# Captivating the King

Captivating the King (Korean: 세작, 매혹된 자들) is a 2024 South Korean television series starring Jo Jung-suk, Shin Se-kyung, and Lee Shin-young. It aired on tvN from January 21, to March 3, 2024, every Saturday and Sunday at 21:20 (KST). It is also available for streaming on TVING in South Korea, and on Netflix in selected regions.

## Synopsis

The series depicts the cruel love story of Yi In (Jo Jung-suk), a miserable king who has no one around him that he can trust and is in danger of both royal and political power struggles, and Kang Hee-soo (Shin Se-kyung), who tries to deceive him for revenge but ends up falling in love with him.

## Cast and characters
### Main

* Jo Jung-suk as Yi In / Grand Prince Jinhan
    King of Joseon who is a baduk genius.
* Shin Se-kyung as Kang Hee-soo / Kang Mong-woo
* Kang Hee-soo
    A woman who disguises herself as a man and becomes a spy to take revenge.
* Kang Mong-woo: a genius baduk player who later becomes Yi In's close friend.
* Lee Shin-young as Kim Myung-ha
    A nobleman who is good at both archery and swordsmanship.

### Supporting
#### Important characters

* Choi Dae-hoon as Yi Seon
    Yi In's older brother.
* Lee Gyu-hoe as Park Jong-hwan
    Royal Queen Dowager Park's older brother.
* Yang Kyung-won as Yoo Hyun-bo
    an assistant section chief of the Ministry of Rites who will do anything for the sake of wealth and fame.
* Jo Sung-ha as Kim Jong-bae
    Kim Myung-ha's father who is the minister of military affairs.
* Son Hyun-joo as Kang Hang-sun
    Kang Hee-soo's father and Yi In's teacher who is the Chief State Councillor.

#### Yi In's people

* Kang Hong-seok as Joo Sang-hwa
    Yi In's royal guard.
* Park Ye-young as Court Lady Dong
    Yi In's lady-in-waiting who is surrounded by secrets.
* TBA as Ji Nam-gyu
    A physician at naeuiwon.
* Kim Ki-nam as Eunuch Kim

#### Kang Hee-soo's people

* Na Hyun-woo as Chu Dal-ha
    Kang Hee-soo's assistant who is a former military officer.
* Song Sang-eun as Ja Geun-nyeon
    Kang Hee-soo's friend and servant.
* Han Dong-hee as Hong-jang
    Kang Hee-soo's friend and Yoo Hyun-bo's sister who is a courtesan.
* Jung Seok-yong as Se-dong
    A spy who has pure and upright personality.
* Go Soo-hee as Jeom Yi-ne
    Se-dong's wife who is a spy.
* Kim Bo-yoon as Bun-young
    An assistant court lady and a spy.
* Lee Yoon-hee as Kim Je-nam
    Kang Hang-sun's old friend who is a former high-ranking local government official.

#### Royal family

* Jang Young-nam as Royal Queen Dowager Park
    Yi In's biological mother.
* Ahn Se-eun as Royal Princess Jangryeong
    Eldest daughter of the late king Yi Seon and Yi In's niece.
* Hong Jun-woo as Grand Prince Moonseong
    son of the late king Yi Seon and Yi In's nephew.
* Ha Seo-yoon as Queen Oh
    Yi In's wife.
* Jeon Su-ji as Court Lady Han
    Royal Queen Dowager Park's lady-in-waiting.

#### Members of the court

* Um Hyo-sup as Oh Wook-hwan
    Queen Oh's father.
* Baek Seok-gwang as Min Ji-hwan
    Park Jong-hwan's right-hand man.
* Kim Seo-ha as Min Sang-hyo
    Kim Myung-ha's friend and Min Ji-hwan's younger brother.
* Jo Jae-ryong as Jung Je-pyo
    A Qing Dynasty official who serves as an interpreter.

### Extended

* Ahn Si-ha as Queen Kim
    Yi Seon's wife.

### Special appearance

* Song Ji-woo as a courtesan

## Production

Filming of the series began in March 2023.

## Viewership

| Season | Season | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number |
| Season | Season | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| | 1 | 0.976 | 0.641 | 0.704 | 1.284 | N/A | 1.212 | 0.903 | 1.120 | 1.623 | 1.661 | 0.982 | 1.321 | 1.099 | 1.497 | 1.213 | 1.810 |
Average TV viewership ratings :
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Average audience share (Nielsen Korea) | Average audience share (Nielsen Korea) |
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Nationwide | Seoul |
| 1 | January 21, 2024 | 3.977% (2nd) | 4.077% (2nd) |
| 2 | January 21, 2024 | 3.089% (3rd) | 3.224% (3rd) |
| 3 | January 27, 2024 | 3.286% (1st) | 3.550% (1st) |
| 4 | January 28, 2024 | 6.016% (1st) | 5.968% (2nd) |
| 5 | February 3, 2024 | 3.868% (4th) | N/A |
| 6 | February 4, 2024 | 5.461% (1st) | 5.350% (1st) |
| 7 | February 9, 2024 | 4.162% (1st) | 4.573% (1st) |
| 8 | February 10, 2024 | 4.733% (1st) | 4.863% (1st) |
| 9 | February 11, 2024 | 6.369% (2nd) | 6.290% (2nd) |
| 10 | February 11, 2024 | 6.703% (1st) | 6.792% (1st) |
| 11 | February 17, 2024 | 4.100% (1st) | 4.240% (1st) |
| 12 | February 18, 2024 | 5.938% (1st) | 5.837% (2nd) |
| 13 | February 24, 2024 | 4.942% (1st) | 5.272% (1st) |
| 14 | February 25, 2024 | 6.675% (1st) | 7.082% (1st) |
| 15 | March 2, 2024 | 5.609% (1st) | 6.030% (1st) |
| 16 | March 3, 2024 | 7.763% (1st) | 7.915% (1st) |
| Average | Average | 5.609% | — |
| In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings. This series aired on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC, and EBS). ||||