I have to finish explaining the title before the new episodes roll in this weekend.

I mentioned three dangerous relationships in my last post.

This post: Mr Queen: Ep 8 The “Fake” SoYong

1. The love triangle of the BongHwan/Queen Soyong, the King and the concubine HwaJin

I suggested that HwaJin is under false pretenses. The King believed that the young HwaJin saved him from the well when it was young SoYong, aided by her Orabeoni, ByeongIn, who got him out.

This is a good shot.

The well in the background was where their problem began in the past. The Queen and King were huddled together just as they probably would have been, when they were children caught together by SoYoung’s father. Hwajin loomed in the foreground because she was the major problem that this couple had to face.

2. The King and his father-in-law

Ostensibly, the King was visiting his Queen to check on her health. He brought his whole entourage to the Kim house in a parade, making BongHwan comment that the royal family were all attention seekers. I’m sure that King did this to distract his father-in-law because his real reason was to look around the manor for the “Confidential” book hidden in his father-in-law’s safe.

3. ByeongIn and the King

I explained that already.

Now, here are the other dangerous relationships exposed in the episode.

4. The King and Minister JwaGeum

Seeing the King with a rabbit, the Minister assumed he came back from hunting when he was actually training in his secret camp.

JG: Are you coming back from hunting, Your Majesty?
King: In an old saying, “Be at ease…” (pausing to pretend that he couldn’t remember the rest of the quote) …Ah! “Be at ease while waiting for your enemy to get tired,” they say. During the time when I’m at ease, my enemy gets tired.
JG: (smiling) That’s true.

The Minister didn’t know that the King was referring to him and the rest of court. They all thought that the King was just idling or fooling around, so they “got tired” of waiting for him to rebel and lowered their guards. They didn’t know that the King was lulling them with his indolence before he struck back.

The Minister asked where his bow and arrow were, and the King adlibbed that they hurt his arms and hands.

King: …Anyway, it’s easier to catch animals with a trap.

Again, the Minister didn’t get the King’s hidden meaning here. The King was alluding to the Kim clan. They were “animals” because they behave like savages. Their inhumane acts are killing citizens. He was setting up a trap for them all, instead of plotting a bloody war.

The Minister didn’t realized yet that the King had outsmarted him. He already

5. BongHwan and SoYong

Be careful of answered prayers. BongHwan wanted SoYong to be back. But now that she was back in his consciousness, as well as sharing one body with him, BongHwan wanted her to be gone.

BongHwan: I wanted her to return so badly. But only her memories came back instead of her soul. Her memories came to me before from time to time. I had a headache and my ears rang whenever that happens. But this time, it came to me so smoothly. (talking to HongYeon) Hong Yeon. You’re 19 years old this year. Your first name isn’t Hong Yeon. Your first name is Hong, and your first name is Yeon. It’s my sense of smell. The memories related to my sense of smell are coming back. But the thing is…why am I so good at this? (playing Gayageum)

Shin Hye-Sun is carrying this show. 

I only hope that this doesn’t mean BongHwan lost his cooking talent in exchange!

Cooking >> Gayageum
Practical application >> Performance talent

Yeon: That’s because you played this ever since you were young. Now, that you’ve recovered your memory, your talents have come back as well.
BongHwan: This is so messed up. After being in that vegetative state, everything got messed up. Wait! Why have I been thinking in this woman’s voice too? Did I lose my voice?
Yeon the maid: What are you talking about? I could hear you just fine.
BongHwan: I gained my fingers, but I lost my voice. It’s like “The Little Mermaid.”

Of all the dangerous relationships, this is the only one that is openly fighting. I thought it was funny to watch BongHwan tussling with Soyeong’s consciousness whenever Soyeon’s infatuation for the King overcame BongHwan.

For instance, Soyoung was naturally mesmerized by the sight of the King in purple.

There was a flashback of the day the king announced her to be the future.

Back then, she had looked at the King with fangirl’s eyes. BongHwan was caught off-guard when Soyoung’s body reacted like a besotted fool to the King’s floral offering.

