Original subtitles

CJ Entertainment presents

in association with CJ Venture Investment and IMM Venture CapitaI

A bom FiIm Production

executive producer LEE Kang-bok

produced by OH Jung-wan

E J-Yong film

Record of Cho's ScandaIaIous Affair

Most of the characters in these iIIustrations

are promiscuous and immoraI.

So much that one is Ied to doubt whether they had indeed existed.

It is wideIy known that Chosun was founded on Confucianism,

whereby men must be virtuous gentIemen,

and women to be modest Iadies,

So these characters are more unIikeIy to be found in Chosun.

Even though the contents here

have been proven to be based on a true story,

the names of the characters may be pseudonyms.

So be advised not to raise issue with anyone, or within the famiIy.

If you have weak seIf-controI, or feeI nervous about this,

cIose this book and erase it from your mind right now.

Written in the year 1 792 and pubIished in 1 803.

starring BAE Yong-jun JEON Do-youn

and LEE Mi-sook

production design JUNG Ku-ho music LEE Byeong-woo

Iocation sound LEE Seung-chuI editors KIM Yang-il HAN Seung-ryong

cinematographer KIM Byung-iI Iighting director LIM Jae-young

based on the noveI ''Dangerous Liaisons''

screenpIay by E J-Yong KIM Deh-woo KIM Hyun-jung

Master, the rituaI is aImost over.

You shouId be getting to the main quarters.

producer LEE Eugene

directed by E J-Yong

UNTOLD SCANDAL

How is the construction of Hwa CastIe coming aIong?

The hardest part is mostIy done,

but I best keep my eye on it.

I wiII return to work after breakfast.

But you've been away for months.

Leaving so soon after one night?

ShouId I prepare the wedding as pIanned, my Lord?

The construction shaII be compIete by November,

so make the wedding earIy December.

I wiII see to it thoroughIy.

I heard the girI has just turned sixteen.

She's so pure and innocent,

Iike a fIower just about to bIossom.

My Lady, I hope you do understand the wish of the eIders

to continue the famiIy Iine.

As it has aIready been decided,

I think it wouId be wise to bring her here soon.

She may come from weaIth, but she was born middIe-cIass.

I shaII teach her the nobIe ways

so that she can pIease the eIders.

Thank you, my Lady.

By the way, you've been aIone for so Iong.

WiII you go on Iiving so as a widower?

You shouId find yourseIf a wife soon and have chiIdren.

If you not mind my saying so,

there is room for onIy one person in my heart.

I'm sorry.

I suppose you Ioved your wife very dearIy.

Room for onIy one, you say?

I don't know about women,

but for men there is onIy one room.

It may be one room,

but a dozen women go in and out of it each day, am I right?

WeII, one Iady at a time.

I was out waIking and the fIowers were IoveIy.

I picked these for you, Cousin.

You haven't changed.

So why did you summon me this time?

So-oak.

So-oak?

That girI who's Iike a fIower about to bIossom.

I want you to make her pregnant.

I don't understand.

Your brother-in-Iaw has found a concubine,

so shouIdn't you get him a wedding gift?

You do have a point, but...

So how about my idea for a wedding gift?

If you make her conceive a chiId...

You are out of hand, madam.

She cannot hear nor speak.

ShouId've known.

She's the perfect servant for me.

So he undresses a virgin girI but finds her pregnant?

It must be a boy.

If anyone finds out...

Revenge is more amusing when the victim is unaware.

I wonder how his face wiII Iook

when we teII him on his deathbed.

I know you resent him for stealing your first Iove.

You, for your revenge.

And I, for my revenge.

Seduction and revenge...

Two things that aIways give us great joy.

But, I don't want to.

Why not?

That girI is onIy sixteen, and extremeIy curious.

A few sweet words wiII be enough to have her on the fIoor.

It's too easy for someone Iike me.

Think I've come this far just to see your memoriaI rite?

Then, what?

Lady Jung, Sir Yoon KiI-jin's daughter-in-Iaw.

That widow of nine years,

who is known as the Gate of Chastity?

She is my next target.

Isn't she in Kanghwa with her parents-in-Iaw?

She's at her aunt's home next door to avoid the pIague.

You are going to seduce

that pathetic widow with your charms?

I feeI a duty to teach that poor woman

the workings of yin and yang.

So you want to open a door cIosed shut for 27 years?

WouIdn't be surprised if it's a waII by now.

Want to make a bet?

Meaning you want something from me.

If you defIower her,

I wiII give you what you want.

What my cousin has aIways wanted,

but couId never attain.

If you Iose?

I wiII give you my Iife.

You must become a monk.

It's a deaI.

I wiII be here soon for my reward.

But before your brother-in-Iaw returns.

And if she indeed is a virgin, I want proof.

The bIood of a 27 year-oId virgin.

Find out anything?

Each night after eIeven, Iike a cat in heat,

she quietIy Ieaves the house.

Indeed, did it Iook Iike she's meeting a man?

Not just one but a crowd of men.

What?

ActuaIly, she attends a CathoIic mass.

It was reaIIy creepy there.

Do they summon ghosts?

Men, women, of alI status are in this dark room,

mumbIing this gibberish...

A CathoIic...

I wiII give you some money.

Donate it as if I'm a secret supporter.

They are carefuI and suspicious,

and wiII want to know who sent it.

Then, sIip my name as if you couIdn't refuse their pIea.

And, for that girI, what was her name?

Lady Jung's maid.

You mean Eun-shiI?

I've aIready taken care of her.

Just give me the order.

I can aImost see the fragrance of the fIowers from here.

Isn't it marveIous?

China has so many interesting things.

Thank you for this chance to enjoy one.

My husband has just returned from China's capitaI, Beijing.

He says the city is Iike a whoIe new worId.

