Divorce Lawyer in Love

 

Title: 이혼변호사는 연애중 / Yihonbyunhosaneun Yeonaejoong  
Genre: Romance, comedy  
Episodes: 16  
Broadcast network: SBS  
Broadcast period: Apr 2015

 

 

Cast

 
Jo Yeo jung as Go Cheok hee, Yun Woo jin as So Jung woo, Shim Hyung tak as Bong Min kyu, and Wang Ji won as Jo Soo ah

 

Synopsis

 
Go Cheok hee is a successful divorce lawyer who treated So Jung woo terribly when he was her firm's office manager. The tables are turned when Cheok hee loses her license and can no longer practice law and Jung woo has become a successful lawyer. The two cross paths again when Cheok hee becomes Jung woo's office manager. (DramaWiki)
 

My Take

 
The above synopsis actually sums up the entire show, so not much to add there.

It is also safe to say that the reference to its being both a romance and a comedy are true as well.  

The first kiss occurred in episode 5, so no lie, this was filled with as much romance as there was comedy and some serious stints spattered here and there.  

Yeah, it was another run-of-the-mill Cinderella story laced with fairy-tale elements, and surprise-surprise, ONE lowly chick has TWO hot dudes on her ass.  

HOWEVER . . .  

This turned out to be an enjoyable ride from the word go for a number of reasons that do not exclude the painfully obvious fact that it was still a Korean drama filled with a lot of unnecessary-ness.  

The formula strayed over into J-Do territory, and BELIEVE IT OR NOT, did not back away a quarter of the way through (as was the case with Sweden Laundry) and turn itself into another family-oriented bit of nonsense we've seen too many times to count or want to recall.

Each episode had a new divorce scenario play out, although in-between these issues there was more main-cast air time than delving deeper into the why, how, who, and what of the couple wanting a divorce.  

Which is cool, a refreshing change from the norm, and a delight to behold for the weary-worn such as myself and I'm sure countless others.  

Yes, it was family oriented; yes, two hot guys are vying for the affections of one low-born mousy chick, and yes, there were a few catty females tossed in to mess with her throughout.  

Oh, and yes, there was that ridiculous, stupid, childish nonsense kiss scene where her eyes are wide open and their lips are sucked in.  

Ugh.  

She stuck by her man from start to finish, too. 

No straying off the chaste path for our mousy do-gooder.

Well, Chuck-y wasn't exactly a goody-two-shoes, and no one wanted to work for her while she was a divorce attorney at her own law firm. 

Brash, bold, mouthy, and stubborn, she plowed her way through the first few episodes as loud as a big, brass band.  

When the tables turned and her license was suspended temporarily, she goes back to her humble roots for a few years. 

Three years later, she's back and biding her time as an office manager and subordinate for the former office manager at her former firm. 

He is now an attorney and he can't wait to pay Chuck-y back.  

Chuck-y has learned a few lessons, but her personality is still the same, which shocks some, off-puts others, and helps to endear her to the clients that come through the door seeking a divorce.  

The hands-down winner in the scene-stealer department goes to Shim Hyung tak as Bong Min kyu. 

He'd be a leading contender in one of those popular second-string Oppa battles (#bias) you see a lot online now. 

Dude definitely shone brighter, worked harder at being casual cool, and did practically nothing to still set my heart aflutter, that's for sure.

Woo jin isn't bad. A bit too Ken doll, straight-laced, boy-next-door for my taste, and he's got those wack-a-doodle eyes that go berserk depending on his mood and the camera angle, but he still performed well as the leading man first abhorring his connection to Chuck-y before slowly and surely falling for her.  

His mother was the ubiquitous permed-hair bitch, but this also starred the QUINTESSENTIAL queen mother Korean Drama bitch . . .

 

Park Jun keum as Ma Dong mi

I copied this image because of the subs, though. 

They weren't too bad, but I need to know if the Korean calendar is different from the Western one in that their June would have 31 days?

"Thirty days has September, April, JUNE, and November." Right?
 

The Wrap

 
Yeah, it's worth the watch.  
No, the OST wasn't anything to sing about.  
Yes, everyone on screen did a great job of convincing me they had real-life issues.  
Yes, the lesser divorce issues were painful to have to sit through with them.  
Yes, there were quite a few chicks who got their faces slapped.  
No, I wasn't rooting for the two leads to get together.  
and Yes, what would a Korean drama be if there weren't a few scenes where one of these bitches tossed water/wine into another's face?
 

Lastly

Lee Pil mo and Shim Hyung tak could pass as bros.