Esom Leads Dual Legal Roles This Spring With The Ultimate Duo and SBS Drama Phantom Lawyer

Esom in the film The Ultimate Duo and the SBS drama Phantom Lawyer. Photo by Ace Maker Movie Works, SBS.

Actor Esom is set to take on two contrasting legal roles this spring, appearing as a prosecutor on the big screen and an elite lawyer on television.

She will soon appear in the upcoming crime investigation film The Ultimate Duo. The story follows Jaehyuk, a detective reassigned to a rural town who faces what may be the final opportunity of his career. When a murder case involving two suspects resurfaces, he heads to Seoul with rookie detective Jungho to launch a relentless investigation to uncover the real culprit.

Esom in the film The Ultimate Duo. Photo by Ace Maker Movie Works.

In the film, Esom plays Mi-joo, a prosecutor who refuses to let go once she takes on a case. A relentless workaholic who never compromises when it comes to the truth, she approves the request for reinvestigation brought by rural detectives Jaehyuk (Bae Sung-woo) and Jungho (Jung Ga-ram), who arrive in Seoul with files from a case already closed.

Despite pressure from within the organization, Mi-joo personally revisits the crime scene and pushes forward with the investigation in pursuit of the real culprit.

Esom said she built the character as someone stubborn and inflexible in her work while still possessing a unique personality. Through her firm acting style, she portrays a figure that moves between cool composure and unexpected eccentric charm. Director Park Cheol-hwan described Mi-joo as a professional who moves straight ahead without worrying about others’ opinions, adding that Esom felt like the perfect fit for the role from their first meeting.

Esom in the SBS drama Phantom Lawyer. Photo by SBS.

Meanwhile, SBS’s new Friday–Saturday drama Phantom Lawyer tells the story of a strange yet warm adventure involving Shin Irang (Yoo Yeon-seok), a lawyer possessed by spirits who resolves the lingering grievances of the dead, and elite attorney Han Nahyun (Esom), who is obsessed with winning every case.

Esom plays Han Nahyun, the ace lawyer of the Taebaek law firm with a perfect win rate. A strict principle-driven attorney who focuses solely on victory, she appears cold and flawless on the outside yet hides painful personal wounds beneath that exterior.

Confident enough not to start a case she believes she cannot win, Nahyun approaches every case with pure rationality, relying only on solid information without letting emotion interfere.

However, after the unexpected appearance of Shin Irang in her life, her character begins a gradual transformation. Having lived fiercely while carrying the dream of becoming a lawyer on behalf of her older sister, Nahyun is eventually forced to confront the vulnerability she has long kept buried.

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