Original subtitles

(A Good Friend to Meet)

(This drama is purely fictional...)

(and is not associated with actual people,)

(organizations, incidents, or locations.)

(Gyeonghoeru)

I am sorry.

I am so sorry.

I missed you.

I thought you would never forgive me.

Your words may have been lies, but I know...

your feelings were true.

Do you know...

how much I prayed that you were alive?

It was only after you left that it became clear to me...

that I...

cannot lose you.

Thank you for being alive.

What?

It is quite possible.

During the first queen selection,

Lady Hwa Yoon was at the center of attention.

Then will my daughter...

Once the Prohibition of Marriage ends,

the abductors will hide amongst other people...

as though they did nothing wrong.

Then it will be harder to punish them for their crimes.

That is why we must arrest all of them at once.

Is there anything I can do?

Hwa Yoon, you must not get involved.

He said this is the last chance to catch them.

Investigator Lee.

The person those men were after was me.

If necessary, I should become the bait...

that will end up hooking them.

I told you that you cannot.

Then you can come to save me.

Did you forget you owe your life to my family?

But...

Take her.

- Open it. - Yes, sir.

Lift your head.

What is with that look on your face? Were you expecting someone else?

Darn it!

Drop your weapons!

My gosh. I need to bring this back to Lady Hwa Young in one piece.

(Episode 11)

I am sorry.

I see. You are trying to scar me with that...

so that I do not get selected to be queen.

No, of course not. I would never do that.

If this is a scheme to change the future queen,

this is high treason!

No, ma'am.

You look more beautiful than a fairy from the moon palace,

Lady Hyun Sun. I mean, Your Highness.

You changed your tune quickly.

Do you know what happened to that wench from the Sung Clan?

Today is an important day,

so it is hard to meet with them to receive the report.

But do not worry.

Your mother is not the type to only have one plan.

Lady So Rang.

I am here as your servant, so please speak down to me.

Okay, So Rang. Let us go.

She is good at talking down to me.

Why are you coming from that side?

Lady Hwa Yoon entered the palace last night...

and stayed in the annex within the palace.

That is not fair, is it?

You had the time to adjust to the palace in advance.

I have a reason.

Someone was after my life outside of the palace.

Goodness.

That is why you must always strive after virtue.

Oh, yes. You said that back then.

You pretended to be covering up a colleague's flaw...

in the first queen selection...

but only pointed it out more.

You should all be careful in front of this lady.

You never know how she will criticize you.

Well said. Everyone should be careful.

This is a competition.

We can only make it to the next round by beating others.

That is to be done by oneself.

Earning points by stepping on others...

is the same as stealing.

And yet you get protected by the court ladies.

I can see what is going on behind this queen selection.

Goodness.

Let us go, my lady.

It was all done by the same men.

They had tried to harm So Rang,

conspired the fake Crown Princess incident,

and killed the Chief Commander of the Palace Guard.

I heard you arrested the leader of the abduction gang.

So why do you want the sketch of this criminal?

I must check something.

Here.

(Just under 180cm)

Someone showed up and said he killed...

the late Crown Princess.

(Just under 180cm)

How much longer must I stay here?

The lord.

He knows I am in here, does he not?

I must see him. Bring him to me.

A mere kidnapper like you should not expect his lord to meet you.

It is not a good idea...

to treat me like that.

Who knows what I might blurt out?

Pass along this message to him.

I must meet with his lord...

to tell him something.

What?

What is this?

What is it? What happened to her?

It seems to be scarlet fever.

It is a scary infection.

- What? - Dismiss this maiden at once.

Take the tea table away.

An infection?

An infection brought in by an outsider...

that spreads throughout the palace was said to be terrifying.

Do not act rashly.

Call in a doctor and have her examine the situation.

Understood, Queen Dowager.

My lady. It is poison ivy.

My apologies.

My servant just told me...

she had mixed my tea table with yours.

She was wrong. We each have the correct tea tables.

What is with this ruckus?

I beg your pardon,

but this is not an infection.

What did you say?

The tea gives off the smell of poison ivy, not purple parsnip.

Nonsense.

