PlotSynopsis by AsianWiki Staff ©. Historical drama "The Moon Embracing The Sun" tells a love story between King Lee Hwon ( Kim Soo-Hyun) and a female shaman named Wol ( Han Ga-In ). Wol was born from a noble family and became the crown princess, but she was entrapped and faced execution. Finally, she lived as a shaman. Paradayang masuk dan berusaha membangunkan Hwon. Seorang dari mereka memanggil tabib. Bo-kyung terlihat kesal. Wol telah berhenti menangis. Ia berterimakasih pada Yang Myung karena Yang Myung memperlakukannya sebagai manusia (walau ia seorang shaman rendahan). Ap Heo Yeon Woo, yang berumur tiga belas tahun dipilih menjadi Puteri Mahkota Joseon sampai Ibu Suri merencanakan rencana keji melawannya dan dengan diam-diam memerintahkan untuk membunuhnya. Dengan bantuan dari sihir shaman yang sangat kuat, Yeon Woo berhasil meloloskan diri tapi kehilangan ingatannya. The Moon Embracing The Sun" adalah drama fantasi sejarah (sageuk) dengan latar zaman Dinasti Joseon. Pangeran Lee Hwon (Kim Soo Hyun) dan saudara tirinya, Pangeran Yang Myung (Jung Il Woo) jatuh cinta pada gadis yang sama, seorang dukun bernama Wol (Han Ga In). . The Moon That Embraces the Sun Contents 1 Details 2 Synopsis 3 User/Viewer Ratings 4 Cast 5 Production Credits 6 Notes 7 Recognitions 8 Episode Ratings 9 External Links Details Title 해를 품은 달 / Haereul Poomeun Dal Also known as The Moon Embracing the Sun / The Sun and the Moon Tagline Don’t come close! But don’t go far… Genre Saeguk, romance, fantasy, melodrama Episodes 20 Broadcast network MBC Broadcast period 2012-Jan-04 to 2012-Mar-15 Air time Wednesday & Thursday 2155 Original Soundtrack The Moon That Embraces the Sun OST Synopsis The Moon That Embraces the Sun tells the story of a secret love between Lee Hwon, a fictional king of Joseon, and Wol, a female shaman. Wol was born as Heo Yeon Woo, the daughter of a noble family who won the love of the then crown prince, Hwon. Her enemies, jealous of her family's position in court, schemed against her and wrestled away her rightful place as crown princess and nearly takes her life. Years later, an embittered Hwon meets Wol, now a female shaman who has no recollection of her past. User/Viewer Ratings Cast Main Cast Kim Soo Hyun as Lee Hwon Yeo Jin Goo as Hwon 15 year old Han Ga In as Heo Yeon Woo / Wol Kim Yoo Jung as Yeon Woo 13 year old Jung Il Woo as Prince Yang Myung Lee Min Ho as young Yang Myung Kim Min Seo as Yoon Bo Kyung Kim So Hyun as young Bo Kyung The Palace Kim Young Ae as Queen Dowager Jung Hui Ahn Nae Sang as King Sung Jo Lee Hwon's father Kim Sun Kyung as Queen So Hye Lee Hwon's mother Nam Bo Ra as Princess Min Hwa Lee Hwon's sister Jin Ji Hee as young Princess Min Hwa Jung Eun Pyo as Hyung Sun Song Jae Rim as Kim Chae Woon Lee Won Geun as Woon 15 years old Yoon Hee Suk as Hong Gyu Tae Kim Ye Ryung as Lady Park Yang Myung's mother Seo Hyun Chul as Shim San Lee Seung Hyung as Han Jae Gil Choo Gwi Jung 추귀정 as Court Lady Jo Kim Min Kyung as Court Lady Min Kang Chan Yang as palace maid Lee Jung Hoon as Oh Hye Sung Hong Hyun Taek as royal prince cameo, The Sungsuchung Jun Mi Sun as Jang Nok Young Kim Ik Tae as Hye Gak Bae Noo Ri as Jan Shil Jo Min Ah as young Jan Shil Jang Young Nam as Ali cameo, Heo Family Sun Woo Jae Duk as Heo Young Jae Yeon Woo and Yeom's father Yang Mi Kyung as Shin Jung Kyung Yeon Woo and Yeom's mother Song Jae Hee as Heo Yeom Siwan as Yeom 17 years old Kim Jin Woo as Yeom 4 years old Yoon Seung Ah as Seol Seo Ji Hee as young Seol Yoon Family Kim Eung Soo as Yoon Dae Hyung Bo Kyung's father Jang Hee Soo as Mrs. Kim Bo Kyung's mother Kim Seung Wook as Yoon Soo Chan Others Park Jin Seo Gi Yun Ho Lee Joong Yul So Hee Jung Lee Young Suk Huh Jung Bum Cha Young Ok Gong Jae Won Han Chun Il Seo Kwang Jae Jung Mi Ae Production Credits Chief Producer Oh Kyung Hoon Producer Lee Kyung Shik 이경식, Moon Jung Soo Director Kim Do Hoon, Lee Sung Joon Assistant Director Hyun Sol Yib Original writing Jung Eun Gwol Screenwriter Jin Soo Wan Notes Based on the novel 해를 품은 달 The Moon That Embraces the Sun by Jung Eun Gwol first published December 29, 2005, who is also the author of the novel that Sungkyunkwan Scandal was based on. Recognitions 2013 46th Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival Special Jury Prize for Drama Series 2013 1st DramaFever Awards Drama of the Year Breakthrough Performance Yeo Jin Goo 2012 MBC Drama Awards Drama of the Year Mini Series Top Excellence Actor Kim Soo Hyun Mini Series Top Excellence Actress Han Ga In Popularity Award Kim Soo Hyun Golden Acting Award, Actress Yang Mi Kyung Writer of the Year Jin Soo Wan Child Actor Award Yeo Jin Goo Child Actress Award Kim Yoo Jung Child Actress Award Kim So Hyun 2012 18th Shanghai Television Festival Silver Award for Foreign TV Series 2012 25th Grimae Awards Best Picture Award Kim Sun Il, Jung Seung Woo Best Lighting Director Jun Hong Geun 2012 1st KDrama Star Awards Excellence Actor Award Kim Soo Hyun Special Child Actress Award Kim So Hyun Special Child Actress Award Kim Yoo Jung 2012 5th Korea Drama Awards Best OST Award - "Back In Time" The Moon That Embraces the Sun OST by LYn 2012 4th Pierson Movie Festival Best Child Actor Yeo Jin Goo Best Child Actress Kim Yoo Jung 2012 39th Korea Broadcasting Prizes Best Actor Award Kim Soo Hyun 2012 48th PaekSang Arts Awards Best TV Drama Actor Kim Soo Hyun Best TV Drama 2012 14th Mnet 20's Choice Awards 20's Drama Star Male Kim Soo Hyun 20's Upcoming 20's Yeo Jin Goo 20's Blue Carpet Star Kim Soo Hyun Episode Ratings See The Moon That Embraces the Sun/Episode Ratings External Links Official site News articles 1, 2, 3 Completed Firebird39 people found this review helpful Story Acting/Cast Music Rewatch Value I watched this drama because of its good ratings and reviews. I'd say they're really well-deserved! For me, it is a great drama for many reasons. TMTETS was my first historical drama and after watching this, I would love to try more sageuks. It was truly beautiful to watch - the costumes, places, all the historical stuff, not to mention the good-looking actors! It was way too far from the boring drama I expected it to be. STORY - Interesting storyline! It has great drama, touching romance, some suspense and action, somehow annoying politics, and humorous moments. And it gets more and more exciting as the story unfolded. I was easily moved with the story. What else could you ask for? I didn't expect to have lots of laughs from this drama. And of course, you'll see a lot of sad scenes, a lot of crying. But it wasn't until the last episode that I cried my eyes out! Really. Some were really heartbreaking. Some was just too illogical, and too sad, to happen. Other than that, the ending was lovely. You'll laugh with still tears on your eyes. However, I can't get away with its downsides. I think the drama lost some of its energy on the second half. Or I guess the first episodes were just too good! I won't say there was no boring moment because there was some time that I just wanted to skip episodes and proceed to the last, I just find it predictable. But I'm glad I didn't or else I could have lost the story. BTW, I hate it when one character just can't move on, being so martyr, when he deserves to be happy. ACTING/CAST - I loved to watch this drama bec. of Jung Il Woo. But in the end, I also learned to love Kim Soo Hyun. For his superb acting, and looks. He gave justice to his role as the King. Young Lee Hwon was equally amazing. I couldn't say any flaw. As for Il woo, he has always been good. Though I think I love his character here less. Han Ga In was a real beauty, but I honestly thing the younger Yeon Woo did her role better. I also enjoyed watching the side characters, each of them. The younger actors also did a great job that I quite got sad when their characters got older. MUSIC - I love Back in Time and the instrumentals. I thinks they we're all perfect for the diff. moods of the series. But to be honest, I didn't get to appreciate its OST until I listened to it after finishing the drama. REWATCH VALUE - I'm not into rewatching but I suppose I will still watch it in the distant future. OVERALL - I give it a 9 overall. I love it to bits. Definitely a must-see. = Read More Was this review helpful to you? Another solid if not spectacular episode of The Moon that Embraces the Sun. I’ve given up hoping for the return to the cohesive clarity of the earlier episodes or for some much needed secondary character development. I’m still entertained, but I’ve accepted this is about as deep as it’s going to get. As the drama continues to steer its trajectory away from the events of the novel, I’m left knowing things will happen but unsure of how and when. Because she’s gotten so little screen time, it wasn’t until this episode that I finally realized just how magnificent Kim Min Seos performance as Bo Kyung is. She’s animated without being forced, digging deeper into a character written without nuance, pulling