#king gwangjong

[letthefairyinyoufly]

Lee Joon Ki as Wang So, later King Gwangjong (4th Prince) Kang Ha Neul as Wang Wook, later King Daejong (8th Prince) Hong Jong Hyun as Wang Yo, later King Jungjong (3rd Prince) Kim San Ho as Wang Moo, later King Hyejong (1st Prince) Yoon Sun Woo as Wang Won, later Crown Prince Hyoeun (9th Prince) Byun Baek Hyun as Wang Eun, later Prince Gwangjoowon (10th Prince) Nam Joo Hyuk as Wang Wook / Baek Ah, later King Ahnjong (13th Prince) Ji Soo as Wang Jung, later Vice King Moonwon (14th Prince)

Source: x

[no-where-new-hero]

This is probably the most controversial kdrama opinion I could have, but I actually really like how Moon Lovers ended. I totally see why people don’t, because they used the exact same non-ending technique that they used in Cheese in the Trap, which is my own beloathed villain origin story. But I think in this case, it makes more sense, and here’s why (spoilers below):

The big thing here is the question of reincarnation, and the fact is that reincarnation isn’t a huge theme in this show, unlike, say, Goblin, where the Goblin’s long wait for his bride’s next lifetime at the end all makes narrative sense. But in Moon Lovers, reincarnation is never really brought up. For once, there isn’t a big deal about past lives or fate bringing Soo and So together (even though you could extrapolate that Ha Jin was meant to travel to the past simply to fix Gwangjong’s legacy as a king). The closest we get to any conversation about that is pretty much only what Hae Soo tells Jung as she dies: “In my next life, I’m going to forget everything and everyone.” Is her next life, then, Ha Jin? Or is this quotation just a bit of a non-sequitur since Ha Jin as Ha Jin is a concurrent or interwoven timeline with Ha Jin as Hae Soo?

Therefore, the idea of a reincarnated Wang So meeting Ha Jin would be fateful and everything, but it wouldn't really feel part of the same story. A Wang So who has forgotten Hae Soo, who has no memory of his past life, would simply be somebody else, even if Ha Jin were to be like "HEY WAIT MISTER WITH THE HANDKERCHIEF don't you find it funny that you have the same face as a dead king haha?" I see why people are clamoring for a second season, because it is a good start. But it's also very different from everything that's been going on hitherto.

The other option, then, is if Wang So somehow time-traveled himself to the present, but there has been no way to connect Soo with Ha Jin. At a certain point, people stopped pointing out that Soo seems un-Soo-like, so why would anyone doubt her? Ji Mong has conveniently left the palace. The eclipse has passed (assuming that works as some kind of time portal). As delightful as the idea is, Wang So's final promise to find Soo feels more like a bone thrown to the audience than anything else, a piece of wishful thinking on his part and on ours.

Yes, Ha Jin crying alone in front of So alone in his portrait is tragic and terrible and all the more heart-rending because we know that neither Ha Jin nor Soo would have wanted to leave him alone like that, were circumstances different. But that's also somehow the most fitting end their story can have. Soo made Gwangjong a better king, but she also, ultimately, has to take the back seat to history, destiny, what have you. She has been told this throughout the show. Love can only do so much. It is beautiful but it is brief, which is a very classical East Asian idea, so it all somehow harmonizes for me. It's thematically relevant. Much like the haunting refrain in My Love From the Star, it's hard to say the goodbyes when you need to. Soo is never able to say goodbye to any of the people who matter to her before she loses them. Should it be any different with So?

[tmxlffj34]

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Hundreds of li of land from Khitan’s Donggyeong to Anbukbu (安北府) were all the places where Saeng Yeo-jin lived, but Gwangjong took them away and moved them to Gaju (嘉州) and Songseong (松城). is built up. The intention of the Khitan invasion now is only to occupy these two castles, but they are actually afraid of us because they are claiming to occupy the old land of Goguryeo. It is not a good plan to cede the land north of Seogyeong in a hurry, seeing only their military strength now. Besides, north of Mt. Samgak is also the old land of Goguryeo[17]. It is the disgrace of the ages to cede land to the enemy, so hopefully it won't be too late to discuss it again after the lord returns to the capital and asks the gods to fight them once. 《History of Goryeo》, Volume 94

Then, the discussion hardened with the theory of ceding the northern part of Seogyeong, and the grain of Seogyeong was distributed to the people or discarded. At this time, Seo-hee, who understood Sosunnyeong's intentions, strongly opposed the theory of knowledge, stopped it, and stopped throwing away grain. In fact, if the warlords understood the situation more calmly, it would have been easy to notice that Susunning's army could not have numbered 800,000. The 800,000 troops were difficult to maintain logistics immediately, and the unit was likely to collapse if it entered a long-term war. Nevertheless, there are only a few battles fought by Sosonnyeong after he came over to Goryeo. Considering this, it was right to suspect that it was too passive for 800,000 people.

Later, in the Battle of Anyeongjin, as Jungnangjang Bang Bang and Dae Do-su blocked the Khitan army, the court turned from Jiron to Ganghwaron. When So Son Ning, who had no more offensive military action after the Battle of An Yong Jin, persistently demanded a meeting, Seo Hui went alone to the Khitan camp and had a discussion with So Son Ning. At this time, King Seongjong gathered several servants and asked, "Who will go to the Georan camp and defeat the enemy soldiers with speech and achievement?", but no one responded. However, Seo-hee stood up alone and said, "Although God is displeased, how dare you not obey the king's order?" Seongjong, who was proud of this, went out to the riverside and held Seo-hee's hand and sent her off. He keeps talking about Seo-hee as our representative diplomat. , In fact, I was not a diplomat, but a planner of state affairs. this is different The person who made the most important contribution in all future wars (against Khitan) is Seo-hee. In preparation for the Khitan war, we made a strategic foundation on which we can fight. That's why I'm a great state leader, not a specific position as a diplomat. appointed. Talkmentary War History Part 66 Goryeo vs Khitan War Part 1. ##

Seo-hee is known to the public only for her famous negotiations and is commonly known as the 'best diplomat', but in fact, she was not a person who excelled only in diplomacy. One time, I went to Haeju with Seongjong, but when Seongjong tried to enter Seohee's tent, Seohee refused, saying, "God's tent is not a place for a noble king to come in." The wine possessed by God is not wine that can be given to the king.” In the end, Seongjong had to bring fish wine himself and drink with Seo-hee outside the tent.

A person named Jeong Woo-hyeon (鄭又玄), who was in the official post of Gong Bin-ryeong, posted an article commenting on 7 political issues to Seongjong. The prime ministers also agreed with the king's opinion, but Seo-hee said this alone.

[stark-raving-hazelnut]

I’m watching Moon Lovers: Scarlet Ryeo and can someone explain something to me?

I need someone to fully explain why the hell did Queen Yoo HATE Wang So so much? I can’t seem to find the reasoning as to why she acts as if everything was his fault? She scarred his face as a child when she was the one threatening his life to the king because he was going to get married and then acts as if it wasn’t her fault. 

I cannot wrap my head around this. I understand the writers probably portrayed their relationship this way for dramatic purposes because it is a drama, there needs to be conflict but maybe it’s because I’m use to the US tv shows that does eventually give reasons as to why antagonists do what they do in storytelling or at least hints of their reasoning. I was expecting someone to ask Queen Yoo WHY she hates her son and then have an understanding of her character but I’m right close towards the end of the drama and I still have no damn clue. 

So, can someone explain it to me? I know I’m years late into watching and I know these are based on real people and history but as a writer myself I like to ask questions “who, what, where and why?” to have an understanding of who the characters are in order to immerse and enjoy the show more. I guess I’m also the type that likes to analyze characterizations and writings in storytelling so I’m nerd and I need like an essay type of explanation (Or maybe I’ll write my own someday.)

TL;DR: I’m watching a krama and I need help understanding why this character is a total bitch to her son cuz I’m American and I’m used to being spoon fed the answers.

[drlindacomel]

The cutest piggyback scene ever!!!

[melodramaland]

“just address me as your brother”

happy times

[wuxian-vs-wangji]

TV Recommendation: Scarlet Heart Ryeo // Moon Lovers

** This is the Korean version of Chinese drama “Scarlet Heart”. So if you’d like to see the Korean one specifically, search “Moon Lovers” or “Scarlet Heart RYEO”.

Hae-Soo’s life was a mess, to put it lightly. Her boyfriend and best friend ran off together, leaving her with a mountain of HIS debts- and a cut lip from an altercation with them.

Sitting alone in a park, she shares her soju with a homeless man and says that the weight of life has just become too much. He tells her nothing will change unless she dies and comes back.

Just then, an unattended child falls into the lake, and Hae-Soo dives in to save him. She passes the child to his father, but before she can be saved the moon passes in front of the sun and an unknown force pulls her deep into the lake.

And when Hae-Soo manages to break free and return to the surface she finds herself in an ancient Korean hotspring-

A private hotspring, to be used only by the royal family of Goryeo and it’s many princes.

Hae-Soo has taken over the body of a young noblewoman who drowned in the hot spring hundreds of years ago, the sister-in-law to one of the royal princes. As she desperately tries to navigate the past world and find her way home, she befriends the many princes, and catches the eye of two:

Eighth prince Wang Wook is handsome, charming, and the husband- soon enough widow- of Hae-Soo’s “Sister” (or rather, the sister of the woman whose body she took). As Hae-Soo’s “parents” died long ago, he looks on his wife’s sister almost as a step-daughter.

Though, one fully adult. Wang Wook falls in love with Hae-Soo bit by bit as they mourn together for her “sister” who has passed.

And then comes the Fourth prince, Wang So. He was once the apple of his father’s eye. But his mother- a secondary wife- used him to punish the king for failing to bow to her own ambition. She took the child and with her own hands horrifically scarred his face- something completely unacceptable in a royal family that must be seen as perfect at all times.

So Wang So was cast to the mud by his siblings. Treated as some dirty mutt by his own mother and full brother (not all the king’s children are with the same women, most are half-siblings to one another). Because of this, Wang So covers half his face with a mask at all times, and became the Wolf Prince. 

Whenever the royal family has dirty work that must be taken care of, Wang So is the bloody demon sent to bring their enemies to heel. No matter how innocent they may be.

But Wang So falls in love with the gentle Hae-Soo, who is unafraid of his darkness and who brings warmth into his cold world. Hae-Soo sees a suffering soul, and genuinely wants to be kind to him.

As Hae-Soo begins to fall for Wang So- and turning her back on the handsome and popular Wang Wook- she remembers something from her history classes:

The next King of the Goryeo dynasty will take the regal name Gwangjong, and lead a reign of incredible bloodshed and terror that will wipe out tens of thousands of lives in a short period of time- including many of the aristocracy and nearly all of the royal family.

The royal family Hae-Soo has come to love have a target on their backs. As they start to die one by one, Hae-Soo will try desperately to save those she has come to love and learn the truths that were buried in the annals of history.

Her first challenge though is remembering which prince- Wang So or Wang Wook- will ascend the throne as the blood drenched King Gwangjong.

Her survival may hinge on figuring out the answer to a single riddle: Why Wang So’s friend- the palace astronomer- looks so much like the modern-day homeless man who shared her soju and told Hae-Soo her happiness may lie in death.

[sweetobseesion]

About Wang So’s Villainy

*I DO NOT HATE WANG SO, NOR IS THIS A POST CRITICISING HIM. IT IS BASED ON MY OPINION , AND IT AIMS TO POINT OUT AND EXPLORE  HIS “VILLAINOUS SIDE” THAT SHAPES HIM THROUGHOUT THE DRAMA.

I just wanted to point this out because I’ve noticed people have two reactions to it. Either there’s people denying it or people heavily emphasising on it.I would like to clarify,that Wang So is very much a character that is caught in crossroads, stuck between both his selfless heroic nature and his ,beastly savage side.

The show never denied his villainy, not even for a moment.He was always dangerous,scary and he himself, usually acknowledges his crimes and extreme personality.

The only difference is , he had the scope to be a better person. He realises he is in the wrong and understands the consequences of his actions. But even then , he never changes. Murder is always a full forged solution in his book.

But what made his personality more flawed was his anger, pride and this ability to listen to only himself. It’s what made him into a powerful king too, but it’s also what affected his relationship with Soo towards the end.

It’s hard to discern whether his impulsive , suspicious nature is the result of his environment and circumstances that he grew up in or just his personality. His Nature. But Wang So has always been pragmatic, opportunist and suspicious of those around him.

When we see him enter the palace, he kills of a horse. When Jimong offers him the opportunity to protect the crown prince , he questions his intentions. And he never opens up to anyone and is always on guard, full of excuses and masks. Which is why when Yeonhwa suggests he learns with the princes, he says he prefers being alone with his hunts. We all know he wants to live in Songak,but he says this because he doesn’t want her to know his intentions. And even Yeonhwa,can see through it.

He isolates himself from people.And it’s this exact combination of stubbornness, impulsivity and constant suspicion that makes it so easy for him kill anyone quickly and justify it. And since he isolated himself, there’s no one to stop him or make him think on it.And hence, he grows up, used to his extreme actions and not reflecting on it. Though he has his moments of regret, it’s not something he dwells on a lot.And he will never admit to it too,because he has pride.

All this makes it all the more easy for him to justify his actions.

It makes him either invincible or impossible and stubborn. Quite possibly both, but that doesn’t mean he is not bound to face the consequences of his actions. He is human after all, and if he chooses reckless actions one after the other and defend it, he’s bound to face the consequences. It doesn’t matter if he has a good reason or not. General Park points that out to him , clearly.

But he doesn’t think it through , and just ponders it for a while. But this moment, pretty much sets the stage for his inevitable end. All throughout his life he has to kill to survive, but the more he kills, the more enemies he creates and the more he has to cover up his path. And hence , the lonelier he becomes.

Meanwhile his relationship with Soo blossoms,and he finds it hard to explain his feelings for her.She shows him empathy and never judges him in his worst state,and tries to understand him. She treats him with kindness and like any other human being. He finds it easy and comfortable to talk to her and be around her.He opens up to her easily and listens to her easily. He also thinks about her and willingly incorporates what she says into his thoughts and actions. In other words , he has a crush on he doesn’t realise it. It’s quite hard for him to understand his own feelings, given how lonely he grew up.

And when he does,he is confused yet thrilled. But he still doesn’t possess complete understanding of his emotions, and he is not completely comfortable with having a person who sees right through him. Like when she sees right through his insecurity of his scar.And he punishes her for that by silence , and reprimanding her when she makes his favourite tea.

He ignores her, and it’s not until she reaches out to him after the rain festival does he put his defences down. But then, this was only achieved through her own efforts.In order to help him,she creates a foundation that conceals his scar,and she helps him succeed in the rain ritual.

He pretty much sets his heart to her after that and chases her and focuses on getting her for himself.He never listens to her rejection or her refusal and is quite insistent with his ways.He seeks her out and is quite determined to have her and he uses all means possible to have her by his side. Like he asks the King for her, then he takes her out of the palace ,drinks poison to protect her and stands by her side.

But little does he realise that this puts her in danger more than anything else. Because the more he chases her the more jealous Wook gets, the more worried his father becomes and the worse her reputation becomes ,because everyone calls her “bad luck” and blames her for how he turned out. But thing is , he does not realise it. He never sees the damage he’s unintentionally caused to her because in his mind he’s doing the right thing, choosing the right thing. He won’t listen to anyone who disagrees and he defies anyone who tries to stop him and that includes the king. In his mind, he already sees himself as the Knight in shining armour, who fights for the woman he loves.

And as his feelings grow, he also finds himself getting easily jealous. He has this habit of just assuming things and sticking by it, and it makes it hard for him to communicate.When he has to marry someone and is aware that is a deal breaker to her, he never reveals to her the reason behind it. Fans say this better than making up a excuse but I don’t see how this is better as it just leaves her alone without an explanation.All because he assumes she would hate him anyway.At the end of the day an explanation is better than an assumption or an excuse. He gets jealous when Baek Ah gets her the best present. His emotions have now become completely besotted with her,and is eager for real romance .So it’s not much of surprise to see his reaction after he discovers Jung hid in her room,it’s clear that he’s suspicious and doesn’t trust her easily.But this time , he goes to her asks her. He communicates and clears his doubts and reaches a deal. And it’s all sweetness for once.

Soon, their loyalties are tested, and they both hesitate to sort it out on their own. Wang So tries to sort it out all by himself and Hae Soo is hiding the people he’s searching for, eventually confesses to her , she holds back since she has too many warnings and supernatural visions that hold her back, but she does trust him . But it’s too late,and he ends up killing a brother and that haunts him. But that’s what pushes him to realise his place and finally steer him towards his path of being king.But for that when he’s asked to sacrifice Soo, he understands and breaks up with her in the cruelest way possible,by blaming her for his brother’s death.

The thing is, while saying those cruel words, he is also venting his anger out to her. When he returns he is still cold to her , but she still chases after him.She is burdened with guilt,and he cannot deny his feelings. Soon this leads to reincoincillation But thing is, Soo know he left her for the throne, but listens to his other reason anyway.She is beyond the point of no return, desperate to be with him. Hence gets what he wants, the throne and the girl.And they’re happy , for a while.

Until the issue of their marriage comes up,and everyone around Soo reminds her that she cannot marry him and be queen.The whole court urges So to marry Yeonhwa and he holds back, stubborn and he refuses to listen to them.Again Hae Soo ,has to give her approval and seem weak or the bad person.She is willingly talking the burn out for their relationship, both publicly and personally. Meanwhile , So grows more powerful.And he doesn’t back down this time.

He gets more stubborn and set in his ways,and refuses to listen to anyone else, especially now that his word is practically the law.He distances himself from Soo because he’s failed to live up to his promises of marrying her and starts channeling his anger to the Court and Jung .So he doesn’t hold back and starts unleashing his power and vengeance , beginning with Jung when he opposes him, and forbidding him to see his mother.When his mother protests , he forbades him to see her , which causes the queen to go on a hunger protest, asking to see her Jung.

We see Soo try to stop it , yes out of concern for Jung. But only because it’s in her character and she foresees the disastrous consequences, that it could possibly haunt him in the end and it did, in a way he never saw coming. When she sends for him ,he doesn’t reprimand or argue with her,he directly threatens her with punishment , proving he’s finally become the King he’s destined to be. Everything that was Wang So has already submerged into his conscience and only Gwangjong remains.

How could anyone expect her to understand him, when the man who loves her and risked his life for her is now threatening her with punishment, while instilling fear in her ?He’s being a King more than anything else. Jung arrives late and the queen dies.He later berates her for not taking his side, and walks away before she has the chance to apologise or provide comfort. He’s broken yes, but he is also unwilling to listen.Then, he proceeds to kill Chaeryung without an explanation, probably expecting her understanding in that matter too. People still blame Hae Soo , like they do for everything. But it was too much of a shock for her, just watching as she is beaten to death,without any anticipation or explanation.So explains his reason, but it’s too late, the graphic images of what she saw still reel in her head and no excuses can properly apply, because he really did kill her without warning. The reality of the palace becomes clear to Soo, and she makes up her mind.

