When I first saw the title of this drama, I was all ready for the most beautiful love story, and I was not disappointed. We all wait for that exceptional love and to be swept up into an emotional storm of unbridled love; such is the case with this drama.

The backdrop is set in the 1600s during the Qing invasion where you have the young, bright and beautiful Yu Gil Chae (Auh Jin Lin) who has a propensity to attract every man in town, but her eyes are only set on one man--Nam Yeon Jun. She does everything to always garner his attention as well as make the other women in town not like her. They think her actions are inappropriate to say the least. But Nam Yeon Jun while knowing her feelings always makes her feel that he has a slight interest, but he finally put those feelings to rest at last when he marries Kyung Eun Ae.

Lee Jang Hyun (Namkoong Min) arrives in Neunggun-ri, and sees the attractive Yu Gil Chae for the first time as she is on a swing in the woods along with other suitors who are watching her as well. Lee Jang Hyun is instantly captivated as he watches her swing back and forth, smiling and laughing as she goes higher and higher. They both recollect this moment later: One day, I asked you my darling, "Do you recall the day you first saw me?" You answered, "Of course, I do. I heard a very rare sound that day." I asked you what sound you heard. "Do you hear it? This sound, the sound of flowers." Just at that moment the swing broke and he caught her in his arms. As he looked at her up close for the first time, he said thinkingly, "Have you ever heard the sound of spring flowers bloom? I heard that rare sound today." So, began the amazing love story of Yu Gil Chae and Lee Jang Hyun.

Each time this couple met it was always a lively banter of words between which was a growing love, more so for Lee Jang Hyun, but Yu Gil Chae for so long had her sights on Nam Yeon Jun she never allowed herself to even think another man could enter her heart. Lee Jang Hyun played many mind games and their "tug of war" where both their feelings were concerned fascinated him. He did not want her to lose interest in him, so this is how he kept and captured her to him.

But just as things began to heat up for them, war starts and so they are separated before they could even make sense of their feelings.

Many things happen once the war started. Lee Jang Hyun finds himself working for the Khan as well as the Crown Prince. He does save Yu Gil Chae, gets ill and then the worse of it all is that she believes he died. Those who would die, they would put their possession in a box. Yu Gil Chae went looking to see if there was something of that manner for Lee Jang Hyun. Well, she did find a box which contained her red ribbon most importantly--his fan that he was never without. Even though she had these items, a tiny part of her still held on that he was alive. She held onto his coat and even screamed and cried for him to come back but he didn't. Hence, she had to fend for her and the others due to Kyng Eun Ae's husband, Nam Yoon Jun being imprisoned, and they lost everything.

Picking herself up she found a way to make money and get everyone back from the brink of disaster. Enter Gu Won Moo who led her to believe that he was the one that saved her and the others when they were on the island, but we all know it was Lee Jang Hyun. She decides to marry him.

Meanwhile Lee Jang Hyun is finally able to come back to Yu Gil Chae because the Crown Prince has been allowed by the Khan to see his father. Well, Lee Jang Hyun ask Ryang Eum to tell her that he is coming. But because of the beliefs that Ryang Eum has, once he does see Yu Gil Chae not only does he tell her that he is dead, but also that he had another woman during that time. I believe that he had a love for him that exceeded friendship. He used the guise of saying he felt that she was bad for him and was going to hurt him, so he drove her away. I think he didn't want him to have anyone in his life but him. So, misunderstanding ensued.

Coming into town, Lee Jang Hyun is happy because he has all the flowered printed slippers that he promised her. As he is walking down the street, he hears a man calling out about the bride's chest and out comes Yu Gil Chae. To say he wasn't blown away and her too, because she sees him at the same time is an understatement.

They finally meet and he tries to explain things to her but again, she basically doesn't listen to him and believes he is playing games with her, and she is not hearing anything that he is saying. He does find out that Ryang Eum was the cause of him not telling her that he was alive and leading her to continue to believe he was dead. Ryang Eum said that she was already getting married so why should he have told her anything different in his mind. I believe at this point; their relationship was severed.

The final parting of Yu Gil Chae and Lee Jang Hyun was in this letter that she wrote him as he sailed down the river without her. She said, "It is true that I wavered for a moment, but I do not trust you nor love you enough to leave everything behind me. If any small affection for me remains in you, please forget everything about me."

After reading the letter he picks up her flowered printed slippers and remembers what he had told her when he left: "I will come back with the prettiest flower slippers in the world." He then just drops them in the water as they float away...so ends their story for now.

Ryang Eum who Lee Jang Hyun left is on the riverbank watching him leave without him, turning to leave, he looks up only to see Yu Gil Chae and cannot contain in his look his disgust and anger for her.

Yu Gil Chae feels tears running down her cheeks as she watches Lee Jang Hyun leave and thinks: "When I asked you if you ever hated me, you said this--the day you left me forever. I stared at you for a long time because I hated you so much. But no matter how long I stared at you, I did not feel hatred for you. So, I just hated myself. And you asked me, how cruel you are. Did you even fathom how I felt? I can tell you now. I could not even fathom, it is just that my heart shattered into a thousand pieces, and I wished that you would not feel like me. I prayed desperately so."

Two years later we find Lee Jang Hyun in Shenyang and he is once again chasing down escapees from the war.

This is where the drama ends for now. Such a beautifully crafted piece of work. Everyone in the cast gives superb performances. The lavish and breathtaking scenery is just amazing. I am thoroughly in awe of this drama. You will as well.

I did take a bit of my own spin when she had her dream, but this was the most poignant moment to me in this drama,

One day Yu Gil Chae was sewing an embroidery, as she got to the sun, she needed more red thread as she went to reach for the spool of red thread, it fell out of her hand and began to roll. As she watched it roll down the hill she began to run after it. The red spool of thread led her down a path of trees which were in full summertime bloom, through a field of lush yellow flowers, skipping on stones along a babbling brook, a grove of autumn trees with an array of vibrant colors in red and gold, a snow covered path with her feet crunching on newly fallen snow all the while feeling the breath of winter's wind on her face, and a dense forest of trees, where the red spool led her to the sandy beach and the sound of the ocean.

As she watched the blazing colors of the evening sunset against his silhouette, she saw laying at his feet the red spool of thread. Thinking she said, "Was all that I saw as I ran to you, the highs and lows of what was to be expected in our journey?" But as he stepped from the glow of the setting sun, she watched as he slowly reached down to pick up the spool. She asked him..."Who are you, Young Master?" He said, "I have been waiting for you. At this place...for a long time." As she watched his head lean down for a kiss, she thought, "I have waited for you a long time too...my dearest."

Such as the ending I would have liked to have but alas we have to wait for the red thread to continue its journey in October for the second part.