A N

So
- He didn’t know she was a woman. And he was perfectly fine being attracted to her. Nice! The way he was sniffing Sanghwa to confirm his suspicions 😂😂
- MongWoo’s father seems to be alive? Is that who’s sending all those letters?
- The uncle is one diabolical dude. Also the court lady. God forbid they now team up to get rid of MongWoo!!
- MyungHa seems to have reached a conclusion of sorts. I like his friend btw. Seems like a decent fellow.
- Besotted Lee In is so full of life. Love his confidence and panache lol
- MongWoo did Lee In dirty by kissing him. She’s either going on the journey until the end (as per the courtesan’s advice) OR manipulating him using his weakness.
- I love the queen with the prince. Such a lovely relationship.

Lee In! I expect great things from you eh! Do not disappoint me by thinking with your little head and getting all emotional and dropping the ball now when you’re ahead!!!!

Could you explain a bit more about the letters? I did not get them - who is writing them? Is it the FL’s father who is in Qing still perhaps? And what do they signify??

Gah! He gives me chills!!! His eyes and the whole breathless way he speaks anytime he’s overcome with emotion but needs to tamp it down 🥹🥹🥹

🤣 This is such a k-drama-y ad placement!!!!!! That too in the middle of such a serious situation

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

When his brother was dying, he said “there is only one person who can benefit from my death” - who was he referring to, do you know? Seems like Lee In got the gist of what his brother was saying the way he ran out in a daze looking lost and betrayed/disappointed? He seemed to have made up his mind to play the game of taking up the throne immediately after that

In a way I appreciate this evident difference in their screen presence (for lack of a better term) as it also emphasizes the power difference between them I think. ML is so bloody intense and king-ly like a pouncing tiger while she looks like the poor deer about to be caught. She’s quite petite and delicate in her manly garb and although the height difference between them isn’t much, the intensity certainly is!

I think for me it’s his acting. His facial expressions and mannerisms are a bit too excessive and exaggerated for my liking. Top of that, he’s not a pleasant character either lol

I think there’s more to the punishment situation. About getting her revenge, she feels betrayed by him cos he promised her he would come back and save her but when he did come back as the king, he threw her away and with her, some very innocent people, under the pretext of some very damning false accusations. She now thinks he’s become king through vile means by sacrificing the nation’s people. It’s all a bit confusing to her too I guess cos she knows he didn’t play a part in her father’s exile and also has hopes he is still a good person from what she knows of him from before.

Yes I agree he’s not completely in love yet..and I think he would have eventually gone on with his life had she not turned up again even though something tells me he wouldn’t have forgotten her. But now that he’s found her again, I get the feeling that he’s going to do whatever it takes to not repeat his past mistakes 😀

Yup, I got that was what he meant 😊 Which is also why I said I feel for him. Must have taken him aback to think MongWoo would still want his help, even though he knows he did her dirty. She was smart in saying that cos he is now bound to his word and will make sure she’s safe from all the other players

I wonder if it’s perhaps an affection that comes from a place of having found someone Yi In can just be himself with. His introduction to MongWoo was when she defended his stay in Qing and that sort of sealed the deal for him. When people were calling him a traitor and doubting his intentions (including his own brother) here is this fellow, who also indulges in one of Yi In’s most favorite activities, staunchly defending him with stuff that he was actually pretty sensitive about! How could he not…fall in love 😃

“Do you still expect my help?” 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 I feel for the guy, I honestly do! Imagine not being able to breathe in peace (that yucky court lady wanting access to his sacred space gah!), having to think 20-30 steps ahead of whoever is around you and make sure innocent people are not harmed in the middle of all this. I hope he doesn’t go insane!

Loving the tense conversations between him and Mong Woo! He trusts Mong Woo but knows he cannot let his guard down with him/her cos of all the complicated relationships and situations surrounding him. I appreciated him just going straight for the jugular in their first proper meeting and laying out all his cards on the table. He knows what Mong Woo wants and I wouldn’t be surprised if he dies with a smile on his face if Mong Woo sticks a sword in his heart.

Truly!! The way he was so conflicted about having to kill Kim Jong Bae. Practically begged him to admit to treason so that he could be spared…

Just rewatching Ep 4 and I see how calculating Lee In was! He told his uncle the king was poisoned (presumably to feel him out cos he knows the uncle would have something to do with it), said he would finally accept his fate of taking the throne and then, went to speak to the court lady under the pretext of washing his brother’s blood off his hands. How he had the clarity to think through things so thoroughly at that time boggles the mind!

Juicy juicy (sings Seventeen) 😏

Sorry! It’s something my daughter does and I picked up the habit from her 😂😂

Mong Woo wasn’t ever raised in the cut throat world that Lee In (and the others) was. Even her father preferred to keep the peace than engage in power plays and games. So I think no matter how prepared she THiNkS she is to take revenge and get all down and dirty and bloody, reality hit her when she saw Lee In and with it, came all the previous emotions she had for him (or maybe even still does going by how she seems to have her doubts about him).

Wah! Also the court lady being all suspicious and wondering what he saw in the scroll…..she really intrigues me. What exactly is her end game is what I am curious about. I read a previous comment saying she is in love with Lee In. Hmmm

What the fish biscuits?!?? Female love line? 😭😭😭😭 The whole relationship is the crux of the story so how can they make ErHa without..ErHA?!

It was a very calculated visit eh. The way he changed course after leaving the baduk game scene

Hmm! True. I think maybe somewhere deep down she’s still holding on to her judgement of him from 3 years ago and believes he cannot go corrupt