In Episode 10 of the Netflix series My Suspicious Partner, Ji Eun-Hyuk, a partner

in Noh Ji-Wook's law firm, is confronted with a dilemma involving two provisions in the
South Korean Law pertaining to the conduct Korean Lawyers must abide by.

To establish a short background of the show, My Suspicious Partner involves the

story of Noh Ji-Wook and Bong-Hee and their efforts to find, prosecute, and punish
according to South Korean Law the perpetrator of the murder of Bong-Hee's ex-
boyfriend, the son of the chief prosecutor, whom Bong-Hee was also framed for the
same and several other murders. Soon in the story, Ji-Wook will open his own law firm
and recruit not only Bong-Hee and the people closest to him but also Eun-Hyuk, whom
he has a strained relationship with but nevertheless a good and profitable Lawyer and
also the main protagonist of this short essay.

Episode 10 of the series introduces the viewers to a new case involving a mother
who found her husband lying beneath the steps of the stairs in her house and a knife,
the alleged murder weapon, buried and the handle stickling out of his stomach. After
contacting Ji-Wook's law partner Eun-Hyuk, the latter immediately came to her house.
After calming her down, the mother immediately gave Eun-Hyuk a state of facts
according to her and a disturbing statement:

"Can you keep a secret... I did not kill my husband"

Lawyers-at-Law Act, Clause 21 states that "Lawyers can not dislose information
acquired in line of service". Based on this law, the mother requests Eun-Hyuk to keep a
secret. The harrowing request stems from the mother's suspicion that it was her son
who killed his father. Indeed, a mother's intuition and instinct to protect her young is
apparent in this case: The mother was willing to sacrifice herself to free her son from the
mercy of the law -- She was willing to frame herself for the murder of her husband even
going as far as wiping any potential fingerprints of her son in the crime scene and
placing a knife on the stomach to place her fingerprints on the crime scene instead.

Eun-Hyuk, after much hesistation, decided to keep the secret despite knowing
another provision in Korean Law:

"Lawyers can't conceal the truth while serving their clients or make false
statement"

Eun-Hyuk prioritized the wishes of his client and undermined his duty to the court as he
decided to keep a secret that can turn the tide of the case in favor of the mother and the
apprehension of the real suspect despite the fact that it is not the lawful thing to do.

Later, Ji-Wook, who forcibly made Eun-Hyuk to include him in the case,
confronted Eun-Hyuk about his suspicions about the latter. Eun-Hyuk confessed to Ji-
Wook his whole circumstance and the dilemma that is haunting him. Ji-Wook called him
an idiot for allowing the real suspect to go free and undermining the law by allowing a
"false confession". However, Eun-Hyuk stuck to his ideals and even went on to say that
"Even if he can't convince her to reconsider, he will follow her (the mother's) wish." as
that is "what my(Eun-Hyuk's) client wants".

Clearly, there is a remarkable difference of opinion between the two protagonists.

It seems that they have different priorities as to their duties as lawyers. In the
Philippines, lawyers are expected to follow the four-fold duties which are DUTY TO
SOCIETY, DUTY TO THE LEGAL PROFESSION, AND DUTY TO THE CLIENT. Under
our laws, it is said that duty to the court has more priority over a lawyer's duties to his
client.

In the show it is obvious that Eun-Hyuk puts the wishes of his client way above
the law. Despite his sincerity, it cannot be said that he is correct. Ji-Wook, as a lawyer, is
correct in his argument that it is absurd to just let the suspect go and imprison an
innocent instead. A client would only request for things that he or she thinks is right and
just. A client, to a point, can be selfish and lawyers should not fall for requests that
clearly deny the imposition of justice.

Eun Hyuk's decision to admit the mother's guilt by false confession is unlawful.
Although it is a duty of the lawyer to keep the secrets of his client, there are certain
exceptions to the same: South Korean Law provides that "Lawyers can't conceal the
truth while serving their clients or make false statement". A false confession is a false
statement. Eun-Hyuk assumed a false sense of responsibility and is therefore wrong in
this case.

In the end, it is revealed that neither the son nor the mother killed the father nor
was the murder due to the post traumatic stress of the mother but it was the father's
cerebral hermorrhage by ruptured derebral aneurysm that killed him. Bong-Hee solved
the same by first asking herself, "Why would a son who loves his other have her take all
of the blame?". Indeed, it was not even the son who committed the murder. If Eun-Hyuk
has his way and nobody was there to investigate further, there would be a true
obstruction of justice and the mother's sacrifice would perhaps be in vain.