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My Sassy Girl: Episodes 15-16

For a princess, sneaking out of the palace has real consequences, and unfortunately, the people closest to her bear the brunt of them. After harboring a painful secret from her past for so long, she finally reveals it to the person who matters most, but it may be too late. But even though her enemies keep finding new ways to try and silence her, we all know that this princess isn’t one to back down without a fight.

 
EPISODE 15 RECAP

Gyun Woo stops Hyemyeong on their way to the palace, reminding her that she can’t act on Min Yoo-hwan’s letter alone. She impatiently wonders if staying silent and feigning ignorance is the way to go, and Gyun Woo answers that if that’s what she must do, then she should; she can strike once she uncovers the truth behind her mother’s disappearance from ten years ago.

Meanwhile, Minister Park leads his peers to prostrate before the king’s quarters and call for the princess’s deposition. Inside the palace, the king silently stews when Minister Jung advises him to punish Gyun Woo for his failure to help Hyemyeong, and to accept the marriage proposal from the Qing Dynasty in order to appease citizens and prevent the princess’s deposition. But the unsolicited advice only angers the king further.

Hyemyeong stands helpless when she witnesses the ministers requesting her removal, but Gyun Woo calmly tells her not to be shaken, since that’s exactly what they want. Taking his advice to heart, Hyemyeong walks up the steps to her father’s quarters with Gyun Woo. She acts like she pays no mind to the ministers, but lets out the breath she’s been holding once she’s inside.

After speaking with the king, Minister Jung approaches her, and she’s reminded of Min Yoo-hwan’s cautionary warning regarding Minister Jung and how he may be behind the disappearance of her mother. She shoots daggers at him, but then puts on a smile and thanks him for his concern before she goes to meet with her father.

The king demands to know where Hyemyeong went, but she remains silent. Gyun Woo apologizes in her stead, fully taking the blame. Hyemyeong asks that she alone be punished, but her father merely orders her to return to her residence.

Alone with Gyun Woo, the king asks one last time where Gyun Woo went with her, but Gyun Woo recalls Hyemyeong’s explanation that anything involving her mother and Yoo-hwan should not be divulged to the king (who ultimately approved the queen’s removal) until she finds out what happened ten years ago.

Back in the present, Gyun Woo can only apologize to the king for not being able to disclose their whereabouts. The king furiously dismisses him as the prince’s teacher, and although Gyun Woo just got fired, he acts like nothing of note happened and smiles at Hyemyeong afterward.

In the midst of searching for Hyemyeong, Joon-young is notified that she has returned to the palace.

Gyun Woo downplays his punishment to Hyemyeong, saying that he’s been instructed to stop seeing her and to read and reflect on his actions at home. Hyemyeong doesn’t quite buy it, but he insists it’s the truth. He asks if she was worried he’d be punished severely, and to his surprise, she answers with a nonchalant, “yes.”

Just then, the prince runs to his sister in tears, wondering if she’s truly leaving the palace, but she assures him that’s untrue and that the ministers got nothing on her.

She clutches her heart in pain to show the prince that when he cries, she hurts, too, and embraces the inconsolable boy. Joon-young witnesses this from a distance.

Outside, Minister Park and his peers are still at it as they repeatedly call for the princess’s deposition. The queen dowager watches with concern while the king hasn’t budged from his room.

The queen asks Minister Jung what he’ll do if the king continues to hold out like this, but he refuses to share his plan with her and orders her to continue keeping an eye on the princess—he can handle the rest on his own.

In her room, Hyemyeong rereads the letter from Min Yoo-hwan, which pinpoints Minister Jung as the master perpetrator. She quickly hides it when Byul and Young-shin enter and is surprised to hear from them that her and Gyun Woo’s disappearance caused an uproar at the Gyun residence.

Cut to: Gyun Woo’s mother moaning in bed, upset that her son betrayed her the way he did. Gyun Hee rolls her eyes while Gyun Woo tries to appease his mother, but it doesn’t help when he says that he wanted to help Hyemyeong.

Gyun Hee determines that he’s officially smitten while their mother yells at her son to never hang around Hyemyeong again unless he wants to light incense at her funeral, heh.

With Teacher Gyun on his lap, Gyun Woo reflects on his dismissal by the king, as well as Hyemyeong’s warning to keep everything under wraps until she learns what happened to her mother. He sighs, clearly conflicted.

That evening, Hyemyeong carefully tries to sneak out again, this time to scour through the historical archives. But Gyun Woo catches her, having feared she’d do just that, and reminds her that even the king isn’t allowed to read the archives (they’re referring to the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, which nobody was allowed to read at the time to preserve historical neutrality).

She’s well aware of the dire consequences if she’s caught, but she stresses that she needs to uncover the truth about her mother’s disappearance. She asks Gyun Woo to turn a blind eye, but he says he can’t.

After spotting Hyemyeong sneaking out, an attendant alerts the queen, adding that Hyemyeong is in the vicinity of the historical archives.

Inside the archives, scholars chronologically organize the historical records, and Gyun Woo and Hyemyeong manage to slip into the other room unnoticed. In the near-dark, they set about about flipping through the pages of various records.

Just when Gyun Woo locates the records of the pertinent time period (when Hyemyeong’s mother disappeared), the historical scholars enter, and Gyun Woo and Hyemyeong are forced to crouch behind a nearby shelf to hide.

One of the scholars gets dangerously close to them, and for a moment it almost appears as if he’s looking straight at them, but it turns out he had his eyes on the dust coating some books instead. Whew! Eventually, the scholars leave, and Hyemyeong and Gyun Woo briefly look eyes in an intimate moment of relief.

The queen’s determinedly heading to where Hyemyeong might be, but her quest is interrupted when the queen dowager spots her and asks where she’s going. She fibs that she’s on her way to see the prince, but when the queen dowager suggests they go together, the queen admits that she’s on her way to look for Hyemyeong.

Back at the archives, Gyun Woo and Hyemyeong resume poring through books only to end up leaving when they find all the records missing from the year in question. Gyun Woo tells her not to be too disappointed; the king forbade the issue to be talked about for one hundred years, so the records she’s looking for may be held elsewhere.

But as they’re walking out, the queen dowager spots them and sternly orders them to follow her.

Meanwhile, Young-shin and Byul search Hyemyeong’s room for all the hidden talismans the queen put in place. But as soon as they’ve collected all of them, the queen catches them red-handed and asks them where Hyemyeong is.

The queen walks out fuming, livid that she was deceived by the queen dowager, who told her she saw Hyemyeong at her residence. Now the queen knows that it was a white lie said to protect Hyemyeong.

The queen dowager sits with Gyun Woo and Hyemyeong, surprised to hear that they risked their lives to look at the archives. She’s incredulous that Gyun Woo participated as well, as if his dismissal as the prince’s teacher wasn’t enough.

This comes as news to Hyemyeong, who realizes that Gyun Woo didn’t tell her the truth, and the queen dowager orders them to stop whatever it is they’re investigating immediately.

Afterward, Gyun Woo suggests that Hyemyeong speak to the king about her mother, but she curtly tells him to quit concerning himself in her affairs because he just gets in the way. She also adds that he should forget everything that’s happened regarding her mother and palace politics, since it’s irrelevant to him.

Gyun Woo replies that he’s merely concerned about her, but she pointedly wonders, “Are you sure you’re not worried about yourself?” Ouch, that came out of nowhere.

She says if he’s worried about his dismissal, she assures him she’ll do everything she can to reinstate him, but Gyun Woo is hurt that she’s twisting his words. Hyemyeong refuses to let up, and without missing a beat, she tells him to stop pretending to care for her since it’s not his place to.

And with that, she walks away, and we see the hurt in Gyun Woo’s eyes.

 
EPISODE 16 RECAP

Minister Jung reads a letter from the Qing dynasty that brings a smile to his face; he’s received word that the imperial prince is eager to leave for Joseon soon. But then a visitor comes knocking—it’s the queen.

Meanwhile, the distressed king informs Joon-young that he’s being pressured to send Hyemyeong to the Qing Dynasty to prevent her dethronement, but Joon-young says he mustn’t do that as he clenches his fists in silent fury.

We return to Minister Jung, who’s alarmed to learn from the queen that Hyemyeong may have gone through the historical archives based on a tip from Min Yoo-hwan.

We flash back to when Hyemyeong’s mother was the reigning queen. The evil queen (a concubine back then) told Minister Jung that the king and Prince Chuseong were plotting to attack him and had advised him to attack first by sticking to her brilliant plan, which she agreed to reveal if Minister Jung promised to make her the new queen.

And so, Minister Jung had informed the queen dowager that Hyemyeong’s mother was secretly sending love letters to Prince Chuseong and had convinced her by showing her one of the letters, the authenticity of which was confirmed by a court lady who served as the messenger. But later on, we see that the evil queen had bribed her to lie.

Hyemyeong lies awake in bed, unable to sleep. Soon after, she instructs Byul to find out where the attendants and court ladies of ten years ago currently reside.

Gyun Woo also struggles to sleep, but we quickly cut to an ominous nightmare he has in which child Hyemyeong sadly shakes her head. He wakes with a start and finds Gyun Hee begrudgingly handing him herbal medicine made by their mother as she asks why he hasn’t left for work yet.

From behind a rock, the mother happily watches her son leave (he’s dressed as if he is going to work), and Gyun Hee wonders if Mom’s truly mad at him. Mom says she should see her son leave for work at the very least, but when Gyun Hee asks her why she’s hiding, Mom snaps that it’s because she’s still angry at him, heh.

We find an unemployed Gyun Woo reading a book at Se-ho’s and Kwang-soo’s workspace with his work clothes now folded neatly beside him. Hyemyeong’s order for him to stop pretending to care for her weighs heavily on his mind while his buddies work on steamy lines for their romance novels.

Gyun Woo sighs, and his buddies pity his lack of a job, but he clarifies that their books make him sigh in dismay, heh. Of course, Se-ho and Kwang-soo are quick to defend the quality and popularity of their work.

The kooky bookseller informs Gyun Woo that he has a guest, and we see Da-yeon arrive with her attendant, whose shy wave at Se-ho goes ignored. Aw.

Gyun Woo and Da-yeon relocate to the teahouse, where Da-yeon brings up that she overheard that Gyun Woo suffered immensely because of Hyemyeong, but Gyun Woo clarifies that that’s untrue and requests that she not tell Gyun Hee about his lack of a job.

Da-yeon assures him that she won’t, but adds that she’ll ask her father to see if he can help, which Gyun Woo immediately declines: He’ll handle his matters himself. Offended, she says she senses a distance between them, but Gyun Woo calmly answers that he sees no reason to bridge that gap. Oh, snaaaap!

Pretty boy Chang-hui checks himself out in the mirror held by his bros. They flatter him, and he likes what he sees, so he practices confessing his love to Da-yeon.

But when he sees her, he barely gets a word in because she already knew what he was going to gloat about — Gyun Woo’s dismissal — which quickly takes the wind out of his sails.

At the palace, the king reads a message from the Qing dynasty and learns that their prince is coming, although he doesn’t look too pleased about it.

On the other hand, the queen is delighted to share this news with Hyemyeong and happily adds that the Qing prince will propose and take her back with him. Unsmiling, Hyemyeong simply states that she won’t go, but the queen wonders if she’ll stay and cause more trouble for her father, not-so-subtly threatening that her actions may also harm the prince.

That line triggers a flashback for Hyemyeong, and we see the queen trying to feed an ill Little Hyemyeong, who repeatedly expressed her desire to see her mother. The queen told her that she’s her mother now and grabbed Hyemyeong as she warned her that if she kept this behavior up, she would complicate matters for the prince: “Your mother was a criminal. Do you want the prince to be the son of a criminal?”

Back in the present, the memory touches a nerve for Hyemyeong, but she manages a smile and calmly states that the queen always hid behind the prince, but that this time, that threat of hers won’t work because she’s no longer the terrified child from ten years ago. The two exchange icy smiles and maintain their composure.

The king meets with the queen dowager and admits his uncertainty on what he should do, but she advises him to approve the marriage, since it’ll be harder to refuse once the Qing prince arrives. The king has reservations, but the queen dowager reiterates this may be the best option to keep Hyemyeong safe from whoever’s targeting her.

In a shocking turn of events, Gyun Woo happily eats fermented skate with kimchi while Se-ho and Kwang-soo cover their noses. Gyun Woo’s slightly drunk, and he guarantees that while the first bite is always the toughest, once you start, you’ll get addicted. He catches himself repeating Hyemyeong’s line about craving skate even when you’re asleep, which she had happily chirped after feeding him his first piece of skate.

In her room, Hyemyeong feels guilty for causing Gyun Woo’s dismissal. Her father arrives, and over tea, he gingerly asks her if she still has nothing to say to him. When she remains silent, he tells her to prepare for the Qing prince’s arrival.

She’s alarmed that he’s approving the royal marriage, and maintains that she won’t go through with it because… she must find her mother. Ah, she finally opened up!

The king is confused, so Hyemyeong shows him the jade ring and asks if he remembers it. He takes it and examines it closely while Hyemyeong says he that he gave this ring to her mother, who wore it the day she was deposed. “Min Yoo-hwan met with mother three years ago,” Hyemyeong explains, thoroughly shocking her father.

The king grows emotional as he asks, “Is she still alive?” Hyemyeong answers that she believes so, and that she wasn’t able to say anything because he had placed a gag order on everything that involved her mother, forbidding her from even saying how much she missed her. With the king finally privy to the truth, Hyemyeong reiterates that she won’t be going anywhere.

Over a lavish feast, Minister Jung and his cronies celebrate their victory in convincing the king to go through with the Qing dynasty plan despite his initial misgivings. They’re giddy at the prospect of sending away the meddlesome princess.

Outside, Joon-young spots Choon Poong with his gisaengs and recognizes him from the butcher shop incident involving Min Yoo-hwan’s death.

Alone in his chamber, the king gazes at the jade ring and is reminded of when he gave it to Hyemyeong’s mother. They were both teens then, and he had expressed to her his desire to live happily with her like lovebirds that cherish their mate forever.

The next day, Gyun Woo is shocked to hear from Se-ho and Kwang-soo that the Qing prince is coming to propose to Hyemyeong.

Meanwhile, Minister Jung advises the king to have Gyun Woo welcome the Qing prince since he speaks their language and is close to the princess. It’s clear from Minister Gyun’s face that he’s opposed to this idea, but Minister Jung insists that Gyun Woo, regardless of his dismissal, would be the right man for the job and instrumental in forging diplomacy between the two countries.

Unsurprisingly, Gyun Woo tells his father that he can’t do the job, but his father replies that it’s the king’s order so he has no choice, but to comply.

Minister Jung and his cronies are still jolly about the Qing prince’s imminent arrival, and Minister Park adds that should the plan fall apart, blame will fall on Hyemyeong and Gyun Woo. Suddenly, Hyemyeong bursts into the room and states that she has something to say to Minister Jung in private.

After the other ministers leave, Hyemyeong informs Minister Jung that Min Yoo-hwan was found dead and that she has his last letter. Minister Jung isn’t terribly interested until Hyemyeong adds that Min Yoo-hwan had written about her mother. “Now are you curious?” she asks.

Minister Jung remains silent, and Hyemyeong states that she can’t leave this country until she uncovers the whole truth. He’s amused by her determination, but suggests that she let the investigative bureau handle this since she has a wedding to prepare for. She firmly tells him she has no intention of leaving for Qing, but Minister Jung counters that she has no say in the matter since the whole country is on the line.

“Do you want to stop the prince from being appointed as the crown prince?” he asks menacingly. She’s unsure of what he means by that, and he says that they’re currently discussing the crown prince appointment with the Qing: “In such tumultuous times, what would happen if the crown prince is rejected?”

The Qing prince arrives in Joseon on horseback with his massive retinue. Meanwhile, Gyun Woo, Minister Jung, and his cohorts await his arrival.

Young-shin tells Hyemyeong that everyone’s waiting for her, but he senses her misery. She sits on her bed and stares at the garment hanging before her and sheds tears of frustration.

The ministers are wondering why Hyemyeong hasn’t joined them yet when the Qing prince enters through the doors. Gyun Woo and the ministers immediately bow to them in greeting, and that’s when a voice announces the princess’s arrival. The ministers part to make way for her, and Gyun Woo watches her closely.

She appears stoic, even smiling convincingly when Minister Jung compliments her on her beauty. She politely introduces herself to the Qing prince, who introduces himself to her as PRINCE DALHAN.

 
COMMENTS

I have to admit, my interest has been ever so slightly piqued with this shift into dramatic territory, and for once, I found Hyemyeong compelling. In the beginning, her frivolous antics and devil-may-care attitude left me unimpressed and unamused, but now that I’ve seen how resilient and courageous she is, I’m seeing her in a new light, and I like it.

This is a woman who can appear calm, oblivious, undeterred, and whatever else she needs to convey on the surface as a ruse while still keeping the wheels of her mind constantly churning. We’ve seen her stand up to the queen and Minister Jung with eerie equanimity, and we’ve also seen her hurt Gyun Woo with incisive words just so he wouldn’t continue to be punished for her transgressions. She knows what she’s doing and holds her cards close to her chest, and there’s a reason behind her actions.

For Hyemyeong to have not been allowed to utter a peep about her mother for all those years because of the gag order is alarming, and I’m surprised at how well she’s (seemingly) kept her pain and yearning bottled up for so long without imploding. It must be a testament to her inner strength, ironclad will, and extraordinary resolve to locate her mother at any cost.

I wonder if Hyemyeong will drive the Qing prince away by being on her absolute worst behavior, but whatever it is, I’m sure she’ll figure out how to avoid this arranged marriage. I’m not sure how long the Qing prince storyline will be, but I’m glad they cast an actually Chinese actor to play a Chinese character! Is this the start of a love triangle? I’m so ready for a love triangle if it means I get to see Gyun Woo and his adorable pout.

Gyun Woo continues to be ever the gentleman. He’s so caring and kind that I actually laughed when he rejected Da-yeon, because that’s probably the most simultaneously direct yet polite rejection I’ve ever seen! One sentence was all it took, and Da-yeon knew he had zero romantic feelings toward her. Gyun Woo is a sensitive soul, but I love how genuine and trustworthy he is, making him the perfect sidekick to Hyemyeong. She may have tried to drive him away, but if his newfound love for fermented skate has shown us anything, it’s that he’s attracted to the sassy princess in more ways than one, pungent food notwithstanding.

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Thanks for the recap! Finally catching up with the events.

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And this maybe a wild guess, but I don't think Hyemyeong alone can drive the Qing prince away, even by her absolute worst behavior, because in such situations we usually find the new guy to be pretty tough & cool about the bratty heroine, even countering her attacks. So the princess might need Gyun woo's help in executing her plans.
But this is just a super wild guess. The princess may be able to handle the situation all by herself too.

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I love it when the male lead falls in love with the woman first. Even more with Joo Woon's gaze lol
And omg... I'm loving Hye Myung's character more and more. So the bratty and bully side of her are just a mask to her painful childhood. The queen is so evil.. i just can't with those evils targeting the mother and the innocent daughter

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I'm just mad that the king is suck a weakling. He is totally in the hand of the evil minister and beinf controlled like a puppet. I sure hope Hae Myung has secret plan to get out of this marriage because they are using the crown prince to threaten her.

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The last screencap! Pffffffffffffft ???

I'm quite impressed with Joo Won in this drama. I had feared he has the tendency to overact. While many of the comedic scenes require over the top expressions which he does surprisingly well, he is nuanced when it comes to the serious ones. In particular, the ending scene where Princess Hyemyeong arrived to greet the Qing prince, I thought the subtle expressions on his face very minute yet spot on.

Thankfully, they got a Chinese actor to play the Qing prince. There's hardly any saeguk which has decent Mandarin, not even 6FD. In the first episode, Joo Won tried his best but it still came out wrong. It's also good that the Qing prince isn't some one eyed hunchback but an actually decent looking bloke. It will be fun to watch jealous Gyun Woo ?.

Unemployed Gyun Woo is funny, never knew that the jobless faced the same issues since Joseon.

Princess Hyemyeong must have put on the frivolous facade all these years to make her enemies not take her seriously and view her as a threat. She is one tough woman. The look she cast sideway to Gyun Woo on her way to greet the Qing prince is like "Don't do anything, I can handle this myself!" Can't wait to see what she'll do with the prince.

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LOL I pity him that he can't stay at home being a jobless. Thank God he has awesome friends who has a place for him to stay ?

Hyemyeong is so pretty in the last scene. Minister Jung wasn't lied about it ? I'm curious what her plan with the Prince Qing, I am slightly hoping he is not a jerk.

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Hyemyeong is pretty even when she makes faces. ♥ And I'm sure that is the only thing Min Jung ever told her that wasn't a lie/distorted truth. Based from the preview, Prince Qing will fall for her so I don't think he'll be an ass (Let's hope)

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Yes true. Her dimples is the most expensive thing she has in her face ? LOL he seems so honest when he praised her. Maybe he didn't really care about her before he started to pay more interest with her lately that he just realised she is very pretty. ?

Yes from the look in his face, it seems like Qing Prince probably has falling for her from the first sight. Why drama you casted someone so good lookingg... ? lol.

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It wouldn't be fun if he turns out to be a jerk. It would be much better if he's earnest, sincere and looks every inch a threat to Gyun Woo. Eh...am I delighting too much in Gyun Woo's agony?

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Yes you are! Lol.

(Actually, if the prince is as you describe we might see some adorable jealousy, which would be a nice counteract to the heavier political intrigue).

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I too hope that Joo Won has his own worthy rival. The actor rocks that hairstyle tbh XD. Joon-Young doesn't look like he's set up as the second male lead falling in love with the princess does he?

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Joon Young loves the princess but i just feel super bad for him. He is only watching or protecting her secretly isn't he supposed to be the 2nd male lead?

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Oh thanks for point that out, I must have missed it completely. At first I thought he loved the princess too, but after that backstory where he was appointed (?) by Teacher Min to protect the princess I started to think his concern for her is out of loyalty.

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I too am not sure if Joon Young is in love with the princess. Same with @maskros, I thought he was tasked to carry out the very important job of protecting her. He's totally loyal for sure.

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I think Joon-Young does have a crush on the princess but hides it deep deep down where loyalty and unrequited love mix and are basically the same.

Since the drama likes to play with cliches, I half expect all the guys to fall for the princess, to Gyun Woo's annoyance.

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@WishfulToki June 23, 2017 at 10:50 AM,

deep deep down where loyalty and unrequited love mix and are basically the same

Great turn of phrase, WishfulToki! ;-)

I think you're right about Joon-Young.

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This sounds so cool! I'm all in for it ?

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Not gonna lie... Prince Dalhan is so darnnnnn pretty!!! I ended up stalking his IG!! ??

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Link for his IG pls!

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It's @sunzujun_kris
Enjoy! ??

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Thank you!

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You girls make me laugh! Okay, I'll need to check it out too ?

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It's cute when he posted his picture with Joo Won and said that because of Joo Won he created his IG ❤

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lol plot twist: the prince falls for Gyun Woo instead of the princess.

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Awww... Really?? I don't understand the captions on his posts coz they are not in english... :'D

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@alyad I can't understand it either but it's auto translated ?

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@nhisayshi i approve it! LOL it will be hilarious if it will turn out like that. Maybe the Prince will ask to bring back GW with him in exchange of not marrying the Princess ?

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"but if his newfound love for fermented skate has shown us anything, it’s that he’s attracted to the sassy princess in more ways than one, pungent food notwithstanding."

Ahh so agree with this. I love when male lead realising his feeling first. Hye Myeong has been awesome lately, and Oh Yeon Seo really shine in this role. I love her brave confrontation with Minister Jung and the evil Queen. I'm just glad she finally letting the King to know the truth about her Mother.

That Qing Prince is actually a Chinese actor? Woah I just knew about it. I was like ' who is this cutie pie? ' lol.

Glad that GW was straighforward with DY, because there's the best way to cut off someone who is irrelevant for you, although I'm sure DY will use anything to get him. After comparing Da Yeon with Hwa Gun (Ruler) and Myung Hee (SDQ), DY is just irrelevant for GW. All of them are kind of obsess with male lead, but unlike DY, HG and MH have things to offer to the male lead and they are in some ways helping the male lead despite of their obsession, which for me reasonable reasons. I don't find those are good reasons to obsess with the male lead, but at least I can understand it. DY's father is powerful but I don't think her father is that interested to make GW as his SIL.But maybe he is the type of father who is willing to do anything for his daughter, I don't know.

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Hyemyeong's relation with the crown prince is too cute, it reminds me of The Princess' Man where the princess has the same kind of adorable relationship with her brother, these noonas are the strongest pillars for these crown princes.

I miss Joo-Won's dimples, I want them back...

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I miss both leads dimples actually

Oh well i remember the princess man but the little brother in that drama ended up sad

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Oow i love this drama so much.
I had my doubts in the beginning because of the negativity but it's proven to be decent. Probs to the rookie writer (just cross my finger she won't ruin it with the remaining episodes)
I also love Gyun Woo straightforward and sincer character.. the way he rejected Da Yeon was satisfying haha.
The princess needs to realize her feelings while Gyunwoo needs to step up his game.

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Happy Belated Birthday Oh Yeon Seo! ❤❤
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVr7BZcgoDO/

I love her costume for her birthday party ?

