[Jan 14] “Welcome to Samdalri" ep. 14, “Maestra: Strings of Truth” ep. 12, etc.: Recaps & ratings

January 14 night was a great one for many dramas, as they achieved new records in their ratings.

“Welcome to Samdalri" episode 14 recap

A drama that reached a new high was JTBC’s “Welcome to Samdalri,” which earned 10.1% nationwide for its latest episode. This was the first time that the romance drama entered the double digits, as it approached its final week.

In episode 14, we see a flashback of the funeral of Yong-Phil's mother, Bu Mi-Ja. Her death caused a rift between Cho Sang-Tae, her husband, and Go Mi-Ja, her best friend. Cho Sang-Tae blamed Go Mi-Ja for the accident and banned her from the funeral. Go Mi-Ja has been living with guilt ever since, and Yong-Phil remembers how everyone was in pain at that time.

The episode continues from where it left off. Go Mi-Ja finally faces Cho Sang-Tae and apologizes for her role in Bu Mi-Ja's death. Sam-Dal's sisters find out that the accident was the reason why Sam-Dal and Yong-Phil broke up eight years ago. Sam-Dal and Yong-Phil, however, decide to start their relationship again and overcome the obstacles. But Cho Sang-Tae is still not happy with their decision.

Meanwhile, Boo Sang-Do accepts that he can't have Sam-Dal and gives up on his love. Sam-Dal is very happy and shares the news of her relationship with Yong-Phil with her sisters the next morning. She also tells her mother to stop feeling guilty and move on. Her mother supports her and Yong-Phil, unlike Cho Sang-Tae, who still holds a grudge. Go Mi-Ja visits Yong-Phil's house with food and tries to make peace with Cho Sang-Tae for their children's sake.

Sam-Dal and Yong-Phil plan to go to Sam-Dal's photoshoot together and hope to have some romantic moments. But their plan is ruined when Sam-Dal's assistants show up at her house. Sam-Dal can't get rid of them and they tag along with the couple. On the other hand, Jin-Dal's ex-husband, Jeon Dae-Young, vows to bring back the theme park to Samdalri after being cut off by his father.

At night, Sam-Dal and Yong-Phil want to spend some time alone, but her assistants insist on sleeping with her. The couple fails to have any romantic moments, which makes Yong-Phil sad. 

Their fathers, who have a long-standing feud, end up fighting physically over their past grievances. Sang-Tae, Yong-Phil's father, sees them holding hands and gets even more angry. Yong-Phil tells him that he loves Sam-Dal as much as he loves Bu Mi-Ja, his late wife. 

Sam-Dal goes to the temple to see Sang-Tae and tells him how sad she is about their broken bond. She remembers how he treated her like his own daughter and asks him to forgive her. Sang-Tae questions her if she is sure about Yong-Phil. Sam-Dal says that she will love Yong-Phil "until the day she dies." This echoes what Sang-Tae said to Bu Mi-Ja before. He feels touched by her words and finally accepts their relationship.

Episode 14 concludes with a hint of trouble as Bang Eun-Ju, Sam-Dal's former assistant, plans to sabotage her once more.

“Maestra: Strings of Truth” episode 12 recap

The tvN drama “Maestra: Strings of Truth” also ended on a high note, with its series finale achieving 6.8% nationwide. This was the best rating that the drama had ever gotten throughout its run.

The final episode opens with a glimpse of Ru-na’s evil deeds. She sabotages A-jin’s car after hearing her conversation with Phil following the art centre concert. She also learns about Remington’s from Cha and Se-eum’s chat when she is in the hospital recovering from the car accident.

She obtains the poison from Jin-yeong and sprays it on Se-eum’s perfume whenever she gets a chance to access her bag, either in her office or her room. She also injects Bong-ju and Phil with the same poison, and Phil catches a glimpse of her before losing consciousness.

In the present, Assistant Hwang tells Jeong-jae and Se-eum, who are searching Ru-na’s office, that Tae-ho went to Ru-na’s address. Jeong-jae freaks out and tries to call him. Meanwhile, Ru-na attacks Tae-ho and escapes. Se-eum and Jeong-jae arrive at her house with the police. They break in and find Tae-ho bleeding on the floor.

