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The Moon That Embraces the Sun: Episode 4

It’s gettin’ good… conflicts heat up, stakes get raised, and dark clouds start to gather overhead. Things take a surprising upturn, but you know what that means in dramaland… there’s a big dip ahead, so hold onto your hats.

Ratings: Moon hits another high with 23.4%, Captain follows with 9.8%, and Wild Romance with 6.2%.

 
EPISODE 4 RECAP

Prince Hwon and Yeon-woo stare into each other’s eyes, not realizing that they’ve got an audience – not just Yang-myung, but Bo-kyung too, who cries from a distance. They ask each other about their names, his for Sun and hers for Rain, and Prince Hwon asks cautiously why she’s been avoiding him. Is it because she dislikes him?

She quickly stammers no, and he adorably turns to her with this giant smile, “So… you don’t dislike me?” She realizes that it’s pretty much the same as admitting that she does and turns away, embarrassed. He prods her for the truth, and she says she knows that he likes someone else, naming Bo-kyung.

He quickly clears up the misunderstanding that it was a mistake because Yeon-woo lied about who she was, and her face lights up. He suddenly realizes something and leans in close, “Is it possible? Are you… jealous?” Hee. They’re so cute.

He tells her about the pending royal order for girls of marrying age to be declared as candidates for the crown prince to choose as his wife. He tells her that he’ll wait for her, making it clear that he intends to marry her. Her eyes widen, and she smiles.

They stare moony-eyed again until the cherry blossoms stop falling, and Prince Hwon looks up in annoyance, like somehow nature is screwing with his romantic mood. But then he gives an awkward cough, and the camera pulls back to show his aide, Hyung-sun, perched on the roof above them, with a bag of petals and a fan. HAHAHHAHA.

How much do I love that Princey goes to these lengths to be romantic, and that his poor lackey actually climbs on top of the roof to comply? At the signal, he dutifully sends more petals flying down below. I love this low-rent non-mystical version of romance. So cute.

The next morning Prince Hwon stares endlessly at his lettuce plant like a lovesick doofus, as Hyung-sun pats himself on the back for not really throwing it away. He says, self-satisfied, that he knew the prince would want it back.

The prince muses that Hyung-sun doesn’t know the reason why Yeon-woo gave him a lettuce plant, but to his amazement, Hyung-sun does know, and rattles off an insightful answer: that it’s to signify waiting and the people of this nation.

Hyung-sun explains that no matter how much the prince might be anxious to grow a plant and find out what kind of flower it is, how could it compare to the waiting of farmers, who toil over crops that will feed them? The meaning of the plant is to work hard and wait faithfully.

Prince Hwon gapes: “How could YOU possibly know that?” Hyung-sun sighs, “Because it’s now the fourteenth time you’ve told me that lettuce story!” HA. The prince doesn’t even remember, and Hyung-sun says he’s been repeating it ad nauseum any chance he gets. I think Princey needs at least one other friend. He’s gonna tire this one out.

The prince just glosses right over his whining, wondering how moved he must be at Yeon-woo’s words. Hyung-sun gripes, sure, once or twice, but at fourteen… and then catches himself before making the prince angry. I hope this guy sticks around when we fast-forward in time.

The royal order gets posted through the streets, for girls of marrying age to declare themselves (and be restricted from marrying anyone else). Yang-myung sees the notice and his face grows pale.

At his lesson with Yeom, Prince Hwon asks if Yeon-woo has declared herself Bachelorette Number Seven Thousand yet, and Yeom says no. He gets on his knees to beg the prince to let his sister off the hook. Yeom: “Because you cannot be together.”

Whoa. That’s bold. I wonder if he knows something mystical, or if he’s just being a protective oppa who doesn’t want to risk a tragic future for his sister. Prince Hwon refuses, and Yeom continues to plead, willing to accept any punishment for himself in return.

The prince stands up angrily, shouting, “NO! I can’t, because… ” All the guards outside lean in, Yeom holds his breath, and the prince blurts out, “… because I LIKE YOU!” Pffft! It’s pronoun-less, the way he says it, but because he doesn’t say the Yeon-woo part out loud, it comes out sounding like a declaration of love… to Yeom. HEE.

Yeom freezes, slackjawed. Prince Hwon buries his face in his hands, and runs out, mortified. Hyung-sun runs around trying to do damage control, explaining to the guards that it’s not Heo Yeom that the prince likes. He tells Yeom, “It’s not you! I can’t tell you, but it’s someone who looks juuuuuuust like you, but is a female… person… ” Ha, you’re really not making it better.