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Oh sweet happy birthday OYS ♥

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Naaaw happy birthday to the lovely actress <3
Even her costume is a princess too

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I'm loving this drama more and more, esp the Princess. I'm smitten with her antics since Day 1 (though others find it over-the-top) and now that we're digging more into the reasons behind her actions, I'm just drawn to her character more. Oh, and I'm excited to see jealous Joowon for sure!

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I think the fact that she was over-the-top with her antics and behaviour make her more endearing now. we the viewers can really feel how much she must've bottled up her sadness/loneliness by being "sassier-than-sassy". they were masks she wore for a long time, that it almost made it seem as if it was her real face. but it was slowly peeled away, and now we viewers see how much she must've suffered.

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This is unrelated to the drama's plot but shouldn't the Qing prince have the Qing male hairstyle (shaved head and long braid)?

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He should, but I doubt anyone would shave his head just for a few scenes for a couple episodes. It's really not worth it. Plus, they have not stuck to historical accuracy re. the Qing costumes and hairstyles since day one so I don't find issues with the prince's hairstyle anymore XD

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Are we talking about Ming or Qing emperors and princes in this drama? What century are we in? I usually pay attention to historical context, but as this does not feel like a real sageuk I didn't initially bother. This new political angle changes things. Now I'm interested in the diplomatic implications of this marriage and why Jung Ki Joon almost seems like he wants it to fall through.

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After the first episode, I have zero expectations that this is anything like a real saeguk and therefore I don't bother about the accuracy anymore. Thankfully, the story isn't as harebrained as it appeared initially.

I am not sure about the diplomatic implications but marrying the Princess off to China is like sending her away on a one way ticket.

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Usually marrying the princess off to more powerful neighbors is like sending her as a hostage. The implication would be, if the marriage falls through, that the Qing would be angry. I think JKJ wants that in order to make the king even weaker, and maybe even take over the throne himself. I don't see war in the horizon, but the fear of it might lead to conspiracy. It's obvious that the king is already very weak.

Maybe I'm thinking too deeply about this? I think I will just sit back and watch SDQ now. I still have to catch up with the latest episodes yay!

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I think it's the Qing dynasty. I think Gyun-Woo mentioned it in the first episode when he returned from China. That was when everybody was complaining that the royal garb and hairstyles were all wrong.

I think in one of the recent episodes where Gyun Woo explained about Teacher Gyun (his dog) there were a bunch of paintings depicting the Qing men's clothes and hairstyles, which were historically accurate for a change, lol, too.

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Ok, thanks. In that case I won't expect any deep diplomatic maneuvers on Jung Ki Joon's part.

Would it be awesome if prince has his own agenda though?

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We shall see! From the preview I think at least he'll have some interest in the princess. These marriages are mostly politically-driven so I wouldn't be surprised if the prince has his agenda besides genuine interest in her.

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Haha yes! My mum actually likes this drama, but got pretty ticked off with all the Qing inaccuracies! She even complained that even if the actor didn't want to shave his head, surely they could have gotten him to wear a bald cap! My mum even griped about the short length of the braids! Fusion saguek or not, surely they don't have to mention another culture and risk getting things wrong and pissing purists off, right? I can't help but wonder if they mention China a lot because they want to capture the Chinese audience...if so, are their "efforts" being counterproductive?

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I can't exactly recall but I think this started production after THAAD. They might have initially planned to reach out to the Chinese audience but when sentiments took a change for the worse, I can't help wondering if some of the jokes are on the Chinese.

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Da Yeon reminds me of Anakin/Darth Vader, with super obvious lines like 'I sense a distance between us... I have found something I want to destroy.'

Mom-Gyun Hee were hilarious this episode, I admit. I sometimes like Queen Dowager (like when she lied to protect Hymyeong) and then instantly dislike her again (like being so willing to marry her off to the the Chinese cutie, basically sending her granddaughter hostage). Her solution to problems has always been to avoid facing them and send people away. I'm not expecting much help from that quarter. It's up to the young people to thwart the marriage.

Also, I am crossing my fingers that Princess doesn't go the noble idiotic way. I didn't like her cutting comments to Gyun Woo, who only wants to help. Poor unemployed puppy!

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While I don't like noble idiocy, I have to agree with Princess Hyemyeong's decision this time. She knows that there's mortal danger ahead and her enemies are closing in. She wouldn't want Gyun Woo to be dragged into it. He on the other hand is so determined to stay by her side so I guess she thinks hurting his pride is the way to go.

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Darth Vader lmao you cracked me up
At this point i lity Hyemyung. It's not like she can do anything right now nor Gyun Woo has the power to change their situations.
Princess is just trying to protect all the people ahe care. Queen Dowager loves the princess and she thinks the way to stop people targetting her is by sending her away (marriage like hostage is better than being murdered/deposed/punish to death i guess)

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On a lighter note, has anyone compiled a list of modern references in this drama XD. Last time it was mom and her friends with their obsession of handbags, which made me crack up hard. This episode we've got Chang-hui and the selfie culture. Funny thing is, his selfie comes complete with a status (which as expected has nothing to do with the selfie) and comments from his minions.

I like it that the show has moved into serious territory, but at the same time hope it won't ever lose its humourous touch. Such as mom all giddy about Gyun Woo but still faking anger (which doesn't look one bit like anger), ha.

