King of Joseon was the king of Joseon. He has a son, Lee Chang, who is supposed to succeed him, but he is expecting a second child from his new wife Queen Cho and if the child is a boy, he will be the one to succeed him as Lee Chang's mother was a concubine, so Lee Chang would be considered an illegitimate child. Despite this, he tried his best to groom Lee Chang to be become his successor and eventually a better king than him as he realizes that it is too late for him to change his kingdom for the better.
Prior to the series, the King of Joseon got very sick. The physician Lee Seung-hui was called to treat him, but the king died from his illness. Cho Hak-ju, seeking political power, forced the physician to use a resurrection plant to bring the king to life for just a month until his daughter, the Queen, gives birth and they become the new ruling power. Lee Seung-hui brought the king back to life, but now he is a mindless zombie and is kept chained in his bedroom, while his death and current condition is kept a secret from everyone.
Plot[]
Episode 1[]
In Hanyang, Dan-i and Physician Lee enter the royal palace under the cover of darkness to tend to the King. Physician Lee warns Dan-i to not look into the King's bedchamber. But when Dan-i kneels down to give the King a bowl of medicine, he is attacked and dragged into the bed while Lee looks on in horror.
Wanting to see the king, The Crown Prince sneaks into his father's quarters, where the servants are frantically searching for the King. While avoiding the guards, he smells a bloody, foul stench and sees a silhouette of a horrible monster roaming the corridors.
Episode 2[]
In the king's bedchamber, Lord Cho watches over the king's infected body as he recalls a flashback. The physician Lee Seung-hui does a medical check on the king's and states that he has died. But as Lord Cho wants political power he orders the physician to use the resurrection plant to bring the king back to life for just a month, until his daughter, the Queen gives birth and under the pressure of the Queen, the physician uses the plant.
Episode 3[]
At the Royal Palace, the King eats a court lady while the Queen and Cho Hak-ju watch. Lord Cho tells his daughter that she must teach her son what happens to a weak king. He instructs a guard to ensure the King has enough to eat.
Episode 4[]
As the Chief Scholar insists on speaking to the King and Lord Cho agrees to take them see the king and upon approaching the King's bedchamber, the Queen attempts to stop them, but is easily overruled by her father. The ministers enter the king's chamber and sit before his bed. Lord Cho instructs them to wait, as the King will soon be awake. When the King awakens, and the ministers are horrified to see his condition, the Chief Scholar asks if he is the one who has been killing the court ladies. However, Lord Cho insists it makes no difference; even if the King has lost his mind, he is still alive and still the King. As Lord Cho accuses and arrests the Chief Scholar and after everyone left the king's chamber, he bowed to the chained king and left the room.