Original subtitles

(A Good Friend to Meet)

(This drama is purely fictional...)

(and is not associated with actual people,)

(organizations, incidents, or locations.)

Please forgive me for overstepping my bounds,

but there is something you must know, Your Highness.

Your Majesty!

Where is that girl?

Grandmother.

Where is that girl, So Rang?

How did such a fraud...

hide who she is and come in here?

A fraud?

That cannot be.

That wench has fooled you completely.

I understand that with the queen selection coming up,

you are worried about that girl since she is close to me.

What if I am not wrong?

Will you kick her out then?

Please choose.

If she does not come back to the palace,

I will not punish her for lying to the King.

However, if she ends up coming back to the palace,

I will make sure she is punished.

I heard everything.

That you do not have any psychic abilities.

Was that a lie too?

That you could channel the late Crown Princess' spirit.

What...

did you just say?

All of it...

was a lie?

How much of it was a lie?

Your Majesty.

So Rang...

may never return to the palace again.

You no longer have to report to me.

But...

stay as So Rang's hidden guard. Keep her away from danger.

Protect her.

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

When did things go wrong?

When I first...

met His Majesty?

As for your question...

When I started lying to His Majesty?

There is a ghost.

When I wanted to heal His Majesty...

even the tiniest bit?

Or...

when I decided to make a living by tricking people?

When did things go wrong?

When I arrested So Rang for the first time?

When I took So Rang to His Majesty?

When I wanted to know more...

about So Rang?

Or when I sneaked out to have a look...

at my bride?

You can leave.

I will look after the old man.

It is hard on you, too, is it not? You have not eaten anything until now.

I am...

terribly sorry to you, too.

(Forlorn from Birth's Love Story 1)

Goodness.

(Episode 10)

Duk Hoon, do you not smell something?

The smell of success!

Duk Hoon, this is a masterpiece!

It is time to achieve our goal.

Everyone would expect a lot of nudity...

in Artist Jung's new work.

But the characters are all wearing clothes.

It is a masterwork that depicts the singles' deep resentment...

and sadness from the Prohibition of Marriage.

Let us promote its literary value.

Literary value? All right.

Either way, this is amazing.

It sure is.

Artist Jung, this will be a hit.

Gosh.

Oh, my.

Have you heard of this?

If you hold a knife in your mouth and look into a mirror...

in the suburb, you will be able to see...

your future bride's face.

So I tried it last night.

And? Did you see something?

Only a moth.

A moth as a bride is not that bad.

It will at least fly to me when I turn on the lights.

Goodness. I heard the shaman in the upper village...

would hold a spiritual wedding for you. Should I go for it?

A ghost bride is not bad, either.

I may not be able to see her, but she still exists.

Gosh. I wonder if my bride is even born.

- How frustrating. - I agree.

A moth bride? A ghost bride?

Who is he?

I doubt you will feel frustrated after reading this.

(Forlorn from Birth's Love Story 1)

Gosh, I am such a busy man.

What even is this?

What is it?

Goodness.

What?

(Please marry me.)

(No!)

(Sure 24 Lastest Rising Books)

(Forlorn from Birth's Love Story)

(Forlorn from Birth's Love Story 1)

(Forlorn from Birth's Love Story)

(Forlorn from Birth's Love Story 1)

(Sure 24 Lastest Rising Books)

- Artist Jung's new book has comforted me. - Same here.

When will the next volume come out?

(Forlorn from Birth's Love Story 1)

Is this the fun of doing something forbidden?

Do you mind reading faster?

- My gosh. - Oh, no.

- What? How could you end here? - Really?

(To be continued)

Volume two. Give it to me.

You can read it for free if you wait.

I cannot wait. Let me pay for it.

If you want volume two, come to Mount Shinheung on the 15th.

Mount Shinheung? Do you mean that Buddhist temple?

Coming that far is not easy, is it?

I could even climb rocks for it.

That wench got kicked out after we informed Queen Dowager...

that she was a fraud.

