Original subtitles

DAEDO, MODERN-DAY BEIJING

WANG YU, KING OF GORYEO

I will start heading back to Goryeo.

Will you not attend the coronation of Imperial Noble Consort Ki?

Is there any reason I must attend?

She was sent here as a tribute woman, and will be proclaimed as Empress.

It is quite an honor for Goryeo.

I, the King of Goryeo, am the only one who can bestow honors upon Goryeo.

If not for the Imperial Noble Consort...

IMPERIAL NOBLE CONSORT: CONCUBINE OF A RANK LOWER THAN EMPRESS

...you would have been dead already.

She saved...

your worthless life.

Give Her Grace...

my thanks.

Do you still love Seung-nyang?

Are you still...

carrying your love for her in your heart?

I love her.

She is my everything.

You are not worthy of her, understand?

Do you understand?

Do you?

The King of Goryeo has left Yeongyeong.

Let us drink in hopes for your longevity.

Long live Emperor Hwijong!

Long live Empress Ki!

-Long live Emperor Hwijong! -Long live Empress Ki!

-Long live Emperor Hwijong! -Long live Empress Ki!

Seung-nyang...

Is it really you?

Long live Emperor Hwijong!

Long live Empress Ki!

-Long live Emperor Hwijong! -Long live Empress Ki!

-Long live Emperor Hwijong! -Long live Empress Ki!

-Long live Emperor Hwijong! -Long live Empress Ki!

-Long live Emperor Hwijong! -Long live Empress Ki!

-Long live Emperor Hwijong! -Long live Empress Ki!

Yang...

Your Highness.

CROWN PRINCE, WANG YU

Get them moving.

Get a move on!

HWANGJU, GORYEO (MODERN-DAY NORTH CENTRAL REGION OF HWANGHAE-DO)

PROCESSION OF GORYEO WOMEN BEING SENT AS TRIBUTE TO THE YUAN DYNASTY

-Mom! -Yang!

Mom!

Do not hit her.

Please do not hit her.

Mom.

Yang!

Get up!

Enough!

That is enough.

Mom, are you okay?

I am okay. Do not worry.

Why are these women tied up?

They got caught trying to run away last night.

Still, you cannot treat them like animals.

Untie them and treat the wounded.

Are you giving me orders?

Your Highness.

What is the delay here?

Hear me out.

The Crown Prince of Goryeo wants us to untie those wenches.

DANG GISE, GENERAL OF THE YUAN DYNASTY

It seems like you have forgotten who is in charge here.

I will let it pass this time,

but I will not tolerate any more of your interference.

We, the Blue Wolves, have no mercy.

Get a move on!

-Move! -Get a move on!

What will happen to those women

once they arrive in the Yuan dynasty?

I heard that if they tried to run away, they would be sold into prostitution

or slavery.

How inhumane!

Get moving!

Even that little girl...

Do your feet hurt a lot?

I am fine.

Mom, let me massage yours.

I am sorry...

for not being able to protect you.

I am sorry.

Are you crying again?

Do not cry.

-Open it. -Your Highness, please.

-Now. -Okay, Your Highness.

Run.

This is all I can do.

I am sorry.

Open that one too.

Run away if you want.

Yang.

Kill them all.

Do not spare any of them.

Mom!

Mom!

Mom.

Mom!

Mom!

Mom...

Mom, please hang in there.

-Let me-- -You must...

You must survive.

You are a runaway.

They will kill you if they catch you.

Mom, do not leave me alone.

Mom...

I am sorry for making you live in this world...

which is so cruel to women.

Here.

Your father gave this to me.

Yang.

Your father...

is still alive.

Go to Gaegyeong,

and find...

a man with the same ring from the Ki family...

Mom.

Mom...

Do not die.

Mom!

Mom!

Mom...

It is all my fault.

I am so powerless

that I could not protect my own people.

Your Highness...

An incompetent father loses his son to death,

and an incompetent ruler fails to protect countless of his own people from death.

You do not deserve to be a king.

You are incompetent and foolish.

If you truly care for Goryeo,

die in the Yuan dynasty.

Do you understand?

I am telling you never to come back to Goryeo.

From the Ki family? What is his first name?

GAEGYEONG, CAPITAL OF GORYEO

I do not know.

How are you going to find him with just his last name?

Do not waste my time.

Wait.

I think the last name of the owner of the soup place is Ki.

The soup place?

She ran off with the kid,

saying she would not raise her as a daughter of a concubine.

You did not do anything wrong.

If we ask the local officials in Yeongyeong,

we will be able to find Yang's whereabouts.

Hello?

Is the owner here?

Who are you?

Is there anyone with the last name Ki?

Why do you ask?

I am looking for my father.

Goodness.

I am from the Ki family.

-You are? -Goodness.

That is not for eating.

I will get you a bowl of soup.

I am fine. I will not take anything for free.

Make way!

Make way!

I said, make way!

Get out of the way!

Make way!

Is that kid dead?

I think so.

-Get that kid out of my way. -Yes, Your Highness.

The kid is alive, Your Highness.

What shall I do with the kid?

Gosh, this kid stinks.

I will do it myself.

You are awake now.

You are awfully shy for a boy.

Put this on.

Where do you live?

I am homeless.

What about your parents?

They passed away.

Once the Crown Prince arrives in the Yuan dynasty,

I will make him pay for releasing the women.

Please make sure he never comes back again.

That way, I can be the next king of Goryeo.

In order for you to be the next king,

you will have to win favors of the Imperial family and the Yuan court.

Of course.

I have my plans.

You have plans?

Just wait.

A vast amount of money will be paid under my name

to the Imperial family and the court of Yuan.

I will count on that.

Where are His Highness's shoes?

They were here.

Here they are!

I wanted to keep them dry.

Who is this?

It is the boy who got hit by your horse the other day.

Please take me in.

I will make sure to repay you.

You will repay me?

What is your name?

Yang...

It is Seung-nyang.

Seung-nyang?

So how will you earn your keep?

Seung-nyang, how about you take care of me too?

Go ahead and be the best here.

I will be at your service then.

I should definitely work harder.

This is upsetting.

What is he up to?

He wants to learn martial arts to repay you.

Is that so?

Seung-nyang, it is time to go to the salt storage.

SALT STORAGE IN INJU (MODERN-DAY INCHEON)

Hurry and move it along.

There are so many.

Stop making noise.

Did you forget that salt is contraband in this country?

Do not worry about us.

Just keep your people's mouths shut.

Load the wagon.

-May you live long and healthy. -May you live long and healthy.

Your Highness.

Good job delivering the salt.

What are you waiting for? Take it.

We smuggled twice the usual amount.

So?

Please double our pay as well.

How dare you?

Did you forget who took you in?

We have more members now.

It only makes sense to compensate them for risking their lives for the job.

Why you--

Grant his demands.

Yes, Your Highness.

We are going to smuggle larger amount of salt starting next month.

Be ready for it.

I will excuse myself, my lord.

What do you mean we will smuggle a larger amount of salt?

We could get caught.

The King will name his heir soon.

Do you not know that I need to send more tribute

to get full support from the Yuan court?

Even so--

I already have the upper hand in this matter.

The King is gravely ill,

and you would be surprised to know what the Crown Prince is up to these days.

My lord, not again.

I am pretty good at this too.

I will not go easy on you.

Oh, gosh.

-Gosh. -Your Highness...

My lord!

-My lord! -Do you have a death wish?

What do you mean?

I just followed his order and fought...

Get a physician!

-Yes, sir. -A physician?

Get him inside!

-Yes, sir. -Hurry!

My lord...

Be careful! Hurry!

Thanks.

What a loser.

I cannot believe the Crown Prince of Goryeo hangs out with thugs.

Your Highness.

Your Highness, please wake up.

-I have committed a mortal sin. -That is right!

-Goodness. -Oh, my!

Inju.

I am going to Inju this time.

Your Highness!

Are you all right?

I was worried sick that you would not wake up.

Who is the most notorious thug in Inju?

Goodness.

This is no time to make friends with thugs.

The King of Simyang is trying to take the throne away from you.

That again?

I told you. I do not care whatever he does.

Your Highness.

Tell me. Is there a match for me in Inju?

Inju serves as the hub for trade with the Yuan dynasty,

so...

The locals are quite tough.

The Wild Dog gang

has the biggest influence there.

The Wild Dog gang?

