Original subtitles

[Ok Taec-yeon]

[Kim Hye-yoon]

Subtitle by iQiyi - Resynced by YoungJedi -

[Secret Royal Inspector Joy]

[All characters, organizations, locations,]

[and events in this drama are fictitious.]

Your Royal Highness.

[Did you say you were scared and lonely?]

[At times like that, sweet treats will lift your spirits.]

You were right.

I now feel more at ease.

Then what should we have next?

- Draw your sword. - I would rather not.

And why is that?

It has been a while since we shared a peaceful day.

Why would you waste it on dueling--

You know that learning how to fight

will lead me to hurt someone--

I would rather reserve blades for cooking.

When has the world ever bent in your favor?

When has it ever...

gone our way?

[To protect what you love,]

you must be able to handle what you hate.

[There will come a time...]

[for you to wield an actual blade]

[in order to protect yourself]

and those you love.

I doubt I will ever voluntarily wield an actual sword.

Your Royal Highness.

Your Royal Highness.

Why did you not run to safety?

Make sure that he gets to Mount Gwanggyo.

- Your Royal Highness? - That is ridiculous.

Those barbarians do not recognize you.

They may hurt you on your way back.

I will make it to the fortress myself.

But we are to escort you--

Was I not clear? This is a direct order!

You cannot do this.

He...

is someone I consider a brother.

Protect him as you would protect me.

You have our word.

You cannot.

Your Royal Highness!

[You cannot do this, Your Royal Highness!]

[Your Royal Highness, no!]

[Your Royal Highness!]

[Your Royal Highness!]

[Your Royal Highness!]

Have you been well?

[Your Royal Highness!]

[Please come back!]

[Please come back!]

[Please come back!]

[Episode 3: Seubcheob]

[A divorcee marrying the first man she runs into at a shrine]

Fearing that your corrupt deeds would be discovered,

you, Magistrate Jang Ki-wan, killed Inspector Park Moo-kyung

who was sent here to inspect the region.

Then to cover up the murder,

you sank the tax shipping freighter.

But the body washed up despite your attempts to cover it up,

[Local Government Office]

so you tried to dispose of the body!

I did not kill him. I swear!

Even if you did not do it yourself,

you must have either assisted or turned a blind eye to it.

This is my command.

Seal off the storage at once and confiscate the seal!

I object!

You are that rude, aggressive...

You are Bang-deuk!

[Local Government Office]

- Royal Inspector, sir! - Mother!

You came at the perfect time.

Then we shall return to our home.

Come here, you brat.

Your impudence knows no bounds.

Let her go.

How dare you use violence in a government office?

I hope I did not come too late.

As of today, the lunar date of May 5...

Your divorce is approved.

[The royal inspector's body washed up?]

The royal inspector who was recently sent to Chungcheong Province

raided the tax grain storage and found out about the tax shipping freighter.

Hence, we had no choice but to sink the vessel

and drown the inspector

in order to destroy evidence.

Then you should have taken proper care of the matter.

Why would you come all the way here and tell me this?

[Poheum: To embezzle taxes]

We gave you half of the taxes that we embezzled

in return for protecting us.

You must have paid Park Tae-seo.

Why must you drag me into this?

Are you trying to con us?

You used him to take everything you wanted.

How could you pretend you know nothing?

Besides, Park Tae-seo is

your son, is he not?

How is he my son when he is not even on my family tree?

My lord!

- No! - My gosh!

Go after him! He is an assassin!

- My gosh. - What is going on?

Get off of me.

Mother is over there.

- No. - From now on, you must protect her

for I cannot.

- Will you please grow up? - Mother!

Sir!

Today is Dano, so the market will be busy with all the festivities.

If the guards suddenly go out there, people will get hurt.

Why not have them block all the streets that lead to the market

and send only a few of them after him?

Listen carefully. Block all the streets that lead to the market

and surround the village so that the assassin cannot get away.

- Make sure no one gets hurt. Understood? - Yes, sir!

- Yuk-chil, Goo-pal. - Yes.

- We will chase the assassin. - Yes, my lord.

I can lead the way, if you need me to.

I know the village like the palm of my hand.

Show me the way.

But how will you keep up with a horse?

