Captivating the King Will Become One of the Best K-dramas of 2024

“CAPTIVATING THE KING” (2024), K-DRAMA SERIES

March has just begun and 2024 Korean dramas are still being released. Even so, I do not doubt that "Captivating the King" will make many lists as one of the Best K-Dramas of 2024. It may even appear on lists as one of the Best K-Dramas of All Time. From the first episode, as a viewer, I was completely captivated.

This series is historical, set during the Joseon Era, loaded with political intrigue, and it's a love story. The king is suspected of being a homosexual because of his closeness to a baduk (Go) player. However, the baduk player ultimately reveals herself to him and also confesses her love for him.

A man, especially a king, who is surrounded by so many treacherous and traitorous people must have at least one person he can trust and rely on; a confidant who will stay beside him through thick and then, and comfort and love him. The burden the king carries is heavy because, among the people who seek his life, one of them is his one and only kinsman. That kinsmen killed his brother and planned to kill him also. Even worse, his mother, the Queen Dowager, did nothing to stop him, It is indeed a cruel world when your mother won't even try to rescue you.

♦ “Captivating the King” is loosely based on the historical events about the time when Joseon was “between” the Qing and the Ming. In the history of Korea (formerly called Joseon), the date of the Manchu Victory is 1636. With this victory, the Qing defeated the Ming and the Emperor forced Joseon into a tributary relationship with the Empire.

MAIN CHARACTERS:

• Grand Prince Jinhan / Lee In (played by Cho Jung-Seok, “The Face Reader”, “The Nokdu Flower”)
• Kang Hee-Soo / The Baduk Gambler (played by Shin Se-Kyung, “Rookie Historian”)

Before he became king, people plotted against the Grand Prince Jinhan and accused him of treason. On the night he went before his brother, the king, to plead his innocence, his brother gave him “his last words” and died in his arms. The treacherous plans of his enemies BACKFIRED. He had the upper hand because he and a court maid were the only ones in the king's quarters when he received his dying words. The grand prince took the throne and became king. Although that was not his brother, the king, had willed. Nevertheless, to carry out his brother's dying wishes, Grand Prince Jinhan has to make himself king so that he has the authority to do so.

But what were his brother's last words? The grand prince was to:

• Ensure that the king's son was placed on the throne; and
• Find out who poisoned the king.

The king did not die a natural death. He was murdered.

The storyline for “Captivating the King” is rife with treachery and deceit, betrayal, psychological manipulation, and all of the tools power-mongers use to take control and satisfy their greed and lust for wealth and power.

When the grand prince was taken hostage by the Qing, he learned the value of playing baduk because it was a game that helped the player develop a military strategy to defeat his enemy.

When the grand prince returned to the palace, certain court officials convinced his brother, the king, to view the grand prince with suspicion and painted him as a spy for Qing. But even without the efforts of those within, the king had been threatened by those without. He was told that if something should happen to him, the Qing would place the grand prince on the throne, and not his son, the crown prince. This threat was already in the king’s mind and the Joseon court officials had simply added fuel to the fire.

One day the grand prince was out and about and came across a group of people playing baduk. He wondered if he could get into the game. That is how he met the baduk gambler. She was a noble lady, disguised as a man, who used the money she earned from gambling for charitable works.

Their relationship almost did not happen. The baduk player, along with several other people, were used as scapegoats to take the blame for the people who had plotted treason against the king. They were sentenced to death. The prince, who became king, thought she died. But several years later, the baduk player showed up. Not knowing how or why she/he survived, he made a way for her/him to stay by his side. Perhaps he had been given a second chance by the heavens to right his wrong against an innocent person. The baduk player, initially had plans to destroy him. But she had a change of heart once she learned “the rest of his story”.

The story of the prince and the gambler is truly captivating.

TRAILERS/TEASERS:

Netflix K-Content. “Captivating the King | Official Trailer | Netflix [ENG SUB].” YouTube Video. YouTube, January 9, 2024. Captivating the King | Official Trailer | Netflix [ENG SUB]

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Book or Film Adaptation: Classic Thriller: Night of the Fox by Jack Higgins

This post is a recommendation of three (3) books written by British author Jack Higgins (1929 - ), who is aptly described as "...one of the best-selling authors of popular thrillers and espionage novels."  I thought the excerpt from one of those books was a great way to pique your interest. 

