Divorce Attorney Shin (Season 1) Episodes 3 & 4 ‘Netflix’ Recap & Ending Explained: With its latest two episodes, Divorce Attorney Shin’s semi-anthology format provides yet another engaging, if not totally satisfying, divorce story while gradually progressing with the overarching central plot. Cho Seung-Woo’s titular lead, Shin Sung-Han, continues to be enigmatic. While Director Lee Jae-Hoon, and screenwriter Yoo Young-A, integrate the right balance of humor and melodrama in the lead characters’ respective arcs.
Divorce Attorney Shin (Season 1), Episodes 3 & 4 Recap:
New Employee at Shin’s Office
It was hinted at in the last episode, and it gets confirmed now. Seo-Jin (Han Hye-Jin) joins Shin Sung-Han’s (Cho Seung-Woo) office. She could be a great asset as someone who has recently gone through the ordeals of a Divorce trial. And any doubt is immediately vanquished once she fixes the notoriously wobbly sliding door. For Seo-Jin, this could be a welcome change, as she was struggling to get another job in media that suited her taste.
Another benefit of Seo-Jin’s involvement is Sung-Han’s business now opens up to a new pool of clientele. Seo-Jin’s high-profile case has brought a lot of attention to Sung-Han. Clients, especially women, flock to Sung-Han’s shabby office. Causing Sung-Han, and his friend-cum-paralegal, Hyeong-Geun (Kim Sung-Kyun), to panic.
Park Ae-Ran Case
Sung-Han, however, already has one case that occupies most of his time. It’s the case of Park Ae-Ran (Hwang Jung-Min), the downtrodden cleaning woman who could not bear her cruel mother-in-law beating her children and retaliated. As a result, she reaches out to Sung-Han for help in filing for divorce. Sung-Han would ask for a division of the property. However, the house is registered under the name of the mother-in-law, Eul-Bun (Heo Jin). But Ae-Ran knows that the house still belongs to her husband, Byeong-Cheol (Lee Sang-Goo). Byeong-Cheol previously mentioned a notarized document that was the proof of the title still belonging to Byeong-Cheol.
It is clear that her husband, Byeong-Cheol is not a bad person. But he never stands up for his wife against his mother. Sung-Han, at first, asks Ae-Ran to lie and deny the fact that she indeed hit her mother-in-law. Ae-Ran reluctantly agrees. As a countermeasure, Sung-Han then files a defamation suit. This enrages Byeong-Cheol, who could not fathom that Ae-Ran would lie.
Sung-Han and His Friends
These two episodes also have the trio of Sung-Han, Hyeong-Geun, and Jeong-Sik (Jung Moon-Sung) hanging out and churning out light-hearted moments. One of the funniest moments is when Jeong-Sik is sent to scout the neighborhood to understand more about Ae-Ran’s situation under the guise of a prospective real-estate buyer. Jeong-Sik coming in and out of that role was hilarious, to say the least.
We get to see a little background on Hyeong-Geun too. Hyeong-Geun still hangs up on his ex-wife, Ji-Eun (Jang So-Yeon). The meeting with Ji-Eun does not end well for Hyeong-Geun. Later, Ji-Eun texts to inform him that she is expecting a child with her new partner/boyfriend. Hyeong-Geun gets devastated after that, with Sun-Han and Jeong-Sik providing moral support.
Divorce Attorney Shin (Season 1) Episodes 3 & 4 Ending Explained
Did Park Ae-Ran Win the Case?
We get a little background of Sung-Han’s musical past. And the antagonist in his life. It’s Seo Jung-Guk (Kim Tae-Hyang). He was the ex-husband of Sung-Han’s beloved sister, Ju-Hwa. Ju-Hwa died (could be suicide), and Sung-Han blamed Jung-Guk for that. Jung-Guk has remarried since then. Jung-Guk’s current wife, Yeong-Ju (Noh Susanna), employs the Keum Hwa Law Firm lawyer, Yu-Seok (Jeon Bae-Su).
Ju-Hwa and Jung-Guk had a son. This son is now ten or eleven years old. He was allowed to visit his uncle, Sung-Han. But Yeong-Ju seems adamant about putting a stop to that. Jung-Guk reluctantly agrees. In an attempt to humiliate Sung-Han, lawyer Yu-Seok employs one of his best interns as the attorney for Byeong-Cheol. As the opponent for Sung-Han in the Ae-Ran case.
Did Park Ae-Ran Win the Case?
Ae-Ran’s effort to find (and steal) the notarized document that would prove the house belonged to her husband is thwarted. Her husband, Byeong-Cheol, has already moved that document away. In the mediation meeting, while respective attorneys argue, Ae-Ran stops Sung-Han and proceeds to admit to hitting her mother-in-law. And apologizes to Byeong-Cheol and breaks down.
This seems to do the trick as Byeong-Cheol also admits to being the house’s real owner. And he proceeds to provide the notarized evidence. The case gets withdrawn, and nobody wins. Later, Byeong-Cheol tells his mother, Eul-Bun, that Ae-Ran is the only woman who would have agreed to keep her with them. Eul-Bun’s constant complaint about Byeong-Cheol not marrying the principal’s daughter gets a massive blow when Byeong-Cheol finally tells her that the principal’s daughter wanted to put Eul-Bun in an elder-care home.
This makes Eul-Bun change her attitude toward Ae-Ran. And it seems there could be peace between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. It is implied that the divorce might not be needed anymore. This ending is a bit undercutting to the efforts of Ae-Ran, with whom most of the audience would sympathize.
Choi-Jun Joining Sung-Han?
The intern of Keum-Hwa is Choi-Jun (Han Eun-Sung). In a parallel development, it is shown that Choi-Jun is the one who leaked Sung-Han’s piano video. In the last episode, the drunken Sung-Han had let go of himself and embraced his musical soul. He had played a classical piece on an unattended piano. Choi-Jun captured that video, and he made it viral.
Despite Sung-Han threatening him with legal action, Choi-Jun does not take the video down. Choi-Jun sort of becomes a fan of Sung-Han. As a result, he gets excited to face off with Sung-Han in the Ae-Ran case. When the Ae-Ran case gets over, Choi-Jun resigns from the Keum-Hwa law firm. Choi-Jun comes to Sung-Han’s office to apply for a position.
Sung-Han refuses in the beginning. But then Choi-Jun plays his trump card. He admits to being the creator of the viral video that seemingly is tormenting Sung-Han. And he offers to take the video down if Sung-Han takes him under his wings. The humorously enraged Sung-Han tries to manhandle him as the episode closes.
Needless to say, it seems that the Sung-Han premises would see another employee addition.
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Divorce Attorney Shin TV Series (2023- ) Links: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes
Divorce Attorney Shin TV Series (2023- ) Cast: Cho Seung-woo, Hye-jin, HanKim Seong-gyoon
