Kate

All this! Honestly, I love you guys so much for being the emotional support during the whole watch. The craze over this drama was amazing, and the drama for sure deserves all the hype and love we gave it!

We are as in love with this show as Jang Hyun is in love with Gil Chae lol

i gladly suffer coz of this drama more than once 😂

I might add more things as I rewatch the episodes 👍🏻

Well... this was a whole ass rollercoaster of emotions and I appreciate every second of that.

Compared to many people, I still love Gil Chae and I'm actually fine with how they ended part 1.

Still need to rewatch last episode when the English subs drop just to make sure I did not misunderstood or missed anything, but overall, the ending makes perfect sense for me and I'm PAINFULLY excited for what's to come in pt 2.

The part of my review that I think describes the show well:
𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩.

For anyone interested:
𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪: https://mydramalist.com/profile/Shini/reviews/300809

Some people called her stupid and naive coz she believed he died. LITERALLY RYANG EUM CONFIRMED IT FOR HER.

He was gone for around 2 years looking at the maids child. And if he is dead... there is no waiting few more months. For her he was dead and that's it. There was not even small chance he could come back. Especially after even Ryang Eum confirmed he died. Now the question is, what would she do if Ryang Eum did not lie. That's what I curious about.

For starters, this is just my interpretation and analysis of the characters and the plot, so keep that in mind. If you want to exchange ideas, feel free to reply with your thoughts, be it about these characters, other characters or plot points.

Starting with my lovely girl Gil Chae. The character growth she went through in these 10 episodes is amazing. From a naive and innocent girl who thought the whole world adores her, to a young woman who prioritizes survival and safety of her family and friends over her own pride and wants.

I think that’s the key aspect to understanding her motivations and choices - she cares a lot. On the surface she is presented as this selfish and clueless girl who flirts with all the men and does not follow the social rules to the tee. Others see her as a "vixen", but she is in fact an innocent naive girl who craves love, but does not really understand it. She starts as a naive romanticist, and ends the show as a pragmatic realist. The drama opened with her believing she can overcome any obstacles to be with the love of her life, to her sacrificing her love for her family. Her priorities changed when she was faced with harsh reality.

As for Jang Hyun, he moved from pragmatic realist closer to romanticist - from not believing in love to sacrificing everything he has for Gil Chae. By the end of part two, he became quite egocentric in his perception of the situation - not quite seeing it from Gil Chae’s perspective. He was driven by his love for her, but also ignored her personal life and how their relationship might negatively impact her and her family. He did not care for the consequences, but Gil Chae could not afford being as “carefree” as him.

All that said, I think we still don’t truly know much about his character. Because we mostly saw him as a hero, when in fact he was a less than decent guy. I mean, he literally assassinated a man in episode 2 and with his scheming put the blame on someone else. There is a really ruthless and calculative side of him that we kind of forgot about because of his devotion to Gil Chae. I hope we will see some of it in part 2.

As for their romance, I know a lot of people were really annoyed with it, and by the end of the show many hated Gil Chae for not accepting Jang Hyun. Truth is: they both SUCK at romance. She for the longest time could not let go of her idealistic delulu future with Yeon Jun, and he could not be sincere in front of her, hiding his true feelings under the flirting and teasing. So when he finally started to be honest, she had no reason to believe it, and when she started to have feelings for him, he could not believe it either.

I think many people forgot how Gil Chae did not see 90% of the good things and sacrifices Jang Hyun made, and when she was suspecting of his involvement, he himself denied it. What we saw in Jang Hyun is not what he presented in front of her. All the things that make him a perfect man in our eyes are not things Gil Chae was able to witness with hers.

On the other hand she always saw the best side of Yeon Jun. Respect and loved scholar, loyal subject who received honors for his actions during war, his emotional and moral stability. She did not see how much of a coward he was during battles.

As for her relationship with Gu Won Moo - that’s the stability and protection she needs for her family. It’s that simple and that heartbreaking. Poor noble woman with a bad reputation holds no power nor influence, and she needs to take care of her younger sister and father. He made it possible for her to gain steady income, he protected her, and most important: he protected her father.

As much as I disliked Yeon Jun, I found him the most fun to analyze. He lived his life under that perfect scholar persona, never acting upon his own feelings, wants, desires. When you think about it, I’m not even sure he knows what exactly he wants, all he knows is what he is supposed to do and think. The deeply rooted belief that he should devote his whole life to the king and the royal family to prove his worth and make people around him proud, the idealistic thinking that if he protects the royal family, the royal family will protect the subjects - all that keeping him in a mental trap he was too weak to escape. Was I annoyed with him? Of course, but I also felt sad for him.

Had similar thoughts about Eun Ae. This girl is smart and perceptive. She can read people and see their true nature like no one else. Yet she was never able to truly develop any true skills, because she also was trapped by the social norms and standards. It’s perfectly presented with the plot of her attack and how long it held her back and stayed in her mind - not as a terrifying experience and being a victim, but as a shameful incident that made her not pure. Even though the guy only touched her undergarment. How brainwashed you must be to almost not marry a man you love, because you think you don’t deserve him… because someone attacked you in the past, even if nothing really happened. Both Yeon Jun and Eun Ae were such pitiful characters in my eyes.

How was it fast? How did she even move on? She is clearly still in love and suffering.
They both made A LOT of mistakes during their relationship The difference is - Gil Chae not only is a woman so is already in the worst position than Jang Hyun, she also has a family she needs to take care of. She CANNOT be just as care free as Jang Hyun is. For him running away with her means freedom to love her, for her it also means abandoning her family. Her turning point to not leave with Jang Hyun was the fact her father recognized her. IT hut her, how she is about to leave her family and she could not stand that idea. This whole situation was extremally easy choice for him with zero risks and no negative consequences, while it was life turning for her with MANY setbacks and bad consequences.

not gonna lie, i find if funny how everyone hates Gil Chae now, when the biggest dick last two eps was Ryang Eum lol Like... he obviously did not deny the fact Jang Hyun is dead, so Gil Chae had EVERY FUCKING RIGHT to actually accept his death and try to move on.

So t's fine for him to sleep around with women because it was before he met Gil Chae, and he is not a hoe. But her getting married to a dude when she thinks Jang Hyun is dead makes her a hoe? Ok. You clearly have double standards going on, so I guess this conversation won;t lead to any proper conclusion.

These were things FROM people who were EXECUTED for anti-qing sentiments and bribery, not things form random prisoners of war. These were specifically things from people who were executed. The one official who came back with them clearly told Gil Chae that the things there are from people killed by Qing (killed, not imprisoned), so if she sees his stuff there, means he is dead. BECAUSE THESE WERE THINGS FROM PEOPLE WHO WERE KILLED/EXECUTED not just prisoners.

ML was literally trying to have casual sex will ladies in every village he visited ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It's hard to have a discussion when you add your own definition to words. It's not like anyone can know when you say hoe you do not mean promiscuous woman (which is the definition), but a manipulative woman who tries to use man for her own advantage (which is not the definition of the word hoe).

These were not random things sent from Qing. These were personal belongings sent to Joseon for the families of the men executed by Qing for bribery and being against Qing.

also, let's even say she is a hoe. So is Jang Hyun. They are literally match made in heaven 🤡

When Jang Hyun was dying after fighting 17 dude, the military dude killed the last one who was about to attack Gil Chae, He also saved her from the guys who stole her bowls.

How the fuck can she figure out when he even lies about what he did for her and says he did not do it for her ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ All the serious looks he gives her - when she was not fucking watching. In front of her all he did was teasing about kissing and having sex with her on a casual manner.

A young women who was never in a relationship and kissed one dude once... a hoe. Well ladies, standards now are hella high. Best to be virgin even after your wedding night lol

He did not really prove he loves to to her. She does not know all the shit he did for her. Hell, he lied and denied saving her. You, me and all the other viewers know he joined the war to stop it for her, we know everything he does at the end if done for her, because we see what Gil Chae does not, because he refused to ever be serious with her 😂 And the only time he was serious about his feelings towards her was right before he was leaving ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

And it's not a random dude, it's a dude that saved her once, then helped her when she needed to get to Jang Hyun, and now has been helping her and her family when they are struggling. Realistically speaking, she has spent more time with this "random dude" than she did with Jang Hyun, since they were almost always apart 🙃

He would be the dumbest bitch so send her a letter knowing Qing or the crown prince would get his hand on it and definitely use Gil Chae to manipulate him and do his dirty work for them. Also, he was able to sent all the letters previously because he had all the crown prince most trusted people helping - now he would have the same people spying on him. It's not the same.

Gosh I love Gil Chae so much. She is such a well written character 😭

i bought one bottle for 2 eps, but i finished it whole while watcing ep 9, i need another on for ep 10 🥲

not the first time a drama has made me mad.
i accepted that faith.
i embrace the clown in me 🤡