Actress Esom turns heads as an elite attorney whose first-ever defeat hints at a major turning point in SBS’s Friday-Saturday drama Phantom Lawyer.
In the March 13 premiere of SBS’s Friday-Saturday series Phantom Lawyer, Esom’s character Han Na-hyeon is portrayed as a meticulous elite lawyer who won’t hesitate to make any choice to secure a win. But in a shocking twist, her once-flawless planner recorded its first-ever “loss,” signaling the start of a seismic change.
That shift began when Han Na-hyeon met Lee Ji-woo (played by Ahn Chae-heum), the daughter of Episodes 1 and 2’s client, Lee Kang-pung (played by Heo Sung-tae). A report framed as “a violent patient’s false claim,” based on Lee Kang-pung’s past, went public—sending a shaken Lee Ji-woo to the ER. Watching Shin I-rang (played by Yoo Yeon-seok) care for Ji-woo, Han Na-hyeon recalled her own childhood and, for the first time, started to waver.
Later, after securing an EMR hard drive containing evidence of a surgeon’s malpractice from a drug ring’s hideout, Han Na-hyeon faced a critical choice. Destroying the evidence would have guaranteed a win as the hospital’s attorney—but she ultimately rejected that option, choosing change instead. The result: a crack in her perfect winning streak.
By the episode’s end, scenes hinting at Han Na-hyeon’s hidden past were revealed. A childhood photo in her planner bore the name Han So-hyun, alongside a shot taken in front of a courthouse, and a memo reading, “I want to be a lawyer who inspires trust. I must always win,” deepening curiosity about her backstory.
Meanwhile, 'Phantom Lawyer' airs every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 p.m. KST on SBS.