Original subtitles

So you dragged me all the way here

to cavort with ladies?

I have to go to him.

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

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!

- What are you doing? - Let go.

What have you done, you jerk?

I told you to let go of me.

Let go!

Hey, now.

Is this necessary between us?

You're smiling?

Is everything fun and games to you?

Is everything so easy and amusing?

If anything happens,

you'll have hell to pay.

Hey, Crazy Horse!

I got you.

Are you that worried about Big Man?

You could even pass for a lover.

You need another punch, don't you?

Help.

What if something happens to him because of me?

You should've let go when I told you to.

Then this wouldn't have happened.

It was just water. Don't be a sissy.

Stay put.

You're only getting in the way.

I'd rather

it were me that got stuck there.

What do you see in that

straitlaced Lee Seonjun anyway?

This is all my fault.

I wanted to win him over so badly...

that I went overboard.

I should have just been content

waiting for him

to reciprocate my love for him.

I'm being punished.

The warm soup will make you feel better.

You're trembling.

Look! The rain has stopped.

The boat will come back as soon as morning breaks.

Are you okay?

I need a boat.

Not tonight, not even if you give me all the riches in the world.

The weather's awful. Let's have another round.

Drink up, fellows.

Checkmate!

I need to get to Bam Island, sir.

It's a dark, stormy night.

It'd be impossible even if you were the king himself.

Let's just play chess, okay?

You can get killed in weather like this.

It's your turn.

What's there to worry about?

They're two strapping young men.

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

I'm upset at you for deceiving me, your buddy of ten years.

But remember this, Crazy Horse.

I'm always on your side.

I'll try to find us a boat.

It's not for Lee Seonjun, but for you, my friend.

I didn't do anything.

Your fever has gone down.

Are you okay?

You're

a pathetic dullard.

You went through all this trouble just to start a fire?

Were you planning to burn down the entire island?

What if you slipped and fell?

What's the matter with you?

I was worried all night as your fever wouldn't go down.

But thank goodness. What a relief.

Crazy Horse.

I got you.

Are you that worried about Big Man?

You could even pass for a lover.

What a nut job.

The daughter of the minister of war, right?

She seems to have put a lot of care into this.

She's pretty, too.

And she seems sweet.

She'll make a good wife.

I agree.

What do you like so much about her?

I haven't really thought about it.

Don't you get that special feeling?

Your heart palpitates and you can't stop thinking...

about the person.

It may be over trivial matters,

but the person controls your mood.

And regardless, you miss the person terribly.

You must have such a person.

Well...

I asked you first.

You will be marrying her,

after all.

That's what my father wants.

I'm not interested in getting married.

You can have a whole one.

Is it gone?

Is it?

Get rid of it!

Are you truly Big Man?

Are you scared of a cricket?

It's not that I'm scared of a bug.

A true scholar must value life,

no matter how insignificant.

Like this?

I didn't know you could be so playful.

Are you the Lee Seonjun I know?

It's more delicious than you would imagine.

I'm a bit scared, too.

Do you want to hold it?

You must have found a boat.

Hop on.

You want to get to the pier as quickly as possible, don't you?

Miss!

You'd better hold on tight.

If you fall off the horse, you might not see your pretty face again.

How about you lie down for some quick shut-eye?

I'm so tired...

that if I sleep now,

I'm afraid I won't be able to get up.

If only I had known,

I wouldn't have asked you to come.

You have a roommate...

who can't control his feelings.

I wish I were better, Kim Yunsik.

I'm feeling great.

It's good to know...

I could do

something for you.

Sir.

Thank goodness.

I'm so relieved you are okay.

What a relief that you're safe and sound.

Hey, Big Man,

nothing happened, right?

Did something happen or not?

Hey, Garang.

If your happy reunion is done, I'd like a word with you.

Hey...

Why are you so pale?

Did something happen last night?

Big Man's as white as a ghost, too.

The Jangchigi competition and open house are around the corner.

Sungkyunkwan's busiest day of the year will commence soon.

A bit of hustle and bustle makes for a convivial mood.

I'm against it. Jangchigi?

It's unbecoming of scholars to run around in teams

trying to hit a ball with silly sticks.

Open house is just as bad.

This is an educational institution. No women should be allowed in.

I can put up with everything else,

but I hate the damn gang fighting.

Mind your language, director.

I can talk like a hoodlum if I so wish.

East Hall and the West Hall, that is, the Noron and the Soron,

will engage in fierce competition again.

What if some of the students get hurt?

