Yoo Yeon-seok Shines in 'Shin & Law Office' with Stellar Performance as Ghost-Seeing Lawyer

Actor Yoo Yeon-seok has redefined his career with his role in SBS's Friday-Saturday drama 'Shin & Law Office.' The show, which peaked at a 10.0% viewership rating in its 6th episode, saw a slight dip to 9.5% by the 8th episode. However, it dropped to 6.7% following the premiere of MBC's '21st Century Grand Prince' starring IU and Byun Woo-seok on the 10th.

In 'Shin & Law Office,' Yoo Yeon-seok plays Shin Yi-rang, who opens a law office and faces daily challenges. Despite being rejected from law firm interviews due to his father Shin Ki-jung's (played by Choi Won-young) past corruption scandal, he starts his own practice. The office becomes a place where the joys and sorrows of both the living and the dead coexist. As he listens to the stories of ghosts he sees after lighting a mysterious incense burner, he evolves into a lawyer specializing in ghost cases, bringing humor, tension, and warmth to viewers.

Yoo Yeon-seok delivers a challenging performance by embodying various spirits, including gangsters, idol trainees, elderly dementia patients, and children, regardless of gender or age. He goes beyond mimicking speech patterns, perfectly capturing the essence of each character through their gaze and subtle habits, earning the praise "Yoo Yeon-seok is a genre in himself."

A particularly chilling moment for viewers was his attention to detail. He flawlessly recreated the deep voice and gait of dementia patient Kang Dong-sik (played by Lee Deok-hwa), then seamlessly transitioned to the playful dance of 8-year-old ghost Yoon Si-ho (played by Park Da-on) to the tune of 'Hachuping' after helping Kang Dong-sik ascend. He also naturally used chopsticks with his left hand in a scene eating egg kimbap to reflect his left-handed father's traits.

In the 14th episode, Shin Yi-rang's tearful confession to his father's ghost, "You are my father," moved audiences. Despite the world condemning his father as a corrupt prosecutor, he chose to believe in the father he knew and loved. "Even if the whole world doesn't believe, having just one person who does gives you courage. To Yi-rang, his father was that person," he decided to be that one person for his father.

The production team stated, "Yoo Yeon-seok is an actor who analyzes and embodies even the subtle habits between the lines of the script as Shin Yi-rang's own. His overwhelming acting ability, seamlessly transitioning between comedy, mystery, humanism, and romance, has completed the hero Shin Yi-rang. Please look forward to the emotional finale Yoo Yeon-seok will deliver as Shin Yi-rang faces the ultimate truth."

'Shin & Law Office' airs every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 PM.

Reporter Se-yoon Jung, Ten Asia yoon@tenasia.co.kr