Disclaimer: this is a review, and as such it contains spoilers of the whole series. Please proceed to read at your own risk if you still plan on watching this show or if you haven’t finished it yet. You have been warned.

The King Loves
(왕은 사랑한다 / Wangeun Saranghanda)
MyDramaList rating: 7.0/10

Hello everyone! Just thought I’d close off the month November with another review. It’s a bit of a busy period for me as I’m in the final editing stages of my book translation – my deadline is next week, I can’t even believe it – but luckily I found more time in-between to watch another historical drama that had been on my list for a while. I wasn’t quite sure how long it would take me to finish it since it was quite lengthy, but I ended up getting pretty wrapped up in it and basically binged the final couple of episodes, so here we are! After watching Alchemy of Souls at the beginning of this year, it felt like a really long time since I watched a good old historical K-Drama, and despite some confusions within the story I’ll admit from the start that I enjoyed watching it a lot. It really kept me engaged and on my toes until the end and I’m excited to share my views on it.

The King Loves is an MBC historical K-Drama with 20 episodes of about an hour each. I saw on MyDramaList that you can also watch it as 40 episodes of 35 minutes, but I couldn’t find this back-to-back format anywhere, so I watched it on Dramacool in the 20-episode format.
Although many historical K-Dramas feature fictional kingdoms and rulers, this story is actually based on real historical events and people. I found this kind of cool and even did a little bit of research on the side to get a better grasp of the political context it was based on. According to the historical facts, the story takes place around the late 13th to early 14th century, during the reign of the 25th King of Goryeo, King Chungnyeol (played by Jung Bo Seok). During this time, the Goryeo dynasty was under the rule of the Mongol-founded Yuan dynasty, reigned by the Mongolian Emperor Kublai Khan. Around 1270, the King married Kublai Khan’s youngest daughter who then became Queen Wonseong (as a teen played by Kim Bo Ra). The King already had a son with his first wife Princess Jeonghwa, but Queen Wonseong had a nasty temper and couldn’t stand the competition. After giving birth to a son herself, the Queen managed to chase both Princess Jeonghwa and her son Prince Gangyang away and they were never seen again.
Because King Chungnyeol and Queen Wonseong’s son has both Korean and Yuan blood in him, this makes him a half-blood and therefore unworthy in the eyes of the pro-Goryeo/anti-Yuan movement. This half-blood Crown Prince, Wang Won (as a teen played by Nam Da Reum) grows up in solitude and confinement, dealing with the souring relationship between his parents. His only friend is the third son of the King’s Chancellor, Wang Rin (as a teen played by Yoon Chan Young). The reason they have the same family name is that Rin is actually a cousin of Princess Jeonghwa, and therefore a royal cousin to Won as well. Rin is the first person to introduce Won to life outside of the castle, and Won quickly starts preferring roaming uncharted territory to sitting inside the palace all day long.
One day, however, the two boys witness a horrible bandit attack on a carriage transporting the Minister of Finance’s wife and daughter. This event leaves Won with a crippling sense of guilt because he urged Rin not to call for help as he didn’t think the bandit attack would be serious. The attack costs the lives of the Minister’s wife and all of the guards protecting her. The reason the carriage wasn’t as well-guarded was because a few guards were accompanying the Minister’s daughter and her maid on a stroll outside the carriage. The daughter, Eun San (as a teen played by Lee Seo Yeon), only escaped because she happened to have lent her family’s cape to her maid Bi Yeon (as a teen played by Song Soo Hyun), after which the attackers mistook Bi Yeon for her because of her clothing. Bi Yeon gets struck in the face which leaves her with a horrible scar, but she fortunately survives the assault. In the chaos that unfolds after they return home, it’s decided that Bi Yeon will take San’s place and that she will hide the scar on her face with a veil. San herself will have to flee in order to avoid being sent to Yuan as a “tribute” – one of the deals between Goryeo and Yuan was that Goryeo would annually select a group of young women to be sent to Yuan as concubines. The scar would be enough to keep Bi Yeon from being selected and exposed, but San would have to disappear.
Right before she leaves, San encounters Won and Rin, who have come to deliver the dying message of her mother. Thinking that the girl in front of them is the maid, Won delivers the message San’s mother shared before she passed: that she hopes her daughter will not hate anyone and that she will keep prancing and smiling as she always has.
Time passes and it is now eight years later. Looking for counsel on his position as a shunned half-blood Crown Prince, Won (now played by Im Si Wan) has set out to Mount Duta with Rin (now played by Hong Jong Hyun) to visit the wise Master Lee Seung Hyu (played by Eom Hyo Seob). When they arrive there, both their gazes are immediately drawn to Master Lee’s favorite student, a young woman by the name of So Hwa (played by Yoona/Im Yoon Ah). Won immediately recognizes her as the girl from eight years ago.
As the three of them get acquainted and So Hwa/San eventually returns to Goryeo to visit her father and maid, tensions rise when both Won and Rin realize they’re falling for her, and this seriously strains their solid friendship. Besides this, an anti-Yuan conspiracy is set in motion by several royal officials to get rid of the Crown Prince and restore the pure Goryeo blood lineage to the kingdom.

Honestly, so much happens in this series that mentioning everything and everyone will be a nearly impossible task. Of course I don’t need to summarize the whole thing as this review is meant for people who’ve already watched it, but there’s just a lot of things I can’t skip over with regards to the points I wish to discuss in my review, so I’m going to try and write a summary of the main events as succinctly as I can.
As the relationship between Goryeo and Yuan remains strained, so does the one between the King and Queen (now played by Jang Young Nam). The King finds a new confidante in Song In (played by Oh Min Seok), the cousin of Royal Assistant Secretary Song Bang Yeong (Choi Jong Hwan). What he doesn’t know is that Song In is plotting to get rid of the Crown Prince and sever all ties with Yuan to purge Goryeo from its “barbaric” lineage. He gets help from different spies within the palace on both the King’s and Queen’s sides. As a final trump card, Song In brings in his own lover, Ok Boo Yong (played by Choo Soo Hyun) to seduce the King and intoxicate both him and the Queen. Won and Rin gradually become more aware of these changes in the palace, especially when the King takes Boo Yong as his next wife, which of course infuriates the Queen.
In the meantime, San has her hands full with her own family issues when her identity as the Minister of Finance’s daughter is exposed, including the fact that she managed to avoid being selected as a tribute for eight years. The Queen is not amused by this and keeps trying to cause trouble for both San’s and Rin’s families – in the latter’s case because she doesn’t trust his intentions as her son’s “best friend”. Ultimately, the Queen warms up to San and helps her get her former position back. Unfortunately, the anti-Yuan plot extends to the Queen as well, and it turns out Boo Yong has planted a poisonous object in the Queen’s chambers that’s making her more sick every day. By the time she finally sees what Song In and Boo Yong are doing to the King, Queen Wonseong is already too sick to stop the conspiracy, and she eventually succumbs to her illness. She passes away while the King remains unconscious from all the poisonous chemicals Boo Yong keeps around him. During all these dramatic developments in the palace, Won and Rin get caught up in their own personal rivalry when they both admit to their feelings for San. In their respective attempts to protect her they keep trying to keep her close to themselves and away from the other. While Song In initially intended to put Rin’s older brother Wang Jeon (Yoon Jong Hoon) on the throne as the new Crown Prince, he changes his mind to Rin and starts using San as a tool to get the two friends to fall out. He also uses Wang Dan (Park Hwan Hee), Rin’s younger sister who is in love with Won and eventually gets chosen as the new Crown Princess in an attempt to save her from also being sent to Yuan, to create even more friction between the two. San ultimately realizes her heart lies more with Rin than with Won, and after one final staged attack, the couple manages to flee away together under Won’s supervision.

