The Matchmakers (2023) s01e12 Episode Script

1
(Rowoon)
(Cho Yi Hyun)
(Writer: Ha Soo Jin)
(Directors: Hwang Seung Ki, Kim Soo Jin)
(The Matchmakers)
- Well - Well
Please speak first.
No, you can speak first.
Shall I?
I believe I am a much better matchmaker.
I am the Agent of Love.
Precisely.
I was not even born as an Agent of Love,
but my skills were as great as yours, my lord.
Does that not make me much more amazing?
If I had been born as a woman,
I would have had the matchmaking market in my hands.
Sure, even with your temperamental personality?
Matchmaking requires humoring many different ladies.
There is no need to humor anybody
because my heart can always spot which two are meant to be.
(Episode 12: Lovers Under a Time Limit)
(Young Master)
Will you not tell me which family that young master belongs to?
Right.
There are things I must figure out with that family,
so I will find the right time to tell you.
By any chance, is he the Crown Prince?
Oh, my. The hiccup of truth.
My gosh. It was a blind guess.
Please keep it a secret from everyone else,
although I have a feeling Lady Ha Na already knows.
I guess there really are matches made by fate.
He must have been in the palace, so how did Lady Ha Na meet him?
How amazing.
I will ask the Crown Prince later and let you know.
My lord,
how did you meet the Princess?
(8 years ago)
Even after eight years,
I still wonder why I did not head to Sungkyunkwan.
Why did I walk over to that court lady
and stood before her, dazed?
It was inexplicable.
Perhaps
I was worried.
She was looking around at an ordinary street
with such sparkle in her eyes.
Worried, my foot.
You fell for her at first sight.
And?
I asked what she was looking for,
and she said she had two hours of free time,
so she wanted to visit the streets.
Even back then, I stayed away from crowded places
because of my chest pain.
But that did not matter.
My heart was already racing
from the moment we met.
The Princess also lied about her identity, just like me.
And?
She returned to the palace two hours later.
I knew I should not dare to have feelings for court ladies,
but I kept thinking about her after that day.
A few months later, I went to see His Majesty
to ask him to retract his offer to marry the Princess.
That was when we met again.
Yes, so
you had something to say about marrying the Princess?
Right?
These two are looking at each other.
I do not remember what I said to His Majesty on that day,
but I do remember one thing.
I was very happy.
Are you disappointed that you are not the first one
I have feelings for?
Yes.
I am very disappointed.
That was a lie.
I liked him even more
because he did not marry the Princess against his will.
I am very glad to hear
that you are very disappointed.
Did you come because you missed your eldest son and his wife?
We do not pry into their history when people become monks.
That was why I did not know Monk Socheon was
a part of the Namjang Faction.
When do you think I can meet him?
Even the left state councilor is looking for him,
so we are doing everything we can to find him.
You said
that matchmaker also met with the monk, right?
As far as I know, yes.
Did you say Lady Yeoju, the matchmaker for Ye Jin,
was also the one helping out with Lord Gyeongunjae's matches?
Yes, my lady.
Shall I summon her?
No, I need to meet her now.
I may be the Agent of Love,
but I have to see something to feel things.
No, you already have felt it.
Do you remember mentioning Bachelor 16
as Lady Doo Ri's spouse?
If you consider the future of the three daughters,
Bachelor 16 is a better choice, as he is likely to succeed.
Back then, I was very arrogant, thinking I was the Agent of Love.
The ladies are slowly finding their matches.
(Bachelor 16)
I only made that decision based solely on his qualifications,
so I wasn't very sure.
We can check right away.
How?
I am fine with anybody.
Men are all the same.
I cannot stop my younger sister from marrying because of me.
Thank you. You will not be disappointed.
Thank you.
What brings you here, my lord?
I found a suitable lady you could marry,
so I came to make a match.
I already have someone I wish to marry.
What? Have you already promised to marry that lady?
To be frank, we have never even talked.
But this time, I passed the state exam,
so I was trying to muster the courage.
Could you tell us who the lady was?
Well, she is
the crafty second daughter of Erudite Maeng's family.
I fell for her at first sight and gave her my heart
after we met at Sunhwa Temple on Buddha's birthday.
As I expected, you were right on as the Agent of Love.
We have found a spouse for Lady Doo Ri too,
which means the end of this matchmaking is near.
Which family are you with?
Well
I am
No, never mind.
I would rather not know.
Let us
make a quick stop.
This was my old house
from when I was 8 to 17.
