Goong S

A remake/sequel of sorts to Goong, one of the most popular Korean dramas of all time, Goong S is a delightfully entertaining rags-to-riches story, in which this time around the Cinderella is male and played by music superstar Se7en.

In an alternate Korea, the country is ruled by a monarchy that has been in place for generations and has a strict line of lineage to inherit the throne. The monarchy runs into a problem, however, when the current prince dies, leaving only a 31-year old unmarried Empress in the royal family and no successor to take over the throne. When the family begins investigating their bloodlines, looking for anyone to place in the position of heir, they find Lee Hoo (Se7en), whose mother fled the palace years before when she found out she was pregnant by the prince. Lee Hoo, completely unaware of his true birth, is a delivery boy at a Chinese restaurant, and has grown up as a loud-mouthed, carefree commoner. Now, he is plucked out of his life and installed in the palace, in training to become the next prince.

Yang Soon Ae (Heo Yi Jae), meanwhile, is a girl who has grown up with him and been friends with him his whole life, who becomes a lowly palace attendant after he moves in to the palace as a prince. In order to overcome the obstacle of his background and vindicate his mother's memory, Lee Hoo will have to contend not just with Lee Joon (Kang Doo), the other rival for the throne, who has grown up in the palace with all its royal training, but also with his feelings for his childhood friend Soon Ae. It's a royal game of love, politics, and fairy-tales-come-to life in this charming, high-budget prince epic.