But we will be in a tight spot if an investigation...

is launched in full swing.

That must be because...

there are truths among her lies.

Why did you hide her name until now?

With the queen selection just ahead,

I cannot spoil our work.

We have never once let the ladies...

next to the King live, have we?

Old man, it is time to take your medicine.

So Rang. Leave me behind and run away! Hurry!

Old man. I cannot possibly leave you behind.

Your Highness. If you are driven to the mountain, head to the water.

- Right now! - Gosh.

- Hurry! - Oh, dear.

Goodness.

Gosh, really.

What is wrong with him this time?

Please run away!

Hurry!

(Aedaldang)

So Rang.

Are you all right?

What happened?

What is that?

- Go and check. - Yes, sir!

They are people!

What about the woman that was with me?

My daughter is taking care of her.

There is a very slim chance,

but if you suffer a big trauma,

your paralyzed nerves might start working again.

What happened?

So Rang.

Are you...

Why would you jump in there?

You cannot even use your arm. What if you died?

Why would I die?

What happened to your arm?

Can you move your arm again?

Shin Won!

It is okay. I am fine now.

Go away.

My gosh.

What if His Majesty goes back to how he was?

Your Majesty. Are you feeling all right?

Of course.

I must.

Is that not what they wanted every time they killed the women?

They wanted me to not be okay.

After enduring the heartbreaks I suffered over and over again,

I finally came to realize...

why So Rang lied to me.

If she wanted me to come to my senses,

she had to lie.

Are you really the Crown Princess?

I know very well that she did not start doing this...

out of ill will.

You must let me go.

So I can leave this realm and ascend.

Those words...

were the only things that could move me.

In order to pick me up after I had fallen apart.

In order to...

save me after I fell apart.

I will hurry ahead and give that ghost a beating.

She says you should enjoy your food more.

Everything So Rang did...

was for my sake.

I fell in love with her because I knew that.

Your Majesty, we received a letter from outside the palace.

You woke up.

I am Sung Hwa Yoon. This is my home.

Her father, Lord Sung, saved us.

Is that true? Thank you, my lady.

Everyone who is connected to this incident...

thinks that you are dead.

Pardon me?

I thought it would be safer,

so I just let them think that.

I have already sent a letter to Aedaldang.

So I am a dead person now?

If the situation is that dangerous,

how about the two of you stay here for the time being?

- Pardon? - Think about it.

No one would imagine...

that you could be here.

Thank you for the offer,

but I cannot inconvenience you like that.

I, too, was recently in a situation where I felt endangered.

I hope you never have to go through something like that.

- I am cold. - My goodness.

- Be patient. - When will they come out?

- This wait is killing me. - What are they doing?

Hello, everyone. I am Wang Bae.

I am Oh Duk Hoon.

I am Jung, the artist behind this series.

Today,

we are releasing Volume Two of "Forlorn from Birth's Love Story."

- Finally, Volume 2! - Volume 2!

- Volume 2! - Volume 2!

(Forlorn from Birth's Love Story 2)

- Oh, my! - Finally!

- I have been waiting for this! - My gosh.

- My goodness. - Why are you giving these out for free?

Because we share the same pain.

A friend of mine died after suffering from unrequited love...

all his life.

In his final moments, he said he sorely regretted...

never experiencing requited love.

- Gosh. - Oh, dear.

You must all want to see the characters in the book celebrate a happy ending.

However, that will not be easy as marriage is prohibited in Joseon.

What do you mean?

So they cannot be together?

Then why are we even reading this?

What we must change...

is our future, not how the story ends!

We must let the King know how we feel...

so the Prohibition of Marriage can be revoked.

We ought to restore our rights!

I want to date too.

I, too,

wish to fall in love!

I want to be happy too.

- Me too. - Me too!

- Me too! - Me too!

Now, we are one under the name of the Band of Forlorn.

Let us tell the King how desperately we wish to fall in love!

