The Princess' Man (Korean: 공주의 남자;
Hanja: 公主의 男子; RR: Gongju-eui Namja) is a 2011 South Korean television series.
It is a period drama about the forbidden romance between the daughter of King
Sejo and the son of Sejo's political opponent Kim Jong-seo.
Synopsis/Plot: The Grand
Prince Suyang attempts to build an alliance with his brother King Munjong's
trusted prime minister, Kim Jong-seo's family. He proposes a marriage between
his eldest daughter Se-ryung and Jong-seo's son, Kim Seung-yoo. Learning of
this, Se-ryung's curiosity regarding her prospective husband is piqued. On
hearing that Kim Seung-yoo is going to take over as her cousin Princess
Gyeonghye's's new tutor, she persuades her to swap places with her so that she
can catch a glimpse of her intended. Her first impression is not favorable and
she is convinced that he is an arrogant womanizer. Later, as she attempts to
master her current obsession with riding a horse, her horse runs away with her
and Seung-yoo arrives in the nick of time to rescue her from being thrown off a
precipice.
Meanwhile, Kim Jong-seo rejects Suyang's proposal because he
knows the Prince's aspirations regarding the throne and allies himself firmly
with King Munjong. King Munjong is impressed with Seung-yoo as a capable
teacher and sees merit in having him on his side as a son-in-law, who is strong
enough to protect the Crown Prince. He announces that Seung-yoo has been chosen
as the Prince Consort. Seung-yoo, who still believes Se-ryung is the Princess,
is glad of the decision because of his growing feelings for her. Beginning to
understand her passion to escape the confines of her cloistered life, he offers
to teach her how to ride. Their blissful time together is cut short, by an
unexpected attack by bandits sent by Suyang to assassinate Seung-yoo as revenge
against Kim Jong-seo. Seung-yoo is injured and as Se-ryung risks her life to
save him, the Chief Magistrate of the Capital's Police Bureau, Shin Myeon,
chances to pass by and saves them. Shin Myeon also happens to be Seung-yoo's
best friend, along with Jung Jong, whose noble family has fallen on harsh
straits. Meanwhile, Seung-yoo and Se-ryung meet outside the palace again. Even
though Shin Myeon senses his friend's growing admiration for Se-ryung, he too
finds himself drawn to the brave and beautiful girl. His dilemma grows when
Grand Prince Suyang offers Se-ryung's hand in marriage to him in the hope of
building an alliance with his politician father.
Se-ryung learns that Seung-yoo is chosen as the candidate for
Prince Consort and is devastated. Her cousin, Princess Gyeonghye understands
the political import of marrying Seung-yoo and orders her not to meet Seung-yoo
again, suspecting that the two are falling in love. Meanwhile, Seung-yoo and
Se-ryung meet outside the palace again. However, they are tailed by Suyang's
spies. Following their time together, Seung-yoo writes a letter to Se-ryung and
sends it to the real Princess Gyeonghye understanding that they met despite her
orders, is furious. At the next lesson, she locks up Se-ryung and takes her
place, thereby revealing the deception to Seung-yoo. However she hides
Se-ryung's identity from him by calling her a palace maid who took her place.
The letter discarded by Princess Gyeonghye falls into the hands
of Suyang. Using the letter, he demands that Seung-yoo be disqualified as a
candidate for Prince Consort, insinuating that he dishonored the Princess by
meeting her outside the palace. When interrogated, Seung-yoo says he did not
meet the Princess outside but hides Se-ryung's part in it to spare her danger.
Learning of the danger to Seung-yoo's life, Se-ryung begs Princess Gyeonghye to
intercede for Seung-yoo. Despite her intercession, the penalty for Seung-yoo's
transgression is death. Suyang discovers Se-ryung when she secretly visits
Seung-yoo in prison and is horrified to learn of their dalliance. Relieved that
Seung-yoo does not know who she is, he agrees to save Seung-yoo if she never
meets him again and never reveals her identity to him. Kim Jong-seo, desperate
to save his son, approaches Suyang for help and agrees to pay the humiliating
price of resigning his Vice Premiership. Seung-yoo's sentence is commuted to
temporary exile. In place of Seung-yoo, Jung Jong is chosen as Prince Consort,
bringing a drastic change in his fortunes. He is smitten with the Princess from
the beginning; however, she detests him. Se-ryung's relationship with Gyeonghye
is also strained, with the Princess blaming her cousin for all the misfortunes
she has undergone.
King Munjong collapses on the day of his daughter's wedding and
his health takes a turn for the worse. Seung-yoo is summoned back by his
brother, in order to assist their father in safeguarding the interests of the
king. Seung-yoo runs into Se-ryung on his return but coldly severs all ties
with her. However, Se-ryung's concern for her cousin coupled with the fact that
Jung Jong is Seung-yoo's friend, force the two to meet again. Both find it hard
to repress their feelings and finally Seung-yoo declares his love for her.
However, at exactly the same time, King Munjong dies. Suyang and his cronies
arrive at the palace, jubilant that they can now control the Crown Prince.
However, their plans are thwarted by Kim Jong-seo, who was reinstated by the
dead king to protect his son from Suyang's machinations. Furious, Suyang vows
to kill Kim Jong-seo.
As Se-ryung and Seung-yoo blissfully revel in their love, Suyang
prepares to stage a coup against Kim Seung-yoo. Se-ryung stumbles on the plot
too late and is foiled in her attempts to warn Seung-yoo and his family by her
parents. Supported by Shin Myeon, Suyang ruthlessly murders his opponents,
including Seung-yoo's father and brother. Shin Myeon, believing that Seung-yoo
is dead, stops the other men from beheading him claiming he wishes to do it
himself. As he is about to bury him, Shin Myeon realizes that Seung-yoo is
(barely) alive and attempts to kill him but fails. He turns around and leaves,
giving Seung-yoo the chance to escape with his life.
