Original subtitles

THIS DRAMA IS A FICTIONAL STORY BASED ON HISTORICAL FACTS

SOME ORGANIZATIONS AND CHARACTERS IN THIS DRAMA ARE FICTITIOUS

In my country,

Bang-won doesn't exist.

And...

you don't either.

You saved me,

and Bang-won chose not to kill me.

I'm sorry, but I'm not grateful for what either of you did.

I'm returning the favor.

Seon-ho.

You see,

I thought I could use the King's power

to change the world.

But I was wrong.

To them,

I was just a sword they could use

and dispose of whenever they wish.

I may not be able to change

their world,

but I can destroy it.

I'm going to kill Bang-won.

Bang-gan too.

The King

and the former King as well.

You'd better stop intervening.

This is the last thing I can do for you,

and it's also the last warning.

But I will

save you.

Everything is ready.

Tae-ryeong.

I am about to go hunting,

but why is it that I feel so anxious?

Prince Hoean

will relentlessly try to kill Your Highness.

It is a fight that you cannot avoid.

It cannot be avoided?

I suppose I am doing this

because it can't be avoided.

Hwi is late.

He'll come.

I know he will.

By the way, why did the prince change the ambush location?

Did Bang-gan figure it out?

There must've been some unexpected changes.

Chi-do.

You see, I really can't forgive that man.

I'm talking about Yi Seong-gye.

He's taking it all out on us

because he can't kill his son.

He destroyed Ihwaru and whacked the private soldiers. He went apeshit.

From our Liaodong days to until now, nothing has changed.

Actually,

things will never change.

The ambush location has been changed to Majeong-dong.

We'll change our plan as well.

We'll wipe Bang-won's soldiers lying in ambush

and strike at Bang-won immediately.

You have my permission

to kill them all.

What's happening?

What are you doing? Snap out of it!

Mun-bok!

God damn it.

The well-sharpened sword pierced through my chest armor.

-Mun-bok. -You've got to run.

-Don't say anything. -Are you deaf?

I said, you've got to run.

Shut it!

Chase them!

Don't let any of them escape alive.

You're here.

I have to say, you're bringing

a lot of soldiers for a mere pheasant hunt.

You should know better as you've been hunting for years.

You may catch a tiger

even when you go on a pheasant hunt.

Who knows?

We might catch a white tiger.

To catch a tiger, you need to corner it,

distract it with dogs,

immobilize it with an arrow,

and pierce through its neck with a spear.

But I don't see any spears.

Well, you're wrong.

To catch a tiger, you first need

to feed it some dogs and even humans.

You need to fill it up before you catch it.

You never disappoint me, Bang-gan.

Let's get going. Let's go!

Hang in there.

Mun-bok, stay with me!

Gosh, I would've worn five chest armors had I known this would happen.

Goodness.

You're bleeding a lot.

This helps stop bleeding. Put some on right away.

No, I'm okay. My stab wound isn't deep.

Bullshit. You're not okay.

-Come on. Put some on now. -Mun-bok!

I can't die,

so don't worry about me.

I can't die because of my adorable children

and beautiful wife.

Chi-do, why can't I stop crying?

Seon-ho went to where the prince is.

I'll go bring the royal guards who are on standby.

Take good care of Mun-bok.

Hwi.

Who are you trying to save?

Bang-won or Seon-ho?

I'll save both of them.

I'm suddenly reminded of what our swordsmanship teacher, Seo Geom, said.

"Utilize an ambush for the most efficient battle.

A raid comes in second.

The last resort would be an all-out battle."

I'm surprised you still remember that.

I admired him very much, you know.

I'm just realizing that I haven't seen Hwi.

He uses the exact same sword techniques.

He is Seo Geom's son, isn't he?

Aren't they the Jurchens?

Shouldn't they be in the Northeastern Township?

What are they doing in Gaegyeong?

Don't you think it's strange?

They can go anywhere they wish with their two legs.

What's strange about it?

That man.

Isn't he one of your soldiers?

Bang-won.

Goodbye.

Don't you dare step in!

Drop your sword.

You left me with no choice but to unsheathe my sword.

If you ascend the throne,

will our elder brothers be safe?

They will be.

Who'd believe that?

Then let me ask you.

If you ascend the throne,

will I be safe?

Answer the question even if you must lie.

If I become King,

your neck will be on the chopping block before anyone else's.

Then,

bring it on.

You want a sword fight with me?

You could barely pick up a wooden sword

when I was already fighting with my real sword.

You never got to see what I've learned

since picking up my first real sword.

Let's see it, then.

You're trying to buy time, aren't you?

But you know what?

I think your time's up.

Kill

all of them.

Inspector Nam, that bastard.

