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Jang Dong-yoon, Kang Tae-oh in new stills for Tale of Nokdu

New stills have been released for KBS’s upcoming sageuk rom-com Tale of Nokdu featuring lead actors Jang Dong-yoon (Dance Sports Girls) and Kang Tae-oh (My First First Love).

Based on a popular webtoon by the same name, the drama’s story is centered around the character of Jeon Nokdu – played by Jang Dong-yoon – who disguises himself as a woman in order to hide and live in a widows’ village. Although circumstances force him to keep up his charade, it becomes more and more difficult as he starts to fall for Dong Dong-joo – played by Kim So-hyun (Love Alarm – a reluctant gisaeng-in-training with a secret of her own.

Playing the third leg in the love story is Kang Tae-oh who plays a new character (not in the original webtoon) by the name of Cha Yul-moo. A warm and gentle personality, he is also described as an attractive Joseon chef who, despite being popular with women, has always and only liked Dong Dong-joo since childhood.

In the newly released stills, we get a look at the two men in their roles. The first set of photos show Jang Dong-yoon both in and out of his disguise as a woman, and there is a notable difference in the way he carries himself between the two identities. In the second set of stills, we see Kang Tae-oh dressed in colorful attire and surrounded by a group of women as he cooks.

Directing for the drama will be done by PD Kim Dong-hwi (Fight My Way) and PD Kang Soo-yeon, and writing will be done jointly as well by writers Im Ye-jin and Baek So-yeon.

KBS’s new Monday-Tuesday drama Tale of Nokdu is currently set to premiere at the end of the month, on September 30.

Via Sports Seoul, Xports News

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This drama looks like so much FUN!!!

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Well, FLOWER CREW is on hold and TALE of NOKDU is on. I need something fun and light to watch since MY COUNTRY is going to be bloody dark.

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I am so ready for My Country.

Not seeing Woo Do Hwan in a recent series has giving me the itches.

He is just sooooooooooooo.....beautiful.

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I f/f most of the first episode of Flower Crew, I didn’t like any of the main characters. Can’t wait for this drama i hope it’s fun and light as it seems.

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same. It has ingredients for a romcom sageuk but I just didn't feel ajyt for anyone.... Except a slight tinge of oh the pinky is borrowing Chinese wuxia aesthetics

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Same same same. Flower crew can wither.... Nokdu I will watch come what may.

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We'll be watching the same two dramas. And I agree, it's good to have something more light to balance the dark. But I hope that it doesn't sacrifice quality just because it has a lighter tone. :)

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It is nice to see Kang Tae Oh on my screen but I don't get why they added a second lead to create a love triangle. His character better have something else to do than have an unrequited love.

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kdramas are obsessed with love triangles. I wish they would realize you can have a great drama without the added drama of a love triangle.

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true but so unnecessary.

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Yes , K drama writers are obsessed with the love triangles. It is akin to over seasoning a meal, too much and it ruins it.
I want to make the writers kneel, while holding their arms up, while shouting, “ I will not needlessly include a love triangle.”

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Ironically all it does for me is a turn off. I was so pumped up for this drama and as soon as I hear a love triangle it's a "Oh! No!". Especially when it's not in the original. If they wanted to be original they should have made a love triangle with Nokdu. Wouldn't t be funny if the new guy fell for Nokdu?

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@kiara @grapes @nomzy

I gave a pass on Flower Crew until I read some comments from beanies to see if it was any good because I intensely disliked the love triangle hinted at the promos. The love story between the prince and is girl looked sweet but it is clear the matchmaker will get the girl in the end. Not my cup of tea. And your comments confirm my reservations.

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I don't know but I've noticed love triangles always draw more interest. For example the whole Reply series for me at least seems to draw a majority of it's audience due to their love triangle gimmick. There are other factors but mostly people go crazy over the who's the husband scenario. A good love triangle is never a bad thing and it's a trademark of what makes k-drama a k-drama or so I feel.

