Confidence Queen Episode 12 Review: Checkmate! The Queen Always Wins

After weeks of revenge plots, hidden motives and explosive tension, Confidence Queen finally delivers a finale worth the chaos. Episode 12 packs in gunshots, betrayals and a twisty showdown that crowns Yi-rang as the ultimate mastermind.

Confidence Queen Episode 12 has a runtime of around 60 minutes.

This new Korean drama consists of 12 episodes, with one episode released every Saturday and Sunday.

Confidence Queen Episode 12 Recap

The revenge game reaches its boiling point as every secret, lie, and betrayal finally explodes into the open. Episode 8 begins with a shocking twist during a high-level meeting. Gu-ho walks in and is introduced by Chairman Cho as his adoptive son and the new CFO of the ongoing project. The room falls silent, especially Yi-rang, who is clearly shaken by his sudden appearance. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn that Gu-ho had made a deal with the chairman himself, asking for help to execute his revenge plan.

Kang Yo-seop leads the project and quickly picks up on the tension between Gu-ho and Yi-rang. Their eyes betray a complicated history, and their constant arguments draw suspicion. As the team works on securing a lucrative deal with Saudi investors, they hit a major roadblock when the investors demand an ambitious proposal in an impossibly short time. The pressure mounts, but Yi-rang steps up to help Yo-seop salvage the situation. She connects them with a Korean-Mexican businessman who might be able to pull it off.

Also read: Would You Marry Me Episode 2 Review: A Wild Ride

However, when the businessman arrives, it turns out to be James in disguise. He demands a whopping fifteen million dollars, leaving Yo Seop stunned. After the meeting, he begins to suspect that Yi-rang and Gu-ho are working together behind his back. His paranoia leads him to secretly eavesdrop on their conversations, confirming his worst fear: both are seeking revenge against him for separate reasons.

Determined to turn the tables, Yo-seop arranges another meeting, this time inviting only the trio. It turns into an elaborate trap. He leads them into a private room where a chessboard awaits, triggering Yi-rang’s traumatic memories. Yo-seop relishes the moment, taunting her and confessing his cruelty. Armed men appear, surrounding them. As Yo-seop mocks them, Gu-ho’s rage erupts. He grabs a gun and points it directly at Yo-seop, who provokes him to pull the trigger. Gu-ho hesitates and is instead shot in the chest, collapsing to the floor.

Yo-seop leaves the scene believing he has won, but his victory is short-lived. He rushes to meet a Saudi client named Abdullah, only to find himself face-to-face with Yi-rang, Gu-ho and James, alive and waiting. In a dramatic confrontation, they reveal how they turned the tables and exposed his crimes, backed by solid evidence and a network of allies who helped them bring him down.

When the police arrive, Yo-seop smugly claims the statute of limitations has expired, but he is proven wrong. There is still one year left, and the police have a recording of him admitting to his crimes. Panicked, he flees the scene, haunted by hallucinations of Yi-rang beside him. In his frenzy, he drives off a bridge into the water below.

A month later, with no body recovered, the police suspended the search. Yi-rang and her team celebrate their victory, each sharing their plans for a fresh start. But Yi-rang, ever the schemer, teases them with another target. They agree to join her once more.

In the post-credit scene, Yi-rang turns to the camera with a smirk and declares, “Confidence Queen will be back.”

Confidence Queen Episode 12 Review

The finale serves pure revenge-drama gold, tying up all those tangled betrayals in one satisfying explosion of chaos. Gu-ho’s dramatic entrance as the chairman’s “adoptive son” is deliciously absurd, Yi-rang’s trauma comes full circle, and Yo-seop finally learns that karma keeps receipts. The Saudi project, the fake businessman, the gun, the chess match – it’s an over-the-top rollercoaster where every twist feels like a mic drop. And just when you think it’s all over, the show throws in a villain-down-a-bridge moment straight out of a telenovela.

But the real queen here is Yi-rang. Cool, clever and a bit unhinged, she turns her pain into power and ends the finale with that cheeky fourth-wall break: “Confidence Queen will be back.” It’s the perfect wink to fans who’ve been rooting for her all along. The drama wraps up with vengeance, chaos and a promise of more scams ahead – and honestly, who wouldn’t want another round?

Also read: Confidence Queen Season 1 Review