Check In Hanyang: Episodes 5-6

by solstices

When our heroine finds herself in hot water, her teammates rally around her to defend her honor and protect her secrets. An unexpected victory rewards them with a lavish celebration, creating the perfect opportunity for flustered feelings to blossom.

 
EPISODES 5-6

With a hanbok-clad Deok-soo caught out in the open — and witnessed by a peeping Myung-ho, at that — Steward Ji hastily bluffs that Deok-soo is a “gift” for the lecherous VIP, ushering her away from scrutiny. Resolving to rescue their buddy, the rest of our squad stage an intervention, culminating in Eun-ho smashing through the doors right as Deok-soo is ordered to disrobe.

Except it all turns out to be a huge misunderstanding — the VIP guest isn’t an old geezer, but the young lady DO-KYUNG (Kwon Eun-bin), whose controlling uncle has forbidden her to cross paths with any men before marriage. She’s still a piece of work though, since she slaps Deok-soo in a huff for “ruining her garments.” Interestingly, Lady Seol speaks up to protect Deok-soo, intimidating Do-kyung’s attendant into letting the matter go.

After the trespassing trio receive a stern lecture from Lady Seol, our resident tsundere Eun-ho gets an ice pack for Deok-soo’s smarting cheek. And of course, Jun-hwa has the exact same idea, but ends up a step too late as always.

As it turns out, Do-kyung is more than just a spoiled brat — she’s the niece of the calculative minister of war, who seeks to use her as a pawn in a political marriage to Eun-ho. Stifled by her uncle’s puppeteering, the suffocated Do-kyung winds up taking her frustrations out on the people around her, acting out in the small ways she can afford.

That’s why, when the astute Lady Seol offers to let Do-kyung preside over the final hospitality exam — and be served like a queen — in an attempt to appease her for the hanbok fiasco, Do-kyung does everything she can to make our apprentices’ lives difficult. Hurt people hurt people, and when Do-kyung releases her pet parrot and demands that Deok-soo and co. search for it, it’s clear Do-kyung sees herself in the caged bird.

Deok-soo realizes as much, and decides to switch tack entirely. Folding two origami birds for Do-kyung — life is less lonely with a companion, after all — Deok-soo suggests a bet on a game of dice rolling, and the way Do-kyung’s eyes immediately light up confirms that all she’s ever wanted is a friend.

Of course, Deok-soo wins, which means she gets to sneak Do-kyung out for a night stroll. Dolling up Soo-ra as a diversion and dressing Do-kyung in apprentice robes, our quartet plans a night picnic, which Eun-ho and Deok-soo end up arriving at first. While attempting to catch fireflies to fill a lantern, they accidentally grab each other’s hands instead, leading to a charged moment under the romantic moonlight.

Alas, Myung-ho’s witnessed their escapade, and he immediately reports them to Lady Seol. Even then, Deok-soo keeps mum about Do-kyung’s loneliness, and in turn, Do-kyung speaks in their defense and passes both trainee groups. Bristling, Myung-ho accuses Deok-soo of being a woman, going as far as to rip her clothes — which reveals the gnarly scar from the wound she incurred on the night of her father’s murder. It’s irrefutable evidence for Lady Seol, who’d recognized Deok-soo’s dice techniques but closed an eye to it as mere coincidence, and she’s deeply rattled by the revelation that Deok-soo is Lord Hong’s missing daughter.

In any case, the apprentices are dismissed for the night. Adorably, Eun-ho assumes Deok-soo’s been avoiding public showers all this while because she’s embarrassed about her scar, awkwardly proclaiming that it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Aww, his heart’s in the right place. Meanwhile, Jun-hwa thoughtfully reserves a private bath under his name for Deok-soo to use — but again, he misses his timing. Such is the fate of the second lead.

Bent on obtaining irrefutable evidence that Deok-soo’s not the man she pretends to be, Myung-ho and gang peek in on Deok-soo showering, zeroing in on her scarred shoulder — only to be shocked by chiseled abs. But after the troublemakers scurry off, the man lowers the towel from his face, revealing that it was Soo-ra all along.

It turns out that after Myung-ho tried to sow seeds of doubt in him, Soo-ra went in the complete opposite direction and instead offered a listening ear to Deok-soo as a fellow breadwinner. She’d finally confided her secret, and our freshly-showered heroine thanks Soo-ra for being someone she can trust.

With one minion kicked out as a peeping tom scapegoat, the seven remaining apprentices are all officially appointed. They’re rewarded with a day as a Yongcheonru guest, and Eun-ho and Deok-soo end up sharing a newlywed suite, bickering over a foot bath and applying a clay mixture on each other’s faces.

The latter has them both flustered by the proximity, and when Deok-soo has a nightmare of her father’s death, Eun-ho gruffly offers a peach blossom branch to chase away her distressing dreams. She’s moved by his kindness, while he can’t stop gazing tenderly at her — but of course, neither of them are anywhere close to realizing their feelings just yet.

The next day, the morning of the appointment ceremony dawns. As luck would have it, Lord Cheon had inadvertently revealed the location of his quarters when he invited Eun-ho over to flaunt the blatant disrespect of its royal motifs in his face. While Lord Cheon presides over the ceremony, Eun-ho’s bodyguard searches his quarters for the brass key — and he finds it. But right then, Deok-soo is arrested as a murder suspect, shocking everyone in attendance. It seems Lady Seol finally tipped the investigation bureau off.

Ooh, why now? And what does Lady Seol plan to do with Deok-soo? Our innkeeper remains largely an enigma, keeping her motivations close to her vest in front of friends and foes alike. While the minister of war questions Eunseong about his dragon-engraved sword — which is only given to princes — and Lord Cheon needles Eun-ho to inflate his own ego, Lady Seol is playing along while keenly observing the chess board for the right opportunity.

Perhaps Lady Seol’s response following the hanbok incident reveals the most about her convictions and motives. When Jun-hwa protested against Do-kyung’s physical assault, Lady Seol told him to become Yongcheonru’s owner if he wishes to change its ways — rage is useless without the power to back it up. It’s obvious Lady Seol has been covertly amassing such power all this while, but to what end? And what lengths has she gone to in the name of her goal?

On a side note, Eun-ho’s obliviousness cracks me up, with how he’s quick-witted in literally every other aspect but hopelessly dense when it comes to Deok-soo. Jun-hwa’s worried fretting and anxious jealousy make it even funnier, because Eun-ho’s not even consciously trying to make moves on Deok-soo, he just has the Dramaland Male Lead buff. Though Jun-hwa’s right on one count — Eun-ho’s falling hard for our heroine, even if he doesn’t realize it yet.

 
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