Written by: Ashna Shrestha - 23064, Grade XII
Posted on: 02 May, 2022
Scarlet heart ryeo: Moon lover
Genre: historical, romance, fantasy, melodrama, time travel Starring: Lee Joon-gi, Lee Ji-eun, Kang Ha-neul, Kim Ji-Soo, Byun baekhyun (EXO), Kang Ha-neul, Kim San-ho, Hong Jong-hyun, Yoon Sun-woo, Nam Joo-hyuk.
Country of origin: South Korea
Original language: Korean
Writer: Tong Hua (novel), Jo Yoon-Young
No. of episodes: 20 + 2 special episodes
Release Date: August 29, 2016
Finished Date: November 1, 2016
A 25 years old lovely woman named Go Ha Jin who lives in the 21st century was betrayed by her boyfriend and bestfriend. While sitting by the Cheonjuho lake drinking soju (Korean alcohol), a beggar kept looking at her while she was drinking. She offers him her Soju and then starts ranting about how unfair her life is. The beggar then said “What if you die and come to life again?”. Then she saw a kid who was close to drowning and had the urge to save him but while saving him she couldn’t save herself and drowned. An eclipse suddenly happened and Ha Jin woke up to a traditional Goryeo Korea(941 A.D) and is part of the cousin of the 8th Prince Wang Wook’s wife and her new name is Hae Soo.
She finally knows that she was surrounded by some royal princes of the Wang family when king Taejo still reigns the era. And the beggar she met in the 21st century was the king’s astronomer and crown prince friend. At first, she falls deeply for Wang Wook, the 8th prince with a gentle personality but because he was husband of her cousin, she didn’t advance her feelings further as a sign of respect. However, it wasn’t long before her feelings spilled all over the place, and her cousin caught them. One day the 4th prince Wang So returned to the palace while he was on his way. He met Hae Soo on the market but Hae Soo had a bad experience when she first met him. The fearsome 4th Prince, who hides his face behind a mask and is given the derogatory label of "wolf-dog". She was easily smitten, especially when Wang Wook showed her extra attention and care. When the cousin was going to die she told Wook’s mother to let them marry. After her cousin’s death, they both started smoothing their way into a romantic relationship.Little by little she gets to get in ‘love pentagon’ at least with 4 princes. Hae Soo ends up becoming romantically involved with some of the princes and finds herself entangled in a web of politics and the prince’s fight for the throne. Hae Soo finds herself unwittingly caught up in the palace politics and the rivalry among the princes, as they fight for the throne. Then she slowly loses the relationship with Wang Wook.Later Wang Wook didn’t have the courage to stand up and defend Hae Soo and just abandon her like that. But later, she develops a relationship with Wang So, the 4th prince. Wang So is known for his deprivation of a mother’s love and because of that, he’d cling on to any person who is nice to him. The first person who was actually nice to him when he returned to the royal palace was Hae Soo. However, Hae Soo needed to be nice to him because he is a prince and then because he was so engrossed with the idea of Hae Soo loving him, he forced her to choose him over Wang Wook and everything she does needs his permission . He took his chance to claim Hae Soo when Wang Wook wronged her out and betrayed her.
Wang So brother Wang Yo who was clever, cruel and ambitious whose eyes were on the throne. So, he tried to kill the crown prince Wang Mu. Wang Mu who treats everyone, even those of lower status kindly. He was suffering from a skin condition called eczema. Wang Yo poisoned(mercury) the medicine used while bathing. Soon to be King Wang, Yo gives two choices to Wang So that Hae Soo has to leave Goryeo or he has to die with Hae Soo. Wang Yo stares at him intensely, never wavering in his gaze and his demand for unconditional loyalty to him. But Wang So can’t find a way out of this trap. He throws his sword down. He goes to his knees. He offers his support to Wang Yo, the new King. He can barely utter the words but he wishes his brother a long life. Hae Soo stares at Wang So in horror knowing that he had no choice. Ji Mong remembers a time when he was a young adult, the Crown Prince was a young adult, and Wang So was a young boy. He assured the Crown Prince that he would become King. He did tell his friend that his lifeline wasn’t long. The Crown Prince told Ji Mong that it didn’t matter if his life wasn’t long, it only mattered who he spent his last days with. Wang So pipes up and says that he wants to be king one day too. Both men laughed and called him your Majesty.
