It was such a sweet episode. Itās really easy and enjoyable to watch without overthinking it. But morally speakingā¦ lol, I felt a bit embarrassed for the poor boy because of some slightly humiliating situations he had to go through. Itās worth noting that here the roles were reversed: usually itās young mothers who donāt have time to take care of themselves, exhausted from juggling work, household chores, and childrenā¦ while the husband comes home from work looking flawless, socializing only with equally flawless people. Meanwhile, when the mother comes home, sheās no longer that perfect little doll. Times are changing. But the girl is kind-hearted: her desire to take care of the child despite her own struggles is a good thing. Itās better than leaving a child in an orphanage or somewhere elseā¦ Sometimes that kind of responsibility forces us to grow up and become more mature. Weāre not always born responsible parents ā thatās something we also have to learn. What I really didnāt like is that she stood him up at the last minute, showing her unreliability of character, whereas the male lead is usually very dependable ā when he commits to something, he does it; otherwise, he doesnāt take it on at all. I understand that this can happen to anyone, but she could at least have told her boss the truth at that moment and done something, especially since it was for the boyās career. In reality, in many couples with children thereās always this imbalance: one person puts the child first and tries to juggle everything with their career, while the other prioritizes their career, knowing the other one will somehow manage anyway. Iām not generalizing, of course, but stillā¦
Heās the classmate, the first love, the boss, and the landlordā¦ In the next episode, itāll turn out that even Santa Claus is him ā and thatās how itās always been! š¤£
Donāt tell me theyāre going to fall in love after episode 4ā¦ The guy was already slowly getting attracted without even realizing it, ever since they fell together with the lampā¦ Itās just that theyāre going to realize it little by little
Youāre completely right, I think the same. He is competent enough to enforce justice and save his royal family from a possible revolution, overthrow, or civil war, but not to reign.. and Fl also... However, if the king dies, I donāt see who would succeed him otherwise (the MLās mother? I donāt think so). So the king would be wise to take control as soon as possibleāit would also be morally very appropriate for a K-drama hihi. The two brothers will finally find some common ground, the minister will die along with his son, and as a result, SML will either die too or end up in a well-placed position in the palace
The prince isn't perfect though. He's perfect when it comes to love but not outside of that, he doesn't start…
Please donāt take my words the wrong way; my intention is entirely friendly. But clearly, weāre not on the same page regarding my intentions, so let me explain. From the very beginning, regarding the prince, I mean that he is a kind, cute, green-flag, generally adorable characterāone weāve seen hundreds of times in dramas. I think, with some nuanced differences, you could probably also give me 50 examples of similar main male leads. That said, I find the story initially presented between Im Jar I and the heroine quite refreshing as a main plot (let me explain: especially this social class dynamic in a historical context, the fact that she was married into his household, that neither of them comes from a noble lineage, that one is ambitious from the start and the other altruistic, etc.). However, the fact that it remains in a love triangle makes it too predictable: the second male lead will, in the best case, end up sacrificing himself for the female lead, or it will be some other banal version of the second lead that weāve already seen. Iām saying all this lightly and without pretension, since the series isnāt finished yetāwe might still see a surprising twist in the writing. Below, I wrote some possible endings from my perspectiveā¦ Iām not looking for anything; Iām just analyzing what Iām watching. This doesnāt prevent me from watching the series with interest
it seems like you are a closeted script writer, so why dont you write a script for what you want. Food for thought…
Haha ... Maybe Iām already whipping up some food for the soulā¦ definitely not drama scripts! š Honestly, thatās an insanely tough job, with the endless flood of scripts and how often theyāre churned out. Analyzing one thing, creating something new is a whole other beastā¦ but without analyzing, thereās zero chance of creating anything at all.
Your version totally makes sense!! However, my gut feeling tells me the couple will probably choose freedom outside the palace, closer to the peopleā¦ Letās meet again at the end to see which version gets validated ā or whether they come up with yet another one we didnāt even think of. The real question here is the kingā¦ Will he be able to get his life back on track, or is he going to self-destruct?
