Kang Hee-soo dedicates her life to seeking revenge on the man she once loved. In Captivating the King, Shin Se-kyung plays Kang Hee-soo.
Kang Hee-soo, the daughter of the Chief State Councilor, is an exceptional baduk player.
Although Hee-soo does not need to, she tries her best to earn money on her own to pay the ransom for hostages taken by the Qing.
Hee-soo disguises herself as a man and plays baduk with anyone willing to challenge her. When she wins, she takes her opponents’ baduk table and stones.
She then sells her winnings and gives the money to Chu Dal-ha, who gets the hostages released, all without her father’s knowledge.
Yi In’s manghyeong
With rumors of Yi In potentially being a Qing spy circulating widely, everyone begins to question Yi In’s loyalty.
However, Hee-soo fiercely defends Yi In, which captures Yi In’s attention. Hee-soo has never lost a game, and she believes that only Yi In can give her competition.
Yi In overhears this and asks Hee-soo to play a game with him. Since Hee-soo only plays when there is a bet, Yi In promises to give her whatever she desires if she wins.
Yi In mistakenly believes that Hee-soo has won, and Hee-soo does not correct him. Instead, she asks him to give her the nickname he cherishes: Mongwoo.
As Hee-soo, disguised as a man, never discloses her name to those who haven’t defeated her, Yi In comes to recognize her as Mongwoo.
He affectionately refers to Mongwoo as his manghyeong, meaning a friend who shares a cross-class bond with him. Just like that, she falls in love with Yi In.
A friend’s betrayal
Soon after, Hee-soo’s father is sent to Qing as a prisoner, and Hee-soo’s friend, Hongjang, is arrested and tortured to falsely implicate Yi In as a traitor.
Hee-soo’s attempts to rescue Hong-jang land her in trouble, but Yi In intervenes and promises to save her.
Hee-soo keeps waiting for Yi In to save her and Hongjang, but Yi In does not keep his word. In fact, he sacrifices Hee-soo and Hongjang to become the King.
Despite their innocence, Hongjang and Hee-soo receive their sentences in Yi In’s presence. Hee-soo begs Yi In to spare Hongjang, but to no avail.
Yi In declares that he no longer has friends and cruelly rejects Hee-soo’s request, which eventually leads to Hongjang’s death.
After losing her friend, Hee-soo escapes and almost loses her life in the process. Hee-soo survives and vows to seek revenge on Yi In.
Hee-soo sets her plan into motion three years later when Yi In creates the post of gidaeryeong, who will play baduk with him and cater exclusively to his needs.
Hee-soo applies for this position as Mongwoo and easily defeats all the other applicants to become the gidaeryeong.
When Yi In, who had believed that Mongwoo was dead, meets Hee-soo again, he becomes suspicious of her motives, but he fails to get Hee-soo to confess the truth.
Hee-soo, determined to make Yi In feel the pain of betrayal, is willing to put her life in jeopardy to achieve her goal. However, her own feelings may prove to be an obstacle.
Also Read: How does Yi In become the King in Captivating the King?
