In ‘Labor Attorney Noh Mujin’, Jung Kyung-ho, Seol In-ah, and Cha Hak-yeon delivered a refreshing performance that resolved the grievances of cleaning workers.
In the episode aired on the 14th, the MBC Friday-Saturday drama ‘Labor Attorney Noh Mujin’ (written by Kim Bo-tong and Yoo Seung-hee, directed by Im Soon-rye and Lee Han-jun) depicted Noh Mujin (played by Jung Kyung-ho), Na Hee-joo (played by Seol In-ah), and Go Gyeon-woo (played by Cha Hak-yeon), known as ‘Mujins’, collaborating with cleaning workers to protect their human rights and rights in a thrilling ‘eye for an eye’ manner. They also helped the ghost client Kim Young-sook (played by Kang Ae-sim), who met her death due to an unrelated ‘cultural exam’, achieve peace, amplifying the emotional impact.
The viewership rating for episode 6 of ‘Labor Attorney Noh Mujin’ recorded 4.6% nationwide and 4.5% in the metropolitan area, breaking the highest record among Saturday broadcasts. The peak rating reached 6.3%. The best one-minute moment was the scene where the ‘Mujins’ stormed the exam room, providing a thrilling experience as the cleaning workers passionately sang the school anthem while questioning the administrative director about their qualifications. (Based on Nielsen Korea)
Episode 6 began with the ‘Mujins’ and cleaning workers facing a crisis amid school interference. The united cleaning staff founded a labor union and resolved to go on strike. However, the indifferent and uncooperative reactions from the students discouraged the cleaning staff. Some students demanded the strike be halted, threatening to sue for obstruction of work due to infringement of their right to education. The union chairman Oh Jang-geun (played by Ahn Nae-sang) expressed his frustration, saying, “We are not the perpetrators; the school is.” Hee-joo remarked, “Once students graduate, they are no longer students but workers. Today for these individuals could be the future for the students,” but the response was dismissive towards the cleaning staff.
Mujin suggested writing a notice to change the students' minds. The protagonist of the notice was Young-sook, who only found her voice after death. Young-sook conveyed her heartfelt message, but the students continued to respond selfishly. The disheartened cleaning staff ultimately decided to disband. Mujin felt upset seeing his mother Yang Eun-ja (played by Jeon Guk-hyang) left alone at the strike tent. Mujin told his mother, “The more we step back, the louder their voices become. Let’s not give up.”
At that moment, another glimmer of hope arrived at the strike tent. Students supporting the cleaning staff showed up. Energized, Eun-ja and the ‘Mujins’ reignited their fighting spirit. Eun-ja wore glasses with a camera and live-streamed the exam room through ‘Gyeonjang TV’. The ‘Mujins’ stormed the exam room, exposing the administrative director and the school for forcing unrelated exams and enforcing dress codes. Gyeon-woo stated, “This is truly a creative form of abuse. This is the true face of what is supposedly the best university.” Mujin delivered a factual bombardment through legal means, providing a real education.
Eun-ja’s courage united the cleaning staff, leading to a ‘eye for an eye’ showtime. Eun-ja shouted at the administrative director, “What qualifications do you have to grade and qualify these people?” She then challenged him to sing the school anthem. The administrative director, flustered, dismissed the cleaning staff again, claiming he didn’t know because he hadn’t experienced university life. Jang-geun and the cleaning staff began to sing the anthem one by one, and their song echoed throughout the exam room. This scene spread through ‘Gyeonjang TV’ to current students, alumni, reporters, and citizens, prompting an apology and measures from the school. The ‘Mujins’ rejoiced, saying, “We did it!” celebrating their collective achievement.
The story of the dead saving the living evoked deep emotions. Young-sook became a restless spirit because she was worried about her colleagues who continued to work in pain even after her death. Young-sook told Mujin, “I feel so relieved. Thanks to you, I can finally say what I couldn’t while I was alive. How wonderful it would have been if I could have spoken up confidently when I was alive,” smiling at the sight of her colleagues working in a changed environment before achieving peace. Returning home, Mujin warmly embraced his mother, saying, “You’ve worked hard, our struggle leader.”
At the end of the broadcast, Mujin unexpectedly encountered a new client at the hospital. It was Heo Yoon-jae (played by Yoo Seon-ho), a convenience store part-timer who was happy about getting a job. The ending featured Yoon-jae’s spirit, bewildered, asking, “Am I dead?” and Mujin’s surprised expression. The scene of Yoon-jae collapsing while pushing a shopping cart in the sweltering heat and being taken to the intensive care unit was foreshadowed, raising interest in what had happened to Yoon-jae and how the ‘Mujins’ would resolve Yoon-jae’s industrial accident.
‘Labor Attorney Noh Mujin’, which conveys labor issues with delightful humor and profound emotion, airs every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 PM.
[Lee Da-kyum, Star Today Reporter]
