Women’s rights in the workplace and inappropriate behavior by superiors is the lead case today. The men on the team need a little lesson in how woman are treated just by going outside the house; it is a lesson that the ladies of the traditional market are very happy to teach.
MUSIC: Miss Hammurabi Music List.
CHARACTER CHART: Shorthand Character Chart
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KDRAMA MISS HAMMURABI RECAP EPISODE 3
OPENING, COURT SCENE
A man talks passionately about his case. the man says they cannot fire that person. BR is very sarcastic in his mind and says this ex-politician lawyer is half air and the other half sound. Someone sent a sexual harassment KaTalk to a college intern. The judge asks to look at the messages. he starts to read the KaTalk. It says things like, “You look nice from the front but from the back, you drive me crazy.”
SS asks if this is for the college interns benefit? The lawyer says women need to look good to be proud of themselves.
The next evidence is a picture of the man’s chest with the nipples with hearts on them. the crowd can’t even look at it. The lawyer says he works for an entertainment company that deals with these kinds of jokes a lot. He didn’t mean it as sexual harassment. He shouldn’t get fired, you know. Our society is too harsh for men.
BR grumbles in his brain that sitting through that is the harshest.
At lunch. COR wonders how a person like that can become a senator. BR says people like people like him. We are a free country. COR thinks this lawyer had a scandal where he felt up female reporters. SS tells her not to think about the lawyer, only the case. That lawyer is not 100% wrong. Isn’t it a joke using that popular song.
COR asks about his chest. What about that? BR says you don’t always have to have sexual feelings for sexual harassment. SS says he knows this, but they need enough proof to fire him. Some people just haven’t caught up with the changing society. COR wants to know if they have to forgive him and understand him until he catches up with society? She mocks the situation by covering her chest and saying Ajusshi, it is not your fault, do you think you will catch up with society?
SS is angry and hits his table. He says they have to think about the family members. If the father is fired, then the family suffers, it is not that easy.
Back to the case. A female witness says their boss is a funny guy…..with old-fashioned jokes. Another person says he doesn’t have cruel intentions…..he is popular.
SS asks the plaintiff why he sent those things. The plaintiff stands up and says he is sorry, he thought young people accepted his jokes well but he just went too far. Until now he thought he was a funny person, but now he is really embarrassed. His family is not guilty and his daughter is in college. the two others are high school students. If he gets fired then it means they will all die.
Afterward, BR says this is a huge problem. At first, he thought their chief was too humanistic, but after the afternoon trial, he is confused. COR asks him if he wants a serial drinking person to drive a truck because their family is important? BR thinks there should be another solution like cutting his salary. But firing is a death sentence.
COR says, yeah, head of the family is the most important thing. But that disappeared under the law, why are you still talking about it? Br says it isn’t about the law, he is just thinking about their living situation. All the witnesses said it was just a joke, he is just a funny guy, right?
COR thinks the defendant should be thought about too. This is big trouble, she feels it very seriously. If she is too particular then she won’t be a good judge. She stares at BR.
But then BW comes in with his hand up and speaks a mile a minute about an Asian actress that wants to travel with him (his usual nonsense). Then he tells them that he will give them a decision. BW looks at the facts of the case and jumps when he sees the picture of the naked body.
He literally jumps back several feet. Then he sits and says there are a lot of attractive people outside. Why does he do that?
DY comes in at that time and gives documents to BR. BW keeps talking and says for a man like him when he sees an attractive woman he does not do those creepy things because his reason is controlling him. Those types of guys who only follow male instinct are unable to be understood.
DY says the distance between his reason and his animal instinct is only ten centimeters. He says, huh? She repeats herself and then takes down her hair and pulls up her skirt to 10 centimeters, opens her shirt to 10 centimeters, and turns her waist to show of its 10 centimeters. BW melts. DY tells him he is very normal and then leaves.
BW stutters and says that her skirt was much shorter than 10 centimeters! COR tells him his eyes never looked so big. BR tells him his eyes went too far. You should be careful, that can be sexual harassment. COR tells them that she will buy dinner for them, would they like to join her? BE asks if it will be a nice place?
Cut to them walking through the ajumma market. All the women take photos of them and talk about their butts, they would like to grab it. You should have a big thingy, tiny ones are spicier! COR gives all the ajummas a thumbs up.
