Check In Hanyang: Episodes 13-14

by solstices

As we near the end, everyone’s true colors start coming to light, whether for better or for worse. Meanwhile, our scorned second lead spirals into the deep end, digging his heels in to reclaim what he believes is rightfully his.

 
EPISODES 13-14

After confirming their mutual feelings through a kiss, Deok-soo opens up to Eun-ho about needing to live as a man to survive. They share a heartfelt conversation, after which we get a brief comedy interlude with Deok-soo washing up while Eun-ho stands guard outside trying to distract himself from improper thoughts. (*cue push-ups*)

Lying down side by side afterwards, our pair shyly admit that it’s their first time feeling their heart flutter, and Eun-ho confesses that he’s liked her for a long time. “Whether you are Hong Deok-soo, or Hong Jae-on — whoever you are, you are the only one I will hold in my heart.” Awww. Deok-soo echoes the sentiment, and Eun-ho vows to protect her no matter what. Then he panics when she slings an arm around him — “I’m not ready for that yet!” — but it turns out Deok-soo just tosses and turns a lot in her sleep, ha.

Leveraging on the recent droughts and the discontented populace, Minister Oh pressures the king into hastening the crown prince appointment. Eun-ho barely manages to buy them some time, but Deok-soo takes one look at him and immediately clocks his troubles. Urging Eun-ho to lean on her for a moment, Deok-soo shares the snacks she brought for him, and that sparks a childhood memory which leads to a realization — the engraving on the key speaks of how sharing happiness doubles it.

Indeed, the safe is buried in the hole little Deok-soo used to squirrel her snacks away in, and a flashback shows that her father would always match everything she put in. Awww. Deok-soo and Eun-ho retrieve the ledger at long last, and amongst the names — consisting of familiar ones like Minister Oh and Lord Cheon — one stands out in particular. It’s Prince Lee Hyun-wi, the current king.

Said king has ordered his swordsmen to tail Eun-ho, and our pair find themselves accosted before they can leave the premises. Jun-hwa arrives and joins the fray, but he ends up slashed in the arm while protecting Deok-soo. Just when the situation grows dire, Eun-ho’s loyal bodyguard dashes in, ordering everyone to bow before Prince Muyeong. And just like that, Eun-ho’s secret is out.

As it turns out, the king had been under the impression that Lord Cheon and Minister Oh would arrange an abdication, only to be blindsided by the cruel poisoning. The king attempts to justify his involvement, but when Eun-ho refuses to hand over the ledger, he turns nasty and swears to obtain it at any cost.

Shocked by the revelation that Eun-ho is royalty, Deok-soo regards him coldly when he sneaks out of his royal house arrest (with the help of his bodyguard and Prince Eunseong) to retrieve the ledger. It’s to keep her safe since possessing the ledger will make her a target, Eun-ho says, to which both Deok-soo and I want to tell everyone to stop acting on her behalf and start working with her instead.

Thankfully, Eun-ho’s amenable to that plan, and our pair mislead Lord Cheon and the king into believing the ledger has fallen into Minister Oh’s hands. Sure enough, they bite the bait and point their swords at him instead, and by nightfall Minister Oh is dead from quite literally getting backstabbed.

While all this is going on, our OTP’s union has a certain spurned suitor drowning his sorrows in wine. Insisting that he came first, Jun-hwa vows that he won’t let Eun-ho “steal Deok-soo from him.” Um, hello, she’s not a possession… Jun-hwa’s entitlement only grows worse when Lord Cheon stokes its flames, relating the tale of how his and Lord Hong’s children each received one character of an auspicious name. Telling Jun-hwa that Jae-on was always supposed to be his, Lord Cheon urges his son to draw upon his power, in order to ensure he never loses what belongs to him.

Misled by his father into blaming Lady Seol for the Hong family massacre, Jun-hwa grows obsessed with keeping Deok-soo safe, ordering Soo-ra to report all of Deok-soo’s movements to him. Like father, like son, and Soo-ra says just that. But in response, Jun-hwa reveals Eun-ho’s true identity, throwing Soo-ra for a loop.

As for Jun-hwa’s own parentage, it’s revealed in the grandest surprise — nepotism has him appointed to the position of innkeeper in Lady Seol’s absence. Lord Cheon asks Jae-on to lead Yongcheonru with his son, and sure enough, Deok-soo and Soo-ra are chosen as Jun-hwa assistants. Neither of them look pleased with this arrangement, though.

When Jun-hwa stoops to Myung-ho’s level of petty vindictiveness, Soo-ra calls him out for wielding his power to make the less-privileged kneel, but that doesn’t stop Jun-hwa one bit. Not only does he beat Myung-ho bloody for harassing Deok-soo, but he also puts the gossiping old noblemen in their place by humiliating them with wealth they can’t refuse, all while Myung-ho’s blood still stains his cheek.

Okay, I have to admit it’s satisfyingly entertaining to watch Jung Geon-joo portray a corruption arc — the dullness in those once-bright eyes and that scornful smirk! Jun-hwa’s drastic personality shift may feel abrupt, going from a sweet and thoughtful (albeit privileged) gentleman to a possessive and spiteful very-much-not-gentle man, but it does make sense. Of course he’d snap eventually when constantly manipulated by a father like Lord Cheon, who deliberately isolates him and sows distrust amongst his only other support system.

From Jun-hwa’s perspective, he’s waited patiently all this time, being respectful and considerate of Deok-soo’s secret, only to have Eun-ho swoop in and whisk her straight into danger. I can sympathize with Jun-hwa’s knee-jerk instinct to keep Deok-soo safe — especially with how sheltered his own upbringing has been — but he’s forgetting that she deserves her own agency. I just wish Jun-hwa’s descent into antagonism was executed with more nuance, because while the signs of his entitlement and jealousy were there, I don’t think they were expanded upon enough. (I’d happily trade some of the romance scenes for more Jun-hwa development — those two lovebirds really do not need to be kissing in their workplace where they can be caught at any moment — but that’s just me, and this is a romance drama after all.)

Talking about our main couple, I like how sweet and understated their romance is, even if I’m not quite feeling the chemistry. Their connection is founded upon a shared understanding and seeking solace in each other, and I’m excited for them to properly join hands in bringing the treasonous traitors down. On that note, I feel like the drama wasted a lot of its potential in its latter half by failing to capitalize on its strengths — namely its ensemble camaraderie and guesthouse setting — and instead sticking close to tropes that other dramas have done, and done better. It’s not a poor watch, but it chose to take the most predictable and well-worn route, which is a shame because of how genuinely fun I found its first half. Can our quartet please just communicate candidly?

If there’s one silver lining in all of this, though, it’s Lady Seol. Having made it all the way to the Uiju guild — a.k.a. Myung-ho’s guild — through gritted teeth, Lady Seol talks her way out of the swords pointed to her throat. And with that, she arrives back at Yongcheonru as part of the guildmaster’s entourage, a self-assured smirk playing upon her lips. Yessss, go Lady Seol!

 
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