Recap: Queen In-hyun's Man Episode 9

This is such a depressing episode, but I take solace from the fact that their bond is so great that even a memory loss would not prevent them from finding each other again eventually.

Episode 9

We rewind a little to the moment Boong-do warps back to Joseon – this time from Hee-jin’s perspective. Hee-jin is still basking in the glow of love, giddily reliving moments from the night before (like we all did for the entire week!) while driving her brand new Audi. Suddenly, she’s trying to clear her head as though overcome by some strange sensations, which correlate with Boong-do’s close brushes with death and culminating in the cutting of the amulet.  Distracted, she almost crashes into the car in front but swerves and crashes into a tree instead, losing consciousness in the process…

Hee-jin wakes up in the hospital and learns that she has sustained minor concussion and abrasions from the accident but is clear to be discharged from the hospital after a few days of observation. Hee-jin is more worried about causing a delay in the shooting and calls up Jo who is handling the paperwork for her hospitalization.

Jo is understandably relieved that she’s finally awake but Hee-jin is more worried about the car. The car will be in the workshop for about a week but with no major damage. Hee-jin is mighty relieved to hear that, feeling sorry to the person who gifted the car for damaging it on her first ride. Jo looks baffled for a moment.

Hee-jin only remembers feeling woozy and overcome by waves of darkness before blacking out but Jo is more convinced she was sleepy due to the late night shootings. 

Anyway, Jo wants her to take the opportunity to conduct a full body check up but Hee-jin is reluctant to do so since she’d already been in trouble enough – with her second hospitalization and all – what would people think of her? But Jo seems puzzled by her statement - when was she ever hospitalized? (Oh??)

Jo tries to convince her it’s ok to rest; she’d take it to the director to reschedule the shooting so that they don’t have to pull that many all-nighters to accommodate Na-jung. Hee-jin reminds her of the troubles she’s caused – the press conference, the airplane scandal – and worries she’d be dropped if she takes another leave of absence. But Jo is more puzzled than ever, it’s becoming clear that she has no inkling of the events that Hee-jin just mentioned. Before they could sort out the confusion, Jo has to hang up to handle the registration.

A moment later, Chun-soo (tq for the info!) shows up with Dong-min in a tow. Dong-min worriedly wraps a baffled Hee-jin in a hug, lightly berating her for making him worry so. Hee-jin angrily frees herself and slaps him. Ooops. Dong-min looks like a little lost puppy (aww…) while Hee-jin warns him off – he’s going to create misunderstandings if he keeps this up, she’s already got a boyfriend! He should just be cool about this, the all mighty Han Dong-min.

Dong-min hilariously steals a look at Chun-soo who shrugs back in equal puzzlement. Dong-min asks tentatively about her “boyfriend”, thrown in further confusion when Hee-jin insists he’d even met the “boyfriend”. Dong-min makes subtle gestures indicating there’s something wrong with Hee-jin to Chun-soo. Chun-soo excuses himself while Dong-min tries to calm her down by playing along.

Chun-soo hurriedly approaches the nurse to ask for her attending physician – insisting that Hee-jin sustained more than a minor concussion! In the room, Hee-jin is refusing Dong-min’s help, adamant that he does not touch her. Dong-min complies, and inquires about her condition tentatively, wary of ticking her off. She’s fine, just uncomfortable with his presence especially since their scandal has just died down, she’s worried it’ll affect their drama ratings. Scandal? Why the infamous love triangle of course! She’s not making any sense to Dong-min who then asks carefully for her boyfriend’s name and occupation, pretending to have forgotten. She tells him her boyfriend is a University student named Kim Boong-do, but the name doesn’t ring any bell at all!

The attending physician finally shows up and Dong-min drags him out for consultation. Alone, Hee-jin senses something is off. She reaches for her handphone, wanting to call Jo but is surprised to find multiple phone records to/from someone nicknamed “my man” complete with love symbols. She calls the number, alarmed to find that it’s Dong-min and thinks it’s his doing.

But a memory comes to her – of her and Dong-min on the shooting set. How he’d changed the name on her phone to “my man”. How bashful she’d been then –claiming it was childish of him. Him warning her playfully not to change it. How happy she’d been with him – just like a couple!

Outside, the doctor reassures Dong-min and Chun-so that there was nothing wrong with her physically and whatever she has now is probably transitional. But if the symptoms persist, he’d consider referring her to a psychiatrist. Hee-jin paces the room in confusion. When Dong-min approaches her in concern, she reacts strongly by distancing herself and warns him not to touch her.  She tries to leave the room but finds Chun-soo and the doctor in her way. Left with nowhere to go, she locks herself in the bathroom, slowly freaking out.

