Park Bo Gum Awes for Spring Photoshoot

After wrapping his Asia fan meeting following success of Love in The Moonlight, Park Bo Gum had joined for photoshoot for clothing brand TNGT & Mandarina Duck.

Completing the springtime boyfriend look, Park Bo Gum was neatly dressed in a Henry Neck shirt with plain white pants tugging at the heartstrings of avid fans.

Park Bo Gum to Appear on Infinity Challenge

Been a long time right not to see Park Bo Gum on screen?! He just finished wrapping his Asia World Tour (though I am not coming to his fan-meet), but this humble boy will surely appear on variety show, Infinity Challenge. 

MBC’s “Infinity Challenge” recently unveiled more stills for the upcoming episode featuring “Moonlight Drawn By Clouds” actor Park Bo Gum.  The actor will appear as a special guest for the Pyeongchang Olympics themed episode.

The stills show Park Bo Gum having a good time on set, as he can be seen laughing along with the rest of the cast.  It also appears that the opening of the episode was shot at the olympic ski-jump arena in Pyeongchang. The highly anticipated episode will air on April 8 at 6:20 p.m. KST.  

Best Korean Drama of 2016

Here's the top korean drama for the year 2016 so far in my very best version:

1. Descendant of The Sun 

Rating: 9.8/10
Descendant of The Sun marks Song Joong Ki's comeback drama after military and the show gets the highest rating in Korea. I love how this drama does not use a very mainstream storyline, instead a plot which many people neglected many times. It's all about a soldier and a doctor who meet at the war zone area and learn how to love each other. I just love Dr. Kang Mo Yeon (played by Song Hye Kyo) so much, because she's an independent woman and knows what she truly wants. She is understandable and I just love her attitude towards love. She needs it, but she is not desperately wanting to hold onto it. Though we all know what would happen in the love story between two people who has to serve for the country with their life, the writer puts the ending story in such a good way, a very realistic one, though I still hope we can get a happy ending scene.

2. Moonlight Drawn By Clouds

Rating: 9/10
Speaking of historical drama, this is one of the best historical drama I've ever seen. You should check this out because this show would never get you bored during the first half of the story. I love the cheekiness of Park Bo Gum, his expression, his voice, his gaze and all of that! Even the innocence of Kim Yoo Jung. The story tells about a young girl who end up as a Eunuch and falls in love with the Crown Prince. Without knowing her real identity, our Crown Prince also falls for her. That's so much bromance and comedic scene involved. One thing I am quite disappointed is that how the story goes on towards the end, because I feel a little bit quite long for Ra On and Crown Prince to get back together. They are forced to avoid each other and I just don't like that!

3. Uncontrollably Fond

Rating: 7/10
Many people have complained that this drama is the worst of all time. Well, that's not wrong since I just don't like how the story goes on towards the end. There is no happiness at all for our main lead. Only had sufferings all the way right from the beginning. We all know what would be the ending right from episode 1. But I just love how the characters' growth each episodes, specially Kim Woo Bin's character. He's a type of bad boy, but he happened to smile and care a lot for Noh Eul (played by Suzy). If you like melodrama, this one should be on your list to check out. You would cry a river!

4. Doctors

Rating: 8.5/10
In terms of story line and personal growth, I just love how Park Shin Hye could grow up amazingly, proving to the world that even though she may not have a good background, but she could achieve something everyone would never expect she could do it. However, regarding the romance story line, well, I don't quite like it since nothing you can peek. It's so obvious that Park Shin Hye and Kim Rae Won would end up together and that's all. My curiousity disappeared once they both confirmed to be together.


5. W - Two World

Rating: 7/10
The OST by Park Bo Ram is amazingly good. I love this drama and every twist they made up to episode 7, where our writer put all the idea and twist in it. But regarding the context, the story line and the background how things could happen, well... that's a lot of questions. Actually I was waiting about this drama back then, but when the story started to get confusing and non-sense, I lost my interest, though I still watch it till the end. But the chemistry between Lee Jong Suk and Han Hyo Joo is unbeatable. I have written about the review on my previous post, go and check it out. I think if you are the type of think out-of-the-box person, you would like this drama.

6. Scarlet Heart:Ryeo

Rating: 5/10

Sadly, the original one of Scarlet Heart, Bu Bu Jing Xin is far better in explaining how things happened in such a strange way and how the effect of messing with the past history could affect the future, and that's how history couldn't be changed. I had expect that this drama would be better since the drama was pre-produced, meaning that they did more for editing and arranging, yet the quality was so lacking and I was very disappointed with the result. What a waste of Lee Jun Ki. 

Park Bo Gum, A Handome Boyfriend Material

Park Bo Gum showed off a handsome boyfriend look for 'Arena' after ending Monday Tuesday drama, Love In The Moonlight. He's been busy with the photograph for magazine and advertisement.

Styled up with casual yet fashionable winter wear, the stunning actor melts hearts with his handsome look. Park Bo Gum's fierce gaze also adds to the manly vibe of the fashion photo shoot. 

Park Bo Gum's Angelic Side and Asia Fan Meeting at Jakarta in 2017

On November 15, students from Myoungji University shared photos of Park Bo Gum - the trending actor who is also a Theatre major at MU - listening attentively during a lecture. According to his classmates, Park Bo Gum came dressed casually and participated in the lecture just like any other student, and then swiftly exited the school after class with the guidance of his manager.

