Who’s ready for heartbreak? Separated and struggling, our heroes are determined to survive at all costs. For our beloved fan-wielding miscreant, this means some uncomfortable moral compromises. For our plucky (and only slightly vain) heroine, this might mean… entrepreneurship? But when fate pulls the two together again, neither are prepared for pain of the consequences.
EPISODES 9-10
For a while, our heroes suffer in tandem. Gil-chae and her companions have grumbling stomachs and empty pockets, in a post-war economy heaving its last gasp. But just as things get dire, Gil-chae encounters GOO WON-MOO (Ji Seung-hyun), the soldier who found her on Ganghwa-do. He has plenty of attractive features: courtesy, compassion, and — most importantly — ownership of a local smithy. This last is in disuse, due to the Qing crackdown on weapons manufacture. But there’s a familiar glint in Gil-chae’s eye: sure sign of a scheme percolating!
With the help of her newfound investor, plus a reluctant band of workers, Gil-che pledges to sell brass bowls for use in rituals: a precious — and currently scarce — commodity. As for the metal to make them? Well, she’s got a bold, only slightly illegal solution. In the wake of hyperinflation, coins are virtually worthless… that is, unless you buy them up for cheap and melt them for manufacture! Ignoring the nasty murmurs about her unfeminine behavior, Gil-chae knuckles down and scrubs her newly-made dishes.
It’s a rough ride, girlbossing your way through post-war Joseon. Disaster strikes when a band of thieves snatch every bowl set but one. Still, inspired by Jang-hyun’s devil-may-care approach to merchanting, Gil-chae meets every obstacle unflinching. First, she leverages her noble contacts to upsell the remaining bowls for jewelery. Then, casting shame to the winds, she fences these to the local gisaeng house. In exchange, she gleans crucial market research: Qing merchants have been buying up ginger. All that remains is to purchase a field of it, cheap and unpicked, then take advantage of the hiked-up prices!
Soon, Gil-chae’s stores are bursting with fresh rice — and whilst her reputation may be spotty, her people are fed, clothed, and thriving. Success piles on success as she manufactures daggers for women to wield in self-defense. Before long, she finds herself at the helm of a prosperous community, while Won-moo looks on in quiet adoration. Things are even looking up for the ever-inept Yeon-joon. His stint in prison is brought to a close when Eun-ae and Gil-chae charm the leader of the Sarim party — the king’s fiercest critics — into petitioning for his release.
Meanwhile, Jang-hyun snatches survival from the jaws of certain death. General Yong proves an excellent blackmail subject, exercising all of the subtle sneers and terse replies he can towards exonerating him. In the end, though, his survival hinges on the Khan’s conviction that double agents are valuable. Jang-hyun is ordered to prove his worth by recapturing escaped Joseon prisoners of war. And so, he returns to Ryang-eum, exhausted but mercifully un-executed. He doesn’t mention his terrible bargain — just murmurs ruefully that he’s never belonged to either side. Ryang-eum lies beside him as he sleeps. You may not belong anywhere, he whispers — but I belong to you.
Jang-hyun stumbles apathetically through his new, horrible duties, aiming to do minimal damage. He chases desperate prisoners, rounding them up for recapture, and hardly flinches when they demand how he can call himself a Joseon man. Sometimes, he is aided by an archer in a blue mask. In the evenings, he drinks, surrounded by women, and thinking only of Gil-chae. Slumped drunkenly against the table, he mumbles that she ought to know well enough by now — this is how he has fun. This is what he always was.
Still, there’s life — and deviousness — in our hero yet. When the crown prince rakes him over the coals for collaborating with the Qing, Jang-hyun is all defiance. It’s clear that the crown prince is angry with his father, though he won’t breathe a word against him. But Joseon, Jang-hyun insists, didn’t lose because the king was weak. The Qing attacked because they were wary of being caught between two enemies. The rest is propaganda. As for how to fight back? Some will claim it’s a choice between dying proudly, or living shamefully. But there’s a third, braver choice: face them head on — and live.
The crown prince takes Jang-hyun’s words to heart. When the Khan demands vast amounts of rice from Joseon, he pushes back. Just a little. He asks if the rice can be mixed with millet, to lessen the burden on the poor. With Jang-hyun’s guidance, he plays the game just right, until finally, he’s granted permission to visit Joseon. Jang-hyun is elated: he has a wardrobe’s worth of shoes resting on this moment! The king, by contrast, is far from thrilled, remarking darkly that his son is far too friendly with the Qing.
Back in Joseon, Gil-chae is slowly coming to life again. Business is booming. Her prospects are bright. And sure, there are whispers about how often she dines with Won-moo, but what’s life without a little scandal? Anyway, they both know there’s nothing between them. Except — well, Won-moo is pretty keen on correcting that. Sure enough, one fatal lunchtime, he fumbles his way through a marriage proposal… cue our heroine’s uncontrollable laughter. Oh, how she’s missed men throwing themselves at her feet! But, for real, she’ll pretend he never said that.
Back the present, Jang-hyun takes pair after pair of lovingly purchased shoes, and drops them in the fire. A hand touches his back, lightly: Gil-chae. He closes his eyes against it, and hurls out the most cutting thing he can: Can you not live without a man for a single day? Gil-chae doesn’t rise to it. Instead, she breaks. Because — well, yes! Fine! She’s lonely without one, body and soul — is that a crime? Icily, Jang-hyun retorts that if so, he should have had his turn. Never, replies Gil-chae. You lack sincerity.
Hot on the heels of this botched reunion comes a worse confrontation. To Jang-hyun’s horror, Gil-chae announces that she’s marrying the man who fought for her at Ganghwa-do. Nothing can convince her otherwise. When Jang-hyun tries to tell her the truth, he’s met with one of Gil-chae’s patented patronizing chuckles. She won’t be fooled again. She trusted his word once — remembered him, pined for him, mourned him! — and look where it got her.
From here, things click into unpleasant alignment. A timid word from Jong Jong confirms to Jang-hyun that Gil-chae believed him dead. That Ryang-eum didn’t deny it. Horrified, he confronts his friend — who is unrepentant. Ryang-eum would do it again if he could: Gil-chae brought Jang-hyun only pain. And yet, for all his defiance, he falls to Jang-hyun’s feet. Jang-hyun, unmoved, turns his back. You have no idea, he says, what she means to me.
But nor, it seems, does Gil-chae. From her side of things, it looks an awful lot like Jang-hyun never cared enough to put her first. Jang-hyun is equally vehement: if she’d just given up on Yeon-joon, he’d never have left! And yet, despite the abject failure of his last ultimatum, he’s come armed with another. It’s an exciting mixture of possessiveness, self-denial, and utter disaster. I don’t care, he declares to a furious Gil-chae, how many men you love. You are going to be mine now. But all his demands evaporate into one plea: give me a chance. Ask yourself if you can be happy without me. If the answer is no — take my hand, and we’ll leave everything behind.
It’s here that they’re interrupted by two surprise guests: Eun-ae and Jong Jong! Gil-chae cringes, expecting judgement — but none is forthcoming. Eun-ae is staunchly supportive: if her best friend wants to flee the country in a storm of scandal with her illicit lover, then by God, she’ll help it happen! Tearful vows are exchanged: when the dust clears, Gil-chae swears she’ll come back for Jong Jong. But outside, things are getting perilous — Won-moo, having pieced together the truth, is out for Jang-hyun’s blood.
It’s T-minus 15 till elopement. Panic sets in. Gil-chae can’t stop thinking about her father. When Jang-hyun leaves to hail a ferry, she steals away from the inn. She finds her father wandering the forest in confusion, crying out her name, terrified that invaders have stolen her away. Clutching him, she orders him to eat well, and wait — she’ll return for him, she swears. In a moment of lucidity, he puts a hand to her cheek, telling her not to worry. But as she makes her way towards the dock, she stops, wracked by sobs.
As the sun rises, Jang-hyun waits by the shore, straining for a glimpse of Gil-chae — to no avail. The next morning, he receives a letter, and a parcel containing a beautiful, familiar pair of shoes. It’s true, writes Gil-chae, that I wavered. But ultimately, I neither trust nor love you enough to leave everything behind. He watches from the distance as Gil-chae, hollow-eyed, plasters on a smile for her fiancé — then he turns away before she can meet his eyes. She, in turn, watches Jang-hyun’s boat depart. He lets her letter trail into the water. After a moment’s hesitation, he lets the shoes drop too. Unnoticed by either of them, Ryang-eum observes by the shore.
Two years pass. Jang-hyun continues to hunt Joseon prisoners, whilst subtly deflecting the attacks of his fellow warriors. He is joined by the mysterious, blue-clad archer — the one who, let’s be real, is none other than the inimitable Lee Chung-ah! She aims at a runaway; Jang-hyun shoots first, spooking her horse. As it bucks her off, he dives to catch her, and they collapse together in a tangle of limbs. He reaches for her mask — she swats him away — and leans in closer.
Well, I am unashamed to say… they broke me, folks. This was exquisite narrative torture, in the best possible of ways! What makes this romance so special is that they’re utterly unafraid to get messy. Gil-chae deflects, trivializes, and refuses to recognize Jang-hyun’s feelings, even whilst she knows instinctively how to cause him pain. Jang-hyun has a possessive streak a mile wide, and woe betide anyone who suggests he relinquish the slightest bit of control. The power dynamics are wild: in any given situation, they slide between tormentor and tormented, between seducer and seduced — always complicated by class, gender, and whoever happens to throw out the wittiest comeback. And yet, they’re the only ones who can keep up with one another.
I love that propriety didn’t even feature in Gil-chae’s change of heart. She just simply couldn’t abandon the family she swore to protect — a defining character note throughout. When push comes to shove, she always steps up. Ironically, she did grow up, the way Jang-hyun told her to — and in doing so, grew away from him. But whilst it was inevitable that this reunion would veer out of control, the fact that they’ll fall back into each other’s orbit feels so right. In the meantime, I can’t remember ever being quite so hyped for a time skip! We’ll get to see how Gil-chae develops… and perhaps see Jang-hyun moving on, only to fall back in love with her again. With complex character dynamics like these, I can readily believe it’ll take 20 episodes for us to get there. And if there’s one thing I know, it’s that the journey is going to be tremendous. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be counting down the days till October!