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Drunk princesses, pretty-boy scholars, and assassins in SBS’s My Sassy Girl

We are exactly one month away from the premiere of My Sassy Girl, which means we can probably expect the promo wheel to start a-turnin’. The first teaser and character stills of our four leads are out for the sageuk version of the classic 2001 rom-com, starring Joo-won (Yong-pal) and Oh Yeon-seo (Come Back, Ajusshi) in the roles that propelled Jeon Ji-hyun and Cha Tae-hyun to stardom.

This is one drama that’s personally elicited some pretty polarizing reactions, and not only because of the whole lead actress switcheroo fiasco: The original film is one of my all-time favorites, so if they were to mess this up, there’s a real chance I might lose some of my love for Joo-won. I know, it’s scary. On the other hand, I love the two leads, and I’m rooting for the show to successfully take a fresh spin on the classic boy-meets-(crazy-)girl story.

Some extended character descriptions have been released alongside the pretty, pretty character stills, and I’m starting to infer that while the drama might share the same name and some of the most memorable scenes with the original, the tone and most of the plot will diverge from its source material. Which I am completely fine with, as long as it contributes to a quality show. As mentioned in previous articles, Joo-won will star as Gyun Woo, the star geeenius scholar with pretty-boy looks who is happily aware of the effect he has on women. (Side note: While the original character’s name was Gyun-woo, the drama has chosen to use Gyun as his family name and Woo as his first name.)

Upon his triumphant return to Joseon from his studies abroad in the Qing empire, he comes across a very drunk Princess Hyemyung, played by Oh Yeon-seo, who promptly vomits all over him in lieu of thanks for saving her from a dangerous situation. He takes her to an inn when she passes out, gets taken for a pervert, and receives a fist in the face for all his trouble. It does sound like the princess is no stranger to altercations: She regularly lets kicks fly and mouths off to noblemen abusing their positions in the marketplace, where she likes to sneak off to for some chicken feet. Her rough exterior hides a strong protectiveness for her younger brother, the crown prince, and also a painful memory in the form of a jade ring given to her by Min Yoo-hwan, who disappeared 3 years ago. He’s the reason she gets rip-roaring drunk so often, and it’s during one such episode she meets Gyun Woo.

While the meet-cute (meet-barf?) between our two leads is taken straight out of the film, our second leads are new additions to the story. Lee Jung-shin’s (Cinderella and the Four Knights) character Kang Jun-young is that stoic bodyguard type that’s in every sageuk ever but I can’t help but fall for. Every. Single. Time. The highest ranked official in Joseon’s investigative branch of the royal court, his looks, smarts, and martial arts skills have made him universally loved in the palace, and the king considers him his most loyal subject. He secretly loves the princess and knows that her abrasive, eccentric behavior masks her pain, so he chooses to protect her from afar. Sure, it’s a widely used trope, but I lap it up, so bring on the angsty stares, Lee Jung-shin!

And then, we have the meddlesome second female lead Jung Da-yeon played by Kim Yoon-hye (Vampire Detective), which * le sighhh*. The daughter of the most powerful minister in court, Jung Da-yeon is described as wily and manipulative with a mean, queen bee mentality. She decides she wants Gyun Woo because of his promising future and reputation, and when she sees his growing interest in the princess, she’s not above using fake tears or her father’s power to try to pry them apart. Her character sounds decidedly one-dimensional, and frankly boring, on paper. Here’s to hoping she’ll at least be one of those love-to-hate characters.

The first 30-second teaser isn’t very long and doesn’t cover much ground that hasn’t already been covered, but it does look quite beautifully shot. We start with Gyun Woo’s return to Joseon and a voice offscreen narrates his new duty to oversee the crown prince’s studies. We get glimpses of Gyun Woo and the princess’s first meeting and subsequent hijinks, with the former saying disbelievingly, “That flower-snake (a colloquialism akin to “gold-digger”) is the princess?”

The latter half of the teaser takes a decidedly darker tone with assassins attacking the king’s entourage and the princess running away from somebody in the rain. It looks like Gyun Woo also has some martial arts tricks up his sleeve and he handily takes down a group of thugs while chastising the princess offscreen for her carelessness: “While I do not know what they seek, they will come for you again, your highness.”

