[Recap] Warrior Baek Dong Soo Episode 8

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I love the new uniforms but please leave the mane of glory alone! In this episode, Yeo Woon learns the truth about his father and the boys finally stand in the palace training ground. Bring it on!

If you think Chun and Gwang Taek are going to have another epic battle, then be disappointed because they’re having a tea party inside the house. Chun chides Sword Saint for not informing him about his come back to Han Yang. Sword Saint smiles and apologizes for taking In’s hand. What’s there to be sorry about? Psshhh.

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Chun doesn’t really care and instead challenges, what if the opponent was him – would the result be the same? With a flash, he pulls out his sword and stabs straight at Sword Saint. Gwang Taek drops the tea cup in his hand and blocks the incoming attack without unsheathing his whole sword. I guess you win this round!

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Chun praises Gwang Taek’s agility despite losing an arm and says regrettably that the place for his sword is still empty. I’m guessing Chun collects swords of his defeated opponents?

At the temple, the green eyed monster in Dong Soo is stirred as he watches a noble man (Crown Prince) enters Ji Sun’s room. He doesn’t remember the Crown Prince’s face? Eeekkk!

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Dong Soo returns home and comes face-to-face with Chun. Chun playfully blows into his hair and leaves. It looks like Dong Soo doesn’t remember Chun’s face because his system has blocked out that painful memory. He holds his fist to his heart, in pain, wondering why the man’s face alone gives him shivers.

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Walking stealthily down the road, Yeo Woon searches for Chun. Unbeknownst to him, the curious Jin Ju follows him and sees the exchange. She can’t hear the conversation but notes the name on Chun’s sword.

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Yeo Woon urges Chun to tell him who killed his father, perhaps the person is Prince Sado? Chun says yes and breaks down the analogy – once a dog has run its course, it’s simply slaughtered for food. 0_0 Yeo Woon doubts the Crown Prince would personally stain his hand, and asks who stabbed the knife into his father? He throws out a guess – Sword Saint? Chun doesn’t dismiss the idea and inquires Yeo Woon’s plan if it’s indeed Sword Saint? Yeo Woon’s gaze drops to the ground as he weeps, possibly for his inept swordsman skill.

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Jin Ju brings a bottle of wine and drinks with Dong Soo and Cho Rip. She looks around and muses about a “small, handsome face, where is he?” Dong Soo looks at her, incredulous. Who else matches the description but HIM? Chop Rip slaps reality into his face, “It’s Yeo Woon!”

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Yeo Woon glides by them with a heavy heart. Gwang Taek and Sa Mo exit the house just in time to bump into him. Gwang Taek confirms Yeo Woon to be Cho Sang’s son but senses daggers coming out of the kid’s eyes. Do you have something to say to me? Yeo Woon tightens his grip on the sword and hesitates to pull it out.

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In the end, he remains stoic as Sword Saint pats his shoulder and walks away. His eyes shift back and forth as Chun’s words ring in his head, “Do you have the guts to hack the sky?” I really like this scene because Yoo Seung Ho projects vulnerability and helplessness through his eyes perfectly.

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The boys are goner and Jin Ju takes this opportunity to moon over Dong Soo’s sleeping face. She reaches out to brush his eyebrow but is caught in the act by Sa Mo as he demands for her identity. She reminds him of her name and Sa Mo greets her happily, “You’re Dong Soo’s childhood sidekick who likes to follow him around!” She bids goodbye and Sa Mo immediately erupts into his ten-thousand-word-per-minute ritual and rebukes the boys for drinking. I love Sa Mo Ajusshi.

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When Dae Pyo’s sister hands Sa Mo the sweater she made, he naively puts it over sleeping Dong Soo. Gwang Taek steps in and recognizes Dong Soo, finally meeting the baby he lost decades ago. He recalls their previous encounters and cries, thankful that fate has kept Dong Soo alive for them to reunite.

The next day, Gwang Taek pays his respect at Cho Sang’s grave and tells his deceased comrade to rest in peace.

