"Moon River" features Kim Se-jeong becoming the lifesaving benefactor who saved Crown Prince Kang Tae-oh.
On Oct. 14, the aired MBC Friday-Saturday drama "Moon River" (written by Jo Seung-hee, directed by Lee Dong-hyun, abbreviated "Moon River") episode 3 showed Park Dal-i (played by Kim Se-jeong) repaying a favor in full by caring devotedly for Crown Prince Lee Kang (played by Kang Tae-oh), who had fixed her leg, after he was shot and collapsed.
According to Nielsen Korea on Oct. 15, episode 3 of "Moon River" recorded nationwide ratings of 5.6% and 5.1% in the Seoul metropolitan area, setting a personal best. In addition, the scene near the end in which Lee Kang collapses into Park Dal-i's arms surged to a peak of 8.3%.
Lee Kang realized justice by saving Park Dal-i, who had been falsely accused because of a nobleman's lies driven by resentment over the fabricated case of a chaste woman. He was aware that his impulsive behavior of rushing in recklessly whenever something involved Park Dal-i, who looked exactly like the deceased crown princess, was wrong. For that reason, Lee Kang lashed out with harsh words at Park Dal-i and tried to send her far away from Hanyang.
Despite Lee Kang's efforts, Park Dal-i, who was in debt, became a servant running errands for Jeun Daegun Lee Woon (played by Lee Shin-young) and could not leave Hanyang. While delivering a letter to Kim Woo-hee (played by Hong Soo-joo), the daughter of Left State Councilor Kim Han-cheol (played by Jin Goo), on Lee Woon's errand, Park Dal-i happened to meet Lee Kang, who was on his way to pick up his fiancée, and the two ended up on an awkward journey together to the same destination.
At the same time, Kim Woo-hee was devising a dangerous plan to achieve not only her goal of marrying her beloved Lee Woon but also her father Kim Han-cheol's ambition to become a royal relative. Believing that if the crown prince vanished the succession would naturally pass to Lee Woon, Kim Woo-hee decided to eliminate Lee Kang herself and make Lee Woon the crown prince.
Unaware of this plan, Lee Kang was suddenly attacked by assassins and began a fierce battle. He barely managed to repel the assassins, but a bullet fired by Kim Woo-hee struck his chest, and he fell off a cliff with his gunshot wound. Kim Woo-hee's cold smile as she watched Lee Kang fall from a dizzying height sent chills down viewers' spines.
The person who saved Lee Kang as he drifted down the valley was none other than Park Dal-i. Returning from Lee Woon's errand, Park Dal-i found the collapsed Lee Kang and tended to him carefully, focusing on his treatment. After some two weeks, Lee Kang finally regained consciousness with Park Dal-i's help and, while announcing news of his survival in Hanyang, hurried preparations to return to the palace.
However, it was uncertain whether Lee Kang, who had not yet fully recovered from the gunshot wound, could safely reach Hanyang. Exhausted from riding day and night for two days, Lee Kang could not be left as he was, and Park Dal-i expressed her determination to save him, saying, "Since I saved this life, Your Highness' life is my responsibility."
Park Dal-i even chased after Lee Kang when he tried to leave her, expressing her concern and stopping his steps. Lee Kang, who had always rushed to Park Dal-i's aid when she was in danger, could not ignore Park Dal-i reaching out to him for the first time. Then, leaving the words "Do your best to protect me," he collapsed into Park Dal-i's arms, surprising viewers. With Park Dal-i's protection, whether Lee Kang can safely arrive in Hanyang remains to be seen.
With recent attention-grabbing works such as SBS's Friday-Saturday drama Would You Merry Me and tvN's Saturday-Sunday drama Typhoon Family, competition in the weekend drama market has intensified. Amid this, "Moon River" attracted more attention by reaching its first personal best and breaking the 5% barrier. It remains to be seen whether "Moon River" will sustain that momentum in episode 4. It airs tonight (Oct. 15) at 9:40 p.m.
[Photo] Provided by MBC.
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