Original subtitles

He deserves death!

- She's acting like a noblewoman. - Gosh.

Those shameless things.

Let us see what the great woman with two husbands looks like.

You have to look that good to have two husbands.

Halt!

Why is that woman's hands not bound?

Why don't you do it? If you can.

I am simply on my way to be investigated,

so you should not bind my hands.

If you use such a tool on someone whom you should not,

you will receive 60 beatings with a stick

under the Great Ming Code, Article 419. Did you know?

Let us go!

I heard that she was a slave.

How dare such a lowly girl act as if she is of noble birth?

I know. The times we live in.

Off with the head of that charlatan woman!

What is your name?

Are you the oldest daughter, Tae-young, of Ok Pil-seung

who came as the envoy of the Qing Dynasty?

Or are you Goo-deok, the slave of Kim Nak-soo?

I am asking you what your name is!

Goo-deok!

Goo-deok!

Goo-deok!

Goo-deok!

Goodness, where did she go off to now?

She will be the death of me.

Goo-deok!

Have you seen my Goo-deok?

She is probably at the bookstore.

She said she would come after transcribing all night.

Darn it. Where is this bookstore?

She is driving me crazy.

Goo-deok!

Goo-deok…

Goo-deok!

- Father? - Geez.

Why are you causing a fuss so early in the day?

- My gosh. - Did you hide your bride here?

No, that is not it.

Why are you running about? The cough will get worse.

Stop. Just let me speak. Geez.

Your mistress is looking for you.

She is? She cannot be awake this early.

She wakes up at high noon.

The matchmaker.

The matchmaker!

My goodness! The matchmaker is coming today. I forgot. Oh, no.

- Hurry up and go. - See you later.

By the way, is your cough getting worse or better?

He charged us twice as much for the better medicine.

What a charlatan.

Please go. Hurry up and go.

I am going. Bye!

Why are you coming back?

You see me going, don't you?

What about you? You will be cold.

You will catch a cold.

Ta-da. Bye!

Go on!

- Bye! - Be careful.

Goo-deok!

Where is Goo-deok? Where is this wench?

What about you? Have you seen her?

What are you doing? Go and find her!

You'd better move fast!

Bring her to me right now!

Get moving!

How dare she leave the house without my permission again?

That wench. As soon as she shows up, I am going to break her legs.

My gosh. The hair you pulled out has finally grown back.

Why would you want to break my legs that work fine?

What? You definitely weren't inside.

The gudeuljang was so cold that I slept on hay in the barn.

I slept so well.

You went out, didn't you?

I told you that I slept in.

Do you not see the crust in my eyes?

How dare you try to fool me?

You are making money so that you can run away, are you not?

You are so imaginative, my lady.

How could I ever run away?

Anyway, if you go out one more time, I will chop off your ankles.

Wait. Then your name will be Limpy instead of Goo-deok.

Just hearing it is giving me chills.

Just the thought of it makes me laugh.

Then, you will have to limp around all your life

while you do everything for me.

- That would be so fun. - Sure, of course.

I will go and bring your new clothes.

Please get changed on time.

Hey.

How are you so good at everything when you were never taught these?

I could pick it up after watching it once or twice.

All done. It adds up.

If your master says you siphoned off the living expense again,

show this to him and say it all adds up.

Don't get chastised again.

You know, I think Lady So-hye might get married this time.

Did they find a suitable man?

Do you know the family of Gyeonggi provincial governor?

Their eldest son.

Why would a family like that want her ladyship?

Maybe it is true that he's a foundling.

More importantly, I hear that he is severely insane.

- Are you saying that he's crazy? - Yes.

Won't they go well together? Crazy man and crazy woman.

I might die trying to clean up.

What is all this?

This is why all those losers say that you have lost your mind.

Who is praising me behind my back?

Do you take that as praise?

They say that there is a slim difference between insanity and artistic ability.

If I can be recognized as a talented artist while I am alive,

nothing else would bring me more joy.

