EPISODE 14 RECAP
Aaaand, we have contact! They kiss, and Hae-young tells her that they
can’t run away from each other now: “I couldn’t possibly know how hard
it is for you, how you’re feeling right now. But that’s how I can keep
you by my side.”
He asks if his room is empty, the Royal Grand Executive Presidential
Suite, and tells her to go ahead and up-charge him for the hot water,
since he’ll be staying. She protests, but he says he’s coming down with a
cold since she made him wait outside all day in the freezing cold.
She calls him out on faking it just to stay, and he makes her feel
his forehead and puts on his best poor puppy face. He insists he’s
really really cold, and tells her to turn up the heat…”Or if you’re
going to stay with me all night, a cold room’s fine.” Rawr.
That earns him a glare and a huffy exit from the princess. He laughs, quite pleased with himself.
Yoon-ju gets called to a meeting in the palace, and she finds herself
entering quite the official board meeting…that she knew nothing about.
Jung-woo tells her to sit down, and then speaks for the group,
announcing their position on the fake royal doohickey incident: They
believe Yoon-ju should take responsibility, as in resign.
Afterwards Yoon-ju speaks to Jung-woo alone, trembling in anger at
how he “could do this to her” like he’s the bad guy here. She asks if
he’s doing this for Seol, or the monarchy, or that goddamned history he
loves so much.
He tells her that he can do more than just make her resign if he
needs to, and responds that its “because of a woman that I once loved to
death.” Aw, sad. I don’t think that girl exists anymore, buddy. He
tells her that he’s emptying everything she has, so that she can start
over. Which would maybe be a better sentiment if she had a soul or
something.
Back at the pension, Seol eats while Hae-young just stares at her.
She reminds him that he was dying of hunger just a few minutes ago, but
he refuses to eat, wanting desperately to get sick. Ha.
He muses that if he falls really ill, then she’ll stay up all night
with him, tending to his fever, and momentarily forgetting all of her
pain. He tells her that he wants to get so sick that she can’t help but
stay by his side, despite all the reasons why they can’t be together.
She tells him that Mom will be back soon, but he’s got that
covered—she’s not returning for the night, and also, she’d be on his
side anyway. “Your mom loves Park
suh-bang.”
Seol looks up at him and says, “I like him too. I like Park Hae-young
a lot, and I missed him too.” But she adds that she needs time before
she can come to grips with their families’ past, and come to laugh about
it. Right now what she needs is someone to be mad at…and the only one
around is Hae-young.
Well that’s a silly argument if I’ve ever heard one. Either you’re
mad at him or you’re not. Anger is not transferred from one party—his
father—to the son, like inheritance or debt. This is inorganic conflict
in action: Drama needs them to stay apart, so she’s gonna be mad at him.
He’s like the anger patsy.
He tells her to be mad at him as much as she wants, so long as she
doesn’t push him away too far. He says to watch him be happy because of
her, and be as mad as she wants, because he wants to do at least that
much for her. Heh. He means it sincerely, but it reads like a challenge,
’cause how long could she possibly endure if he’s going to be all lovey
dovey?
They’re interrupted by a man at the door—it’s Hae-young’s replacement
at the palace, here to bring the princess back. His presence
immediately spikes Hae-young’s competitive streak, and after Seol
refuses to return to the palace, he cuts the guy down to size. He sends a
message to the President not to mess with the monarchy anymore.
Upstairs, Hae-young triumphantly tells her this is why she needs a
man in the house, and reports the guy gone. Seol: “Well if that guy’s
gone, maybe
this guy can go too.” (They use the word
nom which technically means “guy,” but connotes something more like “ass.”)
Hae-young: “What?
Nom? You know, you sometimes call me
nom every once in a while…” as he shuffles his feet. Hahaha. I love Wounded Pride Hae-young.
He refuses to leave, since there’s more people bound to show up. Just
then, the doorbell rings, and Seol’s friends from school show up,
invited by Hae-young. Next Gunnie and her court lady enter, followed by
the bodyguard/minion who apparently switched sides from Gramps to
Hae-young.
Seol lights up, jumping around like a little girl at the sight of her
friends, and smiles at Hae-young when she realizes that he did all this
for her. The doorbell rings again, and Hae-young wonders who it might
be since this is everyone he invited…
And he walks back in with heavy steps, followed by a smiling
Jung-woo. Yay! He joins the party, despite Hae-young’s grumbling that he
wasn’t even invited.
They toast and have a good time, and Hae-young goes to the kitchen to
replenish snacks, dragging Jung-woo along with him. Probably discontent
to leave him alone with Seol for even a second.
In the kitchen, Hae-young watches Seol having a good time with
affection, and makes a point of calling her “Our Seol,” a Koreanism that
really means “My Seol.” Jung-woo notes it not without the trademark
exasperation that accompanies all things Hae-young, but he’s not here to
fight over Seol, much to my sadness.
He says that they look good together and he’s jealous—not so much of
him, but of their situation. He then tells Hae-young about firing
Yoon-ju, and asks him to help him out and go easy on her. Hae-young says
he can’t do that, and that he’d only cause her more pain anyway.
