I originally thought that I wouldn’t write a post about the ending, but it doesn’t seem to want to let me go. So I must write. I will warn you now, it’s super long. I always just need somewhere to write down and process my own thoughts, and I’m always appreciative of those who read my posts!
I really, really adored the ending. It was everything I ever wanted from this show, but I also know that there are many people who are also disappointed. But I’ll explain much later on why I loved this ending so much.
But where, oh where, should we start? (My notes are a mess.)
I’ll start with Woo Hee. Yes, let’s start there.
The Last Princess of HuBaekJe
“You are Gyeon Hwon’s granddaughter.”
I think it can be argued that Woo Hee’s death is one of the hastiest ones that was done. It didn’t quite fit into the timing of the storyline, but I get that the production team was pressed for time. But it was still messy, and I think it may be difficult for some people to understand why she killed herself.
However, the more I think about Woo Hee, the more tragic her story is. And it also reinforces one of the bigger themes that we see continuously see throughout Moon Lovers–the inaction of men, and the action of women. Through the countless sacrifices of women, men are allowed to forge ahead. Men are the ones who hold the most power, and yet, it is the women who are exercising most of it, despite their limited standpoints. Women get stuff done.
Being the last princess of HuBaekJe, the last scion of the royal family, and a citizen of a now ruined country, Woo Hee carries a heavy burden on her shoulders from the start of the drama. She tries to take her revenge against Baek Ah’s father, Wang Geun/Taejo, who killed her family. But even though Taejo dies, and many years pass, Woo Hee still cannot forget about the past. And neither can the rest of the citizens of HuBaekJe.
Each passing king, including Gwangjong, has promised them their freedom as slaves. But they do not believe it. They revolt. They rebel. They die. Woo Hee cannot stand still and ignore it, even for Baek Ah’s sake. She cannot turn a blind eye (which is also why she is similar to Hae Soo).
Sam Han Il Tong (삼한일통)–“Goryeo, Baekje, Silla are one.”
Woo Hee decides to sacrifice herself–an act that even Gwangjong doesn’t predict. But perhaps, it is something that Woo Hee saw as necessary.
Woo Hee: I thought I could pretend that I didn’t know. I even tried to deny my parents, but I cannot turn my back on my citizens who regard me as their mother. Gyeon Hwon and Baekje, I will repay back all of everyone’s sins with my life. I wonder… if this is perhaps the reason why I was born.
Being wildly in love with Baek Ah, Woo Hee tries to push away her parents and turn away from her heritage. She tries to turn a blind eye to her citizens. But we all know that Woo Hee isn’t that kind of person.
It is utterly tragic to think that Woo Hee believes that her life was meant to be sacrificed for the ‘greater good’–for the lives of her remaining citizens, and for the peace between Goryeo and Baekje. There’s no denying the bad blood between them, and even after years, the scars run deep.
Woo Hee’s death symbolizes an ending to their feud. One might argue that her death may actually make the citizens more angry… but we can also look at it from another standpoint. With Woo Hee’s death, there is no longer a royal family to BaekJe. There is no leader, there is no princess among them. They are only former HuBaekje citizens, and they have no choice to now become naturalized Goryeo citizens. Without their last pillar, their last hope of reclaiming back their country that was once theirs through their princess, there’s no longer a need to fight the war.
And furthermore, with Woo Hee being the last HuBaekJe princess, it would only complicate the issues between her and Baek Ah. It was a love that was also doomed from the start. Baek Ah says that the history of Goryeo and Baekje happened long before their time, but its scars still remain. History cannot be easily erased.
Baek Ah and Hae Soo first became friends through their shared grief. And now, they bond again over the loss of someone else. I love these two so much, my heart bursts. Baek Ah is really Hae Soo’s best friend. *soft crying*
Baek Ah: Why didn’t she tell us? I made her like that. Looking back, it was all my selfishness.
Hae Soo: Woo Hee is bad. We gave her all of our hearts. In the end, she–who could not be selfish–is the bad one.
Like Hae Soo, Baek Ah is quick to blame himself. While he aches over Woo Hee’s death, he doesn’t blame her. His anger turns inwards–on himself. He asks himself continuously what he has done wrong. He asks himself: why didn’t I ask Woo Hee why her smiles are always so fleeting? But the truth is, Baek Ah never did anything wrong. There are forces and situations that are bigger than him at work. But none of that means anything when you are hurting.
