“My Dearest” synopsis by episode (Eps. 1-21, no spoilers) with in-depth analysis of its cinematography

Jump to synopsis of Part 1, Ep. 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; Part 2, Ep. 11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 18; 19; 20; 21 (Finale); How I wrote these episode summaries with no spoilers; Historical / cultural backgrounders and other information; Lessons in photography from “My Dearest” with in-depth analysis of its visuals, cinematography, and editing (work in progress)

From Wikipedia: “My Dearest” (Korean: 연인) is a South Korean television series starring Namkoong Min, Ahn Eun-jin, Lee Hak-joo, Lee Da-in, and Kim Yun-woo. Written by Hwang Jin-young and directed by Kim Sung-yong and Cheon Soo-jin, it premiered on MBC TV on August 4, 2023, and aired every Friday and Saturday at 21:50 (KST). It is also available for streaming on Wavve in South Korea, and on Viki in selected regions.

Genre: historical, melodrama, romance.

The series is divided into two parts with ten episodes each: Part 1 premiered on August 4, 2023, while Part 2 was released starting October 13, 2023.

Set during the Qing invasion of Joseon, the series depicts the story of people who cultivate hope in the midst of hardship.

How I wrote these episode summaries with no spoilers

1. I assumed that you will be reading these summaries and watching the videos chronologically.

2. I narrated some of the main actions in each episode without revealing the plot’s twists and turns.

3. At the beginning of each summary starting with Episode 2, I placed in a table a recap of the major twists and turns of the previous episode. But because you have already watched the video of the previous episode, they aren’t spoilers anymore.

4. I followed this structure all throughout, except for Ep. 21 (Finale) where I included spoilers. Reason — most people want to know if the drama has a good/happy ending or a sad ending before they invest the time in watching it.

Episode 1

Spring of 1659, tenth year of King Hyojong’s reign ...

A high ranking official of the Office of Inspector General orders Head Inspector Shin Yi-rib to confidentially find a man named “Lee Jang-hyun.” The man is mentioned in the “sacho” (draft kept by a historiographer) as a warrior who deluded the late Crown Prince So-hyun and who King Injo ordered to be banished forever.

Head Inspector Shin Yi-rib’s mission leads him to the underground cells of the “Haeminseo” (free hospital for the poor) where people who have lost their sanity are locked up. When he asks an unkempt man locked up in a cell if he was the servant of the late Crown Prince So-hyun and if he’s waiting for “Lee Jang-hyun,” the man turns slightly towards him, stands up to face the sunlight streaming through a small window, and then collapses to his knees.

Flashback ... On a beach as the sun goes down, dozens of soldiers cautiously approach a warrior, who’s kneeling on the beach with his sword stuck into the sand. The warrior mutters to himself, “Do you hear it? It is the sound of flowers.”

Spring of 1636, 14th year of King Injo’s reign ...

Neunggun-ri is a peaceful village of hardworking farmers, Confucian teachers and scholars, lovely young noblewomen and their stern mentors, and a vivacious young noblewoman named Yoo Gil-chae, who’s the apple of the eyes of the village’s young noblemen, making her the subject of envy among the other young noblewomen.

Gil-chae constantly dreams about a dashing man whom she meets on a beach after chasing a runaway spool of red thread. But since the man is silhouetted by the sun, she has never seen the man’s face. In real life, she’s attracted to Nam Yoon-jeon, who’s a scholar at Sungkyungkwan. But her younger sister mocks her because the gossip among the young noblewomen is that Yoon-jeon favors Kyung Eun-ae, her best friend.

During the flower festival, Gil-chae flirts with all the young noblemen to the consternation of the other young noblewomen. Her eyes light up when Yoon-jeon arrives at the festival.

With permission from Gil-chae’s father (the head of the Confucian academy), Yoon-jeon speaks to everyone at the festival. He announces that in the war between Great Ming and Great Jin, King Injo and the royal court plan to send envoys to appease Great Jin, despite Joseon’s alliance with Great Ming. The whole village is outraged, with the young noblemen proclaiming that they will fight against the “intruders” from Great Jin.

Note: The video below doesn’t have English subtitles, but it may ruin your viewing of the full episode. Among other scenes, it shows Gil-chae’s recurring dream; the flower festival at the river; and the swing scene.

Episode 2

Ep. 1 recap: Jang-hyun mocks Yoon-jeon and the other scholars on how exactly they will fight against the the "intruders" from Great Jin. He also questions how the king of Great Ming killed a Joseon general whose loyalty was questioned. Jang-hyun had previously riled up the Confucian teachers for refusing to subject himself to their discipline. He has also gained the reputation of being a player who just flirts with women and is proud of being a “misogamist.” But he has also gained the trust and respect of the village’s old men and women, who thus berate the Confucian teachers for not accepting him into their academy. The young noblemen gossip with Gil-chae, Eun-ae, and the other young noblewomen that Jang-hyun isn’t a real nobleman because he bought his title through the great wealth he has gained through trading in dried persimmons; he does business with the Jurchens and flirts openly with women. They want their teachers to reject him from becoming part of their academy, but Yoon-jeon tells them that he’s donating rice to their academy. Gil-chae’s plan to use the swing to attract Yoon-jeon’s attention goes awry. As she starts using the swing again, Jang-hyun sees her and mutters to himself, “Did you hear it? It is the sound of flowers.” When one of the ropes holding up the swing becomes loose, she goes flying through the air. But Jang-hyun catches her.

Jang-hyun bribes the Confucian teachers into accepting him into their academy by donating rice and tripling the price he pays for dried persimmons. But he surprises them by saying that he doesn’t want to take the civil service exams and wants a favor.

After Gil-chae sees Yoon-jeon and Eun-ae spending time happily at the festival, she decides that she must know how people live and act in sophisticated Hanyang in order to get Yoon-jeon’s affection. Despite insulting Jang-hyun earlier, she bargains with him to escort her in Hanyang and teach her the ways of its people.

In Hanyang, Jang-hyun gives Gil-chae books on stories that people in Hanyang like and later takes her to a gisaeng house.

At the royal court, the ministers continue bickering on how to properly address the problem with Great Jin. Later, alone with a minister, King Injo accepts that war with Great Jin is inevitable and that if all else fails, they can again flee to Ganghwa Island. But in Qing’s Simyang Palace, the Great Jin Emperor Hong Taiji finds out that Joseon is preparing to fight by strengthening all its fortresses and is stocking cannons and provisions on Ganghwa Island. He tells his aide that just like in everything he has done so far in acquiring power, he will be patient and deliberate in dealing with Joseon.

In Uiju, Jang-hyun trades the dried persimmons from Neunggun-ri for tobacco. He also helps a powerbroker named Goo Yang-chun in settling a potentially bloody dispute between two Jurchen merchants. But things suddenly get worse when a Japanese middleman who the Jurchen merchants deal with is stabbed to death on a street in broad daylight.

Note: The video below doesn’t have English subtitles, but it may ruin your viewing of the full episode. The scene introduces the secondary character Ryang-eum.

Episode 3

Ep. 2 recap: Jang-hyun asks the Confucian teachers to allow the 60th wedding anniversary of Grandpa Song-chu and his wife Yi-rang to be held in the academy grounds. In Hanyang, Jang-hyun helps Gil-chae dress up as a man so that they can go into a gisaeng house; there, Gil-chae becomes enraptured by the singing of Ryang-eum. On the boat on their way back to Neunggun-ri, he assures her that contrary to what she thinks, he can function like a man unlike the young noblemen who hang on her every word and gesture. After finding out that the two Jurchen merchants connived to snatch Goo Yang-chun’s power and authority in Uiji, Jang-hyun orders that the Japanese middleman be killed. He kidnaps the Jurchen merchant who complained to Goo Yang-chun and asks him what the Qing army’s plans are against Joseon. He also kidnaps the other Jurchen merchant and sparks a fight between their henchmen. Just in time for the 60th wedding anniversary celebration, Jang-hyun arrives in Neunggun-ri, along with his servant and Ryang-eum, bringing the rice that he promised. Inside the rice storage shed, he secretly watches and listens in amusement as Gil-chae’s plan to seduce Yoon-jeon fails. He tells Gil-chae to forget Yoon-jeon and instead have a relationship with him. But Gil-chae rejects him, saying that besides playing with women’s feelings, misleading the village elders, and consorting with Jurchens, he’s ugly. While the dancing in the wedding anniversary is going on, a young nobleman rushes in and shouts that the Qing army has invaded Joseon and cornered King Injo and the royal court in Namhan Fortress.

The Qing general demands that Crown Prince So-hyun be handed over to him as a hostage.

Yoon-jeon challenges the men in the village to join the volunteer army to rescue King Injong and the royal court who are trapped in Namhan Fortress. When the young noblemen who have volunteered ask if he will join them, Jang-hyun says that he will not fight for a king who flees at the earliest sign of danger. Later, when Gil-chae refuses his offer to flee with him as far away as possible from Namhan Fortress, he shakes her confidence by describing how fearsome the Qing warriors are.

Gil-chae meets Eun-ae and explains to her that Yoon-jeon and the other young noblemen from their village can die at the hands of the Qing warriors. From a distance, she watches as Eun-ae tries to reason with Yoon-jeon about not joining the volunteer army.

At a meeting with the Confucian teachers and the young noblemen led by Yoon-jeon, Jang-hyun tells them that he has a stockpile of weapons and armor that he’s willing to sell at a profit and with a condition.

Note: The video below doesn’t have English subtitles, but it may ruin your viewing of the full episode. Among other scenes, it shows the young noblemen from Neunggun-ri leaving to join the fight against the Qing invaders; Jang-hyun giving Gil-chae a present and pointing to a mountaintop.

Episode 4

Ep. 3 recap: Gil-chae manipulates Soon-yak to propose to her, hoping to make Yoon-jeon jealous and break off his planned marriage to Eun-ae. But her plan backfires when Eun-ae and Yoon-jeon agree to a double wedding with her and Soon-yak. At the meeting, Jang-hyun reminds everyone what happens to married women when their husbands die and the social consequences on their children. Thus, Yoon-jeon, Soon-yal, and the others cancel their weddings. Before leaving Neunggun-ri, Jang-hyun gives Gil-chae the “eunjangdo” (silver knife) and tells her that if she sees the signal smoke on the mountaintop, she must flee the village at once Yoon-jeon and the other volunteers from Neunggun-ri join the rest of the volunteer army which is massing near Namhan Fortress. But the Qing army ambushes them. Jang-hyun becomes concerned when Ryang-eum tells him that Mongols have joined the Qing army. He knows that the Mongols have joined only for two things — wealth and women.

After Soon-yak dies, the other noblemen from Neunggun-ri who survived the battle urge Yoon-jeon that they should return home, but Yoon-jeon refuses.

King Injo orders his soldiers to defend Namhan Fortress, but the expected reinforcements have all been defeated. When he asks the ministers why the Qing army is attacking the reinforcements rather than the fortress, a minister reminds him of a battle long ago and says that the Qing army wants them to starve to death.

Jang-hyun orders his servant to light the fire on the mountaintop and keep the signal smoke going for the next several hours.

Gil-chae sees the smoke and alerts the Confucian teachers and the village elders. The villagers then rush to pack up their belongings and bury their prized possessions. On their way to the river bank to join Gil-chae, Eun-ae, and their families, Grandpa Song-chu tells his wife Yi-rang that he forgot something and goes back to their house; he tells his wife to go ahead and meet up with Gil-chae and the others.

When the boat comes back for them at the river bank, Gil-chae, Eun-ae, and their servants are shocked to see the dead boatman. They run up to the mountain, but the Mongols chase after them.

Note: The video below doesn’t have English subtitles, but it may ruin your viewing of the full episode. Among other scenes, it shows the Mongols raiding Neunggun-ri and chasing after Gil-chae, Eun-ae, and their servants on the mountain.

Episode 5

Ep. 4 recap: Jang-hyun rescues Ryang-eum from the Mongols. Grandpa Song-chu kills several Mongols with his bow and arrow, but he and his wife Yi-rang are eventually killed. After finding their bodies and burying them, Jang-hyun vows revenge against the Mongols. As Eun-ae’s servant starts to labor, Gil-chae is forced to assist her and pull the baby out. Gil-chae rescues Eun-ae by stabbing the Mongol who was assaulting her. At a small stream, they vow not to tell anyone that a Mongol tried to assault Eun-ae and that Gil-chae killed the Mongol. On a trail, Jang-hyun blocks the Mongols who are transporting their hostages. Together with his servant and Ryang-eum, he kills the Mongols. On the mountain, as a Mongol tries to assault Gil-chae, Jang-hyun arrives and rescues her.

Jang-hyun trolls Gil-chae on why she called him “my dearest” [“my husband”] when she warned him about the Mongol who attacked him. The next day, as they prepare to go on their separate ways, he compliments her that, unlike some Confucian scholars, she has used her knife (“eunjangdo”) against a Mongol.

Meeting Yoon-jeon and other stragglers along the way, Jang-hyun helps them get to the base camp of General Kim Jung-ryon’s army at Mount Gwanggyo.

After meeting a group of civilians, Eun-ae tells Gil-chae that she wants to stop running like a coward and help out in the battlefield hospital, hoping to be near where Yoon-jeon might be.

General Kim Jung-ryon urges his army to attack the Qing army and die for Joseon, but Jang-hyun mocks the general’s words of dying for Joseon. He points up to a mountain where they see smoke billowing up to the sky and says that they should rather think of victory.

Led by a warrior monk, Jang-hyun, his servant, Ryang-eum, Yoon-jeon, and the senior eunuch of Crown Prince So-hyun try to sneak into Namhan Fortress. Along the way, however, they’re ambushed by Qing soldiers.

Note: The video below doesn’t have English subtitles, but it may ruin your viewing of the full episode. Among other scenes, it shows Jang-hyun trolling Gil-chae; General Kim Jung-ryon’s army ambushed by the Qing army; and the vow before the moon.

Episode 6

Ep. 5 recap: At the battlefield hospital, Jang-hyun tells Gil-chae that they should “mull” over what their relationship will be like. Through Jang-hyun’s strategy, General Kim Jung-ryon’s army defeats the Qing soldiers on the mountaintop. When he gets the news, however, that the Qing army has wiped out their reinforcements who were supposed to bring weapons and supplies, he disbands his army into several groups to gather provisions from wherever they can. In Namhan Fortress, King Injo and the royal court hear the rumor that Qing Emperor Hong Taiji (“Khan”) has arrived in Joseon. In a meeting arranged by the eunuch, Crown Prince So-hyun becomes enraged when Jang-hyun mocks King Injo for fleeing even before the people did. After remembering his advice to Gil-chae to seek refuge in Ganghwa Island and his promise that will find her no matter what, Jang-hyun, with Ryang-eum, goes to the Qing army camp disguised as porters.

The general who serves Qing Emperor Hong Taiji (“Khan”) becomes suspicious of Jang-hyun and Ryang-eum; he orders his men to torture Jang-hyun by pulling out his toe nails one by one to force Ryang-eum to tell who they really are.

When King Injo refuses to leave Namhan Fortress, Qing Emperor Hong Taiji (“Khan”) orders his soldiers to capture Ganghwa Island.

On the beach, the military officer who was entrusted with the care of the infant Prince Wonson (Crown Prince So-hyun’s eldest son) falls from his horse while escaping from the Qing soldiers. From her hiding place, Gil-chae runs up to the officer, picks up Prince Wonson, and runs away as the Qing soldiers chase her.

As smallpox begins to ravage the army camp, Qing Emperor Hong Taiji (“Khan”) disappears from public view.

Note: The video below doesn’t have English subtitles, but it may ruin your viewing of the full episode. Among other scenes, it shows Jang-hyun and Ryang-eum inside the Qing army camp; and the fall of Ganghwa Island.

Episode 7

Ep. 6 recap: Ryang-eum confesses that his mother was a Jurchen while his father was from Joseon; he grew up as a slave in Joseon. Ryang-eum begins singing regularly for Qing Emperor Hong Taiji (“Khan”); as he and Jang-hyun go about their work as porters in the camp, they secretly send Crown Prince So-hyun messages hidden within wax balls. Gil-chae uses Prince Wonson to get herself, Eun-ae, and their servants onto the small boat with the soldiers to escape from Ganghwa Island. Jang-hyun sees Gil-chae’s “eunjangdo” hanging from the waist of a Qing soldier, who had just been isolated due to smallpox. As he confronts the soldier about the knife, the soldier spits blood onto his face. On the adjacent island where they hide, the military officer takes Prince Wonson from Gil-chae and tells her to lead Eun-ae and their servants to a place on the beach where a boat is waiting for them. The officer actually wants to buy time by purposely letting Gil-chae and her companions come across the pursuing Qing soldiers. Jang-hyun fights alone against the Qing soldiers to give time for Gil-chae, Eun-ae, and their servants to escape. With only one Qing soldier left, he begins getting dizzy because of the blood that he has been spitting out. As they run, Gil-chae remembers what Jang-hyun promised to her. She runs back to where Jang-hyun is.

After getting slashed several times by the remaining Qing soldier, Jang-hyun stumbles and rolls down the side of the path as Gil-chae arrives.

Flashback, three days ago ... After Crown Prince So-hyun gets the last message from Jang-hyun, Minister Choi Myung-gil meets Jang-hyun and pleads with him that protecting the King is protecting the people. Moved by the earnest plea, Jang-hyun tells him to use the smallpox outbreak that’s ravaging the Qing army camp to Joseon’s advantage.

The war ends.

Returning to Neunggun-ri with Eun-ae and their servants, Gil-chae is reunited with her father, younger sister, and nephew.

After being promoted by King Injo to a high ranking position in the Ministry of Rites, Yoon-jeon sends a letter to Neunggun-ri asking Eun-ae and her father to come to Hanyang.

Eunuch Pyo Eon-gyum meets Jang-hyun at the gisaeng house and asks him to become part of Crown Prince So-hyun’s entourage to the Qing capital.

Note: The video below doesn’t have English subtitles, but it may ruin your viewing of the full episode. Among other scenes, it shows the “stolen valor” scene on Ganghwa Island; Gil-chae and Eun-ae’s return to Neunggun-ri; Jang-hyun and Gil-chae meeting again.

Episode 8

Ep. 7 recap: As she arrives, Gil-chae sees Gu Won-moo, the military officer who took Prince Wonson from her, and thinks that he killed the more than a dozen Qing soldiers. (Later on, King Injo promotes Gu Won-moo for having heroically saved Prince Wonson.) After finding Jang-hyun in Ganghwa Island, Ryang-eum and Goo-jam take him to Hanyang and nurse him back to health. Gil-chae’s father lost his sanity after having seen his fellow Confucian teacher (Eun-ae’s father) killed by the Qing soldiers. In Hanyang, Yoon-jeon tells Gil-chae that what Soon-yak told him before he died is true — he had feelings for her but didn’t act upon it. After they part, Jang-hyun (who had been watching them) confronts Yoon-jeon and tells him how weak and indecisive he is as a man. Jang-hyun accepts Eunuch Pyo Eon-gyum’s offer for him to become part of Crown Prince So-hyun’s entourage to the Qing capital. Jang-hyun and Gil-chae meet on a field of grass, and as he teases her about why she gave him her “daenggi” (ribbon) when they were in Mount Gwanggyo, they fall on the grass. He kisses her.

Gil-chae catches up with Jang-hyun as Crown Prince So-hyun’s entourage leaves for Simyang [Shenyang], the Qing capital. Jang-hyun tells her that he will leave the entourage if she can promise never to think of Yoon-jeon again, but she replies that she cannot.

Yoon-jeon proposes to Eun-ae, but she refuses.

Along the way to Simyang [Shenyang], Jang-hyun, Ryang-eum, and Goo-jam detour to Uiju to look for Goo Yang-chun.

In Simyang [Shenyang], General Yong Gol-dae imposes restrictions on Crown Prince So-hyun and his entourage because of tobacco smuggling. Based on Qing Emperor Hong Taiji’s edict, he questions why Joseon has not fulfilled its promise of sending troops and horses for the war against Great Ming.

When General Yong Gol-dae reports that Crown Prince So-hyun stubbornly refuses to bring back to Qing the Joseon hostages who have escaped, Emperor Hong Taiji (Khan) says that they can always replace him with Prince Bong-rim (King Injo’s son), Prince Wonson, or somebody else.

