Nothing beats an easy-to-watch romcom, especially if the lead couple look so good together that viewers forget whatever pre-conceived notions they may have about K-dramas that utilize all the tropes in K-Dramaland from beginning to end.
That is exactly what the writer and director of King the Land did throughout the 16 episodes and which drew mixed reactions from critics, but nonetheless had adoring viewers squeeing (kinikilig in Pinoy K-drama speak) every time these OTP (original true partners) appeared together—YoonA of the very popular K-pop group Girls Generation aka SNSD and JunHo of equally famous boy band 2 PM.
So Sarang’s house is just beside King The Land. Thanks Junho for the tour 🥰#LimYoonA #YoonA #임윤아 #LeeJunho #Junho #이준호 #KingTheLand #킹더랜드 pic.twitter.com/aUDHYX7Y66
— YA ♡ (@yoonaaa530) August 11, 2023
The director of King the Land Im Hyun Wook and its writer Choi Rom cleverly mine what YoonA and JunHo bring to this romcom. Both young A-listers have come from serious, heavy dramas that tested their mettle as actors—YoonA from the huge hit Big Mouth (opposite Lee Jeong Suk) and JunHo from the critically acclaimed sageuk or historical drama Red Cuff Sleeves (with Lee Se Young).
The first time news of casting for KTL came out, naysayers and serious reviewers were a tad skeptical about one more drama with a clichéd storyline—heir of a conglomerate meets employee of the family-owned hotel—that could be told in 10 to 12 episodes tops. Why, many asked, did YoonA and Junho take on this project? However, in separate interviews, both said it was a welcome change from the dramas they had done separately.
The first two episodes of KTL are downright corny, with nothing to brag about except its lead stars. Episode 1, streamed on June 17, had a viewership rating of 5.1 percent; this rose to 7.5 percent the next day. These are decent figures, but despite the rise, reviewers were very vocal about how the series couldn’t possibly move on and hold the viewers’ interest with such a storyline.
KTL tells the story of Goo Won (Jun Ho), heir to The King Group of which the luxury hotel King the Land is a major asset. It is almost 100 years old, but it is not the biggest revenue earner of the conglomerate. At its helm is Goo Hwa Ran (Kim Seon Young), Goo Won’s bitter and conniving older half-sister. Jun Ho’s Goo Won, home from studies abroad, is brought on board by their father Goo Il Hoon (Son Byong Ho), who will decide whom to appoint as hotel president after the anniversary is marked.
The first two episodes of KTL are downright corny, with nothing to brag about except its lead stars
As preparations for the hotel’s 100th year get underway, Goo Won is thrown into an inheritance war with Goo Hwa Ran. Matters are exacerbated when he volunteers to head the committee that would take full responsibility for the main event—an ultra-formal dinner for the hotel’s most important clients, suppliers, and VIPs including prominent politicians. To Hwa Ran’s chagrin, despite the obstacles she throws in Goo Won’s path, he ultimately succeeds and brings the hotel up to speed as a global brand.
Cheon Sa Rang (YoonA) is a front desk employee of the hotel, recipient of the title Best Talent two years in a row. From a middle-class background, she was raised by her grandmother, who owns a modest restaurant in the suburbs.
Good-natured Sa Rang always has a smile on her face, making it effortless for her to go through the hotel’s drill of the staff mouthing “Hermès” at assembly time. It is also that smile which greets guests at the front desk, and which she is able to keep even with the most irascible among them. Soon, she is promoted upstairs to be one of an elite concierge team attending to VIP guests.
This is when she first comes face to face with Goo Won. He scowls at her sunshiny greeting, visibly annoyed with that very same smile. He is irritated with people who smile easily, a reaction to the string of caregivers with plastered smiles on their faces who cared for him before he was sent abroad to boarding school. This, after his mother (veteran character actor Han Mi So) had vanished from his life. Sa Rang finds him arrogant and standoffish. The scenario is set for the start of KTL’s run.
But, by the third and fourth episodes, director and writer begin to take out the elements from their mixed bag of clichés. There is a thaw in the cold spell in Goo Woon and Sa Rang’s interactions. It helps to suspend viewers’ skepticism that the all-too-natural chemistry between YoonA and JunHo is so palpable, even in the most uneasy situations. This sent netizens squeeing and ratings rising to 9.6 percent in the fourth and fifth episodes.
KTL breached the 12 percent mark on its sixth episode. At this point, the romcom was named the Most Buzzworthy Korean drama by the Korean Business Research Institute, staying there for three weeks in a row until episode 10. It was no. 1 in the Philippines and Thailand among the most viewed Asian dramas. After episode 10, analytical website Good Data Corp. named JunHo the no. 1 Most Buzzworthy Actor, and YoonA no. 2.
One critic regularly reviewing K-dramas for the Times of India in indiatimes.com said: “Following a long wait for an out-and-out romcom in K-dramaland, the release of King the Land was met with initial cheer. Show created considerable buzz from casting stage owing to its leads, actors and K-Pop idols Lee JunHo and Im YoonA…King the Land had chemistry and charm aplenty from JunHo and YoonA, but little else.”
