KBS2 | Saturdays & Sundays 9:20pm KST | Episode 13 of 16
This episode. THIS EPISODE. Im Sa Hyeong poisoning his own son. Im Jae I being sent to kill the Prince. Hong Eun Jo sacrificing herself. And the second female lead being the most adorable character in this whole drama. Let me get into it because there’s a lot and I have feelings about ALL of it.
The Prince Recovers
After everything that happened at the end of Episode 12 — the stabbing, the cliff, the drowning — Hong Eun Jo manages to find Yi Yeol and takes him to a village to recover. She nurses him back to health and he survives. Thank God, because I was NOT ready to lose him.
But here’s the important bit — they don’t want anyone to know the Prince is still alive. They keep it hidden, which means Im Seung Jae (Im Sa Hyeong’s eldest son, the one who actually orchestrated the assassination attempt) thinks the Prince is dead. And what does this man do with that information? Gets ARROGANT. Starts treating everyone like a piece of shit. Walking around like he’s untouchable because the biggest threat to his father’s plan has been eliminated.
The audacity. The absolute audacity.
Im Sa Hyeong — This Man Has No One’s Back
It doesn’t last. The prince comes back, has Im Seung Jae arrested, and drags him to the king for treason — specifically for the attempted assassination of a prince. Beautiful. Watching his arrogance crumble was satisfying.
But then comes the part that made my blood boil. Im Seung Jae is on his knees begging his FATHER for help. And Im Sa Hyeong looks at him and goes — “I didn’t know anything about it. He did this all on his own.”
He threw his own son under the bus without hesitation.
This man is a narcissist. He only cares about one person and that’s HIMSELF. And this isn’t even the first time he’s shown it. When Im Jae I — the younger brother — went and rescued his father from danger, what did Im Sa Hyeong do? Had his own son arrested and put in confinement. The son who came to SAVE him got punished for it. If it wasn’t for the royal guards arriving afterwards, Jae I would’ve been left to rot. That’s the kind of father Im Sa Hyeong is — you are useful until you’re not, and then you’re disposable.
He Poisoned His Own Son
Hong Eun Jo and Yi Yeol expected Im Sa Hyeong to try to rescue his son from execution. They were waiting for him to make a move, to show some semblance of fatherly love.
Instead, he POISONED him. He killed his own firstborn son.
I’m sat there going WHAT THE FUCK because this makes NO sense from a human perspective. But from Im Sa Hyeong’s perspective it makes perfect sense — his son had become a liability. A captured son can talk. A dead son keeps secrets.
And THEN — once Im Seung Jae is dead — he releases Im Jae I, the younger son, and tells him the first one was no use to him anymore. So now Jae I needs to become useful. He needs to become “the sword” and take out the prince.
This man just killed one son and is now weaponising the other. Father of the year.
Im Jae I’s Heartbreak
Before going to carry out his father’s orders, Im Jae I goes to see Hong Eun Jo one last time. He knows that if he takes out the Prince, he’s going to break her heart. He knows what she means to Yi Yeol and what Yi Yeol means to her. But his father has given him an order and after watching what happened to his older brother, he knows the cost of disobedience.
This is heartbreaking because Im Jae I is caught between a father who views his children as tools and a woman he cares about who loves someone else. He’s going to do something that destroys the one person he wants to protect. And he wanted to see her face one more time before everything changes.
The Prince Goes to the Rebels
Yi Yeol goes to see the woman who leads the unnamed people — the rebel group planning the treason. He basically lets them know he’s on their side without explicitly saying it. He’s committing to the path now. After everything he saw his brother do — the gisaeng, the arrows, the tyranny — he’s made his choice. He’s going to take the throne.
The King Wakes Up and Im Seung Jae Frames the Prince
The King wakes up and remembers EVERYTHING. The chase with the gisaeng women. The shooting of the arrows. All of it comes flooding back. So he sends the royal guards to search for the arrows as evidence.
And this is where Im Seung Jae made his final move. He found the arrow, which belongs to the thief, and told the King the person is about six foot. He basically framed the PRINCE as both the thief and the assassin. Wanted posters go up everywhere with the Prince’s likeness.
Yi Yeol confronts him about it but the damage is done — the King now believes his own brother is the thief who’s been undermining his reign.