The prince isn't perfect though. He's perfect when it comes to love but not outside of that, he doesn't start…
Sorry, but youāre not going to convince me about the princeās āinitial problems.āš Heās still a cute little teddy bearā¦ sweet to literally everyone. He doesnāt really have a proper redemption arc, because most of his āissuesā were more about his status and his relationship with his brother ā especially the whole āgo live your life incognito so no one even notices you existā situation. As for the anti-hero angleā¦ if I want to emotionally flourish with anti-heroes, Iāll go watch Raging Bull by Scorsese, or A Streetcar Named Desire, etc., etc. ā the list is endless š Not a random miniseries. My point was mainly that the initial concept of this project ā and the casting of this actor ā were absolutely perfect for developing something deeper in that direction, instead of going down the super predictable path we all know by heart, the one that doesnāt bring much substance.
The writer and the director had all the ingredients in their fridge to cook up a true gourmet masterpieceā¦ However, Iāll also take a street-food style pizza ā but in that case, please keep either the chicken or the fish, not both. (Iām tired of love triangles.) š
Thanks for your analysis I was having exactly the same thoughts the classic narrative about a rebellious gentle…
In this specific case, I find that the two cannot coexist, because clearly the prince wins all the points. Otherwise, in the opposite scenario, we would end up in a tragic ending. However, they could have done it without the prince, right? Itās just the story of these two families...
What can I say, my crush of 2026 lol ! I usually donāt watch mini-series, but after the series āAffinityā I was completely blown away by his presence, his acting, how he portrays chemistry ā itās on an astronomical level. I mean, in this regard ( hot) , heās the best in China.
BUT itās not just that. I want to say he could perfectly play a psychopath (and by the way, he does it very well), a maniac , anti-hero, hero, ā¦ In āLiars in Loveā he is so charismatic, with a presence comparable to Ahn Hyo Seop in Business Proposal (Iām speaking only about his role). In the mini-series āHow to Trane Your Killerā he shows a completely different, charming character ā both in a somewhat warrior-like role and in the skin of a very convincing woman (all done lightly). In āLighter & Princess ā he plays a secondary āvillain,ā but his transformation is remarkable.
In the very bizarre mini-series āGorgeous Dreamā he even manages to find the exact way to portray his character ā another historical mini-series, but still very different from the roles he has done before.
In short, among everything Iāve watched, there isnāt a single role thatās the same, and every time his performance is spot-on and charming. A versatile actor, Iām now fully following him in hopes he lands interesting projects with good writing, directors, and co-starsā¦ Letās watch closely and keep our fingers crossed for him.
What can I say, my crush of 2026 lol ! I usually donāt watch mini-series, but after the series āAffinityā I was completely blown away by his presence, his acting, how he portrays chemistry ā itās on an astronomical level. I mean, in this regard ( hot) , heās the best in China.
BUT itās not just that. I want to say he could perfectly play a psychopath (and by the way, he does it very well), a maniac , anti-hero, hero, ā¦ In āLiars in Loveā he is so charismatic, with a presence comparable to Ahn Hyo Seop in Business Proposal (Iām speaking only about his role). In the mini-series āHow to Trane Your Killerā he shows a completely different, charming character ā both in a somewhat warrior-like role and in the skin of a very convincing woman (all done lightly). In āLighter & Princess ā he plays a secondary āvillain,ā but his transformation is remarkable.
In the very bizarre mini-series āGorgeous Dreamā he even manages to find the exact way to portray his character ā another historical mini-series, but still very different from the roles he has done before.
In short, among everything Iāve watched, there isnāt a single role thatās the same, and every time his performance is spot-on and charming. A versatile actor, Iām now fully following him in hopes he lands interesting projects with good writing, directors, and co-starsā¦ Letās watch closely and keep our fingers crossed for him.