It helps to suspend viewers’ skepticism that the all-too-natural chemistry between the leads is so palpable, even in the most uneasy situations
This may have anticipated the fact that after KTL breached the 12 percent mark and coasted along, ratings dipped to 11.9 percent at the penultimate episode. (More on this later.) What happened? Had KTL’s critics been proven right? Netizens and viewers, however, were by then flooding Twitter and other platforms with positive comments steadily, since its debut up to episode 15 until the end.
@kimmydramaqueen tweeted: “Can’t believe people doubted their (JunHo’s and YoonA’s) chemistry before the drama even started. Look at them (now), their love, their happiness…it’s an actual romcom without second leads, utterly cruel characters, or murder subplots.” Yes, even Goo Won’s bitter half-sister and exacting father were not really evil to hate; they were simply operating on old, tried-and-tested ways, adamant against change.
Another Twitter user said, “The drama is goofy and cliched, yet it is loved for its comfort factor.”
There it is—the comfort factor that drew a steady number of viewers to King the Land. Not only did the drama mine clichés, it told a story using a most familiar fairytale as template—but updated it so lavishly and sweetly into its 21st version.
King the Land is a Cinderella story transported to K-Dramaland, but with a clever and well-wrought narrative that took liberties with the principal characters of that old fairytale, rewriting them to make them convincing and even likeable.
Its writer also gave the Cinderella plot very Asian nuances. When Goo Won made public his pursuit of Sa Rang, saying he liked her first and that, contrary to office gossip, she didn’t hit on him, he overturned malicious insinuations by backbiters in the hotel and brought back the previously unknown (to Goo Won) story behind his mother’s disappearance and banishment from the hotel. Herself a mere housekeeping staff, the mother was forced to leave Goo Won as a child to be raised by nannies. She surfaces towards the end. The media then goes to town with the headline “A new generation Cinderella in King the Land hotel.”
Sarang is a 21st-century Cinderella, pretty, smart, very focused on her goals while remaining good-natured. She did not have a college education, but working in a luxury hotel has always been her dream. She pursues this by taking language courses and works towards a certification as a sommelier. She thus brings to her stint at King the Land Hotel a solid though unorthodox resume.
Goo Won, fresh from his studies abroad, does not know much about hotel operations, but he works his way confidently and has a progressive outlook; his genuine care for the people who run the hotel, and smarts earned from his education, help him usher the hotel into the global arena. As he falls for Sarang, we see a steadfast prince who will do anything to prove his love against the prejudices of his rich family.
It’s a Cinderella story transported to K-Dramaland, with the principal characters of that old fairytale rewritten to make them convincing and even likeable
An Se Ha, playing Goo Won’s assistant and sidekick, provides much of the laughs.
The 21st-century version of Cinderella’s coach in King the Land is a very modern and über chic conveyance. Watch this romcom to see what it is. Sarang also didn’t need to fit into a glass slipper; instead she is gifted with something fit for a modern-day princess.
Cheon Sarang is also much loved by halmeoni Cha Soon Hee, ably played by perennial K-drama granny Kim Young Ok. She isn’t scrubbing pots and pans in the kitchen of a cruel stepmother with two ugly bully daughters. Another very Asian touch to the storyline is how halmeoni brings Goo Won to market with her and shows him off subtly to her peers putting up their own candidates for Sarang’s would-be husband. It is a most charming moment when she takes out a savings account for Goo Won so he can one day buy Sarang a house. Of course viewers know he is a chaebol heir, but Goo Won ably and charmingly plays along. Towards the end, Goo Won and Sarang give her a birthday party with the color purple as theme. She is decked out like a lovable fairy godmother.
Goo Il Hoon, Goo Won’s father, also comes across as a typical chaebol father bent on maintaining the traditions in King the Land Hotel, not shaking up conventions and thus sacrificing his relationship with Won’s mother. He is also in character as he exiles Sarang to a branch of the hotel in the hinterlands.
Lending the most solid support to Cheon Sarang even during the most emotionally trying times, are her best friends Oh Pheong Hwa (Go Son Hee), the flight attendant with King Air, and Kim Ga Eun in the role of the sales team manager Da Eul in the luxury goods store owned by King Distribution. The two women are confronted with issues in their workplaces: the sexist pilot harassing Pyeong Hwa, and Da Eul’s dishonest boss. A younger flight steward falls for Pyeong Hwa, while Da Eul’s domestic situation improves after she stands her ground with her husband. The three friends exemplify 21st-century working women taking on challenges at home and in their careers.
The drama also tackles, but does not dwell at length on, the situation of workers in King the Land Hotel, as well as those faced by Pyeong Hwa and Da Eul. All told, the challenges confronted not only by Goo Won and Sarang but also by their friends on the road to their happy ending were neatly tied up, making the 16 hours invested in this romcom more than worth it.
Before we forget, that dip in viewership ratings in the 15th episode was the result of a well-planned cliff hanger. Be sure to watch King the Land without taking a break from the 14th to the 16th episode if you aren’t binge-watching it on a long weekend.
Finally, a viewer commenting on reddit.com said it best: “To their (director and writer) defense they never labeled themselves as (producing) a groundbreaking drama that will stir up people’s minds…It is a romcom that’s aware of how clichéd it is, and therefore doesn’t take itself too seriously…It is generic, stereotypical, and predictable, but it is also nostalgic, warm, and comforting.”
