[Drama 2024]Captivating the King/Sejak, 세작, 매혹된 자들

[confusedheart]

 

LOVE IS IN THE AIR!

 

New Event Alert!

 

This Valentine's Day Vote for the Perfect Namja Chingus from K-Dramas 
 

 

We are  back with another event. This is all about dreamy namja chingus from K-dramas. 

 

Please vote for your most perfect namja chingu from K-drama and do let us know why he is your favourite or rather what about his character that appealed to you. 

 

 

re: Your friendly, neighbourhood EO Team 

 

@confusedheart @partyon @agenth @Sleepy Owl

[larus]

tvN’s “Captivating the King” rose to No. 2 on this week’s drama list, while leads Jo Jung Suk and Shin Se Kyung ranked No. 4 and No. 10 respectively on the actor list.

 

The top 10 TV dramas that generated the most buzz this week are as follows:

1. tvN “Marry My Husband”
2. tvN “Captivating the King”
3. MBC “Knight Flower”
4. JTBC “Doctor Slump”
5. KBS2 “Korea-Khitan War”
6. JTBC “Queen of Divorce”
7. SBS “Flex x Cop”
8. KBS2 “Love Song for Illusion”
9. MBC “Third Marriage”
10. KBS2 “Live Your Own Life”

Meanwhile, the top 10 drama actors that generated the most buzz this week are as follows: 

1. Park Min Young (“Marry My Husband”)
2. Lee Yi Kyung (“Marry My Husband”)
3. Song Ha Yoon (“Marry My Husband”)
4. Jo Jung Suk (“Captivating the King”)
5. Honey Lee (“Knight Flower”)
6. Lee Ji Ah (“Queen of Divorce”)
7. Na In Woo (“Marry My Husband”)
8. Park Hyung Sik (“Doctor Slump”)
9. Park Shin Hye (“Doctor Slump”)
10. Shin Se Kyung (“Captivating the King”)

https://www.soompi.com/article/1642006wpp/marry-my-husband-continues-reign-as-most-buzzworthy-drama-its-stars-sweep-top-3-spots-on-actor-list

[backstreetboysfan]

Here are the ratings for Episode's 9 & 10! .

 

“Captivating The King” Ratings Soar To New All-Time High

After airing four episodes in one weekend, tvN’s “Captivating the King” soared to its highest viewership ratings yet!

 

On February 11, the romance drama starring Jo Jung Suk and Shin Se Kyung aired two episode back to back. While the series typically only airs new episodes on Saturdays and Sundays, it changed up its broadcast schedule for the Lunar New Year holiday: this weekend, it aired one episode on Friday, one episode on Saturday, and two episodes on Sunday.

 

According to Nielsen Korea, the latest episode of “Captivating the King” scored an average nationwide rating of 6.7 percent, marking a new personal record for the drama.

 

https://www.soompi.com/article/1642091wpp/captivating-the-king-ratings-soar-to-new-all-time-high

[lila21]

The most tense and awaited moment was when the king found out while trying to make the drunken MW sleep comfortably on the cushions, untied MW's belt and discovered the secret that the one person whom he had ordered to be on call to play "Baduk" with him, the Gidaeryong whom he thought was a man is a woman. There has always been closeness between the two since they first met as players of Baduk, but knowing that the Gidaearyong was a woman, the king's controlled but undeniable attraction, like a slow burn, burst into a full flame. That scene was very well done. It would be the most painful yet when the king realizes that the Gidaeryong planned all that as a revenge against the him. But it would hurt the "Gidaeryong" more when she realizes that she is falling in love with the man she was planning a revenge on.

 

Can't wait to see for what happens next

[larus]

I just watched episode 10. It was hard to watch the episode without pausing a few times because I could not bare the stupid plan of Hee-Soo. When I think I was waiting for the episode because the subtitles were not available last night.

