Recap: “Faith” Episode 13

Joonni: A confession. A real confession! This is an episode of emotional connections, both between the characters themselves and between the characters and the viewers. And episode got me right there- in the heart.

Softy: While I was recapping live, I had a strong desire to kick Young’s butt for asking DH to stay by her side as she reads the diary so the two of them can figure out the clues together. Until I realized he was doing all that so she can find her way back home so her heart will be at peace. in that instant, not only did I forgive him – his selflessness in putting her needs before his crushed me. cuz Young only did that out of love. He has proven once again he is the right man for her. She keeps her homesickness to herself so he wont feel bad, but he is one step ahead of her and is trying so hard to help find her way back. To the extent that she comes before everything – his life and even his own heart and what it wants. *swoon city*

For Softy’s recap: For the new character – G’s uncle – going to use DH cuz his name sounds like all the other D names. If he shaved, got a haircut, and stopped talking like a Korean Thoreau he could be a real contender as a rival for ES’s affections, but Young still wins by a landslide in the looks department.

Episode 13

Young kills three Chilsa men. At the smithy, he kills another.

He says out loud, “Let’s end it here. You’re killing for money so if I die, it’s the end for you.” Young sits down and pulls out his sword. He says, “I know this person and for that person, the most important thing is living. But you and I don’t know that. For us, living is simply not dying. But for that person, it is different. That person is really living. Vigorously.”

Young kills the fifth and sixth Chilsa. He drops his sword, the hand that was frozen by Ki Chul giving him pain.

Eun-soo asks Deok Heung if Ki Chul gave him the diary. If he did, then Deok Heung must be on Ki Chul’s side. “What did he say when he gave this to you? I don’t think he would have told you to just give it to me.”

Deok Heung smiles as he grabs the diary back from Eun-soo. “Of course not. He said I should just show you that I have it. If I do that, you will definitely follow me.”

Eun-soo angrily calls them trash for playing around with her and turns away but Deok Heung asks her, “What is this?” He holds up the diary. “Why is this so important?” Eun-soo refuses to answer. She tells Deok Heung to relay to Ki Chul that she doesn’t need the diary and if he wants to play, he should play by himself. She adds, “And you. Get out of here. This isn’t someplace where anyone can enter.”

Deok Heung says to her, “I heard you were from heaven and that you save people and see the future. Seeing the Ki Chul believes you, it might be true.” Eun-soo snorts and tells him to go away. Deok Heung asks if she won’t follow him since he has the diary but Eun-soo ignores him and walks off.

Young is back at the palace gardens and he is attempting to wipe the blood off from his hand and checking to see if he smells like blood. (Joonni: Love these little details that they are putting in. He remembers how Eun-soo doesn’t like the smell of blood!) Young remembers Eun-soo asking him to meet him here at the bench. He sits nearby, leans his head on his arm and rests.

Eun-soo is handing out her homemade “toothpaste” to the Woodalchi and Moogakshi. “Your teeth have to be strong so you can fight well.” Young walks in on the scene and the Woodalchi get up in surprise. Young glares at them, asking what they are doing. They rush off.

Eun-soo says to Young, “I heard your room is over there. Let’s go.” She walks down to him and attempts to hold his hand to examine it. Young pulls away so Eun-soo just looks at his hand from afar. (Joonni: Are you guys noticing how she doesn’t yell anymore at him in annoyance. So cute!!!!)

Eun-soo walks into Young’s room and comments on how small it is. She asks Young to sit down but he replies that he needs to change and go see the king. Eun-soo says in a playful but stern voice, imitating Young, “Right here in front of me.” (Softy: it sounded funny cuz of her timing. she basically just told him to change in front of her almost.) She adds, “If you are too far, I can’t examine you. Do I have to get a royal order from the Queen that I can examine you anytime, as your personal physician?”

