To many, it’s a foregone conclusion that MooYoung is the baby’s father. After watching Episode 14, I see why. However, I can also understand why the Anybody-but-MooYoon camp insists that it’s not over yet. I see their side of the story, too.

So what I’m going to do now is go over the conversations among the principal characters in this episode and give the Pro’s and Con’s interpretations of the scenes.

Pro = MooYoung is dad
Con = MooYoung is NOT dad.

I’m operating under three premises:

One, the writer intends to deceive.
Two, the Crown Princess is very much as manipulative as her father. She lies. I still can’t wrap my head around her ordering MY shot in Episode 8, then asking her father if HE did it in Episode 9.
Three, MooYoung is a quixotic character…despite being a cold-blooded assassin. 😝

1. CPrincess and Mooyoung meeting

CP: Do you remember when we came here last time? It was snowing then.
MY: I haven’t gotten your answer yet. By any chance, are you pregnant with…
CP: That is right. (MY glances at her.) Can you run away with me then? (He looks down and she does, too.) You have not changed a bit. (He looks up.) Do not worry. The baby is not your baby.

This scene can be interpreted in two ways.

Pro interpretation: When she asks him to run away with her, his unspoken answer is no. That’s why he looks down and avoids her eyes. When she observes that he hasn’t changed, she means that he remains as self-righteous as ever. When she says, “Don’t worry. This baby is not your baby,” she’s lying. The baby is MooYoung’s but the CPrincess has pride. She doesn’t want to burden him if he doesn’t want to help. She’s letting him off the hook.

Con interpretation: She has confirmed that she’s pregnant with X’s child and she’s asking his help to escape the palace. Remember, she once said that she envied him for being able to escape and live in a hut in the country. But by avoiding her gaze, MY is tacitly saying “sorry, I can’t help you.” When she says, “Don’t worry. This baby is not your baby,” she’s telling him that “Fine, then.” He refuses to help her so that’s okay with her. Her baby is HER concern, and not his concern. She can deal with it. And she walks away. IMPORTANT: Given MooYoung’s character, if that Baby was his, he would NOT refuse her his help.

The story continues…

She walks away. He stares straight. She puts her hand down right as she passes him. She pauses for a second, probably to wait for him to move. MooYoung releases his breath as soon as she’s gone, signifying that he’s been controlling his emotion.

Maid: Your Highness. What will you do if your father knows about this?
CP: I’m pregnant, so he cannot possibly kill me. I’m not afraid of getting locked up in my residence. The palace is a prison to me anyway.
Maid: I put the palanquin at a faraway place on purpose. You will have to walk for a long time.

But then, MooYoung grabs her arm.

Interlude: The story suddenly shifts to the palace where the Eunuch intercepts the evening drink meant for LeeYul. In front of LY, he drinks it because it’s the drug that suppresses LY’s memories. Then back to the story…

In the palanquin, the CPrincess replays the conversation she had with MY.

MY: I could not run away with you for your own good. Your family will be doomed if you run away with me. Will you still not regret choosing me? I will do as you want. If you want, I will leave anywhere at any time with you. (she’s smiling as she remembers) Tell me when you make up your mind.

Again, there are two ways to interpret this:

Pro interpretation: MY loves her and is only thinking of HER own good when he refused to help her. But he’s changed his mind and will now do whatever she wants. He’ll wait for her decision. The CPrincess is smiling happily inside her palanquin at the thought of having MY at her side ready to help her escape.

Con interpretation: MY just got played. The reason this scene is shown as a flashback is to show the CPrincess’ SATISFIED smile that she conned MY to do her bidding. Just like the Eunuch of LeeYul who offered to drink the drug meant for LY (it’s interesting that this scene with LY and the servant was shown right before the palanquin scene. I thought it was too show parallel actions of servants), MooYoon is also sacrificing himself to help the CPrincess. He’s going to help her escape the clutches of her father, just like the Eunuch helped LeeYul thwart Minister Kim’s plan to drug him. When MooYoung asks, “Won’t you regret choosing me?” he’s only asking if the CPrincess is willing to forego her rich and secured life in the palace with a rougher life with just him as her servant.