(Note: There is a cut line from the Chinese trailer that I don’t think ever made it into the SBS version; it may very well exist somewhere in the international version… but I actually thought Hae Soo would say this about Woo Hee. To roughly translate: “Whether it be meetings or farewells, [she] was someone who didn’t open herself up easily–someone who knew how to hide her emotions for the sake of others. We needed that kind of adult/person…”)
I put “she” there because Hae Soo uses the word ‘child’ which is a really gender neutral term to refer to someone. But it almost sounds like Woo Hee. She was someone who hid everything about herself, for the sake of others. She knew if anyone knew who she really was, they could get hurt. It was one of her greatest fears that Baek Ah–and even Hae Soo–could get hurt because of her.
It also in that moment that Baek Ah realizes that Gwangjong knew everything. He made the deal with Woo Hee.
This scene very much parallels the situation between Hae Soo and Wang So and Chaeryung. Wang So made the deal with Woo Hee to save Baek Ah’s life. Wang So killed Chaeryung because she had committed grave crimes, and lied and betrayed Hae Soo. Wang So’s first priority is protect people who are close to him. Both Baek Ah and Hae Soo understand this. They love Wang So, too. But they are not the type of people who can stand someone else getting hurt because of them. And that is one of the factors as to why their relationships with Gwangjong falls apart.
But I think many are quick to blame Hae Soo for leaving So, but nobody blames Baek Ah for doing the same thing. Why is that? I get that Hae Soo’s relationship with So is a bit more complicated, and it cannot be reduced down to something simple. It’s a complex relationship and there are many reasons as to why So and Soo fall apart–and I don’t have the energy to really discuss them right now–but I think we cannot blame either Baek Ah or Hae Soo for leaving Wang So. Especially Hae Soo. Their relationship was turning toxic, and Hae Soo had no choice but to leave.
Baek Ah: It is difficult to stay by your side, Your Majesty.
Gwangjong: It’s all my fault.
Baek Ah: No, I am sorry that I am such a small person who cannot protect you, Your Majesty. May you live a long life… Hyung-nim.
Baek Ah leaves. And never has the word ‘hyung-nim’ (older brother) hurt me so much.
I think the point about Baek Ah being a ‘small person’ also parallels with Hae Soo. Both of their households (Baek Ah with his Silla backing through his mother, Hae Soo with the Hae clan) cannot do much for Gwangjong. Baek Ah talks about how in their society that you need to marry well to be treated well. Goryeo is a place where your status mattered greatly; our concept of equality is outside of the understanding of most people of that time. Compared to someone like Hwangbo Yeonhwa, they are small.
I Must Paint a Bigger Picture
Lady Hwangbo: You must save your brother.
Yeonhwa: I refuse. […] I am the queen now. My household is precious to me, and I am sorry for the loss of my brother, but I must paint a bigger picture.
It may be difficult to understand watching this scene for the first time–wait, Lady Hwangbo, just last week you said Yeonhwa needed to throw away Wook to get the world. Now you want her to save him? I think she meant Yeonhwa needed to throw away Wook in terms of making him a king. If Yeonhwa wanted the world, she needed to abandon Wook as a contender to the throne. While Yeonhwa dreamed of becoming the owner of the palace with her brother, the throne is a seat for one.
Yeonhwa has also promised Gwangjong to abandon her brother and family if she wanted to make her son the next king. So she does. Yeonhwa wants power–to rise above. And for that, she shows she can throw anything away for it, even the ones she loves.
And where Yeonhwa cannot save Wook, Hae Soo steps in.
Through Hae Soo’s pleading, Gwangjong agrees to save Wook. But he places down a punishment that is much more worse than Hae Soo anticipates. Wook is to live inside of his small house, the place that will become his entire world for the rest of his life.
I also think this is another moment that Hae Soo deeply fears Gwangjong. As much as she loves him, she also begins to fear him–and she actually always has. Her fear doesn’t go away simply because she loves him.
And this is also another moment where Hae Soo realizes how her efforts are futile to change anything about history. There have been multiple moments that this has happened. The question that haunts her is the question that she asks Ji Mong: Did she make it happen, or was this the way that things were always meant to be? Time and time again, even until the end, I think it shows that Hae Soo cannot change anything. She is warned not to interfere. Because even if she does, nothing changes. At the end of it all, Gwangjong is still the king she has learned about–the bloody, ruthless king.
