The Secret Romantic Guesthouse: Episode 2

by mistyisles

Faced with the prospect of losing her beloved inn, our heroine and her new friends rally to find a way to save it. At the same time, we dig a little deeper into the historical and political conflict lurking in the background — and how it might relate to our major characters.

Editor’s note: Coverage will continue with weecaps.
 
EPISODE 2

While Dan-oh processes the news of her father’s enormous debt that could cost her the ownership of Ihwawon, Tae-hwa and his soldiers arrive in search of Lee Seol. As we learn, they nearly caught him eight years ago, when the Head Eunuch (Lee Jun-hyuk) lured him into a trap.

But a mysterious man dressed in all black appeared in the nick of time and killed Lee Seol’s would-be attackers — including Tae-hwa’s son. Tae-hwa arrived in time to duel the man in black, landing one slice across the man’s arm and earning in return that distinctive scar on his face. And also a stab in the gut that would have finished him off if not for (presumably) his thirst for vengeance.

Now, at Ihwawon, Tae-hwa and the Head Eunuch study the faces of our three Flower Scholars, but none register as Lee Seol’s. Noting a bit of shiftiness in both Yoo-ha’s and San’s demeanors, though, Tae-hwa double-checks their identities, both of which seem legit. (Shi-yeol practically begs them to be suspicious of him, too, but the second he confirms he’s the son of a concubine of such-and-such nobleman, they roll their eyes.)

The next day, Dan-oh sets out to 1) confirm the debt is real and 2) do something about it. To her dismay, it traces back to none other than Tae-hwa himself. Dan-oh’s father initially borrowed the money to take care of his students, and Dan-oh’s older sister was betrothed to Tae-hwa’s son in exchange (Dan-oh knew about the betrothal, but not the borrowed money). With Tae-hwa’s son dead and Dan-oh’s sister suffering a vaguely mentioned illness, that agreement no longer stands.

As news gets out about Dan-oh’s predicament, her annoying suitor, SCHOLAR ONG (Park Hwi-sun), sends over an official proposal letter, offering to pay off her debt as a dowry. Despite her disgust, she’s desperate enough to consider accepting, at least momentarily. But when he corners her in the market again, she pushes Yoo-ha and Shi-yeol out of the way and publicly rejects him with a few choice insults thrown in for good measure.

The man still won’t take no for an answer and plots to kidnap Dan-oh, but a run-in with San (wooden sword now replaced) finally scares him enough that he withdraws his proposal and promises never to approach her again.

It’s pretty easy for Dan-oh to figure out which Flower Scholar scared him off, despite San’s claims to the contrary. When she asks why he did it, San fumbles for an answer and lands on the tasty wine she served them earlier. The flustered look on his face and the speed with which he runs away suggest otherwise, however. As does the fact that these two have gotten a lot more prone to skinship since the baby rescue mission.

Of course, San isn’t the only one trying to help Dan-oh. Yoo-ha leaves money for her to find, which she promptly returns — she’s grateful, but Ihwawon is her responsibility. Shi-yeol, for his part, charms his way to an audience with gisaeng HWA-RYUNG (Han Chae-ah), who runs the gibang that’s set to absorb Ihwawon if Dan-oh can’t pay up. Hwa-ryung subtly pries Shi-yeol for intel on Ihwawon, but while Shi-yeol plays along, he sees right through her questions.

At the palace, the king’s child is born, and he’s right to be confused by the fact that it’s a son — his consort’s mother smuggled in another baby the night of the royal birth. The king doesn’t outright question it, though, too consumed by his fears of Lee Seol returning and raising an army against him.

He’s not alone in that suspicion, either. A mysterious book of prophecy promises upheaval to come at the hand of someone referred to as “Jade Dust.” Interestingly, Yoo-ha is a member of some sort of secret society who read the book and worry over the king’s determination to kill Jade Dust. It’s unclear which side — if any — they’re rooting for.

Meanwhile, the first of the Flower Scholars’ exams to arrive is San’s martial exam. Dan-oh sends him off with breakfast she made herself (which pretty much makes his entire morning), and he passes the exam with flying colors, deftly navigating the crisis of snapped reins in the midst of a horseback javelin throw.

Finally, after much deliberation and attempt to exhaust other options, Dan-oh meets with Tae-hwa again and offers herself instead of Ihwawon. She’ll find the person he’s looking for: Jade Dust, A.K.A. Lee Seol. Outside, San has followed her out of curiosity and heard every word. And he doesn’t look pleased.

Even if the answers to some of the core mysteries already seem fairly obvious, I appreciate that there are a few other little mysteries sprinkled in to keep things interesting. Like Yoo-ha’s secret society (and not-so-spotless lineage after all), the man in black, Dan-oh’s sister, and each of our Flower Scholars’ backstories. Shi-yeol in particular seems to know a lot more than he lets on, and I can’t help wondering how much of how he presents himself is exaggerated or an outright act.

But even if everything plays out very safe and predictably, so far I’m enjoying this show for the feel-good fun that it is. I love Dan-oh’s spunk and resourcefulness, and her budding friendship with each of the Flower Scholars — and theirs with each other.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the emotional link between our antagonist and our heroes — not just the death of Tae-hwa’s son (who appears to have been a friend of Lee Seol’s, or nearly, at one time), but also the connection between his and Dan-oh’s families. It’s going to make for plenty of angst down the road, I’m sure, with all the potentially twisted-up loyalties.

 
RELATED POSTS

• Premiere Watch: The Secret Romantic Guesthouse
• Politics and peril in The Secret Romantic Guesthouse
• Introducing the players of The Secret Romantic Guesthouse
• The Secret Romantic Guesthouse readies for lodgers
• News bites: March 9, 2023
• News bites: February 25, 2023
• Shin Ye-eun welcomes Joseon F3 in Flower Scholars’ Love Story