2023 Kdrama My Dearest – Episode 5+6 Recap and Theory Explained, Review

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2023 Korean drama “My Dearest” Episodes 5+6 Plot :Lee Jang-Hyun met Nam Yeon-Joon. At first, he had no interest in saving the king, but he had a goal to get rid of the barbarians and avenge his grandfather, Song Chu. So, relying on Lee Jang-Hyun’s understanding of the barbarians, they came up with tactics and successfully eliminated the leader of the barbarians. However, at this time, rumors spread that the Khan had already arrived in Korea. Lee Jang-Hyun didn’t want Gil-Chae to face a terrible war and cried. Therefore, he decided to go undercover with Ryang-Eum in the barbarian camp secretly to investigate whether or not the Khan had really come to Korea.

However, Lee Jang-Hyun and Ryang-Eum were quickly suspected as spies. They endured torture and interrogation but fortunately managed to deceive the barbarians temporarily and survived. Just when the Khan demanded King Injo bow down before him, Lee Jang-Hyun discovered an outbreak of smallpox in the barbarian camp. This seemed like a ray of hope amidst Korea’s current predicament; however it also meant that the Khan would use more extreme measures to invade Korea.

As expected, Ganghwa Island became their primary target for invasion. This was also where Lee Jang-Hyun wanted Gil-Chae to seek refuge. Therefore, Lee Jang-Hyun tried every possible means to save Gil-Chae.

2023 Kdrama – My Dearest Episode 5 Recap

🔺In continuation of the fourth episode of “My Dearest,” just as Gil-Chae was being attacked by barbarians, Lee Jang-Hyun arrived in time to save her. However, all that was on Lee Jang-Hyun’s mind was the fact that Gil-Chae called him “husband.”

He relentlessly questioned Gil-Chae about why she called him “husband.” Despite Gil-Chae’s denial and explanation that it was a mistake and she mistook him for Nam Yeon-Joon, Lee Jang-Hyun appeared disappointed. Sensing that she had said something wrong, Gil-Chae thanked Lee Jang-Hyun for saving her.

Later on, Lee Jang-Hyun accidentally discovered the blood-stained knife belonging to Gil-Chae, indicating that she had been forced to get her hands dirty in battle. The next day, Gil-Chae noticed that she was wearing one of Lee Jang-Hyun’s clothes. At this point, Lee Jang-Hyun was already on his way to pursue the barbarians and asked Gil-Chae to protect herself with a knife just like before.

On their journey, they encountered Nam Yeon-Joon and his group but rejected his proposal to join them in rescuing the monarch. They were puzzled by the absence of other scholars and only then learned about their tragic fate at the hands of the barbarians.

However, Nam Yeon-Joon refused to give up protecting the monarch despite believing they couldn’t defeat the barbarians because it went against his principles – he believed it was their duty as scholars to protect all citizens and would die defending the monarch if necessary since doing so would ultimately save their country.

Lee Jang-Hyun accompanied Nam Yeon-Joon as reinforcements for royal troops when they were suddenly ambushed. Meanwhile, Gil-Chae and others encountered a group who wanted to assist near where royal troops were stationed; even Eun-Ae felt she should contribute instead of just seeking refuge. As a result, Gil-Chae decided to join them, and it was here that she was surprised to reunite with Lee Jang-Hyun.

Gil-Chae’s attention was quickly drawn to the injured Nam Yeon-Joon, which made Lee Jang-Hyun jealous. Gil-Chae blamed him for Nam Yeon-Joon’s injuries, but eventually realized that Lee Jang-Hyun himself was also wounded.

She didn’t know that on the battlefield, Lee Jang-Hyun had risked his life to save Nam Yeon-Joon. Eun-Ae went out of her way to comfort Lee Jang-Hyun by explaining that Gil-Chae didn’t understand these feelings of love and therefore couldn’t comprehend his actions. However, at her wedding ceremony, the first person Gil-Chae looked at was still Lee Jang-Hyun.

Lee Jang-Hyun proposed that they maintain an ambiguous relationship for now without defining or ending it immediately – silently supporting each other and occasionally enjoying beautiful moments together until one of them either wanted to develop into “My Dearest” or lost interest. However, this proposal was firmly rejected by Gil-Chae.

2023 Kdrama – My Dearest Episode 5 ending

🔺My Dearest Episode 5 ending :The next day, Lee Jang-Hyun didn’t want to give up on maintaining an ambiguous relationship with Gil-Chae. This move proved to be effective because before leaving, Lee Jang-Hyun received a hairband from Gil-Chae. However, faced with the general shouting that everyone should be prepared to sacrifice their lives, Lee Jang-Hyun didn’t want to go and die.

