THIS DRAMA IS A FICTIONAL STORY BASED ON HISTORICAL FACTS
SOME ORGANIZATIONS AND CHARACTERS IN THIS DRAMA ARE FICTITIOUS
EPISODE 5
-Whoa, slow down. -His Highness Prince Jeongan is entering!
HWAPYEONGJEON
1ST YEAR OF TAEJO'S REIGN YEAR OF 1392
As I have informed Your Highness,
His Majesty is feeling distressed at the moment.
Please visit again another time.
Since he is feeling distressed, I'd like to pay my respects and comfort him.
Ask him again.
-However-- -Ask him.
One more time.
"Master Confucius said,
'A young man should be filial at home
and respectful toward his elders in public.
He must be cautious of his words and actions,
love everyone, befriend the good-hearted, and act on this advice.'
Zixia said,
'If a man who is charmed by the wise,
does his best to filial duty,
serves the King with all his heart,
and always keeps his promises, says that...'"
The senior eunuch is waiting anxiously.
It has been over four hours, Your Majesty.
Since people are watching, it'd be better to just let him in.
I want everyone to see it.
Only then will the people become aware of my intentions.
HWAPYEONGJEON
Prince Jeongan, Bang-won,
is here for an audience with you, Your Majesty.
Your Highness.
I am aware that I should pay my respects in person inside your chamber.
However, I cannot do that
since Prince Uian's audience with you is taking longer than expected.
I hope you understand, Your Majesty.
I heard you are distressed.
I am concerned
that it might affect your health.
I am truly concerned.
Your Majesty.
Your filial love for me is admirable and beautiful.
I understand how concerned you are, so you may leave now.
You banned everyone from talking about choosing a crown prince.
That is not a topic we can discuss with shoes on.
I've no choice as you're not allowing me the chance to remove mine.
You stand up when I tell you to kneel
and assemble your soldiers when I tell you to disband your army.
So why don't you break down the doors and enter with your shoes on?
Do it.
The throne can only be passed down to your legitimate sons.
Prince Uian is the youngest of your eight sons,
and he was born out of wedlock.
Why consider crowning him?
How dare you.
You had the nerve to peep into my mind?
I heard the Queen is begging you in tears to select Prince Uian as Crown Prince.
You even heard about what the Queen is thinking?
How could you let a woman interfere when you are laying
the foundation for a kingdom that will last thousands of years?
Jeongan!
A dog that barks grows gaunt,
whereas a dog that eats grows stout.
I am now noticing that you look quite gaunt.
Prince Jeongan
must have scared you.
What about you?
The one who is afraid of Prince Jeongan
is you, not Prince Uian.
I defeated 10,000 soldiers all by myself.
Why would I be afraid of my own child?
You may be able to kill 10,000 enemies
but not your own child.
The deeper your frown lines grow,
the weaker your courage will be.
That is
what I see in you now, Your Majesty.
Did I run into you by chance?
Or are you intentionally blocking my way?
I was waiting for you, Your Highness.
Identify yourself.
I am Nam Seon-ho from the Office of the Inspector General.
-And? -I must speak to you about two things.
One is more important than the other.
Start with the one that is not as important.
Please wear your uniform when you visit the palace.
Even princes can be impeached for deriding such customs and rules.
I heard there is a sword in the Office of the Inspector General,
which used to be filled with bookworms.
That sword must be you.
I will take that as a compliment.
No,
I am mocking you.
Illegitimate sons are always the problem.
Both Bang-seok and Jeong Do-jeon were born out of wedlock.
Your case is worse because your mother was a lowborn.
Now that the new kingdom has begun,
I bet you think you can turn things around.
That is why you had the audacity to stop a prince
when you are a mere inspector.
Times have changed,
so those born out of wedlock should be treated equally.
I will incarcerate them.
You won't be able to.
I will ban them from obtaining any positions in the government.
Those who already have one
will be removed from their positions.
Keep in mind that
it's the country that changed,
not the world.
Now, may we discuss the important matter?
Sure, let's hear it.
Please get off your horse when entering the palace.
What if I refuse?
Then
you will lose your horse.
