Original subtitles

THIS SERIES IS A WORK OF FICTION. CHARACTERS, ORGANIZATIONS,

NAMES OF PLACES AND INCIDENTS MAY NOT BE HISTORICALLY ACCURATE.

Why did you come back?

To check if I'm dead?

Kill me.

I can't kill you just to save my life.

I must bring your head to the King.

Run away as far as you can.

My destination is already set.

I will return to the palace.

You'll throw away the chance to save yourself?

What's more important than my own life is there.

I can't leave that behind.

Do not turn your back against me ever again.

Should you betray me,

I will crush all of your loved ones to death

and see everything you risked your life for

come to nothingness.

Now that I have learned of the Queen's sin,

I have no choice but to dethrone her.

I will also sentence her to death, so make preparations.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Back to my quarters.

But…

What are you all waiting for? Back to my quarters!

Your Highness, are you all right?

I really don't know

why I'm like this.

And why His Majesty looked at me with such cold eyes.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

-My goodness! -Your Majesty!

Let go of me!

Your Majesty…

All of you, get out!

Your Majesty…

Your Majesty…

All of you, leave.

I will tend to His Majesty.

Your Majesty…

Your Majesty.

Since I swore to serve you with my whole life,

many years have passed.

And for all these years, I have endeavored

to prove my loyalty to you as your dutiful subject.

Yet, I hesitated when I had to make a decision.

And in my hesitation,

that last chance given to me

dissipated, in vain.

And now…

I am ready to brace hell.

Is His Majesty all right?

He has collapsed and is unconscious.

I will call the royal physician right away.

No, you must not.

What do you mean, I mustn't?

If the royal physician examines His Majesty,

his drug addiction will come to light.

And once the world learns of it, our nation will plunge into chaos.

The Queen Dowager may then use this as an excuse to seize power.

But…

Where is Mu-young?

I'm not sure.

His Majesty discreetly assigned him a mission,

and it seems he's on his way to carry out his command.

Do not let anyone in until I return.

Under the royal command, ban entry to the Queen Dowager's quarters.

Once the curfew is in place,

come to the back gate used by the palace servants.

Is anyone there?

Go to the gisaeng house in Hwagae-dong

and ask for the man by the name of Jungsaeng.

Deliver this letter to him.

Yes, my lord.

My lord, did you call for me?

Orders from His Majesty.

Proceed with them at once.

Ban entry to the Queen Dowager's quarters, and reinforce security

around the surrounding gates used by the subjects.

Be discreet, to not start a commotion.

Yes, my lord.

Your Highness,

the royal guards have blocked the gates, banning outside entry into your chambers.

What?

Just what is their reason for doing so this late?

I regret to inform you this, but His Majesty…

has ordered your confinement.

What is going on?

We are under the royal command to ban entry to all.

Royal command?

The Queen Dowager has been confined under His Majesty's orders.

When did he collapse?

Just over two hours ago.

You mean you're the one who restricted entry into the palace

and incarcerated the Queen Dowager?

How will you deal with the consequences once he regains consciousness?

Our priority is to escort him out of the palace in secret

and to get him treatment.

His Majesty's birthday is only two days away.

If His Majesty is absent from the palace,

they will catch on right away.

Then we must…

No.

Should we bring that fake back instead?

Ha-sun is dead.

Pardon?

But how could that be?

He…

is not dead.

But did you not tell me he was dead?

What… Is he dead or not?

What is the truth?

Where is he right now?

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

I'm so relieved you are safe.

It's such a relief.

Has he passed away?

No.

But we cannot be certain of when he'll regain consciousness.

Why did you call me back?

Why did you come back,

knowing very well you're walking into your own grave?

Because I saw.

When His Majesty ordered you to kill me,

I saw the hesitation.

Go on, then.

If you can't, should I?

Stop!

You'll never know

that horrid feeling of being betrayed by someone you trusted.

I thought I had become immune to hunger and the cold, but the last few days…

I thought that I'd rather die.

