The latest episodes of Phantom Lawyer have delivered an emotional punch, with Yoo Yeon Seok’s character digging deep into a tragic case that hits very close to home. The SBS drama, which airs every Friday and Saturday, completed its second week of broadcasts, and the numbers show viewers are completely locked in.
According to ratings data released on March 22, Phantom Lawyer episode 4 scored 9.1 percent nationwide and 9.3 percent in the Seoul metropolitan area. The drama reached a peak per-minute rating of 11.3 percent, marking a new personal best for the series. It also ranked first in its time slot among Saturday mini-series and secured the top spot in the key 2049 demographic with a 2.6 percent rating, peaking at 3.34 percent.
Su-a’s Story Unfolds With a Painful Truth
Episode 4 continued the storyline introduced in episode 3, where Shin I-rang (Yoo Yeon Seok) took on a new ghost client: a young trainee idol named Su-a who died after falling from a building. The case immediately presented a troubling mystery. The entertainment agency claimed it was a suicide, but Su-a’s ghost could not remember the moments leading up to her death, leaving I-rang with the difficult task of helping her recover those lost memories.
The investigation revealed that Su-a was not just any trainee. She had been part of a rookie girl group called Ring Ring and was preparing for her official debut. During the inquiry, I-rang discovered that another member of the group, Ji-hye, had been promoted to the center position just before Su-a’s death. This detail raised immediate suspicion, as jealousy and competition within the industry often become motives for foul play.
As I-rang dug deeper, he uncovered evidence that Su-a had secretly recorded her conversations with the agency’s CEO on her phone. That phone, however, went missing from the scene of her death. Han Na-hyun (Esom), the elite lawyer who initially dismissed I-rang’s ghost-seeing abilities, began her own parallel investigation. Her sharp, evidence-based approach led her to suspect that Su-a’s death was not a suicide but a murder orchestrated to hide the agency’s dark secrets.
The Betrayal That Broke Everyone
The emotional core of episode 4 came when Su-a’s memories finally returned. The truth was devastating. Su-a had not taken her own life. She was pushed by someone she trusted deeply—Kim Young-hoon, the agency’s CEO. The motive was simple and cruel: Su-a had discovered that the company was involved in illegal activities, including financial fraud and exploitation of trainees. She had recorded evidence on her phone and threatened to expose everything. Rather than face the consequences, the CEO silenced her permanently.
The flashback scenes showed Su-a in the practice room, happy and hopeful about her debut, only for that hope to be shattered in an instant. The moment her ghost realized what had happened, I-rang’s face reflected the weight of the tragedy. He stood in the courtroom, channeling Su-a’s pain, and confronted the CEO with the recovered evidence that Na-hyun had helped track down.
“You took everything from her. Her dreams, her future, her life. And for what? To protect your money?” I-rang said during the trial, his voice shaking with anger.
The courtroom fell silent as the evidence was presented. The CEO, who had sat with a smug expression throughout the proceedings, finally showed cracks in his composure. The judge ruled in favor of Su-a’s family, exposing the agency’s crimes and holding the CEO accountable.
I-rang and Na-hyun Grow Closer
While the case provided the main emotional weight, episode 4 also showed the developing dynamic between I-rang and Na-hyun. After I-rang got injured during his investigation, Na-hyun stepped in to help bandage his wounds. The scene, captured in stills released before the episode, showed a softer side of Na-hyun as she carefully tended to him, suggesting her feelings for the quirky lawyer are slowly changing.
Their partnership is becoming more natural. I-rang provides the connection to the dead, while Na-hyun uses her legal expertise and resources to gather physical evidence. Together, they form a team that can solve cases no ordinary law firm could handle.
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What Made Episode 4 Stand Out
Viewers praised the pacing of episode 4, noting how the show balanced the heavy subject matter with moments of relief. Yoo Yeon Seok’s performance received particular attention, especially during the possession scenes where he embodied Su-a’s fear and sadness. The actor’s ability to switch between the timid I-rang and the personalities of different ghosts continues to be one of the show’s biggest strengths.
The ratings jump from episode 3 to 4 indicates that word of mouth is spreading. The series has found its rhythm, blending legal drama with supernatural elements while keeping the emotional stakes high.
Phantom Lawyer airs every Friday and Saturday on SBS at 9:50 PM KST. International viewers can stream the show on Netflix and Viki in multiple regions, including the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, and India. Episode 4 aired on March 21, and the series will continue with episode 5 on March 27.
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