Shine or Go Crazy Episode 12 Recap

Shine or Go Crazy Episode 12 Recap. An emotion packed episode. Wang So reconciles with his mother. Shin Yool and Wang So have a beautiful day together. That may be all they get. Shin Yool learns that their unsanctioned marriage could cost them both…their lives. Wang So finally learns the last piece of the puzzle about Shin Yool.

Wang So (Jang Hyuk) returns home to find his embellishments from the princes fighting competition gone.  Yeo Won (Lee Ha Nui) enters and tells him she returned the embellishments to the trading company. She asks if his conversation with his mother went well. Scolded again he quips. She notes his mother must have had company.
Now we get to the good part…
Wang So: Why did you touch my things?
Yeo Won: You are not blood brothers with him anymore. You know Gaebong is the assistant head and a woman.
Wang So: You never said a word when I spend my time at Geum Sun’s establishment. What’s happened?  Change of heart? You are acting like a wife all of a sudden.
Yeo Won: She cannot be by your side.
Wang So: If you lay a hand on my things or people, I will not forgive you. Do you understand?
Yeo Won: You are an interesting man.

Shin Yool (Oh Yeon Seo) arrives per Yeo Won’s invitation. Yeo Won pours tea. She asks if Shin Yool has more of the pearl tea. Shin Yool does. Yeo Won says she’ll send someone to pick up the tea.
Now we get to the good part…
Yeo Won: Thank you for taking care of Wang So. I heard you were blood brothers and went to Geum Sun’s establishment.
Shin Yool: Thanks to him, I got to visit Geum Sun’s establishment.
Yeo Won: Does he know you are a woman?
Shin Yool: Yes. He knows.
Yeo Won: Now he knows you are a woman, you cannot be with him anymore. You must be disappointed. I brought what belongs to you from Wang So’s room.

Shin Yool sees the slash in the white tiger on Wang So’s embellishment.Shin Yool is upset at the Yeo Won’s message from the slash.

Cue opening photo…

Wang Wook (Lim Ju Hwan) asks Sik Ryeom (Lee Deok Hwa) to lend him the red assassins. In return, Wang Wook promises to kill the black assassins and their leader. Sik Ryeom pretends not to understand. Wang Wook saw the red assassins at the temple and he wants to be their leader.  Sik Ryeom asks if he knows who the leader of the black assassins is. Wang So is his response. Sik Ryeom is surprised at this new side to Wang Wook. You haven’t seen anything yet, Wang Wook replies.

The the evil lair, Sik Ryeom asks Se Won (Na Jong Chan) if he would follow Wang Wook if he became the leader of the red assassins.  Se Won recalls Wang Wook saying that Wang So must die and they now have a mutual goal.  Sik Ryeom comments there is a right hunter for certain preys. He tells Se Won he will accept Wang Wook’s offer.

Se Won calls Wang Wook to the evil lair. Sik Ryeom offers his conference room complete with table and flickering candles. But wait there’s more. Sik Ryeom also offers Se Won to be his protector. Wang Wook states first he will find the black assassins hideout. Sik Ryeom tells Wang Wook the assistant head of the trading company is inserting herself in his plans to move the capital to the west. He wants to make her his servant. Wang Wook surprises Sik Ryeom and says he will do this for him.

That night the red assassins get a look at their new leader, Wang Wook.

Gyu Dal (Heo Jeong Min) feels terrible. Gang Myeong (Ahn Kil Kang) wants to know who he partied with.  Gyu Dal does not remember. Baek Myo (Kim Sun Young) quips not remembering your drinking partner is a bad sign, he may be an alcoholic. Ha!

Gyeong (Jung Woo Sik) is loading the horses with medicine for the village doctors when Wang So approaches calling him “mute”.  Gyeon surprises Wang Wo by calling loudly that Prince Wang So is here. He asks him to leave and come back another time. Wang So enters the trading company the the foursome Gyu Dal, Gang Myeong, Gyeon, and Baek Myo form a human barrier to Shin Yool. They lie Gaebong is not there. Wang So looks around them and spots Shin Yool who motions for him to meet her in another location. Wang So tells the human wall since Gaebong is not there he will return another day. He leaves. The turn and find Shin Yool gone. Gyeong runs to the horses and finds one of them missing.

Shin Yool and Wang So travel together on horseback to deliver medicine to a rural doctor who is grateful for all Shin Yool does for him and his patients. The doctor gives Shin Yool a book on poisons and antidotes. He comments he’s never seen the patients laugh like they do with Wang So.

Wang So and Shin Yool steal a quiet moment together. He looks at her with love in his eyes. She recalls Yeo Won telling her to give up on Wang So. Wang So cheers her up by telling her her face is like that of a goddess. He quips he wants to buy her. She quips she does not need money so he will need to show her his talents.

