Let’s get down to business.

1. Organizational charts

I’m a fan of diagrams so I made one for our main protagonist Crown Prince Lee Hwan’s family tree and another one for the King’s men and their children.

It’s easy to see why the title is “Our Blooming Youth” when the connections of the younger generations are exposed. The bonds of friendship will blossom as they investigate the murder of Min Jaeyi’s family, the curse on Lee Hwan, and the many unsolved murder cases in the capital which the Royal Investigation Bureau failed to crack.

Two things:

a. In Episode 2, the Left State Minister mentioned that the King was the son of a palace water maid. I think this is a significant detail because it gives insight to the King’s state of mind. He understood the importance of having a powerful clan to champion the causes of the throne.

The Left State Minister then voiced his legitimate concern that the King would not oppose the deposition of the Crown Prince in favor of the younger Grand Prince.

Minister: You mean His Majesty is considering Prince Myung Ahn instead of His Highness the Crown Prince?
Prime Minister: How can you say such a horrible thing?
Minister: If His Majesty’s goal is to strengthen royal authority, it is indeed true that His Majesty is anxious at the moment. It is not as though His Highness has a strong maternal family like Grand Prince Myung Ahn. He is cursed by a ghost, and there is even a seditious rumor about Prince Ui Hyun’s death.
Prime Minister: Even so, His Highness is flesh and blood of His Majesty the King. To receive Jo family of Seongju’s help, would His Majesty abandon his son?
Left State Minister: Something like that should not happen.

In other words, the King’s primary concern is to consolidate his authority over the state and reinforce the monarchy. The succession issue is only secondary for him. While his attitude may sound cold-blooded for a father, as the ruler of the land, it’s reasonable to expect that he prioritizes governance and the affairs of the monarchy over birth rights.

If you wish, think of this Joseon King as Bernard Arnault, the 73-year-old CEO of LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy).

source: sydney morning herald

Mr. Arnault has five children, two from his first marriage, and three from his current marriage. Should he automatically designate his daughter Delphine as his successor simply because she’s oldest and female, to boot? Or should he choose the most capable one of his heirs, regardless of birth rank and sex, to lead the $196 billion conglomerate?

Fortunately for our story’s male lead, he doesn’t have to worry about fashion trends like the Arnault children. He’s gifted in the two areas that count in the Joseon court: academics and athletics.

Although, I must admit that the actor Park Hyungsik looks resplendent in his hanbok couture as any Dior model sashaying down a runway.

b. It’s too bad that the kdrama “Forbidden Marriage” aired just before this one. Since the plot of FM is still fresh in everybody’s mind, anyone can spot the looming love triangle a mile off. It’s only a question of when the Crown Prince and his bestie Han SungOn will have a falling out over the girl JaeYi. Of course, it doesn’t help that the curse specifically mentions that the Crown Prince’s friend will turn his back on him and aim his sword at him.

JaeYi clearly made a strong impression the CP Lee Hwan when they were kids.

LH: But I heard that your fiancée is famous in Gaeseong for being a graceful and intelligent woman. Do you believe those stories? Have you forgotten that girl you saw at the master’s house?

Then flashback to that time when they were kids and she charged them toll for crossing “her” creek and led them on a wild goose chase in search of her father/CP’s teacher.

LH: (annoyed) Have you forgotten how we meandered through another district until late at night?
Bestie: That was such a long time ago. She will have changed.
LH: She is not the type of woman to change.
Bestie: Then… I can just live completely under her control.

In other words, he’s willing to be a pushover for her. His comment must have sounded cheesy to Lee Hwan.

LH: (scoffing) She may not be a graceful woman, but her righteous and caring heart for people probably has not changed.
Bestie: You are right, Your Highness. Have we not seen what she did with that money?
LH: (nodding)

Though we weren’t apprised of what she did with that money, we could guess that she used it for the public service or for the common good.

I think Lee Hwan’s first impression of her as cunning and strong-willed, is partly the reason he didn’t show more solicitude when he found out who she was. He knew that she wasn’t a shrinking violet nor a damsel in distress to be cossetted. There were scenes when I thought he must have forgotten that he was dealing with a girl because of the way he manhandled her.

Like so…

In fairness, he could hardly show her gentleness as this might spur people’s suspicions. He did inquire whether she had eaten while locked up in the storeroom, and was annoyed to learn that she didn’t even get a brazier (or heater) for the night. He rebuked his bodyguard, saying “Since when did Joseon’s custom become so cold and harsh?”

It should be interesting confrontation when his bestie Han SungOn discovers that he deliberately hid his fiancée from him.

2. “Noblesse oblige”

This is the Confucian long-form version.

Lee Hwan: “Don’t look down on your subordinates while you’re in the upper seat. If you keep yourself in good standing and do not require things from others, no one will find fault with you. You will not blame the heavens above, nor will you blame the people below. Don’t look down on your subordinates while you’re in the upper seat. Don’t drag your superiors down while you’re in the lower seat.”

The subs from dramacool translated this as:

This was Lee Hwan’s mindset when he agreed to lead the hunt that the Ministers demanded of him. He didn’t want to “drag” the King down and give the ministers reason to find fault with him. He wanted to maintain his good standing.

LH: If they would have me lead it, then I will do so.
King: Will you fulfill what they are seeking?
LH: This was bound to come sooner or later. So what’s the problem if it came a bit sooner?
King: Will you be able to do it?
LH: Is there any other way for me to keep my position, aside from doing that?
King: (no answer)

However, this wasn’t his attitude with Min JaeYi. He dismissed her, telling her to either go to the Royal Investigation Bureau or back to Gaeseong County to prove her innocence on her own. He didn’t want to become involved with her.

In response, she accused him of looking down on her because a) she isn’t royalty like him, and b) she’s merely a woman and, in Joseon, women are second-class citizens.

JaeYi: How can I afford not to go mad and throw a fuss right now? Did you tell me to go to Royal Investigation Bureau? Did you go to go Gaeseong County? The wanted poster with my composite is posted all over the country. What could I possibly fear? I will probably go through a hard time without a chance to clear my name, confess the crime I did not commit and die by beheading. Whether I die by arguing with you jerk or get my limbs torn apart. It would be all the same.
LH: How dare you call the Crown Prince of Joseon “bastard” and “jerk”?
JY: You were just lucky enough to be born into a royal family and became a crown prince. What’s so great about you?
LH: What? How dare you say that to…
JY: That’s right. A girl dares to…I am only a woman who was framed and is being chased. What could I possibly do? No…From the moment I was born as a girl in Joseon, what was I permitted to do? Did Joseon ever tell a girl, “Yes, you can. Do it. Try it”?
LH: So…it looks like you have more to say. Continue.

Meaning, JaeYi seemed to want to offload her anger on him so he willed himself to listen to her.

JY: I got unlucky, got framed, and became a murderer. I was a precious daughter to my father and mother. And I was a lovely younger sister to my older brother. You and I are no different under heaven! My father, who was your master was genuinely pleased when you became the Crown Prince taking after Prince Ui Hyun. You who are so cold and arrogant. He believed that you would be a good king. As for me…as for me, I held onto my father’s faith in you and in hopes of becoming your very first people bowing under your feet. I thought I would get to find out the reason my family died if I could meet you. So I came all the way here, risking my life.

Sidenote: This actress needs to expand her repertoire of facial expressions. STAT! She bleated for ages with the same beetle-browed look.

I wish she would:

a) show compound emotions: reproach, hate, disgust, anger, regret, anguish, etc.,
b) act with more nuance, and
c) stop crying.

(Sigh. Where is Dongfang Qingcang when I need him?)

Instead of constantly crying in stressful situations, the actress could work her eyes — e.g., eye movement, eye positioning, eye enlargement, pupil dilation — to convey more feelings.

JY: I thought you would not ignore me. I am your master’s daughter. And your master died because of you. It is all your fault. My family died because of you! It’s your fault, you bastard. If you are someone who would look away from my desperate plea, I would rather die in front of you. I will end up dying anyway.

Although this statement was too dramatic, and the actress sounded like a kid having a temper tantrum, I understood the sentiment she was trying to communicate. She was telling him that he couldn’t escape from her wrath, and that he couldn’t run away from his obligation.

Unlike with the Ministers whose request Lee Hwan obliged, he didn’t want to be responsible for her. As he pointed out earlier to her, she had a fiancé, Han SungOn. To him, it made more sense to approach her fiancé and seek his assistance (and his family) to sort out her problems.

But JaeYi outright condemned his attitude. I like that she was calling him out for treating those beneath him with contempt.

For one, she believed that he owed it to his master, and to those who believed in his righteousness (like her) to intervene in her situation. For another, she blamed him because she believed that her family’s murder was somehow linked to his curse. So, not only did he have the power to help her out, but he had the responsibility to do so.

That’s why she said that she’d rather die in front of him to make him see the consequence of his actions.

3. The curse

Just so we’re on the same page…

According to Min JaeYi, Lee Hwan received the letter from a ghost three years ago, on the day that his older brother, the Crown Prince Ui Hyun, passed away, on the day that he was installed as the Crown Prince, on the day he first entered the palace of the Crown Prince.

The letter said,

“A ghost dares to say to Lee Hwan. You should take heed of these words. You became Crown Prince by killing your brother. But you will never become king. Despite having arms, you will not be able to use them. And, despite having legs, you will not be able to walk. You will grow old alone without a wife, and will die lonely without any children. Your friend will turn his back on you, and aim his sword at you. And many will be killed as a result of your foolishness. The people will drag you down and depose you. You will wander through all the land mad, and your cursed fate will only end with your death.”

