Dear Hongrang review: Lee Jae-wook and Jo Bo Ah's traumatic tale leaves you with emotional damage

Completely messy and riddled with plot holes, Dear Hongrang is so visually stunning, you might find yourself watching just for the sheer beauty of it, assuming your patience hasn’t disappeared like Hongrang himself at the start of the series.

So, what’s Dear Hongrang really like? It’s hard to say too much without spoiling the plot. Starring Lee Jae-wook and Jo Bo-ah, the show checks nearly every box for a deliciously addictive drama—firmly landing in the ‘there’s so much happening that I can’t turn away’ category.

At its core, the story follows a boy named Hongrang, whose mysterious disappearance at the age of eight shattered his family. That grief hasn’t lessened with time, his mother still mourns him, and his half-sister, Jae-yi (Jo Bo-ah), has never stopped searching.

This tale about, you ask: It is about a child named Honrang, whose disappearance at the age of eight, tore his family apart emotionally. This grief just seems to become heavier as the age goes by: His mother still cries for him, and his half-sister, Jae-yi (Jo Bo Ah) hasn’t stopped looking for him.

Everyone has assumed that Hongrang, the heir to the large merchant association in Joseon, will never return. And so, with reluctance, his father adopts Mu-jin (Jung Ga-ram) to train as the future successor.

Except…Hongrang does return. Or rather, a person, who says that he is Hongrang. And it’s Lee Jae-wook in hanbok again (the universe is merciful)--- something that even the actor knows that his fans are now used to seeing him in. Jae-yi refuses to believe that he is her brother, though the exhausted people will around her would just love to believe so. Of course, this new Hongrang has a complicated agenda of his own. And so, begins a series different plots, and the writers just seem to run with it, hoping that the viewers will be able to follow them all. It gets difficult, we will be honest.

What you can expect: A messy love triangle that will throw your moral compass into question emerges. There’s excruciatingly painful pining to watch, all tying in with the themes of unrequited love, betrayal, heartbreak and deception. In the backdrop of a disintegrating empire, fractured relationships. And yet, there’s a soft breeze of healing. It’s not much, because wounds have run so deep.  

Be warned: There’s endless amount of tears and blood. So, if you’re ready for some K-Trauma, please give it a watch. If not, return to Alchemy of Souls, where at least Lee Jae-wook gets to smile once in a while.