Original subtitles

Father.

Father?

Who is it?

Who did this to you?

Father.

Father!

Who is it? Who did this to you?

Which bastard did this? Who is it?

It was you.

If it weren't for you...

He let them take his life

so that you wouldn't be harmed.

Say something, Father.

Who is it? Who did this to you?

You are responsible for his death.

Father. It's me, Ttolbok from Hanjitgol village.

So, please tell me.

Tell me who did this to you!

Father!

Yes, tell us! Which bastards did this?

Who did this to an innocent guy like you?

Who do you think? It was the masters.

To them, our lives aren't worth shit.

Those bastards...

They shouldn't have done this to him!

This is absurd!

Father!

Tell me.

-Oh, no. Seok-sam... -Father!

QUEEN SOHEON

I need to go to the Royal Investigation Bureau.

I need to at least see Mother.

YI DO, LATER KING SEJONG

Your Majesty, where are you going?

Let me escort you.

MU-HYUL

I'm going to the Royal Investigation Bureau.

Please don't.

If your father finds out...

Am I truly...

not allowed to do anything?

But...

But I am supposed...

to be...

the king.

People are dying.

Shouldn't they tell us why at least?

That's what I'm saying!

Damn it.

Why are they treating us like animals?

Hey!

Why are you slaves being so loud?

So, you think the slaves aren't even humans?

We're also the subjects of this country!

Are you out of your mind?

A man has just died.

Uncle Seok-sam is dead.

What? He's dead?

Damn it.

Clear him out!

-Let go of me. -You little...

-Move! -Let go!

Let go!

Hurry up and let go!

You bastards!

Dam, let's go.

-Ttolbok, you'll die if you stay here. -What about my father?

He would want you to run for your life as well.

Isn't that right, Seok-sam?

See? You'd better think straight.

He wants you to run away. Let's get out of here, Ttolbok.

Hurry up.

Ttolbok, let's go.

Go! Hurry!

Hurry!

It's a jailbreak!

Ttolbok, quickly!

Father, hurry up and climb!

All right, hold on.

Father.

Sir!

Hurry up! Run!

-Father! -Sir!

-Father! -Sir!

Ttolbok. Please take good care of my daughter.

Father!

Father!

Sir!

Father!

Father!

Sir!

Come here!

Ttolbok!

Hurry up and run!

Ttolbok!

Hurry up!

Ttolbok!

Sir!

Ttolbok. Please take good care of my daughter.

Sir.

Sir.

Sir!

Dam!

Your Majesty.

How come even you are here?

Who is it?

Stand down.

This is Her Highness the queen.

What on earth has happened here?

It's a jailbreak, Your Highness.

What are you waiting for?

You'd better go get them!

-Yes, ma'am. Let's go! -Yes, ma'am.

-Stop them. -Stop them.

Your Majesty, it seems there has been a jailbreak.

You should return.

Your Majesty, you must not do anything that would upset your father.

You should return.

Please save him.

Please...

save my father.

Is there truly...

nothing you can do, Your Majesty?

No one should have more power than me.

You must not do anything.

You can't do anything.

Your Majesty.

-Save him. -Pardon?

I said

save that child immediately!

Make haste!

Yes, Your Majesty.

Where are you running off to?

Let's go!

Who are you?

Let go of me. Tell me who you are.

You should get out of here quickly.

Your Majesty. Please return to the palace now.

He'll be all right, Your Majesty.

-So-- -What are you doing here?

KING TAEJONG, YI BANG-WON

JO MAL-SAENG

He's just a young boy.

He's a slave of the traitor.

He's still young

and he doesn't know what he's doing.

He's a slave of the traitor.

He's a criminal that went against the law to break out of the jail.

He's too young.

He's just an innocent child--

He's a slave of the traitor.

He escaped from jail, which is against the law.

He's a criminal who also attacked soldiers.

Bring the child and kill him.

Being a slave of the traitor is enough to be killed.

And he escaped from jail and attacked my soldiers.

I want him beheaded right now.

-Hurry up! -Yes, Your Majesty.

Do not move...

one single step.

What did you say?

Bring him here and behead him.

This is a royal command.

You're not the King.

The former King is not the King.

I am.

I am the King of Joseon!

Yi Do, are you out of your mind?

The night my uncles died.

I was 11 years old...

when my mother cried for my dying uncles.

I started solving magic squares that night.

And I solved a 3 by 3 magic square.

Every time...

you killed someone,

I went back to my room and solved magic squares.

That is why I was solving a 33 by 33 magic square yesterday.

It was I...

You always run from it all.

No, I was trying to understand you!

I was trying to understand you.

Min Mu-jil,

Min Mu-gu,

Min Mu-hyul, Min Mu-hoe...

I tried to understand why you had to kill my uncles.

Yi Bang-seok and Yi Bang-beon.

The reason why my young uncles had to die at such a young age...

The colleagues you built the dream with.

Sim Hyo-saeng, Yi Geun,

Jang Ji-hwa,

Jeong Do-jon,

and his son, Jeong Yu,

Jeong Yeong, and Jeong Dam.

Do-jon's brother and their father,

Jeong Do-jeon.

How dare you say those traitors' names?

Yes, Sambong! I'm talking about Jeong Do-jeon.

I thought you didn't share the same ideas with Jeong Do-jeon, who founded Joseon.

So I thought you killed him because your dream was different from his.

However, that wasn't true.

The only reason you killed him

was simply

that you needed to consolidate power.

And...

then...

you preserved

his ideology of Joseon.

He didn't do anything.

I killed Jeong Mong-ju

and was taken to Ming dynasty as a hostage instead of him.

And I killed the Goryeo's king and crowned my father as the king.

They weren't able to kill Jeong Mong-ju

because the cause was more important than anything to them.

They didn't want to get their hands dirty.

I founded this country.

It's mine that I have established by getting my hands dirty.

I'm the only one who deserves all this power.

This is my Joseon. This is the will of me, Yi Bang-won.

My will is the will of Joseon--

My Joseon is different.

It shall be different.

How different?

How will you make it different from mine?

Speak your mind.

You said "your Joseon..."

What is your Joseon like?

Answer my question and tell me your plan.

You're pathetic!

What are you waiting for?

Bring his head.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Then kill me, too.

I tried to help that rebellious slave boy of the traitor

and challenged your authority

by mentioning Sambong's name.

So, kill me.

If you ought to kill him,

just as you have killed my uncles and your colleagues,

you should kill me here right now.

How dare you make a bluff in front of me?

Do you really think I can't kill you?

If that's what you want, I'll grant your wish.

Mu-hyul!

If someone kills me, you must kill the murderer immediately.

Do you understand?

Even if he's my father,

Mu-hyul,

you must formally and without bias

carry out your duty.

This is the final order of Yi Do,

the king who was not able to do anything.

Don't make any mistakes.

Do you remember what you told me when you gave Mu-hyul to me?

You said

he can

easily confront 100 warriors alone.

"The best swordsman in Joseon."

That's what you called him.

Warrior Mu-Hyul!

I shall execute your order flawlessly.

Are you sure you can handle this?

Your Majesty!

Why is this locked?

Your son is too young and lacks wisdom--

However, that was a clever way of convincing.

Pardon?

Zhu Xi, Confucius nor any grandiloquent speech

wouldn't have been able to convince me.

Only the one with power can.

I wonder if he understood that.

Yes, Your Majesty. I also thought he was only a weak boy.

As soon as the day breaks,

have all of the royal forces including the Royal and Palace Guards

gather in the palace yard, all heavily armed.

Your Majesty!

This is an order!

Who did it?

Tell me who's behind it.

I'm Ttolbok from Hanjitgol village!

Who is it? Tell me who's behind this!

All my father was asked to do was deliver a letter to our master.

That court lady came

and told my father it contained secret orders for delivery.

She said that letter would save all of our lives.

But then this happened!

Who was in charge of this?

Why? Who did this?

Which bastard did this?

You scoundrel...

Only one person would be able to order this.

Tell me who it was.

You really don't know?

It was a royal command.

A royal command!

"A royal command"? You mean it was from the King?

You mean it was the goddamn king who had my father deliver that letter?

I will kill him.

That little...

You little brat.

How will you do such a thing?

Do you think the King is invincible?

