Synopsis

Preparing for her visit to Princess Yeo Won (Lee Ha Nui), Shin Yool (Oh Yeon Seo) creates her own Geumhwasuk bracelets by placing one into a bowl of poison and we see it become absorbed into the gem and change colors. Yeo Won becomes shocked by the sight of her enemy wearing the exact same bracelet she has, but our princess tries to keep her stoic expression – of course Shin Yool has already seen her surprise. Before she drinks the tea that was poured for her, Shin Yool questions whether she’ll leave dead or alive. Yeo Won warns Shin Yool to close down Chunghae Trading Company and leave Goryeo. She tells Yeo Won that the king has been poisoned and he needs the antidote since the poison isn’t something easily found and the only ones who can handle the poison are those who possess the bracelets: Her and Yeo Won. She wants the antidote and for Yeo Won to keep Wang So’s first marriage a secret. If not, then Prince Wang So (Jang Hyuk) will know.

Wang So meets with Wang Sik Ryeom (Lee Deok Hwa) and Wang Wook (Lim Ju Hwan) and says the king has yet to approve of anything, but Wang Sik Ryeom counters that with the king being sick, his orders are royal orders. He also says not to be shocked at his brother’s current condition – we then see the king deteriorating further. Wang So plays along and shoos away the “assassins” there to kill his brother while Ji Mong (Kim Byung Ok) emotionally watches as his king’s health is declining. Frustrated, Wang So goes to Hwang Bo Yeo Won and asks her to make an antidote. She claims her knowledge doesn’t extend that far, but Wang So protests and says if she made the medicine to heal him then she must know how to create an antidote.

A meeting with Eun Chan (Kim Roi Ha) and Ji Mong shows us what we missed: Cheong Ok (Na Hye Jin) was acting on Wang So’s orders when she offered to become a spy for Yeo Won. Yeo Won will stop at nothing to get the remaining bronze mirror pieces and to take them once they’re all in her possession. Wang So tells both of them that the poison originated from Princess Yeo Won, Ji Mong doesn’t believe this is so and wants Wang So to cut all ties with Shin Yool. Wang So defends Shin Yool stating all the good she’s done for him. After he leaves, Ji Mong and Eun Chan wonder if he met Shin Yool the day he disappeared in Gaebong.

Wang Wook meets with Se Won (Na Jong Chan) and Wang Sik Ryeom when the latter is confident about getting the king’s power. He wants Wang Wook to get Shin Yool to agree with him no matter what. While they’re alone, Wang Wook notices the flying fish ornament on Se Won’s sword. He then remembers Shin Yool explaining that it was a symbol of Balhae. Se Won says he had a mother and younger sister that he assumes are dead while Wang Wook says he knows someone who lost a mother and older brother, but she believes they are alive.

Wang So meets Shin Yool in the storage closet where he loads his frustrations about the antidote and hugs her, but she tells him she may be able to get it. Meanwhile, Yeo Won is still thinking about what to do when she goes to find her antidote and sees that it’s gone. She goes through a list of possible suspects and wonders who could it be. Wang Wook comes by and it’s a tension filled meeting. Yeo Won is disappointed in her brother, but offers him some advice: “A strong weapon like that should only be used once and at a critical moment.” Yeo Won’s plan is to take over Chunghae Trading Company by forging the company ledgers and a letter – all she asks is that he give her half and leave it all to her. Baek Myo tells Wang Wook about Shin Yool’s brother which causes him to ask Se Won more about his life.

