Original subtitles

What are you talking about?

Someone from Ming and Sim Jong-su are looking for Haerye?

What is Haerye?

Did So-i and Deok-geum have Haerye with them?

I looked through everything, and nothing was there.

And they went to Changamgol to find Haerye?

What do you mean?

So-i is...

Haerye.

Haerye was never a book.

It has always been...

a person.

So-i.

So-i is in danger.

How many kids do you think will come?

I hope they bring all the kids from uptown and downtown villages.

Right. By the way, I'm really nervous.

It's the first time we're teaching others our alphabet.

Right.

When I was first teaching Ttolbok, I was so nervous.

Right? It's normal to feel that way.

It's normal for my heart to flutter, right?

Of course.

Watch out. You need the cloth.

Ga, gya, geo, gyeo I have nowhere to go now

I am now without a home

-Go, gyo, gu, gyu... -Go, gyo, gu, gyu...

Okay!

-What is it now? -I've been eating too well,

so my stomach isn't taking it well.

I'll go take care of it. You guys go ahead.

-Ga, gya, geo, gyeo -Ga, gya, geo, gyeo

I have nowhere to go now I am now without a home

-Go, gyo, gu, gyu... -Go, gyo, gu, gyu...

Who might you be?

Why are you snooping around someone's house?

I'm looking for young ladies that came here recently.

Young ladies?

Oh, those ladies that give out taffy.

Do you know where they live?

Well, I don't know.

Ga, gya, geo, gyeo

I have nowhere to go now I am now without a home

Go, gyo, gu, gyu My poor love worked so hard...

The Leader said that they're verbally spreading the alphabet

instead of printing it.

We were told to stop it no matter what it takes.

Shall we go sightseeing all over the country?

No, nyo, nu, nyu Let us play while we're young...

What song is that?

This one?

Some young lady taught it to us.

Would you like to learn it?

All it takes are two bowls of soup.

How did...

that lady teach it to you?

She just told us to sing it as we travel.

I can teach you for one bowl of soup.

At what places did you sing it?

We haven't been around. We're about to take off.

Where is the lady who taught you the song?

Just learn it from us!

It's the last house on the road behind the guardian tree.

Thanks.

Did you pack all the papers?

Yes. I packed about 20. Should I pack some more?

Yes, a little bit more.

Okay.

What happened?

What happened? Tell us already.

What is it?

What happened to you?

Your Majesty.

I must have ruined the mission.

I deserve to die.

What are you talking about?

I think Mok-ya has been captured,

and So-i and Deok-geum are...

in danger.

KING SEJONG, YI DO

What?

So...

The woman from Ming

used some incense,

and made me smell it.

And?

I think I lost consciousness

and...

told her everything.

It's Maehonje.

What's that?

It's what Chang Wei from Ming uses to make people confess.

When you smell it, you become delirious and answer any question.

Well...

How much did you tell them?

Haerye...

What do you mean?

They were surely looking for the Haerye.

So-i...

I think I told them where So-i is as well.

They probably went to find So-i.

So-i is in danger.

Ttolbok?

What took you so long?

Did you cause all this?

We're too late.

This place was already like this when I got here.

Please spare me.

Spare me.

What happened?

I said what happened?

Well,

I suddenly heard someone scream, so I went to see what happened,

and some man kidnapped the young ladies living in that house.

Did you see his face?

Yes, he was pale

and had no beard.

Was he...

about this tall?

Yes, he was.

He was very tall.

He snatched the ladies in a split second.

It's Yoon Pyeong.

Ga, gya, geo, gyeo

-We'll get taffy today too, right? -I have

-Yes. She said she'll give us taffy -nowhere to go now

-and teach us the alphabet today. -I am now without...

-Really? -Yes.

It's Yoon Pyeong.

He took the court ladies.

Are you talking about the assassin from the Secret Roots you fought with?

Do you also want the Haerye?

SIM JONG-SU

Why does Taepyeong Guest House want the Haerye?

Was it Lord Yi Sin-jeok's order?

Anyhow, we both want the same thing,

and none of us achieved the goal.

It seems that we have no reason to fight right now.

Sir!

Sir!

I just heard from Pyeong.

At the place where he went to find the court ladies,

Sim Jong-su appeared.

What?

Apparently, he even fought with Pyeong

to snatch the ladies away.

Sim Jong-su...

Sim Jong-su must be plotting something else.

The fact that he tried to take the court ladies from Pyeong...

What else can it mean?

JEONG GI-JUN, LEADER OF SECRET ROOTS

So, to sum up what Geun-ji has told us,

a man named Yoon Pyeong appeared at first,

then Sim Jong-su...

fought with Yoon Pyeong.

And in the meantime, a woman from Ming appeared...

and caught Geun-ji.

Yes, Your Majesty.

According to Geun-ji,

the woman from Ming was sent by Councilor Yi.

Yes. She said that she overheard her

having a conversation with her subordinate in Manchu language.

They didn't know that I speak Manchu...

We have to find out what Yi Sin-jeok wants to do with Haerye.

She said that Councilor Yi is looking for the Haerye.

They all appeared at different moments.

I believe Jeong Gi-jun, Sim Jong-su, and Yi Sin-jeok are working separately.

Yes. But...

they're all after the same thing.

They're all after the Haerye...

but they're working separately.

As you predicted, they are not on this together.

But...

my prediction isn't entirely right.

How could...

things get twisted like this?

Sir, we can't just stay put.

If Sim Jong-su made the move first, we should also do something.

If...

Sim Jong-su obtains the Haerye first,

we'll never know if he'll go to the king...

or you.

Even if he comes to you,

he won't simply hand it to you.

I need to know...

why Sim Jong-su had to do it.

Find out if anything happened at the palace.

Yes, sir.

What are you talking about?

Where the heck have you guys been? What's with all the fuss?

Listen.

So Cho-tak and I were escorting the court ladies.

And that halfling appeared out of nowhere and kidnapped them.

Exactly. Why did you guys escort those court ladies?

But apparently, the court ladies weren't kidnapped by the halfling.

They were caught and interrogated by some woman from Ming.

Ming? What are you talking about?

And then, another guy showed up,

kidnapped the ladies and interrogated them.

Gosh, by the way, is Chae-yun in danger or not?

Hey!

You pig!

How can he possibly understand you?

You must send soldiers to Changamgol right now.

-Why Changamgol of all places? -Well,

why do you ask so many questions?

Chae-yun is in danger!

-Exactly! -I was escorting the ladies and...

Dam!

Damn it.

Damn it!

Hey guys. Have you seen the ladies

who gave you taffy and taught you a song yesterday?

Oh, they told us to wait under the guardian tree today

saying they'd give us taffy again, but they never came.

No one came? No one?

Well, some man was there though.

A man? What did he look like?

His face was pale and he was very tall.

His voice sounded like that of a ghost.

If anyone can read this, I'll reward that person with a big prize.

No one can read this?

-No. -No.

I heard they'd give us taffy again today.

Who are you, mister?

That song you sing...

Don't ever sing it again.

It'll bring death.

Yoon Pyeong.

I have to see the governor. It's an emergency.

How dare you?

This is not a place a man like you can enter.

Leave!

It's a Royal Command.

Give me a horse,

and have every one of your soldiers search this vicinity.

Right now!

I will be in charge of the distribution. But the dissemination...

it has to be done by So-i.

It's a very dangerous job.

You must protect her.

And when her mission is finished,

you can leave...

with So-i.

If I end up

in a dangerous situation...

or end up dying while doing that work,

both Your Majesty...

and you, Ttolbok,

cannot waste any time...

looking for me.

No, Dam. No!

So-i, can you hear me?

Are you okay?

What happened to you?

-What about Geun-ji? -I was kidnapped by Yoon Pyeong.

