Series / Hyena

Hyena is a Korean Law Procedural drama starring Kim Hye-soo and Ju Ji-hoon that aired on SBS from 21 February 2020 to 11 April 2020. The series was also simulcast on Netflix.

Jung Geum-ja is a self-employed lawyer at Choong Law. She's scrappy, smart, and brazen. Most importantly, she's willing to do whatever it takes to win her cases and get paid – legal or illegal.

Yoon Hee-jae is a partner and rising star at Song & Kim, where his clients are the richest 1% in Korean society. He's ambitious, cultured, and well-connected, but also rude and arrogant.

It seems like a classic case of Boy Meets Girl…except Geum-ja manipulated Hee-jae into thinking she was an old classmate to seduce him, steal evidence, and win her case against him in court. After their first clash, the two continue butting heads and one-upping each other until Geum-ja is recruited to Song & Kim, and they are forced to learn how to work together.

At Song & Kim, Geum-ja and Hee-jae are supported by the members of Team H: lawyers Ga Gi-Hyeok, Kim Chang-uk, Boo Hyeon-a, and Na I-jun; and Geum-ja's assistant Lee Ji-eun. The series also stars Lee Kyoung-young as Song Pil-jung, one of the representative lawyers at Song & Kim.

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Hyena provides examples of:

• Alone with the Psycho: Geum-ja goes to confront her father alone even though Hee-jae believes it's a trap. She gets ambushed by a man (who's actually not her father) trying to stab her and has to fight him off.
• Amoral Attorney: Geum-ja often uses illegal methods to obtain evidence or information for her cases.
  • As Kim Hee-sun, she starts a relationship with Hee-jae (who is the opposing attorney) in order to steal a doctor’s note and win custody for her client in Ha Chan Ho’s divorce.
  • She frequently uses Detective Park Ju-ho as an under-the-table informant, and he passes her confidential police information that she wouldn’t otherwise have access to. She wins the Son Jin-su trial this way with information that only the prosecution had.
  • When called to the scene of Seo Jeong-hwa’s murder, she takes illegal crime scene photos before contacting the police.
  • She blackmails gangsters and her own clients to achieve desirable outcomes for herself. This rubs off on Team H as she encourages them to lie about their identities to gain information from witnesses.
  • Song Pil-jung is no slouch either: he bribes and colludes with politicians, orchestrates Yoon Choong-yeon's appointment as Supreme Court judge, and covers up Seo Jeong-hwa's murder.
  • Even after Hee-jae and Geum-ja have been fired from Song & Kim, Team H still shares information on the Chan-ho case in the pursuit of the truth.
  • Team H kidnaps a corrupt policeman and Geum-ja threatens him with a Frame-Up to get him to confess about working with Pil-jung.
• Anguished Declaration of Love: After 12 episodes of feeling hurt, disdain, and resentment that later evolves into respect, fondness, and concern, Hee-jae finally confesses his love for Geum-ja.
  Hee-jae: I am in love with Jung Geum-ja who used to be Jung Eun-young. Your name could be Kim Hee-sun or anything else and I still wouldn't care. Kim Hee-sun, Jung Eun-yeong, or whatever else, you're still you.
• Arc Words: "Use me" is spoken a few times throughout the series.
• Army of Lawyers: As expected from a prestigious law firm like Song & Kim, their clients are often flanked by about 10 lawyers.
• Attempted Suicide
  • After Hee-jae's father is accused of taking bribes in the Issume rulings and his reputation as a judge is tarnished, he attempts suicide by walking into traffic. His attempt fails.
  • It's implied that Ji-eun attempted suicide when she was young after her mother ran away and abandoned her and her siblings.
• Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: After seeing Geum-ja and Hee-jae insult, argue with, and compete against each other for almost the entire season, we finally hear them confess their feelings for each other as they have each other's backs during the Korean Bar Association disciplinary hearing.
• Bad Boss: Son Jin-su is one: he gaslights his employees, has frequent mood swings, forces his employees to work long hours, and sold confidential client information.
• Batman Gambit: Geum-ja's Honey Trap involves Hee-jae doing everything she expects in his pursuit of her. She ignores him at the laundromat but piques his interest by reading an author he likes. She then tricks his friend Yu-mi into thinking she's an old classmate of theirs and gets invited to a class reunion that Yu-mi also invites Hee-jae to. He falls in love with her when she shows interest in his interests.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: Geum-ja and Hee-jae's relationship involves them bickering and arguing a lot. At first, they're competing against each other and have oppositional approaches to cases. When Hee-jae starts to like Geum-ja for real, she pushes him away and repeatedly turns him down with excuses.
