Here’s my list of things I learned about love in this episode. 😂 What’s on your list?

1. Prosopagnosia, or the inability to recognize familiar faces.

Prosopagnosia exists in kdramas because love is blind.

I dislike that I had to learn how to spell this long word because of kdramas so I’ve broken down the word to make it easier for us to remember. Pros- (meaning near) + op- (from “ops” meaning eye) + agnosia (meaning ignorance) = Prosopagnosia.

JaeYoon the bastard son was able to recognize HongShim as she was galloping 10000 miles an hour past him because he had prosopagnosia. That scene was so ridiculous and implausible but, in this writer’s brain, JaeYoon’s prosopagnosia made it possible. He could recognize her anywhere and everywhere because he wwwuuuvvvv her.

Really now! I protest that this character has been given more consequence and more scenes that I think he deserved. For example, what’s the point of showing him —

a) receiving a letter of appointment from Minister Park telling him to work for the town official, Park Seon Do of Songju because he was “the retired secretary of Ministry Personnel”? What for? More dubious minor characters in the making??

b) rescuing HongShim from a fall in a dramatic flair? So what? He was the one who caused her horse to buck up! Horse whisperer, he’s not.

c) showing off his Chinese to the Lord Park? Pffftt. I get it already! He’s an ambitious kid who wants to ingratiate himself for information and power. Whatever. I don’t care. What a waste of minutes that could have been used for more romance scenes with WonDeuk and HongShim!

d) falling in the pit? What the heck? Where’s the poop in the pit?!! Why were the poop scenes only reserved for Kyungsoo…errr…WonDeuk, show?

To me, JaeYoon’s central mission is to get Lee Yul safely back into the palace. But if this writer twists his prosopagnosia so he’s unable to help Lee Yul in the end, then what’s the whole point of his existence?

Be relevant or be killed.

2. Love doesn’t end when the person you love hurts you.

HongShim had sent off WonDeuk to another village so he could finally discover that she (and her father) had been fooling him about his real identity. It was a fool’s errand. Literally speaking, she had sent off the fool WonDeuk on it. Metaphorically speaking, neither of them ended up any wiser from the journey. WonDeuk still didn’t know who he was, and now she lost a “dependable” husband, too.

But the trip was necessary. She only had a few days left before her departure to make amends for taking advantage of a stranger’s amnesia. She made a mistake and must correct it. Now, it was up to WonDeuk to forgive her.

WonDeuk’s emotional distance after his discovery her deception showed that he was angry and hurt.

This was their dialogue after he came from his fool’s errand:

HS: You’re back. Did you take care of the job? (He just stares at her.) It must have been a long journey. Come here and sit. Let’s have dinner.
WD: Why did you send me there?
HS: Because there’s something you need to know.
WD: Is it the fact that I’m not WonDeuk?
HS: Yes. That’s right. You’re not WonDeuk.
WD: If I am not WonDeuk, then who am I?
HS: I don’t know either.
WD: If you don’t know who I am, why did you fool me into thinking I’m WonDeuk?
HS: We had an order from the Crown Prince. He ordered all the maids and bachelors to get married. But I didn’t want to do it. In the end, I was dragged to the government office with two choices. I had to take 100 beatings or become Lord Park’s concubine. That’s why I used you. Because I wanted to pretend that I was going to get married. (in other words, she wanted to enter into a pretend marriage.)
WD: Then why is it that you’re telling me the truth now?

To me, this is an excellent question. He quickly got to the heart of the matter. Of course, the real reason she was telling him the truth NOW and stopping the charades NOW was because her brother arrived and was going to take her away with him. But she couldn’t tell him that.

WD: (continuing) Do you no longer need me now that you’ve overcome that hurdle? Is it because all I had to do was pretend to be married but I kept burdening you by asking you to sleep with me?

This is another good question. WonDeuk was blaming himself. In his mind, HE forced her to reveal the truth and confess to lying because she wanted to avoid the consummation of their marriage. To begin with, she only desired a pretend husband; she didn’t want a real one. His talk about her sleeping with him forced her confession.

HS: If you want, you can cut the shirt tie now. We can split now. You can still stay here until you regain your memory since I’m partly at fault. I’ll do whatever you ask.
WD: But what about my feelings for you?

Excellent point. It wasn’t that easy to break off their marriage. The “symbolic” termination of their marriage wouldn’t cut it (pun intended) anymore because feelings had become involved. He was telling her that he couldn’t cut off his emotions as easily as he could cut the shirt strings.

HS: WonDeuk.
WD: Don’t call me that. I’m not WonDeuk.

See that? Although he didn’t raise a fist or shout at her, WonDeuk was angry at her deception. However, no matter how furious, hurt, confused, resentful, and lost he was after her admission of guilt, he wasn’t revoking his love for her.

3. Love conquers pneumonia.

I wasn’t happy when he made her sit outside till her wet clothes dried up on her. But I totally understand that it was payback. He didn’t like that he had seen her laughing while he was suffering so he made her sit out there with him as petty retaliation. Of course, he didn’t know that her friend was trying to cheer her up because she had cried earlier.

