Confidence Queen, starring Park Min-young, tells the story of Yung Yi-rang, a brilliant and quirky con artist with an IQ of 165. In the two episodes released recently, we see Yi-rang and her team (Park Hee-soon’s James and Joo Jong-hyuk’s Gu-ho) craft and execute elaborate cons to target the corrupt and greedy individuals.
Adapted from the 2018 Japanese drama, Confidence Man JP, the trio’s very first con, which fans are introduced to, targets Baek Hwa. She is a shaman who preys on poor families by promising them fortune in exchange for large sums of money.
To catch Baek Hwa, the team sets up a casino con where Yi-rang disguises herself as the casino owner named Hwa-ran. The shaman is then lured into playing a rigged gambling game with the help of team members James and Gu-ho, who are also disguised as dealers.
Despite Baek Hwa’s cheating tactics, Yi-rang and her team orchestrate a ruse, including a staged police raid, to scare her off and recover the exploited funds. But Baek Hwa then escapes, thinking she has the money, while Gu-ho cries for her, referring to her as his love.
How Does Baek Hwa Escape?
While the team is busy staging their fake police raid, Gu-ho gets fake-injured after Yi-rang hits him with her sword. While Yi-rang is then fake-shot by James, who is disguised as a police officer, Gu-ho urges Baek Hwa to escape.
While the commotion is on, they change the money bag with one filled with flyers. The fake shaman, thinking it is her bag, picks it up and runs barefoot. Her escape isn’t due to Gu-ho’s fake sacrifice or luck, but is pre-planned by the three con artists.
After escaping, she opens her bag only to discover that she has been fooled. Meanwhile, the trio clears up the fake casino, and Yi-rang quietly returns the money to the families Baek Hwa had swindled, framing it as a laundry bill.
Why Does Yi-rang and Gu-ho’s Meeting Get Cut Short?
By the end of the first episode of Confidence Queen, we see Gu-ho getting weary of the danger in their work and decides to leave Yi-rang and James. He takes a small part of the money and moves to a simple life in the countryside. A month later, Yi-rang unexpectedly reunites with Gu-ho, who is enjoying peaceful days by the beach. She skydives and lands right beside him.
But their reunion is cut short when they rush to the hospital upon hearing that James has been severely beaten by Jeon Tae-soo, a ruthless crime lord who is their next big target. James had attempted a solo con against Jeon Tae-soo but was caught and brutally assaulted.
How Does Tae-soo Save Gu-ho in Confidence Queen Episode 2?
Trying to gain Jeon Tae-soo’s trust, Gu-ho impersonates a wealthy heir of an airline while Yi-rang poses as an air hostess. One thing leads to another and soon, and they are forced to travel to the Philippines with a suitcase of what appears to be Tae-soo’s illicit money.
However, Yi-rang and Gu-ho are kidnapped by Mr. Mule, whom Tae-soo had previously attacked. Mr. Mule threatens to harm Gu-ho unless Yi-rang cooperates. Using her cunningness, Yi-rang negotiates for Gu-ho’s ring finger to be cut instead of his middle finger to preserve his hand’s functionality, which is heard by Tae-soo through a wire tape attached to the suitcases the two were carrying.
Just in time, Tae-soo arrives with his team and saves them while Gu-ho runs to hug him.
What Is Ray Bang’s Real Role?
In the second episode of Confidence Queen, we see Ray Bang, a photographer, following and clicking photos of Gu-ho as he attempts to convince Tae-soo that he is the illegitimate son of an airline conglomerate. But at the end of the second episode, as Gu-ho once again tries to quit, Ray Bang is seen carrying him back.
It is then revealed that Ray Bang was James’ junior at the Marine Corps who was working for Jeon Tae-soo. But after James discovered his identity, he switched sides. Not only did he start working with Yi-rang, but he also brought along Mr. Mustache, a guy who worked in the film industry and helped them hire fake secret service agents at the airport.
Eventually, Tae-soo is arrested, and Yi-rang donates his money to Nazareth, a youth development center that the loan shark kingpin was targeting earlier.
A mix of sharp wit, emotional depth, and suspenseful turns, needless to say, the first two episodes of Confidence Queen were a pretty fun watch.
While we await the release of the remaining episodes, keep following FandomWire for all the latest updates, from episode recaps to trailer breakdowns and more!
Confidence Queen, Season 1, episodes 1 and 2 are now streaming on Prime Video.
