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(All characters, organizations, places, cases, and incidents...)
(in this drama are fictitious.)
(Episode 23)
Who is there?
Chief Administrative Officer...
Your Majesty!
Your Majesty.
Please go back in.
It is not true, right?
Please tell me it is not true.
I told you to go back in.
I will if you tell me...
that it is not true.
Please tell me that the awful thing...
I just heard is nothing but a lie.
Stop.
There is no truth for you to find out.
So go back now.
I must hear...
I must hear what he could not finish.
Where is he?
Take the criminal immediately.
And no one except for me...
will be allowed to visit him in prison.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Your Highness.
No.
I must hear the rest of it.
What are you doing? Escort her to her room.
Yes, Your Majesty.
I do not wish to go back in.
Your Majesty.
Let go of me.
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty!
Your Majesty.
Get up.
Who on earth are you?
I came here as you have called for me.
It is all right. I know her.
Were you lost?
She seems shocked. Walk her to her room.
I will call for you again.
Yes, Your Majesty.
What is this now?
That is...
Open it.
Give it back to her.
Dong Joo.
(The Tale of Nokdu)
Are you all right?
He was the King.
He was not the Chief Administrative Officer.
The King.
Were you that surprised?
I should have given you a heads-up.
When did you find out?
When I got my certificate.
His Majesty told me not to tell you...
because you might feel uncomfortable.
Sorry.
We had a meal together.
And we talked...
and laughed.
Goodness.
No, it is all right.
He is not the type to be offended just because we had...
a meal together and talked to each other.
What kind of person is he then?
What is he like?
Make sure you find Jung Yun Jeo.
I give you permission...
to kill him if necessary.
You just need to bring his corpse to me.
I truly wish...
that you will never find out...
what kind of person I am.
He gets afraid.
And I am curious about him.
I also pity him.
I get to see...
all kinds of stuff because I work for him.
But you really have nothing to worry about.
His Majesty cherishes you very much.
He is not the type to get the wrong idea about that.
It is all right.
You get scared easily.
But...
what were you doing at such a late hour?
Did something happen?
No.
It is nothing.
Nothing.
Okay, fine.
It is not that you do not know,
but you choose not to tell me.
You will not tell me...
where you hid that boy?
Right.
It will not be easy to get you to talk.
I am well aware of that.
Is making me talk...
the hard thing to accomplish?
Or are overcoming that nasty fear of yours and stopping...
this kind of heinous act the hard thing to accomplish?
"Fear"?
"Heinous"?
Yes.
You even believed...
a ridiculous story...
that Yun tried to dethrone you by putting my son in your seat.
What are you so afraid of?
Must I show you what you ought to fear?
Yes. Please show me.
You should also throw out...
my body after you kill me in cold blood.
Fine.
If this can get you out of this false delusion,
I will die for you a hundred times.
How dare you look down on me? You too?
Fine. I will make you a spiteful ghost.
You and Yun were best friends.
And now, you can accompany each other to the afterlife.
Your Majesty!
Call the physician.
- Yes, master! - Your Majesty.
What happened to His Majesty?
Is the physician with him?
He is stable now,
but I do not think you will be able to visit him.
I know you were summoned to drink with him,
but I do not think it is possible.
Yes. I understand.
By the way, what happened?
It is not something I can disclose.
I see.
Then I shall go now.
His Majesty cherishes you very much.
He is not the type to get the wrong idea about that.
I am not allowed to enter?
It is the King's order.
I have something to give back to Her Highness.
It will not take long.
You should leave.
Have you finally realized how dangerous your plan is?
I was aware of it.
You could have died last night.
I was ready to die.
How could I dare to survive...
when I plan to kill someone?
Does that guy know what's on your mind?
I am sick and tired of telling you to mind your own business.
Lie low until next month.
Do not ask any questions and just do as I say.
What will you do next month?
Are you going to harm Nok Du?
Must you talk about him right now when I'm worried about you?
If you want to know, stay alive until then.
Lord Yul Mu.
I wonder if you will still be able...
to love him so earnestly once you find out who he is.