Meanwhile, Wang So is furious and he blames Wook for all this,and when he goes to his room.He finds Yeonhwa , sitting there trying to trick him into consummating the marriage,but he sees through it.He makes a deal with her to get his revenge against Wook and it involves making the same promise he made to Soo.

So executes his plan to stand up to Wook, but he’s shocked to see Soo stand up to him. He states that he doesn’t like it but he listens to her this time, only because she doesn’t give him the opportunity to walk away by kneeling and she comes up with a good reason.

People point out and sometimes even write lengthy metas defending his actions, romanticising it and citing it as the greatest example of love to ever exist. But they fail to understand why this is considered problematic.It’s problematic because it’s so twisted and it’s bound to have consequences. He’s out here framing his brother, using consummation with his sister as colleteral, and is deriving pleasure out of momentary revange using his position of authority.As if that’s not that’s not bound to have consequences.

As viewers, we have an idea of how conniving Wook is. But the  idea Goryeo’s society has of Wook is he is a wise scholar an benevolent individual, a brother in law of the king who would be gracious enough to marry off his sister to him. He has the ministers in his fingertips, and if the King were to kill him over a bird, it would just prove what they and history have been thinking : That he’s a tyrant and a wolf dog who’s only good at killing people. He’s early into his reign and it would certainly build up a reputation that would not get him respect from the ministers.On top of that this was a guy that blamed himself for killing his brother for years.

And that’s exactly why Soo stops him. Sure she doesn’t want Wook to die, but also doesn’t want So to be remembered only as a bloody king. But this riles up his suspicion and Jealousy and increases his paranoia more than anything else.Next we have Jung , who finally has a chance to use his decree. He goes to Soo, who basically says what she’s been saying all along.  That she wants to leave and there’s no hope for their relationship.She’s honest with him and even confesses her hate.He again doesn’t listen to her and walks away, vowing he’ll never let her go.

And it finally allows Yeonhwa to execute her plans meticulously and for Wook to have his revenge. Wook confesses his past relationship with Soo, and it literally turns his brain upside down.He cannot believe the woman he loves used to love his enemy and she still sticks up for him. And it’s all it takes for his paranoia to sweep in and convince himself that she has never loved him and it was all Wook. He says he’ll never see her again and agrees to let her out of the palace.

I guess his actions after this split truly exhibit the many layers of his characters: his insecurity, his hypocrisy, pride ,vulnerability and jealousy. Insecurity in his feelings for Soo, that she loves someone more than him. That she never loved him and has abandoned him.Jealousy in the fact that she loved and married someone else.I guess these overwhelming emotions make him really vulnerable, and that’s what makes him cry, and still keeps tabs on her, because despite all the anger and hatred , he cannot forget her.

Besides, we cannot discuss his aspects of villainy without discussing his childhood, which is really the cusp of where it all begin. Personally, I think he only survived because he’s Wang So. He Fought back.He never let anyone disrespect him,and he found his own way to derive respect.  I think he deliberately improved on his skills, from combat to education, he improved because he wanted to prove to everyone that’s he much more than what they think. He doesn’t care for people. He only cares for his people. He’s only selfless towards those he cares about.

And that’s where his final and most darkest qualities surface: his pride and hypocrisy.All of his actions, from the beginning to the end, have been influenced by his “pride”. There’s no denying that it’s a big part of his character and the writer made it clear from the get go. We cannot say if it’s because of his traumatic childhood, and how he was treated as a hostage or it really is a underlining element of his personality, but Wang So is all about proving thing this to people. Proving that he is someone who’s much better what they think and getting back at them for putting him through what they did. It’s Soo that makes him see that power can be something more . That it can be used to do something more and help people. It’s she who makes him selfless.

But with that pride and pent up anger, he has this side of him that’s bit of an hypocrite. Why else do you think he’s able to continuously make excuses for all his actions, from the beginning? I’m not sure if it’s because he’s him or hypocrisy is a dominant gene that gets passed on to every member of the Goryeo Royal family and runs fresh in their veins , but just like all of them, he’s an hypocrite. He only sees his side of things.

He blames Soo for leaving him , but he left her as well. Two years prior, and even now. He accuses her of not trusting him and not understanding him , but as we can see , he’s the one with trust issues and he’s the one who misunderstood her feelings. He spies on her and assumes she never loved him , and really, this time he cannot blame anyone else but himself for his actions. It’s because of these actions that they have such a painful separation. He’s so involved with himself at this point , that besides seeing only his side of things, he views himself someone who’s wronged, but he never sees how much he’s actions hurt and affect the ones he’s loved .

There’s no denying that that throne makes him very vulnerable that his insecurities and guard go up times higher , making him isolate people even more. But it’s what makes him such a hypocrite , because he can only see his side of things and excuse anything he does. Especially now that he’s a king , he believes his judgement is better than everyone. Besides, anyone in a position of power, have to be a bit of an hypocrite to begin with. The trick is to not let it completely consume you. But it does and it isolates him, and its what causes him to shut himself from everyone.

In retrospect, I still vehemently hold on to my view that it was best for Hae Soo to leave the palace.With his tunnel vision, once again he never sees the danger he puts Soo in. He tells Soo that she would be his only Queen, but he says the same thing to Yeonhwa to make her give up on her brother. But he doesn’t see that she expects to have him all to herself and be  his “only queen”. So when he plans on making Soo his “second queen” and she has a child on the way, how did he think Yeonhwa will react? With open acceptance and genuine Joy? He’s so blind to her problems and caught up in his struggle, it does not even occur to him how there’s no hope for her in the palace.

All of this problems arise because of all the reasons that I’ve discused in detail. I’m not denying Hae Soo has a part in it, but this is a post focusing on Wang So’s flaws. It’s because he’s possessive, stubborn, arrogant and ignorant that he reaches the conclusion that she never loved him, believes the words of a random spy and spies on her and sees what he wants to see.

There is this thing where people always compare his love to Jung’s and argue that Jung loved better, because he didn't expect anything in return.I would like to remind them that there was a time and Soo didn’t reciprocate Wang so’s feelings and he was ready to sacrifice everything for her. He would drink poison for her. But it all changed when she started loving him back. It’s hard predict how Jung would’ve been if she reciprocated his feelings, but I’m sure he wouldn't’ t have been the same. But where his love triumphs  over So is in the respect he had for her as a person. Jung respected Soo. He respected her choices, her likes and her personality. Whereas,So only agreed with aspects of her personality and disagreed with the rest. He never respected or understood her as a whole. There was no acceptance of her as whole. His love is great but it’s also very suffocating, because there’s no space for her as a whole , flawed person. In his love there’s only space for the Soo he wants her to be: kind, understanding, fun, naive,loyal, and smart. But the stubborn, arrogant, independent, impulsive Soo that can argue back and make her own decisions ? Let’s just say there’s a reason her never listens to her in the first place.

Which is why when the news of her death reaches him and he reads the letters,  The consequences of his actions finally hit and the reality is so cruel he cannot handle it. Which is why he is in so much denial,that he is rushing in the hopes of seeing her one last time. But this time, he’s simply too late.

And this was partly a consequence of his own actions, but it finally hits him: He’s all alone now.He finally understands Hae Soo and longs for her.

The thing is, it wouldn’t have ended up all like this if he had listened to her or apologised. But like mentioned above, all his insecure,dark qualities come together, and bring out his worst self.

But ironically, that’s exactly what Goryeo needed at the time.They needed a king who’s stubborn, not easily influenced and full of pride that will withstand till the end.A king who is powerful enough to push his law through, despite opposition from noble families. And now, he has more than enough reasons to influence him and push him through those decisions. From his horrible childhood to Soo, everything stood as a reason for shaping him into who he is set to become: The powerful 4th King of Goryeo.

But its sadly it’s exactly those qualities destroys his relationship with Soo. As long as he is king, she will be used as his weakness.

My main point in writing this lengthy, tedious post is because to be honest, I’ve seen way to many Wang So stans in this app, who in order to support him, bash and blame other characters for his actions, and look at him through dreamy, swoon worthy glasses. They overlook his flaws and make defences for it, but the things flaws are very much a central point of his character.

He is a passionate lover and an astute King. But he is also is an experienced and skilled warrior, a possessive and jealous man who has no problem with scheming or giving out harsh punishments.He is childish, with trust and mommy issues and he has never recovered from the scars of his childhood. All of which eventually shapes the man he becomes.

Though it’s romantic that he states he will find her wherever she is, even if he does, it won’t bring him the romance or closure he desires. Why? Because, he still has to face the consequences of his own actions. He has to answer why he never came to get her, why he thought she never loved him etc..

He has to learn from his mistakes and understand Soo better.He needs to learn to differentiate love, and to trust her more.He needs to handle his anger properly and not confuse and channel it towards Soo. He needs to respect and understand Soo better, and all of that takes time.And space. And lots of conversations and privacy.

It’s ironic but once again through on his own words, he’s set to prove himself all over again. For all the discussions on “fate”, it seems like he’s deciding his own “fate” now. Again, very heroic but the road to it is very difficult, and there’s no Hae Soo to bear the brunt of making difficult decisions anymore.

But the real question is, whether is the same qualities that drew them apart, will it lead him to her now?

