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My Princess: Episode 1

Oh, so cute. WAAAAY better than I was fearing, and Kim Tae-hee is seriously adorable. So if you don’t mind, I’d just like to take a moment to address Madam Girlfriday:

MUAHAHA! I WIN! Neener neener, in your face!

Okay, I’d better stop now, just in case things take a turn for the worse later and I’m forced to eat my words. Because even worse than having that rubbed in my face later on is deserving it.

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EPISODE 1 RECAP

We open on LEE SEOL (Kim Tae-hee) walking through palace grounds, dressed in full princess regalia. She is attended by a retinue of court ladies, and heads toward a courtyard that is decorated in finery; traditional dancers and musicians sit poised, ready to begin their performance.

As Seol makes her way across the pavilion and seats herself, a man in a suit (Song Seung-heon, playing PARK HAE-YOUNG), reports into his earpiece, “The princess has arrived,” signaling the beginning of the show.

Drummers drum, dancers dance, and Seol watches smilingly… and then lets out a big yawn. We’re meant to think this is a subtle Roman Holiday moment that will soon pass, but no, she follows that with a neck stretch, kicks up her feet, and taps them like a child on the ground. She even stands up and massages her tired back — and it’s then that we see that she’s not, in fact, presiding over the fancy court event.

Instead, she’s sitting alone at the front of the palace grounds, dressed as a princess for tourist photos, a la Goofy at Disneyland. The real princess is inside, a Westerner who watches the events that have been prepared for her visit.

As soon as her shift winds down, Seol bounds off to change, just as the diplomat comes up to the photographer with a request: Princess Stella wants a commemorative photo with the Korean “princess.”

Since Seol has left, Hae-young hurries to look for her and barges into the women’s changing room, thereby fulfilling more than one viewer’s fantasies, I’m sure. The ladies squeal and throw clothes at him, but he ignores them and locates Seol, dragging her out.

He asks her to remain for the photo session, but she flatly declines, as she’s got another part-time job lined up. Until he offers her a hefty 100,000 won ($90 USD) for an hour’s work.

Suddenly all smiles, Seol accepts. While she poses with the princess, Hae-young hears of the latest brouhaha in the Blue House, as the president has issued a conference regarding the restoration of the monarchy, which will be put to a vote. Not surprisingly, he faces strong opposition from other politicians, who vow to do everything to counter the president’s move.

As the event winds down, Seol tracks Hae-young down to ask for her pay, growing affronted when he tells her he doesn’t have the cash on him — all he has is a note for 1 million won, not the 100,000 he promised. She tries to protest, but he’s called away and hurriedly gives her his business card, asking her to text him her bank account info so he can transfer the funds.

Hae-young has been called by his grandfather, the elderly chairman to Daehan Group, who is making yet another visit to a particular gravesite. Hae-young has dutifully accompanied his grandfather here over the years, but he’s growing impatient with the pointless exercise, not understanding the old man’s dedication. Frustrated with his grandfather’s constant answer that things will become clear in time, he retorts that he won’t ask anymore.

Taking a few moments alone at the gravesite, Chairman Park addresses the deceased: “Your Highness, we have waited a very long time. Now all of the preparations are complete.”

Seol bikes to school and slips into the department office where she works, knowing that she’s late again. She tries to smooth over the ruffled feathers of her supervisor, who’s used to this and calls Seol on her “princess” behavior, wryly referring to her as “Your Highness.”

The three women — the third being Seol’s friend and classmate — all snap to attention when NAM JUNG-WOO (Ryu Soo-young) enters, as he is clearly a favorite professor, as well as being witty, smart, and handsome to boot.

How convenient that the topic upon which Jung-woo lectures today happens to be Korea’s monarchy and the conditions of its possible restoration — such as a hidden child, for instance. Seol drools over the hot prof and tells her friend that she’ll seal the deal when she goes to Egypt — the art professors will surely head to the pyramids, where a few nights in close quarters will be on her side.

She daydreams about this fateful meeting, and I love that in her fantasy she’s dressed up like a frivolous city girl as she wheels her luggage through the pyramids, ready to surprise her lover, Mr. Hot Prof. Alas, her own dream fails her, and Dream Jung-woo shuts her in the mummy cask, leaving Seol to cry out after him, “Professor!”

Which is, of course, when she wakes up and realizes she’s just shouted in the middle of lecture. Embarrassed, she mumbles her apology — she was thinking of something else. He teases, “You were thinking about something else, and I was involved? Wow.”

As students file out of the classroom, Seol notices the slide onscreen, the hanja characters catching her attention. She’d missed the explanation in her dozing, so her friend fills her in: It’s from a letter written by the Emperor Sunjong (the last Joseon emperor). The original artifact is lost and only photos remain, but this was the first discovery indicating the existence of Lee Young, Sunjong’s lost child (who, we will later discover, is Seol’s ancestor).

There’s something familiar about those letters… but Seol’s attention is immediately distracted when her friend tells her to give up on her crush; Hot Prof Jung-woo has a girlfriend. She’s reputed to be beautiful and rich, and a director of an art museum.

