#jeongtaeeul

[collectsfallenstars]

Gravity: A Summary of the Development of Jeong TaeEul’s Feelings for Lee Gon in “The King: Eternal Monarch (Part 3 of 3)

EPISODE 7

Back in her world, Jeong Tae-eul plunges into another murder case while still working on her last one.  Days, possibly weeks pass without any word from Lee Gon.  This is a long distance relationship taken to the extreme, without the comforts of technology to ease the longing.  Thankfully, she is kept busy by her work. However, during a quiet night at the precinct while filling out a form, she remembers their first meeting. She smiles and pulls out his old file.  It gives her a thrill to see “Name: Unknown, Date of Birth: Unknown, Address: Unkown, Contact: Unknown” because now, she knows all the answer to them.  She even tries to fill it out using his name, Lee Gon. She is affirming his existence, and it is now precious to her.  This is her missing him.

And then she deletes his file.  This is her going from soft and then back to her hard exterior. And Kim Goeun is absolutely wonderful here with the camera up close to her face, catching the minute her soft eyes turn sad, and then hard while she grits her teeth ever so lightly before pressing her lips in a tight line.  Jeong Tae-eul is all in in this relationship yes, but she’s still a pragmatist and hasn’t forgotten that they belong to different worlds.  And she is bracing herself for the tragedy she senses is just around the corner.

When he returns to her, she realizes how intense her feelings have become after their separation.

“HOW HAVE YOU BEEN? HAVE YOU BEEN WAITING FOR ME?”

She smiles at him when he asks how she’s been. The moment Lee Gon asks her if she waited for him, she gives him a different smile, a sadder one.  It was probably the exact moment when she realized she had been waiting for him.  And waiting for him meant she had been missing him all this time.  She probably never had time to think about it because she had been so busy with murder investigations in her world, and trying to solve the mystery of the unexplainable recordings she suspected was from his world.  And when she did have time to think of him, like that time in the precinct with his file, she would only allow herself a few moment of happiness, and them push them down.

So this is what it has come down to.  I hear a lot of people saying she went from hating him to suddenly running into his arms.  That isn’t the case as you can see.  All the development happened beneath the surface, behind the words that they were saying to each other.

After their reunion, they go on their fantasy everyday, normal life of a couple.  The have dinner, they have couple phones, they hold hands, they walk with his arm around her, she winds a teddy bear/stuffed lion for him in a shooting gallery – essentially, a date like normal couples do.  This is them stealing moments in time.  

As Lee Gon says on that fake phone call,

“I ALWAYS WANTED TO TRY THIS WITH YOU. CALL YOU ON THE PHONE. ASK YOU ABOUT YOUR DAY. TELL YOU I MISSED YOU.”  

This is them trying to cram in whatever happiness and sweetness they can to make whatever fate has in store for them a little more bearable.  

Keep in mind that although this was Jeong Tae-eul showing her softer side, she was still very much like herself. She didn’t turn into a mindless, giggly little doll.  She was a woman who knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to show it.  She got them the couple phones.  They went on a date that she thought of. She won the stuffed animal. She was the one who promised him the moon and stars if he asked them.  This is not typical k-drama female lead and it is very exciting to have an alternative image of femininity.  It’s a good thing Lee Gon’s ego is as big as it is, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to handle someone like Tae-eul.

But in true Jeong Tae-eul fashion, she moves from cool/sweet soft girlfriend to business-like detective.  She tells him she had been waiting for him as herself, but half of it she waited as her detective self.  They go back to her house and exchange information on their respective cases.  And he shares his theory that his power hungry uncle, Lee Lim, has been hiding in her world and building an army.  She confirms that a recording from one of her dead bodies is from his world. They agree to cooperate with each other for the sake of both their cases.  Now, when Lee Gon notes that this investigation will take her to even more dangerous ground now that they know it involves his world as well and Tae-eul replies,

“THIS WAS MY CASE BEFORE I EVEN MET YOU,” it does three things.

One, it reinforces the idea of fate.  Their first meeting at Gwanghwamun Square was not where they first began.  Things have been going on in both their lives that wound up putting them in each others’ paths long before they even met. As I said in a previous video of mine, that short meeting on the last 6 minutes of the first episode was deliberately put in last to show how the events of both their worlds have resulted in their fated meeting that night.  Everything that happened to them had to happen so that they would meet each other.  And it’s the same for Tae-eul with all the cases she had been getting before even meeting Lee Gon.

Second, and makes her realize that her murder investigation and his investigation into the treachery and treason of his uncle are inevitably tied to each other, the way she and Lee Gon are tied to each other.  They are each others’ answers to the mysteries they’re trying to solve. As Lee Gon said before, there must be a simple and beautiful formula for how she was involved in saving his life but he is sure that she’s the answer he has been looking for.  In the same manner, she could never solve the murders that have been falling into her lap without him and his world. He is also the answer to all the mysteries she is trying to solve.

Which brings us to the third point.  Her murder investigation and the evil plot his treasonous uncle are a mirror of their relationship.  And this realization plays an important part on why she told him she loved him in the very next episode.  When Tae-eul spoke of the dead bodies in her world coming from his world,

“THE TWO WORLDS SHOULDN’T GET MIXED UP LIKE THIS.  THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO STAY ON THEIR RESPECTIVE PATHS.  BUT, THE TWO WORLDS ARE ALREADY COLLIDING AND I’VE DISCOVERED IT.  SO WHAT ELSE COULD I DO? I DECIDED TO INVESTIGATE. I’M A POLICE OFFICER OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA.”  

she might as well have been talking about the two of them.  This is very much a reflection of what she thinks about their relationship.  It shouldn’t be happening. But it did.  Like all the cross-world murders falling on her lap that she has to solve.  In the same manner that she can’t ignore them because it’s her job to solve them, she also can’t ignore this thing she has with Lee Gon.  Call it fate, destiny, gravity.  But there it is.  She’s a detective, she will solve murders, no matter how dangerous they become.  She is Jeong Tae-eul and she will love Lee Gon, because she is who she is. She is someone who would choose to love him, no matter how difficult things could get.  But then, she ends the statement with,

“I AM A POLICE OFFICER OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA.”  

This is the equivalent of her seeing Lee Gon in his navy uniform with his imperial robes behind him.  She is reminding him that she is still planted firmly in her world, with her own responsibilities.  They may not be as big as his, but they’re just as important.  She can’t just leave everything and go live with him in his world.

As they enter into a new phase in their relationship, they are now faced with this conflict. Neither of them can just up and leave their world. So they made rules for each other, 2 from Lee Gon, and 17 and pending for Jeong Tae-eul, as a way to bargain with the universe. They’re trying to right the wrongs that have happened prior to them meeting. The only thing they’re asking is that the universe would let them them be together, for now.

The very fact that Lee Gon had only 2 rules and they were what they were is significant, and kind of true to their character. His two rules mean that his solution to their situation is to continue going back and forth between the two worlds. It would be this decision that will be challenged much later I suppose, when the gateway to both dimensions would eventually crack. But as for now, he has decided to split his world into two, a world of responsibility in the Kingdom of Corea, and the world where his only dream and desire resides, Republic of Korea where Jeong Tae-eul is.

Jeong Tae-eul plays it loose by beginning with 5 rules and a pending 13 more, making it up as she goes along.  And that’s essentially how she has always been since the beginning of the series. She starts with what she can confirm, what she can believe, and then change by adding or taking from it with every new information she gets as she goes along, just as what she did with Lee Gon.  Her route to a decision is circuitous, while Lee Gon’s is a straight line.

At this point, they’ve already solidified their relationship AND their plans to investigate murders and treason. And neither of them have told each other that they love each other.  Which bring us to the next episode.

EPISODE 8

They begin to share less screen time here as the reality of their two worlds and Lee Lim’s plans begin catching up to them. More of Lee Lim’s plot is revealed.  Jeong Tae-eul slowly begins to unravel their cases.  There is no time to cross worlds to go on dates.  And I suppose this is one of the major complaints of people – that they don’t spend enough time with each other.  At least long enough to give us heart fluttering moments.

Well, the thing is, two parallel worlds are about to collide into each other, there’s a barrier between worlds that freezes time on both sides in the number or seconds of frozen time keep rising, and in the meantime, people are disappearing and getting murdered.  We have here two characters who aren’t free to go on dates and flirt whenever they want.  You know, like actual adults with real world responsibilities.

But they have done the essentials of a relationship without even doing much of that.  They’ve learned each other’s way of thinking and haven’t tried to change each other.  They’ve learned how to empathize with each other, which wasn’t that hard considering they’re both emotionally strong people.  They’ve gotten to know each other.  She knows of his traumatic past that has shaped the kind of king he is now.  He knows of her girlhood dreams that have shaped the kind of detective she is now.

They’ve opened their eyes and assessed their impossible situation.  They reacted differently, talked it out, and arrived at the conclusion that decisions about the two of them should be made together.  They were able to do all that without going on “normal” dates.

She acknowledges how they have done everything in reverse, skipping over some parts and getting right to the nitty-gritty of a relationship that challenges the rules of the universe without even saying things to each other. That’s why she’s now backtracking, and trying to do things properly.

“IN THE BEGINNING, YOU ASK ABOUT EVERYTHING. WE JUST SKIPPED TOO MANY THINGS.”