There’s some fighting over Gunnie’s attention, and Seol’s friend
cries out for Mr. P to bring more beer. He deflects the serving duties
to Mr. N, and Jung-woo says that they should go with whoever has more
money. Hae-young counters with age, and Jung-woo is finally reduced to
rock-paper-scissors. Ha.
Gunnie rifles through Hae-young’s cell phone and finds a video
labeled “Ero-Seol,” and both Hae-young and Seol jump at the mention of
his nickname for her. Hae-young jumps up to pry it out of his hands, but
everyone holds them back as Gunnie connects it to the tv for everyone
to watch.
It’s the practice video of Seol doing test runs before the press
conference, and everyone squeals that he’s carrying that around in his
phone, while he and Seol just die of embarrassment. So cute.
Jung-woo scoffs that it’s not racy at all, despite the moniker, and
then muses that this might BE racy…to Hae-young. Cue a big Woooooooooo~~
from the crowd, and Hae-young pretty much admits defeat with a “but
she’s pretty in it, right?”
Seol wakes up the next morning to the comforting smell of Gunnie’s
cooking, but her face falls when Jung-woo tells her that Hae-young left
early in the morning. So much for wanting to be mad at him, yeah?
But then everyone gets up and scurries to the tv in a hurry, and Seol
joins them to find Hae-young giving a press conference. Oy, this show
and the deus ex press conference.
Hae-young basically outs his family’s backstory in relation to the
monarchy—specifically how his grandfather’s fortune was built on what
was once the royal treasury, and how he’s felt guilty about it all these
years, hence Grandpa’s grand gesture of giving all his wealth to the
restoration.
He tells them all about how the three generations of his family have
caused the monarchy strife, and adds a plea for the public to take care
of the princess. It all amounts to a giant public apology, for the sins
of his family.
Seol watches all of this as Jung-woo drives her back to the city, and
she mutters with tears in her eyes that Hae-young must be crazy.
Jung-woo says that it’s probably the best that he could possibly do for
her.
She finds him outside his grandfather’s hospital room, bracing for
impact. She looks up at him with tears brimming in her eyes, asking why
he’d do such a thing. He tells her that it was the best he could think
of, and he didn’t tell her because she would’ve stopped him.
Seol: “How could you do that? I can’t do anything for you. What am I
supposed to do now?” How ’bout love him freely? No? Still need more
dramatic tension? Okay then.
Hae-young goes in to see his grandfather, preparing for an onslaught
of epic proportions. But he’s startled to find Grandpa smiling back at
him, countering his apology with a stamp of approval for telling the
truth…which is something he couldn’t ever bring himself to do.
He thanks Hae-young for letting him finally lay his burdens down, and
adds an apology of his own, for being the one to cause Lee Ahn’s death,
and for causing such a rift with Hae-young’s father. He tells him not
to hate his father because of the things that Grandpa has done.
Outside, Seol waits anxiously, as Yoon-ju walks up, full of
self-righteous indignation. She blames Seol for driving Hae-young to
this point. She lays into her for being so selfish, adding that she’s
not the only one who’s suffered—Hae-young may appear to have grown up
with a silver spoon, but he had a lonely and difficult life.
Yoon-ju accuses her of planning all of this from the beginning, which
just cracks me up. A) She’s not you. B) Seol, she’s sweet, but she’s no
mastermind. Basic reasoning is a strain on her.
Yoon-ju railroads her with a guilt trip about making Hae-young
confess these things himself, and finishes off with how everything
that’s happened is Seol’s fault. Oh, so you’re the one who hatched an
evil plan wherein your goal was to make Gramps fall into a coma, but
it’s all Seol’s fault? Oh. Got it. I was confused, but I see now how
it’s not your fault at all.
Grandpa thanks Hae-young, and tells him that he trusts him
completely. He asks him to take care of the princess, and with his
burden finally lifted, he closes his eyes…and passes away.
Everyone rushes in as Hae-young cries for Grandpa to wake up, and
even Yoon-ju Bot cries. Seol stands back, no doubt crippled by the guilt
trip that Yoon-ju just laid on her, and cries.
As Hae-young spreads his grandfather’s ashes, he tearfully asks for
forgiveness. Everyone but Seol leaves, and Yoon-ju looks back at them
standing there. She makes a call to Hae-young’s father, and tells him
that she’ll find a way to get him back in the country, and not to
worry—Hae-young will be happy to see him. Are you literally
scheming over Grandpa’s ashes? My god, woman.
Yoon-ju goes to try and lift the ban on Hae-young’s father, only to
be caught red-handed by Hae-young. He tells her not to do anything, even
if it’s for him, and if it’s for her…well then that’s a delusion. Ha.
Awesome.
Jung-woo comes to see Seol with an “I’m just here to see you,” and
laughs that her reaction isn’t what it used to be. He hands over the
real royal satchel, because nothing says royalty like embroidery. He
tells her that he promised the chairman that he’d put it back in the
real princess’ hands, and asks her to return to the palace, because
whether or not she’s there, she’s the princess.
She goes to meet Hae-young, who tells her vaguely that he’s got
something he has to take care of, so he’ll be out of touch for a while.
He presents her with a flowerpot, and says that it’s supposed to grow
into flowers. She asks what kind but he doesn’t know. “Grow them, and
I’ll be back, and you can tell me what kind of flowers I gave you.” She
jokes that it sure is a weird present, but is touched at the sentiment.
He makes one request: that she return to the palace. No matter which
way he looks at it, he thinks that’s where she belongs. He starts
looking into the whole inheritance matter, and his lawyer tells him that
his father, the rightful heir, must relinquish his claim before
Grandpa’s money goes to the monarchy.
Seol ponders what to do as she puts the following comment online:
Seol: I’m growing a plant, without
knowing what kind of flowers will bloom. He’s given me frustration and
excitement all at once. Does Mr. P know?
Gotta love a princess who spills her heart online. She goes to visit
Grandpa’s ashes, and apologizes for always blaming him, and never
thanking him for helping her find her family. She promises not to run
away anymore, and then re-enters the palace.
Her first order of business is to search out Yoon-ju. Showdown time?
Aw, yeah. She finds her back at her old job in the museum, and calls her
by her title for one last time…and then starts calling her by name,
asserting her authority.
Seol reminds her of her words when she was leaving that palace: that
when she returned, Yoon-ju would be dead. Ha. She follows through with
her promise, the first of which is to fire her from this job too.
Awesome.
Yoon-ju throws a hissy fit that this museum was put under her care
directly by the chairman, but Seol gives her a wake up call. “That may
have been the case yesterday, but today things have changed. The
Hae-young Museum is now under the purview of the palace, and I choose
the staff. So get out of my palace.” Kick. Ass.
Yoon-ju complains to her father that the museum was her
entire life and she deserves it, wah, wah, wah. Even her dad is sick of
hearing her entitled rants, and tells her that she’s been given a cut of
the inheritance and a position at Daehan Construction. So, you’re
getting a new position handed to you, and you’re still complaining? Gah.
Seol takes to her princess duties with zest, and starts strategizing
for the best ways to spread Korean culture. Imma go with…dramas. She
keeps getting no answer when she calls Hae-young, and when she asks her
bodyguard, he tells her that Hae-young left the country. She flips her
lid that they should’ve put him on the no-fly list (What is with this
show and the no-fly list?) and pouts at his prolonged absence.
She begins her lessons with Hae-young’s replacement, and when he
presents her with her new study schedule, she decides she doesn’t like
it. She writes up one of her own, which includes: “History: Nam
Jung-woo. Economics: Steve Jobs. English: John Park. Music: Beast, Rain.
Fashion: Shinee. Horseback Riding: Bidam.”
LOL. This girl cracks me up. Her teacher stares slack-jawed, and she
tells him that she trusts in his capabilities, and asks him to round ‘em
up in a week. Hahaha.
As time passes and the flowers grow, Seol studies hard. In voiceover
we hear the texts that she sends him, asking why he’s taking so long.
“What are you taking care of? Are you cleaning up after all the women in
your life? Are there that many? Don’t just take care of one a day. Go
breakfast, lunch, and dinner.” Heh.
Another one: “Today I’m wearing a really short skirt! If you don’t
hurry back, I’m gonna wear a low-cut dress!” And: “Did you find somebody
else? Is it a foreign princess? Is she prettier than me? But isn’t it
possible that I’m prettier?!”
She finally sends a text insisting that she’s going to be cool about
it, but then follows up with a request that he just reply ONCE, with a
period, just so that she knows he’s there. She gets impatient, but then
one day he replies, with just one period.
She leaps up for joy, jumping up and down with so much excitement that she slips off the fountain…
And who’s there to catch her, but her knight in shining designer suit?
COMMENTSA much better episode, back to a lot of the lightness that made this
show so breezy and fun in the beginning. I certainly hope we stay in
this tone for the final stretch, as the monarchy conflict is so overly
simplistic, for the drama that they’re trying to milk out of it. What’s
nice is that this episode’s drama came from a much more grounded
place—losing Grandpa, stepping in to fulfill his dreams, taking
responsibility for one’s position, be it Princess or Grandson and Heir.
Thankfully, his death serves to wash the slate clean, so that Seol
can’t hide her feelings behind her anger anymore, flimsy reasoning that
it was. It’s nice to see our couple being openly expressive and caring,
even if they have to spend time apart.
When I think about all that plot spinning that went on over that goddamned royally embroidered pain in my ass, when
it was just going to be returned to her like, “Oops, no biggie!” it makes me shake my fists of fury.
But this episode brought a much-needed touch of humor, warmth, and
cuteness that brought a big smile to my face. That, and…I love me some
Tough Princess, kickin’ ass and takin’ names.
MBC’s popular romantic drama, “My Princess“, will be remade into a musical!