If a prop can get an award to highlight its contribution in an episode, then I nominate the arrow for stellar performance. I’m sure it didn’t escape our notice that the arrow was the focal point in both the opening and ending scenes of the episode. But what if I tell you that there were two arrows flying in both scenes, instead of just one?

😂

In the opening scene, JaeYi shoots an arrow in the dark, never expecting EunJo to be in the vicinity. Given that his arrow has a flame, I think his intended target is not the residents but the flammable wooden structures in Gujilmak. But like a heat-seeking missile, his arrow is bearing down on EunJo. Then, at just the right moment, Yi Yeol appears out of the blue and slashes the arrow, saving EunJo and the child.

The ending scene upends the beginning.

This time around, EunJo is no longer the would-be victim but the aggressor. On a bright clear day, she points her arrow at the King’s palanquin, never expecting Yi Yeol to come charging on his horse to join the royal procession. Her target is none other than her father’s murderer. But just as Yi Yeol blocked JaeYi’s arrow, he blocks EunJo’s arrow from hitting its intended target. He takes the hit for her. Fortunately, he’s wearing the talisman under his hanbok. It’s the talisman with the word “Life” etched on it.

Now, in both scenes, the shooters JaeYi and EunJo have a clear target in mind, but the target itself isn’t visible to them. (Kinda like the King shooting an arrow in the forest, thinking he’s aiming for a tiger.)

But as luck would have it, another person stands in the path of JaeYi’s and EunJo’s arrows. When JaeYi and EunJo realize that they almost killed the one person they care for the most, i.e., EunJo and Yi Yeol respectively, they’re horrified.

For JaeYi and EunJo, this realization that they could have accidentally, unintentionally killed their loved one has an irreversible impact.

For Jaeyi, the near accident marks the start of his character transformation.

Oddly enough, Yi Yeol predicts it when he confronts JaeYi at the gate of Gujilmak.

YY: Because of your family’s selfish greed, all these people were on the brink of death. Leave! I don’t wish to see anyone’s blood today.
JY: Just punish me now.
YY: I’ll punish your brother who gave the order, and you? It’s already been done.

What he means is JaeYi has no need to ask for punishment from him because he’ll be in torment once he learns the truth. He’ll flog himself (figuratively speaking, of course) for endangering EunJo.

Sure enough, the second Yi Yeol exits, DaeChu enlightens JaeYi.

DaeChu: Are you aware that you almost killed Physician Hong?
JY: (stunned) What?!

Since JaeYi can hardly horsewhip himself in self-punishment, he takes out his anger on the bamboo. He’s obviously dwelling on the incident as he cuts down the bamboo. But in my imagination, he’s also wishing that he can flagellate himself in the same way that he’s hacking the bamboo. In other words, he’s going hard at the bamboo because the bamboo represents himself.

Then, to alleviate his guilt and to shift the blame somehow to EunJo, he waylays her on her way home.

JY: You think you’re some renowned physician? Do you intend to heal every sick person in Joseon?
EJ: I didn’t die from that arrow.
JY: (silent)

He knows that she sees through him. He’s insulting her and being harsh because he’s upset with himself that he almost killed her. Don’t psychologists have a term for this behavior? Displacement?

Also, it should be obvious to viewers by now that anger is JaeYi’s stress response. He yells, berates, and manhandles EunJo whenever he’s worried and stressed out about her. To me, this character trait of JaeYi serves as a perfect foil to Yi Yeol’s calm, cold and detached demeanor (or as the Queen Dowager would describe it: casual and frivolous) during stressful situations.

EJ: Last night, do you know what you’ve taken from a child born in Gujilmak? Who thinks that Gujilmak is his whole world and whose only wish is to live long with her ailing mother?
JY: (no answer)
EJ: How can you treat people like beasts?
JY: Because they’re lowborn.
EJ: That’s what the world says. But I’ve never thought that way. Everyone is precious to me.