The only thing left to do, really, is to make it official. To say the words. And even that feels anti-climactic, knowing that everything she has shown him surely let him know how she feels already.   And even if he hadn’t literally said the words I love you to her, his entire existence and crossing over to her world was an entire love letter to her. So she knew it was her who had to say it first, just to be as clear, as he always had been with her.  

And ultimately, this is what attracts me to her as a viewer.  She’s a strong-willed, independent, no nonsense woman.  And she’s the same, even in matters of love.  She doesn’t suddenly turn into a blushing 13 year old who doesn’t know what to with her feelings.  She had doubts about Lee Gon even if something was brewing between them.  When the doubts were are dispelled, she dealt with how she felt with him. And when she understood that she loved him, whether by fate or her own decision, she told him.  There was no teenage angst of wondering who should say it first, no annoying ancient mindfucks of men should always do the chasing.  True to her form and character, Jeong Tae-eul felt it, so then she had to say it. It was that simple.  Their situation was complicated enough. There was no need to

So she goes to see him before a stake out on a beautiful sunlit afternoon.  There’s nothing more poignant than verbalizing a hopeless love with a slowly setting sun in the background.

She begins it with a string of questions of “What if”?  It is her way of questioning the role of human choices when fate is at play.  Lee Gon insists that no matter what she would have done, he would still have fallen in love with her.  It was his fate to love her.  It mirrors what she’s thinking in the voice over that would come next.

She had tried to deny the existence of his world, his feelings for her, and his own very existence.  They had all turned out to be true and she had found herself unexplainably drawn into his life. And she couldn’t pull away, even if she had tried.  So she had arrived at the same conclusion as well.  It was also her fate to love him.

“IT TOOK ME A LONG TIME TO REALIZE THIS. WHEN IT’S FATE, THERE ARE NO COINCIDENCES.  YOUR FATE IS DETERMINED BY THE CHOICES YOU MAKE, BUT THERE ARE TIMES WHEN YOUR FATE CHOOSES YOU.”

And the thing is, she has never lost track of how dire their circumstances are.   She’s fallen in love with her eyes wide open. That’s why, as she walked back to her car, her internal monologue ran,

“THINGS THAT ARE BOUND TO HAPPEN ARE TAKING PLACE EVEN AT THIS MOMENT. I WAS STRUCK WITH A SAD PREMONITION THAT THIS WILL BE SHORT-LIVED, BUT I DECIDED TO LOVE MY FATE THAT CHOSE ME.”

This gut feeling that she has about their love being short-lived didn’t come out of nowhere. Once the murders and treason are solved, they would have to go back to their own lives and worlds, if they don’t die while trying to solve them.  At this point in time, she knows she won’t leave her world, and he won’t leave his. She knows heartbreak is waiting for her. And the audience knows too, that if one of them do decide to give up their world, it will create ripples in both timelines, which will no doubt affect them. At every turn, there is heartbreak waiting for them.

That’s why she told him she loved him.  She knows every moment they spend could be their last and what was the point of feeling all that love, if she wasn’t going to say it out loud? So, she said it.  In the most unromantic tone possible. 

“I LOVE YOU.”  

And then, Paul Kim’s “Dream” swells in the background.  The first two lines say it all, “You are my dream. You are my love.”  Because for the longest time, she was all he ever dreamed about.  And here she was, finally, telling him and showing him that in loving him, she was surrendering to her fate.  But in choosing to surrender to it, she also makes it clear, that it was also a decision on her part.

It took 8 episodes to hand him this gift in small, measly little parts.  Theirs was never going to be a love with murder in the background to prevent people from being saturated with sweetness. Theirs was a love that had to bloom in the dark. Their love had to find little spaces in between murders, parallel worlds, and evil plots.  The long wait between encounters gives them a sense of urgency, allowing them to dispose of games people play in love and just simply be loving towards each while dead bodies pile up and gateways to other worlds collapse around them.  It was an optimal situation for two people who speak plainly, who say what they want to say and mean it. No words are wasted between the two them.  Because if their fate is to steal moments in time for them to be together, then there’s really no point

in playing games, pretending to be coy, giving chase, and other expected k-drama behavior between couples.  It was also never a journey about discovering how they fell in love with each other and realizing that they were in love.  It’s going to be about finding that love and what they’re going to do with it, when murder, treason, an ambitious Prime Minister, powerful magical flutes, parallel worlds, and time challenge that love.  

That’s why the love confession happens early on in the middle of the series. The next 8 episodes would then be used to hammer at that love, testing how far it can go and how much it can withstand.

Hopefully, this helps those who are still confused as to how Jeong TaeEul’s character develops romantic feelings for Lee Gon and why she had to verbalize them on the 8th episode.

[crimsondianxia]

and I’d choose you in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I’d find you and I’d choose you.

— the chaos of stars

[bbgrlyana]

It's gettting interesting!! Finally she went with him in his world! WELCOME TO THE KINGDOM OF COREA LIEUTENANT JEONG TAE EUL SSI ❤ can't wait for the next episode!!!!

[jseagurll]

[akoreiden]

Remember this epic scene? 😳 #정태을 #JeongTaeEul #TKEM #THEKING #LeeMinHo #KimGoEun #LeeEulcouple #UntactShortFilm #언택트 #Untact #Hero #cheeseinthetrap #dokkaebi #dokkaebishinbu #TKEM #memoriesoftheswords #coinlockergirl #TuneInForLove #sunsetinmyhometown #TheKing_EternalMonarch #더킹영원의군주 #도깨비 #김고은 #金高銀 #คิมโกอึน #キムゴウン https://www.instagram.com/p/CIBEzVOFknQ/?igshid=m1877yw2f5na

[artaftercoffee-ph]

Among real numbers, zero is my favorite, and you have the nature of that number, - the king, Lee Gon to Lieutenant Jeong Tae Eul. 🌈☕️✨🌷🌱☁️🌸🌤🥰🎨🦋🍒💌🌼🌹📜 #Artaftercoffee #art #coffee #story #makingart #drinkingcoffee . . ⭕️Hep me share my Work⭕️ ⚠️Tag me when reposting⚠️ . . #theking #kdrama #eternalmonarch #thekingeternalmonarch #leegon #leeminho #jeongtaeEul #kimgoeun #minoz #leeminhoedit #leeminhofan https://www.instagram.com/p/CFEJESvhXqh/?igshid=169rjmtrno3cq

[yourcrusshminho]

thanks to you I saw a beautiful thing❤ #TheKing_EternalMonarch #bhentertainment #sbsdrama #kimgoeun #arjenia #netflixandchill #jeongtaeeul #queen #thekingeternalmonarch2020 https://www.instagram.com/p/CBnpGyhH7yD/?igshid=1p1249a5x5kom

[sybeljean]

Ep12 so kilig hehehe 😍😍😍😍😍 pero sakit gihapon aq dughan mka hilak og butin kau ka dugay bah sa friday og Saturday oi😭😭😭2weeks nlng mahuman na ang #thekingeternalmonarch #leegon #leeminho #jeongtaeeul #kimgoeun https://www.instagram.com/p/CAjeP__H_sBRHWI4YPvzrRg3rI5RAwuubLqyN80/?igshid=18rmyly25mrov

[pieng-pieng]

Reposted from @lovely_mino_7 - 🌏🌍🌍🌎🥰🥰🥰🥰 아 나 눈물나 축하해 민호야 이민호 차기작 확정 . 생일배너 이걸로 하자 두개를 못하며 기다린 너무 행복해 너무 보고싶었어 . Kim Min-ji Journalist : 'their heirs' by Kim Eun-sook, which developed a bond and South Korean actor Lee Min-ho, who reunited with the drama 'The King : List of monarchs of Eternity'. Hwa and Dam pictures Pictures production company seven days is Kim Eun-sook writer's next film, 'The King : List of monarchs of Eternity' the production and reunited with South Korean actor Lee Min-ho, who have confirmed. 'The King : List of monarchs of Eternity' an honorable discharge last month at the same time, South Korean actor Lee Min-ho, who have a high interest in his next bokkwijak in terms of getting attention.Celebrates after the break he is service to Act 2 begins with 'The King : List of monarchs of Eternity' as an actor.Wha-en a " The second relationship after 'their heirs'.That's how confidence is an actor.Mature and deep will meet on the 'The King : List of monarchs of Eternity' of South Korean actor Lee Min-ho, who raised hopes for calling. In the drama 'The King : List of monarchs of Eternity' is hardly ever set in the 'parallel worlds' haven't explored.' I'm living for a better life than I means you're another world and to change your life?' against a blunt, throwing demon was the foundation of (門) science you want to close the door (理科) brother of Emperor Egon and someone's life, love, love to defend.(文科) brother of the Republic of Korea and the sometimes exciting, and sometimes through the cooperation through the criminal the two different worlds of jeongtaeeul The toothache, the other will draw a romance. The head of yunharim, " Radio broadcasters and specific timing is uncertain.But the male lead and directing team finalized as far as to increase the percentage of completion of the drama will begin shooting in the second half of this year, " he said, by 2020 to be moved by the small screen.On the fantasy epic drama, raising expectations. - #regrann https://www.instagram.com/p/BxI9Snsgq_m/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1rf0p3npptxrs

[collectsfallenstars]

Lee Gon’s 3 Rules and How and When He Fell In Love With Jeong TaeEul: An Analysis in 2 parts

Part 1: Love like You Row

It’s pretty easy to say that Lee Gon starts off in “The King: Eternal Monarch” already in love with Jeong TaeEul and he remains in that constant state all throughout the series.  That his character is that flat, as flat as the world according to Jeong TaeEul.  While it may be true that his character remains deeply devoted to her all throughout, I’m here to show you that he isn’t a flat character.  Aside from the external struggle he has with his uncle Lee Lim, and convincing TaeEul of his identity and depth of feeling for her, loving TaeEul also forced him to confront certain things.

