Part 1 is here.
Part 2 is password-protected. Password was given to old-timers and regular posters. If you think I missed you, just shoot me an email. If you’re a lurker or a newbie, please participate in the discussion in any of the open threads before asking for the password.
I’m channeling Naksu; I don’t want a pupil who will not do anything.
lol.
This is Part 3. I decided to share it.
Since I’ve given my interpretation of the meaning of “Words of the Heart” from the magis’ and Master Seo’s points-of-view, here’s what I think about Uk and Naksu’s viewpoint.
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
4. The meaning of “Words of the Heart” from Uk’s and Naksu’s perspective
Uk: The book that I read was actually Master Seo Gyeong’s love letter.
Naksu: Really? Then why did he make it invisible?
Uk: The woman could not see. He wanted her to read with her heart.
Naksu: How wistful.
Two things:
a. This idea of grasping life’s secret with one’s heart is ripped off from Saint-Exupéry’s “The Little Prince” (1943). “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
Many Korean screenwriters, the Hong sisters included, have enshrined this philosophy in their dramas that it’s become a cliché.
b. I don’t think “wistful” is the right word. I think it’s “heartwarming.” Naksu said the love letter story was “aeteutane” (애틋하네). The word sounds like “ttaedeutane (따듯하네) or “warming” which Uk used to describe the egg story. Back in episode 5, he was freezing to death when he requested Naksu to tell him a story that would warm him up. Now, after Naksu collapsed after exhaustion, it’s his turn to tell her a heartwarming story.
I find it interesting that Naksu found the love letter story “heartwarming” and that she didn’t instantly dismiss it as tripe. She’s slowly getting in touch with her romantic side.
Uk: I do not think the letter was sent. If it was, it would have been in Jinyowon, not Songrim.
I know that an undelivered love letter sounds ominous. It makes us a) suspect that Master Seo and Lady Jin had a falling out or a betrayal and b) wonder whether Uk and Naksu will repeat history.
But for now, I’ll keep an open mind. Several other things could have happened. It’s possible that Master Seo didn’t send the letter because Lady Jin arrived or that he expressed his sentiments to her verbally instead of in writing or that one of them died before the letter was sent. The Hong sisters will have a plot twist here so…whatever.
Naksu: An invisible love letter that was never sent? What a coward. He wrote down his feelings without her knowing. What a foolish and pitiful letter.
To her, being a coward is one of the gravest sins an individual can do. The person didn’t do what he had to do; he lacked “giseya” or vigor, force, energy, or will to act.
Remember when she called Uk a coward too? She was furious enough to throw a knife at him.
For Naksu, being a coward means not putting up a fight. This is one of her philosophies in life. And she reminded herself of it during the last leg of the race. “No matter how pathetic you feel, you must do what you can at the moment. If I’m not willing to do anything, I might aw well just die.”
Given her mindset, it’s easy to comprehend why she disparages Master Seo for not sending the letter. She thinks he chickened out.
Uk: (thinks about it) You’re right. He should have…(reaching into his pocket) delivered the letter like you did.
He takes out the Songrim recruitment flyer for servants.
a. I like how smoothly he segued from talking about Master Seo’s ostensible cowardness to Naksu’s proactive way of dealing with their separation.
b. I also like how sensitive and attuned he was to Naksu’s feelings. He could “read” her like the “Words of the Heart” book. She didn’t have to express in words that she was growing fond of him. To Uk, her feelings were plain to see in her actions and giseya/determination to be with him.
c. This reminds me of Park Jin.
In Episode 9, Maidservant Kim and Heo Yeom were taking him to task for his failure to confess his feelings to Lady Dohwa. His behavior frustrated them so Park Jin defended himself, saying that he did everything he could, including writing poems and giving her gifts. Maidservant Kim rebutted that he only skirted around the issue and never confessed so he lost to a straightforward guy. Park Jin then burst out, “Must you say your feelings out loud? You should be able to tell.”
He’s right, you know. That’s what “seeing-with-the-heart” philosophy of “The Little Prince” is all about. It is only with the heart that one can see — and HEAR — rightly. What’s essential is invisible to the eye as well as THE EAR. You should be able to tell by the HEART.
