The Story of Park's Marriage Contract (2023) s01e01 Episode Script

1
(Lee Se Young)
(Bae In Hyuk)
(Joo Hyun Young, Yoo Seon Ho)
(The Story of Park's Marriage Contract)
(All characters, places, groups, and organizations, )
(are purely fictional.)
What on earth?
My goodness.
Wait for me.
Watch out.
(Eleven)
How delightful. Look at the colours.
- What do you think?
- This is your colour.
- Does it not suit me?
- It is a delight.
Ladies, hands off.
- Are these all by Madam Butterfly?
- Yes.
Her clothes have been most popular in Hanyang.
From what I hear, she rakes in money like nobody's business.
Goodness. You are here.
Shall we?
Can you believe it?
This way, please.
Please enter.
Are you Madam Butterfly?
Spread them out.
Spread out?
Spread out what?
My goodness!
I see.
What do you think you are doing?
Are you not here for custom undergarments?
For that, I must take your measurements.
That is true,
but a lady cannot let others see her undressed.
Leave if you do not want my clothes.
I am a very busy woman.
No!
I will take it off. Of course I should.
I will take it off right away.
Did you hear the rumours?
In the dress Madam Butterfly made,
a gisaeng of Hwayeonok, became the next Hwang Jin Yi.
And the ugly maiden in Gyeryong Village
found herself a husband.
Madam Butterfly
is a master seamstress. She rules!
Goodness.
- May I get a discount?
- Have you made your choice?
- Step aside.
- But I was here first.
- Get in line.
- I was here first.
Ladies, form a line.
There. Good job today.
How come this is all I get?
I know what I sold today is worth more.
Sales have been cut down to about half these days.
Madam Butterfly, maybe you have lost your touch.
We have seamstresses to pay and fabric to buy.
Work has not been easy for me these days.
I hear you,
but what is this about me losing my touch?
Nonsense!
No one designs clothes better than our very own Madam Butterfly.
No one in Joseon can hold a candle to you.
I will be back in a few days.
Yes, of course. I will see you then.
She never lets me have the last word.
Why does she always keep her face covered?
(Chapter 1: I Am an Aged Maiden of Joseon!)
Goodness. Is my lady still not home?
But the lady of the house will be home soon.
My lady, you are home.
Right.
What is Yeon Woo up to?
Do not tell me she is already asleep.
She is reading, my lady.
Reading?
You know my friend Jung Sil from Ogeum Village.
I heard she was terribly ill
which is why I went to see her.
Is she not staying with her parents in Cheongju
after giving birth to her third child last month?
Out of concern for Jung Sil who is in Cheongju,
I left the house to ask her servants about her well-being.
(As his lips met hers)
It is odd for someone who reads romance novels all the time
to not be fond of marriage.
What will become of you?
Mother, please.
This is only to feed my own curiosities
and to research on an academic level
Yeon Woo!
I apologize.
All your peers are married
and are living well as mothers.
It is time you did as well.
Marry already. Please!
Who will take me as their bride when I am rumoured to be
Joseon's most troubled maiden?
Rumoured, did you say?
A family from Daegu has suggested a marriage.
Congratulations.
As if this is anything to celebrate.
I appreciate your hard work.
- Gosh, I am itching all over.
- What on earth?
- The itch!
- Goodness gracious.
She is insane.
Are they out of their minds?
Gosh, not again.
She sure is one troubled aged maiden.
Tell me about it.
Do you know how many matchmakers you have chased away?
For what reason do you not wish to marry?
Gosh.
Goodness.
Up until now, I have upheld your late grandfather's wishes
and let you be. But that ends today.
So, brace yourself.
Mother.
You, father, and me. Maybe the three of us
can live happily ever after.
What do you say?
No.
Gosh.
You must be peckish.
What is it?
It is yulran.
(Yulran: A traditional snack made from smashed boiled chestnuts)
It is so good.
Sa Wol, you are the best.
So what now?
Your mother is determined this time around.
First, you need to wrap up your secret business.
What if
What if your mother finds out?
If a cherished lady of your status
is caught making and selling undergarments
P
- P
- Public indecency.
