Original subtitles

(A Good Friend to Meet)

(This drama is purely fictional...)

(and is not associated with actual people,)

(organizations, incidents, or locations.)

Please stay safe and sound.

Chief Eunuch, did you know?

About what?

This is the revised list of court ladies who are leaving.

(Won Nyu)

Shin Won...

What on earth happened?

Your Majesty.

What brings you here?

I heard you were not on duty today.

Gosh, then you should have let me get some rest.

It is still hard. Is it not?

You relied on Shin Won a lot while in the palace.

Well...

I do not feel good about this either.

I understand how you feel.

Shin Won...

was special to us both.

Your Majesty.

If you have a hard time, lean on me.

I am your beloved.

(Episode 9)

What on earth is this about? You are leaving the palace?

Let me go.

Someone might see us.

Did you really agree to this?

Why? You have lived in the palace for so long!

But still, I must look for them.

My husband and son whom I left on the outside.

You said you lost contact with them.

How will you find them?

When longing turns to regret,

it becomes hard like a stone.

That is why...

I have stones in here.

If I leave it like this...

I cannot live because it is too heavy.

What if you cannot find them?

The effort to look for them...

is the proper decorum for the time I have spent holding myself back.

Can you not stay like this?

You should serve His Majesty until the day you die.

No, even if you leave,

you should go after you marry him off. No?

Here.

Just have three spoonfuls.

Why did you not tell me when you knew?

What? That Chun Seok was destined to die young?

You knew this!

Why would you make me feel worse...

You were not meant to be in this life.

If I told you to accept Chun Seok's feelings for you, would you have done so?

Even still...

Connections and destiny...

are not something that can be changed by human power.

You are always going on about destiny.

Was it my destiny to almost die after being abducted?

So Rang almost died too.

That is why she is going the way of her destiny.

Who said that path would go straight?

Even if her feet swell and end up bleeding,

what can she do? That is the path she must take.

Getting lost along the way is a part of that path.

Goodness.

Hae Young.

In order to know if that path is refined or rugged,

you must walk down it.

You should not do this here, Your Majesty!

Why not? We are betrothed to one another.

Come on.

Why would you leave your nice palace and come here?

You are not there.

Then do you want me to work here too?

"Work?"

Are you saying all the time you spent with me was work?

Do you know how hard it is to put you to sleep?

Gosh, that is not something...

someone who always dozed off and fell asleep before me should say.

"Always?"

I did not always fall asleep. Sometimes...

On occasion, that has happened.

Right. So today, I will do that.

- What? - I will put you to sleep.

Lay down.

My gosh.

Then can you promise that nothing will happen?

What do you mean by "nothing?"

This is the room I share with Court Lady Won.

Do you think it would be okay for something scandalous...

to happen here?

Do you not know how innocent...

and pure I am?

For seven years...

For seven years, I...

Lay down.

Tonight, I will put you to sleep.

Close your eyes.

I feel uncomfortable.

So go ahead and close your eyes.

Your Majesty, my apologies for interrupting.

If you know you are interrupting, come back next time.

Now then, go to sleep.

They are back.

We, Choi Sun Hyuk...

And Jae Wal, have returned after fulfilling your command.

So, have you found Shin Won?

Have you found Lee Shin Won?

No.

It is best to get rid of him completely.

Yes, the drawers were all empty.

As if someone gave them a heads-up?

Perhaps, they bribed someone in the Department of Justice.

How could you fail at such a close distance?

Of all things, someone took the shot instead of him.

I have no excuses.

We cannot let Lee Shin Won live.

Chase him to the end of the earth...

and get rid of him no matter what.

Yes, ma'am.

We could not find him.

He did not return home.

We could not find his whereabouts at all.

You must find him at any cost. And when you do...

Should we bring him back to the palace?

No.

Check if he is all right for now.

Sang Ju.

Lead him to his path.

Lady Seo. Lord Cho.

I will not make another mistake. Please, Lady Seo!

People who should not be kept alive.

Is he not one of them?

He does not have the guts to kill someone.

I heard the news.

You can no longer run businesses by abducting ladies, can you?

What will you do now?

It is news you should be dancing...

with joy over.

What you had prepared for such a long time...

will finally come true.

If I can no longer do business by kidnapping ladies,

it means...

the Prohibition of Marriage is no longer necessary.

Then...

Your Majesty. We cannot postpone the royal marriage any longer.

You must accept a queen...

and have her occupy the Queen's Palace as soon as possible.

Well, of course.

The royal marriage preparation should not be put off another day.

