Scholar Who Walks the Night Episode 6 Recap

Episode 6 was by far the most substantive and interesting episode of Scholar Who Walks the Night since the fantastic start. That’s not saying much since the drama still relies too much on shoving Sung Yul and Yang Sun down our throats. I do want Sung Yul and Yang Sun, eventually and at a well plotted pace, not the current lightning speed and with multiple logic and emotional leaps to get there. On the plus side are the multiple important reveals, from who has the dang memoir that everyone and their mothers are looking for, to what exactly Sung Yul finds intriguing enough about Yang Sun to tumble head first for her despite being a 120 year old vampire who has seen it all.

Six-episodes in, it’s undeniable now that the weak link in the entire drama is Yang Sun, more her character and integration to the action than an indictment of Lee Yoo Bi’s acting. Her performance has something that doesn’t quite jibe either, not because it’s bad acting because it is certainly good for the most part, she just makes Yang Sun so childish and it doesn’t help that she’s forever in need of saving. And not just by Sung Yul, Yoon does his share of helping her, and both even rope their retainers into doing extra chores to keep her safe. I only wish she were less of a guppy and more savvy to cotton onto what is happening around her, from Sung Yul’s oddness here and there to Yoon’s subtle hints and too sudden interest in her.

Episode 6 recap:

Sung Yul and Ho Jin are frantically looking for Yang Sun in the marketplace, after hearing that all the booksellers have been arrested. They have no luck finding her but Sung Yul notices the amulet he gave Yang Sun on the ground. He sends Ho Jin to get Soo Hyang to help look for Yang Sun.

Elsewhere at the magistrate’s office, Gwi is doing what Gwi does best which is biting the arrested booksellers one after another and allowing them to reanimate as vampires. He goads the newly turned vampires to indulge in their blood lust and bite the other booksellers. The scene turns into a bloodbath as booksellers are bitten and turned one after another, all while Gwi sits down to watch the show.

Sung Yul goes to the one-armed bookseller’s back office and finds Yang Sun safely inside. He angrily demands to know what she is doing her which startles Yang Sun and she falls off the ladder. Sung Yul moves as super speed and catches her in his arms, hearing she came to look for the memoir. He isn’t happy that she’s back to helping him look for the memoir and hears that she is doing it because she wants to help now that she knows it’s a real book and not a work of fiction. Sung Yul returns the amulet to Yang Sun, putting it around her neck while ordering her not to lose it yet again.

Sung Yul walks through the forest with Yang Sun a few steps behind him. He purposely slows down and Yang Sun picks up the signal so boldly speeds up until she’s walking right beside him. They wordlessly walk together until Yang Sun notices Sung Yul’s shoes which triggers her questions about what happened last night. She gets up her courage to ask if Sung Yul came to look for her at the wine shop last night?

Yang Sun brings up how last night felt like a dream, in which Sung Yul gave her a pair of shoes and put it on her feet personally. Yang Sun’s heart starts beating rapidly while Sung Yul just stares at her, and she can’t help but stare at his lips the whole time. Sung Yul notices where she’s staring so Yang Sun starts stammering that it must be a dream because there is no way Sung Yul would ever do such a thing in real life. Sung Yul just keeps walking with a little smile on his face while Yang Sun follows behind chastising herself for her wild dream.

Sung Yul drops Yang Sun back home and she thanks him for everything he’s done, including getting her relocated to Jeju which will also help treat her sister’s leg injury. She doesn’t know of she’ll ever see him again and wishes him luck on finding Prince Jonghyun’s memoir. Sung Yul thanks Yang Sun for all her help during this time and she’s holding back tears while saying that she won’t forget their short time together.

Lee Yoon is recalling the conversation with the King in which he was tasked with finding the Lecherous Scholar before the minister. Doing so will prove his right to inherit the throne, and failing he may have to relinquish his royal position. The King also wants him to destroy all of the Lecherous Scholar’s writings, including where all the flyers suddenly went since the confiscated item are all missing.

Yoon sends his friends to ask about the missing flyers and hears that it’s all gone and no one saw how is disappeared. This leads Yoon to assume Gwi did it until he hears it went missing after the sun came up. Yoon then extrapolates the existence of another blood sucking being like Gwi, but one who can move in the sunlight. He asks his friend to find out Yang Sun’s whereabouts.

Yang Sun is packing up for the movie and finds the book about the Scholar Who Walks the Night. She flips to a page with the drawing of her and Sung Yul, leading her to get teary eyed missing him. Her little sister wakes up so Yang Sun snuggles up to her to talk about how she’s said her farewells already to the little kids and will surely miss them, when it’s clear Yang Sun is talking about how much she’ll miss Sung Yul.

Soo Hyang finds Sung Yul outside and goes out to talk to him. He asks her to find boats leaving tomorrow for Jeju and also line up a place for her family to settle there. He dismisses Soo Hyang but she asks to stay with him for awhile longer, not as a woman but as a friend. This is the first time she’s ever seen him sad like this, if he’s reluctant to send Yang Sun off then they can look for a way to keep her here and safe.