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I don't think I will ever watch another Reply series drama because of that same exact reason. I loathe love triangles.

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I think at this point love triangles feel like a dated trope. Sure there are series out there that can do a good love triangle but I think it's a trope that should be used sparingly. But the problem is that it's done so often in kdramas that even if it's done well I don't like them anymore because I'm burnt out on them. I've actually been watching many more cdramas over kdramas lately because most cdramas don't use the love triangle trope, or if they do, it usually doesn't last long and is resolved fairly quickly.

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That might be true for you but I still for see a majority of people watching dramas largely for the love triangle. Dramabeans just published a article about secondary leads and I've seen the enthusiastic response on that article. I think most people here still enjoy the guilty pleasure of a love triangle. I can't call it over seasoning since it still gets such a strong response. I think the writers knew that a k-drama especially a youth romance k-drama without a love triangle won't have the same response as other genres which don't need it. I'm not saying dramas have to follow the trope but I completely understand the high popularity of love triangles and I for one enjoy a good love triangle.

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@trinpie just dropping in the middle of this conversation to say I loved Veronica Park & Scarlett too, & they totally stole the show for me too! Hi5 XD

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It might be unnecesary for the plot, i think i understand why they did that. It functional to promote a certain actor if the 2nd lead success to catch public attention.

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A second lead doesn't necessarily need to be the leg of a love triangle to be noticed as an actor. One can shine in a secondary romance or as an antagonist equally well and many have done so in the past.

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But I think I know their The logic is, if you have secondary love line with another second lead, You won't get as much attention compare to when you are involved in the main plot of the leads, heck, love triangle, you are involved with the main conflict.

Unless, you are in drama with ensemble cast carrying the drama. You might be not get as much attention.

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Yep, like Hello, Monster with Park Bogum. I love the fact that there's no unnecessary love triangle in that awesome drama.

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Well said @moonbean and I completely agree. As an example, 2 of the dramas I loved the most this year is Search WWW and Secret Life of My Secretary and both don't feature love triangles. And some of my favorite characters in both dramas (even though I loved the main leads and romance in both) were the side characters. Veronica Park from SLoMS and Cha Hyeon and Seol Ji-hwan from WWW. All 3 stole the spotlight for me and made me take extra notice of their actors.

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Great examples @trinpie No love triangle could have done what the cute secondary loveline of Seol Ji-hwan did for Lee Jae Wook's career and who didn't want Veronica Park to appear at Hotel del Luna as Sanchez's girlfriend?

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Not always true although I see why people might think this way.

I am fine with love triangles. Don't really care about them. What turns me off are the fans' reactions. They think it's actor vs actor. I won't even name them 1st or 2nd lead because this is what fans will fight over too.

So while people were fighting tooth and nail over R1988, I sat back. Amused at first but got turned off by how ugly it became. To this day, people are still fighting over it. Maybe not outwardly but their comments show that the ill-feelings towards the actors in question are still there.

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Yes, this reaction baffles me. I forgot to write above, as much as I loathe love triangles I loathe fan wars even more. Reply 88 remains my biggest drama disappointment and one of the rare instances of second lead syndrome. Yet, my disappointment firmly resides with the writers and has nothing to do with the actors. I feel like the writers betrayed my trust in that drama and that's why I am very very cautious about any of their future projects.

I still like Park Bo Gum (I liked him in Reply 88 as well) and watched both his post Reply projects but to me the height of his career - his most memorable role and acing - was I Remember You (Hello Monster).

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@moonbean I was blown away by Park Bo Gum in I Remember You. Especially since the only thing I had previously seen him in was Naeil's Cantabile where I felt like he was bland and completely forgettable. Which I think was more because of the writing and his character rather then him as an actor, something I didn't know at the time. But he was absolutely amazing in I Remember You and it's what got me to follow his acting career.

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He's not the only new character they've added. They've created 5-6 new characters and removed some original characters. The director thought the original webtoon was too dark and he didn't want to go down that path so he changed parts of the story after getting approval from the webtoon writer.