To me, Park Jin and Naksu are alike. They balked at saying the words, but their actions revealed their true sentiments. Fortunately for Naksu, Uk was able to tell her feelings without needing the words. Park Jin wasn’t as lucky with Lady Dohwa, though. It must be that Lady Dohwa didn’t reciprocate his feelings so she ignored what was obvious to the eyes, ears, and heart.
Naksu: (in denial) That’s not a letter.
Uk: What is there to a letter? As long as it delivers your feelings.
Flashback to when she threw the ball of paper at him.
A few comments:
a. Yes, a love letter doesn’t have to explicitly say “I love you.” The feelings could be conveyed between-the-lines like Master Seo’s letter.
b. The flyer about the servant recruitment expresses her feelings. Her medium is the message. Fortunately for her, Uk is in love with her, and therefore attuned to her feelings. If he hadn’t been in love with her, the underlying meaning of the flyer would have been lost on him.
So, it takes two people in love for a love letter to be understood. Otherwise, it would have become like what “Words of the Heart” was to the clueless mages: an artifact.
c. Also, considering Naksu and Uk’s bickering, they can say something that is actually the opposite of what they mean to say. For instance, Naksu can shout “I hate you” at him when she actually means that she despises him for making her care about him so much. That’s why Master Lee asked them if they were married when he first met them. They were arguing but they sounded like comfortably married couple.
d. Nobody could have foreseen that the once powerful and terrifying Naksu the Shadow Assassin would stoop to become a servant in a school of mages all for Uk. Remember what she said in Episode 1? She was called Naksu because wherever she went, heads would fall to the ground. She was killing mages before, but now she’s about to slave for them.
e. I also like how she delivered the leaflet. She wrapped it around a stone. I’ve said all along that Naksu’s symbol is the rock.
To continue…
Naksu: You must have pitied me for trying to get in here as a servant.
Uk: You used to be an incredibly experienced master. I did feel bad for you.
The meaning of pity here is different for the two of them. For Naksu, she must have looked pathetic and desperate to be with Uk. But for Uk, he feels sorry that she had to go through that ordeal of the tryouts just for him. Given that she’s now in a body like MuDeok’s, with little stamina and short legs, it’s no wonder that she collapsed at the end.
If I were Uk, though, I would feel humbled that she went through all that for him. She had enormous pride in her former amazing self. In episode 2, just before the Gwiju spirit pounced, she told Uk that she didn’t want to become a laughingstock should people discover that she’d asked somebody like Uk for assistance. Now, she didn’t care how many people saw her huffing and puffing with the water jug on her back.
She certainly went beyond loyalty and duty.
Naksu: I guess I helped you learn about loyalty and duties.
Uk: Seeing how far you would go as my master, I did think that I should do my best.
Naksu: You must have felt pressured.
Uk: Not really. But I was in a dilemma. I did not know if I should reply as your young master or pupil. Or just reply based on what I read.
He turns the conversation back to the flyer. Clearly, he wants to talk about it.
By the way, what’s the difference between a young master’s and a pupil’s response?
Well, if he replied as a young master, then he would have to command her to prepare hard for the tryout and to get some tips from other servants. If he replied as her pupil, then he would have persuaded her to take it easy, or to skip the tryout altogether since the hassle wasn’t worth it.
But he replied neither as a young master nor a pupil. He responded as a lover separated from his beloved. He decided to answer Naksu in kind.
Naksu: What did you read?
Uk: Then should I also reply based on what I read?
Naksu: Also? What do you mean?
By “also,” he means to reciprocate the sentiment she expressed in her “love letter.”
Uk: It is written here. “I will go this far just to see you.” “I can do anything if it means being able to see you.” So this is my reply….
Naksu: (looks at him and begins thinking) I should have braced myself before letting him get this close to me.
Uk: (returning the flyer) I also missed you. That is my reply.
Naksu: (telling herself) What I gave him should not have been read or delivered in the first place. It was my foolish and pathetic love letter.
My comments:
a. I like how this ending moment was edited. We were getting his-and-hers perspectives.
Uk was excited to confess his feelings once more. Ever since he brought up the flyer, he’d been wanting to tell that he missed her ever since he brought up the flyer.
