What is this drama about?
Sajo Hyun is the heir to the throne that his father says he doesn’t deserve. His father is a lousy, brutal and ruthless ruler who does not understand his son’s original passion. When he took power years ago and murdered his opponent’s entire family, he had his young son watch it all. As a result of these traumatic events, Ak Hee, considered an evil spirit, appears in Sajo Hyun’s body. One day, Sajo Hyun meets Yeon Wol, a descendant of a family that was wiped out by the current King. The girl becomes an assassin and dreams of one day avenging her family. Unfortunately, Ak Hee steps in and, as it turns out, has fallen madly in love with the girl.
The first half of the drama was great, mainly because of Ak Hee and Chung Ta. There was humor, a bit of confusion, a subtly building romance and court intrigues. Then it became a little more serious and I must admit, I missed the specific lightness that humor gave. In addition, it became terribly chaotic, and some events were unnecessary. As if the story had lost its flow and the scriptwriters had glued together various threads at once, without considering whether it all made sense.
The most expressive character was Sajo Yoong. This man was unsinkable, he kept swimming up to the surface until the very end and was a nuisance to the rightful king. He was always a few steps ahead of his opponents, he knew how to manipulate, bribe and was determined to achieve his goal at all costs. In turn, the character of Sajo Hyun often aroused my frustration with his naivety, clumsiness and a kind of cowardice. I’m glad he went through that necessary metamorphosis at the end and became stronger. He didn’t need Ak Hee anymore.
Ak Hee, on the other hand, is my favorite. He’s such an unbearable and uncontrollable creature, but it’s hard not to like him. He seems to be the dark part of Sajo Hyun, but it’s hard to find real evil in him. Of the female characters, the Queen was the most charismatic. She had a clear goal and pursued it at all costs, although her methods may be questioned. Yeon Wol disappointed me a bit because she accepted her fate and let go too quickly. Driven by the desire for revenge, she was raised to be a warrior who, yes, could fight, but didn’t have the ruthless charisma of the queen. All in all, it turns out that she is perfect for Sajo Hyun in this matter.
Overall, I would rate the drama quite well because I had a lot of fun with it. Much of this is due to the main actor, Park Ji Hoon. He did a great job in both roles, and when he smiled I felt weak in the knees. After his role in the drama “Weak Hero Class”, I am closely following his career.
