This film isn't usually my fair, but I came for the BL and felt a little cheated.
It almost felt that the King was a villain, but honestly there were none, it was just a series of events that ended in a tragedy.
I don't understand people's issue with the ending. I can see where they might be coming from if I had a high-powered microscope, but to me it felt like that was the overall theme...loss.
The king had loved chief Hong for years only to have the betrayal of not being loved back and to be told, and I even think Hong during back to the King with the single tear was his apology because in saying no, was the only way for the king to let him go and fight him seriously...
Overall the movie was gripping, I always think Asian films just go overboard with straight sex like they're trying to redeem themselves for some reason, but the whole film kept me invested