[Teqq]

And Wikipedia is wrong. Yeowha is not Nakbin.


The two of the meet face-to-face in the April 15th issue.

[OMG.its.fel]

Oo the artwork looks so pretty.. I'll have to check this out =D

[Nana.YahXD]

And Wikipedia is wrong. Yeowha is not Nakbin.


The two of the meet face-to-face in the April 15th issue.

yeah but that wasnt announced just recently
before no one knew if she was or not

[xoxoknlove]

i have a question, does anyone know how many chapters have been released (subbed) so far?

i only read up to chapter 56... if so can anyone give me the link to it? thanks~!

[Nana.YahXD]

^ thats about it LOL! they only have up to 56 for now
still translating the rest

[xoxoknlove]

^ thats about it LOL! they only have up to 56 for now
still translating the rest

o okay xDDD thanks xD
now i'm doubly excited for more >___<

(boy am i glad the flashbacks ended.... no offense of course)

[Valentin]

Uh.. not quite, narcissus_hime. In chapter 19 you see the thief singer whose name is Yeonhwa <-- n. 연화.


The one masquerading as Nakbin is Yeowa (여와) <-- no n and no leading aspirated 'h'.


The April 15th chapter (ch66) was very very crazy. lol! I'll summarize it later. I don't have it with me and I wouldn't want to leave some parts out: it's so good.

Can't wait for your summary! They're always so delicious - and this one sounds especially so! (Can you tell I love spoilers?)

I personally am inclined to think that Soah's two red strings refer to both Mui and Habaek; after all, you could think of them as two different persons, in a way. Also, Soah doesn't seem to look all that romantically at Hooye; if anything, she seems to see him as an older brother type, rather than as, say, a lover.

While I'm waiting for new spoilers to come out (both in picture and in print), I went back and started reading the entire story over again, since I realized there were some parts that I had somehow missed. (Also, as an aside, parts of the English fan translations don't jibe with the Chinese translations that I found; since the latter are from an "official" source - i.e. from the official printed Chinese version of "Bride of the Water God" - I think I'll go with the latter translations. Also, some translations and/or pages seem to have been skipped or omitted in the English fan version? This is really in reference to the earliest chapters though.) Some thoughts:

I still remain absolutely befuddled as to how Nakbin originally "died". It seems that both she, Habaek (in his child form), and Hooye were all present at the time for the spectacle. Was she or Hooye supposed to kill Habaek at the time? Yet, it looks like she stabbed herself, and then made it appear as though Hooye had stabbed her. (Looking closely at the scans, it appears that Hooye and Nakbin had been carrying different daggers at the time.) Also, when she collapses (I presume after having being stabbed by someone), she says (to Hooye), "See? I told you so; you still can't do it." Hence, my current thinking is that: Nakbin is supposed to kill Habaek; Hooye offers to do the deed for her, but Nakbin knows he doesn't really have the stomach for it; Nakbin shows up to kill Habaek, and Hooye lurks in a corner somewhere, but at the very last moment, she kills herself (because she's started to fall in love with Habaek), and Hooye appears from wherever he'd been hiding. And of course, somewhere in all this, either one of them knocks Habaek unconscious, because he still remains clueless as to what really happened.

On the other hand, it could also be that the fake death had been planned from long ago (all in cahoots with the emperor, of course), and we're currently seeing the second stage of the master plan ... But I think this hypothesis is less likely. I'm more inclined to think that Nakbin had a "change of heart" at the end and tried to sacrifice herself, but the emperor (her father) got her out at the last minute, from the burning palace, and once again has her all tied up in his schemes.

I also remain unsure and/or clueless as to most of the characters' motives. Like the doctor - (mostly) good or bad? I also want to know where the emperor plucked Yeowa from to do his bidding, and how she can be so in love with Habaek/Mui, even though I don't get the feeling that Mui/Habaek knows her from some other, previous time. How can you fall so madly in love with someone with whom you've never even come into contact once (I'm guessing)?

I wonder how long this story is going to keep on going. I have to say, this author really has her political intrigue down pat.

[mwtk]

And Wikipedia is wrong. Yeowha is not Nakbin.


The two of the meet face-to-face in the April 15th issue.

Wow more drama coming up. I can't wait! Valentin I like your take on this. I agree, Hooye is more like a best friend or brother figure to Soah. I'm still confuse about the true intentions of the gods. It's like they all have their own agenda and I don't know who to trust.

[xoxoknlove]

Can't wait for your summary! They're always so delicious - and this one sounds especially so! (Can you tell I love spoilers?)

