Ep 13’s title is straightforward. It’s the “Sealing Ritual.”

1. Why did HaRam grab Prince2 sword?

For several reasons:

First and foremost, to help CheongKi escape the palanquin.

Also, to pretend that he’s only a defenseless, helpless, sightless man; Prince2 has nothing to be worried about him.

To deliver a subtle message to Prince2 to wait for his vengeance as reciprocal punishment for the death of his father, mother, and his former self.

To foreshadow the sacrifice he’ll make. Yes, it will involve bloodshed. Surely, you saw this, right?

P2: Are you all right?
HR: (calmly) I am all right.
HR’s hand is bandaged.
P2: The bleeding has stopped.
HR: Why did you do this?
P2: I was trying to catch the rat who had snuck onto the palanquin.
HR: You swing an ax to catch a rat?

In HaRam’s mindset, action should be proportional. When this mentality is applied to seeking justice for his family, his vengeance will be commensurate with the severity of the injury done unto him. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.

P2: Are you expecting an apology?
HR: I am Il Wol Seong.
P2: So?
HR: I ask that you trust me now. I heard that a true king treats people with sincerity.

Nice psychological warfare here. Haram knows that Prince2 wants to become a “true” king so he insinuates that Prince2 can’t become the “true” king unless he does what HaRam says.

P2: Listen well. You have lived as Supervisor Ha of the Bureau of Astronomy as well as Il Wol Seong. If I say that I trust you now, would you believe it?

Good point. How can anyone trust him when he’s been living a double life?

HR: It would be difficult for you to trust me right now. But I have already sworn my loyalty to you as Il Wol Seong as well. What are you afraid of?
P2: I am not afraid of anything.
HR: That’s right. Now, Your Highness has nothing to be afraid of. Thus, do not be hasty and keep calm.

HaRam is brainwashing Prince2 that Il Wol Seong is the most formidable opponent he has. But since Il Wol Seong has pledged allegiance to him, Prince2 has no one to be afraid of. Prince2 doesn’t know that the real enemy is the meek and congenial HaRam. This distinct separation between HaRam and Il Wol Seong explains how HaRam can compartmentalize – and justify – his actions.

P2: (internally) I shall trust you, Il Wol Seong. In any case, you’ll die after the sealing ritual. (aloud) All right, Supervisor Ha. No. Il Wol Seong.

See there? Even Prince2 is making a distinction between Il Wol Seong and HaRam. He’s making a “contract” with Il Wol Seong (not HaRam) and Il Wol Seong (not HaRam) will comply.

P2: You have sworn to give MaWang to me, so I shall trust you from now. Let us go.
HR: Yes, Your Highness. (internally) Your Highness also will find out soon. What true fear is. How weak and sick it makes a man.

Then, he’s brought to the palanquin. For a moment, as he stands before the palanquin door, he’s the one stricken with “true fear.” He wonders whether his ruse to get CheongKi out of the palanquin work. How weak and sick his “true fear” makes him….

2. Why didn’t HaRam know about the ring earlier?

While I do get that others find the drama’s pacing slow and repetitive, I like that the key information is revealed to the hero like it would have been in real life, during his time. Haram isn’t an omniscient god, and he’s getting the puzzle pieces bit by bit.

Look: in my world, opposition research has become a standard practice in political campaigns. “Oppo research” is the gathering of information on the opponent (i.e., rival) which will be released to the public at an opportune time, to damage his/her reputation, and derail the campaign.

In HaRam’s world, he’s gathering “oppo research” on his own. I think he did pretty well considering what he was up against during the Joseon period. This is, no internet, no google, no facebook, lol.

To me, his notable weakness in fact-gathering relates to sorcery or that shaman-voodoo-supernatural thing.

He considers himself a man of science because he reads the stars. (Well, during that time, astrology was regarded as science. Not pseudo-science, like we do today.) He gathers intel from sources like the Wolseongdang’s Box, his bodyguard (but oh no! He’s dead!!!), and the common folks.