Young now knows Eun-soo well enough to just do as she says so he sits down, although a bit grudgingly. (Joonni: Guys, I am now incapable of watching any of their scenes together without giggling in glee. Slowly going crazy over here.) She asks how his hand is and he replies that it’s okay. But Eun-soo notices the blood on his sleeve and asks him to roll it up. He does and she sees the cuts. She explains that he will need stitches and it’s going to hurt since she doesn’t have anesthetics. She pulls out a bottle of “disinfectant” that Jang Bin made and pours in on Young’s wound.

Eun-soo asks if Young doesn’t have any other wounds, like the shoulder and thigh from last time. He replies that he was just grazed. Eun-soo holds up the scissor, warning, “It’s going to hurt.” Young just tells her to start.

Young informs Eun-soo that she can go back to the medical ward now. He comments,“Though, it’s not like you stayed quietly in the queen’s quarters either.” Eun-soo asks about the Chilsa and Young replies that they won’t come back.

Eun-soo comments on how Young is bearing the pain well. In her world, people can’t, so they need a lot of things like anesthetics, painkillers, alcohol, and even games. She puts a bandage on Young, saying that this is the last one she brought from heaven. Most of her supplies are running out. Young gives her this look, like he has realized how long she’s been here, away from her home. Eun-soo warns him to keep the wound clear from water and that she’s going to inspect it every two days.

Young says to Eun-soo, “I’ve posted someone to watch the portal. They will notify me if they notice something.” He adds that he also thought about letting her go stay near the portal but that would make him nervous.

Eun-soo nods and starts to leave. Young notices her awkward gait and worriedly asks if she hurt herself. Eun-soo pulls up her pants to show him the knife that he gave her. “It’s because the knife is heavy.”

Eun-soo looks around the palace gardens and says to one of her guards, “I’m just looking around since it seems that my return is going to be delayed. So I’m going to have to live here for a while.” She hadn’t been able to properly take a look and remember this world because she was afraid it might mean that she won’t be able to leave. Eun-soo gives her name to the guards, asking for theirs. She asks what kind of cosmetics they use. She might be able to make some since hers is running out. She friendly wraps her arms around her guards.

In the royal court, Gongmin is happy to see Young safe and sound. He’s been worried. Young tells Gongmin he came a bit late since he had to change his clothes. Gongmin tells Young to get up from his kneel and that he doesn’t need to show him this kind of etiquette anymore. Young smiles. (Joonni: This OTP makes me just as happy!)

Now in Gongmin’s room, Young has told Gongmin that he doesn’t think the scholars will be in danger anymore. When the Chilsa attacked Young, none of them asked where the scholars were, although the information was leaked that only Young knew the secret location. “They only tried to kill me.” Gongmin is relieved that Young came back alive from those whose sole purpose was to kill him.

Still, Lady Choi warns, they must not let their guards down. Young says he will bring the scholars safely to the seoyeon but it will be up to Gongmin to keep them safe. Gongmin agrees. Lady Choi is wary of Ki Chul. If he gave up on killing the scholars, he must have something else planned.

Gongmin wonders what it is and looks at Young. Young avoids his eyes and says, “Can Your Majesty take care of the politics? I’ll just do the defending when they attack….” Lady Choi admonishes Young for speaking to the king that way. Young apologizes and Gongmin smiles. (Joonni: Ha! Young is still a lazy ass.)

Ki Chul asks Deok Heung how his meeting with Eun-soo was. Deok Heung replies that it was fun. Ki Chul remarks that Eun-soo has a way of surprising people. Deok Heung asks if Ki Chul just called him out of his hiding to show him Eun-soo. Ki Chul replies that he wants Deok Heung’s help in bringing her back. Deok Heung asks if the king is preventing it, to which Ki Chul replies that the young king does not know the full worth of Eun-soo yet. It’s the Woodalchi next to her that’s the problem.

Then why not kill the Woodalchi, Deok Heung asks. Ki Chul replies that it will soon happen but the real problem is Eun-soo’s heart. Deok Heung laughs at how ridiculous it sounds. Ki Chul reminds him that Eun-soo is from heaven. She knows a lot of things but she won’t tell people she hasn’t given her heart to. He’s tested her.

