Original subtitles

These are the same.

Hong Chum Ji is appearing in the towns where...

its people have gone missing.

Chun Bong's family disappeared without a trace.

I found out Chun Sam died from a beating...

because Minister Choi wanted to punish him.

After he died, he covered it up by saying he slipped and died.

If things worked out well,

why did his family disappear overnight?

But the five of them disappeared...

without taking any of their belongings.

You lost the Hengrok?

I must have lost it while I was fighting with Gil Dong...

- People are disappearing? - Yes.

But look.

People are disappearing...

from villages that the thieves of the Hong family have visited.

Also,

the missing people had something in common.

They had violated the code of morals.

Thieves are supposed to steal things.

Why do they approach people who violated the code of morals?

I have never heard of thieves like that.

If I am right,

if we wait for them there,

we might be able to meet the thief.

Please allow me to have some time off...

so that I can go and check out my theory.

In that case, I will talk to His Majesty...

so that you can get some time off.

Thank you, master.

I will catch the thief no mtter what.

(Episode 19)

- Master Hong. - Welcome.

- Wait. - Hong Chum Ji.

He is here as well.

Hello.

- Hello. - Kket Swe.

- Eop San. - Hello.

- Oh, my. - Welcome.

- Hello. - My brothers.

- Hello. - Hello.

- Hello. - Yong Gae.

- My brother. - Is this the famous Hong Chum Ji?

Hong Chum Ji is here.

What do you know about Geoin?

Do not even talk about it.

If I start talking about Geoin,

people get scared and stop talking.

Who is he and why are people so scared of him?

Everyone has the Hengrok at home.

But...

whose name is the two tree characters...

indicating?

If you do not know, who knows?

(Song Do Hwan)

Is it not you?

It is.

Does it look like me?

This is what I think of myself.

Would the others think the same?

I am very curious about...

how others think of me.

Your Majesty, did you call me?

Yes.

I would like to write Nok Su a letter of appointment.

(The letter of appointment appoints the concubine of the court ladies.)

The letter of appointment for the concubines...

starts with the fourth rank, Sukwon...

and Sowon.

And then there is the third rank, Sukyong...

and Soyong.

I do not care for...

the letter of appointment.

On the other hand,

I heard that the watermelons...

from Ming taste really sweet.

I would like to taste it.

Do you?

- Congratulations. - Why...

have you not...

told His Majesty about me?

His Majesty has been distraught over the dethroned queen often,

but you are the only one who ever truly comforted him, Your Highness.

Thus, please take good care of him.

You are truly loyal.

I heard watermelons from Ming are delicious.

How about we serve it at the next feast?

Thus, I would like to bring in watermelon seeds from Ming.

Your Majesty.

I hear watermelons in China taste similar to ours...

and that there is not much of a difference.

Would it be necessary to bring in their seeds?

Moreover, because of the great famine this year,

poverty has never been this extreme before.

That is correct, Your Majesty.

The streets are full...

of people begging for food because they have nothing to eat.

The thieves are rampant and causing disturbances.

Do you mean that thief Hong Chum Ji again?

It is natural for thieves to become active when there is a famine.

However, Your Majesty,

during King Seongjong's reign, the sheds were filled.

However, now, in less than 10 years,

the sheds are completely empty.

I see. We cannot bring watermelons from Ming in these times.

I was out of line.

Your Majesty. They are nervous because of the prolonged famine.

That is why they said what they did.

Thus, please do not be angry.

I am not angry.

It is strange, that is all.

I always wondered...

what they thought of me.

However, seeing them nag as much as they did today,

I finally see...

what they think of me.

(Hong)

(The Rebel)

He will go to one of the people on that list.

What is this?

Do not ask questions. Focus on catching him.

Hong Gil Dong.

He is now my enemy.

How dare you? You are taking soldiers...

to catch the thieves without my permission?

Are you saying you wish to let a thief who struck an official...

go free?

Come to think of it, you helped Gil Dong before,

have you not?

Are you in cohorts with the thieves?

What are you saying?

I may not have evidence of it,

but I do have my suspicions.

Thus, if you stop me now,

you will be creating evidence.

We shall find the thieves and arrest them.

We will go through Godamhyeon, Yeongeonjae to Suganggol.

- Yes, master! - Yes, master!

Yeongeonjae, Godamhyeon, Suganggol.

Where should I go first?

Where to this time?

This is Godamhyeon.

It is famous for having many bats.

A man on the Sugwidan list lives here.

Let us go. We will be able to find out something this time.

They say the man In Sa died from an illness last year.

Really? Then we have no business here.

- Let us go. - Yes.

- Hurry! - Move it!

