Nine: Nine Times Time Travel

Title: Nine: Nine Times Time Travel (say that nine times fast) 4.5 stars
Rating: PG-13
For...marriage! The is a couple in here that pledges to love each other, and then kissing and cuddling etc. Also, the marriage isn't in a church so if you don't like the whole I love you, you love me let's get married by pledging to each other...well, that is in here.
 Also there are a few bloody graphics that have to do with surgery like blood spurting in the middle of a surgery, someone getting killed in a phone booth so blood and glass.
A foreigner screaming wrapped up in a towel in one scene towards the beginning.
Repeated fire scene where someone is minorly wounded, and believed to have killed another character.
Brief off screen rape scene, which is confirmed to have happened.
Punching scenes (trust me you want to get in there and do it too).
Drug using is addressed with a minor character, also an attempted suicide by drugs in a time travel scene.


Okay, so enough with all of this said you should WATCH IT!!!!!!! (Seriously!) Even with a terrible thing happening in a phone booth...the first thing I did when I got to Korea and saw a phone booth was run inside and take pictures and think of Nine: Nine Times Time Travel.


I started watching this drama when I had a cold and knew nothing about taking screen shots sooooo I am going to have pinterest help us out a little.

I started watching it because I had loved Lee Jin Wook's performance in The Three Musketeers, and I really wanted to see what other things he had done.

It was love at first episode, actually when he spoke English in the first 5 minutes, his English is really good. (At least from this English Teacher's perspective.) From there it grew rapidly, into a face paced drama, with just the right amount of romance, and suspense that had me watching this drama as if it were a serious part time job that I couldn't bear to be away from.

One of the things I love about 9x's is that it allowed something most time travel stories don't allow characters to do. He crossed his own timeline, in fact, he messed only with his own timeline, and it was amazing, incredible, devastating, beautiful, and perfection to see how it all played out. The writing and acting of this drama were incredible blend.

Watching this drama it asked quite a few important questions. How could fixing the lives of those you love...ruin yours? Oh....sooooooooooooooo many ways.
What happens if you are the only one who remember's the past.
Is the past, really better the way it happened?
What if the people you love, aren't the people you think they were...

There was just the right amount of romance, the right amount of tragedy and the best friend a man could ever ask for.

The couple is sweet and you are cheering for them through all of the up's and downs, and main character that has gripping your chest as your heart bursts along with his...with agony and joy...and so many more things.

Cheese In The Trap \ 치즈 인 더 트랩 \ Chijeu In Deo Teuraep

Plot:
...Put simply, this is a story about the trials and tribulations of a college girl. 

The more complicated description is that this is a fascinating story that is unafraid of delving deep into relationships and searching for the truth that so easily distorts between two people trying to get to know each other, and how friendships and family shape one's life (with a few stalkers, severe teachers, and lots of debt thrown into the mix). In a narrower sense, it's the story of a perceptive introvert learning whether or not she can love someone who is possibly sociopathic. Is he or is he not...and which of them will change more as they explore a relationship together?

Characters that most matter:

Hong Seol (Kim Go-Eun)
A girl working her way through college while trying to support her parent's home business and her shiftless father, as well as deal with her very spoiled and lazy younger brother. She's attracted to the super rich, good-looking, smart, and hardworking senior who happens has a massive crush on her...but she also has major trust issues and is legitimately afraid of him. 
I've heard from more than one fellow drama-watcher that this girl is basically me. That was absolutely my feeling also. I've never seen another drama character I so easily understood, and watching her learn and grow in her family, in her classes, in her relationships with her friends, was marvelously enjoyable. Part of this I think is that the drama gives access to her thoughts, allowing the viewer to see the things her family and friends are not aware of, and making it very clear what she's thinking and feeling, regardless of how much she expresses to others. She's got friends who she has a hard time opening up to, but they love her anyway and yell at her when she tries to go it alone, and sometimes she's horrendously socially awkward but she's not an idiot, and smetimes she has weird outfits and sometimes super cute ones, and it's all just beautifully delightful.
She's the classic drama heroine...only with the twist that she does not sacrifice her life to her family without a pang of emotion, she does not instantly fall for the rich chaebol come to save her, and the open view into her mind makes her 3D in a way that is exceeding rare for the plucky Cinderella types most often seen in such dramas.

