The Matchmakers (2023) s01e11 Episode Script

The Second Love

1
(Rowoon)
(Cho Yi Hyun)
(Writer: Ha Soo Jin)
(Directors: Hwang Seung Ki, Kim Soo Jin)
(The Matchmakers)
Be careful on your long way back.
(Hong Chun Soo, 34 years old, Chief of Hongwol Inn)
(Note: Single)
I made up a story to madam that Choi Kyu told me about him.
But I have known Monk Socheon since we were in Pyongyang.
I am taking care of Lady Yeoju and Bok Hee
at his request.
I dared
to have one-sided feelings for him.
He does not know.
Did you get it?
(The night before the May Festival)
(Inyang Heo Clan Genealogy)
Not even her grandparents were high-ranking government officials.
So can she really be a noble?
One loses their nobility if four generations
have no high-ranking government officials.
This family's youngest daughter is the third generation.
She is a noble.
Forget it if you do not want it.
I have plenty to sell to.
Gosh, you sure are impatient.
I will buy it. It is simply a bummer.
No refunds and exchanges due to a change of heart.
By the way,
which lady will you turn into a noble?
You see
It is a secret.
(Episode 11: The Second Love)
There she comes.
Why did she stop?
The scholar will take the remaining four steps.
We should stop being a third wheel.
Let us watch them from a distance.
I did not know you liked riding the swing.
Do you
remember me?
Of course, I do.
Did I not save you in the go board game?
Oh, yes. You did.
Next in line. Get on the swings.
It is our turn. Let us go.
All right. Let us go.
That is it.
Nice.
Gosh, this is sick.
"Sick?"
It is used when you think
something is just too good.
Great. Amazing.
Those are not enough to express it.
I see. But for an unmarried lady to say such a word.
I am worried about your future husband.
Stop acting up, kid!
Are you not the shorter one here?
Goodness. I was not talking about our heights.
Oh, right.
As I am getting married at the end of this month,
I am more of an adult than you are, no matter how you look at it.
I am getting married as well. Goodness.
Really?
What is with that face?
What? Did you think I would fail to get married?
You do know I am making all of your wedding blankets, yes?
Keep getting on the wrong side of me,
and I might sew up your blankets with a needle inside.
Gosh.
They say the good comes with the bad.
All of my one-sided loves
must have failed up until now to meet you, Lieutenant.
Right.
How many men
were there before me?
Let me think.
Four.
I see.
Oh, but they all ended as unrequited loves.
We never even had a conversation.
But did you not propose to me?
Well, you see
You are the first man I confessed to.
I am not lying.
You are my first in everything.
Your novel was the first that relieved me
from my real-life worries.
You took my first kiss.
You were also the first to propose to me.
And you are the first
I have come to like
to the point my heart hurts.
Lieutenant.
Out of all the men I know,
including the male characters in my novels,
you are the coolest.
It is my first time enjoying the May Festival.
It is better than I thought.
Your first time?
What did you do during the May Festival until now?
I hated crowded places,
so I was at home reading books alone.
That, too, is not as bad as you think it is.
Since you came this year,
you should continue to do so starting next year.
My plan is to enjoy the May Festival with you from next year onwards.
After marrying off all three of Erudite Maeng's daughters,
I will no longer be the King's son-in-law.
In other words,
I can become a government official
and also marry.
Take this.
(Inyang Heo Clan Genealogy)
What is this?
It is a genealogy of your noble name.
What?
You are no longer Lady Yeoju the peddler,
or Tae Ran running from slave hunters.
The 3rd daughter of Heo Myung Gon, 12th in line of the Inyang Heo clan,
Heo Soon Duk.
Why did you do this?
At Sunhwa Temple,
I said I would handle my love sickness.
Was that
not about forgetting me?
That would have been so if you were not interested in me.
But now I know you also have feelings for me.
How could I try to forget you?
Can you do that?
- But - Do not forget your dead husband.
I could not forget the princess.
Possibly, like you,
I never will as long as I live.
However,
I am sure I like you.
Do you
not like me too?
My lord.
I
My goodness.
What is going on?
Are you all right?
Did you
just save me?
Bachelor 12, do not ever let this woman go.
What?
What?
Why did I say that?
What is it?
What happened?
Darn it.
Where did she go?
I think she came this way.
I know now is not the time,
but the answer to my proposal
Very well.
Stay still for a while.
A slave hunter is approaching.
- My lord, I am - Do not worry.
I will protect you.
Do not dare come any closer.
This woman
is my wife
You
You cannot look at me
with that look anymore.