Seol accompanies her friend to her job at a department store, which is just another excuse for her to lovingly take photos of a coveted piece of luggage — the perfect bag to take with her to Egypt. She’s had her eye on one in particular, and has almost scraped together enough to buy it. But the saleslady tells her that there’s only one bag left, and the model has been discontinued. Seol frets — and after she spent the past two years saving! (That comment earns her a polite-but-incredulous, “It took you two years to save 300,000 won?” ($280) Lol.)

On her way out, Seol is attracted by the shiny baubles in the jewelry display, and oohs over the pretty pieces of jewelry. A customer buys the ring she’s looking at, and Seol recognizes him as the guy from before. The guy who owes her money.

He again offers to transfer the money into her account, but she’d rather be paid now. Rather than allowing herself to be dismissed, Seol follows Hae-young into a crowded elevator, though she doesn’t press her point or say anything.

Instead, they stand side by side and play a round of I’m-not-looking-at-you-I-swear-well-maybe-just-a-peek-oops!-nope-not-looking! It’s pretty adorable.

Following him into the parking garage, she remains a few steps behind until he finally faces her. He smirks to himself, half-exasperated, half-puffed up with self-satisfaction, thinking, “She’s totally fallen for me.” Pride — it comes before something, they say. What was that again?

Seol loses her nerve and turns away, and he stops her from leaving, which I find hilarious — she can’t just go without professing her crush on him! Nope, he’s gotta hear it, vain pretty man that he is, lol. He prompts her to just out with it already.

To his utter bewilderment, it’s not an advance or a confession she makes, but a request for his receipt, since he hadn’t cared to receive one in the first place. Purchases of over 300,000 won will earn a special gift.

The conversation is interrupted by a call from OH YOON-JU (Park Ye-jin), who’s friendly enough with Hae-young to call him oppa and talk flirtatiously. Her big exhibit opens tomorrow, to which Hae-young promises to come. She adds that she’s currently cleaning her employees’ desks as a thank-you gesture for all their hard work, and declines his offer to help with that. (She’s totally lying, as she’s actually picking out wine in a fancy restaurant, but hey, it makes her sound good.)

Hae-young offers Seol a part-time job cleaning some desks, offering that receipt and 30,000 won. Seol ain’t no fool, and she immediately sizes up the situation: He’s harboring a one-sided crush for that woman. Brightly, she tells him to wait a minute, promising to turn that unrequited love into a spouse.

Running off, she comes back with rubber work gloves — for him. After all, she can tell he’s rich, and figures the woman is too. Would she really be impressed that he hired someone to do the cleaning? No, people are moved when you give them something they never thought you would.

Wishing him luck, she takes the receipt and bounces off gaily.

Hae-young gets a text from Yoon-ju asking if he’s on his way over bearing gloves, intending to do the cleaning himself. Just in case, she’s leaving work early, to prevent him from all that work. And Hae-young has to smile in wonderment — so Seol WAS right.

Yoon-ju has dinner with Jung-woo, who has recalled that today is the ten-year anniversary of their first meeting. It’s clear that he has feelings for her — they were each other’s first loves — but they’re not in a dating relationship, not exactly. It seems complicated.

For instance, when she gives him a preview to her new exhibit regarding the old monarchy, he envelops her in a warm hug, and she stiffens. He understands that she’s not reciprocating, but that’s not the intent of his hug, and he keeps his arms around her.

He’s proud of her efforts, and tomorrow will be a big day, with the president slated for a visit. He assures her that tomorrow, her talent and effort will be proven to the world.

Seol makes her way home, where, to her surprise, her passcode is rejected. Her (adopted) sister — both girls were adopted from the same orphanage — LEE DAN, answers the door in a surly mood, and flatly turns Seol away for the night, saying that she wants to spend some time alone.

Without anywhere else to turn, Seol sneaks into school to crash at the office — only she runs into Jung-woo on her way in. He’s quick to size up the situation but doesn’t comment on it, and they share some cup ramyun as they chat.

Seol casually asks about his supposed girlfriend, wondering if she’s as pretty as rumored, her heart sinking when he confirms it. She makes up an excuse to stay behind when he heads home, so she can settle on the couch for the night.

But first, she takes the opportunity to look around Jung-woo’s office, noting the book he is currently reading — it’s the one he wrote, which deals with the last Crown Prince. Curiously, she notices that a co-author is listed, someone named Yoon-ju.

Immediately, she heads online to find out more about the woman, and realizes that this is the museum director, hence also his girlfriend (and, in her mind, her rival). Her hunch is confirmed when she sees that his computer wallpaper is a photo of Yoon-ju.

The next question she asks the internet: “How do I get rid of my man’s woman?” Haha.

Having identified her competition, Seol heads to the Museum of Haeyoung tomorrow for Yoon-ju’s exhibit opening, where she catches a glimpse of Hae-young in the crowd. Whirling around, she ducks to keep out of sight and hurries along, accidently stumbling right into Yoon-ju’s mini-photo shoot with a photographer.

