I’m enjoying Jang Ok Jung, Live in Love more as a drama than for its story. It’s just a re-imaging of the love triangle between King Sukjong Lee Soon, Jang Heebin Ok Jung, and Queen In Hyun, plus their respective baggage of royal power v. Noron v. Soron factions. It’s exciting to see how this drama delivers the dueling wits but the visual cohesiveness and dramatic oomph is the sweetest part of the package for me. I haven’t been running around trying to find the novel because I think the ending ought to be clear by now and I actually don’t think knowing the possible ending will detract from enjoying the journey. If Ok Jung does like Jang Heebin does in history, how did that happen in this version when Lee Soon loved her so much he’s willing to give up his throne for her? And how does Lee Soon marry yet another consort in Choi Sukbin and she bears him a son as well? We love our love stories innocent and pure, the devotion of the OTP at odds against the world but nothing coming between them. Will it hurt when Ok Jung starts to battle In Hyun and Lee Soon gets caught in the middle? For sure. Will it be rage-inducing to see the arrival of Dong Yi as she tries to raise herself up through Lee Soon the same way she thinks Ok Jung has? Absolutely. So far both Lee Soon and Ok Jung have fought to be with each other, have sacrificed and have declared their intent loud and proud, and by staying true to their love for one another they will earn the right to be together. But that doesn’t mean a price won’t continuously be paid to stay together, and in the end, will they regret having loved if it means having lost? I’m not them so I don’t know, but I do know the novel answers that question for us.
A woman who is inclined towards sacrifice, that is indeed a cruel thing.
Heebin Jang Ok Jung’s coffin left the Palace through Sinmumun, the gate on the Southeastern corner of Geoncheonggung. The night Ok Jung’s coffin left the Palace, another person also left this world. He was the person who has been wasting his life away drunk in a gisaeng house ever since he was unable to rescue Ok Jung from the Palace. That night, he declined the gisaeng’s offer to stay the night using the excuse he wanted to go home to rest. He left the gisaeng house and drunken Chi Soo stumbled as he walked. He passed by an alley he walked past many times, his soul filled with such deep despair as he had never felt before. He drunkenly walked through the streets and arrived at a restaurant where some yanbans had gotten into a fight. He got embroiled in the dispute and was killed. All the hatred and rage twisted into his heart was never untangled and he left this world carrying with him his anger.
The night Jang Ok Jung’s coffin was carried out of the Palace, Lee Soon went to sleep alone. He woke up suddenly in the middle of the night and could not go back to sleep. Lee Soon walked out of the residence and ordered the servants to retreat. He wandered aimlessly by himself and unwittingly arrived at the familiar creek. He realized this was where he spent many a wonderful time with Ok Jung. Lee Soon sat down beside the creek and thought back to a time over 20 years ago now. He rested on her shoulder and laid down his burdens.
“At that time, she was like a mother embracing a thoroughly exhausted me. She allowed me to express my loneliness that I had never shown to others.” His eyes flitted over the place Ok Jung once sat. What was this girl really like? As a wife, she was the first woman I fell in love at first sight. She was the first woman to bear me a son. She was always my support behind the scenes in politics. Whatever I wanted, she did her best to make me content. Even faced with death, she still loved only me. A woman like this, I was the one who caused her death.
His fingers lightly brushed across the top of the creek water. Lee Soon’s expression was in such pain like the deepest inner recesses of his heart had been scooped out. His shoulders started to shake more and more. In this place, where she once watched him cry and wiped away his tears, she was no longer here. Lee Soon’s tears once again sprang forth. From that moment on, there was no one in this world that could reassure the lonely shoulder of Lee Soon or wipe away the tears from his face. Because the only woman who ever loved him, Jang Ok Jung was no longer in this world.
Oh my goodness. That ending is beautiful and sad. It makes me wonder why Heebin Ok Jung gets deposed and later killed.
Me too. Plus, surely the Queen and other consorts grew to love him too? It’s kind of normal to think the first love is the only one who ever loved you, but others also love, even if they grow into it later.
This is a little depressing. Scratch that, very.
well…..the drama version should twist the ending!!! oh how awesome would that be if she didn’t really die and just went and live in China or something
Lee Soon’s character description says that he becomes the weapon that drives his own love to death so I think the directors will be sticking with Jang Ok Jeong’s death by poison.
LOL cvang010.. But yeah, I beg JOJLIL’s PD to have some mercy on poor heart.. Pls, pls twist the ending.. Just let JOJ run away to China with Chi Soo or something.