I looked into it, and Her Highness...
had already been waiting...
outside the palace to meet with him.
That means they had already spoken to each other beforehand.
I doubt he has anyone here who can be his messenger.
Who do you think helped him?
Should I look into it?
It is more important to find out how much the Queen knows.
Was there anything else?
No, my lord.
Keep an eye out for any news.
Yes, my lord.
It seems like you have something to tell me.
A revolt will take place soon.
Once a new era begins,
is it certain that the Muweol Corps will have a place there as well?
Of course. I will keep my promise, so do not worry.
I need proof...
of what you have just told me.
Why don't we help each other?
I'm sure he's prepared something to keep the people under his control,
so that they would not back out.
"To keep the people under his control"?
That is correct.
I am sure they did not trust Grand Prince Neungyang completely either,
so they must have wanted proof as well.
For example,
a list of names of those who are involved?
For them, it may be a merit list.
But once I get a hold of it,
I will be able to use it against them.
It's the proof of their conspiracy.
I will find it.
Proof?
All right.
I'll take it as your promise to trust me and be loyal until the end.
I will summon you again, so you may leave for now.
Yes, my lord.
- Let us have another glass. - Okay.
You were right.
There was a merit list.
Did you find out where he put it?
(Kim Sook)
A key?
I am certain he carries it with him all the time.
So how could we take it from him?
I will think of a way.
As you already know, the one who stole...
Lord Park's elephant statue is me.
Aseowon closes at 1am, so come by then.
It is best that you see it for yourself and observe the perimeter.
It would be even better if you could come up...
with a solution by then.
Okay, I will see you later.
So what we had witnessed...
was true.
Why is she at the palace?
If she gets caught,
both we and she will die.
I bet all you ever do to have fun in Hanyang...
is to play on the swings.
You are like a girl from the countryside.
Look who is talking. You are from an island.
All you ever do is have fun diving.
Diving?
That is way too lame.
Then what do you do to have fun?
Have you ever surfed before?
You should have seen me ride a wave that was as big as a house.
Stop bluffing.
How could a wave be as big as a house?
And even if there is such a wave, how could you possibly ride it?
You are no Dragon King.
It is a pity that I cannot show it to you.
How about we go to the beach right now?
What?
Is it too far away?
It is either one of the two.
You either cannot surf,
or your affection for me has withered.
What are you talking about?
It is neither.
It is because I need to do something important.
Fine.
It must be something much more important than me.
No, that is not it.
I was just kidding.
The beach is way too far away.
And I really need to go back anyway.
You are already late, so let us eat together.
You can meet the family as well.
And I promise I will take you to the beach next time.
Let us go and eat.
- What? Hey, wait. - There we go.
Hey, everyone is looking.
- Stop it! - Oh, gosh. Wait.
Oh, dear.
What? Is that yours?
Well...
Where is the other piece?
I do not know.
I am not sure. Let us go.
I know what that is.
- What? - It is...
a token of love.
Who gave that to you? You really had a lover, right?
What are you talking about?
No, I did not have a lover. Let us get going.
You look flustered.
You really had a lover?
You are so suspicious.
I really did not have anyone.
What in the world...
My goodness.
My gosh.
Wait a minute.
You do not have a fever.
And your eyes look fine.
I know it is hard to believe.
So you are going to stop the conspiracy,
help Hwang Tae escape,
and you are also the son?
The son of the King? His Majesty?
So you are the prince? The Crown Prince? You?
Yes, I think so.
My goodness.
This is crazy.
- My gosh, stop... - No, do not stop me.
You would never joke about this. I mean...
You would never joke about this, Your Highness.
But are you really...
This is driving me crazy.
Master, please do not be like this.
I do not want to be like this either.
But I cannot help but be polite to you.
Master.
You need to help me.
Well, of course...
No, wait a minute.
You are right. I should help.
I should help you as your master.
You should wait until the egg hatches...
Oh, my gosh.
Aeng Du, what are you doing?
Now that you are here,
Nok Du will fry an egg and hide it beneath your rice again.
I will not let him fool me this time around.
My goodness.
You are really...
