The Scandal director Jung Ji-woo singled out the relationship between Lady Cho and Hui-yeon as a key change in his version of the story. At the September 9 production presentation in Seoul, reported by OSEN, he said he wanted to make a connection between the two women that earlier versions had not developed.
His comments offer a specific point to look for in the Netflix series, which premiered on September 18: how the two women relate to each other, alongside their separate relationships with Cho Won.
What the director and Son Ye-jin said
Jung also described late Joseon society as more sophisticated than audiences might assume and said he wanted to convey that on screen. Son Ye-jin, who plays Lady Cho, explained that the series format gave the characters more history and supplied more detailed reasons for starting the wager.
Speaking at the same event, she described Lady Cho as a woman with a talent for writing and drawing whose opportunities were restricted by the period’s expectations. Those comments concern the character’s background; they do not reveal where her relationship with Hui-yeon ends.
The three people caught in the wager
Netflix’s production announcement identifies Son Ye-jin as Lady Cho, Ji Chang-wook as Cho Won and NANA as Hui-yeon. Lady Cho challenges the limits placed on her through a secret romantic scheme. Cho Won pursues pleasure over status, while Hui-yeon is a widow determined to remain chaste.
The starting arrangement has two competing aims. Lady Cho wants Cho Won to seduce So-ok, a prospective concubine in her household. He instead wants to win Hui-yeon’s affection. That difference gives the two aristocrats reasons to watch, challenge and try to control each other.
Who’s who in The Scandal
How the series connects to Untold Scandal
Netflix describes The Scandal as an adaptation of the 2003 Korean film Untold Scandal, itself drawn from Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’s French novel Dangerous Liaisons. The new series keeps the intrigue in Joseon Korea, with Jung directing the cast through a longer television version of the story.
For the episode lengths and viewing details, see our The Scandal episode guide.
Find the cast and related stories on The Scandal series page.
