Alice_01

I really enjoyed today's episode as well! So far, so good~
However, I do have a question that I'll include below marked as a spoiler.

Hmm...After watching both episodes, I still feel a bit lukewarm about this one. I loved the plot and the cinematography but I can't seem to engage with some of the cast's performances fully. Some actors' acting comes off as either over the top or just plain cringeworthy, which disrupts my immersion during those scenes. Jung I Sin and other senior actors are kinda hard carrying this for me rn. I’ll keep watching though and hopefully it gets better!

So far, we’ve seen a flashback of both Guho and her together as children which was also revealed to be how they met. In the last scene the article on the board mentioned that Guho was part of a Theme park kidnap case back then? So my guess is that the masked men took both her and Guho as part of a child trafficking ring or smth of that sort and perhaps Guho was targeted for a specific reason, which is why he remains a significant focus for her plan. I believe the primary individuals she is after are the men in masks. Maybe all the scams and money farming schemes are her way of raising her status and strength to confront them directly!

Honestly, with only 2 episodes released, there are still too many blanks left to be filled. But then again that’s part of the fun with shows like this, guessing what will happen next!

It definitely looks promising enough to me! Ep2 got me hooked and the ending scene was so intriguing! Cannot wait to see what happens next!

Yes...They have to make it seem like she was dreaming...

Ep33 last scene from the 3rd arc had me bawling like a baby... "Sima Jiao, hold me tight, will you?" as she fades away😭😭😭

I am currently watching the 3rd arc in the mortal realm and I have to say that I've enjoyed it even more than the 2nd one! >< This drama is filled with love in every form between the leads and I am thriving as I watch them embrace it. While the plot isn't particularly extraordinary and could be considered somewhat even "plain" for a Xianxia, the chemistry between the leads and their captivating scenes make it all worthwhile. I also appreciate that there isn't as much drama,and the leads are able to communicate and stay on the same page most of the time, rather than engaging in silly fights! I am really going to miss this show...

Oh the reason I posted it was actually because I found it interesting and kinda as food for thought? To see how things went down irl and to let others also have a look at the og material the writer was inspired by. I never had any other intent, let alone to piss others off over it.

Yes that's like Korean Wikipedia of sorts that has the info for the novel and mentions the King it's based on that's why I sent it. There is no complete translation of the novel as far as I know but from a quick search i just did online this team is currently translating it : https://noveostories.com/series/surviving-as-the-tyrants-chef/
But I never implied that we should connect everything. I just mentioned some key points from his biography that I found interesting and wrote "I am curious to see how much of that we will be seeing in the drama" since you know the writer was inspired by him.
Well maybe my point didn't come across to you as clear and that's okay! ^^

Here link to novel info and as far as I know this has no manhwa adaptation yet just the novel so idk what you saw or are talking about: https://en.namu.wiki/w/%EC%97%B0%EC%82%B0%EA%B5%B0%EC%9D%98%20%EC%85%B0%ED%94%84%EB%A1%9C%20%EC%82%B4%EC%95%84%EB%82%A8%EA%B8%B0

The novel is literally titled Surviving as Yeonsan-gun's Chef lol I wasn’t aware that there was even a manhwa adaptation, I only knew about the novel. I just out of curiosity and interest for this show, researched his biography and tried to piece together the connections. That's all. I was interested to see how much of his real life the author and the screenwriter were inspired by in the novel/drama!

The novel is actually based on the 10th king of Joseon, Yeonsangun Lee Yong, though! The name even remains the same in the novel and gets mentioned in the book's synopsis...However, they did change it for the Kdrama adaptation, which I believe was the right decision. Ofc neither the K-drama nor the novel is a biography or documentary, but the inspiration is quite evident. But it's undeniable that the writer has incorporated some elements from the real king's life experiences, although altered a bit so that they fit the narrative. I mean, so far we have seen the Queen's deposition, him abducting women and planning to kill or punish officials who had anything to do with his mother's death...
I am curious to see how far these inspirations were taken and how similar some scenes will be. That's all I meant! Of course, this series is overall a work of fiction; after all, we even have time travel lol

I think he just misses his mother and her warmth so he seeks that comfort from other women since he lost her at a young age. He wants to be "pampered and taken care of" of sorts...
Plus even nowadays some men often behave like grown-up children, expecting their wives to act like their mothers. Although I agree that this situation becomes more complicated psychologically due to his trauma and everything else...