What is Ru-na’s motive for harming Se-eum?

Se-eum consoles Jeong-jae at the hospital. He stays with the wounded Tae-ho all the time. The police investigate the crime scene. They interrogate the chairs and Ru-na’s sister, Hae-na. 

Hae-na meets Se-eum at their home and confesses that Ru-na had a fixation on her. She reveals that Ru-na and Hae-na were adopted together for the second time. Their mother suffered from diabetes and Ru-na took care of her. Everyone praised her kindness but Hae-na noticed that Ru-na would tamper with the numbers whenever their mother seemed to want to leave the hospital.

She wasn't sure back then, but now she suspects that Ru-na gave their mother a lethal dose until she passed away. After her death, Ru-na shifted her obsession to Se-eum. Hae-na says that Ru-na views Se-eum as a replacement for her mother and will do anything to avoid being rejected by her.

How does Se-eum trap Ru-na?

Se-eum decides to use herself as bait to lure Ru-na out. She picks a Handel duet that she and Ru-na will play as violinists, knowing that it is Ru-na's dream to perform with her. Detective Chu reads Ru-na's diary and confirms this. However, the chairs object to Se-eum playing solo as it will be dangerous.

Assistant Oh comes to the rescue and volunteers to be the conductor. A-jin also joins in and reveals that she is moving to Canada after this concert. Se-eum praises her and tells her not to give up on the horn. A-jin is touched and apologizes for her past actions.

Jeong-jae is happy to see Tae-ho awake, but he's shocked to learn that Se-eum is risking herself to catch Ru-na. She tells him that it is the only option and the least she owes Ru-na. She gives an interview saying that she's excited to play the violin with Ru-na after a long time. Ru-na sees this and can't believe it. Chu tracks down Jin-yeong and vows to catch Ru-na before the concert.

The concert day arrives and everything goes smoothly. Se-eum leads the overture as usual. Yu-ra watches with Han-gil and chooses to concentrate on her career instead of pursuing Jeong-jae. Ru-na is at the bus station and sees the concert on the screen. Everyone is anxious as she's nowhere to be seen. 

Se-eum switches to the violin and starts the Handel piece. Ru-na shows up at the last moment and joins Se-eum. As Se-eum supports the performance, Ru-na remembers their good times together. Se-eum gives her a smile as the piece ends and Ru-na breaks down in tears.

In the green room, Ru-na thanks her for fulfilling her dream. The police suddenly surround her and she feels betrayed. She grabs a screwdriver and says that Se-eum will always remember her. They think she's going to attack Se-eum but she stabs herself in the neck.

Does everyone in Maestra: Strings of Truth have a happy ending?

The scene shifts to Se-eum talking about her upcoming trip with Hye-jeong and her father. She assures them that it's a short trip. 

She then visits Phil who has lost his memory due to the overdose and keeps writing pieces for her. Next, she meets with Hanphil for a barbecue. Oh is the new chief conductor and Tae-ho has recovered. She looks at everyone with affection as they have fun. Ru-na is alive but has a scar on her neck and refuses to see Se-eum in prison. 

Finally, Se-eum visits her mother's grave and checks her Remington's test result. She has a tearful smile and Jeong-jae appears. They joke as he says that he has resigned as chairman. He wants to go with her on her trip and she teases him that he's not the only one. He realizes that she hasn't said no and she just smiles. They walk away from the cemetery shoulder to shoulder as Maestra: Strings of Truth ends.

“Korea-Khitan War” episode 18 recap

Meanwhile, the KBS 2TV drama “Korea-Khitan War,” which competed with “Maestra: Strings of Truth” in the same time slot, also increased its rating to 10.0% nationwide for its latest episode.

Kang Gam-chan, who was dismissed, bid farewell to the emperor and left Suchang Palace. As Hyun-jong lost his loyal servant who was like a father to him, he sighed with grief. Unable to bear it alone, he went to Won-jeong (played by Lee Si-a) and asked her to stay by his side even if everyone left him and embraced the empress. 