You are so positive.

If you don't want to do anything academic, try out martial arts at least.

Gosh.

You know that I am afraid of swords and arrows.

You must be the only man who doesn't have any callouses on his hands.

Hey.

I have taken care of my hands.

I have with this.

Do you want to feel it? It is very soft.

- It goes on very smoothly. - Right?

I keep reminding you this,

but you are the eldest son who will carry on the family name.

If I carry on the name, I will only have a child like me.

We have our bright Seo-ho. Why worry?

- Young Master. - Soe-ddung.

In life,

there cannot only be one way to live.

If we study the same thing, take the same exam,

and have the same positions, how can that be fun?

Anyone in there?

What?

- Yes, we are in here. - Please go out.

You should have summoned me instead of coming to this humble place.

Oh, that is right.

You do not like me coming over, do you?

The matchmaker came by.

You will get married soon.

To whom?

You will meet her on His Excellency's birthday.

Be ready.

Me?

May I show up to Father's birthday celebration?

I will bring her here, so there is no need to come.

By the way,

what kind of lady would marry someone like me?

She is from a lowly family,

but I hear that she is crafty with her hands and is bright.

I see. Her family must be rich.

We have honor,

but we lack money, so she is perfect for us.

Should you not be helpful to the family for once?

Is she pretty?

Is she pretty?

- I don't know. - Come on.

Why won't anyone tell me?

YELLOW SEA

I have saved up for years, but this is all I have.

What can I do to make more money?

Why are you doing all of this?

You should stop saving up money.

My heart sinks whenever you leave the house.

What? You want me to shut up?

It is a signal.

It means that we will only have one chance.

Goodness.

When I give this signal, you know what to do, right?

Go and find our sack and go to the entrance of Yongdubong?

Why would you say that out loud? I made the signal not to say it.

My goodness. Please.

Enough with this nonsense. Where do you think we can go?

Lady So-hye said she will only take me when she marries. What would that mean?

If you're bedridden with worsening coughs,

you will end up like Mom.

We will die one way or the other.

If we will die anyway, we might as well go for it.

Let's run away as if our life depends on it.

But that is not the case for you.

You are still young and healthy.

You have a whole life ahead of you. Why run away?

That is why.

Do you want me to spend all my life emptying her chamber pot?

If she cuts my leg off, I will live as a cripple.

If I get sick, she will bury me alive.

That is our lot in life.

Do you think there is any clear solution if we run away?

- There must be a vague one at least. - Goodness.

Father, I am Goo-deok. Don't you trust me?

I do.

Do not forget this.

All right.

Mom,

you are not sick and doing well there, right?

Mom!

Mom!

Please, my lord!

Please.

Please get my mom some medicine.

I told you to throw her out! Now!

How could you do this?

Are we animals?

Are we like dogs or pigs?

Hey, how are you different from dogs or pigs?

Please!

If you do not throw her out, I will bury this girl with her!

- Come on. Let us go, dear. - Mom! No!

Mom!

No! Mom!

Mom!

Darling.

Why are you still breathing?

Please stop clinging onto life

and leave us.

In your next life, I hope you are born as a noblewoman

so you can eat white rice, wear silk dresses,

and live like a human being.

If I make food that is good for Father's health

and get him good medicine, he will get better.

So, Mom,

please help us run away.

Okay?

Peanuts! I have peanuts for you!

- Give me some peanuts. - Sure.

All right.

Thank you.

I have peanuts for you! Peanuts!

While the master of that house was working for the Market Bureau,

I heard he siphoned a huge amount of money.

Did I say I was curious about that?

You should keep moving.

I thought you wanted to tell me about the family you're marrying into.

Is she pretty?

Everyone has their own taste, so I don't know.

But her character is absolutely the worst.

I heard she was crafty with her hands and bright, so I got curious.

There is a slave girl called Goo-deok there.

She does embroidery and reads books for her lady.

She is the one doing everything.

