Recap: “Faith” Episode 16

Joonni: I had such a visceral reaction to this episode that it kind of scared me. If yesterday’s episode raised the stakes and our heartbeats by creating an intriguing political and moral dilemma, today’s episode lifts our hearts up only to have it come crashing down. I think we will only be able to put our hearts back into place come next Monday.

Softy: Is it possible to love a drama so much that you can “will” events, lines of dialogue, and certain acts to come out even when it wasn’t originally scripted? Cuz I think that happened a lot tonight or this writer is a mind reader. Never underestimate the power of an avid viewer who prays each night for more wonderful scenes like these. Wow – this letter puts everything in perspective. we finally get most of the key answers to our many questions. Just when you think it couldnt possibly get any better, the stakes are raised and we get this – dddaaaaeeebak galore.

Episode 16

Young turns his sword on Deok Heung and demands to know, “You. What are you?” Deok Heung calmly replies, “It’s far off till morning so can’t we talk slowly or are you planning to give up on the antidote and run to your king?”

At the palace, Gongmin is escorted by the Woodalchi and seems to be on the run. Deo-gi is watching over Eun-soo but she notices that Eun-soo has lost consciousness once more. Elsewhere with Deok Heung, Young stands, deadlocked.

Young puts his sword away and calls for one of the Suribang young’uns, Ji-ho, and orders him to go tell the Woodalchi to escape from the palace with the king and queen. They shouldn’t fight- just run away for now.

Young sits down next to Deok Heung. He says, “Now I know what kind of person you are.” Deok Heung, offended by Young’s speech selection, says, “For the third condition, I should make you address me in the proper way fit for royalty.” Young ignores him and continues to speak in banmal. He says, “You. All you have is sly tongue. You’re not even smart. If you were going to fight me, you should have stuck with Ki Chul.” Deok Heung tells Young not to worry. He can make Ki Chul trust him again.

Young announces his choice. “I am going to the palace now.” Deok Heung is surprised. What about his woman? She will die without the antidote. Young calls out to Shi-wool, the other Suribang kid, and orders him, “Take the antidote from him and go to the doctor because he is going to give it to you right now.” Deok Heung scoffs- he is?

Young smiles. Of course he is. If Eun-soo dies, Deok Heung will have no card to play against Ki Chul or Young. Young: “I told you. Now I know what kind of person you are. You have no courage to risk your life.” Young calls out to Shi-wool once more. “If this guy doesn’t have the antidote….kill him.” Young leaves the room. (Joonni: Oh that felt good. Finally that annoying smile is off his face!)

Outside, we can see that Young, even with that display of certainty and courage, felt nervous making that play with Deok Heung. He doesn’t immediately leave for the palace until he hears Shi-wool whistle to him that he got the antidote. He smiles, happy that his bluff worked.

At the palace, Joo-suk and few other Woodalchi comment on the huge number of soldiers running towards them but they prepare to fight bravely, nonetheless. And they do- even as they get hurt and some die.

Dol-bae runs to the king to report that there are just too many soldiers. There’s no where to go. Gongmin takes notes of his bloody sword before asking about Noguk- is there no way to find out how she is? Choong-suk says to Gongmin that while they don’t know how many soldiers are taking part in the revolt, they only have about 70 Woodalchi so they need to leave as soon as they can.

More soldiers come to attack Gongmin so Deok-man and others stay to fight while Choong-suk leads Gongmin away. During the fight, Dae-man shows up and notifies the Woodalchi of Young’s warning to run away. Dae-man blows the whistle to warn all the other Woodalchi to stop fighting and just run away now.

Deok-man, hearing the warning, tries to run away but he gets surrounded by soldiers and is hit by an arrow in the shoulder. Thankfully, he is able to keep running away. (Joonni: I think Deok-man is too tall for action scenes. I mean, he’s so much taller than Lee Minho. So he looks clunky doing them.)

Elsewhere in the palace, the Woodalchi are fighting off the soldiers to protect Gongmin. Choong-suk tries to lead Gongmin out of the palace but Gongmin doesn’t want to abandon the palace or Noguk. Choong-suk informs Gongmin that the whistle signal was a warning from Young, telling them to escape in order to stay alive so they can fight back later. The eunuch reminds Gongmin that Noguk has the Moogakshi with her. Gongmin stares back as his palace wing before making the decision to leave with the Woodalchi.

Lady Choi and the Moogakshi are doing their best to protect Noguk but they are outnumbered. Thankfully, Young shows up and kicks some serious ass. Noguk looks relieved and grateful to see Young. Young says he will guide her out of the palace. Noguk asks about Gongmin. Young informs her that he couldn’t find him inside the palace. It seems he’s already left. More soldiers show up so Young apologizes before he grabs Noguk’s arm and slays the soldiers blocking his way.

Jo Il-shin has heard about Gongmin’s escape so he rants. How could have Gongmin escaped? He set aside 500 soldiers to make sure that Gongmin stayed were he was!