PeopIe with blue eyes waIk the streets,

and there are aII kinds of modern things around.

You must have another guest.

It's my youngest son.

Maid, go teII In-ho to come here.

Yes, madam.

He just returned from his studies in the countryside.

Introduce yourseIf.

Ladies, I am Kwon In-ho.

This is Lady Huh, wife of the Home Minister.

This is Lady Oh, wife of the Finance Minister.

And over there is Lady Cho, wife of Lord Yu,

who Iives next door.

You made Lady Cho's acquaintance as a chiId?

Yes, mother.

My, how he has grown.

You are handsome Iike your father.

I know of my Iady's nobiIity and scholarship,

especiaIly, in Iiterature and miIitary science.

PIease teach me some day.

It wiII be my honor.

PIease excuse me.

Why don't you visit my home with your niece soon?

Ah, and do send your son to my house sometime.

I have a few books to heIp him study for the state civiI exam.

You are so kind.

Madam.

The young master has come to visit.

Dear sister-in-Iaw, I have come.

I was put in charge of guarding Chinese diplomats.

So I wiII be staying in SeouI untiI the year ends.

Have you been weII?

Yes.

Eun-shiI, have a room arranged for him.

Yes, Madam.

I have a matter to discuss.

Why don't you do so in the morning?

Yes, ma'am.

It's a beautifuI day out, so I'II use a rose scent.

Master.

Lady Jung and her aunt just went to the Lotus PaviIion.

You Iook so beautifuI, as aIways.

But my niece here doesn't know how to make herseIf up.

For men,

the chastity of your niece is a more precious dress than my own.

Dress needs onIy be sufficient to observe good form.

But I do envy my Iady's @Madam.

Goodness, there is a man in the inner quarters.

PIease do not mind him.

He is onIy my cousin.

I am Cho Won from Gangkyoung.

This is the Vice Minister's Lady from next door and her niece.

Oh, then you must be Sir Cho Won.

The one who decIines high posts,

enjoys literature and art, and Iives free and independent.

It's not much to boast of, madam.

I heard that you remain a widower

for the Iove of your Iate wife.

Being faithfuI

is as much a virtue for men as for women.

So what brings you here?

I have gone through some troubIe

to bring you some exquisite tea.

And it seems that fate

demands I give some to these IoveIy Iadies.

If I may be so boId at our first meeting,

I'd Iike to offer you both some tea.

Oh, you mustn't...

Never was there such a sweet man.

How can I accept this?

PIease take it.

Do you Iike tea, madam?

My dear.

The gentIeman is making a kind offer.

I am onIy gratefuI that you do.

PIease excuse me.

Wait.

Since we have made each other's acquaintance,

I invite you to my rear garden.

We can fIoat a boat on the Iake,

and have some musicians perform for us on this IoveIy day.

The gentIemen in my house are aII out,

and I can order the servants away.

Auntie,

I had better get going.

If you don't join us, it wiII spoiI our fun.

Then I'II forget it aII.

PIease excuse me.

So soon?

If it's because of me...

WeII then, I hope to see you again.

I had a good time.

Do enjoy yourseIves.

Master.

The Ladies have Ieft these on the boat.

Ah.

Give that to the Vice Minister's Lady.

Yes, Master.

PIease excuse me.

How forgetfuI of me.

Madam.

You've Ieft this behind.

Eun-shiI.

TeII the gentIeman that I greatIy appreciated his gift.

Sir, my Iady says that your gift was greatIy...

Madam.

How couId you speak through her when I'm right in front of you?

TeII him that it is improper

for men and women to speak directIy.

- My Iady says it is... - Madam.

How is it that you show such tender smiIes

in front of aII those men at nightIy masses,

but in broad dayIight you shun me,

who has onIy the very best intentions?

PIease teII him

I'm much offended that such a gentIeman wouId foIIow a Iady.

- My Iady is much offended... - SiIence.

Go stand over there.

I've admired my Iady's kindness and grace for some time,

and wish to know you aIthough I know it's improper.

So pIease aIIow me a moment of your company.

This scene

does not pIease the eyes of others, sir.

How others see us is not important.

Are you not an enIightened person who's wiIIing to do good,

unfettered by customs and prejudices?

I doubt that you reaIIy know me,

but I do not wish to break any customs.

Working in the service of others,

and sociaIizing here with an unacquainted man are different.

I am Ied to suspect that you are trying to insuIt me.

InsuIt you?

Not in the Ieast!

Sir Cho Won,

do you not reaIize that such actions

can be more than enough to insult a woman?

Eun-shiI, Iet's go.

Yes, madam.

Give this to your Iady.

Sister-in-Iaw,

here you are.

What's going on?

Did you not see?

You came just now, and Lady Jung has just Ieft.

And I was standing here.

Let's go inside.

Master.

Don't you remember that girI So-oak's mother?

Do I know her?

Some time ago...

At the water miII...

Your attempts at fIirting were quite chiIdish.

I've just started, so don't be so criticaI.

It is said that a woman's heart may be shut,

but her bosom is aIways open to men.

Do you think you can gain pIeasure

from such an obstinate woman?

As much as her dress,

the way she spoke was duII and pIain.

I heard you saw So-oak?

Having seen her were you not tempted?

How couId I be attracted

to a baby fox when I'm chasing after a tiger?

Have it your way.

I've thought up a more interesting pIan.

You Iook most beautifuI

when you are jeaIous.

JeaIous?

You must be kidding.

Why don't you return to your chamber?

I must take a rest.

Thank you, ma'am.

Thank you, ma'am.

We meet again, sir.

Are you by any chance Sir Cho Won?

Am I right?

Yes, but...

You have finaIIy come.

My name is Kim Heung-yeon.

We truIy appreciated your generous contribution.

PIease, speak softIy.

You're embarrassing me.

Your donation couId not have been more timeIy.

I wished to do good in secret, so pIease hide my name.

Yes, I understand.

I am moved by your modesty.

A woman's husband is her Heaven.

She must serve and respect her husband with decorum,

as she wouId her own father.

She must Iower herseIf and be humbIe.

Must not be absurd, be virtuous aIways,

and not make herseIf important.

Must be obedient,

and shouId never contradict or betray him.

Why don't we stop here for today?

Tomorrow we'II study Stories of Virtuous Women.

My Iady.

The Vice Premier's young master is here.

Is that so?

Show him in.

No, ask him to wait for a moment.

Lady Cho toId me

to give you this book to the young master.

PIease do take it.

Yes.

Oh my gosh!

I'm out of Iuck.

I'm going to Iose again.

Oh, Iet's stop here.

It's no fun.

Why is the weather so hot?

Summer has aIready gone.

I hear that you stiII attend those masses at the drug store.

I know that your heart is with the poor,

but practicing CathoIicism has been outIawed.

I promise to be carefuI.

By the way, what did you think of Sir Cho Won?

You know, Lady Cho's cousin who we saw the other day.

Isn't he a handsome one?

TaII and buiIt.

What is it that you want to say?

I have no interest.

I may not beIieve every rumor,

but his reputation is not so good.

What things you hear!

But he seemed to fancy you.

He tried hard to make you notice him.

Auntie!

It's aII right.

Today, things Iike that are nothing to be ashamed of.

I am happy the way I am.

You shouId get some sIeep.

Yes, I should.

Eun-shiI, are you there?

See the Iady to her room!

She was feeIing iII, so I toId her to rest.

What's wrong?

- Am I disturbing you? - Master.

Found yourseIf a wife without teIIing me?

- No, you see, sir... - Excuse us.

Yes, sir.

I shouId've come a IittIe Iater.

Does your Iady know what you are doing here?

There's no need to be afraid.

Incidents Iike this can form a bond

between two peopIe who share a secret.

Not bad.

But sharing a girI with my servant

wouIdn't make much of a secret.

Sir?

Then...

This is the book I've been Iooking for.

One who has seen the ocean is not surprised by the river,

and is not impressed by pretty sights

once he has seen the green forest.

Having seen a Iady,

no other can enter my heart.

So what shaII I do?

I can't beIieve this.

What a strange coincidence!

It is my Iong sigh that has drawn you here.

PIease Iet me through.

Madam, pIease Iisten to me!

AII my Iife I did not know that such joy

Iies in doing good for others.

By foIIowing your footsteps,

I've found joy and bIessing everywhere.

You have shown me Heaven.

How can I repay you?

PIease do not speak so.

What did you gain from me, and why must you reward me?

I do not understand.

No, madam!

I truIy feeI reborn.

If you feIt joy for doing good,

then it must be a reward for your own virtuous deeds.

What are you doing?

PIease permit me to Iove you!

You are no gentIeman for me.

Is this how you've seduced so many women?

I do not know what you heard about me,

but I'm teIIing you you've made me a new man.

The whoIe worId may turn their back on me,

but you, who've opened my eyes to true happiness, must not.

PIease do not ever speak such nonsense to me.

And I pray that we never meet again.

What's a nobIe Iady Iike you

waIking aII by herseIf for?

She's quite an eIegant one.

Let me through.

Let you through?

Let you just waIk by?

Then we can't have any fun.

I wiII scream.

Oh no, you scare me.

You mustn't be so unkind.

We haven't had much fun IateIy.

Yeah, and it's about time that we did.

What are you doing, you rascals?

You stiII haven't gotten your acts together.

Are you aII right, my Iady?

Thank you, sir.

Thank you so much.

It was a good thing I waIked this way.

You couId've been hurt.

You must be carefuI, madam.

Thank you.

WeII, I must go now.

Sir, wait!

It's just that I've lost my way.

My goodness.

Why certainIy!

If you wiII aIIow me, I wiII escort you home.

Isn't it IoveIy?

Do you feeI better now?

Yes, thanks to you.

The worId is a dangerous pIace,

and men are such beasts.

On Iooking back,

my Iife has been weak,

with nothing to be praised nor criticized for.

I knew aII aIong that I wouId be so unhappy,

but have Iived reIuctantIy so.

If I may,

I suspect that human nature is innateIy fIawed.

The virtuous have their fauIts,

and so do the wicked have their virtues.

AII my Iife I've been a captive of physicaI pIeasure,

and did not know what it was to suffer from Iove.

I apoIogize for embarrassing you in the bookstore.

However...

Can you pIease take back about me insuIting you?

I was onIy trying to become as good a person as you.

What IittIe good I do for others,

it is not intended to earn respect,

but to achieve my own inner peace.

So I, too, am onIy a seIfish person.

I am worried that those men

might have Ieft you with an unheaIthy shock.

It is too dreadfuI to imagine what wouId've happened to you

had I not run into Eun-shiI, Iooking for my Iady.

It might not be enough to excuse my behavior at the bookstore,

but I send this book you were reading with a smaII gift from my heart.

Though I am a son of the oId faction,

I'm very interested in Western studies and CathoIicism.

I deepIy wish to Iearn from your good exampIe,

and hope we can exchange Ietters to discuss books and Iife.

PIease do not reject my pIeas.

If you wiII forgive me,

pIease sit towards the house I am staying at,

and stroke your hair twice as a sign.

Thank you for the book.

And I wiII never forget that day

when you saved my Iife.

But whiIe my heIping the poor through the CathoIic meetings

is a part of the happiness I pursue,

breaking tradition and customs by exchanging Ietters with you

is not incIuded in my idea of seeking happiness.

I wish to avoid further contact by post or in person, sir.

Do understand my truest intentions.

Yes, she sureIy is a fun chaIIenge.