Who would allow such dangerous food...

into this scared queen selection hall?

Will you believe me...

if I drink this and suffer from blisters?

Stop right there.

The doctor will identify...

whether it is an infection or poison ivy by examining the maiden.

Then I would like to ask Hyun Sun of the Ye Clan.

I only stated our tea tables might have gotten switched.

But why did you make such a fuss? Did you know what was in the tea?

I feel wronged, Queen Dowager.

I was simply startled that I might get infected.

It is obvious to me who was behind this scheme.

But we have the same fate and were called to this hall.

So I will not point out who it is.

Does that mean this man...

It is he who had murdered the Crown Princess...

seven years ago.

There is more.

He had used this knife to cut ties and kill Kim Eui Jun...

in the last fake Crown Princess incident.

Also,

he had tried to harm...

So Rang outside the palace a while back.

Your Majesty?

(Geunjeongjeon)

Minister of War Cho Sung Kyun.

Did you know that the Department of Justice...

arrested the leader of the abduction gang,

the most wicked in the Prohibition of Marriage era?

Yes, I have heard of it.

As we were investigating him,

we came upon something surprising.

What was it?

It was too outrageous and has left me speechless.

So I have a favor to ask you, Minister of War.

Please give me your order.

Can you interrogate...

that man yourself as a temporary chief judge?

I will call out the three names with the highest scores.

Yoon Seo of the Park Clan.

Hye Bi of the Hong Clan.

And...

Hyun Sun of the Ye Clan.

But the scoring does not end here.

The maidens will evaluate one another.

Furthermore, it will be combined with the scores you have accumulated thus far,

so be mindful of what you put down.

The ranks have changed dramatically.

The ultimate person on top...

is Sung Hwa Yoon.

Lady Hwa Yoon.

Hold on.

Can the servants please come back up?

I asked a female physician,

and the cause of those blisters was poison ivy.

Then who put poison ivy in the teacups?

Everyone put your hands out.

What on earth did you do here today?

That is not it, Your Highness.

My hand ended up like this...

because I smelled the tea after the incident happened.

If I knew this was poison ivy, I never would have touched the tea.

I do not need your excuses!

Imprison her immediately!

Your Highness. It is not that!

Your Highness.

Lord Cho.

Na Sang Ju keeps insisting on meeting you.

What should we do?

How could I go there?

You are about to die,

so I am giving you some meat soup. Why are you so suspicious?

It is ox-tail soup.

Is it not the perfect meal for someone who is at the tail-end of his life?

Right...

I am eating ox-head soup.

Because I am more interested in catching the head of the crimes.

If you do not want to eat it, leave it.

I will put it on the table for your ancestral rites.

What do you mean I will die soon?

Do you think those above you will let you live?

Once you go into prison,

you will not eat or drink anything.

Furthermore, you never know when you will get stabbed,

so always stand in the middle.

That is right.

This is something you always do,

so you are probably more knowledgeable than me.

Your Majesty. So Rang has been imprisoned.

This is a prisoner that the Queen Dowager herself has imprisoned.

If you let her out, it will only make things worse.

Wait here.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

What happened?

I am fine.

I cannot have a single day of peace.

Open the door.

However, Your Majesty...

I will go inside.

Your Majesty, why would you come in here?

Your hands are too cold.

This is a cell, not a warm room.

If you stay in a place like this,

you will fall ill.

What on earth happened?

When I found out you were a fraud,

I decided I would punish you one day...

for deceiving His Majesty and the Royal Family.

However,

I let you go because His Majesty said you were a person of the King's Palace.

But what kind of fraud are you planning...

by coming into the palace for the queen selection?

I am not trying to commit fraud, Your Highness.

Being by Sung Hwa Yoon as her servant is already a fraud.

Are you planning on interfering with the Queen Selection?

Did you think you would have a chance then?

I...

am here to stop someone...

who should never get selected.

You already know...

who that person is, Your Highness.

Nominations are also a part of the selection.

It is not something you should get involved with.

Then...

if the selection is only a formality, why would someone use poison ivy...

to make it look like a maiden had blisters?

You already know what is happening...

surrounding this selection.

