The bird with clipped wings
Moon Embracing the Sun (episodes 1 - 20)
Just because somebody doesn’t love you the way you want them to doesn’t mean they don’t love you with everything they have.
Which love is stronger? The one you fight for or the one you give way for? Is love a contest to be won?
While Moon Embracing the Sun is a period drama about the love story between the Crown Prince (later, King) and his first love who were tragically separated by forces beyond their control, there was another tragic love story in the background of this show that caught my attention (and perhaps, it caught my attention because of the irony or because it was frustratingly agonising).
Yoo Heom (played by Im Si-wan, later Song Jae-hee), was the epitome of brilliance as a top-ranking scholar who becomes tutor to the Crown Prince. However, despite his brilliance, Heom was doomed, unable to reach his true potential and unable to recognise the person he has been searching for due to his blissful ignorance of things outside of books and knowledge. Yoo Heom was the brilliant scholar who had no idea.
Unbeknownst to Heom, he attracted the sights of the childishly innocent and pampered Princess Minhwa (played by Jin Ji-hee, later Nam Bo-ra). However, Minhwa’s love was meant to be unrequited as her wishes to marry Heom fell on deaf ears. The King knew that he could never fulfill the wishes of his beloved daughter, as doing so would clip the wings of Heom and prevent him from becoming a loyal advisor to the Crown Prince. The King, who wanted his only daughter to be happy, ignored her tears without realising the desperation of Princess Minhwa.
But Minhwa’s youthful naivety would be taken advantage of. Her pure love for Heom was used as a weapon to hurt Heom and the people he loved. Her love for him became the reason for the death of Heom’s only sister and the fall from grace of the Yoo family. Princess Minhwa got the one thing she wished for, to be married to Heom, at the cost of lives. And in the course of fulfilling her love for him, Minhwa kept a great secret from him.
Seol (played by Seo Ji-hee, later Yoon Seung-ah) is a servant of the Heom family, responsible for caring for Heom’s younger sister who considered Seol her own family. But not only did Seol love her young mistress who treated her like an equal, she also admired from afar the young master who gave Seol her name and treated her with gentleness and kindness. Seol knew her admiration could never result in love because the difference between the two was too great. Instead of yearning for her young master, Seol did the only thing she could do - follow his wishes to protect his younger sister even in her death. And in the course of fulfilling his wish to protect his sister, Seol kept a great secret from him.
For the duration of 13 years, Heom remained ignorant to secrets that were kept from him. Meanwhile, Minhwa kept her secret from her husband in fear that Heom would leave her if her secret was revealed; and Seol continued to watch her former young master from afar while keeping her secret, knowing that revealing the secret would endanger the person Heom asked her to protect.
It was only after Minhwa watched her husband cry over his younger sister’s death that she realised what her love for him cost him. However, despite it all, Minhwa did not regret her choices knowing that her choice led to her love. Minhwa fought for her love, even if it meant destroying others. For Minhwa, the end justified the means.
On the other hand, Seol watched her young master grieve his sister’s death, unknown to him that the person he mourned is alive. She couldn’t comfort him with the truth, in order to keep her promise to him. And at the end of it all, Seol sacrificed her own life for Heom’s happiness, even if she knew such sacrifice could never result in her love being fulfilled. For Seol, her last regret was that she couldn't fulfill her promise to Heom to protect his beloved sister until the end.
Was Princess Min-hwa’s love stronger because she fought for it? Or was it less true because she fought at the expense of those she should have cared for?
Was Seol’s love stronger because she protected him from afar? Or was it less true because she gave way instead of fighting?
I do not think there is an answer. Minhwa and Seol are opposite sides of the same coin. Princess Minhwa and Seol chose to love the same person in different ways and in the end, they loved without regret.
