Original subtitles

Sungkyunkwan Scandal

Park Yoo-chun

Park Min-young

Song Joong-ki

Yoo A-in

Seo Hyo-rim

Ahn Nae-sang

Kim Kap-soo

Jo Sung-ha Lee Jae-yong

Kim Yunsik,

have you failed to find the culprit who stole from Sungkyunkwan?

I have not been able...

He'll be here.

Do you mean the real culprit has been found?

Please give us time.

The culprit will come to confess.

I'm sorry, Your Majesty.

I thought the deadline for the assignment was last night.

If they haven't found the culprit yet,

doesn't that mean they have failed the Sundujeongang?

The proctor is right.

Kim Yunsik was unable to find the culprit by the deadline.

Is that not so?

I'm afraid so, Your Majesty.

The real culprit is here.

The real culprit of this theft case...

Is in here in this ledger, Your Majesty.

The real culprit?

The culprit may be responsible not only for the Sungkyunkwan theft,

but also for the numerous theft cases plaguing the city.

What do you mean?

The tyranny of the registered merchants is driving steep inflation.

The poor and the weak try to eke out a living by selling their wares.

The merchant registration system...

forces people to break the law.

The system tells the powerless and the poor

to become thieves.

The ledger records

the bribes public officials have gotten from merchants.

A law that only sides with the rich is wrong.

The merchant registration system officials serving money, not the people

and top-ranking officials turning a blind eye to these practices...

are the real culprits...

of this theft case.

He is just like you.

A complete lunatic.

The merchant registration system and public officials

are the culprits?

That's nonsense, Your Majesty.

What we're dealing with is a simple case of theft.

Kim Yunsik was tempted by the valuables and acted upon his instinct.

There's nothing more or less to it.

Kim Yunsik must be expelled.

And Lee Seonjun tried to cover it up.

It's an affront to Your Majesty's authority.

Punish Lee Seonjun accordingly and restore your authority,

Your Majesty.

Restore my authority?

But of course.

What am I supposed to do...

to serve as witness or evidence or whatever.

It's all too damn complicated.

How dare he?

Take him away this instant!

Yes, sir!

I stole the valuables.

I'm the culprit of the Sungkyunkwan theft case...

Your Majesty.

Now that you have confessed, your punishment awaits.

Are you not afraid?

I'm asking you why you have decided to confess.

They did something...

that has forever changed me.

I live in Banchon.

I'm powerless and poor.

People call the likes of me "banin" with derision.

And I was going to live

a worthless life people saw fit for me.

I thought I could just live as I pleased.

But...

But...

Damn it!

How dare you use such coarse language?

- You're a dirty little louse. - Director.

Go on.

But they treated me...

like their own, like a human being.

That made me want

to lead a dignified life.

I realized I wanted to set a good example...

For a kid who looks up to me.

I hereby declare that Proctor Ha Insu and all those who said Kim Yunsik was guilty

have failed the Sundujeongang.

But it's not just because Kim Yunsik is innocent.

Proctor, with the authority given to you as a Hanseongbu official,

what did you do to clear Kim Yunsik's name?

That is, what did you do to prove the possibility of his innocence?

I was on the side that believed in Kim Yunsik's guilt, Your Majesty.

That's the problem.

As a Joseon public official and the proctor of Sungkyunkwan,

you should have reinvestigated the case

in consideration of the possibility that Kim Yunsik was innocent.

I don't need public officials who don't value and hold dear...

my subjects.

That is why Proctor Ha Insu and those on the guilty side get failing marks,

and this is the kind of kingly authority I strive to restore.

I feel happy even though I failed. I must be a pervert, right?

I must now decide on the appropriate punishment for the real culprit.

Hanseongbu official Kim Yunsik.

Yes?

Yes, Your Majesty?

What do you believe is a just punishment

for the thief who framed you?

The lost items can be compensated for,

but this crime cannot be.

Really?

Big Man's being harsh.

He should be made a Sungkyunkwan employee

and be charged with the duty of being on guard

against further unsavory incidents from ever occurring again.

Will you authorize this, Your Majesty?

But that's but a slap on the wrist.

You will work at Sungkyunkwan...

always keeping your eyes open so that these students

continue along the path of righteousness.

That's my punishment for you.

Your Majesty...

The real culprit

is in this ledger.

That's what I believe, too.

So that leaves me with an assignment.

Why am I going back with homework from a test I gave, director?

What terrible students you have.

I won't fall for it this time, Your Majesty.

I know you're just joking.

As promised,

Kim Yunsik,

Lee Seonjun, Gu Yongha,

and Mun Jaesin,

pass the Sundujeongang

for finding the real culprit.

Proctor, should we give the kid from Banchon a good beating?

Don't.

Don't you say another word.

Proctor!

Cnidium, baekchul, arrowroot, platycodon, gamho...

Do you know what these are?

They're the ingredients in the medicinal packets you gave Kim Yunsik.

Really?

Cnidium, baekchul, arrowroot, platycodon, dried persimmons...

Do you know what these are?

I'm not sure.

I've never been interested in medicine, which is a lowly field of study.

They're the ingredients in the medicinal packets

Kim Yunsik allegedly sold at the market.

Isn't it interesting?

Gamho and dried persimmons...

The two look so alike that people too great for the lowly art of medicine

have great difficulty telling them apart.

I see.

Someone must've slipped up in trying to frame Kim Yunsik.

This means that someone other

than the kid from Banchon was involved.

Right, proctor?

I have no idea who that could be.

Why didn't you mention this at the Sundujeongang?

I wanted to give you a chance

to repent for your sin, feel ashamed,

and

muster up the courage to come clean.

Why should I?

I didn't do anything wrong.

What a shame.

You haven't learned anything from this Sundujeongang.

The kid from Banchon you look down upon

is much better than you.

I wanted to help you take care of your ailing mother,

but there's only so much I can do.

Proctor.

I'm so sorry.

I won't mess up again. Please.

Please give me one more chance. Next time,

I swear...

Because of you,

I, Han Insu, had to...

Don't make me explain myself.

I've never had patience.

Proctor.

You won't be able to abandon me like this.

Thank you for being courageous.

No need to thank me.

This fellow pleaded with me all night long,

telling me how you had been framed.

He was making such a racket that I was forced to relent.

What? I never did such a thing.

Fellows.

Follow the path of the righteous

as I'll be following in your footsteps.

What's he talking about?

You don't need to know.

I had no idea, Crazy Horse.

Don't mention it.

I didn't do it for your sake, anyway.

Not for Big Man?

Then was it for the grade, Mun Jaesin?

Repeating three years has been enough for you?

I get it. I love you, too.

Say, where's Garang?

Is he hiding in fear after letting that bomb go off?

Are you in denial or do you really believe your father's clean?

You now know that the Noron

are funded by bribes from registered merchants.

And yet you believe your father, the head of the Noron, is clean?

You've stabbed your father in the back.

My father would not do anything I would find shameful.

And I only did what I did

so he wouldn't be ashamed of me.

I do laud you for your foolish effort,

but do you think that ledger will change the world?

The king will not be able to do anything.

Your father will do whatever it takes to stand

in the king's way.

You will soon find out just what kind of a man

your father really is.

Do you still intend to have Hyo-eun marry to Lee Seonjun?

It is a matter to be one with the Prime Minister.

There is no reason for me to give up.

Also, I am determined to keep my eyes on it.

What about, Proctor?

How that noble scholar

betrays his conviction of younger days and

compromises with the reality to keep his family and power

in a very close distance.

Thank you

and sorry.

All I did was pick up a few books for you.

It's for today.

The ledger.

I regret having put too much of a burden on you.

I should've listened to you

in the first place and left the ledger in the warehouse.

Each of us did what we had to.

There was no reason for anyone to be sorry to the other from the get-go.

So please don't worry.