Hop on.

- Giddyap! [- You should have at least]

[stopped him from sending another inspector.]

You should have stopped him for the sake of your safety at least!

Did I sink the tax shipping freighter?

Or did I kill the secret royal inspector?

What on earth did I do that you dare to threaten me

by voicing concern for my safety?

If you caused such trouble,

you should either kill all the witnesses and everyone else involved

or take your own life to get out of it.

Figure it out on your own.

Please help me, my lord.

What did Tae-seo do to your face?

He should have just killed you.

Giddyap!

Giddyap!

- My gosh! - Oh, no!

Whoa.

Come over here.

- Out of the way! - Clear the way!

Yuk-chil, Goo-pal.

Causing a fuss will only endanger us.

We must be very careful.

Let us go.

Did we lose him?

Shut it. We must find him.

I told the guards to block every alleyway, so he cannot have gotten far.

Just a moment.

Watch out!

- What was that? - My goodness.

- My lord! - Get him!

Get him! He went that way!

Stop!

- Hurry, this way! - Okay!

- He is up there! - Watch out!

- Careful! - Watch out!

Goo-pal!

Get him!

Stop. We must not kill him.

Sir. Over there.

Go! Get him!

- This way. - Come along!

Are you all right?

Pardon me?

Oh, yes.

We caught him without hurting anyone thanks to your quick wit.

I am grateful that I could be of help.

Besides, you helped me get my life back.

Thank you very much.

No, you are wrong.

You made it happen on your own,

with your courage.

I wish to reward you for helping us today,

so tell me what you want.

Do you mean that?

If I may ask for something,

I do wish to ask for a favor.

What is it?

I wish to give my friend, Bo-ri, a proper burial.

Do you mean the young woman who ran the tavern?

Correct. Her body was burned without a trace,

but I wish to at least bury her spirit in a nice, sunny spot

to appease her soul.

You now have to find a way to make ends meet on your own as a divorcee.

I can submit a special request to have you rewarded.

[Byeoldan: Document attached to a report submitted to King]

Why not ask for a prize?

A prize?

Like a monetary reward?

No, that is all right.

I will live with regret my whole life if I do.

I chose this tough divorce

because I did not want to live with regret anymore.

I am going to quit living with regret now.

My lord, we are ready to take the lead.

Let us go, my lord.

Let go of me!

I will not question you.

You failed your mission by getting arrested,

so you will die in the hands of the people who hired you anyway.

Or since you committed murder,

I can declare the death penalty right away.

Of course, if there is a reason to into account,

I can show you some mercy.

But you will not confess who the mastermind is, will you?

Am I not right?

Am I not?

Think carefully

if those you are trying to protect by risking your life

are worth protecting.

- Put him in jail. - Yes, my lord.

They sent someone who could not speak on purpose.

They might send an executioner again,

so do not let your guard down.

[Janggye: Report]

I have made a report,

so you will receive a separate disposition from Hanyang soon.

Until then, you must take care of the town.

Pardon?

Are you not taking in charge, Inspector Ra?

I was ordered to inspect

the whole Chungcheong Province.

I cannot remain in this town.

I see.

Many things are a mess,

but it is at times like these you should keep your position

and fulfill your responsibilities.

I will bear that in mind.

Let us go.

By the way, Inspector Ra.

According to the mortician, the executioner's arrow

[Ohjakin: Mortician who worked at the government office]

was made of aconite root.

- Aconite? - Yes, my lord.

Is aconite

not medicinal herbs used in the palace?

It is. It is known as the best tonic.

However, it can become the best poison if abused.

The best poison? What do you mean?

Many know aconite as a medicinal herb,

but it can be poisonous

depending on how you use it.

[I have an abscess on my back.]

[What medicinal herbs were used?]

[Aconite, my lord.]

Commoners are prohibited from cultivating that medicinal herb.

But to use that means

the mastermind is no ordinary person.

Please be careful.

My lord, let us hurry up and head to the next must-eat place.

What is going to be our next meal?

I cannot believe it was aconite.

Aconite?

Is there such food?

Is it good?

What?

It was a divine move for me to come here.

We must hurry.

