#princess gak-hwa

[sqewed0722]

My Dearest/Lovers: The Other Woman

I have a bit of a problem with the female characters of this drama.

As much as I love Yoo Gil-chae and still want her and Lee Jang Hyun to be together in the end, Her Highness, Princess Gak-hwa, just wormed her way into my sympathies. And I think there’s a part of Lee Jang Hyun that feels the same way I do about her, despite his own misgivings and knowledge about her.

This headstrong, ruthless, feisty woman, whose tough and cruel demeanor hides a lonely young girl who’s afraid of a world without her doting father. This princess who hoped to experience how it is to be wanted for who she is when she was first married, only to realize that her husband still only married her for what she was and the political advantages that she would bring him. This woman who, in spite of herself, finds herself falling for Lee Jang Hyun and begging him to stay with her and love her for herself.

Unfortunately, Gak-hwa grew up in a world that sees emotion as a weakness and values cunning and cruelty to survive and end up at the top. She’s narcissistic and doesn’t know how to express what she feels in such a way that it doesn’t turn out to be manipulative of the other. It’s the only way she knows to keep people at her side, other than fear, and Lee Jang Hyun stumps her. He doesn’t fear her nor is he intimidated by her, and he’s able to read her and beat her at her own game.

It’s such a tragedy that the first person she finds who actually understands her and accepts her for who and what she is, also despises her. The one person whom she finds herself loving and wanting to stay by her side only does it because he wants to protect those whom he truly cares for. Yet it’s also ironic that she somehow reminds Jang Hyun of Gil-chae because Gak-hwa, like Gil-chae, doesn’t care much about what others think and would be more than ready to defy society, and I think that’s also part of the reason why he somehow decides to stay with her. He probably sees Gil-chae’s own stubborn pride mirrored in Gak-hwa.

Princess Gak-hwa is such a tragic character and I find myself wishing that Lee Jang Hyun would at least care for her a little and make her feel valued and wanted as a person and a woman, before everything in the world falls apart.

[theinfinitedivides]

remember how people kept saying that the biggest threat to JangChae was Ryang Eum (the 'snake' and 'two faced homosexual [yes literally saw those words in a comment before it had gotten deleted in the MDL comment section for other unsavory remarks made about the other actors. i can call my son and myself a homosexual bc we are one but not like how they were trying to convey it tyvm]') and Gak Hwa/Qing Princess (the Jang Hyun obsessed bounty hunter who has a choking kink) but the actual threat turned out to be the straight men (Mr. F*ckass General Ex, the f*ckass king and newly minted f*ckass husband Yeon Joon) bc they weren't sh*t and a half. funny how that happened

[zaruba-needslove]

Ngl I feel like some of the reactions regarding Gilchae in episode 17 was a bit unfair and biased, to just over simplify it to just Gilchae still being 'prideful'

I mean... the ONLY reason Gilchae returned to Joseon was because Janghyun told her to do so. Because Janghyun told her that he had grown sick and tired of HER. She LEFT because it's what Janghyun WANTS!

And the whole thing about her living a 'flashy and fashionable' life? That was because Janghyun told her that she should reclaim back her life and live her life the way she used to live. And THAT caused her grievance because she can no longer live that kind of life and show THAT to Janghyun to show that she was living 'well'. THAT should be the reason why she didn't want to show her current state to Janghyun.

Heck, the only reason why she did that trick about still being married and pregnant was because Ryang-eum TOLD her to meet with Janghyun and show him that she was 'doing well' and to make Janghyun give up on her. Gilchae did that because she thought that was what Ryang-eum wanted her to do. Because Ryang-eum told her that Janghyun always gets hurt whenever she was involved. Yet after all of that, Ryang-eum still BLAMES her for so 'easily' letting Janghyun go and for still being 'prideful'. Even when she's doing it for him because Gilchae knows that Ryang-eum didn't like her to see Janghyun!

And THIS is coming from Gilchae who used to LOVE listening to Ryang-eum singing!

It's like people forget that as much as Gilchae do carry herself with confidence, she do still have her own insecurities and fears. I mean, her dad had almost killed her just because he thought that doing that would prove her 'innocence'. Her own sister, ex-husband and other people around her kept asking her if she really had been taken advantage of by the foreign intruders as if that was the only worth that she have and probably wouldn't believe her anyway if she said she fought hard to protect her chastity. Even if nothing really happened to her (as in her being violated sexually and penetratively) people will still see her as 'dirty' just because she had been kidnapped and taken out of Joseon or as much as had her hands or bare skin touched by the foreign intruder. No one would bother to listen to her reasoning as to why she hurt herself and create a scar on her head just to avoid serving someone in bed, much less believe that she fought for her life to protect herself. People would just assume she had been violated already.

