chan

Can you hear it? This sound… The sound of flowers…

i will be your servant. my body is yours. my soul is yours and my heart is yours too

do you truly not know? you're all i need. even if you are poor, rich, insolent or obedient. even if you do not love me, and even if you say that you love me.. whatever you are, you are all i need, gilchae
-then.. what if i say a foreign intruder took advantage of me?
then i should give you a hug for it must have been painful


This has been truly one of those dramas that kept me thinking about it while sleeping and made me cry my heart out not just once or twice but several times. It is undoubtedly a masterpiece and truly deserves all the accolades that it received. I wish I could give more than 5 stars. Entire cast gave stellar performances but Nam Koong Min and Ahn Eun Jin embodied their characters perfectly. The drama's main theme was about how two lovers found their way to each other despite different struggles during the time of war. Along with this, I thoroughly enjoyed that it explored several themes and profound feelings like yearning, longing, social dogma, de stigmatisation, sisterhood, loyalty, unconditional and unwavering love, classism, gender bias, trauma, grief, endurance, resilience, honor and autonomy. Two main characters showed immense growth and had the most compelling and inspirational character arcs. The cinematography, ost , direction and entire screenplay/storytelling was very well executed. The korean name of the drama "yeonin" is so befitting as it exactly translates to the beautiful connection between the characters - lover. Yeon means to long and in means person - a person one longs for.

SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD:

Lee Jang Hyun is literally the epitome of yearning. Initially, he might have been an aloof and care-free character. He played one of the major roles to somehow uphold certain diplomatic relations between the two dynasties with his wit and courage. He is the personification of calmness, stoicism and composure. Even in life-threatening situations, he always came out of it by acting cleverly. But when it comes to his love of the life, he hears sound of flowers when he first saw her. He thinks of her whenever he sees moonlight and swears by it to promise that he will return to her again. He thinks and dreams of her when he is sleeping. She is his hometown. He loved every form of her. He never felt that women were guilty for losing their chastity against their will. He respected her autonomy and choices though they broke his heart several times. He believed women were not to be forced into the marriages only to turn into widows during wartime. He saved several people by putting his life in danger.

Gilchae is the embodiment of resilience and courage. She was a spolied noblewoman but immediately comes out of that comfort zone once war breaks. She put her survival instincts to the best use in order to escape from intruders and save not only herself but her peers as well. She always believed survival is more important than succumbing to their life due to social stigmas. She defied every stigma. She emerged as a leader was like a matriarch in her family. She bravely did business that are often male-centred to feed her family. She had autonomy and agency towards her own life. She sincerely loved jang hyun and pushed him away due to her own insecurities and guilt but later ultimately reunited with him in the best way they ever could.