out emotions that hit all the right notes and makes me interested in her. That is how great acting can compensate for shoddy writing. Kim Soo Hyun is lucky to have the best written character in the entire show, and his performance equally matches up. Poor Han Ga In is left hanging out to dry, with Wol being either a cipher or a too-good-to-be-true heroine the way Yeon Woo was created. MoonSun feels like a show with alternating bites of spicy and bland, depending on who pops up on the screen at any given moment. Episode 10 recap Hwon tells Wol to help him forget his lonely pain and ease the hurt in his heart. Can she do it? Wol wants to, she wants to block the ill directed at the King. Hwon orders Wol to raise her face to him. Bo Kyung cracks open the door to the King’s inner chambers and briefly glimpses Hwon standing there staring intently at his human amulet with a look that is clearly of a man to a woman. Before she can barge in, Woon slams the door shut. End of that peep show, lady. Bo Kyung leaves under the pretense that she was just worried about the King’s health and wanted to check on him. Hwon calls Hyung Sun in to summon the royal physician. Not for him, but to treat Wol. Hyung Sun hesitates since the royal physician is allowed only to treat a member of the royal family. Hwon argues that the human amulet is absorbing his ills, so if she is sick, it might harm him. He yells at Hyung Sun to summon the royal physician immediately. Woon walks outside and his subordinate hands over a note Wol had written to the King which the subordinate confiscated from Wol. Bo Kyung sits in her chambers and seethes with rage, knowing that Hwon was clearly interested in his human amulet in very primal ways. Wol is treated by the royal physician while Hwon reads a book off to the side. He can’t help up but sneak a peek, but when Wol meets his gaze, he nonchalantly turns away. Hyung Sun is aware of this frisson of interest from Hwon to Wol. Later that night, Hwon sleeps while Wol keeps vigil over him as usual. Morning comes and Wol leaves, which is when Hwon immediately wakes up, clearly pretending to be asleep this entire time. Woon hands over to the King the note from Wol, indicating that she wants to be of service to him as a citizen of this country. Hwon takes that as a rebuke of his acknowledgement of Wol as merely a thing and not an actual person. Hwon smiles a tad at Wol’s effective and to-the-point note. Hyung Sun sneaks a peek, explaining his surprise to find a shaman knows how to write Han characters, and write such poetic words at that. Hwon snarls at Hyung Sun, but then remembers his wonder at reading 13 year old Yeon Woo’s first note to him. Hwon remembers how his reaction to Yeon Woo was that he could never forget her. Hyung Sun takes the opportunity to remind Hwon that Wol is but a shaman. Hwon understands that his servant is warning him not to be interested in Wol. Hyung Sun dares to remind the King that Wol is not Yeon Woo, no matter how much she looks like her. Hyung Sun reveals that Bo Kyung visited last night, shaking off her pride and coming to see him. Hwon ought to consider how she must feel right now. Bo Kyung is moping in bed when her servant comes to get her, revealing that the King asked to see her. That immediately rouses Bo Kyung, who dresses up await her husband. Hwon’s visit to Bo Kyung doesn’t go unnoticed, as his mother reports to Queen Yoon that the King appears to be showing interest in his queen. Queen Yoon chalks it up to the magical powers of the human amulet. She orders that a new date for the marriage consummation be selected. Since Hwon is feeling better, getting them to sleep together will also increase their burgeoning feelings for each other. Hwon sits with Bo Kyung, asking if she has any worries on her mind since she doesn’t look so good. Bo Kyung claims that she is worried about the King so she couldn’t sleep. Hwon knows she went to visit his chambers last time, asking directly what she intended to spy on him about. Did she see or hear anything last night? Whatever she saw or heard, it is with a human amulet. Hwon reminds Bo Kyung that their marriage consummation will occur one month later. Until then, they cannot see each other, because he needs to remain undisturbed. Bo Kyung understands Hwon’s warning to stay away. After Hwon leaves, Bo Kyung is even more suspicious, wondering what exactly Hwon is trying to conceal from her? Is it his heart? A dead woman’s spirit is not enough, he is even placing a lowly shaman in his heart above her. Bo Kyung summons her servant and demands a spy close to the King to report back on the female shaman who spends every night with the King. Yang Myung goes to the paper seller and tries to find information about Wol. The guy doesn’t know anything other than Wol is a shaman. Yang Myung leaves dejected. On his way out, he passes a group of shamans from the Royal Astrology Office, among them is Jang Shil. She immediately recognizes Yang Myung and chases after him. Yang Myung wonders who is lying to him, the minister who claimed Wol was being punished for practicing the dark arts, or Wol who claimed to be in a safe place now. Jang Shil catches up to Yang Myung, calling him orabeoni and grabbing him for a bear hug. He pushes her off, noting that she doesn’t look like a gisaeng. Jang Shil says she is a shaman from the Royal Astrology Office, mentioning how Yang Myung saved her years ago. He finally remembers her, and then realizes where she now works is the safest place for shamans in the entire city. Yang Myung asks Jang Shil is there is a shaman named Wol? Jang Shil is about to answer but then remembers Nok Young’s warning for her to never mention Wol again. Jang Shil has no choice but to lie that there is no such shaman named Wol. She quickly runs off before Yang Myung probes any further. Wol sleeps during the day now since she is awake at night watching over the King. When Wol sleeps, Seol keeps her company. Jang Shil walks into Wol’s quarters all mopey and sad. She looks at the sleeping Wol and apologizes to Yang Myung in her mind. Seol suddenly notices that Wol is having a bad dream, which is actually the incident when Hwon wore a mask and then pulled her away. The dream ends right when Hwon is about to pull off the mask. Wol wakes up and confirms to Seol that she had the same bad dream, and just like all other times before, the dream ended before she could see the masked man’s face. Seol thinks to herself that the masked face is not that important, because Wol is watching over him every night now. Wol arrives for her nightly vigil, passing Woon and Hyung Sun on her way in. She takes off her robe and finds the King seated at his reading desk. Wol sits down facing Hwon, who breaks the silence by bringing up his surprise at finding out how much Wol was secretly upset at him. Wol tries to explain that she’s not, what she wrote was her sincere feelings. It was not a rebuke of the King. She wrote that as a citizen, she wanted to try her best at serving the King. If the reader of the letter had some preexisting prejudices, then her words would be misconstrued. Hwon gets riled up still, thinking Wol is calling him prejudiced, and hence not a good ruler. He’s about to state that he is Joseon’s……when he suddenly remember his teenage self telling Yeon Woo that he is Joseon’s…… Hwon stops mid-sentence, and then gets up and announces that he wants to go out for a walk. As he passes the still sitting Wol, he asks why she’s not following as the human amulet to absorb his ills. Hwon marches off and Wol quickly follows. Hwon and Wol walk through the Palace, following by Woon and all the retainers. Hwon orders everyone to back up a few steps. Everyone starts backing up, including Wol, but Hwon pulls Wol back because as his amulet she has to stick by his side. The walk takes them past the Hidden Moon Chambers, which are forever sealed since Yeon Woo resided there. Wol looks up at the sealed windows and suddenly has flashbacks of her leaving the Palace and Hwon crying out for Yeon Woo. Wol asks if this place has painful memories for his majesty. Was he the person who was crying here? Hwon grabs Wol and demands to know what she saw? He pulls Wol tightly up against him, using his hand to hold her face, asking if she saw things because of her shaman powers. Everyone averts their eyes at this intimate gesture. Hwon asks if her shaman powers can tell her what he intends to do now? Hwon asks if he ought to embrace a female shaman such as Wol. As he leans closer, and sees everyone lowering their heads even more, he suddenly turns and takes off running with Wol behind him. By the time the retainers react and give chase, Hwon’s got a head start and manages to pull Wol inside a private room with him. Hwon asks Wol again who she is? Wol gives the same answer, but this time Hwon doesn’t believe it. Wol was someone without a name until the King bestowed one on her, so who