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The King 2 Hearts: Episode 19

Hold onto your hats. And brains. And hearts. No one ever accused this show of doing too LITTLE, that’s for sure.

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King 2 Hearts OST – “항아의 꿈” (Hang-ah’s Dream) [ Download ]

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EPISODE 19 RECAP

We open on a birthday party, and already I’m screaming But I want to know what happens with Shi-kyung! It’s someone on the royal staff, and Jae-shin comes in to join the festivities and offer a present, remembering Shi-kyung’s homework for her to learn to be with other people.

Flashback to their date in the garden. This is making me really nervous.

And then we resume to the standoff on the cliff. Shi-kyung’s gun is drawn at Jae-ha, and Bong-gu grins from ear to ear. He motions for Jae-ha to sit on his throne (the theatricality of the setup is so befitting the exhibitionist) and Shi-kyung walks him there with a gun at his back.

Jae-ha sits down tensely and looks over at Shi-kyung again in disbelief. Bong-gu tells Shi-kyung he can sit this one out if it’s too hard on him, but he says he’ll remain. Bong-gu: “Cancel the case against me, split up with Kim Hang-ah, and step down as king.”

But Jae-ha doesn’t take one hairy eyeball off of Shi-kyung the whole time. Bong-gu: “If you don’t…” Jae-ha: “Then he kills me?” Bong-gu says that part’s a given, but the choice is this – either he dies, or Korea ends up in danger. He’s literally making the king choose between himself and his people?

Hang-ah tells her father that she’s going to turn back—there’s something she and Jae-ha arranged that they didn’t tell him about. Is it a Rescue King and Bot plan? Because that’s pretty high on the priority list right now.

Bong-gu asks expectantly, “How does it feel to see your person sticking to my side?” Oozing confidence, he says not to be too hard on Shi-kyung. “What did you ever do to earn him, anyway? Me buying him with money, you with the king’s title – what’s the difference?”

Jae-ha finally turns to Shi-kyung, “Is that how it is?”

Shi-kyung: What is there to like about a powerless king? There was a time I was shaken – when you said you’d resign, when you said you couldn’t send me here. But that was all. You didn’t blame anyone else or lie down in defeat. When it was a 99% improbable reality, you plotted and schemed to find that remaining one percent. I didn’t serve you because you were the king. I served you because even in the pit of despair, you did not give up.

As the speech starts to turn, in that last line, he whirls around and aims his gun at Bong-gu. Aaaahhhhh! So good!

I love that the speech is read by Bong-gu as the reasons why he wouldn’t follow a powerless king (he was “shaken,” ie. moved to be on Jae-ha’s side when he tried to stop him) but is in truth a speech about why he believes in Jae-ha the person, not the king. (And in that context, those are honestly the moments of weakness when his faith in Jae-ha was actually shaken.) Love.

Of course, as soon as Shi-kyung shows his true colors (We never doubted you, we swears it!) Bong-gu’s face goes white, Bon Bon draws her weapon, and the firing squad of minions surrounds them. This was the big plan? TELL ME THIS WAS NOT THE BIG PLAN. Jae-ha, are you even armed??

And then suddenly, an army descends on them, led by Young-bae and Dong-ha. Ohthankgod. I was seriously sweating bullets for that second. It was a long second.

And in the distance, Hang-ah arrives on a bluff above them, and takes out a sniper rifle. Nice. I love the things this girl can do in a skirt. She’s so my kind of badass – I like this rifle, but, does it go with my outfit?

She scans the scene below and stops right at Bon Bon. I can just hear the chorus of everyone chanting, “Shoot! Shoot!”

Flashback to the code that Jae-ha and Shi-kyung set up. The trigger phrase was “Are you in a position to talk?” And then it was up to Shi-kyung to respond to that phrase with the true location, in code.

So he had responded on the phone call with the somewhat awkward phrase, “I have secured it.” (It’s not that weird a sentence, but more the way you’d describe getting your driver’s license, rather than winning over a person’s trust, but in case you were wondering, it makes perfect sense given the context.) And then we see Dong-ha and his team enter the phrase into the code-o-matic for the real location.

Back to the present, where Jae-ha now answers Bong-gu’s question. “What’d you tell me to choose between, Korea or my life? I choose… YOU.” Ha. Awesome.

And then Shi-kyung inches forward right into the path of the guns, and yells at everyone to drop their weapons. The minions all comply… except for one. Bon Bon holds out, and then finally moves to put her gun down in defeat.

But at the last second she raises her gun at Jae-ha… and Hang-ah shoots her in the arm. And just a split second behind her, Shi-kyung shoots too, this one a kill shot straight through her chest. They open fire and all the minions go down, and Bon Bon dies bloody.

The ICC comes to arrest Bong-gu and cuff his hands above his head. As they read him his rights, Shi-kyung and Jae-ha turn to each other and breathe a sigh of relief, Shi-kyung beaming now that it’s all done.

But Bong-gu is still reeling from Shi-kyung’s betrayal, and in a split second opportunity, he pulls out a tiny handgun he had literally up his sleeve, and shoots.

OH. FUCK.

Shi-kyung gets hit right in the chest, his blood splattering onto Jae-ha. He’s the last one to register it—everyone scrambles to secure Bong-gu, and he turns to look up at Jae-ha, who’s gaping at him in horror.

He staggers and Jae-ha catches him as he goes down. He puts his hand over the wound, bleeding profusely. They look over at Bong-gu, who’s still seething, “Why do make me be this way?” Jae-ha looks at him in utter disbelief.

Shi-kyung looks down at his body, still a little confused, and tries to speak. But Jae-ha tells him not to talk and screams for the ambulance to get here. Dong-ha breaks from his shock to run for help. He’s gonna make it right? RIGHT?

Jae-ha cradles him and starts to cry as the panic sets in, “What do we do, what do we do… because of me…” By now Shi-kyung is coughing up blood, but he strains to say, “You can’t think that way. It was my choice. We caught Bong-gu. And from now on, you can’t give up, ever.”

Gah, he uses his last dying breath to make sure Jae-ha doesn’t feel BAD about his death? Not that I expected anything less of course.

Jae-ha clutches him, screaming, “Eun Shi-kyung! Don’t die! Shi-kyung-ah… It’s an order! DON’T DIE!” Ohgodohgodohgodohgod. He’s gonna die, isn’t he? This can’t be happening…

We see Shi-kyung lying there in Jae-ha’s arms, and then in voiceover we hear him sing Jae-shin’s song, as flash back to their happy memories. Fuck. Happy flashbacks mean he’s a goner. WTF, Show?

It leads into her version of the song, and then to her singing it in the present, doing her homework just like she promised. We fade back and forth between him lying there and their moments together, ending on his group photo with the WOC team.

Back in the present, Jae-ha screams for Shi-kyung not to die, as Young-bae and Hang-ah watch, frozen in place.

And then Shi-kyung’s eyes close and he goes limp in Jae-ha’s arms, as Jae-ha keeps pleading with him not to die, even after he’s gone.

I’m honestly still in denial, but I don’t think there’s any way out of this. There isn’t going to be any happy reunion in the hospital where everyone gives him a hard time about the big scare, is there? BUT. BUT. WHY CAN’T THERE BE?

Cut to later, in the palace, where Hang-ah tells Jae-shin that Shi-kyung is dead. She looks up in disbelief, “He said he was going on vacation… Really… He doesn’t know how to lie…”

Hang-ah hands her a little box, and Jae-shin starts to tremble and cry. She opens it. It’s Shi-kyung’s dogtags. Shit. It really did happen, didn’t it? It’s only now starting to sink in that he’s really dead.

Jae-shin starts to cry inconsolably, and between sobs she wails that he said he’d return, and if she did her homework, and sang…

Hang-ah starts to cry and hugs her, as Jae-shin loses it, “He said he’d come back! He said he’d come back!” *waaaaaaaaah*

Dad sits in Shi-kyung’s empty office, running his hand over the nameplate. Jae-ha comes in and says, “We’re thinking the same thing right now: ‘I killed him. He died because of me.’ But because I’m the king, I can’t just sit here thinking those thoughts. And you can’t either.”

He runs his hand over the nameplate too, tears filling his eyes. “I’m a little different from him. But what do you think of me? I’ll treat you as my own father.” I don’t know why, but that’s the moment I lose it. I can’t stop crying.

He bows to ajusshi and then gives him a hug. It’s sort of perfect, because Dad doesn’t deserve this kind of love or forgiveness, but that’s the point—this is about Shi-kyung and what he deserves.

And then Shi-kyung gets his military funeral, with a medal of honor. Dong-ha tells Jae-ha that Shi-kyung is technically still under orders to carry out his mission abroad, and he asks Jae-ha to change the order so that “at least his soul can return.”

It’s not something that makes sense to most of us, but I understand why Dong-ha would say it—they are soldiers who follow the king’s orders, and I sort of love the sentiment that Shi-kyung would be the same in the afterlife, or that Dong-ha at least sees him that way.

So Jae-ha officially orders Shi-kyung to return to his unit and salutes him. And then my heart breaks all over again.

The ICC case against Bong-gu gets under way, but Club M fights to get him out on bail. Wut? If you let him out after Shi-kyung died to get him there, imma bust some kneecaps. Jae-ha pretty much says the same, and presses them to keep him under lock and key.

With bail denied, Bong-gu asks what on earth their contacts in the U.S. and China are doing, and tells his lawyer to leak their Club M ties – some will have to be sacrificed to make it clear this is not okay.

Hang-ah continues her charity work (gradually becoming more comfortable with a Seoul accent), and tells Mother that she’s doing fine. Jae-ha calls (“Who were you talking to on the other line? Was it a man?” Hee.) and tells her everyone’s liking August 15 as their wedding date.

She doesn’t say anything (too busy swooning) so he’s like, “Hello, hello? You do still want to marry me, right?” Ha. She teases that it wouldn’t be so bad not to, and he reminds her of what they’ve been through to get here, so there’s no goin’ back now.

He tells her to come an hour earlier to the pro-reunification event later that day, and he scurries into a corner to whisper that he wants to have some time to walk around together, “holding hands,” which he says like it’s super sneaky and wrong.

