Original subtitles

His Majesty the King!

I shall worry for you no longer.

Instead,

from this day on,

I shall simply pray for your future.

And I shall entrust

those wishes to you with these flower petals.

At the initial examination,

I asked why the southern sacred herb may serve as a virtue of a loyal subject.

And I found myself greatly impressed

by the answer of the one who interpreted The Analects' teaching,

"Be slow in speech, swift in action."

This is that man's answer from the recent palace examination.

"When a new branch grows from an old tree,

what must it cast aside, what must it preserve,

and toward what must it stretch forth?"

Surely he knew this question reflected the predicament in which I stand.

And yet,

what answer did he give?

In a hall devoted to solemn scholarship,

he dared criticize the failure to pursue practical truth.

No, Your Majesty. It was not--

"Fearing to cut away the old branches

would instead rob the tree of its life."

Is this not what you wrote?

In such insolently plain prose, no less!

This is only water.

Though it wets the white porcelain,

it soon dries and leaves no trace.

And this is ink.

It does not wash away so easily.

It stains you.

Do you understand?

I shall watch closely whether what has been poured upon

the white porcelain that is you proves to be ink or water.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Come with me.

Chief Eunuch, can you guess

why I spared a man who dared write such frivolous prose

at the solemn examination?

He has an insolent manner of voicing his thoughts,

but he lacks the talent to deceive me.

For one such as I, whose whole life is bound to the palace,

a man like him will prove useful if kept close.

He is not one I can simply turn away.

THE SCANDAL

Even if the girl can read and write,

the Elementary Learning may be a touch beyond her.

If she can read it,

then she can surely learn it as well.

Yes, that is true.

Still, she has never properly studied before,

so I fear it may not come easily to her.

Even as a concubine,

she is to become a member of the Yoo family.

We cannot treat such a matter carelessly.

She must at least learn

the proper decorum and how to conduct herself.

Only then will So-ok

not be scorned wherever she goes.

You are right.

We cannot have people whispering

that I took in an ignorant concubine.

Very well, then.

Please leave this matter to me, my lord.

It may seem harsh,

but know that it is all for your own good.

Study the Introduction to Confucian Learning by copying it out

a hundred times.

A hundred times?

Young madam.

Young madam, are you asleep?

"Young madam"?

A letter for you.

A letter?

I deeply regret breaking the alarm clock earlier today.

It weighs on me that I damaged something so precious to you,

though unintentional.

I offer my sincerest apologies.

I scarcely know how I might repay this wrong.

Oh, I am the youngest son of the Left State Councilor across the way,

Kwon In-ho.

"In-ho"?

Then give me money for it.

Whoa, whoa.

All right. Down now.

Catholic faith.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

- Amen. - Amen.

I will go unto the altar of God.

Our help is in the name of the Lord.

The body of our Lord Jesus Christ.

My cousin feared a palanquin

stands out more at night.

And so she bade me come fetch you,

saying your journey home would be far too dangerous.

I know what sort of gatherings are held in this house.

That is why

she chose to send me.

When I was a child, around this time of year,

my mother would always tuck dried mugwort leaves into my hands.

Once the weather turned warm,

the mosquitoes would grow fierce.

She feared her only son's face would be covered in bites.

Here you go.

Dried mugwort leaves. Keep them in your hand as you go.

If you were to return with mosquito welts upon your face,

would that not arouse suspicion at home?

I shall be fine.

No, you shall not.

If suspicion falls upon you, your whereabouts will be discovered.

Then not only I, but everyone gathered here tonight,

shall come to harm.

Now would that be fine?

Would it?

Here now.

Madam.

The palanquin has just returned.

The Left State Councilor's daughter-in-law returned home safely, I trust?

No, the palanquin returned empty.

It turns out Lord Cho Won came and sent it back ahead.

What a reckless thing to do!

Send the palanquin back at once.

Have them wait at the entrance to Bukchon,

and when she arrives, they are to escort her home without fail.

Gye-hwa.

Yes, madam?

If anyone were to catch sight of my cousin

with the Left State Councilor's widowed daughter-in-law,

what would become of this gossip-ridden Bukchon?

Right, madam.

And the Left State Councilor and his wife?

They have not yet returned, I trust?

Yes, madam.

Then hurry.

Oh, yes.

Well,

the road is strewn with stones.

Should you stumble, I would not dare catch hold of you.

So do take care

and mind your step as you come.

Please go on ahead.

I shall rest a moment.

Oh, dear.

I was

thinking only of my own pace, was I not?

My apologies.

Let us rest a while, then.

Tell me.

Why did you not take your own life?

Had you ended it then,

you would already have been honored as a virtuous woman.

My mother-in-law was ill,

and there were too few hands at home.

And other issues caused it to be delayed.

But now that my mother-in-law has recovered,

I shall soon be able to follow my husband…

So…

do you really mean to do it?

Take your own life?

You will not be able to.

All the more so now that you've learned the Lord's teachings, which cherish life.

Do not be alarmed.

I am not unfamiliar with those teachings.

I have always taken an interest in all manner of learning,

and I naturally came upon them while studying Western learning.

Whoa, whoa.

My lord.

Her Ladyship ordered that we escort her back.

Is that so?

All right, up.

Go.

Madam, the palanquin has returned safely.

- My lady! - Whoa, whoa.

My lady.

Eun-sil.

This way.

All right, down now.

INTRODUCTION TO ESSENTIAL CATHOLIC TEACHINGS

"Thou shalt not kill."

"Thou shalt not kill."

Madam.

If you cannot sleep, shall I bring you some tea?

I'm sorry to trouble you.

I am quite all right, so you may go back.

How could she make me copy this out a hundred times?

It was that young master who caused trouble,

so why is this falling on me?

Goodness.

YOUR APOLOGY…

Your apology

made me both grateful and ashamed.

The breaking of the alarm clock

is no great matter, so please do not trouble yourself over it.

But the truth is,

I cut my hand upon the broken clock.

I had promised the elders of the house

that I would study the vernacular Elementary Learning

and copy out Introduction to Confucian Learning a hundred times.

It is my only regret that I can no longer do so.

As you well know,

a promise is a matter of trust between people, is it not?

Elementary Learning…

The vernacular Elementary Learning?

I suppose

I shall now lose that trust, shan't I?

62.

63.

I regret not bringing those to you sooner,

but reading Elementary Learning after so long brought back many memories.

65.

- 67, 68. - I first learned it

from my elder brother when I was 5.

He was like a teacher to me.

70.

- 71. - Here's the truth.

- He was 20 years and 7 months old… - 20. 27.

- Maybe 8 months. - 28.

- No, 6 months old when he… - 29, 30…

30?

For heaven's sake.

Well, this year marks the end of his three-year mourning.

- Again. One. - So I paid him a visit.

Two.

Every one of my steps toward him…

- One. - …was filled with grief.

One?

Darn it. Is he doing this on purpose?

Elementary Learning

is something that brings back such tender memories

of our time together--

Thank you for your efforts.

But it seems one page is missing.

There are only 99 here.

That cannot be. I distinctly copied a hundred.

No, I counted them twice.

You will bring me the last page too,

won't you?

Yes.

Yes, miss.

I shall certainly bring it.

Well,

here.

Thank you, Young Master In-ho.

Of course.

May I ask your name?

I am

So-ok.

My name is So-ok.

"So-ok."

It suits you very well.

"So-ok."

Miss So-ok,

what brings you to Lord Yoo's household?

Me?

Oh, well, I…

Are you, by any chance, Lady Cho's niece

who visited seven years ago?

I recall my mother speaking of her.

Then you must also be related to Master Cho Won.

Well, I…

I should be going now.

Wait.

Well, that was rash of me.

I brought this from my mother's quarters without her knowing.

You said you cut your hand.

If you

take a bit and dab it onto the wound,

it should heal quickly.

Since you were hurt because of me,

I should take responsibility, shouldn't I?

Three…

No, two. I shall borrow it for two days.

Two days from now, at this hour,

when the two hands of the clock stretch straight across,

let us meet here again.

Yes.

Well then.

Mind your step.

When the two clocks… No.

When the two hands stretch straight across.

Let me think.

How long has it been since we last shared a drink?

The last time was when I visited Hwaseong, was it not?

Yes, you came

for the relocation of Hyollyungwon.

