- 2 days ago
Law And The City
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Seocho Dong, Seoul. A landmark location packed with courts,
00:05prosecutors' offices, and law firms. Attorney Ahn Joo-hyun is an unusual presence here.
00:11He is employed by a law firm. He has been a salaried lawyer for a full nine years.
00:16In the legal world driven by fame and profit, capable individuals often change jobs frequently.
00:22Most last no more than five years before starting their own practice or becoming a partner.
00:26Ahn Joo-hyun has never entertained such thoughts. With nine years of honed experience,
00:32Ahn Joo-hyun possesses top-tier legal competence. Yet he still quietly receives his fixed monthly
00:38salary plus bonuses. He has never harbored any grand ambitions, nor does he wish to climb higher.
00:45Even occasional losses in court leave him completely unruffled. Many other lawyers work on different
00:50floors of the same law firm building. Ahn Joo-hyun is friends with four of them. These friends,
00:56like him, are salaried employee lawyers. After work or during breaks each day,
01:02the five gather for group meals at nearby restaurants or cafes. They form a dining group.
01:08They vent to each other about various trivial frustrations encountered at work.
01:12On this day, Ahn Joo-hyun randomly pulled one file from the mountain of documents piled up in the law
01:18firm. In this case, the defendant, Mr. Park, is visually impaired and also a tax accountant.
01:26Mr. Park was sued by a certain client. According to the client, he regularly did business with Mr. Park.
01:32That day, he requested a discount on the service fee. Unexpectedly, he claims he was inexplicably
01:38beaten by Mr. Park. In the first trial, Mr. Park admitted to the assault and was subsequently
01:44convicted of assault charges. But this time, Mr. Park tells Ahn Joo-hyun he did not beat the client.
01:50He says he chose to admit guilt initially only because he didn't want the matter escalated.
01:55He didn't want it to affect his job. However, he later changed his mind, determined to reveal the
02:01truth. He refuses to bear an innocent person's blame. Faced with Mr. Park's account, Ahn Joo-hyun
02:07appears extremely calm. He neither blindly believes it, nor tries to pick holes in the story to refute it.
02:13He simply remains impassive. He states he will review the relevant evidence,
02:17and then contact him. This is Ahn Joo-hyun. After nine years as a lawyer, having encountered
02:24countless lying clients, his passion has long since faded. He treats lawyering merely as an
02:29ordinary office worker's job. He knows the real world is not a television drama. He never speaks of
02:35ideals or passion. While reviewing the materials, Ahn Joo-hyun discovered a piece of message evidence
02:40submitted by the plaintiff. The recording clearly captured Mr. Park committing violence against the
02:45client. Photographs of the plaintiff's injured body parts in the documents also appeared to corroborate
02:51this claim. To verify Mr. Park's completely opposite statement, Ahn Joo-hyun reluctantly rose from his
02:57office chair. It seemed he would have to visit the scene. Leaving the law firm, Ahn Joo-hyun arrived at Mr. Park's
03:04apartment yawning. With a scrutinizing gaze, Ahn Joo-hyun noticed Mr. Park's apartment had been
03:10completely renovated. The interior layout was entirely different from before the incident.
03:15Additionally, the blind Mr. Park very expertly served water to Ahn Joo-hyun. Each of these small
03:21details was noted by Ahn Joo-hyun. Regarding the recording and photographs, Mr. Park explained, claiming the
03:28client broke items himself. He said the client spoke strange words and even hit himself. He orchestrated
03:34this framing plot against Mr. Park. Even the alleged discussion about a service fee discount,
03:40Mr. Park insisted never happened. Ahn Joo-hyun acutely sensed something was wrong. If no argument
03:46occurred between the two men, why would the client come to Mr. Park's apartment for no reason? To stage a
03:52deceptive act? Ahn Joo-hyun concluded internally that Mr. Park was hiding something. Back at the law
03:59firm, Ahn Joo-hyun meticulously checked every document. Ultimately, through rigorous logical analysis,
04:06he uncovered the truth. During their next meeting, Ahn Joo-hyun informed Mr. Park of his deduction.