It’s like he rehearsed his confession in his mind a thousand times. That’s why he could say without hesitation, “It is written here: ‘I will go this far just to see you.’ ‘I can do anything if it means being able to see you.’ So this is my reply. I also missed you. That is my reply.”
In contrast, Naksu was caught off-guard. She could see where the conversation was heading, but she was too late to head it off. All she could do was think, “I should have braced myself before letting him get this close to me. What I gave him should not have been read or delivered in the first place. It was my foolish and pathetic love letter.”
This disparity between their emotions makes for a good cliffhanger. It should have been an awkward moment, but viewers, in general, were swooning at Uk’s bold way of telling her that he missed her. Unlike the time he gave her the couple egg pendants, he’s more confident of himself, and of her feelings for him.
b. In personality, Uk is really Maidservant Kim’s son.
Remember when she was upset with Park Jin because he would seal the hypothetical door even with her trapped inside? His right response should have been, “How could I seal the door if you are inside?” Later, Uk told Naksu, “How could I not follow you after hearing what you just said?”
In this episode, she was upset with Park Jin again for “circling around the [important] words, never saying them out loud.”
Well, Maidservant Kim has nothing to complain about Uk’s straight talk.
“Like mother, like son.”
c. In my opinion, that’s the significance of “Words of the Heart” for Uk. When it comes to Naksu/MuDeok, he’s always been an “open book” to her. His words of the heart didn’t need to be divined because he laid them bare from the beginning.
He gave a new meaning to “love at first sight.”
hahaha.
d. It’s interesting to see how Naksu changes her opinion of the letter multiple times. We get to see her mindset.
At first, she thinks it was a heartwarming story because Master Seo intentionally made his love letter invisible since the woman was blind anyway, and he wanted her to be able to read it with her heart.
This tells us that Naksu is a closet romantic.
Then, Naksu changes her mind when she finds out that the letter was never delivered. She thinks that Master Seo didn’t have the courage to give the letter to Lady Jin, and that he opted to hide his feelings instead of declaring them. The letter is converted into a symbol of foolish, gutless and indecisive love.
As I said about “giseya” or “vigor,” Naksu detests people without zeal, passion, courage, and determination. She no longer thinks highly of Master Seo.
On a sidenote: she must have secretly liked it then whenever Uk came on to her. Remember? She was shocked when he told her that she had beautiful eyes at the first meeting. She feigned composure when Uk gets too close to her. At Danhyanggok, she was flustered when he joked about the place being big enough for two or three kids. He’s been forthright about worrying about her and missing her.
Finally, she’s agreeing with Master Seo that there are some things that are better left unsaid.
c. I said in the beginning of this three-part analysis that the Hong sisters (and the director, of course) set up the love letter very well. They began with Naksu’s introspection that love might have “seeped in” her feelings for Uk, but once she was “hatched,” she intended to fly away for freedom. Then, the Hong sisters ended again with Naksu’s realization that she’d been foolish to think that she could fly away without shedding a single tear.
For me, that’s the meaning of Master Seo’s “Words of the Heart” for Naksu.
She cannot grasp love (she actually should NOT dream of grasping love given who she is, Naksu the Shadow Assassin, and now Naksu the Soul Shifter), but there it is, love is inside her.
So let’s go back to the love letter and add that line.
“You cannot grasp water, but it is inside the soil.
You cannot touch fire, but it is inside the tree.
You cannot hold the wind, but it is resting on the rock.”
Naksu the Shadow Assassin and Soul Shifter cannot pursue love, but it blooms inside her.
“If you let them be, they will exist everywhere.”
Like water, fire, and wind, love exists in her because she allowed him to get too close to her. She didn’t prepare herself for it.
She should have known when she changed her mind about delivering Uk to Gilju. Gilju was offering her a way to return to her former assassin’s life, but she backed out and chose to die instead of betraying Uk…all because of a bird’s egg.
“The faint blue light makes me sigh.
My white breath turned into snow and tears.
I could not let them drop and hide them.
Despite knowing that they will fill up once again.
I am a fool who dares not shed a single tear.”
I can now interpret second stanza from Naksu’s POV.
Faint blue light = the mark of the soul shifter in her eyes
Makes me sigh = makes her despair
My white breath turned into snow and tears = she anticipates an even arduous journey before her now that she’s fallen in love with Uk. She can’t just fly away without getting broken into pieces.