Jang-hyun tells Ryang-eum and his servant Goo-jam that besides turning their lodgings into a gisaeng house, they will earn a lot of money by smuggling items that cannot be easily obtained in Simyang [Shenyang].

Note: The video might contain some spoilers that could ruin your viewing of the full episode.

Episode 9

Ep. 8 recap: Gil-chae uses an excuse her desire for floral shoes for seeing Jang-hyun before he leaves for Simyang [Shenyang]. When Eun-ae hesitates in marrying Yoon-jeon because she was “defiled” by an intruder, Gil-chae reminds her of what they agreed upon on the mountain. By dealing with the members of the Qing royal family, Jang-hyun becomes prosperous and well-known even to Joseon’s Crown Princess. But General Yong Gol-dae thinks that he’s a spy and threatens to kill him. The court officials report to Crown Prince So-hyun that General Yong Gol-dae’s trusted Joseon interpreter Jung Myung-soo has been embezzling the silver, persimmons, and other gifts sent by Joseon to the Khan (Emperor Hong Taiji). They advise him to report the matter to the Khan, but the Crown Princess tells him to listen to Jang-hyun, who says that Jung Myung-soo has been sharing the embezzled goods with someone else. King Injo throws Yoon-jeon into prison for refusing to lead Joseon’s delegation to Qing and orders all his properties confiscated. General Yong Gol-dae sides with his interpreter Jung Myung-soo; he arrests a Joseon court official who reported the embezzlement and later executes him, despite Crown Prince So-hyun’s attempt to save him through bribery. Seeing her ribbon (“daenggi”) and Jang-hyun’s fan, Gil-chae thinks that Jang-hyun is dead. That night, in her dream, she finally sees that Jang-hyun is the man on the beach. With General Yong Gol-dae present, the Khan (Emperor Hong Taiji) questions Jang-hyun if he was the one who started the rumor that he became mad when he was infected with smallpox during the war. Note: The video below shows Gil-chae on the mountaintop performing the “ch’ohon” or “kobok” ritual.

Jang-hyun saves himself from being executed as a Joseon spy by creating intrigue between General Yong Gol-dae and the Khan (Emperor Hong Taiji). In anger, General Yong Gol-dae orders Jang-hyun to prove that he isn’t a rat by capturing on his own the Joseon hostages who have escaped.

On a grassy field, as Jang-hyun, Goo-jam, and Ryang-eum watch the Joseon hostages who have escaped, another group of hunters appear, led by a woman with a blue mask. Unknown to Jang-hyun, one of the hostages who are trying to get back to Joseon is Goo Yang-chun.

In Joseon, Gil-chae, Eun-ae, and their servants try to survive as best as they can. On the way home from the market with her servant, Gil-chae meets Goo Won-moo, the military officer from Ganghwa Island, at his forge. She finds out that he’s letting his workers go because the Qing authorities have forbidden Joseon from manufacturing weapons.

Crown Prince So-hyun explodes in anger after finding out what General Yong Gol-dae did to the escaped Joseon hostages who were recaptured by Jang-hyun and how he’s secretly dealing with the Qing royal family. He shouts at Jang-hyun and demands to know if like the Joseon scholars who refuse to work for the royal court, he also looks down on him and King Injo for being so incompetent that Joseon was invaded and conquered by Great Qing.

At a meeting with Crown Prince So-hyun and his officials, General Yong Gol-dae demands that Joseon fulfill its promise of sending soldiers to help Great Qing in its war against Great Ming. He also demands that Joseon send 5,000 “seok” of rice as provisions for the war.

In Joseon, King Injo hears the news that Crown Prince So-hyun is learning the Manchu language and joining the Khan (Emperor Hong Taiji) in Taoist rituals.

Episode 10

Ep. 9 recap: After Gil-chae exchanges the rolls of cotton given to her by Officer Goo Won-moo for valueless copper coins, the workers at the forge turn the melted copper and start manufacturing bronze bowls. She tells Officer Goo Won-moo that they can sell the bronze bowls to noblewomen who need the bowls for the memorial services. When bandits steal the bronzeware, Gil-chae sells the remaining two bronze bowls to a rich noblewoman. She then sells the noblewoman’s jewelry and jade accessories to the gisaengs. Through her acumen, the forge and her other businesses become prosperous. Gil-chae promises to take care of her father, sister, and younger brother. Jang-hyun reassures Crown Prince So-hyun by saying that Great Qing used any justification (including the incompetence of King Injo and his court) for invading Joseon to help it in its war war against Great Ming. He advises him that in order to survive, he must be firm and courageous against General Yong Gol-dae and the Khan (Emperor Hong Taiji). Thus, instead of giving in to General Yong Gol-dae’s demands for 5,000 “seok” of rice, Crown Prince So-hyun bargains that Joseon be allowed to pay the tribute in the form of rice mixed with millet. Through the intercession of a highly influential Confucian scholar, King Injo releases Yoon-jeon from prison. Jang-hyun goes back to Joseon as part of Crown Prince So-hyun’s entourage. He finds the house where Gil-chae is living in, but he’s stunned to find out that Gil-chae is getting married to Officer Goo Won-moo.

Flaahback ... Office Goo Won-moo patiently woos Gil-chae until she accepts his proposal. Meanwhile, King Injo becomes suspicious of Great Qing’s motive in allowing Crown Prince So-hyun to return to Joseon. He fears that he will be sent to Simyang [Shenyang, Qing’s capital] in exchange and that the court ministers want Crown Prince So-hyun to ascend the throne.

Gil-chae goes to the gisaeng house to check if it’s really Jang-hyun whom she saw in front of her house. But things just become worse when Jang-hyun accuses her of not being able to live a single day without a man; he asks that if she gave other men a chance, why didn’t she give him a chance?

Realizing his mistake, Jang-hyun meets Gil-chae again. When she says that she’s marrying Officer Goo Won-moo because he saved on Ganghwa Island, he finally reveals that it was him who saved her and her companions that day. But she refuses to believe him.

After finding out what led Gil-chae to believe that he was dead and confronting Ryang-eum, Jang-hyun takes one last chance at making things right with Gil-chae. But when he tells her that he needs her to be with him, she retorts that he’s exactly the Jang-hyun she knows — whatever and whenever it is, he does as he wishes.

Episode 11

Ep. 10 recap: Ryang-eum tells Jang-hyun that he allowed Gil-chae to continue believing that he’s dead because she can only bring misfortune to him. Gil-chae and Jang-hyun run away from her house and stay at an inn near a river bank; he expects Goo-jam to join him the next day, but Goo-jam reveals to Gil-chae’s servant where she is. Officer Goo Won-moo finds out from Yoon-jeon that Jang-hyun is alive. He says that since the betrothal gifts have already been delivered and received, he considers Gil-chae as his legal wife. He adds that it’s not a crime for a husband to kill his wife and the man she committed adultery with. Using Gil-chae’s father as bait, Officer Goo Won-moo catches up with Gil-chae at the stream. On her way to the river bank where Jang-hyun is waiting, Gil-chae remembers that at the stream, her father had a lucid moment. Gil-chae decides to go back to the house, and the wedding preparations continue. As Jang-hyun and Goo-jam sail away on a boat, Gil-chae looks on from a distance. Unknown to her, Ryang-eum sees her and looks at her with hatred in his eyes. Two years later, in Simyang [Shenyang, the Qing capital], Jang-hyun disrupts the group of slave hunters led by a woman with a blue mask as they pursue the escaped Joseon hostages.

Flashbacks ... Gil-chae marries Officer Goo Won-moo. Meanwhile, conflict arises between King Injo and Crown Prince So-hyun over what the Qing are truly like.

Jang-hyun returns to Simyang where Crown Prince So-hyun and General Yong Gol-dae are both waiting for him. Immediately, he and Goo-jam start hunting down escaping Joseon captives. While watching a group of slaves in the grassy fields, they meet the Qing slave hunters with their mysterious leader who wears a blue veil; Goo-jam says that the leader is probably a woman.

As they race against the Qing slave hunters, Jang-hyun and Goo-jam are stunned to stumble upon Yang-chun, who’s trying to escape together with two young children and a baby.

In Joseon, Gil-chae goes to the palace to show her “eunjangdo” to Royal Concubine Cho. Unknown to her, as she returns to her house and meets Officer Goo Won-moo, Ryang-eum watches her from a distance.

In Simyang, a Qing official meets Jang-hyun and asks him to provide him with high quality tiger skin as a gift for Prince Yoonchin. After promising to do what he can, Jang-hyun passes by the garden where he sees several female Joseon captives being tortured by Prince Yoonchin’s jealous concubine. He’s stunned when he recognizes one of the female captives.

When Jang-hyun says that he wants to rescue the female Joseon captives from Prince Yoonchin’s residence, Goo-jam disagrees, citing the great risk involved, and Yang-chun berates him, saying that these female captives have already been soiled by the intruders.

Episode 12

Ep. 11 recap: While fighting bandits on the road, Jang-hyun gets distracted by memories of his intimate moments with Gil-chae. Flashback ... Jang-hyun tricks General Yong Gol-dae into thinking that he’s selling the Joseon captives for profit; in reality, he uses the money that he earns from his businesses to set the captives free. Jang-hyun helps Young-rang, the 15-year old gisaeng he met in Uiju, to escape from Prince Yoonchin’s residence. When slave hunters appear in pursuit, Yang-chun blocks their way with his spear, and Jang-hyun kills all of them. Bowing to pressure from the Qing envoy, King Injo orders the capture of the escaped Joseon hostages and their forced return to Simyang. Chaos reigns as some people take advantage of the reward money to turn in to the police those who have escaped. The Qing official working for Prince Yoonchin can’t find Young-rang in Joseon. Egged on by a Joseon slave trader, he orders his men to kidnap Gil-chae and Jong-jong. In Simyang, the Qing Emperor orders Crown Prince So-hyun and the ministers to witness how the runaway Joseon captives are punished. When one of the ministers can’t bear to witness the punishment, Jang-hyun tells Eunuch Pyo Eon-gyum that he’ll take the minister’s place.

Ryang-eum brings the young boy who saw how Gil-chae and Jong-jong were kidnapped to Officer Goo Won-moo’s house. But Officer Goo Won-moo accuses Ryang-eum of conniving with Jang-hyun. Yoon-jeon thus volunteers to go with Ryang-eum to try and rescue Gil-chae.

In Simyang, while drinking alone on a roadside bar under the moonlight, Jang-hyun remembers the day Gil-chae wore the bright red silk “jeogori” (upper garment) that he gave her. His reverie is broken by a Qing woman wearing a veil, who stops by and engages him in small talk.

Because of the drought and through General Yong Gol-dae, the Qing Emperor orders Crown Prince So-hyun and his ministers to provide their own food by starting a farm. After Crown Princess Kang says that she learned some farming from her father, Jang-hyun tells Crown Prince So-hyun that they can get Joseon farmers from the slave market.

Crown Prince So-hyun threatens to kill Jang-hyun but wants to know first why he followed him to Simyang. Jang-hyun replies that if he, as Crown Prince, holds on to the end despite being abandoned by King Injo and being despised by the people, his resentment against the death of a loved one will be eased.

Along the way, Jong-jong tells Gil-chae that once they reach Simyang, they can ask Jang-hyun for help. But Gil-chae refuses and says that they must not meet him him or ask for his help.

In Simyang, Prince Yoonchin selects Gil-chae and Jong-jong to become part of his servants, sending the other captives back to Joseon for a stiff ransom. At night, Gil-chae asks one of the Joseon slaves to teach her some words in the Qing language. The next day, upon seeing Prince Yoonchin, she drops to her knees before him and shouts in the Qing language that she wants to “serve” him.

Episode 13

Ep. 12 recap: Crown Prince So-hyun is sickened to his stomach when he sees the wretched conditions of the Joseon slaves in the slave market. When he asks why the Joseon slaves didn’t take their lives instead of bearing with the ridicule and embarrassment, Jang-hyun challenges him and enrages Eunuch Pyo Eon-gyum by asking why King Injo hasn’t done so himself. While walking away from the slave market, Jang-hyun remembers his beloved elder sister. While the Qing soldiers are distracted, Gil-chae bites her finger and uses her blood to hurriedly write a letter for Officer Goo Won-moo and bribes a woman at the wayside to deliver it. The woman later sees Yoon-jeon and Ryang-eum and gives them the letter. Officer Goo Won-moo thus decides to go to Simyang himself and try to ransom Gil-chae. Deceived by the Joseon slave whom she asked for help, Gil-chae escapes from sleeping with Prince Yoonchin through scarring herself by breaking a vase on her forehead. At the slave market, chaos reigns after some Joseon men start shouting that someone has been infected by smallpox (“mama”). As the jail doors are forcibly opened, Gil-chae, Jong-jong, and the other slaves run and try to escape through the grass field. But the Qing slave hunters chase them and their leader aims her bow and arrow at Gil-chae, who’s dressed in her bright green silk “jeogori.” As Jang-hyun also draws his bow and arrow against the leader, he also sees the bright green silk “jeogori.”

Gil-chae, Jong-jong, and the other women are captured by the Qing slave hunters and brought back to the slave market. After the owner of the slave market beats Gil-chae, his goons drag Jong-jong away.

On the way to Simyang, at an inn, Officer Goo Won-moo meets a man who tells him that if his wife was brought to the slave market instead of the Crown Prince’s quarters, she has probably already lost her chastity by being soiled by the intruders. Meanwhile, back in Joseon, Eun-ae asks Yoon-jeon to seek the help of the influential Confucian scholar who helped him get released.

On the road after delivering the cows from Mongolia to Crown Princess Kang at the farm, Jang-hyun finds out that the mysterious, veiled leader of the Qing slave hunters is none other than Princess Gak-hwa, Hong Taiji’s daughter. When Princess Gak-hwa demands to know what he does with the Joseon slaves that he captures, he challenges her by saying that she should ask General Yong Gol-dae that question.

General Yong Gol-dae pressures Crown Prince So-hyun to immediately provide more provisions — provisions, workers,wagons, and horses — for Qing’s ongoing military campaign. Crown Prince So-hyun thus meets Jang-hyun; unknown to them, however, Princess Gak-hwa’s attendant watches them.

In Joseon, after seeing Yoon-jeon stop Eun-ae from carrying out her rash plan to rescue Gil-chae, Ryang-eum decides to go to Simyang and tell Jang-hyun that Gil-chae was kidnapped and brought to Simyang as an escaped slave.

Episode 14

Ep. 13 recap: Princess Gak-hwa forces Jang-hyun to spend time with her; she tells him that she turned to slave hunting to amuse herself. When she tries to get him in bed with her, Jang-hyun tells her that despite being a princess, she won’t be able to get everything she wants. The influential Confucian scholar tells Yoon-jeon that his academy cannot help him get Gil-chae released because there’s no evidence to disprove that she wasn’t an escaped slave. Later on, after being told by one of the scholars how the academy is making a difference in the lives of the Joseon people, Yoon-jeon decides to attend one of the academy’s assemblies. The influential scholar exhorts his scholars that King Injo has failed his duties to the people; unknown to him, his scholars, and Yoon-jeon, one of the men in the assembly is King Injo’s eunuch. After finding out that Gil-chae isn’t on the list of returned Joseon slaves, Officer Goo Won-moo goes to the slave market. The owner of the slave market mocks him that Gil-chae has been repeatedly soiled by the man who bought her. When Officer Goo Won-moo returns to Joseon, Eun-ae decides to go to Simyang herself and rescue Gil-chae. But Yoon-jeon stops her. When Crown Prince So-hyun laments that he has been humiliated by General Yong Gol-dae, Jang-hyun tells him that the Joseon captives in the slave market have chosen their right to live and are grateful for each day that they survive, thus becoming real warriors; in the same way, since he’s the Crown Prince who will inherit the throne, staying in Simyang means preventing another war, thus proving his loyalty. He assures Crown Prince So-hyun that he will help gather the wagons, horses, workers, and provisions that General Yong Gol-dae demands. After Ryang-eum tells him about what happened to Gil-chae, Jang-hyun goes to the slave market where Gil-chae is being auctioned. He fights off the goons of the slave market owner. Face to face with Gil-chae, he screams at her repeatedly, “Why?”

Goo-jam goes to the faraway place where Jong-jong was sold off. Meanwhile, despite Jang-hyun’s efforts to free Gil-chae from the slave market, she ends up as a slave in Princess Gak-hwa’s residence.

Jang-hyun pleads with Princess Gak-hwa that he will find another female slave for her, but she says that because her father Emperor Hong Taiji’s favorite concubine has died, she will present Gil-chae as a gift to him.

When General Yong Gol-dae questions Joseon’s allegiance to Qing and demands that the military provisions be provided immediately, Crown Prince So-hyun answers back, telling him not to threaten him. To cool things down, Jang-hyun offers a solution for the dilemma, despite protests from the Joseon ministers. Later, in a private audience with Crown Prince So-hyun, Crown Princess Kang, and Eunuch Pyo Eon-gyum, he asks that as a favor, if the military provisions arrive on time, Crown Prince So-hyun should ask for Gil-chae’s release as a slave from Princess Gak-hwa’s residence. But Crown Princess Kang says that it’s unacceptable since King Injo will not tolerate Crown Prince So-hyun indulging in women while in Simyang. When Jang-hyun says that Gil-chae’s release need not be reported in the official records, Crown Prince So-hyun says that he cannot lie to King Injo.

In Joseon, Yoon-jeon tells Officer Goo Won-moo that he will go to Simyang and get Gil-chae back. But Officer Goo Won-moo refuses, telling him not meddle in his family’s affairs. Later, after Eun-ae tells him that Gil-chae saved her from a death-like life, Yoon-jeon goes to the academy and asks the influential Confucian scholar to take him in as a student.

Episode 15

Ep. 14 recap: Officer Goo Won-moo rejects Yoon-jeon’s offer to go to Simyang and get Gil-chae released, saying that he has already sent someone there to work things out. The Joseon slave/interpreter at Prince Yoonchin’s residence warns Gil-chae about Princess Gak-hwa’s affection for Jang-hyun. Gil-chae thus makes Jang-hyun promise not to do anything, saying that she’s being treated well by Princess Gak-hwa. But Jang-hyun sees the welts on her neck caused by the beating she got Princess Gak-hwa’s attendant. Based on his experience with trading with the Japaneses in Uiju, Jang-hyun proposes to Crown Prince So-hyun, the Joseon ministers, and General Yong Gol-dae to convince General Geng Zhongmin to send his army’s own provisions to the battlefield; in exchange, he will receive the military provisions that will come from Joseon. When Crown Prince So-hyun and Crown Princess Kang refuse his request to have Gil-chae released as a slave in Princess Gak-hwa’s residence, Jang-hyun tells them that it was Gil-chae who saved their son Prince Wonson in Ganghwa Island. General Geng Zhongmin is pleased with Jang-hyun’s proposal, thinking of how his old military provisions will be replaced by fresh provisions from Joseon. But he balks when he realizes that he could be blamed by Emperor Hong Taiji if his provisions do not arrive in time on the battlefield. Knowing that General Geng Zhongmin is a former Ming general who defected to the Qing, Jang-hyun subtly threatens him first using the Joseon language and then, using the Ming language, reminds him that Emperor Hong Taiji will think highly of him if he voluntarily offers his own military provisions for the ongoing battle. Princess Gak-hwa presents Gil-chae as a gift to Emperor Hong Taiji, but Gil-chae surprises them both by speaking the Qing language; addressing Emperor Hong Taiji directly, she tells him that she’s a Joseon noblewoman who was kidnapped and brought forcibly to Simyang. She also tells him about the horrible torture that jealous Qing wives inflict on the female Joseon slaves. Emperor Hong Taiji meets the male members of the royal family and warns them that if he hears again of the atrocities committed against the Joseon slaves, he will bury the jealous Qing wives alive after making their husband’s disappear. Princess Gak-hwa orders Jang-hyun to go hunting with her, with Gil-chae as the prey. She tells Jang-hyun that if she reaches Gil-chae first, Gil-chae will be her slave forever. If he reaches Gil-chae first, she will set Gil-chae free, but he will die. Jang-hyun runs after Gil-chae on the open field, with Princess Gak-hwa pursuing after them on her horse. Princess Gak-hwa draws her bow and arrow and aims it at Gil-chae, but seeing Jang-hyun about to reach Gil-chae, she shoots him on the back. Jang-hyun survives; released by Princess Gak-hwa, Gil-chae is led to Jang-hyun’s residence by Yang-chun.