- Walk quickly! - Go!

Walk!

- Goodness. - Walk.

Goodness.

We have no time.

What is going on? Where are you going?

There is a river in town, and they ordered us...

to bring the 1,000 sapphires they found to Hanyang.

But if we do not sow the seeds now,

how can we farm our lands?

How can we farm?

I am so sick of it.

Watching them weep and whine is driving me insane.

Hey.

There he goes again. Hey, Gil Dong!

- Goodness. - Oh no.

Oh no.

What do we do?

- My son. - My son.

- I need to go sow the seeds. - Goodness.

Goodness.

What is going on?

Goodness. They ordered...

that we offer up ripe gooseberries with frost on them,

so we went out early in the morning to pick them...

and gave them to be offered to the King, but...

they rotted on the way to Hanyang.

How is that my son's fault?

However, they demand that we bring them again,

so my son argued that it is not possible,

and they made him like that.

Who cares about gooseberries with frost on them...

that you killed my son?

Stop creating a ruckus here and be gone!

Bring my son back!

Look. It is not like they did not make the offering.

It rotted on the way. It is not right to make them offer it again.

What is it to you? Move!

Seriously.

Darn it.

Get him! Get them!

Gil Dong!

I knew this would happen.

Darn it.

That tickles.

- Stop it. - Stop moving around.

What are you doing?

- That tickles. - Do not touch me!

I hate people touching me!

I cannot believe I touched a pig with my bare hands.

- A pig? - Not there.

- Not there. - What is wrong with you?

- That reeks. - I told you not to eat meat!

What a stench.

Why did you touch a guard?

I know. I am sorry.

What will you do now?

But isn't an offering to the King...

a sort of payment for his hard work?

Then he should be thankful, not throw a tantrum.

What? Payment?

What is he talking about?

Stop talking nonsense.

Is it nonsense? What about that old man...

who was bawling after losing his daughter?

If a man is caught cheating on his wife,

he is not guilty, but if a wife is caught cheating on her husband,

he may kill her without being punished. Does that makes sense?

Gil Dong, the law of the nation is such...

What those jerks in the Sugwidan always say is,

"A noble shall act like a noble," "a woman shall act like a woman,"

and "a servant shall act like a servant."

I always wondered if what they said...

was correct.

I was immature.

The matter regarding the watermelons...

put you in a bad position.

No.

Thanks to you, I know what they think of me.

Actually,

there is something I had always wanted to know.

My advisers always told me to...

act like a prince, to act like a Crown Prince,

and to act like a King.

That was not all.

They would say subjects should act like subjects,

men should act like men, and women like women.

That was the norm.

However,

I was always curious.

Is that...

really the norm?

We all eat, defecate, sleep, and talk.

We do the same.

The king and his subjects,

master and servants, men and women,

heirs and illegitimate sons.

Why are they so different?

Do I think this way because I was never educated?

What do you all think?

Well... Why do you even care?

Think about it.

The king and his people.

A master and his servants, men and women.

Are we not all human beings?

Right?

Why is he talking such nonsense?

I guess whatever he ate did not agree with him.

You are spewing nonsense. How can we be equal to the King?

What is wrong with him?

Pigs, low life, and nobles...

- cannot be equal. - Never.

Learned nobles always...

quote proverbs about old morals and virtues.

They say men and women,

peasants and nobles are different.

But in truth,

that is nonsense they speak for their own sakes.

Then...

A man or a woman, a slave or his master,

an heir or a half-blood.

They are all the same.

There is no difference.

They can be...

put into one category.

What is that?

What is that category?

They all...

are my servants.

I was chosen by the deities.

I am their son.

I am unique.

However,

those servants lecture me...

on whether or not I should eat watermelons.

Is this even right?

I shed so much blood in 1498,

in an attempt to teach them a lesson.

The meaning of the blood...

is lost on them already.

Forget about it. Let us get out of here.

I am sick of hearing the old people whine.

What just happened?

What is going on?

Why did you not do that sooner?

What have you done?

- Goodness. - Hey.

Are you staying?

- Untie us! - Untie us!

Gil Dong, let us leave this place.

Whatever the reason, if we upset the government,

something bad will happen later on.

You cannot beat a magistrate.

The undercover investigator is here!

You!

Did you torture them?

I really did not know.

I did not know who you were.

What do I do now?

Seriously?

Why do you force the villagers to provide...

excessive tributes to the King?

I am very well aware that the villagers struggle...

to provide what I order them to.

However, the government sends instructions...

to send more every day.

The... The government?

How dare you lie?

Sit down.

It is true.

Frosted plums, the tongues of deers,

and even live octopuses.

