The May 24 episode of "
The Iron Empress" featured Prince Gaeryeong, Wang Song, and Yoo Seon, his future wife, as adults.
Wang Song pleaded with Queen Munhwa (
Moon Jeong-hee) to save his mother, Hwang Bo-su (
Chae Si-ra), whose attempt to carry out a coup failed. The queen told him to give up his right to succeed to the throne in return.
Wang said to King Seongjong, "I did not fulfill my responsibility as a son, so please deprive me of the right to the throne and forgive my mother". Hearing this, Hwang Bo-su told him, "Please take good care of yourself. Do not lose courage and confidence".
Ousted and reduced to an ordinary man, Wang was confined in a small palace. Gangjo (
Choi Jae-seong), who took part in the failed plot, was also deprived of his rights and ordered to assist him. Kim Chi-yang (
Kim Seok-hoon) was sent into exile to a remote island and Hwang Bo-su to another country.
Hwang, on her way to exile, met Yoo Seon and asked her to find Wang and take care of him.
Feeling stifled in confinement, Wang wanted to ride a horse, but Gangjo opposed, it saying that would infuriate the king. Wang said in frustration, "I would rather die. Dying would be better than living sick and confined like this". But Yoo came to his rescue then and said to Gangjo, "Please let him ride a horse. I will be responsible if there's trouble".
Wang and Yoo depended on each other to get through tough times and grow up to be a man and a woman.
The adult Wang Song, played by
Lee In, returned to the palace when Prince Daeryang went missing, leaving no one to succeed King Seongjong. He became King Mokjong, who would face a series of misfortunes as he was epileptic and did not produce a son to succeed him, which would cause conflicts between his party and opponents.
Yoo Seon, played by
Lee In-hye, was a daughter who Queen Mundeok (
Lee Hyeon-kyeong) bore before marrying King Seongjong. The king did not really love Queen Mundeok because he was forced to marry her to be crowned. Knowing this, the queen wanted her daughter to marry someone who really loved her and live freely. That was why she entrusted her daughter to Hwang Bo-su when she died. But Yoo also failed to lead a happy marriage life because her marriage to King Mokjong was forced by Hwang, whom the king feared.
Viewers expressed their expectations for the two stars playing the adult characters.
Lee In is a new heartthrob who appeared as a boy Sejong in "
The Great King Sejong", and
Lee In-hye is teaching students as the youngest professor of an acting school. One viewer said, "I am pleased to see
Lee In playing Wang Song. I have high expectations for him", and another said, "It's exciting to see how adult actors play the grown-up characters".
"
The Iron Empress" is being aired on KBS2 on Saturdays at 10:15 p.m. and Sundays at 10:25 p.m.
