Original subtitles

I told you she was coming.

She's really coming.

What?

She's coming at last.

NEW PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT

PROSECUTOR CHA MYEONG-JU

The one who was on TV.

I wonder how long she'll last.

Probably not for long.

JINYEONG BRANCH PROSECUTORS' OFFICE CRIMINAL DIVISION 2

Cha Myeong-ju?

-Isn't it someone with the same name? -It's that Cha Myeong-ju.

But why would she come here of all places?

Did something bad happen to her?

I know, right?

Otherwise, why would she…

You know the case that she gave a briefing on the other day.

It turns out the suspect in the case is the vice minister's father-in-law.

-What… -She's being demoted then.

Still, why would a hotshot like her come to a place like this?

I'm sure she'll quit and work at a law firm.

A prosecutor like her can demand 30 million won a month, right?

What, 30 million…

She'll be coming for sure.

-What? -What?

She even called the Branch Chief and said she'd meet him soon.

-Are you sure? -Yes.

Still, we can't be sure until she really comes.

You might wonder why we are making such a big fuss

about Cha Myeong-ju.

She's briefing the case instead?

Those with good memory would remember her.

I'm Prosecutor Cha Myeong-ju of Special Division 1.

I'm in charge of the Chukbok Nanum Foundation Case.

-This is her. -I'm here on behalf of

Deputy Chief Woo Min-jae.

Let me elaborate.

Prosecutor Cha Myeong-ju finished legal training at the top of her class.

Then she spent her first five years

working at the Seoul Central, Eastern, Southern,

Western, and Northern District Offices.

And now, in her 11th year, she returned to the Special Division

of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

That means she's a prosecutor who would never come south of the city.

She was the type of prosecutor we would only see on TV.

However, she has suddenly been transferred to Jinyeong,

a secluded city at the southern tip of the country.

So there must be one question in everyone's head at this moment.

"Why is Cha Myeong-ju coming to Jinyeong?"

This is the question.

WHY IS CHA MYEONG-JU COMING TO JINYEONG INSTEAD OF QUITTING?

Prosecutor Cha?

Hello.

I'll be working here starting next week. I'm Cha Myeong-ju.

It's me, Lee Seon-ung.

Nice to meet you.

I'm here to take a look around before I start.

You must be doing overtime.

What?

Oh, yes.

So this is what I'm most curious about.

Does Cha Myeong-ju not remember me?

-Hello. -"Hello."

Do I really have that little presence?

Tell me.

Anyway, this is not our first time having a new prosecutor here.

Let's just act normal, okay?

-Of course. This is no big deal. -Right.

"Hello"?

Hey.

Hello.

Now that we've gathered here like this,

it's like we are the Avengers.

Then I must be Iron Man.

I'm Black Widow.

Then am I Captain America?

You all look just the same as usual.

-Prosecutor Kim. -Yes, sir.

-Press the third floor. -Right.

Do you like the food in Jinyeong?

She's here.

It's been only a few days, so I'm not sure.

I see.

You'd like the food here.

-What is this? -Take a look at this.

I should look at this.

I look forward to working with you.

Mr. Cho, it's the other side.

Sir.

This is

Prosecutor Cha Myeong-ju who will start working here today.

Hello. Nice to meet you all.

Welcome.

Please take good care of Prosecutor Cha.

Don't give her any cases this week so she can have some time to adjust.

Of course. Please don't worry.

-All right then. -Yes, sir.

I'm Cho Min-ho.

Cha Myeong-ju. Nice to meet you.

Say hello to her.

I'm Hong Jong-hak. Nice to meet you.

Likewise.

I'm Lee Seon-ung.

Nice to meet you.

I'm Oh Yun-jin.

Nice to meet you.

-I'm… -His name is Kim Jeong-u.

Let's have a seat.

Prosecutor Cha should sit…

43RD CLASS, 35TH CLASS

39TH CLASS, TOOK THE 8TH BAR EXAM

Well…

31ST CLASS OF LEGAL TRAINING, 39TH CLASS

38TH CLASS

All right. Let's sit.

Now that we have a new member here,

the meeting looks different. Isn't this new and nice?

Right, Prosecutor Hong?

Prosecutor Cha, as Branch Chief said earlier,

just focusing on settling in this week.

You'll be here for at least two years, right?

Let's say this is a warm-up.

Yes, sir.

You all need to help Prosecutor Cha

so she can quickly get settled.

Answer me.

-Yes, sir. -Yes, sir.