Disobeying laws of the class system.
My etiquette will also be questioned.
You know it all so well.
Lucky them.
Up in that vast sky,
they can live their lives as they please.
I pray to the stars.
Can you send a bachelor who will gladly marry my lady?
She has to have sense knocked into her.
It is best to give up, Sa Wol.
Not even the sky could grant that wish.
Are you inside?
What brings you by at this hour?
There is a nice lady for you to marry.
I
have no intention of getting married.
That is not for you to decide.
As the eldest son, you must consider the family.
Our family may be abundant with riches,
but your father and grandfather only remain as Classics Licentiates.
It is not easy for you to marry into a family of this status.
(The Kang family)
Know that we will soon settle on a date.
My lady, you do not want to be late
My lady!
- My lady.
- My shoe.
Give me my shoe.
Goodness.
(Instructions for Women)
Father.
Are you already off to the Palace?
It is too early for your fuss.
Right. Are you off to class?
You seem to be running late, so scurry on.
Sure. I will be off, then.
Father.
I hope you have another fine day.
I sure will.
You coddling her all the time
only makes her cheekier.
That reminds me.
What are your thoughts on the bachelor my uncle suggested?
I know how stubborn Yeon Woo can be
which is why I have yet to tell her.
Let us take our time. That we should.
Of course. Let us take our time.
What do you mean you will not do business with me?
I am done doing business with you, Madam Butterfly.
You must not be seeing clearly
being clouded by all the money I made you.
It is me, Madam Butterfly.
The creative mind behind the most popular dresses in Hanyang.
You used to be.
New trends emerge at a faster pace now.
There are many
that are of similar design.
How dare they copy my designs?
Just wait until I catch you.
You are dead meat!
Absolutely.
But maybe it is for the better.
Maybe you can quit designing clothes
- and focus on marriage
- No.
I will never.
I may quit one day, but not like this.
What, then?
No one wants to do business with you anymore.
Do you not agree, my lady?
Am I not right?
What?
Gather around!
- All right.
- What took you so long?
Across the nation, but especially in Hanyang,
do you know what is most famous?
Of course. Look at my sturdy things.
What are your thoughts on them?
Take those thighs of yours
and please the wife waiting for you at home.
What is most famous in Hanyang
is the aged ugly bachelor of Jinsa Village.
Being uglier than the ugliest,
he has not been able to marry despite being 28.
- What?
- Goodness.
But even the ugly man had met his soulmate.
- What?
- Really?
It is Kwang Nyeon, the aged maiden of the house with the Grape Myrtle.
My goodness.
That Kwang Nyeon. Is she me?
Which aged maiden would be most popular
in Hanyang?
The ugly bachelor and Kwang Nyeon should marry soon.
- Yes!
- Absolutely.
Hurrah, hurrah!
My lady, where are you going?
Where else but to marry off the aged ugly bachelor.
Sorry?
Court Lady Cho, look at this skirt. Is it not exceptional?
I am head over heels for these socks as well.
Princess, you look radiant.
It is why I also
got one for myself.
What do you think?
It is a delight!
They are both so pretty.
- Father.
- Your Majesty.
You Gosh.
You
- What on earth?
- What are those?
I hear
that these treacherous garments have been unsettling the people.
Why have you done nothing about this?
- We apologize, Your Majesty.
- We apologize, Your Majesty.
There is a code of conduct even to one's attire.
Those who designed and made such treacherous garments
will be served a grave sentence!
- Yes, Your Majesty.
- Yes, Your Majesty.
You must be worn out.
For what reason were you summoned to the Palace at the crack of dawn?
There are ghastly garments being sold in the Capital,
and the princess was caught wearing them by His Majesty.
The princess?
We have been seeing
a surge in complaints regarding those garments.
Then, what will happen next?
He has ordered the Department of Justice
to bring in who made them, so the matter will soon be settled.
The Department of Justice?
It looks like a feast is being held at that house
to celebrate the younger son's birthday.
That is actually better.
It is always easier to sneak in when the place is bustling.
What?
I will marry off
the family's aged bachelor in the clothes I design.
