Post Drama Interview with Park Hyung Sik and Park Bo Young on Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

Park Bo Young’s recent success on the small screen started with tvN’s drama “Oh My Ghostess,” where she played a lovable aspiring chef that was possessed by a ghost. The drama was very successful, reaching a viewership rating of over 7%. Even more recently, Park Bo Young starred in JTBC’s hit drama “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon” together with lead actor Park Hyung Sik which broke JTBC’s record for the drama with highest viewership ratings.

Due to her success with the two dramas, she earned the nickname “rom-com fairy.” When asked about this nickname, Park Bo Young responded, 

“I’m not sure if I deserve to be called the 'rom-com fairy' because I’ve only done two rom-com dramas so far. I think I’m just really grateful that people would even call me that. When I filmed my previous drama, ‘Oh My Ghostess,’ I was really worried that viewers would see me as too young and awkward for the role. I thought that they would critique me and say that it’s hard to focus on the story because of my looks. Now, I am happy with where I am and I don’t think that way anymore, so I would consider that a success.” 

She further stated that she had no idea that her works would be nearly as successful as they were.

Park Bo Young also cautiously opened up about the struggles she faced a few years back. 

“The past me would never be able to imagine receiving this much love for my acting. I always faced obstacles in my career. I had a big lawsuit with my previous company so I was extremely worn out by that. I was upset at all the bad people in the world and no longer felt the joy in acting that I experienced when I first started out. This lead me to consider quitting this profession altogether. I considered quitting and moving back home to the countryside in Korea. My parents saw how much I was struggling and agreed that I should live a normal life. But the sad thing was that when I tried to think about another career path, I couldn’t think of anything that I would want to do besides acting. Coming to this realization, I changed my mindset and started acting again. My attitude towards this profession changed after that,” 

With this chance, she also shares her goals for the future.  

“I want to be an actress that people are always curious about.  I want them wonder what kind of drama I will be working on next and look forward to the next character I will be portraying on screen.  In the past, I always set definitive goals for myself, but I’ve stopped doing that.  Now, I want to focus on putting all my effort into acting and loving myself. That is my goal for the future,” 

Park Bo Young in high school

Regarding her past childhood life, she opened up about the social isolation she had gone through back when she was a student which led her to consider quitting acting back then. Park Bo Young revealed that she acted for the very first time in a short film that her video production club made in middle school. After participating in that project, she took acting classes for a few years and auditioned for several roles. Once she entered high school, she officially made her debut in a youth drama. However, her fellow schoolmates began to treat her differently due to jealousy. “It wasn’t because I was pretty. There were no actors in my neighborhood back then, so I got attention just for being an actress,” she explained.

“Some kids would deliberately knock shoulders with me while passing by. Students from other classes would then put trash all over my seat, and the kids in my class would try to clean it up for me,” 

She further shared that when she got cast in the youth drama, her teacher tried to put up a poster of it. Upon seeing the poster, Park Bo Young broke down into tears and begged her teacher to take it down, scared that it would only make the bullying worse. Even one time, people around her would say things like, “Park Bo Young is becoming a celebrity? I guess I can become one, too.” 

Meanwhile, her chemistry with Park Hyung Sik has been gaining a lot of interest from the netizen, which she confessed finally that she has had her eye on 'Strong Woman Do Bong Soon' co-star Park Hyung Sik since his early idol days.

“I’ve been watching Park Hyung Sik since his ZE:A days. I know all of their title songs and even got tested on their songs by Park Hyung Sik. We would even play ZE:A songs on set and Hyung Sik would dance the choreography to their songs.”

Park Bo Young also talked about working with younger actors through 'Strong Woman Do Bong Soon' and said, “Park Hyung Sik has a lot of aegyo (cuteness) while Ji Soo, perhaps because he has an older sister, was really good at taking care of others. Ji Soo continued to use a formal tone with me until the very end; however, Park Hyung Sik, talked to me informally right away and said ‘Bong Soon-ah, have you eaten yet?’ They are charming in completely opposite ways.”

Regarding Park Hyung Sik’s signature sweet gaze that partially caused many to believe that the two co-stars were dating, Park Bo Young responded, “I wasn’t the only one Park Hyung Sik looked at like that. He even looks at the male actors like that. He’s just an individual who naturally has a sweet gaze. If he only looked at me like that, I definitely would have swooned but he even looks at the director like that.”

On the other hand, Park Hyung Sik first talked about the ending of the drama and said, 

“I felt a lot of pressure at first, but thankfully, the director, Park Bo Young, and the other actors gave me a lot of support and I was able to enjoy filming until the very end. I am so thankful that we were able to receive a lot of love until the end.”

Next, the singer-turned-actor talked about how it felt to star in JTBC’s most-watched drama of all time. “Before the drama premiered, I had a bet with the staff on the ratings of the show. They promised to send the cast on a reward vacation if the show ever broke a 3 percent viewership rating, so we were all shocked when the first episode recorded a 3.8 percent rating,” he said. “When I went to the set for filming after the first episode, our director has smiling up to his ears! Everyone was so happy and this positive energy carried over until the end of the show. This is my first time getting so much love and high ratings from a drama, so this is all very exciting for me,” said Park Hyung Sik.

