(This drama is a work of fiction created based on historical facts.)
(Most of the details and depictions of the characters are fictional.)
(Final Episode)
You understand everything I say.
You are...
not insane.
Is that not right?
Can you tell me...
about Lee Jang Hyun?
I was never insane.
You people...
just wanted to believe that what I said was the words of a madman.
I will tell you about Lee Jang Hyun.
Then,
will you be able to tell me...
what happened to Lee Jang Hyun?
My life...
is full of regretful things.
Why do you think so?
I am not sure if what I did...
for the Crown Prince...
was helpful to His Highness.
If...
His Highness...
suffered at the hands of the foreign intruders,
he would not have lost the favor of His Majesty in Joseon.
Then...
My lord,
you protected His Highness.
So, now...
Let us only think about enjoying our life together.
Okay?
Shall we?
Very well.
Then how do you wish to live your life from now on, Gil Chae?
I wish to...
(My Dearest)
What?
The Crown Prince was killed by poisoning?
Who is spreading such rumors?
You should have done a better job serving His Majesty.
What have you been doing until such rumors spread?
Your Majesty.
I am certain that those mourning Thief Kang's death spread such rumors.
(Thief Kang: Crown Princess Kang)
What are you waiting for? Arrest them at once!
However,
we cannot arrest anyone without evidence.
We cannot let the rumors snowball.
Your Majesty.
With Jin Saeng's report alone,
the Crown Princess was convicted of treason.
It has outraged the Confucian scholars.
Right, which is why...
someone they trust and look up to should step in.
Kim Jib, Kim Sang Heon, or Jang Chul, for example.
Yes, Jang Chul.
Summon Jang Chul.
However, Jang Chul deeply pities the captives.
We must make him do it.
I will make him do it.
Arrest the rebels.
The rebels who were scheming with Thief Kang are now plotting treason.
I wish to put you in charge of finding and rounding them up.
Your Majesty.
You should take pity on the captives.
How could you call them "rebels?"
I am sure of it.
All the wealth that traitor Lady Kang had accumulated was gone.
We could not find anything but some useless fabrics.
So, where did all the wealth go?
I am certain...
that it all went to the captives.
Is there evidence?
Evidence, you say?
Then how about this?
Every year,
I receive an appeal from someone asking to restore the name...
of their family that was destroyed in the Year of Gichuk.
Every man in the family died.
A married daughter is the only one who survived,
and she has been submitting an appeal every year.
I have been ignoring her appeals so far,
but I may now open the appeals...
and reinvestigate the truth behind the treacherous conspiracy...
that your father had reported.
Father.
I have never once asked you,
but please tell me now.
Father.
You heard firsthand about the rebels...
plotting treason together, right?
Your report was truthful, was it not?
I can accuse your late father of making a false report...
and kill him once again,
then make you...
become a lowly servant again.
In front of your disciples.
Do you wish for them to see you become a servant again?
Your Majesty...
Master, I do not understand.
You sternly declined when His Majesty was seeking your advice.
You are now in charge of finding rebels among the returned captives?
I heard you and Interpreter Lee Jang Hyun...
had known each other for a long time.
I heard you two went to Namhan Fortress together.
Is that true?
Yes.
We do know each other,
but I do not know much about him.
I heard he bought an appointment letter to gain a noble title.
I heard he traveled across the country selling persimmons and paper...
and became very wealthy.
He bought an appointment letter and became a nobleman?
So, he had a lowly birth?
I do not know anything about his past.
However,
he may be blinded by wealth,
but he would never plot treason.
First, look into this man, Lee Jang Hyun.
Interpreters freely interact with the people of Qing,
so I cannot help but suspect him.
If he truly is scheming with Qing...
and tries to threaten the safety of our nation,
I will be sure to get rid of him.
But if he is a mere merchant,
I will stop them from punishing him...
for treason.
Yes. Well understood, Master.
"Public slave at the Eunsan Government Office,"
"Hyun."
Lee Jang Hyun was a public slave at the Eunsan Government Office.
What about his parents?
They took in a vagabond and turned him into a slave.
I could not find anything about his parents.
Well understood.
Master.
I do not mean to pry,
but may I ask how your son...
passed away?
He was attacked by a mob of bandits.
When we found him,
his body had been burned,
so I could not even recognize him.
That is how I lost my son,
but I think of all of you as my sons.
Especially you.
Always asking questions and interrogating me.
You are always worried about me.
When I see that, I feel as though I am looking at my own son.
In front of your disciples.
Do you wish for them to see you become a servant again?
I cannot lose you lads too.
I absolutely cannot let that happen.
(In the Shadow of Love)
Hyun.
My son.
(The Joy of Spring)
(Ryang Eum)
(Lee Dan, Hyun)
What brings you here?
So you are leaving?
I do not have a father.
That is why I considered my master to be my father.
Now and when I was in Neunggun-ri.
Well,
they say the king, teachers, and parents are like one.
Just as you risked your life in Namhan Fortress to serve the King,
you should consider your master your father...
and do your best to serve him as well.
There is something I would like to know.
According to the rumors,
you bought yourself a title to become an aristocrat.
That is true. I used to be a slave.
What is wrong?
Are you disappointed that you have been treating a slave well?
Then what was your original name?
If you were a slave, you probably did not have a surname.
But when you could come up with your name,
why did you make your last name Lee?
Why was it Lee?
In this country of Joseon, founded by Lee,
I wanted to live...
as a man with the surname of Lee.
I did not...
dislike you either.
You were no fun,
but I know you are not a bad person.
Now, this shabby fellow will be gone from your sight forever,
so do not worry.
Your Majesty,
we have received a report of people in Uiju...
holding rites for our enemy.
I have been supplying alcohol to Usimjeong,
but one day, when I went there to supply some clear alcohol,
I heard them whispering in one room.
They mentioned...
the Crown Princess...
and talked about getting revenge for her.
Stop with the nonsense.
Do you have a death wish?
Did you not order clear wine...
for the rite of Thief Kang?
We only held a rite...
because we pitied the Crown Prince.
Then...
did you hold one for Thief Kang as well?
Did you?
All we did...
was raise a glass of alcohol for the Crown Princess as well.
You tell me, Administrator.
What should I do with them?
Thief Kang...
was someone who tried to assassinate His Majesty,
so those who hold a service in remembrance of a traitor are also considered traitors.
So you must punish them with death by dismemberment to serve as an example.
Also, before that,
you must conduct an investigation...
to catch all the people who conspired alongside them.
Punish all the traitors...
and uplift the nation, Your Majesty.
- Uplift the nation, Your Majesty. - Uplift the nation, Your Majesty.
- Jang Hyun. - Young Rang.
His Majesty is calling the captives traitors.
He put a man named Jang Chul in charge...
and created a group to subjugate them.
Jang Chul?
Yes.
He receives a lot of respect from the scholars,
so His Majesty said it had to be him.
But that man is looking for evidence.
Why I ought to break down...
the palace gates and...
Do not.
Then that will make you a traitor.
I am going to meet him.
Meet him? Who?
The person I did not want...
to meet again in my life.
Master.
The leader of the traitors sent a letter.
He wants to meet you in secret.
Are you the one...
who leads the traitors?
Those people...
just raised their glasses...
to repay someone for his kindness.
The traitor...
nursed a grievance toward their parent...
and tried to kill him.
Was that report even true?
When it comes to treason,
any type of report is precious.
That is the way to protect the country.
Just like your father...
in the Year of Gichuk?
What?
Who are you?
You bought yourself a title to become an aristocrat?
Then...
that means your name...
is also fake.
Do you want to know my real name?
My original name is Hyun.
And my surname is Jang.
Father,
it is me.
That is not possible
My son died long ago...
Did you think I died in the fire started by the group of robbers?
Look.
I see it.
You look exactly like you did as a child.
My son.
What on earth happened?
How did you stay alive?
So...
why are you with the traitors?
