This write-up is long to make up for not writing more often.

1. The “Ssangyeonsulsa”

By now, it’s become clear to me that the real “Ssangyeonsulsa” is not the heroine SoonDeok but the Resentful One, JungWoo.

According to the Goryeo folk tales, a Ssangyeonsulsa was a mountain goddess who could recognize lovers. Back in Episode 3, SoonDeok began to believe that she was the Ssangyeonsulsa. For one, she was proud of her reputation of being the best at matchmaking couples who end up loving each other deeply and having many children. For another, she didn’t get the sarcasm and annoyance of the mother of the Three Spinsters when the latter asked her if she was the Ssangyeonsulsa.

Jungwoo is the Ssangyeonsulsa. He can recognize lovers subconsciously. The bodily aches that he experiences – from chest pains, heart palpitations, to stomach upsets — are his visceral reaction to the sight of lovers.

2. His-and-hers character profiles

At the beginning of the episodes, the profiles of a man and a woman are introduced. In this episode, we have Maeng Duri and Yoon BoGyeom.

Maeng Duri
23 years old
Second oldest of the old maidens
Note: harsh-spoken

Since she works as a seamstress to provide for her family, her ideal type is “someone who can earn a living for himself with his own hands.” The farmer Yoon BoGyeom seems to be her ideal match, but we all know that she’s going to end up with that scholar and mama’s boy.

Yoon BoGyeom
27 years old
Farming nobility
Note: orphaned at a young age

Since he believes that farming labor isn’t beneath a noble blood like him, he seems to be a good match for Duri. But when asked to say his ideal type, he looked at SoonDeok’s sister-in-law YeJin who was outdoors drinking again, then sighed. What was the use of his feelings when he knows that both YeJin’s status as the Left State Minister’s daughter and, more importantly, her idle and comfortable lifestyle weren’t fit for a farmer like him? I’m sure, however, if he drops his defeatist attitude that without family and political connections, and continue his studies, he can pass the state exams and work for the government. Jungwoo seems inclined to offer him patronage.

To be honest, I want our matchmakers, SoonDeok and Jungwoo, to make a successful match of Duri and BoGyeom because on paper, they’re the logical choice.

But since sparks are already flying between Duri and the scholar (plus Jungwoo suffered a malady at the sight of them together), and Yejin and BoGyeom are moping around like a dog without a bone, I’m sure this kdrama will go for the theme that “the heart wants what it wants.”

3. The matchmaking of the three spinsters

The names of the sisters are easy to remember.

Hana, 24 years old
Duri, 23 years old
Samsoon, 21 years old

The Korean numerals are:
Han for one
Du for two
Sam for three

Our hero Jungwoo doesn’t like the deceptions that SoonDeok takes to marry off the girls but what can he do? SoonDeok considers them HER “marriage technique” and he already agreed to follow her.

Although I’m not that interested in the sisters’ subplots, I enjoy watching how SoonDeok prepares the sisters for their marriage.

Back in Episode 4, she taught them the skill of “first-sight.”

JungWoo: (baffled) Do you need skills to look someone in the eye?
SoonDeok: Of course. The marriage is half-way successful if the first-sight goes well. It requires very exquisite and delicate skills.

Then, she demonstrated the technique to the sisters. I found that funny.

SoonDeok: First, you wear the head covering like this. (covering her face so only the eyes are visible)

Then she circled the tree stump in the middle of the courtyard and stopped in front of a calabash shell. She lowered her head covering to reveal a smiling face. Her smile was towards Jungwoo’s direction. Right on cue, Jungwoo had chest pains at the sight of her pretty face. He dropped his book. As he fumbled with the book, SoonDeok replaced her head covering and returned to the starting point.

SoonDeok: And come back wearing the head covering again.
Samsoon: That’s it?
SoonDeok: Yes. It looks very easy to do, but it is actually very detailed and difficult. The key to “first-sight” is to wear the head covering so just a bit of your face shows when you reach the spot I designate after the Buddhist ritual, Topdol. You strike a soft smile towards the wall.

