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The 2017 Korean tvN drama, starring Nam Joo-Hyuk as Habaek, Shin Se-Kyung as Yoon So-Ah, Lim Joo-Hwan as Shin Hoo-Ye, Krystal Jung as Moo-Ra, and Gong Myung as Bi-Ryeom. Also known as “Bride of Habaek.” Based off the manga "Bride of the Water God" by Yun Mi-Kyung.
Brief summary: Habaek has been chosen for the throne of the gods since the very beginning of his existence, but tradition requires him to travel into the Realm of the Humans to retrieve the god stones that represent the other realms’ consent to his ascension. His journey proves more difficult than he thought when he loses the coordinates to the god stones’s locations and realizes that he knows next to nothing about human life! Luckily enough for him, there remains someone on earth obligated because of her ancestors to help him out, a servant of the gods. The only problem with her is that this struggling psychiatrist doesn’t believe that Habaek is anything more than mentally challenged!
The title of this drama was a little misleading, because although the plot does circle around Habaek and So-Ah’s relationship, there was nothing from the beginning identifying her as Habaek’s future spouse. This did not influence my thoughts at all about the drama, but it was an observation. It's possible that it could have more to do with the manga, than the drama's script.
Nam Joo-Hyuk is one of the newer actors on a quick rise to fame and fortune, only acting since 2014, and he's still pretty young! He would have been one of the key selling points of this drama in addition to the strong romantic concept. I still don't know how he manages to pull off all his characters so well! (And we've gotta admire his courage for those nude scenes...)
This drama really is creative. I found it particularly unique in set-up and costuming of the deities. The depiction of the Water Country was kind of riveting, displaying roughly middle-eastern themes and intense light and dark contrasts. I am curious as to what inspired the set and costume designers to swing towards such an Arabic feel, especially since previous dramas with deity-like characters have depicted them as either contemporary top-class (also valid in this drama) or as traditionally oriental.
I was very interested in Shin Hoo-Ye's character. He almost seems to automatically be the antagonist and second-leading male because of the love triangle concept, but also because of the immediate tension that his powers present with him and Bi-Ryeom. However, my heart was torn because no matter how malicious those powers are, Hoo-Ye was a kind soul. Very moral and understanding. I'm sure most of the viewing audience had the same pathos reaction. I love what So-Ah said to him when he hit his low: "If you choose to be human, I will be on your side. If you choose to be a god, I will still be on your side. I will always be on your side... I meant what I said before, your trees will grow into a large forest." I think it offers some insight. So-Ah's character is supposed to be a psychiatrist, which validity we question throughout the drama from the beginning because she seems to dislike it so much. However, as she meets with Hoo-Ye in the dark, she seems to show an investment in him that she didn't with the initial patients we met. She wants to see things work out for Shin Hoo-Ye, regardless of what he's done or why the other gods dislike him so much. That is the kind of investment any doctor should have for a patient, else why would you treat them?
Full of laughs. I was giggling around every corner.
And Habaek's confession should go down in history as one of the best I've heard (episode 11). He says, "You’re not some distant sound that will fade away. I’m saying you’re not an insignificant, fleeting matter. That’s how I’ve come to think of you. I want to hold you and kiss you. I want you to be my first and last. I want my mind filled with thoughts of you. When they overflow, I want them to just let them be. I want my jealousy to be justified, and I don’t want to feel guilty even after punching someone. But to do that, I must begin. Like you said, our predestined future won’t change, but may I begin?"
I would've said yes <3
Personally, while I'm glad this one ranges within the happy-ending zone, I would have asked for a different happy ending. There were a few holes still in existence by the end. 1) Yeom-Mi's dream. It kept making appearances as if it were a significant part of the final episode's plot, but it didn't really have application. Yes, we learned that So-Ah's dad was indeed her savior on the night she tried to commit suicide like the dream suggested, but there were no negative implications of her own demise aside from the grief that it caused. The question in the end was not about So-Ah's survival, but about Habaek's. 2) So-Ah's wish was that she and Habaek could live together until her eventual death as a human. Terrible wish, in my opinion, if your boyfriend happens to be immortal. The ideal ending would have been a) she wishes for her own immortality and leaves the Realm of the Humans for the Water Country with Habaek, or b) she wishes for Habaek's existence as a mortal without his royal predestination. Either way, the drama ended in a slight state of instability for their relationship.
I loved this one! Enjoy! 5/5 stars!
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