Replay the Classic K-Drama: 4 Reasons to Watch Park Bo Gum and Kim Yoo Jung’s ‘Love in the Moonlight’

Edited by Seo Hayne
Translated by Hana Lee

Kim Yoo Jung and Park Bo Gum are now the biggest stars in South Korea. They solidified their positions as leading actors through Love in the Moonlight, a romantic period series based on a web novel of the same name. The love story begins as a genius crown prince encounters a woman disguised as a eunuch in the palace. The drama gained massive popularity, and its viewership jumped from 8 percent to 23 percent during its run. In this article, we will be looking at the four reasons why the drama has found massive success.

Outstanding Performance of Young Actors

Park Bo Gum got his first lead role in Love in the Moonlight. His dashing good looks have earned him compliments, and he rose to fame with his hit series Reply 1998. The drama was a big opportunity for him to show what he has learned from playing countless supporting roles in various movies and dramas. The same goes for his co-star Kim Yoo Jung. She successfully shed off her child star image by taking on the adult role for the first time in her career and captivating viewers with her astonishing acting and graceful visuals. Many viewers loved their on-screen romance and chemistry as they performed their roles beyond expectations. Besides the two, the other young actors such as B1A4’s Jinyoung, Chae Soo Bin and Kwak Dong Yeon showed great performances and led the drama to successfully accomplish a generational switch.

The Charm of Cross-Dressing Female Character

Kim Yoo Jung plays Hong Ra On, the young woman who ends up working in the palace as a eunuch, in Love in the Moonlight. In most other period dramas, eunuchs support the king’s everyday affairs, following his every step like a shadow. But in this series, eunuch Ra On is portrayed differently. Born with nothing, Ra On has to pretend to be a man to survive and earn a living by teaching men how to win their women over. She accidentally enters the palace and becomes a eunuch to hide her identity. Despite being at opposite ends of a strict hierarchy, Lee Yeong (played by Park Bo Gum) and Ra On become friends and gradually fall in love with each other. During the process, Lee Young notices that she is a woman but never mentions it as he gets closer to her. The ninth episode shows their deepening love as she reveals her self as a woman to him. Kim Yoo Jung said she referred to Yoon Eun Hye’s acting in Coffee Prince for her role in the drama.

The Crown Prince Who Grows Into a King

Love in the Moonlight is mainly a love story, but it offers an interesting glimpse into Crown Prince Lee Yeong’s political philosophy. Although he finds his palace life boring, he slowly becomes a charismatic leader as he takes over the rule from his father, Lee Wang (Kim Seung Soo). The show’s title in Korean directly translates to “Moonlight Drawn by Clouds,” which refers to a monarch chosen by the people and Lee Young. Hong Gyeong Rae (Jeong Hae Gyun) and Kim Byung Yeon (Kwak Dong Yeon) say, “Rather than a sun that shines alone, he’s a ruler who shines brightly when among his people, like the moonlight,” as they watch Yeong among his people. And the book Ra On was reading is about a “kind-hearted crown prince becoming the greatest monarch in the country.” Through this show, Park Bo Gum received great reviews for his portrayal of a character who grows and changes as a result of various incidents.

Beautiful cinematography

The beautiful cinematography also added to the production’s attractive look, especially in the fourth episode when Ra On dances in place of Ae Win (Cha Joo Young). The dance scene, which took her two months to practice and three days to film, came out beautifully with the sentimental feel needed for the scene. Raon’s solo dance at the banquet is also one of the most important scenes in which Lee Young gets his heart stolen by her. The lantern festival in the fifth episode captivated viewers with its fairytale-like scenery. The two take a leisurely stroll on the street under the sky filled with lanterns, and the scenery is just breathtaking. When Kim Yoon Sung (Jinyoung) comes to pick her up, Lee Yeong reveals his feelings and says one of the best lines in the series: “I won’t allow it. She mine.”

Editor Seo Hayne: I like actors as they faithfully lead through their long running-time. I also like idols who accomplish everything on stage within 3 minutes.