Original subtitles

THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION

CHILD ACTORS AND ANIMALS WERE FILMED IN ACCORDANCE WITH SAFETY GUIDELINES

Step back, all of you.

I will take care of this Imugi myself.

Move it!

WATER

Get him!

Noble Elder.

I offer you my congratulations on reclaiming the shrine.

But my lord…

that damn Imugi managed to get away

and I hear the Warrior Deity…

I mean, His Majesty is quite enraged.

They bolted in a panic.

What could they possibly manage to do now anyway?

The whole nation

is in the palm of the Warrior Deity.

Gangcheori.

It is cold. Why are you out?

I am going to do a quick sweep of the area.

Let's go inside.

Your Highness.

Please try to have a spoonful.

Examiner Yoon Gap, what happens to us now?

Must we continue running from Father who remains possessed by an evil spirit?

Answer me.

Your Highness.

We will figure out a method soon.

Please do not worry too much.

But, little boy,

why are you still so short?

You should eat more.

Do not worry.

You will return to the palace soon enough

and I will save your father from that ghost.

Do you mean it?

Of course.

Then, you should eat up now, Your Highness.

What is the matter?

You…

What are you planning to do?

What do you mean?

This.

You consumed this caragana as tea, did you not?

I know.

You need this flower to wholly drain the luminous pearl.

I already told you.

You are an Imugi,

and this fight was not yours from the start.

Then, you just want to do nothing and wait for them to attack?

You know that the Eight-foot-tall Ghost is after you as well.

A while ago, you asked me…

to run away with you.

Let us do that.

Do you mean it?

I cannot do this anymore.

I cannot continue to face the Eight-foot-tall Ghost.

I wanted to see it through for my grandma's sake,

but I am nowhere strong enough.

Do you expect me to believe that?

I have been by your side for all these years.

Even after you rejected your shaman fate,

you could not help but aid every wandering spirit you came across.

But now,

you suggest we turn our backs on the King and Prince in peril…

and just run away?

The thought of the King, the Prince,

and even the late Queen breaks my heart…

but you are the most important to me.

I am terrified

something might happen to you

to make you end up like Bibi.

If something happened to you,

I would not be able to continue living.

Even if we run away,

he will continue coming after us.

I told you.

My longtime wish…

is to live an ordinary life with the warmth of another.

I want to live that life with you.

Even if it is just for a few days.

So, Gangcheori…

Please…

A harsh road lies ahead of us, but we must take the baby Prince along.

He will be devoured by the ghost if we leave him behind.

All right. Let us do that.

Your mother. We must take her as well.

All right. I shall go and get her now.

Is there anything you want from the house?

How about Neop-deok's ritual robe?

I am in no place

to look after her robe when I am on the run.

I just need you and your mother to return safely.

I will be back in no time.

Yeo-ri.

How are you back in the palace?

What about His Highness? Is he all right?

Yes, he is safe.

What are we to do?

Chaos is afoot in the palace.

It is still His Majesty's body and we cannot refuse him,

but his actions are clearly led by the ghost.

This Eight-foot-tall Ghost is about to devour everything in its wake.

Before that happens,

I shall finish him.

You will?

Where is Imugi Gangcheori?

I will be able to do it on my own.

As long as you help me, my lord.

What? Me?

My goodness. Why are you here?

The state troops just barged in here, looking for you.

You need to flee now. You are not hurt? Yeo-ri is fine as well?

Run away now.

We must leave at once. Pack lightly.

Is Yeo-ri inside?

The thing is…

Yeo-ri.

Where is Yeo-ri?

She said she and Court Lady Oh had to step out for a moment.

She wanted you to wait for her here.

What sort of nonsense…

ASCENSION OF GANGCHEORI

It might be granted if I wish hard enough.

The Big Dipper up there might.

Tell me the truth.

Yeo-ri…

Where did she go?

The palace.

She went to the palace.

She said she knew of a method and that you would only get in the way.

She told me to keep it secret.

Hold on.

Where are you off to now?

I am going to get Yeo-ri. You stay here.

Then, you will get her

and come back together, right?

Why are you not answering me? Well?

I am off.

He will be back.

He will be back with Yeo-ri.

I tried to honor your wishes.

How could you…

I told you.

My longtime wish…

is to live an ordinary life with the warmth of another.

I want to live that life with you.

Even if it is just for a few days.

So, Gangcheori…

Please…

You must be safe.

If you are not,

I will never forgive you.

My wish to live

an ordinary life filled with the warmth of another…

was already granted.

Thanks to you, Gangcheori.

I did not lie to you.

I truly did want

to run away with you.

I am sorry, Gangcheori.

I did not keep my promise.

I am truly sorry.

Sorry…

Pung-san should be on his way back to his shrine by now.

