Ron Does Stuff

Here’s yet another catch-up post because we’re going to have two new episodes this weekend and I don’t want the episodes to pile up in case real life intervenes once more and I find myself unable to watch the episode as it streams on Netflix.

Anyway, we got a boatload of revelations in the previous episode, so this one — the show’s halfway point — is hopefully not going to drop the ball and continue the pace that’s being set!

The episode starts out small, with head maidservant Kim asking the household servants to clean up Jang Wook’s room since he won’t be using it for some time. He’s been away on study trips before, but she’s sure that this one is going to stick around this time since he’s got his ~gate of energy~ open after all and he’s doing magic and stuff.

But what makes Naksu perk up her ears is head maidservant Kim declaring that Jang Wook might bring home a wife soon. Head maidservant Kim thinks it’s Yun-ok, Heo Yeom’s granddaughter, but of course, we’re well aware that it’s Naksu and good god let’s get back to the magic and machinations. Naksu’s thoughts are even about leaving him once she gets what she wants and girl go. The chemistry between the two of you isn’t strong enough.

Back in Songrim, Park Jin is being his old “I will stymie all of your efforts in bad faith because I love you.” He doesn’t intend to train Jang Wook at all and hands him a book that can only be read if you’ve been trained! He trusted you and chose you over all the other families! So many other drama series have characters go down this route and I AM OVER IT. Just OVER IT.

Jang Wook is not an idiot and realizes that Park Jin doesn’t intend for him to ever get out of Songrim, so he chooses to jump out of a window and escape — but not before Yun-ok runs into him and of course she is charmed by this roguishness and they have chemistry. At least stronger chemistry than Jang Wook and Naksu! She covers for Jang Wook while he’s gone, but really this is a losing game and you’re just going to get your heart broken.

Back in the Jang household, Naksu is told that “a young master from Songrim” is here to see her and she scurries right along thinking it’s Jang Wook and ends up disappointed because it’s Seo Yool and girl if you won’t have him, give him to me. Anyway, she gets roped into an umbrella buying trip because Seo Yool wants to remind her of their time when they were kids and the chemistry is there.

Elsewhere in the city, Cho-yeon and Dang-gu are faux breaking up their faux engagement from episode six, but Cho-yeon is probably getting wise to Dang-gu’s feelings for her and maybe even reciprocating it because she makes some excuse to extend the faux engagement and the chemistry is there.

In yet another part of the city, the thief — her name’s So-i — that has got Mu-deok/Bu-yeon’s eye scarf with the Jin family crest is running around as her victims start closing in on her. When things get dicey and it looks like she’s got no chance of escaping, who should step in to help her but Seo Yool. At first I thought he’d find out about the crest, but he lets her go and somebody else knocks her unconscious. Huh.

There’s a while mini-reunion between Jang Wook and Naksu and I really don’t care bye.

Thankfully, we move on to political machinations, and it seems that the queen is not happy with the crown prince getting close with the mages of Songrim. But Jin Mu assures her that they can force the crown prince’s hand when push comes to shove, and they also have So-i who I am guessing they will push on the Jin household as the ~real~ Bu-yeon.

Jang Wook finally makes it back to Songrim, where Yun-ok has been covering for him for four hours and GIRL. I know the two of you have chemistry onscreen but that is too much!

Head maidservant Kim, on the other hand, is trying to bribe Songrim’s head maidservant Park to get Naksu into Songrim, but it all goes awry because maidservant Park is apparently incorruptible and she ends up being reprimanded by Park Jin. There’s a cute sequence where they fail to communicate their feelings for each other and the chemistry is there. There’s even chemistry between head maidservant Kim and Master Lee!

Because bribery didn’t work, Naksu has to take the servant test to get into Songrim, and thankfully we get to see it through the eyes of Seo Yool Dang-gu and the crown prince who answer a copy of the servant test that they’ve finagled from somewhere and it’s a short but funny sequence!

We then get a side-by-side of Jang Wook and Naksu both accomplishing the tasks they were assigned, and it’s actually quite a refreshing sequence of scenes, kind of like a sports movie where the protagonists find that last burst of energy to finally cross the finish line.

And then it turns into the two of them confessing their feelings to each other in a roundabout way bye.