Episode 2 of "The Judge Returns" commences with Han-young's anguish over the loss of his mother. He tries to convince himself that he's a fair judge, but it doesn't take long for him to head back to the office, pack his things, and leave. Before he goes, an assassin posing as a deliveryman arrives and chokes him out. When Han-young regains consciousness, it's late at night, and he finds himself covered in blood with a corpse on the floor.
Han-young is shocked and foolishly picks up a bloodied knife, leaving his fingerprints all over it. He flees the scene, only to be framed for the murder of the Accounting Director at S-Group, Kim Yong-jin. This is the man who handed over the USB to Jin-ah in episode 1. When Han-young calls Jin-ah to let her know what's happened, she wants to meet and try to solve this together. Han-young has to prove his innocence, and he starts by fleeing the scene. That only makes him look more guilty as the police show up and arrest him.
Throughout all of this, Tae-sik is behind bars but he's not too bothered. He knows he'll be out soon and considers this a short retreat. At first glance, it would seem like he orchestrated this hit and framed Han-young.
Back at the Prosecutor's Office, Han-young is grilled and the evidence is overwhelming. Alongside his history of accepting bribes and being a corrupt judge, it only strengthens the argument against him. This is where we catch up to the moments at the end of episode 1. Han-young pleads his innocence, but S-Group is powerful and has a whole bunch of witnesses in their pocket. Now Han-young understands precisely how the other innocent victims felt in the courtroom, and he's overcome with a wave of delicious irony.
With no other choice but to face a lengthy sentence, Han-young is approached by Yun-hyeok behind bars. He urges Han-young to take a poison pill, claiming it as his only way out. Han-young complies, and they rush him to the hospital. When he regains consciousness, he quickly escapes the facility, dressed in his inmate uniform. He embarks on a hunt for his father, weaving through the streets until the scene connects with the prologue from episode 1. The rooms full of people remind us of the urban development program for homeless individuals that we heard about earlier.
Eventually, Han-young is confronted by a masked man who stabs him in the neck. The attacker is revealed to be the personal bodyguard of Chief Justice Shin-jin, who orchestrated the attack and watches as Han-young falls to his knees, bleeding out. However, this is not the end - we wouldn't have much of a K-drama if it were!
Han-young is judged by all those he has wronged in life in a sort of purgatory area. With a chain around his neck and ghosts of the past coming and going, Han-young eventually sees himself as the cruel, callous judge he has become. He is far from innocent here, and as tears fall from his cheeks, Han-young embraces his guilt.
Just like that, Han-young suddenly returns to our world, with time reversed, into the courtroom of his very first trial. He is now given the opportunity to right the wrongs of the past and step up as the judge he always should have been.
Han-young can hardly fathom what's transpired. The man in the courtroom, Kim Sang-jin, is no ordinary thief. He's a serial killer, and Han-young's lenient slap on the wrist emboldened him to continue his spree. Driven by a desire for justice, Han-young sentences the man to death. To his surprise, he finds himself back in time, 10 years ago, in 2025, under the watchful eye of Chief Judge Im Jeong-sik.
Jeong-sik scolds Han-young for his handling of the case and decides to take matters into his own hands. In this timeline, Han-young also reunites with Yun-hyeok, his "friend" from the courthouse and the man who criticized him in prison and urged him to end his life. Without hesitation, Han-young embraces Yun-hyeok warmly. Aware of his new lease on life, he's determined not to waste it.
While keeping an eye on S-Group and the powerful figures who will try to end him, Han-young also decides to help the victims of the Kim Sang-jin case. When he became a lapdog for Haenal Law Firm, he abandoned his friend Jeong-ho. That mistake, he won't make again. Reconnecting with old friends, Han-young begins searching for proof that Sang-jin is a serial killer.
Despite breaking into Sang-jin's house, Han-young finds nothing. The trouble is, he's too early in the timeline. In the morning, he convinces the Chief Judge that he'll do what's right regarding the Sang-jin case. In court, he sentences the man to one year in prison but suspends execution for two years from the date of final judgment.
The idea is to use this window of time to gather evidence against Sang-jin, with Yun-hyeok doing surveillance work to catch him in the act. In court, a girl named Kang Ju-young oversees everything. She's actually the woman who was falsely blamed for Sang-jin's murders in the other timeline. In fact, that very night is when Sang-jin kills a 6-year-old. Ju-young is blackmailed by Sang-jin into helping him and is subsequently put behind bars for a crime she didn't commit.
Ju-young was blackmailed into submission; Sang-jin threatened to kill her mother and nephew if she didn't comply. Ju-young is wracked with guilt, believing she should have been the one to die instead of an innocent woman when they first met. That night, both Yun-hyeok and Han-young set out to try and find Sang-jin before it's too late. Han-young eventually locates the man and decides to mete out his own brand of justice. He steps forward and confronts Sang-jin in the middle of the street.
