Recap: “Faith” Episode 24- FINAL

Joonni: I can’t find the words to summarize this episode for this introduction. I just can’t. It was too great and too powerful for me to describe.

Softy: No matter how you look at it – this was one memorable ending. How they wrapped up the story and connected all the dots will leave its audience wondering why they ever had any doubts to begin with. It has only been a few hours since it ended, but this feeling of emptiness has been seeping in ever since the final credits rolled. How to fill this void is up in the air so I hope our captain Joonni has some ideas about how to wean us off this addiction.

Episode 24- FINAL

Gongmin starts the questioning but Ki Chul interrupts to say he has one request. He starts to pull something from his sleeve and Choong-suk tries to stop him. Unfortunately, Ki Chul takes out the medicine that Yang-gak gave him and eats it. He pushes Choong-suk away and breaks apart from his chains using his newly strengthened power.

The Woodalchi attack Ki Chul who is trying to get closer to Gongmin. He fights back, killing them. Gongmin tries to leave but Ki Chul stops him. Gongmin asks if he has gone crazy. Ki Chul replies that it’s nothing. He only came to find what is his. He wants only Gongmin to remain behind and have all the others leave because they are getting on his nerves. Deok-man tries to attack Ki Chul but fails.

Young enters the royal court and sees his men dead on the floor. Gongmin declares to Young that Ki Chul has gone crazy beyond any help. Young asks calmly what Ki Chul is up to and Ki Chul replies that he came for Eun-soo. Young’s hand starts to tremble and Dol-bae notices. Young sees Dol-bae start to ready his spear and knows what he is planning to do. He whispers, “Don’t do that,” but Dol-bae calls Ki Chul’s attention and attacks. Young screams out “Don’t do that,” as Ki Chul escapes Dol-bae’s attack and grabs his neck and freezes him.

Young kicks up a sword lying nearby and swings at Ki Chul but Ki Chul knocks it away. Young stands in shock to have been so easily disarmed.

Before fighting Ki Chul again, Young checks on Dol-bae. He holds him up by the neck and Dol-bae smiles back at Young, happy to have served his daejang. He dies and Young rests his hands on his chest.

Facing Ki Chul, Young asks for a sword and Deok-man hands him one. Young demands that everyone stands back. Ki Chul advises Young not to try so hard. Young ignores him and orders Choong-suk to escort Gongmin out. Gongmin can see Young struggling to hold up the sword so he asks the other Woodalchi to help Young. “Don’t let him fight alone!”

In response, Young orders his men to stay away. Ki Chul tries to get closer to Gongmin but Young swings his sword heavily at him. It misses Ki Chul and although Young continues to try to slay Ki Chul, his sword won’t move swiftly and Ki Chul is able to knocks it away from Young again.

Young is not about to give up however, so he picks up another sword and asks Choong-suk why he has not left with Gongmin yet. Gongmin declares that he will stay here, behind Young.

Ki Chul demands to see Eun-soo or he will kill everyone here in the palace. Young replies, “I can’t allow it,” and firmly grasps his sword with two hands. Ki Chul asks what Young is planning to do with his broken hand. Gongmin pleads with Young to back off this once. Young replies that he is okay. Gongmin continues to plea, saying that he knows there is something wrong with Young’s hand. Young replies that there is nothing wrong with his hand; it’s just that the sword is heavy.

Ki Chul laughs at Young and swings his sword at him. While at first it seems Ki Chul is pushing Young back, Young is finally able to push Ki Chul away from Gongmin and with a powerful swing, he cuts Ki Chul’s sword in half. Ki Chul is shocked and asks Young what kind of sword he is using. Young replies, “I told you. A heavy sword.”

In Young’s room, Eun-soo gets up from the bed and Lady Choi rushes over to her. Eun-soo looks around the room for Young and asks where he is. Lady Choi replies that he went to the palace briefly because something came up. She asks if Eun-soo is okay and Eun-soo replies that she’s feeling dizzy and her body aches all over. She breathes a sigh of relief, however, because she was afraid everything was going to turn out to be a dream.

Lady Choi tells Eun-soo that Young was with her the whole night. Eun-soo weakly replies, “He must have been very scared.” Lady Choi asks if she thinks the treatment worked. Eun-soo makes Lady Choi feel her forehead and Lady Choi remarks that there seems to be no fever. Eun-soo feels her pulse and says with happy exhaustion, “I must have survived!” Lady Choi hugs Eun-soo and pats her back in relief.

Dae-man is running around in the palace when he sees Hwasooin and Eum-ja fighting the guards and killing them. He runs off to alert the other Woodalchi that Hwa-Eum are coming for Eun-soo.