Deok Heung asks, “So you want me to bring the doctor’s heart?” Ki Chul replies that if he does, he will give him anything he wants. Deok Heung wants to know what Ki Chul wants. Ki Chul replies that all he wants is Eun-soo. They smile pleasantly at each other until Deok Heung leaves and Ki Chul immediately stops smiling.

Choong-suk tells Young that the scholars will be safe once they are in the palace. He’s got one group guarding them in the open and another in secret. Young orders the Woodalchi to stand guard in certain locations and when Dol-bae asks if assassins will attack, Young slaps him upside the head, sarcastically saying, “How the heck am I supposed to know? Are they going to courteously notify me that they are coming?” (Joonni: Uh-oh. I think I love Young.) Joo-suk reports that while they have enough men on guard on the inside, they don’t have enough to guard the scholars while they make their way to the palace. Young replies that he will take care of it. “Just make sure that not even a rat gets inside.” Joo-suk replies that he won’t even let an ant get inside. (Joonni: Please, because you guys are really terrible guards sometimes.) Choong-suk picks up something from the floor and throws it to Joo-suk. “An ant.”

Young is with the Suribang siblings. They want to put five of their carriages in the next tribute but Young will only allow two. They complain that Young is being too stingy- does he know how much it costs to house, protect, and feed those scholars? Young sneaks a chestnut. The sister threatens that they will have to throw out the scholars one by one so Young replies that if they are going to, they should throw them out one by one into the palace.

Dae-man rushes over and informs Young that Eun-soo left the palace and is in town right now. Young asks about her guards and Dae-man replies that they are with her. Young is angry that Dae-man rushed over like there was some kind of emergency. Young also notices that the Suribang siblings have left.

Eun-soo is buying materials to make cosmetics. The Suribang siblings come over and offer to give it to Eun-soo for free. The Moogakshi pull out their sword to protect Eun-soo. Young shows up from behind and asks what she is doing. The sister comments on how pretty Eun-soo is. The brother adds that he might actually believe that she is from heaven.

Eun-soo explains to Young her business plan for selling soap and cosmetics to the rich ladies of Goryeo. She can get really rich this way. Young smiles, and the Suribang siblings, watching from a rooftop, comment that Young is smiling like a person who is living, not like some rotting ghost.

Young and Eun-soo run into Deok Heung and one of the state advisers that’s always with Ki Chul, named Ja Woon. Deok Heung asks if Young is the Woodalchi that protects Eun-soo. Young asks Eun-soo if she knows whom this man is and she informs him that the man is the king’s uncle. Young bows.

Deok Heung asks Eun-soo if she is talking a walk. Shall he accompany her? Eun-soo tells Deok Heung to just go on his way. She pulls on Young’s arm and they walk away. Young also notices Hwa-Eum watching them.

Young asks Eun-soo if she already met Deok Heung. She tells him, a few days ago. Young wants to know why she didn’t tell him. He orders Dae-man to go tell Lady Choi that Deok Heung is with Ki Chul. He also orders the Moogakshi to report everything that Eun-soo does to him or Lady Choi.

Eun-soo gets a little annoyed but Young reminds her that they promised to tell each other everything. Eun-soo explains that Deok Heung came to tease her with her diary and she told him to piss off. She angrily adds that she didn’t tell him because he would have remembered that he promised to get the diary back for her and would have tried to. She turns to leave but she sees Hwa-Eum so Eun-soo runs off the other way. Young looks over and sees them too. Hwasooin smiles at Young.

Dae-man reports to Lady Choi and Lady Choi goes to see Noguk. Out loud, she says to Noguk that Eun-soo is making something strange, but on a piece of paper, she is telling her that Deok Heung, Gongmin’s only living relative, is with Ki Chul, probably scheming to take over the throne. Noguk asks until when they are going to keep the spy here. Lady Choi replies that since they don’t know if there are more spies and the spy might prove useful again later, they are just letting her stay for now. Noguk asks aloud for a table of drinks for the king and her tonight.

The Suribangs are keeping watch on Deok Heung. The siblings are telling Young about Deok Heung- how he was born between King Choong-sun and a palace girl, and was thrown out when he was child. He’s still alive because he lived like a shadow all these years. He’s the only living royal line.

