Post by ajk on Sept 13, 2013 22:36:05 GMT -5
A suddenly frightened Gangneung fesses up as they struggle for the goblet. "I tried to deceive you. I apologize. So let go of this and go back home." But why does the concern on his face make us doubt him? He says he'll go see the empress and convince her to forget the wedding. But she shoves him away and tries to drink from the goblet. He lunges forward and smacks the goblet out of her hand; it goes flying and the contents spill everywhere. A beautiful ginger cat nearby walks to the spilled wine and takes a lick (What cat drinks wine? UGH!) and immediately slumps over and meows uncomfortably, obviously sickened. So it was poisonous. He tells her he wanted her to choose the safe goblet so he could die; she calls him a coward for the entire stunt and storms away. (Don't worry, prince--if that cat doesn't recover then I'm on my way to Yanjing to grant your wish. Slowly and painfully. You saved that deer, not wanting to see an animal die for no good reason. Why didn't you protect the cat? $%#& @%#, &?/*&$@!)
Later, the prince is with An and Pyeonjo. He's told them about the whole thing. Pyeonjo asks him what he'd have done if the princess had chosen the safe goblet. He ducks the question. "Was she someone you liked?" No answer. "It looked like a profound relationship to me, Your Highness. You even put your own lives on the line tonight. Wouldn't that be a sign that this was not just a simple chance meeting?" Again, no answer. Maybe Pyeonjo's right...he adds, "I encountered a fascinating beast standing outside Gaeseong's palace. With a huge lump on its back. It came from a faraway country called Arabia. It is called camel. I plan to leave and find that camel once again, Your Highness." What does that have to do with this? "Think of tonight as a special meeting, and cherish it." And with that, he walks out into the night, like he's really leaving for good. An runs after him and asks him to stay because he's enlivened the prince's dreary existence. "I'm no monk," Pyeonjo tells him; "just a charlatan." Then makes a sarcastic comment (in fun) about his time with the prince being some sort of hell. And with that, bows and leaves. Gangneung is close enough to the door to hear this--and to stop him from leaving--but only chuckles.
Next morning: Pyeonjo goes to Daguan Temple, where Won Hyeon is staying. Jihyo is there, but Won's not in his room. Jihyo tells him that Won "is doing three thousand bows at the shrine." To pray for Pyeonjo to return to the faith!
So he goes to the shrine and finds Won doing just that, and looking pretty tired from it. It obviously moves him; he's at a loss for words.
Next day: They're back in Won's room, Won looking beyond happy. I guess it worked, or at least Won thinks it worked. Won is packing up; they're going to head west together, probably towards Arabia. Jihyo's going as well. They set out; it's a beautiful day for a 5,000 mile walk(!).
Now look at this--they're on top of the Great Wall! THE Great Wall. It's not an easy walk--very hilly; lots of climbing and descending.
Evening: They've found shelter in a room somewhere and are enjoying an evening meal.
Days later: They've reached the edge of a desert. A nasty wind blows sand at them. They wrap up their heads with scarves and continue on...which doesn't seem very wise, does it....
Nighttime: Are they lost? They're headed for Tibet, we learn, but Won is worried that Pyeonjo has led them astray. Uh-oh.
Yanjing: Botap Shili is still so steamed about the whole goblet stunt that she goes right to Empress Gi--and tells her she'll marry Gangneung if the empress will release her father! Huh? Maybe she figures with Gangneung's death wish, it will be a short marriage. And another thing: "Make that man Goryeo's new king." Attendant Park cautions her to be respectful but she just about bites his head off--she is really angry! The empress says it's not so easy to just make him king, but Botap is sure she can if she really wants to. And besides, she adds, I was nearly the crown prince's wife; can't you at least let me be the wife of an outlying king? "If you don't plan to kill me, allow me that much dignity." The empress smiles. "Let's think about it." Not good enough. "I want your promise, here and now." Careful, Botap....
Now she's visiting her father; brought him some food she made. Don't marry that prince just for me, he tells her. But she doesn't want him to think about that; she wants him to eat and get his strength back, so that he can continue on and hopefully get the crown prince back from exile.
Gangneung is sharing a drink with his three visitors from before, all of whom are back in Yanjing with him. Jo Il Shin, turns out his mother wasn't really dying; she faked it because she just really, really wanted to see him. Kim Yong, he rescheduled his son's wedding because he was in such a hurry to get back here out of concern for the prince. Jung Se Woon is frowning at them--he didn't go anywhere--but won't say why. Must think they just made up stories to go home for a while. Gangneung is laughing about the prospect of his marrying Botap Shili--"In no time my fortunes will rise to the sky"--but that's probably the wine talking.
Out in the desert: At least the wind has stopped, but it's getting hot now as the trio plods on. So hot that Jihyo passes out...then so does Won...and then Pyeonjo. Later, towards evening, the sun relents at least enough for them to revive...but they all look like they're going to die right there. But hey look at this--a caravan! Must be a dozen camels and several traders, not more than 100 feet in front of them. Unfortunately the trio is so exhausted they can't even call or wave for help and the caravan passes them by. Devastated, they fall to the ground. But then suddenly, something plops down in the sand right next to them. A big canteen full of water! One of the traders, on a horse, saw them, thankfully. "May Allah's divine protection walk with you," he says, and gallops back to his caravan. Saved--for the moment.
Yanjing: Well how about this, it's going to happen. Prince Gangneung is on a horse, in a fancy purple robe, being led through the streets in a big procession. Towards his wedding.
The ceremony: The King of Wei presents him with an arrow--a Mongol gesture of acceptance into the family. Gangneung kneels and accepts. The King isn't exactly smiling, but he does it. Botap Shili is brought forward, and the ceremony begins with the pair's hair being tied together! Weird, but interesting. The happy couple isn't exactly smiling either, are they.
Ceremony over, another procession makes its way through the city streets. Hey, there's Princess Deoknyeong there nearby watching it pass. Good to see she made it home safely.
Nighttime: An Dochi is peeking in the new couple's window! Pervert. Honghwa catches him and pulls him away from the building and gives him a good scolding. "It's almost dawn and the lights are still on," he explains. "I'm just impatient!" Uh-oh, the two attendants don't care for each other so much. Could be a problem going forward, couldn't it...
...but nothing compared to this problem. Botap is still sitting there in her red wedding dress, veil and all, silent and not even moving. Looks like she's been that way all night. But finally she speaks up. "Be it a marriage without love or not, you are my husband. But before I consider you as such inside my heart, I won't give you my body. If you can wait until then...." Well that seems reasonable, and to his credit, Gangneung tells her "Of course I will." The answer surprises her. Then he opens up a bit more. "The Goryeo I was born in is a very small and insignificant country. Compared to the vast Middle Kingdom, it's nothing but a small bit on the map. My Goryeo carries the spirit of Goguryeo in its heart. Our general Gang Gamchan took a mere twelve thousand soldiers and defeated the hundred thousand Khitan soldiers who invaded our land." Now, though, "The Yuan Empire's power is limitless and now we're nothing but a vassal state to them." Then he tries to explain his goblet stunt again. "I was forced to marry a princess of the Yuan, who trampled on my homeland. I wanted to end my life that way." This time it seems to reach her. Softening her tone, she lifts up her veil and tells him, "I am not a Yuan princess. I'm a Mongol woman."
Looks like our three travelers are nearing Tibet. They're climbing up a steep hillside. But here come three natives, walking on the same hill. A couple and their young son. The man is behaving oddly. Walks a few steps, then kneels and lies face down on the ground, then gets up, and keeps doing that again and again. Jihyo explains that "It's called the 'casting five limbs to the earth' ritual". [Note: This is the formal version of what we know as "kowtowing" (info link).] "Tibetan people use it as a worship ritual on their way to Jokhang Temple (info link)." So Pyeonjo and Won decide to get in line behind the man and join him in the ritual. Jihyo doesn't. Just not his way of serving Buddha.
Now the three natives--a couple with their young son--and the monks have stopped out there on the hillside to eat. The two groups don't speak the same language, but that doesn't stop the dad. Boy is he a yakker. Pyeonjo can only smile and nod, yak yak yak.
Later, their paths must diverge so the monks bid the natives farewell. Obviously they all enjoyed each others' company, language notwithstanding. Nice scenes.
