Phantom Lawyer Ending Explained: Under the direction of Shin Jung-hoon and the screenplay writing of Kim Ga-young & Kang Cheol-gyu. In 신이랑 법률사무소, Yoo Yeon-seok portrays Shin Yi-rang, a lawyer who has the ability to see ghosts. Other main cast members include Esom, playing Han Na-hyeon; Kim Kyung-nam as Do-gyeong; Choi Kwang-il as Yoon Byung-il, and other notable cast members such as Kim Mi-kyung, Jeon Seok-ho, and Son Yeo-eun.
With the culmination of the plot, secrets that were kept for a long time are eventually revealed, putting Yi-rang in direct confrontation not only with his father’s secrets but also with himself, challenging everything he believes in and his concept of justice. To find out more about how the kdrama Phantom Lawyer ends, and whether Yi-rang clears his father’s name or not, continue reading below.
Phantom Lawyer Ending Explained
Why Did Yi-rang Did Not Take Si-ho’s Father’s Case?
As previously discussed, Yi-rang had grown to have very deep feelings about the boy and the sad story behind him. Nonetheless, when Si-ho’s father came to him for assistance in court, this issue became even more complicated than before since Si-ho’s father became resentful towards Yi-rang as soon as he found out who he was.
But as Yi-rang finds out later, the truth was that the father of Si-ho thought Gi-jung had destroyed the whole family by making several allegations against the father. This caused the father of Si-ho to pass away after much suffering. The father of Si-ho thus thought that Yi-rang was not helping his son but was the son of one who had brought his destruction upon him. This shock realisation made Yi-rang question whether his own father was really a good man all along.
Unable to come to terms with this revelation, Yi-rang decided not to take up the case anymore. Taking on this case would make Yi-rang come face-to-face with many disturbing truths about his own father, and now was definitely not the right time to do so.
What Truly Happened to Yi-rang’s Father, Shin Gi-jung?
For much of the series, Shin Gi-jung is portrayed as an unscrupulous and conniving prosecutor who destroyed other people’s lives for his own benefit. He was rumoured to be dealing with gangs, blackmailing other people, and even killing off some people. All these rumours coloured the life of Yi-rang, making him feel guilty about his father’s name.
However, as the truth is gradually revealed, it emerges that Gi-jung had become the target of an elaborate plot. Initially, he had been caught up in a case involving Mr Yoon, a teacher who had disciplined a bullying student properly. In response to the backlash from influential persons associated with the student, they created false charges against the teacher. Gi-jung felt there was foul play and advised him to get to the bottom of it, resulting in the discovery of a crucial voice recording revealing the true culprits.
Before any of that could happen, everything took a turn for the worse. Gi-jung became the target of the plot. His accident was not an accident but planned; after the car crash, he was unable to remember anything, and while still disoriented, he was drugged to create evidence against him. Simultaneously, the real culprits were also behind Mr Yoon’s death, which they made look like suicide. The whole story was distorted to make Gi-jung appear as the villain, thus shutting him up and saving themselves.
How Did Yi-rang and Na-hyeon Recover the Voice Recording?
However, it was not easy for him to recover the recording since the act became one of the most critical and well-thought-out events of the story. Yi-rang traces the clues that were written in his father’s diary, which leads him to discover that there is a hidden voice recording of the entire conversation. However, just when Yi-rang was about to play the recording, Do-gyeong finds out about it and hires the members of his gang to get hold of it.
As expected, the scenario ends up in chaos because the gang does not just seize the recording; they also destroy the talisman of Shin Gi-jung, which makes him fade from this world completely. Luckily, at this very crucial moment, Shin Gi-jung takes possession of Yi-rang, and because of his skills, he fights back against them and successfully protects the talisman. Unfortunately, during this struggle, Yi-rang ends up losing the evidence and believes that Do-gyeong already has it.
In order to avoid any defeat, Yi-rang finds one of the captured gang members and discovers that the tape does belong to Do-gyeong, who still hasn’t transferred the tape to his father. Rather than rushing in headfirst, Yi-rang formulates an elaborate plan. The first step involves confronting Do-gyeong at the law firm and intentionally aggravating him by saying that he knows about the tape and is going to expose all the information contained within. The tactic works because Do-gyeong immediately begins to worry and runs to check where he has hidden the tape in his office.