Young asks Gongmin if he had another reason for allowing this dangerous man (referring to Ki Chul) to enter the royal court. If not, can he kill him right away? Gongmin addresses Ki Chul. He knows Ki Chul wants to kill him but he wants to let Ki Chul live since Ki Chul is a citizen of Goryeo and he heard that Ki Chul’s empress sister also cares about Goryeo. He wonders if Ki Chul is ready to negotiate.

Ki Chul says to Gongmin, “At first, I thought you were simply a weak person with a lot of pride. But now I see you are a politician.” Addressing Young, he says, “A person like you can’t live under a king like him.” Young orders Ki Chul to watch his mouth but Ki Chul continues. “Kings like him only regard you as a hunting dog. He will be ready to throw you into boiling water in the name of duty and you will go in there willingly. You are like that.”

Young angrily sticks his sword into the ground and says to Ki Chul, “I warned you.” Ki  Chul won’t be threatened, however, and he continues to try to tempt Young. “The citizens don’t even know the king’s name but there are only a few that don’t know yours.” Ki Chul’s words remind Young of what the former king said, before he stabbed the Jeogwoldae captain- how the citizens trusted the Jeogwoldae captain more than the king. The king had asked if the person who protects the citizens is the Jeogwoldae captain or the king.

Ki Chul asks Gongmin what he has done by himself to be on the throne right now. Did he even shed a drop of blood? He points to Young and declares that Young was the one that gathered the Goryeo statesmen together. The military also follows Young. He gives a final jab at Gongmin’s confidence- “All you have it the title of king.” Ki Chul says to Young, “You should be the king.” He adds that he can get the decree from Yuan immediately.

Gongmin, his confidence not shaken, sighs at Ki Chul and says to Young, “That person wants your answer.” Young raises his head a little higher and declares, “I will give my answer to Your majesty. Seven years ago, someone I knew was asked a similar question. Because the question was too heavy, he was only able to answer with his life. Now I know that he was wrong.”

Gongmin worriedly exclaims, “Daejang.” Young clarifies his statement. “He was wrong because he ran away.” Ki Chul asks why Young doesn’t want to become a king. Young replies, “I already have a king. What else could I want?” Gongmin looks proud and relieved.

Young picks up his sword again and asks Gongmin if he wants to let Ki Chul live. Before Gongmin can answer, Ki Chul starts to leave the room, saying he has stalled enough. He bursts through the door but the Woodalchi are ready to attack him. Young yells for his men to back off, afraid that they will get hurt, and Ki Chul runs away. Young walks after him.

Deok-man gently places Dol-bae’s spear back by his side, where it should be.

Hwasooin and Eum-ja are making their way to the Woodalchi lair and as Eum-ja stays back to fight off the Woodalchi, Hwasooin continues on by herself. Dae-man runs ahead to warn Lady Choi that Hwa-Eum are coming and Lady Choi starts to prepare Eun-soo to run away to the palace. Eun-soo asks Dae-man about Young but at that moment, Hwasooin enters the room, smiling. She says, “What, you were hiding here all this time?”

Dae-man fights Hwasooin to allow Lady Choi to escape with Eun-soo. But Dae-man is no match for Hwasooin and  she burns his neck. Lady Choi goes back into the room to help Dae-man, leaving Eun-soo alone.

Another Woodalchi comes to find Eun-soo and warns her that Eum-ja is coming so they have to leave. He offers to escort her to the queen’s quarters.

Hwasooin has knocked down both Lady Choi and Dae-man. She starts to leave but Dae-man holds her back after grabbing a wet cloth. He uses it to block Hwasooin’s burning hand and with Hwasooin distracted, Lady Choi comes up from behind and stabs her. Hwasooin dies. (Joonni: I really shouldn’t be this happy about someone dying but my goodness, I screamed for joy. Finally!) Lady Choi asks Dae-man if he is okay and he just says, “Our doctor. Hurry!”

Eun-soo is thrown into a carriage with Yang-gak waiting for her. He knocks her out unconscious. The Woodalchi spy drives the carriage away.

Eum-ja has finally reached Young’s room and he finds Hwasooin dead. He rages in deadly fury.

Dae-man finds Young and reports that Eun-soo is not at the queen’s quarters. She appears to have gone missing. Before Young rushes off at this news, he checks Dae-man’s wound. Happy that he is alive, Young pats him on the head. (Joonni: Thank god this puppy didn’t die. Oh thank god.)