To be honest, from the first episode onwards I was kind of worried that the story would focus predominantly on the love triangle between Won, Rin and San, and that it would end in a typical fight between two best friends over a girl. The opening sequence and the way their dynamic starts out would suggest that Won and San eventually end up together, leaving Rin as the sad second male lead watching them from a distance. However, I was very glad that they put a twist on that. It was very refreshing that the second male lead ended up with the girl for once. I also thought it was a clever twist that Won’s narration of “the person who I started loving more than myself” ended up referring to the fact that he loved San so much that he was ultimately able to let her go with his best friend, because that would make her the happiest.
I was very glad that the story didn’t turn out as one of those typical dramatic love triangle romances set in historical times. While the love triangle was definitely a big part of the story, it also contributed greatly to the characters’ personal development and relationships, and it never became a distraction to the plot because it was balanced out so well with the other pressing storylines.
In hindsight, I would say that this story can be seen as an ode to friendship in general. Amidst the turmoil of a kingdom full of conspiracies where you can never fully trust anyone, this series managed to take an unexpected twist by highlighting the (hidden) affections of its characters towards the people they cared about. I was repeatedly surprised by some characters’ reactions to a certain death because I initially didn’t think they cared about them that much, and this gave the story an unexpected layer of hope. I just can’t forget how distraught King Chungnyeol was after hearing about Queen Wonseong’s passing and how Song In actually lost his mind after losing Boo Yong. The tears in Jin Gwan and Jang Ui’s eyes when they had to shoot Rin at that cliff, the way Moo Seok shed a final regretful tear for not being able to get back to Bi Yeon, the way Dan hugged San when they reunited after the kidnapping… None of these feelings were spoken out loud, but the emotional response to realizing that something bad happened or would happen to a loved one added so much to each and every character. I thought that was really powerful. The fact that every character, good and bad, had a heart and was able to feel compassion and love for at least one other person made the story even more humane and realistic.

I really loved how the friendship between Won and Rin was portrayed. Not only did the actors have great chemistry, but I also think the writers did a very good job establishing the foundation of their friendship and then building on their bond throughout the story. You could really tell how long they’d been together and how strongly they relied on each other.
I liked how different the two were in personality, how Rin was kind of stoic and reserved while Won definitely had a bit of an edge to him, attributed to his “barbaric” Yuan blood. I guess Won was always a bit distrustful of the people in the palace, he even mentioned that the palace grounds always scared him. He was raised with the knowledge that a King can never have close friends, so even when he started warming up to Rin, he must have always kept the possibility in his mind that he might one day betray him. On the other hand, Rin was taught by his father that he should become a friend to the Crown Prince, but never a real friend, because there wouldn’t be a place for friendship once Won became King. Despite the fun they had when they were together, inside the palace Rin always kept his manners and had his restraints in the way he treated Won. The two of them really balanced each other out in that way: Won was very open about his feelings and would occasionally push Rin to be more direct with him while Rin preferred to keep certain ideas to himself in consideration of Won’s royal position. I really liked how well their characters were written and how much they complimented each other in the most subtle ways. Even when things got heated between them and Won’s paranoia regarding the circumstances of his mother’s death and his bitterness towards the growing romance between Rin and San, it was clear to see that he still couldn’t fully dismiss his best friend. I remember that scene where Won spotted Rin running away from the palace while he was banned from the grounds, and he actually ran after him with that slightly triumphant look on his face. Even though he was angry with Rin at the time, he just couldn’t help being excited to see and talk to his friend again.
When tensions started rising and Rin started acting a bit suspicious in keeping things from Won, it was incredibly comforting to get the confirmation that Rin was more than willing to step back in order to give Won everything and that he never had any grudgeful or jealous feelings towards him. I liked that it wasn’t a “fake” friendship where Rin was actually secretly pining for Won’s position and took the first chance he got to overthrow him. He never wanted any of that. When he fell in love with San and felt himself become greedy, he wrote in his final letter to Won that he deserved punishment for even falling for the same girl as him. Rin literally did everything for Won. Even if he sometimes kept quiet and tried to solve things by himself without informing Won, the truth would always come out that he wasn’t acting against him, but always in his favor. And he didn’t just act like that towards Won, either. When his sister Dan was put on the tribute list, he actually pleaded with the Queen to become a hostage at Yuan in her place so she could be safe. He always took it upon himself to protect those he loved, even if that meant actually sacrificing himself or erasing himself from the narrative.
Admittedly, it would’ve been nice if Rin could’ve kept Won informed of what was going on when the latter was getting a bit paranoid. Rin basically became a spy amongst the anti-Yuan people and he could’ve at least hushed Won in his suspicions towards his own father and himself. Still, I guess that friction between them was necessary because it would lead to the face-off between them. But again, this just confirmed that Rin would’ve rather gotten himself killed than betray Won, which was heart-wrenching. I didn’t believe for a second that Rin would actually harm Won. When he said that his friendship with Won was like a stone pulling on his ankle that he had to get rid of, my first thought was that he’d do something to himself before he’d ever do something to Won. It was clear as day how much it killed him to even draw his sword against Won in their face-off. Honestly, I have no bad words for either Won or Rin, the portrayal of their friendship touched me to the core.