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Crown Prince is alarmed when his bodyguard informs him of an assassin wandering around Chong Am Temple. Prince Sado thinks it’s time to move Ji Sun to a safer place. He also wants Dong Soo and the boys to enter the palace training ground. Hong Dae Joo is elated upon knowing about the female monk and asks for her background information. Does anyone else think that the assassin wants to swallow Hong Dae Joo alive? o_o

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I don’t know how, but Dong Soo manages to convince the boys and they all go to Chong Am Temple to save “sister-in-law” from harassment by the noble man. Dong Soo wants support but doesn’t allow his glory to be taken and hence he instructs that Cho Rip and Yeo Woon remain behind the scene.

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Inside the room, Crown Prince honestly answers the question Ji Sun posed for him last time, “Between me and the book of war, which would you pick?” I pick you, pikachu! He picks Ji Sun. Satisfied that he picks her before knowing what she has on her back, Ji Sun starts to untie her hanbok. The Prince looks askance and tells her to stop.

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He pauses the moment he sees the map on her back. Prince Sado expresses abject sadness over their doom destiny and helps her put on the hanbok which is when Dong Soo bursts in! Quickly, the guard’s sword meets Dong Soo’s neck and backs him out the room.

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Dong Soo loudly questions the Prince’s identity and what right does he have to enter a female monk’s room. Prince Sado tells him to leave obediently because it’s not the right moment. Dong Soo scoffs and turns around to call in his brothers but no one is there. Ha! Tired of this nonsense, the Prince orders his guards to “scare” Dong Soo, that will do.

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Cho Rip and Yeo Woon finally make their appearance. Cho Rip instantly meets a sword to his neck while Yeo Woon effectively knocks down a guard and proudly tells the other party to retreat. Hilariously, Dong Soo brags, “You see, this is Joseon’s best swordsman!” Oh? It’s no longer you? Before he can claim his title, the guard who holds Dong Soo by the neck, abandons him for Yeo Woon, a more worthy opponent. hahaha.

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Yeo Woon is a pretty good swordsman but compared to the experienced guards, he’s still no match and falls to the ground. Dong Soo and Cho Rip nimbly pulls him out of danger. They assemble to shield Yeo Woon from the attack before the Prince calls stop to his madness.

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Yeo Woon slowly takes in the Prince’s sword and kneels to his Highness. Cho Rip follows suit. Dong Soo is doubtful and grumbles for a few seconds before kneeling. Crown Prince Sado is amused and asks for his name. Baek Dong Soo. He smiles winsomely. Ah, the brave kid who saved me years ago. And it finally hits him who these three kids are – the future warriors. The other two are Yeo Woon and Cho Rip, he lists. Aw! I think I’m liking the Prince more and more now. He knows all their names! And he has a loving smile. heehee.

Before he leaves, he tells them to prepare travel expenses, they will be going to the palace training ground, Gang Hwa. Soon.

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That night, the boys drown their embarrassment with drinks. When a shadow cast over Yeo Woon, he grabs a chopstick and is inches away from stabbing Sword Saint. He eases Gwang Taek worries by inviting him to drink. Sword Saint starts to reminisce about Yeo Woon’s and Dong Soo’s father and how their brotherhood stood against all odds but now they’re gone. In his head, Yeo Woon asks bitterly, “Then why did you kill them?

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Yeo Woon’s hand moves over his sword as Gwang Taek speaks more about Cho Sang. How they rarely spoke with each other but he knew that Cho Sang had left Yeo Woon in his care.

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Doubts begin to cross Yeo Woon’s eyes as the intensity slip and he feels like a confused little boy. Oh god, I really love the subtle changes in his facial expression. Before the compassion completely engulfs him, Yeo Woon excuses himself.

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Over at Jin Ju’s place, she teasingly chides her dad for walking into her room without knocking. Girl is all grown up, ya’ll know. He sees the bag of goodies and instantly glares at her for sneaking out. He opens the bag and checks out the stolen goodies and is startled to find a yellow scroll. At Mo Hwa Ru, the Qing Emissary finally notices that the emperor’s scroll, containing his instructions, is missing. He relays the incident to Hong Dae Joo, who is dismayed about the Emperor’s doubt regarding the Norons, his faction.