Goo-deok as in maggot? That is a person's name?

My name means cow dung.

I am not the one who named you though.

That is true.

My goodness.

- This wretched pine pollen. - Unbelievable.

Here. Blow your nose.

I know that I am an artist, but even my nose is sensitive.

Must you do this?

Why do you go out of your way to see a performance at a market place?

It is not what I want.

It is what my blood wants. Let us go.

Your blood wants it? But it is so cold.

She eats well, she drinks well

She eats meat well She eats rice cakes well

If you glance, she glances If you pout, she pouts

When the bride and groom go to bed

She goes, "Fire!"

I have peanuts for you! Peanuts!

She is selling peanuts over there.

- What? - I am bored. Let's get some peanuts.

Come.

Give me some.

- Hey, are you not Goo-deok? - Hush.

Oh, that slave girl who is very talented?

Hush.

Who do you think you are to utter my name?

You dressed up like a man.

Who is he?

This clueless, loud, and snotty guy.

This is because of pine pollen.

He is my cousin, Nan-bong.

- "Nan-bong"? - Nan-bong, here you go.

Two poon for a bag.

Two poon for a few peanuts? You are a thief, aren't you?

If you buy raw ones, grill, and peel them, it would be cheap, of course.

But I did all the work for you. If you are not willing to pay two poon,

- you are the thief. - You know how to talk back.

"Buy raw ones, grill, and peel them"?

That is logical.

Yes, she is very smart. No one can beat her.

Whatever.

- Oh, right, Soe-ddung. - Yes?

Can you get me into your kitchen for the birthday celebration?

But your mistress is coming too.

Will she not pull your hair out if you get caught?

What? Pull her hair out?

It is okay. It grows back fast.

- It grew back. Look. - Let me see.

It is nice and thick.

Anyway, can you at least put a word in?

- It is because I need money. - Really?

I will ask them.

By the way, I hear your master is a total nutcase.

A "nutcase"?

What is that?

Someone who has completely lost their mind.

As if their head has been cracked like a nut with a hammer.

A crazy guy who runs around as if he has lost his mind!

What is with you?

Do not make up stories like that.

Why are you yelling at me?

I hear that your mistress is not completely sane either.

What about her?

- Oh, my gosh. It's her ladyship. - Where?

Get out of my way. Move.

- Where are you going? - Move.

When could I ever sing at a place like this?

Let us all sing together!

Sing after me.

- Oh, my! - Oh, my!

My goodness!

Hey, Nan-bong.

Why are you hiding? Did you do something wrong?

And why are you dressed like that?

If being born on this land is a sin, I have sinned.

What the heck are you saying?

What do I do?

She is never interested in books, so why did she come out to spectate?

Right. Is it really true that you do everything

for your ladyship?

Do you usually speak so annoyingly?

What?

Hey!

How dare you act like a nobleman!

I am not acting like one. I am one.

What the heck are you talking about? Take it off.

I told you to take these clothes off.

I do not think we are close enough to tell one another to disrobe.

That is one weird way to interpret that.

Are you okay?

Are you crazy?

Yes, I am crazy.

I am insane.

I hear your master is a total nutcase.

A crazy guy who runs around as if he has lost his mind!

That means…

that you are not Soe-ddung's cousin.

My lord.

Goodbye.

Where do you think you are going?

I am terribly sorry, my lord. Please let me go.

Hush.

You must pay for what you did to a nobleman. Let us go.

Where are we going?

To the government office or to her ladyship?

My lord.

Here.

You cannot sell anymore, so why don't you join me in watching?

Then I will forgive you.

Look at that.

Sim Cheong does not sound earnest at all.

There are much better stories than Tale of Sim Cheong or Tale of Heungbu.

Why do they keep telling such corny stories?

It is so lowbrow that I cannot bear watching it.

I read a book called Tale of Hong Gil-dong not long ago.

The grief of a child of a concubine who cannot call his father, "Father."

It was truly touching.

I know.

We are all humans in this world,

so how can there be those who are noble and lowly?

Did you read that?

I probably transcribed every one of the books you read, my lord.

You probably have had many chances to read good books

and see many great performances,

so these kinds of market performances may seem trivial to you.

But to someone lowly like me,

it does not matter whether the performance is good or not.

How so?

Because life…

is hard.

While watching these, we briefly forget about it.

Sim Cheong was raised

without a mother by a blind father who begged for breast milk.

She became a queen.

That is unthinkable in real life.

People simply

like to hear stories about poor people becoming happy.

We imagine happy days that would never happen to us.

We experience satisfaction vicariously.

It gives happiness to those who have worked hard each day.

It briefly lets them forget about their worry.

Is that not the power of artists?

You have

truly enlightened me.

Pardon?

Until now, I did not know why I wrote, why I drew,

and why I danced.

But my head suddenly feels clear.

Meeting you today has been such a huge gift for me.

I do not know what you mean, but you seem happy, so I am glad.

Then, may I get going now?

When can I speak to you again?

I would like to get to know you better.

What are you passionate about?

Yes.

What do you dream of?

Well…

My dream is…

dying at an old age.

Not getting beaten to death, not starving to death,

but dying at a good old age.

Without getting my ankles chopped off or getting my hair pulled out…

just…

being able to live.

I wonder

if I would get lucky enough to live in hiding

in a small house by the sea with my father.

So how can someone like me converse with you, my lord?

It is unthinkable for someone lowly like me.

I only…

thought of myself.

Here. Take this.

Why are you giving me this?

You could not sell your peanuts because of me.

It is too much. I cannot accept it.

Then, let this be my gift to you.

A gift?

Yes, here.

Use it when you need it.

My lady.

When you are bored, why do you not read a book?

Are you crazy? I never read a book no matter how bored I am.

It may be awkward when you see him for the first time at the celebration.

If you have nothing to talk about, wouldn't it be nice to talk about a book?

Well, I guess you are right.

Read it to me. I will listen.

My eyes may be closed, but it doesn't mean I am sleeping, so read until the end.

Yes, my lady.

What are you passionate about?

What do you dream of?

Goo-deok!

Father!

Look here.

Why did the first person whoever moved my heart have to be

the slave of the woman I am in marriage talks with?

What a twist of fate.

If we were of the same status, I would have expressed how I felt to you.

I cannot seem to sleep tonight though it is getting very late.

What could this be?

What could this possibly be?

It is nothing special.

I know he is a foundling,

but how could he marry him off to such a family?

He is severely insane, so what can he do?

He has no choice but to marry him off to that family.

Here.

Here.

Goo-deok! Your hair.

Hey, your hair.

Darn it.

Get out of my way!

Darn it. I know it is her.

If not for Soe-ddung, I would have become a cripple.

Oh?

ILSEOB GATE

There is a separate house here.

I see.

Is this Young Master's residence?

He must be so lonely.

When you get used to loneliness, the feeling gets dulled.

I doubt you came here to talk with me.

Well, I…

Her ladyship must have noticed it was me and came to the kitchen,

so I ran away and ended up here.

Last time, you were selling peanuts in disguise.

And now, you knew that she would pull your hair out if you got caught,

but you came here to earn money anyway.

Why are you so desperate for money?

Are you really planning to run away to live by the sea?

Tell me.

I would like to help you however way I can.

Why would you help someone like me?

No, my lord. It is all right.

Please be careful, my lady.

How is it that you are here and not at the celebration?

I have severe insanity, so I might ruin it.

I see.

Have you read Tale of Hong Gil-dong?

My hobby is to read novels.

Which part did you find most impressive in that book?

Well…

The part where Gil-dong couldn't call his father, "Father."

Why that part?

They are blood-related, but he is mistreated as a concubine's son.

We are all humans in this world,

so how come some are noble and some lowly?

Yes, that is how I felt too.

If that was how you felt,

how could you bury a slave alive whom you had your whole life

just because she became ill?

Pardon?

I do not know what you mean.

If you heard that I was insane,

did you not think that I would hear what kind of person you are too?

If I were to elaborate on that rumor, you cannot do anything on your own

and your slave girl does every single thing for you.

Do not embarrass yourself any further and just leave.

The talks of our marriage…

Let us call it off.

All right. Let us get up.

This is your way out.

You may be insane, but I doubt you raise a mouse in your room.

Where are you going?

I think you have a dirty maggot crawling about.

- My lady. - You wench.

Is this where you came whenever you left the house?

- What? - Wait.

You got it all wrong. Let me explain.

You refuse to marry me because of her?

That is nonsense. How did your mind go there?

- That is not true, my lady. - You approached him!

You did this on purpose after finding out I was in marriage talks!

What is going on? Who on earth are you?

This is my slave girl.

He was sleeping with my slave of all people!

- No, my lady. That is not true! - It is a misunderstanding. Mother!

Do not even call me mother!

Come here.

Come with me, you wench!

My lady, it is not true!

Stop right there!

- My lady. - You stupid wench.

My lord!

My lord, please kill me instead!

I will kill you and your daughter too!

How dare you!

How dare the likes of you humiliate me and my daughter?

My lord, let me do it.

Beat them to the brink of death

and bury them while they are alive. Understand?

- Yes, my lord. - Now!

Tell me. You did it on purpose, didn't you?

You did it on purpose to win over my groom first!

Die!

Die, the lot of you!

Die! Die, maggot!

Father!

Die!

No, killing them is not right, is it?

We are like family, are we not?

Yes, my lady.

Why don't we really become a family?

Wash her and send her into Father's room.

My lady.

What are you doing? Wash her and send her in this instant!

My lady. My lady!

When I give this signal, you know what to do, right?

Go and find our sack and go to the entrance of Yongdubong?

If I took you in early on, I could have prevented all this.

Let us forget all of that after tonight.

I will give you one of my rooms too.

I poured you that glass to thank you for feeding us

and putting a roof over our heads.

All right, sure.

And this is…

Why are you in such a rush?

This is revenge for my mother.

Is there anyone out there?

Father!

Goo-deok, what on earth are you doing?

Where are you going?

Move.

Why you wench!

Remove this dirty hand of yours!

Is it dirty?

Yes, you dirty wench.

You maggot-like wench. You deserve to die!

No one deserves to die in this world.

And…

you are the one that is dirty.

- Goo-deok. - What happened?

Where are you going?

Get that wench right now!

What are you doing? Report to the government office!

Hurry up!

- Find them! - Hurry!

We must uphold law and order!

They could not have gone far!

That way!

What happened? What have you done?

- The sack. Did you bring it? - Here it is.

Let us hurry up and go.

They are down there!

Go! That way!

- Yes, sir. - Yes, sir.

Geum-bok.

I put in some potatoes, gaetteok, and some money.

What are you doing? Hurry up and go.

Do not ever get caught. Go far away.

Do not ever come back. Okay?

Thank you. Thank you so much.

- Let us go. - Go now. Hurry.

Goodbye, Mom.

Thank you, Mom.

Please go and beg for forgiveness, Young Master. Please.

What about her? What happened to Goo-deok?

That is not what is important now.

On your birthday,

he fooled around with a slave to the woman he was to marry.

Isn't that reason enough to banish him?

I told you that I would reason with him.

You do not care about my Seo-ho, do you?

Because of that son you had with a lowly gisaeng…

How could you say that?

I am

not a foundling but your illegitimate son?

You are the son of a woman I loathed.

I hated you so much, but I still raised you as a son.

I thought you did not care about me because I was a foundling.

But you just hated me.

You should have told me sooner.

I wondered who I took after to be like this.

But my mother was a gisaeng.

Seo-in.

I will leave this house at daybreak.

What are you saying?