I ran away in a separate direction from her,

and I don't know what happened to her.

What do you think will happen to us now?

Are we going to die before we even accomplish our mission?

I wonder what happened to Geun-ji and the Royal Guards.

What about Ttolbok?

He went to the paper shop, did you not see him?

No.

I think they had followed him since he was at the paper shop.

I didn't even get a glimpse of Kang Chae-yun.

Mok-ya hasn't made the talisman yet,

so I only collected the sample of it.

Also, So-i was teaching children a song,

but they haven't learned the alphabet yet.

Yes.

We collected all the text they were going to use

to teach the children as well.

We stopped the dissemination.

Yi Do's plan to spread

the alphabet has failed for now.

What?

Yoon Pyeong took her?

When I got there,

the man named Yoon Pyeong had already taken Dam and Deok-geum

and had already checked

if the children nearby had learned the alphabet.

He checked if the alphabet has spread.

This is all my fault.

I should not have left my post.

And as soon as I detected the sign of danger,

I should have...

run to Dam.

This is my fault.

I should have known that Jeong Gi-jun would be able to find out...

about my plan to spread the alphabet.

So the dissemination has failed,

and once again, my people are...

in danger.

Yi Do has truly amazing court ladies.

The ones who were responsible for spreading the alphabet

were not princes, princesses, or even scholars,

but humble court ladies.

Who would've known?

All right.

So,

you successfully made it out of the palace.

You must have been so hopeful

to think about spreading the alphabet far and wide in Joseon.

But now,

that hope is no more.

The alphabet...

will never be spread.

Where is

the Haerye?

I don't know why he's behaving like that.

Things are hectic, and we don't know what will happen in the next minute,

but he's only occupied with the alphabet. What should we do?

Since Sim Jong-su has made a move by himself,

something must have happened at the palace.

Oh, goodness.

Why don't you bring in customers with you these days?

It hasn't been long since the civil service examination ended.

It's off-season now.

Goodness.

Other times, you managed to bring people even right after the exam.

Did he?

Well, I'll admit that I'm quite good at it.

What's wrong with her?

-Is she sick? -Gae-pai is missing, you know.

You haven't seen him, have you?

Gae-pai?

No.

Goodness. Why do you like that idiot Gokturk guy?

Then...

shall I go and chat up some scholars at the Royal Academy?

Yes, go ahead. Talk to lots and lots of them.

Oh, goodness.

Boy.

KAREUPEYI

Kareupeyi.

Where have you been?

Back in the village, people have been saying

that you're a bad man.

Have you eaten?

Then wait here. I'll bring you some food.

ROYAL ACADEMY

What brings you here?

I was going to talk to you about it anyway.

What are you talking about?

You didn't hear?

Tell me.

The king told the Secret Roots members in the Royal Court to confess.

-What? -So,

it's been hectic at the palace.

He even revealed the identity of members of Cheonji.

Right now, they're doing whatever it takes to reverse the situation.

His Majesty has announced to proclaim the alphabet,

but I don't agree with it.

That alphabet will end up making the Chinese characters obsolete.

-We all agree. -We all agree.

Yes.

I understand.

When we first saw the alphabet, we were against it.

But...

how long did it take you to learn all the Chinese characters?

A day? Or ten days?

Do you not know how many Chinese characters there are?

How could one learn them all in ten days?

That's right. It's impossible.

But,

the alphabet His Majesty has created

can be learned in ten days at most even for the most dim-witted.

Ten days? No way.

Learning Chinese characters on your own is impossible.

However, if the meaning and sounds

of the characters are written out with this alphabet--

Chinese characters can be self-taught.

Under His Majesty's command,

we've been working on it.

Do you still think this alphabet will make Chinese characters obsolete?

What are you talking about?

Do you think I'm part of the Secret Roots as well?

I don't care whether you're in the Secret Roots or not.

Even if you were, it wouldn't change

the 20 years we've spent together at the Royal Academy

and Hall of Worthies.