Before rumors go around that a secret royal inspector

is stirring around Chungcheong Province,

I will follow the route of the tax shipping freighter.

I will find

the mastermind behind this case.

But...

Goo-pal, seems like visiting must-eat places will have to be postponed.

Darn it.

Seriously?

They say furniture has memories, too.

You should all forget about me.

What do you think you are taking?

You should be kicked out stark naked,

but to think you can take your share. In your dreams!

Your liquor jugs. I smashed them all yesterday.

- What? - Because I hate you.

It is my revenge before leaving the house.

You are openly throwing a fit now, are you not?

How dare you smash all those priceless liquor, you wench?

Even if you get sick,

there is no money for medicine because of the gambling debt your son is in.

So do not use this to buy liquor.

Save this money and use it for medicine someday.

How dare you try to teach your mother-in-law!

You are rotten until the very end!

You never know when the police will come to crackdown liquor.

Do not make any at home.

Why do you care?

You said we were strangers now!

You said we were strangers now.

You wench!

Go back home. You have never once seen me off.

You really should not do this!

I will forgive you for everything!

Out of the majigi barley field I have,

I will give you a summajigi.

Just stay!

Did you sell your new soul to the road?

Can she not hear me?

Where do you think you are going?

This is a handsome sum of money.

How did she save all of this?

What? He already left?

Since the case became a mess,

there must be a lot to report to Hanyang.

So he left in a hurry.

By any chance, did he mention where he will go?

Stop being ridiculous.

Secret royal inspectors, like their title, move in secret.

He would never disclose his destination.

I see.

Maybe I should have received whatever reward he was willing to give me.

All that aside, Inspector Ra wanted me

to hand this to you.

What is this?

[Mount Gyehwa]

I was told to tell you to go there.

Little lady, not so fast.

Did you think we would just let you pass?

Divorce is no joke.

When a man and a woman marry--

That hurts!

- Wait! - Why you...

Unbelievable.

A woman so brute and feisty

only has a rough life ahead of her.

- Darn. - Like mother, like daughter.

Your mother was dragged off to Qing but lived on without ending her life.

You both are a disgrace to our town!

My friend.

Your life was worthwhile.

It was.

There she comes.

Gosh.

Goodness.

Are you leaving now?

Sweetheart.

What is this?

They are Chinese trumpet vine seeds.

These precious flowers are only planted

in the house of the nobles.

Do you perhaps know what these flowers signify?

Honor.

Not even the deity

could stop these flowers from blooming.

Never bend for anyone

and be your own woman.

I will be rooting for you.

Be well.

- Thank you. - Sure.

Jo-yi!

You did well hanging in there.

Take care!

You made the right choice.

Do not come back here

and live your life freely like a butterfly!

Goodness, my lord.

My dear.

- This way, please. - Of course.

Mal-jong, I heard you were hosting a feast.

As if that is any news.

Every meal of every day is like a feast to him.

What is different is that I have a reason for one.

A reason?

Tae-seo, the cupellation was a success.

Cupellation? It is the process that separates pure silver

from silver ores.

Is that true?

Congratulations. I truly mean it.

How could the King ignore such a valuable process?

Tae-seo is definitely more of a leader than he is.

- Of course, he is. - Yes!

Soon enough, Joseon will be in your hands.

Pathetic, is he not?

The King, I mean.

He is oblivious to the ways of the world.

All he does is sit around at Changdeok Palace

trying to secure his place on the throne.

Father, what brings you by?

Nobody moves!

The bigger the audience,

the greater the humiliation.

- Father-- - Shut it!

If there are any fools who believe

that being chummy with him will get them anywhere,

I advise them to remember what they say today.

But...

Father.

Father.

Father.

I am the fool

for giving you a task thinking that you were of use.

Father, I do not understand.

When one is ordered to steal, he should do so silently.

Because you were stupid enough to make a mess of things,

rumors have been spreading about

a storage in a southern region being raided.

So would it not be better

for me to be the one who buries you?

Father, I...

It was for you.

Everything I did

- was to please you. - And I told you to be discreet!

A secret royal inspector was murdered,

and the ledger is nowhere to be seen.

The secret royal inspector appointed from the Office of Special Counselors

will now hunt you down.

