The Tale of Nokdu: Episode 4 (7-8) Live Recap

Y’all, can I just gush that the ending of the last episode felt like John Hughes movie from the 80s? I had chills when the music cut on and we were smiled out of the episode in the best way possible. Ah! It was the best. I loved it so much that I decided to move Nokdu to our first recap of the day starting next week! Welcome to headliner land Nokdu, you deserve it.

But first, we need to get to this current recap. Eep, I can’t wait to see what happens!

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Caution: Be wary of typos

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Shorthand Character Chart: Coming Soon!

How we do this: We update the post around every 10 minutes. Sometimes sooner, sometimes later depending on the scene. There will be typos which we have fantasies of fixing once the episode finishes airing. Also, there might be lovely updates at the bottom, so check back in!

Recap Countdown: starting soon….check Twitter for updates!

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KOREAN DRAMA THE TALE OF NOKDU EPISODE 4 (7&8) RECAP

——-dramamilk.com——-

#1

Dongju goes into the room. She slowly turns around and sees the man standing behind a red curtain. She introduces herself as Dongju from the Gisaeng house. This time, we see Nokdu’s face. He smiles and then turns around and starts walking to Dongju.

Dongju holds the knife in her sleeve. 

Nokdu holds her face and lifts it up to his.

She is shocked.

ND – It seems like you are welcoming me or hating me.

She knocks his hand away and asks why he is there. He says he wants to tell her something, the perfect thing to say in this situation. She asks what that is.

ND – From now on, I am your – I am your – Mother.

DJ – um, excuse me?

He steps closer.

ND – Mo-th-er. Are you surprised?

DJ – *sighs* Of course.

ND – Don’t I lok super cool with these clothes?

DJ – Are you drunk? What is up with this mother stuff and nice clothes?

ND – Dont you see? You don’t have to do this gisaeng stuff. You don’t want to so don’t.

Cut back to Nokdu opening the door to Cheon’s room and asking her for the shortcut to that mans room. He gives her a gold frog. She looks at him seriously.

ND – We can be family. 

Cheon – Are you adopting her? How can I trust you and send Dongju to you?

ND – I understand, but what about me and Dongju stay in the widow town together, near you.

Cheon – Why are you going this far?

ND – Um, well, maybe I like her now. I want to make her not do at least one thing that she does not want to do.

Cheon smiles.

So Nokdu goes to the room and waits for Dongju in his womans gear and then thinks about what he can tell her. You, be my daughter (man voice). Oh! You are my daughter (woman voice). Then he switches to his regular voice and thinks that he looks too much like a mother. So he looks for more clothing in the room and finds the mans clothes.

Cut to the present.

DJ – Why are you doing this much to me?

ND – I have to stay in the widow town but you are kicking me out.

DJ – is that it? That is why you spent this much money?

ND – Do I need any other reason?

But then he mentions that he has to see his lady. He puts and asks if she is relaly afraid of him being a pervert? She tells him that with that money he can stay in the gisaeng house. He asks if he worried about finding him out?

She says that she worried that people will think that she is a crazy woman that agrees with a pervert! he says that no one will find out. She says that she does not understand, but thank you. I will help you because you helped me not be a gisaeng. So is that it?

He says no and holds her hand.

DJ – W-what is it?

He puts her finger print on a document and tells her that she has to pay for this. Dongju reads the document and sees that it says 7% interest. She tells him that he will go to jail with this high interest! He tells her that she should have said it before she put her finger print on it. She he starts to walk around and keep the paper from her as she tries to take it from him.

But then they hear Yool-moo’s voice calling for her outside. So Dongju goes outside to talk to him as Nokdu changes his clothing into a woman’s clothes again. he comes outside. Yool-moo is pretty surprised to see him and mutters, w-widow?

While walking back to the widow village, Nokdu asks about Yool-moo ad if he is the one that actually took care of that bad guy? What is up with him? Does he have a high position in the government or is he from a big family? Well, it doesn’t matter, I am handsomer. Dongju is all like, whatever.

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#2

Nokdu then tells Dongju that he has something to do, he can meet her at the widow village later. 

