The second episode of ENA's 'Honor: Her Court,' aired on the 3rd, featured a shocking ending with Lee Na-young's character being attacked. The episode's ratings increased to 3.2% nationwide and 3.0% in the metropolitan area, marking the highest success for an ENA Monday-Tuesday drama to date, according to Nielsen Korea (based on paid households).
The episode opened with a dramatic scene where Jo Yoo-jung (played by Park Se-hyun), a minor and victim of sexual assault, appeared covered in blood at the 10th-anniversary party of the law firm L&J (Listen & Join), confessing, "I killed reporter Lee Jun-hyuk (played by Lee Chung-joo)." Jo Yoo-jung claimed she killed him in self-defense after he assaulted her, yet she screamed in desperation, "Just send me to prison. Leave me alone."
The murder case shook the relationships among the three lawyers at L&J. Hwang Hyun-jin (played by Lee Chung-ah) visited her ex-boyfriend Lee Jun-hyuk's home to retrieve some materials and discovered his gruesome body. Instinctively, she took his phone from the scene, risking being framed as a prime suspect to hide a mistake from the previous night. Despite knowing Lee Jun-hyuk well, Hwang Hyun-jin couldn't believe Jo Yoo-jung's claim that he was a rapist. This led to a conflict with Yoon Ra-young (played by Lee Na-young), who planned to defend Jo Yoo-jung by claiming self-defense and mental instability. Meanwhile, firm leader Kang Shin-jae (played by Jung Eun-chae) sought to find the scandalous materials related to the case.
Yoon Ra-young refused to give up on Jo Yoo-jung, who rejected legal counsel and was in despair. Jo Yoo-jung claimed she disposed of Lee Jun-hyuk's phone herself, but Yoon Ra-young noticed her habit of self-harm when lying or anxious. She persistently questioned Jo Yoo-jung about the fear behind her false confession, vowing to uncover the truth.
Meanwhile, detective Gu Sun-kyu (played by Choi Young-jun), Yoon Ra-young's husband, took charge of the murder case, leaving Hwang Hyun-jin out of Jo Yoo-jung's defense. Driven by guilt and curiosity, Hwang Hyun-jin pursued the truth alone. She discovered CCTV footage showing Lee Jun-hyuk being threatened by a group the day before his murder. She also learned from Lee Sun-hwa (played by Baek Ji-hye), who had assisted Lee Jun-hyuk's investigation, that the scandal he was investigating was linked to a secret prostitution app called Connect In.
The app's horrifying reality was revealed through the exploitation of another victim, sparking outrage. Instead of rescuing a victim who had escaped a violent client, the organization's cleanup crew arrived, erasing evidence and treating the injured victim. The app's cruelty was exposed as it treated people like objects, with prostitution alerts ringing even amidst the chaos.
The puzzle of truth was pieced together through a third person found in Lee Jun-hyuk's phone photos. Strangely, multiple photos captured the murder scene, and upon zooming in on a photo of Jo Yoo-jung holding a knife, a masked figure was reflected in a Nike statue on the desk. Jo Yoo-jung's recollection revealed she was forced to stab Lee Jun-hyuk by an assailant who grabbed her wrist.
Just as evidence emerged proving Jo Yoo-jung didn't kill Lee Jun-hyuk, another shocking ending unfolded. As Yoon Ra-young entered her home, an intruder attacked her before the door closed. Her scream, as she was pinned down and stabbed in the hand with an awl, delivered intense suspense, heightening anticipation for the next episode.
Reporter: Se-yoon Jung, TenAsia yoon@tenasia.co.kr