You see,

I simply cannot understand.

What do you mean?

The heart of a father…

who locked away

the son he cherished so dearly in a rice chest.

How could he do such a thing to his precious child?

But you see.

Yes?

The son defied his father until he was shut inside that rice chest.

I believe I may understand him.

To a son,

his father may well be a world with which he can never reconcile.

Yes.

Yes, indeed.

I suppose the Crown Prince…

and I…

are both…

but men defeated before the name of "father."

Make it light and clear.

My cousin prefers it that way.

Yes, madam.

If I go on soaking myself in drink like this again,

I swear I'll change my name from Yoo to Cho.

Your jest goes too far, Minister Cho.

My head is splitting.

I wish you had stopped me.

My lord!

My lord!

From the palace…

Someone has come from the palace.

Did you say the palace?

Yes.

I thought His Majesty had taken offense and meant to dismiss me from office.

Have I not always told you not to worry?

None of it was ever your intention.

I knew His Majesty would surely know your true heart.

You think so?

- Quickly now. He has arrived. - Right.

Right, this is no time for this.

I must hurry.

I am ready. Go on, read it.

- No, it is not-- - What are you waiting for?

His Majesty calls for me. We must not waste a moment.

No, that is not it!

His Majesty

seeks one named Cho Won.

So it is not me?

Cho Won, step forward.

His Majesty ordered that you read it yourself.

Wait just a moment!

Pour every last bit in.

Bring that over here!

Move it!

We shall use five more mal of paste, so keep that in mind.

Who might you be?

Who might you be?

It seems I have found the right place.

Take it easy!

Even if we work through the night, can we really sell any of this?

Enough of your nonsense.

So what brings you here?

I heard that

you were starving before.

Have things improved at all since then?

What do you think?

Quite a few officials

have caught hell because of you.

I feared there might have been retaliation,

so I came to see for myself.

So you met with him?

I received your secret letter.

And so, I have already ordered

that all those involved be summoned to Hanyang at once.

My apologies, Your Majesty.

It seems the matter concerns more than that fellow Gil-san alone.

I had assumed as much.

Corruption spreads like wildfire by its very nature.

My apologies, Your Majesty.

You have nothing to apologize for.

Left State Councilor.

Yes, Your Majesty.

I shall entrust him with a task.

Please give your command.

I confide this in you because I trust you.

All that I have undertaken in Hwaseong

may well be said to be driven by my filial devotion to my late father.

For that reason,

I cannot allow

even the slightest corruption in matters concerning it.

My lord.

What brings you back to tobacco again?

This is

a book written by that Cho Won, is it not?

The other day,

I crossed paths with him in the street.

He wore such an unsettling smile, as if he were lusting after women.

It did not sit well with me.

Did you not say

he had fallen out of the King's favor as well?

I believe

he may soon prove quite useful.

You should know that I have told him

to stay at our house for a while.

This is all we need to pack?

You rascal.

Why do you look so pleased? It is only nearby, so enough already.

Are you leaving now?

Goodness.

Are you here to see me off?

I am most honored.

I must say, I am quite impressed.

You somehow managed to get into that household.

Heaven must be helping me.

Though I wonder

who it's truly helping.

Does this heavenly fortune

favor you, my dear cousin,

or me?

To be blessed with heaven's favor,

you have lived far too debauched a life, have you not?

Debauched, you say.

Wait till our wager is over,

then see for yourself.

Cousin.

I shall be going now.

Madam, a messenger just dropped this off.

It came from the Tobacco Shop,

and it is addressed to Lord Cho Won.

Shall I take it to him?

Since it came from the Tobacco Shop,

I assume it is tobacco.

Yet that scarlet silk troubles me greatly.

I shall deliver it myself, so leave it in the inner quarters.

Yes, madam.

I have long awaited your arrival.

This way, please.

This is the rear garden of our house.

Now that you have set foot in this household,

you must put aside any thought of fleeing.

There is so much I wish to ask, hear, and learn from you, sir.

Oh, my.

Over there are my sister-in-law's quarters.

As you must have seen,

she is still in mourning for my late brother.

Is that so?

Yes. This way, please.

Subtitle translation by: Yoonjung Song