By “wall,” she meant Jungwoo, of course. The girls were practicing their “first-sight” smiles at Jungwoo. None of the girls flustered him like SoonDeok did. I laughed when Samsoon’s smile scared him to death.

JungWoo: Why are you frowning? She said to smile!
Samsoon: I am smiling right now.
JungWoo: Are you serious? This is tragic.

The oldest sister Hana got it right in one try. But JungWoo was unmoved.

SoonDeok: (clapping) You did so well. As expected.
Samsoon: (protesting) She did not look at the wall or even smile.
Hana: (matter-of-factly) My youngest sister, the first-sight skill Yeojudaek speaks of is to take off the head covering and show your braided hair. The goal is to show the men by the wall that I am a virgin and show them my face. I do not need to smile since I am extremely pretty.
Samsoon: (sad) That would mean then I’m ugly.
Hana: Uhmmmm. But you are cute.
Samsoon: I am only cute in your eyes, Unnie.
Hana: (comforting her) It is not your fault you are not pretty so do not be upset about that.

Observing their interaction, JungWoo decided that the rumor that the eldest sister was an idiot must have been circulated to divert from her good looks. Since she was already beautiful, her detractors couldn’t have her smart as well.

When the middle sister, Duri, took her turn, she glared at JungWoo. He realized that to give offense was her style. (She was the female equivalent of a tsundere.) It was no wonder then that there was false rumor about her frequenting a courtesan house. Her detractors were getting even for her “strange charm.”

After the skill of “first-sight” was taught to the sisters in Episode 4, in Episode 5, SoonDeok proceeded to the next item on her agenda: find husbands for the sisters on April 8, Buddha’s Birthday.

I was laughing at how she tailor-made each perp walk…err…maiden walk for the sisters.

For Hana, she gave her a plain head covering (an embroidered one was unnecessary), but a unique floral lamp (to emphasize her uniqueness). Then, she gave Hana a big shove that almost had Hana stumbling onto the bachelors.

JungWoo: (puzzled by her action) What did you do just now?
SoonDeok: Lady Hana’s looks are enough to make all the old bachelors move. So, letting her make the choice makes it easier to create a relationship at times like this.

What she meant was Hana only had to make the bold entrance to attract the men’s eyes. The men could resist her seeing her beauty. But given Hana’s strong will, SoonDeok knew that she needed to make her own choice.

And sure enough, Hana decided to stop in front of a table of men playing baduk. Without asking for their permission, she played a move on the baduk board, then she dropped her head covering for her pre-assigned “first-sight” move. She cautioned the players, “It seemed too early to throw the stone in this game.” Lol. Her cryptic words could be referring to the baduk game or to her courtship. Then, she replaced her head covering, took her lamp, and walked away.

Note here: JungWoo didn’t suffer from any chest pains, so there was no love match found for Hana in her perp walk.

For Duri, SoonDeok began to play the drum rhythmically.

JungWoo: (puzzled once more) Why are you playing the drum?
SoonDeok: Your heart races when you see someone you like. It also races when you hear drumbeats. It is to confuse the old bachelors into thinking their hearts are racing from seeing Lady Duri.
JungWoo: (protesting) Wait! That would be fraud!
SoonDeok: Rather than fraud, please call it my technique of amplifying the heart flutter. We need an old bachelor who will take the reigns for Lady Duri who is not cooperative with marriage.

Duri stopped in front of the noble farmer BoGyeom and performed her “first-sight” move, haughtily. BoGyeom stood up and followed her. To SoonDeok and Jungwoo, it would appear as if her plan worked. She looked very pleased with herself.

But the thing here is JungWoo again didn’t suffer any chest pains, so this couldn’t be a love match between Duri and BoGyeom. In fact, once BoGyeom and Duri were out of sight, BoGyeom suddenly took a different path and began following a girl in green skirt. If he was really interested in Duri, he would have made sure to follow the girl in pink skirt because Duri was wearing pink. The girl in green was YeJin.

