Risking life and love in new teaser for KBS sageuk Red Heart

by tccolb

KBS’s upcoming Red Heart has released a hauntingly beautiful teaser and I may as well grab the tissues now because tragedy here we come.

The sageuk stars Lee Joon (Bulgasal: Immortal Souls) as a fictional Joseon king who struggles to command full authority while he remains under the watchful eyes of the powerful minister Jang Hyuk (Tell Me What You Saw). In order to solidify his power, Lee is forced to remove the love of his life Kang Hanna (My Roommate Is a Gumiho). But, she is fighting her own war for survival and is resolute on being Lee’s queen.

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The video teaser begins with Lee Joon walking through the palace gates as he thinks back on his younger self, played by Park Ji-bin (Inspector Koo). During a funeral procession, he had walked solemnly through the same palace grounds which eventually led to Lee sitting on the throne. In voiceover, we hear his plea: “Live. I beg of you to stay alive and persevere.” We then get a quick transition from Kang Hanna’s younger self – Shin Eun-soo (Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol) – to Kang in the present as she arrives in front of the palace again.

In another sequence from the past, we see the entire palace ablaze and the ensuing uprising. An imprisoned Shin Eun-soo is taken away from her family and the camera lingers on the heartbreaking aftermath of the lives lost. We also get a brief focus on a contemplative Jang Hyuk, who receives the report that the Yoo family’s daughter was selected for marriage into the royal family. Jang muses in response, “The King has given them prestige.”

Park Ji-bin tries to console a distraught Shin Eun-soo and he vows, “Nevertheless, I will survive. I will live and see the day when I take revenge on everyone who harmed the people I love. Thus, I beg of you to stay alive as well. Endure and live. You are my wife-to-be and it is because of me that you experienced this horror.” The teaser then comes to a close on a rare moment of happiness, with Lee Joon and Kang Hanna sitting under the cherry blossoms at night.

Premiering next month on May 2, KBS’s Red Heart is directed by PD Yoo Young-eun with scripts penned by Park Pil-joo (Cantabile Tomorrow).