The parents will be all over me.

It's always me who gets picked on.

Their fathers, who should focus on state affairs,

have done nothing but engage in gang fighting at the royal court,

so what can we expect from the kids?

But you said factional strife brings in quite a bit of extra cash for you.

When did I...

Did I?

Dr. Jeong and Dr. Yu,

which hall do you think will win the Jangchigi competition?

That goes without saying.

East Hall, of course, where the Ravishing Quartet is staying.

Why is that?

His majesty himself invited them to the palace and gave them gifts.

They are now officially

his majesty's chosen ones.

That's true. Even the proctor has never been invited to the palace.

Would you want to get on the bad side of the Ravishing Quartet?

There's no one in Sungkyunkwan

who can go against the Ravishing Quartet.

That's what my analytical brain has concluded.

What's wrong?

It will be the first time ever that Soron's East Hall

will win the Jangchigi competition.

It's my penetrating foresight that kept Lee Seonjun in East Hall.

That's right.

Does that mean East Hall, where the Ravishing Quartet is, will win?

Who would've thought we would see the day the Noron is defeated in Jangchigi?

- I know. - Watch what you say.

How dare you spew such nonsense?

The very least you can do

is say that you will play with all your might

for the proctor's sake.

I have my eyes on you.

I took care of them, proctor.

You will never change.

How can my loyalty to you ever change?

You still do things I don't ask you to do

and you're still too dimwitted to understand what I'm saying.

You're still utterly useless.

Use me

like toilet paper.

I can do anything for you,

no matter how dirty or awful.

How moving.

For open house...

No. Never mind.

You told me not to come to Sungkyunkwan.

If you don't like it, I don't like it, either.

I won't come.

No.

Open house is a time when the doors of Sungkyunkwan are open to all.

So may I come?

It doesn't go against the dictates of decorum.

It doesn't go against the dictates of decorum.

What is he saying? Does he want you to come or not?

Don't you know?

He's telling me I have to come

because he'll be waiting for me.

When did he say that?

With his eyes!

Sir.

I was about to jump into the Han River to come save you.

Are you okay?

Did you see a ghost on the island?

Why are you so pale?

Sundol.

Yes?

You see, I...

No. Never mind.

Jangchigi is definitely not my thing.

Jangchigi?

It gets quite hairy.

It pits East Hall against West Hall,

no, the Noron and Soron against one another.

The students may not be armed, but it's a war nonetheless.

Every year, at least one student loses a limb.

Is open house just as hairy?

No. it's just my kind of thing.

It's the reason why I remain at Sungkyunkwan.

It's a grand party on the eve of the Jangchigi competition.

Women are allowed free access

to Sungkyunkwan, which is usually a strictly women-free zone.

That's what open house is?

Who are you inviting?

Naturally, Lee Seonjun will invite the war minister's daughter.

My goodness.

But there's a woman desperately awaiting your invitation.

Thank you.

You're badly hurt. Are you okay?

Your nickname does not suit you at all.

I got your hiccups to stop.

You must have been up all night waiting.

You look wan.

I wasn't waiting.

That's a relief.

The thing is, what with the wind and the rain...

something went terribly wrong.

Big Man is nowhere to be found...

Crazy Horse!

Where are you going in such a hurry?

I heard you were worried.

I wasn't.

I'm sorry to have worried you.

You look tired.

Go in and rest.

I have to say this.

Hey!

You'd better

stay within my field of vision from now on.

No matter what you do, you make sure I can see you.

I thought I was going to lose my mind.

What do we have here?

You're a stickler for the dictates of decorum.

And yet you're in my room without my permission.

I know this is ill-mannered of me,

but you seem to be the only one who can help me.

I'm all ears.

I'm much more tight-lipped than I let on.

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

to like women, right?

No!

There's no such law.

It's just instinct,

the irrepressible instinct of the male species.

But it must be normal to feel more comfortable

around a good friend than with a woman one knows very well,

right?

Haven't you ever had a similar experience?

What you're saying is you prefer men over women?

What I mean is...

Sure. You can feel very close to a good friend.

You want to get closer to him and even touch him, right?

I've had a similar experience.

With Crazy Horse.

I did agonize, wondering whether I was attracted to men.

This is Yeorim Gu Yongha we're talking about.

Here's a masterpiece that's always given me peace of mind.

Make sure you're alone when you read this.

It may move you to tears, you see.

Don't worry too much.

It's a sin to hate,

but it's not a sin to love,

whomever it may be.

Are you sure?