My gosh.
I will walk you back.
Sure. Go ahead.
Can I carry you on my back?
No, you cannot.
My goodness! No!
Oh, gosh.
- What is it? - What is the matter?
- What is wrong? - You see,
Bok Nyeo worked so hard to make this.
But Aeng Du got her hands on it.
We made it too.
It is okay.
She is just a little kid.
But look at how ugly it looks now.
You worked so hard to make it.
My gosh, you will end up eating everything you see.
Why would you go into that smelly room...
and eat that fermented soybean lump?
I know, right? What were you doing in there?
What about you, Bok Nyeo?
And you, my lord?
Were you guys in there together?
While I was eating that fermented soybean lump,
the two of them came in together holding their hands...
- like this... - Okay, that is enough.
You must have been very hungry.
You should have told me. That is enough.
Stop it.
You two are unbelievable.
What were you doing in front of a little kid?
What? We did nothing.
I personally think...
you and Dong Joo were a lot worse...
Hey, wait!
Eat this.
Have another bite.
My gosh, she is so...
- Where is she going? - I will give you something to eat.
Let us go. Come on.
What is the matter?
What are you doing?
- Ladies, hear me out. - What are you doing?
This is all a misunderstanding. You have got it all wrong.
- Come on. - What do you think you are doing?
Did anything happen between you...
and Grand Prince Neungyang after that day?
Why would you bring him up?
I am about to get an upset stomach.
I am just telling you to be careful.
He is a dangerous man.
It really felt like he was going to harm you.
- Because of me, you might get... - I will not get harmed.
You are not responsible for anything he does.
And I will be the one...
to make the first move, so do not worry.
What are you planning to do?
It is something I must do.
It is nothing dangerous,
so do not worry.
If you are going to keep staring at me like that,
how about you give me a kiss?
(Episode 24 will air shortly.)
Your Highness.
You cannot leave your room.
- Your Highness. - Unhand me.
My norigae is gone.
I am sure I dropped it that night.
I must find it this instant.
It was the royal command.
How dare you?
Move out of my way now.
If I do not find it,
I will not forgive you.
Get out of my way now if you do not wish to die!
Your Highness. Please do not make a scene.
Court Lady Kim.
My norigae...
My norigae is...
She is the new servant, is she not?
Please forgive me, Your Highness.
As I cannot return to my room,
I asked her to bring me clothes and herbs for the knees.
Right.
You can go there without raising any suspicions.
Could you look for something?
Sorry?
It is a half of a norigae.
You will recognize it at once.
It is very dear to me,
so please find it.
How will I find that tiny thing?
Come to think of it...
Is that yours?
What were you saying?
What are you looking for?
It is nothing.
By the way, where did you get...
that norigae?
What?
Why do you ask?
Did you pick that up at the palace?
No, I didn't.
It is from my mother.
I see.
Why are you here anyway?
Come to the swing by 9pm tonight.
I came to tell you this.
- Why? - You wanted to see the ocean.
So let us go.
Don't be ridiculous.
Let us go.
If we travel throughout the night, we will be able to see the sunrise.
It is beautiful.
You must come with me.
Okay?
Okay.
You have to.
I will go now. Goodbye.
What did you just say?
I said that he is the son the King had abandoned.
How could he commit such a heinous act to take the throne?
He was the heir.
The King could have handed over the throne when the time came,
so why?
That was because he was not the king during that time.
We do not need to worry about that.
Here are the facts.
The King attempted to kill his newborn son,
and the son is still alive.
And he is nearby.
So this is the new cause...
that you mentioned before.
However, the King has no idea and is still looking for his son.
In fact, he still wants to kill him.
That is too wicked.
I am aware that brothers and children...
fight over the throne, but...
Once the truth is exposed,
it will hurt the King's reputation.
How should we go about this?
I have found a way.
Have you?
Yes.
It is this.
Is it possible?
Did you say that the lock looked like an upside-down bowl?
That is correct.
I will try to make it work.
The chief administrative officer...
from our smithy is asking for a favor.
- Me? - Of course.
By the way, what will you put inside this stinky thing?