So here is an idea.

How about you take the blame for everything

and let the secret royal inspector wipe you off the face of this earth?

Tae-seo.

Do not

disappoint me.

My son.

I hear you,

Father.

Get up!

Kill the secret royal inspector who was recently sent here.

And how would we know who he is?

Whether it is the secret royal inspector

or someone who could be him,

just kill them all.

The moment I hear he is back in Hanyang to give his report,

you will be as good as dead.

Giddyap!

These rice cakes are very precious.

Why are you burning them?

My point exactly. We should be sucking on them right now.

Be quiet. When you cook them like this, they taste even better.

Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

Good. They are cooked to perfection.

Take out the soft persimmon we got from Gyehwa Valley.

The soft persimmon?

Wait.

Give me that.

Why would you mash the persimmon like that?

My gosh.

Give me that.

Here.

What did I tell you? I am a true gourmet.

I told you it would be delicious.

Soft persimmons are easy to digest.

- It is also... - There he goes again,

lecturing us on food.

Because he works in the Office of Special Counselors,

every word he uses is awfully pretentious and obnoxious.

- It is very good for you. - What a braggart.

- Chew on a pebble, you punks! - "Chew on..."

Here.

Did the Crown Prince like soft persimmons too?

What?

Oh, right.

The Crown Prince has been gone

for over a year already.

He is not gone.

I still see him often.

I see him every night, in my sleep.

Who else would I dream of,

but him?

[Your Highness!]

[You were at my side.]

[It was His Royal Highness who saved my life in the war.]

[I treasure him more than my real brother.]

[Even when he returned from Qing]

[nine years after he was taken there as a hostage,]

[he asked to see me before anybody else.]

[- He always] - Your Royal Highness.

[put me first.]

His Royal Highness

protected me.

Yet I

could not do the same for him.

I need a nap. Wake me up in half an hour.

We must pass the hill today.

Well, have you decided on the next destination?

We will go to Gongjinchang,

the granary where the grain on the tax freighter was from.

Gongjinchang?

I am sure the port is this way.

[What do you plan to do once you get a divorce?]

[I will go to Hanyang.]

[I heard there was a large ship that sails from the port to Hanyang.]

[Bo-ri's]

[Many noble families live in Hanyang.]

[I can make a living by making clothes for the noble ladies.]

[As you know, I am pretty good at making clothes.]

[Why not just forget about getting a divorce?]

[Stay with your husband and put up with him.]

[No. I do not want to do that.]

[I do not want to live like this.]

[And most importantly, I want to find my mother.]

Bo-ri.

Even before I get to start afresh,

I think I got lost.

Giddyap!

Giddyap!

My lord, I really do not think

this is the right way.

Why would anyone take this path unless they want to die?

If we take the paths that travelers commonly take,

we will most certainly run into a tiger.

Are we going the right way?

You are certain that this is the right direction, right?

Do not worry.

Once we go over this hill, a trail will appear.

This is not the right way.

What?

My gosh, Bo-ri.

There is a shrine here. How fascinating.

The candles are lit.

Yes. Instead of wandering in the dark,

I should just spend the night here.

The deities will keep me safe if I stay here.

Please forgive me for intruding.

My gosh. Every single one of them signifies someone's wish.

Everyone is praying with all their heart.

[And live your life freely like a butterfly!]

[Never bend for anyone and be your own woman.]

You made it happen on your own,

with your courage.

Why...

Why did I think of Bang-deuk?

I have gone crazy!

It is because I slept sitting down.

Let me lie down.

I should sleep lying down.

I must have really gone crazy.

This is unlike me.

[Found it!]

We did. We finally did.

We were about to die because of our directionally challenged lord,

but we made it alive!

If the directionally challenged was not you,

we would have killed him. But you survived!

I did!

- What? - You survived. That is what matters.

- Run! - Okay!

You punks! Stop right there!

- You punks! Stop right there! - Gosh.

How dare you run away?

I told you to stop!

What is going on? Who are you? What?

Darn it.

Are you not...

Bang-deuk?

Inspector Ra?

So you were sleeping here?

Alone?

It was hard to tell the way, so I was going to take a short break.

But I must have been really worn out and fallen asleep.