Father.
They are not traitors.
Hyun.
Save the prisoners.
They will live as if they are dead.
They honored Thief Kang in a rite.
How can we believe...
they will live as if they are dead?
Is that why you killed Sam Do as well?
Sam Do also said...
he would live as if he were dead.
My sister loved Sam Do.
You knew that, did you not?
However,
you beat Sam Do to death...
for being a servant who raped his mistress.
And my sister,
you sent across the icy river...
to run an errand.
My sister knew what you meant.
No...
Your sister did what she did for your sake.
To not become an obstacle in your bright future.
No!
My sister...
was unable to stand against you.
My sister...
did not have the courage...
to defy you and live.
I could not stand it.
I hated and resented you.
And so I decided...
to take from you...
what you considered precious.
Yes.
Father.
I did not go missing.
I took myself...
from you.
Son.
Annihilate the traitors.
Kill them all so no one is left living,
and no records of them will survive.
Soon,
the Palace Supply Bureau slaves will come after you.
So hand over the traitors.
That is your only way out.
I cannot...
lose you again, can I?
Father.
Please let us go.
We will live as if we are dead.
We will live as specks of dust.
You insist...
on going against your father?
I...
liked you very much, Father.
When you realized my sister truly loved Sam Do,
you...
considered lifting his status...
(Slaves whose status was lifted lived as commoners.)
so they could get married.
I thought you were...
so very admirable.
So I could not understand...
why you suddenly killed Sam Do.
Father.
I know...
who Sam Do is.
Sam Do...
was the last living male of the family that was killed off...
by your father's false report.
Sam Do...
put his love for my sister over his revenge,
but you did not believe him when he said...
he would live as if he were dead.
That is why you killed him.
Please...
let the prisoners live.
If...
you attack those who are dear to me,
this time,
I will truly shatter...
what you consider dear to you.
Now I know.
What you consider most precious...
is not me.
Master.
The traitors have fled the grounds of execution.
Take the women.
Come with us.
You can make sure...
Ttaeng Ttaeng gets food, right?
You must live, even if it is for Ttaeng Ttaeng's sake.
Go!
Let us go.
Let us go!
What are you doing?
Hey!
Gu Yang Chun is over here!
- Get him! - Gu Yang Chun is over here!
Shoot.
My lord.
What about Yang Chun?
Jang Hyun.
Jang Hyun. The soldiers are coming.
You trust me, do you not?
Go to Neunggun-ri.
I will follow you soon.
These are people you saved by risking your life.
I will make sure to keep them safe.
So,
you must keep your promise.
Of course.
I will certainly keep it.
My mistress is here.
How would your servant die without your permission?
If...
you attack those who are dear to me,
this time,
I will truly shatter...
what you consider dear to you.
Who are the people who pose a threat to the court of this nation?
They are traitors who befriended foreign intruders...
and sold off the profits of the nation.
They are women who lost their chastity to foreign intruders...
but do not know shame.
And they are promiscuous perverts who engage in homosexual acts.
Those people have banded together...
with the intention of dirtying this nation.
What must we, the devoted scholars,
do in this situation?
Master.
I have something to tell you.
As you told me before,
I looked into Lee Jang Hyun.
His real name is Hyun, and he is...
A long time ago,
I lost both my daughter...
and my son.
My daughter, Lee Dan,
heard rumors that she had an affair with a slave...
and took her own life.
I...
knew of my daughter's decision beforehand,
but I did not stop her.
The pain was excruciating,
but my daughter and I were of one mind...
in protecting our family...
and maintained that beautiful sense of loyalty.
In Joseon, a land violated by foreign intruders,
the last dedication and sacrifice...
that we can show as scholars...
What would that be?
Taking down those who hate me...
and those I hate...
is not sacrifice.
It is not courage either.
True sacrifice is...
to rip out...
someone...
who is as precious as my own life for a greater loyalty.
That is sacrifice.
My dear.
Please help...
Gil Chae.
Please help Interpreter Lee.
We have reports of the captives' treason.
