If I solve the case...
How dare you?
...would you grant
this lowly man a wish?
What is your wish?
If...
I solve this case
and make a tiny contribution by taking in the culprit,
I'd like you to grant me a small wish.
I wish to have
a glass of drink poured by Your Majesty.
How insolent of you? How dare you--
If this lowly man could
receive a drink from you,
my late father
would be so proud of me.
Solve the case.
If you do,
I'll pour you a drink myself.
Good.
I will solve it no matter what.
And before my glass gets filled,
you'll be dead,
Yi Do.
Your Majesty.
He just joined the Royal Guard.
Why did you...
Commandant Mu-hyul.
Give him everything he needs for the investigation.
And let the captain of the Royal Guard know of this.
Yes, Your Majesty.
My goodness.
Oh, gosh.
Why are you looking at me like that, sir?
If you feel sorry for interrogating me just now,
you really don't have to, sir.
People can make mistakes at times--
His Majesty showed his generosity and put you in charge for this.
I will make you pay with your life if you are negligent in any way.
Understood, sir.
Well, it is very difficult to stay alive anyway.
This is the order of the King!
You must...
put your life on the line and solve the case.
I understand, sir!
I will let the captain and Officer Jeong know tomorrow morning.
You may go.
Yes, sir.
Sir, I need my clothes.
Wait.
Is something wrong, sir?
Nothing.
Okay, then.
Oh, right.
May I have my case log back?
Then,
I will excuse myself, sir.
Did you see that too?
What do you mean, sir?
The scar.
The scar on his arm.
Hey, Chae-yun!
Oh, my.
Hey, Cho-tak!
Hold on.
Look at your uniform.
Hey, did you think General Kim would have felt relieved after sending you alone?
That is exactly why I am here.
Wait, does this mean
he gave you a recommendation to become a royal guard?
-I am a royal guard too. -My goodness. Unbelievable.
Who is this?
Another worthless dreg from the north?
What?
Did you just call me a worthless dreg?
You must have eaten all the food in the palace yourself.
How dare a worthless pig like you talk to me like that?
Hey.
-Pig? -Hey.
You Dwarf,
-I am going to kill you. -Come on.
Do you know
how many Jurchens this Dwarf has killed
in the northern part?
Enough talking...
"Bring it on."
...just bring it on.
Should we just get right into it? Bring it on!
-Hey. -I will get you.
-Stop it. -You idiot.
-Let go of me. -You let go.
Scholars leave
unique brush marks when they write.
And swordsmen
leave unique cut marks.
Right.
Those who are exceptionally talented in swordplay
leave more unique marks.
Why do you ask, sir?
Does the mark on his body look familiar to you?
It was mine.
Pardon?
So, who is it?
It's about time you let me know.
Does the guy you wish to kill live in the palace?
Is he one of the guards? Or eunuchs?
Wait.
Is it one of the high officials?
A high official?
He is not of that sort.
Anyway, Cho-tak, if you wait long enough,
a chance does come your way.
Who are you?
I am Yoon Pil, a scholar of the Hall of Worthies.
I have left something in there,
so I must go back inside.
I'm afraid you can't. This is the order of His Majesty.
Well...
it will only take a second.
Could you let me in?
I cannot.
Please leave.
I finally got my big chance.
I cannot let you butcher my investigation.
Hey! Kang Chae-yun!
OFFICE OF THE ROYAL GUARD
There you are! Kang Chae-yun!
Are you all right?
You little...
Hey!
I heard you took on the investigation.
Are you in your right mind?
-What about it? -Why would you step in?
There are plenty of other people who can do that job.
So, why?
Well, it sounds fun.
What did you just say?
It seemed pretty important too.
Goodness, you immature kid.
Anyway, the order was given,
so you will be in charge of it.
But you'd better not drag me into it.
What are you two talking about?
Do not go overboard.
No matter what you do, get it done quietly.
Make sure you report to me accurately, all right?
Yes. Do not worry.
Darn it.
What? What is this about?
Hey, you seem like you're interested, too.
Then Bak-po, Chae-yun,
and you... What was your name?
Dwarf. You three are a team, understood?
What?
I am on a team with Dwarf?
All of you, follow me.
Where to?
The autopsy office.
Your Highness.
Where is His Majesty?
My father has been looking for you two.
You should head over to the Office of the Royal Gardens.
Is it because of the incident?
He has been up all night deep in thoughts.
I am sure he has an order for you.
You should go see him.
Yes, Your Highness.
OFFICE OF THE ROYAL GARDENS: MANAGES TREES, FLOWERS, AND CROPS IN THE PALACE
Where is His Majesty?
How impudent of you!
Did you just call me
impudent?
Your Majesty, please forgive me.
Why are you carrying manure yourself?
Are you asking me why?
Yes, Your Majesty.
I know very well how dearly you think of your people,
but you do not have to do this--
If I do not do something like this,
I can never get the officials to pull their weight.
How long has it been since I asked them
to find out how manure affects crop growth?
Darn it.
They always say,
"We are onto it.
Give us just a little more time.
We are researching at the moment."
Darn them all.
Goodness.
Wait and see.
I have been sprinkling manure myself since yesterday,
so I am sure the offices in each district
will begin to flood my office with their research reports.
Goodness.
I have been worrying sick about my people every second of the day.
Do you think I am a joke?
I am your King.
Of course, Your Majesty.
Of course.
So...
Do you think you can imitate
the sound of a dog now?
Yes, Your Majesty.
Give it a try.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Small dogs like this one
get frightened when they see a person.
Their eyebrows
get droopy like this.
They sound like that.
What does that sound like to you?
Wol...
It sounds like wol, meaning "moon."
Wol.