Noguk comes to see Gongmin, who is pacing in his room. She has heard that his room was ransacked so she asks what was it that Hwa-Eum were trying to find. Do-chi, who has been checking underneath the floorboards, shows Gongmin and Noguk the box with the medical tools. Gongmin thinks they are similar to Eun-soo’s tools but Noguk points out that they are not because they are rusted. The other eunuch hands Gongmin another box, which has the last page of Eun-soo’s diary in it. Gongmin remarks, “We will only know after the doctor sees this.”

Noguk asks about Young. Gongmin replies that he ordered a complete search of the capital and told Young to wait. He was worried Young would just be wandering around with his current mental state. Noguk worries about Eun-soo’s health. Gongmin is worried too and knows that Young left her behind to come to him.

Noguk says to Gongmin, “This kind of thought occurs to me. He brought someone from heaven against her will for me.” Gongmin replies, “To speak freely, he kidnapped her.” Noguk wonders, “Is heaven giving them hardships because she doesn’t belong here?” Gongmin replies that since he was the one that ordered Young to bring her here and not let her return, he should be the one receiving the hardships. Noguk, forever wonderful, offers to share the hardships. Gongmin asks why. Noguk answers that she has something to say to him once they find Eun-soo. It’s a word from heaven that the she learned from her. Gongmin asks Noguk to say it but she pleads off. She will tell him later when something happy happens to him. He suggests maybe when he takes down the Mongol barrier up north and reclaim the northern territory. Noguk agrees and Gongmin smiles. She places her hand over his and asks him to think about Eun-soo and Young. He replies yes.

Young has come back to his room. Lady Choi is sitting there, waiting for him. She tells her that Hwasooin’s body is gone and it seems that Eum-ja took her. Since he couldn’t carry both Hwasooin’s body and escape with Eun-soo, there must have been someone else.

Young asks how Eun-soo was and Lady Choi replies that since Eun-soo had a fever all night, not well. Young asks about the poison and Lady Choi tells him that Eun-soo thought she beat it. Young swallows hard and wants to leave right away to go look for her but Lady Choi calls him back. “Where are you going? The king said you should wait.”

Young yells, “I AM WAITING!” More quietly, he repeats, “I am waiting.” Lady Choi tells him to stay here so he doesn’t miss any information that comes in. Young faces Lady Choi and says weakly, “I feel like I am going to die right now. Right now. Me.” He takes his sword off the wall and leaves the room.

Young goes to see Gongmin. Gongmin informs Young that he has ordered emergency inspection points all the way to the border. Young knows that Ki Chul wants to go the portal. Wanting to go chase after him, Young exclaims that he knows the way there. Gongmin asks if Young will follow Eun-soo if he finds her. Young, thinking that Gongmin is scared that Young might go with Eun-soo, asks if that is why Gongmin held him back- to hear the answer to that question. Gongmin replies no. He just wanted Young to move after getting more information. He also wanted to hear the answer, “Yes,” from Young.

Gongmin: “I know how weary you here in this land. Do you plan to follow her?” (Joonni: So Gongmin wants to hear yes to this. Finally willing to let Young go and not be a warrior.) Young replies, “I already gave you my answer. I won’t follow what my teacher gave as an answer and the path he took. So I have already returned. Please help me bring back my woman too.” Gongmin holds back his tears and his relief to hear to that Young will come back to him. Taking Gongmin’s lack of response as permission to leave, Young bows and exits the room.

Shi-wool and Deok-man report to Young that soldiers and informants are out following and looking for Eun-soo, her kidnappers, and the Woodalchi spy.

Eun-soo wakes up to a sword at her neck. Eum-ja demands to know who killed Hwasooin but  Eun-soo doesn’t know. Before Eum-ja can hurt Eun-soo, Ki Chul tells him to back off and Eum-ja grudgingly obeys.

Ki Chul sits next to Eun-soo. Seeing how weak she looks, he asks if she is feeling unwell. Eun-soo asks if she has been kidnapped. Ki Chul replies no. She asks if he will let her leave then if she says she wants to. Ki Chul again replies no, she can’t. Eun-soo demands to know why Ki Chul is doing this. He tells her that they will be going to the heaven’s door together and through it together too. He also shows her the chest with Hwata’s third relic in it.

Ji-ho reports to the Suribang sister that they have spread the notice about Eun-soo to everyone they can, including beggars, so they are bound to find her. Suribang sister says that they have to or else, Young is going to live the rest of his life like a ghost again. “I can’t bear to see that again.” She remembers something and suggests to Ji-ho that they look around at different medicine shops. Wasn’t Ki Chul buying up all the medicine before?

Eun-soo opens the box and recognizes the relic. She starts to gasp at the realization that it definitely belongs to her this time.

