At the heart of SBS’s Friday-Saturday drama "Phantom Lawyer" (written by Kim Ga-young and Kang Cheol-gyu, directed by Shin Jung-hoon) is Shin I-rang (Yoo Yeon-seok), a character fans say they’re “falling into.” He starts off suddenly seeing ghosts, but episode by episode he proves he’s not just “possessed.” He’s a brilliant, detail-minded attorney who’s also disarmingly human ― a combo that’s winning over audiences.
The buzz is showing up in the numbers. Episode 4, which aired on the 21st, hit a new series high with 9.1% nationwide and 9.3% in the Seoul metro area, peaking at 11.3% in real time. It’s also holding strong in the upper ranks of Netflix’s Today’s Top 10 in Korea, building momentum across TV and streaming.
Shin I-rang has already helped the second spirit, Kim Soo-ah (Oh Ye-ju), find peace. He tries desperately to hide his ghost-seeing from his mom, Park Kyung-hwa (Kim Mi-kyung), so she won’t worry. But Mom’s already clocked the change and quietly has his back. When I-rang is possessed by Soo-ah, Mom whips up a spicy, “custom” tteokbokki ― a high schooler favorite ― and smoothly covers so his sudden quirks don’t tip off his sister, Shin Sa-rang (Son Yeo-eun). That mix of a mom who’s the safest place even when she’s scared, and I-rang’s belief he’s fooling everyone when he’s really in the family’s palm, has become a major “I’m-stanning-now” point for viewers.
But I-rang’s real power shows in his “main self,” not the possessions. He doesn’t lean only on clues from ghosts. He zeroes in on the core of each case with sharp insight and judgment. When composer Go Jong-seok (Jeong Si-heon) looked like the likely suspect, I-rang asked Han Na-hyun (Esom), who could access Glory Entertainment, to check the audition score sheets. That led him to narrow the suspect to trainee Emma (Cheon Yeong-min) ― who could only snag a debut slot if Kim Soo-ah disappeared ― sending chills. His logic? The culprit is often “the biggest beneficiary.” He then handed Emma a taser with the battery removed to bait a confession ― a peak “brainy I-rang” move.
His on-site play with his brother-in-law Yoon Bong-soo (Jeon Seok-ho) also shined. I-rang tapped Bong-soo ― a veteran of countless bit parts ― to act as a detective. Bong-soo blocked Go Jong-seok’s escape route and even delivered a hilariously clumsy Miranda warning. Their brother-in-law/brother-in-law back-and-forth landed both laughs and fist-pump payoff. Above all, I-rang’s cool-headed line ― “What’s scarier than ghosts is human desire” ― cut to the heart of the case and delivered a jolt of catharsis.
At the end of Episode 4, I-rang accepts his fate of seeing ghosts. He calmly introduces himself to a newly arrived spirit: “I’m your lawyer, Shin I-rang.” No more denial ― he’s awakened to his role as the attorney who rights the wrongs of the dead. That shift has fans even more hyped for what’s next.
"Phantom Lawyer" airs Fridays and Saturdays at 9:50 p.m. on SBS.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)
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