I will kill him.

I'll avenge my father's death.

His Majesty did it

for the greater good.

You don't know anything.

The greater good? Tell him to stop this nonsense.

The greater good?

What greater good allows him to kill my father?

My father was a dunce.

But

despite that, he died for me.

Even a dunce knows he should protect his son.

Isn't the King supposed to protect his subjects?

So tell him to cut his bullshit with his cause.

Tell him to cut the bullshit!

Father.

Father!

Tell him to cut the bullshit.

Cut the bullshit!

Your Majesty, you must take cover.

We must kill him.

I know what you have in mind.

However, we don't know

what your father will do tomorrow morning.

So?

Leaving his unforgivable behavior aside,

he's the son of the slave that delivered the letter to Sim On.

It's quite possible he will create a disaster, so we must kill--

He's a subject.

Pardon?

He's the very first...

of my subjects...

I have saved.

He's right.

A king is supposed to protect

and save his subjects.

How can I claim to be their king otherwise?

They all died

because of me.

-Your Majesty! -However

I saved that one child's life.

Therefore,

I was his king for a short moment.

He's the first of my subjects I saved.

Also, the last.

Pardon?

I don't have the answer.

I said my Joseon differs from that of my father.

That just sounds grand.

However, I wasn't able to answer my father's question.

I have no answer

nor method

to tell him.

What do you mean?

Your Majesty!

That child.

He may be the only subject whose life I can save.

Therefore, I must save him.

Tell him to cut the bullshit!

Bullshit?

Bullshit.

I'm afraid that's the perfect word for this situation.

Okay. Let's stop talking

bullshit.

-You don't have to do that. -Damn it.

I don't know why you're here, but no one here will care.

Where am I?

This is Banchon.

Banchon?

Am I really in Banchon?

That's right.

Banchon, where the slaves of the Royal Academy live

and where the shrine of Lord Munseong is.

INTRODUCED NEO-CONFUCIANISM TO GORYEO

No one is allowed to come here without the royal command, so relax.

-Good morning! -Good morning!

Hello, have you eaten yet?

Yes, we did.

Who is he?

A newcomer. Take good care of him.

-Yes, ma'am. -Yes, ma'am.

It's the first day for the freshmen scholars today.

Let's hurry up or we'll be late.

-Yes, ma'am. -Yes, ma'am.

You may go back to your room and rest.

-Let's go. -Yes, ma'am.

ROYAL ACADEMY

Mountains

-Mountains -Mountains

Twelve-geun hammer will stay in the air

-Twelve-geun hammer will stay in the air -Twelve-geun hammer will stay in the air

Twelve-geun chisel will go to The dragon kingdom

Twelve-geun chisel will go to The dragon kingdom

Hammer and hit it

-Hammer and hit it -Hammer and hit it

-It's so good -It's so good

Bracken

-Bracken -Bracken

Am I here to see you?

-Am I here to see you? -Am I here to see you?

I came here to look for my darling

-I came here to look for my darling -I came here to look for my darling

Look

-Look -Look

-It's so good -It's so good

Mountains

-Mountains -Mountains

Twelve-geun hammer will stay in the air

Twelve-geun hammer will stay in the air

Twelve-geun chisel will go to The dragon kingdom

Twelve-geun chisel will go to The dragon kingdom

Hammer and hit it

-Hammer and hit it -Hammer and hit it

-It's so good -It's so good

Bracken

-Bracken -Bracken

Am I here to see you?

-Am I here to see you? -Am I here to see you?

-It's so good -It's so good

We're breaking it open!

Hey, let me take a hot steam bath.

My back has been hurting really bad. It's killing me.

-Let's go in. -All right.

Have you never seen people make hardwood charcoal before?

Here, we make the utensils and food for the Royal Academy.

We also make our own hardwood charcoal.

Follow me. You might as well get your wounds treated.

Come along.

According to the royal command, we feed meat to the Royal Academy students.

This is the only place in the capital where we can slaughter cows.

MEDICINE

Welcome.

This is the clinic. Let's go in.

Tell me why I am here and who brought me here first.

I was going to tell you about it tonight.

Dr. Jang. Are you in there?

Greetings.