You knew they were trying to cover your eyes and ears...

which is why you asked the maidens to evaluate one another.

Furthermore, I know why you imprisoned me.

Rather than suspecting the people who served you for a long time,

you are hoping...

they will come to realize their mistakes by sending me to jail.

You are unbelievable.

Therefore, I will stay in jail...

as you have ordered.

That...

is the only thing I can do to protect your will.

I could never let you go...

and lock you up forever.

At times, you must risk your life...

to reveal the truth.

You want to risk your life?

If that means the queen selection will become fair again,

my life is not all that important.

You have entrusted your life to Grandmother?

Are you not afraid of this place?

I...

am also afraid.

When I was locked in prison before,

I was so scared that I wanted to escape...

by committing fraud or lying.

However, I cannot do that this time.

I must not.

Will you stay here?

Do not worry, Your Majesty.

Once the culprit behind this incident gets revealed,

the corruption behind this selection...

will be revealed completely.

But still, So Rang...

Why must I be the one...

doing such a thing?

I do not understand.

Please kindly understand.

Anyone who is even remotely connected to the kidnapping case...

would either try to cover it up...

or protect him.

Please come with me.

So you are one of the remnants of the kidnapping ring.

You dared to humiliate the Royal Family...

and disrupt the peace of our nation.

Let me ask you this one more time.

Did you abduct women...

and sell them off?

Minister Cho.

If this man...

turns out to be the leader of the kidnapping ring,

how should we punish him?

He should be...

beheaded.

Then what if...

he was the one...

who murdered the Crown Princess...

seven years ago?

Then how should we punish him?

His entire family and the subsequent eight generations should be killed off.

So, nine generations?

Then anyone and everyone who shares even a drop of blood with him...

will be killed off.

The blood from his family members and relatives will form a river.

Oh, you will have to execute them yourself, Minister Cho.

Of course, Your Majesty.

Ask him once more.

Are you...

one of the remnants of the kidnapping ring?

"Remnants?"

I am offended to be called like that.

I am the leader...

of the kidnapping ring.

It was hard to make a living,

so I kidnapped women.

Only a complete scoundrel would do such a thing.

I agree.

I kidnapped girls...

who could not get married because of the Prohibition of Marriage.

I sold them to anyone and everyone who offered to pay me.

The younger they are, the more money I can make.

Hence, I searched every house and room...

to find young girls.

Then I abducted and sold them off.

How dare you!

After doing such a heinous thing,

how dare you hope to be spared?

Heinous, you say?

This is nothing.

This year,

I also hanged the fake Crown Princess to death.

Then I killed the Chief Commander of the Palace Guard...

so no one would find out who was behind it.

Every year,

I hanged women in the Crown Princess' Palace to death.

And seven years ago,

I was ordered...

to kill someone in the palace.

That person was...

It was...

The late Crown Princess,

Ahn Ja Yeon.

How dare you utter her name?

Tell us the truth.

Who ordered you to do it?

Please sheathe your sword, Your Majesty.

You had better tell us the truth at once.

Please sheathe your sword, Your Majesty.

We will punish him according to the law.

The law?

Then let me ask you this.

How do you think the mastermind behind everything...

should be punished?

The law states that...

we ought to find the real culprit...

and tear him to shreds.

Take a seat.

I see that you want to pressure me...

to properly investigate the queen selection process.

How did you know?

I am on it, so do not worry.

I am trying to find out how poison ivy ended up there.

How is Lady Hwa Yoon? It must have given her such a scare.

Yes, it must have.

I heard...

that you had to dress as a woman.

Too bad I did not get to see it.

It is better for you that you did not see it.

You can laugh now?

I told you...

that I would take you to a place where you can laugh and smile freely.

So hang in there...

just a little longer.

Okay.

So Rang.

Court Lady Won.

What kept you so busy...

that you never once wrote to me?

What about you? What are you doing here?

It is a long story.

So?

Did you enjoy your time outside the palace?

Did you find your husband?

Yes. It would be odd if he did not remarry.

I shall see his face from afar and head back.

- Oh, boy. - Gosh.

- Hey, it is heavy! Let me carry it. - My goodness.