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Omg, I completely missed the selfie culture reference lol. Mom is a very modern mom. Sassy Mom.

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I love her interactions with the Princess the most. She's super hilarious when she's landing into sulky/ incredulous mode XD

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It could also be a tip of the hat to Snow White and the magic mirror. Pfft.

The mirror looks identical to the one in REBEL. But Chang-hui is nowhere near as cute as Ga-ryung, IMHO. He's so smitten with himself he should change his name to Narcissus. I'd love to see him duke it out with diva General Go Il-Yong in MY ONLY LOVE SONG. Better keep those two apart -- or risk the Singularity. ;-)

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Last episode, I cracked up when the kooky bookseller mentioned about renewing the popular books. Da Yeon's gang were also flabbergasted that she borrowed the 50 Shades of Grey.

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Lol OMG the modern book lending haha.
I cracked up when they've got other 'popular' titles such as Descendants of the Sun etc etc XD.

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It is totally funny on how they are showing the situations from today's world in that period of time - the manicure, pedicure salons, references to movies and dramas from the current times, Gyeon woo's mother discussing her hot flashes HA HA HA and the deals at the inn, stay 10 nights and get one night free, and the DUI - that is the funniest of all, a DUI rider on a horse! LOLOLOL -i really think they are integrating all this into that period of time in a very funny manner!

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Casting a Chinese actor and a plot full of connections to China while being broadcast simultaneously in China? Seem like a smart strategic marketing decision, easily made by a a Chinese-owned agency (Huaying Entertainment)...

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Is it still being broadcast in China? I thought it fell through because of THAAD and the Chinese investors pulled out.

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Ohhhh I didn't know it fell through. I thought I still see this news on a recent interview. I will double check. But nonetheless, I still feel like this plot is affected really heavily by its intention to be marketed abroad. As long as they don't make a mess of the storyline, I have no problems with it though.

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This drama is clearly heroine-centric, but I wish they give more back stories for GW too. For example, instead of spending all the first episodes on ridiculous jokes, they could have built stories that illustrate how GW has a very bright future in politics (in a way that makes audience root for him). They could have put him in some kind of competitions with others in the palace, made people in awe of his wisdom, talent or bravery. Or they could have done a better job showing how determined and ambitious he is in his career.
These back stories will make his sacrifice for the princess in this episode (being dismissed rather than telling the truth) more moving. Right now, it just feels like he is a nice person. He sure does give up a lot for the princess now, but these sacrifices don't register as particularly moving and heart-breaking to me. Maybe it is just me? Maybe I am expecting too much? I keep hoping that there are more stories to GW. I was hoping for a children stories (when he dreamt of the Princess's younger self drowning in water), but that seems unlikely.

Anyway, I will keep watching to just see JW on my screen because I miss him.

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Or at least makes GW character emotionally damaged so both of these people heal each other through their relationship. I don't know. I am just greedy for JW's acting. :(

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I understand how you are feeling..
But I'm glad Gyun Woo doesn't have any emotional scar like that of princess..In this drama it's different. Usually in other dramas we see male leads are the one who have emotional scars, family issues, twisted image etc and later sweet and nice girls come in their life and heal them, become their support. But in this drama the female lead has all of this while Gyun Woo has lead a quite nice life. And the fact he finds Hye Myung lovable despite all the odds is so sweet and refreshing. I love how Gyun Woo is guiding princess in his own way and Princess is moving his perfect life. Their love story is beautiful.
The seemingly perfect man Gyun Woo with no issues met an imperfect woman,Hye Myung with lots of issues, becomes her partner to protect her from danger, by helping her he himself stats to get involved in Royal Politics and lost his perfect job, he still isn't affraid, all he is thinking is about helping the Princess, by coming weeks episodes he will understand that he is actually in love and we will definitely get to see his declaration of love..This is amazing!

Joo Won has done a lot of character with emotional damage or other issues..so we know how intense he can be when he's emotional. I'm glad in this drama he has no big scar in his life. I specially like it that he has nice and interesting family. To me the most lovable thing in this drama is seeing all types of cute and adorable faces of Joo Won. But I'm sure we'll get to see many more intense facial expressions from in the coming episodes because the evil side already started targeting our Gyun Sabu and he will fight back and give it his all for Hye Myung.

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THANK YOU.

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Wasn't the movie also heroine centric too?
I don't mind dramas with heroine centric theme
And i believe Gyun Woo has been one of the most charming male lead so far. I bet he will play a big role in helping the princess and catching the bad guys

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I love that perspective <3. I hope so tooooo.

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I don't even know why people are turned off by the puking scene on first ep. I mean i watched the classic My Sassy Girl movie and the puking scene is hardcore gross because the female lead puke on an old man head and the guy ended up cleaning it. Even the female lead in the movie is super violent like punching , tackling, and slapping the guy.. wew

But anyway glad that this drama have been getting positive reviews now. I sure don't know how Gyun Woo and Haemyung can be together with all the odss again them.... if this refer to the movie then there will be Gyun Woo under the tree waiting for Haemyung

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I love period dramas that are not fraught with politics, wars, tons of royals and rivalry among them etc. I was expecting something lighthearted and I got it! :-) Many seemed to dislike the princess initially but while I was a bit shocked to see her drink so hard, eat and spit bones like that in public, yell & scream etc, I understood that she was acting out of pain and loneliness. She has spunk and I like her! Wish her dad was more like that. LOL. Still don't understand how the king does not have his own spies and intelligence to counter the evil people around him......And totally love Gyeon Woo!! I love his placid nature. He is the perfect balance for the wilder side of the princess. He is completely fallen for her and I can't wait for the next few episodes! But the biggest surprise for me was Joo Won! I tried to watch a drama of his before but got bored quickly not because of him but the story. But his nuanced performance in this role is amazing!! Absolutely fantastic job by him!!