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Restless and unkempt, Yeo Woon goes to meet Chun and Ji at Hoksa Chorong. He is sure that the Crown Prince and Sword Saint aren’t the murderers, who is it really? Chun confirms it to be Yeo Woon. The memory floods back and sears through his heart. He’s shaken and stumbles for the sword.

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He holds the tip to his neck, ready to die. Chun says his death won’t change a thing and steps down his chair to whip the sword out of Yeo Woon’s grip.

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Chun tells him it’s pain. Being an assassin is embracing another person’s pain as his own. Yeo Woon gets up and says he has finally understood. What? Understand what? WHAT?!

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Over at Hong Dae Joo, his folks reported to have seen Hwang Jin Gi during that night. He hurriedly summons Chun but Ji comes instead. He lists the price – find the scroll and gets the reward of 10,000 yang; find the scroll and bring back Hwang Jin Gi’s head, double the amount. Oh god, I’m so glad it’s Ji and not Chun. But Hong Dae Ju is a cunning fox and sends a message to Chun, just in case. AHHHHHHHHHH!

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At the hideout, Hwang Jin Gi receives Ji’s message and breaks his sword in half. Later in the night, he meets with Ji and calls her “Ajasshi/Miss”, was he her bodyguard before? Ji tells Jin Gi to live like a dead person, for him and his daughter’s sake. She turns to leave but stops a few steps away to ask, “What’s her name?” Hwang Jin Ju. This exchange is witnessed by Chun. I hope he doesn’t think that Jin Ju is Ji and Hwang’s daughter and kills him. T_T

Leaving the temple is Ji Sun, and she looks very much unsettled. Sigh. And the boys officially meet Sword Saint. He gives them some training before sending them off to the palace.

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Wearing their new blue uniform, the boys are excited until they see the group of trainees practicing amateurish moves, as Dong Soo puts it. He’s disappointed. Leader of the group is none other than Hong Dae Ju’s son, Hong Sa Hae (left). When they hear of the trashy words from Dong Soo’s mouth, another trainee steps up to challenge him, and it’s Hong Dae Ju’s nephew, Hong Myung Ju (right). Dang, what’s this? A group of troublemakers already!

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Enraged, Myung Ju lunges at Dong Soo and is quickly pushed to the side. Yeo Woon looks on smugly. Gosh, although I know it’s harsh words they say, I’m in glee seeing the arrogance explodes. ha!

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Seeing how his underlings are beaten, Sa Hae walks in and instructs his trainees to close all doors, in case other people intervene. He proceeds to call Dong Soo and his gang “dead meat”. Not to be threatened by the number, Cho Rip and Yeo Woon step up to stand on either side of Dong Soo. shflksdfjdsf! So AWESOME MY BOYS!!! HEEEEE!

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Leaning his head in, Dong Soo suggests boldly, “Woon-ah, rather than taking them down one-by-one, let’s do it altogether?” to which Yeo Woon nods approvingly. HEEYAWWWWWW!

Alice: I really like this episode as it settled Yeo Woon’s conflict regarding his father’s death (for now) and pushed the main conflict forward! I gotta say, the star of this episode is really Yoo Seung Ho with his subdued acting, full of anguish regret.

The addition of new male members reminds me a lot of Queen Seon Duk’s growing gorgeous men. But this time, the fellows are a bit on the scrawny side. My mom walks by and compliments Ji Chang Wook’s sweet smile and screams when she sees Yoo Seung Ho, “That boy is too pretty in blue and flowing hair!”

If you guys are worried that our boys are outnumbered (pshh they’re better anyway), let me remind you of their mountain brothers! I’m sure they will be delivered on set soon.

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  1. One thought on “[Recap] Warrior Baek Dong Soo Episode 8

    Thank you very much for this recap! Warrior Baek Dong Soo is not a very popular drama right now even though I hope it will change during the next weeks! And you're totally right about JinJu! She just DESERVES Dong Soo, and I think the scriptwriter gave us the indications which prove that their relation is important. We will see^^. Anyway, keep making me smile everytime I read you recaps, please! :)) 

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