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Part 1 here.
Part 2, incoming later.

1. The tropes

If you’ve watched Hong sisters’ dramas before, you’d know that the push-pull trope is canon for them. Person X pulls all the stops to attract Person Y while Person Y pushes Person X away, feigning disinterest.

Naksu: I will pretend that I didn’t hear that. You should forget about the letter, too. (places the flyer in the fire)
Uk: You cannot get rid of something that has already been exchanged.
Naksu: (looks at the burning flyer) It is good as gone. Once it burns away, there will be nothing left.

She was deliberately misunderstanding him. She knew wasn’t talking about the flyer but his feelings.

Also, she would leverage the blue egg later because of Uk’s belief that once something is exchanged, it cannot be simply discarded away. She knew that Uk would reclaim the blue egg for her because Uk is romantic and sentimental that way.

Uk: So, you think burning it will make it disappear? But know this Master, your pupil has recently learned to read what cannot be seen. I told you that I read “Words of the Heart.” Do you want to check? You must focus when you’re trying to read what you cannot see. And then call out the name of the receiver. MuDeok.

Hahaha. I had to laugh here. Did he really expect the “flower to bloom” or the love to just shine from her eyes at the sound of her name on his lips? Her eyes couldn’t look more distrustful of him.

I must point out that MuDeok isn’t her real name, and Naksu is only an alias she used as an assassin. Her real name is unknown. Sadly, the name of Cho Chung’s daughter is still a mystery. We shouldn’t forget that.

Naksu: This is a clear and dangerous signal. I am in love with this man. (looks away)
Uk: (smiling) There. I read you. Some things are hard to see because they are hidden, not because they don’t exist.

Meaning, Naksu can hide her feelings all she wants, but she can’t fool herself that they aren’t real.

Naksu: (avoiding his eyes) Just as you saw my blue mark and found out I was a soul shifter, you have once again caught me. You have found another weakness of mine.
Uk: If you must call that a weakness, then it is my weakness, too. You sent me a letter, and I sent you a reply. So we both share that weakness.

Clearly, Uk didn’t like that Naksu used “weakness” to describe their emotions. But he was prepared to be magnanimous since they could share their weakness and be weak (or strong) together.

Naksu: I guess I would not mind having you share a weakness. Honestly, I felt anxious while we were apart. You finally had what you always wanted, and I had no power to do anything even if you chose to betray me. I even thought to myself that I should have poisoned you and found something to blackmail you with.

Whoa! They say that hell hath no fury like a woman scored, and Naksu sounds ruthless.

Although I understand that she must have caught off-guard with her feelings for Uk, I think she carried it a bit too far.

Naksu: (continuing) But Jang Uk, it seems you have already poisoned yourself.
Uk: Poison?

I like how confused he was here. He didn’t know what she was talking.

Naksu: (sneering) You will become weak and miserable. It is a terrible poison you cannot escape, as its only antidote is the person it is from.
Uk: Are you saying the reason I missed you so much was that I was poisoned?
Naksu: Yes. You were cruelly poisoned by a dangerous assassin. Think of it as that. And it is not far from the truth.

Note: Here’s another one of the Hong sisters’ tropes, the “love is a disease” metaphor. When a character is in love, he’s considered lovesick. The invalid feels out of sorts. He can’t eat or sleep. He’s feverish. There’s pain in his chest. He gets panic attacks. His heartbeat is irregular. His heart even skips a beat whenever the girl is near. And there’s no one cure for the lovelorn. It varies from drama to drama.

In this drama, the disease is spread by poison. The mode of transmission is modified to match Naksu’s former job as an assassin.

Uk was naturally stung by Naksu’s mockery of his feelings. He was hurt and angered…just like Maidservant Kim was offended when Park Jin mocked the flowers she received from Master Lee by calling them weeds.

As I said before, Uk got his E.Q. (or his sensitivities) from his foster mother, Maidservant Kim. But now, I’m beginning to think that Naksu’s one-track mind resembles Park Jin’s.

So Uk hit back.

Uk: So I was poisoned? Then again, I did find it bizarre that the person I missed was you of all people. You always threaten to kill me. You even once threw a knife at me. You mocked my incompetence and even made my arm rot. Yet you had the audacity to lie. You were always horrible to me, but I could not get you out of my head. I miss you first thing in the morning, all throughout the day, and even when I lie down to go to sleep.

