Bossam ~ Steal the Fate | Viki Original Historical Korean Drama Series
You know it’s going to be a bad day when you get paid to kidnap a widow but you kidnap the wrong widow, who happens to be a princess.
Bossam ~ Steal the Fate is entertaining and educational
I learned a new word and a new custom in this Korean drama series. During the Joseon Era, widows could not remarry. Whenever an unreasonable law is in place, people can always find a way to work around that law.
“‘Bossam’ in the Korean title refers to a customary remarriage procedure that took place during the Joseon period. At that time, a widow could not remarry. A single man or widower would kidnap the widow and marry her. Some of the kidnappings were agreed upon in advance and others were by force. This procedure was known as bossam. “ (Quote Source: “Bossam: Steal the Fate — AsianWiki.” Asianwiki.com, 2021, asianwiki.com/Bossam:_Steal_the_Fate.)
So! From the definition above, you can figure out that BOSSAM IS ILLEGAL! Sadly, even though an activity is illegal, you can usually find someone who is willing to commit the unlawful act for the right price!
Bossam is a Booming Business!
Ba-Woo (played by Jung Il-Woo) is the main character in this series. He partners with his friend is Chun-Bae (played by Lee Joon-Hyuk) to commit bossam. For a price, they agree to pre-arranged kidnapping of widows who want to remarry. They are to be delivered safely to the man who wishes to become their new husband. Illegal or not, the bossam business is booming! There are a lot of widows who want to be kidnapped and remarried.
Everything is going just fine until Chun-Bae accidentally directs Ba-Woo to the wrong house. At this house, this particular widow was not considering remarriage. She just happened to be sitting outside enjoying the moonlight when … she is accidentally kidnapped. In an instant, she was gagged to prevent her from screaming, shoved into a sack, thrown across some unknown man’s broad shoulders, and taken from her home against her will.
Why Not Simply Return the Widow to Her Home
Ba-Woo doesn’t just kidnap the wrong widow. He kidnaps a widow who happens to be a princess: Princess Soo-Kyung (played by Kwon Yuri). A princess?? Yeah. That means her father is the king! When Ba-Woo fully realizes what he has done, he can imagine his fate. OFF WITH HIS HEAD!!
OK! OK! Take a deep breath. Let’s not make this problem bigger than it is. Ba-Woo reasons that it was a simple case of mistaken identity. If the widow agrees not to turn him in to the authorities, all he has to do is take her back home. Right? WRONG!
Wanted: Dead Or Alive?
Ba-Woo visits the home of the princess surreptitiously to find out the easiest way to return her safely. Instead, he finds that the family is holding funeral services. Ba-Woo’s simple plan is complicated by the fact that the princess has a greedy ambitious heartless father-in-law.
Of course, the missing princess is wanted back. But is she wanted back dead or alive? It depends on who you ask.
- If you ask the father-in-law, he wants her back DEAD. The father-in-law is stupefied and embarrassed. His daughter-in-law who is supposed to be under his care and protection has vanished! When her father, the king, wants to see her, HE LIES! He tells the king his daughter committed suicide, having died from the grief of being a widow. So she needs to be found and disposed of so that he can cover up that HUGE LIE he told the king.
- If you ask the king, the father of the princess, he wants her back ALIVE. Yes, he loves his daughter, but hates her father-in-law! The king found out that his daughter is alive. He wants to use this fact to trap the father-in-law and get rid of him for treason. How dare he lie to the king?
But What If You Ask the Princess?
BEFORE the botched bossam incident occurred, she had accepted her fate. She fully intended to be a dutiful faithful widow, never remarry, and live a miserable unhappy life in her father-in-law’s house. She might as well be dead. But her fate has changed. Forget about duty, laws, customs, and traditions. She has to run for her life!
Viewer Ratings
Bossam ~ Steal the Fate is historical fiction, drama, and romance. This Viki Original Series is 20 exciting episodes that keep you engaged from start to finish. In my opinion, it’s should be on a Top Ten List of the best “original” historical Korean dramas that Viki has ever released. The viewers rated it 9.3 out of 5 stars. I agree.
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