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(All characters, organizations, places, cases, and incidents...)

(in this drama are fictitious.)

(Episode 5)

Let us begin.

I will go and see what it is.

No.

I will go.

Gosh.

Oh, my.

So...

So...

Darn it. Come here!

Hold on.

Come here!

Be quiet!

Wait...

Dong Joo.

What are you doing here?

Well... We were just...

I was getting my hair trimmed.

That is right. I was trimming it.

You did not trim it. You ruined it.

Lady Kim, what is wrong with your face?

She was going to put makeup on me.

We heard a man's voice from this room.

Was it...

I made a mistake while using these scissors.

Were you the one who made that sound?

I was in so much pain.

I am truly sorry.

We should go back to our room to apply some salve.

Yes, we should.

Goodbye, then.

Oh, dear.

(The Tale of Nokdu)

- Darn it. - Goodness.

- Come here. - Hey!

Do you not remember me? I saved your life in Hanyang.

You pretended to be a man as well. Should I tell Lady Chun about it?

What is this? Have you been tailing me all the way from Hanyang?

No, our routes just overlapped.

Imagine how shocked I must have been...

to find a man's gown and headband in a gisaeng's room.

And I recognized them.

You told me that you did not look through my bag!

I did not look through it.

I just saw them by coincidence.

You little...

- You... - Come on, now.

- Goodness. - Dong Joo.

Hey. Good luck.

- Gosh. - Hey.

Darn it.

Have you checked all the nearby islands?

Yes, Your Majesty.

I did, but I could not find him.

You have not found any leads?

I did find a peculiar place.

All the inhabitants on that island were women.

They were all women?

It is cold outside.

Have you come out for a stroll, Mother?

The weather is not too cold just yet.

But it may be frigid for our young Prince Yeongchang.

Are you not cold?

No... No, I am not,

Your Majesty.

You must be careful at all times.

It would be terrible if you caught a cold.

When it comes to misfortunes,

they come all of a sudden without a warning.

Let us go.

Are you sure you saw a man?

He was covered in a black cloth, so I could not see him clearly.

If he has witnessed anything, that would be troublesome.

I doubt he saw anything since it is impossible...

to enter the shrine.

He may come back,

so strengthen your security.

Yes, we will.

What happened?

It is nothing. Let us begin.

His Majesty is becoming more anxious...

because of Prince Yeongchang.

That is right.

Since the Crown Prince passed away, his position is vacant as of now.

Of course, he is anxious.

He is getting rid of those...

around Prince Yeongchang for plotting treason.

One of us could be next.

Before the investiture...

I was going to wait...

until Prince Yeongchang grew up.

But I do not think we have time.

Then what do you plan to do?

We must begin the revolt sooner than expected.

You had plans to meet your beloved woman here?

- Yes. - I see.

But in this state?

Did it have to be like this?

After my lady was widowed,

her family wanted her to commit suicide.

That is why we fled together.

While running away, we got separated.

Since I was still being chased,

I had no choice but to do this.

When will she come?

Soon. She will come in a few days.

She will surely come.

Once she comes, I will leave with her. I will.

What a disgusting scumbag.

I cannot believe I wanted to treat you like an older sister.

That is why I said I could not be your older sister.

By the way, I feel offended to be called so.

I took good care of you.

As if.

Yes, that is it.

My back.

You touched my back!

Hey! You asked me to.

You should have refused.

You touched me too.

Where?

See? The more we talk about this, the more uncomfortable it gets.

So do not ask any questions and give me a few days.

I will disappear like smoke.

I promise.

Darn it.

I am sorry about many things.

Since I am sorry, I will sleep outside for the night.

Freeze right there. You are not going anywhere.

Stay by my side.

Hey. I...

I am in love with my lady.

Have you gone insane?

They all think you are a woman, so do not try to do anything.

What do you mean?

Stop treating me like a pervert.

During your stay here,

you better never dream about leaving my sight, got it?

Then what?

Do you want us to sleep in the same room?

Goodness, Lady Kim.