On their first chicken dinner together in episode 2 which felt more like an extension of his interrogation instead of a friendly dinner, Lee Gon finds out exactly what kind of person he’s dealing with with Jeong TaeEul. He had just thanked her for being the reason why he survived the last 25 years of his life after his father had been murdered.  She was tied to that one great big mystery of his life and he had wanted to find her all these years. Now she was there, eating dinner with him.  But she didn’t believe anything he said, almost canceling out his entire existence because she did not have enough proof.

We are then taken to a flashback of baby Lee Gon talking with Lady Noh about the night his father was murdered while a cute baby Maximus ran around in the background.  Lady Noh hands over the two things Lee Gon had held onto that night – half of the broken bamboo flute and Jeong TaeEul’s ID.  And then little Lee Gon asks,

“DO YOU THINK IT’S HERE, THE REASON WHY I SURVIVED THAT DAY?”

The flashback ends and we are brought back to the present time with Lee Gon asking TaeEul,

“WHY DO YOU NEVER BELIEVE ANYTHING I SAY?”

This was a very good juxtaposition of events.  As a child, the question of why he survived had been foremost in his mind. That’s him questioning the purpose of his existence and he’s tied it to these two objects – the flute and TaeEul’s ID.  One is a symbol of utter power, and the other, I suppose, is love, or his destiny.

And all his life he believed held on to the idea that his life had purpose, had meaning, and it was tied to this woman, before him, who sat there not believing anything at all.  She tells him to stay put till she gets back his DNA test and he takes it out of context and asks her,

“ANYTHING ELSE? IS THERE ANY OTHER REASON? THE REASON WHY I HAVE TO STAY IN YOUR WORLD? COULD THERE BE A REASON?”

This is him grasping at straws, a little desperately.  He’s basically asking her to  tell him, give him his purpose. He’s waiting for her to say, “I want you to stay because of me.” To hand it over to him.  But of course, TaeEul thought it was all bullshit.

In Lee Gon’s world, he’s the king. He has never needed his existence to be validated.  And he has always been sure of who he was. But one thing he was never sure of was his why he survived that night, his purpose.  So he tied his purpose to the flute and to TaeEul. He had probably hoped that he would find it if he could just find her.

And he did find her.  But she doesn’t believe he exists.  She doesn’t believe his Kingdom of Corea exists.  And the only reason, she says, that she’s helping him is just so she can send him back home and get rid of him.

He realizes two things here.  Just because he found Jeong TaeEul doesn’t mean he gets an instant answer as to what his purpose is for surviving that night.  And just because he’s spent the last 25 years attached to the idea of TaeEul doesn’t mean that the moment she sees him, she’ll come running into his arms like a long lost love.  There is no love. At least, just yet.

This must have been a lonely time for Lee Gon. After this scene, we are shown a clip of him visiting an exhibit of Korea’s last monarch.  The building occupies the same place where he and his father were attacked in the Kingdom of Corea. But that history of the royal family doesn’t even include his line.  He has no identity, no history, no purpose.

And in this world, if he wanted purpose, it wasn’t just going to be a simple find Jeong TaeEul and she’ll give you the answer.  He’ll actually have to work for it, find it by solving the mystery of the bamboo flute and work on building a real  connection with Jeong TaeEul.

He finds out exactly how to best do that on this dinner too.  When Jeong TaeEul answers his question about why she wont’ believe him, she says,

“IS THAT HOW BELIEF WORKS?  I’M THE TYPE OF PERSON WHO STILL CAN’T BELIEVE THE EARTH IS ROUND.”

It’s in this part when he realizes they don’t see the world in the same way.  I like how he doesn’t force her to believe him just because he believes it, doesn’t guilt her into seeing things his way.  You know how most people would go, this is how I see it. why cant you see it my way? Nope. He shuts up.  He listens to her and understands that she needs to see things before she can believe them, and works with that instead of trying to change her mind.

He takes on 3 tasks.  He must first convince her that he is telling the truth about his identity.  He next has to convince her that parallel worlds exist.  Once those two things are done, it will be easier for him to convince her that his feelings for her are real.   He then formulates a plan the only way a mathematician and a rower would, tailor fitting it to meet Jeong TaeEul needs.  I've written about this on a previous post, detailing how Jeaong TaeEul’s feelings for Lee Gon devloped exactly because of this method. If you’re interested, you can just scroll down my tumblr. It’s in there somewhere.

As I said, he looks at situations like a mathematical equation. If there’s a problem, there has to be a solution. A beautiful one. And his solutions are pretty simple. Patience and honesty. Every time she asks him anything about his identity and where he’s from, he will tell always tell the truth. No matter how many times she asks the same question, he will always give her the same answer.  This is why rowing is such a perfect sport for him. He makes repetitive motions, moving in a single direction and onwards until the finish line.  That’s exactly how he was with Jeong TaeEul. Keep telling the truth until she believes.  But he won’t try to force her to believe him before she’s ready and endures it every time she insults him or accuse of fictionalizing everything.

If you look at episode 3, on what’s probably their 2nd chicken and beer dinner, he tells her,  

“YOU GOT NOTHING ON MY DNA RESULTS. BUT YOU STILL CAN’T REALLY BELIEVE ME, RIGHT? SO WHO DO YOU THINK I AM? THERE IS NO INFORMATION AT ALL ABOUT ME IN THIS WORLD.”

He leans forward on the table again, making the gap between them slightly smaller. Notice that he doesn’t make the conclusion for her. He just asks her the questions. He lets her make the conclusion on her own; and gives her time until she’s ready to actually say it out loud that she believes him, which won’t be until the 5th episode.  

Having gotten no results for his DNA and fingerprints should point TaeEul towards the existence of another world where he does exist.  But keep in mind that TaeEul needs to see something before she believes it.  And no results mean no evidence. No evidence means, it’s all bullcrap form TaeEul. So when he tells her,

“I HOPE YOUR EARTH CAN BECOME ROUND SOON.”

He is saying “I know you can’t see it, but I hope you believe that my parallel world exists, and that I exist for you.”  Just like the world being round.  He’s essentially preparing her for what’s to come next. And it has nothing to do with seeing his world and him being king because those are things she will be able to see for herself.  He’s preparing her for one of the greatest leaps of faith of all time – believing in love.  It is, after all, an intangible concept. You can’t see it, you can only feel it to know it exists.

Now, when the time finally came that TaeEul got all the evidence that she needed and was finally prepared to believe him, he was still very patient with her as he answered all of her questions about her ID card that was issued exactly when he said it would be.

He goes to her, gathers her hair together in ponytail in one hand, and holds on to the side of her neck with the other, while he answered all her questions correctly, getting rid of her last excuses for not believing him.  He is literally and figuratively holding her steady, as her world kind of fell apart knowing that she had been wrong all this time.  He didn’t jump with glee or anything because he was right and she was wrong. He understood how this must have been terrifying for her and he kind of just was there for her to help her keep it together.  Then he offers her his other world, letting her decide if she wants to see it for herself.

“DO YOU WANT TO SEE FOR YOURSELF? COME WITH ME TO  MY WORLD.”

He holds her hand, pulls her to Maximus, puts both her hands on his shoulders and he puts this woman who had never watched fairy tales on a white horse fit for a prince and princess.  I swear, when snow started falling in this scene, Maximus turned into unicorn for me.  It was that magical.

Physically, you can see him become more protective of her in this instant. He closes his hand over hers. Puts her hands on his shoulders as if to tell her you can depend on me, you can trust me.  He cages TaeEul between his arms as they ride off. And even when they get to Corea, he still has her inside his arms in a protective circle, asks the guards to step back because he knows exactly how flat earther Jung TaeEul will feel in a parallel world.  

He already knows she’s a strong capable woman. But he didn’t hesitate to provide comfort and protection because he understood that even the strongest ones may need comfort and protection at times.

He does gloat here, a little.

“SEE? I WAS RIGHT, WASN’T I?”

Still on his horse, he leans closer to her, almost speaking right into her ear. His lips quite possibly less than two inches away from her earlobe.  I mean…if I was Kim Goeun I’d be shivering with want. But of course, she’s very busy taking in the fact that a parallel world exists so maybe her libido is in the backburner for now.  But when she turns her head to face him, and it was , quite possibly, the sweetest, most electrifying non kiss kiss ever.

Now at this point, he seems to have ticked off all his tasks. Convinced her he’s a king. Convinced her that a parallel world exist. Now the next thing to do is to convince her that his feelings, 25 years in the making, are real.  

Part 2: Love of a Monarch with a Scar

But how real are his feelings?  Because the Jeong TaeEul he’s now with is very different from whatever he imagined Jeong TaeEul to be when he was 8 years old! That’s actually the first thing he had to confront the moment he met TaeEul at Gwanghwamun Square.  After they bicker and he insults her intelligence by asking,

“IT SEEMS YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT A PARALLEL WORLD IS. DID YOU NOT STUDY SCIENCE?”

He finally observes something about her.  He says,

“IS THIS WHAT YOUR PERSONALITY IS LIKE? I HAVE NEVER IMAGINED IT. I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE SOFTER.  THIS IS NEW.”

And this signals to the audience that he is aware that the Jeong TaeEul he had imagined and possibly loved for the last 25 years is different from the real Jeong TaeEul.  He might have arrived at the scene loving only the idea of TaeEul but as soon as the 2nd episode, he takes it upon himself to actually educate himself on all things Jeong TaeEul, setting aside all of his built up notions about her.

In the precinct, even in the midst of his interrogation, he takes the time to really look at her and come to a decision that she “LOOKED BETTER IN REAL LIFE.” So that’s great right, he prefers the 3 dimensional version of her as opposed to a picture. And then when TaeEul finally released him from jail, he reveals that he has already pumped Eunsup for information about her life.  He is making sure that he gets to know her right from the get go.  It was also on the 2nd episode that he went to the library to get to know her world’s history.  He looked up the poet  Kim SoWol and bought his book before going back to his world, just because TaeEul randomly quoted him during their conversation in the bamboo forest in episode 3.

Now he didn’t completely let go of his imagined version of a TaeEul because he did manage to get a short glimpse of a softer TaeEul during their early days together.  Time had to stop before he could see this softer side of hers because at this point, she still didn’t believe anything he said and was less likely to trust him enough to show him her softer side.  So when time stopped, that was the first time he got to see the TaeEul he had imagined all this time.  It was just there, buried underneath the hard, flat-earther exterior. He just had to wait til the 9th episode to finally see this softer, sweeter side of hers.

He also asks her important questions like, “Why did you become a detective?” which is essential when you’re trying to get to know someone. You ask them about their dreams to get an idea about the kind of person they are. Now, when TaeEeul answers,

“NOT EVERYONE IN THE WORLD CAN BE BRAVE.  SO I DECIDED TO BECOME BRAVE.”

it absolutely fascinated him. For someone who’s had his life set for him the moment he was born, the fact that someone can make a choice about which direction to take their lives must have amazed him. He admires this trait, that she can make a decision to be a cop just like that.

Notice also that she didn’t say, “I am brave so I joined the police force.” She said, I DECIDED TO BECOME BRAVE.”  If you look at Lee Gon, the kind of decisions he tends to make are what to do. Do I leave for my home? Do I stay a little bit more? Do I give her my name?  But the one thing TaeEul shows him is that he can make decisions on what kind of person he wants to be, just as she did.  So as he’s getting to know her, learning her, he’s also learning from her.

Why is this important? Because his identity is tied to him being a King. There’s a flashback of his time with his father on episode 4 where the father talks about the duties of a king. He asks, 

“DO YOU THINK YOU CAN FULFILL THIS CALLING, GON?” 

So it’s all about performing a duty that is attached to the title of King. CAN YOU DO IT?  It is never about what kind of King do you want to be? Which makes this part very important.

After she talks about her own dreams and what she wanted for herself, she asks him,

“SO THAT’S MY STORY. TELL ME WHAT KIND OF KING YOU ARE. A YOUNG, HANDSOME, AND RICH KING?”

This question appears to pleasure him, as much as bother him.  He answers,

“A ROWER, MATHEMATICIAN, A WELL-GROWN ORPHAN, AND THE OWNER OF THE FOUR TIGER SWORD. A KING WHO HAS NEVER BEEN ASKED SUCH A QUESTION AND TRYING HIS BEST NOT TO PANIC.”

This is her asking him, “How have you been doing as a king so far?”  How are you?  A question on his well being as a king.  Like whenever he returns to her from his world, he always asks how she has been and if she’s been well.  It appears to have the same effect on him.  It pleases him to know that she wants to know he has been doing.

But then, he also has no idea how to answer her question. And this makes him panic.

Since no one ever bothered to ask him what kind of person, what kind of King did he want to be, he never thought about it.  He just simply accepted that he was a king and had to fulfill the duties that came with it.  It probably never occurred to him that he can decide what kind of king he wanted to be.  It wasn’t just a job, which I suspect is how he sees it.  That’s why he likes escaping from time to time when it becomes too much.  But here was Jeong TaeEul, teaching him how to be a better King because being a cop is so much more than just a job for TaeEul.  Lee Gon is slowly becoming a better King, just by talking to TaeEul.  Imagine how much more glorious he would become once he gives himself fully to her, and she reciprocates that love?  

Ironically though, this love that taught him how to choose to brave is the same love that he has to give up when he finally chooses to be a brave King and save both worlds. But, we still have one more episode so that’s still up in the air.

Now, let’s go back to simpler times when their only problem was themselves and their own trust issues.  So as I said, he makes great effort to really get to know her and once he was able to tell apart the Jeong TaeEul in his imagination and the Jeong TaeEul in reality, he lets her know that he much prefers the real version of  TaeEul.   At the end of episode two, he tells her,

“YOU’RE ALWAYS BUSY AND YOU DON’T CARE MUCH FOR ME. BECAUSE OF YOU, I’M POWERLESS HERE. BUT IT’S FINE.  YOU ARE MUCH MORE AMAZING THAN I HAD IMAGINED.

This moment was especially pitiful because he said this after revealing to her that he felt hurt that she kept leaving him when she’s the only person he knows in this world.  But even through his hurt feelings, he is able to understand why she does this.  He understands that she’s busy, that she has a life, and that to her, he was simply just a stranger.  So if we jump to episode 8, when TaeEul asks him if he would have fallen for her if she had been rude and decided not to help him, Lee Gon really wasn’t lying when he said,

“I WOULD HAVE UNDERSTOOD AND THAT UNDERSTANDING WOULD HAVE LED ME TO FALL FOR YOU.”

Because he was already doing it as early as the 2nd episode.   She had just upset him and there he was, understanding why and still finding her amazing despite it all.   He tells her this in what seems like a love confession, at first, but it really isn’t.  When he compares her to the number Zero, he’s essentially saying that she alone can make him weak but at the same time, has the power to give him strength. And that whenever he felt trapped, she was the only one had the power to save him – like that night of treason.  He was seeing firsthand the effect she has on him.  And he sees that

she already has this much power and influence over him even without an established relationship.   That’s how much power he has handed to her by the simple fact that he has hung on to her existence for the last 25 years.  

This was not a confession of love but somehow, it feels heavier than that.  I appreciate how he didn’t rush to say the words I love you to her at this moment, but instead chose to show her what she meant to him.

I feel like saying I love is sometimes a cop out, you know. I’m just gonna lump all these feelings for you together and call it love.  But Lee Gon does not do that. He constantly reveals to her how she affects him. He is constant in allowing himself to be vulnerable and honest with how he feels for her.

“YOU LOOK BETTER IN REAL LIFE” is attraction.

“WHY ARE YOU TYING YOUR HAIR? DON’T TIE YOUR HAIR,” is a marked preference for the TaeEul in real life because the TaeEul in his imagination has her hair gathered in a low ponytail.

“DON’T GO. IT TOOK 25 YEARS FOR ME TO MEET YOU.  I HOPE TODAY WILL BE A LONG DAY,” is him begging, or bargaining for more time with her after having pined after her for so long. And he doesn’t hide the fact that he has pined for her for a long time.

“THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING. BECAUSE YOU EXISTED SOMEWHERE, I WAS LESS LONELY FOR THE PAST 25 YEARS,” is deep gratitude.  Just the thought of her somewhere brought him comfort in his lonely life and that’s a powerful thing.  Most people depend on an actual presence of a person for them to be significant enough in their life.  But for Lee Gon, just the idea of her had been enough.

“THAT’S COOL, LT. JUNG TAE EUL,” is open admiration for her character and spirit.

But I think what really drove it home for me, and also my favorite declaration of devotion, is when he said, “I IMAGINED BRINGING YOU HERE LOTS OF TIMES BEFORE” when she asked him why he looked so calm after bringing her into the palace and the entire staff erupted in disarray.  It is a very simple line, but so naked in its honesty. And Lee MinHo delivers it with the glee of a child who opens his gift on Christmas  morning, gets exactly what he wants, and proceeds to tell his parents thank you because he’s dreamed of it all year long and now it’s his.  Except for Lee Gon, he’s dreamed of it for 25 years already.  Just the weight of that longing is flabbergasting.  Can you imagine anyone loving you this much?

However, for all of Lee Gon’s openness about how he feels for TaeEul, I don’t think he ever fully allowed her into his world until the 6th episode. And this is because of the 3 rules he has always abided by when it comes to himself and all three are rooted in his trauma from that night of treason in 1994.

He doesn’t eat food that hasn’t been tasted beforehand.

No one touches his body.

No one can call him by his name.

Now the first two are broken as early as the 1st and 2n d episode.  TaeEul cuffs him at Gwanghwamun Square and once more back in the precinct.  Then on the 3rd episode, she tapped Lee Gon on the shoulder on her way to the restroom. By this time, he’s not even protesting when she touches him, he even welcomes it now.  And this is growth for him, considering the last time someone touched him in such close proximity, he almost died.  And on their first dinner together, he actually surrenders that rule willingly, using that point to tell her what the idea of her has done to comfort him for the last 25 years.

