This review may contain spoilers
A fun and exciting drama to watch!
There were three reasons why I initially didn't want to watch this drama.
First, I'm not really a fan of stories where a girl is surrounded by multiple guys, and vice versa.
Second, I'm not into the gender-bender genre (I’ve only watched Coffee Prince and You're Beautiful).
Third, the historical (saeguk) setting—I’m still traumatized by The Red Sleeve.
But in the end, I decided to watch it because I kept seeing funny clips on TikTok.
The first few episodes were interesting, so I thought, "Might as well stick with it, it's ending in four weeks anyway."
Honestly, this drama dragged a bit when it came to Prince Muyeong and Deoksu. I think it took way too long for Prince Muyeong to realize that Deoksu was a girl—it should've happened around episode 8 or 9 instead of episode 12.
Watching it was kinda draining because, up until episode 12, none of the characters knew they were all heading in the same direction. They kept too many secrets from each other for too long. Episodes 7-11 felt a bit lacking, but episodes 12-16 were really solid.
I saw a lot of comments saying this drama should’ve been just 12 episodes, but I actually think 16 was the right choice. The palace conflict was quite complicated, and the reason episodes 12-16 were so good was that they finally started resolving that conflict.
Episodes 7-11, though… ugh, the bully trio was too annoying, they had too much screen time, and their scenes felt unnecessary. But it was still fun to watch because the four main characters had great comedic timing.
For me, the highlight of this drama was the character development.
Villain Cheon Mak Dong, this guy was unbelievably annoying. He really got on my nerves, and even until the end, he didn’t back down. I don’t think the Yeongcheonru fire was an accident—he saw Yeongcheonru as his, and if he couldn’t have it, then no one else could.
Once again, I always love Kim Min Jung’s characters. She always plays these cool, morally gray roles. And Seol Mae Hwa? She was honestly the MVP of this drama. So strong and patient—she waited 12 years to execute her plan carefully.
Cheon Junhwa’s character development was also really well done. When he ‘snapped’ and turned into a villain, it didn’t feel sudden at all. The writer had been dropping hints from the beginning that Junhwa was the type to take shortcuts to get what he wanted.
Like during the bedsheet washing task—while Lee Eunho helped Deoksu rewash them, Junhwa just bought new ones from Seol Mae Hwa. Or when Deoksu asked Go Sura to switch places with her while being followed by the bullies, Junhwa chose to rent a room instead. And when Deoksu got captured and interrogated, Junhwa sold his assets and went straight to negotiate with the minister, while Eunho stayed with Deoksu first before heading there.
So when he became obsessed with Deoksu, I wasn’t surprised. Fortunately, even though "blood is thicker than water," Junhwa grew up in a good environment and was close to Seol Mae Hwa. That’s why he was able to make a different choice from his father. And that, to me, is great character development. It also reinforces one of the drama’s messages: just because your parents are evil doesn’t mean you have to be. This also applies to Prince Muyeong—my favorite character in this drama.
Even though Deoksu is the main character, I’ll talk about Deoksu first because, to be honest, Deoksu was a bit reckless here. Maybe it’s because of her environment, the trauma, and the hardships she faced growing up. I can understand that. At least, by the end, she figured out what she truly wanted.
Deoksu is strong and incredibly smart, especially when it comes to strategy—she definitely inherited that from her father. Although she was blinded by revenge at first, she eventually realized what was truly worth fighting for.
By the way, I feel like Kim Jieun is way too pretty to be ‘mistaken’ for a guy. So throughout the show, it didn’t really feel like she was in disguise, lol. But to be fair, from the back, her build kinda looked masculine, and her movements were convincingly boyish. Still, she’s just too pretty—it was kinda funny that no one noticed she was a girl.
One thing I really liked about this drama is that no one sacrificed themselves for someone else. Instead, they chose to protect each other, rather than making unnecessary sacrifices. And what I loved the most—the communication between the male lead and female lead was so smooth. No prolonged misunderstandings, no unnecessary drama. It was refreshing.
That’s why I really love Lee Eunho (aka Prince Muyeong). He’s actually the perfect candidate for king—calm, wise, smart, and pretty skilled with a sword too. But, as Prince Eunsong said, "The throne has no heart." That’s why Eunho couldn’t be king—because he has one.
Bae Inhyuk’s acting in this role was top-tier. You could really feel the difference between Prince Muyeong and Lee Eunho, from the way he spoke, his tone of voice, and even his expressions. And Bae Inhyuk in Prince Muyeong mode? So cool and commanding.
What made it even better was how Eunho once told Deoksu that he never cried. Even when the palace was in chaos, even when he was in danger, he didn’t shed a tear. But when he found out Deoksu was in danger, he finally cried. That was heartbreaking.
Prince Muyeong was never suited for palace life. He was too kind and too unwilling to sacrifice others for the sake of power. That’s also why Prince Eunsong let him go so easily—because even Eunsong knew that Muyeong had always been sincere towards him and held strong integrity for the royal family. He would always get angry whenever random people badmouthed the palace.
This drama, despite its plot holes and some dragging moments, was still pretty worth watching. It was fun, and honestly, it helped me get over my saeguk trauma, lol. The comedy was on point, and the story was engaging—Yeongcheonru being copied into the palace was such a cool plot point. I really enjoyed watching it.