04:11He discovered the client's registered address was identical to Mr. Park's address in the household
04:17registry. In other words, they were not simply a tax accountant and client. They were same-sex partners
04:23living together. Exposed, Mr. Park admitted Ahn Joo-hyun's deduction was correct. He and the client
04:30were former partners who had broken up. To avoid misunderstanding, the man disclosed everything
04:35he had hidden. According to his account, after they broke up, he demanded repayment of money lent
04:41during the relationship. The other man refused, leading to their conflict. He lied in the first trial,
04:47because he didn't want their secret of coming out to be exposed. He wanted to protect his ex,
04:52partner's privacy. Ahn Joo-hyun saw the flaw immediately. If that was the case, why then
04:58would Mr. Park change his mind and choose to appeal? Mr. Park remained silent. Ahn Joo-hyun spoke the
05:05remaining truth for him. Because Mr. Park wanted to protect his tax accountant license. After the first
05:11trial, his license faced revocation. Mr. Park weighed the situation and deemed ruining his future
05:17to protect his ex-partner unwise. During the court appearance, as Mr. Park's defense attorney,
05:23Ahn Joo-hyun completely denied the plaintiff's accusations. Yet he did not disclose their former
05:28partner relationship. He only stated they were close friends with a debt issue. He submitted evidence
05:34based on his observations at Mr. Park's home that day. This proved the plaintiff deliberately injured
05:40himself to frame Mr. Park. Through Ahn Joo-hyun's persuasive arguments. Mr. Park was acquitted in the
05:46second trial. Afterwards, Mr. Park thanked Ahn Joo-hyun. Ahn Joo-hyun remained cold as ice.
05:53Despite winning, he didn't fully believe Mr. Park's account. Defending clients, for him,
05:59was simply a job requiring rational judgment. It involved no emotional involvement. Outside work,
06:06Ahn Joo-hyun participated in blind dates. Each time he appeared gentlemanly toward the women,
06:12yet remained distant. He verbally agreed to meet again, but immediately deleted their contact details
06:18afterward. That evening, the dining group gathered at a new location. They were seeing off a friend who
06:25was resigning. Following this resignation, attorney Kang Hee-ji came to the law firm building to interview
06:32for the vacancy. Kang Hee-ji had less than a year of work experience, making her a newcomer to the legal
06:38field. She was idealistic about the real world. On her first day at work, Kang Hee-ji found a handover
06:44report on her desk. It specifically noted the dining group members' names at the bottom. One name was Ahn
06:50Joo-hyun. Kang Hee-ji seemed to recognize Ahn Joo-hyun. Kang Hee-ji found the dining group's contact
06:57information on her computer. She located their group chat. She scrolled through each member's
07:02profile one by one. Seeing Ahn Joo-hyun's background photo, Kang Hee-ji smiled faintly.
07:10That night, the dining group gathered again minus one member. Everyone anticipated the newcomer who would
07:16replace their resigned friend. They wondered who it might be. At that moment, Kang Hee-ji approached and saw
07:23this familiar yet unfamiliar face. Ahn Joo-hyun's eyes were filled with instant panic and shock.
07:30Ahn Joo-hyun never imagined. The new member would be his old acquaintance Kang Hee-ji. After a brief
07:36moment of shock, Ahn Joo-hyun pretended Kang Hee-ji looked only vaguely familiar. Unexpectedly, Kang Hee-ji blurted
07:45out, claiming they had once been together. Ahn Joo-hyun panicked and hastily denied they had ever dated.
