Dark Spirits, past lives, action, and romance? Welcome to the fantasy Kdrama Moon in the Day. Kim Young-dae (Extraordinary You) stars in dual roles as Han Jun-oh a top hallyu star who is taken over by the vengeful spirit, Do-ha. Pyo Ye-jin portrays firefighter Kang Young-hwa, the woman who seemingly saves Jun-ho from death. Little does she realize that it’s Do-ha, the spirit of an aristocrat from an ancient Korean kingdom who inhabits Jun-ho’s body.
- Series Title: Moon in the Day (Korean: 낮에 뜨는 달)
- Starring: Kim Young-dae, Pyo Ye-jin, On Joo-wan, Jung Woong-in, Lee Geung-young
- Written by: Kim Hye-won, Jung Seong-eun
- Directed by: Pyo Min-soo, Park Chan-yul
- Network: ENA
- Where to watch in the US: Viki
- Premier Date: November 1, 2023
- # of episodes: 16
- KafeNook Rating: 4.1 sips
Moon in the Day — !! Spoilers Ahead!!
The first episode of Moon in the Day dives right into the character of Do-ha (Kim Young-dae) in the middle of an immense battle. (Boy, do I love a good battle scene!) In order to end the battle quickly and save lives, he takes down the general of the opposing forces. To prevent the enemy from waring again, he publicly hangs the general’s family. What he doesn’t realize is one of the general’s daughters, Han Ri-ta (Pyo Ye-jin), has escaped and now plots revenge against him. When her initial attempt to kill him is thwarted, she becomes his slave. (Hmm – this is sounding like the plot of a romance novel.)
In present day, Do-ha look-alike, Han Jun-oh is a popular actor. Jun-oh is the male version of a diva, often acting spoiled and whiney. He clings to his actress girlfriend Jung Yi-seul, portrayed by Jung Shin-hye, and is short with others. Then, he meets his match in firefighter Kang Young-hwa. The two immediately dislike each other while working on a promotional segment. When Jun-oh meets with a deadly accident, however, it is firefighter Young-hwa who saves him. Or did she?
Pronounced dead at the hospital, Jun-oh suddenly begins walking around. Do-ha, a 1500-year-old disembodied spirit has taken over his body, and he has one goal – kill Kang Young-hwa. She is the reincarnation of Han Ri-ta, the woman he once loved and the person who killed him. Since his death, he has been cursed to follow her through her many reincarnations.
It’s All About the Chemistry
While I found the initial premise of Moon in the Day interesting, the chemistry between Do-ha and Han Ri-ta/Kang Young-hwa kept me watching the show. Kim Young-dae, who played stereotypical male lead, Oh Nam-ju, in Extraordinary You, admirably portrays Do-ha and Jun-oh as distinct characters. As Jun-oh, he has no interest in Kang Young-hwa and little chemistry with her. Enter Do-ha – and suddenly, the sparks are flying. With her beautiful, expressive eyes and his mesmerizing, intense gaze – they are spellbinding to watch. Do-ha’s chemistry with Han Ri-ta easily transfers to her current reincarnation, Kang Young-hwa. Young-hwa is a woman who exhibits Han Ri-ta’s intelligence, fierceness, loyalty and protectiveness.
Do-ha and Han Ri-ta
Many of my favorite scenes in the drama occur in the historical setting between Do-ha and Han Ri-ta. Theirs is a complicated relationship. Living as the sword hand of his adoptive father, So Ri-bu (Lee Kyung Young), Do-ha knows little but war and killing. When Han Ri-ta appears in his life, he immediately understands her need for revenge. He even admires her willingness to sacrifice herself to satisfy her vengeance. That he, someone who has never experienced love, has the capacity to love Han Ri-ta is truly amazing. Especially since he knows she could attempt to kill him at any time. It’s a single-minded love that drives him to protect her – at all costs.
I can only believe that Han Ri-ta falls in love with Do-ha, her captor and the man who killed her family, because she is a highly empathetic person. She sees how he is used by his father, and that he kills with efficiency to reduce the number of deaths. This is the most difficult thing to accept about their relationship. Can she truly love the man killed her family? It’s clear that Han Ri-ta feels guilty for loving Do-ha.
Once Do-ha’s father realizes Do-ha cares for Han Ri-ta, he has the perfect tool to keep Do-ha in line. He forces them to marry and threatens Do-ha to do as he commands, or he will kill Han Ri-ta. Out the other side of his mouth, he orders Do-ha’s death and invites Han Ri-ta to join in on his plan, believing she will be happy with the death of her family’s killer. She turns his plot against him, however, and kills So Ri-bu.
This gets to the root of Do-ha and Han Ri-ta’s tainted love. Han Ri-ta believes she will save Do-ha by killing his father. Instead, Do-ha is so blinded by his love for her that he will kill anyone who tries to harm her. Once Han Ri-ta recognizes this, she sees that killing Do-ha is the only way to protect others.