But seeing no way out, he took the initiative and proposed that if they were going to die anyway, they should at least win the battle. Therefore, he told the general that the distant black smoke was evidence of barbarians cremating their own people because they don’t allow their corpses to remain in enemy camps.

They could use this as a decoy and launch a surprise attack by first eliminating the enemy commander. As expected, this tactic brought good news. However, there is also bad news: the reinforcements carrying supplies were robbed on their way and will starve rather than being killed by barbarians.

🔺On January 6th of Ding Chou year (according to Chinese calendar), the general decided to form an advance team while others disbanded in order to gather military provisions and weapons from various places. Lee Jang-Hyun was threatened into accompanying an internal official’s journey which meant he had to leave Gil-Chae again.

Naturally curious about why Lee Jang-Hyun must join some kind of mission for saving the king, Gil-Chae asked him about it but got no answer yet. The advance team fought its way through barbarians until reaching His Highness’ presence; however, at this time Khan was on his way towards Korea causing Crown Prince So-Hyun great anxiety.

Through an internal official’s information channeling system,Crown Prince So-Hyun learned that Lee Jang-Hyun is someone familiar with barbarians so he specifically sought him out. However,he initially scolded the people for being lazy and only caring about their own safety instead of coming to save the king.

He also accused Lee Jang-Hyun of being a despicable person for not wanting to enter the mountain fortress in the first place. Lee Jang-Hyun didn’t care how he was treated until the internal official mentioned that it is rumored Khan has already arrived in Korea, and Korea may fall into destruction. But in order to prevent Gil-Chae from shedding tears, he still intends to go and investigate the barbarian camp, providing some information to the royal family and putting an end to this war.

2023 Kdrama – My Dearest Episode 6 Recap

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🔺In the continuation of Episode 5 of “My Dearest,” Lee Jang-Hyun meets Gil-Chae on Ganghwa Island and promises to find her. Lee Jang-Hyun and Ryang-Eum secretly infiltrate the barbarians’ camp to gather information. In order to confirm that the Khan has truly arrived in Korea, Ryang-Eum uses a song that resonates with the barbarians to lure out the Khan himself.

However, they are quickly discovered by Yong Gol-Dae, who senses something is amiss due to his past experience being deceived by spies. Ryang-Eum is forced to watch as Lee Jang-Hyun endures torture. He reveals that his mother was a Jurchen and his father was Korean, but they were killed due to their opposing sides in a conflict, leaving him as a slave until Lee Jang-Hyun saved him. Despite this story, Yong Gol-Dae remains skeptical until Ryang-Eum suggests what would happen if he died and couldn’t sing for the Khan.

Lee Jang-Hyun is relieved that Ryang-Eum didn’t put them both in danger but acknowledges his own injuries from their ordeal. Over the next few days, Lee Jang-Hyun observes that Dolgun (Nurhaci’s fourteenth son) has also arrived with his Eastern Army, equipped with powerful cannons.

He also notices how mercilessly brutal the barbarians are when it comes to taking lives; they show no fear or humanity like wild beasts. This indicates that they are preparing for an all-out war where defeat is not an option.Upon learning this information, King Injo contemplates making peace with the barbarians in order to avoid further escalation of war.

However, just like before, they demand Crown Prince So-Hyun as a hostage and want Korea to acknowledge them as kings. Nevertheless, many ministers implore King Injo not to bow down before the barbarian king, as it would be a great humiliation for Korea.

🔺Hong Taiji was not pleased with King Injo’s decision, so he refused to have any further contact with the envoys until King Injo agreed to leave the city. Lee Jang-Hyun believed that the current situation was at a stalemate and something needed to be done to end this war. Just then, the barbarians used force to pressure King Injo into leaving the city.

This sudden turn of events made Lee Jang-Hyun speculate that either something had gone wrong on the enemy’s side or that royal troops had arrived. After further confirmation, it was discovered that Hong Taiji likely contracted smallpox and didn’t want anyone to know or wanted to avoid contracting it by staying hidden.

That is why today he urgently demanded King Injo’s submission. Lee Jang-Hyun predicted that in the future, the barbarians would definitely resort to more radical means of pressuring Korea. Crown Prince So-Hyun believed his father should leave the city as soon as possible since it seemed like Ganghwa Island had indeed been occupied by the barbarians.

2023 Kdrama – My Dearest Episode 6 ending

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🔺At this moment, Gil-Chae realized that the barbarians had already reached Ganghwa Island. Chaos quickly ensued, and dozens of women fell off cliffs in order to protect their chastity. With Ganghwa Island on the verge of being captured, Yuan Sun’s life was also at stake. Gil-Chae and her companions desperately tried to escape.

They seized an opportunity to learn that Yuan Sun was an important figure. So, with the intention of saving herself, Gil-Chae took Yuan Sun and boarded a ship. In order to save her own life, she heartlessly pushed away other women who also wanted to board the ship. Even her small knife was taken by the barbarians when it fell onto the beach.