Yoo Jung (Park Hae-Jin)
He took an entire drama to even partially explain, so one paragraph is not going to do him justice. With the drama from Seol's perspective, the question of who is Jung becomes a very vital one indeed. At first meeting she sees through his perfect facade and instantly dislikes him. At repeated meetings throughout their time at the same school, her opinion is only strengthened. Others adore him; she is appalled by him.
But she lives inside her head, and when he unexpectedly asks her out, she is caught with the question of if he actually has been tormenting her the past year, or if his explanations for what has occurred are true. Her perception versus reality...how close do they match? Should she trust her instincts or allow herself to be swayed by the many advantages that come with his intense interest in her and the fact that no one else shares her views of him? Has she actually been judging him wrongly this entire time?
She's poor; he's rich. He appears to be effortlessly smart; she fights for every perfect grade she gets. She has two very close and good friends; he has two very ex-close friends and a whole crowd of users constantly suffocating him. Yet somehow he tells her that they are alike, and she wants to believe him...sometimes.
Episode by episode you learn more about Jung, whether though Seol seeing more of him, through her meeting of his ex-friends, or through his explanations when she questions him, and each episode shifts your perspective as viewer. One episode he's a complete psychopath and Seol should run if she does not want to end up dead in a ditch somewhere...the next he's an absolute Prince Charming, and Seol will surely not be happy without him. His sense of justice is very black and white...but his skill as master manipulator - if Seol's imaginings are correct - is dangerous. (There stands the very large if.) 

Baek In-Ho (Seo Kang-Joon)
An ex-pianist who was practically adopted by Jung's father to "normalize" his son. Hot-headed and entirely too quick-fisted for someone who was once a piano prodigy, he clicks beautifully with Seol and Seol's entire family and begins working at their failing business in order to pay off a debt. The similarities in their lives make his eventual falling for Seol inevitable, but I honestly enjoyed his more sibling-like interactions with her, and the way her family drew him in as one of their own. 
At times the most clear-sighted person in the story, he definitely has his blind spots. One of those is Jung, who he once considered a friend, back before betrayal, the ruination of all his piano dreams, and a prideful refusal to look at another person's point of view. The other is his sister, with extra shade from a massive helping of guilt regarding their childhood, which she twists to her own advantage whenever necessary.

Baek In-Ha (Lee Sung-Kyun)
In-Ho's sister, a manipulative drama-queen who lives from boyfriend to boyfriend after Jung's father cuts her off. The orphaned children of  Yoo Young-Soo's friend, she actually believed that she was made part of the family when  Yoo Young-Soo brought them into his home. (The utter disbelief when she finally realizes how easily the man is convinced to abandon her, while In-Ho cries Do you finally understand? We were like pets in that house! is one of the few moments I actually had to feel sorry for her.) She is convinced that she and Jung are alike enough that she is the only one to understand him, and in a way she is right. Unfortunately he completely understands her, and cannot stand her. 

Other major characters include Seol's friends, Eun-Taek and Bo-Ra, and the classmates who make her life more difficult, particularly Sang-Cheol, Min-Soo, and Young-Gon, besides her parents, her brother Joon, and of course Jung's father, Yoo Young-Soo.

Cautionary Notes:
There is a very brief scene with a fortune teller in the beginning.
There is a part of a storyline involved an underwear thief, of all things, and a related storyline has to do with a gay couple who live next to Seol. It's kind of just weird, because everybody except Seol treats them horribly, and part of that may be because they're just not very nice people. The entire addition is strangely done. (It fulfills its purpose of showing exactly the kind of person Jung is - or puzzling the viewer further - but it doesn't particularly make sense.)
In-Ha...brings in a lot of negative elements, shall we say. Most of the time she's hilarious, but every once in a while it's a little much.
There is also some danger of/discussion regarding date rape.

