In the historical drama The King’s Affection, a Joseon princess (Park Eun-bin of Extraordinary Attorney Woo) is born as a twin and ordered to be killed at birth due to a superstition. Smuggled out of the palace in secret, she grows up not knowing her heritage, only to return to the palace as a young girl named Dam-i. There she meets Jung Ji-Woon (Destined with You’s Rowoon), the young son of her grandfather’s right-hand man, Jung Seok-jo (Bae Soo-bin).
When her twin brother, the prince, realizes he and Dam-i look alike, he takes the opportunity to switch places. But tragedy strikes. Dam-i’s grandfather, Lord Sangheon (Yoon Je-moon) learns she is still alive and orders Seok-jo to kill her. Mistaken for Dam-i, the prince is killed instead. Dam-i has no choice but to take her brother’s place as the prince.
Years later, Dam-i, now the Crown Prince, meets Ji-Woon again when he becomes one of her tutors. Dam-i struggles to keep her identify a secret, even from Ji-Woon – who she grows closer to each day. As a power struggle, led by Lord Sangheon, rages throughout the palace, Dam-i must do everything she can to protect the people she loves even if that means losing her own heart.
- Series Title: The King’s Affection (Korean: 연모)
- Starring: Park Eun-bin , Rowoon, Nam Yoon-su, Choi Byung-chan, Bae Yoon-kyung, Jung Chae-yeon
- Written by: Han Hee-jung
- Directed by: Song Hyun-wook
- Network: KBS2
- Where to watch in the US: Netflix
- Premier Date: October 11, 2021
- # of episodes: 20
- KafeNook Rating: 4.5 sips
The King’s Affection — !! Spoilers Ahead!!
After my unplanned binge of A Time Called You, I reviewed my watch list. The one I keep in a spreadsheet. (Did I mention my background in software and systems engineering?) I continually update the list – adding Kdramas to watch, moving shows up and down in the queue. The Moon Embracing the Sun, one of Kim Soo-hyun’s early shows, came next. I had also been ticking through Cha Eun-woo dramas (Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung, My ID is Gangnam Beauty, True Beauty, the movie Decibel) so Island sat high up in the queue.
But here is what happened. I tried a couple of episodes of The Moon Embracing the Sun and had a hard time getting into it. I will come back to it – but down the list it plunged. Then I watched an episode of Island. Let’s just say that I will try again at a later date if only to see Cha Eun-woo in action as a priest. In the meantime, I have been enjoying Destined with You starring Rowoon, who also happens to be in – The King’s Affection, a show that had been slowly moving up my watch list. I’m a sucker for stories about a woman disguised as a man and the guy who falls for her. Some of my favorite romance novels use this plot device and Mulan is one of my all-time favorite Disney animated movies. (Pausing to find where Coffee Prince is on my list). Anyway…
The King’s Affection is my fourth historical (Sageuk) drama and I have loved them all. From the imaginative, body swapping Mr. Queen, to the delightfully refreshing Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung, and the action packed, heart-melting My Country: The New Age – they all manage to tell unique and interesting stories in relatively the same setting.
Driven by the premise of a princess forced to masquerade as her twin brother, much of what happens in A King’s Affection is painful. Lord Sangheon orders everyone who knows of the twin’s birth to be killed. The young prince is murdered. Dam-i is forced into her brother’s life. Her mother dies early. Her father is murder. She can’t tell the man she loves her secret. Thankfully, the show contains enough lighthearted and beautiful moments to offset the heartbreaking ones.
The Leads of A King’s Affection
Park Eun-bin gives a stellar performance as Dam-i/Crown Prince Lee Hwi (and later the King). Her character radiates strength and intelligence while at the same time providing beautiful glimpse of her heart. (Not to mention that she makes horseback riding, archery and sword fighting look easy). Hwi/Dam-i’s life is filled with unique and difficult situations but she still manages to maintain her honor, compassion, and loyalty to her people.