 

If she will be dead in the next episode I won`t mind.  I want her dead. But I know she won`t die. Pity. I would have been spared of future stupid plans of her plotting againt the king. I think this episode killed my excitement to watch the lead couple. What a stupidity. I know it is a fictional drama but at least make it realistic somehow.  And when the Queen Dowager and Principal Director thought that it is possible for the Princess to switch places with someone else I rolled my eyes. 

Without anyone on the court helping them, Hee Soo made the plan almost succeed.. Please.....Let say that the maid Boon-Young would have managed to arrived at Qing court. The people from the princess's entourage they will know that she is not the princess. The maid is not educated enough to pass as a princess. What will happen with the real princess? She will hide forever? The king was put in a very difficult situation with the stronger Qing. I am sure there are spies at Joseon court too and they could not hide it forever. It is an affront aganst Qing and the king and Joseon people would have paid the price. It would have been better to refuse the wedding than this maskarade.

 

Soo hee thought that this plan was briliant and if she succedded she would have had a spy at Qing court. Please... Spare my sanity. I hate this episode.

[larus]

42 minutes ago, lila21 said:

Can't wait to see for what happens next

 

Good luck. I hope you`ll like it.

The scene you discribed was intense. I liked it too. I expected to see the king upset. Both actors did a good job in that scene.

 

That being said... I was never on board with Soo hee `s plan but I tolerated it. I know that she felt betrayed but knowing the situation on the court I expected for her to understand a little more about Lee In`s situation. Of course I understand her being heartbroken but the whole revenge plot is dumb. I can`t get behind it. Sorry. And that is a huge part of the drama plot and it is so weak in my opinion. And the fact that she is inlove with him but still wants to plot against the king doesn`t make any sense to me. And she is just a girl and I have to believe that she can plot a whole plan with just a few people.  I don`t feel the whole situation. Her maid, Jageunnyeon, has more common sense than Soo hee. I have to feel sorry for her that she is caught between her heart and her reason but I am not feeling it. And that`s not good. Then episode 10 came and I can`t even tolerate the plot anymore. I am annoyed by the whole situation. I don`t like her at all. I don`t know what she has to do to tolerate her further. Perhaps she will start protecting the king instead of plotting againt him but .... I don`t know. I will watch the next episodes and hope it will be better.

 

[lila21]

49 minutes ago, larus said:

Without anyone on the court helping them, Hee Soo made the plan almost succeed.. Please.....Let say that the maid Boon-Young would have managed to arrived at Qing court. The people from the princess's entourage they will know that she is not the princess. The maid is not educated enough to pass as a princess. What will happen with the real princess? She will hide forever? The king was put in a very difficult situation with the stronger Qing. I am sure there are spies at Joseon court too and they could not hide it forever. It is an affront aganst Qing and the king and Joseon people would have paid the price. It would have been better to refuse the wedding than this maskarade.

 

Soo hee thought that this plan was briliant and if she succedded she would have had a spy at Qing court. Please... Spare my sanity. I hate this episode.

I was shaking my head. I mean, an uneducated maid, even if a royal maid for a long time, still has not the education, training and upbringing of someone who was born as a royal. That was the most stupid idea. If the king lost his interest in her, it is well and good. The Princess already agreed for the sake of her brother and country. Too bad, it started so well and the romance was something anticipated until the mountain load of a plot hole.... revenge. Imagine how the Qing court especially Prince Rui, will take that as the biggest insult. Someone should have researched more on ancient international royal protocols. Did Hee Soo want the vengeance of the Qing court to rain on Joseon? Hee Seo, fell on a plot hole and brought the whole drama with her.

[larus]

21 minutes ago, lila21 said:

I was shaking my head. I mean, an uneducated maid, even if a royal maid for a long time, still has not the education, training and upbringing of someone who was born as a royal. That was the most stupid idea. If the king lost his interest in her, it is well and good. The Princess already agreed for the sake of her brother and country. Too bad, it started so well and the romance was something anticipated until the mountain load of a plot hole.... revenge.