You say that you are different,

but your actions tell me...

that you are a filthy punk, do you not think so?

No, I... I was just on my way to the bathroom.

Okay, I will go. I will go back inside.

My gosh, I need to go outside again.

Do you not sleep?

No, I do not sleep.

I am going to keep an eye on you all night.

My gosh.

A group of men...

gathered at a place where only women live.

They are the leaders.

And one of them must have given the orders.

Are they conspiring something?

But I wonder why they tried to harm my family.

Exactly. It was unlike us to do such a thing.

Who made that order?

That is something...

only the boss would know.

They get orders from their boss...

and are not aware of the details.

They are unnecessarily systematic.

In order to find out who the boss is and who those men are,

I need to approach the ladies.

That filthy punk...

was afraid of getting caught by the widows,

so he ended up coming to our gisaeng house.

He came here?

My goodness.

Do you really think he did something bad?

It is true.

He entered the village for widows a few days ago.

And he got kicked out after getting a good beating.

But he failed to learn his lesson and went back there again.

My goodness, what a disgraceful punk.

So Lady Chun and the vice-curator...

are going to hand out a sketch of that man.

Oh, a sketch?

So there is no need to be afraid.

We will be able to catch him if we all cooperate.

That is good news.

That is good to hear.

What are you doing here?

Hey, did you hear?

- Last night... - Tell me later.

- Let us go. Come on. - What?

She is worried because I did not have breakfast.

She cares for me so much.

I told you not to go anywhere!

What is this?

I was just kidding, but you really got me breakfast.

Do not get mistaken.

I did not make breakfast for you.

But what is this seaweed soup?

You could not have known that it is my birthday today.

- Is it your birthday today? - Yes.

The only thing my dad told me...

was the day I was born.

Hey.

Are you not going to have the soup?

I do not like seaweed soup.

I do not hate it enough to give it to you.

They say you can pay back your debts by being kind to people.

But you are probably indebted to people instead.

I am not indebted to anyone.

That will never happen.

You never know.

Look at me.

- I am... - Exactly.

You are a man who is dressed up as a woman,

and you even hit on the gisaengs.

I did not hit on them.

Do not deny it.

Then why did you go talk to them...

as soon as you woke up?

I wonder if your lady knows how perverted you are.

"Perverted"?

I was just talking to them.

Am I not even allowed to talk?

Oh, I see. Then you should go ahead...

and say that to your lady as well.

My lady is not as twisted as you.

Dong Joo

Eat up.

You too.

Dong Joo.

Our dance practice will soon begin.

Lady Chun asked you to come.

Okay.

Should I help you?

I am really good at cutting hair.

Can you please just go alone?

I need to do something.

Cut the nonsense.

I told you not to do anything...

And you told me not to go anywhere.

I know you desperately asked me to stay by your side.

Do not say it like that.

Will you please trust me just this once?

Okay, let us go. Come on.

I will go.

Dong Joo.

Stop.

Try again.

Spread your arm out like this.

Spread it out.

So you are saying he is a disgraceful punk...

who keeps entering the village for widows...

and the gisaeng house?

Yes, that is correct.

Do you not think...

that you have seen him before?

I am not sure. Maybe he was here as a guest.

Oh my goodness.

I will search the hill.

- You should... - My goodness.

I heard they caught that disgraceful punk.

My goodness, I heard...

a widow ran into him.

- Let us go see that man's face. - Let us go.

My goodness.

Where did you meet him?

Did you have a fight with him?

Is that how you got hurt?

Tell us what happened in detail.

It is too embarrassing.

- Come on. - Please.

Calm down, everyone.

Did he try to harm you?

It happened a while ago.

I went to the hill to take a walk.

And that man suddenly started to approach me,

so I ended up...

You did a shoulder throw on a man?

And that is when he suddenly took out his knife.

- My goodness! - Oh, gosh!

This is so upsetting.

It is very embarrassing, but I thought...

I should tell you ladies so you could catch him.

Where did he run off?

He went to the neighboring village.

Was it this man?

Yes, it was him.