Regarding the second male character, he is very well written and clearly has strong potential. However, we all know how this usually ends: he will likely be reduced to a standard, two-dimensional secondary character typical of many dramas. And that is a real shame. It feels like a waste to confine such a well-crafted character to this role, standing in the shadow of the prince, when he could easily sustain his own story.
Here, I do not intend to analyze or criticize the princeās character. He is, in fact, well written and well performed. But imagine the series without the prince ... Imagine a narrative centered on an anti-hero: Im Jae I and Hong Eun Jo, far from the palace, focusing instead on a raw social and psychological confrontation.
We have seen countless ācharming princesā beforeāoverused, idealized, almost too gentle and predictable. What could have made this story truly compelling is its moral complexity: an anti-hero who cannot let go of his social status or power, trapped by his family... His frustration is then projected onto someone who mirrors him, yet who dares to assert his position, remain loyal to his principles, and show genuine empathy.
This approach could also have allowed for a passionate love story from the very beginningāsomething far more cinematic in tone. Frankly, I am tired of love triangles that exist solely to artificially elevate the female lead, when she does not need that validation at all. More often than not, these narrative devices only generate frustration.
A perfect prince is easy to love because he challenges us nothing ā he makes us dream, and that appeals to a wide audience. A complex man, on the other hand, disturbs; he sparks debates, makes you ask why, makes you think. But the purpose of most shows is to switch off your brain ā they should never force us to think, to judge, or to question ourselves. Damn. Well, crap!
p.s: That was just a side note, otherwise I like the series :=)
version 1 ā Modern fairy tale version: Yi Yeol helps his emperor brother, with the help of Hong Eun Jo, to heal and find the path to redemption, and to return to his people (thus Yi Yeol does not betray his family by allying himself with the revolutionaries). After that, he leaves to live peacefully with Hong Eun Jo somewhere outside the palace. They found a hospital for children and an orphanage. Im Jae I dies by sacrificing himself to save them.
Version 2 ā Fairy tale version 2: The emperor dies, either from illness or by taking his own life. Yi Yeol becomes emperor, and Hong Eun Jo becomes empress. In fact, she is not her motherās biological daughter but the daughter of a noblewoman; her status and nobility are restored.
Version 3 ā Dramatic version 1: Yi Yeol becomes emperor because his brother dies, and after the revolution he ascends the throne. However, Gil Don does not want to return to the palace, even though she helps him become emperor. In the end, she chooses the people and dedicates herself to helping them, while he is bound by his duties to the state. He marries Sin Hae Rim, and they are not truly together. Im Jae I still dies.
Version 4- Yi Yeol manipulates both the royal court and the revolutionaries. He becomes emperor. Hong Eun Jo refuses the title of empress and runs an independent medical hospital. They remain together, but never officially. Im Jae I becomes Minister of Justice, seeking redemption.
And version 5 Yi Yeol is declared a traitor by the remnants of the court and officially recorded as dead. In reality, he disappears. And with Hong Eun Jo: treating a child in a remote village...
Nam Ji Hyun doesnāt repeat the same type of roles when she chooses projects. Both Hong Eun-jo and Hong Gil-dong…
I completely agree with you. Iād also add that Moon Sang Min is a very promising young actor ā heās sensitive,! has a noble presence, and plays his role well on his own, but opposite the female lead, it just doesnāt quite work. I mean, the result isnāt wow.
As for Nam Ji Hyun, I also loved her in 100 Days My Prince, and the couple worked very, very well in that role. There are actually some parallels with this role for Nam Ji Hyun ;)
2 
1 
1 
1 
Itās worth noting that here the roles were reversed: usually itās young mothers who donāt have time to take care of themselves, exhausted from juggling work, household chores, and childrenā¦ while the husband comes home from work looking flawless, socializing only with equally flawless people. Meanwhile, when the mother comes home, sheās no longer that perfect little doll. Times are changing.
But the girl is kind-hearted: her desire to take care of the child despite her own struggles is a good thing. Itās better than leaving a child in an orphanage or somewhere elseā¦ Sometimes that kind of responsibility forces us to grow up and become more mature. Weāre not always born responsible parents ā thatās something we also have to learn.
