Trolley (트롤리) is a thriller-mystery Korean drama series directed by Kim Mun-kyo, written by Ryu Bo-ri and stars Kim Hyun-joo and Park Hee-soon in lead roles. The series takes over SBS’ Monday-Tuesday 10 PM KST timeslot previously occupied by Cheer Up.
Trolley episode 12 has a runtime of 60 minutes.
Netflix’s description of the series reads:
A SUDDEN TRAGEDY BRINGS THE WIFE OF AN ASSEMBLYMAN OUT OF HER PRIVATE LIFE AND FORCES HER TO CONFRONT FAMILY SECRETS AND HER OWN TROUBLING PAST.
– Trolley Episode 12 Review Contains Spoilers –
Trolley episode 12 starts with Ji-hoon’s devastating news reaching Hye-joo and Joong-do. She is understandably shocked and is left even more confused when he tells her that Soo-bin is behind everything and is blackmailing him. He informs her that he will be doing a press conference in half an hour so that Soo-bin doesn’t give away this information before them.
After the initial shock wears off, Hye-joo asks her husband for more time before exposing everything to the public, but Joong-do’s hands are tied – this needs to be done as soon as possible. Hye-joo instantly tries to get back to him, but he refuses to pick up. Desperate, she calls Soo-bin but reaches a dead end that way as well.
She rushes to his office, but it’s too late – Joong-do is already on air, and she has no option but to stand there and watch him reveal the horrible news to everyone. Joong-do apologises and reveals that he is about to propose a new bill to amend the Criminal Act so that even the deceased can be tried for the crimes that they have allegedly committed. He goes a step forward and names it Namgoong Sol’s Law.
Meanwhile, Woo-jae calls Yeo-jin to the national assembly after he gets the news that Hye-joo has arrived at the office to meet Joong-do. At the office, a bereft Hye-joo asks Joong-do why he would disclose something like this without discussing it with her first. She tells him that Soo-bin had told her before that Ji-hoon hadn’t assaulted her, and, much to her surprise, Joong-do tells her that Soo-bin had come to the office that morning and blackmailed him with the information.
Hye-joo can’t help but be left shocked but chooses to believe what Soo-bin had told her when she first came to their house. Unfortunately, Joong-do tells him that she had come to him with OBGYN reports wherein she was referred to a sexual assault victim support centre and even had records of her counselling sessions – the idea, thus, wasn’t too far-fetched.
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Either way, Joong-do tells her that Soo-bin asked for 50 million won in exchange for her silence, and Hye-joo enquires why they simply didn’t pay her instead of going the nuclear route. Joong-do’s justification, however, makes sense. According to him, no secret lasts forever and it’s always better to own up to your mistakes and ask for forgiveness.
Hye-joo accuses him of using Ji-hoon for the bill and asks him why he would put on the show if it was only for asking for forgiveness. Joong-do tries to justify himself but realises that he has already lost his wife’s trust. However, he does tell her that if he hadn’t proposed the bill, everyone would only be talking about Ji-hoon; it was just a diversion tactic. Either way, Hye-joo tells him that he regrets marrying someone in politics.
After being hassled by journalists outside the office, Hye-joo and Yeo-jin discuss how no one believed her as well when she was in a similar situation. But now that it involves her son, she wants to believe her son, who is known to be a troublemaker and apparently involved in drugs. Ah, a mother’s love. Either way, she points out the irony of the situation, wherein she mentions that she should be believing Soo-bin but can’t find the strength to do it.
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At the hospital, Yoo-sin confesses to Ki-young in her drugged-up state that she won’t tell anyone what Seung-ho had done all those years ago while, seeing Joong-do’s interview on the TV, Seung-hee is filled with the fires of vengeance.
Meanwhile, Hye-joo has a chance encounter with Soo-bin and immediately starts asking her whether she is lying about the entire thing. Soo-bin takes her to a relatively private area wherein she tells Hye-joo that Ji-hoon didn’t rape her, and neither did she blackmail Joong-do. Hye-joo goes from relief to confusion at her statements and is left speechless when Soo-bin promises not to have blackmailed Joong-do in any way.
That night, Hye-joo accuses Joong-do of lying to her and tells him everything that Soo-bin told her. Joong-do looks hurt at the accusation and asks her whether she truly believes that he’d go as far as to lie to everyone just to change the law. He expresses his disappointment in Hye-joo trusting someone else over him when he has never doubted her once.
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He moves on to ask her more about her interaction with Soo-bin, but Su-hyeon’s father’s arrival puts a damper on that conversation. He hurls insults at the couple and accuses them of maligning Ji-hoon’s name. He goes as far as to accuse Hye-joo of being the reason Ji-hoon turned into the person he was in the end. Joong-do, however, accepts all faults and tells him that Hye-joo loved Ji-hoon as her own, this isn’t on her.
Back inside, Hye-joo apologises for accusing him of using Ji-hoon that morning as Joong-do sobs at the utter heartbreaking turn that their lives have taken. Meanwhile, Soo-bin gets a surprise visitor that night.
The next morning, finding Joong-do’s badge on the ground brings back some interesting memories from before. Meanwhile, Joong-do remembers what actually happened with the entire ordeal – Soon-hong had tried to blackmail him with a false report that Soo-bin had previously told her doctor to get an abortion. Although she cleared it up with Joong-do later, the latter chose to put Ji-hoon’s name on the line and bribed her with an apartment.
Essentially, Joong-do used Ji-hoon and Hye-joo for the greater good, in his opinion. As he tells Woo-jae that Hye-joo never doubts him and asks him to prepare for Seung-hee’s retaliation, she goes to find the truth behind her sneaking suspicions.
Trolley Episode 12 Ending
We finally learn why Hye-joo is desperately trying to find out the truth behind Joong-do’s actions – Soo-bin, before leaving, told her that Joong-do was the last person to meet Ji-hoon the night that he died, and she figures out after talking to two other people that Soo-bin’s claim might just be true. That fateful night, Ji-hoon had threatened to expose Joong-do so that he would never be able to survive in politics again.
The realisation leaves Hye-joo heartbroken.
Trolley Episode 12 Review
I think it’s great that they are making Joong-do to be the bad guy, and it almost seems like Ji-hoon knew some very bad secrets about his father that we are yet to find out. It’s interesting how the story picked up pace in this episode, but it’s understandable since we only have 4 more episodes to go through.
I enjoyed this episode, at least they introduced another side to the people we have grown accustomed to seeing. Hye-joo’s ironic realisation was quite interesting, and the test that she faced felt quite real and relatable. I am still confused about Soo-bin’s character and wish Seung-hee’s storyline stopped existing.
However, with Joong-do taking on the reigns of becoming the villain, I am waiting to see where the story goes from here.
Trolley is streaming on Netflix.
Also Read: Check Out All Of Our Trolley Reviews