This will be brief because I’ve jet-lag.

1. Yulmo wants a meal buddy.

What is he? A kindergartner? He can’t eat because he’s missing DongJoo.

He doesn’t know that DongJoo was at that moment being given a piggyback ride by Nokdu.

They arrive home but there’s a stranger waiting for them. He must be from the Palace Employment Agency because she finds herself working in the palace as the maid for the Queen’s palace. (I’m assuming it’s the queen’s palace…)

2. First day of work

Nokdu also arrives at the palace. His first assignment? To escort those two servants from DongJoo’s old household to the forest. They’re looking for the unmarked burial spot where they disposed of the dead bodies of DongJoo’s family members.

Nokdu seems to behave kindly to the terrified servants. He gains two more allies.

3. Long story short: King kills his Minister in rage.

Can’t say he didn’t deserve this. He’d been plotting all this time to overthrow the King and he DID send those assassins to kill Nokdu. But I disliked that he had to die because of Yulmo’s treachery. This tells me that he’s been usurped by somebody who’s even more sanguine than he is.

Yulmo uses the female assassins to testify against the Prime Minister. Minister warns King about Yulmo and gripes how the King can believe Yulmo’s words over his when he’s been the one serving him all this time.

He must have accused King of killing his own baby because the King becomes enraged and stabs him. King regrets it but too late. His old friend dies.

Moral Lesson: Live by the sword, die by the sword.

The most useless death in this episode: the death of Prime Minister’s guard. Ugh. What a waste of manpower. He could have helped the female assassins fight this Prince Yulmo but noooo. He had to go visit the dead body of his former boss and be caught off-guard by Yulmo’s assassin. What a dunderhead.

4. Flower ring

After Nokdu escorts the old couple back to the palace to report on the grave-digging, he releases them. On their way out, old couple are spooked to DongJoo hanging sheets. They leave hurriedly.

Nokdu approaches DongJoo. Flirts. Tells her he has to go only to come back with a surprise for her. He gives her a daisy ring. He puts in on her and kisses her hand.

Swoon.

Tells her again that he has to go and she detains him with a backhug. She rests her head on his shoulder.

Sweet.

Then she watches him leave.

And this is why I willingly watch 30 minutes of dumb political intrigues for 2 minutes of romance. How sad is my life??

5. The king sleeps

The King spots Nokdu and asks him to join him in his quarters. He drinks to oblivion and Nokdu puts him to bed. He sits by the King while he sleeps…which fulfills DongJoo’s advice to the King to ask a family member to attend to him when he has his bouts of insomnia.

Ahhh. Is that the reason he couldn’t ask his wife, the Queen, to sleep with him? He feels guilty about what he did to their son? So for the past 20 years, he avoided their night encounters? Oh I see now.

The King has nightmares. Guilt about killing his Minister Heo Yoon, and then guilt about killing a shaman. This must be the shaman who warned him about the danger of November 19. That the day would bring about his ruin.

Frankly, I don’t get people who believe in these astrology, feng shui, horoscopes, palm-reading, and fortune-telling. Are they that dumb that they need inanimate objects, positive vibes, and moon-and-star alignments to tell them how to run their lives? I might as well hug a tree and be comforted by a branch.

But as a plot devise, all these stupid shaman, superstition, horoscope, mumbo-jumbo make an interesting motivation for the characters.

If I understand the direction of this story, then, the King was told by the shaman to beware of November 19 because that day would bring about his downfall. But his son happened to be born on that day so he thought this is what the shaman meant. So he tried to get rid of his son. lol. It became a self-fulfilling prophesy for the King because his son is the reason he distrusts everybody now. Even his Queen….

Nokdu wakes him up from a dream. I think Nokdu wipes away his own tears, too, as he now understands why his father/the stranger would complain about insomnia. Nokdu sees his father having troubled sleep because of all his worries.

6. The market date

Dongjoo waits for him at the gate of the guards. He surprises her and gets a bloody nose in exchange. They have a street market date.

