The Moon That Embraces The Sun E7

Tonight, KSH’s portrayal of Hwon reaffirmed the faith I always had in his acting. I love how arrogant he can be with just a twinkle in his eye and then just as easily plaster a fake smile on his face just to trip up the other person he is about to shock with his biting words. No wonder the ratings for this episode soared cuz with this cast and story, there is only one trajectory where this drama can head. Who knew it would reach so high so soon. This must be some kind of record. We are witnessing a kdrama phenomenon in the making and have front row seats to it. 🙂

Hwon: you think it’s easy to find a country’s king that looks as good as me?

Written before  the show aired:

I don’t know how he does this. How do you just sit and stare and look this amazing doing it. Visually stunning stills like this gave me temporary amnesia and made me forget important details like the fact that this is a sageuk when I first had the impulse to recap Moon. I know it’s a crucial bit of info to leave out, but the only thing my brain registered were the names KSH and JIW and nothing else sunk in.  I was doing okay with the kids, but last week I got a rude awakening and realized how much harder it is to comprehend “sageuk talk” at such a fast pace now that the characters are older cuz their words got more complicated. Wish me luck. *fingers crossed*

**I did it !!! I understood almost all of it. Yay!!!!!  *whew – sigh of relief* I literally stopped breathing from anxiety during the live broadcast 🙂

Thanks to Semi-fly leaving the fastest torrents in kdrama history, I can fill in all the important scenes first. 🙂

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There is something to be said for a drama that is a runaway hit. Ever since Moon began, there hasn’t been a shortage of behind the scenes footage, interviews, and photos. E7 hasn’t even aired yet and soompi thread is already past 65 pages whereas poor OB thread is still at 61 after 50 eps. The best thing about Moon is its video previews cuz they pack all the good scenes in to make you eager to tune in and see more.  All week I have been watching past interviews and BTS of these characters. The cutest one was an old taxi interview with Lee Min Ho (young M) and Kim Yoo Jung (young YW) on the set of their scary gumiho drama back in 2010. LMH was asked which young co star he liked – Yoo Jung or Shin Ae the other little girl from High kick season two. He said “I think of Shin Ae as a younger sister and Yoo Jung as that little sister’s friend” (meaning he likes Yoo Jung more). the whole interview was the cutest one I ever saw. The two hosts kept teasing Yoo Jung and LMH for having a kissing scene, but both of them clarified that it wasn’t a “kissing” scene, just a “peck.” LMH said this was his first one but she already shot one before. Yoo Jung was upset cuz even though she filmed a kissing scene before, it got edited out and ended up on the cutting room floor. LMH said he got anti fans cuz of his kissing scene with Yoo Jung so he spoke into the camera to those anti fans that his lips were stolen by a thief (Yoo Jung). Yoo Jung picked her ideal guy as Big Bang, specifically Top and LMH chose IU as his ideal.  They both sang two songs and it was so cute (cuz they danced to the song while sitting in the backseat wearing hanboks) Even though they did their best, it was pretty off key but still fun to watch. Guess they aren’t like KSH and can’t do both singing and acting equally well. Who cares cuz as long as they are this good at acting, they don’t need to sing well at all. 🙂

Here are the link to TAXI. They only had about an hour in between filming so they were taken out to eat lunch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgtWS7w9xG8&list=FLkM6UkWU0oaNT3ftDN3ABnA&index=31&feature=plpp_video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1NLEhc0ljI&list=FLkM6UkWU0oaNT3ftDN3ABnA&index=30&feature=plpp_video

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Here is a legend of the abbreviations we’ll be using. It includes photos of most (but not all) the child actors and will grow as the drama progresses:

Lee Hwon – H	Wol – WolHeo Yeon Woo – YW	Yang Myeong Goon – M
Yoon Bo Kyeong – B	Heo Yeom – Y	Woon – Woon
Seol – S	Princess Min Hwa – MW	King Seong Jo
Park Hoe Bin – P	Queen Dowager Yoon	Jang Nok Yeong – N
Hyeong Seong – HS	Minister Heo Yeong Jae	Minister Yoon Dae Hyeong

Since sageuks are confusing, here are some very brief character descriptions. There are more detailed descriptions available, but they could be considered rather spoilery. The names in brackets are the actors’ names (childhood actors are listed second, where applicable):

Lee Hwon (Kim Soo Hyun/Yeo Jin Goo) – The future king.

