On the day of his marital meeting, Kim Kyungbo came face to face with Nam Sangji, whom he thought had died.
In episode 13 of the KBS 2TV daily drama Red Pearl, which aired on the evening of the 16th (directed by Kim Seong-geun, written by Kim Seo-jeong), Park Min-jun (played by Kim Kyungbo), who was preparing for a marital meeting, discovered Baek Jin-joo (played by Nam Sangji), whom he believed to be dead, and was thrown into shock, delivering a spine-tingling suspense.
As years passed and in 2026, the scene depicted Kim Dan-hee (played by Park Jin Hee), who is still serving as a director of Adel Group, and Choi Yuna (played by Chun Hee-ju), who became head of team. While the two maintained an ordinary daily life, Baek Jin-joo brushed past them and heightened the tension. Feeling a strange sense of déjà vu, Choi Yuna was soon shaken upon hearing the name "Baek Jin-joo." Meanwhile, Baek Jin-joo deliberately appeared in front of Choi Yuna to imprint her presence and then calmly disappeared, announcing the full-scale prelude to her revenge.
Even amid this calm before the storm, Choi Yuna did not give up her desire to win Park Min-jun. Having become bolder after joining forces with Chairman Park Tae-ho (played by Choi Jae-sung), she confidently thought that as long as she had the chairman's absolute support, no one could stand in her way, recalling the head of the new business team position and the engagement she obtained through a transaction.
But Park Min-jun's heart was different. Having turned cold after losing Baek Jin-joo, he spent time with Park Hyun-jun (played by Kang Da Bin) on the company rooftop. Park Hyun-jun showed a relaxed and sly side, but Park Min-jun remained consistently cynical about his own wedding, revealing that the wound from that day had not yet healed and evoking sympathy.
However, when Choi Yuna overheard their conversation, the mood changed dramatically. She vented her fury at Park Min-jun, asking if he was still thinking about Baek Jin-joo. Then she declared, "What you need is me, not the dead Baek Jin-joo," but Park Min-jun coldly retorted without yielding, "This marriage is like an annoying homework assignment to me. I do it because it doesn't matter who I marry if it's not Jin-joo—it's just a task to get done." Feeling humiliated, Choi Yuna was wrenchingly angry at the reality that she still could not beat Baek Jin-joo.
Meanwhile, Oh Jeong-ran (played by Kim Hee-jeong) was persistently anxious to bring down Kim Dan-hee. She even visited Kim Dan-hee's office to intimidate her, warning her not to covet the successor position. Kim Dan-hee responded confidently, but after Oh Jeong-ran left, she confided in her friend Jeong Yoon-jung (played by Ha Jae-sook) about the bleak reality of being edged out in the successor race. Torn over whether her son Park Min-jun's strategic marriage was right and yet unable to give up the successor contest, Dan-hee's anguish made the future succession dynamics even more riveting.
Park Tae-ho used even his son's marriage strictly as a business tool. He prepared a prenuptial agreement that included a clause to transfer all Adel Group shares owned by Choi Yuna's father, Choi Sam-sik (played by Cha Gwang-soo), in the event of a divorce, revealing a dark ambition to expand his power by putting Park Min-jun's life as collateral, which sent chills.
Baek Jin-joo, who activated her revenge, also began thorough preparations. Having identified the marital meeting location in advance, she planned to provoke his guilt and longing by having an outfit made identical to the clothes she had worn when dating Park Min-jun in the past.
Finally arriving at the marital meeting place and recalling Baek Jin-joo with a hollow face, Park Min-jun discovered Baek Jin-joo appearing like a mirage and was stunned. The heartbreaking ending of two people reunited after many years left hearts heavy and heightened anticipation for the next broadcast.
[Photo] KBS 2TV Red Pearl broadcast capture
[OSEN]