And as the proctor says...

nothing may come

of this.

But still, I'm proud of you, Lee Seonjun.

You did the right thing.

Regardless of what comes next,

what you did was praiseworthy.

I will always remember this moment.

Once we leave Sungkyunkwan,

we won't be able to see each other.

That's why I want to hold onto the memory

of the concerns we're sharing...

the fear we're feeling...

the joy we experiencing...

and...

the feeling of camaraderie...

shared by roommates.

By reminding ourselves of today, we can always strive to become better.

So will you remember this moment, too?

If ever you are faced with as difficult a decision as you were today,

please remember

there was once someone

who believed in you more than he believed in himself.

No.

I always want you by my side keeping a watch over me...

so I can do the right thing

until the very end.

If I can see you every day, I will always be reminded of today.

So Kim Yunsik...

promise me

you will always be by my side.

Kim Yunsik...

I can tolerate everything else...

but don't you ever...

wear women's clothes again.

I beg you.

Never wear women's clothes again?

What a tall order.

Kim Yunsik is just a roommate. Nothing more.

I will abolish

the merchant registration system.

Your Majesty, but the merchant registration system is the

declaration of war to cut away the political funds of merchants, or Noron.

That is not bad.

It is time for me to answer to the courage of those young scholars.

Also, when this matter is finished, I will

have those kids to undertake the task to find "Geumdeungjisa".

Your Majesty.

No way, Majesty!

Will you oppose Lee Seonjun

because he is the son of the Noron.

We need to

make sure the ledger never existed.

Pardon?

The survival of the Noron is at stake.

But how is that possible?

Have one of our men in the palace get rid of it.

I will make sure the king keeps his lips sealed.

But how?

It is the Noron that put the king on the throne.

There are others who can take his place.

You need to come out, sir.

The Red Writer!

Minister...

Where are my men?

Catch him this very instant!

Who said Joseon was poor?

The only ones who are poor are the powerless people.

The loyal dogs of Hanseongbu guard the dirty storage rooms of the merchants,

fattened by the grains of rice thrown at them.

The people starve while the Noron thrive.

The secrets "Geumdeungjisa" will soon punish the dirty Noron,

so be wary of whom you serve.

The author of this wretched writing is one of our innocent students?

At least according to government troops and the officials at Hanseongbu.

The style of writing is the face of a scholar.

The culprit's identity must be hiding in this verse.

Let's see...

Do you see anything?

It's bold and full of vigor.

There is no hesitation.

Right.

Tell us, Dr. Jeong. Who is it?

The Red Writer...

is a man.

A real man.

Have you heard that the Red Writer is a Sungkyunkwan student?

He speaks about the corruption of Hanseongbu and the merchant system,

so he may be someone close to us.

Do you know who it might be?

Crazy Horse... Why is he running so late?

I'm back.

You reek.

Did you drink again?

I sure did,

so you sleep way in the corner over there.

I must ask you.

I need to know why you keep

changing your spot.

When will you ever break your habit

of nitpicking?

But this setup is inefficient and impractical.

If you want to be on this end,

I can sleep next to Kim Yunsik.

Just

go to sleep.

No. I want to settle this tonight.

What's with your spot and my spot?

How about we ask for Kim Yunsik's opinion

about how we should do this?

Never mind.

I suppose it is rather late. This should do for tonight.

I will abolish the merchant registration system

and liberalize trade and commerce.

No, Your Majesty.

It is utterly unreasonable.

We ask for your reconsideration, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty, I ask...

You should proceed, Your Majesty.

Arrest all the Hanseongbu authorities in cahoots with the merchants

and carry out a clean investigation.

Liberalize trade and commerce to curb inflation.

Please comfort your subjects, Your Majesty.

You are a loyal servant...

who cares about the people like I do.

I hereby abolish the merchant registration system.

Commercial and trade liberalization will go into effect...

in the Year of the Pig.

What was that?

Commercial and trade liberalization?

How can you agree to such a thing?