But he doesn’t have access to the world of sorcery because he isn’t in contact with any shaman. He doesn’t get any advice on the mystical elements of good and evil — which is ironic when you recall that his father was head of the Taoist Bureau.

That’s why:

a. he learned of Mawang late in the game.
b. he had no clue what HyoReong the Tiger was all about.
c. and he didn’t know anything about the divine ring.

Everything he learned about the supernatural world, he was learning belatedly from other people.

P2: I must find a divine item.
HR: (thinking) A divine item?
P2: A person intending to accept Mawang must possess that divine item. It is a ring that the abdicated King Yeongjong always wore.
HR: (startled) A ring?
P2: It is a divine item to help maintain consciousness even when MaWang manifests. It means I can control Mawang’s power with my will.
HR: But why would you ask me to seek it?
P2: When the abdicated King sealed Mawang, he left it at the Taoist Bureau and the last person who had it was the head of the Taoist Bureau, Lord Ha Seong Jin. Your father.

Note here: I don’t know if there’s something lost in translation, or this is a writer’s error. The abdicated King must have left the ring at the Taoist Bureau BEFORE the sealing ceremony. He couldn’t have been wearing it during the ceremony because HaRam’s father was attacked right after the ceremony, and he jumped to his “death.” HaRam’s father wouldn’t have returned to the Taoist Bureau after that to retrieve the ring.

HR: (thinking to himself) Could that divine item be, by chance?

And he remembers his mother’s jade ring he gave to CheongKi. Don’t you find it interesting that the things he gives to CheongKi are things he’s kept of his mother: the handkerchief and ring.

HR: (thinking to himself) The ring that allowed me to see the maiden in front of Mawang.

The ring enables him to see CheongKi during the sealing ritual. But because he discovers the power of the ring rather late in the game, he isn’t able to maximize its power.

So, to answer the question why didn’t Haram know about the ring? It’s because:

a. he has no shaman guiding him like Prince2 and Prince3 do.
b. Samshin and the Tiger HyoRyeong are CheongKi’s guides and they haven’t appeared to him.
c. his White-Haired Prison mate didn’t explain anything to him.

According to the Old Man, “That ring has the power to protect the will of the heart even when you are possessed by Mawang. It is made of the bones of the Deity of Balance, whom Mawang swallowed. Before the sealing ritual, that ring will be the only thing which can oppose Mawang.”

3. What’s new about HaRam’s memories?

Remember in the Ep 11 Q&A, I wrote about the disparity between Prince Yul’s report on the cause of death of HaRam’s father and HaRam’s memory.

And I could only think of two possible reasons.

a. Prince Yul could have been fed disinformation by his steward. The event happened 19 years ago, and the villagers’ memories might have become impaired or distorted. The villagers’ memory of the death of his father could have been colored by their perception of evil residing in HaRam because he had red eyes. (Remember CheongKi being despised by the other kids because she was motherless, blind from birth, and raised by a mad father?)

b. HaRam’s memory could be faulty. All he heard was “It was the King’s orders.” I doubt that he imagined hearing that. But it’s possible that he also had one of his Mawang episodes that night which he couldn’t remember the following day. Samshin would have helped him by subduing Mawang and erasing his memory.

Note: There were hours when HaRam’s whereabouts were unaccounted for. The exorcism rite happened at nighttime. The King’s soldiers could have dragged HaRam with them after they killed his father. Instead, they picked him up in the morning when he was already back home with his mother.

source: Ep 11

In this episode, he sees new memories. He’s seeing memories of Mawang’s actions that he committed when his consciousness was taken over.

a. the time in the mountain forest when Mawang burst out of the palanquin, and spotted CheongKi. Mawang said, “I found my eyes,” just before it was to attack CheongKi.

b. the time outside the Kings’ Portraits Hall when Mawang gripped CheongKi by the throat. CheongKi was telling him/Mawang not to come closer, and shouted his name.

c. the image of his father flying in the air and hitting the tree. This appeared to be the night when his father was attempting to exorcise Mawang out of his body.

In his memory, it was the King’s Inquisitor who killed his father upon the King’s order. But now, he’s remembering a fire pit and his father say, “Get away from my son.” Most likely, his father was talking to Mawang, not the King’s Inquisitor.