While the brother is describing the time he saw Deok Heung at a gisaeng house, dressed in a priest’s robe, playing badook, and surrounded by woman, Young is picking out a smaller knife for Eun-soo.

Gongmin is having a meeting with Jo Il-shin. Gongmin wants to give governmental position to the people who came to him. Ki Chul won’t be able to easily kill governmental officials, at least. Jo Il-shin informs him that the placement of officials is not up to the king but the Jeongbang (the department in charge of governmental appointments). Gongmin wants to get rid of the Jeongbang then, since that department is controlled by Ki Chul.

Ki Chul tells Deok Heung he made a government position for him that reports Goryeo’s ongoings to Yuan. When Deok Heung does not give any response, Ki Chul asks if he is not pleased. What is he thinking? Deok Heung replies that he doesn’t think- that’s how he survived this long. Ki Chul is worried then. Deok Heung needs to say something at the seoyeon tomorrow.

Deok Heung wants Ki Chul to write down what he should say tomorrow. He’ll memorize that. Isn’t Ki Chul planning to make him a king? Ki Chul asks Deok Heung what kind of king he wants be. Deok Heung replies, “A long-lasting king.”

Jo Il-shin advises Gongmin to do everything he wants to do tomorrow at the seoyeon since Young and the guards will be there to protect him. Gongmin nods. Lady Choi comes in and says she has a message from the queen. Gongmin thinks its just a message saying that Noguk is happy to be back at her quarters but Lady Choi corrects him. Noguk is asking Gongmin to come visit her tonight since she has prepared a wine table. The eunuch drops his book in shock and Lady Choi gives a small side smile. (Joonni: I want royal babies!!!)

At night, Gongmin walks into Noguk’s room. She bows and Gongmin smiles a little. (Joonni: I think Ryu Deok-hwan’s playboy side is starting to show! Heeheeheehee!) Outside the room, Lady Choi tell the staff and guards to stand some paces away and not let anyone near. She keeps her eye on the spy.

Gongmin asks in happy surprise, “Did you say a wine table?” Noguk replies, “I heard that Deok Heung is at Ki Chul’s house.” Gongmin looks a little disappointed (Joonni: Well, at least that’s my interpretation. Hee!) and says that he heard already from Young.

Noguk offers to help Gongmin. She heard Ki Chul is going to try to replace Gongmin with Deok Heung but he needs to ask the Yuan Emperor. She wants to ask her relatives for help so they get to the emperor first. Softly and earnestly, she says to Gongmin, “Please. Please let me help.”

Gongmin gets up and shows her the boxes that he brought with him. He prepared them in a hurry and asked his servants to prepare the gift in a color that suited her. He shows her the first box with hairpins, earrings, and a ring inside. He hands her the second box, unopened and asks, “Do you remember?”

Noguk opens the box and sees a blue scarf. In a flashback, we see it’s the scarf she wore when they first met and he didn’t know who she was. In the present time, Gongmin asks, “You knew then who I was.” Noguk confirms. Gongmin: “But you didn’t tell me who you were.” In another flashback, we see Gongmin asking Noguk what family she is from. Before she can reply, he says, “It’s okay. I don’t care.” He describes himself as a royal line with no power. Taking her hand, he asks if she will marry him.

In the present, Noguk says tearfully, “I couldn’t tell you.” Gongmin tells her he’s kept on thinking about why she couldn’t tell him who she was that day.  He thought, was she playing with him? What did she want to hear from him by keeping her mouth shut and staying by his side? Flashback to Gongmin dragging someone to show him Noguk, describing her as his future wife. Gongmin sees the scarf on the floor and picks it up, looking for her.

In the present, Gongmin sits down next to Noguk. He says, “I am a king right now but I don’t have much, either power or people. The only thing I have is this fundamental principle- to oppose Yuan and protect my country.” Noguk realizes that for, Gongmin receiving help from Yuan would be to go against his fundamental principle.