Dong-min, Chun-soo and the doctor knocks on the door in concern but she pleads desperately for them to leave her alone – she needs time to sort out her confused mind. The doctor leaves to get someone to unlock the door, while Dong-min waits in worry.

Hee-jin looks at her phone records in disbelief, unable to trust her eyes. Before she could dismiss the records, another foreign memory floats to her mind. A memory of her conversation with Jo regarding the frequency of her calls to Dong-min, despite the fact that they meet frequently on the set.

But that’s not all, she finds photos and news of herself and Dong-min on the net, and yet another memory comes to mind. This time, Dong-min was holding her hands and announcing to a large crowd that she’s his girlfriend. Tears fall down her cheeks as she tries to process all this – why does she have these memories if she does not recall ever doing them?

Jo is here and calling out to her. Hee-jin searches for Boong-do on the net but finds nothing. Upset and distraught, she starts crying in earnest (sob sob she’s breaking my heart T.T). She finally acknowledges Jo’s presence but asks that the others leave. Jo assures Dong-min she’ll talk to Hee-jin but Dong-min is pretty disappointed and frustrated to lose out to an imaginary boyfriend. Even Jo has no idea who Kim Boong-do is – it’s the first time she’s heard the name.

The door finally unlocked, Jo lets herself in to find a teary-eyed Hee-jin. Hee-jin is feeling all messed up and asks Jo if she’s really dating Han Dong-min? Is he really her boyfriend? The photos of them dating on the net – are they real? When Jo confirms her questions one after another, Hee-jin falls into greater despair, asking desolately if Jo also does not know of Kim Boong-do. Jo has no idea who that is so Hee-jin explains how they’d met in Jeju previously, and also in the library, how Jo had disapproved of him initially but warmed up to him later, how Jo had spent the day with him just yesterday, teaching him how to drive and bought a car with him.

But to Jo’s knowledge, the car was bought with Hee-jin’s earnings from a CF. They bought the car together. Does she not remember? Frustratingly, Hee-jin does remember which makes everything all the more improbable. Yet, she also has memory of Boong-do presenting the key to her. What of that? (I translated the following because I cried so much watching this part…)

HJ: You really do not know Kim Boong-do? How is that possible?! I wasn’t the only one who had seen him. You have seen him. Han Dong-min has seen him. Everyone on the plane has seen him. There were reports of him being my boyfriend. The whole nation knows that he’s my boyfriend. But not one person remembers him. Nothing on the internet. There were so many photographs of us together, but there’s none now.

J: Are you sure it wasn’t a dream? You must have gotten confused by the dreams you had when you were sleeping…

HJ: Impossible. What dreams would feel so real? I can recall every conversation clearly, not just a day or two but a whole month. Every moment of a month plus time we spent together, I can remember them all.

Jo tries to convince her it’s just a long dream, relieved that Hee-jin does not have amnesia or anything. She informs her that Dong-min is feeling pretty down at the moment because of her. Hee-jin tries to come to terms with the possibility that it could’ve been just a dream… (No!!!!)

Joseon. Prison. Ja-soo manages to slip into the prison after bribing the guards and updates Min-am on what he’s learned so far. It was true that Boong-do had already disappeared from Jeju on the day that Min-am saw him. The guards were still hunting for him then but three days later he reappeared suddenly, which only proves that he’d definitely left Jeju. But it’s still impossible for him to reach Hanyang from Jeju in 3days – how did he do it?

Ja-soo brings more news – Kim Boong-do has lost his memories, and it’s no ploy. On the day Boong-do left the island, Ja-soo had overheard Boong-do’s conversation with Han-dong. Han-dong was telling Boong-do how he could vanish at willl everytime an arrow was aimed at him, not that Boong-do believes him. Frustrated, Han-dong maintains he’s telling the truth, thinking the amulet Boong-do always holds in his hands may have played a part. Boong-do does remember Yoon-wol’s amulet, but it’s missing now. Han-dong also has no idea where it is, because it wasn’t among Boong-do’s belongings when he packed earlier.

Ja-soo removes the cut amulet from his pocket and we flash back to the scene at the end of last episode when he was reciting the characters on the amulet. Thankfully nothing happened then. But his sidekick confirms that Boong-do had in his possession that very amulet on the day he reappeared. They have all the vital clues now, but no way of confirming it. Boong-do has been summoned back by the King and with all the guards, it is impossible to make an approach. Min-am worries because the King might sentence him to death soon, but Ja-soo reassures him that Boong-do will reach Hanyang soon.