Here! His father was talking to Mawang.

HaRam can’t remember any of these memories because they’re his “Mawang episodes.”

Thus, it seems then that my second guess is correct. Mawang appeared on the night of his “personal” sealing ceremony performed by his father. Mawang attacked his father. His father was unable to seal Mawang because there wasn’t any “divine portrait” available.

Hmmm…the thought also crossed my mind that his father didn’t need a divine painting because he was going to kill HaRam himself.

4. Why is Prince Yul noble?

Because he is one of the good guys, and because he’s a romantic idealist who believes in doing the right thing.

CK: I heard His Majesty has collapsed.
Yul: (looks down)
CK: (continuing) Is Your Highness all right?
Yul: (smiles at her) I am fine. Do not worry. The sealing ritual will take place as planned. But now that Father fell ill, my brother, Grand Prince Juhyang, is to take over the sealing ritual.

He’s obviously feeling the weight of the world because his father tasked him to do an impossible thing: seal Mawang at all costs, even if it entailed fratricide. I explained this in Episode 12, “Fight to the death.” Prince Yul has a heavy heart because he has the nasty job of killing his brother to achieve his goal. It goes against his conscience, but he must do it for the greater good of the nation.

But when CheongKi asks him about his condition, “Is Your Highness all right?” he suddenly brightens up. I think he’s come to terms with his love life — or lack of a love life.

Although he can’t be the one in her heart and mind, he appreciates her being worried for him. She’s the only one who’s shown concern for him. And for her, he puts on a brave front.

I like that he tells Cheongki to they have to focus on their given tasks.

CK: Then is the royal portrait not needed for the sealing ritual anymore?
Yul: No. Mawang can only be summoned out of Supervisor Ha with the royal portrait. I suspect Hyeongnim is preparing to accept Mawang into his body in time for them.
CK: If that happens, what will happen to the scholar?
Yul: I don’t know. But no matter what Hyeong-nim plans to do, I will certainly seal Mawang in the royal portrait. The only thing we can do now is to do our best in our given tasks.
CK: Then I shall complete the royal portrait without fail.

Then on the afternoon of the ritual, he approaches HaRam to apologize on behalf of the royal family.

Yul: Supervisor Ha. Have you prepared yourself?
HR: Yes, Your Highness.
Yul: I cannot undo everything with a single word. But I really wanted to tell you this before the sealing ritual. I do not know why you became Il Wol Seong. But I tried to understand you.
HR: Why do you mean?
Yul: The reason you’ve come to this… Isn’t it all because of the Seokcheok Rain Ritual 19 years ago? You lost your sight since that day, and you came to be possessed by Mawang that day. On behalf of this nation’s royal family, my Royal Father, and the predecessor king, my Royal Grandfather, I would like to apologize. Forgive us.

HR: An apology. I am underserving.
Yul: No.
HR: (thinking) You cannot apologize so easily when you don’t know what I have endured all these years, Your Highness.

After that, he tries to convince his hyung to change his mind.

P2: You seemed busier than ever.
Yul: Forgive me, Hyeongnim.
P2: Yul. One cannot dip their feet twice in the same stream of water and the flow of time only moves forward. It cannot come back. Remember what I say.

Lol. I’m not sure what this means in Korean context, but the Greek philosopher Heraclitus (who lived 400 BC?) said the same thing. Heraclitus meant everything is always changing; nothing is constant. In other words, Prince2 is telling Prince Yul that it’s futile to stop his plan. Prince2 intends to possess Mawang and there’s nothing that Yul can do to stop him. As Prince2 said in a previous episode, the arrow has already been shot; his plan is already underway. Prince2 is telling Yul that his interference is useless.

Yul: Hyeongnim. Once when we were still children, you shed tears in front of Royal Grandfather because you had a nightmare. Do you remember what he said after he set you on his lap? “Hu, how do you know if it’s a dream if you are in it? To realize that it’s a dream, you must wake up.”

