“Hyena” (하이에나)

By Jae-Ha Kim
jaehakim.com
May 10, 2020

☆☆☆☆
Yoon Hee-Jae (played by Ju Ji-Hoon)
Jung Geum-Ja (played by Kim Hye-Soo)

↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.

The legal procedural “Hyena” drives home the point that a person’s guilt is less important than who has the better attorney. A smart lawyer can make others see the truth — or at least the twisted version of truth that’ll benefit their client.

And in the world of smart lawyers, Jung Geum-Ja is the best. Tough, streetwise and a survivor, she works out of a raggedy office with one assistant. When it comes to getting the job done, she will stop at nothing to get her clients the best results possible…even if that means making morally shady decisions, such as tricking an opposing attorney by becoming who he wants her to be (at least until she gets what she needs).

Did I agree with her method? No. Did she get the job done? Absolutely.

Yoon Hee-Jae grew up with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth. The son of a high-ranking judge and the younger brother of another respected judge, Hee-Jae bucked the family system to become a lawyer at Seoul’s top law firm, which is run by his father’s long-time friend. A go-getter who doesn’t lose cases, he is referred to by everyone as the firm’s ace.

The irony is that after his run-in with Geum-Ja, he behaves less like an ace than a petulant schoolboy who’s upset that a girl is smarter than he is.

I’m not complaining though. This series shows that being called the best doesn’t mean anything in the real world. I liked how the plot depicted South Korea’s insidious system of revering lineage as flawed (and stupid). And that referring to a human being as disposable — because they don’t hail from the proper background — depicts exactly who is the human garbage here.

Geum-Ja may be more overt about the dirty deeds she does on behalf of her clients, but the elite attorneys are just as filthy. For instance, one of Hee-Jae’s cases involves getting malleable politicians to agree to pass a new law that will make it easier for rich people to not be taxed on all of their wealth.

Some viewers have complained about the 12-year age difference between leading man Ju Ji-Hoon (“Kingdom,” “Five Fingers“) and leading lady Kim Hye-Soo (“Signal“). Ju is 37 and Kim is 49. Had the ages been reversed, no one would have said a thing. But some folks didn’t like the idea of an older woman involved with a younger man. Personally, I can’t imagine a different pair in the roles. Unlike so many K-Dramas where they cast grown men opposite teenage girls, “Hyena” showed two sexy, mature actors who were believable as adversaries, partners and lovers.

And that chemistry is the true star of this series.

Airdates: “Hyena” aired from February 21 to April 11, 2020 on SBS.

Spoiler Alert: After growing up in an orphanage, Geum-Ja was adopted by a couple. Her adoptive mother died (presumably at the hands of her abusive husband) and her father beat her from the time she was a little girl. The police wouldn’t do anything, so she set him up. During her next beating, she put a knife in his hands and made it look like he stabbed her. Her goal was to die and have him go to prison for murdering her. Decades later, he is released from jail and says he has found Jesus. He asks her to apologize to him for framing him for attempted murder. Understandably, she is upset at his request. Near the end of the series, he helps save her from being killed. Kim Hye-Soo’s facial expressions beautifully showed the complex emotions she was going through as she processed his death. I was so glad that the scriptwriters didn’t capitulate into the, “But he’s your father, you should forgive him,” storyline. There are some things that cannot be forgiven and it’s clear that she has accepted her father’s death as a part of her life.

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