I personally am inclined to think that Soah's two red strings refer to both Mui and Habaek; after all, you could think of them as two different persons, in a way. Also, Soah doesn't seem to look all that romantically at Hooye; if anything, she seems to see him as an older brother type, rather than as, say, a lover.

While I'm waiting for new spoilers to come out (both in picture and in print), I went back and started reading the entire story over again, since I realized there were some parts that I had somehow missed. (Also, as an aside, parts of the English fan translations don't jibe with the Chinese translations that I found; since the latter are from an "official" source - i.e. from the official printed Chinese version of "Bride of the Water God" - I think I'll go with the latter translations. Also, some translations and/or pages seem to have been skipped or omitted in the English fan version? This is really in reference to the earliest chapters though.) Some thoughts:

I still remain absolutely befuddled as to how Nakbin originally "died". It seems that both she, Habaek (in his child form), and Hooye were all present at the time for the spectacle. Was she or Hooye supposed to kill Habaek at the time? Yet, it looks like she stabbed herself, and then made it appear as though Hooye had stabbed her. (Looking closely at the scans, it appears that Hooye and Nakbin had been carrying different daggers at the time.) Also, when she collapses (I presume after having being stabbed by someone), she says (to Hooye), "See? I told you so; you still can't do it." Hence, my current thinking is that: Nakbin is supposed to kill Habaek; Hooye offers to do the deed for her, but Nakbin knows he doesn't really have the stomach for it; Nakbin shows up to kill Habaek, and Hooye lurks in a corner somewhere, but at the very last moment, she kills herself (because she's started to fall in love with Habaek), and Hooye appears from wherever he'd been hiding. And of course, somewhere in all this, either one of them knocks Habaek unconscious, because he still remains clueless as to what really happened.

On the other hand, it could also be that the fake death had been planned from long ago (all in cahoots with the emperor, of course), and we're currently seeing the second stage of the master plan ... But I think this hypothesis is less likely. I'm more inclined to think that Nakbin had a "change of heart" at the end and tried to sacrifice herself, but the emperor (her father) got her out at the last minute, from the burning palace, and once again has her all tied up in his schemes.

I also remain unsure and/or clueless as to most of the characters' motives. Like the doctor - (mostly) good or bad? I also want to know where the emperor plucked Yeowa from to do his bidding, and how she can be so in love with Habaek/Mui, even though I don't get the feeling that Mui/Habaek knows her from some other, previous time. How can you fall so madly in love with someone with whom you've never even come into contact once (I'm guessing)?

I wonder how long this story is going to keep on going. I have to say, this author really has her political intrigue down pat.

relooking at it, i think it was more like 2 flash backs put together... it was like Nakbin saying good bye to Habaek (i think she does know she was going to die) and Hooye stabbing her (it looks more like she stabbed herself... but yea..)

partly because Nakbin was wearing different colors... so i don't think she stabbed (or got stabbed) in front of Habaek

^^thats just my thinking... we'll have to wait and see... don't we?

[Teqq]

Going over chapter 66 in the April 15th issue


As a reminder: at this point Mui is still in Soah's room since she's trying to mend his sleeve and she asked him why he looks different by day and by night. The chapter starts with the banquet festivities. Mura's sitting there, too. The emperor's almost provoking Yeowha-posing-as-Nakbin by saying where could Habaek be, what a bad groom to be leaving such a beautiful bride there. Then he gets pulled away to hear a report. The emperor confirms with the guy (who wears that helmet mask that covers his eyes and tried to assassinate before..(반왕)) that Habaek had gone to Soah's room. The guy with the mask says it is as the emperor expected and Soah asked the question of Habaek as instructed by the emperor. And the masked guy asks if he[the emperor] really thinks Habaek will tell her. And the emperor says he doesn't care whether Habaek lies or tells her the truth since what he wants to know is something entirely different. Then a page explains how both humans and gods alike have three names. The first name is the official name that one is called while young. The second is like the title. And the third is the "Soul's Name" and is the name one goes by after death and isn't called it ever in life. So what the emperor wants to find out is Habaek's third name. Since it's a name that is hidden and only known to his parents and himself, he wants to find it out so that he can use it to snuff out Habaek's life. He is waiting to see which woman could possibly be told the name first: Yeowha who's posing as a Nakbin-look-alike or Soah who has been wounded [emotionally] by Habaek. And then he says that actually, the real Nakbin had failed to discover Habaek's 3rd name. And the masked guy is surprised [the real] Nakbin had failed. So then the masked guy asks the emperor what he would do in the case of failure (with Yeowha and Soah). The emperor responds saying he'd throw away the one who is useless. And so now who would find it first..