- Mother! - Oh, Beom Sang.

- I am home. - Yes, you had a long day.

Yeon Shil.

- Let us eat. - Come on. Let us have some food.

We are having soybean paste stew again.

- Soybean paste stew, every single day. - Gosh, we have other side dishes too.

Goodness. Do not complain, please.

- Gosh. - Let us eat now.

Oh, boy. Hold on. I got this.

My sister raised my son for me.

The cruel fate has dealt me.

Then what happened after that?

I returned to Gongnyang Village and have been living there.

Until now, I have been thinking a lot about destiny.

Perhaps, destiny is not what connects me to my husband.

Maybe it was a connection between my husband and sister.

I was just the means for their meeting.

(Ye Hyun Sun)

Perhaps, my destiny...

is not so different either.

My illegitimate younger sister is...

I heard of your plight on my way here.

There is a young maiden who is favored by the Internal Court.

It is due to their slander that you are here, right?

You must come out now.

Let me hear the details later.

However, I will not let you live the same fate as I did.

I will help you, So Rang.

Have you all been well?

I heard you were all desperate to see me.

Let me see those jade hairpins that caused a stir.

I have never seen them before.

No!

I am sure you told me as you gave me the hairpin.

That you will ask for a favor later on!

She was surely going to ask for special treatment for a queen candidate.

Why would I do that?

You must have been asked by someone.

I think you were asked by someone and are plotting together.

And those hairpins are the evidence of that.

I never imagined...

you would do such a thing while I was gone!

Seol Ah. It has been a while.

Court Lady Won.

Why are you here?

You said when you first entered the palace.

To give you just one chance.

You said you must become a court lady...

for your family to find its way out of debt and go on living.

And then, when your youngest sibling nearly starved to death,

you said that I had saved not 1 but 8 lives.

Then did you...

also do this for your family?

Court Lady Won...

Now, the circumstances have changed,

and my life is in your hands.

Unless you tell the truth,

I will die.

I will ask you again.

Did Court Lady Won really give you the jade hairpin?

That is...

Then who was it that gave you the hairpin?

There were some who received hairpins,

but others received farmland for their families to live on.

And they were...

present in the second queen selection.

Do you know their names?

You worked hard.

His Majesty is waiting for you.

Of all the places,

why did you wait for me here?

Not tonight.

I am too tired.

That is a shame.

I wanted to warm up your cold body.

Do not try to seduce me.

I might just fall for it.

So did he reveal what he did?

After all those years we looked out for him...

How dare he bite me?

What will you do?

How could I let a dog live when it has bitten its master?

You do not think he talked about other things too, do you?

Making people think...

that even the clearest of things...

are not true when I say so...

is what authority is about.

I am the man who planned this seven-year Prohibition of Marriage.

Now, it is time for the next plan.

In this queen selection,

Hyun Sun will become the head of the Internal Court.

The authority of the next generation of the Royal Family...

will also remain in our hands.

If that happens, everything else...

will go away so easily that you will wonder...

if it is really possible.

No matter what it takes,

Hyun Sun must become the next Queen.

Gosh, I told you no.

You cannot reveal such important secrets.

Everyone knows that maidens have been chosen...

for the next queen selection process.

Just tell us who you think will become the Queen among them.

- Is that so hard? - Right.

Forget it if you do not know.

Hey. What do you mean I do not know?

Let me see.

In my opinion, the maiden who will be chosen as Queen...

- is from the Sung family, - The Sung family?

- or from the Ye family? - Really?

- Darn it. - Come on.

I heard you were good, but you seem to have lost your touch.

You have lost it, for sure.

Now, what is the important thing here?

After the queen selection is over,

the Prohibition of Marriage will be lifted.

- Then what must we do? - What?

What do you think?

You must all come here and have your compatibilities predicted.

Will you not have your children get married?

That is right.

Of course.

Just wait.

There will be so many weddings...

that there will be an increase in sales.

The linen store and the wedding gift store...

are already getting ready to greet more guests.

You should go and get ready before it is too late.

- My goodness. - Is that true?

Then business will be booming soon.

- Right. - I am so happy.

