Indulging in the Goodness of “Faith” Episode 7
Trying to recap a drama as fast as possible means that I don’t get to indulge in a scene as much as I would like, especially when some scenes are just meant to be digested slowly. And there were so much this week! So here is gratuitous recap of select scenes from episode 7.
Eun-soo is clearly upset by the blood on Young’s face, whether it is his or not, because if it is, he is hurt and if it is not, he just killed someone. In order to protect her and Choong-jung. So she roughly pushes him away, unable to properly express how she feels.
He looks at her from across the room, trying to figure her out. Nobody has shown this kind of reaction to his bloodied state before. This woman, who in beginning was so reluctant to treat people, is now tenderly looking at Choong-jung.
Guh, this scene! She wakes up from her nap and see Young leaning against the wall. She calls out to see if he is sleeping but no, he is awake. She asks with concern if he slept at all but instead of answering her, Young just turns away, implying that it’s none of her concern.
But she is concerned. After waking up from his coma, he hasn’t gotten any proper rest. He’s been busy protecting everyone at the expense of his own health. She sits down next to him, all wide-eyed and ready to offer her shoulder, but he just glares at her, annoyed. He gets up and moves away from her and Eun-soo gives him the stink-eye. Oh, he’s going to play that game!
Eun-soo is not one to give up easily, is she? She follows Young and Young looks at her in surprise- exactly what is she trying to do? Eun-soo pats her shoulder and offers it to Young so he can sleep. She will protect him from now on.
Young’s man pride cannot comprehend what she is suggesting. Does she mean for a man to actually lean on a woman’s shoulder?
Why yes, she is. Ever practical, Eun-soo doesn’t see why he can’t. He’s tired and she’s well-rested. Why not lean on her?
Actually, that makes sense, Young realizes. But he’s still not going to consciously lean on her shoulders. He feigns sleep while Eun-soo chatters on. Slowly, he allows his head to fall on her shoulders.
Eun-soo smiles in satisfaction, happy to offer the little help that she can. But is it little for this exhausted warrior? Maybe not. Eun-soo takes this chance to check his pulse and feel his forehead. How long has it been for this warrior since he had someone truly looking after him?
Eun-soo crinkles her nose- he smells like blood. She doesn’t like this. Young opens his eyes after she says that. He’s come this far without thinking twice about all the blood on him but Eun-soo is making him reflect, isn’t she?
This scene! Just rip out my heart, why don’t you?! A young and innocent boy, in hopes of saving his “brother,” drinks a poison that he knows will burn him inside and slowly kill him off. He believes that there is no chance he will get better from his illness anyway and wants to protect the person that has protected him all those years.
And Young! Hearing the boy cry in pain, knowing what he is asking him to do. Someone he served not just out of duty but someone he has grown to care about. I remember that Young told Ahn before that he would kill Choong-jung if Choong-jung really was leading a rebellion against Gongmin, and while I believe that Young would have done it if it came down to that, I think Young would have taken his own life soon after in guilt.
Uh god, the way he cradles Choong-jung with one arm while the other arm…I can’t finish this sentence.
Then this scene takes my heart and stomps on it for good measure. Eun-soo coming in to find blood once again on Young’s hand but this time, it is not the blood of some stranger, but a boy she has grown fond of and wanted to cure. The look on her face! The way Young wipes his eyes so that she doesn’t see how much it killed him to do this. The way Young just nonchalantly tells her that they’ve been betrayed and need to leave. The way she steps away from him in horror, calling him dirty. The way he looks at her when she does. The way he pulls her to him, begging her to stay by his side, so he doesn’t lose her like the way he lost Choong-jung. The way she still turns away. And the way he looks at her run away from him. Like the ground is disappearing from under his feet!
And this scene! When Young is forced on his knees in front of the person that just murdered his younger “brother” because Eun-soo is in danger. The anger and confusion in his eyes, feeling hopeless and powerless.
Was going to do more but am exhausted. I think I’ve talked about No-gook and Gongmin enough in other comments.