She gasps, “Can we?” Haha, these two. She wonders if they can really have a normal date like a couple of regular joes, and he’s like fine, if you don’t want to, I’ll just go with someone else then. Heh.

He asks if they should go crazy and have a drink in the middle of the day, and she blushes and stammers a no to that. Is that because every time you guys drink, it ends in smooches? They make a date for later, grinning from ear to ear.

Problems arise in the ICC, and the international pressure to get Bong-gu out on bail starts to push back against Jae-ha and Korea. He counters the threats with an If this isn’t your country’s official position, I don’t want to hear it, which holds them off for now, but the pressure mounts for them to relent on the issue of bail.

It’s most effective where Bong-gu is strongest—an attack on the economy. China cuts off access to an oil pipeline, for instance, and suddenly Korea’s in a panic. Advisors are asking Jae-ha to agree to bail, while Secretary Eun tells him not to relent.

Hang-ah comes by in good spirits, only to overhear the conversation and Jae-ha canceling the promotional event later today (and their date, natch). She asks Dad what the hell is going on, and he fills her in.

She urges him to get North Korea onboard, but he tells her there’s equal pressure on them too. He tells her it’s a South Korean matter, but she tells him that’s her job now, to protect Jae-ha and this country. “You were the one who told me that I was a South Korean now.”

Hang-ah watches Jae-ha up to his neck in stress, and puts her hands on his shoulders. He takes her hand and apologizes for their date, and she tells him that North Korea is going to help and take their side with the ICC.

She’s also decided that going there herself is the best way to make their presence count in this fight, and says that she’ll be going too. He quickly says no, pleading with her to just stay put and stay by his side until Bong-gu is put away.

She tries to reason with him but he can’t live with her being captured or hurt again, and yells, “Can’t you just stay put?!” Hang-ah asks for how long—until Bong-gu is put away? What if he isn’t? Then what?

“Am I supposed to spend the rest of my life hiding in the palace because I’m afraid of Kim Bong-gu?!” GAH, I love that we have a heroine who asks these questions. Jae-ha knows it’s the wrong answer but he says it anyway: “Yes.” She storms out. He buries his head in his hands.

A little while later, he gets Hang-ah out under the guise of some midnight charity work (how she falls for it is beyond me) and she finds herself dropped off in the middle of nowhere in the dark.

Suddenly fireworks go off, and a fountain turns on, and Jae-ha appears in the center with a big goofy grin. She just laugh-sighs, used to his brand of crazy gestures by now.

She pouts that this doesn’t make up for their promised street date—there’s no people (Jae-ha: “I’m here”), no sun (Jae-ha: “There’s moonlight”). And then she adds for good measure, “And what if Kim Bong-gu appears? I’m sooooo scared.” Ha. He breaks into a laugh.

Jae-ha: “I’m sorry. I can’t hold your hand or buy you tea like regular people do. I’m sorry that we can’t even go for a walk. I’m sorry that I do nothing but yell, and I’m sorry that all I do is get angry. I said I’d make you happy, but I let all the worst things happen to you, for that I’m so sorry. That’s why I can’t let you go. I can’t do anything without you anymore.”

AW. Okay, I-can’t-function-without-you is way better than you-can’t-leave-for-your-own-safety-even-though-you-are-totally-more-badass-than-I-am. Because that makes sense to nobody. You’re still gonna lose this argument, but the apology is awesome.

She grabs him in a hug. It’s adorable.

Then they go for a midnight date in the amusement park, which I’d say was a good idea except for the last time you were held hostage in one. He has to drag her onto a roller coaster kicking and screaming, and then we cut to his glazed-over face and her screaming, “Again! Again!” Hahaha.

They feed the bears, they feed each other, and Jae-ha stops to tie her shoelaces, saying that an untied shoelace means someone’s thinking of her right now—who could that be? You are the king of cheese, but it’s so friggin’ cute.

They sit for a while and then she asks, “Weren’t we going together?” She means life, which I love. “Don’t look at me as a woman, but as a person, going forward with you hand in hand.”

He sighs—so she’s insisting on going to the ICC after all? She turns to him, “Comrade Lee Jae-ha,” but he replies in his pissy mood, “I said I wouldn’t be your comrade!” She pouts.

He lets out a deep sigh, and then says fine, let’s just say you run into Bong-gu there—what will you do? So she grabs his arm, twists it behind him, stands up, and pins him down in all of three seconds. HA.

She introduces herself as the king’s fiancée, and then leans in close, choking him, “You made my man cry tears of blood? Today will be your funeral.”

And then Jae-ha answers the same way he did that first day in the bathroom, when she mopped him: “I’ll do well!” HEE.

She softens her face and her grip and says it’ll just be for three days. He tells her to go. Hang-ah: “You know that I’m always by your side, right?” He gets up and gives her a little peck on the lips.

She returns it with a sweet little lip graze, and then he wraps his arms around her for real kiss.

Hang-ah goes to make her case with the ICC, but she’s too late—Bong-gu’s bail has been approved, citing health problems. My ass. Hang-ah tries, but can’t get them to delay the ruling any longer, so by the time she exits the building, Bong-gu is already on his way out. URG.

He stops to greet her, smug as ever. He asks how the wedding plans are going and warns her that he’ll be meddling, since he’s going to take the fight to them.

Meanwhile Jae-ha gets the warning that the U.S. might maybe attack North Korea, if they feel like it. Bong-gu’s influence over international affairs already stretches the limits of believability to their ends—should we really be pulling harder in the final stretch, Show?

Jae-ha makes sure to record the conversation with his keyword phrase, though nothing is stated outright in the exchange. Jae-ha returns the threat with one of his own—that the second the U.S. attacks North Korea, they won’t be able to step one foot inside South Korea.

So basically Bong-gu’s idea of keeping their unholy union from coming to pass is to send their countries into war. Which frankly, I expected this show to pull out sooner. Welcome to worst-case scenario. Sort of wish we could’ve gotten here sooner, though I know that’s sadistic of me.

Hang-ah tells him that his eyes are giving him away—it’s the first thing she trains her soldiers to do, and clearly Bong-gu is more afraid than he’s letting on. He chuckles that she should read the wedding present he sent, which will give helpful suggestions for how her country will remain on this planet.

He turns to add that South Korea probably won’t be so lucky, and calls her out for letting her eyes betray her emotions. He walks away laughing. He gets to just walk away? How can that be? Somebody DIED to put him there! For the love of all that is right in this forsaken place! GRAR.

Hang-ah returns to the palace and she and Jae-ha ask Secretary Eun if their wedding is going to cause a war. Should they stop?

He tells Jae-ha that there are two choices: the first is to agree to Bong-gu’s terms and resign, and the second is to do everything in their power to keep war from breaking out while continuing their fight.

Secretary Eun: “If you were a citizen, what kind of king would you want?” Jae-ha looks over at Hang-ah, and then breaks out into a smile, “Let’s start with diplomatic relations.”

Dong-ha brings a safe deposit box to Jae-shin, full of Shi-kyung’s personal effects that were requested to be brought to her. She tentatively asks for the combination to open it, and he gives the first few numbers and pauses to look up the rest, but she realizes it’s her birthday, which opens the safe.

She pulls something out. OHGOD, it’s a video letter. Break out the tissues. Dong-ha brings her to Shi-kyung’s old office (now his) which is the only room in the whole palace that has a VHS player, and he muses that it’s so like Shi-kyung to be so old-school.

She finally presses play and Shi-kyung peeps into the frame timidly. He coughs awkwardly and says that he tried to write her a letter, but that didn’t go so well. Flashback to that night he started to write the letter and promptly realized he couldn’t write one. Aw, Bot.

So he digs out an old VHS camcorder from the cabinet and reads the manual (I swear, this guy) and finally starts the recording. What’s great is that he records it in the very spot she’s looking at, so when cut together, it’s like they’re sitting across the table from each other. It kind of kills me.

He starts with an apology for the kiss, wherein he can barely even say the word. “I was a coward. I thought that because I’m so frustrating and not any fun, the second I showed any weakness you’d get tired of me.”

He says that’s why he had resigned himself to just looking at her from afar. And then the way he sighs, and then bites his lip as he looks up at the camera while admitting, “But I couldn’t,” it turns me into a puddle of goo.

And then we get a two-shot of them across the divide, sitting at the table together, with him bathed in angelic light. He confesses now that he liked her from the moment they met, because she was everything he wasn’t—so carefree and bold.

He says that he always wished he could be someone who was right for her, and that’s why he decided to go on this mission – to be someone worthy of her. He starts to say, “If you’re watching this…” but chokes on the words and waves the thought aside.

He smiles and says she won’t ever have to see this, and she breaks into tears. He promises to return an impressive person, and holds up a little book about humor that he’s bringing along. Hahahaha. Oh, Bot.

He tells her that he won’t be frustrating from now on. It makes her cry harder but smile too. He holds up his fist in this super awkward gesture to say that he’ll totally be smooth from now on. He laughs at himself.

“I’ll return someone as impressive and bold as you are. And I’ll tell you myself in person. That I love you.”

*tears* Gah, that’s so mean. Why are you doing this to us?

He smiles to himself, giddy at the thought of saying those words to her when he returns. He gives a little salute, and then it ends. We cut back out to Jae-shin bawling in front of the tv.

Bong-gu sees that Jae-ha isn’t backing down, disappointed at not getting a response to his wedding present. He says they’ll have to give the U.S. a little push, and bombs the hell out of Michigan. Michigan? Whatever, anyway, North Korea is “found” to be responsible, so now they have proper motivation for a counterattack.

It’s a totally ridiculous super-speed version which takes out a lot of the punch (had this been a major plot arc carried out with some time spent on it, it would’ve been more interesting than half a dozen other Bong-gu moves up till now), but anyway the upshot is, Bong-gu has successfully driven his wedge.

North Korea flips out, and Hang-ah’s father suggests the prime minister reach out to the South and ask for their help. He folds his pride and does so, but at the same time, the South Korean prime minister caves with a phone call from the U.S.