Gongmin says to Noguk. “I’ve already broken it once. I swore that I wouldn’t let a Yuan woman into my heart but I broke it.” (Joonni: KYA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Noguk looks at him, speechless, and Gongmin continues. “I tried to resist but you were in my heart already and I couldn’t push you out. So I treated you even more coldly.” (Joonni: homg, homg, homg!) Noguk looks at Gongmin with happy tears in her eyes.

Gongmin: “Can you help me not break my rule again?” Noguk looks down and cries. Gongmin wipes her tears and gently takes her hand. (Joonni: I can’t believe it! I can’t. Kya!!!)

Swords are delivered to the Woodalchi, who weren’t expecting anything. Dol-bae asks around if anyone knows about this order but no one replies. The delivery guy hands another box for Young. Young will know what it is when Dol-bae tells him that Young asked for it before. Dol-bae hands the box to Deok-man for him to give to Young. (Joonni: Uh-oh.) Deok-man leaves the box in Young’s empty room.

It’s the day of the seoyeon and Ki Chul and his people fill one side of the royal court, while the other side is empty. Gongmin sees Noguk on his way over, and smiles to see that she has put on the hairpins he gave her.

Gongmin enters the court and everyone bows. Young walks in, with the scholars behind him. Lee Jae-hyun introduces himself and he bows, while the others follow. Gongmin thanks them for coming.

Eun-soo is reciting the old terms for body parts that Jang Bin taught her. Jang Bin teases her for not remembering a word so Eun-soo explains that she could memorize well when she was young but now that she is older and had so many traumatic things happen to her recently, her brain isn’t working very well.

They run into Deok Heung and Yang-gak who are making their way over to the seoyeon. Jang Bin asks Eun-soo if she knows the guy and she replies that he is Deok Heung. She figures that he is probably not someone to be worried about since he didn’t appear in the exams, although he was in the history books. (Joonni: But what version of history are we talking about here? I. WANT. TO. KNOW.)

Gongmin announces that he will complete some state affairs in front of them today. He asks for their judgment to see if he is doing well. He opens a scroll and fires Ki Won, who was in charge of the palace security and military information. He also fires Ja Woon, who was a royal secret inspector.

Ki Won wants to know why he is being fired so Gongmin tells him that it’s because he only reported to duty two days since Gongmin has been here. Ja Woon is also being fired since he hasn’t done anything for the past year, according to records.

Gongmin says that all the scrolls (blue scrolls) he has are orders to fire people and the reasons why. Ki Chul gets up to protest that Gongmin must first go through the Jeongbang to fire people so Gongmin informs him that he got rid of that department already. (Joonni: It always worries me when Ki Chul does not look that worried.)

Gonngmin picks up a red scroll and announces Lee Jae-hyun’s new position as the first vice-premier (like a vice prime minister). At this point, Deok Heung walks in and introduces himself, saying he came to help the king. Gongmin thanks him, if he means it.

Before Deok Heung sits down, he remarks to Gongmin that his father, Choong-sun, also wanted to get rid of the Jeongbang. Did Gongmin know? Gongmin replies yes, that he did, so Deok Heung adds, “So you copied him.” This comment hits a nerve with Gongmin.

Later in the day, Young comes to see Gongmin in the royal court. Before he enters, Choong-suk tells him that Gongmin is in there alone, ordering others to stay away. Young walks in and sees Gongmin looking at his throne.

Gongmin turns to Young and says he has a question to ask. Gongmin: “The reason why you decided to become my person…” Gongmin swallows hard. “It was because you need to keep the oath you made with Eun-soo. The oath to send her back- to keep that oath you needed to fight with Ki Chul, and for that, you needed power. I wonder if you chose me because of that.” Young: “Is the order important?”

Gongmin gives a sad smile. “It’s because I keep feeling the temptation- if I hand over Eun-soo to Ki Chul, this might all end.” Gongmin adds, “But if I do that, you will probably leave me. You won’t serve a king that doesn’t keep his promise.” Young doesn’t respond and Gongmin leaves the room. Young takes out the small red knife and looks at it.

