A random thought on Faith (yes, still...)

[dangermousie]

I've seen comments all over the place wondering why Choi Young won't go with Eun Soo through the portal. The logic goes (and it does make sense) - separation will turn them into the living dead, Eun Soo can't stay in the past or she will die, so why doesn't CY just tell her "Imja, I am going to the heaven world with you." Otherwise his options are to have her die in front of his eyes (her choice) or shove her through the portal and break both their hearts (his choice).

But it makes sense to me - CY is pathologically duty-bound and almost as pathologically unused to putting his happiness first and being selfish. And for him to follow Eun Soo to heavenly world, to live in bliss (precisely since it will be to live in bliss) is something I am not sure he will allow himself. Sure, Eun Soo comes first to him, before King and Country, but King and Country are very important nevertheless. I am sure he wouldn't think twice to go through the portal if it would mean saving her life (he ditched his post when it meant saving her life - remember, when Yuan threatened). But he doesn't have to go through the portal to save her life - she can go by herself and be equally saved. So I don't think it would even occur to the poor guy to think of going. If Eun Soo asked, I think it would be different, but I can see why she doesn't - she thinks he is happiest in his world.

Oh, you Gift of the Magi darlings.

Comments

[seven-trees.livejournal.com]

God, I know the ending is gonna be brutal. I haven't even watched that last two episode because I need to see how this plays out. I'm way too emotionally invested in these characters.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am terrified of what the ending will be. I am way too overinvested.

Luckily, I have Tuesday off so I can bawl in peace.

[seven-trees.livejournal.com]

This is why I don't like watching time travel dramas before they finish airing...and yet I always do it because I'm a sucker for time travel. WHY?!

Ugh, I'm gonna have to watch the end with one hand over my eyes. I just want them to be together forever! Is that so much to ask?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Any kdrama is prone to dooooooom. I know it, yet I watch live. I still remember Hong Gil Dong trauma.

[seven-trees.livejournal.com]

DON'T REMIND ME. That's the drama that taught me to never count on a happy ending because of the writers' previous work. I'm still traumatized by the end.

I really feel the urge to rewatch Jade Palace Lock Heart. I mean, all the signs pointed to DOOM! SO MUCH DOOM! and yet it had a happy ending. A clunky happy ending, but I'm not picky.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the mystical beam that saved him from historical execution - I was too happy to care about realism though

[seven-trees.livejournal.com]

I'll be honest. It could have ended with Jesus skateboarding down a rainbow to save him and I wouldn't have questioned any of it. I needed my OTP together.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

So would I. I'd pay extra for skateboarding Jesus though

[lb-klove.livejournal.com]

I tried to avoid thinking about Faith for today, I did enough yesterday, but here I go, still checking posts and what's out there... You are right, he never puts himself first. If she asks, he will go, but she won't. Unless she figures out the time differential which allows him to come back with her without loosing too much time by Gurejo standards. Either way, Kdramas do not like logical ways of dealing with things. they are not very practical. It is all about angst and what might be, rather than what makes the most practical sense.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah - I hope they go, get useful stuff and come back.

[nycteris-m.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I can't really see CY in 'Heaven'. I think he'd feel too much guilt over abandoning the King and being happy to actually be happy. I mean he'd be glad to be with ES but it seems pretty normal that as soon as people have one thing they want they start to focus on other things they don't have or aren't doing and forget to just be happy with what they've now got. I think being in heaven with ES would just cause his mind to focus on Gongmin and everyone far to much to be content. I have visions of him pouring over history books to make sure everyone's all right and then beating himself up over every bad thing that happens, small or big, whether he could have prevented it by his presence or not.

Also - I imagine a very large dose of culture shock headed his way, should he take that road. ES would do all she could to help him but as she's proven that she can live okay and well in the past I think a part of her would expect the same from him. and maybe he would be able to but I'm not so sure. He's a strong warrior with a high level of importance and duty in his world. Protection and leadership is a big part of who he is and I'm not sure how he'd deal in a culture and situation where he'd have to rely on ES for nearly everything until he learnt it, but even then she'd always be the stronger one and the one who understood how the world works. Like what happens with every multi-cultural marriage, some can cope well in their spouse's culture but others, not so much. I know that all sounds just pessimistic but these are reasons that I think CY and ES would do better in Goryeo.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

You have excellent points. Plus, it's always easier to adjust to living in the past (which, by definition, is encompassed in a modern person's knowledge and understanding) than the future. And CY is the ultimate warrior - he would be sorely out of place in the modern world. Plus, of course, he is wanted for kidnapping, I am sure.

[hanjae.livejournal.com]

I don't even think he'd truly be happy if he went to the modern world with Eun Soo, even if he solves the "King and Country" issue. He's simply too used to living by the sword, and all the values he prizes above all (loyalty, honour, etc.) would be useless in the modern day, where the people who succeed are like the original Eun Soo; money-minded with flexible morals and not above a lie or two. :P Above all, Choi Young seems to thrive on being useful to everyone, so in the modern day, where his brawn would be rendered useless, he'd just get increasingly depressed and mopey about not having anything to do. I suppose Eun Soo could get him drafted into the army, but...

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

True.

His whole upbringing and sense of self is tied to something that would either make him useless or dangerous in modern times. Plus, I do think explaining older world to a modern person and have them adjust is a lot easier than vice versa.