You told me you would stand up to the king.

Do you know how the Noron has held onto power for a century?

What do you mean?

We have stood up to the king,

but we have also known when to turn public sentiment to our side.

This is too big a case.

The Red Writer's commentary will snowball,

winning the public's sympathy.

We have to stop that from happening.

His majesty is abolishing the registered merchant system!

Sinhae Tonggong!

Morning news! Morning news!

Morning news! Morning news!

Crazy Horse.

Come on now.

Hang out with me.

I do not agree, Your Majesty.

I will find "Geumdeungjisa" to gain control over the Noron

and build a new Joseon.

It has been my longtime dream.

You know that all too well.

But, Your Majesty...

Is it because of Lee Seonjun?

It's because of Kim Yunsik and Mun Jaesin.

Their father and brother perished

in pursuit of "Geumdeungjisa."

And I lost a teacher I most admired and a friend who was like a brother.

I cannot be a pathetic teacher who puts my students

in harm's way.

They were my friends, vassals, and subjects, too.

How much longer do I have to wait

when my powerless subjects

are starving and hurting...

under the tyranny of the Noron?

I have already ordered...

the three students to come see me at the palace.

The royal palace must be a special place.

Even Yeorim, Gu Yongha, who vowed to never don an official court robe,

is in one.

In a robe that does not respect individual tastes and styles.

You also said the court robe hinders the output of effective policies.

Of course.

And I stand by what I said.

I'm Gu Yongha.

They are the Ravishing Quartet, Majesty.

The Ravishing Quartet?

I hope I get a passing mark on the assignment you gave me.

Much obliged, Your Majesty.

Abolishing the merchant registration system had been a dream of mine, too.

Your support encouraged me greatly.

Minister...

These are gifts from my heart.

How...

I heard you, a Yunjong District native, played a major role in the case.

This is a verse written by Mun Yeongsin, the proctor of Sungkyunkwan.

The one with which my brother got the highest score on the exam?

It in an exceptional piece of writing, which is why I have held onto it.

But

now it has found its rightful owner.

I have one question.

Have you ever suspected your father over the case?

Answer me.

There is an Islamic aphorism that goes,

So long as the needle of the compass wavers,

the compass cannot be wrong.

Your wavering eyes

tell me you guard against even your own blood.

Always hold onto that attitude.

It's obvious what the king is doing.

He wants to tell the world that your own son has turned against you

and sided with him instead.

The moral law of filial piety.

No father and son

can become enemies.

How about the incident with the king's father?

The Noron argued that the nation came before filial piety.

How are we to defend our past stance?

Minister of war.

Well...

All I'm saying is I'm curious what the king is up to.

That was Kim Seungheon's.

His majesty must have really decided to put these students

on a secret mission to find "Geumdeungjisa."

The more I see you,

the more of your father I see in you.

Do you know my father?

Dr. Kim Seungheon of Sungkyunkwan

was a dear friend

and my most trusted vassal.

Did you just say

my father was a professor at Sungkyunkwan?

You didn't know?

All I heard was that

my father enjoyed

reading and writing.

I heard he lost his life when a gang of bandits attacked him.

I'm sorry, Your Majesty...

but

I'd like to ask you something.

Go on.

Do I

really

take after my father?

I'm sorry, Your Majesty.

The thing is,

I can barely remember what my father looked like.

The eyes of compassion...

and the lips of determination...

You look exactly like

my strong-willed friend.

Ordering to follow the conviction of his father who he does not

even know the face of is something too cruel.

It's me.

The gang of bandits who took away from Kim Yunsik is

me.

Your Majesty.

I blamed those Norons who took away my father from me when I was little.

I treated those people who treated the royal decree as insignificant

like any beast

but the beast is no other than me.

Kim Seungheon

The guy

said that I want to open up

the world to my son with great talents.

I want to give the opportunity to spread his wings.

So,

I promised myself

to find "Geumdeungjisa."

Would you give me and my children

more time.

Didn't you disagree with that?