He was wearing an indigo gown...

- and a hat... - That jerk wore a hat.

It must be him.

"Jerk"?

But...

he did seem...

a lot more good-looking than the sketch.

Or maybe not.

By any chance,

would you happen to have an ink stick and a brush?

How dare he run away? I should just finish him.

Gosh, but this is the only time I can go to the mountain too.

Dong Joo.

This is what you asked me to get the other day.

You barely put on makeup.

Why do you collect rare combs and cosmetics?

You do not even have the money for them.

Mind your own business.

Are you sure this is rare?

Of course. I bet...

even the court ladies in the palace will not have that.

What is it? What is that for?

- You do not need to know. - Tell me.

Since he got a cut on his face,

he would have definitely looked like this.

Yes, the cut on his face looks very unique.

I am sure you can easily spot him wherever he is.

Thank you. This will be very helpful.

All right.

We will go and visit the neighboring village.

Let us join you.

No.

This is dangerous. Please stay here.

Yes. Just trust us on this.

I was...

right about you.

Once I come back,

let us discuss your future here.

My future? Why?

Join the Virtuous Women Corps...

and protect the village with us.

No, no. I do not need to.

- My gosh. You are the best. - This is great.

- We believe in you. - We believe in you!

Please catch him!

- I like where I am now. - Please get him!

- I do not need to do that. - Good luck.

That is indeed strange.

How could you go up against a man? You are just a woman.

There were a lot of generals in my mother's family,

so I used to play with a wooden sword...

with my brothers and my parents used to scold me.

I cannot sew for the life of me, but I like using my strength.

By the way, are you all going somewhere?

- We are trying to catch that punk. - We were on our way...

to gather firewood.

You must go and see a physician first.

I can just lick this wound, and it will all be better.

By the way, I am pretty good at axing.

I can help you with that. It is that way, right?

- Wait, wait. - Hurry.

What is this? Are we really going to gather firewood? Seriously?

We cannot go to the neighboring village...

in a group like this.

And we do need some firewood.

- I will head out to catch him. - Okay.

It is broad daylight. A lot of people will be watching.

Be careful.

Can you let me skip it today? I have a lot of work to do.

I am so exhausted right now.

I will never have a chance like that again.

Is there anything else than this?

Let us stop watching her and get to work.

That tree over there looks sturdy. I will go and ax that tree.

- Okay. - Okay.

She is something else, is she not?

Let us just tell her the truth.

Do not be so rash.

We do need more people.

Being strong is not the only factor.

Right.

Let us focus on tomorrow's project.

Be at the brewery at three o'clock.

Okay.

You are planning something for tomorrow night?

I ought to join them then.

Darn it. Oh, no.

Darn it.

I think we have enough.

I will go and get Lady Kim.

Okay.

We will wrap up here.

Goodness.

All right. Okay.

Lady Kim.

Lady Kim. Are you over there?

Dong Joo.

Hey. Dong Joo.

Help me out.

Goodness, you cannot get more humiliating than this.

Why did you take off your clothes? It is nasty.

I did not do it on purpose. I was axing the trees...

Hey, take off this for me.

You lunatic.

No, you got the wrong idea.

Hey. Help me out just this once.

I am begging you. Please.

Hey, that is not how you ask someone for a favor.

Call me Lady Dong. Go ahead.

Lady Dong. Please.

Lady Kim, we should head down now.

- What should I do? - What was that?

What? Go over there.

Lady Kim, let us get going now.

Darn it.

This way. Go that way. Hurry up.

Lady Kim?

Lady Kim.

Hello.

What are you doing there?

I came here to practice dancing,

but it is such a hot day today.

I convinced Lady Kim to have a bath with me.

You two had a bath together?

Yes. We scrubbed each other's back several times.

She is an excellent scrubber. It feels great, you know.

Right, right. She is indeed strong.

What do you say? Would you like to join us?

What?

Will you join us?

No.

We must head back to the brewery. Take your time.

Okay. Bye.

Cover yourself with this.

You cover yourself up. I do not want to see that.

