I’m using the Viki subs but taking screenshots from Kissasian.
1. Is it a happy ending?
Yes!! This is the sort of happy ending that @agdr03 and I like. Right, @agdr03?
The story leaps five years ahead with HaRam and Cheongki happily married and blessed with a son.
2. What about Prince Yul’s happy ending?
The past five years have given him more responsibilities. It’s no longer just arts, poetry, and calligraphy on his daily schedule because, state affairs are on his agenda, too, as Crown Prince.
He visits the happy couple, Haram and CheongKi, on their birthday. While he’s visiting them, he’s informed that Prince2 has managed to escape prison. He must return to the city and fight the rebellion. Undoubtedly, he could have used Haram at his side, but Haram already declined returning to the palace, and he understands that the couple had suffered a very long time for the good of the country.
The drama ends with two brothers in a face-off.
Now, I already pointed out that this drama ends each episode with a cliffhanger, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Episode 16 was no different.
To me, the show ends on a cliffhanger because:
a. the writer is allowing us to believe what we want to believe about Prince Yul’s fate
b. he also wants the drama to end on a high note,
c. but he wants to obey a prime rule for historical dramas, which is, never alter historical events.
On one hand, it appears as if Prince Yul will end up as the victor here because Haram looked at the stars and reassured CheongKi that it’d be fine.
CK: Do you think His Highness is all right? He did not look so at ease. You do not think something happened again, right?
HR: No. The second star in the Northeast has lost its light, so it will be all right.
He smiled at her then hugged her. But he then looked up at the stars again and added a wish, “Please be safe, Your Highness.” Well, he was wishing upon a star.
But on the other hand, we know that according to the history books, Prince2 killed his brother and ascended the throne after also killing his nephew.
lol. Why do you think he has Mawang’s scar still festering in his body?
It was symbolism. All the traces of the demon were removed from HaRam and CheongKi, but the destructive-ness and bloodthirsty-ness of Mawang still rot in Prince2’s body.
It annoys me to no end when I see know-it-alls criticized this drama when they couldn’t get an elementary connection like that. Why do reviewers yap noisily like chihuahuas when they can’t even chew on a soft bone the writer threw at them? They miss so many concepts and meanings, and then they have the audacity to complain that the show is boring.
All in all, I like Prince Yul’s character. As expected, he transformed into one of the dependable good guys. I like his quixotic attitude and tender care for CheongKi. He took to heart Haram’s last request to take care of CheongKi should something happen to him during the sealing ceremony, then he gave them safe passage to leave the city after the ceremony.
CK: How has Your Highness been?
Yul: Well. I’ve been busy. I’ve been to Sigangwon. With Royal Father bedridden, I have a business to attend to at the palace.
I don’t know what “Sigangwon” is. I’m guessing it’s one of those formal lessons on state affairs that the kings and crown princes attend to learn about their duties.
CK: Time goes by so quickly.
Yul: Yes. Is Supervisor Ha good to you?
He wants to make sure that she’s treated well. This reminds me of that time he reprimanded Haram for letting CheongKi walk in the rain.
CK: (beaming) He is wonderful. He is unchangingly kind.
Yul: (clearing his throat) I should not have asked.
Her smiling face makes it perfectly clear that she’s well-treated. I think he wants to change topic so he cleared his throat. She does sound like she’s gloating about her marital bliss.
Yul: I shouldn’t have asked. I should have asked if he was well.
CK: (annoyed) Your Highness!
She makes a face at him. To me, she’s annoyed with him because she thinks he’s disparaging her ability to reciprocate Haram’s goodness. Prince Yul implies that, while there’s no reason to doubt that Haram treats her well (because Haram’s a good-natured person), it’s doubtful that SHE treats Haram equally well.
Just then, Haram comes out.
Haram: Buin, the wind is cold. Come inside.
CK: Yes, Seobangnim.
Buin = wife
Seobangnim = husband
Prince Yul looks at her grinning face.
CK: (addressing Prince Yul) Come inside, Your Highness.
Yul: I will. (to himself) Goodness. So she knew how to make a face like that?
He’s shocked to see her “sweet” face when she talks to Haram. He didn’t realize that CheongKi has two faces because she reserves the besotted look for Haram only. With Prince Yul, she doesn’t hesitate to show her irritated face.