Hae Young.

Did you not say we needed that roof fixed?

Go and ask how much it will cost.

So what if the queen selection really ends up happening?

What about So Rang?

She will live according to her own fate.

By the way, what will we do if this queen selection goes wrong too?

There will be an uprising throughout the whole nation.

Right, especially... What are they called?

The Band of Forlorn will not stand still.

They are a group made up of...

all the forlorn in the nation who are full of complaints.

- Right. - I am sure they will be in an uproar.

- Gosh. - Oh, my goodness.

That can never happen.

If this queen selection goes wrong too,

how much longer will they extend the Prohibition of Marriage?

Duk Hoon, we never know what might happen.

Over the past seven years, many queen selections have ended in vain.

We must make our voices heard by the Royal Family and the court.

We must tell them the dire wishes of the Band of Forlorn.

Our dire wishes. You are right.

However, if we go about it the wrong way, we might be misunderstood.

All we want to do is tell them our dreams and wishes...

to meet our loved ones, get married, and live a life full of love.

But what if they think we are rebelling against the nation?

It is not like we are trying to plot treason,

but we might be seen as traitors.

- There is a way. - What can we do?

What will we do with that?

(Forlorn from Birth's Love Story 5)

What? So do they become a couple or not?

The story cannot end like this!

What?

If you wish to see them end up together,

come to the citadel gate on the day of the third evaluation.

A prisoner has escaped.

Search every nook and cranny.

- Yes, sir! - Yes, sir!

What did you say?

A girl named So Rang escaped the prison...

and vanished without a trace inside the palace.

She must still be somewhere in the palace.

Search every nook and cranny.

Yes, Your Majesty.

(Gangnyeongjeon)

Your Majesty.

Someone saw So Rang last night.

But they said she was headed...

What do you think?

We look quite cute, so they will not arrest us.

Yes, we do not look dangerous. That is for sure.

Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage!

- End the prohibition! - End the prohibition!

- Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage! - Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage!

- End the prohibition! - End the prohibition!

- Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage! - Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage!

- End the prohibition! - End the prohibition!

- Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage! - Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage!

- Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage! - End the prohibition!

- End the prohibition! - End the prohibition!

- Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage! - Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage!

- End the prohibition! - End the prohibition!

Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage!

- Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage! - Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage!

- Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage! - End the prohibition!

(Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage, The Band of Forlorn)

- Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage! - End the prohibition!

- End the prohibition! - End the prohibition!

My dear, are you all right?

Hang in there just a little longer.

Very soon,

our daughter, Hyun Sun, will become the Queen of this kingdom.

Clearly, the Queen Dowager summoned us...

for she wished to meet the parents of the Queen-to-be.

Lady Seo, you may wait here.

We will escort Lord Ye.

Do you not know who I am?

Every court lady who knows you...

are being interrogated at the moment.

Her Highness the Queen Dowager...

wishes to speak with Lord Ye in private.

Please step aside.

Long time no see, Lord Ye.

I hear your health has been declining...

since you resigned from your position.

I am sorry for causing you concern, Your Highness.

I summoned you...

even though I knew that you had been struggling with your health...

because I wanted to talk to you about your daughter.

Knowing that she has been partaking in such important exams,

you must have been truly worried.

My wife took care of all the preparations.

I did not do anything.

Is that so?

I...

have met your wife several times.

I collected information on the candidates...

to ensure a fair evaluation.

But I did not know that she had been meeting...

those in the Internal Court and even royal relatives.

Is that true?

Tell me more...

about your eldest daughter.

What is she like?

My eldest daughter...

She was a troublemaker and tomboy,

but she was very wise.

Your daughter who is partaking in the queen selection process...

is not your eldest daughter?

Pardon me?

Oh, yes. She is.

Hyun Sun is my eldest daughter.

I am a little nervous as I have not seen Your Highness in a while.

That is okay. Do not worry.

Then where is the other daughter?

I heard you had two daughters.

Well, that is...

(Gyeonghoeru)

Both of you made it this far.

Once the third evaluation is completed,

I will go ahead...

and announce the results right away.

The last question is...

Why must you become the Queen of this kingdom?

I need to hear your answers.

