The Legend of the Blue Sea

The Legend of the Blue Sea is a 2016–2017 South Korean television series starring Jun Ji-hyun and Lee Min-ho. Inspired by a classic Joseon legend from Korea's first collection of unofficial historical tales about a fisherman who captures and releases a mermaid, this drama tells the love story of a con-artist and a mermaid who travels across the ocean to find him. The series aired on SBS from November 16, 2016, to January 25, 2017, every Wednesday and Thursday at 22:00 (KST). The series achieved a peak audience ratings of 21.0%. Synopsis The series centres on the love story of Shim Cheong (Jun Ji-hyun), a mermaid, and Heo Joon-jae (Lee Min-ho), a witty con-artist. Focusing on rebirth, fate, and unrequited love, their tale is juxtaposed with the parallel story of their Joseon-era incarnations, the mermaid, Se-hwa, and town head, Kim Dam-ryeong. Dam-ryeong and Se-hwa During the Joseon era, a mermaid saves the son of a nobleman, Kim Dam-ryeong, from drowning. Following the incident, the two children become close friends, and Dam-ryeong names her Se-hwa, meaning 'a bright, shining child', after his deceased younger sister. Despite being from two different worlds, they fall in love until Dam-ryeong is forced to take up an arranged marriage. Se-hwa plans to live upon the land with Dam-ryeong, but she cannot turn her fishtail into a pair of human legs yet due to having not reached adulthood. Devastated by the news of Dam-ryeong's marriage, she decides to leave him forever. Nevertheless, Dam-ryeong's love for Se-hwa forces him to leave his wife on their wedding night and jump into the ocean to look for her. A distraught Se-hwa rescues him from drowning and promptly erases his memories of her and their love so that he may not look for her again.