“Rommel.” Hitler smiled a ghastly smile that was almost one of triumph.

“So, the Desert Fox wishes to play games.”

“I’m almost certain of it.”

“The people’s hero,” Hitler said. “We must handle him carefully, wouldn’t you say?”

“Or outfox him, my Fuhrer,” Himmler said softly.

“Outfox him. Outfox the Desert Fox.” Hitler smiled delightfully.“Yes, I like that, Reichsfuhrer. I like that very much indeed.”

♦ The dialogue above is extracted from “Night of the Fox”, a novel by Jack Higgins.


Almost everybody knows Harry Patterson better known as Jack Higgins. He is an international bestselling suspense thrilling author who is among the world’s most popular writers. He is remembered by many for his novel, “The Eagle Has Landed” (1975); but his book “Night of the Fox” (1986) is equally as impressive. Though his books are a work of fiction, the writer’s efforts to research the historical events on which the plots are based were painstakingly real. For example, part of his research involved actually meeting with and reviewing the diaries of a woman who was trapped in Jersey during World War II.

The book, “The Eagle Has Landed”, was adapted to film (1976) which also starred a few of my favorite actors: Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, and Donald Sutherland disguised as Polish airmen. It was a plot to kidnap Sir Winston Churchill.  Intense!

“Night of the Fox”, was also made into a movie (1990) which starred two of my favorite actors, George Peppard (as American officer, Col. Harry Martineau) and Michael York (as high-ranking German officer, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, the “Desert Fox”).

The book “The Eagle Has Flown” is a sequel to “The Eagle Has Landed”. Fans of novels by Higgins consider it worthy as a classic thriller, however, it was not adapted to film.

Nevertheless, if you are compiling a private library of WWII suspense thrillers, this 3-in-1 would be a great addition!

Jack Higgins: Three Complete Novels: The Eagle Has Landed (1975); The Eagle Has Flown (1991); Night of the Fox (1986)

• More books by Jack Higgins

Image credits: Photos found at Wikipedia. General Field Marshall Erwin Rommel in December 1943; and Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1977-119-08, Erwin Rommel with Adolf Hitler. Book cover at Amazon.



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K-Drama Review: 100 Days My Prince (2018) ~ Season 2 Confirmed for 2024

100 Days My Prince (2018) is a historical period K-drama, with 16 episodes, currently available on popular streaming sites such as Netflix, Viki, and Amazon Prime.  

"100 Days My Prince Series season 2nd not a secret now. We're expecting it to land on Saturday, May 11, 2024 almost same time as previous. Here's all we know about the upcoming part of the history."  (Source)

For those who have not watched Season 1, below is a recap.

Plot Summary

In the beginning episode, we meet the young boy who will become the prince and the young girl that he falls in love with and promises to marry.  Like typical historical Korean dramas, it is loaded with political power struggles between ruthless court officials and of course, there's a touching love story. 

Childhood Trauma

A young prince witnesses horrific bloodshed and commands that it be stopped. Since he is a small child, his command is disregarded and he is returned to his father; only to learn that it was his father who ordered the bloodshed. To add insult to injury, his mother is “accidentally” killed (really she was murdered). 

From that day forward, he not only hates his father, HE HATES EVERYBODY!

Everybody except his close friend from childhood.  Everybody should have at least one true friend in this world. 

Two Marriages of Convenience?

The prince is forced into a marriage of convenience.  His wife, the princess, becomes pregnant by another man. In an effort to cover up her infidelity, the father-in-law (the father of the princess) attempts to kill the prince. The assassination attempt fails. However, while trying to escape his assassins, the prince falls down a slope and hits his head. A poor man finds him and takes care of him as best he can while he is unconscious. 

When he regains his consciousness, he does not remember who he is. When he was the prince he had given an order that all spinsters get married.  The poor man's daughter has not yet obeyed this command and time is running out.  The poor man is desperate to save his daughter from being punished for disobeying the law.  She is in peril and could be flogged to dearth.  So he the prince that he is his daughter's husband-to-be and that they must marry immediately.  Another marriage of convenience? 