Its captain is a nasty piece of work

just like the gang name.

-You got it. -You got it.

They say he can shoot down a bird that is 300 steps away,

but it's hard to believe.

In excuse for protecting the local merchants,

he and his people eat and sleep for free.

They do everything for money.

If we can bring down those scums,

we can easily take over the other gangs in Inju.

Good, we're hunting those wild dogs this time.

Whose turn is it this time?

Mine, sir.

Where did they take your sister to?

A courtesan house near Yeongyeong.

This is not enough to get her out of there.

Leave for the Yuan dynasty

once we get next month's take.

Thank you.

Never forget why we are doing this.

We have to trust each other and work hand in hand

until we bring back all our families sent to the Yuan dynasty. Understood?

-Yes, sir. -Yes, sir.

Captain, come quick.

Where are they?

Who are you?

You must be the famous Seung-nyang.

Who let those mutts barge in and cause a commotion?

I am Jeom-bak from Gaegyeong.

-He is Jeom-bak? -Jeom-bak?

What brings you here?

Now that you know who I am, you ought to come down and show your respect.

Are you telling us

to go down and grovel before you?

I am not that patient, you know.

Get down here before I grab my sword,

or I will teach you idiots a serious lesson.

-Get out. -What?

The moment you wield your sword in my place,

you are dead.

Is that so?

Wait there, you little...

Do not move!

Anyone who moves will be shot in the head.

That was just your hand,

but if you keep on with your gibberish,

I will shoot this arrow right through that mole on your face.

He was so fast and his aim was accurate.

I do not know what to say.

Interesting.

Have you ever seen an arrow like this?

-It's a baby arrow. -A baby arrow?

It is also called "pyeonjeon."

It's short and hard to handle,

but quite lethal.

Seung-nyang, you said?

I would like a match with him.

I will fight him myself.

Your Highness.

What is with that reaction?

Do you not think I am good enough?

Let me fight him instead.

I have never lost an archery match.

I want to see for myself how good he is.

Move.

Over there.

The one with the bow is Seung-nyang.

You do not look so intimidating for a notorious thug.

I am not here to hear how you think about my looks.

How dare you--

They say you are quite the archer.

Beat me,

and we will leave quietly.

But if you lose,

you will have to serve me.

What do you say?

I do not have time to waste.

If you want me to spare your life, leave now.

How dare you!

You little...

If you do not want to see bloodshed,

you should accept my terms.

You said it yourself that you will leave if I win.

A man ought to keep his word.

Archery in itself is boring.

We will drink a gourd of soju after each shot.

What do you say?

Drink and shoot?

In the end, it will be a battle of wills.

But you are a lightweight drinker.

Are you wimping out?

Do not tell me you will give up before you even hold your bow.

I have a condition too.

These lids will be our targets.

Suit yourself.

And one of our men

will hold each of the lids over his head.

What?

Who will be my target?

-Me! -Me.

Let me be your target.

Your turn.

I guess they do not trust your archery skills.

Me...

I will be your target.

Look at you.

I guess you know how to play rough.

All right!

You seem drunk.

Just give up now.

What...

You are just as drunk.

Drink it.

Oh, gosh.

Here, it is your turn.

-Drink it. -It is your turn.

It is all right, Captain. Shoot.

Go ahead!

No.

Your target is over there.

I would rather kill you.

Does that mean you are withdrawing from the match?

Admit your defeat! Now!

Did you see? I won.

I am the winner!

What is this warm thing on my chest?

This punk threw up on you.

What? He threw up on me?

All the food and drinks are on His Lordship.

Eat and drink your fill!

Let us drink!

What are you looking at?

If you are up, come and have a drink.

You do not look like you belong to the same world as us thugs.

Where do you think I belong then?

You must be a lad from a wealthy family

who does nothing but enjoying himself and spending money carelessly

Well,

I am not sure about the first part,

but the rest is about right.

Do you know how to play the geomungo?

Do you want to learn how to play?

No, thanks.

What is the use?

Chicks go nuts for this stuff.

I will teach you how to play the geomungo.

In return, you should teach me how to shoot pyeonjeon.

What do you say?

Here. Take the pick.

It is not as hard as it looks.

What are you doing?

What do you mean?