I slew it in your place, Your Highness.
The world has changed.
And in this new world, you are nothing more
than a mere subject of His Majesty.
So please act accordingly.
Your father would have slain
a gatekeeper instead of that horse.
I must say,
you are different from your father.
-Are you mocking me again? -No, I am not.
This time, you may take it as a compliment.
HYEGEOMDANG
There's one condition.
Hui-jae can't know about the information you know.
Move far away from Hui-jae.
If she gets involved, she'll be exposed to danger.
You can neither be her friend nor her lover.
Will you promise me?
Yes.
I give you my word.
YI SEONG-GYE
YI BANG-WON
He is Bang-won.
Take a good look at him
for he will steal this nation.
You are to gain his trust.
HAN HUI-JAE
General Jung Sa-jeong.
A founding contributor and Bang-won's close aide.
He's killed so many people,
and he rapes women for fun. He is a scoundrel.
Get him to talk and win over the King.
I will kill him and win over Bang-won.
We'll whack Jung Sa-jeong and get rid of those Ganggae bastards.
Two fives.
-Excuse me. -Gosh, don't touch me.
Yes, I'm coming! With your wine, of course.
Let me pour you a glass
-Here. -All right, let's see.
Gosh, let me explain. Please hear me out first. You're mistaken.
What, then?
Shall I go ahead and relieve myself right here?
Shall I? Is that what you want me to do?
My goodness, I have to deal with that every time I need to relieve myself.
Pay me first.
Great.
Now, tell me.
At the moment...
Yes.
Two outside and eight inside.
-Where's he? -In the secret room.
There are two armed men in that room.
There are so many of them.
The bet is over 2,000 nyang,
so they obviously have to guard the money.
By the way, who are these guys? That's enough money to buy ten mansions.
I don't have a good feeling about this.
-You don't need to know. -I need to know who we're dealing with.
-One of the founding contributors. -I see.
-Hey! -Have you gone mad?
The sane are considered weird nowadays.
I can't go. I refuse!
Think about the money.
-Let's go. -Okay.
-Gosh. -What is going on?
Hey, you'll have to wait.
-He's got eight. -Damn it.
You two don't look like guests.
We're here to steal your money.
Just the two of you?
No, there are four of us.
My lord, you should get out of here.
Happenings like this are very common at tujeon dens.
All right.
Place your bets.
But what if the authorities raids us?
We'll kick them out.
Have you forgotten who I am?
You're just
a gambling addict.
Gambling addiction is scary indeed.
You won't budge even if a fire breaks out.
You must be one of them.
This is paradise.
This is heaven.
Let's go.
Hey, you look like a bird picking up food with its beak. Enough already.
-Let's go. -Wait, this is gold.
-Hey, just a second. -Come on.
Wait, it's gold!
Untie me at once.
Oh, my. At this rate, we'll become so rich that we'll make kimchi with wild ginseng.
I'll wipe my butt with silk.
And we'll find a nice lady for Chi-do.
No, thanks. I'm much happier living with you guys.
-I didn't hear that. -Same here.
Hwi, these petty gigs won't do.
Let's be bold.
We'll raid all the tujeon dens in Gaegyeong.
Let's crush them all like this.
My, this guy is strong.
Jeez, do I not even deserve to eat or what?
Here. Shall I go rinse this in water for you?
This came out of a chicken's butthole, you know.
My mouth is cleaner. Have this.
Your breath smells like poop.
Why you little...
How beautiful. Look how gorgeous these are.
Look at these cherry blossom kites.
Sir! Where are you going, sir?
This kite with lilies will help you become a high-ranking official.
And this kite with daylilies will help you conceive a boy.
Go to Yeseongjeong and fly a kite!
One of the deserters
was named Seo Hwi.
And I heard that name
was put on the death roll today.
SEO HWI
Rest in peace.
I won't forget you.
You're late.
I never asked you to wait for me.
I came here to welcome you, but you're all cranky.
You neither need to welcome me nor see me off, so--
Her Majesty ordered me to welcome you in person
and see you off.
Hurry. Her Majesty is waiting for you.
