Fantasy Romance 'Moon River' Captivates Viewers with Intriguing Plot Twists

The fantasy romance drama starring Kang Tae-oh and Kim Se-jeong, 'Moon River,' has reached its halfway point. Previously, MBC's Friday-Saturday dramas like 'Crushology 101,' 'Mary Kills People,' and 'To the Moon' struggled with ratings between 1-2%, falling behind other channels airing at the same time. However, 'Moon River,' the last Friday-Saturday drama of the year, premiered with a 3.8% rating and peaked at 6.1% by its fifth episode.

In MBC's 'Moon River,' the broken red thread of fate reconnects, leading to an unexpected body swap between Crown Prince Lee Kang (played by Kang Tae-oh) and merchant Park Dal-i (played by Kim Se-jeong). As the drama enters its second half, viewers can look forward to more of Lee Kang and Park Dal-i's soul-swapping romance.

Originally connected by fate, Lee Kang and Park Dal-i lived as strangers after Park Dal-i lost her memories of being the Crown Princess and their red thread was sealed. One day, Lee Kang meets Park Dal-i, who looks exactly like the presumed-dead Crown Princess, reigniting his frozen heart and reconnecting their severed bond.

However, a critical situation arises as Lee Kang and Park Dal-i's bodies are swapped. Despite their efforts to reverse the swap, they fail and decide to tackle their respective challenges together. As they join forces for revenge and love, curiosity grows about the secret behind their twisted fate.

Deposed Crown Prince Lee Woon (played by Lee Sin-young) and Kim Woo-hee (played by Hong Su-zu), the only daughter of the Left State Councilor, have been in love since childhood. However, their love is thwarted by Kim Han-chul's (played by Jin Goo) ambition to make his daughter the Crown Princess and Kim Woo-hee's desire to restore Lee Woon to the throne.

Lee Woon suppresses his feelings for the sake of everyone, prioritizing his love for Kim Woo-hee and loyalty to Lee Kang over his desire for power. Kim Woo-hee, determined to protect Lee Woon, enters the palace and continues to seek solutions even after becoming a concubine. Despite their shared feelings, Lee Woon and Kim Woo-hee face uncertain futures as they look in different directions.

Secretly plotting revenge, Lee Kang investigates the incident orchestrated by Kim Han-chul, discovering the existence of a crucial clue: the poison of the mythical creature Jimjo. Though believed to have been used to annihilate the royal family, the existence of Jimjo's poison remains uncertain.

Lee Woon, investigating Jimjo in secret, uncovers that a merchant dealing with Jimjo existed in Qing China, but his family perished in a fire. However, the sudden appearance of the merchant's surviving son brings them closer to uncovering the truth. The mystery of Jimjo and its connection to Kim Han-chul draws significant attention.

'Moon River' airs its seventh episode tonight at 9:40 PM.

Lee So-jung, TENASIA Reporter forusojung@tenasia.co.kr