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The King 2 Hearts: Episode 18

I love a drama that deepens the conflict as we go. So many shows will spin their wheels in the final stretch to just prolong the inevitable, but here we launch into a whole new conflict, as the final battle begins to unfold. And I swear, it feels like a reward just for me, but bromance takes center stage, and it is awesome.

SONG OF THE DAY

King 2 Hearts OST – Taeyeon – “미치게 보고싶은” (Miss You Like Crazy) [Download]

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EPISODE 18 RECAP

Hang-ah stumbles into a building to ask the couple inside if she can make one international phone call. The man inside eyes her warily, noting her accent and her bloody arm, and tells her to wait. He goes in the back, while his wife pours her a cup of tea.

Grateful, Hang-ah takes off her watch and puts it on the table. The woman gives it back, and then warns, “Run away, now! Hurry!” But it’s too late – as soon as she stands up to go, police officers march in to arrest her. Damnit.

She gets hauled off to be investigated as a North Korean fugitive, and when she gives her name, the guy just laughs, “The Kim Hang-ah who’s engaged to the king of South Korea? Yeah right.” HA. There is a certain irony to fame working against you.

The guy in charge gets a call from Bong-gu, who assures them that they should by all means follow their protocol… but there’s nothing to stop them from, say, detaining her a little longer, is there?

He reminds them that he didn’t not kill Hang-ah because he was afraid of them, but because she’s such a good pawn in the North-South game. Oh, ’cause I thought you couldn’t kill her because she escaped from your cookie fortress.

Hang-ah rattles the cage in her jail cell, asking when she’ll get to see a doctor for her arm. The guard tells her she’ll be transferred in a week, and the doctor will treat her then. A week? For a bullet wound? Though she’s more concerned about where she’ll be transferred to than anything.

Despite the injured arm, she spends her time working out like the badass soldier that she is, always preparing for her escape.

She finally sits down to rest, a wave of despair about to hit her, but suddenly Jae-ha’s hand appears on her shoulder. With her bruised and battered hand, she reaches out to touch it.

She looks up and suddenly he’s there, sitting right beside her, his arm around her shoulders. He smiles and she looks up at him with tear-filled eyes.

He wraps both arms around her tightly, and she closes her eyes. They sit like that for just a moment, and then he fades, leaving her sitting there with her hand on her own shoulder.

Man, it’s that moment he fades that really stabs you in the heart. Beautifully played. I like this vision even more than his a few episodes back, because it’s wordless but delivers a stronger impact.

She opens her eyes to find him gone. A tear falls, and she holds her hand to her heart as she sinks back.

Meanwhile, Jae-ha pursues his plan of attack: prosecuting Bong-gu in the International Criminal Court.

Secretary Eun heads out to his fishing spot and stops in his tracks to see Shi-kyung waiting there for him. He stands there with a smile on his face. It’s enough for Dad to know how he feels.

I’m glad Shi-kyung isn’t totally broken, but the reconciliation does come too fast for me—you were just sobbing in the pouring rain, remember? These are all things I want for them, but paced waaay way slower.

They sit down and Shi-kyung says that he always found Dad difficult. He knew what Dad wanted of him, but also that he could never deliver on those expectations. So he was always scared of him.

He says that’s probably why he screamed at him—to make up for all the complexes Dad gave him. “But I’m happy now. I think I can finally be independent of you.” Good for you.

He tells Dad not to think that anything he does is because of him. He repeats Jae-ha’s words: “You’re you, and I’m me.” So no matter what he does, it’s his choice. Hm, that sounds like dangerous martyr talk to me. Don’t you go doing anything stupid, ya hear me?

They have a nice father-son bonding moment over fish, or lack thereof, and laugh and smile together.

But then Dong-ha bursts into Jae-ha’s meeting to warn him that Shi-kyung is trying to go to China anyway. Drat. I KNEW you were being too smiley for a regular day! He gets yelled at by his commanding officer, and just replies, “I haven’t once taken vacation days, so I’m just going to use them.” Ha. Did you really think that would work??

It doesn’t, so then he takes out his resignation letter. What? You’re quitting to go be a hero? Dong-ha tries to stop him as he packs up his things, but his mind’s made up. Dong-ha sighs, “You can’t leave the country anyway.”

OH. SNAP. Did Jae-ha put you on a no-fly list? HAHAHA.

He storms into Jae-ha’s office yelling, but the secretary tells him no one’s allowed inside. He can only talk from outside the door. Hee.

Shi-kyung says that they have to do this to make sure Bong-gu appears in the International Criminal Court, otherwise mounting a case against him does no good. Jae-ha counters that he has plenty of super secret spies he can send in to do that job.

But Shi-kyung asks what happens when Bong-gu kills all those agents. Bong-gu knows that Shi-kyung is Jae-ha’s right-hand man. That means that for the sake of driving Jae-ha crazy, he’ll keep Shi-kyung by his side. Damnit, stop making sense!

He yells, “Why can’t I go? Because I’m your friend? If it’s that then don’t worry. I have never once thought of you as a friend!”

W-wu-wuh? Nooooooo! We survived this long without noble idiots in this drama, and now you’re telling me the bromance is going there? Take it back! You ARE FRIENDS! You are! You… are… *whimper.*

He pleads with Jae-ha to be stronger than this. He turns to go, but then suddenly he swivels back, grim with determination. He yells, “Lee Jae-ha!” OMG. Did you just call the king by name? In banmal?

“Go ahead and spend the rest of your life in there, looking for friends! Because Kim Hang-ah is gone, you’re scared of losing me too, aren’t you? I’ve long let go of my guilt. So GET IT TOGETHER!”

That was so awesome. That gets Jae-ha out of the room right quick. He fumes, “Lee? Jae? Ha?

Shi-kyung: “You said we were friends.” HEE. I love Quippy Comeback Bot best of all. Jae-ha roars, calling him a bastard.

But then Shi-kyung just stares with his super earnest puppy eyes, and Jae-ha caves with a sigh. Perhaps this is why you weren’t allowed in the room in the first place. I love that this part of the exchange needs no words.

Shi-kyung promises (now back to formal speech), “I will return.” Jae-ha lets out a shaky sigh. I’m not even going to warn you that you’d better return, because there’s no option to do otherwise. You WILL return, gorramit.

Bromantic study montage time. They plan their mission, down to the letter, complete with A SECRET CODE. Is there a secret handshake to go with? Sometimes I really love this drama.

Jae-ha asks Shi-kyung to do one last thing before leaving—go see Jae-shin. “You know the condition she’s in. And you know her heart. No matter how frustrating you are, if you don’t know that…”

Shi-kyung: “Can I do whatever I want?” Rawr?

Jae-ha: “You mean you haven’t, till now?” Dude, you don’t even know the half of it. Shi-kyung asks if he really can, just once, treat her not as the princess but meet her person-to-person. Jae-ha corrects him: “It’s man-to-woman.”

Shi-kyung: “Can I, just this once, follow my heart, and see her?” Jae-ha doesn’t answer, and instead turns around and picks up the phone. He orders that Jae-shin be brought out to the garden, and no one allowed within two kilometers of her, “…except Eun Shi-kyung.”

Wingman for the win. He turns around, “Will that do?” Shi-kyung starts hyperventilating now that he has no excuses left.

Jae-shin gets brought outside and then they take her wheelchair away, leaving her with nothing but a picnic basket. She wonders what’s going on, and then Shi-kyung comes up the road to meet her.

She asks if he knows about the memory she recovered, “It’s like a monster, isn’t it?” She starts to cry. But he tells her that the person who gave away the Anmyundo location was his father, and he’s decided that he’s not going to let himself feel guilty about that. “Because my father is my father, and I’m me.”

He kneels down in front of her. “It’s the same for you. It was because of them. It wasn’t your fault.” He takes her hand and tells her that recovering the memory alone makes her impressive.

He says it again, “It’s not your fault.” He holds her hand as she sobs.

Then a little while later, he piggybacks her through the garden, as he tells her that he’s taking a short vacation. He says that he’ll give her some homework, and once she completes it, he’ll have returned.

“Say It’s not my fault a hundred times a day.” Aw. She tells him that he has to do the same then. They both agree. “Laugh three times a day, even if you have to force it.” He adds going to therapy diligently and practicing being in front of people, and she agrees.

They reach her wheelchair and he puts her back in it. Still kneeling, he adds one last thing: “Sing again.” She kisses him on the cheek, startling him, and asks what else.

He stands up to give his answer, and plants a kiss on her.

But his own impulsive move sends him reeling, and he steps away from her, more in shock than she is. Heh. He quickly apologizes, and she asks what for, but he feels so awkward that he just gets behind her and speed-wheels her back to the palace. Pfft. What happened to the gutsy guy who told her oppa that he was gonna do whatever he wanted? Cracks me up.

And then he berates himself in his office for losing control. That was you, losing control? Whoa there, wild child. He thinks of something and decides to write a letter. I will admit, I hope it’s to Jae-ha, but it’s probably for Jae-shin.

Secretary Eun sits at his fishing spot and this time an entire royal entourage arrives. It’s Jae-ha. He tells ajusshi about what Shi-kyung did, and starts to say that he tried to stop him, but corrects himself: “No, I sent him.”

He says he pretended to put up a fight because sending him freely made him such a bad person. But Secretary Eun sees right through the guilt parade. Jae-ha says that there’s so much to prepare for the case, and asks him to return to the palace: “Like you did for hyung, come be by my side.”

Secretary Eun looks over at him, moved and startled. Jae-ha warns that the pay will be downgraded though—times are tough. Heh. They smile, and then ajusshi says he has to seek forgiveness from one person first.

He goes to see the queen mother, to confess his wrongdoing. She already knows, but I think it’s important that he says it and seeks forgiveness. She just asks with tears in her eyes about how Jae-kang was that day, since Secretary Eun is the last person to see him alive.

He tells her that the king was happy and smiling, and she says that’s enough for her.

The good guys get a break and finally recover the video player from Jae-ha’s hostage standoff in North Korea, but it’s too damaged to recover any data. Drat.

Jae-ha sighs and turns to hyung’s portrait, “You happy?” He’s just talking, but that phrase is the one that opens up his diary recorder, which he ignores. But then suddenly, something dawns on him. Aww, yeah.

He looks up at the portrait, and then over to the table and chairs sitting across the room, and then back at the recorder. Nice. I KNEW it would come in handy that his keyword was so conversational.

The music swells. He calls Shi-kyung. Mission is on. He walks down the memorial hall and into the pressroom to make his live public announcement. The world tunes in, and so does Bong-gu.

Jae-ha announces that the late king’s death was murder, and he has the proof. He plays the video. Hell yeah. It’s a top-angle view (because it’s aimed at the desk, if you remember Jae-kang’s footage from before) but it captures both Jae-ha and Bong-gu sitting across from each other that day that he confessed to the murder.

Backtrack to that day, when Bong-gu himself had said the phrase, “You happy?” which started the recording that neither of them noticed. The reporters and the public watch, horrified, as Bong-gu lays it all out on the video—that the real reason he killed Jae-kang was because he kept him out of the country, and sent him peacefully like a drunk idiot.

He makes that shudder-inducing quueck noise, and everyone who’s watching jumps out of their skin. Man, this is so awesome. And strangely even more horrifying out of context—he just seems like a pure monster. One of the reporters asks the man’s identity, and Jae-ah confirms it. Bong-gu sits frozen in his chair.

Jae-ha: “A king is not just a king. He is South Korea itself, and its 50 million people. Club M’s John Mayer murdered those 50 million people.” And with his game face on, he declares that he’ll be prosecuting him according to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. (Specifically used to prosecute crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes, etc.)

Cut to Secretary Eun delivering their case to the court. Jae-ha continues: “We will fight. And we will capture him. We will uphold justice, and make him face the strict judgment of the law.”

Gah, goosebumps. I love a hero who fights within the system. Renegades are cool, but a king IS the system, and if he doesn’t have faith in that, his position is meaningless.

Needless to say, Bong-gu starts to panic, though he does his best not to show it. He tells his minion that it’s time to lay low, and orders him to call the prison and have Hang-ah moved.

But instead of doing that, Minion calls someone else in Club M to say that Bong-gu is now a liability. He orders a hit on Bong-gu… which Bong-gu overhears. I wish I could say that I’m surprised and shocked that you’d be betrayed by your own people, but who’re we kidding. Most of us were wondering how he lasted that long. Mia walks into the room, and minion starts crying instantly. Ha.

Shi-kyung and Dong-ha are hiding outside the compound, and Dong-ha worries about the plan, but Shi-kyung tells him to just do as he said, and pets him on the head before going in. Aw.

By the time we get back to Bong-gu, his minion’s already a dead fish. Shots ring out and they scramble, and Shi-kyung sneaks his way in. He gets into a fight with Mia, and I want him to kick her ass, but sigh, that’s not the plan, and he lets himself be captured.

She hauls onto his knees in front of Bong-gu and trains a gun to his head. Shi-kyung just tells him to kill him and get it over with. But Bong-gu thinks back to Shi-kyung’s initial rejection of rotten cookies, looks over at dead fish backstabber, and orders them to treat him well.

Shi-kyung hides his reaction, and Dong-ha watches him get hauled away from afar, crying. Aw. He calls Jae-ha to tell him that phase one is complete. Jae-ha hangs his head with a heavy sigh.

And then begins the horrible torture. They knew this going in—Jae-ha told him that he’d have to endure for an unbearably long time, otherwise giving in too quickly would seem false. I know they’re right, but aaauuuugh. They lay him on the ground and she threads a stick through his fingers, and then GRINDS his hand till his fingers break under her heel. Oof.

Hang-ah finally gets treated by a doctor in the prison. She winces from the pain, but he says it’s already healed over, so she’s overreacting. But of course it’s just a diversion…

While he turns his head to speak to the guards, she grabs him in a headlock and screams at the guards to step back. They panic and she orders the doctor to hand over his cell phone.

Jae-ha sits with Secretary Eun discussing the trial and IF YOU IGNORE THIS CALL I WILL KICK YOU IN THE NUTS. Thankfully, he answers. Hang-ah yells frantically into the phone, “Comrade Lee Jae-ha!”

She barely has time to tell him that she’s in a Chinese prison before an armed guard comes running in. He fires a shot into the air, and she drops the phone. He’s left screaming her name, not knowing if she’s dead or alive.

He tells Secretary Eun that he’s going to China right now. They rush to try and move her before the king arrives. He comes with troops both North and South (Dong-ha and Young-bae are both present).

He tells the prison’s commanding officer that a call from his fiancée originated here, and sends his men in to look for her. They search frantically, Young-bae especially falling all over the place, desperate to find Hang-ah in time.

They call out her name over and over, and then she finally hears it faintly. The guards have her somewhere removed, held at gunpoint, but she fights them off long enough to scream for Jae-ha.

He hears her, and takes off running toward the building off to the side. The agents follow. At the same time, the guards gag her and start to move her out, on the upper level.

They nearly miss each other, but then Hang-ah sees Jae-ha from behind, below her. She screams through her gag, and he hears her and comes running, and they finally lock eyes.

But they’re still moving her, and he races to catch up. She fights them off and manages to free herself long enough to run, but one of them grabs his gun and fires. Oh. Fuck.

She goes down. Jae-ha freezes just below her.

Blood drips down through the metal-grate floor to the lower level, at his feet.

He runs up the stairs as his agents secure the guards. She isn’t moving. He stumbles over to her with his head in his hands, not sure what to do, not ready to face it. He crouches down, hands shaking, and turns her over.

She looks up at him. He calls out her name like a wave of relief, and she screams from the pain. He looks down. It’s her leg. She was shot in the leg. Ohthankgoodness.

He cradles her in his arms, and she looks up and smiles, “Comrade Lee Jae-ha, it’s no big deal.” He clutches her to his chest for dear life, crying uncontrollably.

Wow, I was so wrapped up in that, I thought for sure it was the end of the episode. Man alive.

Bong-gu’s associate gives him the update and suggests they use Shi-kyung. He’s bloodied and currently enduring Chinese water torture. (Is that like a when in Rome thing?)

Bong-gu finds him being treated thusly and slaps Mia across the face. This is why you have no friends. He sits Shi-kyung down to make the offer: join his side. He seems to be playing right into their plan.

But Bong-gu is as shrewd as he is crazy, and needles Shi-kyung to take the offer as planned—after all, isn’t this a double agent mission? He points out Shi-kyung’s lack of a poker face, saying that someone with his personality isn’t cut out for mole work. I’m starting to agree. And worry.

Bong-gu says that really, Jae-ha is the bad guy for sending his friend into the enemy’s lair. I mean, he probably even pretended to put up a fight to appear less callous, but “he’s actually more ruthless [than me].”

He muses that if Jae-ha were born in a different time, he’d have slapped the faces of Yeonsangun and Nero. Ha. Shi-kyung counters that that’s all people like Bong-gu can see—what’s in front of his face.

He appeals to Shi-kyung’s vanity, asking him to set him straight then. He offers to let him get rid of anyone on his staff with a foul stench. Shi-kyung: “Aren’t you the cause of that stench?” Damn.

I love that knowing their plan doesn’t stop Bong-gu from trying to make Shi-kyung go darkside anyway. That’s HIS vanity, and they know it. Attempt #1 is a failure, but Bong-gu is determined to win Shi-kyung over. The fish is on the hook.

Hang-ah wakes up in bed (they’re still in China) and Dad scampers around to make sure she’s okay and getting rest, but she will have none of that—she asks for Jae-ha right this instant, freaking out about not wasting another minute in finding Bong-gu.

Jae-ha rushes in and she asks him, eyes wide with panic, if he has a plan for catching Bong-gu because they can’t let another minute pass with him out there. Jae-ha and Dad exchange worried looks and Dad leaves the room.

She asks again and again, and he tells her not to think about anything, and just rest. But she shakes her head no, getting more and more frantic. Tears start to fall, as she gasps, “How can I rest? Do you know what a scary person Kim Bong-gu is?”

She’s never once shown fear before this. Now I get why he and Dad were looking at each other so strangely.

He hugs her tight. “I’m sorry, Hang-ah-ya, for not protecting you. I know. I get it now, seeing you like this… how scared you were, how difficult it was for you. I know it now. I’m sorry Hang-ah-ya. I said I’d make you happy. But I’m a powerless bastard. I’m so sorry.”

She cries into his shoulder, her panic subsiding. Gah, the sight of her blue and purple hand clutching onto him just breaks my heart.

Jae-ha and Dad meet with a Chinese official who apologizes for the “incident” and Dad freaks out, but Jae-ha holds him back. He says that if they’re sorry, they can show it, by letting South Korean troops in country to catch Bong-gu.

The Chinese official in turn tells Bong-gu they’re no longer in cahoots, and orders him out of China in three hours. How perfect is it that Bong-gu’s bedroom is decorated like a child’s, full of oversized stuffed animals? It’s exactly as I pictured.

He’s short on time and moves, so he calls Shi-kyung over to make threats—what he got a taste of was Torture Lite, so if he doesn’t want to be begging to die, he should sign up for Team Blackhats.

His plan: have Shi-kyung pretend he’s succeeded in Mission Double Agent and then be a double-double agent, and feed Jae-ha false information about his whereabouts. He gives Shi-kyung time to think it over, or else he’ll end in bloody torture. And then he screams, “Why do you MAKE ME be this way?!” Yunno, I always found that to be the creepiest thing serial killers say.

Jae-ha sits with Hang-ah in bed and fills her in on everything. She freaks out at the news that he sent Shi-kyung. “That’s like entrusting a piece of meat to a tiger!” Aw, you think he’s a beefcake too?

Hang-ah: “If something goes wrong…” Jae-ha: “Then I’ll spend the rest of my life blaming myself…” He’s worried because there hasn’t been any contact, but says all they can do is wait. “We have to trust him.”

Shi-kyung’s torture just gets worse and worse, and Mia goes to town, threatening Dad and the princess like it’s Torture Christmas. Shi-kyung trembles, screaming out in pain. Did they finally do it? Did they break him?

Jae-ha gets a call. It’s Shi-kyung. He says that the plan worked and gives him the coordinates where Bong-gu will be… as Bong-gu listens. Jae-ha says their troops are arriving soon in country, so they’ll meet him there.

Shi-kyung asks if Jae-ha will come himself, but he says no—he’s found Hang-ah and she needs medical care. But Shi-kyung tells him he should come and witness Bong-gu’s capture with his own eyes, since this is what he’s been working towards. Bong-gu practically licks his chops at the king headed straight for his trap.

Jae-ha agrees and Shi-kyung gives him a place to meet. He sends Hang-ah home first, and she worries but he says it’ll be fine—it’s Eun Shi-kyung after all. He gives her a kiss and heads out.

Shi-kyung waits at an industrial plant and Jae-ha arrives, happy to see him. But Shi-kyung seems different, detached. Jae-ha asks why he’s lost so much weight, but he says nothing. We see snipers on the roof, and a bug behind Shi-kyung’s ear.

He takes Jae-ha in his own car without a security escort, and Jae-ha tries to make conversation on the way but Shi-kyung remains cryptically aloof. Hang-ah and Dad are on their way out, but she asks them to turn the car around—something doesn’t feel right.

Jae-ha and Shi-kyung arrive at a rocky cliff overlooking the ocean, and Jae-ha looks out, confused. Bong-gu is here? Shi-kyung says yes, so he follows. They climb through some rocks and come out onto the cliff, where Bong-gu is waiting with a team of gunmen.

Sitting across from each other are two thrones. One is empty, while Bong-gu sits in the other. He greets him with a smile and a bow, “Welcome, your majesty.”

Jae-ha turns slowly toward Shi-kyung…

Shi-kyung raises his gun in Jae-ha’s face.

Oh. Holy. Hell.

 
COMMENTS

AAAAUUUUUUUUUUGH. Damn is that a good ending. You finally learn how to do a cliffhanger right, just when it counts. The thing is, I still hold out faith that Shi-kyung is being a quadruple agent (or something, the math is confusing) – in that I think he and Jae-ha were banking on Bong-gu’s counter moves. This is chess, after all. Just with live pieces.

The thing that’s selling the other side though (that he really put on a black hat) is Shi-kyung’s performance, because he really did endure an insane amount of torture, and afterwards he seems hollowed out and lifeless. Even though I firmly believe he’s still got it together on the inside, seeing him that way puts everything into question. Nicely played.

No matter if this is Shi-kyung being a triple agent or not, that last image just kills me—him holding his gun out at Jae-ha like their first meeting. Before it meant nothing, but now it’s betrayal because of the friendship they’ve formed. Their relationship might honestly be my favorite thing about this drama, and if you kill that bromance, Show, I will break up with you.

I’m so glad that Jae-ha has finally made his move against Bong-gu and proud of the kind of king he’s become. He once laughed at Jae-kang for saying that the king was the people and that the throne belonged to them. He was the guy who called the royal family puppets and empty scarecrows, but in the end he puts his faith in the system and the people.

And I like the question of morality that Bong-gu raises, because after all, a king is often as ruthless and tyrannical as any mass murderer. But again that difference is people. At the end of the day, a king still answers to his people. A murderer does not. Though the system Jae-ha operates in is flawed and can be abused, it has a balance in place that keeps any one person from having too much power. Bong-gu just consumes endless power and wealth thinking that it’s enough, and is left asking why he doesn’t have what Jae-ha has. I love that it’s so simple – he has too much power to ever have what he really wants.

And Shi-kyung is the embodiment of that. He is in the purest sense the faith of the people in their king, and Bong-gu sees it. He wants it for himself like a shiny toy, thinking that possessing Shi-kyung will be the same as having his faith. The fact that Bong-gu and Jae-ha stand there on the cliff, waging war over one soldier – (besides the fact that the bromance tickles me pink) is the perfect distillation of that conflict. I didn’t think his capturing Hang-ah or Mom was anything more than a plot device, but the war over Shi-kyung feels vastly different—it’s their ideological war, and it’ll get at the heart of the central hero/villain conflict, which is exactly where I want to be before the finale.

Warning: I’ve been pretty lax about the spoiler posts in this thread, but if you post spoilers about next week’s finale (and I mean both episodes), you will get a pair of VERY CRANKY recaps from me. [Note: Proper spoiler etiquette is to mark anything even remotely spoilery in CLEAR, no uncertain terms, short of neon lights, so that anyone who doesn’t want to read it (namely ME) could see it from a mile away and swerve around your comment.] You have been warned. I hold a mean grudge, Lee-Jae-ha-style, and not the kind with revengey kisses either.

 
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thank you, gf!

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Posting this here, sorry but I want to others see it too.

I agree with you girlfriday about the SPOILERS.

Gah, I'm not even going to K2H thread on soompi to not be spoiled. I already read some spoiler there and so I stopped. I won't even read comments here because people WILL tell something, I know they will.

But how do you put neon color here? Not possible, is it?
I guess people should try to put it with lots of **********************

SPOILER SPOILER

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

***************

So we can see it far away here.

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Hi…. girlfriday

I also agree.... I hate spoilers!… I smiled after reading your warning… ^_^…. and I hope they understand your points and just behave… waiting for one week can’t be compare for how long we’ve support this drama since March…

And thanks for this recap !!!

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I'm sorry for posting this here, but we should make this visible, right? ^^

ATTENTION PLEASE!!

After consulting with trending topic specialist...the fanbase decide to do the Trending Topic, for two hours, including 70 minutes of the episode airing time. So the conclusion for TTWW is:
What: #TK2H
When: May, 24th 2012. At 21.25-23.25 KST

UTC/GMT:
12.25-14.25 GMT
Jakarta/Bangkok time:
19.25-21.25
Kuala Lumpur/Singapore Time:
20.25-22.25
Chicago-Central Time zone:
07.25-09.25
Pacific time zone:
04.25-06.25

Let's join the party!!

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Thx, been refreshing like mad

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mad indeed! the bromance between Jaeha and Shikyung is a so. damn. good. scene. "like seriuosly, i can do whatever i want to? ...you mean you haven't till now?" Jaeha is still the Jaeha i've known and cherished since the first episode.

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The bromance never fails to make me grin and giggle like crazy. I want to see those two working together again. They have fabulous on-screen chemistry.

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Haha! Me, too.

Thanks for the recaps, gf!

Why do i finally feel so sad? I guess since we're down to the last two episodes. I'm going to miss these guys. :(

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that makes the 2 of us

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3 T.T

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me 4. T___T

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Maybe we could try refreshing for the RSS feed instead to reduce usage of this site's hosting resources. Just a friendly suggestion for all DBeaners!

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And I forget, twitter!

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I am pretty ignorant. How do I use the RSS feed? And...what is an RSS feed?

Thanks!

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DB's feed:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/Dramabeans?format=xml

There is an faq there, or you will be shown subscribing options if your browser supports.

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Thank you GF! Can't wait for next week's episodes.

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I am so emotionally drained; I can’t find the words tonight. I cannot.
All I know is, my eyes are sucked of natural moisture, swollen, and contorted in different sizes.
I’m trying to wonder at which point in the episode someone decided to cleave their fists into my insides and rip out my heart.
If we can somehow find each other in this crazy whirlpooled-emotionally-drained vortex we call our home… I’d still be lost. Excuse me, while I try to find the little bit of myself I still had before I entered K2H danger zone.
So for once, I’m leaving it to you guys and GF to find the words – this show killed me tonight.

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"ilikemangoes' soul"??? LOL. so this is your speaking? oh my dear maknae, want me to call His Highness to give you CPR? or maybe SK?

I think I'm gonna need a doctor because of this episode...

