Moon River Episode 1 Recap: Fate Returns to Lee Kang

In Moon River Episode 1, the story begins in the royal court, where Lee Hee (Kim Nam-hee) and Kim Han-cheol (Jin Goo) argue over power. Han-cheol announces a marriage ban, claiming it’s for the good of the kingdom. Lee Hee fires back, asking if Han-cheol would lock his own daughter away after she gives birth to a royal heir.

The tension between them feels heavy. Lee Hee’s anger is clear, but Han-cheol stays cold. He pushes Lee Hee further, trying to remind him who holds control in the palace.

At the same time, Crown Prince Lee Kang (Kang Tae-oh) travels quietly through the palace. He forgives a maid who broke a rule and walks away, showing his calm but distant nature.

In the palace, the head court lady warns the other maids not to talk about the former Crown Princess, who drowned herself after being accused of killing the Queen Mother.

Many still believe it was not suicide. Lee Kang never accepted that she killed herself. Hearing that Lee Hee had a part in the order shakes him deeply.

Later, the scene shifts to Lee Kang’s first appearance as Crown Prince. He examines his new royal robe, the gonryongpo, but he dislikes it. He scolds the tailor harshly, saying the color and fabric don’t fit his nature.

Lee Kang insists that each person has their own color and style, and his should be a soft red. The tailor argues that red is too bold, but Lee Kang refuses to listen. His pride and obsession with beauty are strong, but they also show how sensitive he is.

Lee Kang lectures the tailor, saying that beauty must reflect one’s character. He mocks the man’s lack of imagination and says clothes should feel like wings, not chains. His words reveal a man trapped between tradition and individuality.

Hidden Truths and Broken Bonds

During a meeting of ministers, the court debates whether Lee Kang should soon take the throne. Some believe his health is weak, while others think time is running out.

Lee Kang sits quietly, watching the argument while eating corn, an odd yet human moment. Just then, Kim Han-cheol enters with a sword, asserting his dominance. Everyone freezes. Lee Kang doesn’t show fear but his silence says a lot.

Behind this calm surface lies grief. Years earlier, his wife, Bin-gung, had been accused of murder and drowned herself out of despair. Her body was found in terrible condition.

Since then, Lee Kang has hated water and anything that lives in it. It’s a strange trauma that defines his life. The truth is cruel: her death was planned by the King and Kim Han-cheol.

They used her as bait, knowing Lee Kang might sacrifice himself. When he finally learns this, he breaks down in front of Han-cheol. The once proud prince collapses in pain.

In another part of the city, Park Dal-i (Kim Se-jeong) begins her own story. She’s a sharp merchant known for her quick thinking. One day, an old man named Heo Yeong-gam (Choi Deok-moon) asks for her help.

His married daughter, living in Hanyang, appears in his dreams crying blood. She even wrote a letter saying she would follow her dead husband. He begs Dal-i to go find her.

At first, Dal-i refuses. She doesn’t want to risk going to Hanyang, a place full of danger for someone of her status. But when Heo Yeong-gam offers her money, she agrees.

Later, when Dal-i rereads the letter, she notices a secret message hidden inside. It says “forced suicide.” She realizes the daughter may have been trapped in a cruel ritual.

When Paths Cross Again

Dal-i decides to go to Hanyang despite her aunt Park Hong-nan’s warnings. Her aunt tells her that slave hunters are still after her, but Dal-i doesn’t stop. She says she’ll never rest until she saves the girl.

Meanwhile, Lee Kang continues to wander the palace, haunted by his wife’s memory. He doesn’t know that Dal-i is actually the same woman he lost — Bin-gung, reborn under a new name. Fate starts to turn quietly.

Dal-i arrives in Hanyang and meets the daughter of Heo Yeong-gam. The young woman was punished because of an old rule about chastity. Dal-i helps her escape, showing her brave and kind side.

Later, Dal-i accidentally ends up in the forest, where the deposed Crown Prince Lee Woon (Lee Shin-young) lives in hiding. Not realizing he’s nearby, she changes her clothes under a tree.

Lee Woon drops his watch by mistake, and it hits her on the head. The watch breaks, and she faints. When she wakes, Lee Woon demands she pay for it, but she has no money. The argument turns chaotic, and she runs again.

In her escape, she grabs a courtesan’s robe and jumps off a roof, ready to risk her life. Just then, Lee Kang catches her in his arms. The moment is quiet, but powerful.

He doesn’t know who she really is, yet something in him recognizes her. It’s his lost love returned — the woman who once died because of his family’s greed.

He sees her face and freezes. She looks exactly like his dead wife. He follows her in disbelief. Dal-i hides quickly, thinking she’s being hunted. The moment feels eerie, like time folding in on itself.

The episode ends with this strange reunion. Neither understands what’s happening, but their eyes tell everything. Fate seems to have brought them back for a reason, one that still hides in the shadows.

‘Moon River’ airs every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 PM on MBC, blending royal power games with rebirth, loss, and destiny.

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