else could she be. Hwon grabs Wol, asking tearfully if she doesn’t recognize him? Does she really not know who he is? Wol asks if the King is looking for the memory of someone through her? Is it someone named Yeon Woo? Did Hwon allow her to stay by his side because Wol resembles her? But the truth is that Wol is not Yeon Woo. Hwon yells at her to be quiet. She has overstepped her bounds now. Just because he allows her to stay, doesn’t mean he has given his heart to her. She is nothing but a shaman who casts away ills. He is about to rebuke her even further but stops, knowing that his heart is already messed up because of her. Hwon orders Wol to keep her distance from him. As Hwon leaves the room, he announces that he intends to sleep alone tonight and Wol need not come. As Hwon leaves, he quietly orders Woon to make sure Wol gets home safely. Wol returns to her chambers, but she stands outside looking up at the moon. Nok Young asks why Wol is here instead of keeping vigil over the King? Wol asks Nok Young who she is? Supposedly she got lost from her parents because she was filled with shaman spirit. But is that true? Why does she keep having these memories. If the memories belong to someone else, why does it feel like it’s her own memories? Nok Young looks frightened to hear this, while Seol wipes away a tear. Seol peeks at Yeom over he wall at his estate. Yeom suddenly senses a presence, which turns out to be Yang Myung, who is rebuked again for climbing the wall to enter. Suddenly another person shows up and freaks both of them out, the person being Woon. He gets yelled at for climbing a wall and being all silent and stealthy. Woon delivers the message that the King wishes Yeom to enter the Palace tomorrow. As Woon is leaving, he suddenly sees a letter written on yellow paper. Yeom explains that it was a birthday letter Yeon Woo wrote to him. Woon leaves the estate and sees Seol, the two of them getting into a sword fight because Woon thinks someone has sent Seol to spy on Yeom. Seol manages to get away. Yang Myung and Yeom stay and catch up, with Yeom wanting to know about Yang Myung’s new lady love. Yang Myung gets serious and suddenly brings up the night eight years ago when he jokingly asked Yeon Woo to run away with him instead of going into the Palace for selection. Because Yeon Woo was dead set on doing it, Yang Myung did not push any further. Had Yang Myung been braver that night, and seriously asked Yeon Woo to run away with him, then today Yeon Woo might still be alive and by his side. Seol returns to the room she shares with Wol, who asks where Seol went and why she’s been injured. Seol lies that she got hurt while training. But when Wol presses further, Seol tells the truth, that she went to visit her former owners who treated her not as a thing but as a good friend. Yeom decides to go visit Yeon Woo’s old room. He opens the drawer in the Go box and then flips the lid, where he finally locates Yeon Woo’s farewell letter to Hwon. Yang Myung is walking home when he’s waylaid by Jang Shil. She immediately apologizes to him. She was wrong, the person he wants to find, she will help him meet her. Jang Shil grabs Yang Myung for a bear hug, crying that he is the man who saved her life, so she would give her life for him. He will be able to see the person he is looking for, so he needn’t be sad. Yeom holds Yeon Woo’s last letter to Hwon and contemplates what to do. Hwon lays in bed, tossing and turning, remembering what Wol said to him about how he was looking for another person’s memory through Wol. Princess Minhwa is stitching with her mother-in-law, vowing to keep her company until Mom cheers up. Yeom arrives dressed in his court robes, informing his two ladies that he is going to the Palace. Minhwa is annoyed he didn’t tell her early otherwise she would have accompanied him. Minhwa reveals that she’s worried about her husband entering the Palace, and it turns out her worries are for good reason. Yeom enters the Palace and immediately all the court ladies fawn over him. Hwon happily welcomes his esteemed teacher to the Palace, ordering snacks and wanting some privacy to catch up with his teacher Yeom. The court ministers are bitching about how Yeom dared to enter the Palace. The husband of the Princess is historically not allowed to participate in politics. They discuss that his very existence is a threat, a focal point for other ministers to rally around. Yoon Dae Hyung worries that Yeom may have greater influence than even his father did, wondering why he entered the Palace today. Yeom delivers Yeon Woo’s letter to Hwon, explaining that he thought long and hard but decided the letter belonged to the person it was addressed to. Hwon confirms that his bride Yeon Woo wrote this final letter to him. Yeom tell Hwon to dispose of the letter as he sees fit, whatever he does, Yeon Woo will be happy from the after life. Yeom bows and asks Hwon to forget Yeon Woo now, because he has a wife in the current Queen. If he doesn’t move on, Yeon Woo will surely be sad. Hwon tearfully reveals that everyone has been asking him to forget Yeon Woo. Hyung Sun walks Yeom out, asking him to visit more often because the King misses him. Yeom states the sad truth that he’s not supposed to be in the Palace, asking Hyung Sun to keep Hwon company. After he walks away, Hyung Sun sighs that it ought to have been Yeom who keeps the King company. Hwon sits with the letter for a good long while before he picks it up to read. The letter is Yeon Woo saying that she wrote this letter with the final remaining ounce of energy she possessed. She doesn’t know if he’ll get it but she still wants to write it. Meeting Hwon one final time before she passed was of great comfort to her. She asks Hwon to make her a memory now. Her father is coming soon with medicine, and then she will never be able to see him again. He must forget her, and be healthy for her sake. He must become a great King for the people. Hwon cries, chocking back sobs that Yeon Woo’s final wish was for him to be healthy. She used her final bit of energy to write this letter. She must have been in such pain and agony. Hyung Sun cries with his King. Hwon notices that even with no strength, Yeon Woo’s letters are still so beautifully written. Hwon orders that Yeon Woo’s past correspondence be brought to him now. He cannot remember her writing anymore, so he wants to read it all again. Bo Kyung gets her report from her spy, who says that the King went for a walk with the human amulet, and after the walk forbid her from accompanying him back to his chambers. She also reveals that Yeom visited today, and the King asked for a box with the character rain Woo carved on it. Hwon opens the box and takes out the letters he exchanged with Yeon Woo years ago. Woon sits across from him as Hwon reads. Hwon suddenly pulls out Wol’s letter to him and puts the two letters side-by-side. He orders Woon to bring Wol immediately. Wol is walking to the King’s chambers when suddenly she is pulled aside. It is Yang Myung, who pushes Wol against the wall and asks if she knows him? Hwon stares intently at the two letters with identical handwriting, clearly making the connection between Yeon Woo and Wol. Thoughts of Mine Okay, that was an AWESOME episode ender. In fact, the entire second half of this episode was just pure awesome courtesy of Hwon, who kept reaching deeper and deeper into his hidden reservoir of sadness over the loss of his beloved Yeon Woo. He finally sold it for me on why he can’t let her go. Not only did he genuinely love her for who she was inside, her death was just so sudden and wrenching that the traumatic loss clearly isn’t something he has properly grieved. Moreover, after losing Yeon Woo, everyone else went down the crapper. Yang Myung took off, Yeom couldn’t be his teacher anymore and later on couldn’t even come to the Palace, and he was forced to marry scheming Bo Kyung and gain slimy Yoon Dae Hyung as a father-in-law. By trying to suppress his memories of Yeon Woo, so much so that he can’t remember her handwriting anymore, he ended up being unable to let go of her. Just like Lee Min Ho before him, Jung Il Woo is really selling Yang Myung’s pining for Yeon Woo. It doesn’t make much sense logically, but then the affairs of the heart don’t and rarely make sense. He loves her, and her death is also something he hasn’t gotten over. Sounds like he feels some guilt for not talking her out of going to the Crown Princess selection, though we all know he wouldn’t have been able to change her mind regardless. I like how the drama is slowly and finally weaving all the characters together again. Seeing Yeom, Yang Myung, and Woon gather together, albeit briefly, was like taking a walk down memory lane. Seol and Woon finally cross paths and swords, plus Yang Myung and Jang Shil reunite and then promptly sent the drama into overdrive. I love how Jang Shil decided to go with her heart and tell Yang