Hmm, and will you be there to take them down with your mid-air swivel kicks, Yong-pal-ah, err, Gyun Woo-ya? Cause I’m sure the princess wouldn’t mind too much if so. My Sassy Girl will air in the Monday-Tuesday slot after Whisper finishes its run, starting May 29.

Via WikiTree, SBS

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I don't know. I could never lose my love for Joo Won. After all, no matter how much of a mess a drama is, he works his butt off. I do hope for the best though since it'll be a long 2 years before we get another one.

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I believe I misread this sentence: "She passes out, gets taken for a pervert, and receives a fist in the face for all his trouble."

If this what happened, it would make her the most original Joseon female character is many years.

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Yeah I guess u did.

"He takes her to an inn when she passes out, gets taken for a pervert, and receives a fist in the face for all his trouble."

The pervert mentioned was talking bout joo won's character. ?

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You're not the only one. I had to go back for a second read.

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That's true! I mistakened this at first, but they were talking about him! ?

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It's been while since I want to watch saeguk drama. I will watch this one!
But I lower down my expectations so i won't feel so betrayed when it fail.
I miss Joowoon too!
Plz be good plz *blowing candle*

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Joo won in hanbok with that sunglass tho~ ?

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?

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Did I hear you mention a Jade ring...? LOL

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Jokes aside, I'm really looking forward to this show. I'm just glad Joo-won is back on my screen and I hope this doesn't let me down like Yong-pal did. I've been pretending that Yong-pal ended at episode 9...to those of you who know what I mean...

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lol

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i totally get what you mean coz it was the same for me. yongpal was sooooooooooo good. i mean before like episode 8/9. sighs!

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I know! Biggest disappointment:(

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I think every beanie might've perked up at that ?

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?

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I am big fan of joo won and oh yeon soo and also my sassy girl. I joyfully waiting for this drama to air.

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I like the actors and I love the original movie. I dont mind that the drama is inspired by the original movie. For Joowoon and Oh Yeonseo's sake, i hope this drama is written well and will be an enjoyable watch.

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Wow! I didn't recognise Lee Jung Shin! I've only seen him in My Daughter Seo Young, he was quite good. I so agree about the stoic bodyguard in saeguks whom we fall in love with every time.

I don't think this drama will spoil my opinion of Joo Won or Oh Yeon Seo. The writing will likely be the culprit. Honestly, I still don't see how this might pan out.

It doesn't help that I never got into the original My Sassy Girl. If the story calls itself a Joseon spin on MSG just because of how the leads meet, I feel that it's so unnecessary. Why can't it just be a meta or parody?

I didn't expect the darker tone but this is a saeguk after all. Royalties didn't spend all their time getting drunk, do they?

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I will just think that this drama is not a remake of any drama. I will watch for the casts, the main casts like Joo Won and Oh Yeon Seo are good that I cannot just ignore them, even I dont think I will like this type of sageuk. Hopefully it will be a fun ride.

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remake of any movie*

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I am actually quite open to remakes and I have zero attachment to the original MSG. I just wasn't and maybe still isn't immediately attracted to this drama unlike other saeguks. That said, the outcome can be entirely different. I have low expectations of Moonlight Drawn By Clouds and Rebel yet I ended up liking them. I was anticipating Moon Lovers, largely due to the badass teaser and it turned out a disappointment.

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MSG (movie) is also not my fav. I watched it once and then forget about it lol.SBS needs this drama to be a success, because their other pre produced sageuk like Moon Lovers and Saimdang are not successful.. I had good expectation of Rebel because I really loved the writer's past drama King's Daughter, and it reached my expectation although I still prefer King's Daughter for some reasons. It is good that you still not attached with this drama, so you can start with zero expectations. I am simply will watch this because of the leads but if it becomes boring or not something that I like, maybe will drop it.

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Oh, you are right about SBS's bad luck with saeguks. I've heard great things about King's Daughter, I just didn't know it was the same writer when I started Rebel.

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If you have time I will encourage you to watch it. Although it is 100++ episodes. but actually it is almost equivalent to 50 -60 epi drama, since each epi is around 30 mins only.