What Happened During 100 Days

For 100 days, he lives the simple life of a commoner and falls in love. He is found by his father-in-law and brought back to the palace. His memory has not returned. But slowly bits and pieces of incidents from his past, like puzzle pieces, begin to fit together. His story begins … AGAIN! 

Gradually he realizes who he is and what he needs to do, i.e. fight against those who want him dead.  But he also knows what he wants to do, i.e. marry the woman he fell in love with as a commoner.  Eventually, he'll discover that she is the little girl he met when he was a child and had promised he would marry anyway.  Sadly, along the timeline from their childhood to young adults, many many unhappy and tragic events have occurred.

Will the prince overcome his opponents and will he and the woman he loves be able to live happily ever after?

• Do Kyung Soo stars as Prince Yul; and
• Nam Ji Hyun plays Yi Seo, the woman he truly loves.

RATING

Most viewers gave this series 4.8 out of 5 stars or 9.5. out of stars.  I agree.  To date, 100 Days My Prince stands as "the 11th highest-rated drama in Korea" (Source); and fans are super excited for Season 2.

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If you are a Do Kyung-Soo (D.O.) fan, while you're waiting for 2024 to arrive, check out these:

• Swing Kids (2018)

• Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days (2018); AND Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds | Singwa Hamgge- Joewa Beol (2017)

• Bad Prosecutor (2022)

Kokdu: Season of Deity | Viki Original Korean Drama Series

Kokdu: Season of Deity is a Viki Original Korean Drama Series, released 2023.  How long does a season of deity last? 99 days. During that time, Kokdu, a cruel angry death god, needs to find a woman, win her heart, and she must say the words “I love you”. 

Image credit:  Viki.com

Kokdu is a really mean and nasty death god, who is being punished because he incurred the wrath of the Creator. The only way he can be freed from this punishment is if a woman who knows how awful he is but still falls in love with him, faults and all. Like the fairy tale, “Beauty and the Beast”? Eh! Sort of. 

Kokdu Was Once a Human

Before he became a vengeful, hateful, angry, merciless, really mean, and nasty god, he was a human named Oh-hyeon. He was a handsome warrior in Silla, one of the three kingdoms in ancient Korea. He lost his life because he loved Seol Hui, a woman who had been gifted as a concubine to another man. The plan was for the two of them to run away together. Their plan was discovered and he was killed. Seol Hui decided that she did not want to live without him and so she committed suicide. 

In the afterlife, he was always angry and he refused to obey any commands received from the Creator. For him, there was no punishment that could be worse than what he had already experienced in the land of the living.  He was wrong.  It is much more painful and lasted much longer.  The Creator made him the death god and every 99 years he is reincarnated to visit the land of the living.  He is allowed to be there for 99 days, i.e. for a "season".  During this season of deity, he hopes that he will find the woman who can end his punishment.

• Kim Jung-hyun plays Kokdu / Oh-hyeon / Doctor Do Jin-woo.

• Im Soo-hyang plays Seol Hui / Doctor Han Gye-jeol.

Read the complete review at Popgeeks.

Viki Original Korean Drama Series: The Red Sleeve (2021)

"The Red Sleeve" is a Viki Original Korean drama series released in 2021.  It is based on the love story between King Jeongjo and Royal Noble Consort Ui-bin Seong. 

Image credit: “The Red Sleeve” (2021)

• “The drama is based on historical records such as the fact that Uibin Seong, whose real name is Seong Deok-im, rejected Jeongjo's proposal to make her his concubine, not just once but twice. ...” (Source)

Lee Jun-ho plays Yi San, later King Jeongjo. He continuously strives to be a good king; a ruler who is kind and benevolent to his people. During the Joseon Era, everybody knows that all of the women in the palace are the king's women. He can have free access to any woman he chooses and does not have to ask their permission. The king knows this is the rule. But aren't the court ladies also his people?