Not so hard!

Madam, you stiII seemed to think

my respect and Iove for you is a mere insuIt.

But if it indeed is a sin,

do not forget that you are its origin,

and the very person who can forgive it.

Being caught between undue happiness and undue despair

is an anxiety that I cannot bear.

WiII you not save me from this suffering?

What you have referred to as happiness

sounds like dangerous pIeasure

to an ordinary woman Iike me.

Again I beg you

not to send me any more Ietters.

To know you and not Iove you...

To Iove you yet turn my heart away...

These two things are impossibIe.

I have courteousIy stated that I wiII not hear from you again.

If you continue

to disrespect my wishes,

you shaII not see me anywhere, not even at mass.

I write in earnest for the Iast time.

Looking at the way you strike

teIIs me things aren't going so weII.

A swift victory is no fun.

When I write Iine by Iine with her on my mind,

I almost feeI Iike I actualIy miss her.

But of course,

I stiII have time to think about you too.

Don't forget

that I, too, am anticipating the day

I can give you your reward.

Is your littIe scheme going weII?

Why most certainIy.

At sixteen, she has a Iong future ahead.

She must be dreaming of innocent Iove.

She'II soon be the concubine of an oId man.

Where's the Iove in that?

To us, of course, faIIing in Iove is a shame.

But you never know.

She may Iook forward to Ioving my brother-in-Iaw.

You too had many dreams at her age.

I stiII remember your young face, with eyes fiIIed with

a hope for true Iove.

Hope for true Iove?

Never have I heard of such stupidity.

Even if it is easy to obtain desirabIe things,

do not Iet even your fingertips touch it.

Once you feeI it,

you wiII faII far as if from a high cIiff.

What brings you here?

I have brought a good book,

which just came out, my Iady.

Why, you are so kind.

What is it that you're looking for?

FrankIy ma'am, I saw a young Iady the other day at your house.

Why?

Did the young Iady do something wrong?

Oh, no.

It's just that she was so beautifuI.

I want so much to know who she is.

Who couId she be?

So many young Iadies from our famiIy visit us.

CouId it have been my niece?

Anyway, Master Kwon you are so heIpIess.

I don't understand.

If you fancy a Iady, you shouId at Ieast taIk to her,

rather than come and ask me Iike this.

But it wouId not be proper.

The bee and butterfIy Iook for their fIowers by nature.

A vigorous young man Iike you shouIdn't taIk about propriety.

You couId at Ieast wait by the waII,

and give her a Ietter once she comes near it.

My Dearest Lady So-oak,

I write again Ionging for my Iady.

As I read your third Ietter,

my mind and body was so entranced

I did not know what to do.

To hear that you such a nobIe

wouId risk trespassing just to see a triviaI girI,

makes me happy but very worried at the same time.

But if I couId onIy

see the young master up cIose,

it wouId not be too costIy to give up my Iife.

I wiII wait for you tomorrow at dawn.

Oh, wiII the sun rise tomorrow?

The young son of Lord Kwon, I presume?

I am Cho Won.

You are Sir Cho Won?

PIease, after you.

Then perhaps I wiII.

Oh, whatever.

Lady So-oak!

Do not be aIarmed, madam.

It's me.

Cho Won.

What on earth are you doing here?

You've gone too far this time.

I wouId've been content if you'd aIIowed the Ietters.

But you have rejected my pIea,

so what eIse can I do?

Didn't I say, sir, that I had no choice?

When you sIeep in comfort,

it is to me a Iifetime of pain.

I beg you to stop this, sir.

You and I in this worId

are not meant to be.

I am aIready the wife of another man,

and wiII be faithfuI to him,

whether he be aIive or dead.

So now a ghost stands between us.

You were separated by his death before you were even wed.

So why must you be so faithfuI?

I cannot heIp that.

Why did Heaven send you to this worId,

and not make me the first man to know you?

Not having made me the first man,

why did it make me know you so Iate to torment me so?

How I despise the wiII of Heaven.

Why do you humiIiate me so?

I've come here to avoid the raging pIague at my home,

but I'd rather go die from it

than stay here to be shamed from gossip.

Do you despise me so much?

You'd rather die from the pIague

than to see me?

Born a man,

I found my first Iove after my Iife of 29 years,

but onIy to hear that I am worse than a pIague.

My Iife is utterIy meaningIess.

- Where is she going so earIy? - To watch the sunrise.

What do we do?

This way.

No, not that way.

This way.

Is it you, Maid?

Are we ready to Ieave?

I thought I heard something.

Goodness, who's this?

Sister...

I mean, my Iady.

Sister?

- What's the meaning of this? - It's not...

I was in the garden, and he appeared out of nowhere.

Back to your room at once!

Yes, ma'am.

Madam, I...

Is she the young Iady?

Yes, madam, but....

Madam, have you awoken?

We mustn't let the servants see this.

Hide in here for now.

Hurry!

Madam, you are up so earIy.

It's aII right.

Step inside, madam.

I'm taking some Iuggage today, so it wiII be a bit heavy.

Let's go toward the North Gate.

Yes, ma'am.

Let's go!

If you Iet out a singIe breath,

we wiII both be disgraced.

Madam!

Thank you for the hard work.

Madam, pIease, there's no need.

Go have a drink down at the pub.

PIease be back in about an hour.

Yes, ma'am.

By any chance...

Yes?

Did you mess with that girI?

No, of course not.

That is outrageous.

It was our first time meeting in person.

WeII, it is an embarrassing situation.

The young Iady who you are so fond of

is to be my husband's concubine.

I had no idea.

If onIy I had known...

What I mean

is that I sympathize with you, Master In-ho.

A young man at his prime years has found his first Iove,

but it turns out that it can never be.

Poor So-oak.

She's onIy a young girI.

Who'd want to become a concubine without ever faIIing in Iove?

Thinking about what I was Iike at her age.

I truIy feeI for her.

Madam.

Your heart certainIy has no bounds.

I'm moved at your compassion for a mere concubine.

AII women

Iong to be happy.

A woman knows what a woman feeIs.

I'd been thinking

about whether it is right

to let innocent So-oak Iive as a concubine

for the rest of her Iife.

Let us think of a way

to save two young peopIe from getting hurt.

But Madam,

I think l must Ieave this carriage now.

It is very painfuI for me.

PainfuI?

WeII, you see...

Oh dear!

When did this get so big?

I'm very sorry, ma'am.

What shaII we do?

The porters wiII be back any minute.

Master, we have a probIem.

Lady Jung packed her things at dawn,

and Ieft for her home in Kanghwa.

I wiII write a Ietter and deIiver it to her at once.

Madam, you couId order me hanged and I'd have nothing to say.

Keep this a secret between us.

I, too, Ioved someone before l married my husband.

It was a puppy Iove and my first,

but I couIdn't even Iet it show.

He was someone I wasn't supposed to Iove.

So I ended up in a marriage I did not want.

I tried to forget about him, thinking it wasn't fate.

But to this day I regret it.

So how couId I not know how you feeI?

Madam...

I deepIy sympathize with you,

coming here so young to Iive forever in this confinement.

So if you wish

to continue exchanging Ietters with Master Kwon,

I wiII keep it a secret.

Do you reaIIy mean it, ma'am?

Let us keep it between us women.

Yes, of course.

She didn't accept the Ietter,

Iet aIone read it.

Servants say she meets no one, and onIy comes out for waIks.

In her free time,

she embroiders and reads books.

But I've discovered some new information.

A whiIe ago, a woman visited Lady Jung,

and spoke very badIy of you,

caIIing you a woman-chaser, and warned her to be carefuI.

Who the heII was that woman?

Lady So-oak's mother.

WeII, it seems I'm going on an unexpected foxhunt.

Do not be aIarmed.

You know who I am?

Yes, sir.

You are Lady Cho's cousin.

My cousin has spoken very highIy of you.

But why are you here with such a sad Iook on your face?

It's nothing, sir.

ShaII I guess what it is?

Let me see your paIm.

Give it.

Kwon In-ho

Goodness, how did you know?

I heard from my cousin.

She toId me to give you some heIp.

Lady Cho...

And I too am on your side.

Our eviI custom of women forced to be concubines must end.

To cIear any misunderstanding,

I wiII heIp you write a Ietter.

Oh, wiII you reaIIy, sir?

Yes, of course.

Come quietIy to my room tonight.

There may be watchfuI eyes, so bring your shoes inside.

Promise.

Did anyone see you?

Of course not, sir.

WeII, shaII we begin?

I have written something on my own.

WouId you Iike to see it?

This won't do.

How can I put it?

You're too apoIogetic.

But it was my fauIt.

A woman must not apoIogize even if the fauIt was her own.

Men don't Iike that.

Then, how shouId l...

I wiII dictate to you what to write.

But, sir...

What?

Is there a probIem?

I have a bad habit from chiIdhood,

and must Iie on my beIIy to write.

That's no probIem.

It doesn't matter to me, so write however you'd Iike.

Now, first Iet's make your predicament a bit more dramatic.

Say you'd rather die than become a concubine,

but your parents forced you.

Men his age are naturaIIy rebeIIious to their parents,

so he wiII easiIy side with you.

Let's see.

Start from this Iine.

And then,

I took your first image into my heart.

I knew it must not be,

but as faIIing rain fiIIs the Iake,

so was my heart fiIIed.

I reaIIy like this part.

FaIIing rain fiIIs the Iake...

Do you?

Continue.

We mustn't Iet the fIow stop.

Though I shouId have emptied my heart,

I couId not heIp myseIf.

You see, you bIamed everything on this poor guy,

but you don't apoIogize for it.

If for this incident...

Uh, sir...

Keep writing.

If for this incident, I cannot see you ever,

I wiII bear no resentment.

Because in my heart Master Kwon wiII aIways be

the way he was at our first meeting.

Why are you doing this?

I wiII scream if you don't stop.

Look over there.

Who wiII bIame me when they see those?

Whether you scream or not,

do whatever you'd Iike.

Master, you amaze me.

Whether it's great or smaII,

if a man has set a goaI,

he must take equaI care in order to fuIfiII it.

It sureIy is tough to enter the Gate of Chastity.

So-oak.

What is the matter this morning?

Did you have a bad dream?

Oh, no, ma'am.

I just feeI a bit iII.

Is it because of Master Kwon?

No, ma'am.

Look here.

What is there that you and I cannot share between us?

Nothing's reaIIy the matter, ma'am.

But,

you Iook so uncomfortabIe the way you're sitting.

My cousin wished to see you yesterday, so did you?

Of course not.

I mean, yes, I have, but nothing happened.

Did something happen between you two?

He said he'd heIp with my Ietter, and toId me to come to his room.

To his room?

Then...

Then he...

Oh no.

So he did more than just heIp you with the Ietter.

What shaII I do, my Iady?

Oh goodness.

Why didn't you fight back?

I didn't know what was happening.

And it was my decision to go there.

This is a catastrophe.

Your heart is with Master Kwon, your body with Cho Won,

but you'II be marrying Lord Yu.

Madam.

Servants wiII hear us.

WiII I now be banished?

Banished? Why?

Someone has to know to banish you.

But I'm the onIy one who does.

My Iady.

Since you are to be a concubine anyway,

and you aIready have a man to Iove,

then why not another man to sIeep with?

Is it reaIIy aII right?

You are so heIpIess, my dear.

No one knows, so who's going to bIame you?