They are all for the King's banquets.

We send everything to Gyeonggi Province...

which is near the palace.

I had no choice but to obey.

The King.

Banquets?

Are you threatening people's lives...

over food to put on the King's table?

We shall take all the tributes...

you have stocked up.

Oh dear.

If we do not provide what we were ordered to,

I will lose my own life.

If you are questioned,

say Hong Chum Ji was here.

Then...

You are not with an investigator?

Blame all this on Hong Chum Ji.

You will live and so will the people.

Everything will be well.

- Gosh. - Look at all this.

What are there?

Come with me. Come this way.

- They are here. - Good.

Take it all.

It is okay. Take them.

If someone asks who stole everything,

tell them it was Hong Chum Ji.

Then there will be no problem. Do you understand?

Do you get it? Now, take what you can.

- Come on. - It is fine.

It will be okay. Take whatever you can.

Thank you so much.

You are welcome.

- Thank you. - Sure.

Thank you.

Go on home.

Thank you.

Thank you, thank you.

Be careful.

Look after yourselves now.

Something happened at Goda-myeon.

Make way.

Make way.

Hong Chum Ji. Hong Chum Ji was here.

Did you see the thieves get away?

Yes. I saw them leave.

Which way did they go?

Over the hills to Mallijae.

Yes.

I saw them head toward Mallijae as well.

- Me too. - Let us go.

Did they go this way?

Why are there no tracks?

If they took all the produce,

they must have used a cart.

We were duped.

The villagers lied.

- I still cannot believe it. - Hong Chum Ji saved us.

Did you see Hong Chum Ji?

Did they steal from the government and hurt you?

Hong Chum Ji is not a common thief.

You would never understand.

(Hanyang)

- Hello again. - How are you?

- Look who is here. - Hello.

Gong Choon.

Why are you here?

I met a savior.

Hong Chum Ji saved my whole village.

You defend your half-brother.

You are an embarrassment to us all.

Thanks to him, I was able to sow the seeds in time.

That is great news.

Did you actually see Hong Chum Ji?

I did. He did not ask for wealth or anything in return.

He helped us for nothing. So I went to him and asked.

Well done.

- What a day. - That was fun.

Let us go.

Wait.

Why did you help us?

I...

Just because.

- "Just because." - "Just because"?

What?

My goodness.

"Just because."

Did you hear about Hong Chum Ji?

He solves problems that even the King cannot.

Hong Chum Ji?

I heard of him. He goes to nobles who assault his servants...

and parents who abuse their children...

and teaches them a lesson.

He is a great man. A very great man.

All I hear is Hong, Hong, Hong.

They only talk about Hong Chum Ji.

I know.

I would love to meet him myself.

I would like to as well.

He heard he is handsome.

Is he really? How tall is he?

Hong Chum Ji is an illegitimate son of a noble.

No, he is descended from a Goryeo royal.

That would make him a Wang.

His father is actually a very powerful minister.

Hong Chum Ji's father...

is no descendant of a Goryeo royal or a minister's son.

Therefore, our beautiful-eyed Hong Chum Ji...

is no Goryeo royal or an illegitimate son of a minister.

Therefore, before I tell any of these stories,

I must first tell you all about Ah Mo Gae,

Hong Chum Ji's father.

- My lord. - Hello.

I was right.

Hong Chum Ji came to the villages where people suddenly disappeared.

- I rushed back to inform you. - However,

His Majesty has no interest in this thief.

He has been spending most of his time...

hosting banquets with the female musicians.

I have no idea what he is thinking.

Congratulations, Your Highness.

Congratulations.

- Congratulations. - Congratulations.

You must be aware that His Majesty wishes to...

flaunt his dignity by hosting banquets.

Whoever pleases the King...

can become like me.

Do you want to become musicians?

I... I would rather...

Yes.

Not bad.

You have greatly improved.

What will you dance?

Today, I would like to sing.

Sing?

Go on.

Even though the sun rises.

We cannot talk about it.

For fear of angering the Lord of Frost.

We laugh in silence.

Keep the doors open.

Why are you crying?

I do not know.

For some reason,

whenever I sing this song, I cry.

Why did you cry earlier?

The song is commonly sung in the marketplace.

I do not know.

Tears spring up whenever I sing it.

You are so strange.

I need to become a musician and get gifts from the King.

For your mother?

Your mother must be pleased to have a daughter like you.

Actually,

my mother is not my real birth mother.

But she is still my only mother.

Let us go before we are late.

This is nice.

Now.

I shall grant you all some wine.

Drink all you wish.

- Thank you, Your Majesty. - Thank you, Your Majesty.

