Ruler–Master of the Mask: Episodes 9-10

by lovepark

Hitting rock bottom and experiencing the extent of his own powerlessness, Prince Sun must accept his current state and learn how to become a true master. Though the journey will be long and hard, Sun is willing to endure it all in order to bring down his enemies, who are ruining the country and causing misery for his people. As long as Sun still has someone to protect and save, he won’t give up, no matter how difficult the task.

 
EPISODE 9 RECAP

As Dae-mok pierces the king through his stomach, the king tells the prince to escape with his dying breath. Seeing his father fall to the ground, Prince Sun goes into a frenzied craze as he attacks the intruders around him to reach the king, but Chung-woon leaps in to drag Sun away from danger.

Commander Lee quickly follows after them, and once outside, the commander tells Prince Sun that he’s now the king. He orders his son to protect the prince before going to fight the intruders alone. Chung-woon grabs Sun, and gritting his teeth, he leaves his father behind while Sun cries out desperately.

Greatly outnumbered, Commander Lee manages to hold back Dae-mok’s men for a few seconds to let the prince escape, but he’s soon overpowered and brought to his knees. Dae-mok orders his men to forgo the fallen commander and chase the prince, so in his final attempt to bring down Dae-mok, Commander Lee leaps up in the air to attack. Suddenly, Gon flies in, cutting him first, and Commander Lee falls to the ground, defeated.

With the few precious seconds Commander Lee afforded them, Prince Sun and Chung-woon race into the woods, but Dae-mok’s men quickly follow behind them. Chung-woon offers to act as a diversion and promises meet up with the prince later. As the two split, Chung-woon successfully tricks their pursuers into following him, but Gon and his men aren’t as easily fooled.

Back at the palace, Dae-mok approaches the forgotten fake prince and swipes off the mask. He stares at Lee Sun, who’s quivering on the floor, and holds onto the mask, now dripping with the king’s blood.

Gon and his group find the prince, but just as one of his men raises his sword to strike him, Gon intervenes, killing his own man. Despite Gon’s efforts, Prince Sun gets pushed off the ledge during the fight and lands with a thud below.

Hwa-goon hears the prince’s scream as he falls and rushes over to the unconscious prince. She urges Gon to hand over the drug that temporarily stops a person’s heartbeat, but Gon warns her about the drug’s potency, citing the potential danger of the prince never waking up. However, Hwa-goon believes this is the only option to save the prince from her grandfather, and she forces the drug down Sun’s throat.

Soon, Dae-mok and his men arrive, and Hwa-goon quickly hides with Gon. Trailing alongside Dae-mok, Lee Sun recognizes the prince lying on the ground and runs to him. When one of Dae-mok’s men announces the prince’s death, Lee Sun shouts at the prince to wake up, but once he realizes that the prince isn’t breathing, he slumps to the ground in defeat.

Dae-mok hands the metal mask to Lee Sun and tells him to place his current fears into it. Lee Sun refuses to take the mask since he isn’t the prince, but Dae-mok corrects him: He’s making Lee Sun his puppet king. Dae-mok threatens Lee Sun to become his puppet if he wants to live—reminding him that the moment he tries to be a real king, he too will end up like the prince—and places the mask on his face.

Now that the prince is dead, Dae-mok orders his men to bury him, but Hwa-goon comes out of her hiding place to stop him. Throwing herself into the ditch where Prince Sun lies, she yells at Dae-mok to return the prince to her, but Dae-mok merely tells her that he’s dead. Heeding Dae-mok’s order, Gon pulls Hwa-goon away while she spews hate toward her grandfather until she faints.

Meanwhile, Ga-eun successfully leaves the palace by disguising herself as a court lady on a task to deliver medicine and makes her way back home. She notices that the pouch she left for Sun is gone and goes back to the hill where Sun told her to meet him. Looking toward the moon, she wonders where he is, since she still has many things to tell him.

Once Dae-mok and his men leave, Chung-woon digs the prince out of his grave, having witnessed everything from afar. Weeping, he cradles Sun’s body, but stares in alarm when he feels the slightest bit of movement from him. By the time Hwa-goon regains consciousness, the prince is already gone, since Chung-woon has taken him to Woo Bo.

As Woo Bo begins acupuncture on Sun, Chung-woon expresses his worries about the fake prince taking the throne, and Woo Bo asks if Dae-mok’s puppet king is actually Lee Sun. Grimly, Chung-woon confirms it.

Dressed in mourning garb, Lee Sun is brought before the queen by a minister (who’s also a member of Pyunsoohwe). The queen greets the prince, but after hearing Lee Sun address her hesitantly, she realizes that the person before her is not the true prince.

The minister pressures the queen to pass down an order to enthrone the prince, and though she looks displeased, the queen agrees. She tells the prince to be a good king while handing over the royal seal, but from the tone of her voice and the look in her eye, the queen seems to be plotting something.

Meanwhile, back at Woo Bo’s place, Prince Sun stirs awake momentarily.

Dae-mok meets with the queen, and they exchange pleasantries laced with veiled threats. He asks the queen to give the Water Bureau the authority to print money, and when she expresses her skepticism, Dae-mok mentions how recent illegal printings have caused turmoil for the people. Smiling, he warns the queen that the only way to stop this problem is to call for a meeting tomorrow and authorize the Bureau to print money.

Thus, Lee Sun sits on the throne with a golden mask and white mourning clothes as the ministers urge him to approve the new decree that allows the Water Bureau to print money. Lee Sun is hesitant about the proposal, but as the ministers continue to pressure him, he grabs the royal seal to stamp the order.

Just as Lee Sun is about to stamp, the queen enters the hall. With her head held high, she marches past the ministers and seats herself next to the new king behind a curtain. The queen reminds everyone that the current king is only seventeen, pointedly addressing the ministers who are a part of Pyunsoohwe, and mentions how the law requires someone to assist the king until he is of age. Of course, the queen proposes that she assist him as the queen dowager, and she denies the Bureau control over the country’s currency. Gauntlet thrown!

The members of Pyunsoohwe complain and argue amongst themselves about the recent turn of events, especially since the current queen’s status and family’s power in the royal army are not to be easily undermined. However, Dae-mok silences the group and smiles. He’ll allow the queen to take over as the king’s advisor, but will show her just how powerless her military might is without money. To begin his plans, Dae-mok first orders for the Water Bureau to start loaning money out to the people.

Prince Sun wakes up, and Chung-woon is so happy that he instantly drops the bowl of medicine he was holding. On the other hand, Woo Bo chastises the young prince for trying to leave, but Prince Sun frantically explains that Dae-mok attacked the king.

Seeing Woo Bo’s lack of surprise, realization dawns on Sun, and he asks if his mother is still alive. Chung-woon avoids his stare, but eventually admits that both Royal Consort Lee and the king have died. Sun then asks what happened to Lee Sun, and Woo Bo tells him that Dae-mok raised him to the throne as the masked prince, noting how the king’s plan to help Prince Sun turned into poison.

Ga-eun walks alongside Lee Sun’s mother as everyone from the village is herded to the center by the guards from the Water Bureau. The chief of the Water Bureau sneers at the crowd for leeching off the government without properly paying and tells them that the new king follows the law. Thus, everyone will be kicked out of their homes and moved to a new location.

Lee Sun’s mother speaks up since the new location is a wild field unfit for farming, and Ga-eun accuses the chief of pushing everyone to their deaths. The chief says that everyone will either leave or die here, and angered, Ga-eun yells at him, asking if he isn’t afraid of the heavens. In response, the chief slaps Ga-eun, and reminds her of her new place in life as a criminal’s daughter.

One of the men in the crowd speaks out, saying that he’d rather die here than die elsewhere, so the chief beats him up as an example for anyone else who wishes to defy the new decree. Then he orders his men to empty all the houses, and Ga-eun watches helplessly as chaos roars around her.

All of the villagers gather together on the streets, and the man who was beaten asks Ga-eun if she remembers how the prince saved Lee Sun’s father’s life. At that moment, he thought that if this prince were to be the king, then their lives might improve. However, he wonders why everything is actually getting more difficult instead.

One by one, the villagers express their complaints, and Ga-eun silently tells her father that she’ll protect these people. Standing up, Ga-eun tells everyone to move to the new location, and when someone asks how they’ll farm to live, she explains that there are other ways to live besides farming.

Prince Sun wobbles out, ready to kill Dae-mok, but Woo Bo berates him for throwing away his life. Sun yells that Dae-mok killed everyone precious to him, but his outburst only makes Woo Bo ask how the current Prince Sun is any different from Dae-mok. Woo Bo explains how he once told Dae-mok to become a master, but instead, he became a wolf that everyone fears. Just like in the past, he will give the same answer to Sun: “Become the master.”

Woo Bo mentions that many people sacrificed themselves for Prince Sun and questions whether their sacrifices were made in order for Sun to get his petty revenge by killing Dae-mok. His words are enough to stop Sun’s reckless revenge, and he falls to the ground sobbing.

Ga-eun leads the villagers to the field and suggests opening a market. Since the field is located between two docks and a major town, Ga-eun predicts that they would surely make a profit as merchants. Lee Sun’s mother stands up and says that she believes in Ga-eun, and that’s enough for everyone to join.

While the villagers are busy rebuilding their homes, Prince Sun bows toward the palace and apologizes to his parents, since he won’t be able to visit right away. He promises to gain more power to take down Dae-mok and save Lee Sun and this country. He asks Chung-woon to help him, but Chung-woon tells him that he only needs to order his bodyguard to protect him.

The preparations for the new market go well as the villagers successfully build a well. Off in the distance, Sun watches Ga-eun celebrate with the villagers, but turns to leave without a word. Chung-woon stops him, wondering why he doesn’t talk to her, but Sun tells him that he’s responsible for the death of Ga-eun’s father.

Guilt flashes across Chung-woon’s face as Sun continues about how he can’t forget Ga-eun’s tears. He thinks it’s best for him to leave since Ga-eun told him she can’t be happy with him, but as Sun turns around to glimpse at Ga-eun one last time, she looks up too.

 
EPISODE 10 RECAP

Unfortunately, Ga-eun only sees the retreading backs of Sun and Chung-woon, and doesn’t think much of them.

Sun approaches a drunk Woo Bo to ask for advice on defeating Dae-mok, but Woo Bo simply tells him that he still doesn’t understand. He orders Sun to not do anything until he figures out what he’s supposed to do and promptly falls asleep.

Officer Park Moo-ha visits Ga-eun at the new village and offers his condolences, especially since her extended family abandoned her. Ga-eun assures him that the villagers are her family now, and proudly explains the plan to set up a market. Moo-ha offers to help her anyway he can, and remembering something, Ga-eun asks if he could help her get inside the palace, lying that she wants to sell medicine.

Prince Sun kneels before Woo Bo, who continues sleeping until a peddler walks by and wakes him up. Having expected the peddler, Woo Bo shares drink with his companion, and Woo Bo tells him to take Sun with him to train. The man laughs, thinking that Sun is too weak looking and won’t last a fortnight, so Woo Bo suggests a wager.

Thus, Sun ends up carrying the peddler’s belongings and trailing after him as he meets his men. The peddler, who’s the boss of the other peddlers, introduces Sun as a burden from Woo Bo, and when Sun fails to provide them with a name, the boss simply nicknames him “burden.” Heh.

That night, Sun lays sandwiched between snoring men, and unable to sleep, he goes outside for some air. He remembers his last moments with Woo Bo, as the old scholar told him to follow the peddler and learn his trade. He informed the prince about the peddlers’ vast network, and if he could gain their trust, he would gain one of the country’s best sources for information and transportation.

In the morning, dressed in more appropriate garbs, Sun helps load a wagon with goods, but stops his work when he hears a woman crying out. Carrying a baby on her back, the woman mourns her husband’s death, and the boss tells Sun that peddlers often die on the road.

Sun reaches into his pocket to help the widow, but he only has two coins. With a pleading look, Sun asks the boss if he can get an advance on his pay, but the boss merely smacks him upside the head. He asks Sun if he’ll do this for every widow that comes along and reminds him that his actions are futile. Instead, he hands Sun a red book and orders him to collect fees from the merchants.

Grumbling, Sun goes out to do his duty and is met with a range of responses—some bark angrily at him, while others give him sympathy. After finishing his round, Sun looks at the bag of coins and suddenly realizes that this is the answer.

Sun plays tug-of-war with the boss over the fee, reminding the boss about the peddler’s motto to help other peddlers when in need. The boss chases Sun around the tables, yelling that they can’t help everyone, but Sun disagrees.

He explains that the fees should be saved and used to help peddlers when they get injured or die. He repeats the boss’s words about a peddler’s fate to die on the road, and negotiates with the boss to use his plan just once.

While Sun seems to have convinced the other peddlers, it’s not enough for the boss, and he yells at his men to catch Sun. In the end, Sun falls to the floor as the other peddlers pile on top of him.

The next morning, the widow thanks the boss for giving her money for the funeral, and he says that the money came from everyone. One of the peddlers hands over the credit to their youngest, and the boss motions for Sun to step forward. The widow thanks him, and Sun grins adorably as he asks if he’s been promoted from “burden” to “maknae.” So cute!

The peddlers trek a rocky mountain on a gravel path while carrying goods on their back. The boss looks toward the back of the pack at Sun, who’s struggling to keep up, and smiles to himself.

Ga-eun walks down a path near the new village, and as time speeds up, we see the village slowly grow and flourish. Five years later, Ga-eun walks into the bustling market, but stops as she sees Sun shopping at a stand.

She chases after him, but the man turns out to be someone else, much to her disappointment. Suddenly, a little girl pops up behind her, and Ga-eun is surprised to see Kko-mool (Lee Sun’s little sister). She sighs, asking if Ga-eun still hasn’t forgotten about “Chun-soo,” and advises her to forget about her first love and find a new one. In response, Ga-eun bops her in the head and drags her home.

Kko-mool catches her mother staring blankly into space and guesses that she’s been thinking of Lee Sun again. Ga-eun mentions how she misses Lee Sun, but his mother pretends that she doesn’t. Ga-eun knows she’s lying since she leaves the gate open every night, and Lee Sun’s mother starts to cry, admitting that she worries he won’t be able to come back home if the gate is closed.

In the great hall, Lee Sun sits as the king, donning a golden mask, and the ministers urge the queen to relinquish her advisor position since the prince has come of age. Nervously, Lee Sun looks over to the queen, who opens a scroll with shaking hands. She agrees to step down, and the royal seal is finally passed to Lee Sun.

Dae-mok informs the members of Pyunsoohwe that the Water Bureau will soon be collecting all the money they loaned, and the members of Pyunsoohwe are to do the same. This creates a stir among the members, and when one of them asks what they should do if someone refuses to pay, he says that they’ll take collaterals. He orders the chief of the Water Bureau to collect the money before commanding his son to store everything until he gives him permission to use it.

The plans are quickly put into place as the chief of the Water Bureau marches into the market with the new order while Kko-mool sells medicine at the stand run by her mother and Ga-eun. He demands that everyone pay back the money they borrowed from the Water Bureau in two weeks, and posts the list of borrowers on a board. The medicine stand is also on the list, and the villagers complain about suddenly having to pay back such a large sum.

Ga-eun runs after the men from the Water Bureau as they stop by a small stall. The chief orders his men to take control since the owner failed to pay back her loan, and the men from the Water Bureau destroy her goods. The woman’s young daughter cries and falls to the ground, and Ga-eun runs up to help her. Holding onto the child, Ga-eun glares at the chief, and he glares back.

In the evening, the villagers gather for an emergency meeting, and Ga-eun reminds them that they’ve turned this barren land into a flourishing market. She asks a peddler in their group about their leader, whom he mentioned before. Another villager asks if he has lots of money, and the peddler gets up to explain that the peddlers’ leader rose to the position because of his knowledge and problem-solving skills.

Lee Sun’s mother asks what the cost of his help would be, and the peddler says that the leader only asks for absolute trust and loyalty. Thus, Ga-eun offers to meet with this leader to see if he could help them.

Woo Bo visits Lee Sun’s mother, and trades friendly barbs with Kko-mool. He wonders where Ga-eun is, and learns that she left to meet the peddlers’ leader. Surprised, he wonders aloud if those two have been linked by fate.

Ga-eun follows the peddlers up the arduous mountain path while dressed as one of them, but noticing her bloody foot, they suggest taking a break. They spot smoke across the mountain peak, and make their way towards it.

Elsewhere, Sun and Chung-woon, dressed in dark clothes and wearing masks, knock out a few guards from the Water Bureau in order to spy on the Water Bureau Chief and Dae-mok’s son, who are looking at boxes of copper inside a storage room. Their spying is interrupted by shouts from the other side, and when they go to check it out, Sun recognizes Ga-eun amongst the captured peddlers.

 
COMMENTS

Last episode, Dae-mok pointed out how the king’s plans have backfired on him, and this episode showed what he meant. First, the king’s plan to kill Dae-mok became the catalyst for Dae-mok to finally bring down the king, but it’s really the king’s plan concerning the mask that led him to his ultimate downfall (which was also mentioned by Woo Bo). It’s ironic how the mask that was supposed to save the prince’s life actually endangered his life by making his place in the world precarious. Since the mask embodied the prince’s identity, the mask soon became the “prince” rather than the person behind it. As a result, whoever controls the mask controls the prince (who is now the king).

The subtitle of the show (Master of the Mask) really makes sense; since now that Prince Sun has lost his mask, the conflict revolves around becoming the “master” of the mask, both physically and metaphorically. However, even then, the interpretation of what a master is and does depends on the character and his or her actions. I think Woo Bo’s continuous mantra of “being the master” is not about power but more about a person’s character, so while being the master for Dae-mok solely means having control over the mask (and throne), becoming the master of the mask is a completely different journey for Prince Sun.

I cannot express how much I love the (adult) villains of this show. Besides Dae-mok, the queen is shaping up to be quite a formidable and cunning antagonist who is equally hungry for power and ruthless in her pursuit. I find her intriguing and hope the show doesn’t kill her off too soon, since I think Dae-mok needs more adversaries than just Prince Sun. Also, Dae-mok’s son seems much less cunning than Dae-mok (since he couldn’t even understand Dae-mok’s plan to control the economy by hoarding the money), and none of the other members of Pyunsoohwe are nearly as tough as the queen, so they won’t become worthy roadblocks for the show’s resident villain.

I also hope the show will reveal more about Peasant Lee Sun and how he’s changed while being the puppet king for five years. From the way his mother acts, it appears that Lee Sun hasn’t been home at all or been able to contact his family. He must be terrified since Dae-mok controls him from behind while the queen controls him from the side. In addition, the very reason he agreed to wear the mask has disappeared, so his new role must be taking a toll on him. However, the show has told us that Lee Sun is actually quite intelligent, so I’m hoping that he might also be secretly planning his own revolt in the shadows while pretending to be an obedient puppet. There’s a lot of potential for Lee Sun as a character, besides being a friend in distress who needs saving, and I really want the show to capitalize on his unique position and the problems he must face.

At this point in the story, the time skip seemed inevitable and necessary. The show has done a good job portraying Sun as the naïve prince with admirable ideals, but it’s also highlighted his powerlessness. Prince Sun needs to gain more knowledge and a better understanding of the real world—including the daily struggles of the people and their needs—in order to take down Dae-mok and, more importantly, to become a good king for his people. It seems like Prince Sun has risen in rank and may be the new leader of the peddlers that Ga-eun is hoping to meet. Either way, if the ending scene is any indication, it does seem like Sun has learned some new skills, and hasn’t been idle these past five years. Let the battle begin!

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