Once people hear that my clothes
helped marry off the ugliest man in Hanyang,
my reputation will be restored.
But how do you expect to sneak in?
Men and women should stay separated,
and there is a code of conduct to abide by.
My lady!
I cannot believe you would resort to this.
To remain hidden, one must be in disguise.
Anyway, where could our ugly bachelor be?
The annex or the guest room?
Is it your goal to get caught?
Why are you two slacking off over here?
Fry the Jeon already.
- The Jeon?
- Yes, now scurry along.
Hold on.
Who are you two? You do not look familiar.
Goodness, ma'am.
You must be having trouble with your eyesight lately.
Do you not recognize me?
Who are you? Are you Eon Nyeon?
That is right. I am Eon Nyeon.
- Is that so?
- Absolutely.
- Goodness.
- Come on.
The aged bachelor?
Where did he go?
What are you doing?
What about you? What were you doing here?
How could you suddenly open the door like that?
You scared me.
How dare a lowly thing like you speak so rudely to me?
"A lowly thing?"
Who is lowly
My gosh, Young Master.
I spoke nonsense for I was so startled.
I will be off, then.
What are you up to?
I was just
The truth is,
the ugly bachelor who lives here
I was looking for the aged bachelor who lives here.
- Is she making Jeon?
- We shall watch.
- Nice.
- She is good.
Will she pull it off?
- Nice!
- Oh, my.
- Did you see that?
- Amazing!
My, how did she do that?
- My gosh.
- Did you see that?
- That was incredible.
- Oh, my.
- You can do it too.
- My gosh. That was perfect.
She is a true expert.
This way, please.
The lady of the house?
Ugly?
You mean, the young master of this family?
Yes. He is the most famous bachelor in town.
By the way,
who might you be?
You cannot be the ugly bachelor.
You do not know
who I am?
Of course, I do not know you. I have never met you before.
In any case, I shall be off then.
I will take you
to that
ugly bachelor.
Where are we going?
I do not see anyone else over there.
Follow me, and you will see.
Are you truly the ugly bachelor's friend?
Are you not lying to me?
I have not even asked you for your name.
How shall I address you?
I am Sa Wol.
Sa Wol.
Very well, Sa Wol.
He is not at home at the moment, so come back another day.
Go out this way, and no one will see you.
What? You said you would take me to the young master.
You tricked me.
No, I will not leave. I refuse!
- This way, no one will see you
- Let go, you swindler.
Let me explain.
This way.
You are Yeon
Because of that,
I am concerned.
Look at that.
Please be careful.
What is the matter?
One moment, please.
Is someone there?
Did you have to go somewhere?
What are you doing here?
I happened to be passing by on my way back from my walk.
Go to your room. We will talk later.
My lady
I mean, O Wol.
O Wol, what are you doing
What are you doing here?
"O Wol?"
No, I am
Please excuse me. I must go.
Wait up, O Wol!
What did you wish for?
I bet you cannot take this from me.
Give it back.
I will
travel and go to places. Qing, India, you name it.
Being told that a woman cannot travel
will only fuel my determination.
So
you should never limit yourself either.
Look. It is okay to run around.
Oh, right.
What is your name?
I am Yeon Woo. Park Yeon Woo.
Park Yeon Woo.
My lady.
Lady Macheon is here. Hold on.
Lady Yeon Woo.
Hey, wait.
You have not changed at all.
So, you want us to sell Madam Butterfly's clothes?
That is correct.
I will make sure you profit greatly from it too.
Please sell my clothes.
But I hear many shops
sell similar designs these days.
That is why I ambitiously prepared this new collection.
Why does she enjoy making clothes so much?
I do not care what anyone says.
Men, money.
They are the best. They bring me the most joy.
- Make way!
- What is happening?
- Step aside!
- My goodness.
- What is going on?
- My gosh.
- Gosh.
- Oh, dear.
What is happening?
- My gosh.
- Goodness.
Why are they
My lady!
We have a problem.
- Oh, dear.
- My goodness.
- What is going on?
- What are they doing?
- Oh, boy.
- My goodness!
Gosh!
- Oh, no.
- My goodness.
My gosh!