Scene switches to Soah and Habaek. (Mui = 1st name. Habaek = 2nd name, by the way. Duh.) So she's seen repeating the question of why he looks different at night and in the morning. And he responds he is being punished. She says ..."punished...?" and he says it's a punishment for not having saved the person he loved. And he says he cannot say anything more on it. And she's thinking, the person he loved... so that must be Nakbin, right..(she has a sad look on her face). Then she has a firm determined look and says to herself, "No, this won't do. I need to get a hold of myself." "Since I have something I must do now." There's a two-panel flashback where the emperor is telling her that before he returns to his water country, she must find out his 3rd name. And she needs to dole out payback for Habaek having abandoned her. So he commands her, "If you want revenge, then go find Habaek's 3rd name!" End of two-panel flashback. She's wondering how she can get him to tell her his 3rd name since even Nakbin had failed.. there's no reason for Habaek to tell her his 3rd name. Out loud she says, "I understand. I won't ask any more details on that matter. Instead, please respond to one more question of mine." He asks what it is. She says, "Can you tell me what your TRUE real name is?" And he answers "It is 빙이(氷夷)". 氷=Ice. 夷=normally means barbarian but may also mean destruction. So now she's shocked and her heart's pounding wildly. She can't believe he just told her straight up so easily. And she is wondering why he doesn't ask her why she is wondering what his name is. She stands up. He asks her what is wrong. She says, "I am sorry, I wish to be alone now. Please return." So he leaves. And she's thinking she can't lose her resolve over this. That she had swore she wouldn't be affected by his sweet words again. And she reaffirms how she won't be deceived again.

Scene switches to the morning. Emperor is asking her if Habaek went to her last night and did she find out what his 3rd name is. She says, "My apologies, your majesty. It seems my skills are still insufficient.. please give me a bit more time." And the emperor says he thought she may have been able to do it but wonders if it's impossible for her, after all. Then he says, "Well I did not think it would be an easy task. However, not much time is left. You must find his name in the next half month [15 days]." She says, "Yes, your majesty."

Scene switches to Yeowha (in Nakbin's appearance, of course) combing her hair. She has a flashback to the emperor provoking her the previous night about Habaek abandoning such a beautiful bride and he'll probably be a bad husband. And she thinks how Mui had indeed failed to return to her side before the end of the banquet and festivities. She's like, "No way, could he have been with that child..." Then she hears knocking. She opens the door saying "Habaek, have you returned?" Then the next panel has her frozen a bit. The last panel on that page has the bottom half of a woman's face showing saying, "Are you, perhaps, this 'Yeowha'?" Then you have to flip the page over to see the last page in the chapter. You see Nakbin in darker garb with darker (black) hair and a hair ornament facing Yeowha-looking-like-Nakbin-with-that-lighter-grey-shaded-hair. The "To be continued" caption reads, "The real Nakbin appears--!!!"

[<3goesDOKIDOKI]

^thanks for the spoilers!

i just read all the chapters up to 56. i can't wait for more to be scanlated.
sometimes the story is kinda confusing. i feel like scenes change too abruptly or flashbacks start all of a sudden

just wondering, how often are chapters released in korea? is it a weekly comic or monthly?

[Valentin]

Teqq, you are absolutely amazing! I positively heart you! Like you said, this was indeed a chapter full of surprises and revelations. I'm actually surprised that the author is revealing so much so fast; it makes me wonder if "Bride of the Water God" is gradually headed towards its finale now? That almost makes me sad, since it's such a beautifully drawn story; on the other hand, it'll also be extremely gratifying to finally be able to put all of the pieces together, as I have to say, all of this suspense is driving me absolutely insane! I've also noticed that the author's drawings, though already very beautiful to begin with, have been getting even more refined and sophisticated with each new chapter. In my opinion, the first few chapters looked a little rough (although even then, you'd have to be looking closely in order to spot the "roughness", as I have been , but now, each new chapter is more breathtaking than the last.

Anyway, some thoughts: (Beware, this will most likely turn into yet another unintentionally long post.)

Oh, Soah, what has happened to you? How did you become manipulated so easily by the emperor? If you hurt Mui/Habaek, I think I will have to hate you forever, no matter how beautiful you are.

I wonder if the name that Mui gave Soah is in fact his real, third name. (By the by, I've heard of this device before - wherein everyone has a "secret name" by which someone else can control you absolutely, if they can only find it out. However, I don't remember where I've seen it used, although no doubt it's an idea that's been used in multiple places.) I have to say, even if I loved a person dearly and purely, I think I'd still have to hesitate before giving him something by which he would be able to control me absolutely, to the point of killing me even. It might be that Mui is testing Soah, but again, this is all hypothesis.

