Tale of the Nine Tailed (Korean: 구미호뎐) is a 2020 South Korean television series starring Lee Dong-wook, Jo Bo-ah, and Kim Bum. It aired on tvN from October 7 to December 3, 2020, every Wednesday and Thursday at 22:30 (KST) with 16 episodes.
On November 18, 2020, the series took a one-week break from airing to ensure better production for the remaining four episodes, and aired a behind-the-scene special titled Tale of the Nine Tailed: A 600 Year Legend (구미호뎐-600년의 전설; Gumihodyeon-600nyeonui jeonseol). From November 18 to December 4, it also aired a three-part spin-off titled Tale of the Nine Tailed: An Unfinished Story (구미호뎐: 못다한 이야기; Gumihodyeon: motdahan iyagi), centering around Lee Yeon's younger brother Lee Rang and his accomplice Ki Yu-ri.
A second season, titled Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 premiered on May 6, 2023 with Lee Dong-wook and Kim Bum reprising their roles and the female lead set to be portrayed by Kim So-yeon, as well as several new cast members like Ryu Kyung-soo.
A South Korean animated series, titled Tale of the Nine Tailed Tiger: The Beginning of a Lotus (Korean: 구미호뎐: 연의 시작) will be released on TVING in 2024, the series is produced by Studio Bazooka.
Contents
Synopsis
Lee Yeon (Lee Dong-wook), an over 1000-year-old Gumiho and the former guardian mountain spirit of Baekdu-daegan, is now a city dweller. He works with Taluipa (Kim Jung-nan), an agent in the Afterlife Immigration Office and the protector of the Samdo River, to eradicate supernatural beings that threaten the mortal world. He lives in the city where he is assisted by his loyal subject, veterinarian, and fellow Gumiho, Goo Shin-joo (Hwang Hee).
On a mission to capture a fox that has killed and eaten the livers of many humans and is now marrying a man in the guise of a human woman, he is spotted by Nam Ji-ah (Jo Bo-ah), a smart, ferocious, and dauntless producer at TVC Station.
Ji-ah recognizes Yeon when he is leaving the venue and later spots him on camera through his red, distinctly marked umbrella. She finds where Yeon lives, suspects him of being supernatural, and ultimately tests her theory by jumping off of his flat with a memory chip that contains a video of Yeon fighting another fox (Lee Rang, his half-brother) with their powers, forcing Yeon to follow and save her.
It is then revealed that as a child, on her ninth birthday, Nam Ji-ah was involved in a road accident in which her parents were supposed to be dead. However, Ji-ah is the only one who remembers that two other people, not human, posed as her parents. They were foxes trying to eat Ji-ah but she was saved by Lee Yeon. Even though he compelled her to forget him, the magic did not work on her. Later, she found herself at the accident site but her parents' bodies were never discovered.
It motivated her to believe that her parents were alive and so she decided to look into supernatural beings and look for any way to find and rescue her parents.
Later in the series, it is revealed that Nam Ji-ah is the reincarnation of Ah-eum, a human who was the first love of Yeon.
She died at the hands of Yeon while trying to save him from Imoogi, an evil earth dragon who wanted to inhabit the body of the guardian mountain spirit. By abusing his powers, a heartbroken Yeon stopped the boat carrying Ah-eum across the Samdo River, kissed her, and gave her a fox bead while asking her to promise to be reincarnated. In return, he promised Ah-eum that whenever she came back, he would find her through the bead.
Cast
Main
Lee Dong-wook as Lee Yeon
The titular gumiho (nine-tailed fox). Former mountain spirit and guardian of Baekdudaegan, lover of Ah-eum / Ji-ah and half-brother of Lee Rang. He carries out missions from the Afterlife Immigration Office while searching for the reincarnation of Ah-eum. He encountered several look-alikes of Ah-eum but none bore the fox bead. He saved Ji-ah when she was young, but she does not have the fox bead, making Yeon believe that she is not the reincarnation of Ah-eum. Later in the series, it is revealed that Ji-ah is indeed reincarnation of Ah-eum. Her fox bead appeared when Lee Yeon saved her from falling from a building. His weakness is the evening primrose that grows above tombs.
Jo Bo-ah as Nam Ji-ah / Yi Ah-eum / Imoogi
Park Da-yeon as young Ji-ah / Ah-eum
Nam Ji-ah is a 30-year producer at TVC Station. She is the reincarnation of Lee Yeon's past lover, Yi Ah-eum, the 7th daughter of the King of Joseon whom he exiled. To save her father, who was possessed by the Imoogi, she allowed the Imoogi to take her instead, promising to take him to Yeon. She then asked Lee Yeon to kill her so that she could protect him from sacrificing himself. After reincarnating as Nam Ji-ah, she is often seen to have double personalities, who is later revealed to be the part of the Imoogi that survived inside of her. Imoogi used her to threaten Lee Yeon, in order to have his body. When she tried to sacrifice herself again to protect Yeon from Imoogi, she was stopped by him and allowed Imoogi to take over his body instead.
