| King of Ambition | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Also known as | Yawang King of the Beast Queen of the Night |
| Genre | Melodrama Romance Action |
| Based on | Daemul - Tale of Yawang byPark In-kwon |
| Developed by | Lee Hyun-jik |
| Written by | Lee Hee-myung[1] |
| Directed by | Jo Young-kwang Park Shin-woo |
| Starring | Kwon Sang-woo Soo Ae Jung Yun-ho Kim Sung-ryung Go Joon-hee |
| Music by | Lee Jae-gyu Park Seung-jin Choi Min -chang |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 24 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Choi Ji-yoon Park San-gi |
| Producers | Park Yong-soon Lee Hee-soo Yoon Young-ha Ha Sang-hoon Song Jeong-woo |
| Production location | Korea |
| Running time | 60 minutes, Mondays and Tuesdays at 20:55 (KST) |
| Production company | Verdi Media |
| Original release | |
| Network | SBS TV |
| Release | 14 January (2013-1-14) – 2 April 2013 (2013-4-2) |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 야왕 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Yawang |
| McCune–Reischauer | Yawang |
King of Ambition (Korean: 야왕;Hanja: 野王;RR: Yawang) is a 2013South Korean television series, starringKwon Sang-woo,Soo Ae,Jung Yun-ho,Kim Sung-ryung, andGo Joon-hee.[2] It aired onSBS TV from 14 January – 2 April 2013 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 24 episodes. Based on Park In-kwon'smanhwa of the same title, the same source material asDaemul,[3][4] the drama tells the tale of an ambitious woman born into poverty who will let nothing stand in her way as she tries to become the First Lady, and a hopeless romantic who will sacrifice anything for her. But when she betrays him, he takes his revenge.[5][6][7][8]
The name Ha Ryu means "a child flown from heaven." He was given this name by the nun who first found him in front of an orphanage; it came to her immediately the moment she saw his pure, innocent face. Ha Ryu's life began in earnest when he first laid eyes on Da-hae at the orphanage. Ha Ryu was a simple boy who disliked chores; however, for Da-hae, there was nothing he would not do or any place he would not go. Whenever Da-hae cried, Ha Ryu became too restless to do anything. But when Da-hae was adopted, they had to part.
Ten years later, Ha Ryu runs into Da-hae again. He feels electrified and like he is losing his mind. Then and there, he swears that nothing will ever come between them again. He also promises himself that he will do anything and everything to make her happy until the day he dies. Da-hae is a bright young woman and Ha Ryu works day and night with all his strength to earn money to pay her university tuition abroad. No matter how tired he is, all he requires to be happy is Da-hae's smile.
But over time Da-hae changes. Ha Ryu thinks it cannot be permanent when he admires her beauty and sophistication, like a bright, shining star. Even when she frames him for a murder, he tries to understand her. However, when she loses their daughter, Eun-byul, he finally snaps and he cannot forgive her. Ha Ryu changes, too. His wrath erupts like a volcano because of the betrayal of his one true love and turns Ha Ryu into a beast. He, who was once a mere minion in a gang, makes his way to the top and becomesCEO of Baekhak Group, one of South Korea's leadingcorporations. "I will bring you down with my own two hands and put you back to where you first began. I will step on you and hurt you more than you can imagine," he promises her and his bitter revenge against Da-hae, the woman he, for so long, loved more than life itself, begins... in the end Da-hae becomes the first lady of South Korea, then she is exposed for her crimes after she shoots and injures Ha Ryu.