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Thanks Sera, I'll put it on my list. Currently, I am still at the 1 mile junction of 3310?I'm moving at ???pace

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I'm a big Joowon fan but I admit the entire MSG remake didn't seem interesting or new. BUT that was months ago when I wasn't Joowon deprived. Now I'm gonna take all the JW possible. Give me moreee! Fangirl needs aside, I really really really wish for the drama to have a good plot from beginning to end. Please!!

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This is nice, we have another light drama in the market to add to the list, although i am sucker for thrillers but i am getting overdosed and stressed of all the thrillers I've watched and still watching, plus there's still few upcoming thrillers on the way.

Sassy girl, suspicious partner, Fight my way, currently airing My Secret Romance, this is a good dose to lighten up the dark atmosphere.

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That teeny-weeny split-second scene where Joo Won's character smashes his opponents with a fan is quite reminiscent of that scene in Kundo where Kang Dong Won's character beats the hell out of his opponent with a fan.

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! SO EXCITED!!! Pleasepleasepleaseplease be good!!! :)

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i always thought they look alike!!! dont they? ?

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Yes, same here. We could all go batty if they did a Joseon era sageuk film together. With the gats, we'd never be able to tell them apart.

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omo doppelgangers? twins? hahaha! it will be epic if the 2 of them work tgt. it will be like a dream come true!

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He was pretty famous for being known as a Kang Dong Won look alike. But either way they're both good actors too!

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oh my joo won, how could i miss this drama? but i didnt like oh yeon seo ever since i saw her in baby faced beauty as the spolit bratty sister of jang nara lol. i know she got a long list of good reviews bout her acting chops. so im optimistic bout this. ?

oh jungshin, i love cnblue so im curious how he gonna turn out in this character. watched him in temptation and i think he served his role? ? and oh god, why another one-dimensional character for kim yoon hye?! i rmb her in vampire detective and flower boy next door and they weren't good impressions.. i havent seen her in better roles but i believe that she has potential!

let's just pray for the best for this drama to work! ??

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I never really liked Oh Yeon Seo before Jang Bo Ri, so I think she has improved a lot. She especially won me over in Come Back Mister.

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I liked her a lot in CBM. I didn't care about the ratings but my immense dislike for the dead ahjussi made me drop the drama.

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the ratings was affected coz it was aired at the same time as DOTS. it's a pity i think, judging from the mixed reviews. but actually i didnt watch it myself, so i cant really tell too lol.. i didnt like the plot..

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yeah i heard she was good in CBM. but it wasn't my type of drama so i skipped it.

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I watched it. She was good in it :)

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I couldn't believe OYS was in Baby Faced when I read your comment this morning. Googled it and my jaw dropped. I think I was mixing her up with another actress for all those years. She's good.

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Thanks for the reminder, tipsymocha! I've been running a serious Joo Won deficit after YONG-PAL, and somehow didn't have it on my to-watch list.

Hmmm. I was turned off by the binge-drinking in the original movie, but did come to enjoy other aspects of the film.

That said, you got me at Joo Won and sageuk. If I'm not mistaken, this looks like his first costume drama. It's like Gong Yoo finally doing a saguek -- are the stars aligning or something?!

Here's hoping that it makes a splash in the ratings as a nice send-off for his enlistment. Joo Won, hwaiting! ;-)

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The premise of this drama does not really engage me, but I'm rooting for Joo Won to make this work.
Also, I'm getting a lot of Moonlight Drawn By Clouds vibes from the teasers, with the colourful costumes, loud comedic introductions for the characters. Hopefully, just like MDBC, this will mellow down to a sweet, engaging romance.

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Can't help but LOL when I saw Joo-won's comical face. Don't have a big expectation since the original drama is too huge and well-known but this one seems promising so I will put into my bucket list.

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Joo Won love ya hahaha

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I'm just going to pretend this is not related to Sassy Girl at all and hopefully that will allow me to enjoy it more. Definitely looking forward to Oh Yeonseo's antics and Joowon's everything. Please don't let me down like Yongpal, I need lots and lots of good memories to survive Joowon's army service.

