Jang Ok Jeong Episode 1

The story begins in basically a Joseon-era department store, complete with jewelry displays and mannequins wearing the latest in hanboks. Jang Ok Jeong (played by Kim Tae Hee) is overseeing it all. Everything must be in place for a very important customer: the young lady from the powerful Min clan who is in the running to be chosen as the Crown Princess. This is the future Queen Inhyun (played by Hong Soo Hyun.)

Inhyun is a bit of a snot but the customer is always right so Ok Jeong keeps her smile frozen on her face. In the end Inhyun decides she doesn't like any of the clothes she commissioned from Ok Jeong. She offers to compensate the seamstress for her business loss but Ok Jeong politely turns her down. As they're starting to leave, Ok Jeong catches one of Inhyun's young maids stealing a piece of jewelry from one of the dummies. To show the purity of her heart, Ok Jeong gifts the piece to the young maid. This is the future Choi Suk Bin (played by Han Seung Yeon.)

Cut to a young man having his future told by a blind old man. The man is Crown Prince Lee Soon (played by Yoo Ah In) and the old man is really Lord Baekeun, a legendary swordsman and musician. 

Back to Ok Jeong who is in the process of holding a fashion show using gisaengs as her models. You better work!

Somewhere else, Ok Jeong's mother, Lady Yoon (played by Kim Seo Ra), secretly glories in her daughter's business success. She's a slave in the household and the wife of the lord glories in making Lady Yoon miserable.

The fashion show is a raging success. Whoops, spoke too soon. Some woman comes up and throws a full bucket of water all over Ok Jeong. Oh, it's the bitchy wife from the previous scene. In front of all the potential customers, Bitchy Wife announces that since Ok Jeong's mother is a slave, Ok Jeong is a slave herself. To add insult to injury, Bitchy Wife has brought along a gang of thugs who set about breaking up the party with their clubs. 

Elsewhere another party is being held. Here the Koreans are entertaining some Qing diplomats. The Chinese were hoping the great Lord Baekeun would be there to perform but looks like they're going to be disappointed. To stall for time, the head eunuch begs Prince Dongpyung (played by Lee Sang Yeob) to play his music. (Sorry, I'm not familiar with Korean instruments. It is some long stringed thing. Maybe a gayageum?)

In the audience, a couple of Joseon courtiers who are against the Qing/Joseon alliance are hoping Baekeun doesn't show up. One of the men is Min Yoo Joong, Inhyun's father (played by Lee Hyo Jung.) The Qing are feeling insulted that they still haven't been entertained by Baekeun and they start to leave. Dongpyung, who's a bit of a flake, convinces them to stay and give his music a chance.

Lee Soon finally convince the blind old man to come play. As the prince is leading the convoy through the forest, ninjas suddenly drop down from the treetops. Finally some action! Lee Soon draws his sword and spins through the assassins as he strives to reach the carriage where Baekeun is. Swish! Stab! Kick! Alas he doesn't make it in time as two ninjas thrust their swords into the box, blood spraying against the paper windows. 

Dongpyung's string breaks at the same moment. 

The two traitorous courtiers are just about to celebrate their successful attack when the Crown Prince in his royal robes steps out onto the stage to introduce the one, the only, Lord Baekeun. A flashback shows us how inside the carriage the old man had been sandwiched between two bodyguards. They're the ones who got the business end of the ninjas' swords.

(I feel like I'm on the business end of a ninja's sword. I thought I was nearly at the end of the episode only to find out I'm barely to the halfway mark. It's been a struggle to make it this far.)

Anyway, evil Lord Min has some kind of power over the queen and presses her to make sure her son chooses Inhyun as his royal consort. 

While Dongpyung and Lee Soon are practicing their swordfighting, two female messengers come running up. They bump into each other and drop their packets. You know what's coming - the packets are mixed up. Lee Soon gets what he thinks is a message from his mother while Dongpyung gets what he's told is a message from outside of the palace. 

Ok Jeong is scrambling to save her business as most of the orders have been cancelled due to Bitchy Wife. One longtime customer agrees to keep her order and then makes the odd addition of ordering men's clothing, whispering the name of the man in Ok Jeong's ear. 

Meanwhile, the queen sends Inhyun out into the forest as part of the scheme to get the girl and Lee Soon to meet. Ruffians attack Inhyun's party with plans to hold her for ransom. (Is this also part of the queen's scheme?) Someone comes to Inhyun's rescue, of course, and that person is Dongpyung, of course, because he got the wrong message. 

Inhyun is quite smitten with the flaky dude. That is until she learns the wrong prince has come to her rescue. 

The right prince, meanwhile, has come to meet Ok Jeong. After much staring and dreamy music, she starts measuring Lee Soon for a new suit. He thinks she's one of the candidates for his wife until she explains she's just a tailor. More staring and dreamy music.

Then twenty more minutes of the show go on... but I don't.