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Sungkyunkwan Scandal: Episode 5

If the first two episodes were ruled by the ever charming and forever bored Gu Yong-ha, then episodes 3-6 were completely dominated by Moon Jae-shin aka Guh-ro. His bad boy/good boy persona has most fangirls swooning, including me! Not to take away from Yong-ha, who is just as cute and charming as always, but I think the mystery that enshrouds Guh-ro and his political/personal angst has won most of us over. Not to mention, how cute is his hiccupping problem? And the bromance between Yong-ha and Guh-ro? Sigh.

I’d also like to give Micky Yoochun honorable mention. I have to say his character is growing on me, more on why below. I hope no one thought I disliked him when I said he was my least favorite member—I still love him to death as a fan, he’s just ranked #5 within the group.

Enough ramble, onto the recap!

PS. So sorry about the delay guys! School started last week! Eep! I’ll be able to post earlier this week now that the craziness of the first week of school is over!

 
Song of the Day: 영웅재중(Hero Jaejoong)- 너에겐 이별 나에겐 기다림(To you, Goodbye. To me, Waiting) (Short ver.) DL Link: Save Target As…

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EPISODE 5 RECAP

After an unconscious Yoon-hee arrives in the infirmary, Professor Jung checks her condition only to be shocked at his discovery. He immediately goes outside and quarantines the infirmary—no one is to be anywhere near the building.

Thinking that Yoon-hee’s condition is far worse than they thought, Guh-ro’s temper flares up and he grabs for the nearest bow and arrow. Sun-joon stops Guh-ro, telling him that In-soo did this out of spite against him, so he should be the one to take care of it. Do I see the love triangle taking form? Fan-girl sigh. I love it.

Yoon-hee awakes and realizing where she is, she feels around her chest and begins searching for something. When she sees Professor Jung, she quickly tries to excuse herself.

“Is this what you’re looking for?” Professor Jung holds up what Yoon-hee was frantically searching for: her keepsake dagger.

“Are you a girl?” Yoon-hee freezes at the sudden question. Jung presses on, “Answer me, Kim Yoon-shik. I asked you if you’re a girl.”

Back in the classroom, Yong-ha’s curiosity over Yoon-hee is only made worse as he ponders over Professor Jung’s quarantine—not even the school doctor is let in. “Aren’t you curious about what happened to Dae-mul?” he asks Guh-ro, who seems to be more curious about the nickname Dae-mul. Yong-ha is sure that Dae-mul’s hiding a deep dark secret and by the looks of it, he seems determined to find out.

Yoon-hee drops to her knees and begs Professor Jung for forgiveness, explaining that she was merely trying to live within her desperate circumstances—she was just trying to provide for her mother and sick brother. Jung does not budge, however. He instead reprimands her for making excuses about her family and thus involving them in this heinous crime. They, too, will not be able to avoid punishment for condoning her entrance into the university.

Jung tells her to wait for her punishment to be decided as Yoon-hee realizes in horror what her excuses have done. He also warns her that no one is to find out about her secret until his decision has been made—that’s the only way not to make her crimes worse. Yikes!

Yoon-hee leaves the infirmary in a devastated daze as her classmates flock to her in concern. This has Byung-choon puzzled—what is it about Yoon-hee that has everyone hurrying to her rescue?

In-soo broods over this thought, sarcastically adding that Yoon-hee has pulled off what the King has so fervently wished for. As he draws back his bow, Sun-joon calls his out on his cheap tricks to which In-soo gives his final warning, “Come to the West Wing where the Noron belong, and I’ll make you my direct inferior. If you want, I can even make you my successor.”

Sun-joon: “What if I refuse?”
In-soo: “ This is why I call you naïve. You’re being stubborn has made youimpartial to Noron, Soron, and Nam-in.”
Sun-joon: “Is it wrong to be impartial?”
In-soo: “Impartial? Harmony amongst the factions? (sarcastic chuckle) I don’t believe in that kind of disgusting word-play. Impartiality is really the King’s cunning plan to drive out the Noron faction by unifying Soron and Nam-in powers. If you’re team happens to win this archery competition, you’ll be indirectly supporting the King’s efforts in front of the whole Senate. Are you planning on aiming your arrow at the Noron…no, at your own father?”
Sun-joon:“You’re right. I didn’t think so far to understand what it would mean if my team won. So…I’m going to have to do it… first place.
In-soo: “What?”
Sun-joon: “Whether it’s the King’s disgusting play on words or your own obsession with power… how will I know without trying?”

In-soo agrees to his challenge, keen on teaching him a lesson.

A shaken up Yoon-hee enters an empty classroom and breaks down in tears as she recollects Professor Jung’s harsh words. But alas! The classroom isn’t empty, with Guh-ro sleeping between desks. He wakes up to her sniffles and is about to ignore her and go back to sleep, but sits up instead. Yoon-hee notices and he awkwardly looks away, not knowing what to say or do but when she gets up to leave, he hurriedly stops her.

“You stay. I’ll disappear for you.” Awwww.

In-soo’s minions scoff at Sun-joon’s claim to victory as they enter into their private gazebo when an arrow suddenly flies straight past In-soo’s face. Guh-ro pushes past Kang Moo and approaches In-soo, “How does it feel?”

