Original subtitles

In the year 108 b.C.,

the 2100 year old nation of gojoseon collapses.

Hae mo-su and crown prince geum-wa of buyeo,

lead the da-mul army to attack the han nation's hyeon-to city

in order to rescue the refugees of gojoseon.

"Anyone who tries to help hae mo-su

or harbor any refugees from gojoseon,

"will face their judgment on this sword!"

General hae mo-su falls into the han nation's trap

while rescuing the refugees.

Yoo-hwa, the daughter of the ha-baek clan, saves hae mo-su from the verge of death.

"Oh my goodness! How could you have survived...?"

At the da-mul army stockade, yoo-hwa and hae mo-su fall in love.

Geum-wa, who is also in love with yoo-hwa, is heartbroken.

"We must eliminate the three-legged bird."

"Do you have a plan?"

Thinking hae mo-su to be a danger to the future of buyeo,

the prime minister bu deuk-bul and the high priestess yeo mi-eul

conspire to eliminate him by letting him be captured by the han nation.

"I am pregnant with hae mo-su's child."

Yoo-hwa, who goes to hyeon-to city to see hae mo-su,

confesses that she is pregnant.

But hae mo-su, who has been blinded, does not see yoo-hwa.

Despite geum-wa's efforts to save him, hae mo-su dies.

20 years later...

Geum-wa, who had planned to raise ju-mong like the great hae mo-su,

is disappointed at ju-mong's weakness and frailty.

At geum-wa's orders, ju-mong goes to mt. Shijo to see the da-mul bow.

Betrayed by his brothers dae-so and young-po, ju-mong's life is endangered.

Ju-mong becomes enamored of his savior so seo-no,

and reveals himself as a prince of buyeo.

"I am a prince of buyeo."

"I like you."

"Fool!"

Jumong finds his way to mt. Shijo and realizes that his ordeal

had been planned by his brothers, dae-so and young-po,

and is greatly distressed.

"I saw the da-mul bow."

"I saw the bow,

and even strung it easily."

"But as soon as I pulled the string,

the da-mul bow broke."

Episode 5

the sacred bow... Broke?

Yes.

I was fearful because of that,

but I am more fearful of my brothers.

I was not lost.

But my brothers...

left me to die.

Breaking the da-mul bow is a serious crime.

But how could I say that I saw the da-mul bow...

In front of my brothers who wanted me dead?

Mother... what should I do now?

What happened? Did you not say that he died?

I saw him fall into the quicksand with my own two eyes.

There was no way he could get out of there alive.

Do not worry, mother.

This time it did not go our way, but next time we will...

Stop talking and do something!

If you wanted to kill him, you should have done it yourself.

Why did you do such a pathetic job?

Don't worry? Don't you know why I feel like this?

Dae-so!

Yes.

Although everyone thinks that you will become crown prince,

it is only because you are the eldest son. You are not the crown prince yet.

Unless you are officially appointed, you are not yet the crown prince.

No one knows who his majesty will appoint to succeed his reign.

If this continues, it may very well be

ju-mong that becomes his successor!

I will not be able to rest until the day you receive your father's favor

and become the official crown prince.

Do you understand me?

Yes.

Brother, let me handle it!

Don't be reckless.

We must not make the same mistake again.

We have to focus and take our time.

I will get rid of him in one swift moment.

You must keep in mind that great trouble can befall us should the truth be known.

Yes.

Find out what ju-mong is up to and report back to me.

I will do as you command.

I never once tried to raise you to be manly,

neither did I teach you military arts, even though you were a prince.

I never taught you politics either.

Do you know why?

I understand all that you mentioned.

Tell me.

Since I was a child,

I witnessed your suffering from the queen's jealousy.

I also withstood the bullying of my brothers, dae-so and young-po.

I realized in my early years that this was our fate in life.

So I acted timid.

I wanted to be a simpleton so that everyone would think of me as a fool

and pay no attention to me.

I have lived thus far with neither greed nor ambition.

And I will continue to live that way.

You said you understood me but that is not all of it.

Our fate is to be persecuted by the queen and her sons.

It is true that we have lived our lives in the shadows.

But we must no longer live this way.

I will make you the crown prince and you will succeed the king!

Mother!

You must become the crown prince!

How is that possible?

The crown prince is brother dae-so...

The only reason for that is because dae-so is the eldest son.

The true crown prince, the real successor of the throne

will have to receive the king's favor and be appointed in a ceremony.

You must become king, and accomplish a great task.

In order to accomplish this,

I hid my true feelings and lived quietly.

What is this great task?

When the time is right, you will know what it is.

Since the queen, dae-so and young-po wish you harm,

you must learn how to protect yourself.

You must become king, and accomplish a great task.

In order to accomplish this,

I hid my true feelings and lived quietly.

There is someone who is willing to work on those terms.

No one must know of this within the palace,

and our identities must remain secret. Can you do this?

Yes, my lady.

I will meet this person and decide for myself. Make preparations.

He's here!

Why are you so late?

I needed to get more sober.

This is my brother.

I am mu-song.

What kind of work do you do now?

I work as a captain of the prison.

He will be teaching you the military arts.

There are many eyes watching you, so learn this in secret.

Yes, mother.

Let us leave.

I need to speak to my brother for a moment.

You can change your fate, so do this well, brother!

Who is that fellow? Who are his parents?

He's a son of a noble household.

- Don't make any mistake. - Fine. Get going!

Before we start, there is a condition you must agree to.

Please go on.

I know that you're a nobleman,

but I'm still your master...

I mean, I have a fiery temper.

Once I get angry, I go a little crazy.

Don't worry about class and rank.

While you teach me military arts, you will be my master.

I will do as you say.

So what should I call you?

Call me chu-mo.

Chu-mo? Chu-mo!

Alright, chu-mo, put your hands out.

You have the hands of a maiden.

I am going to the tavern to eat something.

You should... wait...

Over there. That peak over there.

That mountain over there?

Right! That peak. Why don't you go up there and back?

With your maiden hands, you won't be able to hold a sword yet.

We'd better toughen you up first. It'll be a quick walk over there.

And by the way, don't try to fool me.

I have ways to know whether you really went there or not.

I understand.

It'll be quick.

Were you looking for me?

Is mu-song your brother?

Yes.

Are his skills really good?

Yes. Why are you asking?

Because I can't believe it.

He looks like a drunkard and a fool in my eyes.

Can I really learn from him?

Forgive me. Although he enjoys his drink,

it is true that he is skilled in the military arts.

At one time, he was a member of the royal guard.

You can trust him.

Alright. You may go.

Hey...

Hey!

You scared me. What is it?

What should I do today?

Today?

What should you do?

Ah, yes!

Why don't you go and climb mt. Chun-ma again? Take it slow.

You know the way.

You scoundrel! Get up this instant!

I will break your head open if you do not get up this instant!

Get up this instant!

You are so bothersome.

Why did you break my wine gourd? Look here, chu-mo.

Look here. This goes against our agreement!

What did you say to me?

Didn't you say you would treat me as your master and do everything I ask?

Everything you ask?

For this past month, all I have done is run back and forth to that mountain peak.

When are you going to teach me the military arts?

Do you have the ability to teach me?

I cannot trust you any longer!

Seems like you not only have the hands of a maiden,

you have the personality of one too!

What did you say?

Did you ask if I had the ability to teach you?

Follow me!

Hey, you rascals!

What are you doing?

Follow me.

What is this place?

What do you mean? I told you I was a prison guard.

This is a prison.

You mean to tell me this place is a prison?

I never knew there was a prison here.

Of course you didn't. Before I was kicked out of the royal guard

and sent here, I didn't know it either.

The prisoners here... What were their crimes?

I don't know. Some of them have been here more than ten or twenty years.

No one knows their names or what they did to come here.

- Is everything alright? - Yes, sir.

Did you say you want to see my skills?

Very well. I'll show you.

Wait! Brother... I cannot defeat you.

Prince dae-so, you are unmatched in your skills as a swordsman.

How can that be? Young-po must have made it easy for me.

Made it easy for you? There was no such thing!

Should we wage a new war,

you two princes can lead the armies in his majesty's stead.

Prime minister.

Yes.

I have heard that the han nation's hyeon-to city

is attempting to constrain our expansion.

What do you think would be the outcome of a war between buyeo and hyeon-to city?

It will be a difficult battle.

Why do you say it will be difficult?

The reason why it would be difficult,

is that our weapons cannot compare to those of the han nation.

The reason why we have been victorious in the expansion wars,

is due to his majesty's efforts and diligence in weapon development.

But if we compare our weapons to those of the han nation,

we have much more to accomplish.

Unless we develop stronger weapons,

it is useless to battle with them.

Prime minister! His majesty wants to see you immediately.

What is it?

I think our blacksmith has developed a new set of weapons.

How is it? Have you really produced it?

Yes, your majesty.

It is the best sword among all the swords that have been developed.

I will test this new sword. Make preparations.

Yes, your majesty.

Chief, so seo-no has returned from the ok-Jo trade.

Why was there a delay?

Please do not speak any more.

She was so stubborn! And she almost got us all killed!

It was my fault that made us late. But please do not blame uncle gye-pil.

We took the salt and silk from ok-Jo and sold it to heng-in nation.

Due to miss' bold decision, we doubled our profits.

You have done well.

This was truly an arduous journey!

It was so far from ok-Jo to heng-in nation!

The normal journey takes 15 days, but she made us do it in 10!

We ran into bandits, but she didn't even blink!

Her tenacity exceeds even yours, chief!

I will never ever...

Go on a trade with miss again!

Oh, so seo-no will be my successor as chief of this clan.

Then you'll have nothing to do. We have no room for idle fellows here.

Are you... really going to pass the chieftain position to so seo-no?

From what you said,

it seems so seo-no is doing very well. Isn't it only proper that she becomes chief?

Then what are you going to do?

She is the high priestess of buyeo, yeo mi-eul.

Buyeo's king geum-wa and all his subjects receive her words like gold and Jade.

If you want to have favor with king geum-wa...

The fastest path is to win yeo mi-eul's favor first.

What can I do to receive a priestess' favor?

That I do not know. You'll have to find out for yourself, my lord.

You rascal.

Unfortunately, she is a priestess.

She is beautiful enough to make me want her as my woman.

I must meet her in person.

I am the merchant yeon ta-bal.

I wish to talk to the high priestess.

Why don't you go away?

Leave us.

What is it you wish to say?

Please tell me my fate.

What is it that you wish for as a merchant?

What I really wish for...

Is the ability to buy and sell not just goods, but whole nations.

Come and see me at the divination temple at the palace.

Do not let anyone near the testing grounds.

Patrol the area, and do not allow any trespassers on the grounds.

Yes, general! This way! That way!

Are you ready?

Yes. I have arranged for security,

and kept the weapon testing a secret.

His majesty approaches!

Where is yeo mi-eul?

She has finished praying to the spirits. She will arrive soon.

Welcome.

Why have you summoned me?

The blacksmith has developed new weapons.

We will test them in front of you.

You have been awaiting these new weapons for so long. I congratulate you.

It is too early for congratulations. Please, take a seat.

The soldier in red will use the new sword from the ironworks.

While the blue soldier will use a sword developed by the han nation.

Begin!

Your majesty, I have something to tell you.

What is it?

Since the long-awaited swords have finally been developed,

please allow your humble servant to be the one to test it.

Prince dae-so is a skilled swordsman.

He is a good candidate to test the new sword.

As you wish.

Please allow ju-mong to be my opponent.

It is my knowledge that ju-mong has never learnt swordsmanship.

Can he be a worthy opponent?

I will match my swordplay with his skill.

Please allow us this duel.

Ju-mong, will you attempt this fight?

I will do so.

Your majesty, with your permission, I would like to duel with brother dae-so.

Ju-mong!

Do not be distressed.

Begin your duel.

Do not be distressed.

Surely I wouldn't kill you.

Your majesty, your humble servant's inability

has disappointed your majesty yet again.

Please have me killed!

