[Drama 2019] The Joseon Romantic Comedy: Tale of Nok-Du, 조선로코: 녹두전

[frequent_fairy]

Blooming Friendship Between Jang Dong Yoon and Kim So Hyun In "Tale of Nok-Du"

BY Staff Reporter | Oct 08, 2019 09:07 PM EDT

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(Photo : sns)

 

Ever since after its premiere the "Tale of Nok-Du" has been capturing each viewers hearts with its thrilling plot of the story about a man named Jeon Nok Du played by Jang Dong Yoon, that disguises himself as a woman to enter a mysterious all-female community with high hopes to discover the truth inside this community. Once then of it, Nok Du has this encounter with a woman named Dong Dong Joo played by Kim So Hyun who is a gisaeng-in-training or a female courtesan and afterward they became roommates. 

During the last week's episode has shown Nok Du's character trying his very best to hide his real identity inside the community while sharing a room with Dong Joo. While their first encounter was not that really nice and friendly, Dong Joo began to open her heart to Nok Du that results in a change between the nature of their friendship.

The latest episode "Tale of Nok-Du"  ended that involves Nok Du being in danger of getting his real identity revealed and adding more tension to what is the dramatic plot already have been. Moreover, the newly released stills of Dong Joo shows that he's practicing some dancing steps with the rest of these gisaeng trainees inside the community, while Nok Du still tries to hide behind a gazebo while looking at Dong Joo lovingly. However, the last stills show how Nok Du's helping out Dong Joo with dancing while arousing the curiosity of the viewers as to what would be the kind of change will occur between the two of them and how it will affect Nok Du's mission inside to uncover the truth in the story.

 

Eventually, the production team stated, A unique and silly romance will officially begin to blossom between Nok Du and Dong Joo. Nok Du and Dong Joo, who has hinted at a change in their relationship plan to provide fun and thrilling excitement with their romantic synergy. Please look forward to the chemistry between Jang Dong Yoon and Kim So Hyun, who will continue to showcase their talents as the drama moves forward." The next episode will air on October 7 at 10 PM KST. 

https://www.kdramastars.com/articles/116386/20191008/blooming-friendship-between-jang-dong-yoon-and-kim-so-hyun-in-tale-of-nok-du.htm?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

[Ly Khánh]

59 minutes ago, fieza1871 said:

the story move swiftly and the romance start slowly but still cant get over the rating drop...

Really wish international fans can help to raise the rating for TToND 

It’s got effected by SBS airing their popular variety show “Invincible Youth” at 10:30 pm last night. The rating was actually on the rise before that

[frequent_fairy]

'The Tale of Nokdu': Jang Dong Yoon as Jeon Nokdu leaves a Shocking Scene

 

Jang Dong Yoon and Kim So Hyun, who was caught in the act, have begun to cohabitate. Nokdu added tension by declaring shock to Dong Joo, "I'm your mother."

On the show, Nokdu ended up being spotted as a man by Dong-Joo. However, Nokdu, who was aware that Dong-Joo had gone to Hanyang in a man's costume, started living with him in a strange way. Nokdu surrounded Dong-Joo, who asked why he had infiltrated the Gisaeng's village, saying he had decided to meet his beloved mother here, Nokdu, walked around the widow's village.

 

A strange romantic atmosphere began to flow between Dong-Joo and Nokdu, which unintentionally showed to be a secret protector of Nokdu. Nokdu, who offered to teach his physical figure, he taught Dong-Joo how to dance with a fan. Little by little the viewers were conscious of each other's chemistry during the dance practice. It must have been tough when Dong-Joo said, "It's the world that I can't help but want to." 

"Staying by doing something you don't want to do," Nokdu's reply consoled Dong-Joo's heart. But the fact that Nokdu was a man was a risk of life if they got caught. Still, inside the widower village, he searched for males, and Dong-Joo kicked the mung beans out of the air.

Meanwhile, amidst misunderstanding, there was a crisis for Nokdu and Dong-Joo. Nokdu, who was secretly hiding and spying avengers and was caught. Dong Joo came back again as a man who had her hair cut and was also unable to refuse the plan when it was on the verge of survival and destruction. He tried to avoid the crisis by volunteering, and eventually signed a dangerous contract. While on his way to Nokdu in a situation where failure is nothing but death, he found Dong-Ju in a kiln. What appeared in front of Dong-Joo, who arrived at the annex, was it a person dressed in a coat of cloth thrown out of a woman's robe. 

Changes in the relationship between Nokdu and Dongju, which share secrets, attract viewers' attention. And so, the seventh and eighth episodes of "The Tale of Nokdu," will air at 10 p.m. on KBS 2TV every Monday and Tuesday night.https://www.kdramastars.com/articles/116419/20191008/the-tale-of-nokdu-jang-dong-yoon-as-jeon-nokdu-leaves-a-shocking-scene.htm

 

[frequent_fairy]

1 hour ago, fieza1871 said:

the story move swiftly and the romance start slowly but still cant get over the rating drop...

