An unexpected tragedy befell Im Ji-yeon, who had become a madam.

In episode 4 of the JTBC weekend drama ‘Madam Ok‘s Tale’ (written by Park Ji-sook, directed by Jin Hyeok and Choi Bo-yoon) that aired on the 15th, another huge crisis came to the fake Ok Tae-young (played by Im Ji-yeon), who everyone thought would only walk a flowery path after becoming the coveted daughter-in-law of the county magistrate.

On this day, the fake Ok Tae-young and Sung Yoon-gyeom (played by Choo Young-woo) became a couple while harboring each other’s secrets about their pasts as slaves and being members of minorities. In particular, Sung Yoon-gyeom‘s confession that he would become a refuge for the fake Ok Tae-young, who must live her entire life hiding her identity, gently shook the hearts of the viewers. Ok Tae-young, who became the eldest daughter-in-law in the Seong family with the warm hospitality of the people, expanded her abilities to external branches with their strong support.

However, the incident occurred in an unexpected place. Ok Tae-young, who received a request from the parents who had their children taken away through illegal marriage, moved to find out the truth and even went out to rescue the children herself, burning with passion. However, at that scene, she suddenly encountered her husband Seong Yoon-gyeom with his face covered with a veil.

After the wedding, he showed suspicious behavior and even saw a suspicious brand on his shoulder, which made Ok Tae-young feel suspicious. After that, Ok Tae-young couldn’t help but be shocked when Sung Yoon-gyeom revealed that he was the head of Aesimdan, a group that took care of minority children and even taught them martial arts.


To make matters worse, the situation got worse when the powerful Yu Hyang-so families, who were eyeing the county magistrate‘s weakness, stepped on his tail. The left-hander Lee Chung-il (played by Kim Dong-gyun), who had been exploiting the children’s labor to illegally collect rocks from Unbongsan, used Aesimdan, which he found out about by chance, to cover up the county magistrate‘s eyes. Not only did he turn Cheongsu-hyeon upside down by accusing them of treason, he also began to hold the county magistrate responsible for this.

So Sung Yoon-gyeom tried to leave home to avoid the immediate commotion, but he confessed all his secrets in front of his father, shocking everyone once again. Seong Gyu-jin sent Seong Yoon-gyeom out, telling him not to come back here again, and Ok Tae-young managed to get Seong Yoon-gyeom out safely with the help of Cheon Seung-hwi (played by Chu Young-woo), whom she met by chance after a tense crisis.

However, she could not avoid the responsibility that was put on the county magistrate Seong Gyu-jin (played by Seong Dong-il). Seong Gyu-jin was stripped of his official position for failing to punish the traitor, and an imperial order was even issued to give all his property and family members to Lee Chung-il, who pretended to suppress the traitor. Eventually, Seong Gyu-jin collapsed upon hearing this order, and the once strong county magistrate’s family fell into ruin overnight. Attention is focused on how Ok Tae-young, who had vowed to become a daughter-in-law to the Seong family without any shortcomings, will overcome this crisis.

Meanwhile, the viewership ratings on this day recorded 8.9% in the metropolitan area and 8.5% nationwide. These are the show‘s highest viewership ratings. The highest viewership rating per minute in the metropolitan area was 10.0%. The target viewership rating for 2049 was 3.1% nationwide. (Based on Nielsen Korea paid households)

Hong Se-young, Donga.com reporter projecthong@donga.com