Original subtitles

(20 YEARS AGO)

Let's go.

What does it say?

I want you to write down what I say.

No! His Majesty will not forgive you for this!

Yeong-san!

You don't have much time left to save his life.

It's a son! You have a son!

Your Majesty!

They committed treason!

Prince Hamyeong and Min Ik-pyeong

invaded the palace with a group of soldiers!

You must hurry up and escape!

I want you to protect the Queen and my son.

Your Majesty.

We found a letter written by you

that was on its way to Qing.

We, the vassals,

can no longer serve a traitor who tried to hand over Joseon

to the barbarians of the West as our king.

You threatened our country's foundation through your social gatherings

and made the people of this country live in misery.

Admit your faults and kneel before us.

Let's get this straight.

It's not the letter that caused you to betray me.

It's because I refused to listen to the scholar-officials.

I just wanted to give everyone a chance to learn and do something meaningful.

Just like how I gave people from undistinguished families a chance

to become government officials,

I am going to do the same for the peasants and women.

That is what you're guilty of!

You tried to overturn the strict moral customs of this country!

What good are those customs

when they only allow the privileged to study academics

and spread their wings?

That is not what this country should...

Jae-gyeong!

Jae-gyeong!

- Hurry up and lie him down. - Okay.

What happened? Who did this?

I made changes to His Majesty's letter.

I don't know what to do now.

Please tell me what to do.

I'll do anything

to set things right!

It's not your fault.

They probably planned this for a very long time.

Teacher.

Please protect Hui-yeon.

You must stay alive.

I am a historian. Please let me in.

His Royal Highness has ordered us to strictly guard Nokseodang.

Even historians aren't allowed to enter?

- How is this considered "guarding"? - Your Highness.

(EPISODE 39)

Lady Hae-ryung.

I was so worried.

A bunch of men dressed in black barged into our house

and made a mess of your room and your brother's room.

They work for Min Ik-pyeong.

Are you sure no one got hurt?

Yes. We found a separate place to stay.

Let's go there.

I am scared to even walk outside.

Gak-soe, lead the way and show me where Jae-gyeong is.

What?

Yi Jin did that?

Yes.

His Royal Highness placed guards in front of Nokseodang

and forbade Prince Dowon from leaving the place.

He must've made up his mind.

The Queen Dowager sent you a letter.

Her Majesty has finally picked a date.

My lord.

Hae-ryung.

The person who found the daily record was Third Inspector Goo's sister?

Yes, I am Goo Hae-ryung, an apprentice at the Office of Royal Decrees.

Did you read the daily record?

Yes.

However,

I can't tell you what it said.

I can't reveal it to anyone

including you.

You must think that's your duty since you're a historian.

However, that daily record must be revealed to the world.

If we had that,

it wouldn't have taken so long to achieve what we had planned to do.

If your plan is to set things right

regarding what happened in the year of gyeongo,

I'd also like to take part.

- Hae-ryung. - That day,

you two may have lost your teacher.

But I lost my father.

Why do you keep thinking that I wasn't a victim?

His Royal Highness refuses to listen to anyone,

and there are soldiers guarding Nokseodang.

We can no longer guarantee the safety of Prince Dowon.

If you have a plan,

please share it with me.

Chief Royal Secretary.

Did you really talk to His Majesty?

Yes, he told me that he'll be here.

He should've been here a long time ago. Why isn't he coming?

Do you think he's trying to turn his back on us

because things are getting out of hand?

I am not surprised. People have begun to find out about the dethroned king.

And on top of that, even the historians have started

to talk about the year of gyeongo.

Officer Min

is the one who started this.

He shouldn't have brought that petition to the palace.

Hey, watch your mouth.

I will punish

Officer Min myself.

However, the center of all this is Prince Dowon.

The dethroned king's son is alive.

And that's why the Queen Dowager and the people of Seoraewon

are continuing to have false hope.

My lord, are you planning to...

There will be a banquet

to celebrate the 20th year of His Majesty's enthronement.

And before that banquet,

Prince Dowon will vanish soon.

My gosh.

Your Highness, you should eat.

You can't starve yourself just because you don't feel well.

No, it's okay.

How are things outside?

Well, things are very quiet.

- It's like the calm before the storm. - What about Hae-ryung? Is she doing okay?

My gosh, I can't believe you're worried about her even in this situation.

The situation is what makes me worried.

I got confined just for talking about the incident.

But Hae-ryung

even wrote a petition to His Majesty.