And then there’s San, or So Hwa as she’s occasionally called. I loved that the name So Hwa was a reference to her mother’s dying wish – it means ‘small flower’ and referred to her promise of remaining a tiny flower on a battlefield that would keep blooming no matter what. When Won and Rin meet her at Mount Duta, her spunky and outspoken personality – in combination with her undying love for liquor – immediately makes a big impression on the two guys.
I initially thought she’d cut herself off from her past and family for good, but it seemed like she actually kept in touch and even occasionally visited them. It was really nice to see her reunite with her father, the Minister of Finance Eun Yeong Baek (played by Lee Gi Young) and Bi Yeon (now played by Park Ji Hyun) and that she was still on such good terms with them. The hug she and her father shared when she came back indefinitely was really sweet. They had to keep their interactions under wraps though, because none of the servants that currently worked at their household actually knew about the mix-up between San and Bi Yeon – all the staff that had known San from when she was a child had been sent away so they wouldn’t be able to blow Bi Yeon’s cover. For good reason, when you look at how Song In was able to confirm So Hwa’s true identity by bringing in her old nanny to identify her.
While San keeps being pressured by both Song In and the Queen, there is one figure that keeps popping up to save her. San eventually finds out that this is Rin, and I think that’s when her feelings for him start changing from the ones she has for Won. I honestly felt that, while there were moments in which she was definitely flustered by Won’s advances, the tension between her and Rin was of a different caliber. If he’d just been the second male lead who didn’t stand a chance from the start, they wouldn’t have made the scenes between them so tender and they definitely wouldn’t have played that super romantic background music! The way in which their friendship gradually changed was so subtle that I barely even noticed from which moment onwards I started shipping Rin and San more than Won and San. There was just something really sweet and tender between them, even though it was never put into words. The only kiss between them happens as a kind of provocative action from Rin’s side when he knows Won is watching. I would’ve liked to actually see Rin and San share an intimate moment at a later point when they officially acknowledged their mutual feelings for each other. Then again, I think my ship was already confirmed several times, when she sank into his kiss instead of pushing him away, and when she crumbled after finding out his family had been involved in the attack on her mother.
One thing that I did find a pity regarding San’s character is that her spunky personality from the beginning started fading away throughout the series. I’ve seen this happen in many dramas before, that the female lead starts out with a super quirky personality and then just becomes more and more passive as the series progresses (from the top of my head I believe Radio Romance and Clean With Passion For Now are examples of this). Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I blamed San for becoming increasingly despondent throughout all the events involving her and her family and the revelations regarding the attack on her mother. Shortly after learning about Rin’s family’s involvement in her mother’s death, her father also suddenly passes away from a heart attack – another heartless action by Boo Yong The Witch (honestly, I was impatient to see her demise). In any case, as San became more paralyzed and powerless against the people who were manipulating her, I could understand why she became less and less cheery. Still, there were some moments where I couldn’t really gauge what she was thinking. Before she started showing clearer signs that she was leaning towards Rin more than Won, I had no idea how she truly felt about either of them, because she never put her feelings into words. When she suddenly appeared as a candidate to become Won’s new Crown Princess, I honestly had no idea what she was doing there. I had no idea what she was thinking showing up there all of a sudden, or if she even hoped that he would pick her even though he’d already promised to save Dan. I was kind of relieved when he still picked Dan, because it would’ve been too cruel if he suddenly bailed on that promise.
Anyways, there were a couple of moments where San had to make an appearance for an important cause, like that matchmaking session or the interrogation of Rin’s family, where she just kept quiet and stared at people and that made it really hard for me to gauge what was going through her head. Those were the moments where I really missed how outspoken she used to be, and that character trait just seemed to elude her completely. I know that part of that spunk was pretense, as she later admits to Rin that she put up an act to appear careless and brave, but she just became a totally different person from how she started out. Again, I understand the developments that her character went through during all the shit that went down, but I kind of wished there’d be some spunk left in her during moments where she had to face up to the royal officials that were trying to ruin her life. Other than that I liked how her character was written, and there were also several moments where her choices really touched me, for example when she decided not to out Wang Jeon for his contribution in her mother’s attack because it would affect Rin’s life as well. The way her tears came out as she made the decision to protect Rin, even if that meant renouncing her revenge on her mother’s attackers, was built up incredibly well. That scene actually gave me goosebumps, also because it again incorporated the feelings that were just starting to grow between her and Rin. The way he calmly nodded and smiled at her to tell her it was okay for her to condemn him was legit heart-wrenching to watch.

San’s only lead to the guy who attacked her eight years ago is that he has a snake tattoo on his forearm, and when she suddenly bumps into this guy in town, the part inside of her that’s still pining for revenge awakens. We gradually come to learn more about the snake tattoo man after San spots him as well. He is eventually identified as Moo Seok (played by Park Young Woon), a young man who was taken under Song In’s wing after his father died in a battle against the Yuan dynasty. I still don’t really understand how he looked exactly the same as he did during the bandit attack eight years earlier, but Moo Seok is definitely the same guy that San saw who slashed Bi Yeon’s face.
Despite him being an assassin for Song In, he doesn’t actually seem to be that bad of a person. This is revealed when he comes across Bi Yeon, and recognizes her as the girl he mangled eight years ago – she still has the scar on her face. I’m guessing he must have felt bad about it, because he keeps showing up for her after that and they even become (suggestedly) romantically involved. At least his feelings for Bi Yeon are confirmed when he refuses to accept Song In’s order to kill her. Honestly, I was really disappointed with how they did Moo Seok in. He should’ve just shot Song In where he stood, why did he have to miss and get stabbed to death like that? Despite my confusion regarding their age gap, I actually thought he and Bi Yeon made a really cute couple, and it was sweet how he started taking care of her as if he wanted to make up for what he did to her face. It’s sad that he had to die. ☹️
Speaking of Bi Yeon’s face, was I the only one who thought they could’ve made her scar a bit more gruesome? Like, the talk was that her face was damaged so badly she could never show it in public again or even get married because of it, but honestly I could only make it out from a certain angle or in a certain light. If they were going to make a big deal about the scar, they could’ve at least made it a bit bigger. I’m just saying, in most scenes where she had the veil off I needed a magnifying glass to spot it.🧐

