Original subtitles

THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION

CHILD ACTORS AND ANIMALS

WERE FILMED IN ACCORDANCE WITH SAFETY GUIDELINES

When a mortal dies, the soul remains behind.

However, when a divine entity like an Imugi perishes,

not a single trace of its existence is left behind

as if it never existed.

No even…

a single trace.

Gangcheori.

Yeo-ri…

It hurts.

It hurts so much.

My heart…

My heart just hurts so much.

If I tear out this heart,

will the pain stop?

Please help me.

What in the world is wrong with me?

I'm sorry, Gangcheori.

Because of me, Bibi…

You should just hate and resent me.

Bibi ended up like that because of me.

So, Gangcheori…

just hate me, all right?

My lord, these are them.

What were you two doing at the Association of the Blind?

The King's grandfather…

He is the true benefactor of that scoundrel.

The Association has already been shut down.

I asked why you two were there.

Answer me this instant.

Announcing His Majesty!

My lord, what is the meaning of this?

Your Majesty.

Last night, they trespassed onto the grounds

of the now-defunct Association of the Blind.

Hence, I had them apprehended.

What happened on the Association grounds?

Your Majesty. Why--

Your Majesty, Noble Elder Pung-san

was at the shrine on the grounds.

You wench.

A lowly creature's safety is not guaranteed here.

You dare run that mouth?

Countless soldiers have searched every corner of the Capital

but have failed to locate him.

Then, how could he have appeared once more on the Association grounds?

However, I am certain it was him.

I had given them a royal command.

Your Majesty.

I commanded them to carry out a closer inspection of the shrine.

They were just carrying out my command.

I see, Your Majesty.

You may leave now, my lord.

Yes. I shall now take my leave, Your Majesty.

You may withdraw your troops.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Leave us at once!

My goodness. What happened, Yeo-ri?

Sang-deuk.

What in the world happened?

And what is wrong with this fellow?

It was a trap.

I went to the shrine in search of the ghost's identification pendant,

but Noble Elder Pung-san and the Eight-foot-tall Ghost were there…

Your Majesty.

Now, I know

who the true benefactor of the ghost and the Yapper is.

It is Lord Kim Bong-in.

Did you…

just say Lord Kim Bong-in?

Yes, Your Majesty.

That is impossible.

How could he be?

You must be mistaken.

I, too…

pray I am mistaken.

It is impossible.

It cannot be.

Even if Yeo-ri is known to be trustworthy,

she may not be aware of the entire situation.

Do you not agree?

She must have made a mistake.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Yes.

Yeo-ri must be mistaken.

What is this?

Eyeglass Artisan Yeo-ri and Examiner Yoon Gap are still alive.

Explain yourself.

You scoundrel, how dare you!

Last night, the Warrior Deity

gained what he sought.

What do you mean by "what he sought"?

He devoured the luminous pearl of an Imugi.

Thus, he has fully recovered from the injury Gangcheori inflicted

and has gained stronger power than ever before.

The Warrior Deity is no longer just a vicious vengeful ghost.

He has truly risen to the ranks of the gods.

Could it be money problems?

Could he be exhausted from eating nothing but porridge recently?

My goodness.

Shadow the Chief State Councillor.

Wait. Hold on.

It should not be facing that way. It should face this way.

There you go.

There you go.

Haetae has long been known to be a deity that blocks fire energy.

Having Haetae sculptures in all four cardinal corners

should definitely be helpful.

While Yeo-ri and Examiner Yoon Gap are absent from the Capital,

I shall protect you from the Eight-foot-tall Ghost.

But why is Examiner Yoon Gap not present?

He always played with me in the yard when you visited the Queen's Palace.

He did not come to the palace today

because he was not feeling well.

Still?

Shall I send a physician?

No, Your Majesty.

It is not a physical issue…

Yes, I am sure a deep affliction of the heart is to blame.

Did you say he lost a longtime comrade?

Yes.

And the Eight-foot-tall Ghost is now an even more vicious evil spirit.

Yes.

We must hurry.

We shall set out as soon as day breaks tomorrow.

Your Majesty.

Are you all right?

Yeo-ri.

Yes, my lord?

Well…

Is he very sick?

Examiner Yoon Gap.

Yes, a bit…

Well, do not read into this too much.

I still cannot stand how he behaves around His Majesty,

but what can I do?

