I thought it was a dream too (I was confused at first because I knew the real King Yisan died about the same age as how Yisan in the last parts of the last episode was shown). But I read some Koreans explanation that Yisan at the end was actually dead and he's reuniting with Deokim in heaven. Remember that Deokim called him 3 times before he leaves the door he was supposed to pass through and decided to come back to her? It's symbolic of what people in the palace do 3 times (I forgot what it is unfortunately) just after a king dies. So we can interpret the final scene as Deokim telling the king to not go back to life and choose to live in the afterlife, which he does.
It's nice to see mosst people still praising this drama almost four years. It speaks for how good it is. While not underrated, I still feel it is not appreciated enough, especially at award shows. Glad the director won a baeksang though.
I think Maru got an amnesia after he fell due to being stabbed. However, the doctor (the strict doctor from the first episode, he's also the same one helping Eun Gi) helped him and he managed to finish his medical studies. Eun Gi on the other hand abandoned the company and decided to start a small shop. I don't know what happened to the company since Han Jae Hee was in prison and her young son is too young to be the next chairman. She was happy, but still hoping Maru will come back. The last scene with Maru giving rings show that his memories are slowly. Yeah this drama is not perfect.
I'm sorry if I come off as too defensive. I do understand there are some people who may not like this drama, but I want to to explain why the drama creators can't give 100% justice to the male lead's sufferings. The drama is partly based on historical facts. In real life, the evil king was successful at everything. He eventually became a good king as he grew older. Had they changed something, maybe it's possible this drama could be cancelled. Search for the drama Joseon Exorcist, that was one example of a drama they cancelled due to many inaccuracies (ex: giving some characters based on real life kings some personalities Koreans won't accept). Koreans are fine with a bit of fiction in some of their historical dramas, as long as they are respectful of real life events (ex: In Red Sleeve, they made the female lead never confess to the male lead her love for him, it's possibly fictional but it's also respectful to the past since there's little actual info about the feelings real life person the female lead is based on). How accurate should their historical dramas be to rea life history, I do not really know, for I'm not Korean. But this is one explanation why the writers can't give a 100% justice to the male lead. It's one reason why historical dramas made of fictional kings and queens became popular starting in the 2010s. Most kdramas with kings in the 2000s are mostly based on real life Korean Kings. Most historical dramas from the 2000s I remember watching do not have happy endings. At least the male lead here is alive.
in the beginning she was immature but she grew into a strong character and stood up against her father's wrongdoings…
She wasn't aware that her actions in the beginning will cause him suffering as she did not know her father was evil. Anyway, she more than repaid for his sufferings, she was never angry at him for kidnapping and even trying to kill her and she even tried to help his remaining family. In a way, she suffered too, I think it's hard for her that the man she loves and the father who raised her are enemies. What could she do? Yes, her actions caused him to suffer, but she has character growth and she proves her love to him so many times.
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It's one reason why historical dramas made of fictional kings and queens became popular starting in the 2010s. Most kdramas with kings in the 2000s are mostly based on real life Korean Kings.
Most historical dramas from the 2000s I remember watching do not have happy endings. At least the male lead here is alive.