Do-ha and Kang Young-hwa
Due to the curse levied on Han Ri-ta by So Ri-bu when she kills him, Do-ha’s spirit is tied to the reincarnations of Han Ri-ta for 1500 years. Once he enters Jun-oh’s body, he is intent on killing Kang Young-hwa believing it will end the curse. He hesitates many times because he truly wants to understand why Han Ri-ta killed him to begin with. Plus, the more time he spends with Kang Young-hwa, the more his memories of his love for her return. After a truly happy time together at the amusement park, he expresses his longing to be with her free from the curse. What would it be like if they could live a normal life?
Kang Young-hwa would rather keep her distance from Jun-oh. But when she begins to dream of her past life as Han Ri-ta, her feelings for Do-ha surface along with the memories. As a child, she felt frightened by the spirit that followed her. Looking back, she realizes Do-ha was always there watching over her. The fact that Kang Young-hwa and Do-ha have adult conversations about their feelings is one of the great things about their relationship. They talk through their issues and come to understand each other’s point of view. This helps them discover what it will take to break the curse.
In all of her past lives, Kang Young-hwa has died before the age of thirty. This is not due to the curse as Do-ha always believed but because the evil spirit of Do-ha’s father, So Ri-bu, follows Kang Young-hwa through time. In this life, he possesses the body of Seok Cheol Hwan (Jung Woong In). He is a strong spirit, capable of convincing others to kill for him. He even convinces Jun-oh’s older brother, Han Min Oh (Ohn Joo Wan) to try to kill Kang Young-hwa in order to bring Jun-oh back.
It takes most of the drama for Do-ha and Kang Young-hwa to realize exactly what the spirit of So Ri-bu is up to. Kang Young-hwa temporarily believes that taking her own life is the only way to protect those she loves. It’s Do-ha who convinces her they can defeat So Ri-bu once and for all. What he doesn’t tell her is that he is tied to So Ri-bu’s vengeance because he is there to protect Kang Young-hwa. Once So Ri-bu’s spirit is gone, Do-ha’s purpose for being there ends. He will leave Jun-oh’s body and the mortal plain forever.
Do-ha and Kang Young-hwa spend a peaceful week together before her 30th birthday. In a lovely moment under a tree, they look up to see the moon hanging in the sky during the day. Do-ha tells her that like the moon which is often up there in the day when you often don’t see it, he will always be silently watching over her. Her Moon in the Day. I love that (and it explains the title of the show very nicely.)
Moon in the Day Ending
The ending of Moon in the Day left me conflicted. Throughout the series, I kept wondering how it would end. A happy ending did not seem possible for this fated couple. Given that, I suppose it ended as well as it could. Do-ha sacrifices himself to save Kang Young-hwa from So Ri-bu, freeing them both from the shackles of the curse. She is then able to live her life which includes fulfilling her dream of working in Antarctica.
With Do-ha’s spirit no longer inhabiting Jun-oh’s body, Jun-oh miraculously returns to his body and gets treatment for his cancer. I say “miraculously” because there are multiple scenes describing how Jun-oh is definitely gone – as in not coming back to his body. Oh – and that his cancer is incurable. Yet here he is, back in his body and beating cancer. Did the fact that Do-ha inhabited Jun-oh’s body for a while allow for Jun-oh’s spirit to return and also improve his survival chances with the cancer? Ok. . . I’ll go with that. While Jun-oh is grateful to Young-hwa for saving him, he wants to move on with his life. And – he continues to have memories from Do-ha popping up now and then – which will be useful for his historical Kdrama role.
Fast forward a bunch of years (at least an entire lifetime). Kang Young-hwa’s college student look-alike is clearly Han Ri-ta/Kang Young-hwa in a future life. Her meeting Do-ha’s high school student look-alike gives the idea that in the next life, the two can be together free of the baggage from their past lives. That was Do-ha’s hope when he sacrificed himself. Still, the fact that Do-ha and Kang Young-hwa can’t be together in her current life, especially after all they have been through, made me sad.
Random Things I Liked
The opening sequence for Moon in the Day is beautiful. From the jeweled toned images featuring the leads as their historical characters, to the music reminiscent of Downton Abbey. I rarely fast-forwarded through it.
The scene where a drunk Young-hwa sees an add with Jun-ho’s picture and has an imaginary drink with it – only to have Do-ha/Jun-ho show up in front of her.
When Do-ha does the script reading for the historical drama and nails it – shocking everyone.
Moon in the Day Soundtrack
In addition to the opening sequence music, the Moon in the Day OST also includes two songs that I really like: the haunting Scattered Seasons, sung by Jeong Dong Won and Eternal featuring vocals by LEEBADA.