With all due respect, I must tell you...

that I have no reason...

to become Queen.

Your answers are always...

shocking.

Are you saying you wish to see Ye Hyun Sun...

become Queen?

Yes, I do.

Speak clearly.

Will you step back here?

Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage!

- End the prohibition! - End the prohibition!

Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage!

- End the prohibition! - End the prohibition!

I thought the reason why I did not have a lover...

was because I was a loser from birth.

However, even if I was born a loser,

I am a man too. Do I not have the desire to find love?

Do I not have the desire to wed?

- Right! - Right!

Why is this nation making me...

a forlorn who cannot wed,

a bad son who causes his parents concern,

and an incompetent man who cannot father children?

The Royal Family must wrap up the queen selection as soon as they can...

and lift the Prohibition of Marriage!

(Please let us get married.)

(Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage.)

In this nation, love is a crime.

Now, let us forge our own paths!

(Please let us get married.)

Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage!

- End the prohibition! - End the prohibition!

Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage!

- End the prohibition! - End the prohibition!

- End the prohibition! - End the prohibition!

Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage!

- End the prohibition! - End the prohibition!

- What is this noise? - Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage!

A crowd of people has gathered outside the palace...

to hear the results of the queen selection.

But we will be sending them away for safety reasons.

They say it might get a little noisy for a while.

No.

They must have been waiting so desperately for this day as well.

I will tell the people the results of the queen selection myself.

If the Queen Dowager plans to grace the people with her presence,

how could I not do the same?

Chief royal secretary.

Tell them to throw open the palace gates.

However, Your Majesty...

Do you know...

whose name is written on this scroll?

Whoever it is,

it is the stern decision of the Internal Court.

It is my duty to follow that decision.

Putting an end to the long Prohibition of Marriage in this nation...

will be the way to answer the cries of the people.

Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage!

- Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage! - Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage!

Open the gates.

(Please let us get married.)

The Royal Family will soon be announcing the results of the queen selection.

(Repeal the Prohibition of Marriage.)

His Majesty wants to hear the results along with the people.

What are you all doing?

Come on in.

Oh, gosh. The gates.

Can we go in?

Let us go!

- Let us go. - Let us go!

- Let us go. - Let us go.

Hey, there.

- What is going on? - Let us go.

- Oh, my. - Would you look at that.

Gosh.

What on earth is going on?

Goodness. We get to see the palace?

(Yeonheebang)

Everyone!

(Please let us get married.)

Bow your heads and pay respects to His Majesty.

(Geunjeongjeon)

Raise your heads.

I know very well.

Seven years!

I know how long those years were to my people.

I know how much pain you all had to suffer...

due to the long Prohibition of Marriage.

However,

there is one thing I have yet to announce.

There was a series of terrible murders which led to...

such a long Prohibition of Marriage.

- What did he just say? - A murder?

Along with the Crown Princess who died seven years ago,

each year in the palace, terrible murders followed.

So no one could be chosen as Queen,

so no one could take the Queen's seat,

we had to...

see so many die.

- Oh, my. - How could that be?

During this queen selection,

there was an attempt to kidnap the most likely candidate,

but thankfully, we stopped this from happening.

We will finally be able to greet the new owner of the Queen's Palace.

- Is this a good thing? - Of course.

All of this is thanks to you who shared my suffering.

It is only right for me to share the joy as well.

Then, the Queen Dowager, the eldest member of the Royal Family,

will announce who will become the new Queen.

The new Queen...

will be...

Ye Hyun Sun!

Oh, my.

My lord. We have succeeded.

Our daughter has become the Queen.

The maiden whose name has been called shall come forward.

- What is going on? - Who is that?

I only called one person's name,

but two have come forward.

Which of you is the real Ye Hyun Sun?

(The Forbidden Marriage)

I am here to reveal the truth.

You do know my daughter is the real Hyun Sun, do you not?

I am sorry. Please forgive your foolish father.

Father.

May I keep calling you So Rang?

Congratulations, Your Majesty.

You are about to make your new bride into a widow.

What are you thinking so deeply about?

Something like we only need to be happy from now on.

All the trouble that has happened feels like a dream.