The fact that I have to wait another week to find out what happens afterwards. My God!
I loved this mutual look of recognition between Damsari and Kang To. I also loved how vulnerable and young Kang To looked. I am almost as excited by the budding relationship between them as I am by the love line between KT and Mok Dan. Kang To is so alone and isolated and Damsari is good at both inspiring people but also at understanding them - I love how DSR slowly trusts Kang To (by the end of the ep, he tells him where the comrades are), even without yet knowing KT is Gaksital (though seeing that he told KT his comrades' coordinates, KT said he would show, and then Bridal Mask showed up - once DSR finds out about this, he'll put two-and-two together, that is if Mok Dan doesn't tell him first :P). I love it because Kang To desperately needs guidance but also human connection without masks and trust. Damsari can be not just a leader for KT but a father figure, someone KT has not had in a long time.
Stand-off with Shunji. It's pretty clear even pretense of friendship is gone from their relationship. As it happens when one of the friends is a homicidal maniac who has the other one beaten to a pulp. I love that despite his superior rank, his secret society power, and his overall psychosis, Shunji caves because - let's face it - Kang To going full bore is enough to intimidate a man more together than the resident lunatic.
This is here just because Kang To is pretty.
When Konno smacked Shunji, I literally cheered. Hit him again, old dude! I wish Shunji wound up in jail anyway, because he did disobey a direct order, even if the order got post-hoc override. One of the things that makes Shunji and Kishokai so reprehensible is that Kang To's concern to Konno, even though motivated by other things, is valid - DSR's group has explosives and a clear love for setting off bombs at public gatherings - they try to publicly execute DSR, chances are the group is going to create a hell of an explosion, injuring a ton of people. But of course, Shunji doesn't care. What's a little collateral damage.
Here because Kang To is pretty (and human, unlike Shunji). And smart. I love how he uses the truth of his love for Mok Dan as a great shield and an excuse (for example, his meeting her later in the hotel - it's in part to try to free her father, but nobody will ever think that). He's also smart because he realizes that to do all these things - stand up to Konno, move Mok Dan, Shunji must have a hell of a backing.
Kang To freaking out because Mok Dan is gone from jail (I love his little closing of eyes as a way of steeling himself to tell her that her father has been captured. It seems to be a way he centers himself - he did the same in an earlier scene where he had to question DSR, and other scenes as well).
Creepiest scene ever - Shunji prepping his face before seeing Mok Dan (it speaks to his hubris that he stashed her next door to Rie).
This is the creepiest scene ever. When he asked her, with this 'concern' (but his dead eyes give him away) 'Esther, are you OK?', I nearly crawled out of my skin. The fact that he used her childhood name as a way to build a connection - it is such a parallel to Kang To using 'Boon Yi' later (and as such, both must freak Mok Dan who must feel she is trapped in a neverending confidence from hell - with two Japanese-serving monsters who profess to love her while torturing her - as I said to cleobulle, this earlier visit is part of the reason she is so on edge with Kang To later). I loved it when she spit on him, but I did not love his disgusting lies about saving her father or Kang To trying to get him executed or whatever. Luckily, Mok Dan didn't believe any of it either. The most interesting part to me is when she talks about how men in his uniforms tortured her and her mother, when MD was still a kid, and you see something human briefly wake up in Shunji, you see his eyes come alive. But of course, not for long. She doesn't react to his confession the way he wants and he descends into being a monster again and hits her and rages. As I said in a comment, Even if for some insane reason she picked to be with him, is there any doubt it would be an abusive relationship, with him beating her whenever she deviated from some ideal plan in his head, and he would blame her for it. One of Shunji's flaws (for want of a more serious term) is that he views himself as the victim and as the world owing him something. In a powerless man, this would just be whiny. Shunji is both powerful and left the world of sanity behind so that makes him incredibly dangerous (which is why Rie was an idiot when she tried to get Mok Dan killed. If Kang To didn't rescue MD, is there any doubt Shunji would kill Rie? He is not a rational person you can bargain with).
The scene with Rie and Shunji where they try to out-monster each other and Shunji, of course, wins. That is why I think her pique at him, combined with jealousy towards Mok Dan - all these men love her, but nobody loves Rie (only your hottie bodyguard totally does!) is so idiotic. She'd end up with a broken neck if her samurai executed Mok Dan. Shunji is many many fries short of a happy meal now.
The scene with Mok Dan and Kang To, which was my favorite scene of the episode, until the end happened. I love that in a lot of way it is a mirror of her earlier scene with Shunji - a Japanese officer shows up, talks about saving her father, sits in the same place, uses childhood nickname etc., but not only does the scene feels different (it feels safe as no matter what Mok Dan might say or do, Kang To would never hurt a hair on her head. When she yells and curses him in the beginning, he just lets her talk it out), unlike Shunji, Kang To doesn't try to justify or excuse himself or present himself as a victim. He is man enough to deal with the consequences of his choices. I love that he does not excuse himself for being Japanese flunkie, only for not recognizing her sooner, when he tells her he is Young - driven in part to breaking point by his need to do so, and his isolation and his exhaustion with lies and masks and disguises - not a single person in his life knows the truth, not one - but also to try to get information where DSR's comrades are so as to rescue him (and thank God those doors are thick - if Shunji heard his rescue offer - OMG).
I loved the flashback - I just want to adopt these kids. I swear, and take them far away. The actress who plays MD is good - you can see the moment in her eyes when she rejects him. And the way she enumerates every evil he did to her - hunting her, trying to get her father executed, using her as bait, torturing her - oh. And Kang To crying, but still not justifying or excusing himself. My heart broke. This was his worst fear, this is why he didn't tell her earlier, but he did it now, to try to save her father. Oh, Kang To. Apparently people are upset she didn't jump into KT's arms right away, but that's insane. I'd think she needs meds, if she did. I said so in a comment, but I will repeat - I loved loved loved that she found out KT was young master before she found out KT was Gaksital because if she found out the latter first, everything else would have been swept under the carpet in her mind, I believe. And I loved that she learned he is Gaksital. Because now she knows everything in him - both his best and his worst. And if she can love him knowing all that, it will be a love based on understanding who he is and she will really love him for him. Also, because she learned what she did in the order she did, this has to rock her black-and-white worldview. If she learned that KT was young master, it wouldn't - it would just mean her childhood love went bad and it would be sad but simpler. But he is both a hero and a monster and a very very human man. And she knows that now.
Damsari and KT! I already talked about it, so all I am going to say is I love every scene of them together and the way they respect each other and don't you dare kill DSR, drama!
This is here because Kang To needed a hug. Even if it's only as a masked hero that he's able to get one.
Rie's smart plan is to execute Mok Dan. You got a death wish, girl! Love how brave Mok Dan is. Love even more how Kang To shows up. Such a parallel with his nightmare flashback of her about to be beheaded and his being a child, able to do nothing. This time, he saves her from that sword. Rie looks like a rattled vampire in these shots, btw.
The fight! I loved it when he yelled at her to run away, because it meant he wanted her to live even if he died - he wanted her protected. Only, his voice! What if they recognize it later! (Despite his best efforts at imitating BatBale :P) And she threw a knife to save his life. The knife he gave her! And he got it back!
That last scene - her waiting and praying and finally his riding up, slumped and unconscious. With that music! And her slowly lifting that mask off (and I can't blame her, now that (she thinks) her fantasy that young master=gaksital is shattered, she has to wonder why gaksital rescues her all the time, why he held and kissed her forehead, etc.) only to discover Kang To - her childhood love, the man she despised and tried to kill repeatedly, the man she viewed as a soulless Japanese flunkie. The man who whipped her and who saved her life repeatedly at the risk of his own, the man who posed at the conviction of her father, the man who crashed the Korean-Japanese commemoration as a suicidal stunt and allowed the rebels to score a victory. Your black-and-white view of the world has just got blown, girlie!!! And I love it! I love her tears and the look on her face, I love how KT is so vulnerable, not even conscious at first, opening his eyes with great effort. I love it all. I will love it even more if there is some hurt/comfort in the next ep. Please please drama! The man can't give himself a transfusion! Also, my God, even unconscious, he's still clutching that knife in a death grip. Oh, Kang To!
I need a preview for ep 18. Give me something to tide me over, drama!