The Bird That Stays Grounded
Ji-Un and Seok-Jo spar together, but the topic of Dam-I comes up. Ji-Un is perplexed by his choice in the past, referencing the brutal murder he witnessed. Seok-Jo tries to broach the subject with Ji-Un, but he’s not interested.
Ga-On continues his search for the eunuch who poisoned the King. When he finally catches up to him, he finds him hanging from the ceiling.
Despite cutting him down, he’s too far gone and passes away. However, someone stirs in the distance. Ga-On notices this and gives chase, unfortunately losing them in the crowd. When he feeds this grim news back to his wife, Ga-On learns she’s in hiding because of Lord Sangheon. It turns out the eunuch was being blackmailed over a letter that was supposed to be for Hwa-Gil, the Crown Prince’s royal preceptor.
Ha-Kyung wallows in self pity in her chambers. Yu-Gong suggests that Hwi’s coldness is not to her but to her father instead, and this is just a way of distancing herself from the situation. ..
Shin Yeong-Su is reinstated and Hwi continues to serve as her puppet. However, she has her own agenda, typified by her asking for Shin Yeong-Su to be reinstated. The scholars are restless and the Inspector General could be the perfect remedy to quiet them down.
King Hwi sends a decree to the court ordering them to stop discussing his plans with Ji-Un. He knows that if they continue, he will be forced to step down and leave the court. He also knows that if he leaves, Ji-Un will take over and be the new king. Hwi decides to stick by King Hwi and help him rectify the court so that it is more in line with his wishes.
The Inspector General investigates the Minister of Taxation for using cargo boats for his own personal gain and misusing the rice. He claims he didn’t have a choice.
Hwi offers an alternate solution to the problem – he suggests that the player leave the palace and give up the name of the guild he moved weapons to within Hamgil Province. This would allow for more transparency and accountability in regards to weapon trafficking, and could help to prevent future conflicts. ..
The minister of the government is congratulated by a local girl on her clever solution to a problem. They are both alone when this occurs, and the girl kisses the minister in order to send them both blushing and grinning.
Ji-Un tells Hyun that he won’t be leaving the palace or hiding his feelings, and they share a hug.
Ha-Kyung eventually tries to win over Hwi, giving her some flowers that are almost as big as she is. She also gives her some sweet peaches. All of this is a ploy to try and win Hwi over. ..
Ga-On returns to the palace with big news for Hwi. He reveals himself to be the assassin that tried to kill her at the royal hunt. He was biding his time to infiltrate the palace and kill the late King. However, he’s also been trying to find evidence relating to Hwi’s father’s murder. In fact, Ga-On actually witnessed his last moments too.
Ga-On reveals himself to be Kang Eun-Seo, who was executed by Ki-Jae. This explains his actions all this time and his ties with Commander Yoon.
Ha-Kyung sees Hwi fall asleep and decides to sneak up on her. She’s surprised when Hwi wakes up and kisses her.
Ji-Un is jealous of Hwi when they head back to the palace. When they get out into the open, the pair start kissing.
The Episode Review
This week’s episode of The King’s Affection was another great one, with Hwi and Ji-Un continuing to develop their relationship. Hwi is very much taken with Ji-Un now and the moments of her blushing and hiding her face are just the absolute cutest.
Meanwhile, the episode does a great job continuing to see Hwi work politically to try and outsmart Ki-Jae. This includes bringing back the Inspector General, which actually works surprisingly well.
Hwi has started to understand the court system and the reveal with Ga-On is another nice inclusion, helping to flesh out his character and understanding his motivations.
It seems like we’re about to get more romance on the horizon, and thankfully we don’t have to wait too long for the next episode!