My family was not well-off,
so we moved around a lot within Hanyang.
But I was happy while I lived here.
My mother was alive back then.
I also grew up in this area.
You did?
I thought you had always been rich since birth.
My late father did not have a knack for building wealth.
Just like my father.
I said the most wicked thing
to a father like him,
saying he must be happy to get a big house in Bukchon
in return for selling off his son.
Much later,
His Majesty told me
my father agreed to do this because he was worried
I might suffer from hardships if I rose to success
because of my feisty character.
The problem with fathers is that they never share how they feel.
When he passed away,
he said he was sorry he made me marry the Princess.
But I could not tell him I did not marry her against my will.
I always
regretted that.
He probably knew,
although he never said it.
Thank you for saying that.
Today is a great day to hang your heart out.
If we lived in the same neighborhood,
we might have met back then.
What would have happened if we met back then?
Well
We probably would have never talked.
A temperamental nerd is not my type.
I also do not like someone who is as unfocused as you are.
What a relief that we did not meet back then.
And it is a relief we have met now.
Do not work too hard.
Just work hard enough to earn your keep.
My dear, how can you say something so disrespectful
I will be home soon.
What are you doing in my house?
Goodness. Well
I sensed good luck at this site in passing, so I took some energy.
Do not sell this place. Make sure you keep it with you.
I see. Thank you.
You are practically making money.
Do you also know a thing or two about feng shui?
I just made up a lie in case he thought we were thieves.
I learned this from you.
I knew it. You have surplused your teacher.
Surpassed.
Not surplused.
You should stay away from words you do not know.
Never mind. I can always let you know.
What is wrong?
Goodness, I am sorry.
I had to flee from the wife of the left state councilor.
You know about her too, right? The hidden influence of Joseon.
Right.
I do.
But why are you avoiding her?
Well, the thing is,
she does not want me to succeed in making matches.
I did not want her to see me with a matchmaker.
Wait, is she on her way to meet Lady Yeoju?
I have to be somewhere, so please excuse me.
You have to be somewhere, so you have to go?
Where are you Wait.
Tell me where you are going.
Is she not home?
I must boil it first before it is dried to store it longer.
What brings you all the way here, my lady?
You should have summoned me.
Goodness, my lady!
You need to tell me what is going on.
I am not here because of my daughter's marriage.
Why did you meet
Monk Socheon with Lord Gyeongunjae?
Sorry?
Did you not run into the left state councilor's wife?
She was here just now.
Bad premonitions always come true.
Lee clearly said it was Lady Yeoju.
Goodness, that woman.
Find the matchmaker Lord Gyeongunjae was sighted with
and bring her to me at once.
Yes, my lady.
She asked why you met with Monk Socheon,
not about marrying the daughters of Erudite Maeng?
Yes.
But I did not know about it, so I could not make up an answer.
How did she know we met with Monk Socheon?
Who is that man?
Why are you always with him?
Goodness.
He and I are working together on this match.
He is the Agent of Love.
"The Agent of Love?"
What is that?
Someone who can tell those who are meant to be.
You little one.
You should have left first.
I cannot walk with you while I am dressed like this.
This is a tactic I am using to get over you,
by looking at you so much until I get sick of you.
You can walk first.
This time, I will remain three steps behind you.
Goodness.
How is it this difficult to marry a widow of a nobleman?
Even if my petition was accepted,
it proved to be absolutely no use.
The law of Joseon has zero flexibility.
Goodness, Your Highness.
Are you unwell?
My heart is unwell.
Is it because of Lady Ha Na of Mount Nam Valley?
How did you know?
Why do you like her?
Because she is
the wisest person among the people I know.
She surely is smart.
I knew you would notice the wisdom
hidden behind her looks.
Your Highness.
Allow me to share a secret.
I found the Agent of Love, the one I had been looking for.
The Agent told me you and Lady Ha Na were
meant to be together.
Is that true?
Hence, I plan on pushing your marriage with her,
so please trust me and wait a little longer.
Mother, it is I, Soon Duk.
Come in.
(Journal, May, the Year of the Red Monkey)
I organized the things Kim brought in until yesterday.
Good.
Who is that letter from?
It was
from my eldest son while he served in Pyongyang.
I did not realize he would pass away in such vain.
I told him
he did not have to send me too many letters since he was busy.
I even regret saying that now.
Did you go to Sunhwa Temple
because you thought of him?
He has been on my mind much more often recently.
It felt like I never really knew him.
I held you back for such an unnecessary talk.