Trapped in that darkness, listening to the howls of the jackals

waiting to dig my eyes out,

and shivering while the cold wind pierced through my skin…

I told myself over and over.

"I really don't want to die like this."

"I just can't die like this at all."

I also prayed to the heavens

that you would come back alive.

But you probably can't trust me, even if you wanted to.

After all, I did drive you into a corner.

If you want me to beg for forgiveness, I shall.

And if you ask me to let you go, I shall do that.

So, tell me.

What is it you really want?

I want power.

Power to protect those who are more precious to me

than my own life.

I wish to be the real King with such power.

A king cannot exercise his power as he wishes.

The throne he sits on is for an immoral beast,

one that feasts on flesh and blood.

To protect that seat and the nation,

he must sacrifice all he has,

even his own heart. That is his cruel destiny.

Will you still do it?

Yes.

Then engrave this moment into your heart.

And I promise you that from now on,

come what may, I will remain by your side.

What is going on?

He has collapsed again.

I will visit you in a few days. I leave him in your care until then.

All right.

I will take him somewhere safer than my own temple.

I cannot let His Majesty leave alone.

I will accompany him.

If that will make you feel better, then do so.

The royal physician ought to examine you.

I am afraid the wound may fester.

If I die due to something trivial like this,

then I'll have to accept that this is my destiny.

Don't worry too much.

I'm relieved to see you joke about this.

Then I will take my leave, Your Majesty.

While you were gone, His Majesty called Shin Chi-soo

and invalidated everything we had done together.

You mean, he will forgive even those who embezzled?

There is a way to reverse that, surely.

Unfortunately, all words uttered by the King cannot be reversed.

Therefore, the appointments will go ahead as planned tomorrow.

Have a drink, please.

My lord, congratulations.

I'm not the one looking forward to a promotion tomorrow,

so why are you congratulating me?

His Majesty visited you in person to reaffirm his trust in you,

and that's the reason all of us are still here.

Therefore, we owe it all to you.

How is that all thanks to me?

It's all thanks to His Majesty's grace.

All right, let's drink.

Be careful, you!

My lord, this isn't much, but please do accept it.

What is it?

It's a fascinating item called a telescope,

and it allows you to see far away things up close.

TOJIMYEONGMUN: PROPERTY DEED

Such a waste of your talent to be stuck in the countryside.

I'll take consideration of it.

It would be my honor.

But my lord, there won't be any postponements

like last time, will there?

Are you saying you can't trust me?

Well, of course not.

I trust you.

Absolutely, my lord.

Oh, right. I heard you were appointed Governor of Iksan.

Congratulations.

Yes, well…

I guess, as the son of the Left State Councilor,

you received a good position.

Yes, and this time I intend to meet His Majesty's expectations.

Here is your breakfast, Your Majesty.

I ordered rice porridge, so please take your time.

I heard about the affairs of the court from the Chief Secretary,

but what about the palace?

Well, yes.

There wasn't much.

Tell me anything you know.

I can't make another mistake due to ignorance.

To tell you the truth, the consummation was scheduled

to take place last night.

But with His Majesty in such a fragile state,

he barged out,

and it resulted in failure.

I believe Her Majesty the Queen is upset.

I haven't given anything to you yet, My Queen.

So forget all about the happiness that I've never given you.

Your Highness, what is the matter?

I feel stuffy.

I’d like to go outside for a walk.

Make way for His Majesty the King!

Your Majesty.

My Queen.

Follow me.

I've missed you.

You were the only thing on my mind last night.

I was able to make it, thanks to you.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty, why do you have all these scars on your hand?

Well, the thing is…

I guess they're from practicing martial arts all night

with Officer Jang.

I told him to go easy on me, but…

You seem like a different person from last night.

And that makes me glad.

I was afraid I'd never see your smile again.

I was scared to death.

So was I, Your Majesty.

Last night was cruel and long.

That you came to see me today…

I will never forget it until the day I breathe my last.

I will visit you frequently from now on.

Until you are tired of me.

You did well, hanging in there.

No, my lord.