Drink.

Now,

look at them all.

Who do you say they are?

Are they the Premier or Minister of the Protocol Board?

They are neither the Premier...

nor Minister of the Protocol Board.

They are just...

your servants.

Correct.

You are quick to catch on.

This is lovely.

You are pretty.

(Lee Se Jwa)

King Seongjong gave the order to watch and...

make sure the dethroned queen was dead.

And so Lee Se Jwa watched...

as the dethroned queen took the poison,

and then watched and waited for a full day...

as she writhed in pain until she died.

That is enough.

(Lee Se Jwa)

Nok Su.

After killing my mother,

how can they put on...

such a huge smile in front of her son?

Minister.

You should take a glass from me.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

It looks like our minister...

will live a long life after His Majesty pours him a glass.

Congratulations.

- Take it. - Yes, Your Majesty.

Keep drinking.

Thank you for your boundless generosity.

Your Majesty.

Live forever.

Sure.

Again, many delicacies sent from all around the country were...

thrown out after the party today.

Have you heard of this thief named Hong Chum Ji?

The weird thing was...

how the people did not hate those thieves.

So what?

Are you saying we should not catch that thief?

I am not saying that.

After 1498,

all of the officers...

say nothing but yes to His Majesty.

Recently, the only thing...

they stopped was taking watermelon seeds from abroad.

So?

Do you regret siding with the King by finding the eulogy?

Thanks to that incident, His Majesty adores you deeply.

Master.

Do you know how devastating it is to see...

those bright and smart officers...

repeat nothing but yes?

But master,

His Majesty is human too.

He can make mistakes.

That is why he must listen to what the officials say.

It seems like you are a romantic in the way of dealing with His Majesty.

Look.

His Majesty is not a human being.

He is this country's soldier, wealth, and food.

To have his heart is...

to get the military force, wealth, and food of this nation.

So how can you think of him in such sentimental ways?

Sit up. My goodness.

It looks like...

Gil Dong has captured His Majesty's heart.

How can this be? How can such a kid do that?

Do not worry.

He will be captured.

Prince Choong Won.

I still have...

a card which I have not played.

The evidence is gone,

but there is something I clearly remember.

Something you clearly remember?

I heard...

His Majesty does not care much about capturing that thief.

If he is not willing...

to capture Gil Dong,

I have...

another plan.

We lost the thieves by a hair.

That is why I ask of this. If you give me more forces,

I will make sure I capture those thieves.

That cannot happen.

The thieves are now out of the capital...

and are roaming about the rural areas.

We cannot let him have...

more of our soldiers in the capital area.

Master.

If this does not get settled,

His Majesty will be very angry in time.

Okay. You may use more of our forces.

You wench, Chun Hyang.

Will you attend me tonight?

I will not do that.

You wench.

I have been saying you are so pretty.

Do you think you really are something?

Take her and flog her.

- Yes. - Yes.

This is the undercover investigator.

- The undercover investigator. - The undercover investigator.

How dare you lift your head up?

Can a district magistrate not ask a woman to attend him?

Did I become a district magistrate for this?

I am regretting my decision.

Hey.

How dare you do this to Jang Hwa and Hong Ryeon?

You are a wicked stepmother.

We just tried...

to discipline them.

Discipline? Discipline?

You do not have to step in. Why are you standing around?

Get them.

Please have mercy.

Take a look at them. Have you seen these people?

- No. - Take a closer look.

Report to the nearest government office when you see any of them.

Repeat after me.

"I will not fool..."

"a young, kind, and beautiful ladies..."

"like Sim Cheong from now on."

- I will not fool them. - I will not fool them.

I will never offer any sacrifices into Indang Sea.

- No more sacrifices. - No more sacrifices.

Good.

Sim Cheong, say your thanks. Here, she will say something.

Thank you.

Sure. It must have been hard.

Excuse us. Have you seen Hong Chum Ji and his followers?

They went over that river.

- Yes. They did. - They went over there.

He is right.

What is going on?

- Over there. - They went that way.

Let us go.

Okay, now.

Which way did Hong Chum Ji and his followers go?

- There. - Over there.

No, over there.

- They went over there. - Over that river.

- Over there. - There.

Quiet down!

So tell me exactly where they went.

- There. - Over there.

What is with you all?

What?

Are all of the eyewitness accounts different?

Yes.

People say he headed east,

but he would be at the west.

People say he left in the morning,

but he stayed in the town until he disappeared again.

Bring in all of the liars...

and flog them.

Yes.

Why are you laughing? Do you think I am a joke?

I will do this in a different way.

- What? - The people are...

determined to hide that man, Hong Gil Dong.

