Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung

Lovers under the moon,
painted by Sin Yun-bok

In the Joseon Dynasty, women were objectified and underestimated. But free-spirited lady Gu Haeryung is brave enough to follow her own inclinations. Still single at 26 years old, she focuses on studying and gaining knowledge, and in defending those who are wronged and abused.

Meanwhile, the young and handsome 20-year-old Prince Dowon has been living his life alone at the Nokseodang 綠嶼堂 (green island pavilion). Isolated inside the Huwon Garden[lower-alpha 5], he has to stay away from the royal Court and found comfort by writing hangul romance novels. Published under the pen name Maehwa 梅花 (plum blossom), these novels became famous all over Hanyang, especially to women readers.

As it should be, the two main characters encounter, and their first meeting sparks a war of preferences between the two. But politics disturb the romance. All of a sudden, Korean books are banned, confiscated and burned. All the beard bearing red robes at court are infuriated that "so many noble ladies ran away to find the love of their life after reading Maehwa's books" [lower-alpha 6]. But this is only a "just cause". The real target is "The Story of Hodam", a book about events that occurred twenty years ago.

In their frenzy to search and destroy every single copy of this book, King and Councillor Min Ik-pyeong go that far as asking for the recruitment of female historians, with the intent of planting spies in each chamber of the Royal Palace. As a result, 4 female apprentices (Gu Haeryung among them) are selected and added to the existing 8 recorders. They became part of the everyday collection of pieces 사책 that will be compiled into the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty. A lot of gender stereotypes are surfacing, only to be derided... and overcome. As a result, the 12 historians are ending in circling the wagons to enforce their independence from the Court, even going on strike against the King[lower-alpha 7].

A smallpox epidemic will be the event that reconnects the two storylines. On the one hand, members of the Court speculate on traditional remedies, and even attempt to kill the Prince by sending him to the infested provinces. On the other hand, Dowon organizes the state answer, seizing and distributing food while applying the 牛痘種書, 瑛眼 (vaccination treaty, by Yeongan) that was provided by the mysterious Moh-wa. Haeryung remembers being vaccinated by her father in the past and convinces the Prince to prove the method by being the first patient to be inoculated.

The corner stone, saying:
this place will open the road[lower-alpha 8]

A set of flash-backs disseminated all across the episodes describes the events of "twenty years ago". The former King, Yi Gyeom, Prince Huiyeong, styled Hodam, founded Seoraewon, together with Seo Mun-jik, styled Yeongan. The later was the dean, while Hodam was one of the teachers. The leading team was completed by Barthelemy Dominique, a medicine teacher, who was sent by the Paris Foreign Missions Society. As a result, Seoraewon was a school of Western studies aimed at educating people regardless of social class or gender. The Seoraewon name 曙來院 itself has the meaning of "Where Dawn Arrives".

This is where Moh-wa learned vaccination and surgery.

A conservative reaction ensued, leaded by Min Ik-pyeong. A forged letter of the King, allegedly saying "send more priests, and turn Joseon into a Catholic country" [lower-alpha 9] served as "just cause" for a massacre. Among the rare escapees were Dowon, the newborn son of Hodam and the 6 years old Haeryung, the daughter of Yeongan.

The series ends three years after "nowadays". Min Ik-pyeong and his proxy king are gone and Seoraewon is reinstated. Prince Yi Jin is in charge of the throne. Dowon can live in leisure outside of the Palace, wandering across the world, while Haeryung becomes a full-ranked member of the Yemungwan.

The script uses a large set of voluntary historic distortions.

• There is no hidden place behind the Juhamnu pavilion at Changdeokgung's secret garden.
• The 19th century saw no Korean king trying to partake science and technology among the people, nor tried to develop Korean books. None tried to apply the French motto "Everyone is born free and equal"[lower-alpha 10]. And therefore, none of these kings was ever ousted for such a motive.
• No female historian was ever recruited during the whole Joseon period 1392-1897.
• Epidemics of smallpox were indeed rampant in Joseon, but the first Korean treatise of vaccination was only written in 1885 (Gojong's 22nd year) by Ji Seok-young (池錫永, 1855~1935) [3]
• Accusing any dissenter to be a Catholic was largely practiced during the last part of the Joseon period of Korea.[4] Indeed, the Catholic Persecution of 1801 was top and foremost a method to purge the Sihak people who flourished during the Jeongjo reign.[5][6] Afterwards, things became more blurred since the rue du Bac was not so far from the rue Saint-Dominique.[7]

