The King: Eternal Monarch: Episode 4

by quirkycase

Our leading man’s sudden disappearance leaves our heroine confused. She can’t get the mysterious man and his absurd claims off her mind, so she goes in search of answers. But the closer she gets to the truth, the harder it is to accept. Meanwhile, our hero deals with the mess he left behind at the palace, even while his mind is still on the world he left behind.

 
EPISODE 4

On the shores of Busan, Rim witnesses time pause. In the republic, Na-ri makes Eun-seob an ice latte, but he drops it and bafflingly yelps, “Hot!” Simultaneously, Yeong drops a hot cup of coffee in the kingdom.

Yeong is notified that Seo-ryung has landed at the helipad unannounced. Through his earpiece, he’s then told that Gon has returned. Meanwhile, in the republic, Tae-eul walks lost in thought about her encounters with Gon.

She distracts herself by working on the Lee Sang-do murder case. In flashback, Gon asks her why she became a cop. He’s curious about people’s aspirations since he was born into his position. Tae-eul explains that when she was little, she watched cop shows rather than fairy tales. Gon points out that it’s a dangerous job, but that’s why she wanted to do it. Not everyone can be brave.

Gon told her she was cool, after which she asked what kind of king he was. He described himself as a rower, a mathematician, an orphan who grew up well and the owner of the Four Tiger Sword. It was a question he’d never been asked and felt anxious answering.

In the kingdom, Seo-ryung arrives at the palace and puts the staff in a difficult position. Seo-ryung tells Ok-nam she’s there to report to Gon, but Ok-nam reprimands her for barging in. Unless it’s a national emergency, written reports are the agreement.

Seo-ryung fires back that Gon is missing. Doesn’t that count as a national emergency? Ok-nam claims he went to bed after studying, but Seo-ryung isn’t buying it. She instructs Ok-nam to inform Gon she’ll be waiting in his study.

Ok-nam refuses to move and let her in, so Seo-ryung physically moves her, claiming only Gon has the authority to stop her. She flings open the study door to reveal Gon and Yeong. Ok-nam quickly covers her surprise and gives him an amazing “we’ll talk later” look before exiting.

Gon explains to Seo-ryung that he has been attempting to solve a mathematical puzzle. He apologizes for worrying her. She asks if he solved it. He did and his answer was zero. Seo-ryung is jealous he solved his problem since her own conclusion was incorrect.

Seo-ryung observes that he looks awfully tan considering he’s been holed up in his study. She admits she only came to check whether he was missing and steps closer to say he’s indebted to her now. She challenges him to solve this problem too.

Gon asserts that he’s the king, and his existence is the history of the country. He won’t ever be indebted to her. “Let’s wait and see how my absence will be recorded in history.” Seo-ryung leaves without a word.

Next in is Ok-nam, and she is not happy. She orders Yeong out, but Gon insists he stay and protect him. Ha. Gon hugs her and says he missed her, but she smacks him like an angry grandma. He apologizes and promises he’ll try not to worry her next time it happens.

Ok-nam dramatically asks how he’ll make it to her funeral if he’s so far away next time. After moaning about how much trouble he created, she spots his destroyed coat and is appalled Gon sold the buttons and spent all the cash. Gon pacifies Ok-nam, promising to help her handle things. As they leave, he notes Yeong’s suspicious silence and tattles to Ok-nam when Yeong glares at him. Pfft.

Prince Bu-yeong is notified that his security level will return to normal, making him realize Gon is back. Elsewhere, Ok-nam goes through Gon’s coat pockets and finds random things from the parallel world, including the book of poems and a stuffed lion keychain.

In the republic, Tae-eul and her sidekick Shin-jae ambush Moon-shik with her theory of Kim Bok-man not being the murderer. Shin-jae suggests they leave it at the gambling charge for now, and Tae-eul requests two weeks since the burner phone will be restored by then. Out of pure frustration, Moon-shik grants them two weeks to find evidence.

In the kingdom, Gon tells Ok-nam he wants the book from his coat pocket in his bedroom and the rest of the items in the study. She ignores him and informs him of the passing of his army superior’s father and suggests he attend the funeral. It’ll quell the rumors of him being ill.

Gon is relieved he came back on time, but Ok-nam snaps that he should’ve said where he was going in the first place. Uh, should they be having this conversation in front of those attendants?

Gon pays his respects at the funeral and catches up with the deceased’s son. Their relationship seems close and friendly. On the way back, Gon has a flashback of his uncle choking him and has to loosen his collar as he breathes heavily.

In the republic, Tae-eul and Shin-jae assist with a robbery investigation and help arrest the culprit. While they’re out, Shin-jae runs into a woman who asks him if he’s still having nightmares. Shin-jae hesitates but thinks of Tae-eul and replies he’s having good dreams too lately. She tells him to come see her again if his self-medicating with sweets doesn’t work.

