Jeon So-ni confesses to Park Hyung-sik only at the last moment

Park Hyeong-sik turned repeated crises into opportunities, making people curious about the end of his struggle to escape the shackles of fate.

The viewer rating for the 19th episode of tvN's Monday-Tuesday drama 'Youth's Tale', which aired on the 10th (based on Nielsen Korea's paid platform integrating cable, IPTV, and satellite), recorded an average of 4% for households in the metropolitan area and a maximum of 5.5%, the highest in the same time slot including cable and general programming in the metropolitan area. It ranked first in viewership ratings.

On this day's broadcast, Lee Hwan (played by Park Hyeong-sik), who discovered the plot of his wife Jo (played by Hong Soo-hyun) and the people of Byeokcheon, turned the tide with a bold decision to step down from his position as crown prince and accelerated the final investigation to correct the broken past.

With the help of Left Councilor Han Jung-eon (played by Jo Seong-ha), Lee Hwan succeeded in deciphering the contents of the coded text left by Min Ho-seung (played by Seo Tae-hwa) before his death. At a famous shrine where a memorial service was presented to the king (Lee Jong-hyuk) in the past, a memorial stone with the personal information of Song Ga (played by Yoon Seok-hyun) and his son Song Hyeon, who caused the Byeokcheon Rebellion, was discovered. Lee Hwan was shocked to realize that Song Hyeon and Prince Myeong-an (played by Lim Han-bin) had the same date of birth.

Lee Hwan, who was confused by the unbelievable facts, met Jang Garam (played by Pyo Ye-jin) and Kim Myeong-jin (played by Lee Tae-seon) to confirm whether the cipher text was true, and ordered them to retrieve Ji-seok to serve as evidence. Jang Garam and Kim Myeongjin, who listened to Lee Hwan's words, succeeded in finding the stone hidden in the bottom of the furnace at Min Hoseung's house, and obtained another important clue that would reveal the truth of the mystery.

Min Jae-yi (played by Jeon So-ni), who was falsely accused of murdering the Crown Princess and was imprisoned, understood that this incident was a plot by his wife, Jo, to bring down Lee Hwan using his presence as an excuse. In response, Min Jae-i tried to break off the relationship by revealing his identity and falsely confessing that he killed the Crown Princess to protect Lee Hwan.

Min Jae-i earnestly persuaded Lee Hwan to abandon him and escape the trap of his second wife, Jo. He then said, “The person I have in my heart is you,” and brought out the love he had secretly harbored for Lee Hwan. Min Jae-yi's heart-rending confession, revealing his true feelings only before the moment that might be his last, broke Lee Hwan's heart.

Cho Won-bo's (played by Jeong Woong-in) faction took advantage of this time to demand the dethronement of Lee Hwan, who had hidden Min Jae-i, while also mentioning the fact that Han Jung-eon had deceived the selected candidate, showing their teeth. In addition, appeals to dethrone the crown prince poured in day and night, heightening the sense of crisis.

In order to resolve the chaos in the palace, Yi Hwan filed a petition asking for his dethronement. The king (played by Lee Jong-hyuk), who was under pressure from Jo Won-bo, finally gave the order to dethrone the crown prince and exile him to Ganghwa Island after much deliberation. In addition, everything seemed to be going as Jo Won-bo wanted as he took away Han Jung-eon's official position and imprisoned him in his home.

However, this was Lee Hwan's plan to escape the enemy's sight and meet the people of Byeokcheon. Lee Hwan, who left the palace as a deposed crown prince, took advantage of Jo Won-bo's attack as an opportunity to elude the guards and continue investigating the case. In particular, Han Seong-on, who the second-in-law Cho and Jo Won-bo tried to use as a tool to eliminate the crown prince, broke their expectations and firmly maintained his loyalty and friendship to his friend, adding reassurance to Lee Hwan.

At the same time, Min Jae-i, who was being dragged to the execution site, was also rescued by Choi Tae-gang (Heo Won-seo) and Ikwisa officials who had received orders from Lee Hwan. After many twists and turns, Lee Hwan, Min Jae-i, Jang Garam, Kim Myeong-jin, Han Seong-on, and Choi Tae-gang gathered in one place and set out to find Naewanggol, where the people of Byeokcheon live together. Curiosity is focused on whether Lee Hwan's last move, which he threw away everything to reveal the truth, will work.

Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr