Through some clues and interactions that Won-deuk faces with others, he begins to question and doubt his identity. Is he really this Won-deuk that others are claiming him to be? Why does the name feel so unfamiliar to him? Why does he keep recalling certain memories that differ from his status as a lowly and poor citizen? In his quest for answers, Won-deuk once again resorts to Hong-shim to find answers.
100 Days My Prince: Episode 4 Recap
Won-deuk and Hong-shim are stuck and trapped in a straw mat inside of a storage room. When suggested to roll over each other to unwrap themselves, Won-deuk grows hesitant because of the rat sitting next to Hong-shim. Though reluctant at first, the newlyweds eventually roll over each other to get themselves out of the mat. Lol. It turns out Stepdad was the one behind the incident. He hired the two villagers to stop Won-deuk and Hong-shim from heading to their destination. When reunited with the couple, Stepdad feigns ignorance and blames Hong-shim for the incident. If she just didn’t drag Won-deuk out to the village, none of this would have happened. Won-deuk isn’t so happy himself and he marches out of the room.
The King has breakfast with the Queen and Crown Prince Seo-won. He grows angry at the queen for making him some meat pancakes which also happens to be Lee Yool’s favorite. The King suspects the Queen of participating in Lee Yool’s disappearance, but Crown Prince Seo-won is quick to defend his mother. The King apologizes afterwards after listening.
The investigation for Lee Yool continues. The King has secretly hired an official to look for Lee Yool’s body. When the official’s assistant suggests they put up a drawing of Lee Yool’s face and spread it throughout the village, the official grows mad. Discovering his body is up to them to do. No one else should know that he’s gone.
Hong-shim attempts to get Won-deuk to leave the house to go work. However, he remains stubborn and chooses to stay at home instead. While Dad leaves to go to work and Won-deuk stays behind, Hong-shim heads to the village to spend some time with her female friends. They converse about her marriage with Won-deuk and assumes she must be happy. However, Hong-shim isn’t and there’s not much to Won-deuk that satisfies Hong-shim. While grabbing the straw baskets that her friends are making, Hong-shim accidentally pokes her finger and starts bleeding. They worry that it’s a sign for something ominous that’s about to happen.
Won-deuk is ordered by government official Park Bok-eun to return his wedding outfit back to the magistrate’s office. Though Won-deuk is willing to return the clothes, he is persistent in keeping the shoes and runs away from the official in order to keep them. Lol.
Won-deuk eventually makes his way to the market and wanders around while staring at all the booths. He lands upon a merchant selling some fabric and silk so he offers her some money upon ordering the nicest and most beautiful fabric. However, the excited merchant is disappointed in the end with Won-deuk. He doesn’t have any money on him like she was expecting.
Hong-shim heads into the village to rescue a young boy named Meok-goo from getting beaten by three other kids. The boys are angry at Meok-goo for failing to retrieve their kite which is stuck high up in a tree. Hong-shim manages to get the kite by flinging a rock at it using a slingshot. Thankfully, Meok-goo is saved.
After ordering some new clothes to wear, Won-deuk stops by a small restaurant to have some food. The soup is delicious, and he gobbles the entire thing down to the last bit. As he’s about to leave, he witnesses another customer winking at the restaurant owner. He assumes this must be the proper form of payment so he does the same to the owner and winks at her. She grows angry at him and holds him hostage for not paying for the food. Hong-shim and her friend fortunately arrive at the scene just in time to rescue him. Hong-shim pays the owner for Won-deuk instead. He too is saved.
Officer Je-yoon can’t seem to understand why Crown Prince Lee Yool wanted him to stop his investigation on the case behind the palace maid’s death. More so, why is Lee Yool himself investigating the case?
On the way back to their house, Hong-shim questions where Won-deuk got his new outfit. It’s made of the finest silk in the country and looks super expensive. Won-deuk explains that he got it from his brother and forbids her from touching him and his new outfit. Lol.
When the newlyweds arrive home, they find different people renovating the house, decorating it with gardens and new wallpaper, and much more. Hong-shim is surprised and shocked with the discovery and asks Won-deuk how he was able to afford it all. He explains that he received money from his brother who he met earlier at the market. The man offered to pay for his clothes and the house renovations for him. Hong-shim recognizes this so-called “brother” after Won-deuk describes his face and runs into the market to find him. Won-deuk was scammed.
Hong-shim confronts the loan shark at the village market and refuses to pay back the amount. The loan shark threatens to sell Hong-shim if she doesn’t pay back the money. He hands her the loan contract before leaving. Goo-dol warns Won-deuk to beg Hong-shim for forgiveness when she returns to the house. He might die if he chooses not to.
Advisor Soo-ji and Officer Je-yoon head to a gisaeng house that night to have some drinks. A lady named Ae Wol takes special notice of Je-yoon and wishes to accompany him that night.
Hong-shim finally returns home that night. As expected, she’s furious at Won-deuk for borrowing the huge amount of money from the loan shark and approaches her husband with a sickle. Unlike what Stepdad and Goo-dol assumed, Hong-shim heads into the bedroom to cut off the ribbon from Won-deuk’s white outfit with the sickle (the ribbon represents their marriage in a sense). Stepdad persuades her to stay calm and to not cut off the ribbon. He’ll pay off the loan for Won-deuk instead. Hong-shim doesn’t want Stepdad to pay for the ribbon nor does she still want to be married to Won-deuk, but she chooses to stay with him. He’s going to pay back the loan.
Even after getting scolded by Hong-shim, all Won-deuk cares about are the decorations in their room. Hong-shim begins to devise ways she could use Won-deuk to work to pay off the debt, but she keeps these thoughts to herself. Fed up with Won-deuk, she demands that he sleeps in another room. Won-deuk is adamant in staying in his room though; he did pay for the new renovation and decorations. LOL, Won-deuk please!
Hong-shim heads to Stepdad’s room to spend the night with him. Stepdad attempts to persuade his daughter to return to Won-deuk’s room, but it’s futile. Hong-shim plans on making Won-deuk work for her in order to pay back his debt. It doesn’t matter how long it takes; Won-deuk’s paying back that loan.
Advisor Soo-ji gets drunk and reveals the honest truth about Lee Yool’s disappearance to Je-yoon. Unlike what everyone thinks, Lee Yool was attacked on his way to the rain ritual and went missing ever since. Je-yoon is stunned and shocked by the news and before he can ask Soo-ji anymore questions, Soo-ji knocks out from all the drinking. Ae Wol – the same lady who had noticed Je-yoon earlier – enters the room and converses with Je-yoon. She attempts to get him to remember her, but Je-yoon doesn’t easily recall who she is. However, he still remains friendly with her and asks that she charge Soo-ji for the drinks. Lol.
On his way out of the gisaeng house, Je-yoon encounters a government official and is thrown demeaning and humiliating comments about his presence at the parlor. For such a lowly and weak person like him, Je-yoon shouldn’t be wandering around places like the gisaeng house. However, Je-yoon makes a jab back at the official and advises him not to wander around either especially during such chaotic times.
Je-yoon suspects that Lee Yool’s disappearance has to do with the case related to the former maid’s death. Meanwhile, Hong-shim presents to Stepdad and Won-deuk her new plan to pay back the debt: a solution agency. Villagers can come to her and Won-deuk for help as long as they pay them a certain price for the assignment. Stepdad and Won-deuk are skeptical about the new business at first, but Hong-shim proves them wrong. They receive a customer just minutes after her introduction about the business.
Je-yoon’s investigation behind Lee Yool’s disappearance continues. After receiving details about the creator of the bow and arrow that was used to kill the palace maid, Je-yoon heads to the creator’s house to visit him. Unfortunately, Je-yoon’s a step too late as the creator is killed by Moo-yeon who had been following Je-yoon secretly. The creator was well aware of who it was that bought the bows and arrows from him. However, now that he’s dead, there’s no telling if anyone will be able to find out who that person was.
