The Warrior Choi Young

by buguz

Now that all the logic is still kicking in the back of my mind and the thread is really quiet, I'm going to jot down some lingerings I meant to share a while back but couldn't manage to.

As some of you have known, I'm obsessed with the warrior theme. This is the single reason why I chose Faith over Arang and many other dramas at that time (being totally oblivious to MinHot). And probably before anything else, the sole reason why I am so invested with this show, regardless of all of its flaws. 

For me, the epilogue was all about Young. By the end of E23, it was time for his final self-battle for the justification of a warrior. Back in his old days with the Red Moon Army, the concept was distant to him because all he did, was follow his teacher. When that Father figure vanished, so did he. The loss of Mae Hee only added gravity to the situation but above all, it was him who lost his vindication. For that reason, to me, Young was never whole before.

The duo dynamics of Eun Soo and Gongmin were critical for Young's multi-dimensional development in such a short period of time. The development was forced so abruptly and brutally that we sobbed with him along the way.  But it was necessary to enlighten him with the true meaning of a warrior: a man who fights for a cause. Young needed to be a real man first so there was Eun Soo to breathe soul into him, to teach him to acknowledge the lives of himself and of those around him. His hands fluttered because he no longer just killed, he needed a justification from the other side as well. After all, who was he to judge whether someone was worthy to die or not. Gongmin was there to grant Young the reason to fight for. Here was one weak, immature King with the guts to tell Young in the face that he trusted Young in his mission to rebuild everyone's country. How could have this courage and boldness not shaken up a lost heart?  

The warrior Young needed to come back as whole as ever. Because only then, would his sword serve its purposes. Only then, would his hands hold high. Only then, would he make history.