2. Minister Kim and MooYoon

Kim: MooYoon
MY: Yes, my lord.
Kim: Why did you not kill the Crown Prince?
MY: Are you going to cut off my throat now?
Kim: No way. It would have been nice if you had told me that the CP had lost his memory. Then I wouldn’t have had to stage a funeral and spent so many days waiting and worrying. Thanks to you, I brought him back and averted a crisis. Is that not a great relief?
MY: You cannot have brought me here to commend me for my work.
Kim: There is one last thing you must do for the CPrincess. (kneeling) I am sure you guessed already but the child she is carrying is not the Crown Prince’s. (MY grips his clothes). I need you to find the father and kill him. (MY looks down) For my daughter, you can do that much, right?

Pro interpretation: Minister Kim knows that MY is the father. He’s only messing around with him when he orders MY to look for the dad. Why? Because he wants MY preoccupied in order to delay his escape/elopement with the Princess. MY’s clenching his fist/gripping his clothes is a sign that he’s guilty of fathering the child.

Con interpretation: Minister Kim is killing two birds with one stone. He wants MY’s help in tracking down the real baby’s father. However, after MY tracks down the father, Minister Kim plans to kill him, too. Why? 1) because he knows too much and 2) because as long as he’s there, the CPrincess will always ask help from him to escape the palace. But Minister Kim wants the CPrincess to be Queen and seduce LeeYul.

MY’s clenching his fist/gripping his clothes is a sign that 1) he knows the real father or 2) he’s angry at the deception of the CPrincess. The CPrince is his sister’s beloved WonDeuk or 3) he’s sorry for the CPrincess that her father is this brutal.

3. MooYoon’s conversation with his sidekick, Hyuk

Hyuk: Give up on the Crown Princess. Please. Just take your sister and leave.
MY: I must think about it since I have time.
Hyuk: VP Kim knows everything and is setting you up. In the end, he will kill you.
MY: I must buy some time. Let us find a man to point as the father.
Hyuk: Will the VP fall for it? (MY looks doubtful too.)
MY: I will do everything I can since I have someone to risk my life on to save.

Pro interpretation: MY has to find a fake father because he IS the father.

Con interpretation: MY has to find a fake father because he does NOT know the father. (Remember that MY isn’t the type to ask questions when he’s given a job. That’s what Minister Kim found interesting about him.) All the CPrincess told him was “Do not worry” because the baby is not his baby. Meaning, the baby is HER concern, not his. Hence, he said that he had “someone” to risk his life on and “someone” to save. He didn’t mention any baby because he doesn’t feel responsible for it as it’s not HIS responsibility. Only the mother is his responsibility.

4. MooYoon’s conversation with the Lady-in-waiting of the CPrincess
**To me, this is one of the strongest evidences that MY is NOT the baby’s father.

Maid: Are you out of your mind? I answered your call but this is nothing but reckless. The Crown Princess needs time to think.
MY: Things have changed. Please give this to her.

Content of MY’s letter: It seems like your father has figured it out. I’m trying to stall but it will not last long. On the third from today, I will wait at a pavilion by Donui Gate.

Pro interpretation: The Maid knows about the affair and she’s the intermediary. She was the one who set up the meeting when MY was leaving Minister Kim’s residence.

Con interpretation: MooYoon always sends his letters to the CPrincess through her intermediaries like her lady-in-waiting and Eunuch (wasn’t it the eunuch who delivered the message last time MY returned the red bracelet?). In contrast, the princess SECRETLY HIDES notes to her lover inside the tiles in her father’s residence. If MY and CPrincess are indeed lovers then why the different method of communication?? Why does the CPrincess stash her messages to her lover when MY, her lover, trusts the CPrincess’ own people to deliver his?

5. Minister Kim’s confrontation with CPrincess

MK: Have everybody leave her chambers.
CP: What brings you by, Father.
MK: For some reason I suddenly felt bad for the recently deceased eldest son of Office of Special Counselors. I ordered you to eliminate the baby’s father but you took an innocent man’s life.
CP: I’ve no idea what you are talking about.