But his last rule, the one rule he clung steadfastly to, was the one that did not allow anyone to call him by his name.  He consistently refused to give her his name in the first 4 episodes, and even when he finally did give it to her at the start of the 5th episode, he still stuck to the rule.  He gave her his name, but she is still not allowed to use it.

Now, on episodes 5 and 6, we see him on uber boyfriend mode. He’s like a kid who finally got a puppy. Here, let me take care of you. Here let me feed you. Here let me give you alcohol. Here let me kiss you. Here let me pick you up when you’re stranded. Let me play with your hand and show everyone how I feel about you. Let me pat your head to comfort you when you’re lonely.

He’s basically a giver. Let me love you. But the danger in being with someone like this is that they control what part of them you’re getting, because they pick and choose, very frequently, so you never feel like you’re lacking for any affection. But you’ll never know the full extent of what they’re giving and holding back because they won’t let you in. And he hasn’t. At least, not completely.

TaeEul had to find out the whole deal with Lee Lim and the night of treason by google searching Lee Gon and his family.  When he tells her,

“I GUESS YOU NOW KNOW WHAT ROOT YOU ARE STANDING IN FRONT OF.  IT’S MY HELL AND MY HISTORY THAT WAS ENGRAVED ON MY BODY BY THE GREED OF THE PERSON THAT KILLED MY FATHER AND STRANGLED ME.”

he simply confirms what she found out. But he didn’t offer the story himself. No matter how vulnerable he is with everything else, this source of his trauma is still something he struggles with.  And the way that he clings to the rule that his name must never be called by anyone is a manifestation of this.

Names are deeply personal and the people who are close enough to him to say it out loud are both dead.  So since he was 8, his name has never been called.  He has always existed as Pyeha to everyone and this safe distance  has guaranteed him safety.  No one will ever get close enough to try and murder him like his uncle did. But this also afforded him great loneliness. Because Pyeha is only a title but being King has swallowed up his entire existence.  That’s why he panicked when TaeEul asked him what kind of King he was.  That’s why the idea of his purpose for surviving that night still evades him.  Because if he doesn’t know who he is beyond the title of Pyeha, or King, it’s going to be hard to find out his purpose too.

And his name is his last barrier against TaeEul.  He’s given her everything, except for the right to call him by his name.  But she doesn’t wait for it. She punches right through his wall when she said,

“I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN, LEE GON.”

And he is left there, dumbfounded, because she dared.  He says,

“I THOUGHT MY NAME WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE CALLED. BUT I GUESS IT WAS SUPPOSED TO CALLED ONLY BY YOU.”

And with this, by calling him by his name, she is now the person closest to him. And the impact that this had on him was huge.  He’s been an orphan since he was 8 and no one has probably called his name with love until now.  She just blasted his whole world wide open. And this, I think, must have been the moment when Lee Gon fell in love with Jeong TaeEul, completely, helplessly, and fiercely.

[collectsfallenstars]

Azaleas for Lt. Jeong Taeeul: A close reading of Kim Sowol’s poetry in “The King: Eternal Monarch”

Korean Literature is divided into the Classical Period and the Modern Period. Literature under the Classical Period is heavily influenced by Confucianism, Buddhism, and to some extent, Taoism.  The earliest form of literature came about in the 8th Century during the Shilla Kingdom.

The break-off point between Classical and Modern Literature is found in the Choson Dynasty which lasted from 1392 to 1910.  Modern Korean Literature flourished when the Chinese writing script took a backseat to Hangul, the Korean alphabet.  It was developed by King Sejong, or Sejong the Great, who ruled between 1418 – 1450.  If you watched the first episode of The King: Eternal Monarch, that huge statue of a seated king in the middle of Gwanghwamun Square where Lee Minho hugged Kim Goeun without any warning? That’s King Sejong.  Thanks to him, Korean language and Korean literature flourished.

Now, during the Choson Dynasty, two kinds of poetic forms came about— Shijo and Kasa and some of the most common subject matters from these poetic forms can be found in the Kim Sowol poems that were used in the kdrama, “The King: Eternal Monarch.”  These are the themes of nature, grief, and the loneliness of traveling.  However, when used against the backdrop of the drama, the poems, written during Kim Sowol’s lifetime between 1902-1934, take on a new life.

Let’s take a look at the poet’s life first and see how it informs our understanding of some of his poems.  He was born in 1902 in an area that now belongs to North Korea.  He suffered from a troubled childhood with a father who was mentally ill and beaten up by Japanese construction workers and therefore was unable to provide for his family.  Kim Sowol was then raised and supported by his grandfather and his aunt.  It has been said that it was his aunt who sang folk songs to him and told him traditional stories during his childhood and that it was this that stirred his love and talent for poetry.

But aside from poetry, he also loved a woman named O-sun.  However, during their time, love rarely played a role in marriages and they were soon married off to different people.  O-san then committed suicide at a very young age and losing her led to the first and last poetry collection that Kim Sowol ever published— “Azaleas.”  His poetry carried the quality and rhythm that could be found in old Korean folk songs, possibly the ones his aunt had sung to him when he was a child.   However, Kim Sowol found it hard to find his place in the world with just his poetry but without O-san.  He committed suicide in 1934 at 32 years old.  He remains, to this day, the most beloved Korean poet.

INVOCATION OF THE DEAD Kim Sowol

O shattered name!
 O name parted from me in mid-air! O name without owner! O name I’ll call until I die!

The words left in my heart,
 In the end, I wasn’t able to utter all. O you whom I loved! O you whom I loved!

The red sun is hanging from the western summit. The herd of deer also cry sadly.
 Atop the mountain that has fallen off to the side, I call your name.

I call your name til I can’t bear the grief of it. I call your name til I can’t bear the grief of it. The sound of my call sweeps forward but sky and earth are too far apart.

Though I turn to stone standing here O name I’ll call until I die!
 O you whom I loved!
 O you whom I loved!

This poem is largely different from the rest of the collection because it is loud in its grief while the rest in the collection are like “Azaleas,” quiet, subdued and dignified in their sadness.  In this one, the persona calls out to the beloved directly with lines that begin with an expulsion of breath and grief in “O,” and punctuated with exclamation points.  But even in this intensity, the persona still can’t call out the beloved’s name.

There are several reasons for this.  It pains the persona to even say the beloved’s name.  Or it could be that the beloved’s name is as lost to the persona as the beloved is.  Or it could be a staunch denial of the beloved’s departure.  I’m going to go with the last one.    

This poem is closely linked to the Korean pre-funeral custom called the Chohon, which involves calling out the name of the dead 3 times by the Sangju, the chief mourner who is usually the closest family member of the deceased. They go to the roof of their house, face north, and wave the deceased traditional shirt or blouse in the wind.

This stems from the Confucian belief that the human being is made up of the Hon (ethereal soul) and the Baek (corporeal soul) and the union of both is what keeps humans alive while their separation means death.  The Chohon is then performed to keep the Hon from leaving the world because they hold on to the hope that they can bring back the soul to the dead. It is only when this ritual is finished that they can confirm the death of the person and then they can begin with the funeral rites.

Now, in the first stanza, “O name” appears 4 times in 4 different ways that can’t be called a repetition.  The second stanza only contains 2 of the same lines with “O you” in it. The third stanza has one line with “your name” in it while the fourth stanza has only two lines with “your name.”  The fourth stanza contains 3 lines but 1 has “o name” and the 2 have “o you.”  The persona avoids the Chohon, even though the beloved is gone.  By refusing to turn this into a Chohon, the persona evades thinking of the beloved as completely lost.

“O shattered name!” is a reference to the separation of the Hon from the Baek, resulting in the death of the beloved. “O name parted from me in mid-air” speaks of someone being gone too soon, someone who is only in the middle of his or her life. This could also mean that they are gone before the persona could even hold them, like a ball thrown in their direction and disappearing before it can be caught.  “O name without an owner!” is especially painful because even though the name belongs to no one now, it’s still in the memory and on the lips of the persona.

The second stanza has many different translations but the gist of it means that even at this point when the beloved has been lost forever, without any hope of return, he still can’t bring himself to say the beloved’s name and complete the Chohon.  He refuses to accept her death.  Undoubtedly, this sentiment comes so close to Kim Sowol’s loss of his own beloved, O-sun.

The third stanza speaks of the setting sun and the lament of animals— it is grief found at the end of something.  The top of the mountain replaces the roof of the house the persona should be on top of because they did not belong to a house, to anywhere, really.  They probably belonged to other people too, like KSL and O-sun.  

On the fourth stanza, the persona stands on top of that mountain, calling out the beloved’s name and hoping to bring back their soul, knowing it is impossible. The grief of this practice in futility comes to him in the realization that the sky and the earth are too far apart.  No matter how long he stands there calling out her name, or how loud he can be, she will never hear him, nor return.

But even under the light of his sad epiphany, he remains steadfast in his love for her. He says he will call out her name until he dies, loving her and only her, for the rest of his remaining life and possibly even after death.  It isn’t too far off to think that this may have been exactly what Kim Sowol felt at the death of his beloved.

