“The Scholar who walks the night” (Korean Drama) Review
We have arrived at our last October post featuring a ghost/vampire drama. This week we are taking a look at ‘The Scholar Who Walks The Night’.
This drama is based on the manwha of the same name written by Jo Joo-Hee and illustrated by Han Seung-Hee.
WARNING!! This is by far THE goriest drama I’ve ever seen.
Despite my **cough** limited expertise in this genre, this statement should NOT be taken lightly.
‘Why am I even here?’ was a frequent thought going through my brain as I watched this back in 2015.
Well, the short answer to that is ‘Because of Lee Joon-Gi’. The long answer is ‘Because of Lee Joon-Gi, Lee Soo-Hyuk and Lee Yu-Bi, and my fascination with anything manwha related’.
But watch it I did. In the trusted company of my pillow shield **Yay!!** and R. Both were essential to me finishing ‘The Scholar Who Walks The Night’. The former for obvious reasons and the later to tell me when it was safe to stop covering behind the former. #KdramaFansUnite
And eventually there was a cute/quirky love story sprinkled into the mix.
Now then, let’s try to summarize the story of this drama spanning several centuries.
Starring
- Lee Joon-Gi as Kim Sung-Yeol
- Lee Yu-Bi as Jo Yang-Sun/Seo Jin
- Shim Chang-Min as Crown Prince Lee Yoon
- Lee Soo-Hyuk as Gwi
- Kim So-Eun as Lee Myung-Hee/Choi Hye-Ryung
Backstory
It is the Joseon dynasty and Kim Sung-Yeol (Lee Joon-Gi) is a gifted young scholar. Sung-Yeol’s intelligence and social status have placed him in close proximity to Crown Prince JongHyun (Lee Hyun-Woo).
**Let’s have a fan-girl moment for this cameo!!**
Beyond their official roles the two become really close friends due to their similar characters and closeness in age.
Fighting as one, Sung-Yeol and Crown Prince JongHyun resolve to win over and destroy Gwi.
Gwi is a evil vampire who has been terrifying the kingdom. Despite efforts to eliminate him, this vampire seems to only become stronger.
But things go horribly wrong.
Running for his life, Sung-Yeol ends up in the company of a Guardian Vampire.
When the Guardian Vampire falls victim to an attack, he decides to pass on his powers to the young scholar.
Against his will, Sung-Yeol becomes a Guardian Vampire equipped with a special robe that protects him from sunlight. His main task is to bring vampires to justice that refuse to follow the rules.
The Scholar Who Walks The Night
In addition to burdening him with this new identity, the failed attempt to end Gwi also robbed Sung-Yeol of his loved ones.
More than a century goes by and far from giving up, Sung-Yeol is determined to find a way to win against Gwi.
Certain that Crown Prince JongHyun left him a vital written clue, he has made it his life’s mission to find this clue.
His search for said clue leads him to writer Jo Yang-Sun (Lee Yu-Bi), who – to his surprise – turns out to be female.
Yang-Sun has been cross-dressing as a male in order to support her family. Females are prohibited access to any libraries and from working as writers, so she saw no choice but to take these measures.
Although initially only viewing him as a well-paying customer, Yang-Sun soon finds herself increasingly intrigued by the mysterious scholar and his request.
Gwi
Gwi (Lee Soo-Hyuk) is a powerful vampire turned evil by ignoring rules coveting something not meant to be his.
Through a pact made with the current kings ancestors, Gwi rules through fear instilled by endless terror as a result of him killing anyone opposing him.
Living in a cave underneath the palace, Gwi has been using the kings as puppets for his purpose.
Many do not know and those who do are his supporters, or keep quiet out of fear for their life and/or the well-being of their loved ones.
However, as of late things have gotten complicated. The current heir to the throne, Crown Prince Lee Yoon (Shim Chang-Min), seems hesitant to acknowledge Gwi as his master.
The final battle
In their journey towards their respective goals, both humans and vampires find themselves in danger of getting derailed by love.
But love is not simple. It may ask for sacrifices our heroes refuse to make and our villains did not anticipate.
During the ultimate battle of good vs. evil, who will prevail? And at what cost?
Author’s confession corner
Did we buy the first volume of the manhwa while in Korea back in 2015? You bet we did!!
Are we able to read it? Not really/Not yet [Hope springs eternal…]
Does this make it any less precious to us? Nope, not at all! 🙂
Until we drama again,
-Cee
[At your own risk] Check out our other reviews celebrating the month of October:
