MOON LOVERS: SCARLET HEART RYEO 
It is not easy to date with precision when Wang So actually fell
in love with Hae Soo. When, for him, did their friendship turn into love?
It must have surprised Hae Soo that when Wang So visited her,
he told her outright that he wouldn’t forgive her if she ever repeated her
rash act of slitting her wrist. Why in the world would he want to say that? She
had foiled the Hae clan’s attempt to marry her off to Taejo but almost at the
cost of her own life. Was he telling her he couldn’t bear to lose her? Was
that an indication of his love?
Even if she didn’t die, he declared that she would have to live
with a scar on her body. That was overreaction on his part. Her scar was of
miniscule importance to her as long as she was free. Anyway, it could be
easily hidden by her robes.
Then, he took her on a romantic trip to Lake Dongji. It was the
place where the palace residents could catch the sun's first rays. He felt at peace
with her in the tranquil and pristine environment. Wang So advised Hae Soo
not to trust anyone and be wary of those closest to her. But, the viewers
would know that the advice had fallen on deaf ears, like leaves blown by the wind.
Grand General Park Soo Kyung arrived at the palace with his tomboy
daughter in tow. He visited Taejo, and during the course of their
conversation, he lavishly praised Wang So. The forthright general gave credit
where it was due. He declared that the Fourth Prince was talented at martial
arts. Had it not been for the scar on Wang So’s face, the young prince would have
been the perfect candidate to be the Crown Prince. Diplomacy was not Grand
General Park’s strength. He lost no opportunity to declare that by comparison, Wang Mu, the incumbent
Crown Prince, was far too gentle to be effective.
Wang So had accustomed himself to the flurry of activity during the princes’
education sessions. The royal offsprings were raised to be all-rounders. Physical activities
as well as book learning were part of the curriculum. Physical training was not boring as fun games were
incorporated into the lessons. In one such activity, the 8 princes were
divided into two opposing teams. In each team, three princes hoisted a fourth royal teammate on their shoulders. While trying to push each other to the ground, they had a good time horsing around. The courtiers, palace servants and palace militia, who were standing on the sidelines, cheered them on.
Grand General Park had noticed that Wang So had buried himself
in his books. He had a lot of lessons to catch up on. Having been trained in
martial arts by Grand General Park, Wang So was an accomplished fighter. With
the advantage of book learning and martial arts, he would be wise enough to
make weighty decisions about life or death. Protection, not bloodlust, should
dictate when and if he kills.
When Grand General Park mentioned the Buddhist concept of reincarnation,
one understands immediately his ideological bent. He preached the idea that no
matter how many times one dies and is reborn, one has to pay for one’s sins. The infallible law of karma
and retribution. It was meant as a warning to Wang So to live a proper life
guided by moral principles.
Fixing his stare thoughtfully on Wang So, the older man
enigmatically remarked that the prince who remains in Songak would be the one to sit on
the throne. Did he mean to say that if Wang So wanted the
throne, he must not allow anyone to drive him out of Goryeo?
Hae Soo slipped easily into her life as a court lady in the Damiwon Palace. Coming upon some court ladies who
were trying to treat the Crown Prince’s mysterious illness on one ocassion, the 21st century girl impulsively prohibited them
from using cold water on him. The startled prince demanded for an
explanation.
On closer examination of his wounds, Hae Soo concluded that he
had atopic eczema. She asked him whether his itch became more severe after
eating beans or ‘cold’ food. She recommended using warm water, instead of cold water,
to wash his body. Down blankets were a no-no. She also suggested using aloe
vera, green tea and peppermint leaves to salve his wounds. Hae Soo pretty
much assumed she was an authority on the prince’s illness.
Unaware of her 21st century medical knowledge,
Concubine Oh stopped her in her tracks. The older Court Lady was aghast at
Hae Soo’s temerity in offering what she considered to be dubious medical
advice to the Crown Prince. The young girl was taken to task for having crossed
the line. Not just anybody could touch the Crown Prince.
What was the price for her transgression? Hae Soo was punished
to read the Tang Dynasty medical books again. Sage of Tea by Lu Yu of the
Tang Dynasty. Newly revised Materia Medica: Tang Edition. Supplement to the
Materia Medica by Chen Cang Qi from the Tang Dynasty.
Concubine Oh, who knew far better than most about health and
disease, questioned her about how she knew that peppermint could soothe itchiness.
Hae Soo revealed that her (Go Ha Jin) mother suffered from atopic eczema.
But, Hae Soo could wrong. Atopic eczema is more of an ailment of the modern world than of the ancient world. It is unlikely that Wang Mu had been suffering from atopic eczema.
The scriptwriter has created a stimulating puzzle about Wang Mu's mysterious illness. What conclusions can we draw from it?
First, Hae Soo, who was from the 21st century,
seemed to be sure that it was atopic eczema. Wang Mu likened his skin ailment
to that of being bitten by myraids of insects. But, it doesn't take much imagination to guess that Prince Wang Mu might have been
systematically poisoned by mercury which was brought by the Arabians to be traded at Byeongnando, the centre of global commerce. The port was situated 30 li from Songak. Mercury
poisoning causes itchy skin. In the later part of the drama, it was learnt
that his three brothers, Wang Yo, Wang Wook, Wang Won and Hae Soo’s maid,
Chae Ryung, were in a plot to poison him using mercury.
Second, Hae Soo revealed that her (21st century Go
Ha Jin) mother suffered from atopic eczema. Some, rightly or wrongly, believe
that eczema could be a genetic skin ailment. If so, then Hae Soo / Go Ha-jin could
be predisposed to inherit the ailment from her mother.
Wang So dropped by for a visit at the Damiwon Palace when Hae Soo needed someone to lend an ear to her problems. They discussed his fearful experiences with
the wolves in Shinju, trivial affairs, like giving names to trees, and the Crown Prince’s illness.
To Hae Soo, their friendship was blossoming but to Wang So, his
liking for her was veering towards addictive love. She occupied a unique
place in his heart but his love was unrequited. He was ignorant about the
fact that Hae Soo had a slew of other suitors. In fact, he was unaware until the very
end that his strongest rival for her affections was none other than Wang Wook, who had
already stolen her heart. The Eighth Prince had even given her a secret hug
when they met again.
The simple-minded Wang Eun visited Hae Soo with romance in mind.
He suffered under the delusion that Hae Soo would be his romantic partner.
He couldn’t believe his luck when the 21st century
maiden, Hae Soo, shared a fascinating romantic cultural practice, the origins of which
he was oblivious.
How does one guarantee a successful love affair in modern Korea?
Dying one’s fingernails. Well, if the dye on one’s fingernails could last
until the fall of the first snow or virgin snow, one’s first love would
appear. It would appear to be hogwash as one would have to dye one’s
fingernails in very late autumn in order for the dye to last until then.
With Hae Soo’s help, Wang Eun had his fingernails dyed. Wang
Eun was not Hae Soo’s cup of tea as he was not her intellectual equal. She
wouldn’t want an empty head for her husband. The audience know that either Wang
So, the handsome, experienced, worldly-wise and physically fit fighter or Wang
Wook, the kind, academically-inclined and good-looking scholar could be
considered to be husband material.
 
Unknown to all, Wang Wook and Hae Soo’s relationship was
blossoming into passionate love. Their dreams of love were hopelessly
romantic. When they met again, he taught her to write his name. Wook means ‘The Sun Rising in The Morning’.
Giving her a jade bracelet, which she was not allowed to take off, he asked
her to wait for him. But, how were they to know that their romance was
doomed. Wang Wook’s love would be eclipsed by Wang So’s more passionate and
powerful love for Hae Soo.
Romantic palace liaisons were beginning. Fate brought together Baek
Ah, a child of privilege and Woo Hee, a refugee, the last princess of Hubaekje,
but it wasn’t a friendly first meeting. The Eighth Prince was clueless about
the young lady who vilified the Goryeon royalty for living in luxury when the
defeated Hubaekje citizens were suffering. But, they would soon become an item.
Yeon Hwa, for whatever reasons, had been flirting with the
married Wang Yo. For a princess of her age, the marriage issue had to be
addressed. She was not interested in princes who were beneath her station in
life. When Wang So told her to give up on Wang Yo, she purred at him in an
attempt to seduce him but to no avail.
The Tenth Prince’s birthday finally arrived. Hae Soo had been
requested by Wang Eun to organize his birthday celebrations.
The 21st
century maiden brightened up a palace pavilion with unique lanterns and festive
decorations. The palace was a hive of activity. The princes assembled at the
place to listen to Hae Soo’s catchy birthday song. Wang Eun received many
presents including a bear hide from Park Soon Duk, the strong and fearless daughter of
Grand-General Park. It seemed as if they had never known such excitement
before. Everyone, including Wang So, was greatly humoured by Hae Soo's creativity and unique qualities.