Quotes:
As an example of how this drama works...
Seol: Get a hold of yourself, Hong Seol. You can't fall for that smile. This guy is cunning like a snake.
Jung: "By the way...I'm sorry."
Seol: He's cunning..."What?"
Jung: "I've pushed you too hard to eat a meal with me, haven't I? I wanted a chance to talk to you. I thought that you had every right to suspect me of canceling the class."
Seol: Pull yourself together. He's cunning like a snake.
Jung: "Sorry."
Seol: "Don't worry about it." He is cunning. Is he cunning? Maybe not? "It was my fault for wrongly suspecting you. Honestly, I should be the one to pay for all of this."
Jung: "Right? That's how it should be. Then don't be sorry and you can buy dinner next time."
Seol: Huh?
Jung: "Let's have something better than this next time."
Seol: "Okay. I'll pay next time." Just as I thought, he's as cunning as a snake.


More Seol Quotes:
I should not have argued with him. Behind his smile, there was a frightening double side he kept hidden – but I didn’t know about it back then.

"I have sensitive personality, so sometimes I misjudge and misunderstand people but I’m going to  fix it."

“What went wrong if everything wasn’t other people’s fault, but a problem which lies within me?”

“The only thing I can do is… doing what needs to be done right now."

“I thought it was about you, but now I realized – it was me. I didn’t tell you my inner feelings and demanded you to be honest about your feelings, but I won’t do that anymore. So please do the same. Don’t hide your feelings, because I want to see you the way you are.” 


Jung Quotes: 
“Why is it that people always want what belongs to other people? Then they delude themselves thinking other people’s things are theirs, when in the end they lose what’s their own.”

“While you were struggling on your own, growing tired and getting hurt, I didn’t understand why you did it. The problem is mine and I was the one who should have been making the effort.” 


In-Ho Quotes: 
“You should try to win when you get into a fight.”

“You’re not alone. Don’t give up like your life is over.”

“Back then I didn’t know what it was to give up on a dream. What that meant…what it feels like when you think of a dream you’d forgotten.” 

Favorite Scenes:

Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that took well-used drama tropes and turned them on their heads. Difficult to explain if you have not seen the drama, but they consistently had me laughing, hard.

Like Seol, tripping over a doorstep into Jung's arms and yes, of course, he catches her. How romantic. Except she just freezes, and while mentally screaming, What am I supposed to do???? Invite him inside for coffee???? It's hilarious. 

Or the typical vehicle-going-to-hit-girl scene - Jung dramatically pulls her out of danger, and she freaks out when he grabs her and shoves him away. This is made doubly hysterical by the fact that her flip-out reaction scares him and he practically jumps a foot in the air and gestures helplessly after the motorbike disappearing down the street. 

And when Jung does the cool-man thing of Oh, you're staying here alone and it's dangerous so I'll stick around to guard you, there is of course an accidental-fall kiss scene...only Seol claps her hand to her mouth so their lips don't touch, distorting yet another classic drama moment.


Another randomly favorite scene is when during one of their arguments she storms, "You don't even know what a coupon is! This is never going to work!" It's a marvelously realistic dealing with the actual problems of a relationship between a rich company heir and working girl on a college scholarship. There are obviously going be miscommunications and things to talk about. (In a far more interesting vein than Jun Pyo kidnapping a girl for a make-over in Boys Over Flowers.)

Overall: 

Like Jung, this drama is very hard to explain. It's the kind of drama where you struggle to describe the how or why of what is so intriguing about what seems like such a simple story...but intriguing it is, to the point that it was quite addicting while it was airing. Looking back, I loved this drama for 2 main reasons: Seol, who was an absolute delight to watch because of how well I got her, and Jung, one of the most fascinatingly twisted heroes I've ever seen. In-ho, as the wounded puppy/broken artist second lead, was just icing on the cake. Even In-ha, she of the loco eyes and very expensive tastes, was...actually enjoyably crazed. Somehow the world of the drama, despite being populated by way too many pretty people, crazy stalkers, and drama coincidences, is one of the most real I've seen in drama-land. The drama pulled from practically every classic drama trope, and then used them inside out to create something very far from the classic drama.