North Korea waits on pins and needles, as the South announces that its troops are siding with the U.S. and gearing up for war. Oh crap. So then North Korea reacts, and it announces that they’ll attack the South. Double crap.

The orders come down the pipeline, and Dong-ha gets a call. He doesn’t like what he hears, but he’s told to follow orders. He goes down to tell Hang-ah that her father is there to see her, but Jae-ha has to go to the palace. Oh no, Dong-ha, don’t do it!

They take Jae-ha back to the palace, while Hang-ah’s father comes to take her to lunch. Neither is told what’s going on, but Jae-ha is greeted by a line of generals, while Hang-ah’s dad takes her to the border. They both stop in their tracks and ask what’s going on.

Dong-ha finally tells Jae-ha that it’s war.

Dad tells Hang-ah the same – that the U.S. will attack Pyongyang, and then they’ll attack Seoul. Her face goes white.

The words sink in and Jae-ha looks up, “Hang-ah… WHERE IS HANG-AH?!”

Hang-ah begs her father not to do this, but he has her dragged to the gate. She turns back, screaming, “Comrade Lee Jae-ha!”

 
COMMENTS

Damn, another good ending. The thing is, this war plotline was one that I expected to happen eons ago (after all, a North-South union’s biggest and most obvious threat is war), and one that could’ve been so much more effective had it been built up with a stronger foundation. It has a few things on its side—namely the history of civil strife in Korea—that it doesn’t really have to do the groundwork, and yet I think that’s lazy writing. If the ICC was gonna go to shit anyway, what the fuck did we spend all that story time on it for? And more importantly, WHY DID SHI-KYUNG HAVE TO DIE?

Had war been the central point of Bong-gu’s attack (and made evident through a carefully planned out arc for him), this final turn would’ve carried much more impact, because then we’d see that this was his endgame, and it would feel like a momentous climax. It IS, in terms of level of conflict (that, they got right, and of course the dramatic separation) but it’s not the kind of satisfying narrative climax it could have been.

We spent a hell of a lot of time out of a precious pre-finale episode setting up plot points that all felt rushed and shoehorned in because they weren’t planned and placed ahead of time. I really don’t want to spend the final two episodes watching foreign day players. You already relied on them too much in other episodes, and the setup should’ve already been there. To take time away from the characters at their emotional climaxes to give exposition at this hour was really annoying, more so than usual.

I really held out hope that Shi-kyung wouldn’t die, and I understand why you could argue that a person like him can’t even exist in the real world. And he was given a beautifully heart-wrenching death that ran the gamut of emotions for him, for Jae-ha, and for Jae-shin. (Though I’m still holding out hope that the drama will give us a beat for Jae-ha to mourn Shi-kyung properly.) But right now I’m having trouble seeing the good in it, when Bong-gu is running around freely. What did he die for? I know HE would answer that he died for what the king represents—his people, and honor and duty and justice and all that. But I want to see that his death had a palpable result – Bong-gu’s capture gave me some small tangible thing to cling to, and then when he got out, I felt like I got stripped of that. I NEEDED THAT. Why are you taking it from me?!

Though the setup of the final stretch was clunky (and that’s judging by this drama’s standards because everything else had much more lead time and solid blueprint work going in) the final separation of the couple with the threat of war is a great place to be for the final episode. Their fight over Hang-ah going to ICC was really the setup for their final separation, and the question that has always been the big giant elephant in this engagement: What happens when your countries go to war?

We find out tomorrow, come hell or high water.

 
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What the fuck. I feel like I’ve been robbed of something, and my intuition warned me that this episode would confirm my worst fears.
I was slack jawed within 10 minutes of this show. I was always cautious and apprehensive – this show never wrote anything for fanfare, but dammit earnest you DID NOT have to die. .
It’s not like this was for narrative purpose, obviously, since we are at the end. I’m trying to find a GOOD ass reason that justifies all this. Even if we did find one, would that do us any good?
There’s a reminder of a painful reality out there for us –a lot of times, soldiers die while trying to serve their country. He died in the line of duty. T_T
Thanks for the message, writers. We gettit. WHY?!
Earnest died honorably while doing what he so faithfully believed in and will forever be the ideal solider/companion. I hope his death bought upon some deep soul searchin’ and reevaluation of one’s character.
But seriously, I’m pretty sure everybody here cried buckets of tears and spit out rambling nonsense in result of his demise. And DAMMIT seunggi, your remarkable performance just added to the truckload of tears
Earnest was perhaps one of my favorite characters in this drama not because he had such a sincere determination and faith for everyone – he was one of the reasons Jae Ha pulled through. One of the reasons princess pulled through – in a way, he was their pillars. And when all else failed, we saw him as one too…
Earnest shall forever leave an imprint in our k-drama watching hearts, much deserved.
It’s just too sad for me to accept the fact that he was one of the most exquisitely written characters in this show and fate (or the mighty pen) decided to pull death card on us. And, the fact that I’m just picturing a future that could have been if he became prince consort and had some mini shi kyungs play with mini jae has…my heart aches.
At least he exited with some good ass lines and got a good smack at bong gu.
Earnest Bot: “I’m not loyal to him because he’s the king. It’s because even without hope, he doesn’t give up.”
Jae Ha: “It’s an order. Don’t die!” *sobs uncontrollably*
Aghhh the bromance in this show KILLS me. And now I’m going to get some water and re-hydrate in preparation for the finale. I’ve got my towel. Tomorrow, I shall gather 6 mangos and be ready. (If anyone’s curious as to why 6, it’s one for every 10 minutes.)

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Dear mangos, I want to rant to..but please allowed me to rob this space making announcement:

ATTENTION PLEASE!!

Trending Topic Project, will held this night, 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

I want to say party..but apparently there'll be tears when we bid farewell. If seung Gi schedule is right, he'll attend the wrap up party and (hopefully) watch the last episode together with the cast. Hopefully the twitter persona is see our farewell message for them...sooo... Please join us, and spread this!

Thanks in advance!

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Right?! This is exactly how I felt- ROBBED, and not even in a way that was ultimately narratively satisfying!! I'm only getting over this now, finally, because I've exhausted every avenue to rant about this, and now it's sort of out of my system. But I definitely feel emptier going into the finale.

Don't think about the fictional future ilikemangoes! It's far too heartbreaking, especially because as you mention, he was the pillar for so many people- he was in a lot of ways, the heart of this show. EVERYONE relied on him, and trusted in him, to have that taken away so senselessly... argh.

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How is Jae-shin going to continue on...

*sobs*

Who will give confidence to JH when he's at his lowest of low...

*sobs piteously*

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Jae-Shin was who I was thinking of the entire time. I mean, she was forced to "participate" in her brother's murder, lost the use of her legs, has to deal with painful trauma, AND lost the love of her life?! wtf drama!!!

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I'm so with you, GF and Mangos, I GETIT that SK die in line of duty. But after what was said about SK representing faith and loyalty last week, that BG just want it for himself as a toy, he has to shoot AND KILL him ?!? What does that mean ? BG wins and JH loses ?

Then BG got released. Then JH and HA moved on to a bigger war. And it felt like SK had sacrificed for nothing.

I'm off mourning ....

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WHY? O WHY? i can't concentrate on my work now- with my 2nd fave character died like that (totally agree with you ilikemangoes). sniff. sniff. but then, i admit, this show is still so damn good up to the last episodes. GOOD JOB GF and team dramabeans, you keep me so updated with the episodes (i'm a filipina so i don't understand korean).

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Robbed AND Wronged. That's what it felt like for me. It doesn't make sense that he gets killed! I can even accept it if he stays in a coma for maybe a month or even a year just as long as he's alive.

And watching that video letter just drove home the fact that the 'what ifs' and 'could have beens' for him and the Princess wouldn't come to fruition. *sobs* Shit! Everytime I think about it, I can't stop crying. How do I watch tomorrow's episode being like this?

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*waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh*
Shi-Kyung ah!!!! It doesn't make sense that he had to die! It didn't serve any purpose, Bong-gi would have been tried anyways.
Besides, why did they have to go all the way to ICC, he just murdered someone in front of so many eye-witness! I mean there is just regular law that you can use.
I was watching on my way to work, and artived right when he died, had to fake allergies to explain the teary eyes and red nose.

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I know!!!! I bawled my eyes out. Strange that I felt like I was going through the stages of grief in fast forward--- denial, anger... etc... I was devastated, I was shocked, I was in disbelief, but I could barely get some choked sobs out. But when Jae Ha called Sec Eun "Abonim", like GF, it was then I lost it as well. OMG. I couldn't focus for the rest of the hour...

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ANGRY NOW. ANGRY! Hyung had to die. Now Shi-Kyung, too? There was no point to that. NO POINT!

I don't buy that he's too pure to live in the world; he'd already had to face his father's corruption, and he was planning to loosen up and become a real boy. He was helping Jae Shin heal. WTF does his death spur anyone to do that they weren't already doing? GRRRRR.

I'm still holding out hope that his death has somehow been faked. He's not so by-the-book anymore, right? They faked his death so he can melt out of a shadow and assasinate Bong Gu at the last minute and not be prosecuted, right? RIGHT, SHOW??

Ugh, I think I'm having a stroke.

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My Advise to hearties,

Finish the entire series and then make up your conclusions. We are all having knee-jerk reactions right now. But look at things from the big picture and you will see - it all makes sense.

I truly love this drama to pieces. I take some things I had said - because I said those words without thinking.

TK2H , Daebak!!!!! 10 out of 10.

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I've come in late because I am moving house and the subs were a little slow this time.

But ... WHHHYYYYYYYY???!!!!

WTF!!!!!

City Hunter, I curse you!!! You started a freakin' trend and I curse you forever!

I'm with you all ... what was the reason for Bot's demise? For what purpose except to wrench our guts? Gratuitous manipulation of emotions for no intellectual plot development. That is unworthy of you or us!

And what's worse, you follow it up with further salt in our wounds with the video letter scene. Why? We have just realised our wounds, barely began to leak at it and you pour salt into it.

Scriptwriters, you gonna make me put on a short skirt, pack up Hang Ah's gun and sniper you like a South American footie player who scored his own goal.