 

So you watched the episode. Yeah... what a stupid idea. I still can`t believe it. The problem is that the king won`t lost his interest in her.  But for him to forgive her always will hurt the plot too. Something has to change. Perhaps she will want to stop the revenge but she can`t change the mind of the other people she involved. Perhaps Soo hee`s father will return to Joseon and the plot will take different turns. I don`t know.

 

I found Court Lady Dong a better character. She will be the antagonist but so far I could understand her reasons.

 

I also found the former king a weak person with a his paranoia but now I understand him better. I thought that knowing that he is ill he would have want his brother to succeed to the throne but it was not that simple when he had a son.

It is interest to see the dinamic between Lee In and his nephew. I can`t help to think about the relationship between Lee In and his brother. Before Lee In was sent to Qing the two brothers were in a good relationship. When Lee In returned from Qing he feared for his life. 

The little prince looks as a good succesor. If Lee In won`t have a son, I could see him as a Crown Prince. Then, he will be a rival for Lee In. I wish the king and queen will adopt Prince Munseong.

I know that the king wants to protect his nephew but we also know that others have other interests.

[larus]

I think it has to be more about the stupid plan but I don`t see what it could be.

The maid who told Principal Director about her suspicions was not the same maid who was paid by Hee Soo`s people to help them? I was surprised that she did not help. Maybe Hee Soo wanted the Principal Director to discover the identity change but how this can help Princess to not marry Qing Prince Rui? She put herself in danger but with what purpose?

Maybe it is time for Mong Woo to "die" and Kang Hee Soo to appear. But there are other people involved in this plan. Are they safe too?    I want some changes in the direction of the drama. We`ll see what it is. I kind of refuse to believe that the switching places was a plausible plan in the writer`s mind.

 

[larus]

 

 

"Captivating the King" Achieves Highest Ratings, "Doctor Slump" Goes Steady

by Lily Alice, February 12, 2024

0

 

The tvN historical drama Captivating the King aired four episodes last week and scored 4.16% (episode 7), 4.73 (episode 8),  6.36 (episode 9), and 6.70% (episode 10), its highest so far. Moreover, the K-drama has been trending on Netflix in Bahrain, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Nigeria, Qatar, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates, among others.

 

 

When and where to watch the K-drama Captivating the King?

Episode 11 of Captivating the King will air on February 17 (Saturday). The K-drama is available to stream on Netflix. 

 

https://mydramalist.com/article/captivating-the-king-achieves-highest-ratings-doctor-slump-goes-steady

[larus]

The substitution plan was ridiculous but now I have the feeling ( a strong feeling) it was made only for Mong Woo to be caught and punished so that Lady Kang to appear after that. I don`t know how this situation will help the Princess too but if the purpose was to make Mong woo left the scene I will accept it. I won`t think about it anymore.  Too many forces against the baduk player so I don`t see how Mong Woo will continue to be around the king. It is time for real Hee Soo to appear. But I don`t know how she will appear at court. Everyone has a very strict duty there.
Let see if it was a plan of both, the king and Hee Soo. If it is the true scenario, they used a lot of people around them to make it happen.🤔 Now I am curious if I am right or not. 😃

 

**********

Song Sang-eun, skillfully controlled ‘emotional tension’ [Sejak The Bewitched]

 

Actress Song Sang-eun breathed life into the character.

 

In the tvN Saturday-Sunday drama 'Sejak, The Bewitched' that aired last week, the story of Ja Geun-nyeon (played by Song Sang-eun) was portrayed, who was concerned about the actions of Hee-su (played by Shin Se-kyung).

 

Previously, Ja Geun-nyeon was concerned about Hee-su being misunderstood about her relationship with Lee In (played by Jo Jeong-seok). Jageunnyeon became anxious when Heesu did not come home for a long time. When Hee-su came in looking tired, Jageun-nyeon got as angry as she was worried and quickly looked at her. Jageunnyeon also expressed pity when Heesu said that she had gone back to her parents' house.