I hear the Eight-foot-tall Ghost Majesty

does not let anyone into his chambers.

So, he should be alone right now.

Yes, my lord.

Are you all right, my lord?

I realized after tonight,

we might all end up dead.

It is making my knees grow weak.

Forgive me.

I brought this about…

No. How could you be to blame?

I have sworn an oath to always be ready to give my life for His Majesty.

I, too, can no longer stand by

as that dirty, evil spirit continues to occupy His Majesty's body.

Let us go.

Sang-deuk.

You cannot, my lord.

His Majesty forbade all from entering.

I know that,

but I have an urgent matter that I must discuss with him.

I have acquired new intel on the Imugi His Majesty is searching for.

You can tell me.

I will pass it along to His Majesty.

Well… this is something I should personally deliver.

What is that?

Oh, that? Some sweets that His Majesty enjoys…

And sikhye. That is all.

- Who are you? - Are you not--

Step back.

Your Majesty.

Why that--

Take that.

Yeo-ri.

This is your chance.

You…

I am here, under the command of the Ten Kings of the Underworld,

hurled forth like an arrow unleashed through the path curved like a bow,

to escort you, Cheon Geum-hwi of the Wood Dragon Year,

to the afterlife in merciless chains.

Follow without protest.

You wench.

How have you embodied the Fire Reaper?

FIRE REAPER: A GRIM REAPER THAT GUIDES SOULS BURNED TO DEATH TO THE AFTERLIFE

What?

The Fire Reaper?

The Fire Reaper commands you, born on the Fire Boar Day

of the Wood Boar Month, in the Wood Dragon Year.

Cheon Geum-hwi shall follow without protest.

I shall…

drag you to the afterlife!

What in the world are you?

How could some little brat possess such power?

How do you wield power over the Fire Reaper?

Unbridled rage brings forth a fiery demise.

Unbridled rage brings forth a fiery demise.

On this quiet day, with this prayer, Vengeful Ghost Cheon Geum-hwi

shall follow the Fire Reaper under the command of King Jingwang,

without protest.

The blades of the Serrated Mountain of the Damned

shall bring reckoning upon your sins!

Se-won. You must hurry.

Now!

My goodness. The Warrior Deity will be dragged in at this rate.

How is this possible?

Even her grandmother could not.

How did that fledgling wench manage that?

Great scornful Warrior Deity,

borne of grievance from a sea of blood, with divine power and aid,

fueled by the might of his bitter grudge,

his thousand years of devoted wailing!

Warrior Deity!

You possess remarkable talent for such a young wench.

After all your relentless interference,

I have wanted to shred you to pieces.

And here you are, of your own accord.

It would be a waste of such spiritual energy,

but I will only find peace after I kill you, wench.

Yeo-ri!

You cannot.

Do not do it, Gangcheori.

How could you…

Just leave.

Please leave.

Please.

You were wrong.

If you depart first,

how am I to endure all those long years without you?

You cannot, Gangcheori.

Please…

Gangcheori.

Damn wicked spirit.

You are right.

I am a maliciously evil spirit, as you say.

But what does that make you?

What did you say?

A deity?

Did you call yourself a deity?

That gruesome night, 100 years ago,

as my kin and fellow villagers met

their tragic deaths, I cried out

a hundred,

a thousand times…

for anyone to help us.

I silently screamed out to the heavens.

However, you only ever cared about your ascension.

Despite the mighty power you held,

you could not care less about us.

A deity…

You dare call yourself a deity?

I have no use for such deities.

I will be sure to end you myself!

Gangcheori.

No…

Gangcheori…

No!

Yes.

You are right.

Even with my divine powers…

I failed to save you all.

Thus…

I shall save you now.

No…

No!

The Warrior Deity…

has disappeared.

The Warrior Deity…

is gone.

The Warrior Deity!

Gangcheori!

Gangcheori!

Gangcheori!

Gangcheori!

No…

Gangcheori, no!

No… Gangcheori!

SPIRIT TABLET OF THE LATE CHEON GEUM-HWI

CHEON GEUM-HWI

The Paper Dance…

Symbolic paper money is offered to the spirit of the deceased

to pray for the appeasement of its unresolved grudge in this world

and for it to find passage

to eternal peace.

Furthermore,

it lights a lantern for the deceased

to show them the way.

Cheon Geum-hwi…

Cheon Geum-hwi?

Is he with us now?

Yes…

Cheon Geum-hwi…

and the villagers of Yongdam are here.

I…

I saw everything.

I saw for myself why your grudge…

runs so deep.

The sins of my ancestor are grave.

Furthermore, my sin…

of ignorance is also quite grave.

I will never forget what sort of bloodshed

ensured the royal throne I sit on now…

not even for a moment…

until the day I die.