Seung-yoo wakes up and walks into the town to find that his
father has been beheaded. Reeling from his best friend's betrayal, he tries to
kill Suyang, only to be shocked to discover that Se-ryung is his daughter.
Seung-yoo is sentenced to be killed. However, a last minute intercession by the
Crown Prince saves his life and he is exiled to Kanghwa Island, along with the
rest of Suyang's enemies. When Se-ryung visits him in prison on the eve of his
exile, his fury gets the better of him and he nearly chokes her to death.
Se-ryung admits her identity and begs him to survive, even if it is just so
that he can kill her.
En route Kanghwa Island, the ship is sunk to ensure that none of
Suyang's enemies survive. However, aided by a fellow prisoner, Jo Seok-joo,
Seung-yoo manages to escape and return. Taking refuge at the gisaeng house Bing
Og Gwan, owned by Seok-joo, Seung-yoo plots his revenge. Meanwhile, Se-ryung
learns that Seung-yoo's ship sank. Despite her mourning, her parents fix the
date of her wedding with Shin Myeon.
In an attempt to bait Suyang, he kidnaps Se-ryung on the day of
her wedding. He is mercilessly cruel to her, and reveals her father's part in
the sinking of the ship. Suyang shows up to claim his beloved daughter but he
survives Seung-yoo's arrow because of his armor. Meanwhile, Shin Myeon shoots
an arrow at Seung-yoo, which is intercepted by Se-ryung who takes the brunt of
it. Shaken by her sacrifice on his behalf, Seung-yoo is shell shocked and he
escapes only because Seok-joo and his friend Noh-gyul save him by forcibly
dragging him away from her prone body.
Se-ryung is taken home by her father and Shin Myeon is
suspicious because she took the arrow on behalf of her kidnapper. However, the
encounter with Seung-yoo and the kidnapping changes Se-ryung's attitude towards
her father and Shin Myeon, now that she is aware of the extent to which they
will go for power. Seung-yoo reveals that he is alive to Jung Jong and he is
relieved to have an ally in the fight against Suyang. Foiled in his attempt to
kill Suyang, Seung-yoo starts assassinating those who were privy to his
family's murder. He leaves behind the alias of his deceased general father,
Great Tiger, at each site to stir fear among his enemies. Se-ryung's attempts
to atone for her father's atrocities gradually melts Seung-yoo's anger,
especially when he learns that she saved his sister-in-law and niece's lives in
the reprisal against the members of the rebel nobles' families. Grand Prince
Suyang forces King Danjong to abdicate, and becomes crowned King Sejo of
Joseon. Se-ryung refuses to be crowned Princess and continues to bravely defy
her father.
Seung-yoo gives up his vigilante assassinations at the behest of
his old teacher, who urges him to join the larger cause of dethroning Sejo and
restoring Danjong. Se-ryung inadvertently learns of the plot and is caught in a
terrible dilemma. Saving her father comes at the cost of her love and vice
versa. However, the rebellion which was led by Six Scholars of the Hall of
Worthies, including Seung-yoo's teacher fails, leading to their deaths and the
exile of Princess Gyeonghye and her husband Jung Jong.
Seung-yoo manages to escape, but Shin Myeon discovers his
identity. King Sejo learns that Seung-yoo is alive and that Se-ryung may have
had knowledge of the plot. The rift between father and daughter grows. Se-ryung
in a symbolic move, cuts her hair and renounces her ties to her father. When
she takes refuge in a temple after leaving the palace, Seung-yoo takes her with
him to Bing Og Gwan. However, when Shin Myeon and his guards nearly tear apart
the place searching for her, she surrenders herself up to them. In his rage,
King Sejo sentences her to become a slave of Shin Myeon. However, Seung-yoo and
his friends rescue her in the nick of time. Shin Myeon refuses to give up his
quest to possess Se-ryung and follows the pair to Princess Gyeonghye and Jung
Jong's place of exile. In the course of Jung Jong protecting the pair, Shin
Myeon comes to learn that Jung Jong is plotting yet another rebellion. He is
arrested and executed, leaving behind a devastated and pregnant Gyeonghye.
Meanwhile, in addition to their grief over the loss of Jung
Jong, the lovers face more obstacles. The rebel leaders with whom Seung-yoo
continues the plan for the attack refuse to accept her, because of her link to
King Sejo. Seung-yoo and Se-ryung pledge their love as husband and wife and
agree to separate till the battle is over. However, when Shin Myeon plans to
use Se-ryung as bait to lure Seung-yoo, she escapes and warns her husband. In
the battle that follows, Shin Myeon is killed and Seung-yoo's side wins.
Seung-yoo moves forward with his plan to assassinate the king and nearly
succeeds, but for a momentary distraction caused by learning of Se-ryung's
pregnancy. Seung-yoo is sent to jail, and Se-ryung goes to see him, wanting her
baby to at least know who his or her father is. Seung-yoo nearly dies and
Se-ryung accepts her fate. However, Se-ryung's mother orchestrates their
escape.
Years later Seung-yoo has become blind after his brush with
death. However, both of them now have a lovely daughter and are happy, even if
they are poor. In the backdrop of their bliss, we see an aged King Sejo who has
let go of his bitterness and who watches his daughter's happiness in secret.
Genre: Drama, Romance, Historical, Action
Written by: Jo
Jung-joo
Directed by: Kim Jung-min, Park Hyun-suk
Main Cast: Park
Si-hoo, Moon Chae-won, Kim Yeong-cheol, Song Jong-ho, Hong Soo-hyun, Lee
Min-woo, Lee Soon-jae
Country of origin: South Korea
No. of episodes: 24
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