You have raised and fed me well. I will never forget that.

There is only one way not to forget that.

You must never return.

Lady Cha!

I will not forget how you tried to stop me as well, Father.

Do not link yourself with this family no matter what.

You do not exist anymore.

Of course…

not.

The government office sent out soldiers to search for them everywhere.

But they will die if they catch them.

- Yes. - Get a slave hunter from the market.

I will make her life a living hell.

What?

Seeing your bags, you are not here to see me off.

Once a slave, always a slave. Is that it?

It is His Excellency's orders.

And

this, too.

Gosh.

Did he tell you to watch me?

He told me to take good care of you.

I guess I am in a better place than Hong Gil-dong.

Where are you going?

Before I go, I am thinking of seeing Goo-deok's face.

You cannot.

Do not catch her?

Yes.

You are telling us hunters to not catch someone?

Why should we not?

What? Why are you doing this? Wait. This is our…

Let go.

You are promised 100 nyang if you get her?

If you sell that, you can get at least twice as much.

What if they catch her?

Then they will keep this money and that one.

Then I will trust you.

By the way…

why are you spending so much money on a lowly slave girl?

I am thankful to her as she gave me my freedom.

So I want to help her get her freedom as well in any way I can.

Then,

how about I bring this woman to you?

Do not go after her. Let her sleep in peace for once.

Let us go.

If she and I are meant to meet again, we will cross paths somewhere.

Father.

My goodness. I must have lost my mind.

That was such precious money.

It is already lost. What is the point in dwelling on it?

Let us retrace our steps.

Let us go back for half a day.

The herb gatherers already took it probably.

Just think of it as a good deed.

You have worked so hard to save that money.

How could I lose it?

We are in Chungcheong-do now, so hang in there.

In a few days, we will reach the sea.

I should have gone off secretly and died.

If I had, you would not have thought of something so foolish.

Stop it.

Don't do that. It is all right, Father.

I am about to go mad.

What is that?

We are here, ma'am.

Yes.

- Do you have a vacant room? - Of course. Come on in.

- Give us a small room. - All right.

Pardon me.

Did you see the person who came with me?

- He left during the night. - What? Really?

Are you saying I am lying?

No way.

Why did he leave without me?

Which way did he go?

How would I know?

Hey.

If you and your father are trying to run away without paying, forget it.

I am not a pushover.

It is precious.

It will be enough for the food and room.

Goodbye.

- Father! - Oh, my.

Father! Father.

Father!

Father…

Yes.

I cannot be a burden to my daughter.

My daughter is the smartest in the world.

She will figure something out if she is on her own.

Are you crying in front of my business? That is bad luck.

If he comes back…

and I am not here, we would miss each other for good.

You are right. You are pretty smart.

I am really smart. And I am good at everything.

I cook well and clean well.

So may I please stay here?

By the looks of it, you seem to be a runaway slave.

Here.

- Sweep in front of the entrance. - Yes, ma'am.

How is it that you rejected all the young ones and asked to see me?

Do you know the provincial governor of Gyeonggi by the name of Song Byeong-geun?

I thought you looked familiar. You must be Hwa-ran's son.

Is she…

here as well?

After she sent you away,

she became ill and died not long after.

May I…

stay in this place?

TAEHWAGWAN

1 YEAR LATER

It is nice and fresh.

You see? Look at it wiggle.

Yes, it looks good. How much is it?

Yes, two poon.

What the heck?

- How is that two poon? - What?

You think we are blind?

How could you try to fool us right in front of us?

How dare you lure us in with a live one and give us a dead one?

What?

Why you cunning bastard. Do I look like a pushover to you?

Give us that fresh one there.

Then I'll let this one go.

How will you live without me, Auntie?

Tell me about it.

By the way, how many years has that bastard been lying to me?

Father.

Father.

Father!

Were you mistaken again?

Yes.

Father must be doing well, right?

Of course.

Let us get going. Okay?

