South Korean period dramas are highly popular among viewers from all over the world for the traditional aesthetics, rich historical representation and intriguing story plots. ‘The King in Love,’ ‘The Forbidden Marriage,’ and ‘The tale of Nokdu’ are some great dramas to watch for fans who like this type.
In this article we talk about one such 2023’s very famous series- Our Blooming Youth. Owing to its star cast consisting of big stars like Park Hyung Sik, Jeon So-nee, Yoon Jong-seok, Pyo Ye-jin and Lee Tae-sun, this period drama captures fans’ attention before holding their viewership through the amazing story of a prince and an accused noblewoman. We shall get to know more about the drama right here in this article.
Airing on TvN network, a pay tv channel which holds lesser audience than public broadcasters like SBC, KBS etc. Our Blooming Youth premiered on 6th February, 2023 to amassing viewetship rating of 4.219% in South Korea, maintaining similar ratings throughout its airing period.
The last Episode 20 garnered the highest recorded rating for the show of about 4.877% nationwide, fans of the show both happy and sad because of the happy ending. Why sad? That is because the drama got over, but, did it really?
Our Blooming Youth- Story Premise
Lee Hwan (Park Hyungsik), is a cursed prince, living in solitude, hiding behind other identities to feel a sense of freedom from the captivity of his title and responsibilities. Not knowing life’s plans for him, Hwan crosses paths with Min Jae Yi (Jeon So-nee), a former noble woman who is now a fugitive falsely accused of murdering her entire family. Min Jae Yi is smart and determined to wash this dirt off her name and to regain her freedom and respect. Lee Hwan offers to aid her in escaping in exchange for her help to break his mysterious curse which causes his despair and unhappiness.
Where before she was a delicate woman of a noble household learning virtues of women and how to manage a household, Min Jae Yi sheds her old identity to become an entirely new person, Go Soon Dol.
There challenges are only beginning where they have to navigate through wicked intentions, decades old secrets and dangerous plans that desire their demise.
Our Blooming Youth brilliantly presented a fantastic thriller that unfolded a curious mystery with the sparkles of romance to brighten and liven up the series.
Our Blooming Youth Episode 20- Recap
In the last episode of Our Blooming Youth, episode 20, the rivalry between the Crown Prince and the Right state councilor, Cho Won Boo is at its peak with both preparing for direct confrontations. The hiding place of people of Byeokcheon is finally known to Hwan who also learns about the strange fish, Mooyyaanghyeolmok and the tale of people going mad from eating the eggs of the apparently thousand years old fish who feeds on human blood.
Jae Yi is caught by guards, who as Go Soon Dol reveals her identity as Min Jae Yi and also confesses to killing So Eun and planning to assassinate the crown prince. Lee Hwan is helpless as he watches Jae Yi be dragged to prison, witnessing her sacrifice her life for him.
He meets her at her cell where she is uncannily calm and composed even with the threat of death looming over her. She requests Hwan to become the kind of great king that her father envisioned and confesses her love for him, that she is happy to know him, help him and die for him. Lee Hwan is only able to listen from the opposite side of the bars.
The court is shaken with the sudden request of the crown prince for his own deposition! The reluctant king grants his son’s wish ordering his exile. Through a cleverly executed plan and support from his aids Lee Hwan is thought to be dead due to the sudden ambush of masked assassins whereas he escapes to the hiding place of people of Byeokcheon and works to hard to win their trust.
The villagers reveal the truth about the decades old incident and tell him about thier sufferings under the tyrannical order of Cho Won Bo and Cho Won Oh. Lee Hwan promises to bring them to justice. Cho Won Bo mobilizes his secretly kept and trained army to kill all the villagers of Byeokcheon along with the crown prince, but the royal army intercepts in time to save everyone.
Cho Won Bo is imprisoned and the queen goes crazy by feeding on the eggs of the strange fish. Lee Hwan and Jae Yi are finally able to take a rest and get their much awaited happy ending after all the schemes they went through.
Our Blooming Youth Episode 21- A New Season?
The episodes of Our Blooming Youth end at 20 with no news as of yet from the creators about a second season much to the disappointment of anticipating fans. Our Blooming Youth did so well on screen, receiving great reviews and much love from the audience of the show that it is rumored to become one of the best period dramas in history with its detailed depiction and audience engagement. So, fans should not lose hope as with its success Our Blooming Youth has a good chance of being revived for a new season, who knows! Even without a second season the heartfelt drama can be enjoyed multiple times to keep the memory of the beautiful drama intact in our minds and hearts.
Our Blooming Youth- Where To Watch
Our Blooming Youth aired on the regional cable channel TvN at 8:50 pm KST every Monday and Tuesday for South Korean viewers. Now that it has finished airing, all episodes of the show can be found on Rakuten Viki and on Amazon Prime in certain regions. Membership Subscriptions would be required to access the episodes of the drama on these sites.
If it is not available on these platform where you live, then you can consider using reliable VPNs to enjoy the show.