It reminded me a little of Misaeng, which had me cringing every episode because of how excruciatingly true-to-life it was...only this drama was a little fluffier, a little happier. Moments like when Jung lays down in the dark and cracks his head on a table - and Seol smothers herself in her pillow trying to hide her laughter - had me howling. It was so perfectly realistic in those little tiny details that simply make the world of the story.

Even the epic fight three-quarters of the way through, where 2 characters who have been snapping at each since the beginning finally lose it and resort to actual blows...ends up being fought at a playground with a lot of falling over and flailing. It's a vicious fight, but basically exactly what you'd expect from two college boys, neither one of whom has been trained in any form of combat. And when the truck-of-doom showed up, it was also most realistic car accident I've seen in a drama.

The characters are fascinating - all of the main and quite a few of the side characters are excruciatingly well done. (A benefit of being made off a web-toon, I imagine.) They all feel as if there is much more to them, and every episode makes you change your mind about what's really underneath. (Is Seol dating a somewhat mind-blind sweetheart, a clueless robot, or a vicious psychopath? Neither she nor the viewers know, and it's incredibly intriguing.) Add to that clever directing, and the story definitely keeps you guessing in exactly the way it should.

But. There were moments that definitely veered into ridiculous territory. In a normal drama, I wouldn't have blinked, but in a drama that had me cheering because it was so hyperrealistic, they felt jarringly out of place. And, as the drama progressed, much of the intrigue and mystery that had me adoring the beginning seemed to fade. I was not the only viewer to notice this, and unfortunately, this drama may end up being remembered more for the drama that surrounded its production that the actual drama itself. I tried to ignore the rumors and the internet anger that surrounded it, and did not actually find much about the story itself to irritate me. It just...did not live up to the full potential it had.

The ending:  {Herein be Spoilers.}
This was a much-debated portion of the drama. Basically, it could have been far better...but in my opinion, given the last few episodes, the ending we got was really the best one possible. I know too many people with personalities similar to Jung to have been at all pleased with a normal 'happily ever after'. The ending we got was the right one, even though had the last few episodes been different, the ending could have been far stronger. Which would obviously have been far preferable. But, all things being as they were, I actually loved the three years apart bit. He needed that time apart to learn what love meant, and having known people whose minds worked like his did, that acknowledgement that he didn't actually know how to love her was huge, and was what gave me serious hope that they could have a real, workable relationship in the future.

Overall: 3/5

Well, there's no surprise.
And it is of course helpful In-Ha doing his best to
make this a black-hat drama. XD

This is a drama that started out 5/5 absolutely fascinating me, then dragged in a few annoying elements, and eventually turned into Every Other Drama Out There™. I still recommend it - the first few episodes can't be beat for their perfect characterization and absolutely incredible ability to intrigue and mess with one's drama-expectations. The rest of it wasn't terrible...it's just that after the unbelievably strong start, to have it stutter near the end was disappointing. Still, that beginning makes it worth it. And of course, had the start not been so outstanding, the rest of the drama would have been fine.

And, yes, Seol wears an
occasional black hat as well. :) 

Bromance Review

Synopsis
When Pi Yanuo is born instead of the boy that was predicted, a fortune teller convinces her parents that she must live as a boy until her 26th birthday or dreadful harm will befall her family.  Growing up as a boy, she becomes skilled in martial arts and starts a hot dog stand with her best friend.  With 100 days to go until her 26th birthday, she rescues young triad leader Du Zifeng.  His family persuade her to become his sworn brother, to the horror and dismay of her own parents.  Yanuo must guard her secret more closely than ever... but it it grows exponentially harder when she and Zifeng begin to fall in love. 

Review
Unlike Unni Maknae, I’m not usually fond of contemporary girl-masquerading-as-boy dramas.  (I do like it in historical dramas.)  This drama was receiving a lot of hype and a good friend said she was loving it, so I decided to try it, and I’m glad I did.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  There were times when it felt like the drama was moving slowly, but I saw the last eight episodes in three days- partly because I liked it that much and partly because I was sick and couldn't do much aside from watch drama. 

This was my first Taiwanese drama.  The music timing and camera angles were different enough from Kdramas that it threw me off for the first couple episodes, but all in all, if this is typical of Taiwanese dramas, I'll be watching more now and then.  Style-wise, I'd compare this drama with the Kdrama Oh My Venus - fun and hilarious with some depth but not gritty or intense.  Like OMV, Bromance has great main characters and well-rounded secondary and minor characters.  There were more good parents in this drama than I'm used to seeing in a single drama, which added to the reasons I liked it.

Another thing I loved was the way they gave some cliches a fresh look, particularly that of amnesia- which is a common Asian drama trope and hard to portray in a way that doesn't feel ridiculous.

The best part of this drama was the journey each character underwent and also how the layers of each character were revealed.  I loved it.

The fashion was AAA+ but what’s with wearing sweaters under suits?  I don't know if that was something that was unique to this drama or if it's a general trend in Taiwan.

Characters
Pi Yanuo - She was far more comfortable in her role as a boy than girls in such dramas typically are- which I really liked about her.  She was smart, sensible, brave, and loyal- all things I love in a character.

Du Zifeng - His strong sense of duty and responsibility, combined with his determination to not let go of Yanuo no matter what, made him a more well-rounded character than I usually encounter in rom-com dramas.  *spoiler* Surprisingly, he didn't pull the usual 'I have to break up with you to protect you' that many Asian drama heroes do. *endspoiler*

Zherui - I liked him right away.  He was a typical second lead in many ways- knowing her secret before anyone else, loving her longest, sweet, self-sacrificing, but there were some unique twists to him.  Also, several great moments between him and Zifeng.

Qingyang - My favorite character in the drama.    Though he usually comes across as a very quiet, gentle, young man- there is steel under the velvet.  Do NOT mess with the members of his family.  One of my favorite moments of his is when he gets in the villain's face and calmly tells him he's finished, demands the guns from the villain's goons and throws the guns away.

 

Nana - sweet, naive at times.  Her character arc felt pushed to the side a few times but overall it was satisfactory.

Fan Xiaojing - hilarious and one of the best parts of the drama.  I did wonder who and where her parents were though, because they're never even mentioned onscreen.

Du Zihan - an airheaded sweetheart that had me alternating between laughter and rolling my eyes.

Ah Chao - He was a crack-up, though I often wanted to roll my eyes or smack him.  His character unfolding and development was great throughout the course of the drama but toward the end, his screen time lessened and I was disappointed, though it was understandable given how many other storylines were happening.

Hansheng - he was an intriguing character.  Too intriguing for me to hate, and he had a fascinating arc.

Favorite Characters
All four leads- Yanuo, Zifeng, Zherui and Qingyang- and Fan Xiaojing.  It's rare that I like all the leads in a drama but Bromance was that good.

 

Favorite Quotes
~ It’s not that I’m unwilling to give you what you want.  It’s because I can’t.  It’s because the leader isn’t just a position.  It’s also a responsibility.

~ Look at you trying to be strong again.  Do you really think that we are that slow minded?  How could we not know if you are all right or not?

~ Mom, if Pi Yanuo and my brother become sworn brothers, how can Yanuo and I be in a relationship?
~ Fool!  There is no blood relation between sworn brothers.  You can still be in a relationship with him.  Moreover, you’re going to become his sworn sister.  The relationship between you two will become closer.
~ Thank you, Lord Guan, for giving my mom so much intelligence.

~ I, Du Zifeng, am willing to vow here to take Pi Yanuo as my sworn brother.
~ I, Pi Yanuo, will take Du Zifeng as my sworn brother. 
~ Sharing joys and sorrows, prosperity and misfortune.  If I violate this oath, heaven and earth will punish me.