As you can see,

we constantly ask and answer questions.

We are a communicative team.

So you will find it easy to make yourself at home.

Yes, sir.

All right then. Now it's time…

It's time…

to take a photo together.

Right. Shall we?

Sure.

All right. I'll take it.

One, two, three.

-One more? -Yes, I'll take another one.

I'll take it one more time.

One, two.

Go on in.

PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE

What do you think of Prosecutor Cha?

What do you think?

How should I put it?

She didn't have the charisma that I saw when she was on TV.

She seemed more ordinary than I thought.

There's really nothing special about her.

She just has fair skin.

But compared to mine when I was single,

it's just nothing.

She looks nice and pretty.

She does?

Is her memory worse than I thought?

Pardon?

Nothing. Never mind.

Ms. Jang.

When a successful prosecutor gets demoted, don't they just quit?

I guess it depends.

But a prosecutor like Cha would probably quit.

Right?

Then what do you think made her come here?

My point exactly.

Even everyone in Seoul was sure she would resign.

They had no idea she'd come all the way down here so obediently.

She must've had to give up her pride and ambition.

But she didn't seem that way. She was just fine.

I don't know how she's feeling.

Do you want to know why Prosecutor Cha came to Jinyeong

instead of resigning?

What?

Do you know why?

Because I called her.

PROSECUTOR CHA MYEONG-JU

Hello?

Prosecutor Cha, this is Kim In-ju from the Jinyeong Branch.

I'm calling because I heard you'd be transferred to our branch.

I see.

Well…

I'm well aware this is happening due to an unfortunate affair.

You must have a lot on your mind.

But from what I have experienced in life,

I can tell you that a little setback in life is no big deal.

You'd feel like your world is crumbling around you at the moment,

but in hindsight, you will realize it was all nothing.

So I called to tell you not to have second thoughts

about coming to Jinyeong.

I will make sure your residence is all cleaned up.

I'll see you in Jinyeong soon.

Yes, Mr. Kim. I'll make sure to go and meet you.

They say sincerity always gets its way.

I believe my words deeply touched Prosecutor Cha's heart.

WHY DID CHA MYEONG-JU COME TO JINYEONG?

1. BECAUSE SHE WAS MOVED BY BRANCH CHIEF KIM IN-JU'S WORDS

Mr. Jang Cheol-jin.

Yes, sir.

I see.

On July 1st, at around 1 a.m…

you went over to Mr. Kim Man-su's place, which is about 500m away,

and smeared a barrowful of cow feces

on the front door with a shovel, right?

Yes, sir.

Mr. Kim, you moved here this February, right?

Yes.

And you two have been squabbling a lot since then.

And your neighbors say

it's because of Ms. Lee Ho-sun.

Is that true?

Ho-sun has nothing to do with this. Leave her alone.

It's always the newcomers that wreak havoc for locals.

This man kept causing trouble around the neighborhood,

so I tried to teach him a lesson.

That's not true.

Ho-sun and I went to elementary school together.

And this is my hometown.

We met again when I moved back here.

I'm saying Ho-sun and I have a history together.

Meanwhile, this man here is from the opposite side of the country.

He moved here when he got married.

Now that his wife is dead, he should go quietly back to his hometown.

But he's still here smearing cow feces on someone's door.

How undignified.

What did you say? "Undignified"?

-You're the one who's undignified. -Sir.

-Sir, please calm down. -Stop it.

-This will be over soon. -Please let go of him.

-Prosecutor Lee. -Yes, sir.

How's that case progressing?

-"That case"? -Yes. The case you're working on.

Do you mean the criminal damage case?

Yes, that one.

But I'm not sure if it's okay to talk about it here.

It's fine.

What's the case about? Tell us.

It was caused by a love triangle.

-It's a crime of passion. -Not exactly.

It's a case where the defendant damaged his rival, the victim's property.

What property? A car?

It's not a car. It's his front door.

-So he scribbled on it. -Like graffiti?

No. The thing is…

On the front door…

Come on. Just spit it out.

He smeared cow feces on there.

-All right. I appreciate your hard work. -Thank you, sir.

That's enough of that.

Why? It's funny.

Tell us more details.

There's nothing more to say. That's it.

No, there's more.

-What's really crazy is… -Okay.

The sum of these 3 people's ages is well over 250.

If it's over 250…

Are they in their eighties?

Their average age is 86.5, and they even tussled.

Unbelievable.

Actually, they say a love quarrel at a senior center

is the most violent one of all.

