The Story of Park's Marriage Contract Ep 1-2 Review: Lee Se Young, Bae In Hyuk impress in quirky rom-com

Name: The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract

Premiere date: November 24, 2023

Cast: Lee Se Young, Bae In Hyuk, Joo Hyun Young, Yoo Seon Ho

Director: Park Sang Hoon

Writer: Go Nam Jeong (based on a Webtoon with the same title)

Number of episodes: 12

Genre: Historical, fantasy, romantic-comedy

Language: Korean

The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract episode 1

In the first episode of The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract, set in the Joseon era, we are introduced to Park Yeon Woo (Lee Se Young), also known as Ho Jeob, a skilled tailor referred to as the "God of Clothes." Despite her expertise, she disguises herself as Ho Jeob. After completing her work, Yeon Woo transforms back into her proper attire and rushes back. In her absence, Sa Wol (Joo Hyun Young) guards, but Yeon Woo is caught by Madam (Kim Yeo Jin), her mother, who urges her to get married.

Park Yeon Woo is known to be notorious and turns away potential suitors, but her mother, Madam, is determined to find her a husband. Meanwhile, Joseon's Kang Tae ha (Bae in hyuk) faces pressure to marry from his lower-middle-class family. The morning brings a surprise for Yeon Woo as she discovers she has been fired from her boutique job. Yeon Woo and Sa Wol brainstorm ways to continue, and during a walk, they encounter a village festival where bachelors are being mocked. When Yeon Woo becomes a target, she decides on a surprising resolution: to marry the old bachelor from the Kang family. 

Later we see the King of Joseon discover his princess wearing a skirt, prompting him to order the national bureau to find and punish the person responsible for making such clothes. Park Yeon Woo, determined to marry an old bachelor while making him wear her designed clothes, goes to his house to find him. During her search, she encounters Kang Tae Ha, who questions her presence.

Meanwhile, Sa Wol observes Madam entering the same house. Kang Tae Ha advises Yeon Woo to leave, but she refuses, wanting to meet the bachelor. Madam's arrival leads Yeon Woo to hide with Kang Tae Ha. As they leave, Yeon Woo accidentally drops something, drawing Madam and Tae Ha's mother back. Fortunately, Tae Ha distracts them. Yeon Woo and Sa Wol depart, while Tae Ha reminisces about his childhood and how he was inspired by Yeon Woo.

Yeon Woo ventures out once more to sell her clothes but is shocked to see the king's men burning them and branding them as indecent. Frightened, she flees as they pursue her. Kang Tae Ha later saves her as they escape together. A mysterious lady appears who hides them in a plaque and saves them. Later, Madam summons Yeon Woo and orders her to marry, asserting that it is every woman's duty to be wed and deeming it a sin for a woman to harbor dreams.

Tae Ha later catches as Yeon Woo as escapes her house and follows her. Together they go to the market where Tae Ha gives her back the watch that she dropped earlier. Yeon Woo reveals it to be of her grandfather. Yeon Woo asks Joseon’s Tae Ha’s name who reveals it to be Kang Tae Ha. Tae Ha pushes Yeon Woo to pursue her dreams of making beautiful clothes and together they watch fireworks. Yeon Woo's father forcefully brings her back home and informs her that her wedding date has been set.

Yeon Woo later meets the same mysterious woman who saved her life. They have tea together and the lady who is deemed to be a foreigner due to her eyes, asks Yeon Woo to believe in her fate. It is later revealed that Yeon Woo is set to marry the ugly bachelor from Kang’s family. The ugly bachelor and Yeon Woo get married. Later, Yeon Woo waits for him on their wedding night. He arrives, revealing himself to be none other than Kang Tae Ha. Yeon Woo is overjoyed to see him.

Tae Ha suggests they break up, leaving Yeon Woo shocked. He reveals his heart condition, indicating he could pass away at any moment, leaving Yeon Woo distressed. Yeon Woo later assures him as his wife that she is okay and will stay by his side. Later in the night, Tae Ha’s heart gives up and he passes away in Yeon Woo’s arms. Tae Ha's mother attempts to blame Yeon Woo, but she firmly tells her that she is aware of everything and requests not to disgrace her family. 

While mourning Tae Ha, Yeon Woo discovers the ornament she lost as a child. Suddenly, a mysterious figure appears and kidnaps Yeon Woo. The figure throws Yeon Woo in a well and time stops in Joseon. The only one able to move is the green-eyed mysterious woman from before, who appears to be a supernatural entity. Yeon Woo then travels through the water into a different time where someone who looks like her husband jumps into the water to save her. Yeon Woo opens her eyes and is stunned to see Tae Ha there. 