With the help of Suribang informants, who located the Woodalchi spy, Ji-ho and the royal soldiers find Ki Chul’s hiding place. Unfortunately, Ki Chul has already left with Eun-soo. But because of the large Suribang information network, Young is able to find out where Eun-soo and Ki Chul are heading next. Choong-suk offers to sends soldiers with him but Young declares he will go alone.

Back in the palace, both Noguk and Gongmin pray and worry over their friends.

Inside the moving carriage, Eun-soo tells Ki Chul that while she is not completely certain, the notes left in the diary indicate that the portal to heaven has something to do with solar flares. She doesn’t know where and when this door connects too but seeing that Young went through and back, one round trip is at least possible. But she doesn’t know what will happen next. She warns Ki Chul that since this will be the first time Ki Chul will go through the portal, she doesn’t know where he might end up.

Ki Chul declares that he doesn’t care. All doors in the world are meant to be opened and walked across. Eun-soo wonders what Ki Chul will do once he goes through the door. He says he will continue to look for and gather anything and everything that will heal his body and fill the hole in his heart. Eun-soo agrees to escort him to the door but she wants him to let her go after that. Ki Chul refuses and declares that they will go together. Eun-soo pleads that she has to stay here but Ki Chul is adamant.

Ki Chul and Eun-soo stop by an inn for the night and Eun-soo secretly grabs a piece of charcoal when nobody is looking.

In the morning, Young is at the same inn, searching for Eun-soo. He doesn’t see any sign of her and is about to leave when he notices Eun-soo’s message in Hangul written in charcoal. Young recognizes it from the flashcard she once showed him, teaching him that it means she is okay.

Eun-soo’s kidnapping party comes up against an inspection point and Eum-ja fights off the soldiers, killing them all.

It is night again at another inn. Yang-gak buys up the whole inn for the night.

Young has finally caught up with Eun-soo. He jumps of his horse and heads into the inn.

Eun-soo is lying in bed while Ki Chul sits in a chair next to her, wincing in pain. She hears him and offers to feel his pulse. Ki Chul refuses, saying he can’t trust his body to someone he doesn’t believe. Eun-soo sighs in resignation. She is about to lie back down when she hears a loud banging outside. Ki Chul leaves to check out the commotion.

Young bursts through the inn door and attacks Eum-ja. They fight while Eun-soo, in her room, slices Ki Chul’s hand with the dagger that Young gave her and escapes from him.

Still fighting, Young maneuvers Eum-ja’s sword to stab Yang-gak. He dies. Eum-ja and Young continue to fight and Young finally kills Eum-ja too. (Joonni: Seriously, shouldn’t be this happy but I am. All the baddies are dying!!)

Ki Chul escapes the inn, closing the door behind him. Young follows after, opening the door. Before he leaves, he notices something behind him and turns. Eun-soo, who has been hiding from Ki Chul, steps out from the shadows to face Young.

Indescribably happy to see her, Young immediately asks her if she is okay. She silently nods yes. He asks if she is feeling ill and she nods no. Before he can allow himself to feel completely relieved, he asks her, “So is everything okay now?” Eun-soo finally finds her voice and she tearfully replies, “Yes.” Young asks for one last confirmation. “So will you be by my side from now on?” Eun-soo, feeling just as relieved and happy as Young, replies in a stronger voice, “Yes.” Hearing her assurance, Young tightly embraces Eun-soo and she cries tears of joy in Young’s strong arms. (Joonni: He doesn’t drop the sword this time!)

Eun-soo and Young lie in bed together. He says to her, “The door opens tomorrow, right?”  Eun-soo confirms. He asks if she will okay, worried how she feels about saying goodbye to her world forever. He knows that she has people she would like to say goodbye to through the door. Eun-soo asks him if she can, wanting to at least say goodbye in front of the portal. He says he will escort her there.

Eun-soo worries about Ki Chul also being there though, and asks if Young will be able to beat him if they fight. Unlike Young’s answer to the same question before, this time he answers with a smile that he can probably beat Ki Chul.

As Young continues to look at Eun-soo with a smile on his face, Eun-soo asks why he is looking at her like that. He replies, “To remember you because I don’t have to forget you anymore.” Eun-soo caresses Young’s face and traces his nose and lips. Young takes her hands and kisses it. He asks her to sleep and she closes her eyes. He continues to look at her and brushes her hair behind her ear.

Ki Chul has reached the portal and it is open. Excited, he tries to go through it but it repels him.

Young and Eun-soo walk through a field with a large tree, arm-in-arm. Ki Chul is at the same field and he sees them. Looking dangerously ill and psychotic, Ki Chul informs Eun-soo that the door is open. Eun-soo replies that her calculations must have been right then. Ki Chul asks her to teach him how to go through the portal. Eun-soo replies, “You just go in.” Ki Chul doesn’t believe her and says, “You continue to deceive me, mercilessly ignoring my sincerest desire.”

