Original subtitles

A man shouldn't have done this.

I'm mortified.

I just heard that

the prince needed the banquet to be a success.

My Lord, could you look the other way just this once?

Are you saying you took such a risk

just to help the crown prince?

What other reason could there be?

I am a man of the Crown Prince's palace.

Then

what is the reason for becoming a eunuch

when you're a lady?

Your Highness.

-Your Highness. -Did you ask around?

I met every dancer at the Office of Music,

but I couldn't find her.

No one knew who that lady was either.

She knew the order of the banquet

right down to the part only Ae-sim knows.

-Sorry? -The solo dance

wasn't like one from any other banquet...

Record everything regarding the preparation.

Yes, Your Highness.

You’re saying you memorized everything?

Yes. When it comes to dancing,

I’m a genius.

Where's Eunuch Hong?

I left my post vacant for too long.

You can't go anywhere like that.

Please wait here for a while.

I can't find Eunuch Hong.

-You can't? -No, sir.

Your Highness.

Are you looking for Eunuch Hong Sam-nom?

Have you seen him?

Yes.

He thought you'd return to your quarters, so he hurried back.

You're back.

Since when were you here?

I couldn't find you after the banquet,

so I hurried back here.

What have you been doing?

You ordered me to organize the sheet music

for the new musical scores.

What you're thinking is preposterous.

Is there something else you need me to do?

No.

Carry on.

Yes, Your Highness.

-You must hurry. -What?

The prince was looking for you, so I told him you went to his palace.

Please hurry.

Do that again.

Sorry?

No, not that. Sneeze again.

Like this?

That isn't it!

I don't want to be startled, so hold your sneezes.

My apologies, Your Highness.

I'll try not to...

Again?

What can I do?

I can't stop myself from sneezing.

Anyway, Your Highness,

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, right?

Why do you ask?

I was wondering if

I could step outside the palace.

You want to be go to the Lantern Festival.

How did you know that?

Come closer.

Your Highness!

You're too sick to be at a festival.

This common cold will never wear me down,

so don't you worry.

Worry? As if!

You will not leave Jahyeondang today.

If I catch your cold, you'll be severely punished!

Understood?

Did my proposal alarm you?

I meant nothing else.

I just heard you brew the most

delicious tea.

Who told you that?

I don't know.

It's heavy in scent and flavor. Very nice.

I'm glad you like it, Your Highness.

You told me before that

even though you wrote the letter,

his feelings for me were genuine.

Yes.

I may have rephrased it a bit,

but I swear I never wrote anything false.

I only conveyed Master Jeong's feelings

for you.

What does he look like?

He has manly features.

-What about his voice? -Your Highness.

Didn't you order Eunuch Hong

to stay in Jahyeondang all day?

-I did. -But...

Over there, sir.

Unbelievable.

Eunuch Hong, you don't look so good.

We should head back.

My apologies, Your Highness.

That reminds me.

I heard you also had a cold that day.

That day? When?

The day Master Jeong wrote his first love letter to you.

He loved how you played on the swings

even while coughing.

The swings? A cold?

Is that

what Master Jeong said?

Your Highness...

Are you all right?

I asked you a question!

Your Highness. It's dangerous! Please sit down, Your Highness!

-Oh my! -Oh no!

Your Highness!

Eunuch Hong! Eunuch Hong, are you all right?

Eunuch Hong!

Eunuch Hong! Eunuch...

Eunuch Hong!

Your... Your Highness!

Your Highness!

-Your Highness! -Your Highness!

Your Highness!

-Help His Highness! -Yes, Master.

Oh no...

-Your Highness... -Your Highness.

You! Get up right now!

You should be assisting His Highness. What do you think you're doing?

I apologize.

I jumped in at my own will. Don't scold him.

Your Highness, what are you doing?

Do you think a eunuch that put you in danger will get out of this alive?

I'm fine. Put that away.

Yes, Your Highness.

Apologize to His Highness immediately!

I have committed a mortal sin, Your Highness.

You may get up.

The ground is cold.

I'll give you a severe punishment. Follow me.

My Lord, Premiere Kim is waiting.

Go ahead without me. I'll be right there.

Look here! I'm over here!

Where are you going? I'm over here!

Why isn't anyone looking at me?

JAHYEONDANG

Sir.

Why are you so surprised to see me?

I'm a little sad.

You approached me without a sound.

Are you all right?

Oh, yes. I'm fine.

Thank you, sir.

Eunuch Hong...

you think I figured out your secret, don't you?

Can't you just think of it...

as sharing your secret with me?

"How dependable."

Can't you just think of it that way?

Don't worry because of me.

Don't avoid me either.

I should get going.

Jahyeondang?

Eunuch Jang.

About the woman who danced at the festival...

Did you find her?

Don't even bring that up.

His Highness ordered me to search the entire palace for her

so I searched the entire place a million times

but I couldn't find her.

Hey, don't even bring that up.

Just thinking about how much trouble I went through...

it makes me lose my appetite.

Completely.

HONG SAM-NOM

There's no way he avoided this.

Your Majesty.

This is the tribute list from the envoys.

They'd like 30,000 nyang of silver from the royal palace,

200 geun of ginseng,

150 sheets of leopard skin,

50 brushes made of weasel-tail hair...

Why are they demanding more than they did last time?

This list is significantly longer than the one they sent a month ago.

That's because the matters related to appointing you as regent

are in the hands of the Qing envoys.

They are asking for more and more.

They are being greedy.

If the side that wields the sword demands that much,

there's not much we can do.

Who put that sword in their hands...

in the first place?

If you want to take a shortcut,

you should be ready for a difficult and lonely journey.

We can't expect to receive without giving something in exchange.

Your Majesty.

What should we do?

I don't want to ruin their mood by trying to haggle.

Crown Prince, let's turn a blind eye this time

and pretend we don't know anything.

If we turn a blind eye this time...

they'll try to take our eyes out next time.

I apologize...

but I can't do that, Your Majesty.

Mom...

Make a wish! Make a wish!

That's nice!

That way!

Ra-on, should we play hide and seek?

I'll count to ten

so go hide down there, okay?

You can hide really well so no one can see you, right?

If you don't find me in 100 seconds, I win.

No, not this time.

You can't come out until I find you.

Ra-on.

You can't tell anyone who you are, okay?

You can't get caught no matter what happens, okay?

I'm going to start counting, okay? One.

Go on. Two.

Please, Ra-on. Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Seven.

She's over here! Catch her!

Mom.

Mom...

Mom...

Mom.

Mom. Mom...

What a baby.

You were talking in your sleep.

Chief Kim...

I was dreaming of the night I parted with my mother.

It was a sad dream.

No, it was a happy dream.

At least I got to see my mother again.

Your Highness, I didn't expect you here.

-You dove into the pond to save me... -Puppy.

I told you to stay away as long as you have a cold.

I knew it.

I'm fine now.

It's all thanks to Chief Kim for nursing me all night.

Chief Kim?

That's right. He's nothing like someone I know

who only worries about himself

and shakes in fear he might catch a cold.

Come here and sit.

I don't want to.

You don't want to?

As you can see, I'm still coughing.

I don't want to be punished for giving you the cold.

What is this?

Chew before you swallow.

It's ten times more effective than Chief Kim.

Sam-nom!

Yes?

Have you no idea of what's going on?

-Did something happen? -Yes, it did.

It affects every eunuch trainee who worked the banquet.

You were all granted a Thanksgiving holiday.

PASS

Eunuch Jang, thank you so much!

Thank you!

What's up with the Crap Prince?

Since when did the prince issue holidays to the trainees?

He's awesome.

Is something wrong?

Eunuch Hong,

Eunuch Do's bowl of rice was taken away from him.

That's right. I washed and cooked the rice,

and let it steam thoroughly,

but it was taken from me.

What are you talking about?

As you know, he's been preparing to greet the envoy...

ever since he was recruited by the Envoy Residence.

Once the envoy arrived though,

he was taken off the list.

Is working at the Envoy Residence that good?

Of course. Once you're chummy with the envoy,

your life as a eunuch will be smooth.

Who on earth took your place then?

Instead of guiding the trainees,

he was despicable enough to ruin our chances.

Who did such a thing?

I see you are

pretty enough to be a kisaeng.

It was that bastard.

What?

What a prick.

Premiere Kim, what are your thoughts?

Is the crown prince smart enough to be

appointed as regent?

He's more than enough.

However, it's too soon.

A child who can barely use chopsticks

will only hurt himself if he wields a sword.

So you're saying he's not ready yet.

I'll be sure to tell the emperor

how you adore

the crown prince.

Please forgive me,

but I should get ready for the banquet.

Joseon has beautiful mountains

and the peninsular is surrounded by three exquisite seas.

The best beauty it has to offer though

is its ladies.

Is there one you're particularly fond of?

I saw her at the banquet.

The solo dancer was quite memorable.

If only I could

see her dancing one more time.

Is that who you want?

Can't you make the shot?

-Of course I can. -Throw it in an arc.

I can do it!

It was the right angle.

-That was close. -Try again.

-Yes! -High-five!

Did you see that?

Your Highness, Your Majesty approaches.

What?

So where's my father?

I was joking.

You... Stop right there!

What are you doing here?

Do you still spend a lot of time at Jahyeondang?

Here and other places.

Enjoying an idle life is in my job description.

Then why did you accept the proposal?

Why did you agree to be regent?

Are you curious?

It's to get rid of

my maternal relatives.

Let me tell you what I think.

Childhood friends

are of a linear relationship.

Meanwhile,

a sovereign and a subject have a vertical one.

If you had to choose between the two,

which one would it be?

This is what I'll choose.

What does it mean?

My role as a friend and a subject are one and the same.

If he steers in the wrong direction,

it's my job to correct him.

I will

forever be by his side and help him make the right choices

as a friend and wise king.

Your Highness, what are your thoughts?

With a good friend and subject like Yun-seong by my side,

I'll be able to be a great king.

Hello? Is anyone here?

I see no one's here.

I guess I have no choice. I'll come back later.

Are you here because of Eunuch Do and Eunuch Ma's matter?

Yes, that's right. How did you know?

When I looked through the list, something seemed strange,

so I was going to send someone to the Office of the Eunuchs.

Thank you.

I'm always thankful to you, sir.

You only express it in words.

Pardon?

How should I show my gratitude?

That's what I wanted to hear.

I heard you received a special vacation.

Please give me...

a quarter of your day.

I'm sorry, Sir.

I already have plans at the Lantern Festival...

Then can you meet me after your plans?

I'll take that as a yes.

Oh, also...

Here.

Oh, I already had one.

His Highness gave it to me.

His Highness?

Yes.

He kindly gave me medicine and told me to stay away

in fear that he might get sick, too.

This is the place he referred to in his first letter, isn't it?

Yes, it is.

He said this is where he first saw you.

-That looks fun! -That looks fun!

I heard you had a cold then, too.

Do you know what colds and love have in common?

You can't hide either one.

And there's one more.

Both colds and love...

hurt.

What's so great about a man whom I've never met?

Forget it.

I should just end it here.

Your Highness, let's go fly some lanterns instead of moping around here.

Okay?

Come on. Let's go.

This place is still the same.

But she probably forgot about me already.

Of course. You stopped writing to her a long time ago.

That's enough.

But I'd still...

like to see her one more time.

I don't want anything else.

After his time as a governor in Yeongnam,

he was recently appointed as the Minister of Culture and Education.

This is Minister Cho Man-hyeong. Introduce yourself.

I'm Kim Yun-seong.

You're just as handsome as I heard you were.

I see why he's known as the most desirable groom, even in Yeongnam.

Goodness, you are too kind.

But he's no comparison to your daughter.

Please look upon him favorably.

I'm just a countryman who entered the city.

I might need a lot more help

if I want to get adjusted to living in the city.

I doubt that.

I heard that you haven't seen each other in years.

May I excuse myself

so that you can catch up with one another?

Stay.

This meeting is also for you.

Minister Cho, will you accept a drink from Yun-seong?

Of course.

Goodness.

Look at this one!

Please buy a lantern!

I was dreaming of the night I parted with my mother.

At least I got to see my mother again.

Mom...

Mom.

Mom.

Mom.

Mom.

You made it seem like you were going to have a lot of fun.

What are you doing here?

I'm having a lot of fun right now, Your Highness.

Well, puppies do love this the most.

They love it when there's snow or lights in the sky.

Well, I thought you didn't want to go out tonight.

What are you doing here?

You didn't bring a companion either.

I have one right here.

I have plans with someone tonight.

Okay, let's pretend that's true.

Are you going to keep standing here?

You only have four hours left of your precious vacation.

Follow me.

I apologize, Your Highness.

But this is my vacation, so please let me go...

Geez, you don't listen, do you?

What is Eunuch Jang teaching you?

-Let's go. -Wait...

Goodness, take a look around...

Please buy a lantern. Please buy a lantern.

Please buy a lantern. It will make your wish come true.

Did you make these?

Yes, it's five bun...

but I'll give it to you for three bun.

Take it. I don't need a lantern.

If you're not going to buy one, just go.

I'm here to sell lanterns that will make your wish come true.

I'm not a beggar.

I'm sorry. That's not what I meant.

A lantern that will make my wish come true...

If it were you, what would you wish for?

I'd wish to meet the King, just once.

What would you say to the King?

I want to ask him to make Joseon a better country.

What makes a country great?

Well...

I'm sure the King would know, since he worries about his people.

I'll buy a lantern.

It's three bun.

Okay, one moment...

I'll buy all of your lanterns.

You didn't have to do that.

I'm trusting you since you said they work.

Really?

This is for you.

Watch and see if your wish comes true.

Thank you, sir.

Here.

This is for those who can't afford to make a wish.

I hope your wish comes true, My Lady.

-Wait... -My Lady!

She fled at the sight of me.

She doesn't even know who you are.

She's as fair as always.

It was Yeong, wasn't it?

Yes, it was him.

Your Highness, where's your lantern?

I hope we meet again.

I wish to be pretty

like her.

Every lantern

holds a wish of the people.

They want enough to eat and to be healthy.

All of those wishes

are directed at me.

Chief Eunuch,

I have no lantern,

but I hope to make a wish to you as well.

Of course.

Look after the Crown Prince.

I was too foolish,

and I crumbled and grew weak.

Make sure he doesn't.

I will do my best, Your Majesty.

AUGUST 30

That's when the Qing envoy will return home.

You have until then to map out the route they'll take.

They are taking home what are hardworking people made.

The people should get it back.

What's wrong?

Are you afraid the Crown Prince will look incompetent?

We should wait for his decision--

Don't forget your duty.

You're not his friend.

What are you looking at?

Nothing, sir.

The festival sure is a delight.

Look at the crowd.

You should write down your wish.

I'm good.

Please do tell.

If only one of our wishes can come true,

it'll be better for it to be yours.

Your Highness, shall we send it up?

Please!

Please let us have a year of good harvest.

Please make the Crown Prince's wish come true.

I HOPE EUNUCH HONG FINDS HIS MOTHER

I hope Eunuch Hong finds his mother.

Was...

Was that your wish?

That's right.

I wish that

your wish comes true.

She's with you?

Are you from the palace?

Show your face.

She's my lady, Your Highness.

Can't you just think of it...

as sharing your secret with me?

"How dependable."

Can't you just think of it that way?

Welcome.

Your Highness.

How did you know that

I got separated from my mother?

Why are you staring at me like that?

I know it's preposterous,

but why do I see

someone else in you?

Someone else?

That's right.

Another woman.

Eunuch Hong.

I apologize for my tardiness.

Your Highness, I'm sorry

but we have plans.

Have you forgotten about it?

I'd like you to join me if you can.

My apologies, Your Highness.

I won't allow it.

Your Highness?

He is my person.