But it's a long-held tradition.

I hope for the students to learn about unity through this Jangchigi contest.

What a wonderful idea.

I'm only doing my duty as the proctor.

So what do you propose?

Until now, the Jangchigi competition

has inflamed factional strife at Sungkyunkwan

by pitting the Noron against the Soron and Namin.

Thus, for the upcoming competition,

we will draw straws

to put the students into an east team and a west team.

I hope that every student learns the spirit of unity

through this Jangchigi competition.

It's something I've known for a while, but you're quite smart.

You don't intend to deceive me and tell me you had nothing to do

with this new team scheme, do you?

You can no longer stand seeing the Ravishing Quartet

being the center of attention.

Hence, you put Lee Seonjun, a Noron and future brother-in-law, on the east team

while you put your nemesis Crazy Horse, a Soron, on the west team.

As is always the case,

boys can get quite competitive,

and that means Lee Seonjun and Mun Jaesin may go at each other.

In effect,

you're still pitting the Noron against the Soron.

You're quite smart yourself.

How about me?

Why am I on your team?

Because you're my man.

Who says?

I'm Gu Yongha.

I don't ever intend to be

anybody's man.

Yeorim.

There's only one way for you to make me your man.

Entertain me.

You're quite a bore, you see.

This should be fun.

The right hand has to go on top.

The left arm goes below.

Like this?

No. Like this.

Like this?

This is so damn frustrating!

I'm sorry.

No.

What I meant was...

Like this.

Is this better?

Yes. Good job.

Hey, Lee Seonjun. Let's do our very best, okay?

You may be a Noron and I, a Soron,

but this time around, we're on the same team.

So...

Talk about

being rude.

This isn't going well.

Please help me.

Did I do well?

Don't you get that special feeling?

Your heart palpitates and you can’t stop thinking

about the person.

What you're saying is you prefer men over women?

It is the blood of the people.

It should be returned to the people.

The Red Writer has committed murder?

It has never happened before, Your Majesty.

The Red Writer is definitely looking to become a people's hero.

He is trying to ride on the momentum

of the liberalization of commerce and trade.

Does he mean to win over the people by becoming alone vigilante?

So far, the Red Writer has been seeking "Geumdeungjisa."

But there is no mention of it here.

He has changed.

In any case, we cannot allow murder.

Catch the Red Writer.

We will no longer pursue the Red Writer.

If the fake Red Writer keeps causing trouble,

the real Red Writer is bound to show up.

That's

when we will catch the Red Writer.

Be careful, minister of war.

If you put too much at stake, you're more likely to fall.

There you go worrying again.

You're

too guarded, dear in-law.

Don't you trust me?

Trust is built on actions, not words.

If you had expected me to be more yielding as an in-law,

we should call off the wedding.

My dear in-law.

I'm sorry, prime minister.

The wedding has to happen.

Sir.

I don't want to be a father who ruins his daughter's marriage prospects.

My apologies, prime minister.

Remember what I said.

Trust is built on actions, not words.

We will talk about the wedding

after the Red Writer is caught.

The Red Writer killed soldiers and stole from the government office?

You're hiding too much from me these days.

Is it a love letter?

How strange.

It's not like the Red Writer to commit murder.

There's no time for drab news like this.

Don't you know what today is?

It's open house.

Miss.

One nyang. One nyang.

What is it?

It's a registry of the nation's top bachelors.

Really?

But of course.

You go on in and see.

The place is brimming with perfect husband material.

But if you don't know

who's staying at which room, you may waste the day

and come out empty-handed.

It can be devastating.

The registry contains the profile of each student,

complete with family background,

and grades.

I'm all set.

Here we have Daeseongjeon, the very center of the campus.

Master Confucius said the only man to succeed him...

Next.

Who?

My concubine and our daughter.

What's going on?

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

Good grief.

Hong...

is mother doing any better?

Thanks to the money you sent us for medicine, she's in much better form.

You're of a marrying age now, Hong.

Mother tells

the whole world about how you're getting a scholarship

for being the smartest student in Sungkyunkwan.

Excuse me.

I'm here to see Kim Yunsik.

Kim Yunsik?

I'm not sure where...

Are you Kim Yunsik's mother?

I must take her home.

If I have to be punished for sending a girl to Sungkyunkwan,

I will bear it without protest.

Ma'am.

For her father's sake,

please

help our family go into hiding.

Even if you persuade me,

you won't able to

talk Yunhui

into it.

Catholicism teaches that men and women are equal under heaven.

One day,

Joseon may also...