3. Is there a Season 2?
No.
As far as the plot is concerned, the story has achieved what it set to do. Look at the title, “Lovers of the Red Sky.” It’s about two lovers and how their fates intertwine on a night of the red sky. Samshin declared their mission accomplished when they sealed Mawang in the portrait.
The drama is not about who ends up on the throne. The title isn’t “Princes of the Red Sky.” So…if there’s a viewer who’s miffed at the lack of a definite ending for Prince Yul, then he/she lost the plot.
4. What happened to Mae Hyang?
Nothing. I said she was only a plot device, didn’t I?
One reason I like this drama is that it cuts out a lot of the unnecessary side stories.
That’s why I dislike “River Where the Moon Rises.” With 20 episodes, it wasted much time and energy on fleshing out the secondary, even tertiary, characters. The multiple side stories dragged and overwhelmed the main plot. Just on the romance angle, there were eight couples.
You read that right. EIGHT. The King and dead Queen. The King and new Queen. The New Queen and the evil guy. The heroine’s sidekick and the hero’s sidekick. The clan leader and the village woman. The Second Male Lead and the Villainess. The Second Lead and the Female Lead. The Female Lead and the Male Lead. All the RWtMR writer needed was Noah’s ark.
In contrast to the bloated RWtMR, this drama stayed on point. Mawang must be sealed eternally, and CheongKi’s the woman to do it and Haram’s her man.
Mae Hyang’s backstory and future weren’t worth a hill of beans.
5. Did Samshin die?
In theory, Samshin was sealed in the painting along with the Mawang. That was her sacrifice. But did Samshin die? No.
a. Samshin is the “goddess of childbirth,” right? Without her, there won’t be any childbirth because she blesses life. But CheongKi and Haram has one son.
b. Also, Samshin is the butterfly, right? We saw the butterfly.
c. The Tiger HoRyeong displays no grief or worries about SamShin’s disappearance. That she thinks it’s old news means the Old Woman is back to her old ways.
d. Samshin is the omniscient narrator who wishes them to live long and happy at the end.
“Live long and happy. You two were meant to be together from the beginning.”
e. And Samshin is the reason the crooked manager from Wolseongdang and his sidekick can’t find CheongKi.
It was misty when they got off their boat. This was similar to that time in Episode 3, when Samshin hid CheongKi from Mawang’s eyes by making her disappear? This time again, Samshin sent the mist to protect Haram and Cheongki.
That’s the reason why the crooks failed to find CheongKi for past five years. Samshin had been hiding the couple from plain sight. Only Prince Yul and her Baegyu family could find the couple.
Haram was right after all to put his faith on the gods. He told CheongKi, “The heavens will not betray us so easily.”
6. Was I satisfied with the happy ending?
Yes.
It’s been a while now that I’ve seen kdramas end with a scene of the couple as a family. That’s why “The King: Eternal Monarch” felt incomplete and sterile to me. As much as I like that the OTP survived and ended up together, I personally felt like that their happily-ever-after (HEA) was barren without children. It was just the two of them.
I had hoped that a love, portrayed to be so big and sweeping that Lee Minho traveled several timelines for Kim Goeun, would have the space and generosity within that inner circle to accommodate one more human being.
Oh well, that’s my beef with that writer Kim EunSook.
To me, the HEA of the couple in this drama is more satisfying and hopeful.
a. I like the scene when the little boy came running to his parents, with Mansu chasing after him. (Sigh, it would have been better if the bodyguard was there, too.)
CK: Ha Joong, I told you not to run.
Haram picked up HJ and sat him on his lap.
HR: Ha Joong. You must listen to your mother.
HJ: I will.
I like it because CheongKi grew up without a mother, and with a father who’s insane. But now she’s broken that cycle because her son is growing up with loving parents.
b. Another scene that I like the scene was when their son told his dad that he was sleepy. Instantly, Haram knelt down to talk to him. He said, “Let’s go inside and sleep, Ha Joong.” And he picked him up and brought him inside.
I like that Haram went down on knees to his son’s eye level. Just like when he sat the child on his lap earlier, he was looking at his son eye-to-eye.
This small gesture is touching because, for one, Haram’s so much taller than his son, so when he goes down to his son’s level, he’s giving him his undivided attention. His child is important to him. And for another, considering that Haram was blind for 19 years, eye contact cannot be taken for granted. He can see his child.
c. I like the scene when Haram tucked his child in bed.
