After last episode’s heart-stopping kiss, our leads are growing closer. Still, now that our hero can no longer ignore his feelings, it’s hard for him to distinguish between his old lost love and his new wife — a problem only somewhat compounded by the fact that they’re the same person. Meanwhile, our heroine is in turmoil… how can her husband see her for who she truly is when she isn’t altogether sure herself?
EPISODES 5-6 WEECAP
That night, Yul finally confronts his savior — and possible killer — So-yi. The blood parasite is feasting on his waning magic; he can’t hold out forever. So-yi, in a fit of desperation, slices a deep welt into her arm, pleading with him to give it back. But it’s too late. The worm has burrowed deep into his energy’s core. Elsewhere, on a bridge free from Jinyowon’s confines, Cho-yeon accepts Dang-gu’s courting gift. After all they’ve been through, diamonds, however sparkly, and a kiss on the cheek, however sweet, won’t fix everything — but it’s a start.
Speaking of new beginnings, things are getting steamy between our leads! We left them partway through a heated kiss — after which, Wook doesn’t draw away. Not yet. First, he assures Bu-yeon he isn’t dreaming. Of course, being Wook, he promptly pours cold water on the whole thing. He recognizes her perfectly: she’s the one who woke him from a pleasant nap! It was only pleasant, Bu-yeon snaps, because her warmth kept the wraiths at bay. Wook, mollified, insists she stay. At a distance. Here: he’ll draw a line down the bed! Said line dissolves in record time: one moment, Bu-yeon is tentatively reaching out to pat him; the next, they’re fast asleep and cuddling. Gotta say, Wook as the little spoon? A masterstroke of characterization.
When Bu-yeon wakes, it’s to an empty bed — and to non sequitur flashes of memory she refuses to recognize as hers. Soon, Wook seeks her out. He figures since yesterday’s assassination attempt, the time for coyness is over; their mission is to commit PDA in front of queen and court. Look at me, he orders, as if you love me to death. (What’s that? Oh, just the sound of my heart SPLINTERING!) Also, halfway through, he needs her to find an excuse to leave. Something subtle. He trusts her discretion. This is the story of how Bu-yeon flees the encounter screaming “BEE!” at the top of her lungs. However, it’s also how Wook learns the queen is desperate for a newer, fresher body. If Wook won’t give her the soul-swapping makeover of her dreams, she’s willing to forge a new ice stone — condemning all of Daeho to drought in the process.
The couple leave, but not before shattering Won’s entire worldview. No, not because he’s finally worked out who Wook’s wife is. It’s because Wook used his powers to warm his turtle’s water! Won is in agony. Could this be — wonder of wonders — a show of friendship? If he hated him, surely he’d hate his turtle too! Meanwhile, Wook departs, content at having aided a passing turtle, and blissfully ignorant of its royal connections. Later, Bu-yeon, fresh from the high of trading soppy grins before the queen, laces Wook’s hand with hers. It’s a deliberate echo from another lifetime — and a nasty mistake. Wook recoils as if stung. Sardonically, he lashes out. Why not go further and embrace him — be a substitute for her? Is that what she’s offering?
It’s a deeply discombobulated Wook who takes refuge in the Forest of Brooding — only to encounter Master Lee. Alas, it’s no social visit; there’s new trouble brewing in Daeho. Cursed bird statues have been strewn about the city’s water supply, causing drought. Master Lee fears they originate from a fire bird that Jinyowon was originally built to imprison. He needs Wook to confirm that it’s safely contained in the vault. Wook grimaces — he’s had his fill of magical intrigue. However, opportunity soon knocks: Ho-gyeong has invited the pair back to Jinyowon. Bu-yeon swallows her pride, assembles the perfect pout, and steels herself to request Wook’s company. But Wook, misunderstanding, snaps that he wants no part in Master Lee’s scheme. It’s only when Do-joo — who has spent practically an entire episode refereeing Wook’s marital missteps — berates him for his callousness that he realizes his mistake.
