Heartbreak For Hwi
Episode 10 of The King’s Affection begins with Ji-Un’s big confession. He promises to endure his feelings while Hwi lies, clenching her fist and claiming she doesn’t feel the same way. And just like that, she walks back into the palace. In the morning, Hwi heads up to see Ji-Un in town, intending to make him feel better. The pair eat food together and walk through the market. There, they find a swing which Ji-Un convinces her to go on. A big grin crosses Hwi’s face, as she tries to keep it together and act royally. Ji-Un does a great job of allowing her to open up, as Hwi eventually admits sadly that because she’s a royal, a lot of her time is taken up with worrying what others are thinking of her. Her role is to do what she’s supposed to – not what she wants to. Hwi is thankful of Ji-Un for the opportunity to laugh and smile – even if for one day outside the palace. As the rain pours down, Hwi offers Ji-Un a new position and promotion. Given she’s going to get married soon, she’s doing her best to play damage control. Only, getting rid of Ji-Un as her royal tutor causes her to cry. She doesn’t let Ji-Un see this though, and as she heads back to the palace, Hyun shows with an umbrella to help her. Having played damage control and dealt with Ji-Un, Hwi concedes and heads back to the palace, telling the King that he’s ready to get married now. Meanwhile, Commander Yoon continues to investigate the assassination attempt on Hwi’s life. The trouble is, the suspect in question injured their shoulder and wasn’t able to fire that day. Yoon heads to the barracks and notices one of the soldiers – Hwi’s bodyguard Ga-On no less – twirling arrows around just like the assassin in the woods. Realizing that he’s the real culprit, Yoon rushes back to the palace. Yoon feeds back his suspicions to the king, telling him that Ga-On needs to be watched. Another that needs to bee watched is the Queen Dowager. With the royal wedding coming up, she and the Left State Minister begin scheming about the best thing for them going forward. At the same time, So-Eun heads into the royal palace, determined to become the royal princess. Numerous other ladies are there to, as they prepare for different tests to prove their worth. When So-Eun answers a riddle correctly (thanks to receiving the answers prior to the test) she ends up going on a walk with Hwi. As the day wears on, Hwi goes on a walk with Ji-Un too, who opens up about what he’s going to do next. In fact, he rejects her offer of a promotion and decides instead to resign, leaving the palace completely. It’s a heartbreaking moment, and one that sees Hwi struggle to hold back tears while Ji-Un walks away. Just to add to the angst, Ji-Un’s resignation letter happens to have a flower with it too.
The Episode Review
What a heartbreaking ending! The King’s Affection comes to a close with a poignant chapter, one that sees Ji-Un and Hwi part ways. But will that last? Given how these historical romances generally tend to work out, I’d imagine we’ll see Ji-Un back before the season is done. Having said that, it’s still sad to see him leave the palace and it looks like Hwi and So-Eun are going to grow more acquainted over the episodes to come. But will Hwi manage to keep it together and try to stay enthusiastic in the wake of Ji-Un leaving? The King’s Affection has been an enjoyable series so far and the ending certainly leaves lots of possibilities on the table for next week’s follow-up. We’ll have to wait and see what’s in store for us there but one thing’s for sure – you won’t want to miss Monday’s follow-up!
