Transmigrating with Seohyun for the First Night With the Duke Taecyeon

by solstices

Love is in the air amidst the latest posters and script reading stills for KBS’s fantasy sageuk The First Night With the Duke, capturing the destined meeting of our two leads. Adapted from a webnovel that was also turned into a webtoon, this tale centers around a time-slipping heroine who crosses over into the fictional world of a historical novel.

Our heroine is the noblewoman Cha Seon-chaek, played by Seohyun (Song of the Bandits). As a minor character in the romance novel she inhabits, Seon-chaek is a wallflower, but she’s content with her uneventful life. After all, her family’s wealth and social class mean she’s living comfortably enough. Who needs excitement and chaos, anyway?

The present-day college student K, apparently, because she accidentally transmigrates into the romance novel she was presumably reading. K regains her bearings in Seon-chaek’s body, which she’s now occupying rent-free. Needless to say, K is more of a free spirit, and she soon imbues Seon-chaek with a capable shrewdness and a vivacious demeanor. So much for blending in. One thing leads to another, and before Seon-chaek knows it, she’s slept with the duke (or, well, the sageuk equivalent). Oops?

That forms the catalyst for the rest of the story to spiral off course. Said duke is Yi Beon, played by Taecyeon (Heartbeat), and he’s a a dear relative of the king. Beon is capable and collected with all the charms of an ice prince, but whenever his gaze is directed towards Seon-chaek, it’s unmistakably warm. Despite his indifferent attitude towards her, Beon can’t help being intrigued by her anachronisms. Before long, Seon-chaek finds herself going straight from coasting by unnoticed to occupying a spot on Beon’s radar.

With that, Cupid’s arrow turns away from the novel’s original heroine Jo Eun-ae, played by Kwon Han-sol (The Witch). Soft-spoken and diligent, the Candy merchant’s daughter Eun-ae would have crossed the boundaries of social class through her romance with Beon — but of course, the novel doesn’t go as planned. Will Eun-ae accept being relegated to a supporting role, or will she stake claim on what was originally hers?

Not to mention, there’s the third leg of the novel’s love triangle. Seo Beom-joon (The Fiery Priest 2) takes on the role of Jung Soo-gyeom, a respected civil servant and Beon’s sole friend. As the pining second male lead, Soo-gyeom carries a torch for the heroine — but will that remain as Eun-ae, or will Soo-gyeom’s feelings shift alongside the altered course of the narrative?

As if tangled lovelines aren’t enough, Ji Hye-won (Hierarchy) steps into the fray as the villainess Do Hwa-seon. With the ultimate goal of donning royal robes through a marriage with Beon, the ambitious Hwa-seon will stop at nothing to achieve her goals. Once Eun-ae’s rival, it seems Hwa-seon will now redirect her ire towards Seon-chaek for capturing Beon’s heart. Still, Seon-chaek — or rather, K — has the power of meta knowledge and modern skillsets on her side, so surely she’ll manage to put Hwa-seon in her place and heal Beon’s wounded heart.

Helmed by PD Lee Woong-hee (My Perfect Stranger) and Kang Soo-yeon, with scripts written by Jeon Sun-young, The First Night With the Duke is slated for a June 11 premiere.

Via OSEN (1, 2)

 
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