Marriage Contract

A poor, widowed woman desperate to support her 7-year-old daughter and a wealthy business executive with a sick mother enter into a contract marriage.

Marriage Contract (2016) is a South Korean television romance drama created by Kim Jin-min and Jeong Yu-gyeong for MBC, a single-season limited series of sixteen episodes. Lee Seo-jin plays Han Ji-Hoon, a wealthy business executive whose sick mother needs comfort and whose household needs stability, and Uee plays Kang Hye-Soo, a poor widowed woman determined to support her seven-year-old daughter. Their engine is a contract marriage: a practical arrangement struck out of financial need and family obligation, with each partner guarding their own reasons while daily life under one roof slowly wears those boundaries down. The story is built from domestic negotiations, family pressures and the weight of illness hanging over the household, so each episode moves the couple closer to honesty while the surrounding family makes every step harder. Supporting roles from Kim Yong-geon, Park Jung-soo and Lee Hwi-hyang fill out the in-laws and rivals around them. Set in contemporary urban South Korea, the series is a heartfelt, tearjerking melodrama with a warm, wistful register and a strong focus on sacrifice and tenderness. Fans of Crash Landing on You, Boys Over Flowers and My Mister will find resonance in its class-crossed romance and emotional intensity.

• Crash Landing on Youshared melodramatic romance, contract marriage premise, tearjerker emotional register
• Boys Over Flowersshared Korean romantic melodrama with class-divided leads and heartfelt family stakes
• My Mistershared tearjerker romance centered on terminal illness and emotional sacrifice

Created by

Kim Jin-min, Jeong Yu-gyeong

Release Date

2016-03-05

Episode runtime

64 min

Rating

7.5 / 10 (40)

What is Marriage Contract about?

A widowed mother and a wealthy executive with a sick mother enter a contract marriage that slowly turns into something real.

What is Marriage Contract like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Marriage Contract as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Marriage Contract violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Marriage Contract.

Which shows are like Marriage Contract?

Shows with a similar feel include Crash Landing on You, Boys Over Flowers, and My Mister.

How long is Marriage Contract?

Marriage Contract: 1 season, 16 episodes.

Is Marriage Contract still running?

No, Marriage Contract has ended.

Where can I watch Marriage Contract?

In United States, Marriage Contract streams on Rakuten Viki, OnDemandKorea, Kocowa Amazon Channel, Kocowa.