His Majesty needs him

and sometimes, His Majesty even enjoys his company.

Then, I cannot help but find myself be concerned about him.

Sorry… I am afraid I do not understand.

Thus…

I have these.

They are yugwa.

I had them especially made

by a talented palace maid at the Royal Confectionery.

There is nothing better than sweet yugwa when you are blue.

Thank you.

I am sure Examiner Yoon Gap will be thrilled.

Sure. Good.

Then, I should get back to it.

You know? All right?

Hey.

Why are you not eating?

After all your complaining about side dishes recently,

I went out and got all this from a big banquet.

Eat some more.

I do not have an appetite.

Why not?

My goodness. Gap…

Gosh.

What is with him recently?

Maybe he wanted a meat side dish?

Oh my…

Please enjoy.

Gap.

Come here.

Here, Gap.

Go ahead and eat it.

I managed to get two.

I could not put it on the table because the monks do not eat meat.

I will give the other to Yeo-ri. That one is for you.

What is the matter? Is there something on my face?

Stop staring at me like that and eat it.

If you keep starving yourself, you will end up collapsing.

You will have no energy!

I will eat it later.

Goodness me. Just eat it now…

You asked about who recommended Pung-san to me.

It was Prince Yeongin's nanny.

After the late king passed,

I was going through a difficult time and she introduced him to me

as someone whom I could trust.

However, after our recent conversation,

I summoned her once more. After some pressing,

she admitted…

Lord Kim Bong-in threatened her to do so back then.

I did not have the slightest idea…

and let myself be deceived by him…

Your Majesty, how much longer must I await my punishment?

You know about everything.

I…

told Pung-san…

about the Queen's pregnancy.

Because of me,

Prince Yeongin died.

And because of me, the Queen…

Your Grace.

Thank you for telling me.

Your Majesty, I followed after His Lord's bodyguard

when he suspiciously left his side late in the night.

I witnessed him meeting with Pung-san's servant.

I attempted to catch Pung-san by following that servant,

but I ended up losing him.

Forgive me.

How should we proceed, Your Majesty?

Summon the Chief State Councillor.

Your Majesty.

The Chief State Councillor is here for you.

Your Majesty.

I answer your summons.

Do you recognize this object?

Is this not…

the tonggae that was once cherished by the late king?

Yes, you are correct.

TONGGAE: USED TO CARRY BOW AND ARROWS

After it became soaked in blood due to the late king's mania,

you had…

carefully cleaned it

and conditioned its leather,

before bringing it to me.

How could I forget?

That day, Your Majesty let these old arms embrace you

as you shed sorrowful tears like a small child.

Yes.

It felt as though

you were showing me your determination to move past those horrific events

through that cleaned tonggae.

It felt like you were promising to protect me

as I ascended to the throne as the son of a deranged king.

I felt safe.

Then, how could you have done such a thing?

I have spent my life studying

the duty of the people

and the obligation of the sovereign.

However, you used the voice of a compassionate grandfather

and the face of the most faithful retainer

to kill your son-in-law,

and attempt to kill both your grandson and great-grandson.

How am I to accept the beastly heart that led you to summon a wicked ghost

to achieve your goal?

How can a person

commit such heinous, inhumane acts?

You only have yourself…

to blame for all that, Your Majesty.

What did you say?

I have mentioned it to you countless times.

You must respect the natural order.

Do not make an enemy out of the scholar-officials.

This old man's honest piece of advice

paved the path for a peaceful reign and ensured safety for your heirs.

Then…

why did you not heed my words?

My lord!

Do you have any evidence that proves I summoned that wicked ghost?

Your Majesty will not be able to prove anything of the sort.

You must have discovered I wielded that ghost

through that shaman brat named Yeo-ri.

Please feel free to bear the disgrace of heretical ceremonies

and sacrifice that brat

to produce such evidence.

Even if you do manage to do so,

things will not go your way.

How many followers do you believe you have in that court

as the king with questionable legitimacy

who ascended as the son of a deranged king?

I have no need for evidence.

After all…

you just presented your confession.

Enter.

Kim Bong-in…

dared to order a blind fortune teller

to harm the late king and even attempted to assassinate the Queen and the Prince.

There can be no higher treason.

He shall be immediately stripped of his title,

have his assets confiscated,

and be exiled to Geoje Island!

- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.

