The K-Drama ‘Scarlet Heart: Goryeo’, which aired from 29th April 2016 to 1st November 2016, left all of its fans hanging. The popular drama starred many of Korea’s loved actors and actresses like Lee Joon Gi, IU, Kang Ha Neul, EXO’s Baekhyun, Nam Joo Hyuk, and many more.
Although the drama performed below expectations in Korea, it attracted a lot of international fans. The drama was an adaption of a 2011 Chinese drama named ‘Scarlet Heart’ which itself was inspired by a Chinese Novel called Bu Bu Jing Xin written in 2005. The series has 20 episodes with 2 special episodes and has only one season although fans have been craving for more.
The SBS Drama ‘Scarlet Heart: Goryeo’ has a high IMDb rating of 8.7, but recorded only an average rating of 7.6% nationwide. This shows the difference in the love received by the drama in Korea and Internationally. In a recent interview, Lee Joon Gi talked about the unreleased ending of the drama. On 31st March 2022, Lee Joon Gi appeared on the Korean show ‘MMTG’ episode hosted by JaeJae.
This drama series won Lee Joon Gi national and international recognition. He was even nominated for the Daesang at the 2016 SBS Drama Awards. This drama also received the K-Culture Pride Award at Korean Brand Awards because of fact that it contributed heavily to the cultural content between Korea and China.
‘Lee Joon Gi’s MMTG Interview’
On 31st March, 2022, Lee Joon Gi made his appearance on the show ‘MMTG’ where he was asked several questions about his life and career, including talks about the popular show ‘Scarlet Heart: Goryeo’. The host, JaeJae, and Lee Joon Gi started the interview by making fun of a past advertisement in which Joon Gi took up a role.
They instantly shifted to talking about the way that Joon Gi’s status in Korean Period Dramas has risen over time. Throughout the video, they discussed Lee Joon Gi’s career and how he has reached the point of popularity as an actor as he has now.
‘Lee Joon Gi as the Prince’ in ‘Scarlet Heart: Goryeo’
As they went forward, talking over the various roles Joon Gi has played in different Korean Historical Dramas, they eventually reached ‘Scarlet Heart: Goryeo’. In the drama, Joon Gi played the role of the 4th Prince named Wang So of the Goryeo Dynasty. Lee Joon Gi said that the drama won him many new and young fans, even elementary school kids. During his fan-signing events, the kids don’t know about his other works but only ‘Scarlet Heart: Goryeo’.
Season 2 of ‘Scarlet Heart: Goryeo’
Regarding this matter, Joon Gi said that the crew of the drama has had a lot over releasing a second season of the drama. Butt it seemed impossible because of the difficulty of casting new and suitable actors. When JaeJae mentioned that the fans wanted a reunion of the cast of the Historical Drama, Joon Gi joked and said that it would be a ‘Party’ then. He also mentioned that celebrating the reunion will be like the characters of the drama meeting in the contemporary world. He also went ahead and praised IU’s acting ability, describing how she danced along with EXO’s Baekhyung in the series despite being embarrassed about it.
Just What Happened in ‘Scarlet Heart: Goryeo’?
The story begins with a 25-year-old woman named Go Ha Jin (played by IU) time traveling to the Goryeo Dynasty Period of Korea on a total solar eclipse. When she wakes up, she finds herself in the body of a woman named Hae Soo. She is also stuck among the various princes of the Wang Family. She starts falling in love with the kind and warm-hearted 8th Prince of the Wang Family named Wang Wook (played by Kang Ha Neul).
But later gets got in the life of and eventually falls in love with the 4th Prince named Wang So (played by Lee Joon Gi). There were happy moments between the princes as had been witnessed by Hae Soo. Despite this, the princes had to get involved in inevitable rivalry as they fight for the throne.
In the much-awaited last episode of the drama, Hae Soo has returned to being Go Ha Jin, and has traveled back to the present. As she tells her friend, she keeps dreaming about Wang So, a man with a mask that covers half his face. She also keeps having flashes of her memories from the Goryeo Era.
Later, as she visits an exhibition of Painting from the Goryeo era, she recognizes Wang So in one of the paintings. She apologizes for leaving him behind while crying and falling to her knees. From here on, we shift back to Wang So in the past, who is reminiscing the time that he spent with IU and thinks that even if they are not from the same world, he’ll find her,’My Hae Soo”.
What Lee Joon Gi had to say about the Unreleased Ending of the ‘Scarlet Heart: Goryeo’
JaeJae took out the pictures of IU crying at the end of the drama and said that the picture with a handkerchief was uploaded by IU on her Instagram account. As he asked about the story behind the picture, Lee Joon Gi revealed that they did have a different ending for the drama. The other ending, the one which wasn’t shown on screen, had Lee Joon Gi come to the crying and miserable character of IU and lend her a handkerchief. He didn’t remember who he was but IU recognized him. When she asks him if he knows her, he says that he doesn’t. But as he turns away, he feels that Hae Soo has called out to him and he again turns to look at IU.
The ending revealed by Lee Joon Gi has sure left the fans of the drama wishing that the two characters really did meet in the present. Since no one can change the past, let’s try to be content with the fact that there was at least a possibility for the two to end up together.
