Merchants face off in Master of Trade—Inn 2015

27 September 15, 2015April 8, 2017

by javabeans

KBS sageuk Master of Trade—Inn 2015 has released a batch of posters (and a bunch of stills as well), and they’re really quite lovely. Sometimes sageuk dramas have a tendency to churn out posters that look like every other sageuk drama out there, but I always like when a production manages to make theirs pop. (My favorite is the solo shot of Jang Hyuk, below, though the group shot with the fan and merchant’s chest isn’t bad either.)

In the drama, Jang Hyuk takes the lead as the innkeeper and peddler who works his way up to becoming a business magnate. More to the point, he does it the right way, without resorting to corrupt tactics like everyone else in the current system where the government officials and rich merchants profit, and the peddlers at the bottom suffer. Nothing changes, does it? That righteousness is a key part of the hero’s identity and also the drama’s tagline; the copy on the posters reads, “A tradesman who builds wealth not through greed but righteously.”

It sounds like greed is a more prevalent trait in our other characters, such as rival Yoo Oh-sung, a businessman with his eye on nabbing the title of king of commerce, whom Jang Hyuk shown facing off against in the top poster. Kim Min-jung has an interesting setup playing a woman who dresses as a man to peddle goods, but also has another identity as a shaman; her difficult background made her tough and full of greed for things she can’t have. Han Chae-ah, meanwhile, is said to have a love that cannot be with Jang Hyuk (I’m guessing one-sided?), and is often described as beautiful and sad.

In the group poster with the rest of the secondary cast, we also have actors Lee Deok-hwa as the most successful merchant around, Park Eun-hye as Jang Hyuk’s sister, Moon Ga-young as Han Chae-ah’s maidservant who acts as helper for her and Jang Hyuk, and Kim Kyu-chul looking like he always does in dramas—smirky and nefarious.

Master of Trade—Inn 2015 premieres on September 23, airing as a Wednesday-Thursday drama.

Via TV Report

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1 nokcha

September 15, 2015 at 2:25 PM

Yoo Ah Sung in Attack the Gas Station is how I remember him, always!

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2 Valentina

September 15, 2015 at 2:37 PM

I know this is not the place, but Javabeans, is there any update on the drama Brilliant Seduction with Kim Sae Ron and Nam Joo Hyuk as the child actors? Sorry again

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3 juniper

September 15, 2015 at 3:08 PM

Been watching Sangdo for the first time, which is completely cracktastic and full of awesome (and has probably spoiled me rotten), but I'm definitely ready for moar merchants. The crossdressing heroine is not a good sign, but fingers crossed that this turns into a respectable sageuk!

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Kiara

September 15, 2015 at 3:59 PM

Loved Sangdo and have been waiting for something similar. I thought this was going to be a remake but found out later that it's a work of fiction.
I'll take it so I don't have to compare it to Sangdo. Maybe I'll finally get to watch a sageuk quietly without bitching about something haha.

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juniper

September 15, 2015 at 5:30 PM

Haha we have exactly the same taste. Sangdo ftw! I'm very glad it's not a remake, considering I'm only halfway through Sangdo and am so in love with it I'd be extra grouchy about a new version. But I can really do with more merchants (it's a nice change of pace that they're in between nobles and peasants, and I'm having a blast with the business ethics/trade wars part of Sangdo). Plus good non-political sageuk seem kinda rare.

The promos aren't really doing it for me quite yet, but they're not making me cringe or ticking me off either, which is a good sign. Let's hope this thing works out :)

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Eliza Bennet

September 15, 2015 at 11:53 PM

I'm currently on Episode 8 of Sangdo and loving it! It is a wonder to me that this one is not as well known.

I take it this will be more of rivals outsmarting each other in a fast and furious manner, rather than focusing on business ethics.

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sunnyl

September 16, 2015 at 4:08 AM

That was before DaeJangGeum time I think? I remember PD Lee (famous PD for HuJoon, DaeJangGeum etc.) said he was very disappointed when he put the most effort on earlier episodes of Sangdo, but did not get response he expected. Lee JaeRyong and Kim HyunJoo did find job.

juniper

September 16, 2015 at 7:18 AM

imo it's Lee Byung-hoon's best drama. It's only going to get better and better from ep 8 haha. It's just so well-structured and tight thematically--like everything goes back to ethics and it never feels forced or preachy. And it's so much fun.