With his popularity, I think this young actor is really a humble being. I really like how he responded to his awards, while saying he thanked everyone for the love, despite his lacking, even wondered whether he deserves such amount of love. Being popular sometimes feels burdensome, but he still comes to University to attend lectures like any other student and that's where I am proud to know such a guy like him who's still living his life like usual. It's also understandable that he has to go anywhere now with his manager since it's dangerous for him if there are many saesang fans. Hopefully Park Bo Gum will still maintain his casual lifestyle and stay humble as always, because there is no one who will always stays on top. So, being grateful and humble is one thing that is very rare nowadays in the society. 

So, who's excited to meet Park Bo Gum in real? If you happen to stay in Jakarta, you have a chance to meet him for real! Park Bo Gum will have his Asia Fan Meeting and Jakarta happens to be one of his stop destination!

As part of his 2016-2017 Asia Tour, Park Bo Gum has announced a stop in Jakarta on January 13, 2017. Park Bo Gum has been steadily preparing for the tour to bring games and performances to fans that they can cherish for the rest of their lives. Since Park Bo Gum is a talented actor, MC, singer and even dancer, that means the evening will be full of excitement and variety. If you’ve just finished “Moonlight Drawn By Clouds,” this event is the perfect way to treat your Park Bo Gum withdrawals.

The event will be held at The Kasablanka Hall, Kota Kasablanka, Jakarta and tickets are on sale now at INDOTIX outlets. There are four categories of tickets: BLUE Rp. 2.550.000, PINK Rp. 1.650.000, GREEN Rp. 1.250.000 and YELLOW Rp. 750.000.

I don't think I will be coming to this event, since it's Friday and well...I have works to do. Being his fan doesn't always mean that I have to chase him on his fan meetings everytime it happens. It's true that I wanna see this guy once in my lifetime but that doesn't mean I have to see him no matter what happen in my life. Of course, I have things to do in life and it's a bit too old for me to attend fan meetings for actors/actress nowadays...

I admire Park Bo Gum, for being a humble being with his well-manner attitude. Without his mother, he can grow up so well, even with so much popularity around him nowadays. He's around my age, but it seems as if he's flying very high, achieving his dreams and it happens that he's going towards his dreams very closely. Meanwhile, I am still on my way to achieve what I dream off and it's still a long road to go on. Thus, I admire people like Park Bo Gum who knows what he really wants in life and working hard on achieving it. I guess, I should do the same like what he does!

Park Bo Gum Shines Under Santa Monica's Sun

My dear Park Bo Gum recently takes him time off from a drama after finishing Moonlight Drawn by Clouds, instead focusing more on advertisment, CF and photoshoot. This time, he shines so beautifully under Santa Monica sun in California. How could he gets so handsome in just a few weeks? 

During an interview with the magazine, Park Bo Gum replied to a question about his recent popularity and the public's attention on him since his dramas' success. He said, "I have had various experiences since I've chosen this path as an actor. So as I live a new life and experience the new environment that comes with a character I am playing, I have decided that I should not be influenced by minor issues...I think it will be enough that I continue to work and walk on my path with gratitude."

Park Bo Gum 

Updates on his activities: On November 10, a fansign event at Seoul was opened by a travel agency for their model Park Bo Gum. It's reported that the actor greeted each and every fan with a big smile despite the cold weather and carefully signed autographs for 100 lucky fans.

Updates: On November 16, Park Bo Gum received the 'Asia Star Award' and commented, "I thank you for giving me, who's lacking, such a great award like the 'Asia Star Award'. I think I was really blessed this year. I wondered if I deserved this much love, and my shoulders were heavy. I'll do my best to try to repay everyone with good acting." He also thanked viewers around the world who watched 'Reply 1988' and 'Moonlight Drawn by Clouds'. 

Interview with Park Bo Gum after Moonlight Drawn by Clouds

Viewers who’ve seen Youths Over Flowers in Africa already know this, but Park Bo Gum (23) is of unique ilk, a rare breed. Although his mild-mannered, respectful, real-life persona didn’t bleed through his commanding presence onscreen as Crown Prince Yi Yeong in Moonlight Drawn By Clouds, his humility and thoughtfulness were on full display during press interviews held just over a week after the finale of the hit TV show.

Moonlight Drawn By Clouds finished strong with over 20% in viewership ratings and never released its hold on the top spot for Monday-Tuesday dramas, a lead it had established in its second week. In following up his Answer Me 1988 success with another ratings winner, Park is the first to break the so-called Answer Me curse — up until now, other alums had failed to maintain the hype and adoration bestowed upon them during their franchise stint in the works that immediately followed.

He debuted in 2011 in the film Blind, then appeared in a handful of dramas and movies before really making an impression in last year’s I Remember You. Despite playing varied roles (his cold, psychopathic character in I Remember You couldn’t have been more different from lovable, hapless Taek in Answer Me 1988), Park had never been in a historical drama before.

“This is my first attempt at sageuk. I felt my shortcomings. I was woefully deficient compared to my esteemed sunbaes who are in the middle of their careers. Even the words were not ones I was used to saying in contemporary dramas, so I tried to make them come from my mouth easily.”