Jo Il-shin enters the royal court, where he kept the scholars and statesmen all night. Lee Saek asks what happened to the king- didn’t Jo say that he called this meeting? Jo Il-shin tells him that last night, 1500 soldiers raided Ki Chul’s house. He’s just waiting for the results now. At that moment, a soldier arrives to report that Ki Chul’s soldiers are surrounding the palace currently. Lee Saek asks, “Where is the royal army?” The soldier tells him that they have not returned yet from Ki Chul’s house. Jo can’t believe what he is hearing. Deok Heung said it wouldn’t happen! (Joonni: Oh Jo, you idiot. Here, let me help you dig your own grave.)

Deok Heung shows up and asks Jo where the king is. Jo, happy to see him, says that the king is not here. Deok Heung starts to yell, “How could you have let that happen?” Jo’s smile immediately fades- “What?”

Deok Heung addresses the statesmen. He tells them how Jo came to him and told him that the king was not in his right mind, as the royal seal incident indicated. To Jo: “That’s what you said, right?” Jo, clueless, replies, “Me?” Deok Heung silently nods for Jo to go along with the charade. Deok Heung continues to recite what Jo (supposedly) said- that Gongmin’s action will bring war upon the Goryeo citizens. That they need to change kings. Jo starts to say yes in agreement before he realizes what he is saying yes to. Deok Heung: “You said you will place me on the throne. For the sake of the country.” Jo Il-shin replies that whatever he does, it is for the sake of Goryeo. Deok Heung says that Jo thought wrong. How could soldiers on the same side fighting each other be good for the country? Jo is left speechless by Deok Heung’s turn on him.

Deok Heung starts to walk around Jo. “So I said this to him. Even if the king is not in his right mind, the price for your treachery is your life. My nephew…the king… the punishment for contempt against the king!” Deok Heung pulls out a sword form a soldier and stabs Jo. (Joonni: Kind of feel sorry for the guy. Just a teeny bit. Especially since I said before I was going to help him dig his own grave. But I didn’t think he would actually die.)

Deok Heung, in a no-frills kind of attitude, asks the statesmen if they have any plans to stop Ki Chul’s soldiers. No? Then he will try to appease Ki Chul’s wrath by giving him Jo’s dead body. Deok Heung asks once again if they are sure Gongmin is not inside the palace. He sighs when an eunuch confirms. How could a king abandon the palace so quickly? Deok Heung eyes the throne. (Joonni: *starts to dig Deok Heung’s grave* Hey, it worked for Jo. Maybe it will work for Deok Heung too.)

Eun-soo gets up and she is surprised and relieved to see that the paralysis has left her body. She hears a chorus of men outside so she goes to check it out. Through the screen door, she smiles when she sees Young once again surrounded by his Woodalchi, giving orders. He wants his men to look for Gongmin. He is probably still inside the capital city and looking for Young too. He asks Deok-man if he can move and when Deok-man responds that it still hurts a bit, Young displays his affection and concern the only way he can by slapping him on the head and saying, “So why did you go around and get hurt?” (Joonni: Young is mine. That is all.)

Young is ordering the Suribang to tail the statesmen once they are out of the palace, when Eun-soo, armed with her medical supplies, enters the room. Young looks alarmed to see her out of bed and hurries over to her to ask what she is doing, instead of resting. Eun-soo teases, “My back hurts. Unlike someone, I can’t sleep for a long time.” Eun-soo sits down next to Deok-man while saying she will treat people who are hurt. Young tries to stop her but Eun-soo simply says that she won’t disturb their meeting- just go ahead with what they are doing. Young bites his lip, all, “what am I going to do with this stubborn woman?”

Eun-soo starts to examine Deok-man’s wound and the other men gather around her, eager to be treated. Young starts to say something at his men but Manbo pulls him away to tell him that Ki Chul’s soldiers are still surrounding the palace and Deok Heung is in the palace now. He also called back the soldiers from Ki Chul’s house. Young figures that now Ki Chul and Deok Heung have started to make a deal.

Yes indeed. Ki Chul enters Gongmin’s room, which now Deok Heung occupies. Ki Chul says sarcastically, “You must have been busy all night.” Deok Heung replies, “Why? I didn’t do anything.” Ki Chul knows Deok Heung’s ruse. So he’s saying that Jo Il-shin is the one who planned the raid against Ki Chul’s house? Deok Heung: “He confessed.”

Flashback to Ki Chul finding his brother dead and the chest missing. Ki Chul screams at Deok Heung, “My brother died!” Deok Heung pretends sympathy- “I didn’t know.” Ki Chul tells him that his chest is gone too. Deok Heung replies that he heard the soldiers confiscated some things from Ki Chul’s house. He will tell Ki Chul when he finds out more about what they did with it.

Ki Chul growls, “Aren’t you afraid of becoming my enemy?” Deok Heung replies, “Enemy? Didn’t we already discuss all this? I become the king and you get the doctor.” He tells Ki Chul that he will give Eun-soo to him within four days. On one condition, though. He wants Ki Chul to keep Gongmin out of the palace.

Eun-soo feels her own pulse and it doesn’t feel good. She also remembers her dream of finding Young unconscious. Young interrupts her reverie to tell her that they will be moving soon, following the queen. He tells her that they have to walk for a long time- will she be okay? She asks how long so he tells her probably a whole day, since they have to move in secrecy.