I could not let them drop and hide them = on top of everything, she can’t let Uk know about her distress. Uk thinks everything is okay because they’re together, so she needs to keep up the charade.
Despite knowing that they will fill up once again = sadness/longing/aching/tears will follow her for the rest of her life
I am a fool who dares not shed a single tear = she’s a fool for not anticipating this to happen when she tried out as Jeongjingak’s servant.
She could have avoided this entanglement if she had done nothing at all. A cooling off period or a break-up would have been a logical consequence after Uk entered Jeongjingak. She could have maintained a cool distance or walked away at that point, but she didn’t.
Instead, she applied and tried out for the servants recruitment.
She made the “first” move to *bridge* their distance, their separation. lol. Did you ever wonder why the scene was shot with her on the bridge?
I think the location makes a good visual metaphor. He’s moving away from her (or his life is about to set sail) and he’s leaving her behind. But she’s determined to stick with him. She’s going to cross over to get to him.
In the end, Master Seo was neither a fool nor a coward that she thought him to be. He was perhaps wiser, more prudent, and more guarded than her because he didn’t send the letter to his love.
Okay, that’s it for the love letter.
Is there anything else I should write about?
@Packmule3,
I loved it… ❤️ Beautiful written!
@pm3, wonderful! Thanks for sharing!
I also thought that love letters are coded. In this story, message is only meaningful and decoded if the recipient loves the person back. Like how Uk can read a recruitment notice and understood MD’s unspoken words. Agree – it is beautifully built up and heart fluttering.
That’s why Lady Dohwa couldn’t understand Park Jin. She didn’t like him. Although, the inconsistency (and the funny banter) is with maidservant Kim. I thought Park Jin likes her. Can’t she read it?
I thought the umbrella from Yul is a contrast (although not a letter). It is meaningless to MD and she can’t understand the message behind it. Like Why he came out and looked for her? Why he rather be wet than her? She just threw the broken umbrella away without thinking too much. Even later when Yul demanded an umbrella from her, he eventually gifted it away too. If a person doesn’t love you…
At first I too wonder why the diary/love letter was not gifted to Lady Seo. Is it because she was already dead by then? Or is because Master Seo worried that Lady Seo wouldn’t love him back? Thanks @pm3 for the explanation and pointing out MD’s gradual change in view – so I can understand the deeper side, he wasn’t a coward or a fool. It may well be at that level that love is best kept at heart.
@Packmule3, I think the Hong sisters are creating a “compare and contrast” situation with Master Lee and Maidservant Kim, mostly playing it for laughs, but also highlighting Master Lee’s takeaway from watching his master wrestle with his feelings for his beloved. Master Lee knew “Words of the Heart” is a love poem because he was Master Seo’s pupil. His conclusion, after witnessing Master Seo battle his emotions, was that mages can only master their highest powers by maintaining chastity. To Master Lee romance, marriage, sexual relations are a distraction. Master Seo spent energy on love and its flip side, loss. The power of Daeho’s mages comes from how they control water. Tears are a very special type of water, and I don’t think Master Seo did himself any favors by trying to stop them from flowing.
We saw how Uk was able to make powerful use of a drop of MuDeok’s blood during his duel with the Crown Prince. I wonder how powerful Tansu could be when performed with a teardrop.
I don’t think Uk is of the same mind. He’s been repeatedly told by Naksu that she’ll leave him as soon as she regains her powers. They both know she’s at risk of dying by MuDeok’s petrification. Yet Uk is not holding back his love for Naksu. I found it very touching to see that as he studied in Songrim, he held his jade egg in his free hand. Naksu was close to his heart even as they were physically separated.
@packmule I hope I’m contributing well to the discussion and being a good pupil 🫠
I love the interpretation!
I don’t have access to part 2 but I was thinking also of the intertwining meanings of jin seol ran’s name, her sensing/ blind nature, and the awakening of Mudeok/Naksu/ Buyeon.
Jin seol ran- an orchid that blooms in the white snow.
Mudeok’s body, Buyeon and Jin Seol Ran were all blind/ sensing creatures.
Uk managed to open/ awaken the book by knowing the name to which the letter was addressed to.
The first part of the letter speaks about things one cannot see but knows, and senses.
