Our Blooming Youth 2023 Episode 2

Episode 2 of Our Blooming Youth begins with Han Sung-on killing a bird and not shooting the Crown Prince with an arrow. The Crown Prince is a bit shaken because he thought Han Sung-on was about to betray him. Han Sung-on also saves him from being hit by another flying arrow.

Min Jae-yi sees that someone tried to kill the Crown Prince and starts running. The Crown Prince assumes she is the one trying to attack him and chases her through the woods. She is caught and she tells him that she is following him because of the secret letter he sent to her father, the Governor of Gaesong. The Crown Prince tells her he never sent a secret letter to her father.

As Min Jae-yi pleads her case, Han Sung-on arrives and she hides her face. The Crown Prince asks him to take the bow and quiver near where he found Min Jae-yi and inspect it. Han Sung-on leaves and the Crown Prince and Tae-gang continue to interrogate Min Jae-yi. The Crown Prince still is not sure if Min Jae-yi is telling the truth.  He asks Tae-gang to bring her to his tent so he can inspect her wounds but he refers to her as a male soldier.

Back to the royal hunt, Jo Won-Bo is displeased that the Crown Prince was successful. Han Joong-eon is proud of the Crown Prince and expects the rumours that he is disabled to die down. The Crown Prince comes back and the Chief State Minister, Kim An-jik asks him to write a celebratory letter to honour the sacrifices (the animals he hunted).

The Crown Prince realizes that they want to see him write using his right hand. He stops mid-way and asks if all he has to do is write a letter or also pass their test. He tells them that he finds it upsetting that they keep testing him and discussing his worth as a Crown Prince because he was once hit by an arrow. He announces that this will be the last time he lets them test if he is worthy. He writes the letter using his right hand and shocks the court officials.

Unfortunately, before he finishes the letter, he starts bleeding. The court officials rush to his side to see if he is hurt but he has no open wounds. The Crown Prince starts panicking wondering who among the officials plans to betray him. He asks Han Sung-on to inspect all the men and soldiers under the ranking of cabinet members and report anything suspicious to him.

Min Jae-yi gets anxious about the inspection and sneaks a few glances at Han Sung-on. She remembers the first time she saw his portrait and how she and Ga-ram got excited over how handsome he is. Before it is her turn to be inspected, the Crown Prince pulls her away and drags her to his tent.

The Crown Prince suspects her of trying to kill him and tampering with the celestial sacrifice. He asks her if she had not had enough killing after murdering her family. He calls for Tae-gang and asks him to tie her up and take her to the palace for further questioning. The Crown Prince asks her to stop resisting the arrest if she plans to preserve her life.

In the meantime, Ga-ram regrets not leaving with Min Jae-yi. News of the procession of the Crown Prince reaches her and she follows other villages to witness the procession. The Crown Prince uses the procession to prove to the people that his right hand is fine and to warm their hearts. On the other hand, Ga-ram tries to spot Min Jae-yi in the procession but fails to see her.

Once back in the capital, the court officials wonder why the letter was tarnished by blood. The king worries that someone is still trying to kill the Crown Prince. The Queen thinks the  Crown Prince did a good job, however, the king reminds her and Lee Hwan about the death of his brother  Prince Ui Hyeon.

Meanwhile, Jo Won-Bo confesses to one of his minions that he planned for the Crown Prince to look like he was bleeding. He wanted to frighten him and is still insistent on proceeding with his plans.

The Crown Prince worries about the secret letter Min Jae-yi spoke of. If it is true that he never wrote the letter, who did and what was written in it? He goes to see her and is impressed by her willpower to survive. Min Jae-yi insists she is innocent and must find the real culprit.

The Crown Prince is curious why she came to see him instead of her fiance, Han Sung-on. Min Jae-yi tells him that she doesn’t wish to add more pain to  Han Sung-on. She tells him her theory about the secret letter and how she feels it is linked to the death of her family. The Crown Prince silences her and is adamant he didn’t send the letter. He tells her to go to Han Sung-on and ask for help.

Min Jae-yi decides to speak about what was written in the letter. The Crown Prince is infuriated and thinks she is trying to threaten him. According to Min Jae-yi, the Crown Prince wrote about the three letters he got from the ghost. The Crown Prince received the first letter three years ago, the day his brother was killed. The second later, the day he entered the palace as the Crown Prince and the last one on the day he was shot by the arrow.

The Crown Prince denies killing his brother for the throne and sending the letter to her father.  Min Jae-yi’s father showed her the letter and asked her to help the Crown Prince find the mystery behind the ghost. At the time, Min Jae-yi had been solving mysteries in Gaesong pretending to be her brother. She asks for a chance to prove this to the Crown Prince.

She shows him a wanted poster she picked on her way to the capital. The officials are looking for eyewitnesses to murders that occurred in the capital. She asks to solve the case and prove she was the one who helped her father and her innocence as well.

The Crown Prince finds this to be a hard request. Min Jae-yi has no proof that she is not a murderer and he is not one to trust people easily. The Crown Prince says it will be easier to believe what happened at the celestial sacrifice. Min Jae-yi points out that it was a trick and there are no such things as ghosts.  She asks him to believe her and help her discover the identity of the person hiding behind the ghost.

She tells him how the trick at the celestial sacrifice was done and based on how it was perfectly executed it has to be someone who is close enough to get to him.

The next morning, Ga-ram sets off to the Chief State Minister’s residency to meet Kim Myung-jin. She asks him to be her mentor but changes her mind after seeing him. He, however, insists to be her teacher and asks her to follow him. He is excited he has a student and shows her off to people.

He also takes her to his research lab. She is shocked to see Min Jae-yi’s portrait and Myung-Jin confesses that he loves Min Jae-yi and knows she is the best investigator in Gaesong.

On the other hand, Min Jae-yi wakes up worried about what the Crown Prince intends to do to her.

The Crown Prince uses the information he got from Min Jae-yi and shows the court officials and the King the trick that was used at the celestial sacrifice. The king demands an investigation be done and the culprit brought to justice immediately.

Later, Han Sung-on reports that the arrow and quiver he was asked to investigate were not poisoned but he wishes to find the one who dared to shoot the arrow at the Crown Prince. Lee Hwan asks him to let the matter go and focus on finding who messed with the celestial sacrifice.

As the court officials discuss the possible suspect, Left State Councilor Han Joong-eon points out that it won’t be fair to blame the Jo family. The king might have an invested interest in making Prince Myungan the next king and strengthening the royal family through his ties to the Jo family.

The Crown Prince decides to give Min Jae-yi a pass to get out of the palace. He doesn’t wish to help her and tells her to prove her innocence on her own. Min Jae-yi gets angry and curses him and calls him a cold, arrogant bastard. She laments that she never stood a chance to clear her name and blames him for her family’s death.

She tells him she is ready to die but will spill the truth about the letter the Crown Prince got from the ghost. She starts shouting and banging on the door calling the soldiers to come and arrest her. The minute she starts talking about the letter from the ghost, the Crown Prince forcefully grabs her and silences her with his hand.

The Episode Review

It is understandable why the Crown Prince is reluctant to trust anyone and wants to keep the ghost letters a secret. I think the letters and the tragic events they prophesize have made him paranoid. He thinks everyone is out to get him but is yet to truly investigate the matter. He should let Min Jae-yi help him and together they might survive.

Min Jae-yi is a bold female character and it is entertaining to see how she forges forward with nothing but sheer will and a loose plan. She is smart and will uncover the truth soon. I can’t wait to see how she will carry out this investigation given that she is a wanted woman and can’t roam about freely.