JTBC’s King The Land (2023) is a romantic-comedy drama that follows two complete opposites, an elegant hotel heir who cannot stand fake smiles and a hardworking hotel employee whose job is to smile for customer service.
Right. We’ve seen this type of typical trope, same old grumpy chaebol falling for an ordinary girl, a predictable plot of opposites attract, a tested formula from enemies to lovers giving cringy vibes—same concept, same style of rom-coms in the past, which may sound a bit repetitive for some viewers.
Regardless, the show has hit the global charts on Netflix and continues to soar in its weekly viewership ratings in South Korean television. Despite divided opinions, none can deny the fact that it is one of the most watched and talked-about Korean dramas of the year, domestically and internationally.
Having seen ten episodes so far, here are four key points that I find intriguing and enjoyable about the drama:
Hotel management.
King The Land (2023) highlights characters that revolve around an elegant hotel called King Hotel, the root of King Group, a conglomerate business that is about to hit centenary and also operates King Air and King Distribution, owned by the Gu family.
Set more in King Hotel, it provides some insights about hotel management from customer service to employee rights and hotel inheritance. It shows some relatable scenarios where some employees endure workplace bullying from co-workers and superiors.
The first episode already deals with this issue wherein Gu Won, the chairman’s son, witnesses No Sang-sik, a temporary employee, being treated unfairly by an arrogant worker. Gu Won confronts the superiors and offers No Sang-sik a full-time position, becoming his official personal assistant.
The lead character, Cheon Sa Rang, also faces workplace maltreatment from co-employees who see her as a threat due to her beauty, personality, and lovely smile. Nevertheless, she surpasses them all by attaining the title “Best Talent” for two consecutive years and landing a new job at the most luxurious spot in the hotel, the VVIP concierge, King The Land.
Likewise, her two bestfriends who work at King Air and King Distribution, both grapple with unfair practices from superiors despite working hard and achieving the best sales.
Meanwhile, Gu Won, who has arrived home from his UK studies, decides to work at his father’s hotel, competing head to head with his older sister in obtaining the hotel inheritance. He also deals with the same cheating practices from her powerful rival.
The drama’s storyline may seem simple but it explores workplace issues in a hotel set-up that is presented in a lighter and more entertaining style with comic yet realistic characters.
Gu Won.
There’s something about the psyche of Gu Won that makes him totally intriguing, in my opinion, even if it seems he lacks depth in character, at first impression.
Initially, he is introduced to us as the elegant heir of a luxury hotel named King Hotel. After studying in London, he returns to Korea to join his family’s business, only to find himself battling with his sister in a mental game of schemes to secure the hotel inheritance.
Characterwise, Gu Won is flawed and no perfect, and that makes him intriguing and realistic. He earned high quality education in UK and is acquainted with the market trends and code of conduct in the world of business. He has it all—good educational background, wealth, and good looks. He rides a luxury car, wears designer brands, and lives at the penthouse suite of his family’s hotel.
And yet, he is rumored by employees as the chairman’s son who is “a stuck-up jerk”, “a douchebag”, “the nepotism guy”, a head manager who “has a rotten personality” and “goes to work for fun”. Even his own trusted assistant tells him, “You are a selfish jerk who doesn’t listen to others. You’ve never smiled at anyone.”
Right, he never smiles and he totally abhors people who smile. This side of him initially intrigued me. Unlike other grumpy CEO stories, King The Land (2023) allows viewers to get to know Gu Won deeper and understand his psyche more, which is one thing that I appreciate about the show.
By reasonable assumption, he has mommy issues and suffers from a traumatic childhood experience where he feels stuck not knowing the truth behind his mother’s disappearance, of being robbed the right to grieve the loss, and how to move on without a proper closure. This also explains why he often feels left out or disconnected at home, and prefers staying at the hotel.
As the story proceeds, we get to learn more about his background. As young Gu Won wails for the sudden vanishment of his mom, everyone else had a smile on their faces. That moment confused the innocent boy, thinking for the first time how smiles could appear monstrous and how no one around him showed genuine emotions.
Gu Won deeply suffers from this traumatized child still living inside of him, which often manifests in the form of grumpiness, sudden burst of anger, and avoidance around people. Until he meets the hotel’s “Best Talent” he calls “Phony Cheon”, as if someone has flashed a warm light onto his dim soul.
It may seem shallow or simple but I liked the writer’s idea of two people revolving around the psychological concept of a smile—a character who cannot stand fake smiles colliding with another character whose job is to smile.
In the case of Gu Won, fake smiles from several people caused his childlike heart to bleed. And all it takes is just one genuine smile from Cheon Sa Rang for his inner child to be set free. Simply put, he was broken with a fake smile and he starts healing with a genuine smile.
From this unexpected encounter, he is learning to be open, to smile at ease, look at life from a different perspective, befriend and have fun around people. Meanwhile, we still have six episodes left to know the real story behind the sudden disappearance of his mother and how things will go with the intense competition with his sister. But so far, Gu Won is becoming more and more appealing as the story progresses.
Chemistry.
Speaking objectively, King The Land (2023) has clichéd scenes that appear to be cringy, in particular, the outdated idea of clumsy female character tripping and falling into the arms of a savor-like male lead. On top of that, the clashing personalities and bickering. You will also find some scenes quite similar to other romance dramas.
Nevertheless, main actors Lee Junho and Lim Yoona manage to deliver striking visuals and sparkling chemistry together that they tend to overshadow cliche scenes. They also make their fictional pairing believable even from the couple posters to magazine shoots. None can deny the fact that they make a powerful team onscreen and might even top the Best Drama Couple of the year.
Entertainment.
What sets King The Land (2023) apart from other dramas is that it serves pure entertainment and chill vibes with its fun-loving characters, lighthearted scenes, and great locations.
We have a chaotic squad who differs in personalities but always brings out the positive energy together even when life seems to break apart, partying with dancing and singing and food trip all night. They make viewers root for the same kind of fun and genuine female friendship.
No Sang-sik is purely comedic and delivers a hilarious love-hate relationship with Gu Won. He illustrates the type of a loyal employee who knows his boss well from the inside out, all the flaws and stings, and yet sticks with him like a real family.
Likewise, the grandmother of Cheon Sa Rang adds fun and tension with her classic yet goofy personality. Her moments with Gu Won serve one of the drama’s cutest scenes, while offering some classic insights about love and dating.
So far, I loved episode 10 the most when the chaotic characters went for a vacation trip to Bangkok. It was purely entertaining, relaxing, and fun as they explored the beautiful culture of Thailand from the stunning sceneries to majestic temples to food hopping and other top things to do in the city.
Gu Won and Cheon Sa Rang even made the country more romantic with their couple date on a tuktuk ride and rooftop moment overlooking the dazzling city at night. What an amazing Thailand, indeed!
Conclusion.
King The Land (2023) takes the spotlight as the most vivacious and engaging rom-com drama of the year thus far. It serves breathtaking locations, sparkling romance, and chaotic characters with a splash of amusement and some tension brewing on the background. You can’t help but smile and chill while watching it. Hermes!
No. of episodes: 16 | Cast: Lee Junho, Lim Yoona | Screenwriter: Choi Rom | Director: Im Hyun-wook | Original network: JTBC | Available on: Netflix | Images: JTBC
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