Hae Soo, the queen of peace
All throughout episode 19, Florence + the Machine’s song “Queen of Peace” was on my mind. The song is totally Hae Soo.
Oh, the king
Gone mad within his suffering
Called out for relief
Someone cure him of his grief
[…]
Like the stars chase the sun
Over the glowing hill, I will conquer
Blood is running deep
Some things never sleep
Suddenly I’m overcome
Dissolving like the setting sun
Like a boat into oblivion
Cause you’re driving me away
Now you have me on the run
The damage is already done
Come on, is this what you want?
Cause you’re driving me away
Oh, the queen of peace
Always does her best to please
Is it any use?
Somebody’s gotta lose
Yeonhwa: Even from when we were little, if it had anything to do with me, Wook never refused to do it. I often worried that I ruined him. I forced him to desire the throne, to become the owners of the palace together. But you know what? I’m not the one who made Wook change completely. It was you.
Soo: Pardon?
Yeonhwa: I heard from Wook–you told him to be careful of Prince Wang So. Should you block his path, you could die. […] From that moment, Wook thought he could become king. Wook had you in his heart, and couldn’t bear the thought of you accepting another man as the king. […] It was me who pressed him, but you were the one who drove the wedge into him. You ruined everyone, and you’re the only shamelessly alive.
While I like Yeonhwa’s character, I’d pick a bone with her here. None of this is really Hae Soo’s fault. But of course, the situation and fate plays it like it is. Hae Soo, the one odd thing here in the culmination of events, is the easy mark.
And even if Hae Soo was a trigger, a variable, who caused these events to happen, everyone else is still accountable for their own actions. While Baek Ah and Hae Soo are quick to turn inwards and blame themselves, everyone else in the palace turns outwards with their blame–Wang So, Yeonhwa, Wook, Taejo, Jung, Yo.
Even if Hae Soo never existed, the events of history would have not changed. Wang Mu and Wang Yo would have still died, and same with Wang Eun. The circumstances may have been different, yes. But the result would be the same. In this timeline, Hae Soo makes Wang So a king, into Gwangjong, but it was already written in the stars that he would’ve been a king no matter what.
Hae Soo is shamelessly alive while everyone else is ruined?
But so are you, Yeonhwa. So is Wang So. So is Wang Wook. So is Wang Won.
It’s not a crime to want to live. And sadly, in the palace, being alive comes at the cost of others’ lives.
And because Hae Soo cannot stand anyone else being hurt because of her, she leaves.
Hae Soo: Between the two of us, too much blood spills. I thought I could stop it, but I can’t.
Again, I think it is essential Hae Soo leaves. Her role has ended. Neither Soo or So want to let go, but Soo sees too many people getting hurt because of her. She lets go first, even if Wang So has sworn to never let her go. He is selfish where she is not. I think, really, in the end, they both sort of throw each other away.
(also shoutout to Baek Ah for getting ready to fight Wook for Hae Soo because he knows ALL of what Wook did to Soo)
Wook: Forget about all the things that have passed and look towards the thing that are to come. Soo… you will know my heart. You should go. This life is over.
This was quite an interesting scene between the two. Wook knows that Hae Soo has no lingering feelings for him, but she still doesn’t want to see him die. Once again, like that scene by the river, Hae Soo shows kindess and mercy to Wook–kindness he may or may not deserve. Their relationship dissolved because Wook tried to use Soo to hurt So and he also poisoned the late king. But I think Wook shows remorse towards the end. He realizes his mistakes, although it is much too late.
Hae Soo knows Wang Wook well, Wang Wook knows Hae Soo well. Hae Soo also knows Wang So very well. And sometimes, it is because we know people so well that we may hide the truth because we know what they will do. It is because we know them so well and understand them, we cannot hate them even if their actions cause them pain. But because we know people too well, it can also cause damage to the relationship. (Exhibit A: SoSoo couple).
Jung: Soo, in the next life, you’ll remember me, right?
Soo: No, I will forget you. I will forget it all. Even in my dreams, I will forget…
Hae Soo wished to forget everything quite early on, hoping that everything that happened was a dream, starting with Lady Oh’s death.
So Hae Soo’s life in Goryeo comes to an end.
