Updated: August 19, 2022
Here’s a collection of quotes from the series, Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022):
On autism and special cases
“I live in an unfamiliar ocean with unfamiliar belugas. Because everyone’s different from me, it’s not easy to adjust and there are lots of whales that hate me, too. But it’s okay. Because this is my life. Though my life is unusual and peculiar, it’s valuable and beautiful.” – Woo Young Woo
“The shock of moving from one space to another is very overwhelming for me. If I count to three and take a deep breath before going in, it lessens the shock a bit.” – Woo Young Woo
“When it was difficult for me to know what others were thinking or feeling, when I didn’t understand how I was feeling, or when I got anxious because there was a sudden loud noise while I was working. Every time something like that would happen, I wanted to hear expert advice on how to handle these situations or hear about the experiences of others with autism.” – Woo Young Woo
“For people with autism…” – Woo Young Woo
“Anxiety can be relieved if pressure is put on the body during sensory overload, right?” – Junho
“Yes, that’s right.” – Woo Young Woo
“We all want to love and be loved. It’s the same for people with intellectual disabilities, too. Rather, the desire is even greater. Because in most cases, it’s harder for them to get the attention or affection they want from others.” – Psychiatrist
“If you have a disability, I think merely liking someone is not enough. Because even if I say it’s love, if other people say it’s not, then it’s not.” – Woo Young Woo
“Loving me is hard.” – Woo Young Woo
“Yes. It appears so.” – Lee Junho
“But are you still going to?” – Woo Young Woo
“Yes.” – Lee Junho
“Discrimination against the disabled is legally prohibited! You not being employed anywhere with your grades is discrimination, dishonesty, and corruption.” – Choi Suyeon
“It’s more like people live in a world that is made up of me and you but people with autism are more used to living in a world made up of only me.” – Woo Young Woo
“Looking straight into the other person’s eyes is the most difficult thing in the world for someone with autism.” – Woo Young Woo
“My name is Woo Young-woo. Whether it’s read straight or flipped, it’s still Woo Young-woo. Kayak, deed, rotator, noon, racecar. Woo Young-woo.” – Woo Young Woo
- “My name is Woo Young-woo, as in flower and luck. It means a lucky charm as pretty as flowers. But perhaps Young-woo as in clever and foolish would’ve been a better fit. Woo Young-woo, who remembers every single book she’s read since birth but can’t even go through a revolving door. Clever and foolish Woo Young-woo.” – Woo Young Woo
- “I have autism spectrum disorder. So for you, my speech and actions might seem inarticulate and awkward. But I love the law and my respect toward the defendant is no different from any other attorney.” – Woo Young Woo
- “Hans Asperger, the first person to do research on autism, thought there was a positive side to it. He said, ‘Not everything that steps out of line, and thus abnormal, must necessarily be inferior.’ That with their new ways of thinking and experiences, people with autism can later accomplish great things.” – Woo Young Woo
- “Even just 80 years ago, autism was an illness that was not worthy of living. Even just 80 years ago, Mr. Kim Jeong-hun and I were people who weren’t worthy of living.” – Woo Young Woo
- “Even now, hundreds of people click the like button on a comment that says, ‘It is a national loss if a medical student dies, and an autistic person lives.’ That is the weight of this disability that we bear.” – Woo Young Woo
- “Just because one has autism does not mean they all have to get treatment. And I believe the phrase ‘autistic patient’ is inappropriate.” – Psychiatrist
“Having mental or physical disorder does not mean they are all mentally unfit. It is only when the disability affects one’s ability to discern things and make decisions that they are considered to be mentally unfit.” – Attorney Jung
“I can tell how my autism and the defendant’s autism are similar and how they’re different. But the prosecutor can’t.” – Woo Young Woo
- “I’m not an attorney who is helpful to the defendant “ – Woo Young Woo
- “Even when I’m working as attorney Woo Young-woo, it feels as if I’m autistic Woo Young-woo in people’s eyes. Autistic Woo Young-woo is the weakest link.” – Woo Young Woo
On law and justice
“Will you reveal the truth and achieve social justice or stay loyal to the client’s interests?” – Attorney Jung
“People think that those who are born rich don’t get punished. Whether it’s drugs, drunk driving, or assault. Whatever they do, they get away with it.” – Choi Sang Yeon
“But don’t attorneys have the duty to not cover up the truth about a case? If it is beneficial to the public, attorney-client privilege doesn’t have to be kept.” – Woo Young Woo
“Sometimes small cases become big cases and can even become new cases.” – Attorney Jung
