''Gu Family Book'' (; also known as ''Kang Chi, the Beginning'') is a 2013 South Korean television series starring

Lee Seung-gi Lee Seung-gi (; born January 13, 1987) is a South Korean singer, actor, host, lyricist and entertainer. As one of the highest paid celebrities of South Korea and recipient of numerous awards and accolades, including a Golden Disc Awards, Golde ...

and

Bae Suzy Bae Su-ji (; born October 10, 1994), anglicized as Bae Suzy or known mononymously as Suzy, is a South Korean singer and actress. She is a former member of the girl group Miss A under JYP Entertainment. In 2017, she made her solo debut with th ...

. The fusion martial arts action

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...

is about a half-man half-monster who is searching for a centuries-old book that according to '' gumiho'' legend, contains the secret to becoming human. Filmed at MBC Dramia in

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...

, the series aired on MBC from April 8 to June 25, 2013, on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 24 episodes.

Synopsis

After their nobleman father is unfairly accused of being a traitor and killed, Yoon Seo-hwa (

Lee Yeon-hee Lee Yeon-hee (; born January 9, 1988) is a South Korean actress. She is most known for her work in the television series '' East of Eden'' (2008), ''Phantom'' (2012), '' Miss Korea'' (2013), '' The Package'' (2017); and in the films '' A Millio ...

), her younger brother Jung-yoon (

Lee David Lee Da-wit (; born March 3, 1994), Anglicisation of names, anglicized as Lee David, is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his supporting roles in ''Itaewon Class'' (2020) and the Squid Game season 2, second season of ''Squid Game'' (2024 ...

) and their maid Dam (

Kim Bo-mi Kim Bo-mi (; born May 15, 1987) is a South Korean actress. Kim began studying ballet when she was 11 years old, and she later enrolled in Dance at Sejong University, with Ballet as her major subject. Then in 2008, she appeared in the cable show ...

) are sent to a

gisaeng ''Kisaeng'' (), also called ''ginyeo'' (), were enslaved women from outcast or enslaved families who were trained to be courtesans, providing artistic entertainment and conversation to men of upper class. First emerging in Goryeo dynasty. were ...

house. Seo-hwa's first "patron" is Jo Gwan-woong (

Lee Sung-jae Lee Sung-jae (; born August 23, 1970) is a South Korean actor. Among his notable works include the films ''Art Museum by the Zoo'' (1998), ''Attack the Gas Station'' (1999), ''Kick the Moon'' (2001), and ''Public Enemy (2002 film), Public Enemy ...

), the man who betrayed and killed her father. Before Jo Gwan-woong arrives, Dam swaps clothes with Seo-hwa so that she can run away, chased by Gwan-woong's men. Gu Wol-ryung (

Choi Jin-hyuk Choi Jin-hyuk (; born Kim Tae-ho, February 9, 1986) is a South Korean actor. He gained attention for his supporting roles in '' Gu Family Book'' (2013) and ''The Heirs'' (2013), and then went on to star in lead roles in '' Emergency Couple'' (2 ...

), a mystical forest protector and '' gumiho'', finds Seo-hwa unconscious and, as he had fallen in love with her, protects her. When Seo-hwa wakes up, she too falls in love with him and marries him after he tells her that both Dam and Jung-yoon were able to run away and are safe. Actually, Jung-yoon has been hanged whereas Dam has committed suicide, but Wol-ryung, unable to tell her the truth, lied to her and did not tell her that he is a ''gumiho''. Wol-ryung decides to become human in order to be with Seo-hwa. To do so, he must live 100 days without showing his original form to a human, without taking a life, and must help anyone that needs aid. But if he fails, he'll lose any chance of ever becoming human and will become a demon for the next thousand years. Wol-ryung successfully lives most of these days following these rules, but one day, Gwan-woong's men find Seo-hwa alone in the forest. Wol-ryung rushes to help her and reveals his true form, massacring the soldiers. Seo-hwa, horrified, leaves him, and he is later killed by the righteous soldier Dam Pyeong-joon (

Jo Sung-ha Jo Sung-ha (; born August 8, 1966) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his supporting roles in '' The Yellow Sea'' (2010), '' Helpless'' (2012), and ''Korean Peninsula'' (2012) and ''The K2 ''The K2'' () is a 2016 Korean drama, Sou ...