Ji Mong warns Shin Yool to leave the country after she confesses to her marriage with Wang So. He thinks back to Wang So telling him all that she’s done for him and confirms her birth prophecy by looking at her star birthmark. However, he still asks for her birthdate and the wedding date. He’s stunned and asks her to stay by Wang So’s side to help him become king. Later that night, Wang So and Eun Chan plan to follow Shin Yool since the former says he didn’t have a good feeling about her meeting. As he’s following her, someone on a horse grabs Shin Yool rendering her unconscious. Meanwhile, royal guards storm the trading company, causing confusion among the staff – notably Shin Yool’s family. They are told that they’re being charged with fraud and Young Gyu Dal (Heo Jeong Min) says that is ridiculous, but looks shaken. Inside, a court person leaves a note and walks out. Wang So comes by to see Baek Myo, Gang Myeong, and Gyu Dal being questioned. They present the forged ledgers and letter as evidence for their crimes. Wang So says that they can’t confirm nor deny the legitimacy of the ledgers without the assistant head present, especially knowing that Wang Sik Ryeom is the one who gave these orders. Wang So orders everyone to search around for the real letter she left. He remembers the memo she gave him earlier: DON’T FORGET THE WEDDING IN GAEBONG and with that he finds Shin Yool’s wedding night outfit. There he finds the real letter which includes evidence needed to implicate Yeo Won with poisoning the king.

Wang Wook discovers that Wang Sik Ryeom was aided by his sister in taking over Chunghae Trading Company, and he says he can go elsewhere. He goes to the company and is told by Baek Myo what happened to Shin Yool. She also adds on that she could die from being left in the cold due to what happened to her when she was a baby. Wang Wook promises a visibly frightened Baek Myo that he’ll protect Shin Yool with his life. He then goes to Wang Sik Ryeom and demands to know where Shin Yool is, and he’s told the truth – his sister ordered her to be killed and Wang Sik Ryeom will also kill her if he can’t control Chunghae Trading Company.

Princess Yeo Won informs Shin Yool that she is the reason her company will be destroyed. She remembers when Shin Yool told her that she will be in deep shame, Princess Yeo Won says with a smile that shame is when you don’t do anything after being trampled and stepped on. Shin Yool reveals that Wang So is destined to become king, but she needs to be released for that to happen. She says that the Hwang family’s power isn’t enough to be okay under Wang Sik Ryeom’s reign. Princess Yeo Won becomes emotional with an outburst saying that her life is now determined and leaves. Shin Yool is able to make an escape and runs, but ultimately she fails and Se Won raises his sword – until she takes out her butterfly pendant. He asks if she was born in the palace and she gives a faint nod before saying her mother was killed trying to protect her. Se Won then remembers what Wang Wook’s words and walks away with tears brimming in his eyes. Shin Yool faints shortly before Wang So finds her. Wang Wook comes shortly after and gives Shin Yool her medicine.

Back at the trading company, they court officials are trying to force Young Gyu Dal to sign the document, but he refuses and is about to be taken to jail just as Shin Yool comes. She says she is innocent and the ledger is a fake; Wang Wook comes in and she asks him to testify on her behalf. He remembers that Wang Sik Ryeom threatened to kill her if he couldn’t get his hands on the company and lies that they are in fact real. Shin Yool faints and the others are left confused and angry.

Later on, Wang So visits Yeo Won unexpectedly and begins to tear apart at her icy exterior. He says he knows she’s the one who poisoned the king and who ordered Shin Yool to be killed. He says she’s not even human despite wearing a mask like one. She breaks down and tells him that his older brother, the king, was a part of her brother being killed. She also says their father, the First King, killed to have the throne and it caused chaos for her family. Yeo Won cries and says that’s what happens when you live in the palace and Wang So was lucky to have been brought up to act human. Before he leaves, she tells him to become a stronger king who isn’t a puppet.

Reaction

akinahana89: Well. This week was an eventful week for “Shine or Go Crazy.” As always, the pacing of the drama is impeccable and downright addictive. Our curiosity for Yeo Won’s reason in wanting to be queen is finally sated and we even got to see a sibling reunion between Se Won and Shin Yool. Well… kind of. What did you think about this week’s development?