I like this scene for three reasons:
first, he’s a hands-on father, and this is a sweet father-and-son moment
second, he kept the Crown Prince waiting because it was his son’s bedtime, and that was more important for him.
third, this is the first time I saw Haram at the bedside of somebody without wanting to kill the sleeping person. lol.
7. What’s a “buin”?
I also like that Haram called CheongKi “buin” in this final episode. It was such a courtly and courteous way of calling her.
You must have noticed that he never called her by her given name. In Episode 14, when she was lying in bed after the death of her father, he calls her “nangja.”
To be honest, I kept hearing the word “NAMJA” but I know that “namja” means “man.”
He’s a NAMja. Not a NANGja.
“Nangja” means a young unmarried woman, a maiden. The Korean woman’s soccer team is called “Taegeuk Nangja” or “Taegeuk Ladies.”
Whenever Haram addressed her as “nangja,” I imagined him addressing her as “My Lady” or “Mademoiselle” in that Old World honorific.
I’m sure all of you noted right away when he called CheongKi “buin.”
Viki subbed “buin” as “wife” but Kissasian subbed it as “my love.”
I can’t take screenshots on Viki but here are the Kissasian screenshots of the times he called her “buin.”
In these moments, I prefer the Viki’s literal translation, “wife” better than Kissasian’s “My love” because I think “wife” goes better with his earlier declaration of love. Remember, in Episode 9, he used the word “yeonmo.” He told her, “Geudaelul yeonmohao.”
That time, I said it was premature to ascribe deep respect and reverence in his feelings for her. He had scolded her for interfering in a fight, and corrected her mistake on a proverb. Lecturing her, and laughing at her hardly qualified as respectful.
But this time, it’s different. He does feel “yeonmo” her now in the full sense of the word. And calling her “wife” conveys that “yeonmo” perfectly. As his wife, he holds her in the highest esteem, and treats her with the greatest courtesy and kindness.
7. What about the peach orchard?
I like their return to the peach orchard because I like stories that come full circle.
Last time, it was CheongKi who ordered him to steal the peaches. Now, he brings her to the orchard and steals the peach for her, and she doesn’t even have to ask him.
It was daytime when they visited as kids. Now it’s nighttime.
Before, he had to climb up the tree. Now, he’s tall enough to just pluck a peach for her.
Before when he accidentally fell on her, he was embarrassed by their physical closeness. Now, he kisses her.
But what I like about this scene is that it marks the “new” Haram. Remember he’s said that he kept yearning to be the old Haram who promised to pick peaches with her. Now, on their birthdays, he’s gotten his wish. He can pick peaches with her again…but he isn’t the “old Haram” anymore.
HR: I apologize for being late. (giving her the peach) It is not the peach from back then, but I wanted to keep my promise.
CK: Thank you…. One moment. (giving him a gift)
HR: What is this?
CK: There’s nothing free in this world. It is a present that I prepared for you, husband.
HR: (opens the book and sees pictures of himself) This is…the old me.
CK: Yes. You didn’t even smile much back then.
This is true. The “old” Haram – the one that she painted – didn’t smile because he was burdened by his plot revenge.
But the older Haram, i.e., the young Haram she first met, also didn’t smile a lot. The young Haram was solemn and serious. He was stickler for rules, and was afraid of getting into trouble.
HR: Thank you. I shall treasure it. (puts it in his pocket) Paint my face for me by my side for the rest of our lives.
CK: Tsk. For free?
HR: (kissing her forehead)
HR: This is my payment for the painting. (kissing her)
When they were children, CheongKi made the first move. It’s just fitting that when they grew up, he returned the favor and made the first move.
8. What about the peach?
Was it the same peach that Haram plucked from the tree? Or did the director switch it?
🙂 We know the director of photography can be naughty, right? We saw the sword and the wooden post phallic symbols in Episode 10.
Now, here’s another naughty shot…the sexy peach.
Peaches have a crease that looks like a cleavage or a butt crack. To me, the angle of this shot was deliberate to show the peach in such a way that the crease between two plump halves was prominent. The visual image is supposed to be erotic.