), who had been told that the ''gumiho'' was murdering innocents. Seo-hwa soon discovers that she is with Wol-ryung's child and gives birth to a son. Realizing that the baby isn't a monster and regretting her betrayal of Wol-ryung, Seo-hwa entrusts the baby in the care of a monk, So-jung ( Kim Hee-won). She then confronts Gwan-woong, but is killed. The infant is adopted by nobleman Park Mu-sol (

Um Hyo-sup Um Hyo-sup (born October 24, 1966) is a South Korean actor. Um mostly plays supporting role A supporting character is a character in a narrative that is not the focus of the primary storyline, but is important to the plot/protagonist, and ...

) and grows up as Choi Kang-chi (

), ostensibly the son of Lord Park's servant Choi (Kim Dong-kyun), but raised as part of the Park family. Though Mu-sol's wife Lady Yoon ( Kim Hee-jung) never warmed up to him, Lord Park loves Kang-chi like his own son, and he is close to the siblings Tae-seo (

Yoo Yeon-seok Ahn Yeon-seok (; born April 11, 1984), better known by the stage name Yoo Yeon-seok, is a South Korean actor. After making his acting debut in 2003 with a small role in '' Oldboy'', he resumed his acting career in 2008. His notable works includ ...

) and Chung-jo ( Lee Yu-bi), whom he loves even though she is betrothed to another. Kang-chi is notorious in the village as a troublemaker, but he is good-hearted and loyal, and beloved by the servants at the Hundred Year Inn, which the Park family runs. However, Jo Gwan-woong returns to the village. He believes the wealthy Lord Park has hidden treasure inside the inn and, in his scheme to take over it, Lord Park is killed defending Kang-chi. Gwan-woong throws Tae-seo and his mother in jail, and Chung-jo is sold as a gisaeng and convinced to use her beauty and wiles to someday gain power and revenge. After Kang-chi promises Lady Yoon that he will take care of the Park siblings, she makes a futile attempt to stab Gwan-woong and is killed. Meanwhile, Gwan-woong becomes intrigued by Kang-chi and his seemingly superhuman strength. In the meantime, Dam Yeo-wool (

) and Gon ( Sung Joon) have been dispatched to the village by her father, now martial arts master Dam Pyeong-joon, to investigate a series of murders they suspect Gwan-woong is responsible for. Yeo-wool witnesses the events that befall the Park family and instinctively helps Kang-chi when he is hunted by Gwan-woong's soldiers. During a fight, a soldier slices off Kang-chi's beaded bracelet, which was used to contain his powers. Kang-chi transforms into a half-human, half-beast and easily defeats his enemies. So-jung later tells Kang-chi the truth about his origins, including the mystical and elusive Gu Family Book, which holds the secret to becoming fully human. Kang-chi is taken under the wing of

Yi Sun-sin Yi Sun-sin (; ; April 28, 1545 – December 16, 1598) was a Korean admiral and military general known for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin War in the Joseon period. Yi's courtesy name was Yŏhae (여해), and he was po ...

(

Yoo Dong-geun Yoo Dong-geun (born June 18, 1956) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the historical television dramas '' Tears of the Dragon'', '' Empress Myseongseong'', and ''Yeon Gaesomun''. He was also an adjunct professo ...