WHAT!!! what is this! don´t tell me he didn´t love her!!!
i only read something about being a MOM!!!! what the hell!
a selfish man! that is what i read!!! nooo don´t let it end that way!!!!
change the final!! at least make him really love her until the end!
this is so sad!
OmG! i´m going to cry so much in this drama!!!!!!
…. as a wife, she was the first woman I fell in love with at first sight. He Definitely loved her because SHE was his wife. The one HE chose himself for love Not power or alliance.
awwww….it’s so sad…. 🙁
Oh my goodness!! Did anyone else have a BBJX flashback reading this? I agree with the commenter above (cvang010) – the drama is twisting everything else, so why not twist the ending….
*I’m dating myself here, but if anyone remembers watching (the reruns – LOL) of Bullwinkle & Rocky (aka: moose and squirrel), each episode presented a “fractured fairy tale” where details & ending of well known stories were twisted for a different outcome.
How great would it be if this version of JOJ was twisted so the OTP gets sunshine and rainbows at the end?!
Kleenex!!
oh kleenex.why did i stumble upon this drama?WHY.im so emotionally invested its going to take the all of me to survive the ending.
my heart aches already.thank you koala!very encouraging that you’re with all of us in this.
Thank you so much for the translations!!
And I’m starting to cry (Y_Y)
This drama is so pleasurable to watch because the writers have been so creative in writing the plots for how each historical character reached his/her position that was depicted in history – a lot of liberties have been taken in this aspect but discerning viewers will be fine by it. This is because the main storyline of this drama is firmly established from the beginning as a super romantic love story of two people, personified as JOJ and Lee Soon. With this as a backdrop, somehow, the combined prowess of the scriptwriter, director & crew and the whole cast churned out such a compelling, visually attractive and mind-boggling drama that is simply a privilege to watch. Kudos all round.
your comment is superb, like it
I really hope that the king will remain faithful to JOJ. I don’t really like Dongyi’s appearance in this show. Cant bear to watch it, it’s too heartbreaking.
O M G !!!! Thank You sooooo freaking much for a piece of treasure that I wouldn’t have ever been able find or read if it wasn’t for you 🙂 YOUR AWESOME <3
Oh no! I’m having flashbacks of Rouxi and 4th Prince! I don’t know if my heart can take this kind of heartbreak again. *sigh*
Now I’m really curious as to how they got there, why did Lee Soon need to order her death. And poor Chi Soo, his love was doomed before it even started. My only consolation from this ending is that Lee Soon did realize that JOJ is the only woman who loved him for him, and not as King Sukjong.
I do hope that the drama will not end this way but rather a more open-ended one. It’s too sad.
Second that ; Open-ended ending or better still… a fairy tale happy ending. Afterall the Korean viewers are not interested in this drama and are not bothered if it is true to historical facts or novel.
Oh My! Love that is so true and yet will end in tragedy?
Gosh! can i endure this to the very end????
I need a shoulder to cry on.
somebody, please stay by my side. hu hu hu
Well I came on board JOJ to watch the story unravel from JOJ’s POV, so ending be damned, I’ll watch you to the bitter end. No matter what.
Sure I’ll be heartbroken. Sure I’ll be devastated. Upset. Depressed… you get my drift.
Bring it on show. I’m not going to abandon this JOJ ship.
Though, PD-Nim, please be gentle with me. Don’t rip my heart and spit it out and put it back again and patch things up. Just be gentle.
*Tears*
I hope I don’t become an emotional wreck by the end of this dramas run.
Oh My God, is there any other way to make this drama turn to be the best ending? not so beautiful nor a tragic ending story hu hu hu.
(maybe impossible)
Bitter sweet drama. Anyway, dear writer, can you do something about this ending of JOJ drama? oh please…how sad it is
Koala Playground, thank you very much for great efforts from you. This so pricelss ^^
since story based on real history I am expecting a true to life ending .
thank you for the post on the last 2 chapters.
THANK YOU!!! but aigoooyyaahhh!! so depressing… i hope they change the ending. just end it when she gets to the top & has her bby!!! lol
why did i ever started this drama? oh my heart, all the feels and imagination while reading it, got teary-eyed huhuhu
off to watch ep 10 with subs and forget what i read here! asdfghjkl 🙁
thanks, Ms.K!
