A one hour KBS2 drama special, The History Of Us (2024) takes place in the late 18th century Joseon era. It is based on the royal son, Prince Jeongjo, of the notorious Crown Prince Sado who was executed by his father, the King Yeongjo, by imprisoning him into a locked rice chest until he died of dehydration and starvation a week later. Prince Jeongjo was eleven years old when that happened and harbored sadness and anger about it all his life.

I wanted to watch this drama special in particular because I am fond of the lead actor, Nam Da Reum, playing Prince Jeongjo here (also known historically as Yi San), who was one of the children in the 2013 masterpiece The Suspicious Housekeeper. One of the greatest pleasures of being a long time Korean drama fan is that you get to watch the child actors grow up into adults on screen. The History Of Us gave him a chance to turn in another intense performance as a young Prince who has to decide whether or not he wants certain historical records detailing the faults and sins of his royal family kept in the royal library for posterity, or whether those records should be destroyed.

Childhood friend and new scribe Nam Yeo Kang (Tang Joon Sang, Crash Landing On You) feels strongly that these sensitive records should be preserved, for history's sake, and that the Crown Prince has no moral right to just erase them.

Will Prince Jeongjo agree with him, or will he instead display some of the same evil behavior as his executed father Sado in dealing with the issue? You can watch the drama special on Kocowa+ with English subtitles HERE. These drama specials are almost always awesome and deserve a wider audience. Enjoy.