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Sungkyunkwan Scandal: Episode 14

Dear history experts and buffs,

Please don’t take my following words as sacrilege. But I say screw history! At least for the remaining six episodes of Sungkyunkwan Scandal. I don’t want to hear talk about how illogical it is for Sun-joon and Yoon-hee to be together (as the Romeo and Juliet of Joseon), or that King Jeong-jo never actually overthrows the Norons with the help of four fabulous boys (and girl). Or how impossible it is for Yoon-hee to eventually sit at the right hand of the king and show those darn men how things are done. I know that Sungkyunkwan Scandal was initially toted as a fusion sageuk – but is it possible for it to be a fantasy fusion sageuk so I can have my (unrealistically) happy ending?

Love, red pill

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LESSON 14 RECAP

 

“Good thing… I stayed alive.”

Quite possibly the hottest injured guy ever, Jae-shin pulls off his mask and reveals himself to Yoon-hee. Unbeknownst to them is that In-soo and his guys are looking for Jae-shin – while Sun-joon looks for Yoon-hee. It’s the latter who spots Yoon-hee randomly sweeping the grounds in an attempt to hide Jae-shin’s tracks and follows her to hyang-gwan-chung where Jae-shin is bleeding extensively.

 

The wound is more serious than Yoon-hee thought and she’s struck dumb for a moment. Then she tears off a strip of her uniform and wraps it around him (I literally cringed because that doesn’t seem very hygienic to me). He reaches up to touch her face, but the pain overcomes him.

Sun-joon peeks in to see Yoon-hee and Jae-shin together, and they look awfully intimate since he doesn’t know about the wound. Add one more misunderstanding to the messy pile of Sun-joon’s emotions. As he rushes away from that scene, he bumps into the Three Stooges (Do-hyun, Hae-won and Won-tak) who are on their way to hyang-gwan-chung because of some silly superstition that the virgin ghost can help them get better grades. This CAN’T be good.

 

Really, is hyang-gwan-chung the ONLY secretive place in an all-guys school? Somehow I find that hard to believe, but In-soo and his posse head that way as well.

Meanwhile, Yoon-hee is trying to find ashes to staunch Jae-shin’s wound when a blindfolded man walks in, led by Yong-ha. Once again proving that he just may be omniscient, Yong-ha has brought a physician to treat Jae-shin. Of course moments after treating Jae-shin, that physician is spotted by In-soo and duly questioned to reveal that he treated a wounded man. When they reach hyang-gwan-chung, there’s no one there but they find Yong-ha’s fan. Could Yong-ha be Red while putting on a flamboyant peacock façade to throw everyone off his scent?

 

This logically leads them to our Yeo-rim’s room. For the first time ever, we see Yong-ha looking uneasy, but he plays it cool as In-soo tells an interesting story about a wounded Red Messenger slipping into SKK. There’s a dangerous moment when Yong-ha spots Jae-shin’s clothes sticking out from underneath the folding screen, but it’s quickly pulled in before In-soo sees it. In fact, Yong-ha stands up in front of the folding screen and blocks it with his entire body.

In-soo tells him about the physician and holds out the evidence that Yong-ha is involved: the fan. So how does our brilliant Yeo-rim get out of this one? He mocks In-soo for even suspecting for a second that Yong-ha might actually be Red and thanks him for being entertaining for once. As for the fan, well, he let the helper boys have it and someone must’ve dropped it in hyang-gwan-chung.

Insulted, In-soo warns Yong-ha that he doesn’t give second chances (wait, then why is Byung-choon back to being one of your hunting dogs?).

If Yong-ha’s not Red, then it should be the boys in Yoon-hee’s room, but no one’s in. That’s when it hits In-soo that Yong-ha was acting awfully suspicious in front of the folding screen. On their way back, they run into Professor Yoo and Professor Jung. It’s against the rules to be out of bed so late, but they’re excused since they’re after the Red Messenger, public enemy number one.

(Might I add that I find Go-bong delightfully hilarious? Like how he outright worries about poor Red who must be bleeding somewhere – and he doesn’t realize that he’s taking the wrong side. In-soo’s friends need to either convert him or leave him.)

In-soo returns to Yong-ha’s room with the staff in tow and sweeps away the folding screen to find a stack of racy red books. Ah, Yeo-rim, your porn stash saved the day.

Back in what seems to be the faculty room, Professor Jung sets In-soo in his place. It is literally against the law to search any SKK students on campus; it is only allowed under order of the king. There is a loophole to this in that the school president can dish out punishment, but alas, In-soo’s president status has been suspended for two weeks. So if he exerts any authority as president during this time, Professor Jung will make sure that he loses the position permanently.

 

Back in Yeo-rim’s room, he opens the secret closet behind the curtains AND the folding screen, and there’s our dear Dae-mool and Guh-ro. Yoon-hee asks how Yong-ha seems to know everything. Jae-shin answers for him, “He’s THE Gu Yong-ha. The persistent guy who’s been following me around for ten years.” Heh.

Glad that his friend is back alive ,Yong-ha rubs Jae-shin’s hand to his cheek. Jae-shin promptly pulls away, claiming Yong-ha to be unmanly, but the expression on his face shows that his words have only affectionate bark and no bite.

Yong-ha unnecessarily warns Yoon-hee that she mustn’t tell anyone, including Sun-joon. Don’t waste your breath, Yeo-rim, our girl is smart.

As for Sun-joon, well, he’s turned to the comfort of alcohol (drinking with a pointed pinkie!). I imagine it’s hard enough realizing that he’s “gay,” but to witness the boy you like with another guy… My heart goes out to him.

In-soo, too, has turned to alcohol to vent about losing Red from right underneath his nose. Kang-moo warns him that now’s not a good time (since he’s temporarily lost his privileges as president), but In-soo rebuffs him. He’s NOT afraid about that. He’s more concerned about catching Red, since it’s clear that he’s somewhere in SKK.