So...

you came here to practice dancing?

What?

Yes.

Well, why would I come here if not for that?

I see.

Right. You do need to practice.

A lot.

A lot, indeed.

Darn you.

I mean, is this that hard?

So it looks easy when you watch, does it not?

You should try it. Once you do, you will know it is very difficult.

Goodness.

Gosh.

I will be your daughter if you can pull off even one dance move.

Hey, my daughter.

Seriously?

Did you learn to dance?

No. I saw you practice earlier.

You can dance like that after seeing it just once?

Yes. Can everyone do the same?

I already did not like him,

but I hate him now.

Hey, do you want me to teach you?

Do not try to fool me.

Stand up.

Okay. Stand here.

Watch me.

Have this edge move from outside to inside.

Open it up gently as if you are striking it.

Try it.

Okay. Good job.

All right.

Have the fan blade on your arm.

Stretch out your left hand too.

From this pose, move your fan...

this way.

Move the fan in front of your face as if you are stroking it.

Make a big circle.

After that,

bring it down to the side.

Turn to your left again.

After your turn,

raise your fan upward.

To the side.

To the side.

Just like this.

Lower it now.

Do not count the beat.

It will confuse you even more.

Actually, use your breathing instead.

Look.

As you lift your left foot,

inhale.

And turn to your left.

(Episode 6 will air shortly.)

Hey.

I mean it when I say this.

Let us find a new career for you. Okay?

Come on.

(Episode 6)

No matter how hard I think about it,

I do not believe you are meant to be a gisaeng.

In life,

you cannot do everything you want just because you want to.

When did I say I wanted this?

I am not doing this because I want to.

I do not want to be a gisaeng.

Wait.

I cannot do everything I want because I want to?

No.

You cannot avoid doing some things just because you want to avoid.

That is life.

I was short-sighted.

Sorry.

Forget it.

I guess you were a lucky slave who did not have to do things...

you did not want to thanks to your lady.

I was not allowed to do anything...

including things I wanted to do...

and things I did not want to do.

But now, I will not live that way.

I will do what I want to do...

and do what I do not want to do...

just like everyone else.

"Like everyone else"?

It must have been hard for you...

to stay here by doing things you did not want to do.

What? Do you find me good-looking all of a sudden?

I am pretty handsome, right?

What was that?

I thought you were going to throw something at me.

You are not handsome at all.

Our clothes are pretty dry now. Let us go back.

Wait up.

Are you on your way from the village for widows?

So she fell into the water when she was practicing dancing?

That means...

you must have watched Dong Joo dance.

Yes, I have.

- It was... - Cute. Right?

Sure. I did not know you would call that cute.

If that happened, you should have lent her your gown.

Dong Joo is susceptible to colds,

so she easily catches a cold.

I fell into the water too.

I hate being cold too.

My apologies. Would you like to have some of this?

Do not take it off. I am not cold.

Do not take it out. I will not accept it.

You do catch on quickly.

This is really delicious.

Take it and hide it.

Make sure you eat this by yourself.

Lady Kim.

Yes? What is it?

He has given me this to wish you a happy birthday.

Happy birthday.

I am not a kid.

Come to think of it, today is...

What is it? Is today someone's birthday too?

No, it is nothing.

What are you doing here?

Only after following Your Majesty out of the palace during the war,

I realized that I was carrying a child.

I did not have any appetite.

I could only eat...

this okchundang Court Lady Kim brought for me.

I wonder if you remember that, Your Majesty.

You always mention it every year.

How could I not remember it?

Had the child lived,

do you think the child also liked okchundang?

The child is dead.

The child is gone.

- Please stop it. - We had to say goodbye...

as soon as I gave birth to our child.

Why am I not allowed to miss my lost child?

Why do you always look so appalled?

What was her name?

Her name is Dong Joo.

I can tell...

that she is over 12 at a glance.

Gosh.

Hey, wait.

Goodness, let go of me.

It is pitch-dark outside.

Where are you going?

Now that everyone is safe,

I should look for Nokdu.