What is this about? What did I do wrong?
These vulgar clothes corrupted public morals,
yet you say you did nothing wrong?
Please, sir. All I did was sell the clothes.
Lads, arrest him at once
and burn these absurd clothes. All of it!
- Yes, sir!
- Yes, sir!
- Oh, no.
- My goodness.
No! Stop!
- Gosh, what a waste.
- Oh, dear.
No, my clothes!
My lady, do not do this.
Let go. They are my clothes.
My lady, you cannot do this.
Sir, please spare me.
- Please, sir.
- Let go!
It is her.
That woman made these clothes.
My lady, run. Go!
What are you waiting for? Get them at once.
- Yes, sir!
- Yes, sir!
Stop right there!
- Stop!
- Stop right there!
- Stop!
- Stop!
Sa Wol, are you all right?
I am okay.
- Are you all right?
- Yes.
- Find them.
- There they are!
- Get them.
- Stop!
Hurry, my lady. Go!
- No, get her!
- Hurry!
- Move!
- It hurts!
- No!
- Stop!
- Go!
- Get her!
- Stop!
- Stop right there!
- Stop!
- Get her!
- Hey, stop!
- Coming through. Sorry.
You, stop. Stop right there!
- I am sorry!
- That little
- Stop!
- Get her. Stop right there!
- Come on.
- Get her!
- Hurry.
- Stop right there!
- My goodness.
- Gosh!
Oh, my goodness.
My gosh.
Get her. Stop!
Stop right there!
Get out of my way!
This way. Get her!
- This way!
- Where?
- Gosh.
- My goodness.
Darn it. Get her!
This is mine. My goodness.
This is a dead end.
Are you all right?
You are out of breath.
I am fine.
Where did Lady Yeon Woo go?
I am so worried.
It hurts.
Did you see fugitives that came this way?
I did not see anyone.
Is that so?
What is that palanquin for?
Do not worry. Nothing will happen.
I am sorry,
but I am on my way to visit the head of the Justice Department.
I am concerned that I will be late.
The head of the Justice Department?
We apologize for taking up your time. Come along!
You may come out now.
We would have gotten in big trouble without your help.
Thank you.
What can we do to repay you for your kindness?
You can repay me another time.
We will meet again if our paths are meant to cross once again.
I will be off, then.
The constables are all gone now,
so you are safe now.
Do you
know me?
I ran into you at that house that day
and today too.
I cannot call it a mere coincidence for it seems a little too odd.
I bet you knew that I was not a servant.
Well, that was
My lady!
Come along, quick.
Why?
- What is the matter?
- The lady of the house is
Anyway, we must hurry. Come on!
Scurry along.
I found a suitable husband for you.
Get ready for your wedding.
Pardon me?
What do you mean?
Every woman must get married.
Get married, all of a sudden? No, I do not wish to wed.
I do not know what this man looks like.
I refuse.
This is your embroidery work.
I taught you embroidery and how to make clothes
to teach you to be a virtuous woman,
not because I wanted you to act like a merchant at the market.
There is a code of conduct you must follow as a nobleman's daughter.
What is the point of being a noble lady?
I am not allowed to do anything I want.
I never asked for too much.
I simply wish to do the things I enjoy doing
and live as myself, the person named Park Yeon Woo.
That is not a sin, is it?
You are wrong. It is a sin.
A woman having aspirations. That, in and of itself, is a sin.
What is the point of having a noble name, you ask?
It is all thanks to your noble name
that you have been able to do the things you wanted.
Do you truly not see that your noble family name
was what protected you during the commotion earlier?
My lady.
Do not follow me.
I am not following you. I am going this way too.
I shall continue along, then.
What are you doing?
I told you not to follow me.
I said not to follow me.
Can you not take hints?
Why can I not even go the way I wish to go?
I am sorry.
Because of me, your robe
I tricked you the other day, so let us call it even, Lady Sa Wol.
No. Was it O Wol?
Forget it.
- Take this.
- What is it?
Why do you have this?
It is a watch, is it not?
My grandfather gave it to me.
It has never once broken or stopped.
Fascinating, is it not?
Why are you staring at me like that?