- Yes! - We must!

- Let us go! - Let us hurry!

- Men and women cannot wed - Men and women cannot wed

- No one can get married - No one can get married

Seven years after the Prohibition of Marriage was put in place.

Mysterious posters were seen on the streets of Joseon,

and children were seen walking around singing bizarre songs.

Autumn is a season of harvest, but the ground...

- was covered with frost and snow. - Your Majesty!

- It has been seven long years. - People said...

the deep resentment of the forlorn...

- Everyone in the country... - was to blame.

is complaining.

Please think of your people...

and repeal the Prohibition of Marriage.

Please end the prohibition!

- Please end the prohibition! - Please end the prohibition!

Your Highness.

Are these all appeal letters asking to end the Prohibition of Marriage?

- Yes, Your Highness. - Oh, dear.

Where is His Majesty?

My goodness.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty, this will not do.

It is not good enough.

The Queen Dowager is here.

Oh, Grandmother.

Gosh, Your Majesty.

Oh, boy. What happened? You are a mess.

A mess? What do you mean?

- My goodness. - Join me.

- Oh, no. - Goodness me.

Gosh, what should we do?

Your Highness, you should come back another time.

He is always so consistent.

If the King was focused and alert at this critical time,

it would not help us.

We can ignore him.

We shall proceed as planned.

What is the matter with the King?

Because I banished that girl from the palace?

He has become such a mess just because of that?

People would think that I tried to kill my grandson or something.

Unfortunately, that girl...

She died once she left the palace.

That girl, So Rang.

Oh, dear.

I did not kick her out because I wanted her dead.

Some people were after her.

You know what happened...

to every woman who was with His Majesty in the past seven years.

They were all...

So...

was it them again?

It must have been difficult to kill her within the palace walls,

so they probably waited for her to be banished.

There is something you should know.

You were right, Your Majesty.

Someone influenced the Queen Dowager...

to banish So Rang from the palace.

Why do you think they influenced Grandmother to make such a decision?

They want full control...

over the queen selection.

For the past seven years, they committed several murders...

within these walls just to extend the prohibition period.

The same goes for this queen selection.

They will not let the royal family have their way.

First, investigate everyone around Grandmother.

I will, Your Majesty.

Anyway, where are you going?

You just have to finish off a few things now.

Then you no longer have to kidnap anyone.

Yes, my lord.

In this world where marriage is prohibited,

it was a lucrative business.

But in the new world,

you will have to find a different way to make money.

The Department of Justice is busy snooping around.

It would be better to disband the group...

and not leave any evidence behind.

So...

a feast will follow the hunt?

Goodness. Why? Are you afraid that I would kill...

and eat my hunting dogs?

Put your worries to rest.

I will find a new position for you.

We will be the ones selecting the new queen.

So what is there to worry about?

Just focus on the rest of your work.

Should we be moving around at night like this?

It seems the kidnappers are abducting daughters of rich families these days.

Who knows? But I heard we were fine.

No maidens of the women's association got abducted.

Is that so?

- See you tomorrow. - See you tomorrow.

Why did you come find me?

I got your letter.

So Rang is safe and unharmed?

I thought you would be heartbroken.

Heartbroken? Of course not.

How is your hand?

I am glad.

The moment I could use this hand again,

I wrote that letter to you.

Then you should have included that news in the letter as well.

Have I...

hurt you?

No.

I did not fulfill my loyalty and turned away from my lord.

I was the one who betrayed you, Your Majesty.

Then that wound is mine to bear.

Please do not make much of me.

The greed I dared had.

Not keeping my promise.

They are not forgivable.

So you do not wish to understand me until the end.

I am sorry.

If you are, come back.

It may have been easy...

for you to let go of me. But for me,

it was not.

Come back and protect me again.

Do I...

have the right to long for His Majesty?

Was this where you were?

Oh, my lady.

What?

My lady.

I thought this would make you stop crying.

Gosh. It helped me come to my senses right away.