His Majesty will soon choose a prince to receive the title of Crown Prince.
If he chooses Prince Uian,
all the officials and the other princes will strongly object.
We will find dirt on the other princes
and pressure the meritorious officials.
Some are bound to shed blood.
It just won't be us.
-What about you, Hui-jae? -There is an uncomfortable truth
and a generous lie.
Let us hear the truth first.
His Majesty can neither tolerate being pushed out of the throne
nor being a weak king.
The younger the Crown Prince is,
the longer His Majesty can stay on the throne.
The only reason Prince Uian would be chosen
is because he is young.
Then what is the lie?
It doesn't seem like His Majesty
is the only one who wants a young crown prince.
Be careful of the kind ones around you.
I hear you're called a minister in a frock.
And I hear you're called the King wearing a gat.
You haven't changed one bit.
You haven't either.
Bang-won has revealed his claws,
and he will soon try to shred everything to pieces.
We must act first to survive.
We will abolish private armies as soon as Prince Uian is installed as Crown Prince.
Bang-won will lose all of his soldiers, and he and his six brothers...
We will kill them all.
One side has to be completely exterminated for this war to end.
Although a wench like you probably has no idea.
There seems to be some hard feelings between you and Nam Jeon.
I just think we should be careful. That is all.
So you wish to participate in the tributary trade?
I will buy information with that money
and use it to stop the meritorious officials as well as Bang-won.
Can you do it?
If we can predict Bang-won's moves, we will be able to stop him
no matter how sharp his sword is.
I can do it.
My father...
Your father is right.
This war won't end until one side is completely exterminated.
I will keep his advice in mind.
Money is more dangerous than knives.
And that is precisely why I need it.
What do you wish to obtain with it?
The kind of power that can get a mere inspector fired at once?
I should try to get on your good side.
It's because I don't want to lose anything.
I don't want to lose
anyone else.
I know Hwi ended up like that
because of your father.
You keep saying it was you, but I won't believe you.
You're not that cruel.
So don't mind me
and just do what you believe is right.
Word on the street is that
some of the deserters from Liaodong returned in one piece.
-By any chance-- -That's impossible.
Not a single person
managed to cross the Amnok River.
Hwi was one of them.
I guess you don't care at all.
I was just answering your question. That's all.
You punks!
Do you even know who I am?
You're one of the founding contributors, General Jung Sa-jeong.
You have three mistresses and two sons with different mothers.
You own 48 slaves and 185 pieces of land
as well as three horses and five dogs.
But one of them gave birth to five puppies yesterday.
Shall I add them too?
Who are you?
I am Inspector Nam Seon-ho from the Office of the Inspector General.
How dare such a low-ranking official do this to me?
I will be sure to shred you punks to pieces.
A little while ago, you got drunk and harassed a woman.
Then you took your anger out on her and beat her up to death.
However, you were never investigated, let alone impeached.
She was just a worthless lowborn.
Beating a lowborn to death is forgiven,
but gambling is illegal.
That, to me, is amusing.
Now, you can choose
to live or die.
I know that you are like an uncle
to Bang-u, Bang-gan, and Bang-won.
Fill the paper with the princes' weaknesses.
From top to bottom.
Only then will I spare your life.
He filled the whole sheet.
I suppose he really wants to live.
He will be executed if he is reported for gambling,
and Bang-won will kill him if he finds out about his betrayal.
Either way, he will die.
I didn't think I'd see a meritorious official shedding blood.
Roughnecks and officials all have the same colored blood.
There's nothing different.
Bloodshed is inevitable.
What follows is the real issue.
Leave a bloodstain?
Or sever it completely?
So are we after Bang-won now?
Oh, dear. They made a real mess in here.
Cheol-du, who's the bastard that did this?
His name is Hwi. That son of a bitch used to be a hunter.
I guess he jerks around with his buddies in Madudong these days.
Is that so?
Excuse me.
This is the one day out of this month
that I get to go out.
My lady, have a look at this.
-Here, it's an umbrella. -It's okay.
What about this one?
Have a look.
Come have a look at these umbrellas.