Tae-eul was watching from a distance and bounces over once the woman leaves. She wonders who the woman could be, teasing that Shin-jae never talks to women unless it’s for work. He changes the subject to Gon and wonders if his horse is still at her place. Did Gon steal anything from her? She sighs that he left.

In the car, Gon asks if Yeong is going to keep giving him the silent treatment. Yeong holds out his hand and demands Gon’s phone so he can install a tracking app. Gon hands it over and nerds out about the development of GPS systems while Yeong sets up his account.

Seo-ryung holds a meeting with her Cabinet and is just about as pleasant as you’d expect when they don’t provide the results she wants. As she’s recovering from her disappointing meeting, her assistant bursts in to show her a video of Assemblyman Park – the one who accused her of sitting around doing her makeup – dissing her at a university event. This time he’s claiming she had a nose job.

She has dirt prepared and instructs her assistant to send scandalous photos of the assemblyman with a woman to the press. When he asks how she got the photos, Seo-ryung wonders how his dream can be to go into politics if he’s surprised by this kind of thing. He assures her he’ll send them right away.

After meeting with a man I’m assuming is an advisor of some kind, Seo-ryung goes out to meet Prince Bu-yeong. She tries to get information out of him about Gon, but he keeps quiet. She doesn’t buy the explanation that Gon locks himself away because math, especially since Prince Bu-yeong’s security increases every time it happens.

She pokes at him by asking if he doesn’t find his life unfair. He’s not allowed to be involved in politics or hold a high position. Plus, his kids and grandkids are forced to live abroad. Prince Bu-yeong calmly asserts he’s never felt that way. He brings up her average background and muses that class disparity is unlikely to disappear.

He wants her to get to the point; their meeting could spark controversy. That’s her intention. She shows him news on Assemblyman Park’s sex scandal that got him ousted from the party. Seo-ryung hopes people will assume she has Prince Bu-yeong’s backing now that they’ve been seen together.

Later, Gon pays Prince Bu-yeong a surprise visit at his office. Prince Bu-yeong asks about his trip which Gon says was his most exciting one yet. Gon isn’t keen on Prince Bu-yeong’s suggestion that he get married and carry on his line and jokes that he sounds like he’s from Joseon.

Looking at Prince Bu-yeong’s family photo, Gon reminisces that his favorite photo is of him holding hands with Prince Bu-yeong and Ok-nam on a school field trip. Rim’s bloody attempted coup put Gon on the throne, and now Prince Bu-yeong’s family has to live abroad. “Is my father’s cousin on my side or not?”

Prince Bu-yeong claims he’s being ridiculous. Should he kill his own children to prove his loyalty? He already had them live abroad and forbade them from returning. Prince Bu-yeong thinks he’s being swayed by rumors, but Gon assures him that’s not the case. He does feel the prince is hiding something from him.

Gon trusts and admires him, so he asks him not to hide anything. He leaves an envelope containing a problem he can’t solve. Prince Bu-yeong opens it to find Lee Rim’s autopsy report.

Outside, Gon wonders if the library is in the same place here. They make a trip there, and Gon sits lonely in the cleared-out library. In its counterpart, Tae-eul reads about parallel universes. We flash between them, and the images of their worlds merge as they sit across from each other, her side full of people while his is empty.

In the republic, Shin-jae’s mother MIN HWA-YEON (Hwang Young-hee) comes home with a purse full of cash he wrestles away from her. She promises it’s the last time, but it’s obvious they’ve been here before. Shin-jae makes her give up the gambling house’s info and has Jangmi meet them there.

While Jangmi takes photos of the gamblers, Shin-jae runs into that same gang leader who fought with him and Tae-eul. Looks like he’s running this place. Shin-jae vows to put him away, but the boss reminds him that his mom should suffer the consequences, too.

Shin-jae dumps the cash his mother won at the boss’s feet, declaring that he’d be a joke of a police officer if he accepted this money. He begs his mother to come to her senses, but Hwa-yeon can’t see past the cash she just lost.

Police arrive and Shin-jae instructs them to arrest everyone there. Jangmi stays behind to help, but Shin-jae walks out. Outside, he fights tears as his mother pleads with the cops to let her go and yells for Shin-jae.

Beside her car, Tae-eul pauses and stares at her stuffed lion keychain – it matches Gon’s – when a bicycle clips her, sending her ID badge flying down a sewer grate. The kid comes over to apologize and offers to fish it out. Hey, isn’t that yo-yo boy?

Tae-eul muses that it’s gone now: her performance assessment, her promotion … she gives a slightly crazed laugh and smile-grimaces as she assures him with false pep, “It’s okay.” Ha. She gets a call from Kyung-ran that sends her to the station.