I would like to fill it with fine soil.
There is a pottery shop at the end of the alleyway.
You should go there.
Their meeting will end soon.
I will begin my mission right away.
I have a plan and someone who can help me.
Will you be okay?
Even if it was not for you,
I had no plans to continue working for him...
after finding out Grand Prince Neungyang's true identity.
If you need a hideout...
We will find a place, so do not worry.
Take care of the rest.
Of course.
I will bring that man to the King tomorrow.
He will be very shocked...
when he realizes that his son whom he was desperate to find...
had been near him all along.
However,
he will be elated.
Because...
he will finally be able to kill him.
What do you say?
Blinded by his heinous greed,
the King will kill his son twice.
No one will be able to side with him.
Then...
how are you planning to catch him?
Everyone has a weakness.
Catch the little girl and her father this instant.
Yes, my lord.
Goodness.
Master, the horse ran off.
- What? - I tied him up,
but the rope came undone, and he ran away.
Please wait here, my lord.
She loves me more!
You are of no match to me.
You little scumbag. Hey.
Are you done talking?
No, I am not!
How dare you talk about my dear Yeon Sim?
"My dear Yeon Sim"?
You little scumbag. Take that!
- You little... - You punk!
You little...
You punk!
- Goodness. Oh, no! - Oh, no!
Are you all right?
My lord, are you okay?
I will prepare your bath water and a new set of clothes.
Please follow me.
I can change on my own. Get me some cold water.
Yes, my lord.
My lord, here is your water.
What... What is wrong?
Was there anyone else here?
Sorry?
Are you asking if there was anyone else except us?
No. No one came in.
How did the calm horse manage to run away?
And why was the lead undone?
Hey.
I am here.
Who are you?
You do not know?
Do you really not know who he is?
Who are you?
I... I am...
I guess you do not know.
You must really not know him. Then you do not need to know.
From what we know, there is a man living here...
who has fair skin, a pretty face, and looks very arrogant.
Tell him to come outside.
- My goodness! - My gosh.
I asked to see a man, and you present me with swords.
There was a party today,
- and he had a lot to drink. - How dare you?
My goodness!
What do you think you are doing?
Let us all calm down.
There you are!
Hey, look at me in the eyes.
I see that I have the right man.
You were at the palace a few days ago, were you not?
Well, yes. But I never met you before.
I do not care. You were leaving on a horse,
and you broke my amethyst ring that I had dropped by accident.
But you just ran away that day,
so I asked around and barely managed to find you.
Do you have any idea how precious that hat string was to me?
Pardon? "Hat string"?
But you just said it was a ring.
What?
A ring.
Well...
My gosh, that dumb fool.
Well, then...
My gosh, what was that?
Let us do this.
One more time.
What in the world...
Why am I bleeding so much?
I am bleeding!
Call the police bureau!
I am bleeding!
There is no one here.
There is no one here?
Dan Ho, let us go to my place.
My gosh, what is taking him so long?
There is our prince.
You cannot go! Oh, gosh!
There is no need to be startled.
I am okay.
We received a report about a commotion.
My gosh, my nose is bleeding.
He broke my precious belonging and pretended like he was innocent,
so I came here to confront him about it.
But look at what he has done. He totally beat me up.
You should arrest him right now.
This is the private house of Grand Prince Neungyang.
And he is his close friend.
Grand Prince Neungyang?
Yes, that is correct.
So what?
Do you think he can be free from getting punished...
just because he is Grand Prince Neungyang's friend?
Arrest him.
- Yes, master! - Yes, master!
I already told you that you are too late.
This is completely useless.
You will not be here for long.
This is the safest place for you.
What?
Tonight,
Grand Prince Neungyang will be finished.
Nok Du.
What are you planning this time?
You will get released tomorrow.
You can hide for a while and leave...
once the chaos dies down.
I will be off now.
How is the Queen doing?
She has not said anything in particular, Your Majesty.
And nothing else has happened?
No, Your Majesty.
But the young chief administrative officer...
frequently came to visit you.
Are you talking about Officer Yeon?