Hong Eun Jo Sacrifices Herself
And then Hong Eun Jo does what she always does — she puts everyone else before herself.
She steps forward and says: “I’m the thief. Arrest me.”
She knows Im Seung Jae wants to take the Prince down. She knows the accusations will destroy Yi Yeol’s path to becoming King. So she sacrifices herself. By taking the blame, by claiming SHE is the thief, she removes the target from Yi Yeol’s back. He stays clean. He can still become King. She takes the fall.
This woman has been used by everyone around her — the rebels, the political players, even the people who claim to support her — and she’s STILL the one making the sacrifice. She agreed to be part of this plan, yes. But the fact that she’s now the one putting her life on the line while everyone else benefits? That’s not fair.
“Will Your Love Be a Hindrance or a Driving Force?”
When Hong Eun Jo visited the unnamed lady — the rebel leader — she was asked a question that stuck with me: “Will the love that you and the Prince share be a hindrance or a driving force for the treason?”
And I feel like what she’s really saying is that Hong Eun Jo is almost disposable. The Prince isn’t disposable because he’s going to become King — he’s essential to the plan. But Hong Eun Jo? She might get kicked to the side if she doesn’t serve the goal they need.
Because here’s the uncomfortable truth — Yi Yeol is in love with a slave. And that’s not royal etiquette. When he becomes King, is there room for her? Will the people who helped put him on the throne accept his relationship with someone of her status? Or will they decide she’s an inconvenience?
I think there’s going to be tension around this because the rebels USED her. Yes, she agreed. Yes, it’s all to make the Prince King. But now that the endgame is approaching, the question of whether she fits into the picture is very real. And I think that’s deeply unfair because she’s given more to this cause than almost anyone.
Sin Hae Rim — The Second Female Lead We Don’t Deserve
I need to talk about Sin Hae Rim because this woman is PRECIOUS. She’s the second female lead who was in love with Prince Yi Yeol, and I love the fact that she has NO ill will whatsoever. She’s so genuinely happy that the prince is in love with Hong Eun Jo. She didn’t get jealous. She didn’t scheme. She didn’t become a villain.
Even with the whole body swap situation, she was just like “okay, I get it” and moved on. She fully understood and didn’t get mad. You have NO idea how refreshing that is in a K-drama where second female leads are usually written as petty, jealous obstacles.
And the FUNNIEST part is that now she thinks she might be in love with BOTH of them. She’s trying to figure out when she fell in love with the Prince — was it actually the Prince, or was it Hong Eun Jo in the Prince’s body during the swap? She’s confused about her own feelings because the body swap has muddled everything. I just love that about her. She’s actually really cute. Protect Sin Hae Rim at all costs.
My Thoughts on Episode 13
Three episodes left and the stakes are the highest they’ve ever been. Hong Eun Jo is in custody. The Prince is being framed. Im Sa Hyeong has already killed one son and weaponised the other. And the rebels are watching to see whether love will save or sabotage their plan.
Im Sa Hyeong killing his own son was the most chilling moment so far. Not because it was violent — it wasn’t. It was the CALM of it. The calculation. The way he immediately pivoted to the next son like he was swapping out a broken tool. That’s the scariest kind of villain — one who feels nothing.
And Hong Eun Jo sacrificing herself? That’s the tragedy of this character. She’s always the one who gives. She’s always the one who puts herself last. And the people around her LET her.
Three more episodes. Someone save this woman.
Quick Stats
Network KBS2 (Sat & Sun)
Episodes 16 × 70 min
Genre Historical, Romance, Supernatural, Political Thriller
Where to Watch Viki, Netflix
Cast Reminder
Nam Ji Hyun
Hong Eun Jo — the thief who just sacrificed herself for the prince
Moon Sang Min
Prince Yi Yeol — recovering, framed, and losing the woman he loves
Hong Min Ki
Im Jae I — sent by his father to kill the prince, went to say goodbye first
Ha Seok Jin
Yi Gyu — the King, just remembered everything
Choi Won Young
Im Sa Hyeong — poisoned his own son without blinking
Han So Eun
Sin Hae Rim — the second FL who might be in love with both of them
A father poisons one son and weaponises the other. A woman sacrifices herself so a prince can become king. And a second female lead is out here being confused about her own feelings because of a body swap.
Three episodes left. Someone save Hong Eun Jo.
Carlene Loves This 
Leave a comment