The men go to sit. The ajummas tell them that they shouldn’t wear such tight clothing. Men shouldn’t dress like that. I see your nipples, you should wear under clothing. Why are you dressed like that? You are handsome young guys. Hey, if Jun Ji Hyun or Song Hye-kyo said those compliments then it would be a compliment to you. The men are so uncomfortable.
Halmoni shows up which makes the men stand. She asks them to treat her granddaughter well.
The men cut to the bathroom to pee. They think this is a strange place. An ajumma shows up behind them and tries to get a look at their little wee wee’s. Then she tells BW, fighting! BW is all like, why are you telling me, fighting? hey? BR tells him fighting as well, lol.
The men go to sit back at the spot. COR tells them that she is sorry she took them to a really scary place, but do you at least see how women feel? As men, you don’t think anything will happen even though they talk about you, but as women, we also have that fear. BR thinks for a moment and says that sexual humiliation is a little different than uncomfortableness between a management and intern. It is a difference in power.
BW asks if this is all about that guy with the hairy chest? Why did he do that? Does he want to tell people that he is a man? COR says, he just does it because he has the power to do it. It doesn’t matter if the other person likes them or not. Ajumma’s yell, how is this so difficult! You don’t have to know the reason, just cut them! She chops a piece of soondae which looks like she is cutting off a penis.
PROSECUTORS’ OFFICE
COR and BR talk about the case. He says he only knew this type of case with his brain. COR tells him that when she was in college, she worked at a café part-time. he said she is rich, why did she do that? COR asks him if she has to have a reason for it? She continues with her story…
We see an image of COR playing the piano at a café. One of the men comes up to her, he looks a little tipsy. he tells her that his college friend is a Julliard professor, he can support her. Do you want me to give you a ride? It is dangerous at night. COR immediately knew they were bad guys.
She leaves but goes to the elevator and one of the men is in the elevator, he is drunk as well. He tells her that he said he would give her a call several times doesn’t she trust him? If you trust me then give me your phone number. She writes her phone number down but it is a fake one that doesn’t ring. She is able to run out of the elevator.
BR thinks she was their kids’ age. COR tells him that these men are good fathers and socially acknowledged. She tells him that a lot of things should not be known too early in life. BR agrees. But he wants to ask her more about this just in case he missed something. He knows it is important. His job is to see if there is enough evidence, even though this sounds like an excuse. COR says it isn’t an excuse, she knows that is their job.
They work until just after midnight. COR tells BR that she will continue reviewing it all at home. He will stay and finish some other things up.
She walks out and it starts to feel creepy. The lights turn off momentarily. COR clenches her hands as she tries to go into the elevator. But she can’t press the elevator doors because she remembers the elevator scene that she described to BR. But this new image looks a little different from the one she described?
BR shows up and presses the elevator which makes COR feel more relaxed. While in the elevator she notices that he is sweating, did he run? He says he didn’t run. But we see a flashback where he actually did run to catch up with her. He is still wearing his work rubber cap on his finger. COR tells him thank you, just because…~.
MORNING
BW comes into the office and asks them if this is the pervert case with the chest hair? COR says yes it is. BW tells them a secret that he doesn’t usually tell rookies. He actually majored in electronic engineering. His grades were low, but he is developing AI projects so they hired him as a judge. BR tells him that he learned how to lie from con men.
BW tells him that it was working! My clerk really believes it. then he grumbles about how jokes can’t live there, it is too cold. he leaves and COR smiles as she mentions that she laughs because of him. BR mentions that DW lives in the building with his own folding couch. he also had a tent in the lab when he was in college.
CASE
The witness from the company side talks on the witness stand. It looks like the case spread because her boyfriend put this case in SNS, that is why the company fired the plaintiff, right? She says yes. He says those are all his questions.
BR – Nonsense, they fired that guy and that is the only question? Do they want to win the case?
The other man goes up to the witness and aggressively yells in her face. he tells her to look in his face, the life of one head of the family depends on this case. SS tells the man that this is not an American law drama, just go to your seat and ask the question, we have good microphones.
The man goes back and asks his question. The plaintiff told the witness that she should be as strong as a man if she wants to still be in this company right? That means that he was joking to make you strong. In this advertising industry, you have to meet a lot of people and drink and stuff. Did he teach you that you should be ready to take on sexual jokes and things? That is why he sent you those text messages.
She says no, he sent her things every night.
The lawyer wants to know if she has it as evidence.
She says she erased everything because it was so scary.