I suppose that’s the roundabout irony we’re all rooting for in the end.

[mirajanefairytailmage]

Rambling About a Show (01/02/2022)

⚠️SPOILERS?!⚠️

So, the last kdrama I had watched in 2021 was Vincenzo. The Kdrama that I started today in 2022 is Lawless Lawyer. Seems like my go to shows when I'm having a rough day is crime/law related. Granted I watched Vincenzo not because I was having a bad time, but because it was recommended to me. Anyhoo, I'm enjoying Lawless Lawyer so far. I've only got five minutes left of episode two. Already I've become an emotional mess over Bong Sang-pil's backstory.

I'm also enjoying the chaotic chemistry between Bong Sang-pil and Ha Jae-yi so far. I'm only two episodes in so I've not too much to say. I've laughed a few times while watching the first episode and during the second episode. Some scenes are just hilarious to me.

I gotta admit it's cool to see Lee Joon-gi go from a misunderstood prince to a lawyer. Because I first saw his acting skills in Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo. I loved his character Wang So / King Gwangjong.

[coreastories]

Greetings From the Winter Palace

FEB 12

Following the subdued elegance of the Corean Awards, we’ve seen and heard precious little of Her Majesty.

His Majesty the King’s office has also been quiet, although the king’s statements continue in the news. 

The palace website now has a static banner that the queen and the baby are well.

And then glorious day! The exclusive telecast message of Their Majesties’ holiday greetings. 

This is a late report about those messages, because unlike certain monarchies with territories across the world, Corea is a small (but wealthy) kingdom, and as such, the messages from their king and queen remain local. 

We were only allowed to publish certain photos. For complete disclosure, this author did scream in the powder room again, like usual, when confronted with these beautiful royals. 

Greetings came from the Winter Palace both for Christmas and the solar new year, and the Lunar New Year, Seollal, which has more significance for Coreans.

December 31st was rather mind-blowing. Previous holidays saw the king make his greeting from the throne room or the Audience Hall. 

But now Coreans would remember this beige couch forever. 

The King and Queen delivered their speech without fuss and without pomp, just two people so happy and also wishing their people the same happiness. 

Unlike Chuseok and Seollal, Christmas and New Year didn’t come with the usual formal greeting from the king and queen in their royal regalia. 

This one was sweet and very modern. It was published exclusively on the palace website with the very simple, “Have a happy Christmas and new year. We wish you joy and health.” 

This just whets our appetite and excitement for the family photos we’d get once these modern royals have children. 

And then just to mess with us, there was also this photo, venturing past sweet and into sizzling hot, which you wouldn’t get from any of the European royals in their stodgy suits and dresses. 

Whether this was a mistake, calculated or not, remains a hot speculation to this day. This photo disappeared from the website about an hour after it went up. 

We have sanction from the Royal Public Affairs Office to publish it here. But we would delete it if they change their minds, so save this photo if you haven’t yet! 

For Seollal, the king and queen published this intimate photo from Gyeoulgungjeon alongside their formal greeting in the royal regalia. Also exclusively posted on the website. 

Winter Palace tidbits

The people of Pyeongchang, particularly Gyeoulchon (literally “winter village”), the village adjacent to the palace, adore the queen. 

We’ve had reports that Their Majesties had excursions to the village, but if smartphones ended up capturing photos and videos, the villagers are being very possessive about them.

I suppose I’ll just have to visit to see any photos. Probably framed, I’m certain! 

We’ve heard talk of the king going to a public sauna. Now THIS is a crime for being undocumented in photographs, although I understand Corea’s men just sweat through their shirts instead of taking them off. 

I wonder if it was connected to the king being spotted several times running around the winter palace? Why? Photo below! 

We’ve also heard talk of the queen and several ladies having a moonlight sleigh ride. Why do these things happen when I’m not there? 

This time, the armed forces of Corea didn’t deploy (like they did when the queen was lost in Seoul-- see our report here) but light flooded the palace and Gyeoulchon, and the Air Forces have been called to assist. 

Introducing Soryeong (Major) Kim Jeong-han, who’s in charge of the ground combat force and military police under the Corean Air Force securing Their Majesties. 

In this photo, holding the gold plaque from Corean Century Awards for Excellence in the Armed Forces, which he received in 2019. 

We did get several delicious photos! Some from the villages, and some from the Royal Public Affairs Office. 

Go here for our report on the queen’s accident in November, which led to a shakeup in Corean laws and an old family going into exile. 

From the Royal Public Affairs Office: Her Majesty being shown Pyeongchang’s wildlife monitoring and preservation statistics for the winter.  

From an unverified source, circulating online: The queen spotted in Gyeoulchon

From an unverified source, circulating online: The photographer is apparently enamored of the queen’s face. I am, too. She’s flawless. 

On that note, while the villagers are keeping their royal photos to themselves, they did post about chatting with the queen. She asked about their children, their work, and they’ve asked her about her skincare. 

YES! Thank you, Gyeoulchon! 

Reports have been consistent that the queen’s answer to questions like this was washing her face with soap and applying moisturizer and sunblock. She also drinks a lot of water. 

I would love to get my hands on the queen’s dresser for a more specific dish on what the queen uses. Her Majesty’s soap is probably not like what we mere mortals know as soap. We have heard rumors of the organic, palace-milled soaps, formulated by the Lady Hae Soo, harking back to the reign of Gwangjong of Goryeo. 

Speaking of kings… here’s His Majesty looking very… well, fit, demonstrating the benefits of a fitness regimen. 

Ajhummas have told me that there’s a very archaic tradition of giving your wife your sweaty shirt to give her strength for her labor. 

Well, the king always looks like he smells good, even in this sweaty photo. And as someone who has reported on events attended by the royals, this author can honestly report he does smell good. 

And I think this is as good a place as any to end these tidbits. More to come soon! 

---------------

CoreaNews is back. Posting all the pent up posts. So sorry for being inactive. Hello, new followers! I’m more active on Twitter @CoreaStories, but also not much. I’m so awful with social. But I do reply there (takes me some time), and I’m still writing. I will finish these. Everything is outlined. Work just bit me in posterior hard. :) Check on CoreaStories on AO3 and Wattpad too. 

With very fond thanks to @di-elle​ for the image edits. 

Bonus points for everyone spotting the references to other K-dramas I've watched since I last updated. :) 

[iamdespair]

fate is not fade away

[mystiika]

  under the cut i present a very long ( but still incomplete ) list of characters i think would be fun to write but am not sure if i’d ever add to the blog. i just thought it would be fun to make

live action shows & movies:

spencer reid ( criminal minds ) 

charlie eppes ( numb3rs )

jake peralta ( brooklyn 99 ) 

mary poppins ( mary poppins; listed as movie based without book influence )

beck oliver ( victorious )

justin russo ( wizards of waverly place )

klaus hargreeves ( the umbrella academy )

matthew crawley ( downton abbey )

oreo ( guardians of the galaxy; listed as movie based without comic influence )

novels:

westley ( princess bride ) 

four / tobias eaton ( divergent )

nicholas flamel ( the alchemyst )

will treaty ( ranger's apprentice )

septimus heap ( septimus heap )

artemis fowl ( artemis fowl )

american/european cartoon shows or movies:

prince derek ( the swan princess ) 

genie ( aladdin )

maui ( moana )

beast boy ( teen titans )

milo james thatch ( atlantis: the lost empire ) 

bmo ( adventure time )

shego ( kim possible )

danny phantom ( danny phantom )

jake long or athur spudinski ( jake long american dragon )

hiccup horrendous haddock iii ( how to train your dragon ) 

dipper pines ( gravity falls )

brandon ( winx club )

webtoons:

cadis etrama di raizel ( noblesse )

han jeehan ( the gamer )

song jaegu ( girls of the wild ) 

kdramas:

ko dong man ( fight for my way )

nam shin & android nam shin iii ( are you human )

wang so / king gwangjong ( moon lovers: scarlet heart ryeo )

japanese anime & manga:

izumi miyamura ( horimiya ) arata kaizaki but also kazuomi oga ( relife ) 

sebastian michaelis ( kuroshitsuji/black butler )

takashi morinozuka ( ouran high school host club ) 

howl pendragon ( howl's moving castle )

bulat ( akame ga kill )

legoshi ( beastars; please do not judge me )

other misc & mixed media:

bagheera ( jungle book )

winnie the pooh ( winnie the pooh )

[dreamingsnowflake2013]

The Greatest Kings

I’ve received some disgruntled messages about comparing Jinheung and Wang So in one of my previous posts and coming to a conclusion that Jinheung was in some ways similar to Wang So. All I can say is: WELL, HE ISN’T NOW! I miss the Jinheung from the first 6 episodes where he was so much stronger, self-confident and aware of his position and right to the throne. I miss the man who was ready to fight the whole world to claim what was rightfully his. This must be the first time EVER that I have seen a character REGRESSING instead of developing.

Moon Lovers had its own flaws but there is no doubt that compared to Hwarang it’s highly superior drama, especially the portrayal and development of Wang So. Mostly because the writer there understood that the greatest monarchs of Goryeo and the Three Kingdoms were no modern pacifists - they were ABSOLUTE MONARCHS, CONQUERORS, WARRIORS WHO FOUGHT WARS AND KILLED AND PUNISHED THEIR ENEMIES TO CONSOLIDATE POWER because that’s how they managed to make all the reforms and memorable deeds they are remembered for today. Taking that away from them is the greatest injustice a writer can do to historical figures like them. Unlike Jinheung,Wang So wasn’t reduced to a mere love interest; his main objective in the first 15 episodes of ML might have been gaining Hae Soo’s love and protecting his loved ones but that’s because he was in different position than Jinheung - he WAS NOT THE KING NOR A CROWN PRINCE, in fact as the 4th Prince he was so low in the line of succesion that he had no reasons to believe or hope that he would one day become a king. He never lived with those responsibilities, so naturally his actions and character were never ruled or shaped by them like Jinheung’s were (but mostly only at the beginning, unfortunately).

