What happens when a simple wager turns into a dangerous game of desire filled with jealousy and real feelings?
And what happens when the person you were only supposed to seduce becomes the person you cannot stop thinking about, yearning for the person?
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That is what makes The Scandal such an interesting drama, to watch. Just so, it isn't a kinda of historical drama you think it is
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The story begins with Lady Cho Yun, a woman whose marriage becomes complicated when her husband, Lord Yoo, taking So-ok as a concubine because he wants an heir.
Instead of quietly accepting the situation, Lady Yun turns to her cousin, Cho Won, a man famous for his charm and ability to attract women.
But Lady Yun's proposal is not ordinary
She wants Cho Won to seduce Hui-yeon, a young widow who has remained faithful to her late husband.
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The wager is supposed to prove Cho Won's ability to win a woman who has sworn not to give herself to another man and there is a prize attached to the game, making the challenge even more personal between Cho Won and Lady Yun, that if he wins he'll get laid with his cousin
At first, Cho Won seems confident, after all, he has done this before so it is very simple and easy
But Hui-yeon is different
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She isn't simply impressed by his appearance or his reputation, she has to grief, her principles and reasons for keeping men away. So Cho Won had to work much harder to get close to her.
And this is where the letters become interesting
He begins writing to Hui-yeon, using his words to slowly break through the walls she has built around herself and what began as a part of wager gradually starts feeling personal.
But can a man write romantic letters as part of a game without eventually meaning the words he writes? I asked myself this...
As Cho Won continues pursuing Hui-yeon, the story becomes more complicated.
He was supposed to win the widow, prove himself, and collect his reward. Instead, he begins developing genuine feelings for her.
The man who thought he was controlling the game is slowly losing control of his own heart.
And then there is Lady Yun, Won's cousin
Her relationship with Cho Won is complicated by years of hidden feelings and forbidden desire.
She knows him better than most people, which is exactly why their wager becomes so dangerous. What was supposed to be a game between two people begins affecting everyone around them.
There are also moments where some scenes in the drama became very intimate.
I honestly wasn't expecting The Scandal to be that open with some of its romantic and sexual scenes.
The seduction isn't simply talked about, the drama actually shows intimate moments between the characters.
And personally, there were moments when I was thinking, "why didn't they make use of a mask or something?" 😂
Because some of those scenes were so direct, so raw that I couldn't comfortably sit down and watch the movie with my junior ones around.
So, if you're thinking of watching it as a family-friendly historical drama, please don't cause the romance is definitely for a mature audience.
But beyond the intimate scenes, I think they serve a purpose in showing just how far the characters are willing to go because of desire, competition and obsession.
But was Cho Won really interested in winning the wager, or was he already looking for an excuse to get closer to Hui-yeon?
As their relationship develops, the difference between pretending and reality becomes harder to see.
Hui-yeon begins to trust him and Cho Won begins to care for her.
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And Lady Yun begins to realize that the game she started may no longer belong to her, then everything becomes even more dangerous.
The royal order, family expectations and social reputation begin standing between Cho Won and Hui-yeon. Their relationship is no longer just a private matter as there were consequences for everyone involved.
Eventually, Cho Won had to reveal the truth about how their relationship began.
Imagine falling for someone and then discovering that your entire relationship started because you were somebody else's wager.
would you ever be able to forgive that person?
would you believe that the feelings became real?
or would the original lie destroy everything?
That is one of the things I found most interesting about the story, because The Scandal isn't simply asking whether Cho Won can seduce a widow.
It is asking whether love can survive, especially when it begins with deception.
What about Lady Yun? She thought she could use Cho Won's desire to achieve what she wanted.
But what happens when the man she thought she understood chooses another woman emotionally?
Could jealousy have been hiding behind the wager all along?
And Cho Won himself, was he trying to win Hui-yeon, or was he trying to escape feelings he had carried for Lady Yun for years?
By the time we reach the later part of the story, the original wager almost becomes secondary. The characters are now dealing with the consequences of everything they set in motion.
Cho Won leaves for Yanjing, and his disappearance during the journey leaves his fate uncertain, as he dived into the deep waters.
Hui-yeon eventually begins a new chapter of her life, while Lady Yun is left to live with the consequences of the game she helped create.
And that's why the story stayed with me.
So, before you watch, ask yourself, can you fall in love with someone who originally approached you as a bet?
What happens when the person who created the game loses control of it?
And most importantly, if you were Hui-yeon and discovered the truth, would you forgive Cho Won, especially when she told you to trust her with everything?
Because sometimes the most dangerous thing isn't falling in love, it is discovering why someone loved you in the first place.
The scandal, is a fictional Joseon-era adaptation inspired by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ 1782 French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses, which has also inspired screen adaptations.