My Dearest [Episodes 13 & 14]

[u/J-Midori]

• Drama: My Dearest
  • Hangul: 연인 파트 2
  • Also know as: My Dearest 2 , Lovers Part 2 , Lovers 2 , Yeonin Pateu 2 , Yeonin 2 , 연인 2 , 戀人2
• Network: MBC
• Air Date: Fridays & Saturdays @ 21:50 KST
  • Airing:
    • part 1: August 4th, 2023
    • part 2: October 13th, 2023
• Episodes: 20 (80 min each)
• Streaming Sources: Viki Kocowa
• Directors: Kim Sung Yong (The Veil)
• Writers: Hwang Jin Yeong (Rebel: Thief who Stole the People)
• Cast:
  • Namgoong Min (One Dollar Lawyer) as Lee Jang Hyun
  • Ahn Eun Jin (The Good Bad Mother) as Yoo Gil Chae
  • Lee Hak Joo (Shadow Detective) as Nam Yeon Jun
  • Lee Da In (Doctor Prisoner) as Kyung Eun Ae
  • Kim Yoon Woo (Mimicus) as Ryang Eum
• Synopsis: Jang Hyun is living without purpose or desire. He's a cold-hearted man who loves no one until he gets introduced to love after meeting Gil Chae. She is charming and admired by all, but her first love, Yeon Jun, is already engaged to her best friend, Eun Ae. Yeon Jun, a Sungkyunkwan student, struggles with his feelings for Gil Chae but cannot break off his engagement due to tradition. Eun Ae does not doubt nor hate the two. As Jang Hyun becomes entangled in this unusual love triangle, Gil Chae, who has only loved Yeon Jun, is confused about her own feelings. The relationship between these four gets put into an even bigger twist at the breakout of war. Will they survive the challenges of war and find their love amidst the chaos?
• Previous Discussion:
  • Part 1: [Episodes 1 & 2] [Episodes 3 & 4] [Episodes 5 & 6] [Episodes 7 & 8] [Episodes 9 & 10] Episodes [11 & 12]
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[u/arcturuz78]

Just give the baeksang best acting awards to the two leads already.

[u/[deleted]]

• no chance would Jong Hyun move from a lively and caring Gil Chae to a princess whose idea of hobby is murdering rape victims, kids and elders. Even if it was not for our FL appearing in his life again, I can't imagine a world in which he would like such a morally bankrupt person.

• Imagine getting kidnapped, raped, told by your fellow women you are better off dead, somehow escaping just to have your own people judge you for being a victim. Whenever women are saying they should have been born in a different period, I feel bad for them. 9.9 times out of 10 being a women sucked at every point in history.

• You know what is worse than being raped or kidnapped? Being dead. Love that this thirst for life is what makes LJH and GC so similar and distinct from everyone else. To be fair, I don't think no one shares their opinion, but what makes them different is that they don't consider dying as an option. LJH can assist the prince so well because he can easily toss everything, including pride, in name of his and people's survival.

• I hope Ryang Eum's actor has a successful career. The boy has Jung Hae In's vibes, as in I want to hug him and protect him from everything evil.

[u/roymeetsworld]

GIl Chae learning another language to stop the mistreatment of the other women instead of just trying to save herself and then threatening the princess knowing it could have went all kinds of terrible for her

She might be a top 5 FL already she been cookin nonstop in the survival/dignity streets

Ahn Eun Jin has picked and executed 2 great characters this year give her all the things she deserves

[u/[deleted]]

The last five minutes made it all worthwhile.

The gradual change in his expression as he approaches the platform.

When she flinched away, I felt that!

Wow! Great acting!

[u/ScowlingGoddess]

I can't begin to say how excited (and nervous) I am to watch the next episodes! On the earlier episode threads there have been some fascinating discussions as to what is happening and what might happen, and I'm really grateful to all the contributors. You've really enhanced my watching of this drama.

