● Jae Yi is a child of a gisaeng.
Jae Yi's rough attitude toward Eun Jo is him self-projecting—he despises the fact that he is a half noble.
– As a half noble himself, Jae Yi pushes Eun Jo to stop her from proceeding with the marriage to his grandpa because he knows his older brother is planning to treat her badly for her half noble status once she becomes a daughter-in-law of the family.
– However, Jae Yi is enraged too seeing Eun Jo reminds him he has no choice but to be in an arranged marriage with the cousin of Her Majesty the Queen, becoming like a breeding stallion and being controlled by his father.
● An incident in the Gyeongo Year.
– Something really bad must have happened in the Gyeongo Year. Something so bad that Hong Min Jik, Eun Jo's father, still feels dreadful and turns down the offer to return as a Chief Inspector although the King asks him to fill in the vacancy.
– Prince Lee Yeol's meet-up with the King has his mom, the Queen Dowager, worried to death for days. Her Majesty is reminded of the dreadful incident of the Gyeongo Year.
● Eun Jo and Yeol's heartbreak.
– Eun Jo tells Yeol not to go see her anymore because she is getting married in 10 days. After being shut away by Eun Jo, Yeol appears distraught and doesn't seem like himself. His emotions' ups and downs are in total disorder, that one moment he's laughing for no reason and the next moment he's back to feeling dejected.
– Still wanting to try to change Eun Jo's heart, Yeol pathetically goes to see Eun Jo again.
Yeol tells Eun Jo that she just needs to say she will accept him, meaning he will take responsibility for whatever comes afterward. Eun Jo is dazed by how sincere Yeol is, but she chooses to turn Yeol down harshly, for she fears her family will be thrown out of the house they currently live in if she were to break off her engagement.
– On the day Eun Jo is set to get married, heartbroken Yeol still has Eun Jo living rent-free in his mind. The rainy day makes Yeol even more concerned for Eun Jo, till he goes and leaves flower shoes along with straw shoes for her before she heads to her groom-to-be's house.
– It is heart-wrenching to see Eun Jo become a widow even before she is properly married into the family.
● Soul swapping between Eun Jo and Yeol.
– A little monk gives Eun Jo and Yeol a red and blue thread bracelet each after they both make a donation.
– Their souls are swapped when Eun Jo is dizzy after she falls from a roof and Yeol falls asleep after he drinks some alcohol.
Afterthoughts on the highlights:
● Good parents most likely will have children with good manners too. Given how Jae Yi and his elder brother's mannerisms are, apparently the Chief Secretary must be a bad father.
– Jae Yi's hostility toward Eun Jo could be because seeing Eun Jo reminds him that he is a half noble himself. Maybe Jae Yi is also jealous of Eun Jo for having a good father and a brother who is still fond of her even though she is a half noble.
● The incident in the Gyeongo Year keeps being talked about from episode 1 till now. At first, I thought it was just something that happened in the past. Nevertheless, looking at how people keep bringing up the Gyeongo Year, what happened must still hold importance in their current timeline. Aside from being curious about the incident, it also propels people to ask whether Yeol and Eun Jo could have any connection between them linked to the incident in the Gyeongo Year.
● Watching Eun Jo and Yeol having heartache, viewers' hearts also ache along with them. If their sweet scenes together give joy to viewers, their heartbroken scenes leave many viewers drained. Their heartbreak is hurtful, and I don't even want to think or write about it if I could, but it is one of the episode's highlights. The only thing I like about their heartbreak is that it allows us to see Yeol's feelings for Eun Jo are genuinely sincere.
● I never thought their souls would swap when they were in different places. I thought it would happen when they were in some sort of accident together. Their soul swap seems to be triggered by the bracelets given by the little monk.
May the bracelets are heavy-duty enough since we still have 12 episodes to go.
Other happenings:
● The King is exposed to poisonous incense under the Chief Secretary's order. Can the King not die in this drama? If the King ends up dying, Yeol most probably will be the next in line to be King. If Yeol becomes King later, wouldn't that be an obstacle in his relationship with Eun Jo?
● Jae Yi's effort to stop Eun Jo from marrying his grandpa almost feels like he is a cupid for Yeol and Eun Jo. Yes, Eun Jo used him to turn Yeol down, and Jae Yi's effort to stop the marriage didn't really succeed, but he has me rooting for him when he's making a fuss trying to stop headstrong Eun Jo from marrying his grandpa. No one wants Eun Jo to be a widow, and Eun Jo's status as a widow will surely make it harder for her to be with Yeol.
● Gil Dong is wrongly accused of being the one who killed the imprisoned Chief Inspector. Can Eun Jo get her alter identity cleared of the murder accusation?
DISCLAIMER: All images are property of their respective owners and only used under fair use for commentary and review.
Image Credits: All stills from the drama are © KBS.
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