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Our two judges aren’t the only ones making sacrifices to better the court system and to make the world a better place. Other individuals with less power, visibility, and status are working just as hard to make the same difference. These people are appreciated in this episode and there is much to be grateful for.

Miss Hammurabi: Episode 11 Recap

The episode starts off with the conversation between Da-in and Oh-reum that we saw in the last episode. Da-in thanks Oh-reum for helping her with her case and comments how there needs to be more judges like Oh-reum in the courtroom. Later on that night, Ba-reun and Oh-reum spend time with each other at the park near the river. There, Oh-reum ponders over how one can best defeat powerful and corrupt people without becoming like them in the process. Good question Oh-reum, good question.

Our three judges are heading to another hearing. Along the way, they encounter Presiding Judge Sung. They congratulate him on his promotion and Presiding Judge Sung sarcastically thanks the team as a response. Oh-reum opens her mouth and is about to speak what’s on her mind until Presiding Judge Han stops her. If she says anything, she could get in trouble for it.

Oh-reum spends some time with Grandma and her 3 Aunts at Grandma’s house. While the aunts occupy themselves with some fanfiction (ADKFJD dirty ones I might add), Oh-reum and Grandma have a talk about society and people. Oh-reum shares that she didn’t realize how evil people were until she became a judge. Grandma responds that after 80 years of living, she realizes that the one meaning to life is to learn to become patient. She encourages Oh-reum to never give up and to be patient.

It’s another court case for our three judges. The plaintiff is a business owner who argues that a young man named Lee Ga-on (Kim Wook) has been stealing from his store and ruining not only his business but many others in the neighborhood. Ga-on’s defendant is his pastor who apologizes to the business owner for the damage that Ga-on has committed. Oh-reum decides to help mediate the case.

There’s a long list of misdemeanors that Ga-on has been charged with. Ba-reun warns Oh-reum to not be fooled by the young man’s looks; he might not be talking much in court, but he’s obviously using his looks and his silence to take advantage of the situation.

In a meeting to help the two sides mediate, the plaintiff who works at a junkyard complains about Ga-on. He should either move away or move out with the pastor and leave the neighborhood. He’s only causing trouble. The pastor who’s been taking care of Ga-on and three other boys gets defensive and protective. There’s no where the young man would go if he was to leave. Ga-on stays silent when Oh-reum asks him a few questions. He’s too busy playing video games on his phone.

The Pastor shares with Oh-reum more details about Ga-on. He used to be a bright, out-going, and angelic kid until he began to inhale glue which then started to negatively affect him. Now he’s not the person he used to be which could explain for his quiet behavior in the courtroom and meeting.

Oh-reum heads with one of her Aunts to the location where Ga-on and his two friends usually commit the act. Sure enough, they have glue and alcohol surrounding them once Oh-reum arrives. One of the friends inform her of how cheap and accessible the dangerous drug is which is how they’re able to inhale the drug.

Oh-reum expresses her concern about the boys to Ba-reun. The drug is easily accessible and cheap to buy, but it doesn’t make sense why the boys keep stealing it when they can just buy it. They assume that someone must be taking the glue away from the boys, but they’re not too sure. To find out, both judges head to the Pastor’s church.

At the church, Oh-reum and Ba-reun greet three other young girls that the Pastor and his wife are also taking care of. They get to know the girls over some pizza, but are shocked at the kind of questions that the girls ask them. The young girls ask complicated and serious questions about loan sharks and jail sentences and prisons because these topics are somehow related to their family. Later on after dinner, Ba-reun play with the three girls while Oh-reum and the Pastor watches them from afar. One of the young girls in particular sticks next to Ba-reun and seems to like him. The Pastor assumes that it’s because Ba-reun reminds the young girl of her abusive father who she still seems to miss.

Ga-on and his two friends return to the church late that night. Oh-reum has a talk with the three guys over some food. We learn from one of the friends that he ran away from home because of his abusive father. So what about Ga-on? Unlike his friend, Ga-on didn’t run away. He was abandoned by his mother at a young age. Omg, this is so sad.