We are of the same age,

but when people made fun of you for looking old for your age,

I always sided with you saying that...

I'm the young-looking one

and that you don't look old for your age.

Are you trying to win over my heart with a joke?

No way.

I know you very well.

But didn't you learn over those last two long decades...

that it's impossible to change His Majesty's mind?

You're against this right now

because you know His Majesty's temper very well.

Yes.

So...

that's all the more reason to go against it.

Look here.

He has even announced his will,

so he will make sure the alphabet is proclaimed now.

But...

I still don't agree with it...

even if I completely understand His Majesty's intention.

When we joined the Hall of Worthies,

His Majesty once said this.

He asked us to always guide him

so that he can make the right decision and to never give up.

And I will do that.

I will do what His Majesty told us to do.

The date His Majesty will proclaim the alphabet is fast approaching.

But...

HWANG HUI

...none of the Secret Roots members are coming forward.

It's very hard for me to understand what His Majesty is trying to do.

Formation of a faction for traitors?

How could we discuss politics with those traitors at the Royal Court?

The people who benefited the most from His Majesty's temper

are you and me.

If it weren't for his temper and determination,

how could His Majesty let me, who chose Prince Yangnyeong over him,

or you, who beheaded His Majesty's father-in-law,

stay at the royal court

after the late king passed away?

You have a point.

I hope the Secret Roots put their faith in His Majesty's sincerity.

Yi Do is such a clever and formidable man.

You are right.

What else would that announcement mean?

If the elders and the Secret Roots members believe in him,

the letter of Secret Roots--

Will be useless.

Yes.

There are several Secret Roots members at the Royal Court, but none of them

reported this back to us.

All of them...

are already being persuaded.

You're right. Judging from the king's actions,

there's a high chance that they'll believe that the announcement is real.

There could be men who'd change their minds.

It's like what Sim Jong-su did on his own after he changed his mind.

In the end, the group will disintegrate.

First,

we need to stop Sim Jong-su.

Even among members of the Secret Roots, very few know of this place.

We won't be in danger immediately,

but Sim Jong-su knows the location of this place.

We don't know what he'll do next.

I need to do something before he does.

Sir.

I agree with you on stopping the alphabet.

Yes, we must stop it.

But don't you think we need to save the Secret Roots first?

Right now,

protecting the Secret Roots should be

our priority, not stopping the alphabet.

I agree.

Sir.

Do you mean to abandon the Secret Roots?

I may be a clueless and lowborn woman,

but I know very well what should come first

in order to protect the Secret Roots.

Sir,

you've changed since you encountered the alphabet.

You should never forget what you were born to do.

Lord Sambong and his brothers who met violent deaths,

and his sons...

And...

Lord Jeong Do-gwang.

We can't even...

give them proper memorial services yet.

What happened?

Are there any reports from Chungcheong Provincial Office?

Not yet.

His Majesty is also very worried about So-i.

So,

he's doing his best to find the court ladies.

Just wait.

Please let me see His Majesty.

I just said he's worried about So-i.

What else do you want to say to him?

I need to see him.

I must...

see him.

If I end up

in a dangerous situation...

or end up dying while doing that work,

both Your Majesty...

and you, Ttolbok,

cannot waste any time...

looking for me.

No one's death...

should stop us...

from going our way.

HUNMINJEONGEUM

Once again,

will I lose another precious life?

Royal Guard Kang Chae-yun is here, Your Majesty.

What are you doing here?

I will make sure we find So-i.

I will make sure we find So-i...

Were you in agony again?

Don't be.

It's my fault...

that Dam is in mortal danger.

I will find her, no matter what.

I'm not sure how to go about finding her yet.

However, I can't forgive myself...

for just being at the palace and doing nothing.

So,

I'm going to go and find Dam right now.

Therefore,

please...

do what you need to do.

Please go forward,

and don't let yourself be distracted.

If Dam were here,

she would have told you the same thing.

Mom.