Too bad Hae-young has already spotted her, and comes up right behind to ask if she followed him here (O, vanity). Seol denies it, having been surprised to see him in the first place, and again ducks for cover when Yoon-ju looks in her direction.

Noting his curiosity over her reaction, Seol refers to the offender and sniffs that Yoon-ju’s not so impressive, really. She must be dating someone in the Daehan Group family to have advanced this far in her career at such a young age.

So naturally Seol is startled when Yoon-ju heads straight for them and greets Hae-young warmly. She tries to sneak away, but Hae-young grabs her back and doesn’t let her off the hook, introducing her to Yoon-ju as someone “with a lot of interest in you.”

After Yoon-ju is called away, Hae-yoon assures Seol that her assumptions are off-base, and identifies Yoon-ju as the recipient of the ring. He calls her the woman who’s going to marry into Daehan Group, effectively putting an end to her protests and declaring his intentions. Or rather, he would be declaring his intentions if Seol had picked up on the fact that we already know — that he’s the Daehan Group heir.

But no matter, because Seol’s just thrilled that this means Jung-woo is free for her. In a chipper mood, she asks how it went last night with the rubber gloves, and gives him more advice about how to win her over, saying jealousy is the next tool. The sign of success? When Yoon-ju betrays her suspicions by looking over at his lady companion and asking, “Who is she?”

As if on cue, Yoon-ju approaches with a big smile but asks hesitantly, “Who… is she?” Hae-young is surprised (and gratified that this means she IS jealous), so Seol ups the ante by cozying up to him and introducing himself as “oppa’s girlfriend,” using a false name for good measure.

This isn’t exactly Hae-young’s style to lie, but Seol has so far been right on all counts, so when Yoon-ju asks if it’s true, he stutters, “U-uh… uh? Must be true.”

Throughout the subsequent coffee break, Hae-young surrenders the lead to Seol, though not wholly eagerly. Mostly he focuses on his coffee while Seol gushes that oppa is soooo attentive, and calls her his little Thumbelina who he’d like to carry around everywhere. And that Hae-young told Seol that there’s a lot of talk about Yoon-ju looking like a fox and having a complicated love life (HA, she had to get her dig in)… but that in reality she’s quite sweet.

Yoon-ju picks up on an oddity in Seol’s endless litany praising Hae-young — about him making his own fortune in the world — and Hae-young covers for that by telling her that he hasn’t told her the truth of his background yet.

The coffee date seems to get under Yoon-ju’s skin a teeny bit, but not to the level that Seol intended, so she figures they’ll have to call out the heavy guns.

Seol spots Jung-woo in the crowd, and rather than have to explain why she’s here at his girlfriend’s exhibit, she ducks away and pulls Hae-young with her. She relocates them to the second floor, where they watch the opening officially get under way.

As Yoon-ju addresses the crowd, she unveils her pièce de résistance — the thing she’d vaguely alluded to with Jung-woo as her “secret” — which is Emperor Sunjong’s lost letter.

This is the artifact that Jung-woo had been studying, and given that he had written an entire book with Yoon-ju about the topic, it’s a pretty sneaky thing she has accomplished, keeping him out of the loop, basking in the glory of her solo discovery. I’m sure you could argue that what she did wasn’t exactly unethical, but to a good friend and colleague, it sure smacks of betrayal. Jung-woo realizes this and stalks out, fuming.

Watching from above, Seol is once again transfixed by the hanja letters on the letter — she recognizes them from tapestry hangings at home.

She prods Hae-young into buying her dinner (in exchange for her girlfriend-wooing advice), and her enthusiastic exclamations have him bowing his head apologetically for the disturbance. He’s going about his courtship all wrong, she decrees, especially as he bought the ring to propose with. No, no, no — he can’t propose until she’s absolutely dying to be proposed to!

It’s cute how he doesn’t know how to handle her — she both amuses and embarrasses him — while Seol is blithely unconcerned and continues dispensing her advice.

She orders Hae-young not to buy Yoon-ju anything further, even on her birthday; he is to call her instead, and give her the gift a week later saying, “I didn’t want my gift mixing with the others.” Swoon practically guaranteed.

Seol gets a call from Mom, who’s off to Mt. Jiri for the weekend to pray that sister Dan passes her upcoming exam. Seol balks at the request to feed the dogs at Mom’s rural bed-and-breakfast, but then she realizes that an empty house is just another opportunity for her to make some extra cash. HOW exactly she intends this we don’t know, but Seol’s flights of fancy are hardly rooted in realistic expectations, and she just sees this as a quick way to rustle up plane fare for her trip to Egypt.

Hae-young doesn’t approve — he’s showing himself to be a rather strait-laced, conservative type, isn’t it? — and even threatens to call her mother to warn her what her daughter’s been up to.

He’s called away with an emergency, and hurries to his grandfather’s bedside. The chairman has had a heart episode, triggered by overexcitement wrought by good news. Hae-young tries to speak to Grandpa, but the only words that the old man ekes out are “Lee…Seol…”

A conversation with the secretary clarifies that Lee Seol is a girl to whom Grandpa owes a debt. Hae-young’s frustration bubbles over yet again, because the grandfather he knows would never be indebted to anyone, or feel sorry about it. With one exception, that is: the man whose grave he periodically visits.