Hold still.

You have soft hands for an archer.

Now play a bit faster.

I should get going.

Where do you think you are going?

You need to teach me how to shoot pyeonjeon.

Just keep playing the geomungo to seduce chicks.

That suits you better.

Did you forget about our deal?

You have to serve me.

From now on, you have to do as I say

since I am your master.

If you are looking for a loyal dog, try your luck elsewhere.

I am a wild dog.

If you do not like the idea of serving me, what do you say about being my friend?

Let me tell you a secret.

My closest friend...

is the Crown Prince.

If you become my friend,

you will be friends with the Crown Prince.

You cannot refuse now, can you?

Go tell that Crown Prince who does not deserve a single respect.

I would rather eat horse dung than trade my own people as tribute

to sit on that worthless throne.

You have a lot of bitterness toward the world.

Because it is rotten to the core.

Every single member of the royal family

and all of those who are supposed to work for the subjects

are rotten to the core.

If you waste my time again with something like this,

I will shoot my arrows right into your face, not the lid.

He is wasted out here.

What are you doing here?

What did you do with them?

They picked a fight with us.

Do you happen to know who they are?

Did they ask you about the salt smuggling?

They did not mention anything about it.

Are they here to investigate the smuggling?

His Highness will not like it if he finds out that you were with them.

Do not ever get involved with them again.

Understood, sir.

Is today the day you meet the headband's owner?

I am sure he will show up in any minute.

This just flew in with a message.

You must read this.

"If you want to catch King Wang Go smuggling salt,

come to Inju wearing this headband."

This was enclosed.

I will go myself.

It is easier for me to fool King Wang Go

than for the censors.

It is too dangerous, Your Highness.

Send this back through the homing pigeon

so that I can recognize him too.

Just to be safe,

I will disguise myself as an investigating censor.

Yes, Your Highness.

Where is he? Why are you here?

He could not make it,

but he sent the information on the smuggling.

Where and when will it take place?

According to his letter...

There is an assassin!

We have to get out of here.

There is a traitor!

How else could a mere censor

find out that much about the smuggling?

It must be someone from the storage.

It cannot possibly be one of us.

How many of your men know about the operation?

There are three, Your Highness.

Three?

That makes six in total including us.

Your men also know about it.

They do not know anything about who is behind it.

Governor, I want you to keep an eye on those who work at the storage.

Yes, Your Highness.

-You are excused. -Yes, Your Highness.

Are you sure the Crown Prince knows nothing?

I shot the censor in his heart

before he could talk.

Are you certain that one of them is a traitor?

The only one I can trust is Seung-nyang.

You must keep an eye on the Crown Prince at all times, understood?

Yes, Your Highness.

There is a mole among us.

The censor would not have died otherwise.

It must be one of Jeom-bak's men.

It is too dangerous. You should return to the Palace.

King Wang Go must have found out that I am digging up dirt on him.

Retreating now could back me into a corner.

What will you do, Your Highness?

I shall back him into a corner.

Pardon?

King Wang Go has nothing to fear in Goryeo,

but he fears the Yuan government.

Do it quickly.

We will buy up all the salt in Inju first.

Hurry.

When the merchants from the Yuan dynasty find out that there is not enough salt,

they will start to complain.

Then we will blame

the shortage of salt on King Wang Go and his salt smuggling.

The Crown Prince has made a clever move.

It is not time to commend him.

His men have been keeping watch on the storage all day.

We cannot steal any of the salt in this state.

If the Yuan government finds out

that we are smuggling--

Do not worry.

I will not be the one caught for smuggling salt.

It will be the Crown Prince.

My lord, may I come in?

Come in.

You are the only one I can trust.

Listen carefully to what I am about to say,

and do exactly as I say.

Command me.

The anxious ones are the first ones to make a move.

King Wang Go will try to feed me false information.

I just need to wait and see

who will come on his command.

My lord.

You have a guest.

A guest?

Seung-nyang?

What brings you here?

Did you forget that you asked me to teach you how to shoot pyeonjeon?

Could Seung-nyang be the one who King Wang Go sent me?

Fine, play your geomungo then.

Are you kidding?

Straighten your bow arm

and put pressure on it as if you are pushing the mountains.

Pull your arrow back

as if you are pulling a tiger's tail.