Love your username, btw. Jane Austen is one of my favorites.

@fan. I agree, the cast is awesome! Jung Bo-seok and Lee Soon-jae are really good in there too.

Kiara

September 16, 2015 at 10:28 AM

@fan
Yes, Sangdo(2001) was before Dae Jang Geum (2003). Lee Byung-Hoon was very famous for Heo Joon(1999) and it was his highest rating sageuk. I believe the highest eps was at 64%.

I think Lee Byung Hoon's better writer partner was Choi Wan Kyu (cause I love Sangdo lol) and I'm not going as far back because I haven't seen most of the old school sageuks and probably never will since most of them are nowhere to be found.
Kim Yi Young and Kim Young Hyun may brought in the ratings but with less focus on historical events. It always felt like a fairy tale version with these two at least to me.

@juniper
My mom doesn't like watching shows alone so she'd make me watch movies and dramas with her. I was 15 when she made me watch "Sandglass" with her. I ended up loving it more than she did. I remember crushing on Choi Min Soo back then haha. I have been a period/sageuk drama addict since then.

No one in my age group understand my weird taste so I'm glad to run into you here:). I noticed that we tend to like the same actors too.
Btw, I have a collection of Jane Austen's books, Dvds of all the adaptations of her novels etc.

juniper

September 16, 2015 at 2:38 PM

@Kiara. I watched Sandglass this past year for the first time, and I had the same reaction to Choi Min-soo lol. Have you seen Blade and Petal? He looked pretty good in that, too--he's aged really well.

I'm glad I've run into you on here too! My tastes are really different from most people here and I care too much to keep my big fat mouth shut, so I come off as a judgmental grumpypants in 99 percent of my posts here, to put it mildly. I'm just so happy to have someone I can fangirl with haha :)

I'll restrain myself from fangirling over Jane Austen, though, since this is a drama blog lol. But it's so good to find someone as crazy about her as me <3

Kiara

September 16, 2015 at 4:08 PM

@juniper

Blade and Petal aka Sword and Flower.

http://www.dramabeans.com/tag/sword-and-flower/page/3/
I was on every Sword and Flower threads and recaps fan-girling over Choi Min Soo lol. I really wish you were around back then.

⭐ Sera The Ms Temper ⭐

September 16, 2015 at 9:18 PM

I think i will include Sangdo in my watch-list. When i google it, it had Kim Hyun Joo which is one of respectable Korean actress for me. I hope i can find it with subs :)

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4 prettysup

September 15, 2015 at 3:08 PM

Love the posters! Btw I think the official English title according to KBS is The Merchant: Gaekju 2015.
http://kbsworld.kbs.co.kr/programs/programs_intro.html?no=957

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5 Angélina Eang

September 15, 2015 at 3:32 PM

As I already said, Jang Hyuk and sageuk is always a win for me.
Plus, the merchant bussiness' world in Shine or Go Crazy was one of my favorite part so I am all in :)
Still bummed that Han Chae Ah is second lead tho. I like her so much better than Kim Min Jung ...

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⭐ Sera The Ms Temper ⭐

September 16, 2015 at 9:21 PM

i am actually confused, because before i read Han Chae Ah is to be a first lead.

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prettysup

September 17, 2015 at 12:05 AM

Yeah I think it is still kind of confusing now who is the first female lead. From the way they are introducing the actors, it seems that Kim Min Jung is the first lead. But then she is acting as an antagonist and forcing her love on Jang Hyuk. And Han Chae Ah is the one whom Jang Hyuk's loves in this show. So who is the first lead? I am inclined to think that it is going to have 2 female leads. After all Jang Hyuk has enough chemistry to share between the 2 of them haha...

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⭐ Sera The Ms Temper ⭐

September 17, 2015 at 12:52 AM

yes i think so as well.

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6 prettysup

September 15, 2015 at 4:05 PM

They seem to be pretty stingy with Han Chae Ah's stills. Even Park Eun Hye (third female lead?) has much more stills and info released than her.

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7 little-muffin

September 15, 2015 at 7:00 PM

Some of these posters remind me of Joseon Gunman. That show had one of the best posters with beautiful colours (though unfortunately the show did not really live up to it).

I will probably marathon this only when it's done.