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Seven Day Queen: Episode 15

It’s nice to get a short reprieve from all the life-and-death drama in this drama, even if we’re all fully aware that today’s stop in happytown is only a quick layover on the way to tragedyville. But when the happiness is this happy, it makes me think that maybe it’ll be enough to carry these two through this lifetime.

 

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EPISODE 15 RECAP

After trading his father’s secret will and the throne for freedom with Chae-kyung, Yeok struts out of the palace like a hero, hand-in-hand with Chae-kyung. Yeonsangun looks as though all the wind has been knocked out of his body as he watches them go.

They only get down the corridor before Yeok grabs Chae-kyung in a hug of relief, and asks if she’s really okay. He tells her never to be in danger again, and she looks up at him, eyes full of love, and promises not to.

Back in the throne room, everyone drops to their knees to bow before Yeonsangun, who just stares soullessly at the will that Yeok casually tossed on the floor on his way out. He walks past it and contains his rage until he’s in the privacy of his own room, where he starts breaking everything in sight.

Nok-soo looks alarmed at the outburst, and though Minister Shin lingers outside the door in worry, she turns him away saying that he has no right to be here.

Yeok goes to face the music and tells his mother everything, and she pounds his chest in anger, asking if he knows what he’s just done. Yeok says, “Yes, I have given up the throne,” but she counters that he’s given up his life as well.

Yeok says that he had become just like his brother, suspecting his family and letting them die just to be king. The queen dowager claims that he wasn’t the one to do those things, but he argues that everyone from his mother to Myung-hye to the Snail Brides—they are all him, and everything they do and even the world that they dream of begins with him.

His voice trembles as he says that he was becoming more and more like his brother, adopting the characteristics that he hates most about him. “If I am no different from him, then why must I push him out and become king? I could not find the reason I had to be king, so I will be satisfied in this life with protecting the person I want to protect,” he says.

The queen dowager cries, “Did you forget that your life is not just your own?!” Yeok counters, “Just because you gave birth to me, just because you saved my life, don’t think you can control my fate.”

He storms out and swallows back his tears before rejoining Chae-kyung, and he asks brightly if she wants to go anywhere. He says he really doesn’t want to return to that house and leads her out.

As they walk down the street together gazing into each other’s eyes, Chae-kyung narrates that their lives had at last become simple and easy, with no suspicion and no secrets between them. “We only had death to fear,” she says.

“…But death comes to everyone,” Yeok adds as he picks up the narration. “Until then, we just prayed for happiness together.”

He leads her to the inn where they first reunited as adults and says that since they can’t go back to their youth, they should at least start over in adulthood and clear up all the misunderstandings between them.

Chae-kyung reminds him that they don’t exactly have great memories at this place, where she had performed memorial rites for him while he was alive and well. Yeok says it wasn’t the memorial that offended him, but the fact that she was with Yeonsangun at the time.

She says apologetically that she didn’t know about all the strife between the brothers, and Yeok says gently that he knows. “That’s why I was able to not hate you, and that’s why I was able to love you,” he says, all casual-like. Chae-kyung’s eyes turn to saucers and she tries to get him to say it again, but Yeok pretends not to know what she’s asking for and walks away grinning. Cheeky.

Myung-hye reels from the news about Yeok and asks Seo-no how he could’ve thrown it all away for some girl. Seo-no argues that for Chae-kyung, he would’ve, as protecting her was the reason Yeok wanted to become king in the first place.

Myung-hye can’t believe Yeok would want to be king for a girl, but Seo-no says that Chae-kyung is the very reason Yeok lives, and he warns Myung-hye against trying anything now.

Chae-kyung’s mother asks anxiously if the danger has passed now that Yeok has given up the throne, but Dad says it might not be so easy for the kids to move to the countryside as they asked, because Yeonsangun seems to love Chae-kyung as a woman, and is fighting a war that only he understands. That scares Mom to death, and she pleads with Dad to send the kids away before anything else can happen to them.

Chae-kyung joins Yeok in their room with clothes that she borrowed from the innkeeper, and he totally tries to sneak a peek at her while she changes. She narrows her eyes at him and makes him turn the other way while he feigns innocence. She says she likes the plain hanbok, calling it comfortable, and he tells her that she looks pretty in anything. Aw.

Yeonsangun stumbles into the queen dowager’s room drunk, and says that they were both blindsided by Yeok today. He muses that Yeok hasn’t changed at all since he was a kid, always surprising them with all the trouble he caused.

He asks, “Should I just give it to him—the throne? Tell Yeok to be king. Then instead I will live as Chae-kyung’s husband and Minister Shin’s son-in-law, and your son.” Augh, break my heart why don’t you.

The queen dowager says it’s too late for that now, and as he lays his head down in her lap, she tells him to be reborn in the next life as her daughter, so that she can braid his hair and make him clothes, and give him lots of love. She almost reaches to out to caress his head as he sleeps… but then she pulls back and calls for the servants to send for the queen.

The queen tucks Yeonsangun in and sits by his bedside, and in his sleepy haze he clutches her hand, trembling violently.

While Chae-kyung prepares a simple dinner in the kitchen, Yeok finds a present he’d bought for her that he’s been carrying around in his pocket for some time. She spies him taking it out and putting it back, and she accuses him of keeping secrets so that he’ll give it up, heh.

He hems and haws and says that it’s really not that much of a present, but he bought it because she had a lot of reasons to be mad at him lately, so he wanted her to stop keeping all that bottled up and “throw them” as she pleased. She wonders what he means by that, and then opens up the little pouch to find a handful of red beans. Hahaha, it’s what she’d thrown at him to ward him off when she thought he was a jerky ghost.

Yeok says it actually hurts to be hit with them, but he’s willing to take it if it’ll make her feel better. That is so cute. She laughs at his idea of a present and then enjoys watching him flinch every time she raises a fistful of beans in the air.

She teases him for being scared, so this time, he catches her arm in midair and then flips her onto her back, landing on top of her. Rawr. A close-up of the scattered beans reveals something shiny in the pouch, which Chae-kyung is much too distracted to notice.

Yeok jokes that he’s not emotionally prepared to be pelted with beans because he’s still scarred from the last time, and Chae-kyung asks if this is his cowardly way of avoiding his due beans. He gets serious and says, “I’ve been very cowardly lately, haven’t I? And you’ve had a hard time because of it.”

She just counters that if he does nothing now, then he’s really cowardly, and shuts her eyes as she tells him to go ahead and do something. He waits a beat and she starts to pout, but then Yeok kisses her gently on the forehead, and then the cheek, and then he moves down to her neck and her eyes flutter closed.

He kisses her tenderly and begins to undress her, and in voiceover, Chae-kyung asks, “Do you love me?” He answers, “How could I not? I love you. I love you. I love you [he uses three different words for “love”] very, very much.”

Yeonsangun wakes from a fitful sleep with Yeok’s voice reciting their father’s will in his head. He demands more liquor to drown out the noise, and when he goes through three more bottles, he calls out for more.