Eun-soo asks Young to sit down next to him. When he hesitates, she reassures him that she won’t ask to lean on him. Young sits down and Eun-soo asks if he questioned Deok Heung about the back part of the diary. Young’s eyes widen- he forgot! He gets up quickly so Eun-soo grabs his arm and asks where he is going. He tells her that he forgot and is going right now to ask Deok Heung. (Joonni: Awwwwwww!!!!!!!!)

Exasperated, Eun-soo pulls him down and says, “Don’t get mad and listen to what I am about to say.  I think I have to meet Ki Chul.” Young: “What?!” Eun-soo: “Or even the king’s uncle.” Young angrily reminds her that Deok Heung is the one who poisoned her. But Eun-soo is desperate to know if there was a back part to her diary. “If the back really exists, then I think it’s a letter written to me.”

Young asks what’s written in the letter. Eun-soo replies that she doesn’t know, but her heart feels like it’s going crazy. “Until I know that the dream is made up and it’s nothing, I won’t be able to endure it.” Young looks at her hard and asks, “Don’t you have anything else to say to me? As soon as you sleep, you have nightmares. When you have nightmares, you cry and wake up all the time- continuously for the past few days. Tell me what the dream is.”

Eun-soo lowers her eyes. “I don’t want to.” Young doesn’t press any further and he gets up, saying they will leave after they eat lunch. Suddenly, Young turns back and sits down again. He asks her, “If I say no, are you thinking of going by yourself in secret?” (Joonni: These two know each other so well now.) He tells her she can’t move one step without his permission. Eun-soo starts to plead with him- Ki Chul won’t hurt her. Young: “No.” Eun-soo: “Then I will meet Deok Heung and ask him, while getting the antidote.” Young: “Absolutely…” Eun-soo finishes his sentence- “No?” Young: “No.”

Eun-soo tells Young that in the heavenly world, there is something called a movie, and inside the movies, there are all kinds of strategies. There is one she wants to use. When Young looks at her incredulously, Eun-soo pulls out the aegyo on Young. (Joonni: She must be the first and only person to use aegyo on our warrior. Love her.)

Young sighs and says, “The order is like this. First, we are going to gather all the troops left to us. Then we are going to find and escort the king. In the meantime, I will retrieve the remaining antidote. Before that, we are going to find out what information Deok Heung has and following that, I plan to take it away from him one by one. The first thing we have to take away from him is Ki Chul…”

Eun-soo forms her fingers into a frame and gazes at Young through it. He asks her what she is doing. She just says,“click.” (Joonni: A picture to last in her heart forever.ㅠㅠ)

Joo-suk goes around, marking the walls to let the other Woodalchi know where they are hiding out.

Gongmin is changing out of his royal robes into normal ones. Dol-bae reports to him that they have laid out signs to find the other group. He thinks they will be able to meet each other by noon. Gongmin asks if there were other news about Noguk or Young. Dol-bae tells him no. Choong-suk assures him that the other party is probably going to move after the sun sets since Ki Chul’s men are roaming the streets right now.

Gongmin sighs. “It’s strange. Very strange. I am the king of Goryeo but if I go out in the street and say I am the king they won’t believe or recognize me. If Ki Chul’s soldiers capture me or kill me saying that I am pretending to be king, no one will know that I am the real king.” He says, sadly, to his eunuch, Do-chi, “There is nothing to prove I am the king since we left the palace. Perhaps, instead of me, the palace was the king.”

Deok Heung sits in Gongmin’s chair and examines Ki Chul’s chest. He sees the rusted medical instruments and Eun-soo’s diary. He also takes a look at the back pages that fell out of her diary but not at everything. He is about to open another box (probably Hwata’s third item) but an eunuch announces that the statesmen are waiting to speak to him. Deok Heung shuts the box and leaves.

Deok Heung stands in front of the statesmen and says, “I heard you were waiting for me.” Lee Jae-hyun replies, “The person we were waiting for was the king.” Deok Heung: “Ah.” Lee Saek asks why the king isn’t coming back when the palace is safe again. Deok Heung replies that it’s probably because the king is, being young, scared. Jo Il-shin, who served him for ten years, started a revolt, and Gongmin also had a sword wielded at him.

Ki Chul comes in with a scroll and claims he met with Gongmin, who asked him to give this scroll to Deok Heung. Deok Heung reads the scroll and smiles. He tells the statesmen that Gongmin is asking him to take care of the country in his stead. The statesmen examine the scroll for themselves and Ki Chul tells them that they can see the king’s stamp on it.

Lee Jae-hyun asks Ki Chul about the stamp. Didn’t the king say he wasn’t going to use the stamp given by Yuan? But this scroll has that very stamp on it. Ki Chul replies that the king probably changed his mind after experiencing the revolt. “The important thing is that only the king can have that royal seal.” Turning to Deok Heung, he asks, “Isn’t that right?”

Deok Heung declares that he will follow the king’s orders and take care of the country in his stead. He sits on the throne and asks if a substitute can sit on the throne. Lee Jae-hyun starts to say something but Deok Heung stops him. He says that Ki Chul suffered a lot because of the revolt. Is there anything he can do to compensate for his losses? “What do you want?” Deok Heung grips the throne and the statesmen look uncomfortable. (Joonni: I hope you two end up killing each other. I really do.)