They hold hands. He puts his arm around her as a protective stance when men walk by. They try out sweets. He looks comical though with that tissue up his nose. But his woebegone look gets him a loving touch from DongJoo so I guess it’s all worth it.

They meet the other people from the villagers (you know the three big guards) and Yeolgum. They all have dinner at Nokdu’s place.

7. The spine-tingling moment

At bedtime, Nokdu pleads with DongJoo to sleep in her bedroom. She allows him.

And you remember what I said in the beginning about the progression in bedroom scenes in each episode, right?

Well, in this episode, we get the *interrupted* honeymoon night.

All I can say is I love the lead-up to the bedroom kiss. It gave me… tingles.

Spine-tingly moment.

She touches his face then tells him how much she cares for him (or something about just as sweet) and then is surprised to find that he’s been awake all the time.

Nokdu says, “Are you stupid or something? How can I sleep when the girl of my dreams in my arms?” Or something as sickly sweet.  I don’t speak Korean, remember?

Then he kisses her forehead, her eyelid, her nose while lying on their sides. He then moves on top of her and kisses her lips.

Nice.

Kiss analysis!!! Why is this kiss romantic?

Because Nokdu was taking his own sweet time with it. You and I know that they’re both ready for the big intimate moment and they aren’t rushing. I like the kiss on the forehead because it’s done with reverence. It means he isn’t going to jump on her and ravish her right there and then. It means he’ll respect her when they wake up the following morning. lol.

Then, the kisses on the eyelid, nose/cheek are meant to create anticipation. If you’re the girl, you know that he’s taking his time kissing you because, of course, the ultimate destination is your lips. He’s going towards the mouth but he’s taking detours. And since he’s delaying the inevitable, all you can think about is when is he going to do it. “Do it! Kiss me already! What are you waiting for?” There’s a heightened sense of awareness because of the delayed gratification.

Get it? That’s why slow kisses are more thrilling.

Then, when Nokdu shifts and moves on top of Dongjoo, she knows it’s about to come. Of course, it becomes a breathless moment. And when their lips touch, it’s like homecoming.

See that?

Give me a K.I.S.S.ING scene!!!!!

But the door suddenly opens and they instantly roll away from each other. It’s so funny. It’s as if a bomb exploded between Nokdu and DongJoo because suddenly there’s this wide crater formed between them.

It’s Aengchun who can’t sleep in the other room. She wants to sleep with them so forget about their kissing time now.

They settle for holding hands instead.

By the way, @rocat, if you’re lurking here, feel free to post anywhere. You do know that I’m famous for my kiss analyses, right? hahaha.

8. Bad day

Bad omen: her daisy ring

Then, Yulmo spots her with Nokdu. Yulmo punches him and Nokdu can’t do anything because he’s a guard. Yulmo orders DongJoo to come with him.

Then the Queen arrives and saves the situation. She lectures Yulmo for creating a ruckus with one of her maids and sends DongJoo away.

The Queen seems to be on Nokdu’s side. She received a note from Head Assassin under her teapot and read it. But the King’s guard saw her and reported her suspicious actions to the King.

9. Yoon Jeo tells the Queen

The Queen arranges for a private meeting with Yoon Jeo. She comes dressed as a plain woman. Yoon Jeo reveals that Queen’s son lives. The King interrupts their meeting and drags off Yoon Jeo.

Meanwhile, in another place in the palace, DongJoo is also arrested by the palace guards. The King investigates who this individual is sneaking around the palace.

Queen goes after the King, and she meets Nokdu along the way. She stumbles at his feet. He doesn’t reveal who he is but only helps her up. She runs to chase the King.

She’s dropped the norigae and Nokdu confirms that the jewel is the missing half of his own piece given to him by the Minister’s guard. Remember: he was told that his half-piece of jewel will reveal his identity.

This is the piece he needs to finally confirm his true identity as the King’s son.

He follows the Queen.