And there's nothing I can do

to keep her safe.

Who's there?

Someone entered this place. Have you seen anyone?

No, that's impossible.

I can't believe they're going to hold a banquet despite the current situation.

They should consider what's going on.

His Majesty cares about his face more than the scriptures of Confucianism.

He's trying to show that the royal family is doing fine.

I really don't get it.

He always ignores what's important.

The Office of the Inspector-General?

What?

Hey, what brings you here?

Officer Min, step forward.

The Second State Councillor gave orders to imprison you

for having caused trouble and rebuked the vassals

merely with a bunch of rumors.

- Take him. - Yes, my lord.

What? No, wait.

If the petition is the problem, you can take me instead.

I am the one who wrote that petition.

Officer Min just did what I asked and read it out loud.

What do you think you're doing?

How can you accuse him like this? All he did was read the petition out loud.

You can't punish historians for what they say.

A historian's job is to record history, not speak of it.

- Move aside. - We can't do that.

This is obviously a retaliation.

You're trying to shut us up!

That's enough!

Don't cause a scene.

- Stay in your seats. - Officer Min.

But...

Are you okay?

- Yes. - How could this happen?

How could they use such an absurd reason

to arrest a historian?

Officer Yang, aren't you going to do anything?

Didn't you hear who gave that order?

He even arrests his own son.

Anyone who acts out could literally get killed.

What brings you here?

Chief.

I have a favor to ask.

Your shift's over.

Get to your positions.

Your Highness.

- Hae-ryung. - Your Highness.

(BOOKSTORE)

Whose house is this?

You should go inside.

They are waiting for you.

I...

So Baek-seon, the military chief,

am honored to greet the one and only heir

of the royal family.

I served the Queen

ever since she was pregnant with you.

I was there on the day

that you were born.

What kind of person

was my mother?

No one ever told me about her.

She was very wise and benevolent.

She never mistreated anyone just because they weren't aristocrats.

And she even taught court ladies how to read and write.

Your Highness.

We have already

passed the point of no return.

We are going to end everything at the banquet

that's going to be held in a few days.

However, if anything goes wrong,

we'll no longer be

able to protect you by your side. So please...

Don't tell me to stay out of this.

I don't want to be a coward.

It doesn't matter.

You must stay out of this.

The Queen Dowager and I have endured such a long period of time

just so we could protect you.

No matter what happens, we must make sure

that you're safe.

If we don't come back by 7:30 p.m.,

you must leave immediately.

The palace is a mess because of the daily record and whatnot.

Must we hold a banquet?

If we cancel it last minute,

people will only be more suspicious.

And you must show everyone that you're still standing strong.

Okay, fine.

Do whatever you want.

There's one thing you must keep in mind.

The royal family and government officials will be there.

The Queen Dowager might use that day to her advantage.

Therefore, don't get swayed regardless of what happens.

What's that supposed to mean?

I am saying

you should accept whatever I might do to Prince Dowon

and the Queen Dowager.

Prince Dowon is locked up. He's not even allowed to leave his place.

- What more can you do... - Everything I do

is for His Majesty and you, the successor of the royal throne.

My judgement is not wrong.

Please do not forget

that you two can be here now because of my decision 20 years ago.

What exactly is that duty of mine that you are speaking of?

Just being the powerless, weak, pathetic prince

who is confined to his residence?

Yes. That is your duty.

You cannot and should not do anything.

Your Royal Highness.

What brings you all the way here?

Did you

read the daily record?

I am not asking you to show it to me.

I just need an answer to one question. I have to check something.

- Will you not do that for me? - As you already know,

I did many things I shouldn't have done as a historian.

But for the first time, I think I am doing the right thing.

Please wait here.

I wrote down a copy because Officer Min told me to.

My lord.

What happened?

His Royal Highness set him free.

What are you doing outside?

Can't you fall asleep?

How can I sleep when your room

is right next to mine?

I was just thinking.

"What will happen to me after tomorrow?"

If things don't go well, please don't move.

If I end up leaving,

I'll need an address to write to.

There's no need.

Wherever you are,

I'll be there with you.

You finally left the palace and met people who wish to follow you.

So,

I can't let you become all alone again without having anyone to lean on.

I won't allow that.

I will stay

by your side.

No.

You should live the life you want.

- Your Highness. - The day I left the palace,

I realized something as I saw you

standing in the garden.

I wasn't locked up in Nokseodang.

I was just waiting for you.