Ba-reun and Oh-reum leave the church late that night. As they walk back, they encourage each other to not give up and to keep going despite how difficult things might get. Oh-reum then stops abruptly and asks Ba-reun to make the same face he made when he was playing with the girls earlier at the church. He attempts to make the same face, but Oh-reum isn’t satisfied. She still finds him adorable though and smiles lovingly at him. Ba-reun blushes and becomes shy. Oh-reum also realizes what she’s done and quickly walks away. Omg, they’re too cute!!

Oh-reum has another plan the next morning and recruits Ba-reun to help her. They’re going to petition outside and hand out some flyers to raise awareness about young teenagers purchasing glue. She manages to get Ba-reun to wear a sash that says “let’s protect our children!” and together they set out. Haha, gotta love these two.

Oh-reum scolds business owners who sell glue to young teenagers. She hands them flyers to inform them of the dangerous practice that young kids have been doing. One employee in particular realizes her fault after gently being scolded by Ba-reun for selling glue to young teenagers. She vows to never do it again after seeing his beautiful face. Ba-reun is so powerful. I too would listen to him if I saw a face like his.

Ba-reun isn’t too sure if what they’re doing will help or not, but Oh-reum isn’t going to quit anytime soon. She drags Ba-reun with her to keep passing out flyers and informing business owners and employees about the dangerous drug.

Presiding Judge Han is disappointed in both judges after reading an article about what the two did. Oh-reum fights back though and stands up for herself, surprising both Presiding Judge Han and Ba-reun with her loud aggressive voice. Presiding Judge Han then moves on to blame Ba-reun and why he participated. But Ba-reun shares that he helped out so that he could keep the promise he made to Oh-reum: he’s going to help her learn from her mistakes.

Chief Presiding Judge and other presiding judges also read the article. Just like all the other times, they’re not too impressed with it and remind both judges about the consequences they can soon face for not obeying the rules of the court.

Oh-reum and Ba-reun have a meeting with Chief Presiding Judge to justify and explain why they were out passing flyers to people about the drug. They also propose a new solution to overcoming the drug addiction phenomenon that so many young teenagers are addicted to. Oh-reum and Ba-reun present this idea in a meeting with a group of other people, including the Pastor. They’ll set regulations that will ban the drug toluene from being used in industrial glues to stop teenagers from inhaling the glue. However, what’s not so certain is how to help those – like Ga-on – who are already addicted to the drug and on the run to find bigger and stronger drugs. Can the court do anything to help young people like him?

Ga-on meets with two older men to sell them some copper wires in exchange for money. Ga-on has been stealing copper wires from businesses around the neighborhood to sell them in exchange for some money, but on this night he’s collected everything else but copper wires. The two guys are angry and upset with Ga-on and doesn’t give him any money.

The three little girls that lives with the Pastor grab some food at the convenience store using their meal card. The pastor has run out of money since it’s the end of the month so he isn’t able to buy them any food. Ga-on enters the store to pick them up and take them home. He performs a magic trick for them and magically hands them chocolate candies before they all walk home together.

Oh-reum has an emergency meeting with the Pastor. Ga-on has disappeared after dropping the three little girls off at the church the night before. Ga-on usually does this every once in a while, but today is a big deal because he has to go to the probation office. If he’s not there, he’ll get arrested and sent to juvenile hall.

So Oh-reum and the Pastor are on an urgent search for Ga-on. After visiting many places, Oh-reum finally finds Ga-on at the same arcade where his mother had abandoned him when he was younger. Upon seeing Oh-reum shout out his name, he cries and clings into Oh-reum’s arms, repeating the word ‘Mom.’ He and Oh-reum have a conversation that night about his mom and the reason as to why he inhales the glue.

We discover that Ga-on inhales the glue because he imagines his mother every time he does so. It’s the only way he can see her in his mind. Oh-reum opens up about her mother to Ga-on as well and shows him a picture of her mother. Ga-on begins to feel a bit more comfortable with Oh-reum and performs the same magic trick with her that he did with the three younger girls. The night is young and comfortable for the judge and the young teenager.

