Early Access: Confession E2 (Patreon)

E2. I think I should thank Junho for being in this show, because I'm actually enjoying it very well so far, and like I said before, I wouldn't be watching this one right now (or at all?), if Junho wasn't in it. Of course, part of my enjoyment is that Junho is in it, but aside from that, in as objective a manner as I can muster, I do find this story interesting, on its own.

First of all, YES, my assumption last episode was correct; that car flip triggered by the Truck of Doom does turn out to be a dream. PHEW that Do Hyun is ok, but also, poor Do Hyun, he seems to be plagued by this recurring dream. I have to wonder where this dream is coming from. Is it something that he's experienced in the past, or does it have to do with some kind of fear that he's feeling right now?

There's definitely a good amount about Do Hyun that we don't know just yet. We are only shown glimpses of his context, this episode, and I am very curious to know more.

I am curious to know about why his father's in jail, and why Dad is pushing him away, even though their relationship appears to be fine otherwise. Why would it be a bad thing, for Dad to let Do Hyun in, right now?

And, what is this about Do Hyun having a medical condition? It looks like he's had open-heart surgery, and requires long-term medical supervision for it. It worries me somewhat, that Do Hyun keeps pushing himself so hard, to work on the case.

He regularly pulls all-nighters, doesn't sleep enough, and when he does sleep, he suffers from nightmares. We don't see him out of his restrictive work wear even once, this episode, which indicate exactly where his brain's been at, the whole time; tense, and working all the time. He even looks a little pale, in the later part of this episode, when he's at the hospital. That definitely makes me concerned for his health.

I am also extremely curious to know more about Madame Jin. She definitely appears to want to help Do Hyun, and she's very helpful this episode, with the way she recreates the case file for Do Hyun, so that he can now see all the information that was redacted by the prosecution.

Plus, Madame Jin actively thinks about the case when Do Hyun isn't in the office, and she's the one who points Do Hyun to the possibility that Kim Sun Hee's estimated time of death might not be accurate. She's definitely proving herself to be an asset to Do Hyun's law practice, right now.

It makes me wonder if she's related to Do Hyun in some way. Perhaps an estranged aunt whom he's never met? That might explain her desire to help Do Hyun? And perhaps that blurry photo that we see in her home, is that of Do Hyun and his father..?

On this point, though, I do feel like I'm being asked to suspend disbelief somewhat. After all, Do Hyun's such a smart, capable sort of guy, surely he would know how to read beyond the blacked out ink as well? I find it hard to believe that he wouldn't know how to do that, and had to depend on Madame Jin to recreate the file for him.

However, I do like the detail, that Do Hyun is able to get the case file photos from the police, even though they don't exactly want to give them to him. I kinda love the fact that he's matter-of-fact yet kind of endearing, in his approach.

As for Yoo Ri, I am happy to report that I find her less unlikable this episode. Mainly, I like that she's actually helping Do Hyun now, even though he has to negotiate with her, for her to get things done. But the thing is, she does get those things done, and she does get some useful information to Do Hyun. That definitely helps to endear her to me.

Also, she's just less annoying in general this hour, in that at least she's no longer banging down Do Hyun's door in the middle of the night. Hopefully this positive trajectory continues.

On a related note, I just like the idea that Do Hyun's no longer alone. Where we'd used to see him work on his own for hours on end, at least now, it feels like he has a little team. I realize that I just like that he has people around him who will look out for him, and support him, where necessary. Of course, Yoo Ri's not super strong in this area at the moment, but since she does prove to be rather helpful this hour, I'm going to include her in this sentiment.

In terms of Han Jong Goo's case, I am suitably intrigued.

Like the preview had indicated, it turns out that Hang Jong Goo did indeed murder Yang Ae Ran after all, which means that Do Hyun had indeed helped a murderer get acquitted. However, as Yoo Ri points out to her ex-colleagues over drinks, it's not Do Hyun's fault; he was just doing his job as a lawyer.

He'd worked with the available evidence to defend his client, and it's true that the police themselves had failed to find evidence that could convict him.

However, I can see how the truth might likely weigh on Do Hyun's conscience, even though he was just doing the best job that he could.

On a related tangent, I'd just like to say again, that I really like how steady and unruffled Do Hyun continues to be. Even when Hong Jong Goo explodes with fury in front of him, and starts to exhibit violent tendencies, Do Hyun doesn't even bat an eye. I find that rock-solid anchored-ness about him, very appealing.

At the same time, it does make me wonder about Do Hyun's emotional state, meaning, just how much of this unruffled-ness an expression of steady grounded-ness, and how much of it is Do Hyun shutting down his emotions, because of wounds that he's suffered before?

I have a niggling feeling that Do Hyun's either emotionally stunted because of his past (which is causing him those nightmares), or his coping mechanism, for everything that's going on in his life, is to box away his emotions, and act as if they aren't there.

In terms of what's actually going on right now, my guess is that Mystery Man, played by Choi Dae Hoon, is likely behind the murder of Kim Sun Hee. I'm thinking that he's somehow related to Yang Ae Ran, and is furious that Hong Jong Goo was acquitted for her murder, and is therefore now trying to pin a copycat murder on Hong Jong Goo, to ensure that Hong Jong Goo does time in prison for murder.

I'm thinking that Mystery Man probably paid off Kim Sun Hee's ex-boyfriend to lie in court, in order to get Hong Jong Goo convicted, and of course Ex-boyfriend said yes, because he needed the money, to pay off his debts.

Based on how things are unfolding, it looks like Hong Jong Goo had killed his own mother, and possibly buried her in his own front yard.

If that's true, then it looks like Do Hyun plans to get Hong Jong Goo acquitted for Kim Sun Hee's murder, by getting him to confess to Yang Ae Ran's murder, with the assurance that he won't be tried for the same crime twice, due to the law of double jeopardy. And then, my guess is, Do Hyun will have Hong Jong Goo convicted of his own mother's murder, and thus have him locked away, anyway.

At least, that's how it's looking to me right now. I could be wrong, and I'd be curious to see how it all actually shakes out.

I do like that even though Chun Ho makes his offer to Do Hyun, Do Hyun doesn't cave to Chun Ho's offer very quickly at all.

I like the idea that even with so many obstacles stacked against him, Do Hyun still manages to uncover some useful bits of information, on his own, without Chun Ho's help. It just gives me thrill, to watch Do Hyun being independent and competent, y'know?

At the same time, it looks like we're now primed for Chun Ho and Do Hyun to start working together properly, going forward, and I have to confess, I'm very much looking forward to having them on the same side, officially. I feel like they'd make great - albeit reluctant - partners.

Next episode notes will be out on: Sunday, 20 Feb 2022!