You're alive. I'm impressed.

I owe it all to you.

I had no reason left to live,

but you gave me a reason to survive.

Do you know why I spared your life?

To mock and trample all over the child of a lowly concubine.

Am I wrong?

No, because you're like me.

Also,

because you're Hwi's friend.

Now, here's what you get for sparing my life.

Do you know what our difference is?

Stop with the bullshit.

You only look at me,

while I look at the entire picture including you.

That is why you can't beat me.

Chase those traitors!

I'll catch them.

Come at me.

Save Seon-ho first.

There's a cave at the bottom of the cliff in Mount Bukak.

Take him there.

How could I trust you?

I've been friends with him for longer than you have. Trust me.

This man here is a criminal who orchestrated a coup.

Double-tie him to a horse

and make him walk barefoot.

If anyone spits on him, let them.

And if anyone tries to help him,

kill them on the spot.

One more thing.

You should hold my hand and wail on the streets.

That way, the people will be moved by your tears.

Your wound is deep.

How did it go?

I lost him.

Are you sure you didn't let him flee?

Seon-ho will return to me.

And when he does, I will slay him without any hesitation.

What will you do?

I will protect my friend.

So you will try to stop me?

Then I will

slay you as well.

It feels like it was only yesterday that we were in the northern region together,

but only my hair has turned gray.

I miss Seo Geom.

When I picked up my bow,

he unsheathed his sword

and protected me.

He killed the enemy commander

and slashed horses when I told him to.

I will probably

never meet a general like him again.

He embezzled military rations?

I do not believe that.

But King Woo did,

so there was nothing I could do to save him.

It was Nam Jeon's doing.

Nevertheless, you took him under your wing.

It wasn't Nam Jeon.

And that is why I came to see you all in person.

I would like to

avenge Seo Geom's death now.

Are you headed to Anju?

Such impudence!

You may raise your head.

You are Queen Sindeok's confidante.

I am Han Hui-jae.

Hui-jae...

Where do you think I'll be headed after Anju?

Maengju. After that, Deokju.

Anbyon, Yeongheung, Hamju.

Shall I keep going?

Give us some privacy.

Why do you think I am headed there?

You are going there because there are warriors

who aren't under Prince Jeongan's influence.

You plan to gather the warriors in the North

in order to take down Prince Jeongan.

Prince Jeongan must have sent you.

I am here as the head of Ihwaru.

I'd like to offer you a word of advice.

As you probably expected,

Prince Hoean's coup failed.

Do not take advantage of this turbulent time

just to raise the armed forces in the North.

What will happen

if I do?

You will not obtain the title of Grand Abdicated King.

Instead, you will be dethroned as a mere former King.

For the first and last time in this dynasty.

Now, I see why the Queen chose you as her confidante.

At the same time,

I can also see why she decided to desert you.

Get out of my sight before I drag you out.

Return to the palace at once

and protect the throne.

That is the best thing Your Majesty can do at the moment.

Just be the quack that you are.

Why get involved in a sword fight?

You're a coward,

and you can't even tolerate pain well.

They messed with Ihwaru. How was I supposed to just let it slide?

This is like your home, you know.

Thank you.

Gosh, don't cry.

My dear, I want to make you smile all the time,

but you look pretty even when you cry.

Perhaps I should make you cry once in a while.

Stop joking around.

Come on. I joke around all the time.

I'd call myself Park Chi-do if I never told any jokes.

It seems like you're okay now.

By the way, Chi-do,

I think Hwi and Seon-ho

were the sun and the moon in their past lives.

I bet that's why they seem so inseparable in this lifetime.

Then what about you and me?

-We were probably a married couple. -Right?

That's why we met again as enemies.

You must be in pain. I am too.

-What's with you? Hey. -Mun-bok.

Hwi is here.

Are you guys all right?

Don't even get me started.

I barely managed to escape the Grim Reaper.

What about you?

I'm all right.

Good.

What about Hui-jae? Did she go somewhere?

Are you okay?

I had to stop His Majesty.

If we sit back and do nothing,

we'll be hit by something even worse than a coup.

That's why I went to see him.

I'm sorry.

Even if I tell you to just watch and do nothing

and that I will protect you,

you have no choice but to do these things. I know that.

But promise me this one thing.

Whatever you do,

make sure you always tell me.

Only then

can I come to your rescue when you're in danger.

I will.

You must be exhausted.

Hang in there just a little longer

because it'll all be over soon.

Stay still,

or your wound will open back up.

I can't believe the one who stabbed me is saying that.

What about the venom?

Is there still some left?

It's stuck with me for good.

I'm just going to live with it.

Will you continue

to fight?

Ask my sword.

NAM SEON-HO

Thanks

for protecting me.