We are visiting Royal Noble Consort Suk in two days.
Make sure you and Geun Seok are ready to go.
Including me?
My lord.
What you said was correct.
The one who sold golden silkworm poison
was an interpreter for Ming.
Are you sure?
Yes, I saw him
at Taepyeong Hall now.
I see.
I shall pass it to His Majesty when I enter the palace in two days.
The left state councilor and his family will
suffer brutally for charges of treason.
Why do you think she wants me to come?
Because you will be the lady of the family soon,
so she must want you to be close to Royal Noble Consort Suk.
But Mother is still healthy and well.
My mother must be getting old too.
She keeps bringing up
my eldest brother lately.
Why are you drinking so much today?
It was not like I ever needed a reason to drink.
Are you
still not over that farmer?
Nothing will change even if I cannot get over him.
He is about to marry soon.
Have you ever considered marrying him?
No.
I did not have time to think.
My brothers
left this world too early.
I could not throw a fit like an immature kid,
wanting to marry someone I liked.
I should marry someone who was on par with our family
to be of help when Geun Seok
rose to power in the future.
Ye Jin.
When did you grow up so much?
I feel ashamed for going around only concerned about myself.
What are you talking about? Why should you feel ashamed?
Because you are a matchmaker?
I will have a good spouse thanks to you.
Goodness, why are you crying?
Please do not cry.
I am sorry.
Why are you crying?
You are doing well.
("Everything About Matchmaking")
Goodness.
Why did you come looking like this today?
I must return early because of a family affair.
You may have exposed your identity, but our work is still work
("Everything About Matchmaking")
I put together a few things that will be useful for the wedding.
This is a list of wigmakers and wedding planners,
as well as their addresses.
I already spoke to the ones on that list.
They will help out during the wedding.
Why are you telling me this?
You can do this yourself.
And Lady Yeoju will do the makeup for the brides.
You know who she is, right?
Is something going on?
Why?
You keep talking without looking at me.
My lord.
I do not think I can
O Bong, why are you leaving?
Did you finish what I told you to do?
I will hear what you have to say next time.
Something urgent has come up.
("Everything About Matchmaking")
Lord Gyeongunjae.
Did you put me up for something?
- I just - Good one.
Pardon?
I will tell him that I will quit next time we meet.
Nothing bad will happen for seeing him just a couple more days.
My feelings
did not seem to go away, unlike what you told me.
Therefore,
I need to keep seeing you for at least a day or two longer.
Do you remember
the deputy administrator murder case in Pyongyang from eight years ago?
That was when the eldest son of the left state councilor
got murdered by a robber.
You said you had something to say about the Crown Prince's abductor.
Why do you suddenly bring that up?
That case was
the beginning of the Crown Prince's abduction.
Jo In Hyun had been investigating the corruption of Pyongyang.
He knew his father
and Park Bok Ki, the governor of Pyongan at that time,
had been conspiring for treachery.
The evidence of treason Jo In Hyun discovered
must have been golden silkworm poison.
(I obtained the poison that leaves no traces as you asked.)
This letter does not only contain the corruption of the tributes.
It also has evidence of treachery, a plan to kill Prince Unhae.
Are you saying
the left state councilor already had conspired
to kill the Crown Prince eight years ago?
Yes, Jo In Hyun came across this evidence
during his investigation of the corruption.
He was killed by his father, Jo Young Bae, in an accident.
What do you mean by that?
Why do we not tell my sister the whole truth
and request help?
I cannot do that.
If she finds out that I killed In Hyun,
it will be impossible for her to discern anything reasonably.
She will act only on her emotions.
It will only cause conflict within the household.
Just say that you are scared of losing my sister's favor.
Save the excuses.
Since it has come to this,
let us get rid of Lord Gyeongunjae.
Lord Gyeongunjae is a sharp one.
If he snoops around and uncovers what we did eight years ago,
So Hyun will be the least of our concerns.
It will be the end for us.
Do not worry.
I will do it myself this time.
Just thinking about how I lost my money
and Maeng Ha Na because of Gyeongunjae
makes my blood boil.
Back then, I was preoccupied with the Princess' death
that I did not pay attention to the death of Lord Jo's son.
So that was the hidden truth.
However,
nothing happened to the Crown Prince then.
Instead, Her Highness died,
and we lacked evidence to claim that she was poisoned
so her death was brushed off as a sudden one.
This time, Lord Jo tried
to poison His Highness as well.
I have verified that the poison was procured by a Ming interpreter.