I sense that knowing who she is, and her real name will bring forth her awakening- like an orchid blooming in the snow. She’s been living in winter all her life – in solitary quiet. Uk is the representation of winter, and the Jin family, spring. She is a lonely bird’s egg waiting to crack- she doesn’t know what she’ll be after that. All the imagery points to her awakening, her springing forth into a new life.
Naksu is slowly awakening to who she is. Uk is the key to uncover who is she. We don’t know her real name: she was a Cho x x in her past life, but she is also (possibly) Bu Yeon.
(Of course, in the romance portion she is awakening to her feelings, but I wanted to stop obsessing over the romance for abit)
Curiously, the literal title of alchemy of souls means “resurrection”/ “return of the soul”. The meaning is rooted in astrology.
Alchemy in lore revolves around the transmutation of base metals/ the pursuit of immortality/the fabled philosopher’s stone- that’s the “ice stone” here promising the ability to switch souls, the idea of having new bodies forever for the soul.
I think the literal title hints at more. Not just a new body, but a return of the soul. To what?
Naksu doesn’t know – she wants to return to her former life but her body as it is is gone. If we work on the concepts of alchemy there is transmutation and transformation. Nothing about making something new from scratch. I don’t think her old body is going to return.
Naksu going into Mudeok’s body also symbolizes an awakening- Mudeok can now “see”. Naksu in Mudeok’s body is also realising that Mudeok can “sense”.
Returns in astrology symbolize new life, rebirth, a new cycle. Returns are important in astrology- any reference to a return of a planet or sun/moon means it is about to match the same degree
it was at, in the person’s birth chart.
We know Uk’s birth chart- he and Naksu don’t. We also don’t know Naksu’s birth chart.
What is there to return then? And awaken? Uk’s
return to his prophesied glory? Or Naksu’s return to who she actually is? I’m very interested in Naksu’s birth chart and how it will interplay with Uk’s.
There is a lot of heavy hinting of things unseen but felt.
I have to give credit for @feelfree on Reddit, my interpretation was helped along by a hypothesis she had and I based my meanderings on that!
I agree that Naksu is a clost romantic because she is exceptionally proactive on making decisions for the things that threaten Uk. From having his GOE opened, his energy breakthrough fever, and his duel. Given the parallels between Master Seo and Seol-ran, and Uk and Naksu, I feel that perhaps Bu-yeon is a reincarnation of her ancestor who helped the founder of Seorim.
The love letter may be forbidden due to a soul shifter residing in Seol-ran at the time of Master Seo,while their ending is not known. What we do know is Master Seo sealed the ice stone which Jang Gang used again to soul shift with Uk’s father so it is possible he utilized it with the sould shifter in Seol-rab.
It might be possible that Uk, Naksu, and Bu-yeon have intertwined fates that could be divined by the revelation of their natal constellations later on.
On another note, aside from the Naksu-Mu-deok threesome situation, I feel bad for the CP and the possible turn to absolute evil influenced by outside factors such as his father’s obsession with divination and his mother’s evil schemes or even death to have him be in a death match with Uk.
Call me crazy but I would like to demand Uk relinquish his right to the throne through a separate or new prophecy and become the minister of Cheonbu Gwan where Naksu can reclaim her original name and perhaps, be an astronomer like her father.
@pm3, sorry if this duplicates a comment you had made in the preceding locked thread that I dont have access to yet. However, re your point about the unsent letter, there could be a few other possibilities:
1. Because Seo Gyeong finally realised that the blue mark was that of a shifted soul, perhaps something he hasn’t realised previously (NB usually the blue mark is advice the heart), and that went against what he believed in, having fought to stop the Great Chaos.
2. The first Jin Matriarch petrified before he could send the letter
3. Seo Gyeong like PJ and SY are “slow witted” and not open to expressing their true feeling. This parallels that PJ is the leader of Songrim as Seo Gyeong had been. I wonder if SY is a descendant of Seo Gyeong.
On the subject of descendants, has anyone figured out the Seo family. I’m a bit confused since Heo Yeom and by extension his granddaughter are part of the Seo family, presumably cadet branches? Then there was the comment that SY’s father, the General, is the brother of the Empress…but the Empress indicates she’s a member of the Choi family? This then also begs the question, who are the Choi family in all of this?