When Gil-Chae came back to her senses, she felt guilty for what she had done – how could she have been so cruel as to push people off the ship? Lee Jang-Hyun accidentally discovered one of Gil-Chae’s knives on a barbarian soldier and realized that Ganghwa Island had already fallen into enemy hands. He became even more worried about Gil-Chae’s safety and blamed himself for sending her there in the first place.

Taking advantage of his knowledge of water routes leading to Ganghwa Island, Lee Jang-Hyun hoped he could find Gil-Chae there. However, Royal soldiers deceived Gil-Chae by promising they would meet at the pier but then left with Yuan Sun themselves. Unaware that these soldiers were only using them as a distraction tactic, Gil-Chae and her group were left behind feeling betrayed.

Fortunately, Lee Jang-Hyun spotted Gil-Chae first and saved her from danger. However, due to his suspected contraction of smallpox (he didn’t dare approach), he couldn’t get close enough to help or protect her directly.

To safeguard Gil-Chae’s well-being nonetheless, Lee Jang-Hyun fought against both his team leader and the pursuing barbarians, doing his best to prevent them from capturing or harming her. Gil-Chae realized that it was Lee Jang-Hyun who had just saved them, and she felt that he had truly found her. As a result, Gil-Chae made up her mind to run back and find Lee Jang-Hyun.

2023 Kdrama My Dearest – Episode 5+6 Theory Explained, Review

My Dearest Review:I want to die on the path of saving the king.

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In the two episodes of “My Dearest,” Lee Jang-Hyun pointed out whether Nam Yeon-Joon’s heart is longing for his two women or solely focused on being a king. This question, as discussed in the previous two episodes of “My Dearest,” highlights the stark contrast between Nam Yeon-Joon and Lee Jang-Hyun.

The writer of “My Dearest” portrays various traumas, shadows, and darkness within Lee Jang-Hyun’s character, or rather, his understanding of human nature. What Lee Jang-Hyun wants to protect are sincere citizens who live their lives earnestly, not an imprisoned monarch.

This also implies that the lives of ordinary people are just as important to him as those of kings. It is not because a king holds power over a nation that they deserve more saving; even those living in remote villages should not be sacrificed because what they lose is their entire life. The damage inflicted upon them due to war far outweighs the loss of power experienced by kings.

In the third episode of “My Dearest,” Lee Jang-Hyun, portrayed by the writer, has a different perception towards war. He can see through political struggles behind wars and betrayals among people – their callousness. Hence he says: “If kings can abandon their subjects and flee, why should it be left to subjects to save kings?”

On the other hand, Nam Yeon-Joon’s innermost desire is solely focused on rescuing his idealized monarch – which differs from what Lee Jang-Hyun wants to protect. For Lee Jang-Hyun, it is about safeguarding precious relationships closest to him rather than following distant orders from a monarch; however, Nam Yeon-Joon remains determined to save his king despite losing many friends instantly on the battlefield.

Nevertheless, I believe that the writer of “My Dearest” does not intend to imply that Nam Yeon-Joon’s choice is wrong. In the fifth episode of “My Dearest,” I witnessed the sincerity of Nam Yeon-Joon and his group of inexperienced soldiers on the battlefield. Despite feeling fear deep within their hearts, Nam Yeon-Joon still chooses to walk down a dangerous path. This brings about a different understanding and contemplation in Lee Jang-Hyun’s perspective.

“I don’t think we can defeat our enemies or that I will survive until I meet the king, but I cannot act inconsistently. What I have learned in this lifetime tells me that it is every man’s duty to take responsibility for the rise and fall of a nation, wives should follow their husbands, subjects should be loyal to their kings.

Adhering to this order is something beautiful; enjoying privileges means men must protect their wives and children while kings and nobles have an obligation to safeguard their people. If I die on my journey to save the king, then let it be so – for my death is for the sake of protecting him, and he will surely protect his people; such is my belief.”

“In the drama <My Dearest>, the screenwriter delivers a powerful message to Nam Yeon-Joon, perfectly showcasing the sense of duty that contemporary scholars and brave individuals possess. In fact, Nam Yeon-Joon’s belief in “protecting” is no different from Lee Jang-Hyun’s. Nam Yeon-Joon also wants to protect everyone in the country and ensure the safety of Neunggun-ri.

Even though he may only have limited power, it is still a form of protection. This is why Lee Jang-Hyun is willing to cooperate with him. Although Lee Jang-Hyun doesn’t aim to save the king, his goal is to eliminate the barbarians who caused Song Chu’s grandfather and Lee Lang’s grandmother’s deaths. Their targets may differ, but their ultimate goal of protection remains the same.