Dol-bae watches out the window as Hwa-Eum search outside. Eum-ja uses his power to try to hear for any signs of Gongmin’s presence. Dol-bae sees this and warns everyone to stay quiet. Dae-man, having found the symbol that Joo-suk left, bangs on a gong, interrupting Eum-ja. He continues to distract and annoy Eum-ja, and Eum-ja, no longer able to contain himself, runs after Dae-man. Hwasooin has no choice but to follow.

Dol-bae, who saw this, happily starts to say that it was Dae-man when the door opens and in steps Young. (Joonni: Yay!) Everyone looks surprised and happy to see him. Young goes up to Gongmin, bows, and says, “I came to escort you.” Gongmin simply nods. (Joonni: We no longer need long explanations or apologies between these two bros. *glomps them in a bear hug*).

Young informs Gongmin that the queen is safe in another town. Gongmin asks if Noguk is doing okay. Young smiles as he assures him that he heard Noguk is actually having a good time because she doesn’t have to wear the heavy hairstyle. Gongmin smiles to hear that. Young tells him that on the way there, the Suribang and Woodalchi will protect him. Gongmin asks, “What about you?” Young tells him that he has some other things to take care in the city but he will follow them soon. He promises to not let Gongmin stay outside too long- “So please wait just a little.”

Gongmin tells him that he means this with all his heart- don’t worry about bringing him back to the palace in a hurry. “If we weren’t outside, how else would I have been able to talk to a criminal like you?” Young says he heard Gongmin was put into a corner because of the royal seal. Gongmin smiles and teases. “Worse than that. See, I was even chased out of the palace.” Young gives a small smile before apologizing. Gongmin asks about Eun-soo and Young reassures him that’s she’s doing better.

Young goes to see Jang Bin who tells him that they’ve figured out what the poison is. He hands Young a bottle. The poison works at a difference pace depending on how much one ingests. He also tells Young that he needs more time to find some rare ingredients for the antidote and test to make sure it works.

Young starts to sniff the poison but Bin stops him. It’s dangerous because the poison doesn’t have a smell or color. Young asks if it’s dangerous to just sniff it so Bin tells him that the poison works only when you ingest it. It seems the poison starts to work once it reaches the stomach.

It is night now and Young is taking Eun-soo to where Gongmin and Noguk are. Eun-soo is begging Young to believe her- she can do it. But Young ignores her, saying they will meet up with king’s party soon. Eun-soo asks, then what about him, so Young tells her he has a lot to do, including getting the antidote. Eun-soo starts to yell at him. “That is your personality, isn’t it? That you can’t trust anyone and must do everything yourself.” Young retorts, “You aren’t well so what is it that you want to do?”

Eun-soo replies, “Yes, it’s my body that doesn’t feel well and it’s my antidote that I need so why are you the one always getting it for me?”  Young starts to say it’s because she got poisoned because of him so Eun-soo pulls on his arm to stop him. “That’s not true. What those guys want is me, not you. So why do you always say it’s because of you?” Young sighs and says in frustration, “So what? What is it that you want to do?”

Eun-soo: “I want to try to do something too so don’t just stop me and listen to me.” Young notices the shippers, and tells them to go ahead first. Deok-Dae ask where. Young: “Just go.” The shippers leave.

Eun-soo starts to talk again but she gets dizzy and sits. Young asks her what’s wrong and she replies that although on the first day after drinking the antidote she feels okay, starting from the second, she starts to get dizzy. Young starts to say, “Tomorrow…” but Eun-soo interrupts him. “I’ll get more dizzy.” Young asks how she can smile in a situation like this. “Do you smile at times like this too when you don’t know if you could die?”

Eun-soo asks him to stop so Young asks, “Stop what?” Eun-soo replies, “Always getting mad at me and being mean to me. If you do that and I leave – what will you do when you no longer have anyone to get mad at? If you let this become a habit, you will feel a loss.”

Young doesn’t respond to the reminder that their time together is growing short. He just stands up and looks for someplace Eun-soo can rest. They sit down and Eun-soo remarks that the weather is chilly. Young silently sits closer to her and wraps his arm around her shoulder. Eun-soo smiles as she leans against him, saying, “You’re a macho.” When Young asks what she means, Eun-soo explains that if Young went to the heavenly world with that kind of attitude, he’s going to end up old and alone. (Softy: With that face highly unlikely. Joonni: Pfft! You’re hilarious, Softy. I agree.) Young quickly says, “I won’t go.” So Eun-soo, not wanting to drop the subject, asks, “Then instead of the heavenly world, do you want to go to Ki Chul’s?” Young: “You’re noisy.”

Eun-soo laughs. “Do you know that?” Young: “I don’t want to know.” Eun-soo: “Now when I ask you questions, you answer all of it. Before, you ignored half the things I said.” (Joonni: Squee! We noticed too, Eun-soo. He luuuurves you!) Young explains it was because she talked a lot and used a lot of heaven’s words that he didn’t understand.

Eun-soo leans on his shoulder again. She comments on how comfortable it feels to lean on him like this, even though she’s only done it a couple of times before. She says, “If I fall asleep here, then carry (piggyback) me.” Young tells her he can’t, since he won’t be able to carry his sword then. Eun-soo just leans in closer, her eyes closed. She opens them for a bit to smile before closing them again to snuggle even closer. Young pulls her close and rests his head on her head. (Joonni: I’m going to rave and squeal about this scene down below. Love!)