Mom.

Oh, you're here.

Did you go somewhere?

Yeon-du.

Is Yeon-du not here?

Yeon-du...

Yeon-du, you're here.

What's that?

Are you going to eat it with your friend?

Yes.

By the way,

why did you want to see her?

Well...

Gae-pai.

I was wondering if she heard anything from Gae-pai.

They chased everyone out for being part of the Secret Roots or whatever.

Why would he come?

If he comes, he'd be caught and go to jail anyway.

Of course.

If we had known those people were such heinous criminals,

we would've reported them.

Gae-pai is not heinous.

What are you saying? Shut up!

Right.

Gae-pai is not that kind of person.

But...

I need to meet with Gae-pai.

By any chance,

do you know where Gae-pai is?

Are you going to arrest him?

No. I just want to talk to him.

Yeon-du,

you know Lady So-i, right?

Lady So-i has been...

kidnapped.

So, I really need to...

find her.

Lady So-i and I have been...

dear friends since childhood.

My family and her family...

Yes, they...

They're all in heaven now.

So Lady So-i and I are the only ones left.

I really need to find Lady So-i, Yeon-du.

I think...

she is probably where Gae-pai is.

Do you really not know where Gae-pai is?

If you know where he is, tell him!

So he can catch them all and send them to jail.

Hey!

Yeon-du is talking right now.

So, what were you going to say?

I was just...

going to say that if I hear from Gae-pai,

I'll tell you.

Okay.

Please do so.

Okay.

Kareupeyi.

From behind...

Yeon-du is...

in danger.

She's in danger.

KAREUPEYI

Dam.

YI SIN-JEOK

Tonight,

set up a meeting with Yi Sin-jeok.

With Yi Sin-jeok?

There's a good chance that...

Yi Sin-jeok is being spied on as well.

Make sure it's discreet, and also,

make sure he doesn't secretly...

contact anyone.

Be extremely cautious...

in setting up this meeting.

Yes, Your Majesty.

So,

what happened to the court ladies who were interrogated at the Bureau?

I did hear about it,

but they were not making much sense.

Just tell us exactly what you heard.

Yes. I must know how things went wrong in the Bureau.

So the court ladies were being escorted by the Royal Guards, Cho-tak and Bak-po,

and suddenly the halfling appeared and attacked them.

Who is the halfling?

That guy named Yoon Pyeong or something.

That's right. Then what happened?

The ladies were captured, and then a woman from Ming appeared out of nowhere,

then another man appeared and...

So anyway, they said we must send soldiers to Changamgol.

What other man are you talking about?

Well, I couldn't really hear what he said because Cho-tak kept yelling...

That other man...

Wouldn't he be Sim Jong-su?

Sir.

There's not much time left until the deadline His Majesty announced.

But if something as big as that has happened,

we need to consider the case in which His Majesty and the Leader both know.

Sir, you said that it'd be the end...

if either the Leader or His Majesty catches you.

Sir.

What is it?

Gyeon Jeok-hui's subordinate has sent this.

All right. Be on your way.

Yes, sir.

What does it say? What happened?

Apparently, the Leader probably knows what we're up to.

Pardon?

This is the biggest crisis of my life.

One must live for 70 years.

Who cares about the great cause?

Why did I join the Secret Roots as a young man

and put myself in trouble at this stage of my life?

Sir.

You were right about everything.

-Pardon? -The chancellor system

was created for the betterment...

of Joseon by Lord Sambong.

Rather than letting one king rule the country,

it would be better for the people

if a group of wise scholar-officials looked over the country.

So, it's right for us...

to stick to that cause.

It was a feud that started between Lord Sambong and Yi Bang-won,

but as long as Joseon exists,

the king and his subjects will continue to fight over it.

Yes, sir.

You've made the right choice.

But...

the alphabet.

This is a mental fight between...

Yi Do and me.

I will never...

let Yi Do play with fire when the history of this country...

is at stake.

