Original subtitles

They've given the order to kill all the sick here and shut the place down.

Hong Eun-jo.

Halt!

His Highness is in there.

Don't worry. There will be no more arrows coming.

Thank you, Your Highness.

Thank you.

Brother.

Sorry I'm late.

Your Highness.

Your Highness!

It's you again.

It seems my thoughts keep slipping out.

Don't make me regret not killing you last time.

Is this funny to you?

So many people nearly died,

all because of your family's greed.

Go.

I don't feel like seeing anyone's blood today.

Why don't you just punish me?

Your brother will be punished for commanding this, and you…

have already been punished.

Did you know you almost killed Physician Hong?

What?

You were here.

How's the wounded one?

The arrow didn't go in very deep.

You saved the people at the camp.

Thank you so much for coming.

Of course. You called.

Let me clean up the rest.

If you stay too long, you might--

Why is this

stuck so tight?

Listen to me, will you?

I can be pretty stubborn too.

At least wear the face covering properly.

If you're done nagging, you can go.

- Let me fix it for you. - I'm good.

I'm saying this as a physician.

You know the entire pharmacy would panic if you caught even a cold.

It's quite bold of you to do this, given where we are.

You're right.

I'm usually a coward.

Running away is my specialty.

And you ran into a hail of arrows just like that?

Next time, stick to your specialty.

Run away.

I wish I could, but I can't help it.

When I'm with you, I become fearless.

What?

This is because you brought up the folk tale and all.

You made me too brave.

Are you saying it's my fault?

Yes, you keep giving me courage.

This is why I need to be selective about people.

What did you just say?

I guess just the two of us are going.

What about His Highness?

Is he spending the night here?

He says he has to protect her tonight.

Oh, the power of love.

I once yearned for a woman just as deeply.

Is she gone now?

She's high up now.

I'm surprised.

By my devoted love?

I get that a lot. People say I'm too handsome for that.

You had a woman?

That's why you're surprised?

That's offensive!

Don't you have to go back to the palace?

People at your residence must be looking for you.

That's why I sent Dae-chu.

Are you sure you want to do this?

Spending the night in the forest isn't easy.

It can't be that different.

We're on the same land of Joseon under the same sky.

It's nice out here.

It's dark,

black,

and pitch-dark.

I wonder if Dae-chu will be really late.

Right.

I wonder.

Is he already back?

Did you hear that?

That's definitely the sound of a wolf.

Do you

know that wolf?

How would I know any wolf?

You said you saw one around the annex.

That's a wolf I wish I didn't know.

Then I'll scare it off.

I'm sure it's a wild dog looking for food.

Go away.

Stay back, or you'll get burned.

It's leaving.

That's right. It left.

This is

just like when you said the rain was a thunderbolt.

I'm not

very good with water.

I'm sure you are.

I really am not.

Ever since I was little.

Why?

I once fell into a lake.

How did you get out?

I woke up at the Royal Villa.

Apparently, someone saved me and carried me to the shore.

They saved your life.

My mother looked for them everywhere, but she couldn't find them.

You must've been so scared, all alone in the water.

I don't remember it because I was too young.

If you ever need to be near water, let me know.

You?

I'm a pretty good swimmer.

My mother said

that I was a fierce swimmer in her womb.

I guess I'm a natural in the water.

I'm serious.

Are you laughing at me?

I was just smiling.

I always have been.

If the feelings are too deep to let go of,

please leave Joseon

for Eun-jo's sake.

It looks tasty!

It looks tasty, doesn't it?

This is the only thing we can give you.

It was made by a healthy child who was born and is living here.

So it's safe to eat.

This is precious food. How could you…

We received some rice from Gil-dong.

Who? Gil-dong?

Rice cake, Gil-dong, there's a lot to digest.

Are you all right?

So, Gil-dong rose from the dead?

He'll soon be immortal.

That's what rumors are like.

Now do you see how I felt?

You're listening in so naturally.

Naturally. I know it already.

I'm his lord.

If I lose my job, I'll be an idler.

And you'll break your parents' hearts.

What are you talking about?

I'm saying I will keep my mouth shut.