[scottishlass.livejournal.com]

I don't see CY living in the modern world either. He would pour over the annals just like Kim Boong-Do in QIHM and get on a guilt trip that would be HUMONGOUS. Then the whole complication of getting a valid identity, living expenses ... oh and yes, that little incident at the Expo Hall with the SWAT teams.
Additionally, I don't think Eun-Soo (apart form visiting her parents) really does want to go back. She has changed so much in the past months that living in the modern world would be impossible for her as well.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you are right. Now about that pesky antidote...

[scottishlass.livejournal.com]

There is discussion about the chrysantheums which have anti-biotic properties, as the yellow flowers feature so prominently in the series and Eun-Soo has dreamt about them perhaps this will be the deus ex machina we are all waiting for.

[nycteris-m.livejournal.com]

To join the ranks of people leaving fic on your LJ, here you go. I wrote this today.

Hair


Choi Young's eyes study the face of the woman sleeping next to him. He never truly forgets she's from Heaven, though sometimes he feels so comfortable around her he's able to put the truth in the back of his mind and imagine they'd always been together. Then there were other times. Times when she did or said something that marked her as different. Times like this afternoon...

Pushing the wooden door open before him he'd marched into his room - their room - to find his imja involved in a strange act. She was sitting on one chair with her foot on the seat of another she'd pulled close. A bowl of water sat on the floor between the chairs and a dish on the table next to her held the soap she'd created with Doctor Jang Bin. Her leg was bare. She'd taken off her leggings and had pushed the blue tunic aside displaying her entire leg.

Young's sword hit the floor with a clatter.

Even more strange was that she held the knife he'd given her in her hand and was proceeding to drag the knife up her leg.

The young general quickly averted his eyes to stare blindly at the far wall.

“Imja.” He paused and took a breath. “What are you doing?”

“Mm?” Eun Soo carefully focused on completing the swipe. Her mind not making any connection between her bare legs and his behaviour. “Shaving.”

“Sh- What?” Young shifted in impatience and confusion.

“Taking the hair off my legs.” Eun Soo stated matter-of-factly. Young looked at her and moved quickly to her side, grabbing the knife from her hand.

“Why?” His voice was deep and firm. Eun Soo could hear his no nonsense ordering tone lingering at the edges.

“Why?” She looked up curiously at him and slightly embarrassed. “Because they're hairy.”

“You don't like hair on your legs?” Young frowned, trying to understand this new revelation.

“No.” Eun Soo said slowly.

“But-” Young paused for a deep breath, remembering the day he'd tied the knife to her leg and the small hairs around her ankle had brushed his fingertips. “It's nice.”

Eun Soo frowned at him and clearly thought he was a bit strange. She grabbed the knife back. “It'll be nicer.” Perplexed at the ways of heavenly women, he left her to it.

Young watches as Eun Soo shifts in her sleep and rolls onto her side towards him. The movement causes the lower half of her left leg to leave the confines of her sleep tunic. Young stares at it. Hairless. His right hand tightly bunches the blanket over his hip. Young clenches his teeth and slowly unfurls his hand.

His eyes flit back to her face to find her still sound asleep and then return to her leg. He slowly reaches towards the very bare skin. He touches it briefly and pulls back as if burnt and holds his breath. No, she's still asleep.

He reaches out again. This time he leaves his fingertips resting on her skin. It feels- odd. Slowly his fingers move in a tiny circle. It's nice. A bigger circle. Really nice. He rests his palm against her leg and breathes.

Eun Soo kicks at the irritation, sends his hand flying back and rolls to her left. She snuggles back into the pillow and lies still. Young, who's eyes have widened in near fear, relaxes. He lies back on the small section of bed and closes his eyes. A small content smile rests on his lips. She was right. It is nicer. He wonders if she'd like it if he did the same to his legs.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

OMG this is the best thing ever!!! Can I rec it?

[nycteris-m.livejournal.com]

lol, glad you liked it! Sure, go ahead.

[linfer.livejournal.com]

Usually I'm really hating it when it's never really a question if the man should leave his home. But in this case it totally works for me. Because she found her purpose in the past. Not just because she found Choi Young, but she is someone with influence, someone that matters, someone who is a person, not just some small dot. I mean, she could be a well-known surgeon and everything if she wanted in our time, I have no doubts, but she has connetced with this other world in a way that makes it completely logical for me that she as a modern person would choose the past.
Mainly because they never wrote her as a person who is a spoiled drama queen. She was able to adapt without loosing herself. The opposite, she found herself in the past.
Plus, he has never taken it for granted that she'd say, that's why I loved this particular dialogue in either 21 or 22. She said she stays because of Choi Young, but Choi Young represents everything she loves about this world even if it's brutal and even if death is never far away.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yes - she's found herself in more than a romantic way, in the past...

[holdtheaegyo.wordpress.com (from livejournal.com)]

I'm so scared of how this is going to end. I want him to go with her through the portal. Please!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am OK with her staying in the past too, as long as she doesn't die.

[(Anonymous)]

I think she's right, he is happiest in his world. I don't think he'd cope well in the future, he'd probably feel terribly guilty. I'm not optimistic for the ending. Although a Red River-esque ending would be good (the ending of the mc story, not the let's tell a new story about characters nobody knows or cares about in the last book ending).

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yes, I am all for a RR ending!