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Now I'm even more on the fence about watching this because making large changes to adapted originals is downright irritating more than barely noticeable.

It's gotten to the point where claiming to adapt a webtoon is just an upfront way of saying "I can't get an audience based on the strength of an original trope filled story, cast and crew so I'll just get this jump start by using this property's audience, even though I'm going have enough rewrites done that it will seem like an alternate universe."

Why bother adapting a webtoon if you're just going to change it, especially so much? Get a writer and tell them you want something like X, but not as dark.

I understand adapting a property tends to guarantee a certain audience size which likely makes a project more possible (read profitable), in the producers' eyes, but it's a pathetic way to go if you're just going to make changes.

I'm just glad I don't know the original its based on, or I'd not watch the show on principle.

I'm bummed because I was really interested when I first heard about this show because normally the "genderbending" trope is mostly cross dressing tomboy characters who will eventually be revealed (if not already known) to the characters immediately around them, and typically last to the love interest. It's rarely used with male leads except as one off gags when they're cross dressing in disguise or trying to hide short term. So I've been really curious to see how they would handle this (and honestly was thinking to drop it if he only stays in that "identity" for a few eps.)

A not totally in jest summation of all the changes I've seen, using a non K base so as not to ID any of the ones on my mind: "Let do a Superman movie, except let's change it to Superwoman. Then we'll move the timeline to the #metoo era, with Lex Luther running the game company she is working at as a low level coder. Oh, and let's have her marry Lex after she show him the errors of his ways and he agrees to change. Hmm. We really should bring in Lois Lane as Lex's top developer, and use her in a love triangle after Lex gets interested in Superwoman, because then maybe Lois can forgive Lex after all he did to her after firing her."

=P

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Sorry for all the typos...tired. Wish we had an edit button.

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All webtoon adaptations make changes to suit television audiences its generally makes the drama better. LFG, WWWSK, Gagnam ID and even Love Alarm all made sufficient changes to the original webtoon and ended up being more popular than the original. This one has the approval of the original writer who read all the scripts and is more excited about the drama adaptation than her own work. You shouldn't judge something before you see it especially when the author herself supports the changes.

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Just because "everyone does it" doesn't make something a good idea. I totally agree that some tweaks can be necessary for the medium change with adaptations. That's not what I was bothered by.

I see and acknowledge your point about the author approval, but at what point then does the adaptation stop being an adaptation? I stand by my alternate universe analogy.

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I didn't say that it makes it right I said it works better because a webtoon and a drama are very different mediums. The changes are necessary because if you've read a webtoon you'll realize somethings just won't make sense as a drama or will get lost in translation or the tropes aren't suitable anymore in the year the drama is being made. If the webtoon author approves the changes that means it still must be close enough to be an adaptation and not an alternate universe otherwise there would not be approval. Webtoon writers are very protective of their work and they wouldn't allow a complete mutilation of the original work. As long as it stays true to the spirit of the original it is still an adaptation not an alternate universe.

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I'm for changes for adaptations because some things don't work in different media. I just hope the adaptation will tell a cohesive story with added characters (who serve a purpose to the whole story).

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I can't remember the last time I was this hyped up for another drama! JDY's stills give me whiplash 🤩😅. How can he be so manly in one and so adorably beautiful in another one.

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Oooh myyyyyy. I think I need my smelling salts after seeing that first image. Yes, I am definitely excited for this drama. 😉

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Wow, he is so manly when he is manly! Totally unexpected after the first stills. I can imagine Dong-joo's jaw drop. Mine did.

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He looks great even if those muscles are obviously painted on ;)

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Lol I thought the same and had to take a closer look to see if the muscle definition was real or not.

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I wish they didn't do that....

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Ok... It wasn't just me who thought that then lol 😂

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Can muscles also be painted on? I thought it was because they used too much make up on the muscles that they looked over defined. The producer said he was shocked JDY was actually muscular in real life so I thought they were real. Maybe I've assumed wrong.