“But attorneys are human. They’re different from judges and prosecutors. We all work in the legal field, but while judges and prosecutors work to protect the law, attorneys work to protect the people. Each case might just be work for a judge or a prosecutor, but it’s different for an attorney. We sit next to the client as someone they chose for protection and as fellow humans.” – Attorney Ryu
- “The thread and the needle were fighting and the police arrested the thread. Do you know why? Because the needle sewed the thread.” – Geura Mi
- “Eight vowels, eleven consonants, an exclamation mark, and a comma appeared in court today. Because they are due to be sentenced next week.” – Hairy
“Utimately, securing evidence is also the key to said cases. If there’s no evidence, it’ll turn into a psychological battle. Like appealing to the judge’s emotions about who is more pitiful.” – Choi Suyeon
“Come up with a way to solve this politically and less romantically. It may not seem like much but sometimes things like this work.” – CEO Han
“The cleverness of a veteran.” – Choi Suyeon
“The law takes intention very seriously. How you felt changes your charge.” – Woo Young Woo
- “How you feel right now is not important. How you felt when it happened is.” – Woo Young Woo
- “You can’t only look at criminal law with this case. You have to look at civil law to solve it.” – Woo Young Woo
On life and humanity
“The emotion I’m feeling this morning is a sense of fulfillment!” – Woo Young Woo
“I think I’m going to try living like a fool.” – Attorney Kwon
“My feelings toward you, Attorney Woo, are like the unrequited love toward a cat.” – Junho
“The unrequited love toward a cat?” – Woo Young Woo
“Cats sometimes make their owners lonely. But they make them just as happy, too.” – Junho
“The expression ‘the unrequited love toward a cat’ is inappropriate. Because cats love their owners, too. So let’s not break up.” – Woo Young Woo
“You weren’t a good mother to me, but at the very best, please be a good mother to Sang-hyeon.” – Woo Young Woo
“I like you. But I’m afraid that I’ll make you lonely.” – Woo Young Woo
“But can’t you just be a fool for once?” – Attorney Choi
“Fool?” – Attorney Kwon
“For your colleague. For something you believe is right. Can’t you put down your tactics and politics for a bit and just be brave like a fool?” – Attorney Choi
“Why should I have to do that?” – Attorney Kwon
“Because I like guys who are like that.” – Attorney Choi
“Why can’t we be together? Why on earth do we have to break up? I’ve been thinking about it. But I just can’t figure out why.” – Junho
“I’m not sure if I’m someone who can make you happy. I think I’m just someone you have to take care of.” – Woo Young Woo
“I’m happy just being with you. For me to be happy, I have to be with you.” – Junho
“But haven’t you ever felt lonely when you were with me?” – Woo Young Woo
“All my thoughts tend to center around me, so I make people close to me lonely. I don’t know when or why I do that. And I don’t know what I can do to stop it.” – Woo Young Woo
“Am I someone who can make Junho happy? Wouldn’t I make him lonely?” – Woo Young Woo
“Do you like anybody? If you do, hold onto them. If something happens and you let go of them, go back and hold on tight.” – Attorney Jung
“Why aren’t you bowing?” – Choi Suyeon
“I’m Catholic. Why aren’t you bowing?” – Attorney Kwon
“I’m also Catholic.” – Choi Suyeon
“What’s your baptismal name? Mine is Gabriel.” – Attorney Kwon
“Mine is Jennie.” – Choi Suyeon
“What is Jennie. Are you the saint of BLACKPINK?” – Attorney Kwon
- “If you have such a powerful father, you can live as a princess forever.” – Attorney Kwon
- “I’m not acting like a grown-up. I am one.” – Attorney Kwon
“What you see isn’t everything. Don’t be blinded by what you can see. Keep in mind the essence of what lies beyond that.” – Buddhist Monk
“You keep popping into my head like whales. Even though you’re not one.” – Woo Young Woo
“It really doesn’t take long for a person to show their true colors.” – Ms. Sung
“Can I buy that chair in Korea?” – Woo Young Woo
“Do you really have to buy one? I’ll be one for you. Your personal hug chair.” – Junho
“Holding hands can wait.” – Lee Junho
- “You’re a 27-year-old adult. So you can make your own decisions.” – Woo Young Woo
- “Dates are like that. No meaning, no effiency. Foolish.” – Lee Junho
- “Even if other people say it’s not, if you say it’s love, it’s love.” – Lee Junho
“First, children must play immediately. Second, children must be healthy immediately. Third, children must be happy immediately.” – Bang Gu Ppong
“Children have to play right now. Later is too late. It’s too late after getting into university, after getting a job, and after getting married. Playing with marbles, tag, Red Rover, double dutch. Later is too late.” – Bang Gu Ppong
“In a life full of anxiety, it’ll be too late to find the only way to happiness.” – Bang Gu Ppong