It’s not just Wook on Do-joo’s mind: dropping in on Jin, she finds he’s worked himself up into an anxious frenzy over the prospect of Do-joo and Master Lee reconnecting. Endeared, she insists that Jin let her look after him. In the end, both have so much fun doting and being doted on that Do-joo stays till after dark — whereupon a surprise visit from Dang-gu and his mages causes both to startle like guilty teenagers. Mustering his courage, Jin decides that now is the moment. Why don’t they stay together forever? As the strains of tearful applause from the Songrim eavesdroppers echo across the backyard, the two pledge to marry.
Elsewhere, Wook demonstrates once again why I adore him: he will always rise to the occasion. Just as a dejected Bu-yeon prepares to endure a solitary trip home, she feels her husband’s hand at her shoulder. Without missing a beat, Wook announces that Ho-gyeong must provide the happy couple with a bedchamber.
Of course, the overnight stay is just an excuse to break into Jinyowon. Still, never has a nighttime heist felt quite so much like a romantic stroll. As they pass through the gardens Bu-yeon was once forbidden from wandering, she reminisces about how she used to imagine herself at the top of a tall tree. Powerless and alone, she had longed for someone to rescue her — until Wook did. You can practically feel Wook’s heart skip a beat. Half terrified, half wondering, he takes her hand — and laces their fingers together.
He can’t bring himself to believe it. As for Bu-yeon — she needs him to see her, not Naksu. Either way, when there’s a rustle from the bushes, her first instinct is to reach for him; his is to shield her in his arms. Embarrassingly, the lurking danger proves to be — Yul. Turns out, Ho-gyeong has developed quite a taste for holding people captive; So-yi, who came to trade information, has been imprisoned. Wook offers to distract Ho-gyeong by doing precisely what Master Lee wanted. He requests entrance to Jinyowon. It’s a tall ask, considering Wook has broken every Jinyowon relic he’s laid eyes on. Nonetheless, Ho-gyeong is willing to show him the Jin family’s deadliest secret: a fire bird egg, whose birth will be the harbinger of a terrible drought.
Meanwhile, Yul sweeps a blood-streaked So-yi into his arms, bundling her to safety. When she wakes, it is to give him the information she tried to leverage against Ho-gyeong. Jin Bu-yeon’s body contains the soul of Naksu. Yul freezes. When Bu-yeon approaches, all he can do is blink away tears — and hug her, knowing that she has no recollection of why his heart is breaking.
The next time Master Lee interrupts Wook’s forest brooding, it is to be told in no uncertain terms that Wook wants nothing to do with this fire bird business. As for being the King’s Star? Forget it. Three years ago, he wished to tear down the palace, consequences be damned. That’s when Jin finally told Wook the truth of his royal heritage. That the love of his life became an assassin because of him. Now, after three years of despair, Wook tells Master Lee what he’s decided to do: nothing whatsoever. Still, Master Lee has an ace up his sleeve. Wasn’t it Wook’s own master who told him it is better to die than to do nothing?
Besides, Wook’s enemies are about to force the issue. Mu suggests that the king “reward” Wook for killing “Naksu”… with a far-away post as General of the North Fortress. Won isn’t even slightly fooled. He regrets having anything to do with Mu. Still, he can’t bring himself to cast him aside — not with Mu threatening to reveal that he killed Mu-deok for Won’s sake. The only thing he can do is vent to his good friend, the Turtle Shaman! He even has an answer to her husband woes. To wit: cheat on him and move in with Won! (Okay, so no one ever said he had good ideas.)
Buoyed up by Bu-yeon-inspired optimism, Won visits Wook — who’s been researching the fire bird. Won is elated. Finally, someone’s on board with thwarting Mu! It’ll be just like old times, where Wook plays the hero, and Won stands in the background making skeptical expressions! After all — he was nice to Won’s turtle! Alas, Wook’s unimpressed. In a stunning display of heartlessness, he informs Won that he was not, in fact, nice to his turtle on purpose. But, Won won’t back down. He too flings Mu-deok’s motto back at Wook.
Later, Bu-yeon confides in Wook that she’s haunted by that tall tree. She wants to climb it again. For his part, Wook looks like he’s seen a ghost — especially when Bu-yeon also echoes Mu-deok’s mantra. She promises Wook that she’ll use her powers to protect him. Still, if there’s one thing she’s learned from her vent session with Won, it’s that if she wants to find herself, she requires a room of her own. Maybe then, Wook can find her too. Calmly, she reaches out to hug him. When he hugs back, it’s every bit the way they used to hug: serious, no-holds-barred, his-hand-cradling-her-head — how I’ve missed this!
But there’s another complication only Master Lee knows. Should Bu-yeon truly find herself — should her divine powers return, and Naksu’s memories with them — then she will die.
Elsewhere, Yul agonizes over his options. So-yi is simple: she must be sent somewhere safe. Naksu? That’s harder. He loves her — and So-yi knows it. She can endure that, as long as Jinyowon will heal him. Ho-gyeong thinks it’s possible; she’ll strike a deal provided Naksu remains alive. But we’re talking about a man who once struggled to lie about an ink stone. Now? With a flare of power, he burns the bird whistle in his hand. It is time, he decides, for him to die — and with him, Naksu.
Oblivious, Bu-yeon plots a trip to Danhyanggok, where perhaps the tree will provide answers. Yul agrees to take her — proving unexpectedly problematic for Wook. He is absolutely in no way jealous. It’s just that Yul is his friend! He can’t be Bu-yeon’s friend too! That’s — uh, impossible! For reasons! She can’t be friends with his friend; that’d make them friends too. How can someone who hugs him and puts him to bed be just a friend? Once this staggering display of logic sinks in, the two just… stare at each other. There’s not much you can follow that up with. (Well, besides, “marry me.” But, they’ve done that already.)
As for So-yi — she refuses to flee Daeho until Yul’s safe. Unfortunately, she’s ambushed by Mu’s men. She’s always been stoic in the face of danger. It’s only when they reach for Yul’s umbrella that she screams. Moments later, Yul comes bursting in to her defense, sword blazing with magic — that swiftly sputters out. The worm has devoured too much of him. So-yi regains consciousness in time to stab his attacker, but she’s flung against the wall, hard. Summoning impossible reserves of strength, Yul rushes in to shield her. It’s too late. As she fades away in his arms, she recalls how Yul once made her world seem clean and bright.
Yul rises — and stumbles. He’s sweating, shaking, and surrounded. But as Mu’s men prepare to strike, they are blasted away by a wave of force. Out of the chaos strides Wook, catching Yul before he falls. Yul meets his eyes, breathes out an apology — and collapses. As Wook straightens, cold-eyed, his lips curl into a snarl. Not a single person, he says, will walk out of here alive.
Okay, I’ll admit it: normally, I love this show so much that I struggle to criticize it, but I’m mad that they killed off So-yi. What a waste! I loved that she was the mirror image of Naksu: a formidable woman with rather malleable morality, but a whole lot of style. Both were manipulated by Jin Mu; both lost a little of themselves in the process; both fought to redefine themselves after. (Needless to say, I still love this show so much.) As for Yul? I’ll believe he’s gone when I see it. They didn’t foreshadow that worm-cure for nothing. Still, watching him studiously prepare to die, letters and all, was painful beyond words.
As for our leads — I love that they realize Bu-yeon needs to learn who she is, independent of Naksu. I love that this season focuses on our heroes’ identities. The wider plot is engaging, but it often slips from focus — it’s more about Wook’s process of choosing to engage with it at all. It’s also — to borrow this show’s favorite metaphor — about the bridges between Bu-yeon, Mu-deok, and Naksu. Every episode highlights what our heroine shares with past iterations of herself: the stubborn, chicken-loving, fast-talking, dramatic commonalities that illustrate who she is at heart. Wook, too, is struggling to bridge the gap between who he used to be, what he’s destined to become, and what grief has turned him into. One thing’s for certain: the two will meet in the middle, because they have always helped each other find clarity. It is such a love story, and I cannot wait to watch it progress.