LavelyShai: Can I just say I KNEW IT! I knew Shin Yool’s brother was alive and even questioned whether it could be Se Won since we knew nothing about him. I wasn’t surprised and was happy I guessed correctly. I liked how they had him discover this news, it’s showing his loyalty being tested and I believe we now know where his will lie.

akinahana89: Yes, I remember our debate on whether or not Shin Yool’s brother had really died that night the Khitans attacked. I apologize for having ever doubted you! lol. I actually find it amusing that Seo Won went from being a silent warrior to being caught in a loyalty square. Wang Sik Ryeom. Yeo Won. Wang Wook. And now, Shin Yool. How is he going to juggle them all without losing his life for betraying someone?! I also liked how they chose to portray the discovery of that shocking news. Looks like that butterfly pendant has much more use than we originally thought.

LavelyShai: I didn’t think the butterfly pendant had any significance other than connecting our couple, but the way Se Won looked at it shows that there is a deeper meaning. Do you think he possibly has something similar? We were never shown how she got it, so perhaps they both received upon their births. Se Won really is stuck and like we predicted before, he’s going to be the one to look out for. He may be in a loyalty struggle, but he knows all of their secrets and can be the center of their undoing. Everyone is using him like a pawn and he had no real reason to object – until he learned the life of his once-thought-to-be-dead sister was being threatened by none other than the people whom he trusted, especially Yeo Won. Shin Yool didn’t recognize him, of course, but Gang Myeong immediately said he looked familiar. He hadn’t seen Prince Ho Yool in years, but noticed something about him. This will be very interesting once it gets out.

akinahana89: I actually wondered if maybe Gang Myeong had accidentally seen him lurking around Chunghae Trading Company at one point, hence his verbal thought that Se Won looked familiar. I’m not really sure if I can believe that Gang Myeong can recognize him or feel a sense of familiarity for Se Won after so many years, especially since Se Won has obviously changed a lot from when he was a kid in Balhae. Still, I’m really interested and eager to see how this will all play out. How well can Se Won pull all the puppet strings he now has in his hands? This is going to get really good! On the other hand, Yeo Won took me by complete surprise. That sudden explosion of emotion and hatred for the royal system was a real shocker. I actually felt pity towards her, even though I still don’t agree with her methods in trying to stay alive and gain power. At the same time, I feel like I can somewhat understand where she’s coming from. At the very least, we now have an explanation on how Yeo Won went from being a sweet girl to her present conniving, psychotic self.

LavelyShai: I do wonder if Gang Myeong really has seen Se Won around and that’s how he seems familiar, but that part was definitely interesting nonetheless. That scene showed Se Won seemed to be remembering his memories from that day. Likely he repressed most of his past due to his traumatic experience. Shin Yool wasn’t old enough and has no memories, so it’ll be interesting to see them bond and talk about the palace life he experienced once she finds out. She’s smart so I’m sure she’ll begin to piece things together once things start to calm down a bit. Yeo Won really did take me by surprise this week, it’s almost as if her icy exterior is being chipped at. Her outburst at Shin Yool when she was told her family isn’t powerful enough against Wang Sik Ryeom was amazing, she usually doesn’t allow herself to lose her cool, but here she did. Also, her confession about her reasons for wanting the throne so bad was nicely written and well acted. Wang Wook also told Wang So about the hardships of being raised in the palace, it’s competition. Even though Yeo Won directly said it, I know Wang Wook is also a little jealous that Wang So was kicked out at such a young age. He was raised to not have that mindset that his siblings have. While I still don’t like their ways of getting to the throne, it does make them seem more human. I think Wang So giving his honest opinion on Yeo Won was needed. We were able to see beyond what both Yeo Won and Wang Wook allow anyone to really see.

