Cast
Ha Ji Won as Hwang Jin I
Kim Jae Won as Kim Jung Han
Kim Young Ae as Yim Baek Moo
Jang Geun Seok as Kim Eun Ho
and a lot of characters
Synopsis
This drama is about a famous Gisaeng in olden Korea, Hwang Jin-I. Gisaeng is the Korean equivalent of geisha. Heon-keum, Jin-I's birth mother and a gisaeng herself, gave Jin-I away to a temple after she was born, hoping to change Jin-I's destiny, because Korean law at that time states that daughters of gisaengs must become gisaengs. However, Jin-I saw a performance by gisaengs when she was 10 and fell in love with their music and dance. The gisaeng mistress, Yim Baek Moo, saw Jin-I's talent and recruited her and at the same time, Jin-I is reunited with her mother at the Gyobang (Gisaeng's house).
Jin-I blossomed under Baek Moo's teaching, however, she fell in love with a nobleman's son, Kim Eun Ho. Due to the difference in their social status, their love was strongly objected (by both sides) and Eun Ho died of a broken heart. From then on, Jin-I sweared to take revenge on all noblemen and on Baek Moo, because she believed the latter masterminded the entire thing.
Fast forwarded, Jin-I (Gisaeng name: Myung-Yol) became one of the most sought-after gisaeng in Korea, due to her beauty, wit and musical talent, but she never danced because she could not forget her first love. Then in a contest with her rival, she re-discovered her love for dancing. At the same time, she slowly fell in love with a high-ranking official, Kim Jung Han, who touched her with his sincerity and love. However, because of a dance glitch and the difference in their social status, the King put them to death. Jin-I managed to touch the King with a beautiful dance and begged him to release both of them but back to their original status and never to contact each other again, of which the King agreed.
With that Jin-I resumed her life as a gisaeng and became one of the best dancers in Korea.
My Take
The show lived up to its name. It is colourful, well-shot, touching and has memorable OST. I'm listening to it now, as I type this! 1 thing I do not understand is that why Kim Jae Won is rarely mentioned or not even featured in the drama photo although he is one of the main cast. The guy on the right in the photo above is Byuk Kye Soo, played by Yoo Tae Joon, who is the King's relative who tried to but could not win Jin-I's love. Ha Ji Won doesn't look her age as she is paired with 2 man younger than her: Geun Seok who is 20 years old and Jae Won who is 26.
Year Aired : 2006