Hong-shim waits for Won-deuk to return from his assignment. While waiting, she notices the cherry blossom tree in the front of the house and grows a liking for it. Won-deuk finally returns from his assignment and unlike what Hong-shim thought, Won-deuk never completed it. He was hired to find a ring in a bucket full of feces which he was definitely not going to do so he just left. At that moment, the couple receive a new customer so Won-deuk leaves for his second assignment.
He’s brought to a river and is told all he has to do is just stand still so the leeches will come to him. Won-deuk panics when he finds a bunch of leeches sucking the blood out of his legs and runs out of the river. I guess that assignment wasn’t so successful either, lol.
Moo-yeon requests to visit the mountain where he and his team attacked Lee Yool. He fears that someone will find his bow and arrow there, and somehow link the maid’s death to Lee Yool’s disappearance. Lord Kim advises him not to worry; no one will reach such a conclusion and if someone does, Lord Kim will take care of it. To prevent any suspicion from rising, Lord Kim plans to visit the mountain himself.
Won-deuk returns home after escaping from the last assignment. He can’t do these small jobs anymore. He’ll find another way to pay back his debt. At that moment, government official Park Bok-eun comes running to their house to retrieve the wedding shoes from Won-deuk again. Won-deuk hides and pleads for Hong-shim to cover for him, but she reveals his whereabouts. There’s no way he’s going to escape this time.
Lord Kim notifies the King of his plans to visit the mountain where Lee Yool was ambushed. He’ll go there to find Lee Yool and hopefully bring him back alive. The King places his trust in Lord Kim and hopes to reunite with his son again. He has some questions he wants to ask his son.
Won-deuk refuses to go back home after having return the wedding shoes. He’s angry and fed up with Hong-shim, lol. Goo-dol and his wife attempt to persuade Won-deuk to return to his house. Lord Park and his team panic over the news of Lord Kim’s visit to their village and hurry to where they will be meeting. Upon seeing Lord Park, Goo-dol and his wife quickly bow their heads while Won-deuk stands upright. They warn him to bow to noblemen next time, but Won-deuk finds the act unfamiliar. He feels like he’s never had to bow to anyone before and leaves to go back home afterwards.
When he does reunite with Hong-shim at home, Won-deuk refuses to follow any demands related to work. He realizes that he’s not Won-deuk; he’s someone else.
Lord Park and his men greet Lord Kim before they enter the village. Lord Kim informs him of the secret training that palace guards are having in the mountains near the village which is why he’s come. He demands Lord Park to take care of the guards before going about his way.
Won-deuk explains to Hong-shim his reasons as to how he knows he’s not this ‘Won-deuk’ that everyone has been calling him:
- Stepdad asked him for his name when they first met.
- He’s never bowed down to anyone which means he must be of noble birth.
- He doesn’t have any feelings of love or affection towards Hong-shim whom he supposedly was engaged to.
Based on these deductions, Won-deuk is not.. well Won-deuk. Hong-shim reasons that Won-deuk just might not remember he’s Won-deuk, but he is. He even decorated their house with a cherry blossom tree which was Hong-shim’s favorite ever since she was young. They promised each other when they were younger that Won-deuk would marry her; he confessed to Hong-shim when he was younger. That’s why Hong-shim waited for Won-deuk all this time. She hopes he’ll keep his promise.
Hong-shim expresses her disbelief to Stepdad. How could Won-deuk not remember his own name? Now he’s even pulling these tricks on her. To learn more about Won-deuk, Hong-shim asks Stepdad more information about him. Meanwhile, Won-deuk attempts to remember the details about this so-called promise that he made with Hong-shim.
The Crown Princess recalls her conversation with her father before he left for his trip to the mountains. Lord Kim warns her to hide her pregnancy while he’s gone.
Won-deuk is sent on another assignment, this time with Goo-dol. They are to carry water jugs up the mountain to where the palace guards are holding their training camp. This is also the same place where Lord Kim is conducting the investigation. Uh-oh.
Upon arriving at the camp, Won-deuk suddenly recalls memories of the ambush and grows nauseous. He faints in front of everyone, including Lord Park himself. AHHHH.
