Title: 귓속말 | Gwitsokmal | Whisper
Genre:Drama | Legal
Episodes: 17
Broadcast Network: SBS
Broadcast Period: March 27 to May 23, 2017

Synopsis:

Lee Dong-Joon is known as a just and fair judge. He generally doesn’t bend even to those who are powerful and influential until the murder case against Shin Chang-Ho came under his courtroom for him to preside judgement. Shin Young-Joo, an upright detective who’s about to be married, lost almost everything when her father, Shin Chang-Ho was accused to have murdered his friend, Kim Sang-Shik while they are trying to expose corruption in the manufacturing of the bullet proof vest under Kang Jung-Il’s father, Kang Yoo-Taek. Lee Dong-Joon was placed in a position he had never experienced before and that is to choose his life over what is right. And, once his gavel went down to render an unjust ruling, he has changed his life forever and his road in making it right again will never be easy.

Characters:

• Lee Bo-Young as Shin Young-Joo
• Lee Sang-Yoon as Lee Dong-Joon
• Kwon Yul as Kang Jung-Il
• Park Se-Young as Choi Soo-Yeon
• Kim Kap-Soo as Choi Il-Hwan
• Lee Ji-Hoon as Young Choi Il-Hwan
• Kim Hong-Fa as Kang Yoo-Taek
• Lee Si-Eon as young Kang Yoo-Taek
• Moon Hee-Kyung as Yoon Jung-Ok
• Jo Dal-Hwan as Jo Kyung-Ho
• Yoon Joo-Hee as Hwang Bo-Yeon
• Kim Hyung-Mook as Song Tae-Gon
• Kim Roi-Ha as Baek Sang-Goo
• Kim Chang-Wan as Lee Ho-Beom
• Sora Jung as Jung Mi-Kyung
• Jo Seung-Yoon as Lee Dong-Min
• Heo Jae-Ho as Noh Ki-Yong
• Won Mi-Kyung as Ahn Myung-Seon
• Kang Shin-Il as Shin Chang-Ho
• Kim Hae-Sook as Kim Sook-Hee
• Lee Hyun-Jin as Park Hyun-Soo
• Jung Yi-Yeon as Jo Yeon-Hwa
• Choi Hong-Il as Kim Sang-Shik
• Jeon Gook-Hwan as Jang Hyun-Guk
• Jo Kyung-Sook

My Review:

Most of the time I watched K-Dramas based on who’s in it just because made actors normally already have a choice on what project they will get involved in. And, generally, by experience they know which is good or not. Thus, same thing here, I like Lee Sang-Yoon and the premise of the story. And, as expected it was quite good and I may say better than “On The Way to the Airport”.

So, What do I Like About this K-Drama?

(1) Initially I thought it was going to be a boring legal issues and politics but as it progresses, the last thing on my mind is boredom. The level of suspense keeps on raising at higher level of excitement in every episode. I like the schemes they create to outsmart one another. It is like mind games playing chess moves.

(2) The difficult situation that Lee Dong-Joon is facing in this story is something I can relate and understand not because my life is as dramatic as that but as I age, I realized the real truth about human beings per se. We are not really born good as every religion will tell you but we are basically born selfish. At the end of the day, when push comes to shove we will always decide self-preservation. On this logic, due to religion or whatever faith we have in our lives, we strive harder to be good and that’s the biggest challenge we face almost every single day when we make decisions even down to the most menial ones like what we eat, as animal right activists will tell you. That parenting is our only opportunity to be less selfish than who we are but even that some fails. So, this K-drama though set up more in a legal way actually is very apt to who we are as a person and raises awareness of who we can be if the situation becomes non-negotiable to what’s important to us. “Since everyone keeps changing their minds, this world isn’t changing,” a well written quote from Shin Chang-Ho, the father of Shin Young-Joo, that sums up why the world is still the way it is.

(3) There’s quite a lot of dramatic scenes that touched my heart especially the interactions between a parent and a child. Each leading characters have different levels of relationship with their parents particularly with their fathers but in the end, the love of a father to their child and vice-versa in most cases will always be there even at its worst circumstances.

(4) I like the ending. It provided full closure to all characters. It also shows just punishment, however, how I wish life could always have such happy and just endings.

(5) Although, I don’t have a favorite song I would like to save, the OST of this K-Drama is very apt to its tone and story.

What I do Not Like About this K-Drama?

I like this K-Drama, however, it could have been perfect if the glaring mistakes were not so obvious. Although, as I have always said I’m not into technical stuff when I make my reviews, but, the story has to be written in a way that is only not entertaining but enough for me not to be frustrated that it could have been better because the mistakes can truly easily been avoided. On this part it is the writer and the director is at fault. Having said that, it is still good and entertaining.

(1) Can you meet a judge that’s involved in the case ex parte alone with the defendant’s daughter? Wouldn’t it rise as prejudicial? As the judge who is supposedly fair and beyond reproach doing this even before the threats done to the judge is supposedly unethical to say the least, isn’t it? So, why on the 1st episode this seems to be the action done by Lee Dong-Joon?

(2) There’s something wrong with certain details such as on Episode 6, why burn the evidence which can be copied and how sure is Shin Young-Joo that her father will live after the surgery? Lung cancer is lung cancer and the probability of the patient living afterwards especially as her father is already old is nil to none. Doesn’t provide any logic. And, why do the characters keep on using their office to discuss delicate matters or their plans even after the drug plant and the discovery of the hidden camera.

(3) The level upon which a case is being tried in Korea is a bit weird. The level of guilt and the process by which a defendant is being tried most on TV and social network which basically tramples the rights of the defendant to prove their innocence. I don’t know if this is just for cinematic purposes or not but in a way there’s some truth in it if we look on the manner our justice system works now not only in Korea but the rest of the world.

(4) What happened to the confession video of Choi Soo-Yeon? And, why always declare what you are planning to do with your enemies? This is just one of the things that confuses me and probably details that could have been avoided and would have made this K-Drama perfect if the director did it right.

Would I recommend this K-Drama? Yes.

My Rating to this Drama
( See My Rating System: ) 4/5 Stars

OST:
01. A Day Of Reckoning – 개미
02. Revers – 개미, 이건영
03. Sacht Howl – 박정환
04. Dream On – 개미
05. A Devil Incarnate – 개미
06. Warfare – 개미
07. A Day Of Reckoning 2 – 개미
08. Silent Footprint – 박정환
09. Onslaught – 이건영
10. Enormous – 이성구
11. Pass – 이성구
12. Keep In Check – 이성구
13. Don’t Be Sick – 이성구
14. Devils – 박윤서
15. Plan – 이성구
16. Suspicious – 박혜민
17. A Sudden Report Of A Gun – 박정환
18. Revers 2 – 개미, 이건영

For Lyrics in English, Romanization and Hangul, CLICK HERE