The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract episode 2 

In Episode 2, we witness modern day Kang Tae Ha, the vice president in 2023 known as Kangdro for his seemingly emotionless demeanor, portrayed as intelligent and strict in his corporate role. We also encounter Min Hye Suk, Tae Ha's stepmother, who remains antagonistic. Tae Ha's grandfather holds him in high regard, while Hye Suk aspires to become the chairwoman of Tae Ha's company. All of them have the same faces as their Joseon counterparts.

Later, at the company pool, Tae Ha learns that his bride has disappeared. During the conversation, he spots Yeon Woo in the pool and takes it upon himself to rescue her.

Yeon Woo recognizes Tae Ha as her Joseon-era husband, but he has no recollection of her and dismisses her as crazy. Despite the disconnection, the present mirrors the past as Tae Ha's grandfather pressures him to marry as he is sick. Tae Ha in the present too suffers from a heart condition. Tae Ha decides to marry Yeon Woo, hoping it will lead to his grandfather’s surgery.

As Yeon Woo prepares for the wedding, she meets Tae Ha, who echoes her past words and promises to protect her. They marry, but Yeon Woo remains convinced she's in the underworld, and Tae Ha is her husband. Frustrated, Tae Ha reveals the present year, 2023, but Yeon Woo refuses to believe it. Tae Ha, exasperated, asks for Yeon Woo to be taken to the police station as she struggles to grasp the modern world.

We later meet Tae Ha’s brother Tae Min who gets the news of his brother getting married. Yeon Woo, on the other hand, separated from the secretary of Tae Ha named Hong, wanders around in Seoul. She bumps into Tae Min causing him to fall and chase her around. She runs away. Tae Ha remembers Yeon Woo as her memories come flooding to him. He later gets to know Yeon Woo has disappeared, sending Secretary Hong to go searching for him. 

Stranded in Seoul, Yeon Woo recalls the mysterious woman's words from Joseon about her long journey, now seemingly unfolding in the present. She encounters a helpful kid who buys her food. The kid’s mother gets into a near-car accident with none other than Sa Wol who has also traveled to the modern world but hasn’t found Yeon Woo yet. As Yeon Woo wanders through Seoul, she finds herself in a park, reminiscing about her family and becoming emotional.

Meanwhile, Tae Ha dreams about Yeon Woo from Joseon. Tae Ha's grandfather's surgery is canceled, and he expresses a desire to see Yeon Woo. Tae Ha rushes out in search of her and finds her at the convenience store she visited yesterday. She, seeing him angrily walks away but he catches up to her and asks her to be his wife. She believes him to be a con man and refuses. Later he convinces her to act like his wife for a day and because she is stranded alone she agrees. They go back to his place where she meets his grandfather. She later urges Tae Ha to let her stay for a few days and Tae Ha agrees for the sake of his grandfather. Later at night she goes out to get some food but instead scares Tae Ha. 

In the morning, Secretary Hong hands over the contract he prepared for Yeon Woo to Tae Ha. Tae Min visits Tae Ha's house, where he encounters Yeon Woo and recognizes her from a previous encounter. Tae Ha hurriedly returns home, and Tae Ha's stepmother also makes her way to his house. We witness Yeon Woo recalling Tae Ha's mother, who bears a striking resemblance to Joseon's Tae Ha's mother. Through a series of flashbacks, the narrative unfolds, revealing Tae Ha's grandfather in the present holding a picture of young Yeon Woo from the Joseon era, which was previously in the possession of Joseon's Tae Ha. Tae Ha arrives just in time to shield Yeon Woo from his mother, and the episode concludes.

The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract premiere review

The show carries a fun and engaging premise that seamlessly blends moments of depth with an overall enjoyable tone, urging viewers not to miss a single second. While the storyline may not introduce anything groundbreaking, the actors have adeptly delivered their performances, breathing life into the scenes and dialogues, leaving audiences craving more. Despite the familiar narrative, the series remains entertaining, serving a delightful array of emotions with each moment.

The first episode of The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract kicks off with a captivating start, presenting a whimsical chapter that introduces all the main characters and their respective storylines. The episode achieves a balanced mix of comedy and romance, skillfully portraying the blossoming love story between Yeon Woo and Tae Ha before it is abruptly torn apart. This narrative choice effectively showcases Yeon Woo's inner conflict, particularly when she is abruptly transported to the present timeline.

The second episode delves further into the storyline as we see Yeon Woo’s struggle to try and grasp the modern world while the 2023’s Tae Ha is too confused to understand what is going on giving birth to a quirky storyline. Many new characters are introduced that are an echo of Yeon Woo’s past setting up a mysterious narrative whether everything is connected. Lee Se Young shines in the role as someone who is thrown (literally) into the modern world and is trying to fit in setting the stage up for some humorous scenes. Bae In Hyuk playing the sweet husband who dies and later the indifferent chaebol also does a good-enough job in portraying both characters effortlessly. Overall the show seems to be a fun watch with a mix of different genres ready to serve you with all kinds of emotions on a platter for you to enjoy!

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