But then he suddenly has a frightening vision of his father, who looms closer and closer as he berates Yeonsangun for disobeying a royal command. In a panic, Yeonsangun scrambles to get his sword and yells at his father to go away, but his father just growls, “Didn’t I say that if you controlled Joseon, it would fall to ruin?!”

Yeonsangun swings his sword wildly, but of course he’s just alone in an empty room, flinging his sword through empty air.

He keeps seeing his father disappear and reappear, and Yeonsangun cries that in the end he just favored Yeok, and that’s the sole reason he wanted Yeok to be king. This time he stabs his father clean through with the blade and demands that he disappear. There’s an awful bone-crunching noise as he drives the sword through his father’s gut…

…And then when Yeonsangun comes to his senses, he looks up and sees that he’s stabbed a eunuch. Aaaaaaah. The eunuch falls to the floor in a bloody heap, and the other servants race inside. Yeonsangun looks stunned at first, but then he seems to snap and he begins to laugh like it’s funny that he just brutally killed a man by mistake. That is seriously disturbing.

In the morning, Yeok walks Chae-kyung home and says that he’s reluctant to part. She points out that they’ll be together all the time from now on, but he says he meant that he doesn’t want to part with his friends. She snarls but then suggests that the guys can move down to the country with them, figuring that the Snail Brides will disband without Yeok.

He promises to come home early, and then has to point out that he can’t leave if she keeps holding onto his hand. I love how long it takes him to actually leave, like they can’t bear to be apart for a couple of hours.

Chae-kyung braces herself before entering their house, and Eunuch Song and the court ladies bow to greet her. In her most authoritative voice, Chae-kyung asks how they dare to stay here when she was kidnapped in the middle of the night, and tells them all to get out.

Eunuch Song doesn’t know what to do and says that they’re here under royal orders, but Chae-kyung points out that she could either accuse them of being complicit in the kidnapping or not doing their jobs to protect her, and orders them to leave quietly now before she takes it up with the palace. They scurry away, and Chae-kyung lets out a sigh of relief.

She goes to her room to find Nanny crying next to her empty bed, and Nanny bawls her eyes out to see Chae-kyung again and hugs her in relief. Nanny asks if they can’t just go back to the country like before, promising not to nag her anymore if they can just leave the city because she can’t handle Chae-kyung being in danger all the time.

Chae-kyung feels terrible for always making Nanny worry and cry, and says that they’ll move back to the countryside just as soon as Yeok wraps up some things here and the king gives his official permission.

Nanny brightens immediately, and then remembers to tell Chae-kyung about Myung-hye. But as soon as she mentions it, Myung-hye’s voice calls out asking to see Chae-kyung. She’s back in her normal clothes, and when they sit down to tea, Myung-hye is startled to learn that Chae-kyung knew who she really was when she first arrived at this house.

Myung-hye asks why she let her in then, and Chae-kyung just asks in a pitying way why Myung-hye lives such a difficult life, and whether what she’s doing is truly right. Myung-hye doesn’t think Chae-kyung is in a position to admonish her, but Chae-kyung quotes the words Myung-hye had said to her in prison about living lowly or living harshly, and says that this time Myung-hye’s actions were low, so much that it feels like a waste to hate her or get angry about it. Buurrrn.

Chae-kyung just coolly says goodbye so that she’ll leave, but then Myung-hye leaves her with one last sucker-punch: “What if it were for oraboni? How low could you get for his sake? Could you throw yourself away? It seems that I am more ardent than you.”

The queen dowager doesn’t seem convinced that Minister Shin knew nothing of the secret will and Chae-kyung’s tattoo, and resents him as always. He tries to focus on getting Yeok and Chae-kyung safely out of the capital, but the queen dowager says it’s a miracle that they walked away with their lives, thinking it unlikely that Yeonsangun will let them leave.

She calls attention to the fact that Yeonsangun seems to have feelings for Chae-kyung as a woman, and not-so-subtly blames Chae-kyung for it, warning Minister Shin to make sure she doesn’t act improperly. Gah, it’s not her fault that the crazy king loves her!

Yeonsangun lies awake looking like a hollow shell, and this time he imagines young Yeok sitting in his room playing his bipa, and then the vision transforms into adult Yeok. Yeonsangun says he should’ve killed him then and throws a bowl into the empty air, and then becomes reinvigorated when he realizes that it’s not too late to kill him now.

Yeok arrives at the pawnshop, and as soon as he comes in, the three boys start silently tearing apart the room and taking down all the plans for the things they’d worked so hard to achieve. They ask what they’re supposed to do about all the people who sacrificed so much for him to be king, and feel betrayed that Yeok didn’t even consult them when he wanted to give up.

Feeling terrible, Yeok gets down on his knees in the middle of the room and sincerely apologizes: “I’m sorry for not being able to keep my promise to become king for all of you. I’m so sorry for running away so irresponsibly.”

And then he adds tearfully, “But the thing I’m truly sorry for is the fact that after doing that, I’m happy. For the first time ever.”

By now all four boys have tears in their eyes, and Yeok admits that it felt so freeing to toss his father’s will away, and that after telling Chae-kyung everything, it finally feels like he’s alive. He says that he realized the truth—that the real reason he was after the throne was to get revenge against his brother. Yeok argues that it can’t be the reason he becomes king, and that he wanted to give Yeonsangun his trust one more time.

Seo-no raises Yeok to his feet and says that he understands how Yeok feels, but that doesn’t mean he’ll follow Yeok’s decision. Seo-no points out that Yeok sees Yeonsangun as his brother first and foremost, and so he understands why Yeok is wavering. But to them, he argues, the king is just a murderer who killed their families and an incompetent king who tyrannizes the people.

Seo-no declares that he won’t quit the Snail Brides, because even if they can’t change the king, they still need influence to keep the king in check. Seo-no tells Yeok to leave, because if he stays, he’ll just put them in more danger.

Myung-hye and her uncle are shocked to hear that Minister Shin infiltrated the Snail Bride headquarters and said nothing, though Deputy Commander Park argues that he won’t stay quiet for long. Myung-hye says that the queen dowager ordered her to use Yeok’s weakness to stop him from moving to the country. Of course she did.

The queen dowager had told Myung-hye that Yeok’s weakness was in wanting to protect his own people, and so they would need to make him realize that the only way to protect those he loves is to become king. Myung-hye suggests fanning the flames of discord between Yeonsangun and Minister Shin, so that Yeok will act on behalf of Chae-kyung’s family. She says that Yeok won’t even be able to dream of living in the countryside after that. Ugh, I hate you.

Deputy Commander Park goes straight for the low-hanging fruit and tells Minister Shin’s biggest anti-fan, Secretary Im, about the night Minister Shin discovered the Snail Bride hideout. Secretary Im immediately tells the king that Minister Shin chose to side with the rebels.

