Post by ajk on Jul 27, 2012 21:36:36 GMT -5
"I have a twin?!" Cheonmyeong is still in the royal storehouse room, her mind racing and her eyeballs bouncing (Chulin-style! Remember DJY?) as her mind whirls. "Could Deokman be...Is Deokman...?"
"Everything ready?" Eulje and the Hwarang set up for whatever is about to happen out there in the woods. Whatever happens, he tells them, this whole incident must remain secret. The suspect will be here after midnight, he says, and if you can't catch him, you must kill him. As the Rising Phoenix guards move into position, Deokman slips away and then starts running, panicked by Eulje's order and fearful for her life (even though she has no reason to be; I don't understand this). But soon another Hwarang comes upon her and demands to know which unit she's with. Deokman panics and runs away, and now all of the Hwarang are after her. They eventually spread out to search...long story short, eventually Deokman steps on a twig and Alcheon discovers her. And now Deokman had better cash in on that big favor he owes her, right? No. Deokman jumps up from her hiding place, charges him and attacks him with sword drawn! Doesn't seem very bright, to put it mildly, and the elite Hwarang quickly knocks her sword away and in the process knocks the mask off her face. He wants an explanation...and now other Hwarang are within shouting distance, so Deokman clenches her teeth and NOW tells him, "Time to pay what you owe." He glares at her, brimming with frustration. "Please." Angrily, he shoos her away and she hides while the other Hwarang converge. He points down the path to misdirect them and they give chase, and Deokman is spared.
Cheonmyeong is confronting her mother, who couldn't look more uneasy. The twins prophecy. Mishil's awful "Because of you!" to the little princess grieving her dead brother. "Now I have to know," she says. "Am I...a twin?" Maya is almost too rattled to talk, but tells her daughter, "It wasn't because of you. It was me." I had twins and that's why your three brothers all died, she explains, breaking down in tears. The princess hugs her, overcome with empathy for the burden of self-inflicted blame that her mother has silently carried for so many years.
Deokman finally stops to rest by a stream. She's crying and at a loss for ideas. "What do I do now?"
"But...where's my twin?" Cheonmyeong's obvious next question. "Dead," Maya says blankly. "Soon after the birth." Was it a boy or a girl? "The same birthmark as you...And so pretty just like you...It was a girl."
Later, alone, the princess ponders the possibility that her mother was lying to her. About what part, we're not clear...But now her attendant scurries into the room to tell her that Mishil is here to see her. Awfully late at night for a visit, but no matter...She's brought her Jinheung painting to show the princess. It's finished and it looks very good, and Cheonmyeong says so. To which Mishil smugly replies, "While you were searching for Sadaham's Plum Blossom, I was busy painting this." Turns out it's a gift for the princess, who she assumes doesn't know much about Jinheung. So she tells Cheonmyeong a bit about him, including his philosophy that "To gain a person's loyalty, you must offer something he wants. Or have something he fears." Her point? "You must have something Yushin and Deokman want. Or something they fear." Cheonmyeong is silent. "I fear they're serving the wrong master," Mishil says tactlessly. "Look after them." Still no reply...but then Cheonmyeong smiles. "You're jealous, aren't you?" Rowr! Mishil simply smiles back. Cheonmyeong thanks her for the advice and stands up to escort her out. But then spots the dagger in the painting, and freezes. Asks Mishil, "Is that the royal dagger?" Yes it is; Mishil tells her, "That's the dagger that saved King Jinheung...and you." And there go the princess' eyeballs again....
Deokman staggers home, too troubled to possibly sleep. Wondering if she can even trust the princess now, what with her believing that the king wants her dead. And wishing she could spill this all out to Yushin and get his advice.
Staring at Mishil's painting, Cheonmyeong remembers seeing Deokman's dagger and concludes that it's Jinheung's dagger. (This again? Ugh.) But how did Deokman end up with it? "He's hiding something," she concludes. "But what?"
And what's become of Yushin lately? It's daytime, must be the next day, and he's back out there on Mount Yeoam whacking that rock again. 4301, 4302...good grief. Now he's thinking back to that angry conversation with his parents in the previous episode; now we see a later portion of it for the first time, in flashback..."A nation built with the blood and sweat of its people was forced to join Shilla," his father tells him. But our family, it must live on, and "I must accept any shame if it means our family will go on." Then his mother counsels, "Don't give into your emotions. You must have the courage to control your anger." (As usual she delivers the correct insight.)...Yushin seems to be trying to literally shake the conflict out of his head. But it's still there, so it's back to the rock-whacking. Now Deokman shows up, and time and again she tries to get up the nerve to interrupt him to talk to him. She can't do it, though. So she leaves...and then Cheonmyeong and her attendant show up. But they decide not to bother him either; they'll come back when he's finished. For now they head for a nearby stream to get some water...which was Deokman's idea too, and she's there already. The princess asks her attendant to leave them, and then asks Deokman if they can talk like friends again. Deokman, still believing that Eulje's dead-or-alive order came from her father, is distrustful. "No," Deokman answers; "it might become a habit." And addresses her with brusque formality. Cheonmyeong presses her anyway and asks, "Have you ever lied to me?" If you're hiding something, just explain why and I'll understand. An uncomfortable silence, and then..."Never." "Should I believe that?" "Yes."
Eulje reminds Imjong and Alcheon that the events of last night must be kept secret. Imjong leaves, but Alcheon stays behind to ask Eulje just who it was they were after. Not your concern, Eulje says. To which Alcheon replies, You're an honorable man and we trust you and followed your orders, "but we will not be drawn into a political squabble." Brave talk to a noble. And asks again who they were after. Eulje sighs. "A traitor who would destroy all of Shilla." Alcheon's eyes widen; does he think Deokman is this traitor?
Jukbang and Godo are looking again at the jade elephant they swiped from the Hall of Records. What's Jukbang going to trade it for? He knows exactly what he wants. Loosely translated (I looked into this--several sources--to be absolutely sure we've got this right)...seal penis. No kidding. (More generally, the genitals from fur seals and sea lions of the family otariidae. Believed to be an aphrodisiac. Nonsense, of course, but that was the belief.)
Eulje is questioning a very apologetic night guard from the Hall of Records. The guard isn't sure how the trespassers with the scroll entered the building--probably through the roof, he thinks--but notes that "a jade water-dropper for mixing ink is missing." Uh-oh, you just had to wonder if that elephant was going to come back to cause trouble....
Bojong reports to Mishil and her cabal on last night's events, and adds that Alcheon and Imjong are now questioning known fences (as in, stolen goods) hoping to track down a jade water-dropper stolen from the Hall of Records. Hajong gets a big laugh out of the very idea of somebody going to all the trouble to break in there and take nothing but a water-dropper. But Misaeng correctly deduces that whoever it was must have been there for some other reason and just pocketed the thing on impulse. And Mishil correctly deduces that the person may have putting something into the building rather than wanting to take something out. Misaeng has the same thought: "Maybe a message for the king?" Two sharp ones, they are. Mishil tells Bojong to keep investigating.
Cheonmyeong and her attendant are still by the stream; Deokman has gone. The attendant is getting antsy but the princess is patiently waiting, explaining with obvious admiration that "He forces himself to strike 10,000 times without breaking his concentration." Well, he must have finished it because here comes Yushin now. He and the princess sit down and talk...she reflects back to what it was like for him in Manno County. "I miss the old days," she tells him, and then asks him "Do you ever doubt the people you trust?" Which he might take personally, but doesn't. And basically tells her no, he doesn't doubt them. Obviously Cheonmyeong is greatly bothered by Deokman's evasiveness, and Yushin's reply probably hasn't helped her at all.
After that, the princess leaves. Now Alcheon shows up. To tell Yushin about last night, looking for a traitor who got into the Hall of Records. Don't know what's going on, he says, "but you can help find out." Huh? "The fact is...it was Deokman." Oh you tattletale. "He's your Dragon guard. You deal with him." Yushin is dumbfounded.
Imjong enters a room where Eulje and Kim Yongchun are sitting. He has the jade elephant! One of the fences told him that two men traded it to him. The men were dressed as civilians but said things about the training compound that makes Imjong think they might be Hwarang trainees. Yongchun asks what they traded the thing for; Imjong fidgets and tells them about the seal penis. So how to proceed? Eulje turns to Yongchun and proposes, "Suppose we handle it like this...." (Presumably not talking about the seal penis.)
All of the Hwarang trainees are brought into the training yard and the door is closed behind them. But then it flies open again, and yikes, dozens of Shillan soldiers come running in and surround the inside perimeter. Ho Jae and Yongchun step forward. Something serious is going on....
Simultaneously, other Shillan soldiers enter the trainees' living quarters and begin searching. The commander tells them, "It's some kind of medicine."
Yongchun tells the trainees about the searches; says they're looking for thieves. And then adds, "In addition, we will be conducting full-body searches." Doink! Deokman's eyes widen. Jukbang and Godo start whispering to each other. The stuff they're looking for, well guess what, Godo has it hidden inside his jacket. Uh-oh. The first five trainees are ordered forward, and brought inside a curtained-off area where Eulje and Yongchun are sitting. Imjong orders them to take off their uniforms, and then their underwear. They do, and they're cleared. "Next." Five more step inside. They undress, and are cleared. "Next." Deokman looks extremely nervous, for obvious reasons.
During the living-quarters search, one of the soldiers finds a locked box. It's broken open....
Another five Hwarang step through, and are cleared. "Next." Now Deokman is trembling.
"What's that? In the Hall of Records?" The king's attendant has somehow found out about the mysterious appeal to return Jinheung's dagger and Eulje's handling of it. Jinpyeong is very angry that Eulje took this into his own hands and kept it from him. "Send for Eulje," Jinpyeong orders. "Better yet, have him meet me at the Hall of Records."
"Next." Now the DFers are near the front of the line. Jukbang and Godo are whispering frantically. "Give it here!" Godo produces the thing he's hiding--a surprisingly large object that's probably best left undescribed here. (But wow, that must have been one bad-ass seal.) Jukbang realizes he's going to have to swallow it raw to hide the evidence. And then in the next moment, pokes Godo hard in the stomach and as Godo's mouth opens, stuffs it in there. Coward. "Don't eat it all," Jukbang tells him; "it might kill you." So apparently he's just supposed to keep it hidden in his mouth. All the while, Deokman is thinking frantically....And now they're up. "Next." They tentatively step forward...
An angry Jinpyeong marches towards the Hall of Records, retinue trailing him...
Into the curtained area go Deokman, Jukbang, Godo and two other DFers. "Remove your outer garments." In the next moment, four shirtless men are standing there, and a still-frantically-thinking Deokman. Now she's attracting attention: "Why are you stalling?" Still thinking, but nothing's coming. So she slowly starts to unbuckle her uniform...Suddenly from outside the curtained area: "Minister!" It's the king's attendant, who comes inside to tell Eulje that he's been summoned to the Hall of Records. As soon as we're finished here, Eulje tells him. "Better not," the attendant advises; "the king's livid." And he's waiting. We can see Deokman wondering if this might involve her scroll somehow.
What. The. Heck?!? A jarring sight, completely out of the blue. Jinpyeong is at the front balcony of the Hall of Records. Standing there in front of him? Sohwa! Right there plain as day. Obviously she wandered off again; she's still in a daze. But not too dazed to recognize the king and acknowledge him. Jinpyeong recognizes her too. Then Seori and two attendants scurry into the scene; they apologize to the king for the "poor unbalanced nun" and escort her away. "We won't let this happen again," Seori assures him. Jinpyeong, realizing that his acknowledgement of her would turn loose all kinds of chaos, keeps his cool and simply replies, "See that you don't." For just a moment Seori might be searching the king's face for some sign of recognition...or maybe not. She turns to leave with the others. But now Eulje has arrived; he spots the "unbalanced nun" and he may well recognize her too.
Queen Maya tells her daughter that someone has Jinheung's dagger and offered to return it to the king. You were asking me about that dagger, she reminds her; "Are you sure you know nothing else about it?" "Nothing," Cheonmyeong replies blankly. Lie, of course...but now she's thinking about Deokman.
"There's no question that she was Sohwa," Eulje tells the king rather boldly. He wants an explanation. "Sire, it won't do any good to deceive me; please trust your old friend." Jinpyeong is more concerned about Sohwa's welfare at the moment--that she's in danger because if Seori has her, Mishil has her--but before he can answer Eulje, Yongchun enters with the news that Seori has taken the mystery nun into the royal shrine. "Who is she?", he asks. No answer, so Yongchun exercises discretion and moves on to the next thing: What about the Hwarang searches? No longer necessary, Eulje tells him; dismiss them. (Huh? What about that situation has changed? Nothing! UGH.)
Yeah, Seori was scanning the king's face. Inside the shrine she tells Mishil of Sohwa's latest episode, and that she seemed to know her way around the palace. And? "The look the king had when he saw her...."
"It's dangerous outside," Chilsuk advises Sohwa. "It's been years, but if someone recognizes you..." An unfinished sentence, because Mishil and Seori suddenly walk in on the pair. Seori advises locking Sohwa in the building to stop these episodes of wandering. Then Mishil for the first time asks the woman's name. "She's called Chungnin," Chilsuk says quietly. Mishil tells him that Wolchun diagnosed her with a mental illness that will take time to heal. Who knows how much time. Don't worry, Mishil assures Chilsuk kindly, we'll give her all the time she needs.
Mishil and Seori leave them. Mishil now thinks Chilsuk is lying to her about something. "Where's Misaeng? I need him to check something for me."
The five DFers are still standing there inside the curtained area--four shirtless, and Deokman. The order comes--search is over, thief has been caught (?!?), go home. So everybody disperses, and Deokman slumps to the ground in relief. Unfortunately, Godo has swallowed the contraband at some point, which enrages Jukbang, not because the stuff is dangerous but because he wanted it for himself. On the way out, an angry Deokman almost confronts Jukbang, suspecting him of being the cause of all this, but then thinks the better of it and says nothing.
The DFers, minus Deokman, return home to find the place a shambles from the search. Then a soldier enters, carrying that box he found. He's returning it, since the search is over. Politely, too. Awfully nice of him. And he assures them he touched nothing inside it. They open the box and realize it's Deokman's. And now they're holding some pieces of white cloth. What are they, knee pads? No, wait a minute..."My older sister used these," one of them remembers. And then they all recognize them: menstrual pads. What's Deokman doing with these? Jukbang has this weird look on his face, like he's putting pieces together...A flashback to Episode 10, in the battlefield when the DFers have just gotten their orders and they're so scared that they have to relieve themselves. But Deokman heads off alone. No peeing there for Deokman....Then a scene we didn't see, looks like from the same setting: Jukbang has sprained his ankle and Deokman helps him up and actually carries him on her back for a while. And while he hangs on, at one point his hand moves across her chest and then flinches a little, like he's felt something...And then the scene from earlier in this day--Deokman stalling while the other DFers took off their uniforms...Jukbang gasps, his face frozen in one of those "Eureka!" expressions. "Why did it take me so long?" He looks at his comrades. "Any of you seen Deokman around the bathhouse?" No, they say; Deokman gave them a story about having some sort of scar, so that's why he bathes alone. And that Yushin told them not to press Deokman about it. Now Jukbang thinks Yushin is in on it too. How dumb we've all been, Jukbang mutters with a smile. Even me: "Jukbang the doofus!" He doesn't explain any further, just walks out the door babbling about his cluelessness, and leaves them standing there--clueless.
Evening: Cheonmyeong and Yushin are taking a stroll together. She tells him about how she and Deokman met, as they both searched in Manno County for Munno. Looking back on it, she doesn't think it was a coincidence...
"Just hush up and follow me. Now." Jukbang has found Deokman, walking alone in the evening, and grabs her by the wrist. He glares at her, like he's annoyed.
...and the princess goes on to tell Yushin all about the twin stars, the twin girl princesses, and how one was smuggled away, along with Jinheung's dagger. "And now the child with the dagger has come back to the palace. The child looking for Munno to learn the secret of his birth." The birthmark, the dagger: "All of this points to Deokman." Yushin looks like his neurons are frying. "But there's one thing that doesn't fit." It's the twin girls. "Isn't Deokman a boy?"...
Jukbang takes Deokman's pulse, as though that's supposed to prove something (rather than, say, feeling her throat for an Adam's apple?). Apparently it convinces him, though. "You're a girl, aren't you?" Deokman stammers...but doesn't deny it.
...Yushin has just realized something, as though what Cheonmyeong suggests fits with something he's observed...
"You're a girl, aren't you? Right? Well?" Fidgeting and silence. "How did you manage to keep it a secret? And how could I have missed it?" Deokman finally cracks, and begs him not to tell anyone. Especially not Yushin. Jukbang asks, "You ever tell Yushin you have a nasty scar?" Nope. Well this is strange--then why would Yushin claim such a thing, and tell it to his Hwarang? Jukbang thinks he has the answer: "He knows. He's always known." Tells her the story that Yushin passed along about the supposed ugly scar and letting her bathe alone. "Orders, he said." The thought of Yushin knowing all along, it makes Deokman visibly uncomfortable. Very, very uncomfortable.
"Princess..." Yushin can barely get the words out. But he does. "Deokman is a girl."
"Everything ready?" Eulje and the Hwarang set up for whatever is about to happen out there in the woods. Whatever happens, he tells them, this whole incident must remain secret. The suspect will be here after midnight, he says, and if you can't catch him, you must kill him. As the Rising Phoenix guards move into position, Deokman slips away and then starts running, panicked by Eulje's order and fearful for her life (even though she has no reason to be; I don't understand this). But soon another Hwarang comes upon her and demands to know which unit she's with. Deokman panics and runs away, and now all of the Hwarang are after her. They eventually spread out to search...long story short, eventually Deokman steps on a twig and Alcheon discovers her. And now Deokman had better cash in on that big favor he owes her, right? No. Deokman jumps up from her hiding place, charges him and attacks him with sword drawn! Doesn't seem very bright, to put it mildly, and the elite Hwarang quickly knocks her sword away and in the process knocks the mask off her face. He wants an explanation...and now other Hwarang are within shouting distance, so Deokman clenches her teeth and NOW tells him, "Time to pay what you owe." He glares at her, brimming with frustration. "Please." Angrily, he shoos her away and she hides while the other Hwarang converge. He points down the path to misdirect them and they give chase, and Deokman is spared.
Cheonmyeong is confronting her mother, who couldn't look more uneasy. The twins prophecy. Mishil's awful "Because of you!" to the little princess grieving her dead brother. "Now I have to know," she says. "Am I...a twin?" Maya is almost too rattled to talk, but tells her daughter, "It wasn't because of you. It was me." I had twins and that's why your three brothers all died, she explains, breaking down in tears. The princess hugs her, overcome with empathy for the burden of self-inflicted blame that her mother has silently carried for so many years.
Deokman finally stops to rest by a stream. She's crying and at a loss for ideas. "What do I do now?"
"But...where's my twin?" Cheonmyeong's obvious next question. "Dead," Maya says blankly. "Soon after the birth." Was it a boy or a girl? "The same birthmark as you...And so pretty just like you...It was a girl."
Later, alone, the princess ponders the possibility that her mother was lying to her. About what part, we're not clear...But now her attendant scurries into the room to tell her that Mishil is here to see her. Awfully late at night for a visit, but no matter...She's brought her Jinheung painting to show the princess. It's finished and it looks very good, and Cheonmyeong says so. To which Mishil smugly replies, "While you were searching for Sadaham's Plum Blossom, I was busy painting this." Turns out it's a gift for the princess, who she assumes doesn't know much about Jinheung. So she tells Cheonmyeong a bit about him, including his philosophy that "To gain a person's loyalty, you must offer something he wants. Or have something he fears." Her point? "You must have something Yushin and Deokman want. Or something they fear." Cheonmyeong is silent. "I fear they're serving the wrong master," Mishil says tactlessly. "Look after them." Still no reply...but then Cheonmyeong smiles. "You're jealous, aren't you?" Rowr! Mishil simply smiles back. Cheonmyeong thanks her for the advice and stands up to escort her out. But then spots the dagger in the painting, and freezes. Asks Mishil, "Is that the royal dagger?" Yes it is; Mishil tells her, "That's the dagger that saved King Jinheung...and you." And there go the princess' eyeballs again....
Deokman staggers home, too troubled to possibly sleep. Wondering if she can even trust the princess now, what with her believing that the king wants her dead. And wishing she could spill this all out to Yushin and get his advice.
Staring at Mishil's painting, Cheonmyeong remembers seeing Deokman's dagger and concludes that it's Jinheung's dagger. (This again? Ugh.) But how did Deokman end up with it? "He's hiding something," she concludes. "But what?"
And what's become of Yushin lately? It's daytime, must be the next day, and he's back out there on Mount Yeoam whacking that rock again. 4301, 4302...good grief. Now he's thinking back to that angry conversation with his parents in the previous episode; now we see a later portion of it for the first time, in flashback..."A nation built with the blood and sweat of its people was forced to join Shilla," his father tells him. But our family, it must live on, and "I must accept any shame if it means our family will go on." Then his mother counsels, "Don't give into your emotions. You must have the courage to control your anger." (As usual she delivers the correct insight.)...Yushin seems to be trying to literally shake the conflict out of his head. But it's still there, so it's back to the rock-whacking. Now Deokman shows up, and time and again she tries to get up the nerve to interrupt him to talk to him. She can't do it, though. So she leaves...and then Cheonmyeong and her attendant show up. But they decide not to bother him either; they'll come back when he's finished. For now they head for a nearby stream to get some water...which was Deokman's idea too, and she's there already. The princess asks her attendant to leave them, and then asks Deokman if they can talk like friends again. Deokman, still believing that Eulje's dead-or-alive order came from her father, is distrustful. "No," Deokman answers; "it might become a habit." And addresses her with brusque formality. Cheonmyeong presses her anyway and asks, "Have you ever lied to me?" If you're hiding something, just explain why and I'll understand. An uncomfortable silence, and then..."Never." "Should I believe that?" "Yes."
Eulje reminds Imjong and Alcheon that the events of last night must be kept secret. Imjong leaves, but Alcheon stays behind to ask Eulje just who it was they were after. Not your concern, Eulje says. To which Alcheon replies, You're an honorable man and we trust you and followed your orders, "but we will not be drawn into a political squabble." Brave talk to a noble. And asks again who they were after. Eulje sighs. "A traitor who would destroy all of Shilla." Alcheon's eyes widen; does he think Deokman is this traitor?
Jukbang and Godo are looking again at the jade elephant they swiped from the Hall of Records. What's Jukbang going to trade it for? He knows exactly what he wants. Loosely translated (I looked into this--several sources--to be absolutely sure we've got this right)...seal penis. No kidding. (More generally, the genitals from fur seals and sea lions of the family otariidae. Believed to be an aphrodisiac. Nonsense, of course, but that was the belief.)
Eulje is questioning a very apologetic night guard from the Hall of Records. The guard isn't sure how the trespassers with the scroll entered the building--probably through the roof, he thinks--but notes that "a jade water-dropper for mixing ink is missing." Uh-oh, you just had to wonder if that elephant was going to come back to cause trouble....
Bojong reports to Mishil and her cabal on last night's events, and adds that Alcheon and Imjong are now questioning known fences (as in, stolen goods) hoping to track down a jade water-dropper stolen from the Hall of Records. Hajong gets a big laugh out of the very idea of somebody going to all the trouble to break in there and take nothing but a water-dropper. But Misaeng correctly deduces that whoever it was must have been there for some other reason and just pocketed the thing on impulse. And Mishil correctly deduces that the person may have putting something into the building rather than wanting to take something out. Misaeng has the same thought: "Maybe a message for the king?" Two sharp ones, they are. Mishil tells Bojong to keep investigating.
Cheonmyeong and her attendant are still by the stream; Deokman has gone. The attendant is getting antsy but the princess is patiently waiting, explaining with obvious admiration that "He forces himself to strike 10,000 times without breaking his concentration." Well, he must have finished it because here comes Yushin now. He and the princess sit down and talk...she reflects back to what it was like for him in Manno County. "I miss the old days," she tells him, and then asks him "Do you ever doubt the people you trust?" Which he might take personally, but doesn't. And basically tells her no, he doesn't doubt them. Obviously Cheonmyeong is greatly bothered by Deokman's evasiveness, and Yushin's reply probably hasn't helped her at all.
After that, the princess leaves. Now Alcheon shows up. To tell Yushin about last night, looking for a traitor who got into the Hall of Records. Don't know what's going on, he says, "but you can help find out." Huh? "The fact is...it was Deokman." Oh you tattletale. "He's your Dragon guard. You deal with him." Yushin is dumbfounded.
Imjong enters a room where Eulje and Kim Yongchun are sitting. He has the jade elephant! One of the fences told him that two men traded it to him. The men were dressed as civilians but said things about the training compound that makes Imjong think they might be Hwarang trainees. Yongchun asks what they traded the thing for; Imjong fidgets and tells them about the seal penis. So how to proceed? Eulje turns to Yongchun and proposes, "Suppose we handle it like this...." (Presumably not talking about the seal penis.)
All of the Hwarang trainees are brought into the training yard and the door is closed behind them. But then it flies open again, and yikes, dozens of Shillan soldiers come running in and surround the inside perimeter. Ho Jae and Yongchun step forward. Something serious is going on....
Simultaneously, other Shillan soldiers enter the trainees' living quarters and begin searching. The commander tells them, "It's some kind of medicine."
Yongchun tells the trainees about the searches; says they're looking for thieves. And then adds, "In addition, we will be conducting full-body searches." Doink! Deokman's eyes widen. Jukbang and Godo start whispering to each other. The stuff they're looking for, well guess what, Godo has it hidden inside his jacket. Uh-oh. The first five trainees are ordered forward, and brought inside a curtained-off area where Eulje and Yongchun are sitting. Imjong orders them to take off their uniforms, and then their underwear. They do, and they're cleared. "Next." Five more step inside. They undress, and are cleared. "Next." Deokman looks extremely nervous, for obvious reasons.
During the living-quarters search, one of the soldiers finds a locked box. It's broken open....
Another five Hwarang step through, and are cleared. "Next." Now Deokman is trembling.
"What's that? In the Hall of Records?" The king's attendant has somehow found out about the mysterious appeal to return Jinheung's dagger and Eulje's handling of it. Jinpyeong is very angry that Eulje took this into his own hands and kept it from him. "Send for Eulje," Jinpyeong orders. "Better yet, have him meet me at the Hall of Records."
"Next." Now the DFers are near the front of the line. Jukbang and Godo are whispering frantically. "Give it here!" Godo produces the thing he's hiding--a surprisingly large object that's probably best left undescribed here. (But wow, that must have been one bad-ass seal.) Jukbang realizes he's going to have to swallow it raw to hide the evidence. And then in the next moment, pokes Godo hard in the stomach and as Godo's mouth opens, stuffs it in there. Coward. "Don't eat it all," Jukbang tells him; "it might kill you." So apparently he's just supposed to keep it hidden in his mouth. All the while, Deokman is thinking frantically....And now they're up. "Next." They tentatively step forward...
An angry Jinpyeong marches towards the Hall of Records, retinue trailing him...
Into the curtained area go Deokman, Jukbang, Godo and two other DFers. "Remove your outer garments." In the next moment, four shirtless men are standing there, and a still-frantically-thinking Deokman. Now she's attracting attention: "Why are you stalling?" Still thinking, but nothing's coming. So she slowly starts to unbuckle her uniform...Suddenly from outside the curtained area: "Minister!" It's the king's attendant, who comes inside to tell Eulje that he's been summoned to the Hall of Records. As soon as we're finished here, Eulje tells him. "Better not," the attendant advises; "the king's livid." And he's waiting. We can see Deokman wondering if this might involve her scroll somehow.
What. The. Heck?!? A jarring sight, completely out of the blue. Jinpyeong is at the front balcony of the Hall of Records. Standing there in front of him? Sohwa! Right there plain as day. Obviously she wandered off again; she's still in a daze. But not too dazed to recognize the king and acknowledge him. Jinpyeong recognizes her too. Then Seori and two attendants scurry into the scene; they apologize to the king for the "poor unbalanced nun" and escort her away. "We won't let this happen again," Seori assures him. Jinpyeong, realizing that his acknowledgement of her would turn loose all kinds of chaos, keeps his cool and simply replies, "See that you don't." For just a moment Seori might be searching the king's face for some sign of recognition...or maybe not. She turns to leave with the others. But now Eulje has arrived; he spots the "unbalanced nun" and he may well recognize her too.
Queen Maya tells her daughter that someone has Jinheung's dagger and offered to return it to the king. You were asking me about that dagger, she reminds her; "Are you sure you know nothing else about it?" "Nothing," Cheonmyeong replies blankly. Lie, of course...but now she's thinking about Deokman.
"There's no question that she was Sohwa," Eulje tells the king rather boldly. He wants an explanation. "Sire, it won't do any good to deceive me; please trust your old friend." Jinpyeong is more concerned about Sohwa's welfare at the moment--that she's in danger because if Seori has her, Mishil has her--but before he can answer Eulje, Yongchun enters with the news that Seori has taken the mystery nun into the royal shrine. "Who is she?", he asks. No answer, so Yongchun exercises discretion and moves on to the next thing: What about the Hwarang searches? No longer necessary, Eulje tells him; dismiss them. (Huh? What about that situation has changed? Nothing! UGH.)
Yeah, Seori was scanning the king's face. Inside the shrine she tells Mishil of Sohwa's latest episode, and that she seemed to know her way around the palace. And? "The look the king had when he saw her...."
"It's dangerous outside," Chilsuk advises Sohwa. "It's been years, but if someone recognizes you..." An unfinished sentence, because Mishil and Seori suddenly walk in on the pair. Seori advises locking Sohwa in the building to stop these episodes of wandering. Then Mishil for the first time asks the woman's name. "She's called Chungnin," Chilsuk says quietly. Mishil tells him that Wolchun diagnosed her with a mental illness that will take time to heal. Who knows how much time. Don't worry, Mishil assures Chilsuk kindly, we'll give her all the time she needs.
Mishil and Seori leave them. Mishil now thinks Chilsuk is lying to her about something. "Where's Misaeng? I need him to check something for me."
The five DFers are still standing there inside the curtained area--four shirtless, and Deokman. The order comes--search is over, thief has been caught (?!?), go home. So everybody disperses, and Deokman slumps to the ground in relief. Unfortunately, Godo has swallowed the contraband at some point, which enrages Jukbang, not because the stuff is dangerous but because he wanted it for himself. On the way out, an angry Deokman almost confronts Jukbang, suspecting him of being the cause of all this, but then thinks the better of it and says nothing.
The DFers, minus Deokman, return home to find the place a shambles from the search. Then a soldier enters, carrying that box he found. He's returning it, since the search is over. Politely, too. Awfully nice of him. And he assures them he touched nothing inside it. They open the box and realize it's Deokman's. And now they're holding some pieces of white cloth. What are they, knee pads? No, wait a minute..."My older sister used these," one of them remembers. And then they all recognize them: menstrual pads. What's Deokman doing with these? Jukbang has this weird look on his face, like he's putting pieces together...A flashback to Episode 10, in the battlefield when the DFers have just gotten their orders and they're so scared that they have to relieve themselves. But Deokman heads off alone. No peeing there for Deokman....Then a scene we didn't see, looks like from the same setting: Jukbang has sprained his ankle and Deokman helps him up and actually carries him on her back for a while. And while he hangs on, at one point his hand moves across her chest and then flinches a little, like he's felt something...And then the scene from earlier in this day--Deokman stalling while the other DFers took off their uniforms...Jukbang gasps, his face frozen in one of those "Eureka!" expressions. "Why did it take me so long?" He looks at his comrades. "Any of you seen Deokman around the bathhouse?" No, they say; Deokman gave them a story about having some sort of scar, so that's why he bathes alone. And that Yushin told them not to press Deokman about it. Now Jukbang thinks Yushin is in on it too. How dumb we've all been, Jukbang mutters with a smile. Even me: "Jukbang the doofus!" He doesn't explain any further, just walks out the door babbling about his cluelessness, and leaves them standing there--clueless.
Evening: Cheonmyeong and Yushin are taking a stroll together. She tells him about how she and Deokman met, as they both searched in Manno County for Munno. Looking back on it, she doesn't think it was a coincidence...
"Just hush up and follow me. Now." Jukbang has found Deokman, walking alone in the evening, and grabs her by the wrist. He glares at her, like he's annoyed.
...and the princess goes on to tell Yushin all about the twin stars, the twin girl princesses, and how one was smuggled away, along with Jinheung's dagger. "And now the child with the dagger has come back to the palace. The child looking for Munno to learn the secret of his birth." The birthmark, the dagger: "All of this points to Deokman." Yushin looks like his neurons are frying. "But there's one thing that doesn't fit." It's the twin girls. "Isn't Deokman a boy?"...
Jukbang takes Deokman's pulse, as though that's supposed to prove something (rather than, say, feeling her throat for an Adam's apple?). Apparently it convinces him, though. "You're a girl, aren't you?" Deokman stammers...but doesn't deny it.
...Yushin has just realized something, as though what Cheonmyeong suggests fits with something he's observed...
"You're a girl, aren't you? Right? Well?" Fidgeting and silence. "How did you manage to keep it a secret? And how could I have missed it?" Deokman finally cracks, and begs him not to tell anyone. Especially not Yushin. Jukbang asks, "You ever tell Yushin you have a nasty scar?" Nope. Well this is strange--then why would Yushin claim such a thing, and tell it to his Hwarang? Jukbang thinks he has the answer: "He knows. He's always known." Tells her the story that Yushin passed along about the supposed ugly scar and letting her bathe alone. "Orders, he said." The thought of Yushin knowing all along, it makes Deokman visibly uncomfortable. Very, very uncomfortable.
"Princess..." Yushin can barely get the words out. But he does. "Deokman is a girl."