Our Blooming Youth – K-drama Episode 16 Recap & Review

The Twin

Episode 16 of Our Blooming Youth begins with the Queen trying to ask what Prince Myungan means when he says he gave a peach to his elder brother. Prince Myungan starts crying, explaining that his uncle directed him to offer his elder brother a peach. At the time, Prince Myungan had no idea that his brother was on medication and that a peach would be fatal to him. The Queen quickly silences him and the King’s presence is announced.

The King stopped by to check on the prince and they all hide what Prince Myungan confessed. The Princess lies that the prince is terrified after witnessing the Oyat tree burn and the King assures him that he is safe.  The King soon leaves and the Queen stays back with the prince. She once again asks for the truth and Prince Myungan repeats that his grandfather ordered him to give Ui- hyeon a peach. The queen comforts him and warns him not to tell anyone. She tells him he must forget everything so that they can both live.

The Princess contemplates meeting with the Crown Prince and telling him everything. She changes her mind when she doesn’t find him in his room. The Princess asks Eunuch Soon-dol to help her with some advice on how to handle the situation. Jae-yi tells her that at the time of the incident, Prince Myungan was only seven years old and probably had no ill intentions. However, the princess worries that intentions mean nothing once the truth is revealed. Jae-yi advises her to tell the Crown Prince but the Princess decides it is best to keep quiet and asks Jae-yi to keep their conversation a secret.

Elsewhere, the Crown Prince asks Tae-gang to furnish the house. Tae-gang is surprised that Jae-yi is not willing to return to Sung-on after she proves her innocence. The Crown Prince asks if Tae-gang has seen Jae-yi with another man and Tae-gang replies that they are always together. It seems the Crown Prince still has no idea that he is the man that Jae-yi loves.

At th lab, Myung-jin ponders on the case and Scholar Park visits Ga-ram. He gives her linen and asks her to make female dresses for Jae-yi and herself. He confesses that he knows that she is Ga-ram and asks her to be careful not to be captured. Tae-gang watches the interaction and Man-deok and Bok-soon mistake him for someone else.

On the other hand, Jae-yi wonders what the Princess told her about Prince Myungan’s dreams and hallucinations. She waits for the Crown Prince’s return and scolds him for leaving alone. The Crown Prince tries to tell her about the house he bought for her but changes his mind. He instead asks about the man she is in love with. She refuses to name him but explains he is an exemplary man which annoys the Crown Prince even more.

Later that night, Jo Won-oh meets with Jo Won-bo and gives him the pottery.  They talk about the Han family sending someone for the Queen’s selection. Jo Won-bo admits that he already knows about it but he has a card that will destroy the Crown Prince. Another man visits them and shares that Han-su is causing problems after becoming addicted to gambling and losing his fortune. Han-su is threatening to reveal the truth about Byeokcheon and claims he has a secret that will be of interest to Jo Won-bo.  Jo Won-bo orders his henchman to find Han-su.

The queen spends that night feeling a burning vengeance in her heart and her hatred towards Jo Won-bo intensifies. She vows to get back at him for making her young son an accomplice to murder.

The next morning, Tae-gang provides evidence that Han-su pocketed money from the Jo family ten years ago. The Crown Prince insists on meeting with Han-su and asks Tae-gang to escort him. Tae-gang is moved that the Crown Prince still trusts him even after Jae-yi accused him of treason.

Outside the palace, Ga-ram makes some dresses for  Min Jae-yi and decides to switch the expensive linen to make clothes for the two kids Bok-soon adopted. While at the market, she is spotted by a judge but she manages to run and hide. She ends up at the tavern and sees Bok-soon and Man-deok sending stuff to their hometown. It seems like they are sending weapons among other foodstuffs.

Later that night, Bok-soon and Man-deok caution their children about telling anyone that they are from Byeokcheon.  They reminisce about the time when they had peace in Byeokcheon and lived with their daughter who was killed in the massacre.  The kids also remember a fish that fed on human blood and answered their prayers.  Apparently, the fish has been around for decades and though it lays eggs, they don’t hatch. The eggs are dangerous and if eaten, they can make one mad.