Kim Bum as Lee Rang
Lee Joo-won as young Lee Rang
A half-blood gumiho and Lee Yeon's younger brother, who seeks revenge on his brother by creating mischief. He intentionally causes harm to humans, which causes trouble to Yeon in turn. He hides his caring nature while harboring a deep grudge for his brother. As a child, he was abandoned by his human mother in the Forest of the Hungry Ghosts. There, he was attacked by hungry ghosts but was saved by Yeon. He followed his brother to the mountain to start anew and lived happily. But when Ah-eum died, Yeon left Baekdudaegan and abdicated his status as the mountain spirit, leaving Rang alone on the mountain, thus causing the growing hatred for Lee Yeon.
Supporting
Kim Jung-nan as Taluipa
Younger sister of King Yeomra (supreme ruler of the underworld), and wife of Hyunuiong. She works at the Afterlife Immigration Office managing the list of dead souls and gives missions to Lee Yeon. She appears to be cold-hearted but has a strict motherly affection for Yeon who calls her "Granny" in return. She had a son named Bok-gil who cannot undergo reincarnation because he committed suicide by jumping into the Samdo River, as a result of her decision to kill his beloved woman infected with the plague.
Ahn Gil-kang as Hyunuiong
The gatekeeper of Samdo River, the husband of Taluipa and father of Bok-gil. He also works at the Afterlife Immigration Office and briefs dead souls before entering the underworld. He appears to be both obedient and scared of his wife, who "wooed" him in debased parodies of the folktale Fairy and the Woodcutter and the Korean drama I'm Sorry, I Love You, before committing bossam (forcefully marrying him).
Hwang Hee as Goo Shin-joo
Lee Yeon's loyal subject and friend, also a gumiho. After having bewitched innocent humans to lose their minds in revenge for his sisters who were killed by human traps, he fled from the former mountain spirit he served to save his life and ended up at Lee Yeon's forest. He was saved by Lee Yeon, who refused to return him to the mountain spirit and since then decided to dedicate his life for him. In present day, he is a veterinarian who can speak to animals using his magic necklace. He liked Ki Yu-ri from the first time he met her, when she stole his necklace.
Kim Soo-jin as Snail Bride / Bok Hye-ja
Owner of the "Snail Bride", a traditional Korean cuisine restaurant where Lee Yeon and Nam Ji-ah's team at TVC Station usually dines in. She's a widow living for hundreds of years already, and is knowledgeable about all the supernatural beings in the world. Her husband was devoured by a tiger through the Spirit of Darkness's trick on someone's greatest fear.
Kim Yong-ji as Ki Yu-ri
Special appearances
Lee Taek-geun as the groom of the disguised gumiho bride (Ep. 1).
Son Dong-hwa as the groom next door (Ep. 1).
Chu Ye-jin as Jung Soo-young, a 17-year-old student who was the only survivor of a deadly bus accident at Yeou Gogae, later morphed into Lee Rang as her true form. The real Soo-young was killed (eaten) by Rang (Ep. 1).
Jang Won-hyung as Baek Si-woo, the detective who investigated the bus accident at Yeou Gogae that killed 5 people (Ep. 1).
Jang Eui-don as a bus passenger who died in the accident, husband (Ep. 1).
Yoon Tae-hee as a bus passenger who died in the accident, wife (Ep. 1).
Kim Hwan-young as son of the bus passengers. He met Lee Rang at a wishing fountain at Moze Department Store before (Ep. 1).
Yu Jun-won a family member of one of the deceased bus passengers (Ep. 1).
Choi Sung-woong as funeral hall security (Ep. 1).
Choi Seung-il as father of the real Ki Yu-ri (Ep. 4).
Oh Jung-won as mother of the real Ki Yu-ri (Ep. 4).
Lee Ye-bit as Min-seo, a child ghost (Ep. 4–5).
Jung Ah-young as Yeon-seo, a child ghost (Ep. 4–5).
Park No-shik as Min-seo & Yeon-seo's father. He was away at work as a truck driver when his daughters died allegedly by his "negligence" (Ep. 5).
Release
The poster of the television series was unveiled by Lee Dong-wook and Jo Bo-ah on September 9, 2020, which was termed as "Rhapsody of intense affection".
Animated adaptation
In 2021, CJ ENM reported that the series will be animated, based on live-action. Produced by Bazooka Studio and directed by Seok Jong-seo who is directing Tooniverse's The Haunted House (known as Shinbi Apartment series), and will be streaming on TVING in 2024. The titled has been revealed as Tale of the Nine Tailed Tiger: The Beginning of a Lotus (Korean: 구미호뎐: 연의 시작).