'The King: Eternal Monarch' Episode 10 Review: Did Lee Gon just disappear from Tae-eul's life forever?
'The King: Eternal Monarch' has taken a heartbreaking turn in episode 10. King Lee Gon (Lee Min-ho) of the Kingdom of Corea and Tae-eul (Kim Go-eun) from the Republic of Korea might have just parted forever and the intense cliffhanger ending of the episode has us grasping at all possibilities. After Lee Gon found out that Lee Lim (Lee Jung-jin) hadn't aged a day since he murdered the King and went into hiding, Lee Gon had planned on a simple capture operation when Lee Lim traveled to Corea next.
However, his calculation fails because Lee Gon doesn't realize that the entry and exit points for Lee Lim might be different. He announces a surprise event on the Lunar New Year to get some attention, hoping that Lee Lim would grace the event, and as expected, his uncle was present. Only, with the help of thugs who threatened the life of Lee Gon's people and guards, Lee Lim escaped. Instead, this incident left Jo Eun-seop (Woo Do-hwan) getting shot at. Thankfully, because of the bullet vest, Eun-seop only suffered minor abrasions, but Lee Gon has just grasped the magnitude of influence Lee Lim has over people in his world.
While he has left Jo Yeong in Tae-eul's world to investigate further into Lee Lim, nothing solid has been found but instead, Lee Lim is wreaking havoc in Corea. He has created a huge stir with people of Corea wondering if the king is spurning conspiracy theories claiming Lee Lim is alive. This is exactly what Lee Lim had hoped for, the strife and mistrust to rule supreme and that is exactly what has occurred now. Lee Gon does smartly avert a huge crisis by claiming that he had not followed Lee Lim but his followers.
Yet, this is not enough. As Lee Gon's response to Lee Lim is delayed by a step, Lee Lim also managed to murder Prince Buyeong. The next in line to take over the throne, Prince Buyeong was supposed to be protected with tough security details but Lee Lim breaches all of that and kills him. He was one of the only relatives of Lee Lim left in the country who the king respects and his death is supposed to be a huge blow to Lee Gon. Just as Lee Lim planned, this loss dazes Lee Gon and he somehow seems to realize that he might disappear suddenly anytime soon.
Despite all of this, Lee Gon manages to meet Tae-eul one last time with a bouquet of flowers from his universe. He tells her that he must return to the palace immediately but before he leaves, he confesses that he is head over heels in love with her. He also tells her not to be shocked if he disappeared completely from her sight, but to believe that he is traversing one of the worlds in some manner. It is right after sharing a kiss that Lee Gon disappears and Tae-eul is unable to do anything but sob her heart out. Why did Lee Gon disappear and was this really the last time Tae-eul will meet him?
Would Tae-eul have to give up on Lee Gon and fight Lee Lim in her world by herself now that Lee Gon had disappeared? Will she even be of consequence in this supernatural fight even if she gathered the courage? These two burning questions will be explored in the upcoming episode.
'The King: Eternal Monarch' is originally aired in South Korea on SBS at 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. The show can be streamed on Netflix in the US.