He chastises the prince for not being specific about Yeon-woo, and Prince Hwon sighs, wondering how he’s supposed to declare his feelings for her to someone else before he’s even said it to her. Aw, true, but I think she pretty much knows by now.

He pouts that he thought he and Yeom were bros, but clearly, he doesn’t think the prince a fitting match for his sister. Hyung-sun explains that it’s not that he thinks the prince isn’t good enough. It’s in moments like this we realize how naïve the prince still is.

Yeon-woo’s parents argue over the very same matter, as Minister Heo writes Yeon-woo’s papers for Bachelorette Thunderdome. Her mother argues that it’s pointless to send Yeon-woo there when they know that Minister Yoon’s daughter will be chosen as the prince’s wife.

What she’s really worried about is if Yeon-woo gets chosen, but not as wife. Basically there’s a chance that she could be “marked” as his, unable to marry anyone else, but unable to marry him, either drifting through the world as nothing or taken in as a concubine. It’s the cruelest fate because it’s neither here nor there, just a life alone and in between. But Minister Heo refuses to disobey the law.

Hyung-sun explains to the prince that Yeom is trying to protect his sister – if she is chosen as one of the final group, but then not married, she (and all the other maidens) get ousted from the palace and live the rest of their lives marked as royal concubines, unable to marry anyone else, and eventually forgotten.

Hyung-sun adds that some are brought into the lower palace to live there as concubines – and Hwon realizes that Yang-myung’s mother was one such maiden. Hyung-sun confirms that the king took pity on her and brought her into the palace.

The prince is quick on the uptake and zeroes in on what’s important: it all rests on the queen dowager, who will surely pick Minister Yoon’s daughter Bo-kyung to be his wife. He goes straight to his father, and pleads for him to go over the queen dowager’s head. But the king declares that there are some things even a king cannot go over.

Prince Hwon asks for a fair selection process, so as to stop the line of royal power in one clan. (You wouldn’t think it’d be a crazy thing to ask to participate in choosing your own wife, but it’s not something that’s considered his domain.) We don’t hear the king’s answer, but later, the prince sends Hyung-sun to fetch a Sungkyunkwan scholar in secret.

Yang-myung arrives to see the king, and reminds him of his promise to let him marry Yeon-woo. The king says he promised no such thing, just that he’d think about it. Growing panicked, Yang-myung asks if this is why Prince Hwon’s marriage proceedings have been hurried – has he perhaps asked to marry the same girl?

The king simply says that if she’s selected, then she’s selected. But Yang-myung blurts out that everyone knows Bo-kyung has been groomed to be the queen, so what happens to Yeon-woo? “If she is not chosen, can I marry her then?”

The king roars back angrily – he knows that if she isn’t chosen from the final group that she is still the prince’s woman. Yang-myung knows only too well what fate that means for Yeon-woo, and asks how he can sit by and let that happen to her. Ugh, you’re already breaking my heaaaaaaart. I love that he doesn’t care and would marry her anyway.

The king tells him in no uncertain terms that he will consider it treason. Damn, are you really gonna turn both your sons into tragic romeos for one girl?

Yang-myung storms out in tears, and has a vision of his childhood days with Prince Hwon. He says in voiceover, addressing Little Prince in his memory:

Yang-myung: Don’t laugh that way, Crown Prince, you who takes so easily in your hands everything I have tried to have, everyone I have ever wanted. Please stop smiling that way. So that I can freely hate you…

And then imaginary Little Prince trips and falls, and without a second thought, Yang-myung runs to catch him, forgetting his angry tears. Gah, that kills me. He looks up into the child’s eyes as he continues in voiceover: “If you can’t allow even that, then please quiet this violent wind that is blowing through my heart.”

Oh just stab me in the heart, why don’t you. It would hurt less.

The king is not entirely cold, feeling heavy-hearted over Yang-myung’s visit. He decides to go see Princess Min-hwa to comfort himself with her laughter.

But she’s busy staking out her crush, and primps as she sets herself in Yeom’s path. But he absentmindedly walks right past her, deflating her grand entrance. She won’t be deterred that easily though, and runs to block his path with arms wide open.

She gives him the bracelet she made and asks if he has a wife. He says no, and she literally squeals. Ha. How about a girlfriend? Nope. She jumps up and down. Ha, this guy’s getting two love declarations in one day, and from siblings, no less?

She tells him that she’s the one who got the riddle right – the eyelid one – and demonstrates. He smiles at her, and she gets struck dumb in the middle of her sentence, “You’re pretty…” Ha. She runs off in embarrassment.

She finds the king approaching her chamber and she starts to run to his open arms, but then stops mid-way, choosing for the adult, regal greeting instead. She tells him that she’s not a child anymore, and her father laughs heartily.