Myung about Wol, seeing how much he wanted to find her. But what I loved the most was Hwon figuring out on his own the connection between Yeon Woo and Wol. I knew his realization would involve writing, since the love affair between Hwon and Yeon Woo blossomed during the period when they wrote to each other. I hope he doesn’t take one step forward and two steps back and try to rationalize away the identical handwriting. I’m glad the drama decided to let both Hwon and Yang Myung confirm Wol’s identity at the same time, because I think this story can and ought to have a viable love triangle. I want to see Yang Myung fight for Wol, because he loves her and because he wants to keep her safe. Whether as Wol or as Yeon Woo, she will never be safe in the Palace with Hwon because of those conspiring against the King. After what happened to Yeon Woo, it’s clear this time Yang Myung won’t let her be placed in such a dangerous situation again. I was really shaking my head when watching the Hwon-Bo Kyung scene today, when he warned her to stay away. There was so much chemistry between Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Min Seo it made me sad the same frisson of energy couldn’t be transferred over to the OTP interactions. I can live with second lead shipping, but shipping the hero with the resident witch is clearly NOT a viable or sane proposition. At this point I don’t need Han Ga In to magically become a good actress, all I ask for her to wake up a little. She’s so low-energy onscreen that she sucks the charisma out of a scene. Though with Kim Soo Hyun emitting fireballs of acting passion, it does even out when they are together. Funnily enough, their acting reminds me of him being the brightly burning sun and her being the cold soft moonlight. An apt observation if ever there was one for this drama. What a fantastic episode for our men. This really should be The Sun Embraces That Other Sun And Heck, Also Those Other Friendly Suns, While We’re At It. Yes, the two suns are brothers and that would require breaking a number of taboos, but hey, I’m game if you are. Sigh. Another ratings increase the ninth straight one with today’s episode bringing in a Ratings were for Captain and for Wild Romance. Good grief. I mean, I’m entertained so I’m not complaining — it’s just way beyond my expectation. Timing and circumstance really have so much to do with which shows hit which numbers; previous sageuk hits Princess’s Man and Tree With Deep Roots are both better dramas, but they aired in different circumstances. But Moon/Sun can thank them for setting the stage for it to come in and dominate. SONG OF THE DAY Feelbay – “ë‚ìž ” Midday nap [ Download ] EPISODE 10 RECAP In his bedchamber, Hwon addresses Wol in language that I’m sure must have been carefully and intentionally selected to hint at the underlying sexual tension driving everything — this drama’s whole conflict centers around sex, after all — as he tells her she must make him forget his exhaustion and put his pain to bed. She says she will, as the spiritual object she believes herself to be. Standing just outside, Bo-kyung cracks open the doors and is immediately alarmed at Hwon’s reaction to Wol, and readies to storm in. But Woon pushes the door closed and she loses the moment. She glares at him, but forces a smile as she tells Hwon’s entourage that she was merely worried about the king. Back in her own room, Bo-kyung breaks down in angry tears. Her fears have been realized, because she had recognized that Hwon was looking at the shaman with the eyes of a man for a woman, not a king for his good-luck charm. Hwon calls for the court doctor, surprising all by saying it’s not for him, but for Wol. Hyung-sun protests, because the royal physician is reserved for royalty. Hwon says that her job is to absorb the evil energy from him, and therefore ensuring her health is for the king’s benefit, overriding Hyung-sun’s horrified protests. Hwon reads a book while his physician attends to Wol, although he can’t help sending her longing glances, which don’t escape Hyung-sun’s notice. Then, Wol takes her usual position and watches over Hwon’s sleep. After she leaves, Hwon opens his eyes, not having slept after all. Woon is given the note taken from Wol, intended for the king, and in the morning he gives it to Hwon. It basically tells him that though she’s not considered a person, she wishes to be the king’s citizen. He recalls his harsh words earlier, and reads this as a rebuke of his dismissal of her worth “She means that a shaman is still a person, so I shouldn’t disregard her.” Hyung-sun muses that it’s rare enough for a shaman to know how to write, but also that she’d dare send this kind of message. Yet this also stirs another memory, of another letter he received from a 13-year-old. His thoughts echo his 15-year-old words “How could I forget you?” Hyung-sun knows what he’s thinking, and gently reminds him that Wol is is not Yeon-woo. Hwon gets defensive and can’t even bear to hear Hyung-sun continue with the reminder that she’s dead, and he angrily shuts him up. Hyung-sun informs him of Bo-kyung’s visit and entreats Hwon to consider her feelings, and how hurt she must have felt to have abandoned pride to come to him. Bo-kyung is moping in her room when she receives word that the king plans to see her. This is great news for all the queens, especially queens mother and dowager. Granny attributes this to the shaman-charm, who has single-handedly improved the king’s health and facilitated reconciliation with Bo-kyung, and she takes this as proof that Wol is indeed the successor to Nok-young. She decides to request another fortune-reading to move the consummation date up while things are looking good. Bo-kyung happily receives Hwon, who mentions her unannounced nighttime visit. She says it was purely out of concern for him but he cuts to the heart of the matter, as always, insinuating that it was really about keeping tabs on him. He says that there was no person in his room that night, merely an amulet, as a way of dismissing her concerns — See? It’s just a thing. No reason for you to interfere. The words are polite but there’s a menacing quality to Hwon’s tone, and Bo-kyung is ill at ease. Hwon reminds her that they are to keep their space until the consummation in a month, and Bo-kyung understands that he’s really warning her not to visit his quarters again. Bo-kyung grapples with her frustration after he leaves, wondering what he is trying to hide from her, and why he has to go so far as to order her away. She breaks down in tears as she wonders if the thing he’s covering up for is love. First the dead girl, and now the lowly shaman? She orders her lady in waiting to find a court lady with close access to the king. She wants someone to watch the king’s visits with his shaman-charm and report to her — secretly, of course. Yang-myung returns to town to search for Wol, to no avail. He recalls Wol assuring him that she was safe, and wonders if that’s true. He passes a group of young court shamans, and Jan-shil recognizes him from that time years ago when he saved her from the quack peddlers. She runs after him, adorably calling him “Oraboni” and grabbing him in a bear hug. He doesn’t recognize her, all grown now, and is confused until she reminds him of the “magic stone” he once talked about. Memory thus jogged, Yang-myung greets her warmly. Jan-shil tells him she’s no longer a phony seer but the real deal, one of the shamans of Seongsucheong. And that makes the pieces fall into place for Yang-myung — Seongsucheong is the safest place for a shaman in the city — and he asks urgently whether a girl named Wol is among them. But Jan-shil remembers how furiously Nok-young warned her to keep her mouth shut about moon/sun related talk, especially regarding Yeon-woo, and the bodily harm she was threatened with. So she shakes her head no and says that there’s nobody like that around. Jan-shil goes to Wol’s room with a heavy heart, sorry for lying. Sleeping Wol has a fitful dream, and relives the memory of that long-ago night at the festival. Out of context, though, the sight of Hwon wearing that big mask is spooky, and the dream has teh tone of a nightmare. Just as he lifts the mask to reveal his face, she wakes up. It’s a recurring nightmare that always ends before seeing his face. Wol’s particularly disappointed tonight, feeling like she was just about to see his face. Seol is there when she wakes and thinks sympathetically that the face she wants so badly to see is the one she looks on every night. That evening, Hwon is waiting for Wol when she enters and refers to her letter, which conveyed her resentment of him. She protests that she didn’t mean it in that sense, and he allows that maybe she doesn’t resent him — but she did mean it as a reproach. She answers that she only meant to say that she would undertake her duty to the best of her abilities, and that misunderstanding is