“[Yi Yeong] has his own charm as a character, different from other crown princes we’ve seen so far. And it was a role of a different color compared to my previous roles.” Park continued, “My acting sunbaes really nailed down the focus of the story, and the environment on set was great. I would approach the set each day excited and joyful. The environment was so warm, I wondered if it was okay to receive so much love.”

His favorite line from the drama? Park said, “I liked it when Yeong said, ‘It’s Yi Yeong. My name.’ I think fondly of that dialogue because it was the first time I’d told Ra On [Kim Yoo Jung’s character] my name and because it was the first time I’d expressed my desire to be her friend.”

Park Bo Gum went on, apologetic that he had been so busy since the show wrapped. “I don’t remember the individual words all that well. I really want to go back to the script and organize it later.” He admitted, “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to fully prepare for this interview. I just returned from Cebu yesterday and had to film an ad and work on post-recordings. I wanted to go back through the script and underline the lines that I enjoyed and tell you about them and I’m sorry,” he repeated to reporters, who were somewhat taken aback by the courtesy shown by Park.

The young actor attributed the success of the drama to his peers, producers and staff. “Kim Yoo Jung has a lot of sageuk experience and her ability to concentrate and emote are really good. She meticulously analyzed the script and she caught a lot of nuances I missed. Kwak Dong Yeon [loyal bodyguard Byung Yun] has a maturity beyond his years. He has a masculine voice and is good at expressing emotions. Acting with him, my whole body would tingle.”

“I was grateful I got to work with the esteemed sunbae actors I look up to. As I watched my sunbaes act, I felt my shortcomings, and I received a lot of acting guidance.” Park continued, “I’m grateful to the designers who made us the beautiful hanbok, and the effects and lighting team who cared for my pimply face as if it were their own skin.”

He may have just wrapped playing a crown prince, but Park now wants to play a different kind of youth and had a twinkle in his eye as he said, “I want to do a youth drama before I get too old. Through the historical drama I got to wear many handsome hanbok and got to show the beauty of the classics; this time I want to show the beauty of Korean school uniforms.”

Marking yet another first in the actor’s career, Park sang a song for the drama’s soundtrack, and he expressed a desire to do more projects incorporating music. “I’d like to try my hand at growth stories in which the characters speak to each other through music, like 200 Pound Beauty, Scandal Makers, Begin Again, Sing Street. As I participated on the OST, I began to have these thoughts.”

How did he feel about being asked to sing for the soundtrack? “Participating in the OST wasn’t hard at all. It was something I’ve wanted to do for a while and so it was an honor.” “I’m thankful I was gifted a good song and good lyrics, and it was a great opportunity for me. If I search Park Bo Gum on the Internet, now an album cover pops up. It’s surreal and a memory I won’t forget. I even captured reaching number one on the music charts,” he laughed.

He received a lot of support from his fellow agency sunbaes. “I was grateful to (Song) Joong Ki hyung because in the beginning when I didn’t have confidence or conviction about the role, he would advise me to have self-confidence. (Cha) Tae Hyun hyung did a special cameo for us without hesitation, and (Im) Joo Hwan hyung has a lot of sageuk experience so he would mentor me in detail. I’m truly grateful. I don’t think I could have acted as Yi Yeong correctly without my agency family.”

Park said, “I hope that for a lot of people, just seeing the moonlight will cause them to think of Moonlight Drawn By Clouds. The drama was a blessing to me.” He continued, “Truly, because of this drama which received so much love, I’m pushing myself a little harder. In acting, in the way I live my life, I keep thinking to myself, I want to proceed more honestly and wisely.”

Park Bo Gum: Updates After Moonlight Drawn by Clouds

During an interview with Ten Asia, Park Bo Gum opened up about his good boy image.

First, Park Bo Gum, who's well-known for his kindness and manners, responded to the many compliments, saying, "My father told me that 10 minus 1 is 0. This means that even if you are good all the time, you can easily collapse due to one mistake. But I don't try to push my good boy image. I just lived this way for 24 years, and I don't feel pressured about the good image I have."

The actor then confessed the most badass thing he has done recently and revealed that it happened in Cebu during his vacation after 'Moonlight Drawn by Clouds'. Park Bo Gum explained, "Everyone went to Korean restaurants to eat, but I wanted to try the food at a Filipino restaurant since we traveled far. So Kwak Dong Yeon and I went to a restaurant without telling our guide."

Ten Asia, startled by Park Bo Gum's "badass" story, told the actor that he is too pure. To this, Park Bo Gum commented, "But that was so much fun.."

It's no secret that Park Bo Gum and Song Joong Ki are frequently mentioned together due to their similarities. Not only are they both incredibly handsome, but both actors gained tremendous popularity and success after their hit dramas this year. In fact, Song Joong Ki is called the #1 trending actor of the first half of 2016 while Park Bo Gum is called the same title for the second half of the year. 

Ilgan Sports asked Park Bo Gum about this topic during a recent interview, and Park Bo Gum shared his sincere thoughts in response. He said, "Comparisons aside, I'm just very thankful that I'm able to receive such a great amount of love and support. And whenever I hear that [comparison between me and Song Joong Ki], I tend to motivate myself more. It also makes me think that I need to engage in acting and also in life more honestly and smartly." 

Park Bo Gum modestly added, "I personally think that I was very lacking. If I can do it again, then I want to fix the parts that I lack and do better." 

In addition, Park Bo Gum shared the advice he received from Song Joong Ki, saying,"At first, I was lost and lacked confidence in my acting. Whenever I felt that way I prayed, but also turned to Joong Ki hyung for advice. Hyung then told me that I need to trust myself and do my best. We also went out to eat together and he was so supportive toward me."

Park Bo Gum: The Price He Has To Pay For Being Famous

Recently, I have been paying attention to instagram, specially with #bogummy hashtag. It's true that we are soon will be having a Monday Blue because Love in the Moonlight has ended and it's gonna take a while to see Park Bo Gum lands in a new drama. Thus, I've been stalking this guy through Instagram because Park Bo Gum is the hottest korean actor nowadays. People talk about him and he's the topic in the town. I am sure he knows his popularity goes up.

But there are certain things I am proud of him, yet I feel kinda sad for this guy;

Moonlight Drawn by Clouds went to Philippine, Cebu for a vacation yesterday on October 21, 2016. There are lots of video posted online when Park Bo Gum arrives at Incheon International Airport with his manager and right from the start, everyone was crazy with his arrival.

When he was about to check in, the girls around them chased Park Bo Gum in which Bo Gum links his hand to his manager arms, afraid of getting lost and left behind. Actually I am not sure as whether he links his hands just for the sake of closeness or it's because of safety measures by his management. Yet, I find it as if it was a safety measures required by his management company. Although he still has his good manners of saying hello to everyone and smile always, but it's still a difficult thing for him to do. 

Furthermore, when he arrived at Cebu, there were many fans waiting for him and there was a commotion in the arrival hall whereby we can see how scared Park Bo Gum was when there were so many hands touching his back. But he still kept his smile with him all the way and that breaks my heart most. 

I am glad that Park Bo Gum is very popular nowadays, but I feel sad also that he lost all his privacy and there are price he has to pay for his popularity and I am not sure whether he feels alright with all of that. Being an actor is his dream afterall, but could he bear with the consequences?

Of course, there will be no privacy at all and I think it's hard to hide from the public because once you get popular, everyone eyes' is on you and there will be no escape. Further, what if there are saesang fans who will chase you all the way? Oh gosh, that's gonna be terrible. He's still human afterall who needs his private life to be kept in private and I really don't like how the saesang fans get obssessed with him. Respect his life and never ever cross the line. 

Give him his space and let him breathe out. I was really sad when I saw how he got treated when he visited Cebu, and I really wish that everyone might respect him for his work and himself as a human. He's not a doll who you can touch everywhere nor somebody whose life you should peek into. I know he's an actor but still, although he has good manners, but you cannot take him for granted. 

Love in The Moonlight - Episode 18 Finale Summary

Episode 18 - Moonlight Drawn by Clouds

Late at night at Teacher Dasan’s home, Byung Yun prepares to leave and peers inside to see Ra On (played by Kim Yoo Jung) alone, dozing. He sets off, thinking, “It may be a long journey. But I promise you: I will return to you and the Crown Prince.” Ra On’s sleep turns fitful as she dreams of that night she’d held a knife to Yeong (played by Park Bo Gum), which he’d used to cut off his bracelet. 

In the palace, Yeong drinks his tonic and thinks of that same moment, when his bracelet fell apart and scattered. The poison hits him, and he falls over. Ra On calls out to Yeong in her sleep, and wakes feeling heavy-hearted. She chooses to consider the dream as a happy one, just as she’d once described dreaming of losing her mother: “Because at least I could see you.” 

A frantic pounding sounds at the front gate, and it’s Young Master Jung with an urgent summons to bring Teacher Dasan to the palace. Ra On hears that Yeong has been poisoned and falls to the ground, overcome. 

Teacher Dasan and Ra On (disguised as his assistant) hurry to the palace, where the gate guard asks Ra On to remove her face mask. She’s saved from discovery by Eunuch Jang, who arrives in a panic to usher them in. They’re taken to the Crown Prince’s chamber, where Yeong lies unconscious, looking like death. Ra On kneels at his bedside and reaches for his hand, the sight of him bringing her to tears. 

Teacher Dasan gets to work and spoons medicine into Yeong’s mouth. Perhaps it works, because Yeong’s eyes flutter open soon thereafter, and they breathe a sigh to see that he’s regained consciousness. Through his tired eyes, Yeong just barely makes out the blurry image of Ra On hovering above. 

Just then, Ha Yeon is announced, and Ra On quickly steps aside. Ha Yeon looks at her curiously, but she’s more concerned with the Crown Prince’s condition at the moment and hurries to his bedside. Yeong’s blurry vision sharpens into focus as he makes out Ha Yeon’s face. From a distance, Ra On watches the two of them with sad eyes, and then the door closes in her face, leaving her on the outside. 

The Queen is worrying over having her baby daughter in Ha Yeon’s care when a court lady informs her that the Crown Prince has collapsed from poisoning. Her shock suggests she was unaware of the plan. Teacher Dasan informs Yeong that the tonic he drank wasn’t poisoned, which is why the court lady who tasted it didn’t fall ill. Instead, the poison had been applied to the surface of the bowl, which is why the princess’s silver ring darkened upon contact. 

