Bridal Mask E26

How many times have we seen this guy put a smile on his face that he never means?  K doesn’t do it cuz he actually feels real happiness. It’s become second nature to him to just be the one people can count on and his smile reassures them. Just like that mask he puts on, he plasters on a smile to comfort those around him or to distract his enemies. I can’t remember the last time he laughed cuz he actually meant it. More than likely we will never get a genuine laugh out of him so I guess we have to settle for these half hearted ones. That made me wonder what kind of emotional toll this has on an actor to feel so much for his character then have to let him go. With the finale coming up next week, when the director yells “cut” for that last scene, I think JW will break down in tears of relief. It must have been quite a burden for him to carry a whole drama on his own. 28 episodes of angst is a lot to hold in and the pressure he must have felt to do well must have been overwhelming at times. I just hope he knows that he did something worthy as an actor for his age. Years from now when his kid sits down and watches Gaksital, I hope JW swells with pride hearing his child compliment his dad. Maybe JW’s laughter then will echo in his character’s ears and somewhere out there Lee Kangto will finally have something to smile about.

Thanks to Semi-fly for torrents, Sparkskey for preview translations, and SS for video link. 🙂

Written before it aired: Just going by the preview alone, if S didn’t know all this time about what his father Taro did to K’s father, would knowing the truth sway him a little. S’s family didn’t just take K’s parents from him, they took away K’s comfortable childhood too. K wasn’t supposed to grow up so poor, his family had status and wealth. They lost it all when K’s father was betrayed. K shouldn’t have suffered so much trying to stay in the officer’s school and catering to S. They were on equal levels social status wise and S just never knew it till that moment he walked into Baek’s home and saw all the newspaper clippings. He is going to learn revenge for his mother and brother wasn’t the only thing on K’s agenda.  The bigger problem is that S is going to find that out and tell his father. When K went to Taro’s home dressed as Gaksital, he thought he had the upper hand and could sneak up on Taro, but as we already know Taro is expecting him. It’s one thing to play cat and mouse when one side is in the dark, but when both parties know, then it’s no longer a game. That’s what we call a heart stopper. Why do I suspect tonight’s finale is going to be one for the record books.

I really hate that they used Abe to find out where K lives. Knowing Abe, it’s going to kill him inside when he learns he brought direct harm to K by talking. All this time I kept thinking Abe was a Korean too, but I realized his character happens to be Japanese, but is very sympathetic to Koreans. Abe doesn’t see ethnicity and only sees people and friendships. He allowed himself to get close to the circus group and treats K and D so well. If only others could follow his example there would have been a lot less conflict in this drama

E26

Starts from DJ’s men, Ahn, and Jin breaking into the police station. Ahn throws smoke bombs below and officers duck for cover.

In the interrogation room, lackey and S put K inside that box in the wall. Jin throws down a smoke bomb and they go in and attack the officers. Jin gets the keys and unlocks K and gets him out. she grabs the mask on their way out. S gets kicked in the head and knocked out

When they get out K tells them how tailor park was captured so we have to take him with us. but ahn says it’s too late cuz officers are gathering -we have to get out of here in a hurry.

Lackey comes to and wakes S up. they go outside and shoot at the truck with K and them on it. S keeps shooting as the truck drives off. S screams out K’s name.

they cover K up with a blanket. Song tells DJ not to worry about K too much cuz they fed him painkillers. DJ says tailor park was captured too so overnight teacher yang cant come so I am worried. he asks about the heavy security so song says gakistal has escaped so the security wont allow anyone to leave the city.  DJ says teacher has to come here safely

S has Park beaten and says how K went into the shop so you are saying it took an hour for the suit design. right before the armory was robbed? you are on the same side as K arent you? He asks if park’s shop is where the rebels are hold up. park doesn’t move so S grabs him by the hair.  Lackey checks and park is already dead. Lackey says what to do cuz we didn’t find out anything. maybe he is just a owner of a suit shop. the governor always went there for his suits so he worried over it.  S says I am going to his shop so come with me