You have no idea how desperate they are.

So they think that it's their last romance in life?

Indeed, age doesn't matter in love.

I think it does.

It must be platonic love. It couldn't be passionate.

How can you be so sure it's not passionate?

How do you even work as a prosecutor when you are so prejudiced?

Do you think you'll be young forever?

Prosecutor Cha,

what do you think of this case?

It's a petty offense.

Right.

-Did you enjoy lunch? -It was delicious.

It was nice.

JINYEONG BRANCH PROSECUTORS' OFFICE

PROSECUTOR LEE SEON-UNG MUST STOP DERELICTION OF DUTY

AND INDICT PARK JAE-SIK OF JEONGSU INDUSTRY IMMEDIATELY

Let's go.

What are you doing?

Dereliction of duty?

It's been two months already since the case was transferred.

But you haven't even indicted him yet. That's dereliction of duty.

We talked about this before.

There's no sufficient evidence to prove your overtime work.

We can't charge him as of now.

We're carrying out a corroborative investigation,

so please be patient.

Is that all you've found out in the past two months?

Mr. Kim Yeong-chun.

You're the eighth person to press charges against Jeongsu Industry for unpaid wages.

In two cases, they were acquitted for lack of evidence,

so they just paid a small fine.

And in the other five cases,

they settled with the victims and dropped the charges.

That means Jeongsu Industry has never been punished properly.

So I want to make it work this time.

It's taking some time because I want to do things properly.

Are you sure you're working on it?

You aren't stalling for time, are you?

It's nothing like that.

Please trust me and wait a little more.

It will happen soon.

It's a case of unpaid wages.

JEONGSU INDUSTRY

Jeongsu Industry has been delaying

paying wages for its contract workers for the past five years.

CEO PARK JAE-SIK MUST PAY MY UNPAID WAGES OF 7.5 MILLION WON

When its workers file a suit,

the company offers them settlement money and makes them drop the charge.

They've been avoiding punishment

by taking advantage of loopholes in the law.

The man you saw earlier is one of the victims.

But why is he bothering you?

He wants me to take care of his case quickly.

-And you want to combine all the cases? -Yes.

He's not happy that the corroborative investigation has been taking some time.

DIVISION CHIEF CHO MIN-HO

How much more time do you need?

I think I can wrap things up in a week or so.

-Are you sure? -Yes, sir.

I'll be sure to secure proper evidence and indict the company.

Fine.

I'll stay out of this, so you take good care of it.

Yes, sir. Thank you.

You should be careful.

People like him can decide to take advantage of civil complaints

when things don't go their way.

He might end up giving us a real headache,

so make sure you talk smoothly.

-Do you understand? -Yes, sir.

Oh, wait.

Were you close to Prosecutor Cha in law school?

Hello.

No.

You went to the same school,

so make sure you take care of her.

-Pardon? -She's from Seoul,

and this is her first day here. She must have a lot on her mind.

You should go see how she's doing.

-Okay? -Yes, sir.

Now.

Yes, sir.

DIVISION 2 CHIEF'S OFFICE PROSECUTOR CHO MIN-HO

So full of yourself.

What?

People often wrongly assume

that a distant acquaintance can be better

than a total stranger.

I wish I didn't remember her.

Yes.

How can I help you?

I came to the wrong office. Excuse me.

What was that?

SPECIAL DIVISION 1 PROSECUTOR CHA MYEONG-JU

Is this Prosecutor Lee?

Yes.

-Drink this. -Prosecutor Lee.

You and Prosecutor Cha are alumni, right?

Were you close to her?

Myeong-ju, let's go eat something.

-I don't want to. -What?

I said no.

Why would you buy me a meal?

Prosecutor Kim.

-Yes? -Back in school,

were you close to everyone?

No.

The School of Law had 300 students each year.

Am I supposed to be close to all of them?

No.

Get back to work.

Let me see.

This is a welcome party for Prosecutor Cha.

So we will have the barbecue special for six people.

And for drinks…

Shall we have some classy wine?

Pardon?

What liquor do you like?

I like soju.

Two bottles of soju, please.

All right.

-Here. -Okay.

-Thank you. -Here.

-It's your first time in Jinyeong, right? -Yes.

So? Do you like it here?

Yes. The air is nice, and the city is peaceful.

I guess you're right.

It's a little boring compared to Seoul.

Ms. Cha.

It is embarrassing to say this,

but I admire you.

-Pardon? -The hospital director you investigated

was the vice minister's father-in-law.