(Note: I’m glad she spent her last days with Jung, because he is a good, soft, kind person. She needed some peace before she left.)
Look, it was always going to be a tragedy.
I’m honestly so happy that Baek Ah is quick to accept Hae Soo’s will. It’s a sure sign of their deep friendship. I cry. Baek Ah, the unsung hero.
honestly it is too much for my heart that hae soo’s writing looks like wang so’s
Hae Soo: Life is like a dream. Right and wrong, love and hate… eventually, soundlessly, they become buried and pass by without a trace. Do you still misunderstand and hate me for thinking that you completely didn’t have my heart? I always worry that I have made you unable to rest because I left behind hatred, and not love. I still love you. The moment you stood with me in the rain after leaving everything behind, the moment you shielded me from an arrow with your own body, you became someone I eternally could not forget. The opposite of love was not hate. It was ‘to throw away.’ You me, and I you… I am afraid you think I threw you away. I long and long for you, but I cannot keep you close. I hope to meet you again over a bent fence… everyday, I hope you come. I wait.
The way Gwangjong said “Soo, let’s go” here broke my heart. The same words he said to her when she showed her the stars for her birthday… he finally comes for her. i’m not CRYING YOU’RE CRYING
In the end, it is really no one’s fault. Everyone’s actions are understandable. Nobody can win. That’s the tragedy of it all. Everything always led to this.
And for those of you who still blame Hae Soo… I get it. But. I think Baeh Ah says it best:
해수는 평생 우리들 사이에 끼어서 이러지도 저러지도 못했다.
Between all of us, throughout her whole life, Hae Soo could never really do this or that.
And that’s also another tragedy.
To me, it is very moving that they show how Hae Soo leaves a mark behind, even after so many years. Through her, the princes have learnt a lot: kindness, warmth, mercy, bravery, love… like her namesake, Soo, which means ‘tree,’ I like to think she provided a soft, comforting resting place for those who needed it, and she was also a pillar of strength when they needed it too.
Wang Won was sentenced to death penalty by poison for attempting to commit treason against Gwangjong and died in an unspecified year.
Wook carefully observes Gwangjong’s reign as So finally begins to wield his sword. He speculates that Gwangjong may be one of the strongest kings Goryeo has ever seen. When Baek Ah asks if Wook misses Soo, he smiles, saying “I wonder.” Because Wook finally realizes the mistakes he has made….
… and they circle back to his wife, Lady Hae. To Wook, he made the worst mistakes with her. And it haunts him. He doesn’t realize until her death how much of a blessing she was to him. Even with Hae Soo, when he loved her, he always promised Lady Hae that he would give Soo all of what he couldn’t give toLady Hae. But that is neither a good way to love nor a good way to repent for your sins. Wook realizes this, again too late.
If we’re trying to find a timeline here, Choi Ji Mong was removed by Gwangjong and exiled in 970 ACE (Gwangjong Year 21).
But here we see Ji Mong leaving Gwangjong first. However, I think this has to do with the eclipse more than anything. Which makes me wonder if Hae Soo ever lived to this point in time, would she have disappeared with the eclipse as well? And while we never find out Ji Mong’s true identity, I’m 100% convinced he is magical time-traveling wizard. Or something of the like. Did he bring Hae Soo to Goryeo? I believe so.
But why? Why, when nothing was going to change anyways? Because Go Ha Jin needed to be reminded, and the princes of Goryeo needed to learn and be reminded–no matter how dark it gets, there is always something else–something good to be found. Even if it all ends in the tragedy, they are all blessed to have loved, and be loved. I don’t want to be overly cheesy. But no matter how much we crumble and fall, there is always strength to be found so that we can rise above. If life is fleeting and empty, as Taejo says, then we must find our own meaning. And we must be ready to let go of things when they come to pass. Everything is temporary.
The Moon that Swallows the Sun
With another eclipse, we go back to the way things were.
Go Ha Jin wakes from her recurring dreams, but she can never remember them.
Ji Mong: Is your last name Go? Did you know that the Go clan used to be the Hae Clan in Goryeo? […] There is no such thing as a coincidence. Things only go back to way they were.
Being the nerd I am, I also researched this fun fact. It stands true. It also makes sense why I’d never heard of such a last name before this show. The last name Hae was also used prior to Goryeo, originating from Goguryeo.
