We all have seen a good number of time travel K-dramas with stories spanning generations. There is usually a Person A from the past who ends up coming to the present through a mysterious portal. Person A then meets Person B who may or may not bear resemblance to a past acquaintance. Person A and Person B have a set of comical and life changing experiences which might also lead them to fall in love with each other. That’s usually the gist, right? Then what do you think makes each drama different from the last? Some would say it is the cast, some say the story, some say the authentic delivery. I say all of the above. To those who were missing seeing Joseon and Seoul come face to face are in for a treat with The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract. The drama stars Bae In Hyuk and Lee Se Young in the lead as Kang Tae Ha and Park Yeon Woo respectively.
Park Yeon Woo is an ambitious woman from the Joseon era. She uses her designing skills to make the latest fashionable clothes for the women of Joseon and a small fortune for herself on the side. Despite her protests, she is married to Kang Tae Ha the eldest son of the Kang noble family. She only finds out about his heart disease after he tells her on their wedding night. He passes away on the same night. Dejected and in mourning, Yeon Woo decides to honour her marriage. A few days later, she is kidnapped by an unknown figure and thrown into a well. She drowns in the well but reaches present day Joseon aka Seoul, South Korea. In Seoul, she is of course bewildered and shocked to see a different era and lifestyle. She finds herself drowning in a pool only to be saved by present day Kang Tae Ha aka Kangdro, the emotionless and methodical CEO of the Kang group of companies. He arranges for his fake marriage to appease his ailing grandfather, but his bride runs away. With no other option, he asks Yeon Woo to fill in the shoes. Aimless and with nowhere to go, Yeon Woo agrees. Well, it won’t be a ‘task failed successfully’ trope if there were no external forces guiding the two characters to spend more time with each other. As the drama progresses, we see that instead of a one day arrangement, Tae Ha and Yeon Woo sign a contract for a month long long pretense of being really married.
Yeon Woo is a quick learner, despite her old ways of thinking and living. In the first two episodes itself, we see that regardless of the circumstances having failed her twice, she does not lose hope or determination to make the best out of the situation. Tae Ha on the other hand is also a determined fellow but he is quite lonely. He faces challenges from his step mother and step brother who are greedy to take over the Kang empire. He is a quick thinker and despite the curveballs, adapts quickly.
In the first episode we saw that Yeon Woo meets a mysterious woman dressed in fine clothes. The woman’s eyes are blue, sometimes green in color. She tells Yeon Woo that Yeon Woo would go a long way. The night Yeon Woo got abducted, the moon was blood red in color. The mysterious woman also sees the moon. When Yeon Woo’s pocket watch fell, the time stopped for a while. A blossomed branch of the myrtle tree she had held onto breaks off and is transported to modern Seoul with Yeon Woo. In the second episode, we see Tae Ha’s grandfather looking at a painting of a young girl. The painting is the same that Joseon-era’s Tae Ha had. The young girl is none other than Yeon Woo.
Bae In Hyuk and Lee Se Young’s chemistry is beginning to take shape. In the past, their characters barely had time to spend with each other but in the present, they have more time on their hands and also a steady storyline to keep the chemistry blossoming further. Right from the start we see the two bicker and banter with each other, looking completely at ease as if they know each other for years instead of a few days. The supporting cast is a mix of stereotypical antagonists and supports for the lead. They play their roles as comic relief, a third voice and an obstacle in the lead’s paths. It is quite interesting to see some known faces back on screen playing the roles they have essayed several times in the past to know well enough how to play their cards right this time around.
Lee Se Young as Park Yeon Woo in the present reminds one of her zombie character from A Korean Odyssey. She is equal parts funny, sensible and headstrong which makes it a delight to watch Joseon era Park Yeon Woo learn the modern ways of Seoul lifestyle. Bae In Hyuk’s Kang Tae Ha is somewhat similar to most of his past roles. He is cold, calculating, smart and only really opens up to his love interest. The dimple-cheeked actor shows promise in this new role though. There’s a sense of growth and maturity in the character which makes it interesting to delve deeper into the mind of the character.
While The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract does seem to follow the well-known tropes mentioned above, the drama holds one’s attention with its comic timing and the mystery of Yeon Woo and Tae Ha’s past. What Tae Ha’s grandfather is doing with the painting in his possession is a riddle yet to be solved. It seems that Tae Ha’s heart disease, Yeon Woo’s time travel, Tae Ha’s grandfather having the painting are all connected like a chain of dominoes. We’ll find out soon enough.
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