“The Moon that Embraces the Sun’s” Expensive Hairpin Surprises Fans

In the fifth episode of “The Moon that Embraces the Sun,” Prince Lee Hwon (child actor Yeo Jin Goo) sneaks out of the palace to give a bedridden Heo Yeon Woo (child actress Kim Yoo Jung) the royal binyeo to show her his heart. He names the binyeo “the moon that embraces the sun” – describing that the sun (the red ball) as the king and the moon (the white pearl by the phoenix’s head) as the queen – and tells Yeon Woo that she is his one and only Queen.

A binyeo is an ornamental hairpin used to hold a hair bun in place. In the past, the material and design of the binyeo indicated the social status of the woman wearing it. A gold binyeo with a dragon or phoenix carved would indicate that the woman was part of the royal family.

After the episode aired, many netizens were curious as to whether the binyeo was made out of plastic or gold. It’s been revealed that Yeon Woo’s binyeo was indeed made out of real gold.

Netizens commented, “Gold is really expensive these days…It would have been really bad had they lost it haha,” “No wonder the binyeo looked so authentic,” and “Wow! That’s so awesome! That thing must cost a fortune!”

Because of its explosive popularity, MBC and the drama’s producers are currently discussing a possible four-episode extension for “The Moon that Embraces the Sun.” It’s highly likely that MBC will grant the extension, especially because “The Moon that Embraces the Sun” has been doing so well. It achieved 18% (AGB Nielsen) viewership ratings for its first episode and reached 31.7% by its eighth.

“The Moon that Embraces the Sun” stars Kim Soo Hyun, Han Ga In, and Jung Il Woo and airs every Wednesday and Thursday nights on MBC at 9:55PM KST.

Source: Soompi