Six Flying Dragons: Episode 13

by HeadsNo2

Are you there, Bang-ji? It’s a little hard to tell, but maybe all the darkness is symbolic of the dark and turbulent times these characters are living in. Alternatively, it could be an unfortunate byproduct of shrouding so many characters in mystery and their dealings in secrecy, since daylight isn’t necessarily conducive to underground revolutions. Nor is it ideal for showcasing repressed romantic feelings, of which there are plenty to go around—poor Bang-won’s having a tough go when it comes to rejection lately, isn’t he?

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EPISODE 13 RECAP

Gab-boon had recognized Gil Tae-mi when he came looking for Bang-ji, and because she warned him accordingly, it wasn’t he who came down to greet the famed swordsman.

Gil Tae-mi finds out that the now unmasked man isn’t the one he’s looking for when he hilariously blocks the bottom half of his face to get a look at his eyes, since Bang-ji had covered his nose and mouth when they last fought. While he discerns this, Bang-ji watches carefully from the shadows, ready to strike should Gil Tae-mi try.

Instead, Gil Tae-mi tosses out pieces of jade like free candy, while Jukryong assures him that he and his men will find Bang-ji. Gil Tae-mi leaves him to the task once he finds out that Lee Seong-gye brought a very much alive Yak San to the dodang assembly, practically giddy at the thought of all the drama he’s missing. And we all know what that means: free jade for everyone!

While the dodang members are up in arms about finding whoever falsely framed Lee Seong-gye (making Lee In-gyeom understandably nervous), Bang-won gives his new teacher a low and formal bow to thank him for saving him. And also to ask if Jung Do-jeon’s plan will allow them to defeat the most corrupt in Goryeo.

Bang-won: “Would I be able to bring [the dodang] to ruin? The people I have seen love someone who will win rather than someone who is righteous. My father? He is not loved because he is righteous. It is because he a victorious general who has won countless battles. A man such as himself has dove into the world of politics. He must win. If he does not… the people will abandon him instantly. He must win! He must win.”

Without hesitation, Jung Do-jeon assures him that his father will prevail. Bang-won stands then and asks, “Could you make that promise… as one man to another?” Jung Do-jeon remembers a young boy asking him those exact same words, and asks if Bang-won was the boy he met all those years ago.

Bang-won says yes, and Jung Do-jeon realizes that that’s why Boon-yi was so adamant about saving him, since she knew him when they were children. That comes as a surprise to Bang-won, considering that he hadn’t yet recognized Boon-yi as the girl from the capital.

Now Bang-won knows what she meant when she said he saved her three times, since she was counting the time he saved her as a child. Boon-yi rushes to meet him now that he’s been released, worrying so much over him that she even offers to piggyback him home. Aww.

Bang-won just smiles at her, and powers through her overbearing mother hen nature when she takes him to a doctor for treatment. She’s every doctor’s worst nightmare a she frets over every little ouchie he causes Bang-won, which is just adorable. Even more so because Bang-won knows the truth behind why she’s acting the way she is.

When she asks why he won’t stop smiling, Bang-won pulls her into a hug and asks her why she didn’t tell him that they’d known each other before. He holds her close as he tells her that it doesn’t matter either way—from the moment she set fire to the grain storage, from the moment she stole his clothes, and even the moment she ran away from him at the inn, he knew she was the one.

Boon-yi is silent as he reaches his hand up to her cheek as if to lean in for something much more intimate, but the gesture reminds her too much of when her oppa had reached out for Yeon-hee during the festival, right before everything went to hell.

She pushes his hand away and runs off, gripping her chest. She can’t understand why she thought of her brother during a moment where her heart was pounding and she was happy. Now she feels as if she’s betraying him, but she still can’t make heads or tails of what she’s feeling. “What should I do? What should I do?” she repeats to herself.

But she’s made a decision by the time Bang-won catches up to her. “I have no feelings of attachment for you,” she says stoically. “It’s been a long time since I’ve decided not to feel that with anyone. I can’t bring myself to love someone. I find being loved cumbersome and I hate it. What’s the point of affection and love in this destitute world? I was merely grateful that you saved me. We share the same intentions and goals, like comra—… That’s right, like comrades.”

The part about being comrades seems to be said more to convince herself than him, as she adds that Jung Do-jeon said that the bond between comrades is stronger than a familial bond. Bang-won tries to come to terms with all she’s said, boiling it down to one question: Is she rejecting him right now?

Short answer? Yes. Her explanation is that their class difference makes it impossible for her to even dream of loving him, since she’d be punished dearly for it. Though a tear snakes down her cheek as she says this, her stance remains firm.

