Whisper ~ A Manual on How To Buy and Sell the Law
“Whisper” is a 2017 Korean drama series, with 17 episodes, categorized as Thriller, Suspense, Crime, Mystery, Legal Drama, Revenge, and Romance; available on Viki.
SUMMARY: She was an upright police detective and he was an honorable judge. Her father was falsely accused of murder and she believed the judge would render a just verdict. But then he agreed to enter a marriage of convenience and betrayed her trust by destroying the evidence she had obtained. Now they’re both at each other’s throats. His weak justification is he’s just trying to survive and live his life. Her strong motivation is that her father is innocent and she’s determined to prove it! AN INTENSE CLASH OF WILLS.
♦ A Righteous Judge Becomes a Corrupt Lawyer. Marriage Can Do That!
In “Whisper”, Shin Young-Joo is the daughter of a reporter who is falsely accused of murder, and she has the evidence. The evidence was obtained illegally, but it still proves her father’s innocence. She believes Lee Dong-Joon is a righteous judge, and he assured her that he would do the right thing if the evidence proved her father’s innocence. However, he destroyed the evidence she gave him, and in court, he passed judgment that convicted her father of murder.
What happened? Lee Dong-Joon was forced into a loveless marriage of convenience with the daughter of the president of a corrupt law firm. The reporter who had been murdered was digging up dirt and corruption on the firm and its VIP client and needed to be eliminated. Nobody is ever 100% squeaky clean, and even if they ar,e there must be “something” they’ve done that can be twisted enough to cast suspicion and doubt, prompt an investigation, and destroy their good reputation and career. They found “something” on Lee Dong-Joon.
He had to choose: (a) judge Shin Young-Joo’s father rightly and set an innocent man free OR (b) convict him even though he knows he’s innocent, step down from the judge’s bench, get married to a woman he doesn’t know or love because their marriage is a “deal”, and become an attorney at a corrupt law firm and do whatever his father-in-law says. He chose (b) and closed the door on a life where he stood up for his principles, did the right thing, and had a clear conscience. Of course, his new “wonderful life” will be miserable, but he has to survive. Right?
Shin Young-Joo didn’t share his point of view. Because of what Lee Dong-Joon did, her father, who is gravely ill, went to prison, AND she lost her job as a detective. She didn’t search to find dirt on Lee Dong-Joon. Instead, she created it herself. She has a video of an attorney at a prestigious law firm who seduced and raped the daughter of a person who was on trial where he was the presiding judge. It’s obvious he took advantage of her, promising to free her father in exchange for sexual favors. Who could that attorney be?
Shin Young-Joo didn’t stop there. She created a brand new identity for herself and got a job at that prestigious law firm working as Lee Dong-Joon’s secretary. Did he think she was just going to accept the injustice done to her father and not go after the people in that law firm who committed the murder?
Lee Dong-Joon is not having a good time surviving. His secretary is a prickly thorn and constant reminder that he sold his soul to the devil, and she has no intention of making his new life easy. Shin Young-Joo is on a mission, and she’s willing to do whatever it takes, using any means necessary – lawful or unlawful.
Meanwhile, not only does he have to contend with a prickly thorn, but Lee Dong-Joon has to adapt to his workplace. A prestigious law firm that could best be described as a den of wolves and thieves, OR rather, a den of wolves WHO ARE thieves. Whatever! They’re EVIL and it’s not a game of survival. IT’S WAR!! Heard of sleeping with the enemy?
Well! He doesn’t sleep with his wife, Choi Soo-Yeon, but SHE IS THE ENEMY! Her lover, Kang Jung-Il, is in charge of Mergers and Acquisitions and the son of the VIP client that the murdered reporter was digging up dirt on. HE’S THE ENEMY TOO! And murder as a means of eliminating anyone getting in their way is always on the table. If the reporter who died were alive, he’d tell you that!
WOW! A THORN, WOLFISH THIEVES and MURDERERS! Aaaahhh! Living the good life!
Main Characters:
- Shin Young-Joo (played by Lee Bo-Young, “Hide”, “Agency”)
- Lee Dong-Joon (played by Lee Sang-Yoon, “Insane”, “OK! Madam”, “One the Woman”, “The Duo”, “Pandora: Beneath the Paradise”, “Jung-Yi, Goddess of Fire”)
- Kang Jung-Il (played by Kwon Yool, “My Sweet Mobster”, “The Policeman’s Lineage”, “Connection”, “Longing for You”, “Bring it on, Ghost”, “Haechi”, “Voice 2 and 3”)
- Choi Soo-Yeon (played by Park Se-Young)
Viewership and Rating:
My personal rating is the same as the Viki audience.
Honestly? If “Whisper” had a memorable soundtrack, I would have given this K-drama 10 out of 10 stars. Everything else was perfect! Kdrama Love put an excellent summary in their review: “No one smiles, no one cracks a joke, no one is amused by anything, it’s all back-stabbing, revenge melodrama”.
The female lead, Lee Bo-Young, won Best Actress, 2017 SBS Drama Awards, for her performance. In fact, her acting career dates back to 2004, and she’s won several awards.
This is one of those series that slipped under my radar. It’s a binge-worthy hidden gem.
LINKS OF INTEREST:
‘Whisper’ Keeps the Lead in Korean Drama Ratings | Kdrama Kisses
“Whisper” Comes To An End And Scores Drama’s Highest Viewership Ratings | Soompi
[Herald Review] ‘Whisper’ is one tense drama | The Korea Herald
Whisper Korean Drama Review – War of the Outlaws | Funcurve
Whisper Korean Drama – Review | Kdrama Love
TRAILER/TEASER:
Korean Drama. “Whisper Korean Drama Trailer 2017.” YouTube, 11 Mar. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV9m1pvOQgU.
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