Come on.

Oh, my.

Those jerks put those up again.

We do not know if he is well,

but at least he has not been caught, right?

Let us go.

Please come again!

Enjoy the food.

Hang on.

Ma'am, bring a rice wine here.

I will get it for you.

You stay put. Cheon-bok took a liking to you.

Our place is not a place like that.

Okay.

Sam-man, I guess words do not work.

Oh, my! Soldiers! Welcome!

Go inside.

Please hurry and come.

- That was good. - Please come in.

This way. Come this way.

This way. You can sit there.

Close the door. Now.

Come on. The soldiers didn't even recognize me.

When you wash your face, you look just like the composite sketch.

Why are you yelling at me?

Because I am worried!

Those ignorant thieves.

How dare they?

Auntie, come on. I am not that special.

I hear

that you can go somewhere to buy your way into nobility.

I am going to stay here and wait for Father.

It has been over a year.

Why would he come back?

Do you think he would expect you to still be here?

Go and hide.

Why yes. How can I…

Who are you?

You must have some important guests.

I know.

His Excellency over there rented out our whole place.

Where could they come from?

He went to Qing as an envoy,

and now he is heading back to his home, Cheong-su County.

The horses are exhausted,

so they will rest for a couple days before they continue on.

My goodness. Welcome, Your Excellency.

- Nice to meet you. - Yes.

You must be tired.

My goodness. How pretty she is.

You may follow me, my lady.

Come this way.

Hello. Nice to meet you.

My name is Ok Tae-young.

Oh, my gosh. Goodness gracious.

Sorry. Did I scare you?

Did you come here by yourself, my lady?

By the way, what is your name?

What should I call you?

Just…

call me, "Hey."

Why do you want to know the name of someone insignificant like me?

No one is insignificant in this world.

Welcome.

How much for the two?

Just accept the price for one.

Did you not like it?

What is the point in me liking it or not?

It does not suit me.

Well, this is most annoying.

How dare you touch me with your dirty body?

I am terribly sorry, my lord.

You are the one who bumped into her.

But instead of apologizing to her, you are mad at her?

- How dare you… - I am so sorry, my lord.

My lady, please leave.

I am sorry. I am so sorry.

One must speak their mind.

You may be able to do so, but I would be in big trouble.

That is why I am doing it for you.

I was trying to help.

You are not helping me. You are pitying me.

Pity?

You show kindness to someone insignificant like me

and feel superior, do you not?

Fine, do as you wish.

I should happily let you do it, but…

You speak…

in a Hanyang accent when you are upset.

You use difficult words too.

I am not superior because I am privileged,

but I feel responsible because I am privileged.

I became privileged without doing anything,

so helping those who are not privileged

seems reasonable to me.

We seemed similar in age,

so I followed you around to be friends with you.

It seems that fate has brought us together,

so I wanted to get hair pins for us.

You were insulted by a good-for-nothing man,

so I wanted to take your side.

It is not pity or superiority,

so please do not take it the wrong way.

I am sorry for making you…

feel uncomfortable.

My name is…

Goo-deok.

My master named me that…

so that I would live like a maggot.

I am…

a slave from Hanyang that ran away.

How can someone lowly like me and someone noble like you be friends?

It is unthinkable.

Why should your status as a slave be a hindrance?

What is your dream?

My dream is to meet my father again

and live in a small house by the sea.

Happily.

I hope it comes true.

What about you, my lady?

My dream is to become a legal advocate.

A legal advocate?

To legally defend people.

Even when someone is wronged, they cannot make a claim

because they do not know the law or how to read.

I want to help those in need.

Even though you are a noblewoman,

how can you have any position

as a woman in the land of Joseon?

A legal advocate is not a position. If you know how to read, you can do it.

It does not matter if you are a woman either.

Oh, really?

I will become a legal advocate.

I even gave myself the pen name, "Byeonho."

"Byeon" meaning "words" and "Ho" meaning "to help"?