For a moment, Jageunnyeon was surprised to hear that Hee-soo could not enter the palace due to probation, and was shocked when he heard that Lee In had discovered that she was his wife. Ja Geun-nyeon conveyed her true feelings to Hee-su, leaving those who watched her shocked. She gave advice on Hee-su's decision to use her love for Lee-in for revenge, and even more so, she was worried that Hee-su would get hurt and showed regret, showing tears.

 

https://m.starnewskorea.com/view_amp.html?no=2024021308091143532

[lila21]

10 hours ago, larus said:

The substitution plan was ridiculous but now I have the feeling ( a strong feeling) it was made only for Mong Woo to be caught and punished so that Lady Kang to appear after that. I don`t know how this situation will help the Princess too but if the purpose was to make Mong woo left the scene I will accept it. I won`t think about it anymore.  Too many forces against the baduk player so I don`t see how Mong Woo will continue to be around the king. It is time for real Hee Soo to appear. But I don`t know how she will appear at court. Everyone has a very strict duty there.

For me, it is the king who will be most hurt, the utmost betrayal of his sincerity in loving Mongwoo/Heeso. He was played by Hee Soo. It is ridiculous that she endangered the whole of Joseon including the resulting withdrawal of the repatriation of the people of Joseon  who are being held captive in the Qing Dynasty because of her "dumb plan". This was not only about the Princess, this was about the safety of the Joseon people held captive in Qing, who were going to be freed as a result of the marriage of the Princess. Even the Princess, young as she is understood that much even if she did not approve of the decision. It also endangered the relationship of Joseon with the Qing. If MW is revealed as Hee Soo, the whole court of Joseon and even the people of Joseon will consider her a traitor and the king will have a hard time defending her. I don't know how the storytellers will get out of this plot hole they themselves made.

[imgreatgal]

On 2/13/2024 at 2:19 AM, larus said:

The maid who told Principal Director about her suspicions was not the same maid who was paid by Hee Soo`s people to help them?

I think that was to secure BY place at the princess palace when Queen Dowager ordered The maids to be replaced. 

Hi all its been a while since i was on a soompi forum. I’m captivated by ‘Captivating the King’ 

I agree with you @larus @lila21 that HeeSoo’s revenge plans is weak and stupid. It laughable

at best. How in heavens name is she going to outwit the Principal Director and the Queens Dowagers people. HS told her maid that she is fooling the king with her love ha ha i think she is fooling herself. Why else was she drunk the night the king was to bed court lady Dong. I am very sure HS did not take precaution whe she allowed the king to bed her omg! and few eps later ……fill in the blanks

 

[larus]

13 hours ago, lila21 said:

For me, it is the king who will be most hurt, the utmost betrayal of his sincerity in loving Mongwoo/Heeso. He was played by Hee Soo. It is ridiculous that she endangered the whole of Joseon including the resulting withdrawal of the repatriation of the people of Joseon  who are being held captive in the Qing Dynasty because of her "dumb plan". This was not only about the Princess, this was about the safety of the Joseon people held captive in Qing, who were going to be freed as a result of the marriage of the Princess. Even the Princess, young as she is understood that much even if she did not approve of the decision. It also endangered the relationship of Joseon with the Qing. If MW is revealed as Hee Soo, the whole court of Joseon and even the people of Joseon will consider her a traitor and the king will have a hard time defending her. I don't know how the storytellers will get out of this plot hole they themselves made.

 

I agree. We all agree that Hee Soo doesn`t have reasons to plot the revenge. She is the daughter of high official and I am sure they discused problems of the court. Plus, she witnessed herself how things are going at the royal court. I don`t understand why she is not aware that the job of a king is difficult. Why she doesn`t try to understand Lee In? She doesn`t deserve his devotion. He even  said to Sang-Hwa that it doesn`t matter if she wants a revenge, he still wants to protect her. 😢

 

The Princess agreed in front of the king but she knew about the plan. I understood when she didn't want to be separated from his younger brother nor to get married in a country so far away but she also had to understand the king. The fate of princesses is often to conclude marriages in the interest of the country. But she is young and she was manipulated by Hee Soo. 