Deok Heung gives instructions to his men. He knows that Ki Chul regards every nook and cranny in the palace as his own so the soldiers must be on guard. He hides Ki Chul’s chest somewhere in Gongmin’s room.

At his house, Ki Chul enters the room, almost with joy on his face, crying out, “Doctor!” He exclaims about how much he’s searched for her. Has she come to him on her own? Eun-soo tells him that she came to make a deal. She tells him that she figured out when the door to heaven opens. She asks, “Do you want to go with me?” Ki Chul looks ecstatic. “What can I do for you?” (Joonni: Love how Young hovers over her, like the over-protective warrior that he is. <3)

Eun-soo asks if there was a back part to the diary. Ki Chul tells her there was. She asks to see it and Ki Chul’s face falls- it’s been taken from him. (Joonni: Ha! Ki Chul is actually adorable looking at this moment. Aw, poor evil baby.) He tells her that Deok Heung took it to the palace.  He asks if she needs the back part to go to heaven. She tells him that if the first part had when she could go, the back part will tell her how she can go back. Ki Chul nods, saying he will bring it for her.

Eun-soo anxiously asks what the third thing is but Ki Chul responds that it’s hard to describe in words. (Joonni: Damn it! What is it?!) Eun-soo: “That was taken too?” Ki Chul, more determined than ever, says, “I will bring it back.”

Before Ki Chul leaves, however, suspicion finally reaches him. Turning back, he asks, “Why are you doing this for me?” Eun-soo looks at Young and Young tells Ki Chul that it’s because Eun-soo’s life is in danger. “I have to save her. That’s why I’m here.” The paralysis starts to hit Eun-soo’s hand again and rage overtakes Ki Chul. (Joonni: ROFL. It’s hilarious how obsessed he is with Eun-soo.)

Gongmin and crew have finally arrived at the refuge. He looks happy to see Lady Choi and asks where Noguk is. Lady Choi moves to escort him but Gongmin says he will go himself. (Joonni: Don’t make me swoon because of you too, Gongmin. I’m getting dizzy.)

Gongmin stares at Noguk for afar, watching her smile, adorned with a crown of flowers. She looks happy and peaceful, and tears start to well up in Gongmin’s eyes. Lady Choi starts to say that Noguk is doing well, even though this place is nothing compared to the palace but Gongmin interrupts her. “So this is what it’s like. The only world that a husband can see.”

Noguk sees Gongmin and smiles to greet him. Gongmin walks toward her and asks what she was doing. Noguk shyly replies, “I was waiting for you.” Gongmin grins and says, “I need to make you wait more often.” Noguk realizes that she is still wearing the flower crown and sheepishly takes it off.

Gongmin calls out to Choong-suk and asks how many Woodalchi are here. Choong-suk replies around 50. Gongmin says he heard that 50 Woodalchi are the same as 500 royal soldiers. Choong-suk straightens his back and replies, “To say it modestly, yes.” (Joonni: Ha! I don’t believe you guys anymore!)

Gongmin orders Do-chi to declare everywhere that he will be ruling the country here from now on for a while. If anyone has business with him, they should come here. Do-chi is concerned, however, that there are still people looking for him, but Gongmin says, “Do you still not know? If I stay hidden, they will attack me. But if I let everyone know, the enemy won’t dare to attack. After all, I am the king.” Do-chi proudly agrees. Gongmin asks Noguk to show him around the place. Noguk tells him that their quarters are over there. (Joonni: Almost died here. Of course the first thing Noguk shows him is the bedroom. ROFLMAO. These women- Eunsoo and Noguk- they have my heart and soul.)

Lady Choi asks Choong-suk about Young- did he meet him? She also asks about Eun-soo- is she okay? Choong-suk tells her that according to the kids, Young and Eun-soo stayed behind in the city but they should be okay since they remained behind, TOGETHER. Lady Choi just stares at him, all, “Really? It that what you guys think about?” (Joonni: I swear, Faith has the biggest shippers ever in a drama. Everyone ships everyone like mad. We have a whole stadium full of shippers just watching and eager to see the romance blossom. That’s it. Faith has my heart now. I give it to this drama on an alter.)

Deok Heung is surprised to hear who is coming to see him with who else. Ki Chul, Eun-soo, and Young show up together. Deok Heung greets them, sneering. Eun-soo, true to her character, rushes toward Deok Heung, wanting to kick him for poisoning her. How can a murder like him smile like that? Young has to pull her back and sit her down. Young says to Ki Chul, “Will you take care of it?”

Ki Chul asks Deok Heung, “Did you really poison my doctor?” Deok Heung replies, “What did I say? Look. She came on her own two feet within four days. So why are you talking to me like you’re angry?”

Ki Chul tries to contain his rage. He demands that Deok Heung hand over the antidote and the chest. Deok Heung laughs. If he hands over all his cards, Young might kill him on the spot. Ki Chul says that Young won’t dare to do that with a royal member.