In-soo : “What do you think you’re doing?”

Guh-ro: “This is how it feels when you play with someone’s life… Re.mem.ber it well.. or else, I might just plant that lesson here,” as he pats In-soo’s chest. What a bad-ass sweetheart…

Meanwhile, Sun-joon is looking for Yoon-hee all around campus—the library, the dormitories. When he spots the backside of a small scholar, he clears his throat, thinking he found her—only it’s not. (Excuse me, who is this other cross-dressing girl? I swear she’s female…)

Sun-joon finally finds her coming out of the classroom. Yoon-hee begins to walk past when Sun-joon asks her if she’s okay. “Is your body feeling better now?” She silently nods and walks off.

The ever curious Yong-ha stops Professor Jung as he leaves the infirmary to ask what’s wrong with Yoon-hee—what could she possibly have that required such a strict quarantine? He’s been sleuthing around school medical records to see that there’s been no diagnosis nor any prescriptions made out for her but what he finds more interesting is that the professor didn’t even record her vitals. Yong-ha is being snarky… up until Professor Jung reminds him that school medical records are strictly off limits to scholars—he can be severely punished for this… Yong-ha immediately backs down (Ha! It’s nice to see him sweat for once!)

In the palace, Minister Ha and the Royal Senate are asking King Jeong-jo to retract his announcement of the archery competition. He ‘respectfully’ argues that the archery competition was banned by the deceased King Yeong-jo to discourage his descendants from enjoying the hobby that his insane son Sa-do so loved. “Your Majesty must respect the wishes of the Great King Yeong-jo and walk by his path.”

To this, Jeong-jo calmy replies, “Minister, the parent who believes his son to be a criminal buries him in their heart. But the child who has lost his parent spends his whole life trying to find any trace his parent left behind. That is the human’s way. Isn’t that right, Minister Moon?”

Jae-shin’s father begins to speak but when he makes eye-contact with Prime Minister Lee, he excuses himself, “I do not understand the connection between the archery competition and the human’s way, your Highness.”

Jeong-jo replies, “The archery competition was a hobby that my father shared with the Sungkyunkwan scholars. Please regard it as a son’s way of longing after his lost father. I am the King of this nation, after all. Shouldn’t I at least be allowed this much?”

Later that evening, the Prime Minister shares drinks with Minister Ha as he muses that the King is no longer the shameful young son of Crown Prince Sa-do. Minister Ha supposes that the years have made Jeong-jo’s heart weak against his father. The Prime Minister realizes they’ve severely underestimated the King’s plans…and that Jung Yak-yong plays a big part in it.

Jung Yak-yong walks amongst the memorials of former professors, troubled by Yoon-hee and the Geum-deung-ji-sa. He thinks back to an old memory when he makes a visit to his teacher’s home. Jung finds a young girl sitting outside in the cold, listening and repeating the lessons her father is giving to her brother inside. He suggests that she study inside if it’s so cold, to which she replies, “Mother thinks that reading and writing is poison to a girl.” Jung suggests that she quit, but she looks at him in confusion, “How is it you don’t even ask my opinion and simply tell me to do as my mother wants? I’m not my mother…I am myself.”

Impressed, Jung asks her name, but the girl’s mother calls out to reprimand her. The little girl hurriedly hides behind Jung and her mother turns away, unable to scold her daughter in front of a guest. When her mother leaves, the little girl stands and tells him, “Kim Yoon-hee. My name is Kim Yoon-hee.”

Later, he informs King Jeong-jo that Kim Yoon-shik is the son of the deceased Kim Seung-hun. The news pleases him, expressing that he’d like to meet Yoon-shik and entrust him with the task of finding the Geum-deung-ji-sa, but Professor Jung quickly protests. He claims that Kim Yoon-shik is still too young and inexperienced to give such responsibilities, and he also knows nothing of his father’s role in the matter. Although surprised by Jung’s reaction, the King tells him that he’ll agree not to meet him—just this once, and only because he puts great trust in Jung.

The next day, Sun-joon informs Yoon-hee that she’ll need to start practicing if she’s to be ready for the competition and she agrees. But easier said than done, she repeatedly fails to pull the string back while Sun-joon commands her to try again.

Meanwhile, Headmaster Choi is busy making arrangements for the King’s arrival, making sure that not a speck of dust, or a scratch on his throne will displease the King. He’s sure that this will put him on his way to a promotion and he wants nothing to get in his way.

The Headmaster handpicks the gisaengs to attend the competition, hilariously failing the ugly ones(minus the one who bribes him) until the beautiful Cho-sun arrives. Smitten by her beauty, he passes her with flying colors and she tells him that her and her gisaengs will see him at the competition.

Back at the gisaeng house, Cho-sun is busy selecting her fabrics and accessories while her juniors whisper that they’ve never seen her so excited. One junior reckons that Cho-sun might be doing all this out of spite because Yoon-hee never came back after initiation night—but her friend disagrees. No woman has that look on her face out of spite.