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Also, in that last scene, I was so glad that the princess made such a grand entrance! I liked that she was not standing there waiting for that Chinese prince!

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What a handsome prince! Can't wait to see a jealous Gyun Woo. I miss the laughter in this drama. Looking forward on the plans of the princess to drive the Qing prince away.

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I'm soooo happy they cast Chinese actor for this Qing Prince, finally somebody who is more convincing.

Does this girl Da Yeon never take a hint, the guy is clearly not into you...

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"She knows what she’s doing and holds her cards close to her chest, and there’s a reason behind her actions."

Yes! And I'm so warming up to this drama! It's fast-paced and the story line has turned the right juxtaposition of funny/serious ... It needed that! Besides, how can I turn away from it when the music queues are picking up as well? ... When you put together the beautiful voice of Ben (벤) + a touching scene under the tree = I'm sold! ?

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Hold on, when was that soundtrack played? I would like to hear Ben's voice!

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I am loving the shift of tone. Makes the characters more relatable. Though I am still waiting for Gyun Woo to showcase the smartypants scholar in him.

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Thanks for the recap, chickachunga!

I loved how Gyun Woo ever so politely indicated his lack of interest in the imperious Jung Da-Yeon. But has he never heard the Joseon equivalent of "Heav'n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn'd,
Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn'd"?! (Tip of the hat to William Congreve's 1697 tragedy The Mourning Bride.)

I have a feeling that Gyun Sabu -- the man, not the dog -- already knows handsome Prince Dalhan of Qing. They might even be old drinking buddies. If that's the case, I could see our hero greeting the Prince in excruciatingly-correct-sounding speech while actually saying something like, "Hey, bro, how's it hangin'," and letting him know that he has a prior claim on the Princess's affections. Prince Dalhan, being a true gentleman, will naturally defer in favor of his friend. Problem solved -- and Minister Jung thwarted.

But then we'd miss out on the joys of watching Joo Won portray Fifty Shades of Green. I'm so torn. ;-)

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"But then we'd miss out on the joys of watching Joo Won portray Fifty Shades of Green. I'm so torn. ;-)"

Hahahaha....thanks for the laugh ? I am only one shade so I am both curious and envious.

We could also have Prince Dalhan's purpose in coming to Joseon not to seek the Princess' hand in marriage but to seek out his love - Gyun Sabu. The man, not the dog, who taught him how to read, write and speak Korean and also caused his heart to flutter.

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@outofthisworld June 24, 2017 at 6:54 PM,

We could also have Prince Dalhan's purpose in coming to Joseon not to seek the Princess' hand in marriage but to seek out his love - Gyun Sabu. The man, not the dog, who taught him how to read, write and speak Korean and also caused his heart to flutter.

Oh, man -- what a scenario that would be. ROFLMAO. Gyun Sabu would need not only a suit of armor, but track shoes -- so he can outrun both the Prince and Da-yeon. ;-)

Actually, the thought did cross my mind that the Emperor might be hoping to finagle Gyun Woo back to Qing. Knowing Minister Jung, I'm sure he'd be glad to make it a two-fer and toss Gyun Sabu into the deal. ;-)

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Thanks for the recap, chicachunga!

Joowonnie is absolutely swoony as GW! His willingness to be on HM's side, even if it means losing his job and not outing her before the king, means so much. I can feel his hurt with HM's sharp words, but it's also easy to see that she only said that to keep him away and to prevent him from getting into more trouble because of her.

Having seen her childhood, I think we can now understand why the princess is so resilient. Having been forbidden to talk about her mom all these years must have been hard on her, and yet, she has turned all the pain into her strength, fueling her with the determination to find her mom no matter what. She is an expert at disguising her actual feelings and can remain calm, aloof, pleasant, depending on whatever the situation called for. Her weakness seems to be the young prince, so it's no wonder the evil queen and Minister Jung keep using him to get to her. But I hope to see HM rising up and facing these two. At least the queen dowager seems to sense that the queen is not all that meets the eye and she tries to protect her granddaughter.

Now that the king knows, I hope he will secretly reinstate GW into some kind of post. Maybe to help the princess find her mom and to protect her.

One of my fave moments in this ep was when GW talked about his punishments light-heartedly and the princess showed genuine concern, which threw him off. ? I suppose he was expecting the princess to make some kinda "as if" comment instead of the simple "yes" to admit she was truly worried. It definitely shows the progress of their relationship. I also love that he's in love with her first and even adopting her eating habits now. LOL This show is getting more and more enjoyable.

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Can Someone tell me how historical neutrality is preserved that way?
Also, why?
What happens when historical neutrality is not followed?

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