Like seriously, how dare Ryang-eum assumed it was so 'easy' for her to let Janghyun go?

She had been abandoned by her ex-husband JUST for that reason alone! Won't Gilchae worry that Janghyun would do the same? The same Janghyun who even caught the interest of a Qing princess? Of course she'd feel that she no longer had any right to pursue Janghyun anymore. Of course she won't think she could still be with Janghyun again as much as she was able to divorce her husband after knowing who was it that she truly love. And Janghyun did say that he'd grown tired and sick of her!

If there was any other pride left in her, it's that she didn't want Janghyun to come for her out of pity. To which Janghyun's confession of love just dispel that last bit of doubt in her.

Like I get it people had feelings for Ryang-eum after the reveal about his past. But that doesn't mean that twit don't still do some selfish things. It doesn't justify the lies that he made as well thinking that Gilchae was the only one that causes bad things to happen to Janghyun.

If not because Janghyun had to care about all of the other captives (because Ryang-eum kept whining abt it; and Ryang-eum don't do anything much afterwards ANYWAY to help those captives go home or even take care of them, he just left that to Janghyun to deal with), Gak-hwa wouldn't have HAD that other leverage to hold on to Janghyun! Who was it actually being a 'curse' to Janghyun?

[dramaddict-and-proud-of-it]

Rooftop Prince

Year : 2012 | Country : KR | Nb of episodes: 20

My rate: 10/10

Synopsis :

When Crown Prince Lee Gak is transported 300 years into the future to present day Seoul along with his three retainers, they believe that it is their duty to solve the murder case of the Crown Princess in order to return to Joseon. They land in the rooftop apartment of Park Ha, a cheerful woman in her mid-20s, who eventually believes the odd quartet's predicament and becomes their guardian. As Park Ha educates the four on life in the 21st century, Lee Gak comes across Hong Se Na, who seems to be the reincarnation of his wife. Taking on the identity of Yong Tae Yong, Lee Gak slowly begins to unravel the murder of Yong Tae Yong and in turn moves closer to solving the murder case of the Crown Princess. As he finds himself in love with Park Ha, he figures that maybe the Crown Princess was not as he expected after all...

Main cast :

Micky Yoochun as Lee Gak / Yong Tae Yong

Han Ji Min as Park Ha / Bu Yong

Lee Tae Sung as Yong Tae Moo

Jung Yoo Mi as Hong Se Na / Hwa Yong

Lee Min Ho as Song Man Bo

Choi Woo Shik as Do Chi San

Jung Suk Won as Woo Yong Sul

Ban Hyo Jung as President Yeo

My thoughts on this drama :

It was my absolute favorite for a long time. There is just the amount of everything that makes a good drama. And I still cry buckets in the last episodes, just can't help it. It's a must-see, absolutely.

 A Favorite ?

YES!!!!!!!

[sqewed0722]

Princess Gak-Hwa: What could have been a great character

I read in some articles that the drama “My Dearest” was supposed to run for 30 episodes, but the network only approved up to 20. Then recently, and extra episode was added due to its popularity and steady high ratings overall.

I think shortening the drama resulted in a great loss of character development, especially for the secondary characters. With all the political events going on, what with the drama being based on a portion of Joseon’s real history, the writers and director had to let go of sub-plots.

Personally, I would have preferred a more complex relationship between Lee Jang Hyun and Princess Gak-hwa. I think it would have been good if they were shown to have become reluctant allies, especially on the part of Jang Hyun. He should have been able to discover the real person behind the princess and learned all the experiences that caused her to build up her own defenses in order to protect herself from the ruthlessness of politics.

I would have preferred him to have developed somewhat of an affection for her in spite of himself, given that he had decided when he parted from Yoo Gil-chae that they will live their own lives, regardless of how they feel. This would have given more depth and heartbreak to the ultimate reckoning between Jang Hyun and the princess, when she chose to help him escape with the prisoners. And it would have showcased his innate humanity and compassion all the more, because he would be able to understand and sympathize with someone who should be the enemy.

On Princess Gak-hwa's part, I would have wanted to know more about her own life as a princess in the Qing court and how she fought and manipulated her way into becoming the most feared and respected woman in her father's court. I would have also wanted to see her complex yet seemingly loving relationship with her own father. He was clearly very fond of her and would have been more than happy to let her rule if he had his way.

But that's all water under the bridge. The drama has ended weeks ago and I did love that Lee Jang Hyun and Yoo Gil-chae still found each other after all these years of pain and separation.