Do you think you can persuade him?

Did you see his face when he left?

I do not know what happened, but he will never return...

before he finds out what he wants to know.

But it is too dangerous.

If he finds out about anything, he will be in more danger.

He can defend himself.

And if you leave this late at night,

not only will you fail to reach Hanyang,

but you will be eaten alive by a tiger. It will come for you.

Let us go back inside.

You do not want to be eaten alive.

Come on.

Even if I untied myself, you would never know.

You cannot hear anything when you are asleep.

What? What did you do when I was asleep?

Forget it.

I really have no interest in women.

I should not, and I have no time for that either.

Do you love your lady that much?

Of course, I do.

I yearn for her. I miss her.

What I mean is,

you do not need to worry about such things.

Fine.

Thank you for the love confession which I was not even curious about.

Hey.

Turn off the candles. You need to be economical.

I am at the brewery to make malt.

Who are you?

Who are you talking about?

Oh, it is nothing.

Did you spot someone suspicious?

Not at all.

By the way, what brings you here?

Well...

Is Lady Kim in?

No, she is at the village for widows.

She should not roam around alone. It is dangerous.

Sorry?

Where should I put this?

There is a place where we store them over there.

Okay.

Why are you here?

Is this not the room?

There is a side door over there that leads to the backyard.

No wonder. I deemed it strange to store these crocks indoors.

By the way, will I really get paid for doing this?

Of course.

Goodbye, then.

He entered the village for widows and got kicked out.

But he failed to learn his lesson and went back there again.

I heard he is quite wicked.

When it comes to women, he tempts anyone...

from gisaengs to widows.

- Oh my goodness. - Oh, dear.

Oh, my. Are you okay?

How did you know I tripped?

Stop it, now.

- You made my heart flutter. - Oh, my.

If you were a man, I would have just...

Hold on.

- Stop being so silly! - What is wrong?

- Come with me. - Hold on. Wait.

She is just lonely, so ignore her.

Snap out of it.

- Come to your senses. - Hold on.

My goodness!

Excuse me.

Where is Dong Joo's room?

It is over there.

That is the one.

Hey, I know what you are thinking.

But can we talk later tonight?

The man who was chased away from the village...

is you, right?

About that...

Well...

And yet, you still roam around?

You should be lying low until your lady comes.

Well...

I...

Get out. I heard everything.

I heard you try to flirt with all kinds of women.

Hey.

Is that really...

how you think of me?

It does not matter what I think.

At the village, that is how they see you.

You will die if you get caught.

All right.

I will leave.

Who are you?

Why are you here?

I cannot do this on my own.

Where will you go?

Why do you care?

Do not do anything stupid and just lie low.

When your lady comes, I will...

If something happens to me, tell them you did not know.

And I will say the same.

Hey.

One minute.

What are you doing?

Go.

Why is Deul Le not here yet?

I have no idea. She said she had to check something.

Let us begin without her.

He is the man...

we must kill tonight.

Since it is in the center of the capital,

we cannot make a scene.

Only one of us should go and get rid of him.

I ought to kill that scumbag.

How dare he kill his daughter-in-law...

who gave birth to his grandchild just for that virtuousness stone?

Let me do it.

Are you going to go now?

There is no need to wait.

Where are the ink sticks?

Over there.

Dong Joo! Dong Joo!

Dong Joo?

Yes.

That girl who was brave enough to cut her hair.

I heard...

she is already old enough to become a gisaeng.

I have learned from my past mistakes.

And therefore, I wish to make a choice...

that does not go against your customs.

Is there a problem with that?

My lord.

She may be old enough, but she is still...

How dare you?

You do not make the choice. I do.

I am an aristocrat,

and you are nothing but a bunch of gisaengs.

If I want to be mine, then you will let me do that.

How dare you...

try to talk me out of it by bringing up your customs?

Then...

please give me time.

No.

Are you going to call someone to make a fool out of me again?

I will take her with me right now.

Did you not see the palanquin I brought with me?

What if I refuse to give her to you?