WD: What happened to your clothes? It looks like you had fun in the water.
HS: No, I was just…I didn’t have fun in the water.
WD: You were laughing. You were out laughing after you made feel uncomfortable.
HS: Then what should I do? Should I cry? Would that change anything? (But that was exactly what she did earlier.)
WD: It’d be better if you cried. I hate that you seem just fine. Sit down. I’ve to check a few things.
HS: Let me get changed first.
WD: O-ho! How dare you. I told you to sit.

But communication matters. I’d rather that they sort out their misunderstanding before the situation worsened. They could deal with her pneumonia later. 

WD: I want to check how much of what you said were lies. I first saw you in the yard of the government office. Have we never met before that?
HS: No. We had never met before. I saw you for the first time that day.
WD: Then when you said I feel for you at first sight and followed you around and that I asked to get married under cherry blossom trees were you lying then?
HS: Yeah

I like how she nodded her assent her instead of saying it out loudly.

WD: If that’s so, who did you share those memories with? Is that the real WonDeuk?
HS: No, I just… made it up.

Hahaha. No she didn’t. I love her hesitation here. She could hardly reveal that she was remembering her first marriage proposal from almost two decades ago. As I’ve written in a post elsewhere, she was projecting her old feelings onto him.

WD: Which parts did you make up? Tell me in details.
HS: I’m sorry. I was wrong. I’ll apologize.
WD: What I want to hear is not an apology
HS: Then should I get on my knees. Should I kneel and ask for forgiveness? Is that what you want?
WD: No.
HS: Then what is it that you want?
WD: The water mill.
HS: The? The water mill?

When he said “the water mill,” I wasn’t sure if he was merely changing topics or he meant to say that he wanted a REPEAT of what happened between them at the water mill.

WD: Did you also make up the part about spending the night together in the water mill?
HS: Why are you curious about that at a time like this?
WD: Because I’m jealous. Go on and answer me.

I like that WonDeuk hadn’t wavered. He still liked her even after her deception, and wasn’t embarrassed to call that “uncomfortable feeling” for what it was: jealousy.

HS: I only heard about it from Father. He said there was a man named WonDeuk across the river who’s diligent and hardworking. He suggested that I marry him. But I couldn’t meet him because he went off to the military.

She was reassuring him that there was no need to be jealous because WonDeuk was a person she knew of only secondhand. Her father told her about WonDeuk but she herself had not met him.

WD: Then you’ve only heard about him and never saw him in person?
HS: Yeah.
WD: I’m glad you didn’t meet him. The real WD wasn’t good-looking at all.
HS: Hey, it’s not right to judge a person by how they look. The face isn’t important. It’s what’s inside that matters. The face isn’t important to me at all.
WD: Is that so?
HS: Yes. (camera zooms in on his face) What I mean is that … it’s not my first priority. But that doesn’t mean I don’t care at all.
WD: Go inside and get changed. You’ll catch a cold. (Yes, because pneumonia happens.)
HS: Who’s the one who made me sit down first?
WD: This marriage may have been started by you, but I’ll be the one to end it. Until I put an end to it, you’re my wife, and I’m your husband. Don’t forget that.

What I liked about this scene is that he decided to have a conversation out in the open instead of letting his jealousy fester and create more problems for them later. I know this last line, “You may have started this marriage, but I’ll be the one to end it,” sounds swoon-worthy but it also forebodes HIS return to the palace. Their marriage will be in jeopardy once he regains his memory and returns to rightful place in the palace.

4. Love is a cruise… or something like that.

Per WonDeuk.

WD: I heard marriage is a very big deal. It’s the most important event that is held between two people in love. Since there’s nothing more important than marriage we must very very very careful about it. That’s not all. People compare marriage to taking the same boat. Since you’re crossing the water in one boat, you share joys and sorrows of life.
HS: What is he saying?  (Like HongShim, he lost me with his long-winded sermon and formal talk. He must be teasing her when he turned on his Royal Mode.)
WD: Marriage should be meaningful but mine is ruined. You used me. You fooled me into marrying a woman I didn’t know. What will you do about that?
HS: I’m sorry. I said I’m sorry.

Say what??!!

5. Love is a warm shoulder.

What kdrama is complete without the shoulder snuggle? Just imagine how many cameras were in that tiny room and how many takes it took to shoot this two-minute action scene!

But no points for him for pushing her head off his shoulder. He was miffed because she fell asleep in his company but a little tenderness would have gone a long way. Not funny, director.

6. Love means being debt-free.

Nothing upsets me more in the early episodes that that time WonDeuk bought luxury items for his comfort, and expected HongShim to pay for them. Sometimes being unfaithful in marriage doesn’t involve an affair. It can also mean sneakily buying things for oneself and burying your spouse in debt.

Thus, I’m glad that he carted home the king’s gift of silk and told HongShim to use them to pay off his debt. He was complaining about his tattered sleeves just the night before, but now that he had piles of royal silk at hand, his first thought was to sell them all.

Before and After.

7. Small is beautiful when it comes to love.

Yes, I know he gave her the pretty shoes in the middle of the barley field. But hey, I love her small acts of love, too.

Like preparing him a lovely dinner, putting a pillow under his head, preparing his travel bag complete with extra shoes, fixing his jockstrap…errr…I meant his bag straps.

Heartfelt.

8. The Kiss.

Sure, love means forgiveness but there’s nothing like a kiss to say, “I’ve forgotten about whatever asinine, deceitful, foolish, stupid, hurtful thing that you did to me.”

There you have it. My list. Share yours.