Park Hyung Sik also shared what he thinks the secret to the success of 'Strong Woman Do Bong Soon' was. He stated, “I think the story was really unique, fresh, and funny. In times like this, it’s important to be able to laugh. I found every scene to be funny. Whenever the gangsters and high schoolers came out, it was hilarious. And the drama also had a scary, thriller component to it. There were just so many different sides to the story.”

Finally, Park Hyung Sik talked about the many overly sweet lines he had to say in the drama. “There were so many lines that were a little too romantic. But I think Ahn Min Hyuk’s personality is very truthful, so saying those lines were true to his character.” The actor also revealed how the director of the drama was able to bring out Park Hyung Sik’s chemistry with Park Bo Young. “Our director doesn’t like to say ‘cut.’ Often times, I would do exactly what was in the script, but our director wouldn’t cut the scene, so I kept going and making up lines. There was one time when the audio director actually thought Park Bo Young and I were dating because of the lines we had improvised,” he said.

Final Review on Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

The final episode of JTBC’s “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon” aired on April 15, marking the end of the popular drama (T______T) though I don't want it to end this soon, but they finished the drama with strong and impressive rating, making it as one of the most memorable drama in 2017. 

On April 16, Nielsen Korea reported that the last episode of the cable drama had a 8.96 percent overall rating, which is consistent with their previous ratings. Although they were not able to surpass the 10 percent mark, the drama was able to maintain strong ratings throughout the entire show, and broke the record as JTBC’s most watched drama.

With the final of this drama, the drama’s director, Lee Hyung Min, sat down to talk about working on the drama. Confessing that he had a feeling that the drama would do well, but never thought it would do as well as it did, Lee Hyung Min expressed his gratitude towards the main couple, Park Bo Young and Park Hyung Sik.

While talking about the praise the duo received for their chemistry and acting, he said, “I’m so grateful to both of them. I’m not trying to play favorites, but I’m especially grateful to Park Bo Young. I hope that ‘Strong Woman Do Bong Soon’ becomes a memorable production in her filmography. For Park Hyung Sik, I hope the drama was a valuable experience that helps him on his path to showing who he truly is as an actor.”

Lee Hyung Min also spoke of how the actors kept the atmosphere on set lively. He stated, “Park Hyung Sik had so much fun and told me it was a new experience for him. Though it’s hard to always discuss a scene before filming it, he made sure to go over everything he wanted to. I told him to try everything he wanted to do for any given scene. I told him to say and do anything that he felt his character would do, and he told me that was a new experience for him.”

*SPOILER ALERT*

In my honest opinion, I would say this drama is such a refreshing drama which everyone would probably like it. I love how it focused on the story of strong and super woman Do Bong Soon which sounds like Power Puff Girl. I would say this drama reminds me of my childhood superhero character, Sailormoon who will always comes and save the Earth. Every girl at that time would always think they would be able to transform into a super woman and save the world, but as we grow up, that kind of imagination is just a kind of bullshit. Do Bong Soon is a girl who possesses the unique gift of having super strength.  Although she doesn’t actively go out to fight crime or bad guys, she does do her best to stick up for those who are taken advantage of, either it is from sexual harassment in public transportation or stand up for justice. I was glad that this show injects some of the good deeds that we should try to do always in the society. If you like superhero and action type genres, then this drama has pretty much got every aspect of that covered. There’s a crime to be solved, a creepy villain, and a superhero-type figure as the main character. And the fact that the superhero is played by a female is pretty badass.

After a long or stressful week, everybody needs a little light-hearted humor. I know that when I turn on this drama, I don’t have to be worried about having to use my brain or focus too much on it. I found myself chuckling many times throughout the series so far, especially at the poor men Do Bong Soon “accidentally” hurts. I would say this show successfully captured my heart with its comedic scene, but there were times I don't like the idea where they put an excessive kind of supernatural power (though I enjoy it). That's true, it's fun and entertaining but that itself lead to inconsistency with how the story progressed. 

Park Bo Young appeared with a strong and impressive character in the first episode, as if there is nothing can hurt her. I know perfectly that if she used her strength for something bad, she would lose her power. But why does it works when she used her power to throw the lift with an innocent man being there just to save her friend, Gyeong Shim? It's just a mistake because she doesn't know that the man on the lift was someone else whereas there were times she used her power to hit gangster and some poor innocent men who she mistakenly recognize as a bad guy. If they are going to set some rules like this, I don't think just because she mistakenly put danger on someone else to save her friend would allow her to lose her super power. If so, then she would lose it many times before. Well, let's just call it happened and for the sake of the drama, Do Bong Soon should lose her power once before truly rises to her maximum potential. I'll just close one of my eyes then. 

I now understand as to why this show is so popular, that's undeniably because of the chemistry between Park Hyung Sik and Park Bo Young. They both are called puppy couple as they are both so lovely, cute and sweet. They were able to pull off the sweet and kind of childish youth romance (though I believe everyone who starts dating would probably do so) and that's the most pleasant moment in dating life (as how Mr. Oh Dung Byeong said - you know who - the most entertaining character in this show). I have totally no complaint at all for the chemistry between both of them and would say that Park Hyung Sik is definitely charming as an actor. He is able to pull off his character, Ahn Min Hyuk to such level where every woman would go crazy for him. Who doesn't love Ahn Min Hyuk?! He shows how much he love Bong Soon, even would stay beside her knowing that his life was also in danger. In the last episode, he said he loves Do Bong Soon crazily, though he may not know what makes him like her so much, but he would say that he feels he exists when she exists (cheesy but worked - YEAY! YOU FINALLY GET Do Bong Soon). 