Court ladies in the palace wear uniforms that have a red cuff on their sleeves. The king is attracted to a particular court lady named Seong Deok-im played by Lee Se-young. He does not want his relationship with her to be based on fear. He wants her to love him and willingly become his woman. Seong Deok-im initially resists the king's advances toward her. She feels that her life as a court lady affords her a certain amount of freedom. If she becomes the king's woman, she will no longer be free. If she becomes the mother of his children, she can not love and cherish them as an ordinary mother. They are her children, but they are also royal children and if they are sons they are heirs to the throne.

She eventually falls in love with the king but still tries to resist becoming his woman. In the end, LOVE WINS. She becomes Royal Noble Consort Ui-bin Seong. Just as she predicted, she did have to give up her freedom. The king was very happy to have her by his side and she was happy to be by his side. But she was not completely happy because in order to live as the king's woman, she had to sacrifice her free spirit. Not to mention, since it was obvious to everyone that she had the king's favor, some of the other king's women were “haters”. You can imagine the malicious backbiting she endured from them.

This series is 16 episodes and it is a very sad love story. There was no fairy tale ending. Choosing to marry the prince or the king does not always result in living happily ever after.

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Viki Original Korean Drama Series: Queen: Love and War (2019)

Queen: Love and War was released in 2019.  In this Viki Original Korean drama series, a young prince meets and makes friends with a nobleman's daughter, when they were children. An accident happens on a boat and the girl he met is tossed overboard. Her father believes that she drowned. Her twin sister grows up and the prince, now king chooses her to be his bride; not realizing that she is the twin sister and NOT the girl he met when he was younger. Corrupt officials arrange to have both King Lee Kyung and his queen, Kang Eun Bo, assassinated on their wedding day. They succeed in killing the sister but the king miraculously comes back to life. The people are terrified of him. How can he possibly come back from the dead? 

Image credit:  “Queen: Love and War” (2019)

Coming back from the dead isn't all.  Let's not forget about the prophecy. Twins were supposed to be an evil omen. It's the reason nobody knew that the nobleman had twin daughters. He kept their birth a secret for fear they would be harmed.

The twin sister realizes that her sister has been murdered. She takes her sister's body and secretly buries it. Then she returns to the palace AS IF she has also risen from the dead, just like the king. The king not knowing that she is the young girl he had met as a child, also believes that his wife has come back to life. However, the twin sister's main purpose for returning to the palace is to discover who murdered her sister. For all she knew, even the king may have been involved. 

As she investigates to uncover the truth, she eventually realizes the king is innocent and falls in love with him. The problem is that she has already deceived him into believing that she is the one who died. This makes their personal relationship very complicated. AS IF life in the palace wasn't already complicated with all of the scheming, conniving, ruthless, greedy politicking that was going on.

• Kim Min-kyu plays the king, Lee Kyung

• Jin Se-yeon plays the twin sisters, Kang Eun-bo and Kang Eun-gi

This series is 16 episodes. It's love and war alright and the queen is right in the middle.

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Viki Original Korean Drama Series: Grand Prince (2018)

Grand Prince is a Viki Original Korean drama series released in 2018. This 21-episode series is historical fiction, although it is loosely based on the true stories of Grand Prince Anpyeong and King Sejo.

Image credit: “Grand Prince” (2018)

It's a love triangle. But only because one grand prince does not want to accept the fact that the woman he wants has already chosen his younger brother. Her choice just adds to the list of all of the rest of the reasons that he is jealous and envious of his younger brother. It's a one-sided rivalry because the feelings are not mutual. The younger brother truly loves his big brother. It's not his fault that the royal adults chose to send his brother away from the palace and allowed him to stay in the palace. Whenever his older brother comes to the palace he is always happy to see him.

• Yoon Shi Yoon plays the younger brother, Lee Hwi, Prince Eun Sung. He doesn't really want to be king, even though he has the character to become a great king. He is sent to serve in the military to prove that he is worthy to rule.

• Jin Se Yeon plays Sung Ja-hyun, a noble lady, who falls in love with Grand Prince Lee Hwi. They pledged their hearts to each other.  When the grand prince is called to serve in the military, she vows to wait until he returns. If he does not return she will remain unmarried and live her life in a Buddhist temple. One thing she has determined in her mind is that she will NOT become his older brother's woman.

