The first teaser for My Dearest (previously Lovers) has dropped and it features lead actors Namgoong Min (One Dollar Lawyer) and Ahn Eun-jin (The Good Bad Mother).
The melo sageuk is set during the Joseon era, during the 1636 Qing Invasion of Korea. The invasion was an important historical event for the country, with lingering political and social impacts for Joseon. The drama’s story will follow both the romance that ties our leads together but also the lives of commoners as they strive to survive.
There are few details on Namgoong Min’s character Lee Jang-hyun, but it’s clear from the teaser that he plays a pivotal military role. Ahn Eun-jin will play his beloved, Yoo Gil-chae. Lee Hak-joo (Shadow Detective) has been cast in a supporting role and judging from the glimpse we get of him in the teaser, he’ll also be fighting for Joseon on the battlefield. Rounding out the main cast is Lee Da-in (Alice) as a woman named Kyung Eun-ae.
The teaser begins with a look at the lives of Jang-hyun and Gil-chae during what seems to be a time of peace. They’re wearing beautiful hanbok and they even attend a big, joyful celebration. But the sun-dappled happiness quickly turns to devastation, with dead villagers and soldiers strewn across the ground.
In voiceover, a man asks desperately, “Have they truly given up on [the fortress] Namhansanseong?” A Qing leader stands atop the walls of a military encampment and his gaze passes across the mountain fortress.
From there, we switch to the king seated in front of rows of ministers with their heads bowed. Jang-hyun darkly states, “What they want is for the king of Joseon to bow his head to them.” Scenes of utter devastation roll across the screen as Jang-hyun continues, “I’ll have to kill these bastards.”
Gil-chae, now dressed in humble, plain clothing seems shocked as she encounters a weary, blood-splattered Jang-hyun. Copy across the screen flashes by: “A love that was thrown into the flames of war.” While Jang-hyun throws himself into battle, Gil-chae helps people flee to safety. Her desperate screams for everyone to run overlap with another sentence onscreen: “Lovers whose paths nearly cross yet cannot reunite.” Even if fate conspires to keep them apart, Jang-hyun is ready to create a way forward for love. He tells her, “I swear by this moonlight, this time wherever you are, I swear I will go to you.” As the teaser ends, the two lovers are reunited in darkness, with Jang-hyun kneeling before Gil-chae.
It’s Namgoong Min’s first sageuk in 10 years and I can’t wait to see what he brings to the genre. Even when a drama is less than compelling, Namgoong Min always brings something to his roles that keeps me watching straight to the very end. Although Ahn Eun-jin’s role was relatively small, I also enjoyed her in the horror sageuk Kingdom so I’m looking forward to seeing their chemistry together.
The drama will have a team of two directors, Kim Sung-yong, the main PD for Namgoong Min’s previous hit drama The Veil, and Chun Soo-jin who was assistant director for The Veil. Scripts will be penned by Hwang Jin-young (Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People).
MBC is also getting the season-itis that’s sweeping through dramaland, and My Dearest will air in two parts with Season 1 (10 episodes) premiering on August 4 in the Friday-Saturday slot.