bound to arise if the reader of the note approaches it with preconceived notions. If he felt something in her note, perhaps it’s because there was a reason he made that inference. Hwon reads into that remark as well, supposing that she’s insinuating that he’s ruling badly. Even though Wol has a tendency to speak in poetic riddles, Hwon does seem to be overreacting this time and he gets worked up, reminding her of her place and that he is not to be trifled with. He exclaims, “I am Joseon’s…!” in much the same way he had at their first encounter. Hwon cuts himself off, recalling that very thing, and declares he’s in need of some air. Wol, as his charm, is ordered to follow him outside. He orders his entourage to stay at a distance, keeping only Wol nearby with the excuse that she’s his charm. They stand outside the closed palace building that was once hers, and that stirs a memory — of young Hwon crying after her as Yeon-woo was kicked out. Assuming her medium powers are responsible for the vision, Wol asks if this place holds sad memories for the king “Was the person who shed tears at this place… you?” He looms over her and asks intently, “What did you see?” Then he grabs her even closer — rawr! — and asks if she knows this because of her supernatural powers. She says yes, and he tells her to use those powers, then, to answer a question “What do you think I’m going to do now?” Watching from across the courtyard, Hyung-sun and Woon avert their eyes as Hwon asks whether she thinks he would embrace her, disregarding her status. And then he eyes his uncomfortable staff, all shifting and looking down — and grabs Wol’s hand to run away. HA! I love that he was being intentionally discomfiting to get everyone to look away. Racing across the palace grounds, Hwon ducks into an empty building and demands to know who she really is “You are not Wol.” But she has no other identity, and she says that before he gave her a name, she was just a nameless shaman. Hwon looks at her entreatingly, asking, “Do you really not know me? Have you truly never met me?” Wol asks if he’s looking to find Yeon-woo in her, and if her resemblance to that woman is why he’s keeping her close. He looks devastated as she tells him that she isn’t that person. Lashing out, he says she’s overstepped her bounds for assuming he cared for her, and that she’s a mere charm, not a person. Who is she to send him into such chaos? He warns her to keep away — if she crosses the line again, he won’t forgive her. His entourage awaits outside, and he leaves with them, dismissing Wol’s services for tonight. He does send Woon to follow her back to her quarters, though. Nok-young finds Wol outside and asks in concern if something happened, alarmed when Wol asks, “Who am I?” She confesses that she’s seeing strange visions, and while they must be someone else’s memories, they feel like her emotions. Not really believing it, Wol asks, “I can’t be the owner of those memories, can I? No matter how much I resemble her, I can’t become her, can I?” As though she wishes she were, so she could have the king’s love or maybe just ease his pain. Seol witnesses the conversation with tears of sympathy. Yeom freaks out to have Yang-myung pop up outside his house, and the two friends are then further freaked out by the silent arrival of a third party — Woon. Ha. Woon is here to convey Hwon’s orders to Yeom to appear at the palace, and on his way out gets a glimpse of a letter written on familiarly bright yellow parchment. Yeom explains it as an old letter from Yeon-woo. Seol once more visits Yeom’s house to get a glimpse of him, not seeing that Woon has clocked her shadowy presence. He surprises her with an attack and asks who sent her. Seol knocks his sword aside and runs away. The two remaining friends have a drink, and Yeom asks whether it’s true that Yang-myung has a new sweetheart, wondering what she’s like. Yang-myung reminisces about that one instance eight years ago, on the night before Yeon-woo was to be decided as the princess bride. He’d offered to take her away, but she had dismissed him by telling him not to joke, and he had let it go at that. Yang-myung “If I hadn’t disguised it as a joke… If I’d had more courage, and held out my hand… If I had shown my true feelings and asked her to run away… would she be with me now?” Seol finds Wol waiting up when she returns, and explains that she was visiting her former owners’ house. Wol smiles and says they must have been good people for her to still feel attached, and Seol answers that they were “When I was not even treated like a beast, they treated me as a person and gave me the pretty name Seol.” She finishes the thought in her head, adding, “That’s the kind of person you were.” After Yang-myung leaves, Yeom goes to Yeon-woo’s old room… where he finds her old chest. OH THANK GOD. Will somebody find that damn letter already? Yeom remembers Yeon-woo’s words about going through with the bridal selection despite her family’s worries. He lifts the lid to find the scrap of paper, curiously out of place, which immediately grabs his attention. He pulls it out, and sees that it’s addressed to the Crown Prince. Yang-myung walks along the deserted road, stopping short at the sight of a dark figure. It’s Jan-shil, and she tells him emotionally that she’s sorry, and that she’ll help him find the woman he’s looking for. She grabs him in a hug, crying, “Because you saved my life. I’ll repay that kindness, I promise.” Yeom visits his mother prior to making his trip to the palace. Min-hwa’s disappointed he didn’t tell her in advance so she could go with him, and Mom asks if she’s angry. Min-hwa says no, not angry — uneasy. Because if her husband goes to the palace alone… Cut to Yeom, stirring up a frenzy among the court ladies, just like old times. Hwon warmly receives Yeom, whom he still calls Teacher, and invites him to settle in for a chat. Our axis of evil plays the role of today’s political exposition fairies as they receive word of Yeom’s sudden appearance at court and try to unravel its significance. I guess “Because I wanna hang out with my friend” doesn’t compute with this council of backstabbing conspirators? One minister comically complains that his hottie ranking slips whenever Yeom’s around, but then they get to the crux of the problem As the princess’s husband, Yeom isn’t supposed have anything to do with politics, and thus his presence at court is dangerous. His very existence is problematic on a symbolic level not unlike Yang-myung, since there are those willing to rally around him, perhaps moved by his father’s lingering influence. Yeom has deliberated over the letter, and now presents it to the king, explaining that he decided the right thing to do was to return it to the rightful recipient. Hwon can’t hide his emotion as he confirms that this is Yeon-woo’s last letter to him. Bowing respectfully, Yeom advises Yeom to forget her now, and to remember his wife. He says that Yeon-woo wouldn’t have wanted him to stay stuck in her shadow either. Hwon notes sadly that everybody is telling him to forget her. After Yeom leaves, he sits there staring at the unopened letter for a long while, and finally reads it. Yeon-woo “Crown Prince, I gather the last of my strength to leave this letter. I do not know if it will cause trouble or even if it will reach you, but I write this anyway. Before I leave, even only through the things I have learned from you, I was very happy. But now you must stop blaming yourself, and think of me as a memory. My father will bring me medicine soon. Then I will no longer be able to see you. You must forget me, and years later become a good and wise king.” He cries, asking, “How much must she have hurt? How painful must it have been?” He asks Hyung-sun to bring him his old chest, and sobs that he can’t remember Yeon-woo’s handwriting anymore. He has to see her old letter as confirmation. Bo-kyung’s court spy reports to her about the king’s nighttime stroll, as well as Yeom’s visit. He was seen in troubled spirits afterward and asked for a chest bearing the hanja character for rain. Bo-kyung seems to recognize this immediately, with some concern. Hwon takes out the old letter, the apology she’d spent so much time on. But as he reads, it triggers another thought and he fumbles for a different letter — the one he recently received. Hwon compares the handwriting of the letters, which contain some of the same words. He orders Wol brought to him immediately. Wol is escorted to his quarters, but along the way she’s jerked to the side by Yang-myung, who asks intently, “Do you recognize me?” As he does, Hwon finishes his comparison and looks up with conviction. COMMENTS Ack! He knows! They both know! You’re just going to cut out here?? Right, of course you’re going to cut out here; you don’t get to 30%+ ratings by just giving it away, I guess. I’ll give it to this show — even in a slower episode which is what I thought of