Lady Yeoju?
Why is she back already?
Oh, no.
What
Run away.
He is a slave hunter here to get you.
It is fine, my lady.
I came back
to Hanyang
to see him.
What do you mean?
My lord.
I am sorry.
- Because of me - Tae Ran, as long as
you are alive, all is well.
If she is Lady Yeoju and the Tae Ran the slave hunter was after,
who are you?
Well
Gosh.
- What was that? - Lady Ha Na.
You rascals.
The Crown Prince?
Get rid of them both.
Freeze, all of you!
Stay out of it and go on your way.
You will only get hurt.
How dare you? You would not do this if you knew
who that young master is.
Step aside.
I was going to let you walk away if you did not know.
You unlucky soul.
No!
My gosh. Are you all right?
What
I I think I am all right. Are you?
I am fine.
Why you
Darn you. Back down.
You little
You!
Do not move!
Run away.
Get out of here, fool!
You punk.
You
Gosh.
Are you okay?
I did not know you could use a sword.
I read how to in my free time to keep you safe.
This was the first time I actually held a sword.
You taught yourself how to fight through books to protect me?
Were you hurt?
I am fine.
Are you?
Why on earth did you come here?
You sent a letter telling me to come.
I never sent such a letter.
Crown
Are you all right?
Yes.
I will take the young master home.
Wait for me at the inn.
We are not yet done talking.
Do not disappear claiming you are busy.
I said he should not go,
but he said he would return within two hours.
(1 Sijin: 2 hours)
Send out the Palace Guard
- to find - Your Majesty.
Department of Justice's lieutenant is here.
Lord Gyeongunjae and the Crown Prince
are on their way here.
He is with Lord Gyeongunjae?
You do not let me down.
Lord Gyeongunjae came to the palace with the Crown Prince.
Lord Gyeongunjae is one of us.
Did he switch sides to serve the Crown Prince?
So Hyun, we will not be found at fault, will we?
Do not worry.
It is late. I must leave.
You can lower your arms.
You fell into great danger when you last left the palace.
And you snuck out in secret?
What were you thinking, Crown Prince?
It will not
happen ever again.
With Mount Nam Valley's Maeng Ha Na.
Have you been exchanging letters since?
I asked her
to tell me about news going about town.
Even so,
I gave her hints that you had been in danger.
The woman should be ashamed.
How could she write to you asking you to come see her?
- I should - Mother.
Lady Ha Na did nothing wrong.
She said she did not send this letter.
If you want to punish someone, punish me.
I cannot lose my only friend.
Your friend?
Lady Ha Na
does not know I am the Crown Prince.
Lady Ha Na seemed to know who he was.
She knew he was the Crown Prince
and wrote him to say he come and see her?
I do not think that is it.
If it were, she would not have
risked her life to protect the Crown Prince.
Someone knows he writes to Lady Ha Na,
and to lure him out of the palace,
they wrote a letter pretending to be Lady Ha Na.
Do you have an idea who?
The thugs
were sent away, so they will not be a problem.
The problem is that it went wrong.
Why are you always
Yes.
He is right.
Even if Lord Gyeongunjae got in the way,
not being able to take out that nerd?
Lord Gyeongunjae was not alone!
He was with a skilled fighter.
Do you think
Lord Gyeongunjae knew about it and was prepared?
If so, the Palace Guard would have been there.
He would not have let the crown prince leave the palace.
The point is,
now that Lord Gyeongunjae clearly took sides with the King,
we cannot just sit and watch.
It must be the same people
who poisoned the Crown Prince's court maid
and made the Crown Prince
leave the palace so they could kidnap him.
Is the court maid still unwell?
I am sorry to say
she is still unconscious.
But
while looking into something else,
I traced the man who brought golden silkworm poison to Joseon.
And who is that?
I will report to you soon when I am sure.
I am sorry I could not tell you.
I came to Hanyang
only to find out you had married Lord Jo's son.
I could not find the courage to tell you.
I get it.
I probably would not have been able to explain either.
Let us go outside and play a game.
What happened?
Eight years ago, that officer did not
fail to catch you. He let you go.
I had no idea and wrote telling you to flee.
He should have said so.
Why carry this around and confuse me?
Do you really not know why he had this?
You saw the drawing, and you did not get it?
Did you not?
He kept it because it had a drawing of her face.
He looked fierce,
but he was loving.
When I first got into matchmaking,
I did not think I would propose to you in writing.
Of all people
to you who speaks freely to me,
always tries to lecture me,
and walks frivolously fast.