Sung Yul pauses for a moment and then says that Yang Sun is beautiful to him – the way she cross-dresses as a man to earn a living to support her family, her courage and resilience in living this hard life without losing hope. When he sees Yang Sun, it reminds him of his past, when he was still a human with passion and dreams. Soo Hyang thinks to herself that Sung Yul must also be reminded of his past love. Sung Yul sighs that these are just memories to him, gone when he wakes up. He tells Soo Hyang again to have Yang Sun’s departure ready by tomorrow.

Yang Sun and her dad hear the next morning that all the booksellers have been arrested and officials are out looking for Yang Sun. Their contact to Jeju wants them to stay at his house tonight and take the boat out the following morning.

Yoon gets an update from his man about Yang Sun being safe and preparing to leave for Jeju. He orders his guard to not guard him anymore and go protect Yang Sun, to make sure that she’s not arrested.

Yoon is walking through town when he passes by Hye Ryung who purposely drops her handkerchief. Yoon picks it up and returns it to Hye Ryung’s waiting maid, politely nodding to her and walking off. Hye Ryung turns to stare at Yoon walk off.

Yoon heads to the magistrate’s office to find officers cleaning the entire residence of blood splatter everywhere. The minister refuses to divulge what happened, claiming it is a confidential investigation. Yoon warns the minister to do a thorough investigation, lest rumors spread to the public that the booksellers were eaten by a vampire. The dead booksellers have been rounded up and dumped into a pit to have their corpses burned, with Sung Yul looking on at the carnage Gwi wrought yet again.

Yang Sun is running around town, hiding her face behind a little fan while dodging the officers. Turns out she’s there to pick up a special present for Sung Yul, wondering whether he’ll like it or not.

Sung Yul and Ho Jin watch a slave fighting match, having come to find the slaves from the Crown Prince’s household who were sold there. They talk with the owner of the fight club who offers to sell them slaves from the ring. Sung Yul hands over half the price of a slave, asking only for the owner to answer his questions. Sung Yul names the specific slaves and the owner claims they banded together and ran away. Sung Yul notices books on the shelf, and after the slave owner heads back to the ring, he rifles through the books which are all dense treatises on governance.

Sung Yul follows the slave owner a hut in the forest and eavesdrops on his meeting. He sees the one-armed bookseller inside, Yoon, and Yoon’s friend, all discussing being on alert now that Sung Yul is asking about the slaves. Sung Yul spots copies of the flyers inside and recognizes Yoon as the royal grandson prince. Yoon’s friend wants to move ahead but Yoon wants to give the bookseller more time to come around to agree to help them.

Sung Yul follows Yoon back to his residence and notices other people are keeping tabs on Yoon. He sneaks inside to look around and finds a hidden door leading to another room where Yoon does all his real work.

Hye Ryung is feeding the fishes and when her maid urges her to stop since she already fed the fishes. Hye Ryung tosses the entire bowl of feed into the pond, and when the maid wails that the fishes will die this way, Hye Ryung coldly says that’s the point of feeding the fishes, so it would die as soon as possible. Hye Ryung yells at the maid for the fish scent upsetting her but the maid was told by her father to keep the fish in the pond.

Hye Ryung’s dad arrives to see all the dead fish floating in the pond. He orders the maid to clean up the dead fish before yelling at Hye Ryung for coming outside. Hye Ryung ignores her dad until he yells at her for the insolence, so she gives it right back, asking how she could see him as a father when he would sacrifice his daughter to a vampire for his own advancement. Excellent point.

Yang Sun finds a way to say goodbye to Yoon in person, and he readily uses this excuse to avoid meeting the minister. Yoon wants Yang Sun to write him a promissory note, explaining that he will need it since she owes him so much money. Yoon dictates that Yang Sun needs to write him twice a month, thinking to himself that she needs to stay healthy and well, while telling her to come back soon. Yoon huffs at Yang Sun to sign the note but she doesn’t think she can keep her promise to come back soon. Yoon is certain she’ll come back soon, explaining that he will make it happen.

Sung Yul tells Soo Hyang and Ho Jin his discovery that royal grandson Yoon is the Lecherous Scholar. Soo Hyang suggests he reveal himself to Yoon so that they can work together. Sung Yul first wants to confirm whether the one-armed bookseller knows where Prince Jonghyun’s memoir is.

Yang Sun’s adopted father goes digging under the floorboards and retrieves a buried box. Inside is Prince Jonghyun’s memoir along with a laquer box. He vows to the dead Crown Prince that he will never hand over the memoir, that way Yang Sun can be safe and stay his daughter forever.

Yang Sun continues her farewell tour, this time going to Sung Yul’s place to wait for him. But he’s still not back late into the night so she says her farewells to his door before leaving. Sung Yul and Ho Jin notice her leaving but he doesn’t stop her. Sung Yul reads Yang Sun’s farewell note with the present of a lamp to help him when reading at night.

Yang Sun walks through the marketplace to head home, and at the same time Gwi is out stalking for her. Yang Sun passes by Gwi but her scent is masked by the Hawthorn amulet initially. Gwi is about to leave when he realizes Yang Sun was wearing a Hawthorn amulet and correctly guesses that Sung Yul gave it to her to mask her scent. Gwi doubles back to stalk Yang Sun who doesn’t realize that she’s being followed.