To me, Uk sounded like he was suffering from Stockholm syndrome. Lol. He’d fallen in love with his abuser.

Naksu: Stop!
Uk: Why should I stop? I confessed my feelings, and you ruined it with poison. So you should at least know my symptoms. You said you were my antidote.
Naksu: (couldn’t look at him)
Uk: All I did was sincerely tell you that I missed you, you wicked assassin. You call it poison? So from now on, I will complain to you about my symptoms. After all, I was poisoned. I have nothing to be embarrassed about. You called yourself an antidote, so you deal with this toxin.

Well…that escalated quickly. Initially, he was only talking about his reply to her flyer. Now, he was engaging in a verbal tit-for-tat with her.

This scene is one of the reasons I like the Hong sisters.

Although the dialogue is jam-packed with tropes and clichés, its construction doesn’t come off as arbitrary or contrived. Every word that Uk and Naksu hurled at each other is carefully curated, and the descent of the conversation from romance to acrimony isn’t surprising because the reasons for their tension have been laid beforehand.

2. Yul’s confession

In a stark contrast to Naksu and Uk’s lovers quarrel, Yul’s conversation with Naksu was more mature though she was was being flippant, as usual.

Naksu: I am indeed in love with you. I can tell you that hundreds and thousands of times.
Yul: (pausing) I do not know much about love, but when you truly love someone, you will not need to say it that often. Because it will be hard just to say it once.

This is a quotable quote. I wish I could frame it.

His observation struck Naksu in two ways. One, she realized that Yul’s onto her deception. She couldn’t fool him anymore because he already discovered that she wasn’t in love with him. Two, she also realized that Yul spoke the truth. It was difficult for her to admit that she liked Uk because she was baring her true feelings.

Yul: That whistle used to belong to a friend I once failed to confess my feelings for. (pausing) “I like you a lot.” I have always wanted to tell her that.

They were both “in the moment” here. They were aware that he was confessing to her that he still likes her. But he wasn’t demanding a response, acknowledgement, or reciprocation of his affection from her. It’s all water under the bridge for them.

He’s accepted that MuDeok only had eyes for Uk. It was for Uk that she tried out for the Jeongjingak position.

I like this flashback because of the role reversal. Usually, it’s the female watching the male (e.g., knight, gladiator, superhero) sweat blood and tears for her.

Naksu: (flashback to the time he gave her the whistle)
Yul: We will be seeing each other often now that you are back in Songrim. You may come to me if you need any help.
Naksu: Thank you.

Overall, I’m glad that the Yul and the Crown Prince aren’t the typical rivals, trying to cut in on Uk. They know their place. And I particularly like Yul in this scene for the calm and composed way he put a closure on their past history.

3. Naksu’s Machiavellian scheme

Uk lost his motivation again so Naksu manipulated the Crown Prince to enter a wager with her.

CP: So tell me. Are you happy to be with your master? I heard Uk read “Words of the Heart.”
Naksu: Yes. He was the fastest mage in Jeongjingak to have read it.

She looked and sounded really proud about it; she wasn’t faking her pride in Uk. The CP could only lift an eyebrow.

CP: I doubt he read it with his skills. He probably got lucky again.
Naksu: But still, he beat you in a duel.
CP: Pffft. I know Uk’s level of ability very well since I have fought against him. He has bad swordsmanship, and his spells are weak. He got lucky and beat me by using Tansu. It was not because he was skilled.
Naksu: (thinking) He’s right. (aloud) That is why he came to Jeongjingak. To become a mage of a higher level.
CP: To be frank, he does not even have what it takes to enter Jeongjingak. If he manages to beat anyone here, then I shall acknowledge him.
Naksu: (scheming) Using the Crown Prince would not be such a bad idea. (aloud) Your Highness. Then how about we make a bet?
CP: A bet? What will I gain from making a bet with you?
Naksu: I will bet the most precious thing I own.

My comments:

a. To be fair, it was the Crown Prince who gave Naksu the idea of a wager. He said he’d acknowledge Uk if he were to beat someone in the school. But it was Naksu who devised the plan.

b. I’m glad that Crown Prince wasn’t offended that Naksu declared the blue egg her most precious possession, and not the CP’s cinnamon-scented sachet.

c. Later on, Uk really should thank the Crown Prince. Without the CP’s fair and honest assessment of his skills, he wouldn’t have seen his weakness. Naksu has lost a bit of her objectivity to see his other defects because she’s too wrapped up in his recent (lucky) successes.

d. What was the Crown Prince doing up in the tree? Was he waiting for MuDeok? Did he think he was a bird or something?

e. For Naksu, the end justifies the means.