OK, venting over ... poor Jae Shin. Has she not suffered enough? And again, my heart bleeds for Eun Skunkretary. Not matter what wrongs he did, to lose his son like this ... and Jae Ha proves he is a King among men for his compassion and humanity towards the Euns.

Ah, I am so glad I did not pack up my Kleenex.

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thank you!
i cried my eyes out..

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So did I. I never got into the show very much and bailed after ep 10 and skipped around the recaps, but Oh my God, I sobbed when Eun Shi Kyung died.

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same here. needed lots of kleenex while watching it. my heart cant take it.

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instead of kleenex, i just grabbed a towel.

i had to pause 4 times because of the sobbing and it took me 3 hours to finish the episode.

i have still not recovered. my heart is broken.

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Oh Deity, glad I wasn't the only one who sobbed and this is just the recaps. When I catch up (again) and get to thise episode...I'm going to have to plan that I'm alone when I watch this 'cause I'll be a mess. Again!

Full agreement abou the broken heart. Makes me really feel for Jae-shin as she's the one who got him ripped away in this storyline. Ugh, that farewell video! Heart fallin' apart with no Bot to put it back together.

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same with you! I need more than 1 hour to watched this episode because of shi kyung. I think he died for nothing, because bong gu is still free. And how can the writers killed him just like that? He left his father, the only one family he have in his life, he left the king, the only friends he have, and of course he left the princess. that's so sad. I mean how come a very good person like eun shi kyung have to died in that way?
to make him died this way is just way too cruel.

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I didn't. Maybe two tears leaked out but honestly I was so frustrated, I couldn't even mourn. And then everything went back to normal so soon for us the viewers.

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I have not watched one single episode of this show (not enough time in a day to do so, so I just read the recaps), but I was OUTRIGHT PISSED about Earnest Bot's death!!!! Just like Arhazivory's Zombie, I barely even got a chance to shed a few tears from how frustrated I was. There was no point to his death. I would have been much happier with a fake-out and him getting out of the hospital miraculously saved. And Bong-Gu (I'm not sure if that's spelled right, but I'm too lazy and upset to scroll up right now) just gets out after there being multiple witness to a murder he committed?! It's a SAD day in k-dramaland indeed.

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Me too, it was really frustrating for me who was turning into a fan for the writer(s). Some sites list just one writer from the Other Hong Sisters, some credit both. And it's not the death for me, it's the execution and the handling of the afermath which required some delicacy.

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I know what you mean! It's like business as usual. For crying out loud, didn't he just die?! The staunchest soldier/friend/ally a king could ever have? So frustrating!

I just hope there's a twist at the end that's why there's not much mourning and grieving about SK.

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I'm sriously thought about that...

I'm seriously ranting and cursing the writer for Shi Kyung, but the biggest problem is...they don't give us the viewers time to mourning properly...

that's the awkward moment in this episode, but I guess they have no option since there only one episode left, though I'm sure, as topper said:
"And it’s not the death for me, it’s the execution and the handling of the afermath which required some delicacy."

that's it..we need time for mourning over him, dear writer nim

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Word Arhazivory's Zombie, word. I was too mad last night to cry (although I did shed plenty of tears this morning re-wartching the whole episode). I was seriously frustrated and really pissed off at the writers.

It's not JUST that he died no needlessly, its that it felt like he wasn't sufficiently honoured by having his death stuffed in amongst everything else that had to happen in this episode. Rushed, badly edited, gah.

AND the bad handling of it all undercut the sweetness of Jae Ha and Hang Ah's scenes as well, which is unfair. I wonder if the editors were under the gun- if they were scrambling to get this episode finished...

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Yeah, I only cried during JS scene with HA and watching the video, but during the actual death scene, I was too stunned and frustrated that they killed him to cry much.

This episode was just too rushed, these events should have been spread out to two episodes.

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He was the ONLY reason I was watching this show. Show and I have broken up now.

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Is it possible that he'll come back to life? Improbable, but maybe it was planned and that's why we didn't get a moment with Jae-ha grieving?

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I guess so... because after the funeral it looks like JH doesnt mourn for SK properly. well at least let's hope so

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I know this isn't what you mean, but I just imagined Shi-kyung returning as a zombie, and having a spinoff show called "Zombie Prosecutor" in which he fights against all of the Bong-gu's of this world.

Ok, at first I was joking but now I seriously believe that this MUST HAPPEN.

Anybody know any Kdrama writers?!

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@rearwindow's soul

"but I just imagined Shi-kyung returning as a zombie, and having a spinoff show called “Zombie Prosecutor” in which he fights against all of the Bong-gu’s of this world"

I was crying my eyes out and then came across your post - thank you for making me laugh and cry at the same time . . . I'm officially crazy.

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er, that's @rearwindow's soulless body. (i guess you've become an empty shell just like the rest of us.)

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Dearest Minea,

This drama makes us all crazy.

Love,
The Hollow Shell of Rearwindow

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same here. i was watching because of him and the princess. i randomly saw an mv about these two and start watching after ep 15 or sth aired.

i am not into politics/soldier plot and actually i didn't even watch the parts of main leads poperly. SK was my main focus. and i am FURIOUS as i can be! did he really have to die?

but reading recaps and all comments about bromance between king and SK, his death seems more unbelievable. i mean the king having date and all being lovey dovey with HA as if nothing bad happened looked weird to me. It was so gross to see them like that i was yelling " really! YOUR BEST FRIEND HAS JUST DIED!"
so i want to hold on a tiny hope him being alive. otherwise i will add this drama to my black list.

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the writer is so mean, how can they make Shi Kyung Died. ohhhhhh I can't hold my tears when I read it. And it just remember me of the City hunter when Yong Joo died.
R.I.P Shi Kyung...

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I don't want to have to drop TK2H like I did BV…!

Writer nim, I've trusted you up to this point—I seriously want my happily ever after!!!!!!!!!!

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i just finish part 1 of Ep 19, i got goosebumps with the scenes. I have read the recaps and comments about Shi Kyung passing away, my reaction was not much until i watch the scene itself, I CRIED! It hurts, why does the royal family have to endure so much tragedy and pain. Three deaths one paralyzed, two kidnappings. sigh!
I wish the antagonist bong-do will be skinned alive.

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Okay - just finished watching. I'll just start typing this while waiting for the recap - thanks GF. Ctrl+v ftw. I'm surprised at how much I understood from watching the raw, and of course the English dialogue helped.

I tried, but unfortunately was spoiled so I was ranting for the entire day and seriously felt like I wouldn't watch the damn thing. But I did. Still upset at the writers....I don't think we needed that sacrifice and its not like it made any of them a better person. The execution of that scene and Jae-Ha's tears were moving though, although I was so upset that I could only spare a feeew tears.

What impacted me was how quickly things just moved on. Just like with Jae-Kang, we don't get much time to mourn because stuff need to be done. I realise that the writers keep us in the dark about the timeline. I'm not sure how many days after the funeral was and how many days after that was the next scene. *sighs* I would have appreciated some more mourning time. Yet, it didn't feel rushed to me and the writers succeeded I think in getting the point across that 'life goes on.' Damn you writers. ><

I still want to see in ep 20 that Shi-Kyung is secretly in a hospital somewhere because of whatever reason. Even if its a dumbass reason, I'll take it.

I'll comment on other matters after reading recap.

*ctrl+v; goes to read recap*

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my dear Arhazivory's soul... come back here... I know you're too frustrated because of SK's death, but let's face it together.. ;(

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I'll come back tomorrow... *sighs*

Actually, I'll be leaving the site in a few minutes and won't be back until tomorrow evening. So I won't get to plot devious schemes against the writers with everyone else. ><

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Good news! I've decided (circa comment 2.1.2.1.2) that Shi-kyung will come back as a zombie and helm a spinoff legal drama called "Zombie Prosecutor." And ya know what? He's gonna need a trusty Zombie sidekick to help him out! You two can fight crime together and roam the earth in search of brains and dead horses and stuff. You know, zombie-things. I'm sure Jo Jung-seok would be hot even if he were decaying a little bit.

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@rearwindow's soulless body

"I’m sure Jo Jung-seok would be hot even if he were decaying a little bit."

LOL. way to lighten up an otherwise somber/frustration-filled atmosphere.

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Oh, really..I'll help him now...

I don't even have any soul left..just my body type all of this..I'm ready to be his side kick

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He and The King (I mean, Oppa King) can fight together. They can eat Bong Gu's brain and give the rest to the other. Doesn't that sound good? Maybe the Queen can also help them to cook brains. (How do you cook brains?)

Please make more jokes, I need to laugh 'cause I've cried enough for today, and for dramas! TT_TT

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..and we didn't even get to see a shower scene of our bot. This is so UNFAIR *sobs

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Yes! Off to read.

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Nnnnnooooo!!!! *sobs*
I knew Jae-ha had something planned but Shi-kyung... I knew there was a possiblility but still... Way to kill the bromance, drama!
This drama has no plans of slowing down even to it's end.

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The last time I felt this way was when the Prosecutor died in City Hunter...These are the only 2 times a drama has made me cry.

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agreed ugghhh.

i'm still holding out hope that he'll pop back up. it's a shade of a hope though.

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This episode reminded me of the Prosecutor's death too...ugh. And I dare to hope that he'll come back to life...

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Narratively, this reminds me of the Prosecutor's death, but to be honest I was SO MUCH more invested in the character of Shi-kyung that emotionally there is no comparison for me. I've never felt this devastated over a fictional death before.

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EUN SHI KYUUUUUUUUUNG!!!!!! -HEART BREAKS-

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Ding dong.

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Okay, so what happened? ***off to read***

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I hope you're prepared.

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So, it was CH ep.19 v.2 huh? Sad that Shi-kyung had to die and I get that people will be pissed off. [No, I don't believe he's alive. He.was.shot.in.the.chest.]

I've plans on re-watching this drama after it ends (episode 14 was the last I watched) so I'd probably be crying over Shi-kyung's death then. It does seem a bit rushed though and the grieving a little glossed over. Anyway, I'd take time later to watch the finale (after watching my current fave QIM).

Thank you GF for the fantastic recap.

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OMG. So quick indeed! Thanks for the quick drama recap!!!!!

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As always, thanks for the recap GF.

"No one ever accused this show of doing too LITTLE, that’s for sure. "

- except when it comes to AhHa kiss scenes !!!!!!!!!

(off to read long awaited recap :-) )

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"except when it comes to AhHa kiss scenes"

Lol, so true! At least we got another kiss in this episode.

TOTES DOES NOT MAKE UP FOR EARNEST'S DEATH, but I'll take it where I can get it, haha.

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So true...thanks to them killing off Shi Kyung, I've been totally dysfunctional today... working hours right now and loads of stuff to do..but just can't focus at all...

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Life is so UNFAIR!!! T.T

thank you GF for the recaps!!! *HUGS* You are the BEST!!!

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Darm!!!!! This episode gave me whiplash!
Shi Kyung dead? NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! (tears)
Crazy assassin lady dead, Yay!!!! Bong Gu Must Die a miserable death or get locked up in a developing country's prison. How did he get a gun?
Bong Gu's arrest is a 'Tragedy of International Contradictions' WTF!!!!
I cried when I saw Shi Kyung's video message to JaeShin so sad.
Loved the conversation between Hang Ah and Bong Gu, so intense
Loved the date between Jae Ha and Hang AH. (I think Seung-Gi has been getting acting lessons from Art School Hyung as there expressions are very similar in the conversation before the date). So sute that he wanted to throw up but she wanted to ride again.
Love Hang Ah's dad for doing everything he can to protect her.
Why would US attack N. Korea when they have the ability to know it was Club M?
Why would the ICC succumb to international pressure when it is supposed to be above that?

Why can't Jae Ha and Hang Ah catch a break? They have to be separated again? Noooooo!!!!!!

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"Why would US attack N. Korea when they have the ability to know it was Club M?
Why would the ICC succumb to international pressure when it is supposed to be above that?"

One word: Money.

It's a cynical way of looking at the world, for sure, but it seems that Bong-gu is able to buy his way out of (and into) pretty much anything he wants.

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unlimitted money, absolutely!!

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That's what kick me in the gut...
This show..never feared to unveil this even at the last moment..and that's the truth indeed, we don't live in rosy and rainbow or fairytale...*sob my self with this*

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Yeah, the English dialogue was a little confusing in this episode by the National Security whatever. What does that even mean, tragedy of international contradictions??? I kept playing that over and over again, trying to read the Korean to see if I could get a clue and I'm still confused.

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The tragedy is when they get non-native, English speakers to play Americans and no one understands what the hell they are saying.

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I still think that there will be a miracle tonight...hehe.. (i hope so...)

If the miracle doesn't happen, it will really by City Hunter 2...

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thanks GF.

I'm wearing all black today. Still can't believe it. How could you, Show? How could you??

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LOL you were prepared!!
omg T___T I have been asking the same. WHY?!!??!

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I am wearing black too. I am so upset!

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incidentally i am too.... don't feel like wearing color today...

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argh why didnt I think of that?!
*plans all black wardrobe tomorrow*
poor baby, that's how much we all love you!

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Lol, I'm actually unintentionally wearing a black dress today, too.

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Ha, I wanna make the scriptwriters wear black too .. black eyes!

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At the first part of this episode all I could do was say< "Man, this show pulled a City Hunter on me," if you know what I mean. x( I was so upset when my Shi Kyung died.

Let's hope the next episode won't pull another City Hunter stunt.

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same here

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I agree it seems like another City Hunter ending???

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Yes, definitely another City Hunter. :( And Earnest Bot reminded me so much of Prosecutor too, both in terms of looks and character.

Siiigh. TT_____TT My heart still aches for frustrating and un-fun Earnest Bot. I was so invested in their love line with Jae Shin.

/wears black all day/

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Aw man,, why must Earnest Bottie die? It really makes my sadness double toward the death of second lead actors. First my charming prosecutor and now uri Shi Kyung...ckckk

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Been cursing Shitty Hunter all day since I watched this episode.

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Why did Shyikyung have to die?

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OH.MY.GOD! they killes Eun Shi Kyung.. ok, that's it! Kim Bong Gu! you're dead!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I still remember JH said to HA that if there’s something happened to SK he will blame himself for the rest of his life. That’s why I hope the writer won’t kill SK so JH doesn’t need to live his life blaming himself for SK death. He suffers too much that I don’t want him to suffer for the rest of his life. SK death will also be cruel for JS. She also suffers too much, how can she live her life? I feel like SK didn’t die and episode 20 will surprise us. Hopefully. It’s like a plan to make BG believes that SK is dead. When he’s focusing in messing the two Korea, SK somehow will appear and kill him, or whatever to make him suffering, when he’s not ready with it and totally didn’t expect this. That’s why the plan should be a grand one and making it so believable by showing the world the funeral of SK. The little people know about the plan, the better. That’s also the reason JS doesn’t know it, and I think Sec Eun also doesn’t know referring to his conversation with JH when JH said he will treat him as his own father. Just my opinion.

Seeing how JH and HA had a great time together after the death of SK gives me hope. JH’s not showing that he’s blaming himself for the death of SK. Or maybe he just tries to move on after the mourning? I hope it’s not like that. SK said in his video to JS that he will be back and tell her directly that he loves her. I hope I can see that in ep 20. *all fingers and toes crossed*

But, if SK really died, he died as a hero and in his King’s hands.

Thank you for the recap GF.

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Oops, using *...in his King's hands* sounds not right. It's better to say *in his King's arms. It's better I think.

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@ Osi,

You are so optimistic to think about other scenarios for SK. For my part, I almost collapsed last night watching him dying. I cried too much that this morning my eyelids are doubled in size.

Even if he died as a hero and in his King's hands, I will not accept that scripts. A death in honor for SK can not comfort me, never and ever.

Oh, I start crying again....My poor Sk, my poor JS. How can she handle this pain... huhuhu

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*hugs*
Here some towels for you.

Yeah, I think I'm thinking too much. Being optimist is good. :)

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haha...conspiracy theory anyone?*part of me wishing it*

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I'm at work right now trying to hide my tears. Seriously not working. Figures that he'd die, really, since we all love him so much and he's probably too good for this world *sob*

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@Osi: I'm with you. I'm not sure if I simply just in denial but I don't think SK really died too.

1) The pacing of the episode feels a bit off w/o proper mourning of SK's death, especially The Date, though I enjoyed it very much. Isn't JH TOO HAPPY for someone who said he'll blame himself for the rest of his life if anything should happen to SK? Hey there! His body is not even cold yet!

2) If JH & SK were so brilliant in planning everything, anticipating BG's every move and countering them, including how the final showdown will sort of pan out, I honestly cannot believe that both of them went into that dangerous situation without preparation, I.E. bullet-proof vests. HELLO???

Having said that, I hope the writers will pull off the surprise/twist with aplomb. Otherwise, we can add another similarity between JH & BG - ability to pull rabbits (or in this case, doves) out of a hat!

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Would love to be optimistic, but he died with blood coming out of his mouth and really if this is all fake twisty thing, wasn't the video to JS just too, too cruel? But would love it if was all fake. :(

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u thinking exactly as i am.. positive thinking to let go a bit of tears for me. huhu. eun shi kyung ! please come back!! *crossfinger.

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*sigh* it breaks my heart watching Jae-ha cries as he orders Shi-kyung not to die...I feel like crawling under my blanket and just cry....

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I'M SOOOOO SAD THAT MY FAVORITE CHARACTER HAD TO DIIIIIEEE FOR NO REASON, IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE. I HOPE JO JUNG SUK GET A LEADING ROLE REAL SOON CAUSE HE SOOO DESERVES IT.

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When Shi-Kyung was shot I had a look of horror!!

JH: "Because of me"

oh fuck no!! THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING!! Worst nightmare EVER!! Did I take today and tomorrow off of work for THIS?!

SK: "Don't say those words!!....From now on don't ever give up!! Because you are the King!!"

I couldn't have loved him anymore than I did when he said this...his faith in his King until he breathed his last was inspiring!!

JH: "ESK....don't die....this is an order!!"

Weeping piteously into my hands!!

I cried along with JS and HA..

When JH asked Secretary Eun if he would make do as a surrogate son I just grabbed a towel and started sobbing into it....it was just.too.much!!

The stupendous acting by everyone involved in mourning SK's death but SEUNG-GI fucking killed me!! Both he and JJS were unimaginably awesome!!

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yeah, even through my tears I still admire how awesome the way LSG cries. It was heartbreaking... and the moment when SK's life was flashing... I lost it. When Sec. Eun absorbed the fact that his son died... my eyes blurred with tears. When JS received SK's dog tag.... boy... and when JS played the video from him... and they made it like the dream sequence... I cried buckets of tears with her...

gah, I still cant believe the writers kill him. KILL BONG GU right away!!!!!!!!

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The actress playing Jae-shin has this incredible way of delivering these gut-wrenching cries. She's amazing.

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definitely!!!

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Yes, her cries are so real... I've actually rolled my eyes and laughed at other actress' crying scenes in other dramas but hers, and also LSG too felt really really real.

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She really is. When she sobs, I sob even harder. It's as if seeing her cry multiplies the needles piercing through me.

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I'd stopped sobbing like a loon .. OK, barely ... when the video letter scene came on. Jae Shin killed me all over again. The juxtaposition of luminescent, ghostly Shi Kyung facing the heart-broken, shattered Jae Shin ... aw man, sob ... reminder me of Ghost.

They are both such fabulous actors and that scene had so much tenderness, frailty and poignancy that even recollecting it is making me reach for my Kleenex.

Gawd dammit.

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actually i had an impending feeling. but i trusted u hong sisters! i mean if u really wanted to extend the plot, i could agree to ur war. i could agree to bongu shooting him, but couldnt he have gone to the hospital and eventually woken up. i loved shi kyung more than jae ha!!!!
i officially HATE your SHOW!!!!

i quit

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I had the same reactions and it has been quite a few hours that i read the recap over at Koalas. But no matter how much I don't want to watch it again. I know come tomorrow I will be waiting for my recaps like an addict. And next week after this show is over there is going to be a gaping big hole in my life.

I think I am gonna go into mourning for SK.....

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@ ally:

I am with you ally. I love SK much much much more than JH. Actually, he and his loveline account for my attention in this drama. Then without him, I'll quit.

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Somehow it seems to me the writer shares the same sentiments as you. It is obvious people are gonna curse and swear at her, but despite creating such a great character she decided to kill him off. She loved him more than she wants plaudits. Which is weird to me.

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dear topper,
do u really think so? sure the kidnapping of bongu was too easy. but it seems like its just another ploy to extend this show such that it reaches its 20 episode quota. had it ended at 19 episodes with a happily ever after, would it have been too easy?

i agree with u that the writer may have loved this character, but i dont agree that she wrote it as such for the sake of the storyline than to suffice the addition of conflict to extend to ep 20

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Not for the storyline, but for Shi Kyung to be the valiant matyr.

There are actually a lot more storyline to last even more episodes, without needing to resort to killing Shi Kyung. The terrorist attack and impending war is one that can be expanded upon, but glossed over in such a rush this episode.

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I share the same feeling, I loved SK much more than JH, and so invested with his loveline with the Princess.I stopped watching after seeing him died .I cannot get why he has to die.. and then when everyone go back to their life,I feel like they are not deserving.Come on SK is dead and you guys are hugging and lovey dovey...sigh

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drama you broke my heart!You took my still beating heart and stomped it on the ground, and as if it was not enough you burned it while it was still beating!
WHY did you have to go and kill him??!!! Why not BG or even the Secretary?Why Earnest Bot!!!
I have been talking about this to almost everyone, just when i thought that there would be a happy ending.. they do this! Do the Hong sisters have something against the viewers? I just want to fly to South Korea and......ok I am not even going to go there. Lets just put it this way, SK better be alive! Or you and I will have a nice looooong talk about all this.
They killed him!
But seriously how bad-ass was that?! :...(

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So intense and sad u.u ...

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Conspiracy theory: What if our dear Bot isn't dead? What if they just acted like he was dead in order to fool Bonggu and plant a trump card to kill him if all else fails? My idea is that Jae ha and Hang ah really didn't spend enough time mourning... maybe because they knew that Bot is still alive?

Yeah, I know, i'm just trying to find a way for Shi Kyung to not be dead... but hey, one can hope!

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So am I!!! I think.. that in koalas's site a few days back there was an update and SPOILER that could... COULD be suggesting that Bot is alive....

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if he somehow revived from the living dead for tomorrow's finale,

i dont even know WHAT to think of this show then.
TOO gutsy. they wouldn't tease us like that..right?
I'd be so happy. And then mad that they wrung all these tears from me for nothing.

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I know, But i don't want him to die!!! I want him to be by JH's side laugh at JH with HA, have babies with JS, who are like him! I want him to grow old....
I would not mind if they pulled a criminal mind on us.. ( one of the main character was supposed to be killed because she was stabbed on her stomach, but she survived and was hiding from her would be murder, but she came back after it was safe for her).
Even if SK was shot in the chest it could have just made a hone in one of his lungs....
Just bring him back show!

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Yeah, to be honest, much as I love Bot, if they bring hin back after this episode, I am gonna lose all respect for the scriptwriters. It will count as not only stupid but beyond manipulative and desperate.

Audiences are not brainless string puppets and you can only make them march to your rhythm if you are not playing out of tune.

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I think so too! I try so hard to think every possibility that Bot isnt dead...

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omg then i would officially love the hong sisters again. u really think so!?!

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omg infernolevel8, i totally read the conspiracy theory NOW. it made me feel a lot better:) and plus pd told the public to expect twists and surprises for the finale. maybbeeeee our wish will come true.

crossing fingers

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Ok, I was totally against this conspiracy theory (zombie Shi-kyung? WTF?!!), but I read Koala's recap and thought about it and now I totally want this to be a conspiracy. Gosh, tomorrow's episode is gonna be one INTENSE ride, that's for sure.

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I fervently hope they'd go that route. If they did, this show would be really be the be all and end all of the dramas i've ever and will ever watch.

Thanks for that bit of picker-upper @infernolevel8!

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This drama wasn't shoot at chronological order..so to say that ...(hanging end)

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The minute I saw Bung-go freed, this thought came to my mind for the following reasons:
1.Now that he's free again it means their war hasn't ended.Actually it's just the beginning of their final battle.It doesn't make sense for SK to be absent in the most important arc of the story.Not only his death would be meaningless,it'd work AGAINST the story,not FOR it.
2.There was something in HA's attitude toward BG that hinted mockery(IMO). It felt like she had a hidden card that he could've never guessed...
3.No matter how much I think about it,JH's behavior after his death,seems odd.We've seen him mourn before and this was far from it.There is NO WAY he could be this happy after his best-or only- friend's death.
4.What's gonna happen to JS now?they can't make her this miserable while every one else gets their happy ending,right?
5.I had read some spoiler before that COULD explain this better,but since it's not allowed here I can't say...
6.OK, I'm out of reasons but there has to be a way for him to live,ok?It just HAS to!pleeeease!
SIGH, now I'm too nervous to watch the final ep.Ottoke?!:(

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Even if he's not really dead, he's legally dead. He's no more. So he can't go back to the palace or his princess if the speculated assassination of Bonggu ever happens. He'd probably have to change his name and leave the country forever. Like Mel Gibson's movie "Bird on a Wire". I'd still be happy though, I cried my eyes out seeing him dying like that. It was so cruel =(

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Yah GF come hell or high water i will definitely not miss tonights episode!!!! see you again for episode 20 recap the finale!!!

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I've lost of curse word last night, and that's just by read live tweet...
I don't know what'll I do after this...

Thank You GF, off to read..now...
*soul popped up from body*

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I would say thank you first before read your recaps GF.

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Um. Why wasn't Shi-kyung wearing a bullet proof vest?! D:<

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Because he was on Bong-Gu's side as a double agent. If he wore a bullet-proof vest, he'd have announced that he's a 'triple' agent.

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Somebody please slaughter that mother effin bastard--Bong-gu!!

Nothing but blood will do for me.

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O.m.g. How can there be war when there’s only 1 episode left. YOU BETTER give us all that OTP goodness in the finale. We followed you like lovesick puppies… we just need some satisfying resolution. T_T
PLEASE show, give me at least more than half of the last episode full of fluff/happiness/satisfaction so we could all regain our souls.
In my head, ideally I wanted all the conflicts to be DONE with at the end of this episode.
Must you do this to our prolonged, dampened souls?
Looks like they’re planning on killing us to the very end, and maybe, healing us with SOME bits of happy pills. Dammit. It better be good. Show, I plan to graduate high school with a sane mind and go to prom without murdering my date.

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I agree! Our maknae shouldn't have to ruin her high school graduation and kill her prom date.

I demand that HALF of next ep be fluff to appease us. Because we the fans are pissed at the needless sacrifice.

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I totally agree with you. We are desperate need for happy moments. But don't go killing your date, honey. Let's direct all the angst against Bong-gu.

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I'm with you ilikemangos, tomorrow is my last day of high school before graduation, and I don't want to be depressed/angry/about to take out someone with my vendetta before going into commencement.

Congrats on Senior Year! I don't feel so young anymore on DB! (And don't kill your date...)

Btw, did anyone else hear from OCKoala's site that tomorrow's episode has huge plot twists according to the PD? I'm holding out hope that things will end up okay for everyone.

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No point. Absolutely no point. The writers should pay for what a pitiful character they have made JaeShin into. Not even thinking about JaeHa and HangAh and the royal secretary but just JaeShin alone... ShiKyung was her last chance of full recovery (how does one even recover from being forced to poison her own brother) and the writers took that away. Plus ShiKyung died AFTER BongGu was handcuffed which made his death that much meaningless and anticlimactic.

And then the writers give us a happy HangAh and JaeHa scene (which they really deserved - no question there) and expect us to be all joyful for their first official date. Yet all I could think about was HOW JAESHIN AND SHIKYUNG WOULD NEVER GET TO DATE LIKE THIS.

There wasn't enough mourning time for the characters and consequently the audience. ShiKyung's death cut me off emotionally from the rest of the episode. I felt betrayed by other character's happiness.

Oh why. Oh why did he have to die?

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I agree 100%. It felt insulting that Jae Ha and Hang Ah were going on playful dates and talking about weddings so closely after his death. I know life goes on and everything, but it felt really cold.

Oh Jaeshin, my heart bleeds for you. I don't think she would have ever recovered fully, except perhaps with Shi kyung's support and devoted faith in her, but now she just seems condemned to be miserable forever. It would also seem unrealistically optimistic if she suddenly did the whole "I'll live strongly for you" thing, 'cos after all the trauma she's been through, she's definitely going to be pretty damn broken for a looong time.

But more that, to me Shi kyung represented the faith of the people in their King. And when he dies, there goes the symbol of the relationship between subjects and monarch. Plus, the fact Bong Gu just walks out of there? RAGE.

So disappointed, Show, so disappointed. I hope you redeem yourself tomorrow, but I think my faith in you just died with Shi kyung.

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Jae Shin without Shi kyung I really wanted to see their love grow such a cute couple*sad*

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"Yet all I could think about was HOW JAESHIN AND SHIKYUNG WOULD NEVER GET TO DATE LIKE THIS."

I thought the same thing. I dont know how im going to get over this :*(

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Also agreed 100% Funkypicklez.

“Yet all I could think about was HOW JAESHIN AND SHIKYUNG WOULD NEVER GET TO DATE LIKE THIS.”

There was a picnic basket in SK and JS's Garden scene, and they didn't even get to use it! :( :( ;___;

I too, wont be able to get over this...

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I was bawling. I never watched this drama, just read recaps but I did it for shikyung. and when he died, I BAWLED.

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Sorry but it's f'ed up what they did to Shi-kyung. I was rooting for him and Jae Shin. Other than that, thanks for recapping, GF!

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I stopped myself from watching the episode until your recap was up!! Can't wait to read and watch it now!!

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oh honey, you're in for a world of pain.