Young sighs at the dragging conversation. He hands Eun-soo his sword and makes toward Deok Heung, fighting off the guards. Ki Chul joins the fight, except he uses a sword to kill them and screams, “Get out the way! I can’t see because of you guys!” (Joonni: What a crazy, lunatic.) He tells Young to continue.

Young says to Deok Heung that he knows what the poison is. Pushing him over, Young takes out the poison that Jang Bin made and feeds it to Deok Heung, saying he didn’t find the antidote yet. (Joonni: *Fist pump* I. LOVE. THIS. SHOW.) He kicks Deok Heung for good measure. “Now give me that damn antidote.” In the background, Ki Chul feigns concern and asks, “Didn’t you feed him too much?” Young replies that he doesn’t know. He’s never used this poison before.

Deok Heung grits through the pain to say to Ki Chul, “You shouldn’t hold hands with him.” Ki Chul replies, “I was in a rush. Just take out the antidote, take some yourself, give it to the doctor, and let’s end this.”

Deok Heung looks at Eun-soo and says, “Let’s go together.” Young lifts Deok Heung by the collar and growls, “What did you say?” Deok Heung replies that he will go alone with Eun-soo to where the antidote is. He asks Ki Chul to keep Young here for him.

Eun-soo pulls Young’s hand out of the hold on Deok Heung and starts to walk off with him, saying, “I’ll come back.” Young starts after her but Ki Chul stops him, saying that if Young goes, Deok Heung will never give up the antidote.

In a separate room, Eun-soo asks for the antidote. Deok Heung can’t believe that a heavenly doctor couldn’t figure out the antidote herself. Eun-soo once again asks for the antidote. Deok Heung tells her that he thought she would live because they said she was a heavenly doctor. He didn’t really plan on killing her. Eun-soo ignores him and asks anxiously, “Do you not have it? The antidote!” Deok Heung: “I knew as soon your ‘love’ came to me, pale and shaking.” He scoffs- what doctor? “You’re a fake.”

Eun-soo loses her patience and yells, “Are you going to die just talking away like that?” Deok Heung asks her, “Are you the same as me? Someone who has nothing and only survives by tricking people?” Eun-soo starts to rant. Why doesn’t he just take out the antidote and drink it, when he is about to die? Why does he have so much to say? Why does everyone in this rotten world play with people’s lives?

Deok Heung pulls out a packet from his sleeve and tells her it is the antidote. Eun-soo remarks that it’s different from what she has been taking. Deok Heung tells that what he has been giving her as an antidote till now was fake. The poison that he gave her works that way- symptoms come and go every four days. Holding out the packet he says, “This is the real antidote.”

Before Eun-soo can take it from him, Deok Heung stops her and says, “Ki Chul believes in the heavenly door so if you and I get on the same side, we can play with Ki Chul and Goryeo. Will you not be on my side?” Eun-soo pulls her hand away and asks if he has the rest of the diary. She wants it back- “That is first.” Deok Heung gives her the antidote. Eun-soo gets up and warns Deok Heung, “One more thing. Don’t touch Choi Young or it’s the end of everything.” (Joonni: That’s my girl.)

Young who has been waiting outside, asks about the medicine as soon as he sees Eun-soo. She tells him that she took it and she is all better now. Eun-soo leads Young out by the arm.

Deok Heung and Ki Chul watch them leave. (Joonni: Drat it! He didn’t die. It’s okay. My pyre can wait.) Deok Heung asks Ki Chul, “Didn’t you say that you wanted to have the doctor?” Ki Chul nods and says, “But as long as he is around….” (Joonni: NO!!! *sharpens sword and grabs a map* I’m heading to Goryeo right now, guys. Come join me.)

In the village where Gongmin now resides, the Suribang siblings are selling their soup, calling it the best in Goryeo. Lee Saek, dressed as a commoner, comes upon an house, busy with people coming in and out. He asks a man that just came out what is going on in that house. The man tells him that there is a king in this house that will listen to anything you say, even curses at the king. Lee Saek asks in disbelief, “Can it be?” The man replies, “Of course it wouln’t be the real king. We just go to rant and feel better.”

Dol-bae leads Lee Saek inside. Gongmin and Noguk are surrounded by their citizens. One mother is complaining that her soon-to-be thirteen year-old daughter is too pretty. Gngmin can’t understand why that is a complaint. Another man points out that the “king” doesn’t know anything. It’s because the girl will be taken to Yuan as tribute since she is pretty. The smiles fade off Gongmin and Noguk’s faces.

Noguk asks the man if he knows what happens to the girls who are taken to Yuan. He replies that the nobility’s daughters become concubines to other Yuan aristocrats but daughters of commoners become slaves or are forced to become concubines of soldiers. The mother asks Gongmin for a talisman that will make her daughter ugly- her eyes or nose crooked.

Gongmin picks up his brush and says to the girl that he is going to draw her pretty face now. If anyone tells her that her eyes or nose are crooked, she should show them this drawing. The man mocks, “What kind of king draws? It would be unsightly.” The other citizens laugh but Gongmin continues to draw, while Noguk prepares the ink. Lee Saek looks on, pleased with his king.

Daeman is saying to Young that it would have been nice if Eun-soo went to stay with Gongmin and Noguk. He asks Young, “Did you guys fight?” Young: “That mouth!” Young remembers what he and Eun-soo argued about it. She wanted to stay back at the palace, at the medical ward.