Mountains

-Mountains -Mountains

Twelve-geun hammer will stay in the air

Twelve-geun hammer will stay in the air

Twelve-geun chisel will go to the dragon kingdom

Twelve-geun chisel will go to the dragon kingdom

Hammer and hit it

Hammer and hit it...

Whenever I see wood, I cannot help but plane

Whenever I see me lover, I cannot stop glazing at her

-Oh, it's a blessing -Oh, it's a blessing

-Oh, it's a blessing... -Oh, it's a blessing...

That idiot.

How can he leave his last will

to a son

who doesn't know how to read?

What do you mean?

What do you mean no one is there?

I said what do you mean?

All of the royal forces including the Royal and Palace Guards

are gathering in the palace yard, all heavily armed.

Even all the eunuchs have gathered at your father's residence.

Are you sure you can handle this?

I'm paying...

for last night.

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty,

all of the royal forces including the Royal and Palace Guards

are fully armed and gathered.

Okay, I see.

However,

His Majesty has taken the royal seal from the depository.

The royal seal?

Yes, Your Majesty.

He also ordered to bring Omepe, Sangape, and the royal sword.

OMEPE: TOKEN TO SUMMON GENERALS AND VASSALS

Pathetic.

Pardon?

Never mind.

Are you there, chief eunuch?

What? What did you say?

Are you sure His Majesty did that?

Yes, it seems that he acquired the royal seal,

the royal sword, Omepe, and Sangape.

And according to his father's orders,

all royal forces have gathered in the palace yard.

Goodness.

How could this happen?

Here is the food box you requested.

Take this to my son.

Do you want me to fill it with food?

No.

Simply

take the empty food box to him.

Your Majesty.

You can't do anything.

That's it. You were right.

Jeong Gi-jun,

how did you

already know it back then?

I cannot do anything.

The Queen shall now enter.

Are you here, my queen?

I have some questions for you.

Go ahead.

Did you

have something to do with the jailbreak incident last night?

I cannot say I wasn't involved.

Were you there?

Yes.

Did you

meet your father last night?

Yes.

So

did you have your royal seal

and other items brought to you?

Yes, I did.

Then

are you going to do

what I fear you're going to do?

Yes.

I intend to...

step down from the throne.

Why?

What about your Joseon?

I have neither the answer nor the method.

Perhaps...

I just hated my father.

Is your title

too valuable to give up?

Your Majesty.

Your secretary is here.

What is going on?

YI SIN-JEOK

Your Majesty.

I asked you what this is about.

Your father sent you this

through his eunuch.

It's from his father?

What is it?

This is...

This is...

You shouldn't do this, Your Majesty.

How can you send him an empty food box?

Is that not akin to an order to commit suicide?

Since he's smart, he'll understand.

Your Majesty.

That's the story of Cao Cao sending an empty food box to Xun Yu,

upon which Xun Yu killed himself.

Your Majesty, please don't do this.

If he interprets this the way you just said,

there will be nothing I can do.

Isn't this...

An empty food box.

An order to not eat.

Your Majesty!

This can't be possible.

Do I have to pay this much

for what happened last night?

How can your father do this to you?

What did you do so wrong

for him to do such a thing?

Xun Yu killed himself

even without any faults.

So you can't say this doesn't fit the situation.

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

Why did he ask me to come to a Confucius shrine?

It's not offering day today.

If someone sees me here...

Why did you ask me to come here tonight?

Go to the forge in Bukchon. You'll meet a man named Yi Yeon-du.

-Give this to him. -Yes, sir.

-Let's go. -Okay.

LEADER

Let go!

Untie me!

Do you want to die?

Untie me!

Didn't you hear me? I told you to untie me!

Untie me!

Untie me! Can't you hear me?

We're talking about two things tonight.

-Yes, we will execute your order. -Yes, we will execute your order.

Gae-chul and Meong-bu!

It has been 20 years since Joseon was founded.

Our village has survived

despite all the bloody hardships.

Don't you remember how we survived?

Please don't kill us. Please spare my life.

I'm innocent. I didn't do anything.

That night.

The night when King Taejong killed Sambong...

SAMBONG: JEONG DO-JEON

...two of our members were involved in the incident.