The lawyer yells at her but SS tells him that he is not interrogating a criminal! Be nice to the witness! The man laughs cheerfully and says it is because he was so sad to the plaintiffs family. he is done with his questions.
The plaintiff apologizes to the witness profusely.
Another witness goes up. It is another woman witness. The witness says this man has good ability and contributed to the growth of their company a lot. She works under the plaintiff as the assistant manager. He makes a lot of sexual jokes, he makes these jokes with her as well but she lets it pass. As a woman, she knows she has to make a compromise to survive in a man dominated company. From when she was a young employee she was told not to go too far as a female. Now young people make a big deal about small things and it destroys their company cohesiveness.
The lawyer says he heard that a lot of people in the company think that firing him was too much. She says that she is not in that position but they should recognize that the company has its own difficulties.
the plaintiff turns to the crowd. In the crowd, it looks like everyone supports him. But it also looks like BW is blowing him kisses?
The company side has no questions for this witness. the judges are stunned and the woman in the back tries to wipe her tears.
The next witness comes up. She is also a woman. She says that people thought this person was too sensitive. She didn’t’ adjust herself well. The lawyers say that no one else thinks the company is strange, right? Only the part-timer? SS says she is not a part-timer, she is an intern. he says that is right, the intern didn’t adjust to the company.
The woman yells, NO, in the back and tries not to cry.
The lawyer says she is sensitive like that all the time, she can’t adjust. The witness says that is true, but she looks stunned.
COR has a flashback to her teacher touching her uncomfortably on her shoulder and back. He tells her she will grow up nicely as a woman.
The woman keeps crying in the back of the courtroom, the other women turn and see her, they look concerned for her.
Another woman goes up as a witness. She says everything is the same as her statement. The defendant doesn’t ask her any questions. Everyone is against the woman in the back.
BR – No questions for the defendant? It ends there?
SS tells them that if both sides don’t have any questions then they will end there. But there will be another trial. they all leave.
SS tells his other judges that he likes baseball, but sometimes the game looks fixed. He doesn’t like those games. Do they do that to have a better seed in the next season? Or is it gambling related? I want to review that game again when that moment happens. He also has another set of eyes looking at him that will hit him if he quits.
He looks at COR. he tells her that people should know that she is into the case, but she should maintain her facial expression well. COR agrees.
OFFICE
BW goes into the office and asks if this is a fixed case? he is loud and incredulous. Is the case closed? COR says their chief isn’t that kind of chief. She smiles at BW. But then DY comes in and stands behind BW. She asks him if he can excuse her for a moment. he says yes and steps aside. But he can’t help but look her up and down like a meathead. She looks at him and he starts to talk about nonsense. But he realizes it and shuts himself up.
BR and COR talk about why the company did this. They fired someone, so was it just for show? Who has the most power in advertisement? Sulhyun (a girl group?)? The company?
DY speaks up and says she is sorry to talk while judges are talking, but cosmetics advertisements on TV right now are from the defendants’ company. SO they should care about female customers. Me too is an issue on SNS as well. Can you search sexual harassment in the advertising industry? Maybe the interns’ boyfriend posted something in the beginning.
COR says, yes, yes, that is what happened in the beginning, that is why they fired him even though they didn’t want to. So now they are making it like it didn’t’ happen and are purposefully not doing anything in the trial. That is their plan. They are bad.
COR asks DY how she knows those things. DY says it was just a little search because the company side defendant was nonsense. I don’t care about other people’s business, but ~. She takes her things and leaves. BW is in love.
Cut to BR and COR talking to SS about it. SS says it makes sense but it will be difficult to prove. For them, an agreement between the two parties is the most difficult thing.
BR – Why don’t we just call the female employees and ask them. All the evidence should be submitted by both sides. If they need something then they can also collect evidence.
SS asks them if they want to call witnesses again and again? it is scary for regular citizens. COR says, of course, it is scary for them, but what if a witness and the lawyers all work together to cover up the sexual harassment guy. What about the feeling of the victim? When you suspect that the game is fixed, do you want them to play it again?
They think they should call the 4th witness, the one that was looking back over and over again. Let’s play the game again, but we have to play it thoroughly, if something goes wrong then I will kill you both.
SS’S FAMILY HOUSE
SS’s daughter runs around and eats at the table. he has two daughters. She says their math teacher came to their classroom while they were changing clothes. But maybe it was a mistake. That grandfather teacher is also very friendly, he asks students with huge chests if their shoulders are okay. SS tells them that all those people should be fired.