Young doesn’t like how angry Ki Chul is getting so he asks Eun-soo to stand back. Ki Chul furiously screams at Eun-soo, “Answer me!” Young orders Ki Chul to stop. Ki Chul declares that there is only this land in this world. “Death will end everything. There is nothing more!” Ki Chul starts to run toward Eun-soo. Young tries to block him but Ki Chul pushes him out of the way. As Ki Chul gets closer to Eun-soo, Young throws his sword at him, piercing Ki Chul through his back.

Young steps in front of Ki Chul to keep him from Eun-soo. Ki Chul takes this chance of close proximity and starts to freeze Young, declaring that he will take Young with him to see what is next after this world. Unable to free himself from Ki Chul’s suicidal and desperate grasp, Young falls to the ground, frozen. Ki Chul also falls.

Eun-soo screams as she runs over to Young and starts to do CPR on him. Young watches her in his frozen state. In voiceover we hear Young ask, “Why was it this person?” (Joonni: Remember what Young asked Dae-man before- why did he bring Eun-soo out of all the other people in heaven? This question is reflective of that. Young has always been wondering  why Eun-soo came into his life.)

Ki Chul gets up and picks up Young’s sword. He walks over to Eun-soo and stabs the ground next to Young. He grabs Eun-soo and proceeds to drag her away. Young lies alone in the field, watching Eun-soo leave, unable to do anything. In voiceover, we hear what Young is thinking. “I wasted so much time thinking that. Father, I finally found it. Is it too late now?”

Young remembers his first meeting with Eun-soo, bringing her through portal, and picking her up with his arms. He remembers her cupping his cheek and playfully tapping his shoulder.  He remembers how she put the flower in his hair and how he leaned on her shoulder. He also remembers the sad moments when he wiped the blood off her ear and saw her cry for his sake. He remembers when she taught him the handshake and when she smiled at him brightly, waving goodbye.

Ki Chul drags Eun-soo to the portal. Eun-soo escapes from Ki Chul by going through the portal but Ki Chul can’t follow her. He falls on his knees and draws his final icy and empty breath.

Eun-soo walks out of the portal and she is back in Seoul. In voiceover, we hear Young says, “But that person will answer like this. It’s okay. Everything will turn out fine. This is just the beginning.”

Eun-soo runs back to the hospital she works. She is ambushed by a nurse who introduces her to the Japanese reporters who have come to interview her. Eun-soo pleads off, asking the nurse to take care of them. Before she leaves, she grabs the reporter’s bag. Back in her room, she packs the bag with her medical supplies and things off her table like the portable projector and her necklace.

The nurse calls the police to report that Eun-soo, the kidnpapping victim, has come back but she is acting really strange, dressed in weird clothing.

Eun-soo runs back to the portal and we hear in the background the news report of a solar flare. In voiceover, we hear what Eun-soo wrote in her diary later, in reflection of this day. “The time in Seoul when I ran only thinking of saving him. What went wrong and when? What did I need to return back to the person I left?” Eun-soo takes one last look back at her world and walks through the portal.

We see the last page of Eun-soo’s diary still on Gongmin’s table, never to be read by Eun-soo again. We also continue to hear Eun-soo’s diary entry. “Was my longing not enough or was it my faith?”

Eun-soo comes back through the portal and she runs to the field where she left Young. But Young is not there and Eun-soo realizes she has traveled to a different time. We hear the narration again: “I grew far from him again.” Eun-soo heads back to the portal but it is too late. The portal has closed. We continue to hear Eun-soo’s narration: “Leaving that person dying, I was left alone in a world a hundred years earlier than his.”

A sad montage of Eun-soo and Young play for us. (Joonni: And at this point during my live-watch, I was a wreck. Literally. My hair was a mess and I was screaming, “No, no, no, no, no!” I was thrashing in my seat, trying desperately to keep my hands on the keyboard.)

Eun-soo resides in the house we saw in her dream before. She pulls out her things from the backpack- the necklace, the diary, the film canister, and the projector. Eun-soo writes in her diary to herself like we saw in her dream. Eun-soo narrates, “Still, I believe everyday that on that day, that person didn’t die. I believe.

Eun-soo uses the portable projector to watch a video of her mom and dad. She talks to them as the video plays. When her mom asks about her cold, Eun-soo replies that she got all better. When her mom asked if she got the food she sent her, Eun-soo replies that she wants to eat her mom’s potatoes but they don’t have potatoes here. In the video, Eun-soo’s mom urges her dad to say something too but he is too shy. Eun-soo waves hi to her dad tearfully, even though he can’t see her. Right at the moment her father is about to say something, the projector dies. Eun-soo is once again alone with not even a picture of her family to comfort her heart.