Three things:

1. Let’s remember that prior to shooting the arrow at Gujilmak, he was asked by one of his men whether their mission was acceptable. His reply was, “I am a beast, so I do not judge. I merely carry out orders.” He publicly referred to himself as a “beast.” I guess, to his men, he has no great qualms about calling himself a beast, but to EunJo, he can’t confess that he identifies as a beast or lowborn just like the Gujilmak denizens.

2. Though I don’t want to justify his actions, in my opinion, identifying as a beast makes JaeYi a sympathetic villain to some viewers. Why? Because we know that in the beast kingdom, the rule of the “survival of the fittest” applies. He’s merely trying to survive in this dog-eat-dog world he’s born into.

3. JaeYi’s plan backfires on him. Originally, he sought out EunJo to give her hell for getting in the way of his mission. But he ends up putting himself through hell after their encounter. Because she insists on the intrinsic value of every human being, no matter what their station in life, he now feels more wretched than ever. He sees her noble character and aspires to be the same.

Later, he witnesses his brother’s apology to the Gujilmak folks, an apology pre-written by Gil Dong (aka EunJo).

SeungJae: I’ve committed a grave sin against you all. Absolutely, it was not something a human should ever do. The beast wasn’t you. It was me. Me. Im SeungJae.

After SeungJae’s public apology, he follows suit and apologizes to the people in private. The Gujilmak leader describes the meeting to EunJo.

Leader: He said he has no right to seek forgiveness. Whether throwing punches or shooting arrows, he told me to take revenge tenfold. His words were sharp but somehow, they sounded like an apology filled with regret.

But this apology isn’t enough for JaeYi. He waits again for EunJo, and this time, he throws his sword at her feet, challenging her to pick it up and cut him with it. EunJo immediately understands his gesture.

EJ: (glancing at the sword) You’re telling me to take revenge too?

She ignores him and goes to the medicine room.

JY: (following her) Why aren’t you stabbing me already?
EJ: (matter-of-factly) Looks like you’ve already been cut enough. I don’t need to add another wound.
JY: (looking down at his bandaged hand)

Hmmm…. I don’t know how he got that bloodied hand. He either injured himself while slashing the bamboo the other day or the folks at Gujilmak hit his hand with a switch as corporal punishment.

EJ: Just remove the gauze for me to apply the medicine.
JY: I almost killed you.
EJ: (sighing) I’d like to carve you up properly, but I’ll accept the apology. And this is Hyeminseo. It’s a place that sends people out alive, not dead. And I’m a court physician.

JaeYi suddenly remembers the Grand Prince telling him that his punishment had already been done. He finally grasps his meaning.

JY: This is the punishment, isn’t it?
EJ: Punishment?
JY: You even worry about the guy who tried to kill you. You stay close. You keep your warmth around me. And you keep giving me hope. That’s the punishment.

Now, let me pause and tell you about this Buddhist parable about the two arrows I mentioned in the title. I assume that many of the readers/lurkers of this blog are Christian, so this story is most likely unfamiliar.

It is said that whenever we experience misfortune in life, two arrows whizz in the air to strike us simultaneously. The first arrow is the misfortune itself, or the actual, painful disaster. The second arrow, however, is our REACTION to the first arrow. According to Buddha, the first arrow is beyond our control, but the second arrow is considered “optional’; it’s self-inflicted. We can’t prevent the unfortunate event from happening, but we can change the way we respond to it. That said, the second arrow is often more painful than the first arrow.

When JaeYi let loose that arrow in the dark sky, he thought he was the shooter when in fact he was the injured party, the victim. The first arrow that hit him was the realization that he inadvertently almost killed EunJo during his mission to occupy Giljumak. The second arrow – the more painful one, the self-inflicted one – is his guilt, shame, remorse. He thinks he’s being punished when clearly, he’s punishing himself.

That’s why EunJo doesn’t understand his mumbo-jumbo about punishments. She chases after him, seeking explanation.