Sung Yul arrives and pulls Yang Sun to safety, successfully evading Gwi. He’s not deterred in the least, and even more excited to meet the owner of the scent that can’t even be fully masked with Hawthorn wood. Yang Sun is way more into remembering this moment which isn’t a dream, until Sung Yul orders her to head to his place through the forest and not to come out until the sun rises.

Sung Yul exposes himself to Gwi in order to divert his attention, with Gwi happy to see Sung Yul again and a bit sad Sung Yul doesn’t feel the same way after their 120 year parting. Gwi asks if Sung Yul is willing to see him because of the owner of the bag so Sung Yul tells Gwi to follow if he wants to know the answer. Gwi doesn’t realize he’s been diverted until he is deep in the forest with Sung Yul, at which point he wonders why the owner of the bag is so important that Sung Yul will go to such lengths to keep Gwi from that person.

Sung Yul wonders why Gwi is here, is he so scared of the person being the Lecherous Scholar and having the secret to destroying him? Gwi isn’t scared in the least and plans to find that person soon. Sung Yul unleashes his fangs and goes vampire-a-vampire with Gwi but is no match for him, with even Gwi disappointed that Sung Yul ought to have inherited the Master’s power but this is all he has to show for it. Gwi can sense that Sung Yul is less powerful because he hasn’t drank any human blood in a long time. Sung Yul manages to steal back Yang Sun’s bag from Gwi before leading him on a chase.

Yang Sun arrives at Sung Yul’s residence and Ho Jin is frantic with worry over his master.

Sung Yul and Gwi take their fight to the cliffs, with Sung Yul tossing the bag into the ocean so that Gwi can no longer use it to track Yang Sun. Gwi is about to launch a full on attack when the sun rises behind Sung Yul. He pulls out his special vampire killing Hawthorn blade and stabs Gwi in the shoulder with it. Gwi is furious to have fallen into Sung Yul’s trap and manages to stab him in the gut with the same knife. Gwi escapes, leaving Sung Yul severely injured.

Gwi manages to run through the shaded forest but can’t get any further when he is blocked by an uncovered area with sunlight filtering in. He puts his hand in the sunlight and confirms that he can’t withstand the sun. But he still feels confident that Sung Yul can’t survive after losing so much blood even if he got the Master’s power to withstand the sunlight.

Hye Ryung leaves the palace, wondering how come Gwi is not in his lair when the sun is out.

Yang Sun has been sitting outside all night, waiting for news about Sung Yul. Soo Hyang and Ho Jin return without any news, and Soo Hyang is about to slap Yang Sun when Ho Jin stops her. They want to keep looking for Sung Yul, and when Yang Sun offers to help look Ho Jin says she’s helping them by doing nothing and staying here. Soo Hyang warns Yang Sun that if anything were to happen to Sung Yul, she won’t let this go.

Yoon gets a report from his guard that Yang Sun and her family left for Jeju, claining that he saw them get on the boat. Yoon’s friend is worried that Gwi won’t stop his killing spree until he finds the Lecherous Scholar, but Yoon thinks the public will hate him even more for what’s happening.

Yoon’s guard has turned, reporting to the King that Yoon ordered him to personally protect this one bookseller. They believe that Yang Sun must be the Lecherous Scholar and that Yoon is working with her.

Ho Jin is frantically running around the forest looking for Sung Yul, who has managed to drag himself off the cliff and is trying to make his way back home. But he’s lost a lot of blood and can barely move. Just as he’s about to collapse, Yang Sun is the one who finds him, taking him to a nearby abandoned hut at his request.

Yang Sun takes Sung Yul to the hut and wants to get medical help for him but he orders her to leave now to catch her boat. Yang Sun refuses to leave Sung Yul here alone and then he passes out.

Thoughts of Mine:

I don’t think there is a fundamental problem with the drama since I’m still enjoying it more or less, but it certainly has a major sore thumb in the form of Yang Sun. She’s cute and perky like a puppy, and does equally cute things that is just so out of place tonally in this drama. It’s like she’s been zapped in here from a modern rom-com while everyone is acting out life, death, and guts galore. And in the context of the romantic pairings it becomes even more apparent that the narrative thrust of her and Sung Yul just doesn’t ring strongly the way the drama is developing it. As a fan of the original manhwa, having devoured all 58 available chapters in the span of days, the romance between Sung Yul and Yang Sun per the manhwa is the stuff of soul stirring dreams. I felt my heart soaring and sobbing for them, but here I just want him to pet her and feed her a treat rather than all the kissing. She’s emotionally a little kid around him, and her pouting and dream probing doesn’t come off as cute as much as she’s a little dense in the head. I want to like Yang Sun, and there’s nothing objectionable about her, but I can’t get onboard the way the writer has developed her character so far. Give the girl more agency and some ability to avoid trouble so she’s not constantly in need of saving.