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lulz, didn't even notice!! Soul, please return to our maknae's body....we're in the home stretch....mayhap you can return next Thursday!! :P

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Maknae, totally agree with you!! This show has stripped every ounce of energy....i was exhausted when I returned from my workshop. I literally ran to my room and watched the episode and thereafter was even more exhausted!!

The unspeakable torture SK went through killed me!! I was wincing & fidgeting with every guttural sound he made. I cry for the Earnest Bot's loss of innocence!! :[

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@Saima "was even more exhausted"
Glad I'm not the only one...missed the episode last night due to working night shift...got home at 5am and watched the episode...after that my mind just went blank, but after crying so much ~ it really helped me fall asleep for few hours and now I'm back waiting for the recaps and the massive comments after that :D

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I must have a very sick mind because I was thinking the torture was quite mild considering but had some creativity. Did Bon Bon actually use his own blood to do the Chinese water torture? That's kinda brilliant.

I do not think Shi Kyung lost his innocence at all and have absolute faith that boy can handle the physical trauma. t's the psychological stuff that breaks him like his father being a lying traitor and kissing the princess.

I just next episode's gonna see us doing fist pumps when he goes all Luke Skywalker on wannabe Daft Vader.

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@Saima; I hardly have some dissent sleeping time, preparing exams and watching TK2H...
As for zombi SKyung...he's faking, but torture had his effect...when Bon Bon stepped on his hand with platform shoe...ouchh...it was hard!

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OMG mangos, you are TOO FUNNY.

Also, I totally agree with you. Let's go to therapy and then go bowling. Will it help if we paste Bong-gu's face on the pins? Because the only way I can imagine reuniting with rearwindow's body is to repeatedly smash a heavy ball into Bong-gu's face.

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rearwindow, you too!! ottoeke?!!

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My soul has apparently split from my body. Soul: last seen haunting the fictional Chinese guards who beat and then shot our dear Hang-ah. Any other souls care to join it?

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ME. perhaps i can find the heart that was ripped from my chest.

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I think I have cried so much re-watching episode 17, there is nothing left. Just a hollow whole! Heart? Where are you? How are we going to survive after next week?

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If Bong Gu does not get tortured and killed, I vote we make our own army and off him off anyway.

I honestly can't believe that Jae Ha and Shi Kyung would not plan for this. Bong Gu is obviously smart, and the most obvious thing would be for him to feed false information through the mole... Because otherwise... No, there can be no otherwise, there just can't.

So I see that the no-fly list transported itself through one Korean Royal Family drama to another... both of which had Lee Sung Min and Lee Soon Jae ... a fact I just realised (yes, *very* ditzy, I know).

Oh, and before I forget: my eyes were hurting after watching the episode today, and when I went to the doctor he said that I have an eye infection and possibly a sty. The cause? Excessive crying and tear-wiping. So, TK2H, do I put you in touch with my insurance company or do they just contact you directly by now?

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Omo Nutella (love the name, btw), talk about suffering for this show! I feel like Seung-gi owes you a hug for the pain he has inflicted on you.

Also, I hope you heal quickly! Sty's are no fun. I foresee lots of warm washcloths and teabags in your future.

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*giggle* Since I had a chance to rename myself, I supposed hazlenutty-choclatey-goodness would not be too bad, thankies~

YES! A hug from LSG! That's exactly what I need... Do you think they give mouth-to-mouth for styes? They totally should... and yeah, I've taped a teabag to my eye, pirate style, so that I could type with both hands...

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HAHAHAHA. I cannot stop laughing at the image of you typing with a teabag taped to your eye. You totally win the "most dedicated commenter" award.

And yes, I definitely think that a hug from Seung-gi is the prescribed "alternative medicine" for styes. ;)

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@Nutella

hee hee. that taped teabag, pirate-style, is the funniest comment i've seen today. Oh, oh, oh! My side is hurting too much. that mental picture needs to be framed. hahahaha! that's hysterical!

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I laughed out loud, too, a the teabag/eyepatch image. Thanks, Nutella. You gave us all a laugh that was surely needed after this episode!

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Oh no Nutella. I hope your eyes get better quickly. Just one more week left so hang in there.

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*Huggles Arhazivory carefully (are styes contagious?)* I pwomise~ Just like Jae Ha and co. marched the 60 kms to victory together, we shall all march the 20 episode march together as well, the glorious end, and then have a party to celebrate~

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A K2H party would be great. I'll carry the cake. :D Hehe.

I have no idea if they are contagious but *huggles back* ^^

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Count me in for the army! haha...will make another WOC team...

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...with a secret mission to hunt and torture Bong-gu..haha :) then a party after will be more happy..haha

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We are all walking souls that will linger around this thread until the next Wednesday comes.
that week will be the best and the worst for us here at DB.
souls, unite.

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Reporting for duty*!

*Duty=aimless wandering, wailing, and gnashing of metaphorical teeth, as souls are not corporeal and therefore do not possess real teeth.

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Reporting for Duty! But err... can't we just like... err... eat until we get reunited? I mean... no corporeal body means no fat~ Bring on everything! Right guys? Guys? Guys! Don't leave me~ *moans ghostlily*

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Nutella, you are cracking me UP tonight. I'm glad I'm home alone, or else I would have to find a coherent way to explain things like "pirate stye commenter," "aimless soul pigging out at a buffet," and "ghostily moaning."

TOO. FUNNY.

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ps. I'm all up for pigging out, but I must note: I only eat the spirit of evil sadistic magic-obsessed geniuses who live in glass houses and sleep in beds built for 5 year-old boys.

But there's plenty to go around. Care for some?

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Well, see, that depends... Can we put Nutella on them?

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YES! Everything's better with Nutella! Even rotten cookies!

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Ohmylord, I just realised what we could so totally do so that we could release the spirit of evil sadistic magic-obsessed geniuses who live in glass houses and sleep in beds built for 5 year-old boys so that we could eat them. We would buy these swords, right? And then we would name it Kindness. And then we would stab them with it repeatedly, thus killing them with Kindness.

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@ Nutella's soul:

KILLING BONG-GU WITH KINDNESS.

LOVE. IT.

Pirate-tella, you are a genius.

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OMO, so many souls...
My soul is about to leave my body, too. Ottokae?
Souls, back to the bodies now! Or I'll ask Bong Gu to give each of you CPR!

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HAHAHA! why is everybody a comedian tonight? This is too funny.

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Does this mean I can float into LSG's dressing room? *evil laugh* Later guys.

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You are all hilariously wonderful TK2H people! This thread is more lively than my real life in this world! Hate that all of this will end shortly. I will surely miss the smart, fun, witty *name it all* comments/interactions in this thread. Hope to see you all again someday! :D *I can't catch up anymore with all you!* Do I need to astra project my soul too?

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It doesn't need to end... we can just keep on haunting the TK2H threads forever~

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@Nutella's Soul
But I'm afraid the GF will do a "ghostbuster" moves on us! Ottoekke *whimper*

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lol. I wonder how long the haunt of the finale thread will last. It surely can't go on forever but I get the feeling it'll last for a while and will be bookmarked. ^^

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Shiku's soul present and ready to suckerpunch Bon Bon and Bong Gu

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Otttoke?? Now we have souls everywhere, should I call Jae Ha to do CPR to all of youu??

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You know how most actors have fan-signings? I have a feeling Seung Gi will have to hold a fan-CPR-ing... Actually, they should make that mandatory for the main cast of TK2H...

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If Seung-gi's holding a fan-CPRing them I'm willing to extricate ma soul from my body. Cheap & handy, for travelling purposes as well! :D

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LOL. gosh, I'm so getting in line.

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I'd like to get CPR from Jae-Ha. *snickers*

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i was thinking of the same, Arhazivory. :) *dreaming CPR from Seungi Gi* haha

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@ilikemangos' soul & rearwindow's soul

LOL! You guys are hilarious.

But you are all correct, this episode just drained my life force and spit my soul into the abyss of that one week wait. How can 6 days feel like it's a lifetime? I'm gonna be a total nutcase before Wednesday what with that cliffhanger they decide to leave us with. Pure torture!

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Life as a disembodied soul is pretty sweet, Minea! You should join us.

We get to haunt the evil Chinese prison guards.

We feed on Bong-gu's evil cookies, of which there is a never-ending supply.

We cover them in Nutella so we can't even tell they're rotten.

And hey! No calories.

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@rearwindow's soul

I'm a little late to the party 'cause I was still recovering from the pain *waaaaah* but that threat from @Osi about Bong Gu's CPR session scared my soul too much it decided to stay put. But no worries, I'll be the necromancer so I'll keep you guys protected from Bong Gu's CPR.

Regarding the my-hatred-reaches-the-heavens-for-these prison guards. You guys do the scaring and I'll do the shooting (with special moon cake ammo guns). They need to be tortured from all sides - normal and paranormal. *cue evil laughter*

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So far the CPR seems to be an empty threat (thank all that is holy), but I will rest soundly knowing that you are there to protect us in the event that it is not. *shudders* Way to take one for the team!

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Mooncakes omnomnom... oops, were those supposed to be ammo... sawwy *looks up with puppy dog eyes* Ahwubyewdon'tkiwwme <333

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HERE I AM. ARE YOU HAPPY? GET IN LINE SO I CAN START THE CPR SESSION! WHO’S FIRST?

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@Kim Bong-gu:

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

(*flings cookies, runs away*)

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And without preview for next week...

CAN YOU HEAR ME?? NO PREVIEW FOR NEXT WEEK!!
How can this be!! Writer-nim! Kamdok-nim!

What sin had we done? We had been tortured this 9 weeks! My heart leap out at least two times in every episode, my blood pressure get low since my sleep time deprive because checking the live report & streaming, and we had endure 3, THREE!! Naked Bong Gu scenes!! Can't you just give us preview please??
At least, don't let my soul starting afloat too...

~ahhh~ I feel so light now~
Where am I?

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Oh reglest, you're too funny for words. I was giggling like a maniac. My helper probably thinks I'm crazy.

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lol. reglest~!! I think you do need CPR. Where's Jae-Ha to come give it to you?

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@crazyahjummafan:
I've been giggling like crazy this whole day, my parents even discussing do they need to bring me to psychiatrist today?

@arhazivory:
Yeah..I need that..but apparently Jae Ha is too busy appear in @rearwindow and @rearwindow's soul dream. The only reason I'm not a soul right now is because @Osi's threat of calling Bong Gu's for CPR...*afraid*

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@crazyahjummafan:
I've been giggling like crazy this whole day, my parents even discussing do they need to bring me to psychiatrist today?

@arhazivory:
Yeah..I need that..but apparently Jae Ha is too busy appear in @rearwindow and @rearwindow's soul dream in page #3 comment #109. The only reason I'm not a soul right now is because @Osi's threat of calling Bong Gu's for CPR...*afraid* let it Jae Ha..or at least Shi Kyung, but no Bong Gu please!! Jaebal~*singing Seung Gi's song*

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Uh-oh! ilikemangos's soul return to her body right now! That's per The King's royal order! We already let ShiKyung left his majesty's side so you can't go and leave us here hanging too!!! :D

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My unnis/sunbaes whom i love so much:

the only way my soul could return to my body is at the end. for the rest of the show, ilikemango's body remains still and lifeless. Kinda like how earnest look towards the end of the episode.
cpr from favorite characters are warmly accepted.

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*Anchors soul to the floor with those balloon weights and tucks body into bed, then starts calling to see who is available to give CPR* Right, we have one week, let's try and fit as many CPR sessions as we can... they can practice on me before they actually do it on you if they so wish xP

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You guys are so funny! I'm so gonna miss y'all!

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Yea, me too. Lol in the staff room now. Glad no one's around. But I think my colleagues have given up on me. Every chance I get, I on this thread.

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"Every chance I get, I on this thread." - Both hands UP!

My hubby and kids have given up on me. Told them I'll need the space these couple of weeks, so back off!

How are we gonna get by when this is over???

Need to get a life...perhaps can get hubby to sponser my biz proposition - bring Heritory & Kolon Sport to town!

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Yes, please, bring them to S'pore. (You're from the sunny isle too, right?) Even if I can't afford the clothes, can at least go to the store and stare at his pics!

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“Every chance I get, I on this thread.”
-Raise four extremity-

I'm done! I'm attached, anchored, obsessed with this thread! My dad even grumbling that I can't separated from my phone right now! *keep typing*

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How funny. I imagine you sneakily getting on your electronic device (laptop? notebook? iPad? Kindle? Smartphone?) in the empty staff room, hovering over to hide your madly typing away, muffling the outbursts of laughter, looking up every so often to make sure the coast is clear...

You hear someone calling your name. You run to the bathroom pretending you need to go, electronic device in tow (if towable). You stay there until they stop calling your name... but they don't (stop calling your name). Time for class! Drats!

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You've pretty much described my covert behaviour, except that I only have a laptop. But thankfully, my seat's at the end of the aisle, so can cautiously read from this thread and respond surrepticiously, always keeping one eye and ear open for any unwanted visitors, When I do hear my name, I'll quickly log off or pull cover down. HOWEVER, due to the intense and highly intoxicating comments from this thread, I am sometimes so engrossed that I am caught unawares! A few times already! Once even by my Head of Dept! Now my colleague sitting next to me tries to see what I'm reading!

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Kappy, have fun in class. Don't let your thoughts stray to TK2H but pay attention to your lecturer. Hehe

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@crazyahjummafan - You naughty girl, you. However, I can see myself doing exactly the same if I were you. Too bad I don't work there with you, 'cause I'd totally watch your back, and you, mine, I'm guessing! Partners in crime, heehee.

@Arhazivory - Luckily I'm not taking a class, but when my husband walks in the room, I pretend to be looking at my e-mails or searching for a recipe or something. And when the kids wanna hijack my laptop to play games or watch youtube videos, I tell them, "No, it's mommy time." And they go, "Aw, again?" YES, AGAIN!