Okay, THIS looks like Tibet. Here's a whole bunch of those Lamaist monks like we saw in Episode 3, in the red robes and with the spinning noisemakers. Obviously a funeral procession; they're carrying a dead person wrapped in a white sheet. Jihyo explains that they put their corpses on mountaintops to let the birds pick at. "Tibetans think a corpse is just a lump of flesh, and let the eagles partake on it after cutting it up." The monks decide to follow and see the rite...
...and wow, now the Tibetans are literally hacking up the body into pieces, I guess so the pieces can be strewn around for the birds. It's not for the faint of heart; Won and Jihyo get sick to their stomachs. But the birds are ready for it; they're already congregating overhead. Obviously they know the routine by now. Pyeonjo isn't nauseous; in fact, he thinks back...to a day when he helped Master Wolseon bathe. As he does, he starts to cry...Now another time, when he's massaging Wolseon's shoulders, and starts crying again. Wolseon asks, "Is it because you're afraid I'll die?" Ding. "Yes. All you eat is rice crusts. Look at how skinny you've become!" It leads to a long conversation that jumps disjointedly across many topics, including dying and how everyone is afraid to die...The conversation obviously made a big impression on the young monk, because as he watches the birds flying around, he wonders to himself about this idea of the body being of little significance. "What is noble, my master? Is our flesh and blood lowly, and our spirit noble? That's not Buddha's path. How can your soul be noble, when the body isn't? That's just how the ruling class fools the exhausted masses."
And now they've made it! We're in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital. At what captioning tells us is "Potala Temple." Pyeonjo is moved to tears just to be here.
Back to Yanjing: The royal horse herd is out on the plains again for a run. Botap Shili is out there with it, and so is Gangneung. Eventually she gallops off, and he follows her...They end up by a riverside, where their horses can drink.
Gaegyeong, at the empress dowager's home: Oh dear, that poor spurned girl Lee Hyebi has been standing outside the front door all day, trying to get an audience with the ED. The ED is inside but wants no more part of this, and loudly complains to her attendant--loudly enough for Hyebi to hear outside--that Hyebi should face reality and go away.
Well, Hyebi's mom isn't too happy about this either. We're at Lee Je Hyeon's home and he and his wife are grumbling about this mess and what they can do about it. His wife figures, if Hyebi can't be Gangneung's wife, how about his concubine? Je Hyeon doesn't like that one bit, but apparently rumors are flying and they're not flattering to the girl, true or otherwise. "She won't be able to marry anyway," the mother reasons, so maybe this is the best option.
The ED relented and let Hyebi in. But won't talk to her. Hyebi stands, silent and tearing. Finally the ED talks. I couldn't do anything about this, she says; "It was a decision coming right from the Imperial family." So go home and accept it. Hyebi doesn't move. "Your Highness, if serving Prince Gangneung is not my destiny, I'll become your servant and follow him this way. Just accept me, please." Wow, this girl's really into a guy she's never met! She's kneeling now, crying and emotionally shattered.
Gaegyeong Royal Palace: Gi Cheol is trying to get in to see the king. The queen mother bids him enter and he marches in. The boy king and his mother are there, and Yoon Shi Woo as well. Two disgusted grunts as Gi is asked to, and then does, kneel and pay respect to the king. He sits down, and we learn that he was summoned here. Why? "We need to send a gift to Yanjing," Shi Woo explains, "for Prince Gangneung's marriage." But what to send? Now they start needling Gi about his being on the outs right now and his supposedly favoring Prince Gangneung, which he denies. It goes so far that they're openly laughing at him; I guess that was the whole point of summoning him, just to rub it in....
...and he storms out of the building, with the mother of all disgusted grunts.
Yuan royal palace, Yanjing: Looky here, the emperor's managed to drag himself out of bed. He's on his throne and thanking Empress Gi for uncovering the whole treason plot (which, of course, she fabricated). And for taking care of Botap Shili as well. She's appropriately humble. Her son Ayushiridara is there with her. The emperor takes the boy onto his lap. "Show piety and devotion to your father," he advises the boy with a smile, "and one day this throne will be yours." Music to the empress's ears.
As she leaves, attendant Park gives her an odd piece of news: Botap Shili and Gangneung still haven't returned. "According to rumors, they're wandering the Mongol plains." The empress smiles, and wonders if this is Botap returning to her roots like she advocated. Maybe that's the last they'll see of Botap in the palace?