King: You’re blushing and having short breath. Are you again unable to breathe?
Bonghwan: (pulling himself out a trance) Who’s blushing and having short breaths? (muttering) Did I put too much health food in my system? (smacking himself) Get lost, Kim Soyong! From my body…no, from your body, get out right away!

King: What are you doing now?
BongHwan: I have nowhere to go now!

King: Are you trying to hit the flowers or your body? Hey, why do you keep…Goodness. Stop it. (taking the flowers away)
BongHwan: Darn it. I won’t let you take it away. It’s mine!
King: I didn’t know you’d love them this much.
BongHwan: I didn’t say I love it. I just think staying here is better than living in a corpse.
King: How come you become more peculiar whenever you wake up?

BongHwan was slowly resigning himself to the fact that he could be stuck in SoYoung’s body for a while since his own body was in a coma. He was trying to make the best of it and that’s why he decided to align himself with the Grand Queen Dowager.

He was going to be on Team GQD since the GQD wielded more power than the King. BongHwan was bringing home the treasures from the warehouse in order to bribe the GQD and get into her good graces.

It was funny, too, how BongHwan considered himself on first name basis with the GQD.

Unfortunately for BongHwan, he needed to fight off SoYoung’s memories. Every little gesture of the King, from the bouquet of flowers that landed inside his carriage, to the roundhouse kick he delivered to the pavilion intruder, would have SoYoung’s body flustered.  BongHwan could only try to get rid of SoYoung’s consciousness.

BongHwan: Get lost, you woman. Get out of this body! Get lost.

BongHwan was in conflict with SoYoung’s consciousness because he was diametrically opposite SoYoung’s character. BongHwan bragged to the King that a “woman” like him could never be from Joseon. This was true; he didn’t possess the obedient, docile, and deferential mindset instilled in women during that time period. His personality could only have been formed in the 21st century.

Hopefully, BongHwan will find a way to return to his comatose body soon.

6. Minister JwaGeum and his adopted son ByeonIn

So far, the Minister was proud of ByeongIn and assumed that his loyalty was for the “family business.”

JG: I agreed to give the Queen Dowager some time, so keep that in mind.

He meant that they wouldn’t pursue her ouster and punishment after the shaman incident.

ByeonIn: Pardon?
JG: It is following the order of the Inner Court, so we’ll wait for now. However, prepare everything so that we can use it anytime when needed. Instead, you must ensure to keep it a secret.
ByeonIn: We may have drawn up the big picture this time, but the Queen Dowager might be connected to the people who tried to hurt the Queen. If we leave her alone, the Queen might be in danger again.

As I explained, ByeonIn was the only one who understood the threat to the Queen’s life since he was the only one who dueled against the Queen’s mystery assassin. He couldn’t reveal this important piece of information until he found the identity of the assassin. His hands were tied because he could tell no one that the Queen had disguised as a man to visit a brothel.

JG: The people who are trying to hurt the Queen? The Queen admitted that the lake incident was an attempted suicide, and this time it was due to her health. Is there something else?

ByeongIn’s flashback:

ByeonIn: Ever since she entered the Palace, her life has been in danger. This is why I’m suspicious.

The Minister didn’t know that ByeongIn’s loyalties were already divided. If ByeongIn had to decide between protecting the his clan’s political power or protecting SoYoung from harm, it wouldn’t be surprising if he chose the latter.

7. Kim Hwan and ByeongIn

Kim Hwan is an unwitting mole. The reason he was befriended by the King’s friend Hong was to gather information about ByeongIn’s movement. If ByeongIn knew how Kim Hwan was endangering his mission, he would cut ties with him.

8. Hwajin and Prince YeongPyeong

Prince YP had divided loyalties, too. He’s becoming attached to the King’s concubine. He would oppose the Queen, and the King’s growing attachment to her, out of sympathy and concern for the concubine.

Think of this as a chess. ByeongIn defends the Queen Soyong. Prince YP defends the concubine Hwajin.

For now, the King could defend whoever he wanted, depending on exigencies of the situation.

BTW, the letter that HwaJin was talking about here?