• The Big Damn Kiss: Hee-jae gives Hee-sun a heartwarming gift and confesses his love for her as they kiss on a scenic rooftop and the music swells…then this becomes a subversion when the First-Episode Twist is revealed, and this scene is only the start of their real turbulent relationship.
• Book Ends: Ji-eun surprises Geum-ja with streamers and food when she wins her court case in the first episode. Ji-eun and the rest of Team H surprise Geum-ja and Hee-jae with streamers, food, and drinks in the last episode when they succeed in getting Pil-jung arrested.
• Boy Meets Girl: Seemingly played straight at first. Hee-jae and Hee-sun are the only two customers at the laundromat at 5:30 AM. They chat briefly when it storms outside and the lights in the laundromat go out. One day, Hee-sun stops coming to the laundromat. By chance, Hee-jae tracks her down again when he learns she's a former classmate of his, meets her at their class reunion, and asks her out. Ends up being a subversion: Geum-ja pretended to be Hee-sun to engineer a meeting with Hee-jae and start a relationship with him so that she could illegally gather information to win her case.
• Broken Pedestal
  • Hee-jae rebels against Pil-jung, his mentor at Song & Kim, when Pil-jung exposes his father for corruption for his own gain and then refuses to let Hee-jae put together a team to protect his father in the upcoming trial.
  • Hee-jae loses all respect for his father after he continues to protect Pil-jung, even after his father's Attempted Suicide because of public backlash and a ruined reputation that Pil-jung was responsible for.
• Cannot Spit It Out: Geum-ja says she's worried about Hee-jae and says "I don't hate you" but stops just shy of admitting she loves him despite Hee-jae's frustration and his own Anguished Declaration of Love.
• Cardboard Box of Unemployment: After they're fired, we see Geum-ja and Hee-jae packing up all their possessions in banker's boxes followed by a tense final walk down Song & Kim's hallways.
• Cast Full of Rich People: Justified, since Song & Kim represents the richest 1% of society, meaning we get to see the lavish lifestyles of all the chaebol heirs who are their clients. By extension, the lawyers at Song & Kim get rewarded handsomely for their work: the D&T case shows each attorney receiving anywhere from 20 to 200 million won as a bonus for helping successfully launch the IPO.
• The Chessmaster
  • Song Pil-Jung will do whatever it takes to pass the Inheritance Tax Act. He aligns himself closely with Chairman Son to keep control over Issume, even covering up Seo Jeong Hwa's murder to help him. He supports Ha Jun-ho's appointment as the new CEO of Issume because he's easy to control. And as soon as Geum-ja is no longer useful and Hee-jae stops following his orders, he has them fired even before a decision is reached on their bar association hearing.
  • Kim Min-joo tries to be this in order to steal the firm back from Pil-jung but is unsuccessful. She meets with Geum-ja and Chairman Son to try and sway their loyalty to her; the chairman stays with Pil-jung and Geum-ja maintains her lone wolf status. Min-joo has Kevin and AP EON on her side at first, but Pil-jung manages to steal him away from her with a more lucrative deal.
• Closet Shuffle: Geum-ja tackles Hee-jae into a supply closet to avoid speaking with Yu-mi when she drops into Song & Kim unannounced.
• Crash-Into Hello: Geum-ja's Meet Cute with Kevin involves her running into him and spilling coffee all over his designer shirt. She furiously tries to clean it up before giving up, giving him her business card, then telling him to file a claim for damages if he wants to. He's immediately attracted to her.
• Dutch Angle
  • A spinning one is used in the first episode to show Hee-jae's confusion when he recognizes Geum-ja/Hee-sun as the opposing counsel.
  • Used again during Yu-mi's surprise visit to the office when Geum-ja tackles Hee-jae into a supply closet to keep Yu-mi from recognizing them and exposing their past relationship.
  • A more subtle one is used when present-day Geum-ja stumbles backwards in fear of her father.
  • A quick, subtle one is used during the rooftop confrontation when Hee-jae reveals that he knows Geum-ja's birth name despite her attempts to keep her past hidden.
• Eagle-Eye Detection: When Geum-ja is examining the scene of Jeong-hwa's murder, she replays the likely events of the night to analyze and take pictures of the crime scene. A liquor bottle that hadn’t spilled in the right direction leads Team H to realize that the hotel room was staged to seem as if the murder had taken place there.
• Easily Forgiven: Even after her manipulating him, lying to him about her identity, and sabotaging his case, Hee-jae still has feelings for Geum-ja.