If you summon and interrogate him,
we will be able to expose Lord Jo's treachery.
Summoning an interpreter
from Taepyeong Hall is not hard, but
Is there something you are worried about?
Park Bok Ki
is Prince Jinsung's uncle after all.
If he is caught for treason,
I am worried that Prince Jinsung will also be implicated.
However, I cannot disregard the Crown Prince's safety
when they attempted to kill him twice this month.
Fine.
I will summon that interpreter and open an investigation.
How do you find the palace?
It was more pleasant than I imagined.
Geun Seok reminds me of In Hyun the more he grows.
Soon Duk is now in charge of most affairs in our household.
So Hyun often praised you.
She said you were quick-witted
and that you took great care of Geun Seok and Ye Jin.
I merely carried out what Mother instructed me to.
Yes.
You will be fine if you do as So Hyun says.
I will bear that in mind.
I have asked the ministry for the document
you requested for.
I will let you know once I receive it.
I will wait for your news.
Mother.
Is the document you asked Royal Noble Consort Suk for
related to In Hyun's death eight years ago?
I made that assumption based on what you said previously.
You seemed perplexed.
At first,
I found you amusing.
When everyone feared me,
you were the only one who did not.
You did not hesitate to ask questions,
and you were bold
to speak up when something was wrong.
With you around,
I felt comforted at times.
Including
right now.
You are right.
Perhaps it is because I was not by his deathbed.
But I keep thinking
that I do not know how he died despite being his mother.
So I wanted to look into his death.
It might be pointless, though. Eight years have passed.
Master.
What brings you here?
Master.
This is my mother.
Were you meeting His Majesty?
Lord Sim?
Yes, I was.
See you around.
I have verified that the poison
was procured by a Ming interpreter.
If you summon and interrogate him,
we will be able to expose Lord Jo's treachery.
Arrest Lord Park Bok Ki at once.
What do you mean, all of your sudden?
I might get your sister killed for treason.
What is it?
Why are you hesitating to speak up? It is not like you.
Mother.
I am
Lady Yeoju, the so-called master of matchmaking.
What do you mean?
Besides running the book rental shop,
I was also a matchmaker.
Ye Jin's wedding was also arranged by me.
What?
That is why
the Lady Yeoju who makes powders
pretended to be me to fool you.
I am sorry.
You mean
Lord Gyeongunjae's partner
that is helping him to match the Maeng girls is you?
Yes.
Why are you telling me all this now?
I thought I should tell you
what Monk Socheon told me about In Hyun's death.
So you are saying
you reported Lord Jo and Lord Park to the King
for treason over that incident eight years ago?
I reported them without knowing Lady Yeoju was your sister.
See? You should have hinted to me earlier.
His Majesty already knows of their treason.
What would change if I arrest Lord Park Bok Ki
for murder?
Luckily, His Majesty
is worried for Prince Jinsung's safety.
So?
If Park Bok Ki and Lord Jo are caught for treason,
Prince Jinsung will also be punished.
So if you report them for another crime
that will cost them their titles,
His Majesty will not punish them for treason.
If that is the case, I can arrest Park Bok Ki
for Lee Cho Ok's murder right away.
However, all I have is circumstantial evidence.
Neither will the witness testify
since Lord Park may retaliate.
I have a plan for that.
Forget Park Bok Ki.
We should find a crime for Lord Jo.
What?
You are a better investigator than me, are you not?
That is true.
You must have struggled to speak up.
Thank you for letting me know.
What does Lord Gyeongunjae
plan to do about the incident eight years ago?
As he did not know I was a noblewoman,
he said it would be hard
to absolve Lady Yeoju's crime even if he exposed the matter.
Ye Jin and Geun Seok
If they learn about this, they will receive a huge blow.
Make sure they never find out.
Yes, I shall be careful.
Also,
just because you came clean with me,
does not mean I have forgiven you for lying to me
and going around with a man.
Until I tell you to,
you may not leave the house for the time being.
If you disobey me again,
I will not forgive you anymore.
Thank you for trying
- to help my sister. - I am just doing the right thing.
Do you love her?
Now that you know who my sister is,
please stop seeing her. I am not requesting.
As Soon Duk's brother,
this is my warning.
Lord Sim, please come here.
Lady Yoo's suicide seems odd, does it not?
You are right.
She must have known her husband liked men.
Why would she join her husband in death when she had a son?
During the murder, was Lady Yoo
Lady Yoo was at the scene of the crime.