Some might argue that Jinheug isn’t the main character of the story in Hwarang, but he still is the second most important character AND HE STILL IS ONE OF THE GREATEST KINGS KOREA EVER HAD. This is the man who founded Hwarang, the man who made the unification of the Three Kingdoms possible and the shrewd politician who in 551 allied with Baekje to attack Goguryeo, only to turn on his former ally 2 years later, allying with Goguryeo instead, and attacked Baekje. It was the biggest conquest on the Korean Peninsula until the unification of the Three Kingdoms. JINHEUNG DESERVES BETTER THAN THE TREATMENT THE DRAMA HAS GIVEN HIM.

[ylkawrytes]

Thoughts: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

I waited two whole years to watch the final 7 episodes of Scarlet Heart Ryeo. I stopped at 13 in December 2016 because I read that the ending was going to be tragic. I didn’t want to deal with the headache because up until episode 13, I really was rooting for both leads. That changed a few days ago when I finally finished the series. And I believe that the ending is justified. I don’t even think it’s tragic.

In short, Wangso and Haesoo are very different people. And it’s not because she came from the future. It’s because they didn’t match each other in any aspect, except maybe, visuals - because both are gorgeous people. Right, back to the not-exactly tragic ending. Even if she was a woman of Goryeo, the conclusion would still be the same. She couldn’t see past Wangso being Gwangjong and wanting to have him all to herself; while Wangso had a whole country to run, technically thousands of people to worry about every single day. Two very different people loving each other very differently - what could ever come out of it?

In the beginning, their so-called love was an obsessive neediness on Wangso’s part, rather than a healthy attraction towards Haesoo. He could set the whole world on fire for her, and he would. But towards the end she simply became someone he desired; just another person he could live without. She was no longer someone he needed because other than emotional comfort, she had nothing else to give - no views on politics, no significant family name to offer in support of the throne, she was not even fully committed to the relationship as her visions of him as Gwangjong was always in the back of her mind. She’d always had one foot out the door, ready to drop everything and leave at the first sign of trouble.

These two characters don’t see eye to eye on anything - let’s take Wangso’s marriage to Yeonhwa as an example. This one is easy to explain. I know it’s messed up because she was his half-sister, but marrying into royalty was the only way to concentrate power at that time, while marrying a woman from a noble clan would mean an increase of influence of noble families. And if you have a little bit of knowledge in Goryeo history, you’d know that noble families have their own armies. As a king, you can’t have these people becoming stronger because they might join other clans and raise a rebellion against you. You’d want them tame enough to be on your side to fight for you. In order to do that, support has to come from within the royalty - not the nobles - so making Yeonhwa queen was the only clear choice. Basically, marrying Yeonhwa means more power, more power guarantees Haesoo’s safety and we all know that was all he ever wanted.

Right. Marrying Yeonhwa was something he had to do, he needed a queen with the right family name to secure his position on the throne in order to keep Haesoo safe. Because the only way for him to be with her, and to protect her, was by becoming the most powerful man in the kingdom. Leaving the throne for her would seem like a good idea if you don’t consider the fact that the moment another king rises, all males who are possible threats to the throne will be killed. And Wangso was always seen as a threat to the other princes, long before he even wanted to be king. So if you don’t think he was going to be the first to die right after another Wang rises, you’re wrong.

Haesoo seemed to fail to understand this and the other decisions he made in order to stay together with her - which explains my point; they are not a match, thus they are not meant to be together. For Haesoo, having one man to love was enough, as long as he loves her back. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, having a limited outlook on life. However, the man she half-heartedly loved was destined for something bigger and she didn’t have a place in that grand scheme. She never had. It reminds me of the Chinese proverb ‘to have fate without destiny’ which describes two people who are fated to meet each other but are not destined to be together. It’s sad, but that’s just how life is. We can’t have everything.

They are very different people, Haesoo and Wangso. She didn’t want much, didn’t need much. She didn’t even want him enough to try to understand his difficult decisions. She wanted a man who could stay loyal to only her, and she actually had him. Wangso could never love another as much as he had loved her even if we offer him ten more Goryeos. But they viewed the world differently. What to her was disloyalty was an obligation for him as the king and unfortunately, that wasn’t the only problem.

There was a universe of differences and two millenia’s worth of Korean history between them. It’s just not possible to be born in the 21st century and comprehend the political choices of the royalties in Goryeo and that’s fine. It’s also not possible to both be born to serve and at the same time hope to make choices only people with power should, and that’s fine, too. That’s just how things were. That’s why they couldn’t stay together. That’s why it wouldn’t have worked even if she was a woman of Goryeo.

Personally, I do feel that if Haesoo had been decisive and less insecure, things might have been different but then again, that’s not the point of the story. It has never been that. Because some things are just not meant to be and life does get crazy sometimes. There’ll be moments when everything in your life will go so wrong that you just wanna quit and let everything go, but giving up wouldn’t be one of the choices. You just have to pull through and grow, no matter what. And that’s all there is to the so-called tragedy that is the ending of Scarlet Heart Ryeo. But I really don’t think it’s a mess. I believe they both deserved better, just not each other.

[overthinkingkdrama]

Old Souls

{A Scarlet Heart: Ryeo fan fiction}

Set immediately after the end of episode 20.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Jin Woo froze, momentarily forgetting the storm around them. He turned back and looked at her over his shoulder and in his moment of hesitation she closed the gap between them.

“I’m right aren’t I?”

“So what? It doesn’t change anything.”

“How can you say that?”

“I’ve already made up my mind.”

“You weren’t even going to tell me, were you?”

Jin Woo tried to keep his face impassive, though every word was a twist of the knife. “I thought it would make it easier.”

“Easier for who? For you?”

“No, I just…I thought if you had to resent someone, better it was just me. Just his lookalike, a fool who knew nothing.”

“Is that all you take me for? Did you still think that was all you were to me? A substitute? You haven’t understood me at all.” Her voice trembled, “It wasn’t like that.”

“It doesn’t matter.” He said, “All that matters is I don’t want to be with you anymore.”

“Of course it matters. I have the right to hear the truth from you.”

“What exactly do you expect me to say?”

“Just give me the real reason. Don’t feed me a line about not seeing a future together.” She was shouting over the wind, “You should have just been honest with me from the start!”

“No you! You should have told me what I was before—” He raised his voice to match hers for the first time, “When you met me that day, you shouldn’t have hung onto me. You should have run the other direction. If I had known then what meeting you meant…I would never have approached you in the first place.”

With night starting to close in, the sky opened up at last. Rain began to fall in driving sheets, soaking them through in seconds. He turned again to go, but she caught hold of his sleeve and held him back.

“Don’t say you regret meeting me. You don’t mean that.”

He fought down his revulsion at his own words, pulling his arm away from her, “I’m sorry, but I do.”

For the first time that fierce look in her eyes wavered and her expression began to crumble. Dammed up tears spilled over, running like the rain, freely down her face. Her tears were more terrible than her anger had been, because he couldn’t even reach for her, to comfort her.

He couldn’t keep looking at her, and so he fled again. He made it ten more paces up the beach when his vision turned white, blinded by a flash of lightning. The air around him fizzed with electricity, making the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck stand on end. Almost at the same instant as the flash, he was deafened by a clap of thunder like a grenade going off. He ducked instinctively, throwing his arms over his head. When he recovered he looked back, and Ha Jin was on the ground.

A moment of primal fear gripped his heart.

“Ha Jin-ah!” He quite nearly flew to her side, kneeling next to her. “Gwaenchanha?”

To his relief she was awake, apparently unharmed. In her fright she must have dropped to the sand.

“Let’s get under cover. Quickly.”

Without thinking he grabbed hold of her hand and together they ran. He held up one arm to shield his eyes from the rain, looking around for somewhere to hide. Somewhere close by, closer than the pension. His gaze fell on a derelict old boathouse. It wouldn’t be comfortable, but it had four walls and roof.

“Come on.” He wrapped an arm around Ha Jin as they continued to run over uneven ground, holding her up when she stumbled. After a few moments he managed to force the door open wide enough for the two of them to slip inside and wrestle against the wind to shut it again.

The space was claustrophobic and the air stale. Jin Woo blinked, still wiping water away from his eyes. It was more a shed than a boathouse, stacked wall to wall with disused netting, rotting ropes, and yard after yard of old canvas. There was just enough space for the two of them to stand, facing one another. The only light came from the cracks along the edges of the door, and even that was quickly dying.

They stood in silence, listening to the sounds of the storm now raging outside and their own heavy breathing.

After a few moments Jin Woo started. “When the storm subsides we’ll—”

But Ha Jin cut him off, “I could never accept it,” She said, “No matter how many letters I sent without reply. No matter how many days passed without word of you…I didn’t let myself believe it. That you could really hate me.”

“Is that what you think this is about?”

“However far away you were, even though we parted so badly, I kept telling myself we were still in each other’s hearts.”

“Do you believe that? That Wang So died hating you?”

“You remember everything, but say we still can’t be together. Could there be another reason?”