Returning to the theme of family relations, I’d like to discuss Rin’s relations with his family members a bit more elaborately. His father, the Chancellor, Wang Yeong (played by Kim Ho Jin) is a good man who only sees the good in his children. His wife must have passed away because it’s only him, Jeon, Rin and Dan. Jeon and Rin are consistently referred to as the Chancellor’s Second and Third sons, respectively, and although there are mentions of the First son, he doesn’t appear in the story.
With his older brother out of the picture, Wang Jeon probably thought being the new oldest Chancellor’s son made him better than anyone else. I can only imagine him jumping with joy when Song In approached him with the plan to make him the new Crown Prince as he was the next available heir from Princess Jeonghwa’s lineage. Despite this newfound ambition, Jeon keeps wasting his time on partying and women. It’s actually kind of funny that the Royal family was in fact well aware of the plan to put Wang Jeon on the throne – they just never took it seriously. I can’t blame them, I mean, look at the guy. He was a despicable man that only ended up as a laughing stock. He was actively involved in the bandit attack on San’s mother, yet during the interrogation he kept yelling at his father and Rin that they needed to do something. Like, brother didn’t even seem to realize that he himself was to blame for getting his entire family arrested. I also really hated how he kept claiming he’d been waiting for San to come of age so he could marry her – yikes forever. The fact that he and San would’ve actually gotten married if Won hadn’t stepped in, even when he didn’t know it was San at the time. By the way, I found it kind of curious that Won didn’t recognize San with her face veil on. He’d seen her wear it before at the Queen’s masqued party and then he was able to recognize her immediately… or was that because Rin was with her? I don’t know, from the way Won was always observing her, I just expected him to at least recognize her eyes when he looked into them, but I guess not. Anyways, I’m really glad Wang Jeon gradually disappeared from the picture as even Song In and his gang were like, “you know what, we can find someone better”, lol. During the final times he appeared on screen he just became such a tragic, almost comical character who was pissed off that he didn’t get his piece of the pie. I loved the part where people started obeying Rin more than him and he started yelling at him and Rin was like, “can someone please remove this man, he is being too loud”. 😂
In contrast to Wang Jeon, I was actually really taken with Dan. Honestly, I felt so bad for her throughout the series. She was just a pure and innocent girl who was so in love with Won that she didn’t even mind that he didn’t love her back or that he only married her in order to save her from being sent to Yuan. I hated how everyone tried to bring her into everything, how the Queen suddenly threatened to send her to Yuan and how she then got kidnapped by Song In in the end to play poison roulette with San – the poor girl didn’t even know a thing about what was happening in the palace and must have constantly been worried out of her mind. I really loved the dynamic between Rin and Dan, and how he would always come to see and talk to her whenever she was sick or confined to the house. Rin was such a sweet brother to her, and he really went to great lengths to secure her safety.
I also liked the friendship that bloomed between Dan and San. Despite the fact that Dan was very aware that Won fancied San and she also expressed that she didn’t like seeing San in Won’s quarters, she still couldn’t bring herself to hate her. When Song In ultimately kidnaps the two girls and forces one of them to drink poisoned tea, she’s utterly shocked when San switches their cups and drinks the poison herself. It was really heartwarming to see how close they became after San returned and recovered from the poison, and how relieved Dan was to see her back alive.
Although I initially thought it was very chivalrous of Won to offer to marry Dan in order to save her from being sent away as a tribute, I couldn’t help but think that he could’ve been a bit more respectful towards her. He literally walked away the second the wedding ceremony ended, like, at least see it through for her. He must’ve known that not showing up to greet the King and Queen at her side would also impact her badly as the new Crown Princess. I thought he was nice enough to her at first, but there were definitely some moments where I was like, okay, I know you don’t have feelings for her, but at least just do this for her, she’s been through enough already.

In terms of family relations, let me finally discuss Won’s relationship with his parents for a bit. As the only remaining child in the palace – unlike the actual historical facts Won didn’t have any siblings in this story – it seemed like Won’s relationship with his dad was kind of tense from the start. It was clear that he respected his father and that he would never plan anything to overthrow him as the rumors suggested. The King, however, seemed to be slightly paranoid that this might one day happen. As soon as the first plan was set in motion to make him doubt his son’s intentions, he didn’t hesitate for a second to accuse Won of attacking him, falling right into Song In’s trap. He must’ve been a fairly easy target for the anti-Yuan movement, since they could play on the existing suspicions he had towards his son. Like all the relationship developments in this series, I really liked how the bond between Won and his father played out, and how in the final episode they finally managed to see eye to eye. Losing Queen Wonseong heavily impacted them both, and it seemed like talking about her finally softened things between them a little bit.
Despite Queen Wonseong’s demanding personality, I did like that she at least had genuine love for her son. They didn’t have that many scenes together at first, but once she got involved in his affairs with San, it became crystal clear how much she really cared about him. It was nice that she taught him how to play chess and just enjoyed spending time with him. Won’s reaction to her passing was also heartbreaking – honestly, I can’t wait to rant about Im Si Wan’s performance in my cast comments later, his emotional acting was phenomenal. I’m glad we got to see a sincere motherly side from her towards Won. I actually found myself warming up to her throughout the series, something I hadn’t expected to happen initially.

At first glance, the Queen seemed like a pretty nasty person. Her words were sharp, she wasn’t friendly to anyone, and she just seemed to be full of bitterness. Then again, I really liked her wickedness when Boo Yong first caught her attention. The way she literally stuck her nail into Boo Yong’s chin to push her face upwards to look at her was CHILLING but SO COOL. I think that may have been when my perspective of her started to change, because it was a very good instinct of her to immediately dislike Boo Yong, even though it started as mere jealousy. After she eventually warmed up to San, I started liking her more and more and then it became more and more dreading to see her slowly get more and more sick. The way she eventually died, after witnessing what Song In and Boo Yong were doing and watching her most loyal guard be slaughtered right in front of her was so tragic. I felt so bad for her that she died there and then, knowing that her husband wasn’t even aware of what was happening to them both. I honestly think she would be very comforted to see how the King responded to her death, especially after he first completely dismissed what had happened to Boo Yong. He must have really loved the Queen, and it would’ve been so nice if they could’ve shared those sentiments one more time before they had to part ways.
The loyal guard that was slain by Song In was called Murathai (played by Lee Jae Woon). I’d wondered before why he looked different, with the shaven hairstyle etcetera, but it wasn’t until I heard his name that I realized he must’ve come with her from Yuan. Actually, in the flashback of the young Wonseong, you can see someone behind her who could very well be a younger version of him, seen from his hair and the way he’s dressed. I only realized this when I heard the name “Murathai” and realized that he must’ve been with her ever since she came there from Yuan. That only made his demise even sadder, to be honest. The way Song In stabbed him too, from the back where Murathai couldn’t see him coming. It was awful and so cowardly as well.
Among all the suspicious people around her, at least Murathai had been always on her side. The same went for Court Lady Cho (played by Min Young Won). It was so sad that she was dragged away for interrogation and wasn’t even able to tend to the Queen in her final moments. These two were the only people around the Queen that were loyal to her until the very end and never gave in to the anti-Yuan movement to spy on her. The only one to betray her was eunuch Choi (played by Kim Byung Chun), who was secretly helping out Song In. It was very satisfying when the Queen started suspecting him and eventually made him spill the truth by threatening his family. Sorry family, but the guy was a snake. I kept calling him “the snaky eunuch” whenever he made an appearance. 🐍