I refuse to be your partner in crime though.

Are you backing out now?

I've backed out.

How about both of you back out?

Sister! Brother!

Geum-dol.

Here.

What's that, kiddo?

It's a talisman.

All the children born here

wear this talisman with the word "life" written on it.

It's meant to protect them from the illness their parents carry.

Why did you bring them, Geum-dol?

You can have them. I don't need them anymore.

- What? - Animals don't need them.

Who said that?

Bun-i did.

She said that even if we had been wiped out yesterday,

no one would have cared because we're just animals.

So you and Brother can have them.

Of course you don't need it.

Kiddo,

you can live a good life

without it.

Really, Sister?

Of course.

We will dispatch a post horse to the Royal Villa

to inform His Majesty of the vile acts you committed yesterday.

Go ahead

if you have the nerve to bear the cost.

Grand Prince Dowol?

Why does he want me to come this far?

What's this?

Who set a trap here?

Of course it's me. I called you here.

Your Highness, how could you treat a scholar like this?

I'm only treating an animal like an animal.

Pardon?

Mong-sil.

Get him.

Your Highness, what is this about?

Good boy.

Your Highness, please don't kill me.

That's exactly what people at the leper camp shouted.

How…

How did you…

Im Seung-jae admitted that he ordered the leper camp burned down

in this letter of confession.

He's the eldest son of Chief Secretary Im.

It would be difficult for me to dismiss him over this alone.

I was told it would actually be easy.

The leper camp he ordered burned down…

His Highness was there.

Grand Prince Dowol?

This is a grave matter. The Grand Prince was nearly killed.

Tell His Highness that this affront to the royal family will not go unpunished.

Did you know you almost killed Physician Hong?

I can't even enter my own house?

You must think you're a great physician,

thinking you can save all the sick in Joseon.

I'm sorry that arrow didn't kill me.

Last night,

you took away something

from a child whose whole world was the leper camp,

and whose only wish

was to live a long life with his ailing mother.

Do you know what that was?

How could you treat a human being like an animal?

Because…

those are lowlifes.

That's what the world says.

But not my world.

To me, everyone is precious.

LIFE

Young Master.

Grand Prince Dowol, how dare you dismiss me?

Once Father is back…

Young Master.

Black Sword!

What is this scoundrel even saying?

Do you think I will do as you say?

No. I think you must.

How could you miss catching him every single time?

I apologize.

He said he'd put an arrow through my throat tomorrow.

What do we do?

Do you have an idea?

This is the idea?

I don't like it either.

It's only until we catch him.

Young Master, your lunch is ready.

Bring it in.

- Oh, dear! - Seung-jae.

Seung-jae.

How did he even…

It says, "Tomorrow, it'll be steel at your throat, not cotton."

Why don't you just do as the letter says?

I would rather die than disgrace myself.

I can't do that to those lowly animals.

"I have wronged you

beyond forgiveness."

"It was no way

to treat a human being."

"You are not animals."

"I am."

"It is I,

Im Seung-jae."

Why are you all crying?

Don't cry.

Now I've seen everything.

I can't believe a nobleman apologized to us.

Really? That's unusual.

Right?

And it happened twice.

Twice?

The State Tribunal's secretary

came back and said that he was the younger brother.

Was his name

Jae-i of the Im family, by any chance?

Yes.

He said he didn't deserve forgiveness.

He said that, whether with fists or arrows,

we should pay them back twice over.

It sounded harsh,

but it sounded like a heartfelt apology.

Do you want me to pay you back too?

Come on. Stab me.

You've already been slashed dozens of times.

I don't need to add to it.

Take off the cotton cloth. I'll apply some medicine.

I almost killed you.

I would stab you a hundred times,

but I will accept

your apology.

And this is the Hyeminseo.

We save people's lives here,

not kill them.

And I'm a physician.

Your brother will be punished for commanding this, and you…

have already been punished.

So this is my punishment.

Punishment?

Having you worry about my wound when I almost killed you.

Having you show me warmth

and give me false hope.

That's my punishment.

Are you just leaving like that?

What did you mean by that just now?

The Grand Prince knew that I was getting this punishment.