“Would we have gone through all of this if he hated you? Would I be standing here now and would I—he, have fought so desperately to reach for you if he—if I had hated you?”

Jin Woo was losing track of his pronouns again. It wasn’t always easy. The memories of himself, of his past life, where he had lived as King Gwangjong, they mingled with those of his present. Sometimes the two bled together. He wasn’t Wang So. His experiences, his perspective, they had changed him. But he wasn’t exactly Jin Woo anymore either. Was he something in between? Or someone else entirely? He was still trying to figure that out.

“Wang So loved you, Ha Jin.” He said, “No. It went beyond that. You were an obsession for him. Because no matter how he grasped at you, he could never have you. Not in the way he wanted. Even when he thought he hated you, his hate was still a part of his love. And even that pitiful hate died with you.” Wang So’s grief overwhelmed him. It was too vast, too old, Jin Woo’s mind could not contain the breadth of it. Every time he thought he could comprehend it, it slipped away from him again, revealing new depths Jin Woo had never imagined. Against his own judgment he reached out toward Ha Jin. Taking her by the arms, he felt the wet fabric of her blouse where it clung to her skin. “You were everything. You were the only thing…and when you went away it was like all the light went out of the world.”

“Why then?” Her face was close enough he could feel her breath on his skin. Unconsciously, he’d begun to draw her closer, but he caught himself this time, dropping his hands to his sides and pulling back.

“Because I hate him.” His voice cracked as he spoke, “He…ruined…you. He ruined everything. He locked you up in that miserable place with him because he couldn’t stand the thought of being alone. He bound your wings and broke your spirit. And when he’d taken everything he could take from you he cast you out, to sicken and fade away, waiting for him. That’s why. I can’t let him do it again. I despise him.”

“Don’t say that. That isn’t what happened.”

“He’s a monster, Ha Jin.”

“Don’t talk about him like you know, when you haven’t even tried to understand him.”

“I will never understand him. I can’t. But you kept on trying too, didn’t you? However undeserving he was you gave him your empathy and your forgiveness. You would do so even now, because that’s the kind of person you are, Ha Jin. That’s why people wound and betray you. But I’m not going to let you this time.”

“He wasn’t only the way you said. To me he was—he was—” Ha Jin stammered her protests, but Jin Woo didn’t want to hear her defending Wang So.

He spoke over her, “Ji Mong talked about self-perpetuating karma. The same fates playing themselves out again and again over different lifetimes. I’ve always been making the same choices, the same mistakes. In my greed clinging onto you, giving into my ambition. Trapping the two of us in this cycle of blood and pain. But you don’t deserve to be dragged down with me. This tragedy is one of my own design. For me this is justice, but not for you. You deserve to be happy, to be free. While I…I deserve to lose you. I was warned a long time ago that if I tried to force an ill-fated love, against the will of Heaven, it would mean disaster. This has to end. I should be the one to end it.”

When Jin Woo had finished speaking, there was no immediate answer. Night had fallen as they spoke and the gale only made it darker. They stood there together in the boathouse as they started to shiver. Several strikes of lightning flashed outside, briefly lighting the room around them. Jin Woo tried to get a look at Ha Jin’s face. To his surprise he saw she looked calm, almost serene now. When her voice came back to him he could tell something had changed.

“Perhaps…” She said, “Perhaps you’re right. Perhaps the stars are set against us.” They always have been, he thought, why should now be any different? “I understand what you’re thinking. You’re trying to spare me pain in the future. I see that now. But I’m here, standing in front of you, telling you that I won’t be happier without you. I won’t be okay. Walk away from me if you must, but know it won’t end there. Even if we become like strangers, you’re someone I could never forget. No matter what name you go by, what world you fly to, I will find you and I will love you again.”

He felt more than saw her shift closer to him, sensing the warmth of her very near though not touching. He tried to back away further, but there was no more room. His heel butted up against a coil of rope, nearly throwing him off balance.

“But then again,” She said, and her voice was soft, almost a whisper, “Perhaps you’re wrong. Perhaps the fact that we’ve met like this, in this place, means that we’ve both suffered enough. Isn’t a thousand years of loneliness enough punishment for anyone? Maybe it means we’re allowed to try again, to love each other with all our hearts. Maybe it’s not a cycle at all. Maybe it’s something like redemption.”

“We can’t know that. It’s not a chance I’m willing to take.”

“Well, I am. Haven’t I lost as much as you did? I understand the risks too. But you don’t know Heaven’s will any more than I do. Is that a reason we shouldn’t try?”

“I wish I had your confidence but I don’t trust myself. What if I hurt you again?”

“You know, there’s something I learned from King Taejo. Your father. He said life was far too brief. He also told me that I should never let the fear of tomorrow steal happiness from today.” As she said this he felt her reach for him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his mouth down to hers. His entire body stiffened, trying to hold himself back, but as the kiss went on he remembered something new. Beyond that hint of coffee, the sweetness of her lip gloss, he remembered the taste that only she had. The one that had lingered in his mouth for days after their first kiss. How the memory of that flavor had tried to drive him crazy long after that.

God, how he had wanted her. He could feel his hands beginning to tremble with desire as he wound her rain soaked hair though his fingers. Centuries of unfulfilled longing finally finding its object. The intensity of it scared him.

This feeling scared him.

Enough that he finally managed to push her away.

“Ha Jin-ah…please.” His voice was rough and uneven, “Don’t hang onto me. I can’t…”

“Why can’t you?”

“What if I change? What if I ruin everything again? What if I…break you? I’ve been carrying around my past like a bad omen. What if when it finally catches up with me, it falls on you too?”

“This is my choice to make.”

“How can I let you go through all of that again?”

“What makes you think it’s the same situation? Things are different now. Back then I was never once allowed to have what I wanted. Whatever I reached for was snatched away. Happiness, freedom, love…they were all taken from me. I had to watch the ones I loved fight and die around me. I had to watch others sacrifice themselves for me. That was the kind of world we lived in. Even though I knew the future and tried to change it, I couldn’t protect what I wanted. And even you. You used to tell me I wasn’t allowed to leave you, I wasn’t allowed to die without your permission. But we parted and I died. Neither of us could stop it. But we’re not in the palace anymore. And I’m going to fight for what I want.”

Jin Woo floundered for the words he needed, his defenses were abandoning him now, “I don’t know when or how, but things will fall apart again. Like they always do. I’ll break your heart or I’ll make you hate me. How could I ever make that up to you? How can I dare to love you after everything I did?”

“I thought you remembered everything,” She said, “Why does it seem like you only remember the cruelty and the pain? Where did the beauty go? The time you ignored propriety and carried me on your back because my knee was aching. When you stood by my side for hours in the rain against your father’s command. The day you drank poison to protect me. And the way those hands, which they trained for violence, became impossibly soft when they held me. Do you really not remember?”

“I’ve forgotten all the good moments, Ha Jin. I only remember is the way it ended.”

“Then, my darling,” She wrapped her arms around him again, pressing her head against his chest, “Let me remind you.”

Jin Woo could feel his resolve beginning to evaporate. The longer she held him, he knew, the harder it would be to let her go. “Even so…” He said, “I can’t stop thinking about it. How you died. How you waited. How I read your letter too late. I can’t…I don’t think I can forgive myself.”

“I forgave you a long time ago. I do so freely.”

“I…I hate myself.”

“But I love you. I’ll help teach you how.” She held him even tighter. “Did you hear me? I said I love you. Past, present and future. Whatever name you have, whatever world you fly to, whatever past lives we share. In pieces and altogether. I love you. I’m sorry it took me so long to say it.”

“Why? Why love me?”

Without letting him go she drew her head back, looking up into his face. He could just barely make out the storm lights in her large dark eyes. “Because you’re mine. My person.” And she kissed him again.

Jin Woo allowed himself to surrender to the softness of the kiss. Folding her into his arms again, finally allowing himself to hold her back. She had declared him hers and who was he to argue? Surrender was sweet.

He was unsure of how long they remained like that, holding on to each other. The storm winds still howled outside, not abating. He only spoke when he felt Ha Jin shivering.

“What was that? Are your teeth chattering?”

“I’m cold.”

“Do you have that jacket I brought you?”

She shrugged, “I think I lost it when we were running.”

He didn’t know why but he found himself laughing. They disentangled briefly and Jin Woo pulled out a raggedy old tarp for them to sit on, covering the chilly concrete floor with it. He sat down, nestling into a pile of nets that smelled like mildew and bad fish, but at least it was mildly more comfortable than standing. “Come here,” He said. He reached for Ha Jin and pulled her down into his lap, wrapping his arms around her, gently chafing her back and arms to warm them until the shivering stopped.

“Do you think we’ll have to stay here all night?”

“I don’t think it’s stopping any time soon. We should wait until the thunder stops and make a run for it.”

“I don’t want to run anymore.” She whined.

“Well I don’t want you to catch pneumonia, and we could both use some dry clothes.”

She didn’t protest more, resting her head on his shoulder. He listened to her breathing grow more even, feeling her chest rise and fall as she began to doze like that, completely spent. Despite what he had said, Jin Woo could have stayed like that all night. Even as his back began to ache and his legs fell asleep, he was so content. Peaceful, for the first time since this whole mess started. At unity with himself.

This won’t last forever, he realized. Though the thought didn’t trouble him as it should have. There was nothing he could do to change or run from it. There would be times, perhaps soon, when he didn’t feel this certain. When he would begin to feel afraid and try to push her away. He knew that about himself. This was going to be a daily struggle. To accept her love, to feel himself deserving of it. It wouldn’t be easy to stay this brave. They were both complex beings, a little of light and a little of darkness. Just to live, just to love someone with the whole of himself was uncharted territory. But he found himself thinking, for the first time, that that was okay. Because he didn’t want to run anymore.

This is the kind of thing other couples worry about too, he thought. It’s normal. For some reason that thought delighted him.

It was another hour or more before Jin Woo decided it was safe to venture out. It was still raining when they left and what little drying their clothes had managed in the meantime was rendered irrelevant by the time they made it back to their room. The two of them helped each other out of their wet clothes and warmed up their bodies in the shower. When the hot water ran out they buried themselves beneath the blankets on the bed, not bothering to dry their hair or put on those dry clothes they’d been trying to get back to.

Jin Woo should have been sore and exhausted, but those things seemed to vanish when she touched him, setting his heart pounding against his chest. He fought sleep, not wanting to miss an instant of this. Of course they’d had each other many times before, in a dozen different ways both here and in Goryeo. Jin Woo couldn’t say that this time everything was new. Rather it was as though each motion, each familiar sensation connected to a thousand long lost associations. There was no unspoken desire too secret, no door that remained locked between them. Instead, they had never been freer nor more shameless in the enjoyment of one another.

When sleep did come, it crept up on them like a thief, finding them still tangled up in each other. The last thought that passed through Jin Woo’s fast fading consciousness was that they may well still be barreling headlong toward a bad ending, flouting the gods and the stars, but he couldn’t care. Even if that was so, life was far too short to try to live without this woman. It was better, far better, to march toward calamity at her side than to face it alone.

When Ha Jin woke first to the patter of light island rain still falling outside, she was wrapped in Jin Woo’s arms. She stayed as perfectly still as she could, enjoying his warmth all around her, the smell of his skin. She felt so safe there, she didn’t want to leave. But even though she closed her eyes, sleep remained elusive.

Carefully she started to extricate herself from him, moving slowly so as not to wake him up. When she managed to get a little space between them she climbed out of bed, stubbing her toe in the dark as she searched for her luggage. She settled for Jin Woo’s instead and throwing on one of his t-shirts before slipping back into bed. She remained a little apart from him this time, watching him sleep as the sun rose and light slowly filtered in from outside.

Not so long ago she remembered waking in Jin Woo’s bed like this and being frightened by the smoothness of his skin. The lack of scars or visible traces of the 4th prince’s history. Now she thought it had been an illusion. Though she couldn’t see them, the mental scars they had taken from Goryeo were still very much with them. She wondered how much longer those would take to fade, if they ever would.

Absently she began to trace with her fingertips the places where those scars had been. The wound So had taken in his shoulder from that arrow, which had never healed quite right, always remaining puckered and red. The slash marks on his chest, she’d never been sure if they were from the claws of beasts or the blades of men. She’d never had the will to ask him. And then the one that had given him the most pain, the scar on his face left on him by his mother. She knew the shape of it by heart. She began to draw it across the bridge of his nose and down his cheek with her index finger. She was happy he would never have to look at it again. It’s a relief, she thought.

Her touch disturbed him and he rolled away from her in his sleep.

Staring in the half-light at his back and broad shoulders, Ha Jin felt suddenly, horribly isolated and alone.

There’s no reason, she thought, no reason I should be anything but happy. Why do I feel so empty instead?

Ha Jin couldn’t stay in bed any longer, so she got up and walked toward the sliding door onto the porch and opened it a hand’s breadth, looking out at the sea. The sky was beginning to brighten and the clouds of last night’s storm were being swept away, but as she watched the surf rolling in, she was struck with another pang of unutterable emptiness and she was hard pressed not to cry.

What the hell is wrong with me?

She heard a creak of bed-springs as Jin Woo got up, and though she didn’t look over her shoulder she felt him come up behind her, wrapping her up with him in a blanket from the bed and resting his chin on the top of her head.

“Why are you out of bed?” He said groggily, kissing her hair.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Who says we have to sleep?” He said, chuckling softly. But when she didn’t reply he remained quiet, holding her like that for a long time while they watched the sky slowly change colors.

“Well, if you’re not going to come back to bed, how about we go for a walk before the beach fills with people?” She agreed to this, and they finally dressed. Despairing of untangling her hair without considerable effort, she pulled it back into scarf, throwing on a sweater over a long sundress and not bothering with any makeup.

Her feet and legs were still sore from hours of unaccustomed walking the day before, but it felt better to be doing something than to remain anxiously in their room.

“Can I hold your hand?” Jin Woo asked, strangely bashful by daylight considering everything they’d done the night before.

She held her hand out and he took it. Jin Woo was positively beaming as they wound their leisurely way along the shoreline. Ha Jin didn’t want to do anything to dampen his spirits, trying to hide her strange mood beneath a false smile. Walking side by side like this, the hollow feeling in her heart not only lingered but seemed to grow. Something was missing, incomplete.

“You know, I always wanted to bring you somewhere like this again. I never had the chance, though.” He said, grinning, “This is so…I don’t know…domestic. Going for a walk on the beach. Like what normal couples do.”

“I guess so.” She replied, in a muted tone.

“It’s nice.”

They continued in silence for a while longer, Jin Woo perhaps reading her subdued mood, gazing out at the water. They walked until the path they were on ended abruptly at a rocky breakwater and they were forced to turn back, walking even slower on the return trip. Stepping into the footprints they’d left in the wet sand going in the other direction.

Without warning, Jin Woo said, “I want kids. Do you think you want children?”

“Why all of a sudden…?” Ha Jin gave a nervous laugh at the unexpected question.          

“I was just curious. I really want kids. At least two. A boy and a girl.” Ha Jin must have looked as startled as she felt because he continued, “I don’t mean right now. We can get married first if you want. I just thought you should know.”

Maybe in another moment she would have felt differently, but her head was in no place for a spur of the moment proposal. She tried to play it off as a joke, “Gee. Marriage and children. You sure made a turnaround from wanting to break up with me yesterday.”

“You’re right. Sorry,” He said, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand and looking contrite. “I’m not trying to give you whiplash. I’ve never been very good at doing things halfway, I guess. If I’ve decided to be with you, that means I want to be all the way with you. Without holding anything back. No need to rush anything, I understand if you want to time to find your feet. But I want to be honest.”

Ha Jin didn’t know what to say to this so she said nothing.

He went on, “I want to try everything with you, all over again. For the first time. I want to go on dates and hold hands and travel to places like this. I want to live freely with you while I have the chance. To live as well as I possibly can for you. I want another chance to marry you, properly this time. And I want a little girl who looks like you…”

Something finally clicked into place. The empty feeling at the center of her, the reason her happiness was incomplete, she had remembered. Ha Jin came to a standstill, her fingers slipping out of Jin Woo’s hand.

I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. My Han Byul. My little girl.

Jin Woo took another two steps before looking back at her, “What is it? Did I say something wrong?”

Through her sorrow Ha Jin tried to speak, but at first she couldn’t. Tears had started to fall, and once they started they wouldn’t stop. She was imagining the last time she had seen her baby, realizing as Jin Woo took her by the shoulders, searching her face for an explanation, he doesn’t even know. How do I tell him?

Finally she managed, “You and I…we had…we already…I never told you...the real reason I had to leave the palace.”

For a few more seconds Jin Woo frowned, eyes full of concern, trying to make sense of her words, but almost as quickly his brow cleared with a realization. He pulled her into an embrace. “Shh, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”

Between racking sobs she gasped, “You don’t…understand…I…”

“You don’t have to explain. I already know.”

“…What?”

“Here I’ve been wondering what I could do to repay what I owe you. I didn’t realize all this time there was something I could still give you. I’m sorry I didn’t think of it sooner.”

When she had caught her breath somewhat she said, “What are you talking about?”

Jin Woo smiled at her tenderly, wiping the tears from her face with his thumbs, “Do you want me to tell you about our daughter?”

They spent the next few hours with Jin Woo telling her everything he could think of about Han Byul. Not always in order, not always coherently, but with animation and warmth.

“First and foremost,” He said, as though reading her mind, “Jung kept his promise to you. She never lived in the palace as long as I was alive.” Apparently the 14th prince had remained fiercely insistent that the little girl was nobody’s but his own. Even long after Wang So knew the truth about her origin, he would never admit otherwise. It was only years later, under the influence of strong liquor and after much protest that he had even admitted that Hae Soo was the real mother, that she had begged him never to let Han Byul go into the palace.

So hadn’t found out about her until several years after Soo’s death, and even that was an accident on Jung’s part. “My brother broke his exile. Left his hometown and made the journey with her to Song’ak for your death anniversary. That was when I knew.” He said. On the day very So had met Han Byul, Jung’s exile was lifted. “We came up with an arrangement. He would bring his ‘daughter’ to the capital once a year. In return, I would never ask him to send her to the court.”

“Tell me again,” Ha Jin asked, “What she looked like.”

“She resembled you. She had your hair and your eyes. From what I heard she could be very stubborn when she set her mind to something. And naturally Jung spoiled her to death.” From everything So had seen or heard, Jung was the most doting father one could have asked for. “It’s funny, she had your looks and your spirit, but all of her facial expressions were Jung’s.”

That image made Ha Jin laugh, thinking of how wild the 14th prince had been in his youth, and then her laughter almost set her off crying again. “I really wish I could have seen her.”

“She would have loved you. She did love you in her own way. Jung taught her to love your memory. He would tell her about you the way I’m telling you about her now. She came to the stone pagodas every year to preform your rites.”