What I really didnāt like is that she stood him up at the last minute, showing her unreliability of character, whereas the male lead is usually very dependable ā when he commits to something, he does it; otherwise, he doesnāt take it on at all. I understand that this can happen to anyone, but she could at least have told her boss the truth at that moment and done something, especially since it was for the boyās career.
In reality, in many couples with children thereās always this imbalance: one person puts the child first and tries to juggle everything with their career, while the other prioritizes their career, knowing the other one will somehow manage anyway. Iām not generalizing, of course, but stillā¦
The two brothers will finally find some common ground, the minister will die along with his son, and as a result, SML will either die too or end up in a well-placed position in the palace
That said, I find the story initially presented between Im Jar I and the heroine quite refreshing as a main plot (let me explain: especially this social class dynamic in a historical context, the fact that she was married into his household, that neither of them comes from a noble lineage, that one is ambitious from the start and the other altruistic, etc.).
However, the fact that it remains in a love triangle makes it too predictable: the second male lead will, in the best case, end up sacrificing himself for the female lead, or it will be some other banal version of the second lead that weāve already seen. Iām saying all this lightly and without pretension, since the series isnāt finished yetāwe might still see a surprising twist in the writing.
Below, I wrote some possible endings from my perspectiveā¦ Iām not looking for anything; Iām just analyzing what Iām watching. This doesnāt prevent me from watching the series with interest
Honestly, thatās an insanely tough job, with the endless flood of scripts and how often theyāre churned out. Analyzing one thing, creating something new is a whole other beastā¦ but without analyzing, thereās zero chance of creating anything at all.
However, my gut feeling tells me the couple will probably choose freedom outside the palace, closer to the peopleā¦ Letās meet again at the end to see which version gets validated ā or whether they come up with yet another one we didnāt even think of.
The real question here is the kingā¦ Will he be able to get his life back on track, or is he going to self-destruct?
He doesnāt really have a proper redemption arc, because most of his āissuesā were more about his status and his relationship with his brother ā especially the whole āgo live your life incognito so no one even notices you existā situation.
As for the anti-hero angleā¦ if I want to emotionally flourish with anti-heroes, Iāll go watch Raging Bull by Scorsese, or A Streetcar Named Desire, etc., etc. ā the list is endless š Not a random miniseries.
My point was mainly that the initial concept of this project ā and the casting of this actor ā were absolutely perfect for developing something deeper in that direction, instead of going down the super predictable path we all know by heart, the one that doesnāt bring much substance.
The writer and the director had all the ingredients in their fridge to cook up a true gourmet masterpieceā¦ However, Iāll also take a street-food style pizza ā but in that case, please keep either the chicken or the fish, not both. (Iām tired of love triangles.) š
However, they could have done it without the prince, right? Itās just the story of these two families...
BUT itās not just that. I want to say he could perfectly play a psychopath (and by the way, he does it very well), a maniac , anti-hero, hero, ā¦ In āLiars in Loveā he is so charismatic, with a presence comparable to Ahn Hyo Seop in Business Proposal (Iām speaking only about his role). In the mini-series āHow to Trane Your Killerā he shows a completely different, charming character ā both in a somewhat warrior-like role and in the skin of a very convincing woman (all done lightly). In āLighter & Princess ā he plays a secondary āvillain,ā but his transformation is remarkable.
In the very bizarre mini-series āGorgeous Dreamā he even manages to find the exact way to portray his character ā another historical mini-series, but still very different from the roles he has done before.
In short, among everything Iāve watched, there isnāt a single role thatās the same, and every time his performance is spot-on and charming. A versatile actor, Iām now fully following him in hopes he lands interesting projects with good writing, directors, and co-starsā¦ Letās watch closely and keep our fingers crossed for him.
