Thanks for the hot tip on ONLY YOU. It's sometimes hard to find early 2000s dramas at all, let alone with decent subtitles -- but I managed to find this one. ;-)

I recently watched LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL and was surprised to realize that Nam Gyu-ri had been in 49 DAYS, too. Such radically different roles. She was incredibly cute in LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL. ;-)

@coolbeans,

"Scheduler stole the show and my heart!!...
Ooo I have not seen The King's Daughter, but SHJ and JHJ on one screen?..."

Same here! Scheduler's story busted my heart into smithereens... and put Jung Il-woo on my radar. If you haven't seen MOON RIVER / THE RETURN OF ILJIMAE, you're missing out. ;-)

SHJ and JHJ, my archetypal crown prince, are terrific together. Their chemistry is warm and lovely. The regulation sageuk smooches are tender and heartfelt. Truly, the bestowal of the spy's tapir tattoo was more intense and intimate than many a kiss... Seolnan and Myongnong are one OTP who looks great in armor while fighting with swords. Hot damn! IIRC, the last time I encountered such a couple was in KINGDOM OF THE WINDS.

The cast is huge, with many excellent actors portraying a host of minor characters whose presence and interludes contribute enormously to the slice of everyday life in the Three Kingdoms era. Yoon Tae-young is fabulous as Seolnan's deaf-mute step-dad, Kuchon. Lee Jae-ryong is the epitome of a career soldier and servant-king who truly cares for his people. Kim Roe-ha (VOICE) and Kim Min-kyo (SNL KOREA) portray the inept highwaymen who become Seolnan's brothers-in-arms in the Baekje secret service. Yeo Ui-joo (TWO WEEKS; MISAENG; SHINE OR GO CRAZY; SCHOLAR WHO WALKS THE NIGHT) is quietly hilarious as prissy Crown Prince Myongnong's faithful and infinitely patient bodyguard, Kang-bok. Choi Ro-woon steals every scene he's in as the little orphan adopted by Kuchon. Kim Young-jae portrays the paranoid King Sunimun of neighboring Gaya who faces off against Myongnong and his father.

The furnishings, buildings, clothing, food, and farming and domestic chores realistically depict daily life, and ground the story in reality. Another thing I appreciate very much is the depiction of spiritual practices (full prostrations in the temple, fingering malas, incense offerings in the royal ancestral shrine, earnest prayer by the light of the moon).

EMPRESS KI was airing at the same time, and KDSBH did not have such sumptuous sets and costumes. The cinematography, however, is gorgeous, and the rural locations stunning. There's a lot of running and hiding in the mountains, and travel on foot across breathtaking vistas. The show ran for about 6 months, and the change of seasons is glorious. The scenes shot in falling snow are incredibly beautiful.

Owing to preemptions during the Sochi Olympics and the year-end awards shows, 12 episodes were cut, which made for a somewhat rushed ending.

The OST (on my fan wall) is not extensive, but it is beautiful, and the show's instrumental music is uplifting. Writer-nim Hwang Jin-Young incorporated the lyrics of the oldest extant Korean song from the Three Kingdoms era, IIRC. SHJ sings one of the tracks in her gorgeous, clear voice. Now that I think of it, it's too bad JHJ couldn't have contributed a track, too.