), a naval commander. Yi Sun-sin, Master Dam, and the late Lord Park were part of a secret group protecting the Joseon nation against foreign invasions. Yi places Kang-chi in the martial arts school run by Master Dam. There he is trained physically and mentally and learns to control his transformations. After discovering that under the man's clothes, there's a girl, Kang-chi gradually falls in love with Yeo-wool, and vice versa. But several obstacles remain in their way: the continuing villainy of Gwan-woong; the knowledge that it was Yeo-wool's father who killed Kang-chi's father; the reappearance of Wol-ryung who has turned into a soul-sucking demon with no memories who can only be killed by his son; and Sojung's warning that Yeo-wool is fated to die if she stays by the side of the man she meets beneath the blossoming peach tree under a crescent moon, which is none other than Kang-chi himself.

Cast

Main

as Choi Kang-chi ** Jung Joon-won as young Choi Kang-chi :A half-man, half-'' gumiho'' who longs to become fully human. He originally loved Chung-jo, but soon slowly fell in love with Yeo-Wool. *

as Dam Yeo-wool :A martial arts instructor at her father's school, she is particularly skilled with a bow and arrow. When she was younger, Kang-chi saved her from being attacked by a dog, and she never forgot about him. She then falls in love with him when they meet again. She also accepts Kang-chi for who he is inside, even though he is a divine creature that many people are afraid of. * Sung Joon as Gon :He has a one-sided love for Yeo-wool, for whom he serves as a bodyguard. He also has a bickering relationship with Kang-chi. * Lee Yu-bi as Park Chung-jo :Kang-chi's first love. She is promised off to someone in marriage in order to sustain the family-owned-inn's longevity, hence the reason she originally first began spurning Kang-chi's open display of emotions towards her. After the family tragedy, she is forced to become a gisaeng. She makes a pact with Kang-chi that he should come and take her away from her current place once he has proven Lord Park's innocence. *

as Park Tae-seo :A cool-headed, responsible scholar who helps his father, Mu-sol run their inn. He comes under a hypnotism that makes him think Kang-chi murdered his father, testing the bonds of their friendship and brotherhood.

Supporting

as Gu Wol-ryung :Kang-chi's father. He is the guardian spirit of Mt. Jiri. He's fond of traveling outside to see the world and during one such travels comes across Seo Hwa and falls in love with her. They marry, but he keeps his identity hidden until it's revealed, and Seo hwa, being too young and fearful, betrays him with her impulsive actions. A betrayal which costs his 'life' since he loses the will to fight after finding out and doesn't fight back. :Not long after he's 'killed', his body 'dies' and stays still, hidden from everyone's eyes deep in the mountains for several years. After decades, he revives but as a '1000 year demon', stripped of his 'guardian spirit' status. This happens due to him breaking the 100-day oath he took, which he couldn't complete due to certain incidents. :Being a demon leads to him losing the ability to heal or revive. The only thing left was hatred, anger, destruction and death, causing him to go on a rampage, massacring several villages. :It also led to him having memory loss over time, which he predicts that once he's lost it all, he truly would become an agent of chaos, a true demon. To prevent that, he tries to force his son through threats and intimidation in hopes of being put at peace since the only one capable of killing the current him was his own blood, his son Kang-chi. :It isn't until his wife, Seo-hwa sacrifices herself by committing suicide and apologizes that he had a chance of becoming 'alive' again, not as a demon but as a mountain spirit. * Yoon Se-ah as Yoon Seo-hwa (ep 14-21) **

as young Yoon Seo-hwa (ep 1-2, 21) :Kang-chi's mother. She is the daughter of a nobleman who becomes a

