The heroine's adventure threads into the future, loops back to the past, to hold together and set right both history and the present. Lee Se-young shines in her role as the bold and talented Park Yeon-woo. My only qualm is that the writers could have given her more qualities/abilities that could have translated better or assisted her in her travel to "New Joseon", so she does not always seem so helpless and always have to be saved by Kang Tae-ha (she was glorious when she went back to her own timeline in ep. 11 and 12, standing up for herself, her husband, her family, and for all women in the country).

Bae In-hyuk plays two characters of the same name but manages to emulate first male lead vibes for present-day Tae-ha and lovelorn second male lead vibes for past Tae-ha, which is an impressive feat in itself.

The shift in the tone of the story is not that abrupt for me-- because the darker, more serious aspects of the plot have always been there (Tae-ha's illness, the whole Kang family conspiracy), just highlighted in the latter part of the series because they needed to be addressed. I also love the fantasy and Chun Myung's lore, and how they kept it a little mysterious without digging plot holes.

Multifaceted characters with different motives (from the seemingly benevolent grandfather, the "evil" step-mother, the "shifty" half-brother, to the seemingly dependable co-workers and most certainly loyal and badass friends), along with beautiful cinematography, and good chemistry between the two leads make "The Story of Park's Marriage Contract" a generally pleasant drama to watch.