Feel free to browse around. I have these floral shoes.
How can I give this to her?
Are you looking for this?
Thank you.
Are you blind or what?
You were just standing there smiling even after that rogue pickpocketed you.
This is so frustrating.
I mean, how are you going to survive
in this tough world if you're that clumsy?
Don't you know me?
We've met before. At the Lord's sarangchae.
You remember it.
Once I see something, I never forget it.
I remember everything.
You have a good memory.
Good for you.
You're about the height.
Let me borrow your foot.
What?
I heard comparing soles makes people fight.
I need to compare the soles so I can buy perfect-fitting shoes.
If you only measure it with your eye, the shoes will be too loose.
Who is it for?
Tomorrow is my brother's birthday.
I'd like to buy this.
Okay. Five nyang please.
Go.
Pardon?
Run. And don't look back.
Yeon, hurry!
You know my name?
Are you Hwi?
Hey, Boss Ganggae. I'm so honored to meet you.
What's going on? Are you so scared you lost your mind?
Soldiers are everywhere because of yesterday.
Let's go somewhere quiet and talk. Okay?
What a handsome face you have.
I'll rip your mouth
and make you smile even when you're sad.
That's so nice of you. Okay. Let's go.
TAVERN
Have a seat. They have some nice soup and rice here.
You're unbelievable.
Do you carry around some nerves in your pocket?
I had to be smiling back there.
She would have freaked out if she saw blood.
Cheol-du, chop his head.
Don't pull it out. You'll hurt your knee.
-How many arrows do you have left? -Twelve.
-That's more than enough. -What happens if we move in a group?
Can a bow shoot two arrows at once?
You punks weren't that stupid after all.
Did you say you were a hunter?
I hunt tigers, bears, and dogs.
Say whatever you want to say. It will be your will.
Why don't we put an end to the bickering here?
What about the gamble?
What about Cheol-du?
Here.
Is that not enough? Do you want one more piece of dogskin?
What is it that you want?
Let's live together. Like a family.
And share the gambling house half and half.
You bastard. Stop lying!
-Did you say "half and half"? -We will split the work half and half too.
Stop the bullshit and work for me.
How can a tiger work for a dog?
You're one good bullshitter.
Let me give it some thought.
Take the hides, will you?
Boss.
Are you going to leave them like that?
Of course I won't.
Wait and see.
I will cut those punks into slices.
Where's Grand General Jung?
I took him home.
-What about Bang-won? -He wouldn't say anything
about Bang-won's weakness.
I made you an inspector to catch Bang-won.
If you can't catch him, you are of no use.
I'm sorry.
What about Hwi?
He has begun.
A dog that can run well, bark well, and even bite well
thinks it's a wolf.
If you leave it alone, it'll refuse your food and start hunting.
In the end,
it will starve to death, get eaten by a tiger,
or come back and bite its owner.
Do you think it is right to trust this dog?
As long as Yeon is there, Hwi won't do that.
In this world, sons aim at their fathers and mothers abandon their kids.
And do you think
he will risk his life for his sister who doesn't even remember him?
He will.
I know you won't understand though.
Hwi...
met Yeon.
In a market where everyone can see.
If Hwi can't cut her off, you do it.
If you can't cut her off either,
I will cut her off.
What if someone saw you?
That's my question.
Yeon was in danger.
She got robbed by a pickpocket and almost got involved with Ganggae.
Protect her properly.
If she gets hurt, I will not let it slide.
A servant saw you and told it to Lord Nam.
It's always you who puts Yeon in danger.
Not me.
Seon-ho,
are you awake?
I thought you might need some water during the night.
Thanks.
Lord Nam seemed upset.
Is everything okay?
There are more days where he's upset than he's happy.
It's okay.
There you are. Smiling again.
What?
I have seen only one facial expression on your face.
When you're tired, you smile. When you're annoyed, you smile.
And sometimes, you just smile.
I do?
You can cry on my shoulder.
You have nowhere else to cry.
Don't blame me for crying too much later.
Right.
This afternoon, I met someone who knew my name.
He said he was Lord Nam's servant.
His name was something like Hwi.