after her father is framed for treason and killed but gets saved by Wol-ryung, who protects and eventually marries her. :She becomes afraid and angry towards Wol-ryung after learning of his true identity and, in impulsiveness, anger and fear, sells off his living place to soldiers, eventually 'killing' him. She tries to get rid of the child inside her womb in fear of it being a monster but fails. She eventually gives birth to the child(Kan-chi) and regrets her actions, asking him not to forgive her. After leaving her son in the monk's care, she goes off to die as her punishment, but survives and disappears. :She returns years later disguised as a Japanese lad,y Ja Hong-myung, and secretly plans her revenge against Jo Gwan-woong but finds her missing son and learns of her husband being alive but amnesic, having turned into a demon mainly due to her actions. :She stops Wol-ryung from causing any more havoc and apologizes for everything that happened. In the end, she commits suicide in order to truly bring Wol-ryung back to life, not as a demon but as a guardian spirit. She dies in his hands after proclaiming her love for him, along with one last apology. *

as Jo Gwan-woong :A villainous nobleman. He lusted after Seo-hwa, then framed and killed her father, destroying many lives. He is now the mastermind behind a string of murders and a traitorous plan against Joseon, and he hunts down Kang-chi. *

as Park Mu-sol :A just and righteous nobleman, Lord Park is beloved by his countrymen and is the father of Tae-seo and Chung-jo. When he finds the orphaned baby Kang-chi inside a basket floating in a river, he takes him in and becomes his surrogate father. *

as Dam Pyeong-joon :A former soldier and now a martial arts master. Yeo-wool's father. :He's the one who leads the soldiers to Wol-ryung's residence since he deems the spirit too dangerous to be left alive. Due to Wol-ryung not fighting back, he manages to strike the spirit, dealing heavy injuries and 'killing' him. :He believes himself to be a part reason of Wol-ryung has turned into a demon and wants to stop the massacre however possible. :Strong ally of Admiral Sun-sin and tough enemy to Gwan-woong after learning of his villainous actions. * Jung Hye-young as Chun Soo-ryun – The head

. *

– A patriotic naval commander with secret plans for building

turtle ship A turtle ship (; ) was a type of warship that was used by the Korean Joseon Navy from the early 15th century up until the 19th century. They were used alongside the panokseon warships in the fight against invading Japanese fleets. The ship's name ...

s that could aid in fighting against invading Japanese warships. * Kim Hee-won as So-jung – A Buddhist monk who was Wol-ryung's friend and now watches over Kang-chi. *Lee Do-kyung as Teacher Gong-dal – A wise old teacher at Master Dam's martial arts school. * Jo Jae-yoon as Ma Bong-chul – A local gangster whose life is spared by Kang-chi, and becomes loyal to him. *Kim Dong-kyun as Choi – Lord Park's servant and Kang-chi's adoptive father. *

Jin Kyung Jin Kyung (; born March 27, 1972) is a South Korean actress. Early years Jin learned piano as a child. She graduated from Seonhwa Arts Middle School, and entered Daewon Foreign Language High School. Her interest at acting started when Jin wat ...

as Yeo-joo – Yeo-wool's teacher in domestic skills, who has a crush on Gon. * Kim Ki-bang as Eok-man – Kang-chi's friend. *Kim Sung-hoon as Wol-dae – Jo Gwan-woong's chief minion. *Son Ga-young as Wol-sun – A gisaeng who becomes jealous of Chung-jo, bullying and sabotaging her. * Kim Hee-jung as Lady Yoon – Mu-sol's wife who resents Kang-chi. * David Lee McInnis as Kageshima *Song Young-kyu as Pil-mok – Seo-hwa's assistant. *Park Joo-hyung as Han Noh *Nam Hyun-joo as chief maid at the gibang *

as Yoon Jung-yoon – Seo-hwa's younger brother (ep 1) *

as Dam – Seo-hwa's maid (ep 1)

Original soundtrack

Ratings

Awards and nominations

References

External links

''Gu Family Book'' official MBC website
* * *

at MBC Global Media {{Works by Samhwa Networks 2013 South Korean television series debuts 2013 South Korean television series endings MBC TV television dramas Works about the Imjin War Korean-language television shows Television series set in Joseon South Korean fantasy television series Television shows written by Kang Eun-kyung South Korean historical television series Cultural depictions of Yi Sun-sin Television series by Samhwa Networks