• Joo Sang Wook plays the older brother, Lee Kang, Prince Jin Yang, who covets everything that his younger brother has, including his woman. Unlike his younger brother, he has a strong desire to be king. He secretly arranges for his brother to be killed in battle and intends to take his brother's woman.

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Korean Drama Movie: "Love, Lies" (2016) is a Tragic Love Story

I usually watch K-drama TV series. But I found a Korean drama movie to watch called “Love, Lies” (2016).

WARNING!! DO NOT watch this movie if you don’t want to be bummed out!

I got addicted to Korean drama 5+ years ago. So I know K-dramas always have a love triangle. It’s expected. However, this is the saddest, most painful, most sorrowful, and most tragic love triangle I have ever seen IN MY LIFE! (And I have watched a lot of sad love stories over the years.)

The story takes place in Seoul, 1940s, during the Japanese occupation of Korea (or Joseon).

THE LOVE TRIANGLE?

• Two young Korean girls ~ Jung So-yul (played by Han Hyo-joo), and Seo Yeon-hee (played by Chun Woo-hee) ~ who have beautful voices were raised to be “artists”. (That’s what they were told. One of them found out later that they were just beautified to be “artful prostitutes” for the Japanese men.)
• One young Korean man ~ Kim Yoon-woo (played by Yoo Yeon-seok0 ~ who is a song-writer. But he writes popular songs for the common people ~ “Joseon’s Heart”. Not the traditional music (jeongga, or classical Korean songs) the girls have been trained to sing for the upper class Korean society and the Japanese occupiers.

Kim Yoon-woo says he is in love with one girl but then he meets her best friend. You might want to call the guy “a jive turkey”. But as the relationships develop, you almost feel like … he didn’t really do anything wrong.

WHY? I always say that if you are in a relationship, it is best that you find out BEFORE you get married that you don’t want to be in that relationship. No matter how much it may hurt the other person, you really should not marry somebody that you don’t love. Because that means two (2) people will be miserable in the relationship. Break it off before you marry so that the other person can … maybe … find someone else to be happy with.

I won’t tell you details of how this story unfolds but it was so so so so so so so so so so so so … painful!!

Half of the time I was watching the movie, one part of my mind kept telling me … Look away! You don’t want to see The End. The other part of my mind was saying … Look! You gotta know what happens in The End.

I watched it until The End and my heart was breaking for all three of them! 

The cruelty that resulted from a woman’s bitterness, anger, and jealousy …?? I searched for one word to describe the things she did to get her revenge. But I came up with two words. INSANELY VICIOUS!!

By the end of the movie, I was totally shattered. 

Many reviewers praised the movie; and I wholeheartedly agree with those reviews. I thought the acting was superb! In addition to the stellar acting by the three (3) main characters, this movie also gets my 5 star rating for: the music, the scenery, and the costumes. Especially, the traditional Hanbok clothing and the modern westernized clothing that both ladies wore. In every outfit, they were both gorgeous and extremely stylish. Their hairstyles whether long hair or short hair were beautiful!!

Also, I really liked the album covers. Both ladies released an album with them singing and the artwork for both album covers is incredible! I wouldn’t mind buying an art print.

In fact, that’s how the movie begins. Some people found an old record album and wanted to know the whole story behind it. (Kind of like that popular American movie “Titanic” (1997) where they found that art portrait and wanted to know who the woman was.)

The majority of reviewers gave this movie 4.8 stars out of 5. I agree.

NOTE: There is one thing I am curious about in this movie. Maybe my readers can enlighten me. The red and blue parasols given to the artists when they completed their training? Is that historical fact or historical fiction?

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Books: The Appointment by Herta Müller

Today Romania is a Republic and enjoys a good relationship with many countries, the United States being one of them. But this was not always the case.

There was a time when Romania was ruled by a ruthless and oppressive dictator, Nicolae Ceaușescu. He is no longer with us.

One can imagine all the Romanians were likely dancing in the streets the day of his execution. It was also Christmas Day so they would have been celebrating anyway.