Have one whenever you feel everything in this world...

is your fault.

It does not feel like it is my fault.

It is entirely my fault.

My lady. I am a crook.

To make ends meet, I had gone around tricking people.

I did not feel guilty back then.

But in the end,

I hurt someone really badly.

Someone...

who loved me very dearly.

I am being punished right now.

So...

it is only fair that I cannot see him again.

And yet, with no sense of shame,

I cannot help but miss him.

You did not come across as a bad person.

Had you been someone with an evil heart,

you would not have cried silently every night.

It is just that...

everything is my fault.

Is falling off the cliff and coming close to death...

your fault?

Is hiding in this house your fault too?

You are trying too hard to resent yourself.

Do not resent me. The fault lies in that.

My lady, this...

Where are you going?

It seems someone is waiting to talk to you.

What were you doing?

Nothing.

I tried to cry alone in secret but could not.

I think...

that lady is far from ordinary.

Not as much as you.

She is different from me.

I must say she gives off a subtle uniqueness.

By the way, where were you?

I met with His Majesty.

I see.

What did he say?

He wanted me back in the palace.

Right.

Did you accept his offer?

No.

But it brought me back to reality.

I did not think about what was for His Majesty.

Nor did I take into account your feelings and His Majesty's.

Remember I told you we should quit being friends?

But this time,

I think we can become real friends.

Why all of a sudden?

You look much better next to His Majesty.

So here is what I thought.

"I must take you."

"Take you to the place you can smile."

You already know.

It is impossible now.

I will feel relieved when you become happy.

And only then...

can I become happy, too.

What do you think? I am a good friend, am I not?

What is this?

You wanted to stop being friends, but now you do not.

Then we are friends again, okay?

Try breaking ties with me again.

I will not take you back then.

Fine.

Goodness.

Thank you, madam.

I said I was not married.

There is a Prohibition of Marriage. Stop treating me like a married woman.

Did the people who used to come here often go somewhere?

One person...

will go far away from me,

as I did not receive his heart.

And then...

another person...

Is it love to have someone by your side and feel happy?

Or is it love to be apart from someone and be in pain?

So what is it?

There are things you can only feel when you are apart.

Love is the depth of longing.

Gosh, I do not know.

The stories in books are so predictable.

Why is it so hard in real life?

Is there a corner of your heart that feels wistful?

Which way do your emotions flow?

You, miss?

Yes, I have been chosen for the first queen selection process.

But I will not become the Queen.

I was almost kidnapped once, so I have a scar on my face.

Besides, there is a very likely candidate.

The eldest daughter of the Minister of Personnel, Ye Hyun Sun.

That lady has the highest chance of becoming the Queen.

Is it okay for us to be out at night like this?

These days,

kidnappers are taking the daughters of good families.

I hear that we will be fine.

None of the maidens of the women's association have been taken.

Is that so?

- See you tomorrow. - Bye.

I think the reason you were nearly kidnapped...

has something to do with the women's association.

The women's association?

It is an organization started by Lady Seo, of the Minister of Personnel's household.

It is where maidens who dream of becoming the queen...

are receiving training.

However, the maidens of the women's association...

are never kidnapped. Is it not strange?

In other words, maidens who do not join the women's association...

but are likely candidates in the first queen selection are being kidnapped.

And all of this is...

to make Lady Seo's daughter the Queen.

They stole my name...

and are doing such terrible things.

You told me...

not to resent myself for something that is not my fault.

Shin Won.

I have only avoided things until now.

Even when I knew that they harmed my mother,

even when I knew they were trying to kill me at all costs,

I was...

just busy running away.

But...

I do not think I can take it anymore.

I am...

the real Ye Hyun Sun.

I have a favor to ask of you.

The fortune teller at the Office of Astrology has set a good date.

The maidens will enter the palace at 7:30 a.m.

Have the maidens coming from the countryside...

arrive in Hanyang the day before and be ready to enter the palace.