Ahn Min Hyuk’s voice transitions in and he can be heard saying,

“I feel like I need [Do Bong Soon] in order to be me and like I would cease to exist if she wasn’t with me.”

One of my most favorite scene is when Park Hyung Sik ask Bong Soon to love him back and finally hugs her. It's such a simple scene but that feels heavier that I thought. I would say that moment is the most thoughtful and emotional in this drama ever, one line, but depicts a lot of stories and I am glad that Park Hyung Sik can pull it off! Ultimately this show is a romance, and, sure, the relationship between the two leads was super swoon-worthy and all kinds of adorable, but it was also built on how much they respected each other as individuals, and how willingly they were to express how much the other meant to them. Her love for Min Hyuk made her more relatable and more heroic than she’d ever been before. 

Another scene that caught up my attention the most is when finally Ahn Min Hyuk proposed to Bong Soon. Not that kind of mainstream purposes, but a promise to stay together for another 10 years and more. To walk together for the next next years cherry blossom and that's when all the love converts to something deeper than just a mere lingering feelings. They both transformed to a more mature level and that's when I finally understand and connected more in Bong Soon's growing love story, from one-sided crushes for a long time, to finally able to find her soulmate. 

“You know what’s different about a soulmate? I can see myself in that person’s eyes and I look so, so happy.” 

I feel connected also to Bong Soon through her conflict over her strength and how she truly feels when she possessed such power but things do not go with how the way she wants it to be. The moment when she confronted her mom for always thinking that she is strong and cry her heart out, that's when I feel her so much.

Regarding Ji Soo's character, In Gook Doo, I know it's a sad ending for him, but he works best in spreading the second lead syndrome. Poor him, he likes Bong Soon from a long time, but didn't realize his true feelings. Regret always comes later. When he finally realized his feeling, Bong Soon is not the same anymore like the last time she had crush for Gook Doo. That's when I would say, when you really like someone, just go and tell him/her before it's too late. 

It's sad that we finally have to say goodbye to our lovely couple. But this show ends with possibly no 2nd season and the production team wrapped up nicely. Ahn Min Hyuk and Do Bong Soon get married, have twin daughter (poor you, daddy Ahn) and they live happily ever after. 

It's such a great production and I strongly recommends this drama for you guys to see!

Favorite Scene & Lines on Strong Woman Do Bong Soon by Park Bo Young, Park Hyung Sik and Ji Soo

*SPOILER ALERT*

As JTBC’s popular drama “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon” nears the end of its successful run with its final two episodes this weekend, the three lead actors of the drama took time to look back and pick out the most memorable scenes and lines from “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon.”

Park Bo Young, who played the role of the drama’s super strong heroine Do Bong Soon, chose a scene from the fifth episode in which Do Bong Soon confronts a pervert on the subway. The scene takes place after she decides to no longer hide her powers from the world. The scene was especially satisfying for viewers as she swiftly punishes the pervert for his actions and Park Bo Young said, “I liked the scene also because it felt good to act out the change in Do Bong Soon’s perspective [on her powers].”

As for her favorite lines, Park Bo Young picked out a scene from episode seven in which Do Bong Soon clashes with her mother about being an afterthought in the family. In the scene, Do Bong Soon tearfully says, “You raised me while always putting me last. Do you think I wanted to be born like this? Why do you hate only me?…We’re both your children but why are you always unfair to only me? You’re a woman too so why are you always mean to only me?”

Viewers were moved by Park Bo Young’s emotional portrayal of Do Bong Soon finally expressing all the resentment and sorrow she has kept to herself over the years. Park Bo Young explained, “It took a long time to prepare for this scene and many of my friends really liked it, especially those who grew up with brothers.”

Park Hyung Sik, who took on the role of video game company CEO Ahn Min Hyuk, chose a scene from episode 14, in which Ahn Min Hyuk stares longingly at Do Bong Soon and says, “Please look at me. Please love me,” as the most memorable scene from the drama. Before this scene, Do Bong Soon goes to confront the villain on her own and, in the process, loses her strength, which causes her to lose consciousness. The scene further confirms their love for one another and Park Hyung Sik said, “I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a more thoughtful and emotional scene before. Even thinking about it now, I can still feel lingering emotions in my heart from that scene that I just can’t explain in words.”

Ji Soo, who played the role of the aloof but caring character of In Guk Doo, chose a scene from the upcoming episode as his favorite scene so far. He explained, “When I first read the synopsis for the drama, I really liked the aspect in which these three characters come together to achieve justice. The scene I am thinking of from episode 15 best illustrates this aspect of the drama, which is why it is my favorite scene.”

The actor also picked a favorite line from a scene in which In Guk Doo expresses his concerns about Do Bong Soon spending the night in Ahn Min Hyuk’s home. In Guk Doo says, “Why are we just friends?” which clearly causes Do Bong Soon’s heart to flutter, and continues, “Make sure to lock the doors when you stay at that CEO’s house. Ahn Min Hyeok is definitely not gay.” Ji Soo explained, “At this point, In Guk Doo doesn’t realize that he likes Do Bong Soon but his true feelings show during this scene. I like this line because it portrays the unfortunate timing of their relationship very concisely.”