Really wish international fans can help to raise the rating for TToND 

 

Why did the ratings go down??!!!!!!

[angrytomato]

3 hours ago, elan1 said:

the swing scene was gloriously beautiful, so Hyun acting was phenomenal and nokdu looking at so Hyun made the heart inside my heart flutter like a tornado. I wish I had someone looked at me the same way. 

That's something I could --sadly-- relate to the ratings decrease. I don't know if the people at this thread are young, middle aged o even grannies , but I guess teenagers and 20'ers are not used to slow paces charged with great emotion. They want fast action and constant stimulus. This episode explains DDJ's painful past using no words, just beautiful quiet scenes and slow motion. A great job from the PD-nim, writers and actors, especially Kim So-hyun (watching her cry and smile at the same time makes me feel the same...)

 

But I doubt young viewers can appreciate them as much as we do. I wish I am wrong and the ratings decrease can be explained using the logical reasons @faye406 has told us.

 

And.. ugh! second lead syndrome is about to start...

[uglypearl]

 

 

 

[Breeze]

This scene with this  ost ... Wonderful...Sohyun's acting is perfect

 

 

[uglypearl]

16 minutes ago, Breeze said:

This scene with this  ost ... Wonderful...Sohyun's acting is perfect

 

 

pearlsoompi@uglyjinju

 

Thanks Again For Sharing And Posting My Tweet 

I Still Tear Up Whenever I Watch That Swing Scene.  

 

 

[frequent_fairy]

 

FEATURED

K-Drama Premiere: “The Tale Of Nokdu” Fascinates With Lively Characters Hiding Perilous Secrets

By abbyinhallyuland | October 9, 2019

 

WITH A TOP NOTCH CREATIVE TEAM BACKING UP THE TALE OF NOKDU, HIGH EXPECTATIONS IS INESCAPABLE FOR THIS KBS2 TV’S YEAR-END OFFERING.

Portraying the titular role, Jang Dong Yoon as Nokdu has left lingering impression on the opening chapters of The Tale of Nokdu. With period drama darling actress Kim So Hyun, the new series easily hooks the audience with its steady and lively storytelling.

 

 

Premiere Week Rating: 

 

Flaunting a solid groundwork, it is not surprising that The Tale of Nokdu achieved high ratings on its first to fourth episodes. According to Nielsen Korea, it scored 5.6, 7.1, 6.5, and 8.3% on nationwide viewership rating.

Notably, the second half of the back-to-back episode format evidently peaks on a high note.

 

 

PREMIERE WEEK RECAP

Living in a secluded island, Nokdu only worries about petty things – like his marriage engagement to the young daughter of his martial arts teacher.

 

So, when a band of assassins wreak havoc wounding his brother and hurting his father, Nokdu ran after the escaping assassin to trace the lead villain who orchestrated the mysterious attack his family received.

 

While chasing after the limping assassin, he happens to be in the vicinity when a peasant challenged the King and his entourage. Receiving a stone throw, the King ordered the surrounding people to be questioned and imprisoned.

 

At the same time, Dong Joo, a gisaeng in training who went to Hanyang pretending to be a young master, peers with disdain at the sight of the King. Imagining an attack, her plan gets thwarted by Nokdu.

 

The two eventually land inside a prison as part of the crowd who caused disrespect towards the King. Wanting to escape the place, Dong Joo attempts to squeeze in her body, but gets trapped while doing so. Nokdu comes to her rescue after getting a force plea from her. Later at night, he even covers her with his robe when he senses her troubled sleep.

 

 

REUNION AT WIDOW’S VILLAGE

Nokdu’s teacher offers refuge to his hometown and they leave the island. Meanwhile, Nokdu settles to a village inhabited by widows to investigate the identity of the attackers. Soon enough, he stumbles on a clue that points to the mastermind.

 

It turns out that Nokdu’s father, Jung Yoon Jeo (Lee Sung Joon) has a past secret that led him to be in hiding with his two sons. He is apparently an old friend of King Gwanghae (Jung Joon Ho), who was declared dead and is a target of risky ploys by the King and his loyal retainers. Heo Yoon (Kim Tae Woo), a close friend of the King and Nokdu’s father, betrayed the King by not killing Yoon Jeo and lying that the King’s infant is dead.

 

Settled at the Widow’s village, Nokdu ends up sharing a room with Dong Joo. The latter does not recognize the young master she shared  a jail room before. Stubborn and feisty, she has gained an unrequited adoration with Cha Yul Moo (Kang Tae Oh), a son of a noble family.