Oh-reum manages to get the probation officer to forgive Ga-on for not going to his office like he should have. It’s not that Ga-on is addicted to drugs; he’s just lonely and what he needs the most right now is his family. The probation officer understands and lets Ga-on go.

Oh-reum, the Pastor, and the probation officer won’t give up on Ga-on no matter what. She, Ba-reun, the Pastor, and a few other folks head to the factory that produces glue with the most amount of toluene in it. They ask the factory owner to stop producing glue for the time being or at least without such high doses of toluene in it, but the factory owner complains about the amount of time and money doing so would cost him. Oh-reum emphasizes that failure to do so could affect not only the factory owner’s own son but many others around his age. The factory owner finally agrees to their request.

Do-yeon finds a book and a card resting on her desk in her office. It’s from Judge Jung and inside the card is a written poem. Later on that night, Do-yeon and Judge Jung make up before leaving for work. He asks for a second chance which she gives him. Before leaving, Do-yeon finally reveals to Judge Jung who the man in the photo on her desk is: her creative writing professor. It’s a relief for Judge Jung.

Judge Jung, Oh-reum, and Ba-reun take the Pastor, his wife, and the kids out to karaoke. They all sing and dance and enjoy their time together. Oh-reum invites Ga-on to sing and although he’s shy and hesitant at first, he gathers the courage to sing in front of everyone. Oh-reum and Ba-reun exchange glances at each other while watching Ga-on proudly sing his heart out.

Later on that night at the farmer’s market, Oh-reum and Yong-jun discuss about the kids. Yong-jun suggests that they can send all the kids to Cambodia and have them interact with the kids from Yong-jun’s welfare foundation there.

Oh-reum shares the exciting news with Ba-reun and reveals that Yong-jun’s corporation NJ Group will be sponsoring the trip. She’ll also be staying with the kids for two days. Ba-reun is a bit sad by the news. Two days without Oh-reum?! How is he going to survive? Of course, Oh-reum’s absence is greatly felt by Ba-reun. It’s just him alone in the office and he can’t seem to focus. Even eating with Presiding Judge Han feels lonely.

It’s time to leave for Cambodia! As Oh-reum checks in at the airport, she’s joined by Yong-jun who will also be going with them to Cambodia. It is his welfare foundation that they’re visiting so he should go. He sits with Oh-reum in the economy section of the airplane although he could have easily sat in first class if he wanted. But he remains by her side.

As the plane takes off, some passengers make some snarky comments at the flight attendant while another passenger complains about the meals that are being given out. Yong-jun quietly sits in his seat watching everything unfold, but mentions to Oh-reum how good of a thing power is. It can give you anything you want.

The plane is forced to turn back to the airport because of an emergency with the plane’s engine. Passengers on the flight aren’t too happy with the results and they wait for the next flight. While waiting, Oh-reum exposes and questions Yong-jun on the so-called ‘power’ that he keeps bragging to her about. Sure, he has all this power because of NJ Group and his corporation, but how he did obtain that power? It must have been through petty and corrupt means right? She calls him out for his corrupt practices as well as his selfish thoughts he has about the general public. Unlike what he thinks, normal Korean citizens are not uncivilized. It’s her job to stand up for them and to make sure they are protected from people like Yong-jun in the world. OOH, SHE WENT OFF.

Oh-reum returns to her office and greets Ba-reun with some chocolate she had gotten him. The Pastor and the rest of the kids flew to Cambodia on another flight, but she decided not to go with them. Ba-reun’s relieved and happy to be reunited with Oh-reum and tries his best not to show it, but Oh-reum can sense his emotions.

They head back home together that night on the bus, sitting side by side and making each other smile while they talk and talk (I’ve said this a million times and I’ll say it again, THEY ARE TOO CUTE).

