Summary
This episode is the epitome of true love that gives you courage. Finally, we’re getting Lee Hwi’s realization over her power and authoritativeness.
This recap of the Netflix K-Drama series The King’s Affection season 1, episode 6 contains spoilers.
Read the recap of the previous episode.
This episode is the epitome of true love that gives you courage. Finally, we’re getting Lee Hwi’s realization over her power and authoritativeness. Everything starts with Lee Hwi and Ji-Woon starting to get more bothered by their feelings for one another. After the unintentional hug, the tension rises between them. Especially Ji-Woon who hilariously has a breakdown over questioning his sexuality. At the same time, he can’t help but not get enchanted by her beauty. Well, Lee Hwi does become more charming than ever. Probably because Park Eun-Bin is also becoming more comfortable with her cross-dressing roles as the episode progresses. So, these two people keep on staring at each other while awkwardly facing each other. Until Lee Hwi gets caught by one of her royal tutors for staring at Ji-Woon and vice versa. The two later got into an awkward atmosphere that makes Lee Hwi tries to avoid her lecturer getting her book. But unfortunately, her plan to run away fails. Her royal lecturer instructs Ji-Woon to get the evening book for her instead.
After a while, Lee Hwi suddenly remember that she left the book that Ji-Woon transcribes for him as a gift on the table. She quickly goes to the Royal Institution where Ji-Woon is already stunned that the Crown Prince keeps the belongings of his precious first love. He keeps asking her the reason why she has the book but Lee Hwi tries to dodge the question and pretends she does not know anything. Ji-Woon asks him a great question, though. He points out how Lee Hwi remembers him but not the court maid named Dam-i on their first rencounter since Ji-Woon knows that the two of them know each other. Lee Hwi avoids the question by saying that there’s too many court maid in the Palace but there’s only one Ji-Woon. She successfully avoided the question but not her heart.
The King’s Affection season 1, episode 6 recap
Ever since he encounters the belonging of his beloved first love, Ji-Woon begins to wonder the truth behind Dam-i’s disappearance and what is Dam-i doing now. He talks it out with Hyun where ironically both of them still have no idea that they’re attracted to the same woman. Ji-Woon later asks Hyun about his romantic relationship. Hyun shyly admits his heart and describes the woman he loves (Dam-i) as alluring and warm-hearted. Somehow through his gaze and sorrowful smile, Hyun already knows that his heart will remain sailing at the sea of loneliness because the destination is out of reach. Ji-Woon is bewildered upon hearing it and demand Hyun introduces the woman he loves to him because he is good at judging woman’s characters. Well, I bet you wouldn’t want that day to happen, Ji-Woon.
On the other side, Lee Hwi has been putting her distance after getting a lot of things running inside her head. She later asks the court lady to bring Dam-i’s record. It’s a record written and finalized by The Crown Princess before her death to protect Dam-i. She begins to read it carefully until the paragraph that declares Dam-i has died on the day that the real Lee Hwi dies. Hoping to give Ji-Woon a “false” closure of his feeling, she brings the record to him. But what Lee Hwi doesn’t notice is that revealing Dam-i’s record is also a step in revealing her identity. Ji-Woon turns blank. His expression hurt more than a goodbye after knowing about Dam-i’s death. Although the record can lie the heart isn’t the one to fool. Lee Hwi stares at the brokenhearted Ji-Woon with an intense longing, as if she’s desperate for him to know the truth beneath the crown.
Moving on
After acknowledging Dam-i’s death, Ji-Woon visits the abandoned building where the two of them meet as a child. As he walks through the small gates that lead to the park and the abandoned building, he begins to feel the devastation and grief of losing someone. The memory of their encounter and time spend together suddenly becomes vivid and alive until he finds himself grieving at the building. Later, to fight his pain, he picks himself up and begins to clean and restore the garden and abandoned building.
Meanwhile, the real reason behind Ji-Woon’s tears is quietly sitting at the hill while looking at Joseon’s view while her mysterious bodyguard, Ga-On, is waiting near the old tree. Not long after that, Hyun is canceling his reception to bring the love of his life a sweet delivery. It’s sweet that Lee Hwi’s been wanting to try. He insists that it is one of the most important tasks that are worth gambling his reception for. Hyun asks her why she always runs away to this place and she answers that it’s the farthest place she can go outside the Palace, because no matter where she goes, it will always leads her to the Palace. The hill is the only place where she can breathe as her authentic self and it’s ironic.
For a moment, we can feel the suffocation in her words. Lee Hwi begins to wonder what lies behind the Palace’s wall and what kind of world exists beneath the mountain. She asks Hyun about the truth behind the sea and the ships that can take them everywhere. Hyun smilingly says that it exists, and the sea will take you anywhere. “If you ask me the direction, I’ll be glad to tell you. Always,” he says.
“Please don’t kill them”
While Lee Hwi is resting her mind while enjoying Joseon’s view. Ji-Woon is busy cleaning, refurbishing, and fixing their old building. He notices the lotus that is blooming in the garden. Seeing how wrecks the park condition is, he wants to plant flowers in the garden to make it alive again. If we look closely, Ji-Woon is not restoring the abandoned garden but more than that, he is restoring Dam-i’s heart. The garden represents her heart because it is known to be her haven. But even though he seems to lead the way for her, Dam-i is the one who gives the final blow. Just like how when starting from the lotus seed that finally blooms at the small pond. Ji-Woon gives her the seed, she is the one who plants the seed.
After successfully persuading the Royal Gardener to give him some flowers, Ji-Woon once again finds himself fascinated at Lee Hwi who is in the middle of her sword practice. The scene is interesting because Ji-Woon is the one who holds a bunch of flowers while being a total hopeless romantic type while Lee Hwi is the one who holds a sword and pushes the romantic boy away. The two once again locks eye to eye to one another.
But, all the butterflies does not last long because something bad suddenly pops up. Ji-Woon is being charged for running a mallice at Samgaebang, putting his friends in a dangerous situation. He tries to beg his father to stop the punishment yet he refuses. This also has something to do with So-Eun’s reports about the Samgaebang itself to her father.
“I am the Crown Prince”
Ji-Woon tries to sneak out his prisoner’s friends while So-Eun is begging for his father to withdraw his request to the Majesty about the reports the people in Samgaebang but fail. Ji-Woon does not know that his friend, Ji-Geum is pinning everything againts him to save Ji-Woon and Yeong-Ji. Meanwhile, Ji-Woon is seeking Lee Hwi’s help to put justice and save his friend because she is the only person with the power to help him and his friend. Unfortunately, Lee Hwi refuses to help him or she’s just fighting with herself.
Hyun steps in to help his dear friend. He reveals the intention behind Ji-Woon’s running Samgaebang: the only reason why Ji-Woon accepts his position to become Royal Tutor is to help his friends from Samgaebang. He solely runs Samgaebang to help poor children and low-income people from the slums. Lee Hwi suddenly travels back to the memory when they’re young and they wish lantern together by the river. The young Dam-i uses to dream of helping the poor orphan children in the slums to be well fed and grow up healthily. At least, she wishes that someone might help those people. That’s when the young Ji-Woon finds his goal to help the poor children in the slums and change his wish to match Dam-i’s.
On the other side, the angst is getting more intense in the father and son relationship. Ji-Woon tries to stop Seok-Jo to bring friends. Ji-Woon warns him by pointing the swords towards his heart and he bleeds himself. Seok-Jo quickly stops his swords from cutting his heart and knocks him to the ground. This is where we can see how Seok-Jo’s fatherly side jumps out after seeing Ji-Woon hurting himself. He later takes the prisoners to the deep forest where they’ll execute Ji-Geom and other Ji-Woon’s precious friends. But to leave no marks, they already prepare a hanging rope to make it look as if they’re committing suicide instead. Before the sword takes over the innocent soul, Lee Hwi comes and stops everything with her royal guardian. “I order you as a Crown Prince. Hand over the prisoners.” says Lee Hwi.
The intensity between Seok-Jo and Lee Hwi’s scene is one of the highlights of the episode because for once, Lee Hwi finally makes her own decision as the Crown Prince of Joseon. Ga-On puts his swords on his neck and slightly cut his skin. She warns him that Lord Sungheon wouldn’t even mind for his grandson to kill his dog. Seok-Jo finally withdraw the penalty and hand her the prisoners.
My path will be yours
The act of bravery does come with a price. Lord Sungheon has been waiting for his “grandson” at her royal chamber. He starts to question her arrogance after what she did in the forest. Lee Hwi defends herself since they violated the laws by performing an undercover mission by taking the prisoners out from Hanseong Magistracy to execute them. He put his cold hands on her shoulders and lock his eyes on her, “You’re wrong, your Royal Highness. Your moral standards will not influence your action. The only thing you should do is to listen to me and not challenge me.” says Lord Sungheon. He tries to tame the awakening fire within her and warns Lee Hwi that the path he takes will be her path and will show no mercy on her just because he favors his precious grandchild.
The ending
Seok-Jo pours water over the unconscious Ji-Woon who lays on the floor. He informs him to attend the morning assembly. Ji-Woon, with all his vulnerability, asks him whether or not he killed his friends but Seok-Jo leaves him with no answer but a meaningful fatherly longing gaze towards his desperate son. After that, Ji-Woon attends the morning assembly where the Royal Minister is putting all the fingers on him. From prescribing expensive medicine to putting aside the class system and showing no respect to the authority when running his clinic. Ji-Woon does not object to anything they say which surprises the Royal Highness. He is charged with the penalty for disgracing the nobility. He will be facing his trials which is resignation as the Royal Tutor after receiving 50 whips. To add that, people who help him run Samgaebang will do the manual labor. Ji-Woon accepts the royal punishment but uses the momentum to speak up against the mud on the Palace.
He reveals that the fact that his assistants who work at the Samgaebang go missing so they wouldn’t be able to do the punishment. The Royal Highness is clueless about the situation because all he knows is that the prisoners are in the Hanseong Magistracy. Ji-Woon boldly states and indicates that someone is taking them away. That’s where Lee Hwi suddenly steps in as the Crown Prince on mornng assembly. He volunteers to explain everything that happens behind their disappearance. Time to shine, Lee Hwi.
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