A lowly widow and peddler.
But if I think about it,
it was meant to be.
When I first saw you at the book rental shop,
my dark life
became brighter.
As you said, in that short moment,
you came into my heart.
At first, you were unfamiliar and I tried to push you away.
But I realized my will was not enough.
And so
I wish to spend the rest of my life with you.
So
I hope you think well of me
and accept me as your spouse.
(From Sim Jung Woo)
Is Lady Yeoju here?
Why ask if he will not hear the answer?
Lady Yeoju, is that you?
Did you take
the young master home safely?
I wish to
spend the rest of my life with you too.
Just as you did not think you would propose to me,
I also
did not think I would fall in love again.
My first love was so great,
I was sure
it would last me the rest of my life.
But before I even realized it,
I had fallen for you.
I appreciated you telling me
that I was not betraying my late husband
by letting myself develop feelings for you.
But
However,
I cannot accept your proposal.
What? Why not?
I am
not the peddler you know named Lady Yeoju.
My name is
Jung Soon Duk.
I am a noblewoman who has a son.
At first, you said you were a widow and a matchmaker.
Then
you became a murder suspect suffering from amnesia.
And now,
you say you are a noblewoman?
I could not be a matchmaker as a member of a noble family.
I borrowed Lady Yeoju's identity, so I am in this mess now.
Now that we know how we truly feel about each other,
we should
never meet again.
(Matchmaking Operation for Erudite Maeng's Three Daughters)
(Inyang Heo Clan Genealogy)
I did the right thing.
If I keep seeing him, I will not be able to forget him.
Mother!
Hey.
Did you have a fun day with your aunt?
Yes, we had so much fun.
You did?
What did you think of your uncle-to-be?
The thing is
Why must you ask him such a question? He is a child.
I met him, and everything went well.
He even gave me a gift.
So? What did you think of him?
He was polite and elegant.
I was more impressed than I had expected.
I knew he would be your type.
Was it not a good thing that you met him before your wedding?
Yes.
Had I not met him today,
I would have regretted it for the rest of my life.
Let us go inside, and you can tell me all about it.
- Let us go inside. - Let us go.
My lord!
Where have you been?
Well, I failed to find Bachelor 23, but
- It is this way. I will - Wait.
My goodness. Finally, there you are.
I looked everywhere for you.
By the way, who is this lady?
Well, Lord Gyeongunjae.
Today, I met this awkward lady whom I could not help but pity.
If I do not take care of her right by her side
She will not be okay.
So about marrying Erudite Maeng's youngest daughter
I cannot do it. I am sorry.
I understand.
I must say, the two of you look quite lovely together.
All right, then.
My lord, is it okay to let him walk away like this?
My goodness.
What? Is he not Bachelor 12, the eldest daughter's partner?
I travelled the country, looking for my soulmate.
I found her, at last.
Like you said, I will never lose her.
You made a wise decision.
Come along.
What? "A wise decision," seriously?
What about the eldest daughter, then?
The eldest daughter is meant to be with someone else.
Who might that be?
- What do you mean? - Who is Lady Ha Na's man?
My goodness.
What?
No way.
Not again. Absolutely not.
He is not with a lady.
I was on my way to Gyeongunjae to speak with you.
I did not expect to see you here.
There is
someone I fancy.
My gosh. Everyone is in love.
Is love in the air now?
I am afraid I cannot marry Erudite Maeng's second daughter.
I am sorry.
It cannot be helped.
"It cannot be helped?"
Will you not help the spinster sisters get married?
It is all pointless.
My lord!
It looks like the spinster sisters' wedding plans fell through.
Yes, it seems so.
"It seems so?" No. It is obvious that it completely fell through.
I am suddenly in such a good mood.
We should tell everyone!
Yes, scurry along!
If you do not succeed in helping them get married,
you will have to give up on the government post and your marriage.
So, why are you doing this?
- Please tell me - Lady Yeoju is a noblewoman.
So even if I could remarry, what is the point?
Pardon me? Lady Yeoju is what?
I wish to be alone.
Get out at once.
Bachelor 12,
do not ever let this woman go.
What?
What?
Now that we know how we truly feel about each other,
we should never meet again.
Everyone in town is talking about how our wedding plans fell through.
What did you do that the plans fell through?
I did exactly as I was told,
but Bachelor 24 did not come to the ssireum match.
So, it is not my fault that the plans fell through.
Then what about you, Ha Na?
While I was busy doing something important for our country,
he met another woman.
They say a man's feelings are fickle.
To tell you the truth, he was not really my cup of tea,
so do not worry about me.
