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| tvN Promotional Poster Queen In-hyeon's Man 2012 |
Episodes: 16
Starring: Ji Hyun-woo, Yoo In-na
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Plot Summary: Five years before the 20th year reign of King Suk-jong of the Joseon Dynasty, Queen In-hyeon was dethroned and anyone who went against it were tortured for treason. Five years later, due to extreme increase in strength of the Jang clan and the South Faction, King Suk-jong had a change of heart. The West Faction planned to reinstate Queen In-hyeon, but in secrecy. However, the matter was brought to the attention of the Right Deputy Prime Minister and a conspiracy to assassinate Queen In-hyeon was conceived. The order signed by the Prime Minister himself was stolen by officer Gim Boong-do (Ji Hyun-woo) of the Special Advisors Office. The assassination attempt failed due to his valiant intervention. With conviction, he vowed to protect the Queen till the end. Boong-do obtained a talisman from a 'gisaeng,' which was said to be mystical. It was believed that anyone who bears the mystical talisman would receive protection from it. True enough, Boong-do traveled through time to modern Seoul, which was 318 years later when he almost met his death during an encounter with an assassin, who was out to kill him for saving the dethroned Queen. For the first time, Boong-do met Choi Hui-jin (Yoo In-na), a struggling actress who was recently given the opportunity to portray the role of Queen In-hyeon in the drama they were filming.
At the press conference, Hui-jin felt anxious because of her co-actress, who had antagonistic feelings for her. She went for a walk to get some air and to calm her nerves. Wandering about the grassy field, she again came face to face with Boong-do alit a running horse. She screamed on top of her lungs and Boong-do screeched to a halt that sent him tumbling down onto the ground. Another man, wearing a periodic garment, suddenly emerged from nowhere and tried to kill Boong-do. Hui-jin witnessed the one on one battle where Boong-do killed the man with his sword. To her horror, Hui-jin fainted when she saw the dead man vanished into thin air and how the blood on her dress disappeared. Hui-jin woke up in the hospital. Rummaging through her bag for her handy-phone, she found an odd envelope that she knew that does not belong to her. Through her friend's phone, Hui-jin rang her number.
Boong-do realized that he lost his envelope that contained his talisman. Unable to return to his time, he sat in one of the empty chambers of the old palace-turned-museum. Boong-do wondered what year he was in. He needed to go back from where he was but without the talisman, he wouldn't be able to do so. He changed his clothes into a regular outfit obtained without permission from a staff person working on the filming site. Finding Hui-jin was not hard as he thought it would be. Hui-jin, who was supposed to be confined in the hospital was out to track her handy-phone. They found each other and fled the area to prevent from being seen by the director. At the hospital, the two tried to grasp the time travel mystery. Boong-do finally found his talisman and left Hui-jin in amazement by his sudden disappearance. Also amazed of its power, Boong-do found himself back in his era and was happy to see his horse running toward his direction.
Boong-do returned to the future to seek help from Hui-jin about the Chronicles of the Joseon Dynasty. History indicated that Queen In-hyeon was reinstated, followed by the abolition of the South Faction. Boong-do was happy to know that his efforts to save and reinstate the Queen weren't put to waste. Satisfied with his research, he thanked Hui-jin and bade goodbye. Not ready to let him go, Hui-jin, put herself out to hold on to him. A bit embarrassed, she tricked him with a fabricated etiquette for bidding goodbye - she grabbed his face and landed a kiss on his lips. Concerned with what she did, she and her friend went back to the library to check on the security cam. Hui-jin was surprised to find Boong-do still in the library. She managed to talk to him for a bit behind her friend's back until the latter came looking for her. She ended the short conversation with goodbye and advanced her steps toward her friend but Boong-do grabbed her into the corner to kiss her. Surprised by his unexpected action, she scolded him for being a player. She looked back at him as Hui-jin and her friend headed out of the vicinity.
From the current date, Hui-jin deduced from her research that Boong-do was to die the following day. She learned that he was tortured after being charged with conspiracy. Furthermore, Boong-do was fated to die of illness while in exile at Jeju. All these things that Hui-jin learned were already happening in Boong-do's world, however, with the aid of his talisman, he was able to alter history and escape his death. Hui-jin was bothered with the information but was in tremendous relief when she received a call from Boong-do, who had already transported to modern Jeju. He needed to go back immediately to Seoul via the present time to get him back as soon as possible to his world to resolve the conflict of the past.
Boong-do came baçk to present Seoul and gifted Hui-jin with a brand new car to show his gratitude with all the things she had done for him. He told Hui-jin that he would see her again after a month as he had more critical matters to settle in the past. Unfortunately, Boong-do wasn't able to make good with his promise. An assassin was waiting for his return to kill him. He lost grip of his talisman and was split in half by his attacker. He was wounded and woken with no memory from the time he was stabbed in the Special Advisors Office. The talisman fell into the hands of the assassin who had found no use of it as it only obeyed the original bearer. Meanwhile, with the help of his subordinate, Boong-do regained his memory in bits and eventually gotten hold of his talisman again.
Boong-do's ability to travel through time made it convenient for him to serve his purpose both in past and present times. However, the talisman had its own drawback when used beyond its intention. The ill-effect caused a painful separation especially to Hui-jin who was always being left behind - uncertain as to when he could come back for her. Just as when Boong-do thought he could forever be with her, he was transported back in time without the aid of his talisman. It was a puzzle he could not comprehend. He did nothing for a whole year but to find answers that not even the monks could help him. He was resigned to the thought that he may never go back to the present time. He finally burned the talisman with the fervent wish that Hui-jin would lose all the memory of his existence to spare her from pain. Depression and frustration hit him so hard that he decided to end his life. Meanwhile, Hui-jin was working on a new project which was a documentary film related to Gim Boong-do. For some reason, Hui-jin became emotional without knowing the reason why. While driving, fragmented flashes of Boong-do's memory came to her. She cried uncontrollably as she starts remembering him vividly. She reached for her phone and dialed his number even if she knew the impossibility of contacting him. She got out of the car when there was no answer and continued to cry endlessly, slumped on the side of the road just right beside her car on a rainy night. For some inexplicable occurrence, Boong-do saw his phone ringing just before his suicide attempt was consummated. He freed himself and got down to answer the phone. As he swiped his thumb to take the call, he found himself lying down on the ground, not from where he was but in the middle of a wet road with buildings around him. He knew then that he was transported back to the future. It was the link in the memory of two people in love that bound them together to the present time.
My Thoughts: This was one of the best drama series aired in 2012! Hyun-woo and In-na made a cute couple on there. I truly like the concept and how it was made. This one though did too much of back to back time travel to two different worlds. I had not seen Boong-do sleep! Did he ever get tired?! Everyone had done a great job, just don't find the logic in the story - remind yourself that this was only a fantasy! My heart was broken for a moment when Boong-do was transported back for the longest time. I felt their pain and In-na was really good when she was crying hysterically for the sudden loss. There's also another part that's distressing - it's when no one remembered Boong-do except Hui-jin. Even the car she treasured most that was supposed to be a gift from Boong-do turned out to be something that she bought for herself. A must see for hopeless romantics :) Enjoy watching as much as I have!
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