He ends up meeting with the assassin who followed him into the woods. He tells her that he delayed the assassination attempt a little bit because he had to save someone. he could not leave a woman dying. ( Of course the assassin thinks he is a woman). The assassin tells him that he will have no excuse if he is dead. Nokdu says that he saved a life today so he has no regrets. 

She asks if he thinks she will not kill her? Nokdu says yes, he does not think so. You are curious about me. The assassin says that she will think about it, but she will also not hesitate to kill her right away, it is nothing for them to kill someone.

MORNING

In the widow village, Nokdu and Dongju become official mother and daughter, legally. Yeon Geun (the one who likes Nokdu) arranges all the paperwork. He tries to make small talk with Nokdu, but Nokdu is so uncomfortable so he tells Dongju that they can leave.

Cheon and her gisaeng friend say their goodbyes and to visit often. Nokdu and Dongju then pleasantly head back to the widow village. But then Dongju realizes that they need a place to live and asks where there house is located?

Cut to the ajumma avengers showing them to their house. It is a one room house that is very close, maybe even connected to the Ajumma Avengers house. They are so happy to have them as neighbors. Nokdu is so nervous and tries to tell them that this might not be the best idea, maybe we can stay in an empty house.

But one of the ajumma Avengers tells them that there are no empty houses, this is it. They happily put them inside the house gates. The ajumma avengers then think that they should tell her and not delay. it looks like they want to tell Nokdu that she is invited to join their squad.

In the assassin area, the assassins talk about what to do with the widow Nokdu. They say that her life is on the line, but it is nice that she saved Dongju. The other two think that they might have to kill her, though they dont really want to kill her like this.

LITTLE HOUSE

Dongju and Nokdu sit in the small room together. Dongju is all upset that they have to share. She thinks that she can sit here until his widow lady comes. he kind of stutters, y-yes, until she c-comes. Dongju says she has to go somewhere but does not want to tell Nokdu. He starts to walk around and says that he saved her life but she has secrets against him already. Then he tells her to call him Omoni, what if someone hears?

In the market area, Nokdu starts to buy all sorts of things as Dongju follows him around asking why he is spending so much money. Didn’t you say that you were a former slave? He says that he can do the cleaning and she can do the laundry, she agrees and goes to look at some chics in a basket. 

He asks her if she wants to buy it? Dongju says no. But she looks at them so lovingly so Nokdu tells her that they can buy two. But Dongju says no, she doesn’t want to put all her emotions into it. Then it would be difficult to say goodbye.

While walking away, so also looks lovingly at a swing, so he asks her if she would like to purchase it? Dongju says that she does not have to. 

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#3

When they get back to their house, one of the assassins are there waiting for Nokdu. She motions for her to follow. So Nokdu goes to meet with the assassins. The assassins threaten her and says that they can make it look like you commited suicide. But they think that she saved a life as well, so they can give her another chance. However, how can they trust her?

They want to give her a mission. if she screws this up, then it won’t affect them at all. So one of the assassins goes to Nokdu and asks if her in-law is Dr. Park?

Cut to Nokdu startling Dongju outside as she hangs the sheets. he gives her two chics and tells her that it does not matter if she has an attachment to them or not. If you want to raise them, then just raise them. Nokdu tells her the names of them. One is Dong Dong and the other is Dong Ju.  So it is like her name Dong Dong Ju.

She asks if he is crazy? He says he will go somewhere, so you should take care of them. I am going to see my widow in a far off place. Tell the others that I went back to see my mother. Dongju asks where he is going in Seoul? He says a location and she nods.

NOKDU’S MARTIAL ARTS MASTER’S HIDDEN HOUSE

Elsewhere, Nokdu’s little bride and his brother are sitting and chatting. She wants to go to Seoul to see him and asks how long it will take for her to get there if she runs. The brother smiles and pats her head lovingly.

In the widow village, Nokdu tells he guy that crushes on him that he will be back. Yeon Geun is so affected and tells her to hurry back!

Meanwhile, Nokdu is bored beyond belief without Nokdu around. She goes to her secret cave and starts to invent something. She thinks she needs a certain metal part in Seoul. She should go there and get it. hanyang’s technology is good so even though I shouldnt’ go there, I have to go there.