I am really getting on the Soo Hyang train, and it’s a combination of finding her character awesome and also having Myung Hee doppleganger Hye Ryung doing nothing other than be a moving bitch face. I can’t believe the drama had Sung Yul meet Hye Ryung and then promptly do NOTHING about it. How come Sung Yul didn’t try to look for the girl who looks just like his Myung Hee? That makes no sense at all, and honestly so much action in this drama already lacks proper foundation and little sense, seemingly jumping from point to point. Sung Yul went crazy upon seeing Hye Ryung, and then after waking up from a conk on the head went back to his day job of looking for the memoir and bailing Yang Sun out of trouble. He seems to spend more of his time saving Yang Sun these days, with that memoir business priority number two, and Yoon seems to be getting there as well. All I can assume is that Yang Sun’s blood is an aphrodisiac to these men, otherwise their lightning speed dedication to her is beyond me. Gwi at least is just a beast and thinks she’d make a tasty meal, and that motivation I can get behind. It’s the same reason Soo Hyang engages me, she’s beautiful and capable, loyal and thoughtful to Sung Yul’s feelings. Too bad he doesn’t reciprocate otherwise as a couple they would get more done.

Gwi is starting to lose his interesting luster now that he’s just gone off the deep end. When his killing was targeted for maximum impact, it made his threat dangerous because he knew exactly how to exert his power. The killing of the booksellers doesn’t make much sense and creates such a huge mess to cover up, and part of his power over the royal family is keeping his existence as their brawn from the unsuspecting public. I also don’t know why he wants Hye Ryung for capturing Sung Yul, it feels like both vampires are picking such complicated methods for dealing with each other when they should just challenge each other to a showdown. But as the exciting but much too short battle at the end of this episode shows, Sung Yul as the vegetarian is clearly lacking the brute force that carnivore Gwi is pumped full off. Luckily Gwi doesn’t seem that smart, as evidenced by how easily Sung Yul was able to divert his attention from zeroing in on Yang Sun. Plus Sung Yul’s fighting moves are all skill and speed, which serves him well until he’s in close combat, and that’s how he ended up shivved with his own special knife. Thank goodness it wasn’t in a critical spot but how’s he going to heal without some immediately blood infusion is beyond me. Too bad Yang Sun doesn’t know he’s a vampire yet, if she did then she could use her own blood to try and revive him. I’m not sure how she found him other than the plot dictates that she lucks out on winning the vampire special times lottery.

Click here to watch Scholar Who Walks the Night.


Comments

Scholar Who Walks the Night Episode 6 Recap — 51 Comments

  1. @koala I saw a correlation chart of SWWTN. It indicates that Hye Ryung will become the crown princess and will have an unrequited love for the crown prince? Is this confirmed? I just think that you’d know since you’re very much updated to kdramas. Thanks

    • the early chart from K-fandom has unrequited love relationship between HR and the prince … the official chart ( from drama website ) shows that HR have no love line .. but SY will feel for her ( coz she looks like his first love ).

      • Did u read the manga of THE SCHOLAR WHO WALKS IN THE NIGHT??? Can u give em the link……. I need it to read …………….:)
        thank u n advance…:)

      • The early chart was leaked from the production staff. I wonder if they changed the chart to remain mysterious or did they change the story?

  2. you point out every single thing that bothers me about this drama.
    i’m gonna mark the writer and put her in the stay away list. unless her drama cast someone i really really really like, i wont ever watch it.

    • I agree with you Bee… I dunno whether it’s the scripting or direction problem but I am not so into leeyubi’s character..
      I like the cute in tamra island coz the actress was really really funny… But I am won over by yang sun’s personality …

      • hi shue rei,

        imo, some actress will nail this type of character. YS character can be likeable or hated, depends on the scripting, direction and most importantly on how the actress take on the role. LYB is not a bad actress, but her take on this role mybe not that convincing. she has an adorable look, but to act as a pure naive, and innocent character.. err imo she doesnt do that great.

        i checked her in Gu Family Book recently, coz i reluctant very much to watch it before.. but because many ppl said she done well there, so i checked it. its true she did pretty well in there. i think she shudnt do this type of character anymore, and her character in Pinocchio also a disturbance for me. if shes not doing this character in the future, mybe i can find a reason to like her. but not for now.

    • Hi nuna
      I agree with you
      There’s nothing unique that LYB is bringing to her character…
      Is this her first leading role?
      This is quite a highly anticipated drama and LYB needs to find her YS-identify fast and make this role memorable…I always like the role-playing cross dressing male getup but this one is not appealing to me.
      I also can’t see how the two guys can fall for her so fast and hard …

  3. You pointed it out pretty well Koala. Oh man, I was perturbing why can’t I just get in this drama, and I can see now why. As this is a show that features Lee Jun Ki, Lee Yu Bi, and Kim So Eun, I should be seeing magic on-screen, but instead all I can see is a huge miscast. And it’s a damn shame!

    I’ve re-evaluated all three leads and what made them great in their past projects and compared them with what they have now, and it all points out to a jarring miscast definitely, particularly Lee Yu Bi. And I mean this not as to diss her but as merely an unfortunate evaluation. Firstly, Lee Jun Ki is in his usual good form and visually he nails the part. Acting-wise, he’s delivering too, I honestly don’t have much to critique about him other than perhaps venturing outside of sageuk more often. Kim So Eun, at this point, is definitely a waste of talent. And well, nothing much to critique either because she barely does anything. She was really adorable pre-120 years time-skip though. Lee Yu Bi on the other hand is the one stand-out. She is doing her usual aegyo acting that patently endeared her to the audience from Pinocchiom, and it worked tonally for Pinocchio. But here, she just seem strange, off-putting even. You know what made people love Lee Yu Bi as a sageuk actress? It’s when she played a serious role in Gu Family Book. She was dignified and displayed gravitas. But in here she plays as a lost puppy that needs to be saved every other time that she is alone. And can’t Sung Yul just use a stronger knot on that necklace too?