Image Credit: "Bloody Christmas": Christmas in Romania, 1989: romaniadacia.wordpress.com

● Herta Müller received a Nobel Prize for Literature.

● Born in Romania, she lived during the Ceaușescu regime. She escaped. Her novel “The Appointment” incorporates some of her own personal experiences.   The story is about a young Romanian woman who has an appointment that she must keep.

The story begins :

“I’ve been summoned. Thursday, at ten sharp.”

The story ends :

“The trick is not to go mad.”

● The lines in between paint a clear picture of what life was like in Communist Romania.

It's a quick read.  About 200 pages.

* * *

Content also appears at my partner blog: Joie de Vivre Magazine

Korean Drama TV Series: Cruel Palace — War of Flowers (2013)

I wanted to watch this historical period drama series because it starred Kim Hyun Joo. The first time I saw this actress was in “Boys Over Flowers” (2009) . She was a supporting actress and she played the part of the big sister of one of the boys who were known as the “F4”. Her character was so sweet and generous. By contrast, in “Cruel Palace — War of Flowers”, she is the main character who plays royal concubine Soyong Jo / Yam Jun, and she is anything but sweet and generous. Although, her character started out as a nice girl; once she is adopted as a nobleman’s daughter, she changes completely.

Kim Ja-Jeom (played by Jung Sung-Mo) is the nobleman who adopts her. He has his own political/revenge agenda. The king had exiled him and when he came back, he was out for blood! The king’s blood! He planned to use his adopted daughter to take control of the throne and when she has a son for the king, that son will be his grandson, and he will hold the power. However, his adopted daughter, Soyong Jo, has her own plans to achieve her dreams of power. She wants to be queen AND make her son king!

Even though the rule is NOT to be envious and jealous, life for the women in the palace ~ mainly the queen and the concubines who constantly compete to receive the favor of the king ~ is motivated by envy and jealousy. This series is set during the Joseon dynasty after the Manchu invasion. The Qing are fighting against the Ming and Joseon is stuck in the middle. As if it’s not bad enough that the entire country is stuck in the middle of a power struggle between two Chinese warring groups, the “flowers”, i.e. the women in the palace are engaged in their own ruthless power struggle.

What will these women do to gain the king’s favor which gives them certain “power”?

To say that these ladies, were sleazy, caddy, and cruel would be paying them a compliment! It’s a good thing the queen and crown princess are sensible and seem to know how to navigate through the dark palace intrigue. Even so, the royal concubine Jo So Yong is willing DO ANYTHING to maintain her dominant position and control over the king. She even gets King Injo addicted to opium in order to be able to manipulate and control him better. The ruthlessness, the viciousness, the cruelty … the acts she committed just to keep her power and hold over the king … were SAVAGE!

Thank goodness for the loyal eunuch who was always by the king’s side.

Eunuch Kim In (played by Woo Hyeon) was physically short in stature but he was not a person you wanted to mess with. Out of all of the people in the palace, he was the only one who put that cruel concubine in her place. In one of the episodes he told her plainly “You know you’re not all that much.” In other words, you think you’re all that and you think you can become queen, but it wouldn’t be that hard to get rid of you.

The series is 50 episodes and honestly? I had to take breaks and rest. But I finished the series because I just had to know what was going to happen to royal concubine Jo So Yong in The End.

 Original Source

Ten (10) Korean Drama TV Series That are Binge-Worthy

Watching Korean dramas is my guilty pleasure. I especially like the historical period dramas, during the Joseon period. I have published a few detailed reviews of K-dramas here on Read.Cash. But I also shared some quickie reviews on its partner site, Noise.Cash, which I am recapping below. 

• If you have not watched these you should add them to your watch list.

• If you have watched them, let me know if enjoyed them too!

(1) Tamra the Island (2009)

The main character is a feisty little innocent girl who is fiercely loyal to her family and friends, but has the courage, inner strength and determination to break with tradition, and find her own way in a cruel world that is not a very nice place for a low-born; especially not a low-born young girl.