So she dresses in her male attire and heads off to Seoul. She gets to a tavern and asks if there is a man with a pointy noise and plump lips and sassy eyes that stays here? Or a widow that might have come alone? The tavern woman says there is, that lady just left! Nokdu smiles and tells her that she is her sister.

She goes to the room where Nokdu is supposedly staying and wonders where he is. Did he go see his widow already? But then she also thinks that this is none of her business.

Looking out the window she sees a persimmon tree. Cut to Nokdu in his assassin gear walking on the rooftop of a gate and looking into a house that also has persimmon trees all around. 

Flashback to the assassins telling him that they want something from his father in law. She says that she knows what they want and can find it. So they give her 3 days. if she fails then she will die in the house. If she does not find it then they will kill her. So prove it to us that you are qualified. Nokdu asked them what would happen if they died? One of them says that someone will retrieve your body if you die, so don’t worry about it.

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#4

Nokdu hops the fence and dusts off his hands as he thinks that he definitely is not dying there. he then looks around and wonders if anyone actually lives there.

Similarly, Dongju goes up to a gate. But she is hesitant to open it. She thinks that she can do it, she is just sneak peaking for a moment. So she holds the gate and is about to pull on it. But then, to her right, she sees men running to her with torches. She falls on her knees and sees these men kick open the gate. It looks like this is trauma from a previous event.

One of the men stops and looks at her, he raises his sword to her and is about to cut her, but another man protects her, posisbly her father so her mother can grab her and pull her away. Nokdu looks back and sees her father being slain at the hands of these swordsmen.

Her and her mother keep running away with other women and kids. But arrows shoot them all down. Her mother gets shot in the leg and then the back. Only Nokdu is not hurt. She puts all her blood on Nokdu and then covers her with her body.

Nokdu wakes up buried under her mother and looks up to see another body falling on top of her.

In the present, Nokdu manages to stand back up outside the gate and is about to hold the door again. But then it opens and Nokdu walks out quickly. He is shocked to see her and asks why she is there. She says that she didn’t follow him. He sees that she is all teary so he asks why she is crying.

She wipes her tears and says that she isn’t crying! Then she runs away.

Cut to them in their typical bickering behavior as they lay in their own beds at the tavern. he asks how she found him there? She pretends like she is sleeping. Then she asks him why he came out from that house. So he pretends like he is sleeping. But then he tells her that this is an empty house. So, why were you crying over there?

She rolls over and tells him to go to bed. So he says, how dare you say that to your mother! She throws a pillow at him. He asks, how dare you hit your mothers forehead. She laughs and goes to sleep.

END PART ONE

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#5

MORNING

Nokdu manages to hide under a wagon and enter the house with the Master who he needs to take something from. He sees a gold elephant that the master is holding. This is the man that was following his daughter in law to the gisaeng jip that Nokdu helped out. The father says that they have almost found his daughter. Then they will have a Yeolyeo award if they find her. (Yelyeo is a widow award, though she would have to die or stay single for years and years).

Nokdu leaves wondering how those two got caught again. But he also thinks that this is none of his business anymore and leaves.

PALACE

The king tells his aristocrat people around a table that he saw a strange thing when he went out. A little boy was crushing the egg of a bug, so he asked this kid, why are you doing this, it is too cruel. So the kid says to me, do you think this is jut an egg? This is a rice bug that will hatchh the next day and eat all our rice. You don’t know that?

The King laughs. One of his aristocrats asks if the boy didn’t notice he was the King? The King says that it does not matter. But it tells him, that if there is a sign of trouble, he should crush it. isn’t that right.

Then the little prince runs up looking for his dog. However, he freezes when he sees the King and runs away. The other politicians look on warily. 

SEOUL

Nokdu and Dongju are in old Seoul at a blacksmiths. Dongju is looking for something in particular. Nokdu is just there becasue she is there and finds something that looks interesting. He wonders what it is. Nokdu tells him that it is a magnet. It attracts metals. NOkdu asks how she knows that metals stick like this?

Dongju explains that she is not good at dancing, but she is good at making things. This is basic. It starts to rain so she tells him that metals get rusty when it rains. he holds her arm and asks if she can make something for him?

