Seohyun spends The First Night With the Duke Taecyeon
by solstices
Seohyun, Taecyeon
Casting news is out for KBS’s upcoming romance fantasy The First Night With the Duke, introducing us to the cast that will bring this whirlwind tale to life. Based on the webnovel of the same name, which has also been adapted into a webtoon, the drama follows a minor extra whose life is thrown off-course when a modern soul takes control of her body. While the original work takes place in a Western setting, this adaptation transposes the characters into a sageuk fantasy.
Seohyun (Song of the Bandits) stars as the background character Cha Seon-chaek, who barely has any part to play in the romance novel she belongs to. Still, she has two things going for her: status and wealth, owing to her affluent family background. Content with her lot in life, all Seon-chaek wants is to live simply and peacefully — until the spirit of a modern college student gatecrashes into her body.
Swept up by the unexpected inhabitant, Seon-chaek ends up spending the night with the novel’s male lead. With that, the story’s trajectory is turned upside down, veering sharply into uncharted waters. Said hero is Lee Beon, played by Taecyeon (Heartbeat), and he’s a beloved relative of the king’s. Exceptional martial arts skills and a frigid demeanor characterize Beon, but his ice-cold heart melts for the lady he pledges his loyal love to.
Had Seon-chaek not entered the picture, the recipient of Beon’s affection would have been the novel’s leading lady Jo Eun-ae, played by Kwon Han-sol (Flex x Cop). As the adopted daughter of a merchant, her romance with Beon was supposed to be one that transcended social classes. Alas, this particular Candy isn’t getting her lucky break just yet.
Another character’s loveline has been disrupted due to Seon-chaek’s interference, and that’s the novel’s second male lead Jung Soo-gyeom. Played by Seo Beom-joon (The Fiery Priest 2), Soo-gyeom is a civil servant from a respected background, and he also happens to be Beon’s one and only friend. Though Soo-gyeom’s kind and affable personality has earned him the affection of countless ladies, his heart yearns solely for the heroine — but will that be Eun-ae, or Seon-chaek?
Either way, both ladies will have a rival to contend with. Ji Hye-won (Hierarchy) plays Do Hwa-seon, the villainess who dreams of marrying into the royal family through Beon. Hwa-seon will stop at nothing to achieve her goal, which means Seon-chaek can kiss her dream of an uneventful life goodbye. Still, perhaps it’s Seon-chaek’s earnest sincerity — and maybe a dash of possession-induced courage — that will allow her to heal Beon’s wounded heart. (Of course he has scars from his past, he’s the hero of a romance novel after all.)
Directed by PD Lee Woong-hee (My Perfect Stranger) with scripts by Jeon Sun-young, The First Night With the Duke is in the midst of filming for its twelve-episode run.
Kwon Han-sol, Seo Beom-joon, Ji Hye-won
Via News1
RELATED POSTS
![[Beanie Recs] Dramas with a helpful, wonderful secretary character](https://d263ao8qih4miy.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/BeanieRecs.jpg)
Required fields are marked *
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
1 Elinor, Team Glasses team co-captain
November 29, 2024 at 11:13 AM
I'm sorry Taec took this role. European historical mores and social hierarchy really don't translate to a neo-Confucian culture in which all women are legally chattel and nearly powerless, unless the culture of the sageuk is complete fantasy as well. Maybe the best we can hope for is that the drama will be a lot less rapey than the webtoon/webnovel.
Required fields are marked *
bong-soo
November 29, 2024 at 11:17 AM
Ditto. Definite pass and I am a Taec fan.
Required fields are marked *
Seon-ha
November 29, 2024 at 4:00 PM
As we have all learned over the years, though, the drama needn't really have anything to do with its source material...and in fact, often departs dramatically. That's why "spoilers" from the original material are so disappointing--if they're correct, they're proper spoilers, and if not, then the drama viewers end up distracted by "more than likely" possibilities that end up being total distractions from the actual artwork in front of us.
So, if this drama does or does not end up a morass of conflicting conservative morals, it can at least be accepted on its own terms, mainly focused on Taec's ears. Don't forget about them.
Required fields are marked *
2 Peridot
November 29, 2024 at 11:27 AM
Once possessed, will Seon-chaek's body simply become a vessel for the modern soul, or will she be sharing the space? Then again, she's supposed to be a fictional character and the soul is supposed to belong to a real person, right? I'm curious because I never read the webnovel or webtoon.
Required fields are marked *
3 Kurama
November 29, 2024 at 11:51 AM
Neither of them is lead material for me... and I'm not sure about the plot.
Required fields are marked *
4 HopefulRomantic 🦋 Tigermoth 🦞
November 29, 2024 at 11:58 AM
Ok, so I love Taec, but (A) look what happened with his last fantasy rom-com (😭), and (B) how do you ensure a happy ending with a transmigration plot when the heroine's destination is fictional? C-dramas can't do it; will a K-drama manage it? I'd like to be excited, but I'm experiencing trepidation 🙃 If it ends well, I'll be there 🤷♀️
Required fields are marked *
5 Seon-ha
November 29, 2024 at 3:44 PM
OK, y'all. Or should I say, "O, ye of little faith."
Taec is one of those actors who really could choose any script but has shown that he also doesn't choose just any script (**cough cough Ji Chang-wook cough**).
Why can't this be the breakout hit of the year? More a crunchy, real fairytale with witches eating children or brothers killing brothers, rather than a contemporary over-played romance??
Required fields are marked *
6 jillian
November 29, 2024 at 4:15 PM
I like Taec. But his last drama burned me enough to be very wary of this one. Not really a fan of the posession storyline since kdrama writers is not good with it.
Required fields are marked *