You know Chinese characters too?

Yes, I learned from picking it up here and there.

You are truly amazing.

- Is there anything you cannot do? - You are

so different from another lady I know.

How can you speak so beautifully

and have such noble thoughts?

This soup tastes excellent.

Here, my lord.

Why did you bring this?

Thanks to you, we were able to rest very comfortably.

We are thinking of leaving at the break of day.

So soon?

Your Excellency.

Your Excellency.

Could I please ask you to take in this girl?

Auntie, why are you doing this?

She is not my niece.

I took her in temporarily because I felt sorry for her.

I feel such pity for her.

Please, Your Excellency.

Your Excellency.

I had

left the country at a young age, so I do not know anybody back home.

I have only exchanged letters with my grandmother and brother,

so I don't even remember their faces well.

I do not need a slave girl. What I need is…

a friend.

Oh, my goodness, my lady. Thank you so much.

Thank you, my lady.

Thank you.

My goodness.

He is taking you in as an adopted daughter. What a relief.

Oh, my.

You look like a lady now that you are wearing a silk dress.

What is all this?

Do you think it is really okay to do this?

You are receiving the luck you earned.

Think of it as the heavens helping you.

Will you really be okay without me, Auntie?

Of course. Don't you worry about me.

I will never let the fishmonger take advantage of me again,

and if your father does show up, I will let you know immediately, okay?

And…

Here.

You did not sell this?

This was the only thing you had, so how could I sell it?

Take it with you.

Auntie.

My goodness, how pretty you are.

Oh, my. My lady.

Come in.

Well, then. I will leave you two to talk.

I knew it would suit you.

You really look pretty.

One moment.

My grandmother gave it to me, but it suits you.

What can I give you?

What?

I have nothing.

So what can I do for you?

Do not do anything for me.

From now on, whatever you do, do it for yourself.

My lady.

This is called an aloe. A plant from Arabia.

It can be used medicinally and it is very strong.

Just like my grandmother.

So this is a gift for Grandmother, and the rest is for the household staff.

This is face powder from Qing, and it's for Mak-sim.

She does all the household chores

and never takes care of herself, so it has always worried me.

And these shoes and silk

are for Baek-yi.

Baek-yi was so white and pretty when she was born

that she was named Baek-yi.

Oh, right.

And this is a very precious medicinal herb.

It works well on coughs.

I heard that Do-kki has been coughing lately,

so I asked around and brought it.

You brought medicinal herbs as a gift…

because a slave was coughing?

Why not?

I just…

It is just that it makes me happy.

I keep thinking that I may be dreaming.

Oh, my gosh!

Let's go.

Father.

Tae-young…

Father!

- My lady, we must go. - Father!

Auntie.

Auntie.

Auntie.

Auntie.

Auntie.

Auntie!

Got you.

My lady, let's go.

My lady.

I will check over there.

My lady. My lady!

My lady!

My lady.

My lady, we must go!

My lady.

You must survive.

You must survive…

and fulfill your dream.

No, my lady.

No, my lady! My lady! No!

Are you awake?

Grandmother?

My lady.

Baek-yi?

Do you remember me?

Thank you, my dear.

Thank you for surviving.

I am so relieved that you survived at least.

Thank you.

You see…

- My lady… - My Tae-young.

You have grown so much, my Tae-young.

Tae-young.

You are my Tae-young, are you not?

Yes.

That was my first lie.

Keep mind that no one is allowed to come near the annex.

If you talk about our household in front of those people

and the Mother's Sanctuary finds out…

So the granddaughter of that family…

She was not violated by those thieves, was she?

Her arrogance seems to know no bounds.

She has not even shown her face.

It will definitely not be easy.

You must wear the headpiece skirt for the rest of your life.

Tell me exactly what you heard.

You… The slave girl from the inn?

How did you…

My lady!

Chon Seung-hwi. Chon Seung-hwi is coming!

Subtitle translation by: Ilyoung Kim