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LOL. It's Mummy Time. I can't wait to use that line!

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Throughout this whole episode, the only sound I could made was "ah...ah...ah..." I have NEVER been speechless in my life but I think this is what it feels like. At the jail and torture scene, I couldn't form a coherent thought. The only thing I could do was cry.

Dear TK2H writer(s), I'm wondering where to send my therapy bill. I need several sessions after this episode and for the withdrawal I'll be going through once this show ends.

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Me too, and i thought watching kdrama Was my theraphy-- but K2H - i am walking around like a zombie. My mind is totally emptied of anything else - i am transported to K2H world....its surreal, i am talking to people in this room and ...where is my two weeks gone? when did i become like this? episode 12?
... has BG hypnotized me as well?
.... awwww i am scared, his reach is truly worldwide...
...has BG corrupted our pure , guileless SK?
.
on a serious note, i am feeling really helpless and out of control - i don't like what is happening to me - i am addicted....how do i wean myself from this???

suggestions anyone?
i should stop reading dramabeans and who are you guys? to do this to me???????? are you going to pay my bills?????

YAHHHHHHH Bong Gu Yahhhhhhh - i want to scream out loud ...

Hey Hearties good morning!!!

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LOL

I am Arhazivory who is doing this to you. Good morning. :D

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I agree I’ll need to find a new drama ASAP because I am obsessed and addicted. "Hello my name is toystar and I’m a TK2H ADDICT.”lol.

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Instead of AA meetings, we will all be going HA meetings (Hearties Anonymous)! There will be serious withdrawal pains after next week!

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Thank you! I refreshed the page at least a thousand times this past hour waiting! :)

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Me too! Don't know how many times I refresh this page. I'm soooooo frickin' sad! Only one week left! But maybe that's a good thing. I wouldn't have to hold my liver cause I got a snitch in my side from laughin at Jae Ha stupid (and backfiring) pranks, my brain wouldn't hurt so much from trying to figure out what the heck Bong Gu has on, or I could probably keep some moisture in my body by, you know, not crying so hard (darn dehydration).

Hmmm..........Nope definitely a bad thing *wails* Haaannngg Ahhhhhhh!!!! My heart hurts!!

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this show tears my heart into shreds every week. like one crazy shitfest after another.

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Exactly. It just gets crazier and crazier each week.

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OH MY GOSH! Its here. lol. Thanks GF.

Fellow Hearties....I'm not going to read a word of this until I watch it raw which will be after I rewatch ep 17 subbed. ^^"

*runs away from the thread for now*

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are you suuuuure? ;p

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come on....stay and join us. read it!

it's so nice here.

we have cookies.

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@muhloy
OMG! "we have cookies" cracked me up so bad!!! we are all going nuts in here!!! LMAO! BTW...do you have cookies with nuts on them?

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Nuts is a rarity, but I think we have some BON BON to spread over the cookies, do you want it?
*handing some*

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@reglest
BON BON's? I have not tried that yet, what does it taste like over rotten cookies? Is it better than Nutella? *hope I don't choke to death coz I still want to see next week's episode*

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Is that how the cookie "crumbles"?

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But are they "rotten" cookies?

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You are so evil, LOL.

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Your guys crack me up! Keep them com'g. Gonna need it to last till last week!

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Ha! I was too busy enjoying the episodes first. And then I got distracted by all those darn 'happy birthday calls'. Now to catch up on all these comments. *whew*

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Oh, that's right! Happy Birthday, Arhazivory! Enjoy your special day and many happy surprises to you!!!

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Oh yeah! Glad you didn't totally forget your birthday! Happy Birthday and hope you're having a wonderful time today! Glad we're able to join you here in cyberspace ^^

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

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Darn those calls! Interrupting you from a good night's TK2H thread visitation. Happy Birthday! Now what was it you wanted for your birthday, TK2H-wise?

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Happy Birthday!

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Happeh Happeh Birfdai~~ *huggles* Hope you have a good one, and always have good things in the future o(^u^)o

*giggle* TK2H has it brought its fans to the point where happy birthday calls are unwelcome... We need to make a list of damages...

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wow, happy birthday, Arhazivory! :D

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I love you all. Thanks!! :D I've been grinning like crazy since going through these comments. This is turning out to be a great birthday.

I want Jae-Ha for my birthday. He can leave Hang-Ah at home. *grins evilly*

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I can try to distract Hang Ah and request for lap pillow, but I fear for my life, I'm sorry.

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If its Hang Ah, she'll get suspicious so I understand your fears. Haha, its the thought that counts so thanks.

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Happy Birthday.

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Happy birthday~~~

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Happy birthday!!!!

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Thanks crazyahjummafan. :D

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ARHAZIVORY,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! wee~ everyone's so happy and funny on this page and watch as i get past pg 1 it'll start getting depressing/heartbreaking as i read the comments.

just got back to this thread after thurs night.
And now, i've got 1k comments to read. yaaay

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Right? Over 1100 comments already, and it's barely the weekend! Wow, I think we're surpassing last week's rate and will definitely surpass the number, we keep this up.

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Today's episode got subbed in like... 2 hours or something... I didn't have to wait.. watch like the wind~

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Right choice, this show must be watched without knowing what will happen in advance, to fully appreciate how good it is.

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Agreed!

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Well, enjoy your birthday now dearest @arhazivory!!

Since in a while, we'll pull you into the vortex hahaha*evil grin*
Come here..we have cookieeeesss~ with bon bon spread at the top ;)

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Thank you soooooooooo much GF!!! you've no IDEA of how long I've been refreshing The homepage just forgot read today's 18th episode recap!!!!

Gracias, MUCHAS GRACIAS!!!

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Oppa typo!!!"just forgot read..." lol I meant JUST TO READ XDDD

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LOL, I've been refreshing obsessively for the past hour, too.

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lol GF always seems to post from 10:15-10:30 p.m my time (chicago-central time zone) ;)

*secret to being one of the first few commentors

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That's my secret too. And apparently I'm in your timezone. ^^

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i notice that :)

i'm in arizona and working till 11 pm so i usually wait and know when i get back home the recaps are out.
first time, i have to look at internet on work w/c is not allowed. i feel like high school again. i never thought i'd like a drama as much. lol.

watching this series live is no joke because i have to wake up 6 am and i sleep between 3-4 am so.... i'm never really going to watch another drama live.
i'm glad i did on this though :)

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yeah, I notice that too~ except it's "a.m" on my side

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That's right 10.15-10.30, but a.m on my side^^(same with @yellow buttercup)
We are so attached to this thread until the point we know when GF posted this, I even spread it in twitter before GF post it in DB accounts :p

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I've been waiting for this!! I just watched the episode, but it feels different without watching the episode and reading the recaps together. Thanks!!

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right? it's not COMPLETE in my heart until i have read the recap after the episode.

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"right? it’s not COMPLETE in my heart until i have read the recap after the episode."

-that and ADD reading & commenting like hell on the thread too.

Now, that completes the whole experience!

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That's so true. I feel like my experience is now complete.

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Exactly! It's always complete only after reading GF's recaps, the recaps make the plot points and nuances much clearer for me. Thanks, GF!

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Totally agreed.

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Like ALL episodes this one blew my mind!! I was exhausted to even contemplate the cliff-hanger!! After watching the epi I actually lay down because it was just.too.much!! I was spent in all ways possible.

Satisfied?! Yes. YES. Y.E.S!! What a way to tie in Bong-gu's confession with the big reveal. It was wayyyy better than what we anticipated!! I, for realsies, looked like a deranged person....my mouth was agape and I was holding my head, hahaaaa.

King Jae-ha + Secretary Eun + BGM + bringing BG DOWN = absolutely riveting!!

When HA was working out in the prison I was enthralled! HJW's so badass!! But, we already know that....can my girl-crush on her get any bigger? It was a nice dichotomy with her being physically strong and right after longing for JH. Jae-ha & Hang-ah's reunion took my breath away. Seung-gi depicted Jae-ha's raw emotions & the fear of losing HA splendidly. When Young-bae averted his eyes at our King's breakdown I aww'ed since it was such a private moment b/w the King and his fiancee.

Now I can confidently say that this show will end with a bang!! :D I had a lump in my throat thinking that this momentous drama's shooting will wrap up in a couple of days!

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I was seriously hyperventilating during Jae-ha and Hang-ah's reunion. The things this drama does to me...

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My entire body was shaking!! And, when JH stopped in his tracks & held his head when she was shot. Awesome!! And, Seung-gi killed it when he was sobbing piteously to find HA safe. I was crying right along with him!

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Me too! And I hardly EVER cry during dramas. This show, it cuts me deep!

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when he started breathing from sheer relief, I started to breathe too not even realising that I was holding my breath along with him... and the one teardrop that falls gets me everytime (just like during dream sequence from last episode)

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Yes! Same here! It wasn't until he took a breath that I even realized I had been holding my own.

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I could hear him crying and pleading inside, no, no, no, NO,...

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I was screaming no, no, noooooo!!! while thinking to myself "JH run to her and I'll call 911"

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"JH run to her and I’ll call 911"

haha, so practical!

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lol...instinct from years of medical training engraved in me

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The stopping in his tracks part was awesome for me too. Really played well.

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Hi girls AND girlfriday!

OMG the rescue scene. I broke my own rule. I just could not resist checking it, from other people's responses after they watched live. And they all said the connection was so so bad that only Hang Ah appeared, and then a shot...

A shot! A shot??? I was standing up screaming!

Oh my lord, the way Jae Ha staggering to approach Hang Ah, his hand, wanting to but fearing even to touch her like she's going to break...

Was he rescuing her or SHE rescuing HIM!!!

Gosh, such a satisfying moment!

I think I am babbling.

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"Was he rescuing her or SHE rescuing HIM!!!"

They were rescuing each other!! God I love this couple! To the core!

My reaction to the shot was very similar to yours. Here is a terrible postmodern poem to illustrate:

rearwindow watches scene
eyes frozen open
three times wider than normal

slight hyperventilation

GUNSHOT
AUDIBLE GASP
"FUCK"

Jae-ha freezes
rearwindow freezes

"FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK"

heart stops

Jae-ha rushes to Hang-ah

Hang-ah breathes

Jae-ha breathes

rearwindow breathes

(aaaand SCENE.)

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I think I'll copy paste this since I had the exact reaction...only more swear words at those evil guards!!

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@Saima: Lol, I may have toned down the swear words for better scansion. Or something. hehe.

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lol! This reaction is priceless.

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HAHAHAHA! that scene brought out the potty mouth in all of us. There were not enough swear words! I had to use other languages.

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@Minea: "I had to use other languages"

LOL and AMEN to that! Too funny.

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lol @Minea. I wonder how many other languages you used.

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@Arhazivory

HAHAHA! I lost count. I didn't know I knew that many until the vitriol was spewing out of my mouth. You know what they say about learning a new language, you learn the bad words first. I think I needed to soak my mouth in bleach or something after my "international curse-fest". lol.

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Holy crap rear window.
I thought you were giving us MY reaction, because i swear to god it was the same.
I was dropping the f bomb left to right and then breathed that sigh of relief when it was her foot.
But surely, i didn't want to mention that i was cussing all over the place in front of my sunbaes. LOL

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AnnMichelle: The first hour after I finish watching K2H episode I babble with sheer excitement, horror, amazement, what have you!!

Seung-gi I luffs you!! What am I gonna do...to not be able to see that beautiful face of yours emote your heart out!! ackkkk, it'll be soo saddd! I haven't been watching any other dramas and don't really think will be able to watch any the first couple of weeks w/o tearing up for the end of this heartrending & poignant drama's end!!

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Oh god, that scene is the stuff of nightmares. When Hang Ah got shot, and we didn't know where, and there was this moment where she arched her back before falling down, and I got up and screamed "YOU BASTARDS, WHAT DID YOU DOOOOOO" (and typed that into the episode at Viki) only to have Mum promptly come inside, grab me by the ear, and ask why I was using such profanity-laden language TT_TT

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rofl ask your mum to watch K2H too, maybe she'll have the same reaction at that scene.

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lol. Your mum sounds like mine. If I even say 'what the breadfruit?' Its profanity. Gotta love them moms.

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@Arhazivory - LOL. And you know breadfruit?

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I miss live report & live tweet last night *screw you connection screw you!!*

While the connection is back, what I've got is a text: Hang Ah is dead..

I was like (۳˚Д˚)۳. HOW.COULD.YOU.DO.THIS.TO.ME.SHOW!!!

And as I'm start frantically searching about the 'death' my connection lost again!! #**@/(::#***!!!!

Felt like I experienced some out-of-body-experience last night, I don't even know where am I and just get it back when the first recap is appear!

The first thing to do: scold the one who text me! She deserves that!

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I was like (۳˚Д˚)۳. HOW.COULD.YOU.DO.THIS.TO.ME.SHOW!!!

HAHAHSDHASJKDHLKSJd

omg, you guys.

I've been gushing and smiling like an idiot at all your hijinks and hi-larity until I scrolled down to see the little gimpy hands on reglest's post and I couldn't resist posting.

@rearwindow
We totally had the same out of body experience!

@minea
My swearing was exclusively in Korean but it was pretty f-in' filthy

@arhazivory
We need to get you a walk-on on the show as a bad-ass pirate mercenary with your mighty kindness sword!

!!!
EVERYONE IS TOO CUTE FOR WORDS, I DIE.

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Er, I meant

@NUTELLA HER HER DISEMBODIED SOUL +teabag eyepatch could get a walk-on in the finale

and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO @Arhazivory!

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Awww. Thanks spjork. Seeing your name reminds me of Spock. ^^

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D'aww thankies spjork *huggles* I am so so honoured by the walk-on~ My body will be very happeh too~

Although I must admit I'm now a bit apprehensive about how you guys picture me *cue SHINee* "I'm so curious yeaahhhh~"

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Hehe, that wasn't the intended meaning but I'm glad of the association! *PARAGON OF LOGIC HAT*

My ears are not pointy, though!

