“My Dearest” (연인)

By Jae-Ha Kim
Substack
December 2, 2023

☆☆☆½ (out of ☆☆☆☆)
Lee Jang-hyun (played by Namkoong Min)
Yoo Gil-chae (played by Ahn Eun-jin)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.

A sweeping series set in Joseon, “My Dearest” is such a strong show that I selected it as one of my Top 13 K-drama picks of 2023 for Teen Vogue:

Split into two parts, this 21-episode sageuk – or historical drama – showcases the amazing chemistry between lead actors Namkoong Min and Ahn Eun-jin. Set during the Qing invasion of Joseon, this K-drama is as much of a story of resilience as it is about love. Class differences and misunderstandings will force our protagonists to leave each other repeatedly.

But like a boomerang, they always find each other again. There is plenty of political subterfuge, with an ineffectual and paranoid king whose desire to survive supersedes his love for his own son (the Crown Prince).

And there are “good men” whose love for the women in their lives are conditional on their chastity. Gil-chae (Ahn), who spends the earliest episodes besotted over a man she can’t have, isn’t a character I warmed up to initially. But her emotional growth and will to survive are inspirational.

The early episodes lay out the groundwork for the series. Gil-chae (Ahn Eun-jin) is a noblewoman with her eyes set on a scholar who also happens to be her best friend’s suitor. Jang-hyun (Namkoong Min) is a nobleman, whose rough mannerisms indicate that perhaps he bought his title rather than being born into a good family. Of course the two won’t like each other much in the beginning. While it’s a given that they will fall for each other in subsequent episodes, the way their relationship progresses as a slow burning push-pull is handled beautifully.

There is a kinda/sorta gay subplot that involves Jang-hyun’s best friend — pansori singer Ryang-eum (Kim Yun-woo). Ryang-eum may come off as jealous of Gil-chae, and his passively cruel actions towards her endanger her life. But what the writers did so effectively is to portray him as a man trapped by his own desires, which aren’t returned by the man he clearly covets as a partner.

Set during an era when Joseon was threatened by several factions, the men prepare to head to battle the barbarians. To help Gil-chae who is besotted with Yeon-joon (Lee Hak-jo), who is ready to propose to sweet Eun-ae (Lee Da-in), Jang-hyun suggests that the men postpone their weddings until after they return victoriously. For a man who loses a wife, there’s no shame in remarrying another woman. But for a woman — especially one bearing a child — whose husband is killed in a battle, her life essentially ends with his death. She most likely will never be able to remarry and, even if she does, her child will be fatherless and won’t be considered a proper member of society.

At the start of the series, Gil-chae is a thoughtless character. She tries to steal away her best friend’s boyfriend. She tricks another man into giving up his girlfriend to propose to her, with the intent of trying to make Yeon-joon jealous. And when the men go off to rescue their king, she tells her boyfriend to make sure he protects Yeon-joon. She is willing to sacrifice another man’s life to ensure that the man she has a crush on survives.

As the K-drama progresses, we see Gil-chae’s evolution. The selfish girl who only thought about herself (and Yeon-joon) evolves into a compassionate and resilient woman who unleashes her strength to help Joseon’s most vulnerable citizens. She grows into her leadership role out of necessity, but viewers sense that bravery and compassion were always within her.

Airdates: Twenty-one hour-long episodes originally aired on MBC from August 4 through November 18, 2023. The finale ran for about half an hour longer. I watched this on KOCOWA.

© 2023 JAE-HA KIM | All Rights Reserved