Ha Jin could tell that despite his demeanor, it wasn’t easy for Jin Woo to talk about these things. Especially when he spoke about his brother, his eyes grew clouded. They never fully reconciled, I suppose, after what happened with their mother…The thought made her sad and she dismissed it quickly. A conversation for another day.

“It’s so strange. I hardly knew her but I miss her so much it aches when I think about her.”

“Well, you’re a mother. She’s a part of you, even now. If you had gotten the chance to watch her grow up you would have been an amazing mother. You would be again, if you ever chose to.”

“Thank you for talking about it like this. You don’t know how grateful…”

“Don’t be grateful. I’m happy to do it. I miss her too. Whenever you like, as often as you like, you just have to ask and I’ll tell you everything all over again.”

After listening to all this, the hollow place in Ha Jin’s heart—the  place where she now realized Han Byul fit—didn’t disappear, but it was filled somewhat by Jin Woo’s recovered memories of the little girl, growing into a happy and healthy young woman, far away from the dangers of the palace. Even if she was far out of Ha Jin’s reach, it was a comforting to know that she had managed to protect her daughter in the end. And who knew if they wouldn’t see each other again someday?

By the time they turned back up at the pension it was already lunch time. The ahjumma who owned the place greeted them both with almost too much enthusiasm and inquired—Ha Jin thought a bit cheekily—about how they had slept the night before. She served Ha Jin a double portion of rice, saying something in Jin Woo’s ear as she passed by. Ha Jin thought she heard the words “honeymoon baby” and something about red ginseng.

“What did she just say?” Ha Jin asked when she was gone, but he only turned bright red, filling his mouth with food and refusing to answer.

They whiled away the rest of the day in a senseless and haphazard way, enjoying each other’s company. Before she knew it dinner had passed them by and then the sun was setting. Where has the day gone?

“I wish we could stay here for a few more days. Two nights isn’t enough.” She said, as they were walking back to their room.

“We can come back if you like. Someday. When we both have more time to explore the island.”

“I’d like that.”

Ha Jin wandered into the en suite and caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her hair was a mess of snarls and rats nets. She let out an audible yelp as she untied the scarf that had been barely holding it in check. “I can’t believe you let me run around with sex hair all day.”

“I don’t think anyone noticed.”

“Tell that to the pension owner. No wonder she couldn’t stop snickering every time she saw me.”

"Bring your comb out here,” Jin Woo said, “I’ll brush it out for you.”

Ha Jin did as she was told, sitting cross-legged in front of Jin Woo on the bed while he gently began to work the tangles out of her long black hair.

“I’ve been thinking about something. I want your opinion.” He said.

“Mmm.” Ha Jin had her eyes closed, enjoying the sensation of Jin Woo playing with her hair, despite the occasional tug on her scalp. “Is it about having a baby? Because I’m going to need a few days to adjust to the idea.”

“No, it’s not about that.” He paused for a while before continuing. “What do you think about me, possibly, leaving my firm?”

“Why? To start you own practice?”

“No. I’ve been thinking I would quit practicing law all together.”

She tried to turn her head sharply to look at him, causing him to pull her hair. “Ouch.”

“Sorry.”

Ha Jin didn’t know much about his job, but she had always had the impression that he worked for a very prestigious and competitive law firm. And besides a few recent rough patches—most of which were in some way related to her—she knew he was very good at what he did. “Haven’t you always wanted to be a lawyer?”

“I’ve always wanted to earn my father’s approval.” He said. “I don’t think I’ve ever really wanted to be a lawyer.”

“What would you do instead?”

“That’s kind of the reason I wanted to talk to you about it.” She wished that she was facing him so she could try to read his expression. His voice sounded distant. “You know that Ji Mo—I mean Professor Choi is still studying what happened to us, don’t you? Looking into the possibility that there might be others like you and me. Other reincarnations. Other time slips.”

She hadn’t. She knew that he was looking for Wang Moo, but she had never even considered the idea that it went further than that. And Ji Mong had never mentioned it, perhaps on purpose to keep from upsetting her.

When she didn’t reply Jin Woo continued, “Well I’ve been thinking of ways that I could help him.”

“Help him? Why?”

“I don’t believe what happened to you and the Professor was an accident. I don’t believe it was an isolated incident either. I’ve always dismissed the possibility of the supernatural out of hand, but I can’t ignore everything that’s happened to me. If there is a reason you went back, then there’s a reason that you and I are here right now. There might be something bigger on the horizon. A greater purpose behind all of this. I want to find out what that is.” He ran the brush through the length of her hair several more times before saying, “There, all finished.”

Ha Jin swept her hair over one shoulder and began to braid it loosely for sleep. Slowly she turned to face Jin Woo, studying his eyes.

“What are you thinking?” He asked.

“I guess I’m just taken aback. I thought you would want to leave all of this behind us, to try to forget. But instead you want to dig further. I don’t know what to say.”

“The thing is, I don’t think forgetting is an option. I wish it was. I wish I could go on with my life as though nothing has changed, but I don’t think I can. Any more than I could disown a part of my soul. These memories of the past are a part of me, they’ve changed me. If this is who I am now, then I don’t want to live my life blindly. Does that make sense?”

“I think so.”

“Does it scare you?”

She began to say, “A little bit, but—”

He added hastily, “If you tell me not to, I won’t. If it would make you unhappy, then I don’t want to do it.”

“Let me finish. It scares me a little bit, but only because I’ve spent so long trying to run away from it. If you tell me this is where you want to go, then I’ll stick right by your side, and go there with you. I’m done with leaving you alone, okay? But there is one thing that bothers me.”

“What is that?”

“Didn’t you say, eventually, you’d had hopes of being invited to work with your father in the States? If this is what you want to do, it could mean staying in Korea. Perhaps long term. I mean, don’t you still want to live near you family again?”

He set the brush to aside and took one of her hands in both of his, “I don’t want to go anywhere.” He said, bringing her hand up to his lips and kissing it, “All the family I need is right here.”

Ha Jin felt her face begin to color but she didn’t bother trying to hide it, smiling at him. On a rogue impulse she sprang forward, pushing him backwards onto the bed, straddling his hips. Leaning down she kissed him once, softly, and began to sit up again, but he looped his arms around her waist and pulled her down onto his chest, kissing her again. Harder this time, and as he did he rolled them over so he was above her, looking down into her eyes.

“Don’t let me run away again.” She heard him say, “Even if I get scared. Even if I try to. You have to hang onto me like you did before and bring you back to you. Promise me?”

As he spoke he found the hollow of her collar bone with his mouth and kissed her there, over and over again, moving his knee upward and hiking the skirt of her sundress to her thighs. She tried to answer him, but found her powers of speech were failing her. “…Whatever happens…” she managed, “…I promise…” His hand slid slowly to the back of her knee, making her whole body quiver involuntarily.

She started to yank his t-shirt over his head. Jin Woo sat up briefly to finish the job, tossing it off the bed. He rested one hand on either side of her head, gazing down at her intently. And the expression in his eyes now was not quite that of Jin Woo, and not entirely of So either, instead it was something new and thrilling.

“Soo-ya.” His voice was low and earnest, and the use of her old name surprised her, “Saranghae.”

She reached for him, caressing his cheek with the blade of her hand, whispering back, “Me too. Saranghae, naui Hwangja-nim.”

  [The End]

[shakingthestars]

About the Korean TLJ “connection” chart

If Korean people don’t get what Disney/LF is up with that mysterious connection between the dual protagonists, I would be surprised because this...

...just look like any regular K-drama chart

Oh wait!

There’s something about that K-drama in particular... The mysterious connection between the dual protagonist is the only one kept secret to the audience...

That  surely proves  they’re meant to be long-lost relatives (cousin, sibling, etc..), right?

Bridal-carrried by your long-lost “cousin” during the first encounter, in the woods?

Threatened by the “cousin”...

Tense interactions with the “cousin”...

Discovering accidentally your “cousin”’s “deepest secret”...

Leaning dangerously close to your “cousin”...

Having dreadful visions involving your “cousin”...

Hae Soo: “Where am I? Right, I am supposed to be dead but I am not...Goryeo… Taejo Wang Geon. Gwangjong? Something about Gwangjong is bothering me. I’m forgetting something.

Hae Soo: Goryeo’s fourth King, Gwangjong. Yes, Gwangjong is the fourth King. He was a King who killed his brothers and his subjects. Goryeo’s fourth King, Gwangjong. Who is it? Which one of the Princes is it? Could it be…?”

Hae Soo: His brothers, his friends, his subjects, they say he killed them all. Did he really kill them?

Witnessing the vision involving your “cousin” becoming true...

Bonus:

Wang So: Now I must look like a monster in your eyes. I killed [my own brother]

Getting unexpected help from your “cousin” when no one else is there nor willing to save you...

Standing side by side with your “cousin”...

Hand offering from “cousin” to “cousin”...

Wearing a precious item that belongs  to your “cousin”...

Bonus: A “cousin”’s reaction

#Iseenodifference#

Kissy kissy with your “cousin”?

Bonus: In cinematography, extreme close-up shots are generally meant to convey intimacy between wto characters, i.e...

“Justsaying#

My conclusions about the question mark:

1. Kylo and Rey are TOTALLY meant to be long-lost cousins, siblings or whatever bloody-related

2. Their interactions have TOTALLY NO potential for romantic development

3.. It is well known that K-dramas in general are TOTALLY NOT about romantic “kissy kissy” dramas, right?