official MV | English lyrics
May contain spoilers from Episodes 1 – 4
Introduction
Lovers of the Red Sky (LOTRS) is a long-awaited sageuk (historical Kdrama) by many fans for a variety of reasons. For me, it has been a while since I saw Kim Yoo Jung donning hanbok (traditional Korean clothes) the last time as eunuch Hong Ra On in Love in the Moonlight (2016). If you have watched that drama, you remember her character’s full confidence gesture as depicted in the right image.
Therefore, anticipation runs high for LOTRS to be a good classic romance sageuk. Hereby I will try to present you a glimpse of this drama with a limited observation from Episodes 1 to 4 only. This article may be biased with personal opinions, preferences, and past experiences.
Drama Details
Synopsis
The story is set during the fictional Dan dynasty of ancient Korea when ghosts, demons, and gods are involved in human life. On one of the darkest nights of the era, two babies were born during a royal deliverance ceremony. One is Hong Chun Gi, the daughter of an imperial painter, and the other one is Ha Ram, the son of a palace chief priest. Samshin, the goddess of life, intertwined the destinies of the babies. Chun Gi, who was blind, was granted by Samshin, a future partner who can help overcome her misfortune: Ha Ram. He is also destined to do great things.
Nine years later, through their fathers’ reunion, Chun Gi and Ha Ram met for the first time. Ha Ram and his father were on their way to the capital, and the boy would become the royal envoy of the rain harvesting ritual. The country has suffered a long drought, and Ha Ram is blessed with the supernatural gift of finding a water source. As their fathers were catching up with the past, the kids spent the day together, sharing each other’s passion for painting and astronomy. After a meaningful, all-day outing, they promised to meet again after the rain ritual was over. Unfortunately, the meeting never happened.
The rest of the story follows the adult Chun Gi and Ha Ram after their reunion nineteen years later. Although not knowing each other’s whereabouts or what their present looks like, they still remember the day they met, the words they shared, and a longing to see each other again.
Main Characters
Hong Chun Gi (Kim Yoo Jung/김유정)
Chun Gi is a genius female painter who is a rare gem in the country. She inherits the gift of creating a lively painting from her father, a royal painter. Not long after she was born, she became blind. Her disability did not stop her desire to learn how to paint. At age 9, she met Ha Ram. She shared her misery of being blind. He gently reassured her that everything happened for a reason. They promised each other to meet again, but he never showed up. Miraculously Chu Gi got her eyesight back. At age 28, Chun Gi is an aspiring painter.
Ha Ram (Ahn Hyo Seop/안효섭)
Ha Ram is the son of former palace Taoist head chief. He was born a few hours after Chun Gi. He developed a love of astronomy when he was a child and was gifted with the supernatural ability to read nature. At age 9, he was taken to the palace to be the royal envoy for the water harvesting ceremony. That’s when he met Chun Gi. At age 28, he became the royal astrologist, and the emperor sought his wise advice. Ha Ram also keeps a double identity. Moreover, he carries secrets that nobody knows.
Grand Prince Yang Myung/Lee Yool (Gong Myung/공명)
The free-spirited Prince Yang Myung is the third son of King Seong Jo, the reigning Emperor. He is romantic and loves everything beautiful, even cherished wildflowers by the roadside. However, when he was young, his curiosity of looking at old royal paintings has caused a big chaos for the future of the country. Prince Yang Myung has a fluent speech and a lively personality. He is a sensitive person with remarkable artistic abilities and no interest in politics.
Grand Prince Joo Hyang/Lee Hoo (Kwak Shi Yang/곽시양)
Prince Joo Hyang has never been happy being the second son of King Seong Jo. He regarded himself as nobody since his older brother Lee Kang was appointed to be the Crown Prince. When he was a teenager, this displeasure was replaced by an ambition to be on the throne, having been incited by a demonic power. Prince Joo Hyang is confident that he is the rightful owner of the throne.
First Impression
Kim Yoo Jung’s Charm
A lot of people have waited to watch this drama for Kim Yoo Jung, the Korean “Nation’s Little Sister” and “Sageuk Fairy”. Indeed she has acted in about 10 sageuk since she was little. Although her roles in the past were as support or guest roles, they mostly are memorable since she was the younger version of the female leads. The last sageuk she acted as the main lead is Love in the Moonlight. She was only 16 at that time, but nonetheless, she acted brilliantly. Though it has been five years, I see her reprising the similar spunky, independent, and easy-going personality role in Hong Chun Gi.
Mysterious Ha Ram
If Chung Gi is a straightforward character whose actions and intentions are clear, Ha Ram is the opposite. The drama may tell us about who he is and his background, but for the rest of the characters, he is a mystery. He appears weak and needs physical guidance, but he is agile and skilled in martial arts. He appears to only give attention to astrology and movements of nature, but he diligently observes the political climate of the country. Audiences know that he has a secret agenda, but how he would execute his mission is still unclear. And now that the woman he missed for so long has shown up, how will he include her in his grand plan?
Production
Besides great acting performances from Kim Yoo Jung, Ahn Hyo Seop, and the rest of the cast, in my opinion, this drama also has good directing and editing with high production values. The GIF above is just a tiny fraction capture of my favorite scene in this drama so far: the spiritual battle in the forest. Although we can see that the setting is not a real forest, from nicely spaced trees and background lighting, the audiences are captivated by the shots from different angles, lighting, editing, and props.
Forethoughts
Story Pace
From Episodes 1 to 4, there is so much information told about the background of the plot in general, Chun Gi and Ha Ram personally, supernatural beings, and the current set-up to the plot progress. I am concerned about the upcoming pace of the story due to two reasons. One, the original story is told in two-volume novels. Second, according to actor Kwak Shi Yang who played Grand Prince Joo Hyang, his character originally is not in the novel. It seems the production team added a villain character to spice up the political struggle in the story. The need to ‘cram’ the original long story plus an additional with his own story into a 16-episode format may leave some plot holes and a rushed ending.
Love Triangle
Nobody likes love triangle stories in romantic dramas, yet it seems like we cannot avoid it most of the time. In LOTRS, the love triangle is one main elements of the novel’s plot.
I assume that Prince Yang Myung can be a strong love rival to Ha Ram for two reasons. One is the prince’s personality. He seems an easy-going and open persona. Second, Prince Yang Myung and Chun Gi share the same passion: painting. I foresee scenes of them looking over and discussing paintings together, stirring up a murky love triangle.
Political Struggle
It seems the political part is the second main plot after romance. Therefore, if you don’t like palace politics, just bear with it. Actor Kwak Shi Yang has done a great job so far acting as Grand Prince Joo Hyang with his ambition to take over the power. The political scheme cooked by Prince Joo Hyang seems in harmony with Ha Ram’s grand plan.
Conclusion
So watch it or not? My suggestion is to go watch it, of course! However, if you don’t like love triangles or palace politics, I suggest you wait until LOTRS is completed so you can read the reviews first.
As for the ending, I understand a lot of people don’t want to watch if there is no satisfactory ending they want. My guess is it will have a happy ending for Ha Ram and Chun Gi. There are two reasons for my prediction: Firstly, the novel author Jung Eun Gwol created happy endings for the two main couples in her previous novels. So can I assume LOTRS will end happily for these lovebirds, too? My second reason is based on the prophecy foretold by Goddess Samshin at the end of Episode 1: “Far in the future, when the two destinies intertwine, everything will find its rightful place.”
The original article was published on September 13, 2021. Link HERE.