She lies so smoothly, this snake.

MK: That letter you hold. May I read it? (she grips on letter) MY has been staying with me.
CP: I thought he left the city.
MK: You spent half a day with him, so how can you not know?
CP: Did you have someone follow me?
MY: You vixen. Why not fool around with a lowlife from the market? Why did it have to be MooYoon?

**This is the strongest argument that MY is the baby’s daddy.

Pro interpretation: Minister Kim is saying that if CP wanted to mess around and have sex, why couldn’t she have chosen somebody else other than MooYoon. Why did she choose MY who was her father’s trusted (and favorite) assassin? lol. Minister Kim just insulted his daughter while praising MY.

Con interpretation: The CPrincess doesn’t confirm or deny that MY is her baby’s father but she allows Minister Kim to think that MY is the father while the real identity of the father is still unknown.

CP: (she grips her letter tighter) Do not hurt him.

**This is another strong argument that MY is the baby’s daddy.

Pro interpretation: See? She’s showing that she cares for MY. They’re ill-fated lovers.
Con interpretation: She cares for him as a person, not a lover. For old times’ sake, she doesn’t want him hurt. (lol. She has a peculiar way of making MY stay at her side.)

MK: If you want him to live, you will not run away with him. You must become the queen no matter what. So win over the Crown Prince’s heart.
CP: Father!
MK: I am moments away from having my plan of 10 years succeed, so do not cross me again. If you get in the way, MooYoon and that baby will be killed. (she looks like she’s about to cry). Love is only an illusion. Why have something that will only disappear? (she looks repulsed by father’s words) Do not forget this. You and I share the same blood.

**This can go either way.

Pro interpretation: Minister Kim is targeting MooYoon because he’s the baby’s father.
Con interpretation: If the CPrincess intended to divert attention from the real father, then she already succeeded. MK suspects nobody else now but MooYoon. lol. Maybe this was HER plan all along when she met up with MooYoon in the field. She wants MooYoung to be the fallguy or the scapegoat.

CP: I’ve nothing but resentment towards you. Why live like this? Why must you do this? After the dethronement, you were promoted thanks to your contribution. Why wasn’t it enough? When will you ever stop?

**This can go either way, too.

Pro interpretation: She’s breaking down because her baby and MooYoon are threatened.
Con interpretation: She’s angry being used by her father in his greed for power and that’s why she wants to escape the palace with MooYoon’s help.

MK: Have you ever eaten a field mouse because you were starving? Have you ever been on the brink of death after eating rotten food? Have you ever buried your parents who died from being beaten under rough and dry land? I do not know either. I do not know what I must eat or have in order to fill this emptiness in me.
CP: I hate with all of my gut that I was born as your daughter.
MK: I do not have a son, so you are all I can rely on. I do not want to lose you too. So please get your head straight.

6. Minister Kim and the CPrincess

CP: I heard that a fire broke out in the Prince’s library. Were you behind it this time as well?
MK: The CP was looking for his journal. Our secrets might be written in that journal. But it was burned to ashes, so do not worry. Go to his chambers tonight and sleep there tonight. No matter how cold-hearted a man is, he becomes generous towards his baby.
CP: You must keep your promise.
MK: Or course.

Pro interpretation: CPrincess loves MooYoon so she’s conspiring with her Minister Kim to keep him and their baby safe.
Con interpretation: CPrincess loves the baby’s father and using MooYoon as convenient decoy.

*************

So, there we have it.

As I’ve written it down, you can see that the ambiguity is real and deliberate. You can argue it both ways.  The general consensus that MooYoung = dad has the straightforward and uncomplicated explanation. However, the Anybody-but-Mooyoon’ers aren’t arguing their case for the sake of argument. They have the more nuanced justification for their theory.

I think we should just wait and see how it gets sorted out in the end (if it does). I just hope it’s over soon because this subplot is dragging.

Have a good weekend, everyone!