Though Yak San hasn’t directly incriminated Lee In-gyeom, he doesn’t need Minister Hong to tell him that it’s only a matter of time. Of course, Hong offers to make sure that dirty secret never comes out in exchange for a higher government appointment, which Lee In-gyeom grants him.

However, Lee In-gyeom knows as well as he does that he did nothing to earn the right to negotiate—this was all part of someone else’s plan, and Minister Hong was nothing more than an eyeshadow-wearing pawn.

Lee In-gyeom takes his recent loss more gracefully than you’d think, and seeks an audience with General Choi since he assumes he’ll be taking over his position once he resigns. He knows he was bested in this game of mental chess with his unidentified opponent, and warns General Choi to pay close attention to Lee Seong-gye in the future. And more importantly, to the shadow behind him.

While Officer Nam voices his displeasure with Jung Do-jeon’s continued dealings with the despicable Minister Hong, Lee Seong-gye ends his ties with the minister. Now that his actions have resulted in Hong not only staying in the dodang, but even getting promoted, he considers the debt for Hong helping to pass the border plan paid.

It’s almost cute how Minister Hong thinks he can go toe to toe with Lee Seong-gye, only for the great general to remind him that he and his army have never shied away from a battle. And he’s never, ever, lost.

Minister Hong isn’t too shaken by losing Lee Seong-gye as an ally, since he and his fellow minion ministers won’t have to share the spoils of their future victories with him. They’ll also have a majority in the dodang, so they don’t need him anyway.

Jung Do-jeon is none too pleased to hear that Lee Seong-gye broke things off with Minister Hong for that very same reason, knowing that Team Hong will be able to control the dodang. He’d wanted to keep Hong as an ally as a temporary means to gain greater control, but Lee Seong-gye outright rejects that option.

He reminds Jung Do-jeon that his strength comes from the people who believe in him, and that he’d not only tarnish his reputation by allying with Minister Hong, he’d also lose their trust. He demands a different plan, which causes Jung Do-jeon to marvel (though not necessarily in the most flattering way) at Lee Seong-gye’s ambition and desire to keep his honor intact.

Bang-won returns home and sees his father for the first time since he was imprisoned, but instead of being reprimanded for his wrongdoings like he expected, his father blames himself. He can only imagine what it must have been like for Bang-won to see his father bow his head to an evil man like Lee In-gyeom, and his eyes sparkle with emotion as he asks, “To think that you saw that at such a young age, how have you been able to live all this time?”

Despite his son claiming that it was all his fault, Lee Seong-gye kneels in front of him and clasps his hand in his. “You used to be proud of me,” he says gravely. “I will become a father you can be proud of again.”

When he adds that he won’t bow to evil or do anything corrupt, Jung Do-jeon happens to be outside to overhear the exchange. Now he realizes that what he mistook for excessive ambition on Lee Seong-gye’s part (in breakin off his alliance with Minister Hong) was actually just his desire to be a father his son could be proud of.

Jung Do-jeon knows that, little by little, he’s learning more about the future king of the nation he’s going to establish. But now more than ever he knows that nothing’s going to come easy, and that the road ahead of him will be a long one.

Bang-won pouts when Boon-yi brings him food and medicine later, since he doesn’t want to accept it from a girl who claims to have no feelings for him. At least she doesn’t hide the fact that both she and Jung Do-jeon eavesdropped on his heartfelt conversation with his dad earlier, which Bang-won finds both unnerving and fascinating—Jung’s secret society knows no bounds, it seems.

With a sigh, Boon-yi admits that she envies him after hearing that conversation, since that’s what the relationship between a parent and child should be. When he asks about her family, she tells him about how her father died at war when she was three, and how her mother is likely dead too. But her story is no different from thousands in Goryeo, she claims.

She gets a little stiffer when Bang-won asks what happened to her oppa, since she remembers how she screamed at him to die when last she saw him. “He died,” she finally says, but thinks to herself, “He probably died because I told him to.” At least she takes comfort in the fact that he wouldn’t have made it in today’s world anyway, remembering him to be weak and fearful of everything.

Speaking of, a worried Gab-boon urges Bang-ji to skip town with her now that Gil Tae-mi’s on his tail, but he doesn’t feel like budging. He chalks up his recent spaciness as the result of his loss to Gil Tae-mi, but Gab-boon knows it has to do with Yeon-hee. She’s the only one who could make her orabeoni cry like that.