Flashback ... Jang-hyun saves Ryang-eum from their sadistic owner, and they escape to Uiju to seek Yang-chun’s protection.

Crown Princess Kang expresses her gratitude to Gil-chae for saving her eldest son in Ganghwa Island; she asks Gil-chae if she wants to return to Joseon, but Gil-chae says that she wants to stay in Simyang for a while. On the other hand, Goo-jam finally finds Jong-jong.

While pretending to be recuperating from his injury so as to keep Gil-chae by his side, Jang-hyun plans with Yang-chun how to send back to Joseon some of the captives they have rescued.

In Joseon, Yoon-jeon joins the other scholars in writing petitions to King Injo on the people’s behalf. But Master Jang (the influential Confucian scholar) exhorts him that, just as the foreign intruders use weapons to terrorize Joseon, his petitions must also be full of passion.

Ryang-eum tells Gil-chae that Princess Gak-hwa has given her release papers and that she’s now free to return to Joseon.

Episode 16

Ep. 15 recap: Yang-chun tells the captives that because of the dangers in the travel back to Joseon, they should work for Crown Prince So-hyun’s farm in the meanwhile and wait for the envoys with whom they can travel back to Joseon safely. Gil-chae sets up a foundry to manufacture farming tools; months later, Crown Prince So-hyun’s farm yields a bountiful harvest. In the woods, Ryang-eum draws his bow and arrow against Princess Gak-hwa as she watches Jang-hyun and Gil-chae from a distance. After he hesitates and walks away, Princess Gak-hwa’s soldiers catch him. Using a hot iron, Ryang-eum burns off the slave tattoo on his chest. Later, after returning the “eunjangdo” to Gil-chae, he reveals to her that it was Jang-hyun who saved her in Ganghwa Island. He tells her that she should return to Joseon because she’s a curse to Jang-hyun. Jang-hyun gains Crown Princess Kang’s confidence even more by volunteering to sell the surplus rice from the harvest. She and Crown Prince So-hyun need the money to give as bribes to the Qing royal family and government officials; without the bribes, they won’t be able to accomplish anything. When she asks Jang-hyun if he’s willing to manage the money, he refuses and assures her that, having managed the farm well, she will also do well in managing the money. When Princess Gak-hwa threatens Gil-chae, Jang-hyun chokes her.

After Hong Taiji dies, his brother Prince Dorgon becomes the King Regent for the new, six year old Emperor. When Crown Prince So-hyun becomes worried about King Regent Dorgon’s plans for Joseon, Jang-hyun and Eunuch Pyo Eon-gyum visit General Yong Gol-dae with a bribe of a golden Buddha.

In Joseon, King Injo becomes paranoid when he hears that King Regent Dorgon has allowed Crown Prince So-hyun and Crown Princess Kang to visit Joseon.

General Yong Gol-dae berates Jang-hyun for getting on Princess Gak-hwa’s bad side. He says that King Regent Dorgon wants Princess Gak-hwa’s support because she controls the women in the royal household, but Princess Gak-hwa has imposed two conditions for her support: she will not marry a Mongolian man, and she wants control over the escaped Joseon captives. Fearing that his corrupt activities with the captives will be exposed, he orders Jang-hyun to do whatever Princess Gak-hwa wants.

Worried about what will happen to Gil-chae and the Joseon captives because of Princess Gak-hwa, Jang-hyun tells Gil-chae that she should return to Joseon as part of Crown Prince So-hyun and Crown Princess Kang’s entourage.

In Joseon, some of Master Jang’s scholars, including Yoon-jeon, have become part of the royal court. When Yoon-jeon reports that eunuchs are torturing court maids, Master Jang tells him to investigate the “curse of the palace.”

Episode 17

Ep. 16 recap: Jang-hyun tells General Yong Gol-dae that once Crown Prince So-hyun becomes king, all the rights and interests of Joseon products will only be given to him and King Regent Dorgon. Jang-hyun tells Gil-chae that because he has grown tired of her rejections, she should return to Joseon. Later on, he stops Princess Gak-hwa from taking her own life. In a moment of vulnerability, Princess Gak-hwa says that she’s scared because she has never lived in a world without her father; she pleads with him to stay by her side. King Injo at first refuses to see Crown Prince So-hyun; later, he forbids Crown Princess Kang from visiting her mother and from crying before her father’s ancestral tablet. Gil-chae reunites with Eun-ae, her sister and brother, and her father. When she goes to see Officer Goo Won-moo at his father’s house, she finds out that he has taken in a concubine and gotten her pregnant. When Officer Goo Won-moo asks her if she was violated when she was in Simyang, she refuses to answer. People in their village start gossiping about Gil-chae being shameless for returning to Joseon after losing her chastity in Simyang. Her father thus tries to salvage her reputation by trying to strangle and kill her. At the forge while looking at some of the “eunjangdo,” Gil-chae tells Officer Goo Won-moo that she was violated in Simyang; she also tells him that Jang-hyun rescued her and that she has given his heart to him.

King Injo learns about a treasonous plot led by a court minister, who wants to install as the next king Prince Hoe Eun, King Seongjong’s great-great-grandson. Besides ordering the arrest of the minister, his family, and co-plotters, he orders the interrogation and punishment of Uiju’s governor for failing to report that Crown Prince So-hyun traveled back to Joseon with hundreds of freed captives.

After meeting in secret with a senior court lady, Yoon-jeon reports to Master Jang that court maids are being tortured to force them to reveal who ordered the burial of cursed objects around the palace and who the target of the curse is. He also reports that one court lady has been executed by the Department of Justice on orders by the Palace Supply Bureau.

In Simyang, while in the woods, Jang-hyun and Princess Gak-hwa see and hear two men mocking her for her political ambitions and her possible exile to Mongolia. After stopping herself from killing the men, Princess Gak-hwa tells Jang-hyun to report the men to King Regent Dorgon; she also tells him that Crown Prince So-hyun and Crown Princess Kang will soon be allowed to permanently return to Joseon.

Gil-chae meets with Royal Concubine Cho and offers her the “eunjangdo” she took from the forge. Royal Concubine Cho dismisses Gil-chae’s sales pitch, saying that nobody will buy anything from a spoiled woman. But she offers to buy all the “eunjangdo” if Gil-chae does something for her.

Yang-chun chooses to stay in Simyang; along with Ryang-eum and Goo-jam, Jang-hyun travels back to Joseon with Crown Prince Sohyeon’s entourage.

After Jang-hyun says that he will soon head back to Simyang, Ryang-eum finds out where Gil-chae is living and tells her that for Jang-hyun to be able to move on, she should meet him and show him that she’s doing well.

Episode 18

Ep. 17 recap: Upon orders of Royal Concubine Cho, the eunuchs torture the court maids to reveal who’s the mastermind in burying the cursed objects around the palace. King Injo has nightmares of bowing before Crown Prince So-hyun. To Crown Prince So-hyun’s disappointment, Eunuch Pyo Eon-gyum tells him that, except for a few dozen of the captives who work as farmers, the other captives whose freedom he has bought cannot return to Joseon because King Injo, in his paranoia, has punished Uiju’s governor. Yang-chun decides to remain in Simyang to take care of the freed captives, while Jang-hyun promises to go back to Simyang once Crown Prince So-hyun has worked things out in Joseon. The woman who Gil-chae saved from drowning herself in the well turns out to be a fellow captive in Simyang. Gil-chae takes her in in the modest house she has bought, together with several street kids. With Ryang-eum’s help, Gil-chae pretends to be pregnant. But through Goo-jam, Jang-hyun finds out the truth.

Crown Prince So-hyun pleads for permission to bring the captives whom he left behind in Simyang back to Joseon. But King Injo refuses and draws parallels with what Crown Prince So-hyun gained in buying the captives’ freedom with the loyalty that the traitor Sim Ki-won gained by training and paying his private army. He then orders Eunuch Pyo Eon-gyum to take Crown Prince So-hyun to the hot springs in Onyang.

With Princess Gak-hwa and her men watching, Yang-chun leads the Joseon captives across the river into Joseon territory. But as they’re met on the other side of the river by Jang-hyun, Ryang-eum and Goo-jam, a large group of Joseon bandits attacks them. As Yang-chun orders the captives to go back across the river to escape, hes shot with an arrow. Jang-hyun and Ryang-eum are both struck on the head with clubs and lose consciousness.

Thinking that Jang-hyun betrayed her, Princess Gak-hwa vents her ire on Goo-jam. But Goo-jam points out to her the dead or wounded among the captives; he says that if Jang-hyun survived the attack, he would have crossed the river already.

In Joseon, Yoon-jeon reports to Master Jang that dozens of people have been dragged into the prison that’s controlled by the eunuchs at the Palace Supply Bureau. He says that King Injo suspects that the Joseon captives who have returned from Sinyang are traitors. Master Jang thus orders Yoon-jeon to gather the scholars and says that he will appeal to King Injo to transfer those who were dragged into prison to the Department of Justice for proper investigation.

In Onyang, Crown Prince So-hyun finds out what happened to the captives and that Jang-hyun is missing. Despite Crown Princess Kang’s pleas, he decides to go back to Hanyang and speak to King Injo.

Episode 19

Ep. 18 recap: Before returning to Sinyang to help the remaining Joseon captives, Jang-hyun spends some intimate moments with Gil-chae, who gives him one of the matched rings that she had made at the forge. In Onyang, Crown Prince So-hyun orders Jang-hyun not to return to Simyang for the captives. Jang-hyun and the other captives who survived the attack are dragged into the prison that’s controlled by the eunuchs at the Palace Supply Bureau. After learning that the eunuch in charge is looking for “Yang-chun, the leader of the captives,” Jang-hyun says that he is Yang-chun. Through the help of Ningguchin (the Jurchen merchant from Uiju), Ryang-eum escapes and reports to Crown Prince So-hyun what happened to the captives and Jang-hyun. King Injo accuses Crown Prince So-hyun of treason; meanwhile, at the palace gate, Master Jang and the Confucian scholars demand that the prisoners held at the Palace Supply Bureau be transferred to the Department of Justice for proper investigation. Gil-chae finds out from Royal Noble Concubine Cho’s court maid that the people loyal to Crown Prince So-hyun have been arrested. She thus complies with Royal Concubine Cho’s order that she plant a “eunjangdo” inscribed with words of praise for the Queen at a remote corner of the palace. As hes being carted off from the prison at the Palace Supply Bureau, Jang-hyun hears Master Jang shouting at King Injo for the transfer of the prisoners. In his hazy mind, he remembers a solemn moment with his father — Master Jang. Gil-chae follows the eunuchs who are carting off bodies from the prison at the Palace Supply Bureau. After finding Jang-hyun among the pile of bodies, she uses a rock to knock down the eunuch who’s guarding the bodies.

As Crown Prince So-hyun’s condition becomes much worse, King Injo sends a royal physician to him. But Crown Princess Kang questions the royal physician’s use of heated acupuncture needles on Crown Prince So-hyun.

The men sent by King Injo’s eunuch search Gil-chaes village, but Ryang-eum has already taken Jang-hyun away to a safe place.

In Simyang, Princess Gak-hwa becomes concerned after learning that court officials loyal to Crown Prince So-hyun are being purged; she asks General Yong Gol-dae if he has any news about Jang-hyun.

After writing a letter that he hides inside his pillow case, Crown Prince So-hyun dies.

King Injo’s eunuch pressures one of Crown Princess Kang’s court maids to testify that Crown Princess Kang buried a cursed object on the palace grounds. Thus, when a court minister asks King Injo to install Crown Prince So-hyun’s eldest son as the new Crown Prince, King Injo refuses. Through Royal Noble Concubine Cho’s deceit, Crown Princess Kang is accused of treason for plotting to poison King Injo.

Fearing a coup from the captives freed by Crown Prince So-hyun and Crown Princess Kang, Injo orders security checkpoints all over the capital; a widespread search is also launched against “Yang-chun, the leader of the captives.”

Episode 20

Ep. 19 recap: A sympathetic eunuch helps Gil-chae and Jang-hyun escape from the palace. But after regaining consciousness, Jang-hyun suffers from memory loss. Crown Princess Kang finds the letter that Crown Prince So-hyun wrote and hid inside his pillow case — it’s a letter for Jang-hyun. Later, she sends one of her attendants to visit Gil-chae and give her a box of jewelry; through her attendant, she tells Gil-chae to keep the box of jewelry with her forever. Escorted by General Yong Gol-dae, Princess Gak-hwa goes to Joseon to rescue Jang-hyun. King Injo orders Crown Princess Kang’s execution by poison. Through the matched ring, Jang-hyun regains his memory.

Jang-hyun finds out from Eunuch Pyo Eon-gyum that Crown Prince So-hyun was poisoned and left a letter for him. At the palace, King Injo fears that Crown Prince So-hyun’s letter could implicate him with the Qing Dynasty; he orders his ministers to find the letter. As the eunuchs search for the letter and drag away the court ladies who served Crown Prince So-hyun and Crown Princess Kang, King Injo’s eunuch finds out that the man he thought was “Yang-chun, the leader of the traitors” is actually Interpreter Lee Jang-hyun.

With Jang-hyun interpreting for him before King Injo, General Yong Gol-dae demands to know what happened to Crown Prince So-hyun’s three sons and the evidence for Crown Princess Kang’s alleged treason.

With a cart full of silver ingots as payment, Jang-hyun asks Princess Gak-hwa and General Yong Gol-dae that the remaining Joseon captives be given their release papers and enter Joseon via a land route.

Episode 21, Finale (with spoilers)

Ep. 20 recap: In his letter, Crown Prince So-hyun pleads with Jang-hyun to help him keep his promise to bring back the Joseon captives who were left behind in Simyang. After Eun-ae finally confesses her encounter on the mountain with a foreign intruder, Yoon-jeon becomes cold towards her. At the palace, he and the other scholar from Master Jang’s academy vow to prevent Jang-hyun from exerting his corrupt influence on the Joseon court. Later, he confronts Jang-hyun and threatens him. Princess Gak-hwa can’t bring herself to kill Jang-hyun and allows him to go back to Joseon. Thousands of the freed Joseon captives begin to gather at Uiju. When some of them talk about avenging Crown Prince So-hyun’s death, Jang-hyun warns them that they must live peacefully as Crown Prince So-hyun would have wanted. After Goo-jam and Jong-jong’s wedding, Jang-hyun and Gil-chae also plan to get married and return to Neunggun-ri.

The old man locked inside the dungeon in Hyeminseo is Ryang-eum.

King Injo blackmails Master Jang into leading the government forces that will arrest the the traitors among the former Joseon captives who have gathered in Uiju. He orders Yoon-jeon to investigate Jang-hyun’s background.

When someone testifies that Yang-chun and the other captives held a memorial rite for Crown Prince So-hyun and raised their glasses of alcohol for Thief Kang (Crown Princess Kang), Master Jang advises King Injo to sentence Yang-chun and the others with him to execution by dismemberment.

When Jang-hyun reveals his true identity, Master Jang becomes conflicted between seeing his son again and the duty that King Injo imposed on him. On the other hand, Jang-hyun vents his anger toward his father Master Jang for his beloved sister’s death. He also tells his father that he knows who Sam Dol (the slave his sister fell in love with) really is.

To allow Gil-chae and the others to escape to Neunggun-ri, Jang-hyun and some former captives face off against Yoon-jeon and the slaves from the Palace Supply Bureau.

Master Jang hangs himself, and in the palace, King Injo dies.

Out of guilt, Yoon-jeon also tries to hang himself, but Eun-ae saves him. As he recovers, he tells Gil-chae that he didn’t see Jang-hyun actually die on the beach. He tells Gil-chae to find an old man who may have been the last person to see Jang-hyun.

The old man tells Gil-chae that he rescued Jang-hyun but that Jang-hyun lost his memories; one day, Jang-hyun left to follow the scent of flowers.

On a mountain near Neunggun-ri, Gil-chae finally reunites with Jang-hyun.

Historical / cultural backgrounders and other information

Index: Ep. 1; Ep. 2; Ep. 3; Eps. 3, 4, and 5; Eps. 6-7; Ep. 8; Ep. 9; Ep. 10; Eps. 11, 12, 13, and 14; Eps. 15-16; Ep. 19

Episode 1

A. Two Joseon kings and a Crown Prince are mentioned in the opening scenes of this drama: King Injo, King Hyojong, and Crown Prince So-hyun.

King Injo (1595–1649): 16th ruler of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. He was the grandson of King Seonjo and son of Prince Jeongwon. He was the king during the Later Jin invasion of Joseon, in which Later Jin withdrew the armies after their demands were met. However, in the subsequent Qing invasion, King Injo surrendered in 1636, agreeing to the subjugating terms outlined by the Qing.

Crown Prince So-hyun (1612–1645): the first son of King Injo, he was a hostage in the Manchu court at Shenyang, by the terms of the peace treaty concluded after War in 1636. He moved to Beijing in 1644, and communicated with the Jesuit missionary Johann Adam Schall von Bell there. Sohyeon died not long after his return to Korea in 1645.

King Hyojong (1619–June 1659): 17th king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea from 1649 to 1659. He is best known for his plan for an expedition to the Manchu Qing dynasty, and his campaigns against the Russian Empire at the request of the Qing dynasty. His plan for the northern expedition was never put into action since he died before the campaign started.

King Hyojong was born in 1619 as the second son of King Injo, while his father was still a prince. In 1623, when the Westerners faction (西人) launched a coup that removed then-ruling Gwanghaegun and crowned Injo, Hyojong was called to the palace along with his father and given the title Bongrimdaegun (Grand Prince Bongrim) in 1626.

King Injo, Crown Prince So-hyun (through his son Lee Seok-yeon), and King Hyojong (Grand Prince Bongrim) are portrayed in the groundbreaking drama “Chuno, The Slave Hunters” (2010).



B. “Battle of Dalinghe”

During a meeting between King Injo and his ministers as the Joseon envoys return in humiliation from Later Jin, (the warmongering) Minister Kim Sang-heon urges King Injo to behead the envoys. But (the pragmatic) Minister Choi Myung-gil reminds the royal court of the “Battle Dalinghe” where the Later Jin (Qing) armies decisively defeated the Ming forces.

From “Battle of Dalinghe”:

The Battle of Dalinghe (Chinese: 大凌河之役) was a battle between the Later Jin dynasty and the Ming dynasty that took place between September and November 1631. Later Jin forces besieged and captured the fortified northern Ming city of Dalinghe (大凌河; present-day Linghai) in Liaoning. Using a combined force of Jurchen and Mongol cavalry, along with recently captured Ming artillery units, the Later Jin khan Hong Taiji surrounded Dalinghe and defeated a series of Ming reinforcement forces in the field. The Ming defenders under general Zu Dashou surrendered the city after taking heavy losses and running out of food. Several of the Ming officers captured in the battle would go on to play important roles in the ongoing transition from Ming to Qing.

C. “Haeminseo” (Hyeminseo)

In his search for information about a warrior mentioned in the “sacho” (draft of historical records) of Crown Prince So-hyun, Head Inspector Shin Yi-rib goes to Haeminseo.

During the Joseon Dynasty, there were two hospitals for the public — Hyeminseo and Hwalinseo. The Hyeminseo was the general hospital, while the Hwalinseo was the hospital for beggars, prisoners, and those with infectious diseases.

From “Medical licensing examination (uigwa) and the world of the physician officers (uigwan) in Korea’s Joseon Dynasty” by Nam Hee Lee, Department of Korean Culture, College of Won Buddhism, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Korea:

During the Joseon Dynasty, different social sectors of the population were served by specific physician officers. The Royal Hospital (Naeuiwon) was in charge of managing the royal family’s medical care, occasionally offering such services to members of the King’s court as well. The state health minister (Jejo) was in charge of medical treatment for the common people and soldiers, as well as serving members of the royal family and courtiers. Hyeminseo mainly undertook medical care of the general population, while the hospital for the poor (Hwalinseo) primarily served patients with infectious diseases, prisoners in the city, and the poor. Medical students were dispatched to the medical care facilities in the provinces, and they took charge of medical care.