Why exactly does the emperor want to kill/destroy Mui? I assume it has something to do with Mui's incredible power over water, which might pose a threat to the emperor. Also, if I recall correctly, the emperor wants to wipe out the human race, and Mui is someone who might stand in the way of that plan. On the other hand, going so far as to kill another god seems extreme, no? Maybe there's a prophecy that Mui will overthrow the emperor's reign? The emperor just doesn't seem like the kind of person (god, really) who'd do something without a very well-thought-out reason behind it; after all, that's what makes him so cunning.

I wonder why Mui's mother, the Western Queen, hadn't visited him for so long before Soah appeared on the scene. We know there's a reason behind it, we just don't know what that reason is specifically. Maybe the two had a tiff over Nakbin; indeed, if I were Mui's mother, and if I knew that the emperor was plotting something nefarious for my son, I'd probably want my child to stay the hell away from all beautiful, seductive women.

We know that there's something special tying Soah and Mui together, whether or not it's a red string. After all, every time Soah mentally calls out for help, Mui/Habaek hears her cry and rushes to her side. For example, that's how he rescued her when she first fell into a pond and was drowning, when she was little. I assume we'll of course eventually find out what the true meaning is behind that SOS telepathy of theirs.

Remember how Soah is supposedly a "fake" bride? If I read the story correctly, I believe her father sold her to replace the original bride who was to be sacrificed. I wonder what happened to that girl? Might she in fact be Yeowha? That'd be a shocker. Or maybe she's just disappeared entirely from the story and is unimportant after all. I just don't really like loose story lines. They always make me wonder if the author is being sloppy, unintentionally or otherwise.

And to repeat, where is this Yeowha from? Who is she in reality? We know she's posing as Nakbin, but she also seems to know an uncanny bit of Nakbin and Habaek's history - like when she says to Mura, "You were just as jealous back then, when you looked at us [referring to Nakbin and Habaek, presumably]." (This is paraphrased, but the gist of it is the same.)

Since this is getting long, this will be my last point: You might recall in one of the earliest chapters there is a sort of, I suppose, premonition wherein we see Soah with blood on her hands, presumably Mui's blood, and Mui himself is clutching his blood-soaked head/eyes. This foreshadowing scene is repeated in one of the latest (as yet untranslated) chapters, which has me curious as to what's going to precipitate it happening. I guess it's unavoidable? That's sad; I don't want Soah to hurt Mui/Habaek, because as much of as jerk as he is, he does like/love Soah.

[butterball]

Teqq, your summary is awesome!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you!!!

Valentin, there is so many twist and turn to the story. Now that an important character re-appears, it will be fun. I wonder how the poor Habeak will react!

And I keep wonder if Habeak and Soah are meant to be together. I hope they do!

[NFS3]

Thanks for the summary Teqq. This story keeps you guessing what's going to happen, so many twists.

[brisingr123]

Thank you Teqq for your summary.
But I have a question about his name...빙이
How do you pronounce it?
I even checked a Korean alphabet since I don't know Korean... and what I got doesn't do him any justice...
here it is..
빙 --> ㅂ (b or p) + ㅣ(i or ee as in meet) + o (ng as in ring) = b/p ing
이 --> o (in the beginning of a syllabe it has no pronunciation) + ㅣ(i or ee as in meet) = i

so... I don't what to think that by adding those letters up we get smth like b/p in g/k i, no?
It would be nice to know just so we - well, I- can call him by his true name.... my sweet Mui/Habaek/빙이
since this is my first post, I shouldn't forget to say this to you all:

thank you for the amazing job you have done and still do with this manhwa. Been following this since 2007 and still not bored by it not even a bit... my only regret is that I don't know Korean.

[<3goesDOKIDOKI]

^the pronounciation is bing ee

personally i prefer his name mui :] i dunno why haha

[brisingr123]

Thank you <3goesDOKIDOKI

And yeah Mui is a more beautiful name. Still our Mui.
Thanks again.

[chire]

Someone really needs to color the opening pages (especially this chapter's).

Download Chapter 57
Read Online

Actually, that's not just an idle suggestion. If any artists out there want to work ahead and color pages from future chapters, we'll include them with the release Send me a PM!

Also, if/when we catch up to Wink, I'll look into redoing some of the earlier chapters that were a bit rougher than the rest (if I remember, there were only 2 or 3 that could use a touch up).

[Heroine]

ohmygosh! thank you chire!

woohoo! SOAH APPEARS! =D

[Drusilla]

KYAAAAAAAA Thank you so much chire!