Regarding the production staff’s favorite scene, they said, “It’s far too difficult for us to pick out just one scene because the actors shine so brightly in every scene that they are in. The final two episodes will also contain moments that will remain in viewers’ memories for a long time so please look forward to it.”

Meanwhile, check out the new stills from the upcoming episode of “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon” and learn more about the actor behind the masked villain from the drama!

What were your favorite scenes and lines from the drama? 

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon: It Is Not Over Until It's Over

JTBC’s popular drama, “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon” is coming to an end with only two episodes left to go.

Up until now, viewers have only seen short dating scenes between Park Bo Young and Park Hyung Sik’s characters and have expressed their desire to see more of the puplly couple’s cute and romantic dates.

Recently, a producer from the show delivered good news about the final two episodes of the drama and said, “I think the viewers will find what they are looking for as we wrap up the drama. The ending will have everything viewers are looking forward to,” he foreshadowed.

Viewers of the show are expecting a happy ending with Park Bo Young and Park Hyung Sik’s characters, but only time will tell. It looks like no one can get enough of this adorable couple!

How do you think “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon” will end?

JTBC also unveiled new stills for “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon” that are causing quite a stir.

In an earlier episode of the drama, there was a scene in which Park Hyung Sik and Ji Soo’s characters have a drinking battle in front of Park Bo Young’s character, which resulted in the ultimate bromance scene. At this point in the drama, Park Bo Young’s character, Do Bong Soon, had one-sided feelings towards Ji Soo’s character, In Gook Du.

The latest stills show a second drinking battle between to two male leads. However, this time around, Park Bo Young’s character has resolved her feeling towards Jisoo’s character and is currently dating Ahn Min Hyuk, played by Park Hyung Sik.

The stills show the intense rivalry between Park Hyung Sik and Ji Soo’s characters.  In the first shot, Park Hyung Sik and Ji Soo are drinking shots of soju as Park Bo Young gives them a suspicious glare.  In the second shot, tension grows as the two men stare each other down in Park Bo Young’s absence.  In the last shot, Park Hyung Sik and Ji Soo’s characters are caught fighting by Park Bo Young and give her an innocent look as if nothing was going on.

A source from the show commented, “It’s not over until it’s over. It will be fun for viewers to see how the characters’ dynamics have have changed since the first drinking battle and how the trio will work together in the end,” foreshadowing that the trio will come together to catch the villain of the show once and for all.

The last two episodes of “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon” will air this weekend on April 14 and April 15.

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon Thrives in Viewer Rating

The viewer ratings of “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon” are growing endlessly!

According to Nielsen Korea, episode 10 gathered 9.668 percent ratings, which is 2.245 percent higher than the previous episode’s ratings, 7.423 percent.

The drama broke JTBC’s all-time high for drama ratings last week, and this week’s ratings outperformed the record-breaking number.

On March 25, the production team for “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon” released the latest stills for the upcoming tenth episode. The images show Park Hyung Sik placing Park Bo Young’s hand on his chest while looking at her with a serious and sweet expression. While Park Hyung Sik has an intense look on his face, Park Bo Young seems to look surprised by his actions.

With the developments from the latest episode, many viewers are eager to see whether or not Ahn Min Hyuk (played by Park Hyung Sik) will confess his feelings to Do Bong Soon (played by Park Bo Young) in the upcoming episode. 

With this development, there is NO WONDER the rating goes up drastically, because I am also melting because of his sincere gaze...Gosh, daepyu-nim why are you so addictive??? 

The chemistry between Ahn Min Hyuk and Do Bong Soon is trully good. I really like this male lead character, specially his good sense of humor, LOL, but when he's serious, he can be that sincere!

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon First Impression

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon starts the airing since February 24, 2017 which is way too long for me to write the first impression. I've been reading the news for this drama, that includes their achievement for high rating right from the start. I was a bit lazy to catch up with a new drama lately due to hectic office hours. Besides, I also have to spare time for working out and doing some research for our yearly trip this year end which takes a lot of my free time. 

Park Hyung Sik at High Society

I am just saying this, that I am not a big fan of Park Hyung Sik nor Ji Soo though Park Bo Young is such a great talented actress. The last time I watched Park Hyung Sik, was on High Society which he makes my heart skip a beat when he showed his abs. His character is a rich heir of chaebol group and that suits him best. However, when he starts doing Hwarang, with the theme of historical period during Goryeo with long hair character, I started to lose my interest on him which makes me skip Hwarang. But, damn, he's too HOT in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, even he makes my heart flutter every single episodes. You would definetely like it!

This drama offers a really refreshing type of storyline, like a superhero themed drama which is not only offers a serial murder case like Avengers, but also offers a romantic-comedy type of drama.

Do Bong Soon (played by Park Bo Young) was born with superhuman strength. Her strength is hereditary and passed along only to the women in her family. There is a secret that accompanies her inherited strength, should the women in Bong Soon’s family use their powers for evil and/or personal gain, then they would be punished and cursed for the remainder of their lifetimes. Bong Soon’s ancestors used her super strength to enforce imperial rule against the people in exchange for large sums of money. As punishment for her greed, she lost her powers and lived the rest of her life afflicted with leprosy. 

Bong Soon's dream is to create a video game with herself as the main character. She desperately wants to become a willowy and elegant woman, which is the ideal type of her crush, In Guk Doo (played by Ji Soo), a police officer. Thanks to her strength, she gets the job of a bodyguard, to a spoiled rich heir Ahn Min Hyuk (played by Park Hyung Sik), the CEO of a gaming company (Ainsoft). Opposite of Guk Doo, Min Hyuk is an odd man who is imperious and has no regard for rules. 

