Episode 1 of *Confidence Queen* bursts onto the screen with a dynamic introduction to Yun Yi-rang, a con artist boasting an IQ of 165 and a genius-level intellect that places her in the top 1% nationwide. Driven by a sense of justice, she's on a mission to cleanse Korea of its corrupt villains, likening these unsavory characters to soiled laundry in dire need of a good wash. Operating undercover in a casino, she adopts the alias Hwa-ran.
Yi-rang doesn't embark on this crusade alone; she has a select few accomplices by her side. Among them is Gu-ho, who masquerades as the assistant to a dubious shaman named Baek-hwa. Baek-hwa is notorious for swindling money from the impoverished under the pretense of offering spiritual guidance, and she's currently squarely in Yi-rang's crosshairs.
Unabashed and devoid of any shame, Baek-hwa continues her deceitful ways. After successfully conning another unsuspecting victim, she heads straight to Yi-rang's casino to splurge some of her ill-gotten gains. As she gambles, her luck turns golden, and she amasses a substantial fortune.
The scene then flashes back two weeks to reveal that Baek-hwa had struck a deal with the casino's dealer, James. They conspired to work together and orchestrate a grand scam against Yi-rang. James initially agreed, providing Baek-hwa with the confidence she needed to, in the present, boldly go all-in and nearly deplete the casino's funds.
However, Yi-rang is not one to be easily outmaneuvered. She introduces a new dealer into the mix, instructing James to step aside. With her assurance in place, the game narrows down to the roll of a dice, and to everyone's surprise, Baek-hwa emerges victorious!
But just as Baek-hwa begins to celebrate, Yi-rang unexpectedly draws a sword and decides to resort to underhanded tactics. Threatening Baek-hwa, the tension escalates until the situation takes an unexpected and awkward turn with the arrival of the police. They storm the casino, confiscate the money, and arrest Yi-rang, leaving the audience on the edge of their seats.
In the chaotic skirmish that erupted, Yi-rang and Gu-ho both met their supposed doom, sparking a frantic rush for the exit from the den—most notably from Baek-hwa. Seizing the opportunity, she snatched the bag of money and made a beeline for the door, but the truth soon unraveled before our eyes. It became clear that the entire ordeal had been a carefully crafted ruse, a masterful scheme aimed squarely at Baek-hwa.
The gunshots were nothing but a staged act, made all the more convincing by James's dual identities—Detective Choi and the Dealer, Gwiyisu. Gu-ho, far from being injured, had played his part flawlessly as Kim Deok-il (also known as Mr. Kim). The upshot? The bag Baek-hwa had fled with was brimming with counterfeit bills.
Fast forward a month after this incident. Gu-ho had retreated to the serene countryside, seeking to distance himself from his life of deceit and start anew. But his peaceful existence was abruptly shattered when Yi-rang made a dramatic entrance, skydiving onto the beach. She threw herself into Gu-ho's arms, declaring her longing for him.
These two shared a storied past, having known each other since childhood. Over a meal, they reminisced and caught up on old times. However, their reunion was interrupted by a call from James, bearing shocking news. He had suffered a gruesome fate, every bone in his body broken, and now lay in the hospital, a shadow of his former self.
The culprit, it seemed, was none other than Jeon Tae-su. He headed the Sand Foundation for children, yet beneath his veneer of a self-made businessman and affable gentleman lurked a monstrous psycho. Ruthless and ambitious, he was determined to expand his empire at any cost, showing no regard for those he trampled in his quest for power.
His latest scandal stemmed from a land acquisition scheme, where he had unleashed a horde of gangsters to storm an independent living center for youths run by nuns, coercing the owners into submission. During the chaos, one of the youths, Min-su, valiantly fought back, subduing one of the attackers. But the incident, captured on camera, was twisted by the gangsters into a narrative of a youth assaulting a defenseless construction worker, spreading like wildfire across the internet.
This is merely a foretaste of Tae-su's wrath, for he is famed as one of the most merciless loan sharks in the land. A towering figure in Gangnam's underworld, he commands respect as the godfather of the shadowy realm. With an iron fist, he reigns over the underground crime scene, demanding unwavering loyalty from all who dare to cross his path.
Word has reached Tae-su's ears that the Financial Investigation Department is amassing evidence of tax evasion by the Sand Foundation. The National Tax Service is launching a special inquiry into Tae-su's clandestine slush funds. You see, this seemingly benevolent public foundation is nothing more than a facade, a mask to hide the vast illicit wealth he has managed to keep hidden from the world. But the government is closing in, and Tae-su knows he has no choice but to flee the country soon.
Enter James, posing as a pilot known as Captain Kim. He ends up collaborating with Tae-su, with the intention of smuggling the gangster to Singapore. Yet Tae-su is no fool. He sets James up and leaves him battered and bruised. With James down for the count, Gu-ho seethes with rage and seeks an alliance with Yi-rang to exact revenge. He vows to strip Tae-su of every last penny, and together, they concoct a new plan.
The scheme is for Yi-rang to assume the guise of an air hostess and lure Tae-su onto a flight where she and Gu-ho will stage a dramatic confrontation. The goal is to pique Tae-su's curiosity, as Gu-ho boasts about his immense wealth, his ownership of a plane, and his overt hostility towards Yi-rang.
In the Philippines, where the flight was initially bound, Gu-ho maintains the ruse, berating and belittling Yi-rang at every turn after a chance encounter with Tae-su and his suitcase. The pair then execute the clever "suitcase-switcharoo," leaving Tae-su with a suitcase brimming with cash. He eventually returns the suitcase to Yi-rang, whom he finds at a bar, drowning her sorrows in drink. They engage in a conversation about Gu-ho and his father's ownership of an airline, and together, they arrive at the club to confront Gu-ho, who is seated at a table laden with drugs and alcohol.
Tae-su is unimpressed by their antics, but he is keen to know how they managed to smuggle the suitcase in. His attention is drawn to a mark on Gu-ho's shoulder, which matches a video circulating online, claiming that Gu-ho is the "Love Child of Rising Airlines." With Yi-rang watching in shock, Tae-su holds Gu-ho at gunpoint, demanding answers.
As the episode draws to a close, we are treated to a brief epilogue. We see Yi-rang returning the money that Baek-hwa swindled from a hapless couple, referring to it as a "laundry bill."