I have two guesses:

a. The King had written to HwaJin to meet him at the pavilion at a certain time. SoYoung intercepted the letter and wrote a later time. The King arrived at the correct time. SoYoung arrived at the later hour.

b. SoYoung had written to both of them pretending to be the other person, and told them to meet at different times.

That’s why Prince YP suspected the Queen of malice. In his eyes, Queen intended to drag Hwajin into a scandal.

He wasn’t to know that the Queen had a legitimate beef against HwaJin and wanted Hwajin to tell the King the truth.

9. HwaJin and Queen Dowager Jo

Queen Dowager wanted to play kingmaker by putting in her own queen to stand beside the King. Despite being caught with HwaJin performing a shaman ritual to curse the Queen, she continued to meddle with palace politics.

This time she ordered a jade phoenix hairpin, an ornament reserved for the King’s consort, made for the concubine Hwajin.

QD: I have a gift for you.
HwaJin: This is…
QD: You are the one who deserves to be with the King. The Queen title suits you more in every aspect. What were you looking at?
HwaJin: I was admiring the reflection of the moon on the lake.
QD: Many horror stories are circulating the palace. Stories about ghosts for instance. One of them is about how you should never look into the lake on the night of the full moon. When you leave, your reflection on the lake will start moving on its own.
HwaJin: I feel as though I have been submerged in the lake all my life. Now, it is time for me to come out of the lake.

Then, somewhere in the palace, her hanbok ornament (or “norigae”) that she’d given to her maid OWul is found by a palace maid. It had been asked why Hwajin wasn’t bothered about her maid’s death when she was so visibly upset with the maid’s kidnapping and return. It’s because Hwajin didn’t know that OWul had been killed. Remember? OWul wasn’t allowed in the palace because palace rules stated that any injured person, not from the royal family, cannot stay in the palace. (Ep 5 at 42:00). OWul was about to leave the palace when she was killed.

HwaJin would learn of OWul’s disappearance and death if she found her norigae in the possession of somebody else.

In a way, SoYoung’s prediction (or curse, if you’re incline to believe superstitions) that night of the Lake Incident came true. She told HwaJin would end up losing someone precious to her.

10. BongHwan and the King

This is a portrait of their relationship.

Looking at the big picture, you get the sense of serenity and majesty. But when you look at the details, like the guards surrounding the pavilion, the seating positions of BongHwan and the King, and the direction that their heads were facing, then you see separation and isolation of the two.

BongHwan was contemplating the King’s deceased family members. Their deaths were sanctioned by the state.

BongHwan: His grandfather was Prince Euneon. He was framed for treason, exiled, and eventually executed. His father was Prince Jeongye. He lived in exile with his father, got sick, and died. His grandmother and aunt got killed for getting baptized. His half-brother, Lee Won-Gyeong also got killed for treason. This isn’t “Emergency Escape Number 1.” Why did every member of his family end up dying?

Note: According to wiki, Emergency Escape #1, a variety show on how to survive crises, from natural calamities to daily crises.

King: Why are you looking at me like than?
BongHwan: How am I looking at you?
King: Like I am a pitiful mutt.
BongHwan: (thinking) Please don’t smile. I already feel bad for you. (aloud) This is why they talk about the harmful side effects of early education. I keep remembered such useless knowledge. (addressing the King) You, what do you want from me? Why do you keep sticking to me like glue?
King: What do I want from you?

He remembered his pledge to behead her personally if she turned out to be one of their enemy.

King: I want you to not be my enemy. You don’t have to be my ally. Just don’t become one of my enemies, please.

BongHwan: You’ve got a good eye. I may not be very helpful as an ally, but I can be scary as an enemy. I won’t let go until the end.

lol. BongHwan thought that the King wanted avoid a fight with him because he was afraid of BongHwan.

BongHwan didn’t know that the King didn’t fear BongHwan at all. He was only expressing regrets because he would have to kill BongHwan in the future should he mess around with their mission to rid the country of the Andong Kims.

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There you go: the ten dangerous relationships in this episode. I’m ready to watch the upcoming episodes.