• Et Tu, Brute?: Gi-hyeok exposes Hee-jae and Geum-ja's relationship to the Korean Bar Association so he'll be the one left to lead Team H and make partner at Song & Kim. He is completely apologetic and remorseful about it, and later shows regret at having to take care of Pil-jung's Dirty Business. His conflicting feelings drive him to later become The Mole for the team at Choong Law by feeding incriminating information about Pil-jung back to Hee-jae and stealing his DNA to prove he killed Jeong-hwa.
• First-Episode Twist: The first episode depicts Hee-jae's and Hee-sun's relationship as the typical Korean Drama Boy Meets Girl scenario which ends with them falling in love…up until midway through the episode when we learn that Geum-ja tricked Hee-jae into a relationship which sets up their rivalry and Belligerent Sexual Tension for the rest of the series.
• Foil: Pil-jung and Min-joo are foils for Geum-ja and Hee-jae. Both pairs are excellent lawyers in rivalries against each other. Pil-jung and Geum-ja both came from lower-class backgrounds and are willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead. Min-joo, like Hee-jae, comes from a prestigious family with an existing reputation in the legal field. However, unlike Pil-jung and Min-joo, Geum-ja and Hee-jae learn how to work together and respect each other for their strengths.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Chan-ho is the foolish sibling to Hye-won's responsible sibling in the Ho family. Chan-ho is a drug addict who abuses his mistress and brings scandals to his family's company while Hye-won studied business in college and worked hard in an attempt to succeed her father. The irony is that Chairman Ho doesn't want Hye-won in charge even though she's more responsible because she's difficult to control whereas Chan-ho is an easy puppet.
• Foreshadowing: Why can't Hee-jae find pictures of Kim Hee-sun when googling her? Yes, she could not be on social media, but it could also be because she's a fake identity created by Geum-ja.
• Frame-Up
  • Geum-ja gets her father sent to prison by attacking him with a knife and reversing it so it seems he stabbed her with it. With Ju-ho's assistance, she traces the knife back to her father to "prove" that the crime was premeditated, putting him away for 20 years.
  • The real events of the Jeong-hwa murder. Pil-jung and Chairman Son murdered Jeong-hwa and covered it up by moving her body to Chan-ho's suite and framing him for it.
• Gaslighting: Defined and discussed in episode 7 as one of the tactics that Son Jin-su uses against his employees.
• Gayngst: Ko-iman attempts to break his contract with his mom and her management company due to her forcing him to stay in the closet and tormenting him and his lover to get them to comply with the demanding performance schedule.
• Grey-and-Gray Morality: Neither Choong Law nor Song & Kim are purely evil or good. Both sides are representing rich, elite clients in order to make money. Almost everyone in the cast shows Amoral Attorney traits at some point. Geum-ja merely becomes A Lighter Shade of Grey due to Character Development and her Dark and Troubled Past.
• Heel–Faith Turn: Geum-ja's father wants her to believe that he found God in prison, became a pastor after he got out on parole, and is trying to mend his relationship with her. Turns out to be sincere.
• Honey Trap: Geum-ja seduces Hee-jae to find the piece of info she needs to win the divorce case.
• In Vino Veritas: Yu-mi gets Gi-hyeok drunk so that he'll tell her the truth about Geum-ja and Hee-jae's relationship. She uses that as leverage for Geum-ja's assistance with her gangster problem.
• Internal Reveal: When Yu-mi shows Gi-hyeok pictures of "Hee-sun," he connects the dots and realizes Geum-ja and Hee-jae dated in violation of the Attorney-at-Law Act.
• Irony: Discussed by Geum-ja's father. Geum-ja and Ju-ho framed him for attempted murder, and then grew up into professions expected to uphold the law (attorney and detective).
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall:
  • The conversation as Ji-eun returns Hee-jae's coat the morning after he and Geum-ja were out together:
  Hee-jae: Do you know why I don't watch dramas? It's because they're filled with unnecessary misunderstandings. And they're very inappropriate.
  Ji-eun: Those inappropriate misunderstandings are exactly why people watch dramas.
  • During the disciplinary hearing, Geum-ja tries to play her orchestrated meeting with Hee-jae as a reinforcement of rom com tropes.
  Disciplinary Hearing Judge: That's ridiculous. He was the opposing lawyer.
  Geum-ja: No one can blame us for falling in love even if that person killed your family. Have you not read a romance novel or watched a romantic movie before?
• Love Triangle: Between Hee-jae, Geum-ja, and Kevin. Both Hee-jae and Kevin are attracted to Geum-ja. Geum-ja is attracted to Hee-jae but won't admit it; she also feigns interest in Kevin to get information on AP EON.