How beautiful.
- Pardon me?
- What?
Oh, I was
I was talking about that butterfly.
Oh, this.
Do you like butterflies?
I like them, and I also envy them.
With these wings,
they can go wherever they wish to go.
Thank you for your help.
You even found my watch.
No problem. You need not thank me.
May I ask you what your name is?
My name is Tae Ha.
Kang Tae Ha.
Tae Ha.
Kang Tae Ha.
I am sorry. I did that without realizing it.
No, do not be sorry.
You were simply trying to help me.
Someday,
you will be able to live like a butterfly.
Just always remember who you are.
Then no matter where you are and what you decide to become,
the fact that you made those beautiful clothes
will never change.
I am certain
that you will fly and reach where you wish to be.
So just get through the day
Or rather
Just suffer this present moment.
By any chance,
are you married?
Am I married?
Oh, no. Please do not mind me.
Well, I did not have dinner.
Let me go and get some snacks for you.
No, it is okay
Hey, what is wrong with you?
- Over there!
- There she is.
Your wedding will take place on the seventh of the coming month.
Father, please.
If you truly respected me as your father,
and if you were concerned about the family at all,
you would not have been able to do this.
So, you ought to do your duty now.
This is the last time I am letting you off as your father.
We brought this crape myrtle tree here
the year you were born,
wishing you good health.
That year, there was an outbreak of a contagious disease,
and you were very ill too.
For some reason, this crape myrtle tree
also began to wilt.
Truly?
So I prayed every single day for you and this crape myrtle tree
to regain good health.
I prayed and prayed.
Then you began to recover from your illness,
and this crape myrtle tree regained its vitality as well.
That is the kind of child you are, Yeon Woo.
You are so precious to me and your parents.
We raised you with nothing but love.
Thanks for the hearty meal.
Get back safely.
You went through so much because of me.
I wanted to thank you for your hard work.
I hope it helps you and your shop.
Madam Butterfly.
Madam Butterfly.
I cannot believe you gave him all the money.
You said you wanted to travel to Qing or India.
You worked so hard to save that much money.
I was able to dream of it, even though it was short-lived.
That is enough for me.
I wish you had given it to me instead.
You said you wished to repay me. Could it be done today?
What?
Keep you company and chat with you? That is all?
Yes.
There is nothing fun going on these days, so I have been bored.
You seem fascinated by my eyes.
I did not mean to offend you.
I have never met a foreigner before. That is all.
(Foreigners came from Europe, West Asia, or the Middle East)
I heard your wedding was coming up.
How did you know?
I wish to give you a small gift.
I have a usual ability, although it is nothing too special.
Who knows what kind of fate brought you here?
Just like your name, Yeon Woo.
How do you know my name?
Are you not curious about your fate?
Do you believe in fate?
- Move it.
- Go and get the flowers.
- Like this?
- Yes.
- That looks good.
- Put it down.
- Does this look good?
- Yes, that's good.
- Get moving.
- My goodness.
I cannot believe that Lord Park is doing this to you.
Look how beautiful you are, my lady.
Why must you marry the ugly bachelor from Lord Kang's family?
I am okay.
No matter where I am and what I decide to become,
I will always be Park Yeon Woo.
Stay seated.
You look truly stunning.
You must resent me.
Is that so?
Yes.
I hate you again
and again.
Now you sound like my Yeon Woo again.
Your father
and I
thought
you deserved much better.
I am sorry
for being hard on you.
Please forgive me.
Thank you.
You made me
so happy.
Thank you
for everything you have done for me.
He must be so ugly.
Even the ugly bachelor has his mate.
Exactly.
Place the wash basin for the bride in the north.
Groom's varlet, pour water, and give her the towel.
Groom, bow to the bride, and proceed.
Why?
What is taking him so long?
My neck sores, and I am hungry too.
How ugly must he be?
Should I get a little drunk
so that I would lose my mind?
Young Master?
What is going on?
Are you the ugly bachelor of the Kang family?
I am.
I did not expect this.
Wait.
Exchanging cut-off ties between a married couple
means "Let us break up".
A break-up?
What?
I really want to see inside.
