[MANNAM] Korean Drama "Gu Family Book"

Gu Family Book is a 2013 South Korean television series starring Lee Seung-gi and Suzy. The fusion martial arts action historical drama is about a half man-half monster who is searching for a centuries-old book that according to gumiho legend, contains the secret to becoming human. It airs on Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 24 episodes beginning April 8, 2013.

< Plot >

 

The drama begins with a backstory: After their nobleman father is unfairly accused of being a traitor and killed, Yoon Seo-hwa (Lee Yeon-hee), her younger brother Yoon (Lee David) and their slave girl, Dam (Kim Bo-mi) are sent to a gisaeng house ("gibang"). Refusing to work as a gisaeng, Seo-hwa is stripped of her clothes and tied to a tree.

 

Gu Wol-ryung (Choi Jin-hyuk), a mystical forest protector and gumiho, watches from afar, disturbed at the injustice. His monk friend, Sojung, warns him not to interfere with human lives, but nevertheless he goes back to the tree only to find Seo-hwa gone. Seo-hwa, taken inside the gibang, finally agrees to be a gisaeng after witnessing the brutal beating of her brother. It is soon announced that her first "patron" will be none other than Jo Gwan-woong (Lee Sung-jae), the same man who betrayed and killed her father.

 

Just before meeting him, Yoon begs Dam to swap clothes with his sister so she can run away. Dam agrees, and the two siblings run away in the middle of night as Dam is raped by an unknowing Gwan-woong. As they run into the forest, Yoon and Seo-hwa split their ways, vowing to meet again in the future. Gwan-woong finally discovers that he had been tricked, and sends men to find Seo-hwa.

Wol-ryung notices a disturbance in the forest and finds her unconscious. He falls in love with her and protects her from Gwan-woong's men by revealing his mystical powers. When Seo-hwa wakes up, she too falls in love with him and marries him after being told that both Dam and Yoon ran away and are safe. In actuality, Yoon had been found by bounty hunters and hanged, whereas Dam had committed suicide. Wol-ryung, unable to tell her the truth, had lied to her and did not tell her that he was a gumiho.

 

Wol-ryung decides to become a human in order to be with Seo-hwa, and must live 100 days without showing his true form to human, taking their lives and helping anyone that needs aid. Wol-ryung successfully lives most of these days following these rules, but one fateful day, Gwan-woong's men find Seo-hwa alone in the forest. Wol-ryung rushes to help her, and reveals his true form, massacring the soldiers.

 

Seo-hwa, horrified, leaves Wol-ryung and turns herself in. She is furious when they tell her that Yoon and Dam are dead, and leads them back to Wol-ryung's home. After tearfully telling her that he truly loved her, he is killed. Seo-hwa soon discovers that she is pregnant with his child - she later gives birth to a son. Realizing that the baby isn't a monster as she had feared and truly regretting her betrayal to Wol-ryung, Seo-hwa entrusts the baby in Sojung's care. She returns to the village to confront Gwan-woong, and attempts to kill him. He's protected by his soldiers and Seo-hwa is killed.

 

So ends the tragic love story between Wol-Ryung and Seo-Hwa, and a new legend begins with their son. The infant is found in a basket by the river, and adopted by nobleman Park Mu-sol (Uhm Hyo-sup). He grows up as "Choi Kang-chi" (Lee Seung-gi), a curious, outspoken character. He realizes that he's a half-human-half-beast through a certain incident and starts living his second life.

 

Dam Yeo-wool (Suzy) is a master of martial arts and archery. Yeo-wool is an upright character who really values the Three Bonds and Five Relationships in Confucianism, and becomes an instructor at a martial arts center at a young age.

 

From WIKIPEDIA

< My Opinion >

I love Lee Seung-gi, because he is really good at acting. So I am interested in this drama. It is so interesting, fun and fantastic. I am a big fan of this drama!