COURT CASE
The trial is called to order again for the 4th witness that is called to the stand again. SS asks her if she is close to the defendant since they are the same age. She says not particularly. They ask her if she noticed anything? The woman says not particularly. Was there a difference in how the manager treated her and the other employees? She says she isn’t sure.
COR tells her that she will show her the text messages. It pops up on the TV. But the woman says she can’t look at the screen, can you turn it off. COR asks her to read it to them. The woman doesn’t understand how she can read those things. So COR reads her statement that those texts were regular jokes. She wants her to read the text messages lightly.
The woman is quiet.
BR tells her she was an intern a couple years ago at the same age, so the victim should have a lot more comfort with her. Did anyone have lunch with the victim among regular employees? Yes, she does. BR asks how many times, not just one or two times right? She says yes. So BR tells her that she is the closest person to the victim, he will rephrase his question, just in case the victim as an intern is going through a difficult time at work but no regular employees cared about her, who do you think will cause the most harm? She says she doesn’t’ know. Who do you think is the one she can trust and the one who won’t ignore her at work? She says she doesn’t’ know.
COR asks the witness that she remembers that she cannot like in court, she will be punished. If you change what you said before court ends, then you won’t get punished. People can make mistakes, if you correct your mistake then we grant permission for that. If it is not too late. Human relationships are the same.
But the lawyer objects to this and points to the young victim. He says she disrupted the team. People like her do anything to get the job. This case happened because the plaintiffs rival asked her to do it. Don’t you think you won’t be part of these things as a regular employee right? I heard other teams think the first team is just like family and they were envious.
Witness – Family like? Lawyer, do you have a good relationship with your family? My family all fights each other.
Lawyer – You didn’t feel harassed about the jokes he made did you? Your assistant manager also said the same thing
Witness – She wants to be the first female executive so she is just winning and winning and she touches male employees butts all the time.
You signed a petition for the plaintiff, why are you so hostile?
Witness – I signed it, also I was on my managers’ side in the internal investigation. But you shouldn’t’ go too far. You told me that I need to be a good witness otherwise I will be fired if the manager is fired. You told me we have to make her a psychopath because she is just an intern so the regulars don’t have to care about her. I am ashamed, even though it is shameful, I tried to do it. that is how I got this job anyway. But on the weekend I was watching a movie and I heard this line, ‘we don’t have money, but we have our pride. We shouldn’t’ live embarrassingly like this.’ I couldn’t finish the movie because I was crying so much. Judge, can you see this?
She gives the judge her phone.
Witness – Two years ago I was an intern and these are the text messages that the plaintiff sent me. I tried to go to a big company so I endure it. All the female interns were treated like this. This manager is careful to the regular employees, but he is not that way to the interns. When we go to norebang he wants to dance with us and touch our butts. Now I want to sue him for sexual harassment.
The lawyer stands up in anger and says this is a problem with women. Their emotions are too much.
Another woman stands up and says she will file a complaint also. I think it is the accusers’ wife? She addresses their lawyer.
Wife – Lawyer, when you touch someone’s body forcefully, that is forced sexual harassment. You told me that I have good connections and you are the only one that can help us. You told me that my daughter will finish college. You told me that. You also called me to a Japanese restaurant and gave me a lot of alcohol and told me I was too pretty for my husband. Because I am pretty, you took this case. You touched me on my shoulder and held my hand. You touched my breast as if pretending that you spilled alcohol. I endure it to protect my husband’s job. Why are you asking for my daughter’s phone number?
Mother and daughter cry and hug each other.
The lawyer gets punched by the husband and falls on the floor, the police try to separate them. But the judge basically says to let them fight.
The witness hugs the victim and they tearfully cry.
It is an emotional smorgasbord in that courtroom.
Later on, SS says yes to something as he meets with BR and COR
DECISION
SS tells the court that someone getting fired is a death sentence to the family. But the victim of harassment is also big. using your power destroys people’s heart and pride and makes their life hell. I cannot put that person at work with the victim. It is hard to measure the pain of the accuser, but your pain is canceled because of your position. Whatever the measurement, firing was the right decision. We decline the plaintiffs’ case.
So it looks like the plaintiff lost and they still have to pay all the fees.
Much later on. COR asks BR if he would like to have a part-time job with her? An Employer at the market picked you.