EJ: Are you leaving? (blocking his path) What did you mean by that just now?
JY: (seeing Yi Yeol enter) His Highness knows everything, and he calls it his punishment.

No. Yi Yeol didn’t claim it as “his” punishment, at least according to the subs. Yi Yeol was going to punish SeungJae but JaeYi was on his own.

EJ: Explain it so I understand.
JY: (grabbing her hand and placing his bandaged hand on it) Here, my hand.

To make Yi Yeol jealous, he’s recreating that scene when Yi Yeol proposed marriage to EunJo and offered his hand to her.

YY: What are you doing?
JY: (yelling at EJ) What are you looking at? I said it hurts!
EJ: Are you doing this on purpose?
JY: Yes.
EJ: Why?
JY: Because I want to.
YY: Let go of her hand.

Lol. When I transcribe this dialogue from Viki, the script looks so cheesy. But it’s actually performed well. EunJo is having a three-way conversation.

JY: (grabbing EunJo to his side) I’m curious what it’s like when the most highborn prince loses all dignity and goes mad.
EJ: (struggling out of his arm) You won’t get to see what you want. Same with me.

She means, “Not today, JaeYi!” Neither she nor Yi Yeol are about to lose their composure and dignity over his petty tricks. I like how EunJo’s voice changes from hard and biting when talking to JaeYi to soft and calming when talking to Yi Yeol. It’s obvious which man she cares about.

EJ: (to YY) He’s injured. He’s sick.
JY: (to YY) What are you doing? You should strike me.
YY: Even in war, the wounded aren’t attacked.
EJ: (to YY) He said he came to apologize.
YY: If you’re done, leave. If possible, use private physicians.

Two things:

1. I like that Yi Yeol mentions private physicians. He’s pointing out that Hyeminseo caters to the lowborn and JaeYi, as the second son of the powerful Secretary Im, doesn’t belong there and can surely afford a private physician to attend to his injury. I find this comment ironic given the secret of JaeYi’s birth.

2. It’s interesting to note that, with Yi Yeol, JaeYi doesn’t get riled up because of their unequal social status. In fact, JaeYi often addresses Yi Yeol with insolence even though he knows that Yi Yeol outranks him. However, what triggers JaeYi is EunJo. He behaves pettily with Yi Yeol because of EunJo and because Yi Yeol has figured out that he secretly likes EunJo.

In sum, then, shooting the fire-arrow had an irreversible impact on JaeYi. The incident changes his outlook on a) lowborn people, and b) his self-worth as one of those “closet” lowborns. But because he’s stuck with punishing himself, he can’t find way out of his self-pity/self-hatred. Protecting EunJo will hopefully get him out his malaise.

As for EunJo, we see the impact of shooting that arrow at the King in the next Episode 10. Of course, there’s ramification on her family, especially to her half-brother, but I won’t go over that. Instead, I’m going to focus on the personal toll on EunJo.

At first, she doesn’t want to lay eyes on Yi Yeol ever again because of his connection to the King. But after JaeYi discloses the truth to her (like Daechu did to him), she’s horrified, too.

EJ: I’ve been too distraught to talk about this, but at the cliff that day…
JY: All I did was return the favor in kind.

Ha! That’s one way of looking at it. He slapped her to get her back to her senses just like she slapped him when he was having a major tantrum on her wedding day. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

He looks sheepish, though.

EJ: Thanks to you, my mother, young master, and even I survived. And that day, that person who was shot by the arrow…
JY: He’s alive.
EJ: (sighing) What a relief. Where is he? What I did deserves punishment, but I still wish to apologize.

Now, do we see how EunJo mirrors JaeYi’s emotions and actions when he learned that he almost killed her?

Jaeyi pauses for a second, then he relays Yi Yeol’s message, verbatim. How he must hate being the “love” messenger for Yi Yeol!