akinahana89: Truthfully, I didn’t see much in Lee Ha Nui’s acting because Yeo Won was just such an unemotional character, but I was really pleasantly surprised with all the instances where she lost control of herself. While I agree that it makes them seem more human, it’ll also serve to make things even more complicated than it already is. I like that Wang So is, in his own way, reaching his hand out towards Wang Wook and, I think, even with Yeo Won when he first confronted her, to lead them down the righteous road. Do you think maybe they might somewhat change in the end because of Wang So? To be honest, I would like to see Wang So and Wang Wook teaming up together to defeat Wang Sik Ryeom, but I wouldn’t know how useful Wang Wook would be unless he could successfully play a double agent too. lol. All I know is… I really thought he was so cowardly and, again, useless for crumbling under Wang Sik Ryeom’s dirty tricks so easily. It’s like he wasn’t even capable of thinking for himself. I know Shin Yool’s life was on the line, but at least Wang So remained rather calm and collected as he searched for her.

LavelyShai: I agree, I was questioning her acting before mainly due to her character’s iciness, but she really pulled of Yeo Won’s emotional state in both scenes successfully. Now that she has cracked some, I have a strange feeling she’ll become even more unpredictable as she begins to question how loyal she truly is to her family. I am now believing that Shin Yool will not only be a light to Wang So, but the rest of the royal family as well (at least Yeo Won and Wang Wook). It’s starting to become clear that her presence is having an effect on everyone whether they want it or not. I would also like to see our brothers teaming up, but Wookie is far too emotionally unstable and gullible to pull it off. I understand Shin Yool almost died and Wang Sik Ryeom could have been serious, but I wanted to scream at him for lying like that. He’s still very naive and should know that this will not do anything to protect her life, it’s just stalling for now. However, Wang Sik Ryeom and Yeo Won will find ways to kill her off as long as both princes continue to risk their lives for her. You’d think him discovering the plan behind his back would be enough to open his eyes, but he still has a long way to go. No matter how he sees it, Wookie will need his older brother.

akinahana89: Yeah, and the first thing his older brother needs to do is knock some common sense into him. How can someone who, apparently, grew up in that kind of vicious royal environment still be so stupid and naive? I mean, really? Did he not learn anything? Yeo Won, in particular, is seriously out to get Shin Yool though and since she’s shown that she’s even more cunning than Wang Sik Ryeom (even he didn’t think about framing Chunghae Trading Company for fraud), she’s really going to end up being the most formidable opponent. I wonder if she’ll figure out that Cheong Ok was the one who told Wang So where her secret hideout is… and if that could mean Cheong Ok will be in grave danger all over again.

LavelyShai: Wookie really is going to need a whack on the head or something to really see how narrow minded he’s been. Yes, he became upset, but what good did it do? He let Sik Ryeom manipulate him again and look what he did. He let someone take over her company, what is she suppose to do now? She will hate him and her life will still be in danger. Yeo Won wants to take Shin Yool out because she sees her as a formidable opponent and knows her climb to power will be harder with her around. Oh no, I hope Yeo Won doesn’t find out about Cheong Ok playing a double agent, she needs to be safe a little while longer. Her personal spy seems to be everywhere these days.

akinahana89: Yeo Won looked really suspicious when the head of Wolhyanglu told her about Wang So having saved Shin Yool. That look on her face means she’s figured something out, so that’s why I’m worried for Cheong Ok. Another person I’m worried for is the king. His slow demise is so heartbreaking! I wanted to cry alongside Ji Mong and Wang So.

LavelyShai: Yeah she did look suspicious, but then again she always looks suspicious since she doesn’t trust anyone. However, knowing her we would need to think she has someone watching Cheong Ok unless we see otherwise. I strongly believe her hand in poisoning the king will be the start of her undoing, that’s something she did on her own in her quest for power. Seeing the king’s health deteriorate is heartbreaking especially with seeing how sad Ji Mong and Wang So have been. Speaking of Ji Mong, I really wanted to give him a smack for telling Wang So to trust his wife, but the man learns quickly especially after remembering all the good things Wang So said Shin Yool has done for him. He changed his tune once he realized that she was also born under Polaris and could be the light he talked about years ago.