It was obvious you'd get demoted for messing with him.

What made you decide to arrest him without hesitation?

I admire your upright spirit.

-How were you feeling during that… -Excuse me.

Get us the soju first.

-Prosecutor Kim. -Yes?

Drink some water.

Water?

You are thirsty. Drink some water.

During that time,

I felt like I was just doing my job.

It's here. Thank you.

-All right. -Please let me do it.

Okay.

"She dared to arrest the vice minister's father-in-law."

"She will be in serious trouble."

I hate it when people say that.

Prosecutors gossiping whenever these things happen

only makes them look pathetic.

Being the vice minister's father-in-law isn't a big deal.

-Don't you think so? -I agree.

Gosh, I'm impressed by your spirit.

That's great.

All right. Shall we drink a toast?

To Prosecutor Cha's new life in Jinyeong.

-To Prosecutor Cha. -To Prosecutor Cha.

Please enjoy it.

Thank you.

-Dig in. It's my treat. -Thank you.

-Thank you. -Let's eat.

-Thank you. -Thank you.

I don't think we've been here before.

Can we get some seasoned salt?

-Oh, dear. -Gosh, that was so annoying.

Gosh, my knees.

My goodness.

She did sound fearless when she spoke.

I almost held my glass with both hands when she poured me a drink.

I can't tell if she's brave or if she's just rude.

How am I supposed to take this?

Don't even think about it.

I'm sure she'll be quitting soon.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have spoken so recklessly.

You think so too?

Actually, I found it weird

when she decided to transfer from Seoul to here so obediently.

But if she was planning to quit, why did she move all the way here?

Maybe she didn't want to put herself in an awkward situation.

Even if she quits, she'll still practice law.

Now that all eyes are on her,

she must've felt uncomfortable to quit with a flounce.

Once things settle down, she can quit with dignity anytime.

She might quit with dignity, but that doesn't sound so cool.

I don't care if it's dignified or not.

If she wants to quit, I just want her to do it quickly.

Look how uncomfortable we are with her.

I was wondering why she didn't quit,

but I guess it's just that she hasn't quit yet.

As expected of someone earning 30 million won per month.

WHY DID CHA MYEONG-JU COME TO JINYEONG?

2. TO QUIT HER JOB WITH DIGNITY

By the way…

You all saw, right?

"I hate it."

She stared into my eyes while saying that.

What's with him?

Pardon?

A COUNTRY FOR THE PEOPLE RIGHTEOUS KOREA

Mr. Kim Man-su keeps asking for Mr. Jang to be punished severely.

And Mr. Jang Cheol-jin is not showing the slightest bit of remorse.

This case can be resolved once they make up,

but they both are being stubborn.

What do we do?

This is a good thing. This is their chance to learn a lesson.

-Jong-gyu. -Come on.

You need to cut it out, Mom.

Two-timing at your age?

This is much too embarrassing.

Hey, you've been single for 50 years. What do you know about love?

I know what it is like.

Still, I guess they will try to listen to you at least.

Could you please help them make up?

I'm sure they will listen to me.

Of course. I will appreciate your help.

Hey.

Try the oysters.

About 70% of oysters produced in Korea are from Jinyeong.

This is a great place.

I'd like to meet all of you in Mr. Cho's office at 1:30 p.m.

What is it about?

I'll tell you later.

After everyone has eaten.

Hello?

Yes.

What?

Where are you now?

He's in stable condition now,

-so don't worry. -Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

-Here. -Thank you.

He can't use his legs,

and he developed epilepsy recently.

I was relieved when he didn't have any seizures for a while.

I had to go to work to make a living,

but it was hard to find someone to look after him.

What did the doctor say?

I should take him to a bigger hospital in Seoul,

but I can barely pay for his medicine.

I also have no one to borrow money from.

Well…

Their attorney says they will pay me 1.5 million won first.

If I drop the charges, they will give me the rest.

So I want to take the offer.

This is what Jeongsu Industry does every time.

They make you drop the charges,

but they never pay the unpaid wages.

You know how they even file counterclaims.

According to the Criminal Procedure Code, once you drop the charges,

you can't file a suit again for the same case.

Then do you want me to keep living like this?

I filed the suit against them to get my money in the first place.

What good does it do to me if Park Jae-sik is sent to jail?

All I want is to get paid as soon as possible.

Please trust me and wait a little more…

How long do I have to wait?

I have to look for another job.

I need the 1.5 million won to take care of urgent matters.