She sits him down to tell him that she wants to marry Yeom, which is kind of hilarious, just because the king’s had a full day of all his children requesting to be married to Minister Heo’s kids, one right after the other.

He tells her that she can’t because Yeom is someone destined for greater things. She doesn’t get it – if he’s so awesome, then that makes him an even better match for her. The king explains that marrying her would keep him from being a civil servant, in essence trapping him from serving the greater good with his outstanding skills. Aw, harsh lesson for the little princess.

She gasps, asking if that means she has to marry someone ugly and stupid. Ha. The king says no, she just can’t marry Yeom, because he’s someone destined to guide the future king. She wails that she won’t marry anyone but him, and her father sternly tells her no. He softens to explain gently that marrying Yeom is like breaking off his wings, and there is no more tragic a fate than that.

Well gee, daddy dearest, wouldn’t it be nice if you could transfer that same logic over to his sister Yeon-woo? I know, not in this century. But the parallel is clearly on purpose – when it’s Yeom, it’s considered a tragedy, but when it’s Yeon-woo, it’s just a fate she’s supposed to accept.

Yeom comes home that night and finds Seol practicing her sword skills in the yard. She quickly hides the practice sword behind her back, but he tells her that she’s getting better. He tells her to look up at his face, and asks if there were a woman who looked just like him, who would it be? I’m beginning to think you’re not so smart, genius.

Seol says Yeon-woo, of course, and he confirms his suspicions. He sits Yeon-woo down to ask how the prince even knows her, and if she feels the same way. She doesn’t deny it, and says she understands her brother’s worry, but has no plans to back out.

He warns her that if people find out about the prince’s feelings for her, she could become a sacrificial lamb (in the clans’ war for power). He tells her to feign sick and be dismissed from the selection process, but she refuses. She confesses that her heart already belongs to the prince. Yeom’s heart sinks.

Prince Hwon has Sungkyunkwan’s class president dragged to the palace in the middle of the night for a secret meeting. He reminds him of a Sungkyunkwan scholar’s duties to guide the nation, and asks pointedly if he thinks it right that the selection of his wife be used by one family to secure power.

The next day the scholar leads the other students in a demonstration outside the palace walls. They send their protests to the king. As the king reads their scrolls, we flash back to the rest of his conversation with the prince.

Prince Hwon had declared it an abuse of power, and asked that a change begin with the selection of his bride. What cracks me up is that I do believe that the prince feels strongly about egalitarianism, but it’s not exactly the purest motive here. I mean, he wants to marry one specific girl, though yes, in a larger sense what he’s fighting against is the queen dowager’s clan continuing a line of power through his marriage.

The king had asked to be convinced, and now back in the present, he smiles to himself, impressed at the prince’s tactic of mobilizing Sungkyunkwan scholars to move the king. The student demonstration lasts for days, and the royal assembly debates the matter.

Many argue that the king oughtn’t bend his ear so easily, but Minister Heo speaks up that a king should not take the representatives of his people lightly, adding that if the law is just, it will not be toppled by their protests.

The king answers that he has considered the scholars’ arguments, and reached a decision. He declares that the selection of the queen-to-be will ruled fairly, and by a council of four, adding that the entire process will be moved outside of the queen dowager’s domain, essentially stripping the her of her monopoly claim.

She comes storming in to argue with the king, and insists that her choice for queen was because she chose the right girl, not by blood but by her own virtues. The king answers that the girl should hold up fine then, if that’s the case. HA.

She fumes at his insistence on circumventing her, but he counters that the people are united in this, and they cannot be ignored – “There are more than just fathers by blood. If the king is the father of the people, then the people are the father of the king.”

Furious, she reminds him that she and her clan have protected his right to the throne. She asks if he’s forgotten, but he somberly says he hasn’t, and how could he? Flashback to Minister Yoon killing his brother in cold blood.

Trembling, he reminds her point-blank that he could never forget what horrible thing she and Minister Yoon did to Prince Uiseong to secure his crown. She stirs in shock to realize how much he knows.

She screams that if he’s known this whole time, he really shouldn’t forget what he owes her, for keeping his hands blood-free. Yeesh. Well that’s ONE way to look at it, but I can think of a few more, lady.

He tells her not to extend her greed any further. Damn. I know it’s a long ways from her final comeuppance, but it’s still satisfying. But mostly at this point it’s just fuel for the villainous fire, because who knows what scheme she’ll come up with now.

Yeon-woo’s mother trains her for the big day, hilariously teaching her to bow by falling with a loud thump and eat her noodles with a slurping sound, and declare her hobbies as reading and writing, not silly things like needlepoint. Yeon-woo laughs, totally onto Mom’s thinly-veiled attempt to get her disqualified in round one.