 

 

9 hours ago, imgreatgal said:

I think that was to secure BY place at the princess palace when Queen Dowager ordered The maids to be replaced. 

 

Oh, I see. Yeah... she let Boon Young stay with the Princess. I was hanging on the thought that Hee Soo having another plan.

I can no longer tolerate seeing her plotting as if she really had power at court. Please! Not even the king can do all he wants all the time. And I don`t want to see him forgiving her again and again. 

 

 

9 hours ago, imgreatgal said:

HS told her maid that she is fooling the king with her love ha ha i think she is fooling herself. Why else was she drunk the night the king was to bed court lady Dong.

 

 

Of course. It was obvious that she loves the king. She said that it doesn`t matter her feelings, she wants the revenge. And her plan is to dethrone the king. We have to believe that she is a strategic genius 🤣 Good joke. She is nothing, without any power. I have enough of her stupid plans.  There are dramas where characters who are caught between reason and feeling, between duty and love but in this drama it doesn`t work. He is the only one we understand and sympathize with but not Hee Soo.

 

And the second male lead, this Kim Myung-Ha, does nothing in this drama.

 

 

[LanHua7]

On 2/12/2024 at 12:52 PM, larus said:

I just watched episode 10. It was hard to watch the episode without pausing a few times because I could not bare the stupid plan of Hee-Soo. When I think I was waiting for the episode because the subtitles were not available last night.

 

If she will be dead in the next episode I won`t mind.  I want her dead. But I know she won`t die. Pity. I would have been spared of future stupid plans of her plotting againt the king. I think this episode killed my excitement to watch the lead couple. What a stupidity. I know it is a fictional drama but at least make it realistic somehow.  And when the Queen Dowager and Principal Director thought that it is possible for the Princess to switch places with someone else I rolled my eyes. 

Without anyone on the court helping them, Hee Soo made the plan almost succeed.. Please.....Let say that the maid Boon-Young would have managed to arrived at Qing court. The people from the princess's entourage they will know that she is not the princess. The maid is not educated enough to pass as a princess. What will happen with the real princess? She will hide forever? The king was put in a very difficult situation with the stronger Qing. I am sure there are spies at Joseon court too and they could not hide it forever. It is an affront aganst Qing and the king and Joseon people would have paid the price. It would have been better to refuse the wedding than this maskarade.

 

Soo hee thought that this plan was briliant and if she succedded she would have had a spy at Qing court. Please... Spare my sanity. I hate this episode.

I'm with you in this one, but I thinl that maybe her goal was to frame the king all the time, because she knew very well how worng could this go, and its impressive how just 1 maid helped the princess to get ready to the marriage cerymon LOL

 

But I think KMW just want to the king take the blame before Qing and loose his power and even loose the throne, she put herself in danger knowing that would be exposed just to frame him.

 

Besides this ,for the actress acting I can't feel the mixed and complex feelings that a spy should have for loving the king she should be killing, you know? I can feel all of the complex emotions the king has for her(him), but I can't say it on the other hand and I think this make me not liking the couple as much as I could

 

[ sorry for the bad english, ENG is my second language]

 

[imgreatgal]

16 hours ago, larus said:

And the second male lead, this Kim Myung-Ha, does nothing in this drama.

He’s such a lame duck, all he does is running to HeeSoo whenever he thinks she is in danger. To me he should be the one to plot revenge instead he does nothing and act indifferently towards the grand prince and princess. HeeSoo is unaware that its KMH’s father who caused her father to be taken to Qing as prisoner and DalHa was toutured. And HyunBo acted on KMH father’s orders and had HS and Hongjang to be totured and HongJang died. HS should be angry at KMH not the king. 