We will arrest them first and decide who is right and wrong.
They will die if you arrest them.
This is about the discipline of the nation.
There is no way.
I am sure you are somehow mistaken.
Interpreter Lee is not that kind of man.
My dear,
do you trust Interpreter Lee more than me?
What are you doing?
Why did you come here?
Go.
Go now.
- You... - They said it would be over...
as soon as they caught you.
What does that mean?
That means they will kill you by any means possible.
I cannot watch that happen. No.
I will not.
So, go now.
Do you mean you will die instead of me or something?
Please go.
Please just save me this once.
I...
cannot watch you die.
So, just go.
You must be very mistaken.
I can die instead of you, but you cannot do the same.
Wait.
I will come back for you.
Hey, you.
What brings you here?
Surrender.
Surrender without resisting,
and the Department of Justice will investigate...
and make sure none of you is unfairly punished.
You are still as gullible as ever.
Instead of the royal guards,
your master sent slaves...
from the Palace Supply Bureau. Can you not gauge the situation?
Or are you simply feigning ignorance?
We are here.
We are in Neunggun-ri.
Gil Chae!
Well done.
You went through so much.
I heard everything.
You went through a lot.
Where is your husband-to-be?
He will be here soon.
He promised me that he would come.
Can you hear it?
This sound.
The sound of the flowers.
I do not wish to hurt you.
You must have...
people who are waiting for you.
I, too,
have someone who is waiting for me.
So...
let me go.
Let me...
return to my hometown.
Then,
what would you like me to do with Lee Jang Hyun,
the leader of the traitors?
Master.
His name is Hyun, and his surname is Jang.
His real name was Jang Hyun.
He is your...
Kill him.
Do you know this?
When a man is afraid, his cruelty reveals itself.
How dare you call that mutt...
a king's child?
We wiped out...
all the leaders of the traitors, including Lee Jang Hyun.
We dumped their bodies into the sea...
to leave no trace.
Lee Jang Hyun...
must have had the Crown Prince's letter.
Hand it over.
Master!
No!
Hyun.
The two of us joined forces...
Master!
to protect our family...
and our beautiful loyalty.
So Hyun.
Crown Prince.
So Hyun...
Your Majesty.
That winter,
many people, whose lives were often filled with laughter and tears, died.
I ranted about creating a world filled with courtesy and loyalty.
But what was I able to protect?
What is the Joseon that I protected like?
After all this time,
the only thing that I have left...
is the sound of their laughter...
which I will never get to hear again.
Do you expect me to believe that?
Everything that the captives,
Lee Jang Hyun,
the late Crown Prince, and Thief Kang the Crown Princess, did together?
It is all true.
So please tell me now.
What happened...
to Lee Jang Hyun?
The Crown Prince has passed away.
When a lot of time had passed since the Crown Prince was in Simyang,
he copied everything the Qing people did.
Out of the officials of the Crown Prince, there was one who did not act like one...
What is this mess?
After Madam left,
he became ruined.
My lord.
My lord!
My lord.
Are you awake?
That person...
I did not see him die with my own eyes.
Stop!
He is getting farther away.
Wait!
Will you go against my orders?
But he probably died.
He was already shedding a lot of blood.
I heard all the corpses were thrown into the sea.
Yes.
But we could not find Interpreter Lee's corpse.
I searched for years trying to find his corpse,
and not too long ago, in a nearby village,
I heard that there was an old man who was the last person...
to see Lee Jang Hyun.
If you ask him,
you will probably be able to find where his corpse was buried.
If you find where that is,
please call me.
I would like to at least offer him some alcohol.
I am going to find him.
I am going to search everywhere...
and return with his bones at the very least.
I am also...
thinking of going back to Neunggun-ri.
Can I go with you...
to Neunggun-ri?
I...
am still your husband.
So...
I heard...
you were the last to see Interpreter Lee.
Do you know...
where he was buried?
I owe him my life.
I was going to take it to my grave.
If word got out that he was alive,
they might come back to kill him.