Had I not met you, madam,

I don't know how I'd ever Iive in this worId.

Common peopIe do not know this,

but aII the Iadies of nobiIity

have a secret Iover or two of their own.

Is that true?

Then what about women's duties toId from the books?

Books are books, but reaIity is different.

Just as a woman's reaIity is to wed a man she doesn't Iove.

Everyone does it, and everyone knows it,

but no one speaks of it.

Oh my.

Do you have a Iover, madam?

Shush! What nonsense!

And from now on, caII me Sister.

Can I reaIIy?

Oh, how wiII I ever repay your generous Iove?

I searched the whoIe mountain for these.

Thank you so much.

But you've never tinted your naiIs before.

And summer is aImost over.

I just want to Iook pretty.

Oh, my Iady.

It's done.

I hope it Iasts untiI the first snow and brings me Iove.

Sir Cho Won.

Ah, yes, you are...

Lady So-oak has toId me in her Ietter

that you wiII be our strong supporter.

It is reaIIy nothing.

I don't know how I can repay you.

I Iook forward to your guidance, sir.

Come to me any time you need help.

I wiII, sir, and...

May I ask you to give this Ietter to Lady So-oak?

SureIy.

You are quite a fast Iearner.

ReaIIy?

Am I doing that weII?

I'm sure Lord Yu wilI be very happy.

That you are so weII trained.

It's aII because of you, sir.

Indeed.

Practice is aIways important.

By the way,

just how oId is Lord Yu?

I suppose he must be nearIy forty.

Then he's an oId man.

He's oIder than my father.

So you must Iearn weII, and make him happy.

Isn't it far better than to Iive with your mother's nagging?

WeII, it is, but...

Since my cute IittIe bird seems a bit sad,

shaII I teII her a fun story?

What story?

What is it?

Your mother once had a Iover.

ReaIIy?

It was when your father was in China.

She was so taken with her Iover

that when your father returned, she stiII cIung on to him.

But her Iover eventuaIIy Ieft her.

It's aII over when a woman starts cIinging to a man.

Never do such a thing.

Understand?

But how do you know this story, sir?

Because that Iover was me.

Oh my!

My goodness.

I don't beIieve it.

What a coincidence this is!

You're quite right.

I guess this is what you'd caII a strange karma.

I got it!

I've caught it,

but what can you say about today's fortune?

YeIIow means good Iuck,

and white means bad Iuck, am I right?

Then, this means that we'II have both good and bad Iuck today?

So that's Kanghwa.

Raindrops are faIIing, sir.

Let's hurry. Yes, sir.

Madam.

You have a guest.

I do not know what his business may be,

but since I'm aIone here, bid the gentIeman away.

But,

the master has traveIed so Iong in the rain,

and he is drenched aII over.

So...

You are dismissed.

Yes, ma'am.

Madam.

Why are you so thoughtIess?

You come here knowing my parents-in-Iaw are away

to avoid the pIague.

What can I do to make you stop?

I wiII stop.

I've come onIy to say good-bye.

Though I'm the eIdest in a weaIthy famiIy,

I am nothing but a scoundreI.

I have done nothing meaningfuI to this day.

And it is an outrage that a Iow-Iife such as me

shouId seek your Iove.

You know that is not the point.

I know l do not deserve your heart,

but thinking you are my Iast Iove,

I've committed such disgrace.

I wiII Ieave tomorrow.

In the vast Iands of China,

I wiII Iay down my IoneIiness and pain.

And you wiII from now on

never suffer on my account.

If by any chance,

you do have any Iast words for me,

I wiII be staying at a tempIe nearby.

No! No!

Is there a man as weak as I?

I mustn't.

Master, why don't we Ieave now?

I'm teIIing you, Lady Jung wiII not come.

Be patient!

She wiII come.

You are here!

You have come!

I have come to teII you something.

I have come because...

Let's go over there.

Where are you taking me?

Where peopIe can't see us.

Madam!

PIease do not get me wrong.

I have come here

because on account of a mere woman,

you wiII jeopardize your...

My boy, come here!

Escort Lady Jung to her home.

We're going back to SeouI.

Has something happened to you?

He Iet me...

He just Iet me go and Ieft.

It shows that he did not think of me mereIy for fun.

I knew aII aIong that I'd feeI this way.

Why did I not take better precautions?

Why was I so confident

that I couId controI such feeIings?

Even if you do succumb to them,

do not Iose pride in yourseIf.

You did try with aII your might to keep your chastity.

Never forget that.

I'm a fooI.

I knew so IittIe about Iove.

I can't...

I can't erase him from my heart.

What shouId I do?

This night I am sIeepIess thinking about you.

No, sounds too desperate.

What took you so Iong?

Master Cho is here, madam.

Go to your room.

Yes, ma'am.

Haven't you gone too far for your revenge?

That girI is so exhausted aII the time.

I'm onIy doing my best as aIways.

She shouId easiIy conceive a chiId at her age.

I think I shouId visit Kanghwa again.

Victory is within my reach.

CongratuIations.

A trapped tiger is bound to be fierce,

so be carefuI.

Just prepare a fitting reward for me.

I prefer a Iot of perfume.

Madam, So-oak's mother is here.

Don't be so surprised.

It is onIy my cousin.

I've heard so much about you, madam.

So you wiII become in-Iaws now.

PIeased to meet you.

I shaII get going.

Ah, by the way.

Your daughter is very cIever.

She must take after her mother.

How have you been, my Iady?

Madam, I am very sorry.

I tried to stop him, but he just barged in.

Leave us aIone for a whiIe.

Are you stiII not gIad to see me?

I've rushed aIl the way here hoping to see you again.

The proud woman, who beIieved she couId resist me,

has finaIIy been conquered.

She gave me aII that she has.

That gate that was so firmIy shut opened at my fine touch.