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I never really liked Joo Won in anything before Yong Pal although I watched most of his drama, so unlike most of you, Yong Pal is kinda a blessing because I started to open up with him. Yong Pal was also never let me down except the ending. Thanks to Yong Pal I re-pick up Gaksital that I stopped watching due to *ehem*.

If I am not mistaken this is his first sageuk, so good luck for him. Oh Yeon Seo is a good actress and can do sageuk, so hopefully this one will be a fun ride. I won't expecting so much, this type of sageuk if it is done right, it will be good.

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Sera, I am curious, what's the *ehem*?

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I'm guessing *ehem* is Jin Se-yeon, but I could be wrong.

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Yes right. Because of the lead girl.

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I don't like her too!!!

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Their costumes scream "pretty"! I hope the show lives up to its visuals.

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My thoughts exactly. First thing I noticed when I saw the poster - g o r g e o u s hanboks!

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The movie is one of my first and at the same time one of my favourite Korean movies.

I was so happy to see it would be adapted into a drama but then the whole drama outside the drama stopped me from being enthusiastic. I might check out the first episode to see if it's any good. But if it as bland as the character "posters" (??) I'm going to be really angry and disappointed.

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I don't know, I might give it a try. Is not the type of show that I would watch.

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I've been waiting for this like ages. My love for Joo Won grows and grows ever since I saw in starring in Good Doctor.

Unlike many of my fellow beanies, I kinda like Yong Pal a lot since I like Joo Won and Tae Hee. Their actings were nice. Particularly, I like the second-half plot since I was into vengeance plot during those days.

I didn't know or watched OYS's work before so I don't really know what to expect from her. I guess that's a good thing so I won't set my expectation so high. I count on JW's talent in acting. The teaser didn't really captivate me here but those two pictures.. the ones which both lead actors look solemn does really make me think the chemistry between the two should be good. As I've never watched MSG before, hope this adaptation is gonna be a great one. Joo Won fighting!

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im not that much of a fan of my sassy girl so i wouldnt mind the remake. and i'd like to think of this drama as drama of its own so im looking forward to watch this cause joo won ♥

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A lot has to happen for me to lose my love for Joo Won. BUT... PTB please don't mess this up. I have been looking forward to this drama, and it would make me really really sad.

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So much pretty!! I'm really looking forward to this Joseon spin on the beloved My Sassy Girl story. I don't think anything can diminish my love for Joowon. I want this drama to do well, especially since he's heading to the army soon. I like OYS and LJS as well. Fighting!!

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I don't usually watch historical dramas but I might give it a try since this is a rom-com and not angst one.

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I am so looking forward to this. I miss Joo Won.

I read somewhere that it's totally different from the movie.

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Side note, i think it's time for me to zz.. silly me took a long time to figure out what is MSG (my sassy girl).. thought it was food preservative? for a while, lol :p

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I wish they just advertised it as a cute original rom-com sageuk. Promoting itself as a sageuk remake of an iconic movie and the whole casting fiasco really puts the pressure on this drama to do well enough to say that it was worth putting itself through all of that. I'm worried that the sassy girl is a princess, since we may get a lot of political shenanigans.

I do really like Joo Won and Oh Yeon Seo. I rewatched some of OYS's scenes in Come Back Ahjusshi recently.

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Looks pretty and cute! ^^ Here's to hoping My ̶S̶a̶g̶e̶u̶k̶ ̶G̶i̶r̶l̶ Sassy Girl will be awesome and crack-tastic! *praystothedramagods*

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I CAN'T WAIT TO WATCH JOO WON IN A DRAMA AGAIN!!!

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I am tired of the secondary women almost always being these bitches. The secondary men are typically these sweet, caring men which makes you have 2nd lead syndrome, so why can't the secondary women be these sweet and caring women also? I personally am so tried of the trope and wish we had more dramas where secondary women were more then their greed for the main guy. There is more to us women then that.

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I really like Joo Won and Oh Yeon Seo is pretty good too but this just seems so basic from the description to the teaser. Here's to hoping the drama proves me wrong!

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I don't think Joo Won will ever disappoint me lol.

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