Cut to Nokdu laying out plans for Dongju to look at. She asks if he is a thief? He tell sher to trust me, daughter! I want to send my widow a letter to let her know that I am waiting. Dongju thinks that is BS. He sighs and asys that this is the only thing he can use to give something to her from far away.

Donju ignores him and rolls over for a nap. So he tells her that he will give her a discount on the amount of money she owes him. She quickly sits up and asks how much of a discount.

Cue montage of Nokdu making the item that Nokdu wanted. it is a bow and arrow. She tries it out by shooting the arrow into an apple (or persimmon) off the top of Nokdu’s head. Bullseye!

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#6

Elsewhere, Nokdu’s surrogate father tells the general/master/neighbor, Jang Koon, that he has to go to Seoul for medicine for his son. the neighbor general does not think this is a good idea and thinks that they need to eat first. ut he finds out that his daughter is hiding out in a boat to go to Seoul to see Nokdu.

The general hops into the water when he sees his daughter in a boat. She tells him that she is going to Seoul! So he has to swim all the way to the boat and is helped in. On land, we see that someone is spying on the father and son.

ASSASSINS

The three assassins discover that the daughter in law is captured. They think that Nokdu must have snuck in and gotten captured. He wants to have Yeol Yeo award by making her kill herself. They don’t think that they can leave this alone.

Meanwhile, Nokdu walks happily with Dongju, though he is dressed as a man and she is dressed as a woman. They walk around a corner and see another swing that gives Donju pause again. Nokdu tells her to swing on it. she says no so he tells her that he likes it and runs to the swing to swing on it while standing.

He tells her it is super cool, she tells him that he has noshame. He hops off and tells her to do it. But she says that she is not! he tells her that she always says that she does not want to do something or have something. Why are you always like that. She says seh isn’t. But he says that he knows it. If you supress what you want then you will get a mental disease. That swing is really cool you know.

Dongju looks at the swing and is sent into a memory of her grandfather rubbing her hair as he tells her to do everything that she wants to do. Don’t worry about others, just do what you want. In the memory, her entire family is playing at this swing set.

In the preset, Nokdu tells her to try it and pulls her to sit on the swing. He pulls her back and pushed her on it.

ND – How do you feel? It feels good right?

A song starts to play as she swings. As he continues to push her back and forth, she starts to think about her family. She stands on the swing and keeps swinging. She thinks about her happy times swinging with her family as she does.

♫ Where are we at in time, wandering around? But now we are standing together. I will be your light. I will be your star that shines at you. Like the moon in the window. Like the sky. the end of waiting. We hold hands together and are like fate here as we see each other. I will be your light. I will be next to you all the time. Like the stars that came to you to shine on you. Like the sun that shines in the sky. I will be your light forever. ♫

Nokdu happily watches her swing herself on the swing, but then it starts to rain, so she hops off. he tells her that she is good at it. She says that she never said that she couldn’t do it, just that she didn’t want to. he tells her to hurry back to the tavern before she gets too wet, he will be back soon. Then he runs off.

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#7

GOLDEN ELEPHANT HOUSE

The master of the house talks to his golden elephant and wonders if his nose is bigger or the elephants nose is bigger. He happily polishes it as he does.

Nokdu is on top of the roof with an arrow. He has a tiny magnet attached to the arrow and shoots it at the elephant. He gets it and then grabs a fishing pole to pull it back. it hops back to him perfectly.

The master of the house tells all his servants to catch that guy! Nokdu takes off running. But he also happily waits for them to follow him and leads them around a corner.

The guards all run off so Nokdu hides in the empty house and then hops out with the elephant in his hands.

TAVERN

At the tavern, Dongju lays down as she thinks about Nokdu’s words. he told her that she always says that she hates something or does not want something. You will get suppressing yourself like this. She sits up.

Back at the masters house, the master is about to pass out at the loss of his elephant and has to be carried away. Nokdu watches this, but then sees Dongju at the empty house next door. he wonders why she is there.

Dongju goes to the door and is able to go inside this time. She steps inside slowly and bites her lip as she looks around. Seeing her old place brings a small smile to her face. But it also is about to bring a tear as well. 

Then a persimmon rolls to her feet. She looks up and sees Yool-moo standing there. He is stunned to see her there and is holding a lot of persimmons in a dish. Nokdu watches this all from the top of the gate.