Now, how does its use within the world of The King: Eternal Monarch add another layer to the poem.  In the third episode, Lee Gon (Lee Minho) stood in the middle of a bamboo forest arguing with Jeong Taeeul (Kim Goeun) about his name.  He’s trying to convince her that a parallel world exists alongside modern day Korea and in that parallel world, Korea is spelled with a letter C and operates as a Parliamentary Monarchy.  He is also trying to convince her that he is the king there.  Jeong Taeeul, being a police officer, insists on asking for his identification, his name, and he refuses to give it because there is a rule in Corea that no one is allowed to use the king’s name.  At this, JTE makes fun of him and asks him if he is Kim Sowol, quoting the second stanza of “Invocation of the Dead” to him.

Spoiler alert, they eventually fall in love.  But this moment leads LG to a bookstore in search for Kim Sowol’s one and only poetry collection, “Azaleas.”  He finds it and opens it to the poem that JTE quoted to him.  In the background, we hear Lady Noh, whom he eventually gifts the book to, reciting the poem. It switches to LG’s voice at the last line, indicating that he had read the poem as well.  On screen, the frame is split between JTE and LG, directing the viewer to relate the poem to the pair of lovers.

The poem then acts as, of course, a foreshadowing of the events to come. Spoiler alert, no one died. So obviously, the poem does not act in its original capacity as some form of elegy for the dead.  What it does do is drive home the point that LG and JTE are going to have a love that will be threatened by separation.  Love between two people from parallel worlds with a ticking time bomb for a gate between them will not be easy.  It will also be painful, should the separation be permanent.

Now, if one were to ask you, if you knew how painful this love was going to turn out to be, would you still have allowed yourself to fall in love?

LG’s answer will be a quick yes. He’s been in love with JTE for most of his life, and has literally held on to her name, by her ID, since he was 8 years old.  JTE, on the other hand, took longer to gain access to, and use his name.  He gives his name to her on the 5th episode, and she uses it to him on the 6th episode.   She now has his name and will now know what to call out and hold on to, when she loses him in the future. Spoiler alert, she gets him back on the last episode.

So even though they don’t exactly lose each other like the persona and his beloved in “Invocation of the Dead,” or even Kim Sowol and O-sun, who lost their beloved to the sky while they remained on earth, the poem points us to a different kind of physical separation— that of two parallel worlds. While the persona in the poem vowed that he would defy time and space by loving her until his death, and even beyond, in the world within The King: Eternal Monarch, that vow was fulfilled.  They found a love that could defy time and space.

(from Episode 10, The King: Eternal Monarch) *if anyone can help me find the title for this poem, I shall be eternally grateful to you ^_^ ---------------- by Kim Sowol

When the sun goes down over the white rapids, I shall wait by the gate. Between the shadows of the birds singing at dawn, I see the world brightening up In its still calmness. With my eyes fixated on the traveler passing by At the break of dawn, “Is that you?” “Is that you?"

By the tenth episode, LG and JTE have redefined and upped the game for long distance relationships.  Much like the Kasa poems from the Choson Dynasty, the 2nd and 3rd poems used in “The King: Eternal Monarch” have grief and loneliness in travel as their subject matter.  Long distance relationships have it easy now with plenty of choices for communication and travel (except now, with the ongoing pandemic).  But one can only imagine what it was like for a lover to leave during the feudal Choson Dynasty.  There is no assurance of a safe return, nor of an actual return.  The waiting would seem endless without any word, just silence for months or even years.  One can’t just text, “Where u?” every five minutes, or mark oneself safe during a village siege.

LG and JTE had to contend with this aspect in their relationship as both held important positions within their own worlds.  Cellphones bought in one world would not work in the other.  There’s no magic two-way mirror, faces in fireplaces for a Fire-call in the Floo Network or even owls, crows, or pigeons. Do despite being lovers in the 21st Century, LG and JTE’s temporary separations and the subsequent waiting in between visits feel like those from the Choson Dynasty.

This poem is a prime example of that with a persona who vows to wait for the return her beloved.  She positions herself by the gate by sundown and stays there until dawn.   She stays in the shadows of the birds who see the dawn before she does.  This image is especially powerful in its quiet strength and fierce loyalty. The persona vows to wait for her beloved even through the darkness of the night.  No matter how difficult or painful it is to wait, she will.  And even if she doesn’t see the light of the dawn, or the end of this long night, she will still wait. She survives the nights of waiting by holding on to hope, despite the dire circumstance.

And life rewards her with the safe return of her beloved.  It seems only fitting that this poem is read aloud during their brief reunion under a moonlit night in the bamboo forest.  They are a long way from dawn, but hope and strength are there.

Note the way that Kim Goeun, who plays Jeong Taeeul, delivers her lines, “You’re finally here. Did you just get here?” as if they are the same line even though one is a statement and the other is a questions.  Her inflections do not change.  This echoes the last two lines of the poem, “Is that you?/ Is that you?”  The repetition allows for a slight change in emotion— the first is a question, an expression of disbelief, while the second is filled with relief.

(from Episode 12, The King Eternal Monarch) *if anyone can help me find the title for this poem, I shall be eternally grateful to you ^_^ ---------------- by Kim Sowol

What is your reason for doing that? You were sitting alone by the stream The green grass was sprouting And the water was splashing From the spring breeze You promised that even if you go, You won’t be gone forever.

That is what you promised I sit by the stream each day And think about something endlessly

When you promised that even if you go, You won’t be gone forever Were you asking me not to forget you?

This poem plays on memory and remembrance. In the first stanza, the lovers are in the beginning stage of their relationship when everything is like spring—  new, full of hope and potential for growth.  While at this stage, it is easy to make promises like, “Even if I go, I won’t be gone forever.”  It is meant to comfort the one who could be left behind. In the middle of bliss, that promise might sound comforting.

But as the poem progresses to the second and third stanzas, the persona is now alone on the same stream.   No longer in spring nor the middle of bliss, the persona is left only with the vow that her beloved made to her.  And it provides no sense of comfort.  Instead, it makes her realize that the vow had been made as foresight.  Her beloved must have known of his imminent departure and it was the only way he could ask her to wait for him— because every act of remembering him is an act of loving him.  And when there is love, surely there must be hope for a return.

This poem is read by Lady Noh in background while LG and JTE are getting their picture taken— an act of remembrance, of keeping something frozen in time so that one can always remember the moment.  Ironically, this is also the time when the world freezes. This is the side effect of one half of the Manpasikjeok crossing over into the parallel world.  This is the moment that Lee Gon is made even more aware of their impending separation.  The gate between the worlds is beginning to crack and the amount of frozen time keeps increasing with every crossing.  Pretty soon, he will have to choose between righting the wrongs that Lee Lim created and staying with JTE.  He is the King of the Kingdom of Corea— there is no question what his choice will be and he knows it.

He goes through all of these emotions in the hour that JTE and the rest of the world spends frozen in a smile.  JTE is still in spring but LG is already far off into the future.  But when the world unfreezes, LG slaps a smile on his face and has his picture taken with JTE. This is the perfect adaptation of the third and last Kim Sowol poem used in “The King: Eternal Monarch.”

AZALEAS Kim Sowol

When you leave, weary of me,
 without a word I shall gently let you go.

From Mt. Yak
 in Yongbyon
 I shall gather armfuls of azaleas and scatter them on your way.

Step by step
 on the flowers placed before you tread lightly, softly as you go.

When you leave
 weary of me,
 though I die, I'll not let one tear fall.

“Azaleas,” the titular poem of the Kim Sowol poetry collection, is not included in “The King: Eternal Monarch” but I think it is still important to discuss it as it relates greatly to the character of Lt. Jeong Taeeul.

Outside the context of the kdrama, the poem “Azaleas” has a persona who is the embodiment of dignity and strength in the face of utter devastation.  The persona, by saying “When you leave,” shows her awareness of his inevitable departure.  She knows in the future that he will leave her because he will get tired of her.  And yet, she continues to love him.

And when that dreaded by unavoidable day comes when he leaves her, she vows to let him go as gently, and as lovingly as she can.

She promises to decorate his path away from her with flowers from her hometown.  This is seen as an act of blessing.  And although it’s tearing her apart in the inside, she refuses to let him know that him leaving is killing her.  So it’s an even classier way of saying, “To the left, to the left, everything you own in a box to the left, don’t you ever for a second get to thinking you’re irreplaceable.”

Now, while Lee Gon doesn’t get tired of Jeong Taeeul in the drama, he does eventually leave her in order to save both worlds and right all the wrongs his uncle made.  And in the 15th episode, when she finally realized that Lee Gon had made his choice and it did not include her in his world, she actually says the words, “I don’t think I can stay here and endure it alone…I think I’ll die.”  Spoiler alert, she did not die. She does get stabbed though, but she did not die of waiting.

Instead, she found a way to get to him.  Although it was unsuccessful, she did manage to kill Lee Lim of the present while Lee Gon killed Lee Lim in the past.  She’s definitely not the type to spread flowers on the feet of the man who leaves her and then goes to cry quietly in the corner.

But the thing is, the azalea flower is the key to all of this.  Azaleas are wildflowers that can be found in the deepest areas of forests that were previously destroyed due to deforestation or wildfires.  According to “The Plant Book of Korea,” azaleas are known for their endurance and long lifespans.