As someone who runs the country, how dare he

tries to experiment with the people, knowing that there is no way that he could

take responsibility for the consequences?

He's nothing

but a king whose reign won't even last 50 years!

But, Leader!

Don't worry.

I know you are right.

I have a plan.

We're just a bit late.

What...

What do you mean?

What do you mean? They don't have the Haerye?

The lady who was under the influence of Maehonje said there's no Haerye.

-It doesn't exist? -No.

She said it never existed.

That's not possible.

She told me that the Haerye is in Changamgol.

I doubt it.

Changamgol was just an answer she gave me when I asked her where So-i is.

Then...

she gave different answers to the same question?

But,

she could not have possibly lied.

You can't lie when you're on Maehonje.

Then...

how on earth...

There's no Haerye.

The Haerye is in Changamgol.

In Changamgol, there's So-i.

Does So-i have the Haerye?

No.

She said the Haerye never existed.

Could it be...

I wish I had an ability like hers.

Pardon? What ability?

Apparently, she can memorize everything she sees.

The ability to memorize everything?

Could it be...

that So-i is the Haerye?

Sir.

Lord Seong Seung is here to see you.

What brings him here?

Bring him in.

You're Seong Sam-mun.

-Is your father with you? -No, sir.

I used my father's name and his palanquin to bring you urgent news.

What do you mean by his name and his palanquin?

Please get on my father's palanquin.

His Majesty wishes to see you.

His Majesty?

Yes. Confidentially.

Where are you going?

I'm going to the mountain

where Yeon-du was and look for traces.

Chae-yun.

What if you leave like this and something happens to you?

Then what do you want me to do? Just wait here? How could I?

I don't even know what could be happening to Dam right now.

Cho-tak.

My heart is about to explode, Cho-tak!

Get a hold of yourself.

Are you going to...

get Dam killed?

That's right.

You should be on the lookout

for Yeon-du at the tavern with Bak-po.

I'll try to look for something.

-I have to get in. -How dare you, you bum!

How dare you throw a tantrum here?

If I'm a beggar, am I not even allowed to report something?

Someone killed all of my family and friends!

Hey!

They killed them all!

All right, where did it happen?

It was Changamgol. I saw him. Let's go.

Okay, I'll tell the authority later. Just be on your way already.

I'm dying!

I'm dying because the world is so unfair!

Ga, gya, geo, gyeo

I have nowhere to go now I am now without my beggars

Na, nya, neo, nyeo Let's ride on donkeys

Shall we go sightseeing all over the country?

-What happened? -Are you kidding me?

They're all dead because of you people!

I'll make you pay for this!

I'll do the same thing to you too!

Get a hold of yourself and tell me...

what you saw and what you know. Everything.

Please.

Please tell me.

Your Majesty,

Third State Councilor, Yi Sin-jeok, is here to see you.

Oh, hello, Councilor Yi.

Here, have a sit.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Why did you summon me at this hour

at a place like this and not the palace?

How do you think I'm doing

as a king?

Pardon?

Well, it's clear.

Of course, we're enjoying peace

that's never been seen before on this land.

These times are truly peaceful.

It is all thanks to your grace.

Every citizen is aware of that.

I didn't do it alone.

It's because I have the group of faithful and wise ministers

who work tirelessly with me.

You have also worked very hard all this time.

Your Majesty, I am truly honored

to hear you say that.

Are you part of the Secret Roots?

I am sorry, but I couldn't catch Geun-ji.

I think Kang Chae-yun took her.

It's possible that my identity as...

a Secret Roots member will be revealed.

Then I shall...

see the end of it tonight.

You're here.

I'm here to see the Leader.

Contact him.

I asked you if you're part of the Secret Roots.

Your Majesty.

I'm not sure what you mean.

How could I be...

I'm just joking.

Why are you so taken aback?

Your Majesty.

You scared me.

Councilor Yi.

If...

If...

you were a member of the Secret Roots,

why did you say no to the negotiation deal to make the chancellor system realized?

