Edited by Seo Hae Lan
Translated by Yu Jin Kim
Why Her? is a story about a heartless lawyer who has grown empty after only chasing success. The drama is garnering viewers’ attention with its complex characters and intriguing plot. So without further ado, let’s take a look into the drama’s versatile charms that are captivating viewers.
Oh Soo Jae (played by Seo Hyun Jin) is a lawyer at the best law firm in South Korea, TK, and has the highest winning rate among all her peers. She considers accomplishing her goals more important than achieving justice. Right before becoming the top lawyer, she gets to defend a congressman who is accused of sexual assault. She then meets his victim named Park So Young (Hong Ji Yoon) and insults her with hurtful words. That night, So Young commits suicide by throwing herself off a building, and things go south for her as she becomes the one responsible for the victim’s death. To calm public fury, TK’s president Choi Tae Kook (Heo Jun Ho) sends her to a law school as an affiliated professor. Soo Hae gets ousted from the firm just when she is about to achieve everything she had hoped for. There, she seeks her chance to return to the firm as she runs the Law school Legal Clinic Center at the law school.
Soo Jae has many sides to her, and some of her qualities contradict each other. Behind her high winning rate, her brutal nature doesn’t make her hesitate to hurt others. However, although she does everything it takes to win her case most times, she sometimes shows soft spots for weak people. Despite her co-workers hating her for who she is, she is actually thoughtful and considerate to those who really understand her. Moreover, the heartless lawyer, who seems indifferent toward love, experiences heart-fluttering moments when someone approaches her head-on. Considering that she had shed tears for a falsely accused victim ten years ago, she is surely a very intriguing character that raises viewers’ curiosity.
More questions arise as we look closely at Oh Soo Jae. Why does she want to stay atop at TK law firm? What are the reasons behind her desires? What made her a cold-hearted lawyer considering that she used to be a decent human being ten years ago? The drama revolves around Oh Soo Jae’s past, present, and future, making viewers more curious about the character as the story unfolds. The drama will reveal the core story of this complicated character, Soo Jae, filled with many untold stories about her family and work.
However, the drama leaves many questions unanswered when it comes to romance. One of Oh Soo Jae’s law school students, Gong Chan (Hwang In Yeob), confesses his love for his professor and actively shows his affection toward her from the beginning. Viewers already know what Gong Chan has been through in the past. He is Kim Dong Goo, and he met So Jae as his public defender ten years ago. Kim Dong Goo was imprisoned for murdering his half-brother but was discharged a year after the real culprit got caught. Since then, he has been secretly in love with Oh Soo Jae, the only person who believed he was innocent. Viewers know his deep feelings for her as Soo Jae was the only reason that made him go to the law school. However, things are not the same for Oh Soo Jae. Her life is currently full of trouble, and she doesn’t know that Gong Chan is Kim Dong Goo. The only thing that she knows about him is that he is her student. Is it truly possible for a woman like Soo Jae to open up to a young man like Gong Chan so quickly?
Even though there are some questionable moments about Oh Soo Jae, we still try to sympathize with her decisions and emotions. We all agree that Seo Hyun Jin has the power to keep us on the edge of our seats and make us wonder how the story will pan out for its remaining episodes. Seo Hyun Jin is a great example of a female star who perfectly leads her drama on her own. The star’s acting makes viewers tune into the story and makes us more curious about everything that happens within the show. The actress has successfully created a character who we want to root for despite her cold-hearted nature that occasionally pops up. Although the drama has an unanswered question of “Why Oh Soo Jae?,” its first episode gave a great answer to the question of “Why Seo Hyun Jin?”
There have been numerous characters similar to Oh Soo Jae: lonely, ruthless, filled with desires for success with a soft spot on the inside. It is always fun to root for these lonely hero-like characters who face their battles throughout their lives. Here, we’re talking about the cold but passionate woman, Oh Soo Jae, who loves what she does and is weak to the strong and strong to the weak. Despite the difficulty of figuring out who she really is, she successfully made us want to root for her and her decisions. Let’s hope that her hidden secrets will unveil toward the end of the drama. (7/10)
Editor Seo Hae Lan: I’m not picky and like all genres. I am in constant search of a balance between criticism and a fan’s heart.
Phenomenal! Each episode kept me sitting on the edge of my seat. Each and every actor (the little girl as well) performed well. Congratulations to all of you.