Ha Ryu then chases after her when Da-hae's step brother escapes with her. He confronts Da-hae for killing his father and when she admits to it he tries to run her over. Ha-Ryu jumps in the away and then he and Da-hae are both hit by the car. Da-hae, still conscious, cries and apologizes to a severely injured Ha Ryu. Then they both pass out and end up in hospital beds. They both imagine having conversations with each other when they were young and finally understand why they grew into the people they became. Ha Ryu wakes up from his coma only to find out Da-hae has died. Ha Ryu continues to live his life and ends the series back at the old house he, Eun-Byul, and Da-hae lived. He looks at the portrait Eun-Byul drew and thinks about all he has lost trying to pursue revenge.
| Episode # | Original broadcast date | Average audience share | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TNmS Ratings[18] | AGB Nielsen[19] | ||||
| Nationwide | Seoul National Capital Area | Nationwide | Seoul National Capital Area | ||
| 1 | 14 January 2013 | 8.7% | 9.8% | 8.0% | 9.3% |
| 2 | 15 January 2013 | 7.8% | 8.5% | 8.1% | 8.8% |
| 3 | 21 January 2013 | 8.2% | 9.2% | 10.2% | 11.1% |
| 4 | 22 January 2013 | 9.8% | 10.6% | 9.9% | 10.6% |
| 5 | 28 January 2013 | 10.4% | 11.7% | 10.1% | 11.2% |
| 6 | 29 January 2013 | 12.0% | 13.5% | 12.3% | 13.6% |
| 7 | 4 February 2013 | 13.4% | 14.7% | 12.7% | 14.0% |
| 8 | 5 February 2013 | 16.4% | 18.4% | 15.3% | 16.4% |
| 9 | 11 February 2013 | 16.4% | 18.7% | 15.2% | 16.1% |
| 10 | 12 February 2013 | 20.1% | 23.3% | 17.5% | 18.4% |
| 11 | 18 February 2013 | 19.4% | 21.8% | 18.6% | 19.9% |
| 12 | 19 February 2013 | 19.6% | 21.1% | 19.4% | 20.8% |
| 13 | 25 February 2013 | 17.9% | 20.2% | 17.5% | 18.9% |
| 14 | 26 February 2013 | 18.8% | 20.4% | 17.7% | 18.1% |
| 15 | 4 March 2013 | 17.4% | 19.2% | 16.3% | 17.2% |
| 16 | 5 March 2013 | 18.3% | 20.0% | 18.6% | 19.9% |
| 17 | 11 March 2013 | 18.8% | 21.3% | 18.5% | 20.3% |
| 18 | 12 March 2013 | 18.8% | 21.0% | 18.3% | 19.4% |
| 19 | 18 March 2013 | 18.2% | 21.4% | 17.8% | 19.1% |
| 20 | 19 March 2013 | 18.3% | 21.9% | 18.6% | 20.1% |
| 21 | 25 March 2013 | 17.0% | 20.0% | 18.0% | 19.9% |
| 22 | 26 March 2013 | 22.8% | 26.1% | 22.9% | 24.3% |
| 23 | 1 April 2013 | 23.1% | 25.9% | 22.5% | 24.5% |
| 24 | 2 April 2013 | 26.7% | 30.7% | 25.8% | 27.5% |
| Average | 16.6% | 18.7% | 16.3% | 17.5% | |
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Best TV Actress | Kim Sung-ryung | Nominated | |
| 20's Drama Star - Female | Soo Ae | Nominated | ||
| Seoul International Drama Awards | Outstanding Korean Drama | King of Ambition | Won | |
| Outstanding Korean Drama Actor | Kwon Sang-woo | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Korean Drama Actress | Soo Ae | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Korean Drama OST | "Ice Flower" byAilee | Nominated | ||
| "You Don't Know" byKim Nam-gil | Nominated | |||
| Most Popular Actor | Jung Yun-ho | Won | ||
| Excellence Award, Actress | Soo Ae | Nominated | ||
| Top Excellence Award, Actress | Soo Ae | Nominated | ||
| Acting Award, Actress | Kim Sung-ryung | Won | ||
| Go Joon-hee | Nominated | |||
| Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Drama Special | Kwon Sang-woo | Nominated | ||
| Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Drama Special | Soo Ae | Nominated | ||
| Special Acting Award, Actor in a Drama Special | Lee Deok-hwa | Nominated |