Before I move on to the villain section of my character analysis, I just want to say something about Won’s loyal trustees, Jin Gwan (Seo Jae Woo) and Jang Ui (Ki Do Hoon). I loved these two so much. They were always there for Won and Rin, to the point where they also felt more like friends than guards at some moments. They were both a bit younger, and usually appeared together. At some point they kind of split up and Jin Gwan stayed mostly at Rin’s house while Jang Ui stuck with Won. I loved how they always just happened to be exactly where they needed to be to catch some vital piece of information or spot something. I also thought it was super cute that Jin Gwan was crushing on Dan and chose to stay with her at all times. Honestly, if it weren’t for his status I would have urged Dan to get with him because he was obviously smitten with her and she deserved some genuine affection. I can’t deny that I was scared that either of them might get killed at some point. Whenever they ran out by themselves in pursuit of some bandits or suspicious people I was like PLEASE STAY ALIVE PLEASE, but luckily nothing happened to them.
I think the scene that proved best how much they truly cared about both Won and Rin was in the final episode, when they had Won’s order to corner Rin and kill him for taking the King’s gold seal. This turned out to be a staged death, because it was just meant to create a getaway for Rin and San, but I guess Jin Gwan and Jang Ui weren’t aware of that. The PAIN on their faces as they aimed their arrows at Rin physically hurt me. It killed them to attack Rin like that and if that wasn’t enough proof that they honestly cared about him, I don’t know what was. I just loved how humane they were, and that despite being Won’s loyal guards, there were also moments when they actually hesitated when he gave them an order. They obeyed, of course, but you could clearly see that they had a proper conscience.

Going on a little segue here, but this was actually something that I really liked about this series. Every single character was relevant. From the guards and the servants to the dumpling lady (I can’t find her in the cast list but she was awesome!) and Gae Won and Yeom Bok. I loved that these two clowns were written as more than just comic relief characters; they were actually super smart and observant and provided a lot of useful information. It’s been a while since I’ve applauded a series for creating so many characters and storylines without wasting even one of them. This series had such good writing and character-building, I just can’t seem to shut up about it. 😌

Well then, it’s time for the anti-Yuan movement. One thing I’ll say in advance is that I also liked how this series played with perspective. After hearing Song In’s story, I could honestly see a valid reason for wanting to get rid of the Yuan influence, especially considering how the annual tribute deal was literally tearing families apart. I honestly didn’t even think their goal was all that bad. It’s just that the way they went about it, killing a bunch of innocent people just to drive a wedge between the King and his wife and son, was so, so wrong.
Besides being related to the Royal Assistant Secretary, I honestly still don’t know much about Song In. I’ll talk a bit more about this later, but I still don’t actually know for sure what the relation was between him and the RAS, or how he managed to wriggle his way into the palace when both the Queen and Won found him suspicious from the start. At first I thought he was working for Wang Jeon, but it turns out that he was pulling all the strings. Song In had something genuinely threatening about him, all the more because he always remained so calm. I kept calling him Mr. Smugface because he always had that little smile on his lips. It really seemed like nothing would be able to shake his confidence, so I was very surprised when it turned out that he did have a weak spot – Boo Yong. I mentioned before that some characters’ reactions to a certain death surprised me, and this was also the case for Song In. In his earlier scenes with Boo Yong, he kind of seemed to be playing with her when she got jealous of him expressing interest in San. I felt like he was the kind of guy who’d keep a woman hooked but would never tell her he loved her. Imagine my surprise when I saw his response to Boo Yong’s death – he witnessed it first-hand through a small window in a screen. Even though he’d always been just about the plan, after she died the only thing that seemed to matter to him was that he avenged her – heck, he even started hallucinating that she was there and kept talking to her. I honestly had no idea he actually loved Boo Yong that much from how he treated her when she was alive, I lowkey thought he was just playing her, seeing as that he actually encouraged her to get intimate with the King and all that. That really surprised me, and I’m honestly not sure how I feel about the way he just abandoned the anti-Yuan plan and just set his mind to taking away Won’s most loved person from him as well.
I guess this relates to what I mentioned earlier, that every character at least seemed to have a heart, because even after all he did, I still couldn’t help but be happy for him that he at least got to be reunited with Boo Yong when he died. I actually thought it was sweet how she appeared before him as he was dying, as if she was coming to get him. The fact that I was actually able to feel that kind of sentiment for these two characters was wild even to me, but I guess it really comes down to how well their characters were written. They were a match made in Hell, so at least they got to see each other there. Aww.

I realize I haven’t talked much about the Royal Assistant Secretary himself that much yet. Song Bang Yeong is the only spy from the anti-Yuan movement who actually manages to avoid persecution and is even able to keep his position, which kind of pissed me off. I honestly didn’t really understand what his part was in all of it, because he definitely helped in poisoning the King against his son, but then he still seemed to care for the King to remain in power. I guess some of his motives were revealed in his conversation with Master Lee towards the end, when he asked him which side he should choose to remain unscathed in the aftermath. I guess he really just cared about that. I’m also still not sure how he felt about Song In and Boo Yong. He always acted like some kind of court jester with his exaggerated way of speaking and comical facial expressions, but even when they announced that Song In had died, his face just went 😯 – he didn’t even seem genuinely shocked by it. In hindsight I would’ve liked to see a bit more of him without his mask. We do get a couple of smug grins from him here and there but I was actually curious to learn more about his concrete motivations to go against the Queen and Crown Prince. I mean, after everything was said and done, he still remained in his RAS position to serve the Crown Prince, so he can’t have hated him that much.