As for the youngest sister, Samsoon, SoonDeok instructed her to wear perfume for her maiden walk.

SoonDeok: This is a resin extracted from spring flowers. Apply it on your wrist, neck, and skirt hem before walking.
Samsoon: (hesitantly) From flowers?
SoonDeok: Yes.

Samsoon obeyed her. JungWoo noticed that SoonDeok also prepared a lamp in the middle of the trail for Samsoon.

JungWoo: W-wait! Why is that lamp placed there?
SoonDeok: Unfortunately, most bachelors only focus on looks. So the flower scent will attract old bachelors just like they do bees. And Lady Samsoon’s looks will be enhanced with the lights from the fish lamp.
JungWoo: (protesting again) Wait! That is also fraud based on optical illusion.

Lol. I like JungWoo’s insistence that there should be no deception involved in the matchmaking. He wants SoonDeok to stick to the straight and narrow.

JW’s assistant: I think it is a matchmaking technique.
SoonDeok: (smiling at the assistant) As I expected, you are flexible.
JungWoo: (sighing) To call fraud a technique is…seriously! The future of Joseon is gravely dark.

Unfortunately for SoonDeok, her plan failed because Samsoon was allergic to flowers. She gave the most unlady-like sneeze in front of the old bachelors. And she couldn’t hide her face because her head covering fell when she sneezed, and the lamp illuminated her whole face. Distressed, she scurried off.

JungWoo: (concerned) The youngest didn’t get to lock her eyes on anyone. What do we do?
SoonDeok: I will ensure the marriage happens without a hitch. So do not worry.
JungWoo: (realizing) If failing the first-sights does not affect their marriages, then why on earth did we go through all this ruckus?
SoonDeok: (reminding him) It is to find old bachelors whom the ladies would like.

And that’s SoonDeok’s motivation in a nutshell. She performs this matchmaking service first and foremost for the women or the brides-to-be. She wanted other women to enter in a loving marriage, just like she did, and experience the same happiness she once had…especially when her marriage was cut too short. In essence, she was living vicariously through the marriage she was arranging.

4. Women >> Men

This kdrama reverses the common perception that men are more devious and scheming than the women.

For instance, the Left State Minister is clearly outsmarted and outplayed by his wife, Lady SoHyun. She makes the power play behind-the-scenes, and she’s the one with the connections. Correct me if I’m wrong, but not only is her younger brother the Defense Minister, but her younger sister is also the Royal Consort Sookbin. Then, Sookbin’s son is Prince Jin Seong.

The Dongno Party plans to kill off the current Crown Prince and install Prince Jin Seong as the heir to the throne. If their plan prevails, then Lady SoHyun becomes the de facto power behind the throne.

The one person who can ruin Lady SoHyun’s plan is JungWoo. If he hadn’t been married off to the King’s daughter, JungWoo would have been the party leader of the Dongno. The Dongno party was his father’s creation.

As for SoonDeok, her craftiness can match that of her mother-in-law Lady SoHyun’s deviousness. She amazes JungWoo with her deceptions and lies. But unlike the Left State Minister, JungWoo isn’t blind to SoonDeok’s machinations. He sees her tricks up-close. He knows that she has an excellent understanding human psychology. He protests that she manipulates situations to fake the romantic atmospheres.

I like that despite his disapproval of her technique, he doesn’t hesitate to clean up after her misadventures. I find that SoonDeok can be a bit reckless since she believes that her way is the right way. It’s a good thing then that JungWoo anticipates the snags in her plans and deals with them silently.

Take for example, the beating of the Sinmungo or the “people’s drum.” JungWoo knew that there would be an investigation on who ordered the door to the Sinmungo opened so he preempted the fall-out by taking the responsibility himself.

His reasoning was straightforward.

JungWoo: I do not want innocent people to suffer when the Defense Minister is the despicable one. I can avoid punishment because I am a member of the royal family. That is how much I care about the subordinates.

By “subordinates,” he meant that he didn’t want a civil servant, like SoonDeok’s brother, to get blamed for SoonDeok’s action. On the surface, he seemed to be merely on the side of civil servants. In reality, he was protecting SoonDeok.