Yeon-woo tells her that no matter what, she wants to make her father proud, and tells Mom not to worry. Mom just hugs her tight with a long sigh. The next day the royal proceedings begin, as young ladies file into the palace from far and wide to greet the king.

Yang-myung comes by to see Yeon-woo late that night, dressed in travel clothes. She starts to snap at him for coming by so late, but then sees that he’s leaving again. He says he just came to see her face before he goes, and leans in to take a good look.

He mutters that he’s got a good look at her ugly face now, so he can go. Keh. She asks if he’ll return this time. That stops him in his tracks, and he turns, “Do you want to come with me?” *gasp*

He tells her that Bo-kyung will be chosen as the queen, and at best Yeon-woo will be the king’s concubine, or forever forbidden from entering the palace, and forced to live alone. “If you want to run away, if you wanted to… I could throw away my birthright, my name, and protect you.”

Swoon. Could he be any sweeter? She doesn’t think he’s serious, and tells him that his joke has gone too far. He heartbreakingly laughs and agrees with her. He asks if she doesn’t have any regrets about the road she’s chosen. Without hesitating, she says no.

So he gives her a good cheer about sending Bo-kyung down with one blow, and playfully flicks her on the forehead one last time, and walks away. He runs into Woon on his way out, waiting for him.

Yang-myung tells him that he’s leaving again: “This tree wants to stay in place, but the wind keeps blowing. Before I fall or break, it’s time to go.” Woon can’t argue, knowing what he’s up against with the king.

Yang-myung looks up at the sky, “But that moon, no matter where I go, it’ll follow me, won’t it?”

Ten days later, we’re down to three bachelorettes in the final round. The king sits them down for a question: if they were to express what the king is in terms of money, what would be his worth?

The first girl answers a hundred thousand, no a million nyang, stammering that she doesn’t know money very well. Bo-kyung answers that there is no such silver on this earth to measure up to the king’s greatness – that he should ask her again when they have figured out a way to measure the height of the sky or the depth of the ocean. The queen dowager smiles.

Yeon-woo’s answer? One nyang. Everyone gasps.

Prince Hwon tries to distract himself with archery as the proceedings go on, but he keeps missing his target. Finally Hyung-sun comes running up. The prince prods him for the verdict…

The bride-to-be bows to the queen dowager, and raises her head. It’s Yeon-woo. Gah, I’ve never been so relieved in my life. The king and queen look on with smiles at the princess, their future daughter-in-law, pleased. The queen dowager accepts the bow with a rigid expression, fuming on the inside.

Flashback to Yeon-woo’s answer – that to someone who has ten thousand nyang, one nyang might not mean very much, but the poor know the full worth of one precious nyang. The king is that one nyang, precious to all, and especially to those who have nothing. Moreover the worth of one nyang is equal among all people – that is, he is the same king to rich or poor.

Princess Min-hwa continues on a hunger strike, convinced she’d rather starve to death than not marry Yeom. She’s so cute. She wails and cries, pleading with anyone who will listen, to mother, to grandmother, to change the king’s mind.

Shaman Nok-young looks out at the night sky to see an ominous dark cloud descend over the moon.

Yeon-woo takes up residence in the Silver Moon Building until the royal wedding. Her new attendant leaves her a handkerchief, saying that she’ll need it, and leaves her for the night. Once alone, Yeon-woo realizes how much she misses her mother, and starts to cry.

She reaches for the handkerchief, realizing that this is what she meant, and cries into it. But when she opens it, there’s a message inside from Prince Hwon: “You aren’t crying because you miss your family, are you? If you are, look outside your window.”

She opens it up to find him looking up at her. She quickly tells him that it’s not allowed and closes it back up, only to be disappointed when he disappears like she asked. She comes running out to find him, where he’s standing there ready, with a little makeshift theater.

He smiles, “Are you done crying now?” So cute. He assures her that he got special permission from the king, and points to her seat. Hyung-sun’s head pops up in the box, along with puppets of the prince and Yeon-woo, and her face lights up.

Nok-young gets called to see the queen dowager, who orders her to kill Yeon-woo. Nok-young reminds her that she serves the king, and now Yeon-woo is someone whom she is to protect. But the queen dowager calmly threatens Seongsucheong, the shamans’ domain, which would lose all power if she pulled her support.

She orders her to use her black magic to kill Heo Yeon-woo. She stumbles back to her room in a daze, asking Ahri if she herself was the dark force threatening Yeon-woo. What is she supposed to protect – Seongsucheong, or Yeon-woo?