 

Fake Red, also known as our delightfully charismatic Cho-sun, has been hurt as well in the scuffle with Jae-shin. Minister Ha tells her not to continue her gisaeng duties for a few days. She reminds him to keep his promise (what promise? Is this related to her family?). “Before it’s too late, just once, I want to live as a decent human being.”

But I imagine Minister Ha has bigger things on his plate. Like Minister Lee’s wrath at yet another failed capture attempt. Ha blames the mysterious men in black who saved Red, which Minister Lee confirms to be what we’ve all been suspecting, that they were sent by the king. The king wants the geumdeungjisa, which would make the Norons traitors to the country.

Many clues lead Minister Lee to believe that the geumdeungjisa is at SKK: Red is a student there, the king sent Professor Jung Yak-yong to teach there and the king visits SKK way too often. And he’s worried about what the king wants to accomplish AFTER gaining control over the Norons.

 

Professor Jung brings to the king blueprints for a primitive lift that’ll decrease the construction time needed to build the Hwansung castle from ten years to three. Pleased, the king rolls himself a new cigarette, and the sharp-eyed Professor notices that the king is actually smoking poppy, which works as an anesthetic. And so we learn that the king’s health is in dire conditions – which explains why he’s so anxious to get the Jal-geum Quartet to find the geumdeungjisa.

In exchange for getting the Quartet involved, Professor Jung extracts a promise from the king: If ever the king finds fault with any of the Quartet, he will turn a blind eye. (Professor Jung, thank you for creating a loophole with which to save Yoon-hee’s life, and even possibly Jae-shin’s as well.)

Once that’s promised, Professor Jung promises to bring the Jal-geum Quartet in the morning.

 

Morning comes and Jae-shin wakes up to both Yoon-hee and Yong-ha asleep at his side, having nursed his wounds all night. But of course he pretends to be asleep when Yoon-hee wakes up. Boy, don’t smile like that, you heart-breaker, you.

Yoon-hee heads back to her room where Sun-joon wakes up. I love it how the first thing he does is tie his clothes and make himself presentable. Old habits die hard.

Things are still tense between Yoon-hee and Sun-joon. Yoon-hee tells him that she understands things can’t be the same as before so he can stop treating her so coldly. Outside the room, she runs into Soon-dol who tells her that the engagement date has been set.

Soon-dol rebukes Sun-joon, noting that his master has managed to chase away yet another could-be friend. So what is it this time? What is Yoon-hee lacking for Sun-joon to torment her?

“He’s not lacking. It’s because… my feelings are overflowing.”

Add another heart-breaker to the list, please.

Yoon-hee and Jae-shin meet in the library, and by chance, Jae-shin ends up pulling Yoon-hee close to keep her out of harm’s way – only to be spotted by the Three Stooges. Their suspicions of something’s-up-between-those-two are further aroused when Jae-shin pulls her close again to tell her she’s making it too obvious that he’s Red. The Stooges gossip that it’s no wonder Sun-joon looked like he saw a ghost the previous night when his roommates are, cough, a couple.

 

As expected, the gossip spreads like a Californian brushfire. Pretty soon, the rumor goes from “Sun-joon saw them together” to “Sun-joon says he saw them together – and says they’re darn right freaky.” In the end, the headmaster finds out from posters hung in the bathroom stall. Expectedly, he freaks out. But things are now beyond the control of the faculty.

When the rumors lead to sparks between the Soron and Noron factions, In-soo steps in to remind everyone that SKK has its own judicial system that can be implemented to settle this matter. Which is how he gets everyone (minus our main characters) to clamor for the withdrawal of In-soo’s suspension as school president. Once he’s reinstated, they plan to hold a jaehwe, a student body disciplinary meeting, to judge Yoon-hee and Jae-shin for their possible homosexual activities.

Cornered, the faculty has no choice but to acquiesce. Hence, the jaehwe is announced, and if Yoon-hee and Jae-shin are found guilty (by majority vote), their names will be stricken from the SKK register and they’ll never be able to take any civil service exams and hold any offices.

Jae-shin accosts In-soo, demanding that the latter cancel the meeting. In-soo will cancel the meeting if Jae-shin can explain what he was doing at hyang-gwan-chung, but of course Jae-shin can’t answer without blowing his Red cover. And this time, In-soo’s backed by the Sorons as well; they want Jae-shin to clear the Soron name in front of everyone.

 

In the library, Yoon-hee asks Sun-joon if he saw them at hyang-gwan-chung. When Sun-joon refuses to respond, Yoon-hee declares that she’s a man and the idea of her liking another man is preposterous.

Sun-joon takes her words to heart. “I see. It is preposterous to like another man. Then watch how you act so others don’t misunderstand your feelings.” Read: So I don’t misunderstand your feelings.

In-soo interrupts their conversation to name Sun-joon as the main witness at the meeting. After all, he saw them that night and he’s their roommate.

 

Our omniscient Yong-ha reads In-soo like an open book. He understands that because the upright and principled Sun-joon is now the main witness, the meeting will have an impression of fairness and have more credibility.

But for In-soo, homosexuality isn’t the issue here. The fact is the two in question were seen embracing in hyang-gwan-chung, and this can mean one of two things: one of them is the wounded Red or they’re lovers. Whichever it’s proven to be, they will be kicked out of SKK. And Sun-joon, a man of principle and the sole son of Minister Lee, will have to turn his back on them; there’s no way he’ll let a homosexuality rumor dirty his family’s honor.

Essentially, if In-soo has his way, he will dominate all four of the Quartet: he’ll have two kicked out, make Sun-joon a traitor to their friendship, and isolate Yong-ha.

When Jae-shin can’t find Yoon-hee, he worries and asks Sun-joon about her whereabouts.