Hae-young guesses that this Seol character has something to do with the dead man, and while the secretary concedes that he’s right, it’s not his place to tell him the full story. That, he’ll have to get from his grandfather. But first, Hae-young must go and bring the girl here.

We know (from promos and basic drama premise info) what their relationship is, but Hae-young does not, and his cynical thoughts have taken him in the other direction. He asks one last question: Is this Seol person his grandfather’s (secret) child? Or his father’s?

Yoon-ju arrives to catch the end of this conversation, and we realize that she is the secretary’s daughter. She considers herself part of the family and wheedles her father for the story, but he won’t divulge information that is not her concern.

That night, as Hae-young looks at a photo of his father with tears in his eyes, we are given a few pieces of information: That his father is dead, that he has lingering father/grandfather issues, and that he seems like a lonely person.

In the morning, Hae-young arrives at Seol’s doorstep, though it’s her sister Dan who answers. He hasn’t been able to get a hold of her via phone, so he leaves his card and asks for Dan to let him know when she’s back.

Dan eyes him with interest, and offers the information of Seol’s current whereabouts, adding, “If I tell you now, can I still call you later?” He’s taken aback at the advance, which is hilarious. Oh, Hae-young and your awkwardness around forthright ladies. Bless his heart.

He drives down to the out-of-the-way bed-and-breakfast, where he sees a woman feeding the dogs in the yard. It takes a few moments for him to recognize her, but when he does, he’s utterly stunned.

She still hasn’t noticed him, and he pulls out his phone to call her number. She answers readily with her name, confirming that she is Seol, and that seems to make him even angrier, for whatever reason, and he hangs up.

Seol rings him back, and when he answers, she finally looks up and spots him across the yard. Not registering his grim face, she breaks out into a wide grin and greets him warmly, only to have him accuse her of lying.

Unruffled, she explains that she’d used a false name with Yoon-ju because jealous women often look up the offending party online; she was just protecting herself. However, Hae-young charges her with knowing who he was from the beginning, and asks accusingly if she’d approached him intentionally.

I suspect that the strength of his reaction points to some past incidents with this exact scenario, because he’s awfully sensitive — but that’s probably something learned over the course of one’s life when one is one of the richest heirs in the nation.

Seol just laughs it off, as she has no idea what he’s talking about, or even who he really is. He heads for the house, announcing that he’ll stay the night. That reminds Seol that she’s about to make some money, so she throws open her arms and welcomes him to her abode.

 
COMMENTS

Cute, cute, cute. Kim Tae-hee is utterly winning, and I smile whenever she bounces around with her effervescent, good-natured cheer. This brand of overacting works in the rom-com genre, whereas the subtler acting required by her more serious drama and movie roles has often betrayed her weaknesses. It’s too bad she hasn’t been doing more dramas like this all this time, although I respect that she has tried very hard to stretch her acting abilities.

Same with Song Seung-heon — while I can’t call him good, he’s totally par for the course as far as rom-com leads goes, and I’m enjoying the little bits of humor he brings to the character. For instance, the way he reacts with confusion, amusement, and exasperation whenever Seol the Bubbly Whirlwind whooshes by him in a maelstrom of energy and emotion. I like that he’s not cold-hearted, and he’s not the snooty type, because I’m Darcy’d out. (Seriously, I love Pride and Prejudice and have read it dozens of times — but really, not everything has to be about it.)

It’s a little ridiculous to think of Song Seung-heon being stuck in an unrequited love, and that may have been even harder for me to believe than this whole monarchy-restoration business, but I’m trying to believe it. And while I’m not that enamored of the whole chaebol rich-boy thing (yawn), as long as the chemistry continues to spark and the laughs roll on, I’m happy. Their rapport isn’t the rawr-sizzling-sexual-tension kind of, say, Secret Garden, but it’s very cute to see them reacting to each other.

I did wonder how the restoration of the monarchy would come about, because it seems too complex an issue to introduce and establish in an episode or two, so it makes sense that they established that this has been an ongoing thing. And that people have known for ages that the lost Lee Young prince existed — it’s just not till now that they have been able to locate his descendants. This is reinforced by the fact that she was adopted, making it that much harder to track her down.

So far, a solid ride, and one I’m excited to continue.

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YAY!!....yet to watch th episode...but i'm totally in the mood for something cute and fluffy....so its gr8 to know u're considering recapping this

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Javabeans, tiny mistake to correct, it is 3,000,000won , not 300,000won that can get gift and SSh spent 5,000,0000won.

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you know what this makes me think..that A-List Stars seem to be leaning on light, fun projects lately! i mean i did not exactly expect Ha Ji Won and Hyun Bin (& even Jang Hyuk since he DID agree to star in SG before he backed out) to act as hilariously as they do now in SG!

hmm..might it be that the great Mi-ho, Shin Mina kind of sparked the trend?! i’m loving it!

coz it shows their range..and more so their more “humane” and “normal people-like” sense of humor

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yeah you're so right.
btw javabeans, is it pride comes before the fall or something?