She falls to the ground, and then ends up back at the same grave from her previous vision. A red ribbon marked with the characters for “two,” “human,” and “labor,” makes her gasp she lets it fall from her hand. The characters disappear and then reappear together as one character – for “shaman” – and flies out of her hand and into the sky.

As Prince Hwon and Yeon-woo watch the puppet show, Nok-young repeats the same destiny she saw for Yeon-woo – that she will suffer for being too close to the sun, but is fated to stay by its side. “Do I have no choice but to kill her?”

 
COMMENTS

It seems clear from her vision that Nok-young will be the one to change Yeon-woo’s path from princess to shaman. The converging of the characters is a way to indicate that she needn’t choose Yeon-woo or Seongsucheong, but that making her a shaman is a way to save both. It’s a fate we knew from the beginning, but it still kills me that they gave us this glimpse of what could have been – that she was rightfully chosen to be the queen and could have had such a different life. Though it’s bittersweet, I like the setup of having her chosen, of giving her a rightful place, before ripping it away from her. It’s crueler, but dramatically much more powerful.

Though the moon/sun symbology is already growing tiresome (really, we geddit), the character parallels are moving, beyond the simplistic metaphors. The fate of the son who loses everything to his brother simply because of his birthright is tragic, sure, but the fact that Yang-myung loves that brother despite it all is what breaks my heart and makes me love the character.

What I like about this drama is that every political machination has a direct relationship to our core characters, so that nothing feels outside of the central conflict. It’s something I encounter rarely in sageuks, where there’s often entire subplots of moving little characters into position for what seems like forever, until the real plot emerges. Here everyone is pointed directly at the central conflict of the moment, and each character has a different set of interests to protect. It keeps everything moving along swiftly, and makes nothing feel extraneous.

Despite the tragedy that awaits, I love how well-suited Prince Hwon and Yeon-woo are for each other. They each approach the problem of their union by appealing to the same belief in what the king means to the people. It shows a similar understanding of the world, despite their vastly different backgrounds, and as the Sungkyunkwan scholar murmurs to himself during the student demonstration, it bodes well for the future king. As it is for Yeom, perhaps Hwon and Yeon-woo’s love is something that will be sacrificed for the greater good, though of course the dreamer in me holds out hope.

 
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yayy it's up, thank you girlfriday !!

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AAAAAA, I'm officially obsessed by Lee Min Ho, not to mention I have already adored Jung Il-woo ;__;

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Thank you Girlfriday!!! I am in LOVE with this drama!!

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seconded!!

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my cheekbones hurt from smiling from the cute in this episode. but yangmyung, he's going to tear my heart to pieces... i can't wait until i see the older version of the characters and yet i really want them to continue with the young cast.. sigh.

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Actually, both of them will be heartbroken.
This drama is so good till now not only because the politics goes around one plot, but the funny parts make it easier to watch and fill.
Lee Hown in so funny when he shows us he's in love, but serious when he fights for his right to choose his wife <3

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sad sad,I already have a heavy heart for Yangmyung....but must watch this show to see Jeong Il woo's acting ability inspite of delicate sadness I now feel with him, for him.....

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Yang Myung, my god. He hurts me so much.

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i agree with you too. i always smile because of their cuteness ahh~
and i also want them to continue the young cast..
they are just soo cute ^^

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WAH. Thank you so much for the recap! I feel like next week's episodes will be... hard to watch T.T

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thank you for the recap...
i'm waiting to download this episode and your recap give me a bit peace in my mind...

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This show is so beautiful, whether its the people, the scene or the way its shot! Thankyou so much for your recap I really gotta start watching this!!

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ksdafj;lsjdfkl;ajfdkla;fj

SO GOOD. YangMyung totally stole my heart his episode. When he started to panic in front of the King because he realized that he was going to lose YeonWoo, I immediately thought back to his happy smile when the King promised to think over his marriage and my heart just stopped beating. He's a great actor. :D

But the best part of this episode goes to Hwon and his romantic side. I couldn't stop laughing when I saw his servant on the roof. So hilarious!

NEXT WEEK! The middle of the sixth episode is when the adult cast will come out. Of course before that we have to see YeonWoo lose her family and become a shaman which I can bet will not be a peaceful, painless process. I don't want to let go of my happy - not yet. I was more YeonWoo and Hwon time!

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I agree with everything you said. Also, where do you find out these little bits of (precious) information? xD I also feel so bad for Yang-myung. It's not often I have second lead syndrome (since I know how it's gonna end up, so there's no point in shipping the other pairing) but Lee Min-ho is already tearing my heart out. Not to mention that Jung Il-woo would also force bucketfuls of tears to pour out and drown my computer...