Eun-soo is asleep in her room, having nightmares about all the deaths and killing hat has happened around her. (Joonni: Poignantly, the last scene is of her stabbing Young. I wonder if she feels she is going to end up hurting him.) Young was on his way to her room and rushes when he hears her scream. Jang Bin stops him from entering, explaining that Eun-soo has nightmares every night. (Joonni: Every night, like that? Poor girl.) It seems that all the things that has happened to her here were very traumatic to her. Young weakly says, “I didn’t know.” Jang Bin replies, “Because she hides it well with her smiling face.”

Eun-soo cries as she lies back down and pulls the covers over her head. Young stands outside for a while and leaves, determination on his face.

Deok Heung is playing badook with some half-dressed women with Hwasooin watching. She leaves annoyed, and asks Eum-ja how long they have to do this.

Eum-ja sees Young outside. Young starts to throw rocks at Hwasooin, which Eum-ja blocks, but Dae-man knocks his flute out of his hand, forcing him to chase after Dae-man. This leaves Hwasooin alone and Young beckons her out. She is only too happy to oblige and leaves Deok Heung alone. The gay Suribang guy signals for the women to open the door to Deok Heung’s room.

Hwasoonin literally runs to Young. “Do you have a reason to come see me?” Young warns her to stay away from Eun-soo since Eun-soo is afraid of her. Hwasooin asks what Young will do if she doesn’t listen. Young smiles and tells her right hand won’t be there anymore. He adds, “I think I’ve stalled enough,” and walks away. Realizing what Young wanted, Hwasoonin rushes back to Deok Heung but he is gone.

Deok Heung is blindfolded and led into a room. He asks if they are thieves because if they need money, they picked the wrong person. Young takes off the blindfold and Deok Heung yells at him for treating him this way. Did the king order this?

Young tells him that he came to save him. He saw Deok Heung getting dragged away by some thieves. Since he’s “saved” him, can he ask a favor? He wants Eun-soo’s diary back.

Deok Heung is surprised that Young thinks he will carry around something that important but what Young wants is for Deok Heung to find it and go to Eun-soo. Eun-soo thinks that if she can figure out what’s written in the diary, she can find her way back to heaven. Young wants Deok Heung to help her. Deok Heung wants to know why. Young thinks if Deok Heung figures out the puzzle, Ki Chul won’t be able to mistreat him. Young reminds Deok Heung that Ki Chul can bury him anytime he feels he doesn’t need him anymore. If the two figure out the puzzle, Deok Heung will have a good card against Ki Chul and Eun-soo will be able to return to heaven.

Deok Heung asks what Young will get out of this. He replies, “My heart will be at ease.” Young stands up and says, “These thieves can catch you again anytime and if you get caught, I won’t be able to save you again. So be careful.” Before he leaves, Young adds that Eun-soo is particularly good with knives and her personality tends to be fiery so Deok Heung should be careful to not step out of bounds. Young bows and leaves. (Joonni: Hee! Basically telling him to keep his hands off Eun-soo. Hee!)

Choong-suk is commenting to Young that he doesn’t think Deok Heung will come easily, since truthfully, Deok Heung and they are kind of like cats and dogs. Young walks by and sees Eun-soo passing out soap to the Moogakshi and Woodalchi.

Young teaches Eun-soo how to pull out the knife. He is worried that it takes her so long to pull it out. Eun-soo complains that she’s only had to uses knives on the surgical table. Young gives her the red knife, saying it won’t be heavy. He continues to teach her how to hold and wield the knife. She isn’t doing it properly so he stands behind her to demonstrate. (Joonni: But of course he needs to personally demonstrate. When else are we going to get some physical touching in a sageuk? Teehee.) He explains that the plus side of a knife is that you can quickly change directions and be effective but the problem is, you have to focus all your strength on one arm in a single moment.

Young tells her to try to attack him but he easily avoids her. She tries again and this time, he grabs her around so that he is basically backhugging her. He clears his throat as he lets her go. (Joonni: I SAW THAT. He held her longer than needed.) He sighs and demonstrates to her again, causing her to imitate him, laugh, and walk away. He laughs and follows her.