It was just a joke.

Why are you making such a serious face?

Am I wrong?

The greatest cause of the Secret Roots is to realize the chancellor system.

Why did you reject it?

Oh.

It's only on the assumption that you're part of the Secret Roots.

Since you're suggesting

that we play this game,

I'll...

just pretend I'm part of the Secret Roots...

and attempt to give you my answer.

That sounds fun.

Go ahead.

Like you've said,

the Secret Roots

was founded in secret by Lord Sambong,

and our goal is to realize the chancellor system.

But,

why did I purposely let go of...

the chance to make it happen, all of a sudden?

That's probably because

there was someone within the group who disagrees with the rest of us.

So,

I really don't like the idea of that.

What could possibly be...

more important than the chancellor system?

I am dying to know what it is.

There's an internal conflict...

in the Secret Roots?

I didn't know that you'd be so good at this.

That sounds very plausible.

I'm glad that you like my theory.

Councilor Yi. While we're at it, let me ask you another question.

I gave members of the Secret Roots

the chance to come clean, confess, and have discussions with me...

Then why would you not...

admit that you're part of Secret Roots?

I'm not sure.

I think it's a matter of trust.

How much...

could I trust you?

During the Rebellion of 1398,

Lord Sambong met a violent death.

And it's been decades

since he's been called a traitor.

It would be hard for me to just forget about that...

overnight...

and say...

that I'm in the Secret Roots.

I would be apprehensive.

At the Royal Lecture, I announced...

that Gwangpyeong was not killed by the Secret Roots

and that I approve of Secret Roots as an official political faction.

I can't do any more than that to earn your trust.

Yes, Your Majesty.

You did your best.

However, you wouldn't...

be able to eradicate the apprehension that's deeply rooted in one's mind.

If I can't eradicate the inherent distrust

and can't win you over any more than I already have,

why don't you learn to create that trust on your own?

On our own?

Your Majesty,

I am too dull-witted

to understand

what you're trying to say.

How foolish.

Councilor Yi.

Let's stop it here.

You sound

so sincere that I might actually believe

you're part of the Secret Roots.

Is that so?

Here, have a drink.

Hand over the sword, please.

Please, go in.

What a lot of nerve for you to show up here.

How dare you...

betray the Secret Roots?

The one who betrayed the Secret Roots...

is you.

What?

I didn't pledge my loyalty to this group, power, or you.

It was the chancellor system, the great cause.

I've only just realized it.

So?

If a tyrant is the worst, a great king is just the lesser of the two evils.

No matter how wise and peaceful the king is, he can never replace a system.

The burden shouldn't just be on the king's shoulders. It should be on the system's.

The reason why scholar-officials should have the power

and the reason why the system is needed

is all because the people deserve to be looked after with proper care.

Don't turn your head away from me.

It's what you first told me when I became part of this group.

From that day,

I bet my identity, my life, and the fate of my family...

on you.

You were Zhu Xi and Confucius to me.

But...

how could you overlook the great cause--

I told you repeatedly how dangerous the creation of this alphabet is.

Do you...

really not know of its danger?

And then?

What will you do next?

You're willing to die to stop the alphabet.

And then?

What about the chancellor system? Where do the people go next?

What do you want from me?

I know where the Haerye is.

You probably can't see anything else right now besides the alphabet.

So take that Haerye and stop the alphabet.

And then...

It was such a joyful conversation, Your Majesty.

I also had fun talking with you, Councilor Yi.

However,

it's very late.

You should probably rest.

Yes, I should.

You can go ahead and leave first.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Hand over Jeong Gi-jun.

Wouldn't that...

be enough for you to build your trust?

Then as the head of the official faction, Secret Roots,

you could...

pursue the realization of the chancellor system at the Royal Court.

So take that Haerye and stop the alphabet.

And then,

I will...

lead Secret Roots

to carry on Lord Sambong's will.

Subtitle translation by Jin-young Song