Toghon Temür in Empress Ki

toghon temur costume blue and yellow

If you don't know TaNyang, you may miss one of the most phenomenal kdrama couple in 2013-2014. Okay, we're exaggerated a bit, but one can't deny the wonderful chemistry between Ji Chang Wook and Ha Ji Won in Empress Ki. Ji Chang Wook acted as Ta Hwan, while Ha Ji Won acted as Ki Seung Nyang, hence the nickname "TaNyang Couple". The term first coined on the 5th episode of Empress Ki when Seung Nyang hugged the unconscious Ta Hwan in a cave. After the drama ends, some TaNyang shippers evolved to JiJi (Ji Chang Wook-Ha Ji Won) shippers to continue to support them in real life.

This is the first collaboration between Ji Chang Wook and Ha Ji Won. At first they admitted their first meeting was awkward because both are shy and introvert. But their chemistry is fast build-up, their romance was the highlight of the drama and they have one of the most skinship scenes in any sageuk (period) drama ever.

Their First Scene Together

 

Back in Episode 4, Wang Yoo looked for Seung Nyang and Ta Hwan and saw them on the shore after enjoying a joyride. Wang Yoo reprimanded Seung Nyang for being so careless with an assassin wandering around the place. Ta Hwan stopped him and said it was his order. Since the other horse ran off, Wang Yoo offered Seung Nyang to ride with him, but Ta Hwan countered and told Seung Nyang to ride with him. After looking at the two back and forth, Seung Nyang chose to ride with Ta Hwan. 

The epilogue showed the same scene except that it closed the curtains before Seung Nyang could choose. Yes, we can conclude that it ended with a cliffhanger but with a message behind. I’d always thought that there was something special about that scene the first time I’d seen it in Episode 4, I didn’t expect it’d be related to the ending.