Episode Recap
Episode 6 of Our Blooming Youth begins with Man-deok receiving a letter that was shot with an arrow. He says goodbye to his wife Bok and goes to the house in the middle of the forest.
Elsewhere in the palace, the Court is in session and the King wants to know why the shaman decided to kill people. In a flashback, we see the shaman before he becomes the killer. He prayed and had a spirit. According to the spirit, the shaman is the chosen one to fulfill the prophecy of the spirit.
To fulfill the prophecy, he was asked to kill four people based on the person’s life cycle. That’s how he started the crimes, but now he hasn’t finished the last one yet.
Meanwhile, Sung-on wonders what the final message will be as he nurses Crown Prince Min Jae back to health. He is also concerned about the final message, and court officials share that concern. They ask the King to take the case from Sung-on and interrogate the shaman himself.
The new Minister of Justice offers to take the case and expose all the shaman’s crimes. Another Court official argues that the case should be investigated by Sung-on because it involves a prank during a royal hunting ceremony. He notes that Sung-on is already on his way to the Shamanism Office to gather evidence.
Sung-on arrives at the Shamanism Office to find the office attacked by masked men. A tense fight ensues and one of the masked men is wounded in the arm by Sung-on. It was later revealed that the person was Man-deok. He seems to be part of a group working with the person behind the shaman. Worried, Bok-soon tries to talk him out of leaving the group.
Back at Sung-on, he is disappointed to learn that the group has already destroyed any evidence the shaman left behind. He only learns that the shaman has gone to pray in Gaesong, and when he returns, his hair begins to turn gray and he smells of incense different from the incense they used.
He returns and reports his findings to the crown prince. The crown prince begins to wonder if the shaman had anything to do with the murder of Min Jae-yi’s family. However, he does not share his theory with Sung-on.
Outside the palace, Ga-ram worries that Myung-jin didn’t show up for work because he dropped her off drunk the last time. Bok-soon tells her that her mother probably arrested her. They start talking about the shaman’s arrest and the eunuch Soon-dol saving the day but being injured. Hearing this, Ga-ram decides to break into Myung-jin’s house and find out what he knows about the eunuch’s status.
The Crown Prince agrees, but tells her they must first solve the mystery of the ghost letters. He opens his memory and shows her the last letter from the ghost. Min Jae-yi is shocked at how cruel the prophecy in the letter is.
The crown prince explains to him the theory that the shaman has something to do with the letter and the death of his family. Min Jae-yi wants to know where the shaman is kept. Unfortunately, the shaman refused to shed light on the motives behind the murder. He only says that Sung-on was chosen and that his mission still hasn’t failed. He tells her that when the time comes and the person who intends to hear the prophecy appears, they will learn the final news.
The crown prince decides to send Min Jae to the shaman’s house to see if Sung-on has missed something. He also sends her to give gifts and a name to the newborn baby they saved.
He admits that they were able to save the mother and the child only thanks to his help. He notices that she is still carrying their marriage consent form. He asks her if she’s still waiting for Min Jae, but she says she’s moving on.
He believes that he betrayed her and is already dead. He is saddened to hear that he doesn’t think Min Jae is innocent, but he understands. He enters the house to check for any evidence and finds only dried petals in the incense burner. Later, they return home together.
At home, Sung-on is visited by a soldier who confirms that Min Jae-yi is the one using the cave. Sung-on is happy to still be alive. The soldier also informs him that Sim-yeon committed suicide. Sung-on is surprised to hear that the crown prince’s men took the suicide note left by Sim-yeong. She argues as she wonders if it was right for Min Jae-yi to betray her.
Episode Review
The ending left us with a lot of questions. Why does Sim-yeong list Min Jae as her boyfriend in her suicide note? Did he write the note? Did he kill himself or was he killed and staged as a suicide? Finally, did he leave behind a hidden clue?
The crown prince is angry, seeing red, and this will not be good for Min Jae-yi. What will he do now, believing that she lied to him?
I also wonder what Jo Won-bon will do next. He just learned some juicy information that favors him. How will he play his cards? With all these questions, a week seems like a century away. Monday can’t get here soon enough!