A Historical Kdrama that gives you some unusual kind of romance vibes!
The King’s Affection is an ongoing 2021 Netflix Kdrama. It stars the very tall and handsome Rowoon (of Extraordinary you Kdrama fame and the seasoned Korean actress Park Eun Bin(of Do you like Brahms Kdrama fame). Also it has Nam Yoon-su (of Netflix Extracurricular Kdrama) singer of KPOP group Victon, Choi Byung-chan.
It has been one of the most awaited Korean drama of 2021. Meanwhile going by the viewership ratings it has been worth the watch! It is a 20-episode Korean drama, having completed its first 8 episodes successfully.
The King’s Affection trailer :
The Plot :
The King’s Affection is based on a webtoon of the same title. The story is set during the historical era, Joseon Dynasty in South Korea. The crown prince’s wife gives birth to twins – a boy and a girl. The King finds it derogatory that the future ruler of the kingdom, the baby boy had to share his birth with his sister. So, he commands the death of the new-born baby girl. The mother fakes the death of the baby girl and asks her confidant to abandon her away from the palace.
Years pass by, the girl Dam-yi returns to the palace as one of the royal maids having been raises as an orphan till then. Her twin brother & future crown prince Lee Hwi, notices that a royal maid resembles him every bit and shares this with his mother. Just when the mother is relieved to discover her daughter is doing alright, twist of events leads to the future crown prince being murdered.
Overnight, Dam-yi is to take the place of Lee Hwi – only literally! Also the truth that Dam-yi is of royal origin comes to her with a heavy price, as she is to pose as the future crown prince and lead her life as a boy not a girl! Dam-yi (played by Park Eun Bin) manages to grow up as a young prince, until her childhood love- Jung Ji-woon (played by Rowoon) returns to the palace as her royal tutor.
Now that the story has got you hooked on (with 8 episodes completed), we give you 5 reasons you start watching this historical genre based Kdrama now:
- For starters, The King’s affection Kdrama boasts of stunning cast. They look stunning, befitting the characters they play in this Kdrama.
Park Eun Bin speaks volumes with her hard stare and disguised heavy voice, as she poses as a man. Rowoon is very convincing on screen as the fun loving, friendly royal tutor to the otherwise little serious toned Korean drama. Nam Yoon su is the pleasant and kind distant cousin of the prince Lee Hwi and is a huge support to the prince. Not to mention, we like the way his dimples break when he smiles! Finally, the very young and cute Choi Byung-chan gets everyone on and off screen to give him a second look! For a character, that has very few lines to say he sure has everyone’s attention!
2. The politics of the Royal kingdom is the main plot and will keep you curious. It is not too heavy, but just enough to keep you waiting eagerly for the next episode. Again, the execution of the plot is done nicely. You will not feel too uncomfortable watching some hard scenes like where the baby’s death is fake. The plot is based on the webtoon, but it is not a complete remake from the webtoon. Major changes have been made while adapting to the small screen – like Jung Ji-woon’s character (played by Rowoon), the royal tutor is to be a woman in the webtoon.
3. The cinematography is elegant. The palace, royal costumes, the make up is all beautiful. Surprisingly for viewers who are not big fans of historical dramas, this is an exception. Somehow the canvas of the drama seems relatable and not overwhelming.
4. The best part of this Kdrama is the multiple love lines , including some on LGBT lines as well. The Royal tutor, Jung Ji-woon likes the prince Lee Hwi, and is under confusion about why he finds a man -the prince cute. Nam Yoon su has a one-sided crush on the prince Lee Hwi. But he knows it’s a woman posing as a man. The prince Lee Hwi’s bodyguard has a secret liking of sorts for him too and sometimes the feeling seems mutual.
5. The impeccable chemistry that Rowoon exhibits with Park Eun Bin something that he seems to have mastered over his career of three Kdramas as the leading man, is picture perfect! (We already witnessed it in She would never know Kdrama.
Park Eun Bin is initially afraid that her secret will be caught by Rowoon and shows her dislike for him. Their hate relationship slowly changes to affection. This gradual change to romance makes it an engaging watch, as the situations are set in the historical era.
The King’s Affection Kdrama is the story of a woman protagonist. While you will empathise her plight, it’s a delight to watch her three dashing men take care of her in their own way! Well, “May the best man win!” would be an ideal closing line here 😉