(2) Dong Yi (2010)

This series is 60 episodes, with an extraordinary cast, and based on a true story. It is a real life love story between a king and a woman he took to be his concubine: Dong Yi (played by Han Hyo-joo) and King Sukjong (played by Ji Jin-hee).

(3) Chuno (Slave Hunter; 2010)

Plot Summary: Two men really love a woman and there's a cute royal baby that gets thrown in the mix.

There is a lot of stuff going on.

- The typical love triangle story and more love stories.

- Freedom fighters: Slaves who dare to fight to be free.

- Super seriously evil wicked government officials.

- The Chinese were the good guys. (Huh? That's a switch.)

- Ordinary people just trying to live ordinary lives.

- Intense fighting scenes. Loved the action!

- Awesome soundtrack!

(4) Gunman in Joseon (2014)

It's a love story with a bold and daring hero who is not only an expert swordsman, but knows how to handle a pistol and a rifle. His love interest is an intelligent woman whose father is a scholar and allowed her to learn (although she had to dress up like a man to attend school). They both dream of their country, Joseon, as a land that will one day be populated with free people. His enemies thought they had killed him, but he was saved and taken to another country. He returned to Joseon with a new identity, and determined to settle old scores. The first time his beloved sees him again, she faints. He may be wearing different clothes and using a different name, but he still looked to her like the man she loved. She thought she had seen a ghost.

(5) The Flower in Prison (2016)

A baby who was born in a prison turns out to be a princess. But before she learned her true identity she was taught by a martial arts master and first learned how to kick butt!! It's a handy skill to have if you're going after the bad guys who caused your mother's death. The main character is Ok Nyeo played by Jin Se Yeon who is on my list for favorite Korean actresses.

(6) 100 Days My Prince (2018)

A young prince witnesses horrific bloodshed and commands that it be stopped. Since he is a small child, his command is disregarded and he is returned to his father; only to learn that it was his father who ordered the bloodshed. To add insult to injury, his mother is “accidentally” killed (really she was murdered). From that day forward, he not only hates his father, HE HATES EVERYBODY! Everybody except his close friend. He was forced into a marriage of convenience. His wife, the princess, becomes pregnant by another man. In an effort to cover this up, the father-in-law (the father of the princess) attempts to kill the prince. The attempt fails. Trying to escape his assassins, the prince falls down a slope and hits his head. A poor man finds him, takes care of him as best he can while he is unconscious. When he regains his consciousness, he does not remember who he is. The poor man tells him that he is his daughter's husband-to-be and that they must marry immediately or his daughter will be flogged.

For 100 days, he lives the simple life of a commoner and falls in love. He is found by his father-in-law and brought back to the palace. His memory has not returned. But slowly bits and pieces of incidents from his past, like puzzle pieces, begin to come together. His story begins … AGAIN! He realizes who he is and what he needs to do. He also knows what he wants to do. He wants to marry the woman he fell in love with as a commoner, who is also the little girl he met when he was a child and had promised he would marry some day.

(7)♦ Queen: Love and War (2019)

A young prince meets and makes friends with a nobleman's daughter, when they were children. An accident happens on a boat and the girl he met is tossed overboard. Her father believes that she drowned. Her sister grows up and the prince, now king chooses her to be his bride; not realizing that she is the twin sister and NOT the girl he met when he was younger. Corrupt officials arrange to have both King Lee Kyung and his queen, Kang Eun Bo, assassinated on their wedding day. They succeed in killing the sister but the king miraculously comes back to life. The people are terrified of him. How can he possibly come back from the dead? The twin sister realizes that her sister has been murdered. She takes her sister's body and secretly buries it. Then she returns to the palace AS IF she has also risen from the dead, just like the king. The king not knowing that she is the young girl he had met as a child, also believes his wife has come back to life. However, the twin sister's main purpose for returning to the palace is to discover who murdered her sister. For all she knew, even the king may have been involved. But she eventually realizes his innocence and falls in love with him. The problem is that she has already deceived him into believing that she is the one who died. This makes their personal relationship very complicated. As if life in the palace wasn't already complicated with all of the scheming, conniving, ruthless, greedy politicking that was going on. Oh! Did I mention the prophecy?

