Episode 1 of Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born begins in 1931, Gyeongseong, where a young girl and her father struggle through a snowy night to reach the house of a wealthy pansori singer. The father, who is acquainted with the singer, pleads for them to stay for a few days. His daughter, Chae Gong-seon, shocks everyone when she declares her desire to learn pansori and become a famous singer, much like the woman herself. Intrigued, the singer asks Gong-seon to sing, setting the stage for a life-changing moment.
The story then shifts to 1956 in Mokpo, where women are hard at work along the seashore. Here, we meet Jeong-nyeon, a young woman whose love for singing causes tension with her mother. While working at the market selling fish, Jeong-nyeon begins to sing, only for her mother to angrily pull her away, leaving her to handle the sales. The marketplace becomes chaotic when local gangsters arrive, bullying Jeong-nyeon’s sister Jung-ja and trying to steal their hard-earned money. However, Jeong-nyeon bravely fights back by singing loudly, drawing a crowd and forcing the gangsters to leave.
At the same time, famous actresses Ok-gyeong and Hye-rang from the prestigious Maeran theatre company arrive in Mokpo. Ok-gyeong, feeling bored with life, is captivated by Jeong-nyeon’s impromptu performance. She buys all of Jeong-nyeon’s fish in exchange for another song and later gives her two tickets to the next evening’s gukgeuk performance. After Ok-gyeong leaves, Jung-ja recognizes her as a well-known gukgeuk star, making Jeong-nyeon’s encounter even more significant especially when she finds out Ok-gyeong is a woman since she wears men’s clothes and looks handsome as a man.
Returning home, Jeong-nyeon and Jung-ja face their mother’s wrath after she learns that Jeong-nyeon sang in the marketplace. In an intense argument, Jeong-nyeon’s mother nearly shaves her head in punishment, but Jung-ja intervenes. Elsewhere, So-bok, the theatre director, comes across a newspaper article accusing one of her actresses, Ok-gyeong, of being addicted to opium, which causes additional tension within the theatre company.
Jeong-nyeon soon learns from the village girls that Ok-gyeong has become incredibly wealthy through her performances, further inspiring her to attend the gukgeuk show. Watching the performance steals her heart completely, fueling her desire to become a gukgeuk performer. After the show, So-bok and Hye-rang confront Ok-gyeong about the opium scandal, but Ok-gyeong firmly denies the allegations. So-bok agrees to manage the situation but advises Ok-gyeong to avoid Seoul until the scandal blows over.
Jeong-nyeon, now deeply inspired by Ok-gyeong’s performance, attempts to mimic her role. She confides in her sister Jung-ja, telling her that her heart races every time she thinks about performing. The next morning, Jeong-nyeon rushes to the actors’ inn, hoping to find them before they leave. Everyone has already gone, except for Ok-gyeong, who invites Jeong-nyeon inside and tests her acting abilities. While her acting needs improvement, Ok-gyeong tells Jeong-nyeon that she was born to sing pansori, offering her guidance.
Facing more financial struggles and another encounter with the gangsters, Jeong-nyeon decides to take control of her fate. She approaches Ok-gyeong, expressing her desire to become a gukgeuk performer and earn money. Ok-gyeong agrees to train Jeong-nyeon, preparing her for an upcoming audition. They focus on acting and dancing, as Jeong-nyeon’s singing skills are already strong. During one of their training sessions, Jeong-nyeon asks why Ok-gyeong is helping her, and Ok-gyeong admits that she was bored and finds the experience entertaining.
Jeong-nyeon’s mother soon discovers her practice scripts and confronts her, warning that pursuing singing will only lead to heartbreak. When Jeong-nyeon refuses to give up, her mother locks her in the barn, hoping to stop her dream in its tracks. However, Ok-gyeong, determined to help Jeong-nyeon, approaches Jung-ja and tells her that Jeong-nyeon must leave that night for the audition.
Jung-ja frees her sister from the barn, but Jeong-nyeon has injured her shoulder in her attempts to escape. Despite the injury, the sisters manage to meet Ok-gyeong, who is waiting with a car outside the inn. Jeong-nyeon shares a tearful goodbye with Jung-ja, who tells her that having a dream is a blessing and encourages her to come home if she ever feels lonely.
The next morning, Jeong-nyeon arrives just in time to sign up for the audition, marking the end of Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born Episode 1.
Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born Episode 2 kicks off with Jeong-nyeon preparing for her big audition at the prestigious theatre company. However, she faces judgment from the other girls, who look down on her for being the daughter of a fishmonger. Despite the cold reception, Jeong-nyeon presses forward.
The audition begins, but Jeong-nyeon’s injured shoulder hampers her performance in the dance section. During the acting segment, the girls are asked to improvise on the theme of sadness. When it’s Jeong-nyeon’s turn, she recalls the heart-wrenching memory of her father’s death during the war, bringing real tears to her eyes. So-bok, the theatre director, notices that Jeong-nyeon cried without uttering a word and asks her why. Jeong-nyeon explains that the grief of losing her father left her unable to speak, a moment that resonates deeply with So-bok.