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yay..thanks!
i adore hyung sun..lol..love the eunuch to pieces. what a predicament for the king to have all his children wanting to marry, with the two boys wanting the same girl..aigoo.

as much as I feel for yan-myung, hwon totally won me in this episode for all his cutesy.. now i'm aboard for a hwon-yeon woo romance..

but then there are the impending heartaches and power maneuver that's looming around the corner, so much angst in the story that makes me just keep on wanting more and more.. not to count the cuteness..

I love you moonsun ^uu^

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lol.. i might take back my words one time after another.. just so right now, em still torn between hwon and yan-myung.keh. where should my heart be, to a cute puppy love or to a sweet and heartbreaking one....aishh..

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Thanks for the episode recap girlfriday! Now I have something to look forward to reading during my lunch break tomorrow =o)

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just finished watching the raw episode....thanks for the fast recap!!!now is time to go back and found out 80% of what is happening...but so far the cute puppy love is driving me crazy...i never knew kids can be so romantic and mature

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my heart is tearringgg, my poor yangmyung

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Actually, I thought this episode was rather slow. Or maybe it's because we all know that the Impending Tragedy is around the corner? I'm kinda hoping for all of it to happen already (but I don't want the child actors to go!), and somebody smack that old grandma!

My heart breaks for Yang Myung. Yeom and Minhwa are adorable!

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"...and somebody smack that old grandma!"

XD That really made me laugh. Seriously, because of a few people like her, a lot of bloodshed always comes to pass, when the majority just wants peace! D:

Why can't she just live out her life, happy that her family's still alive and be with them in contentment? Oh well ^^'

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Yang-myung, why be so perfect?

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Just googled him. He's perfect in reality too... MY AGE! bingo ;)

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I already know I will cry a bucket of tears for Yang-myung... *sigh. Why do the second leads have to be sooooo damn perfect!!!! :(

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Nok-young, please don't kill her. Please....
But my goodness, it will contribute so much to the plot....

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Currently just reading the recaps until the adult cast gets on, then I'll watch everything from ep.1.

Honestly, even though I was excited to watch this before it aired (because of the male leads), I felt a little bored when it started even with the great recaps. I feel like this is the first one to get me interested/invested in the characters. Meanwhile, I'm just biding my time by rewatching SKKS & TPM.

Thank you for the recaps. ;)

(P.S.: So sad about WR's ratings - love both LDW & LSY)

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I gotta say that it's the opposite for me: the child actors got me interested, and boy the got me hooked.

P.S. Agree on the ratings for Wild Romance. It's a hoot. Maybe it might become a mania drama.

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Yang-myung, why so adorable? I am hoping for some kind of happiness for you.

Hwon and Yeon-woo? Fighting!

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I NEED EP. 5 TO COME, LIKE, NOW. <3

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This episode was so heartbreaking :(

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"It seems clear from her vision that Nok-young will be the one to change Yeon-woo’s path from princess to shaman. The converging of the characters is a way to indicate that she needn’t choose Yeon-woo or Seongsucheong, but that making her a shaman is a way to save both. It’s a fate we knew from the beginning, but it still kills me that they gave us this glimpse of what could have been – that she was rightfully chosen to be the queen and could have had such a different life. Though it’s bittersweet, I like the setup of having her chosen, of giving her a rightful place, before ripping it away from her. It’s crueler, but dramatically much more powerful."

How exactly could Yeon-Woo be "changed" into a shaman? Is it done supernaturally or is she to be ousted as princess and live as a shaman? I'm not sure I understand WHY she has to become a shaman. I'm not sure how that would protect her...

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I'm assuming that her death will be staged and she'll assume another, new identity as a shaman- most likely under the watchful eye of Nok-young. Hence Yeonwoo's "other name", Wol, which means moon (giving more to the whole two suns two moons mantra). This way Seongsucheong would be saved while also preserving YW's life.

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I love the young cast, I would probably watch the whole drama with kim yoo jung in it.

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Ah! Thank you for the recap... it clears up the more difficult conversations. :)

I will definitely miss the younger actors... i would watch a whole drama on them too...

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just a question,

what happens to a shaman if the king falls in love with her?
i know for a servant/maid the highest rank possible is a royal concubine.
the queen must be of noble birth right?
and according to blue's translations - shamans are considerate even lower than servants.
but she was already betrothed to the king and she is of noble birth - so will she be able to regain her place in the palace? oh boy, i am thinking way ahead. haha.

what i fear about this drama is an extension (which is very possible with the great ratings) and a weak ending. I have seen SungKyungKwan Scandal twice yet I have never managed to watch the ending because it just dragged on. But from those who watched I heard it was extremely disappointing. I hope this drama doesn't end up like that.