The ends (i.e., the objective, goal, intention): To train Uk to become the best mage there was so he could help her get her energy back

The means (i.e., the process, action, method, procedure): By any means possible. By foul or fair play. By risking both their lives. By giving up what’s precious to her.

It’s in this context that she stated in the end of this episode, “Fight and perish, Jang Uk. All the pain that does not kill you will only make you stronger.”

She meant that any method that didn’t end up killing Uk could only get him one step closer to their joint goals. So bring it on.

Sidenote: Why is Uk always getting injured on the right side of his neck when dueling?

From Episode 5

4. The bird egg wager

Uk couldn’t believe that she’d wager the bird egg.

Naksu: The Crown Prince mocked your competence. As your master, I could not let it slide.
Uk: Do not lie to me. I know you.

Ouch!

He could *see* right through her. He knew she was playing innocent. He knew she’d wouldn’t twice about endangering him. He knew that she persuaded the CP to do the wager without any regard to his safety.

To me, this was sad because it indicated that he wasn’t expecting kindness, guilt or mercy from her. He was expecting her to be cruel to him.

I’m sure there’ll come a time when she’ll tremble with fear at the price Uk must pay for her to get her energy back. Noble idiocy is another big trope with the Hong sisters.

Uk: I have been lazy these past few days, so you made that senseless bet to force me to train.
Naksu: Yes, I did. You will have to fight ten mages regardless of your will. The first duel was incredibly disappointing. Your sword was slow, and your feet were heavy. Tomorrow’s opponent is from the Jung—
Uk: I am not doing it.
Naksu: (ignoring him) Even if you lose, you always memorize what you see, so it will help you learn.
Uk: I told you I am not fighting.
Naksu: (still focused on the task) As you fight ten mages, you will learn ten different spells.
Uk: MuDeok –
Naksu: (threatening him) Young Master. Feel free to go home for a bath again tomorrow. Then you will never get that jade back.
Uk: (defeated) All right, fine. So you made this bet. But…but how could you bet on that?

That obviously hurt him.

Naksu: You know why. That was the only thing to motivate you to fight hard and win.
Uk: (studying her) When I said I missed you, is this what you meant when you said you had my weakness?
Naksu: Yes. You probably despise me now, but you cannot lose what we share to someone else.
Uk: (exhales in disbelief) So this is why you said I was poisoned.
Naksu: (robotic) If you get it back, I will give you a bright smile. Just like an antidote. Jang Uk, return it to me no matter what. It’s the most precious item I’ve ever received in my entire life.

To me, Naksu had two options here: she could have begged him with aegyo. She already had the big eyes for it.

Or she could have pleaded with him in an earnest way.

That’s how Maidservant Kim requested flowers from Park Jin. She was emphatic when she told him, “What I want from you are flowers, not weeds. I want you to show me how much you care by giving me something beautiful.”

But Naksu’s request sounded neither cute nor romantic.

One, her speech. She sounded mechanical and perfunctory, and therefore, insincere when she commanded Uk to get the blue egg back for her. Perhaps it was her pride speaking, though. She didn’t want to sound like she was begging him.

Two, the memory of her burning the servants’ recruitment flyer is still fresh in my mind. She attached little importance to the flyer when Uk declared that he missed her, so why should the bird egg be any more precious to her?

And three, she was utterly manipulative.

She viewed the bird egg, not as a token of love – like Maidservant Kim did with her flowers — but more like a stick to beat Uk into submission. She wanted him to focus on becoming a mage so she threatened him with the loss of the bird egg to goad him on to action.

That’s why Uk asked her if it was really precious to her, or it was something profitable to keep in her possession. He was cynical of her intention.

Uk: Is it really precious to you? Do you not want it back merely because of its price? I will get it back from the Crown Prince. It would be funny to share that jade with him. Ah. But it was not worth sharing it with you either.

Yes, sharing the couple bird eggs with the CP would be funny because he and the CP couldn’t be romantically involved. But giving her back the couple bird egg seemed even sillier, too, given that she was willing to part with it in the first place.

Naksu was annoying as heck in this episode.

Part 2 later.