They should not wear...

extravagant clothing to the queen selection.

They must wear a yellow jeogori with a red skirt,

but they may not be made of patterned silks.

They may wear foundation,

but must not wear any rouge.

You may not wear that.

We will look at their natural looks.

In the entire queen selection process,

there must not be a single mistake.

I will be sure to follow your orders, Your Highness.

(Ye Hyun Sun)

How was she chosen for the queen selection like that?

I will take that, miss.

That wench was alive?

I have a favor to ask of you.

On the day of the first queen selection,

take me with you as your maid.

Goodness, you look so beautiful.

Did you think I was dead, Hyun Hee?

Let us go, miss.

(Cheongyeonru)

(Cheongyeonru)

You must all be feeling...

nervous and confused to come to the palace.

But finding your composure in times like these...

is indeed the quality of the nation's queen.

(Flowers and butterflies)

From the way you fill the cloth stitch by stitch,

we will see the level of your patience.

After you finish,

we will be able to see the insight and talent in your artwork...

and determine your conduct as a lady.

Sung Hwa Yoon, answer me.

How did you think to come to the queen selection...

with a scar on your face?

Actually, about a month ago, I was nearly kidnapped.

Then do you mean you almost fell victim to a crime?

How did your family manage you?

Thankfully, my father is skilled in martial arts,

and he was able to fight them off right away.

This is the place where we choose the best maiden of Joseon.

Even the slightest flaw is not to be tolerated.

Ye Hyun Sun, answer me.

What do you think of this?

Please forgive me for overstepping my bounds,

but they say if one's virtue is great,

even bad fortune stays away.

I knew I would be meeting the elder of the royal family soon.

I did not want to cause any harm to the royal family...

due to my behavior.

I made sure to avoid bad incidents...

and did not listen to bad stories.

I thought...

presenting myself in the best physical and mental state...

was the best I could do.

Although this is a competition,

we are also friends who have been called by the same fate.

I wish...

Not to tell anyone about her flaw.

This scar on my face will fade away with time.

However, scars of the mind do not fade away easily.

Thinking about the kidnappers...

dragging me away to a place where no one can find me...

That thought alone still terrifies me.

However, I do not think it was my fault.

What did you say?

The kidnappers are the ones who must be punished.

The victims did nothing wrong.

Hence, my mind was not scarred in any way.

Then let me ask you this.

What is it that you think we are doing here?

It is easy to spot a pretty face,

but it is difficult to find a beautiful heart.

I believe there are three stages in the selection process...

for the next queen must be selected in a prudent manner.

All the court ladies who are overseeing the selection process...

are already on our side.

But there is one more thing we must do, just in case.

Hello, good day.

You must be tired, working so hard all day.

I brought you some cookies.

How thoughtful of you.

The young lady you serve must be a woman of virtue too.

Soo Hyang!

Can I get one too?

Who is your master? Watch your flippant conduct.

Do you not know that even the littlest mistake you make...

could ruin your master's reputation?

Then given that this maid here has bribed you,

we can go ahead and assume what kind of person her master is.

Soo Hyang, who is your master?

I was joking.

They are just cookies. Who would think they were given as a bribe?

Right?

It delights me to see the fruits of your hard work.

However, we must still pick the best one.

Everyone would agree that this is the best one.

Who made this?

Read the name on the name plaque.

(Ye Hyun Sun)

The eldest daughter of Ye Hyun Ho, the Minister of Personnel,

Ye Hyun Sun.

(Ye Hyun Sun)

Stand up.

I am not confident in my skills. I am honored...

that you think it is the best one.

And you are modest too.

Excuse me. I think something has gone wrong.

You are not to speak unless you are asked to answer a question.

You should not dare to face His Majesty.

Bow with your faces to the ground.

(Gyeonghoeru)

Has he already forgotten all about me?

Was he always...

this unapproachable?

What? Your name plaque below your embroidery got switched out?