“(Goo Hae-ryung). Even if you slash my throat, our brushes will not stop writing. If I die, another historian will take my place; if you kill that historian, another will take their place. Even if you kill every historian in this land, and take away all the paper and brushes, you won't be able to stop us. From mouth to mouth, teacher to student, elder to child, history will be told. That is the power of truth.[lower-alpha 11]”

In the Netflix release, the following three characters are put forward in the opening sequence of each episode:

• Shin Se-kyung as Goo Hae-ryung (born Seo Hee-yeon)[8]

A noble lady who becomes one of the four female historians of the royal court. She is the daughter of Seo Moon-jik, the deceased dean of Seoraewon, and has been living with her guardian Jae-kyeong whom she regards as her older brother. She is among those Joseon women wanting to enforce their independence, moral and material as well, voicing out their ideas and opinions. As an historian, she is recognized as someone of bravery who does not fear anyone, even the King himself.

• Cha Eun-woo as Yi Rim (Prince Dowon)[9]

The first son of the dethroned King Huiyeong Yi Gyeom and the real heir to the throne. Unknowing of his true lineage, he secretly works as a romance novelist under his nom de plume "Maehwa,". He does not involve himself in political matters, and regards his uncle King Yi Tae as his father and his cousin Crown Prince Yi Jin as his older brother. Spelled 島遠[lower-alpha 12], Dowon means "Remote Island".

• Park Ki-woong as Crown Prince Yi Jin [10]

According to the credits, more than two hundred actors were involved. At the end of each episode, a recurring set of 34 actors is listed first, followed by a list specific to the episode. Moreover, the Korean subtitles embedded in the Netflix release are attributing each sentence to the corresponding character.

• Gong Jung-hwan as Goo Jae-kyeong

Hae-ryung's guardian; former student of medicine and Mo-hwa's classmate in the Seoraewon. He was the one who wrote the banned book The Story of Hodam.

• Yang Jo-a as Seol-geum

Hae-ryung's caretaker and confident.

• Lee Kwan-hoon as Gak-soi

• Kim Min-sang as King Hamyeong Yi Tae
• Choi Deok-moon as Left State Councillor Min Ik-pyeong
• Kim Ye-rin as Crown Princess Min Woo-hee
• Kim Yeo-jin as Queen Dowager Yim

• Lee Ji-hoon as Min Woo-won[11]
• Heo Jeong-do as Yang Si-haeng
• Kang Hoon as Hyeon Kyeong-mook
• Nam Tae-woo as Son Gil-seung
• Yoon Jung-sub as Hwang Jang-goon
• Ji Gun-woo as Seong Seo-kwon
• Oh Hee-joon as Ahn Hong-ik
• Lee Jung-ha as Kim Chi-gook

• Park Ji-hyun as Song Sa-hee[12]
• Lee Ye-rim as Oh Eun-im
• Jang Yoo-bin as Heo Ah-ran
• and obviously, Gu Hae-ryung is the fourth apprentice

• Jeon Ik-ryeong as Mo-hwa, a confidant of the Queen Dowager, skilled in archery, former student of medicine in the Seoraewon
• Sung Ji-ru as Heo Sam-bo, Prince Yi Rim's eunuch
• Ryu Tae-ho as Song Jae-cheon, "M. Yes", father of Song Sa-hee
• Kim Yong-un as Gwi Jae, Min Ik-pyeong's handy man

• Seo Young-joo as Lee Seung-hoon : Hae-ryung husband-to-be, then magistrate of Songhwahyeon, E07
• Fabien Yoon as:
  • Jean Baptiste Barthélemy - a beomnanseoin (French national) who came to Joseon to look for his older brother
  • Dominique - Jean's deceased older brother; teacher of medicine in the Seoraewon
• Yoon Jong-hoon as Prince Huiyeong Yi Gyeom (a.k.a. Hodam)

The dethroned King and Prince Yi Rim's biological father

• Lee Seung-hyo as Seo Moon-jik (a.k.a. Yeongan)

Hae-ryung's biological father who was executed for treason charges 20 years ago. He was the dean of Seoraewon