Much of the story in the 2012-2013 hit “The King’s Doctor” aka Horse Doctor" takes place in Hyeminseo, referred to in the subtitles as “The People’s Clinic.”

In Ep. 15 of “The Moon That Embraces The Sun” (2012), Grand Prince Yang-myung becomes concerned when FL Yeon-woo is sentenced to serve in Hwalinseo.

In Ep. 49 of “A Jewel in the Palace” (2003), Jang Geum alarms King Jungjong, Min Jung Ho, and her friends when she says that she wants to be assigned to Hwalinseo (“public health center”).

D. Gil-chae, the swing, Yi Mongryong, and Chunhyang

Gil-chae defends her decision to ride the swing to get Yoon-jeon’s attention by citing the love story of Yi Mongryong and Chunhyang.

From “Chunhyangjeon” (Wikipedia):

Chunhyangjeon (춘향전; 春香傳; lit. The Story of Chunhyang or The Tale of Chunhyang) is one of the best known love stories and folk tales of Korea. It is based on the pansori Chunhyangga, the most famous of the five surviving pansori tales.

Yi Mongryong, who always studies hard, goes out to get some fresh air. He sees Chunhyang on a swing and he falls in love with her at first sight.

Other resources:

“The Tale of Chunhyang: true love conquers all in this folklore classic”

“The Tale of Chunhyang! One of the best known folk tales of Korea”

Yi Mong-ryong and Sung Chun-hyang: Korea’s Love Story (Gwangju News March 8, 2017)

E. The “zelkova tree” at the entrance of Neunggun-ri village

In several scenes, the entrance of Neunggun-ri village is shown to be marked by a huge zelkova tree. This 400 year-old zelkova tree has been the setting for numerous K-dramas. For more information, please surf to “Mt. Seongheungsan Love Tree [성흥산 사랑나무]”.

Related resource: How to Visit the Love Tree from ‘Alchemy of Souls’

F. “Hwajeon” (flower rice cake)

In a brief scene at the river during the festival, a young noblewoman prepares “hwajeon” (flower rice cake). For more information about “hwajeon,” view or download my infographic on “hwajeon,” a popular Korean delicacy or surf to (1) “Pan-Fried Sweet Rice Cakes with Edible Flowers”; (2) “Fresh Flower Rice Pancake.”

G. “Jangot” (headdress worn by Gil-chae, Eun-ae, and other noblewomen throughout the drama):

“Jangot” (alternative spelling “changot”): similar to the outer jacket of a hanbok but with a collar and a ribbon for tying both sides; according to the principles of the Joseon Dynasty’s Confucianism, women were ordered not to show their face to men, so they would cover their faces in many ways while going out. (Wikipedia)

From “Veiling of Korean Women: The Neo-Confucian Influence in Comparison to the Veiling of Muslim Women” by Hye Ok Park (Claremont Graduate University, Department of History):

Different types of veils

“There were several different types of veils, Sseugae, worn by Korean upper-class women: Nuhwool, a black sheer silk framed veil to cover from head to waist (Figure 3), Jangot, a head and face-covering in the shape of overcoat, usually made of green pure silk with purple collar and chest straps to be tied at the chin (Figure 4), and Sseugae chima or shorter Jangot, worn by the lower-ranking upper-class women (Figure 5).

“Lower-class common women were not subjected, or allowed, to wear any headdresses except for the purpose of protection from weather, hot or cold, in which case they wore a simple square piece of cloth, called cheoneui, folded in half diagonally and tied in the back of the head. It was common that they did not wear anything to cover their heads or faces when they went out on their own or accompanying a noble woman as seen in Figure 1 above.”

Episode 2

A. “Ondal The Fool”

At night, Gil-chae accidentally meets Jang-hyun on the street. She continues her argument with him, which started at the swing, by referring to “Ondal The Fool.”

From “Princess Pyeonggang: The Weeping Princess”:

The child in question was Pyeongwon’s daughter, Princess Pyeonggang. In her youth, she was a nonstop tear factory, a fact which grated on her dad’s last nerve. In order to get her to be quiet, he warned her that if she didn’t shape up, he’d marry her off to Ondal the Fool. Now, no tellings of the story mention what deeds actually earned Ondal this moniker, but the poor man was apparently so legendarily stupid that even the king had heard of him — despite Ondal, as an underage commoner in another city, being entirely outside the king’s social sphere. The mind reels to think what moronic feats Ondal had accomplished to reach the king’s ear.

The ML in the 2021 historical drama “River Where the Moon Rises” is inspired by “Ondal The Fool.”

B. While they’re inside a musty room filled with books, Jang-hyun gives Gil-chae a novel about “Woon-yeong,” which he says people in Hanyang enjoy reading.

The love story of Woon-yeong comes from a “little-known novel of the same name from the Joseon Dynasty (15th century) and tells about a love triangle that arose from the love of King Sejong’s fourth son, Prince Anpyeong.”

C. “Year of Jeongmyo”

The “Later Jin invasion of Joseon” in 1627 is referred to in this episode and in several other episodes as “Year of Jeongmyo.”

From Wikipedia:

The Later Jin invasion of Joseon occurred in early 1627 when the Later Jin prince Amin led an invasion of the Joseon dynasty. The war ended after three months with the Later Jin establishing itself as sovereign tributary overlord over Joseon. However Joseon continued its relationship with the Ming dynasty and showed defiance in solidifying its tributary relationship with the Later Jin. It was followed by the Qing invasion of Joseon in 1636.

In 1627, Hong Taiji dispatched Amin, Jirgalang, Ajige and Yoto to Joseon with 30,000 troops under the guidance of Gang Hong-rip and Li Yongfang. The Jurchens met sharp resistance at the border towns but Joseon border garrisons were quickly defeated. On 14 January, the Jurchen army advanced into Uiju where Mao Wenlong was stationed, and Mao quickly fled with his men into the Bohai Sea. The Neunghan Fortress fell on the 21 January. Next the Jurchens attacked Anju. When it became clear that defeat was inevitable, the Anju garrisons committed suicide by blowing up their gunpowder storehouse. Pyongyang fell without a fight and the Jin army crossed the Taedong River.

D. “Eunjangdo” (small silver knife)

While Gil-chae was arranging the man’s clothes that Jang-hyun lent to her the night before, she sees among the clothes a “eunjangdo” (small, ornamental silver knife). This “eunjangdo” will become significant in later episodes.

From “Eunjangdo, Symbol of Unwavering Fidelity”:

In historical dramas and movies that depict traditional Korean culture, a woman in danger is often shown pulling out an eunjangdo, a silver ornamental knife, to protect herself. The small knife symbolized the fidelity of women and the loyalty of men. Though this implement has almost disappeared, it remains a valuable cultural asset made only by a handful of masters today.

Dramas and movies show that the knife was the exclusive property of women, but it was also a necessity for both sexes. Jangdo was utilized both indoors and outdoors for such uses as cutting paper, carving a top, trimming twigs or using for self-defense.

E. Traditional wedding clothes, ornaments, and materials during the Joseon Dynasty

Jang-hyun asks the Confucian teachers to allow the 60th wedding anniversary of Grandpa Song-chu and his wife Yi-rang to be held in the academy grounds. (In Ep. 8, Eun-ae marries Yoon-jeon.)

• Elaborate topcoat with flowing sleeves (“wonsam” or “hwalot”)
• silk embroidered with gold lettering (“apdaenggi”)
• long pin (“binyeo”); pin with dragon head (“yongjam”)
• hair ornament or ceremonial coronet (“jokdun”) originated from Mongolia
• red dot or circle on the forehead (“jonji”); red dots or circles on the cheeks (“gonji”); various meanings or uses of the red dots: to drive away evil spirits, to symbolize youth and virginity
• male and female chicken (one wrapped in blue, the other in red) to symbolize beginning of a new day or start for the new couple; wooden duck or geese to symbolize faithfulness to each other.

The cloth that’s draped on both hands and arms is called “Jeol Su Geon.” As far as my research goes, it’s used as a “covering (perhaps for modesty purposes) during the wedding ceremony and most likely be the white sash for catching the red dates and chest nuts.”

For more information, read “Traditional Wedding Attire: Dressing Up for the Day of a Lifetime” by Prof. Hong Na-young, Ehwa Woman’s University.

F. When Gil-chae asks him about what the other young noblewomen are gossiping about her, Jang-hyun says that they’re comparing her to “Uhwudong,” the notorious adulterer during the Joseon Dynasty.

From “Uhwudong” (Wikipedia):

Eowudong or Uhwudong (어우동, 於宇同; 1440 - 18 October 1480), also known as Eoeuludong (어을우동, 於乙宇同), née Park (박, 朴), was a Korean dancer, writer, artist, and poet from a noble family in the Joseon Dynasty of the 15th century. Most of her work has not been preserved. She is described to be one of the evil women from the Joseon Dynasty along with Queen Munjeong, Jang Nok-su, and Royal Noble Consort Hui.

In 1480, she was put on trial for adultery. She was charged with having committed adultery with multiple male partners, including royal relatives, court officials and slaves.

The case of Uhwudong was however the perhaps most infamous of all, and became a famous scandal involving many men of high standing. The case ended with her conviction and execution. The death penalty for female adultery was formally introduced by king Jungjong of Joseon in 1513.

Episode 3

A. Jang-hyun stops the plans of the young noblemen to marry their fiancées before they go off to war by reminding them of the consequences to their wives if they die.

From “Yeolnyeo” (Wikipedia):

Gyeongguk Daejeon, a code of law completed in early Joseon, stipulated a “prohibition of remarriage of widows”. Widows who remarried could be sentenced to death.

A woman’s chastity and loyalty to her spouse were considered so important that the government gave awards called yeolnyeo to those who led an exemplary life by remaining loyal to their late husbands. Originally intended to set a good example, the award created a situation which got worse in late Joseon, where widows would kill themselves in order to be acknowledged as ’virtuous women’, a title that brought honour to both sides of the family. It reached a point where a betrothed woman would commit suicide if her husband-to-be died before the wedding ceremony.

From “Women’s Life during the Chosŏn Dynasty” (International Journal of Korean History (Vol.6, Dec. 2004) by Han Hee-sook, Professor, Dept. of Korean History, Sookmyung Women’s University

The remarriage of widows only became a serious issue during the reign of King Sŏngjong, by which time the neo-Confucianist order had become more deeply entrenched, as it came into conflict with the Confucian ideal exemplified by the saying, “just as a loyal subject should not worship two kings, a virtuous women should obey only one husband.” In July 1477 (8th year of King Sŏngjong), the king summoned 46 of the nation’s most respected loyal subjects to take part in a discussion on the need to prohibit women from remarrying once their spouses had passed away. All but four of the merit subjects taking part in this discussion opposed the imposition of restrictions on widows’ right to marry on the ground that this represented too severe a measure. Nevertheless, the king eventually sided with the four merit subjects who had come out in favor of prohibiting widows from remarrying on the grounds that, “starving to death is a trivial matter compared to a woman’s loss of her chastity”. As a result, the chaeganyŏ chason kumgobŏp- in which the descendants of remarried women and of concubines could not be eligible for the government service examination (saengwŏn & chinsa)-was included in the Kyŏngguk taejŏn. This law was designed to put the descendants of women who had married more than twice at a disadvantage when it came to the securing of government office. As such, Chosŏn society attempted to prevent women from remarrying by mortgaging the ability of their descendants to succeed.

Later on this law was expanded so that any man who married a woman who had previously been married or anybody who arranged such unions would be punished as well. All of this had the effect of putting extra pressure on yangban families to “rein in” their women in order to prevent the collapse of their houses, which would surely occur if their access to high office was impeded.

Episodes 3, 4, and 5 (Ganghwa Island, Buddhist warrior monks, the siege of Namhan Fortress, culverin; “My Dearest” theme and “The Moon That Embraces The Sun” opneing credits theme):

A. In Episode 3, King Injo, the royal family, and the royal court were supposed to seek refuge in Ganghwa Island. But because of the direct thrust by the Qing army towards Hanyang, bypassing the fortresses, King Injo had to seek refuge instead in Namhan Fortress.

In Episode 5, Jang-hyun advises Gil-chae to seek refuge in Ganghwa Island.

If you want to know more about how and why Ganghwa Island became the refuge of the royal family and the royal court during the Mongol invasions, you can watch the 2012 historical drama “Soldier, God of War” aka “Warrior K” (56 episodes) starring the late Kim Joo-hyuk as the real-life historical figure Kim Jun, a slave who rose to power in Goryeo.

I forgot what episode it was when Kim Jun proposed the plan to turn Ganghwa Island into a refuge against the Mongols who were afraid of the sea. In about a month, through Kim Jun, Goryeo secretly moved thousands of people and stockpiled weapons and provisions on Ganghwa Island without the Mongols knowing about it.

You’ll enjoy watching “Soldier, God of War” because of:

- fantastic battle scenes and siege warfare
- gladiator type fight scenes in the early episodes
- Buddhism as Goryeo’s foundation
- Buddhist warrior monks
- obsessive love and its consequences

B. In Namhan Fortress, King Injo, Crown Prince So-hyun, and the ministers become agitated upon hearing the news that “Hong Taiji” (Khan) himself has come to Joseon. (His first appearance in the drama is in Ep. 2.)

From Wikipedia:

Hong Taiji (28 November 1592 – 21 September 1643), also rendered as Huang Taiji and sometimes referred to as Abahai in Western literature, also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizong of Qing, was the second khan of the Later Jin dynasty (reigned from 1626 to 1636) and the founding emperor of the Qing dynasty (reigned from 1636 to 1643). He was responsible for consolidating the empire that his father Nurhaci had founded and laid the groundwork for the conquest of the Ming dynasty, although he died before this was accomplished. He was also responsible for changing the name of the Jurchen ethnicity to “Manchu” in 1635, and changing the name of his dynasty from “Great Jin” to “Great Qing” in 1636. The Qing dynasty lasted until 1912.

Note: The Qing invasion of Joseon segment starts at the 13:31 mark.

C. “Jingkang Incident”

The court ministers wail in anger and despair upon hearing that Hong Taiji (“Khan”) wants to take Crown Prince So-hyun as a hostage; later, Hong Taiji demands that King Injo leave the safety of Namhan Fortress. The ministers object to his demands because they remember what happened during the “Jingkang Incident.”

From Jingkang Incident, Chinese history [1126–1127]:

Jingkang Incident, (December 1126–January 1127). In 1127 Jurchen steppe nomads captured the Chinese capital of Kaifeng and with it the Song emperor. This was a major event in Chinese political history, but it was also a turning point in military technology, being one of the earliest occasions on which gunpowder was used in battle.

From “The Jingkang Incident”:

This sordid event encompassed the siege, fall, and sacking of the Song capital city of Kaifeng as well as the capture, abduction, and relegation of the dynasty’s emperor Qinzong (r. 1126) and his abdicated father Huizong (r. 1100-1125). Along with these two sovereigns, the Jurchen forces also took captive and transported north into their territories an extensive imperial entourage of perhaps as many as 15,000 courtiers. Along the arduous way north into the Jurchen homeland of what is now Manchuria, of those who did not perish, untold numbers of these Chinese captives—but especially the former court women—were subjected to enslavement.

This event is known as the “Jingkang Incident” because it took place during the Jingkang era of the reign of Emperor Qinzong. (Wikipedia)

D. In Episode 5, the eunuch, Yoon-jeon, Jang-hyun, and the others were led into Namhan Fortress by a Buddhist warrior monk.

Later, Jang-hyun gets the ire of Crown Prince So-hyun when he mentions how the Buddhist warrior monks are treated badly by the Joseon government (which is founded on Confucianism).



“Soldier, God of War” has numerous episodes about the Buddhist warrior monks, with protagonist Kim Jun depicted in the early episodes as a warrior monk. One episode dealt with a historical incident when the warrior monks ambushed and killed the highest general of the Mongol Army.

E. The commercial and critical hit movie “The Fortress” (2017) depict the siege of Namhan Fortress. Cast is led by Lee Byung-hun (“Mr. Sunshine”), Kim Yoon-seok, Park Hae-il (“War of the Arrows”), and Go Soo.

The movie shows how the Qing army used cannons (“culverin”) to pound the fortress and the Joseon army, something we didn’t see in this drama.





F. Robert Neff is a well-known scholar of Korean history and culture. He wrote the book “Korea Through Western Eyes” which you might be interested in reading. He wrote a two-part article about Namhan Fortress (where King Injo and Crown Prince So-hyun took refuge) titled “Walking in the footsteps of the past: Namhansanseong in 1884”: Part One; Part Two

G. While Jang-hyun blocks the Mongol soldiers on the mountain path, Ryang-eum uses a “pyeonjeon” (split arrow) to shoot down the Mongol officer on horseback.

From “Archery in Joseon Kingdom” (The Korea Times):

The pyeonjeon is also called “aegisal” (baby arrow) or “tongjeon.” Since its length was only about one third of that of an ordinary arrow, it required the use of tongah, a tube made from a bamboo tree trunk, as an arrow guide.

The Korea Times article also states: It may not look powerful, but the pyeonjeon’s effects were tremendous. In the Seongho Saseol, Silhak scholar Seongho Yi Ik points out the pyeonjeon as a specialty of Joseon and writes: “Because it fires off a great distance and has a strong penetrating power, the enemies were afraid of pyeonjeon.”

In the “War of the Arrows” clip below, the first scene shows the protagonist using a “pyeonjeon” against an elite Mongol squad.



H. In several scenes of “My Dearest” beginning with Ep. 4, I hear a phrase (three notes) in the background music that eerily reminds me of the opening theme of the 2012 historical drama “The Moon That Embraces The Sun” (TMTETS).

(1) “My Dearest” Episode 5 clip at around 24:31 mark up to 25:00; the phrase is repeated three or four times.



(2) Opening theme of TMTETS



I’m not saying that this musical phrase (three notes) from “My Dearest” was plagiarized from TMTETS. After all, both of these dramas are MBC productions; MBC can do whatever it wants with its intellectual property (such as the music in its dramas).

(The person listed as musical director of “My Dearest” is someone named Kim Soo-han, whose credits include “Damo,” “Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People,” and “Kill Me, Heal Me,” all of which are MBC productions. On the other hand, MDL lists Jung Se-rin as the composer of TMTETS.)

According to a redditor:

The first three notes are the same but different in execution. The TMTETS theme is in the waltz 3/4 signature with the 3 notes as pickups to the measure (from what I can tell without seeing the score). In MD theme it’s in a slow 4/4 or the like with the 3 notes as the first notes in the measure. They definitely have that grand thematic sound typical of sageuks set in the Joseon era though. I really love both but MD has a more melancholic sound imo.

Episodes 6 and 7

A. If you have watched historical dramas before, then you’ll know that “mama” is a term of high respect for addressing the king, queen, and other members of the royal family.

In Ep. 6 and Ep. 7, when the subtitles say “smallpox,” you will hear the characters like Jang-hyun say “mama.” The article “Small pox” (KBS World) explains why:

Ancient Koreans had a peculiar way to stave off disasters or evil spirits. They didn’t just drive away the evil spirits, they treated them with respect and care. Just as tigers were called kings of the mountains, small pox was labeled “mama” or “sonnim손님.” The term “mama” was bestowed on kings and queens, much like “Your Majesty” in the West. Since small pox was considered the most lethal disease of the time, it was given the highest honor. Also, the term “sonnim,” meaning guest in Korean, indicated that small pox should not stay long, but leave as soon as it had received a welcoming meal.

B. Goo-jam’s weapon = paddle or club used in traditional Korean way of ironing

When I first saw the weapon that Goo-jam used in fighting the Qing soldiers, I thought it was the “six-sided cudgel” that Joseon Dynasty policemen used. But as I listened closely to the Korean dialogue, I could hear Goo-jam say the word “pangmangi” which comes from “dadeumitbangmang-i.” The “pangmangi” is a wooden club used in the traditional Korean way of ironing clothes (“dadeumi”).

To see how the “pangmangi” was used in “daedumi,” watch “100 Icons of Korean Culture Ep02 Dadeumi” (Arirang TV, starting at 1:45 mark).

Goo-jam’s “pangmangi“” is much bigger, however, than the “pangmangi” you’ll see in the Arirang TV video above or in other K-dramas.

C. Gil-chae wears the silk dress with a bright red “jeogori” (upper garment) that Jang-hyun gave her as she, Eun-ae, and Yoon-jeon visit him at Ryang-eum’s gisaeng house. In Ep. 12, there’s a flashback scene; Jang-hyun trolls Gil-chae that the silk dress was actually a gift for Eun-ae.

From “Dyeing with safflowers” (The Korea Times):

There are various shades of red, including pink, maroon, burgundy, scarlet, vermilion, crimson and bloodred. These vibrant colors can be created through the delicate processing of safflowers, a long-standing tradition in Korea.

Red pigments extracted from safflowers were special in ancient Korea, used mainly for the royal court and the upper class. The colors were used to dye the fabric for the king’s robe in the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), a process that is well documented in the royal records.

Traditional Korean dyeing uses the natural pigments of flowers, leaves and fruits. In the rigid hierarchical system in the Joseon Kingdom, fabrics dyed with certain pigments were reserved for the noble class and the royal family.

From “Kinds and Types of Dyes Used in the Joseon Dynasty” April 2014 Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles 38(2):201-215:

The colors obtained from the dyes were divided into seven color series, such as red, yellow and orange, green, blue, purple, brown, gray and black. These are practical color categories differed from abstract five cardinal colors [???]. The diachronic dyes used during the Joseon Dynasty were safflower and Japanese alder bark for red, indigo leaves for blue, gromwell for purple, chestnut tree bark for brown. The representative dyes used in the late Joseon Dynasty were safflower and sappan wood for red, wild pear tree bark and Pentapetes phoenicea for yellow and orange, indigo leaves for blue, sappan wood and gromwell for purple, mulberry tree for brown, and Chinese ink for gray. Common dyes used both in Joseon and China were safflower and sappan wood for red, pagoda tree blossom for yellow, a combination of pagoda tree blossom (or Amur cork tree) and indigo leaves (or sediment) for green, indigo leavers or sediment for blue, sappan wood and hollyhock for purple, and a combination of indigo leaves and Galla Rhois for gray and black.

Episode 8: Gil-chae’s “ch’ohon” or “kobok”; “ondol”

A. After seeing her ribbon (“daenggi”) and Jang-hyun’s fan, Gil-chae thinks that Jang-hyun is dead. The next day, she goes up to a mountain (along with Eun-ae and their servants) to perform a ritual called “ch’ohon” or “kobok.” She waves Jang-hyun’s overcoat and wails his name out loud.

In a “ch’ohon” or “kobok,” immediately after a person dies, the person closest to the deceased brings the outer garment of the deceased up to the roof. The garment is then waved towards the north, and the name of the deceased is called out three times so that the departing spirit may come back.

From the poem “Calling Back the Spirit” by Kim Sowol, one of Korea’s most-beloved national poets:

“Oh, (the name) that has been scattered! Oh, (the name) that has vanished in air! Oh, (the name) that has not answered my call! Oh, (the name) that I will surely die while calling out!”

Why did Gil-chae climb up a mountain rather than the roof? Well, she’s in Joseon while Jang-hyun was in Qing. Plus, that was the mountain where they met and took shelter the night before he continued to hunt down the Mongol soldiers who killed Grandpa Song-chu and his wife.

You may have seen this ritual of “ch’ohon” or “kobok” in historical dramas where the king dies and a eunuch climbs up to the palace’s roof. But the ritual isn’t done only for the royal family; in the last episode of “Saimdang” (international version), for example, Lee Won-su goes up to the roof and waves her outer garment as he calls out her name.

(It’s a bit of a stretch for Gil-chae to perform the ritual since it’s supposed to be done right after the person dies; in this case, the ribbon and the fan were brought from Qing to Joseon, which involved travel probably over months. But it’s understandable since she was desperate and full of regrets.)

B. At the beginning of Ep. 8, King Injo told the military commander to make Crown Prince So-hyun’s travel to the Qing capital as comfortable as possible by making sure he sleeps on a warm floor or something. If you listen carefully to the Korean dialogue, you will hear King Injo say the word “ondol.”

From “Ondol (Korean Home Heating System) – an ancient heating system lasting millennia“:

... some aspects of traditional culture have remained strong through the years, one of the most vital being ondol. Though Korea is full of modern high-rise apartments, the rooms in these apartment buildings are always built with modern-style ondol floors. Also, even though most Koreans live in Western-style homes, they do not follow the custom of some Western countries of wearing shoes indoors.

Why do Koreans insist on ondol? The reason is simple: everyone loves it. “Ondol” is the Chinese character for the Korean term “gudeul,” which literally means “baked stones.” Thus, ondol refers to a system of heating in which stones are “baked” to heat the floor and with them the room—an extraordinary system entirely unique to Korea that does not exist elsewhere in the world.

Episode 9: “Hamh for sale!”

In Ep. 9, Gil-chae prepares to get married to Officer Goo Won-moo. As Jang-hyun and Goo-jam watch from the street, a man with blackened face and carrying a box on his back comes up to the front of house, shouting what sounds to us international viewers as “ham.” As Gil-chae comes out of the house to meet the men, Jang-hyun sees her.

From “9 Korean Wedding Customs You’ll See at Traditional Celebrations”:

Traditionally, Korean betrothal gifts were brought to the bride’s home by a band of the groom’s closest friends. The gifts were placed in a box called a hahm. The group, dressed in costume with blackened faces, would arrive singing at the bride’s family home. They would stop just outside the house, chanting, ‘Hahm for sale, hahm for sale!’ The bride’s family would rush out and offer money to the group. Through fun negotiation and laughter, the bearers would be bribed until at last the hahm was delivered.

From “Korean Wedding Traditions”:

The hahm (함), put simply, is a box of gifts that the groom and his family would present to the bride’s family in exchange for allowing them to have the bride as their daughter-in-law. The gift often contains jewelry, cosmetics, hanbok, and a formal suit of clothes. The box is traditionally decorated in red and blue, the two opposite colors representing the harmony of yin and yang. In ancient times, the groom and his friends would often deliver the box to the bride’s family while shouting “함 사세요!” which translates roughly to “buy a box!” but is much more symbolic in announcing the ritual than to be taken literally.

Episode 10: “Gatsin” or “ggotsin” (flower shoes)

Jang-hyun goes back to Josoen with a big box full of floral shoes for Gil-chae.

From “Traditional shoes represent Korean beauty, elegance” (The Korea Times)

“Gatsin,” better known as flower shoes, are traditional Korean leather shoes which are separated into two kinds, “hwa” (boots) and “hye” (low-rise shoes). “Gatsin” or leather shoes were originally only worn by “yangban” (noble class) and royal families while the commoners wore wooden clogs or straw shoes during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910).

There are some 20 different kinds of hye and hwa shoes from the Joseon era — “taesahye,” “oikohye,” “jeokseok” for men and “suhye,” “unhye,” “danghye” and “heukhye” for women. They are mostly made of leather and silk and other materials appropriate for each season.

From Hwahyejang (Wikipedia):

Hwahyejang (Korean: 화혜장) are craftsmen who construct traditional Korean footwear. The shoes are classified into hwa (shoes that go over the ankle) and hye (shoes that do not cover the ankle), hence the compound word “hwahyejang”. Historically, the two distinct types of shoe were made by separate specialist craftsmen, the hyejang and the hwajang.

Since the release of Kim Yong-ik’s short story Wedding Shoes and the film Ggotsin (“flower shoes”) the term ggotsin has become a popular alternative name for classical Korean shoes. Hwahye are still worn for special occasions such as royal weddings, and for days of national mourning. In 2004 the art of shoemaking was recognised as an Important Intangible Cultural Property of Korea.

From “Traditional shoes wear thin, but last hwahyejang carries on” (Korean JoonGang Daily, 2012)

In “Wedding Shoes” by Kim Yong-ik (1920-95), a short story that ran in Harper’s Bazaar in 1956, the protagonist is bewildered as he watches a hwahyejang, or shoemaker, craft traditional footwear.

He describes the hammering of silver nails into leather soles and the bright, colorful silks that are glued onto the sides. The story about the son of a butcher who falls in love with the daughter of a leather shoemaker was later translated into Korean with the title “Ggotsin” (“Floral Shoes”) and became a widely read and talked about piece on the peninsula.

The shoes themselves are now even referred to as ggotsin in Korea.

In Ep. 10, Gil-chae is wrist-grabbed once by the antagonist Officer Goo Won-moo and four or five times by the protagonist Jang-hyun. (Jang-hyun also wrist grabbed Gil-chae in previous episodes, starting in Ep. 3.)

Two studies indirectly address the issue of wrist grabbing in K-dramas. These studies are:

“Korea vs. K-Dramaland: The Culturalization of K-Dramas by International Fans” by Marion Schulze, University of Basel (published in Acta Koreana Vol. 16, No. 2, 2013):

Among international fans, the term ’wrist-grab’ is usually intended to denote a man dragging a woman away from a place by grabbing her wrist. This gesture is recurrently approached with ’reluctant culturalization.’ Viewers are often not sure if this gesture can be explained by K-Dramaland on the one hand or Korean culture and/or society on the other.

“American Feminism as Seen Through the Lens of Korean Drama Fandom” by Marilyn Hook, (2016; Interdisciplinary Program in Gender Studies, The Graduate School, Seoul National University):

A man‐on‐woman wrist‐grab that goes unchallenged or is even romanticized not only portrays a stereotypical physical difference that favors men, it seems to celebrate it. Also, like Sarah, several emphasize the importance of the woman’s response. The fact that in many cases female drama characters do not shake the men off or even seem upset at being grabbed seems to be frustrating for many participants. I believe that such comments are part of the strong woman discourse, in that they reinforce the existence and importance of women’s agency, especially in the face of this possibly‐natural disadvantage.

A 2023 study that directly addresses the issue of wrist grabbing in K-dramas is ‘Isn’t It a Bit Rough?’ – Vietnamese Audience Reception of Wrist-grabbing in Korean Television Dramas, Feminist Consciousness, and Fantasy by Thi Gammon of King’s College London:

Previous studies about international fans have revealed strong disapproving reactions, especially from feminist-identified viewers. This article on Vietnamese audience reception showed variations: some enjoyed wrist-grabbing, some condemned the act, while others exhibited ambivalence. These varied responses expose many influencing factors: Confucian-inflected patriarchal values, feminist discourses, lived experiences, and suspension of disbelief in media consumption. [Emphasis by boldfacing supplied]

So far, two studies have discussed wrist-grabbing in K-dramas from female audiences’ perspectives, albeit not in depth because it is not the focus of their research. Schulze (2013) reveals that international female fans online, despite their enjoyment of the dramas, criticised K-dramas’ tendency to romanticise wrist-grabbing, which they view as a form of abuse. The fans emphasised the lack of the woman’s consent, the man’s dominance over the woman, and demonstrated a feminist awareness that would not allow them to tolerate the sight. Despite their disapproval, some fans suggested reading the scene within K-dramaland context or even Korean culture, which they considered different from their own. Hook (2016), who explores how twenty one feminist and non-feminist American women interpret K-dramas, shows mixed responses: half of the feminist-identified participants and one non-feminist participants were against wrist-grabbing, while the rest raised no complaints. According to Hook, the feminist participants attributed their intolerance to feminist awareness and condemned wrist-grabbing as violating gender equality discourse. Hook does not articulate how other participants responded to wrist-grabbing but indicates that some were hesitant to judge male character’s sexist behaviours due to their awareness of cultural differences between the US and Korea. [Emphases by boldfacing supplied]

A curious (contradictory?) thing about Jang-hyun wrist-grabbing Gil-chae several times in Ep. 10 and in other episodes is how much he truly cherishes her. The study by Thi Gammon of King’s College London (citing Schulze) states:

Wrist-grabbing takes place following a period of conflict, often a misunderstanding between male and female characters who share feelings for each other but may not acknowledge the attraction. The emotional tension that builds toward wrist-grabbing serves to legitimise this act as an attempt to resolve conflict. Most scenes involve the display of a man’s physical strength as well as his authoritarianism and determination. Within this fantasy, the portrayal of wrist-grabbing is not meant to put a man’s character into question because as the male lead, this man tends to be unconditionally devoted to his love interest and usually exhibits kindness to her. This behaviour is instead encoded to emphasise the man’s uncontainable passion for the woman and his determination in pursuing this passion, which contributes to “the thrill of the chase” (Kenasri & Sadasri, 2021, p. 202).

Trivia:

Shin Yun-bok aka Hyewon (1758–1813) was a famous painter during the Joseon Dynasty. One of his lesser known paintings is titled “A young boy plucking an azalea.” As you can see below, the young boy (man?) has wrist grabbed the woman. (The painting’s title is very suggestive.)

Episodes 11, 12, 13, and 14

A. Some scenes in Ep. 11 show the jealous concubine of Qing Prince Yoonchin pouring boiling water on the female Joseon captives. In Ep. 12, besides threatening to pour boiling water on Gil-chae, she also threatens to cut off Gil-chae’s fingers.

In Ep. 13, some of the escaped female Joseon captives choose to take their own lives by jumping off from the cliff. (In Ep. 6, when Ganghwa Island fell to Qing forces under Prince Dorgon, hundreds of Joseon women chose to take their own lives rather than be violated by the intruders.)

From “The tragic fate of Joseon women” (Korean JoonGang Daily) by Hahn Myeong-gi, professor of history at Myongji University:

During the second Manchu invasion of Korea in 1636, Qing soldiers from China were eager to capture Joseon (Korean) women to keep as concubines or sell for money. When Ganghwa Island fell to the Qing Army in January of 1637, the suffering of Joseon women reached its peak. To avoid the disgrace of getting raped by Qing soldiers, many women chose to commit suicide. In the midst of the chaos, noblemen even urged their mothers, wives and daughters to kill themselves.

Women who survived the Qing’s wrath were taken to Shenyang, where an even harsher fate awaited them. The generals’ wives were jealous of the Joseon women and tortured them with boiling water and other punishments.

B. Several scenes show Joseon men trying to ransom their female family members from their Qing captors or owners. Other scenes show these men being discouraged from ransoming their female relatives because they have already lost their chastity by being soiled by their Qing captors or owners. (For this reason, Officer Goo Won-moo abandoned searching for Gil-chae in Simyang and returned to Joseon.)

In his article “The tragic fate of Joseon women” cited above, Professor Hahn Myeong-gi also says:

1. Women who were ransomed or returned to Joseon from Qing were stigmatized for being “spoiled” and were not allowed to be reunited with their husbands.

2. In 1638, controversy erupted when two high ranking officials petitioned King Injo to allow their sons to divorce their wives who returned from captivity in Qing. While some court officials argued for allowing divorce because a woman taken captive to Qing would have lost her chastity (even if she was taken against her will), other officials argued for compassion, saying that if divorce was allowed, no Joseon woman would ever want to return and “many will die in a foreign land, resenting their fate.”

3. King Injo at first said that divorce should not be allowed. Later, officials at the Ministry of Justice offered a compromise between the two sides, allowing the concerned parties to do as they choose. This compromise allowed men from the noble class to reject their wives who returned from captivity in Qing.

C. Tobacco and the Qing Dynasty; tobacco as ransom payment for Joseon captives

From “Qing invasion of Joseon” (Wikipedia):

Many families spent a lot of money for ransoms to get their family back from Manchu captivity. Tobacco was a much desired good among the Manchurians, so much tobacco was grown and used to pay off the ransoms.

As early as Ep. 2, Jang-hyun is shown as trading tobacco with the Jurchen and Qing merchants in Uiju.

In Ep. 8, General Yong Gol-dae imposes restrictions on Crown Prince So-hyun and his entourage because of tobacco smuggling.

In Ep. 14, in going to ransom Jong-jong (who has been sold off from the slave market), Goo-jam carries a big box on his back. What’s in the box? Most probably, tobacco.

From “Tobacco culture and abstinence from early Qing Manchurians” - Korean Journal Citation Index, Ming and Qing History Research 2021, vol., no.55, pp. 77-109 (Dongguk University):

... tobacco [was] introduced to the Qing dynasty at the 17th century. Tobacco, which was introduced to eastern Eurasia through the Spanish galleon trade, eventually spread to Manchuria and became the most popular item among the Manchus.

Tobacco, which was introduced to Manchuria [at the 17th century], quickly became an essential luxury item in the daily lives of Manchus. It is thought that Manju people used tobacco for three purposes. First of all, tobacco was given as a prize in horse racing competitions which also served as military training, and it was used as an imperial gift given by the emperor. Tobacco was then used as a gift in a policy to include the Mongolian leader. Finally, it was confirmed that tobacco was being used like money.

Hong Taiji used tobacco politically and distributed the prohibition on smoking for financial reasons and to prevent fires in an attempt to curb the use of tobacco by Manchus. The background of this policy was the financial pressure of tobacco, which was not self-sufficient and had to depend on imports from the Joseon Dynasty. At the same time, it seems to have included a practical intention to prevent smokers from misfiring and causing fires when they lit their tobacco. In addition, this paper points out that Hong Taiji tried to position the Imperial family as a privileged class by limiting the smoking range to the Imperial family, but as a result, it failed.

D. Near the halfway point of Ep. 14, Princess Gak-hwa tells Jang-hyun about the story of a princess who fell in love with a lowly warrior. To test the princess’s love, her father, the king, ordered the warrior to choose between two doors. Behind one door is a wild beast, which will devour the warrior; behind the other door is a beautiful woman, who will be married off to the warrior.

Princess Gak-hwa’s story is based on Frank R. Stockton’s famous 1882 story “The Lady, or the Tiger?”

Episodes 15 and 16

A. Royal Concubine Cho (Jo); Crown Princess Kang aka Crown Princess Minhoe; Prince Gyeongan and Grand Prince Bongrim (King Hyojong); B. “P’aedo” (suicide knife for widows); C. Gil-chae’s surprising statement at the end of Ep. 16 that she will divorce Officer Goo Won-moo; the “Seven Valid Causes for Divorce” (Chilgeojiak) and “The Three Exceptions” (Sambulgeo)

A. Royal Concubine Cho (Jo); Crown Princess Kang aka Crown Princess Minhoe; Prince Gyeongan and Grand Prince Bongrim (King Hyojong)

From “Crown Princess Minhoe” (Wikipedia):

After she [Crown Princess Minhoe aka Crown Princess Kang] returned to Korea in 1644, she and her husband [Crown Prince So-hyun] suffered from Injo’s cold treatment. Her step mother-in-law, Queen Jangryeol, had also been receiving the same treatment due to Royal Consort Gwi-in Jo who succeeded in having her father-in-law hating the young Queen, and thus moved palaces.

Many, including Crown Princess Kang, tried to uncover what happened to the Crown Prince, but Injo ordered immediate burial and reduced the grandeur of the practice of Crown Prince’s funeral. Prince Sohyeon’s tomb is located in Goyang, Gyeonggi province, but King Injo never visited his son’s tomb.

Afterwards, King Injo appointed Grand Prince Bongrim as the new Crown Prince (who later became King Hyojong) rather than Prince Sohyeon’s oldest son, Prince Gyeongseon.

Gwi-in Jo, who was antagonistic toward the former crown princess, started to spread rumors that she was planning to poison the king. Without checking the authenticity of the rumor, the king ordered her death by poisoning as treason. [Boldfacing supplied]

From “Gwiin Jo (Injo)” (Wikipedia):

Early life

She was initially arranged to become the maid of a lord’s daughter, but instead became a palace woman. She used to serve Queen Inryeol’s brother-in-law, and the Queen was the one who arranged for her to enter the palace.

Royal favorite

She caught King Injo’s eye, and became his favourite consort overnight; her rank also changed rapidly, from the lowest Sugwon to Sowon, Soyong, Soui, and was finally declared as a royal consort of the first junior rank, Gwiin.

No one could beat her in terms of receiving the King’s affection; both Queen Jangryeol of the Yangju Jo clan and Sugui Jang failed to receive Injo’s love.

Her personality was described as that of a sensual but cunning woman, and those who were in her bad book would not be safe in front of the King. Because of this, people inside the palace were very afraid of her.

Feud with the crown princess

Lady Jo harbored hatred towards the family of Yi Wang, Crown Prince Sohyeon, particularly Crown Princess Minhoe. Since the day she reached the rank of Soyong, she would badmouth them in front of Injo and it became a common thing for her to slander them with false accusations. Although there was no record of her involvement with Crown Prince Sohyeon’s death, her slanders did not stop after the prince passed away. Because of that, Crown Princess Minhoe suspected Jo of poisoning her husband.

Lady Jo accused the Crown Princess of attempting to poison Injo, leading to the princess’ execution. The acupuncturist who treated Prince Sohyeon before his death was Yi Hyeong-ik, who was rumored to be in a relationship with Lady Jo’s mother. [Boldfacing supplied]

B-2. “P’aedo” (suicide knife for widows)

From “Korean Perceptions of Chastity, Gender Roles, and Libido; From Kisaengs to the Twenty First Century” by Katrina Maynes, Grand Valley State University (2012):

The Chosŏn also issued the Anti-Remarriage Law of 1477, which discouraged women from remarrying by restricting their sons from public service jobs. Furthermore, widows were given a p’aedo, or suicide knife, and those who ended their lives were viewed as admirable; they were the epitome of filiality and faithfulness, which were both important Confucian values. [Boldfacing supplied]

C. Gil-chae’s surprising statement at the end of Ep. 16 that she will divorce Officer Goo Won-moo; the “Seven Valid Causes for Divorce” (Chilgeojiak) and “The Three Exceptions” (Sambulgeo)

As I stated in a previous thread, I was surprised when, at the end of Ep. 16, Gil-chae told Officer Goo Won-moo that she’s divorcing him. When I watched the historical drama “Saimdang” in 2017, I did a lot of research about divorce during the Joseon Dynasty. Primarily, my research showed that only men had the right to file for divorce based on the chilgeojiak, the ‘seven sins’ of disobedience towards in-laws, inability to bear a son, adultery, jealousy, hereditary disease, talkativeness and theft. (From Wikipedia, citing “A History of Korea: From Antiquity to the Present” by Michael J, Seth, 2010)

(In Ep. 12 of “Under the Queen’s Umbrella” when Queen Im Hwa-ryeong, in disguise, meets Cheong-ha, she tells her about the “Seven Valid Causes for Divorce” or Chilgeojiak and “The Three Exceptions” or Sambulgeo. “The Three Exceptions” are the grounds by which a Joseon woman can fight against being divorced by her husband, not grounds for the woman to initiate the filing of a divorce.)

Posted below are some of the very few resources I was able to find about Joseon women filing for divorce:

(1) “Did People Divorce in the Joseon Period?” by Soon-Hyung Kwon (Rutgers University)

The article states that women who were abandoned or maltreated by their husbands could file for divorce. But I couldn’t get the full text because the article is behind a paywall.

(2) From “Women’s Life during the Chosŏn Dynasty” by Han Hee-sook, Professor, Dept. of Korean History, Sookmyung Women’s University:

Divorce during the Chosŏn dynasty was usually governed under the socalled “seven sins” for wives contained in the Ta Ming Lu (大明律 The Great Ming Code) and by the sambulgŏ (三不去 three instances in which a husband could not divorce his wife). The seven sins for women were: disobeying one’s parents-in-law; failure to produce a male heir; adultery; excessive jealousy towards other women in the household; serious disease; stealing; and talking excessively. These so-called ‘sins’ were another means through which the patriarchal system was reinforced. The most common of these seven sins were the disobeying of one’s parents-inlaw and the failure to produce a male heir. As such, the introduction of these seven sins became the lightning rod which was used to weaken the position of women.

On the other hand, there was no means through which a wife could secure a divorce from her husband. While there were officially certain circumstances under which a wife could be granted a divorce from her husband, such as when a husband was absent from the household for a prolonged period of time, or a husband physically abused his wife, in reality, such instances were very rare. Thus, as mentioned above, the only parties which could bring about a divorce were the state and husbands. [Boldfacing supplied]

(3) Using Google Translate and Google Chrome, I was able to find this Korean-language article:

I then used Google Chrome to view this link in English. Here are some interesting things from this article:

Grounds for disownment divorce include cases where the husband beat and killed the wife’s grandparents, parents, etc., and when he committed adultery with her mother-in-law. In this case, the wife could divorce her husband.

Under these unequal divorce conditions, there was a disqualification divorce that could only be obtained from the woman’s side. This is a case where a husband entices his wife to commit adultery with another person. This kind of thing happened between noblemen and commoners, and sometimes there were cases where a servant who could not withstand the pressure of his master forced his wife to listen to the master’s words. In this case, the wife could demand that her husband disown her.

Noblemen had to get the king’s permission to divorce, but commoners did not need the king’s permission as well. The common people did not have political connections like the nobility and remarriage was relatively easy, so many breakups occurred purely through agreement between the couples.

’Sajeongpaui’ refers to an agreed upon divorce in which, when faced with a situation where divorce is inevitable, the couple meets face to face, discusses the circumstances that lead to divorce, and mutually consents. In Korean, paui means “the end because things have come to an end.”

A woman who deals with many men without chastity is commonly called a ‘bitch.’ However, the term ‘Hwanhyangnyeon’ originated from the term ‘Hwanhyangnyeo (還鄕女)’, a woman who returned to her hometown after losing her life after the Japanese invasions of Korea and the Manchu War during the Joseon Dynasty. During the Joseon Dynasty, returning women were women who were publicly filed for divorce by their husbands on the grounds that they had lost their chastity. [Boldfacing supplied]

Note:

It seems Google Chrome/Google Translate uses “losing her chastity” and “losing her life” interchangeably. Perhaps, ChatGPT can provide a better translation of this article.

Episode 19

Index: A. Historical inaccuracy in Crown Princess Kang’s court maid confessing and testifying against her?; B. Execution by poison (“sayak”) during the Joseon Dynasty; Crown Princess Kang suffered for two days before dying; C. Choi Myung-gil (Choe Myeong-gil) and Kim Sang-heon; 2017 movie “The Fortress”; D. “Tarak” porridge (“Tarakjuk”); E. The Royal Physician who treated Crown Prince So-hyun is kinda sus.

A. Historical inaccuracy in Crown Princess Kang’s court maid confessing and testifying against her?

At around the 34:49 mark, King Injo’s eunuch threatens to torture a court maid unless she confesses and testifies that Crown Princess Kang buried a cursed object in the palace grounds. In the next scene, King Injo tells the royal court that the court maid has confessed and testified against Crown Princess Kang.

The article “조선의 제16대 왕, 인조의 장남인 소현세자의 부인으로, 인조의 수라상에 독을 넣었다는 누명을 쓰고 사사된 왕족” (The wife of Crown Prince Sohyeon, the eldest son of King Injo, the 16th king of Joseon, and a royal family member who was falsely accused of putting poison in King Injo’s sura statue) provides more historical details about this incident:

Korean text:

이러한 배경에는 소의 조씨(昭儀 趙氏)의 모함이 작용하였다. 1645년궁중에서 조씨에 대한 저주 사건이 일어났는데, 강빈이 이 사건의 배후자로 지목되었다. 1646년(인조 24)에는 인조가 자신의 음식에 독약이 들었다는 핑계로 강빈의 궁녀 3인과 주방 궁녀 2인을 내사옥에 내려 국문하고 강빈도 후원 별당에 감금하였다. 가혹한 국문에도 궁녀들은 모두 죄를 인정하지 않고 심문을 받다가 죽었다. 그러나 인조는 자신이 약물에 중독된 증상이 있다며 해독제를 복용하고, 다시 강빈을 압박하였다. 드디어 2월 3일 비망기를 내려 강빈이 독약을 넣은 주동자이고, 심양에서 몰래 역위(逆位)를 꾀하는 음모를 획책했다며 처벌할 것을 명하였다. 이에 측근에 있었던 궁녀들이 불복하면서 무참한 죽음을 당했고, 조신들도 일제히 불가함을 역설했으나 강빈은 끝내 사사되었다.

Google Translate (Notice the errors in gender pronouns, with Crown Princess Kang referred to as “he” or “him”):

In 1645, a curse occurred in the palace against the Jo clan, and Kang Bin was pointed out as the mastermind behind this incident. In 1646 (the 24th year of King Injo’s reign), King Injo took Kang Bin’s three court ladies and two kitchen court ladies to his office building, interrogated them, and imprisoned Kang Bin in the annex of his family under the pretext that his food was poisoned. Despite the harsh interrogation, none of the court ladies admitted their guilt and died while being interrogated. However, Injo said that he had symptoms of drug addiction, took an antidote, and put pressure on Kang Bin again. Finally, on February 3, he issued a ban and ordered that Kang Bin be punished, claiming that he was the instigator of poisoning and that he had secretly plotted a reversal in Shenyang. The court ladies who were close to him disobeyed and suffered a cruel death, and the courtiers all insisted that it was impossible, but Kang Bin was eventually put to death. [Emphasis by boldfacing supplied]

B. Execution by poison (“sayak”) during the Joseon Dynasty; Crown Princess Kang suffered for two days before dying

From “Ingredients of poison used during the Joseon Dynasty to kill traitors” (KBS World):

The main ingredient of “sayak” was arsenic. Also oftentimes used was “wolfsbane” (with hooded bluish-purple flowers, its roots contain a toxic alkaloid compound called aconitine, which causes muscle paralysis). The same substance is used on poison arrows in Africa.

The Korean-language article provides more information about execution by “sayak” (poison). I suggest, however, using other translation apps instead of Google Translate.

Ep. 19 shows that Crown Princess Kang suffered for two days before dying. The imgur post “Old School Executions Part 1: Sayak (Korea/Joseon Dynasty)” has interesting infornation about this:

Modern K-dramas and K-movies depict sayak to have an immediate effect (as seen above). The subject would usually drink the sayak and almost immediately vomit blood or pass out.

However, sayak usually took 30 minutes to an hour to kick in to a lethal level, and in order to facilitate the ideal conditions of reaching peak toxicity, the subject would be locked in a house/hut which would be heated in order to help hasten the process.

It is recorded that sayak not always had the intended effects and the execution methods varied. Because there was no way to properly measure the levels of poison in the sayak properly (not to mention the different body types), there were some who had varying reactions.

Note: My only reservation about this imgur post is that it doesn’t cite its sources.

C. Choi Myung-gil (Choe Myeong-gil) and Kim Sang-heon; 2017 movie “The Fortress”

From “Choe Myeong-gil” (Wikipedia):

Choe Myeong-gil (Korean: 최명길; Hanja: 崔鳴吉; 7 October 1586 – June 19, 1647) was a Korean Joseon politician and Neo-Confucian scholar of the Yangmingist school who came from the Jeonju Choe clan. He served as the Joseon Chief State Councilor from 1638 to 1640 and 1642 to 1644.

As depicted in this drama, Choe Myeong-gil is the court minister who argued for negotiation with Great Jin and Emperor Hong Taiji.

From “The People of Gyeonggi-do 600 Years - Part 1”:

Kim Sang-heon (pen-name: Cheongeum) was a civil official of the mid-Joseon period. His tomb is located in Namyangju together with a memorial monument. When the Manchu forces invaded Joseon in 1636, Kim Sang-heon was one of the key figures who fiercely opposed an amicable settlement.

Except for the last part of Ep. 19, Choe Myeong-gil and Kim Sang-heon are depicted as fiercely opposed to each other on how todeal with the Great Jin and Emperor Hong Taiji. For a better understanding of the conflict between these two ministers watch the 2017 movie “The Fortress,” which depicts the siege of Namhan Fortress. Choe Myeong-gil is played by Lee Byung-hun (“Mr. Sunshine”) while Kim Sang-heon is played by Kim Yoon-seok (“1987: When the Day Comes”; “Escape from Mogadishu”). The movie was directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, the writer and director of “Squid Game.”

D. “Tarak” porridge (“Tarakjuk”)

Before Crown Prince So-hyun died, he wanted to taste the “Tarak” porridge prepared by Crown Princess Kang.



In Episode 3 of “A Jewel in the Palace,” the young Jang Geum and Yeun-seng spilled the milk porridge (“Tarakjuk”) that was supposed to be served as the King’s midnight snack. As a substitute for the King’s snack, Lady Han hastily prepared honeyed ginger sweets (“Saenggangran”).

E. The Royal Physician who treated Crown Prince So-hyun is kinda sus.

In the early part of Ep. 19, Crown Princess Kang questions the Royal Physician sent by King Injo about his use of heated acupuncture needles on Crown Prince So-hyun.

From “Gwiin Jo (Injo)” (Wikipedia):

Lady Jo accused the Crown Princess of attempting to poison Injo, leading to the princess’ execution. The acupuncturist who treated Prince Sohyeon before his death was Yi Hyeong-ik, who was rumored to be in a relationship with Lady Jo’s mother. [Emphasis by boldfacing supplied]

In the 2012 blockbuster drama “The King’s Doctor” aka “Horse Doctor” (starring Cho Seung-woo and Lee Yo-won), Episode 1 depicts Crown Prince So-hyun’s return to Joseon and how he was killed by Royal Physician Yi Hyongik through heated acupuncture needles.

If you haven’t watched “The King’s Doctor,” I highly recommend it to you. The character Princess Suk-hwi (played by Kim So-eun of “Boys Over Flowers”) is the perkiest and most lovable Joseon princess you’ll ever see in a K-drama.

Lessons in photography from “My Dearest” with in-depth analysis of its visuals, cinematography, and editing

Note: This analysis is a work in progress.

Index of topics: A. The major visual technique used in this drama: from short siding to long siding or vice-versa to depict or reinforce crisis, coming to a decision, or realizing something (with variations in the technique); B. Composition: (1) Lower quadrant or lower corner composition; (2) Uneven balance to create a sense of tension in a shot; C. Visual cues, including Dutch angle shots, to depict or reinforce unity or conflict; a character’s vulnerability, solitude, or fear; comfort and respite; change, danger, or showdown; D. Shooting against the light, with or without lens flares — a character is shot with the sun or a light source behind them — to depict or reinforce tension, crisis; to indicate a pivotal moment or coming to a realization; E. Silhouettes; golden hour; filming on the beach; F. Breaking the 180-degree rule or crossing the line to depict or reinforce emotional or psychological tension or to signify a change of beat; G. Miscellaneous observations: Arc shots and other interesting shots or camera movements; Hero shots; Techniques to create tension: shaky cam in Ep. 13; push in in Ep. 2; changes in viewpoints through editing

A. The major visual technique used in this drama: from short siding to long siding or vice-versa to depict or reinforce crisis, coming to a decision, or realizing something (with variations in the technique); similar techniques in “Healer,” “A Business Proposal,” “My Liberation Notes,” and “Beyond Evil”

A-1. Some directors and cinematographers use short-sided shots to depict anger, distress, conflict, confusion, etc.

First, let’s have some illustrations and comparisons of what long siding (lead room, nose room, or looking space) and short siding (aka “reverse lead room”) are:

Jang-hyun long sided (with looking space, nose room, or lead room):

Jang-hyun short sided:

Gil-chae long sided (with looking space, nose room, or lead room):

Gil-chae short sided:

From “Short-siding – How David Fincher and Nicolas Winding Refn Get it Right” by Jason Haggstrom (2013):

“short-siding” (i.e., framing a shot so a character looks and speaks towards the edge of the frame that they are most closely positioned rather than across the length of the frame to where their partner in conversation will appear after the next cut).

From “5 tips to instantly improve your compositions” (Vimeo):

A short-sided composition means the subject is looking out of the frame, instead of into the frame. And unlike long-sided framing, which allows the audience to see what the subject is looking at, short-sided composition keeps that out of the shot.

In my previous analyses of the visuals, cinematography, and editing of k-dramas, I have ranted against short siding or short-sided shots. Why do I hate short siding? It’s primarily because in a short-sided shot, the area behind the character is “dead space.” And hit K-dramas such as “Descendants of the Sun” and “Life on Mars” didn’t use short siding. People who like short siding claim that short-sided shots heighten the tension in a scene by making the audience feel anxious or uncomfortable. But I question this claim.

A-2: One technique that I’ve seen in “Healer,” “A Business Proposal,” “My Liberation Notes,” and “Beyond Evil ” is when the cinematographer moves the camera such that the character has lead room, nose room, or looking space at first and then becomes short sided, or vice-versa.

Ep. 8: After Eun-ae and Yoon-jeon’s wedding, Gil-chae muses about why she doesn’t feel brokenhearted although Yoon-jeon finally chose Eun-ae over her. She asks herself if something has changed within her. At the start of the shot, she’s long sided (with lead room, nose room, or looking space). The camera pushes into her and slightly trucks (moves parallel) to the left such that she becomes short sided.

Ep. 1: As she chases the spool of red thread onto the beach, Gil-chae is short sided. The camera then arcs counterclockwise around her such that she becomes long sided (with lead room, nose room, or looking space). She’s silhouetted against the sun, and in the deep background, she can see the man of her dreams.

Ep. 1: Jang-hyun stands and turns around to face his enemies. At the start of the shot, he’s long sided (with lead room, nose room, or looking space). The camera trucks (moves parallel) to the right such that he becomes short sided.

Ep. 10: Jang-hyun and Gil-chae plan to elope, but Gil-chae wanted to say goodbye to her father first. After leaving her father on the river bank, she begins walking back to where Jang-hyun is waiting for her. As she stops walking and remembers her family, she’s long sided (with lead room, nose room or looking space). The camera moves (trucks? arcs?) such that she becomes short sided.

(In the next shot, she’s a bit off center as the camera pushes in on her to depict and reinforce her emotional and psychological tension.)

Ep. 3: Jang-hyun becomes anxious after finding out that Mongol warriors have joined the Great Jin army; he tells Ryang-eum and Goo-jam that the Mongol warriors are only interested in riches and women. The camera pushes in on Jang-hyun (with Goo-jam to his right and Ryang-eum to his left) such that from being centrally framed, he becomes short sided. (In the next shot, a medium shot, he’s also short sided.)

Ep. 9: Jang-hyun escapes death by playing General Yong Gol-dae against Emperor Hong Taiji. But General Yong Gol-dae orders him to prove that he isn’t a rat (spy). As he ponders on how to prove he isn’t a rat, he’s long sided (with lead room, nose room, or looking space). As he decides how to do so, the camera trucks (moves parallel) to the right such that he becomes short sided.

We find out later on that Jang-hyun decided to hunt down the escaping Joseon slaves. The camera trucks (moves parallel) to the right; in one continuous shot, Jang-hyun becomes long sided to short sided as he, Ryang-eum and Goo-jam hide in the grass field watching the escaping Joseon slaves.

Ep. 16: Gil-chae’s father hears the slanderous gossip that Gil-chae is shameless fir returning to Joseon after having lost her chastity to the foreign intruders. He wants to salvage her reputation; at the start of the shot, he’s long sided, but then as the camera trucks (moves parallel) to the left, he becomes short sided.

(To salvage Gil-chae’s reputation, her father decides to strangle her to death. Joseon men, really!)

Ep. 19: Escorted by General Yong Gol-dae and his soldiers, Princess Gak-hwa arrives in Joseon to rescue Jang-hyun. From being centrally framed, she becomes short sided.

Ep. 20: Gil-chae is short sided as she thinks of any way she can help Jang-hyun. The camera trucks (moves parallel) to the right such that she becomes almost centrally framed. In the next shot, she’s long sided (with lead room, nose room or looking space) as she sees the bundle that Crown Princess Kang’s attendant gave her; inside the bundle, she finds Crown Prince So-hyun’s letter to Jang-hyun.

Ep. 7: Gil-chae becomes irritated not knowing whatever happened to Jang-hyun. At the start of the shot, she’s short sided; the camera then starts trucking (moving parallel) to the left. There’s a cut to the previous scene in Ep. 2 where Jang-hyun tells her about Ryang-eum, Joseon’s most famous singer. In the next shot, the camera continues trucking to the left such that she becomes long sided (with looking space, nose room, or lead room); she realizes that she can find out what happened to Jang-hyun through Ryang-eum.

Ep. 7: Citing the Confucian edicts of the people protecting the King, Minister Choi Myeong-gil pleads with Jang-hyun for his advice on how to deal with Emperor Hong Taiji. After his initial hesitation, Jang-hyun finally agrees to help; from being short sided, he becomes long sided (with lead room, nose room, or looking space).

Ep. 6: After the fall of Ganghwa Island, King Injo realizes that the war has been lost and that Joseon should now seek negotiations with Emperor Hong Taiji. At the start of the shot, he’s short sided; the camera trucks (moves parallel) to the right such that he becomes long sided (with lead room, nose room, or looking space).

Ep. 17: Gil-chae tells Officer Goo Won-moo that she’s leaving him. The first shot is an establishing shot, with Officer Goo Won-moo, out of focus, coming out of the shed from frame right. The camera doesn’t move, but as Officer Goo Won-moo moves across the frame, he becomes short sided.

B. Composition: (1) Lower quadrant or lower corner composition; (2) Uneven balance to create a sense of tension in a shot

B-1. Lower quadrant or lower corner composition

The frame is divided into quadrants, and the subject is placed in either the lower left or lower right quadrant to depict isolation, fear, loneliness, and similar themes. This compositional technique was popularized by the US television series “Mr. Robot.”

Examples from “My Dearest”:

Ep. 7: As Crown Prince So-hyun’s entourage starts to leave for Simyang, Gil-chae rushes to see Jang-hyun. They’re in the lower left quadrant.

Ep. 7: After Jang-hyun teases Gil-chae about her red ribbon, they fall onto the grassy field. They’re in the lower right quadrant.

Ep. 14: The female Joseon captive/interpreter tells Jang-hyun that Gil-chae has been placed into Princess Gak-hwa’s residence. They’re in the lower left quadrant.

Ep. 14: Gil-chae weeps over Jang-hyun, who has been shot on the back by an arrow fired by Princess Gak-hwa. They’re in the lower left quadrant.

Ep. 1: Yoon-jeon and Eun-ae are in the lower right quadrant.

Ep. 1: Gil-chae has been having recurring dreams about a man on the beach while face she has never seen. She’s in the lower left quadrant, while Jang-hyun is in the lower right quadrant.

Ep. 4: Gil-chae, Eun-ae, and their servants trek up to a mountain to escape the foreign intruders. They’re within the lower right quadrant.

Ep. 5: At the Joseon army’s field hospital, Jang-hyun asks Gil-chae to “mull” over what their relationship could be like. They’re within the lower right quadrant.

Here’s a GIF of other shots from “My Dearest” that use lower quadrant composition:


From “The Quadrant System”:

“If instead of dividing the frame into thirds [“Rule of Thirds"], we divide it down the middle both vertically and horizontally, we get the “Quadrant System”, a grid with only four boxes instead of nine. With this grid as base it is possible to achieve unconventionally framed shots that can give life to a scene. Especially when it comes to highlighting a character’s situation or to delve into its personality, thoughts or to convey certain feelings to the audience. The TV series Mr. Robot makes a constant use of this method. In this show, characters are often “awkwardly” placed in the corner of the frame, which increases the amount of negative space, i.e., the space around and between the subjects of an image. This makes characters seem small in comparison to their surroundings, which conveys feelings of isolation, loneliness and powerlessness.”

Using the “Quadrant System” does not necessarily mean that a character or characters are precisely within a quadrant; a character or characters may be within a quadrant but may overlap another quadrant a bit.

As I pointed out in my analysis of “Hotel Del Luna,” cinematographers sometimes use lower quadrant or lower corner composition because of the wide aspect ratio (the wide space presents a compositional challenge), and not necessarily to depict or reinforce emotional or psychological tension. In my analyses of “The Red Sleeve” and “The King’s Affection,” I discussed the compositional techniques that cinematographers use to deal with wide aspect ratios.

Resources:

“Drive (2011) - The Quadrant System” (Every Frame A Painting]

“How ‘Mr. Robot’ Uses Lower Quadrant Framing to Create a Feeling of Oppression and Isolation”

B-2. Uneven (asymmetrical) balance to create a sense of tension in a shot

A shot, whether in photography or cinematography, can be broken down into “positive space” and “negative space.”

From “How to Use Negative Space in Photography” (Adorama):

Negative space is the empty area in a photograph that surrounds the main subject or focal point. The main subject in your photo is the “positive space”; the entire area between or surrounding that subject is referred to as the “negative space.” You can fill the negative space with solid color, texture, or white space so long as it creates a distinct sense of empty space and separation from the main subject.

Negative spaces are typically just that—a blank space, such as the sky, a body of water, or any uninteresting elements that take up a huge chunk of the entire image. Sometimes it’s called “breathing space,” especially when your subject is a person or living thing.

Examples of a balanced composition from “My Dearest”:

Ep. 1: The young noblewomen in their colorful silk dresses walk and dance towards the flower festival on the river bank.

Ep. 1: Gil-chae and the other young noblewomen gossip about Jang-hyun. There are six young noblewomen, with the partial, out of focus images of two young noblemen on both extreme sides of the frame. (Even-numbered groups are easier to shoot than odd-numbered groups.)

Ep. 21: Gil-chae embraces Jang-hyun on a mountain path. They’re on the right side of the frame, while a lamp post is on the left side of the frame. (In Dynamic Symmetry, we call this “steelyard principle” in composition.)

Examples of symmetrical balance (with just a hint of imbalance because of the Dutch angle or Dutch tilt):

Ep. 2: Jang-hyun is on the left side of the frame, whereas the two directors of the Confucian academy are on the right. The shot is symmetrical, but the almost unnoticeable Dutch angle gives the shot a bit of imbalance. In the second picture, Jang-hyun is centrally framed between the two directors, but again, there is an almost unnoticeable Dutch angle. The directors question his motive for donating his excess rice when he asks them for a favor.

Ep. 1: One young nobleman is in the middle of the frame; two young noblemen are to his right while another two are to his left. The shot is symmetrical, but the almost unnoticeable Dutch angle gives the shot a bit of imbalance.

Ep. 21: On the beach, Gil-chae and Jang-hyun face the setting sun. The shot is symmetrical, but the almost unnoticeable Dutch angle gives the shot a bit of imbalance (notice that the horizon line is skewed a bit).

Examples of uneven (asymmetrical) shots from “My Dearest” to depict or reinforce tension:

Ep. 8: Gil-chae questions Jang-hyun why he has to go to Simyang as part of Crown Prince So-hyun’s entourage. To save face, she says that wants flower shoes (“ggotsin”) from him when he returns from Simyang. They’re either on the right side or left side of the frame while the negative space dominates the shot.

Ep. 9: Gil-chae imagines having had the opportunity to tell Jang-hyun what she really felt towards him. They’re on the left side of the frame while the negative space dominates the shot.

Ep. 17: Princess Gak-hwa aggressively pursues Jang-hyun to be romantically involved with her. They’re on the left side of the frame while the negative space dominates the shot.

Ep. 20: Despite his earlier promise, Jang-hyun tells Princess Gak-hwa that he must return to his hometown (Gil-chae), even at the risk of his own life. The tension in the scene is reinforced by the uneven balance of the shot, with the negative space on the left side of the frame.

Ep. 8: Believing that Jang-hyun died in Simyang, Gil-chae clutches the jacket he gave her on the mountain. At the start of the shot, she’s centrally framed. The camera pushes in on her (at an angle?), and at the end of the shot, she’s now frame left.

(The shot then cross dissolves into the out of focus shot of Jang-hyun on the beach.)

Ep. 6: Jang-hyun learns that the Mongol warrior got the “eunjangdo” from Ganghwa Island. He blames himself for urging Gil-chae to seek refuge in the island, supposedly the safest place in all of Joseon. At the start of the shot, he’s centrally framed. The camera pushes in on him (at an angle?), and at the end of the shot, he’s now frame left.

From “Design Principles: Compositional, Symmetrical And Asymmetrical Balance” (Smashing Magazine):

Balancing a composition involves arranging both positive elements and negative space in such a way that no one area of the design overpowers other areas. Everything works together and fits together in a seamless whole. The individual parts contribute to their sum but don’t try to become the sum. An unbalanced composition can lead to tension.

C. Visual cues, including Dutch angle shots, to depict or reinforce unity or conflict; a character’s vulnerability, solitude, or fear; comfort and respite; change, danger, or showdown

“Visual cues” are explained in an excellent series of articles from “My Drama List” by someone with the username “3GGG”:

“Part 1: visual ways to establish a conflict, division, or fight between two or more characters”

“Part 2: boxing to establish a character’s vulnerability, solitude, or fear; comfort and respite; change; danger; showdown”

“Part 3: Dutch angle”

“Part 4 Interpersonal cues (using cues simultaneously or one after another)”

The YT video “The Brilliant Cinematography of Parasite” by Thomas Flight (5:04 mark) shows how director Bong Joon-ho used lines as visual cues to depict the division between the social classes, between the rich family and the poor family.

Episode 1

While Yoon-jeon rallies his fellow scholars and the villagers, Jang-hyun questions Joseon’s ability to defend itself against the Great Jin army. Notice that they’re boxed in within separate frames to depict and reinforce the conflict and tension between them.

Head Inspector Shin Yi-rib reads from the "sacho" (draft of a historical document) about a man who King Injo condemned for having misled Crown Prince So-hyun. Notice how he’s boxed in within a tight frame to depict and reinforce his emotional or psychological tension.

Episode 2

Gil-chae continues to pursue Yoon-jeon even within the premises of the Confucian academy, which is forbidden to women. She pleads with him to go with the flow of emotions, but he rebuffs her. The conflict between them is depicted and reinforced by how they’re boxed within the same frame. When two or more characters are boxed in within the same frame, it could symbolize either unity or conflict depending on the context.

After spending the day with Jang-hyun in Hanyang, Gil-chae has trouble sleeping thinking of how he helped her off the boat in a gentlemanly manner. Her emotional or psychological tension is depicted and reinforced by the way she’s boxed in by the frame in her room.

Episode 3

Gil-chae convinces Eun-ae to dissuade Yoon-jeon from going off to join the Righteous Army to fight against the foreign intruders. Notice how they’re boxed in within the same frame; when two or more characters are boxed in within the same frame, it could symbolize either unity or conflict depending on the context.

Jang-hyun shakes Gil-chae’s confidence in Yoon-jeon by describing how fearsome the foreign intruders are as warriors. Notice that they’re boxed in within the same frame created by a post and a fence.

Soon-yak, the young nobleman who Gil-chae manipulated, apologizes to Gil-chae for not being able to keep his promise of marrying her. The conflict between them is depicted by the lines of the tree that divides them.

Episode 4

Grandpa Song-chu and his wife prepare the dummies they will use in misleading the Mongol warriors who have entered Neunggun-ri. Notice how they’re boxed in within the same frame to signify their unity.

Episode 5

Jang-hyun and Yoon-jeon, both wounded, are surprised to see Gil-chae and Eun-ae in the Joseon army’s field hospital. But Yoon-jeon gets all the worried attention from Gil-chae and Eun-ae. Notice the line that separates Jang-hyun and Yoon-jeon.

After Gil-chae and Eun-ae lead Yoon-jeon away, Jang-hyun is left all by himself, with blood dropping from his arm. Notice that he’s boxed in within the frame created by the poles to depict and reinforce his emotional and psychological tension.

Episode 6

Jang-hyun sees a Mongol warrior with the “eunjangdo” he gave Gil-chae; he finds out that the Mongols have captured Ganghwa Island (where he told Gil-chae to go because it was safe there). Notice how he’s boxed in with a tight frame created by the wall and cart to depict and reinforce his emotional and psychological agitation.

Notice also the leading lines that draw attention to Jang-hyun.

Episode 7

King Injo and Crown Prince So-hyun embrace tenderly as Crown Prince So-hyun is set to go to Simyang as a hostage of the Qing Dynasty. Notice that they’re boxed in by a single frame to indicate their unity; the frame also depicts and reinforces their emotional and psychological tension.

Episode 8

When Gil-chae becomes alarmed at seeing the mysterious man in her dreams with blood on his back, Eun-ae assures her that if she sleeps while holding a stone wrapped in red silk, she will finally be able to see the man’s face.

Episode 10

Out of jealousy, Ryang-eum misleads Gil-chae into thinking that Jang-hyun is dead. (Gil-chae thus decides to accept Officer Goo Won-moo’s marriage proposal.) When two or more characters are boxed in within the same frame, it could symbolize either unity or conflict depending on the context.

Despite Gil-chae’s scheduled wedding to Officer Goo Won-moo, Jang-hyun still pursues her. Notice how they’re boxed in within a single frame to depict and reinforce the emotional and psychological tension between them. (When two or more characters are boxed in within the same frame, it could symbolize either unity or conflict depending on the context.)

Episode 11

While meeting with a Qing official who wants tiger fur from Joseon as gift for a Qing prince, Jang-hyun hears the screams from the courtyard of the captured Joseon women who are beung tortured by the prince’s jealous concubine. As he’s about to leave, he again hears the screams. Notice how he’s boxed in within the frame created by the posts to depict and reinforce his emotional and psychological tension.

Not knowing that Gil-chae has been kidnapped by the Qing slave traders, Yoon-jeon, Eun-ae, Officer Goo Won-moo and his men search all over Hanyang for her.

Episode 13

Yoon-jeon pleads with a Joseon official that Gil-chae is a noblewoman who has been kidnapped and brought to Simyang against her will. But the official says that there’s nothing he can do for her. Notice that Yoon-jeon and the official are boxed in within separate frames to depict and reinforce their conflict.

Ryang-eum struggles about whether he should tell Officer Goo Won-moo that Gil-chae was kidnapped and brought to Simyang. His dilemma is depicted and reinforced by the door that boxes him in.

Episode 14

Gil-chae at a holding cell in the slave market.

The young female captive (who speaks the Qing language) thanks Gil-chae for saving his son back in Joseon.

In Princess Gak-hwa’s residence, Gil-chae becomes agitated after finding out that if Jang-hyun tries to help her, Princess Gak-hwa will kill him.

Officer Goo Won-moo thinks about what to do since Gil-chae may have lost her chastity to the Qing invaders.

Gil-chae kneels in front of the palace as she waits after pleading for mercy and justice with Emperor Hong Taiji.

Gil-chae wanders around after being freed by Princess Gak-hwa, thinking that Jang-hyun died after being shot with an arrow.

Episode 15

The young Ryang-eum becomes the target of his abusive master.

Goo-jam finds and saves Jong-jong from her abusive Qing owner.

Episode 17

The conflict between Jang-hyun and Princess Gak-hwa over how he has been forced to stay by her side for the sake of the Joseon captives is depicted and reinforced by the lines of the tree that separates them.

Crown Prince So-hyun agonizes over his promise to bring back to Joseon the hundreds of slaves whose freedom he had bought because of King Injo’s suspicions of a threat against his throne.

Episode 18

Jang-hyun is thrown into the prison controlled by the eunuchs of the Palace Supply Bureau.

Episode 20

Gil-chae is stunned to see Princess Gak-hwa in her house.

Gil-chae reads the letter that Jang-hyun sent her, which says that he’ll come later after helping the freed Joseon captives settle down.

Jang-hyun and Ryang-eum look for places that could shelter the freed Joseon captives.

Episode 21

Master Jang and Yoon-jeon are conflicted over King Injo’s order to search for and arrest the traitors among the freed Joseon captives.

Yoon-jeon visits Jang-hyun after finding out his real identity as Master Jang’s son.

Eun-ae pleads with Yoon-jeon not to join in searching for and arresting the traitors among the freed Joseon captives.

Gil-chae lives in despair thinking that Jang-hyun died on the beach.

Gil-chae and Eun-ae say goodbye to each other as Gil-chae goes off to search for Jang-hyun.

Gil-chae finds Jang-hyun on a mountain near Neunggun-ri, but as the old man on the beach said, Jang-hyun’s suffering from amnesia. The emotional and psychological distance between them is depicted and reinforced by the lines of the post that divide them.

Overly dramatic Dutch angle shots from this drama:

The first picture below illustrates what a 90-degree Dutch angle shot is; the next two images are at about 75-degree inclination.

The pictures below were shot with an almost unnoticeable Dutch angle:

D. Shooting against the light, with or without lens flares — a character is shot with the sun or a light source behind them — to depict or reinforce tension, crisis; to indicate a pivotal moment or coming to a realization (as in Ep. 8 when Gil-chae realizes too late that Jang-hyun is the man in her recurring dreams)

By “shooting against the light,” I don’t mean shooting directly into the light source (the sun, for example) because that creates either a silhouette or a darkened subject with a blown out background. I mean shooting with the sun a bit off to the side (although there are shots in this drama where the character’s face is covered in darkness) or with the sun obscured by some object.

Ep. 8: As she falls asleep mourning Jang-hyun’s death, Gil-chae has her recurring dream. As the man turns towards her, he’s at first obscured because the sun is directly behind him, but then she fully sees his face. She realizes Jang-hyun is the man in her recurring dreams, but it’s too late now.

Ep. 13: Jang-hyun finally finds out that the masked Qing slave hunter he has crossed paths with several times is none other than Emperor Hong Taiji’s beloved daughter, Princess Gak-hwa.

Ep. 1: Gil-chae chases the runaway spool of red thread and ends up at the beach where she again sees the man of her recurring dreams with his back turned towards her. The man turns towards her, but she can’t see his face because the sun is directly behind him.

Ep. 1: This wide-angle shot formally introduces to us the drama’s FL Gil-chae. Notice that the camera shoots against the light but with the sun slightly off center.

Ep. 5: At the Joseon army’s field hospital, Jang-hyun realizes that he means nothing to Gil-chae, who hurriedly tends to Yoon-jeon and his injuries, even though he himself has been wounded in battle.

Ep. 9: Jang-hyun kneels outside the hall while Emperor Hong Taiji questions General Yong Gol-dae whether Jang-hyun is a rat (spy) just like the Joseon official who was executed earlier.

Ep. 11: Jang-hyun rescues Yang-chun from the Qing slave hunters.

Ep. 12: To prevent being forced to sleep with the Qing prince, Gil-chae scars herself by breaking a vase on her forehead.

Ep. 14: Princess Gak-hwa aims her bow and arrow at Jang-hyun as he’s about to catch up with Gil-chae.

Ep. 15: Gil-chae and Jong-jong watch in happiness as the Joseon captives sing while they work on Crown Prince So-hyun and Crown Princess Kang’s rice fields.

Ep. 19: Jang-hyun suffers amnesia after getting badly beaten up at the river bank and at the prison run by the eunuchs of the Palace Supply Bureau.

Ep. 21: Yang-chun is killed, sacrificing himself by leading the slaves from the Palace Supply Bureau away from the other escaping slaves.

E. Silhouettes; golden hour; filming on the beach

When you were just starting to learn photography, you probably heard someone advise you to avoid shooting against the light. Well, if you want to create silhouettes, then shooting against the light is exactly what you need to do. Depending on which source you check, there are either two or three kinds of silhouette. For this analysis, I’ll refer to two kinds of silhouettes:

(1) perfect or full silhouette with a “jet black subject against a significantly brighter background”; and

(2) near or partial silhouette with the subject still having some detail despite the bright background.

“My Dearest” has several scenes where the character or characters are silhouetted by the sun or the moon. (More on this in the “Golden hour” section below.)

Ep. 1 introduces the ML Jang-hyun as he’s wounded and alone on the beach surrounded and threatened by dozens of men with swords and spears. The shots are partial silhouettes.

Ep. 1 shows us Gil-chae’s recurring dream of meeting a mysterious man on the beach, whose back is turned towards her. Even when he turns to face her, she still can’t see his face because the setting sun is directly behind her.

In Ep. 2, the Great Jin advance forces fling away their merchant disguises as they race swiftly on horseback towards the Joseon capital.

In Ep. 5, Gil-chae Eun-ae, and their servants are being attacked by the Mongol invaders. But they’re rescued by Jang-hyun, Ryang-eum, and Goo-jam, who come into the scene through a perfect silhouette.

In Ep. 11, Jang-hyun reunites with Yang-chun after saving him from the Qing slave traders.

Hollywood cinematographer Roger Deakins is famous for his silhouettes such as the train robbery scene in the cult classic “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (2007). You can watch this famous scene in this YouTube video (starting at 2:54).



From “Watch: Learn the Power of Silhouettes from the Master Roger Deakins” (No Film School):

Use silhouettes to define characters and situations in an elegant, crystallized visual portrait.

When crafting a particularly tense scene in a film, consider using the silhouette to ratchet up the tension. Contemplate how you want your viewers to feel, and ponder how the silhouette might implant that feeling on viewers’ minds.

Consider the silhouette for stories in which morality plays a huge part.

From “Set the Mood With a Silhouette” (Premium Beat):

The perfect silhouette can immerse audiences into a story without ever revealing too much information.

An examination of Spielberg’s work alone showcases the silhouette’s ability to transcend storytelling. His silhouettes evoke so much more than the image presents on screen. So many of his silhouettes have become iconic film images in their own right, proving the silhouette can not only set a mood — but define an entire film.

Resources:

“Paint it Black: Roger Deakins’ Use of Silhouettes” (YouTube)

“Awesome Silhouette Photos: How to Create a Mood Masterpiece” (Travel Photography Guru)

Golden hour; filming on the beach

In photography and cinematography, the term “golden hour” refers to the “period of daytime shortly after sunrise and before sunset, during which daylight is redder and softer than when the sun is higher in the sky.”

The beach scenes in Ep. 1 where the drama introduces Jang-hyun have some of the most gorgeous shots in the whole drama. The deeply saturated colors of the sunset are breathtaking and remind me of the desert scene in Ep. 1 of the 2010 hit historical drama “Chuno, The Slave Hunters” starring Jang Hyuk. (The drama is groundbreaking because it’s the first K-drama to be shot with a digital camera, that is, the revolutionary Red One camera.)

But based on the BTS video on YT (from 1:50 to 2:22), the beach scenes in Ep. 1 weren’t shot during the golden hour; they were shot on or about noontime. The gorgeous colors of the sunset scenes on the beach may have been done in-camera through filters (Coral? Didymium?), during post production (color grading), or both. Plus, what created the silhouettes wasn’t actually the sun but artificial light.

Resources:

“In filmmaking, can a sunset scene be filmed at sunrise and can a sunrise scene be filmed at sunset?” (Quora)

“Filters for color film” (Photography Tips)

“Practical Tips for Filming on the Beach” | Shutterstock Tutorials (YouTube)

“5 Tips to Make Filming on the Coast a Breeze” (No Film School)

“Top Tips for Shooting on the Beach” (Artlist)

“An Interview with Michael Pessah, ASC, on Filming a Beach Night Exterior” (Premium Beat)

F. Breaking the 180-degree rule or crossing the line to depict or reinforce emotional or psychological tension or to signify a change of beat

From “What is the 180 Degree Rule in Film? Crossing the Line with Purpose” by Studio Binder:

“The 180 degree rule is a filmmaking guideline for spatial relations between two characters on screen. The 180 rule sets an imaginary axis, or eye line, between two characters or between a character and an object. By keeping the camera on one side of this imaginary axis, the characters maintain the same left/right relationship to each other, keeping the space of the scene orderly and easy to follow.

“When the camera jumps over the invisible axis, this is known as crossing the line or breaking the line, and it can produce a disorienting and distracting effect on a viewer.”

Notice that the Studio Binder article speaks about “bending” the 180-degree rule. Examples of “bending” the 180-degree rule are these shots from “Heat” (blockbuster 1995 action movie starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro) and from “Parasite” by Bong Joon-ho.

The two examples of crossing the line from "My Dearest" act as foreshadowing devices:

Ep. 1: King Injo’s ministers are divided into two factions that are bitterly divided on how to deal with the Great Jin’s demand for Joseon to submit to it as a vassal state. One faction is led by Choe Myeong-gil, and the other faction is led by Kim Sang-heon. Their conflict throughout the drama is depicted (foreshadowed) through breaking the 180-degree rule or crossing the line in Ep. 1.

A s you can see in the GIF, Choi Myeong-gil is the foreground, while Kim Sang-heon is in the background to Choi Myeong-gil’s right. As Kim Sang-heon speaks, the camera trucks (moves parallel) to the left such that he’s now to Choi Myeong-gil’s left.

Ep. 4: The villagers of Neunggun-ri evacuate in a hurry as the Mongolian invaders in their rampage come nearer to the village. Grandpa Song-chu tells his wife to go ahead to the river side with the other villagers because he has to go back to their house. Notice that he’s frame left, while his wife is frame right. The camera trucks (moves parallel) to the right such that he’s now to his wife’s right.

From Ep. 1, we’ve known Grandpa Song-chu as a gentle soul who dearly loves his wife. This shot foreshadows what Grandpa Song-chu will do back at the house, that is, despite his age, fight the Mongolian invaders with his bow and arrow.

In the two examples below (Ep. 12 and Ep. 17), the characters aren’t clearly frame left or frame right. Let me put it this way: The character or characters in the background are to the right of the character in the foreground; when the camera trucks (moves parallel) to the left, the character or characters in the background are now to the left of the character in the foreground. (Also, cinematographers or film students might disagree with me about the Ep. 17 scene being an example of breaking the 180-degree rule.)

Ep. 12 (flashback scene): As Jang-hyun turns around counterclockwise, the camera arcs around him clockwise. He sees his young self being carried on his slave’s back; his young self and the slave are to his right. The camera then trucks (moves parallel) to the left; his young self and the slave are now to his left. (Jang-hyun was probably shot against a green screen.)

Ep. 17: Gil-chae deceives Jang-hyun into thinking that she’s pregnant. Jang-hyun hurries to the market to buy the snack that she craves for and then returns to her.

Gil-chae is in the foreground, with Jang-hyun to her right. As Jang-hyun continues to walk forward, the camera trucks (moves parallel) to the left. Jang-hyun is now to her left.

G. Miscellaneous observations: Arc shots and other interesting shots or camera movements; Hero shots, dramatic low angle shots, high angle shots; Techniques to create tension: shaky cam in Ep. 13; push in in Ep. 2; change of viewpoint through editing

G-1. Arc shots and other interesting shots or camera movements

Ep. 1 (arc shot, Jang-hyun reveal): As Yoon-jeon rallies his fellow scholars and the villagers to petition King Injo abd the royal court to fight against Great Jin, someone suddenly speaks up to challenge him. The camera arcs clockwise to reveal that the man who challenged Yoon-jeon is Jang-hyun, dressed in elegant nobleman’s clothes.

Ep. 2 (: Jang-hyun offers rice to the leaders of the Confucian academy. Eun-ae’s father can be seen at the start of the shot. As the camera trucks (moves parallel) to the left, we then see Gil-chae’s father, ehis out of focus. As Eun-ae’s father leans towards Gil-chae’s father, he becomes out of focus while Gil-chae’s father becomes in focus.

Ep. 2 (tracking shot): The camera tracks Jang-hyun and Gil-chae as they move around a musty bookstore.

Ep. 2 (pan shot to reveal a new character and thus change the scene’s dynamic): As the hood over Ningguchin, the Jurchen merchant, is lifted, the camera pans to the left and then pulls out to reveal that it was Jang-hyun who kidnapped him.

Ep. 2 (pan shot): The camera slowly pans to the right to reveal Jang-hyun moping that Gil-chae is enamored with Yoon-jeon and not with him.

Ep. 2 (cross cutting; fast cutting?): Unknown to the Neunggun-ri villagers who are happily dancing and singing during Grandpa Song-chu and his wife’s wedding anniversary, the Great Jin advance forces have begun their blitzkrieg attack of Joseon. The herky jerky movements of the villagers as they celebrate and the fast cuts contrast dramatically with the fluid, graceful, and powerful movements of the Great Jin advance forces on their horses. (I’m not sure if I’m describing accurately the scene of the villagers dancing and singing.)

Ep. 3 (arc shot): As the camera arcs clockwise around Jang-hyun, he turns around and sees his young self kneeling before a locked house and crying out to his father. I don’t think Jang-hyun, his young self, and the locked house are physically in the same shot; Janghyun may have been shot with a blue screen.

Ep. 3: Soon-yak, the young nobleman who Gil-chae manipulated, waits for her to tell her that he’s calling off their wedding. The camera, probably mounted on a jib, pushes up from a low angle to just above Soon-yak’s head to reveal Gil-chae as she arrives.

Ep. 3 (arc shot, rack focus, trucking shot, push in): Eun-ae and the other villagers bid goodbye to Yoon-jeon and the other young noblemen as they leave to join the Righteous Army. The camera arcs counterclockwise around Eun-ae to reveal Gil-chae, out of focus, to her right. She becomes out of focus, Gil-chae becomes in focus. As the camera trucks (moves parallel) to the left, Jang-hyun enters the frame from the left.

G-2. Hero shots; dramatic low angle shots

The term “hero shot” used to be associated only with product photography but is now being used in all areas of photography (especially in portraiture and wedding photography) and in cinematography.

In Ep. 1, the exhausted and wounded Jang-hyun is surrounded and threatened by dozens of men with swords and spears. After saying to someone, “Do you hear the flowers?” he stands up and faces his enemies. This hero shot is compelling with its extreme low angle point of view and dramatic lighting.

From “The Story Behind The Shot: Exploring the movie framing of a ’Hero’”:

Likewise, the obverse of the ‘Hero shot’ coin is the ‘villain shot’. Typically, the airbrushed slow-motion golden-hour perfection of the ‘hero shot’ is flipped on its head for a vein-bulging warts-and-all depiction of a villain in an outward panning close-up. By contrast, the ‘hero shot’ camera stylings are grand, steady and slow, with sweeping movements that depict the “are you not entertained?” underdog heroes as the David in the centre of their Goliath settings.

Heroes demand swathes of space to show that their benevolence is all-conquering, yet the villains of this world fill up a close up with the stinking miasma of degeneracy. It is one of the most straightforward filmmaking techniques, but when it is done right, it holds the simple fist-pumped adulation of reverb riddled power-chord.

In short, it is a shot that speaks of the beauty of cinema and storytelling. It is devoid of all reality in the most euphorically satisfying way. Never in real life could a sports star’s triumph be prognosticated or celebrated with such distilled perfection. There is something uniquely thrilling about cinema’s ability to call the shots of life and punt the fickle workings of fate into the wayside by depicting a hero in a portrait of untold brilliance.

From “Lights, Camera, Action: How Filmmakers Frame Heroes and Villains” (Premium Beat):

In visual storytelling, how can one best define the differences between a hero and a villain? It might seem like there are a few correct answers, and, well, fair enough.

For sure, things like dialogue, musical themes, lighting, and even costuming can shape how an audience perceives a character’s outlook and objective. Nonetheless, the case can be made that thoughtful, deliberate framing is the most effective way to communicate (or disguise) a character’s intentions and inner life.

Other resources on hero shots in cinematography: “How to Shoot a Michael Bay 360 Hero Shot [Michael Bay’s Directing Style Explained]” (Studio Binder); “Evil Dead II Features Cinema’s Best Hero Shot”

Dramatic low angle shots

A low angle shot is any shot taken from below the subject’s eyes. Dramatic low angle shots are those shot from much lower vantage points; fircexanple, from the ground on which the subject stands.

While the example of Jang-hyun’s hero shot in Ep. 1 of “My Dearest” was shot from a dramatic low angle point of view, the Studio Binder video titled “The Low Angle Shot [Best Camera Angles in Film]” at https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HnZsFS8I4bQ discusses how “low angle hero shots don’t need to be extreme.” The video also says that “directors who know their film grammar might combine low angle shots with camera movement for a more pronounced heroic effect.”

“My Dearest” uses lots of dramatic low angle shots, not necessarily for creating hero shots but just because they provide a fresh and dynamic perspective:

From “Power Dynamics in Film: The Impact of a Low Angle Shot”:

With strategic camera placement and situational context, this technique has been used to emphasize the heroism of a character(s) or — on the opposite end of the spectrum — their vulnerability.

G-3. High angle shots

From “High Angle Shot — Camera Angle Explained & Iconic Examples” (Studio Binder):

A high angle shot is when the camera looks down on the character or subject from an elevated perspective. This is usually achieved by placing the camera higher than the subject and then angling it down on them. This can range from a shallow angle just above eye level all the way to directly above the subject.

A high camera angle is a decision that has a massive impact on your shot’s meaning. Depending on the context, a high angle can be used for a variety of reasons.

This Studio Binder article discusses four kinds of high angle shots:

1. Narrative high angle (for plot)

2. Visceral high angle (for conveying emotion)

3. Character-driven high angle (for character)

4. High angle shots that break the rules

Some high angle shots From "My Dearest":

G-4. Techniques to create tension: shaky cam in Ep. 13; push in in Ep. 2; change of viewpoint through editing

(a) Shaky cam in Ep. 13

The term “shaky cam” has a rather negative meaning because of its use and abuse in Hollywood action movies. Some sources thus use the term "handheld cam" to describe how the cinematographer holds the camera either through a chest rig or a shoulder rig. When the camera is handheld and the cinematographer moves, the shot becomes more or less unstable. The unstable shot leads to a sense of tension or agitation in the scene.

(In my previous discussions, I used the term “wobbly” instead of “shaky.”)

In Eps. 13-14, Jang-hyun finally learns that Gil-chae was kidnapped from Joseon and brought to Simyang. At the slave market, he sees her bound and being auctioned off to the highest bidder. After beating off the slave market owner’s men, he approaches her, crying out “Why?” Namkoong Min’s and Ahn Eun-jin’s excellent acting are reinforced by the shaky or wobbly cam and the Dutch angles. The GIF program that I use has a 60-second limit per GIF, and so I had to create two GIFs; I also slowed down the GIFs slightly so you can better see how the camera wobbles.

(b) Push in in Ep. 2

After seeing and hearing Gil-chae being rebuffed by Yoon-jeon, Jang-hyun asks her to come to him instead. Gil-chae is taken aback by his bold and unexpected proposal. The tension in the scene is depicted and reinforced by the way the camera alternately pushes in on Gil-chae and then on Jang-hyun. (I slowed down the GIF a bit so you can better see the push in.)

This technique isn’t unique to “My Dearest.” Whenever there are two characters in a frame and there’s tension between them, you can be almost sure that the cinematographer will use alternating push in shots.

(c) Change of viewpoint through editing

Note that directors create the “shot list” based on the screenplay; they then stage the scene and block the actors. Based on the shot list, cinematographers decide how best to light the scene, what lens to use, etc. Cinematographers do what is called “coverage,” that is, they shoot a scene from various viewpoints, various shot sizes, etc. The editor then takes the footages, decides what to include or exclude and in what in order to create a coherent narrative (hopefully) based on the director’s artistic vision.

From “What Is Film Coverage: Step-By-Step Guide” (Film Lifestyle):

For those new to film production, coverage is the process of filming multiple angles, shots, and performances of a scene.

It’s called coverage because it covers all the necessary elements required to edit the scene together in post-production.

In television, coverage is considered standard practice as scenes are often shot out of sequence on a tight shooting schedule.

Coverage ensures that there are enough options available in the edit for the editor to put together an interesting and engaging version of the scene.

For independent filmmakers, it’s not always possible to get extensive coverage due to scheduling constraints, budget, or even just not knowing how to do it.

But if you’re working on something with more time and resources available then getting good coverage will make your life much easier in post-production.

From “A Beginner’s Guide to Shooting Coverage for a Film Project” (Premium Beat):

“Coverage” is a deceptively simple term that encompasses a wide range of factors — how to stage, block, light, and capture a film.

“Coverage refers to the order and method of shooting a scene. “V Coverage” — so-called due to the layout of the cameras from a top-down perspective — means shooting a wide or master shot of the scene, then getting close-ups on each character for their lines. This method is used in probably 80 percent of two-person dialogue scenes.

Even in this simple setup, there are several factors to consider — each one makes a difference in how you shoot the scene and how it’ll look in the final edit. Do you shoot your wide shot first? This gives the actors a couple of takes to get into the scene and warm up. But, if it’s an emotional scene, they may burn out before you get to their close-up. Do you just shoot the start and end of the scene in the wide? If so, will the final part of the scene suffer because the actors won’t be in the same emotional state as in the close-ups?

Some directors do not like coverage; for example, Yorgos Lanthimos who directed the award-winning 2018 movie “The Favourite.” In an interview, he says that he hates coverage. This means that even before filming of “The Favourite” started, he already had a firm vision of what his film would look like, shot by shot, scene by scene.

Acclaimed director Kogonada said that in working on his 2017 film “Columbus,” he, the cast, and production crew only had 18 filming days. And so, he and his cinematographer planned out how to shoot the film without too much coverage.

In sum, the director and the cinematographer limit shooting coverage because they want to restrict the editor’s choices in what shots to choose or use. They might want their individual visions or collective vision on what the film or drama should look like to prevail over the editor’s vision or choices.

Resource: “Why you should film LESS coverage” (YouTube)

Ep. 10: Jang-hyun is stunned to find out that Gil-chae is getting married.

(a) Jang-hyun is short sided, looking to the left from our perspective.

(b) Gil-chae comes out of the door to meet the bearer of the bridal gifts.

(c) Jang-hyun is again short sided, but this time looking to the right from our perspective.

(d) Gil-chae smiles, unaware that Jang-hyun is there, seeing her about to get married.

Ep. 17: For the sake of the Joseon captives and in anger over losing Gil-chae, Jang-hyun aims his bow and arrow against Princess Gak-hwa.

(a) Establishing shot of Princess Gak-hwa frame left, with Jang-hyun, frame right.

(b) Medium shot of Jang-hyun as he aims his bow and arrow at the target; he’s frame right looking to the left from our perspective.

(c) Jang-hyun is now frame left, aiming his bow and arrow to the right from our perspective.

(d) Jang-hyun is now frame right, aiming his bow and arrow to the left from our perspective.

(e) Jang-hyun is now frame left, aiming his bow and arrow to the right from our perspective.

(f) Jang-hyun is now frame right, aiming his bow and arrow to the left from our perspective. He turns to face Princess Gak-hwa.

(g) In a two shot, Jang-hyun is now frame left while Princess Gak-hwa is now frame right, with Jang-hyun aiming his bow and arrow at her.

(h) In the next shot, Jang-hyun is now frame right while Princess Gak-hwa is now frame left, with Jang-hyun still aiming his bow and arrow at her.

(i) With Princess frame left and out of focus, Jang-hyun frame right aims his bow and arrow at Princess Gak-hwa.

(j) In the next shot, Princess Gak-hwa turns towards Jang-hyun.

(k) In a two shot, Jang-hyun frame left aims his bow and arrow at Princess Gak-hwa, who’s frame right.

(l) In an over the shoulder shot, Princess Gak-hwa, frame left, turns to Jang-hyun, frame right and asks him what he’s doing.

Ep. 15: Ryang-eum tells Gil-chae that she has been released from slavery by Princess Gak-hwa and that she must now return to Joseon. When Gil-chae refuses and says that she’ll stay to take care of Jang-hyun, he replies that he’ll take care of Jang-hyun. But Gil-chae doesn’t back down and questions him why he lied about Jang-hyun having died.

(a) Over the shoulder shot aka “dirty single”: Ryang-eum, partially shown and out of focus, is frame left, while Gil-chae is im focus and frame right.

(b) Reverse angle: Gil-chae is still frame right but out of focus, while Ryang-eum is now in focus but still frame left.

(c) In the next shot, which is called in cinematography as “two shot,” however, Gil-chae is now frame left, while Ryang-eum is now frame right.

(d) The next shot is a “clean single” of Gil-chae; she’s short sided, looking to the left from our perspective.

(e) The next shot is a “clean single” of Ryang-eum; he’s short sided, looking to the right from our perspective.

(f) The next shot is a two shot, with Ryang-eum now frame right, while Gil-chae is now frame left. Notice that Ryang-eum is reaching into his sleeve pocket; in the next shot where he’s frame left while Gil-chae is frame right, he shows her the eunjangdo.

Changing the viewpoints through editing to create tension in a scene isn’t unique to “My Dearest” because it’s also done in other dramas or movies. I just wanted to illustrate this technique for the benefit of viewers who are just coming to know about cinematography and its terms (shot-reverse shot; two shot; over the shoulder shot; dirty single; clean single; etc).