Spjork is a portmanteau of spork (eating utensil also known as a runcible) and Bjork ^^'

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When HA fell after being shot at, I almost died. No way they're pulling a Ned Starck (from Game of Thrones) on us, I was screaming in my head.

The way Seung-gi portrayed his horror & disbelief when he thought HA died was so convincing and beautifully executed. It was so heart-breaking that I surprised myself when I cried again the second time I watched it even after knowing she was alright. Excellent acting!

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Babes, I'm really glad that our writers is not as hardcore as George Martin because our shi kyung would have long been dead by now or even hang ah.
Makes me shudder just thinking about it.
but regardless, I absolutely adore the book. And I can't believe you quoted GOT here. just goes to show the quality of this drama. I didn't even think of that and someone quoted again about GOT too .

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@maria, haven't read the books yet but watching season II on telly now. Hubby just bought the box set y'day which included the latest book 6. I'm both intrigued by the complex story and characters and repulsed by the violence and darkness. So haven't quite decided to read them. I should heh?

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@maria, haven't read the books yet but watching season II on telly now. Hubby just bought the box set y'day which included the latest book 6. I'm both intrigued by the complex story and characters and repulsed by the violence and darkness. So haven't quite decided to read them. I should heh?

But the last episode of season 1 was shocking to say the least. Completely tossed out the concept of "untouchables" right outta window.

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I know! I sort of tuned out when they move on to the next scene after that (Rotten Cookies and Shi-kyung) because their reunion kept lingering in my mind :P

Sighs. Why can't they let Jae-ha and Hang-ah go on a date in between meeting Bong-gu or something? Reunion too short! :( I fear for Shi-kyung the most, but I fear for Jae-ha as well. Both of them has their goodbye moments :( :(

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And that was no stunt double! I watched that scene over and over again. Ms Lady gets all of my respect doing a split like that! DANG!

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YAY!!! Thank you girlfriday, right on schedule. Off to read your re-cap. ^_^

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Thank you so much for the recap!!!!!

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thanks!

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*gulp* while pitching tent in comment thread*

I'm sorry GF..I'm really sorry*bowing like crazy*please delete that comment from me in the prev. Episode....*bawl*I don't mean that...*gulped again*

While now..I'll camp here for a week, anyone else want join me*wipe sweat*

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i'll join you.. :)

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Woohooo! Thank you Girlfriday!!!
But now, there's only two episodes left, oh, noooo...., I am sad sad sad!

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My favorite scene in this episode is when Hang ah thinks that Jae ha hugs her in jail. I cried just watching it! But I barely open my eyes during the torture scenes. My poor heart just can't handle it...

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Girlfriday I love you again!!! The song on the background is just right for ep 18.... after long separation of Ah-Ha couple certainly they miss each other like crazy!!! oh what a lovely couple... :)

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When Jae-ha stopped in his tracks & held his head after HA was shot I just paused the epi, breathed in a shaky breath, and watched the suspense unfold with one eye!!

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that particular scene brings me goosebumps really...I was really blown away..LSG did it so well... I've seen a lot of drama with the male leads crying but rarely i cried with them..Kim Soo Hyun in TMTETS had a lot of crying scenes, i was moved by his acting, I felt his sadness and anguish but i never shed a tear... But with this one he was still about to cry, I am teary eyed already.. maybe I am more attached to the story of TK2H.. :)

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*When Jae-ha stopped in his tracks & held his head after HA was shot I just paused the epi, breathed in a shaky breath, and watched the suspense unfold with one eye!!*

totally agree...with u..i was trembling and shaking crazily to.....heheheh

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me 3

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Is it just me then when I thought "Stressss" when he held his head. Quickly followed by "Don't let her be dead ... don;t let her be dead ... if you do, Imma gonna shoot my telly."

I cannot tell you how endangered my telly has been during the course of watching this drama.

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it would have been anticlimatic if he had said "ahh stresssss" with his hand in his head.. LoL.. ;)

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Thanks for recapping! Glad everyone is back. Now they need to get Shi-kyung out of trouble!

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EUN SHI KYUNG! I think he's broken :( I think this scenario hasn't been accounted for in the plan. At least everything points towards it, the script, the cinematography...

I'm worried for him... if they decide to kill him off in the final struggle that seems about to ensue or be so crippled by guilt that he won't be able to face Jae Shin again I'll hate this show with a passion. My only hope is that Jae Shin will understand and forgive him, because she was in the same situation. I just hope Shi Kyung himself can follow his own advice later on. It's not him who messed up, it's all Bong Gu's doing.

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i think SK is just going along with BG. BG is no fool. that was some verbal sparring they did - man, I can't praise the writers enough..

Is there a best original screenplay award in Korea? This is the best scripted drama I have ever watched.

The writers must have been thinking of viewers like us????

Thank you for not insulting your viewers' intelligence!

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This is exactly what i am looking for. Thanks so much.

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Thank you Ms Gf. I can't find the words to describe this episode and this show... it's not perfect but it's simply the best!

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Thank you GF......been waiting for your recap patiently.

so glad to manage watching live for the 1st time last night. Love AHHA couple's reunion, JH-Sec Eun's reuniaon, SK-JS's romantic scene and the conversation between Queen Mother and Sec Eun.

TK2H never fails to amaze me with its impressive storyline. Such a wonderful drama I've ever known. Jinja.....

off to read now

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Even though I found this episode to be the most suspenseful and ultimately rewarding in terms of cliffhangers, there were still a few WTF moments that had me staring at the ceiling as I worked through it all. Of course this didn't detract from the story too much. The plot moved right along like a dog on crack.

I've always believed it and I think this episode cements the notion that this show's strengths like in characterization and acting. I'm so in love with each and every character (even our friendless whackjob Oscar Meyer...er John Mayer?) that I haven't had the maddening urge or even the tickle of a desire to skip scenes. Ever our slightly daft Head Secretary eventually won me over with his fail-fishing and gentleness when it came to his son. The entire royal family is full of win. And most importantly, it's about time Shi Kyung laid one on Jae shin. Here's hoping for more of that next week rawr :3

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lol at the Oscar Meyer... cause he's such a weiner?!

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Ha! Exactly!! Every time I hear John Mayer I get that weird Oscar Mayer wiener song playing in my head. I can't make it stop. And now, after seeing John Mayer's weird Peter-Pan-ish bedroom, I can't help picturing him singing that song while wearing a wiener costume.lol >.<

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now you got me singing that song in my head...

My baloney has a first name, it's O.S.C.A.R..
My Baloney has a second name, it's M.A.Y.E.R...

I guess he is full of baloney, twisted evil baloney, but baloney all the same.

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LOL.

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Oh, I wish I was an Oscar Mayer weiner,
that is what I'd truly like to be,
'cause if I were an Oscar Mayer weiner,
everyone would be in love with me. ~~~

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LMAO. I don't think I'll ever take John Mayer seriously...."twisted evil baloney..." priceless!

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@DT

hahahaha! everybody's just bringing the comedy club tonight.

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Oscar Meyer.. John Mayer. Reminds me of the time Jae Ha told Hang Ah about Mr. Whackjob Weiner and his evil doings, conveying his fear of him and doubts in himself in trying to bring him down. Hang Ah was so upset she starts rattling off her thoughts to Jae Ha and messed up his name.. "Kim Bong Gu, Gong Bu, whatever his name is!"

Ooh, just thought of another form of torture for him. Have a recording of people messing up his name all.day.long.

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Yay. Thank you for the recap! Off to read.

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Shi Kyung my love for you has quadrupled! Thanks GF for your recap!

I'm really gonna miss K2H when it's gone. All the awesome bromance and villainy. Don't know how happy I am with a decent villain after all the dramas I've watched where the villains made as much sense as the Chubaca Defense. There are gonna be tears Thursday. Oodles.

~ Noelle's soul out~

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I think we all will be crying simply because the best drama of the year has ended! We will all be going to the eye doctor after this!

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Thx you GF ! I've been waiting all morning .
So much bittersweet here. JH was amazing in his portrayal of desperation & well-upped angst . I died for awhile & i almost felt myself teleport to the scene , standing next to a horrified JH . That death drop to d grilled floor nearly did me in. Thank u , writer nim for not killng her off. JH wdnt hv survived it & I think I'd also be scarred emotionally..at least for as long as this show's under my skin.
I loved SK finally losing his cool & his inner animal just swopped in for d shock kiss. While he was fluffing his ruffled feathers , did u all see , princess nim smirking ? it was like " I'd knew you cave in , nyahaha! " She know knows his heart is wt her. Satisfaction .
Somehow , I felt relief that JH forgave old Eun & had him back. He dsnt really have much of a choice but Queen mum cdnt even bring herself to look at him. i wd have been very cynical if she cd it so fast.
JaeHa Really is one affection Asian. king or not.
He really is a model of behaviour whetheron reel as a slightly flawed King-ardent lover or for real as a humble decent wellmannered celeb. once again , I cant say eough of how extremely well Seunggi is portraying this role. He gets an Aplus Star for Everything. Its all been crazy amazing to watch. I'm glad i've been in for the ride with all of you hearties here. its been FUN!

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I swear just a few minutes ago this recap wasn't here and it's already 24 comments. Too late for single digit comments, but who cares? I'm off to read the recap now...

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thank you so much, GF!

ah, see~ the kiss!! it finally happens! *off to read again*

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Thanks for the recap GF.
I think episode 18 is an episode with the standard of episode 19. I mean, we usually see this kind of story development or this kind of cliffhanger in ep 19 of 20-episode dramas, or ep 15 of 16-episode dramas. We’ll see all the solution of all problems happened in the previous episodes in the final episode, then the end. But here in this drama, we get it in ep 18. There are two more episodes to go. I’m so curious what the writer have for us. If this episode was episode 19, and this drama was like any other drama, I think I could guess what basically happened in its episode 20. SK would shoot BG and BB instead. HA and her dad would appear and help SK. All the royal guards were actually there and helped them. Then, they’re back to Korea, and live happily ever after. But, this drama is not that kind of drama. We don’t know what’s coming next. And this waiting makes us crazy. Is it Wednesday yet?

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Yes, that's what I'm really curious about too. A conflict like this at the end of episode 18, and with the writer's tendency to resolve things within 1-1.5 episode, we'll probably see the ending to this somewhere in the middle of episode 19, or near the end. I'm really really curious as to what kind of story the writer will tell in episode 19.5-20. This gives me hope of a nice and complete closure to the drama *prays to drama gods*

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@osi:
Me think the same, when the cliff pic spread, I was like..ah..ok..so this is episode 20 right? But we got it NOW instead.

@raine:
and considering THOSE previous episodes..they will solve this at least 19.5 episode, you're right.

What worries me is, these writers seem. won't give us rose, and rainbow for free. For Jae Ha and Hang Ah's first kiss, they need to pass through some-make-her-fall-in-love-to-me-which-firebacks-to-me acts and unexpected approval from Hang Ah. For receivement from Queen Mother, Jae Shin need to crippled first. For mutual trust between Jae Ha and Hang Ah, the miscarriage payment. And for Jae Shin-Shi Kyung's kiss...the bitter facts. For now..I'm scared..so much...that they'll do something..before they give us rose and rainbow...
Can't they give us unicorn and pegasus for free? My fainted heart beats too much just from reading recaps, don't know what'll happen next episode..

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Well said reglect, I need unicorns and pegasus for free please!

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They still dont give me unicorn nor pegasus!!!

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Thank you so much, girlfriday. Before I read your recap, here is my thought of last night's episode:

Ep 18 was so heart-wrenching, watched it live last night and tears kept flowing. Daebak episode and thank you writer for once again throwing so many unexpected twists.

Jae Ha, you're so worthy to be the King. Hang Ah, I want to be as brave as you are. Jae Shin & Shi Kyung, I love your sweet moment together. Hope Shi Kyung will come back to Jae Shin alive and there'll be more kissing and sweet romantic scenes for this couple. Shi Kyung, I hope you know what you're doing and you're not going to put Jae Ha in danger.

Writer-nim, thank you for a daebak reunion for our Ah-Ha couple. It was heart-thumping - Hang Ah screamed JH's name, then run towards her, he screamed HA's name, his shocking helpless expression when he saw his beloved woman got shot made me bawl like crazy. Thank goodness, they shot her legs not her back (I thought they shot her back). Then the reunion, the hug, I lost it. The raw expression of a man who almost lost his woman, LSGi, you've done it again. I cried with you!

Ha Ji Won, wow your Mandarin is good, really good. What can't you do, superwoman? I was in awe when she's stretching like that too.

Ok, off I go to read the recap =)

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I know, I was also amaze at how good she spoke Mandarin. Must have practiced very hard.

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Yes her Mandarin was great. She really put in the effort to perfect it.

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aww this is what I like about a drama, a show that never lost its sense hahahaha

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Thanks for your wonderful recaps! You have a great way with words!

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Ahh! I love this drama SOOOOOOOOOOOO much!!!

'Wow, I was so wrapped up in that, I thought for sure it was the end of the episode. Man alive.'

--Totally agreed with that line. As soon as he found her I was like, "shit, it's about to end!" . . . then i looked at the timer and it said there was still time left and I took a huge breath of relief =P

How about that kiss between Jae Shin and Shi Kyung?? It was the cutest thing. =D

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I think that's probably the first time Earnest Bot did something so spontaneous.

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So cute. Too cute. His reaction made me giggle.

"And then he berates himself in his office for losing control. That was you, losing control? Whoa there, wild child."

again i lost it at the wild child. TOO FUNNY. nice one GF :)

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Thank you, Girlfriday!

Oof, once again, I was watching this raw (without even the weird Eng subs, what's happened to IonAir?), and I couldn't keep my eyes away from the screen, much to the dismay of my 3-year old.

