The Matchmakers (2023) K Drama Episode 14

Dec 19, 2023

Episode 14 of The Matchmakers begins with four confirmed couples – Jong-bok and Doo-ri, Ye-jin and Lee Shi-yeol, Ha-na and Crown Prince Lee, and Sam-soon and Inspector Soon-gu.

At present, Soon-deok does not believe that Jung-woo doesn’t love her anymore but he walks off. The Jos are in mourning and Ye-jin hates that she is to be wedded so soon. However, no one attends the funerals. As for Jung-woo, he sulks day and night alone.

So-hyun tells Ye-jin that she will marry with the Maengs and she is upset. Soon-deok tries to comfort Ye-jin by revealing that Bu-kyum is not marrying and she can follow her heart if she likes. But Ye-jin refuses as she cannot ruin their family any further.

The Queen is happy with Ha-na and selects her as the Crown Prince’s bride. Soon-deok tells the Maengs her true identity and Sam-soon is excited that they will be in-laws. Doo-ri does not care for marriage but goes with the flow.

When asked, she reveals to Soon-deok that she feels guilty. Once she was old enough to earn, her grandmother blinded her mother so she would not work as a lowly matchmaker. This is why she and Ha-na decided not to marry. But she promises Sam-soon that she is not being married against her will just so her sisters can marry.

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince finds new information on the Agents of Love. They were called Agents of Loneliness in the Silla era because their spouses died young when they married their soulmate.

Jung-woo feels guilty for the death of the princess and confirms with Madam Maeng that her soulmate too died young. Soon-deok notices that he looks disturbed and goes to him even though he tries to distance himself. He tells her about the Agents of Loneliness and she comforts him as it isn’t his fault the princess was poisoned.

That night, Soon-deok tells So-hyun that unlike her, she would have never tried to change the course of life as trying to make Jin-sung the Crown Prince led to their family’s downfall. So-hyun looks thoughtful and tells her to do what she likes when she becomes the head of the family.

But she doesn’t stop her scheming as she pledges her loyalty to the Queen. So-hyun then suggests that Jung-woo should chaperone Prince Jin-sung on a lowkey exile to Ming. The Queen agrees and tells the King to annul Jung-woo’s marriage so he can be an officer.

That night, the King and Jung-woo drink as in-laws. He will annul his son-in-law’s marriage as per his daughter’s wish. Jung-woo tries to refuse and they bicker before he gives in. Jung-woo is also commanded to escort Crown Prince Lee to the Maengs’ weddings as he wants to support his future in-laws.

Next, Soon-deok tries to match Yeoju and the hunter. She gets Jung-woo to pretend that the couple is fated which works and the hunter leaves happily with Yeoju and her kid. Jung-woo is thoughtful as to convince him, Soon-deok uses their example that they have feelings for each other even though they are not soulmates just like Yeoju and the hunter.

Alone, she sees through Jung-woo and he breaks down. He tries to warn her about So-hyun threatening him but she hugs him and promises to come up with a solution. Meanwhile, Madam Lee and Doo-ri exchange wedding gifts as they have grown fond of each other. As Doo-ri leaves, Shi-yeol follows her with a flimsy excuse and they walk together.

Rumours spread about the Jos regained influence as the Defence Minister’s son is marrying Ye-jin and the Crown Prince will be attending the wedding. So-hyun is excited that everything is going her way as they are also now legitimately connected to the Crown Prince via Soon-gu and the Maengs. But Soon-deok looks disturbed by her enthusiasm and plotting.

It is the wedding day, and 3 couples get ready. At the end of The Matchmakers episode 14, on the dais, Soon-deok and Jung-woo are shocked to see that they are one of the couples to be wedded.

The Episode Review

The ending feels way too absurd as Soon-deok is dressed as a bride so there is no way she didn’t know what was going on. The same goes for Jung-woo, what did you expect by standing in one of the groom’s places? Hope there is a plausible explanation in the next episode.

So-hyun, however, keeps exceeding expectations with her plotting. Just with her words, she is able to regain her influence, become family with the Crown Prince, have her daughter wedded, control the Defence Minister and have Jung-woo sent away. While the rest are playing checkers, she is out here playing chess. We should be getting a makjang with So-hyun as the main antagonist or an anti-hero, she is wasted away in this show.

But that doesn’t mean it isn’t entertaining. The Matchmakers episode 14 has all the pieces falling in place slowly. With just two episodes left, we are sure to get the remaining two true pairings (Shi-yeol and Doo-ri, Ye-jin and Bu-kyum) and a happy ending for Soon-deok and Jung-woo as well.