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I HAVE BEEN REFRESHING AND WAITING FOR THIS! WOOT! I AM SO EXCITED FOR TOMORROW! This drama shows promise!

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LOVE IT!
Anyone else notice the Thumbelina > Sam-Soon reference? :)

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fighting..

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I watched this episode right after I watched Episode 1 of Dream High, and I saw the differences right away. I absolutely LOVED My Princess! So endearing. I can't wait until it's fully subbed!

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I so agree....I watched Dream High first too...but I thought most parts were plain boring......

this was refreshing...Kim Tae Hee is hilarious in this role. And I have to admit this is the first time I liked Song Seung Hoon.never did like him in overly dramatic shows like Autumn in my Heart. My fav was Won Bin =)

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Love this drama already!

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i read the recaps and loved it right away~~~
and then i watched it as soon as it was subbed
OMG i fell in love with it!! hopefully itll be good till the end!!
i cant wait for the next episode~~ the previews gahh looks soo GOOD!!!

good think i can get by with your recaps....!! thanks JB and GF!

-to be fair i think dream high was okay... the last scene with kim soo hyun left me interested till the next episode hopefully itll pick up.. im also interested with wooyoung's and iu's characters and possible love team?! haha

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Thanks JB <3
I loved the first episode :)
Much better than Dream High :p

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To be fair... My Princess, and Dream High targets different kinds of audience.

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Different kinds of audience? I doubt it. I think both dramas are targeted more for the young female audience.

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I half half agree with you elsie ;)
It's not really targeted at "young" females :p
But both drama's are similar in the sense that they are both "fresh & bubbly" though the latter (my princess) wins based on first episode alone :)
Lets hope it continues being a joy to watch ~ episode 2 looked nice from the preview *__*

Hopefully Dream High gets better as more episodes air~ though I can't change my general dislike of Suzy's portrayal as GO HYE-MI :( Two episodes in and she isn't doing much as a lead for me :| Its not even the good kind of dislike you have towards a character~ you know one that you go... OMG i would so punch that person if i see them in the street! Instead I'm just like~ yeah i don't give two shits who this person is & what they want to do.

*goes back to her shrine & prays that the speedo shower still was photoshopped*

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My Princess seems to target more of an older audience (granted we can definitely count teens in to the audience) with it's cast being above the 20s.

Dream High seems more like something for the devotedly young audience (yes the adults might not mind watching if they want to see some high school interactions), but gotta admit that it's the teens who would be more likely to tune in.

But young female audience? Heh, sure. But both dramas I like for different reasons. The teen still alive in me who loved high school (High School outside of the U.S. was fun because we had no bully and popularity issues!) will be enjoying the interactions of the young ones in Dream High, while the 21 year old in me is looking forward to the adult interactions of My Princess.

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wow, such a long recap. really thank you for this... You 're the best!

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Very lighthearted and cute. Just what I need to start off 2011.

I never cared for Ryu Soo young but I actually really like his character here. :-)

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lighthearted and cute... i hope it stays that way.

sure, mid to latter part the angst would kick in, that's expected. but i'm hoping the tone would never cross the serious political side. i've seen the first half [and after reading jb's recap] the drama's atmosphere is really bright and "romancy". it's reminding me a bit of GoongS; i hope tho it wouldnt end like it where the political side/issue was given heavy importance than romantic relationships. after all, this drama is roofed under the RomCom genre.

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IT'S OUT.
feeling like a stalker, but whatever. thank you so much!

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KTH is great in first episode but I hope she can tone it down later because an hour of her endless babbling can get very annoying. It's one thing to be bubbly but just be careful not to get overboard.

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So far i'm rooting for the second guy! HE just oozes with sexiness. His sad puppy face but won me over. I think i might have second lead syndrome by the end of this drama.

I can't wait for tomorow episode. The preview was so hilarious. The last part where she runs out...AAAAAAh... love it!

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I completely agree about the second lead. At this point I'm way more interested in him than the main guy, AND I think he's hotter. The Indiana Jones gettup? So hot. Yummmm. ^_^ Wish my profs looked like that!

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I was happily surprised with Kim Tae Hee's acting. She has definitely improved over the years. Although she overracted some scenes, I agree that overall its a positive start.

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Thanks Javabeans for this recap. I watch the first episode and not understanding anything, it was just ok for me and just observing their facial expressions. The recaps really makes me more interested and invested in the drama because if it is really good, I would patiently wait for the subs.

I probably will wait till Secret Garden finishes and then I will devout myself to this drama. Looking at the guy on My Princess....Hyun Bin's chaebol bearing always got in the way and I was always comparing the character to him. I think I am just loving SG nowadays.

Hoping this drama will be so good. I always love rom-com and it feels good to have another drama to look forward to after a favorite will end.

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Another blogger (rebelsoul) does (or did for ep. 1) live recaps. I followed the raw w/her summary.