Because Yeong only drank a small amount, he should be able to recover fully. Yeong asks Teacher Dasan to keep his recovery a secret—he looks forward to seeing how happy people will be at his return from the brink. The tactic has the desired effect, because Eunuch Sung reports to Prime Minister Kim that the palace is swirling with rumors that the Crown Prince is dying by the minute. 

Ha Yeon thinks back to the masked aide attending to Yeong, unable to shake the suspicion that it was Ra On. She tells herself that it can’t be, but without much conviction. Ra On tends to Yeong as he sleeps, and just as she moves away, his hand reaches out to pull her back. He reaches up to pull off her mask, then smiles to see her face, saying, “So I didn’t see wrong.” 

She starts to explain why she’s here, but he just says, “When I opened my eyes, do you know how much I worried that it would not be you here? When I grabbed you, I hesitated for a long while, in case it might not be you.” Ra On tells him that she promised Teacher Dasan that she would only stay a few days, and take utmost care to not be recognized, not even by the Crown Prince. So now, she requests that he pretend not to know her for just a little while. 

Yeong reaches for her hand and draws her sleeve back—revealing that she wears his bracelet, put back together. It makes him smile and hold on tighter, and he agrees, “I will pretend not to know you for a long, long while, so stay by my side. Even if it is just until I am recovered.” He grasps her hand in his, and reaches up with the other to cradle her face. 

And that’s the scene Ha Yeon witnesses from the door, which she quietly closes while holding back tears. 

Yeong receives a visit from little Princess Yeongeun and her mother, Royal Consort Park. He asks if Consort Park recalls the day his mother died, recalling how she’d collapsed after taking her medicine, but no poison had been found in it. The incident was suspicious, but ultimately buried. 

Yeong finds his poisoning similar to his mother’s death, and believes the same culprit to be behind both incidents. He views this incident as a good opportunity to get to the bottom of his mother’s death, though he sighs that he doesn’t have any proof. At that, little Yeongeun flicks up her eyes nervously, looking conflicted. 

The Queen orders Eunuch Sung to sneak her (discarded) baby back to her, and then she accompanies him to hand off the baby to a henchman. The Queen warns the eunuch to do a proper job of it this time (as in, disposing of the child). And then, Yeong’s voice orders them to halt. He turns scathing eyes on the Queen, asking if she has ordered the child killed, and orders them to set the baby down, saying that even criminals are full of defenses and protests when accused of crimes. The least they can do is to let the baby do the only thing it knows how to do, cry, before it dies: “In front of the mother who is trying to get rid of her in such a terrible way.” 

The Queen looks conflicted, but steels herself and tells him to do as he wishes. Yeong warns that this is the last chance he will give her—that it’s the one way that everyone will be able to live. He asks her to reveal that truth that this is her child, rather than the boy she has claimed. The Queen’s face twists with emotion, but she smooths it out before facing the Crown Prince, lying, “I have no idea what you are saying.” Yeong looks shocked at her coldness as she just walks away. But the baby begins to cry, and the Queen struggles with herself, trying to ignore the cries. 

Princess Yeongeun thinks back to that traumatizing day when she’d seen the court lady killed, and recalls seeing an envelope in the woman’s hands. Ra On comes upon her and pauses in concern to see her looking distressed. Ra On quietly identifies herself, and Yeongeun writes a note asking if Ra On is here as a doctor’s aide because of the sick prince. Ra On says she will stay until the prince recovers, and asks if the princess is struggling with something. 

Yeongeun asks for a favor, then leads Ra On to that room where she’d once hidden, now dusty with disuse. She starts looking around for something, remembering that the lady stuffed the envelope underneath the a loose floorboard moments before being killed. The memory makes Yeongeun tremble and cry, but she forces herself to point a finger toward the floor and eke out a word: “T-there…” 

Ra On feels for the loose floorboard, and finds that long-forgotten letter tucked underneath it. Behind them, a pair of feet quietly leave. It’s the prime minister’s underling, who reports back that he saw Ra On fetching something from underneath the floor. The prime minister orders him to bring Ra On, dead or alive, and at that, Yoon Sung offers himself for the task. 

The prime minister points out that he can’t trust Yoon Sung when he knows he cares for the girl, but Yoon Sung replies that he’d like to test himself and see how strong his feelings are. He admits to feeling upset about her remaining close to the prince, and says that the clan must be powerful in order for him to have what he wants. Please tell me you’re just making the argument your grandfather wants to hear—because on that score, it works, and the prime minister agrees to let Yoon Sung bring her in. 

Yeong delivers the old letter to the King, explaining Ra On’s part in its recovery. The King recognizes the handkerchief inside, stained with blood, and reads the letter before showing it to Yeong. 

The letter is from Yeong’s mother, addressed to him, and it sounds as though she expects to die; she tells Yeong that she hopes he will have overcome his sadness when he reads the letter. She also writes, “I have staked my life to protect your seat, not for my son’s power, but for the hope of Joseon—do not forget that.” 