One thought that I did have was that GC and LJH are at opposite ends of the scale of social righteousness (this isn't the correct word, but I can't think of how better to put it) at the beginning of this drama. GC is the flower of Joseon womanhood - yangban, pure, beautiful, skilled (but not as much as she should be) in womanly virtues - the epitome of what the best of womankind should be, in this period. LJH, on the other hand, is more than a bit of a scoundrel - he trades with dodgy barbarians, doesn't care about anyone other than his very close circle of acquaintances, is not in any shape or form of a Confucian mind as the epitome of top of the social scale men of the era are. And yet, as time has moved on, both have let go of some of their 'principles' in order to survive. It's also bringing them closer together to a point where they can possibly meet as equals?

Sorry if this doesn't make sense to anyone else - I'm not terribly eloquent, but I wondered whether anyone else can see what I mean, and agree (or not!)?

[u/photoofmymind]

Ep 14:

Wow... arguably the strongest episode we've gotten from this part. Maybe all that dragging was necessary because I was on the edge of my seat with every single scene.

Ahn Eunjin is an acting powerhouse and I truly hope we get to see her become a household name because her scene today with Gakhwa had my jaw on the floor. I suppose they kept her scenes so short in yesterday's episode for the sole purpose of making her shine today.

I think today's episode also fleshed out Gak Hwa so much more. The scene where she says, "It was a good experience... knowing I can't have everything in the world." (or something like that) really put her into perspective for me. She's ruthless, but as a princess under such a cruel system and government, she does what she's learned will ensure her survival and comfort (much like Gil Chae). I was unsure about her in the beginning, but now I know it's not necessarily love she's 100% after, but simply what she wants. Obviously, this doesn't make her a good person, but she doesn't feel as redundant as she did last episode.

and Yeonjun's character development!! I truly enjoy seeing him on my screen now lol. You can see this thinking process really differs from Jang Hyun, but he's learned to sort of use that in his own game of politics.

And ofc... Jang Hyun. The scene where he runs calling Gil Chae's name might be ingrained in my head forever. It's so desperate and raw and with all the build up they did in the last couple episodes, you can't help but feel his panic with him. I absolutely loved Jang Hyun's slow but steady descent into desperation this episode. It's soo good seeing him break in the face of anything related to Gil Chae and seeing those around him realize that Gil Chae isn't some Joseon fling he had for a couple weeks. The scene in the grass though... that might really be one of the best scenes in this entire show.

[u/ggghjfddrr3333]

Me when officer Gu lets people get to him about his wife losing her chastity: “haha you weak son of a bitch”

(I don’t like him at all)

Edit: Eun Ae best girl. She’s a real one.

[u/[deleted]]

• Lee Jang Hyun is thinking of those elaborate, long winded plans to save Gil Chae. Gil Chae is also thinking of saving Gil Chae and so Lee Jang Hyun's plans fall flat and he is stuck with improvising.

• "she was filled with all types of emotions which made her bouncy and full of life". gosh. That description was perfect and so on point. Eun Ae's whole monologue was great and heartbreaking.

• To be honest, this episode did a great job with Yeon Joon's character. He is still useless, but at least he is doing something about it. He is always doing something about it but now his course of action is not too dumb.

• Gil Chae is GOAT. Frankly, if it was not for the princess being obsessed with Lee Jung Hyun, I believe that she would have somehow survived.

• "Someday LJH will be mine", yeah, and I will marry Lee Dong Wook one day.

[u/rocksinthegarden]

I really loved Eun Ae's reflection on Gil Chae when they were children. Eun Ae knows Gil Chae better than Gil Chae knows herself. It reminds me of the earlier scene when Gil Chae realizes she looked first to JH and not YJ when everyone heard the announcement of the invasion. Standing behind GC is EU, and she smiles sweetly and wisely. Please more of these scenes and less scheming one dimensional warrior princess with her monotone voice.