The next thing we know, Yeonsangun has prisoners tied up to boards and uses them as live targets, shooting them with arrows and insisting that his officers wave the flags and announce a bullseye every time he’s killed one. Holy crap.

On his knees, Minister Shin begs for Yeonsangun to stop, but Yeonsangun says he’s fortifying his throne because he never knows when people who have gone against him will try to take the throne from him.

Minister Shin argues that those people don’t have the power or the treasonous intent to do such a thing, and Yeonsangun swings around to aim right at Minister Shin as he says, “But you do.”

Minister Shin insists that he’s loyal, so Yeonsangun tells him to prove it by capturing the Snail Brides and proving that Yeok is their leader. He insists that all he wants is to kill every last one of the Snail Brides, not Yeok, and ignores Minister Shin’s pleas for him to let Yeok go.

Chae-kyung and Nanny happily pack to move, and Chae-kyung shows off the shiny new ring that Yeok gave her. In flashback, we see that she’d discovered her real present in the middle of the night, and had woken him up then and there, insisting that he had to put it on her finger himself. Ha.

Nanny wants to get a better look at it, but Chae-kyung refuses to take it off even for a second. They’re surprised when someone arrives from the palace, but Nanny says excitedly that the king must’ve given them his official permission to leave.

Yeok’s friends help him pack up his stuff, and he lingers for a moment in front of his old crutch. Myung-hye arrives to say that the queen dowager wants to see Yeok before he goes, because the king has granted him permission to leave.

Yeok makes plans to meet them for drinks later that night and heads to the palace. Myung-hye follows him out, and I really don’t like the way she looks back at Seo-no, like she’s sorry for what’s about to happen…

At the same time, Minister Shin prepares a troop of officers to capture the Snail Brides. Myung-hye nervously leads Yeok away, and in flashback we see her uncle declare that it was time they cut off their own tail and let go of the Snail Brides. She’d asked how much of the tail should get cut, and he’d said that Seo-no would do nicely as the sacrificial lamb. As Myung-hye gets farther and farther away from the pawnshop, she begins to look worried.

Chae-kyung arrives to see the king, who stamps his seal on the royal order for Yeok to leave the capital with her. He hands her the scroll himself, and Chae-kyung kneels in gratitude as she accepts it.

Yeonsangun says she made it her wish, so he had no choice but to keep his promise to her. But he warns that she didn’t keep her promise, and therefore will pay the price. He tells her that he gave the royal order for her father to capture the Snail Brides to prove his loyalty.

Minister Shin takes his men to front of the pawnshop compound, while inside the hideout, the boys scramble to pack up all their things. Outside, Secretary Im arrives to check on the investigation and asks if the hideout has been found yet.

Minister Shin lies that he’d have arrested them by now if he’d found that, but Secretary Im catches him in the lie and says that he knows Minister Shin already infiltrated the Snail Bride hideout once before. He says it’s time to choose between his son-in-law and his daughter, and that if he catches Yeok now, Yeonsangun will let his family live.

In the palace, Yeonsangun tells Chae-kyung that if her father returns empty-handed, he’ll have no choice but to punish Minister Shin and his whole family as traitors, and then Chae-kyung won’t be able to leave despite gaining his permission now. That’s twisted. Chae-kyung asks in tears, “Did I make you this way?” and Yeonsangun doesn’t hesitate to reply, “Yes.”

She thinks of happier times when they’d joked and laughed, and the way Yeonsangun had come to her rescue when she was crucified. She asks how he came to have feelings for someone like her when she can’t stay by his side, but he argues that she came now, and that she was already his person the moment she entered his heart, so he can’t very well give her to someone else.

Chae-kyung argues that he already gave her to Yeok when he gave them the royal order to be married, and Yeonsangun says that he regrets it, so he’s going to make it right.

Meanwhile, Yeok notices Myung-hye acting squirrely and finds it suspicious that her hand is smudged with ink. We see that she’d written treasonous flyers and stashed them all over the hideout earlier today, and Yeok knows her well enough to realize that she’s hiding something, and that the boys are in danger. He turns around and breaks into a run.

In the hideout, Seo-no discovers one of Myung-hye’s flyers declaring the intent to overthrow Yeonsangun and make Yeok king.

Outside, Yeok and Myung-hye arrive to find the courtyard overrun with officers, and he whispers at her that if she wants to make this right, she’ll do exactly as he orders.

The boys start to burn the treasonous flyers that they find, but they worry about how many are stashed among their things. Yeok comes through the secret entrance and hurries them out before they get ambushed, but when he stops to read one of the flyers, a sword appears at his throat. Ack, it’s Minister Shin.

At the palace, Yeonsangun tells Chae-kyung that the Snail Brides will already have been captured by now, and she asks what she can do to quell his anger. He says that one day she’ll come to him of her own accord.

Minister Shin lowers his sword and tells Yeok to go. Yeok worries about what’ll happen to Minister Shin, but he urges Yeok to take Chae-kyung and run as far away as he can, saying that this is the last decision he’ll be able to make as Chae-kyung’s father and Yeok’s father-in-law. Nooooo.

He sends Yeok out through the secret passageway just as Secretary Im breaks into the underground hideout. Though Yeok manages to slip away, Secretary Im gets what he wants: Minister Shin caught aiding and abetting a traitor, with written proof that the Snail Brides were planning a coup. Yeok tells the boys to have the Snail Brides scatter and go into hiding, and then he runs to go find Chae-kyung…

But she’s with Yeonsangun, of course, and she’s shocked when Secretary Im leads her father into the room tied up like a criminal. Yeonsangun hears that Minister Shin helped a traitor escape and grows livid as he reads the treasonous flyer.

He declares that he’ll have to take Minister Shin’s life as promised, and then adds, “But Chae-kyung will have to die first.”

Out in the street, Yeok runs to her as fast as his legs will carry him.

 
COMMENTS

Ohmygod, could we not have let them be happy for one full episode?! Why is it so painful to root for this couple? I don’t even know what else Yeok has up his sleeve when he’s already given up the secret will and the throne once to save her. What can he possibly give up this time? Today’s trap actually felt a little too easy and repetitive compared to the heart-pounding climax of the last episode, so I wished that we hadn’t so quickly returned to Chae-kyung and her family being in danger. I was hoping for a quieter hour for more extended character growth without the mayhem. We did mostly get that, with Yeok and Chae-kyung finally getting to feel secret-free and happy together, and with Yeonsangun growing disturbingly more and more unhinged. I just would’ve liked for more time to have passed before Chae-kyung and her father ended up on death’s door again.

The last episode really proved to be a huge turning point for all of our characters, especially for Yeonsangun, who seems to have crossed into a side of himself that’s brutally violent and seemingly bloodthirsty. Though he still has a clear rationale in his own twisted head for everything that he’s doing, I can see how to anyone else, he’s becoming a madman who kills for no reason. The eunuch’s death totally freaked me out, with its horrible sound effects and his incongruous laughter, and I thought how easy a downward spiral it would be for him to drink himself into a stupor every night and kill his father or Yeok or Chae-kyung in his mind while killing innocent servants around him.

On the flip side, becoming a little unhinged has made Yeonsangun more emotionally vulnerable and honest with everyone, which is an interesting side effect of no longer caring to keep up appearances. If only he’d been this honest before he lost all of his people. I just can’t believe he’s already at the if-I-can’t-have-you-no-one-can place, and is ready to kill Chae-kyung just to keep her to himself. That officially makes you a psycho in my book.

Despite being sad that Yeok and his friends parted ways (for all of a minute), I was really proud of Seo-no for sticking to his principles and for finding his own purpose outside of Yeok. He seems to have a clearer understanding of what makes Yeonsangun a bad king, and I just love that he insists on fighting for what he believes in even if he knows it won’t change the world. I thought it was important to see the consequences of Yeok’s choice right away—he sacrificed a great deal when he chose Chae-kyung, not just the throne for himself, but the dreams of everyone around him.

But I’m still glad he did, because it was such a welcome change of pace to have Yeok and Chae-kyung finally on the same page about everything and keeping no secrets from each other. They’ve always been adorable, but before I was constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop because there were so many secrets they had kept in an effort to protect one another, and I get so nervous about characters finding things out in the most suspicious and inopportune ways (like Myung-hye pretending to a maid when Chae-kyung knew who she was—that stressed me out). But now it’s them against the world, and despite knowing that they’re in for a world of hurt, shifting their dynamic to be a unit makes me think that they can handle just about anything. But… that’s not an open invitation to pelt them with pain, ya hear me?

 
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But but, he won't kill her right?! Omigosh what will happen next???
Yeonsangun shooting the prisoners is him officially going crazy....

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That scene was also in the film The Treacherous and waaaaay more disturbing. It's the story about Yeonsangun as well and his tyranny though the movie is R-rated.

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That film nearly took the life out of me. It was way more disturbing than the King and the Clown.

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This episode was just really sweet that it made me fear of the upcoming episodes... I am just happy that the couple already consummated their marriage. I only have one request. Can't the crazy king just die? I mean he is not only bad but also uncontrollable!

Here's to the viewers who will patiently wait for the episodes which may seal the tragic fate of chae gyung and lee yeok. Huhuhuhu

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Yeonsangun is doomed to die after the he was dethroned.
But Myeong hee, minister Park and Queen Dowager... how I wish them to die miserably for what they did to the boys, Yeok and Chae Kyung.. :(

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Knowing they will probably come off victorious after all the mess they caused is painful. I hope Myung-hye will be very miserable when she becomes queen.

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She dies early, if I'm not mistaken :)

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If anything, historically, by the time Myung-Hye becomes Queen, Yeok (by this time King Jungjong) has a lot of concubines already who were daughters of those ministers who helped him gain the throne. Unlike Chae-Gyung who was his wife for a long time (they were originally married in 1499 up to 1506), Myung-Hye wouldn't have the exclusivity of Yeok's affections. :)

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He will ask Chekuyng to marry him and she will, and he will be dethroned in seven days

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am also glad they are finally together with no secrets .can we have more swoon yeok but the king wont just let gooo...he is bcoming hateful and its soo hard to sympathize with his actions anymore..

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I KNEW IT!!! Damn Minister Park et al for throwing everyone under the bus including Seo-noh (!!!) just to make Yeok the king! Argh! Even if they do nothing, with Yeonsangun being more and more unhinged everyday he's bound to be loathed by everyone and his kingship is fast-tracked to its demise. But no! They just can't bloody wait. They will have what they bloody want, the way they want it! ARGGGGGHHHHHH!!!! I just want to rip apart Myung-hye and Minister Park!!!

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So beautiful, as always! So nice to get a few moments of happiness, but for history's sake, I'm glad the king is showing his true colors.

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It's all my fault...I kept saying, "Just give us 5 minutes of happiness, please!" and apparently they took me literally... XD

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we just need 60 mins!!!! We are not greedy!! We don't ask for more!!!!

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Even after all of his madness... why oh why I can't hate Yeonsangun??? Damn you, LDG!!!

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In this show, I agree with you! It's so hard to hate LDG!

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I'm team King at first but I started to feel creepy after he killed the eunuch and laughed like a psycho lol. Thats really really creepy.. But still I can't hate Yeonsangun. He makes me feel pity for him while Yeok is making me falling for him. LDG is doing it right. He makes us feel terrified and pity for him at the same time.

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Agreed, he obviously has a soft spot. If Chae-kyung wasn't involved with Yeok, the King would probably be super evil.

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I saw clips of this ep on KBS's YT and i was too scared to click any of it just by looking at the thumbnail. Thank heavens for DB recaps! Yet, reading the recap felt just as exciting and heart-wrenching as i expected it to be. i'm so scared for Yeok and Chae Kyung. I hope CK comes to realize that it is not her that pushed YSG to be a psycho. Everyone is responsible for their own actions.

I am really conflicted about Minister Shin. He sees the the poverty of the people and the torment that they live in everyday under YSG's rule but he does nothing fruitful to help the people. He could 'advise' YSG till the cows come home but afterall these years, YSG still does as he pleases according to his whims. Minister Shin is a loving and faithful man but he is not a just man.

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Amen to your analysis on Minister Shin.

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Minister Shin is really torn, between serving the king and being a father, between making the kingdom better or make the king feels better.

I think his loyalty comes from a long time ago, since he cares about yeonsangun in his childhood and how he was about to die in ep 8 [?] with chae kyeong and at that time without any backing, the king saved them.

So he gives the king his word and promise, he gives him his life and he can't take that back. He says that several times to the king that he'd be loyal and the last ultimatum is when the king say about killing chae kyeoung 1st if he had involved in a treason.

He tries his best to fulfil every role he has to a certain degree and but his life is on yeonsangun.

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yap he is blindly loyal to the king he should do something to make him see that he is wrong and not just go along with him like a loyal fool

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I think Minister Shin has tried through the years to keep Yeonsangun sane. He's the only one who asks the King to stop killing those prisoners. Everyone does not dare say a word even though they know the King is wrong. I feel like if it was like before, he would have listened but now, the King does not trust him anymore. If not for Minister Shin he would have gone insane a long time ago.

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I used to find Chae Kyung's naivety endearing, but now I'm slightly annoyed. It's bordering on ignorant. Sometimes you have to dive in and understand the messy business, so you can help fix things. And if you're good and lucky enough, you can deal with the politics without getting too stained.

As for Yeok, I just hope he realized earlier why he was fighting that rebellion. That way, he could have given Chae Kyung a better reason.

Myeong Hye annoys me so much, and if somebody could explain her character for me, that'd be great. As for the King, I don't care too much about his grievances anymore; he's evil beyond excuse.

Anyway, I'm crying over spilled milk. I'll just hope for some character growth. Because really, I just want everybody to be safe and happy in the end - though I'm 100% sure some characters we've grown to be fond of will die.

Sorry if this comment sounds so negative.

PS. I feel super bad for Seo No. He's probably the only character I love in the drama right now.

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About Myong-Hye, I used to think of her as if she thought SHE was the protagonist of the drama. She was the underdog childhood friend who rescued Yeok and got him through his worst times, she helps him in his rebellion, and when he has to marry someone else just because of an old promise, she is the sorry girl who watches the man she loves marry someone else. She is the action girl who does what she believes is right, damn the people that tell her otherwise, and as she said this episode, is willing to fall very low to help Yeok. If this had been another drama, I could easily see a character like her being the love interest.

The problem is that she is NOT, and the drama rules that protect Chae Gyung do not protect her. Thus, instead of sympathetic, she feels sorry for herself. Instead of being a pillar of support, she makes Yeok feel like a servant in a cage. Instead of helping Yeok, literally everything she has ever done since the timeskip has either done nothing, or only made things worse. Instead of being a Strong Independent Woman, she only becomes more of a tool for every episode.

This episode was when I stopped feeling for her. After all this time, she really should have realized that she has done nothing to help Yeok, and that her father and the Queen Dowager only view her as someone to use against Yeok. After how many times, she should have stopped, but now that she has literally left the snail wives behind to take all the blame, she has no more sympathy, and I hope Yeok's queen will either be another Park, or that he really never forgives her. Nobody mentioning how much of an asshole the late king is, I can accept. Myeung-Hye being quietly forgiven? Not so much.

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I think what chae kyeong did is a coping mechanism.
There is this kind of day when every thing just so hard and barely resolved so you put a blind eye and forget it all.
The day when you are late to turn your project to your supervisor and you are torn between going to work or lie to get more time,
then you have this weird thought that you just need to forget it all for once, go vacation cause you can do it and you deserve a vacation, let's avoid it all now.
This simple thought that if you take it as a simple mechanism, people will think of it as a simple problem and will solve it in a simple way too.
She wants to go back to that world, it just she trusted them too much, she trusted that people will leave if you let yourself go. Actually good people or people who looked at the bigger picture will let you go but they aren't good people and their agenda will never change.

Myung Hee is living in a dream, not once yeok has admitting that he has a romantic feeling to her or acknowledging her love will be reciprocated.
Her ambition for her family pride and love is seen as the same goal and she is thriving for that with a blind eye, blind ear and blind hearts.

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I am with you in wanting them to have a LOT of peace and happiness at this point. Throw them a bone, writer-nim.
I was expecting them to be in Geochang before trouble comes a-knocking. But alas no peace and quiet for our favorite couple.
Yeonsangun's descent to madness is almost complete. Secretary Im and NokSoo are holding on desperately to the King.
I really dislike MyungHye and her uncle. How dare they sacrifice Yeok's friends for their own selfish agendas.

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i want at least 1 fulll episode with them being happy so the memories can sustain me in episode 20 when all shit break loose

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This drama owns my heart. Watching this show makes me realize I'm a half full glass kind of beanie - since I know it's a tragic love story, I welcome any respite from the pain and was ecstatic that our OTP managed to squeeze in even a meager 5-min of happiness before all hell breaks loose (again). I totally swooned at Yeok's red bean present - to me, it's worth more than a crate full of silks (or whatever is the in-thing in Joseon era). It's something I want to receive in real life by my loved one, an inside joke only the two of us share. The ring is also a nice touch, a reciprocal gift long overdue. So for now, I'm going to focus on the happy as there are 5 more episodes for this show to break my heart in million pieces.

Thank you again for the fast recap @girlfriday. You never disappoint

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Damn, what should we offer to the drama gods to make Chae-kyung and Yeok happy for an entire episode? Lol

While this episode was a bit of a breather after the emotional intensity of episode 14, I loved that we've established our OTP as a single unit. Finally, they're on the same page about where they are and what they want for their future. It's so refreshing to see after episodes for uncertainties.

I loved seeing that smiling, giddy Chae-kyung back. It feels like life kept slapping her in the face, but the best thing I love about her is her ability to bounce back. I have to disagree with the notion that she's had no character development because she's been shining these last few episodes with her inner strength and dignity, finding courage and will when other people would have shied away and moped uselessly. One thing I admire about the writing for CK is how well-developed she is without diverging from her core personality. Chae-kyung will never be shrewd or calculating, but she's discovered she has a spine of steel.

I do have to agree with GF's assessment that this episode's trap was a tad repetitive, but on the whole it's a minor quibble for me. My only real concern at this point is how they'll wrap up all plot points and major character arcs in the next 5 episodes. We still have to see Yeonsangun dethroned two years later, the Shin family massacred, and Chae-kyung almost executed and eventually exiled. I hope they don't rush the ending.

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I smiled and shed tears watching Yeok and Chae Kyung together, I kept wondering whether it was their last happy moment :')

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This is what I kept telling myself to. We had so many sweet scenes to carry on when the tragedy hits but still how I wish they would just stay like that.. and maybe that's too much to ask for. :(

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Ok, they just had to give us a glimmer of hope only to take it away. That's just cruel show. Cruel. Here I was thinking that finally, Chae-kyung and Yeok can go and be normal for a couple more episodes at least. But no, they just had to rip it all out in one go. There really is no happy ending in sight is there? But dang you show. You're just that good that even if I am left in tatters, I'll still see you to the bitter end.

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Yeonsangun omg. Officially a PSYCHO. Chae kyung is a better woman than I'll ever be. If I was in her position I wouldn't have forgiven Yeok so easily, but then thats why I love her. One person I would not mind getting killed at this point is Myung Hye tbh. She irritates me so much. Also if smth happens to the queen dowager and minister park along the way you'll hear no complaints from me.

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I knew going to the country side seemed too good to be true T_T.

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Just wanted to say I totally agree with you regarding Myung-hye, Dowager Queen, Deputy Commander Park, and Minister Im.

*goes back to making voodoo dolls in hanbok*

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Keep at it ;D

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Isn’t it awkward that everybody knows of Yeonsangun’s romantic love for Chae-kyung? I mean, he’s been majorly friendzoned in Episode 14 and dude just won’t accept it. He was no match for Yeok’s fantastic mic drop :P

When Yeok declared in this episode that he’s happy for the first time in his life, I felt bad for his character since he has to eventually choose farther down the road ----- happiness with Chae-kyung or the “happiness” of the nation? We the viewers know the answer to that of course because of what history tells us but I sincerely hope that the writer will still find a way to write a “happy” ending for our couple.

And oh, since they already had their “wedding night/consummation”, can we have a honeymoon scene or piggyback ride scene to tide us through? :P

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this drama, my crack... yeon woo jin and park min young AND yes, lee dong gun just killing me, breaking my heart....

don't know how this will play out, but am so totally on board with however it goes.