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Honestly, I am kinda scared to start watching this drama. I hate to cry and I am sure with the way the story is going, I'd probably be crying buckets of tears.

I hate to cry but small things can make me cry so easily... hahay...

:(

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Yeo Jin-goo really has grown up to become a really charismatic actor. Many people are probably swooning over little Lee Min-ho and Siwan but it's Yeo Jin-goo that really held my attention with his fabulous acting. The eyes!!! U know all those different emotions that I see in his eyes!!

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Agree. Yeo Jin-goo resembles little Hyun Bin.

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kekeke.. he does.. and he also reminds me of joong ki when he grins~ >.<

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Yeo Jin Goo really held my attention!! he is a great actor with the superb acting skills!! I knew he was good because he also showed really good acting in the drama Giant, but in this drama, he is just fabulous!!

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True, true! :) I'm really impressed Yeo Jin Goo's excellent acting in any dramas since that drama "Ijimae", yups yups! I am sure that he will become so famous and capture by girls' eyes because of his charms, mm. Also, he is probably same as my top favorite actor Jae Hee, of course. ;)

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nooooooooooooooooooooooo :( why change her waaaaaaai?
I want her to be the queen. I so loved this show but whu so hearbreaking waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai :'(

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Thanks for posting.

Your recaps make me eager to watch. I'll wait for a few more episodes before I begin.

I hate to hear that Wild Romance is getting a beating in the ratings. I'm watching it and finding it great fun. I hope it picks up viewer in Korea soon.

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i just realized... its ROYAL FAMILY ALL OVER AGAIN! LOL Nokyung & the King were the 1st son/daughter-in-law of the Dowager Empress in RF. :D sick. then again, not surprised. the director of RF is directing this right? LOL

i'm hooked on this drama. can't wait for the adult versions to step in XD

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Me. ~~~running across the room to grab girlfriday into a (platonic) yet love-soaked HUG of gratefultness.
(Your speed in recapping astounds me, because it's not only FAST ~it's GOOD.)
Thank you so much.

I officially have a SHOW*CRUSH (TM)

The tender, yet powerful, way these young actors are setting the story is so impressive. I expect to see all of them grow into 'the acclaimed actors of the future'...each of them *owns* their character so adeptly.

* The cheesy (delightful) side grins of Prince Hwon when he KNOWS he's done something romantic. Self-impressed and adorable is a hard thing to pull-off, but he's 'moon-struck' (sorry, had to go there)

*Princess Min Hwa - she is a Fantastic wild-card, so open & funny. I will be dreadfully disappointed if they phase her out during the adult part of the saga.

* More Woon please...he makes my eyes happy.

....I could go on...2012 is starting out very well for me and my Kdrama obsession ~oh yeah. ❤

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Thanks for the recap. I thought of "heart breeeeeeeeaaaak" from Greatest Love where you wrote about about Yang-myung's dialogue with the king being heart-breaking. haha

I am very interested in how the characters will translate from the child actors to the grown up versions. Will their grown up counter parts show the same emotion and playfulness? From the sound the recaps I read, you and javabeans have faith they will. I look forward to watching it.

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It's been a long day. I'm still holding out watching this week's eps for 720p version. Hope those torrents are up by now. Ya'know, I still don't feel I'm missing their adult counterparts in any way so far. There were some peeps wanting the adult actors to take up more eps but I kinda like this pace we're heading so I haven't changed my mind favoring the adults more. How about you?

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it's hard to keep from squealing while watching this episode! Although, from the character descriptions, Kim Soohyun is going to play a really cold king due to losing his betrothed. So sweet and heartbreaking. I do love Yangmyung and wish for his happiness, but Yeonwoo is not for him. It doesn't help that we have such a strong second (Lee Minho/Jung Ilwoo).

Ugghhh, I'm going to be in agony for this whole series aren't I? Hehe, I'll enjoy it all the more :P Who's with me! Til the bitter end!

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i want yeom and seol to be a pair so bad after seeing that short scene of both of them together...somehow i want them to be together more than i want the main pair to be. yeom-seol pair have cute chemistry...especially when yeom tell him to look at her. really hate that cry baby princess character....and yeom doesnt seems to be interested in her too...so hope there will be more development with yeom seol soon

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ditto... even i thought, yeom & seol??? but then i thought, maybe they'll go for woon and seol, since he's lower ranking than his other friends and similarly good in martial arts... so...