In episode five of <My Dearest>, the screenwriter expands on this concept of “protection”. It gradually unfolds through Eun-Ae and Gil-Chae as well. This kind of protection isn’t for the nation or monarch; it stems from longing for someone dear in our hearts. Our efforts are all driven by a desire for each other’s survival and overcoming this war with our own strength, so we can live ordinary lives filled with happiness alongside our loved ones.”

My Dearest Review:Lee Jang-Hyun sees through the hearts of national rulers.

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Of course, it is obvious that Lee Jang-Hyun looks down upon this country and the king. Especially on the way to the mountain city, where monks lead the way, Lee Jang-Hyun candidly tells Crown Prince So-Hyun, “The country looks down upon monks, but when the country faces difficulties, those monks are at the forefront.” In Episode 5 of “My Dearest,” in the final scene where Lee Jang-Hyun and Crown Prince So-Hyun have a conversation, the screenwriter uses this scene to depict Lee Jang-Hyun’s disdain for the country.

In “My Dearest,” as written by the screenwriter, Lee Jang-Hyun has a different understanding of war. He can see through political struggles and betrayals among people behind wars. Therefore, his statement “Why should commoners save their monarchs when monarchs can abandon them?” may also imply his contempt and pain towards war and human nature.

I wonder if this is related to his father’s death because there was a big fire in Lee Jang-Hyun’s family back then. So his father’s death was likely due to barbarians or war-related reasons. This might explain why in Episode 3 of “My Dearest,” Lee Jang-Hyun keeps saying things like “Do you know how terrible war is?” or “Have you seen barbarians?” These all indicate that barbarians left a shadow on Lee Jang-Hyun.

The screenwriter of “My Dearest” brings out Lee Jang-Hyun’s understanding of the pain and sacrifices brought about by war. To borrow from what he said himself: if monarchs can abandon their subjects so easily, why should subjects still save their monarchs? Especially in Episode 6 of “My Dearest,” when Hong Taiji says, “The king doesn’t even dare to go onto the battlefield; yet these people think so much for him.

They are truly interesting.” The director specifically presents a scene where King Injo goes out of the city, bows down and cries in submission, satirizing how King Injo, facing war, only cares about his own reputation and humiliation. Although King Injo doesn’t seem like an incompetent ruler, his top priority seems to be the humiliation he has to face. I think this is also the human nature that Lee Jang-Hyun sees through – those below sacrifice their lives for their monarchs as if it were a matter of course.

My Dearest Review:Two people flirting in the ambiguous stage is so sweet! But being apart is too bitter.

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In the midst of this war, the term “相公” (husband) is just too sweet~ It gives Lee Jang-Hyun hope and anticipation to continue fighting in this war. It’s definitely a worthwhile choice. However, the relationship between the two characters written by the scriptwriter is both sour and sweet. When Lee Jang-Hyun eagerly hopes for some emotional connection with Gil-Chae, Gil-Chae’s remark “You might mistake me for Yeon-Joon young master and slip up” suddenly changes the atmosphere from sweet to bitter. Lee Jang-Hyun’s heart feels empty in that moment, and it was captured beautifully on screen~

Every shot by the director is like a scene from a play – Gil-Chae unintentionally saying something wrong followed by Lee Jang-Hyun’s disappointed expression speaks volumes without needing any words. Gil-Chae knows she has hurt Lee Jang-Hyun’s heart.

“For whom did I carry everyone across the river?” In these two episodes of “My Dearest,” the scriptwriter portrays both sweetness and bitterness in Lee Jang-Hyun and Gil-Chae’s relationship. There seems to be some progress between them in these two episodes; I noticed some flirtation and disappointment between them.

What’s more important is that now, through these two episodes, the scriptwriter brings out feelings of longing for “My Dearest,” echoing another title of this drama: “Missing You So Much My Dearest.” Gil-Chae gradually transitions from dreaming about Lee Jang-Hyun to yearning for him in reality, while their emotional connection becomes stronger over time.

Especially during that scene where Gil-Chae gives her hairpin to Lee Jang-Hyun amidst a dark army backdrop – it stands out as a vibrant red color which beautifully represents his longing for her.

Gil-Chae’s storyline perfectly showcases how one person faces despair and cruel human nature brought about by destruction – as she says, “What has happened to my hands?” Gil-Chae takes on the heavy responsibility of taking care of everyone along the way.

She is naturally kind-hearted, but throughout this journey, Gil-Chae resorts to injuring others with a knife in order to save Eun-Ae. In episode six of “My Dearest,” Gil-Chae even pushes a woman who wanted to board the ship off herself in order to ensure her own survival and that of her sisters. The scriptwriter presents Gil-Chae’s realistic struggle with human nature – it’s cruel and heartbreaking, yet it also demonstrates her strength.