Sometimes my prescience creeps me out.

In yesterday’s review, I highlighted the love declaration/rejection in “Pride and Prejudice” as a prime example of romantic tension produced by words instead of physical touch and fan service. Too often nowadays we see romance built up with the latter two methods. “My Demon” starring Kim You-Jung and Song Kang easily comes to my mind as a drama that relied on physical touch and fan service to deliver romance. “King the Land” with Yoona and Lee JunHo is another one. Though the general audience lap them all up, I found these two dramas particularly hollow.

I said that the restraint in formal language forces the deep emotions to come to the surface in a nuanced but very moving way. Repression amplifies heartbreak.

Sure enough, this is what we see in this episode’s love confession. The love declaration/rejection in “Pride and Prejudice” is parallelled by the love declaration of the Grand Prince Yi Yeol (YY) and its rejection by Hong Eunjo.

In the first part of the show, YY is moping in his palace because Eunjo banished him from the Hyeminseo.

EJ: Please leave now. I appreciated your help until now. I hope we don’t meet again after today.

Note the blocking here. The two men, YY and the second lead male Im JaeYi (IJ), face each other. They are of the same height and built, and have the same aristocratic bearing. Between them is the diminutive Eunjo. Eunjo is backing (literally) IJ in this cockfight. There’s more space between her and YY than there is between her and IJ. And though YY doesn’t bow down his head before her, his eyes are lowered to meet hers.

Then, Eunjo’s friends barge in. Though the three young people stand in a straight line, the friends can astutely see that they’re in a love triangle. The friends want to leave them in peace, but Eunjo stops them.

EJ: Wait a moment. The royal aide says he’ll leave now.
YY: (staring at her) Yes, I will.

Do you get how demeaning this is for the Grand Prince? Given his royal rank in life, it’s his prerogative to dismiss somebody from his presence. It’s the other person who must say goodbye and depart. But in this case, Eunjo speaks for him and gives his polite farewell to everybody in his stead. It’s clear that a) she’s dismissing him from her presence, and b) she’s choosing the other man IJ over him. He’s the loser here.

So it’s understandable that he mopes in the palace for days afterwards. It’s hilarious how he wallows in self-pity.

One, he ignores the sumptuous repast set before him because he’s busy writing with the grains of rice “Got turned down”.

Two, the royal musicians are raucously beating their drums, banging the brass gong, and tooting the horn. But he complains that they’re playing a sorrowful song and orders them to play something lively.

Three, he laughs all by himself for no good reason.

Four, he plots his revenge. “Mark, tempt, then take revenge.” He argues that as the prince of the land, he can take her if he wants to (lol. I mentioned this, didn’t I? He can exercise his “droit du seigneur” or play Pokemon.)

Five, he realizes that she won’t be tempted by anything he possesses.

YY: My wealth, power, status, elegance, looks…” (sighing)
Bodyguard: Usually, just one of those is enough to sway anyone.
YY: That’s simply how she is. She isn’t swayed by any of them.

He slumps onto his pillow. Of course, his reaction is also tinged with admiration for Eunjo that she isn’t a grasping, materialistic girl.

Of course, we all know that he’s going through cycle of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. He’s currently experiencing the depression stage.

The reports of YY’s state of mental decline impel the Dowager Queen to order the Royal Physician to consult other physicians in the kingdom for the cause of YY’s mysterious illness.

Ironically enough, it falls on Eunjo – the source of YY’s distress – to diagnose his illness. Of course, she doesn’t know that the Grand Prince is YY.

EJ: Joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hatred and desire. Since the seven emotions are disordered, I suspect it might be depression.

Her roommate points out that the Grand Prince’s condition resembles someone who’s heartbroken. This leads EunJoo to recall her last encounter with YY when she told him to leave. She knows that she broke his heart that time but wonders aloud whether heartbreak can really be that painful.