But Prince Yul persists. He begs Prince2 to come to his senses, and to wake up from this nightmare of a scheme that he’s planning.

P2: What are you trying to say?
Yul: I cannot say that everything you want is in vain, useless, and futile. But do not forget the pain and suffering Royal Grandfather endured all his life after gaining Mawang, and how he returned to a mere handful of dust.

He’s reminding him that their Royal Grandfather made a mistake in coveting Mawang. Then, after all his suffering, his trouble resulted in nothing.

P2: And the same will happen to me. Is that what you think?
Yul: (no answer)
P2: Let it begin!

That’s why I say Prince Yul is a good guy. In this sealing ritual, he’s the voice of reason. He tries to talk to the two protagonists, HaRam and Prince2 and make them see reason.

I think it’s taken him a long time to transform from an poetry, calligraphy, and arts dilettante to a state mediator.

5. Whose sacrifice was Samshin referring to?

Tiger: Today is not a good day for holding the sealing ritual. The humans seem ignorant of the fact.
Samshin: I see that a sacrifice by someone cannot be avoided. (looking at Tiger) You must not intervene tonight.

Samshin can be referring to a lot of people.

One, HaRam is willing to sacrifice himself.

That’s one of the reasons he didn’t want CheongKi to attend the exorcism. For one, she’ll be endangered. For another, he doesn’t want her to see him dying. He doesn’t expect to survive this ritual.

HaRam: Heaven, I pray. Heavens that oversee this land, the wind, and the sun. Heavens that look over and know of all my pain. I pray, remember their sins. Let me have my revenge on those who say and do evil things. Let their line of descendants end and let their names be erased from history. Let everything they desire turn to a pile of ashes. And please protect her.

Two, Prince Yul is also willing to sacrifice himself. When the portrait is taken from the drawing hall, he tells Cheongki to remain there.

Yul: You must not leave the place until the sealing ritual is over. Promise me.
CK: Yes, Your Highness.
Yul: Good work, everyone. (addressing her) Then, I shall see you when it is over.
CK: Please be careful.
Yul: (looks at her and leaves)

Longface: Look how kind-hearted Grand Prince Yangmyeong is.
Obnoxious: He is a good man.

Prince Yul is a good man. He knows he that he can’t worry about his safety when more important things are hanging in the balance. If his brother Prince2 goes through with his plan to take Mawang, then he’s willing to sacrifice his life and stop him.

Remember now: the shaman gave him the small Tiger sword, saying, “This is a small Tiger Sword. It’s a precious sword that can slay any spirit or ghost. It’s impossible to eliminate Mawang with this, but it will allow you to slay any human.”

Prince Yul took it.

The shaman added, “because this sword gains its power from the spirit of the one who wields it, I cannot guarantee Your Highness’ life.”

Prince Yul knew that he’d die at the Sealing Ritual. He said, “If that happens, I shall slay Hyeongnim and die with him.”

Note: both the small Tiger sword and the ring are both tropes. The hero (and the second hero) must have a special gift which derives its source of power from the good intentions of the owner. The small Tiger sword would be imbued with HyoReong’s power to slay.

Meanwhile, the ring would have the power of the god of balance to heal and turn the tide for the underdog.

Like Samshin said, these two men are sacrificing themselves, and it can’t be avoided.

But there are other persons who sacrificed that night.

On is the Official Royal Shaman who tries to seal Mawang in the painting single-handedly. She loses her powers that night, right? She sacrifices her powers to seal Mawang in.

And the other one is CheongKi. She tries to reason with HaRam who’s locked in Mawang’s consciousness.

So this final image of Episode 13 might look over the top with the three main characters in tussle, but they’re the sacrificial lambs that night for Samshin’s so-called divine plan.

6. What’s up with the divine painting?

Too bad, so sad. The divine painting was a dud.

To me, Cheongki can create many more divine portraits because any work by her is considered “divine.”

However, her greatest one is the one that came first. Her portrait of HaRam is her “magnus opus.” Any work after HaRam’s portrait won’t have the same strength or magic power as the first one.

The interesting thing about this is the HaRam painting didn’t take her long to create.