We were just fine.

What trick did you pull, anyway?

Yesterday, I was told we would be beheaded without a trial.

There wasn't a need to pull any tricks.

Your arrest was all a mistake in the first place anyway.

What? A mistake?

How do you do your job, anyway?

Why not call it a mistake, after they behead me?

I was really scared, you know?

My lord, is everything truly all right?

Yes. You needn't worry anymore.

I must see the Daedonggye members.

I will beg for their forgiveness,

and search for a way to fulfill Lord Gil's last wishes.

What is going on? Why are you guarding the Queen Dowager's quarters?

We are under royal command to bar all entry.

Royal command?

His Majesty has incarcerated Her Highness?

The Queen Dowager is incarcerated.

My lord!

The Queen Dowager, incarcerated?

What is this preposterous news?

His Majesty has his own reasons for giving such a command,

so why are you complaining to me?

I just learned of it myself.

So, you're truly not aware of what is going on?

If you are so worried about the Queen Dowager,

then appeal to His Majesty.

Let's go.

Your Majesty,

these are the officials awaiting their appointments.

Your Majesty, please reconsider.

If you promote those who ought to be punished,

then where is the discipline?

If you appoint those who extort from our subjects,

you will incur the resentment of our people.

Please heed our advice, Your Majesty.

-Please heed our advice! -Please heed our advice!

Your Majesty, their advice is nearsighted and foolish.

The more the new governor appointments are delayed,

the more inconvenient for our people.

Therefore, it is right you appoint them without delay.

I understand your concerns.

Chief Secretary.

Officer Shin Yi-gyeom, step forward.

Your abilities have caught my eye.

And I cannot let a talent like you go to waste.

Instead of appointing you Governor of Iksan,

I hereby appoint you Governor of Mujinmok.

Mujinmok? But that's a rocky island.

Isn't that a demotion?

I am due for a promotion this round.

I hear a new hot spring has recently been discovered there.

Pardon? Hot spring?

Yes, hot spring.

As you are all aware, I have a weak spot for hot springs.

I would like you to personally analyze the geography

and tell me where we must dig to obtain the thermal waters.

It's about time I visit elsewhere, and not just Onyang.

Next.

Jung Hee-myung, Governor of Jeonju.

Lee Sun-il, Governor of Deoksan.

Park Ki-sang, Governor of Heungdeok.

Kim Ji-bong, Governor of Chiksan.

All step forward.

Jung Hee-myung, Governor of Jeonju.

It turns out you have embezzled the highest amount of all the provinces.

Instead of setting an example for our people, you robbed them!

You won't be promoted.

Lee Sun-il, Governor of Deoksan.

Not only did you embezzle and extort taxes,

but you have committed adultery as well.

Despite people protesting your actions, you shamelessly hope for a promotion!

Park Ki-sang, Governor of Heungdeok.

After your embezzlement was exposed,

you tried to bribe your way out!

Trying to cover up your sin with another sin…

Your appointment is revoked!

Until they are duly punished, lock them up in the State Tribunal!

-Your Majesty! -Your Majesty, have mercy!

Your Majesty, please forgive us!

-Your Majesty! -Your Majesty!

-Your Majesty, have mercy! -Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty, this was meant to be a time for appointments,

but how could you accuse them?

You cannot do this, Your Majesty.

What can't I do?

You came all the way to my humble residence

and gave me your permission.

You asked me to return to court and serve you dutifully once more

and entrusted all state affairs to me.

So how could you do this?

I did so because I had believed in your loyalty.

However, you broke my trust.

Whatever do you mean, Your Majesty?

Chief Secretary.

Kim Ji-bong, candidate for Governor of Chiksan.

Yes.

Kim Ji-bong, who was nominated for Governor of Chiksan,

has sat for the Licentiate Examination, but not for the Erudite Examination.

Therefore, you must hold the Left State Councilor responsible

for nominating someone so unworthy.

The Left State Councilor is an Officer of First Merit,

so he will be excused.

However, the weight of his sin is grave.

I will dismiss him from his post.

Your Majesty.

Is this truly what you wish?

It is.

Well, well… He has fine looks for a boy of low birth!

What?

Let's go.

Left State Councilor.

I guess I should call you Prince of Goseong from now on.

Please relay this to His Majesty.

That although I deserved to lose all titles and privileges,

he still recognized me as a vassal of merit,

and thus I will never forget his grace.

I shall.

You will surely regret insulting our innocent family one day.

After attempting to murder the Chief Secretary,

how could you still say that?

When did I attempt to kill you?

Do you even have evidence?

If I report this to the State Tribunal,

two days would be enough for them to find your accomplice

and get their confession.

If you refuse your post, I will hold you responsible.

Did that satisfy you?

Far from it.

Whenever I think of what was done to my sister,

my rage can't dissipate even if he was made

to empty the long drops as a slave.

My lord.

I miss my sister very much.

Woon-sim knows where she is. May I see her?

I see. So Woon-sim had been taking care of her.

However, I can't ask about your sister

without revealing your whereabouts to her,

so wait until I find another way.

All right.

Tomorrow is His Majesty's birthday.

You will be congratulated by all the court officials,

so learn from Eunuch Jo

and make no mistakes.

I don’t even know my own birthday,

so this gives me mixed feelings.

Can’t I just refuse the feasts and celebrations?

The birthday feast is the court officials' way

of congratulating the King on his birthday.

They have spent months preparing for it,

so you can't refuse it so easily.

Then how about I receive their words of congratulations without the feast?

And I'd like it if the celebration food were distributed out to the people.

"On the King's birthday, the people rejoice on a full stomach."

Isn't that respectable?

All right, I will discuss it with the Minister of Rites.

All right.

Get your taffy sticks!

Hey, hurry.

Hey!

Where are you going?

Hey!

Come on.

You already checked in on us before.

I have no choice since I must see the market prices in order to levy taxes.

Don't challenge my responsibilities

as a tax officer.

-Hurry up! -Here, my lord.

Have some of this, please.

Please.

Why taffy, out of all the sweets out there?

Is there another meaning to this?

No way, my lord!

We just want you to have something sweet and to enjoy yourself.

-One, two… -What are you doing?

-I'm going to count to ten. -Pardon?

I need to know the prices,

so bring me everything you've hidden.

Come on, we don't hide anything out back!

Whatever I find after the count of ten will be levied double the tax!

-Three. -Run!

-Four! -Yes, sir.

Oh, dear…

Excuse me, I have a question.

Are you the owner here?

Gosh, I wish I was.

Pardon?

No. It's nothing.

Anyway…

Ask away.

Mister, let's just go.

Come on, don't you want to find Ha-sun?

Well…

Could you take a look at this for us?

Any idea where this was made?

Let's see…

How much is this worth?

What…

Hey, I was only kidding!

That glare of yours tells me you'll be big someday.

What? An engraving of a dragon.

Dragon symbols are reserved for the King.

What…? Did you say… the King?

Where did you get something precious like this?

Well… That's…

Hey! Hold up!

Hey!

Hold up!

You're not done counting yet, are you?

I just counted to 118.

Did you say 118?

Prince Jinpyeong.

Are you here for His Majesty?

No, I am here to see you.

Me?

I just couldn't decipher His Majesty's intentions.

I thought the Left State Councilor was behind the Queen Dowager's incarceration,

but soon discarded that idea after what happened at court.

I thought you would know His Majesty's true intentions.

Well… How would I know what His Majesty is thinking?

However, if this is about the Queen Dowager,

you may rest your concerns.

His Majesty ordered to lift all bans for his birthday tomorrow.

Please excuse me.

Then why was he so hasty in ordering my incarceration

if he was going to reverse it so easily like this?

I cannot help but think that it was all to insult you.

You mustn't put up with his tyranny any longer.

If what His Majesty wishes is to see me quiver in fear,

then I'll have to at least pretend.

What is on your mind?

My lord! You guaranteed this wouldn't happen!