They walk to the bridge where she taught him the handshake. Eun-soo says to Young, “I like this pace too. The air is good and it’s quiet.” Young: “But you still want to go back, don’t you? But you’re holding it in.” Eun-soo doesn’t reply.

The Woodalchi are sparring. Some soldiers show up with the guy who made the sword delivery. The delivery guy points to Dol-bae and Deok-man. The soldiers enter Young’s room and go through everything. In the process, they drop Mae-hee’s bandana and Eun-soo’s flower on the floor. They find a letter in a box and take it.

Deok Heung has come to see Eun-soo, with the diary. He says to her, “I stole this for this short time so while I can’t give it to you, would you like to see the content inside? I wasn’t sent today. I came on my own so you can stop worrying.” Eun-soo asks, “You want me to look at that? What is your condition?” He replies, “To let me be next to you.”

Eun-soo and Deok Heung go inside her room. She asks, “So this is from a thousand years ago?” He replies that he heard it was left by Hwata. Eun-soo thinks it’s a lie because the paper is not that old. “You can still see the highlighter marks. Maybe a hundred years?” He asks what’s written in it. She says numbers and English. Young walks by and sees them together.

Inside the palace hallways, Young is surrounded by soldiers and they bring him to the royal court. Dol-bae and Deok-man are kneeling on the floor, looking guilty, and Gongmin looks upset. Ki Chul is also there.

Gongmin orders Lee Jae-hyun to continue. Lee Jae-hyun asks Young if he recognizes the box. It’s the one the delivery boy gave to Dol-bae to give to Young. Young replies that he doesn’t. Lee Jae-hyun’s student pulls out a paper from the box- it’s a note promising 500 nyang (old Korean currency)to Young .

Gongmin says, “The first thing that these people (referring to Lee and his student) have done after receiving government positions from me is to investigate your corruption, daejang.” The student reports they found out that Young received a bribe in exchange for having his men use weapons from a certain armory. He nods to the delivery guy and Dol-Deok. “The man who brought it over, and the men who directly received.” He adds that the note was found in Young’s room.

Young can’t believe this. “So the money I received as a bribe is 500 nyang? Not 50,000 but 500?” Young snorts.

Lee Jae-hyun reminds Gongmin that Gongmin gave a lot of privileges and rights to the Woodalchi and when someone has that kind of special treatment, corruption follows. Gongmin tries to say something but Lee Jae-hyun interrupts him. Didn’t His Majesty ask him to take care of matters objectively, without being swayed by anyone or their status? Gongmin has nothing to say to that.

Young glares at Ki Chul and growls, “If you were going to falsely accuse me, you should have chosen high treason. What’s with 500 nyang?” Ki Chul replies, “Exactly. How could you take let your men use those weapons just to earn 500 nyang?”

The student says to Young, “If you are claiming that you never saw this, can we assume that your men received it without your knowledge?” Young looks over to his men and then looks away in anger. Damn, what fresh new hell is this?

Preview for Episode 14

Jo Il-shin asks Gongmin if he will allow a monster/devil like Young to come in so Gongmin grabs him by the neck and says, “After knowing me – the blood that person shed – all those lives he had to take – they were all my price to pay. Do you understand?”

Deok Heung says to Jo Il-shin, “We can attack right now with 2000 soldiers but what is the king doing?” Deok Heung offers Jo Il-shin Ki Chul’s position. (Softy: I sort of wanted to warn DH – dude you dont want this guy – he is loud and obnoxious and more trouble than he is worth, but then I realized DH is working with KC so I changed my mind.)

Eun-soo is waiting with her bags packed. Young shows up and says, “Did you wait? It’s not daylight yet so I was going to go see pick you up at the medical ward…” Eun-soo runs over and hugs him.