JY: I heard he’s fine. Breathing well. Heart beating as before. Eating well. Sleeping well. But as for living well, he said it seems harder than before he woke up.
EJ: (confused) Do you know him?
JY: You’d know better.
EJ: (processing…processing…processing)
JY: Who else in this nation could secretly retrieve a royal arrow if not His Highness?

She remembers what JaeYi yelled at her on the cliff. He said, “Pull yourself together, Hong EunJo! Because he jumped in to stop that very thing.”

EJ: Don’t tell me…(collapsing)

EJ: Could you slap me harder this time? From now on, I need to hold myself together.

The parable of the two arrows applies to EunJo, too.

Like JaeYi, the first arrow for her is the realization that she almost killed Yi Yeol. Indeed, it’s an unfortunate accident. She had no way of knowing that Yi Yeol would show up at the last moment, and get hit by her arrow.

The second arrow is her guilt, remorse, shame. She’s suffering because she knows her deep resentment for the King and reckless vengeance almost killed Yi Yeol. Although she isn’t whacking any bamboo like JaeYi, she’s beating herself up over the accident.

That’s why Yi Yeol shows up at the Hyeminseo. He knows she’s consumed with guilt and wants to reassure her that he’s alive.

I like it when he brings her hand to his chest so she can feel his heart beating. The gesture isn’t just romantic but as a physician, she knows to trust his rhythmic vital signs. His steady heartbeat and breathing dispel her anxiety over his physical condition. Above all, his gesture tells her that he forgives her wholeheartedly.

EJ: Did it hurt badly?
YY: Not at all. I only thought it was fortunate that the arrow struck here.
EJ: (crying) I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.

He gets that it won’t be easy for EunJo to forgive herself and forget the incident so he tries to cheer her up by doing pull-ups on a tree branch, doing push-ups against a tree, and stick-fighting with Geumdol. But EunJo can see through his foolishness and knows he’s doing all this to comfort her.

EJ: I understand Your Highness’ feelings. I understand perfectly.
YY: A bit obvious, isn’t it?
EJ: Don’t push yourself.
YY: Even if it’s a blatant lie, let yourself be fooled. Let yourself forget for a moment whom you shot with an arrow that day. Blink and forget it. You can’t forget all of it, nor should you. But let this one fade, and live. At least, this one thing. Promise me you’ll do that, and I’ll stop with the blatant lies.
EJ: I will. I’ll try to forget.

I like what he says because it relates to the Buddhist two arrows parable. Sure, she accidentally injured Yi Yeol, but she’s fixated on the incident and unnecessarily punishing herself over it. He understands that she cannot — and should not — forget who killed her father, but she can end the self-blaming and move on. Forgiving herself is the only way she can live in peace.

Fortunately for her, she has Yi Yeol to guide her through this phase while JaeYi has no one.

The following day, she visits her father’s grace and apologizes.

She broke her father’s cardinal rules. He taught her, “When draw the bow, still your emotions, too. An arrow strays even with smallest sorrow.” He also told her that “Swords and bows are not to harm people, but to protect them.” But in sorrow and in rage, she shot the arrow to intentionally kill a person, and the arrow strayed and almost killed Yi Yeol.

She knows now that she did wrong.

It’s because of her newfound serenity and self-control that she’s able to a) turn down the request of the Buddhist nun to join their rebellion, and b) face the wrathful King (after the body swap) without pouncing to kill him.

And there you have it, the parable of the two arrows.

The arrow is critical in the major developments of the plot, to wit:

– the downfall of Im SeungJae (Eunjo threatened to shoot him with an arrow if he didn’t apologize),

– EunJo’s childhood nostalgia (EunJo revealed to Yi Yeol that her father taught her archery to protect the family while he was away),

– EunJo’s father’s death (the King mistook him for a tiger he was hunting in the forest), and

– JaeYi’s vow to hunt down GilDong (JaeYi keeps a cotton-tip arrow and suspects that GilDong is the Grand Prince’s alterego).

But it also serves as a lesson on how to handle unexpected setbacks.