Original subtitles

Subtitled by KBS America

You'd better go now.

I'm always here for you.

Reach out if things get tough.

Don't try to endure it alone.

I'm fine.

Being confined gave me

a chance to do some thinking.

Everyone knows the fact that

I made no profit by selling wine.

It made me want to show those who incriminated me for prohibition violation

what business ethics is all about.

I will help you fight.

Then Moon Seon won't be quick to hurt you.

My lord, Moon Seon is capable of hurting anyone who gets in her way.

I'm waiting for her to take the first shot at me.

Then I could really fight her back.

I'm afraid you might get hurt...

I know, but I will only be in as much danger as you are.

Don't worry about me.

I'm always going to be right there with you when things get tough.

If you fight, I will fight, too.

Andong ramie is here!

Three bowls of seaweed soup, please!

Welcome! Right this way!

Welcome!

Forewoman!

My gosh! You're back!

All of us have been counting the days for your return!

Are you all right?

I was very worried when I was incarcerated,

but my strength is renewed seeing how well you're

operating the business in my absence.

We worked even harder so it's not noticeable that you're not here.

How are things at the marketplace?

More businesses are closing down, but I can't figure out why.

It's because of the tribute

goods inventory thing.

That's right. Shop owners who have been

tip toeing around West Gate no longer need

to pay more and buy

West Gate's merchandise.

Yes, so it has caused a temporary break in trading.

Isn't that bad for us, too?

No. Merchants who are free from monopoly

will start to negotiate freely for best deals.

And competition will create better quality goods,

and trading will become active again.

Isn't this what you've always wanted?

What does this mean for West Gate?

What is the meaning of this?

Why haven't you taken the silk and salt you are supposed to take?

You've got some guts thinking you can run a business like this.

I need you to empty this shop immediately!

Oh madam, I'm so sorry! Please forgive me just this once!

I bet that's what you thought I'd say. Didn't you?

What are you trying to start?

Who do you folks think you are?

What the...

Until now, I had to bite the bullet and buy expensive merchandise from West Gate

because West Gate was collecting the tribute goods.

But now that the government office is doing the collecting,

I can buy better product from whomever I want!

So you dare talk back to Madam Oh?

Stop.

Ungrateful people!

She asked me to get her some poisonous herbs...

Who has ever heard of a wife killing her own husband?

So I thought it was for some other purpose.

Boss!

How are the markets in Hanyang?

With the reopening of Songpa Market, the licensed fish mart is operating in the red.

Keep sending East Gate's seafood products to Hanyang.

Yes, sir.

By the way, sir, there's a growing demand of jewelry and accessories not only among

noblewomen and gisaengs but among commoners as well.

Is this reliable information?

I've asked the licensed merchants

to meet me here today

to devise countermeasures against

the loss of business we've been suffering

since the reopening of Songpa Market.

Isn't that Madam Oh's job?

Yes. She collected money from us to grease the palms of politicians, so

she must have Commerce Control Bureau or Ministry of Punishments protect us.

This is no time to lay blame!

Even the newly appointed Chief of CCB is one of Jung Hong Soo's men.

How can we depend on Madam Oh to protect us when she couldn't even stop this?

Very well. I will see what I can do.

By the way, where is Foreman Kim of the rice store?

I had a wonderful day!

Returning from a hunting excursion, sir?

What brings you here?

I've been under a lot of stress lately,

but I had a good time thanks to the hunting trip you arranged.

Then I will place my trust in you and leave now, my lord.

He is quite a tactful fellow.

He knows how to take my position and reputation into consideration.

He didn't even bring up uncomfortable subjects.

Sir, we're being stifled in both Hanyang and Jeju.

If the Ministry of Punishments could help out the licensed market at least,

we might get a little breathing room...

Sentiment in the court is unfavorable.

This is essentially because Oh Moon Seon who controls the Six Licensed Shops

can't either win public favor or control it!

I might be inclined to support someone else in the next election

for Six Licensed Shops Daebang.

My lord, please give us a little more time. I will send a letter to Moon Seon at once.

I got a letter from Magistrate Jeong of Jeju.

Any good news, sir?

Yes. He says businesses are thriving in Jeju after he took back the tribute goods

collection work and ended monopoly!

Does this mean His Highness's intent to create free competitive market

in Jeju has come to fruition?

If all works out, it won't be long before the wind of reform reaches Hanyang.

I thought we had a long way to go before

we can abolish licensed monopolies which

is the root of economic evil,

but it looks like our man Jung Hong Soo

is going to come through for us!

Yes!

Demand for accessories imported from

Qing China is definitely increasing.

Economy is improving with the reopening of Songpa Market,

so people want to improve the quality of their lives as well.

Increase in demand of items such as accessories and silk is the proof of that.

We're certain to do well if put an item

in the market that can replace Qing accessories.

What do you think?

How about pearls?

Will pearls appeal to women of Hanyang?

When I was a gisaeng, we used to make hairpins and trinkets ourselves with pearls.

I'm sure gisaengs in Hanyang do the same.

If we sell high quality Jeju pearls for such use, I'm sure we will have a good response.

Let us collect some samples and test out the market in Hanyang first.

I want you men to go to Hanyang as soon as we've secured enough pearls.

Are you staying behind again, sir?

I have some things I need to do for the guild master.

Go ahead without me.

Hurry up!

Come on, girls!

East Gate wants pearls in a hurry, so give me all you've got.

This is for Man Deok, so let's work really hard.

Wow! This must cost a fortune!

Did you want us to go around gisaeng houses first and check the response?

A popular item among gisaengs will quickly become popular among noblewomen, too.

I am going on this trip, so don't worry about a thing.

You better not come back smelling like gisaeng's face powder.

Keep an eye on him for me.

Okay.

I haven't seen Boss Kang since yesterday.

Oh, yes... He hasn't told us what he is working on lately, so we're frustrated, too.

West Gate Market Brokers, Jeju Island

East Gate has been buying up all the pearls on the island

paying the divers in advance!

East Gate is working with the itinerant merchants taking away my business

both in Hanyang and Jeju, but my men are sitting around doing nothing.

Madam.

It's a letter from Hanyang.

Is it bad news?

It looks like Jeong Dong is going to support Foreman Kim of the rice shop

in the next election for Daebang.

If your position in shaken, it will affect West Gate as well.

Shop owners are starting to refuse our goods.

Something must be done.

I will not sit here and be victimized.

Madam, I once bought pearls from Japan and sold them to noblewomen

when I was a mistress of the gisaeng house.

Yes, I delivered those pearls myself, and no one suspected anything.

Pearls are abundant in Japan, so if we purchase large but low quality pearls

and pass them off as Jeju pearls, we could make a huge profit.

If our cost is less expensive than Jeju pearls, we might be able to make up our loss from

the seafood business.

Can you find me a Japanese merchant?

Yes, ma'am. Do you remember the merchant from last time?

He happens to be here in Jeju right now.

I'm sorry we're late. Did you wait long?

No, we just arrived.

Did you get my message?

Have a look.

I'd like to purchase more in large quantities.

Tell me how much you'd like to spend, and I will get you as many medium

quality pearls as I can for that price.

We will buy as many as you can get.

I will get you the best goods I can find.

Would one month be enough?

Absolutely.

Smuggling?

Madam Oh is completely stressed out because she's afraid Man Deok will crush

West Gate with this pearl business she's got going.

Keep a close eye on her and let me know when she's getting ready to make a move.

What are you planning to do, sir?

Knowing too much could hurt you. Don't ask any more questions.

I always get hurt anyway because you beat me up.

I know what you're feeling for Madam Oh.

It wouldn't satisfy you to rip her into pieces right now, but...

But it's time for you to find a wife and...

Be quiet.

I'm scared.

Just get me the time and date Oh Moon Seon is meeting the Japanese merchant.

If you do anything stupid to try and protect me, I'll kill you first.

We targeted the gisaengs first like you told us to and pearls are selling out fast.

Orders are pouring in from noblewomen of Hanyang as well.

It's time to release the pearls we've been collecting.

We will be the only company selling Jeju pearls in Hanyang,

so our pearl business will be smooth sailing!

These are highest quality pearls, so let us mark them up three times.

Fresh deer antlers from Jeju...

And Jeju pearls that we've

distributed everywhere in Hanyang.

Was that Oh Moon Seon's business?

Yes, sir. If this pearl business works out, we will have all the funds we need.

You're working so hard. Good luck, my man.

I will do my very best not to let you down, sir.

My lord, Foreman Kim is here to see you.

- Send him in. - Yes, sir.

Let's see which cake looks more scrumptious to eat...

Who are you trying to swindle?

Get out of here!

It's the country bumpkins that you have to watch out for.