akinahana89: I can’t really fault Ji Mong for telling Wang So to trust his wife though, even if it annoyed me because of my viewer knowledge on Yeo Won’s true nature. According to him and the stars he read, Yeo Won was supposed to be Wang So’s light, so it made sense for him to try and push them together. One thing that I’m really thankful for is that even the supporting characters are intelligent. Ji Mong figured out Shin Yool was also born from the same North Star energy incredibly fast and it’s going to help our OTP so much now that he’s on their side. Does this mean he also figured out that Yeo Won might only bring chaos for Wang So? Or will Yeo Won actually be able to serve another, yet positive, purpose – one that we just don’t realize yet?

LavelyShai: He might have figured out what Yeo Won may be for Wang So he changed his stance the minute he figured out who Shin Yool was. Even if she was born of the North Star energy, Yeo Won was as well so it wouldn’t be a bad thing to still push Shin Yool away. However, he remembered what Wang So said she did for him and her good outweighed what Yeo Won didn’t really do. I found it interesting that he also asked for their wedding date as well as her birthday, my guess is that also signified her place next to Wang So.

akinahana89: With those dates, he’ll be able to deduce that the fate of light and the blessings from Heaven he saw five years ago was actually from Wang So’s union with Shin Yool, not Yeo Won. I wonder how Ji Mong is going to feel when he finds out that his miscalculations back then ended up being the indirect cause of the current King’s suffering. After all, I think it’s safe to say that if Yeo Won hadn’t married Wang So and, hypothetically speaking, Wang So got to spend those five years with Shin Yool, she wouldn’t have had the guts to put her plans into motion. Neither would Wang Wook. Wang Sik Ryeom also would have had a much more difficult time in attempting to turn his crooked visions into reality. Still, I guess there’s no point in speculating about the what-might-have-beens since it wouldn’t be quite so entertaining if things went so smoothly in the first place.

LavelyShai: Very true. Had Wang So not married Yeo Won then she wouldn’t have done what she’s done up until now. She has the official title of princess so that allows her to get away with far more than if she were not a princess. But no use in trying to figure out what would have happened had certain events not taken place. It will be very interesting to see how Ji Mong will handle things now that he knows it was supposed to be Shin Yool next to Wang So instead of Yeo Won.

akinahana89: On the flip side, I’m actually relieved that Shin Yool was the one who gave away her Gaebong marriage to Ji Mong. I was starting to think that she was perfect, but finally, she has a moment where she jumps the gun. It’s kind of refreshing in a way. For next week, I hope we’ll continue seeing the hilarious trio and their antics, a deeper look into Se Won’s past, and more intense conflicts and political struggle – particularly with Wang So and Yeo Won. It’s great fun and always unpredictable to see the royal couple smartly butting heads.What about you?

LavelyShai: I actually really liked seeing her panic a little, I know that’s not what Ji Mong was referring to, but it was nice to know she can’t always keep it together. I’m actually excited to look into Se Won’s past after he was nearly killed and see his internal struggles knowing his sister is alive. I really can’t wait for the moment when Shin Yool finds out; I’m curious about how they’ll play that out. Wang So and Yeo Won are very interesting to watch since they are both smart and don’t usually want to let each other know what they’re thinking. I don’t know if her breakdown was real or faked, but it had some effect on him.

akinahana89: I, for one, think that breakdown was real. The normally cool and collected Yeo Won suddenly shaking with anger and hatred, tears in her eyes over the injustice of it all? I don’t think even she could successfully pull such an act off, but I’m sure we’ll find out sooner or later. I can’t wait!

LavelyShai: Yeo Won wouldn’t want anyone to know her true self, so she must have been very upset by his words. I am also excited to see how things play out next week.

akinahana89: I’d be upset if my husband told me I wasn’t human too… lol. Can we just fast forward the week to Monday?!

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