Royal Family is a 2011 South Korean television series that explores the dark side of wealth and the power of love to fight the system. Yum Jung-ah and Ji Sung play two childhood friends who grow up supporting each other through poverty and all other obstacles, and when they meet again years later, stand by each other as they rise in society's ranks. It aired on MBC from March 2 to April 28, 2011 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 18 episodes.
Plot
After marrying into a wealthy and powerful chaebol family, Kim In-sook's life becomes a living hell. Looked down on by her in-laws as a gold-digging intruder, she's ignored and treated as a shadow for years. When her husband is killed in a helicopter accident, her mother-in-law takes In-sook's son away. Enter Han Ji-hoon, the powerhouse new lawyer of the family, who knows In-sook from the past. Ji-hoon becomes determined to put a stop to the oppressive situation she's been in for 18 years. When In-sook finally decides that she has had enough and launches a bold plan to take over the family company, Ji-hoon will be there at her side, no matter what it costs him. The two begin to play a dangerous double game, but in the midst of their battle for survival, their hearts are drawn together in a passion that could cost them everything.
Cast
Yum Jung-ah as Kim In-sook - She has a motherly heart for Ji-hoon and Hyun-jin, but a plan that is filled with vengeance. She isn't all she appears to be on the outside.
Ji Sung as Han Ji-hoon - He has a tragic past that he doesn't remember, yet he overcomes his underprivileged childhood and becomes a competent prosecutor. He joins JK Group and sacrifices his all to help In-sook become the head of the conglomerate because he considers her his saviour.
Kim Young-ae as Gong Soon-ho - The ruthless mother-in-law of Kim In-sook, and after her son's death takes custody of her grandson. She is a cold-hearted woman, even to her children, who believes cruelty is the only way she can teach them how to survive. However, she could never bear a betrayal from her own flesh and blood, and loves Hyun-jin whom she believes is coming into her own perfectly.
Cha Ye-ryun as Jo Hyun-jin - The youngest child and only daughter of Gong Soon-ho and her mother's favourite. She is unlike the rest of her scheming family. She is deeply saddened of her brother's death and was the only one to shed tears once her brother was pronounced dead in the hospital. Hyun-jin is also the only one to give In-sook the respect that she deserves. She is well liked by employees and others. She is in a constant battle with her sisters-in-law but they are no match for Hyun-jin's ability to look at the big picture. Instead of going head to head, Hyun-jin usually walks around the war that usually plagues her brother's and their wives, and by the time anyone notices Hyun-jin has already crossed the finish line. She resembles In-sook's heart with Soon-ho's smarts and ruthlessness, creating the perfect combination of a true JK woman. She has endured a lifetime of coldness from her mother, however she believes it is the cost of being her daughter. She takes over her mother's company in the finale and proves to be a very capable leader, using In-sook's kindness and her mother's cunningness.