Young can’t believe it- after he did all that to run away with her. Eun-soo reminds him that this is the Mata Hari (Margaretha Geertruida Zelle) plan. Young asks, “Is the plan crawling back to the place you escaped from?” Eun-soo replies, “No. It’s using my beauty to find out the enemy’s information.”

Back from flashback, Young says to Dae-man, “She doesn’t think.” He sighs and adds, “That person has no heart.” (Joonni: I think he is saying that Eun-soo is not thinking about how Young feels about leaving her.)

Young sits down with Lee Jae-hyun and Lee Saek. He asks them if it is okay for them to sit down with an escaped convict like him. Lee Jae-hyun replies that they know better than anyone that Young was framed. (Joonni: *rage* Oh yeah, now you say that, you old bags.)

Lee Jae-hyun tells Young that he heard what the Woodalchi did and where the king and queen are and what they are doing. “Our Majesty left the palace and made his own. So we plan to go to him.” Young asks what they will do there. Lee Jae-hyun replies that they plan to go to the king, carrying a new royal seal the Goryeo citizens made. Young smiles. He knows the king will be happy.

Young gets up to leave but Lee Saek stops him. They have more to say. Young reminds them that he is not a Woodalchi anymore and he is someone who must run if he sees governmental personnel. It’s not right for them to talk to him about the affairs of the state. Lee Saek asks Young to protect them while they bring Gongmin the new royal seal. Young sighs and holds his head. (Joonni: Ha! I sighed at the exact same time as him! Young’s response is so hilarious. Nobody will be able to guess he is a great warrior when he reacts like this most of the time. But goodness, just leave him alone so he can be with Eun-soo!)

Lee Jae-hyun reminds Young that Gongmin is a king that Young chose. They are going to move tomorrow. You can see Young hitting himself inside for saying those words. Oh the trouble those words have brought!

Eun-soo waits anxiously with Jang Bin. Jang Bin reminds her that Deok Heung is not someone to be trusted. Eun-soo replies that she knows. An eunuch brings her a box informing her that it’s only half of what she asked for. She exclaims in anger, “Only half! Not all?”

Eun-soo looks at the frayed and browning pages. She read the letter.

“I desperately hope that this will reach you.
Earnestness/longing heart creates a link/connection.
Only recollection/memories will make that moment come true.”

She says to Jang Bin the handwriting is similar to her own but she doesn’t understand how that could be. Jang Bin asks, “You don’t remember anything at all?” Eun-soo shakes her head. No, she’s never seen this notebook or its contents. “The ink has faded so it’s hard to read but…” Eun-soo reads on- “Please. I hope you read this letter with ‘that person.’ Please. Before it’s too late.”

Young tells his puppies that they need to escort four people starting at dawn tomorrow. They’re going to use a carriage. Young orders Dae-man to go ahead to where Gongmin is and ask for about a dozen Woodalchi to meet them on a bridge part way. Young tells Ji-ho and Shi-wool that he will go alone to pick up the scholars.

Eun-soo is saying to Jang Bin that she doesn’t understand what this letter means or who wrote it. If she wrote it herself, she would know! She angrily complains about the state of the pages. “Who? Why? Who would call me, ‘Eun-soo-ya’? Are they really calling me? Why is a diary written in hangul here in Goryeo and who is ‘that person’?!”

Eun-soo drinks with Jang Bin. She tells him that she didn’t have anyone to call “that person.” “Even if I tried to meet guys and like them, my heart wouldn’t open. My heart would stop in the midst of going out to them and that feeling would fade. I would say, ‘It’s bothersome,’ and close my heart again and hide. That kind of heart was always first- ‘this person isn’t it.’ This isn’t it.”

Eun-soo sighs. “Even when I met Choi Young, I did that. I drew the line and said, ‘Don’t come in. Don’t come in.’ It wasn’t because I was going to leave but because my heart wouldn’t do that. Sometimes, when I was with him, because I was so used to him, I missed him so much I couldn’t stand it. But still, I felt that he couldn’t be this ‘person.’ But whenever I turn around he is there. He looks at me. When I can’t see him and I ask, ‘Where are you,’ he says, ‘I am here’.” Eun-soo breathes hard as she wipes the tears off her face. “I must be getting tipsy. I should go to sleep.”  (Joonni: Genuine tears here, you guys. ㅠㅠ)

Eun-soo shakes the frayed pages. She yells at it, “I don’t know who you are and why you called my name and wrote this. I really don’t know who “that person” you are talking about is!” Eun-soo angrily puts the pages down. “I need to go to sleep.” Eun-soo leaves the room and Jang Bin puts away the pages for her.

Eun-soo tosses in her bed. She remembers the letter describing how she left on a long journey that day and someone came to ask for a favor. The letter asks Eun-soo to not turn down that person’s request. She has to turn back. “That way, ‘that person’ will live.”

Eun-soo connects the letter’s content with the night Lady Choi came to her, asking her to save Young. Eun-soo gets up from bed and realizes the letter continued to describe to her the events of this very day- Deo-gi breaking the medicine jar and the flowers blooming at the windowsill.