Also Read: My Dearest Señorita Review: Moving Story of Courage, Identity and Inner Freedom
While Do-gyeong is occupied with checking the room for the tape, the spirit of Shin Gi-jung, who had been watching the whole process from the sidelines, notices where the hidden compartment is located and commits the code needed to open it to memory. Yi-rang communicates with his brother-in-law to cut the power supply in the building, creating chaos in the law firm. While everyone around him is panicked and running around trying to figure out what to do, Bong-su sneaks into Do-gyeong’s office and opens up the secret compartment using the code.
Upon securing the recorder within his possession, Bong-su quickly hands the same to Na-hyeon. In this instance lies the fulfilment of their hard work, not only as far as gathering evidence is concerned, but as far as besting their opponents using trust and teamwork as well. Truly, this is the ideal combination of legal mind and supernatural help which Yi-rang alone cannot achieve.
Did Yi-rang Finally Clear His Father’s Name and Reveal the Truth?
Yes, the ending of Phantom Lawyer shows that Yi-rang eventually did achieve his goal of bringing his father justice. But he did not get there easily. It entailed dealing with a long history of scepticism towards the man he had once trusted, and standing up against people of considerable influence who worked hard at covering the truth. Armed with the restored audio file, Yi-rang and Na-hyeon decided to take action through a drastic step that would make them public figures.
In an exclusive press interview, Yi-rang made all information known to the media—the manipulative act, the wrong allegations, and the correct sequence of events responsible for both Mr Yoon’s death and his father’s fall. The audio file acted as evidence, exposing individuals of considerable influence who had used their power to cover up their own wrongdoings.
Hence, the prime suspect, Yoon Byung-il, was apprehended and put on trial. Yi-rang could at last rid himself of the taint associated with his father’s name through this process of winning the case. He could finally look upon his father as he really was, give him his due justice and come to terms with him at long last.
What Happens to Yoon Byung-il at the End of Phantom Lawyer?
The end of Yoon Byung-il is simply the consequence of the truth being uncovered. The character is always in the background, making sure everything goes his way in order for him to remain in power and maintain his alliance with other prominent people. It has been confirmed that Yoon Byung-il is one of the major conspirators who plotted the death of Shin Gi-jung, along with the chief justice.
The extent of Yoon Byung-il’s criminal activity has also been brought into light by the investigations that have been going on. Byung-il had ordered the murder of Mr Yoon and ensured that Gi-jung was not able to reveal the truth. It has been over fifty years, but he still cares about nothing else than his reputation and the law firm he created.
But now that Yi-rang and Na-hyeon reveal the voice recording, Byung-il is no longer able to protect himself through connections and power. By the end of Phantom Lawyer, he is arrested because there is concrete proof of his involvement in criminal activities. His meticulously crafted facade falls apart as he is held accountable for all his actions.
Did Yi-rang and Na-hyeon Finally Confess Their Feelings and End Up Together?
The relationship between Yi-rang and Na-hyeon progresses slowly within the show, but what starts off as competition turns into partnership, and eventually, something greater. The two characters’ relationship is nurtured by their experiences working together, facing danger, and aiding each other in overcoming personal demons. Before the very last episode, they both are aware of the feelings growing within them, although they have yet to reveal them.
In the beginning, Yi-rang has a hard time expressing himself because of the ghosts who are constantly interrupting him. Moreover, when Yi-rang wants to finally let his guard down, he is interrupted once again, this time because of the same reason – ghost possession. This makes the scene more tense and dramatic because Yi-rang knows how precious time can be for him.
In Phantom Lawyer Episode 16, to everyone’s surprise, Na-hyeon makes the first move. Realising that he will soon come under possession and lose this opportunity for good, she holds him tight and kisses him before he loses all his senses. It is an emotional gesture indicating that she accepts all that his world entails and that she does not intend to allow anything or anyone to stand between them. Yi-rang reciprocates and puts their romance to an end with a happy note.
Is There a Possibility of Phantom Lawyer Season 2?
However, the plot of Korean drama Phantom Lawyer does leave some leeway for a follow-up, since while the main storyline has been wrapped up nicely, Yi-rang’s journey as the “lawyer” is far from being complete. From the last scenes, it becomes clear that the main character still has plenty of new spirits coming into his life, thus meaning that he is going to continue to act both as an adviser and assistant to the living and to the dead. Even the slight allusion to a new possession at the end shows that Yi-rang is going to lead quite an unusual life in terms of meeting new spirits, which gives much space for developing new cases.
Another thing worth considering is the blossoming relationship between Yi-rang and Na-hyeon; a second season would give a chance to show how the characters deal with it and continue to work together. Still, despite the possible plot development, Season 2 of Phantom Lawyer has not been officially confirmed yet.