And I'm sorry.

I was so absorbed in my own anger

that I couldn't see your pain.

How's Bang-gan?

His Majesty has examined him himself,

and Bang-gan is now in prison.

What about the former King?

He returned to the palace from the hot spring.

He will have to choose either the Royal Seal or Bang-gan.

It's going to be a pretty long night for him tonight.

What should we do with Cheonga?

He's a double agent.

Keep him in prison.

He will be of use one day.

NAM SEON-HO

If Seon-ho goes to Bang-won, he will be dead.

Stop him.

The most insignificant thing Seon-ho has

is his life.

I can't stop him.

Can you stop him?

I will.

I must.

The deputy leader is alive.

Didn't he burn to death?

I thought so too. Until I saw him.

He framed General Seo Geom for embezzlement of provisions

and even testified falsely.

Search through prostitution houses near Gaegyeong and places nearby.

He's addicted, so he should be near those places.

What do we do when we catch him?

There must be a wire puller.

We will find that person.

And...

kill that person.

If it isn't my little brother.

You're a felon who raised a rebellion.

Please excuse me for dropping honorifics from now on.

You're disgracing me.

You have only one way

to survive.

So

think carefully before you answer.

Who is pulling the wire?

I just got into a tussle while hunting.

I raised a rebellion?

And someone is behind me?

I asked who it is.

This is my last question.

Whose order

did you have to carry out?

The former King.

The father of you and me.

Officer of Inspector General, did you write that down?

Yes, Your Highness.

You just

saved your life.

What brings you here?

I need to see the former King.

You requested an audience.

I heard you made a great contribution to the country again.

Your path is severed here.

I dare came to tell you that.

Listen.

Whether to connect or severe the path is up to me.

And you're a mere man walking on the path.

That will not happen.

In order to protect my precious people, I can severe the path

as many times as needed.

You're indeed the son of Seo Geom.

Isn't blood amazing?

You're just like your father.

Don't you think so, Jeongan?

As far as I know, my father took a different path from yours.

Why are you bringing up my father's name?

Do you also know

that your father was Prince Jeongan's sword teacher?

I was behind the rebellion?

That's what Prince Hoean said.

The former King raised a rebellion with a prince.

Should we let the historian write that and hand the word down to our descendants?

What is it that you want?

Be the Grand Abdicated King.

Then all this

will be wrapped up here.

The current King recommended you

as the first Crown Prince, not the second Crown Prince.

So I may grant you permission.

Thank you,

Your Majesty.

I will grant you a pardon

and wish for your success.

Therefore,

I will clear Seo Geom of the charges.

A general respected by the royal family and people

took his own life because of a false charge.

How disturbing is that?

Your friend, your mentor,

and the man you considered as another father.

Was it my father?

Yes.

Why did you never tell me?

Could it be

because of the circumstances surrounding his death?

You should rest.

We'll talk some other time.

Yeon,

I'm going to leave.

Don't you worry though.

I'll be somewhere

reachable by this river.

Hwi...

He can only live if I die.

I must find out the truth regarding my father's death.

There's more to it.

The fact that the former King is making his move

means that he's luring you into the battle.

I'm aware of that.

The case files of Goryeo were mostly lost.

You'll have to be very lucky.

You stay out of it. This is my fight now.

Find one with a red cover.

Punishment by cauldron dipping is written in those.

I don't want you to get involved in this

nor get put in danger.

This isn't for you.

It's for Yeon.

So shut up and just find the book.

We have two hours until sunrise, so hurry.

Thank you.

Up until this moment,

I thought it was my father who framed yours.

Your father

never lied.

Sounds about right

since there were even times when I wished he was lying.

Your wound...

How is it?

Have you heard of numbing medicine?

Well, you could strike me and I'd only feel a tickle.

You should rest.

You could die if you keep going.

Did you know

that whenever I'm in pain,

you're always beside me?

"Witness,

Black Snake Unit of the Northern Region Exhibition.

Deputy Leader Kim Do-su."

NAM SEON-HO

I'm sure you're aware

that the interrogation of the Black Snake Unit

will make you wish you'd rather be dead.

We will now begin.

Please don't...

There is no scenario where you live.

It's better to beg for a painless death.

Who is giving you the orders?

I don't know.

Who is it?

Who told you to frame the general?

Prince Jeongan!

It was Yi Bang-won.

Is it true?

Was it really Bang-won?

I will clear Seo Geom of the charges.

In addition to that,

I will find who framed him

and punish him by dipping in a cauldron.

Half of the warriors in the Northeastern and Northwestern Townships

were under Seo Geom's command.

What will happen when they find out the truth?

That's enough!

You have committed so many crimes.

You taking the throne

indicates you will have committed another.