Cut to Yool-moo and Dongju sitting in the courtyard together. he asks if she is wearing that because she is in the widow town? She says that she borrowed her mothers clothing (Nokdu’s clothing). She asks why he is here. He says that he bought this place. He would come here to sneak peak her when people said that they would marry. 

He wanted to say that he would not marry her if she was not pretty, but when he saw her, he bothered his father to make the marriage date earlier. he looks at her sincerly and tells her that if she wants, this place is still hers. 

She tells him that it does not matter. 

YM – Young lady. I wanted to say that to you here. Even though it does not matter

DJ – Don’t do it. After coming here, I already want to go back to my old self.

YM – I am sorry.

DJ – Thank you for keeping this place so pretty. However, I am not going to come back here anymore, so please keep your promise that you will treat me as a gisaeng.

She stands to leave and tells him goodbye. He stands and says that he will take her back, it is late. But she tells him that she will go back by herself.

Nokdu, meanwhile, is still on the roof of the gate wondering what those two are doing here so late. How is she such a different person here? She was so cold in the gisaeng jip. And how come she has something to buy at the blacksmiths house?

But then, he sees a progression of a men walking with a carriage. The widow is inside.

One of the men gets hit by a stone and passes out. Then Nokdu steps in front of them all in the street.

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#8

Nokdu prepares himself to fight as the men pull out their swords. then they get to it! 

Meanwhile, Dongju is walking to the gate of the house. She takes one last look around at her old home and smiles.

Outside, Nokdu keeps fighting all the men and manages to take them all out easily. He even does a back flip scissors kick that knocks one of them out and runs to save the widow.

He opens the carriage and tells her that it is he, then he lets her out. He asks if she is okay, she cries and says that her man is hurt a lot because of her. He starts to hold her to stop crying and tells her that she should run away.

Dongju comes out right at that moment and thinks that this widow is the widow that Nokdu loves. it is as if his lie just became the truth. Dongju puts her head down and walks away.

But she sees the assassin dressed as an ajumma and turns to run back to Nokdu and tries to signal to him that the ajumma from the widows village is coming! So all three run away to the empty house. But then Yool-Moo comes around the corner, so Nokdu closes the door, they are still inside the street.

Dongju says that Seok saw her and thinks that she is Nokdu. Nokdu tells her that she should run away, he will figure things out. Dongju tells him to get inside the carriage! She pushes him in and then hops in as well.

The widow is in the house and sees Yool-moo, he is all like, um, what is going on? And Dongju and Nokdu are in the carriage.  She tries to take his clthing off in this tiny space. He is all like, what are you doing! And starts to bat her hands away from him. So she starts to bat his hands away as well. 

Outside, the assassin, Ssook, is there looking around. She asks if wodow Kim is in the carriage? Bt then she sees even more men running to her and the carriage. They pull swords on her. She holds her sword that is hidden.

inside the carriage, Nokdu pouts and shakes his head, noooo. She nods yes and then pulls his shirt open to expose his bare chest. he gasps in shock.

Fade Out

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COMMENTS

This show is the bombdiggity. I love it so much, it is so fun and playful and keeps me on my toes and wondering what is going to happen next. I love how the widow storyline has played out in actually becoming the truth as Nokdu hugged the actual widow. And I love how Nokdu and Dongju ended up in the carriage with her determinedly taking off his clothing to switch with her and him really not wanting to do it. This show is so aces, I love it to much.

I love it when a show can give me goosebumps and happy feelings while I watch it that subsequently end up lasting all day long. It is so wonderful and makes me wish that this show aired everyday of the week. I definitely am putting it up there with a TV show that I would recommend first time Kdrama watchers check out. Of course, we have to see how it progresses (and how it ends) but right now, everything about it is great.

PREVIEW

Caption – CHAOS

ND – *stumbles out of the carriage and slaps one of the men* How dare you matter in this!

Caption – DESTROY

ND – *is carried from a horse by the guy that crushes on her*

AD – Husba-a-a-a-a-and!

ND – *runs away from the little girl he was supposed to marry.

Caption – FORGETTING

ND – *pins Yool-moo against a tree as if he likes him* Mister.

DJ – *tosses and turns in bed* Ah, that stupid dream.

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