You two, seriously.
Do you not care about me, your little sister?
Sam Soon, it is not our fault that the plans fell through,
so you will not be dragged to the government office.
You are right.
Do not worry.
That is not important right now.
If you girls do not get married,
how could I get married?
We are back to square one.
"Good things are followed by obstacles?" As if.
My life is just one obstacle after another!
My goodness.
Sam Soon, do not cry.
Why are you crying over not being able to wed?
Hey, Maeng Sam Soon.
We promised that we would stay single
and live happily together with Mother until the day we died.
We wrote the written pledge. Do you not remember?
No, I do not!
You know nothing about love!
(Spouse Candidate Confirmed)
You were sure the May Festival plan would work, but it did not.
What will you do now?
Do not worry.
I am Lady Yeoju, the master of matchmaking.
Now that we know how we truly feel about each other,
we should
never meet again.
I will wrap up the matchmaking project on my own
and send you a letter to inform you.
I told him that we should never see each other again.
Why am I waiting for him?
I understand that he left seeking enlightenment,
but you are struggling to find a mere mortician monk?
I apologize, my lord. We are trying to track him down.
You fools cannot do anything right.
He disappeared after meeting Lord Gyeongunjae?
It cannot be a coincidence.
I managed to find the true identity of the mortician monk.
Who cares who that monk is?
- Go and find him now. - Such insolence.
Who is the mortician monk? Tell us.
He is the son
of Lord Min Seung Kwan, who died seven years ago.
What?
Why are you telling us this now?
So, Lord Gyeongunjae met Min Seo Jun.
That means he knows all about what you did
to your son eight years ago.
Must you run your mouth so thoughtlessly?
Well
I said it out of concern. That is all.
(Pyongyang, 8 years ago)
In Hyun is dead?
What happened?
Lord Min sent someone
to find the letters exchanged between him and the translator.
I believe In Hyun got hurt while trying
to stop them from taking the letters.
My goodness, So Hyun.
In Hyun
That means he knows all about what you did
to your son eight years ago.
That young master from the May Festival?
I do not know who his parents are.
Are you saying you saved a complete stranger?
I think she knows who he is but does not want to tell me.
Shall I ask Lord Gyeongunjae?
No, I can figure it out on my own.
Oh, dear.
What is wrong with him?
He was fine when he got home on the evening of the May Festival.
Love sickness can suddenly get worse
when you think you have no hope.
Then you would let yourself go, like this.
"Let yourself go?" What exactly do you mean by that?
What do you think it means?
Those who are faint-hearted cannot take it and may die.
What? He will die?
Do you think your master will die over this?
This cantankerous man? My goodness.
I shall send him some medicine to help energize his body and mind.
Make sure he takes the medicine
with some warm wine.
Butler, a letter arrived from the inn.
You may leave it on the table.
Sure.
- Goodness! - Gosh.
My goodness.
My lord, you woke up.
You were unconscious for three days.
See? He will not die. My goodness.
A letter arrived from the inn.
Bring it to me.
Pardon me?
Oh, right. Yes, my lord.
Well, I suppose the letter from the inn is your medicine.
All you had to do was write me back and tell me about his family.
We did not have to meet.
Not that young master.
What do you mean?
You tried to set Lady Ha Na up
with the young master spotted at the May Festival.
We should look for someone else.
But I said
I would find their matches on my own.
I never agreed to it.
Working with you
makes me uncomfortable.
Even if you feel uncomfortable, deal with it.
You feel that way because you deceived me from the get-go.
Once we marry them off, I will not ask you to meet me again.
So let us wrap it up together, as promised.
Then
about what happened on the day of the May Festival
Let us say it never happened.
Sure, if it makes you feel better.
And please treat me like before, as a peddler.
It makes me uncomfortable to hear you talk so politely.
How could I talk down to you, knowing that you are a noblewoman?
Deal with it even if it makes you uncomfortable.
Among the scholars who showed interest in Lady Ha Na
Why can we not set her up with that young master?
I am aware of the age gap,
but I believe they would make a lovely couple.
My gosh.
Is your chest hurting again?
I am all right.
It is not because I do not think they would make a good couple.
That young master and Lady Ha Na are surely meant to be.
However,
his family would not approve of us as his matchmakers.
- Hence - Hold on.
You just said they were surely meant to be.
Why do you think that?
That is
When I saw them together,
I could just feel it.
Some Agents of Love hear a sound,
and some feel a certain energy.
I wonder how you recognize a match.
My gosh.
