The romance trajectory of Joseon Gunman hews closely to its PD’s predecessor work The Princess’s Man. I actually don’t find the visual styles all that similar but the story set up is almost a carbon copy based on what has been shown plus the teasers to come. Like in TPM, leads Park Yoon Kang and Jung Soo In have the luxury of falling in love in a mostly carefree setting before the being torn apart angst arrives. I do acknowledge that staring down the barrel of a gun at the end of episode 2 isn’t carefee in the least but they’re not going to die in that encounter. For now they are mostly on the fringes of the big showdown brewing between the reformers and the status quo faction. Yoon Kang’s dad will clearly be caught in the cross hairs since he answers only to the King who wants the reform to take place and Joseon to open its borders. I wonder if Soo In’s dad as the court interpreter will also be swept up, and for that matter what exactly is his foreign language that he interprets and how will Soo In’s interest in all things new and novel from the West land impact her future fate. We know Yoon Kang will be faced with the transformative arc of going from a swordsman of old to a gunman of new, and for once I’m not in rush for the angst to arrive and Yoon Kang to go abroad. I love the sweet and bickering romance of Yoon Kang and Soo In, all knowing banter and stubborn girl pride. Neither are drawn to extreme so their personalities are delightfully vivid without crossing into over-the-top. From the just released stills above and below showing them on dates during the day and also at night, they are clearly going to take full advantage of living under the same roof to keep spending time with each other. They are so adorable my teeth fairly tingles with the sweetness.