Episode 10 feedback and analysis

Episode 10: (originally posted as a comment --> https://mydramalist.com/52939-can-this-person-be-translated#comment-10596791 )

1. I'm glad to see they're developing the Crown Prince. He is just like everyone else, a playful man with the same desires, feelings, and not that interested in politics.

This is a very good setup because once the Queen's gang manipulates him, the Crown Prince will be torn and confused; and the audience may pity him.


2. Having the Crown Prince and the other Four Flowers help each other but at the same time there is still animosity was a good plot. It showed how they will unite for the sake of "Mu Deok" but after that it's back to their usual "Mage Conclave" (whatever the 11 families are called) vs. the Royal Family.


3. The subtle hint and meaning behind Master Lee's tip to Jang Uk was very touching. There are two ways to read the invisible ink but the two approaches are vastly different.

First method: energy concentration.

When one trains in concentrating their energy, they are solving a problem through logic and through magic. This is why the mages who've read it failed to see that it is a love letter, they only understood it as a poem.

Second method: understanding love, being in love, and expressing your feelings toward the person you love

By figuring out the puzzle, Jang Uk discovered the REAL key, the REAL solution to the puzzle.

Point #1: When Seo Gyeong wrote it, he used magic not to hide it but to write with his energy. A blind Jin can see energies and so the love of his life can read it.

It is a beautiful form of expressing your love. You know the person can not see but can see energies, what better way to write than by using that which the person will appreciate? It speaks volume that you understand the person and see them for who they are, a person.

It is no different from, say, a person who has hard of hearing … would you give them a recording of yourself reciting your poem? Or, would you give them a video of yourself communicating in sign language?

Point #2: At the same time, you also do not want anyone to read it. A love letter, especially a poem, is the full expression of our deepest feelings. You only want one person to see it and it becomes a secret between you two.

In this case, only one person can read his magical love letter, the love of his life, because the key to unlocking it is her name. Anyone else would not figure it out because they will only see a blank book and they have no idea what it is about (so they would not even think "Dear name").

Question: But it can be unlocked by concentrating one's energy.

That is true. For sure Seo Gyeong knew that too. But as this episode has pointed out, it is not easy to achieve that level. Many mages have read it but not all mages can. To Seo Gyeong, he probably knew only a few mages will be able to read it.

Of course, you also would not leave it lying around for anyone to see (or steal). In other words, anyone who have access to his room where the book was, there were probably no one as skilled as him in using their magic to see through the book. And, well, if they do see it, they will only see the poem and then dismiss it, like all the mages who've read it.

But not Jang Uk (or Master Lee), because he knows it is a love letter, he took the poem into his heart.

And that is why it is called "Words from the Heart".

Two different methods but only one is the true key.


4. Nak Su finally coming to terms with the Mu Deok body

Since she was absorbed by Bu Yeon, Nak Su always thought of the body as "weak". She keeps herself detached from it. "This is not me, this body is too weak, I need my energy."

That's the thing, she is in Bu Yeon's body and Bu Yeon is not weak at all, her refusal to admit she is no longer in her own body is what's keeping her weak, not because she does not have access to her energy.

Because she finally accepted this fact, she learned to use what is available in Bu Yeon's body correctly.

To put it another way, she always approached things from someone who was very strong physically and magically. But the body can not take it physically, and Bu Yeon's energy and Nak Su's energy is appearing to be cancelling each other out.

In this episode, Nak Su finally made peace with herself. She started to approach her situation from the perspective of the body. The body is not weak--as evidenced when she was able to pushed herself at the last minute--the problem was she was trying to be Nak Su physically and she kept telling herself the "body is weak".

Perspective.

I think this will be crucial in the rest of the series. I am starting to think that Bu Yeon wants Nak Su to be worthy. Bu Yeon probably thinks Nak Su is the best person to take back the ice stone and destroy the Queen's gang but they need to be on the same page.

As long as Nak Su is thinking for herself only, Bu Yeon's plan might fail. Nak Su could easily go back to her old way once she gets her magic and strength back. But this way, Bu Yeon is slowly changing Nak Su and maybe one day they'll be aligned, they can finally use both of their energies to defeat the Queen and her gang, and take back the powerful ice stone they've stolen.

Not to mention, there is Jang Uk. Someone needs to keep him in check and trained properly because he is a sword without a sheath. But Nak Su has become his sheath not Bu Yeon.

Bu Yeon is blind, Nak Su can see. Bu Yeon needs Nak Su. Nak Su needs Bu Yeon. Jang Uk needs Mu Deok (the slowly changing Nak Su in Bu Yeon's body).

So whatever Bu Yeon is planning, so far it is going her way. She needs Nak Su and she also need Jang Uk. And she also need to get back her eye patch with the Jin seal because if Park Jin figures out Nak Su is in her body, both Bu Yeon and Nak Su, and her entire plan, will be in jeopardy.

Park Jin is by-the-book and slow-witted. He will kill "Mu Deok" the moment he realizes Nak Su is in that body even if he also finds out she is Bu Yeon. As far as he is concerned, the body belongs to Nak Su already, and no one is aware Bu Yeon's soul is still inside. They need the Jin Clan to protect (and possibly work with) her and that eye patch with the Jin symbol is the only way.

(originally posted as a comment --> https://mydramalist.com/52939-can-this-person-be-translated#comment-10596791 )

Yep, ii's too early for Bu Yeon to reveal herself. Maybe it's possible for her to take over and everyone will just think something else.

Though I hope Nak Su is ready. I think one reason why Bu Yeon is not revealing herself is the risk Nak Su might silence her, I mean, two souls in one body … one has to go. Since both of them are powerful, probably equals … if Nak Su "awakes", they might end up waging an internal war.

 IM YourOnlyOne:

Yep, ii's too early for Bu Yeon to reveal herself. Maybe it's possible for her to take over and everyone will just think something else.

Though I hope Nak Su is ready. I think one reason why Bu Yeon is not revealing herself is the risk Nak Su might silence her, I mean, two souls in one body … one has to go. Since both of them are powerful, probably equals … if Nak Su "awakes", they might end up waging an internal war.

I have seen this before with Someday or One day, lol. We need to brace ourselves if that's going to happen.

 IM YourOnlyOne:

Ooh, I remembered something … when Master Lee first saw Mu Deok, there was something else in that scene. I think the reason Mu Deok doesn't remember, it was not because she sleep walked rather it was Bu Yeon controlling the body. I think the dream where Nak Su and Bu Yeon met, it was when Bu Yeon took over, while Nak Su was sleeping.

Yeah, I have actually pointed it out with my previous comments, though it got buried in piles of comments afterward lol. That's why I think Bu Yeon can take control of her body whenever she wanted to, she just doesn't do so. If you focus on her eyes, she didn't even blink much because blind people don't need to do as much as people who can see. She's just there standing there, and looking kinda lifeless(?) when they were fighting. When Jang Uk pulled her back, her body was somehow really weak? She fainted afterward, or maybe she just swapped back and Naksu was in control again.

 IM YourOnlyOne:

I think the reason Mu Deok doesn't remember, it was not because she sleep walked rather it was Bu Yeon controlling the body. I think the dream where Nak Su and Bu Yeon met, it was when Bu Yeon took over, while Nak Su was sleeping.

 Fujihara Tomomi:

Yeah, I have actually pointed it out with my previous comments, though it got buried in piles of comments afterward lol. That's why I think Bu Yeon can take control of her body whenever she wanted to, she just doesn't do so.

Yes, we talked about this here before. 

Bu Yeom "appeared" that night that Uk was fighting with Master Lee and when Uk was being soul shifted to save him, and probably when broke the mirror.  And i just remembered  when Naksu saw the broken jade. Now that we know that JBY can see things with energy, she purposely saw whats inside the box, so Naksu could see as well. 

So  is she just waiting for Naksu regain her powers? Whats her intention?

I personally think she lost her memories because if not she would have came back to  Jinyowon during this 10 years. 

 Fujihara Tomomi:

She knew her lit sis was up to no good XD if she does indeed remember her past.

Nooo, dont say this . Lol.   She  was only 10, Cho Yeom was only... 6, 7? or even less we dont know. 

But i do think she doesnt remember her past so the fact that she purposely saw the box tell us that she is in kind of control of herself  but shes just watching Naksu...

Oh yeah, it's very possible she lost her memories. For Jin Moo to think she's dead and very sure about it, means they did check. It could be the reason why she lost her memories. Even in real life, there are coma patients who wakes up without memories or have an altered memories-there were rare cases of a coma patient waking up thinking they're Japanese can speak fluently in it and forgotten their original life.

I hope Bu Yeon is up to something good instead of the other way. I mean, she had a taste of the ice stone. And only one mage was able to withstand the temptation to use it for personal gain. We weren't given much background on Bu Yeon yet, she probably was tempted by the ice stone that's why she refused to give it to them and used it herself. Which was when they killed her.

That will be a painful twist if they go down that route. We'll have a Bu Yeon vs Nak Su scenario. Absorbing Nak Su's soul was probably for her own gain, "to see"? But because Nak Su's her equal, they ended up cancelling each other's powers? So now Bu Yeon is trying to re-assert herself while Nak Su is thinking she needs an external source to regain her power?

 Fujihara Tomomi:

maybe that's what the writers want us to believe for now?

Yeah. Writers like the Hong sisters are not afraid to add a painful twist; and it being a fantasy, instead of a regular period drama, gives them much freedom on their story. I think that is also the reason why AoS is popular, anything can happen because it's fantasy. There are no protagonist and antagonist in the usual sense.

10 episodes still, the door is still wide open for these painful surprises. T_T

 IM YourOnlyOne:

That's the thing, she is in Bu Yeon's body and Bu Yeon is not weak at all, her refusal to admit she is no longer in her own body is what's keeping her weak, not because she does not have access to her energy.

About that, Naksu doesn't know Mudeok is a mage. Buyeon is from Jin family and even though she can't see, she did know some spells at a young age. Maybe the Jin clan has a specific breathing method, like other clans, and Naksu can't use her energy because she's not breathing properly.