May I ask where you bought these pearls?

They belong to a gisaeng in another gisaeng house.

She said they were Jeju pearls, so I asked her how much she paid for them,

and they were less than half what I paid!

If this isn't swindling, what is?

No, ma'am! These are top quality Jeju...

Look at them. Size is what counts for pearls and there's hardly any difference.

What makes yours the highest quality?

Take them back and get out of here!

Something isn't right. Please let me...

I said get out of here!

Jeju pearls from another source? And for half our price at that?

I don't know how this happened, but it's true.

We spent all that time promoting Jeju pearls and someone else will reap the benefit.

Did you bring those pearls by any chance?

Yeah, here.

It's really hard to tell them apart.

One is a Jeju pearl that you got for us,

and the other is a pearl that sells for half price.

You see how it peels easily? It's a low quality pearl with thin nacre.

How could there be such a large quantity of low quality pearls out there?

Oysters bear more pearls in warmer waters.

I think they might be from the south.

Then... from Japan?

This has got to be another one of Moon Seon's schemes.

She must be trying to recover her loss from the seafood business.

Don't you think we should tell the magistrate about this?

It's too soon to jump to conclusions. Let's do some more digging.

But if we're right, this violates business ethics.

Yeah.

But the bigger issue here is that we have these pearls being passed off as Jeju pearls.

Ultimately it will tarnish the credibility of Jeju pearls as a whole, so people will stop

buying, and we will be stuck with the inventory.

What do we do?

We've got to figure out a way to sell our pearls and eliminate the imposter pearls too.

Ma'am, you haven't been eating very much lately. Are you all right?

Let's send these hats to Andong.

How is the horsehair?

It's excellent quality.

We have a large order from Tongyoung for horsehair. Should I send them?

Why when we have our own hat workshop?

Tell them to buy the finished hat from us instead.

Gee, would you do that it you were them?

There's a huge difference in the profit margin between making the hats yourself

and selling the hats that are already made.

Leave enough horsehair for our hat shop and send the rest to Tongyoung.

Please call everyone for a meeting after you clean up the stockroom.

Make pearl accessories?

Yes. Profit margin will be greater than selling the loose pearls.

And low quality pearls will easily be damaged in the setting process,

so it will be easier to set our pearls apart if we compete in the form of accessories.

If we pay attention to the workmanship, perhaps they'll gain recognition like Jeju hats

and bring in good profit.

But how about the labor cost?

There're hardly any jewelry makers in Jeju. It's costly to send them out for production.

Eun is right. That's why merchants have always sold loose pearls.

Should I learn jewelry making and do them myself?

I'm sure it's easier than weaving hats.

Husband, this is serious.

No, it's actually a good idea.

Pardon?

If we can learn the craft, our problem is solved.

It'll take investment of time and money,

but it will be worth it to teach the working people of Jeju another trade.

Deok Pal, since you're interested...

You want me to really learn pearl setting?

I want you to go out and recruit people who are interested in learning accessory making.

We will teach them regardless of age and gender.

Dong Ah, find us a master jeweler.

Not someone who will do the work but someone who will teach us the craft.

Excuse me, sir.

I heard you were the best jewelry maker in Jeju.

Do you do pearls as well?

Yes, I do. Why do you ask?

We are going to be teaching you the skills to make trinkets, hairpins, combs

and other fine accessories using pearls.

I've never worked with pearls before. I hope I can do this.

This craft requires skill, perseverance and concentration.

But it can also be mastered with anyone with a pair of eyes and a pair of hands.

The training is six months long, and you'll be paid a stipend during that time.

You're teaching us a trade and paying us, too?

But you must focus on your training.

You will be evaluated on your progress each month and eliminated if you can't keep up.

I'm getting too old to dive, so I'm going to very work hard and master this skill!

If you succeed, you will have learned a trade to get you through the rest of your life.

West Gate needs your help with our pearl business.

How will you acquire the goods?

There's hardly enough pearls out there for tribute goods after Kim Man Deok takes

what she already purchased in advance.

There is plenty of supply of pearls in the oceans near or afar.

And if you would just look the other way for us, there will be even more.

Oceans afar...

So that's the secret.

Would I be getting something in return?

Naturally.

Then I'll just have to make sure our naive and ambitious magistrate doesn't find out.

I heard you are starting a new venture.

Yes. It's accessory business. Would you like to see it?

I would think Jeju pearls are profitable as they are.

