Recap: Queen In-hyun's Man Episode 5

I'm feeling proud of myself really, for picking another gem of a drama to recap. So much that I wish I possess better vocabulary to better express my love for it and heap mountains of praises for this drama. It's another adorable and squee-worthy episode, and trust me, I couldn't wipe that silly grin off my face long after watching this.

Episode 5

After the "goodbye" kiss, Hee-jin walks away first, berating herself for lying when she obviously likes him. Jo calls out to her, having found her through the friend finder function of their phone. Boong-do tries to slip away quietly while a stunned Hee-jin tries to distract her. But Jo is nothing if not persistent, boldly approaching Boong-do, introduces herself and offers a handshake. Boong-do remains unresponsive and exchanges nervous glances with Hee-jin. Jo is not discouraged at all, and grabs his hands in a handshake. Boong-do could only smile politely. Then she half pushes and half drags Boong-do to the car, which is by the way HER car, offering to give him a lift to the park, having heard the end bit of their conversation.

Unable to say no, Boong-do reluctantly gets into the car, but Jo ushers him to the front seat instead. Another smart one, this gal. LOL. Hee-jin gets into the car and warns him not say anything. She'll handle it because Jo is very shrewd. As expected, Jo wastes no time in bombarding Boong-do with a series of questions, which is answered by Hee-jin, much to Jo's annoyance. Hee-jin tells her his name is Kim Boong-do, he's heading to the park for a workout and he's a History major post-graduate student who gives her history lessons. Jo switches tact...

J: You've got the looks Hee-jin really digs.

HJ: What are you blabbering about?

J: Please be careful. She might "woo" you using studies as an excuse.

BD: "Woo me"? What do you mean?

J: I'm just telling you to be careful with your lips. She's a little "excitable" (Muahahahah)

Boong-do bursts out laughing while Hee-jin fumes, squirming in embarrassment. Jo chides her for overacting to a joke. LMAO. Jo obviously reads more into the situation than Hee-jin is letting on, but what a bulls-eye. I'm pretty sure I'd want to crawl into a hole somewhere...

When they reach the park, Jo offers her hand in goodbye. A puzzled Boong-do asks if that's the only way to say goodbye here. Jo thinks he meant the goodbye wave and demonstrates that too while Hee-jin squirms uncomfortably in the back. Muahahaha. Boong-do confirms it by Jo again that the normal goodbye gestures are the wave and the handshake. Then he turns to Hee-jin offering his hand in goodbye. Hee-jin shakes his hand lightly and tells him to take care, too embarrassed to meet his eyes. Boong-do smiles. He knows? Right??? LOL.

After Boong-do leaves, Jo turns to Hee-jin, demanding she comes clean with her. Despite whining that Jo embarrassed her, she keeps to her story. Jo is unconvinced but Hee-jin assures her they'd never meet again. Jo reminds Hee-jin to be honest with her since she's her manager. It's her job to manage her scandals.

Back home, Hee-jin googles about Boong-do, disappointed not to find anything on him, him claiming to be a top scholar and all. She thinks he might have been promoted to a more important position after Jang Hui-bin's death. She wonders if he might have been a stalker after all, and worse a stalker she kissed! LOL. She feels conflicted since it's not exactly a recipe for happy ending for her to hook up with either an ancestor or a stalker. LOL. 

Dong-min calls but Hee-jin tells Jo to inform him she's asleep. Jo explains that Hee-jin left for home after learning the stalker has escaped. Dong-min asks if Hee-jin showed up in the library because her pictures have been uploaded. Jo quickly explains Hee-jin did stop by to look for some information. Dong-min blames his assistant for the stalker's escape, claiming he was too engrossed with flirting. Assistant thinks the whole incident weird but the narcissistic Dong-min is more concerned about the lost opportunity to bolster his image. 

Hee-jin is amazed the pictures were uploaded so quickly. Jo is more concerned if there are more incriminating photos ....which reminds Hee-jin of a certain kiss.(Now you worry? LOL) Hee-jin asks tentatively if there are CCTVs in the lifts....which makes Jo wary. Hee-jin admits she was only mindful of the cameras and had forgotten about the CCTVs. Jo freaks out....LOL.

They return to the library with Jo still fuming to learn that Hee-jin kissed a stranger in the lift. Hee-jin insists it was an accident and tries to justify herself by comparing her situation to action movies where the leads do whatever they want even with a ticking bomb right beside them. Jo shouts back at her - pointing out the obvious - that's a bloody movie! LOL. Girl you seriously need a reality check!

The resourceful Jo convinces the security staff to allow them to check the footage because her friend has something stolen from her by her boyfriend, which makes it awkward if they were to report to the police without any concrete evidence. Fortunately, the lift cameras broke down and there were no footage, to the relief of both girls. While Jo engages the guard in small talk, Hee-jin is surprised to spot a lurking Boong-do in the library from the CCTV and slips away quietly.

Hee-jin calls out to Boong-do who's browsing through some book, telling him to hide, away from the cameras. He looks at her uncomprehendingly, so she leads him to a more secluded area and explains about the camera. Fortunately, she discovered him first or else he'd be jailed. Boong-do thought he was being clever, but of course he knew nothing about technology. (Don't be too hard on yourself, I still think you're smart, given the circumstances)

BD: I purposely chose this hour so as not to bring you any trouble...

HJ: Then why does it have to be me, who discover you, right here, at this hour?

BD: Our meeting is not a coincidence, but inevitable. Perhaps there is a reason for us meeting.

HJ: Don't say that with such a serious expression. You sound like a player...

Boong-do again asks what is a player. Hee-jin changes the subject, asking why he's here. Now that the pressing matters are settled, he's curious about his life. Hee-jin teases him about coveting some important position, but admits she found nothing on him. They speak teasingly and comfortably with each other, but the moment is interrupted by Jo's phone call. She feigns stomachache but knows it's time to leave. Boong-do agrees that she leaves since Jo's pretty suspicious. Hee-jin thinks it's because she's famous and Jo worries about unwanted male attention (namely him). Boong-do corrects her, since Jo seems more suspicious of HER, to the extent that she warned him of Hee-jin's excitable behaviour. LOL.Hee-jin fumbles for words - insisting that her goodbye gesture was the MOST polite and proper. LOL. (If you say so...) Boong-do smiles, but says he believes her - who else would he trust? She taught him everything from scratch.

Jo finds her way to the library, calling out for her and Hee-jin knows she has to leave, and reluctantly does so. But wait, Boong-do pulls her back, confirms that they are in a blind spot, lowers his head and kisses her. Kyah.............

BD: You told me to observe a nobleman's manner. I'm doing it this time. Where I come from, this is  

only done between lovers. How strange that it is regarded as a normal goodbye gesture here. But I 

believe whatever you say! (Pffffffffft!)

Hee-jin doesn't know whether to be mad or pleased. I bet she's mad he doesn't get it though...muahaha. 

HJ: You asked me what a player is...THAT is what a player does. You are most definitely a player.

Hee-jin meets up with Jo and leads her away. She glances back one last time at the hidden Boong-do who smiles back at her.

Boong-do continues his reading. He learns that there is to be a meeting to discuss his position today. He flips eagerly to the next page and is stunned to learn that he is to be arrested for treason on account of the dead body found in the library half a month ago. Flashbacks remind us how Eunuch Hong had planned to pin the blame on him and he wonders if the palace guards betrayed him. He reads on and finds that he will be stripped from his position and banished to Tamra (Jeju Island). Anxious now, he flips the pages until he reads an entry that records that he will die the day after he reaches Jeju from sudden illness.

Just like the turn of a page, the next scene shows Boong-do back in Joseon, drinking with his servant. He mulls over his fate, wondering if he will truly die. So he can die even with the amulet? What happens if he does live on? Question after question swirling in his head. Then he decides on his next move. If he is to be charged with treason, Han-dong and Yoon-wol's safety will be compromised. He orders Han-dong to take Yoon-wol away from Hanyang. In the morning, he shows up before the monk at the temple, seeking answers to his questions.

Meanwhile, Hee-jin and Dong-min films an emotional scene for their drama. It was a good take but Dong-min catches sight of a smirking Na-jung and pulls Hee-jin close just to infuriate her. The staffs hollers for a bed scene and Dong-min is more than willing to comply. LOL. Hee-jin struggles away, but Dong-min continues to tease her, using their drama characters, in an exaggerated way. Darn cute.

Hee-jin is disappointed Boong-do never reappeared again. It's been half a month already and she wonders if she should've given him her phone number, then chides herself for being silly since he'd have no idea how to make a call. Scriptwriter Kim shows up and praises her performance. Hee-jin takes the opportunity to ask about Boong-do. Kim immediately googles the annals for him. And thus Hee-jin learns what we've already known - Boong-do arrested for treason and banished to Jeju island where he eventually died of illness. He died at the age of 27 in March. Flashbacks of Boong-do pointing to an entry with his name and date in the annals, and after some calculation, Hee-jin is shocked that Boong-do is to die the very next day!

Cut to a banished Boong-do in Jeju. A maid, Yeo-jin delivers his food and insists that he finishes it so that she can clear up the dishes. Boong-do eyes the rice contemplatively, is it poisoned? 

Min-am is being updated on Boong-do's situation. His henchmen promises that Boong-do will be dealt with within these two days. But Min is uneasy, he's suspicious of the fact that Boong-do never did blow the whistle on them. Could it be that Boong-do purposely manufactured his banishment to Jeju, which is far enough that news would only arrive two weeks later, plotting for something?

Morning. Boong-do quietly heads to the yard, where he finds a dead rat, along with remnants of the rice. Poison it is. Yeo-jin shows up again but is shocked to find him well and alive. Boong-do makes no secret of the fact that he knows she'd poisoned his food. Rattled, Yeo-jin rushes to inform two assassins who decide that more direct measures are needed.

Night. The guards are drunk. Boong-do gazes at the amulet, remembering his conversation with the monk - where he wonders what will happen if he "dies". Will he undergo rebirth? Or reincarnated? Monk asks curiously how he knew he is dying. Boong-do thought he was just lucky, but now wonders if there was a special reason he was given the amulet. Was it so he could die with no regrets, knowing his greatest wishes will be fulfilled? Or was it so he would discover a whole new world, and find a way to survive? His meeting with the girl from the other world - was it a coincidence or was it inevitable? 

The assassin releases an arrow at him, which grazes the side of his head. He stuffs the amulet into his clothes, and dodges the next arrow. Grabbing a book as weapon (how cool is that, a scholar's weapon is a book!), he manages to fend off their attacks. By the way, for a sageuk drama, the fighting scenes are pretty cool (this coming from a martial arts movie/drama buff).

In modern Seoul, a distraught Hee-jin is in a cafe with Jo, waiting for the first broadcast of their drama. Hee-jin is initially reluctant to confide in Jo, certain that she'd think her crazy and have her admitted. After much cajoling, Hee-jin finally admits she's feeling sad because someone she knew died...due to treason 300 years ago. She starts to cry while a speechless and confused Jo looks on helplessly. Hee-jin's handphone rings, an unknown number with 064 as a prefix, which they both ignored. Hee-jin is inconsolable, crying that he hasn't called since he died 3 days ago. LOL. Jo is understandably stumped by her nonsensical words. Hee-jin gripes that she really has no luck with men - they are either playboys or dead. 

The phone rings again, the waitress helpfully informs that 064 is the prefix of Jeju. Hee-jin belatedly grabs the phone and answers...

BD: How are you doing?

HJ: You're alive....You didn't die.

BD: How did you know I died? (you know, this conversation is kind of morbid LOL)

HJ: How could I not know? It's written in the books. Didn't you die 3 days ago?

BD: Ah... I escaped. I didn't want to die just like that. Aren't I clever? I learn how to make a call all by myself. It's so difficult, I spent 3 days to figure it out!

Hee-jin is overwhelmed with relief and happiness, while Boong-do smiles at the other end of the line. Oh and he cut his hair!!!!! 

Thoughts:

I think I overdid it by translating much of the conversations, but they are so cute and funny I couldn't help it. How cool it is that we have two kisses in two episodes, though I would have thought that given Boong-do 's intellect, he would have figured it out by now. LOL. But hey, it's sweet of him to trust her too. And I look forward to more goodbyes.  :p Love all the side characters so far, Jo being one of my favourite, for being so shrewd and supportive. In fact, I bet she'd be the first one to learn about his identity later on. 

This episode introduces an interesting question regarding the time-travelling element, can Boong-do truly escape death? Is he dead for real in Joseon, or has he escaped again? Will he be able to return to his era if he's supposed to be dead. Anyhow, it looks like he'd be staying a little longer in Seoul this time around judging from his haircut. LOL. But me hoping to see the Joseon part of the story too...I actually love hopping from one era to another.