It all starts years back, on a dreary afternoon, high school student Ahn Min Hyuk sits in the back of a bus holding a bouquet of flowers. Suddenly, one of the tires bursts and soon the bus careens down a hill. The driver desperately tries to regain control only to discover that the brakes are broken. He swerves to the right, barely avoiding an oncoming car, but then redirects into the path of two pedestrians standing to the side of the road.

Panicking, he stomps down on the brakes as they barrel forward, then closes his eyes, unable to witness the certain horror to come. However, when he opens his eyes again, the bus has stopped in its tracks, and all remain unharmed. Out the back window, Min Hyuk notices a girl wearing a pink hoodie back away from the rear end of the bus. She turns around without revealing her face, and begins walking up the road. Min Hyuk watches the girl as she leaves, fascinated. And as if sensing his curiosity, she stops in her tracks and turns back slightly toward him, when a breeze catches the hood of her sweater and begins to peel it away from her head. Unfortunately, he can't see the girl's face. 

In present, as you all know, Min Hyuk has recently received anonymous threats and even followed by an unknown person who warns him to back off from the list of heirs. When he knows the super power of Bong Soon accidently, he recruited her as his bodyguard with huge amount in exchange. Bong Soon barely refused it, though she is curious as why Ahn Min Hyuk hires a woman as his boduguard instead of a man. Gong Secretary then told her a big secret that Min Hyuk, the CEO is actually doing that to avoid rumor of being gay, which Bong Soon soon to believe that Min Hyuk is truly gay. One day, Bong Soon, Guk Doo, and Min Hyuk get caught up in a serial murder case that breaks in their neighborhood and ends up reluctantly living together for security purposes. A series of misunderstanding occur when Guk Doo mistakes Min Hyuk's affection. 

Admittedly, I’m also really curious as to what Min Hyuk is doing with the whole gay thing. We obviously know that he likes women given his slow and affectionate gazes at Bong Soon (even I died with his affectionate gaze), though at this point, he could totally be bi given all the innuendo he’s throwing out there at Gook Doo. (Hawt.) He’s been called gay to his face and hasn’t bothered correcting anyone, so either it’s partially right, or he’s just having fun with the assumption. It could also be that he likes the idea that people can’t figure him out and just enjoys being a mystery. If you think about his life growing up, he lost his mother, had brothers that hated him and one brother that protected him, had a gangster father that doesn’t seem to care, and multiple stepmothers who are more inclined to drink than play parent. Then on top of that, he left home young, became a CEO of a large company, and spends most of his down time alone in a dungeon game room. It makes total sense that he’s a bit…eccentric. I’d be more surprised if he did have normal interactions with people after all that.

I had been worrying that working as a personal bodyguard for monetary gain would fall within the “abusing power” category and that Bong Soon would end up with leprosy or month-long diarrhea.  At first, she is very reluctant to work as Min Hyuk's bodyguard, but seeing how the stalker seems to really serious to kill Min Hyuk, Bong Soon then promised to him that she is going to protect him no matter what happen. And this is the first time when she decides to protect someone simply because it’s right, and she cares that evil doesn’t succeed, If it is like this, I can’t imagine her family’s curse will have a problem with that. But this story then simply reminds Min Hyuk of King Kong and the Princess story, where he identifies himself as the Princess, while Bong Soon as the little King Kong. It is such a very amazing thing for Min Hyuk that a little girl like Bong Soon has so much power. Speechlessly, he remembers the time when Bong Soon was drunk and said that it is not her fault for being strong. She was born with it. And now, with his affection towards her, he agrees to help Bong Soon to use all her power in a good way and would be glad to help her (OMO!)

Gosh, how cute are Bong Soon and Min Hyuk?! I don’t think either of them are really at the warm and mushy feeling stage yet, but their relationship is moving so smoothly and organically that it’s beautiful to watch. Not to mention squeal at. I especially enjoy watching Min Hyuk slowly falling for the mighty pipsqueak that is the awesome Bong Soon. He obviously finds her attractive (given his many “sexy” comments), but I don’t believe that’s what really drew him in. This episode highlighted that she is first and foremost a mystery to him, and he loves solving puzzles. He hired her because she fascinated him, not because he fell in love at first sight. I was really happy to learn that, because otherwise there’d be nowhere for him to go in the relationship if he loved her from the beginning. Now, we get to watch as he slowly softens towards her through the little things, like her cooking reminding him of his mother, or just watching her dance so freely. She’s becoming less of a source of entertainment and more of a person to him. 

One thing I really like about this drama is when Min Hyuk marvels at how much strength is condensed in Bong Soon's tiny body, and asks if it’s some kind of super power. Bong Soon reveals that she was born this way: the strength runs in her family, passing down through the female line. Instead of being afraid of her, he accepts her for who she is and ready to help her to use her strength for something good. Which then sounds to me like he is going to help her to fulfill her dreams. A very supportive guy, wish to have one like him ~

Been very curious as how the story will turn out. It is obvious for me though that Bong Soon will surely end up with Min Hyuk (the same as what I also hope). But how is she going to do that when her long time one-sided crush is going to broke up with his girlfriend and realize that the one he really cares about is Bong Soon? Hopefully there must be something which will move Bong Soon's heart towards Min Hyuk. As I really hope a happiness for this gorgeous eccentric guy. Min Hyuk really reminds me of Kim Joo Won from Secret Garden. 

In terms of acting, there is no need to explain that right when I could just say that Park Hyung Sik and Park Bo Young chemistry are at its best? I never know that Park Hyung Sik's acting has been improving so much that I really like his leading male character here. Though I admit that Ji Soo is so masculine, but Park Hyung Sik takes a toll in my heart and mind right now, specially with his background and attitude towards Bong Soon. It really feels as if he was gazing to me instead every single episode OMG!

Notes: Bong Soon's twin brother is also quite handsome, so dun worry, you gotta be happy watching this drama. I think this drama suits spring perfectly! Gonna be the drama for the first half of the year!

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo - Episode 15 Summary

Given the choice between saving Soo (played by IU) or remaining faithful to the late King Hyejong, So (played by Lee Jun Ki) drops his sword and drops to his knees before Yo (played by Hong Jung Hyun). With tears in his eyes, So grits out his allegiance to the new King Jeongjong, third monarch of Goryeo. We get a flashback of a young Crown Prince Mu, an equally young Astronomer Choi, and a tiny So (before he was scarred). Astronomer Choi had reassured Mu that he had the star of a King, but he’d asked Mu what he would do if his lifeline didn’t last very long.

The young prince had claimed that the length of his life wasn’t as important as who he spent his final days with, proving that he had a good temperament even as a child. That’s when So Lite chimed in to say that he wanted to become King too, and Astronomer Choi told him not to worry—he would also become King.

In the present, Astronomer Choi looks down at the pitiful corpse of King Hyejong and calls upon the other princes to respectfully see to his remains. Elsewhere in the room, Soo whispers for So to rise to his feet, claiming that all of this happened because of her.

In answer, So drags her out of the palace, only to be stopped by ninth prince Won. Won delightfully informs him that under the new King’s command, if Soo were to somehow disappear from Damiwon, then he’d spread the news throughout Goryeo that she poisoned the late King Hyejong.

There’s turmoil over at tenth prince Eun’s home as King Jeongjong seeks to solidify his power by ridding himself of his pesky brother. Eun and his wife have already escaped though, so the King returns to the palace to commend Wook (played by Kang Ha Neul) on his evil deeds. Apparently, it was Wook who advised him to use Soo to keep So in check.

The King’s uncle, Minister of the Left Wang Shik Ryeom, bids Wook to kneel before his new king. Wook keeps his poker face on as he does so, repeating the same chants of “Manseh!” as So did earlier. King Jeongjong sits on the throne he coveted for so long, decreeing that Eun must be found in order for their plot (of making Eun’s grandfather seem as though he was planning a revolt, or something) to work. I love how Wook is all, “If only we knew a hunting dog skilled in matters like these…”

Eun’s grandfather Wang Gyu is caught and executed, along with other members of Eun’s family. Queen Sinmyeongsunseong watches the butchery and smiles her biggest smile yet, since she couldn’t be any prouder of her son. However, what King Jeongjong says next takes her by surprise: He wants her out of palace affairs, which he’ll take care of from now on. She can just live comfortably, which is not what the new Queen Mother wants.

She’s especially incensed that King Jeongjong is even entertaining the idea of keeping So around, despite Jeongjong’s claims that So saved his life by holding back when he stabbed him on the edge of the cliff. He gives So the mission Wook not-so-subtly hinted at: Find Eun and kill him. If he doesn’t, then he’ll be putting Baek-ah, Astronomer Choi, and even Soo in danger.

After So’s gone, the King proves that he’s not grateful at all to So for saving his life, and finds the sympathy So showed him upsetting. As to why he’s keeping him around, he tells his mother that it’s more fun to try taming him for now. So tells Grand General Park and Astronomer Choi of the new mission the King’s given him, but leaves out the part about killing both Eun and his wife. Since Soon Deok is General Park’s daughter, he warns So that he won’t stand by and let his daughter get caught up in a fight amongst princes.

Later, So pulls Soo aside to tell her that it’s now common knowledge that the King died from mercury poisoning, but no one knows who the culprit is. He wants her to lay low for the time he’ll be out of the palace, and tells her to go to Astronomer Choi if she’s in danger.

Soo knows enough to guess that she’s been used against So for the mission he has to go on, but he simply pats her on the head and tells her not to worry about it before he pulls her into a farewell embrace. Despite knowing that only she and Chae Ryung attended to the King, and despite Chae Rryung’s immediately suspicious protestations that it most definitely wasn’t her, Soo doesn’t suspect her in the slightest. 

But when Chae Ryung tells her that Eun’s entire family was killed, Su has a dramatic flashback to what So just told her about having to leave the palace to hunt down a traitor. She knows now that he was talking about Eun and panics. She shuffles around listlessly afterward, only seeming to come back to reality when Soon Deok approaches her, disguised as a court lady. Since Eun trusts Soo, they tell her that they only need to hide in her room until they can prepare safe passage out. Soo promises to do what she can to help them.

Poor Eun still thinks that he can get help from his brothers, but it’s Soo who puts a stop to that line of thinking when she reveals that So’s been sent to find him. She carefully sidesteps around telling him what’s happened to his family, and thankfully, he’s blissful in his ignorance. Soon Deok seems to know much more, but of course, she’d be mad to tell him now.

