STORYLINE: 8.5/10 The storyline follows a homosexual king (Joo Jin Mo) and how he rules, hides and overcomes his desires. Personally, I felt the storyline controversial topic in the depicted culture/ era; plus my investigation revealed the possibility of truth in it which makes it that more provocative and debatable in my head as each sexual scene or plots was introduced. The love triangle that forms is well thought through and broke down in a manner that may be relatable. The unfortunate status Jo In Sung finds himself born into additional to catching the king’s eye was heart breaking to watch as well as strengthening to observe his loyalty (brilliant acting by Jo In Sung as always). ACTING: 9/10 - CHARACTERS: 7.5/10 All three main actors/ actress (Joo Jin Mo, Jo In Sung and Song Ji Hyo) delivered a believable performance of their roles; especially during the sex scenes. I totally did not expect such intimate scenes, both the heterosexual and homosexual ones for an Asian based film (a step out of the norm). Every plot delivered is presented in a manner that derives emotions of sadness; together with the straight faces of the actors made certain scenes overly tense as the fear of suspense filled me. MUSIC: 6.5/10 LIKED – Despite it making me a tad uncomfortable, I liked that despite it being a known taboo in mainstream Asian films; this did not stop them from showing such in-depth sex scenes. DISLIKED – More on a personal note as a heterosexual individual the homosexual scenes made me uncomfortable to watch but do acknowledge their relevance in the film. CONCLUSION: You should watch this drama if you enjoy genres such as SUSPENSE – FORBIDDEN LOVE – HOMOSEXUALITY – GREAT PLOT – SLICE OF LIFE – WAR – HOPE – GREAT ACTING – NON FICTION – EMOTIONAL.