August 4 (2014-08-04) – October 21, 2014 (2014-10-21)
Diary of a Night Watchman[1] (Korean: 야경꾼 일지; RR: Yagyeongkkun Ilji; lit. Night Watchman's Journal) is a 2014 South Korean television series starring Jung Il-woo, Ko Sung-hee, Jung Yun-ho and Seo Yea-ji.[2] It aired on MBC from August 4 to October 21, 2014 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 22:00 for 24 episodes.[3][4]
Plot
Prince Rin found himself orphaned when his father, King Haejong — under a spell — killed the queen and then committed suicide. Considered unsuitable for the throne, the child prince was sent away from the palace and his older half-brother, Gi-san, son of a concubine, was crowned the new king of Joseon.
Twelve years later, Rin, now grown up, spends his days between fun and amorous encounters, hiding the loneliness he feels and his ability to see ghosts, acquired after escaping the attack of a spirit when he was a child. One day, Rin meets Do-ha, a young shaman from Mount Baekdu who is searching for her older sister. Besides Do-ha, a Taoist priest, Sadam, arrives in Hanyang, chosen by the king to expel an evil spirit that haunts him, actually a result of the sovereign's madness. Twelve years before, as the head of the Yongshin tribe, Sadam was able to revive the dragon god that his people worshiped. Seeing it defeated and turned into a statue shortly after by King Haejong, who secretly brought the artifact to the palace and hid it in the basement, Sadam's goal is to find the statue and resurrect the dragon god, exploiting the negative energy of evil spirits. For this purpose, Sadam convinces the new king to reopen a door sealed long ago to prevent resentful ghosts to enter, and the town is once again haunted.
Upon learning of Sadam's plan, Rin decides to revive the Night Watchmen, a group of soldiers that, at the time of his father, faced monsters and spirits, but were killed with the advent of the new king. By his side are Do-ha, with whom he falls in love, Kang Moo-seok, a swordsman who initially doesn't believe in the supernatural, and Jo Sang-heon, the former captain of the Night Watchmen. While the battle against Sadam rages, Rin also brings to light the truth behind the death of his parents.
The "bad boy" legitimate heir to the throne who rejects his wealth and honor to live a rebellious life. When Rin gains the ability to see ghosts, he becomes a night watchman. In chasing ghosts and experiencing the plight of citizens firsthand, he eventually learns to be a good prince.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
An illegitimate prince who challenges his younger brother Lee Rin for power, and makes a political play for the throne. Capricious and vile, he often sees another self who accuses him of being inadequate as a king, and instills doubts about the loyalty of his subjects.
A psychic who worships a serpent monster deep in the heart of Mt. Baekdu. The serpent monster, an imugi, is a mythological creature that starts out as a giant serpent and amasses power to become a dragon. Sadam tries to raise the dormant imugi and harness its power to take over the world.
Do-ha's older sister and a shaman. She fell in love with King Haejong and offered her soul to Sadam in exchange for the king's heart, which is why he turned evil. Sadam embodied her soul in the corpse of a woman, who became Mo Yeon-wol.
In his youth, he was once a legendary hero of the people after he and his fellow night watchmen defeated an imugi in Mt. Baekdu. In his days as a warrior, he saves a woman who preserves the energy of Mt. Baekdu, and she falls in love with him at first sight. Haejong is a good king and father to his sons, but the ghost-seeing gift-curse eventually turns him into an evil tyrant.