Here are the lyrics to the latest song released for the “Faith” OST. I believe it is Choi Young’s theme song.
Shin Yong Jae (신용재) – Because My Footsteps Are Slow (걸음이 느려서)
Like the endless rain,
You fall deep in my heart.
Like the countless grains of sand,
You fill my heart.
The lonely days, the messy tears,
I place them in memories and send them off with a smile.
Because my footsteps are slow, because my heart is slow,
Though you were close enough for me to touch, I went around so far.
That’s why it hurts, that’s why I long for you.
You are the love that makes me cry even as I smile.
Even if time stops, even if my heart stops beating,
Like a lie, you will live in my arms again.
I love you as much as my heart beats.
The lonely days, the messy tears,
I place them in memories and send them off with a smile.
Because my footsteps are slow, because my heart is slow,
Though you were close enough for me to touch, I went around so far.
That’s why it hurts, that’s why I long for you.
You are the love that makes me cry even as I smile.
Even if time stops, even if my heart stops beating,
Like a lie, you will live in my arms again.
I love you as much as my heart beats.
Please smile. Give me your tears.
That is my happiness.
There won’t be anyone again, not even if I die,
Even if I vomit out my heart, no one to take your place.
I love you as much as my heart beats.
Scattered Joonni 
Thanks Joonni! I hope your wrists are feeling better!
I think they are getting better bit by bit 🙂
Thank you, Joonni, for the detailed analysis.
I agree with most everything you’ve said ;D… I’m just not too sure about Eun Soo’s reaction when she first sees Choi Young with blood on him and tells him to wipe it off. I don’t think she’s feeling guilty that he had to kill to protect her. Nor do I believe that she’s disconcerted and doesn’t know how to react. In fact, given the way she pushes CY away from the young prince… it’s almost like she can’t stand the sight of him like this, all bloodied, because it reminds her that he’s a killer — which she hates: in episode 6 she says something along the lines of “what woman would like a man who goes around stabbing and killing people every day?”. Yes, she worried for him when she thought that the blood was his, yet when she learned that it wasn’t, she was… almost disgusted.
I sort of understand her attitude, being that she is a modern woman unused to the bloody laws of survival of the past. Furthermore, she’s a healer, so CY’s warrior nature is anathema to her own. Still, I can’t help but also be really disappointed in her behavior. First of all… it’s so darn hypocritical of her, to hold against him the blood he’s shed for HER, to keep her and the young prince safe. Second of all, she shouldn’t judge CY by modern standards. He’s a man of his time and a warrior. He has to fight and he has to kill because that’s the only way that he can survive in his world. And it’s the only way that he can protect the people he cares about.
So I really hope that ES comes to understand this and to respect CY for what he is. He’s strong and loyal and with a steely core of honor. Yes, he’s a warlord, but that’s how it should be. We need people like him even today, and he was definitely needed back then. ES shouldn’t make him question his warrior nature. After all, the moment he starts questioning where his sword may fall in battle and the blood it may shed, he becomes easy prey for his enemies. And he dies.
Good heavens you are eloquent – you nailed every aspect of who Young is perfectly and what ES needs to do. I was floored by those last two paragraphs. Instead of being disappointed in her behavior in that scene, I was annoyed. I was like if you can’t appreciate the lengths he is going to and the sacrifices he is making to save your butt, then try going at this alone. Dont get me wrong, I love her chirpy personality to death. I get that she is helping him come out of his cocoon to the land of the living so he learns to have emotions again, but sometimes I just feel she is undeserving. She hasn’t earned her right to be protected so much. He invested a lot in her so far – loss of sleep, risking the King’s wrath, etc but what has she done for him. Actually on E8 since she went on a date with KC which is about as appealing as torture, I guess she gets some credit. I don’t know if it’s those silver hair accessories, earrings, and his light colored robes/jackets, but he looks girly. He doesn’t scare me as much as he needs to cuz he is such a metro-sexual getting facials and baths. It’s like dude – just come out of the closest already – you’re not foolin’ anyone. His sister is more manly than him.