Modern day. Dong-min calls Jo and we learn that Hee-jin has been attending psychiatric sessions – it’s her last today. Dong-min is sulking because Hee-jin is still finding it that hard to accept that they are dating. Jo tries to placate him, explaining she’s much better now, only occasionally still a little confused.

Dong-min hangs up but continues to vent his frustrations to Chun-soo. Why is he being shoved aside for a man in her dreams? Unlike all Dong-min’s previous experiences with women, for the first time Chun-soo offers his sympathy and support. Hah. It pisses Dong-min more because he couldn’t exactly be mad at her because it’s supposed to be some post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He doesn’t even know how the fella looks – it’s not like he could enter Hee-jin’s dreams to take a good look. He has to be flesh and blood for him to teach him a lesson! Lol.

At the hospital, Hee-jin learns to organize her memory so that she could separate the dreams from reality. Instead of meeting Boong-do on the press conference day, we learn that the press conference went on as planned, and Dong-min had promoted her relentlessly during the interview. At the shooting location, Dong-min pestered her every day, asking for reconciliation. Once, he even knelt before her, begging forgiveness and asking for another chance, likening her to her self-sacrificing Queen In-hyun character. He adorably hugs her legs, holding on stubbornly and declares she’s his. In the end, she forgives him unwittingly.

As the drama gains popularity, she receives her first CF offer and uses the money to buy a new car. It’s not a gift from Kim Boong-do. Han Dong-min has been treating her well, ten times better than he did previously. And that’s the reality. She couldn’t remember all that previously but the memories has been coming back to her, even if they do feel a little foreign.

Hee-jin wonders why her “dreams” feel clearer than reality. All the memories of her “dreams” – all the things he said to her, even her feelings – she could remember them all in details. The doctor assures her that it is because she is too immersed in her character, it’s common among actors. Hee-jin finds that a little absurd – does it mean that she’s one hell of an actress? The doctor is more than satisfied with her progress, since she could clearly differentiate her dreams from reality. Doctor-nim advises her to take some rest and meet other people to take her mind off her character and she’d be fine.

Something still bothers her, so Hee-jin returns to the doctor and admits she has a date with the guy in her dream at 2pm at the park, anxiously stressing that it’s in her dreams. She wonders if it’s ok for her to wait there – does that mean she’d need additional therapy sessions? Surprisingly, the doctor encourages her to go ahead, believing it beneficial that she confirms by herself of the reality. That deflates Hee-jin a little since it’s obvious that the doctor thinks her dream-guy would be a no-show and she decides she won’t go after all.

In Joseon, Boong-do and his entourage reaches Hanyang. Han-dong reminds his master not to reveal that he’s cut his hair, wary of the consequent rumours. (Omo…my first deduction was right after all!). Boong-do is amused that Han-dong minds and cares about maintaining a reputation more than he does while Han-dong is annoyed by Boong-do’s lack of concern – him being not only a nobleman but a scholar at that.

Boong-do smilingly inspects his room, until his eyes fall on the empty sword-holder. A servant comes asking if he’d like to eat first or wash first. Boong-do plans to wash up and report to the palace immediately. As the servant turns to leave, he inquires about the missing sword – his father’s sword. Servant explains that he’d kept the sword in a box and locked it away in the cupboard because it disappeared once. Being the elder master’s relic, they’d panicked when they found it missing one day. But the sword reappeared days later in the same place. He has no idea who took it and then returned it but decides to lock it away as precaution

Hee-jin drives alone but remembers snippets of her conversation with Boong-do…the one with him teaching her the saying –“Man proposes, God disposes”. It’s the first time she’s heard it and she wonders why the people in her dreams are more knowledgeable than she is! LOL. She replays the conversation in the car again in her mind and decides to hell with it. She heads to the park and waits for Boong-do…

Joseon. Raining. Yoon-wol brings Boong-do his change of clothes. Boong-do teases that she looks much different from the famous Gisaeng she’s known for. Since Boong-do instructed her to wait here, she felt it was more prudent that she’s dressed as such, and in fact more comfortable. Boong-do tells her to make a choice – if she prefers to be a Gisaeng she need not stay, but if she’s tired of that life, she is welcome to stay here. But not as a maid, since she’s a well-known Gisaeng.