By any chance,
does your chest hurt when you see Lady Ha Na
and the young master together?
Just like when you see Lady Sam Soon and Lieutenant Jung together.
Based on the symptoms,
I believe you are the Agent of Love.
That is utter nonsense.
Most Agents of Love are women.
I heard a man could be one too, although it is not common.
I heard the Agent of Love
was supposed to bring destined couples together,
but I have never done that in my life.
It sounds like you have done a lot of research about the Agent of Love.
That, too,
is what most Agents of Love do.
They wish to know why they are behaving in such a manner.
Based on that logic, I should be the Agent of Love.
After falling ill and overcoming it,
the destined ties that you can see will become even clearer,
and there will come a time when you will have to match them up.
Has that ever happened to you?
If I truly am the Agent of Love,
I must know how to match the two people who are meant to be.
But I do not know how I can match Lady Ha Na with that young master.
Getting the Crown Prince to wed is easy.
Tell us.
The Crown Prince's marriage
was stopped because of the spinsters and bachelors.
If we get rid of those spinsters, everything will be settled.
This all began
to marry off the Crown Prince.
I think I can find a way to match them.
Lord Park, it saddens me that
our plans for the May Festival failed because of your mistake.
Why is that my fault?
Blame it on Lord Gyeongunjae,
who deliberately stepped in and ruined everything.
That said,
before Lord Gyeongunjae uses those spinsters
to get the Crown Prince to wed,
we should eliminate the source of the problem.
"Eliminate the source of the problem?"
Do you mean you plan to get rid of him?
If it is necessary, it shall be done.
I am against it.
The King is on edge at the moment because of the crown prince.
Would it truly be necessary to draw his attention now?
Also, the wedding plans of Erudite Maeng's daughters fell through.
So instead of Lord Gyeongunjae,
we should find out what the King is up to.
I believe that is our priority now.
Do you think he is up to something?
On the day of the May Festival,
the Crown Prince nearly died at the hands of some bandits,
although I understand he went off on his own.
But the King did not do anything about it. Is it not strange?
Right.
In front of everyone,
you explicitly disagreed with me.
Would it not make people think that our family lacks discipline?
It is important to find out what the King is up to,
but to warn the others
and to unite the Dongro Faction,
we should get rid of Lord Gyeongunjae now.
I thought we were done talking about this.
Is there
something I do not know among the reasons
you must get rid of Lord Gyeongunjae?
Of course, that is not the case.
If there is nothing you are hiding from me,
please do not bring it up again
for I will not change my mind.
I suppose Operation May Festival failed
because of you.
You are the Agent of Love, not I.
And you will match those who are meant to be together.
My lady, I am not the Agent of Love.
I hate to admit it.
But considering all circumstances,
I am sure you are the Agent of Love.
I know a lot about the Agent of Love for I have done extensive research.
That is one of the characteristics of the Agent of Love,
according to Erudite Maeng's wife. You heard it too.
Gosh.
It is slippery.
I only looked into it for you said you wanted to know more about it.
Then show me.
If you did the research to help me.
Except for seeing the red thread
and the heart flutters, this describes me.
Especially this part.
"Every Agent of Love possesses a unique matchmaking skill."
Whenever I see a man and a woman who would make a good couple,
I instantly come up with a way to match them up.
Are you upset that you are not the Agent of Love?
Yes.
Why did you wish to be the Agent of Love?
I am doing this because I enjoy it,
but I needed a legitimate reason as to why I was
deceiving the elders in the family for my obsession with matchmaking.
If I were the Agent of Love, that would solve all my problems.
If I were fated to be a matchmaker,
I would have no reason to hesitate.
Do you believe in fate?
Yes.
Love between a man and a woman
is like fate, after all.
If
I am the Agent of Love,
the fact that my heart flutters like this whenever I see you
could mean that you are my destiny.
No.
Erudite Maeng's wife saw
that my late husband and I were soulmates,
which means
our feelings for each other
are probably like a fleeting wind.
After some time,
these stormy feelings
will die down too.
Are you sure about that?
Probably.
(Matchmaking Operation for Erudite Maeng's Three Daughters)
(The Matchmakers)
Tell me about your husband's family.
Find the matchmaker Lord Gyeongunjae was sighted with
and bring her to me at once.
I am sorry.
You were right.
The merchant selling the golden silkworm poison
That incident
was what caused the Crown Prince to be kidnapped.
Since this has already happened,
we should get rid of Lord Gyeongunjae on our own.
The moment I first met you, I knew
I would never forget you.
(The Matchmakers)
Previous EpisodeNext Episode