So I kept it a secret.
What are you saying?
He...
is not dead.
But...
He remembers nothing.
Why...
are you crying?
I do not know why,
but seeing that moon...
makes my heart ache, and I feel sad.
Whenever he looks at the moon,
he cries, then he laughs.
Master.
Where would you go in this state?
You cannot go.
I keep hearing something.
Thank you for everything.
He said he would follow the sound of flowers.
He just walked off.
Where...
Where did he go?
He said he did not give an answer.
That he had to tell her soon.
You see, you are... From the moment I first saw you...
Never mind.
What? What were you going to say?
To me, you are...
Never mind.
Just say it. What were you going to say?
Everyone must be waiting. We should go inside.
Wait.
Finish your sentence.
What were you going to say?
The day we first met... Yes.
We met by the swing. What about it?
Come on. What were you going to say?
Hey!
He said she desperately wanted to know,
and he did not tell her.
He meant...
In a moment,
she stole away my heart.
So now, my heart...
cannot turn back, and I should have told her.
Do you know him?
He kept coming by for days.
Excuse me.
You are back again.
The person you are looking for is not here.
That cannot be.
She told me not to worry.
She said she could wait a month with a smile.
That is when I knew.
My husband...
was tracing his memory from the day we met...
so he could come back to me.
So...
where are you now?
Where must I go to...
Very well.
Then how do you wish to live...
your life from now on, Gil Chae?
I wish to...
Before, I wished to live...
in a bustling place with many people.
But with you,
I wish to live quietly,
just the two of us.
On a mountain close to Neunggun-ri,
there is a place with a stream...
and a path lined with trees that flower.
I would like to build a small house with two rooms.
Build a fence with forsythia branches.
I would keep three hens...
and collect eggs each morning.
I will enjoy the flowers in the spring.
In the summer, I will wet my feet in the stream.
In the fall, I will make wild grape wine...
and drink that in the winter months.
I will enjoy the flowers in the spring.
In the summer, I will wet my feet in the stream.
In the fall, I will make wild grape wine...
and drink that in the winter months.
Have you lost your way?
I was looking for a person.
A person?
Who?
My husband.
What does your husband look like?
He is handsome.
I cannot help you if you say that.
Why are you fixing the fence?
I was asked...
to make the fence as tall as a young child.
Are you not leaving?
I told you. I have not seen a handsome man in these parts.
Would you like some food?
You eat a lot.
The food is delicious.
How is it that you can cook so well?
Why are you smiling like that?
You smile strangely.
It is a bit odd.
It is late today, so I will let you use this room.
But when the day breaks,
you should leave to find your husband.
What are you doing here?
Why do you live alone...
in a place like this?
I am waiting.
For what?
She said she wanted to live in a place like this.
However...
Should you not leave to look for your husband?
Yes, I should find him.
So please help me.
How could I help you?
I will tell you all about my husband.
Please try to remember if you have seen...
someone like him.
First and foremost, my husband is...
very handsome.
Here we go again.
My husband...
always kept his promises.
Once, my husband asked me how I wished to live.
I said I wanted to live in a place with a stream.
In a thatched-roof house at the end of a path lined with trees that flower.
In the fall, I would make wild grape wine...
and drink that in the winter months.
I told him I wanted to live with him like that.
There is something I truly wish to tell my husband.
If I meet him again,
I really want...
to tell him.
And I must hear his answer.
That day.
The day we first met.
When you were on the swing,
what were you thinking about?
I do not remember.
Is that so?
What about you?
What were you thinking about that day?
That day...
I heard a truly rare sound.
What sound?
That day,
I felt like the man of my dream would approach me.
So everything before me...
turned green...
and pink.
My dear husband.
It is I, Gil Chae.
Now, please answer my question.
What was...
the sound you heard that day?
The sound of the flowers.
The sound of the marvel of Peru blooming.
Gil Chae.
I was waiting...
for you.
Right here.
For a very long time.
(Thank you for supporting and watching My Dearest.)
(My Dearest)
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