The Matchmakers (2023) K Drama Episode 4

Episode 4 of The Matchmakers begins with Jo’s servant saying that Soon-deok doesn’t know how scary her in-laws are. Meanwhile, the Chief Magistrate sentences 30 lashes to Madam Maeng.

Defence Minister Park and his lackey, Jwa-rang (cameo by SF9’s Hwiyoung) discuss their plan with Park thanking Jung-woo for his help. In a flashback, Park is complaining about Jo bossing him and confesses that his sister calls all the shots anyway.

He asks about Jung-woo’s matchmaking and the Magistrate tells him about the 24-years law that Jung-woo had cited. Park is gleeful as he will finally get his hands on Ha-na. He also reveals that he made up the rumour that she is possessed to teach her a lesson for being picky.

Meanwhile, Soon-deok asks her brother to open the petitioner’s drum and tells Madam Maeng to stall for time. Through the drum, Ha-na reveals Park’s plan and how he gives out usurious loans. This means the Department of Justice will have to investigate before Maeng’s sentence can be carried out.

Park So-hyun, sister to the Defence Minister tells him to be quiet. However, her husband, Jo reprimands him for listening to a woman and tells him to go to Jung-woo for help. Elsewhere, Jung-woo’s brother asks for help. That night, Park shows up and Jung-woo tells him the way out will be costly. Park cribs about memorizing his justification statement and Jung-woo suggests writing it and pretending to be sick.

At court, the Royal Chief Secretary reads it – there was a drought but due to his kind nature, Park kept giving out loans. The farmers couldn’t pay back, so he just took a concubine. For Ha-na, he wanted to help with the old maiden resentment by marrying her.

Jung-woo sneakily writes in another line – the farmers shall only pay back the principal, Park will pay the interest out of his own pocket, and Ha-na will be allowed a year of grace period to marry. Of course, Park is furious but Jung-woo says that he needed to turn the scandal into a moving tale.

In a flashback, Soon-deok scolds Jung-woo for being apathetic to Ha-na’s plight. He hears the petitioner’s drum and says her plan will flop as Ha-na will be arrested for obstruction of justice while Park will be let go as there is no proof of breaking the law. But Jung-woo decides to help. The King also wants to take down Park and agrees to cooperate.

Back to the present, So-hyun and Park bicker over him not listening to her. She moves on and tells him to find out who allowed Ha-na to use the petitioner’s drum.

Elsewhere, Jo gives a court lady the silkworm poison. Next, a shaman visits the Chief Queen and says her son may face the same fate as her dead daughter. Meanwhile, the nobleman finds a lead on Yeoju-daek as a merchant recognizes her.

As for her, she tells Soon-deok that she cannot meet So-hyun on Buddha’s Birthday to plan Ye-jin’s wedding as she has work. Bok-hee, her daughter is to stay with the bookseller. In a flashback, it is revealed that Soon-deok and Soon-gu saved a pregnant Yeoju-daek who was found unconscious at a riverbank.

Meanwhile, Soon-deok makes a schedule for Operation Maeng Sisters and it begins on Buddha’s Birthday at Sunhwa’s Temple. The first step is the First Eye Contact move. Jung-woo wonders if she is an Agent of Love as he scoffs at the concept of love at first sight. They bicker as she says she and her husband fell in love at first sight when he got a book for her from a high shelf. 

But their plan is thwarted as only Sam-soon shows interest in learning the eye contact move. Soon-deok uses Jung-woo to demonstrate and as she glances from her hood, he blushes and drops his fan. But when Sam-soon tries, he is terrified by her weird frowny smile. 

He then scolds the other two sisters for not cooperating and Ha-na begrudgingly gives in as she says a promise is a promise. She doesn’t smile but her move still works as she just needs to show her single plait that she is a maiden while her beauty does the rest of the work. Jung-woo is impressed and says her being foolish must be a rumour made out of jealousy.

Meanwhile, Ye-jin secretly meets a farmer. They go on a date and she makes flower rings for both of them. However, he can’t make it for Buddha’s Birthday and she is sad.

Next, Doo-ri threatens with a needle but gives in. She glares but she too passes the eye contact move due to her mysterious charm. He is then amused and catches himself staring while Soon-deok teaches Sam-soon how to pass.

That night, the court lady eats the silkworm poison and falls sick. The Queen tells the King that the lady is the food taster of the Crown Prince and has the same symptoms as their dead princess. She asks for their son to be hidden away but the King refuses as he believes the palace is the safest.

On Buddha’s Birthday, a sulky Ye-jin refuses to go to the gathering but Soon-deok’s kid convinces her. In town, Jung-woo keeps getting his usual chest pains. He spots the Queen but thinks he is seeing things.

Meanwhile, the Jos – Minister Jo, his wife, Park So-hyun, her sister, the second queen and her brother, Defence Minister Park along with their retinue discuss their plan. It is confirmed that they poisoned the princess, have given a cure to the court lady and have bribed the shaman. They want to scare the Chief Queen into moving the Crown Prince. He will be easier to kill and they can put the blame on her for moving him out of the palace.

They predict correctly as the Chief Queen decides to move her son during the gathering. Meanwhile, Soon-deok’s regular customers don’t recognise her as she is dressed as a widow. She keeps finding couples while trying to find a hiding place to change into her Yeojudaek disguise.

She accidentally crosses paths with Jung-woo and he picks up her hood as it falls. She is confident he won’t recognise her as even her brother couldn’t. But lo and behold, he recognises her and wonders at her widow disguise at the end of The Matchmakers episode 4.

The Episode Review

Honestly, give us a love triangle if needed but Jung-woo and Ha-na work so well. Yes, the relationship between him and Soon-deok is finally building up and there is chemistry.

But he and Ha-na have the perfect enemies-to-lovers energy even in The Matchmakers episode 4. He begrudgingly admires her while she pretends to tolerate him. While Rowoon’s overacting, sun rays and bokeh effects peppered Soon-deok’s eye-contact move, despite Ha-na’s move being casual, their eye contact was more intriguing.

Of course, Park So-hyun is the only one with enough braincells and should be the real antagonist. If her brother had listened to her instead of her husband, Jung-woo wouldn’t have been able to publicly make a fool out of him.

And nah, Soon-deok, what made you think your matchmaking disguise is foolproof — it is just lipstick and ribbon in your hair. And even if it was an over-the-top disguise, Jung-woo would recognise her regardless.