Eun-soo travels in the same clothing we saw her do before. Eun-soo is at the portal again. We hear her narration: “Someone once said this. A longing heart creates a connection. Only memories will make that moment come true.”

The portal opens again and Eun-soo walks through it and she returns to Seoul. Eun-soo walks back into the portal and she is back in the past. But as everything seems to be exactly the same, Eun-soo doesn’t know exactly what year she has landed in.

Eun-soo goes to the inn to eat and she sees the soldiers there in Goryeo uniform. She stops one to asks (in old Korean speak) why Goryeo soldiers are in Yuan territory. The soldier asks her how this could be Yuan territory when Goryeo fought Yuan and took over this land. He wonders how she could not know this. Was she hiding deep in the mountains somewhere?

Cautiously, Eun-soo asks for the former king’s posthumous name and he tells her it is Choong-jung. Hearing this, she excitedly asks how long the current king has been king and she finds out it’s been five years.

The soldier is called over by someone and she sees that is Deok-man, looking older with a mustache. She also sees Dae-man, who is no longer the puppy of the group, and he is ordering his juniors the same way Young used to. Choong-suk also enters the room, looking for Young. Deok-man tells him that Young went to the tree again. Dae-man adds that whenever Young goes there, he always stays at three nights and four days. So he should go bring him some food.

Eun-soo has run back to the field with the large tree she left Young at before. Young is sitting behind the tree, looking out into the vast sky, when he hears footsteps behind him. He slowly turns around and sees Eun-soo. In return, Eun-soo’s eyes widen in shock. Young calmly walks toward her like he was always ready and expecting to see her again someday.  Eun-soo doesn’t say anything and neither does Young. They just stare at each and smile, as tears of joy fill their eyes. They have come far and waited long but now they are finally together. Yes, their love transcended time and space.

Joonni’s comments:

First, my most sincerest and special thanks to Softy who helped create this community and enthusiasm with her live recaps and tireless updating. I have always admired her for how much heart she puts into her dramas, how unafraid she is to love and praise and wear her heart on her sleeve. I have always considered myself to be very lucky because I always meet the best people and with Softy, I know this luck continues. She is like my very own Young whose loyalty to her readers and drama fans always amazes me and makes me want to follow in her footsteps. I feel incredibly privileged to have recapped this drama with her. Beyond what I can express with mere words.

And all my readers. You guys already know how much I love you all. Thank you for making this journey so much fun. Thank you for always encouraging me and Softy. Thank you for loving this drama as much as we did and more.

I am elated. Absolutely elated. After all that worrying and anxiety because I had no idea how this drama would end, this has got to be the most satisfactory ending ever for me. My heart feels so much at ease and I am right there, right now, with Young and Eun-soo feeling every last bit of their happiness and love for each other. What I feel is indescribable right now and I am having trouble forming the words to properly give tribute to this drama.

The time-traveling story: In short, despite the small holes and questions here and there, I love it. I think I was so curious about the time-travel mechanism because I saw it merely as a plot device to keep Eun-soo and Young apart and I thought the writer was being really secretive and stingy just for the dramatic tension. But after watching this final episode, I understand why she did that. Because it is in the uncertainty about how the time-traveling works by Eun-soo and us viewers that is at the heart of Eun-soo’s love. Writer Song didn’t want the time-travel thing to be perfectly explained or figured out by Eun-soo before she went through the portal to save Young. She didn’t want us to be able to calculate where and when Eun-soo was going to end up. She didn’t want us to know how many times Eun-soo would go through the portal again and again to get to Young. She kept all these details from us till the end because she wanted us to go through the journey with Eun-soo together, through the years she waited for Young and went back and forth through the portal, not knowing where she was going to end up. Writer Song didn’t want us to know until Eun-soo knew so we can experience everything with her, which made this ending so powerful for me. And we could also feel what Young went through, not knowing anything about the portal at all. He just waited with the simple belief that Eun-soo will somehow come back to him because she said, “Everything will be okay.” God, how awesome is this. Writer Song, I have loved all your works so far but admittedly, I was a little worried about this one. I am sorry for ever doubting you.

This final episode wasn’t perfect, objectively, and I can definitely see the holes in the writing and directing. But screw it, I will forgive everything just because of what this ending did for me. My heart is about to burst because Young’s and Eun-soo’s love was so overwhelmingly beautiful, sincere, and transcendent. They never let go of each other and the hope to see one another again, despite all the uncertainty that time and space drew between them. Eun-soo had no idea if Young was still alive but she was willing to sacrifice everything to find him again. She was willing to wait years by herself in an unfamiliar world to get back to him. And Young waited for her, despite not knowing what happened to her and how the portal worked.

