Remarkable drama! One of the rarest and best for me. Drama which deeply touched my heart and I know it'll stay with me forever. Everything, absolutely everything was just perfect. Honestly, I personally can't believe how much I cried and cried, smiled and smiled for this drama. I was invested in its story and characters I believe more than 100%. So I had to write a review, first for me and my emotions and then for you my beloved friends. Story is one of the bests in a history of sageuks dramas. A hero kind drama with a beautiful bromance between Dong Soo and Woon, unforgettable friendship between all characters, mesmerizing sceneries, full action. In the beginning I didn't believe I will enjoy this much, but once I get into it, which didn't take me long, believe me I just couldn't stop watching it. I wanted to see more and more. Amazing twists, best villains, fighting, all that was perfectly combined leaving me no time to even think about something else. Every scene and every second was precious to me. Why it needed to move me so deep, just why? Oh how many awesome, amazing characters are in this drama. In fact, that is the essence of this drama. Characters, their interactions with each other, characters developments, choosing their own paths of life, forgivness, regrets, sadness, repentance, happiness. And that's what moved me to the bones. I became very attached to characters, that I asked myself if I am okay, that it's just a drama, but something more in me was telling me that this is not some ordinary sagaeuk drama I used to watch most of the time. It is something different, very different. Dong Soo is a hero, a protagonist of this drama. In fact, the are two. Dong Soo and Woon, since their lifes are followed from the younger days to the adult ones. Dong Soo choose to became a kind and persistent man towards his dream to become the best Swordman of Joseon, while Woon who wanted to end his unfortunate life, choose an easy way and became an assassin (I called it easy because it was the easiest way, he just wanted to escape the unhappiness he had no matter where and what). And from that moment on their lives became one cruel fate which they couldn't avoid. Jin Joo was an amazing character! I loved her so much. Brave, strong and independent. Her sad life was indeed sad. I became so attached to her that I could feel what she felt, like her character was alive and was standing beside me telling me about her shitty life. Her fate really played with her, but she couldn't escape it. That monk girl or Ji Sun - no comment. Seriously. I felt like she was there just like that. Besides main leads, there are many stellar actors and characters. Whom I loved the most are definitely Cheon Soo (Sky Lord), Ji and Swordmaster. Cheon was a BEST villain ever, although I never felt like that, since his story was very moving and sad, that I just couldn't hate him. His love towards Ji was a painful, unrequited one which was just sad and I cried and cried. She loved Swordmaster, but never had a courage to actually go to him, because she knew what her fate is. Their story was really painful and it touched me to the core. I'll NEVER EVER forget them, their longing, regrets and sadness. I swear, I've never in my life cried this much for a drama, never. I guess this drama stroke me right in the heart!!! ************* SPOILERS******************* ABOUT: Jin Joo; Woon Okay, I personally believe Jin Joo's ending was some kind of a ridicilous one. It seemed like writers forced a painter on her, just to pair her up with someone. Even now I can't understand how Dong Soo forgot when she kissed him and asked him to marry her when they were younger. And the beginning of their story was leading that they'll end up together, but when they got older he fell in love with that monk girl. It does not make a friggin' sense to me, seriously. She was a brave, strong and kind character and I just adore when a girl knows how to fight. She is not hiding behind someone, waiting to someone protect her and that's what I respected the most about her character. Also, I somehow, without knowing became very attached to her character, that when first she lost her mother I cried a river, then when she lost her father I cried a river again. She just ruined me emotionally. I loved how she, the only one didn't hate Cheon, she considered him a friend, and he liked her too. I loved her when he called her "child", but when he died my heart broke. When she cried for him I cried with her together. Hehehe you can imagine how 'beautiful' sight it was. :P Oh and how much I have to say for Woon-a. I FRIGGIN' LOVE HIM! He was the most unselfish person I've ever seen in my life. His endless love for a Dong Soo and Cho Rip really never ended. But that animal Cho Rip betrayed him. Ufff I hated him at the end I wish he was dead instead of my beloved Woon. He choose his life path and became an assassin, but he never felt like he belongs in Hok Sa Cho Rong. His body was there, but his heart and mind was with Dong Soo, Captain and Swordmaster. His character was the strongest. I actually felt his pain, longing and love that he missed. Plus, his performance was phenomenal, even though he was 18 years old back then. JUST BRAVO! In the last episode, I knew that something will happen to him and I was praying that everything goes well, but that curse that followed him right from the time he was born did really take his life. Oh how much I cried when he said to Dong Soo: "You were my safe place, you've always been Dong Soo-ya. Now you don' t suffer anymore because of me." With those painful, tearful, sad words and the moment when he throw those swords and let Dong Soo kill him, I just couldn't take it anymore and bursted in tears, and cried who knows how long after that. One more precious moment is after that when Dong Soo is drinking and trying to forget about him, but in every new glass he sees him, more vividly than the previous one. Those moments are the ones I'll never forget in my life. **************SPOILERS END*************** Although this drama had a million sad moments, moments that simply brake your heart, I didn't regret one thing. I simply lived with this drama. Also OSTs are amazing. For every scene they put the right ones. Epic for epic, sad for sad, happy for happy ones. Oh and I think that each song is connected to some characters. Just by looking at its lyrics you can connect and say " Oh that song is meant for this and that character." I'm still listening the whole album and keep rememebering how precious moments are in this drama. I'd gladly rewatch it, even I know I'll go through the same pain again, but nothing will stop me to rewatch this masterpiece. All in all, this drama showed me how strong and powerful friendship can be, and that the one who loves more is the weaker one. Unwritten rule, but totally true. This drama will always, I mean always have a special place in my heart.