First, I'm not really a fan of stories where a girl is surrounded by multiple guys, and vice versa.
Second, I'm not into the gender-bender genre (I’ve only watched Coffee Prince and You're Beautiful).
Third, the historical (saeguk) setting—I’m still traumatized by The Red Sleeve.
But in the end, I decided to watch it because I kept seeing funny clips on TikTok.
The first few episodes were interesting, so I thought, "Might as well stick with it, it's ending in four weeks anyway."
Honestly, this drama dragged a bit when it came to Prince Muyeong and Deoksu. I think it took way too long for Prince Muyeong to realize that Deoksu was a girl—it should've happened around episode 8 or 9 instead of episode 12.
Watching it was kinda draining because, up until episode 12, none of the characters knew they were all heading in the same direction. They kept too many secrets from each other for too long. Episodes 7-11 felt a bit lacking, but episodes 12-16 were really solid.
I saw a lot of comments saying this drama should’ve been just 12 episodes, but I actually think 16 was the right choice. The palace conflict was quite complicated, and the reason episodes 12-16 were so good was that they finally started resolving that conflict.
Episodes 7-11, though… ugh, the bully trio was too annoying, they had too much screen time, and their scenes felt unnecessary. But it was still fun to watch because the four main characters had great comedic timing.
For me, the highlight of this drama was the character development.
Villain Cheon Mak Dong, this guy was unbelievably annoying. He really got on my nerves, and even until the end, he didn’t back down. I don’t think the Yeongcheonru fire was an accident—he saw Yeongcheonru as his, and if he couldn’t have it, then no one else could.
Once again, I always love Kim Min Jung’s characters. She always plays these cool, morally gray roles. And Seol Mae Hwa? She was honestly the MVP of this drama. So strong and patient—she waited 12 years to execute her plan carefully.
Cheon Junhwa’s character development was also really well done. When he ‘snapped’ and turned into a villain, it didn’t feel sudden at all. The writer had been dropping hints from the beginning that Junhwa was the type to take shortcuts to get what he wanted.
Like during the bedsheet washing task—while Lee Eunho helped Deoksu rewash them, Junhwa just bought new ones from Seol Mae Hwa. Or when Deoksu asked Go Sura to switch places with her while being followed by the bullies, Junhwa chose to rent a room instead. And when Deoksu got captured and interrogated, Junhwa sold his assets and went straight to negotiate with the minister, while Eunho stayed with Deoksu first before heading there.
So when he became obsessed with Deoksu, I wasn’t surprised. Fortunately, even though "blood is thicker than water," Junhwa grew up in a good environment and was close to Seol Mae Hwa. That’s why he was able to make a different choice from his father. And that, to me, is great character development. It also reinforces one of the drama’s messages: just because your parents are evil doesn’t mean you have to be. This also applies to Prince Muyeong—my favorite character in this drama.
Even though Deoksu is the main character, I’ll talk about Deoksu first because, to be honest, Deoksu was a bit reckless here. Maybe it’s because of her environment, the trauma, and the hardships she faced growing up. I can understand that. At least, by the end, she figured out what she truly wanted.
Deoksu is strong and incredibly smart, especially when it comes to strategy—she definitely inherited that from her father. Although she was blinded by revenge at first, she eventually realized what was truly worth fighting for.
By the way, I feel like Kim Jieun is way too pretty to be ‘mistaken’ for a guy. So throughout the show, it didn’t really feel like she was in disguise, lol. But to be fair, from the back, her build kinda looked masculine, and her movements were convincingly boyish. Still, she’s just too pretty—it was kinda funny that no one noticed she was a girl.
One thing I really liked about this drama is that no one sacrificed themselves for someone else. Instead, they chose to protect each other, rather than making unnecessary sacrifices. And what I loved the most—the communication between the male lead and female lead was so smooth. No prolonged misunderstandings, no unnecessary drama. It was refreshing.
That’s why I really love Lee Eunho (aka Prince Muyeong). He’s actually the perfect candidate for king—calm, wise, smart, and pretty skilled with a sword too. But, as Prince Eunsong said, "The throne has no heart." That’s why Eunho couldn’t be king—because he has one.
Bae Inhyuk’s acting in this role was top-tier. You could really feel the difference between Prince Muyeong and Lee Eunho, from the way he spoke, his tone of voice, and even his expressions. And Bae Inhyuk in Prince Muyeong mode? So cool and commanding.
What made it even better was how Eunho once told Deoksu that he never cried. Even when the palace was in chaos, even when he was in danger, he didn’t shed a tear. But when he found out Deoksu was in danger, he finally cried. That was heartbreaking.
Prince Muyeong was never suited for palace life. He was too kind and too unwilling to sacrifice others for the sake of power. That’s also why Prince Eunsong let him go so easily—because even Eunsong knew that Muyeong had always been sincere towards him and held strong integrity for the royal family. He would always get angry whenever random people badmouthed the palace.
This drama, despite its plot holes and some dragging moments, was still pretty worth watching. It was fun, and honestly, it helped me get over my saeguk trauma, lol. The comedy was on point, and the story was engaging—Yeongcheonru being copied into the palace was such a cool plot point. I really enjoyed watching it.
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