~I think... my heart will move because of you.
~ What does that mean?  Didn’t you say that you like girls?
~ What I mean is, if you were a girl, I’d probably like you.  Also, I would probably chase after you.
~ It’s great that I’m a guy then.  A very manly one at that, too.
~ You can fight against people with me, you can talk about guy stuff with me, you’re warmhearted, and you’re filial.  Also you have loyalty.  If there was a girl like this, I’d be moved by her.

~ Do you want me to pour a glass of wine for you?
~ You saw through me again.
~ When you are troubled, you will do this.  You keep stirring your coffee.
~ You really know me.  Qingyang, sometimes I think you know me better than I know myself. 
~ That’s because you have not ascertained your feelings yet. 

~ I know that it’s impossible for you to not be unhappy.  But don’t let your imagination run wild.

~ Our fists should be used against outsiders, not insiders.

~ Because I think that the moment when fireworks light up in the air, makes people really happy.    It leaves a deep impression and makes us full of hope.

~ My love for you includes your good points, weak points, and everything around you.  I will share all happiness and sensations with you and face the sadness and pain together.  Regardless of in wealth or poverty and no matter what happens- no matter how you change- I will always hold your hand, take care of you and protect you until death do us part.

~ Humans can’t always immerse themselves in thoughts of wanting revenge.  We have to keep looking forward.  So I will learn to forgive and try to let go.

~ I thought that you and Yanuo were already dating.
~ DAD!  You know all about it??
~ I lost my memory, not my knowledge.  Anyone with eyes can see that you and Yanuo are more than brothers.

~ And you say that you love me!
~ Whether I love you or not has nothing to do with spiders.
~ Pi Yanuo.  You are so big with great fighting skills, yet you are scared of such a small spider!  Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?
~ I’m not scared of anything, except for things with many legs.

~ You really are wrong.  How can you take responsibility for this?  What he committed was a heinous crime.  You’re getting more muddled the older you get.
~ He’s my son.

 

Warnings
This drama was pretty clean.  There is one scene where everyone is nude at a sauna but you only see waist-up and back views.  There are a few shirtless scenes.  Violence is mild- there are several martial arts fights and a few punch-out scenes.  Not a lot of blood.  Language is minimal- there are a few instances of swearing.  There is at least one and possibly two scenes where a girl kisses a girl disguised as a guy, and also several where a guy kisses a girl disguised as a guy so if that bothers you, you've been warned.

Black Hats
None that I can recall.  Black suits certainly were not lacking though.

Conclusion
I rate it a 9 out of 10 because while it wasn’t knock-your-socks-off awesome, it was very good.  I don’t recommend it for anyone under 15 due to content.

If you like girl-disguised-as-boy dramas, rom-coms with depth, or just an optimistic story; I recommend watching Bromance.

Damo 다모 The Undercover Lady Detective

다모 3.5-4.5 stars
PG-13 for...POLICE related work. This is a historic drama so it's not as graphic as now a days, I think. There are a few scenes to watch out for:
There are two rape related/sensitive scenes. The first case in the first episode, a rape/murder investigation occurs. The second one is the attempted rape of Chae-Ok that she is utterly awesome in destroying, however it is just a little bit before she gets free, there is nothing graphic it just makes you go :P :P. Chae-Ok does take a few chances to bathe, all scenes are pretty distant, and mostly modest but still :P. Also there is someone who is beaten whose bloody backside you see. There is a weird healing scene...very temple...ish stuff, just so you are aware.

There are people slain on screen, at one point almost an army is killed on screen. It's not terribly graphic but still it is impacting and devastating. *SPOILER* several of the people killed are people you follow in the drama.*SPOILER END*

*MAJORSPOILERMAJORMAJOREVERYONEYOUCAREFORINTHISDRAMAWILLDIEANDITWILLBEWORTHALLTHETEARSYOUWILLSITANDSOBFORENDOFMAJORSPOILER*

다모 is like watching poetry on screen. The lines...the people, the story. It's a tragic poem. Stunningly beautiful...a story that will leave a beautiful scar on your heart to cherish.

This is one of my favorites.

One of my FAVORITE FAVORITES!