I was surprised.
A name exists to be called
but I was fascinated to hear it outside of this house.
Tomorrow,
let's go to the market.
Really?
Yes.
You promised.
You called her by her name?
Just tell her who you are, why don't you?
Tomorrow at noon,
market pavilion.
I'll bring Yeon there, so take care
of this mess you made.
Make sure she doesn't think of you again.
It's the best you can do for her.
You asked to see me?
Let's go for a walk.
In and outside the palace, many are talking
about your actions the other day.
Please do not fret.
The truth can't climb walls
but rumors can pass mountain ranges.
So smile.
Only your smile
will subside these rumors.
Smiling is easy.
Pretending to smile is the hard part.
I hear that Prince Jinan is living off his booze.
That's news to me.
The whole world knows, but you.
I'm worried to have such a weak first-born.
And to hear it's because he's a drunk?
Well, I'm embarrassed to even say it out loud.
My second eldest son Prince Yeongan has 15 bastard sons.
I can already see them fighting and arguing.
-Your Majesty-- -My third son Prince Ikan
can barely even function in his current position.
-Your Majesty-- -My fourth son Bang-gan
spends most of his days with woman and liquor.
How's that different from your everyday thug?
-Father-- -So...
who must I have as the Crown Prince?
Should it be the drunk or a thug?
Should it be...
you?
Answer me.
I'll select the one you choose.
Don't you trust me?
Many have just heard me speak,
so how would I, the King, go back on my word?
The historian will write this down.
Prince Jeongan will request who will become Crown Prince,
so I will hear his wishes and choose accordingly.
Who should it be?
Prince Uian
may be young and your bastard son,
but he is clever and wise.
His generosity seems to be boundless.
That is why...
you should proclaim him as the Crown Prince
and lay a strong foundation
for a thriving...
nation.
Are you satisfied now?
I couldn't be happier.
That's what I call brotherly love.
Not many know about Bang-u's condition.
I silenced all that knew of it.
All except one.
Grand General Jung.
My lord!
Oh, Hwa-wol, it's you.
I didn't notice you without your hat.
Do I look uglier?
No, the opposite.
Well, my job as an escort is done.
Who's the bitch?
The Queen favors her.
She's not one to mess around with.
-What do you think? -What about the other one?
Inspector Nam is mostly a decent man,
but I like him even more when he smiles.
Who says he's decent?
He's the only one who shows interest in you.
You'll be punished if you consider him as a pest.
I have my reasons.
Reasons you don't know.
Aren't you coming inside?
Greet Madame Seo when you can.
Even at that age, she grows ten years older by the day.
She'll just make me leave, so why bother?
She's the one who made me seek you out.
She's been coughing blood for a while now.
Don't regret it after she's gone
and come to see her sometime.
I'll get going.
Wait.
What about Hwi?
I've been asking around but to no avail.
I would've heard already if he were alive.
Anyway, I'll get going.
What do you think?
How many more times are you going to ask?
I'm already sick and tired of this.
This is the 12th time.
Is the navy one better?
If only I can see how I look.
Here.
Where the hell did that come from?
Do you look into that when you get ready?
Are you kidding me? This is a weapon.
I can use it as one
or as a shield.
Don't laugh.
-Do you want your head bashed in? -Shit.
Thank you.
Are you going on a date?
You've been dressing up for almost 2 hours now.
This may be the last time I see her,
so who cares if it takes more than 20?
Are those new?
I found them on the terrace.
Maybe I have a secret admirer.
Whoever it is, she probably is sweet and beautiful.
Then she wouldn't have left it for me in secret.
Anyway, happy birthday.
You clean up really nicely.
I almost didn't recognize you.
Are you all right though?
There seems to have been an altercation.
That's not what it was.
Who's this?
He's the man working for your father whom I told you about yesterday.
I see.
I know who he is.
He's a thug who's usually seen covered in others' blood.
He can't protect what's his so he barks to get what he wants.
When things don't go his way, he uses violence to solve the situation.
How did you know her name?
Were you going to kidnap her for a ransom?
You think you'll be safe if she was your hostage?
