Recap: The Princess' Man Episode 14

One word. Intense.

Episode 14

This episode begins by showing how SY slips into GP Suyang’s house by masquerading as a servant.
He avoids the watchful eyes of Chilgap and Jung Geun but almost runs into Jeong. Jeong catches a glimpse of SY and starts for a moment before chiding himself for imagining things.

Outside, the groom has arrived and everyone is anxiously waiting for the bride to appear, each with their own agenda. Simultaneously, SY who has been hiding in SR room gags SR with a rope and bundles her in a sack. (I’m going to make my own conclusion that she is knocked out and bound because she appears motionless in the sack).

SY carries the sack over his shoulder and makes his getaway which is almost foiled by an inquisitive servant who starts asking him questions. SY takes him down and leaves quickly.

GPSuyang starts to get edgy when SR still did not appear and nods to Lady Yoon to check things out. Lady Yoon arrives outside SR’s room to find Yeori calling out to SR from outside the door but with no response. Losing patience over what she thought was SR being stubborn, she slides open the door and is shocked to find SR missing. 

Lady Yoon and Yeori make their way back to the ceremony but bump into GPSuyang, Myeon and the rest of the family who also came to check things out. GPSuyang initially assumes that SR is unwilling to come out from her room. Yeori shows him SR’s shoes which was still in the room.

 Just as everyone is getting puzzled over the whereabouts of SR, the servant who was attacked by SY appears to report seeing a suspicious person carrying a suspicious looking bundle. Myeon quickly deduces that SR has been kidnapped. GPSuyang is furious that someone dares kidnap his daughter. Prince GeumSung observes from afar.

Myeon is livid. He briefly explains the situation and orders Jabun to round up their men to find SR and the perpetrator. He is convinced that they have not gone far. We catch a glimpse of SY galloping through the town on a horse.

The crowd starts to get restless about the delay and missing groom. Han whispers something to Prince On-Nyung and Kwon Ram. Prince GeumSung and Jeong watches uneasily. Everyone exchange wary glances. Prince GeumSung picks up on the unusual vibe and aborted his plan. He orders his men to leave the premises and go into hiding. Han discreetly signals Chilgap and Junggeun to follow them but the Prince’s men manage to escape. Jeong is surprised to learn that the bride is missing.

GPSuyang explains to the guests in a light-hearted manner that due to his indulgence, his mischievous daughter has gone missing. The wedding will be postponed several days as they try to locate her. GPSuyang looks at Prince GeumSung and Jeong meaningfully. (It seems GP suspects them to be behind SR’s abduction).

Myeon and Jabun find a witness who saw SY riding with a huge sack towards the MaBu dock (where the Gisaeng House is). SY rides ….back to the Gisaeng House! He sneaks into a storage room and releases a drowsy SR from the sack but ties her to a pole. SR rouses momentarily and sees a blurry SY before falling back into unconsciousness. SY leaves her locked in the room.

In the Gisaeng House, we are treated to a rare moment of comic relief when Nohgul was playfully spanked by Mooyoung for eating with his hand. He is indignant but sure do not seem to dislike the intimate act. Next he incurs the wrath of Madam ChuHee and Jo when he suggested that they were intimate with each other, earning himself two more smacks. Ouch! Sooyoung appears, complaining that SY is missing from his room.

Just then, SY shows up requesting for paper and brush. It’s a queer thing to ask for in a Gisaeng House but Sooyoung is so impressed that SY is an learned man that she promises to find him some.

Alone in his room, SY drafts a letter addressed to GPSuyang. Will this be a ransom letter?

GPSuyang and his cronies meet up and speculate on the culprit behind SR’s abduction. Han rules out Prince GeumSung’s men but they are stumped by the lack of possible suspects. Across town, Jeong and Prince GeumSung update Princess KH on the situation. They too are baffled by this turn of events. Jeong’s mind flashes back to the moment he saw SY. He shares this information with KH and Prince GS but KH dismisses it as a figment of his imagination.

In a stroke of genius, Han cautiously suggests that although Prince GS did not kidnap SR personally, he is surely the mastermind behind the abduction. GPSuyang mulls this over and gives the order to arrest Prince GS. It seems that they are trying to blame the abduction on Prince GS regardless of the truth to rid themselves from the threat he poses.

Princess KH and Jeong inform the King that GPSuyang has ordered the arrest of Prince GS. The King is enraged that GP Suyang has once again acted behind his back. Princess KH and Jeong decide to come clean about their planned coup. The King is disappointed he is not let into their confidence but resolves to protect Prince GS no matter what.

In the Gisaeng House, SJ’s mind flashes back to the time he was hiding in SR’s room where he overheard her “shadow” declaration (refer episode 13). He appears a little perturbed. Mooyoung orders Nohgul to throw away some heavy unwanted stuff to the storage room. Alarmed, SY wordlessly takes over the errand much to the amazement of Mooyoung and Nohgul. Jo who was watching the scene in the background frowns instead.

Inside the storage room, SR has already regained consciousness and successfully freed herself from the ropes. She grabs a wooden stake as weapon and pretends to be unconscious when she hears footsteps.

SJ enters the room but turns around the leave when he sees the “unconscious” SR. SR tries to attack him but is easily pegged back by SY, helped perhaps by the fact that SR is too shocked to see him to offer any resistance. SY proceeds to re-tie her again.

SR: Teacher, is that really you? Are you truly alive? I thought you were dead.  Why didn’t you tell me you’re alive??

SY: The Kim SeungYoo you knew do not exist anymore. The daughter of my father’s murderer…the fiancée of the friend who betrayed me…How compatible…Didn’t you ask me to stay alive to kill you?

SR: Teacher…

SY: Didn’t you say you are going to wait for me to come kill you? Were you just saying that? It’s the day you’ve been waiting for! Wait for me, I will definitely kill you!

SR calls him again but SY strangles her with one hand and warns her to keep quiet or he will kill her. He gags her again and pushes her to the floor roughly. SY leaves but is unaware that Jo is spying on him.

Myeon and his men arrive at the Gisaeng House. Myeon tells Madam ChuHee they are looking for a suspicious man. NohGul is nervous but Jo reassures him. They start to search the place.

SY is upstairs and hides himself from view using a hidden escape route. He manages to sneak out but slips into the shadows when he spies Myeon patrolling outside. Meanwhile, SR who is peeking from the storage room through a slit in the wall also sees Myeon. She does not seem too eager to seek help from her husband-to-be though. In fact she actually backs away from the door further into the room.

Myeon is just about to unlock the door when NohGul, surprise surprise, diverted attention by running suspiciously from the guards. Myeon joins the chase. SY slips into the room, grabs SR’s wrist and leads her out. And there you have it, the world’s most cooperative captive. LOL. Only they stopped in their tracks when who else but the shrewd Jo shows himself.

SR is placed in a proper bedroom while SY and Jo have their guy talk. Jo correctly guessed SR’s identity (helped by the talkative guards earlier) and rebukes him for acting so rashly. He condemns him for using a defenseless woman as leverage in his quest for revenge and remarks that his father would have been ashamed of his actions. This mention of his father hits a raw nerve and SY lashes out like a wounded animal. Unfazed, Jo tells him to leave the place to avoid causing trouble to the others. SY leaves just as Nohgul returns from his narrow “escape”. Nohgul grumbles about being sent on such a dangerous errand.

SY shoves some commoner clothing to SR, loosens the ropes and orders her to change. His menacing demeanor does nothing to SR who at this moment is staring at him with a mixture of disbelief and happiness.

The unresponsive SR further irritates SY who rips her cloak open. Wowee…A small pouch drops to the ground. SY picks it up and is surprised to find the broken remnants of the rings inside. SR picks up the remnants of the ring from the floor. For a moment our hero looks confused. But he switches back into cruel SJ mode and orders her to stop picking them up and to change immediately. When SR continues to ignore him, he grabs her wrist but this causes the remnants to scatter again. SR finally finds her voice.

SR: Let go of me. Even though it is broken into pieces, to me, it represents a whole heart.

SR: Have you always been here? Have you been following me all these time? Not a day goes by when I didn’t think of you. All these while, you have been   following me….thank you so much…thank you so much for being alive.

Sigh. Our hero continues to be stubborn and once again pushes her away and orders her to change. SR starts to change…but…but SY turns and walks off. Omo…does he care enough to offer her privacy?

SY leads SR to a horse. SR sees Myeon in the distance and drags him back for cover. Myeon and his men leaves after their search ends up fruitless. SY is surprised by SR’s action but chooses to be an idiot and shrugs off her arms.

They ride for a distance on the horse before SY abandons the horse and they continue on foot. He ties her wrists together and this makes it more difficult for her to walk on the hilly path. Cruel SJ continues to ignore her even when she slips on a stone and falls. Boo! SR struggles to get up. Cruel SJ finally helps her up and removes the ropes on her wrists. (She won’t leave even if you make her, duh!)

They settle for the night in an abandoned (?) hut. SR is holding her shoulder which she injured during the fall. She catches SY looking at her.

SR: It doesn't hurt. You don't have to look at me this
way (she thinks he's worried)

SY: You sure do like to misunderstand…

SR: When do you want to kill me?

SY: I was the bait in my father’s murder. You will also become the bait to your father’s death.

SR cries softly but that only serves to get SY more annoyed.

SY: Why? Even though your father is such a cruel man….you still do not want him to die? Even though your father is such a cruel man….you still love him? Don’t look at me like that! Pretending to be innocent…pretending to hurt…pretending at everything! DON’T LOOK AT ME THAT WAY!!!

SY is so incensed he grabs her and shouts at her.

SY: Do you want me to scratch your eyes out before you understand me?!!! What do I do? What must I do to make you understand?!! You are the same as your father. I will put a knife through his heart and kill him. Then I will kill you without mercy too…do you understand?!!

SR only looks at him, hurting so badly for him that she couldn't help herself and hugs him.

SR: How much hurt you must have endured…I can’t even imagine how you survive from all that pain. If taking my life will lessen your pain, then I’m willing to die a thousand million times.

SJ pushes her away and raises his sword to her neck. He sees the scar on her neck and was reminded of Myeon’s words. He gets real confused and sits outside the door. SR caresses his silhouette on the door. SY sees her silhouette and walks away. (Oh god…stop denying yourself!!!!)

GPSuyang is fuming when Myeon reports that they have not found SR. Just then, SY delivers the letter via an arrow.

The letter reads:

“Su yang, your daughter is in my hands. Tomorrow at noon, come alone. If you bring help, your daughter will die.

Han and the rest advise GP Suyang not to go. Myeon is more concern about SR’s safety. GP Suyang declares he has made his decision.

SY returns to the hut to sleep. He says nothing to SR. Morning comes, SY wakes up to find SR missing. He runs out only to find SR walking to him with some water. He slaps away her offering and ties her up AGAIN! SR asks him to kill her only. She argues that even though her father is guilty but at the very least he honored his promise to spare SY by exiling him. SY reveals her father’s part in ordering the deaths of everyone on that ship. SR is speechless to learn this.

GP Suyang gets dressed. He wears armor underneath. Song offers to go along but Suyang tells him to stay. Song implores his father to bring SR back safely. Myeon and Jabun are waiting for his orders with a group of soldiers. GP orders them not to kill the perpetrator as he wants him alive. Myeon grudgingly agrees even though he feels that this will endanger SR.

Myeon stakes out near the meeting place which is by the waterfall. He disregards GP Suyang’s order and instructs his men to shoot to kill if there is danger.  

SY leads SR to the meeting place when it is time. SR is worried that he would be killed. SY replies that it matters not he lives or die as long as he’s able to exact revenge on her father. SR begs him to consider staying alive. He insists that he shall die with no regrets if he’s able to avenge his family. SR tells him that his sister-in-law and niece are alive and offers to bring him to them. He is surprised but doesn’t believe her. SR tries to convince him she’s telling the truth and advises him to run away with his surviving family. SY gets angry and gags her.

They reach the meeting place. SY is masked and the sight of a forlorn-looking SR almost pushes Myeon over the edge. JaBun cautions him against acting rashly.

SY looks to the sky (to check if it’s noon) and directs his arrow at SR. Myeon gets anxious and directs his arrow to SY. SY tells SR that if her father doesn’t show, he will kill her instead. SR looks around and closes her eyes in acceptance.

Just as SY is getting ready to shoot, GP Suyang announces his arrival and demands that SY release his daughter. SY directs his arrow towards GP Suyang instead. Suyang taunts SY to shoot him. After a moment of hesitation, SY shoots at Suyang. The arrow hits Suyang’s abdomen and he holds onto it with a pained expression. However the expression on Suyang’s face gradually changes to haughty satisfaction, much to the confusion of SY.

SR finally notices Myeon’s arrow targeting SY. She runs towards SY at the moment Myeon releases his arrow. The arrow hits her in the back and she falls into SY’s arms. Myeon and Suyang are shocked. But I guess no one is more shocked than our stubborn, distrustful hero. If THIS doesn’t wake him, I honestly do not know what will……

# I know SY has good reasons to distrust SR….but it’s so hard to watch him struggle between hating and loving her that I wish he’d let his guard down a little, just for her. Darn, this is gonna be a long week…Can’t. Wait.