The first episode of Perfect Crown starts with a voiceover that talks about the royal family’s history going back to the Joseon era. The monarchy has changed from a position of real political power to one that is mostly ceremonial, but its influence is still felt in the background.
The story then goes back in time to Hui-ju’s high school years at Seonggyungwan. She is a top student and always beats her rival Ryu-min Seok. Even though she does well in school, she is always treated unfairly because she is the illegitimate daughter of a powerful business person. Hui-ju is often reminded of her “place” by the school administration and by other students from wealthy royal families. Still, she won’t back down, and she stands her ground when someone tries to scare her.
Hui-ju is in charge of one of her father’s companies, Castle Beauty, after she graduates. The business does well under her leadership, always beating her brother Tae-joo’s company. This time, though, Tae-joo uses dishonest methods to try to get the upper hand. Hui-ju is determined not to lose, so she takes advantage of every chance she gets, like using her invitation to the Crown Prince’s birthday party at the palace to boost sales. Her strict and demanding way of leading gets her staff to respect and fear her.
In the meantime, the palace introduces Grand Prince Yi-an, a royal who doesn’t always do what is expected of him. Choi-hyun, his assistant, has a hard time dealing with him, especially when Yi-an won’t get ready for the Crown Prince’s birthday party after a day of hunting.
As the night goes on, the palace fills with famous people and news coverage. Hui-ju comes in wearing a bold red outfit that isn’t very common. Some people like it, but others don’t. She hears people talking behind her back about her past and faces it with quiet confidence. She also stops Tae-joo from trying to bring her down by showing that she is better than him in both skill and results.
Dinner goes on with some tension, which is made worse by Yi-an’s late arrival in a casual hunting outfit, which makes the Queen Mother angry. Even though she tries to scold him, Yi-an stays calm and doesn’t care. Things go smoothly until Hui-ju runs into Prime Minister Jeong-woo, which suggests that they are very close friends.
Later, Yi-an tells Jeong-woo that the Queen Mother is putting pressure on him to get married. Jeong-woo strongly opposes Yi-an’s marriage because it would shift responsibilities to him as the current regent. Yi-an asks him to get involved in politics to stop the deal.
When a fire breaks out in the palace, the mood changes a lot. The event brings back Yi-an’s trauma because the king died in a similar event three years earlier. The Queen Mother slaps Yi-an in front of everyone and says he started the fire. The Crown Prince looks fine, which eases immediate worries, but there are still doubts. Jeong-woo quietly asks for an investigation because he thinks there may be more links to the tragedy that happened in the past.
Hui-ju sees the घटना and leaves early. Later, she tells her secretary Hye-jung about it. On the way home, she thinks about a time when she met Yi-an at Seonggyungwan and bravely stood up to the system’s bias in his favor. Even then, she showed both defiance and respect, which made a big impression on him.
The next day, the Queen Mother gives Yi-an an empty apology that hides her real worries. She is afraid that his popularity and power will make the Crown Prince look bad. Yi-an, who has been told to stay in the background her whole life, agrees with what she says without question. But she says he has to prove his loyalty by agreeing to an arranged marriage.
At the same time, Hui-ju’s family is pushing her to get married. She is angry that her father treats her like she is not important because she is not legitimate. She confronts him and refuses to be used as a pawn. She says how important she is and warns people not to underestimate her.
As things get worse on both sides, Hui-ju has an unexpected thought: instead of refusing to get married, she could find a partner who is as ambitious and successful as she is. She starts to pay attention to Prince Yi-an, who is in the news right now because of his controversial outfit at the royal event. She is interested and starts trying to get a royal audience with him.
Yi-an first turns down her repeated requests because they are so annoying. But when she finally brings up their shared alumni connection, he agrees to meet her. The Queen Mother is already making plans without his knowledge. She sends a spy to watch the meeting.
When Hui-ju gets there, calm and sure of herself, she doesn’t waste any time. She asks Yi-an to marry her in a bold and surprising move.
Review of the episode
The first episode of Perfect Crown is strong and interesting. Hui-ju is an immediately strong and unapologetic lead. It’s interesting that she won’t let society’s expectations bring her down, especially since most heroines in this genre are more passive.
Yi-an is a good match for her because he is calm but complicated. His quiet defiance and hidden weakness give the story more depth and make the relationship between the two leads more interesting.
The story is about rivalry, arranged marriage, and enemies becoming lovers, which is pretty common. However, the way it is told feels new, especially since it takes place in a modern monarchy. The mix of old and new things gives the story a unique taste.
The show looks great. The production quality is high, with well-planned scenes and polished cinematography. The fashion is especially interesting because it gives a modern twist to the traditional hanbok, which makes the characters more unique and the overall look better.
Even though this is only the first episode, Perfect Crown sets up a strong story. The show has a lot of room to grow and surprise in the episodes to come because it has great acting, interesting character interactions, and hints of political intrigue.