If there’s one consistent question mark that I have regarding all the members of the anti-Yuan movement, it’s that it wasn’t clear to me where any of them came from. If Song In’s background was already vague to me, Boo Yong’s was simply unknown. I wish they would have revealed a bit more about how Song In and Boo Yong met at least, or how they both got so wrapped up in this plan together that she started brewing potions and poisons. Despite the fact that she was an absolute witch, and I didn’t mind it too much when she got bodied, I still found her quite an interesting character. I would’ve liked a bit more insight into her relationship with Song In and what she was thinking about everything they were doing. She was a very engaging villain character, and she definitely played her role well because she legit set my teeth on edge whenever she came on-screen, lol. I guess they were just really lucky that the King was such an easy target and she could just slither her way into his arms without ever raising suspicion. Which made it even more thrilling when the King would occasionally become lucid, because then it seemed as if he was actually suspicious of her. I got goosebumps when he suddenly asked her if the rumor about Won wanting to attack him wasn’t just something she’d whispered into his ear. Those moments contributed greatly to what made this series so exciting for me. You kept hoping that the right people would realize what was happening, but every single time they seemed to get close, the villains did something to shut them up again. It was a very thrilling cat and mouse game, all the way through.

Lastly, I just need to devote one paragraph to Master Lee, because he was undoubtedly one of my favorite characters. I don’t know what it is with Master Lees, because the sage from Alchemy of Souls was called the same and he was also one of my favorite characters. I guess Master Lees are just collectively awesome. It was established that Master Lee used to be a court official, but that he was banned for being insolent towards the King or something. This seemed to be confirmed when he and the King talked at the end and the King told him that he was the only one who wasn’t scared to throw the dirty truth at him, and it even felt like he respected him for that. In any case, Master Lee is eventually summoned to the palace and it’s thanks to him that Won manages to stay ahead of the anti-Yuan people for a while. I loved that whenever someone expressed surprise about how Master Lee was so well aware of everything going on in the palace, he’d just point at his ear and go, “I have very good ears 😀”, lol. The way he saw through everyone’s BS was so satisfying. He had so many funny one-liners, I hate that I can’t remember them now, but he was the only character that consistently made me laugh out loud. It was just so great to have at least one reliable wise person around who saw through all the shady business and actually managed to help the good side in restoring justice. I really loved Master Lee’s character, he was the best.

I think that’s it for my character analysis, and again it took me more than one day to finish it. I don’t know what it is these days that I can’t seem to finish a review in a single day anymore. Anyways, if it takes a bit longer to produce a better and more elaborate review, so be it.

In terms of criticisms, there are a few things that I may have already mentioned throughout my analysis which I’d like to elaborate on. For starters, as much as I came to enjoy the series in general, I have to admit that it took me some time to get into it at first. Besides the fact that it started off with a salvo of many different names, places and titles, I also had some trouble determining from the start who everyone was, who they were related to and how.
Let me give some examples. Firstly, after just being introduced to “Master Lee” by that name, back in the palace they started referring to him by his full name “Lee Seung Hyu”, which I didn’t know yet at the time. I didn’t immediately make the connection with him, which already caused a confusion.
It also took me a while to figure out who the current Queen actually was. This confusion was caused by the fact that, whenever someone started talking about the King’s first wife Princess Jeonghwa, they showed the flashback of young Queen Wonseong. I distinctly remember that the opening shot of young Queen Wonseong entering the palace for the first time was accompanied by the on-screen text “Princess Jeonghwa, demoted from Crown Princess to Princess”. This text didn’t appear when the first wife was depicted, she didn’t even get a proper introduction, only that “the King already had a wife and a son”. As Princess Jeonghwa was established to be Rin’s aunt, the Chancellor’s sister, I didn’t think the current Queen was her because of the way she treated Rin. Also, it was said that Princess Jeonghwa disappeared somewhere and was never seen again, so it wouldn’t make sense if the current Queen was her. It would’ve been clearer if they’d just introduced the current Queen by her name from the start and shown the text about Princess Jeonghwa in a shot featuring the King’s first wife. If they’d just introduced the current Queen with an on-screen text saying “Queen Wonseong” at her first appearance, that would’ve solved it, but the flashback confused me every time. In the end, I only got the official confirmation when the Queen died, because then everyone suddenly started calling her by her name, Wonseong. This happened with several people, as I mentioned this was the case with Murathai as well. I didn’t catch his name even once before they mentioned it after he died, and that stopped me from making the earlier connection that he’d been the Queen’s only present guard from Yuan and that I shouldn’t have doubted his loyalty to her because he was a part of her home.
Another thing that remained ambiguous to me was how exactly Song In and Song Bang Yeong were related. It may have been just bad subtitling, but in the version I watched their relation changed at least three times. I believe he was referred to as the Royal Assistant Secretary’s cousin, son and brother throughout the series. Looking at the age difference between them, I can only assume they must’ve been either brothers or cousins, but even if that was the case they couldn’t have been that close. I mean, if they had been, I would’ve at least expected Song Bang Yeong to respond a little bit more emotionally to the news of Song In’s death. There’s a chance that I missed this detail, but I just thought it was a bit wishy-washy that they couldn’t even clarify how the main villain was actually connected to the royal family. There must have been a reason that he was able to get such close access to the King, right?
Finally, because of the lack of clarification on several elements from the start, the real reason behind the anti-Yuan conspiracy also took a very long time to land. I ended up filling in the reason behind the tribute deal mostly by myself as that it must have been a agreement between Goryeo and Yuan through the merging of their dynasties, but even this was never actually explained in the story. While it’s not a bad thing to have to figure things out by myself in a story, it would have definitely helped me to have certain things clarified a bit more by the narrative.

Before I go onto my cast comments, I’d just like to point out something about the series’ title. I noticed that there are two English titles for this series, The King Loves and The King in Love. I personally think that the first one is more grammatically accurate to the Korean title, and to be honest I also prefer that one because it resonates much more with the overarching theme of Won coming to terms with his love for his two best friends. It’s interesting that it says “The King” though, because Won only ascends the throne in the very final episode when all of this has already happened. The Korean word used in the title is “Wang”, which means “King” but can also refer to the royal family name that both Won and Rin share. In any case, it felt more natural to me to use the title The King Loves in this review because I feel like that connects better to Won’s emotional development.