Speaking of Dam-i, Choi Myung-bin, in the dual role of the young prince and Dam-i, is fabulous. She does an incredible job highlighting the differences between these two characters and nails the range of emotions they experience. The fear in Choi Myung-bin’s eyes as the prince stares down an arrow is palpable. While it’s clear the prince has to die for the drama to move forward, I didn’t expect his death to be so heartbreaking.
Rowoon is perfectly cast as the brilliant physician Ji-woon, showing the many sides of this interesting character: smart, funny, shy, affectionate, loyal, athletic, confused, determined, romantic. He certainly has a gift for playing conflicted characters (just look at Jang Shin-yu in Destined with You). Ji-woon’s full gamut of emotions are on glorious display as he realizes his feelings for the prince. (Like the time he receives a special gift of sweets from the Prince and is adorably jealous when he learns the rest of the royal tutors received the same gift.) My favorite line of Ji-woon’s in the drama comes after he learns Hwi/Dam-i’s secret and says to her, “It doesn’t matter. All I see is you.” Such a beautiful moment.
The prince/Dam-i and Ji-woon together are magnetic. Each time these two characters are forced apart – Dam-i’s “death” and new life as the prince, rumors about their relationship, Ji-woon’s engagement, the prince’s own marriage – they manage to find their way back to each other. Whether they are prince and tutor, King and scribe, or Dam-i and Ji-woon – their chemistry ignites the screen.
A Common Thread
A common thread among the characters in The King’s Affection is that they are driven by the need to protect someone or something they care about. Prince Hwi/Dam-i protects her secret. If her identity is revealed to the wrong people, she will lose her life. Her sphere of protection grows due to her love for her parents, Court Lady Kim, Eunuch Hong and later Ji-woon, all people who are in harm’s way if her secret comes out. She also cares for the people of her country, and she wants to protect them by installing a king who is not her grandfather’s puppet.
Hwi/Dam-i’s most difficult challenge is protecting her heart. Falling in love with Ji-woon is not in her plans and risks everyone and everything she cares about – even Ji-woon. This tug of love and duty to others over her own heart plays out in beautiful ways throughout the drama. Tragically, the moment that Hwi/Dam-i decides to let her heart lead her, the rest of her world spins out of control.
Ji-woon suffers from the need to protect his loved ones just as much as the prince. As a boy, he witnessed his father murder a young maid, Dam-i’s friend, at the palace. Because of this, he never wanted to return to the palace or any life that his father wanted for him. Ji-woon only becomes tutor to the prince to protect his two friends, Bang Jil-geum (Jang Se-hyun) and sister Young-ji (Lee Soo-min). As he gets to know Hwi, he allows his heart to go in an unexpected direction and vows to never leave her. But this places Hwi in danger.
If anyone knows how much Ji-woon cares for Hwi, it’s Hwi’s cousin Hyun (Nam Yoon-su). He is the one to suspect something is wrong when he learns about Ji-woon’s engagement. Hyun drags a confession out of Ji-woon who tells him, “My father found out about His Majesty’s secret. I will do whatever is necessary to project His Majesty.”
The rest of Prince Hwi’s inner circle includes Court Lady Kim (Baek Hyun-joo) and Eunuch Hong (Ko Kyu-pil of Heartbeat). They provide her main love and support – and protect of her secret. Court Lady Kim is like a mother to the prince. When the horrible Vice Minister of Rites (Han Sung-yun of Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung) cuts off Court Lady Kim’s hair, the drama presents a moving scene of the prince combing Lady Kim’s hair, just as a daughter might comb her mother’s hair. Eunuch Hong (in both his youthful and adult forms) goes out of his way to support the prince’s dangerous undertakings. This includes helping the prince sneak time with Ji-woon (and humorously directing palace staff away from them), but also recognizing when his prince is heartbroken over their ill-fated love.
Bad Guys and Good Guys
Lord Sangheon, the main bad guy of the show, wants his grandson to take the throne to protect his power and influence. He has anyone who stands in his way removed. This includes his own granddaughter, as well as the prince’s tutor who happens to be (spoiler!) the father of Kim Ga-on (Choi Byung-chan), the prince’s bodyguard. Even when he learns Hwi/Dam-i’s secret, he would rather kill his own grandchild and put a different prince on the throne to protect his power.