Lee Hwan burned that first letter.

We also learned from Min JaeYi that another letter came two years after that. Another line was written in red: “Yoo gang gul jo. Yoo go bul yong.” I’m assuming that this means “You will not be able to use your arms despite having arms. And you will not be able to walk despite having legs.”

Shortly after that, he had his hunting incident.

Lee Hwan believed that even if he’d been cursed by a ghost, he should remain resolute and unwavering.

I like the image of his arrow piercing through the imaginary red writing, and blowing them up into red confetti.

I like it because it would be mirrored in the next scene when eccentric Kim MungJin ripped up the “Wanted: Min JaeYi” posters on the wall and threw the bits of papers in the air.

In a way, those “Wanted” posters were like a curse, too, on Min JaeYi. In the same way that ghost letters wished great harm and inflicted torment on Lee Hwan,

the posters brought misery to Min JaeYi.

4. The secret letters

There are two secret letters in the story:

One, the letters written by the “ghost” for Lee Hwan, cursing him for murdering his older brother. Since Lee Hwan burned the first letter (and presumably the second one as well), only TWO people know the actual content of the letters: Lee Hwan and the “ghost.”

As for the rumors regarding the curses, there can be two possible sources:

a. the “ghost” could have spread the rumors to undermine the Crown Prince and sabotage his standing in the royal court.
b. Lee Hwan could have spread the rumors himself to test the loyalty of his followers and to smoke out his enemies in court.

Two, the secret letter supposedly sent by Lee Hwan to his former teacher/Governor Min, requesting for help in dealing with the “ghost” letters. Governor Min presented the letter to his daughter JaeYi whom he believed would solve the mystery.

Governor: His Highness is summoning Yoon Jae, but you are actually the person His Highness needs. Even so I cannot send you to meet the Crown Prince since you are about to be wed.

JaeYi tried to convince the Crown Prince that she had been the one to solve all the mystery cases in Gaeseong County, not her older brother.

Curiously enough, this secret letter also instructed the recipient to burn the letter after reading it, similar to Lee Hwan’s actions when he received his ghost-written letters.

As for who sent the letter to Governor Min, Lee Hwan denied sending a secret letter with the wedding gifts.

According to his recollection, he burned every single letter (or the multiple drafts of the letter). Even his bodyguard Tae Kang didn’t know its contents of his letters, he said.

Given that only two people know the contents of the original ghost letters (namely, the “ghost” and Lee Hwan), I say that Lee Hwan wrote the letter himself. He could be in serious denial, however, because it was distressing for him to think that:

a) the curse was actually working (i.e., “And many will be killed as a result of your foolishness.”),
b) the deaths of his esteemed master and his family could have been averted had he not contacted his master in the first place (hence, his interrogation whether his gift-bearer was killed before or after the delivery of his gifts),
c) the “ghost” was someone attuned to his every move, and therefore, someone close to him.

I find it interesting that while the ghost letters bothered him because the sender was unknown, his secret letter to Governor Min/JaeYi can be considered a ghost letter, too, as the original sender is also unknown. Furthermore, just like the ghost letters put a curse on him, his secret letter to Governor Min acted like a curse on JaeYi, dooming her family members to their death.

Yes, there’s a process to restore charred documents but I’m not sure that the materials are available in Joseon period.

5. The sisterhood

This screenwriter has zero subtlety at all when it comes to her virtue-signaling but I’ll give her a pass, for now.

GaRam: Do you think I fear the point of this dagger? I will go with you. There will soon be a wanted order for me as well. I am already a slave on the run. The moment I left Gaeseong following after you, my life was already as good as dead. “Loyalty is not reserved only for men.” Is that not what you said to me?

(Huh? But why would anyone assume that women weren’t loyal in the first place?) 

I’m giving the screenwriter a pass, not because her argument has merits (haha), but because the actress playing GaRam performed her part well. She didn’t over-act and her tears didn’t annoy me like that JaeYi actress did.

On several scenes, I found myself wishing that the actresses had switched roles. 🙄

6. “Little Women” part 2??

That 2022 kdrama was said to be “loosely” based on the famous novel by Louisa May Alcott, and so it was. It lost its moorings and deviated from the genteel and gentle themes of love, temperance, family, sacrifice, and selflessness found in the original book.

(Ha! I’m still traumatized by that kdrama.)

I expect “Our Blooming Youth” to be like “Little Women,” in the sense that the characters shall be “loosely” based on the original, and the themes and plot will only have a modicum of resemblance to the source.

This is probably for the best because after the “Joseon Exorcist” fiasco last year, Korean screenwriters might still feel jittery about adapting Chinese dramas for their culturally sensitive Korean audience. I don’t get the point either. Why borrow from Chinese entertainment when there’s enough material to be found in the local milieu, and home-grown creativity and imagination have propelled Hallyu success anyway?

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