• Maybe Ever After: In the last episode, Geum-ja seems to be opening up to Hee-jae about her past, and they are working amicably together. But it's not confirmed if the two are romantically involved or not.
• Moment Killer
  • Seems to be Hee-jae's goal when he frequently interrupts Geum-ja and Kevin together. Turns out that Geum-ja is just trying to get Kevin to spill information on Gnosis and AP EON, and she's unable to whenever Hee-jae interrupts.
  • Played straight later when Geum-ja is drinking alone with Hee-jae in her apartment after he's had a difficult day. It looks like it will become another Sex for Solace moment when they are both interrupted by urgent phone calls about Ha Chan-ho.
• Motive = Conclusive Evidence: Justified. Chan-ho's motive was the missing piece that could get him convicted for Jeong-hwa's murder, in addition to his being found bloody at the crime scene.
• No Guy Wants to Be Chased: Invoked by Geum-ja to seduce Hee-jae. She knows that he doesn't like needy women, so she piques his interest and then ignores him in order to set the Honey Trap.
• Obfuscating Stupidity: At first, Kim Yeong-jun seems like a timid accountant that Son Jin-su took advantage of. Then it's revealed that he framed Jin-su with a series of meticulously written diary entries pinning him for the sale of personal client information.
• Oh, Crap!: Happens almost Once an Episode, usually when Geum-ja and Hee-jae get the upper hand on each other.
  • Episode 1: Hee-jae realizes the opposing counsel Jung Geum-ja is his girlfriend and proceeds to get trounced in court by her while in shock.
  • Episode 2: Geum-ja is on the receiving end when she rushes to the hospital sees Hee-jae waiting outside Seo Jeong-hwa's room.
  • Episode 3: Hee-jae is getting ready to send prosecutors to arrest Ha Chan-ho after Seo Jeong-hwa files a complaint against him…only to realize his plan failed when he sees Chan Ho and Jeong-hwa enter the party hand in hand.
  • Episode 4: Pil-jung introduces the new partner lawyer to the steering committee. Hee-jae's jaw drops when Geum-ja walks through the door.
  • Episode 5: Both Geum-ja and Hee-jae are shocked when Yu-mi shows up unexpectedly, and Geum-ja has to tackle Hee-jae into a closet to hide from her.
  • Episode 6: Geum-ja's eyes widen and she cringes when Kim Yeong-jun lets on that he was responsible for Son Jin-su's arrest.
  • Episode 15: Hee-jae expects his father to expose Pil-jung's involvement during his testimony at the corruption trial. Instead, his father takes full responsibility and stays loyal to Pil-jung. Hee-jae is in shock when he realizes the entire key to his defense is shattered.
• Product Placement: Characters are constantly snacking on Auntie Anne's and drinking Samdasoo bottled water. At the firm, they're drinking Nespresso coffee. They also frequently eat at Pizza Alvolo and discuss how much they love the pizza there.
• Reaction Shot: When Team H realizes Pil-Jung helped stage Jeong-hwa's murder scene, the camera zooms in on each of their bewildered faces.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Pil-jung delivers an epic one to Ma Seok-gu when Ma tries to go around his orders and call a steering committee meeting that will get Geum-ja demoted.
  Pil-jung: I fed you meat when you were poor. And now you're asking me for wine as well? [...] Stay where you've always been. Right beside me. Just do as you're told. If you don't want to live the rest of your life giving legal aid, just stay here at Song & Kim, and get rid of that useless pride.
• The Reveal: What's the significance of the building that Geum-ja stands in front of all the time? The orphanage she kept getting sent back to used to be there and the newly built complex standing there reminds her of her Dark and Troubled Past. So she's saving her money so she can buy the building.
• Right Behind Me: Yu-mi is busy yelling about Geum-ja and Hee-jae's former relationship in Gi-hyeok's office when Mr Ma's assistant shows up. Yu-mi doesn’t see him and keeps on talking.
• The Rival: Hee-jae has a few.
  • Geum-ja is his main rival. They are opposing counsel in their first few interactions with each other. They have oppositional approaches to their cases and have a difficult time learning how to work together on Team H.
  • Ma Seok-gu constantly tries to undermine Hee-jae and sabotage his cases and reputation at Song & Kim. They are outwardly hostile to each other, and Seok-gu succeeds in getting Hee-jae fired.
  • Kwon Yong-woon is the Hero Antagonist prosecutor who opposes Hee-jae on a few cases. Hee-jae encourages him and eggs him on in a later corruption case. Yong-woon even starts dating one of Hee-jae's exes.