*dies laughing* I also wonder about the hair and accessories. He definitely doesn’t have the sex appeal. Only brains. And he loves himself too much to emit any sort of attraction for other people.
Great recap! But dang! We’re waiting for them to get together so they can fall in love and we can be broken-hearted when they part forever a year from now. Gosh, i love stories!
I think we have to agree to disagree on this. I am willing to say that yes, Eun-soo may not exactly feel “guilty” about the blood but I don’t think she pushed him away because she can’t stand the sight of him because it reminds her that he is a killer. Yes, the fact that he kills a lot of people does upset her but the way she pushed him away from Choong-jung…I’ve seen Korean couples interact in that manner before and to give an example- A drunk dad comes home late all tipsy and wants to kiss their sleeping kid. The mom pushes the husband away from the kid because she 1) doesn’t want the dad to wake the kid up; 2) is taking out her own anger at him because he came home late and drunk; and 3) upset and concerned about his wellbeing. I see that action of pushing Young away as a very reaction to a complex set of feelings which can’t be narrowed down to disgust or judgement.
I guess we can have a debate about how Eun-soo feels about Young being a warrior because we really don’t have a solid idea yet of how Eun-soo feels being in place so different from her own or how her morals and beliefs come up against this Goryeo world. That is why I wrote previously that I want a Eun-soo centered episode. I would love a closer look inside her head.
Hee! I had to think long and hard about your comment. Thank you for leaving your thoughts. Love it.
Joonni, thank you for the example of a typical Korean couple’s interaction; it’s very insightful and it’s made me see that scene in “Faith” a bit differently.
Honestly, I really want to be given convincing arguments in favor of the theory that ES wasn’t disgusted that time. After all, I want this couple to get along and for ES to be worthy of CY. As for CY… despite his propensity for, you know, kidnapping female doctors and killing baddies, I totally like him and think that he’d be worthy of any girl he wanted. Which is why I want ES to get her act together and become truly loyal to him as well. I’m still angry with her because of the way she turned away from CY when he looked at her for reassurance (after surrendering his sword at the end of ep7). Rationally, I sort of understand her feelings at that time. Emotionally, though, I still dislike her for hurting CY that way.
Gosh, this drama is driving me crazy :). What do you think, girls: can we believe in a HEA for the CY+Es couple?
Thanks Joonni!
Joonni! You made me bawl right before work.
The little king was the best thing we have had to illuminate Young’s true character. I love how they discussed the former king so we expected a grown man, but got this pitiful preteen who barely had a chance to rule let alone live.
I wish the whole “drink poison” thing was a Romeo and Juliet fake-out and someone whisked him away to safety.
But, alas! This is not going to be one of those stories.
I need to see Choi Won Hong on a talk show to convince me he is still alive.
This show is going to kill me in the best possible way. This show seriously had all the things I love about good dramas, is it perfect? No. Does it hit a whole bunch of the right notes so I can just ignore the things I dont like, YES.
Choi Young and Eunsoo are slowly edging their way into my fav couples of this year. They have such a great dynamic that based off of respect. There is none of the push/pull thing I get annoyed with dramas, he is reserved char but he isnt a asshole about it. And she just so does not fit in his world view and his frustration is so much fun to watch. I also think he falling for her first despite his annoyance at her not listening and questioning his every move.
Eunsoo is such a great char because she doesnt fit int his world, and she is warm and funny and doesnt back down in the face of Kichul (I love it when she faces off with him because he is even less equipped to deal with her than Choi Young) As I said in one of my other comments, I look forward to how she is going to help Choi Young find out who he is outside of being Mr. Badass-warrior-grumby-pants
Hey Joonni, I don’t know where you get the energy to “digest” scenes right after a recap, but I sure hope you continue to find some cuz they are a gem. I love the lyrics to that song – so poetic except for that one word in the last stanza. I screeched to a stop to read it again and had to grin. Koreans are so funny sometimes. 🙂
I really tired to find a better way to say it but it’s really “vomit.” I was like, “WTH?” when I first heard the lyrics. What’s worse is that it sounds more disgusting in English. It really doesn’t sound that bad in Korean.
