Starring Park Ji-Hoon and Hong Ye-Ji, Love Song for Illusion episode 1 aired on KBS on Tuesday, January 2, 2024. The historical romance comedy K-drama revolves around a crown prince and a descendant of a noble family.
The first episode begins with Crown Prince Sajo Hyun’s (Ji-Hoon) childhood. His father, Sajo Seung, is greedy and desires to be the king by any means. He punishes his toddler son for not showing interest in war and instead drawing clothes. To teach young Sajo Hyun a lesson, he makes him witness the execution of the head of a noble family and eventually become the king by killing the former ruler.
The episode fast-forwards to the crown prince’s adulthood. While he constrains himself in his room before King Sajo Seung, he disguises himself as a seamstress in a downtown store where no one knows him. He also has an alter ego, Ak-Hee, who shows interest in Hong Ye-Ji’s character in Love Song for Illusion episode 1.
Love Song for Illusion episode 1 spoilers: Park Ji-Hoon’s Ak-Hee makes Hong Ye-Ji lose her memory
Hong Ye-Ji plays Yeon Woo, the descendant of the Yeon family. She witnessed Sajo Seung execute her father as a child and took an oath to avenge his death. Yeon Woo becomes an assassin, who goes by the name Kyera, as an adult.
She disguises herself as a dancer and teaches rich, stubborn people a lesson. Yeon Woo/Kyera pays a visit to the downtown seamstress and discovers a man. This was the first encounter between the lead characters.
In the palace, Sajo Hyun is demeaned for not showing any personality of a crown prince. His servant advises him not to fall asleep, or else his alternate personality, Ak-Hee, will take over his body. Sajo Hyun, who hates hunting, showcases incredible skills on the royal hunt the next day, indicating that Ak-Hee has returned.
Ak-Hee then enters a fight against Kyera and finds out that she has met Sajo Seung. He gets insecure when she mentions that her first meeting with him was pleasant. For context, she referred to her encounter with Sajo Seung at his downtown shop. Ak-Hee seems to have fallen for her and wants her to pick him over Sajo Seung.
While Kyera and her assassin group plan an attack on the king, things go sideways. The king chooses someone else for his concubine, but Kyera swaps her place. When she is in the bath, she faints, and Park Ji-Hoon’s character holds her. The next day, she doesn’t remember her identity or anything at all. Love Song for Illusion episode 1 later shows Ak-Hee is the mastermind behind Kyera’s memory loss.
Love Song for Illusion episode 1 ending: Hong Ye-Ji becomes Park Ji-Hoon’s concubine
Love Song for Illusion episode 1 ends with Kyera waking up at the palace. She asks her servant about her name. Soon, she discovers she is Consort Hyo, the concubine of the crown prince.
The next scene shows him entering her chamber and hugging her. He says, “You have finally become my woman. I missed you,” indicating that he is Ak-Hee, not Sajo Seung. Following this, viewers see a flashback where Ak-Hee intentionally makes Kyera lose her memory and asks the king to give his chosen concubine to him. The final scene of love Song for Illusion Episode 1 features Ak-Hee saying that he will let Kyera fall in love with him.
The upcoming episode of the K-drama will deal with the consequences when Sajo Seung returns and Ak-Hee disappears. Tune in to KBS every Monday and Tuesday to watch a new episode of Love Song for Illusion. It is also available on Viki.