Mo pal-mo.

Yes, your majesty.

How many times have we failed in the past decade?

I consider our failures as positive experiences,

and do not see them as disappointments.

Prime minister!

Yes, your majesty.

Award mo pal-mo and his workers at the ironworks,

and give them recognition for their work.

Yes, your majesty.

Brother, it was the new sword that was weak.

Ju-mong's swordsmanship still cannot match your skills.

You were not defeated, so please do not be discouraged.

I told you to monitor ju-mong.

It is certain that ju-mong has been learning to use the sword.

His skills are still elementary, but it is apparent that he is learning.

I did monitor him, but I did not know this.

How can we eliminate him if you handle things in this way?

Find out where and who he is learning it from!

Yes, brother.

You must be benefiting from your lessons, as you can now duel with dae-so.

It was my instincts that made me escape his blows.

I wouldn't call it skills.

Even so, remembering your weakness before, you have become a skilled swordsman!

This is all your doing.

It isn't so, your highness. From what my brother has told me...

Prince ju-mong's drive to learn was great.

This is all due to your highness's willingness to learn.

Everyone who saw your skills today will be disconcerted.

You must be careful.

I will.

Welcome!

Come and take a seat.

We have not seen each other for quite a while, so I requested your presence.

I should have visited you earlier. Forgive me for not having done so.

Not at all. I have closed my doors shut so it would have been hard for you to come in.

Next time I will open my doors wide open, so please come and visit me anytime.

I will.

Are you there, jong-go?

Yes, your majesty.

Send him in.

He is a troubadour who is known to tell good stories.

When this man goes to the town center,

he is so talented that people gather around him like the clouds.

I told him to come and ease my soul.

What story will you tell us?

I will tell you a story about a forgotten hero of olden days.

Who is this great hero?

It is the story of the man who tried to restore the glory of gojoseon

by waging war against the han nation, general hae mo-su!

Yes, I remember that name.

There was a man by the name of hae mo-su a long time ago.

Tell the story.

What happened?

She has summoned lady yoo-hwa and they are now listening to the story.

That is good.

For hiding general hae mo-su...

Miss yoo-hwa's clan is massacred

and she becomes the sole survivor.

After a difficult ordeal at the hands of the han nation, she is reunited with hae mo-s...

Heaven had already decided her fate.

She becomes pregnant with general hae mo-su's child.

But...

Before the child is born, general hae mo-su...

Is captured by the han nation, and tragically breathes his last.

What has happened to miss yoo-hwa who was carrying his child?

I do not know the outcome of this tragic story.

She must be raising the child somewhere.

One day the blood-line of hae mo-su will appear and fight with the hans.

You scoundrel!

Do you know what dishonor you are bringing to his majesty?

The daughter of the ha-baek clan in your story

is lady yoo-hwa, who is sitting before you!

She is his majesty's royal concubine, and has even given him a son!

How can you make a mockery of her in front of the people?

Your majesty, this story was told to me by others. Please have mercy!

Be silent! I will cut off your tongue, so that you cannot spread this malice!

Your majesty, have mercy on my life!

Your majesty, this troubadour was just telling a harmless story.

Please have mercy on him.

If that is your wish...

I will silence him and ensure that he never speaks of this again.

My lady, you look pale.

Are you feeling unwell?

No.

Brother, you should have seen her face!

I'm sorry you didn't see it for yourself!

She must have been surprised!

After seeing her expression, I feel so much better.

Then I must allow him to spread more rumors about yoo-hwa and hae mo-s...

His majesty's disappointment is great.

It must be so.

He had such great expectations, but their failures are too many...

I feel that his majesty's ambition is weakening.

I believe it would be better for buyeo's future

to be at an impasse with the han nation.

His majesty's intent to wage war with

the han nation is highly dangerous.

High priestess, the only one capable of changing his majesty's mind,

is you.

I cannot agree with you, prime minister.

When his majesty put his faith in hae mo-su and waged war with the han nation,

I feared that there would be a transfer of power to hae mo-su,

and objected to a war with the han nation.