As if I am pushing the mountains...

As if I am pulling a tiger's tail...

Let me see.

Do not be disappointed.

It usually takes three years to master shooting the baby arrow.

How do you make money in Inju?

I would not be wasting my time here if I knew.

I heard there is money in salt.

That must be why the royals handle it themselves.

You said you are close with the Crown Prince.

Will he grant me the right to sell salt?

He is not King Wang Go's man.

Will you teach me until I master shooting pyeonjeon?

First, you need to earn his trust.

Earn his full trust.

What is your answer?

I am afraid you cannot afford my rate.

Money is not a problem for me.

Let us discuss it over drinks.

There will be a lot to see since the lantern festival starts tonight.

What did you wish for?

It is none of your business.

Did you ask for a beautiful wife?

Wife, my foot.

You do not have to deny.

It is natural for men to like women.

Do you see someone of your type here?

-Tell me and I will-- -I wished for money.

For goodness' sake.

Money is all you talk about.

It is the only thing I can trust in this world.

What a rough life you have.

Are you all right?

It is not critical.

Wait, I will carry you.

No, thanks.

What are you doing?

Put me down.

You got injured trying to save my life. Just let me help you.

Let go. Put me down.

Put me down!

Put me down!

Let me go.

He even took an arrow on purpose.

That worked out fine.

Hang on. We are almost there.

Put me down now.

My lord.

What happened?

Let me down.

Stay still. You have lost too much blood.

-Let me carry him. -It is okay. Move aside.

Hang in there.

Fortunately, the wound is not that deep.

I will go get some medicine.

Let me have a look.

No.

Come on.

Leave me alone.

Let me have a look.

It is my only pair.

You ripped it.

You should pay for the damage.

What?

Why did you lock the door?

Open it.

What do you want?

You told me to pay for the damage.

I got you new clothes.

-Open it. -Darn it.

I do not need them.

You are awfully shy for a guy.

Goodness.

Just go already.

Why does he get all worked up?

GOVERNMENT OFFICE IN INJU

He completely fell for it.

How is your wound?

My life is yours, my lord.

Listen.

On the day,

load the salt and wait in the storage.

I will tell you where to go then.

It is not that I do not trust you.

But I want there to be no reason to suspect you.

What should I tell him?

You could have gotten killed, trying to protect me.

That was reckless of you.

You saved my life, so I will make sure to repay you.

Forget it.

I am being watched.

By the way, why did the assassin try to kill you?

I am not sure.

Are you investigating King Wang Go's smuggling operation?

If so, I can help.

How?

I know someone who works at the storage.

You are the one who King Wang Go sent.

I heard an operation will take place four days later

at Haewol Lodge near Byeokrando Port.

This information is quite valuable, so prepare to pay me.

I should have killed him.

Have I grown...

fond of him already?

Have my men wait in ambush at Haewol Lodge.

If the Crown Prince shows up,

they shall kill him on the spot.

He may be incompetent, but he is still a royal.

If you kill him--

We will face a backlash

if I kill a royal without a cause.

But we are only killing a thief

who smuggled salt.

We are heading to Haewol Lodge.

Yes, sir.

My lord.

This is not the way to Haewol Lodge.

Listen carefully.

We will run into the smugglers on our way.

We must not attack them first.

-Understood? -Yes, sir.

-My lord. -They're the salt traffickers.

We should not attack them until they arrive

at the location where the operation will take place.

Stress it to the others.

Okay.

We should get going.

It is an ambush.

Fan out.

Who shot the arrow?

Attack!

Take off the mask.

Move.

Did they say about the location?

Nobody else knows

except for Seung-nyang.

How did you know that the operation at Haewol Lodge was a ruse?

Someone shot this into my room.

It said Haewol Lodge was a ruse,

and Seung-nyang was making the delivery.

By the way,

why did you keep it from us?

It said there is a mole among us.

Did the one who sent the headband send the note?

The one who contacted the censorate

is helping me.

Who is he?

I am dying to know who it is.

Who has the headband I sent?

After killing all those tramps who escaped,

we do not have many left.

I need you to find more women to send as tribute.

I will provide as many women as you need.

That is not an issue for me.

Thank you, King Wang Go.

Cheers.