually meant to file a defamation lawsuit. Sung-han tells Ae-ran that he saw the romance between them, and she thanks him for helping her see her husband’s true feelings.

Finally, Byeong-cheol tells his mother that he was rejected by the woman she wanted him to marry because the woman did not want to live with his mother. Furthermore, Ae-ran did not get pregnant by accident; he had feelings for her.

Ae-ran still prepares food for her mother-in-law and gets on her knees to apologize for hitting her. Her mother-in-law finally understands her mistakes. She acknowledges Ae-ran‘s efforts and thanks Ae-ran for all that she has done for her.

Ae-ran and Byeong-cheol mend their relationship and do not get a divorce. It is later revealed that Ae-ran withdrew the lawsuit.

Choi Jun resigns from Keumhwa Law Firm because he wishes to work with Sung-han. He now wants to be an expert in divorce cases.

A woman requests her lover’s wife to divorce her husband, Professor Choi, as she has been with him for three years. The man will die if his wife refuses to do so, but the wife would rather be widowed than divorced.

Even though Sung-han has been getting new clients because he won Seo-jin’s case, he still does not want to hire another lawyer, as he tells Choi Jun when he approaches him for a job.

Choi Jun then admits to him that he is June Man, and if Sung-han hires him, then he will take down the video. Seeing June Man in front of him, Sung-han loses his cool and attacks Choi Jun.

Review

The depiction of Byeong-cheol consistently ignoring Ae-ran‘s suffering is executed so well that the audience can clearly see the problem in their marriage and are reminded of it again and again even when it is not stated.
The episode shows that lawyers, at times, need to twist the truth in court, but even when the audience is not aware of Sung-han’s full plan, the lie does not seem wrong, as the truth will not bring a woman, who has suffered for years, justice.
The scene in which Byeong-cheol finally sides with Ae-ran and Ae-ran cries her heart out in court is truly touching and even cathartic to an extent, as she lets out the sadness that has been accumulated over the years.
Choi Jun is a refreshing and very entertaining character. It would be amusing to see his dynamic with a man like Sung-han, who is already frustrated because of him, and to see them work together.