Why Moon Ok-kyung Didn't Appear in the Final Episode of the Drama <Jungnyeoni>

The drama <Jungnyeoni> concluded its 12-episode run with a self-highest viewership rating of 16.5%.

It was a shorter work than usual, making it all the more regrettable.

Each episode showcased the actors' amazing acting skills, becoming a hot topic.

In particular, there's an actress who made a mark on viewers by showing that "beauty" and "handsomeness" are only a hair's breadth apart.

That actress is Jung Eun-chae, who played the 'Crown Prince of the Gukgeuk world'.

Many expected Moon Ok-gyeong, who left the Gukgeuk troupe, to appear in the final episode, but...

In the end, Moon Ok-gyeong did not appear, leaving a lingering impression.

In the webtoon original...

Moon Ok-gyeong leaves a year after Jungnyeoni's neck injury, having previously informed the director of her departure.

Seo Hye-rang, who actively blocked articles about Ok-gyeong's opium suspicions, publishes an article related to opium, but...

Since she wasn't currently using opium, it didn't cause a major impact.

She then proposes to Hong Ju-ran that they leave the Gukgeuk troupe together; later, Hong Ju-ran returns to Gukgeuk.

Seeing the scene in the drama <Jungnyeoni> where she actively explains herself at a press conference regarding the opium suspicions...

"Ah, the ending will be different from the webtoon original," I thought.

Was it a complete character collapse?

"If it's familiar and stable, it becomes boring, and if it's boring, it feels suffocating."

"Whether it's a person or Gukgeuk, she has a cold side where she doesn't linger on someone she's lost interest in, but immediately turns away and leaves."

Considering 'Moon Ok-gyeong' as introduced in the drama...

I thought her exit was a good representation of someone who could do that and more.

Moon Ok-gyeong's very first line in episode 1 is "It's not fun."

With a bored expression, she says indifferently that acting and everything else is boring.

Opium is a highly addictive narcotic.

Someone addicted to opium became captivated by Gukgeuk and rose to the top as the best Crown Prince.

For Moon Ok-gyeong, who constantly needed new stimuli, Jungnyeoni would have been a hope and a breakthrough.

"I want you to continue to entertain me after you join our Gukgeuk troupe."

It wasn't about the purpose of fostering successors for the future of Gukgeuk, but...

It seemed like she wanted to quickly nurture this child to take over her position and move on to films as soon as possible.

"I don't know how exhilarating that moment was."

"I got goosebumps all over. It was the first time I'd ever felt that way."

Moon Ok-gyeong, having heard Jungnyeoni's voice, which reached the state of enlightenment just before spitting blood...

Feeling the greatest joy of her life...

She falls into a state of frustration that borders on self-harm, believing she will never be able to feel that exhilaration again.

The main characters are always Moon Ok-gyeong and Seo Hye-rang.

Auditions are always held to recruit new supporting actors.

Suggestions to put on experimental plays are rejected as too risky, and...

It's the same stage, the same lines, the same songs.

It's understandable that Moon Ok-gyeong would fall into a rut.

"Responsibility? Did you really expect that from me?"

Knowing that the 'Maeran Gukgeuk troupe' might collapse if she leaves, Moon Ok-gyeong leaves mercilessly.

The last thread of her patience has snapped.

It felt like Moon Ok-gyeong didn't act with pride as an 'artist' but...

She acted solely for herself.

Perhaps viewers were disappointed by her different image compared to the character in the original work, who showed at least a minimum level of responsibility?

However, I think Moon Ok-gyeong's character in the drama was consistent.

If someone is only skilled, will they succeed?

Did she succeed in the film industry?

Leaving a question mark about Moon Ok-gyeong's life afterward also seems like a good ending.

Will she come to see if the generational change is successfully achieved with Jungnyeoni, the raw gem she discovered, at the helm?

I wonder.

Reading about it in a newspaper article or hearing rumors, she might chuckle and...

"As I thought, I wasn't wrong. Yoon Jung-nyeoni is amazing!" and simply move on, wouldn't she?

The author of the webtoon original, 'Seo Ire', aimed to depict the decline of female Gukgeuk as realistically as possible.

However, it is said that the ending was changed to a happy ending due to a suggestion from the illustrator 'Namon'.

"Many stars who once graced the Gukgeuk stage continued their path as artists."

"As singers, as performers in courtyard dramas, and some even as film actresses."

"Life is long, and thus, the stage is eternal."

"The stars may have scattered, but they have not disappeared; they will shine in the vast night sky."

In the drama, a lingering ending was depicted as an epilogue.

It seems like the season has come to rewatch <Jungnyeoni> once more.

How about getting lost in the charm of Gukgeuk while under the covers in your room, peeling mandarins?