What will you do then?

What do you think?

This place will have to shut down,

and all of you will end up becoming slaves.

I will do you a favor...

and send you to a place in Tamla so you can enjoy the view.

But I heard most people die...

on their way there because of the dangerous boat ride.

Lady Kim?

What are you doing here?

The thing is,

I saw a ring here this afternoon.

And I thought maybe I might be able to sell it and earn money.

I am really sorry.

How much of it did you hear?

Pardon? Oh, well...

You mean how you plan to kill someone?

You heard us correctly.

Unfortunately.

Are you going to kill me?

What if...

I say I will do the job?

You came running so quickly.

I did not expect you to be so welcoming.

You arrogant wench!

You should leave. Stay in your room.

No.

Avoiding it will not change anything.

Just do as I say.

Lady Chun.

I could never say this to you because it felt embarrassing.

But you know how grateful I am, right?

You saved me from that hole when I was a little girl.

And I have been grateful for that every single day.

Will you come with me?

Or will you die?

I cannot go.

You cannot go?

No, I cannot go like this.

What kind of gisaeng leaves looking like this?

Dong Joo.

- Is that so? - It is not the right thing to do.

I will come back to greet you...

after I fully prepare myself.

Are you trying to do something behind my back?

The fate of this gisaeng house is in your hands.

I would never dare.

I already noticed that day that you are quite different.

I really do like your guts.

Send her to my place by 10:30pm.

We should hear her out first.

But she heard everything.

What do you think?

Let us give her a chance.

You must be out of your mind.

Are you really willing to kill him?

I cannot make enough money by working at the brewery.

But if I kill someone,

I will be able to earn a lot of money.

What if you are just doing this to run away?

I know you will not let me run away.

What is your identity?

Have you ever killed anyone?

I have seen many people die.

I am the only person who can take care of my sick parents.

As long as I can earn a lot of money,

killing someone will not be such a big deal.

Okay, fine.

Give it a try.

We needed a new member anyway.

So we have nothing to lose.

If we kill her here, it will be a hassle to get rid of the body.

Will you stop looking like that?

How do I look?

You are looking at me as if this will be our last time...

seeing each other in this life.

How could you say something like that?

Here.

I will not die that easily. Do not worry.

Hwa Su, I will be off now.

By the way, does Lady Kim know?

She left.

She left?

At this late hour? Where?

You are right.

I let her leave at this late hour.

If you succeed in killing him and return,

you will not only get paid,

but we will also let you work with us.

But if you fail,

you will die right away.

I need to get in the palanquin now.

You two should go back inside.

That jerk is unbelievable.

Why did he have to call you to somewhere so deserted?

Stop crying.

Mae Hyang...

came back dead.

What if you... What if you also...

I will not die.

I cannot die right now.

If the hair is what you want, I will give it to you.

Hair always grows back.

It cannot be more important than that little girl.

When did I say I wanted this?

I am not doing this because I want to.

I do not want to be a gisaeng.

I am Dong Joo from Yeonhwa House.

It seems you are happy to see me,

but at the same time, you are appalled at the sight of me.

Why are you here?

I had something to tell you.

Right now? Here?

Yes.

It perfectly suits the time and place.

What is it?

So...

starting today, I am...

I am...

your mother.

You are my... What?

I...

am...

your mother.

(The Tale of Nokdu)

You should offer your greetings every morning and evening.

My daughter, do not call me "Hey". What if someone hears you?

Call me Mother.

Do you really want me to call you Mother?

- My gosh. - That is awful.

- I hate washing dishes. - If you cook, I will wash them.

You will do the laundry, and I will clean.

- Okay. - It is settled, right?

I could not turn a blind eye on her.

However, that was not the promise you made to us.

You want me to steal your father-in-law's jewels?

I will give you four days. Bring them to me. Be creative.

- Are you going somewhere? - To Hanyang. To see my lady.

What a faithful lover.

It is nice and comfortable to be alone.

This is great.

Did you not see a widow with beady eyes,

soft facial features, and full lips come here?