Yeah, the two of them really are out there in the middle of nowhere. It's just them and their horses out there, out on a wide grassy plain with mountains in the distance. Botap is cooking some sort of oatmeal or porridge over a fire. She's being much more cordial to her new husband; certainly not loving, but much nicer. Even smiling at him occasionally.
Now it's nighttime, and the two are sleeping out there on the plain. Thick animal-hide blankets to keep them warm.
Dawn comes, and Gangneung wakes up, surprised to find himself alone. He gets up to look for his wife...and finds her bathing in the river. Shocked at first, he flinches at turns away...but then looks back at her and smiles.
Later, the prince is with An and Pyeonjo. He's told them about the whole thing. Pyeonjo asks him what he'd have done if the princess had chosen the safe goblet. He ducks the question. "Was she someone you liked?" No answer. "It looked like a profound relationship to me, Your Highness. You even put your own lives on the line tonight. Wouldn't that be a sign that this was not just a simple chance meeting?" Again, no answer. Maybe Pyeonjo's right...he adds, "I encountered a fascinating beast standing outside Gaeseong's palace. With a huge lump on its back. It came from a faraway country called Arabia. It is called camel. I plan to leave and find that camel once again, Your Highness." What does that have to do with this? "Think of tonight as a special meeting, and cherish it." And with that, he walks out into the night, like he's really leaving for good. An runs after him and asks him to stay because he's enlivened the prince's dreary existence. "I'm no monk," Pyeonjo tells him; "just a charlatan." Then makes a sarcastic comment (in fun) about his time with the prince being some sort of hell. And with that, bows and leaves. Gangneung is close enough to the door to hear this--and to stop him from leaving--but only chuckles.
Next morning: Pyeonjo goes to Daguan Temple, where Won Hyeon is staying. Jihyo is there, but Won's not in his room. Jihyo tells him that Won "is doing three thousand bows at the shrine." To pray for Pyeonjo to return to the faith!
So he goes to the shrine and finds Won doing just that, and looking pretty tired from it. It obviously moves him; he's at a loss for words.
Next day: They're back in Won's room, Won looking beyond happy. I guess it worked, or at least Won thinks it worked. Won is packing up; they're going to head west together, probably towards Arabia. Jihyo's going as well. They set out; it's a beautiful day for a 5,000 mile walk(!).
Now look at this--they're on top of the Great Wall! THE Great Wall. It's not an easy walk--very hilly; lots of climbing and descending.
Evening: They've found shelter in a room somewhere and are enjoying an evening meal.
Days later: They've reached the edge of a desert. A nasty wind blows sand at them. They wrap up their heads with scarves and continue on...which doesn't seem very wise, does it....
Nighttime: Are they lost? They're headed for Tibet, we learn, but Won is worried that Pyeonjo has led them astray. Uh-oh.
Yanjing: Botap Shili is still so steamed about the whole goblet stunt that she goes right to Empress Gi--and tells her she'll marry Gangneung if the empress will release her father! Huh? Maybe she figures with Gangneung's death wish, it will be a short marriage. And another thing: "Make that man Goryeo's new king." Attendant Park cautions her to be respectful but she just about bites his head off--she is really angry! The empress says it's not so easy to just make him king, but Botap is sure she can if she really wants to. And besides, she adds, I was nearly the crown prince's wife; can't you at least let me be the wife of an outlying king? "If you don't plan to kill me, allow me that much dignity." The empress smiles. "Let's think about it." Not good enough. "I want your promise, here and now." Careful, Botap....
Now she's visiting her father; brought him some food she made. Don't marry that prince just for me, he tells her. But she doesn't want him to think about that; she wants him to eat and get his strength back, so that he can continue on and hopefully get the crown prince back from exile.
Gangneung is sharing a drink with his three visitors from before, all of whom are back in Yanjing with him. Jo Il Shin, turns out his mother wasn't really dying; she faked it because she just really, really wanted to see him. Kim Yong, he rescheduled his son's wedding because he was in such a hurry to get back here out of concern for the prince. Jung Se Woon is frowning at them--he didn't go anywhere--but won't say why. Must think they just made up stories to go home for a while. Gangneung is laughing about the prospect of his marrying Botap Shili--"In no time my fortunes will rise to the sky"--but that's probably the wine talking.