So when the persona in the poem “Azaleas” spreads the flowers in the path of her beloved, she is reminding him that she will survive his departure.  And when used within the world of “The King: Eternal Monarch,” Lt. Jeong Taeeul is the wild and resilient azalea flower.  She will not stay in her place and simply wait for him to come back.  She tried to find a way to get to him.  And when that did not work, when being strong meant loving him even in his absence and waiting for him even if there was no hope in his return, she still mustered up enough courage and strength to love him and wait for him.  And in the end, her strength and resilience were rewarded with the return of her beloved.

REFERENCES:

“(485) Poet Kim So-Wol.” Koreatimes, 10 Jan. 2008, koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2008/01/137_17042.html.

Foundation, CK-12. “12 Foundation.” CK, flexbooks.ck12.org/cbook/ck-12-chemistry-flexbook-2.0/section/2.1/primary/lesson/matter-mass-and-volume-ms-ps.

“In the Midst of Death, Let's Have a Party.” Korea JoongAng Daily, koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2007/10/28/features/In-the-midst-of-death-lets-have-a-party/2882042.html.

Klaudia Krystyna Writer. “Korean Funerals: Traditions, Customs and What to Expect.” Cake Blog, www.joincake.com/blog/korean-funeral/.

Korean Literature (Character of Korean Literature, Korean Classical Literature, Modern Literature of Korea), www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/korea/literature.htm.

“The Most Beloved Poet of Korea, Kim So-Wol.” The Yonsei Annals, annals.yonsei.ac.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=1896.

국립민속박물관 . “Temporary Spirit Tablet.” Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture, folkency.nfm.go.kr/en/topic/detail/537.

[collectsfallenstars]

Gravity: A Summary of the Development of Jeong TaeEul’s Feelings for Lee Gon in “The King: Eternal Monarch (Part 2 of 3)

EPISODE 5

Once she lands on the Kingdom of Corea and he gives her his name, Lee Gon, all bets were off.  All protests she had in her head had been silenced at the face of this new reality.  She now has to deal with this strange pull that she feels towards him.

It had been easy in the beginning to say she was doing it out of duty.  And when it became more than that, she could say it was pity because of what little she knows of his family history.  But now, she was there in Corea with him without any excuse. She was there for herself, she wanted to know this man.  And in this episode, she got to know him without even spending much time with him.  He wooed her, and won her over, with almost no effort on his part.

Now, let’s talk about the kiss. Because this episode will definitely be remembered as the one where Lee Gon kissed her. Kisses are important, yes.  It’s a sign of a more visceral nature, something material that can affirm the physical attraction that had always been there.  And she is aware that he’s attractive. It’s been overtly said numerous times in the first few episodes. And Jeong Tae-uel is very much aware of it. however, what is important to note though is what she told him before the kiss, when he rested his head on her shoulder in a seemingly romantic gesture.

“YOU’VE NEVER DATED BEFORE, RIGHT?

“YES, I HAVE.”

“SHOULD I GUESS WHEN?”

“GUESS.”

“NOW.”

I like how this works two ways and they reveal two layers of Jeong Tae-eul. This can first be understood as a challenge to Lee Gon, which is what he understood it as.  It is a direct challenge to his experience in dating.  She’s basically saying he’s absolutely clueless, an amateur to wooing girls.  She is not impressed. And that’s standard Jeong Tae-eul behavior—shooting down Lee Gon. However, underneath this bravado is a softer side of Jeong Tae-eul.  This is the slightly insecure woman who has now seen how far away she is as a commoner from the other world to the king of this world. So with this line, she’s also actually asking how many women he has been with, how many women has he treated this way, is she special enough, how might she fare against the ghost of those other women?

And the two-fold meaning of this line is what makes this scene so delicious, especially as Lee Gon took this moment to purposefully interpret her question in another way.  After taking it as a challenge, he kisses her in order to prove to her that yes, he does know what to do on a date, he knows how to kiss, has kissed before, but he actually evades her question by saying that he kissed her to declare to her that they are now dating. And yet, neither of them have ever clearly stated how one felt for the other. But with this kiss, and her being there voluntarily, they are both sure that something is there between them, something worth exploring and deepening -- otherwise, he wouldn’t have persisted in reaching through her emotional wall, and she wouldn’t be there in his kingdom, letting him in slowly.

Also, I would like to point out how much I like that she didn’t recoil from a kiss, which can sometimes be the norm in most k-dramas.  Those surprise kisses can sometimes be cringey, even if it’s meant to portray the innocence of the female character and the passion of the male character.  Jeong Tae-eul here is not a wilting little flower who can be shocked by a kiss and I am here for it.  Now, while she didn’t recoil, she also didn’t kiss back either.  And I am fine with that because she’s not exactly someone who is easily overcome with passion.  

You will see her reaction though, in a flashback of this moment in the next episode. And it’s only revealed much later how she reacted after that kiss. You see, he gave out telltale signs that he was going to kiss her by moving his hands up and around her face and angling his head towards her. He moved unhurriedly, not slow, not fast, unhurriedly.  And because it was a gentler kind of surprise kiss, you can see how she had time to prepare for it.  Her eyebrows moved up like she was confused that this was happening. And then you see her eyes focus on his lips. When their lips touched, you can see from her profile that her eyes had opened wide. She did not look in pain. She did not look like a kiss was forced upon her.  She looked like a woman who was kissed by someone she would accept a kiss from, but had no idea how badly he had wanted to kiss her just then. And when Lee Gon moved back to declare that they are now dating, Jeong Tae-eul’s face was the softest it could look while simultaneously being amazed at his audacity. And then she quickly changes the subject. I love Kim Goeun. That is all.

Okay, now that they’ve established that there’s a physical attraction there, it was time to put a little bit more substance into their relationship.  Kisses don’t make relationships after all.  In the following morning , JTE accompanied Lee Gon to some of his royal engagements, dressed as one of his security guards.

Seeing Lee Gon open a basketball tournament and give a lecture on math in a university made her realize how adored he was not just for his looks, but for the way he interacted with his people, and his intellect.  He wasn’t some crazed maniac prattling on about parallel universe.  She got to see him as the King he said he was and he was loved, he was magnetic.  

She walked around a country that looked beautiful, prosperous, peaceful and most of it was because of his leadership.  His country showed him to be a capable, powerful, and yet graceful man.  And for a strong, no nonsense woman like Jeong Tae-eul, all those traits were very attractive.  Strength respects strength after all.  But for her, who had to grow up fast because of an almost incapable father who would accept eggs as tuition fee, those traits would also mean that she can actually depend on Lee Gon.

Jeong Tae-eul is characterized as someone who is a very capable detective and skilled martial artist.  Lee Gon often says what an amazing woman she is while watching her work a case.  He looks at her almost like a savior.  In the next episode, we will see more of her history with Kang Sin-jae.  And he also looks at her like she was his savior. And she is. She did rescue him from living a thug life.  At one point, she even held things together at her father’s taekwondo studio.  Being a strong, independent woman is definitely a point of pride for her but at times, it can also be very exhausting.  And if she deems herself as strong, she needs someone equally as strong, if not stronger than her, before even considering to hold on to that person’s hand when she needs help.  Lee Gon was exactly that kind of person.

Another thing that possibly won her over was the fact that he didn’t drag her all over the place while he had to fulfill his duties. He gave her space, as strong people often need it. He let her go and explore on her own, but not without keeping her protected through Jo Yeong.  

And in perhaps, one of the sweetest gestures in the series, Lee Gon personally picked her up when she was stranded without a ride back to the Busan palace.  It was a gesture that was perfectly timed.  For Lee Gon, he had just finished all his duties for the day so it wasn’t much of a problem.  But for Jeong Tae-eul who had spent the entire day exploring his kingdom and being reminded at every turn how much he had accomplished, how great a king he is right down to a building sized poster of him.  All this greatness is bound to make her feel a little small, no matter how confident Jeong Tae-eul.  And so when he picked her up in such a grand fashion, as what a king does of course, ignoring protocol or risking being photographed together, it reminds her that Lee Gon will always be ready to shorten any kind of distance between them – whether it was king and commoner, or the infinite space between their two worlds.  

EPISODE 6

Lee Gon at this point is full on boyfriend mode, even without the labels.  He is openly declaring his feelings to those near him, even his enemies.  He let PM Koo see how he laughs in the presence of Jeong Tae-eul, which he has never done with her nor with anyone else in public.  And in his private plane, with two of his staff looking at them, he plays with her hands under the pretense of having a secret conversation, and also affirms to his secretary that Jeong Tae-eul is the woman he had been talking to her about.  Now while Lee Gon is there, enjoying the fact that he finally has Jeong Tae-eul by his side, she is on a different page even though she’s letting him get away with all is public displays of affection.

“I WAS TRAVELLING AROUND TODAY AND I REALIZED YOU MUST HAVE BEEN LONELY IN MY WORLD”

“WERE YOU LONELY HERE?”

“IT WAS FRUSTRATING TO NOT HAVE SOMETHING THAT COULD PROVE MY IDENTITY.  THATYS FOR COMING TO PICK ME UP.”