What made you decide to put in the effort and make accessories out of them?

To show the quality and set them apart from other pearls out there.

I would've wanted to buy it for you if I had seen it at a store.

They will do well.

It's been a while.

You look well.

But then, you're the luckiest girl I know.

Is that right?

You should've lived and died a lowly innkeeper

but here you are, a merchant forewoman.

My success is a product of my determination and hard work.

But yes, I have had some luck as well.

Do you think you'll be lucky forever?

I don't believe in luck.

Arrogant wench.

In fact, I think I was born with no luck at all.

But it's the choices you make that determine your fate

more so than the luck you are born with.

What?

It's a lesson you taught me well.

I see you still have your silver tongue. We'll see what happens.

Arrange a secret meeting at Gunip Harbor this time.

Gunip Harbor?

When the Japanese deliver the pearls,

we will send the entire lot to Hanyang and sell them at even lower price.

We're going to drive East Gate's pearls completely out of Hanyang.

Yes, ma'am.

One more thing. Find me a bodyguard.

Quietly.

Is this because of Kang Yoo Ji?

I feel as though he is watching me.

Get a guard dog or whatever. I want security here day and night.

I will take care of it, ma'am.

Did you find out?

They're going to meet with the Japanese merchants tomorrow night at Gunip Harbor.

How about Oh Moon Seon?

It looks like she's going there herself. Should I report this to the magistrate?

The magistrate? And give up this perfect chance?

What are you going to do?

Jung Hong Soo will he happy getting West Gate and the Japanese merchants alone.

Boss, are you really going to kill...

You can't do this, sir!

Remember. This stays between you and me.

Oh, stop pacing and sit down! You're making me nervous.

What in the world is Madam Oh doing?

Don't scream! Sahn is taking his medicine.

What's wrong with you?

I-I just want to know where Madam is.

She's meeting the Japanese merchants. Where do you think she is?

I thought he turned over a new leaf when he became an itinerant merchant...

Oh, what do I do?

Are you sick or something? You're talking to yourself.

I have to stop him. Dong Joo, you have to stop him!

I think they will do well in Hanyang.

We were just on our way to see you.

Were you?

We brought you a few samples. Would you like to see them?

I'll see them later.

May I ask where you are going?

I've been working without rest,

so I thought I'd take a break and go hunting.

Hunting? But it'll be dark soon.

I heard about the troubles you've had because of the imposter pearls.

Be mindful of your health.

Lord Kang?

There's trouble!

Aren't you Mr. Kim from West Gate?

Help me! I think Lord Kang is going to kill Madam Oh tonight!

What do you mean? Calm down and tell us what's going on.

There's no time to explain! We have to stop Lord Kang!

He said he was going hunting. Then...

What's wrong?

My lord, please stop Foreman Kang Yoo Ji.

Kang Yoo Ji?

What is this about? You mean he is here in Jeju?

The truth is, he is the head of the itinerant merchant group that I've been working with.

What?

You've been working with Kang Yoo Ji? Is this really true?

Yes.

Why didn't you tell me this before?

He is surrounded by enemies. I had to protect him.

Kang Yoo Ji is not a man for you to protect.

If we had the rancher's testimony,

you would never have lost East Gate and other tragedies would've been avoided.

My lord, Foreman Kang might be after Moon Seon's life.

First you have to stop him.

Gunip Harbor

My business is thriving thanks to your pearls.

And thanks to you, we're getting a fair price for goods we've been trying to get rid of.

Here are the goods. Would you like to inspect them?

The guards have been assembled, sir!

Move out to Gunip Harbor immediately. Conduct a thorough search of the vicinity.

Yes, sir!

What is that boy up to now?

Madam!

It's the state guards!

How did this happen?

Junior Foreman, take the crate and get out of here.

Do not be captured. Do you understand?

What are you waiting for? Move!

Huh?

Yes.

- Let's go - Yes.

Subtitled by KBS America

Foreman Kang is dying! Please help him!

I'll stay here until his condition is stable.

Where did you go so early in the morning?

Dong Joo came back with blood on his clothes.

He must know where Foreman Kang is.

Sir, West Gate's guards are on the move!

Deliver this to Lord Jeong Dong in Hanyang.

Didn't Oh Moon Seon kill the old hag that had the ledger?

Oh Moon Seon has been hiding a

dagger to stab me with all this time.

What do you mean the ledger has resurfaced?

It's Yoo Ji.

It's got to be in his possession!