Out in the desert: At least the wind has stopped, but it's getting hot now as the trio plods on. So hot that Jihyo passes out...then so does Won...and then Pyeonjo. Later, towards evening, the sun relents at least enough for them to revive...but they all look like they're going to die right there. But hey look at this--a caravan! Must be a dozen camels and several traders, not more than 100 feet in front of them. Unfortunately the trio is so exhausted they can't even call or wave for help and the caravan passes them by. Devastated, they fall to the ground. But then suddenly, something plops down in the sand right next to them. A big canteen full of water! One of the traders, on a horse, saw them, thankfully. "May Allah's divine protection walk with you," he says, and gallops back to his caravan. Saved--for the moment.
Yanjing: Well how about this, it's going to happen. Prince Gangneung is on a horse, in a fancy purple robe, being led through the streets in a big procession. Towards his wedding.
The ceremony: The King of Wei presents him with an arrow--a Mongol gesture of acceptance into the family. Gangneung kneels and accepts. The King isn't exactly smiling, but he does it. Botap Shili is brought forward, and the ceremony begins with the pair's hair being tied together! Weird, but interesting. The happy couple isn't exactly smiling either, are they.
Ceremony over, another procession makes its way through the city streets. Hey, there's Princess Deoknyeong there nearby watching it pass. Good to see she made it home safely.
Nighttime: An Dochi is peeking in the new couple's window! Pervert. Honghwa catches him and pulls him away from the building and gives him a good scolding. "It's almost dawn and the lights are still on," he explains. "I'm just impatient!" Uh-oh, the two attendants don't care for each other so much. Could be a problem going forward, couldn't it...
...but nothing compared to this problem. Botap is still sitting there in her red wedding dress, veil and all, silent and not even moving. Looks like she's been that way all night. But finally she speaks up. "Be it a marriage without love or not, you are my husband. But before I consider you as such inside my heart, I won't give you my body. If you can wait until then...." Well that seems reasonable, and to his credit, Gangneung tells her "Of course I will." The answer surprises her. Then he opens up a bit more. "The Goryeo I was born in is a very small and insignificant country. Compared to the vast Middle Kingdom, it's nothing but a small bit on the map. My Goryeo carries the spirit of Goguryeo in its heart. Our general Gang Gamchan took a mere twelve thousand soldiers and defeated the hundred thousand Khitan soldiers who invaded our land." Now, though, "The Yuan Empire's power is limitless and now we're nothing but a vassal state to them." Then he tries to explain his goblet stunt again. "I was forced to marry a princess of the Yuan, who trampled on my homeland. I wanted to end my life that way." This time it seems to reach her. Softening her tone, she lifts up her veil and tells him, "I am not a Yuan princess. I'm a Mongol woman."
Looks like our three travelers are nearing Tibet. They're climbing up a steep hillside. But here come three natives, walking on the same hill. A couple and their young son. The man is behaving oddly. Walks a few steps, then kneels and lies face down on the ground, then gets up, and keeps doing that again and again. Jihyo explains that "It's called the 'casting five limbs to the earth' ritual". [Note: This is the formal version of what we know as "kowtowing" (info link).] "Tibetan people use it as a worship ritual on their way to Jokhang Temple (info link)." So Pyeonjo and Won decide to get in line behind the man and join him in the ritual. Jihyo doesn't. Just not his way of serving Buddha.
Now the three natives--a couple with their young son--and the monks have stopped out there on the hillside to eat. The two groups don't speak the same language, but that doesn't stop the dad. Boy is he a yakker. Pyeonjo can only smile and nod, yak yak yak.
Later, their paths must diverge so the monks bid the natives farewell. Obviously they all enjoyed each others' company, language notwithstanding. Nice scenes.
Okay, THIS looks like Tibet. Here's a whole bunch of those Lamaist monks like we saw in Episode 3, in the red robes and with the spinning noisemakers. Obviously a funeral procession; they're carrying a dead person wrapped in a white sheet. Jihyo explains that they put their corpses on mountaintops to let the birds pick at. "Tibetans think a corpse is just a lump of flesh, and let the eagles partake on it after cutting it up." The monks decide to follow and see the rite...