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Roller coaster of emotions everytime i watch QF7D! I'm happy that Yeok & CK were able to be together as husband & wife. ? Then suddenly new events threaten the couple again & eveything starts to become such a heartbreak to watch again. ? YSG has started to descend into madness & I'm guessing he will be removed from the throne very soon. I'm also assuming Yeok will again want to be king because YSG is threatening to harm his wife. Not knowing that by being king he will end up separated from her in his lifetime. If I read up on history, Yeok is sometimes labeled as the "puppet king" because he was always controlled by the people who put him on the throne. Watching QF7D made me realize how true it is because of what he told QD that eveything they wanted will be realized thru him being king. As if he's only a pawn in everything. Saddens me actually that he was forced to because of his brother being crazy when all he wanted was to live a simple life with his wife.

As for MH being queen, I read history that it was thru the urging of the people who put him on the throne that she became queen. Yeok waited a year after CK was deposed before marrying her. I'm sure MH was never loved by Yeok until the day she died.

On the other hand, I'm really really glad to see the sweet scene between Yeok & CK. Long overdue romantic night! ?

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Can't we have a longer respite....
This downward spiral into tragedy....i hope the writer will give us a little bit of happiness in the remaining episodes ..
Assume she is not intending to rewrite history....
I hate it when i start dramas where the ending is partially based of historical fact...
Can they potentially go the same way as "moonlight" in the end....lol...
Sigh...but the cast is really hitting it out of the ballpark in each episode.
None draggy so far...but I haven't watched 15.
Thanks for the wonderful recap!!

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Yes, Myung Hye, that's your conscience speaking to you to make you realize that you are now officially the most horrible person in this drama. If I were Yeok, my first order of business when I become king will be to execute every little bastard who plotted against the Snail Wives and that includes you.

I'm so mad at what she did! The boys treated her as one of their own and she just threw all of that away! If Seo-no dies, it's on you, Myung Hye! Myung Hye choosing to sacrifice the lives of her friends (?) or comrades? That's just really low. I wonder what Yeok's plan is to make her wrongdoing right... He does have a plan, right? He'll make things right, right? Nervous about the next episode... ?

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Considering not ONE SINGLE thing she has done since the timeskip has actually helped Yeok in any way (at best nothing happens; at worst people die when she tries to do something), I'm willing to bet Yeok's plan to make her wrongdoing right is to just stand there and DO NOTHING. Because at this point, she is incapable of doing anything right herself, or doing anything without orders from her father or the queen dowager. Because if she tries to help now, she will be too nervous and insecure about it that it only causes more trouble.

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Chae-gyung called her out on it regarding her ‘lowliness.’ But nah, she just thinks it's more of a compliment than a criticism. Somehow I reckon her fidgety (or in the recap ‘squirrelly’) reaction was not so much of worry or regret about what's going to Seo-noh and the boys but whether or not the plan would fail.

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Darn it, Myung-hye, I get you're desperate whenever it concerns Yeok but why'd you have to hit a new low? And of course it's when all the baddies have the same goal that everything coincides to flow and go as they planned.

Which is why I'm disappointed with Yeok's mom sticking to her guns even after listening to his baring-my-heart-and-soul argument. You heard his fears and desires and still act behind his back to manipulate him back to the cause. You've officially become a baddie. It makes me wonder if safeguarding his life is a delusion because her pushing for the throne is what really placed him in danger in the first place and her shenanigans with Myung-hye put his life at risk. She should know he'd run immediately to his loved ones aid! Her warnings may actually be warranted now though considering where Yeonsangun is emotionally and psychologically. This episode really is Yeon's turning point, a pendulum of his extremes.

What's sad is Yeon found the answer to his personally posed question the moment he got what he thought he wanted: What's more important, being a king or being a husband/lover to the woman he loves? That's why I found his inebriated divulgence to Yeok's mom heartbreaking. He's so honest and vulnerable in that moment. Everything he thought he knew, wanted and expected completely shattered.

He now knows he willingly gave up Chae-kyung, a father-in-law, and a mother for a position that leaves him alone with nothing. And I think he was shocked and angry Yeok exceeded rather than met his diabolical expectations because deep down he didn't want to be alone in his tyranny and wanted to prove Yeok was the same as him. He thought he knew Yeok but instead of falling further into darker waters with him, Yeok rose above and left the game. That strength is just another thing for Yeon to be jealous of. At this point, Yeok has everything he's ever wanted and at the peak of his jealousy brimming on hate, with nothing to hold onto but knowing he loves and wants Chae-kyung, he's especially sensitive to encounters of disappointment. And to encounter them one after another like believing Minister Shin sided with Yeok? It's no wonder he's unhinged. Don't get me wrong. His actions are twisted, horrendous and scary and he did this to himself. This is just my attempt to understand him.

All the scenes with Yeok were great. Everything I wanted from him for himself, Chae-kyung and his gang. Refreshing, humbling, honest, and lovely. Gotta love Seo-no. I also wish more time was spent on Yeok and Chae-kyung. Only a day's respite and we're already at life-threatening levels!

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I think Queen Dowager can't let it go because she always thought it will come true ever since Yeon mother goes out from the picture.

She lived with the belief that her son would be king, by default, by getting the letter, by Yeonsangun decision or by a treason and there's no room for her son to give up. He just born with the sole fate to be a king and that's all she can see, she knew it from ep 1 that she and her son era should come. That's why she can't accept that decision easily.

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True. I think it partially runs deeper than that because of the power of fear. The question is whether it's warranted and if they have the strength to overcome it. Time and again we see it's power running under her, Myung-hye, and Yeon's actions and oft times, fear is just the other side of the coin for love. Maybe she's that fearful of losing Yeok again and believes she's not strong enough alone to protect him.

When she says Yeok gave up his life, I see a dual meaning. What you pointed out of a glorious reign and his mortality.

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I only wait for this drama every week but I think I'm going to have a panic attack every time they're happy. How can seconds of happiness be exchanged with horrible tragedy? The king is crazy and he is just soo crazy to the highest level.

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This episode really made me wish the series had more time, more epsiodes. I am so curious just what the relationship between Yeonsangun and his queen is, because all we get are just quiet moments between them. I wish we had more downtime with CH and Yeok, too.

I do think, of course, that if we had more episodes, it would feel more like dragging the plot instead of being fast-paced. More episodes would be "filler", but it would be character-filler, where we got to see more of them interact and create connections. Why the queen cannot or will not do anything to stop the king, even though it seems like he respects her (or maybe BECAUSE he respects her, but we will never know). What relationship the queen has with CG, especially now that it seems to be more known that the king likes CG. I wish we could see more of Seo-No and CG together, and how he would act when Yeok gave the throne up for her. In general, I wish we could see CG in more situations and dialogues with different people. So far she mostly speaks with Yeok, Yeonsangun, her family and the queen dowager, most of them consist of her being in love, her being scared or worried. This episode showed her as the mistress of the household, truly taking an authorative stance against the servants, and her talk with Myung-Hye was also satisfying. I wish we could get more of CG in these situations, because her actor is really amazing in this drama and I want to see her in other situations.