SS AT HOME
SS gets home, perhaps drunk? He came home either too late or too early, not sure. He is happy to be home though and tiptoes inside so as not to alert anyone to his presence. He sneaks to his room and asks his wife if she is sleeping?
He opens the door and sneaks inside. She is sleeping, but then she says, are you junk mail? Why do you go out and come back with the morning newspaper? SS says he wants to die.
The next morning, he sits on the couch and hides as he reads his paper. he thinks that is the dead spot on his house. But his daughters come in and asks if he came home while drinking! SS says there is no dead spot in that house.
Appa sits on the couch and talks to his wife. An ajusshi has prostate cancer on TV. They talk about how the head of the family doesn’t’ have a right to get sick. So if you die and leave us then I will kill you. SS says he understands, he won’t die until they pay off their mortgage. She tells him to live forever. He mutters that she is living with the man that has the most secure job in Korea. His wife says her heart pumps at all the responsibility of raising their daughters. SS lets her know that he can always open his own practice.
The wife sarcastically says that he will be a great lawyer, his temper will yell at all the judges. You were on the news twice already. Just stick to your job until you retire like a clam sticking to a rock. He says he will stick to it.
His wife does not want him to be nice to thugs as a lawyer, he has too big of a temper for that. You don’t even have friends that are judges. Poor SS just wants to eat an apple, so he asks if he can. She lets him.
MARKET
Cut to BR and COR taking a lot of photos in traditional clothing for one of the ajumma’s clothing stores. The ajumma is so thankful and says they look so good. She gives them other clothing to wear and walk around in. They walk around in traditional newly married couples clothing. Everyone in the market jokes with them about how great they look together.
The ajumma tells them that her business was declining, but COR grabbed all the foreign customers by wearing hanboks, thank you COR. I still ask a judge to do this type of part-time job. COR is the one that feeds all of them because no one would visit this small market. Maybe they can even charge an entrance fee with this handsome young man.
BR says he is happy to help. they are thankful because they don’t want the traditional market to disappear.
Later on, BR and COR walk around.
VO – Don’t you think this is a date? (to himself)
COR says she wanted to have a little bit of private time with him, the part-time job was just an excuse. She is old-fashioned, she doesn’t just hang out with colleagues outside of work things.
They sit on a bench. She asks him what kind of things she would like to talk to him about. First, she says that she is sorry. When chief told her to keep her distance from the case, it awakened her, she failed to keep her distance. Do you remember the piano teacher I told you about in our book club? He says he remembers it. She tells him that she never forgot how he touched a young students body. She thought she was okay now, but it is still difficult for her. When she was a student, when she had a little shoulder touch with men in the hallway, it made her jump.
BR – Maybe you had a hard time in this case? But on the first day on the subway, how did you…
Because I wasn’t alone, I had other people around that would help me and wouldn’t’ ignore it. Someone like you, judge. That is why. I work hard to be that kind of person. Someone who is helpful, someone no one would ignore, a cool person.
Later on, three ladies talk about how cool the court was. A huge crowd of drunk Busan baseball team loving men are in the bar too. The women look like DD and her friends. One of her friends says it is so cool, her courthouse caught the bad sexual harasser. DD says that case showed how scary the law is! The judge opened his eyes and said that the plaintiffs firing is right! So cool! The law really protects us and I protect the law! They all cheer.
Later, the lieutenant leaves and is approached by a thug. But then another guy shows up. And another guy. So it is three guys against her. She looks scared. But then the drunk Busan baseball loving guys stumble out of the bar so she runs up, grabs two of them by the arms, and walks out with them until she gets to the street. At the street, she turns around and looks to see if those other guys are following her.
A song singing “It’s alright….it’s all over….it’s all over….” plays
Fade Out
Photo by jtbc
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So you guys decided to cover this one too! I don’t know how you are managing this. amazing job as always.
I really look forward to some plot movements, unless its supposed to be one case each week (which am fine with). But i do think our female protagonist is more suited as a lawyer than judge.
Author
I don’t know how we do it either! We’ll try to keep up with it because this show looks really cute! It might get tough for when the other two shows premier (Are You Human Too and Secretary Kim). But we will try and make it work for all the people that watch raw and are dying to know what happens. 🙂
It feels like a one case a week show with emotional growth for everything on a case by case basis. Is this 12 or 16 episodes? They might run out of cases in the closing weeks.