/crying/
Every character in the drama knows exactly what they want and will do anything in order for them to achieve ones desires or goal.. their all slaves of their desires..the dowager queen kim knows what she’s doin to protect the king himself from either factions so she’d be rather ignore her sons feelings to save him and hers. The previews king knows this very well and told his son to not trust anyone but himself. Great queen dowager jo will do anything in order to survive the palace and to keep her pride check and power. Lee soon ‘the king has the only authority power over everything either love nor power, and his people. Inhyuns desire to rule to be a beloved queen marrying not just the king but the people. Minister min desires likens to okjungs uncle ,queens father, kings father in law, lineage, money and revenge. Brothers Prince bukson and dongpyung desire to love and to be loved by their chosen women. Chisoo’s first love will be the last. All characters has their own reasons and aims.
We know the history but not so much of the person. Of how Desires changes a persons characters. This drama is daebak!
i see so many concubines here.. *wave*
guhhh, why are we torturing ourselves? *grab a 2nd kleenex*
it’s like BBJX all over again.. gaddd, im a bad cryer..
Hahaha, I know, so many concubines, so little time!
as I read the tragic end, it already broke my heart…I so in love with this drama and the actors behind that I can’t believe it will end just like that…How I wish I could change history and let these 2 poor soul who I believe was just victims of circumstances would live for their love ever after…
This was translated so beautifully, thankyou very much Ms koala! I’ve just started watching Jang Ok Jung but I already know that it will make me cry.And this post just confirmed it. The tone of the drama is perfect, with a romantic OTP who both have their priorities sorted out and seem realistic. I think that it’s getting overly cheesy for my taste at the moment (Lee Soon rushing off and leaving In Hyun alone before her queen establishment thing just to get to Ok Jang who he knows is safe?! So cruel and selfish). Currently I’m dreading Dongyi’s entrance. She’s going to become a regular starting from ep 12. She will definitely take away some of the King’s love, time and attention and become a formidable enemy to Ok Jang. Haha but since above in the translation it said “the only woman who ever loved him,” I’m assuming that Dong Yi became close to the king only to become powerful, and not to be stepped on again, since she is a servant. It’s a valid reason but also pretty foxy. In the end Jang Ok Jung is and was the only woman who loved him for him.
Anyways… Back to the novel. I hate this ending. It’s sad for everyone (Ok Jang, Chi Soo, Lee Soon) but I guess it’s the best way this love story can end (if they want to follow history). It’s the palace. And because Lee Soon is THE king, he will have to make choices. I don’t know what choices he has to make but it ends ugly for him since both In hyun and Ok Jang dies (because of him). Sooo bittersweet!
I forgot to say that I don’t really mind the cheesy-ness all that much though, since I forsee major future heartbreaks soon. MY FEELS
Ohh I forgot In Kyung. Dunno about her loving Lee Soon though :L
OMG… the ending is so sad.
And now i wonder why i decided to watch Jang Ok Jung, and falling in love with it after 2 episodes??? i’m never a fan of drama that has a sad ending. but too bad, i love this drama too much which i can’t stop watching it anymore T__T
Thanks for the translations, Mrs. K
If this drama sticks to historical fact about the end of OJ’s life, which the novel follows, then it’s highly impossible for us to avoid the sad ending. Open ending would be the option, but I prefer the drama sticks to the novel. We know the full title of this KD is Jang Ok Jung, Live In Love. So IMO this is not about JOJ’s ending but her journey in finding love, fighting for love and cherishing love, and that at one moment of time she and the king were so much in love. I will keep watching this till the very bitter end because every second their being together at present time become so precious.
Melora dear,thank you for pulling me back. You’re right, she lived for love and that is a nice and poignant way to look at the end.
She still sounds an Anne Boleyn type character to me. It’s not that the king doesn’t love this woman who usurps the queen and then falls from the same position, it’s that circumstances, politics, intrigues and suspicion all work together to bring about her death since it’s easier to attack the consort than the king.
Why are you all ready for Ok jang to die?! Why?!
She is going to live in the end and be with lee soon for rest of their lives and make heirs like bunnies. Everyone in the palace will grow to love their epic romance. In hyun and choi sukbin will be dead. okay a bit farfetched. in hyun and choisukbin will be left in their empty chambers and be lonely for the rest of their lives. lol still far fetched. Lee soon will manage to get rid of any “factions” — or combine them. He and ok jang will live happily ever after, all rainbows and unicorns, and her son will eventually grow up to be the next king. The end.
Even if that doesn’t happen, my denial is big enough that ill truly believe this version for the sake of my heart and my mental health. Thanks koala for the translations! This show will be the death of me
Thanks for the translation, Koala. I was all teared up after reading the translation. JOJ had loved, was loved and continued to be loved. What a great romance she had had in her life. This may sound eerie, but I’d like to think that CS accompanies her to after life. SJ may not run short of company but life will never be the same without JOJ. Geez, somehow I can’t see him other than how it was after his death in Dong Yi. Nonetheless, I will not let the sad ending spoil my mood for the drama. I’m now loving every second of it. The romance kills big time! If I should chicken out, it will be that moment of poisoning till the end….your translation will be good enough a replacement for me….