However, I guess I should think of it a virtue that the show makes me wish it had more filler episodes to show the characters' downtime and relationships, instead of making me wish they could cut down half the series to get a coherent story.

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Am pretty relieved this episode actually I was worried what would be seo-no and the other boys reaction towards Yeok's decision to give up the throne. I am glad that they understood their friend. The queen dowager and myung-hee and deputy park I wish a "TRUCK OF DOOM" would barrel right at them OMG they really irritate me and I am feeling crazy like Yeonsangun. Yeonsangun I can't help but feel pity for him even though he is falling deep down into darkness. I just can't help but wonder how things would have been had they born in normal family.

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I think the traps is well made, it's something that is left unresolved from the previous ep,

the minister shin knowledge about the snail bride get a reaction and I didn't expect myung hee to be that way, I remember she once say about being with them more or have the blood brother relationship yet she agree to offer them? Also put all the blame to Soo No, seriously get a grip!!

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Thank you for your recap and comments, girlfriday!

Too bad there's no way Yeok and Chae-kyung will ever be allowed to actually get out of Dodge City so they can live in peace far from the madding crowd.

Damn! What a great scene of Yeok giving Yeonsangun everything he's always wanted to feel secure on the throne. And then the shoe drops when he realizes the kingly equivalent of "Can't Buy Me Love."

Just as it was satisfying to see Yeok's “in your face” abdication to his brother, I enjoyed his telling off his mother, even if it were unfilial. Chae-kyung's dismissal of Myung-hye was likewise satisfying and long overdue.

Yeonsangun wasn't playing with a full deck before, and now he's really losing it. That scene with him and the Queen Dowager is full of pathos and vulnerability. Later he hallucinates and skewers the poor eunuch, which is the prelude to target practice with prisoners. Then it goes downhill.

The manipulation and machinations of the various factions at court demonstrate that it doesn't really matter who sits on the throne as long as powerful vested interests are calling the shots. While Yeonsangun is disgusting in his own right, Im Sa-hong, the Queen Dowager, and Deputy Commander Park (and his evil niece) are hellspawn with their own agendas. None of these jerks care about the citizenry, nor do they have limits beyond which they will not go to accomplish their aims. So many Machiavellis, so much needless mayhem.

Myung-hye's sense of ownership of Yeok makes me mad as hell. Her collusion with Queen Jasoon is truly nauseating. The thought of Yeok being forced to marry her reminds me of the first time I encountered such a situation early in my sageuk watching career in LAND OF THE WIND. There it was again in SHINE OR GO CRAZY and MOON LOVERS. Yuck! Talk about cruel and unusual punishment.

I'm thoroughly disgusted by Myung-hye's betrayal of the Snail Brides. Planting false evidence is a new low for her. Here's hoping Yeok recognized her calligraphy. As for the discovery of the secret room, I was practically jumping up and down imploring the Snail Brides to just torch the whole building to get rid of the evidence and cover their retreat. I guess they're too idealistic and honest to have enrolled in Practical Espionage 101. Where is Kim Guard when you need him?

It think Seo-no is the one I feel worst for by the end of the episode. Chae-kyung and her husband, family, and servants all face annihilation for treason, but that's nothing new for yangban who work in government. Seo-no, on the other hand, is a commoner who lost his father to politics. He has worked for years towards Yeok's ascending the throne so the people of Joseon will finally be governed by a righteous king. To have Yeok throw that away must be a bitter pill to swallow. Yet he understands and accepts his friend's motivations for abdicating.

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Practical Espionage 101! Instead of going through each and every dang flyer out there, they could have set the whole thing alight and phew nothing to see here Secretary Im, but nah.

I agree with the sentiment on Seo-noh. He's the one who knows the harsh reality of living in those times, and the rest have no idea how it is. I feel that amongst them Seo-noh's the only one who thinks that what they are doing is for the betterment of the country and the people. It is all but natural that he would feel betrayed by Yeok's decision, yet despite that, instead of rubbing his disappointment to Yeok's face, he has the dignity to accept his friend's decision no matter how unacceptable it is for him, and stand up to what he thinks is the right thing to do. This is something that a decent individual would do. The others (i.e. Minister Park et al) seem to accept Yeok's decision on the surface but they manipulate things behind the scenes to get what they want—the fact that they fed information to the devil himself (Secretary Im) speaks volumes of what they will do just to get power and what hell awaits when they finally get it.

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On a lighter note, I'm glad that Yeok and Chae-kyung pulled a fast one on the spying servants and went to the inn for the night. It was a symbolic "move to the country" as well as a return to the scene of their awkward reunion following the dual memorial rituals for Yeok himself and Lady Yun. To hell with the stupid consummation date. In your scheming face, Queen Dowager. Grrr.

I loved Yeok's version of a ring box -- Ha! It lends new meaning to the phrase "spilling the beans." ;-)

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"spilling the beans" lol :P

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This episode made me so mad, that the happiness of them being together felt fleeting. I don't know how myung Hye, her uncle, the queen differentiate themselves from the king. They are also killing innocent people to get to the throne, not just innocent people, they are basically using the people who pledged their lives to them and also not caring that they are hurting yeok and manipulating him. I have no idea how myung Hye is going to live with herself after betraying the people who trusted her.

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I have no idea how myung Hye is going to live with herself after betraying the people who trusted her.

Myung-hye seems to have already had her conscience surgically removed. ;-)

If that's not the case, I hope she is eaten alive by her guilt. Fingers crossed that the heir she pops out doesn't inherit her duplicity.

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Myunghye! That was an all time low. Dang that woman.

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As much as i love our lovebirds, i have to say LDG as YSG really catches my attention. I know this drama is a romanticisation of history, but i often wonder as the episodes progress, what if the storyline changed and Chae Gyung actually fell for YSG episodes ago. She is his beacon of light and was slowly getting into his conscience and influencing him. My heart broke is the scene with tje Queen Dowager when he said he will just be CG's husband and Minister's Shin son in law if Yeok would be king. For me, that is very telling of his innermost feelings - that he is just a poor poor man whose mum was taken away from him when he was young, who had to witness his mum's crazed crave for love and affection and who was surrounded by people egging on his suspicions. When all he needed was someone who accepted him as Yung the man, not the King. While i am happy that Yeok and CG are finally together although not for long, part of me feels that YSG could actually be the one who treats her better. He never actually lied to her compared to Yeok who was constantly hurting her. My heart also felt for YSG in the previous episode where he ordered her to be stripped, i think it hurt him to instruct that.

That being said, CG naivety is wearing off me. Especially when she wondered if she was the one who drove YSG to this point.

But LDG as the loony psychopath is chilling and riveting to watch. Im afraid to watch the next few episodes even though i know how it would end.

My thoughts are strictly based on the drama fiction version and has no bearing on actual historical events or persons.