Anyway, I am sorry.

Are you all right?

No matter how worn out you are,

you should not fall asleep inside the mountain.

You would have suffered a disaster if a mountain thief or beast appeared.

You went through all that and got a divorce.

What will you do if you die sleeping inside such a creepy shrine?

For making a grave for Bo-ri--

Right, a shrine to the village deity!

So that was the reason.

Excuse me?

I see.

So you do not know.

What is it this time? What do we not know?

This is the very reason I cannot help but teach you.

Why? What did we--

So what is it, my lord?

Since ancient times, there is an institution

in which the first man to come across the divorcee standing in front

of the shrine to the village deity has to take her as his wife in Joseon.

This is called seubcheob.

- Seubcheob? - Seubcheob?

In other words, if the man is a bachelor,

he will have to marry the divorcee,

and if he is married,

he must take her as his concubine.

I did not know such existed.

He is right. I know what it is. I have heard of it before.

By any chance, were you waiting here for a remarriage?

What? No way. That is nonsense.

I am telling you I was not! I was simply taking a break.

Seubcheob did not even cross my mind.

Remarriage? Divorcing my husband has not even sunk in yet.

True. And not going through with seubcheob should be fine.

How dare you! Violating moral principles is a serious crime!

You might be dragged

to the Office of Special Justice and punished if you violate the customs.

Is it that serious?

That I did not know.

- Laws are scary, are they not? - Yes.

I hate the thought of being punished.

It is a relief nobody passed by until now.

Hold on. If nobody passed by until now,

- that means we are the first. - Yes.

Was Lord Yi-eon the first man you came across as he tripped over you?

Yes.

Did he not say that the first man to come across becomes her husband?

That is not what I meant. What I meant was...

Then what? Do you mean

she has to get remarried to Lord Yi-eon or what?

That is how it works.

- I am sorry. - What nonsense are you spouting?

He is half out of his mind.

What you said is ridiculous!

My stomach hurts!

He is hilarious!

Did I do something wrong?

I mean, seubcheob?

It cannot be true.

- Let me see. - Please pretend it did not happen.

Out of all the people in this world,

- why did it have to be a divorcee? - I cannot!

- I cannot get remarried. Please! - This cannot be.

I might not be the first man she met. I might not.

- This does not count! - I do not need to go through with it.

- Right. This does not count. - Please listen to my prayer.

This does not count!

How many times is he going to repeat that?

Please listen to my prayer.

Let us pretend it did not happen and pretend we did not see each other.

How about it?

Everyone here saw it, so how can you lie like that?

"How dare you! Violating moral principles is a serious crime!"

"You might be dragged to the Office of Special Justice"

and punished if you violate the customs!

That is what you said earlier.

And how can a government official paid by the country

break the law?

I was talking to myself. Why are you eavesdropping?

I cannot.

Why does it have to me?

Why did you have to be lying there?

It is not like I wanted to be here either.

I was lost, so I was simply taking a rest.

And I could not hear you coming because I fell asleep.

In that case, why did you have to walk to the front of the shrine?

This place is open in all directions.

And why did you have to trip over my legs?

Are you not the one who charged toward me while yelling at me?

That was...

Fine. I am sorry for stepping on your leg.

But... But...

I have no intention of getting married!

To avoid getting married,

I even took that hateful civil service exam.

My grandmother did not eat or drink for days and got bedridden,

telling me to either get married or take the civil service exam.

So out of the horrible choices I had, I chose one that was relatively doable.

- That happened, did it not? - Yes, you do not have to ask.

So do you get it?

Get what the most terrifying thing in the world is to me?

Then

do you know what the most awful thing is to me?

More than getting married against my will, more than getting that tough divorce,

it is getting remarried to an arrogant and selfish man

to who my heart does not skip a beat!

Did she just say arrogant?

She also said selfish!

I totally understood. So

let us not meet each other ever again!

Of course. Why would we ever meet each other again?

- That is exactly what I mean! - That is exactly what I mean!

- My lord! - My lord!

- My lord! - My lord!

My lord!

- Oh, no. - Let us go!

Stay still. Move and you will die.

Take all they have been carrying

and tie them up with a rope.