I caused the death of hae mo-su,

in order to protect the fate of buyeo and his majesty.

But things are different now.

His majesty's fate is buyeo's fate,

so upholding his majesty's intent is for the benefit of buyeo.

This is my intent.

Put the goods down.

Yes chief.

This is my gift to you, high priestess.

I have brought silk and rare delicacies,

although they cannot compare to your beauty, they are quite precious and costly.

Please take a seat.

Now that I am on holy ground, my conscience is pricking me.

Do you fear being in front of the gods? You must be a great sinner.

I don't know about you, but who has not sinned against the gods?

Merchants must appeal to their customers.

To gain the trust of the people, you must lie often.

I have committed lots of sins.

What is your intent in approaching me?

Intent? I have none.

You have brought me precious silk and delicacies.

Is it not your intent to make a bigger gain?

It is only petty traders that look for quick gains.

Merchants like myself who wish to buy and sell nations,

do not need to gain from casual relationships.

Just meeting great people like you, high priestess,

is a great honor and a great gain for me.

How did you fare?

She is truly the high priestess. She could see right through my soul.

Why are you laughing?

Who can see through your soul, chief?

It would be difficult even if she weren't a priestess but a spirit.

I do not know if those words are of praise or mockery.

It is praise.

No one can read your soul as well, sa-yong.

After the chief gives you authority over the clan,

you cannot do the trade as you did before.

What do you mean?

Although you made a big profit from the trade,

you did two things incorrectly, miss.

First, you exhausted the workers.

A leader that doesn't care for his workers will not receive respect from them,

and he will never be a good merchant.

What about the rest?

Your greed for bigger gains caused you to disregard dangers.

On a journey, you will come across bandits and even run into competitors.

If you want to be a good leader,

you must learn to avoid those dangers.

I disagree with you, oo-tae.

Although you say I exhausted the workers, I gave them a bigger reward.

No worker will reject hard work if they are paid more.

You say we must avoid bandits and competitors,

but I say we should fight them.

If I become chief, I will strengthen our group with better warriors.

I will eliminate all those who are obstacles to our clan.

What is it?

Do you remember the fellow we saved on our way to heng-in?

Yes.

I saw someone who looked like him.

What?

Since you do not wish to divulge your name, I will tell you mine...

My name is... Ju-mong.

I had to hide my true identity because of personal reasons,

but I am a prince of buyeo.

Remember me.

I like you.

If you ever come to buyeo, come and find me.

Do you know what he said to me?

He said he was a prince of buyeo.

Although he did seem odd, he did not look like a bad fellow.

I will pay for your wine, so drink up!

That's good. Good!

Are you giving them their meals?

Yes!

Don't just give out food. Check if they're dead or not.

Don't let the dead stink the place up like last time!

Yes, sir!

Can I go in there?

Why?

I'm curious to see who is imprisoned here.

You have much to be curious of... hey!

Yes.

I'll do the meals today. Let's go...

Here you go... here.

How far are you going?

There's one more cell.

Chu-mo, why don't you wait here. I think I should go alone.

Is there a reason?

Well, you can't go there.

Who is in there anyway?

Remember what I told you?

I don't know who these prisoners are,

or what they did to be imprisoned here.

The prisoner in there was under special guard even before I was posted here.

So you just wait here, chu-mo.

If you don't tell anyone, who would find out?

I want to go in there with you.

Follow me.

Hold this, chu-mo.

Is his majesty here? Bade him enter.

Yes.

What brings you to the temple at this late hour?

I had a strange dream, and wanted to discuss it with you.

What kind of dream did you have?

I saw hae mo-s...

After the death of hae mo-su,

for the past twenty years, I have never forgotten him.

But this is the first time he appeared so vividly in my dreams.

The dead hae mo-su asked me to save him.

What could it mean?

It was your memories of general hae mo-su that made you dream about him.

This dream does not have any meaning.

I have yet to fulfill the oath I made to hae mo-s...

I think he appeared in my dream to remind me of our oath.

Choose an auspicious day for me, high priestess.

We will have a memorial for general hae mo-su,

and I will renew my pledge to him.