    • im really disappointed on the romance angle, like damn, thats why i started watching this drama, which now is mediocre at best. i started watching cause of lee yubi and although i like her acting and think she could be a really good actor, the aego level in this drama is a bit too much and kinda off putting, she is like the typical shujo female character that i like to avoid in mangas cause they are way to sugary and a damsel. she really is like a lost puppy and lacks depth in my opinion.

      and tbh they might get good romantic scenes which would be a perfect showcase in youtube videos to lure people in with, like wowow looks these romance scenes im totally in and once you watch the drama its like ummm i was expecting proper foundation and development with the romance where its thrilling o watch each ep for the interactions and your waiting with bathed breathes. like im sure you guys know what i mean, this doesnt seem as tingle fest and slow burn that i was expecting cause is 20 eps and this drama would be perfect for a really great slow burn romance, obviously i dont mean it should take forever though.

      lets hope this drama picks up in the latter half or in the next couple eps and gets better cause i see so much potential.

      also i would have thought gwi to be more like loki from the avengers and thor. i guess not. 🙁

      also @luna i dont think anyones saying she sucks at acting, its just her character and on top of that it would have been better if she was wasnt swooney already over yang sul and all that to see how she reacts to her feelings.

  4. i had hoped lee yu bi would prove all nonbelievers wrong, considering she was great in gu family book.. And well, cause all the complaining before the drama even aired was getting annoying.
    But here, i don’t know if its the directing, the writing, lee yu bi’s personal take on yang sun, but i find myself thinking there could have been someone out there who would have been a better yang sun. Lee yoo bi is doing fine, as I dont think her acting’s bad. I just can’t get 100% behind it.

    The writer is also ignoring the sung-yul hye ryung meet up and it really feels like i would have hopped onboard the hye ryung train if she was given a meatier storyline and more screen time, cause like a commenter said above, kse’s certainly wasted here. The writer was probably all, welp, that OTP romance between sung yul and myung hee was actually really awesome — but now i gotta try to top their romance with the main OTP’s. Let’s just try to rush on the other romance(between sung yul and yang sul) and hope the audience forgets. Maybe it’s better he got over her so quickly, considering we won’t have to deal with shipping wars, but it doesn’t feel organic. And i can’t help but feel like i would have preferred the myung hee-sung yul romance if there was a different story with their characters. I think it really would have felt like a princess’s man type of epic romance.

    • Totally agree with you there…somehow Yu Bi looks like so modern inside that drama..it’s like she’s time travelling from some outer space….like dr.jin or something…She just looks out of place..and I think her unique feature and the way she delivers her lines have something to do with that..She has this way of giving comical expressions which seems more like her personal self…not the persona she’s supposed to be holding onscreen.

  5. I agree with everything Scientia said about Lee Yoo Bi in Gu Family Book. Her scenes were the only parts i looked forward too after the epic Gumiho daddy and mommy love story ended. I love her in that role.

    I also agree with Koala about the plotline. This episode was better than ep 5 but i still find myself checking the time and wondering why it’s so lengthy. I just can’t get on board the love line. The romantically charged scenes between Yangsun and Sung Yeol are great on its own but when you view the drama as a whole, it’s like the writer thought out all the love scenes she wants the OTP to engage in, then filled in the remaining time with the take-Gwi-down-plot-that-everyone-else-gets-a-share-of. Yes, this is all about the OTP but have a care too for the plotline. Intelligent characters and creative-coherent plotlines elevate a memorable story to a mind blowing experience.

    I too thought i was the only one who found Gwi becoming less interesting. Maybe its because i like my villains to be more equipped in the brain department. But then again, why would Gwi need to be smart when the kingdom was handed to him on a silver platter. Kings tell their sons to fall in line else they’ll be dethroned. Ministers oust each other and the royal family to gain favors with Gwi. The joseon government practically coddled him and he’s still the big kahuna. Yet, i cant help but wish he was faster on the uptake. If he makes Hye Ryeong into an equal partner, she can be the brains of the operation and he, the brawns. She gives me a devious feeling. But alas, i’ve also thought that Gwi was smart…initially.