I don't understand.

Here's my hand.

What are you doing?

What are you looking at? I'm hurt.

- Are you doing this on purpose? - Yes.

- Why? - Because I want to.

Let go of her hand.

I wonder how it would look

if the most exalted Grand Prince

were to lose his composure and go mad.

You won't get to see that.

Because he's just like me.

He's hurt.

He's a patient.

What are you doing?

Go on, hit me.

Even in war, the wounded are not to be attacked.

He's here to apologize.

If you're done here, leave.

And seek a private physician if possible.

You're making me pettier and pettier.

What?

What's that?

I heard something interesting at the constabulary.

I think I read somewhere that Gil-dong used cotton as an arrowhead.

Is this the one?

It does look like Gil-dong's arrow that I saw,

but Gil-dong is dead.

Where did you get this?

I picked it up in my own room.

You must have heard

about the rumor that Gil-dong was the one who sent rice to the leper camp.

Get to the point.

My conclusion is

that Gil-dong

is alive.

And he's still around Your Highness.

The investigation into Gil-dong has been closed.

The Chief Secretary has agreed too.

I knew it.

You go to such lengths to protect him.

Gil-dong must be someone dear to you.

I'm almost jealous.

Don't do anything silly, Im Jae-i.

Stop.

That concludes my report, Your Highness.

I'm the secretary of the State Tribunal, Jae-i of the Im family.

We'll speak again regarding Gil-dong's case.

What happened?

I didn't want to use the arrow as a threat,

but I couldn't just sit by and do nothing.

They're the ones who took it away.

Took away what?

Basic human dignity.

I can't let them take that away too.

If anyone at the leper camp

had actually lost their life,

I might've done something even worse.

It's good that they got it back.

But next time, ask for my help.

Don't get your hands dirty threatening people.

"Threaten"

isn't quite the word I would use.

It was more like a suggestion.

"Listen to me while I'm being nice"?

I see. That's respectful enough.

Anyway,

don't worry.

The Chief Secretary's second son won't be able to find any more evidence.

And in Joseon--

I know.

No one would ever suspect a woman

of being a thief.

Except for one person.

You're the only one in Joseon who knows.

Right.

So if I disappear from Joseon,

then no one will know anymore.

I must head to the constabulary.

I left my horse there.

Your Highness.

These are all the records about Gil-dong.

Make sure nothing about Gil-dong is spoken of.

If you find anyone other than Im Jae-i chasing Gil-dong,

make sure she's protected.

What about Your Highness?

Are you going somewhere?

I'm doing what I'm best at.

Running away.

Hong Eun-jo.

I was terrified when he found out,

but now I'm glad that he knows.

How funny is that?

You keep giving me courage.

I'm just smiling.

I always have been.

Right.

This is

my proposal.

I totally forgot about it.

Where did I lose it?

I heard that Im Seung-jae was dismissed.

Chief Secretary Im will be shocked to hear this when he's back.

Grand Prince Dowol is behind all this.

He had an aide deliver Im Seung-jae's confession to me.

That person?

Here's the report on the rumors surrounding Gil-dong, as requested.

Look into how Grand Prince Dowol is involved with the leper camp.

Yes, ma'am.

My niece as His Highness' bride?

If you must say no,

I'll try not to be too disappointed, for old time's sake.

I would never.

I will send a letter to my niece.

If we get caught up in formalities, His Majesty will step in.

Do you have something in mind?

A little bit of

romance?

Where is Her Majesty?

What are you doing here?

Your Highness.

Her Majesty asked me to play some music, so…

She was here just a moment ago.

It seems like I'm supposed to be carried away

either by your music or your beauty,

and end up completely smitten.

What's next?

Running into you by a secluded watermill?

It seems like I'm supposed to lose my cool here and…

At least don't make it so obvious that Her Majesty is behind this.

The two of them have pretty classic tastes.

I would call it outdated.

They believe coincidences mean destiny.

Oh, a dullard.

Wait. He's from…

May I ask you a question?

That's why the three coincidences

were overlooked.

What do you mean?

Nothing.

I heard about the unfortunate incident at the leper camp.