I am never afraid to speak out,

but I felt like I would look crazy...

if I said the best one was actually mine.

All the court ladies and maids there...

seemed to know the truth but wanted to turn a blind eye to it.

To tell you the truth, I saw something suspicious too.

By the way, is it mutton fat jade again?

Mutton fat jade is very rare. That is what she gave her?

Yes. Judging from what I saw,

it looked like several court ladies had received it.

Is there a way to uncover the corruption behind the queen selection process?

Come back and be by my side.

Your Majesty.

(Shim Sung Hee)

(Han Young Sun)

These candidates are moving on to the second evaluation.

We are doing all this work to pick out the best candidates.

But what if the King does not even lay glance at the Queen?

Then we will have to figure out another way to produce an heir.

My gosh. What brings you here, Grandmother?

You must be extremely busy, trying to select your future granddaughter-in-law.

Your Majesty, you will soon welcome a new queen.

But look at yourself. You must clean yourself up.

What can I even do?

After all, it is a rigged game.

"Rigged?" What do you mean?

You ought to watch your words even when you are drunk.

I carefully selected the candidates myself.

Do you not trust me?

It is not you. I do not trust the people around you.

Even the last time, they colluded together...

and changed the rankings.

Who did such a thing?

Everyone around you was bribed.

I cannot believe you still do not know that.

They are my people. They will never do that to me.

What if...

I am not wrong?

Will you banish them from the palace?

- Your Majesty. - Did you not say...

there must not be any scandals during this queen selection?

I will be the one to address the wrongdoing...

and hand out punishment.

They are part of the Internal Court.

You are right. Of course, you should.

Then could I also do the same?

I will be the one to address the misdeeds of the people in the Daejeon...

and the one to hand out punishments.

Forgiving people and calling them back to the palace...

will also be my decision.

Is that child alive?

Send out the inspectors and search all of the court ladies' quarters.

Through this, we must reveal all those who were behind...

this queen selection process.

I will uphold your royal command, Your Majesty.

Chief royal secretary.

There is someone I must call to the palace.

Please! Leave that alone!

- Please do not do that! - Stop.

That is nothing!

I do not have anything!

- What do I do? - Oh, no!

- My goodness. - Why are they doing this?

- What do we do? - This is terrible!

- Oh, dear! - But that is nothing!

- How can you do this? - Please!

I am the new Chief Commander of the Palace Guard,

Seol Sun Ho.

Will you still keep silent when the evidence is right before your eyes?

We do not know of such things.

Someone must have snuck those things into our quarters.

There is testimony...

that you wore that jade hairpin in your hair on your days off.

Will you still continue telling lies?

You dare to insult His Majesty?

Will you speak the truth after we twist your legs?

- Begin! - Yes, sir!

I will speak.

It is someone who is no longer in the palace.

The jade hairpin was given...

by Court Lady Won Nyu who recently left the palace.

What did you just say?

How dare you name someone who is not even here right now?

Why would Court Lady Won...

give you those jade hairpins?

She said there was something she needed help with later on.

That is why she gave them to us.

Do you know the whereabouts of the former Court Lady Won Nyu?

Not since she left the palace...

Since her name has been mentioned,

we must bring her in to be questioned.

That cannot be!

This is all just nonsense to cause confusion in the investigation!

That is why we must investigate and clear her name.

Have you been well?

Please get ready and return to the palace.

Why all of a sudden?

His Majesty...

has called for you again.

He will punish me, right?

I must beg for forgiveness.

It is shameless of me to ask for such things,

but still...

Still...

(The Forbidden Marriage)

I longed to see you.

I can never lose you.

We must round them all up this time.

Is there something I can do?

You can save me, Investigator.

What is this?

Who put poison ivy in the tea?

Throw this woman in jail this instant!

Your Highness!

Do you know that the boss of the kidnappers has been arrested?

You dare to come after me?

I cannot feel at ease for a single day.

Sometimes, one must risk one's life...

to reveal the truth.