My Thoughts:

AHHHHH, TOO CUTE TOO CUTE TOOOOO CUTE. I don’t have anything new to say about Ba-reun and Oh-reum because it’s the truth! They’re just way too cute. The way Ba-reun blushes and gets shy when Oh-reum approaches him or the way she returned to the office even though she could have clearly gone with the kids on the trip says so much. They’re always thinking about each other despite their busy lives and it’s these smallest details that truly showcases how beautiful their relationship is.

Honestly, seeing Oh-reum’s desk so empty was such a tragic and heart-breaking image. We’re so used to seeing her sit at her desk, flipping through the stacks of papers and documents and occasionally arguing with Ba-reun that it was so odd and sad to Ba-reun alone in the office even if it was just for a few hours. I hope this isn’t foreshadowing what will happen to Oh-reum in the future, but I hope to never see something as distressing and stressful as this again. Although Oh-reum’s had many doubts about her position as a judge, it’s pretty clear and obvious that she belongs in the court district, working alongside Ba-reun to bring about the changes that she envisions for the system.

I was expecting Oh-reum to reject Yong-jun’s feelings and confession, but I just wasn’t sure how she was going to do that or what reason she would use to reject him. Now that we saw the rejection in this episode, I’m totally satisfied with how it went down. It was honestly so refreshing because the rejection wasn’t random and it also wasn’t done out of pity. Oh-reum rejected Yong-jun because he had opinions and thoughts that widely contrasted from what she believes in and the type of person that she is. Ultimately, the rejection was logical and consistent with her character.

Oh-reum’s always been the type to advocate for herself and for others regardless of who it is she’s going up against. She does this once again and this time it’s against Yong-jun. Oh-reum was kind of like saying, “Hey, I don’t have any feelings for you, but I also don’t like the way you think so I’m sorry but I’m going to have to reject you although we’ve known each other since childhood.” Yong-jun grew up very differently from Oh-reum so his background has obviously influenced him to form contrasting opinions. Oh-reum doesn’t get along and approve of people who perpetuates injustice, corruption, and dishonesty. Though Yong-jun might not directly be practicing those things himself, he’s a part of a larger system and corporation that does and for these reasons, Oh-reum can’t reciprocate the same feelings he has for her. How can she be in love with a man whose corporation and family continues to perpetuate the injustice that she’s trying so hard as a judge to eradicate? It just won’t work out.

This episode was another difficult episode to watch because yet again it was so realistic. I’m glad that the Pastor was there to take in the kids and care for them, but there are also many kids out there in society who don’t have that Pastor in their life. It was so heart-warming to see our judges spend time with the kids and get to know them, but it was also depressing because this isn’t the reality for many kids out there. Plus, the topic about drug addiction among a younger audience was also relevant and important and I’m glad the drama explored this topic.

I also really enjoyed watching our two judges dig further and deeper into Ga-on and understand the reasoning as to why he was so addicted to the drug. Our judges never make a conclusion or decision without trying to understand first and that’s what I love about them. Rather than focusing on how the kids are inhaling glue and are addicted to this dangerous drug, they come up with solutions and strategies to help the kids so that they won’t be affected any longer. As seen with all the other cases, Ba-reun and Oh-reum understand that there must be a reason as to why someone did something so they work together to discover what that reasoning is. They don’t jump to any conclusions, but rather work their way into learning more about the situation and about the persons involved in the court case. It’s so refreshing to see this and I think this is another component that sets this drama apart from all the other dramas out there.

Although this drama is procedural, it’s also so heart-warming which is why I don’t get tired or bored of it. The cases are so full of life and our characters breathe so much life and the drama focuses on showcasing our characters not only as judges but as humans. Oh-reum and Ba-reun and Presiding Judge Han and Judge Jung and everyone else in that court district can wear a robe and present themselves as judges in the court room, but when the hearings end and they take off their robes, they’re human beings at the end of the day. We never forget this throughout any moment in the drama and it’s what makes the drama so relatable and enjoyable to watch. They are just like us and we are just like them.