The Story of Park's Marriage Contract (2023) Episode 12 (Final Episode)

Episode 12 of The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract begins with us back in the Joseon period. Tae-ha checks the herbal remedy, finds out it’s poisoned… and seemingly still takes it. However, we then cut to the bedroom at night, and Tae-ha passes away after telling Yeon-woo that everything will be okay.

Back to the present, our Tae-ha awakens to find Yeon-woo gone. Of course, their last encounter with one another was making love so this is quite the surprise to him and he’s understandably upset. Sa-wol and Hong are unaware of this, and they show up at the office together. They put on a brave face as the other workers ask about Yeon-woo’s trip to Milan.

Is Myeong-soo stopped?

Yeon-woo is a bit further than Milan though. When we cut back to the Joseon period, Yeon-woo stops Tae-ha’s mother from slapping her and tells her to have some dignity while they’re in mourning. 

Yeon-woo is more concerned about what’s going to happen next, knowing that this leads to her being taken to the well. Unfortunately, she’s still snatched up but this time, after alerting her mother, the townsfolk stop the masked man before he dumps Yeon-woo down the well.

With Yeon-woo still alive, the masked crook (whom we know is Myeong-soo) escapes on horseback. Yeon-woo is the one to follow him alone though and eventually she stops him in the woods. This gives the others time to catch up. Alongside Tae-ha’s mother, Hye-suk, they’re brought before the Crown Prince to explain their actions. However, Yeon-woo knows everything now, including the memorial headstone.

How is Tae-ha still alive?

Shockingly, Tae-ha shows up from behind and everyone looks like they’ve seen a ghost. He’s still alive and he admits he only pretended to be dead so he could expose Hye-suk’s crimes. Ah, we should have known! He had an antidote all along. Yeon-woo though is taken aback by him calling her wife.

As for Hye-suk, she’s punished with 50 beatings and exiled to Gyo-dong. Yeon-woo shows while she’s behind bars and tells her to apologize. Hye-suk refuses, pointing out how hard everything has been and how unfair the Kang family have been to her. Yeon-woo doesn’t buy into this and tells her that she could have stood up and fought for what’s right.

After all this, Yeon-woo tells Tae-ha that she refuses to continue this marriage. There’s too much that’s happened between them, especially in the present time. Her heart lies elsewhere.

Tae-ha hands over a brooch from the past; a symbol of their love since she was a child. He points out that they’ve known each other for a long time and have been destined to be on this path. He didn’t approach because of his heart ailment. After handing it over, Yeon-woo still refuses to be with him, pulling away when he admits he wants to be with her.

What does Yeon-woo change in the past?

Yeon-woo though is on a mission. She forces an audience with the King and he stops in the street to talk to her. She risks her life to do this and as she kneels before him, points out that are more people who need to be punished. Specifically, those who want to create fake Loyal Wives. She doesn’t want any more innocent lives to be lost, and her courage sees a wave of other women step up and bow. Even the Queen agrees.

The King is put in an uncompromising position and the law is passed. Things seem to be improving, and things get better for the women in this time period. However hard she tries though, things still aren’t perfect between her and Tae-ha. In fact, his heart continues to be a big issue. Yeon-woo is warned to prepare for the worst. Even Tae-ha knows that Yeon-woo has her heart and eyes elsewhere, and he’s come to accept that.

Does Yeon-woo escape Myeong-soo?

These scenes continue to skip back and forth between the present and the past. After exposing the crimes, Tae-ha in the present shows up at the memorial site and finds the gravestone gone. He tends to the flowers nearby to try and help ease the passing. After, he decides that Hong and Sa-wol should open a little shop together. At the same time, Hye-suk and Tae-min start to patch up their issues and get better together.

Back in the Joseon period, Yeon-woo shows off her butterfly necklace. It’s somehow transported back to this time period all this time. However, things take a turn for the worst that night when Myeong-soo kidnaps Yeon-woo and ties her up. Yeon-woo manages to break free from her binds and rushes off. Only, she ends up running right to the edge of the cliff. And this area will be familiar to anyone who watched The Crowned Clown because it’s the same place as the infamous arrow sequence. Anyway, I digress!

How does Story of Park’s Marriage Contract end?

Yeon-woo decides to fall backwards off the cliff, determined to come back to the present-day to be with her beloved. As she falls into the water, Myeong-soo watches. We then cut to the present, where Tae-ha is shocked to see the tree lose all the flowers. He’s distraught, believing that she’s dead.

In reality, she shows up in the present day once more. Tae-ha is shocked to see her but decides that this is fate. Their personal fate. And as the episode closes out with our final scene together, the pair end up kissing as they prepare for their marriage properly.

The Episode Review

So The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract bows out with a rather perfunctory ending, one that feels really drawn out and surprisingly downcast given the way this show has played out overall. It’s actually quite disappointing, given the way the show started and managed to continue impressing through the weeks with its blend of comedy and romance. Here though, everything feels very serious and more bittersweet and depressing than anything else. At least until the ending, but even that felt quite rushed.

Don’t get me wrong, the show is still entertaining and has some good moments but these last few episodes have dragged on far too long and that’s a real shame. This finale really didn’t need to be 75 minutes, and while the framing of being back and forth between the past and present is a nice touch, it ultimately doesn’t work anywhere near as effectively as it could have.

It’s a shame, but ultimately this ends up bowing out on a whimper rather than a roar.