Do not dawdle.

Drag that treasonous criminal away now!

Gangcheori remains so distressed.

I cannot force him to go.

What should I do?

Maybe I can talk to His Majesty and go without him?

Gangcheori.

A long journey awaits us. What took you so long?

I was thinking about how I would go without you.

Have you lost your mind?

How could I send you alone when that procession is swarming with men?

What?

Did you tell me to endure it by hating and resenting you?

Do you think that would be possible for me?

I may now have a fleeting grasp

of the mortal concept of loss…

but I am still Gangcheori.

I am not eternally foolish like mortals.

I have clear insight into whom I should hate and resent.

Then?

That damn Eight-foot-tall Ghost.

I shall crush him.

I refuse to just idly stand by…

as he holds Bibi's luminous pearl.

Look at him. He deserves to die.

How could he do that to the Queen?

Who are you?

Yapper, you scoundrel.

What brings you here this late, my lordship?

Did you say that Warrior Deity ghost or whatever it is

is now stronger than ever?

Yes, I certainly did.

Then, command that ghost

to end the King's life right now!

Pardon? My goodness, my lordship…

I already told you, my lordship.

I do not know what sort of protection he has,

but even the Warrior Deity is unable to approach the King.

So, if you could just be a little bit more patient--

My neck is already on the chopping block.

How much longer do you expect me to wait?

Stop wagging that silver tongue

and end the King's life

this instant!

You scoundrel.

How dare you…

There was a time when I needed you,

but I no longer do.

Hence,

I have no reason to hold back anymore.

You damn scoundrel, how dare you!

How--

That is…

Yongdam Village.

Such strange connections we share…

Yongdam Village serves as the hometown for you and Yoon Gap.

It is where Imugi Gangcheori fell to the ground amidst his ascension

and also the birthplace of the Eight-foot-tall Ghost.

Yes, Your Majesty.

The connections are too strange to be called a coincidence.

I saw it.

On the day I was born 100 years ago,

I saw you fall to the ground.

Then, why?

Why do you attack me and not them?

Head Eunuch, make your way to the Ducheong-hyeon Magistrate

and see if there is any useful information in the records.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

I am honored to have you grace us with your presence

in our lowly corner of the world.

Despite the circumstances, I am pleased to see you again.

Even if you are the man

who left a single letter behind before abandoning the King.

Your Majesty…

I was merely jesting. Nothing more.

The physician recommended I visit a hot spring,

so I stopped by on my way to the auxiliary palace,

after Examiner Yoon Gap spoke so highly of Yongdam Village's beautiful scenery.

I am very glad that you did. Please, come inside.

How is she doing?

Mak-geum and the old maid are diligently keeping an eye on her.

Do not worry.

Once His Majesty retires to slumber,

secretly let her out.

I must send her to my wife's family.

Yes, Your Excellency.

What are you looking for?

That girl, In-seon, is nowhere to be seen.

What? Are you curious about where the girl who likes you went?

Green with envy again?

Do not worry. You are more than enough maiden for me.

What?

We need to find out about Choi Won-u's ancestor from 100 years ago.

If a member of his family is willing to show us kindness,

that is a good thing, is it not? It could even be helpful.

That was why I was looking for her.

Sure. Great. I see.

Maybe you should just ask someone where Lady In-seon is.

Excuse me.

Has Lady In-seon stepped out?

I am not sure.

Is this the last of it?

Here. That is the last one.

These are what remains of the daily logs after the war 100 years ago.

There was fire everywhere and people were being dragged away.

That is all that remains.

Are you sure there is nothing else?

Do your ears not work?

I said that is all that remains.

Hold on.

Are you sure you came with the King's procession?

I am the head eunuch.

Head… eunuch?

My goodness. I never imagined such a title…

- Why? What were you thinking? - Just some eunuch…

- "Just some eunuch"? - Pardon me, my lord. My apologies.

My lord,

the whole village is abuzz right now.

Having the King visit this small village is a rare sight indeed.

Speaking of,

it has been almost 100 years since we had the King visit.

What did you say?

Are you saying the King visited Ducheong-hyeon before?

Yes.

The story is passed down like a legend of sorts.

During the war 100 years ago,

they say the King once came here to take refuge.

I heard it from my late grandfather.

During the war 100 years ago…

Do you speak of King Yeonjong?