On the contrary.
You will be instantly found and killed.
You won't last a day.
That's you and your old man.
You threaten people and treat them like your dogs.
How dare you.
Who are you calling old man?
Watch what you're saying.
Threaten? Treat people like dogs?
My brother
isn't someone you should be running your mouth off to.
Keep living your life like this.
Seon-ho, let's go.
You did well.
That's how you sever relationships.
I had a good teacher.
You do so easily with
even your own blood.
What do you mean by that?
You know what I mean.
Is this about your mother?
Do you resent me for that?
You forget about your brother's death
but you only remember how she hanged herself!
I didn't order her to do that.
She did because you couldn't let her go.
You're wrong!
It's because you pulled us apart.
It's because...
you stole me from her.
I, Hwa-wol, greet you.
You sure are a pretty one.
IHWARU
Get back here and pour my drink!
Just because you dance doesn't make you noble.
-Hwa-wol? -Hui-jae...
Being able to play the geomungo doesn't make you a lady.
Wait.
Look who it is.
You're the one they call the lady minister.
My lord, you're making a scene.
All right.
You can pour me my drinks instead.
Who knows?
I may take you in as my concubine.
They say you become a dog with alcohol.
How dare you!
A dog?
That's what you call a founding contributor of this nation?
Gyeol, don't just stand there.
You're here to take care of men like him.
How dare you threaten a founding contributor?
Fine, take a swing!
Let's see if you can assault me.
Come on! Handle that son of a bitch.
You crazy bitch.
Hui-jae!
How dare you threaten him with a blade?
Who do you think you are?
Madame Seo...
I apologize, my lord.
I should've taught my girls better,
but they got on your nerves instead.
Please subside your anger and generously forgive them.
Madame Seo just saved your life.
Call the physician.
Now.
How is Hwa-wol doing?
She just fell asleep.
What about you?
I should've held back.
If I couldn't punish him,
I should've turned a blind eye.
Being close to the Queen
made me think I had a higher status too.
I finally know
that powerless justice
is of no use.
You were reckless today,
but you won't be tomorrow.
You at least didn't let the sword intimidate you.
Madame Seo...
A truth that's been cut with a blade becomes a rumor.
I'm relieved to know that you'll be able to handle yourself,
but that also worries me.
Who's out there?
-You called, Your Highness? -There's a dog I need to slaughter.
Sir.
It must be a big one this time.
Select a few with sharp swords.
Ones that are dispensable.
Well,
I have a little mutt that fits the description.
Hey, there.
Want to hunt down a dog?
A dog's after another dog?
-Enjoy as much as you want. -It's a dog of the nation.
A government official that wields a sword.
Don't you want to climb up the social ladder?
I'm not interested in that.
Do you even know whom I serve?
Quit the gibberish and go away.
We'll go hunting
and split the profit evenly.
Go back on your word and you're dead.
Lead the way.
Follow Seok-du.
However,
the kill must be yours.
Your Highness wishes to speak to you.
Bang-won?
I mean, Prince Jeongan?
Ganggae's people are on the move.
-And Hwi? -Him too.
Keep an eye on them.
One day,
I'm going to kill him myself.
Then pray that you're alive until then.
You let him in here again?
It's not like I wanted to.
What can I do when he just barged in?
IHWARU
Masks on.
Bang-won's private army has thousands of men?
If he joins forces with people like Grand General Jung,
he'll command thousands.
This wasn't in your father's report.
That's because I didn't tell my father.
Who else knows?
Now and for years to come,
it will only be you.
My gosh!
Goodness.
Then
what should I do with Grand General Jung?
Grand General Jung...
will die tonight.
Who are you?
Hwi...
You knew, didn't you?
How could you--
It was Hwi's choice.
He chose to avoid you.
It wasn't me.
You're just like your father.
Like two peas in a pod.
Taking out someone high is how you can rise up.
Spread fear upon your adversaries,
not anger.
When I take Bang-won on,
where will you be, Father?
I should have killed you back then.
I'm sure
I'll get another chance though.
The world you live in...
I'll have to die to get there.
Then I'll go
to where you are.