It’s a butt!! (In botany, the technical term for the crease is suture)
Then when she dropped the peach, and it bounced on the ground, the audience is supposed to think that she was so “entranced” (do romance books say, “enthralled”?) by the kiss that she literally lost her grip on reality.
Cheongki’s fallen for Haram again because he’s a good kisser.
But what about the horse?
That I don’t know. They ran away and forgot that they came on a horse. lol. Maybe we can have Season 2 for the horse.
Good night!
Hahaha the peach butt crack 😂 I did noticed it. 😆
Yes, this ending is the one we really like especially if it’s not rushed and the family is shown to be happy in every way. It’s true that we haven’t seen any children in the dramas we’ve seen so this one is great. I also liked the wife and husband calling as their endearment.🥰
I did like that the history was preserved and that it didn’t need to be shown as such.
Thank you! I wanted to comment before I shut my eyes. Have a nice day! 🍪🍪🍪
I like this story very much, and it is full of underlying meanings, You just have to look beyond the surface to enjoy the story. Thank you @packmule3 for your insights into the story. I too can’t get at why some would find the story boring. As to the ending, the production is going with the cardinal rule – don’t distort history, that is why the story of the two Princes is left as face-off, and up to the audience to go with history or the own take on outcome of the two Princes.
So you noticed that peach/butt crack, too? But your mind probably just skipped over it. lol.
Yes. We had half of the last episode for a happy ending so I’m happy. But the novelist is the screenwriter of “Sungkyunkwan Scandal,” and IIRC, the ending of that one showed the couple as happily married couple, too. I’m not sure about kids but I know it ended with a bed scene and the pornographic book that the prudish/scholarly hero was supposed to be learning from. Too bad though that it had Mickey Yoochun Park in it….because I can’t rewatch it now.
Good night!
Agree, AhjummaF4,
I thought the production team did well with the cliffhanger. I guess that fiasco involving that writer of “Joseon Exorcist” and “My Queen” had a good effect after all. It taught other writers to be more prudent and sensitive when hyping up an obvious historical revisionism.
This was the way to do it.
The other thing I didn’t comment on was the actors’ performance. They’re good! I didn’t realize how hard it must be to act with computer-generated images (CGI). Like when the painters and Prince Yul were lifting the painting. They had to act like they were struggling against the force of Mawang. lol. The absence of CGI showed how well they were acting.
And kudos to our leading actor and actress. Kim Yoo Jung performed very well. I can’t find fault in anything. And her beauty reminds me of Ingrid Bergman for some reason. She has a luminous beauty.
As for the actor, Ahn Hyo Seop. He did perform three characters, didn’t he? Mawang, Il Wol Seong and Haram. I think his natural personality fit Haram best.
I was absolutely enthralled with the storytelling of this drama! It seemed more substantial than the handful of sagueks I watched, where there’s such an emphasis put on political machinations or romantic hand-wringing. I couldn’t take myself away from each episode when I pushed play. I am absolutely befuddled that people found this boring.
On an odd note, I watched this on Viki, and a number of us noticed that you could see the green screen (or in our case, blue screen) in a number of scenes from these episodes. While it gave it a “space odessey” feel, haha, it did show, like you mentioned, just how good the acting/action was from our actors.
“Enthralled,” lol.
Yes. In most sageuks, the politics almost always ruin the show for me. Because I didn’t come to watch the sageuks for the politics but for the romance. That’s what the production team sells, right? The romance of the lead characters be they King, Queen, Prince, Princess, nobility, or commoner. But the drama must insert the conflict into the plot via the political in-fighting and back-stabbing, and the romance is the collateral damage.
For me, the problem with these kdrama screenwriters is that they haven’t learned to write a fictional royalty. It must be King Sejong, his ancestors or descendants. 🙃 Just leave them out of the story. Don’t refer to them. Don’t allude to them.
I get that the purported objective of Korean public tv/broadcasting was to instill and promote historical awareness, and preserve cultural traditions. But come on now, can’t writers create stories about fictional kings and princes? We grew up listening to Perrault’s fairy tale about Cinderella and her Prince Charming, but we didn’t expect her Prince to be a historical figure like Louis XIV, Charlemagne, or Frederick II of Prussia.
And yes, @Skayt, the blue screen/CGI snafu was funny and eye-opening at the same time. The actors are great because they have to pretend that they could see the special effects.