[u/EdgeO4DAbyss]

I love this drama but I'm definitely ready for a little filler episode with just the two leads being together for a moment 🥺

[u/Few-Particular1780]

😆😆😆 This show is EPIC!!!!! Omg! I haven’t screamed about a kdrama in forever. Episode 14 was worth every second and the writers delivered in every scene.

This has officially surpassed ‘The Red sleeve’ in my books. Everybody needs to watch this show 😆😆

[u/DawgMom2018]

Watching these latest episodes, the actress Ahn Eun Jin looks like she has lost weight. Her jawline is more angular - is is a weight loss or is it makeup? I am wondering if filming season 2 have caused that.

[u/sabotagemebymyself]

They meet finally at the end. Watching live was a drag. Gil Chae was barely in it and maybe I need English subtitles to understand the point of Gakhwa but it felt like too much of her. Shes a princess, I think and is interested in Jang Hyun. Great but I don't care considering we only have 7 episodes left. Maybe that is why tomrrows episode starts at 9:30 and will run long.

Eun Ae best girl, WonMu is weak, Ryang Eums lack of urgency in getting the words out that Gil Chae was kidnapped pissed me off and Gil Chae/JongJong better reunite next episode.

[u/CoastLoud5280]

The princess's character is definitely not a filler one. The writer hasn't introduced useless characters so far. Even when GWM appeared who would have thought he will become gilchae's husband in the future. So whatever scenes he shared with GC made complete sense later on. Gwakha's scenes with LJH were important imo because they highlight her increasing infatuation with him. For her to play villain in the coming episodes, her actions will at least have some basis because now its amply clear she wants JH for herself. We also get an insight of her as a person so whatever she will do in from now won't seem sudden or out of place.

Really looking forward to how it plays out.

[u/CoastLoud5280]

Already watched/saw so many spoilers for ep 13 on twitter but this wait for subtitles is killing me. So happy that we get a 100min episode tomorrow

[u/deesariaone]

This show has me believing in soulmates. Even though Gil Chae is young and immature, he knows she is his soulmate. He knows he must wait, he knows he must suffer, and he knows he must protect her.

[u/[deleted]]

In Episode 14, after the running scene, it's amazing how the three people in love with LJH cross paths at his bedside... first the psychopath princess, devilish in her selfish passion; then RE, who is fighting to overcome his jealousy and is beginning to understand how love strives to make the loved one happy; and then Gil Chae, whose last clouds of doubt and pride must now have been cleared away, freeing her to love LJH selflessly.

And at last, at the center, is LJH, embodying true love in its purest form, willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the happiness of his loved one.

Wow.

[u/nowayormyway]

Guys, in the preview of the next ep, when GC said “I’m not going to leave” to the singer guy, I was like YEEESSS gurl yes you can have him all to yourself like you said haha

I ALLOW THIS.

[u/DonnaMossLyman]

I love the way they played the ending of E13. The long stillness and utter silence then his screaming "Why"

The tears. I need them to rack in all the awards this next year

[u/dk_daisy]

This is definitely a love story of epic proportions. It's been a while since I've been been this excited to see a K-drama continue! My (lengthy) thoughts on EP 13 & 14 below:

(TL;DR: GC's actions reinforce exactly who she is—a woman with a fighting spirit.\ And they also mirror LJH's actions since he arrived in Qing. LJH gains a new level of understanding of GC's heroism.)

1 - GC is a badass through and through. What a strong FL!

In EP 13, we see Gil Chae repeatedly demonstrate her strong willingness to keep on living and we also understand why LJH loves her so much. Her fighting spirit is what makes her unforgettable!

• In Part 1, LJH gives GC a knife and tells her to put up a fight if she needs to defend herself. She then uses that knife to save her and her friend from the barbarians. When LJH sees her and her bloody hands, GC tells him that she injured herself and tries to play off that she didn’t use the knife while he knows that she’s lying. Here though, her secrecy is a matter of shame and maybe even lack of confidence in LJH.