Hmph! This is this heroine’s fatal flaw. She’s acking in self-awareness. She may be quick in analyzing social dynamics but she’s seriously slow in self-reflection.

Back in the palace, YY is practicing archery. His bodyguard tries to cheer him up, saying that it’s all for the best.

Bodyguard: I believe the court physician (aka Eunjo) made a wise choice with you. What good would it do her to meet and part ways in a casual manner?

He means that Eunjo can’t be blamed for choosing the other guy because the other guy offers her a sure thing (aka marriage) while YY can only her a “casual” fling. She has nothing to gain from being with YY because it’s inevitable that they’ll part ways.

But YY’s response is surprising.

YY: Who says it was casual?

True. Before IJ barged in on them, he was telling her to make time for him the next day because he was going to make an official move on her.

Bodyguard: Then, are you saying she’d become a concubine?

Ugh! No one wants to be a concubine! But Eunjo is realistic and pragmatic with her chances. Given that she’s the daughter a low-born woman and an nobleman, she can’t expect to marry for love and become the legitimate wife of a nobleman. So, from her birth as an eolynyeo, she’s bound to her fate and doomed this outcome in life.

Bodyguard: (nagging) Before the wedding is even held, if the Queen Dowager were to find out, it would be utter chaos.
YY: You’re counting your chickens already. I haven’t even begun, let alone made a move.

Two comments here:

1. He’s telling his guard that the Queen Dowager’s reaction is the least of his worries. His most pressing issue at hand – that issue that needs his most attention – is how to get Eunjo to accept his suit.

2. Ahhhhh. This tells me that his bodyguard misunderstood his altered mood the past few days. He’s far from being depressed. In fact, he’s deliberating his next move. He can’t be depressed if he’s hopeful that he can exit this romantic impasse victoriously.

Bodyguard: Exactly. If it never began, there should be nothing to forget.
YY: It keeps lingering. Her face…

Flashback to that night when he listened to IJ taunting EunJo. He knows that IJ looks down on Eunjo for being an eolynyeo. It troubles him that Eunjo is setting herself up to a loveless, and most likely, an abusive marriage.

This tells us that YY hasn’t just been PINING for Eunjo because he’s heartbroken. He’s actually deeply troubled about her and her future marriage life.

Remember: I insisted in my post for Episode 3 that YY believes he’s responsible for bringing her happiness. Her solemn declaration that she only has “poverty, misery, wretchedness, tears” in her life weighs heavily on him. He thinks that he’s one of the few fortunate things – if not, THE most fortunate thing to ever happen to her – as he has the power to change everything for her. Thus, he takes it upon himself to bear the responsibility for her well-being.

Don’t be deceive now. This scene in Episode 3 is a seminal moment. Although no kisses were exchanged, and they maintained a proper distance, this marks a turning point in his perception of her, himself, and their relationship.

Bodyguard: To tell the truth, I don’t like that court physician much. She’s engaged, yet why did she act like that before Your Highness that night?
YY: (leaving)

To me, he hurries out of there because he decides to rescue EunJo. He realizes that something doesn’t add up. For one, she isn’t the type to indiscriminately to steal a kiss a guy in the middle of the night. For another, if she was truly happy to marry the guy, then she wouldn’t have told him that her life could be summed up as “poverty, misery, wretchedness, tears.”

In other words, Eunjo is being held hostage by IJ and his family, and she has to express allegiance to her captor and go along with their plans in order to survive. We know this as Stockholm syndrome.

Bodyguard: (exasperated with YY’s hasty departure) Here we go again. Seriously!

Lol. The bodyguard then notices the target of the Grand Prince. All along, YY’s been shooting arrows and forming the character, “pa” on the board. “Pa” means to break.

Too funny. I don’t know if this means he’s going to break EunJo’s engagement or he’s going to break IJ’s bones to pieces.

To be continued later.

Part 2: To My Beloved Thief: Ep 4 The Love Confession, Part 2