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| Photo=Studio S, Mongjakso |
[Sports Today reporter Kim Tae-hyung] The idiosyncratic, intricately constructed ghost world of SBS’s Shin I-rang Law Office has been delighting viewers and filling living rooms with laughter.
SBS’s Friday–Saturday drama Shin I-rang Law Office scored a nationwide 9.1% for Episode 4, which aired on the 21st, according to Nielsen Korea — the series’ highest rating to date. Viewers have also enthusiastically taken to hunting for the show’s carefully placed worldbuilding details.
The series’ most striking visual device centers on the deceased’s “feet.” Ghosts who come to lawyer Shin I-rang (Yoo Yeon-seok) initially appear floating in midair, a visual shorthand for their unstable state: they don’t even remember who they are or how they died. When Shin I-rang uncovers a ghost’s name and birth date and reveals their identity, the spirit recovers lost memories and emotions and finally finds solid ground.
The production team calls that moment the “weight of memory.” Capturing the instant a life’s burden is restored pulls viewers deep into each spirit’s story. Hidden “personal talismans” on the office wall hint at past connections with individual ghosts and raise curiosity about which clients will turn up next.
Possession of Shin I-rang follows strict rules rather than random chance, which adds another layer of fun. When a ghost’s desire spikes — triggered by something that elicits joy, disgust, or anger — possession occurs, signaled by Shin I-rang’s reddened cheeks.
The show punctuates those turns with musical cues. The first client, Lee Kang-pung (Heo Seong-tae), a former mobster, would seethe whenever his old boss beat him while Um Jung-hwa’s “Festival” played; the song’s upbeat energy amplified the catharsis of Shin I-rang’s “mob-lawyer” action. The second client, trainee Kim Soo-a (Oh Ye-ju), becomes possessed by music ringing from Shin I-rang’s brother-in-law Yoon Bong-su’s (Jeon Seok-ho) phone, giving Yoo Yeon-seok the chance to deliver the charming choreography he clearly rehearsed for the “idol-lawyer” sequence — a standout, widely shared scene.
A ghost’s favorite “soul food” also functions as a potent possession trigger and yields big laughs. Unlike Shin I-rang, who is allergic to pork, Lee Kang-pung is drawn to the sizzle of samgyeopsal (pork belly), and Kim Soo-a — still very much a high school girl at heart — lights up at tteokbokki and ice cream. Viewers quipped, “Even ghosts can’t resist good food,” which has spawned a guessing game — what menu will the next ghost react to? — and helped fuel the show’s buzz.
By marrying the bold premise of a “possessed lawyer” with courtroom drama and grounding each detail in narrative logic, Shin I-rang Law Office delivers a fresh, entertaining experience. Those worldbuilding specifics bolster Yoo Yeon-seok’s versatile performance and give viewers a compelling reason to tune in live.
The producers said they spent considerable time figuring out how to visualize the traces and memories the dead left behind. Beginning with Episode 5, which airs on the 27th, Shin I-rang will start using these rules in reverse to solve cases, spotlighting his role as a more cerebral, “brainy” lawyer — a development the team asked viewers to look forward to.
SBS’s Friday–Saturday drama Shin I-rang Law Office airs every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 p.m.
[Sports Today reporter Kim Tae-hyung ent@stoo.com]
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