It appears Your Majesty cherishes Examiner Yoon Gap.

He even accompanies you to the hot spring.

He is a peerless, loyal subject with exceptional intellect

who always conducts himself properly

without ever deviating from proper etiquette.

How could I not cherish him?

Your Majesty, you are much too kind with your praise.

I am simply overwhelmed.

So, you do know how to be respectful but you simply refused to be up until now.

Pardon?

It is nothing.

Your great-great-grandfather, Lord Choi Gil-sang…

Since I have come all this way,

would you allow me to see some of the work the literary master of his time produced?

My great-great-grandfather left behind so many books.

Was there a particular title you were interested in?

I heard when the northern barbarians invaded 100 years ago,

Lord Choi Gil-sang acted as a safeguard for King Yeonjong.

May I see the text he produced during that time?

It appears Your Majesty…

did not come to Yongdam Village for the scenery.

Her father did this to my legs

and even took my life.

I definitely banished that one-legged ghost last time.

Is he back?

I sense his energy, but I do not see him.

My lady! My goodness!

My goodness, my lady!

My lady, you cannot! Please stop!

My lady!

Goodness me.

My lady!

Has the one-legged ghost possessed her again?

My goodness! My lady!

My great-great-grandfather left behind a great amount of texts,

but he did not leave behind any

on the war 100 years ago.

Is that so?

Who goes there!

Step back.

Stop!

She is my daughter.

My daughter is seriously ill.

Please…

- My lady! - My lady!

My goodness. My lady!

Hey, it has been a while.

Let go of me!

She is suffering from a dongti.

DONGTI: SUPERNATURAL AFFLICTION BROUGHT BY THE WRATH OF SPIRITS

Dongti?

Something has gone awry

and Her Lady has been possessed by a vengeful ghost.

What exactly happened to her?

You are the wench who got in my way last time.

Are you at it again?

You will pay for this!

What happened to her?

I can only cure her if you tell me the truth.

If we just let her be, Her Lady's life will be in danger.

She said His Excellency's ancestor was angered.

Who said that?

The shaman from the upper village.

So, an ancestral appeasement rite was performed?

His Excellency had no other choice.

He has been experiencing a string of strange incidents recently.

However, the day after the ancestral appeasement rite,

Her Lady became…

She became what you see now…

That shaman made a mistake.

This is not an ancestral issue.

This is a vengeful ghost.

A ghost with an amputated leg.

A one-legged ghost.

Did you just say it had

an amputated leg?

You are the scoundrel who killed me!

You did it!

You did this to my leg!

In-seon…

Is that true?

I asked if that was true.

I did not mean to kill him at first.

Who is the one you killed?

His name was Jang Eon-su. He used to be my book merchant.

Book merchant?

He stole books that were my family heirlooms.

I caught him and wanted to teach him a lesson,

but I went a bit too far…

He ended up losing his life as a result.

When did that happen?

It happened five years ago.

Five years ago.

That was around the time you stepped down from your government post

and returned to your hometown.

Let us try to save your daughter first.

It appears it will not be too late…

to have you pay for your murder later.

Your Majesty…

Your Majesty.

I reviewed all the records at the magistrate,

but I did not find anything noteworthy on the war 100 years ago.

However,

I did hear a strange tale.

What did it entail?

They say King Yeonjong

came to Yongdam Village to take refuge from the war 100 years ago.

What did you say?

There is no official record of it.

It was a sort of legend that was passed down by word of mouth.

The pieces of the fragmented narrative are coming together.

It must mean King Yeonjong and the Eight-foot-tall Ghost

experienced some sort of conflict here in Yongdam Village.

The remaining missing pieces

are probably held by that book merchant, Jang Eon-su.

Jang Eon-su?

Do you mean the ghost that has possessed his daughter?

Did you not sense it earlier?

Choi Won-u was hiding something.

That secret is probably hidden in one of the books the merchant stole.

- Where are you going? - Why do you…

Yeo-ri asked me to do something.

I doubt she did.

Why that little…

You should drink some water. You do not want to choke.

Here.

Did Yeo-ri not tell you?

This was made by a renowned palace maid from the Royal Confectionery.

She only agreed to make them because I asked her to.

Even the royal palace chef could not do better.

Since they are so tasty, you should have one, too, Grilled Abalone.

I, too, lost my sister when I was young.