I tend to be drawn toward mysterious men of little words characters so naturally find bodyguard Ga-on fascinating. Though he is the one who tries to assassinate the prince early on, the explanation for this or how he becomes her bodyguard comes later – adding to his mystery. In addition to his archery and sword fighting skills, he also seems to have a sixth sense. (How does he know someone is hiding in the prince’s bathroom?) Of course, I wanted this fascinating character to be on the prince’s side! Happily, his loyalty grows after so much time in the prince’s presence. And shocker – it turns out he knew Dam-i’s secret all along!
Prince Hwi’s lovable cousin, Prince Jaeun or Hyun is the opposite of Lord Sangheon in every way. He is such a good guy. He figured out his cousin’s secret when they were young and kept it to himself, eventually falling in love with her. His pure love is on display as he always puts her first, even when he learns how much the prince and Ji-woon (his best friend) care about each other. Every time he came close to dying – which happens often- I held my breath.
The Ministers’ Daughters
Two young women also grace the screen in The King’s Affection. Bae Yoon-kyung play Shin So-eun, the daughter of the Minister of Personnel, and Jung Chae-yeon as Noh Ha-kyung, is the daughter of the Minister of Military Affairs. So-eun loves Ji-woon and happily tells her father that she will marry him. Her hopes at love are dashed when she overhears an injured Ji-woon talking of his prince in his sleep. Ji-woon truly wants to give their marriage a try, even though his heart lies elsewhere, and will not be the one to break their engagement. It’s nice to see So-eun break it off as she realizes she deserves the type of love Ji-woon has for Hwi/Dam-i.
Vivacious Ha-kyung deals with her own disappointment as the Crown Princess when the man she loves spends little time with her. It’s lovely to see how Hwi/Dam-i tries to respect and honor Ha-kyung, even making a point to tell her the truth.
Best Tear-Jerker Moments
Ji-woon has so many tear-jerker moments, I honestly don’t know if I can watch Rowoon cry any more. (Who am I kidding – I could watch Rowoon all day long.) But – one of the best comes when his father his dying. As Lord Sangheon’s right-hand man, Seok-jo, believes his position will protect his family and follows orders without thought. It’s not until his son, Ji-woon, is in danger that he finally realizes he has been protecting them in the wrong way. As he is dying, his words to his son hauntingly reflect this – “Do you know what I like most about you? You did not take after me.” This confession breaks Ji-woon’s heart (and my own!) even more.
The King’s Affection – Ending
Thank you to writer, Han Hee-jung, for giving these beautiful characters a fitting ending. For a while, I didn’t know if that would be the case. During Dam-i‘s “dream” she is the Crown Princess and is about to marry Ji-woon. Then, ominous music plays as Court Lady Kim, Eunuch Hong and finally Ji-woon start to fade. Thankfully, Dam-i wakes up after poisoning herself and her grandfather. (Maybe that little silver ball she ate beforehand helped to prevent the poison from spreading?). A tearful Ji-woon is at her side.
Most of her inner circle survives the coup attempt except for her young, half-brother Prince Jehyeon (Cha Sung-jae) who is tragically slain. And hooray! – Hyun, takes the throne. That’s why Hyun survived – to become king! He will be a good one.
Dam-i is given an out by her grandmother, and a chance for a new life by claiming she never recovered from the poisoning. She decides not to take the out. Instead, she goes before Hyun and the royal advisors for her punishment. Fortunately, due to a seed planted by Ji-woon, Hyun offers her a chance at a life of her own. Dam-i starts her new life together with Ji-woon where the two of them can be truly happy. Even better – the drama ends with a visit from their friends at their place by the sea.
The King’s Affection Soundtrack
I’ve noticed that a lot of the Kdramas on Netflix have amazing soundtracks. The King’s Affection is no different. It contains a number of beautiful songs including with Shadow of You sung by Super Junior, One and Only by Lyn, and If I, sung by Baek Z Young. Finally, Rowoon lends his melodic voice to No Goodbye in Love.