[larus]

19 hours ago, Ana Paula Lima said:

But I think KMW just want to the king take the blame before Qing and loose his power and even loose the throne, she put herself in danger knowing that would be exposed just to frame him.

 

 For a very good baduk player, she sees everything in one direction. The writer wants us to believe that she is a very good strategist (not as good as the king but still....) yet, all her actions in this stupid revenge tell us the opposite. Sometimes we`ll see her plan works but everything is exagerated. We have to believe that people without any power in the royal court can put a plan to dethrone a king. Unbelievable.

 

 

7 hours ago, imgreatgal said:

He’s such a lame duck, all he does is running to HeeSoo whenever he thinks she is in danger. To me he should be the one to plot revenge instead he does nothing and act indifferently towards the grand prince and princess. HeeSoo is unaware that its KMH’s father who caused her father to be taken to Qing as prisoner and DalHa was toutured. And HyunBo acted on KMH father’s orders and had HS and Hongjang to be totured and HongJang died. HS should be angry at KMH not the king. 

 

And he was the one who wrote the false letter in the name of Mong Woo. Regardless of that, he  really is useless in this drama. 

Let say that Hee Soo doesn`t know the whole details. But she should question more. The fact that she and Hong Jang were arrested and tortured was not because of Lee In`s orders. She thought that Lee In will save them and when he was king he did not do it. I could understand that she was heartbroken because of that but she should have asked herself more why he could not do it. All she did was put all the blame on the new King. The fact that the one who initiated everything was Kim Myung-Ha 's father is nothing, now she asks for his help to take revenge. Facepalm. Because he must help her  because hold a grudge because Lee In killed his father and knows that he has feelings for her.

 

I really liked Chief State Councilor Kang Hang-Soon. We did not hear anything about his fate so I assume he is still alive. Maybe he will come back. Plus, his daughter needs some guideness.

[lila21]

19 hours ago, Ana Paula Lima said:

But I think KMW just want to the king take the blame before Qing and loose his power and even loose the throne, she put herself in danger knowing that would be exposed just to frame him.

 

Besides this ,for the actress acting I can't feel the mixed and complex feelings that a spy should have for loving the king she should be killing, you know? I can feel all of the complex emotions the king has for her(him), but I can't say it on the other hand and I think this make me not liking the couple as much as I could

 

[ sorry for the bad english, ENG is my second language]

 

Your English is good, and very understandable.

 

HS wanted revenge on the king thinking that he caused her father's fall, however, she is not thinking that the King represents the country he rules, The King represents Joseon and therefore the wrath of Qing will not fall only on the King but the whole country of Joseon since Joseon is considered a tributary state of Qing. That much was said by the Qing ambassador that the freedom or repatriation of the Joseon people held in Qing depends much on the marriage of the Princess and Prince of Qing. Heeso as the daughter of a courtier who was supposedly educated by her father should know that. Does her desire for revenge over rule her compassion for her country and her people?

7 hours ago, imgreatgal said:

HeeSoo is unaware that its KMH’s father who caused her father to be taken to Qing as prisoner and DalHa was toutured. And HyunBo acted on KMH father’s orders and had HS and Hongjang to be totured and HongJang died. HS should be angry at KMH not the king. 

exactly, did she ever talk really talk to her father? She was always away playing Baduk, that was her talent. So why does she believe that she knows everything about what happened to her father? She knows nada

[larus]

Captivating the King: Episodes 7-10

by mistyisles

 

Captivating the King gave us a whopping four episodes this week, with tons of development packed in. Secrets are bared, confessions are made, and lives are put on the line. But the problem with manipulating people like game pieces is that emotions are bound to get in the way — and playing with people’s emotions is bound to produce unexpected results.

 
EPISODES 7-10

 

When Lee In catches Myung-ha embracing Mong-woo, Myung-ha blames it on a surge of emotions after reuniting with his cousins, and Mong-woo corroborates. Lee In can tell the two are protecting each other, but accepts their explanations. Having killed Mong-woo once and regretted it every day since, he’s determined to protect him (well, her) this time around.