Satisfyingly good Joonni! Thank you! I got to see a crying LMH again…such a heartbreaking scene. I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes when he was torn between saving CJ and killing him just so he can stop the kid’s agony. Such an excruciatingly painful decision for him to do for someone he considered family. He is still human even if everyone is calling him a murderer but just because he is a warrior and the leader of the Woodalchi at that, he has to act nonchalant and strong. But beneath that mask lies a wounded heart that needs comfort and understanding from someone. Can anyone just give him a hug? He badly needs it now. T_T
Love this post so much. Thanks 🙂
Oh Joonni! I should have checked back sooner…had no idea you did this in depth recap…and thank you for translating the song! The vomit part made me laugh, bit I realize there are many things that just don’t come across the same when translating. I’m thinking back to that falling scene in ep 8 where he catches her…some say he was just checking in on her, but I absolutely loved that scene…in fact I watched it at least – handful of times…because to me the look in his eyes when he is catches her and keeps her from falling into the ravine, and he is holding her is the realization that he is falling for her. I thought if it was on written like that on purpose that it is a beautiful way of showing in a literal way. Also, when she realizes it was him, and she’s softly touching her waist where his hands held her, it was as if his presence was lingering on.
I love this love story, though I know I’ll be bawling my eyes put as the lyrics of the song are already forshadowing….thanks again for the recap!!!!
Big hug to you from Indy!
*hugs back*
Thank you for the post, so much Joonni and thank you for taking the time to write it and analyze those scenes. They are a reminder of why Faith is worth being watched and the actors/actresses and production (cast and crew and staff) are worth supporting and the effort they make week after week to bring us new episodes.
I will stop my rave here for now. I just wanted to say “thank you!!!!!” The pictures are just beautiful (I love photography, btw).
Are you a photographer yourself?
You’re welcome. 😀
Jooni, you’re a true blue-blooded “romantic” (fool)! Ha ha ha!! :-))
But I loved the 1st part w/ the pics and savored everything word-for-word and frame-by-frame grinning widely as I scrolled down. I just so love the characters: a modern-day independent woman fighting the (confused) emotions she’s starting to feel for this ancient rugged warrior who himself is baffled over his (increasing) desire to protect this woman whom he thinks is not worthy of it.
I’m no LMH fan and this is the first LMH drama that I’ve ever watched in full (even w/o the subs). Guess, it’s the character than the actor bec. I kinda felt LMH needed a little more “squeezing” when it comes to such heavy dramatic scenes. But I could just stare at his screen shots and drool over them. Ha ha ha! 😉
Thanks, Jooni, for indulging us (romantic fools) as well. Love it!! And beginning to love your site for whatever other reviews/articles I can read from it.
Oh, and how about using “cough up” instead of vomit if the latter sounds a little gross for such poetic lyrics??
Yes, I find LMH’s acting a little too passive and restrained but I’m also glad he’s not overacting.
That’s a really good suggestion, actually, about “cough up.” Hmm…let me ponder this.
The “shoulder” scene is definitely one of my favorites. It’s one of those scenes that demonstrates what this couple/this relationship is about: a team. I love that about them.
Like any strong person, he, too, needed someone he could lean on. That makes her turning away from him later on even more painful. (In fact, I really like how in this series the phrase “I need a person on whom I can lean” gets the visual representation over and over in addition to being supported by actions, which is a more traditional, so to speak, approach.) And I love the puzzled and taken-aback look on his face when she sits down next to him for the second time and makes her suggestion. (Props to LMH here, who’s done a tremendous job throughout the series at being calm on the surface while having a turmoil inside, expressing all of that with just a look.)
Unavis, what an amazing comment, thank you, I really feel the same about his acting. What a drama 🙂