Outside the audition room, students gossip about the new trainee that Ok-gyeong brought in. Next comes the singing section, and Jeong-nyeon delivers an incredible performance, stunning the judges. So-bok is particularly moved, and a flashback reveals a memory of a girl singing the same song while another watches enviously. This hints at a deeper connection between So-bok, Jeong-nyeon’s mother, and the mysterious singer from the past.
When the official trainees are announced, Jeong-nyeon isn’t chosen. However, she is selected as an understudy in a special case. So-bok later explains that she couldn’t accept Jeong-nyeon as a full trainee to avoid accusations of favoritism. She encourages Jeong-nyeon to prove her talent. When So-bok inquires about Jeong-nyeon’s mother, she is surprised to hear the name Seo Yong-rye, which wasn’t the name she expected. Nevertheless, Jeong-nyeon is thrilled with the opportunity, and Ok-gyeong shares in her happiness.
In a private conversation, So-bok confides in Ok-gyeong, admitting that Jeong-nyeon reminds her of an old trainee, further hinting at a connection to the past.
As Jeong-nyeon adjusts to life at the theatre, she is assigned a room, and the other girls tease her about her mysterious roommate. Though her roommate is elusive, Jeong-nyeon meets a fellow trainee, Hong Joo-ran, who offers to show her around. Together, they watch Hye-rang rehearse, and Jeong-nyeon is captivated by another student practicing pansori, sparking her admiration.
The new trainees join the official training sessions, and Jeong-nyeon and another student, Yeong-seo, are told to sing the same song. Both are impressed by each other’s voices, but when Jeong-nyeon tries to befriend Yeong-seo, she is rebuffed because of her low social status. Joo-ran later explains that Yeong-seo comes from a prestigious family, earning her the nickname “Her Highness” among the students. Things take an interesting turn when Yeong-seo is revealed to be Jeong-nyeon’s elusive roommate.
The next day, Yeong-seo visits her mother, who listens to her other daughter, Young-in, perform an opera piece on the radio. Her mother is dissatisfied with Yeong-seo’s decision to pursue gukgeuk instead of opera and pushes her to excel. During their conversation, Yeong-seo’s mother plays a pansori record by Chae Gong-seon, a singer she admired but who mysteriously disappeared.
Back at the theatre, Jeong-nyeon gets in trouble for not wearing her uniform. Another student, Cho-rok, claims she left it outside Jeong-nyeon’s room, but it wasn’t there. As punishment, Jeong-nyeon is forced to skip class. She confronts Cho-rok, and they argue. Cho-rok challenges Jeong-nyeon to steal an audition script for an upcoming performance from Do-aeng, a senior member of the troupe, promising to do her a favor and apologize if Jeong-nyeon succeeds.
Joo-ran warns Jeong-nyeon that stealing the script is a terrible idea since trainees are strictly forbidden from accessing it. However, Jeong-nyeon presses on and approaches Do-aeng. After much persistence, Do-aeng agrees to let Jeong-nyeon audition for the official performance if she can secure a role in the upcoming trainee performance.
Jeong-nyeon jumps at the chance and joins the other trainees as they rehearse for Chunhyangjeon, led by Yeong-seo. Jeong-nyeon asks for any available role and is assigned the challenging role of Bang-ja, previously vacated by another student. During rehearsal, Jeong-nyeon struggles, and Yeong-seo harshly demonstrates how the role should be performed, suggesting Jeong-nyeon quit while she still can.
Later, Joo-ran writes a letter to her sister and encourages Jeong-nyeon to do the same, giving her a flower to include with her letter. Jeong-nyeon, still determined, practices her role despite the challenges.
A turning point comes when Jeong-nyeon is called to Ok-gyeong’s lavish house. Accompanied by Joo-ran, she meets Ok-gyeong and Hye-rang, who are watching a movie. Jeong-nyeon asks for advice on playing male roles in gukgeuk. Ok-gyeong reveals that there’s no secret, only the need to truly understand the character. To Jeong-nyeon’s surprise, Ok-gyeong hands her the coveted audition script, the very one Cho-rok had dared her to steal.
At the conclusion of Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born Episode 2, Ok-gyeong tells Jeong-nyeon to focus on the official audition rather than the trainee performance, hinting that she sees Jeong-nyeon as a potential rival in the male lead category. This realization stuns Jeong-nyeon, as she grapples with the reality that her entry into the theatre was largely influenced by Ok-gyeong, just as the other students had suspected.
Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born Episode 2 deepens the story with a powerful look at Jeong-nyeon’s perseverance in the face of class prejudice and personal struggle. Her emotional audition, inspired by her father’s death, sets the tone for a journey filled with challenges, ambition, and heart. The episode masterfully highlights the tension between tradition and modernity in 1950s Korea, with engaging performances and a captivating storyline. Jeong-nyeon’s determination, despite her hardships, makes for an inspiring watch as she begins to find her place in the competitive world of gukgeuk.