Joonni’s comment:

First, let me relay my surprise at Gongmin’s confession. I didn’t think it would come this early. So imagine me giggling like a mad woman when he talked about his heart and wiped her tears. I love this growth in Gongmin and how much his heart has opened up since meeting Young and fighting this good fight. When Noguk offers help from Yuan again, he doesn’t lash out on her in insecurity like last time, but gently lets her know why he can’t ask Yuan for help. He doesn’t talk to her through a barrier of self hate and distrust anymore. Remember that moment when Gongmin pushed away the curtain when Noguk basically told him that she cares about him? How beautifully symbolic was that moment? And it’s significance is coming back to us through this scene.

I almost started to tear up when I saw how happy Gongmin was to see Young back alive, after fighting the Chilsa. This relationship is no longer just between a king and his warrior but between a friend and a friend. So it breaks my heart to see Gongmin confessing to Young that he feels the temptation to give Eun-soo to Ki Chul, but he knows he can’t because Young will leave him if he does. It’s not just a fear of losing someone on his side but losing the trust and faith of a friend. Young is the moral compass for Gongmin, the sturdy and steadfast beam the house stands upon.

Young’s sense of duty is both a source of strength and weakness, something that both Ki Chul and Eun-soo knows. For Eun-soo, it’s a source of concern because she knows Young will go to great lengths to keep his promises.  It’s always been a hindrance to Ki Chul, as Young stands in his way of getting to Eun-soo. But this time, Ki Chul is planning to use it and the Woodalchi to trap Young and remove him from his position. What I love about this drama is that you never know how the characters are going to get out of the problem so you have to keep watching and paying attention to details.

The details, people. It’s killing Softy and me. 😀

Softy’s comments:

Written before it aired: This never gets old does it? Some of us have been watching kdramas for a short time and others have seen countless dramas over the years, but this shared exhilaration as we gather each week to see what happens on new episodes – it feels as fresh as the first recap I ever did. You know what makes it even better? When there are fantastic onscreen couples like these two and a talented individual makes a music video like this (posted on the bottom). I don’t know how they do it, but once in a while the exact song comes along that voices every second and every emotion the character is going through and it just matches perfectly. It took those scenes to make me realize that ES didn’t just give Young a reason to live, she also gave him faith to believe that he could love again. His first girlfriend didn’t believe his love was enough to endure her guilt over the death of their leader and let go of life. The scar she left behind in Young’s heart just became a part of him – something that just exists, but no longer aches. Then ES came into his life with her laughter and love for living fully and left him vulnerable – to be subjected to all the possibilities that love entails – pain and joy. His hesitation in reaching out to touch her hair and move it back behind her ears was testing to see if he could let himself feel something real again. It was probably a tangible affirmation that he no longer sees her as someone he needs to protect out of duty or a promise. Now he just sees her as someone he can love. He might even welcome the pain and heartache from this love cuz it’s better to feel something than nothing at all. I think Young is a man of action so now that he has allowed himself to fall for her, I don’t think anyone will be able to stop him from pursuing her. And that’s where all our fun begins cuz we get to watch it unfold in the next 11 episodes.

I was lucky enough to hear this guy sing live at his concert a while back cuz Brown Eyed Soul happens to be a Korean group I’ve loved for years. He has a pretty distinctive voice so from the first note I knew it was Naul, but I just didn’t know what the title of the song was so I googled him and found these lyrics online. I didn’t translate these. There are a few lines I think are off, but Joonni is the expert so she will probably take a listen and edit later. When you watch the video and listen to the lyrics, you could swear they were written for this couple – it encapsulates what Young and ES are going through down to every line.

Wind memory by Naul (Brown Eyed Soul)

When the wind blows and shakes up my heart

I think of the past times and close my two eyes

The silent trembling that passes me by

At that small sound I open my ears

The growing pieces of life that breathe inside me

When they bump against and pass me by

Then look at that place

Our trust, our love

The eternal promises

If you remember me, then strongly walk forth

Our meeting, our separation

Those faded memories

If you loved me, then smile

The unfinished memories of life that are inside me

When they bump against and pass me by

Then look at that place

Our trust, our love

The eternal promises

If you remember me, then strongly walk forth

Our meeting, our separation

Those faded memories

If you loved me, then smile