  6. I actually at the same page with Scientia with almost everything. I try to make myself stuck in front of my PC watching this drama, unfortunately i can’t. I miss my days watching Arang & The Majistrate and Iljimae where i found everything from the cast, plotline, the direction are almost perfect. But with Scholar i dont get the same enjoyment and satisfied with the result. Even in this case as we talk about the cast, which i like Yubi acting. But it is just ‘like’ nothing of it that i can take it deeply. Watching Lee Young Ah in Iljimae and having almost the same characteristic with yubi character in Scholar which until up this day i fond Lee Young Ah acting more. And like having mentioned by Snowflake, i have no idea either it is because of the writing and the directing that make her character is not left anything in me or it is because of her own acting capacity in this drama were rather miss. i never watch her in anything but i believe based on opinion by the majority, she have quite a good record as an actress. Which i hope i can find myself become a fans of her for this drama, but until now, is still not there.
    For Soeun, its really waste to see her as for now, in just short appearance. As the same as Yubi, i want to see her acting capability, because i believe the more i can watch her, the more i can see her ability. Because i believe she can do a good job. Sadly, because of her limited appearance, there’s not much i can take, because there’s nothing much she can give, i guess. I hope she will given the equal amount of screentime like the rest of the lead in this drama starting next week. Gwi in my opinion could be the winning point in this drama when i thought it first, but until up this episode, he becoming less interesting to me. It could be the same reason as Alex mentioned, maybe Gwi need more in the department of Intelligent or maybe it could be better if they make him stay in the humanely place like in secret building that the king built for him in the palace area. Because i think at this point makes him stay at his lair seems lame and boring, where i think it would be more interesting to see how he’s enjoying all the luxury stuff in the human world while plotting his evil plan. On the other hand, Yoon has surprising me the most. Its weird that i fond more of her character rather than Sang Yeol. He’s so charming with the way he talks, his accent, his voice its really suit him in the role and he’s quite good portraying his character so far and it’s quite convincing. Even tho he is not at the level of Lee Joon Gi acting yet, but atleast so far, he is worth to watch.

    • Sadly So Eun’s limited appearance so far is due to the limited time she could spend filming compared to the rest of the actors because she was still engaged with her other projects in May/June. But don’t worry, they should have finished showing those episodes which they filmed before she could join them fully in mid-June, and the focus should shift to her in the future episodes.

      Don’t forget LJK and LYB were out of action for 1-2 weeks in June because of their accident, so it’s likely we’ll be seeing less of them in the future episodes and more of the others like CM, KSE and LSH.

      Looking forward to seeing the interactions between Hye Ryung and Lee Yoon. I want to know what game she is playing with him. Lee Yoon is so smart, will she be able to manipulate him?

  7. If Lee Yoo Bi wouldn’t be there, I wouldn’t watch this drama. I never seen her before, but to me, she is the Yang Sun I want and expect to see on screen so I am more than satisfied with her acting. She reminds me of Moon Geun Young.

    I knew and loved Kim So-Eun acting from another drama, but here, I don’t know if she was that bad before or just here in this character.

    LYK and the others are OK, and I am really enjoying this drama, so I hope they will continue the way it has been till now.

  8. Finally someone who enjoys Lee Yoo Bi’s acting as much as I do. 🙂
    (I was wondering if all of her supporters are over at Dramabeans, since it seems birds of a feather flock together here.)

    Yang Sun would be such an annoying character to me, if Lee Yoo Bi wouldn’t play her so well and charming. I don’t think somebody else could play such a character – the damsel in distress – as charming as her.

    I don’t see a puppy. I only see a young girl – who was never allowed to be just that – in love for the first time. It doesn’t make it easier for the poor girl, that the object of her affection is anything but ordinary. :/

    I can’t wait to see how she’ll act once she is sure about her own feelings (and especially Sung Yul’s feelings). Because she didn’t bat an eyelid when she saw Yoon’s drawing, so I’m sure she isn’t as clueless about those things as many may think. xD

      • So just because I enjoy Lee Yoo Bi’s acting as Yang Sun, my opinion isn’t valid? I never saw Lee Yoo Bi in anything before SWWTN and started the drama for LJK. I didn’t expect to adore Yang Sun more than Sung Yul. So I didn’t start the drama ‘biased’.

      • What do you want with me? I don’t have to explain myself to you.
        Believe what you want to believe and leave me alone.

    • @Luna I can’t agree more! 🙂 I love LJK and started to watch because of him, but I ended up loving Lee Yoo Bi’s acting more. I still love him and his acting, but LYB blow me away with her performance.

      Yang Sun should be like her, pure, young, silly, adorable and naive.

    • You’re not alone, I quite like Lee Yoo Bi’s acting too. Yang Sun is exactly the type of character I dislike – very young, naive, poor and clueless. If it was any other actress playing her, I would be hoping for YS to finally get bumped off in one of her million damsel in distress situations but LYB plays her with so much charm that I end up liking her. And her chemistry with Lee Jun Ki too, I quite like it and she holds her own in her scenes.

      But Shade up there has been accusing people who like the idea of Kim So Eun and Lee Yoobi in this drama of ‘bias’ ever since their names were first rumoured for the cast, so please ignore the bee in that bonnet.

      • Dunno about LYB, but KSE for sure can do way better than LYB If she is to play YS.

        The result being biased whatsoever is caused by the PD n MBC itself. Its something expected.

      • “The result being biased whatsoever is caused by the PD n MBC itself.”

        lol if being the main lead chosen by a network automatically gets your acting liked, this has got to be news to Han Ga In etc. Even knetizens who criticised her casting are starting to like Lee Yoo Bi’s acting, deal with it.

      • Hi nuna
        I think kim so eun would be great in this yang sun’s role…I was anticipating her in this role coz she reminds me of park min young in sungkyungkwan scandal

      • Gina,

        i dun think so. yes knetz started to like a bit, but still critised her a lot. she doesnt have the aura like PMY in Synkyunkwan Scandal, PSH in You’re beautiful (comparing for the actresses who played cross-dressing before). opps, not to mention HJW who played a crosse dressing female in Empress Ki, i dun dare to compare coz HJW is among the best actress.