@Viva.
I agree with you that Yul’s umbrella didn’t mean much to Naksu since she easily threw it away. (But is it true, though? Or did she just say it to rebuff him?)
But then, Naksu’s umbrella didn’t mean much to Yul either since he gave it to another girl easily, too.
I was going to write a comparison of the gifts but I’ve got to respond to the posters. I give myself only half an hour (to an hour, tops) in the mornings to either reply to posts or write another thread.
I agree, @Welmaris.
Uk knows that Naksu doesn’t intend to stay because he’s been repeatedly told so. But he keeps on finding a way to make her stay.
Sigh. Again, this is another interesting topic to write about. I must make time for this.
Thank you, @Crosslurking for crediting @feelfree on reddit. 🙂
Yes, thank you for reminding me that I’ve notes too on the Korean title of the drama. I’ve been meaning to write about it.
Welcome to the blog, @ion.
I’ll do minor edits (added paragraph spacing) to your post so it’s easier for me to read.
Yes, I agree that there may be parallel structure in Master Seo/Seolran’s love story and Uk/Naksu’s relationship. But I think Uk and Naksu already hurdled the big test, that is, Naksu and Uk actually DELIVERED their love letter.
Yes, their birth constellations are significant to their fates — as I insisted from the beginning. It’s not possible that only Uk has a special “King’s star” designation on his birthday. Naksu (or the Royal Astronomer/Mage Cho’s daughter) should also have a special constellation on her birthday.
She could have a double star for all we know.
Yes, I don’t mind Uk yielding the throne to the Crown Prince. But you know how it is in kdramas: there’s always going to be a conspiracy, coup or insurrection to install who the ministers think is the “rightful” leader of kingdom.
We shall see where the story goes.
@viva such a good point re: Yul’s umbrella having no meaning to Naksu since she isn’t in love with him. Beautiful comparison scenes set up by the writers.
@welmaris So true that Uk has known all along that Naksu planned to leave but that didn’t stop him from pursuing his feelings for her. He’s such a well-written ML.
I also love how the should I reply as a pupil or master was a mirror of their conversation in Ep 9 when he’s trying on his new Songrim uniform and he asks her how he looks. When he asks as her master, she’s indifferent in her reply. But when he asks as her pupil, she gives him the compliment he was looking for.
Side note:
Overall, I wonder if the Hong sisters have some new assistant writers on their team. None of their previous works, while good, have been to this stellar level of writing. (In my opinion)
I tried to watch Korean Odyssey and Greatest Love Story over the last few weeks (as a distraction from AOS) and found them underwhelming with tropes and repeated themes. E.g. having watched Masters Sun first, Korean odyssey felt like the same show in a diff setting, though Korean odyssey’s first few episodes had some really good laugh out loud moments. I had to drop it after the whole heart rate monitor broke so he is incapable of understanding his feelings part.
And the actress in Korean Odyssey is unbearable to watch in that show. Had to stop at episode 5-ish. Her lack of expression just got too annoying.
I realize that given how gripping AOS has been for me and how good the acting is in AOS, that others might pale in comparison so perhaps I am not giving those shows their due.
Hotel Del Luna was much better for sure and now this one is their so far their best yet, at least to me. I wish they credited the assistant writers too, I’d be so into following their career and watching what they write next. Alternatively it could be down to the director too- he does fun and sensitivity really well.
To add, thank you @packmule3 for these beautiful analyses. They really add new depth and richness. I’ll watch the show and think “oh 10/10, so beautiful”.
And then I come read your interpretation and it turns up that dial to max and now the scene is a 100/10 for me. It’s so much more moving with this context.
This post just makes my heart flutter. I have been reading it again and again and just smiling to myself.
Thank you @Packmule3.
Now I would just love to read whatever you write about how Uk makes MD stay. And I confess, I am here for the feels 🙂 And there is so much to feel in this drama.
😂 You know, the Hong sisters are good with their beginning, but their endings often suck. Sooooo… I don’t have high expectations.
We can expect strong headwinds in the next episode.
Sure, Uk already confessed and he’s going all in. But Naksu may do a “Master Seo move” and chicken out.
