Junho, Lee Se-young
Previously, it was rumored that Kim Kyung-nam and Park Hye-soo were in the running to lead sageuk drama The Red Sleeve Cuff, but it was recently confirmed that Junho (Confession) and Lee Se-young (Kairos) will be starring as the main couple. It’s a palace romance story about a maid who wants to protect her chosen way of life and a king who believes his duty is to his country first above love.
Based on a novel written by Kang Mi-kang, this drama is a fictionalized portrayal of Yi San (King Jeongjo of Joseon). Junho is set to play the haughty, perfectionist Prince Yi San. He desperately wants to become a benevolent king, but his father’s death has left a deep emotional trauma in his heart.
However, after meeting cheerful palace maid Sung Deok-im, Yi San begins to learn that he has a romantic side to himself. From then begins his internal war between the cold, logical ruler inside him and the passionate man in love.
Lee Se-young’s character, Sung Deok-im, doesn’t want to live as one of the many harem women around the king. She’s adamant about choosing her path independently. Despite all the urgent palace intrigue around her, she makes it a point to seek out the little things that make her happy. When she meets Yi San, her entire life begins to change.
MBC Wednesday-Thursday drama The Red Sleeve Cuff, directed by Jung Ji-in (Radiant Office) and written by Jung Hae-ri (Ruler—Master of the Mask), will begin airing in the latter half of this year.