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I cannot wait to watch this. Seems good so far. I just hope it doesn't turn out to be a disappointment.

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i was really pleasantly shocked too.
i thought sign was going to be the drama for me
and with the endless promotions for my princess...
the drama was already starting to irk me.
(especially since i still have a grudge against song seung hyun for stealing song hye gyo from wonbin xP)
but hey rom com works well for them.
i found myself laughing at their chemistry and waiting for tomorrow's episode.
that's more than what the other two new dramas did this week.
by. who is this written by? isn't it the same person who is currently writing secret garden. and did city hall & and lovers in paris...?

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According to internet (well, d-addicts.com),yes. She and another writer.

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NOOOOOO, she's not writing this.
She specifically mentioned on her twitter that her used-to-be assistant is writing my princess, NOT HER.
please don't believe false rumors.

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Haven't watched this yet, but after ockoala's recap and now yours I'm glad I downloaded it. It sounds so fluffily adorable. :D

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where did you download it? may i have a linky plleeaaase? spankyu! :)

i really only thought i'd get into Dream High and My Princess, just to make my weeks pass by faster *cough* while i wait for Secret Garden* cough* * and i die at work *cough* .....oh wow, my life. WUT.) but yeah, i'm superhappy my fillers are turning out to be awesome as well.. YAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!
huzzah for more promising dramas in 2011!

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Thanks for the recap!

Their chemistry is adorable!!!! I am completely excited for more episodes.

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Jar young is soooooo nice
Swooon

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Thanks so much for the super detailed recap, JB! As soon as I started watching it, something about the show immediately warmed itself into my heart. This is my first SSH drama, and I really, really, really liked his character. I love that he's not arrogant or snotty but is just someone mildly perplexed by this gnat-like creature called Seol. He has never met someone like her, and I like how subdued his character is, while ready to take the ride. He should be an interesting male lead.

I am hoping that the drama, once the princess status is revealed, will become louder and grander and more fairy tale-like, complete with shenanigans and "court" intrigue. More than anything, if the subtlety of the first episode is any indication, I really hope that the spark of love between the two leads will grow slowly and quietly.

I loved the fantasy sequence for its quirkiness. I LOLed at her attire in the desert...and her odd but cute obsession with the red suitcase.

I am now super nervous about the next episodes. Please, writers, remember why people watch princess stories--for the magic, the fun, the quirkiness and the love; please don't mess it up w/ melodrama.

Thanks JB!

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i think this is the first time i like kim tae hee.....i think she's pretty but not a good actor....but her character here is really cute...it really suits her....the 1st episode is way better than i thought cause i kept my expectations low...btw about that lost prince, is it really true or it's just made up for this drama?

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No, you haven't win yet! :D
and that's not fair showing SSH's abs for teaser.

Taec should show his abs too!!! :P

Anyway. I'm now interested..but will try to wait few more eps ( and fab recaps ) before I start to download My Princess.

Thanks Javabeans!

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RANDOM RANDOM~

Actually, the royal line tried an enthronement, but was not supported by the republic. The royal line still exists and are taking note of who is in the next line of enthronement. Well, there will always be a crown prince but he will never be a king.

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These are actual facts. Haha perhaps, the concept of the drama was taken from the royal family's efforts to restore enthronement last 2008. I think the present crown prince is in his 40's.

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Lee Seol is supposed to be a graduate student, right? Just looked up her age. . . .damn. That's pretty amazing.

I just adored the scene where she was taking pictures of "her" bag. So hilarious and sweet.

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been wondering about this recap :D
Thanks a lott :D

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JB was taken for this MP....

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With regards to her taking two years to save up for that luggage, I'm thinking perhaps it's because she's been squirreling away money for that on top of living expenses and school fees. And considering it's an expensive piece of luggage I totally understand her struggles. So many things on my own wishlist I've had for the past couple of years and I'm no where close to buying them :(

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DB I can feel your excitement practically oozing out of this recap lol, thanks!

I'm loving the show so far too as it's just so fun and breezy w/o any pretense. However, there is so much suspension of disbelief in this drama, and I'm not even talking about the long lost princess thing.

First, on what planet would a well educated chaebol diplomat or whatever he is just bust into a female dressing room?

Second, Seol and HY kinda went from strangers to bffs pretty fast. I mean, whatever it's cute, but why on earth would HY take advice from her on anything much less the girl he's in luve with?

Also, who frickin' doesn't notice someone standing 10 feet away calling you? That last scene was so ridiculous I actually laughed out loud when HY was getting all angry and Seul was totally oblivious.

Maybe it's because SSH is just that bad of an actor, but I get the sense that HY is kinda the awkward turtle type rather than the cold and successful chaebol we're used to. I hope this sort of random friendship thing between the two of them continues for a while before romance as it's actually refreshing to see two leads who don't start off hating each other's guts.

Korean Indiana Jones is purty, not as much as HY, but a better actor. I already feel second lead syndrome coming on *swoon*

Finally, KTH is rocking this role. I never thought she was as bad as people make her out to be, but I'm loving her so much here. Yeah, the spunky, ditsy girl isn't exactly original, but KTH givers Seol her own charm, and it helps that the actress is just so darn likable.

