Playing Ep 01

Summary:

In this period drama series, we follow the story of a cunning maid working within the opulent residence of a high-ranking military official. She becomes the ringleader of a network of maids across the governmental ministries, who collude to exchange secrets for profit. Her counterpart, a woman of equally strategic mind, has sold herself into service out of love, hoping to finance her paramour's aspirations of success in the nation's prestigious civil service examination.

Each maid is intricately involved with the personal lives of their respective mistresses—one with the official's first wife, and the other with his second wife. Their loyalty turns into a battleground, as these maids vie to elevate their mistresses' status within the household hierarchy.

The story takes a romantic turn when the lead maid and the household's young heir begin a love affair. Their romance, however, meets with resistance from his domineering father. Meanwhile, another key character finds himself in disgrace, his career jeopardy after a serious indiscretion. Amidst these personal dramas, aspirations for academic honor become a focal point, as a dedicated young man strives to redeem his family's name through the rigor of the imperial exams.

Complicating matters further, the daughter of another powerful figure sets her sights on a desirable bachelor, threatening to unravel the maids' romantic engagements. The threat of losing their lovers to the success, and consequently, other women, pushes the maids to go to extreme lengths, even plotting to sabotage their partner's academic pursuits.

As love and ambition entwine, the narrative crescendoes when the characters become unwittingly entangled in a dangerous plot against the state. Conspiracies and ill-fated romances abound, creating a web of intrigue that threatens to tear them apart just as they stand on the precipice of unraveling.