I also have a talented pupil whom I wish

to give opportunity, Your Majesty.

You sacrificed your life for a just cause.

I'd like to know, father.

What kind of a just world did you envision

that you would readily give your life up for it?

What was your vision that it is only now

I find out you had been here all along?

Commercial and trade liberalization...

I heard you helped to make it happen.

Thank you, father.

That's a good stance.

When the people do better,

it is the duty of the nobility

to be happy and grateful.

And so I was just doing my duty, too.

More importantly,

you showed me that I can follow your example.

That made

be very happy, father.

We decided to hasten the wedding.

But I barely know...

She didn't seem like the type that would trouble her husband.

She will make a fine wife.

You don't have it?

Are you sure?

Good grief!

This, that,

this, that,...

I told you they're all

along the same vein.

What good will reading a thousand books do?

Miss.

Just pin the young man down

and make him yours.

What are you doing to me?

What I want is the exact opposite.

I want a book that will show me how to get him to yearn for me.

Don't you understand?

But I know you.

First Night: Becoming an Expert Lover?

Come on now.

This book is so passe. It's two centuries old, at least.

Shame on you.

How dare you, Mr. Hwang!

You have a long way to go.

If you run so desperately after Lee Seonjun, he will refuse you.

I, on the other hand, can always make time for a lady.

But what can I do?

If I tell you...

will you do as I say?

Yup.

For someone like Lee Seonjun who's always clearheaded,

he needs to be taken to an unfamiliar place.

He should be encouraged to let himself go.

Men, just like women, fall for ambiance.

Ambiance can be stronger than alcohol, you see.

Love requires

dramatic tension.

That tension creates the illusion of fate.

You should get stuck on an island with Lee Seonjun.

But Lee Seonjun will never agree to go alone with you.

Do you get where this is going?

The four of us will come together,

and you should bring three other ladies.

But then Seonjun and I...

I'll take care of everything.

All you have to do is show up tomorrow,

5:00 p.m. at Mapo Pier.

It would be best if we knew

each other's names.

Self introductions, eh?

But I know you.

You're Ha Hyo-eun, Ha Insu's baby sister.

And you?

Me? I'm Gu Yongha.

My nickname is Yeorim.

Yeorim?

What's wrong?

I treat all women like ladies.

What dirty thoughts went through your head just now?

I'm curious.

Did you really have no idea what had happened to your father?

No.

I don't know why my mother didn't tell me the truth.

She probably agonized over it.

And she probably decided

it would be best if you didn't know.

What do you suppose

my father was really like?

What's there to ask?

I'm sure he was a great man.

Like father, like son.

Crazy Horse.

Your nickname doesn't suit you at all.

You are always so kind to me.

You helped me at the Grand Archery Contest and at the Sundujeongang.

Thank you.

Hey, Garang.

What are you doing on the special day off

his majesty gave us for passing the Sundujeongang?

I was just going...

Shush!

Don't you tell me you will be cooped up reading and studying.

How about it? A boating trip with beautiful ladies?

I'm not interested.

If you don't care to go boating, we can go the mountains.

I'm not interested in that, either.

Don't tell me you're not interested in beautiful ladies.

Wait a minute.

Do you prefer men?

Yongha...

I'm just kidding.

Over-the-top jokes can be offensive.

I've got an eternal truth.

You're so defensive that one cannot but wonder...

Do you know who the Red Writer is?

They say he is a Sungkyunkwan student.

I'm not interested.

I think I know.

The Red Writer

is very close.

Crazy Horse...

- You're the Red Writer, right? - What...

What?

I got your hiccups to stop.

Kim Yunsik is just a roommate. Nothing more.

Kim Yunsik is just a roommate.

Mr. Wang.

Mr. Wang.

Mr. Wang.

Mr. Wang.

Mr. Wang.

Mr. Wang.

Why are you so pale? You look deathly ill.

My goodness.

What brings you here?

Let's go on the boating trip.

Your fiancee's coming.