If things go wrong,

I heard I could take civil action or something later on.

If you fail here, civil action will fail too.

I didn't know you were here.

To exaggerate a little, this man takes on half the cases in Jinyeong.

He's Attorney Choi Tae-jung.

I won't speak further.

He's the best at introducing himself.

You know I used to be a prosecutor.

This man here,

Prosecutor Lee used to be my junior at work.

I see. Is that so?

Prosecutor Lee.

We need to drop the charges and reach a settlement if needed.

It doesn't look good

to indict an innocent person just for your performance review

as a prosecutor.

If you want to settle,

bring CEO Park of Jeongsu Industry

and let him offer the settlement money on my watch.

Otherwise, you must never settle.

How frustrating.

From now on, I will take on half the cases that are assigned

to Criminal Division 2.

I will also take on all the cases that have remained unsolved

for over two months.

Prosecutor Cha,

aren't you supposed to discuss something like this with me beforehand?

I'm sorry, I wanted to explain it myself

and make sure there isn't any misunderstanding.

I see.

Well…

Now that you're trying to work hard, there's not much to say about it.

But why are you doing all this?

From what I've seen,

about 50 cases are assigned to Jinyeong Branch per day.

And about 20 of them are assigned to Criminal Division 2.

Considering the difficulty of the cases,

the workload of Criminal Division 2

makes up only 25% of the branch's overall workload.

That's too little.

That's why we ended up taking care of hearings as well.

And each prosecutor currently has about 100 unsolved cases on hand.

They are now piling up in the office without getting solved,

causing pressure on each prosecutor.

I believe that the Jinyeong Branch before my arrival

and after my arrival should be different.

Now that I'm here, I'm suggesting this to try my best.

So please take this as a chance to put down your burdens.

And Mr. Cho, please make the best use of me and approve of this.

Well…

Please excuse me.

I'm sorry I'm late.

What?

"I believe that

the Jinyeong Branch before my arrival and after my arrival should be different."

So full of herself.

She wants to take on all the unsolved cases.

I guess she can sound proud saying that.

Jong-hak!

Think about it.

We should be grateful. No one forced her to do this.

She's just volunteering to do more work.

We have no reason to refuse all that.

If you look on the bright side, I guess you can say that.

But still…

But what?

Let's just gladly accept her offer.

I'm still a rookie, so it's not my position to weigh in…

-Right. -It's not.

Don't weigh in.

Okay.

So are we doing as she suggested?

Mr. Cho went to discuss it with the Branch Chief.

So they will make the decision.

So all the rest she needed was one day?

Pardon?

What do you think?

I'm just grateful to have someone determined to work hard,

so I have no reason to refuse it.

But I'm afraid…

it might end up undermining our teamwork.

Have you heard of the catfish effect?

The catfish effect?

Norwegian fishermen keep

a catfish in the tank of their ship to keep the sardines fresh

when bringing them home from the sea.

The sardines will try their hardest to avoid their predator, the catfish,

and that maximizes their instinct to survive.

I see.

Let's just think that we have a catfish in the tank.

-Yes, sir. -Right.

Are you really not going?

Why is it always me?

Did you not hear that?

Half of all the cases will be assigned to her from now on.

She even took on all the unsolved cases.

Send Mr. Kim instead.

I'm getting married next month.

So what?

Then Mr. Kim won't be available.

You probably didn't know this,

but there's a lot to prepare before the wedding.

Then send Mr. Jung.

My wife is expecting next month.

But you're not the one giving birth.

Then we can't send Mr. Jung either.

-What? -You probably didn't know this,

but there's a lot to prepare before the baby is born.

Anyway, I'm not going.

Come in.

Oh, hello.

Investigator Lee Jeong-hwan?

-Yes? -I'm Prosecutor Cha Myeong-ju.

Nice to meet you.

I heard you were good.

You are also good at sniffing out victim-only cases.

Stop deliberating and come with me.

-Yes, ma'am. -Pack your stuff.

I've already packed.

We need to look more into this case.

Yes.

My gosh.

They got started already.

-You know this case, right? -Yes.

Take a look at this.

Oh, right. Back in school…

We weren't close.

I see.

Now I get it.

Why Prosecutor Cha came all the way to Jinyeong without quitting.

She came to turn this place upside down.

That's not it.

She pulls herself together and commits herself to work.

It looks like she has something to back her up.

You mean like a connection?

But I heard she has no connections anymore.

There's no such thing as a broken connection between prosecutors.