He draws her near him. They kiss. It is sweet, tender with underlying passion.

Production note: this kiss was shot from different camera angles with the pretty song “The Person I Miss” in the background. Thank you production team!

Wang So tells her “I am drunk on your scent. I can close my eyes and feel you. I want to share a meal. Laugh with you.  I want to get older with you everyday.” Lovely sentiment. We see them walk and relish being together. She eyes couple rings and he notices. They are lovely to watch.

He walks her home but neither wants to leave each other. She asks him in for tea. They sneak into the house. They have a hug but are interrupted by Baek Myo and then Gyu Dal.

Wang So’s mother comes to see him! She makes him the pearl tea that Shin Yool recommended. Wang So notes this is the first time she ever served him tea. When he sputters after he sips the tea, she offers him a handkerchief and holds his hand. They are both affected by the force of her touch so long denied to her son. She tells him that in the palace she is watched and could only offer her coldness yesterday. She states her reasons for her bad behavior won’t be detailed. She asks him for the right to wipe away his tears and the sadness she contributed to. She asks him to drink the tea. He does signifying his acceptance. Then to further signify the gap between them being bridged, Wang So makes his mother tea. He asks her to drink and accept his heart. A tear rolls down her cheek. They both drink the pearl tea together and absolve each other of old wounds. A lovely scene…subtle…heartfelt…touching.

Yeo Won meets with the dowager Queen who thanks her for helping she and Wang So to meet privately so they could repair their relationship yesterday. The Queen asks why Yeo Won and Wang So have separate rooms. Yeo Won admits that she and Wang So have never been intimate. The Queen is surprised.

The Queen asks the King’s adviser to pick a date for Wang So and Yeo Won to share a room. She tells him the marriage has not yet included intimacy.

Shin Yool visits Sik Ryeom per his request.  It is not Sik Ryeom in the room but Wang Wook. Then Sik Ryeom enters the room. He comments to Wang Wook, that Shin Yool looks a lot like Dan Young. So glad this is mentioned, that plot thread was completely dropped and I wondered if it would be addressed again. Sik Ryeom and Shin Yool banter a bit then he informs her that Wang Wook will be point of contact for any trades about moving the capital to the west. Se Won watches behind the screen doors.

Alone with Wang Wook, Shin Yool wonders why he has aligned himself with Sik Ryeom.  Wang Wook takes a hard stance and tells her the trading company should sell all materials for moving the captial to him at fair market price. Shin Yool takes an equally firm stance…no profit, no sale. Wang Wook does not back down…sell and leave quietly. He claims he will buy from another. She claims this will cost him 2.5 times more. He claims he has the cash to do this. She claims the cash will run out. Wang Wook disputes her figures. The cost will only be 1.5 time more and they will have 4 times the money with the Hwang family infusing their capital into the mix. She counters he forgot the labor costs. He counters the labor will be free by the citizens. He tells him when she’s come to her senses, return and sell to him. She tells him, when he’s ready to work with her, invite her to return.

As she leaves, she stops and asks Wang Wook if he was nice to her because she looked like Dan Young. She wants to know the story and why Wang Wook did not protect her. Wang Wook says he could not protect Dan Young. Flashback to Wang Wook finding Dan Young hanging from a tree. Present day Wang Wook says the first marriage must be a royal marriage decreed by the King. If the prince marries outside those constraints, the prince and his lover will be killed. Shin Yool visibly reels from that statement. Internally she sees Wang So is in mortal danger should others find out about their marriage.

Wow! Terrific scenes with Wang Wook. He delivered the macho and she delivered the calm collected business manager. But he upset her world with the news that a non-royal marriage means death for the couple.

Wang So waits for Shin Yool hidden in her room, couple rings in hand.

Shin Yool returns to the trading company despondent. She flashes back to Wang So telling her not to tell anyone about their marriage. Wow, it is weird seeing Wang So clean shaven in that flashback! She wishes they had never met again. Then they could be pleasant memories not current complications.

She enters her room, sits at the table and cries remembering Wang Wook’s words. Wang So wonders why she is crying. Shin Yool resolves to forget about everything.

Finally…She goes to the and retrieves her wedding dress. Wang So stares at her stroking the red dress.  He wonders, is Shin Yool his one night marriage? He flashes back to their marriage. He flashes back to Gaebong’s interest in his marriage and subsequent claim of a marriage that might not be real. He remembers Gaebong saying he wasn’t remembered.  He realizes Shin Yool came to the capital to find him. He starts to approach her, to comfort her as she sobs into the wedding dress. But he stops and leaves instead.

Wang So walks away dazed. He stares at the rings in his hand.

Shin Yool wraps her wedding dress up and heads out with it in hand.

She sees Wang So. The look on her face is clearly longing.