Since I've been enjoying this drama quite a bit, I decided to do some research after learning that the novel it's based on has a real historical background. It turns out that the actual events differ in some ways but they are nonetheless sad and disturbing.

For example, the ML's mother was actually deposed due to her jealousy, she couldn't bear to see the King with other women, to the point that she even slapped him once, leaving scratch marks on his face. The King tried to conceal them but when his mother the Queen Dowager and the officials found out about it, they requested her deposition and exile. Although the King later attempted to restore her status, this only made things worse, ultimately leading the officials to petition for her execution by poison. It's astonishing how someone in the highest position like the King, could find themselves so powerless against his officials and how easily a woman's life could be taken away.

Another notable fact is that the crown prince (aka our ML here) grew up believing he was the son of the next Queen, in contrast to what is portrayed in the drama, as he was too young when his mother died to remember.
During the early years of his reign, he was a wise king and capable administrator who strengthened the national defense and helped the poor. However, he soon began to show signs of violence, particularly after learning the truth about his mother. He resorted to killing some of his father's concubines and many government officials who supported his mother's execution back then, leading to a sort of "mad bloodbath" in the court that even ended up taking the lives of many innocents.
He also did lots of bad decisions and did things towards his subjects and the common folk like suppression of free speech and learning, converting temples into personal pleasure grounds, abducting young girls, forcing commoners into involuntary labor etc. Totally lost his way...

I am curious to see how much of that we will be seeing in the drama...

The one you speak off I'm pretty sure it's the Queen Dowader (current king's step mother) after his mother was deposed, the officials would pressure the King to take a new wife soon after. No king stayed unwed for long because a nation needed its mother to help run it and rule the inner court(harem). His grandma, sitting in the center, is the Grand Queen Dowager and since she is alive, she is above the Queen Dowager and runs the place for now.

There is no way FL can ever achieve the status of Queen in any timeline...She might actually not even be qualified as a concubine unless a noble/royal family member adopts her to raise her status first (similar case of concubine Kang). And yes there is no Queen currently and the one sitting next to his grandmother is probably his stepmother aka Queen Dowager. However, the thing is that back then, the King would have to marry women as a means of establishing political connections, maintaining a power balance among officials in the court, and also balancing the power within the harem. A queen being older than the king, though rare, is not unheard of.

I think he is favoring her/can't be harsh to her cause of the resemblance to his mother maybe?

Yes she kinda seems to be going with the wind kinda trying to enjoy what she can and get away from any trouble at the same time...
Right I really hope he is at least suspecting her cause otherwise we are in for lots of drama lol

Currently watching the new ep and it’s becoming pretty clear our King has some serious mommy issues (understandably so his mother was framed and unjustly deposed when he was just a kid). The Grand Prince (pretty sure that’s his uncle or older brother) seems to have seized the opportunity by sending in a courtesan he took from prison who looks eerily similar to the King’s mother as his concubine. She's clearly meant to keep him distracted and under control with her charms, all the while spying on him...
But here’s the twist, I think our FL seems to genuinely resemble the Queen Mother in personality and will probably achieve all that concubine wished for lol And since the King bonded with his mother over shared meals when he was young, the FL cooking for him now hits on a much deeper emotional level. It’s like she is bringing all those buried memories back to life.

Now my questions are:
1. Is Concubine Kang actually jealous or is she just playing the part and afraid to lose favor? Would she really go so far as to kill the King for the Grand Prince?

2. Does the King have no clue about her true face at all or is he just pretending not to see it while he keeps her close for his own future plans?

As someone who values heart-to-heart friendships more than romantic relationships, something is telling me this series is going to hit hard...Honestly, I’d love to see more shows like this one that are so grounded in reality. They're not afraid to be raw and sometimes painful, but that’s what makes them so relatable. Like this part of the synopsis, it truly spoke to me: “They remained close, even if they sometimes hated each other. Over the years, they drift in and out of contact, reconnecting in their teens, 20s, and 30s.”

Even though I’m still in my 20s, I’ve already felt that with dear friends from elementary or middle school. I guess some people are just meant to walk with us for a brief part of our journey, but that short time still makes all the difference. Those who’ve been a part of our lives, no matter for how long, leave an imprint on our souls forever, even if we sometimes lose touch or reconnect after years.