07:52He didn't expect Kang Hee-ji to trap him. Kang Hee-ji explained that by been together,
07:58she meant they had met in Hong Kong. At that time, Ahn Joo-hyun was still a law student. Moreover,
08:05they had agreed to meet again after returning to Korea. They considered each other decade-long
08:10confidants. Ahn Joo-hyun desperately hid his guiltiness. He asserted the reunion promise never
08:16existed. The next day, inside the law firm building's elevator, Ahn Joo-hyun proactively suggested Kang Hee-ji's
08:25memory was faulty. They never agreed to meet again. Kang Hee-ji quickly messaged him, insisting she
08:31remembered correctly. Ahn Joo-hyun's reply was just two perfunctory dots. Thinking of this, Kang Hee-ji
08:39wrote the word, crazy, next to Ahn Joo-hyun's name on the handover report. Today, the firm's
08:46representative assigned Kang Hee-ji a consultation case. A man, Mr. Jang, lives with his family in
08:53government-provided cheap public housing. Before moving in, Mr. Jang took a bank loan, to pay the
08:59house's lease deposit. But recently, unable to repay this loan, bank personnel confronted Mr. Jang.
09:06According to the original agreement, Mr. Jang must forfeit the house used as collateral to the bank.
09:13Once forfeited, Mr. Jang's family will be homeless. Facing this crisis, Mr. Jang hoped the firm would
09:20provide free defense. Kang Hee-ji asked the representative if this was possible. She received
09:25a negative answer. The firm no longer does any pro bono work. From Mr. Jang, Kang Hee-ji learned,
09:32the bank's lawyer worked on the floor below. Kang Hee-ji checked the documents. Indeed,
09:38the lawyer helping the bank sue Mr. Jang was Ahn Joo-hyun. Kang Hee-ji recalled that at yesterday's
09:44dinner gathering, Ahn Joo-hyun mentioned handling a real estate transfer lawsuit. Kang Hee-ji snorted
09:50softly. Basically, he was just helping banks evict tenants while acting cool. Mr. Jang begged Kang Hee-ji to
09:58assist him, hoping she could persuade the lawyer downstairs to withdraw the lawsuit. Kang Hee-ji
10:03felt conflicted. She knew Ahn Joo-hyun was merely doing his job for the bank. She had no right to
10:09interfere. At the next dinner gathering, Kang Hee-ji brought up this matter. Her words indirectly
10:15expressed dissatisfaction with Ahn Joo-hyun assisting the bank. Ahn Joo-hyun was direct. The other party
10:22failed to repay. He was simply taking measures for his client. His approach was perfectly justified.
10:28Learning Kang Hee-ji hadn't agreed to Mr. Jang's request to withdraw the lawsuit, Ahn Joo-hyun nodded
10:34with a subtle expression. Fortunately, Kang Hee-ji didn't meddle unnecessarily. Kang Hee-ji felt Ahn Joo-hyun
10:41was targeting her everywhere. She brought up their past reunion promise again. She believed if anyone should
10:47hold a grudge. It should be her against him. Ahn Joo-hyun remained expressionless. He once again
10:54emphasized he didn't know Kang Hee-ji before. At the next day's trial, Ahn Joo-hyun represented the bank
11:01in suing Mr. Jang. He demanded Mr. Jang either repay in full or surrender the house. Mr. Jang became
11:08emotional in court. He angrily accused Ahn Joo-hyun of siding entirely with the bank. He argued the
11:14government should protect vulnerable groups like him. Moreover, he wasn't deliberately avoiding
11:19debt but facing temporary financial strain. After the trial, Mr. Jang humbly asked Ahn Joo-hyun for a
11:27solution. Ahn Joo-hyun's face showed no emotion. He uttered coldly, Mr. Jang must repay the money. As a
11:35lawyer, he must faithfully fulfill the client's demands. However, the situation took a sudden turn.