Ra On returns to her old building late that night, and Yoon Sung finds her there. He looks at her with cold eyes and says she must come with him, just as he’s joined by masked assassins. Ra On registers the threat, but they grab her before she can do anything. Yoon Sung keeps his face stony, though it flickers when he hears Ra On cry out in pain. At that, he draws his sword and holds it up to Ra On’s scared face… and then whirls on his masked assassins. 

He grabs Ra On protectively and turns on his grandfather’s men, dispatching several in quick succession, not stopping even when he’s slashed across the abdomen. Then Ra On sees that he’s in the direct line of danger, and darts in to block his body with hers. But Yoon Sung can’t have her hurt, so he whirls them around, keeping Ra On out of harm’s way… and getting stabbed in the chest instead. He spits up a mouthful of blood. 

Still, he has enough strength to resume fighting when the remaining assassins charge him. One aims for Ra On, and Yoon Sung blocks the sword’s path—by placing his body directly in its path. The sword digs into his shoulder, and then Yoon Sung grabs the blade with his bare hand and slides his body along the length of the blade, toward the hilt, until he can knock the sword away. 

Yoon Sung takes down the last assassin, but by now his body has been battered with multiple injuries, and he collapses. Ra On rushes to his side and cradles his head in her lap, scared to see that he’s seeping blood at an alarming rate. 

Yoon Sung manages to smile as he tells her not to cry: “I do not wish to be remembered as a small man who would make a woman cry.” She can’t believe he’d joke at a time like this, but he continues, “Do not be sad, either.” 

She sobs that she’s sorry for always hurting him when he always made her smile. He shakes his head and says, “You are the picture I always wanted to draw.” He says that it’s enough that she is happy in the moment he draws her, and urges her to be happy. His eyes slowly close, and he falls limp. As the reality of his death sinks in, she sobs over his body. 

The Queen must have been moved by her crying child after all, because she admits everything to her father, subdued for once rather than agitated. She says she wanted to give birth to a boy, even if through faking it, and had a reason other than the obvious one of providing an heir: She wanted her father’s acknowledgement. “Even if you weren’t satisfied with me, I am still your blood kin,” she says. 

She asks if he ever thought of her as his child, to which he replies that she’s in no place to ask that after trying to kill her own child to protect her position. She can only laugh at that: “Yes, hearing that, we are indeed related. Able to throw away anyone who becomes a hindrance, or kill. I am just like you.” The prime minister says coolly that her desire for his approval is not within her reach, as the lowly child of a gisaeng—she ought to just be content with the Queen’s seat he created for her. Her face falls, disappointed once more. 

Without warning, her doors fly open and the King walks in, followed by Yeong and several soldiers. The King faces the prime minister and demands to know if everything is true. The Queen hangs her head, thinking they’re speaking of her baby—but Yeong holds out the recently discovered letter, and the prime minister recognizes it. 

A flashback takes us back ten years: The previous Queen, Yeong’s mother, faces the prime minister, who warns her of the dangers of being too interested in Western learning. He confronts her with a book that he calls dangerous and heretical, which the Queen says she read purely out of curiosity. 

The prime minister accuses her of teaching the Crown Prince about ruling without accounting for class and rank. She argues that she was merely instructing him to regard every one of his citizens as important, but the prime minister is clearly capable of twisting that around to make it seem she’s inciting an upheaval of social order. So he gives her the choice: be dethroned and make the Crown Prince the son of a criminal, or to remain blameless and step down of her own accord. 

This must all be in the Queen’s letter, which the prime minister now reads. But then, a eunuch bursts in with terrible news of Yoon Sung. 

A short time later, the prime minister is brought before the court as a criminal. Yeong reads the charges: contempt of royalty in falsifying the queen’s identity, poisoning the Crown Prince, and assassinating the former queen and covering it up. He is sentenced, along with the other two Kim ministers, to execution by beheading. 

The Queen, meanwhile, is dethroned for passing off another child as the prince. 

As the prime minister is escorted out of his home to meet his fate, he requests one last look at Yoon Sung’s room. As he sits in the empty room, he flashes back to that day long ago, when Yoon Sung and Yeong were boys. He’d watched as they changed back after trading clothes and Yoon Sung had asked if wearing the prince’s robes would make him the prince. 

Little Yeong, now wearing the egret-adorned hat, replies no—but it allows them to understand each other better. Little Yoon Sung asks Yeong how he’d felt wearing his clothes, and Yeong says that his friend’s clothes had felt just as heavy as his own. So it was Yoon Sung who would die young all along, and Yeong who bore the traits of a good King. The prime minister finds a pistol among Yoon Sung’s things. Moments later, a gunshot rings out. 

Yeong carries his mother’s handkerchief out to the field, remembering how she had wished for him to see the people in lower classes, and to protect each and every citizen as his own. She’d asked him then to promise to be that kind of King, and he reaffirms that vow now. 

Next, it’s Ra On who is brought before the court as a criminal, kneeling before Yeong as he reads out her charge—which he follows by acknowledging her contribution to restoring honor to the royal family. He pardons her for all of her crimes. 

Ha Yeon makes a request of the King, which he finds difficult to understand: She wishes to step down as Crown Princess, even if, according to law, she is prohibited from marrying for the rest of her life. Ha Yeon explains that she knew Yeong didn’t care for her, but had hoped he might open his heart to her eventually. 