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I've finished watching it. HOLY!! I cried so much... especially when Jae Shin was watching his video message. So exhausted... and yet I'll keep on watching it again and again. Can't wait for tomorrow's finale!!

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I don't think I can watch the show or at least this episode for a couple of months.... I have been saying " They killed him" over and over again, I am sure my whole family thinks i am crazy (er)

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My husband wanted to watch an episode of TK2H tonight (after I had already watched ep 19). The kicker? It was episode 8, the aftermath-of-the-king's-death episode.

HOW MANY DEATHS CAN ONE GIRL HANDLE?!

And every time I saw Earnest Bot onscreen, I found myself in tears.

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"HOW MANY DEATHS CAN ONE GIRL HANDLE?!"

I'm asking the same thing too. oh boy.

btw, wow, your husband is now one of us! cool~

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"I have been saying ” They killed him” over and over again, I am sure my whole family thinks i am crazy (er)"

been saying this too. for 100x today.

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Shi-kyung! RIP! One more kdrama I will be putting on my favorites list.

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absolutely included on my fave list too..:)

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Thank you, GF!!!
Ahhh stressssssssssssssss,..... but I still love this drama with all my heart *big cry*

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Too late. Lost my heart to this show.
Then yesterday it was shredded to pieces and thrown away like so much rubbish.

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Thank you for the recap.
The last photo... * waterworks again *
Can it be possible to cry so much for a K drama character? Obviously not if I am still this upset.

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Now I know it's possible... because I cried so much last night. And I find ironic that SK looks less serious and unfun in the video. It breaks my heart. so. much

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ups, sorry, should be "find it ironic"

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someone slap me pliz!

this is just a drama right.. drama oh drama

daebak...daebak...daebak....

thnks GF ;)

pliz forgve my diffrent tought, but i think with shik kyung dead this show is more realistic. am i say drama just before, nope this moreeeeeee

superb like it

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Although Bong gu has committed a bunch of capital murders, only in this show would bail even be considered an option. ;)
No need to monitor him – it’s not like he’ll be a danger to the public and frame NK by killing a buncha foreigners overseas. Flight risk is also not a possibility.

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THAT, I thought was really a B.I.G. SSSTTTRRREEETTTCCCHHH!

One open confession + one outright murder witnessed by so many! How can any country even try to cover up for or defend him? Is $$$ that powerful? Moreover, when BG's minion wanted to assassinate him, there appeared to be some sort of succession plan at Club M. BG IS NOT INDISPENSABLE!

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I CANNOT believe that there is only one episode left!!! How are they going to fix everything? And the answer had better not be 'we're going to kill them all' :(
I definetely broke down at least twice this episode in tears. Gah...how could they do that to Shi-kyung?

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Damn...and twice more while reading the recaps...I better drink a bottle of water now before bed so I'll be ready for the finale.

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Ode to Bong gu.
Yo, bong gu. I say death penalty for you is too easy. There’s a beast in me that wishes to torture you everyday up until the day you die. This show turns me into a mad woman. You better be properly punished by the end of this drama else earnest’s death would have gone to waste along with the other thousands you killed off. We’re on the second to last episode and we STILL don’t know what caused your driven motive to become King and kill innocent lives. If the writers don’t clear that up for us, I’ll just assume you’re a 2 dimensional villain that is mad as a monkey on a trike.
And how in the hell is it logical for you to think that once Jae Ha abdicates, you’ll be the one to take the throne. Even if you kill everyone in the royal family something tells me it’s gonna be a long way until you even get close. It’s impossible that that you, a crazy lune, might be related to royalty somehow. And how do you intend to rule if you do get the position? And I quote Machiavelli – “Is it better to be loved, or feared?” It can only take you so far buddy – the end is seemingly close.

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I don't think he actually wants the throne. I think he believes that with his power and influence, he's the REAL King, because Jae Ha and his family were just powerless figureheads. I think he wants to get rid of them so that the world will have to acknowledge that HE'S the leader.

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Ahh, i see what you're saying there, JoAnne.
That makes much more sense then.
Because half the time i was just scratching my head at this guy.
If that's all there really is to bong gu -- what a shame. Greedy and attention-seeking.

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It actually started out for him that just his monetary and power interests were threatened because of the potential of Korean unification. But then Jae Kang riled him, and subsequently Jae Ha, and it became a vindictive mission to prove himself superior and get back at the sleights.

His conversation with the Queen Mother also gives some insights on his motivations.

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Well said. I think that basically, Bong-gu is on a mission to prove that money is more powerful than people. He's the "true" king because he has money in spades and can use it to strongarm these superpowers into doing whatever the hell he wants them to do.

Even more than the world acknowledging that he's the leader, I think Bong-gu wants Jae-ha to acknowledge this. Bong-gu is deeply jealous of Jae-ha, and the only way to validate the eeeeevil choices that he's made in his life is to assert dominance over JH and to render JH (and, by extension, the throne of SK) impotent.

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By "throne of SK," I mean the throne of South Korea, not of Shi-kyung.

AND HERE COME THE TEARS, AGAIN.

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I sobbed so much that my voice is hoarse and have been listless ever since watching this episode!!

Just looking into the future and thinking that we won't ever see SK behind JH both literally and figuratively just pains me!! And, then the next deluge of tears overcomes me...

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Well I said if they killed him I'd get on a plane for Korea to kick some writer-nim ass, but as it turns out it's hard to buy tickets online when you're sobbing so hard you can't see straight.

My twitter was expletive laced for the entire episode, I will admit that freely. And I believe I said I couldn't believe that Jae Hae was actually in a suit, because surely his balls are too big for pants...but the truth is, Hang Ah's balls are even bigger. My goodness, I love them, but uri Shi Kyung - that hurt.

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"...Hang Ah’s balls are even bigger"

hahaa

First time I've laughed since watching this episode. It was much needed!! Thank you!

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I'm yet to laugh....

*Someone please cheer me up*

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Where IS that American Express card? (I save it for emergencies, and I'm pretty sure this constitutes).

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I will pick you up on the way! If anything, I'm even more pissed off now than I was watching it, and for more substantial reasons. All I could think THEN was wahhh, but I LUFF HIM. Now I'm all up in arms over the senselessness and how it leaves Jae Shin hanging and all that.

And while I'm AT IT, Show, and you're ON MY SHIT LIST...where's that Idol girl loving WOC-er? He hasn't been on the last two three missions. Is he camped out at Inkigayo? Music Bank? What?

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If you're looking for Kang-Seok, I found out as my soul was hovering around North Korea that he got demoted when the officials found out that he's into the SNSD...he's probably somewhere in Seoul stalking Tiffany :D

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*snort* seriously though, his absence has been glaring for me. Anyone else? No? Bueller...?

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Me too. It's weird without some sort of explanation.

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Yeah, I definitely miss that bazooka-hugging ninja of a man.

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I still hold on to the hope that there will be a grand WOC team reunion, with ESK there and Kang-seok, too. How come Kang-seok hadn’t shown up until now? Could he be on to something, maybe with ESK? Or is denial messing with my brain again?

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<3

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Well, I swore that I was gonna do a John Mayo and shoot my telly. Fortunately I am moving and had a small, old 14-incher from college days (so you can imagine how ancient).

It's a goner ... like our beloved Bot.

Damn you K2H .. you owe me a telly.

Disclaimer: I kicked the telly to death since guns are prohibited here. Just in case the powers-that-be read this ...

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And oh, forgot to add -

Bwahahaha ... John Mayo losing to Hang Ah in the ball game!

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I'm still reeling from this episode. I managed to stay completely unspoiled so this is all fresh for me.

I'm left feeling much like GF that Shi Kyung's death was in vain. Bong Gu is already back out wrecking lives and our Earnest Bot and his Princess don't get their HEA. Doesn't seem like a fair trade to me.

The video tape scene between Jae Shin and Shi Kyung was visually stunning and emotionally devestating. I sobbed.

I do love the relationship between Jae Ha and Hang Ah. I feel like it is grounded in the way a real world relationships are. They are lovers and they are friends and they are family with all the good and bad that comes with that. I completely understand why Jae Ha doesn't want her out of his sight, and I completely understand why she won't be imprisoned that way. He wants her safe and she wants the same for him. There "date" was adorable.

I'm not sure how I feel about this latest threat and the separation of the only couple left (I'm not bitter or anything). I know that logically this is where the show was going from the beginning with a King from the South marrying a woman from the North. But now I'm scared about the outcome. I better get one HEA, show! And I mean it!!!

I should have known after City Hunter that nothing good happens in the 19th episode of 20. Lesson now officially learned.

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Totally agree. it's just not fair that earnest was sacrificed while bong gu is just out in the open like that.
shi kyung is rolling around in his grave right now.

The video tape scene was my 2nd most emotional scene.( First was with shi kyung's passing with Jae Ha.)
It was so beautifully shot.. and just the way he acted.. his adorable awkwardness just made me erupt into more tears. and the book with the jokes.. the salute. *cries.

About jae ha/hang ah's relationship -- i do also love the fact that they are lovers,friends,family,comrades..
It's just so nice. The fact that he just lets her know that he can't live without her. I love how we don't need to have misunderstandings between them drag out for long. There are more significant conflicts in this show to allow for any trifling misunderstandings.

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The part that really got me sobbing uncontrollably was when he said in the video that he's gonna tell her personally that he loves her. OMG! I was a goner after that. The chance to tell her those words was lost in an instant. I was thinking there were a lot of soldiers there but not even a single person shot Bong-gu? What the hell.

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they just had to drop a freaking city hunter crap on us!!! I'm TIRED OF MY FAVORITE CHARACTER DYING TOWARDS THE END WHEN THERE'S ONLY ONE FREAKING EPISODE LEFT!!! GAHHHHH!!!

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That everyone still remembers our dear Prosecutor may be a testament to why the favorite characters tends to be killed off. It's like being immortalized.

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Damn them.

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DAMN THIS DAMNING EPISODE.

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Weirdly this makes me feel a teeny bit better- if there is one person who deserves to be immortalised from this drama, it's Eun Shikyung. *tear*

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When you put it that way, it's a little better to accept his death but it's still a bitter pill to swallow.