The next day, Won-jeong advised the emperor, who woke up from his sleep, "Please join hands with the powerful nobles and suppress the local nobles who have been rude to you. That is how politics works. Please face the reality." and told him not to make enemies of the clans that were holding up the royal power.

As most of the officials resigned, the 6 ministries of the court were all paralyzed. Kim Eun-boo, who was engulfed in agony, sighed deeply and told Won-seong (played by Ha Seung-ri) that he had to find a way to fill the vacancies somehow. 

On the other hand, Won-seong decided to go to Chungju and find out who gathered the local leaders. He interrogated the people of the village, including the Chungju Temple. And Park Jin (played by Lee Jae-yong), who heard the news that someone was breaking up the meeting of the local leaders, came to Won-seong himself, creating a thrilling scene.

Meanwhile, Kim Eun-boo suggested that they use the officials who were forgiven by Hyun-jong and restore them to their duties to bring the court back to normal. After agonizing, Hyun-jong decided to jump into the mud and ordered Sa-jeong and Park Seom to return to the 6 ministries and wash away their sins with their devotion to Goryeo. 

Kang Gam-chan, who learned of this, confronted Eun-boo and said, "You're going to reform this country by holding hands with the sinners. You're going to fulfill the emperor's will by putting forward the traitors who deserve to die." and protested. Eun-boo retorted, "Weren't you the one who didn't care about the means and methods to win the war?" and sent Gam-chan away.

Park Jin started to spread rumors that Eun-boo had committed corruption several times while he was in Gongju Temple, causing chaos in the court. Gam-chan met Eun-boo and investigated the truth. Eun-boo told him the truth, saying, "I couldn't gather the troops without compromising." Gam-chan, who went to the emperor's chamber along the way, asked him to dismiss Eun-boo immediately, saying, "If you appoint someone who has once broken the military spirit, the whole will be shaken uncontrollably."

Hyun-jong didn't budge at Kang Gam-chan's protest. Rather, Hyun-jong said, "My brother-in-law did his best, and he's trying to change the dismal reality now." and added, "It's so hard to face you. It's hard to persuade you, and it's harder to hate you." and asked him not to block the way.

Gam-chan, who failed to persuade the emperor, filed a petition to impeach Eun-boo. The officials who learned of Eun-boo's corruption insisted that the brother-in-law who committed treason should resign, creating a tense atmosphere. Hyun-jong, who was furious, ordered Gam-chan to leave the capital immediately. At the end of episode 18, Hyun-jong, who clenched his teeth and screamed like crazy, fell to the ground as he tried to avoid a cart that blocked his way, shocking the viewers with a 'falling ending'.

“My Happy Ending” episode 6

The TV Chosun drama “My Happy Ending” continued to rise in popularity, with its 6th episode reaching 2.621% nationwide. This was the highest rating that the drama had ever achieved.

See more: "My Happy Ending" ep. 6 recap: Who's her real dad? - Another head twist

“Live Your Own Life” episode 33 recap

The KBS 2TV drama “Live Your Own Life” surpassed the 20% threshold for the first time ever, with its latest episode scoring 20.9% nationwide. It's the highest rating that the series has ever received.

Tae Ho learns a shocking truth: his uncle, Tae Min's father, was the last witness of his parents' fatal car crash. He rushes to confront Tae Min and questions him about his father's involvement in the accident.

Tae Min senses that Tae Ho is close to uncovering the secrets and tries to secure his position in the company by climbing the ranks faster than ever, driven by his thirst for power.

Hyo Sim goes to the villa to help KKeut Soon find her missing wallet. There, she runs into Myung Hee, who is delighted to see her. Myung Hee, aware that Hyo Sim is dating her grandson Tae Ho, holds Hyo Sim's hand and asks her how she feels about Tae Ho. Myung Hee is overjoyed that they're truly in love and gives her two hand-knitted mufflers.

Tae Ho wants to make up with Hyo Sim's mother, Sun Soon, after their previous awkward encounter. He secretly visits her with a considerate gift. However, Myung Hee sees him leaving and decides to follow him. As Tae Ho feels someone behind him and turns around, he's stunned to see his grandmother—someone he thought was dead.

(Source: Nielsen Korea, news1.kr)