 

Although at first bickering, the two develop furtive yet subconscious effort to help each other. When Nokdu realizes the ladies’ he is tracking are on a cryptic entourage at a nearby place, he follows but got found out. Chased by one of the lady assassins to the gisaeng house, Nokdu finds Dong Joon inside the dressing room.

 

NOKDU’S SECRET

Running out of a valid alibi, he tells her that he wants to cut her hair properly just as the assassin nears the room they were in. Nervous, Nokdu cuts her hair too short. Meanwhile, Heo Yoon meets the gisaeng house owner after receiving a news that a wanted man is in the place.

 

Noticing Nokdu’s growing stubble, Dong Joo reaches out to touch it. Evading her touch, Nokdu was pushed sprawled on the floor. When Dong Joo moves, she slips and leans her hand heavily on Nokdu’s crotch raising a painful and manly scream from him.

 

Feigning ignorance, Dong Joo already realizes he is not a woman. Dong Joo faces Nokdu ready to attack him with a pair of scissors.

 

 

PREMIERE WEEK AFTERTHOUGHTS

What a spirited premiere! The Tale of Nokdu is sure reminiscent of the vibe of Love in the Moonlight, but the hinted fusion of historical elements, romance and humor appear to be more amusing.

 

I love the cross-dressing moments in The Tale of Nokdu. From their initial meeting, Dong Joo (Kim So Hyun) pretended as a man and met Nokdu (Jang Dong Yoon) in her male appearance. They meet again at Widow’s village and it was Nokdu disguised as a woman, but Dong Joo does not recognize him.

 

I can’t wait to see the aftermath of Dong Joo’s reaction as revealed in the waning seconds of the series. So far, the back stories presented for both characters yield interest, and so is the engaging pace of the narrative.

 

Since Just Dance, I have marked Jang Dong Yoon as one of the most promising young actors with a genuine flair for acting. Opposite talented actress Kim So Hyun, and with excellent support from Kang Tae Oh, this series might join my K-Drama favorites this year.

 

DEFINITELY A MUST-WATCH WEEKLY DRAMA TREAT

Fawning on Nokdu as a man – and more so as a woman is inevitable. His interactions with Dong Joo seem to be drawing points of this series. Albeit receiving introductory ideas of its big picture, as well as, presenting staple historical drama elements; the humor and cheery moments of the premiere episodes sedate the expected heavy tones of the series. If it will be prolonged, then we will get a solid period series that would be worth following every week.

 

Expect political struggles and Royal family issues along the way. Adding to that, a love triangle is also in the horizon for the vivacious gisaeng trainee Dong Joo, Nokdu and Yul Moo.

 

The Tale of Nokdu airs on KBS2 TV every Monday and Tuesday.

 

Fans can watch it on VIU.

 

Image Credit: iMBC | KBS2 TV

 

https://www.hellokpop.com/kdrama/the-tale-of-nokdu-premiere/

[Breeze]

 

 

48 minutes ago, uglypearl said:

Thanks Again For Sharing And Posting My Tweet 

I Still Tear Up Whenever I Watch The Swing Scene.  

 

 

 

I love your tweets. You should share all of them here

 

 

 

[fans123]

Omg I've been missing from Soompi like ages  and I came to write this for once because this drama is so funny and I love it so much. 

I hope I'm not the only one confused with Jang Dong Yun facial features. I don't know what is it. He is such a great actor but each angle the camera shoot at him, he looks like another person. 

Some angle I saw Yang Se Jong

Some angle I saw Lee Je Hoon

Some angle I saw Im Hyun Sik

Some angle I saw Kim Soo Hyun

I'm going crazee 

 

This 4th episode last scene, I have never seen such an aggressive acting from KSH before I was lmao , such a great actress. 

 

[lightbringer06]

3 hours ago, angrytomato said:

That's something I could --sadly-- relate to the ratings decrease. I don't know if the people at this thread are young, middle aged o even grannies , but I guess teenagers and 20'ers are not used to slow paces charged with great emotion. They want fast action and constant stimulus.

 

But I doubt young viewers can appreciate them as much as we do. I wish I am wrong and the ratings decrease can be explained using the logical reasons @faye406 has told us.

 

I'm in my late 20s and I still enjoy these kinds of dramas^^. I think us international viewers enjoy this despite our ages. I just don't know about majority of Koreans though. Because I really, really don't understand their taste/preference at times. Like someone said here, ratings don't always automatically mean good quality and I know lots of dramas who had low ratings but I think is just underappreciated. But sadly in Korea, ratings always reflect a good drama.