Hong-shim is notified by Goo-dol about Won-deuk and rushes home. She automatically assumes that he must have caused trouble again and is immediately disappointed in him. However, Won-deuk is worried about something else. He wants her to help him remember who he is and the promise he made towards her.
After requesting for her help, Won-deuk faints once more and falls onto a frightened and confused Hong-shim.
My Thoughts:
First and foremost, I would just like to apologize for this rushed and hasty recap. I’m feeling a little sick but wanted to finish the recap to this episode so the recap might not have made as much sense or might have been confusing to read (plus, I’ve been suffering from some writers block lately). I apologize for that, and I’ll work harder in the future to ensure that my future recaps will be of the best quality.
Moving on to the episode itself, this episode slowed down a bit with the comedic antics and highlights and gave us more politics which I was satisfied with. Now that Won-deuk is starting to recall memories of the attack and his status as the Crown Prince, things will only get more complicated and the politics are obviously going to be brought back. It only makes sense that the drama shows us more of the politics again. I was so afraid that Won-deuk was going to get caught by Lord Kim when he fainted in the mountains. If Lord Park discovers that he’s actually alive, he will certainly kill Won-deuk and return his dead body to the King. For now, everyone assumes he must have died so they’re searching for his body in the mountains. I don’t even want to think about what will happen when Lord Park learns that Lee Yool is indeed not dead. He’s now just Won-deuk.
One would think that Won-deuk is an alien or strange creature based on his reactions to everything and the constant questioning he has about his new lifestyle. He doesn’t understand typical things that other villagers in the area know about, or have the knowledge or experience of daily tasks like carrying a water jug. I’m so amazed with his confusion I have to remind myself that he’s not an alien or someone from outer space. He’s just living the life of a commoner now whereas before he was the Crown Prince. Won-deuk’s new lifestyle is just highly foreign and unfamiliar to him which is why he’s constantly questioning everything. He remembers tidbits here and there about his life as the Crown Prince such as the bowing or the ambush in the mountains which is why he’s certain that he’s not Won-deuk. His request of Hong-shim to help him remember who he is is proof of that. Won-deuk is certain he’s not Won-deuk, but since Hong-shim and everyone is so quick to claim that he is, he wants to know exactly what it is about him that makes him Won-deuk. Everything else Won-deuk’s remembered up to this point says otherwise. The doubt and uncertainty is valid, and I’m looking forward to how Hong-shim is going to prove he’s Won-deuk and not Lee Yool.
All the bickering and fighting between Won-deuk and Hong-shim are so adorable and although it can get a bit repetitive at times (can we get at least like.. one lovey dovey look or something?), I’m enjoying their relationship. I’m not expecting the two to immediately fall in love with each other right away since they did get married as strangers and the fun is watching the two fall in love with each other along the way. Since Hong-shim seems to remember Won-deuk and the promise they made each other when they were younger, it seems like there’s now a reason for them to not bicker and to listen to each other instead. Won-deuk is serious about learning more about his identity, and Hong-shim is serious about reclaiming Won-deuk’s identity as Won-deuk and not Lee Yool like he’s assuming. Hopefully there’ll still be the bickering and fighting like we got in this episode, but also moments of peace and tranquility between the newlyweds.
Now that Je-yoon has learned the truth about Lee Yool’s disappearance, he’s definitely going to work alone in finding his body which will make for an interesting (and scary) watch. He might even work with Advisor Soo-ji and Ae Wol to help find Lee Yool. However, it won’t be easy as Moo-yeon is on his tail and watching after him carefully. If they want to find the truth about Lee Yool, they will have to go through Moo-yeon first which will definitely not be fun or safe.
Things are slowly unfolding and we have mostly just gotten glimpses of Won-deuk’s new life with Hong-shim. However, now that news about his disappearance is spreading and Won-deuk himself is beginning to doubt everything, it doesn’t seem like things will stay this way for much longer. The truth will be unveiled eventually. It just depends on how much longer Lord Park and all the other enemies in the palace will be able to keep the truth swept under the rug.
Bonus: Here is another slideshow of extra screenshots I took from this episode 🙂
MaryMeKpop 