Hwarang: The Beginning is filled with interesting plots and twists. The handsome actors are an added bonus, writes Bibi Nurshuhada Ramli
EVEN though K-Pop takes up most of my life, I am not much of a K-drama fan.
However, I’ve started watching KBS World’s latest period drama, Hwarang: The Beginning, which features a whole lot of handsome actor and they are certainly pleasing to the eyes and add to the series’ appeal.
Currently airing Mondays and Tuesdays at 10pm, Hwarang is about a group of elite young men who serve and protect the king during the ancient Silla period. I like how Hwarang is based on real Korean history.
The word Hwarang itself means Flowering Knights, so these men are not only some of the most skilled but also the most beautiful. So of course, only the most handsome actors (Park Seo-joon, Park Hyung-shik, Choi Min-ho, Do Ji-han and Kim Tae-hyung) were cast.
In the show, the Queen (Kim Ji-soo) has ruled the kingdom since the death of her husband. Her son and future king, Sam Maek Jong (Hyung-shik), are hidden outside the city and safe from enemies.
The kingdom’s nobles have been eyeing to usurp the throne, prompting the Queen to form the Hwarang. At the same time, Sam is eager to take his rightful place on the throne but for some reason, his mother doesn’t think it’s time yet, resulting in him going against her orders.
The Queen’s motive for forbidding him from taking the throne is questionable, especially since he seems to be of age and skilled enough for the job. Perhaps she is too comfortable as a ruler that she doesn’t plan on giving it up anytime soon.
Meanwhile, Moo-myung (Seo-joon) is a poor orphan of low-birth who trespasses into Seorabeol, the capital city of Silla, with his best friend Mak-moon (Lee Kwang-soo) to find the latter’s family. Originally from Seorabeol where it seems only the higher class resides, Mak-moon was separated from his father and sister Ah-ro (Go A-ra) when he was younger.
Unfortunately, when in Seorabeol, Mak-moon accidentally gets a glimpse of Sam, who had come out of hiding. Whoever lays eyes on the latter must be killed in case they spread the word of the king’s presence.
Mak-moon is incidentally killed, unearthing extreme guilt within Moo-myung for suggesting they go into the capital in the first place.
Moo-myung meets with Mak-moon’s father who insists that he takes up Mak-moon’s identity in order to not be thrown out of the capital. His father also insists that Moo-myung take up Mak-moon’s real name, Sun-woo. He must keep his real identity hidden from Ah-ro too.
There is conflict within Moo-myung because he not only feels guilty for living Mak-moon’s life but also for deceiving Ah-ro, whom he slowly is falling for.
Ah-ro is conflicted as well, since she wants to believe that Moo-myung is her older brother but at the same time, she feels an attraction between them.
Moo-myung is the epitome of a hero — tall, dark, handsome, kind, and skilled in combat. He easily wins the audience’s hearts.
However, I’m more attracted to the bad boy, Sam Maek Jong. He’s tall, refined and skilled in combat but he’s also the silent and mysterious type. Plus, he looks far more gorgeous donning long hair.
Sam had stumbled upon Ah-ro when she was telling romance stories at a club (one of her many odd jobs). He had trouble sleeping lately but listening to her voice has solved the problem.
There is an attraction between them as well but Ah-ro doesn’t know how to go about it. She doesn’t feel comfortable around Sam as she is with Moo-myung.
So, here we have two men fighting for the love of one woman. And the woman can’t decide who she wants more.
I notice that this is a trend that has become popular in K-dramas. There are many series that feature two male leads who are complete opposites.
The two men may have their strengths and flaws but sometimes, both stand a fair chance of ultimately winning the girl’s heart in the end.
I can’t stand this trend because the male lead I would favour tends to lose in the end. All the time!
It’s so frustrating and heartbreaking, especially when you’ve invested so much of your own feelings into the series.
I predict the same result with Hwarang. Moo-myung seems to be the likely winner but at the same time, the series keeps giving me hope by making Sam a formidable contender for Ah-ro’s feelings.
Since the romance isn’t always necessarily pleasant for me, I focus more on the drama element, where the kingdom’s best young men train to become Hwarang.
The chosen men, including Moo-myung, Su-ho (Choi), Ban-ryu (Do), Han-sung (Tae-hyung) and Sam (who joints for fun), all come from different backgrounds and therefore, don’t quite get along.
Su-ho and Ban-ryu are rivals, so them being forced to live together at the Hwarang school is fun to watch, especially when Su-ho’s younger sister has caught Ban-ryu attention.
While the others are finding their footing among their equals, Moo-myung has more to prove and a higher aim to reach.
Upon joining Hwarang, he made an oath to avenge Mak-moon’s death, by living his life for him (as a Hwarang) in order to find his killer.
Mak-moon’s death was painful to watch! It’s mostly because Kwang-soo was such an excellent actor and the scene was extremely heartbreaking.
In the first three episodes, Moo-myung had flashbacks of his moments with his best friend, where the latter discussed his wish of reuniting with his family. These scenes are so sad, especially since there was longing in Mak-moon’s face and voice everytime he spoke of his family. I couldn’t help but bawl every time.
I look forward to finding out how Moo-myung’s mission turns out and if he manages to outgrow his status as a low-born.
I’m also interested to know how exactly the Queen plans to use the Hwarang to put a stop to the nobles’ attempts to take over the throne. And what will happen when people find out that Sam is in fact, the illusive king.
Hwarang: The Beginning airs every Monday and Tuesday at 10pm on KBS World (Astro Channel 391 and HD 392).