Our family was so dirt poor,

we could not even afford to get her any medicine before she passed.

I could not let the rest of my siblings end up like that,

so I willingly decided to become a eunuch.

How do mortals endure it every time someone dies?

Well, there are some regrets

and some guilt…

You miss them…

And before I realized it, the years have passed by in a flash.

So tasty.

It is the hour of the rat now.

Are you sure you can save Her Lady this way?

I need to try first.

FIRE

WATER

WATER

FIRE

This is the remedy that undoes the wrongdoing

to set it right.

WATER

My lady.

My lady!

You wench. You dare get in my way again?

I will make you pay!

Are you all right?

- Behind you. - What?

- Behind you! - Behind me?

We need to catch him.

That damn straw-stuffed punk…

That punk just has to make things difficult.

- That little punk… - Hold on. Just give me a moment.

Not yet.

You can slash me with a sword or lock me up in that chest for eternity.

But still, I desperately desire

to get my revenge on that old geezer first.

How can you even say that after torturing that girl for so long?

What is it? What is your revenge?

The very thing

that old geezer dreaded the most…

I want that book to be revealed for the world to see.

I want that book filled with terrible royal secrets

to be released for all to see.

That is the revenge I seek.

What could possibly be in that book for you to cause such a mess?

It is an extraordinary book.

A tale of the King of this nation 100 years ago

and a certain military officer.

How did it go?

Were you able to exorcise that ghost?

Yes. We managed to catch the one-legged ghost.

Then, the scoundrel who has been tormenting for so long

is done for.

Yes.

However, the ghost told us something quite strange.

What do you mean?

He abruptly told us "that book"

was hidden in the spot where he died.

Can you make any sense of what he was referring to?

Did you not hear His Lord earlier?

He was a brazen book merchant who stole precious books from him.

It must have been one of those books.

- Am I right, my lord? - Your Majesty.

That book merchant died while being flogged in this very yard.

How could he have hidden a book here?

Is that so?

How can we believe the words of a ghost?

He must have lied.

A few months ago,

you sold off a whole bunch of books to me.

I do not know how it got mixed in,

but I came across something I should not have seen.

It was a book that looked to be about 100 years old.

Now, you finally make eye contact.

Yes, that is right. The Anthology of Light and Darkness.

The sentences are so elegant, but the subject matter is quite intense.

Since it is a book filled with such sensitive, royal secrets,

if that book was ever released into the world,

it would greatly tarnish the reputation of you and your family.

That book…

Where is it now?

Hand it over this instant.

Jeez. He has me waiting here forever. What is taking him so long?

THE ANTHOLOGY OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS

Finally, my lord.

So? Were you able to secure the money?

You know, I am surprised by how little 200 nyang

actually weigh in real life.

- What? - But I have some bad news.

I forgot to bring the actual book.

I will be sure to bring it next time,

so please prepare another 300 nyang, my lord.

Why, you!

That is a small price to pay to save the family name.

You damn vermin.

How dare you insult my family!

Please do not do this.

Why you old geezer…

You have until tomorrow.

It's 300 nyang.

Why, you rotten bastard!

Sniveling book merchant…

Who knew it would be hidden here?

THE ANTHOLOGY OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS

Forgive me, Great-great-grandfather.

In order to save our family…

What are you doing?

Hot!

- What are you… - Jeez.

Just look at it. The book is a mess now.

Well, at least the pages inside are perfectly fine.

What do you think you are doing?

Hand it over this instant!

- I do not want to. - Such impertinence!

Hand it over! Right now!

Your Majesty.

Everything is in this book.

THE ANTHOLOGY OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS

How the Eight-foot-tall Ghost was born…

Step forth and face me if you will.

I will never back down.

I will never kneel before you.

I will look directly into your eyes

to face you and fight.

I refuse…

to bow down to you!

Warrior Deity…

Is everything in this book true?

This place was truly hell back then.

The Eight-foot-tall Ghost…

The grudges of the villagers of Yongdam from 100 years ago are intertwined.

The Prince's chambers!

Lord Yoon Gap?

It does not make any sense. Why release a soul he devoured for no reason?

On purpose? Why?

It has all been taken from me.

Foster that grudge.

You just need to lure out Examiner Yoon Gap for me.

I might not be able to protect Yeo-ri at this rate…

Subtitle translation by: Justin S. Kim