Please let me see you, my lord!

Go ahead and drag him out this instant!

-Yes, my lord. -Yes.

I was told winning your favor was the key to everything!

I even offered you my land!

Now that things have fallen out, I want my land back! My land!

Shut his mouth.

Let go of me!

My lord! I want my land…

My lord, have mercy!

I must urgently speak to you.

It is about His Majesty!

You will regret it if you do not hear me out.

Stop.

Father…

Let him in.

You say it's about His Majesty. Let me hear it, then.

Recently, I called some clowns to my residence for entertainment.

And one of them had looked exactly like His Majesty!

Are you trying to fool me with such shallow lies?

Drag him out this instant!

My lord, I am not lying! It is the truth!

So…

Are you sure this clown looked exactly like His Majesty?

How would I dare lie to you?

I will gladly risk my life.

Please deliver the sentence on Yoo Ho-jun, the criminal.

Enclose him in a thorn hedge on a remote island.

He was also surprised, that's all.

If you behead him for making just one mistake,

will anyone here be left standing?

I have never doubted your loyalty,

so return to court and support me.

The Left State Councilor is an Officer of First Merit,

and so he will be excused.

However, the weight of his sin is grave.

I will dismiss him from his post.

Why did you want to see us?

I wanted to relay this to you.

Aren't these the commandments written by Lord Gil?

I thought it perished in the fire

when Lord Gil passed away.

The Chief Secretary risked his life to enter his cell

and kept by his side to take down his last words.

I once thought of him as our archenemy,

but not anymore.

I can guarantee that the Uniform Land Tax Law

is the first step toward the nation we all envisioned.

I still remember the days when I studied hard,

so I would come to read this book one day.

It's still possible.

You don't have to forgive me.

It is okay to resent me.

I will be the foundation for your new world,

so let's learn together, and be together,

like we were back then.

It won't make a difference, being fooled by you twice.

So I'll take a chance and trust you one last time.

But get it right this time.

All right. And thank you.

Engrave this moment into your heart.

And I promise you that from now on,

come what may, I will remain by your side.

Your Highness.

-Have you been well? -Have you been well?

Your Highness, we can only imagine your suffering.

With an immoral king who has neglected his filial duties,

the future of our country is grim.

The sin of the child is also that of the parents.

The King's tyranny is all due to an oversight on my part.

However, for the peace and harmony of our nation,

I will no longer turn a blind eye to his sin.

Will you join me?

Any man of justice would join forces

in disposing of an immoral king.

Am I not right?

That goes without saying.

We will stand with you, Your Highness.

-We stand with you! -We stand with you!

-We stand with you! -We stand with you!

Your Majesty, I wish you a happy birthday.

Thank you.

You may take your leave.

Yes, Your Majesty.

How did a scar of that size disappear in just a day?

Your Majesty, can you hear me?

Where am I?

Why did you bring me here?

You suddenly collapsed, so we had to bring you here

in order to cover up your health troubles.

Where is the head of that clown?

I failed to abide by your command.

I deserve to be punished by death,

so say the word and I will accept my fate.

If you deserve it, you shall die.

What are you looking at?

Do you want me to kill you?

You failed to abide by my command, so you deserve to die.

You should know it is an honor to die by your master's hands.

Your Majesty.

Haksan, aren't you lucky?

Watch closely, as I behead him.

Your Majesty.

Will you do it, then?

Today is your birthday, is it not, Your Majesty?

Do not soil your hands with blood on such a celebrative occasion.

Birthday…

Birthday?

That's right.

Today is my birthday!

Then I shouldn't.

No.

Lock him up and serve me a special meal.

Why don't you join me?

Mu-young, go back to the palace first.

I will join you later with His Majesty.

I prepared this especially for you, Your Majesty.

I heard you refused all celebrations,

but please do not refuse this.

You made all this yourself?

For the side dishes, I had the help of court ladies.

However, this seaweed soup is something you have every year,

so I made it myself.

It's delicious.

I'm glad.

Your Majesty, your consorts are here to see you.

