The latest episode of MBN's mini-series 'First Lady' delivered a jaw-dropping twist, hinting that Eugene's character might be the hit-and-run murderer of Ji Hyun-woo's former lover and Han Soo-ah's biological mother.
Aired on Wednesday, the 22nd, at 10:20 PM, the ninth episode of 'First Lady' recorded a nationwide viewership rating of 1.6%, with peak ratings reaching 2%, according to Nielsen Korea.
In a surprising turn of events, the 'Do Tae-hoon Special Law' passed the National Assembly, despite Cha Soo-yeon (played by Eugene) trying to sway and threaten lawmakers. This was largely due to a tearful speech by Hyun Min-chul (played by Ji Hyun-woo) directed at the Peace and Freedom Party members. While Kang Sun-ho (played by Kang Seung-ho) and Yoon Ki-joo (played by Kim Ki-bang) wept with relief, Shin Hae-rin (played by Lee Min-young) raised suspicions with a cryptic phone call saying, "Everything is settled. Please proceed as planned."
Hyun Min-chul confronted Cha Soo-yeon at her home, accusing her of stealing a ledger in anger over the law's passage. Despite a warm welcome from his daughter Hyun Ji-yoo (played by Park Seo-kyung), the two engaged in a tense conversation. Cha Soo-yeon aggressively questioned, "What did you promise Attorney Kang to make him steal?" but Hyun Min-chul only asked why she opposed the law. Cha Soo-yeon retorted, "You should have trusted me. But you chose the law instead."
Hyun Ji-yoo interrupted with news of Lee Hwa-jin (played by Han Soo-ah) appearing in a TV interview with Son Min-joo (played by Shin So-yul). When asked if she was forced by Cha Soo-yeon to falsely claim an affair with the president-elect, Lee Hwa-jin shocked everyone by revealing, "I am the daughter of President-elect Hyun Min-chul." She recalled learning this at Um Soon-jung's (played by Jo Young-ji) funeral and stated her reason for revealing it now was "to catch the hit-and-run driver who killed my mother," drawing attention to the truth behind Um Soon-jung's death.
Confused by the revelation, Hyun Ji-yoo stormed out, questioning her parents. Cha Soo-yeon demanded to know when Hyun Min-chul found out, and he admitted it was when he saw the ring on Lee Hwa-jin's pendant, a ring he had given to Um Soon-jung. He also noted that Um Soon-jung had the same neurocardiogenic syncope symptoms as Lee Hwa-jin.
Despite recalling a doctor's comment about the hereditary nature of Lee Hwa-jin's symptoms, Cha Soo-yeon vehemently denied it to Hyun Min-chul. He pressed on, "When Soon-jung left 20 years ago, I wondered if it was you who drove her away," and coldly asked, "Did you know she was pregnant?" Cha Soo-yeon deflected, suggesting a paternity test.
The scandal over Hyun Min-chul's illegitimate child led to public calls for his resignation. Despite emphasizing the neutrality and independence of the special investigation committee under the new law, protests intensified. Meanwhile, Cha Soo-yeon confronted Yang Hoon (played by Lee Si-gang), chairman of H Group, about his knowledge of Lee Hwa-jin being Hyun Min-chul's child. Yang Hoon revealed that Lee Hwa-jin shares the same rare 'RH negative' blood type as Hyun Ji-yoo, shocking Cha Soo-yeon.
Yang Hoon advised against a paternity test, warning that if the child wasn't legitimate, it could implicate them all, hinting at a cover-up related to the special law. "If you go down, we all go down," he ominously stated.
Hyun Min-chul received significant information from Park Chan-do (played by Ryu Kyung-hwan), whom he had tasked with investigating the hit-and-run incident involving Um Soon-jung. A black box video showed a yellow compact car, suspected to be Cha Soo-yeon's, at the foggy accident scene. The episode ended with Cha Soo-yeon stepping out of the car and looking at the bleeding Um Soon-jung with a mysterious gaze, leaving viewers questioning if she was indeed the murderer.
Lee So-jung, TenAsia Reporter forusojung@tenasia.co.kr