by Hanjae
It's touching how Gongmin's initial anger at Son Yoo's order for him to
attend a meeting with the officials was superseded by his concern for
Choi Young and Eun Soo when he hears of Son Yoo's demand - to give up
the Eui Seon to placate Yuan. Gongmin's bromance with Young has been
much discussed and it is obvious that a part of his concern for Eun Soo
is because he knows how much Young values her, but I'd like to think
that Gongmin had also come to care for Eun Soo despite their limited
interaction.
Gongmin's following message for Choi Young to take
Eun Soo and run away to safety underscored the leaps and bounds that his
character had taken since the opening episodes, when his sense of
insecurity and desire for a proof of loyalty almost drove Choi Young to
his death and prevented Eun Soo from returning home. Gongmin's
friendship with Young had taught him that in order to do what is best
for Goryeo, it is important to first take care of the welfare of those
around him. Now, instead of choosing the safe but cowardly option or
sacrificing the lives of a few for the sake of many, as Son Yoo had
suggested, Gongmin chose to prioritize the wellbeing of two people who
are not only key players on his side, but who are important to him as
friends. After all, how can you be a king worthy of respect to the
masses if you do not prize the lives of your closest allies?
It
is perhaps ironic that Gongmin's growing faith in Choi Young coincides
with Young's increasing doubt in his own dedication to Gongmin. In
Episode 18, Young's uncharacteristically hotheaded (and not entirely
wise) method of saving Eun Soo from marriage to Deok Heung had resulted
in his absence at the time of the Wudalchi and the royal couple's
greatest need. The subsequent deaths of his subordinates and the danger
that the king and queen experienced were significant enough for Young to
feel forced into a choice between loyalty to his king or to the woman
he loves. Of course, a wiser and more experienced soul might be aware
that he cannot throw away one for another and that is no correct way to
choose, but Young had been conditioned to think in such a way that he
saw no alternative.
The act of fleeing from Son Yoo, then, was
the second nail in the coffin that eventually led to Young's shaking
hand (and shaken resolve). Gongmin had told him to flee for the sake of
Eun Soo; he had probably known even before Young had admitted it in the
previous episode that Eun Soo had always been Young's first priority and
he worried at the emotional distress that her death would cause him.
For Young, however, it is quite another matter to actually do so, and it
hits him all the harder because it was a decision that he made even
before he had received Gongmin's order - in essence, he might have tried
his best to avoid directly disobeying orders or putting Gongmin in a
tight spot, but nevertheless was prepared to disobey him for the sake of
Eun Soo. When he is greeted not by opposition but with encouragement to
do the very thing that he was prepared to do with or without Gongmin's
agreement, it was yet another blow to his sense of self-worth as a
warrior loyal to the king. To add further injury, the significance of
his choice to take Eun Soo away from the king was revealed when Lady
Choi told him of what really hung in the balance with Son Yoo's demands.
Once again, it was a choice between the life of the king and the life
of Eun Soo. Both are people to whom Young had sworn to protect, both are
people he greatly valued, and he bore the burden of being unable to
protect both.
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