The ministers made all sorts of excuses until now,

so why all of a sudden?

Of course, I should select a queen.

But I am worried about So Rang.

Accepting another lady other than So Rang as the queen...

No, I cannot do that.

There is a solution.

And that is...

That is...

"That is?"

That is...

Goodness.

It will be a different story if So Rang conceives a child...

who will succeed your throne.

So Rang can then become the queen.

But to have her conceive a child, then...

I cannot do it.

We are moving too fast.

Too fast? Are you not lovers now?

Yes, but still. It is a no.

You see, we need more time to get to know each other.

Perhaps, is His Majesty...

not sincere about her?

Not sincere? Of course not. I am absolutely sincere.

Right.

Then...

I will try and make it.

Make what?

A chance for you two to get closer...

and intimate.

The Flash Market in Valley Mount Nam?

Yes. Have you been to it?

Of course.

It is named Flash Market because it only opens for one season,

is it not?

That is right.

I wanted to make time to study public welfare.

How about it? Come with me.

Why do we not look around?

And buy some things.

Your Majesty. That is no place to have fun.

That place is...

in its highest season.

We must make money.

What?

Are you going to open an illegal shop in the market?

It is bustling with people.

We should put down a display mat.

No. You see, I am the King.

I do not need to earn money, nor do I need more of it.

Your Majesty. You do not know...

the fun of making money yet, do you?

Goodness.

Money? So what would you like to sell?

Fine. I will have the most expensive treasure in the palace prepared.

You do not know the customers at all.

To earn money, we must sell expensive items.

No. A thread will do.

A thread?

Is this not a knot? Please make me one.

- Me too. - Me too.

Please pick out a color among these.

A knot?

- I would like this one. - This one for me.

Goodness.

Here you go. It is ten buns each.

Ten buns?

Thank you.

It is gorgeous.

So Rang. A spool of thread was not even ten buns.

So how could you sell this knot for ten buns?

That is what you call business, Sir Yi Jeon Ha.

No. This is deceiving the customers, is it not?

It feels like it.

I am originally a crook.

Right. Please choose a color.

With this knot, I will be able to become the queen, right?

The queen selection will be held soon.

I cannot wait until the Prohibition of Marriage is over.

I will marry His Majesty.

Now then, please choose a color.

- Is this not pretty? - It is.

- I want one too. - I cannot choose.

It is ten buns each.

Thank you. Wait just a bit.

All right. We have a few orders.

Sir Yi Jeon Ha?

If you have hands, why not make the supplies and not waste time?

Oh, right. Yes, sure.

Yes, have a look at the colors.

This one suits you well.

This is...

Is this how I do it?

All right.

How detestable. We should throw this one out.

Leave it. It will be ours.

You want to keep this one?

I prefer the one you made.

Have you run such a business before?

Like this weft and warp thread,

I helped tie the knots of two people.

But I always could not finish it.

Now you, Sir Yi Jeon Ha, can tie the knots...

of the young men and women...

by lifting the Prohibition of Marriage.

Here.

- Oh, gosh. - It is beautiful.

It is a shame, but I ran out of all ingredients.

I am closing for today.

- Come on. Let us come another time. - Yes, next time.

Now then.

- Let us go. - All right.

Did you not want to have fun?

No, you were right.

Earning money is much more entertaining.

We should...

wrap things up as well.

Gosh. Look at this, Your Majesty.

You want to buy this?

Why would you waste your hard-earned money on this?

- Can we have two? - It is four buns.

That looks good.

Here you go. You cannot eat it. Right?

What?

- Here... - You cannot get it. Hurry up.

Dummy. Hurry up and grab it.

Chewy.

I punish you to quartering!

He is a very angry person.

(Life's Best Drawing)

Is it okay to get my portrait drawn like this?

Nobody here knows that you are the King.

Smile.

Oh, my.

It is so beautiful.

Give it to me now.

The knot? It looks a bit weird.

Who cares if it is not perfect?

Yi Jeon Ha made it himself.

Here.

It is pretty.

- Oh, my. - Hey, you! Over there!

Who is tying something on there again?

- Was this illegal? - Marriages are forbidden right now.

None of these things are legal.

They go after things like this too?

Gosh.

Why would I run away? I am the King.

Then I will run away on my own.

I told you people not to do this. Why do you not listen?

Gosh.

Wait for me!

Why are you looking at me like that?

Well...

You smell nice.

Why are you being so clingy today?

What? Me? What did I do?

Oh, my.

So Rang.

I am thinking about...

taking your clothes off here.

Right now?

Why?

Do you not want to?

No, it is not that...

Then...

What will happen to me?

Will I become a royal concubine?

I believed you when you said you would leave the palace.

Are you going back on your word...

because you are uneducated?

Regardless of how much you try to shake His Majesty,

the queen selection will proceed as planned,

and the queen of this nation will be someone else.

I will allow you to stay as a favored court lady.

I need to get a grandson...

from someone.

I do not want to.

What?

I am not fit to become...

a favored court lady either.

I am not fit to give birth...

to the son of the King either.

Then you must promise me once again...

that you will not become a hindrance...

to the queen selection of this nation.

I...

will not become anything.

Do not worry.

I will make you my queen, no matter what.

Do you...

know my name?

I do not know my name.

The name So Rang was given to me in my travels.

I do not know the name my parents gave me...

or where I am from.

How could I become queen?

Why do you not think about ways to stay by my side?

You said you were my beloved.

You promised not to leave my side.

Receiving an official rank was not a part of my plan.

You love me,

but you do not want to become my wife?

Your Majesty.

This is enough for us.

This is not enough for me.

I cannot hold my feelings for you.

Do you think that I can?

Think about it a little more, Your Majesty.

You are here.

I drew something.

Will you take a look at it?

What is it?

This is not a good place.

Excuse us.

Gosh.

Well...

Is this the start of a relationship?

There was once a big idiot.

What?

He never held the hand of a woman or crossed paths with one.

However, he was filled with romance.

He was a typical man forlorn from birth.

There was a woman he liked.

How could that foolish man forlorn from birth...

properly express to that woman...

that he likes her?

It was only until the day that woman was in danger that he realized...

he could not live without her.

Recently, a friend of his passed away.

He was also in love with that pretty woman and was his rival in love.

But he left this world in vain.

No matter how much he thought about it, it made no sense.

It was then that the fool realized...

that even if marriage is forbidden,

he should not hide his feelings.

If he keeps his feelings hidden as the nation ordered,

he might lose that woman forever.

That is why...

the fool will confess his love to her now.

Lady Hae Young...

when this Prohibition of Marriage is over,

will you marry me?

Do Seok.

Must you really leave?

I thought long and hard before coming to this decision.

Investigator Lee is not here either.

And if you leave too,

who can I trust and rely on in this palace?

The King of this country is your beloved.

Nothing can be more delightful than that.

I am not sure.

It just seems...

this love will not end on a happy note.

What makes you think that?

You do not know how powerful love is, do you?

I am old enough to know better...

but chose to leave to find my husband.

You see, love.

It is not something you can fight against and win.

My heart is aching.

Is it because of this longing...

or the pain from leaving?

I cannot even tell.

What should we do?

Make way for His Majesty.

Goodness.

Your Majesty.

What brings you all the way here?

Is it about what you had asked before?

No. I came to bid you farewell.

Thank you for everything until now.

You were...

like a mother to me.

Thanks to you,

I did not feel lonely in this palace.

May I give you a hug?

Your Majesty.

Goodbye, Court Lady Won.

Your Majesty. Sun Hyuk and Wal have arrived.

What about Shin Won?

Who are you?

He asked us.

He asked not to look for him again.

What brings you here?

How about some daytime drinking?

How did you know I was here?

Old Man Gwaeng Yi sure is skilled.

"You will find Investigator Lee around here."

That is what he told me.

Please do not address me as an inspector.

I have resigned from my post.

Then how about "bigger brother?"

Do not joke with me. I am not older than you.

Were you not born in the Year of the Tiger?

I was born in the Year of the Dragon.

If it is the Year of the Dragon,

you are the same age as Chun Seok.

Treat me like a younger brother, Shin Won.

Goodness.

Did something happen?

I told my feelings...

to Lady Hae Young.

Do Seok. You see...

I do not know what is love yet.

Proposing to me out of the blue...

feels strange and awkward.

It makes me uncomfortable too.

By the way, Shin Won.

Will I be able to forget just because I want to?

I know how you feel.

It is just like my left hand.

It was always a part of my body.

But I could not move or train it how I like to.

Does that mean you cannot use that arm forever?

There is a very slim possibility.

Would it not be better not to have even the slightest hope?

Then what will you do?

Does your arm not hurt?

My heart does.

That must be because there is hope inside you.

It would not hurt if you gave up completely.

My plan was to settle down here...

if the mountain made me feel better.

Your Majesty. Do you have time to spare?

I have something I must show you.