She wouldn't be here if she had connections.

She has one.

The one who became the Prosecutor General from Jinyeong.

Was it 15 years ago?

He used to be a promising prosecutor in Seoul.

One day, he suddenly transferred to Jinyeong just like Prosecutor Cha did.

The whole branch was stirred up just like we are now.

They all wondered how he ended up in Jinyeong.

The prosecutor's nickname was Spider-Man.

Spider-Man?

Because he had web-like connections.

-Hello. -I see.

PROSECUTION

And I guess he was a real Spider-Man.

PROSECUTOR CHOI SANG-GEOL

He managed to go back

to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office using his connections within a year.

He went from strength to strength since then,

and he became the Prosecutor General five years ago.

Five years ago? Is that Choi Sang-geol?

My gosh…

He was the Prosecutor General when I joined the prosecution.

That's when I realized.

You never know how the personnel matters turn out

in the prosecution.

My gosh.

By the way, talking about him makes me miss him.

3. TO BECOME THE NEXT SPIDER-MAN

I wonder what he's up to now.

Who?

My goodness.

Hey, Man-ok.

Sang-geol.

Hey, you haven't called me in a while.

You know I'm still working.

You're right.

Now that I'm retired, I should've called you first.

By the way, are you at Wet Fog now?

Yes, I am.

Look at you. You've still got it.

Of course.

I miss the time

when we went there for some soju and dried pollack after work.

That was nice.

PROSECUTOR LEE SEON-UNG

What is this?

Darn it.

Come in.

Hello, sir.

-Thanks. -No problem.

Prosecutor Cha, I'd like you to hear it too.

Why? What's the matter?

I'm here regarding the unpaid wages at Jeongsu Industry.

Jeongsu Industry?

-Oh, right. -I was going to take care of it,

but the case has been reassigned to Prosecutor Cha.

Well, I forgot about that.

I'd like to have the case assigned back to me.

DIVISION CHIEF CHO MIN-HO

I'm not sure if it's okay to reassign it to you.

We're not playing ping-pong here. It can't go back and forth.

But still…

Like Mr. Cho said,

I don't think it's a good idea to reassign the case in only one day.

We should think of those who are involved in the case.

If the case is reassigned twice within the same day,

they will get confused and worried.

Exactly.

She has a point, but someone who knows well about the case should take care…

Don't worry too much, Prosecutor Lee.

I'll take good care of the case.

The case is mine now.

She's right.

I'm sure she will take good care of the case.

You don't have to worry. Okay?

All right. Get back to work.

Okay.

Mr. Cho, but I…

You may leave now.

Wait, Prosecutor Cha.

Prosecutor Cha!

From now on, our office will be the busiest one at Jinyeong Branch.

Request for one more investigator.

That won't be easy though.

Just do as I say.

Ms. Sung Mi-ran, you are assisting both Room 306 and Room 309 for now,

but you'll soon be assigned here, so please pay attention to our cases.

Mr. Lee, I'd like you to visit each office and get a list of unsolved cases.

Tell the ones that joined the prosecution later than I did

to write case summaries and the reasons the cases were unresolved.

-Yes, ma'am. -Right away.

Okay.

What about Prosecutor Lee Seon-ung?

I heard he was your senior at school.

I joined the prosecution first.

I see.

This is ridiculous.

They can't reassign the cases so recklessly like that.

Just overlook this and let her handle the case.

I'm sure she will take good care of it.

He's right. It is no longer in your hands.

Don't be attached to it.

Excuse me.

-What? -Well…

Prosecutor Cha asked for case summaries and reasons the cases remained unresolved.

She does? How many pages should it be?

No, you don't have to do it, Prosecutor Hong.

Why not?

It's for the prosecutors below her.

I see.

All right.

Sure. When does she need them?

Please get them done by today.

Okay.

Anything else?

You need to do them too.

This is Lee Seon-ung.

Can I see you in the video investigation room?

Seriously…

This is an emergency.

Prosecutor Lee versus Prosecutor Cha. Video investigation room.

PROSECUTORS' OFFICE

It's about to start.

Anyone?

I'd like to tell you only two things.

Go ahead.

You might think all the prosecutors here are just goofing around,

but they all came here for a reason just like you did.

I'd like you to respect them.

The prosecutors at Jinyeong Branch are still prosecutors.

And you are telling me that right now

because you are offended by the case summary I requested, right?

It's not only about that.

What else?