Yoon-wol asks if he meant to make her his concubine. He admits that is one option but Yoon-wol refuses. Boong-do reminds her of the restrictions in the society, which leaves their options sorely limited. He just wants to repay her kindness and ensures that she’s protected for the rest of her life. Yoon-wol reminds him of his promise to bring her to a world where people like her are well-treated. If such a place exists, she wants to go there.

She understands that he treat her like family, but a life as a concubine will not suit her. If she’d craved for that kind of life, she would not have become a Gisaeng in the first place. Boong-do apologizes, thinking he’s hurt her pride but she’s quick to deny that. Boong-do explains that since he’s lost his memories, he has no idea where that world is, or he’d take her there at once. Yoon-wol asks if that means he hasn’t met that woman as well, the woman he was indebted to, the reason he wanted to stop by that world. Boong-do looks deep in thought……..

Meanwhile, that woman is still waiting for him to show up, even though it’s only 1.30pm. For a moment, she is excited when someone calls out to her, only to be disappointed when she finds him to be random fan who happens to recognize her.  To make it worse, it starts to rain moments later. She considers leaving, but changes her mind and waits in the telephone booth.

Joseon. Boong-do couldn’t stop thinking about that “woman” Yoon-wol was talking about and summons Han-dong, declaring that they need to start looking for that amulet (yay!!). He then asks if Han-dong had ever heard him mentioning a woman who helped him in secret. Han-dong thinks he’s keeping another woman – which would account for the reason he saw Yoon-wol crying. Boong-do denies that, only admitting he’d been too shortsighted and did something “absurd” (he used a modern slang). Han-dong asks in confusion – what does that “absurd” means? But more puzzling than that is even Boong-do has no idea what he just said.

Hee-jin is still waiting in the booth when she spies a man with an umbrella walking towards her. She smiles in anticipation only to realize it’s Dong-min up close. He’d called her therapist and found out that she’s meeting her dream-guy here. He’s pretty unhappy she’s making him compete against an imaginary man. She sheepishly admits she’s being absurd (the same term Boong-do used!!!). Dong-min extends his hand to her but she hesitates to take it. Dong-min is annoyed she’s still treating him like a stranger.

Boong-do is still puzzling over his use of such a foreign word, now convinced that he must have really been to a foreign land. He orders Han-dong to search the house while he enters the palace. Han-dong asks if it’s better to postpone the visit to the palace since it’s raining, but Boong-do insists on setting out at once to meet Queen In-hyun. Han-dong has no idea who that is – what he does know is “wang hu” (Queen) is a title conferred post-humously , so he wonders if Boong-do plans to visit a tomb in the middle of such heavy rain.

Even Boong-do is stumped because there is no In-hyun among the passed Queens. He jokes that he must be “crazy” (using the same term Hee-jin used when they first met!!!!!!) which again confuses Han-dong (I pity the lad here…LOL). Boong-do laughs at his ridiculous self but assures Han-dong he’s not crazy. He reminds himself to becareful of his own speech during court and orders Han-dong to initiate the search, convinced that he’s forgotten something important (yes!!Heee-jiiiiiiiin!)

A conflicted Hee-jin finally takes Dong-min’s hand and they walk away in the rain. Meanwhile, Boong-do keeps saying “Queen In-hyun” repeatedly while getting dressed for court.

Thoughts:

I’m feeling pretty distressed after this episode but that is to be expected after seeing our OTP separated by none other than “time”. Yup 300 years worth of time. That’s a bigger obstacle than any ol’ parental objections. Curiously, the cutting of the amulet changes everything that happens after Hee-jin and Boong-do’s second meeting in the forest. Then how come they do not recall their first meeting in the palace?? And how strange is it that in Joseon, only Boong-do forgets what happened but in the present, only Hee-jin remembers what happened. Does this mean that what happens in the history remains the same but only the future can be changed? I’m still flooded with questions that I hope the writer will address later. I’m keeping faith with writer-nim, especially since the writer did explain Boong-do’s hair. LOL.

But oh how much things have changed in one episode. The events that unfolded in this episode is the what-could-have-beens had Hee-jin never met Boong-do. The memories would not have felt so foreign, and Hee-jin might actually be happy with Dong-min who does seem to treat her right this time.

On another note, I’m heartbroken for poor Hee-jin. It was devastating to watch her so desperately willing Jo to remember Boong-do, hoping against hope that someone remembers what she remembers. When her voice quivers and breaks, in frustration, in anxiety, in fear – I cried along with her. Whenever her eyes light up in hope, I wince for the disappointment I knew was sure to follow.

I’m so terribly spoiled, I missed my OTP together.  How shall I endure another episode of them apart from each other?