I felt so sad of JOJ fate, she had been through a lot of pain & sufferings because of her love to the KING. I admire HER because her past made her for who she is. It was indeed a tragic & a beautiful love story I most treasured from now on. Because of the beautiful drama, I was motivated to read KOREA history. I was truly intrigue and fascinated of their past, it is because I was addicted watching KOREAN drama and it feels me good & happy. Thanks to you KOALA!
Even if the journey is really wonderful and bittersweet, it doesn’t take away the fact that the unavoidable ending is just so sad and tragic for that I can help but long/hope for a better one. Sigh… why does their love story have to be so compelling and why does the OTP have so much amazing chemistry together?! 🙂 The 10 boxes of Kleenexs are still here waiting.
soooooooooo beautiful koala sis thank you! *sniffs* wipes away my tears
“And all men kill the thing they love…”
i would also like to say that the romance + combined chemistry between KTH and YAI = the most sexiest romance i’ve seen in the recent k-drama watching years.
Why was Jang Ok Jung killed in the book for? I know in history she was killed because she killed Queen In Hyun.
So sad (sniff). I haven’t even started watching it, but these last few paragraphs just tear your heart and guts out. Yes, depressing (a very familiar feeling as when I was watching the end of Snow Queen, Stairway to Heaven, Autumn in My Heart)…
Intense and heartbreaking.
even in Dong Yi, i can see the broken-hearted sukjong when okjung died,not to forget the crown prince as well…
Thanks for the translation~
I did a bit of wiki on the politics fight at Sukjong’s time and appears that it should be the West-in vs South-In rather than Noron vs Soron. Noron and Soron are both West-In who become separated after they have different views of the South-In. South-In is not Soron.
So.
That was heartbreaking.
I literally screamed into my pillow when I read that Chi Soo died the night Ok Jung’s coffin was taken out of the palace. Jae Hee hasn’t even shown up as yet and this is his character’s ending? And Ok Jung? And Lee Soon?
Oh JOJ, why are you going to break my heart after I loved you so?
I’m terrified to see the last episode of JOJ. It’s 14 episodes away and I’m dying to know what happens already.
No mention of Prince Dongpyung though. Does anyone know what happens to him? Lee Sang Yeob has made me love his character so much I really hope he gets a better ending than Lee Soon and Chi Soo.
And the other concubine? Dong Yi? I wonder how this is all going to play out.
Thank you Ms Koala
The novel begins with passion and ends in respectability. Lee Soon falls in love with Ok Jung, and yields to her feelings. but a powerful thread in Joseon culture, he’s forced to marry noble girls. “The theme of impossible and Sorrows love of OJ.” and all the hardships in her entire life. would slowly turned her to the other side of OJ (?) but the end, but for her love she chosen to die _ for the King to stay in the throne for a much more ambitious “The Better Nation”, but not given up the throne just for the love of her _ only one-life.
A great deal of romantic impulse at successive – at one extreme in the grandiose mysteries much of extremist love, politics, and have been the main exponents and perhaps the greatest beneficiaries of the romantic impulse, the ideal of clear rules by which can be judged has placed much greater emphasis on the story itself.
I’m stirred by the sentiments of the final 2 pages, and would love to read the whole novel. 🙂
This developing mood of romantic is proved to be almost entirely genuine novel, with many scraps of ancient of a real characters inserted here and there, but its success _ has another significance, the twilight imagined in chimes perfectly with a new longing for something more mysterious than the rationalism of the truth _ history [?]… It causes a sensation. The sleepless Soul that perished in her pride’, OJ becomes a powerful influence of romanticism.
Would this be the first significant success – it has strong elements – one of the strong influences on the new version history of Jang Ok Jung.
JangOkJung Live in Love is a novel enough to be pleasantly enjoyable, even its sad ending. As expected the plotting of the novel is predictable as most of main characters based on history and adding up some imagination, however, despite the drama adaptation, a beautiful sad end will not disappoint as the scope of the drama is large enough to please the genre fans and also it has touches of the meaningful of her love that will make it a mainstream hit.
THANKS Ms Koala! To live in love with JOJ wouldn’t be this awesome without you.