this one, it always pulls out a cliffhanger designed to rope us back like a crack addict at the bottom of his pipe, or however else you run out of crack. I said before that I wished Bo-kyung had been developed differently, to not be so outright malicious from the start, and that feeling is growing. I understand that she was raised by a villainous father, but she would have been such an interesting character if she had been allowed to “choose” her evil, so to speak, rather than have been marked from the start as a dark soul. This also stems from Kim Min-seo’s portrayal of Bo-kyung, which I think is fantastic. And yet the problem is, I think she’s giving the character depth that isn’t there in the writing. That’s not as bad a problem as the reverse scenario, but it does give me moments of confusion as a viewer. As a child, when she saw the lovebirds slipping away from the festival and cried, I felt nothing for her because there was nothing to show why she should feel so crushed; they had no existing relationship, and she’d never even looked at him admiringly. She could have been smitten by him at the soccer match, but again, wasted opportunity. Thus I felt and still feel that Bo-kyung’s issue is about jealousy over all the things Yeon-woo had, rather than jealousy over the king’s heart — because as far as I’m concerned, she doesn’t care for Hwon, the person. It’s all about what this represents She’s always felt inferior to Yeon-woo, and her insecurities aren’t dead just because the girl supposedly is. It would have been a wonderful thing to explore, wouldn’t it? Here’s what I would have done In their youths, I would have had Bo-kyung misunderstanding Hwon’s request to see her in secret, rather than realizing the truth in two minutes. She could have then built him up in her mind for days and read signs into everything, so when she later found out he meant to see Yeon-woo, that crushing disappointment would have had some bite. Then she could feel hurt over their relationship, whereas right now I feel like she’s a toddler unwilling to relinquish a toy because it’s hers. I’m not saying we can’t enjoy what we have, because I’m going with the story that’s given to us and it’s still entertaining. It’s just rather one-dimensional, ignoring its early potential to cultivate richer characters and more believable emotions. I have found the continued dumping on Han Ga-in a bit excessive, but it’s true that she doesn’t measure up to the men. I like her quite a lot in this role when she’s with Seol and Jan-shil, and I love that this drama shows us some solid female friendship, as fierce and loyal as any bromance. More of that, please! Han is managing the sageuk-speak pretty well and I think she bears a striking physical resemblance to child counterpart Kim Yoo-jung, so good casting on the looks front. But it’s too bad that Kim Soo-hyun blows her out of the water, and so does Kim Min-seo. I never really thought Yeon-woo was terribly nuanced a character to begin with, though, even in childhood; she was the simplest role of them all, and I partly blame the writing for being flat on that front. That’s true of a lot of the characters, actually, and we are just blessed in some cases with some actors who transcend their material. And boy, did they transcend in this episode. Kim Soo-hyun was pretty much on fire the whole episode through, whether he was being hurt, furious, confused, or heartbroken. And Jung Il-woo is at his best when he’s letting down that mask of mirth, as he did when he confessed to Yeom that perhaps he might have been able to keep Yeon-woo alive and with him if he’d been emotionally sincere. He’s wrong about that — y’know, Fate and all — but that regret is a bitter pill to Judul 해를 품은 달 / Haereul Poomeun Dal Judul Lain The Moon That Embraces The Sun / The Sun and The Moon Genre Romance, Fantasy, Period Jumlah Episode 20 Wiki D-Addicts Ringkasan Kisah dari cinta rahasia di antara Lee Hwon, seorang raja fiksi dari Dinasti Joseon, dan Wol, seorang shaman perempuan. Wol dilahirkan sebagai Heo Yeon Woo, puteri dari sebuah keluarga bangsawan, yang berhasil memenangkan cinta dari sang Pangeran Mahkota, Hwon. Namun musuh-musuh Yeon Woo, iri karena posisi keluarga Yeon Woo di Istana, mengadakan persengkongkolan untuk melawan Yeon Woo, dan merampas tempatnya sebagai puteri mahkota bahkan hampir saja berhasil mengambil nyawanya. Bertahun-tahun telah berlalu, si Hwon yang merasa sakit hati karena kehilangan Yeon Woo bertemu dengan Wol, yang sekarang telah menjadi seorang shaman perempuan, dan sama sekali tak memiliki ingatan mengenai masa lalunya. Daftar Episode The Moon That Embraces The Sun – Episode 01 The Moon That Embraces The Sun – Episode 02 The Moon That Embraces The Sun – Episode 03 The Moon That Embraces The Sun – Episode 04 The Moon That Embraces The Sun – Episode 05 The Moon That Embraces The Sun – Episode 06 The Moon That Embraces The Sun – Episode 07 The Moon That Embraces The Sun – Episode 08 The Moon That Embraces The Sun – Episode 09 The Moon That Embraces The Sun – Episode 10 The Moon That Embraces The Sun – Episode 11 The Moon That Embraces The Sun – Episode 12 The Moon That Embraces The Sun – Episode 13 The Moon That Embraces The Sun – Episode 14 The Moon That Embraces The Sun – Episode 15 The Moon That Embraces The Sun – Episode 16 The Moon That Embraces The Sun – Episode 17 The Moon That Embraces The Sun – Episode 18 The Moon That Embraces The Sun – Episode 19 The Moon That Embraces The Sun – Episode 20 99 January 4, 2012October 7, 2022 The Moon That Embraces the Sun Episode 1 by javabeans Premieres abound today, and heading the pack is The Moon That Embraces the Sun, aka soon to be MBC’s great white hope. I had a feeling this drama would come out on top in the ratings, but I had no idea it would be such a clear-cut victory. The Moon That Embraces the Sun drew an impressive 18% premiere rating, while Take Care of Us, Captain brought home a on SBS, and Wild Romance a over on KBS. SONG OF THE DAY 10cm – “Beautiful Moon” [ Download ] Audio clip Adobe Flash Player version 9 or above is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. EPISODE 1 RECAP A woman narrates “It is said that in the beginning, there were two suns and two moons. But day was too hot, and night too cold. All of creation was thrown into chaos, and the people in misery. It was then that a hero appeared and shot one sun and one moon out of the sky with arrows, and brought peace to the world.” This story is told by the queen dowager Kim Young-ae to one of her vassals, Lord Yoon Dae-hyung. She is the mother to King Seongjo, the current and fictional king. We are somewhere in the middle of the Joseon era, though since this drama is not based on real history, we aren’t given an exact date. The story about the two suns and moons is an illustration of the need for hero in times of trouble, and the queen dowager says meaningfully that they cannot just wait for a hero to appear. A veiled reference, then, to solving their own problems through their own means. She tells Lord Yoon to be the hero, because there can only be one sun in the sky; one must be eliminated. Nighttime. A group of masked men dart through the woods and to a residential neighborhood, dispersing to fulfill separate tasks One man sticks a yellow paper to a wall — a talisman, it looks like — and another buries a yellow pouch in a house’s yard. A frame job, perhaps? One masked intruder readies to assassinate his target in bed, but finds it empty. He’s surprised by a sword to the throat; the victim was prepared. He is identified as Uiseong-gun, or Prince Uiseong, the younger half-brother to King Seongjo. Ah. So here’s the threat the queen dowager needed eliminated, to protect her son’s interests. She had mentioned that the brothers had a good relationship, but in her mind the younger is dangerous, just by virtue of being close to the throne. Someplace else, a woman named Ahri — a shaman — wakes up with a gasp, filled with an ominous feeling. She knows “he” is in danger, and runs off to find him, ignoring the warnings of her shaman friend. Prince Uiseong fights back, although it’s only one of him against four assassins. He fends them off well, but is eventually felled and disarmed. Enter Lord Yoon, who faces him smugly. Uiseong is full of righteous anger, knowing full well that the king, his brother, will believe him over the shifty Lord Yoon. But there’s a solution for that, since Lord Yoon plans to kill him before he gets the chance to say anything. He adds that Uiseong’s good friend will be joining him on the other side, and we see that another nobleman is hanged in his home, a falsified suicide note left on his desk. Uiseong charges, Lord Yoon slices his throat, and the terrified shaman Ahri witnesses this all from just over the wall. She’s spotted and chased through the woods, finding herself cornered at the edge of a cliff. She slips and falls far below. The assassins check the