Evil minister Park Young Gyu is in attendance as Woo Hee (played by SNSD Seohyun) tries to broker a deal with the new King for the benefit of the starving people of the Later Baekje region. King Jeongjong seems wary of her claims that she no longer has revenge on her mind, and proposes a different deal, one that would be more beneficial to him.

While at a tavern with So, Baek Ah (played by Nam Joo Hyuk) makes it clear that he doesn’t trust or respect their new king, and worries whether So actually plans to capture Eun and take him back. “You don’t trust me either,” So says ruefully, causing Baek Ah to backpedal quickly. He’s managed to track down four boats that Eun and his wife could take, but he doesn’t know which of them they will take yet.

Woo Hee finds the two half-brothers and exchanges pleasant greetings with So, who knows that Soo will be happy to see her. But it’s when Woo Hee says that she’ll return to the gyobang that Baek Ah sputters, and he doesn’t seem soothed when she tells him that she won’t be a gisaeng, but just a dance instructor. As they talk, the sinister Minister Park watches.

So confronts Wook over the very suspicious events surrounding their late brother’s death, explaining that the plot to poison him with mercury for two years was much too detailed for someone like Won to come up with. It could’ve only been Wook, and the fact that the king hasn’t killed him means that he’s working with Jeongjong.

Wook forces a smile as he claims that So has always been suspicious of him, and throws back So’s accusation that he killed their brother with one of his own: “How about you? Are you going to become the king’s dog and kill Eun?” He claims that they’re both just struggling to survive, causing So to ask what changed him. “I did not poison the late king,” Wook finally says. It doesn’t seem like So believes him.

Since Soo’s been called to tend to him, Jeongjong asks her what she would do if she were tortured for a confession about the mercury in the bathwater, which she denies having any part of. Su manages to win some points when she says that she would blame it on him, even if she died doing so.

Impressed, King Jeongjong interestingly notes that she’s the same as she used to be when she was younger (interesting because no one seems to mention that the actual Soo had a past), and assures her that he won’t get rid of the only leverage he has over his brothers. With that in mind, Soo asks him to divulge who the real culprit was just to sate her curiosity—she won’t be able to tell anyone anyway, since all Jeongjong would have to do is accuse her of killing the King to make her disappear.

Before he can answer, Wook’s entrance is announced, and Jeongjong smiles wickedly as he says that Wook arrived right on time. Soo just got her answer, and she can’t control her expression as she turns to look at Wook. Jeongjong just fans the flames by telling Wook that Soo is simply dying to know who poisoned the king, and gets a kick out of Wook falsely claiming that the king died of an illness.

Once they’re outside, Soo seems to already know the answer when she asks Wook whether he had any hand in the poisoning. It seems like she’s testing to see whether he’d lie to her directly, but the scene abruptly cuts to Queen Sinjeong tearing into Wook for his latest string of traitorous decisions.

“Is it because of Hae Soo?” the queen asks. Much to her dismay, Wook answers, “Yes. I did think of her. It is because of her. Su said I tried to have everything for myself, and that that was wrong. But what of it? I tried to protect my family and my heart. What’s so wrong about that? Mother, you told me to live a proper life, and I lived my life that way. So… why am I still lonely?”

With tears in his eyes and on his cheeks, Wook claims that he’s already chosen the path he has to follow. He will get what he wants even if it means taking a different path than what he once intended: “I will no longer lose what I desire like a fool.” Cut back to him and Soo (oh, it was a flashback) as he flatly tells her, “I have done nothing wrong.”

So finds Soo after hearing about her meeting with the King, though she assuages his fears by telling him that the King has no plans to kill her or kick her out of the palace. So knows it’s because the King plans to use her to manipulate him, but he’s just happy she’s safe for now.

In stark contrast to Wook, So comes clean to Soo about being sent to hunt Eun down when she broaches the topic. Even though the King wants Eun dead, So says he’ll do whatever he can to help Eun escape, though that doesn’t jive with the premonition Su had about So cutting Eun down in cold blood. So wonders whether he can keep trusting Astronomer Choi, since he didn’t even know that Yo would become King. Choi admits as much, but claims that Yo was born with the star of a traitor, so there must have been some deviation along the way that caused him to change course and become King. They’re not going to try and blame this on Su, are they?

Wook keeps repeating the words of warning Soo once gave him about So, since he now feels like her prophecy is coming true—everything is becoming So’s, and Wook can’t stop him. “What should I do?” he wonders.

Despite Soon Deok’s best efforts to blend in as a court lady, Jung is able to recognize her by her quick reflexes. Luckily, he’s Team Eun, and joins in on their plans to get Eun and his wife safely out of the palace. Since all the ways out are closed, Soo remembers the secret tunnel beneath the palace. Soon Deok wants to see her father before she leaves, but Soo doesn’t think that’s a good idea—it’d put her too close to So. Soon Deok asks why Soo doesn’t trust So considering the relationship they have, seeming to trust So more than Soo does.

Her words, along with King Taejo’s “Do not get so hung up on the future that you lose what you have now” advice causes Su to admit that Soon-deok is right about trusting So. She volunteers to fetch Astronomer Choi herself, which she was reluctant to do before because of his ties to So, and ends up leaving him a note when he isn’t in his tower. That’s safe.