What is this?

It is my small gift...

for you two, the new couple.

Everything that will happen inside there...

will be kept a secret.

Is this not outdoors?

Outdoors? No, it is not. It is quite cozy inside.

I asked around.

Apparently, So Rang likes to sleep outside.

Maybe because she used to be a wanderer.

This and that are different.

Are you sure?

Why not trust me this time as well?

I am Your Majesty's...

resourceful man.

Goodness.

Gosh.

(Boksudang)

His Majesty was here.

My gosh.

So Rang.

All right. Give us some privacy for a moment.

You should get some more rest.

Oh, my.

Your Majesty!

When did you stop by to leave those flowers for me?

Oh, that. I did not want to wake you up.

You started missing me already?

Yes, I...

Those flowers. Did you arrange them yourself?

Oh, those...

Forget it. Let us stop talking about it.

Why? I cannot do this with my lover?

No, I am...

I have a busy day ahead. I will see you in the evening.

Oh, boy.

Anybody there?

- You made it. - This way, please.

Hold on. Let me check.

- Here. - Hey.

His Majesty sent you here to keep his word.

However,

I cannot send you out on a blind date in your current state.

What? Why not?

You already know the answer.

- Because of our looks? - Yes.

Gosh, must you be so blunt?

- Seriously? - Yes.

I appreciate your blunt honesty. We give up, then.

Yes, we give up.

If you go on a blind date looking like that,

you will either get water thrown on you or get slapped in the face.

So our faces are the problem, right?

However, you know who I am.

Up until yesterday, I was the highest-ranking court lady.

I know a thing or two about grooming and getting dolled up.

- Sister! - Sister!

But I have one condition.

- What? - What might that be?

I am looking for someone.

His name is Hwang Dong Shik.

He is my husband. We became estranged 25 years ago.

We are glad...

that you are back.

All your belongings from the palace are here.

My Young Master, I know how hard you worked...

to get that position. You had no life.

I do not understand how such a sweetheart like you ended up like this.

They looked like important books, so I put them up there.

Oh, no! My goodness.

Why is His Majesty suddenly acting like that?

What?

Gosh, I cannot believe I gave this to His Majesty.

I was so immature.

(The Sensual World of the Married)

(Clasped tight, Love me)

So you have been busy...

You sure have been keeping busy. I thought you were naive.

- No, do not get the wrong idea. - Oh, I am so forgetful.

I forgot to feed the dogs.

Wait. Let me explain!

I do not believe this is mine.

(April 5, the Year of the Yellow Horse)

Why was I told to come here?

What is all this?

There you are. Let us have some meat outside...

while keeping warm around the fire.

We should admire this scenery together...

and have a drink too.

We will drink outside?

We can do that in there.

I see. Then I want to drink first.

Gosh.

Oh, my.

Why is that here?

If you get tired after a drink or two,

you can lean back or lie down.

What?

That is amazing.

I cannot believe I had never thought of that.

Well, shall we have a drink?

Yes, shall we?

Oh, right. You must have been very surprised...

when I brought you that book.

Why are you bringing it up all of a sudden?

I found that book while cleaning Gangnyeongjeon earlier.

I flipped through it again, and I must say...

Gosh, you know?

I was so immature, right?

I gave the King of this nation that kind of book without hesitation.

You speak as if you are mature now.

But I was more surprised then.

You were so beautiful then.

What?

When I spun around like this?

Oh, my.

Did I ever tell you?

Everything that happens here will be a secret.

Whether we drink...

and make a ruckus, dance around,

or even do something that makes us blush.

Since you said everything that happens here will be a secret.

Do not do that.

Can I not?

Do not do it. You should experience it too.

But I cannot hold myself back.

You told me to hold myself back.

I really cannot hold back.

(Ye Hyun Sun)

Did she know that she was meant to marry me?

Is your name Lee Shin Won?

The eldest son of the willow tree house?

What did you do before the Prohibition of Marriage?

What?

I was a beggar.

Ye Hyun Sun.

Did you pretend not to know when you knew it was me?

Old man.

Old man.

Old man.

- What is going on? - Investigator.

He suddenly spiked a fever. He is burning up.

Sir, are you okay?

He is an old man,

so we do not know what might happen.

I think it would be best for his family to get here.

Then...

I think we should call So Rang.

Is this where you were?

I was looking around because I did not know where you were.

What is going on?

A letter came for you from outside the palace.

(So Rang, old man Gwaeng Yi is very sick. Please come quickly.)

Why are you not sleeping?