Yeon-hee worries for Bang-ji when she finds out that Gil Tae-mi is looking for him, and finds him alone later that night. She urges him to leave because she wants him to, explaining that she’s been having a hard time since they crossed paths again.

She assures him that she’s living happily otherwise, and frames her request in such a way that if Bang-ji refused, he’d be hurting her in the process. She knows it’s a selfish request, but she wants him to leave the capital and never return.

Boon-yi busies herself with housework that night in an effort to keep the memories of her brother from overwhelming her, which is how Bang-won finds her. He smiles that silly grin and tells her how brave she is and how much he admires her, which finally just sets her off.

She’s not any of the things he thinks she is, she claims, and all she’s doing is just trying to live. It’s that attitude that changes Bang-won’s demeanor entirely as he asks her if she really thinks he’s joking with his feelings, to which she replies that if he’s not joking, then he hasn’t matured yet.

Urging him to face reality, Boon-yi reminds him that theirs is a relationship that cannot be according to their class differences—the only way for them to be together would be for her to be his concubine, which she doesn’t want. Bang-won says that’s not what he wants either, but she knows as well as he does that it would be inevitable.

But Bang-won can only try to get across the depth of his feelings for her: “Right now, I want to become your family, your lover, and… someone special to you. Answer me. Answer me! Do you like me or not?” Boon-yi furiously wipes away a tear that escapes before she replies solemnly, “I don’t like you.”

Bang-won tries to keep a brave face, but her rejection has his bottom lip quivering ever so slightly. He asks her one more time if she really doesn’t like him, and she gives him the same reply. Once he’s gone she cries, thinking that she can’t allow herself the happiness of love, since it would just distract her from the guilt toward her brother. That’s her penance.

Minister Hong’s promotion has people lining up at his door with gifts of gold and jewels in the hopes of currying his favor, but he spends his time away from the festivities to remember when he was once a righteous man. And when he changed. “No matter how much this world will mock me for being a traitor,” he thinks, “in the end, I was victorious. I, Hong In-bang, have possession of Goryeo.”

He has the two men responsible for torturing him all those years ago brought before him, and with a cool smile he assures the frightened men that he understands they were just following orders. Then, he takes a club and bludgeons both of them to death. It isn’t quick.

Afterwards, he has no problem joining Gil Tae-mi and his closest followers for a toast in his honor. And one gets the feeling that this is only the beginning of his greater plans for domination.

Now that Lee Seong-gye’s private army will be moving to the capital with him, Bang-woo pep talks the new recruits before they’re set to start a very difficult training process. Moo-hyul and his old Master Hong are among the soldiers, but Bang-woo addresses out favorite derpy warrior specifically when he says that he’ll be taking orders from Young-kyu now.

This comes as a shock to Moo-hyul, who came in taking orders from Young-kyu’s master, but Grandma is quick to intervene on his behalf to say that starting from the bottom would be his absolute honor. Master Hong gets no extra slack when he claims to know martial arts either, since he can’t even defend himself when Bang-gwa and Young-kyu tap him with wooden swords.

Moo-hyul whines to Boon-yi about having to start from the bottom when he’s so much better than that, and she tries her best not to laugh in his face. Aww. But she stiffens when he asks where she goes all alone every day, and gives the lame explanation that she just really, really likes to buy taffy. Why do I feel like Moo-hyul’s going to take that literally and bring her a bouquet of taffy?

In the New Joseon Cave, Shin-jeok frets that they have no hope in the dodang if Lee Seong-gye broke his alliance with Minister Hong (who has the majority), but Jung Do-jeon sees it differently. Minister Hong made a fatal error by pushing Lee In-gyeom out, because it’ll lead to a new force entering the dodang.

And just like clockwork, Minister Hong invites that force in of his own volition, thinking that the famous Haedong Gapjok, a clan of nobles from the Silla era, will be of help to their cause.

The Haedong Gapjok become aware of Lee In-gyeom’s ousting and are worried about Minister Hong’s ascent to power, while the leader’s daughter seems to be on the exact same page as Jung Do-jeon when she tells her father that Minister Hong made a mistake in pushing out Lee In-gyeom.

This politically minded girl is MIN DA-KYUNG (Gong Seung-yeon), who’s described in the chyron as Bang-won’s future Queen Wongyeong. Even her father is impressed with her acumen, which I’m guessing will really come in handy soon.

Jukryong guesses that Minister Hong will burn hot and die out quickly, judging by how much he changed almost overnight with his promotion. Hong will make sure the Haedong Gapjok come to support him, and won’t hear another word about it. And Jukryong doesn’t have another word about it, since his men have finally tracked Bang-ji down.

He and Gab-boon are already talking about leaving the capital to pursue their fortunes elsewhere, but Bang-ji’s spidey senses clue him into the men tailing them. He grabs Gab-boon by the hand and makes a run for it, only to find himself surrounded by a small army of Jukryong’s men.

Instead of giving up, he only grabs Gab-boon’s hand tighter and runs faster. He fails to notice he’s been shot with a paralyzing needle until his arm starts to shake. Gab-boon tastes the poison and knows immediately what it is, just as she knows there’s nothing he can do but try and hide until the effects wear off.

She knows that the monks chasing him are from Biguk Temple, and that they stay away from the gibang since they’re no friends of Cho-young’s. He’ll be safe there while she goes out to distract the guards.

It’s true that Cho-young’s masked amazon warriors won’t allow the Biguk thugs to search the place, which leaves Bang-ji hidden and within earshot of Cho-young’s secret meeting room. There, she tells her girls to keep a sharp eye out for intelligence now that Lee In-gyeom’s been ousted, but keeps Yeon-hee behind for a private chat.

He recognizes Yeon-hee instantly as she lies to Cho-young about knowing less than she did, since Cho-young doesn’t suspect that she’s working as a double agent for Jung Do-jeon. But he’s more floored by the revelation that Yeon-hee’s a spy for the gibang, and recognizes her spy name, Ja Il-saek.

Once the effects of the poison have worn off, Bang-ji tails Yeon-hee secretly, wondering how she got herself into such a mess. When he sees her meet with Jung Do-jeon and hears that it was her idea to spare Yak San (since she’d feigned ignorance with Cho-young), he also realizes that she’s a double agent.

He confronts her once she’s alone, and gets her attention when he mentions her spy name and all the terrible legends that have been spun around it. Did she lie to him about living a happy life? Why would she put herself in such a scary and dangerous line of work? “Tell me why!” He demands.

“Viper,” Yeon-hee calls him by his secret name with tears brimming in her eyes. “Viper. You killed Baek Yoon. You shook up the dodang and the world of politics. I don’t think an assassin like you… should be saying something like that to me.”

 
COMMENTS

Well, I’d say she’s right in this case, since it is a bit like the spy pot calling the secret agent kettle black. And for just a second there even I’d forgotten about who he really is and what he’s done, since most of what we saw this episode was Bang-ji the Lovelorn, just looking to do right by the woman he’s wronged. He got tricked by Yeon-hee’s well-meaning noble idiocy act into thinking that he was bringing her down, having believed her lie about living happily.

Who knows, though—maybe being a double agent does make her happy, since I’d believe that happiness in times like these is probably based on how not-dead you are at any given moment. And maybe it’s unfair to claim noble idiocy when it comes to her, but anytime someone cries when emphatically sending someone else away, it usually means they’re saying one thing while meaning another. That was true for both women who had to fend off romantic entanglements this hour, which meant it wasn’t the best time to be a young man in love. The future’s not looking too rosy either.

Don’t get me wrong, seeing both Bang-ji and Bang-won in a (presumed) one-sided affair tugs at the heartstrings in all the right places, and it just makes sense at this point that neither have been very successful. Bang-ji is too full of guilt to ever love openly, which is why his love manifests itself in his anxiety over Yeon-hee’s safety. And Boon-yi’s love similarly comes from her concern for Bang-won, as evidenced by her backseat doctoring when he was getting treated for his wounds.

But Bang-won is so idealistic and headstrong that he doesn’t understand why he can’t just love the way he wants, which is why his honesty about his feelings was actually quite refreshing. It was a natural progression on his part, and whatever extra sympathy it might’ve garnered for him was mitigated by Boon-yi’s straightforward reasoning. Because it’d just so happen that every time I felt sad for Bang-won’s loveless plight, I’d listen to Boon-yi’s reasoning and realize that yeah, maybe Bang-won isn’t quite thinking this all the way through. And then I’d go back to feeling simultaneously bad for both of them.

At the same time, his intentions are pure, and Boon-yi seems to know that. She wouldn’t be crying over sending him away if she didn’t like him in return, but this episode seemed to hone in on how the normally cool and collected Boon-yi we’re used to seeing is actually a girl who’s barely keeping herself together. And for reasons I’m sure Freud would have a lot of fun dissecting, being in that intimate moment with Bang-won reminded her too much of her brother and of her ensuing guilt. Good luck getting that association out of your head. I do wonder though, if this Goryeo has masked amazonian warriors and super secret double agents, would it be so out of line for it to have a shrink or ten?

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