After witnessing what happened in Captivating the King episode 1, I believed that Hee-soo wouldn’t be able to conceal her identity for long, and Jinhan would get to know that she was the Chief State Counsellor’s daughter. But somehow, Hee-soo got lucky, and Jinhan was still unaware of that fact. The queen, together with the minister of war, was shrewdly plotting against the grand prince, and she was scared that Jinhan’s presence would spoil her plans. So, let’s explore the events of Captivating the King episode 2 and see if Jinhan is able to find his footing or not.
Spoiler Alert
Why did Jinhan meet the Minister of War?
Minister Kim Jong-bae, who held the position of minister of war in Joseon, was plotting against Jinhan, and the fact was not hidden from him. Jinhan didn’t want anything from the king, and he didn’t want to be a part of the palace politics. He wanted to work for the welfare of his nation, and he made that fact very clear from the beginning. He wanted to go and talk to the minister and give him assurance that he didn’t have any hidden vendetta. Jinhan went to the minister’s house and met his son, Kim Myung Ha, there, who, as we saw in the previous episode of Captivating the King, wanted to marry Hee-soo. Kim Myung Ha was totally unaware of the fact that Hee-soo got dressed like a boy and was the infamous Baduk gambler. Jinhan saw the same man who had stabbed him the previous day in the minister’s house. Though the perpetrator told him that he acted on his own accord and the attack had nothing to do with the minister, Jinhan knew the truth. He knew that he acted on the minister’s orders, but he didn’t address the issue as he didn’t want to accuse anyone. He didn’t want to cause any unnecessary hassle, and he wanted to make that fact very clear to Kim Jong Bae so that they could all join forces and work together. Jinhan told the minister upfront that he didn’t want to sit on the throne, and he was very happy serving his brother and the nation as the Grand Prince. He said that he didn’t have any intention to come in the way of Prince Royal. The minister of war didn’t believe him completely, though Jinhan tried to be as calm as possible.
What did Kim Jong-bae want to do?
Kim Jon Bae met the queen, and both of them had a conversation about what could be their next move. Jinhan’s closeness to his brother made them insecure, and though the king was fed with all sorts of lies, he did mistreat Jinhan when he came to Joseon; deep down, even the king knew that his brother couldn’t do such a thing. Kim Jon Bae told the queen that an envoy was coming from the Qing, and their agenda was to enlist people in the national army. A man named Jung Je-pyo, who was an assistant of the Qing’s envoy, had promised Kim Jon-bae that he would support the prince’s appointment provided the Emperor of Joseon didn’t reject his demand. Kim Jon Bae knew that it was very important for the king to meet all his demands, as only then would the Prince Royal get the much-needed support and strengthen his claims. The other ministers in the court were not happy with what Kim Jong Bae was up to, as he made a lot of decisions without even informing them. There were people who wanted to support Jinhan, and they knew that he would be a great king. Though Jinhan didn’t have any such aspirations, the queen and the minister of war feared that if something happened to the king, he would seize power and become the next emperor of Joseon.
Did Jinhan want to be the crown prince?
Jinhan wanted to make it very clear to everybody that he didn’t want power, and he was happy staying on the sidelines and helping whosoever sat on the throne. He went to meet his brother, the mayor of Seoul, and even after being ridiculed and insulted, he told him that he still loved him and could never go against him. The king was suffering from acute gastroenteritis, and he made Jinhan taste the medicine that the specialists had made. Jinhan was ready to go through some sort of test to prove his allegiance. After that brief conversation, I personally felt that the king realized that he was wrong for being suspicious of his own brother. In fact, when the minister of war came to him and was tired of feeding him lies, he got angry at him and told him not to defame his brother without any substantial proof. Kim Jing-bae told the king that he had heard, according to his sources, that the Qing Empire would vouch for Jinhan’s candidacy. He wanted to once again give air to the rumor that he was Prince Rui’s spy. But the king unexpectedly took his brother’s side and told the minister not to make such baseless claims when he had no concrete evidence to prove them. Later, in episode 2, a group of miners went to Jinhan and offered their support to him. They told him that if he wanted to be king, they would back his candidacy. Jinhan got angry, and he told the ministers that they shouldn’t even dare bring up this topic in front of him next time. The ministers told him that he deserved to be the king, but Jinhan was not ready to hear a word they said.
Did Jinhan get to know about Hee-soo?
I believed that in the previous episode of Captivating the King, Jinhan would come to know that Hee-soo was not a boy, but he didn’t realize that. Jinhan gave Hee-soo the nickname Moongwoo, and he told her that they would meet for a game of baduk whenever it rained. It was quite evident that Hee-soo had fallen for the charming prince, and she couldn’t stop herself from wanting to meet him every day. She liked how kind and selfless he was and how, even after enduring so much, he never sought revenge.
At the end of Captivating the King Episode 2, I believe Kim Myung figured out that it was Hee-soo who was the fabled Baduk Gambler. Kim Myung Ha’s friend wanted to challenge Hee-soo, and they both went to find her. When Kim Myung Ha saw her from a distance, he realized that she was a girl whom he wanted to get married to. Episode 2 left us on a cliffhanger where Kim Myung Ha, Hee-soo, and Jinhan came face-to-face. Jinhan got to know that they both knew each other from before, though he was not aware that his favorite and biggest competitor was a girl. In the subsequent episodes of Captivating the King, we will get to know if Jinhan comes to know of Hee-soo’s real identity and if things get complicated when he finds out that Kim Myung wanted to marry her at any cost.