So how can I stand by and let it happen again?

I know you very well, Your Majesty.

You are not one

to ever lay out your cards.

So

why is it that you did this time?

Doubt.

Doubt and doubt again.

And kill those around you.

Those deaths...

will one day haunt you to your demise.

Whatever it is that you want

will never come true in this lifetime.

Even though

your curse lays upon me,

I will

become King.

He not only killed Hwi's father

but also used Hwi and had Hwi take the fall for the blood he spilled.

Hwi must not know this.

Once he does, he'll go to Bang-won.

And Bang-won buries secrets by wielding his sword.

Hwi will never know.

I'll end it before he learns the truth.

Don't.

What he wants

is for you to live, not revenge.

It's how he's always been.

Please

look out for him.

Sir, let's leave.

And then what? Where would I go?

I have a boat and a place for you to stay. Come on!

And then what?

Where would I go from there?

You will die.

Unless you escape right now, you'll die.

Chi-do.

If I run,

my children

will have to live as fugitives forever.

And if you don't,

they'll live in sorrow forever.

They will have you.

Hwi and Yeon. I leave them in your hands.

My children...

are my everything.

Please.

Please come with me!

Sir...

The Black Snake Unit never lives in debt.

Bang-won must die.

Silence.

But sir...

Do not make a move until I give orders.

If we move hastily,

Hwi and the Northern Village

will be in danger.

You're indeed the son of Seo Geom.

Do you also know

that your father was Prince Jeongan's sword teacher?

I see you came to see me in disguise.

Do not use me or my father anymore

and please do not try to play Prince Jeongan and I against each other.

In order to do so, I'll have to be telling you lies.

However,

all I said was the truth.

Who is responsible

for my father's death?

It's Prince Jeongan.

Your father

is in contact with the warriors Seo Geom commanded.

Master Seo,

Goryeo...

is no longer a nation.

It is a living hell where a foolish King and those evil

feed on the blood of the people.

So I urge you to change your mind.

Dismantle this godforsaken nation and build a new world.

That is the only way...

for you to live.

Goryeo may be godforsaken to you,

but it is the nation I serve.

It is my country that I and my men protected

with our blood.

How is this a nation?

Are you truly blind?

Can't you see

that Goryeo is rotten inside and out?

And what about you who framed me for embezzlement?

What about your father who's using his own son

to kill me?

In my eyes,

you are the ones rotten to the core.

So listen.

I will die tonight.

And you

will engrave my blood on your flesh like a tattoo

and live in pain for the rest of your life.

Those who will forever live in pain

are your children who will be treated less than animals.

What code can you say you lived by

when you

even failed to protect your own children?

Keep your eyes on Hwi.

I will check on

the Consolidated Army Command.

Get lost.

This is my business.

And this is my choice.

Being beside you

wasn't all that bad.

I figured it'd be

my only chance to say it.

Bang-won will order Hwi to be killed.

I must not let that happen

and this is the only way.

I want to be able to look her in the eyes.

Nam Seon-ho is here.

Bang-won!

Bang-won!

Kill him.

Enough!

Bang-won.

I'm right here, you know.

Why is it you though...

and not Hwi?

I wanted people to laugh at you

for dying at the sword of a concubine's son.

It's...

what I truly wanted to see.

You made this far by yourself.

I'll already

be laughed at.

It's why

you will be punished.

And who will punish you for your sins?

You beat a loyal servant to death

and boiled a general alive in a cauldron.

You even killed our own brothers.

Hwi fought for you with his live

just so that you could have your nation.

But who will punish you for trying to kill him too?

I...

I...

will not kill Hwi.

You,

who never trusts anyone

and doubts everything?

Even a dog would laugh at that statement.

Actually,

it wouldn't even bring out a laugh in a dog.

It is easy to die while taunting others.

However,

living by your code

while enduring the taunting

is as painful as having your flesh peeled off.

But I will gladly

endure all the taunting that comes my way...

and own up to it.

Slay me.

I've had enough

of your hypocrisy.

You

may now rest.

Let him in.

Damn it.

You're here to stop me?

Didn't I say...

that I'd kill you too if you tried?

Go ahead then.

Kill me like you killed my father.

How you framed my father

and how you used me...

I will forget all of that.

However, the fact that you saved my life

and the comfort you offered...

I will forget all of that too.

So please let him go.

He is my dearest friend.

Please let me save him.

Don't and consider yourself dead too.

You'll shoot me?

You'll kill me?

This

is where our alliance ends.

Go.

Consider it a reward for your contribution.

Run away...

as far as you can.

Why are you making it so hard to die?

I will keep you alive with all my might.

In fact,

we will both stay alive.

Subtitle translation by Sun-young Baek