Great way to move into the finale! I'm with you - I'm hoping Jae-ha and Shi-kyung knew what would transpire. After all, no. 1 Turncoat Test is to have the 'traitor' off one of his own as proof of new loyalties. And Bong-gu has already tried to take away all of Jae-ha's 'people'; Shi-kyung would be the only one remaining to work on.

I'm glad Jae-shin and Shi-kyung got their moment together! And I'm fervently hoping this does not portend something bad for either one of them next week . . . :-(

My only disappointment - where's Kang-seok!

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I feel SK will be fine!! HE.HAS.TO!! For Jae-shin and Jae-ha's sake!! It'll be heart breaking on both counts if something were to happen to him. I am NOT going to psych myself out!! *breathes in-breathes out* -->repeat loop

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Maybe Kang-seok will show up on Ep 19 aiming his bazooka / rocket launcher at Bong-gu or he's still probably at the custom trying to clear out his weapon arsenals :D

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THAT WOULD BE SO FREAKIN DAEBAK. I would replay that scene 500 times.

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Just imagine him standing impatiently in line *muttering mumbling* words and cussing to people! or maybe he's at MusicBank watching SNSDs live performance TINKERBELL!!! nyahahaha!

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Oh oh oh I just had a mental image of him doing the TaeTiSeo dance for Twinkle perfectly, while clad in hotpants.... where's the bleach, THE BLEEAACCHHH!!

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@nutella's soul
you really are one of a kind! Thank you for making me laugh so hard! I needed it! :D

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LOL. Nutella's Soul. You're killing it today man.

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@LSGLover
I have been wondering where Kang-seok is. I would love to see such a scene played out! When the WOC bunch moved in to save QD & Ha-ah, I thought JH said there would be the 5 of them from the WOC - presumably everyone except HA. But in the end, only 3 turned up.

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Damn you customs! Just let him through already. It's really just a bazooka-shaped flute. A really big flute.

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I know huh?! They already saved Queen Mother and Hang-ah and he's still stuck at the customs! A guy can't take a break at all! hahaha!

Nah, he's just using customs as an excuse...@nutella's soul know where he's at... LOL

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So true. He's missing out on all the good stuff so he better be there for the showdown. Nutella's soul should send him a text in advance. XD

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"It's really just a bazooka-shaped flute."

You kill me, Arhazivory. So funny. I can totally picture Kang-soek playing it all innocent-like, taking out the bazooka and attempting to make it sound vaguely flute-like.

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Kang-seok...could he be on a special mission hush hush mission that coincides with JH and SK's mission?????? just a thought....

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Thank you, thank you, thank you GF!!! As always your re-cap makes an awesome episode better.

And thanks for the spoiler warning, too. I also love to check this thread, but don't want to know what's going to happen in advance. So please fellow hearties, try to keep the spoilers on the down low.

I don't believe for one second, under any amount of torture, that the Earnest bot would ever become the black hat. I think that he's still team Jae Ha, because their's is the bromance for the ages.

But I'm TERRIFIED that he's going to be the martyr, and I'm going to be so mad at you show if you go there!!!

How awesome was Shi Kyung calling the King by his name. HA! So smart and just adorable. Those two really have formed an amazing bond. I mean Shi Kyung actually quoted what the King said to him to both his father and Jae Shin. That is how much his friend the King means to him.

And that moment with Hang Ah in the jail cell actually brought a tear to my eye. When his hand appeared and she clutched it and then to have him just fade away. Kind of broke my heart. And it was more powerful that they didn't need to say a thing.

And thank heaven she was rescued finally. She's so smart. But just like our King and daddy it made me so sad to see her finally let go of her fierce strength and just be scared. She'd been so strong for so long that she deserved to have a weak moment at least.

Jae Ha was awesome this episode, and Bong Gu continues to be the creepiest villain ever. Really there isn't a character on this show that isn't expertly portrayed. There are so many parts this episode that are amazing that I can't even talke about them all. Jae Shin and Shi Kyung KISSED! YAY!

These next two episodes are going to kill me. This show is just sooo damn good. I can' t wait to see what's going to happen. I'm scared of what's going to happen. And I don't want it to end. CRAZY! That's what this show has done to me.

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"CRAZY! That’s what this show has done to me."

Either that or you caught the disease. :D

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Where is @lovecityhall ?
Have the cure found yet? *rambling from the disease*

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Girlfriday, THANK YOU for another wonderful recap. I adore your analysis of the Shi-kyung/Bong-gu/Jae-ha relationship getting at the heart of the conflict. Very astute.

Some key observations on the episode:

-I love how effortlessly this episode revolved around the theme of loyalty and forgiveness. Jae-shin and Shi-kyung gather the strength to forgive themselves—or at least, hand-in-hand begin the long process of trying to forgive themselves for the sins of their (figurative and literal) fathers. Shi-kyung (in a surprisingly mature gesture, though I shouldn’t be terribly surprised given his earnestness) forgives his father. Jae-ha extends the olive branch to Secretary Eun. Secretary Eun seeks forgiveness from the queen mother. Queen mother finds it in her heart to forgive Eun and finds some degree of closure on her son & daughter-in-law's death. Bong-gu tests the limits of Shi-kyung’s loyalty and his faith in Jae-ha. Jae-ha struggles with guilt over the pain he has brought into Hang-ah’s life, and he finds himself led to danger because of the blind faith he has in Shi-kyung.

-We once again delineate Jae-ha and the rest of the royal family from Bong-gu, who proves himself (yet again) incapable of forgiveness and yet simultaneously desperate for a family, like the little boy that he seems to be increasingly becoming (did anybody else notice how his costume when he tried to convince Shi-kyung to become his “younger brother” looked like something a little kid would wear? And HOW ridiculous is it that Bong-gu’s bedroom looks like a little kid’s playroom?).

-The scene where Hang-ah woke up in the room with her father after getting shot was HEARTBREAKING. It was such a beautiful reversal of the scene two episodes ago where she offered up her lap for a worn Jae-ha to sleep on. This time, she needs to break down, and the only one that she can become vulnerable in front of is waiting for her with open arms. Brilliant acting from Ha Ji-won (and Seung-gi!) in this scene.

-Was anybody else out there shouting at the screen, “JAE-HA AND SHI-KYUNG, WHERE IS YOUR CODE WORD?! DID YOU NOT EXPLICITLY COME UP WITH A CODE WORD FOR IF THE PLAN WENT AWRY?! WHAT WAS YOUR STUDY MONTAGE FOR, IF NOT TO COME UP WITH A SECRET CODE FOR THIS EXACT SITUATION?! Seriously. Code words, people. If you’re gonna do dangerous double-agenty things, USE THEM. King, put your 187 IQ to work! Earnest Bot, did your language center short circuit?! Jeez Louise.

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Yes, yes, same reaction! They must have arranged a code word, code wink, something, anything! However, given that their super-secret code word for bringing down Bong-gu was . . . bong-gu, I guess maybe these two aren't so good with that sort of thing. But they have to have a plan! They must!

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"However, given that their super-secret code word for bringing down Bong-gu was . . . bong-gu"

I LOL'd at that. Where's Spy School 101 when our king needs it? If only Hang-ah had been sitting in on that meeting. She would've code word-ed up a storm.

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everyone! have faith in them! have faith in them! they must have a plan! right??? *panic attack*

this is too tense. I dont even think that I can put it into words. I dont know what to say. Omigod. This episode's killing me~

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i agree. there MUST be a plan somewhere. Maybe they haven't reached that part yet where they have to use the code words. Maybe it's still all just an act. I just can't see Shi Kyung betraying Jae Ha. I just cannot. *sniffles for the nth time*

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I believe his loyalty chip is still functioning well. He's..he's... ah. SK, I have complete faith in you (you cant kiss the princess but then betray her oppa!)

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that's what i thought too, that Lee Jae Ha knows that they are still acting since Shi Kyung did not say the secret code over the phone.

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How to survive til next Wed ... arghh, stress!

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hmm, perhaps it must be a phrase embedded w/in their phone conversation and they'll reveal after they bring down BG. It must be something along the line that if said phrase was uttered by either party JH will be bringing the WOC team? I think we haven't seen the last of our reliable WOC'ers!!

Like JH I too blindly believe in SK. But, that entire cliff was swarming with BG's minions!! I'll 'try' not to go crazy until Ep 19 airs.

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"it must be a phrase embedded w/in their phone conversation"

This is my hope, though if so, I wonder why Jae-ha wouldn't share that with Hang-ah. I cannot wait for the next episode, and please please please let it feature our WOC'ers more.

Sidenote: I LOVE that the NK WOC'ers have had recurring roles in this show. They are so awesome.

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Cause those are words between two close brothers!

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I was thinking.. read somewhere that the code was smtg like"its a good time to talk on the phone." JH asked SK that question in the phone convo but SK did not answer him. I'm guessing that's a signal to JH. I hope it is!

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I adored the forgiveness theme in this episode too. What he said to his dad... I think anyone with (asian? demanding? I fall into both of those sections of this Venn diagram, so I'm not sure) would be able to relate to that, and him realising that he doesn't need to beat himself over it... it was such an adorable, heart-warming and yet low-key moment... I wanted to give him a lollipop and a sticker for being so understanding and smart.

I don't know how far this analogy will go, since I don't know how many people watch any sort of racing here, but if you watch really good F1 drivers, and how they drive their cars, like Aryton Senna... it's rather like a work of art. The car speeds through, hugging the ground, going on a very tight, precise line, like a surgeon is guiding it with surgical precision from above. It doesn't care about the cars around it, all it knows is what it has to do, and the speed it has to do it with. TK2H gives me the same feeling. Of a tightly piloted F1 car that knows what it wants and will speed on that tight line to get it. It's dangerous, exhilarating, breathtaking and touching, and you want to watch that car forever, not wanting it to ever stop.

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I can honestly say that I've never felt any desire to watch car racing before your description of it. So beautiful, and such a perfect analogy to this drama. Watching the best parts of TK2H (which is lately like all of them) is a transcendent experience.

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It is a perfect analogy and reads a bit like poetry. I understand it perfectly even though I'm not into car racing.

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PS. I now have an overwhelming desire to call you "Sty-rate." (As in "pirate," but with a sty. See what I did there? Anybody have a drumroll handy?)

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Oh, you can definitely call me that... after tonight's comedy club bonding, we can be considered soul sisters... badumtschsh~

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"soul sisters"...buddumcha (that was a drum roll, in case it wasn't clear. It's hard to drum things when you're a soul!)

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I earnestly apologize for my soul's bad puns.

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lol. You and your soul crack me up.

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Love your analogy, and one I can understand completely 'cause I watch F1 :P

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Ohh yay, a fellow fan o(^_^)o Hihi~~

Oh, and I just spotted the fact that I had a typo up there >.<;; it's Ayrton Senna, not Aryton xP

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"The scene where Hang-ah woke up in the room with her father after getting shot was HEARTBREAKING. "

Especially at the end after he tells her everything is ok, he looks up with a sigh and at that moment I could feel him looking at the heaven and wishing that he could take away her pain. It was such a beautiful moment. Both father and JH felt so helpless.. it just tore my heart for all of them .

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Yes! And as painful as it was, I loved that Hang-ah, the pillar of strength, was finally getting taken care of by her king. I don't believe she's had a true breakdown moment with him up to this point. So beautiful.

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I loved that scene because it just added dimension to HA 's character. How much more do I love her for her fear. So unbelievable if she was truly fearless and just kickass!

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Yeah, it totally rounded out her character. Not a one-dimensional character to be found in this drama. Even Bong-gu's gopher sidekick (may he rest in peace) had a little somethin schemey happening on the side.

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It's not just HA's character, but JH's and even Queen Mum's. In front of adversity, they need to put on a brave front and not let others know how they are feeling, but in the intimacy of their loved ones, they can let down their guard. JH does this often with HA. For eg, on the way to the island during the WOC, at the bow of the boat, he momentarily let's down his guard and says, "But it's the U.S!" He can't do this with the others around or they will be discouraged, but he can with HA because he TRUSTS her, that she will not judge him or use it against him.

Isn't this true of REAL life? We often have to hide our true feelings when faced with difficulties so that others won't be discouraged or so that we won't be judged, or have our weaknessess used against us. But those of us with loving relationships, can let of true feelings show without fear.

This is another reason why I love this drama.

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I hate what Bong-Gu has done and is doing to this family but it makes them stronger. Without even knowing it, he's bringing them closer together where they are able to strengthen each other. For a while, they were almost broken but they are being re-made into a stronger family, one capable of withstanding adversity and surviving against all odds.
It brings to mind wise words from GOT: “What is dead may never die, but rises again harder and stronger.”

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@ahjummafan: That is so true of life; it makes the characters and their relationships feel very real and very full.

@Florentine Lily: Yeah, Bong-gu's crazy antics have really solidified these people's bonds. Can you imagine where Jae-ha and Hang-ah would be without his constant interference? I wonder if they would even be together right now?

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A flood of emotions hit me the second Hang Ah imagines Jae Ha there with her in the prison cell. *cries. I wanted to reach in and grab her close.
I realized, lately, we’ve been praising how kick-ass she is. And she is, but one can only go so far. In the end, Hang ah is human like the rest of us, and it was such a subtle breakdown, so I definitely didn’t feel like there was forced angst. She wasn’t bawling. Words need not be spoken. Jae ha just needs to hold her. Such a poignant scene…she just needed him, even if it was in spirit. I think that’s what made that scene so much more riveting to me – is that Hang Ah at this point is drained of strength and YET she keeps going. She keeps fighting. Just a thought of being enveloped in Jae Ha’s reassuring arms was enough for her because “they give each other the strength to keep running.”
Thanks writers/directors/cast/crew.

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@walkingdead..