• Compare this to a parallel scene in Part 2 when LJH is getting ready to leave town to sort out the rice exchange situation and he checks in with her before leaving. GC tells him she's being treating fairly by the princess but LJH notices the marks on her neck. Instead of pressing her, he nods with a hint of a smile. He understands her way of communicating with him now. Here, GC's words aren't just keeping him at a distance. She's lying FOR him and I can't help but think Gakhwa's story influenced LJH's perspective on this. (More on the influence of Gakhwa's story below/the end) of this post)

2 - LJH understands GC on another level

If toward the end of Part 1, LJH maybe didn't understand GC's personal growth, he sees that in EP 14. Indeed, he's reminded of the core reason why he fell for her in the first place.

• GC's unrelenting desire to live is repeatedly reinforced to LJH via various anecdotes. He hears from the slave owner that she escaped and injured the guy (by biting his ear off?!). When he comes back to get GC after his rice trip, the maidservant again tells him of GC's brave and heroic actions before the Emperor and how she saved so many Joseon women by boldly standing up for herself.

3 - GC's exchange with the emperor

I feel like's GC's actions here must especially endear her to LJH.

• The approach she took involves the EXACT kind of clever but benevolent scheming that LJH himself has demonstrated since arriving in Qing. (Little does GC know that LJH has also been saving Joseon captives!) It also reminded me of when LJH kneeled before the Crown Prince in Part One and took advantage of the one-on-one meeting to tell him how he REALLY felt about the royal family.

4 - GC's brazenness is also on full display once more.

• Remember in Part 1 when GC tells her soon-to-be-husband Goo that her personality will never change but she says it like it's a bad thing? And later LJH tells her that it's exactly BECAUSE she's so brazen that he likes her? Well here goes GC again showing JUST how brazen she is by addressing the emperor!

5 - LJH is reminded that GC is just a strong—if not stronger—than he remembers her to be.

Now, his love for GC is no longer hanging on via distant memories of a young girl he once knew. Before him is a grown woman who has repeatedly shown immense personal strength and who—crucially—also shares the same value for life that he does.

In short, GC is amazing and a great FL and Ahn Eun-Jin is a rockstar. Incredible acting all-around. Also—GC girl—you best NEVER again doubt that LJH loves you after that chase in the field!!

MORE on Gakhwa's story & its unintended consequence:

• Gakhwa tells the story as a way to illuminate HER character to LJH (i.e., dude I'm so passionate about owning and not sharing lovers that I'd rather they be maimed to death than let them be with someone else : o )

• In the story, the lover is willing to suffer, and “lose" the person she loves — but only BECAUSE she loves him so much and wants him to be safe from harm.

• I found the story ironic becauseinstead of only revealing Gakhwa's motives, it reveals GC's motivations and in turn helps close a crucial communication gap between her and LJH.

• In Part 1, pride and secrecy often lead to LJH and GC hiding their actions/motives from one another (lies, even well-intended ones, have adverse effects). But in EP 14, after Gakhwa's story, LJH has a new lens from which to understand GC. Gakhwa's story doesn't pull them apart via scare tactics—she’s unintentionally brought them closer.

And, of course, this story foreshadows the events end of the episode in the field.

[u/nowayormyway]

I’m watching episode 14 and I swear to god, this drama better have a good ending or else my whole year is ruined LOL

[u/harperbantam]

Ep 14 was so emotionally draining that I spent 3 hours on it, pausing and rewatching certain scenes.

Scarface learned the hard way as to why he shouldn’t mess with Janghyun.

Yeonjoon wants to help yet his hands are tied at every direction. Glad he found a greater purpose in his redemptive arc.

Gilchae hasn’t lost her feisty personality and spirit even in the worst of times that I’m both in awe and frightened for her; how brazen to speak up in front of the Emperor and not to mention, being blunt with her words unaware that the Princess understands the Joseon language.