Can't wait for episode two. Bring on Hand towel in nothing but a towel!

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yeah...I always did like Kim Tae Hee. NO idea why she gets so much hate mail....

the Hoot part was funny too. He looked really embarrassed!

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oh i know, Kim Tae-hee is utterly adorable and delightful in here, she literally lights up the screen whenever she appears. "bubbly whirlwind" hahaha, so true, so true.

I love the relationship dynamic between the OTP, though i find it a little strange that they are already acting like BFFs after only two meetings.

MP is definitely a more solid drama than DH, but i am still sticking to the latter... for now.

thanks for the recap.

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*_* i can like practically eye candy everyone in this show ...

I didn't like the professor character in Save the Last Dance for me ... but now. =D He did slim down right?

I can't wait to see Seol dressed in pretty pretty things like Goong and the trailer for Episode 2 was damn funny ...

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can't wait for ep 2 recap! as per the preview, there doesn't seem to be any confusion as to who she is and no which-who-which-one-now shenanigans. *whew*

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Yay! I'm glad that ep 1 was better than expected! :) Very exciting for the new year. I love the Chaebol vs poor girl-turn rich kind of story. Doesn't get old for me if it's done well (only went it goes south do I start to think... same old same old blah). So this is still very refreshing to me. I always thought KTH was better in rom-coms than the serious dramas. She just seems really cute and has a great smile - perfect for this kind of role. SSH, well, I'm liking him better in this than anything else I've seen him in. That's a pretty good start.

Thanks JB for the fast recap. Glad that you enjoyed it too.

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Wow, I'm pleasantly surprised! Song Seung-heon came off as a bit wooden in some scenes, but his niceness makes up for it (thank God he's not some chaebol-douchebag). Kim Tae-hee overacts some scenes but she's super lovable.

I'm looking forward to this, but I have no idea why she wouldn't know who Park Hae-young is, since he gave her his business card early on for her to send him her account number so he can deposit the $90 she earned.

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It made me laugh. I’m in. And yes, she is cute and funny. After watch (and read) this episode, I feel the way I felt when I started to read Hana to akuma: it feels…happy. Maybe a better word is warm. So I’m on board.

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thank you ...thank you...thank you...i watched it today and i was waiting on your review..."to compare notes" if i can call it that...hehe....to be honest i wasn't expecting much from this drama, but i really liked kim tae hee , her acting really comes through.....but i just cant seem to warm up to him(song)...no matter how gorgeous he is....lol..(but ill have to watch the nxt episode coz there is a scene of pure 'eye candy'....lol....) regardless of that i feel like his acting is absolutely lacking...but i feel the chemistry couple wise...

by the way i picked up sign, and its wonderful..its very intense, really good suspense...ill keep watching to see how it goes...

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Now I'm eager to watch it. Thanks, JB ^_^

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Thanks javabeans for the superb recap. i love it when you are hyped up by this drama...i'm excited too ^^(squeeeee)

Honestly, i'm not the fan of both leads but more to the second leads so i wasn't interested to watch this rom com drama. Plus, seeing OH YOON-JU (Park Ye-jin) in this style brought back the memories in Bali.

Anyway, itchy fingers clicking on the forums and read some of the comments got me excited so there watching it in the middle of the night...cold here! This drama warms me up, sweet, adorable n their conversation flows smoothly. I begin to adore Kim Tae-Hee. She nails it for this epi, not sure the coming epis, but anticipating it.

I'm kinda confused how PHY managed to find LS easily? not much running around like a chicken without a head looking for the heir...hmmm this is too easy! anyway, i guess this is better or else we'll be sick by all the detective work and losing the storyline 1/4 way.

Happy watching everyone...^^

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I was watching this earlier and man was it cute or what?! I like Kim Tae-hee here more than her character in "Staircase to Heaven", one of my mother and siblings' favorite drama (they even have it on DVD. I swear, you leave them for a couple of years, and they call you up to let you know that they've been hooked into Asian dramas and blah blah), where Kim Tae-hee did a lot of glaring. But here? Soooo cute. So I'm going to continue watching, until of course, something is bound to happen and I give up midway through. Hopefully that won't be the case.

Also! People kept saying the Blonde Princess is not pretty, but I think she is. So whatever haters! XD Jokes. Don't skewer me.

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haha...I have no idea why Stairways to Heaven is so popular...It was boring.....I only liked the part when they were kids...

And the glaring was.....haha!

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maybe KTH's genre falls under rom-com when she's all smiles and being bubly rather than eye-popping acting in melo drama...:D

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I'm so excited! It's like this show just came out of nowhere and is offering itself up for me to enjoy. I seriously had no plans on watching it, even though it's right up my alley. I guess the familiar faces turned me off?
As soon as I finish the zillion dramas I am currently juggling, I am SO on board for this and Dream High. Dream High, I have not yet seen, but I WILL love, despite javabeans' taunting that it loses to MP. I have the amazing ability of forcing myself to like a drama I ordinarily wouldn't, as long as hot guys are involved. Taecyeon, here I come!