Yoon-hee’s still having a hard time even pulling the string and when the string snaps in her face, so does her patience. (Anyone else cringe at that scene? I swear that was a real cry of pain. Ouch!) She tells Sun-joon that she gives up, but Sun-joon isn’t willing to let her. “You haven’t held the bow properly even once. When are you going to stop treating this like it’s someone else’s business?”

Guh-ro cuts in, accusing Sun-joon that all he can think about is impressing the King and getting ahead—just like the rest of those Noron bastards. “An arrow almost went through her head. Can’t you see she’s scared?” He grabs Yoon-hee’s arm to leave but Sun-joon stops him. (Tehe!)

Sun-joon: “If she leaves right now just because she’s scared then she’ll never be able to hold a bow again. There’s nothing that can be solved by making excuses.”
Yoon-hee: “Don’t say that I’m making excuses so easily….because I’ve been desperately trying! While you were learning archery in luxury, I was busy trying to make a living so I’ve never even held a bow before. While you’re THE Lee Sun-joon, I’m just the pathetic Kim Yoon-shik, a Nam-in who has no family of prominence and can’t even remember his own father!”

He tells her that’s why she should take this opportunity to rise in the ranks but she doesn’t buy it. “Are you saying this is all for me again? Do you know what my life’s turned into because of you? You think that if you have a will, the world can be changed… when you know nothing of the real world. Grab this opportunity? For you, it may be just an opportunity… but for me, it’s an impossibility. For me, I need a miracle.”

Yoon-hee storms off and Sun-joon follows after her but someone cuts the rope holding up a pillar, and they come tumbling down on him.

His right shoulder is badly injured and Professor Jung tells him that although there’s no permanent damage, it’ll be hard for him to participate in the archery competition. His classmates, including Yoon-hee (who hides behind a corner), peak in when Headmaster Choi rushes in and freaks out about who would do such a thing.

The school is buzzing about the possibilities, In-soo being the most likely suspect.

In-soo merely scoffs at the rumor. His minions aren’t bold enough to pull it off, and he isn’t foolish enough to plan something so obvious. He’d rather have Sun-joon come under his control by his own will. Besides, “I’m the president. Do you think a brat like him could really match up to me?” Yong-ha remains silent. Oh, hubris.


The next day, Sun-joon gets ready for practice despite his classmates and manservant’s protests. When he sees Yoon-hee, he approaches with a bow in hand and pulls the string weakly with his left hand. “My left arm is a beginner and is pulling this bow for the first time…just like you. I’m going to pull off a Mol-gi (hitting bulls-eye 5 times, highest points rewarded)with this left hand.”

His classmates snicker at his confidence—he’ll need a miracle to pull that off. But Sun-joon tells Yoon-hee that if he needs a miracle, then he’s going to make one…because he needs Yoon-hee to compete.

Hyo-eun hears of Sun-joon’s injuries and runs to daddy, who is busy contemplating the King’s hidden motives. (I LOL-ed at this scene. Love comical Minister Ha.) She announces that she’s going to the competition but when her dad objects she suggests that he should be sending food and gifts to the scholars who are working hard—especially since he’s the father of the school president. He dismisses her idea at first but as she storms off, a mental lightbulb goes off and he tells her to make preparations.

Sun-joon improves immensely after practicing day and night(even during lecture). All eyes are on him, including Yoon-hee and even Guh-ro. Yong-ha’s sure that In-soo will win though—after all, Yoon-hee still sucks and Guh-ro won’t participate. But that has In-soo more ticked off—why is Sun-joon trying so hard to win an impossible fight?


A school ward tells Sun-joon that he was given instructions to turn off all the lights, but even after the lights have gone off, Sun-joon persists. As he continues practicing in the dark, flaming arrows suddenly land in several fire pits to give Sun-joon light.

The flaming arrows were shot by none other than Guh-ro, who happened to overhear a group of Soron’s saying that they should have broken Sun-joon’s legs too. The group trusts that Guh-ro will keep his mouth shut since he’s a Soron too but Guh-ro punches one and retorts, “Shut my mouth? Why? Because you know yourselves that you should be embarrassed? Say one more word… and I’ll make it so you never use that mouth again.”

Yoon-hee is watching Sun-joon practice when her thoughts are interrupted by Yong-ha. When he asks her what she’s thinking so hard about, she asks him why he’s at Sungkyunkwan.

An uncharacteristically serious Yong-ha muses, “Me? Well… I’m here to resist the miserable class system in this uptight country of Joseon…” and as he sees her face, he switches back to playful Yong-ha, “What can I do? I can only have concubines if I take the government exam… so I’ve got to bear the system.”

Yong-ha smiles as she leaves to her room where she remains pensive with her bags packed and uniform folded.

The next day, she looks for Professor Jung in the faculty room, perhaps to tell him she’s quitting, when Professor Yoo suddenly gives her a pop quiz. When she answers with the correct answer, he tells her she passed the last exam with an A+ and that her paper was “pretty good.” He tells her to take the book she was peaking at moments before, explaining that his teacher gave it to him also. She feels unworthy but he insists that if she feels unworthy, perhaps she can give it to a smarter student in the future.

Her classmates outside drag her to the practice grounds where Sun-joon’s manservant begs her to try and stop his master from practicing in the rain—if Sun-joon gets sick then he’s a dead man.

Yoon-hee runs out and demands that he stop.

Sun-joon: “I told you, if you need a miracle then I would make it.”

Yoon-hee: “And I told you not to get in my business! Why?! Why are you doing this to me?”

Sun-joon: “Look! It’s not all fun and games living as the son of a Noron. No one in this world can choose their parents or be born the way they want. There’s only one thing you can choose for yourself: today. How you’re going to live today. Did you say that you have no prominent family? You must fell the world is unfair! I’m sure you must also want to complain. So, are you going to live the rest of your life complaining and feeling sorry for yourself?”

He goes on to tell her that life may give you unfair circumstances, but it’s every man’s responsibility to face it and try to be rid of it—and you can’t face anything with a bent arrow.

As he walks off, Guh-ro approaches Yoon-hee and says that he doesn’t like seeing her get served with no resistance from her. “From now on if anyone points their finger at you, you give them your fist.” She’s surprised to find a release aid on her thumb as Guh-ro tells her it shouldn’t hurt anymore.

He then grabs her arms and shows her how to shoot (oh gosh, can’t breathe) but when she looks at the target, she’s surprised to see 5 arrows stuck in the bulls-eye.

With a new-found determination, she runs to the infirmary to tell Professor Jung that she can’t leave Sungkyunkwan—no… she won’t leave Sungkyunkwan, and the Professor can do nothing about it.

“Although the name Kim Yoon-shik is not mine, the exam paper that the King selected was mine. Also, His Highness was the one who ordered me to Sungkyunkwan… but how can you tell me I’m the only one in the wrong?” She wants to know what her crime is—knowledge is for the citizens… but aren’t women also citizens?
Professor Jung retorts that knowledge can be studied outside government walls… but Sungkyunkwan has no place for women.

Yoon-hee asks in tears, “Is it because men and women are different?” Jung answers yes and Yoon-hee adds, “Then what if I show you that men and women are not different? Then what will happen? You told me that knowledge is the asking of questions… about questioning the world around you?”

Getting on her knees, she asks him to give her a chance.

For the first time in her life, she questioned knowledge. For the first time in her life, she met someone who recognized her talents. And for the first time in her life, she met someone who took her side.

“Can you give a chance to someone like me? Give me a chance to ask questions to this world…Give me a chance to dream of a new world.”

 

COMMENTS

Okay first of all, GO TEAM GUH-RO!!!!!!! Second, GO TEAM SUN-JOON!!!!! Yeah, you heard me! I’m torn!!!
Sigh… Guh-ro has me swooning with his manliness, but I love what Sun-joon does for Yoon-hee as a character. He’s constantly pushing her buttons, not for the sake of upsetting her, but to push her towards progress. Sun-joon is always testing Yoon-hee’s limits to make a her a better and stronger person. For instance, in this episode, Yoon-hee was ready to give up—her bags packed, her mind made up(’cause I’m leavin’~ on a jet plane~)—but his success in getting Mol-gi gives her the courage to stick to her guns and stay at Sungkyunkwan. Yes, I know Guh-ro’s encouragement was probably a factor too, but I think Guh-ro’s more the umbrella character than the pusher. I just love how I see Yoon-hee growing into a stronger independant woman/man with the Sun-joon’s help.

I loved this episode because we got a better look at each character, like Minister Ha. He’s not just the bad guy, which he still is, but he’s also the father who spoils his daughter rotten. Even his bad side isn’t quite as malicious as the Prime Minister because he simply doesn’t have the calculating brains for it. The Prime Minister, on the other hand, is the King’s greatest opponent/rival. I won’t call him evil because I know that’s just how politics work, but he is definitely the brains of the Noron faction and I’m interested to see if, and how Sun-joon will clash with his father later on.

As for Gu Yong-ha, I always knew there was more than what meets the eye—especially with his bromance with Guh-ro—but I want to know how involved he is in the resistance movement. Is he, perhaps, the brains behind the Red Messenger? I don’t know, I’m just speculating. I think it’ll be interesting to see why he chooses to hang out with In-soo’s crowd and when he’ll join the Sun-joon crowd to finally form the Joseon F-4.

If you couldn’t tell by my comments throughout the recap, I’m totally smitten by this drama. It’s a perfect mixture of budding romance, friendship, political angst, family angst, and Yoon-hee’s personal growth. Park Min-young is adorable, Yoo Ah-in is dreamy, Song Joong-ki is so pretty, and Micky Yoochun is growing on me. I love that I can really see his acting improve with every episode.

Can’t wait for more!

Thank you, reader, for being so patient with my late recaps!! I promise this weeks will be posted sooner!!!

Until Episode 7, au revoir~!

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Is it just me or does this drama get better with each episode? When is 9 coming?!?!?!
Forget Yoon Hee!!!! IIIIII love you Jaeshin!!!!

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Yikes...Guh Roh kind of kicks Sun Joon's butt in this and the rest of the episodes so far. I'm going to hurt so bad from second lead love.

On a side note, I'm continuously impressed by how this drama is fun yet touches some deep issues. When Yoon Hee spoke up to Sun Joon about how you can't change the world and the only reason he believes you can is because he was sheltered and privileged all his life, I was like "Yes. I've been thinking that." But later on, it was interesting to see Sun Joon finally respond to that by saying basically "I can't help how I was born. I can't help that my parents are Norons." Not that his statement really addresses the issue completely, but nonetheless, it was a very impressive back-and-forth.

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Thanks for the recap, Cassie!

Oops, totally late to the party, but better late then never.

The Moony Faction roll call: who didn't not almost self-combust when a rainy Moony assisted Yoon Hee with the bow and arrow?

Moony Fighting! \^^/

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And I clearly suck a bolding. Sorry folks, only meant to bold two words and bolded an entire passage. Yup, me and bold are clearly not OTP. Not yelling, here, except deep inside my heart where I am screaming Jae Shin-shi.....come to me.

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Fellow Mooney on board! :-D

Additional scenes where self combustion -almost- occurred

->Jae Shin awkward at witnessing (being interrupted by) Yoon Hee/shik crying
->Jae Shin shooting flaming arrows into fire pits
->Jae Shin giving Yoon Hee a thumb protector for her release hand.

Jae Shin, Jae Shin, Jae Shin!!! Basically any screen time with him! :-D

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um yeah, moony watching yoon hee cry and then leaving the room so she can be alone just about melted my heart

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Present!

Moony Fighting! \^^/
:D

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Present!!!!

Moony is soooooooooooooo HOOOOOOTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the wonderful recap. Cassie!!!!!!

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*waves hands frantically*

You called? LOL actually I melted whenever Moony appeared, so yeahhhhh...and whenever him and Yong-ha actually came up on screen at the same time, my sister and i would spontaneously combust. That's a lot of spontaneously combusting. We were yelling so loudly my Mom stalked angrily into our room and was all like, what's with the noise??!

...Yeah. Can't wait for the next episode~

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I keep on telling myself that only the limits of my own imagination (and a restraining order) that can keep me from deciding that Moon Jae Shin is the best pool boy ever.

*off to dig a pool in the backyard*

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*off to dig a pool in the backyard*

Now, why didn't I think of that?! Buahahaha :lol:

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*recover self from melting puddle on the floor*
me in me in me in!

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Here,here,here.PRESENT !!
It's official. I'm hopelessly addicted to MOON JAE SHIN.
I'll be a Moony for life !!

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Here and present in the Moony faction....::swoons some more::

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moony yummy faction-member (moi) ships the bromance!

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gosh darn it! you completely hit the nail on the head about ALL the reasons to fall in love with each character - and the drama overall! you and red_pill are fantastic!!! okay, back to swooning over men in dresses and funny looking hats

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Am I the only one who likes SJ more than JS? Of course YAI's the more charming one and all, but somehow I think SJ has touched my heart more with his constant nurturing of Dae Mul. How he looks at her/him, gahh.. the gazes and stares.. how he never stops caring for her/him. Tho I wonder why would he or even JS look at her as if he's girl (when he's a guy to them?!)?

For a character meant to be "uninteresting" like SJ, I give Micky a thumbs up for his steady performance. If not for that, he would have most probably ended up like a KHJ of BOF.

I'm team SJ till the very end! WOOT!

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I'm the one who love SJ more than JS.
I 'm falling with the man like SJ and Micky make it good with this character.

So I'm team SJ with you.^^

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I'd have to join team SJ as well. I like Moon Jae Shin, but there's something with SJ's character that I like more. He cares about Yoon Hee but he also pushes her to her limits, and he doesn't mince his words. For someone who's described as gentle, he's never really like that with Yoon Hee (which might have something to do with the fact that he sees her as a guy), and the way he wants her to become better and grow, helping her the best he can, just called out to me more, LOL.

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stop praising Micky's acting and put down KHJ. Micky is gaining a lot of haters because of that.

if you'll praise him, don't compare him to anyone.

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I agree. MickeyYuchun, JaeJoong and KHJ are all good friends {JaeJoong and KHJ live together.too} and I don't think they want their fans to attack each other..

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This is the first time in history, that I'm liking the second lead guy more than the first lead.

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me too!

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man i was fangirling so badly at the arrow scene. sigh. moon jaeshin <3

though i depise both minister Ha and Hyoeun, i thought their daughter-father dynamic was kinda adorable.

thanks so much for the recap!

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freaking loving it!

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I love Yoo ah in. Perhaps because he kinda gives the same vibe as KNG (love him in QSD and Bad Guy). He is manly, tough, rough and yet gentle and vulnerable. Anybody else thinks that Yoo ah In would fit as a younger version of bidam ?
Thanks for the nice recap cassie

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yea second lead guys are getting better and better lately in k-dramas!

My first time i fell and rooted for Kim Jae Wook in Bad Guy and now Jae Shin in SKS. *Swoon*

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I totally totally love Yoo Ah In! He was so manly yet so adorable esp in ep 8! Gosh, he has me re-watching that ep at least 5 times just ytd. Though it is highly impossible, I still hope he gets the girl. Can't bear to see his sad face.

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ditto. i feel the same.

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same here...

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This series is sooo good!!! I've seen all eight ep and cant wait for monday to come already..ughhhh cant wait!!!!!!!

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Every week, I fall a little more in love with SKKS, and a little more in love (oh...who am I kidding? A LOT IN LOVE) with each of the boys, and even Park Min-young! She's who I want to be, totally.

I'm quite curious about Gu Yong Ha as a character actually. In the first few episodes he hangs out quite a bit with In-Soo, and as JB mentioned, he did seem to be a lackey. Yet as the drama progresses, you realise he doesn't quite so much hang out with them, as flirt with the fringes of their group - as he does with Kim Yoon Shik's group. And he's, like, bosom buddies with Guh-ro! (Bring on the bromance!) What gives, Yong-ha? He's just as interesting as the bad guy/good guy Moon Jae Shin a.k.a. Guh-ro.

Sun-joon is growing on me too; Micky plays him well as an cautiously understated character with depth, even though I admit I had my doubts at first.

I like all parts of the drama, even the political intrigue - these people are so freaking smart, the way they seemingly sidestep issues only for you to realise (later) that they've manipulated those self-same issues to their advantage. ...not unlike office politics. Sigh.

Thank you SO MUCH Cassie, whatever would I do without your brilliant recaps? *rubs hands eagerly* Now...for Red Pill....by the by, have I mentioned lately how much I love you guys? Y'all are the besttttt!

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ditto on everything you said !!!

And again thanks Cassie and Red Pill for great recaps!

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thanks for the recap!!! they keep me convinced that when i get to watching the episodes, i won't be disappointed. that double wrist grab makes me cringe, though. The fact that they don't know she's a girl doesn't seem to stop them from treating her a lot like one.

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it would seem weirder if they held her hand when they think she's a guy

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i meant that they're all super-protective of her without knowing she's a girl. i mean, obviously she's no beefcake and needs the help, but still, it seems that they're a bit too protective. of course, we need that to have our swoon-worthy moments in this drama, but i still find it kinda weird. i don't know any guys who would grab the arm of another dude to drag them away somewhere from trouble. Is the wrist grab a Korean thing then? Like, in real life, not just dramas?

... actually, now that I think about it, it's probably just because it's a k-drama that the wrist-grabbing is noticeable. i.e the camera intentionally focuses on it for storytelling purposes, but people probably do do it in real life.

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Yoo! Ah! In! Wow.

I think Chosun is really pretty. Random comment.

Really can't wait for next week's eps.

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i am a part of the moony faction.. (so cheesy, LOL!) very much like team edward and team jacob. :P but we all know who YH will choose in the end because she will want someone who encourages her to do her best, not someone who protects her. sigh...what to do? you can protect me anytime moon jae shin. ^^

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lol so many ppl falling for the second guy :P

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i love this drama to the extend that i will watch it raw, then watch it with sub, then i'll watch it when it's on tv.

i like all 4 of them but i only squeeled everytime jae shin and yong ha appeared on the screen. and i find it really cute when they called yoon hee - daemul

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oh my god... I just finished watching the latest episode... I absolutely LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE Guh-Ro.. I'm 100% on his side! Though I know it won't end that way.. AHHHH!!!! oh my gosh he's SOOOO adorable! Let me just fangirl this out! haaha.

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Join the team -> Moony Fighting! \^^/

:-)

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As team Sun Joon, I can't wait till the latter half of the drama to see his improvement.

I am waiting for romantic and charming Sun Joon patiently. And I will enjoy Jae Shin and Yong Ha in the meantime.. ^^

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Nope, still not tempted to check out this drama yet.

These young things just ain't doing it for me.

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i'm dying with all their killer smiles. sometimes i like this drama more than MGIAG. really, really interesting to watch :)

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Joseon F4 - perfect. Hopefully this won't be considered much of a spoiler but there's a scene in either episode 7 or 8 in which the Joseon F4 has all the gisaeng swooning. And I admit I actually watched the scene still by still.

It's such a pity that its ratings don't reflect its quality. (I gave up on Dong Yi with all its moony staring and inane inaction.)

Much love for SKKS. Really impressed with the cast, both the young and the old.

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I agree, the ratings should be much higher.

I also agree with your comparison to Dong Yi -> I gave up a long time ago (ep 20 or so) with the moony staring and inane inaction.

There is so much about SKKS that I like ....

The heroine is strong, smart, a go-getter type that makes things happen (SPOILER) - there is a scene in ep 8 where Yoon Hee says "Getting me not to do something is not by telling me 'I can't do something', I've been told that my whole life" -> or something like that.

I sooo want to be her when I grow up (reality: I am older than Yoon Hee/Min Young :-D)

Also, I like how they designed the scenes, with both period and modern music, art design (the scenes in ep 7), etc.

Ditto for you last statement, whoever the casting agent is for this drama did an outstanding job!

All the actors/actresses (lead/minor, young/old) are doing an outstanding job portraying their character and all persons involved in SKKS have put together a drama that is attractive, captures your full attention and leaves you wanting more.

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Thank you very much....Great recap....

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Thanks for the recap!

Go Team Moony, go!

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Moon! Jae! Shin! For the first time in my years of watching K-dramas, I'm finally throwing my lot in with the 2nd lead ... *sigh*

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so sorry zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz boring...

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I love SKK Scandal from the first time I grabbed the first episode and now I think I'm addicted to it and I can't wait for the next and the next episodes. And I must tell you Cassie, that everyday I always click on this website just to see if the new recap is up :D Coz I really enjoy it. Good job!

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THANKS AGAIN for this recap! I'm so glad SKKS I'm watching this drama and not some nonsensical ones. I was drawn to this drama because even though the cross-dressing plot is not new, it has a very refreshing story to tell with all this interesting arrays of characters with so much depth. The fact that they had a great casting helps too, each of them acted their parts really well and with such great chemistry and camaraderie. But what probably got me with this show is the rare occurence, in all Kdrama land, of a very strong female lead. Strong in a sense that her character is not stupidly mooning over and over about love for a guy, performs stupid stunts or just plain dumb over-all. The female lead here is smart and intelligent, carry her weights in an archery contest, can throw a punch but still has that female allure that any guy can fall for her. It's rare indeed and I love the fact the PMY did justice to her role. This episode and episode 6 were probably my favorites so far because of her dialogue in the end. She may be a female but she has rights too, so much 20th century persona in a 16th century male domineering era. Being a woman, I get tired and cringe watching female leads portrayed in such weak state so this for me is like a breath of fresh air. This might be a romantic comedy drama but I'm not seeing it yet and I also like that, there's a bit o everything. Politics, friendships, family values, cultures, traditions, growth and maybe later the love angle. Thanks again for the recap! :)

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Thanx Cassie for your recap!
SKKS recap is the only one most I wait every week..

i like jacob twilight verse but i like edward sungkyunkwan verse.. lol (i don't know why)

my words will not side with anyone, as skks drama fan, I don't want to choose Sj team or Js team ...
because i love all of them... Love F4 Joseon Verse..
I just want the four of them happy and always together .. just it!

if the problem is the romance, I'm not going to argue anymore, because we all know that eventually SJ-YHee couple for the win.. that is the rule..

for the 2nd male lead moon jae shin, he has done a good job for his character.. very suitable, I guess I would'nt love him if he plays Sj's character..
as for GYH I also would'nt like him if he plays Js's character.. Yoochun also fits with his character lee soon jun.. i love the PD of SKKS, he is so smart to choose the main character..

just IMO.. ;)
because i love Sungkyunkwan Scandal.. my best korean drama for 2010..no doubt!.. lol

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Echoing the rest....This drama is turning out to be my best drama for 2010 (so far!)... Great casting! wonderful story! As the shipper war starts! I'll better get my lifesaver ready. This might be a rough ride :) But I'm opting to canoeing by myself as I dig both shipper, it can go either way, but we all know how this is going to to end? right? so I'm probably go with the flow and enjoy the ride. All I can say is it's a darn excellent show!!!!
Thanks for the recap!!!!!!!

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It really is one of the best 2010 dramas so far, it's been so long since I was this addicted to on

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I wish I could watch this already ;_; Thank you so much for the recap!

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is there anyone wants to see Sunjoon ups i mean Yoochun playing another character in other korean drama,
of course for the main lead???...

sometimes I want to see him play a different expression from his face or play a character like mon jae shin(bad guy)/go young ha(the playboy)...
I thought it would be more interesting..

i'm a new fan of you, I wish I could see you in other korean drama.. :)
good luck!

Thanx for the recap...

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I'm greedy and have too much love to share, I love all of F3!
This is the first saeguk I really follow, and I'm glad choosing it!

cassie, thanks for the recap..and red alert too!

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GO !! GO!! TEAM SUN JOON ...haha....
so in love with sun joon and yoon hee..XD

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Thanks for recap!! Been day and night checking this site for SKKS recap..
This drama is so awesome, because it is not just trendy rom com drama, it is something more, more than a story of F4 Joseon (BOF) and more than a story of a girl-pretend-to-be a-boy (YAB). I love how this drama tries to rise up gender equality issue. And so many insightful lines. I guess it is more than a history lesson that I get from this drama.
And I like Sun-joon character more than Yong-ha or Jaeshin (of course for me Yong-ha & jaeshin still more swooning than Sun-joo, but his character just..., the way he try to push Yoon-hee to her limit, or how he becomes her sword not her shield, AWWWW).
Even the OST of this drama is awesome, you know, the song of the day, from the 1st time, I heard its title (some translate it to " For you it's separation, for me it's waiting", though I think "to you, goodbye, to me, waiting" is more correct, but I like the 1st more), it keeps repeating in my head, how romantic, beautiful, fascinating it is (ha, ha, ha sometime I just get fascinated by WORDS). Because of that, I even try to translate the whole its lyrics, when other people have already done it, just to taste its originality. Listen to it just make my eyes teary...
I know i should write less for a comment, but SKKS is so awesome, I can't make my comment shorter. he, he, he

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I'm team JAE SHIN too! Moonie FTW!

Thanks for the recaps! it made my day.

I'll keep telling myself the girl will end up with MJS even though i know it doesn't really suit what Yoon Hee needs, which is to be be acknowledged as an equal and not just taken care of.

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Thanks for the recap !

But what do you mean by "bromance" ? Did I miss something ?

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Thanks for your recap. I love this drama a lotttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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ho. lol. cassie. i think epi 7 would be your winning episode. cause thats our dear guh roh charming his way out from 8 - 80. he totally stole the light for epi 7.

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Great recap Cassie. Made me go through the episode again. This series is fast becoming one of my all time favorite. It's smart, funny, entertaining, lots of interwoven plots ...and lots of eye candy also :)

As a character, I love Sun Joon. If I was Yoon Hee, I'd fall for him too. He treats Yoon Hee as equal and with high respect to YH's intelligence. And can I cay... Micky speaking voice...hah...melting...

Yes, he dragged her screaming and fighting into Sungkyungkwan. It's because he believes in YH ability more than she herself (I guess being female never entered into Sun Joon calculation).

I wish I had someone like that in my life too, who believed in me enough to push and shove me to achieve greatness like YH had . Life would be hell at first of course, but when I achieved the goals (that I would have thought unachievable at first) on my own merit... it will be highly satisfying! Not that I've never tasted success, but knowing that someone strongly believes in me more than I thought I'm capable of... is almost never. And Yoon Hee have the strength of character to withstand Sun Joon pushing and shoving her on the way to her greatness. Lesser character would have crash and burn long before that.

Yo Ah Yin has nice set of teeth that when he smiles...ah...what more to say? The screen seems brighter when he smiles! Lots of people here are swooning over him already. His character is interesting also. He is the protector. The usual alpha male. If the main female character is a damsel in distress that need rescuing, he's the one.

But Yoon Hee is a strong character that can think on her feet. If she's with Jae Shin, she'll be save but she will never test her own limit or grow. Just like the time when she starts learning archery. Sun Joon pushes her, leading by example, by using his non dominant side (left hand) after his right shoulder got hurt. While Jae Shin tried to protect YH after of the shooting scare.

There's more to Yong Ha. He is very smart...and he knows it. He likes these three roommates because they challenge his intelligence. He loves it. Being 'boring' is not in the vocab anymore when they are around.

Joseon F-4 (JF4) Fighting . Love them all...

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Cassie, you made my day. Thank you so much for the recap! After a stressful day yesterday that included 4 hrs of driving and 8 hrs of pinching myself to stay awake during meetings, this is a very welcome relief.

Anybody know where i can watch ep 7 and 8 with subs?

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You can watch it at viikii, but it is not on the channel, you have to search for it in the search bar.

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Thanks Anon, i will try that. Somehow it didn't occur to me to do a search. I just check the channel itself.

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I like your choice of picture in this recap's introduction. Thanks for this great recap too. I love that part when Guh-ro shot In-soo an arrow and warned “This is how it feels when you play with someone’s life… Re.mem.ber it well.. or else, I might just plant that lesson here,” omo he's my man...Fighting Jae Shin!!!

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Thanks for the wonderful recap!!!

I am DEFINITELY part of TEAM GUH-RO!!!! Actually, it was already in the 3rd episode when I started to see JS. Seeing him for the first time makes me believe in love at first sight. hehhehe! His strong screen presence is undeniable that you can not help but fall for him.

Soon Jun looks so gentle on screen, a typical boy next door image, Yong Ha looks mischievously cute! Yong Hee looks better in Yoon Shik disguise than being YH herself. hehehhe! Honestly, call me biased but when those four are on screen, Jae Shin's presence is dominant.

I am glad that though it is really Yoo Chun who's iniatially taking the attention (in fact even in the press conference, YAI has been hardly noticed) at least YAI's hardwork has paid off. He really deserves praises and recognition for his eye catching portrayal as Jae Shin and I really hope to see him as the male lead in the future.

PArdon me but I don't mind to have another Bidam-Seon Duk story (except for the death of Bidam part).

Anyway for TEAM MOONY/GUH-RO OR JAE SHIN...... HWAITING!!!

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How did you guys get to watch all the other episodes? I ve seen episode 1-4. But then i cant watch the other ones. Theyre not on youtube, not in mysoju, viikii says that my territory hasnt been approved or something (i live in australia), and tudou has it but not subbed?

Can anyone tell me where they watch skk scandal where it has english subs and actually works??? Will be much appreciated.

Thanks

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Hey :) I've just found a siteb that has the episodes.i'm not sure if i'm alowed to post the link, but try searching jacinda entertainment on google and you will get there.enjoy the episodes!

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As much as I love the recaps, I still nedd to see the episode with eng subs.And since viikii does not have them temporarly, does anyone have any suggestions for me?I googled like a lot and I can not seem to find a site that has the englsih subs as well...

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try dramaload.com!

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hey!thanks for the tip, but i've just made an account on dramaload and it says that the video is not found...thanks anyway.

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jacinda1st.com has it too :)

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I think the casting in this drama is perfect. All the right actors for the right roles. And the storyline is quite interesting too due to the political parts. If not, it would be just another ordinary drama.

I like the fact that we have a strong female character trying to survive in the male dominated times shown in the drama =)

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Thanks for the recaps...love this show...can't speak Korean but watched up to epi 14.....will watch it
again with subs when available...but these recaps are also rockin...again thanks keep up the good work

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