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The Red Sleeve is a period drama based on the life of King Jeongjo. Lee Jun Ho plays the role of the Crown Prince who is set to take over the throne, while Lee Se Young plays the role of Sung Deok Im, a court lady.
After episode seven of the show aired, the ratings of the show crossed 10%, making it the first MBC show to achieve this feat in three years.
According to Nielsen Korea, the show acquired a rating of 10.7% in urban areas. This was recorded during the fourth week that the K-drama aired.
The Red Sleeve's success story
A large part of this viewership is thanks to the cliffhanger at the end of episode six, which increased the anticipation for the release of episode seven. It seemed as if Yi San would plant a kiss on his court lady and Deok Im also registered the increased tension. Of course, the episode revealed that Deok Im did not give in to chemistry or the attraction.
She did not want to become the King's concubine in The Red Sleeve. She is considered a woman of low birth status, and the highest title that she could attain is that of the King's royal concubine. Deok Im has a goal, and she is at the moment not ready to give in to momentary attraction.
Deok Im also has a mind of her own, one that she was not ready to give up in order to become Yi San's person. She told him so when he got jealous of her budding relationship with her brother. Yi San did not know that she was talking to her brother, and his jealousy gave rise to misunderstanding.
Despite all this in The Red Sleeve, Deok Im is instrumental in Yi San succeeding as the King. This retelling of the love story between King Jeongjo and his concubine Ulbin Sung captured the attention of audiences.
The Red Sleeve marked Lee Jun Ho's return to K-Dramas after he completed his military enlistment service. The actor was last seen in Confession, which was broadcast on tvN.