        LYB is not a bad actress, but still not any way better than KSE. deal with it. 😛

        Hi Shue Rei,

        Although it wud be great for KSE to play YS, im glad shes not playing this role. so far, this role as YS is just a puppy, too much aegyo, naive that i dislike so much. im ok with her choice to play the second lead, as long as shes given more screentime and her character is properly written. Plus, shes already played a cross drossing female in Empress Chun Chu which i like so much.im anticipated to see her in different character this time. She already has more than enough experiences play character like YS,adorable, pure, naive character, which im very sure she will do better job if she is to play as YS.

      • Hi nuna, I like your feedback.
        Yes now I can see why KSE opted/was chosen for this role instead of YS character. Her current role certainly has more spunk and mystery than a LJKvampire-fan.
        I just wish they will turn down the aegyo part and give the character more errrr “character”…. She looks “high” like she is on some lollipop trip all the time. Again I dunno whether it’s LYB’s interpretation or the writing/direction

  9. Wow! I agree with Koalaplayground’s intake on the drama as a whole and how it’s a mess. I think the drama is completely driven by Lee Jun Ki and his superb portrayal as Sang Yeol but something just feels off with everything else. Sometimes it doesn’t take a lot for me to root for the pairing and something it takes something special.

    As much as they are ‘shoving Sung Yul & Yang Sung down our throats’ somehow I just can’t get myself to be invested in them. I am not putting at fault the actors but maybe how the writers are developing their love line. And not to take anything away from Lee Yu Bi but I do agree with some of you, I am not too happy about where the writers are portraying her and that I do find myself wondering about the other female characters.

    I also agree that Kim So Eun seems to be a wasted character and sadly to say, I actually enjoyed her characters too. She is not developing in the same pace as the other characters which is also a shame. They could’ve done without her dual characters if they were going to treat her and develop her character (or lack of it) in this manner. It just doesn’t make sense to me how Sung Yul ignores her existence after his dramatic incident with her. Writers? Do you have some explaining to do? You can’t show that and then expect us to forget about it by distracting us with lovely dove scenes with Yang Sun. Or maybe that’s the point?

    • TYPOS:

      Wow! I agree with Koalaplayground’s intake on the drama as a whole and how it seems to be quite a mess. I think the drama is completely driven by Lee Jun Ki and his superb portrayal as Sang Yul but something just feels off with everything else. Sometimes it doesn’t take a lot for me to root for the pairing and sometimes it takes a little extra or something special.

      As much as they are ‘shoving Sung Yul & Yang Sung down our throats,’ somehow I just can’t get myself to be invested in them either. I am not putting at fault the actors but maybe how the writers are developing their love line. And not to take anything away from Lee Yu Bi but I do agree with some of you, I am not too happy about how the writers are portraying Yang Sun and that I do find myself wondering about the other female characters instead.

      I also agree that Kim So Eun seems to be a wasted character and sadly to say, I actually enjoyed her characters too. She is not developing in the same pace as the other characters which is also a shame. They could’ve done without her dual characters if they were going to treat her and develop her character (or lack of it) in this manner. It just doesn’t make sense to me how Sung Yul ignores her existence after his dramatic incident with her. Writers, do you have some explaining to do? You can’t show that and then expect us to forget about it by distracting us with lovely dove scenes with Yang Sun. Or maybe that’s the point?

      • ikr, looking at the drama development until now, KSE is more on supporting casts. a second lead? give a damn. her screentime is much lesser compared to the gisaeng. err if only they put KSE as a cameo in first episode, its much better.so we wudnt think about her character that much and ppl who anbticipated to see her in this drama can choose to continue with the drama or move on

      • KSE joined the rest of the actors several weeks later because she had other project commitments. The other actors started filming in May and she was filming WGM until June. That is why she has less screen time than the gisaeng and everybody else. Can’t have screen time if she is not there right? The extra month spent by the other actors would of course result in more screen time for them.

        The writer probably wrote around her absence and she will likely appear more in the future episodes when they kickoff the crown prince and crown princess story.

        So those ppl who want to see her only should watch the later episodes not the earlier ones, lol.

        Anyway, those who follow KSE know what’s happening and understand the situation.

      • Livina,

        WGM is filmed for one or two days each week, its not everyday. plus, during WGM, KSE also has a drama “Liar Game”, and Song Jae Rim had “Unkind Women”. So is their screentime got lesser because of filming WGM? No.

        The fans make a fuss because we know and understand the situation very well. it is something unavoidable to assume that KSE is got wasted here and so on, because up to yesterday’s episode, her screentimes is not that much.
        anyway, if only there is certainty that KSE’s character will have an appearance in what episode, her fans who wants to see her only will not giva a damn to watch the earlier episodes.

    • yah, people u are so boring, y don’t u wait for the drama to reach even half way ,Kim so run is going to be engaged to crown prince. ..then her character will change…chebal…..people., the drama is already successfully even if comment as if you are writer or director….
      .