...and wow, now the Tibetans are literally hacking up the body into pieces, I guess so the pieces can be strewn around for the birds. It's not for the faint of heart; Won and Jihyo get sick to their stomachs. But the birds are ready for it; they're already congregating overhead. Obviously they know the routine by now. Pyeonjo isn't nauseous; in fact, he thinks back...to a day when he helped Master Wolseon bathe. As he does, he starts to cry...Now another time, when he's massaging Wolseon's shoulders, and starts crying again. Wolseon asks, "Is it because you're afraid I'll die?" Ding. "Yes. All you eat is rice crusts. Look at how skinny you've become!" It leads to a long conversation that jumps disjointedly across many topics, including dying and how everyone is afraid to die...The conversation obviously made a big impression on the young monk, because as he watches the birds flying around, he wonders to himself about this idea of the body being of little significance. "What is noble, my master? Is our flesh and blood lowly, and our spirit noble? That's not Buddha's path. How can your soul be noble, when the body isn't? That's just how the ruling class fools the exhausted masses."
And now they've made it! We're in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital. At what captioning tells us is "Potala Temple." Pyeonjo is moved to tears just to be here.
Back to Yanjing: The royal horse herd is out on the plains again for a run. Botap Shili is out there with it, and so is Gangneung. Eventually she gallops off, and he follows her...They end up by a riverside, where their horses can drink.
Gaegyeong, at the empress dowager's home: Oh dear, that poor spurned girl Lee Hyebi has been standing outside the front door all day, trying to get an audience with the ED. The ED is inside but wants no more part of this, and loudly complains to her attendant--loudly enough for Hyebi to hear outside--that Hyebi should face reality and go away.
Well, Hyebi's mom isn't too happy about this either. We're at Lee Je Hyeon's home and he and his wife are grumbling about this mess and what they can do about it. His wife figures, if Hyebi can't be Gangneung's wife, how about his concubine? Je Hyeon doesn't like that one bit, but apparently rumors are flying and they're not flattering to the girl, true or otherwise. "She won't be able to marry anyway," the mother reasons, so maybe this is the best option.
The ED relented and let Hyebi in. But won't talk to her. Hyebi stands, silent and tearing. Finally the ED talks. I couldn't do anything about this, she says; "It was a decision coming right from the Imperial family." So go home and accept it. Hyebi doesn't move. "Your Highness, if serving Prince Gangneung is not my destiny, I'll become your servant and follow him this way. Just accept me, please." Wow, this girl's really into a guy she's never met! She's kneeling now, crying and emotionally shattered.
Gaegyeong Royal Palace: Gi Cheol is trying to get in to see the king. The queen mother bids him enter and he marches in. The boy king and his mother are there, and Yoon Shi Woo as well. Two disgusted grunts as Gi is asked to, and then does, kneel and pay respect to the king. He sits down, and we learn that he was summoned here. Why? "We need to send a gift to Yanjing," Shi Woo explains, "for Prince Gangneung's marriage." But what to send? Now they start needling Gi about his being on the outs right now and his supposedly favoring Prince Gangneung, which he denies. It goes so far that they're openly laughing at him; I guess that was the whole point of summoning him, just to rub it in....
...and he storms out of the building, with the mother of all disgusted grunts.
Yuan royal palace, Yanjing: Looky here, the emperor's managed to drag himself out of bed. He's on his throne and thanking Empress Gi for uncovering the whole treason plot (which, of course, she fabricated). And for taking care of Botap Shili as well. She's appropriately humble. Her son Ayushiridara is there with her. The emperor takes the boy onto his lap. "Show piety and devotion to your father," he advises the boy with a smile, "and one day this throne will be yours." Music to the empress's ears.
As she leaves, attendant Park gives her an odd piece of news: Botap Shili and Gangneung still haven't returned. "According to rumors, they're wandering the Mongol plains." The empress smiles, and wonders if this is Botap returning to her roots like she advocated. Maybe that's the last they'll see of Botap in the palace?
Yeah, the two of them really are out there in the middle of nowhere. It's just them and their horses out there, out on a wide grassy plain with mountains in the distance. Botap is cooking some sort of oatmeal or porridge over a fire. She's being much more cordial to her new husband; certainly not loving, but much nicer. Even smiling at him occasionally.
Now it's nighttime, and the two are sleeping out there on the plain. Thick animal-hide blankets to keep them warm.
Dawn comes, and Gangneung wakes up, surprised to find himself alone. He gets up to look for his wife...and finds her bathing in the river. Shocked at first, he flinches at turns away...but then looks back at her and smiles.