TSWWTN: EPISODE 19

THE SCHOLAR WHO WALKS THE NIGHT

EPISODE 19

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Pensive look

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Kim Sung Yeol: Baring his fangs

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Charming scholar

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Charming smile

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Seductive look

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Athletic: Jumping for joy

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Sexy

SAD GOODBYES

KIM SUNG YEOL FINDS HIS FEET AGAIN

At the opening of  Episode 19 of ‘The Scholar Who Walks The Night’, a young girl whom Kim Sung Yeolhas previously saved, comes to his rescue. Kim Sung Yeol and Lee Yoon have been battling with some vampires who have caused mayhem in one of the villages. Despite that, the people fear Kim Sung Yeolbecause of his reputation as a fiendish vampire. Is it true or is it a rumour that Kim Sung Yeol is demonic?

‘This is the Night Scholar’, the girl excitedly exclaims. He is the one who has helped the girls when they are about to be sacrificed to Gwi. The surprised crowd have already known about The Night Scholar because of Jo Yang Sun’s novels. The bewildered and nonplussed vampire suddenly finds himself to be at the receiving end of much warmth, love and acceptance. His reputation is restored and he could now face society again.

HERD MENTALITY

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Previously, the people have taken an aversion to the vampire, Kim Sung Yeol and King Lee Yoon because of  Gwi’s propoganda. He has cooked up and  weaved a story of elaborate lies accusing Kim Sung Yeol of controlling the palace and  that King Lee Yoon is being kept under the vampire’s thumb. Their fear of the vampire has led them to make decisions based on the actions of others. Being mindless and not knowing what to think, they follow the crowd, like a flock of sheep, to their peril. They reject the vampire scholar and spurn their king in favour of Gwi.

As the saying goes, ‘Collective fear stimulates herd instincts’. Their behaviour resembles those who have herd mentality. They follow a piped piper, without realising it.  Gwi, who plays the piped piper, calls the tune and leads the people to their deaths. Many people do not realise it until it is too late.

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Upon hearing the 360° change in the people’s attitude towards him, Gwi orders that those who help The Night Scholar to be targeted to be killed. Those who could hunt Kim Sung Yeol down would be richly rewarded.

Gwi’s hypocrisy and nefarious character are finally unmasked and he is beginning to terrorise the people again. In the midst of all this, his rule comes under mounting criticism from all sides. The kingdom has fallen deeper on evil times.

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KIM SUNG YEOL’S SELF-DOUBTS

However, the people, including the little children, cherish Kim Sung Yeol’s presence and cling to the glimmer of hope that he represents.

King Lee Yoon asks Kim Sung Yeol whether he still nurses a nagging self-doubt about himself. Does he harbour the persistent feeling that he is no different from the diabolical vampire, Gwi? The King implies that Kim Sung Yeol is different. He is too humble as he does not give himself credit for saving people. He only sees his own dark side, not his positive traits. He is meant to shine and he forgets to give himself a pat on the back.

The king feels that Kim Sung Yeol should not be plagued with self-doubt. The people have read Jo Yang Sun’s novel, which has inspired them to trust him. He is not a fictional character or a figment of their imagination. He is real to them and has become somebody who is powerful beyond measure. The people need hope and when they look at him, they seeThe Night Scholar. Kim Sung Yeol just needs to have trust in himself. He has become a beacon of light and a symbol of hope for them.

King Lee Yoon encourages Kim Sung Yeol to work together as a team to bring back to the people what is rightfully theirs. Kim Sung Yeol is sad that he should be the one who has to destroy Gwi, and also the one to be destroyed along with Gwi.  What the people need is the King Lee Yoon and not him. The king tells him not to think of death and to cherish Jo Yang Sun.

What stirs King Lee Yoon’s curiosity is his ancestor Crown Prince Jung Hyun. It gives Kim Sung Yeol the  invitation to reassure him that the Crown Prince is a righteous and capable person and these are essential prerequisites for a good king. Crown Prince Jung Hyun is described as a playful person as he has written erotic books but he is also serious about his great plans. Kim Sung Yeol jokes that he has some knowledge of the erotic pictures. He concludes that both King Lee Yoon and the Crown Prince have the qualities and attributes of a good king and these to the viewers, serve as a contrast to the incumbent king, Gwi.

Kim Sung Yeol and King Lee Yoon’s heart-to-heart talk showcases their strong friendship. The drama has chronicled their journey together from the beginning and how their lives link in the search of a way to destroy Gwi. There is a strong whiff of bromance here. 

THE EFFECT OF

‘THE NIGHT SCHOLAR’ SERIES

In one scene, Jo Yang Sun, overcome by lassitude, has fallen asleep at her desk but wakes up to discover both she and Soo Hyang have been waiting for Kim Seong Yeol. The difference is she has fallen asleep while Soo Hyang has been fully awake and vigilant, and has been patiently waiting for him.

The humorous Ho Jin comes back announcing thatKim Sung Yeol and the King have gone around helping people on their rescue missions. Both women are pleased that they are safe and sound. They have been made to understand that Gwi has also sent soldiers to put up ‘wanted’ posters of Kim Sung Yeol everywhere. But as soon as those are posted, they are immediately ripped off from the notice boards.

The Confucian scholars meet and discuss the subversive content of ‘The Night Scholar’ series and steer their agenda towards the issue of enthroning the previous king, Lee Yoon, again. Many people are influenced to rebel against the evil vampire, Gwi. Black robes are sold off like hot cakes as people have decided to join the insurgent group, The Black Robes.This has been partly due Jo Yang Sun’s remarkable, provocative story-writing skills about Kim Sung Yeol’sstruggle against the evil vampire Gwi and the novels have fired the imagination of the people. They have inflamed public feelings against Gwi so much so that Gwi would not have the carte blanche to tyrannize the people anymore.

Ho Jin, who has been constantly providing comic relief in the drama, dramatically poses the question that is in most people’s minds, ‘What will happen in the finale of ‘The Night Scholar’ series?’ The people are curious about how ‘The Night Scholar’ series would end but the question is doomed to remain unanswered.

LOVEY DOVEY BLISS

Kim Sung Yeol returns home and is greeted by Soo Hyang and Ho Jin.

Evidently, absence has made his heart fonder. It seems he could not wait a minute to see Jo Yang Sun. Soo Hyang is very understanding and keeps her disappointment at bay. She knows that the lovers have been apart for some time and they miss each other. Real love has no room for jealousy. This is a story of a strong woman’s abiding love for Kim Sung Yeol, and she stands by him through the thick and thin even though he loves another. Where does one find such love nowadays?

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Jo Yang Sun is busy writing her novel. Kim Sung Yeolpeeks over her shoulder and peers at her story as she writes. Hold your breath.

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‘The Night Scholar rises once again with the help of the people and returns to his lover and hugs her tightly’.

Love overflows in Kim Sung Yeol’s brain. Amused, he hugs her. Life imitates art.

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She is the absolute love of his life. His soulmate. She  probably has butterflies in her tummy when he holds her. He lovingly discloses to her that her fame has surpassed that of ‘The Lustful Student’. He demands to know how her story would end. She says, ‘The Night Scholar lives blissfully with the woman he loves forever.’ ‘Forever’ means ‘until the end of time’ like that of a vampire’s life.

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Jo Yang Sun then pulls him into the bright light next to the wall and divulges that she writes about him to let people know his true self and nature, and gain a sense of who he really is. She wants to remove their false illusions about him.

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It is a romantic, electric moment, breathless wih anticipation. She asks Kim Sung Yeol coyly whether he misses her. His eyes seem to dance as he responds positively. She flirts with him by asking him eagerly what he should do then since he is with the person whom he misses.  He beams like a Cheshire cat and brushes his hand gently across her face. Then, he leans over and plants a tender, lingering kiss on her lips. Their lips entwine. A warm jolt must have passed through her. It’s a pity that Kim Sung Yeol is every inch a gentleman in this scene and the viewers do not get to see anything more passionate than that.

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Jo Yang Sun is kissed by Kim Sung Yeol

TOUCHING EMOTIONAL SCENE

LOVE BEYOND DESCRIPTION SOO HYANG’S CONFESSION

Kim Sung Yeol instructs Soo Hyang to meet with a Qing Dynasty trader to get an ample supply of explosives. He wants to plant explosives in Gwi’s underground palace and explode them so that the place would be completely devastated. She has been his very effective and efficient right-hand woman. She asks whether he is planning to sacrifice his life for the people in his fight with Gwi.

When he confesses grimly that he intends to do so, she cries out in anguish at the thought of his impending death. Her facial expression shows that she must have felt a dreadful ache, as if something is tearing inside her. It is an emotional scene between the woman in the background who has to bear with her unrequited love, and the man in the spotlight whom she has admired, respected and loved so dearly all her life. It is a profound revelation that she, like ‘the giving tree’, has been continually giving and expecting nothing in return.

The Giving Tree

He and his happiness have always been her priority. She puts his needs above her own. Her love is unconditional. There are no expectations and no limitations. She harbours no jealousy nor possessiveness. Many people are inherently selfish and self-centred but not Soo Hyang. She genuinely cares for his happiness and goes to great lengths to make him happy.

But, her love is unreciprocated.  Their love is platonic. It is a non-transactional relationship - a deep non-sexual friendship between two heterosexual people. It is chaste and passionate on her part, but affectionate on his part.

He points out, ‘Didn’t you also try to sacrifice your life when you were trapped in Gwi’s underground palace?’However, he forbids her from ever having thoughts of dying together with him.

He reveals that she is the one who has awaken in him the meaning of life when his vampire life is at rock bottom. Having saved her from a vampire and seeing her mature into a beautiful grown woman has made him happy. Her presence in his life has been inspirational to him.

The viewers understand the message he is conveying to her: she is not his love interest but he loves her as 'a daughter' and is grateful for her help. What is left unspoken in his mind is that he is her father, being 120 years old. He, being her saviour, has taken care of her all her life, and considers himself to be her guardian and father. If he is her father, he cannot conduct an incestuous relationship with her even, if she is willing to be bitten by him.

There is no romantic chemistry. She cries and he understands, and tells her that she has to live happily until the end of her life. The way he looks at her is moving. It is so full of pure love. Fatherly love.

Her fragile composure cracks. ‘All the moments that I have lived with my master have been happy’, she confesses with so much passion that tears roll down her face. He already knows that and has understood. She has never betrayed him nor has she resented his love for Jo Yang Sun though it pains her. Here is a woman who sacrifices her life so that he may live better. She has cared for him in his suffering and has been by his side, being his companion advising him, caring for him and being his sounding board for a long time. She is almost like his wife to him except for the intimacy.

Love for Kim Sung Yeol: Soo Hyang's heartache

Lucky Kim Sung Yeol, he has his beloved on one side and a spare companion on the other.

Two persons. A man and a woman looking at love differently. It is an utterly profound and moving moment that is defining for the both of them.

Ho Jin interrupts to tell him something important.

DISCUSSION

‘THE STRUGGLE AGAINST EVIL’

The deposed king, Lee Yoon who has been edged out by Gwi, is still struggling for his kingdom. He says the membership of The Black Robes movement has mushroomed, and it has flourished because the people, through Kim Sung Yeol and Jo Yang Sun’s tireless efforts, have finally realised and understood their plans to dispose of the evil vampire who is wielding enormous power in the palace.

When the identity of The Black Robes is exposed, the people would be engaged in a bitter fight with Gwi. Kim Sung Yeol fears that there will be more sacrifices.

Lee Yoon is certain that Gwi’s abominable frabrication of the truth will soon be known and exposed to the entire kingdom and Gwi would not be able to manipulate the people anymore, even if he creates more vampires to keep them in fear.

Kim Sung Yeol concurs that Gwi is heinous, the ‘worst of the worst creatures’ and asserts that they need a plan to kill him swiftly.

Lee Yoon agrees but on the condition that any plan against Gwi  should not involve Kim Sung Yeol or Jo Yang Sun’s personal sacrifice. Lee Yoon also does not want the people to be in the frontlines in the fight against the evil vampire.

Kim Sung Yeol is unconvinced that a bloodless revolution is possible. It is difficult to win the fight against Gwi without shedding blood.

Lee Yoon ponders on his role in the battle against Gwi. He wonders why the king’s 'determination or will' is needed to overcome Gwi. Some people who are greedy for power will be assisted by Gwi. 'If Jo Yang Sun, who is linked to Gwi’s matrilineal line collaborates with the guardian vampire, Kim Sung Yeol, will their combined power be enough to kill Gwi?'

According to Kim Sung Yeol, if their combined power, like Gwi’s power, is unchecked, it might also wreak havoc on the Joseon world. He warns that uncontrolled power will result in catastrophes. What he means is ‘Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely’. Is this a foreshadowing of some sort? Does it mean that it is better that one or both of them should also disappear?

Lee Yoon postulates that even if everything is set straight again, even when the fight with Gwi is over, if the new king forgets the important lesson of the crucial leadership role of the king, history would repeat itself. He declares that whether he becomes king again is really up to the decision of the people.

There is a commotion outside. Gwi’s soldiers have discovered their hideout and have come to capture the king. The Black Robes defend the king and Kim Sung Yeol also comes to his rescue. He frightens the lackeys of Gwi by baring his fangs.

A MORE EFFECTIVE PLAN

AN ALTERNATIVE PLAN WITH A WINNING EDGE

Kim Sung Yeol and those in his household are abuzz with nervous energy and are in the midst of deliberating on the ways to get rid of Gwi. In this discussion, it is shown that intelligence is not exclusive to any one person. It is the meeting of ‘great’ minds, I should think. They put their heads together to analyse the ways to trap Gwi. True to the saying that ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’, the group are inventive and analytical and offer ingenious ways to destroy Gwi.

Kim Sung Yeol stresses to the group that he does not want to dilly-dally or procrastinate anymore. He advocates a bloodless revolt to get rid of Gwi swiftly. This proposal reflects his humanity - his human qualities and his love for the people as he puts their welfare above his own.

Jo Yang Sun suggests using explosives to detonate the underground palace, to destroy everything. Gwi would be killed instantaneously.

Soo Hyang thinks otherwise. She drives home the point that the explosion would not be violent enough to cause major damage unless explosives are also planted inside the underground palace. Gwi would survive the blast if the explosives are not strategically placed.

Ho Jin says it is not possible to carry so many explosives in broad daylight to the underground palace without being detected. Gwi would sense it. Alarm bells would sound and he would kill if he emerges from his underground palace at night.

Kim Sung Yeol proposes that he would battle Gwi in his underground palace. When Gwi’s mind is distracted, they could plant and detonate the explosives to raze his palace to the ground. However, they need a systematic plan of action, and it is imperative that they pay attention to the details. Everyone’s role must be clearly defined.

Shocked by the implication of his proposal, Jo Yang Sun reverses her earlier suggestion of using explosives. She contradicts herself stating that the transferring and planting of the explosives in the underground palace is difficult. Truth be told, she is fearful of the implications of Kim Sung Yeol’s plan. The explosion might jeopardise his life. Ho Jin also supports her and raises his objections.

Instead, Jo Yang Sun wants the earlier plan to be aborted and suggests that Kim Sung Yeol drink her blood, and when her blood sends him doolally or makes him psychotic, he must remember to be in total control of his mind, and find a way to regain command over his beastly instincts.

Kim Sung Yeol declares he is different from Hae Seo who has turned him into a vampire. Hae Seo has lived hundreds of years but he does not want that sort of life.

They are not able to come to a final common ‘one-size suits all’ solution. In order for the plan to succeed, for good to triumph over evil, they need a fail-proof plan that satisfies everyone.

Once the discussion is over, Jo Yang Sun thinks of how she could mix her blood into Kim Sung Yeol’sdrinks. He is fine just taking one drop. Perhaps if she increases his intake of her blood bit by bit, he might grow stronger. It is, however, a plan that is of dubious merit.

The former king comes for a visit. Kim Sung Yeolannounces his plan of setting up explosives to explode the underground palace and make it Gwi’s grave. He will enter the palace and do battle with him, exhaust him and tie him up and that will buy them time to explode the palace.

This, according to Kim Sung Yeol, is the best plan – a plan with the winning edge and will definitely trap Gwi. He continues talking about the idea that it is his destiny to disappear with Gwi. He is fatalistic and has no intention of coming out of the underground palace alive.

Lee Yoon is aghast at the idea of him dying for the cause and emphatically belabour the point that he would not commit another sin against Jo Yang Sun. Imagine her absolute misery living her life without him. He argues that they are fighting to protect those who are important in their lives, not fighting to lose them. He requests that Kim Sung Yeol delay putting his plan into action as the people are gathering strength for their uprising.

Meanwhile, Kim Sung Yeol is thinking strategically about what Jo Yang Sun has mentioned in their discussion.  ‘Gwi cannot roam outside in broad daylight.’ He is confined to the underground palace during the day. He realises that the only way to kill Gwi is to set off explosives in the underground palace. Perhaps he is also thinking of using the light to his advantage to defeat Gwi.

Later, he spots the former king and accosts him. Lee Yoon reminds him of his promise not to be rash and that he should ensure that he survives the ordeal for Jo Yang Sun’s happiness.

TOUCHING EMOTIONAL SCENE

GWI – A DOG IN A MANGER

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In one scene, before Queen Choi Hye Ryung’s death, Gwi shares his innermost thoughts with her. He seems to enjoy her company.

Gwi towers over the petite Queen Choi Hye Ryung. He tells her not to be afraid of him. Is he saying that she has won his affections?

He has lived for hundreds of years. He seems to be reminded of his past weakness of falling for a human. The presence of the Queen seems to prick his memory of his beloved whom he has killed because she has secretly given birth to their child. ‘In the end, giving your affection to someone becomes your weakness,’he muses. 

He comes back to the present and reminds her that she is the one who told him not to disregard the human heart. He is also contemplating on how to deal with the former king, Lee Yoon. Lee Yoon’s affection and love for his queen is his weakness. Gwi is planning to bring Lee Yoon to his downfall by taking advantage of his weakness.

The Queen tries to stop the depraved Gwi from harming Lee Yoon by offering to be bitten by him. He could easily tell that she is genuinely fearful and alarmed for Lee Yoon. He promises he would do it in time to come but why be in such a hurry. He asks why is it that she could not stand the sight of him for another second. Is he so detestable in her sight? Is Gwi implying that he has been trying to obtain her affection but couldn’t?

It couldn’t be more obvious when Choi Hye Ryung pleads with him to take her elsewhere where they can retire together that she is desperately trying to protect her king. Gwi is not impressed as he understands her like the back of his hand. She is trying at all costs to stop him from harming the one she loves, King Lee Yoon. Gwi snidely interrogates her about her real intentions of wanting to uproot herself and relocate elsewhere with him, a person whom she detests? Is it not true that she wants to save her beloved consort, Lee Yoon? Since her true feelings have been exposed, Choi Hye Ryung defiantly declares that she is willing to sacrifice herself in order to save her king from Gwi’s clutches.

Gwi continues to prod her if she knows his true feelings and she goads him by saying that he does not understand human feelings. She clearly means that he has only vampire feelings.

He is stark raging mad with her. She must have touched a raw nerve. He is still carrying a certain amount of emotional baggage. He remembers his past love but refuses to love again. His relationship with the queen is a love-hate relationship. He loves her but is in denial. He bellows at her, saying that he has lived for hundreds of years but she has only known him for ten years, so, how could she understand him? What was he thinking, barking at her as if she were his personal slave for him to castigate and mow down at will?

This is a moving scene of the evil, cold-blooded vampire who has let his guard down and has allowed his emotional defences to be broken by Queen Choi Hye Ryung.

Gwi is not blind to her antagonism towards him. She loathes him and looks at him in disdain. Roused to anger, he declares vengefully he would get even with her, that he will watch her suffer in pain till the end. He is planning to lure Lee Yoon to the palace and relish his moment of revenge. He will not let on about his evil plans and that he would only decide what he would do based on how the situation turns out.

A MINOR TWIST IN THE STORY

Does he have a twisted mind? No, what this scene is leading us into is a minor twist in the story, that is Gwi has fallen in love with Queen Choi Hye Ryung! If he cannot have her affections, no one else could. He is similar to the dog in Aesop’s fable entitled ‘A Dog In A Manger’.

He then roughly drags her with him for his audience with the palace officials.

Aesop's Fable: The Dog In The Manger

THE BAIT

SET THE QUEEN TO CATCH THE KING

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The head of the militia reports that they have discovered the former king’s hideout but are unable to arrest those on the ‘wanted’ list. Gwi is enraged at human incompetence and cruelly uses a scroll to hit him. Death comes swiftly. The powerless human falls to the ground. Might is, indeed to the wicked, right.

The Prime Minister reports to King Gwi that the people have realised the truth concerning the palace intrigues. They know that Gwi is the mastermind in the fabrication of stories about Kim Sung Yeol and the former king, Lee Yoon. The truth has spread like wildfire through the grapevine so the Prime Minister warns him that he cannot control the people with violence anymore. In the wake of the people’s discovery, the issue has to be immediately addressed.

In the palace meeting, Gwi is informed that Kim Sung Yeol’s followers are increasing and that the leader ofThe Black Robes is the former king, Lee Yoon.

Gwi will not spare the former king. It is not surprising to see Gwi resorting to foul means and doing his worst to achieve his goals. The question is, how can he, the hunter, capture his prey?

He has already chosen the bait to catch his vulnerable prey, Lee Yoon. The queen, Choi Hye Ryung, has all along been hinting to Gwi about his lack of wisdom in understanding the human heart. Her taunts, suddenly, have an effect on him. It takes a human to know a human. He remembers that she often naively mocks him about his failures and his useless plans. He has now admitted that he has underestimated the strength of human beings. They may submit temporarily to him but he has not been able to worm his way into their hearts.

Finally, it dawns on him what he should do. He is now able to fathom human emotions. Now he has understood what Choi Hye Ryung has revealed to him.‘Those with a human heart follow who they trust and long to protect the one they love’. It is ironic that the naïve Queen has shown him the way to capture her own beloved consort!  Now Gwi wants to use this as his strategy – to use it against her in the end.

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Gwi has already a smart hunting plan in mind - to lure Lee Yoon to come forward out of his own free will. Queen Choi Hye Ryung is going to be the bait. She is the most effective choice and is superior to the others. Playing on Lee Yoon’s deep love for Choi Hye Ryung, Gwi is using her as a bait to draw him willingly out of the shadows. He is offering the Queen as the sacrifice.

Smart Gwi. He has finally got it! He may be already hundreds of years old – a great, great, great grandfather but then, he is never too old to learn! Mistakes are his best teachers. He has learnt from his past failures against humans. He cannot do eveything his vampire way. To defeat humans, he needs to use human ways, psychology and manipulation.

Poor Queen Choi Hye Ryung realises too late that she has been trapped and she is also the trap set for her king.  She has given Gwi the idea on how to lure the king - using human love, where his heart leads him.

Gwi drops a bombshell during the palace audience. He would publicly execute the Queen the next day. It definitely means Lee Yoon would come to her rescue. Gwi eyes Choi Hye Ryung in a meaningful way as he watches fear encapsulating her face. There is a devious, amused look in his eyes as he gloats at her.

Then, Gwi drops another bombshell. He accuses her of being vampire Kim Sung Yeol’s spy, the reason for her execution.

The Prime Minister, though normally unfazed by Gwi’s cruelty, is mortified. His daughter Choi Hye Ryung is to be put to death and he is helpless to stop it.

It is clear to the viewers that Gwi is using the Queen as the live bait but probably Gwi has no intention of killing her. He is, what is called, a sadist.  Gwi is one who derives pleasure from the suffering and pain of others. He wants to watch and toy with Lee Yoon and the Queen's feelings for each other.

Gwi wants to play on Lee Yoon’s anger. He wants to get Lee Yoon all emotionally worked up, aggravated and not thinking rationally so that he could be taken advantaged off. Lee Yoon would think emotionally, not logically so he is robbed blind. He would be so riled up that he cannot think straight.  If he walks into the palace, he is dead meat. He is going straight to his death.

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Gwi is certain that Lee Yoon is not going to avoid the trap set for him. Definitely, he will show up. He will appear because of the love for his queen, and Gwi will make a killing. Gwi is in good spirits. He loves his sport and his prize: the former King, who is riding on a wave of renewed popularity. The former king, not Kim Sung Yeol, is now at the forefront of his plans. It would rock the Joseon Kingdom to its core.

Queen Choi Hye Ryung realises too late what she has done. She has been far too clever, too smart-alecky.

Left to her own devices, she tearfully writes a secret letter to her king to prevent him from trying to rescue her. She does not mince her words when she tells him that she has been Gwi’s woman before becoming his Queen, meaning she is already not worthy of him on their wedding day.  Her letter represents a line drawn between them. She is severing their ties or bonds - their relationship as man and wife. She states, in no uncertain terms, and rather cruelly, that she is planning to live as Gwi’s woman so there is no necccesity for him to rush to the palace to rescue her. He is not to endanger himself because of her. That, she says, is her last message to him and she apologises to him for her past mistakes. Her hair pin for her chignon or binyeo accompanies the letter to indicate the message is actually from her. It is not impossible for the king to understand her real intentions.

Queen Choi Hye Ryung's letter to King Lee Yoon

When King Lee Yoon comes to know of the underlying truth behind her letter, as predicted by Gwi, he immediately wants to see the queen. Of course, he takes the bait. He would not be called a man, in this case, if he does not take the bait. After all, she is his legally-wedded wife.

Not wanting to involve Kim Sung Yeol, Lee Yoon arrives at the palace alone at night.

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Lee Yoon is made to kneel before Gwi. Men could be reduced to jelly in Gwi’s presence but not Lee Yoon. This scene shows how mature and courageous he has grown within a short space of time. Gwi is cynical of the both of them, the Queen and the former King. Lee Yoon braces himself to face his death at Gwi’s hands and tells Gwi to kill him.

Gwi takes advantage of the situation to savour this moment of humiliating the king. Raising his voice, he accuses Lee Yoon of making a mess of the palace and instigating a rebellion against him, the incumbent king. There is a menacing snap in his tone. The people who bear witness to the trumped-up charges and verbal tongue-lashing are horrified.

But what Gwi does not realise is this: ‘He who makes a snare for another, falls into it himself.’ He has underestimated the queen’s passionate love and undying devotion to the king. The queen suddenly lunges at him from behind and drives her huge silver hairpin or binyeo into his back so forcefully that it snaps.

Not realising that the attacker is the Queen, Gwi angrily swings his arm around and strikes her. Lee Yoon springs up to attack him but is stopped by Kim Sung Yeol. The Queen dies in Lee Yoon’s arms.

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Queen Choi Hye Ryung dies

Gwi is shocked by the Queen’s death. He is angry with himself and bellows his rage. 

Kim Sung Yeol realises that it is the opportunity for them to beat a hasty retreat. He quickly spirits Lee Yoon away to his residence. The king wants to die together with his queen. He has a double dose of bad luck. He has been dethroned and now, he has lost his queen. Ill-luck has dogged his steps. How much can he bear?

Kim Sung Yeol dismisses his death wish. He argues that the queen would have died needlessly if Lee Yoon goes into a depression. He must not think only of himself. He has a responsibility towards his people. Painful, though it is, he, as the king, has to bear it.

Kim Sung Yeol promises Lee Yoon that he would turn on Gwi with a vengeance, and that he will take Gwi with him to their death, probably to a gruesome death.

SOLILOQUY

Touching Emotional Scene

GWI GOES BONKERS

Gwi: Soliloquy

Queen Choi Hye Ryung dies at Gwi’s hands. The blood is on his hands.

Gwi has bellowed so loudly in his suffering that everyone present is shocked. It is because of his realisation that he loves the Queen. Carrying her corpse, he weaves frantically through the chaos and brings her back to the underground palace.

Gwi has suddenly lost his senses due to the trauma caused by the queen’s death. He is half crackling to himself and half shrieking at her. He seems to swear volubly at her for dying on him. Bizarrely.

He discloses that he has no intention of killing her, what more, killing her that easily. He  confides in her corpse that he does not want her to have an easy death because she has infuriated him. He laments that he wants her to be with him so that he can make her hate him forever. He wants to strangle her for her impertinence. He is obsessed with her, someone who despises him.  His glazed expression contains no mirth.

At one time, if the viewers remember, he even has Soo Hyang to be his companion but he has let her go. However, Choi Hye Ryung is an invaluable companion whom he has kept constantly by his side. All along, as the viewers have seen, he only loves himself. But Hye Ryung is similar to him in that she seems cold and impervious to any feeling. Perhaps he has fallen in love with someone who reflects him in certain ways.

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Who would be his companion, a verbal sparring partner? Who else, other than her, would show her insolence and call him a ‘miserable, wretched’ creature?  ‘Who? Answer me!’ he thunders in anguish to her immobile body. Her peaceful countenance registers that she has heard nothing. He cannot bring her back to life with his thunderous roars.

Now, he has to eat his words that he would never have affection for another human being again. He loves and hates her. Her death drives him out of his mind. He must have been madly in love with her but has not realised it. Gwi has never admitted to her, that he, in actual fact, loves her! It is now too late. When a person has lost something valuable, only then does he appreciate it. Gwi does not know that he has fallen until he has reached rock bottom.

The Prime Minister arrives at the underground palace in time to  witness Gwi’s bout of insanity. Nothing could have prepared him for the gory scene before him. The palace official is stumped and appears to have lost the power of speech for a moment. Gwi seems to be off his rockers. He seems to have developed tinnitus as he complains of being vexed by the bees’s constant buzzing at his ears. Having been driven round the bend, he has run amok. All round him are corpses sprawled on the ground. These are the people whom he has brutally and indiscriminately killed and dumped in his insane rampage. The vampire is possessed by demons.

It is strange to watch the almighty and arrogant Gwi apologizing to the Prime Minister for the queen’s death. He has not meant to kill his daughter.

The Prime Minister should have finally come to his senses about how wicked Gwi is but he has not. Even Gwi is shocked that he seems immune to his daughter’s death. Gwi asks whether the Prime Minister is human after all when he says that he still wants to serve him in the palace. It is not surprising that Gwi hollers at him to get out. When Gwi gives the Prime Minister a bollocking, he knows that he has been bollocked. The way Gwi delivers his words makes the viewers wince, and also rage at the Prime Minister.

The vampire seems a bit remorseful but it appears that the Prime Minister lacks a conscience. How can the viewers forgive him?

The debacle at the palace has given the viewers a sneak peek into a hidden part of Gwi’s character. It gives them something to chew on at least.

UNSAID GOODBYES

The hardest goodbyes

are those left unsaid

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Queen Choi Hye Ryung dies at Gwi’s hands in the palace when his plans turn into a fiasco. Gwi has baited Lee Yoon to go to the palace to trap him. Dying in Lee Yoon’s arm, Choi Hye Ryung manages to say her moving goodbye to her consort.

Lee Yoon falls into a depression. He wallows in self-pity and proclaims to Kim Sung Yeol that he does not wish to live but is gently admonished by Kim Sung Yeol.

Thoughts on parting

Kim Sung Yeol meets Jo Yang Sung outside the door.  The two lovebirds are saddened by the queen’s death and the king’s distress. Her tears trickled down her cheeks and he tries to choke back his tears.

As he looks deeply into her eyes, he ponders in his mind, ‘If I disappear, you would probably hurt a lot as well. You will have it hard. If I could, I want to return you to the time before you met me, and then I leave.’

What he means is that they should go back to square one, the starting point. If he has known that it would end this way, he regrets that they have met. Does he regret what he has put her through – those loving kisses, the intimate touches and the romantic moments? If he has actually said it to her, his words would have been like a knife slicing through her veins.

What he is actually saying in poetic terms is, he would like to end their relationship in this way:

‘Like a sonata, the tale has returned to the place where it began.’

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It is a visceral reminder of what people think about at the end of a relationship. But it defies belief that he is thinking in this way after she has gone on an epic romantic vampire-human journey with him.

The Confucian scholars gather the people together with the intention of unseating King Gwi, the vampire-king,  who has ascended the throne illegally. The crowd is in an uproar. His evil deeds have been revealed, including his dirty trick of creating the vampires. The king is an evil vampire. They are driven into action.

Kim Sung Yeol has been informed that they would be gathering for the rebellion the next day. Soo Hyang assures him that the explosives are ready and stored in Hwayang-gak. Kim Sung Yeol wants to call for a meeting with The Black Robes at Hwayang-gak.

Ho Jin also wants to go along but his master entrusts the task of ensuring the safety and welfare of King Lee Yoon to him. He explains that those who preserve the world are not the people who fight but people who raise life after a bloodbath. He does not want Jo Yang Sun to know about his impending departure because of her deep devotion to him and he knows that she would be inconsolable. She overhears the conversation.

Kim Sung Yeol tells Jo Yang Sun he has a place that he needs to visit but he would be back. She wants to see him out. It is a very sad but unspoken goodbye.

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They talk about ‘The Night Scholar’ story. It is actually their story but it is as if they are talking about some fictional characters.

She adjusts the strings to his gat, just like a modern wife would adjust her husband’s tie. This act reflects their deep relationship. They are soulmates and kindred spirits. They look picture-postcard perfect as they gaze deeply into each other’s eyes.

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She asks 'If he fights Gwi and dies, what ending would he want in ‘The Night Scholar’ story?' He answers that if Gwi were to disappear from the face of the earth, it would not be a bad conclusion to the story. He looks at her wondering what her thoughts are and fails to realise she has already known the reason why he is leaving.

‘What would happen to his beloved who is left behind?’ she questions. He responds that she would grieve for awhile but as time passes, her pain would diminish and heal. She would have closure and she would soon realise that The Night Scholar would want her to be happy always.

She declares that the girl in the story is not weak but has decided to live and die by The Night Scholar’sside. And if he understands that, he won’t die in the end but would come back to her.

Jo Yang Sun, suppressing her tears, promises to complete her story and requests that he return to read the ending of her story. He smiles sadly, and promises to fulfil her request.

He is overwhelmed by his love for her, and thinking of her living in sorrow if he never comes back. He, himself, however, does not have to suffer the pain of losing his beloved, if he dies.  Knowing her, he knows the wound and scar would never heal and she would be hurt and be broken-hearted forever. He chokes up with despair but manages to hold back his tears. She understands by looking at his glistening eyes the inordinate amount of pain he is going through. They are hiding the sad truth from each other, both knowing that he intends to die with Gwi in the final battle. They have so much to say but the words don’t come out. He does not tell her what she wants to hear. The sorrow they feel makes them bleed. Both seem to be immeasurably sad and are struggling to maintain their composure.

However, when he leaves, there are tears in his eyes. He walks away from her but turns back one last time and says softly, ‘I’m sorry’ though not within earshot, meaning that he has to break his promise to her. He does not understand that his broken promise would be like a broken mirror to her, if he dies.

She does not say her goodbye because she wants to remain positive. For his part, Kim Sung Yeol does not know how to say it. Is he letting go of everything? It is painful and she cannot tell him to stay. She knows that even if she tries to retain him, he will not stay.

The viewers also feel the heightened tension and their heart seems to be sinking as well. The scene arouses enormous sadness, and when Kim Sung Yeol cries, they also cry copious tears. It is a gut-wrenching scene.

Unsaid Goodbyes

Kim Sung Yeol has a 120 year old burden, a responsibility and mission that he has to fulfill. He has been preparing for a face-off with Gwi for decades. The confrontation will be a huge, unforgiving battle that will determine the future of the Joseon world. He will not allow his emotions to distract him from his greater mission in life.

He goes to meet The Black Robes and tells them he would fight Gwi in the underground palace and they are instructed to blow the underground palace to smithereens. Kim Sung Yeol, in crystal-clear terms, declares he would die with Gwi. Time is a luxury they do not have, so they have to work efficiently.