Yes, Your Majesty.
Did he have something to tell me?
No, not exactly.
Did I come here too early?
I should go and surprise him.
He came because he was worried?
Yes, he asked me what was bothering you,
if you had gotten any better,
and if you had eaten anything.
He asked me questions every time he came.
I know it is very late,
but will you call him for me?
Tell him to come and see me as soon as he comes to the palace.
Yes, Your Majesty.
How is the prisoner doing?
He refuses to eat anything...
or drink a single drop of water.
He is barely holding up.
He is trying to die without my permission...
while I am bedridden like this.
I will not let that happen.
I must go see him right now.
Here you go. You should hurry.
(Merit List)
(Jung Yi Hyung)
(Kim Sook)
Hurry.
Dong Joo.
What brings you here?
Are you here to see Nok Du?
People he was staying with disappeared as well.
Do you really not know where he has gone?
I do not know.
But why are you looking for him and his family?
That is none of your business.
What are you up to now?
Are you that worried?
Yes, I am worried...
because you keep throwing a temper tantrum.
Temper tantrum?
Please stop getting Nok Du involved between you and me.
To me, he is...
Please, I am begging you.
Who is he to you?
Pardon?
Should I tell you?
(Merit List)
Everyone, out.
- Yes, Your Majesty. - Yes, Your Majesty.
This is too bad.
I came before you could kill yourself.
You do not seem scared...
just like the old days.
20 years ago, do you remember...
fleeing the capital when there was an invasion?
You were bright...
and brave then.
I had to be.
I was sick of being the black sheep of the family.
After the invasion,
I ascended to the throne which I could lose any second.
But actually, I was scared...
unlike you who were always brave.
I was insanely scared.
The fear...
made me stay sane...
in that awful battlefield.
I was afraid of what would have happened...
if I did not become the King.
You are already the King.
Why are you still...
I am still standing in the middle...
of the bloodied battlefield where the arrows are shooting at me.
The former king desperately tried not to pass the throne to me...
until the last moment.
The courtiers were dying to get rid of me.
The people screamed at me as their lives were hard.
And...
you and Yun...
abandoned me.
Your Majesty.
Yun Jeo.
Will I be...
able to die as the King?
I heard that he asked for me.
And I also have something to report to him right now.
Please let me in.
That is why...
I must kill...
that boy.
Your Majesty.
He is your son.
Even though you tried to kill him, he still lived.
He is your son!
He should not have come.
He should not have lived.
Your Majesty!
I do not have the luxury to have a son or blood-related family...
to protect my throne.
That is the cost...
of the throne.
Where is that boy?
You can't die...
before you answer me.
(Merit List)
What...
did you just say?
Nok Du is...
The King killed your whole family...
and dragged your life to the gutter.
You despise him...
with all your heart and are desperately trying to kill...
that darn King.
He is the King's...
He is the son of the King.
Gosh, this...
It is a half of a norigae.
You will recognize it at once.
It is very dear to me, so please find it.
By the way, where did you get that norigae?
It is from my mother.
Tell me.
Are you still worried about him?
Do you still love him?
Answer me!
I told them to find a place to hide for the time being.
And I will stay behind and escort him once he is released.
By the way,
why did he lock his brother up when he'll be released tomorrow?
It is just for one night.
How is it?
Not a single ghost will come in here tonight.
What?
If your feet are cold, you will catch a cold.
You will make my life harder if you do.
There. All done.
I will not ask you to like me.
You can use me if you want. I am fine with that.
So...
Please do not disappear on me.
Why are you so fearless?
You do not know what tomorrow will bring.
That is exactly why...
I say whatever I want.
And I am walking you home because I want to.
I meant,
why are you crying?
(The Tale of Nokdu)
I will save Father no matter what.
Will you beg your real father?
What are you planning to do?
I will make him shed tears of blood.
He is your father who gave birth to you.
It must have been a hard life for you, Lady.
You must leave.
If he finds out that you are alive,
all of us will be dead.
I will not run away.
I will make you a royal bodyguard.
A royal bodyguard?
He will stay next to His Majesty and protect him.