Rowoon’s role as Shim Jeong Woo is prime in the second episode of The Matchmakers. He wittily manages to save himself from the king’s orders to get him killed. He sets out on a mission to get the three daughters of Maeng Sang Cheon married, who were also known as the old maidens in Namsan Village. The order of the state is either to do or die, and Jeong Woo does it all to save his own life. Many other events prove that Yeojudaek is the best matchmaker in town and can help him find perfect matches for the maidens. Are the prince and the renowned matchmaker able to form a team to find suitable matches for the girls? What intentions drive the two to get married? Let’s find out!
Spoilers Ahead
How Did Jeong Woo Escape The King’s Wrath?
As we see Jeong Woo being ordered to be killed for having tried to delay the Crown Prince’s marriage, he comes up with a witty plan to escape death. He tells the king that he could resolve the issue that the old maidens and bachelors have been struggling with. He tells the King to show public concern for the issue and get some of them married off in order to clear the path for the Crown Prince’s marriage. Marrying off and getting rid of some of the old maidens would make the people think that the Royalty was genuinely concerned about them, helping them to get a match for the Crown Prince. The king tells him that if he fails to get them married off, then he will be killed on Royal orders.
Why Are The Three Maidens Not Married Yet?
Jeong Woo goes to the matchmakers to ask for their help in finding suitable matches for the old maidens in the next two months. They are unable to take his request and tell him that they cannot help him in this matter. They say that there are rumors that the eldest daughter is possessed by a spirit and hunts down men at night by the river. The second daughter is said to have a sharp tongue and a violent nature, while the third daughter dresses up as a man, and her sexual preferences are ‘questionable’. We get a glimpse of the second daughter, where she is seen arguing with the young bachelor, the principal of Sungkyunkwan’s son. He accuses her of being a thief, and she lashes out at him. However, he later apologizes to her, and there seems to be a spark between them. Jeong Woo approaches the first daughter, Maeng Ha Na, and he says that it is the order of the state that she marry. The Royal Orders, however, fail to threaten her, and she declares that she will never marry.
How Does Yeojudaek Help In Perfect Matchmaking?
Yeojudaek’s dual life is unknown to her own family. She is seen to be fulfilling all the duties in her household as a dutiful daughter-in-law, and she also excels in matchmaking. She is seen coming up with unique ideas to help couples unite. She finds out that the Chief Royal Secretary’s son and Scholar Song’s daughter are in love with each other. Just as they are about to drink poison and end their lives, she stops them and decides to help. She understands that even though Scholar Song was wealthy, the Royal Secretary would not agree to the marriage because of a difference in their ranks in society. She advises the young man to pretend to become a monk in front of his parents so that they accept any woman for him to marry. Just as he is leaving his house as a monk, Yeojudaek appears to his parents and tells them that there is a maiden who could stop him from taking up monkhood. She then suggests the name of Scholar Song’s daughter, and they readily accept her.
He is also seen concocting a match for her sister-in-law with the principal of Sungkyunkwan’s son. She tells the mother that she had a good match for her son, who was bold and could control the soft nature of her son. She, however, does not tell her that she is related to the bride. She does it to ensure that the match that her in-laws had found for her sister-in-law was canceled, as the chosen groom was a cassanova. We see Yeojudaek telling her friend and her daughter that the young man was not afraid of his mother but respected her. She said that he could only be handled by a strong and independent woman.
Why Did Jeong Woo Approach Yeojudaek?
Jeong Woo learns from the other matchmakers that Yeojudaek is the best matchmaker in town and approaches her. When he approaches her, she is seen to be dreaming of her late husband and mistakenly touches Jeong Woo romantically in her sleep. On regaining her senses, she realizes she was dreaming and pushes Jeong Woo away. He tells her to do matchmaking for the old maidens because he wants to get rid of them. She resents the way Jeong Woo refers to them and says that she will not take up his request. She tells him that despite being old maidens, they had the right to get married to eligible bachelors, much like anyone else.
What Did Jeong Woo Find Out From The Mayor?
He goes to the mayor to talk to him about getting the old maidens married. The mayor laughs it off and does not understand Jeong Woo’s concern about getting them married. He tells the King that he thinks that there was something fishy because Jeong Woo was making an effort to get the old maidens married, which was unlike him. The King, who is aware of the reason behind it all, meets Jeong Woo in secret and rebukes him for having shared the issue with the Mayor.
How Is Hwa Rok’s Novel Connected To Lee Chok Ok’s Death?
Jeong Woo finds out important points about the mystery of Lee Chok Ok’s suicide from Jeon Soon Goo. He is the elder son of Jeong Yeon Moo, the border security officer. He tells Jeong Woo that ‘The Madam’s Private Life’ is a fictitious novel and exaggerates to show high-ranking officials disguised as servants, wooing women. This had increased Lee Chok Ok’s expectations, eventually causing her not to find a suitable match, therefore killing herself. He was therefore conducting private investigations to find out who Hwa Rok was. Jeong Woo wants to look at the forensic reports of Chok Ok and finds that she was stabbed before being thrown into the river. He states that it was not a suicide, but a murder!
What Is Hwa Rok’s Real Identity?
Hwa Rok’s identity is revealed to be the youngest daughter of Maeng Sang Cheon, one of the old maidens. Being a close friend of Yeojudaek, she reveals her identity to her in the end and asks her to find a match for her elder sisters. She says that she wanted to marry and not die as a virgin but could not marry before her sisters. Yeojudaek promises her that she will find all three sisters suitable matches. She then approaches Jeong Woo and tells him that she is ready to find suitable matches for the old maiden. Despite having different motives for the marriage of the sisters, both of them finally decide on the same point.
What To Expect Next?
Hwa Rok’s intentions seem dicey to us, as it is uncertain as to why she suddenly expresses her wish to marry. Was there a real connection between her novel and Chok Ok’s murder? It is possible that Hwa Rok wants to bury her pseudonym because she knows her book has a connection with the murder of Chok Ok. Marriage could have been an easy way for her to escape her identity as an author in the past. There are sure to be a lot of clashes in the third episode, where a lot of revelations are to be made. While Yeojudaek tries setting up her sister-in-law with the principal’s son, he is seen to take a liking to Maeng Sang Cheon’s second daughter. Hwa Rok’s real identity and motive are probably to be revealed along with a limelight on Chok Ok’s murder in the next episode. This episode has left us super excited for the release of the third episode!