BUT itās not just that. I want to say he could perfectly play a psychopath (and by the way, he does it very well), a maniac , anti-hero, hero, ā¦ In āLiars in Loveā he is so charismatic, with a presence comparable to Ahn Hyo Seop in Business Proposal (Iām speaking only about his role). In the mini-series āHow to Trane Your Killerā he shows a completely different, charming character ā both in a somewhat warrior-like role and in the skin of a very convincing woman (all done lightly). In āLighter & Princess ā he plays a secondary āvillain,ā but his transformation is remarkable.
In the very bizarre mini-series āGorgeous Dreamā he even manages to find the exact way to portray his character ā another historical mini-series, but still very different from the roles he has done before.
In short, among everything Iāve watched, there isnāt a single role thatās the same, and every time his performance is spot-on and charming. A versatile actor, Iām now fully following him in hopes he lands interesting projects with good writing, directors, and co-starsā¦ Letās watch closely and keep our fingers crossed for him.
he is very well written and clearly has strong potential. However, we all know how this usually ends: he will likely be reduced to a standard, two-dimensional secondary character typical of many dramas. And that is a real shame. It feels like a waste to confine such a well-crafted character to this role, standing in the shadow of the prince, when he could easily sustain his own story.
Here, I do not intend to analyze or criticize the princeās character. He is, in fact, well written and well performed. But imagine the series without the prince ... Imagine a narrative centered on an anti-hero: Im Jae I and Hong Eun Jo, far from the palace, focusing instead on a raw social and psychological confrontation.
We have seen countless ācharming princesā beforeāoverused, idealized, almost too gentle and predictable. What could have made this story truly compelling is its moral complexity: an anti-hero who cannot let go of his social status or power, trapped by his family... His frustration is then projected onto someone who mirrors him, yet who dares to assert his position, remain loyal to his principles, and show genuine empathy.
This approach could also have allowed for a passionate love story from the very beginningāsomething far more cinematic in tone. Frankly, I am tired of love triangles that exist solely to artificially elevate the female lead, when she does not need that validation at all. More often than not, these narrative devices only generate frustration.
A perfect prince is easy to love because he challenges us nothing ā he makes us dream, and that appeals to a wide audience.
A complex man, on the other hand, disturbs; he sparks debates, makes you ask why, makes you think. But the purpose of most shows is to switch off your brain ā they should never force us to think, to judge, or to question ourselves. Damn. Well, crap!
p.s: That was just a side note, otherwise I like the series :=)
Yi Yeol helps his emperor brother, with the help of Hong Eun Jo, to heal and find the path to redemption, and to return to his people (thus Yi Yeol does not betray his family by allying himself with the revolutionaries). After that, he leaves to live peacefully with Hong Eun Jo somewhere outside the palace. They found a hospital for children and an orphanage.
Im Jae I dies by sacrificing himself to save them.
Version 2 ā Fairy tale version 2:
The emperor dies, either from illness or by taking his own life. Yi Yeol becomes emperor, and Hong Eun Jo becomes empress. In fact, she is not her motherās biological daughter but the daughter of a noblewoman; her status and nobility are restored.
Version 3 ā Dramatic version 1:
Yi Yeol becomes emperor because his brother dies, and after the revolution he ascends the throne. However, Gil Don does not want to return to the palace, even though she helps him become emperor. In the end, she chooses the people and dedicates herself to helping them, while he is bound by his duties to the
state. He marries Sin Hae Rim, and they are not truly together.
Im Jae I still dies.
Version 4- Yi Yeol manipulates both the royal court and the revolutionaries.
He becomes emperor. Hong Eun Jo refuses the title of empress and runs an independent medical hospital.
They remain together, but never officially.
Im Jae I becomes Minister of Justice, seeking redemption.
And version 5 Yi Yeol is declared a traitor by the remnants of the court and officially recorded as dead. In reality, he disappears. And with Hong Eun Jo: treating a child in a remote village...
As for Nam Ji Hyun, I also loved her in 100 Days My Prince, and the couple worked very, very well in that role. There are actually some parallels with this role for Nam Ji Hyun ;)