13, 14, these two episodes make me cry sooooo good it is to me what I could visual watching cutest puppies masterfully peeling onions layer by layer most beautifully, evoking lucid, languid, flourishing poetry. I will remember, 1314, 一生一世 life on earth. Forever.
I can savor every aspect of drama, one is how artfully articulate our characters are with their speech and action, crafted from painstaking thoughts. Not fancy, at times not exactly eloquent, but every word they utter is a morsel befitting of thoughtfulness, feelings and expression. I love how RO is giving her all as a masterful romance writer, engraving her heart fondly, tenderly in a most lyrical goodbye.
He is waiting, he doesn’t know.
Her Mother tenderly urging RO not to blame her Father, he just wants a better world for you, like someone. RO tugs that haunt in Mom’s heart Dad died, gone forever, without a word. Mom would never wish that suffering on anyone, not on Prince because of RO. We said time flows awaiting no one, naturally like a river… tears too.
I will forgive you since you come back to me safely.
He said, he means it…even if she allows only her fingers, gripping onto his robe, to love him back, later on.
She said she took up all posts around him for the next few days. It must’ve been mind-numbingly sweet, easing his mind effectively. She holds his hand in hers, she asks for permission to never be a step away from him, to lean on his back (lest she can’t hold in the tears front, it must be), his eyes off his books but on her all the time, today.
Because I could not see you for days. For forever.
You do not have to ask permission…to kiss me. I will do anything for you. Anything.
He would’ve never guessed he gave her the permission…to leave him without a word later.
She wants to, inscribing him every word she wants to tell him, their fairytale as she is about to vanish. She wants to love him all in a night in place of loving him day by day forever. Reliving him hugging her from the back, she must be begging him to relinquish his words not granting anyone, anything the permission to rob her her joy…rob him his Joy.
She extends a friendly hand of gratefulness to YS, for herself and her gratitude for saving Prince, as a farewell. Prince is doing exactly the same, a man of his words, never more than a few steps from her.
Prince apologizes wholeheartedly to YS for complicating their friendship, holding on reservations against YS as a Kim, thus distancing them. He thanks him gratefully for saving his life(…and hers). It must be nice to gain a friend back who genuinely cares about him, but without RO’s pouring of reassuring love, this day, he might not have the peace and clarity of mind. He gives YS his gracious respect, as his worthy adversary ‘at war’ for RO’s affection, so YS could take the defect after exhausting all, sure he has the upper-hand, no, way more, he owns her affection.
I am very pathetic, am I? -No, Miss, you are the perfect match for His Highness.
I feel like we are friends. Can I see you often and talk?
Under a flawless front, RO must have wavered, lapsing how leaving Yeong is impossibly excruciating, as she paints tenderly every stroke the sweetest goodbye for him without burdening him the blow. Her heart to heart conversation with HaYeon must have given her strength to soldier on, this day. HY confides in RO as a friend, about to take the leap into a desolate solitude keeping her affection to herself, unrequited loving, politically helping Prince by his side. The slimmest fatchance of proximity will make a heart fonder is worthy for her gambling life’s happiness, when the harsh adage is distance makes the heart already in love fonder. But love, facing forever apart, is more pathetic, to RO this moment. Harsher reality is how this bombards RO HaYeon is the perfect match for Prince in every way, opposite of her. The irony they are true alter-ego, both of them pathetically in love with Prince, one with all his affection but can never be. HY genuinely asks RO if she could meet with her and talk and lean on when her future is bound to be more difficult than she could imagine. Hers as well, a life saving last straw, must be crossing RO’s mind, if ever she misses Prince too terribly, she can hear about him from HY. She cracks an opening for HY and she ceases the opportunity marvelously to propose a mutually beneficial deal in a political marriage Prince is no longer shutting his ears completely, with her Dad Minster Jo taking up a provoking position against Kim Clan in court.
I love the intricate editing of juxtaposing of everything in these perfectly framed scenes, Prince and HY in their finest prisons, RO and YS on an open green meadow, looking back at the palace, so close, yet so far. These panacea sacrificed by the secondary leads, like safety blankets for the OTP, dulling/distracting the painful blows so they could somehow tread on with broken hearts (and ours) later on. The escalating lyrical scales as if of sorrowful hope, doomed by ebb and flow of strings of heartbreak are excellent accompaniment.
Please pretend you do not know, Sir.
YS urging, thus revealing he knows too much about her, is the last straw. His sweetest, honorable affection is never unnoticed and his involvement with her is putting him in more harm’s way than she can bear the guilt.
I did not expect the simple game of three birds in one stone would evolve into an intricate jenga of wits, where every detail, every information earned by each party is handled with care. A misstep by KimClowns reveal more evidence to Prince this is against WhiteCloud vocation, by catching the lone hitman left, solid evidence of more at play for Prince advantage, is twisted by the dirtyhands to further framing WhiteCloud, and more so the legacy of Hong the murderous rebel and the trump card, his living heir, a daughter infiltrating the court. But it is mastered most brilliantly by MastermindKimHan, leaving no playable card not in his cunning hands, killing the bribed hitman before he releases RO’s name, not even an eyelash blinking with a sword on his throat. The lurid threat on Prince’s authority (and sanity if RaOn’s name is uttered from KimClan is not left unnoticed by his tender soulmate BY. Even with Prince’s irkings on BY’s connection with WhiteCloudClan, he is still his most trusted friend.
I have new respect for PBG, morphing shape of his eyes to a stark almond shape. A feast.
To Kimclan, She is most valuable if only they could capture her first, no need to let out their next move. Even with a gesture of goodbye to Eunuch Jang, her gossiping buddies true to color put the final dagger letting it falls on RO’s devastated ears she is freshly framed as the mole ‘Hong rebel’s daughter’ perpetrator of Prince’s assassination.
It is again writer’s obsessive cohesiveness OldFoxKim would of course followup on RO’s investigation. If KimHan did not rouse Prince with executing such crucial witness, and more so a citizen under his rule (even when fighting rotten criminals, in the fury of rescuing RO fr Qing ambassadorperv, he uses the handle to knock off attacks, never the blade):
thus Prince may not gather another persuasion on assuaging marriage deal with HY. If KimHan did not save RO’s name to rattle King more, covering his minion’s tracks, then Eunuch Han/WhiteCloud/BY would not have the crunch for RO leaving the palace the night.
If KimHan did not have to make a direct point to his minions how valuable the RO card is to not be wasted, YS would not brainmesh with BY, on highest alert when the best capable gat!BY is as desperate asking for his help. Their lovely bonding last episode colors natural progressing gravity, brevity on the hotties joining brains and brawns plotting RO’s escape for her and for their friend, Prince.
I am asking you for a favor, as friends. You have dissuaded from your clan before, do it again, for that girl (and our Prince).
Even the steadfast patience withholding a predictable even if crucial plot point of RO’s reveal is perused so fluidly, congruently tying up every single plot and character, flowing along as if most naturally downstream of a soothing, lamenting river of heartbreaks.
I can not love the intimacy, her kiss more. I can not, while crying my eyes out it is too heartbreaking, crazy romantic and beautiful. RO pulls out all the stops professing all her heart, she is going to stare at him lovingly entire night, she asks her heart’s contentment for him to reconfirm they are fated together. He must be so happy and contented falling asleep basking in love but she tops it with a kiss sweet and tender, the first she initiates, she loves him so. His body is beyond exhausted yet his eyes open taking in the loveliest moment, must be like in the middle of a sweetest dream, an involuntary smile, her fingers lingering all over his face. She hopes he will never forget this most precious moment like her, their last. My most precious even pull out existential poetry how every instance, every mundane (and not! this is ridiculously romantic) is most precious because it is gone forever after it happens, every moment is a last.
If I thought the smile, taking in the moment to remember such joy and relief she loves him back at his confession that kiss is one of the most memorable little nuances this drama keeps gifting me, KYJ’s slight tilting of her head as of trying to buoy her inner tears from spilling out while braving the smile, registering the finality, a point of no return this is the last moment before Prince falls so contently asleep with not a worry for them in front of her, her choice of the most precious moment she will engrave in her heart forever.
He touches her cheek, his favorite gesture, smiling at her like always.
She imitates him, layering on this memory. Every hair by his ear, at the end of his brow, her most precious.
That deafening silence before the deafening brings out the hives of despair in me. I am lost for words how brilliant it is PBG’s perfect hollowed out face is blurred the very last instant, a collapsing. This is how, a beautiful world, like a fairy tale implode, done perfectly delivering a most effective punch into gut, I witnessed. A midsummer downpour, tears from heaven falling on his gilded dragon, his spot reserved for her to lean on.
真夏の通り雨/Midsummer Rain Showers
Waking up in the midst of a dream
Closing my eyelids, yet unable to return
A world that was until seconds ago so lucid, now only hallucinations.
Sweatsoaked, you softly embraced me
So many of my firsts, you took to heart so deeply
When I reach my hand out to a young swaying leaf
And my thoughts travel to you
When will I no longer feel this sadness?
Won’t you tell me, please
Today, it’s not as though I am alone
And I’d say that I’m pretty content
Telling people that this is how it’s supposed to be
Out of breath from a war I could not win
Endless days, burned, trying to extend you my love
If I forget these things, I will no longer be me
Won’t you teach me please, the proper way of saying goodbye
When I reach my hand out to someone
And my thoughts travel to you
There are so many things I want to ask you now
Overflowing, overflowing
The trees sprout, the months and days continue on
I want for you to understand my never-changing feelings
There’s a freedom in becoming free
The shadow cast, ever still, of those who must do the send off
These memories unexpectedly grab a hold of me, violently, and won’t let me go
I love you, still so deeply
It will never let up, this midsummer rain shower
Waking up in the midst of a dream
Closing my eyelids, yet unable to return
I want to visit the future where seconds ago you were still with me
And from there: Tomorrow.
The rain that will never end, that will never end
This drought that will never heal, that will never heal
mookie 