base of the ravine and only find her official red hair sash. Ah, so she’s a palace shaman, part of the department called Seongsucheong. When the others are assembled, the head shaman notes that Ahri is missing, which identifies the runaway. Lord Yoon reports to the queen dowager and assures her that they’ll find Ahri. The queen dowager, oddly, is pleased, saying this is a stroke of fortune. Ahri was formerly a slave to Prince Uiseong’s household, so it’s possible they were involved. What if that woman desired her lover to become king? And what if she was manipulating him through some sort of magical power? It doesn’t matter that it’s not true, since the queen dowager can make all this true with her planted evidence. Furthermore, the head shaman is firmly under the queen’s thumb, and can be trusted to act for them. Uiseong and his murdered friend are labeled traitors, confirmed by the forged letter left at the friend’s house. The deaths are painted as suicides by guilt-stricken conspirators, and King Seongjo Ahn Nae-sang receives this report in disbelief. The head shaman is brought forth to read the symbols on the talisman. She’s been coached to lie, so she tells the king that it’s a call for the sun’s power, which is a poetic way of saying that they aspired to the throne. King = sun. Furthermore, she identifies the charm as Ahri’s handiwork. After wandering the woods, Ahri stumbles onto a path and crumples in the path of a traveling noblewoman’s entourage. The pregnant woman, Lady Shin, hurries to help her and orders Ahri put into the sedan chair. When they approach the city walls, they’re stopped by police officers on the lookout for the escaped traitor. The servant woman recognizes the drawing of Ahri, but the women sense she’s a good person in trouble and feign ignorance. Lady Shin hides Ahri in her skirts and refuses to exit by saying she’s about to give birth any day now and can’t manage. The officer lets them pass. He belatedly sees blood dripping from the back of the chair and orders them to stop. Lady Shin is quick-witted, though, and pretends she’s having baby trouble, and her servant reliably plays along, urging the lady to hurry home. Upon hearing who the lady’s family is, the officer is intimidated into compliance. Ahri is deeply grateful to the lady, and says that her baby girl is as beautiful as the moon. Lady Shin is pleased to hear that she’ll be having the daughter she wished for. As Ahri speaks, she sees visions in her mind’s eye of the child’s future glimpses of the girl being adorned in royal finery, of a moon, of a grave. Ahri is unsettled by the images, but doesn’t share what she saw. But she does fervently promise that she will do whatever she can to protect Lady Shin’s child. Ahri parts ways with the lady, but is soon captured and brought back to the palace, where she is tortured. Lord Yoon asks who the talisman was meant for, but of course she has no clue. She insists she didn’t write it, and when she is called a traitor, she grows righteous in her rage. She tells Lord Shin that if anybody is a traitor, it’s him for conjuring up false crimes. She addresses him so ferociously that Lord Shin is unnerved. Ahri “You think I am the only one who saw, don’t you? You think it will end if you just get rid of me, don’t you? You’re wrong, you villain — Heaven’s Moon was watching you. That man’s blood is not the only thing that soaked into your blade that night. The moonlight of that night seeped inside, too. Wait and see! One day your wicked deeds will be revealed under the moonlight! One day that moonlight will cut your own lifeline!” Ahri is tossed into prison to await execution. Her shaman friend, Nok-young, cries that she was foolish to let love drive her to Uiseong’s house that night. Ahri says neither one of them ever aspired to the throne, and entrusts Nok-young to protect a child in her stead. Being too close to the sun will result in disaster for the child’s entire family, so she must be protected from the sun. She urges Nok-young to protect her, but doesn’t give her a name. The next day, Ahri is taken to be drawn and quartered for her supposed crime. As she lies on the mat, she sees the sun in the sky, diverging into two. Another vision comes to her A smiling boy, a friendly brother, the girl again. She thinks, “Two suns, and one moon. I pray you all will remain safe.” As she dies, a baby is born. Lady Shin gives birth to her second child, named Heo Yeon-woo future Han Ga-in, and coos over the baby with the girl’s older brother, Yeom. Nok-young visits her friend’s grave, remembering her last wish. She looks up at the moon, which morphs into the sun, and when we pan down again, we are years later. At the palace, lavish festivities are prepared. A ceremony is being held today for the young scholars who have passed the civil service examination, who will give their bows to the king and receive a gift from him. Crown Prince Hwon is called to join the proceedings, but he’s not in his room. In a room far from the hubbub, we find a table — set with foods swiped from the main event — where the young crown prince studies a drawing of the palace grounds. He finds Eunwolgak, aka the Silver Moon Building, and sets out with his royal knapsack. Aw, he’s so cute, playing hooky. Lady Shin arrives at the palace with Yeon-woo in tow, her nose buried in a book. Not only is her father, Lord Heo, a high-ranking official who will be present at the ceremony, her brother Yeom is among those being honored. We see that nefarious Lord Yoon has now advanced in position as minister of the interior. There are two friends in particular among the scholars who merit our notice Yeom and Woon which, by the way, means Cloud. Get it?. They have a third friend, Yang-myung future Jung Il-woo, who isn’t here, but together the trio of buddies studied literature under her father. With Prince Hwon missing, one of his guardians sends palace guards to find him quickly. It seems this isn’t the first time Hwon has caused his guards trouble, and they’re eager to find the prince before the king discovers the escapade and has a fit. Meanwhile, the ceremony proceeds, and Lady Shin belatedly realizes that Yeon-woo has wandered off, distracted by a butterfly. Prince Hwon emerges from his hiding place and prepares for his escape over the palace wall. Just as he’s about to jump, though, he sees Yeon-woo wander into the courtyard and is struck dumb, slack-jawed. Ah, puppy love. Hwon falls off his ladder, knocking Yeon-woo to the ground with him. They lay sprawled together for a moment. The moment is marked by a shower of flower petals, and the wind blows away his parasol. They get up and look away awkwardly. Hwon demands, in his best I’m-a-man-almost voice, how she came to be here and is suspicious of her answer. She finds him equally suspicious and intends to call the guards on him — he’s stealing palace goods and trying to escape over the wall. Hwon stops her, stuttering a lame excuse about just looking for an exit. When he grabs his bag, though, everything comes tumbling out — teacup, sweets, calligraphy brush. Adorably, he fumbles for yet another excuse, but Yeon-woo calls out, “Thief!” Palace guards head over toward them, so Hwon grabs her hand and runs, giving us one of the flashes from Ahri’s vision. They escape the guards and stop running. Yeon-woo still intends to report him to the guards, which forces Hwon to tell her the truth to prove he’s not a thief. With a heavy sigh, he confides that he was actually leaving the palace to meet his hyung. Hwon explains that his hyung was born of a different mother, and a warm-hearted person, while in flashback we see two young boys playing in the palace. The brother excelled in his both his studies and martial arts, but because he was the child of a concubine and therefore illegitimate, he was unable to participate in the civil service examination, or advance in career, or even receive his father’s love. Hwon concludes, “The reason he has to live like this is because of me.” He explains that his hyung hasn’t sought him out in a long time, perhaps fearing their father’s anger. So he was on his way to find him himself. Yeon-woo asks why he blames himself, since his brother’s illegitimacy is nothing he could control. She quotes Confucius, and assures him that if his brother is as warm-hearted as he says, he won’t blame him either. Yeon-woo gets a little carried away complaining about the things in Joseon law that don’t make sense, showing a thoroughly egalitarian mindset as she wonders why slaves and aristocrats must be treated so differently. He prods, “Are you saying that the king’s politics are all wrong?” He teases, saying he’s the one who’d better call for authorities. They’re adorable. Yeon-woo pesters him to explain who he is and how he isn’t a thief, but he’s not willing to give up his identity. He almost blurts, “I am Joseon’s…!” but cuts himself off before finishing that thought. Lady Shin