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Just google it, and you'll ba amazed.

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I really hope this drama will be good, I'm all in for it!

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What a duality!

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Hope there's nothing sinister here. I'm in the mood for something light. A drama with a plot but no real plot.
Which means i may or may not drop flower crew

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I assume there will be some amount of political intrigue as there's a power hungry Gwanghee on the lose and a community of secret martial arts experts. I'm actually excited to see how the romantic comedy overlaps with the action and politics. This drama looks like it'll be a colourful one.

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This noona wants fo know if the Joseph chef will serve kimbap on Jang Dong-yoon’s washboard abs!!

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Are you asking for your kimbap or for Joseph's sake. I think you are getting mixed up with the relationships between the male leads in this show with The Untamed.

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🤣🤣🤣 Kimbap is trying her best to move on but her autocorrect dysfunction will not let It happen!!

*Joseon chef

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i already want a season 2 of this.

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I want them in a modern era drama already.

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Kim So-hyun seems to barely exist in the publicity for this drama. Could this be Kdrama's next purely male romantic comedy?

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Dramabeans hasn't posted most of the promotion material. There is a character teaser, posters and couple poster for this drama most of it is focused on KSH. The behind the scenes videos are also focused on her but here they don't post those. She was the first person cast for this drama and the writer wrote her a special thank you message.

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"The starts to fall for Dong Dong-joo – played by Kim So-hyun (Love Alarm – a reluctant gisaeng-in-training with a secret of her own."

Suggestions:

1) She's a nun
2) She's a ninja . . . nope, that's been done already in 'Sungkyunkwan Scandal'
3) She's from Indianapolis.
4) She just finished a stint as a Doctor Who companion.
5) She has no talent whatsoever as a Gisaeng and drives away customers.
6) She has natural anime hair under her Joseyon wigs.
7) She is a secret plastic surgeon.
8) Her innermost desire is to be a Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs.
9) Her family are the dry land avatars of the Octopi Race that secretly rules the Reefs of the China Seas. And they want revenge.
10) She prefers Mongolian beef over Korean beef.

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She's avenging the slaughter of her family at the hands of the king.

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Also her older brother is "missing", i.e. probably unwillingly working at the palace as a spy/assassin for the Second State Councillor/Prime Minister who knows the truth about his family's dark past as falsely accused traitors.

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*hands Quiet Thought a plate of internet cookies*
This list was a joy to read.

The only addition I'd suggest is
11) She's a card carrying member of the Truck of Doom union.

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"She's a card carrying member of the Truck of Doom union."

Or its saeguk counterpart, Cliff of Doom.

;)

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You can watch the drama legally on this site if viki doesn't sub.
https://twitter.com/Viu_PH

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I'm looking over second lead's beautiful robes and am wondering what social class is he supposed to belong to. He is a chef, but I do not know where that would place him in Joseon society. Palace Cooks, for example, would not have come from the upper classes, right? What about in the world outside the palace? I'm interested in this kind of history. If anyone has any information on this, please share. Thanks!

:)

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Maybe they realized that they've worn out the tropes of the errant painter/writer/gambler/gisang patron as a non government "hobby" for a second male lead. So maybe this will be a new thing?

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LOL

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The widow village exists outside the regular social norms of Joseon but if he's a childhood friend of the female lead he should also be of noble birth like her. We'll find out the details when the drama airs next week.

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Thanks.

I didn't know that the female lead was from the yangban class.

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The female lead's grandfather was the minister of literature until he and his entire family was assainated by the king.

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May I ask where you read this information? Could you share the links, please? Thank you!

:)

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Thanks! :)

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Here for the sass and laughs!

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I really had fun watching this drama. There are also lots of life lessons that we can attain just by watching it. ❤

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Dare I say that he looks more attractive as a female than male? I could pass as a female runway model.

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