I laughed when the Samshin actress walked up behind Ahn Hyo Seop’s back and began pushing him. I didn’t know that Ahn Hyo Seop was THAT tall and the actress so tiny. And without the CGI of butterfly wings, the elderly actress looked like she was pushing a tree.
But I pity the employee who messed up and sent the wrong/incomplete video file. 🙂 He/she isn’t going to live this down anytime soon.
@PM3,
I enjoying reading your Final Answers and more… love the details.
Yes, HaRam and CK makes good parents to Ha Joong. they have overcome their past hurts and lack of parental love and care. it’s a beautiful picture of what it looks like when your past/circumstances doesn’t define you.
it is amusing to have Prince2 notice that sweet smile on CK. i like that their relationship is amiable and comfortable that he can tease her and she can give him her pouty face. they can freely joke around for fun.
i love that they took the last half of the final episode to give us a glimpse of their HEA. very satisfying indeed.
you’re right about the cliffhanger ending on every episode, even in the finale. 👍 and that naughty peach LOL. 🤣 appreciate your eye for these minute details we easily miss. 🧡
Season 2 for the horse, haha. we needed to see them running like last time. maybe the horse went for a walk too. haha
love this show all around. a round of applause to all involved. from the writer, director, to actors and film editors 👏 the goodbye doesn’t hurt so much coz of the happy ending/cliffhanger duo. 😘
thank you BOD and all posters. love all your insight, takes, and analysis.
@HK_Lady,
Re. HR and CK becoming good parents despite lack of parental care
I think the writer’s “moral lesson” was consistent.
Although the subbers in both Viki and Kissasian couldn’t decide on the correct wording, I think young HR was telling young CK that she must not blame herself for things and events which were caused by forces beyond their control. She had nothing to do with her mother’s death, her father’s insanity, and her blindness. They were caused by an unknown force, the same unknown force that moved the stars in the nighttime sky.
And we saw that in Haram’s case.
As much as he’s the Il Wol Seong and the keeper (and purveyor) of secrets in the nation (kinda like the CIA), he still couldn’t anticipate that Mawang was inside of him, that Mawang used the power of the full moon to come out and that Cheongki would be Mawang’s trigger since she has its eyes.
Haram was trying to control his fate but there were bigger things afoot, things that the heavens/Samshin planned for him.
It wasn’t because Haram’s inept. It’s because the writer was showing us that Haram could only control so much of his environment, and that the “best-laid plans of mice and men” would still go astray when they’re not meant to happen.
Yes. I like Prince Yul and CK’s relationship. I’m glad we didn’t see Prince Yul get killed off.
I like her relationship with the two Baegyu painters. They were trustworthy till the end. I like how they never betrayed CK even when their heads were on the chopping block! They were loyal to the end.
I also like the Shaman Misu’s change of heart and sacrifice. It’s a novelty to see a villainess do the “right” thing in the end despite her knowing it can cost her own life. Good for her.
I like my good people good, and the bad people turning good in the end when given second chances.
@HK_Lady,
Re. Season 2 for the horse, I was being facetious.
I thought the demands of some viewers for Season 2 because the screenwriter didn’t show Prince Yul and Prince2’s fate were as asinine as me suggesting Season 2 for the horse left in the peach 🍑 orchard.
Those viewers clearly lost the plot. 😂
I like the scene of HR and CK as parents, and I think AHS is gonna be a good father one day. It can be seen in his interaction with the boy, I don’t think you can fake the feeling of love for children and animals, it can be seen and sense. You can say it’s acting but the eyes never lie, you can see it in his gaze when he looked at Ha Yoong, the tenderness there. I really love that scene and resonates in my heart the tenderness of a father’s love towards his son.
Major love the OST in this drama, all of it, the 3rd Sageuk OST that I like after Moon Embracing the Sun and Ruler Owner of the Mask. Listening to the OST now while doing my editing work.
@PM3
I know you were being facetious about Season 2 for the horse. amusing, nonetheless.
ahhh yes, i noticed the change of heart in Shaman Misu also. i admire the priestess who lost her divine power coz she was not afraid to show her weakness and basically placed the responsibility on Misu. I was doubtful all the way… she proved me wrong… and like you, i like it when bad people turn good in the end also. Rest in peace, Misu. You did good 👍
kudos also to her BFF painter guys – the annoying and obnoxious ones. they stayed true til the end as you pointed out.