Heo Yeon Woo (Han Ga In/Kim Yoo Jung) – An intelligent and beautiful girl who was betrothed to Lee Hwon.

Wol (Han Ga In)- A shaman who bears a strong resemblance to Yeon Woo.

Prince Yang Myeong (Jung Il Woo/Lee Min Ho) – Lee Hwon’s older half-brother from another mother. He is next in line for the throne after Hwon, but is a loyal brother.

Yoon Bo Kyeong (Kim Min Seo/Kim So Hyun) – Hwon’s first wife.

Heo Yeom (Song Jae Hee/Si Wan) – The affectionate and incredibly smart older brother of Yeon Woo.

Woon (Song Jae Rim/Lee Won Geun)- Lee Hwon’s bodyguard, he is the son of a nobleman and a concubine (which gives him a low status despite his intelligence and martial prowess).

Seol (Yoon Seung Ah)- Yeon Woo’s personal maidservant.

Princess Min Hwa (Nam Bo Ra/Jin Ji Hee) – Hwon’s younger sister who was jealous of Yeon Woo as a child, and smitten with Yeom.

King Seong Jo (Ahn Nae Sang) – Lee Hwon’s father.

Park Hoe Bin (Kim Ye Ryeong) – The king’s consort and mother to Yang Myeong.

Queen Empress/Dowager Yoon (Kim Young Ae) – Lee Hwon’s grandmother. She is a lady of ambition, and will do almost anything to get rid of contenders for power.

Shaman Jang Nok Yeong (Jeon Mi Seon) – Wol’s adoptive mother.

Jansil – the little girl M saved and N took in and raised cuz of Jansil’s (shaman) powers

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E7

On the docks S and YW see N and Jansil off. N tells YW to go back now. YW uncovers her head and says: I wanted to go with you and held back so please dont stop me from seeing you off too. N covers her face again. YW: why are you doing that? N says if by any chance while I am gone. strangers come-be sure to avoid them. YW: are guests coming to the home today? N: no matter what. You must not put them in your heart. and must not form any ties. do you understand? Jansil says the boat is coming in.

M was lying down on the boat sleeping, but gets up. A guy asks if M slept well. M asks why there are so many people around. Guy asks: are you saying you came without knowing? he says how the king is coming to this village  so everyone is here to watch that so M was lucky to arrive today if he came without knowing. M thinks to himself – YW – you are making me and the king meet. M looks around but just misses seeing YW.

YW tells N to relay her greetings (well wishes) to the astrologer.  N tells S to take YW directly back to the home. S: if you cant trust me that much then why not take me along and leave Jansil behind. N says she is more scared of what trouble Jansil will get into than S so that is why N is taking Jansil along so there is no need to be envious.

When they are walking back together, S says to YW: since there is no more annoying nagging, should we get some soup before we go? There is a guy talking about the king coming so they can see the king right in front of his sedan. YW gives S an eager face so S says no. YW makes a puppy face to beg S to let them go see, but S resists the puppy face and says even if you do that we cant. S drags YW away.

M listens to the guy and grabs one of the fliers. The guy mentions how the king arrived at the village edge just now

H says they are close to the village so open the curtains. HS says the weather is chilly so wouldn’t it be better to keep it closed and go, but H orders it open. HS tells the men to stop and lifts it up to reveal H’s face. H tells HS how the people came out to see him so how could he disappoint them by being covered up.

HS suggests that H should smile and look bright, but H says something back about a sincere look and that it would be too much on top of his good looks so HS closes his eyes and prepares for the next words from H. H: you think it’s easy to find a country’s king that looks as good as me? HS squints and makes a face. Woon smirks. H: are we going to spend all night here? let’s hurry and go.