Secondly…

Like I said before

about the case of Jeongsu Industry,

I'd like you to discuss it with me when you're handling the case.

You can't just get them to settle in that case.

-Is this a favor? -What?

Are you asking me for a favor now?

It's not a favor. I'm advising you.

I don't think you're in a place to advise me.

But I entered law school before you.

That doesn't matter in the prosecution.

It matters to me!

Not to me, though.

I know you hate me, Prosecutor Cha.

-Pardon? -But I don't care! Because I hate you too!

Darn it.

"I know you hate me."

"But I don't care!" Gosh, that's embarrassing.

What's with him?

That was humiliating.

PROSECUTOR LEE SEON-UNG

Do you by chance think I lost?

I did not lose.

They say life is like a marathon.

You never know who the winner is until the race is over.

The real winner is decided

at the finish line, not the starting line.

This is very famous.

I didn't like it at first.

I know. I didn't like it either.

It has a unique taste. It's good for hangovers.

But I heard many people have a craving for it.

They can't wait to try it?

I'm serious.

It's udon and jjajangmyeon.

-It's udon and jjajangmyeon mixed. -I should try.

It's good for hangovers.

Do you like the food?

Not really.

I just can't get used to the taste.

PROSECUTOR LEE SEON-UNG

-Still working? -Mr. Cho.

I'm here to have some beer.

I heard you had a fight with Prosecutor Cha.

It wasn't a fight.

I understand. It doesn't matter who takes care of the case.

You know we're a team.

Hey.

I called her so you two can make up.

Have a seat.

You have a bottle opener?

A bottle opener?

-I'll do it. -Just a moment.

Okay.

What's this?

This? It's nothing.

BRASS RULER

All right.

To the future of Criminal Division 2. Cheers.

-Cheers. -Cheers.

BRASS RULER

PROSECUTOR CHA MYEONG-JU

What's this?

This? It's nothing.

BRASS RULER

SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY THE 61ST GRADUATION CEREMONY

Did you get the brass ruler?

Hey, why would you ask something so obvious?

It always goes to the top graduate.

I'm so jealous.

Now the valedictorian will give a speech.

Ms. Cha Myeong-ju.

I wondered who got it.

PROSECUTOR CHA MYEONG-JU

PROSECUTOR LEE SEON-UNG

This is Lee Seon-ung.

This is Choi Tae-jung.

-I'm calling you because I'm so impressed. -Pardon?

Is it because she's from Seoul?

Prosecutor Cha is straightforward and decisive.

Prosecutor Lee, it would've been nice if you took my advice

and got things done as I said.

How could you let Jeongsu Industry settle with the victim?

Do you know what are they like?

For the past two years…

Eight cases of unpaid wages.

After the victims dropped the charges,

they filed counterclaims to get back at them without paying the wages.

I read all that in the summary you gave me.

That's not all I wrote.

"We can secure evidence this time."

"We must indict them so the same thing won't happen again."

I asked you to make sure the victims don't sign the settlement.

So did you secure any evidence?

If we indict them without solid evidence,

we can't be certain the same thing won't happen again.

We can secure evidence through more investigation.

So I asked you to take good care of it.

But how could you let them settle?

What if Mr. Kim Yeong-chun doesn't get paid,

and Jeongsu Industry files a counterclaim?

I already warned him about that.

He made up his mind, so there's nothing I can do about it.

He's not in a situation where he can make good judgments.

His son just had an acute seizure a few days ago.

Do prosecutors have to consider that as well?

If we don't, who else would care for them?

I see.

You may not know because you wear expensive clothes and nice shoes,

but the cases here are not as simple as they look.

They all are about someone's survival.

You grew up over-sheltered.

What do you know about survival?

-What? -You didn't even know

that Mr. Kim desperately needed the 1.5 million won.

Do you think you have the right to talk about survival?

It's not like I didn't know that.

But if he settles,

Jeongsu Industry will get away once again.

So what really mattered to you was an indictment, wasn't it?

You just wanted to feel like a hero who indicted a vicious company.

So you turned a blind eye to Mr. Kim's desperate situation.

I didn't turn a blind eye. I did my job as a prosecutor!

It's our job to move on from cases that can't be won.

We can't be sure he will lose. It's up to the prosecutor.

It's up to the prosecutor to decide if the case is a lost cause.

Not admitting your loss is negligence.

Prosecutor Cha.

Do you even have values as a prosecutor?

Why don't you establish your standards for dealing with cases first?

What is this?

You aren't little kids.