Hi may I knw where can get the original novel book of this thanks
Thanks for the transaction.. I’m from Malaysia..The first thing that I want to say is..this story is superb. The plots are very beautiful. Seriously, I have been waiting to watch all the episodes since it was started.But now I already know the ending..I feel so sad when I know that JOJ is died in the last episode. .but I want to ask you something.. did her success to give the king a son? And who is the queen?is the queen still the same person.? Pls answer if you got a time because I didn’t know the language. Tq
Thank you for translating it! I was hesitant to start this series since I know what it’s supose to happen to her but now I know the book still stayed true to her ending. I will not watch it anymore, I refuse to invest and then have her die and him suffer of a broken heart… 🙁
arghhhhh this is so frustrating. i can’t take it if the drama ending would turn out exactly just like this! dear charming or lovely mr or ms scriptwriter.. please make a better ending than this. we can change history sometimes 😉 lol but i really hope the drama would have a happy ending. i’m hoping for some sentence just like this “and they both live happily ever after with their son” awww that sounds awesome 😉 i’m sorry for my delusional mind but i don’t want to be depressed for a lifetime just because it didn’t turn out just like what i imagine it would be. please please and please.. happy ending please. then i would rate this 10/10 and it’s s must watch drama! ^___^
i never watch drama like this before it such heartbreaking, my heart races so fast as each of the ep. i can feel the love that they have and the journey that need they to face to protect they loves, because of love people willing to do anything. but i hope the ending even though jang ok jung will be die i hope she will die in lee soon arm.maybe ok jung used wrong ways to protect her love but i hope lee soon will not forgot his promise that will not let go ok jung hand. even on jung is death lee soon will not able to find another loves anymore because he will just be the king not as the man that has love where he loves also gone with the death of jung. I deadly want to know what is the ending in the drama, sometimes i regret why i watch this drama in the first place, it is the first time i feel like this when i watch drama the curiosity how this drama will be end make me want to know the ending as soon as possible. ok jung has been loves by many people and also been hated by many also because of her status and because the loves that she receives and gives when she truely love that person, she willing to do anything to help the person that she loves till the end. with ok jung dead many will be crying especially lee soon when he also realize the mistake that he make.
Aaaaargghhh.why oh why???why must e heroine die?!! Im praying for a miracle that *they lived happily ever after* …
This is my first *ancient drama* as is those Qing/Ming dynasty stories… I absolutely fell in love w Both main cast n the Songss they play…OhMyGawd…my new addiction..First drama downloads that i cant do anything else..Sad that its only 24eps..
I live for fairytales 🙂
Im glad i bumped into this drama..
omg this page is a treasure i found in the middle of the night..when i read the last two paragraphsi feel so miserable..im trying to convince myself the directors would make a plot twist..pls dont be so evil!! ive read the history aand doing research now to see if there will be a possibility that the directors have said somewhere maybe in a press that there will be a plot twist or smth pls dont follow the real history !!GAAAHAHHAHA IM DYING I CANT EVEN..EXPRESS MY THOUGHTS CLEARLY TT.TT
this shows how a man’s heart can easily be twisted !!! as a king lee soon had a right to sentence JOJ to death but as a man he had no right to move even a little bit part of his heart to another woman. I STILL REMEMBER when he told JOJ watch carefully this SUN IS GOING TO FALL ON YOU!! AND YES HE PROMISED NOT to LET GO OF her hand!! those were the most sweetest words that moved my heart even though i was not joj… well like i said a man is still a man even in ancient world. However i like and love the novel despite the ending brakes my heart ..but does it mean JOJ had no right in this world as a slave, fashionist, concubine, queen?? what a destiny ..in the beginning she was ok with all the torture from the king’s mother, the uncle. and so does everyone ..poor her in the end she earned her happiness love and the queen’s seat only to gain her new home {coffin}… i hope its just the novel not the drama
Its really heart-wrenching to watch the last few eps. While reading the last two paragraphs of the novel i alrd find myself crying so hard. Rly hope that the drama has a sudden twist or miracle. But reality hurts. Joj may be evil w all her schemes at the end,her love for the king is unquestionable. The title of the drama may not have suggested a happy ending, but still i respect joj wholeheartedly for her unmoving love for the king.
What a sad ending..never expect this kind of story as i just finished ep 20…i was hoping that the king would just pretend to love choi to distract his enemies so he can become a stronger king with the support of queen oj.. thank you for the translation…. at least im prepared to watch the next 4final ep once uploaded by dramaload…
I really hate the ending of this movie
Why can’t they he together at the end
Why did she die
Was she wrong
What will happen to sukgong
Will he be able to survive it
Those questions I still ask myself
They should give us another final