Kyung-ran urgently asks where she got the money. She’s spooked as she holds a bill from Gon’s wallet (with his face on it) and shares that all evidence points to it being real currency printed by a bank.

In the bookshop, Rim receives another secret note stating Gon has returned. He connects the time pauses with Gon’s departure and subsequent return, realizing his nephew has finally discovered the “legend.”

Gon makes a trip back to the room where his father was slain. It’s overgrown with vines and covered in dust. He pulls the Four Tiger Sword from its case and unsheathes it. In a flashback, his father explains the “calling” of the legendary sword meant to be wielded thoughtfully and defeat evil.

Only the king can own it, and he asks if Gon can abide by this calling. He immediately responds he can but takes it back when his father tests his mettle by asking what if he had to eat beans and spinach. The king laughs. In the present, Gon places the sword in a case in his bedroom.

In the republic, Tae-eul goes searching for clues to Gon’s whereabouts in the bamboo forest – he was caught heading there on CCTV – but there’s no trace of him. Gon, meanwhile, stares at Tae-eul’s ID but swiftly returns it to his pocket when Yeong comes up and berates him for upsetting Ok-nam again.

Time slows and pauses. Gon counts the seconds and informs Yeong, once it restarts, that it’s the second time that time has stopped. Yeong sighs and asks where Gon went. Gon honestly replies he was in a parallel universe where their country is called the Republic of Korea. Yeong repeats it back dubiously and shakes his head. He’ll call for a doctor. Gon goes chasing after him when Yeong yells for Ok-nam.

In the republic, Kyung-moo’s alternate drives Rim around and asks about the other world. He knows about his alternate and asks for equal treatment from Rim when it’s all over. Rim shares that Kyung-moo owns a bookshop and passes along a book Kyung-moo wanted him to have.

Rim visits Jeong-hye and mentions her frequent visits to her son’s grave before telling her she’ll have to eat alone tonight. She pitches a cleaning rag at his back and angrily asks why he never ages. He ignores her and walks out. Her sobs can be heard outside her apartment.

Rim enters the apartment opposite hers, which he’s turned into a photo development space. He stares at a freshly developed photo of Prince Bu-yeong as menacing music plays.

In the kingdom, Gon sits at his desk and stares at the favorite photo he previously mentioned. He asks if he got any phone calls, but he didn’t. Per Ok-nam’s request, Yeong stands guard inside and more guards stand outside the window in case Gon tries to escape.

Meanwhile, Tae-eul gets her ID reissued and asks when it’ll be ready. They tell her it’ll take a week, so late October. Thinking of Gon’s claim that her ID issue date was November 11, she breathes a sigh of relief. On her walk home, she passes the spot they were in when Gon claimed time stopped. She wonders what “beautiful thing” he saw.

Back in the kingdom, Secretary Mo informs Gon that Seo-ryung won the battle about the assembly members’ pay raise. She brings up Seo-ryung’s flirting and worries Gon could fall prey to her beauty. Gon tells her not to worry; he knows someone way prettier. Secretary Mo nervously smiles and throws a WTF look over her shoulder at Yeong.

A crack of thunder sounds, and Gon grabs his shoulder in pain. He sends Secretary Mo out with strict orders to keep this from Ok-nam and gets Yeong to check his shoulder. Yeong thinks he’s messing around, but he sees the mark on Gon’s skin when the next round of thunder hits. When Yeong runs for the doctor, Gon makes a break for it.

In the republic, Tae-eul gets the restored information from the burner phone. She listens to the voice memos, but oddly enough, they’re news clip recordings about some health training initiative in Thailand. The business head mentioned is none other than Professor Lee Jong-in (aka Prince Bu-yeong). Hmm…

Shin-jae startles her out of her reverie when he drops her new ID on her desk. Her nags her for losing her ID and being without one for so long. She counters that she meant to pick up earlier, but he notes that it was only issued today. Tae-eul flips it over and stares at the date in shock: November 11, 2019.

Tae-eul sits dazed until her phone rings. She gets her second shock of the evening when she hears Gon’s voice on the other end. She slams the phone back on the receiver, but he calls right back. Shaken, she hangs up a second time and rushes out.

When she gets home, Gon is waiting (with Maximus, of course) in her yard. After some slow-mo walking, she asks where he was. They do the familiar song and dance with her accusing him of lying when he mentions the parallel world. Why did he come back? Gon replies he had money to repay, a chicken stamp card to fill and he wanted to know how she was.

She stares at him silently. Now that he has returned the money and seen Tae-eul, he says he should go. She asks if he genuinely has a house to which he replies he has a huge one. Tae-eul asks a final question: was her hair up or down in the ID photo of hers he has?

Gon suddenly realizes what day it is. “That’s why it was today,” he muses. Tae-eul repeats the question, demanding and yet fearing his response. Without hesitation, he says her hair was up and walks over to pull her hair back in demonstration.