“However, I was unable to offer the least bit of comfort to the Crown Prince’s weary heart,” she says, “and I blamed myself and hated myself for it. I realized how foolish I had been. Rather than being a foolish princess who is a burden to the prince, so that I may live alone but honestly, please grant your permission.” 

A short while later, Ha Yeon makes her way through the city streets, on her way to the ferry. She flings off her head covering and breathes in the air. We hear the King’s voice delivering his decision: He will revoke the entire princess selection, thereby freeing her of the requirement to remain unmarried for the rest of her life. He hopes she will find a man who will treasure her and urges her to live happily. 

One year later. 

The King is announced, and a red-robed figure makes his way into the throne room—Yeong, now king, taking his position before his council. Among the lesser officials is Young Master Jung, while Teacher Dasan is there in minister’s robes. 

Yeong makes his way to the throne, but pauses in front of the lofty seat. Changing his mind, he turns and sits down right on the top step, in front of the throne, butt on floor. The ministers murmur amongst themselves and Teacher Dasan asks why he is sitting there. 

Yeong replies that he will continue to do so: “The highs and lows between me and my people, the distance between me and you—I hope that you will understand my wish to be one step closer.”

Eunuch Jang beams with pride, Teacher Dasan quirks up a smile, and the rest of the ministers bow a bit uncertainly. 

Over in the eunuch department, Head Eunuch Jang delivers the speech about responsibility and honor to the newest class of rookies. Do Ki and Sung Yeol observe the new faces… and take a closer look at one of the rookies. Wait, is that…? 

Pwahaha, it’s Kim Seul Gi, looking suspiciously pretty and delicate-featured in the sea of male faces. They both feel that strange sense of déjà vu, and then Kim Seul-gi looks over and shoots them a wink. 

As Princess Myeongeun takes a walk, a eunuch hands her a red rose, which she takes with some confusion. More eunuchs line her path, as do court ladies, each holding out a rose. Once she’s amassed a large bouquet, she comes to Young Master Jung at the end of the line, who kneels before her and starts to say that she now has ninety-nine flowers. Myeongeun cuts him off to get to the punchline first, that she’s the last flower. Aw, Young Master Jung drops the rose he’d been holding behind his back—his punchline had been different—and tells her she’s right, and asks her to marry him. 

She’s touched, but concerned that marrying her would prevent his career from reaching its full heights (a princess’s husband would find himself restricted in many ways). He tells her that walking with her would make every path flower-lined, and outshining any path to career success. 

“All I need is you,” he says, “Myeongeun-ah.” He kisses her, and their audience cheers. 

Out in the city, Byung Yeon and Hong Gyeong Nae watch from a distance as Yeong, disguised as a simple nobleman, walks among the people and gets invited to play a game. 

Byung Yeon references a saying about drawing clouds to make the moonlight shine, and smiles as he watches Yeong among his people. He says, “Rather than a sun that shines alone, he’s a ruler who shines brightly when among his people, like the moonlight—I believe the King is that kind of person.” Hong Gyeong Nae notes, “So you will remain as a cloud, on behalf of the king. Is that what you mean?” They smile. 

In a bookshop, Ra On puts out a new book on display: The cover bears a face that looks like Yeong, and the title is “Moonlight Drawn By Clouds.” It’s snatched off its perch immediately, and Yeong sighs that she’s been so busy writing her supposed masterpiece that he’s barely seen her. 

She’s a bit sheepish about putting his face on the cover, but asks for his understanding, since a book’s cover can affect its sales. Yeong leans down to meet her at eye level, and warns that he’ll be seeking repayment, and Ra On shyly covers her lips with her hands and asks, “Here?” 

He laughs at her assumption, saying that he meant a percentage of the sale price. Holding hands as they walk through a field of flowers, Yeong asks what the book is about. Ra On describes a prince of a far-off land, with beautiful looks and a bad temper. He pouts at that, but she continues that the prince undergoes all sorts of trials to emerge as a good King. 

“Have you written of your hopes?” he asks. Ra On shakes her head, saying, “No. I have merely taken a peek at the world you are making.” 

He takes her hands, and asks, “Then who are you?” Ra On guesses, “In the nation you will make, that first citizen?” Yeong shakes his head; that’s not what he’s thinking of. 

Ra On thinks again. “The one who came to you in the appearance of a eunuch, your first sweetheart?” That’s not it either, so she asks, “Then who am I?” 

He replies, “You are the Ra On who filled my world to the brim.” 

She smiles happily, and he swoops in to kiss her.

Personal Thought:

Oh it's the end after the past few weeks and we get a happy ending afterall. Everything worked out, more or less, with ends tied neatly and history blatantly flouted. That giant disclaimer at the top of the episode about this show being different from history was a pretty big tip-off that the ending would be upbeat, but I wasn’t expecting a tragedy, so I didn’t mind not having that element of surprise.

Not everything was happy, of course, considering how Yoon Sung died, but on the whole the episode fulfilled its role as a finale and provided closure to most of the big plot conflicts. It even managed to tie in points from early episodes, which contributed to the feeling of an ending that had been set up well in advance, so that it felt like an extension of logic and not like a late-game attempt to make everything end happily. It's been well-known the character of Yoon Sung and Byung Yun will die in the end. At first I thought we will lose Byung Yun, but thankfully we aren't, instead we lose the most romantic man on earth, Yoon Sung. 

