I’ve said this numerous times before and I’m saying it again — I loved Jang Hyuk in Fated To Love You where he excellently brought a nice balance of eccentricity and calmness in his performance and so I’m always excited to hear more news from him. Sadly, his next project was a sageuk (Shine Or Go Crazy) which is not my priority genre and now he is again starring back to back in another period drama titled Master of Trade—Inn 2015. Yeah, the name is a bit long and inconvenient but it’s actually based on a long running serial novel that was published during late 70s and early 80s. This factor surely intrigues me and I think there is a lot of hope that gets automatically attached to a work based on a book. The story is about a man who inherits an inoperative inn but rises to become one of the most successful merchants of the nation.

The story is set in late Joseon era and I think it can be an inspirational and upbeat tale of success of an underdog. The drama also stars Yoo Oh Sung (Spy) as his rival, Kim Min Jung (Gapdong) as a shaman who cross-dresses as a man (are there any sageuks left where female leads don’t do that?), Han Chae Ah (Mi Rae’s Choice) as Jang Hyuk’s love interest (but her character is a second lead so I suppose there will not be a happy ending for this love line) and Lee Deok Hwa (Hyde, Jekyll, Me) as current merchant king.

Master of Trade—Inn 2015 will be helmed by PD of shows like King Gwanggaeto the Great and Dae Jo Yeong while writers penned Into The Flames, King Geunchogo and Ja Myung Go — all sageuk veterans. The show also has another moniker — The Innkeeper, which I would have preferred just because it’s easy to write and pronounce. And yes, to hashtag *winks*

The premiere date is 23 September in the Wednesday-Thursday slot as it follows political drama Assembly on KBS.