Hey, clear the way.
Let me poke a hole.
Yes, poke it.
Are you not going to leave?
Should I pour oil into your ears?
Gosh. We are leaving.
Should I do it?
Right now?
- What?
- What?
- What?
- What did I do?
Just leave.
- That girl.
- Why me?
How dare they?
Anyway, I cannot believe the groom is that young master.
Were they
destined
to be together?
Gosh. This is crazy.
Just a little.
Just a little.
Destiny, my foot.
Are you destined to die tonight?
Hurry and come this way.
- It hurts.
- Come here.
My family and I
deceived you and your family.
What do you mean?
I
could die at any moment.
My heart has been deeply ill since I was young,
so I never thought of marrying someone.
But
I could not act against the wish of my grandfather in his sick bed.
So, I have done a terrible thing to you.
Suddenly, you say you can die at any moment.
I am sorry.
Why do you change your mind now?
You tried to marry me by deceiving me.
Because
though it is late, I should correct the wrongdoing.
I, who is foolish and inadequate,
do not deserve you.
Let me ask you one question.
Do you feel like you are going to die right now
because of your sick heart?
No, but
Then it is fine.
What are you doing?
Ma'am.
No. I am your wife.
Now I am young master's
I mean, we are husband and wife.
I do not want to get deserted.
I would rather die as a young widow.
I decided to get married with great difficulty.
Therefore, I am going to have my bridal night.
Go away.
- Stop right there.
- Don't come near me.
Come here.
It is pounding fast.
Are you all right?
Yeon means to adjoin.
Woo means to encounter.
Yeon Woo.
That is my name.
The tie between the two who met each other
cannot be something casual, can it?
More than that, we met as a married couple.
Do not take it lightly.
I am doing this because I do not take it lightly.
I do not know
when I am going to see the king of the underworld.
I will beat
the king of the underworld.
So, do not worry.
I am sorry.
You cannot leave.
I am stubborn as well,
so you should give up first.
Yeon Woo.
Husband.
Husband!
Husband.
Hey, is there anyone out there?
Mother!
Sa Wol!
Husband.
Are you okay?
I am sorry.
Breathe slowly.
Please!
Yeon Woo.
Do not try to speak.
Do not
Do not cry
Like before
Husband.
Husband.
Husband!
My husband.
My husband.
My husband!
What did you do to my son that he died so terribly
when he was fine before?
Why did my healthy son die?
Tell me. Answer me!
Did you forget how to speak?
What did you do to him, I said.
Ma'am!
What are you doing right now?
Can I not do this to the one who killed my son?
How badly did you raise her?
- Right after she got married, he
- Stop it.
Do not humiliate my mother.
- What?
- I already know
he had a lingering disease.
Is that true?
Disease?
He was worried something like this would happen,
so he cut the ties of our clothes and asked me for a divorce.
How dare you lie to me?
However,
I am going to fulfill my duty even if you stubbornly insist.
I am going to go through the three-year mourning,
so do not humiliate me and my family like this.
My lady.
Are you all right?
What do you do now?
You have to live with your husband's family.
I heard she is his stepmother.
I am all right, so please take care of my mother.
Okay.
I did not get to give this to him.
My lady.
I brought some thin rice gruel.
I do not feel like eating, so take it back.
I will put it in front of the door,
so please make sure you have a little.
My poor young lady.
The sky is so merciless
What is up with the colour? That is ominous.
No.
Why did he have this?
Is that you, Sa Wol?
Let go of me!
Do you believe in fate?
(Special thanks to Kim Do Ah, Kim Hyun, Lee Min Woo, )
(and Lee Hyeon Geol for their guest appearance.)
(The Story of Park's Marriage Contract)
My husband
You are alive.
Please let go of me.
Did they erase your memory in the underworld?
This is Seoul, Korea, not the underworld.
Am I alive, then?
Tae Ha did what? Get married?
I heard the wedding is at 2:30pm. But you can't reach the bride?
If Chairman Kang finds out, he'll scold you fiercely.
What should we do?
My husband does not even remember me.
I want to go home.
I'll help you, then.
In return, will you be my bride?