How could you raise your voices with others around?

What if the defendant had seen you?

-You can't tell who the winner is -I'm sorry.

-right away in some fights. -I'm sorry.

Sometimes you're forced to call a truce.

Ho-sun.

Ho-sun.

Ho-sun.

Ho-sun.

And sometimes you lose your purpose to fight like them,

so there's no point in winning.

DIVISION CHIEF MIN SEONG-JIN

DIVISION CHIEF MIN SEONG-JIN

A WEEK AGO, SEOUL CENTRAL DISTRICT PROECUTORS' OFFICE SPECIAL DIVISION 1

Didn't I tell you

to coax the reporters to leave?

I'm sorry, but we have solid evidence and the public opinion…

Don't mind the public until you become a chief.

You're just learning how the prosecution works.

It's too soon for you to talk about public opinion.

You should go there and learn how to pace yourself.

And see how others live.

Sir…

Take that with you.

Hello?

Hey, how are you doing?

Yes, Mr. Min.

How is Jinyeong? Do you have a lot of work?

I'm trying my best.

You have impressed me a lot.

I thought you'd quit right away.

Was I mistaken about you?

I didn't know you could be so obedient.

Is that a compliment?

Of course, it is.

Mr. Min, let's go.

All right. Take care.

I'll go visit you in Jinyeong. I'll see you then.

No, sir. I'll go visit you in Seoul.

Sure, why not?

Swallow today's bitterness for tomorrow's victory.

That's the fight of grown-ups.

WHY DID CHA MYEONG-JU COME TO JINYEONG?

1. BECAUSE SHE WAS MOVED BY BRANCH CHIEF KIM IN-JU'S WORDS

2. TO QUIT HER JOB WITH DIGNITY

3. TO BECOME THE NEXT SPIDER-MAN

4. TO BECOME THE LAST PERSON TO LAUGH!

I went to Africa during the vacation.

That's when I lost my appetite.

I couldn't even fall asleep at night.

Many kids even less than ten years old

die of malnutrition every day there.

I felt like it was a luxury to struggle with the bar exam for me.

I couldn't focus on my study,

and I felt so lethargic.

So I thought about what I could do.

I want to take part in this government sponsorship program.

I want you guys to join me. Look.

Hey, it's only 10,000 won per month.

It can save numerous lives there. Take a look at this.

Do you see that?

So full of yourself.

What?

Do you have to go all the way to Africa to see someone living in hell?

It's easy for you to say 10,000 won a month.

I knew you grew up over-sheltered.

What's with her? Did I do something wrong?

I knew you grew up over-sheltered.

You grew up over-sheltered. What do you know about survival?

She does remember me!

WHY DID CHA MYEONG-JU COME TO JINYEONG?

5. BECAUSE THERE'S SOMEONE SHE NEEDS TO MEET THERE?

Prosecutor Cha!

Call an ambulance.

-What happened? -What's wrong?

If something happens while I'm gone, who'll be held responsible?

Cha Myeong-ju and you're making things uncomfortable in Criminal Division 2.

I'd like Prosecutor Kim Jeong-u to work in my office.

-What? -Let her teach him then.

Mr. Cho!

It's become clear. This is war.

PROSECUTORS' OFFICE

How could you sit back and watch your juniors squabble like that?

I don't care about your stupid fight.

But why do you have to harm people around you?

Seon-ung, you opened a beer with the brass ruler.

Professor Park Dae-cheon gives that brass ruler

only to his valued students.

How did Lee Seon-ung get the brass ruler?

PROSECUTOR CHA MYEONG-JU

REALIZATION OF SOCIAL JUSTICE WELCOME TO JINYEONG BRANCH

BRANCH CHIEF KIM IN-JU

INCOMING CALL

-Hello? -Prosecutor Cha,

this is Kim In-ju from the Jinyeong Branch.

Oh, yes.

I'm calling because I heard you'd be transferred to our branch.

I'm well aware this is happening due to an unfortunate affair.

You must have a lot on your mind.

But from what I have experienced in life,

I can tell you that a little setback in life is no big deal.

You'd feel like your world is crumbling around you at the moment,

but in hindsight, you will realize it was all nothing.

So I called to tell you not to have second thoughts

about coming to Jinyeong.

I will make sure your residence is all cleaned up.

I'll see you in Jinyeong soon.

Yes, Mr. Kim. I'll make sure to go and meet you.

PROSECUTOR LEE SEON-UNG

Subtitle translation by: Young-ju Kim