Captivating the King is a Korean historical romance drama of 16 episodes. After the Korean Joseon is defeated by the Qing they become a vassal state and change sides from the Ming to the Qing. As part of their assurance of loyalty Prince Jinhan (Jo Jung-suk, played the male lead in Oh My Ghost [2015]) is sent to Qing.

A few years later Prince Jinhan returns to the Joseon capital. But in the meantime the royal court has changed. There are two sides vying for the throne: one is the queen and her son who is the king's son by blood and the other is Prince Jinhan's mother who wants to see him take the throne. It doesn't help that the king, Prince Jinhan's older brother, has kind of gone insane — paranoid about everyone and refusing to declare a Crown Prince to succeed him.

Prince Jinhan is isolated and on his lonely wanderings around the capital he sees people playing baduk (Go) of which he is an expert. The mysterious Kang Mon-woo (Shin Se-kyung, played the female lead in Run On [2020]) is beating everyone and taking their baduk sets as prize. In return he will only reveal his name if he loses. In reality Kang Mon-woo (named that after he plays Prince Jinhan) is Kang Hee-soo, the independent-minded daughter of the king's principal minister.

Prince Jinhan and Kang Mon-woo form a brief friendship. But right after the king dies in the presence of Prince Jinhan and Court Lady Dong (Park Ye-young). She backs him up confirming that the king named Prince Jinhan his successor and so he becomes King Yi In. Unfortunately as part of those events Kang Mon-woo is implicated in a plot to have Prince Jinhan executed and so he is sent off to be executed with the other traitors. But Kang Mon-woo manages to escape in such a way he is presumed dead.

Three years later King Yi In is now cemented as a bad king who spends his time being idle and not running the country, letting his new principle minister Park Jong-hwan (Lee Gyu-hoe) effectively run the country. Kang Mon-woo returns to compete to become the king's baduk trainer, a new position just created. In reality Kang Hee-soo wants revenge — to somehow oust the king and replace him with the boy prince and son of the last king. But King Yi In has secrets of his own and has his own machinations. This while they both acknowledge they love each other especially once he realizes his baduk trainer is female…

This is a clean historical drama where the world is pretty and even the violence is toned down. I love the two lead characters and how their relationship progresses. There are lots of little comedy bits. Lots of plans and wheels within wheels (but not too deep). Very watchable. The last episode is after the confrontational climax so it's just wrapping up several things and has a satisfying though it could have been a better ending (it's implied they finally end up together though not what form).

Pretty good Netflix-exclusive series.