Yeah that prison scene is really touching for me too , you see Hang Ah's longing in her eyes and face. and that embrace is like a drop of water in a dessert. Felt like a sigh. And the scene faded all too quickly and then we see Jae Ha's from his back -standing in deep thought and when he turned around - we see his face ,weary from lack of sleep and the weight heavy on his shoulders - not knowing how Hang Ah is, how he can get to her, all the energy sucked out of him but he has to survive the day....

it is all very subtly portrayed - no hysterics, no over acting.... its so poignant .. and it touched my heart.

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Hang-ah's breakdown scene with LJH was awesome indeed. She was terrified about how evil KBG could get. Pulling off that kind of scenes is nothing new to her... but still amazes me how great she executed and acted her part.

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I agree!! her scene may look ordinary, but she did it so well. her hot, angry tears are not one of a damsel in distress but of righteous anger and from having suffered under Bong Gu's hands... the weight of all the weeks of staying strong and being badass has come crashing down and she can finally rest in her king's arms!

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@rearwindow

"It was such a beautiful reversal of the scene two episodes ago where she offered up her lap for a worn Jae-ha to sleep on. This time, she needs to break down, and the only one that she can become vulnerable in front of is waiting for her with open arms."

beautifully worded. i love the role reversals and the mirroring that this drama consistently gives us. sort of like a his and hers take on similar situations for our OTP.

I also love that they are so in tune with each other that even one look or one phrase from one and that's enough for the other person to understand. They're just so in sync with each other.

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I know somewhere in between that phone conversation, they mentioned some of their codes. I KNOW IT.

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I'm so sure that Eun Shi Kyung is acting. You know the secret code that you mentioned in the recaps? Well the code on the paper was on the lines of "Are you in a position to talk now?" and JAEHA SAID IT. the minute he said it on the phone I was like YESSSSIRRR. LET'S DO THIS SHIT. haha plus what kind of king leaves all his bodyguard behind!!

But damn! I totally forgot about the beginning... Where Eun Shi Kyung held a gun to Lee JaeHa. Ahhhh! Full circle!!! From boss and immature prince all the way to loyal right arm and trustworthy king.

And omg. I love your analysis about Eun Shi Kyung. The bromance just keeps on getting better and better! But I can't even imagine all the torture that he had to go through.. Makes me want to cry so much.

Btw... china sucks man. Like eff you. Haha

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OH, great catch with the code word! I was gonna be so angry if they came up with all that and ended up not using it. Show, you never cease to amaze me.

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Thanks for revealing the code word!! phewwwww.

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But wait, wait, wouldn't that only make sense if Shi-kyung said it, not Jae-ha? You know, 'our plan is on track I am now his agent be prepared'?

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@shi, the secret code was "now is a good time to talk". and since JH asked it, my take on it is that he is asking/confirming SK if they are going to proceed with their plan.

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Thanks, Lena, for clarifying! Sorry to harp on this; guess I'm just anxious anticipating what might happen next week.

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I agree with @shi. It only makes sense if SK says it - to signal to JH that he has succeeded. No point in JH saying it, unless SK is supposed to have another coded reply. He should. How else are they to know that they are on the same page?

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Thx, Funkypicklez and lena for secret code. Good catch, is right! And I thought the same as shi and crazyahjummafan about it needing to come from SK. Got it, now!

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I think for the sake of the drama - the writer left out what Shi Kyung's answer to the secret code was supposed to be.

That way we are a little assured that JaeHa and ShiKyung had a plan going in but we are still going to be CURIOUS AS HELL as whether the plan is actually working.

Like right now because of the secret code I know that Eun ShiKyung hasn't totally betrayed JaeHa but that gun to the face in the last scene - IS IT REAL OR IS IT FAKE? It is all part of the plan or is ShiKyung taking the plan off course without JaeHa's permission? WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?!? :P

It's all the writers plan to drive us mad for another week.

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JaeHa said "전화할 사황은 대는거야?" (Excuse my poor Korean spelling -____-)

Which roughly translates to "Can you talk now/Are you in a position to talk?"

Now because I saw the paper (after rewinding and pausing for like the 10th time - seriously SO SHORT!) I can confirm that it's the secret code.

But looking back.. the way ShiKyung answers that question is a little old. Instead of just saying Yes or I'm okay, he says "따내렷습니다" which roughly translates to "I have infiltrated." Now what he says isn't that weird in context but the choice of words and diction (haha. english class coming into use now!) is rather odd especially for a native speaker.

ITS A CODE. :P

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But... in case the torture made Shi Kyung cross over to the bad side he'd still be pretending that everything's going according to plan with Jae Ha, right?

Argh, the uncertainty is killing me...

If Shi Kyung isn't pale and unresponsive because he's betraying Jae Ha, is he pale and unresponsive because he's going to sacrifice himself to save Jae Ha? I'd rather have him turn helpless in the face of the evil guys, tbh.

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@reeen

THAT'S MY BIGGEST FEAR.

ShiKyung is a trained soldier for the Royal Guard. And he's loyal, idealistic, and stubborn. If things don't go to the plans, I think he'd rather choose an honorable death than betray the royal family.

I sincerely hope that ShiKyung realizes that his life is JUST AS IMPORTANT AS JAEHA'S. Without ShiKyung, we lose JaeShin forever and honestly, I can't afford to lose any more members of the royal members because of Bong Gu.

DON'T DIE. PLEASE DON'T

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@funkypicklz, I'm with you. My eyes perked up when JH asked that question too because I remembered their secret code. And when SK answered something like "I have won his side", I thought JH's reaction was very telling. This must be their Plan B. It must.

They must have anticipated this, otherwise why show all their intel work and secret code scene? But dang, our Earnest Bot and the empty look in his eyes almost had me fooled.

"I believe in you, Eun Shi Kyung." ---> repeat 100x until next Wednesday. *sigh* This show it almost too much for my heart.

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"I believe in you, Eun Shi Kyung..." you cracked me up! hahaha i think that's the "homework" we all will be doing till wednesday

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"I believe in you, Eun Shi Kyung" x100

I'm good.... I'm doing my hw...

Btw, I was also thinking that the way Jae Ha left the room after kissing hang ah goodbye looked like he knew something was up. There was something of a resolute feel in the way he left...I was also wondering if he knew more than he let on...

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Given the scriptwriters' even-handedness with NK, SK, even America, I'm surprised they now make China the bogeyman. Saw quite a backlash against TK2H on the Chinese discussion sites because of this negative portrayal. Surprising too from the marketability perspective of the show in China as China does form one of the bigger markets for their shows.

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I was amazed at the writers' courage for going into that territory too. Really no holds barred for them.

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I thought that was pretty ballsy, too. I do think they've generally been doing a great job at portraying the political situations realistically and fairly, so I don't have a problem with how China was portrayed here. It didn't strike me as anti-Chinese propaganda or anything, but rather a dark exploration of international relations, of the royal family's lack of power, and of the ability of money to sway politics.

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@Funkypicklez

btw I enjoyed your analysis but found your last comment on China offensive and uncalled for.

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Yup, it is a fiction. No need for that offensive comment.

I guess the writer have an axe to grind regarding China's handling of North Korean defectors. They are sent them back to the regime when captured, and face harsh punishments.

I've stopped going to the baidu tieba page for this drama anyway because it is turning ugly. LOL

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Like you, I cringed at some comments at baidu tieba.

Let's not forget the writers' treatment of S. Korean's politicians is not all rosy either. In fact, come to think of it, they all look pretty petty and pathetic.

I don't think the writers have an ax to grind. They got their materials mostly from real life events. Of course, they magnify or select or gross over as they see fit. Take the refugees from N. Korea, I read that they did send them back, for fear of encouraging tides of refugees to flood the local economy and social systems. (An excellent book entitled Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick, a National Book Award finalist, about N. K. is a very good reference.)

If there is any bias, I think it's their favorite look of the N. K. We only had that one general who went of the reservation, but the others, from our heroine down, were mostly painted in positive light. Why? I think they want to emphasize the good side of the Korean people. And N. K. being sheltered from commercial influence, which has been blamed for the corruption and deteriation of the Korea spirit, seem to represent Korea at her most innate side.

Of course, the view can be thought as naive. But they put it out there and welcome people to take a fresher look at it. Agree or not, at least discuss it, not ignore or automatically shut it down.

Jabs at other countries are mostly collateral damage.

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I am adding that to my booklist!

The issue with the defectors is that they are actually using China to cross to their destination South Korea, so the ideal (humanity wise) would be to hand them over to SK. But of course that is politically impossible.

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@topper,

Yes, some defectors did go for that. But a lot of ordinary folks just want to take part in the more affluent life offered on the other side of the border.

The book describes how some N. K. made 'habitual' ventures into China, made some money, got caught and sent back, served their jail sentence, and made another crossing again!

They have established some well traveled routes to traffic humans too.

Sounds like the southern borders of the US doesn't it?

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Very insightful comment Ann Michelle. It true that they're painting NK in a very positive light - and why not? The whole world seems to generalize and take it to be that they're all bastards or brain-washed people with no mind of their own. As opposed to giving them flak, how about showing the negative side of everyone else - South Korea, the US, China etc.

Because the truth is that all countries have a negative side and at many times the people at the top are influenced by greed.

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@AnnMichelle: This may be my favorite comment so far in this thread. Such an insightful take on the writers' approach to social critique. I agree that they take a very critical look at pretty much every empire they portray. And I love them for it. I think that fact that it makes so many people uncomfortable speaks to the vitality and topicality of the art that they are creating. It's not often you get a drama that is actually able to make us take a look at ourselves and our countries with a critical eye. That this drama is ruffling people's feathers means that it is actually reaching people beyond its entertainment value. And that, to me, is impressive. Love these writers.

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@NN:
Relax dear, I'm sure what s/he means is 'china' in this drama
Gosh...somehow...I feel grateful that my country isn't involved/mentioned in this drama. I remember when US soldier bursting 'racist', american friends were enraged, and now happens to China too. This show makes us invested emotion too well and thus lead us angry when it attacking our country/race*cringe*
. But..next episode they give us friendship from USA, what about give the writers chance dear? I hope next episode they'll give us lots of scenes about china helping Jae Ha :)

@funkypicklez:
But what NN said is true...it feels offensive, let's make this a peaceful thread :)

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Thanks everyone for chimming in and sharing your thoughts on this.

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OMG. I APOLOGIZE. seriously. no sarcasm or anything. I am really sorry if I hurt your feelings. I just meant the way the Chinese government was portrayed in this drama. (I hated the racist ways Americans were portrayed too even though I know it's all fake! And I live in America! Haha) Plus I had minor complaints about the scene (although it was so purely emotional <3) I mean what kind of soldiers shoots the king's finance IN FRONT OF THE KING? HOW REALISTIC IS THAT?!?!? haha

OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!

Once again - I apologize for any feelings I may have hurt. Just pass it off as a comment from a girl who just got way too deeply emotionally attached to this drama for her own health!

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@funkypicklez
Thanks! I'm not from China but just felt a bit strongly about it. We're all pretty much carried away by this fantastic drama!

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No prob! :P Thanks for calling me out <3

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Oh wow! I did not even realize what the code word was. OMG! next week's episode would really be epic proportions.

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Ah, thanks so much for enlightening us. It's time like this when I am so glad there are peeps like you guys who can shed light for those of us who do not speak or read Korean.

But even without knowing the secret code, I knew Shi Kyung would not crack under physical torture. He's just not made that way. If they wanted to crack him, they would have to actually torture his father or the princess while he witnessed it. Just talking about it would not be enough. He's way too literal.

Also, I really love the intelligent writing in this drama. Compared to another I was watching concurrently, it has not fallen into stupid territory with mish-mashed and haphazard meandering plotlines to make up extra episodes.

It is well plotted and thought out in advance as evinced by the "Are you happy now?" reveal. It is so satisfying when our intelligence is not insulted and we can still be surprised and admire the tying of loose ends. Which do not seem that loose because everything is so tightly written.

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You know... this writer has thought of EVERYTHING. well that is a exaggeration but I was watching the scene between JaeHa and the prison officer when he was looking for Hang Ah. During the conversation you can see how there was another prison officer and a royal bodyguard translating for their respective party. Small details such as that makes me realize how hard this author and director works to make this drama as realistic as possible <3

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Couldn't agree more with the spoiler warning!!!

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"I love a hero who fights within the system. Renegades are cool, but a king IS the system, and if he doesn’t have faith in that, his position is meaningless."

YES to this. Girlfriday your recaps have been so great, my K2H watching experience isn't complete until I get to read your thoughts.

Also thanks for the warning about spoilers, this has been driving me nuts.

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SHI KYUNG!!! NOOO!!! I know you Shi Kyung and Jae Ha have something under their sleeves or they better have something!

Hang Ah breaking down was so painful to watch, she was always the one that was strong but having her cry out loud in fear is just heart breaking.

I love the bromance between the WOC team!

I can't believe next week would be the last 2 episodes already. I think I would borrow Bong-gu's line "Drama, why do you make me be this way?"

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"Hang Ah breaking down was so painful to watch, she was always the one that was strong but having her cry out loud in fear is just heart breaking."

I cried my eyes out when she imagined Jae Ha embracing her. I felt the same when she confessed that Bong Gu is scary despite her daebak kickassery.

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Seeing her fall apart and lose it like that was a big shock because she's always together. That really drove home how bad what she went through was.

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Shi Kyung!!!! I was totally shocked when he pulled out the gun. I totally didn't see that coming! I hope it was all part of some crazy plot that's all pre-planned, but for some reason it seems like SK is going off script. The look on his and JH's faces were weird to me. hopefully HA's spiddy sense will save the day.

thank you show for the kiss! But its making me scared. Second lead like SK with the whole possible double cross, it makes me VERY afraid. If you pull something funny in me show, we will be having words. He better come back.

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.....Holy cow! you bastard I loved your warning...and thankfully someone had the guts to say it all.

The reaction of the people about the quueck noise is awesome, dude I'm not alone.