He sees her, pauses, then adopts a jovial tone. He asks what she is hiding. She tells him something old that she is throwing away.  He approaches with a smile. She has tears in her eyes. He wonders if she knows their marriage could mean their deaths.

He hugs her and asks if throwing away an item will throw away the memories. He tells her memories are buried in your heart, that is how you honor them. He tell her the best memories are shared. He tears up too. He pulls away. He leaves without looking at her tears and so she cannot she see his tears. Powerful, poignant scene. So much said non verbally by Jang Hyuk and Yeon So.

As he exits the trading company Yeo Won is waiting. She tells him the dowager Queen wants to see them.

Wang So’s mother tells them they will be together in 5 days. She declares it ridiculous that they sleep in separate rooms after 5 years of marriage. They must consider 5 days from know their wedding night. She states all their troubles will vanish. Wang So sees Yeo Won is pleased. He has the opposite reaction.

Wang So asks if Yeo Won planned all this. Yeo Won says this is the first time his mother has asked this of them. She plans to participate and report progress with gusto. Wang So tells her he will not suspect her. Bad move Wang so, bad move. Yeo Won thinks once Wang So takes this step, he will never escape her. Yeo Won is the spider and Wang So is the fly.

Shin Yool cannot burn her wedding dress.

Shin Yool tells the gang that if they tell anyone she and Wang So were married, death is the likely option. They all feel bad for her.

Yeo Won’s maid visits Shin Yool. Yeo Won requests Shin Yool determine a good date for she and Wang So to sleep together. That is a low blow! Shin Yool smiles sweetly and says she’ll get back with them tomorrow. That night she stares blindly at their fate.

Fast forward 5 days…Wang So and Yeo Won are prepped for the big night.

Wang So walks to Yeo Won’s quarters with the enthusiasm of a man going to a firing squad.

The village celebrates the happy event. Shin Yool smiles through her tears.

Wang So enters Yeo Won’s room. They bow to each other. Yeo Won is ready to grab Wang So’s brass ring.

I can’t get it out of my head “Will you step into my parlor?” said the spider to the fly.

Comments:
* This show is firing on all cylinders. This episode packed an emotional punch for our characters.  We did not see Eun Chun this episode. Wang So kept his own counsel.
1. Wang Wook is headed to the dark side to get what he wants. His interaction with Shin Yool regarding the goods to move the capital was firm. Her response made me love this character even more. Shin Yool is smart, quick on her feet, and has moxy.
2. The Queen’s tea with Wang So was the gem scene of the episode. Beautifully performed by both actors. They did not overplay the scene which only strengthened it’s impact.
3. If you had told me I would like the Queen after what she was like in the early episodes, I would not thought it possible. But here we are. I like the Queen. I even like her misguided enthusiasm to get Wang So and Yeo Won to consummate their marriage.
4. Sik Ryeom allowing Wang Wook to take over the red assassins and take care of Shin Yool was a bit surprising. But he’s lost a couple of co conspirators. He must build the numbers back up. Sik Ryeom put it best “certain hunters are best for certain prey.”
5. Yeo Won has waited and is about to get what she wants, Wang So tied to her forever. Is this a be careful what you wish for situation?
6. Gyu Dal had that nagging feeling he might have shared Shin Yool’s marriage secret but cannot remember. I like this character. His indulgent nature is amuses versus annoys. And he cares about his sister and wants her happiness.
* Jang Hyuk as Wang So had a sweet day with Shin Yool that ended bittersweet as he finally realized Shin Yool was his first wife. I am thrilled the last part of the secret is known to Wang So. Now the shoe is on the other foot as he elects to keep his knowledge of their shared past a secret. The opening scene with Yeo Won was solid. The tea scene with the Queen was beautiful. Wang So’s day of bliss with Shin Yool must be treasured. The kiss was nicely produced this episode. The bittersweet realization that Shin Yool was his one night wife was well played by both actors.
* Yeon Seo’s portrayal of Shin Yool was heartfelt. Her compassion for the villagers and her realization that Wang So could die if the truth about their marriage was revealed stunned her.  Her interactions with Yeo Won and Wang Wook were confident. I like this character’s ability to think on her feet and yet be measured in her responses. Yeo Won’s request for a good day to sleep with Wang So was a low blow and a bit tacky. I loved how cool she was when Yeo Won’s maid made the request on behalf of Yeo Won. When she realized that their marriage could cause both of them their very lives, it felt like she had been dealt a physical blow. Her grief was palpable. So sad watching her clutch her wedding dress which had once only yielded happy memories, but now was tied to heartache and loss of a potential future together. They certainly seem like doomed lovers. How can they possibly be together now?

About KJT (aka kjtamuser)

Asian drama fan. I watch and blog dramas on https://kjtamusings.wordpress.com/.

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