‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’ is one of the classic k-dramas released in the last decade. Along with an intense storyline, the k-drama has an amazing star cast and direction. The k-drama is based on the Chinese novel “Bu Bu Jing Xin” written by Tong Hua. While the novel also has two Chinese adaptations, the k-drama has managed to tell the story in an amazing way and has won the hearts of fans all over the world. ‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’ left a long-lasting impression on the fans. Especially, ‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’ ending has made everyone cry their eyes out for days.
‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’ stars ‘Flower of Evil’ fame Lee Joong Ki, Nation’s sweetheart, and ‘Hotel Del Luna’ fame IU, and ‘When Camilla Blooms’ fame Kang Ha Neul in the leading roles. They are accompanied by Hong Jong Hyun, Nam Joo Hyuk, Byun Baek Hyun, Kim Ji Soo, Kim San Ho, Yoon Sun Woo, Jo Min Ki, Park Ji Young, Kang Han Na, Park Shi Eun, Z Hera, Seo Hyun, and the child actor Hong Do Young. Veteran actors like Kim Sung Kyun, Sung Dong Il, Kim Kang Il, Park Jung Hak, Choi Byung Mo, and Jung Kyung Soon plays important roles in the royal family.
What Is The Plot of ‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’?
Owing to its popularity during its release in 2016, by its final episode, ‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’ reached a nationwide rating of 11.3%. It ranked fifth place among the k-dramas for the time slot. Fans consider ‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’ a beautiful yet tragic k-drama for its ending. The story of ‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’ follows Go Ha Jin as she travels back in time. During a solar eclipse, some glitch happens, and Go Ha Jin is transported back in time. She finds herself at the start of the Goryeo Dynasty of Korea when the country was under King Taejo’s rule.
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She reaches there as a 16-year-old and finds herself living in the house of the 8th Prince Wang Wook. Wang Wook, who was married to Hae Soo’s cousin, becomes a good friend of Ha Jin. She also goes on to befriend several of the princes and even meets the outcast prince 4th Prince, Wang So. As time passes, Go Ha Jin starts falling in love with Wang So, but they can’t be together because of their situation. She couldn’t leave either as she gets in stuck in a love triangle. As other princes start falling in love with her too, things get even more complicated.
‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’ Ending: What Really Happened?
The ending of ‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’ is one of the heartbreaking endings in the k-drama world. By the end, everyone’s world had come crashing down but after a few years, everything settled. In the end, we saw a flashback of Hae Soo and the 4th Prince together in the palace. They were happily strolling as the 4th Prince gave a tired Hae Soo a piggyback ride home. But all of it was just a dream. Because of the 9th Prince, Chae Ryung ended up losing his life. And Hae Soo was still not over it. On the other side, Woo Hee was also betrayed by the king.
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What Happened To The 4th Prince Wang So?
The people from her former nation, Baekje were being mistreated. And on top of that, the king had also ordered the 13th Prince i.e. her lover to attack Baekje to prove his loyalty. Devasted by her surroundings, Woo Hee jumped off the castle in front of her lover soon after he had made the promise that they’ll marry each other after he comes back from the war. On the other side, the king had called the 8th Prince a criminal and ordered him to be executed. Hae Soo begged the king to let the 8th Prince live. While she did save him from the execution, he ended up getting exiled from the family.
Yeon Hwa’s Evil Plans
While Hae Soo was already devastated, she was also blamed by Yeon Hwa for turning the 8th Prince into what he had become. To kick Hae Soo out, everyone tried their best. While the 14th Prince gave the King a document that was written by the previous king i.e. the 3rd evil prince. He had made the promise of Hae-Soo and the 14th Prince’s marriage. Yeon Hwa, on the other hand, revealed Hae Soo’s relationship with the 8th Prince to the king. Feeling deceived, The King kicked her out of the palace along with the 8th prince.
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As days passed, a pregnant Hae Soo lived quietly at the 14th Prince’s house. With Hae Soo finally delivering her daughter, she grew sicker. She asked the 14th Prince to protect her daughter and keep her away from palace life. Soon after she died in his arms peacefully. As things start getting stable once again, the 9th Prince is executed. While Yeon Hwa and her son are kept distant from the king. After a few years as the king saw the 14th Prince with his daughter, he wanted to know who she was. The bitterness among the princes was solved as the king asked the 14th Prince to visit the palace often.
From The Other Worlds…
As more years passed by astrologer Ji Mong revealed the Hae Soo indeed came from a different world. In the other world, as she died in the past, Hae Soo woke up in the present time. Turned out, that she was in a coma for a year. Returning back to her normal life, Hae Soo kept having dreams and flashbacks of her past. But she had no idea what was happening. Eventually visiting a museum, she cried looking at a portrait of the 4th Prince. And back in the past, the exiled 4th Prince was determined to find Hae Soo while looking at the sky. And it didn’t matter if she was from the other world.
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What Was The Alternative Ending For ‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’ According To Lee Joon Gi?
Years after the show ended, Lee Joon Gi appeared on an episode of MMTG and revealed that the show had planned an alternative ending for the ‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’. But it didn’t come through. Catering to fans’ curious minds, the actor finally revealed what it actually was. Lee Joon Gi revealed that after his death, Wang So was supposed to be reincarnated in the future.
In the alternative ending, he walked up to a crying Hae Soo and handed her a handkerchief. As the two had no idea who either of them was and about the past they shared, the two lovers smiled at each other and parted ways in the future.
The actor also revealed that ever since director Kim Kyu Tae started working on the ‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’, he had been in the dilemma about its ending. After being confused over the happy and sad ending, the director finally settled on the sad ending. And the alternative ending couldn’t see the light. The alternative ending for ‘Moon Lovers Scarlet Heart Ryeo’ was cut from CDs and TV premieres.
Where To Watch ‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’ K-drama?
The episodes of ‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’ are available to watch on streaming platforms like SBS VOD, Netflix, and Rakuten Viki with English subtitles with a subscription. Behind the scene, videos and bloopers for the k-drama are available on the SBS Youtube channel. ‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’ has a total of 20 episodes, with each episode having a runtime of 60 minutes.
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