Are the tears that are falling down on my face the price I pay for making all those criticisms? My brain stands by them but not my heart. My heart is too full of love and joy right now because ultimately, there is nothing more powerful than love in my book.

I love a wide variety of dramas, from dark thrillers to romantic comedies. But the dramas I love most and last in my heart forever are always about people I can admire and respect, no matter how fictional they are. And there were so many to admire in this drama.

The Woodalchi puppies who were sometimes incompetent but always loyal. Lady Choi who was a constant source of sanity and competence. Noguk whose beauty, wisdom, and strength is too great even more a queen. Gongmin whose love and faith in his citizens should be emulated by other rulers. Young whose sense of loyalty and responsibility was both a source of power and weakness. Young, who showed us that he just a mere human behind the armor, sword, and honor. Yet he also showed us that a human being’s greatest source of strength is love. And finally Eun-soo. My Eun-soo. My darling, darling Eun-soo. My love for her hits me the hardest because I didn’t care much for her in the beginning. I just thought she was funny, and a nice, modern contrast to everyone in Goryeo. But now, my heart hurts the most for her. My heart is the most happiest for her. Because her love was the most powerful of all. Stronger than fear. Stronger than death. Stronger than time. Stronger than space.

Strangely, I don’t feel the need to say goodbye to this drama like I did before with others. Despite being historically set in Goryeo, the story feels so timeless. And now it is such a huge part of my heart, always there to stay. How do you say goodbye to a piece of your heart? You don’t. You hold onto to it, never letting go. Just like Young and Eun-soo. I won’t say goodbye.

I know Softy has already put the cap in her comments but I just love it too much not to do it again.

EDIT: Had to leave this comment here because a thought just occurred to me.

Faith taught me to rethink epic.  Epic doesn’t mean huge battles or flashy CG. It doesn’t mean prefect directorial execution. It doesn’t mean heroes saving the world. It doesn’t mean grand gestures.

With Faith, the epic was in the journey the hearts that our Young, Eun-soo, and Gongmin took. It was in the the small, personal struggles. It was in the smallest gestures of a glance and touch. I now stand amazed by the epic-ness of Faith in all its quiet moments. Thank you, Writer Song, for showing me that.

Softy’s comments:

Now that this episode has sunk in a bit, I finally have some thoughts on it.  I wasn’t expecting a major make out session or more hugs in that last scene. This drama ended as quietly as it started -with simplicity and grace. No histrionics – just a simple silent tearful greeting between two people who have waited years for each other. Not sure any sageuk has done romance like this, but what a great precedence it set for others to follow. I must admit at first all that going back and forth confused the crap out of me so I didn’t know if she was coming or going, but then I realized she was just biding her time till one day she got it right and came back closer to where Young was waiting all along. It was great closure to see an ending for the traveling Eun Soo as well cuz I wasn’t expecting that one day present Eun Soo would be turning into her. That was a clever plot twist many didn’t see coming. Overall I am 99% satisfied, but I do have one issue. What the heck was that pathetic growth on Young’s face supposed to elicit – laughter? Cuz it worked. Smack dab in the middle of typing I was like “omg – that’s all the stubble you can grow in 5 yrs time?” it looked like his stylist glued it on one strand at a time and ran out of time. plus what happened to all the other woodalchi? They all forgot how to shave after Eun Soo left? No woman to impress so they let themselves go? I get the writer was trying to age all of them, but change their uniform or hair style – don’t make them all look homeless is all I am saying.  In all seriousness though, we saw how Eun Soo lived all this time, but I wonder how Young managed to wait each year. At least he had his king, his aunt, and his woodalchi around him so he was better off than her. She seemed so lonely traveling by herself. I really loved this series so I was totally ready to embrace any kind of ending they gave us, but thank goodness it was one that made more sense than others. I guess the lesson to be learned here is trusting in the good intention of the writer pays off and this was her reward. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Written before it aired: After the dust from E23 settled, I can see what’s coming up more clearly. Here are the facts. History has shown that Young doesn’t die at this time. He goes on and lives to be a grandfather. Given that Faith is a story based loosely on historical figures, there is no guarantee it will stay true to actual recorded events. That means he won’t be following Eun Soo to her world more than likely. Eun Soo’s fate is a little more uncertain since she is a fictional character as far as we know and so are all these powers these characters possess along with the time traveling aspect. Since there have been reports that they filmed at the temple again where the portal to heaven lies, more than likely this story will go there. Whether Eun Soo goes through that alone or chooses to remain is what no one knows for certain yet.  At this point, it really doesn’t make sense for these two to fall in love and separate, but I doubt the writer will see it our way. Also neither one of them should have died anyway. That’s why when Eun Soo woke up yesterday, it dawned on me that the writer never intended to kill off Young or Eun Soo from the start. I hate to say it, but the “typical Korean” way to end their love story would be to have them separate. I don’t get why so many Korean dramas go there, but “happily ever after” really is a concept that eludes the writers for the most part. If you don’t believe me compare American or British dramas to Korean ones and tell me which one has the highest rate of ending badly for the main couples and Kdramas will win by a landslide. Having said that, recent kdramas have come a long way and decided to opt for the Disney version once in a while for their finales, but those are still very rare and far between. Maybe it’s the Pollyanna in me talking, but I sure hope Eun Soo stays. If the time traveling Eun Soo had any say in this, she would make her remain with Young. Why would any woman knowingly go through all that trouble to travel around alone looking like she lost everything in the world that meant anything to her if she had the chance now to change her future and remain happy by his side now? Not to mention I can’t think of one thing that would make Young want her to leave his world if she really did recover from her poison. My main concern tonight is for how they will resolve this problem with KC and his ruthless retinue. I say throw all three into that portal and let them get run over by trucks as soon as they arrive. If somehow they manage to cross the street intact, pretty sure the police will swoop in and lock them up for looking so insane. Actually since Eum is sort of good looking, with the right haircut, he could get some jobs as a model I bet. What he does best is to sit around and look good like he is posing so he is already one step ahead of the modeling game. Not sure how Hwa would survive in our world, but more than likely she is going to scare off men for the rest of her life so the idea of her living alone and unhappy sounds like great punishment.  That would make her wipe that smirk off her face permanently. Wow did I really just write all that down without even thinking twice about it. It’s amazing what lack of sleep mixed in with euphoria will do to a person – it’s like you are on some kind of new adrenaline rush. Where are those “kisspirins” everyone is talking about – I could use a batch right about now. Actually I don’t take aspirin so if I could get mine easy on the aspirin and more about the kiss that would be perfect. If any character other than Young administers it then I will pass. Wait – I might make an exception for Deok-man. 🙂

I want to thank Joonni for inviting me over to help recap Faith. Recapping live has been a way of life for me for the past two years, but there have only been a handful of dramas with this much fan fervor and I had a blast here these past weeks and months. Even though we were already friends from OB, I want to think this drama brought us even closer through our many late night texting sessions and emails. I learned a lot from the way you work so meticulously on each recap and hope to apply that much devotion to my recaps from here on. Thank you for all the lessons on the Korean language and sageuk terms cuz I feel honored to have been taught by the master who tackled QIHM. Looking forward to reading more of your work in the future and hope to be invited back if there is ever another great drama like this. *giant virtual hugs* 🙂

To all our beloved readers: I used to think my kdrama experience during coffee prince and SKKS were the most exciting until I saw the love and attention Faith received from all of you. I don’t think the Faith cast knows how much they owe to you guys for keeping the show alive with all your enthusiasm and fandom. Every time I saw music videos, gifs, clips, illustrations, insightful comments, or any kind of contribution, I kept thinking how lucky Faith is to be loved by so many. No other drama has garnered so much online attention in recent years so I hope the Faith cast and crew will one day learn about you guys and appreciate everything you did. Thank you for every word of love and support. 🙂

P.S. Thanks to Sunshine and everyone else who has been helping her on her song. I thought your original voice was really good so I didn’t see why you were so shy about it. If I sang, dogs would come to my door so it was wise of me not to volunteer my services. My sister thinks she can carry a tune, but I have to constantly remind her we are related so being tone deaf does not apply just to me. She chooses to live in denial and sings at the top of her lungs and I choose to move out of hearing range and pretend not to know her. Your song has been the highlight of this series for me cuz what a treat to have lyrics with my name on them. I had music videos dedicated to me before, but this is the first song. It’s an honor that I am going to treasure for life so thank you for all your time and effort in getting it completed. Joonni and I are eagerly looking forward to hearing the finished version.  *hugs* 🙂

Just wanted to say this was the scene that solidified my instinct that this drama could do no wrong. LMH nailed every line of dialogue and every intonation in his speech reflected a range of emotions his character was going through in this moment. It was a visual transformation of a warrior facing his conscience for the first time in his life through the eyes of a woman who finally made him see the light.

Couldn’t resist one more. Man this guy knows how to channel his character’s angst doesn’t he?