By the way, I know I’ve mentioned the opening sequence before and how it kind of tricks us into believing that Won and San are endgame, but what was that actually about? I’m actually kind of curious why they decided to go with this misleading opening sequence of Won kissing San while Rin sadly watches on. What was the thought behind it? I’m just saying, I could actually appreciate it if it was purely meant to troll the viewer into getting the wrong expectations, but looking at the tone of the series I doubt they’d pull a prank like that. Seriously, if anyone has a theory I’d love to hear it, because I’m genuinely curious.

We have reached the segment we (mostly me) have all been waiting for! It’s cast comment time! I know this review is already quite lengthy but I couldn’t skip the cast comments because I found a lot of surprising new sides to actors I already thought I knew, and I just want to give everyone a shoutout for performing so well.

Until now, I’ve only seen Im Si Wan in introverted, gentle and mild character roles – I’m thinking mainly about his roles in Run On and Summer Strike. As such, it was delightful to see him in the role of Won. I thoroughly enjoyed his performance. It was clear that he understood the role so well, and he really went beyond the script and added so much to Won’s character that I couldn’t help but love him. His facial expressions and the way he portrayed Won’s darker and edgier sides really surprised me, as did his emotional acting in for example the scene where the Queen passed away. He was incredible, I’m so glad I got to see this side of him. This series has proven to me what a great actor he truly is. Bravo!

I’m not gonna lie, this series actually reignited my love for Hong Jong Hyun. It just confirmed what I’ve been saying for so long while I defended him for always getting cast as angsty, creepy or ill-mannered guys (looking mainly at Wild Romance, White Christmas, Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, My Absolute Boyfriend). I always knew there was a soft and gentle side in him, and I’m so freaking happy that it came out in this series. It was such a comfort seeing him portray such a genuinely kind and caring character for a change. I was genuinely psyched that he got the girl, because my heart was already breaking at his sad puppy face watching Won and San together from afar in the opening sequence. I’m crushing on him all over again, I can’t help it. I’m even more happy I saw this drama now. 😭🙏🏻

I’ll keep repeating it, but I loved the chemistry between the two male leads so much. Their friendship seemed so natural and they expressed their unspoken dedication to each other so effortlessly. Seriously, friendship goals. They were amazing together.

I never actually saw Im Yoon Ah act in anything before, although that’s definitely going to change since King the Land is also still on my list. I’m curious to see her portray a different variety of roles now. I really liked the energy that she put into her performance of San. I know I commented on how I thought she kind of lost her spunk throughout the show, but I did like seeing how she switched between different layers of her character – in a way it was actually admirable how she was able to become a completely different person once she transformed back into Eun San. Maybe it’s better to view So Hwa and San as two different people: So Hwa the carefree and fearless and San the fragile and delicate. Maybe Won fell in love with So Hwa and Rin fell in love with San, and she chose Rin because he loved her for the real her. I don’t know, I’m probably thinking about it too much. In any case, I really liked the chemistry between her and the two male leads as well, the scenes where the three of them frolicked around were really sweet. I also really loved the sequence where she was walking while balancing on a fence and the shot shifted from Rin behind her to Won who caught her as she almost fell while following the course of a flower petal. I think that shot on its own depicted their dynamic very well, or at least how they started out with Won being more straightforward in showing his interest while Rin was still holding back.
Anyways, I liked Yoon Ah’s performance and I’m really excited to see more of her!

I can’t go on to the next characters before mentioning the once again incredible performances by the younger versions of the main leads. Nam Da Reum, Yoon Chan Young and Lee Seo Yeon are all bright stars of the future. I’d never seen Lee Seo Yeon before but I thought she did an incredible job as young San in the flashback of the bandit attack and the scene where Won passed her mother’s dying wish onto her. I’ve seen both Nam Da Reum and Yoon Chan Young in several younger version roles before, and they are such consistently talented young actors. Honestly, the talent of Korean child and teen actors never ceases to amaze me.

I’ve seen Park Hwan Hee in a couple of shows like Who Are You: School 2015, Descendants of the Sun, Jealousy Incarnate and Are You Human Too?. I barely remember her appearances apart from the last one since I wrote a review on that. I remember her playing such a brat in that series, lol. It was nice to see her as the sweet and delicate Dan, the role fitted her very well. I love how she retained strength in her pureness – I never once felt like she became weak or pathetic. Since Dan was such a naive and powerless girl who was as much shoved around by the higher ups as the main leads were, it would be an easy choice to make her like a passive puppet, but I’m glad they managed to write her as such a significant character. It was really nice to see her in a role that I hadn’t seen of her yet. I’ll definitely remember her portrayal of Dan, she was such a cinnamon roll.

I honestly think this is the first time I’ve seen Jang Young Nam portray an innately good person! 😂 She’s somehow always cast as evil people (like in It’s Okay to Not Be Okay and Crash Course in Romance). In the beginning I feared that she might have been cast as another nasty lady, a Queen even this time, but it was a really nice surprise to see her thaw towards San. I started feeling for her more and more as the anti-Yuan people’s plan started bearing fruits, and the way she ultimately met her end was genuinely sad. I really liked seeing a new side to her acting, and I thought her chemistry with her on-screen son Im Si Wan was really touching. The Queen was such a great character, honestly. I’m still sad about what happened to her and how she was incapacitated to do anything about it. Truly a great performance from Jang Young Nam, her performance really managed to make me feel for her and touch me throughout the series.

I didn’t exactly recognize Oh Min Seok as I was watching the show, but apparently he was the jerk cousin in Kill Me, Heal Me. I’ve yet to see more sympathetic performances of him, but I guess he’s a good casting choice for a smug villain. I have to admit he played the role of Song In very well. The ones that remain calm and smiling under all the circumstances are the ones to be truly feared. In a way it’s a shame he lost his cool after Boo Yong died, because he was a very intimidating villain. I think it made him even more scary because he was actually fighting for a valid cause, but he just went overboard in his methods to achieve that goal. In hindsight, you can’t deny that there must have been something good in him. He was actively trying to stop the tribute deal, which was indeed horrible. I just wished there would’ve been a bit more background information on him, where he came from and how he grew up, that would explain why he became as twisted as he did. But yeah, I think he did a great job. I thought it was very clever to gradually make him a bigger and bigger threat throughout the series, it really helped build up the tension.