She did not take her own life but was silenced?
To think I was unaware.
I am
I am so sorry, In Hyun.
Are you really giving it to me?
Yes. You said you wanted it.
I do not need it anymore.
Are you
quitting matchmaking?
Yes.
I do not think I can continue anymore.
Of course, I remember.
As soon as Lady Park arrived in Pyongyang,
Lady Yoo had committed suicide.
Rumors had it
that Lady Park forced her to hang herself.
But everyone in Hanyang believed that rumor.
The rumor was started by a coroner over drinks.
(Coroner: Someone who examines bodies)
He said Lady Yoo
did not hang herself to death.
He claimed that she was hung after someone killed her.
That was how the rumor spread.
So she did not hang herself.
Lady Yoo did not commit suicide.
Do you know who killed her?
I saw
the left state councilor tie Lady Yoo's body to the beams.
Why can I not forget him? It is not like we are meant to be.
I can forget him.
I think I have almost forgotten him.
His Majesty is unwell.
He will read the reports tomorrow.
Is he in a bad condition?
He is feeling under the weather over a slight fever.
Goodness.
It is rare for him to skip on reports.
Oh, dear.
Is he very sick?
Poor him.
If Lord Jo and Park Bok Ki are sentenced
for other crimes and stripped of their titles,
Prince Jinsung will not be affected,
and you will be able to protect the Crown Prince.
By other crimes, you mean
Park Bok Ki murdered Lee Cho Ok
in September last year.
I thought there was no evidence for that case.
No one spoke up in fear of retaliation.
If we promise to protect their identity,
we will be able to find witnesses.
Is that so?
I have been bothered by that case all this time.
This is great.
Eight years ago, Lord Jo killed his daughter-in-law,
claiming she killed herself.
He built a memorial gate for her as a cover-up.
Kill his daughter-in-law?
What an insane
Do you have evidence?
The officer in Pyongyang from then
said that he saw Lord Jo tie Lady Yoo's body
to the beams at the time.
Is that so?
However,
will Lord Jo admit his crime with that testimony alone?
You have evidence of his treason.
Please tell him
you will sentence him for treason if he does not admit the crime.
If you do, the both of them will own up to their crimes.
I see.
Rather than being wiped out as a clan for being traitors,
they would rather have their titles stripped for murder.
Keep this a secret between you and me.
Especially
from the chief royal secretary. Things will get out of hand.
Good.
My, look at you.
What a brilliant idea.
I will head to bed early tonight.
Come back in the morning.
Yes, my lord.
We are good for dinner.
In two hours,
the Chief Magistrate and Deputy Minister are coming.
Bring out the drinks and snacks then.
I will, Father.
Bye, Gae Dong.
It must be done perfectly this time.
Getting rid of that nerd is a piece of cake.
I will be back before the drinks are served.
I was here all night long today.
It seems something horrible will happen tonight.
What do you mean by that?
I overheard this while cleaning the men's room the other day.
Do not worry.
I will do it myself this time.
Just thinking about how I lost my money
and Maeng Ha Na because of Gyeongunjae
makes my blood boil.
The target worth getting rid of
is most likely Young Master's tutor, Lord Gyeongunjae.
Getting rid of that nerd is a piece of cake.
Lady Jung! Where are you going?
Is it you outside, O Bong?
What brings you here, my lady?
Hide at once.
My uncle is trying to get you killed.
He is not here, either.
You said he came home earlier. So where is he?
Darn it.
Get me some light. Hurry.
(Crown Prince's Kidnapping)
(Suspect)
(Letter)
That little Gyeongunjae
When did he look into all of this?
I cannot believe this.
Let us return for now.
Understood.
You really
Goodness. Are you all right?
My lady
Did you come here while making dinner?
I was in a rush.
Still, you should have known better than to come here like that.
What if someone sees you?
Does that even matter?
When I thought you could die,
my mind went blank.
My apologies for startling you.
And
thank you
for saving me.
I thought I could do it.
But I was wrong.
I cannot forget you, my lord.
Did you only realize that now?
The moment I first met you, I knew
I would never forget you.
(The Matchmakers)
Did I not tell you not to leave the house?
I am not sure if you can be trusted.
The court maid of Dongungjeon has woken up.
What is this?
I can do it.
What?
I am being framed!
You should not ask the method
but what I want.
So it is my turn to listen to your condition.
Do not meet with my daughter-in-law.
If you defy my words,
I will have no choice but to do it my way.
(The Matchmakers)