One of them informed King Taejong

that Sambong was at the cottage of Nam Eun.

While the other

reported to Sambong that the former King mobilized the army.

Tell me what happened.

-But-- -Be quiet!

She's asking you a question!

Our village

was almost exterminated because of that incident.

That night, we killed those two slaves with our own hands

and offered their bodies to survive.

Since then,

under no circumstances

agrees to see,

hear, or remember

anything about politics.

But how dare you

concoct a scheme involving Sambong's book?

Don't you see that Lord Sambong was killed even though he was innocent?

Silence!

In Banchon, we do not judge right and wrong.

BULSSIJAPBYEON

Gae-chul and Meong-bu.

Kill yourselves.

Move. Stay away!

You little...

Moving on to the second agenda.

Let go! Let go of me.

You must be terrified with what you have just seen.

However, fear not.

I'm not afraid at all.

This is Banchon.

We unite with the people who can be trusted.

We'll protect you as long as you respect our rules.

I don't want to stay with people I don't trust either.

Who are you?

Tell me why you've come all the way here.

Didn't I tell you earlier today?

Tell me first who brought me here and what he said about me.

You scoundrel. How dare you!

Did you kick me?

Out with the truth immediately!

I'm also notorious in my area.

If you knew my name, you'd be surprised. And you will regret all this.

What a wild rapscallion!

You tell me first who brought me here.

You can't ask me any questions.

Then don't ask me any questions either!

You scoundrel. Do you really want to die?

That's right. Kill me.

Let me give you some advice.

You should kill me when you can.

I'm feeling so shitty right now.

I'll destroy this village if I make it out of here alive.

So kill me.

Do you think I won't if you say not to?

Tell us what your name is and why you're here.

I won't ask you twice.

I won't ask you twice either.

Who brought me here?

Do you really want to die?

Tell me what your name is.

I thought you said you weren't going to ask me twice?

You little brat!

If you can't kill me after this, you're a dunce.

Kill me.

Kill me.

Kill me!

He's not your average boy.

Break him and make him one of your men.

I'll do whatever you ask me to do.

But why don't you tell me a little bit about him?

Do not concern yourself with such trifles.

I'm sorry.

I'll get going then.

If

you can't break him,

you should kill him

without hesitation.

Lock him up for now.

JANGSEOGAK

Northward!

Move forward.

Your Majesty, it's Mu-hyul.

Allow me to enter.

Your Majesty,

I request a favor.

Please beg for your father's pardon.

Apologize to him

and beg for his pardon.

Then

will I live?

I have only lived my life as a warrior.

I don't know anything about politics. However...

However?

If this is also a battlefield,

it's the time to withdraw and avoid attacks.

Withdraw

and wait for the moment to counter.

Then with what will I be able to counterattack him with?

I don't have any answers.

All I have

is that useless magic square...

ONE

Don't you think this empty food box

looks like that magic square?

Your Majesty.

That's right.

Why didn't I see it earlier?

That's right. Is someone out there?

What is going on?

ONE

There you are.

The sum of each row, column, and diagonal adds up to one.

If you think of it this way,

you can easily solve that 33 by 33 magic square.

SIX

FOUR

Arrange a 33 by 33 magic square using this rule!

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

Hold this tightly.

Calculate it.

FIFTY-SEVEN, SEVENTEEN

How is it?

Your Majesty.

Calculations show that each row, column, and diagonal line

adds up equally to 17,985.

I'm the only one who deserves all this power.

This is my Joseon. This is the will of me, Yi Bang-won.

My will is the will of Joseon.

The greater good? Tell him to cut the bullshit.

Bullshit?

Okay, that's it. I've got it.

Your Majesty, what are you doing?

The magic squares are not important right now.

Your father is--

I found the meaning to the food box, as well as my answer for Joseon.

Pardon?

Get rid of all of these squares. The game is over.

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

Mu-hyul, bring me my royal seal, royal sword, Omepe, and Sangape.

What are you planning to do?

I don't have much time. Hurry!

Aim!

Load!

Shoot!

Bull's-eye!

Aim!

Load!

Aim!

What are you doing?

Keep going!

However...

Aim!

Shoot!

Subtitle translation by Sian Choi