Jae-shin: Where’d he go, worrying me like this?
Sun-joon: Is this your way of worrying? Putting the person you care about in a difficult situation, a place where he’ll be scorned by the world? Is that how you worry? If you really care for Kim Yoon-shik, you should’ve never let this happen.
Jae-shin: It’s none of your business. I’ll take care of our problem –
Sun-joon: (dropping the formal tone) Then do it right so I don’t have to concern myself.

Yoon-hee is missing because she’s being questioned by Professor Jung. When it comes to the jaehwe, the school president rules supreme and not even the king can contest the final decision made by the students. So he needs to know the truth in order to save her before the meeting; once it’s underway, he can’t help her.

But she can’t expose Jae-shin. All she can say is that she and Jae-shin did nothing wrong.

 

Yong-ha is beside himself with frustration, demanding to know if Jae-shin intends to reveal himself like In-soo wants. Doing so would mean being convicted of murder, arson and theft, and lead to being executed. Yong-ha claims he’ll kill Jae-shin himself if Jae-shin tells the truth.

But Jae-shin knows it’s a bluff since Yong-ha has fists like cotton. Besides, he hasn’t made up his mind yet about what’s the right thing to do. And by right thing, Yong-ha guesses, Jae-shin means what is best for Yoon-hee.

From outside the room, Yoon-hee overhears every word.

Meanwhile, the frantic headmaster is eager to dissuade Sun-joon from testifying; he’ll do what he can to get Sun-joon excused. Imagine if Sun-joon takes the stand and people assume he’s gay as well because he shares a room with the other two!

But Sun-joon won’t go against the jaehwe rules by backing out now.

So the headmaster tells him to deny all knowledge; don’t even try to help those two! Being branded a homosexual is like a death sentence to a nobleman.

 

The other students start bullying Yoon-hee, immaturely throwing vegetables and salt at her and jeering (Koreans believe salt chases away bad luck). She meets eyes with Sun-joon, who looks like he’ll walk away, but he wouldn’t be the Sun-joon we know if he did. A single glare from him silences everyone, and as Jae-shin looks on, he leads Yoon-hee away.

Once alone, Yoon-hee asks Sun-joon to help them at the jaehwe. What she can tell him is that she and Jae-shin are innocent. She’s keeping her silence for him, and she needs Sun-joon’s help to protect him.

But that’s the wrong thing to say to the emotional mess that is Sun-joon. “Do you realize how big this predicament is? If things go wrong, your life could end up in the gutter. Yet even now, you worry about Moon Jae-shin more than yourself.”

She counters that she doesn’t expect him to understand since he’s always so honorable, but she pleads for him to trust her just this once.

Sun-joon: How much more must I do? Because of you… how much longer must I do such foolish, pathetic and stupid things that I normally wouldn’t do? (He walks away)
Yoon-hee: What else can I do? You’re the only person I can think to go to for help.

 

While on campus Jae-shin threatens students against bullying Yoon-hee, Yong-ha is at a bar, desperately doing what he can to save his best bud. He’s lobbying for not-guilty votes by buying drinks all around.

But Byung-choon and Go-bong crash the party with a valid point: the fact that the jaehwe is happening is in itself a guilty verdict. Jae-shin and Yoon-hee’s fates have already been decided and they’re doomed. Yong-ha’s one hope lies in that the verdict will be decided by majority vote, but Go-bong points out that no one will openly vote against In-soo.

 

Yoon-hee overhears talk of Sun-joon’s impending marriage, and she tries to temper her emotions through reading. But Jae-shin won’t let her wallow in misery. He knows something that’s twenty times better than the book, and he takes her to his usual nook in the tree that boasts a pretty impressive view of the city. He lied; it’s at least a hundred times better.

When asked why he became the Red Messenger, Jae-shin responds that it was an outlet for his frustration and the only way he could stay alive. Pretty much the same reason that Yoon-hee came to SKK.

And we finally hear more about Jae-shin’s brother: “I knew a guy who said he could hear the entirety of SKK breathing from up here. He’s the one who told me that SKK’s main gate opens up to the lowest, poorest area of Joseon, banchon, and not to the king’s palace.” In other words, SKK scholars should exist for the betterment of the people, not for their own political aspirations. And it’s this wise brother whose memory Jae-shin wants to honor; he wants people to know that Moon Young-shin once existed.

There, standing above the rest of the world, Jae-shin touches all our hearts: “Kim Yoon-shik. Kim. Yoon. Shik. I’ll make sure that name isn’t sullied. And I’m sorry. I wanted to say that before this day is gone.”

 

Sun-joon visits his future father-in-law, who marvels that he’ll soon become in-laws with Minister Lee. It was a difficult process that required a lot of groveling and crawling on the belly. He offers Sun-joon some unsolicited advice: Don’t be too rigid. It’s no good to stand up against the world, especially if you want to be someone with power.

Hyo-eun walks Sun-joon out. She tries hard to match his mood, but when she slips her hand into the crook of his arm, he brushes her away. It’s all a bit heartbreaking.

Minister Lee knows that Sun-joon doesn’t like Minister Ha, who has dreams of grandeur he doesn’t deserve and will do anything to attain them. But he also knows that Minister Ha will do whatever he must for Sun-joon’s sake, and that’s good enough for a father-in-law.

Sun-joon informs his father of his wish to leave SKK once he’s betrothed. His excuse is that he isn’t ready yet to take the next step after SKK, which is to prepare for office.

 

The jaehwe is called to order. Most people seem in favor of proclaiming Yoon-hee and Jae-shin’s guilt, waving around the guilty side of their vote paddles. Yoon-hee momentarily puts her hand over Jae-shin’s to keep him calm.

When questioned, Yoon-hee vehemently denies that she and Jae-shin have a homosexual relationship. But she’s unable to reveal what they were doing at hyang-gwan-chung that night. At a standstill, In-soo calls the main witness.

Sun-joon takes the stand and is asked directly: Did he see them at hyang-gwan-chung? In fact, they’re lovers, aren’t they?

Sun-joon’s reply is the last thing anyone would expect.

“The homosexual person… is me. I am a homosexual.”

Did Sun-joon just sentence himself to certain social death?

COMMENTS

Today I want to talk about Gu Yong-ha. I know there are a lot of disappointed viewers out there because he’s not getting a back story, but I actually think it’s better that we don’t know. It adds to the mystique that is Yeo-rim. I don’t want to know exactly how and why he ended up the awesome, (nearly) all-powerful guy that he is (THE Gu Yong-ha) because that’s like explaining to me the inner mechanisms of my Galaxy S phone – I don’t need to know all that, I just need it to work brilliantly (ooh, shiny).

And I also like to imagine his life myself: lonely boy growing up in the middle of the marketplace with money being his only companion until he meets the mysterious Jae-shin who is manly as well as pure and righteous, an embodiment of a better world. And suddenly, he sees that he can use his natural charm, wits and money for something other than, well, himself.

Or maybe he was just born fabulous.

As a final note, for those who have seen episode 15, how jealous am I that Cassie gets to recap that one? <3

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I agree I would prefer this to be a fantasy so that we can get a happy ending. Who knows maybe there will be a sweet twist to the story.

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Wait, why are we all of a sudden not getting a happy ending? I mean, maybe they can't get married, but it's gotta work somehow...

Right? O, THE ANGST.

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thanks red_pill for this recap you might not get 15 but you get 16 and theres a lot of LSJ&KYH awesomeness

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the wait for episode 15 just became a bit longer....ARGH

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"King Jeong-jo never actually overthrows the Norons with the help of four fabulous boys (and girl). Or how impossible it is for Yoon-hee to eventually sit at the right hand of the king and show those darn men how things are done."

are these just your own speculations or are these SPOILERS

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They're not spoilers because I never read the books. My point is that our boys (and girl) don't exist in history, so they can't help King Jeong-jo overthrow the Norons without majorly skewing Korean history. And so far this drama has been faithful to history on major points (like, the king really did get rid of the law that allowed only licensed merchants the right to sale and he does build this castle that he wants to build).

As for Yoon-hee becoming the king's right-hand lady, that's pretty much impossible because women didn't partake in politics back then, period.

That's all I was saying. <3

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That is why I want Yoon-Hee to be a boy forever so she can be one of the king's top officials and he will never find out she's a girl until someone in the recent past wrote about the possibility! wouldn't that be awesome?! but drama laws dictate that she return to her gender.

If this was a Hong Kong drama, they would go "hell with history! let's make Yoon-Hee the king's right hand lady", but korean historical dramas are more faithful to the times than HK historical dramas (where you can have a female constables running around arresting people and bandy words with the magistrate).

But slightly more realistically, maybe Yoon-hee will make a career as a writer, writing under a male pen-name.

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yeah. i agree. the hk ones are more untrue to history, but it doesn't matter. for yoon hee's case, i am suddenly reminded of dae jung geum. maybe she will get a special treatment, like the king knows too, but everyone around her helps her to keep it a secret omo, then how is sun joon gonna marry yoon hee? ho ho. and painter of the winds name, where she assumed a male alias.

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The irony is that ep14 completely rewrites history anyway, to turn homosexuality into something despicable, when it's not considered a sin in Confucianism. In fact, there are several instances of figures in the various Confucianism texts who practice homosexual behavior. The entire notion of "inappropriate behavior" between men just didn't ping on Asian radar, not until the introduction of Christianity's agenda. On top of that, the very statement "I'm gay" would have been utterly alien to anyone of Jeongjo's time, as this implies a sexual identity (not to mention a political identity) and that's very much a 20th century conceit.

Sure, it makes for a sudden heavy-duty conflict (and makes sense as a way to up the stakes, in terms of "admit you're X or you'll be forced to admit Y") ... but it's some serious retconning of actual socio-cultural history to get there. If they can do that, I see no reason why they can't swing a Chuun-hyang and cross social barriers, or even create a quasi-historical "exception" for Yoon-hee using her education (even if they hide how she got it).

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I'm not usually a fan of boy on boy stuff... but Yong Ha and Jae Shin killllllll me. :( Whether it's bromance or romance, there is definitely something there. I think Yong Ha has actually stolen the show for me. I don't know exactly, but I really relate to his personality and I think he's so funny and yet sensitive at the same time. The actor is doing an excellent job of expressing both the obvious and the hidden characteristics. Usually his kind of character needs a backstory to be interesting.. but I love his mysterious half-silly half-caring personality. <3 I just love the scenes with him and Jae Shin especially. The actors have really good chemistry in general.

I caught up on this show today and OMG.. guh.. Sun Joon kills me. I know some people might say he's boring or not interesting.. I dunno, there is just something in his eyes that makes me melt and angst like nothing else. I've always liked the more cool-natured guys rather than the hot headed ones.. maybe that's why.. but I think Micky's done a great job of portraying Sun Joon subtling starting to fall for her.. It's very believable, moreso than the other cross dressing dramas Ive seen.

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ditto. esp. re: sunjoon.

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Well Laeah, good to know you are on Sun-Joon side. What you said about his eyes is true. Cool-natured guys are not boring. They have depths that sometimes hot-headed guys never possessed

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16 gets even BETTER!

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"Good thing… I stayed alive.”

Dear Guhro has found a reason for living. He is suddenly afraid of dying because he feels he is ready to live like a human again. Thanks to Yong Ha who jolted him a bit.

To me this is more than a confession of love because to live for someone is the really the ultimate declaration of love.

What a line - so dramatic, poetic and meaningful. If only she knows about this.

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I think you're right! Because why else would he show his face and risk having everyone know he's the Red Messenger? Again, a parallel between him and Spiderman, lol

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Like all action heros, they have very few lines (man of few words) but the words are all so meaningful.

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redpill: good choice for a phone - i use galaxy s too ;)

and yes - i was smiling widely at the scene where Yong Ha grabs Gu Roh's hand to his face - awwwww *fangirl squeal*

How awesome is their bromance to be so comfy with such skinship?

Love Yong-Ha to bits!

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Thank you, thank you, thank you for this recap!!! I felt so down this evening because there're sooooo many days left before Monday, and then.... this!!! yey!! It will definitely tide me through until... well, tomorrow :(

And then I hope, thundie gives me another recap, and then girlfriday, so that gives me just one more day of suffering before.... *claps, jumps and lol* I get to see all my favourite J4 again!!!

Seriously, this drama is just about to win over my all-time favourite drama which I thought would never be dethroned, like EVER!! But now, if this trend, story, acting, angst, romance, and sheer lovable-ness continues, Sungkyunkwan, you're going to be my new dream world, and goodbye Hang Kyul/Eun Chan, hello Sun Joon/Yoon Hee!!!! Whatever happens, you have already captured my heart and you will live with me forever.

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oh, me too exactly. but I'm holding on to CP because of Gong Yoo and his totally hot kissing.

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"Yoon-hee to eventually sit at the right hand of the king and show those darn men how things are done." This would be the perfect ending. Red Pill, you've planted the seeds of disappointment in my heart! This drama is amazing but it will probably never reach the heights of that perfection!

So, I can't get over Yoon-hee!

Professor Jung as noted above created a loophole to save her life. Her gender is considered a "fault" and yet look at all she has accomplished. Sure, Sun-joon helped her get into the testing site, but she got into Sungkyunkwan on her own merits. She won the recognition of the king herself. SJ taught her how to shoot an arrow, Yoon-hee worked to perfect her technique, Yoon-hee shot the arrow with no complaints in spite of it being tampered with like a BAMF. She's saved Sun-joon. She's done a helluva lot! I just love this girl. The stress that she's under is unimaginable, especially in the historical context! She had to learn to answer to Yoon-shik, to tailor her speech, and leave Yoon-hee at the threshold when she crossed into Sungkyunkwan. Just by virtue of being in the situation she's in and playing and winning in this boy's club showcases how strong a person she is, and how wrong the men of Joseon are to limit their women.

I really took offense to the comment on EP 13 that said that Yoon-hee let the boys do all the heavy lifting. Naw, my girl can handle this. She always has.

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Yah Moon Jae-shin! My nose bleeds because of you!! >.< :)

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here you are===>>> "a box of tissues"

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red pill -->> cassie gets to recap episode 15 but trust me, episode 16 is the killer...

episode 15 & 16 are indescribably good...

yong-ha is just amazing! but sunjoon's actions and his character...he's just way too cute when he changes to protect his gal!

can anyone explain why Yoon silk calls the senoiors - "sahyung"? what does the prefix 'sa' mean?

thanks

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i totally agree. ep 15 and 16 is the bomb and height of the show. okay, but i do hope the last 4 epidodes gets even better with a smashing finale.

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sahyung means senior

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Am I alone here in admiring Sun-Joon here? He is what he supposed to be, a strait-laced, solemn and well-mannered guy and Micky Yoochun acting reflected all that. Sun-Joon character contrasted nicely with Yoon Hee character and every struggles for him to accept the fact that he might be a "gay" can clearly be seen on his face.

Some people said that Micky Yoochun's acting is a bit "wooden" in the few earlier episodes but for me he is "within" his character that time. With his strait-laced character, he will be out of place with the crazy bunch of first-year students. I couldn't be more surprised if he acted differently

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you are not alone. most definitely not alone. there's an outpouring of love for MJS here but I've noticed there are Sunjoon lovers who are, like him, more silent.

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i'm with you guys..
silent but strong..

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Ditto on admiring Sunjoon...I find Micky Yoochun's acting improving with every episode....his eyes...they express the emotions that he represses so hard....poor thing.....don't worry...we love you anyway

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although i also like MJS' character but the very reason i keep on watching this drama is LSJ... i don't know but there's something interesting with his character that i am looking forward to see in every episode...

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Hi

I am a great dan of Dramabean site, I find that
most of you guys are JS/YH shipper..but i am supporting
the pairing of SunJoon/YoonHee , they are really meant for each other.And i find SJ not boring at all, he is a man with depth and cute in his own way..just like the other 2 guys.

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yep..in a gist: i LOVE jae shin for maself..but i LOVE sunjoon for yoonhee!..and for this drama!

..yoochun really exceeded my expectations and he really grows on you. good job all of them! also the production people! hope it ends well-made all the way!

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Hi Roziah

I understand your love for SunJoon , me too.
Visit http://www.yogurutu.blogspot.com/
They are of the same boat like us..hahha.

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Thank you Min, Anais and you too Melon. Sun-Joon character is more difficult to play. Instead of conveying everything by words, he has to do it with his facial expressions and body gestures. Not that I am dismissing Moon Jae-Shin and Yong-Ha. They are a perfect foil to Sun-Joon. Cannot have both of them acting the same way as Sun-Joon, it will be too boring to watch.

The silent types are more fun to watch because you have to intepret every expressions and gestures and guess what the next action they will take since they are not as "open book" as others. Furthermore, it is very hilarious to see them flustered and fumbled when they try to voice their heart desire.

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Sorry Min, forgot to say thank you for suggesting http://www.yogurutu.blogspot.com/. Discovery worth mentioning to everybody.

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no frets red pill! if ep 15 was awesome, ep 16 was AWESOME. you got the better one in my opinion

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Redpill: u should be the one to recap for episode 16 hahahaha.. you will love it.. i promise.. ;)

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thanks for the recap! usually im all out for the male lead to get the girl and for the second male lead to wallow in his own pity with some self content, but not this time! i really wand jaeshin and yoonhee together although in the back of my mind i know its not going to happen which is devastating to my imaginary fantasy ending ive been coming up with ^^

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Dearest darling red.pill,
I love you like no other. Thanks for such an AMAZING, wonderful, sweet, funny, all around awesome recap. :) It made my day. <3 I absolutely cannot wait for 15-16, and 17-18 when it'll be your turn again! I hope you have a wonderful week, full of rest and joy. Thanks again love!

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"Sun-joon’s reply is the last thing anyone would expect."

Are you serious? I saw that a mile away and was like LOLOL when he really said it.

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i absolutely adored yongha buying everyone drinks and trying to coerce them all to vote on jaeshin and yoonshik's side. *giggles*

but seriously, my heart was sold on this drama from like episode 4. from about episode 12 though, all my heart does is continuously break into smaller and smaller pieces.

it's amazing.

and don't worry, episode 15 is brilliant but then you get 16. ehehehe. ;D thankyou times a million for the recap!

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For anyone who is interested in reading a little fiction, wrote this in an inspired moment.

http://redpillthe.wordpress.com/

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just when i thought I couldn't love you anymore...

i've been dying for some skks fanfic esp with these two <3333

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you wrote this? it's good! i like it ^^

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DUDE THAT WAS AMAZING

I try not to read too much fan fiction, because most fan fiction is crap, and generally the real thing is so much better. Plus, I always feel inexplicably annoyed when people take liberties with characters I love. But that was perfect. Lovely world-building. And it fits Yong-ha to a T.

I did wonder, though. About how old are you imagining? I had thought around 10, but then I thought they should be older, but they can't be too much older... oh well. I know you said you weren't really thinking about the timeline. Squee for Baby!Yongha. He's so freakin' adorable. Ooooh! Maybe you can do a story from Jae-shin's POV.

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RED PILL thank you from the bottom of my heart.

My favorite parts of your recaps:

1. "As for Sun-joon, well, he’s turned to the comfort of alcohol (drinking with a pointed pinkie!) "

I laugh so hard and I was covering my mouth because I am in my office. I also noticed that when I was watching and I was even imitating it bec. I found it stange that his pinkie was that way.

2. "But Jae-shin knows it’s a bluff since Yong-ha has fists like cotton."

3."...but I actually think it’s better that we don’t know. It adds to the mystique that is Yeo-rim. I don’t want to know exactly how and why he ended up the awesome, (nearly) all-powerful guy that he is (THE Gu Yong-ha).

Or maybe he was just born fabulous (Yong Ha)."

Oh Our God, YES! YES! YES! our fabulous Yongha!!!!!

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awww red_pill at least you got to do this one right? which is pretty darn awesome (and 16 will more than make up for it hehe)

sunjoon makes my heart ache but jaeshin is killing me. god heartbreakers all of them T___T

i agree with you about the lack of backstory for yongha. there's enough there that we know kind of what happened, but still so much that's left unsaid we can imagine it for ourselves. my version is like yours only a lot more fangirly and jaeshin/yongha biased haha

<3

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is this the only drama that there's never been a dull moment or weak episode? just when i think SKKS can't get any better, it does.

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this is just something ive noticed in the entire time of watching... If Hwang Tae Kyung of He's/Youre Beautiful has a distinctive way of calling "Go Mi Nam...", Sangkyunkwan Scandal has "uy! Noron..." by Guh ro to Garang... (his voice echoes in my mind... )

again, thanks for recap red.pill. i do hope the few remaining episodes will keep us all on the edge of our seats til the very end... :)

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omo! what is our sun-joong doing???

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I know everybody is in love with Moon Jae Shin in this drama. Although I think he is wonderful (actually I LOVE all four leads), personally I really LOVE Lee Sun Jun. And I never knew of him before this drama. It seems like I'm the only one though... o well. :)

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Omo, SJ's statement killed us all. Like, O.O
WHA...?!

OMG, Jeongjo is ill! Just what year is the drama in? At least, glad to see that Jeongjo won't be dying of poison...(besides Jeongjo's cause of death in "Yi San")

red_pill, an error in your recap: it's Hwaseong/Hwasung (whichever romanization you fancy), not Hwansung...and it's the fortress w/c Jeongjo built (currently recognized by UNESCO for Iforgotwhat)...

"Koreans believe salt chases away bad luck" -> thanks for this bit; now I understand the salt-spilling scene in "Hana Yori Dango" (all versions, including BOF).
Actually, in the Philippines, if you throw away salt, it's essentially considered bad luck.

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Anyone have some awesome BTS vids to share while we wait for 17 ? :D

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P.S.

yay for our Joseon f4.

<3 Guhro, Garang, Yeorim, Daemul.

teehee

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hello piggierabbit, hv u watch this one? i thinks it's super awesome

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfAUT-ral80

(if you're a Moony, you would not want to blink frm 3:53 onwards, LOL)

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OK I went bonkers and summarized all the adjectives/description posted here by you all!

MOON JAE SHIN

noble soul... damn hot... sexiest wounded guy... electric... poor wounded amazing soul...sexy smile... awesome fantaboulous...shines everytime he is on screen...so cool... sexy wounded beast...wildly intelligent...manly...dynamite...hotness...manly yet kiddish...smile melts my heart... awesome amazing looks...driving me insane...intelligent and witty...gone bananas over him...subtle but dazzling...cuteness... tenderness... protectiveness....

and my favorite GENETICALLY ENGINEERED TO DISPLAY SEXY SEXT ANGST.

GU YONG HA

born fabulous...amazing omniscient...fashionable and cool...like a million dollar...too awesome...flamboyant, face is perfection... funny and sensitive... seamless, does not care but care nevertheless...multilayered personality...witty hilarious...loyal...loves skinship...flirtatious and naughty...

and my favorite PERFECT (BOY)FRIEND

MJS+GYH....FTW

end of BONKERNESS, *sigh*

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hahaha.. thanks for the bonkerness ! <3<3

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The most relish of BONKERNESS....

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YongHa - JaeShin Pair FOREVAAAAH!!!!

I so can't wait to watch this episode. I'm really, really happy with how the series is going. It balances the political/moral angst with the necessary romantic fluff, beautifully.

Thanks for all the recaps! SKKS has been the only thing that's holding me up against all my academic bull... And your recaps give me my necessary shot, 'coz I still can't marathon the series.

SEMBREAK AND SKKS, here I come!!!! :DD

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<3 <3 <3 <3 <3.........<3

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Red-pill thank you for recap....and 15 episode is better than this but 16 episode is way better than the 15.

Anyway, I love Sun joon, no like others, perhaps in real world I still chose Sun joon over jaeshin. But I start to love Yong Ha more and more as the episode goes. This GU Yong Ha who gives away suspicious smile, laughs playfully, cries and mocks, has a cotton like fist but gets all controlling power, dress beautifully and hides a stack full of racy red books, mystique-flamboyant-playboy guy, that makes me cry, laugh, smile, ROLF, LMAO, and want to eat the screen through out the episodes.

And for shipping, I definitely go with Sun Joon and Yoon hee shipping. But bromance between Yong Ha and Jaeshin is too hot to miss.

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MOON JAE SHIN AND GOO YONG HA, I LOVEEEEEEEEE !!!!!!!

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Thank you for writing all the recaps. They are very well written and sort of tongue in cheek sometimes. Sungkyungkwan Scandal is one of the best dramas I have watched. Very well developed with excellent acting from the cast. The colours are very captivating too! Brilliant all round!

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maaa.. maa.. red pill, don't be jealous nee.. All Dramabeans' SKKS Team are all awesome ! Hontouni hontouni hontou! :D
" ....... lonely boy growing up in the middle of the marketplace with money being his only companion until he meets the mysterious Jae-shin who is manly as well as pure and righteous, an embodiment of a better world. And suddenly, he sees that he can use his natural charm, wits and money for something other than, well, himself. Or maybe he was just born fabulous..... "
GREAT STORY ....FUN READ ! Gu YongHa just grrroowwss on me.. hehehehe !
Thanks again for the recaps red pill !

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OMG GUYS!
i think i found yoo ah in's twitter!
it seems legit: http://twitter.com/seeksik
:) :) MJS ALL THE WAYYYYYYY

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Such a shame I can't read Korean... Thanks anyway

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OMG...when Seon Jun said he's homosexual, I'm so shocked!!

Awesome recap. Thank you red pill! and btw I have galaxy S too! LOL :P

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oh he is born fabulous! hehe i hope he will have a back story :) and a love life too!

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If yeo-rim made the whole back story himself, he must be one of the best actors ever! it's like Johnny Depp creating a character in Pirates of the Caribbean even the director didn't envision.
I love him so much and it would freaking awesome if they had a spin off about yeo-rim

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You are so right!
Joeseon Jack Sparrow
He is creating a scene stealing character, which seems so effortless.
- His off-tempo, or enexpected delivery of lines
- His ability to be uber masculine, then slightly effeminate
- His walk, while sometimes dancing, is not prancing
- The way he uses his hands is mesmerizing
- He seems to be the one manipulating the players to get things to go his way, and rolls with it when he fails.

I don't care what this actor does next, I will watch him.
Have to give credit to the director, too. This young cast is delivering on a level I haven't seen yet.

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Anybody knows the song played behind the scene of the conversation btw the King and Jung Professor and be continued in the morning when our Jae Shin wakes up? It's so beautiful and make me feel that Jae Shin has his first time to be in peace and real happiness

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I don't know if it is ok to share this here.

"무슨 수를 써서 가질까 궁리하기 전에 감히 내가 가져도 될것인지를 먼저 판단해야한다. 나는 어쩌다 갖게된 것들과 기필고 가져온 내 모든것들의 참 된 주인일까. 따라가고 따라가도 부끄럽고 또 부끄럽다. 11:14 PM Sep 3rd via TwitBird"

" Before I think about getting something and how to get it, I should think whether it is something I should have or deserve to have. Am I the real owner of the things that I accidentally acquired and/or of the things that I got at no matter what cost? I follow and follow (what? his desire? or Desires of the material world? <-by translator) but it just makes me ashamed and ashamed"

A thought of Yoo ah-in regarding worldly possessions. Yep, it is official. Our Geol-oh actor is a philosopher and a poet also. Just wanted to share because I thought his writing was too awesome. ( I will erase if this wasn't allowed.)

Yoo ah-in Tweet : Sep 3rd via TwitBird

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Thank you, could you link me to more of the translations of his twitter?

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anon, Sorry, there are NO links for the translations of his tweets! I just did it on the fly. But people say that to those who know him well, he is known to possess a talent to express his thoughts in written words.

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Oh, ok, thanks for translating the tweet above :D

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THANK YOU!!!! as I have Geol-ohAl-i .This's made me even more helplessness gone bonker with Yoo Ah-in...(.really want to learn Korean now). I have to keep in mine that h he's something much more far from an actor ===>BONUS<===
Keep feeding anythings more about SKKS ; especially YAI please.... thanksssssss

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Love you for translating this! Thank you so much! If you have watched the press launch for SKK, you kinda able to tell that he has very down-to-earth personality.

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I'm still resisting, but if anything would make me join Twitter, this would be it.

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i'm very glad if u can put also recap the pic of opening each episode,that i found very cute ones. ( sorry if broken grammar)

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First of all, thanks for the recaps, you (and the other
ladies) are doing and excellent job.

Hi, my name is Jacky and I am a Kdramaholic. I can't help it! Anyway, when My Girlfriend is a Gumiho ended I was heartbroken, I turned to SKKS for comfort and now I am hooked. Oh, the things I would do for/to Moon JaeShin...

So happy to see that I am not the only one that thinks about Jae-shin and Cho-sun as a couple. That will be one bad ass couple, the Mr. and Mrs. Smith of the Joseon Dynasty. Yong-ha and Hyo-eun make a cute couple also. In-Soo? He can just go suck a ...

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I hope Yoo Ah In gets an award for this. He played Gur-oh so well. And I hope he'd get the Popular Couple nod. I won't care if he wins it with Park Min Young, Song Joong Ki or even Micky Yoochun.

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I don't know if this can be posted here, either but I just wanted to quickly explain some vocabularies in this series for some clarifications that are being used in this series.

Geum-deung-ji-sa(금등지사/金縢之詞): Previous King Yeongjo killed Crown prince Sado, which is King jeongjo's father for not so clear but obviously very political reasons. (Sado starved to death in a rice storage box because Yeongjo forbid providing food). Geum-deung-ji-sa is a letter or a book, that people believe to be existent, that Yeongjo wrote later his life regretting of killing his son and that Noron is obviously related to this death as to encourage this event. If this were to be found, Noron were to face a serious political set back or even a downfall because jeongjo would have tried to use it as a leverage to control their powers under his reign.

Noron:노론(老論) Lee Seonjoon
Soron:소론 (少論) Moon Jaesin
Nam-in: 남인(南人) Kim  Yoonshik/Yoonhee:

Noron, Soron, Nam-in are political fractions of Joseon dynasty. They have struggled for power with each other throughout the generations in various political events. In this particular period, Noron has been a dominant force for almost a century (This is quite a long time to stay as a dominant one in this struggle) and Nam-in and Soron stayed as  political minorities.

Tang-Pyung(탕평/蕩平): King yeongjo and jeongjo tried relentlessly to lessen political struggles between Noron, Soron, Nam-in through Tang-pyung policy in their reigns because they saw it as a hindrance in the progress of the joseon.

King jeongjo: (정조/正祖) He was one of the most progressive kings in Joseon dynasty. But he didn't succeed to achieve further more reforms because of his sudden (and many think as mysterious) death. " But he did not achieve further achievement owing to sudden death. He died suddenly in 1800 for a mysterious reason, without seeing his lifelong wishes realized by his son, Sunjo.[2] There are many books regarding the mysterious death of Jeongjo, even today. " (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeongjo_of_Joseon) Some people believe that he was assassinated by the political fraction that was against the reform and there is a move about it.

Jung Yak-yong: (정약용/丁若鏞): Jung Yakyong, featured here as a professor of Sungkyunkwan, someone who protects Yoon-hee, is the most prominent scholar/philosopher of all time in Joseon history. (Not explained fully in this drama because it is a well known fact in Korea). His philosophical fraction was pragmatic. He wrote about 500 books in his living time. Later after king Jeongjo died,  he politically suffered persecution and escaped a near death/exiled for 18 years. Most of his books were written at this period.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeong_Yak-yong

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Thank you for the additional piece of information.

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kamsahamnida !!! I've been searched Korean history from wikipedia since I watched Korean Historical dramas; DONGYI King Sukjong's Consort (King Jeongjo's great grandparent). And YISAN (King Jeongjo) I thought King Yeongjo was handled the Geum-deung-ji-sa to Yisan, so ???? And Jeong Yak-yong ; that'll be my next homework and waiting for his life story drama to be sub. Would be nice to read some of his books. All because of my fascinating about Korean history.

SKKS is kinda historical fiction which's perfect for all kind of audiences to enjoy. ( best place for brain' exercise )

Thanks "yu" for your information

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this drama has taken over my life! i love all the characters which is definitely a first for me in a drama- Sungjoon- Yoochun is doing a great job- i never see him as DBSK's Micky but just as Sungjoon- very believeable and i love how he has grown through the course of the drama. My favorite scenes are ones where he's loosening up :D like in ep 16<3

That said, I love Yongha and Jaeshin as well. Maybe Yongha a bit more because I love his sudden bouts of intensity (Damn when he was like "Don't go! Aren;t you afraid" /dead)
and I don't know if you guys already talked about it but there's romance coming our Yeorim's way - he talked about it in a interview :D. I'm glad my instincts were correct- the boy deserves some loving as well, even though I might be dying of jealousy on the inside :P

and Jaeshin-everything about Yoo Ah In's portrayal is perfection. Is it just me or he does he look a lot like Jung Kyung Ho, who i also happen to love :) In an interview, he said he's the kind that smiles a lot IRL and it made me so happy because whenever he smiles in SKKS-it makes me melt. his face just transforms!

last but definitely not the least- spunky Yoon Hee. I love her character and am surprised that I am not at all annoyed by her like I was by GoMinam/Geum Jan di (no offense). But I love that Yoon Hee is smart and self sufficient-even though the other boys love taking care of her. She, Miho and Seo Jung In (Smile you) are my favorite K-drama females.

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dramabeans never fail to make my day.i even more understand the whole story by reading your recaps.thank you for your hardworking and sharing with us.6 ep more left.but i already miss SKKS.*sigh*

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goodness this drama is killing me... i am patiently waiting for epi 15 & 16 with english subs but i have been reading and seeing photos here and there... i can see how things will turn out.. im so grateful for our dear subbers but please, pretty please, i hope epi 15 and 16 will come out soon... it's making me really crazy!!

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Subs for 15 is out.

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