Ji Mong looks at the king’s lifeless body lying on the ground. Thirteenth Prince Baek Ah and fourteenth Prince Wang Jung rush up and see their dead brother on the floor. Ji Mong wants to know why the king isn’t getting the respect and death he deserves. Hae Soo stands and looks at Wang So who sheds a tear. In a dull voice she says that all this happened because of her. She apologizes to Wang So. Not liking what he’s seeing, Wang So drags Hae Soo out of the room. They run into ninth Prince Wang Won (Yoon Sun Woo) who warns them that the new King will declare Hae Soo to be the woman that poisoned the former King. Hae Soo grips Wang So’s hand tightly. Wang Yo orders Wang So to catch and kill Wang Eun. Wang So refuses. Wang Yo smiles, and says he’ll only keep Wang So’s “people”(Ji Mong, Baek Ah, and Hae Soo) safe if Wang So obeys his order. He calls Wang Yo a dog that follows. Wang So tells Ji mong to be alert of Wang Yo’s Guard.
The other day Wang Yo finds where they were and sends a guard and tells them to kill them. Duk tells Wang Eun to go with Hae Soo. She assures her husband she won’t be hurt because she’s the General’s daughter. Wang Eun doesn’t want to separate. She promises to follow him soon. She gives Hae Soo the look that says take care of the man I love. She runs toward the fight and potentially her own death. Hae Soo tries to lead Wang Eun away but he stops. He tells Hae Soo that he belongs to his wife. He can’t desert her. He goes to join his wife. She sees a vision of their death. After grieving over the 10th Prince and Soon-Deok, Hae-Soo meets with the 4th Prince. She’s concerned for him knowing the painful choice he made to kill the 10th Prince. But the 4th Prince accuses her of not trusting him and blames her for the 10th Prince’s death. He says he doesn’t love her anymore.Queen Sinmyeongsunseong rushes in to declare that So's leading a revolt. She pleads with her son to put it to paper that he'll abdicate the throne to Jung, since they can't lose the throne.
A tear runs down his face as Wang So declares he will finally become her favorite son. He tells her she's living his revenge because she threw him away. She reaches for his scar, gasps, and dies. Wang So is shocked.Yeon-Hwa wants Wang-wook to pressure and asks his hand in marriage from the Hwang boo clan, the 2nd Queen family. So that Yeon-Hwa will become the queen. The King orders everyone to be killed who doubt abdication and people surrounding the ex-King. This really frightens ji-mong. To Hae-Soo, he reveals that it was blank as no one's name is written on it. General leaves the royals which altogether disturbs the mighty Wang-So. He understood it is difficult when you sit on the throne. However, Hae-Soo is always there to pacify her. A royal physician examines Hae-Soo and tells her that her life won’t last long as she had heart problems and she may not able to walk as it were left untreated when she was tortured. Hae-Soo but wants to live more with him. Jung asks her to say if she ever feels suffocated in palace life. Wang wook asks his hand for marriage to Yeon-Hwa as it would strengthen his ties. The King refuses it by clearly stating that she has another woman in his life. Wang Wook intervenes and reminds him that a woman with scar in her body cannot marry the king.
Hae-Soo is saddened, thinking that the King no longer loves her. Hae-Soo pleads with the 14th Prince to protect her daughter and keep her away from palace life. She peacefully dies in the 14th Prince's arms while sitting in the garden. Then she came to her real life and The drama ends showing Go Ha-Jin looking at a portrait of Wang So at a gallery and remembering the man she fell in love with.She tears up as all her memories from the past return. She went through all the pain only to end up alone, while Wang So also died a lonely death after his reign.
