The king of Joseon, Lee Chang, had killed his older brother, Lee Pyeong, to take the throne for himself. He also killed his family, but only his son, the deposed grand heir, Lee Seol, managed to survive and flee the palace. Years later, he returns to Hanyang to avenge his father’s death and reunites with Dan Oh, who saved him from capture in the past. He hides his identity under the fake name Kang San while planning his revenge. He meets Jung Yu Ha and Kim Si Yeol at Dan Oh’s guesthouse, and both of them turn out to be important people in his life. Yu Ha is his half-brother; Lee Gyeom is his personal guard; and Si Yeol is his personal guard who has been protecting him for all these years secretly. All of them join the rebellion to dethrone the current king, but Yu Ha gets caught first, and he surrenders as Lee Seol to save Kang San. However, Kang San is unwilling to sacrifice his brother for the throne and plans to save him first before going after the king.
Spoilers Ahead
Who Kills The King?
The king is prepared to execute Yu Ha publicly, but Kang San interrupts him by shooting an arrow at him. As the guards run to protect the king, Kang San’s friend, Gu Nam, disturbs the audience by shouting at them to run for their lives, creating chaos. Some of the scholars who knew Yu Ha had already run to rescue him and even stood against the king when he stepped down to kill Yu Ha himself. The guards take the king away urgently, as his safety is their highest priority. Kang San’s allies, disguised as guards, distract the other guards, and Kang San ends up running into the king. The chief of the guard stays behind to fight Kang San as the king runs away again. Meanwhile, Dan Oh has been given the responsibility of opening the gates of the palace for the army, but she is also being chased by the guards. At one point, she runs into Kang San, who has been defeated by the chief of the guard, but Dan Oh saves him first instead of worrying about herself. In return, Kang San fights all the guards and also takes down the chief while saving Dan Oh. However, before breathing his last breath, the chief finds the king and tells him that Kang San is the real Lee Seol.
Dan Oh has the enthronement letter from Lee Seol and the order from the queen dowager to open the gates for the army, but the gatekeeper has to confirm that the king is really deposed. Kang San’s allies manage to deceive the guards and make them believe that the king has been deposed and has also fled the palace. The gatekeeper abides by the queen dowager’s order and lets the army in. The king is enraged that Kang San fooled him to his face and wants to meet him. He has no intention of fleeing the palace because he cannot live like Kang San did. He will either live as a king or die as a king. Si Yeol follows Kang San to see the king, but Kang San stops him from getting involved because this is his personal fight for revenge as a son. Si Yeol brings in the army in case things go wrong, but Kang San defeats the king. He asks his uncle, the king, to surrender, but it will be against the king’s pride to live at the mercy of Kang San. He grabs Kang San’s hand and stabs himself with his sword. He mocks Kang San, saying that now he will also be known as the king who killed his family for the throne and that he won’t be any different than him.
Where Does Hong Ju Find Si Yeol?
After defeating the previous king, it is time for the coronation of the new king. While everybody expected Kang San to sit on the throne where he belonged, he refused to do it. He asks Yu Ha to take the throne and lead the country on the right path again. If Kang San hadn’t met Yu Ha, he wouldn’t have realized that he was only thinking of getting his revenge and never really thought about being a king. Yu Ha had a plan about how to make the country better, and that’s why Kang San believes that he deserves to be the king, the one that this country really needs. The queen dowager also agrees with Kang San, and despite his background as an illegitimate child of lowly birth, Yu Ha becomes the king of Joseon. A king who wants to bring positive change to the country and wants equal rights for people regardless of their social status.
Two years have passed since the coronation of the new king, and the country is stable again. Dan Oh’s guesthouse, which was once empty with no customers, is now the most popular guesthouse because the king used to stay there. However, instead of Dan Oh, Hong Ju runs the guesthouse now. Dan Oh and Kang San have gotten married, and they are enjoying their newlywed lives. Kang San doesn’t regret giving up the throne because he has Dan Oh beside him, and they can live freely without the burden of responsibility. Yuk Ho finally passes the state exam and starts working in the royal court. All of them are living their best lives after struggling for a long time, but they miss Si Yeol, and his absence bothers them. Only Kang San used to get letters from him initially, but even he hasn’t received any from him for quite some time. Hong Ju still hasn’t forgotten Si Yeol, but she has forgiven him. It took her time, but she realized that Si Yeol didn’t have free will and had to do what he did. She wishes to see him again, but there’s no way to find him. Surprisingly, as if fate is working in her favor, she hears a customer singing the song that Si Yeol used to sing. Without thinking, she runs to the port, hoping to see Si Yeol. Si Yeol is leaving the country, but Hong Ju finds him and brings him back. They get married, and Dan Oh is finally free from worrying about her sister. Dan Oh decides to fulfill her longtime dream of traveling the country and leaves Hanyang with Kang San.
‘The Secret Romantic Guesthouse’ Season 2 Expectations
Kang San got his revenge and also married the love of his life. Yu Ha found out his real identity, which he had been looking for his entire life, and also found his purpose in life. Si Yeol escaped from his miserable fate and started living a happy life with Hong Ju. The Secret Romantic Guesthouse doesn’t need a second season unless they want to twist the story and make the two brothers go against each other for the throne. However, Kang San gave the throne to Yu Ha willingly, knowing he would make a sage king, and he was happy in his life of freedom with Dan Oh. The two brothers didn’t want history to repeat itself, and hence, Kang San followed Dan Oh’s resolution to travel to the country. Kang San doesn’t want to be a political threat to Yu Ha, and he doesn’t want the troublemakers to try and create misunderstandings between them. Everybody got their happy ending, and as for a historical drama, the ending couldn’t be any better as no innocent character died, just for the sake of adding a long-lasting sorrowful memory of the show.