And after meeting future!Ji Mong, Go Ha Jin remembers everything as Hae Soo.
She is sorry for leaving him all alone. I think she always was, as Hae Soo. And even it wasn’t entirely her fault, she still blames herself.
And how is Gwangjong remembered?
(His name was So… [his father was] Wang Keon and his mother was…)
(His mother was Queen Shin Myung Soon Seong….)
(Gwangjong was a great king among great kings…)
(Relatives…. he eyed them with suspicion, and slaughtered….)
He is still remembered as the bloody king. Like I said, perhaps, there was no stopping that in the first place.
Wang So deserved better? Yes. But so did everyone else.
But that is not the world they live in. The palace is a place where you cannot trust anyone, even those closest to you.
This world cannot allow for them to be happy in the way they want.
This is the common narrative and theme among all dramas with kings: to protect the throne, you must give something up. And the throne is always a scary, lonely place. It is a burden.
So: Every time you make that face, I feel uneasy. You look like you’re going to go somewhere far away…. what is it you’re so afraid of? What are you hiding?
Soo: Just… living here every day, I am nervous. Step by step, I feel like I’m carefully walking on thin ice. Sometimes, I feel like I can’t breathe.
So: Even if I’m together with you, do you still feel that way?
Soo: I wonder… if we had met in another world and another time, how wonderful would that have been? If only we could do that, then I could love you freely, with all my heart, without ever being afraid.
Taejo says that life is fleeting, that everything is in vain, that it is all an empty dream, that it is transient. And I’m inclined to agree.
But the more I think about how we’re all going to be dead in the end, I focus more on what I have now, and all the magic and love and happiness I’ve experienced. I am a firm believer that we put our own meaning into our lives.
Even if the brutal end came to Hae Soo and Wang So, it was the journey that mattered. Our destination is death. Alright, fine. But how we get there is our choice. We all have different stories to tell and journeys to experience.
I wondered why So erased his makeup off in the last scene. But then I remembered in episode 12, when he comes back after a year, and has his mask on when he goes to meet Soo again. When she asks him why he put his mask back on, he says he didn’t want to take it off because he didn’t want to forget her.
Therefore, this scene may be symbolic in that Wang So is erasing the mask of Gwangjong—the mask Hae Soo first gave him, which to set him down the path to kingship. But Gwangjong’s reign is also coming to end. And all that is left is Wang So.
And for Wang So, all he ever wanted was Hae Soo.
So: If your world and my world are not the same, then I will come find you—my Soo.
With Ji Mong’s cryptic parting words, and the fact that Hae Soo was always a bit different from others of her time, Wang So pieces together that Hae Soo, his beloved, may have not a person from his world. A person who is untouchable to him, like the stars.
I feel that many people are upset and disappointed by the ending. But at the same time, I also wonder: how else could this have ended? It was set up to be a tragedy from the start, a love story that was doomed (“these violent delights have violent ends,” anyone?). And I also understand that people wanted Wang So and Hae Soo to meet in the future.
Me, personally, I loved and adored the open ending. I love it with all my heart. It is everything I ever wanted.
But for some people, that may not be enough. I get that. Many people hate open endings because they want something more tangible. An ending that shows proof—proof that they met, that they fell in love, had ten million babies, and lived happily ever after. And yes, that’s great. That’s good. But I also think any concrete ending may have disappointed me, too.
The most beautiful, magical thing about an open ending is the fact that you—you—can decide how they are going to end up meeting. You know these characters forwards and backwards, you know what they would do. Why do we need proof that they ended up together? It’s interesting we want something “tangible” because it makes me think about a discussion I had in my English class one time. In a world where we have smartphones, all of us take pictures of the smallest things in life: our food, the scenery, our dogs, our friends… And why do we do it? For our happiness? Sure. But a small part is that we also do it because we want proof. We want something tangible. We want something to show the world that yes, we were there, and we experienced this thing, and it HAPPENED. And that’s great. That’s wonderful.
But at the same time—this ending here at the end of Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo that they’ve given us? It is more than enough proof for me.
Every cell, every bone in my body knows it. Wang So and Hae Soo are going to meet in the future. Everything alludes to it. Everything implies it.
Look at how happy they are in the last scene. You know that they will meet in the modern world, a place where they can love each other freely, with all their hearts.
Hae Soo and Wang So will be happy—you know they will.
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