TUESDAY ON COLOR OF PASSION EPISODE 76

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Nora tries to snatch the photo from Ricardo, but he pulls it away, she’s not going to get this piece of evidence and get rid of it. She stomps out, runs to her car, and pulls out the missing gun from her glove compartment and heads back in. Suddenly, she stops, realizing what she’s about to do, and sanity takes over. She walks back to her car and leaves.

Rebeca is waiting for Alonso to come home, and when he does, she demands to know why he never told her about Magdalena getting married today. His response is to remind her that they aren’t talking, she isn’t being cooperative about the divorce, and she doesn’t want to see Magda being happy anyway.

Milagros is on her well worn soapbox again, this time Marcelo is the victim. Daniela is messing around with an older man, twice her age, she calls him a mequetrefe--a good for nothing, who is probably using her for her money. Same old reply is given, butt out of everyones business, you old nag. But it does get to Marcelo, he thinks he should investigate who this man is.

We will now get a litany of wedding outfits and hairstyles of the wedding guests.
Sara, wearing a steel blue, sleeveless v-neck, unfortunately it's poorly fitted, knee length, satin dress with her hair up in a bun, is about to leave for the wedding, trying to convince Lety into coming with her. No go. And it’s not because of Mario, she’s truly over him, we know it’s really because of Sergio.

Normita, sporting the same hairstyle as Sara, is wearing a pretty lipstick pink horizontally sequined dress with a waist length jacket, is at home waiting to be picked up by Nazario. She’s talking to that witchy new secretary of Mario’s, I don’t remember her name. I had no idea they knew each other, so they are either related or friends.
Naz arrives, and they leave.

Lalo is waiting at the gate for Tere. She walks out in the blue dress that we saw previously when she asked Lucia which one she should wear. Her hair is down straight, and she has these enormous long earrings on. As they leave, Nora pulls up to the gate, but she ignores Tere and Lalo and rushes inside. As they walk off together, we see Vinicio watching them.

Nora runs up to Rebeca’s room looking for her. She’s not there, so she starts rummaging through her drawers. She pulls out a box with pictures in it.

Outside the church, this is a nighttime wedding, Sergio greets Gloria. Her hair looks like is usually does and she’s wearing a strapless white, form fitting, dress with blue splotches on it. They greet Sara, Gloria introduces herself as Sergio’s girlfriend, which surprises Sara, but Sergio doesn’t correct her.

A nervous Mario anxiously waits for his bride to arrive. Samuel tries to calm him down.

Finally the car arrives, Alonso is driving and Lucia is in the back seat with Magdalena. Magdalena is nervous, she doesn’t see Mario anywhere. Lucia calms her down and they step out. Lucia is wearing a solid, bright green, floor length form fitting strapless dress. She is looking around of Marcelo, and doesn’t see him.

That’s because he’s ringing Daniela’s doorbell. He wants to know who the guy is, she tells him it’s none of his or anyone else’s business, and leave.

The wedding: Alonso walks Magdalena down the aisle. Slow motion happiness, vows taken and given, and Marcelo finally arrives.
Just as they are finishing up the vows, Rebeca shows up, wearing a floor length, lacy red dress, sauntering up the aisle. Everyones eyes are on her, even the shocked bride and groom, as she walks up to the alter, takes one end of the stand of beads that Lucia is holding, and leans over to Magda congratulating her, she says she didn’t want to miss a day so important as this, and then she and a shocked Lucia drape the beads around the couple. Alonso escorts her out of the church. He threatens her not to show up at the reception.

Ricardo brings Dani a red rose, he’s sorry for leaving her alone all day. She tells him that she spent the day thinking about them, as a couple, and she doesn’t think it will work. Before she can explain her reasons, he pleads with her to wait, to not make this decision so soon, let him show her how well he will treat her, how much he will care about her. He wants to give her what she needs. He is a sweet talker, and she buys it. They seal it with several kisses, and a romp in the bedroom.

We meet a new character, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a middle aged couple are dining at a restaurant, clinking wine glasses. Alfredo thinks the restaurant is divine, but she, his unnamed companion, even more. He’s interrupted by a phone call from Milagros, butting in yet again in Daniela’s life. She tells him that he needs to come to Puebla, his daughter needs him.
Alfredo then calls Dani while his companion goes to the bathroom. He wakes her up, asks about Marcelo, she tells him they’re finished. She is still in Puebla because her cousin passed away and she’s the only relative she had, so she’s staying there until that’s all sorted out. A pacified father hangs up.

A shaken Magdalena walks out of the church on Mario’s arm, Sara calms her down, Alonso escorted Rebeca away, she won’t come back. Marcelo explains why he was late, and even though Lucia doesn’t understand why he’s meddling in that, he cajoles her into getting over her upset.

Rebeca comes home and sees Nora sifting though her things. Nora tells her she saw the photo she gave to Ricardo. She lets her have it. But Rebeca will not be outdone by her daughter, and tells Nora to listen up, that man is capable of anything, he will do or say anything to get out of any situation. But Nora is past falling for her lies this time. She calls her a patetica, cualquiera, AND an zorra. Rebeca comes in for the slap, but this time Nora was expecting it, and grabs her arm. Nora tells her that she doesn’t deserve any respect, and just as I was about to applaud and sort of feel sorry for Nora, Rebeca reminds Nora that she has no right to judge her, Nora did the exact same thing to Lucia. And not only that, but got pregnant by him too.

Ricardo gets up to get something out of the fridge, Rebeca rings him. She’s only calling to tell him that she promises that she will kill him if he comes near Nora again. Dani comes in wearing only the sheet, asks who called, he tells her wrong number, then gets the whipped cream out of the refrigerator. (JK)

Rodrigo comes to his parents home to talk to Amador. Brigida is very happy to see him, and he goes up to see him. Amador tells him that he lost everything, and Rodrigo replies that he can start over again. Amador suggests they start together, but Rod shoots that down. He always admired his father growing up, now he lost the admiration and he doesn’t know how to get that back. Amador asks if he can do anything to help him, but Rodrigo wisely says that’s up to Amador. And Amador needs to do that with Brigida too.

At the wedding reception, everyone signs a book and the couple are declared one and done. Phew! As Alonso starts a toast, a very shaken Nora arrives, and in front of everyone, she asks Alonso to promise to not leave her. Of course he promises, and leads her out. Poor Magdalena, her horrid family insists on interfering with her special day. Naz takes up the toasting, and tries to bring back some normalcy to the occasion.

As Rodrigo drives home, he sees Lety out taking a walk. He gets her in the car, and she tells him she'll go anywhere, she doesn’t care. He takes her to a cafe, Rodrigo tries to get her to talk about what’s wrong, but she doesn’t want to. She’s just mad that Sergio went to the wedding with ‘la famosa Gloria’, and Rodrigo knows exactly what’s bothering her now.

Alonso brings Nora home, she gets into bed, and she asks him to not leave. Rebeca comes in, and Nora tells her to leave, she doesn’t want to se her. Rebeca runs out crying.

Nora finally falls asleep, and Alonso finds Rebeca to ask her what happened between them.  She accuses Al of putting ideas in Nora’s head, but Al said that it’s more like Nora is finally finding out what kind of person Rebeca is. Rebeca said that she’s been a great mom, but Al thinks that Dr Andrede is right, that she’s the reason for Nora’s unstable mental health.

Marcelo is walking Lucia to the door, and Lucia is still affected by seeing Nora so broken. He cheers her up by bringing up their own impending wedding, as Nora sees them from the window. They walk inside and Nora comes down the stairs holding the gun, points it at them, and tells Lucia, that she took everything from her, their father’s love, the attention of her mother, the care of others, but as far as Marcelo goes, if Nora can’t have him, no one will. And Lucia will be alone, with the guilt of his death. Marcelo positions himself between Nora and Lucia, begging her to give him the pistol. She shouts at him to not come closer. She fires the gun, but shoots high, Marcelo rushes forward and wrestles her for the gun. Why is it so hard to get it from her? She weighs like 90 pounds. Then a shot is fired. From the looks of their faces, it appears that Nora got shot.

TUESDAY ON KILL ME HEAL ME - EPISODE 18 ON JOY PRIME @ 6: AM

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Ri-jin and Ri-on come home from walking their dog. Ri-jin’s impersonation of flirty Yo-na quickly persuades her brother to get the dog’s food.

While she waits, Ri-jin receives a visitor: Se-gi apologizes for being late.

He wants Ri-jin to run away with him, away from their terrible memories. Both of them remember their childhood promise to run away together somewhere far away, and deliberately echoing her past self, Ri-jin says she doesn’t have money. Se-gi acknowledges it with a smile and repeats his reply then — he has lots. She takes his outstretched hand.



Ri-on finds out by text from Ri-jin that she’s left with Se-gi. Another message tells him not to worry, she can handle Se-gi.

Aww it’s the return of the Segimobile (which is a Ford Mustang, not a Ferrari — apologies!). They drive, while in voiceover, we hear the rest of her message to Ri-on. She tells him how Se-gi is the most wounded piece of Do-hyun. She’s connected to him by a common wound, so examining his is the same as examining her own, and that’s what she means to do.

Se-gi asks Ri-jin where she wants to go — her wish is his command. She asks him why he acted like he didn’t know her when they first met. Se-gi didn’t want her painful memories to surface, and confesses that he hoped she would choose him with or without them. He asks if she already remembered everything, and she’s surprised that he knows about that.



Se-gi explains how he shared memories with Do-hyun. Ri-jin finds out Do-hyun discovered the truth about his/her name, and Se-gi says the shock was so deep it made him check out.

Ri-jin asks how he came to take the name Cha Do-hyun, and we go back to the day of the fire. Little Se-gi throws a lit match on the spilled kerosene. The fire catches immediately, whooshing under the locked door, into the basement room where his dad and Ri-jin are. Dad struggles out, and catching sight of his son, calls out, “Joon-young!”

One look at his face makes Dad realize Joon-young must have set the fire. But the boy faints, and choking on smoke, Dad brings him out. Joon-young comes around and cries for Dad to rescue Do-hyun.



Dad passes his son onto a firefighter and runs back inside. Joon-young is rushed to an ambulance, unconscious, while a paramedic tries to rouse him. She repeatedly asks him his name. Struggling, he replies, “Cha…Do-hyun. My name is Cha Do-hyun.” Oh. He cries inside that it’s his fault.

Dad returns to the inferno for Do-hyun, frantically calling her name. Grandma’s voice narrates the last thing Dad said before his coma: that when he went back for her, she was already gone. We see Ri-jin’s mom at the scene of the fire, hurrying away with a hidden bundle — the girl, Do-hyun.

Grandma’s voiceover continues: Some days later, she got a letter from a friend of Seo-yeon, asking her not to look for the girl. In the fiery basement, Dad collapses.

In the time following the incident, Joon-young doesn’t respond to his name, no matter how much his mom calls him. She tries, “Do-hyun?” and he turns around immediately. Oh my chills.

Mom gathers him up in an embrace. With tears in her eyes, she agrees that he should forget everything — the fire, his father, the girl and what happened in the basement, even his own name. He can just be Cha Do-hyun, the sole heir to Seungjin.

In the present, Se-gi tells Ri-jin that young Joon-young believed she had died in the fire that day, and out of his despair and guilt, his mind created an alter in the image of her seven-year-old self. Ri-jin finally understands the mystery of “Nana,” a personality who had been dormant until Do-hyun met Ri-jin again now.

Ri-jin asks if the fire happened because of her. Se-gi replies that it was to save her. She argues that he could have died, but he smiles that she lived. We cut back to when Do-hyun found out the truth about who set the fire. Grandma realizes that his mind must have broken back then. He stumbles out, head ringing.

Memories loop and mix. Little Ri-jin’s voice inviting him to play overlaps with mom’s telling him to stay as Do-hyun. His child-self pounds at the basement door and Dad punishes Ri-jin. Se-gi revisits the memory of the scene of the fire, the first time he appeared. Looking over his younger self with sad satisfaction, he thinks, “The one who saved that child was me.”



Ri-jin worries that Do-hyun’s DID happened because of her, but their conversation is cut short when Se-gi gets a phonecall from Alex, the U.S. friend Ki-joon was investigating. He tells Se-gi that he was offered half a million for his secrets. He needs the money, but he wants his friend to make a better offer, and they arrange to meet.

Ki-joon’s secretary reports to his boss about their offer to Alex, and also tells him about the man’s gambling debt. Alex claims to know explosive secrets about Do-hyun that will ruin Seungjin, and will go to the papers unless they buy it. Ki-joon is reluctant to go along with his terms.

Se-gi tells Ri-jin that Alex is a parasite who’s lived off threatening Do-hyun since high school. While he rants about killing him, Ri-jin thumbs off a secret text to Chief Ahn about Se-gi, Alex and where they’re going.



They arrive at the meeting place and Se-gi tells Ri-jin to stay in the car. She tells him to stay — she’ll deal with this. Even though her contract with Do-hyun was terminated, her deal with Se-gi stands, which means no violence and no ruining reputations. She reminds him that he said her word was law. Trapped by his own promises, he can only curse.

The darkness of the warehouse makes her nervous. She looks for Alex, who suddenly emerges from the shadows. She introduces herself as Do-hyun’s secretary, and he tells her to double Ki-joon’s offer. But giving her a once over, he leers that he could take Ki-joon’s money if she’ll get friendly with him.



Ri-jin backs away as Alex steps closer. She flails madly, and somehow (lol hooowww?) she ends up with her fingers rammed up Alex’s nose. He bleeds and swears and oh my god, help, I’m dying so hard here.

Outside, Se-gi paces and curses, but Ri-jin’s scream sends him inside. Alex has her backed up with his hand over her mouth when Se-gi flies at him. He pulls out a knife, and Se-gi blocks it with his bare hand. He’s so enraged Alex messed with his woman that he begins to choke him.

He’s deaf to Ri-jin’s entreaties to stop, and she screams, “Cha Do-hyun!” The effect is immediate — Do-hyun returns.



In the car, Ri-jin bandages his hand. While she chatters, he just stares at her. Finding his voice, he asks if she remembers about the name “Cha Do-hyun.” He apologizes taking over her name.

He tells her, smiling, how much he likes the way she calls his name. She asks him not to be sorry towards her. Among her painful memories were also good ones, she says, such as her mom rescuing her, and little Cha-gun who kept his promise to meet her every night. When she was scared and alone, he was there for her: “The reason why my mind wasn’t shattered into pieces was probably because of you, Cha Do-hyun.”

Crying, she apologizes. Because of her, his mind was shattered. She acknowledges how hard he struggled against his other personalities, in order to protect that name. “So I’ll give it you as a gift, the name ‘Cha Do-hyun,'” she tells him. He wells up.



She instructs him to answer confidently, “I’m Cha Do-hyun,” when anyone asks, just like he used to. He wipes her tears, and the background song is perfect: “Although I can’t say ‘I love you’…I love you.”

It’s late by the time Do-hyun drops Ri-jin home. He says goodbye (but why does it still sound so final?) by telling her to be well. But everything he wishes, she turns back on him: He shouldn’t be in pain anymore, or have nightmares, or worry about her.

After she leaves, Do-hyun clutches his ringing head. A moment later…oh lol, it’s Perry Park! Dad (who finally meets the real Perry) runs into him, and is so pleased that he keeps clapping him on the head with excitement, much to Perry’s disgruntlement. Perry perks up at the mention of fishing, and the two ajusshis fall into easy banter.

Dad takes him in for a drink, and they call the (very confused) kids to join them. Dad wants to adopt Perry as his little bro instead of Ri-on’s friend, and Perry immediately calls Dad ‘hyungnim’. Dad is so happy that he orders out the special liquor, which Ri-on objects to since Dad doesn’t even give it to him.

Perry compliments Dad, saying that his daughter grew up well because her dad was so great. She’s strong and has a loyal heart — but, he confides, she really can’t dance. Dad is suspicious that they’re dating, but Perry easily dismisses it, telling hyungnim to perish the thought.

Just as he’s about to drink the hallowed liquor, his consciousness interferes. He struggles to just take one sip, but ultimately fails. He spills the precious drink and knocks out. This is the twins’ cue to rush him away before he exposes himself.



They deposit him on Ri-on’s bed. He asks Ri-jin what’s going on. But she’s as confused as he is, and they leave to discuss it. On the bed, Se-gi twitches and comes around. But I’m thinking that ain’t Se-gi…

Over tea, the siblings try to figure it out. Ri-jin thinks that because Do-hyun has been going through so much lately, the instability of his core made the alters come out. Ri-on offers his writer’s point of view, that it’s his subconscious way of staying around Ri-jin, since he can’t do that when he’s himself. But he also thinks the alters are the right people to regulate him in his shaken condition.

Returning to his room, Ri-on is shocked to find it empty. Ri-jin, on the other hand — ohh it’s Yo-sub! Wearing Ri-on’s glasses, lol.



She’s happy to see him, and the way he calls her noona squeezes my heart. He’s been reading Omega, but he doesn’t like it — it’s too lightweight, “It feels like a gash on my soul.” He confides that he wants to write a beautiful poem, but worries that time isn’t on his side. Her face fills with sorrow.

She asks him why his name is Yo-sub. He tells her about the first time he attempted suicide in high school. It sent shockwaves through his mission school, where he was then baptized and given a Christian name (“Yo-sub” is the Korean version of “Joseph”). He also tells her that he always wished he could be his sister, Yo-na (who, like her namesake Jonah, thirsts to live).

Yo-sub thinks Do-hyun is done with thoughts of suicide now. Since he doesn’t know how much time he has until he disappears, Yo-sub wants to say his goodbyes. He comes over to Ri-jin and crouches until their eyes are level. He leans in and drops a chaste kiss on her cheek.



Ri-on bursts in at the wrongest moment. He bellows at “Perry Park” for hitting on his sister and flings poor Yo-sub to the floor. But when Ri-jin tells him it wasn’t Perry, it’s too late — Yo-sub is out, and…

“Oppa~!” squeals Yo-na. Ri-on covers his ears and tries to pretend her away, which obviously doesn’t work. She tacklehugs him to the floor, intent on showering him with kisses, while Ri-jin laughs at him.

Clad in her favorite bunny pyjamas, Yo-na presides over the twins’ argument about where she’ll sleep. Ri-jin says a man can’t sleep in her room, while Ri-on splutters that he certainly can’t have a girl in his. Yo-na tires of their squabbling and makes an executive decision — Oppa’s room it is! The siblings vehemently object, leaving only one way to resolve their impasse…

Rock, Paper, Scissors: Ri-jin loses.

Yo-na primps in front of Ri-jin’s mirror, which makes Ri-jin suspicious. What’s she getting pretty for in the middle of the night? She suggests they go out for ssambap, which Ri-jin doesn’t even need to shoot down.

Next, Yo-na oh-so-casually says she’s off to the bathroom, but Ri-jin’s got her number — she knows Yo-na is looking for any excuse to be with Oppa. Yo-na’s frustration at being foiled makes her claim the bed, but Ri-jin orders her to the floor. Ohmylols, Yo-na getting schooled is gold.



But this girl isn’t one to give up, and her next excuse for a trip is water, for her raging thirst. Thirst for Oppa’s blood, you mean. Ri-jin decides it’s time to take emergency measures, and uses some cord to tie Yo-na to her. Ri-jin warns her not to dream impossible dreams. Still pining for Ri-on, Yo-na eventually falls asleep.

But she does dream of Oppa, and a jerk of the cord lands Ri-jin on the floor. Still asleep, they inch closer together, and Ri-jin slips into a dream of the first time she and Do-hyun met as children. Laughing and playing, they tumble down beside each other, face to face, just like Ri-jin and Yo-na now.

Do-hyun wakes up, himself again. His eyes widen to see Ri-jin beside him. He tries to make sense of his bound wrist, but the bunny pyjamas answer his question. He settles down again, and watches Ri-jin’s sleeping face.



Her eyes open. “Yo-na?” she asks.

“I’m Cha Do-hyun,” he replies, and I’ve never been so happy to hear that line. She lets out a happy sigh. He tells her how the words he’s said and heard the most in his life are that name, Cha Do-hyun. He feels like the two of them have always been connected through it, even though they parted in their childhood.

He explains that he sent her away because he thought it would be too painful for him to see her in pain while being next to him. Instead he found it was worse when she was away from him. In other words, “Don’t go. Stay with me,” he asks her now. He folds her hand into his.

Suddenly, the lights come on and OMG RI-ON STOP INTERRUPTING THE MOMENT!!

Do-hyun and Ri-jin spring apart, struggling with their bonds while Ri-on looks on with interest. He asks what’s going on. Do-hyun tries, “Oppa?” but forgets his voice. In an adjusted falsetto, he makes an excuse to leave. Ri-on (totally on to him) blocks “her” and asks if she’s going out dressed like that.

It looks like the answer to that is “yes.” Bunny Do-hyun makes for his car and Ri-on wonders how a highschooler is going to handle driving it. Ri-jin cringes on the sidelines while Oppa has his fun.



The moment they’ve seen Do-hyun off, Ri-jin tries to escape, too. But Ri-on holds her back. That was Do-hyun right? He boasts that he knew it wasn’t Yo-na since there’s no way she’d have been able to leave him.

Alone later, Do-hyun and Ri-jin separately think about their moment with quiet elation.

Do-hyun shocks the board the next day by showing up to take charge of the Seungjin shareholder meeting. In his office, Ki-joon fumes at this turn of events. But his mood lifts when he receives a piece of mail from Alex, and finds a locker key inside.



Do-hyun tells Grandma he’ll do his best at the company, but she should temper her expectations. He says it’s not a show of modesty, but a warning. He plans to do everything his own way, and then leave on his own terms. Strangely, Grandma doesn’t look displeased at his fighting words.

Uncle tells Ki-joon that Do-hyun is a fake who took on the identity of the missing child 21 years ago. Ki-joon is floored by the revelation, but Uncle chuckles that with Seungjin, anything is possible. Ki-joon asks the important question: What happened to the real Cha Do-hyun?

Uncle must tell him, because once alone, Ki-joon ponders over Oh Ri-jin, “the real Cha Do-hyun,” and wonders what Alex’s key unlocks.



Do-hyun returns to his office, and is met by Chief Ahn — and Secretary Ri-jin. She greets him brightly and Chief Wingman explains that he took her on because of her proactivity, blah blah (riiight) but leaves it to Do-hyun to decide whether she’s hired or fired. He leaves the lovebirds alone.

Do-hyun walks right past her, and she catches his arm, reminding him he wanted them to stay together. But he didn’t mean resuming her doctor duties on a defunct contract, he points out. Playful Ri-jin urges him to just write a new one — one that omits the “thou shalt not fall in love” clause. Instead, it should say, “Parties A and B, no matter what trial they face, get through it together.”

Grinning, Do-hyun declares the reset with a snap of his fingers. Then he calls “Start!” and holds open his arms to her. Dying of cute. They’re both so happy but Ri-jin, still plays hard to get. She teases him for being desperate, but he just laughs and spins her around, into his arms.

TUESDAY ON REBEL - EPISODE 21 ON JOY PRIME @ 8: AM

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We’re reminded of the legend of the Mighty Child, a being rumored to become a great force in the nation if he survives to adulthood. The king overhears conversations in the village about the Hong Bandit possibly being the Mighty Child and walks away disturbed by their adoration of the bandit over the king.

Back in the palace, Yeonsangun asks his trusted advisor Eunuch Kim about the strange tales he gathered from roaming outside the palace walls. He used to tell the king about strange creatures, including the Mighty Child. Eunuch Kim assures the king that these are simply myths that the village people made up, but the king wonders about the origin of the Mighty Child legend and why the citizens believe the Hong Bandit is this absurd legend. He seems to suspect that this myth is true.



Going along with the agreed upon plan, Gil-hyun nervously presents a captured bandit, who introduces himself to the king as Hong Gil-dong. The king walks down to get a better look at the infamous bandit and comments on his rumored strength. Up close, he feels a sense of familiarity, and Gil-dong confirms this. He reveals his other identities — a merchant, the servant “Footstool,” the Hong Bandit — and also adds that he is one of the king’s subjects. He announces that he has brought something for the king.

To milk the cliffhanger, we briefly check in with Nok-soo waiting nervously with Wolhamae and our two Eorini palace maids. Back at the trial, Gil-hyun brings forth the item that Gil-dong brought for the king. The king suspiciously picks up the book: It’s a copy of the Hengrok.

The ministers looks through the copies of the Hengrok and object the horrible deeds committed under the name of social order. Gil-hyun tries to influence the ministers by claiming that Gil-dong did them a favor by punishing the horrible people of the Hengrok. Plus, they can’t discount the bandit’s service in defeating the barbarians. The elderly minister agrees.

As Gil-dong is dragged to his cell, he sees his captured hyungnims and promises to get them out. Later, Gil-hyun visits Gil-dong at his cell and delivers the good news about the ministers’ outrage over the Hengrok. But even though the ministers are positively viewing the bandits, it’s possible for Gil-dong to be subject to punishment for fooling the king as “Footstool.” Gil-dong knows this but decides to trust the king to do what’s right, and if that means that he’ll be imprisoned, then so be it. But if the king doesn’t deliver justice, then Gil-dong will not consider the king his king.

He trusts the king that Gil-hyun loyally serves. Taking his brother’s hand, Gil-dong tears up as he says that their father would have been proud.



Gil-hyun reports to the king about the ministers’ praise of the bandits’ defeat of the barbarians and adds that these bandits have also loyally contributed to the palace treasury and storehouse. The king glances at Eunuch Kim, whose silence confirms these contributions. Gil-hyun suggests that the king punish Gil-dong by handing him a sword so that he might die in battle.

The king meets with Gil-dong privately and asks why he risked his life to get here. Gil-dong explains that he was a merchant, then a gangster, then a thief. As a lowly gangster, he needed to risk his life in order to meet the king at the highest and brightest position. He tells the king of the injustices the people face — people getting their heels cut off out of pride, getting beaten to death, being forced to abandon crops. Giving the king the benefit of the doubt, he asks if the king could not see these people in their low dark place because of his high and bright place.



The next day, the king scrutinizes the Hengrok text and seems exasperated by the injustices. Gil-hyun reports the king’s actions to Gil-dong, and they seem hopeful that the king is indeed a just and good ruler.

Yeonsangun meets with Scholar Song and scolds him for creating the Hengrok. Scholar Song presumed that the king would be happy with a record of the brave actions to preserve social order, but the king clucks his tongue at Song. He wanted for Scholar Song provide the elite with lessons of social order rather than allow them to release their anger. Wait, the king approves of the social hierarchy and order? We focus back on the authors of the text (the two “mok” characters), and one reveals itself to be a code for Lee Yung, which is Yeonsangun’s birth name.

The king shows benevolence for Scholar Song’s Hengrok, since it inadvertently helped capture the bandit. Scholar Song collects the Hengrok and smiles proudly.

Gil-hyun meets with Scholar Song, who beams with pride about Gil-hyun’s contributions in capturing the enemy. Scholar Song presents Gil-hyun with a well-deserved copy of the Hengrok and encourages him to record his accomplishments. He says that Gil-hyun achieved a great feat for them, for the Sugwidan, and for the king by capturing Gil-dong, and Gil-hyun silently realizes that he’s in the presence of his enemy.



Even though it’s against the king’s wishes, Scholar Song plans to continue the Hengrok, which is his greatest accomplishment. He hopes to leave a record for the future, so that people of later generations will reference the record as a guiding text.

Nok-soo grounds the ink stone next to the king and asks him about the bandit, masking her worry in her light tone. He tells her that he’s going to kill the bandit, since the lowly thief overstepped his social boundaries by showing worry for the nation and its people. Nok-soo nervously agrees with the king and suggests an alternative to killing the bandit, hoping to save Gil-dong’s life. She suggests that the king take his strength and insists that it will be amusing, like watching a pathetic tiger without its claws.

The king confronts Eunuch Kim about the alcohol sales during prohibition that supported the palace treasury and implicitly accuses Eunuch Kim for dealing with the bandit. The king uses this leverage to order Eunuch Kim to punish Gil-dong with his own hands.

Under this order, Eunuch Kim visits Gil-dong with a suspicious soup. He delivers the soup, which Gil-dong readily takes and eats right away. As he eats, Eunuch Kim admits that while the king is his only family, he’s always liked Gil-dong. Gil-dong finds his compliments uncharacteristic, and suddenly, his hand begins to shake. He realizes that he’s been fed something terrible and looks to Eunuch Kim, who cries and apologizes. Gil-dong drops the bowl and falls limp.



The king summons Choongwongoon, who’s accompanied by Mori. While Choongwongoon thanks the king endlessly, the king is more focused on Mori. He’s been told about Mori’s strength and asks him to prove it by breaking stone with his bare hands. Mori slams his hand on the stone, but nothing happens. The king is disappointed and doesn’t care for excuses, but Mori tries again with an echoing yell and crushes the stone. The king looks shocked and pleased.

Limp Gil-dong is dragged into another cell, and the king enjoys a stroll with Nok-soo to view the weakened bandit. He says that she was right about the satisfaction in debilitating the bandit instead of killing him, but Nok-soo pays no attention to the king. She looks at Gil-dong with shock, her eyes filled with tears. Gil-dong sees a blurry version of Nok-soo with his drowsy eyes, and he barely mouths her name upon recognition.



The king and Nok-soo settle into their seats, and Choongwongoon gives Mori a pep talk in preparation for his fight. Gil-dong sits in his cell, and he thinks back to his sweet interaction with Ga-ryung. He had picked a strawberry for her by throwing a rock, and she insisted on sharing it with a kiss. In his haze, Gil-dong weakly calls out for Ga-ryung. Eunuch Kim enters his cell and tells Gil-dong that the king will let him live if he survives the fight, so he must win.

The crowd gathers around a stadium, and Gil-dong is dragged out as bait. Gil-hyun looks shocked and asks the king about the hunting viewing that they were summoned to watch. The king laughs and confirms that they’re watching a human hunting. Oh shit, it’s a gladiator fight.



The first hunter comes out swinging a bat, and Gil-dong comes to his senses just in time to avoid the blows and defeat the heavy hitter. The next round of hunters are more nimble fighters, and though they get in some quick jabs, Gil-dong is able to conjure up enough strength to knock them down. The crowd cheers, but the king looks disappointed and calls upon the final hunter.

Mori enters the stadium, and the two Mighty Children face each other. The king calls for the bandits to enter the stadium, and he asks the Hong clan bandits if their loyalty lies with him, or with Gil-dong. They don’t answer, and the king smirks that their allegiance will be clear by the end of the fight. He announces that if Gil-dong wins the fight, the Hong bandits will be slaughtered, but if Gil-dong loses, the bandits will be saved. The Hong bandits yell at Gil-dong that he must win, and Gil-dong seethes, “I must live. I want to live.”

Then the fight begins, and at first the two seem evenly matched, making the king wonder how Gil-dong is still so vigorous. Somehow, Gil-dong gathers his strength and land a forceful kick on Mori’s chest that sends him flying. Gil-dong gets up and tells Mori that he has no reason to fight him, but Mori responds that this is why he hates Gil-dong. Mori takes out his knife and inflicts a cut on Gil-dong’s arm. That’s when one of the eunuchs assures the king that Gil-dong will soon be defeated, since any wound will significantly weaken the bandit.

Mori throws Gil-dong and approaches him with his knife. He grabs Gil-dong and thrusts his arm, ready to deliver the fatal slice. Around them, the crowd yells for Mori to kill Gil-dong, but he suddenly remembers when Gil-dong saved him after killing Heotaehak. Mori decides to drop his knife and kneels in front of the king.



The king is about to erupt in rage, but Nok-soo holds him back. She assures him that the people have witnessed the king’s power, so he doesn’t need to kill Gil-dong. Gil-hyun also advises the king against killing Gil-dong, so the king announces that Gil-dong’s broken body will be showcased in front of the palace and that Mori will be imprisoned for disobedience.

The Hong bandits are brought back into their cell and sit in solemn silence. Then Deputy Governor Eom begins to laugh and admits that he was worried for his life in case Gil-dong won the fight. He scolds himself for wishing for Gil-dong’s death, slapping himself in the face. The rest of the bandits sit in silence, sharing the regretful sentiment.

Gil-dong is tied up in front of the palace, and the villagers comment on his broken body. They mourn that the Hong Bandit is not a Mighty Child and that such thing as a Mighty Child must not exist. At the stake, Gil-dong thinks about his fate as told by the shaman and laughs as he remembers her warning that he would break from living with menace.

Disturbed by the king’s atrocious actions, the ministers gather to decide their course of action. Though they are not always in agreement, they concur that they must check the king for his unacceptable human hunt and for the meager poor state of the nation. Overhearing this conversation, Gil-hyun looks hopeful.



At the king’s court, the ministers decry the king’s call for a human hunt and add that their meager storages reflect poorly on the king’s rule. They ask him to halt his hunting endeavors and focus his efforts on state affairs. The king responds that he finds nothing wrong in hunting for a thief, and he accuses the ministers for scorning him. He proposes that they subject the scornful minister to royal interrogation, but he’s met with a cold response.

The ministers tell the king that he must benevolently accept their criticism. The elderly minister implores the king to accept the ministers’ advice and wisdom instead of looking to the palace maids, troupes, and outsiders to guide his decisions.

Scholar Song hears about the ministers’ complaints and finds offense in being called an outsider. But he enjoys the fact that the ministers have finally revealed their true faces. He vows to show the ministers the power of an outsider.

Gil-dong remains tied to the stake, barely alive, and the villagers cry at the sight of their suffering hero. The father Kim Deok-hyung tries to bring water to Gil-dong (calling him “Great Elder”), but the guards drag him away for this offense. Rumor of the captured Hong Bandit spreads through the village, and Ga-ryung stops a man to clarify this rumor. He confirms that the Hong Bandit is tied at the stake in front of the palace, and Ga-ryung rushes home to urgently pack her things, mumbling to herself that she must save her husband.

Back at the palace, Wolhamae orders our two Eorini palace maids to check if the Hong Bandit is still alive. The ambitious Eorini asks why Nok-soo is so interested in a thief, and Nok-soo snaps back he order. The girls check on the Hong Bandit outside, and they presume that his unmoving body indicates that he’s dead. But then he lifts his head, confirming that he’s alive. The ambitious Eorini looks carefully at Gil-dong’s face, feeding into our who’s-who mystery.

Scholar Song introduces Madam Jo to the king and explains that she holds the memory of a letter written by the dethroned queen before her death. She recites: “I was once a person that received the king’s energy and became the prince’s mother. But a concubine’s slander incited caprice from the heavens with no one to acknowledge this wrong. With those left in the palace suffering an unnatural death, who will protect the prince? I will stand up to protect the price against the immoral groups who threaten him. The crown prince must take the throne and protect the nation, so I will find those who seek to hurt the prince and throw them in the flames of hell. When the crown prince takes the throne, those who derided the prince and the queen will receive severe punishment. So I call upon you all for help…”



In tears, the king stops Madam Jo and suspects that she must be lying to him, since she is reciting the letter without its physical form. Madam Jo insists that she’s telling the truth — that her late husband supported the dethroned queen and that the queen did write this letter. She claims that the queen ended her letter with her signature as Baek-dol’s mother, Lady Yoon. The king seems to recognize this.

Outside the palace, the ambitious Eorini brings water to Gil-dong. Doe-eyed Eorini asks her friend why she gave him water, and she says that it’s pitiful to die thirsty without a sip of water. They head back to the palace, and Gil-dong slowly lifts his heavy eyelids to watch the two palace maids walk away. They each turn back consecutively to glance at Gil-dong, and his mind flashes back to the moment he lost his sister.

Back at the palace, the king cries in recognition of his mother’s signature. He says that Baek-dol was the fetal name that his mother gave him