The letter tells Eun-soo that she can’t let ‘that person’ go today. What’s waiting for him is a trap. “So Eun-soo, please stop him.”

Eun-soo stares at the pages, realization hitting her. Elsewhere, Young is heading toward where the scholars are supposed to be. He stops, his eyes opening wide, as he senses something.

AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Joonni: Really gasping for air here. I could barely type. So dizzy. My hands are literally shaking.)

Softy’s comments:

Sometimes this drama has hints of SKKS vibe and lots more of QIHM – the other day I swear the music score was identical and now tonight with this whole anticipation about her putting the pieces together and figuring out her letter was a warning to herself not to let Young do that favor of escorting that royal seal to safety had me biting my nails –something I haven’t done since I was a child and it’s way harder to do since I have to type as I watch. I just knew Young shouldn’t have gone along with that request but it was his fault the other seal was taken and he just knows how happy G will be to get this new goryeo seal so he couldn’t say no. my next question that is staring us in the face is – will ES get help to young in time to save him?  I say yes cuz there are 8 episodes left so if we play our cards right, I think a kiss just has to happen in this drama during that incident. if she finds young unconscious, maybe he is just out and not dead already so she will kiss him to wake him up like sleeping beauty – he is beautiful even when he is sleeping so that name fits him as well. The things I will say just to get a decent kiss out of this drama amazes even me. Call me crazy but this drama just begs for a great kiss scene – it just won’t be complete without one. sorry to KHS’s jealous hubby, but look away for a second will you for the sake of this drama’s fans. I saw that episode of Taxi when KHS came out and her hubby looked like a cool guy. Bet he is totally onboard with his wife doing a great job.

Joonni’s comments:

Another solid episode, although maybe not as tight at yesterday. What this drama excels at is weaving together the political and romantic conflicts together. But they aren’t always kept at the same tension so sometimes we have episodes when politics step aside a bit to let the romantic drama take the front. But because Young and Eun-soo are tightly bound to all the politicking people, their conflict is always tinged with the gravity of history and political movement. While the drama is not visually epic in scale, the writer has done a good job at building the Young/Eun-soo and Young/Gongmin relationships into a larger than life drama.

I love how Gongmin continues to learn that being a king or a leader is not about the things you use or where you live. Leadership is not a status symbol. Gongmin used symbolic power once to his advantage, wearing Goryeo robes instead of Yuan. But he learned in these past episodes that it’s not enough to just wear a royal robe. Even if he wears more common clothes and sits in a run-down building, he is still a king if he acts like one. It is action and the relationship to others that creates a leader, not the clothes or the palace.

I remember in the beginning of Faith saying that I wasn’t invested in the Young/Eun-soo couple and I wouldn’t care that much if they really never got to romancing. I found the couple awkward at first, not because of the age thing, but because I saw them more as reluctant partners with very different goals in life. Now I am in complete love with this couple because of how organic they feel, how truthful they are, and how much they’ve changed each other. So you guys can imagine how much I shook and trembled at the end of the episode. I really couldn’t breathe and I had to take some time off to calm down enough to finish this recap.

Eun-soo’s confession to Jang Bin was such a nice touch because with just those few minutes, we understand how Eun-soo’s feelings developed and what kind of person she is. For Young and Eun-soo, there was never a complete moment of surrender, even in all those swoon-worthy moments in the past episodes. They were always careful, always holding back, always putting on a brave face because each feared pain, loss, and goodbye. Even as they truthfully told each other that they won’t be okay when Eun-soo leaves, Young and Eun-soo kept the pain out of their voices and resigned themselves to the fact that they would part soon.

Now with Eun-soo knowing what those letters are doing and that Young is in danger, I wonder what kind of emotional development she will go through next and what kind of decision she will make, because at this point, I think Eun-soo decides their romantic fate. I love this drama so much now because it carefully, quietly, and steadily built and continues to build the characters and their development on all fronts. And there is never a detailed to be missed.

Consider the number of ways Young has dropped or forgotten his sword when it came to Eun-soo. We saw it because we are crazy hawks about this couple but the director never did a close up to make us see that. It was something we could see only if we cared and I appreciate that. Considering how the director liked to force everything else on us in the beginning with the slow-motion, I love the fact that he didn’t do that to us this time with the sword. We are given the chance as viewers to watch carefully and focus on every action and words without being spoon-fed. It’s not dramatic that Young says he can’t carry her because he can’t use his sword but we the viewers are given the room to see it that way.

So let me just swoon over here about that. A sword. A reminder that Young is a warrior. A reminder of duty. A reminder of death. He forgets it all when it comes to Eun-soo and and it’s something he has to give up to be with her. But Young is a warrior through and through. I still can’t see him going with Eun-soo to the future and Young has pretty much made up his mind about that. So we are left with the option that Eun-soo stays. Reading through the comments on yesterday’s episode, I suggested that Eun-soo might actually end up staying 67 years because of the different time flow between Goryeo and modern time. So maybe 67 years equals one year in the present. Or as we can hypothesize now, Eun-soo is a time-traveler, who comes back through time, trying to save Young. That’s why she left those letters to herself, to save Young always at those crucial moments so he ends up living a long time, as according to the history that we know.

What do you guys think? And when is Monday coming?