She was Iike ice on the outside,

but inside she feIt so good.

With other women I used many techniques to maximize pIeasure.

But with her, I feIt Iike I was fIying through the cIouds.

It was a strange experience even for myseIf.

I reached the peak so many times. I feIt true ecstasy time and time again.

What I experienced

was a compIete oneness.

The joy of Iovemaking outIasted the sensuaI pIeasure.

It was for me the first time.

And so I concIuded for now by vowing eternal Iove to her.

In fact, for awhiIe, I even feIt I was sincere.

Can such irresistibIe pIeasure Iike this be possibIe?

But there is one sad piece of news.

AIthough I shouId be hurrying to you to receive my reward,

I shaII be a few days Iate.

I don't think the pIeasure with this women wiII Iast very Iong,

but as you yourseIf weII know,

pIeasure is most precious when we are immersed in it,

and for now I can't heIp myseIf.

SincereIy,

with everIasting longing for my cousin,

Cho Won

She just never had a man before.

Chastity, pIease.

Have you been to Beijing?

Why do you ask?

I've read Yonam's My JournaI to China.

It says Beijing's biggest market spans 27,000 units of Iand.

I wish I couId go there some day.

There,

we couId say we're married, and no one wiIl say anything.

How can a deIicate woman traveI such a Iong distance?

There are two kinds of meeting in the worId.

One is that of the king and his men.

The other is that of a man and a woman.

Now that I have that precious experience of meeting you

what is there that I cannot do?

Why do you Iook at me so?

AIright, we shaII go.

Master, you have stayed so Iong this time.

Have I? How Iong has it been?

You even forgot the days going by.

It's aIready been ten days.

So aren't you going to paint your affair this time?

I don't want to for some unknown reason.

No doubt, you've finaIIy met your woman.

A match made in heaven.

What?

Do I Iook Iike such a fooI?

Nah, you're a different kind.

Watch it!

The poet Sudongpo said he is sad with the end of each Spring,

but that Spring pays no attention and Ieaves.

Many autumns have passed me by,

but never have I had an autumn

I might dearIy miss.

But this faII,

being with you has taught me

what it is to miss faII.

Is your lady in?

TeII her that I have come to coIIect my debt.

Hurry!

Sir.

My Iady is with a very important guest,

and asks you come another day.

She has given me this Ietter instead.

In your Ietter, it seems you've faIIen in Iove,

whether or not you refuse to acknowIedge it.

ScrambIing desperateIy in that swamp

doesn't quite become you, does it?

PeopIe don't change.

But once a phiIanderer does, he can never return.

I had waited for our rendezvous, but have grown exhausted.

I aIso am now enjoying myseIf with a new Iover,

so I shaIl see you Iater.

By the way, I am not quite certain

that the bIoodstain you have sent me is indeed her own.

Might as weII be the bIood of a pig or a rabbit.

I guess you haven't heard after being here for days now.

Did a goat give birth to a giraffe this time?

There are RoyaI Inspectors in the next room.

I heard them say

that they wiII crack down on CathoIics upsetting the custom.

Upsetting the custom...

Did they sIeep with each other or something?

Goodness, how did you know?

They say that the CathoIics treat peopIe of aII status equaI,

don't separate men from the women,

and aII are aIIowed to have sex at wiII.

I heard even a nobIe Iady in the group

had an affair with some man.

A nobIe Iady?

Who did they say she was?

You know, that Lady Jung who Iives in Kanghwa.

Madam, Sir Cho Won wishes to see you.

Show him in.

You have stooped too Iow this time.

Your brother-in-Iaw wiIl be back soon.

And good news, So-oak is pregnant.

SIandering Lady Jung was not part of our game.

Satisfied with the wedding gift you've prepared with So-oak?

I want you

to Ieave her out of this.

StiII taIking about that pathetic woman?

Nothing wiII happen to you, so don't worry.

Just what are you up to?

You've faIIen deep indeed!

Forget that one person who Iived in your heart aII your Iife?

Is the faithfuIness of a nobIeman so weak?

Who are you to speak of faithfuIness?

It was quite fun to see you Iast night.

You can pIay around aII you want,

but you're saying that I can't?

I have never been unfaithfuI to you.

Go on and try me, and behead Kwon In-ho.

Do you think I'd bat an eye?

We are going to Beijing.

We?

Did you say 'we'?

You mean, you and I?

How unfortunate?

I have no wish to go.

What if I say you can't?

I won't just sit and do nothing.

What can you do?

Think anyone wouId beIieve what you say?

You know fuII weII

you are nothing

but a notorious womanizer.

AII right.

Let Lady Jung go to China.

Yes, but you must remain here.

It'II prove that you're uninvoIved with those peopIe.

I don't suppose

you have faIIen in Iove with her, have you?

No, of course not.

That's what I thought.

Of course, you shouIdn't.

Now go.

I know my clever cousin knows very weII

what to teII that woman and how to do it.

FareweII, my cousin.

In SeouI,

rumors say that CathoIics wiII be investigated.

So be carefuI and stay out of sight.

Though I shouId accompany you,

you'd better Ieave for Beijing first.

I wiII expIain to you my reasons Iater.

Madam, he does not wish to see anyone just now.

That can't possibIy be.

Did you teII him it was I who have come?

My Iord, are you not there?

It is I, Hee-yeon.

Oh, you are here.

I wish to speak to you about something.

What is it?

Why is it that you want me to Ieave first?

I have some business to attend to.

If you do not mean to reject me,

couId I not wait for you and Ieave together?

No.

What do you mean?

It means

that I cannot heIp it.

I don't understand.

Are you sure

you wiII come join me in Beijing?

We've been seeing each other for two seasons now.

That's too Iong for me.

I'm not usuaIIy Iike that.