• Rivalry as Courtship: Hee-jae and Geum-ja are both excellent litigators who start off as opposing counsel. After they start working together at Song & Kim, they start to form a mutual respect for each other. Hee-jae comes to realize that he is developing feelings for Geum-ja.
• Running Gag: Geum-ja's passengers turning on her radio without permission, with "Paganiniana" by Ko-iman playing.
• Sex for Solace: Geum-ja is shaken and Drowning Her Sorrows in her office the night after her father's visit. Hee-jae shows up to console her and they have sex for the first time since their breakup. Followed the next day by an acknowledgment that That Didn't Happen.
• Sleep Cute: When Geum-ja has a restless night at Choong law firm after the attack, Hee-jae stays with her to comfort her, and they sleep cramped up on the couch together. Played for Laughs when they're shown snoring and in an awkward position the next morning.
• Slobs vs. Snobs: The rivalry between Geum-ja and Hee-jae is underscored by this theme. The opening credits juxtapose the differences between Geum-ja's scrappy, run down image and the polished, classy environment Hee-jae is surrounded by.
  • Song & Kim's office is sleek and modern, combining glass walls with a classic, intellectual aesthetic. Choong Law's office is in a run-down shared building with an eclectic style comprised of thrifted furniture.
  • The down-to-earth Geum-ja prefers soju. In contrast, Hee-jae prefers red wine and takes pride in recommending and describing specific variants.
  • Geum-ja is more casual and typically wears track suits and sneakers. Hee-jae wears tailored suits.
  • Geum-ja believes that Hee-jae was born sheltered and his family connections enabled his success while she had to struggle to recreate herself and escape her Dark and Troubled Past.
• Smoking Gun: Geum-ja walks into the Son Jin-su trial with evidence that proves Kim Yeong-jun was responsible for selling client information. Because that recording was taken on a day not truthfully dictated in Kim's diary, Geum-ja successfully calls into question the reliability of the diary – which also demolishes the prosecution's entire case.
• Spoiled Brat: Lee Woo-jin breaks another classmate's arm and talks down to all the adults around him. When faced with repercussions for his actions, he doesn't care and falls back on his family's status and wealth. Woo-jin ends up being a Bully Hunter, since he's targeting kids who bullied him in class, and he wants revenge since they weren't caught or punished.
• Take Back Your Gift: Hee-jae gives back the Ko-iman record that Geum-ja gave him when they were dating.
• Team Power Walk: Used to show off the new team at Choong Law, who are fashionably strutting out of court in a single line, side by side.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Mr. Song forces Hee-jae and Geum-ja to work together on the D&T IPO. While they try to form separate teams at first, they eventually collaborate after Son Jin-su's arrest threatens the IPO stock price. When Geum-ja's underhanded methods for gathering information ends up winning them the case, Hee-jae and Team H finally learn to appreciate and respect her.
• That Man Is Dead: Geum-ja's response to being called Eun-Young:
  Geum-ja: Jung Eun-young doesn't exist anymore. The woman in front of you is Jung Geum-ja.
• Title Drop: Whenever I-Jun gets drunk, he calls Geum-ja and Hee-jae hyenas.
• Undercover as Lovers: Hee-jae and Geum-ja pretend to be a couple to investigate the hotel suite where the Jeong-hwa murder happened.
• Villainous Breakdown: After keeping his cool as The Chessmaster all season, Pil-jung snaps and throws a glass at Min-joo when she calls him a mutt. She flinches, but doesn't budge from her position.
• Walk and Talk: A trademark shot involves two characters walking through the long hallways at Song & Kim and discussing their cases.
• We Will Meet Again
  • Geum-ja says "I've only just begun, this isn't over" after she confronts Pil-jung about his machinations around Issume.
  • As Geum-ja and Hee-jae leave the building after they are fired, they run into Pil-jung in his car. Hee-jae warns Pil-jung that he will work hard to defend his father and that Pil-jung should expect to be called to testify.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness
  • What Pil-jung intends to do to Geum-ja: he's hired her as a partner lawyer to take the dirtier cases for the firm…but plans on firing her as soon as it's convenient to throw her under the bus. Which is exactly what happens to Geum-ja and Hee-jae when they start questioning Pil-jung's actions and authority.
  • Pil-jung does the same to Hee-jae's father when he opposes the revised Inheritance Tax Act. Even though they'd been close before and he had helped him get a Supreme Court seat, it doesn’t stop Pil-jung from destroying Chung-yeon's reputation as a judge by pinning him for bribery in the Issume verdicts.
• You Must Be Cold: Hee-jae gives Geum-ja his coat when they are waiting at night for a cable car up to N Seoul Tower.