Asian Addicts Anonymous

Everyone is still out looking for Dong Yi. And besides Dong Yi, the triad and other officers are out in search of the remaining members of the Sword Fraternity. Chief Seo asks to come back from leave so that he can right his wrong and capture all of the remaining members of the fraternity. He is granted his wish. We watch as homes are ransacked, ships emptied of passengers, women and children crying. Not just men, but entire families related the the members are arrested and many of them die. Myself, while I understand the reasoning behind the killing of an entire family, I never found it justifiable. The point is to make sure there is none left surviving to carry on (revenge, etc.). Strategically, it makes sense, but if we talk about in regards to respecting life and only punishing the guilty, it’s very wrong.

Dong Yi makes a New Year’s wish and is almost captured, but she manages to blend in with the crowd. She later finds Gaeduara whose father has been killed as well. She is eating rice in a shed and the woman who tends the place catches Gaeduara stealing. Dong Yi immediately goes to his rescue and the two manage to escape. Dong Yi leads Gaeduara to the palace, to a door that is used only to bring out the dead. Ingenious Dong Yi, has it figured out. The safest place to hide is by or near the castle where officers aren’t really allowed to go.

Gaeduara gets ill from bad meat and Dong Yi rushes him to the doctor. She gets identified and they both run for it. They split up and agree to meet back at the palace gate. Dong Yi is spotted by Seo and his men and they begin chasing after her. She tries to lead them astray, but Seo is not a stupid man. He circles around and catches Dong Yi. She then starts crying and telling him that she is Dong Yi, the same Dong Yi that helped him and the same Dong Yi that he praised earlier. She said that she found a person who made the same signs as the dead inspector general. She is a court lady. Dong Yi tells Seo to find the court lady and to please let her go.

She is crying, begging, saying her brother and father were framed. Seo begins to thaw and start suspecting things as well. He tells Dong Yi to leave and if they ever meet again, he’ll capture her for sure. She is grateful for this and was going to leave but Seo’s men come. Seo tells them not to shoot, but they immediately launch arrows at Dong Yi. She keeps crying and saying her family was framed as she backs up. Seo finally gets them to stop, but Dong Yi falls down a cliff. She is found by three men and taken to Seolhee’s house.

Seolhee was in love with Dong Ju and promised Chun Soo that she would look after Dong Yi and keep her safe. Seolhee is a gisaeng that one of the lead conspirators in all this trouble likes. He asks his servant to take care of a matter that Seolhee had said she asked a favor of an official for (adoption papers for Dong Yi and Gaeduara), got to love how he unintentionally ends up helping those he hunts just because he doesn’t want Seolhee owing any one but him. Dong Yi refuses to sail with Seolhee and Gaeduara and asks to be let into the palace somehow. She would be safe there and could look for the court lady who could help clear her father’s name. Seolhee doesn’t want to agree, but eventually caves in to Dong Yi.

Getting ready to sail with Gaeduara (with the fake adoption papers) and getting ready to leave Dong Yi to the music school, the triad officer comes to meet Seolhee to see what is going on and why she needed adoption papers. His servant almost catches Dong Yi and Gaeduara, but the officer tells him to never mind. A gift is a gift. The secret remains undiscovered still. Seolhee thanks Dong Yi for helping her regain the will to live. After Dong Ju’s death, she felt her life was meaningless, but seeing Dong Yi who has the same eyes as Dong Ju gives her renewed hope.

Seolhee goes to the head of the royal music school and asks him to take in Dong Yi as a servant. He readily agrees as he likes Seolhee. Thus Dong Yi enters the palace and becomes (seems like the sole servant) a part of the music school. She has to clean the clothes, bring the instruments, and music scores. Very tough work and she gets scolded often for mistakes. One night, she picks up the instrument her elder brother played and begins to play it herself, remembering when her brother tried to teach her.

Dong Ju said that Dong Yi was terrible and couldn’t play at all. Dong Yi’s father loved her playing and Chun Soo said that Dong Ju wasn’t allowed to bully his “bride.” Dong Ju said that he hadn’t agreed to give Dong Yi to Chun Soo and Dong Yi breaks in telling her brother that she was of course going to be Chun Soo’s bride. They all laughed. A good time.

Fast forward. Dong Yi is a young woman, playing the instrument still. King Sukjong hears her playing and I think he is going to investigate the beautiful melody. Episode ends.

It looks like the plot is going to thicken even more. Previews show Dong Yi seeing Officer Seo again (he’s been promoted) and it looks like she sees the court lady she has been looking for all of these years as well. We will also start seeing Sukjong and what goes on in the palace.

My thoughts: I loved the flashback to Dong Yi saying she was going to be Chun Soo’s bride, it was priceless. And sad as Chun Soo won’t get the girl (although given the age gap, he probably wouldn’t have been a contender anyways, but after Shining Inheritance I really wanted them to star in a drama where they end up as a couple). He is supposed to be reappearing sometime as well. Where has he been all these years and what has he been doing? I know why officials would round up survivors and family members of the Sword Fraternity, but I don’t have to like it. And viciously hunting down a little girl to kill, come on. Talk about absurd. I am glad Seo is starting to question things again, but will he be able to find out any truth and act on it at all?