I stumbled across it by accident and it was one of the five dramas I pulled up to decide between. 다모captured me within minutes...melting away the world.
I was unfamiliar with fusion drama's when I first started watching dramas but I rapidly fell in love with the story telling, despite the unique fantasy like flying sword scenes.

I am not sure what drew me to this drama....maybe it was the scenery...

The stunning vistas

The golden silence of the bamboo forest

 The stunning peacefulness...

Then this face....

 Then hers...

the queerness of two people in trees..

 Flying

 Then her first words...

Where you trying to kill me?

Then his haunting answer

I already killed you.

A chase....

A hail of arrows...

A commanding voice:

Turn around Jang Sung Baek

It's all over!

Give up do not resist!

What you see before you is only a cliff.

You ran down a road that it's a road.

His reply:

A road that isn't a road.

How can you say that?

If a person takes a path...

If two people take it..

If many people take it
Then it becomes a road.

In this rotten world.

All I did was create a new road.

Commanding voice:

Don't be foolish the road you created is only a cliff leading to death!

His reply:

You're wrong.

Though my bones may be buried here today.

After I die many people will take my path and make it a road.

Some time their blood and souls will fill the valleys and rivers

and a new road, and a new world will definitely be opened.

Even though I die now

I will not...completely die

*whispers softly to himself* only Jae-Hui...

*then back to the world* This life of mine ends here

Please relieve me.

Commanding voice

How dare you!

Her voice

If I do not kill him with my own sword. I will regret it.

Him:

Don't make a mistake this time....

*fades to white*

And we spring to old Joseon...

And the Left Police Bureau

 Where we meet Chae-Ok a tea servant for the police.

She is a female detective...and a slave...in name only.

 Chae-Ok has keen abilities in the detective field and her fellow officers often rely on her.

Here is the commanding officer...he and Chae-Ok go a long...long way back.

Seriously! This drama is filled with awesome quotes and Proverbs.

But when I mean they go a long way back...I mean....a long way back...

 This is her brother

 Her father imparting wisdom...

 The inquisitiveness of a 7 year old..

 The affection of a father...

 and his apology to his children.

 The last few moments with her brother...

 as they are being chased...

 Now a little slave girl...

 And the illegitimate son of a noble meet...

 forging a bond and a destiny...

of faithful loyalty...

 That does not fail if even trialed 10,000 times...

 And the student becomes the master, teaching a slaves hands to war...

 So much of this drama is poetic and a beautiful tangle of emotions and destiny twisting and twinning and churning the heart.

The three main characters have their fates to tightly tied together and Chae-Ok is nearly torn between the two leads who are though twain, her core.

Chae-Ok
She is played by Ha Ji Won. OH MY GOODNESS THIS WOMAN IS INCREDIBLE! She made me fall in love with Chae-Ok and her incredible story, a powerful woman, yet quiet and subtle she wields so much power and receives so much respect. Her heart is beautiful. Stunning...she just makes me marvel...and I'll stop carrying on but Chae-Ok will make you cry, and that is okay.


Yoon
The strong commander, the one she has been following since she was 7 years old, the compassion and pity of two lost souls finding each other and making each other home. Falling in love but neither are going to let it happen. To let themselves actually...fall in love.

 Jang.
Ah! This name. THIS MAN. He has a soul in his eyes that can hardly be matched. He has known pain and trial and yet has conquered it all to come to the point where is now.
I'll be honest. I fell in love with him.
Some of my favorite quotes from him are:
One must first kill with the heart. (The reason they haven't killed each otheryet.)
You are the first person to draw blood from my lip and lived. You will be the last.
If the people are not of heaven, I will destroy heaven as well.
He is sheer awesome and epicness...that will kill you. A prince of people...he sees people...

It's a story of justice. Scales, checks, balances...and justice. What does justice really look like? What does it mean? Is it really...blind? Is destiny also...blind?

It ends with this...

 A far off mountain…

A mountain with a deep green forest…

A destiny…that could not foresee that divide

A love I could not measure…

A love that tore my heart apart…

Not again… never again…

Do not live for me…