She may think this isn’t the right path for her going forward (since she’s determined to leave after getting her energy back). She may want to keep a Master-Pupil relationship. She may prioritize avenging her father’s turning into a soul shifter. She may want to disillusion Uk and push him away.
This is one of the Hong sisters’ signature moves: the push-pull dynamics. 🤷♀️
I was just re-watching the last episode in preparation for the upcoming one, and catching up on the latest thoughts and comments. Judging by the trailer, I suspect (and can’t wait) to get further character development and understanding more of this world (which thus far, has been created to be inherently ‘real’ and ‘logical’ without needing much more than the obligatory cursory suspension of disbelief to believe it as being a ‘real’ world).
@pm3: I would certainly be interested in reading your thoughts and the comments of others re the various perspectives and interpretations of Words of the Heart.
A further thought to your comment immediately above re Naksu and how she might respond to JU’s ‘confession’: she may think this isn’t the right path for her going forward because she doesn’t want to admit her feelings. The whole of the second stanza is essentially Master Seo Gyeong reflecting that he recognises the feelings within him, but he cannot admit to them (and/or cannot show them) – the fact that he says that he describes himself as a fool suggests that the reason is more selfish rather than eg in the interests of protecting the other person from danger by the association – eg the reason may be fear, not knowing how to express those feelings, etc. From when we were first introduced to Naksu, we get the impression that she is a cold-hearted master assassin – there cannot be much room for her to be moved by feelings, but rather she can only have cold hearted logic. Subsequent episodes show flashbacks and we get the impression that one of the major turning points was when her family were killed – to protect herself, she locked away her own emotions and was driven relentlessly towards one goal ie revenge. Again, not an uncommon phenomenon in someone young who suffered a major trauma and never got a chance to process the emotions involved (one of the things that make this drama relatable is that it does feel real – even when it devolves into the more comedic sequences). The second major turning point that we are shown is when she finds out the name of the young SY – there is clearly an understanding between them up to that point (that leaves present day SY having unrequited feelings for MD) but it’s almost as the young Naksu rejects that and becomes even colder (partly because of attribution of her family’s death, partly because she’s reminded what her goal is – but I can’t help but wonder whether there is also an element where she is hiding away from her feelings as well).
Another thought: this failure to admit one’s own feeling is what leads to multiple characters calling PJ slow witted. SY’s behaviour at the market could be an exhibition of the same – he’s behaving ‘childishly’ (ie making her pay for the umbrella, wanting a snack and being disappointed when MD doesn’t buy it for him) because he also doesn’t know how to express his feelings (complicated by him not knowing how to reveal that he suspects MD hosts Naksu’s soul). Even PDG may be guilty of the same – we saw earlier (following the scene when he directed the wedding presents to himself) his reaction to JCY’s comment as though he does have feelings for her – at first, I wrote that off as just him being disappointed that she wasn’t more grateful to him for his actions. But in this latest episode, we now see that he probably does have feelings for her, in the scene when they talk about how they stage their ‘break up’. If he had his way, they wouldn’t be breaking up, and him finding a reason to not break up brings him delight…
What is it with these Songrim mages being unable to express their true feelings?
It feels like that we, as the audience, are really being led to a theme of unrequited love as a thread that was hinted at earlier and now forms the an important binding of these middle episodes.
@Cerunias, you write well and I enjoy reading your comments. I’m glad you’re contributing your thoughts to our discussions here on BoD.
Yes, there are a lot of potential couples in Daeho who are currently sabotaged by miscommunication. Part of the reason for this is to increase plot tension and keep us hooked. Boy meets girl, boy loses girl as the first part of a storyline is as old as human history. If they end up back together, we have a satisfying romance; if they end up apart, the sad ending can range between lesson learned to tragedy.
The Hong sisters lean toward ambiguous endings for their lead couples. I don’t have my hopes up for this show to have a clear end game for UK and Naksu. As for secondary couples, we may be given a few happy endings to keep us viewers from feeling completely dissatisfied when the show wraps. The Hong sisters keep me coming back for more, so they must be doing something right.
Blown away by your analysis, @packmule3.
I love how you dissected the love letter and the scene at the bridge. Thank you, I appreciated this episode even more after reading your analogy.
Am I the only one swooning when he gave back the flyer a.k.a. love letter to Naksu? He is such a smooth operator! lol
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