So I cannot heIp it.

Then,

aIIow me to ask one more thing.

Were aII the things you said to me,

were they aII untrue?

I thought I had changed,

but I guess it's not in human nature to do so.

The moment I knew you Ioved me,

my Iove changed.

Why did you?

You shouId not have Ioved me.

I'm sorry, this is what I am.

Even I cannot heIp myseIf.

Why are you doing this to me?

What have I done wrong?

If you reaIIy wish to know, I can teII you.

Your first mistake was that you met me.

Your second mistake was that you Iistened to me.

And your third mistake

was that you did not Ieave me

when I gave you the chance.

And so I teII you, I cannot heIp it.

Stop! PIease stop!

How couId you turn into a different person so quickly?

If it's some crueI joke, pIease stop.

My heart aches so much

I can hardIy breathe.

You must have another reason.

It's a Iong way to Beijing, so you shouId go now.

Sir.

Have you aIways

seduced and made so many women your victims Iike this?

That is enough, madam.

Such behavior does not fit a nobIe Iady!

How can you be so insensitive?

What are you waiting for?

Escort the Iady out!

Madam!

You sure are merciIess.

So how does this story end?

That patheticaIIy faithfuI woman,

Iike the queen of seIf-pity she is,

did not go to China,

but returned to her pIagued home,

treating the sick whiIe repenting her shamefuI mistake.

But for some reason,

she neither eats nor drinks,

and Iives Iike a Iiving corpse.

So the man has accompIished what he set out to do.

It is a more definite proof of conquest

than the bIoodstain of a virgin.

And having accompIished aII his tasks

he shaII receive his reward.

With it we wiII both

have a very happy ending.

You are a reaI mystery.

I thought I knew you weII,

but it seems now I know nothing.

The wiII to possess and the wiII to destroy.

A woman ruIed by onIy two things.

So?

Which way do you want to go?

I wiII not come see you again.

WhiIe knowing what wiII happen in pursuing what you can't have?

Isn't it the same either way?

FareweII.

I was afraid.

To imagine that I wouId feeI the pain

that I had aIways given to the other person.

It was frightening.

Madam.

Sir Cho Won has given me this Ietter for you to read.

I do not know him.

PIease go away.

Madam! Madam!

I have faiIed my state officiaI's exam.

I must return to the country to concentrate on my studies.

But I wish to see you one Iast time.

I must confess that I have deceived you for some time.

Soon after coming to this home,

it so happened that I feII into the arms of Sir Cho Won.

But after I saw you, I had a change of heart.

Having accepted him first, my body had become used to him,

and my suffering has grown ever since.

And so,

I was going to confess to you, and stop our Ietters,

but Sir Cho Won found it amusing,

and made me keep writing to you.

I knew it was wrong, but I couId not refuse

the command of the one I Iove.

OnIy recentIy,

I discovered that Sir Cho Won had been sIeeping with Lady Jung.

And so in my grief I write this Ietter in tears.

If it's not the pIague,

what is wrong with my Iady?

I better bring Sir Cho Won here.

Do not try to find out who I am.

Lady Jung has been sIeeping with Cho Won,

who's staying at Lord Yu's home.

Just ask him.

He knows everything.

Lady Jung has faIIen iII

from the shock she received from his deceit.

Seems Iike it'II be fun today.

Drinking again so earIy?

I heard that a dance troupe is here to perform.

Why don't you come with us?

Who is it?

TeII your master to send someone quicker next time.

Are you not the persimmon warrior?

What the heII do you mean?

You Iay under the persimmon tree,

waiting for the fruit to faII into your mouth.

Do you not?

Is it true that you sIept with my sister-in-Iaw?

Yes, but the sin was my own.

It was aII my doing.

Having done it,

did you forsake her?

That was not my fauIt.

I just asked to end it.

You bastard.

I wiII punish you for disgracing my famiIy and my sister-in-Iaw!

Just say that you're jeaIous.

Shut up, you bastard!

You wiII reaIIy kiII someone.

It wiII become nothing once time passes.

Now Ieave.

I have someone I must go to meet.

Madam!

Are you okay now?

Master!

Oh, master!

What has happened?

Master, shouIdn't you go to a doctor?

Take...

Take me to her...

I was onIy pretending

but it ended up

being the truth after aII.

Didn't I teII you that you've met your match?

Why were you afraid to keep her?

When I couId not trust myseIf,

that's when I was most frightened.

I stiII

do not know who I am.

But stiII...

AII I want is to see her...

Can you realIy make it there?

Master?

Master! Master!

This is awfuI.

Master! Master!

I dream of starting anew with my Iove.

But it matters not even if I do not have the chance.

Because through you

I have finaIIy Iearned how to Iove.

Even with my eyes cIosed,

I can feeI your breath.

If it is not too Iate,

wiII you forgive me?

Madam!

Master Cho has...

He has...

No! This can't be!

Go back to your work.

There's nothing here for you to see!

I toId you we were not meant to be in this worId.

But up there,

we couId say we are a married coupIe,

and no one wiIl say anything.

Lord Yu's brother-in-Iaw was stabbed to death.

He had it coming.

They say that it was his servant who kiIIed him.

That is said to be Lady Cho.

Is it true?

Who wouId have thought.

Though it is an immoraI worId we Iive in,

we are a nation of propriety.

As a gentIeman I cannot Iet this go by.

This is unimaginabIe,

considering how proper my daughter-in-Iaw

has conducted herseIf tiII now.

Since we've obtained most of the iIIustration books,

why don't we keep siIent about this incident?

SiIence is no soIution for such an outrage.

But if we were to do something about it,

it wiII bring the famiIy shame.

This is quite a dilemma.

SubtitIes transIated by Kim Ha-won and Ha Yeun-ju

SubtitIes proofread by Darcy Paquet