I will do as you say.

Mother, it is I, ju-mong.

Come in.

Were you with mu-song till now?

Yes.

It is good that you are working hard to learn the military arts,

but beware of dae-so and young-po's eyes.

Yes.

Is there something you want to tell me?

Do you remember that mu-song is the captain of the prison guard?

Yes, he said he was.

Do you know the location of mu-song's prison?

If it's a prison, wouldn't it be inside the palace?

The prison where mu-song works is in a cave under mt. Soo-mi.

It is said that few people within the palace know of this prison.

Since I didn't know that either, it must be true.

So then, who is imprisoned there?

Even mu-song, the captain of the prison guard

does not know who they are, or what they have done.

There is a man who has been imprisoned there for decades.

What kind of crime did they commit to be imprisoned for decades?

I saw a strange prisoner today.

His crime must have been great. He was imprisoned in a metal cage.

His hair had turned white from being in the darkness for decades.

And he was blind in both eyes.

But the strangest thing was...

The moment I laid eyes on him, I felt like I was hit by lightning.

I am still haunted by the thought of him.

Did you say he was blind in both eyes?

Yes.

Is there a way you can find out...

Who he is or what kind of crime he committed?

Since even mu-song doesn't know, it would be difficult to find out.

Do you think you know him?

No. Go back and rest.

Yes.

It is impossible. It is impossible.

Why did you summon me?

His majesty has asked me to choose a day to honor hae mo-su's death.

Why all of a sudden?

Why is he bringing back the dead hae mo-su?

Hae mo-su's spirit is still controlling his majesty.

It is because of his spirit...

That his majesty cannot abandon the thought of war with the han nation!

High priestess, you must remove this spirit from his majesty.

Prime minister.

Yes.

General hae mo-su is still alive.

What did you just say now?

How is hae mo-su...!

He is still alive...

20 years ago, when general hae mo-su was captured by the han nation,

crown prince geum-wa attempted to rescue him.

But his majesty was unable to rescue him.

He thought hae mo-su died.

But some time later,

the dead hae mo-su appeared in buyeo.

High priestess, hae mo-su has returned alive.

Where is he now?

He appeared at the palace gates, so I imprisoned him.

Does the crown prince knows of this?

No. No one in the palace knows about this.

Before his highness finds out, don't you think we should kill hae mo-su?

What should I do?

If we don't hurry, his highness will know that hae mo-su is still alive.

We have to hurry and kill him.

We must not kill him.

- What do you mean? - What are you talking about?

The fact that hae mo-su is alive

is the will of the heavens.

If we kill hae mo-su, we will be defying the gods.

Harm will come to buyeo.

Then?

We have to let him live until his fate dictates his last breath.

Imprison hae mo-su in a place where his highness can never find.

No one must know of this other than you and I.

So we imprisoned hae mo-su in a cave prison under mt. Soo-mi

and kept it a secret from his majesty.

Then we should kill him now!

If his majesty finds out about this, there will be a dark storm in the palace.

No one knows of this prison, so do not be distressed.

For the past 20 years, I have tried to erase general hae mo-su from my memory.

I must see his state for myself.

Who are you? Be gone!

I am the prime minister bu deuk-bul. Summon the captain of the prison guard.

Who are you?

What kind of crime did you commit to be imprisoned here?

How long I have been imprisoned for,

or why I've been here,

even I am clueless about it.

Throughout the time I have been here,

I've been pondering over it,

but I still don't know.

Be careful. It's dark.

There's not many people working here...!

You're asking me who I am?

Now... I have already forgotten who I am.

You locked me up in this dark and damp prison for all those years

what made you pay attention to me now?

You seem to go out of palace very often recently

what's doing on?

Among the two persons coming with you

there is a female, am I right?

From what I observed

you have been learning swordsman ships

let me teach you a few strokes

I need a knife

he has fallen into my trap

he can never escape

destroy all the foundries at once

and stop making iron weapons.

I must avenge for this insult

my majesty...

Whatever the punishment is

I will accept

you

are no longer the prince of buyeo

get out of the palace

please take back your words...

Your majesty...