I thought I recognized Choo Soo Hyun from somewhere, but I see she’s only done five dramas up until 2018 and the only one of them I’ve seen is Pinocchio, and I don’t think I remember her from there. In any case, speaking of another good villain role: I think we can all agree that Boo Yong – I purposely didn’t refer to her as Queen Moo Bi in my review since she doesn’t deserve that title – was a nasty piece of work. Yet again, just like with Song In, there was a part inside of her that was loving and good and genuinely cared about her lover. I really would’ve liked to get a bit more background information on her as well, especially about how she and Song In met and started their rebellion against the Crown Prince together. The fact that I hated her character with a passion is only thanks to her acting, it just means she did a great job. The expression on her face when she lulled the King back to sleep as he was about to wake up when the Queen busted them was ENRAGING but SO COOL. I have to admit that the energy and ferve with which she played her character was very satisfying to watch.

The way my mouth fell open when I realized Choi Jong Hwan also played that stoic guy from Birth of a Beauty! What a world of difference! Song Bang Yeong was probably the most animated character out of everyone. His acting made me think of a jester in a traditional stage play, with his exaggerated expressions and way of speaking. I couldn’t find it irritating even if I wanted to, because he still made it work and he was genuinely immersed in his role. This goes for all the more comical characters in this series, by the way, the way they acted proved my point that if an actor takes his character seriously, he doesn’t have to try to be funny to be amusing. The same went for Song Bang Yeong, because his comical acting amongst the gradually increasing turmoil in the palace actually did bring a deeper layer to his character as well. I liked that he stood out against the others in that way, he kept you thinking that there was more to him but even in conversations where he didn’t need to pretend he kept up the act, and that was a very interesting choice. He was an interesting character for sure, and the actor definitely surprised me.

Apparently they only take ballet classes together, but I keep thinking that Park Ji Hyun and Park Gyu Young are sisters because they look SO much alike! Seriously, I feel like every time I see Park Ji Hyun I first mistake her for Park Gyu Young and then look up if they’re related every single time, lol.
It actually took me a moment to realize that Bi Yeon’s actress was the second female lead in Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung. This was actually only her second drama, and I see that she’s done a couple more historical ones – she does look natural in the genre. It was cool seeing her in a different role, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of her acting. She did a really good job as Bi Yeon, I really loved her and San’s friendship even though she was “just” her maid. Even after what happened to her, she kept caring so much about her lady and knowingly went along with the mix-up in order to protect her. Her emotional acting game was really strong in this one, even more so when you look at the stoic personality of her character in Rookie.

When Moo Seok made his first appearance in the story, he reminded me of Yang Cha from Arthdal Chronicles. I felt like he resembled him a lot, with the black attire and the mask and the stoicness. I guess that’s why he immediately felt familiar to me, even though I haven’t seen him in anything else so far. I can’t deny that I was bummed out that he and Bi Yeon couldn’t end up living happily ever after together. I had the feeling it was going to happen as soon as he hesitated at Song In’s order, but it was still sad that he actually had to die. Sadness forever. But I liked the duality in his performance as well – I happen to have a weak spot for dangerous men who turn out to be very gentle and caring on the inside. I see on MDL that this was actually his first drama and he’s still going, so I hope to encounter him in a different role in the future – I’m really curious to see him in a modern-day role now.

Imagine my surprise when, right after thinking that Moo Seok reminded me of Yang Cha, I found out that Yang Cha’s actor was actually in this series himself. What a crazy coincidence! I thought Ki Do Hoon looked vaguely familiar but he mostly just reminded me of Sung Joon, haha. Too many associations here, I’ll keep it simple. I guess I didn’t make the connection right away because he’s a lot younger in this series; it was actually his second drama as well. It’s probably just that he looks more grown-up in Arthdal Chronicles and Love Alarm and that’s why I didn’t recognize him right away. 😌 Anyways, he received a new medal of honor on my list because I really liked his portrayal of Jang Ui. The same went for Seo Jae Woo, who played Jin Gwan. Even as royal guards who were just following orders, there was so much more to their characters. I keep mentioning the scene where they both cried when they had to shoot Rin off that cliff, but I can’t help it. It just hit differently to see these young men, who were always so steadfast, shed tears for their friend like that. They really managed to touch me with their performances.

I’ve seen Eom Hyo Seob in many a series before this (like School 2013, My Love From Another Star, Doctors, Shopping King Louie, While You Were Sleeping, I’m Not a Robot, He is Psychometric, Extraordinary You and Start-Up) and he always delivers, whether he plays a jerk or a good guy. This is definitely my favorite role of him so far. He had just the right balance between wise and goofy and I lived for it. I can still hear his quirky “Aha 😀” and I’m thinking of adapting that phrase whenever I hear someone talk BS, lol. Honestly, this will be one of his more memorable performances for me, I really, really enjoyed what he brought to this series.

As always, I never skip a mention of Ahn Se Ha whenever he appears in a series. Honestly, this man is the manifestation of being funny without trying to be. I absolutely loved him as Gae Won. His comical timing is just effortlessly perfect. I love how he always gets so immersed in his characters, even when it’s just a guest appearance or a cameo. In this case again, as I already mentioned in my analysis, he managed to make Gae Won so much more than just a funny-looking thief. While there was definitely a Mr. Smart and Mr. Dumb dynamic between him and Yeom Bok, they never took it too far and their involvement and contributions to the story were always relevant to the plot. I loved how Won actually ended up recruiting them for his team because he acknowledged how useful they were.
In any case, another great performance from Ahn Se Ha, this man never disappoints.

To sum up this lengthy review: I liked this series a lot. Admittedly, it took me a couple of episodes to get into it, and whenever I took some time in-between episodes I always needed some time to get back into the story as well, but then it still always managed to grab me. This definitely isn’t the type of show that you can just put on in the background while you’re doing something else; I did this a couple of times and I just know I missed some details here and there because of it. As I mentioned, there were some minor confusions and a lack of clarity here and there that I had to fill in by myself, but I can’t say that ruined my watching experience. There were a lot of moments that genuinely touched me, and I stand by my point that I think it was very well-written. The characters and the story were fleshed out really well, the acting was great, the cinematography was stunning, the music was good… I really liked it. It’s been a while since I felt myself feeling so much for almost every single character and managed to see something redeemable in everyone – I think the last time might have actually been Alchemy of Souls. I love it when historical dramas manage to literally sweep me away to that world and time, and I also thought it was really cool that this story was actually based on historical facts and people that really existed. Lastly, I really loved the twist that San and Rin ended up together, and it just made me so happy to see new acting styles of all these familiar actors. It was a really exciting series and I’m glad I finally got to watch it.

And with that, I have finally reached the end of this lengthy review! There’s one more month until the end of the year and I’m really curious what drama my Wheel of Fortune will pick out next.

Until then, bye-bee! x