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Moonlight Drawn By Clouds: Episode 4

Aaahhh, it’s getting so good! This show has such a lovely way with emotion, and setting, and tone. It’s a simple narrative that’s smartly directed, so that we’re made to feel every nervous pitter-patter of budding attraction, or heartache filled with yearning, and I just get swept away in what the characters are feeling in every moment. I just didn’t expect to be crying while watching a youth sageuk, but hey, if you can take me there, you’re welcome to have all of my tears! And laughter. And high-pitched girly squeals.

It turns out that yesterday’s ratings boost wasn’t a fluke: Moonlight Drawn By Clouds stayed on top in its timeslot with 16.4% ratings today, after doubling its numbers from premiere week. I’m actually surprised at the jump, but I’m glad for the show’s success. Monster came in at 10.8%, and Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo brought in 7.0%.

 

 
EPISODE 4: “After the play ends”

The king’s eyes well up with proud tears as Crown Prince Yeong accepts the order to become the prince regent. The king begins to declare that he will give the prince full regency to govern in his place, but wily Prime Minister Kim cuts him off to warn that this is a matter of diplomacy that will involve China, because they are a sovereign state, and acting rashly could lead to war.

The king balls up his fists angrily and looks to his son, not knowing what to do. Yeong smoothly responds by praising Prime Minister Kim for thinking ahead, when Yeong was simply looking to help ease his father’s burdens.

Yeong points out that an ambassador is due to attend the king’s birthday celebration soon, and he asks for the king to delay the order until he’s able to gain approval from the ambassador. Smart boy. The ministers can do nothing but agree.

Afterwards, Yeong reads in his private library when Ra-on gets reassigned to the prince’s palace and arrives with books. She chides Flower Scholar for hanging out in here and urges him to come out with her before they both get caught by the prince, and Yeong finally makes the decision to reveal himself to her.

He steps out from behind the bookshelves and mentions that she asked him his name once. “It’s Yi Yeong,” he says with a smile, “my name.” Ra-on looks him up and down and her eyes bug out… and then she breaks into a giant guffaw. Ha, she’s totally laughing in his face!

She touches his dragon robes wondering what he’s thinking playing a prank like this, especially in a place where only the crown prince can enter… As soon as she says the words, the light bulb fiiiinally clicks on in her head, and he just waits patiently for her to catch up.

At last, Ra-on seems to understand that Flower Scholar and the crown prince are one and the same, and she drops to her knees, begging for him to kill her. He asks if she means it, so then she changes her plea to, “Save me!”

She doesn’t dare lift her head to meet his eyes, so he stoops down to put her hat back on and lifts her head up to look at him in the process. He asks, “Kill you, or save you—are those my only two options… even though we’re friends?”

Ra-on lifts her head in surprise, and Yeong points out that she’s the one who said they were friends. “So what would we be, if not friends?” he asks with a knowing grin.

But apparently Ra-on only hears that as a threat, because later that night she tells the story to Byung-yeon, repeating the prince’s friendly words with a completely different inflection. She recalls all the terrible things she said about the crown prince in Yeong’s presence, and rams her head into a post repeatedly.

Byung-yeon tells her to stop or she’ll hurt the pillar (aw). Suddenly Ra-on becomes suspicious of everyone and asks if Byung-yeon isn’t hiding his identity too, and though he says no, something about his reaction makes her wonder.

The next morning, Ra-on practices her morning greeting to the prince over and over, as her funny sunbae Eunuch Jang coaches her on how to deal with the prince’s crabbiness in the mornings.

Eunuch Jang is ever so pleased to get a rookie eunuch who seems suited for this palace, which is why his face falls when Ra-on asks to be transferred anywhere else. He takes it personally, thinking this is about him not being a likable boss, but Ra-on swears that it’s not that. “Then is it me?” the prince asks, popping his head out of the room.

Ra-on cringes, and next thing she knows, she’s dressing the prince all by herself. Yeong keeps glaring at her and demands to know why she asked to be transferred anywhere but here, and she deflects.

I can hardly pay attention to what they’re saying because she’s basically manhandling him to get all his clothes on. I love that he sticks his arms out like he’s waiting for a hug, even though he’s just waiting for his belt.

Ra-on says it wouldn’t be proper behavior to ask to be transferred, and Yeong asks if getting drunk and biting him is proper behavior then. Chastised, she says that he has every right to punish her for all her actions. He asks if she regrets getting close to him, and Ra-on says yes, she does.

Yeong sticks his face in hers and pinpoints the problem—she’s mad at him. Ra-on stammers that if he’d just told her the truth from the start, she’d never have dared to become his friend. He counters that that was his reason for not telling her, because he knew she’d react that way if she knew he were the crown prince, and he even apologizes for not telling her sooner. Awww.

She asks if he’s not intending to punish her, and he says, “When it’s just the two of us, you can treat me as a friend.” And then on second thought, he revises it into an order and commands it. Well that’s just cute.

She’s so stunned that she just stares at him, and he has to remind her to keep doing her job. She goes for the hat next, and has to stand on her tippy toes to put it on his head, and he hilariously stands up as tall as he possibly can, and then stands in HIS tippy toes, just to make it harder for her. Pwahaha, I luff him.

She barely manages to place the hat on his head at a jaunty angle, and then falls into his chest on the way down. She pulls away hurriedly, but then she breaks into a little grin when she notices how funny he looks, and he smiles back at her.

Prime Minister Kim asks his grandson Yoon-sung what he knows about this Chinese ambassador who’s on his way, and Yoon-sung relays the rumors that the ambassador is interested in lining his own pockets.

Prime Minister Kim devises a plan to make Yeong dig his own grave, and his crony Minister Kim agrees that starting a fight between the hotheaded crown prince and a corrupt ambassador ought to be easy. Yoon-sung overhears their plans on his way out.

Yeong asks Ra-on if she misses life outside the palace, and she sighs that she misses the activity of the bustling marketplace, and the steam of freshly made rice cakes in the street. Yeong eagerly offers to grant her wishes and take her outside the palace, and she lights up with excitement.

But then in the same breath, her smile turns into a scowl and she says that Eunuch Jang already warned her not to fall for this. Hee. She tells him that she was told repeatedly not to ever follow him outside the palace or let him out of her sight. Yeong pouts and then immediately fakes a stomachache, but Ra-on doesn’t fall for that either.

Yeong stomps off to the library in a snit and tasks Ra-on with finding a book for him. She scours every shelf but can’t find it, and asks him to remember the title to help her out. But when he turns around to face her, it’s her wisecracking classmate Park Sung-yeol, wearing the prince’s robes.

Sung-yeol says, “When it’s just the two of us, you can treat me as a friend,” not even knowing what it means. Apparently Yeong told him to say that (lol), and Sung-yeol continues cracking jokes, which just makes Ra-on tackle him in retaliation.

Eunuch Sung complains about being short-staffed with all of the preparations for the king’s birthday celebration, but he’s only too happy to be accommodating to Yoon-sung when he comes by, and offers to give him a helper for the day. Yoon-sung declines at first, but smiles when he sees that it’s Ra-on.

Yeong and Byung-yeon head into town and seek out a man staying at an inn, which has reportedly been this man’s home since returning from exile. The innkeeper guesses right away that they’re here to see TEACHER DASAN (Ahn Nae-sang). Oh, as in, Dasan Jeong Yak-yong? (Jeong Yak-yong was one of Joseon’s great philosophers who was an advisor to King Jeongjo, aka Yeong’s grandfather, and he went by the penname Dasan.)

The innkeeper says that he’s out back having a dogfight, so they go around to the back, where the great modern thinker of their time… is on his hands and knees barking drunkenly at a dog, like they’re having a fight. Oh no.

Meanwhile, Ra-on has come out to the marketplace after all, to help Yoon-sung with his errand at the dressmaker’s shop. She walks past the rows of colorful fabrics with wonder, and stops in front of a beautiful young lady’s hanbok hanging on the wall.

She touches it with a wistful look, and the memory of her mother scolding her for dressing like a girl fills her eyes with tears. Yoon-sung catches her in the moment and even notices the tears, but as always, he pretends not to notice and changes the subject. They head out, but Yoon-sung turns back to ask the dressmaker about the hanbok that caught Ra-on’s eye. Aw, are you going to do something swoony?

Teacher Dasan finally sleeps off the alcohol and wakes up in his right mind, and he greets Yeong indifferently, until he gets a good long look at his face. Recognition seems to dawn.

There’s a sudden rain shower as Yoon-sung and Ra-on head back, and he takes her by the hand as they run through the rain and reach shelter. He sees that she’s drenched and offers her the hanbok he just bought—the one Ra-on was so taken with in the shop.

He tells her to just use it to shield herself from the rain, but she points out that he bought it for someone important. He says he did, but he doesn’t think it’s the right time to give it to her, and he plans to hold onto the hanbok until this person is ready to accept his gift happily.

When Ra-on still refuses to borrow it, Yoon-sung places it over her head, and even he seems a little taken aback when she turns to face him, looking like a beautiful young lady. He offers to go out in search of an umbrella, leaving Ra-on alone.

A moment later, Yeong runs up right next to her, also seeking shelter from the rain. For a while they stand side by side not even knowing that anyone else is there, both lost in their own thoughts.

Yeong sticks his hand out to feel the raindrops, which brings him back to a memory of his mother, who had done the same when he was a child. She took off her socks and shoes and stepped out into the pouring rain, and Little Yeong was shocked, asking how a queen could just walk in the rain without any preparation.

But his mother asked if it was written anywhere that a queen and a prince couldn’t walk barefoot in the rain, and had encouraged him to be spontaneous and seize this opportunity. So he took off his socks and shoes and joined his mother, who taught him to dance barefoot in the rain. Okay seriously, why does this show keep making me cry?

In the present, Yeong’s eyes fill with tears at the memory, and he finally notices that someone is beside him when Ra-on sticks her hand out to feel the rain, just like his mother once did. He can’t see her face, but a moment later, Ra-on turns and sees him, and her jaw drops.

She tries to sneak away before he notices her, but he thinks she’s just a random young lady and suggests waiting it out, since it’ll be a short rain shower. Yeong says that being rained on is brief, but the aftereffects can be long, clearly still thinking about his mother.

He asks it as a question and Ra-on answers in agreement, but the second she says something, Yeong turns sharp eyes on her. Eep! Did he recognize her voice? He starts to approach her… but Yoon-sung returns and steps right in between them.

When Yoon-sung makes it clear that the lady is with him, Yeong asks if she’s from the palace and asks her to lift her head. But Yoon-sung blocks his view and says, “She’s my woman,” and Yeong stops probing immediately, and even offers to leave them alone. He adds that the lady needn’t be so frightened of him, like she’s seen a goblin.

When the coast is clear, Yoon-sung gives Ra-on a little smile, and she looks relieved.

That night, Yeong stays up late mulling over his meeting earlier that day with Teacher Dasan, who had pointed out incisively that Yeong was looking to be seen as a diplomatic equal to China, when in reality he and the king couldn’t even control their own prime minister.

Teacher Dasan’s solution was simple: cut off the prime minister’s head. Yeong was disappointed, and said that he would’ve sought out an assassin rather than wasting his time with Teacher Dasan if he thought that murdering his political opponent were the solution.

But when he turned to go, Teacher Dasan had called out after him that they needn’t always shed blood: “Why would you need poison when you could kill with sweet honey?”

In the present, Yeong ponders those words and suddenly gets an idea. He heads to the room where all the musical instruments are kept, and thinks to himself that if he can bring them to their knees with song and dance, he needn’t use his sword at all.

Goodness knows what he’s thinking, because the next day, lines of gisaengs enter the palace, throwing everyone from guards to ministers into a tizzy. Yeong tells the gisaengs that they’ll be performing a dance, and hands out sheets of choreography. He orders Ra-on to stick to his side ’round the clock as they prepare for the king’s celebration.

Ra-on literally clips at his heels like a puppy in tow, bumping into him as she records all the dancers’ steps. Yeong steals little glances at her, smiling whenever she isn’t looking at him.

Yeong is a bit of a dance tyrant, and he nearly runs the gisaengs into the ground with his militant rehearsals. He’s about to lose his temper when he catches Ra-on shaking her head at him as a signal to stop being a meanie, and he even helps a gisaeng up and comforts her at Ra-on’s prodding. Look who’s the puppy now.

From the distance though, it just looks like Yeong is making time with gisaengs, and the queen smirks in disapproval. She tells Minister Kim that her father can rest assured that the Chinese ambassador will witness something special.

Ra-on asks Yeong what happens after the dance, when he told everyone to stand still and count to fifty. He says she’ll find out then, because that’s when the real show starts. He doesn’t believe Ra-on at first when she says she’s recording the dance choreography like he asked, because she’s not copying the original text and she’s only seen it performed once.

She insists that she only needs to see a dance once to know it, which must be because of her time spent in the performance troupe. Yeong is amazed to see that she really does recall every step, but by the time he’s done checking it, she’s fallen asleep at her desk. He just smiles at her.

Ra-on stirs awake the next morning, and is beyond horrified when she wakes up in the prince’s bed. Worse yet, Yeong is slumped over his desk in front of her. Aw, you let her sleep in your bed and you took the desk?

She scrambles to get out of there and stoops down to pick up her hat, but when she gets close to Yeong’s face, she can’t help but stare, captivated by his features. She smiles, taking her sweet time to stare, but the moment is interrupted when Eunuch Jang arrives outside to wake the prince.

Ra-on is so startled that she hiccups, and Eunuch Jang wonders if that’s some kind of new signal from the prince. She’s got nowhere to hide and possibly the slowest reaction time in all of history, and just ducks down as Eunuch Jang opens the doors…

But just in time, Yeong calls out for Eunuch Jang to come back later because he’s going to sleep some more. Crisis averted!

Yeong slowly opens his eyes and smiles the most adorable languid smile ever. He musses Ra-on’s hair, muttering that a man shouldn’t scare so easily. That just starts her hiccups all over again.

Ra-on gets awkward and shifty when she runs into Byung-yeon in the morning, and rattles off a string of excuses about how Flower Prince tooootally worked her all night, uh-huh, which is why she didn’t come home. She swears that it’s true, and Byung-yeon points out drily that he never asked, heh.

Byung-yeon tells her to be as helpful as she can to the prince, because there are many who are looking to tear him down if anything goes wrong at the king’s birthday celebration. This is news to Ra-on, but she takes it seriously when Byung-yeon says that people are just circling to attack and rip him to pieces.

The Chinese ambassador arrives, and the king’s massive celebration begins that night. Yeong’s dance performance is coming up next, but the lead gisaeng looks troubled in the dressing room, and she flashes back to being threatened by the queen to disappear just before showtime, or have her family killed. Really? This is your Big Plan?

Ra-on discovers that the lead dancer has gone missing, and Eunuch Jang and Yoon-sung help search for her. The other gisaengs squeal when Ra-on bursts into the dressing room, and tease her for wanting a peek. They note that the lead dancer was here earlier, but she’s gone, and her costume has been left behind.

Ra-on grabs the hanbok and goes into the back room, thinking about how much preparation Yeong has put into this performance, and Byung-yeon’s warning that people were waiting for their chance to tear him down. She looks in the mirror and makes a decision.

She puts on the dress and lets her hair down, and even puts makeup on. But what she doesn’t notice is that someone is watching her from the shadows. Eep! It’s Eunuch Ma, and he runs off in a hurry after witnessing Ra-on’s transformation.

Yeong is belatedly told about the missing dancer and starts to panic, and at the same time, Prime Minister Kim enjoys telling the ambassador that the prince seems to have run into some trouble with his birthday gift for the king. I still fail to see how this is a measure of his ability to govern a nation, but whatever, we’re going with it.

Just when it seems that the performance won’t happen, a dancer appears on the stage below. It’s Ra-on, wearing a mask over her face, and she dances beautifully, not a step out of place. Both Yeong and Yoon-sung stare closely, but only Yoon-sung seems to know for certain that it’s Ra-on. Yeong is utterly mesmerized by her, and can’t seem to look away.

The routine turns out to be inspired by his mother’s rain dance, and Ra-on kicks the water in the little moat that encircles her on the stage, which transports Yeong back to that field in his mind.

Only this time, it’s the dancer standing there with him instead of his mother, and she reaches out a hand to him, with the saddest look in her eyes. His own eyes fill with tears as he reaches out to take her hand, but they never make contact, and she remains just out of reach.

The vision fades into the stage as Yeong watches the dance, filled with emotion. He cranes his neck to keep his eyes on Ra-on as she’s surrounded by the other dancers, but then he’s brought back to attention because it’s time for the grand finale. Yeong takes a scroll and steps forward to read a congratulatory message to the king.

Everyone stands, and Yeong says that he can’t help but be pleased that everything went well for the celebration. He announces that there will be a reading, representative of the people’s devotion to the king, and then calls forth Prime Minister Kim to do the honors. OH. Ohhhhhhhhh.

The air is filled with tension, and everyone—even the king himself—is shocked that anyone would dare order Prime Minister Kim to do something like this. But literally all eyes are on him, and Prime Minister Kim has no choice but to step forward, or look willfully traitorous.

In voiceover, we hear Yeong tell Ra-on that after the dance is when the real show would begin. She asked who would star in that performance, and he told her, “Someone… a clown who doesn’t know in his wildest dreams that he’s about to make an appearance.”

Prime Minister Kim opens the scroll and glowers, but he’s forced to press on and read the flowery message, which honors the birth of their king, and declares his people’s devoted allegiance and gratitude to their almighty ruler, asking him to live a long life. Then he raises a toast and leads everyone in a reverent bow down on his knees, as Yeong looks down at him with a satisfied smirk.

It’s awesome, and the ministers know they’ve been outsmarted, because the Chinese ambassador has just witnessed firsthand the extent of the king’s power over his people, and will get approval for whatever he wants.

Ra-on uses that moment to slip away before she gets caught, but as soon as the celebration is over, Yeong is hot on her heels in search of the mysterious dancer, wondering who she could be.

She’s still barefoot and cuts her foot while running away, and she pauses for a moment, thinking that she’s in the clear. But Yeong spots her from behind and begins to approach, and she doesn’t realize that he’s getting closer and closer… Eeeee!

He’s seconds away from spotting her, when suddenly a hand yanks her around a corner. It’s Yoon-sung, of course, and he pulls her into the bushes. Ra-on’s eyes turn to saucers, but Yoon-sung shushes her just as Yeong rounds the corner and looks in their direction.

 
COMMENTS

Omo, things got really exciting today. I really like this little dance we’re doing with the prince alllmost finding out that Ra-on is a woman but pulling back at every turn, because it satisfies both of my cravings—for him to know, and for him not to know. Because despite wanting to see his reaction, I love their current dynamic as friends too much to rush this, and I don’t want to ruin all the confusing feelings and the slow build towards romance. In a story like this, the tease is exactly what I want, which is why I’m so happy that it’s out in full force today, and that the romance ship has officially set sail. And here I thought it was fun when Yeong was teasing her with his secret identity.

Today’s story had an interesting reversal, because initially, I thought the whole dance performance was kind of silly as a secret weapon, and that it was juvenile for the prince to pour so much effort into something so seemingly frivolous. But he pulled one over on us, just like the ministers, because I only looked at the obvious trappings—gisaeng dancers, the ambassador, and even Ra-on’s the-show-must-go-on moment. The dance in and of itself turned out to be a beautiful connection between the two leads, but I felt like it was clunky writing just to get her there in the first place, by telegraphing it with all the big clues that she was the perfect understudy. But THEN, when Yeong brought the prime minister to his knees, I was so proud of him for outsmarting them yet again, and I totally had an AHA-moment when I realized that I had underestimated him too. The dance was always a diversion, meant to make everyone focus on the trappings and miss the big picture. It was such a clever way for him to stay true to his word, and literally bring them to their knees without ever reaching for his sword. I love a smartypants hero!

I’m worried for Ra-on being discovered so quickly by the others, and though we know that Yoon-sung will keep her secret, we don’t know yet whose side Eunuch Ma is on. He seems the straight and narrow type, so I don’t know that he’ll keep quiet about this, though I wonder if he’d do it to save his department, since I assume the head eunuchs would pay for their lives for letting a woman pass their exams? I just don’t want anything to separate the prince-eunuch duo and their adorable antics, because that friendship is the heart of the show and I just want all of their scenes in the palace to go on forever.

The thing that really touched me in this episode was Yeong’s memory of his mother, who is clearly the person he got all of his strength from (’cause he certainly didn’t get it from daddy dearest). The initial memories we’d seen of her were just warm and caring, but this time we saw that she was bold and spontaneous, and lived outside of all the decorum that rules palace life. It was her influence that led to Yeong’s rebellious streak and his blatant disregard for rules, but it also gave him the ability to think in ways that his political opponents could never dream of, and it almost certainly led to him being open-minded enough to befriend a eunuch. Yeong’s emotional reaction when watching Ra-on dance made me think that all he wants in life is to recreate that moment on the hill, when he felt loved, and carefree, and not a prince of a nation, but just a boy.

 
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"If you can kill them with sweet honey, why would you use poison?"

I had nooo idea that sweet honey can kill. Does it mean I might be dead watching these two cute puppies who are as sweet as honey? Hemmm... never thought watching drama could be so dangerous.

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Uhm...maybe what Teacher Dasan said wasn't about killing somebody literally, it's more about killing pride and taking down by using smart and smooth trick. So, the prince would be able to kick the prime minister out of the palace...

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Oh... Of course I didn't take what Teacher Dasan in its literal meaning. I'm just joking here...

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Oh my...I was too serious haha. Nice to meet you...

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It's the sageuk effect hehe. I'm usually on a different mindset when it comes to sageuk. You know, like things have to be politically correct etc that sometimes I missed the simple things that makes it fun.

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Awww... this comment made my day! Thank you! :D

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:) :) :)

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Well, if drawing a webtoon could kill you too, so did watching drama.

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Touchéééééééé

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I suppose we should be glad that the New-Face No Face can only travel within W only and can't travel through dramas too. or our moonlight story may get re-written.

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drama within a drama..

draception...

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if you forget to do other essential things like sleep, eat and breathe while staring at them, yes, you might die

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How could the Prince and his puppy can be so innocent and yet swoony in heating up my laptop screen with their budding romance??!!
I must have rewatched the hat scene and the raining scene more than 3 times...
PDnim, I will hurt you if you ruin this perfect drama !!!

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Between the show and the pre-show music video I am close :P

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I almost forgot to breathe while watching this much cuteness. So I think his statement stands true for me! Just kill us all with all your sweetness and cuteness!
Loved the charming heroine but sorry to say I loved d cavalier-smart-tactful prince above everything else ! 10 on 10 for outsmarting the evil minister!

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I have to agree with this!

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Oh yes, it can kill! With diabetes!
And here we'll all die a little bit inside with moonlight diabetes!

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Actually, yes. You could kill with sweet honey. Especially if your target has uncontrolled diabetes, it doesn't kill as fast as a poison does but it does its job. Eventually. ;P

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I thought of bee or wasps with the sweet honey. they are attracted but end up stuck and drown/suffocate in the honey, or maybe it just means something to Koreans as a folk tale or fable and has no relation to bee at all.

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you can get botulism from honey lol

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I'm... falling for the way he's falling for her...

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Same.

As of this episode, I am officially hooked.

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Nadu, falling fast and hard! ♡♡♡
Never knew I'd love sageuks as like this before, it is my first! Haha!
thanks to Bogummie's boombastic trailer I was so soooo curious by this drama then. Hehe.
Moonlight fighting!! ♡♡♡

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It's somehow looking like all the shows I actually watch and enjoy outside of 1 this year is going to be sageuks. It's like somewhere along the way all the good writers ended up working on historical?

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If you like this one, then check out Sungkyunkwan Scandal. Similar vibe and more cross-dressing!

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Just a min. Wasn't same actor(Ahn) played same character(Dasan) in Sungkyunkwan Scandal?

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@fan

Yes, he is playing the same character here.

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That's why it felt so familiar! Thanks guys :)

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I love that both of bogummy and yj can "speak" through their eyes so the chemistry between them is superb. I love the way bogum see yj and yj see bogum. So much love.

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They are SO GOOD at emoting through their eyes! The dance scene blew me away. Their expressions said it all!

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I never doubted their acting abilities but did not feel their chemistry on episodes 1 and 2. And THEN they turned up the angst on these 2 episodes. The rain scene, dance sequence and how the CP conveyed his sadness missing his mother, and the way he went looking for her after. Bogum and Yoo jung are so spot on with their expressions. I don't know where this drama is taking us, but I'm here for it!

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There's something about PBG's smile that just fills my heart with happiness. I am completely enamored by his performance. I guess I am safe from SLS this time around. And KYJ is so darn adorable that i just want to squish her. Her and CP is such a deadly combination for my heart. Keep it up writer! I will hunt you down if u messed up with my puppies!

Despite loving everything, I am a bit wary with the tell-tale sign of the love triangle/or quadrangle (are we going to see the crown princess next week?) ramping up next week. I screamed bloody murder at yoon-sung at the end of ep 3, even though I really really like (and intrigued by) his character. It's such a complicated feeling. Gah, this is why I am kinda allergic to love triangle/quadrangle or any of its iteration. Just hoping the female second lead will not be a screechy, vicious b*ch. Too many of them already in dramaland. I always find that it's not fair how most male second lead tends to be this awesome perfect men (sometimes almost to a fault), while most female second lead tends to be this almost deranged women scorned by love. I want to have SLS for the female one too! Make it happen drama!

Btw, where the hell is my preview?! *harrumph*

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Oh yes! Especially that look he gave her when he open his eyes from sleep. *Swoon* It's a crime for him to look that good. I would die of swooning if I were Kim Yoo Jung!

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Those were some killer bed eyes. Damn...

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*unintended as it was by him.

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Yes damn. DB should totally make a header of that scene and not change it in a bazillion years

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If they did I'd stalk this website even more than i already do. Not even kidding

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imagine waking up every morning to those eyes..

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LOL! Where's @Michykdrama?? Give me the GIF now so I can play it on my phone tomorrow morning.

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He is Emperor of the Night.

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I agree! Hahahaha, just like Ren in Skip Beat! :D

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Lol you got it ? He is dangerous for young girls heart ?

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PBG is dangerous for noonas too!! Those bedroom eyes are a killer... I read that KYJ didn't realize how handsome PBG is in person that she got so startled by his beauty when she met him the first time!!!??

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Yes! Haha I didn't see your comment but I said the same thing lower down-
id totally be a puddle of melted mush if I were her. Seriously. ?
I might just learn how to gif just to keep that scene and swoon over it.

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If you do share it with me pretty please?

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Lol! Ok if I do I promise to share! ?

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@Jehphg and @stuffed

I actually did it! lol. It took me very long because I'm a techno dino but yeah this is the best I could do. I tried to make it longer but I ran into problems. (tried a few times but I gave up in the end)

I uploaded it on my blog because I wasn't sure how to post it here.

https://mydramalesslife.wordpress.com/2016/08/31/park-bo-gum-my-first-gif/

Enjoy Beanies! *blows kisses*

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OMO! OMO! Thank you so much @michykdrama. To borrow the line from Toy Story.. I am eternally grateful!

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@michykdrama
Nice! Thanks! *downloaded*

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I added one more! haha. It's of the adorable Hat Scene. Seriously these 2 are too cute for words.

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@Michykdrama kamsamnida!!!

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OMG gurll thank you!!!!! May the kdrama gods smile upon you! ?

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@michykdrama, you're the best!!! Thanks for making those gifs, I literally saved them all :D seriously I've love your blog since you did medicaps for Beautiful Mind. It's now bookmarked in my browser! <3

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Thanks Bongsookie! ?

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The way he sleepily opened his eyes reminded me of the taek and deoksun's dream sequence in reply 1988.

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That scene grabs number 1 spot for Sexiest Bedroom Eye from long-contender Eric.

And the way he patted her hair afterwards, gahhhh I can't even.

Also, I realised that I am not tempted even one bit to Second Lead Syndrome because while swoony, their scenes are very cliche, they are using romantic troops that have been recycled in other dramas for so many times that you know what's coming next.

While in this bedroom scene, I was expecting they would go bickering on things like 'how did I get onto the bed' or 'why does my robe got undone' or other typical morning-after scenes, but nope, they steered away from that repetitiveness.

Or like when I thought the next swoony scenes for PBG and KYJ would be a typical scene of 'fun outing outside the palace just being who they are and not prince/eunuch' , they fooled us and make the second lead do this troop.

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Park Bo Gum - antidote for Second Lead Syndrome

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yep, that too. bogummy's screen presence outshines everyone within vicinity.

(even yoon shi yoon in 1n2d, never thought that would be possible)

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Me too.. i love first male lead so much so i didnot have second male syndrome. But maybe i have a little bit third male syndrome, because he is so manly. Lol

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I think she actually said in an interview that she occasionally has trouble concentrating because of how disarmingly handsome Bo Gum is.

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I hope the 2nd female lead bring something good
and since everybody wants their own Lee Young or Young Soong,

just give me God-Byeon Won , okay?

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Deal!!!

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Nope. Sorry, you'll have to share. I want my OTP to be happy. I want my BrOTP to reunited. I'd like the 2nd lead to find someone else. No falling on my side for 1st lead or 2nd because 3rd lead is all I can see. He's freaking Nightcrawler. How can I ignore that?!

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@heol...
heol! T.T
haha... can you let him go....

@purple owl
ah come one... I'll give kangchul to you.. (even though he is not mine either )

anyway did you refer you observation to the "palace become bearable when you like someone" statement?

you make me feel complicated since I love bromance too..
it's hard to compete with Lee Yoong

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Ha. You just proved to me how deep my love of Byung Yeon runs. I don't want Kang Chul instead. Not a good enough replacement ?

I did observe the "palace becomes bearable" comment. 50% want it to be about Yeong, 50% want it to be the (implied) secret he's still hiding from Ra On.

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My guess is that they are gonna skinny-up sister and make her God Byeon Won's love interest. Hm... OR they'll make her Yoon Sung's love interest and they can get married and he can be king like the face reader predicted and Yeong and Ra On can fake their deaths (die young as the face reader predicted) and run away together.

Everyone owes me a cookie when this really happens, btw.

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Yes. Good thing Sungjae said no to the second lead role for this drama. Otherwise, it would be difficult for me. Now, I'm cheering all the way for PBG!

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Agreed! it would be really difficult to watch Sung Jae being heart broken once again. and it would be difficult for my heart too.
I don't really like Taek-ie but I fall for Yi Yeong <3

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OMG! I just finished watching and soon after comes your recap! Life couldn't get any better than this. I'm loving the fact that both of them have spent so much time together. How I wish there's no second female lead in this.

Thanks GF!

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Oh..I forgot to add. I found myself crying along with the CP at all the flashback scenes, especially the one during the dance and I am not usually moved by such scenes. I don't know if it's PBG's doing or if it's the editing that's THAT good..ahh, I'm so emotionally hooked.

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That scene was very touching, I was so emotional! I think it's both plus add Kim Yoo Jung, her sad eyes, I was crying.

This show is really that beautiful it makes you want to cry!

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I just hope second female lead will not be evil and annoying because i don't want this drama turn into makjang. Can we just get happy puppies in each episode.

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IKR! I don't know how I'm gonna handle seeing the CP spending his time with her and not RaOn. Let's hope she's secretly in love with someone else too

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I'm also hoping she's in love with someone else...like Kwak Dong-yeon's character? You can't make him this sexy and then not give him a loveline right?

But seriously tho. I've thought of this as a great pairing since the very first episode so I hope it happens.

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Me too, I read his character discription and it always says he has some "secret" he can't tell anyone and that he has feelings that he can't show.
So maybe....maybe he is secrety in love with second female lead?

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LOL! I wanted to suggest that too but I was afraid Sancheezy and the likes will attest. But they would make a great pairing. Let's hope this will come true!

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This line from episode 3 could allude to a romantic pairing for the secondary characters -Byung yeon adds, “No one likes the palace. It’s only when you come to like someone in the palace that it becomes a livable place.” Unless he was talking about his friendship with the prince.

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I think his secret has to do with his family background. He became a guard and Ra-on dresses as a man for the same reason.

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@stuffed

well I fight you!!!

hahaha . . . . you know I am just joking,

we are in the internet, it another matter if we met in real life, lol

and I agree, it's not bad for god-byeong won to have a love line,

just hope it doesn't end like the JIW in the moon that embracing the sub, both girls gone . . . .

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I got the vibe he might be into the CP. My reasoning? Isn't he the one that states that the palace becomes a home once you like someone? I don't know...although l would prefer him to view CP as just a friend.

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Lol! Someone above me stated a similar theory

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Okay, is it bad that I'm so mesmerized by the OTP that I can't even picture who the second lead female is? Because that is happening here.

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The 2nd female lead hasn't appeared yet. Right?

Wait, did I miss Chae Soo Bin bae?!

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Yes, she is not appear yet. I just hope she is not appear anytime soon if her character is annoying.

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There were so many scenes I absolutely loved in this episode! The tip toe moment had me giggling, the rain scene had me on the edge of my seat, and my favorite (obviously), the dancing scene nuclear bombed me with feels!!!! Park bo gum and Kim yoo jungs chemistry is so good, they're both such talented actors<3

I really think Moonlight deserves the high ratings! They've poured so much love and effort into it, so I'm thrilled they are maintaining a steady success in ratings! Moonlight, FIGHTING!!!!!

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Yes. They deserve the rating. It's so well-directed and filled with talented actors.

I have a little unimportant complain about the dancing scene though. I wish it'd have been presented exactly like in the trailer. As Ra On was stepping to the stage we could hear her footsteps around thrice (if I'm not mistaken) without any BGM. It'd have made the scene more dramatic and impactful.

Apart from that the scene was perfect. Ra On is so mesmerizing.

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Yep, that would have effectively amped the drama of the moment a notch.

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I hope the ratings continue to shoot through the roof because this drama has the crack factor.

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Agree.. it deserves its high rating... PBG broke the reply me curse... yay! Go gummie..~doing bombastic dance~

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Me too.. for me it has better acting, directing, storyline, chemistry, and editing more than it's competitor. And i'm a little mad with other people who cannot appreciate this. Hope the rating will go up and up!

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they deserve it because they deliver the story with intensity and so much feels,

people can still watching because they feel and care about the character

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I think they play the card about him not touching many women for that as reason ,

but I hope he knew it the next week or at least curious or have hints about her,
we also haven't seen chae soo bin character and I kinda feels that she'll bring some more to the story and the plot,

then we also need god-byeong won in action,

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I hope that what Chae Soo-bin ends up bringing isn't a one-dimensional horrible/pathetic female second lead who exists solely to give viewers something to hate compared to cutie Yoo-jung and the boys.

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I think queen filled that spot very effectively... I doubt that they want another.... two baddies is all the show can handle & stay as light rom-com...

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Seriously, that queen and PM. Where's Min when you need one?

(I swear I saw a glimpse of him for a milisecond when Teacher suggest to the Prince to just kill the PM)

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Idk, isn't the actress they casted for the second female lead the same as in Cheer up where she played a horrible biatch? that's not promising :/ I also hope she is not a horrid girl, I want there to be someone for the second male lead - he is such a sweet honey bun.

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She is going to play Yeong's crown princess. There is no way she is going to be with the 2nd lead.

I'm loving Yoon-sung and I wish Ra-on would end up with him because he can easily abandon his family for her.

They would have to change the history for Yeong and Ra-on to end up together.

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If you've seen it, Chae Soo-bin's character in Sassy Go Go/Cheer Up was far from the one-note bitch most dramas turn their second leads into - she did a great job playing a sympathetic antiheroine.

It would be a shame if this drama reduced her to that old stereotype of a jealous/hateful female, since she's marrying the prince. She can do better, and she's proved it.

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She might be Yeong's savior politically and I hope to heaven that they'd go that route.

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I never knew they were going to add a second female lead? Oh man bring on the angst and jealousy. I will literally get first person jealousy on Ra-on's behalf. The second male lead hasn't annoyed me yet, because Ra-on is already getting her feelings on for CP.

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What if she falls in love with the Crown Prince's eunuch? :O

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@mary - it'll be Painter of the Wind feels all over again, then ;)

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@The Other Kiara but didn't they already change history by adding a Queen? So can Yeong and Ra-On get together?

I'm fine with him dying without then having a child lol

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*without them (Yeong/Ra-On) having

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@Purple Owl

Yes they did. All the historical figures are playing different roles in this drama except for the king and Yeong.

We are hoping that they'll change the ending for the crown prince too.

Realistically, Yoon-sung situation is less complicated than Yeong.
Yeong will have to give up a lot to be with Ra-on.
He'd have to fake his death, abandon his wife and son, his step-mother will have all the power and will rule as queen dowager etc etc.
Maybe it's not so bad if Ra-on becomes his concubine so he doesn't have to give up the throne.

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Chae Soo Bin is far from the simplistic tropey b****, I do hope they will challenge this young talent with a layered and complicated role. without a well written role solution even though she is good, I think she will be so overshadowed by Bogummies´ acting that we wouldnt even notice her. and Kim yoo Jung is shining so very brightly too. CSB will really need some cooperation from the writer and editors to match the level we´ve seen from the main leads.

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He may be smart but he looks like he is inexperienced with women or not interested with them at this time. Byungyeon doesn't seem to be any better with the ladies. They're not the type to go to gisaeng houses either unlike other saguek leads. I think that's why the writers put in Yoonsung's obsession with painting women's bodies-- for it to be realistic that the prince and the swordsman are oblivious of Raon's identity.

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That makes perfect sense! I like a meticulously written script and MDBC is one so far! Thanks for pointing that out!

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Umm isn't it like drama rule #254 - in a cross dressing/ gender bendy show, the male lead is the last one to know that his one true love bromance was a girl all along! The second and (in some cases 3rd lead) are the first ones to know.

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with you on this!

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Yes, it may just like Song Joong Ki's character in Sungkyunkwan Scandal, where he is a playboy and he's one of those people who know earlier that Min Young's character is a woman (if i'm not mistaken, it has been so long).

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To be fair, the Prince starts off thinking Sam Nom is his sister's boyfriend (known in town as a man, too), and then gets presented with him as a full-fledged eunuch. Having lived in the palace his entire life, he'd know EXACTLY what becoming a eunuch entailed. To believe Sam Nom is a girl would require the Prince to assemble a list of highly unlikely events to arrive at that conclusion. Meanwhile the second lead's been drawing half-naked women for years and has an analytical eye for proportion.

That said - I do wonder if Young is the type who would find out and then keep that card close to his chest. I think it's very likely that we might find out that he knows three episodes after he actually comes to the conclusion.

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I think Seija had been living vicariously through books.

Which brings me to the next question: wasn't he reading one of Hong Sam Nom's books in the first episode? How come he didn't even react to Sam Nom's name? O.o

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>>That said – I do wonder if Young is the type who would find out and then keep that card close to his chest. I think it’s very likely that we might find out that he knows three episodes after he actually comes to the conclusion.

Yes! I was thinking exactly the same thing- that its quite possible that he'll realise she's a girl but he'll keep it a secret from her

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Agreed. And that secret will be fun too

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I agree on everything you said. I actually hope that we will find out about his discovery later than he actually made it. :)

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Or maybe, he has known it all along that she is girl but decides not to let anyone know. hahahahaha

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The more I think about it, the more I suspect there's a real chance he already knows.

Sam Nom woke up with the neck of his hanbok loosened, and Young inexplicably stayed at his desk all night when that bed is huge. Then the first thing he says is something about Sam Nom being scared "for a boy"? Hmmmm, Young. Hmm.

And this episode is one where Young apologizes for not telling his secret sooner, so he might be in the mood to just wait for Sam Nom to confide. He's a smart guy and surely connects the dots about his eunuch being able to memorize steps at one go and the sudden soloist. And if he's also put together the dots between Sam Nom and the playboy nobleman, it's possible Young is just staying quiet to see what the hell that's all about.

He's too smart to be in the dark for long.

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I think it would be out of character for him to make her become a eunuch and stay in the palace if he knew she was a girl already. It puts her, and many other peoples' lives, in danger. It would be really irresponsible of him to mess with her by making her pass all the tests. I think he is smart and it won't be too long before he figures it out, but I definitely don't think he knows already. I think all his little comments are indications that he thinks she is weird and intriguing, so that when he does figure it out, it will be because of all the little clues he got along the way and he won't doubt it so much.

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