This scene marks a clear shift in Jeong Tae-eul’s perspective on Lee Gon. And true to her character, she communicates it properly and clearly. Having spent the entire day in an unfamiliar world, she gets to fully put herself in Lee Gon’s shoes when he first arrived in her world and it isn’t lost on her how horrible she was to him.  She was the one who had constantly doubted him at every turn when he was trying to prove who he was to her.  Once their places were switched, he gave her a wide berth, provided protection from afar, and only swooped in when she called for his help, instinctively knowing that this was what she needed to see things for herself.  He was kind to her, gentle, right down to this moment when he’s preparing dinner for her.  And instead of giving her a hard time about how mean she had been to him, he instead chose to focus on her loneliness while in his kingdom.  Her discomfort overrides any hardship he had experienced in her world.

Although this does reveal a humbled, softened Jeong Tae-eul, it does not necessarily mean that she’s jumping in with both feet into this thing with Lee Gon.  This total admission that she had been wrong to treat him so harshly while he was in her world and the thank you that followed almost feels like a goodbye.  Now that she has seen the truth, that Lee Gon is the King from the Kingdom of Corea, she’s also very much aware that she’s from the Republic of Korea. While their parallel worlds are real, one rule for parallel lines is that they will never, should never meet.

This is why she didn’t hug Lee Gon after he shared his history of betrayal at the hands of his uncle. This is why she keeps asking for her ID so she can go back to her world, and Lee Gon senses her instinct to pull away before she gets involved further with him.  Because that’s what she’s doing.  At this point, she knows this won’t end well for both of them.

That’s why she gave a resigned answer when Lee Gon said he was trying to make her jealous over a mystery woman he had prepared a meat dish for.

“I CAN’T BEAT THAT PERSON ANYWAY. WHOEVER IT IS, THAT PERSON MUST BE FROM THIS WORLD.”

She is trying to withdraw further and further away from him by saying this. I am not from your world. I am not fit for you.  But then Lee Gon chooses this moment to give her her ID card in order to drive home the fact that he doesn’t care about them belonging to different worlds.  Her ID card came to him at the most important part of his life and while it’s still an unsolved mystery for him, he seems to have taken it as fate at work.

“IT SEEMS LIKE A DIFFICULT QUESTION TO SOLVE, BUT THERE MUST BE A SIMPLE AND BEAUTIFUL FORMULA FOR IT.  AND YOU ARE THE ANSWER I’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR.  FROM NOW ON, I WILL PROVE IT ONE BY ONE.  WHOEVER IT IS, AND WHICHEVER WORLD THE PERSON IS FROM, YOU’VE BEAT THAT PERSON.”

And with this, he pulls her right back to him.  He is telling her that he refuses to let her go and downplay her importance in his life.  She is connected to, if not the reason, why he survived.  She is the reason why he is here in the first place and he swears to her that he will prove it and make her see for herself, the way he’s done before when she had doubted him.

“SO DON’T YOU DECIDE ALONE TO LEAVE LIKE THAT.”

When he tells her this, he essentially solidified them as a couple in the most base

sense of the word. Not the lovey-dovey boyfriend/girlfriend let’s go steady now feel.  They are together now, a couple, two people taken as one.  That’s why important decisions have to be made by the two of them together.  Although he knows he has the power to stop her from leaving him with just one command, he won’t do it.  Because they’re both adults and not a modern day representation of beauty and the beast.  There will also be no silent self sacrifice for the happiness of the other. There will be no fading away into the night, or disappearing forever into the other world. I mean, that’s good if you’re looking for melodrama.  But this couple isn’t after that.  They are surprisingly just a normal couple, but with unusual circumstances.  See, normal couples communicate properly. Whatever happens to them will be decided by them.  It is a fitting declaration of war against the laws of parallel universes just before he leads his country to a naval war with Japan.

And in the moments when they are alone in the room before she sets off for her world, she sees him in his navy uniform.  A picture of dignity and strength, traits that are attractive to Tae-eul, of course but he is also a picture of heavy responsibility.  And behind him looms his imperial robe, a symbol of the country he is responsible for.  And for Tae-eul, who had just been pulled back into this thing with Lee Gon, this sight was especially bittersweet.  This was the man she was with and he carried with him an entire country, across the universe.  He can’t just leave and go live with her in her world.

And yet, he persists to make it work somehow.

“I WILL COME BACK TO YOU. WILL YOU WAIT FOR ME?”

Jeong Tae-eul nods yes.  And when Jeong Tae-eul says something, she means it.  This time, she’s all in with this relationship.  And she’s never been the wishy washy type.

“I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN, LEE GON.”

This was Jeong Tae-eul reaffirming his existence.  She believes him now, knows who he is now.  And also, by saying his name so boldly like this, she is stepping up and laying her claim on Lee Gon. She was saying, okay, you defied the laws of the universe and crossed over to my world to find me.  Now I’m going to defy the laws of your country and call you by your name, because only I can do that, because you’re mine now.

[collectsfallenstars]

Chapters: 4/7 Fandom: 더 킹：영원의 군주 | The King: Eternal Monarch (TV), The King: Eternal Monarch RPF Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Lee Minho/Kim Goeun, Jeong Tae Eul/Lee Gon Characters: Lee Minho, Kim Goeun, Woo Dohwan, Lee Gon, Jeong Taeeul, Jo Yeong, Jo Eun Seob Summary:

Lee Minho falls in love with Kim Goeun amidst The King: Eternal Monarch. He counts the ways and degrees of his fall, with every look, touch, distance breached, hug, kiss, and "I love you's."

[collectsfallenstars]

Making a Case for a Happy Ending for The King: Eternal Monarch, A Conversation w/ A Friend

ME: (slightly hysterical) So what the fuck is the point of KES?! She made Lee Gon and TaeEul FIGHT for their love!!! And in the end KES makes LG sacrifice their love to save the world because it’s his fate? So then the point was, they NEVER should have fought for their love AT ALL?!?! So WTH was this crap all about then - “When it’s fate there are no coincidences. Sometimes fate chooses you”? Ooops, sorry you shouldn’t have hoped for a happy ending because it wasn’t their fate to meet anyway? WHY MAKE THEM MEET AT ALL IF HER POINT WAS THAT THEY NEVER SHOULD HAVE MET?!

Let’s not fight for our love?!

Let’s just go live our lives, happy and content, but WITHOUT LOVE?!      

FRIEND: (very calm) I think the point is it was Lee Gon’s fate to save the world But Jeong TaeEul chose her fate -- loving Lee Gon. So we’ll see whose fate is more powerful.                    ME: Whaaa! I hate you. That’s beautiful BUT IT HURTS! I felt so sorry for Lee Gon though when he realized how much damage his uncle caused because of him and his only solace is meeting TaeEul and now he has to give her up to undo the damage.                                                                    FRIEND: He realized that when JiHun’s mom told him her son died because of him, that was the turning point for him. What I don’t understand is why can’t he just kill Lee Lim AND save himself? Why does it have to be one or the other?

ME: I know right? Can’t he just wait till before LL gets to the gates, kill him, and then save himself? At least he’ll be alive. He just won’t know JTE. But I guess he can’t live without knowing JTE so he’d rather die?  Well isn’t that SELFISH?!?! CONSIDERING TAEEUL HAS TO LIVE ON with A GAP IN HER MEMORY AND A HOLE IN HER HEART!!! So what, it’s JI EUN TAK ALL OVER AGAIN??! But this time it won’t just be 9 years BUT FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE?                                                                                FRIEND: That’s true. He gets to escape but JTE can’t. What if when she sees Lee JiHun, her memories of Lee Gon come back?                          ME: Reaper and Sunny version 2.0?!                      FRIEND: But since the Manpasikjeok reveals itself every 20 years, in 2022, JTE will acquire it somehow and find Lee Gon in another world, and they still meet as destined somehow?! Different means, but they’ll still meet!                    ME: I love you!!! But JTE can’t possess the Manpasikjeok because she’s not from the line of kings. I think Lee Gon will still get the Manpasikjeok.       

FRIEND: Yeah! IF he survives the night of treason, the Manpasikjeok will still be his.            ME: Maybe that will be the Manpasikjeok’s gift to him! Because he was willing to sacrifice his life and love for TaeEul just to save both worlds, the god of the bamboo flute will reward him and allow baby Lee Gon to survive night the treason! And somehow, TaeEul will find him!!      FRIEND: YEAH!! HAPPY ENDING!                          ME: YAAAAAAAAAAAAY! Okay, let’s just hold on to that til Friday.

[collectsfallenstars]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 더 킹：영원의 군주 | The King: Eternal Monarch (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Jeong Tae Eul/Lee Gon Characters: Jeong Tae Eul, Lee Gon Additional Tags: Smut, Fluff and Smut Summary:

If the curtains hadn't been closed after the beheading kiss of episode 12, how would the night have progressed for Lee Gon and Jeong Tae Eul?

[collectsfallenstars]

Chapters: 2/7 Fandom: 더 킹：영원의 군주 | The King: Eternal Monarch (TV), The King: Eternal Monarch RPF Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Lee Minho/Kim Goeun, Jeong Tae Eul/Lee Gon Characters: Lee Minho, Kim Goeun, Woo Dohwan, Lee Gon, Jeong Taeeul, Jo Yeong, Jo Eun Seob Summary:

Lee Minho falls in love with Kim Goeun amidst The King: Eternal Monarch. Counts the ways and degrees of his fall, with every look, touch, distance breached, hug, kiss, and "I love you's."