People are lined up and S tells YW : you promised to look only for a minute and then go. YW: I said I would but you are still acting like this. The guard is checking to see which of the people look presentable and drives away any that are not dressed properly or looks too poor. he wont let a poor mother and son go through cuz they aren’t dressed well enough to be seen in front of the King. The mother says how much her son wanted to see the King  so just let them go just once but the guard says if she wanted to see the king she should have dressed better. he says “rejected” and shoves her away when she begs. YW  helps her up and goes over to the guard. YW speaks up and says to the guard that he is being too harsh. guard: what? YW: are you saying that poor or lower class people do not have the right to see the king? where is a law like that?  guard: what kind of girl are you -what do you do? she says she is a spirit medium. he asks how dare she look at him in the eye and act like this.

Guard gets mad at YW and is about to hit her so S stops him by holding his wrist. S: before I cut this off, lower it. guard asks what S is and says she looks like a girlish boy. S is about to take out her sword so YW stops S. YW looks at the guy and says: should I tell you why your wife left home? guard: what? YW: it was cuz of your habit of hitting. whenever you drank, you would hit. so she didnt have any other choice but to find someone else.  other guy asks him: did your wife leave home cuz she cheated on you? evidently the guard lied about why his wife left home so the guard denies it saying his wife didnt cheat on him.  guard tells YW to keep her mouth shut. YW goes on about how upset he is everytime he thinks of that and that he has to drink to forget so now his insides are messed up (from alcohol) so if he doesn’t stop drinking right away he wont be able to live long – at most a year. He gets mad. other guard tells him to back down cuz he will get in trouble if the guy hits YW.  M runs by and distracts the guards so while the guards are chasing after M, YW lifts the rope and tells everyone to pass by.

S says how YW shouldn’t have acted like a shaman and how N told her not to do that again. YW says she just did what a shaman would do so what is the problem. S reminds her how it’s deception when a shaman who doesnt have psychic (mystical) abilities pretends to be one. suddenly S stops and ask how could a person who doesnt have abilities know that guy’s wife cheated on him.  YW says that wasnt pyschic ability but deductions/ inferences based on her instinct. She could smell alcohol on the guy’s breath and since his nose was red, it must mean he is a heavy drinker (like an alcoholic)  also cuz he became violent over nothing at all and looking at how easily he was about to hit a girl,  he probably has that bad habit when he is drunk. and wouldnt act any different in public from how he misbehaves at home. S: just from that you couldnt know that his wife left home. YW goes on and lists her other speculations about how he treated them and that his wife must have left home with some young guy judging from how he cant tamper his anger when he saw S (who he thought was a young good looking guy) so it must not have been long since his wife left home. (S couldnt believe that the guy thought she was a guy). S asks how YW knew that he was a heavy drinker (alcoholic) YW says that’s obvious cuz imagine how much he drank cuz his wife left home when he is already a heavy drinker. so that was proof that he has that llness  (like liver damage).  S admits how good YW is with her pyschic skills and tells YW to lay out a mat (and set up shop). S asks why YW didnt act like herself. YW says cuz the guard was about to use violence so and that he needed to be brought to his senses. how much his wife must have lived enduring hits to run away from home.

M is running and gets caught by guards. M tells them to put down their weapons. but he gets dragged away. YW can see him and smiles. M tells them to use words (not violence).  The king’s procession comes into view so the guards let M go. guard says: I will see you later. they run off.

Everyone is bowing so S pulls YW down to bow too. M also get on his knees and bows as H is about to pass by. H looks at the people bowing on the ground.

YW turns her head and looks up cuz a yellow butterfly is next to her face and flies away. YW stands up to stare at it. M looks up to look at H and Woon and smiles. M sees YW stand up as S keeps calling out “miss” trying to get YW to bow again.

YW stands still and stares at H. she starts to cry. M watches her. H looks over at YW but S grabbed YW’s hand and ran away. M recognized her and runs after them.

H asks what happened. HS explains how a young lady didn’t bow and the guards are after her. HS says he will cover H’s sedan now cuz it might be dangerous.

S and YW are running away holding hands. YW remembers how H grabbed her hand and ran with her when they first met.

S hides YW. Everyone including M and the guards pass by them

S scolds YW: are you in your right mind miss. how could you stare at the king like that (and not bow). YW: S. S: what? YW: have you and I ever run away from someone like today?  S says if we had something like this happen twice you think we would be alive still? YW: then whose memory is this?

M looks everywhere for her. he thinks he saw her but it’s another girl. He says sorry to her- I got the wrong person. M says to himself: what are you expecting. isnt that kid already dead and sleeping in the dirt

H is in the bath and splashes the water. HS asks why he is doing that. if H doesn’t like the temp of the water or does the aroma not suit you(* wow- they had aromatherapy back then?) H says it bothers him so HS thinks H doesnt like HS talking so much so HS turns away pouting but H says no not you. HS smiles again. HS: then what do you not like? [H complains about the people cuz of how they looked since he only saw the ones living decently.] H comments on the clothes and appearance-  how they didnt have oil flowing from their faces. HS explains it was to show H their good sides. H: you think i came here to Onyang (name of this hot spring place) for that. HS says H only came for a day and starts to suggest forgetting but H talks to Woon. H: I feel better having submerged my body in hot water. do you want to come in too?  The female servants are shocked and look away. HS chokes and quickly ushers all the women servants out asking them to go and bring some more stuff.

HS asks H how he could kid around like that when there are already rumors all around the palace. H: rumors? what rumors? HS: cuz you keep the queen at bay (at a distance) and leave guard Woon by your side so they say that you must like…..HS has a hard time saying that people think H is gay. HS stops his sentence at the word “nam” which means “men” so H says:  that I am a man among men. HS says cuz of the rumors, dont ever joke again like that with Woon.

 so H asks HS: then do you want to come in? (as in into the bath tub) HS suddenly gets uncomfortable and says he will go and check if something is ready and then come back. he runs off scared. H says to Woon:at last only the two of us are left.

HS listens at the door and mutters that he has known H for so long. he wonders if H’s tastes have changed (from women to men) during that time. what is the reason why my heart is racing and why are my legs shaking. HS listens at the door again. M shows up  and why HS is like that like a puppy. HS is happy to see him.

HS tells H through the door that M will go in, but there is no answer cuz H is gone. HS opens the door and yells out “your majesty”

H and Woon are walking together wearing nobleman’s clothes. H sort of twitches so Woon asks why he is doing that. H: I can hear HS yelling all the way here.

The two of them walk through a poor neighborhood and H remarks it’s a lot different from the road he was taken on. people are begging and shivering in the cold. One kid bumps into H and the kid says sorry. H helps the kid up and asks where is he goingin such a hurry. Kid says his older sister is alone at home so he was taking this (some rotting vegetables)

H asks: dont you have parents? Kid says his mom died of a disease the year before and his father was dragged off to jail. H repeats where the kid’s father was taken and asks are you sure.  kid nods yes. H gives him money. H asks what the kid’s father’s name is. kid says his village/neighborhood and says everyone will know if you say it like that. H: I will make sure to find your father and send him home so till then take good care of your sister. kid sort of turns his head to the side like he is unsure if H is telling the truth. H: this kid –  you dont believe me huh? I am someone in a really high position. kid thanks  him and runs off. Woon says there is someone watching them (one of minister yoon’s men who is checking up on H and keeping an eye out). H says he knows “he must be the present that his father in law (minister Yoon) sent”  since the guy followed them here – let’s play with him. H takes off running with Woon.

They run to the woods and lose the guy. H laughs really hard. Woon suggest going back now. H agrees.

H looks up and says “Yeon Woo will fall” meaning soft fog rain will fall. He looks over and imagines seeing young YW. H takes off running after her.

N is meeting with the royal astrologer that helped them before. Jansil is sleeping in the corner. He says: a fate/destiny where they are meant to meet again will meet again no matter how. N asks if he called her here cuz of the king. the man says something about the king is vulnerable cuz the person who is supposed to protect the place by the king’s side is living another life. N asks if he means for the two people to be around each other again. the man says that is not for people to do it’s what the heavens should do. that N knows well that it’s a fate that cant be blocked just cuz they try to block it.  N says it’s a life that was already cut off once. man says:  but you couldnt cut off the longing (meaning H still misses YW) N says how YW lost her memory and there isnt any longing in her heart. He says her memory will come back at some point. N says how YW will be in danger. She doesn’t think YW can handle that danger again for the second time.

YW is sitting with S. S asks what she is thinking about. YW: I know. S: what? YW: I know who I remembered a while ago. that (memory) belonged to that person. S: what? YW:  I remembered that person’s memory and sadness. Don’t you know? now I have psychic ability too. S was worried that YW was remembering her past but breathes easier when she hears YW say that. YW: now I became a shaman.  S starts to say you shouldnt call that psychic ability, but YW stands up. S: where are you going?  YW says N is late so she wants to go out and wait for her. S says let’s go together.

H and Woon are walking in the dark and misty fog. H says they are lost cuz of the fog cuz from a while ago they have been going in circles. Woon apologizes and H says there is no reason to apologize cuz it was my idea and this happened. He sees a light and wonders “isnt that a moon?” Suddenly he imagines young YW saying: I waited for you. why are you just now coming. she smiles at him.

H looks again and it’s grown YW standing there with a lantern

YW is making tea. S asks – do you not know who they are? YW shushes her and says they are undercover so let’s act like we dont know. S: you knew he was royalty and brought him home. YW: then should I have ignored strangers who are lost?  S says godmother (N) said even if strangers come avoid them. YW: she didnt say dont help them when they need it

H and Woon are waiting inside and YW brings them tea. H stares at her face. She says how the drink will help them melt away the cold. She says she wasnt able to prepare much for them cuz originally the table was set only for one person and asks them to excuse that. she tells them to rest comfortably and then go. H says: who was the original owner of this table? (meaning who was this “table/food”meant for)  In the rain who were you waiting for in the rain? Werent you waiting for someone? She says she was waiting for her godmother to return after her outing. YW: if you dont have any more questions…he suddenly asks: didnt you say you were a shaman?  YW: yes.

H looks around at the stacks of books and asks why a shaman’s room looks like this or is it cuz you have an unusual hobby-are all those books yours? She says they are. he asks where she is going to use all that knowledge from those books. she  gives her reason for reading and it reminds him of what young YW had told him the first day they met. how she reads what the people say and doesnt forget about the world and enjoy the knowledge so she cant stop. He says to himself – that’s not possible- a dead kid cant be alive- she is a girl who just looks like her is all. YW: why are you like that? H tells himself: This is a dream. You are mistaken. I am being haunted by a spirit.

H quickly drinks. He tells Woon to drink too cuz Woon got wet in the rain too. YW says *“How very undutiful. You do not know who I am or what is in this drink, and yet you refuse the drink? Will you guard His Majesty with your sword alone?”

*this line was Blue’s translation. YW said that cuz as H’s guard, Woon should have drank and checked for poison so he didnt do his job well cuz he didnt drink it.

H quickly pulls her close and asks: how did you know? YW: what are you talking about? H: that I am this country’s king-how did you know?

M is staying at the same place H was going to stay for the night. M says in his head (talking to YW): did you want to meet the king? even if you didnt come to see me, it was good to see you again. in the next life, please just look at me first.

H: have you met me a long time ago? she says how she is just a shaman so she wouldnt have the chance to meet him. he accuses YW of lying. She says how could she lie to him.  He asks how she knew who he was. hurry and answer me. She says how she saw him today on the street. He lets go of her hand. He looks away. H says to Woon: the rain stopped. Let’s go back now.

H steps outside with Woon. He looks back and asks: what is your name. from inside YW says: I don’t have a name. he asks how she could not have a name. she says her godmother didn’t want to be tied to her by giving her a name. people just call her Agi.

He looks up at the moon and repeats what she just said. H:  I will name you Wol. (he said something about warmth). She repeats the name. YW says aloud to herself: did you hear? now I have a name too. H walks away with Woon

When they back, back HS comes down and asks “your majesty – how could you do that. do you want to see me die.” H finishes the sentence and says: I dont want to see you die. HW scolds Woon saying how are you guarding/protecting his majesty (meaning- to do something like this) but H says: he guarded/protected me well. that is why I came back safely.

M comes over and asks if H had been well and keeps his head bowed. H: why did you come here. Showing up after all these years, arent you going to show me your face? M looks up. H: You are good looking as always. He smiles at him. M smiles. Woon smiles too. so does HS

H pours drinks and M and H drink. H asked Woon to come over and drink but Woon isnt moving from his spot. Woon says declines in a polite way saying he is on duty. M tells H to give up cuz Woon wont drink while on guard no matter what. H asks do you want to make a bet with me to see who can get woon to drink. the bet is to listen to what the other person wants. M asks Woon: did you hear that? while I say it nicely come over here and sit. M offers a bribe saying he will give half of something valuable (think the word was “gold”) when he gets if from H. Woon just stares at him so M mutters a complaint about Woon.  H asks Woon to come and drink. “It’s an order.” (meaning a royal decree).

Woon comes over and drinks. M laughs. H: hyungnim. M: yes I lost. he says he will take whatever H asks him to do. H: do you still have that kid buried in your heart? answer me. M: your majesty. H: didnt you lose the bet to me. So I want your answer now.

M: isnt the person I have buried in my heart already dead? When I said I would forget her I miss her. when I miss her, it’s easier to forget, that’s the human heart.I don’t want to forget her or miss her but that one thought that the kid is not in this world, I left in my heart. H repeats: the thought that she is not in this world, I left in my heart. They both look sad.

Back in the palace H is meeting with the ministers. H is talking about a development project and something unfair and a minister defends it. Minister Yoon even says H agreed with it but H says he didn’t agree to make the citizens suffer. H wonders where all the money and all those people went (over 200 of them). H orders all the details given to him tm cuz he is going to go over it all himself and find out who is responsible.

The state shaman who lied in the first episode about the talisman meets with Minister Yoon secretly. she asks if he was looking for her. he asks how many years it’s been since she came back here to seongsucheong. she says 8. Yoon bribes her and hints that he will put her in the palace as the royal shaman if she listens to his order. she agrees and says just order what you want no matter what it is. he asks if she knows about H’s health condition. she says she heard he was healthy – was that incorrect. Yoon: that’s why it’s worrisome. when he needs to be healthy he is ill and when he needs to be ill he is healthy. she says while the king was gone she put up a talisman (that yellow sticker thing used to make a spell) so whenever Yoon gives the order, he will see results. Yoon gives her an indirect order saying get it done before tm.

H is sitting alone and thinks about seeing YW holding the lantern and remembering her words. HS comes in and says the queen wants to see H. H says did you forget the order I said about not letting anyone in. HS gets on his knees and begs. other servants beg too so H says let her in. HS tells the servants to bring her in

H welcomes B. she asks if he is ok after his trip I think. he says as you can see I am fine. he asks what brings her here this late at night. HS leaves them alone and exits.

H: what did you just say? B told him he could take a royal concubine. she reminds him how he wanted to be a strong king and how he needs to have an heir. she plays the pity card saying she doesnt have any more excuses for the dowager anymore. it doesnt matter if it’s not her, he needs an heir.  he asks if she means it. B: as the queen, how could I put my personal feelings first. He makes his voice sound sympathetic saying he now knows why B is receiving so much respect. how he didnt know her heart. how hard it must have been for her to put up with him ignoring her.  He says he will do as she suggested so B looks upset. he will put in the order tm. B is stunned and says: your majesty.  H lists stuff he doesnt like about her such as “I don’t like how you say things you don’t mean.” if you are done saying what you prepared to talk about, go back now and rest.

She turns around to leave and as she faces the door, she asks how much longer he is going to hold onto those feelings. how could the position she should be in be taken by a dead child. in your eyes, cant you see my sincere heart. How much longer-how much longer  do I have live competing with that dead kid. she finally turns. The whole time she was talking, H was grabbing his heart and collapses. She runs over and calls for help. HS and everyone comes in and HS orders for the doctors

The shaman put that spell on H that night cuz that yellow sticker thing had been placed under the palace pillar for a while waiting for this time

H’s mom is meeting with dowager. dowager wants N brought back to fight off the mystical illness and get rid of the rift between the king and queen cuz the dowager has little faith in the state shaman’s ability.

H orders Woon to find that girl. the look in that girl’s eyes is weighing on my heart. Woon: your majesty.  H: it looked like she was hiding something from me for sure. I have to meet her again and ask and confirm again (he wants to make sure she wasn’t YW). You said you never saw that kid before didnt you? they look alike, if she was alive, that is what she would have looked like.

Woon rides off  and goes back to where YW was but she is gone.

MW looks in the mirror and complains about her eyes being puffy from staying up all night. She is yelling at the aide:what are you going to do about these eyes?aid says of course that would happen cuz MW didnt rest and stuff. MW: what were you doing while this happened to my eyes. Aide says how much she tried to stop the princess but she wouldnt listen to the aide.  MW says how the aide should have stopped her -all the way till the end. aide: “I committed a sin that deserves death so stop looking at this” and the aide tries to take the mirror but MW wont let go of it. MW: it’s all over now. aide:what? MW: If my husband sees this face – he will probably hate me right? dislike me? he will probably abandon me huh? kick me out? I will probably die from a disease huh? MW gets all tragic and says: I wont be able to receive the love from the person I love and I wont be able to hold a baby that resembles my husband even once… cuz he wont be able to forgive me 0 husband. Y’s mom comes in and asks why she is like this. MW gets hiccups from crying

Y’s mom talks to Y. she asks how could he forget that appointed night (to sleep with MW). think about it – you think it would have been easy for her to bring up the appointed night to be together first. his mom reminds him how MW only thinks about him. Y says sorry cuz he was reading all night and forgot. His mom says Y is just like his deceased dad (forgetful like that cuz he got lost in books). she asks: did you avoid on purpose? Y: no I didnt. his mom asks then how why do you keep making the princess lonely? He gives two reasons – cuz he thinks MW is still too young and it hasnt been that long since his father passed away. his mom says how MW is old enough to have kids. he insists that MW is still young. but his mom says she is grown. and that he has to think of MW as his wife. Y’s mom says how much MW did for their family. She reminds him of what his dad said – not to forget what MW did for them. Y tells her he will be listen to her words so dont worry

YW tells N that she cant find S since this morning and will go look for her. N says it’s obvious where S would go. S will come back when it’s time so dont think of going out and go back inside. N tells Jansil to take YW inside. some men come over calling out N’s name so N tells Jansil – how much longer are you going to hang around. so Jansil takes YW away. one of the men saw YW’s face.  N invites them into the side room.

The man lists how hard it was to find N and that they suffered. she asks why they looked for her. one says he came cuz of an order from the dowager. she says how the shaman now is doing well. guy says the current shaman isnt doing well and the queen wants N to come back to the palace. N says her skills are at rock bottom already.  other guy says they need her help. and that the dowager said to bring her back no matter what. N says no matter how many times they say this her answer will be the same and that she wants to stop and rest now. One guy asks if that girl in the next room is N’s shaman daughter -the one N put under her name a few years ago. N says she will go herself to talk to the queen and asks them to leave for today

The men walk out and one remarks how stubborn N is. another worries cuz they didnt follow the order that was given to them. the 3 rd one says they cant leave empty handed since they came all this way. He calls for his servants.

YW is looking for S at the blacksmiths and wonders where S went if she isnt here. She tries to use her psychic powers and wonders if her abilities disappeared. then what did I see that night? She remembers H asking – have you met me before a long time ago. Some men come up to her. YW: who are you? they put a sack over her head and grab her. dragging her off

YW is caught and locked in the sedan. She remembers scratching at the coffin box and being buried underground. She is having trouble breathing. YW asks herself: whose memory is this?

End

written preview translated by Sparkskey

‘Shaman Wol’, gagged inside the palanquin struggles to open the doors of the palanquin that is headed towards the capital’s gates. Since Nokyoung has rejected the offer to return to the palace to cure the king’s illness, they have decided to kidnap her protégé in place of her to become a ‘human amulet’

Wol tries to make use of a slight commotion to escape but just as she is cornered, a monk helps her. That monk is Yangmyung in disguise. Wol can’t recognize Yangmyung at all; Yangmyung falls into despair in the midst of his confusion on seeing Yeonwoo like this and loses Wol. Meanwhile, Wol is led into the palace to harsh reception from others. As she is now the shaman to absorb the bad energy, she enters Hwon’s bedchamber

E8 video preview translated by Sunny

M grabs YW as she runs away and he asks: are you really a shaman? do you really not know who I am?

B says that H never once looked at her.

dowager : a human amulet?? (yellow sticker)

N: very close to him , but never meet , even you must not meet

it’s to ward off evil shaman????

(it’s to protect the king instead she is attacked by the other shaman’s spell and his bad fate)

YW: he’s the king and I’m only here to ward off evil shaman

I wont be found out no matter what(meaning she wont let H find out who she really is)

—–

Fanderay’s Comments:

Yay, the bromance is back in business! I was relieved to see H and M together and think that they have decent brotherly chemistry so far (when M was sadly watching H on the palanquin I wanted to yell at him to go reconcile). I wonder which of them will figure out Wol’s real identity first, and whether they’ll completely fall for her before or after realizing that she’s YW?

I was also pleasantly surprised to see that both boys immediately recognized Wol’s resemblance to YW. Usually in kdramaland adults aren’t even close to recognizing people they knew as kids (for the sake of suspense) and that’s something that’s always bothered me. In this case both men are sure that YW is dead but already have doubts, and I think that will result in the romantic plot starting out more quickly. It’s all out on the table now too. They both know that the other has lingering feelings for YW, so H can’t claim ignorance this time around, and M is right that he deserves a chance.

Even though it’s a less direct relationship now, I still find the antics between HS and H incredibly entertaining. I cracked up when HS yelled “Your Majesty” and H twitched from a distance as if he could hear him screaming. Poor HS is like a worrisome nanny more than he’s like an aide.

The relationship between S and YW is quite sweet too. I loved that as soon as they heard that the king was coming through town, S said no before YW had a chance to say a word or even give a look. I didn’t think about it much while YW was meeting with H, but of course S knows the truth that they almost got married, and must have been freaking out the whole time. Carrying a secret for that long has to be difficult, and I wonder if she’ll eventually give YW a hint to the past (even if it is unintentional).

So far S seems like the kind of character who might get into trouble as a result of her emotions. I empathize with her desire to protect YW and not stand down, but it would’ve been a disaster if she had drawn a weapon on that guard. It’s interesting that all the protagonists in this show are young, and that all the antagonists are old. That makes for an unusual dynamic, and I wonder if some young adversaries will be introduced just for the sake of epic sword fights.

It’s sort of funny that YW has no memories of her childhood, yet jumps to the conclusion that she’s psychic, rather than that she’s actually remembering something. I suppose it’s possible that she’ll remain under this delusion for quite some time, and that one (or both) of the boys may even realize the truth before she does.

I wish it had been longer, but I thought the scene between adult H and YW was great, and I felt a lot more chemistry between them than I expected (since she’s older). When they talked about how YW was waiting for someone, it seemed like an intentional echo of the past when they talked about waiting for each other as kids (which was started off with the lettuce).

Maybe I’m just looking too hard, but that didn’t seem like the only dialogue loaded with extra meaning.  Before leaving, when H told Woon that the rain had stopped, it seemed like what he was actually telling himself (rather sadly) that the “soft rain” had stopped (since that’s what they called in earlier). The soft rain holds all sorts of meaning for him, and when it ended, so did the dream of the young YW who had been leading him, and I’m sure that vision had felt like fate.

Now that YW has essentially  been kidnapped, I wonder if S will blab to N about the king visiting, and what N will do about it. If YW has a positive effect on the king’s health, perhaps N will allow her to remain at the palace in some capacity, or perhaps the dowager will make sure that N allows it (she needs H healthy if she wants another heir to the throne).

Once again H was immune to B’s reverse psychology, but I think the chance of her trying kindness and sincerity instead is quite low (especially once Wol enters the picture). I do think think that B’s love for the king will result in a redeeming moment at some point however. She seems more desperate than she does evil.

In the book M is a widower, and I wonder if that’s something they’ll keep in the drama, or if he’ll just be a bachelor? It seems more realistic that he would’ve been forced into marriage (and it also levels the playing field between him and H) but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was left out.

I have so many questions about where this is all going that I can hardly wait for tomorrow. I bet tomorrow’s episode will end with a big cliffhanger though, so I’m already dreading the week to follow.