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haha that moment when I am so damn carried away by the momentum of revealing the truth about the late king's assassination then suddenly i laugh when I hear the "queeck" sound by bong goo on the recorder and everyone else was shock by the sound...psychotic deeds haha!

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Thank you very much GF! been waiting the whole day for this;-) you always make my thursdays and fridays complete;-) ahhhhh bracing myself for next week's episodes;-)

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man this episode scared me to pieces and got me crying all over.. the two leads are just phenomenal on acting out their emotions.. SHi KYUng too.. the bromance is extremely POWERful.

All in all, i hope this rocky road ends soon because its getting scarier by the minute.. THank you for posting.. This is quite the cliffhanger.. what is going to happen now that we are close to the end!!! :D

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GF! your analysis is so deep & thorough :)

thanks for the recap!

It's so rare for me to come by a drama this good. .. so sad that it's over next week :(

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SK better be acting like a double-double-double agent!!!.. This episode was awesome!! As the end comes closer instead of loosing steam like so many other shows do, this show just gets better and better. Everything seems pitched perfectly, everything has a purpose,WOC, the diary password, the diary it self, Boong Gu's confession. Kudos to the writers!.

Now lets just have angst in episode 19 and lets have episode 20 a lot more lighthearted moments- with JH putting his foot in his mouth every time he opens it.
I just LOVE this show! one more week/ two days/2 hours then its over. What am I gonna do after that??!!
Thank you Jb for the awesome recap!

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* Thank you GF for the awesome recap

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SO AWESOME (hides in a hole for a week).

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*hides together in hole with gummimochi*

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Does the hole have wifi and/or constant streaming of episodes 1-18 of TK2H? If so, may I join you?

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*hovers over everyone's head awkwardly like the awkward four year old she is and steals snacks when she thinks no one is looking*

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You weren't kidding with the pigging out! Nutella's Soul is seriously a bottomless pit! Lol.

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I take after the body *sigh* eotteokhe? *Shrugs and continues stuffing her face*

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Hehe, you are too cute.

And pass some whipped cream, will ya?

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*passes the whipped cream* are we doing soju-and-whipped-cream dwipoori shots? huh? huh?

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@Nutella's soul: YES! But only if Shi-kyung's soul will piggyback us home when we overindulge.

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Where did gummimochi pop up from? :D (throws chips into gummi's hole so she doesn't starve).

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With enough supplies of gummies and mochi?

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Bring extra. I'll run out in a couple of days.

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I was watching this live streaming, when the screen just went black right at the moment after HA was shot, and I was getting only audio afterwards. I swear I nearly did serious harm to my lappie, only the thought that I still need it for the last 2 eps (oh and the money to replace it too) stopped me.
So, thank GOD for the live recappers in soompi thread, bless all of your souls :)
I'm putting this drama WAYYYY up in the pedestal (and in the process bumped down quite a number of my fave dramas).
LSG is THE man to play JH, this role fits him to a T! I heart him soooo darn much!!!!

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I hold my breath when Hang ah was shot.OMG.Then i was glad that she's not dead. What would happen to our King if she died?. Except now HJW does not have a perfect legs because of the bullet wound.

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Girlfriday you are awesome as always! Thank you for your great recap and like everyone else been waiting for this to read your wonderful insights with matching great sense of humor :D

I was holding my breath and there was a lump on my throat when I read the part where HangAh heard that Jae Ha was there looking for her ~ it's like I can hear your voice commentating some kind of sports ~ but in this manner it's so thrilling that I can really imagine what was going on!

Ahhh too bad I'm not good in words because I'm not really giving you justice on how awesome you did your recap once again.

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you know, when the prosecutor in city hunter was killed i hated it but i still respected it and while i cried an cried i understood why it had to happen and eventually i recovered.

but i swear to god, if eun shi motherfucking kyung gets killed i will LOSE MY MIND!

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HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

YEAH THAT'S A NO NO

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WORD

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LOL. Ikr! I screamed when Prosecutor got killed but I did kinda understand it. If ESK dies I promise - I won't understand it! And yes....that's my threat.

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i'm with you there. i won't understand it either. writers, there's a limit to being ballsy and no holds barred.

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In City Hunter killing the Prosecutor served a purpose, it gave City Hunter a renewed sense of purpose and Prosecutor's dad was punished by loosing his son due to his cohorts. But SK.. There is no reason to kill him off- Killing him would mean Boong Gu wins, in a way because there will be one less person in JH's entourage that cares about him.
But if the writers decide to go locofied batshit crazy, then the writers and I will have words... and there could be a high chance that i will lock them up in a room that replays Boong Gu's bath scene over and over again. A fitting punishment I believe, for crimes against humanity due to excessive heartbreak cause by the disregard of the King 2 Heart's Fans emotion because of the Death of Shi Kyung or lovingly known as Earnest Bot.

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NOOOOOOOOOOOO! They better not pull a City Hunter. I died a little when prosecutor died.
Will definitely need therapy if that were to happen to SK :( But then again, Bots (esp. Earnest ones) don't die :D We, or Princess-nim, can just put him back together again!

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LOL tell us how you really feel ;) oh and I am right there with you btw.

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No ... noooooo *doing the Austin Power nooooo scene*

I was so traumatised by City Hunter ad cried as violently as when I watched a Discovery Channel show where the baby elephant gets killed. Not to say prosecutor looked anything like a baby elephant ...

Agree that Shi Kyung's death would serve no purpose except to wrench our guts and increase sales of Kleenex. At this point of the drama, it serves little for plot advancement. We know Jae Ha is gonna take out John Mayo so Shi Kyung's death would be redundant.

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the prosecutor was certainly as adorable, if not more so, than a baby elephant.

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He can't die. He can't die. He can't die. ㅠㅠ

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I cried so hard with this episode and I LOVED IT. Drama I am going to miss you so much. Again GF awesome recap I wanted to read it as soon as you posted it and at the same time didn't because I wanted to make it last. We just have two more episodes and I do not wanted to end.

D A E B A C K!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

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Thanks for the recap!

I did something I never did before: watch episodes 17 and 18 in full subs WITHOUT reading the live recaps first. My goodness, i think my heart is still recovering.

TK2H should simply be number 1 how to mesh suspense, romance and lofty themes without resorting to cliche. From the earliest episodes, I would never have guessed that the story would be ending like this, a huge crescendo before the final bang. I love, love, love how the story is building to the finale without resorting to twists plucked from thin air or limping along due to insufficient plot.

When HA was shot, I really thought that she was going to die. It was a major WTH moment, with the blood dripping, the music, and JH's reaction. Still recovering from it, but the intensity of the whole thing convinced me never to spoil myself with live recaps again.

I love how JH helped himself into bed beside HA. =)

TK2H has such awesome characters - HA pretty much helped to rescue herself by informing JH of her location as soon as she got hold of a cell phone.

Love the sun-filled camera work of JS and SK's kiss.

LSG's facial expressions are amazing. Subtle yet reactive, and so on cue.

I...still need to recover from this episode.

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And I love the kiss he planted on her right before he left. It felt so natural.

By the way, Jae Ha is much better kisser than Shi Kyung. Our soldier needs to practice more. Princess is waiting for you. Come back!

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I agree! It's like the kiss a loving husband would give the wife before leaving for work. Love the acting of LSG and HJW.

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"....Jae Ha is much better kisser than Shi Kyung"

girl, are you forgetting JH's scandalous past, playboy and all?! :P I'm pretty sure this was our Earnest Bot's first one.

I did think that JS-SK kiss was sublime with the camera work. Too sweet & befitting of the BOT!!

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THANK YOU. I thought the kiss was sweet considering SK's lack of experience. I love his facial expression when he went for the kiss, finally unable to hold on to the control he so tightly trying to rein in. And the reaction afterwards was just so him.

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"I’m pretty sure this was our Earnest Bot’s first one."

ahhh first loves :")

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Yeah, I get the feeling that Shi Kyung is always the one who gets kissed and never the one to initiate a kiss.

So it probably was not his first kiss per say but his first I-did-it kiss. The back-pedaling was hilarious.

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Let's not forget JH and AH sitting and talking in bed. It looked so natural, like an old married couple who's been doing it for years.

LSG and HJW really have such an amazing chemistry that them sitting side by side under covers feels so right and hot at the same time. :P

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Yeah, except that I was grousing why they didn't give us a shot of HA lying in JH's arms. First shot in that scene showed her sitting bolt up. Aigoo...ooo! Can't you just show us a shot of few seconds earlier??? Will it kill you or spoil the story???

Killjoy! *sulks*

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Haha I agree, why couldn't they show us a few seconds before that?! Haha
But judging by where JaeHa's arm is resting, we can tell that she was lying in his arms kekekeke

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Hahahaha. I felt the same thing about the scene, too. They are just soooo great.

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I was thinking that he remembered one of his "revenges".. kissing her every morning :-).. considering he felt really bad about not keeping her happy as he stated the day before while consoling her.

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@DT..I like where you're going with JH's "revenge". haha.
I also thought that with her injury and near-death experience and everything that's going on, can't they at least show us some cuddling in bed? ;)

Ah....they better give us a big, passionate kissss and then some when all is said and done.

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JH did not stop with a kiss though, he cupped her cheek in his hand and brushed her arms down to her hands and all the while gazing at her tenderly and flashing those dimpled smile just for her
- aaackkkk Lee Seung GI !!!!! how dare you LOL did you adlib that? or was it coached ...

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Ooooohhhh, got to check that again. Off I go.

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Lol... now I have to go check that. Totally missed it! You guys are too too funny!

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Yep! I saw that too! Snicky Jae Ha and his hands!!!

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Hahaha! That's why they call him King2Hands!

That Jae Ha is smooth. ;)

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*sneaky* *embarras*

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King.2.Hands...

Laugh...out...loud.
WHO thinks of these things?! seriously. LOL everyone's bringing the funny because it's apparent we all need the funny.

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wait! i didn't notice that too. Shoot. You can't really watch this show only once.

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Hehe. I totally noticed it.

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Luvs , I caught that too ! in fact I'v been replaying his glide down her hand to see if my eyes wr playing tricks.
Grrrr !! LSG/JH is driving me crazy with his sexy hand moves . * massaging temples *

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Hee hee i'm turning red reading about it. Must. go. watch. it. again!;)

love the natural chemistry between the two. they serious shine whenever they are on screen together. And Seung gi turns into this amazing namja whenever there is a scene where HJW is concerned. I dunno...her presence just turns on some "amazing awesome guy" switch in him.

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Yeah and there was no musical interlude to rev up the scene or prolonged stares. He just kissed her as naturally as ever. I also loved seeing them both just lounging on the bed. How long have they been married again....wait - they're still engaged, huh? lol

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Lounging in bed, somewhere in China, with HA's father in the vicinity. ;)

And I totally caught that hand caress too. Yep, that's our Jae Ha, alright. Shi Kyung really needs to learn a lesson or two from him in Seduction 101.

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"wait-they're still engaged , huh? lol"...HAHAHAA!
I clapped at that .Yeh ,THey act like a married couple already!Inking in bet after her scare ,she cant sleep alone so she need company ,right ? Can't be darling papa bunking in her room so its gotta be 'fiance' to hold her shivering body , right? Oh please,can they just stop with the useless etiquette & DO whatever they're both dying to do ? We approve !

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I think that with these two a small 'I love/like you too' kiss is better than an all consuming passionate kiss like JH and HA. She needed confirmation, and he needs to try to get over his hang-ups. Although using JH's name and banmal is getting closer, He has IMO a lot to get over after being subservient for so long.
Me being a horndog is all like 'GO get you some! Hump like bunnies! maybe she can have a kid just in case you never come back!' but I am twisted like that, and he is HOT to me. If they don't want me to come up with ways to get him naked they better stop putting him in those black shirts. S'all I'm saying.

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Agree! Every kiss & hug seems so natural now . They practised so much , its almost the familiarity of a real couple . Ah so seamless !

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@random person
"I love how JH helped himself into bed beside HA. =)"
This is the difference between JH and SK. JH will do as he well please, while SK won't. Remember their conversation regarding JS? SK: "Can do anything I want?"
JH: "You mean you haven't til now?" They are like 2 different poles, but opposite poles attract, right?

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So, um...where did Seungi-gi learn all these subtle sexy hand moves? I'm totally mesmerized.

Starting from ep 2 when they were sitting on the floor by the bed and JH was pretending to comfort HA and his fingers were touching hers oh so slowly, all their hand holding scenes...too many to enumerate here. But yes, very subtle. And very hot.

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lol seung gi has grown up alright. i watched MGIAG briefly just to see how he was - he was just a little boy there - but here in K2H - he is a playboy .. haha - he knows the moves, i tell you.

how many ahjummas are squealing here --- remembering when they were first falling in love? ...... ooooppsss..

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hmm, I think kisses are a portrayal of the writers/PD's vision. I don't think an actor will go beyond if the writer/PD want a fish kiss....you know what I mean!

The writers/PD here are mature and I read that the PD (during the engagement kiss) wanted more passion, lulz. So, whenever I watch oldish K-dramas I never think the actors themselves are bad kissers. It's just how it's written...

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"It's just how it's written..." I agree! ;)

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I love how JH helped himself into bed beside HA. =)
But why can't the PD shows us some skin. What is JH doing in HA's bed with his tie on?

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@drammaaddict,

Isn't that the reason why we watch kdramas? because we don't want to see too much skin -ala hollywood???
for me it is!!
when a touch, a kiss, a gaze, a sigh means something ...aaaahhhhh my heart...

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@luvs
Don't get me wrong. I know HA is still recuperating from her ordeal.
What I meant was maybe to loosen the tie a bit and leave a button unbutton and maybe to roll up his sleeves. Don't you think a tiniest bit JH look too proper in the bed.

I cried a lot when JH asked HA's Dad to leave them for a while.
I agree with you, these days, I dun watch hollywood, still an oriental at heart. This is only my 3rd kdrama which I watch some epi live. I came across kdrama only last yr.

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