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One thing - the boxy red bag that Seol carries around on the museum day? It's a classic (read: distinctive) Dior bag. If you read fashion mags you'd be likely to recognize it. And it's completely at odds with the pennypinching nature of h
KTH's character in this episode. Unless there's some minor plot point that javabeans didn't include in her recap here (I haven't watched the epi) which addresses why Seol can't afford a $280 luggage but has a Dior (she's poor cuz she overspends on designer bags???), I think such mistakes are a bit wince-inducing.

Other than that, it seemed fun and frothy!

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HAHAHA! Which is why it's taken her some time to save the money for the suitcase, she buys stuff. Or, she probably got it as a price the same way she got a bag for a price from the receipt that she took from the dude. X)

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I noticed that too! The Lady Di bag :) (a bag I've coveted for a long time) so I was looking closely and I think it might be (or was meant to be) a replica? It didn't look identical...in some way or another

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I saw the red Dior bag! The Mulberry bag that I saw on this episode seems more like a look-a-like though. :S

I was thinking that maybe Seol is carrying around knockoffs instead of authentic bags... since she's supposed to be poor...

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It would definitely make more sense for her to carry knockoffs- though I'm not sure how ethical it is for a drama to showcase knockoffs.

(and speaking of poor heroines and expensive items- anyone ever notice Ra-Im in Secret Garden owning like a bajillion coats, some of which look expensive, and having different hangbags, when in the beginning of the series, she had like that one bag with the safety pins. )

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Queen of Housewives had the lady making knockoffs, so I think that whole ethical-argument-ship saled a long time ago. As for Key Lime, well, didn't Joo-won buy her a shit ton of stuff while being Ra-in?... Wait she returned those. Um, maybe... I got nothing on that little hiccup. I call for a suspension of disbelief. XD

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Oh wow! Thanks for the recap!

I watched episode 1 and I adore cute Kim Tae Hee! So adorable when she sang SNSD's 훗 (Hoot), hehe. =)

For some reason, I'm really excited about this drama. I have no big expectations so I won't be disappointed like I was with a certain 2010 drama (ahem**m3**ahem). I liked it a lot more than episode 1 of Dream High and I'm looking forward to tonight's episode. Haven't tried Sign yet since I seriously love bubbly rom-coms with charming leads and a cohesive plot. Even if we have very talented actors but the writing sucks, then there's no sense in sticking to it (man, am I still bitter about *cough*m3*cough*?). ;)

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sooooooo cute. my hesitations about the drama have completely vaporized. in fact, they never existed, what am i saying? ;)

the part that cracked me up most was the scene where seol calls herself his girlfriend in front of yoon-ju... he's clearly taken aback, stuck between the two women like that, doesn't know what to do... and then he lets out that "uh? what?" with such an adorably sheepish smile. LOL he has such a dazed confused-ness when he's with seol that is just so cute.

his attitude towards her is... indulgent. very cute. treats her like a cute little puppy. oh man. i've always had a soft spot for this man (autumn fairytale was my first drama, and i was also very young and impressionable lol)

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romantic comedy overall is not suppose to be realistic or make senses, right? SO just enjoy the ride. enjoy this drama so much! Thx JB !

can't wait to read the next recap!

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I LOVE LOVE LOVE dramaseries like this one!!

Forget the seriousness, melo, complicated dramas like some out there!

Give me kim tae hee and song seung heon!!!! They have cute, funny, romantic written all over them :)

They're both single in real life and are similar at age.... hope they end up dating in real life XD

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I have not watched it yet, but just something comes up. It seems to me that the red bag the Lee Seol's wearing in one of the picture is a Dior. Damn, that must me much more expensive than that piece of luggage

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thank you so much for the recapping this drama JB!!
looking forward for the next ep.

anyhow, does anybody here knows where i can watch MP with english subs?
Your help is greatly appreciated!!

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ahhh its finally HERE!!!!

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I realize that KTH's acting seems better b/c she is being just the way she is in a lot of CFS.... cute and bubbly. This suits her more than serious and melodramatic. She is perfect for rom com dramas. Thanks Javabeans.

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What an adorable first episode! Both KTH and SSH exceed my expectation especially the former, so bubbly and full of life. Other than the winning main couple, PYJ and RSY exert their charm thus rounding up a very appealing rectangle to look forward to. All the other plotlines - monarchy restoration with the ruling and opposite political parties politics and a horrible (adoptive) step-sister, are likewise nicely set up.

I, for one, hope the delight will continue.

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Ugh, Lee Seol is supposed to be poor but she's got Dior and Mulberry hanging on her shoulder. Cmon!

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u know what? my house helper has "LV" bag. u know there's alot of branded stuff selled just by the road rght? :D

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So, first round. JB KO GF. This sounds great...another drama on my to watch list. Now on to round 2??

Oh wow, I see some second male lead syndromes again...even with SSH in the lead. That's pretty amazing as well...(Agree with someone up thr, I can't believe Won Bin lost to SSH)

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