At the tailor shop they are all packed and ahn goes down. Jo asks what the security is like outside. Ahn says it wont work. there are more officers outside than last night. DS says we need a decoy to trick them for yang to escape safely and offers himself. or else there is no way for yang to get out. he says he will pretend to be yang and tells the others to escort yang out safely. Ahn says I cant let you go alone I will go with you, but DS says you have to take the teacher. Leader Jo offers to be the decoy cuz DS should take yang and go to the mountains. DS says to buy yang time they need to properly divert the enemy  and I evaded them 8 times. Yang says no and doesn’t want to use DS to escape but DS reminds him about the time DS was in prison and almost starved to death if it wasn’t for Yang. cuz yang brought him food in his mouth and put it in DS’s mouth like a mother bird.  Thanks to you I was able to have a pretty daughter and became the leader of a independence movement. please allow me to go. D worries about her father but he says you know I escaped from them 8 times so I am going to keep going till that record is 10 so just wait and see. D: of course cuz you are the leader of the independence movement Ahn says they know my face so if i take you they will be totally tricked. DS stands and makes his farewell greeting and tells yang you go first and I will follow behind you soon. he starts to bow but yang takes his hand

DS dresses like yang and gives ahn the keys to park’s car to use cuz it cant be helped. Ahn says things will get rocky from here on so DS says let’s start playing with those guys. are you ready?  Ahn says let’s go.  They are about to leave but D shows up and says father. she goes over and hugs him.  He says don’t worry about me and hurry and go go cuz there is someone waiting for you (meaning K). D: father. DS: He (K) was tortured so his body is in poor condition so wont he need your care now more than any other time. (cuz she has nurse training). she says you are going to come back for sure right. You are going to keep your promise to fill 10 times right?  He says I want you to be safe and comfortable. the reason why I am fighting to get our country back is for you . cuz I hope you live naturally and happily. you know right? They hug and cry. He says to ahn let’s go. They leave

S pulls up in the car and someone yells it’s yang baek. So S says chase them.

D and Jin are dressed like wealthy women and come out with leader Jo and yang dressed as servants carrying their bags.

S shoots the car and DS and Ahn have to pull over in the tunnel. DS gets shot in the leg and tells ahn to leave and he will cover for ahn. Ahn: I cant go and leave you alone. DS says you have to take care of teacher (yang) hurry and go.  Ahn doesn’t want to, but DS makes him go so ahn runs off. S and them go over to DS who is slumped over in front of the car. S takes the hat off and sees DS laughing. S calls him a bast&^%. DS says cuz of you I ended up lying to Boon. I told her I escaped 8 times so I bragged I would make that 10 times. S says drag him over but DS asks you think if you catch yang, DJ, and gaksital, this chase will end? S: what? DS: on korean land, there are thousands of yang baeks, Dong Jins, and more hidden Gaksitals than you know like grains of sand on a beach. no matter how much you try you wont be able to do it. just cuz you were born like that, why are you wasting your life.  S says all of you are the ones wasting your effort  cuz you are dying off trying to revive a country that is ruined.  DS laughs and says be well my pitiful friend. He shoots himself in the head and dies.

leader Jo is taking the group through the mountain and D looks back. They go to DJ’s camp. Yang and DJ shake hands. DJ says thank goodness you came safely. yang says you must have suffered a lot here in the mountains. DJ shakes Jo’s hands. Jo says it’s good to meet you. yang introduces D as DS’s daughter. DJ says you suffered a lot. she says it’s good to meet you

K is sitting inside when kim brings D over to him. K smiles at her and tries to get up but he cant. D runs over to him. She asks are you ok. He says I am ok. Kim says he isnt ok – he almost died and came back alive. K tells him to stop kidding. Kim says K is bragging.  K reminds him about the favor he asked him. K told him to go and ask for some medicine from baek and tell him I got a little hurt. Kim says ok and leaves. D tells K – it’s ok to let it all out when you are hurt or having a hard time in front of me. dont act like you arent hurt or act like you arent having a hard time on purpose. he takes her hand and says I am really ok my body is having a hard time but I my heart feels light. cuz now I don’t have to live a double life anymore and i dont have to worry about getting caught. He asks if yang is ok. She says he arrived well. He asks about her father -he came safely too right? and she says my father will arrive soon. He hugs her and says how worried he was that they would all be caught by S.

S goes into the tailor shop and wants the men to go through everything. They start looking for a hidden room and stuff. One finds a door open and calls S over

S goes downstairs and sees the Korean flags everywhere in the room yang had all those meetings. S remembers what DS said –that it wont end with just catching yang, DJ, and gaksital cuz there are thousands more among the Koreans. So S says in his head – no if I just kill the 3 of them – gaksital yang and DJ-if I just kill those 3 it will end. He starts trashing the place so others join him

Yang and them talk about DS. DJ wonders how DS could get out of there.  and jo says how DS bragged he could so he will fill up those ten times.  ahn arrives so yang asks about DS. Jo asks what happened and so does yang.  Ahn says how DS was shot in the leg and pushed me to run away first. He was caught by them so he shot himself. Yang is in shock and jo asks how do we tell D this truth? Yang asks where is D now. She shows up with K. they all look at her and look away. Yang just cries looking at her. Jo cries and avoids her eyes. She understands what happened and cries. K hugs her.

UH is upset and says you still have something left to say. S says I am doing the best I can. I am killing myself to do my best. UH: what? UH orders samurai to kill S so taro tells S to beg UH for forgiveness, but S says father I did nothing wrong. I always did my best. UH yells he doesnt care about S’s best. what is important to me is that you know everything they are planning. S says we discovered yang’s hideout so I will find out everything he has planned. Just wait a short while longer. you know too that aside from there is no other guy capable of  going after them. UH takes back his order and says I will spare your life so be sure to pay me back. S: ok

S is in the room and H goes in to see him. She asks what it takes to be as brave as him. It would be good for you and me to give up now.  D came and saw me. that you arrested K. she kneeled in front of me and asked me to save K. I had told her to run away together with K. I couldn’t understand then why she turned me down but when I saw her kneel in front of me I knew. She doesn’t love just K but gaksital as well. She loves everything that entails him being gaksital.  I only loved K – the Japanese officer. S says what if I cant catch the two of them and yang and DJ too- what if I cant catch them. S cries and looks at her. what happens if my life ends in wasted effort. he has a change of heart and says no that will never happen.  I am doing my best as a japanese officer and catching those rebels so why is that nothing.  just wait and see I will destroy them.  He leaves the room and she stands there crying

S meets with taro and yoshi. S says he put up wanted posters of K and offered a high reward so a tip about K will come in soon. Taro thinks yang moved to DJ’s lair. Yoshi thinks setting fire to the courthouses was for more than the registry. cuz they also robbed the armory.  Taro and them think it’s for an armed revolt.  S thinks they need people to do that so maybe that’s why they set fire to the registers. yoshi gets mad cuz the rebels are preparing for an armed revolt when japanese army is having a hard time in the war. Taro says we just have to drag out yang and DJ. He comes up with an idea about threatening to kill the any Koreans on a list as rebels if yang and DJ dont surface. that threat will reach their ears. yoshi says the rebels wont be able to stand by and just watch their comrades die so they will show up

The elderly couple are told that the count and countess were killed by the rebels. she says we cant live comfortably. Taro tells them not to worry cuz we are doing our best. She asks why did you call us. he talks about the war going on so how could there be students going to college. the empire if your father. How could the sons (male students) just study at their desks when their fathers is suffering. The guy says until now we didnt have a way to repay the kindness so now we will. meaning make students join by force – like mandatory enlistment

Spy girl gyesoon meets her brother. He says he wanted to meet outside so he could buy her a bowl of stew without their family knowing. he says I have to go to the army. She asks how can a student go to the army but he says all students have to go. the officers are already checking students IDs and are guarding us to make sure we don’t run away.  Instead of running away I will just join and  survive and come back from the army. She asks when he is leaving and he says soon when the darft comes in. She worries cuz he is their only hope (cuz he is their only son). if he graduated they thought their family would stop suffering.  She worries about their parents when they know. He asks her to take care of the family till he comes back. he promises to come back alive, get a good job,  and take care of her. he orders a bowl of soup for her. she says you eat cuz I am not hungry since i just ate but he says you are lying. He pleads with her to eat so he will feel at ease cuz she will  be suffering in his place and he wants to buy her a bowl.

Koreans are at the market looking at posters of K. they say bad things about K and want to catch them for the reward so Kim sticks up for K saying he isnt a bad person. you dont even know. He tears up the posters. He sees sunwha and goes after her. her brother was beat up at school by his teacher for not changing his name to Japanese. Kim yells who is your teacher. She tells kim to be quiet. He asks what the kid is learning at school. He says learning from Japanese will only turn him into a Japanese. You don’t have to go to a school like that. The kid likes Kim and asks for his name. Kim says how D misses her so follow me. He takes the kid’s hand and runs off so she calls out go together

D is passing out food to the men in camp. Sunwha comes over with kim and her brother. They hug. Yang watches D with K. yang says how torn up D must be inside. K says I don’t know how to comfort her. she left her hometown to find her father who was in the independence movement and lost her mom at the age of ten and now she lost her father. If something happens to me too – how will she endure that. wouldnt it better for her sake if I left her side.  yang asks what do you think is precious enough for you to put your life on the line to protect?  I think it’s love. I love my country, my hometown, my mother, my wife, my son. watching those people I love being persecuted -how could I not be enraged? If you really love D, you have put your life on the line and stay by her side protecting her and fight the people who persecute her. I had a wife i loved dying in a hospital ten mins away but I couldn’t go to see her cuz of the enemy. for my kid and all the young ones on this land, I am fighting like this so I dont leave them that kind of anguish/ pain so how could you say such things. K says I am sorry. Yang pats his shoulders. K watches D

Sunwha is feeding her brother. D is crying as she eats. Sunwha asks what’s wrong. Did anything happen. D says nothing at all and leaves the table. K watches her walk by

He goes and sees her crying alone. He sits next to her and takes her hand.  In front of me don’t act like you aren’t hurting or not having a hard time on purpose. she says even though I am trying to hold it in – I cant. I know I shouldn’t do this.  but can we really win?can we really push the enemy out? he says do you know what your father said? he said an egg could break a rock. even though it’s strong the rock will die. even though it’s weak the egg will live.  After time the rock will break apart and become sand. but one day there will be a chick inside that egg that will walk upon that sand. Have strength. you have to have strength. You know that cuz of you, I have the strength to fight the enemy right? He hugs her

Abe is crying and saying I really didn’t know – i was totally deceived. I didnt even dream he was gaksital. lackey hits him and asks you are on the same side as K right. Abe say no and gets up and does the bansai cheer. Lackey asks where does K sleep. You know right where he sleeps right. Abe says he sleeps in the officer’s quarters and I think he often sleeps in his mountain home too. Officer says someone saw reported in about K. lackey asks if S is in. he says yes. They leave abe alone in the room and he starts to cry

Baek is packing up some medicine and stuff for K and says to Kim – let’s go. Baek hears some steps outside and makes kim leave through the window. S and the officers come in and S orders them to chase after baek and kim. S looks around the room. He sees the newspaper clippings of all the kishokai members’ deaths – park, the banker, etc.

S says we lost him (baek). Taro says gaksital was lee sun’s son. He prepared his revenge for his father’s death so exactly like this. it wont be long now – he will come after me. S asks why is gaksital after you. taro says K has guessed what  I did. S says don’t worry I am on your side

DJ, yang, K, and song meet. DJ reports how many Koreans are following him -70,000.  They divide up how their plan of attack will go. after the initial revolt, yang will go back to Shanghai for more forces. K says just listening to the two of you talk makes my heart race. DJ asks if song has some trouble. Song says no and asks K-should us young folks get some air.  so yang says do that cuz we have something to discuss. K says we will back after a while

Song tells K how he had something to dicuss so he wanted to meet. he heard about what taro is planning. if yang and DJ dont turn themselves in by the end of the month that taro will kill people on the list of rebels. K: what? song: what do we do. If they (yang and DJ) found out they wont stay still for the sake of the comrades. K says the time for me to deal with taro has come. K thinks this idea was made by taro alone.  Kim shows up with baek. K says to Kim sarcastically -you sure did bring him quickly. kim: at least I brought him.  Baek asks if K is ok. K says you worried a lot didn’t you. baek says S found our place. we were chased by them so we have to keep dodging them as we came. K says now S finally knows the truth that I am Lee youn and not Lee Kangto.  Baek says now that they know your identity they will do their best to kill you. K: we have to fight. anyway whether it’s them or me – we have to die for this to end. baek says just give the word and I will follow you like a shadow from here on. Song wants to add his strength too but K says no leave this up to me. I will go alone

D meets with leader Jo. She says I am ok. He says of course cuz whose daughter are you. she says father wanted me safe and comfortable so I am going to be comfortable. They talk about how circus people. Jo didnt get to say bye properly. she says they all left for their hometowns so dont worry too much.  jo says for her and K to leave whenever they want. She says no I wont leave. not long ago, some woman brought passports, tickets, and money for me to run away with K but I turned her down. After hearing father passed away I regretted. maybe we are fighting a fight we cant win. what if we all die. maybe I should have said I would leave. maybe I should have left. but now I closed up those feelings. father knew he could die and went. even though we might lose, even though there is no chance, until the day I die. I will live doing my best. He says yes you should do that.thats how you are mokdan

D and sunwha are doing dishes. Kim’s mom says sunwha is pretty. What is your name. Kim comes over and says what sunwha’s name is. He says to D – K is going to leave so stop him cuz if he goes now and gets caught, it will be the end

She goes over to see him. She says he looks like young master now. are you ok? He says I will go to the capitol for a while. She asks why. He says I have something I must do. She says go and come back well. I will wait.K: dont worry I will come back safely.  She asks if he can come back my dinner. I will make bean paste soup that you like. so he says I will be back before dinner. He kisses her on the forehead and leaves

Yoshi says to taro – your connection with K goes back that far. taro: anyway – whether it’s him or me – one of us has to die for this fight to end. S says don’t worry I already hid two of the best samurai -you just have to act normal like usual. taro: ok. Governor comes in and asks if it’s true about yang and DJ holding up at the tailor shop. Taro says it’s true that yang and DJ were set in the tailor shop in the basement. even though others dropped by and got suits from him, thank goodness none of our staff dropped by there. (he is rubbing it in that the governor always dropped by there). We will leave now and they leave the governor fuming alone

Taro goes home and is greeted by the nanny grandmother. He sits in a room and she brings him tea. He pours and waits. Gaksital goes over the wall at taro’s home. He looks around and sneaks over to the door. He opens and goes in. taro closes his eyes and hears the nanny being startled. Taro gets his sword ready. Gaksital comes through the door. Suddenly two more guys in black show up with swords ready. Gaksital fights the two men and knocks them out.

S is driving over

Taro faces gaksital with his sword drawn

end

no preview

* I have to admit, DS’s death got to me. Not just cuz how noble and proud be was about it, but all the way till the end, he didnt let them get their way. he took charge of his own death and wouldnt give them the satisfaction of getting any info from him. the minute he offered to be the decoy for yang, I feared for his safety. that’s why I was glad D was there and got to say goodbye. it would have been terrible for him if he didnt get to see his daughter one last time. now D is alone in this world like K. they are going to need each other more than ever. when she let K go and supported him even though she wanted to be selfish and hold him back so he could be safe even a day longer, I was proud of her character.  her father would have been proud of her too. I’m glad his influence about sacrifice for the good of the country is not lost on her. he taught his daughter well. that’s the kind of legacy that matters and lasts even through all the pain and loss.