Why should my daughter be a trailblazer?

I don't want my child

to endure such hardship.

It's enough that I lost my husband.

It was for Yunhui.

My good teacher sacrificed his life to find "Geumdeungjisa"

because he wanted a better world for your talented daughter.

Why didn't you tell me

that father was a professor at Sungkyunkwan?

If I had known...

Let bygones be bygones.

The past doesn't change a thing.

But...

Let's not worry about all that for now, Yunhui.

Let's just focus on how you will finish your studies and come home safely.

One day,

we can talk about everything like old stories.

Here it is.

But where can he be?

He must have known you'd come to see him.

Where is he?

You should put an end to all this game-playing

and ask him to spend the night with you.

Choseon.

The proctor is looking for you.

This pavilion has the best view in Sungkyunkwan.

I've always brought you here.

I'm not here at Sungkyunkwan

to admire the sky, which can be admired anywhere in Joseon.

So I would like to excuse myself with your kind permission, proctor.

I'm trying.

Can't you see that I, Ha Insu,

am trying to capture the heart of a lowly woman such as yourself?

I feel sorry for you.

Why do you think everything has to go your way?

Why do you assume everything to be yours?

Don't you think you can spare a lowly woman like me?

Don't take it to heart, proctor.

She's but a lowly courtesan.

She was wearing a dark blue top like the one she had on today.

The day she ran into our house...

and stood before our father,

the dark blue top looked quite becoming on that 10-year-old girl.

Get

Byeongchun.

Yes, sir.

Can you do anything for me like dirty job or smelly job?

I need your help for Jangchigi contest, tomorrow.

Is he Lee Seonjun?

He is Kim Yunsik.

One day, we can talk about everything

like old stories.

What are you doing here on a day like this?

You're Big Man after all.

And I never thought I'd see you here at the library,

especially on a day like this.

I've already read everything here.

You're too much.

Wow.

Let's go eat.

You're pathetic.

Not a single woman has come to see you?

You don't even have a woman you're secretly in love with?

That's why I thought I'd just eat with you.

Your roommates are over there, sir.

Mun Jaesin?

The son of the supreme investigator?

Let's do this some other time.

I should get going.

No. Please eat with us.

If you're his roommate, you're important to me, too.

Plus, the cafeteria is closed today.

You need to have dinner.

Ask him to stay.

There must be a good reason why he wants to excuse himself.

Persistent insistence is not polite.

I will get going then, so enjoy your dinner.

Hope I'm being polite enough.

Sir?

Choseon.

Am I putting you in an awkward position by showing up like this?

No.

I was waiting for you.

I'm sorry about...

the island incident.

I was so worried

that something might have happened,

given that you two were there all alone.

What a relief, though.

I heard you're his favorite classmate.

Right, sir?

A classmate is a classmate.

I don't have any favorites.

That's right.

I feel the same way.

We're just roommates.

You should eat, sir.

I have been taking cooking lessons since the wedding talks began.

I hope the food is to your liking.

Have some, sir.

I prepared dishes that would

give you energy for tomorrow's competition.

It's octopus and spare rib soup.

I sent someone to Dokcheon Village, famous for fresh seafood,

to get the best octopus there is.

Please.

Where are my manners? I have a very special guest here.

Enjoy the food, Choseon.

I didn't know you were so considerate.

That's right. Who knew?

I now know why you were

so against meeting women.

It's not that you don't like women.

You have your heart set on Choseon, right?

How about you?

Lee Seonjun's something else.

What is it, sir?

He said he wasn't interested in marrying.

He said he first wanted to take the High Exam.

That's what he vowed to me.

He gave me his word.

Is that true, sir?

Enough.

But

after meeting you,

a sweet

and well-mannered woman,

I can see why

he is having second thoughts.

I am so moved.

This is something I have never read about

in any storybook.

I shouldn't have come.

What do you mean, Choseon?

Your heart is not set on me.

May I guess to whom your love is directed?

What are you talking about?

How dare you?

I'm sorry about this.

- But the thing is... - Never mind.

Kim Yunsik's nickname should be Lush from now on.

Aren't you worried about that frail kid?

Why should I worry about him?

I don't want you to mention the name Kim Yunsik again.

The Red Writer's pillaging and murderous rampage continues?

Oh, my goodness.

The Ravishing Quartet are not on the same team this time.

You will be pleased, sir.

Something's not quite right with the proctor.

I will make sure you pay if you mess with him again.

I told you not to get involved in Kim Yunsik's business.