Partners at Last
Phantom Lawyer Episode 10 opens on a bright note. I-rang and Na-hyun are officially sharing an office. He polishes their new joint nameplate with the pride of a man who has been fighting alone for far too long, and Na-hyun watches with quiet amusement.
Their first client arrives almost immediately. It is the elderly vegetable seller Chae Jeong-hui, the woman who had been nervously pacing outside the office at the end of Episode 9. She brings a case that is deeply personal: a dispute over the will left by her late husband, master shoemaker Kang Dong-sik.
Meanwhile, at Taebaek, Do-gyeong has been tasked with the opposing side of the same case. He arrives at I-rang’s office with a potted plant — supposedly a housewarming gift for Na-hyun — only to collide with Na-hyun’s taxi-driver father in a minor fender bender outside. When Do-gyeong realizes the man he has been threatening with repair costs is Na-hyun’s dad, he crumbles instantly, stammering that the accident was entirely his fault. It is the funniest scene of the episode, and a reminder that Do-gyeong’s feelings for Na-hyun remain his most unpredictable weakness.
The Shoemaker Who Forgot Everything
Kang Dong-sik was a legendary craftsman who built a shoe empire from nothing. His wife Jeong-hui was his partner in every sense — she designed the shoes while he made them by hand. But there was a third person essential to the company’s early days, a woman whose contribution Dong-sik never forgot, even as dementia slowly erased everything else.
Before he died, Dong-sik left a will that honored this third person, a decision that created a bitter rift with his son. Now, the son is challenging the will’s validity in court, arguing that Dong-sik’s dementia made him incapable of writing a legitimate document.
When Dong-sik’s ghost appears at I-rang’s office, the situation becomes uniquely complicated. Unlike previous ghost clients, Dong-sik’s spirit carries his dementia into the afterlife. Every time he possesses I-rang, he loses his memory mid-conversation, forgets where he is, and wanders off in confusion. I-rang must piece together the truth from fragments — a name mumbled before the ghost fades, a half-finished sentence, a flash of recognition that vanishes as quickly as it appeared.
A Will on Trial
The courtroom scenes in Phantom Lawyer Episode 10 bring the show back to its legal roots after the emotionally heavy Episode 9. Na-hyun takes on the logical framework of the defense, presenting evidence that Dong-sik was lucid enough to draft the will during a documented window of clarity. I-rang supports from behind the scenes, communicating with Dong-sik’s ghost to locate details that only the deceased would know.
On the opposing side, Do-gyeong from Taebaek goes on the attack. He presents Dong-sik’s medical records, highlights the severity of his dementia, and argues that the will was forged. His strategy is ruthless but effective, and for the first time, we see I-rang and Na-hyun genuinely on the defensive.
The episode builds to a shocking cliffhanger. Dong-sik’s ghost, enraged by the accusation that his final wishes were fabricated, forcibly possesses I-rang in the middle of the courtroom. I-rang’s demeanor shifts entirely — his posture straightens, his voice drops to an older man’s growl, and he begins speaking as Dong-sik, directly confronting the opposing counsel. Na-hyun scrambles to contain the situation, but it is too late. The courtroom erupts in chaos.
What Dong-sik says while possessing I-rang — and whether it helps or destroys their case — is left for Episode 11. It is the kind of ending that Phantom Lawyer does best: a collision of the supernatural and the procedural, leaving viewers gripping their seats.
[Image 3 삽입 — Courtroom Possession]
The Slow Burn Begins
Beyond the case, Phantom Lawyer Episode 10 marks the clearest development yet in the romance between I-rang and Na-hyun. The small moments accumulate throughout the episode: I-rang instinctively reaching for his appearance before Na-hyun arrives at the office, Na-hyun panicking when I-rang disappears during a possession episode and rushing through the streets to find him, and a quiet sushi dinner where neither of them can quite make eye contact but neither wants the meal to end.
When Na-hyun finally finds I-rang wandering the streets in a daze after a possession, she says something that works on two levels: “You must have been so lonely doing this by yourself. I will help you from now on.” She is talking to the ghost, but she is also talking to the man.
The audience knows it. I-rang knows it. And Na-hyun is starting to know it too.
[Image 4 삽입 — Sushi Date]
Yoo Yeon-seok’s Masterclass Continues
A quick note on performance: Yoo Yeon-seok’s portrayal of a dementia-afflicted ghost possessing a young lawyer is extraordinary. He captures the specific vocal cadences of actor Lee Deok-hwa (who plays Dong-sik in flashbacks), replicating his distinctive throaty speech patterns so precisely that Reddit viewers described it as “absorbing the essence” of another actor. The confusion, frustration, and fleeting moments of clarity that define dementia are all present in his physicality — the way his hands tremble, the way his eyes search for recognition that is not there.
Lee Deok-hwa himself delivers a powerful supporting performance in the flashback scenes, portraying a proud craftsman slowly losing himself while still instinctively reaching for leather and tools. The parallel between the living Dong-sik who could not remember his wife’s name but still made shoes for her, and the ghost Dong-sik who cannot hold a thought but still fights for his final wish, is the emotional core of this two-episode arc.
Ratings and Episode 11 Preview
| Metric | Episode 9 (Apr 10) | Episode 10 (Apr 11) |
|---|---|---|
| Nationwide | 6.7% | 6.6% |
| Seoul Metro | 6.5% | 6.7% |
| Peak Per-Minute | — | 8.7% |
The ratings held steady despite head-to-head competition with Perfect Crown on MBC. The peak of 8.7% hit during the courtroom possession cliffhanger, proving that even with reduced overall numbers, Phantom Lawyer still commands its audience’s full attention during key moments.
Episodes 11 and 12 air on April 17 and 18 at 9:50 PM KST on SBS, streaming on Netflix shortly after broadcast. The Episode 11 preview teases the resolution of the will case and a startling question from Na-hyun to Jeong-hui: “Why did you report Ryeo Seon-hwa?” This suggests the third woman in Dong-sik’s story may carry a secret far bigger than anyone expected, and that the will dispute is only the surface of a deeper mystery.