“Even if all they’re doing is looking up at the sky and snickering at the clouds floating by, as long as the child is smiling and is happy in that moment, that’s what playing really is.” – Bang Gu Ppong
- “When I say my name, children laugh.” – Bang Gu Ppong
- “I was too busy taking care of other people’s kids that I didn’t realize my son had headed down the wrong path.” – Gu Ppong’s mom
- “Children who are only 10 and 11 years old cannot properly eat, sleep, rest, or play because they have to study for 12 hours everyday. And yet, you’re saying the enemies of the children of Korea aren’t schools, academies, and parents?” – Woo Young Woo
“I see him in a positive light when I’ve only met him a couple of times. But as a mother, shouldn’t you do so even more? Shouldn’t you listen to him at least once with an open heart?” – Woo Young Woo
“That sounds like prison, not an academy.” – Woo Young Woo
“I want to play all day, everyday. I want to be liberated.” – Lee Sewon
“If you have conflicting opinions while working, you need to talk it out with each other and resolve it. Giving rewards or punishments over who’s right and who’s wrong, is not how I work.” – Attorney Jung
- “It’s scary to think that if we start things, it might make things difficult for both of us.” – Lee Junho
- “With this person, I can’t start anything with the mindset that it won’t last.” – Lee Junho
“I like you so much that it feels like I’m sick inside ” – Lee Junho
“A person’s heart wavers even over groundless gossip posts on an anonymous bulletin board.” – CEO Han
- “It was uncomfortable sleeping in an unfamiliar place.” – Woo Young Woo
- “Don’t just let people walk over you.” – Choi Suyeon
“We should be political and less romantic.” – Choi Suyeon
“There’s nothing weaker than a person’s mind, especially in the face of money.” – Attorney Tae Sumi
“I’ve realized through experience that everything in life is political and that every decision has a political reason behind it.” – Young Woo’s father
“I can’t leave my father just to join my mother’s firm. Especially not when my mother gave birth to me but abandoned me and doesn’t recognize me at all, even now.” – Woo Young Woo
“Do you resent me for what I”ve done?” – Attorney Tae Sumi
“It was nice when we looked at the tree together on top of the hill in Sodeok-dong. I wanted to meet you at least once. It was nice to meet you.” – Woo Young Woo
“If I have to be discouraged, I would like to face it and cope with it myself. Because I am an adult.” – Woo Young Woo
“Whales are intelligent. She knows that she will also be killed if she doesn’t abandon her baby. But she never does. If I were a whale, would my mom not have abandoned me?” – Woo Young Woo
“Go home? What does that mean? Is it like having a life after work? The thing that only exists in fantasies and not in real life?” – Choi Suyeon
“It’s hard to fathom how someone feels.” – Woo Young Woo
“If it’s just you and me, just the two of us, we can talk about whales?” – Woo Young Woo
“Yes, of course.” – Junho
“It’s a typical father’s dream to walk his daughter down the aisle.” – Young Woo’s father
“If the definition of being close is having a specific topic to discuss when alone, then yes, we’re close.” – Woo Young Woo
- “If you want good grades, study. If you want to lose weight, exercise. If you want to communicate, make an effort.” – Young Woo’s father
- “Methods are always obvious. What’s hard is accomplishing them.” – Young Woo’s father
- “Conversations don’t just happen right away simply by making an effort.” – Young Woo’s father
- “When you reach my age, children feel like your report card for life. As a father, I didn’t want to admit that Sang-hun was that unhappy.” – Sang Hun’s father
“Psychological independence from parents is necessary for marriage.” – Attorney Kwon
“Have you ever heard that we know more about the dark side of the moon than we do about the deep sea?” – Woo Young Woo
“Why are you following me?” – Geura Mi
“When I’m with you, I’m safe.” – Woo Young Woo
“What about me? What do I gain from hanging out with you?” – Geura Mi
“I’ll be your friend. You don’t have friends.” – Woo Young Woo
“If you have me on your side, you lose. It’s better if I’m not part of it at all.” – Woo Young Woo
“I want to be on the same side as you, Attorney Woo. I want an attorney like you to be on my side.” – Junho
“Colleagues are supposed to learn from each other. To grow.” – Attorney Jung
Genre: Legal
Synopsis: The story of Woo Young-woo, a lawyer with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), working at a large law firm. She has a high IQ of 164, outstanding memory, and a creative way of thinking, however she has low EQ and poor social skills. Despite that she is the smartest lawyer in South Korea with ASD.
No of episodes: 16
Starring: Park Eun-bin, Kang Tae-oh
Written by: Moon Ji-won
Directed by: Yoo In-shik
Network: ENA, Netflix
Date: June 29, 2022
Netflix subtitle translation by: Hyun-soo Cho
KORB 