- Got it. - Got it.

Identify yourselves!

This one has a temper, darn it.

No woman should be this strong.

Her strength could match that of a few men.

Do you even know who he is?

- You should know that this man-- - Is it not obvious?

He must be your husband.

- No! - No!

Who are you trying to kid?

I heard you talking about seubcheob and how it happens at a shrine.

Was it just me?

- I heard it too. - Same here.

- We are witnesses. - I heard it too.

See?

How dare you play dumb when there are these many witnesses?

Just so you know,

I will be kind enough to bury you together as a married couple.

Let us bury them and get going.

- Got it. - Sure thing.

- Just a second. - How dare you!

- But we stayed still. - Please.

- Let go of me. - Leave us alone!

Would it not be better to tell them your identity?

Absolutely not. It will hinder my investigation.

What is with this new sense of duty when we will soon be buried alive?

Show them your horse requisition tablet and tell them off.

I cannot risk being known.

- To find the culprit-- - Tell them who you are

and then get on with your investigation!

That defeats the purpose of being a "secret" royal inspector.

You there.

Goodness, brother. Have you eaten?

I have. How is your eldest?

You have no idea how big my eldest has gotten.

What are you doing over there?

I am digging a grave.

To bury them.

- I see. - They were talking about a seubcheob,

so I thought I should rob them.

What are you doing out in the dark?

Are you hunting a secret royal inspector like before?

Stop yapping and dig a deeper grave.

I would rather not see the dead bodies.

Bring anyone you see escaping from merchants' military troops.

- We are moving out. - Yes, boss.

Good hunting then!

Darn it.

Why are you so heavy?

Darn it.

The grave is ready.

- Are you all right? - What do you think?

We are not fine either.

They seem to be serious about burying us alive.

What do we do? Do something, my lord!

Goodness.

Because of the clueless master we serve,

we will die as unmarried men.

Master, my foot.

Who cares when we are close to dying?

Serving the wrong master--

- You are too young to understand. - My lord, my foot!

- We cannot die as unmarried men. - Are you kidding me?

Be quiet and let me think!

You there.

You there!

- What on earth? - Run!

What do you think that was?

Did my yelling scare them off?

It must be a tiger. A tiger.

No way. I did not hear one.

Then what could it be?

You are scaring me even more.

We must get out of here, so let us be free from these ropes.

Can you reach inside my robe?

Yes, it has to be you.

Within my robe, you will find a ruler.

Hurry.

We do not have the time. Hurry.

Then, I hope you will excuse me.

- I found it. - What...

I got it.

I had it modified for such situations.

Now, open it.

Yes, my lord.

- My gosh! - There you go.

I knew it.

Do you see that, you scoundrels?

Nothing is more useless than worrying about Lord Yi-eon.

Exactly. I knew our master had a plan up his sleeve.

Right, my lord?

- Are you all right? - Yes, I am fine.

Shall we?

My lord.

What about us?

Why must I when I am no longer your master?

It hurts.

My lord, come on.

Buffoons.

Okay, it is almost done.

Nice!

All right.

Goodness.

We can do this.

My gosh.

Come on!

Gosh.

Grab it.

Grab it already.

Please climb up.

Come on.

My gosh.

Your grip is stronger than the average man's.

You put our master to shame.

You try carrying water, washing clothes,

carrying meal trays, and doing household chores.

Your grip will strengthen in no time.

Household chores do that?

Stop yapping up there and help me.

Help me up!

Over there!

- What is the matter? - My lord, over there.

What...

[The scenes with animals were safely filmed.]

[We thank Lee Jun-hyuk and Song Jong-ho for their special appearance.]

[Secret Royal Inspector Joy]

[If we do not get rid of the secret royal inspector,]

[he will end up discovering everything.]

[My mother was also a woman who returned home after being taken.]

[I would like to help in any way I can.]

[Those colluding with the merchants' military troops]

[have control over the village.]

[The law is useless there.]

[But they are lunatics.]

[We must obtain conclusive evidence.]

[Sweetheart, where could you be from?]

[A girl like her should be taught a lesson.]

[Do not insult my wife.]

[And who may you be? I doubt you are one like us.]

[Who are you? Tell me who you are!]