Though it was for a short while, I was engaged to someone from that family.

What they did is

truly infuriating.

Since you're saying you finally realized it,

congratulations

on escaping the Im family.

Move on from that engagement.

What about you, Your Highness?

Are you moving on from that woman?

I'm running away from her.

What did you just say?

I will leave Joseon.

Why?

A trip disguised as studying abroad.

You'd feel more at ease that way

than if I stayed close to His Majesty.

It's a hit, Your Majesty!

Your Majesty is truly an exceptional hunter.

I'm concerned for Your Majesty's health.

Our return to the palace has been delayed by ten days.

For tomorrow's hunt, we'll go farther than Mount Dogo.

I hear there are tigers there.

Your Majesty,

thousands of people have been displaced for this hunt.

And tomorrow, the number will grow tenfold.

It's suspicious that he suddenly wants to study abroad.

Is Hong-si still on sick leave?

Well…

There is something I have not yet told you,

fearing it might upset you, Your Majesty.

How dare you bring an outsider into the palace disguised as a court lady?

So, you refuse to tell me who Hong-si is?

Well done.

If anyone asks, keep silent,

and never speak of her.

His Majesty must not learn of this.

Sister, what are you looking for?

Geum-dol.

Have you seen

an envelope this big?

Maybe it's not here.

Is it important?

It's something

I want to keep only to myself.

Brother.

How did you…

I went to Hyeminseo to talk to you, and you weren't there.

So I knew where to go.

Hey, my brother. Were you talking about something fun?

Yes, Sister said

she wanted to keep something--

Geum-dol!

Your…

Your mother is looking for you.

You should hurry back.

His mother is waiting. I'll take him to her.

Come on. Let's go.

All of a sudden?

The weather has been nice these days.

You're right.

I'll remember this for a long time.

This time we're in now.

So…

What is it that you wanted to say?

Right.

Don't worry about Im Jae-i.

I made sure all evidence tied to Gil-dong is gone,

so he won't be able to interfere anymore.

I'm worried about me, not you.

If you get caught,

I'll get in trouble too. We're partners in crime.

I don't usually like to brag,

but I learned my archery

from my lord, the former Minister of War.

You must be close to him.

Yes.

When I was little,

my lord and I

went to the market together every year.

It felt like a special outing to me.

It was only later that I found out

it was the day before he was dispatched to the battlefield.

It's yeot!

Do you want some?

If he had died in any of those battles,

that special outing would have been

my last day with him.

He said he didn't want my last memories with him to be sad.

That's the kind of man he is.

And he taught me archery

so I could protect myself and the family

when we're left alone.

And now, you're even looking out for your neighbors.

Even if I'm not in Joseon--

Is that…

Hello.

What are you doing?

I almost missed it.

Today, we have Maeguigut.

MAEGUIGUT: A FOLK RITUAL PRACTICED FOR GOOD LUCK

We should make wishes.

Can I get two, please?

I'm sorry.

I only have one left.

Don't worry about me. I don't make wishes.

Why don't you give it a try?

As they say, the heavens are always by our side,

closer than we think.

Their hearing might be worse than we think too.

Then I'll say my wish out loud and clear.

I'll take the last sky lantern.

Make sure you make only one wish,

and say it loud and clear so they can hear it.

We have lovely, bright moonlight tonight.

What are you thinking about for so long?

I can only make one wish,

so I don't know what to write.

You have that many wishes?

Maybe you're actually pretty greedy.

"Greedy"?

It's just that I've never made a wish before.

What is it?

We should release the lantern soon.

Just give me a rough idea.

The thing is

I feel like

this is actually me being greedy.

I already have more than I could ask for.

So I was just going to leave it at that.

I'm not even sure if I should wish for this.

Are you talking about your nosiness?

No, I'm not.

You are.

If you're going to wish to be even nosier,

put the brush down.

It's my wish.

Don't be so nosy.

Don't look.

I won't.

You're really wishing hard.

You can tell me now.

I'm sure I can grant your wish faster.

What? Did you see my wish?

No, I didn't.

So it's really something I can do?

No, it's not.

You have nothing to do with it.

I don't believe you.