11:42The next day, Ahn Joo-hyun saw a newly issued Supreme Court precedent document. The precedent's
11:48circumstances were almost identical to Mr. Jang's dispute with the bank. According to the precedent,
11:55the bank could no longer forcibly evict the apartment tenant. In other words, if the bank continued
12:01the appeal, it might lose the lawsuit. Normally, Ahn Joo-hyun should advise the bank to withdraw the
12:07lawsuit. But he didn't intend to do so. The precedent came out last night. Mr. Jang certainly didn't know
12:13about it. Even the judge might not be aware yet. Therefore, Ahn Joo-hyun intended to conceal the
12:20precedent matter and continue helping the bank appeal. At the dinner gathering, Kang Hee-ji mentioned this
12:26precedent. She had also seen the precedent document last night. Learning Ahn Joo-hyun didn't plan to
12:32withdraw the lawsuit. Kang Hee-ji felt deeply puzzled. According to this precedent, the bank would
12:38definitely lose if the appeal continued. But Ahn Joo-hyun appeared unfazed. He hinted there was
12:44opportunity if the opposing lawyer didn't know about the precedent. Kang Hee-ji disliked Ahn Joo-hyun's
12:50trickery. She muttered again. He wasn't just bad. He was a complete scoundrel. At the next trial, Ahn Joo-hyun
12:58came fully prepared. Unexpectedly, Mr. Jang submitted documents to the judge in court. The content was the
13:05recently issued precedent. It turned out that yesterday, to help the soon-to-be homeless Mr. Jang, Kang Hee-ji
13:12visited his home. She gave him the precedent materials. Seeing the unique first-line indentation on the
13:19documents, Ahn Joo-hyun immediately guessed Kang Hee-ji had outmaneuvered him. That specific indentation
13:26style was only used by Kang Hee-ji's law firm. Now the judge also knew about the new precedent. Ahn Joo-hyun
13:34couldn't continue the appeal. He had to state he would discuss withdrawal with his client. At the
13:39subsequent dinner gathering facing Kang Hee-ji, Ahn Joo-hyun seemed annoyed. He blamed her for meddling
13:46unnecessarily. Kang Hee-ji defended herself. The Supreme Court had issued the latest precedent.
13:53She merely acted according to the precedent. She didn't fabricate facts. Additionally, in Kang Hee-ji's
13:59view, public housing exists to protect low-income groups like Mr. Jang. Only by following precedents.
14:07Could such vulnerable groups keep their hard-earned homes in the future? Kang Hee-ji believed Ahn Joo-hyun was too
14:13cruel. He only focused on helping clients. He completely lacked moral sympathy for vulnerable
14:18groups. Ahn Joo-hyun countered Kang Hee-ji's so-called morality word by word. He asked Kang Hee-ji if the
14:27bank was forced to withdraw the lawsuit. The bank suffered a silent loss and would stop lending to
14:32low-income people who won public housing lots. Then, even if these people obtained public housing,
14:38they couldn't move in due to lacking deposit funds from banks. Eventually, only ordinary
14:44citizens who obtained loans and repaid punctually would suffer losses. The world isn't distinctly
14:50divided and non-interfering. If one incident changes, corresponding factors will trigger butterfly
14:58effect-like consequences. Kang Hee-ji still couldn't accept Ahn Joo-hyun's words. Instead,
15:04she emphasized individual dignity and value. She argued Ahn Joo-hyun focused on the big picture
15:11while neglecting individuals. Both reluctantly gave each other cold shoulders. Yet privately,
15:17both Ahn Joo-hyun and Kang Hee-ji were pondering the other's words. They reflected on their own
15:23convictions. Kang Hee-ji felt gloomy. She noticed the healing location written in a senior's handover report.
15:30A university track to watch people run. At night, Kang Hee-ji went to the track. She sat on a bench
15:37and sighed softly. Ahn Joo-hyun was also there, running. During a break, he noticed Kang Hee-ji nearby.
15:46Memories of the past flooded his mind. Actually, 10 years ago, Ahn Joo-hyun and Kang Hee-ji were lovers.
15:52Back then, they had passionately kissed under the nightlights.
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