This is a really sweet drama but your enjoyment of it will depend entirely on what you go into it looking for. If you want a serious, dramatic political intrigue story, this is not for you. If however, you want a sweet, breezy rom-com then you will probably enjoy it. I wanted something light, fun, and with a cute romance, so I really enjoyed it and ended up breezing through it in two days. There were no late-drama lags or angst fests, no big dramatic breakups or noble idiocy. Just a cute simple story that is basically a cohabitation rom-com with Joseon wrappings.

Somewhere, there is a parallel universe where this drama focused on Lee Soo (Seo Ji Hoon) as the main character and was about his rise to being a good king and his struggle to reunite with his past love. That drama would have likely been really good and interesting but that is not what this drama is. Soo's journey, while very compelling imo, is definitely in the background and is not the centre of this story. You can argue that's a shame and maybe it is but if they had focused on it more in this drama, it would have just bogged it down.

So what is good about this story?
- A very cute main couple at its centre. There are a fair amount of cliches and tropes galore but hey, if it's not broke....
- A ML who seems to be your typical cold asshole at the beginning but you quickly realise is actually a total sweetheart and is incredibly kind and caring, not just to the FL but to everyone he cares for. He's honestly one of the sweetest MLs I've seen in a while.
- A FL who manages to maintain her personality throughout the entire drama. So many dramas have their quirky, likeable heroines become weepy damsels in distress by the end but not Gaeddong! She absolutely stays true to herself the whole time and there is something so satisfying about seeing her take charge of her own story and stand up for herself when she's been wronged or lied to. (Slight spoiler: I audibly laughed out loud when she kicked the guy in the balls and headbutted him in the final episode to escape! Who needs someone to rescue her? Not Gaeddong lol.)
- My favourite pace/development for a love story. Guy falls first, and there are loads of sweet moments but it's a slow burn, they don't get together until fairly far into it, no huge angst, no noble idiocy (the bane of kdramas) and the two make each other better people.
- A SML who you could totally develop SLS for. He's an absolute puppy and it breaks your heart everytime he's sad. And he and the FL have a genuine connection, unlike many SMLs who are just pining ineffectually in the background.
- Likeable secondary characters who grow on you. Even characters like Go Young Soo who I found incredibly annoying in the beginning, end up having more to their backstory that make them more interesting and likeable. The SFL who I thought was initially your average bitchy SFL turned out to have a compelling arc too, held down by the limitations of being a woman. I didn't agree with much of what she did, but I understood them. And her romance arc was nice.
- NO LATE DRAMA LAG. Honestly this is a big one. In 90% of kdramas I watch, by the time you get to around episode 12/13, they've often lost a lot of their initial charm and become a drag to complete. I never felt that with this drama. It's sweet, easy to watch and enjoyable the whole way through.

Look, whether you like this drama or not, it comes down to what you're looking for. It's not overly serious or complicated. It's fairly standard, there are a bunch of tropes and cliches and it's probably not very historically accurate. It's never going to be one of the best kdramas out there but if you just want a cute romance and an easy watch, then you'll probably enjoy it. Give it a go!