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Girlfriday - thanks for the recap!
Just like you, I was captured by the character Yang-myung. How can it be so unfair just because your mother is the crown princess!?
Anyway, I read somewhere online that Yang-myung will die to protect either his brother Hwon or Yeon-woo (I'm not sure about this but he dies anyway - he really loses everything including his life!) in the novel which this drama is based on. Hope the writers give Yang-myung a better ending in the drama than the one in the novel!

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thanks for the spoiler...

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Didn't the actor who acts as "Yang-Myung" here acted as a young lord in Revenge of the Gumiho? Same with the actress who is acting as Yeon-Woo.

He didn't get the (same) girl in Revenge of the Gumiho either.

poor thing! waaaa

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Thanks for recapping this drama, Girlfriday!:-)

I'm actually wondering... if Lee Hwon would give up Yeon Woo... if he would have known that his brother loves. Would his love for his brother be huge enough to give him the girl he loves??

That would be interesting to know. Hmmm...

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I have had this feeling since the end of the second episode that the king is being cruel to yang-myung more to protect him than out of indifference. I mean, if he was to be loved or even be the recipient of the King's favor, there would arise a chance of him becoming the target of political sabotage like the king's brother faced.

His brother died around the time that Hwon is supposed to be born, so its natural that it would seem like the king's dislike of yang-myung started when his legitimate son was born. Right?

And Thank you for the Recap!

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yang myung my heart breaks... man my second lead biase syndrome keeps growing stronger lately.. gah.. im just dumbstrucked at his character i like his thinking he is wise i feel in his thoughts but he doesnt let it outward let it show. omg pls pls make him have a decent ending. thanks so much for the recaps!! love this drama.

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gutta be patient with sakeuks (took two episodes to really enjoy it for me) but i'm loving it now. totally rooting for yang-myung...like, no joke from the very beginning. fuuuuuu this second-lead syndrome. i'm totally gunna bawl my eyes out when yang-myung goes through that ultimate heartbreak at the end :(

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we all know that this drama's going to put us in an emotional wringer right?! I wish it would just end right there and then, when they were watching the puppet show, because we all are aware of what's coming for them and there's no way of stopping it! arhg~ the cruelty, i have to brace myself tight.
thanks for the great recap!

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These kids are just sooooo adorable!!! except for Bo kyung (sorry, I'm totally hating her character. I'm prejudiced right now.) oh, this puppy love is just the cutest thing ever!!! The prince and Yeon-woo look good together. But, I expect the worst and It's tormenting me! Oh! destiny is just so cruel!

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this is good news for that child actor playing the role of Bo kyung,,,,if she stirs up the emotion of hatred towards the person she portrays, it means she is trully playing her role right...

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my hearts goes to yang myung ~~~ its break my heart seeing that he could never win yeon woo heart even when they grew up n meet again !
i cant wait to meet the grown up~~ but i will sure miss the little actor & actress dearly~~

hope that the story could go on strong till the end!

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The main girl so cute. She's good in acting too. I've seen her in two saeguk so far, one is this one and the other one she as the Gumiho kid (KBS) last year.

She gonna be like Moon Geun Young when she grow up (maybe).

Can't wait for Kim Soo Hyun!

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Oh my! Didn't expect that ending!

Thanks GF!

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the whole time i was just sulking that one young pretty little thing could have the hearts of the king and his half brother wanting to move mountains for her. but she is such an amazing character i can't really complain. the child actors are so damn wonderful, but i'm so impatient to see what'll happen now.

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Ok, I'm looking at the tea leaves in my cup and they say: Mmmmmmmmm......Nok-young will give her a magic potion, she will 'die' and be buried, Nok-young will dig her out, smuggle her away and raise her in a cave or mountain. Oh, and all her memories will be erased.

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Right on. I wish Older Yeon was player by Park Shin Hye or Lee Dae Hee. Han Ga In looks like stone to me

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agree with you, han ga in is really unique and pretty to look at, and I think her innocent and pure look does resemble yeon woo, but her acting never moved me....hopefully she can improve here and change my mind.

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thanks for the recaps, JB and GF. really appreciate it :)

and sigh.... another heartbreaking second lead syndrome :(

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love the child actors and can't wait for the grown ups but i can't help but feel hesitant towards Han Ga In playing YW she tends to suck the life out of things.

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that drama is so awesome... It's been quite a long time since I've been into a drama so much...
Yangmyung is breaking my heart... I wish there was a scene with him and Yeonwoo doing sth romantically (Like hiring a servant to throw flower petals from the roof hahhaha)
Oh my god, the second lead syndrom... it's striking me so hard T_T
Anyway I do love the prince as well, but minho has my heart hihihi

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