5. JungWoo and SoonDeok’s highlights

With so much attention to the affairs of other characters, it’s easy to lose sight of the main romance in this kdrama. Here are the highlights.

a. JungWoo recognized SoonDeok without her disguise.

This made her happy because neither her brother nor her fellow matchmakers recognized her.

JungWoo: You!
SoonDeok: (silent)
JungWoo: What is this outfit?!
SoonDeok: Do you recognize me?
JungWoo: How could I not?
SoonDeok: (gasping)
JungWoo: I asked you why you are dressed like this.
SoonDeok: Ah. I disguised myself as a Bukchon daughter-in-law to make my job easier.
JungWoo: Oho! Even so, how can a merchant pretend to be a noble madam? I will –
SoonDeok: Are you going to report me? (frowning at him)
JungWoo: Seriously. It is quite miserable because this job is far too different from my conviction.

He was grumbling that the king’s assignment for him was causing him to behave in a manner that is inconsistent with his beliefs and principles. He felt that it was unfair of the king to put him in this situation. He was in so much misery.

SoonDeok: (under her breath) Miserable is a bit too much.
JungWoo: Now that I look at you, you took the thick makeup off your face –
SoonDeok: (interrupting him before he said something insulting) Gosh! Do not say anything. I know very well my face without makeup and a beauty mark looks plain.
JungWoo: I am glad you know. But it is not too bad to look at. I prefer the way you look now.

I found his statement interesting.

First, he was insulting: he agreed that she had a plain face. But then, he softened that insult by conceding that she wasn’t as ugly as she thought she was. Finally, he admitted that he liked this natural face of hers better than her made-up face. So, in one breath, he went from insulting to complimenting her looks.

Then, the way he cleared his throat meant that although he was a little bit discomfited about complimenting her, it behooved him to tell the truth. He wasn’t somebody who lied.

SoonDeok: Sorry?
JungWoo: (grouchily) Forget it! Hurry up and explain now. Why is Temple Seonhwa a special place?

And just like that, he changed the topic.

b. SoonDeok offered him to be his shield.

JungWoo confessed his social anxiety disorder to SoonDeok.

JungWoo: I sometimes get unprovoked palpitations when I am in a crowd.
SoonDeok: Sorry? That was surely the language of Joseon, but why can’t I understand what you said?
JungWoo: It means my heart sometimes races when there are many people, causing chest pain. It calms down if I look away from people, so just stand there covered for a moment.

As I said above, I think this is his “Ssangyeonsulsa” skills acting up. Since he was walking in the middle of couples meeting his/her lover, his body was naturally reacting to the stress.

SoonDeok: It is not some kind of life-threatening disease. Right?
JungWoo: Modern-day medicine does not know the cause, but it is not life-threatening. Gosh. It is getting a bit better now.
SoonDeok: One moment, please. (taking a few steps away from him) I will make way, so just follow me closely from behind, looking at me only. In other words, make me your shield and don’t look at other people. Then, your chest should not hurt anymore. Right?

I find this sweet and hilarious at the same time. How could she be his shield when she was so tiny?

Anyway, they walked out of there safely.

c. Jungwoo reached for out-of-reach fish lamp and handed it to SoonDeok.

I’m going to call this the RoWoon trope, okay? In all the dramas I’ve seen him in, there’s always a scene where his height is brought into play. He’s always appearing from behind to help the girl reach for something that’s way above her head.

How tall is he anyway?

Here’s his answer.

“I’m revealing this for the first time here on ‘Idol Room’!” announced Rowoon. “I’ve always said I’m 189 centimeters [approximately 6 feet, 2 inches] tall but I’m actually 190.5 centimeters [approximately 6 feet, 3 inches] tall.”

Source: soompi

SoonDeok was naturally confused when JungWoo helped her with the lamp. She seemed to have a thing for tall men helping her out. She met and fell in love with her first husband when he took down a book from the upper shelf for her. And now, she was falling for JungWoo, too.

d. His flute playing impressed her. 