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That's because it was not well done to make it easier to swallow. The writer has it in them to write something better, like how Jae Kang's death was handled. They failed here though.

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I call B.S. on the writer's part as far as "immortalizing favorite characters." I'm pretty sure everyone will remember Bong Gu and he's not dead....

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Couldn't have put it better than you girlfriday.
Too much plot squeezed at the end, war would have been a better arc than all the futile ICC prosecution attempts.

My eyes did not go moist this episode and I felt more of frustration that with all the previous 18 brilliant episodes the writer had given us, she could not go in for the win with the last 2. Feels like watching my favorite team having a 3-0 lead, to give up 4 goals in the last 15 minutes.

Shi Kyung's death is badly timed too. To me there are no roles that can't be sacrificed (even the leads), but it must be with good reasons and well executed. I like the pacy and non clearly specified way time passed in previous episodes which shows the writer's confidence in the viewer's intelligence. But this time round, it was too soon to juxtapose the dating scenes when we viewers are still mourning Shi Kyung's loss. Yes life goes on, but it needs some gravity in helping us to move on.

The only reason I can guess why Shi Kyung was killed off by the writer was that this is the character she loved the most out of those she created. A martyr is always remembered and honored, and it was somewhat a little at the expense of the goodwill we feel for the OTP. Why not make that date time spent with Jae Shin instead (yes i know it happened off screen, but still).

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Hi Topper,

Agree with you and GirlFriday. This episode felt so badly mis-managed, especially in comparison to the previous episodes. I didn't mind the date scene so much, but it was much too long and badly timed in juxtaposition to Shi-kyung's death. And couldn't they have talked about him a little? All the to-and-fro-ing over the ICC trial as well; just felt like they were trying to squeeze in every details when it could have been more carefully planned and executed.

Even Shi-kyung's death - what plot gain is there? Or is there some unwritten rule that someone has to die in these dramas before the grand finale? Gah.

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i agree. the date scene was executed in bad taste. it's like Shi Kyung's death was swept under the carpet and forgotten so soon. There's no closure at all (at least for me). I couldn't even enjoy that date scene. so sad.

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I totally agree with you that is felt rushed and slightly desperate. I feel like they wanted to raise ratings way high knowing it's into the last stretch and to compete with other dramas also ending their run.

It served no purpose except to expose their desperation. At the expense of the audience's intelligence and emotions. If it had a plot development purpose, we would all be less pissed.

However, I think the martyrdom theory is a little weak as we were all ready to worship at the altar of Bot just for going in as a triple agent. His death did not add to how beloved and memorable this character was.

While I curse City Hunter, I understood and tolerated (barely ... still sobbing) Prosecutor's death as t served a purpose. Bot's did not.

And also, my toes feel a little numb from kicking in my telly. Another injury caused by K2H scriptwriters.

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I'm still in denial. I still believe Shi Kyung is alive - in the witness protection program and he'll expose everything tonight. But but don't want to keep my expectations high, the writer is too unpredictable.

This drama is too real, it's not "that" easy to convict a powerful & influential murderer (even though Jae Ha has a solid video evidence of BG confessing that he killed the King!) in the ICC. Of course he'll exhaust every way to threaten the countries under his influence.

The writer is too gutsy, but I hope we won't have a heart-wrenching ending on the grand finale.

Remember what BG said on episode 5?

"Do you know how this opera ends? The man leaves and the woman dies."

(clue of a tragic ending? I hope not) :(

Btw Hearties, does anyone know the title of the opera that BG watched on episode 5?

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I'm thinking too that mayhap SK will make a return in Ep 20!! I guess i'm still in denial...

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Madame Butterfly, maybe? I don't know for sure, but that is how that opera ends.

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I think Carmen goes that way too, isn't she the one with tuberculosis? Would be fitting if it were Phantom since he made that lair beneath his home...but she doesn't die in that.

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He has a fascination with Wagner, it was probably part of the Nibelungen series. "Ride of the Valkyries" is the piece he kept playing for Jae Shin, that's part of the 2nd Opera in that series.

I don't know the story, as I have no patience for operas that are 15 hours long with music that gives me a headache, lol. Give me "The Magic Flute" or something lighter...

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Hiltler loved Wagner. Wagner had fascist ideals too.

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I may have to go back to five and see what it was....don't remember...

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I remember now...they were playing the wedding march song. The opera is Lohengrin, which is also by Wagner but not part of the Ring Cycle operas. In the end, the man has to leave forever, and his bride is stricken with grief and dies. (yeah, I know, most of Wagner is not happy)

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Thank you Rashell, JoAnne, shel & topper.

@Saima: We're definitely still in denial T__T

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same here. i think he did not die. if not, would they still have the mood to go date?

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Thank you GF. Your recap and comments about this show are always so right on.

Buckets of tears. I'm heartbroken and even though I know that the main couple will have their happy ending, I'm truly sad that ESK and the princess will not.

ESK's death totally made me not care so much about the cute scenes between the main couple and even seemed a bit jarring to me.

Damn you K2H writers!

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It felt like the writer went full retard on us, when she is already so close to home base.

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Seriously. I've been having murderous thoughts towards the writers. I think I've even lost my appetite.

Thanks Other Hong Sisters....thanks. Couldn't Sister#2 tell Sister#1 to NOT go there or vice-versa. Tch.

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LOL, I can certainly visualize that.

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19 minutes into Episode 19 of The King 2 Hearts

I think I’m going to die.

THIS WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN YOU BLOODY DRAMA

YOU HAVE MADE MY TOWEL, YES TOWEL, NOT TISSUES, NOT HANDKERCHIEFS, TOWEL, BLOODY WET

I WILL SKIN ALL INVOLVED IN THIS PLOT ALIVE AND THEN SLICE YOUR FLESH OF RASHER BY RASHER BEFORE GORING YOUR HEART YOUR EYES AND YOUR EARS WITH KNIVES AND THEN SEND YOU TO THE MERCY OF RABID SQUIRRELS

update: My eye got almost better and then this happened. I am broken.

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Welcome Nutella's Zombie. In true Zombie style, I have also been thinking devious thoughts towards the writers. I am happy - in the midst of this frustration - that you have joined us.

But alas, I have to leave in bit so please continue to hold the flag of frustration and upset high.

*sighs* Damn these writers.

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Comrade Arhazivory's Zombie, I shall uphold the flag of frustration, anger, disappointment and murderous thoughts high up and unwavering while you go and eradicate whatever evils of real life that you shall face, and hope that you come back to us swiftly and silently. No wait, not silently, I want you to write lots of comments.

I honestly think that the Hong monst--err.. sisters went braindead on us. I truly just want to believe in everything Osi wrote up there, but 39 minutes in and I still haven't recovered from the death nor the subsequent whiplash caused by the later scenes of cute. I mean, I changed to black to mourn Earnest baobei~ and you lot are acting cute and wanting to go on dates? I understand that this is the second to last episode and that time has passed in the alter-universe and we need to catch that bloody bastard and make him go through every form of ancient Chinese torture ever invented and then some more, but still.. I'm still crying. It has been seconds since the 21-gun salute. I cannot accept anything right now, I feel like my system has shut down.

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LOL -- souls, zombies, hearts..

what are we?
This show kills us too much

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All I can say is:

<3

and:

Visualize a Seung-gi and Jung-seok hug sandwich with puppies and rainbows and unicorns jumping around in the background.

Also, vodka.

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LOL, yeah .. I was thinking, "did the other Hong sisters twitter them about Hong Gil Dong or something? Hey, girlies, did you hear what we did with Hong Gil Dong? Everybody dies .. woo hoo. Party over here!"

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** passes ilikemangos a fruit peeler and a bucket (just in case towel overflows.. can squeeze into bucket)

LOVE THIS DRAMA so so much Shi Kyung WAEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE this is one of those time that i wish reality doesn't come into the foray for a drama storyline, for soldiers do die in the line of duty - aisahhhhh give me happily ever after like Cinderalla pleaseeeeeee... *sighs* no point crying over spilled milk...

Great drama, thanks so much Girlfriday!

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oh god. kiongna, much appreciated for the fruit peeler/bucket.
i have a feeling i'm gonna need it next episode as well.

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Exactly. There are enough wars around us and enough needless deaths. Would it kill them to take the viewers to a 'happy' place?

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I swear to god this show has not given us a SINGLE tear-free episode for god knows how long now?
-__- WHY?!

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I don't understand the "for how long" in your sentence... I'm pretty sure I've been gross sobbing since episode 1... I now think I should have photographed my face every time I cried because of this show and made a stop motion video of them to the sound of Bong Gu's moans, yells and screams as he begs me for mercy from the pain I am about to inflict on him... 46 minutes in and I am sharpening and polishing every lethal weapon I have. Fortunately, I have a lot of those.

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LOL nutella's zombie you're here to make us laugh when times get tough..
Can all of us get a single one of your lethal weapons? I feel like we may need to store it some place, and use when necessary.

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I'm in, too.

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Welcome to Nutella's Weapon Silo. Please sign your name and the weapon of choice you shall be withdrawing. Please make sure that you keep the weapon you at all times and inflict as much pain upon the enemy as possibly. Every damage to withdrawn weapon shall be compensated by hugging Nutella or her soul until the pain goes away. Savvy?

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AYE AYEEE captain!

*gets out jar of half-eaten nutella / spoon *

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LOL!!! Thank you for the laugh in the midst of the pain.

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Thanks for making us laugh. It's kinda weird when there are many 'me' doing so.

We've been roaming around looking for Kang-seok but to no avail. We decided to take his place. Do you have bazookas? We're ready to blow some heads.

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Bazookas? Why of course, you'll find them in the light artillery section ^^~

So is the plan to bait and trap him, or ought I just send him a text? Cos he's probably lingering around the SMTown concert that just happened on the west coast xP

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LOL. any rocket launchers left? so ready to ground zero Bong-gu's lair.

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Am sharpening hazelnuts and lock & loading at your command.

Am also volunteering my rusty, jagged jantings for scoop up their blood and paint a flag of protest ... woah ... I need to stop reading paranormal books ...

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