Tae-eul doesn’t meet his eyes as she asks what about her clothes? Was she in uniform? Gon claims it was a navy suit jacket. Tae-eul shakily breathes out, “There’s no way.” Gon offers her the chance to come with him and see for herself. “Let’s go to my world.”

She says he’s dead if he’s lying to her. Gon takes her hand and hoists her onto Maximus before hopping up behind her. They ride into the bamboo forest. Tae-eul derides herself for crazily believing him, but he smiles and tells her not to be startled.

Gon urges Maximus forward, and Tae-eul sees the gate. She squeezes her eyes shut as they leap through to the other side. Yeong comes running up with the guards, and his eyes widen when he sees Tae-eul. Gon orders the guards back since Tae-eul is in a state of shock.

She stares at Yeong and wonders is he … ? Gon responds that he’s Eun-seob in her world. “See, I was right, wasn’t I?” She turns to look at him anew. “I’m the king of the Kingdom of Corea, and my name, that can’t be called, is Lee Gon.”

 
COMMENTS

Okay, now I feel like we’re getting somewhere with Gon bringing Tae-eul to his world. With them both on the same page, I’m curious to see what this does for their relationship dynamic. The whole “I’m from a parallel universe,” met by, “No, you’re not” was getting old. This will shake things up and allow them to get to know each other better without the distrust hanging between them. Being in this world has the potential for more character growth too, I think. Gon is much more human when he’s around Ok-nam and Yeong, and we’ll finally get to see Tae-eul outside of her cop element. Plotwise, it’ll be helpful for Gon to have an ally in the other world who’s in the know since we already know Rim has established a base in both worlds. Now Tae-eul and Gon can work together to foil Rim’s evil schemes and whatnot.

I’ve been trying to put my finger on why things are feeling somewhat disjointed for me, and I think it’s that there isn’t much to grab onto. Information is doled out in tidbits, and it’s hard to even know what’s relevant and why. I wish we’d focused more on plot in the early episodes and developed the relationship between Gon and Tae-eul more slowly. Putting the focus on the relationship at the start has made it feel rushed and hard to connect to, and we haven’t gotten enough on the plot front to grab onto that instead. Of course, the editing is also playing a part. It’s hard to keep everything straight when we’re constantly flipping back and forth between the worlds and having to keep track of a plethora of characters, some of whom look the same, in both. I seriously wish the worlds had some visibly distinguishing features.

It looks like that murder case we’ve been focusing on is linked to the main plot, although it’s anyone’s guess as to how at this point. But it can’t be a coincidence that Prince Bu-yeong was mentioned on that recording on Lee Sang-do’s phone. Another seemingly minor thing that looks like it’ll become relevant: yo-yo boy. Clearly, he’s important somehow since we’ve seen him in both the kingdom and the republic. Is it the same kid or his alternate? I wonder if he’s part of Rim’s network somehow or if he’s linked in some other way. Rim has been hiding in the shadows being shifty for decades now, and we only know vaguely of his movements, but he’s obviously been watching things closely in both worlds. Most things are probably linked to him.

Now that we know Rim has eyes in the palace, I keep looking at everyone wondering who’s on his side. Like that nervous new attendant who was in the room while Gon and Ok-nam discussed how Gon had been gone. And then there’s the question of Prince Bu-yeong’s loyalties. He strikes me as the type to play things smart, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s loyal to no one in particular. We saw with the doctored autopsy report that he’s willing to be unscrupulous when he feels the situation calls for it, so although I don’t think he’s evil, he’s not full of integrity either. From that picture Rim had, he’s at least keeping his eye on the prince.

I can sense I might be headed for a case of Second Lead Syndrome here because poor Shin-jae really needs a win. He’s fighting for a decent life for himself, but his mom’s gambling addiction is bringing them both down. Although it was rough, I can understand why he let his mom get arrested. She expects Shin-jae’s position to protect her, so maybe letting her face the consequences will help break the cycle. It’s a slim chance, seeing how addicted she is, but Shin-jae must be desperate by now. I’m assuming that woman he met was his therapist, and I’m curious to know what’s going on with those nightmares. I’m sensing more trauma in his past that we’re unaware of, although I hope not. Can we please give him a break?

And I just have to give a shoutout to the amazingly expressive Kim Young-ok as Ok-nam. I could watch her make faces at people all day, especially when she’s irritated. The woman has the best stink eye around. I also love her dramatics, like bemoaning how Gon will miss her funeral if he keeps leaving. She uses whatever’s at her disposal, and I’m here for it. Besides Shin-jae, she’s the only character I feel particularly attached to. I mean, how can you not appreciate a tiny old lady who can make grown men cower with the mere power of her gaze.

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