Kvolution

🌈 Saimdang : The Herstory

A Korean art history lecturer (Lee Young-ae) discovers the diary of a historical figure, and unravels the secret of a mysterious portrait that helps her re-discover the extraordinary life of Shin Saimdang (also played by Lee), a renowned poet-artist in the Joseon era.

Present timeline Edit
Seo Ji-yoon, a lecturer in art history at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, seems to have everything she wants. She is about to finish her PhD, advised by the renowned professor Min Jung-hak, and get a faculty position in a university. Besides, she has a good family, with supportive husband Jung Min-seok, a wealthy businessman, and mother in law Kim Jung-hae. For her PhD thesis, she was tasked with researching about the painting Geumgangsando by An Gyeon. The painting was recently discovered and about to be displayed as national treasure under the auspices of Min Jung-hak. Ji-yoon, however, seems to doubt the authenticity of the painting. In a conference, a student named Han Sang-hyun challenged her on the same question, and Ji-yoon deflected, citing she needed time to ensure its authenticity.

That move angered Min Jung-hak, and he quickly sabotaged her career. In a conference in Bologna, Italy, he drew a scheme to cite her for disciplinary action and terminate her position at the university. Disaster kept coming, when all in sudden her husband's business was destroyed by a competitor's illegal tactics, which forced her husband into hiding and her house being confiscated by the borrowers. Stumbling on the roads of Italy when disasters struck, Ji-yoon found a diary mentioning the Geumgangsando painting and she discovered a painting of Saimdang by accident. The diary also revealed lights about Shin Saimdang, who for some reasons seems intricately linked to Ji-yoon. From here, she had to fight an uphill battle to clear her name and proved her right by finding the authentic painting, while she was also struggling with financial hardship and interference from Min Jung-hak.

Past timeline Edit
The story began 20 years ago in Joseon era. At that time, despite her tender age, Shin Saimdang quickly gained her reputation as a talented artist and a notoriously daring girl, going as far as climbing walls to sneak into other people's house. She was the second daughter of Shin Myung-hwa, a Confucian scholar who was loyal to King Jungjong. Jungjong was portrayed as a paranoid King, fearing of losing his throne, and losing control of government to factions.

Saimdang met and fell in love with Lee Gyeom, a member of the royal family, but enjoying the life of a commoner and an artist as well. Their love quickly blossomed, and Lee Gyeom asked Shin Myung-hwa for his daughter's marriage. However, a series of mishap events, both from the king and the main antagonists Min Chi-Hyung (a corrupt merchant) and Choi Wheiumdang (originally a tavern girl, being jealous with Saimdang for being loved by Lee Gyeom, drove Saimdang to her misery), resulted in Shin Myung-hwa being killed by the king and Saimdang marrying a scholar named Lee Won-su. In despair, Lee Gyeom broke away and lived the wandering life for 20 years, rejecting numerous requests for marriage from the royal family.

20 years later, Saimdang, now a mother of four (among them are Lee Mae-chang, later become a talented artist, and Lee Hyun-ryong, a child prodigy later becoming an influential scholar), moved to Hanyang with her family. However, her husband, being an incompetent scholar who could not pass the national exam for 20 years, was scammed, leaving her spending all the money to buy a derelict shelter. At Hanyang, she eventually met her first love, Lee Gyeom, but pushed aside all the old feelings, claiming she had forgotten about that. Lee Gyeom finally settled in Hanyang, opening the art and music center Bi-ikdang, while also secretly investigated Min Chi-Hyung. Min Chi-Hyung now became a high ranking official and married Choi Wheiumdang, now also an artist and head of mother's organization in the famous Jungbu School.

To survive through financial hardships, Saimdang gathered a bunch of homeless and starving drifters to open a paper mill, with the ultimate goal of producing Goryeo paper, a famous paper whose formula is now lost. Despite having to raise a family and working to make ends meet, Saimdang revived her dormant artistic talents, producing many beautiful arts in this time. Eventually, Saimdang was able to produce the lost Goryeo paper, making her and the drifters wealthy again. Min Chi-Hyung was exiled for his numerous crimes, with Choi Wheiumdang escaped to find ways rescuing her husband.

Two years later, things have turned south. Despite being wealthy again, Saimdang's marriage was falling apart, both from her husband having an affair and her lone focus on arts. Lee Gyeom, after traveling the world, returned to Hanyang, but King Jungjong now distrusted him, hinting in many occasions to kill him to secure his throne. After staging a scheme to rescue Princess Jeongsun, Min Chi-Hyung and Choi Wheiumdang were set free, but now living a low life that former officers scorned at them. Things escalated when King Jungjong ordered Saimdang to draw his portrait, now recognizing her being the daughter of the deceased Shin Myung-Hwa. He finally ordered Min Chi-Hyung to secretly kill Saimdang and Lee Gyeom; however, Min Chi-Hyung himself was killed in the process, and Lee Gyeom, after confrontation with the king, had to temporarily escape. En route to Mount Geumgang, Lee Gyeom met Saimdang and fulfilled their childhood dream of drawing together the Geumgangsando. Saimdang finally confessed her love for Lee Gyeom, but chose not to run with him for the sake of her family.

Meeting between Ji-yoon and Saimdang Edit
Lee Gyeom finally turned himself in and accepted the death penalty. Saimdang, in her despair, started having strange vision.

Meanwhile, in present timeline, Seo Ji-yoon also felt strange things about the Saimdang portrait. It seemed like they are connected in some ways. Finally, in an accident, Seo Ji-yoon and Saimdang met in an undetermined world. Ji-yoon revealed to Saimdang that Lee Gyeom managed to stay alive and escaped to Italy, which encouraged Saimdang to stage an assault to rescue him. En route on the road to execution, a gang of clan, backed by Saimdang and Lee Gyeom's supporters, confronted the royal guards, attempting to break Gyeom's jail. The head of the royal guards, who was also fond of Gyeom for many years, let Gyeom go and committed suicide. After a tearful farewell to Saimdang, Lee Gyeom then head to a ship, and a long voyage led him to settle at Tuscany, Italy.

Lee Gyeom maintained his artistic talent in Italy, maintaining a building named Siesta di Luna where he stored his artistic works.