I'm all set.

I know you're not interested, but I have a quota to fill.

That's it. I'm staying right here

until you agree to come.

Okay.

Ah! This is nice.

Isn't it amazing?

I got your hiccuping to stop just like that.

Enough.

Crazy Horse stopped hiccuping?

I prescribed a special remedy for him.

Big Man,

I said enough.

You should've seen his face earlier.

At one point,

I had my suspicions that you may be a girl.

What nonsense!

But I've decided not to doubt you any more.

Why? Because I now have a more pressing question to tend to.

You think you know?

Do you mean to say you know who the Red Writer is?

I have four suspects.

So...

The four who stole the registered merchants' ledger

for the Sundujeongang...

Lee Seonjun, Kim Yunsik, Mun Jaesin,

and Gu Yongha.

The Red Writer is one of those four.

You keep a close eye on them.

In the meantime, I'll set a trap for the Red Writer.

Yes, sir.

But you don't suppose

it's the prime minister's son, do you?

Don't tell me you're not interested in beautiful ladies.

Here?

Wait a minute. Do you prefer men?

You've made the right decision.

Yes, sir. No man can say no to women.

I will let Kim Yunsik know.

And I will let Crazy Horse know.

Okay, then.

See you at Mapo Pier at 5:00 p.m.

Wait, Garang.

I got confused for a second there.

It's 3:00 p.m. at Mapo Pier.

Okay.

All you and Big Man need to do is get on the boat waiting for you.

I will take care of the rest.

Kim Yunsik.

Are you busy today, on our special day off?

Not really.

I was thinking I may visit home.

If you're not busy, I thought we could go somewhere together.

Go where?

Are you busy?

No. Not at all.

See you at 3:00 o'clock.

Big Man.

Where are you going?

I have an errand to run.

We're going on a boat?

Let's hop in.

You came in the nick of time.

The weather doesn't look good.

I've never been on a boat before.

I sent the two off to a deserted island.

What?

It's a special day off awarded by his majesty.

After all, Garang and Big Man

did do the lion's share of the work for the Sundujeongang.

So don't try to deceive your friend of ten years,

Crazy Horse.

No boat? What are you talking about?

I went to load the boat with the supplies you had requested,

but they told me the boat already took off for the day.

No way.

You're stuck. Look at the storm clouds gathering.

Have you seen a boat that was to depart for Bam Island at 5:00 p.m.'?

I could have sworn it was set for 5:00 p.m.

A boat left for Bam Island

at 3:00 p.m.

Are you sure?

Yes.

I heard the prime minister's son was on it.

I have to go to him.

He's going be to stuck on that island until tomorrow morning.

When did you set up all this?

It wasn't me.

I have everything set up.

And I made sure the returning boat would not come until tomorrow.

Get me another boat.

What's the point?

No one will be willing to take you.

Did you forget to check the weather?

It looks like there will be rain.

So you dragged me all the way here

to cavort with ladies?

I had no idea.

Is something the matter?

Why are you so angry?

Why did you do this without asking me?

I don't need you to introduce me to women.

I'm the fool. What am I supposed to expect

looking like this?

I...

Thought...

you would like it.

What?

No man can say no to women.

That's what Yeorim told me.

That's why I thought...

You're a man too, Big Man.

You can meet

all the women you desire

by yourself.

Oarsman!

Oarsman!

- What are you doing? - Let go.

I told you to let go of me!

What have you done, you jerk?

Let go!

What's there to worry about?

They're two strapping young men.

I didn't do anything.

Actually, that might be what's troubling you, right?

The person controls your mood.

And you miss the person terribly.

You must have such a person.

Like this?

This is so damn frustrating!

It is the law of nature for all men, without exception,

to like women, right?

No.

Did something happen?

It's the one and only Yeorim, Gu Yongha.

This is a masterpiece that has always given me peace of mind.

I don't know what's wrong with me.

You have a roommate

who can't control his feelings.

I wish I were better, Kim Yunsik.