Just when she thought that her carefully laid-out plan to stage the “first-sight” for the three sisters was all ruined by the bachelors in-fighting, Jungwoo saved the night by playing his flute.

With his excellent skill, he stopped all the bachelors in the Fence of Darkness as well as the people in the Temple Seonhwa in their tracks. Later, she complimented him.

SoonDeok: I really enjoyed your daegeum performance.
JungWoo: Mmm. I tend to get really good at something if I start it.
SoonDeok: (smiling)

To me, she was getting used to his swagger and his way of tooting his own horn.

Also, to my ears, the dageum’s song of love sounded plaintive, like it was played by someone who was still searching and pining for one’s love, instead of rejoicing in the company of one’s love.

e. He prepared a lantern for her on the Buddha’s birthday.

JungWoo: Here, take this. This is the latest item from the Ming Dynasty. Do you know what it is? It is —
SoonDeok: Is it not a sky lantern?
JungWoo: It is.
SoonDeok: I launched one with my brother once in Pyeongyang.
JungWoo: You keep talking about your brother. What does your brother do for a living anyway? Pffft.

He was getting jealous?? The sky lantern must have been a novelty item from China, and thus, is expensive to buy. All the attendees at the festival only used a water lantern. JungWoo expected SoonDeok to be impressed so he was understandably annoyed that her brother had already introduced it to her.

JungWoo: (continuing) And while we’re on the subject, how older are you? You look much younger than me, and yet you speak brashly to me.

SoonDeok ignored his question. She was preoccupied with lighting the sky lantern.

Unfortunately, she dropped it before it could fly.

SoonDeok: Gosh! I should have made a wish!
JungWoo: You are not a child. Why make a wish? (producing another lantern) Here! You can have this one.

He produced another one like a magician. Lol. Of course, he would have two. One for him, and one for her. But since she dropped hers, he was giving her his.

SoonDeok: (grabbing it) Is that really okay?
JungWoo: Pffft.

He watched her excitement and for the first time, he refrained from complimenting himself. He didn’t crow about how smart he was to have a spare sky lantern at hand in case she clumsily lost hers.

As she released the sky lantern, she remembered to make a wish.

He snorted at her childishness. Secretly, though, he was happy to see her so animated.

JungWoo: Making a wish, goodness. (clearing throat) Let me ask you. What wish did you make?
SoonDeok: My brother said your wish will not come true if you tell someone.
JungWoo: (grumbling) Again and again with your non-stop prattle about your brother.

They stared at each other and slowly, SoonDeok leaned forward, as if to kiss him.

JungWoo: (to himself) Is this…is this not that typical action which comes before a kiss that I read in the erotica novels?

Then, he looked away from her and closed his eyes. Hahaha. He was acting like a virgin in those erotica novels.

Note: I don’t think she was about to kiss him. Most likely, she was about to whisper something to him, something like the wish she just made.

Then, the gong struck the hour. She had to take her leave abruptly.

SoonDeok: Sir, I will see you at the merchants’ inn in three days. (collecting her things) Goodbye.
JungWoo: (gasping) She cannot just leave after creating a situation like this.

We know that this is trope reversal. Instead of a typical over-reaction of the female lead, it was the hero who was upset that SoonDeok left him with pent-up emotions.

After she was gone, he retrieved the lantern she dropped and launched it himself after making a wish.

Lanterns are a common trope in kdramas nowadays. However, for me, two things set this scene apart from the others.

One, the girl is totally clueless that the guy has any special intentions for the lanterns. SoonDeok has become so used to tugging at the heartstrings to create romance that she doesn’t even know when her own heartstrings are being pulled by the person right beside her.

Two, the lantern represents the moment when JungWoo realizes that a sincere and well-intentioned love token can be savored despite the recipient being oblivious of it. He’s so used to calling attention to his great accomplishments that it’s cosmic karma that his most difficult task of all – making SoonDeok fall for him – will have to be done in secrecy.

That’s it for me, folks.