At the palace, Jae-yi runs into the women brought in for the Queen selection and feels sad. On the other side, the Jo family officials meet. The Minister of Personnel returns from burying his daughter and shares a rumour with the family. It turns out that Han So-eun’s mother died just before the Queen selection started. According to Joseon’s custom, that makes her illegible to join the Queen’s selection but the Han family still presented her. The Jo family is elated to learn this and asks the Minister of Personnel to get a witness. The Queen’s selection proceeds as planned as the Jo family bid their time.

Still at the palace, Jae-yi spots Tae-gang and tries to follow him but is unable to. She gives up and goes back to her chores and is surprised to see Tae-gang again. She asks him about it and he gets angry and answers her ironically.

Night rolls by and Tae-gang and the Crown Prince leave the palace to meet Han-su. Unfortunately, Jo Won-bo’s man finds him first and kills him after learning the secret he wanted to share with his master. The Crown Prince arrives just in time to interrogate Han-su but he doesn’t get much from him. Before Han-su dies, he tells the Crown Prince that the Byeokcheon people RE innocent and the officials were paid to hide this. He also shares that a woman from the Song family is in the palace but fails to mention her name.

Jo Won-bo dismisses Han-su’s claim and thinks he was trying to extort money by planting seeds of distrust.  The Crown Prince and Jae-yi try to find out what Han-su meant. The Crown Prince remembers that Oh Man Sik also said the Byeokcheon people were innocent too. He wants to find the identity of the woman and ask for her side of the story but fears the woman is long gone.

On the other side of the palace, Prince Myungan refuses to eat and his condition gets worse. The Princess grows increasingly concerned over his mental health and visits the Queen to find a solution. The Queen is distressed by Prince Myungan’s confession and the Princess tries to comfort her. She is thankful that the Queen has always been kind to her, even though she is not her biological mother. She promises to help the Queen with this crisis.

The Queen’s court lady asks if they should let the Princess interfere and if they should hand her over to the Chief State Minister. The Queen responds that she will do it herself. Later that night, the Queen writes a letter sealing the fate of the Princess.

The Crown Prince worries about the ghost letters and Jae-yi wonders if Sim-yeong was in his right mind when he killed her family. Just then, Myung-jin realizes that Tae-gang has a twin. This twin receives a letter from the Queen to assassinate the Princess. Tae-Gang’s twin takes the letter to Monk Moojin who starts his preparation.

The next morning, the Princess gets information about a monk who can cure the Prince. Unfortunately, since he is not a physician; he can’t come to the palace to treat the Prince, as it would be considered sorcery. The Princess decides to secretly sneak out of the palace with Prince Myungan and take him to the monk.

Myung-jin shares his theory with Jae-yi, the Crown Prince and Ga-ram and they are surprised. The episode concludes with Tae-gang preparing the new house as the Crown Prince had requested while his twin follows the Princess in order to kill her.

The Episode Review

The twist that Jo Won-bo would use Prince Myungan to unknowingly kill his brother was something I did not see coming. Jo Won-bo is ruthless and he will stop at nothing to increase power for himself and his family. Poor Prince Myungan has been carrying the guilt all these years. He is just a kid and it is sad that he blames himself for his brother’s death. What a despicable grandfather he has!

I was also hoping that the Queen was willing to protect the Crown Prince and the Princess but it turns out she has been spying on the Crown Prince. She has also ordered a hit on the Princess. This proves that she is the woman that Han-su was talking about. Jo Won-bo has no idea that his beloved niece is actually an impersonator. Come to think of it, she is deadlier than Jo Won-bo. She has been right under their noses, plotting and no one had the slightest clue.

Lastly, Tae-gang having a twin was not a big twist and I am surprised they are only figuring it out now. The question is did Tae-gang know? What happens when the enemy has the same face as your most trusted confidante? Things are bound to get interesting!