100 Days My Prince: Episode 11

by LollyPip

Today’s episode offers up as much cuteness as you could ever want between the crown prince and his first love, but there’s a feeling of dread looming in the air as the time for them to run away nears. Even as they make all the necessary preparations, the crown prince’s past is rushing to catch up to him—whether or not he wants to know who he is and where he’s from.

 
EPISODE 11 RECAP

On his way to Songjoo village to investigate the rumor that Crown Prince Yul is alive, Minister Kim is surrounded by a group of assassins. Beom, the man who broke and told Minister Kim about Yul, is killed in the attack, and although Minister Kim is pretty deadly with a sword, he and Hyuk, his other pet assassin (the one who seems close to Moo-yeon), are overpowered and surrounded.

Meanwhile, Hong-shim asks Yul what happened when he was in Hanyang, and if he regained his memories. He simply says that he wants to live as Won-deuk and stay with her. Hong-shim asks him tearfully if he’ll go with her when her brother comes for her, and he just hugs her.

Hong-shim asks why he’s not answering her, Yul says he already answered that he wants to stay with her, but first, he asks for time to pack up his silk clothes and fancy furniture, ha. Laughing, Hong-shim says they’re not leaving right this second, but they should go tell the others that she found him.

They walk through the village smiling and holding hands, and a strange ajumma tells them to leave by the south side of the village when they go. Hong-shim confirms that she’s a shaman and asks where they should go to live to be happy. The shaman says to be good to her husband because he’s unlike any other man, and Yul preens.

The shaman says that Yul has only loved one woman his whole life, since he was a child, making him more noble and pure than most men. Hong-shim tells her that they only just met, but the shaman snaps that Hong-shim is the same way. She goes into a trance and sees a day when flower petals were falling, then she suddenly wakes and urgently tells them to run quickly or they’ll be killed.

The shaman sees Yul holding a bloody sword, and pointing the sword at Hong-shim. Yul pulls Hong-shim away, telling her not to be worried, but Hong-shim says breezily that everything the shaman said was wrong since they didn’t meet when they were children. Yul points out that she did get the “man like no other” part right though, ha.

While Minister Kim is gone, Moo-yeon’s loyal friend Hyuk grabs him, still unconscious, and quickly sneaks him out of the house. Soo-ji sees him, but Hyuk fibs that Minister Kim told him to bring Moo-yeon.

The attack on Minister Kim was orchestrated by Minister Jung, on the king’s orders, and he’s forced to report that, though wounded, Minister Kim got away. The king goes into a panic, frightened of retaliation, but Minister Jung assures him that his assassins will chase Minister Kim until they find and kill him. He urges the king to put aside his fear and trust in his plan.

The rest of the palace ministers are forbidden to leave the palace, though Minister Kim and Minister Jung’s absences are noted. Finally King Neungseon joins them, Minister Jung in tow, to announce that he’s ready to install Prince Seowon as the crown prince. Minister Kim’s crony, the minister of war, objects to this decision being made without Minister Kim present, but he shuts up when the king reminds him that disobedience is treason.

Hong-shim catches Yul looking worried that night, and although he’s been thinking about the shaman’s prediction, he says that he’s just worried if her brother will like him. With a bit of hero worship, Hong-shim says that her brother is a perfect man — handsome, smart, athletic, and warm-hearted.

She teases that her brother might judge Yul inadequate, since he’s not polite. Dad breaks in to insist that Yul is the manliest of men, which makes Yul puff up with pride. Hong-shim is happy to tell her dad that Yul will be coming with them, and the first thing Dad does is tell Yul that he needs to learn to speak more respectfully to his elders.

Yul complies with hesitant jondaemal, which earns him a proud booty-pat from Dad. Yul objects that that makes him uncomfortable, but Dad announces that as elder, he can do anything he wants, and he goes after the other cheek, hee.

Later, Hong-shim offers to pack Yul’s clothes for him, but he doesn’t see why folding clothes has to be a woman’s job. He tells her to go on to bed, and she asks why he doesn’t try to get her to stay with him anymore. He perks up and asks if she wants him to stop her, but she says she’s just curious.

Yul says he won’t make her to do anything she doesn’t want to do, and that their wedding was for show anyway, since not even they wanted it. So when her brother comes, he plans to ask his blessing to marry Hong-shim for real, and they can save the consummation for afterward. Looking a little annoyed, Hong-shim is all, that’s very commendable of you… After she leaves his room, she admits to herself that she’s disappointed.

At the magistrate’s office, Je-yoon looks at Yul’s signature and recalls his familiar voice, and wonders if the crown prince really could be alive. He’s startled by Town Official Park, who scolds him for wasting candles by working so late, and blows the candle out in a fit of pique (“Why did you summon a gisaeng when I’m the one who needs one?!” LOL).

Yul wants to sell the cottage, but Hong-shim reminds him that they’re leaving in secret. She affectionately calls him a dummy, but he says that oddly, it doesn’t bother him, because he feels like he was called that as a child.

Hong-shim decides to sell his fancy cabinet to earn traveling money, but Yul plants himself in front of her and refuses. Je-yoon shows up to talk to Yul, and Hong-shim bristles at him, remembering the archery contest where Yul was shot at.

Yul takes the blame for the idea, saying that he was helping Je-yoon befriend Master Park. Hong-shim is horrified that Yul volunteered to be shot at, but she apologizes to Je-yoon. Yul doesn’t care for Je-yoon’s dreamy expression and stands between him and Hong-shim, which Hong-shim seems to enjoy, ha.

In private, Je-yoon tells Yul that he accidentally spilled water on the Hanyang tribute paperwork and needs Yul’s signature again, and he asks why Yul seemed traumatized in the archery yard. Yul says that he remembered something and got confused, but he doesn’t answer when Je-yoon asks what he remembered.

Instead of writing his name again, Yul opts to simply trace his hand as signature, claiming that he doesn’t know hanja. He explains the expensive furniture by revealing that he was scammed by a loan shark, and says that the books in the room were part of the scam. Je-yoon knows that Yul is hiding the fact that he can read and write.

Yul dismisses Je-yoon, but Je-yoon has already seen something that interests him… the way Yul puts his fingers to his head when he’s thinking. He starts to ask one last thing before he goes, but changes his mind.

Queen Park is quite pleased by her son’s promotion to crown prince, but Seowon asks him to revoke the order, reminding the king that he’d already declared the title to remain vacant until So-hye’s child is born. He asks why he’s going against his word, and why Minister Kim is missing.

King Neungseon admits that because he’s been an incompetent king, he’s attracted a sly subject. He says that he’s severing his relationship with Minister Kim, which would only be strengthened if So-hye’s child was installed as crown prince. He continues that he’s scared Minister Kim will take his throne by force, so Seowon apologizes and agrees to accept his orders.

So-hye is upset by her father’s disappearance, and Soo-ji agrees that it will be bad for their family if Seowon is made crown prince. So-hye orders him get Beom and Hyuk to help him find Minister Kim, but Soo-ji tells her that Beom was killed, and Hyuk took Moo-yeon and left.

He’s feeling powerless because of the order that nobody can leave the palace, but when So-hye reminds him that he used to fake illness to get out of studying, he “realizes” that he’s developed a very sudden stomach problem. So-hye orders him to find Minister Kim and bring him back before Seowon is installed as crown prince.

So-hye goes to see the king, and when his eunuch refuses to let her in, she calls through the door asking why he’s changed his decision about her baby. She calls on her place as Crown Prince Yul’s widow, but King Neungseon doesn’t respond.

In the village, Hong-shim forces Yul to sell his precious cabinet, but Ma-chil offers him less than half what he paid for it, so poor Yul says a sorrowful goodbye to his cabinet. He asks Ma-chil if he destroyed his contract when he paid him back after selling the king’s gifts, and Ma-chil says he did — except the contract is sitting right there, ha.

Yul snatches it up and tells Ma-chil not to cheat people anymore, since he has the face of someone who will do something grand for the nation. Then he asks for more money for the face-reading, HAHA.

After they leave, Yul admits that he’s not a face reader, but that with positive encouragement, Ma-chil might just do something good anyway. Hong-shim is impressed, and Yul complains, “How many times will you fall for me?” then poses so she can keep admiring him. So darn cute.

They’re approached by Ae-wol, who asks for the help of the Solution Agency in finding something. Jealous, Hong-shim volunteers, but Ae-wol insists that she wants Yul to do the job. Hong-shim tries to forbid him, but he reminds her that she said she’s fine with him being alone with other women.

Ae-wol tells Yul that she lost her Dano fan, which was a gift to her from one of the king’s officials. Noting Yul’s refined speech and mannerisms, she asks if he’s from Hanyang, but he says he picked it up in the military. He objects to her flirty smile, snapping that he’s a married man.

Je-yoon finds Hong-shim grumbling over whether Ae-wol can sway Yul. He asks if she’s worried Yul will get seduced, but she insists that she’s worried for Je-yoon, that his gisaeng may fall for Yul. She apologizes again for yelling at him about the archery contest, and he asks for her help shopping.

He takes her to the bookstore, making her wonder why he urgently needs an erotic novel, lol. She says that his plan regarding Master Park must be important or Yul wouldn’t have helped, but she asks him not to get the villagers in trouble in the process. Je-yoon promises that as long as he’s here, he won’t make the villagers suffer.

The bookseller wakes from his nap and asks Hong-shim why Yul hasn’t been copying books. He tells Je-yoon that he’s holding one of Yul’s copies, and it’s obvious to Je-yoon that Yul is much more literate than he lets on.

Yul quickly finds Ae-wol’s Dano fan, but his oddly specific knowledge tells him that the fan is a fake. He advises Ae-wol to avoid the person who gave her the fan, and he refuses payment, but she insists on paying him as thanks.

Of course, the whole thing was a setup planned by Je-yoon to test Yul’s knowledge, and Ae-wol draws a picture of Yul on Je-yoon’s request. Je-yoon is summoned by Master Park, who gossips that Minister Kim is missing and Seowon is being made crown prince. Je-yoon asks a favor, saying that he needs to get to Hanyang.

Yul finds Hong-shim making rice cakes for the neighbors, citing the upcoming Dano holiday as an excuse to do something nice before they leave. He guesses that she used the cabinet money to pay for the ingredients, but he doesn’t mind, since he just made a big chunk of change for finding the fan.

Still grumpy, Hong-shim mentions that the gisaeng was awfully pretty, but Yul says that looks aren’t important to him. He says he goes for disposition, so Hong-shim says it’s not her then, but Yul says that’s why it’s her. It backfires when Hong-shim asks if he’s saying she’s ugly with a good personality, but he just laughs and calls her pretty.

That makes Hong-shim worried, and she tells Yul not to recover his memory or go anywhere. Yul laughs again and offers to sign a contract not to leave, so Hong-shim jumps up for paper. He stops her and kisses her instead, saying, “That is my contract.”

Later he takes some rice cakes to Town Official Park, who praises him for being responsible and selling his fancy cabinet. Yul tells Town Official Park that he should take the exams to become a state official, and when he leaves, Town Official Park wonders why he seemed strange.

Hong-shim takes a whole bunch of rice cakes to Gu-dol, and some pretty shoes to Kkeut-nyeo, who guesses that she’s leaving and hugs her tearfully.

King Neungseon seems to be having a bit of a psychotic break — he imagines seeing Minister Kim standing in his rooms, holding a bloody sword. He screams and cowers when Minister Kim attacks, and although there’s nobody there, he tells his eunuch to make sure palace security is extra tight.

Some ministers gather after receiving secret letters, arguing bitterly over whether it’s time to align themselves with the queen now that her son is about to be crown prince. But everything is forgotten when Minister Kim walks in. He says he’s heard about Prince Seowon, but instead of being upset that his own grandchild is being cast aside, he tells the ministers to prepare well for Seowon’s installment ceremony.

His right-hand man urges him in private to depose the king, since they know he ordered Minister Kim killed, but Minister Kim is determined to put his own grandson on the throne so he can train him from birth. He orders his assassins sent to Songjoo village.

When Moo-yeon finally wakes, Hyuk tells him that he had to move him, because their third, Beom, is dead. Hyuk says that he thinks Beom told Minister Kim that the crown prince is in Songjoo village, but they were attacked on the way there, and he escaped and went back for Moo-yeon. Moo-yeon wants to go to Songjoo to protect Hong-shim, but they don’t know if Minister Kim is alive or dead, so Hyuk says he’ll join him.

A letter is delivered secretly to So-hye, along with a bracelet made of red string. The letter is from Moo-yeon, and is an apology for leaving suddenly, and a return of the bracelet she once gave him. He says it’s protected him, and now he hopes it will protect her. He wishes her a healthy birth, and a child that takes after her.

So-hye decides to go after Moo-yeon, but her lady pleads with her to think of her child. Holding the bracelet, So-hye sinks to the floor and cries, “Why does everyone leave me? Why??”

After making it back to Hanyang, Je-yoon is turned away at the palace gates due to the king’s increased security. Instead he asks to speak to Guard Kwon, and he shows him Ae-wol’s drawing of Yul and asks if he knows the man in the picture.

Guard Kwon instantly recognizes Crown Prince Yul. He tells Je-yoon that Seowon’s installment ceremony is in four days, but Je-yoon says he needs to return to the village immediately. Guard Kwon asks who the man is who looks like the crown prince. Je-yoon replies, “The man who looks like the crown prince… is the crown prince.”

Yul finds Hong-shim outside looking sad about having to leave the cottage she’s lived in for ten years. She heads inside to pack, but Yul childishly refuses to leave anything behind, so Dad offers to carry his clothes for him. Yul only agrees to abandon some of his stuff when Hong-shim mutters that her brother doesn’t like materialistic people… aww, he’s so pathetic!

He objects when Hong-shim packs her pretty shoes instead of wearing them, and when she worries they’d wear out, he argues that things are meant to be used. He doesn’t want her to wear straw shoes and hurt her feet, and Dad just watches them, beaming ear to ear.

But Hong-shim grows worried the following day when her brother doesn’t show up as promised. Yul says he’s probably getting things in order, but Hong-shim argues that he seemed very determined to leave when the ten days were up. Yul says she can trust him, and gives her a husbandly order to rest until Moo-yeon arrives.

Moo-yeon and Hyuk ride to the village as fast as possible, but Moo-yeon’s shoulder bothers him so much that he looks like he may pass out. Minister Kim and his men are also riding in that direction, and we see that before Beom died, he confessed that Yul is alive in Songjoo village and has no idea who he is.

Dad urges Hong-shim and Yul eat before their journey, but Hong-shim says she has a bad feeling. Yul agrees to search for her brother tonight if he doesn’t show up, and they decide the best place to look for him is the bridge. Gu-dol comes to ask why they aren’t at the Dano holiday celebrations, so Dad tells Yul and Hong-shim to go, since waiting around won’t make her brother come any faster. Hong-shim isn’t in the mood, but Yul says they may have to move to a place that doesn’t celebrate, giving Hong-shim such a pitiful face that she relents.

There’s another notice posted in the village, but nobody can read it (I love this running gag), so Ae-wol tells them it’s about the installment of the new crown prince. Gu-dol eyes her up and down appreciatively, and gets slapped by Kkeut-nyeo for letting his gaze stray.

By the time they get to the celebration, Hong-shim is cheering up, and Yul is even nice to Meok-goo, who leads them to a magic show. Yul is fascinated by the way the magician pulls coins and a dove out of a handkerchief, but he gets huffy when the magician pulls Hong-shim onstage by the hand.

Hong-shim is laid down on a table and covered with a cloth, and the magician makes her disappear. Yul tells Meok-goo that it’s not really magic, but he jumps up worriedly when Hong-shim doesn’t reappear like she’s supposed to.

She does reappear eventually, and Yul is visibly relieved, though he tries to be cool about it. He gets frowny-faced again when the magician pulls a rose from behind Hong-shim and gallantly presents it to her.

She coos over the rose, it being the first one she’s ever seen, but Yul snatches it from her and tosses it to the ground. He complains that he doesn’t like seeing her happy with a flower given to her by another man, then walks away, telling her to wait there.

Je-yoon makes his way through the crowd, and when he spots Yul buying flowers, he connects the way Yul and the prince both put their fingers to their heads while thinking, and their voices, along with Guard Kwon telling him that the man in the drawing looked like the crown prince.

He watches while Yul takes the flowers to Hong-shim, and as he presents them, Yul says he will marry her. Hong-shim says that he may be of noble birth with a family looking for him, and she asks if he’ll regret leaving with her. He replies, “I believe I would regret leaving you more.”

Hong-shim takes the flowers and tells Yul, “This is my answer,” then kisses him on the cheek as fireworks explode above them. Yul smiles shyly, then turns to watch the fireworks as he shakes his head and grumbles good-naturedly, “There goes the taxpayers’ money. But they’re so beautiful, as if they’re blessing us.”

When he turns back to Hong-shim, she’s gone. Yul thinks she’s playing a joke, but she doesn’t reappear this time, and her flowers are on the ground being trampled. Yul bends down to pick them up, but suddenly he’s surrounded by assassins, as Hong-shim is being carried away, unconscious.

Minister Kim walks over and asks if Yul recognizes him. Yul demands to be let go, but instead, Minister Kim orders his men to show him respect. They kneel, and Minister Kim tells Yul, “You must return to the palace, my crown prince.”

 
COMMENTS

I think I see where Minister Kim is going with this — he originally planned to have So-hye’s child declared successor, and Yul needed to be gone/dead since he was the only one who knew it’s not his child, and therefore not a royal baby. But now that King Neungseon is about to bypass the child entirely, Minister Kim wants to get Yul back in the palace believing that the baby is his, and securing So-hye’s baby in the line of succession because then Minister Kim can control the monarch. He’s taking a huge risk, because his plan counts on Yul not remembering that he never touched his wife, while putting him back in familiar surroundings that could trigger his memory to return at any time. And Yul will be fighting the idea that he’s ever loved anyone other than Hong-shim, which is something Minister Kim won’t be able to control.

I think it’s pretty clear at this point that Moo-yeon is the true father of So-hye’s unborn child. The fact that she gave Moo-yeon the red bracelet cinches it for me — the red string is symbolic of a spiritual connection between them. If there wasn’t something serious going on, why would Moo-yeon even bother writing So-hye a goodbye letter, and why would she cry and want to go after him? It makes sense that they fell in love, since they’ve obviously lived in the same home for many years, and it would explain So-hye’s contempt for Yul if she were forced to marry him when she already loved Moo-yeon.

I thought the king was showing strength lately — maybe not making the best choices, but at least doing something rather than let himself be yanked around on Minister Kim’s chain. But he’s proving now that his attempt to be a strong king was mostly bravado, and he’s falling apart at the seams with Minister Kim missing. It’s hard to watch King Neungseon losing his sanity, but considering what he’s been forced to do and what he’s allowed to be done in his name, the only surprise really, is that it’s taken this long for his mind to start slipping. And I do find it interesting to watch a sageuk where the king isn’t either a tyrant or a puppet, but just a man who’s just trying to survive in a situation he never wanted, and avoid making the same mistakes twice.

I knew the time would come when Yul and Hong-shim were separated, but I’m really not looking forward to their misery when one of them is in the palace and the other is left behind. It makes me so happy that Yul has decided to marry Hong-shim on purpose to make their marriage “real,” and now they’re going to be ripped away from each other! My hope is that Moo-yeon learns what’s happened and decides to help them, since he’ll want his sister to be happy, and despite his past actions with Minister Kim’s orders, I don’t think he’s a bad person who personally wants Yul dead. I want Moo-yeon to redeem himself by helping make things right, both for the kingdom and for Yul and Hong-shim, and while I still worry that he won’t make it to the end of the show alive (that arrow wound just isn’t healing), at least if he does that, he will have earned some of my forgiveness for the terrible things he’s done. After all, he only did them in order to earn his freedom and be with Hong-shim again, and you can’t fault a man who loves his family enough to do anything for them.

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