My Sassy Girl: Episodes 9-10

by dramallama

The princess faces the consequences for her frequent rule-breaking, which raises the stakes for her sneaking out of the palace. But there’s a reason for her behavior, and she’s willing to break even more rules to get outside the palace. Rumor has it that the reason could be her lover, and Gyun Woo seems the slightest bit bothered that those rumors may be true. He tells himself it doesn’t matter to him, but that may be what he wants to believe…

 
EPISODE 9 RECAP

Reading the tabloid flyer, Gyun Woo pieces together the rumors and wonders if the jade ring was given to Hyemyeong by her supposed lover. He tries to shake the thought out of his head, but he still glances at the flyer curiously.

Joon-young returns to the palace prison, and the guard nervously approaches him. They enter the room where Dochi was held, but he’s gone. The guard explains that he was only gone for a moment when Dochi escaped. Joon-young looks furious.

Outside, we see that Dochi was saved by black-hatted henchman Wol-myung. Dochi proudly says that he didn’t utter a word about his assigned task and proposes more business in the future. But Wol-myung smiles and says that won’t be necessary. Dochi’s smile falls, and Wol-myung kills him with a swift slice of the sword. After the slaughter, Wol-myung reports to Minister Jung.

Joon-young finds a copy of the flyer that the queen’s court ladies distributed surreptitiously around the palace, and he crumples it up in anger. Young-shin and Byul also read the flyer, and they’re shocked by the rumored love triangle with Hyemyeong, Joon-young, and gangster Dochi. The king finds a flyer during the palace stroll and looks irate while the queen reads them with an amused smile.

King Hwijong summons his trusted guard, Joon-young, and scolds him for hiding information from him. He then goes to Hyemyeong — who had also just read the flyer — and demands to know why she left the palace. Hyemyeong apologizes, but says that she can’t reveal why. King Hwijong says that she broke the law and disobeyed her father’s orders, so he cannot let this slide.

The queen receives news that the king punished Hyemyeong with confinement, and she looks overjoyed. She cackles in enjoyment of her desired result.

Hyemyeong’s room is heavily guarded, and she sits on her bed crying while holding her jade ring. She thinks back to her childhood, when she asked her mother why she wears the same jade ring on her finger every day. Her mother had explained that when lovebirds find their mate, they bond for life. When the king gave her the ring when they married, he’d said they would live like lovebirds too.

We revisit the scene with Hyemyeong and investigator Min Yoo-hwan to get the full conversation. Investigator Min had returned with the ring, which Hyemyeong confirmed belonged to her mother. He then affirmed that her mother was alive and promised to return with her. He had promised to rendezvous at the same spot on the next full moon, but he didn’t show. Hyemyeong returned to the spot repeatedly as the seasons changed, but it has been three years and she has yet to see sign of them.

Back in the present, Hyemyeong continues to cry, tightly holding onto the ring.

Gyun Woo asks his friends about investigator Min Yoo-hwan, and they repeat the rumor about his relationship with the princess. Se-ho looks at Gyun Woo suspiciously and asks why he’s so interested in the princess recently. He yells at Gyun Woo to stop double-timing and choose between Hyemyeong and the princess, unaware that they’re the same person. Gyun Woo vehemently denies these suspicions.

Stuck in confinement, Hyemyeong lies in bed and refuses to eat. The queen dowager tries to convince King Hwijong to retract the princess’s punishment, but he seems resolute with his decision. Even when the young prince comes begging in tears, asking his father to forgive his sister, the king dismisses the plea.

Gyun Woo finds the prince in his room crying, and the prince tells him about his sister through his incredible sadness (which is also really cute). Concerned, Gyun Woo approaches the guarded quarters of the princess, and a worried Young-shin tells him that Hyemyeong refuses to drink water or eat anything.

Choon Poong reads the flyer with a serious look, but his expression brightens up when his loyal gisaeng ladies barge into his room. They share news of the princess’s confinement, and Choon Poong’s face momentarily darkens. He keeps that smile and his gregarious personality in place with the gisaengs, but he looks away with a more solemn look.

At a tea house with her friends, Gyun Hee learns about the princess’s confinement and the rumors from the most recent tabloid. She reads the flyer and expresses doubt, seeming to know enough to question the rumors, but her friends are convinced that the princess’s confinement confirms them.

Gyun Woo arrives at the Investigation Department, where Chang-hui tries to be territorial about his workplace. But Gyun Woo is here to meet with Joon-young, and they discuss their speculations about an insider at the palace sharing information for these tabloids with distorted facts. Gyun Woo also learns about Dochi’s escape and wonders who the culprit could be.

That night, Gyun Woo asks his father about the tabloid, but his father tells him to solely focus on teaching the prince. Gyun Woo argues that he should understand current affairs to properly educate the prince, but his father orders him to focus on one thing and not be distracted by false rumors.

Gyun Woo thinks about Young-shin’s worries about Hyemyeong not eating anything, so he shows up at the palace to deliver something for her. Upon smelling it, Young-shin immediately draws back repulsively and plugs his nose with his fingers. Gyun Woo holds the pungent fish as far away from himself as possible and tells Young-shin that it’s fermented skate, one of the princess’s favorite foods.

Young-shin asks Gyun Woo if he came all the way to the palace just to deliver this, and Gyun Woo claims that he came to retrieve something he left at the prince’s quarters. Uh-huh, sure. With that, Young-shin returns to the princess’s quarters with the fish, gagging and shrieking as he heads inside.

Hyemyeong lies awake in her bed but closes her eyes when Young-shin arrives with the dish. He tells Hyemyeong that Gyun Woo came all the way to the palace with the fermented skate for her to eat, and she lifts her head to check. Young-shin begs her to eat some, but she stays in bed.

Lying in bed that night, Gyun Woo hopes that Hyemyeong doesn’t misunderstand his gesture, but he quickly dismisses the thought before going to sleep.

Once she’s alone, Hyemyeong gets up and sees the fermented skate on the table. She remembers force-feeding Gyun Woo the fish after their search for the ring, and she eventually gets up to try some. She crinkles her nose at the strong smell but seems satisfied with the taste.

Then, Hyemyeong notices an envelope slid between the doors of her room. She opens the letter inside, and her eyes widen as she reads it. A short time later, Hyemyeong sneaks out of the building through the back without the guards noticing her tiptoeing away.

 
EPISODE 10 RECAP

Gyun Woo wakes up the next morning, and his mother rushes into his room excitedly. She tells him to get ready for their outing, and he looks at her with a blank stare. She reminds him of their marketplace date, and Gyun Woo pretends to remember. His mother adorably tells him what colors she’ll be wearing so that they can subtly match.

At the marketplace, Gyun Woo and his mother stop at a jewelry shop, and the sight of rings reminds him of Hyemyeong. His mother tries to ask him about which hair ornament looks better, but he’s too busy thinking about someone else, and his mother jokes that he must be thinking about another woman.

Gyun Woo’s mother brags to her friends about her son as they walk through the marketplace, and Gyun Woo spots a person that vaguely resembles Hyemyeong. But she’s covered in a robe, and he doesn’t see enough to recognize her.

At a tea shop, Gyun Woo and his mother overhear women gossiping about the princess as they pass by. Gyun Woo’s mother brings up the princess’s confinement and her rumored love triangle with the gangster. Gyun Woo insists that those rumors are false, and she notices that he’s defending her. Before he can explain, he hears a familiar voice making demands outside.

It’s Hyemyeong covered in a robe, demanding that a drunk man get off his horse. She yells at the man for almost running over the children and tells him to dismount, but the man refuses to comply. Taking matters into her own hands, she grabs the horse’s reins, but her jostling upsets the horse, which panics and rears dangerously close to Hyemyeong.

Hyemyeong looks up at the horse, frozen in shock. But at the last second, Gyun Woo pulls her out of the way as the horse comes down, missing her. Hyemyeong then notices the close proximity between her and Gyun Woo and quickly takes a step back.

Gyun Woo asks what she’s doing out here, and he grabs her arm before she can make a hasty escape. He calls over the inspectors, and Hyemyeong panics, thinking he’s turning her in. But Gyun Woo only reports the DUI on horseback, and then explains to her that most people calmly report these situations instead of recklessly yelling at the culprit.

Hyemyeong tries to run away again, but Gyun Woo catches her arm and brings her to a quiet place. He asks that she explain herself, but Hyemyeong requests that he just turn a blind eye this one time. She tries to act cute and pleads that he let her go, but he deadpans, “No.”

Gyun Woo asks for an explanation, and Hyemyeong says that she will explain if he closes his eyes. He’s suspicious of her antics, but he complies and as soon as his eyes are closed, Hyemyeong waves her hand in front of him to ensure that he really can’t see.

Then she tries to sneak away, but to no avail. Gyun Woo grabs her collar and demands that she return to the palace.

Frustrated, Gyun Woo asks why she’s being so reckless when her actions could even get her dethroned. Then, he notices the letter on the ground and grabs it before Hyemyeong can. He opens it despite her protests and reads that it’s from investigator Min Yoo-hwan, telling her where to meet.

Hyemyeong grabs her letter and tells Gyun Woo that he got his answer, and this time he doesn’t follow when she leaves. He thinks about Choon Poong’s information about Min Yoo-hwan, who was accused of taking bribes and is still wanted by officials. Gyun Woo looks conflicted on what to do.

Gyun Woo’s mother sits alone at the tea house, wondering where Gyun Woo went. Her friends notice her sitting alone and wonder about the mother-son date she bragged about. She lies that he had to return to the palace because the prince was looking for him, and that shuts up the gossipy ladies.

When Gyun Woo’s mother returns home, she bitterly tells Gyun Hee that her brother abandoned her. Gyun Hee presumes that her brother had an urgent situation to attend to, but her mother isn’t convinced. She yells at Gyun Hee, who tells her that she’s been extremely irascible lately. Gyun Hee pouts, and her mother fans herself in frustration.

Young-shin and Byul read the letter left by Hyemyeong, which promises to return tonight and asks them to cover for her. Young-shin is exasperated and blames Byul for failing to be an effective bodyguard, and Byul reciprocates the blame to him. Their fight is cut short by the announcement of the queen’s arrival, and they rush out to greet her.

The queen says that she was worried about Hyemyeong’s refusal to eat anything, so she brought a porridge for her. Young-shin reaches out to grab the plate, but the queen insists that she will personally feed the princess. In a quick flashback, we see that the queen had consulted a shaman, who said that the princess is blocking her pregnancy. The shaman told her to burn the talisman and feed the ashes to the princess. If she does, she will conceive that night.

The guard tells the queen about the king’s orders not to let anyone into the princess’s room, and the queen says that the king will understand a mother’s care for her child. Young-shin refuses to let her pass, and the king’s voice rings from below, scolding the queen.

King Hwijong reminds her of his orders to keep the princess in confinement with no visitors. The queen tries to argue that she was worried, but he says that he won’t be releasing the princess until she learns her lesson. After a firm scolding, he continues on his way, and the queen tells Young-shin to make sure that the princess eats the porridge.

Young-shin and Byul sigh in relief and rest briefly in Hyemyeong’s room. Young-shin begins eating the porridge, and Byul warns him that the queen insisted that they give it to Hyemyeong, which could mean that it’s been poisoned. At that realization, Young-shin tries to scrape the remaining porridge off of his tongue and starts imagining symptoms. Byul says that they need to hurry to notify Joon-young of Hyemyeong’s escape, and Young-shin follows, still questioning his vitality.

Hyemyeong waits at the tree on the hill and paces in thought. She reads the letter once more and wonders if she should go to the location specified in the letter.

Gyun Woo wonders if Hyemyeong really risked everything just to meet her lover, and he tries not to think about it. As he crosses a bridge, the motel owner recognizes him and gives him a discount flyer (“Every ten visits, one visit is free! What a steal!”). He compliments who good Gyun Woo and Hyemyeong looked together and even gives him a stamp for their first stay. Gyun Woo tries to explain that he doesn’t frequent the motel, but it’s no use.

As Gyun Woo walks away, he crumples the flyer and thinks back to the time at the motel. He remembers a brief moment when he looked at sleeping Hyemyeong with interest, but he shakes the thought out of his head and tries to convince himself that her reunion with her lover means nothing to him.

Da-yeon browses through the bookstore, and the store owner tries to explain books that may fit her taste. He explains Boys Over Flowers as an overly sweet love story and also tries to sell a popular book titled Sunlight Drawn By the Clouds. Ha!

Da-yeon’s servant ask that he leave them alone to browse, and Da-yeon notices a shelf moving to reveal a secret hideout. Gyun Woo’s friends, Se-ho and Kwang-soo, come out and argue about where to find their muse. Se-ho tries to convince Kwang-soo to go to a gibang so they can get more inspiration from the beautiful ladies there and shows him a revealing picture to further convince him.

Seeing this, Da-yeon quickly grabs a book and tells owner that she’ll buy it. He looks at the cover with shock, since the book loosely translates to Fifty Shades of Grey. He escorts her to the register, and Se-ho recognizes Da-yeon. She acts like she just now recognizes them as Gyun Woo’s friends.

Se-ho and Kwang-soo bring her into their hideout, and she asks about Gyun Woo’s obsessive stalker girl. They tell her about Hyemyeong and say that they had a great time together at the lantern festival. They wonder why she asks about her, and Da-yeon says that she has a debt to repay.

As they leave the store, Da-yeon tells her servant to find all the girls named Hyemyeong, and she runs into Chang-hui. He compliments her beauty, and she comments that he must be busy, since he hasn’t helped with her request to find more information on the obsessive stalker. Chang-hui says that he’s working on it, but Da-yeong declines his help, saying that she has it under control now.

Chang-hui turns to his friends and threateningly asks if they’ve found anything. Of course, they blame each other, since they’ve done nothing, and Chang-hui walks away in embarrassment.

In the village, Gyun Woo sees the posted pictures of the wanted people, and Choon Poong stands next to him, saying that the greatest bounty is for Min Yoo-hwan’s capture. Gyun Woo says that he’s not interested in them, but Choon Poong mentions that anyone secretly communicating with these criminals will also be charged and sentenced to die. Suddenly, Gyun Woo looks up in alarm, thinking what this means for Hyemyeong.

Gyun Woo starts to run, making his way through the crowded streets to find Hyemyeong. Meanwhile, Hyemyeong navigates her way through the village to get to the meeting spot.

Young-shin and Byul are at a loss, since they couldn’t find Joon-young at the Investigation Department to ask for his help. Byul wants to actively search for the princess, but Young-shin tries to convince her to wait for Hyemyeong at the palace, since she promised to return that night.

Joon-young eats at a restaurant in disguise and carefully watches a man a few tables away. The server at the restaurant asks why he’s eating with his left hand all of a sudden, and Joon-young remembers slicing the right arm of one of the tabloid distributors. Joon-young trails the man to the butcher, who signals the suspicious man to their undercover printmaking shop.

Hyemyeong arrives at a mountain stream to meet the investigator, holding onto her jade ring. Meanwhile, Gyun Woo pushes his way through the village, while elsewhere in the village, another man in a straw hat walks menacingly through streets.

The straw-hatted man reaches the stream first, and Hyemyeong looks excited to see him approaching. She calls out to Investigator Min and takes a step forward, but she senses something wrong and her smile fades. The man smirks and slowly lifts his head. It’s Minister Jung’s henchman, Wol-myung.

At the gibang, Minister Jung tells Minister Park that he needed something more absolute than confinement, so he sent a fake letter. Minister Park wonders if that letter will be effective, and Minister Jung says that there is nothing more dangerous than a yearning heart.

Wol-myung orders Hyemyeong to follow him quietly, but she backpedals in fear and then tries to make a break for it. But Wol-myung swiftly takes out his sword and holds it to her neck, stopping her in her tracks. Hyemyeong freezes in fear, when suddenly a knife comes flying through the air and pierces Wol-myung’s wrist.

Joon-young arrives and runs across the river to protect Hyemyeong. He tells her to run back to the palace, and when she hesitates, he assures her to trust him. She makes a run for it, and Joon-young fights an injured Wol-myung. It’s a fair fight between the two skilled swordsmen, and they tangle in a clash of blades, nobody gaining the upper hand.

At one point, they find themselves locked in position, arms intertwined and immobilizing each other’s swords. But then, Wol-myung drops his sword to his opposite hand and slices Joon-young at his side, and Joon-young realizes the danger a split-second too late.

Badly injured, Joon-young is unable to prevent Wol-myung from leaving to chase after Hyemyeong. He needs a moment to put pressure on his injury before painfully running after him.

It begins to rain as Hyemyeong urgently runs through the village. She covers herself with a robe and anxiously looks back as her pursuer follows a short distance behind.

Suddenly, she’s grabbed out of the way and hidden under cover of an umbrella—it’s Gyun Woo, and he pulls her close to him, sheltering her from the rain and Wol-myung. When Wol-myung passes them, Gyun Woo gets a quick look at him before he runs off in the wrong direction. Hyemyeong stares at Gyun Woo, and he at her, close together under the safety of their shared umbrella.

 
COMMENTS

I’m pleased with how the princess’s story is unfolding, and now that we know the reason for Hyemyeong’s risky behavior, I’m more accepting of her frequent escapes. She’s still odd and strange and at times a little extra, but she’s always well-intentioned. The tragic mother storyline was well-established from the beginning, so I like how the jade ring was revealed to be more personal and relevant to her longing for her mother. The potential of her mother reentering her life is compelling, and I like how the pieces came together, including all the misunderstandings. There was plenty of action in this episode to keep the plot moving, and that’s exactly what we needed to make this a drama with a little more substance, not a simple parody.

I do enjoy the simple laughs from the show, and the book titles add a cheeky touch to the show, but I think the show is showing us more layers as the story progresses. Of course, we have very one-dimensional side characters like Chang-hui, but we also have Gyun Hee and Choon Poong, who both imply a greater understanding of the situation at hand. Behind the vapid playboy façade, there’s definitely a side to Choon Poong that we don’t know quite yet. My instincts tell me he’s a good guy, since he seems to be guiding Gyun Woo and bailing him out of tough situations. He’s a mystery, and I find the duality a nice twist in this pretty straightforward show.

Even though I knew it was coming, I’m enjoying Gyun Woo deal with his conflicting emotions. He knows he should hate Hyemyeong because that obsessive stalker defamed him, but he keeps thinking about her. And in his mind, Hyemyeong is risking her life to meet her lover, something he tries to be so nonchalant about. It doesn’t bother him at all, supposedly. Except when he constantly tries to shake the thought out of his mind. He doesn’t care about her at all, supposedly. Except when he brings stinky fish because it’s her favorite. This is some good old-fashioned courtship and jealousy, and I’m a fan, no matter how old, trite, or stinky.

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