During the day,

I spoke with the chief royal secretary a lot.

If your social class and name are an issue,

we could consider having you become an adopted daughter of a good household.

I have thought a lot about this, so please do not reject this too.

Your Majesty.

I think I should visit my home outside the palace.

I must check.

What brings you all the way here?

Go and tell your mistress.

The man who almost became her son-in-law is here.

How dare he come here?

Take out all the weapons in the shed.

If needed, we will use force.

Oh, right.

And bring Lord Ye some snowbell extract.

It could get loud.

It would be better for him to sleep.

Yes, madam.

You came to see me?

You almost became my mother-in-law.

There is no reason why I should not come.

Do you think...

I still want you as Hyun Sun's husband?

Do you still call your second daughter Hyun Sun?

Watch your mouth!

The real Ye Hyun Sun is elsewhere.

How dare you spew such nonsense without any proof?

I was the investigator of the Department of Justice after all.

Do you think I would come without any evidence?

(Ye Hyun Sun)

What nonsense is this?

You had your men collude with some kidnappers...

and committed such a treacherous act.

Treacherous, you say?

The traitor in this nation is someone else.

The wench who dared to fool the King of Joseon.

It is none other than So Rang.

If I open my mouth,

that wench will be beheaded tomorrow.

Watch what you say.

Did you not know?

That sly wench does not have any psychic abilities.

Ask her directly.

Ask her when and how she obtained such abilities.

Everything she says is a lie.

Did you not know that?

If you want her dead,

go tell everyone...

that So Rang is Ye Hyun Sun.

What did he say? Did he threaten you or something?

I told you. We should have ratted out that fraud long ago.

If the investigation gets drawn out, things will get complicated.

Our names could come up.

So you will just let him go like this?

He cannot even use one of his arms.

What could he even do?

(Boksudang)

Make sure not to skip meals even if I am not around.

And sleep well.

They will keep you safe.

This is not necessary.

I must do this to put my mind at ease.

Thank you in advance.

I will be off, then.

Old man, you look awful.

You look like a dried up persimmon.

Your Highness the Queen.

What brings you to this humble abode?

You should return to the palace at once.

What is wrong with him?

He has been talking nonsense for a few days now.

Your Highness, you must stay within the palace walls now.

My gosh.

The high fever is to blame.

There will be a few other critical moments.

He will have to overcome them.

Do we have enough medicinal herbs?

Have you not seen them yet?

What? Who paid for all this?

Well, that is...

The thing is...

I suppose Shin Won was here.

How is he doing?

Drink up, old man.

Yes, drink up.

Gosh.

Your Majesty, I am afraid it would take longer than I thought.

The physician said...

my old man was very ill.

They cannot figure out what caused the illness,

but I was told that absolute rest would be the best remedy.

I will come and see you as soon as his condition improves.

Please do not worry, and take care of yourself.

Shin Won.

Your arm...

It just happened.

You should have told me.

It was not your fault, So Rang.

How have you been?

I am...

His Majesty's woman now.

I see.

Then you must have an official title now. But I never heard such news.

That is because we decided to keep all of it a secret.

What?

You know that I am not exactly cut out to be a royal concubine.

So Rang.

Why did you hide it from me all this time?

Why did you pretend not to know?

That you are Ye Hyun Sun.

You see,

I spent seven years looking for you.

And...

for those seven years,

I tried to forget myself.

It would have been so unfair and unbearable otherwise.

"Why did I have to get everything taken away from me?"

It would have been so awful...

to have that thought haunt me all the time.

You may have lost your bride,

but I...

I lost everything.

My family,

my name,

and even my existence itself.

I am not Ye Hyun Sun. That is why I could not say I knew you.

Because Ye Hyun Sun...

died long ago.

If you say that,

I cannot help but doubt that it was all a lie.

I heard everything.

That you do not have any psychic abilities.

Was that a lie too?

That you could channel...

the late Crown Princess' spirit.

What...

did you just say?

All of it...

was a lie?

How much of it was a lie?

Your Majesty.

So Rang...

may never return to the palace again.

(The Forbidden Marriage)

This is where we choose the best maiden of Joseon.

For this queen selection,

I will let the royal family decide.

The eldest daughter of the Minister of Personnel, Ye Hyun Sun.

It is most likely that she become the next queen.

How do you not know that everyone besides you...

has been paid off?

What if I am not wrong?

In case something goes wrong, we must carry out another plan.

I have only avoided it until now.

I cannot do it anymore.

I am the real Ye Hyun Sun.