 

34 minutes ago, fans123 said:

Some angle I saw Kim Soo Hyun

I'm going crazee 

 

In this shot, he really looks like Kim Soo Hyun 

 

[bebebisous33]

We know as a fact that the prince YC will die and I can not imagine that the writer will deviate from the course of History. But here, we see that the king Gwanghae is warning the minister HY with his story about the boy and the insect eggs. The minister YH is planning a revolt hence a coup d'etat. Sure, in the last episode the king appeared in a bad light again, especially when the young prince YC is presented as innocent. However, he did represent a thread to the king... and so far, the king had no child himself.

 

Since the assassin group is not painted as evil as they appeared to be, I am more and more inclined to think that in the end, they will help ND. The minister wants the child to be killed and they have found his new whereabouts that's why I am still thinking that ND is related to the king. Now, his brother has been mistaken for him, especially because the former official (his father) stood next to him. So far, the female assassins tried to kill HT in the first episode as he was alone with his father. In other words, this confirms for me that ND is in reality the one they are after but they made the mistake to take HT for the child they have been looking. Don't forget that Minister HY had no contact with his "friend" for 15 years and I am quite sure that he didn't know that he had a son himself.

 

As for DJ, I understand now why she acts as if she doesn't know CYM that well and is keeping her distance from him. She is supposed to have died hence she can not say that they knew each other from the past. He can not claim her as his fiancee as she has died in the eyes of the law. So he watched her from afar but I doubt that his father would accept DDJ as a daughter-in-law. 

[fans123]

3 hours ago, lightbringer06 said:

 

 

In this shot, he really looks like Kim Soo Hyun 

 

I know right? I can't focus on 1 person  but overall I love this drama so much, cross dressing sageok is very rare 

[angrytomato]

@bebebisous33  I'm struggling to not get lost with all those abbreviations. To clarify:

• YC: the young prince holding the white puppy.
• HY: Heo-yoon, the evil (?) minister who lied King Gwang-hae about Jung Yoon-jeo's ("father") death and the baby he was holding.
• ND: Nok-du, that was an easy one.
• HT: Hwang-tae, Nok-du's brother (for now).
• DJ/DDJ: Dong Dong-jo.
• CYM: Cha Yool-mo, the handsome chef and first candidate to SLS and running away from "widow Kim".

As always, Asianwiki ToND profile is a must see to learn names and faces.

 

Edit: dammit, this post has landed in the next page. So it's useless.

[valNK]

Let me list some questions after 4 episodes.

1. Thing everyone wants to know: whether Nokdu is the king's child.

2. Why did his father take the baby away?

3. Why did Heo Jun let them go and now chase after them? 

4. How is Cha Yool Mu's family and how he involve in that political game? He's the one can deal with the yangban. Nokdu also questioned how rich and powerful he was.

5. Why was Dong Ju's family massacred? And how did haengsu-nim find her that time?

6. Who is haengsu-nim in the Muwoldan?

And... finally, how Nokdu and Dongju fit in that palanquin? 

Indeed, listing those questions just make me want to forget all and focus on our couple only LoL

Cr: DC

 

[Ameera Ali]

 

Nokdu: Didn’t he like sweet 

 

 

Oh yeah , one can come nearly handsome as you 

 

[angrytomato]

40 minutes ago, valNK said:

Let me list some questions (...)

Following your list:

8. What happened to Deul-rae (pretty-ninja-girl)?

9. What happened to the pedo-disgusting noble man? It's not like I care for him (though his hyena laughing is funny as hell), but it seems like a little hole in the script.

 

I've noted there are two factions around the king: those-who-laugh-at-the-crushing-egg-worm-history and those-who-don't-laugh (ya know, I'm bored of the "ministers on the left" and "ministers on the right"). May the swordsman (swordswoman?) threatening Deul-rae was sent by the "those-who-laugh" faction.

[Ameera Ali]

 

Following @angrytomato list 

Her little questions that make me awake at night 

 

1- what oppa  would do with his fiancé ? 

 

 

2- How  he will deal with the heart broken future husband ? 

 

 

 

[herina_90]

3 hours ago, bebebisous33 said:

As for DJ, I understand now why she acts as if she doesn't know CYM that well and is keeping her distance from him. She is supposed to have died hence she can not say that they knew each other from the past. He can not claim her as his fiancee as she has died in the eyes of the law. So he watched her from afar but I doubt that his father would accept DDJ as a daughter-in-law. 

 

Oh that makes so much more sense! I didn't really register the fact that DJ, or her old self EunSeo, is supposed to be dead. They're no longer of the same standing in the Joseon era, maybe that's why she insists he continues to treat her as a gisaeng - someone that he will never be able to marry.... I'm curious how the gisaeng boss found her and how YulMu then found her later. If NokDu is really the lost prince, I wonder how that standing will play out. I'm banking on NokDu not taking back the throne anyway.

 

Also curious if DJ's backstory is the same from the webtoon? Because I'm assuming ND's has been changed for the whole lost prince story..

 

And another BTS!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXGgYTyUoDQ