Author's Note: My side comments are put in italics, so as not to confuse them with what might be said by someone else. They might be a bit of snark, a flash of irritation, or just an aside.
Narration. It was a place of mystery. A place none dared approach. It had long been a dwelling place of guardian spirits. It was called the Garden of the Moon. And there are protectors of Mt. Chiri... who have lived for thousands of years. I'm liking the music. It's very mystical sounding. It sets a good tone. And it reminds me of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films, which I absolutely adore, so it also puts me in a favorable mood.
The monk So Jung climbs up the mountain in search of Wol Ryung, the gumiho. From his reaction, “Oh, no. Not again,” it’s not unusual for Wol Ryung to leave his cave and travel down the mountain. Why that's a bad thing, I don't know. To emphasize that he is not human, he bounds into the air, impossibly high, and lands with a thud, unhurt.
Wol Ryung has been drawn down the mountain by the sound of drums, impressive drumming at that. It's a woman performing at what appears to be a party attended by a lot of fancy people. Wol Ryung perches in a tree. He seems excited to be observing humans. From his tree, though, he doesn't watch the drumming woman. Instead he sees a man and two women being pulled along in a cage. They stop short of a building, where the driver of the cart orders them to get out. When they're slow to comply, the man pulls the oldest one out and throws her to the ground. Wol Ryung is surprised by how she's being treated.
The boy, the woman's brother, yells at the guard. Apparently, they've been brought her as the children of a traitor. From the way they are acting, righteous and proud, I would say that their father was falsely accused. Initially, I thought that both women were sisters, but the younger appears to be the maid servant of the older one. It's a little confusing because both her brother, Jung Yoon, and the girl, Dam Yi, both call Seo Hwa, 'my lady.'
Annoyed, the guard goes and pounds on the door. It's answered by a woman and a man (I later figure out that her name is Oh Mom and his name is Jang Soo. They're the lead servants in the house.) Even though the guard wants to be rid of the three, Oh Mom encourages him to come in and have a drink. He would but he has a death memorial to get to, so he leaves. Oh Mom tries to quickly usher them inside. Seo Hwa wants to know what this place is and is told that it's Choon Hwa Gwan, a gisaeng (courtesan) house. The trio is horrified, particularly for Seo Hwa, and they refuse to enter. Oh Mom is flabbergasted at her refusal.
The woman beating the drums has finished. It was seriously pretty impressive. It involved multiple drums and at one point she bent over backward and rotated in a circle, all the while staying on beat. She received his praise for her performance. Apparently, she's the ruler of the house, Soo Ryun. As she pats off the sweat she worked up, two other gisaengs compliment her. She doesn't seem to impressed that her patrons were impressed. Jang Soo runs up to her and tells her about the trouble outside.
The oldest, Seo Hwa, refuses to enter and lose her honor. The maid of the house, tries to argue with her to be reasonable. She's been sold into service. Refusal means she'll be put to death. Seo Hwa prefers that alternative. Oh Mom begins to try to pull Seo Hwa into the house.
Soo Ryun appears and tells them to stop. Seo Hwa looks at her defiantly. Oh Mom tells Soo Ryun that they are the children of Lord Yoon, who was beheaded for treason. Seo Hwa declares that their father was framed, but this doesn't seem to move Soo Ryun. Seo Hwa declares that she will never become a filthy gisaeng. Soo Ryun is a little offended. She's done arguing. She orders Seo Hwa stripped (down to her undergarments). Wol Ryung is very shocked that the humans did this.
Seo Hwa is furious at this treatment. She clutches the fabric of her undergarment. Wol Ryung is horrified and moved by what's happened.
Soo Ryun orders Seo Hwa tied to what they call the “Tree of Shame” and deprived of food and water until she breaks. Jung Yoon and Dam Yi are to be thrown into the gisaeng's storeroom. Seo Hwa is left there, basically naked, horrified at this humiliation.
Jung Yoon and Dam Yi weep over what is to become of Seo Hwa.
Before she goes inside, Oh Mom tells Seo Hwa that the tree is called the Tree of Shame and it's used to break the will of any so-called ladies. She encourages Seo Hwa not to fight and to beg forgiveness, before the real shame comes. Seo Hwa asks how they could do this to a person and begs Oh Mom to let her go. From his tree, Wol Ryung is torn, because as guardian of the mountain, he has sworn not to interfere in the lives of men. Her tears and pleas for help keep him fixed in place.
Flashback. Yoon Household. Seo Hwa rushes inside to see her father, Yoon Ki Soo, about to be put to death for treason, betrayed by someone that he called and treated as a friend, Jo Kwan Woong. Kwan Woong sneers, saying that for years Ki Soo has looked down on him. Seo Hwa protests, calling for her father.
Kwan Woong give Seo Hwa a leer and then taunts Ki Soo before he kills him, whispering that he’ll call on Seo Hwa at the giseang house. While it seemed like Ki Soo was resolved at what is about to happen to him, this degradation of his daughter is more than he can take, especially when Kwan Woong is so relishing the idea of having sex with her. Ki Soo struggles to grab a sword but Kwan Woong pulls his sword and slits Ki Soo's throat. The blood splatters across Seo Hwa’s face and hanbok. Looking at Seo Hwa, Kwan Woong smiles, like a snake about to strike. Seo Hwa screams.
Gisaeng House. Kwan Woong is reveling in his victory, surrounded by gisaengs (courtesans). Soo Ryun enters, congratulating him on his promotion, apparently his reward for revealing a traitor to the state. How's that for an insult? Falsely accuse a friend, get rewarded with more power from a higher position. It wasn't motivated by personal gain at all. Kwan Woong is quite pleased with himself. Soo Ryun mentions that he used to come to the gisaeng house with Ki Soo, as friends. Kwan Woong declares that this might have been true at one time, but he can hardly side with a traitor against his country. He even goes so far as to say that it hurts his heart what's happened. In fact, this is why he's here at the house. No to relish all the attention that the ladies are showing him.
Soo Ryun seems a little confused at this. Kwan Woong continues, saying that he promised Lord Yoon that he would be Seo Hwa’s first customer. Slightly unsettled, Soo Ryun says he must wait until she is properly trained. Kwan Woong thinks that five days is enough. Soo Ryun clearly doesn't think that's a good idea. Particularly since Seo Hwa's currently tied to a tree, being broken, who knows how long that might take. To be fully trained as a gisaeng would definitely take longer than five days, even for a normal person.
When Soo Ryun protests at his demand that she be ready in five days, he is not in the mood to be contradicted. The other girls there are also unsettled by him, but continue to do their duty and fawn over his when he turns his attention back to them. Soo Ryun silently agrees but she clearly looks upset.
Morning. The villagers gather around the Tree of Shame and taunt and throw rocks at her. She vows never to submit. Wol Ryung watches and struggles with wanting to help her.
For three days, Seo Hwa remains tied, without food or water. She adamantly refuses to ever sell her body. When she looks to be at death’s door, Wol Ryung decides to act but suddenly is stopped by So Jung, who says that this is her destiny. He wants Wol Ryung to leave her. Wol Ryung ignores him, but So Jung binds Wol Ryung's powers with a bracelet. The two fight.
Wol Ryung doesn't understand why his helping is a problem. So Jung tells him it won't just be one time. It's a boundary that he shouldn't cross. Wol Ryung throws So Jung’s staff. Frustrated, So Jung walks away. Wol Ryung starts to watch So Jung go. Suddenly, his eyes blaze amber. He picks up So Jung's staff and throws it at him. Or rather, at the snake that was about to kill So Jung. Wol Ryung's eyes return to normal.
As So Jung realizes that Wol Ryung saved his life, Wol Ryung asks if that was So Jung’s destiny that he just prevented. So Jung can't say anything to this. Wol Ryung goes to rescue her, but she is gone.
Gisaeng House. Seo Hwa wakes to find her maid servant, Dam Yi, at her side. Dam Yi is very happy that she is awake. She has been deathly ill with fever. When Seo Hwa discovers she is inside the gisaeng house, she struggles to leave and is stopped by Soo Ryun. Soo Ryun declares that once she's been sold as a gisaeng, it's her fate, whether she likes it or not. Seo Hwa vows that she would rather die tied to the Tree of Shame than to sell her body. Soo Ryun sees that Seo Hwa still isn't going to break, so she nods at Oh Mom to open the room's window. Outside Seo Hwa's brother, Jung Yoon, bound and surrounded by five men with sticks.
Soo Ryun gives Seo Hwa a choice: either her brother or her body. Jung Yoon tells her not to do it and doesn’t scream even as they beat him. No one enjoys watching his torture. Seo Hwa cannot take it and agrees to do what Soo Ryun demands. Soo Ryun orders Oh Mom to clean Seo Hwa up. Jung Yoon weeps that he was his sister's weakness.
Seo Hwa is bathed, dressed and tattooed with the house mark. Rather than cry out, she clenches fabric of her dress in her fists.
Jung Yoon has been made a house servant. He discovers that Seo Hwa’s first client will be Lord Jo, the man that betrayed and murdered their father. He is horrified. Together with Dam Yi, he hatches a plan to rescue her. Dam Yi is willing to do it, even though it will be risking her life.
As the giseangs prepare Seo Hwa for her first night of service, the chattering of the other giseang reveals that it is Kwan Woong who will be defiling her. Oh Mom's face says that Seo Hwa wasn't supposed to know (at least so early). Oh Mom tells her that it’s her lousy fate.
Left alone, Seo Hwa decides to stab and kill herself with one of her binyeos (hair decorations). Dam Yi interrupts her and tells her to switch clothes. She has to hurry, because Kwan Woong has arrived. Dam Yi wants Seo Hwa to escape so that she can live to clear her father’s name and not be defiled by Kwan Woong. Seo Hwa weeps at Dam Yi's sacrifice.
Dam Yi pretends to be Seo Hwa, sitting behind a screen. Soo Ryun enters and tells her that Kwan Woong will be coming soon. Soo Ryun definitely isn't happy about events, but 'Seo Hwa's' lack of response rouses Soo Ryun suspicions. Dam Yi tries to keep up the ruse by hiding her face, but Soo Ryun that she is not Seo Hwa.
Seo Hwa and Jung Yoon run up the mountain to escape.
Dam Yi claims that she is a victim of Seo Hwa’s deceit, simply doing what she was told when she gave Seo Hwa her clothes. Soo Ryun orders her men after Seo Hwa and for them to keep this from Kwan Woong. As a consequence of helping Seo Hwa escape, Dam Yi is given to Kwan Woong for the night. Even though Dam Yi weeps and begs her not to, Soo Ryun tells her that if she wants to live, she'll keep her mouth shut and do what she has to do. If she doesn't, Soo Ryun tells Dam Yi that she will kill Dam Yi with her own hands.
Seo Hwa and Yoon continue to run through the mountains, chased by men from the giseang house. The birds are disturbed by the commotion, alerting Wol Ryung that something is going on. He has been sitting the the Garden of the Moon, holding the rope that bound Seo Hwa and thinking of her.
Kwan Woong is impatient. Soo Ryun enters and tells him that Seo Hwa is nervous. She asks Kwan Woong to put out his candle so that Seo Ryun won't know who he is; she may hurt herself if she sees that it's Kwan Woong. Soo Ryun's clever. Kwan Woong thinks Seo Hwa hurting herself might be fun, but he wants to have his fun first. What a slime ball. Kwan Woong reluctantly blows out the candle. Dam Yi is brought in and Soo Ryun leaves her to Kwan Woong's whims.
Dam Yi is locked in with Kwan Woong. She pounds on the door to be let out, but Kwan Woong grabs her. He throws her onto the bed and declares that he likes it when she struggles. He *like* raping women. Dam Yi says nothing, but thinks, 'My lady,' over and over as he has his way with her. Kwan Woong declares that he'll have her over and over until every inch of her body is his. I'm a little nauseous right now. And I think I need a shower.
Seo Hwa almost goes back, but remembers her promise to Dam Yi. She keeps falling though and Jung Yoon is helping her run. Soo Ryun's men are closing in.
As Dam Yi screams, Soo Ryun does nothing, even though she clearly wants to. Oh Mom also wants to intervene, but Soo Ryun stops her, saying that they have to endure it so that Seo Hwa and all of them will be able to live.
Seo Hwa falls again and cannot get up. She urges Jung Yoon to run while she hides. He adamantly refuses. Only the thought of clearing their father’s name and Dam Yi's sacrifice makes him agree. He promises to return and find her.
After he is gone, Seo Hwa pulls out the binyeo and prepares to kill herself. She whispers for Dam Yi to forgive her. She is stopped by being surrounded by glowing blue lights. Soo Ryun's men close in. She collapses and is caught by Wol Ryung. He softly stares at her face. She weakly asks him to help her and he cannot refuse.
Blue lights like fireflies surround Soo Ryun's men. They're spooked. Wol Ryung appears. He demands they leave the forest and sends a swarm of sticks and leaves on them. They are rightfully terrified because it's really freaky. They run away, with the swarm following behind them.
Kwan Woong bursts out of the house that he's occupying, demanding Soo Ryun. Soo Ryun and Oh Mom appear. In the background, you can see Dam Yi, lit by a light. Immediately, unexpectedly, Kwan Woong slaps Soo Ryun across the face and knocks her to the ground. It is clear that even though she rules the gisaeng house, she is at his mercy to exist. And since we know that he has no problem raping someone or murdering for his own benefit, we know just how tenuous that mercy is. But still, Soo Ryun tells him that Seo Hwa will only be available after she is properly trained and registered. Kwan Woong declares that Soo Ryun must have a death wish. Soo Ryun asks if that will satisfy him, killing her. She's almost defiant. I laughed at that one.
Kwan Woong demands his sword. Oh Mom falls to her knees and begs Kwan Woong to stop, telling him that Seo Hwa has run away. Soo Ryun tries to get her to stop, not happy that Kwan Woong now knows, but Oh Mom continues. Soo Ryun begs Kwan Woong to look the other way in order to spare Seo Hwa's life, but since he's the kind of man that embraces the idea of 'if I can't have her, no one can,' he orders that the lost slaves be reported.
Bounty hunters capture Jung Yoon. The poor boy didn't stand a chance. They bring him back to the village. Dam Yi hears he's been captured. She hurries to the village square. As she arrives, a large crowd has gathered. A beaten and bloody Jung Yoon is hung as Kwan Woong is watches. With his dying breath, he calls Kwan scum and bemoans that he wasn't able to rip Kwan Woong's head off.
As Dam Yi watches, Jung Yoon is hung on Kwan Woong's order. As he dies, he thanks Dam Yi for everything she's done to help his sister. She remembers a better time when they laughed together. I get a little misty. In despair, later that night, she hangs herself.
Jang Soo reports encountering a gumiho. Ninja Soh reports the news to Kwan Woong. He declares that there were too many men for it to be a hallucination.
Dam Yi's body is discovered. Oh Mom weeps and Soo Ryun is visibly upset.
Seo Hwa wakes in a cave. She's been sleeping on a bed of animal pelts. Her twisted ankle is bandaged. Wol Ryung has taken her to the Garden of the Moon. Rising, she goes outside. Blue lights are floating all around and Wol Ryung introduces himself. He's happy she's awake. He tells her that she is safe. He chased all the men away. He smiles at her and there's a tenderness there, but his words don’t exactly seem put her at ease.
Kwan Woong hires Dam Pyung Joon to get rid of the gumiho, since it’s "disturbing the peace." As Pyung Joon and his troops enter the forest being led by one of Soo Ryun's men, he is seen by So Jung, who then frantically looks for Wol Ryung. So Jung finds them. He's frantic but doesn't recognize the girl that he fought with Wol Ryung about. Wol Ryung reminds him. When So Jung protests, he argues that she ran into the forest and asks for his help. So Jung urges Wol Ryung to send her away, again because whether she lives or dies is her fate and not his concern. Wol Ryung tells that is his concern because he’s fallen in love with her.
Wol Ryung asks So Jung if he can find the Book of the Nine, the Gu Family Book, so that he can become human.
Kwan Woong wants the gumiho and Seo Hwa's *body* found. Pyung Joon's men find one of the torches, but there's no sign of where either went.
Narration reminds us that this is where their sad tale began. So Jung is shocked at Wol Ryung's declaration but he's determined to go through with his plan because he's in love.
Thoughts
This drama started out well. The music at the beginning, as the monk wandered through the forest, reminded me of Lord of the Rings with its mystical sound. It created a really nice mood for the events to come. Unlike some dramas, that take a few episodes to get going (Baker King Kim Tak Gu took eight to finally get to the adult part of the story. I seriously would have had to quit if I had to listen his younger’s self voice any longer.), this one hooked me pretty much from the beginning. Damsel in distress, noble man bent on saving her, very evil bad guy who will rape and murder to get what he wants. I’m definitely invested in Seo Hwa and Wol Ryung’s story.
I do want to know the story behind Soo Ryun. With Seo Hwa she is cold, unbending and domineering. But as she interacts with Kwan Woong, she seems to genuinely feel bad about the events happening to Seo Hwa.
When I watched her play the drums – very impressive – as these gentlemen visited their giseangs, I could only think, ‘How are you gentlemen? Nobility? When you have no problem using women for your own purposes and pleasure?’ I hate that might creates what’s right, instead of it being determined by what’s really right.
Although I hope that things will turn out all right for Seo Hwa and Wol Ryung, the narration tells me that theirs is a sad tale, so only bad things can follow in the next episode. Which makes me sad a little.
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