Good eye on Shamshin protecting our OTP from the goons… shielding them with that mist. i was wondering about that. now i see it 😃 remarkable! and gives us peace of mind regarding OTP’s HEA 💗
@AhjummaF4,
i do love the OST as well. I listen to it at work after lunch.
truly heartwarming indeed to see HaRam BABY his son. he made me feel the love…
Kalispera!
As you all know, I loved LotRS, even from the first week I was the only cheerleader! I am grateful that @Packmule3 gave it a try and enjoyed it as much as I did. <3
I am happy that we have got our Happy Ending. It was very cute to see that. It is the first story this year, we have got a very touching ending. Yes, our main leads suffered a lot and in the end they found peace and love. Their fate was fulfilled and they could enjoy the trivial things of everyday life as husband and wife with a little boy.
That binyeo was finally bought! LMAO!
I am glad that Cheon Gi's other family in Baekyu Painting Society were okay and happy as well. We even got a glimpse from the other Divine Painter.
I also understand, why we didn't see the ending of that uprising. I don't mind. If HaRam was correct while he was reading the stars, then Prince Yul is the winner and I am okay with it. Let us use our imagination for some things. Not everything need to be shown to us.
I agree with you about TK:EM @Packmule3. I wish they had showed us something, even a picture could do. It broke my heart the first time I finished it. Then I found you and your analysis and it eased my pain.
Now, let us enjoy the next tv series that will bring us laughter, happiness, tears and joy!
I finally caught up with this show and finished it last night.
I was bothered by the final moments of the last episode and now I realize why–it reminded me of a Marvel movie ending, the part they show after the credits have rolled, in which we see a preview of the next movie. (In other words, the last shot looks like the hint of a new season. Perhaps the lovers of the red sky could be Prince Yul finally finding his true love–ha!). Unless there really is some kind of continuation of the story I found it exasperating and unnecessary. They had that nice circular moment in the peach orchard, which would have been completely satisfying as the ending. Cliffhangers keep the viewer engaged, and wanting to watch the next episode, so they are fine for all earlier episodes, but the end is the end–it isn’t a place for cliffhangers.
I finished this drama and read this thread a few days ago, but am only now getting around to posting a comment. Life, travel, other Kdramas intervened.
I agree with you, @Packmule3, that the ending of TK:EM felt dissatisfying because we were left thinking the OTP content to remain as they were after they defeated Lee Lim, just meeting on weekends, neither willing to make the sacrifice to permanently join the other’s world (although they could visit the other world whenever they pleased).
Because of the continued decline in birth rate in South Korea (per Carnegieendowment.org, “South Korea’s total fertility rate in 2020 was 0.84 births per woman—the lowest figure in the world and well below the replacement-level rate of 2.1”), I wonder if we’ll see more Kdramas end with a depiction of happy nuclear families as a gentle cultural push to encourage couples to have children. I’d love to see Ahn Bo Hyun reprise his role as Gu Woong in a Korean Mr. Mom remake, provided the mom is Yumi and not Sae Yi.
As for Lovers of the Red Sky, I am pleased with how the plot was drawn to a close, loose ends tied off. The treacherous Royal Shaman did die, as she should, but was redeemed because she sacrificed herself for the good of the nation. I’m glad Prince2 will no longer have her powers backing him. Prince2 might gain the throne instead of Yul, their story aligning with actual history, but we’re not shown because their tale is not the focus of this drama’s narrative.
One thing that disappointed me is that we didn’t see Ha Ram actively mourning his faithful guard and right-hand man, Moo Yeong. I would have liked to see him receive that honor, if only briefly, rather than his death getting a passing reference from Man Soo. My beef is not with the character Ha Ram, but with Writernim and PD. It feels like they just tossed him aside.
The cast member whose acting skill most impressed me in this Kdrama is Kim Yoo Jung, who brought Hong Cheong Ki to life. Her happiness sparkled, her worry was sincere, her grief raw. Her only previous work I’ve seen is when she played the young Heo Yeon Woo in Moon Embracing the Sun. Love in the Moonlight has been on my watchlist for ages, but now I’ll make a point of getting to it because of her.