What is it? Is there another corrupt official?

No.

Is someone sick?

No.

Is someone starving?

No!

My lord.

I put two winter clothes in your bag.

Thank you.

Where have you been at this hour?

I met someone I know to ask for something important.

You must be tired.

You should get some sleep soon before the trip tomorrow.

Eun-jo…

you held on well.

It's nothing.

I missed it.

The animals must have sensed your procession and run away.

Let's go back to the palace--

Don't even utter a word about the palace until I hunt a tiger.

- Keep chasing it! - Yes, Your Majesty.

Father, I'm so exhausted.

We still have a long way to go to Namwon.

Father,

do I really have to go?

Stop complaining and follow me.

Eun-jo!

Coming!

Lady Hae-rim?

To the dispensary?

Where is Hong-si?

She's been on sick leave for a while now.

How would I know about some sick court lady?

I'm sure you do.

Because that court lady is the woman you said you would never forget.

Is she from a noble family?

Is her family respectable?

Are they well-off?

Where she is isn't your main concern, is it?

If the answer to any of that is no, I don't care where she is.

She already rejected me long ago.

What? Rejected?

What could possibly the reason?

Who would reject a face like yours?

Who dares reject my son?

Where is she? Lead the way.

Now you want to know where she is?

Are you thinking of leaving Joseon

because of Hong-si?

Does Hong-si know?

I will just disappear.

Why would you do that?

If I say goodbye to her,

I will want to stay with her.

And if that happens,

I know I can't stop myself.

I will cling to her

and make a nuisance of myself.

Then she will have to reject me once again.

I can't make her say something so painful for her.

If that's your decision,

you shall leave as soon as possible.

I've already packed my bag.

I'm leaving today.

You and His Highness?

All those coincidences were set up by the elders.

Because that's the kind of marriage the elders want.

But His Highness does not want it.

That's why he said he was leaving.

Leave?

Where?

That, I don't know.

I've been only talking about myself.

Tell me about you, Physician Hong.

Why was your marriage broken off?

Well…

My lord--

Eun-jo!

Is that…

This is Gil-dong's arrow?

Maybe someone's pretending to be him.

Grand Prince Dowol destroyed all the evidence linked to Gil-dong.

I'm sure.

Young Master!

Young Master!

The lord sent an urgent letter from the Royal Villa.

Hong Eun-jo.

Eun-jo.

Do you know him?

I think he's my Young Master.

Eun-jo!

Eun-jo!

Eun-jo!

Eun-jo.

Eun-jo.

I brought Father with me.

Eun-jo.

You're a physician, right?

Have a look at him.

I don't know why,

but he hasn't said a word the whole way.

I must've done something wrong.

Eun-jo.

Eun-jo.

My lord.

Who?

Lord Hong Min-jik--

No, the other one.

His Majesty.

So you're saying

my brother…

His Majesty

has hunted

Lord Hong.

You seem tired.

Rest well.

And don't worry about a thing.

There will be no pain…

where you are now.

Father, you should wake up now.

We should keep going.

We have a long way to go.

Father, please wake up.

Where are you going?

We must prepare a funeral.

Just cry.

I must find an embalmer and get a coffin.

There's so much to be done.

The Chief Secretary sent us a letter.

He said to make all the preparations for the funeral.

It's my lord's funeral.

This is something I have to do myself.

Help my Young Master instead.

He can be pretty clumsy.

Father!

Can you move any faster?

His Majesty wishes to return to his chambers at once.

Yes, Your Majesty!

Yes, Young Master.

My brother allowed

my family and our slaves to come and help as well.

By the way, I haven't seen Eun-jo around.

Has she not come back yet?

Eun-jo…

you held on well.

If what I think happens,

not only Eun-jo, but her entire family will be executed.

We must not let that happen. Never.

Hong Eun-jo! Snap out of it!

If you want to die, die alone.

He jumped in to stop it.

Return!

Return!

Pay your respects with utmost sincerity.

Move out!

For now, Lord Hong's family are the prime suspects.

Find evidence of the murder!

It was me.

How long have I been here?

I must see him.

Subtitle translation by Sunyoung Baek