Yoon Sung's character is a very sad character so far. He might not get the love back and always be daddy-long-legs and even he died in the end to protect the woman he loves. I’m fine with having Yoon Sung die at the end, and if he had to go, then it makes sense that he would go down to protect Ra On. I think the ending is posisble when one of the main lead would be able to let go. In case of Yoon Sung, he may not be able to let go, and so if he has going to die, I think it's better to have it this way. But I was hoping that somehow he could manage to stay alive and live happily with some other woman rather than dying. 

Everything is good and I have a feeling that we would have a happy ending for sure. The disclaimer on the front page before the drama airs totally put us at peace. It's truly a happy ending if you do not know the real history and I think the production team have ended it in a nice way. But let's look deeply insight, Yeong became King! Obviously we’re in total fantasyland by this point, because he never made it to be a King in real life as he is a Prince Regent and historically he died at the young age. But it’s gratifying to see him actually rule, because the great tragedy was that we knew he’d be an awesome ruler but wouldn’t get the chance. 

I’m presuming that the whole “fake his death to live with Ra On while history believes the prince dead” plotline was a popular speculation for the finale, and I was half-expecting to see it in play here—but what would have disappointed about that ending is that Yeong would have had to give up his hopes of being a good King and treasuring his people and turning around Joseon from its path of puppet kings and corrupt puppetmasters. And that idealism and integrity was such a huge part of his character that I didn’t quite want that to be the solution.

Truth be told, I can’t shake my niggling sense of disappointment that the show so thoroughly ignored history, even as I’m glad for the characters’ sake that everything worked out well for them. It’s not enough to anger me or sour my opinion of the show, but it is a distinct disappointment to have the show take all this care to establish the historical basis, work in real-life figures, and then just kind of shrug and say, “Never mind, none of the rest happens in this world.” I’m certainly fine with fantasy sageuks taking liberties with trufax, and don’t expect—or even want—them to be completely accurate. But one of the huge draws of watching sageuks is understanding the broad strokes of history and knowing that there are certain constraints we have to work with—so as we watch the show, it becomes a source of enjoyable angst to worry about how a show will manage to pull out a satisfactory solution when we already know the punchline.

Maybe it was me who have a high hopes and there is totally nothing wrong with the ending. It's just me. I thought that the one who is going to die at the young age is Yeong, knowing the fact that Crown Prince Hyomyeong died at his young age. Eventually they made a twist as if Yeong would have a long life and be a great King and Yoon Sung is the one who will die at his young age. I wanted this show to pull out a clever twist to show us how historical record came to be, while still delivering a happy ending. One way to do that is to fake his death, but they could have also played with the swapped-babies theme and made Yoon Sung the real prince. Or something cleverer that I was hoping really hard the show could figure out. Part of my excitement about this drama was the anticipation about how the drama would accomplish this feat—and then we got there and the drama just decided that the constraint of reality didn’t matter anymore. Maybe that’s my fault for getting my hopes up, but the show was so winning and compelling that I really did believe it had that answer. If they were going to go with this ending, I wish they’d have invented an entirely fictional world from the start, the way The Moon That Embraces the Sun did, because in that case there are no expectations of boundaries, and no disappointments.

While I think they had a happy ending, now I believe that this show has possibility of having another seasons, maybe to put us in going through the actual history from now on? Like for example, having Ha Yeon to married Yeong and have a baby instead who will soon become a King to replace Yeong? I know I wouldn't like it if the production team put us through some series of heart-break between our main OTP, but I believe that in that era, you should have something to sacrifice if you want to gain something in return. It was a total fantasy in my opinion that the production team makes Yeong to have both power and love. It was a bit delusional yet I was really happy for the character. 

Moonlight Drawn By Clouds wasn’t a perfect drama all the way, but what I felt at the outset still stands: that this drama was elevated by every one of its parts to feel truly special, even if each of the individual parts might not feel quite as special on their own. Park Bo Gum was one of its biggest assets—and Kim Yoo Jung, of course, because their connection sold that romance, although I do really think Park Bo Gum gave it an extra magic, inhabiting the Crown Prince from head to toe and never wasting a moment onscreen. He’s always been a good actor, but he was so consistently and relentlessly wonderful in this show that he’s bound for superstardom now, deservedly. My most fave line of him is, "I won't allow it, he is my person.", "But when I do not see you, I feel even worse, so stay by my side." and many more. This guy is so charming! Even when he is just standing still, I think Park Bo Gum is a real cool and charismatic guy. Who wouldn't fall for him?

Furthermore, I’m most grateful to the director for having such a cohesive, well-thought-out approach and knowing how to build emotion through both content and style—this drama was really enhanced by all of its tools, whether it was a well-placed OST track or a beautifully shot scene or a sense of pacing that somehow always knew when to grab my heart, and when to let it breathe again. Dramas like this feel like an experience, more than just an entertaining story, and it’s always a joy to come across those, so we can hug them a little tighter while we have them, then let them go feeling full-hearted and contented.