I will devote all of myself…

to ensure there is never another subject…

with a blood-wrought grudge like yours.

I offer you all

my sincerest plea for forgiveness.

For many long years…

I abhorred your bloodline.

The resentment of those who died because of me

grew deeper by the day…

and the painful guilt that weighed heavily on me

made avoiding further bloodshed impossible.

However,

with a few measly words…

I feel as light as air.

How hollow it feels.

So very hollow…

Just…

a few measly tears…

was all it took.

An Imugi without a luminous pearl…

just disappears, right?

Gangcheori will now…

cease to exist in this world.

Yeo-ri.

You feared you could not endure the long years without me?

Rotten jerk.

Then, what about me?

How am I to survive without you?

Yeo-ri.

My heart aches as well.

However…

I cannot help but think

that all of this was the will of the heavens.

Perhaps, when the King abandoned his people

and the Way of Heaven collapsed to the ground,

the heavens sent the ascending dragon back to the earth

in order for it to save

the poor people of Yongdam Village.

There is a chance that was

Gangcheori's purpose in the world from the start.

What are you talking about?

Are you saying they were determined

to kill my son to save others from the start?

What sort of wretched will of heaven is that?

May Avalokitesvara show us mercy.

If you can kill my child twice in the name of heavens' will,

bring him back.

Bring my child back to me!

May Avalokitesvara show us mercy.

My poor boy…

Gap…

My poor boy… Bring him back to me.

You will achieve that noble pursuit you seek.

After all,

you are one of those mortals…

I come across occasionally.

You must have known, my Queen.

How much affection I had

for that brazen Imugi…

You knew that every time I was with that disdainfully haughty fellow,

funnily enough,

it felt like I had made

my first companion in life.

Yes, Your Majesty.

I know all too well.

You are the strongest,

but you are also lonely and the most gentle-spirited.

I…

was so very happy

to live as your maiden.

Please let go

of all your painful memories

and I hope…

I hope…

you find happiness.

My Queen…

Grandma.

Grandma!

Yes, my child. It is me.

My dear child.

Grandma…

You have…

been through so much.

How weary it must have been.

Thanks to you,

I was able to escape the Eight-foot-tall Ghost

and make my way here.

You have done well.

Well done.

Grandma, I…

To get here…

Gangcheori…

Gangcheori…

Yes.

I know.

I know.

Yes, Yeo-ri.

Cry.

Cry as much as you want.

Cry as much as it takes

to soothe that sorrow.

Without experiencing it for yourself,

how will you ever understand

the sorrow of countless others?

Yeo-ri.

It is time for me to go now.

You're leaving already?

Do not worry, Yeo-ri.

I will always

watch over you.

You must stay strong

and keep going with courage.

Noble Elder.

This way. Come this way.

This way.

Here. You can sit down.

Noble Elder, what do we do now?

We do not even have the Warrior Deity watching over us now.

It feels like we are just sitting ducks.

It will be more dangerous for us to stay together.

You should go back the way we came.

We will meet up at the tavern outside the capital. All right?

But it was already crawling with state troops.

They will not circle back.

But still… I think that is a bad idea.

How dare you.

Do you doubt me?

No, I do not.

All right.

Then, we will

reunite a little bit later.

All right.

- Stop! - Get him!

What do you want? I do not know anything!

Noble Elder!

The Yapper…

cannot die like this.

I will find another great deity to serve.

If I attach myself to a powerful one,

it will be a breeze.

I need to get up.

I promise you this.

You will end up suffering the most excruciatingly painful death.

Why…

that damn…

wretched Imugi…

We wait three days to place the body in the casket to be buried.

It is because the living

foolishly and piteously hope

the dead will come back to life within that time.

Three days had passed,

but Gangcheori…

did not wake up.

My goodness…

Why…

Why…

Gap…

My goodness!

What the?

What is that?

What is all this?

What is wrong with you? You almost suffocated me to death.

Do not just stand there. Come here and untie me.

You…

Yes, it is me. Your sacred patron deity. Gangcheori.

Oh my!

My goodness…

My goodness.

Your Majesty.

A total of 160 volumes of slave registers were gathered from the inner offices,

palace quarters, and the official residences.

Furthermore, in those volumes,

a total of 36,974 slaves were recorded.

Have them burn

all the records discovered near Donhwa Gate.

Yes, Your Majesty, I shall.

Does the Crown Prince understand

the true intentions behind my pursuit?

Yes, Your Majesty.

You wish to reform the slave system

because you do not wish to see another subject

end up with a blood-wrought grudge, is it not?

Your Highness.

You speak such truly wise words.

You do not want to go?

Her Grace is making a sincere plea for forgiveness for what her son had done.

We even prepared all this.