      • so you can only comment on something if your are the creator of it, lol if someone isnt singing praises for the drama you get so offended, a drama shouldnt take as long as 6 eps or even half way to start getting good, thats not a good sign of a drama. on top of that BOF was great and lets face that drama was not that great. a drama can be popular without it actually good. i imagine of jung ki wasnt the lead if people would be saying differently about the drama, who knows. but people are allowed to critique just like what koala is doing and she makes very valid points.

      • Uh… okay, so let me criticize your post and call you boring because I disagree with what yo have to say. Don’t make yourself better just because you think highly of your own opinion.

    • At this point, when i think back the things that makes me more disappointed with this premise is that the expectation that i put on LJG project. As i said earlier Arang & The Magistrate and Iljimae is an Epic. So, i expect to received the same feeling like from his previous works. I don’t quite feel yet the same affection as i watch him in Arang and Iljimae. Because there’s nothing wrong with his acting. And his commitment for this drama is absolutely superb. But the problem is lies at the writing and the directing at this point. Not just for LJG character and his plotline but i think for the most of the lead cast case. Its not that the writing or the directing are so bad but its not that good enough i guess.

      I’m not try to find fault at everything. Because at the end of the day, they all works hard and give their everything for this project. Even all the actors/actress in this drama. Its just deep down inside of me that i wish it could be so much better than this. And i give a chance to myself to believe that it will happen soon.

    • They copied Dramabeans’ recap, but linked their site to Dramabeans’ at the end of the page, so that you’ll have to read the rest of the recap at Dramabeans. 🙂

  10. My interest in this drama is slightly decreased, lol even in the beginning I dun have so much interest anyway.

    However,up to date, I think KSE character is a waste here. So less of screentime, if she is not a bit popular, ppl wudnt aware of her existence in this draam a..

    • I don’t think KSE’s character is a waste. In fact, she is the most interesting and unpredictable female character in the drama.

      Think about it, we can’t figure her out, is she good or bad? For sure, she is no pushover and she has plans of her own and is not willing to be subservient or be used by her father and Gwi forever. What’s she going to do to get out of her situation? Her story has greater possibilities than the rest of the characters, since we already know their objectives and they are unlikely to give us any surprises.

      KSE gave an awesome performance as Myung Hee in Episode 1, and is continuing to give a great performance as Hye Ryung if you watch her acting carefully.

      So I think you are underestimating KSE and her character. She has definitely made an impact and has made everyone aware of her existence. For your info, since the drama started, Hye Ryung has frequently been in the top 10 most searched characters in Naver.

      What is important is not how much screen time you have, but how much impact you make in the little screen time that you have.

      • my dear, i never underestimated KSE’s character. its just my frustration as her fan coz i want to see her more. im proudly her fan, but it seems to me that the writer n PD intend to waste her her here.

        i know and acknowledge her ability as much as u are.

  11. I am thinking maybe Han Groo or even Jin Se Yeon can be a better choice than Lee Too Bi. I cudnt understand what talent they see in Lee Yoo Bi that made her a better choice. But what’s done is done.

    • I don’t think you should drag other actresses in here, especially those who have zero or almost zero sageuk experience. Lee Yoo Bi at least has been praised for her performance in a sageuk.

      I think Lee Yoo Bi is turning in a convincing performance as Yang Sun. It’s just too bad you don’t like her damsel-in-distress and bright and perky character.

      Anyway, I thought the other actress rejected the role. Are you saying they were rejected in favour of Lee Yoo Bi?

      • is there any way i said that other actresses rejected because of LYB?
        it cant be helped coz there were so many contrrovercies surrounded the female lead casting, so its just crossed ny mind.

        its about own preference. what can i do if i dislike YS character? plus LYB in my opinion is not convincing me. Playing YS type of character can be likeable or not, and for me the way LYB portraying it is not likeable.

  12. I don’t know why but while reading your recaps, it feels like you had a huge bias. I think its because your comparing the manhwa and the drama, like how most people who read a book and can’t stop comparing the movie to it. Like most, if you did read the book, you’ll hate the movie because it can’t live up to it. I didn’t read the manhwa so just watching the drama, I enjoyed it a lot. Although I do agree with you that it feels like its dragging, I still love the development of the story and chemistry between the leads. I also love how he is not heartbroken over his past love to the point of stalking her. Rather, her appearance made him even more determine to find the book to kill Gwi. So I’m not disappointed as most of you guys are. Perhaps later they will show him heartbroken over her but as of now, I don’t want to watch him being controlled by her b/c of her appearance.

  13. Thank you for recaps. I still enjoy the show just like the most of Korean dramas – not think much about it and take what I get 🙂
    Lee Yubi reminds me of Park Shin Hye in You´re beautiful. Little over the top with aegyo. The best thing would be some time skip now, she will mature and amybe come back as a girl.

  14. I just discovered the Scholar Who Walks The Night series, yesterday; and after several episodes, I have to admit that I’m hooked! Not only does it have many of the actors that I’ve come to know from other period K-Dramas, but I find myself getting drawn in deeper with each show.

    The story and acting is so wonderful that I can empathize with the characters. All at once I feel a great deal of love for Yang-sun, while constantly wanting her and Kim Sung-yeo to get together. Their feelings for each other are obvious, even though he won’t admit it.

    Each twist in the tale makes me want to keep watching… unlike so many of the Hollywood dramas that follow tired formulas.

    What a great series! I hope the ending is equally brilliant!

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