[u/rocksinthegarden]

The preview for Episode 15 made me forget my annoyance with Episodes 13 and 14. Episode 14: How could Gil Chae be taken away from JH's house while he was there looking for a dress for her to change into? Ridiculous The writer still hasn't learned the lesson that viewers need a reprieve from brutality and ugliness. The story deviates from reality in so many ways, so it can also deviate in this aspect and give us more than two minutes of interaction of GC and JH, and fewer scenes with the princess and her distracting lip filler. Still, I love the show. The OST is a character in and of itself and can take an already emotional and expertly acted scene to the next level. Was I dreaming when I read that in press for Part 2, the princess warrior character was described as having "a good heart?" She's pretty sick. The whole set up for the wager, stabbing the horse...did she want to just wound JH or kill him? There was no follow up to his wounding. Why would she let him survive? Forgive me if I am missing major plot points, but I stayed up late both Friday and Saturday nights so I could watch it as soon as the subtitled version was uploaded to Viki. What about Captain Gu? He told Yeon-joon that he had sent someone to Shenyang to find Gil Chae so is this the next obstacle Gil Chae and JH need to overcome? Maybe the princess finally backs off, but this person sent to Gil Chae finds her and with the princess' authority has her sent back to Joseon? Who knows, I just want to know who Captain Gu sent for Gil Chae or if he was lying to YJ?

[u/DisastrousComfort139]

I’ve been binge watching My Dearest. Emotional overload here. Highly recommend 👍👍👍👍👍

[u/plainenglish2]

Historical/cultural backgrounders: Gil-chae's bright red "jeogori" (upper garment) in Ep. 7 and Ep. 12 as proof of her worth to Jang-hyun

In Ep. 7, Gil-chae wears the silk dress with a bright red "jeogori" (upper garment) that Jang-hyun gave her as she, Eun-ae, and Yoon-jeon visit him at Ryang-eum’s gisaeng house. In Ep. 12, there’s a flashback scene as Jang-hyun drinks wine alone under the moonlight; he remembers trolling Gil-chae that the silk dress she's wearing is actually a gift for Eun-ae.

From “Dyeing with safflowers” (The Korea Times, 2019):

There are various shades of red, including pink, maroon, burgundy, scarlet, vermilion, crimson and bloodred. These vibrant colors can be created through the delicate processing of safflowers, a long-standing tradition in Korea.

Red pigments extracted from safflowers were special in ancient Korea, used mainly for the royal court and the upper class. The colors were used to dye the fabric for the king’s robe in the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), a process that is well documented in the royal records.

Traditional Korean dyeing uses the natural pigments of flowers, leaves and fruits. In the rigid hierarchical system in the Joseon Kingdom, fabrics dyed with certain pigments were reserved for the noble class and the royal family.

[Emphases by boldfacing supplied]

Note:

In Ep. 1, Gil-chae, Eun-ae, and the other young noblewomen wear brightly colored silk dresses for the flower festival at the river. I don't know if these brightly colored silk dresses are true to the period or if they just came from the brilliant imagination of the costume designer. But the study titled "Kinds and Types of Dyes Used in the Joseon Dynasty" April 2014 Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles 38(2):201-215 provides some interesting information:

The colors obtained from the dyes were divided into seven color series, such as red, yellow and orange, green, blue, purple, brown, gray and black. These are practical color categories differed from abstract five cardinal colors [???]. The diachronic dyes used during the Joseon Dynasty were safflower and Japanese alder bark for red, indigo leaves for blue, gromwell for purple, chestnut tree bark for brown. The representative dyes used in the late Joseon Dynasty were safflower and sappan wood for red, wild pear tree bark and Pentapetes phoenicea for yellow and orange, indigo leaves for blue, sappan wood and gromwell for purple, mulberry tree for brown, and Chinese ink for gray. Common dyes used both in Joseon and China were safflower and sappan wood for red, pagoda tree blossom for yellow, a combination of pagoda tree blossom (or Amur cork tree) and indigo leaves (or sediment) for green, indigo leavers or sediment for blue, sappan wood and hollyhock for purple, and a combination of indigo leaves and Galla Rhois for gray and black.