Do you think you will capture him by following him around?

Have you seen this man?

Okay, you may go.

Have you seen this man?

No? You can go. Wait.

Have you seen this man? No?

You are very tall.

Have you seen this man?

No?

Okay.

- Let us go. - Go.

Have you seen this man? No?

I do not know. I have to go pee.

- Go. - Hurry up and leave.

- Next up. - Come on.

Okay, fine. You can go.

- Go. - Thank you.

Wait.

You are ugly.

You can go.

Hurry up and go.

- You are a pig. - You really are ugly.

You are not the one to talk.

Come on. We should not be laughing this off.

There have been more soldiers because we robbed many offices.

You all have to be careful from now on.

- Fine. - Okay.

But we got Chun Hyang and Master Lee together.

That is not everything.

We got Jang Hwa and Hong Ryeon's revenge too.

We saved Sim Cheong before she fell into the sea.

By the way, I hope Pat Jwi fixes her temper.

This was fun, was it not?

We should stop now.

- Okay. - Okay.

I will never do it again.

Swear on it.

Of course.

We will not.

You are pretty.

The thieves who claim to be Hong Chum Ji are...

the same group as the one who was in Hanyang.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Judge Jo is after those thieves.

- Soon... - Your Majesty.

Judge Jo has taken all of the soldiers away from the capital.

I am extremely worried about the safety of our capital.

We need soldiers in this capital to protect you from any harms.

How can we use our soldiers...

to capture mere thieves?

You are right.

That does not make sense.

Did you say Officer Park...

has been going after the thieves?

Yes, Your Majesty. We summoned him. He will be here to report to you.

Your Majesty, it is Officer Park at your service.

You may leave.

Your Majesty. Did you want to see me?

Whenever there is a famine,

thieves are bound to be at large, so it is nothing special.

However, we should try to capture them.

I heard soldiers are after them,

but I will also appoint you as the special police magistrate.

Capture the thief.

(A police magistrate is in charge of capturing thieves and rebels.)

It will be done, Your Majesty.

Gil Hyeon.

Gil Hyeon. Is that you?

You mistook me for someone else.

Foreign intruders.

They are foreign intruders.

Foreign intruders are here.

Foreign intruders are here.

Ask for reinforcement. Go to the post station and ask for horses.

The post station is empty.

There are no horses there.

What do you mean?

The central government wanted us to give them horses.

We had to give them everything including the ones in post offices.

I will go hunting with the ladies of Jangakwon.

Make sure you bring in more horses.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Does that mean I can ride a horse too?

Yes.

I will teach you.

Then find someone who can run fast to ask for reinforcements.

I will go.

I am a fast runner.

Look. Look at that boy.

Hey, are you okay?

- Are you okay? - What is wrong?

- Are you okay? - We need reinforcements.

Reinforcements?

There are foreign intruders in my town.

Foreign intruders?

Without reinforcements, everyone in my town will perish.

So...

- Hey, wake up. - Hey.

Let us take him.

Let us go.

Let go of me!

- Let go. - Mommy.

Mommy, Mommy.

Hey, you intruders!

Save me.

Who are those guys? What are they doing?

You are all dead.

Get them!

Get them.

Are you okay?

What are you doing?

- My brother. - Go.

Come here.

Gosh.

They did it!

- They did it! - They did it!

- We survived! - We survived!

- Thank you! - Thank you!

Is this about the Thief Hong again?

Your Majesty,

did you hear the rumor that...

the thief has defeated...

foreign intruders?

Does that make sense?

Thieves are supposed to steal things.

How can they defeat the intruders?

Whether it is true or not does not matter.

The people...

think that Hong Chum Ji has saved them.

That is the problem.

The people are saying...

that they have Hong Chum Ji instead of Your Majesty.

The people respect and adore Hong Chum Ji.

Your Majesty.

Hong Chum Ji isn't stealing riches.

He is stealing your people.

He is stealing the hearts of your people.

- Thank you! - Thank you!

- Thank you! - Thank you!

- Thank you! - Thank you!

It is over.

You can never be...

Hong Chum Ji again.

I know.

It is over.

- Thank you! - Thank you!

- Thank you! - You have saved us!

- Thank you! - Thank you!

- Thank you! - Thank you!

- Thank you. - You have saved us.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

(The Rebel)

The people are praising the thief.

I have told you before.

He is not interested in the riches.

Are you trying to trick me again? Do you think I will believe you?

Gil Dong is waiting for you.

Are you trying to teach me?

His Majesty has named me the Police Magistrate.

You can leave it to me now.

I will catch you today...

and hand you over to His Majesty.

You are all going to die now.