What exactly is the issue?

There is no issue.

Then, what is it?

I want…

- to spend more time with you before I go. - What?

- Is something wrong? - No, Your Grace.

It seems her grudge has been appeased, but…

there are spirits who take a bit longer to cross the River of the Afterlife.

You do not need to continue…

Get back in there.

I replaced the cracked corrective lens.

They are perfect.

Let me see here…

A token of my appreciation.

No, Your Excellency.

We would not be here if it were not for you.

Consider this a repayment for your kindness.

Kindness?

I paid back a little of the moral debt I owed His Majesty, thanks to you.

Then…

how about this, instead?

I shall spread word

about how amazing these glasses are to the nobility of Bukchon.

Yes, please do.

My word. How incredibly natural of you.

Just call for her if you want to say something.

It's freezing…

Help yourself.

You got yourself another ring.

You mean this?

His Lord got me another.

We are to wed soon.

You…

You picked up that teacup like that on purpose to brag, did you not?

It is a talisman for destined love.

It will help you find a kindred soul to share the next 100 years with.

Does that really work?

You do not have to believe me.

When?

When did I say I did not?

By the way…

is there no talisman that would help me meet someone handsome?

I do not need this 100-year business.

I care more about looks.

Pardon?

Wait,

so you really met the Heavenly Sovereign?

How many times must I repeat it?

He must have felt a bit guilty, after putting me through that hell.

So, that is why he brought you back to life?

The Heavenly Sovereign up there did?

He summoned me and asked,

"Do you want to ascend as a dragon

or do you want to go live amongst the mortals once more?"

He told me to choose.

Thus,

you chose to live with us?

"Us"?

Certainly not for you.

I came back to live with Yeo-ri.

- Why you… It is still His Majesty. - Watch yourself.

Let it go.

Regardless, I am quite thankful.

If I am being honest, after you left like that, I felt…

Goodness. Who am I even speaking to right now?

This is important. How could you…

Listen, you should not wear

glasses in front of your superior.

His Majesty, no less. Take them off.

Hold on.

Who could be my superior here?

Watch it.

I did not know you owned colored glasses.

Yeo-ri made me a pair. Basically, a wedding gift.

- I am off. - All right.

Hey! Where are you going?

We are not here to have fun.

We came to secretly observe the living conditions of the people…

Who am I speaking to now?

I have been listening, Your Majesty.

Why that…

I believe Gwang's favorite skewers are sold over there.

Let us pick some up before we return.

Yes, Your Majesty.

This way.

Yeo-ri!

Do you have them on?

How pretty.

Such a good eater.

Are you a child?

Help yourself, Husband.

Come now. I am no ordinary husband.

I am the loftiest of husbands and the most dignified patron deity.

- Is it good? - Yes.

This will not do.

I let everything slide because you were cute up until now.

I even let you sleep between Yeo-ri and me every night…

You are old enough to be disciplined now.

It is time you know how scary

your father can be.

I hate you, Father! You're scary!

Stop it!

Why this rascal…

Stop it! I don't like it at all!

Enough!

Must you act like this at the table, day in and day out? Pure chaos.

Let us eat.

I knew you would finally get scolded today.

My goodness. What are you two pouting for?

Unbelievable.

The sikhye came out very well.

Let us all have a taste.

- That looks good. - Yes.

Have a taste.

Go on.

Hear me, Examiner Yoon Gap and Eyeglass Artisan Yeo-ri!

My goodness, look how you have grown!

Grilled Abalone!

Will you ever let that go?

Passing it down like a tradition…

Anyhow, His Majesty has summoned you two

to come to the palace immediately.

He summoned me as well?

- Yes. - Did something happen at the palace?

I cannot go into details here,

but there has been another strange incident at the palace.

Anyhow, His Majesty has summoned you both.

Just give me a moment.

What is the matter?

I must say something at this juncture as the head of this household.

The line for glasses made by Yeo-ri,

the nation's top eyeglass artisan,

stretches far beyond the capital limits.

You are asking her to take time off to clean up the King's mess.

It is only right she is properly compensated.

Raising a child costs so much.

- Do you even know? - Most certainly.

Well done.

That is true…

How much do you want?

As you well know,

officially, we are not allowed to perform heretical ceremonies.

At least, ten pairs of glasses' worth.

Do not be like that.

Above all else,

I cannot just use my Imugi powers on demand.

- Perhaps, 5,000 pieces of pumpkin taffy-- - Gosh.

Mother, can you look after Ga-won?

Sure. Come to Grandma, Ga-won.

Hold on.

Do not worry and go.

I am not done haggling.

Let us go, my lord.

All right.

Let us go!

I told you I was still haggling!

Come on.

Shall we?

Subtitle translation by: Justin S. Kim