(Full Synopsis)

Set in ancient Baekje, the musical unfolds across royal and rural landscapes, where a king’s obsessive desire for a woman disrupts the lives of a devoted couple.

The story begins with Yeogyeong, a young king of Baekje, wounded on the battlefield. As he drifts in and out of consciousness, he dreams of a woman descending from the sky and holding him in her arms. Her name is Arang. When he awakens, the dream lingers, and desire turns into obsession. He orders his attendant Hyangsil to paint her likeness and distribute it throughout the kingdom in search of her.

Arang is eventually found living peacefully in a rural village, already engaged to Domi, a respected community leader. Yeogyeong invites Domi to a game of Go, first losing intentionally, then proposing a wager: if Domi wins the rematch, the village will gain independence; if Yeogyeong wins, Arang becomes his. Domi loses but believes Arang will never accept the King.

To protect her, Arang’s maid Bia secretly takes her place and spends the night with Yeogyeong. Believing he has claimed Arang’s love, Yeogyeong later discovers the truth and spirals into rage and self-destruction.

Meanwhile, believing Domi to be dead, Arang wanders into Cheonseongdo, an impoverished but idealized utopia. There she mourns, scars her face, and veils herself. Domi is later revealed to be alive but blinded. The two are reunited and choose each other despite ruin and loss.

Still pursuing the dream version of Arang, Yeogyeong kills Hyangsil for allowing her escape and marches with his army. When he finally reaches the lovers, Arang removes her veil and reveals her scarred face. The King’s illusion collapses, and he lets them go. At the same moment, Baekje falls to invading forces, and Yeogyeong ends his life, defeated not in war but in longing.

In the final scene, Arang and Domi depart by boat, moving toward a horizon that may signify death, exile, or peace. The battlefield fades, and Yeogyeong’s dream dissolves into silence.