Jung and Soon Deok work together to clear the rocks blocking the secret tunnel, and he seems mildly discomfited by her constantly brushing her sweat-soaked hair away. He gives her a hairpin of Soo’s to hold her hair back, causing her to wonder if the pin belongs to the woman he loves. He smiles as he admits that the hairpin’s owner risked her life for him, specifically remembering the time Su saved him from those thugs in the forest by waving a stick around. Admitting that he fell in love with her when he saw her sing, he now admits that he hopes that she’ll only sing for him one day. Aww.

Soon Deok can relate to him, having felt the same feelings once herself. She describes her childhood (as we see it in flashback), claiming that she was always different from the other girls because she didn’t like the same girly things. That’s when Eun Lite offered her a ring made of flowers, which she happily accepted.

In the present, Soon Deok tells Jung to have courage when it comes to the woman he loves. She’ll be cheering him on, but Jung gives himself his own cheer: “Fighting!” Cute.

Princess Yeonhwa pays a formal visit to the new King Jeongjong, deliberately showing off the ring he once gave her. Jeongjong laughs at the sight of it, and tells her that he’ll be sending her off to the Khitan to be married. “Congratulations on your marriage, Yeonhwa-ya.” Yeonhwa can’t help but wonder why it is that everyone who sits on that throne tries to control her through marriage: “You must believe there is no better way to control a woman other than marriage. I’m disappointed in you.” But Jeongjong reminds her that her brother betrayed him, so he can’t very well accept her as his Queen.

Now that the Jeongjong avenue is closed, Yeonhwa thinks about So, and how he already proclaimed to love someone else. Left with no other options, all she can do is cry.

Because Eun is suffering from cabin fever so badly, Soon Deok allows him one excursion to the baths, since those aren’t occupied at night. Eun tries to get some while he’s at it, but Soon Deok avoids his grasps for her clothes. She’s wowed when Eun makes her a rabbit out of a towel, so he decides to make all sorts of things for them to play with, which includes two toy boats that they use to race against each other. When Eun wins (because she let him), he prepares to give her a smack on the inside of her wrist, only to notice that her wrist is already reddened from him doing that too much. Yikes. At least he refrains this time.

Soon Deok then gifts him with his favorite slingshot, which she managed to take with them despite all the chaos. Eun admits that he never wanted to be a prince, and Soon Deok says that they’ll be able to live out their dreams freely once they move to the island of Tamra. Eun returns the favor by giving his wife an ornament to wear, though at first, she thinks he’s gotten it for Su. Embarrassed, he says that it was for her, and repeats the same words he’d said when he gave her the flower ring as children about “all pretty girls” liking such things.

Of course, Eun is quick to say that she’s just okay and not necessarily pretty, but Soon Deok is so overcome with happiness that she kisses him. Then, she suddenly grows paranoid that kissing could make her pregnant, causing Eun to maturely note that they should’ve lived happily like this from the very beginning. But now, it’s business time.

Yeonhwa comes to the baths looking for Su the next day, and like Chae-ryung, she takes notice of all the homemade toys suddenly lying about. She orders Su to leave So immediately, and claims that she can get Soo married out to a decent family. Soo says that the reason she wants to marry So (and not just into any good family) is because he makes her feel like she’s worth something, adding that she has no reason to leave him as long as he stays true to her.

“Now I know why I’ve always hated you,” Yeonhwa grits out. “Feelings and marriage are just silly games to you. It isn’t life and death for you like it is for me.” After promising to make Soo pay for her refusal to bend to her wishes, Yeonhwa storms off.

Wook advises King Jeongjong to get rid of So as soon as possible, but even the king has enough sense to know that it’s too soon for him to act without arousing suspicion. In that case, Wook claims his only chance is to drive a wedge between So’s two biggest allies: General Park and Astronomer Choi.

Yeonhwa barges in unannounced and intent on making a deal: If they like what she has to say, then she doesn’t have to be married off. It’s only revealed in a scene with her and So that Yeonhwa revealed Eun’s hiding place, having recognized the towel-animals in the Damiwon bath as his doing.

Soo sees Eun and Soon Deok to the secret entrance of the cave and tells them that Jung will be waiting for them on the other side. Soon Deok thanks her, and Eun says he’ll see her when he returns, which seem like some famous last words if there ever were any.

Before they can enter the tunnel, Jung comes rushing out to tell them to run—there are guards everywhere. He’ll hold them off for as long as he can.

Soo tries to find another escape route, but they’re surrounded by the sounds of swords and screams. Soon Deok tells Soo to take Eun, assuring him that they won’t dare to kill her, a general’s daughter. I don’t think she honestly believes it, but she wants Eun to so that he can escape.

Despite Soo’s best efforts to drag him away, Eun refuses to leave his wife. “What can I do?” he sighs. “I am all she has.”

And then, he pulls himself from Soo’s grasp. She can only look after him with tears in her eyes.

Personal Thought:

Things have gone back to the original story line and now it seems true that 14th Prince, Jung (played by Ji Soo) will have  an important mission later on. Although Soo doesn't even know his feelings, but that's so true that 14th Prince does love her unconditionally, even knowing that 8th Prince, Wook, his half-brother had such relationship with the girl he loves.

I thini the misunderstanding later on between 4th Prince, So and Soo is because of the past relationship and this is gonna be a really weird thing since right from the start here, 4th Prince knew that Soo has someone else in her mind. I am really curious as how things would change here. Although the ending I am pretty sure it's gonna be the same like the original one.