The Tale of Lady Ok – K-drama Episode 1 Recap & Review

Episode 1

Episode 1 of The Tale of Lady Ok begins with a flashforward. Ok Tae-young is being investigated for having 2 husbands and there are rumours that she is the runaway slave, Gu-deok. The investigators want to cuff her but she knows the law and uses it in her favour. People stone her and she remains cold and stoic. 

At present, the woman we see being investigated is indeed a slave called Gu-deok. She is bubbly and dotes on her father. Her mistress, Lady Kim So-hye is cruel as she threatens to break Gu-deok’s leg should she sneak out. Gu-deok has a photographic memory, transcribes books on the side and hopes to make enough money to run away.

Her father has given up hope but she has set up a signal when they get the chance. However, they are wary of the Kims as they are brutal and made Gu-deok’s father bury his wife alive in the snow when she was too sick to work.

So-hye is to be engaged to the eldest son of the former governor, Song. The servants believe it is the perfect match as So-hye is cruel and her fiance, Song Seo-in is eccentric. He is an artist who loves life and doesn’t care about propriety. His slave, Soeddong is busy running after him. But his stepmother hates him since he is a gisaeng’s son.

Seo-in dresses up as a servant and sneaks out with Soeddong to the fair and gossips about So-hye. He learns that she is horrible but has a reputation for being artistic. Soeddong reveals that it is Gu-deok who does her hobbies for her. Unsurprisingly, they run into her as she is selling peanuts. As she and Soeddong banter and mock their masters, Seo-in learns how So-hye is cruel to her. They spot the Kims and she runs off.

As she is sneaking out, she bumps into Seo-in who has changed back into his noble attire. She apologises for making fun of him and he drags her away to the wall as punishment. However, he just wants someone to listen to his ramblings about the fair. He is surprised to learn they have read the same books. When he criticizes the shoddy performances at the fair, she reprimands him.

She goes on about how poor people need an escape and artists have the power to help people forget their worries. He is in awe as it finally gives his art purpose. He also realises he has been self-obsessed when she shares her dream to live by the sea and die of old age instead of being beaten to death. He apologises for halting her peanut-selling gig and gives her a gem as compensation. That night, as he writes in his diary, he realises that he has fallen for her.

It is Song’s birthday and also the announcement of the young couple’s engagement. Gu-deok has gotten the job of a cook but So-hye recognises her food and looks around to punish her. Gu-deok ends up hiding in Seo-in’s garden and runs into him. He wonders why she risks herself but hides her behind a divider when So-hye shows up.

She tries to make small talk with him but he calls her out for her cruelty and ends the engagement. Gu-deok sees his diary and drops it in shock on hearing his decision. So-hye catches her and thinks Gu-deok slept with him to spite her.

The Kims beat her bloody and don’t stop when her father shields her with his body. They decide to make her a concubine and she gives her father the signal. She is cleaned and taken to So-hye’s father, Kim Nak-su. Once they are alone, Gu-deok tries to kill him. So-hye bursts in and for once, Gu-deok stands her ground and hits her back.

She runs off with her father and the other slaves help her secretly. So-hye is furious and hires slave hunters.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Song rants about Seo-in being a disgrace till he decides to leave as he is not welcome. Mr. Song is sad and sends Soeddong to look after him. Seo-in’s first decision is to call off the slave hunters by giving all of their money to stop their search for Gu-deok and her father. He then goes looking for his mother and decides to live at her gisaeng house when he learns she is dead.

The two runaway slaves struggle through snow and rivers. Gu-deok’s father loses their money and berates himself. When they find an inn, he sneaks off after she is asleep so as not to burden her. A desperate Gu-deok pays the inn owner with Seo-in’s gem and searches for him to no avail. Seeing her plight, the inn owner hires her as she wants to wait for her father should he return.

A year later, Gu-deok lives as the inn owner’s niece. She protects her from scammers and worries about her father. One day, two guests hit on her and the inn owner kicks them out. Before they can cause trouble, a retinue arrives. Turns out, a Qing envoy is passing by with his daughter, Ok Tae-young and they stop to rest for a few days. 

Tae-young is unapologetic and aware of her privilege. She takes an instant liking to Gu-deok and wants to help her. They become friends and she shares her dream of becoming a lawyer by the name Byeon-ho.

On the day of their departure, the inn owner begs them to take Gu-deok. The Oks not only agree but adopt her. The inn owner gives Gu-deok back her gem and promises to keep an eye out for her father.

As for Tae-young, she gives her grandmother’s ring to Gu-deok and tells her all about her family. She left Joseon when she was a child and is returning years later. Their happiness is cut short as the two unruly guests attack with a group of bandits. They kill Tae-young’s father, the inn owner and steal their belongings. Gu-deok and Tae-young hide in a barn and a bandit locks them in and sets it on fire.

Gu-deok breaks one of the wooden walls but a log falls on Tae-young. She tells Gu-deok to live and pushes her out before the roof falls and kills her. At the end of The Tale of Lady Ok Episode 1, Gu-deok wakes up and sees Tae-young’s grandmother and slave looking after her. Grandma mistakes her for Tae-young and she runs with the lie.

The Episode Review

It is quite strange to see Lim Ji-yeon in such a role. For most K-drama fans, they will either remember her as the tsundere girlfriend in Money Heist Korea or the bully in Glory. But her portrayal of Gu-deok is quite intriguing and how she goes from a scarred but bubbly runaway slave to a stoic and calculative noblewoman. 

The Tale of Lady Ok Episode 1 also sets up the main mystery with Gu-deok being persecuted for stealing Tae-young’s identity. Now, the question is what’s the deal with the multiple husbands and who exposed her? And there are a lot of suspects such as the Kim family, the bandits and Seo-in himself who may unwittingly give her away. 

As for Seo-in aka Seung-hwi, we are yet to figure out how we feel about him. Choo Young-woo knows how to play the pampered brat with a heart as seen in Oasis but the rapid changes are a little jarring. We barely get to see the self-obsessed Seo-in but he instantly becomes a better man after a little chat with Gu-deok. We doubt the show will address his past self again but guess it is still too early to judge his characterization.