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Thank you. Finally someone understands me why I still can't hate Yeonsangun and instead feeling pity for him. He was so sweet with Chaekyung in the earlier episodes and I believe he loves Chaekyung very much. BTW thumbs up for LDG.

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I think yeonsangun is really a charismatic person [if you see him in this drama] and all of his interaction with chae kyeoung is a gem [because it show his vulnerability] so if you can see him in a different way as with chae kyeong and his politic matter, I think he has his stand as a man and can listen to someone. The problem with that is he has practically no one and being so deep into the darkness long before he meets chae kyeong and he only do that with chae kyeong. It logical to assume that "if chae kyeong had choose him, maybe something will change for the better"

Having said that, I also understand chae kyeong train of thought. She meets him right after she came to the city, as teenagers who only know good in the worlds and he is like the 1st adult she met in the city, she helped him and trust him, their 1st encounter give her a good impression, later he always listen to her suggestion. For her, he is her big brother as it is from the start.

This assumption, with their age gap, yeok and yeonsangun have 12 years gap, means that yeonsangun and chae kyeong have 11 years gap [but in drama it seems to be 9 years gap], that's a big gap for her to understand that he can view her differently. She met him when he is an adult and she is just teen/child so she has no assumption that he will care for her as a woman later.

In the other hand, I really like that question because it solves the misunderstanding, there's no calculation and she asks it herself, for her to wake up that she is loved all this time and him to wake up again that he had confessed and she rejected it.

It's really a wrong encounter and like other member had said about myung hee and yeok as OTP, yeonsangun and chae kyeong also a usual scenario for OTP. A minister girl from the village comes to the city and help the king to be a better king.

TLDR : I understand why that yeonsangun can be called charismatic and how chae kyeong mistake his approach to her.

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This whole thing happened because of the chain of effects on how everyone's just selfish to get what they want. I put the blame on the late King and Queen Dowager. If only they're kind enough when Yung was a kid. I can't really hate Yeonsangun after those scene of him and the Queen Dowager. He looks very lost and he just needs affections from people around him, something he didn't get when he was little.

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So that's how they check-in in a hotel in joseon period. ?

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I never knew that Yeon Woo Jin can be so seductive. I usually dislike bed scenes because I hardly find one that's worth the hype.

At this point besides the OTP, the only people I care for are Seo No and Nanny.

Nanny has been so awesome that my heart goes out to her, knowing how much pain she'd feel when tragedy eventually strikes Chae-kyung. In those days, a nanny was like a mother, maybe even closer.
I admire Seo No so much. Yeok is lucky to have someone like him. I am impressed with Chansung's acting.

After what Myung-hye did to the snail wives and Seo No, she is far gone and irredeemable in my eyes. What I hate more is that in history, King Jungjong(Yeok) had two children with Queen Janggyeon(Myung-hye).

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Seo no crying made me cry!

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Seo-noh and Nanny!!!

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I swear I was way..... More happy than our otp even if it was for a tiny bit. I squeeled like the fan girl that i am. This drama just keeps breaking my heart to millon pieces but I love it more........

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I just have a funny thought, if I had never learned about the history, I may take the yeonsangun craziness as overboard from the writer. It's not bad but it seems too much, why you have so make him so antagonist when he shows a lot of traits that maybe can be changed.

It seems like they can solve this all if we gonna make a goody good fictional story. That yeonsangun can ask yeok to help him get rid of the bad minister after feeling touched by what yeok did [give up the throne] and leave the world as a someone who felt so remorse. Like a redemption story starts for yeonsangun and a good king journey for yeok and chae kyung.

Then you add the drama with history, this tells that everyone is not a perfect, will never be and you can't love all of their traits cause they are a person that think differently than us, their priority is at exclusive at that moment and it's real. They don't know any better and they are all trying to do what best to calm their heart.

Maybe this is overthinking but it occurred to me that this history element can't make yeonsangun felt remorse and yeok as a sage king.
The painted pictured of them as the tyrant and the puppet kings play a part to make this drama isn't just about who is the hero or who save the world. This is just a story about them and make the title more fitting, this is also about chae kyeong, someone who try her best to be herself and fixed the situation in her capabilities even it's not working.
So if there are any moral things to get, it's how we thrive for good things, understanding ourselves, looking for the better future without the needs to see the character's victory.

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nope he was crazy i think the writter did a good job at humanizing him and make people at least feel a bit story 4 him at the beginning
in history he raped palace maids,killed eunch and minister without any significant course
he cause two purges during his rule and nearly bankrupt the ministers and nation...they have edited a lot from the history to make his character at least understandable

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yeah and what I mean is how this drama will differ if their story if this is truly fictional rather than inspired by a history.

If this truly fictional, yeonsangun craziness is overboard because they can achieve more balanced character with good and bad without making a character a tyrant for no reason but because this is also inspired by history, they do a good job to make his tyrannical sense a background.

It reminds me that usually, a writer makes the villain awfully crazy so we can fully support the OTP but the history element in drama counter the craziness and makes the crazy villain more fitting since it really happens and everyone is not portrayed as 1 dimensional.

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As a wannabe historian and sageuk/historical drama lover, I have been thinking about that poignant scene where Yeonsangun asks the Dowager if he should just give Yeok the throne in order to live out his life as Chae Kyung's husband, the Second State Councilor's son-in-law, and as the Dowager's son.... And then the Dowager asks that for him to be born as her daughter in the next life. She shows the faintest glimmer of affection (or pity!) for him then even with all of the tension in the air, and you wonder if things could have been different. I can't help but compare this stepmother/stepson scene to a similar one in another recently aired historical drama, the Chinese "Advisors Alliance." In that drama, Lady Guo has no children of her own, and she was friends with Lady Zhen. So when the emperor, Cao Pi, poisons Lady Zhen to death, and then tries to depose her son, First Prince Cao Rui, Lady Guo gladly protects the boy from his father's wrath. It's a pretty moving scene. After carrying the boy away from the scene of his mother's death, Advisor Sima Yi brings Cao Rui to Lady Guo's chambers and pressures him to call her "Mom" in order to save himself. In tears, the boy chokes out the word, "Mom," and Lady Guo just melts. When Emperor Cao Pi subsequently storms in to depose Cao Rui, she holds the boy, crying that he is her son now.... When Cao Pi leaves, Rui just clings to his stepmother.... Their new relationship is mutually beneficial, of course. She saves Cao Rui's position and/or life, and in exchange, she will be honored as Empress/later Empress Dowager. But it's still very different from Yeonsangun's with the Queen Dowager in "Queen for Seven Days." So I can't help think about how things might have been different between them if Yeok had never born and that sends me down a whole 'nother rabbit hole of counterfactuals and historical inaccuracies. I know Yeonsangun was a crazy bastard in history, and maybe King Seongjeong wasn't such a bad, biased father in real life.... but, man, QF7D really makes me feel for him.

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