My whole life,

I waited for you

to come and find me.

So it's okay

even if I must change my name

and keep moving around to run away.

"I am waiting for the day

when I can see her again."

If I think like that,

I can get through anything.

(Final Episode will air shortly.)

(FINAL EPISODE)

Bow four times.

Bow.

All rise.

Bow.

All rise.

Bow.

All rise.

Bow.

All rise.

This is from all the royal relatives and senior officials of the royal court.

"Because Your Majesty quelled the rebels in the year of gyeongo

and protected this kingdom, this reign of peace could begin.

Hence, all living things on this land are indebted to Your Majesty.

May Your Majesty

live a long, healthy life

so that you can continue to leave your mark in history for years to come."

- For years to come. - For years to come.

What are you doing? Get back to your spot.

Your Majesty,

I, Third Inspector Goo Jae-gyeong,

wish to confess to the crime I committed in the year of gyeongo

and ask you to punish me for what I did.

The dethroned king's secret letter found at the borders

was fabricated.

Min Ik-pyeong, who was the Fourth Censor at the time,

ordered me to revise the letter so that it reads

the dethroned king wishes to sell Joseon off to foreigners from the West.

The dethroned king and everyone at Seoraewon

were set up by Min Ik-pyeong.

Here,

I have evidence to prove it.

In this letter, which the French physician at Seoraewon sent to his brother,

he wrote that the King of Joseon does not believe in Catholicism and that Seoraewon

is a place where people study new culture and technology.

Third Inspector Goo, you must leave at once!

How dare you spew such nonsense on this happy day?

Your Majesty.

I sincerely beg you.

Second State Councillor Min Ik-pyeong

dared to deceive you,

brought disgrace upon the royal court, and caused such dishonorable tragedy

that cannot be undone.

Please take his life

along with mine.

Your Majesty,

Third Inspector Goo used to work

at Seoraewon, which makes him a criminal.

He should have been executed 20 years ago.

However, he has managed to stay alive

because he betrayed his teacher and friends.

Who would believe anything that comes out of his mouth?

I agree, Your Majesty. He used to be at Seoraewon.

What more do we need to hear?

He is slandering

the Second State Councillor as well as all other high-ranking officials.

That's right. He is trying to drive a wedge between Your Majesty and us

for he is holding a deep grudge against all of us.

- He must be dragged out at once. - However,

the fact that he used to work at Seoraewon is not important...

Be quiet!

Anyone who supports him

will be punished for treason.

Second State Councillor.

Then, go ahead and punish me first for treason.

If believing that man's words is considered a crime,

go ahead and take this old woman's life first!

Are you finally revealing your true colors?

Second State Councillor!

The Queen Dowager has been in league with the remnants of Seoraewon

to disseminate The Story of Ho Dam,

exhibiting her disrespect toward Your Majesty.

She is trying to sabotage me and Your Majesty

so that Prince Dowon can ascend the throne.

Until when must I pretend I know nothing about her plan?

Even at this very moment,

soldiers from the Military Training Corps are on standby waiting for her orders.

Your Majesty!

Dowon, you should not be here now.

Leave.

I am no longer

Prince Dowon.

I am the son of Yi Gyeom, Prince Huiyeong.

I am Yi Rim.

Dowon!

Shut your mouth!

You have had many chances to kill me

in the past 20 years.

So why is it

that you have kept me alive?

Is it not

because you also know

that the dethronement cannot be justified?

- I told you to shut your mouth! - Because of your guilt

of killing your innocent brother

and stealing the throne from him,

you have kept me alive until this day.

Such insolence.

How dare you.

All historians must stop writing!

Did you not hear my royal order?

If you do not leave at once, you will be beheaded right here!

How dare she...

A female historian is disobeying my order?

What are you all waiting for? Drag that wench out of here!

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty.

Even if you slash my throat,

we, historians, will continue writing.

If I die, one of my fellow historians will take my place.

If you kill that historian also,

another historian will take his place.

Even if you kill all the historians on this land

and take all the writing brushes and paper from us,

you will not be able to stop us.

From mouth to mouth,

from teachers to their pupils, and from elders to children,

history will be told.

That is

the power of the truth.

Your Majesty!

We, historians,

cannot back down.

Your Majesty, they are all traitors.

Please do not hesitate.

Take their lives at once.

- Your Majesty! - Drop your sword.

Your Majesty.

A truly loyal subject

never tries to blind and deafen the king.

Do you still not see it?

The Second State Councillor is the one who is trying

to sabotage Your Majesty, your kingdom, and your people.

He is the one

who is trying to harm you.

Please accept the request

from Prince Dowon and the historians.

If anyone was falsely accused, please reinstate them.

And if anyone committed a crime,

please punish them.

Find out the truth

behind everything that happened in the year of gyeongo

through a special investigation committee.

Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty!

Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty!

- Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty! - Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty!

- Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty! - Right the wrongs!

- Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty! - Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty!

- Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty! - Right the wrongs!

- Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty! - Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty!

- Please, Your Majesty! - Right the wrongs, Your Majesty!

- Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty! - Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty!

- Please right the wrongs! - Your Majesty!

Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty!

- Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty! - Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty!

- Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty! - Please!

- Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty! - Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty!

- Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty! - Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty!

- Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty! - Please, Your Majesty!

Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty.

- Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty! - Please, Your Majesty!

- Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty! - Please right the wrongs, Your Majesty!

- Please right the wrongs... - Please, Your Majesty!

You'll have to pour me a drink at my memorial ceremony every year,

so I suppose I shouldn't ask you to do it yet.

Did you have to do such a thing?

In my childhood memories,

you were always like a big mountain.

You were never stingy when it came to books

even though that meant you had to wear shabby clothes.

You fought against the scholar-officials

with nothing but courage and knowledge.

So why...

What made you...

What made you become like this, Father?

Do you remember?

"U-won.

We, scholars,

must have a clear conscience.

That is our duty as scholars."

You once said that to me.

That is how you taught me.

Right.

When I was young,

I used to hate the scholar-officials.

They monopolized authority with the highborn nobles

and completely shut the weak out of opportunities.

However,

once I came into possession of power myself,

I did not want anyone to take it away from me.

Power...

is like the Spring of Greed.

You get blinded by your greed the moment you taste a drop of it.

After all,

I was just one of those

ordinary men.

Nevertheless,

I do not regret the decision I made in the year of gyeongo.

The dethroned king led the people astray with the foreigners' teachings

and violated the moral standards.

He was wreaking havoc on this kingdom,

which the former kings and the wise scholars had worked so hard to build.

Someone had to stop him.

Even if you cannot understand me now,

history will prove that I made the right decision.

No.

You're wrong.

A new world will come.

Not the world of scholar-officials,

which the former kings and the scholars built together.

It'll be a world created by the people,

for the people.

Joseon will become such a nation.

That is

what I will write.

How did it go?

The special investigation committee's hearings will begin tomorrow.

They are summoning Min Ik-pyeong as well as everyone else

who partook in the dethronement process.

I've submitted Officer Kim Il-mok's records

to the special investigation committee.

- Hae-ryung. - I know

that you must be

so relieved now.

But please don't expect me

to act like I am okay.

I am barely managing to hold it all in.

I did not

choose to take care of you because of guilt.

To me,

you have always been

my sister.

I will

always be your sister.

Goo Jae-gyeong's sister,

Goo Hae-ryung.

You silly goose.

His Majesty said he will

leave everything in your hands.

I see.

Everyone who was involved in it, including Min Ik-pyeong,

will receive the punishment they deserve.

As soon as the investigation is completed,

I will

step down as the Crown Prince.

I hope you won't resent me too much.

I won't, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

I will leave.

No,

you need to hear this, too.

Your Majesty, please dethrone me as a prince.

- Dowon. - I am aware that you have wished

for me to ascend the throne for a long time.

However, that is not where I belong.

What do you mean?

You are the only son of the former king.

That is where you should be.

Even the times that I've lived as a prince was too much for me to handle.

Instead of living the life expected of me

as someone's son, I now wish to live

as an ordinary man,

as myself.

That is not what your fate has in store for you.

You were born to be the King of this country.

I do not

wish to live such a life.

You ought to do it even if you do not want to.

The beginning

is always the hardest for everyone.

However, if you just get through that stage,

you will become a sage king whom everyone greatly admires.

I will assist you to the best of my ability.

(NOKSEODANG)

- How did it go? - Not well.

I think the Queen Dowager

needs more time to accept it.

What about you?

Are you ready

to leave Nokseodang?

(NOKSEODANG)

Yes.

It's not like

I'll forget all the memories of this place

once I leave.

Let's think of it as turning a page.

This isn't the end.

A new chapter will begin.

All right.

(3 YEARS LATER)

Oh, dear.

Oh, dear.

Hey, Yang!