has been worried sick, so when she spots Yeon-woo, she grabs her in a relieved hug. Hwon hurries to the guard who’s with her and quietly instructs him not to say a thing, before he can call him “Highness” or otherwise blow his cover. Cute. As she’s leaving, a court lady gives Yeon-woo a note from the “Silver Moon Building’s young master.” Hwon has added the grumpy message that he’s angry and upset and she’d better watch her step when walking around at night. Oh, so cute. Hwon is soundly scolded by the king for his repeated attempts to leave the palace. He explains that all he wanted to do was meet “Yang-myung hyungnim.” He wants to study together while discussing things with his brother, rather than being told not to question anything. The king reacts angrily and punishes him with additional restrictions. The queen dowager meets with Minister Yoon, and the metaphor of the day is bonsai. She indicates the little tree she’s working on, saying that it’s harder than it looks, because if you miss your chance to cultivate a certain form, it becomes increasingly difficult to get the result you want. Hint, hint. Minister Yoon alludes to massive change in their future, a power shift. The queen dowager states that they need to find a proper instructor for the crown prince, because that person will be shaping the future of the nation. Minister Yoon has just the person for the job. The queen, Hwon’s mother, entreats the king to understand the prince and allow Yang-myung to be allowed to move into the palace. The king refuses, and the queen sadly tells Yang-myung’s mother a concubine that the answer was no and offers a few words of consolation. Yang-myung has been traveling and now returns to the capital. In the village, Yang-myung trades some fowl for money to buy his buddies presents and hears of someone selling a cure-all drug, which piques his curiosity. Another figure notes this with interest– it’s Nok-young, who receives the report that the medicine merchants are quacks. As she approaches the crowd, she is struck with Yang-myung’s appearance — for some reason, he reminds of the “two suns” description. Yang-myung sits in the crowd while a girl spouts all sorts of psychic predictions, as though she can tell what ails everybody. It helps that con men signal to each other surreptitiously and give her clues. Yang-myung tells the man next to him that he suffered a leg accident while hunting a boar quite probably lying in order to test out his hunch. Sure enough, when he gets to the front, the supposedly psychic girl prompted by signals declares that he has injured his leg. But then the girl adds, curiously, “I see a light in you.” Nok-young is startled — is this for real, then? The girl describes a beautiful yellow-red light. The quack medicine-dealer continues with the show, but now Yang-myung’s easy demeanor hardens and he accuses them of running a con, and abusing the child. It’s enough to convince the onlookers; they accuse the con artists of a scam and a fight breaks out. Yang-myung grabs the girl, advising Nok-young on his way out to call the palace guards here. Yang-myung runs away with the girl, but soon he’s surrounded by the con artists. The girl is grabbed out of his arms and taken away by the boss — who is then challenged by Nok-young, who demands the child be handed over. Behind her are palace guards. Yang-myung gets beat up for his interference, and the thugs laugh at his claim that he learned swordfighting from an expert. He gets knocked down, and suddenly his wimpy demeanor changes. Getting up easily, he flies at them and takes down the whole crew in a flurry of punches and flying kicks. That night, dressed in nobleman’s clothes, Yang-myung looks over the skyline and mentally addresses the king, telling him he’s returned from his travels safely. He asks for forgiveness, and wonders after the crown prince. Inside the palace, Hwon finds his every step dogged by a whole gaggle of guards, assigned to keep a close watch on him. As he looks up, a shower of flower petals rains down on him, which makes him think of the flowers that fell when he was with Yeon-woo. He muses, “If you knew I was the prince, I’d hear a lot more nagging. Although I suppose I won’t have reason to see you again.” But just then, he sees the flyaway parasol hovering up above in the air. A message? A sign? At home, Yeon-woo rereads the note from Hwon. There are two sayings written there, and while Yeon-woo understands what they mean literally, she puzzles over the actual message. One saying says, “If you draw it, it’s round. If you write it, it’s sharp.” The other one says, “The rabbit lives, the rooster dies.” Yeon-woo is served by a young slave named Seol future Yoon Seung-ah, whose name means Snow. Yeon-woo asks Seol about the rabbit-rooster riddle, and Seol’s prosaic answer is no help “If the rooster dies, who’ll wake us in the mornings?” Outside, Yang-myung comes to Yeon-woo’s house and leaps up onto the wall, where he sits. In the distance he sees Yeon-woo emerging from the house into the courtyard. She holds up the message cloth in the air, then sighs — she’d hoped the moonlight might reveal some hidden characters. But now she starts to put the clues together, excited. It’s not rabbit/rooster, but “Born in the morning, dies in the evening.” And the other clue — what’s round in a drawing, but sharp-edged when you write it? It’s what Hwon had started to say before cutting himself off. He’d declared, “I am this nation’s…” She realizes the answer “…sun.” Ergo, he is the prince. In the palace, Hwon wonders, with hope, if they might be able to meet again after all. At the same time, Yeon-woo sits down in shock and thinks how relieved she is that they won’t have to. And sitting on the wall, Yang-myung thinks, “Good to see you again, Heo Yeon-woo.” COMMENTS All in all, a solid opening. The drama is definitely well-made, with strong acting, wonderful child actors, and gorgeous visual appeal. I can see why it shot to first-place standings off the bat. It wasn’t the most exciting first episode ever, though, and to be honest I found myself thinking that this all seemed very familiar. The players are different, but the political conspiracy, the framed traitors, the illegitimate half-brother, the childhood sweethearts, the birth prophecy — it’s all been done before. And all in fairly recent shows, no less. You can argue that all historical dramas have some configuration of these elements, but the good ones find a way to make them fresh; Moon/Sun’s handling isn’t quite there yet. What makes this drama potentially different rather than Sageuk Remix 2012 is the fantasy aspect, as well as making a young king its focus. Neither has happened yet since Episode 1 was about establishing the world, so I’m definitely eager to see how things unfold from here. I’m still not sure how the fantasy aspect will play into the story, and while it makes me wary, it’s also something I want more of. If you’re going to do it, might as well really go for it. It doesn’t have to be quite as blatant as in Legend, but I think it’s got to be more than just a simple moon-sun symbology, invoked ad infinitum. That could get tiresome. I’m not gonna lie, I was and am a little disappointed that we have to wait for so long — weeks! plural! — to get our adult cast in place, even though I understand why that must be so in sageukland. And if we must have child actors, at least we’re working with some pros, who have accumulated quite a bit of experience in the genre. To wit Playing Hwon is Yeo Jin-gu who has grown up so much! His voice has dropped!, always wonderful in everything he’s done, which includes Tree With Deep Roots, Warrior Baek Dong-soo, Giant, Iljimae, and Ja Myung Go. As Yeon-woo, there’s Kim Yoo-jung who may even have him beat in number of sageuk projects with Kye Baek, Iljimae, Gumiho Tale of the Fox’s Child, Dong Yi, Tamra the Island, and Painter of the Wind on her resumé. And Yang-myung is played by Lee Min-ho — he might want to think about a stage name — who’s done Kye Baek, Thorn Birds and Sungkyunkwan Scandal. I’m sort of trusting that this drama is going to be great once the story really gets going and the adults take over, based on the quality of the execution, the reputation of the novel and its writer, and the strength of its cast. The plot, however, doesn’t have me hooked yet. Taken alone, this episode wasn’t that exciting, but it doesn’t diminish my excitement for the series as a whole. I’m definitely still onboard and looking forward to future episodes. RELATED POSTS Hanboks galore at press conference for Moon That Embraces the Sun Moon That Embraces the Sun releases posters Yoon Seung-ah cast as badass warrior in Moon/Sun drama Jung Il-woo replaces Joo-won in fantasy-sageuk drama Joo-won in contention for Moon That Embraces the Sun Kim Soo-hyun takes the lead in fantasy sageuk romance A sageuk next for Han Ga-in?

sinopsis the moon that embraces the sun episode 10