Bride of the Century
A 2014 South Korean fantasy-romance drama about a cursed family.
Bride of the Century (Korean: 백년의 신부; RR: Baengnyeonui sinbu), also known as *Hundred Year Bride*, is a 2014 South Korean television series starring Lee Hong-gi and Yang Jin-sung. It aired on the cable channel TV Chosun from February 22 to April 12, 2014, spanning 16 episodes. The story is a fantasy-romance centered on a family curse: the first wife of the eldest son is fated to die.
The plot follows the Choi family, which runs the Taeyang Group conglomerate. For a hundred years, a curse has supposedly doomed the first bride of the eldest son. When wealthy heiress Jang Yi-kyung (Yang Jin-sung) vanishes just before her wedding to chaebol heir Choi Kang-joo (Lee Hong-gi), a lookalike named Na Doo-rim (also Yang Jin-sung) is brought in to replace her. Unlike the cold and calculating Yi-kyung, Doo-rim is sweet and cheerful, and Kang-joo genuinely falls for her. As wedding preparations move forward, both Kang-joo’s and Yi-kyung’s mothers scheme behind the scenes.
The cast includes Lee Hong-gi as Choi Kang-joo, a good-looking, educated second-generation chaebol heir with a prickly personality and a self-indulgent streak, though he is goodhearted underneath and carries childhood pain. Lomon and Jeon Jin-seo play him as a teen and young child, respectively. Yang Jin-sung plays both Na Doo-rim, a sweet, homely girl from a southern island village, and Jang Yi-kyung, a chic, calculating woman determined to marry into the Choi family. Sung Hyuk portrays Jang Yi-hyun, Yi-kyung’s older half-brother and operations manager of Ohsung Construction. Lee Hee-won (also known as Jang Ah Young) plays Lee Roo-mi, an upper-class, educated woman who becomes Doo-rim’s rival for Kang-joo’s heart. Other cast members include Nam Jeong-hee as Doo-rim’s grandmother Park Soon-bok, Park Jin-joo as her childhood friend Oh Jin-joo, Choi Il-hwa as Kang-joo’s father and Taeyang Group CEO Choi Il-do, Kim Seo-ra as Kang-joo’s mother Kim Myeong-hee, Jung Hae-in as Kang-joo’s younger brother and idol singer Choi Kang-in, Kang Tae-hwan as Secretary Kim, Shin Eun-jung as Yi-kyung’s mother and Ohsung Construction CEO Ma Jae-ran, Kim Ah-young as the ghost Sung Joo-shin, Kim Yoo-jung as Leeann, Im Byung-ki as the Choi family butler, and Kwon Eun-ah as his wife Ahn Dong-daek.
Production began with filming in Namhae on December 9, 2013.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Comedy / Romance / Fantasy / Melodrama
- Writer
- Baek Young-sook
- Director
- Yoon Sang-ho
- Starring
- Lee Hong-gi / Yang Jin-sung / Sung Hyuk
- Country
- South Korea
- Language
- Korean
- Num Episodes
- 16
- Executive Producer
- Choi Byung-hwa
- Producer
- Jung Hyung-seo / Jung Hoe-seok
- Location
- Korea
- Company
- Aura Media
- Channel
- TV Chosun
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The story centers on Taeyang Group, a major conglomerate in South Korea, and the Choi family, who have supposedly been under a curse for a hundred years that the first bride of the eldest son will always die. When wealthy heiress Jang Yi-kyung disappears right before her wedding to chaebol heir Choi Kang-joo, Na Doo-rim, a lookalike impostor, is brought in to take her place. Unlike the cold and calculating Yi-kyung, Doo-rim is sweet and sunny, and Kang-joo genuinely falls in love with her. As the wedding plans progress, Kang-joo and Yi-kyung's mothers both scheme and plot behind the scenes.
Filming began in Namhae on December 9, 2013. After having dinner with the drama crew on December 16, 2013, an accident occurred on an icy street which led to Lee Hong-gi suffering a dislocated shoulder and facial scratches.
Reader's Guide
Bride of the Century received a good response in Korea for a cable drama, with a peak viewership rating of 1.451%. According to one of China's biggest internet portal sites QQ, it ranked number one on weekly and monthly charts in both March and April 2014, exceeding 100 million views. It was also ranked as the most searched phrase on China's microblogging service Weibo. International broadcasting rights have been sold to Japan, U.S., China, Vietnam, Cambodia and other countries. A Chinese remake was expected to air at the end of 2014. The drama's popularity in China and its international sales highlight its significance as a successful Korean cable drama export, demonstrating the global reach of the Hallyu wave. Its premise of a family curse and doppelgänger romance resonated with audiences, leading to high online viewership and social media buzz.
Did You Know?
- Lee Hong-gi suffered a dislocated shoulder and facial scratches after an accident on an icy street on December 16, 2013, and returned to set on January 10, 2014.
- The drama achieved a peak viewership rating of 1.451% in Korea.
- It exceeded 100 million views on Chinese portal site QQ and was the most searched phrase on Weibo in March and April 2014.
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