Soon, it was entertainment time for Wang Yo. The merry birthday
atmosphere turned ugly when Wang Yo mounted a merciless mental and
psychological war against Wang So. In his orchestrated plan to drive a wedge
between Wang So and his siblings and to stop Wang So from being validated as
a legitimate Wang prince, Wang Yo took advantage of Wang Eun’s lack of sense
to bully his younger blood brother.
Instigated by Wang Yo, the bird-brained Tenth Prince, requested
a birthday gift from Wang So, to which he acceded. To the shock of most of
the royal siblings, the dim-witted Wang Eun categorically demanded to see
Wang So’s face without his mask. It was a gross misjudgement on Wang Eun’s
part to be influenced by his evil half-brother, Wang Yo.
For Wang So, it was like an unexpected blow to the solar
plexus. It was a waking nightmare. If he refused, he would lose credibility. Giving Wang Eun a chance to
retract his demand, Wang So asked him directly whether it was imperative that
he should see it. Since Wang Eun had already opened his mouth, he insisted on
inserting his foot into it and refused to budge. It was a faux pas that Wang
Eun would very much regret later.
Wang So had received another sobering dose of reality from his
brothers. Palace life for even a prince could be cruel. Baek Ah, aghast at
the provocation, urged Wang So to ignore them but Wang So’s pride would not
allow him to do so.
The viewers are shocked. By all accounts, it was an emotionally
charged moment.
Everyone stiffened. Wang So’s teary eye and cynical smile said
everything that was in his heart. The young prince had to face his own weakness,
his Achilles heel. And, what better time than now.
Should Wang So choose to remove his mask, his future and
Goryeo’s history would be changed forever. The stoic Fourth Prince was not
going to be beaten senseless over a most trivial matter as his facial scar if
he ever wanted the Goryeon crown. The tension escalated. Wang So did the unexpected. He slowly reached out to remove his mask.
Although the object of his siblings’ ridicule, Wang So boldly
looked at every one of them in the eye; his gaze was unblinking. In this
deeply moving scene, Wang So’s look of hurt, resentment and defiance was
unmistakable. The poignancy of the moment was heart-breaking.
Of all his brothers, only Baek-Ah tried to discourage Wang So
from unmasking himself. The crestfallen Hae Soo had tried to defuse the
tension but was silenced by Wang Yo. Both understood the pschological effects of Wang Yo's sadistic bullying.
Wang Wook, the Eighteenth Prince, normally sympathetic and
kind, failed to rise to the occasion. Wang Mu, perhaps stunned into silence
by the bewildering rapidity of the incident, only spoke up after everything
was over. He denounced Wang Yo’s predilection of revelling and gloating at
Wang So’s vulnerability. He declared that everyone had a weakness. Likewise,
Princess Yeon Hwa was slow to react. Which of them actually lacked the common
decency to stop Wang Yo’s cruelty?
The aftermath of the incident was guilt engulfed the birthday
atmosphere. The cruel deed was done. Most were instantly contrite and ashamed
of themselves. Given his arrogance, Wang Yo was unrepentant. Cruelty was
hardwired into his system. He even declared that the incident would be an
unforgettable memory in Wang Eun’s life. It would be like a prophesy come
true. In fact, it would plague Wang Eun and come back to haunt him in the
end.
Wang Yo had a field day celebrating what he thought had brought
his fearless younger brother to his knees. But, he had unwittingly turned the tide in Wang
So’s favour. Wang So’s response to the devastating situation spoke volumes
about the young prince. The underdog, strengthened by the incident would
gradually transform from a figure of derision into a formidable prince who was
worthy of admiration. None would be able to privately or publicly bully him
over his scar again.
The bullying of Wang So by his older blood-brother has blazed
its way into the drama viewers’ collective memory when the Fourth Prince’s
last personal defence was removed.
Fearful that he might be in the doldrums, Hae Soo rushed after him but he was foaming at the mouth. What was most painful was not his humiliation in front of his siblings
but the way Hae Soo looked at him. The
pain was beginning to gnaw at him. He lurched at her swiftly and pinned her hand unceremoniously against the wooden pillar. Commanding her to
look at him directly, he launched into a angry tirade against her. The intensity of his fiery gaze and his manhandling frightened her.
‘Look at me. I hate that look in your eyes!’ He drove home the
point that he wanted none of her pity. Her love and acceptance was important to him. Hae Soo reeled back as if he had just delivered a brutal uppercut.
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