Hey, Yang. Bang, bang!

Keep that up, and I'll punch you real hard.

Hey, come on.

We are all seventh-rank officers. Ease up, please.

Don't worry. It's okay.

Hey, clerks.

Finish it by three o'clock.

We are no longer clerks. We are administrators now.

The junior ninth rank!

His Majesty gave us the rank a long ago. Why are you still calling us "clerks"?

Hey, it's not even that much better than being a clerk.

It's very different. There's a huge difference, okay?

Don't ever forget.

We were the ones who pulled all-nighters and got all the work done

when you senior officers were swamped because the Annals Compilation Committee

for both the former king and the king before him was formed.

I am just speechless.

That little...

Until when will they go on about that?

For the next 500 years, probably.

- Officer Yang. - Yes?

Do you have complaints?

Want some?

That rice cake won't do.

I found acorns.

- Well done. Put them down here. - The footsteps...

Sa-hui.

Something else came for you from the palace.

Oh, boy.

Who keeps sending you these things?

(ELEMENTARY LEARNING)

(MYUNGSHIMBOGAM)

I can finally take off this mourning dress.

Who knew three years would feel this long?

U-hui.

What?

I am no longer married to the Crown Prince.

I don't have to watch what I say.

Just a moment.

First Historian Min U-won.

(OFFICE OF ROYAL DECREES)

His Majesty has ordered you to return.

Let's go!

I suppose we still have a long way to go.

Petitions pour in like this every time Seoraewon is brought up.

It is a lot less compared to what we received last month.

Well, I should be able to respond to all of them in about three to four days.

Please do not overwork yourself.

It is not something we can achieve quickly.

That is why I am doing my best to persuade everyone, one by one.

Seoraewon should be more than just our dream.

Another letter came for you from the royal villa.

I told him that I will never forgive him. He is truly persistent.

Any word from Eunuch Heo?

He will return to Hanyang today.

All we do is pack and unpack, travel on ships and horses.

- What an ordeal. - That's what I am saying.

Had I known this, I would've just stayed at the palace.

I won't come back tonight, so don't wait for me.

My lord! You're going to that house again?

Don't wait for me.

Goo Hae-ryung.

Goo Hae-ryung!

When did you get here?

Sir.

I had a lot of work to do, and I even had dinner with my colleagues,

so I am exhausted right now.

So can't you

just come back tomorrow?

I missed you like crazy during the whole month

that I was away from Hanyang. What? Tomorrow?

Well, it's not like I didn't miss you.

Do you know how many times I saw you in my dream...

You had dreams about me? Tell me.

In your dreams,

- what were we doing? - Well, you know.

I dreamed about how we saw those flowers on our trip to Jeju Island.

Tell me about your trip.

What did you see on this trip?

I saw dolphins in the Yangtze River.

- Dolphins? - Yes.

They were swimming in big pods right in front of my boat.

It was such a beautiful sight.

They are as big as calves, but their skin looks very shiny.

And they have pointy beaks.

Tell me more. Any other interesting stories?

What else...

Actually, no. If you're curious, buy my book and read all about it.

Don't be so petty.

At least you should buy my book.

I heard that only 12 copies of the other travelogue I wrote

were sold in the entire Hanyang so far.

Anyway, you should get some rest, then.

I won't...

bother you.

I'll get going, then.

I am leaving.

Sir.

Lock the door, please.

Hurry.

Oh, dear.

They practically live together.

Why won't they get married?

I just don't get it.

They'll get married when they want to.

Right, how could such an old man like you

understand our generation?

"Our generation"?

You and I are around the same age.

Don't talk as if you're around their age.

We are around the same age?

Had you been born a few years earlier,

I would've had to call you my ancestor. And what?

You're so funny.

It's the funniest joke I've heard all year, seriously.

- Goodness. - It's so hilarious.

That wench.

Why is it that I just can't grow fond of her?

I am sure Seol-geum isn't exactly fond of you either.

You little...

Hae-ryung, it's six o'clock.

You have to go to work.

You have to go to work.

It's six o'clock.

What? Did you forget something?

No.

This way, I can start my day off right.

See you later.

All right, have a good day.

- I am a historian. - Stop.

Seriously.

It's been three years. Shouldn't you remember my face by now?

I work at the Office of Royal Decrees.

Historian Goo Hae-ryung.

(THANK YOU FOR WATCHING ROOKIE HISTORIAN GOO HAE-RYUNG)

Subtitle translation by Eun-sook Yoon