►(8) Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung (2019)

Goo Hae-ryung is a female historian. Prince Dowon (or Yi Rim) is a young prince who has been sheltered from the outside world. These two main characters are adorably cute! But they have had some tragedy in their young lives. They both lost their fathers through violence. Of course, the adults around them try to hide the truth. But the two of them trying to uncover the truth makes for a good plot.

►(9) My Country: The New Age (2019)

The time is during the transitional period between the end of the Goryeo dynasty and the beginning of the Joseon dynasty, which is why it is “The New Age”. A king, princes, military leaders, all engaged in a power struggle to build a new country. Seo Hwi and Nam Seon-ho are two childhood friends have the power of their friendship “tested”. Things happen to them, they get separated, and become enemies due to a misunderstanding about "my country." One of them decides his country is “the country of the abandoned”.

(10)♦ Bossam ~ Steal the Fate (2021)

I learned a new word and a new custom.

“'Bossam' in the Korean title refers to a customary remarriage procedure that took place during the Joseon period. At that time, a widow could not remarry. A single man or widower would kidnap the widow and marry her. Some of the kidnappings were agreed upon in advance and others were by force.” (Quote Source: https://asianwiki.com/Bossam:_Steal_the_Fate)

Here's the story. Two friends earn their living by kidnapping widows. It's a steady paying job because … evidently, a lot of widows want to be kidnapped and remarried. However, there is one widow who does not have this on her mind. She just happened to be sitting outside and the kidnapper happened to go to the wrong house and … uh oh! … she is accidentally kidnapped. You think this problem is easy to solve. The guy made a mistake, so all he needs to do is take her back home. Right? WRONG! The lady who was kidnapped turns put to be a princess. Her father, the king, wants to see her. Since her father-in-law did not know how or why she disappeared or where she was, HE LIED! He told the king his daughter committed suicide, having died from the grief of being a widow. The king finds out that his daughter is alive and wants to use this fact to trap the father-in-law and get rid of him for treason. The father-in-law also finds out she is alive and the entire series is him trying to have her killed so that he doesn't get caught in his LIE!

► = Netflix Original Series.

♦ = Search for more Viki TV Original Series.

So that's my 10 K-dramas that are binge-worthy. 

INTERESTING FACTS:

Chosŏn means “The Land of the Morning Calm.”

Interested in knowing something about the real history, as opposed to historical fiction? Learn more: "The Role of the Joseon Dynasty in Korean History | ThoughtCo'".

Original source 

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— My Shopping Channel (@goshoppingbees) December 24, 2021

Four (4) Books by Jude Deveraux to Add to Your Reading List

Jude Deveraux is an American author who has been publishing books since 1980.  Many of her books have been on The New York Times Best Seller list.  I personally fancy her historical romance novels set in medieval England; specifically her books about the Montgomery men and the women they loved. 

The first novel by Ms. Deveraux that I read was about Gavin and Judith Montgomery. He stood tall like a tower over her and was ruggedly handsome; and she was just a pretty little thing, on the outside, that is. But once she got him to realize that she had no intention of becoming an adornment for his arm nor a little toy to be used for his amusement, they began to see eye-to-eye. Even if he did have to lift her up so that she could look him straight in the eye. Gavin not only loved and cherished her, but he had the utmost respect and admiration for her strong character and will. Their initially unhappy union turned into wedded bliss and their happiness was so wondrous that even the servants were happy that the master and the missus were finally getting along. The name of the first Deveraux book I read is The Velvet Promise. 

After being introduced to Gavin Montgomery, I just had to know what his brothers were like. I followed it up by reading Highland Velvet, Velvet Song, and Velvet Angel ~ the love stories of Gavin's brothers, the other Montgomery men ~ Stephen Montgomery, Raine Montgomery, and Miles Montgomery. 

These four books together are called The Velvet Montgomery Annals Quadrilogy. The primary theme of each book is the age-old truth: “Love conquers all.” Corny. But if you enjoy reading passionate historical romance, you'll love these books!

Jude Deveraux books on audiobooksnow.com

Publishers Weekly Books by Jude Deveraux and Complete Book Reviews

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