They are here to wish you a happy birthday, so do call them in.

Let them in.

Your Majesty,

this is a small gift from me to wish you a happy birthday.

Please open it.

This is…

I had it specially made to wish you a long, healthy life.

This reminds me of that tune.

"Turtle, turtle, give me your head,

otherwise…

I will roast you alive."

At least you can roast and eat a real turtle,

but this looks totally useless.

I wish you had given me a real turtle instead.

Pardon?

Or I could use this to fund the rice rations.

Your Majesty!

Your Highness, what was your gift to His Majesty?

I…

I have not had time to prepare anything…

That's quite all right. It's perfectly understandable.

I hear our people prefer not to exchange gifts.

Let's do the same here.

I intend on visiting the library today.

On my birthday, I'd like to be with my books, which are my dear friends.

As always, I will be there from five o'clock.

Therefore, I want no interruptions.

Five o'clock, at the library, reading books.

Today is the day someone was brought into this world,

while another namelessly left it.

I'm talking about my birth mother.

I hear she passed away

even before having a sip of the soup for mothers.

The former King refused to appoint a nanny

to rear the bastard son who had killed his wife,

so I was nursed on this seaweed soup, instead of breast milk.

I wanted to call him Father just once,

but he…

never allowed it.

By the way,

what happened to the Queen?

Has she been sentenced to death?

Your Majesty.

Your soup will get cold.

So, please.

Right. Because…

I can always order that once I return to the palace.

Once I return to the palace,

I will behead all those who refused to abide by my words.

They'll only come to their senses with another blood storm!

I will…

I will never…

Your Majesty.

Before you return to the palace, why not stop by the beach you used to visit

when you were the Crown Prince?

I will offer you a birthday drink there.

Yes, that sounds good.

Let's go there, it's been a while.

I've always wondered what lies past those waters.

The books you brought me from your missions as an envoy to the Ming

were full of the most curious tales.

Just you wait. One day,

I will travel to the lands that lie past these waters

and bring back advanced weapons.

And I shall make our nation more powerful than Japan,

and more powerful than the Ming Dynasty.

You wait and see.

Why will you not say anything?

You already know, Your Majesty, that the nation you envision

is also the nation I dream of.

Yes. The nation you and I both envision…

That new world… I will open the doors to them.

Just you wait.

You said you will offer me a drink.

Go on, give it to me.

How I wish you were my father.

Let's go back to the palace.

What is wrong with me?

I see that clown…

didn't die but survived.

I feared this would happen.

That's why I made you submit to me,

so that you wouldn't leave me.

Why are you turning your back against me?

Why are you abandoning me?

I am not abandoning you, Your Majesty.

I have simply chosen this nation, our people, and a new world.

Do you think I will crumble like this?

No way.

As soon as I return…

that clown, the Queen,

you, and Officer Jang…

I will whip you, rip all your limbs off,

and incinerate you!

And as you moan in pain worse than death,

you will regret holding treacherous thoughts!

Refrain from talking, it will lessen the pain.

Yul…

Did Yul also…

suffer like me?

When I saw you sacrifice him for me,

I thought I'd finally found someone who was wholly mine.

Didn't you say you would die for me?

I was not lying when I said I would die for you, Your Majesty.

How ironic.

You, who said would die, ended up surviving,

while I, who was determined to live, is now dying…

This cannot be.

I must live.

I must…

This is the only way to open the doors

to the new world you envisioned, Your Majesty.

Do you think it will be possible without me?

Rest your concerns.

I will risk my life to make sure it is.

I'm scared.

I'm very much afraid.

In the afterlife, it will not matter that I am the King.

I will remain by your side…

until your very end.

There is no way to help me.

This is my sin, so I will bear it alone.

How dare you, a hound abandoned by its master, come bark at me?

I am here to crown you King.

Let's go.

We must lay a trap.

The Chief Secretary is simply no match for me.

Can you do it?

A clown does not choose his audience.

Do you truly wish to die by my hands?

Subtitle translation by: Jeong-yon Kim