Fictional sageuk Captivating the King has dropped two character teasers, showcasing its forlorn king and spy adversary. Taking on the role of King Lee In is Jo Jung-seok (Hospital Playlist 2), and in opposition to him is the mysterious baduk player Kang Hee-soo portrayed by Shin Se-kyung (Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun).
Lee In’s teaser opens with a shot of him walking between sheer curtains as the court ministers’ cries ring out against their king. They accuse him of being a spy and question his right to rule as well as his humanity. The camera zooms in on Lee In, and as he pulls back the curtain, he switches from his white attire to his red kingly garbs. With a hardened expression, he asks, “Do you think I am crazy, too?”
The second character teaser starts in a similar fashion with Kang Hee-soo weaving through the same white curtains. In voiceover, Lee In says that a light, foggy rain is called mongwoo, and the scene changes to Hee-soo dressed like a man and running through the rain. Fingers brush against each other over a baduk board, and Lee In tells Hee-soo that it is a nickname he cherishes.
Lee In and Hee-soo sit by the river, and as the sunlight reflects off the water and casts them both in a soft glow, they look happy. However, like the other teaser, the mood shifts. Placing down a baduk stone, Hee-soo’s manly clothes turn into a feminine hanbok, and she offers someone a chance at revenge once the mongwoo falls. Staring into the camera, she says, “When I love you, I wish for you to live, but when I hate you, I wish for you to die.”
Directed by PD Jo Nam-gook (The Good Detective) with scripts by Kim Sun-deok (The Crowned Clown), tvN’s Captivating the King premieres January 21 in the weekend slot with a special back-to-back release of the first two episodes on Sunday.