The anniversary of the previous king’s death is approaching, which means Lee In is about to embark on his yearly pilgrimage to pay his respects. There’s much debate over how many people it’s appropriate to bring, and to everyone’s surprise, Lee In allows his young nephew PRINCE MOON-SUNG (Choi Ye-chan) to join him. Most people assume Lee In wanted an excuse for Mong-woo to tag along. In truth, Prince Moon-sung wanted to come, Mong-woo encouraged him to ask, and Lee In agreed.

 

When Mong-woo and Prince Moon-sung arrive at the encampment, they wander around watching soldiers spar, unaware that Hyun-bo — having recently learned that Mong-woo is the Baduk Gambler from three years ago — has hired someone to “make sure Mong-woo never plays baduk again.” Thus, Mong-woo gets “accidentally” pushed into the sparring circle. Thanks to prior training from Dal-ha, she holds her own at first. But Hyun-bo’s man overpowers her, clearly going for the kill.

Lee In intervenes. Fighting one-handed (because he’s cool like that), he wins the match and scolds the whole group — they’re supposed to protect their comrades, not harm them in the name of training! Only then does he realize Mong-woo is bleeding (the fight reopened her old back wound), and he calls the royal physician to tend to her in his private quarters. Mong-woo, of course, refuses treatment lest her womanhood be discovered.

 

After completing the memorial rites, Lee In asks his brother to watch over him as he attempts to free himself from the past and face the future. As if in answer, a gentle rain begins to fall. It’s a mongwoo, which members of the court have come to recognize as a trigger for Lee In’s sudden violent outbursts, especially this time of year. Today, however, it compels Lee In to seek out the human Mong-woo. They share an emotionally supercharged moment in the rain, wherein Lee In admits he likes Mong-woo and she can’t muster a response. When Mong-woo wins their ongoing baduk game (earning a wish, which she postpones using for now) she says it’s because Lee In let his guard down.

She’s right, in more ways than one. A maid overheard his confession, and soon the whole kingdom is gossiping about the king having a preference for men (one in particular). The lords petition for Mong-woo’s dismissal in hopes of dispelling the rumors, but Lee In refuses. The rumor also inconveniences COURT LADY DONG (Park Ye-young), who served the previous king and notoriously enjoys Lee In’s favor and trust. It has been generally presumed that Court Lady Dong is the reason Lee In hasn’t consummated with the queen or any of his concubines, but now it’s becoming clear that he hasn’t done anything with her, either. Nor does he plan to. But with the royal reputation at risk, the queen dowager appoints a night for Lee In to bed Court Lady Dong, whether he likes it or not.

 

Regarding the rumor itself, Lee In is largely unbothered. He makes a bet with Mong-woo that if someone mocked him for it to his face, he’d laugh right along with them. So off they go, accompanied by his faithful bodyguard JOO SANG-HWA (Kang Hong-seok) and a host of undercover guards, in search of someone to laugh at him so he can laugh with them and win the bet. They wander the marketplace all afternoon, but to Lee In’s annoyance, no one they meet says anything about his sexual preferences. Eventually, he shouts at Sang-hwa to go fetch the rumor so he won’t lose by default.

He and Mong-woo banter while they wait, and quite suddenly Lee In remarks, “You know, if you were a woman, I totally would have married you.” That stuns both of them, so much that when two women stroll by laughing about the rumor, Lee In is too caught up in his emotions to laugh. Suddenly, he’s not sure the rumor is groundless after all.

 

 

more https://www.dramabeans.com/2024/02/captivating-the-king-episodes-7-10/

[larus]

After spending the night together, the king did not want to know Mong woo`s real name, who she is. This does not seem plausible to me. It is obvious to me that the writer wants to present the introduction to the court of the real Kang Hee soo in a future episode and she wants to create a little tension.