Is your mouth shaped in the same way as when you say wol?
I do not believe so.
Try it again.
Yes, Your Majesty.
On the other hand, unlike this small one,
a huge dog
barks a bit differently.
It barks
very loudly at once.
It sounds something like that.
I see.
What does that sound like to you, Mu-hyul?
Well...
It sounded like...
It sounds like ak, meaning "evil."
Ak.
What about you, Deok-geum?
To me, it sounds like this.
It sounds like wang, meaning "king."
What did you say? "Wang"?
Are you suggesting that all the dogs in this country
call out for me as they bark?
Your Majesty.
That is not what I meant.
You said it yourself. You said it sounds like "wang."
My apologies, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty, I will never speak of this again.
Deok-geum.
No matter how many times I tease you, you fall for it every single time.
Your Majesty.
Then why do you tease me all the time?
All right.
I am sorry.
Anyway, until next time,
study a baby's cry.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Keep everyone 90 steps away from this place.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Officer Jeong, what brings you here?
I am here to see Garion to discuss something important.
I am sure you're already aware
that you are not to take any interest in this incident.
Of course, sir.
Silence!
In Banchon, we do not judge right and wrong.
Did you slaughter a cow today?
Yes, sir.
Then prepare some food and drinks
with some meat. I will be out soon.
Will do, sir.
Let's go.
Isn't the autopsy office supposed to be in the Royal Investigation Bureau?
We cannot use that office because they are not on the case.
Even so,
why did we come to Banchon?
You will see when we get there.
Pardon?
Garion?
Your Majesty,
are you going to go see him yourself?
Your Majesty, I thought you handed over the investigation to Kang Chae-yun.
I did not.
I am only using him as a puppet to hide behind
and bait to reveal our enemy.
JEONG IN-JI, CHIEF SCHOLAR, SECOND SENIOR RANK
What's wrong?
There is a beast here.
Gae-pai!
Garion!
Are you suggesting that you wish to meet Garion yourself?
I cannot leave the palace every single time.
I have no other choice.
You should just wait for Kang Chae-yun to report back.
No.
I highly doubt that Kang Chae-yun will be able to understand
Garion's expert opinion on the matter.
But he is a slave of Banchon.
And he is a butcher.
Back when we put Forensic Monograph together,
you were the one who recommended him, saying he is the best man
when it comes to an autopsy.
I was.
However,
why must you meet a slave to lead the investigation--
Then should I not?
My scholars are dying,
and my final legacy is at stake.
Is there really no need for me to step in?
Your Majesty.
Find a way to bring him in so that no one will be suspicious
no matter how often he comes.
I am talking about Garion.
Goodness!
It has been forever, Garion.
My goodness, Officer Jeong.
Have you been well?
I have been well.
You know,
he is not only the best butcher
but the best autopsy examiner in Joseon.
That is an overstatement.
You are embarrassing me.
For a man who slaughters cows,
he is quite good at being cute.
When have I ever
tried to be cute?
What you are doing right now is cute.
Anyway, that man is the guy
who supplies all the meat
for the Royal Academy and for the King.
I see.
I get that you are a capable butcher.
Let me see how good you are at an autopsy.
I will get scared
if you glare at me like that.
What did you mean when you said you are using him as bait?
We do not know who our enemies are.
We must use Kang Chae-yun
to divert their attention to him
while we keep our eyes on them.
We need to find out what they are trying to do.
What is wrong?
I think his temperament can get in the way of the mission.
That is why he is perfect.
He will only run around busily
without finding out anything.
You can tell by looking, right?
There is no sign
of assault committed with a weapon or physical violence on his body.
There is no stab wound,
nor are there any signs of poisoning.
Goodness.
This is driving me insane.
Then did he die a sudden death?
I thought so, but there is a sign
of suffocation.
Did someone strangle him?
That's not exactly it, sir.
Then what is it?
So,
if he was strangled with a rope,
there should be a ligature mark around his neck, but there isn't one.
And if he was choked by hands,
he should be covered with defense wounds because he would have resisted.
But I don't see any defense wound on him.
Are you joking with us?
What I'm trying to say is...
that there is another way to suffocate someone.
Do you see this part right here?
This is where the respiratory tract is.
When food or some kind of object gets stuck
and blocks your airways, you go into a condition called cyanosis.
Then your skin and mucous membrane begin to turn bluish.
He shows signs of cyanosis.
Hold on.
Did he have his hands around his neck
when he passed away?
How did you know?
When they choke on food,
people usually wrap their hands around their necks.
But that was not the case.
No?
Do you want to die?
Then what is it?
Did you not find anything significant
other than the signs of cyanosis?
When he first got here,
Scholar Huh's collar
was wet.
Wet?
Therefore, just in case,
I checked to see if it was poison.
That was not the case either.
It was just water.
He must have been attacked with geoniksagong.
TAVERN
All right, drink up, everyone.
Enjoy.
Please let me excuse myself.
Hey. Sit back down.
Drink.
I cannot slack off on duty by myself.
You should slack off too, so you cannot tell on me.
Hey.
Officer Jeong, you are a man of principles.
-Drink up. -Have some more.
I will take that.
Hey, Chae-yun.
Did you see her? She kept her eyes only on me.
Hey.
-What? -I know
that you definitely noticed something. Aren't I right?
Notice what?
Goodness. You cannot fool me.
You definitely found something out
when we were in the autopsy office.
Geoniksagong is my master's lethal move.
So who did this?
And how?
Well done.
You two have made an amazing contribution.
I am at your command, sir.
Run, old man!
Do not come here. Just run!
Are you all right?
If you keep putting yourself on the front line,
you will get yourself killed.
Understand?
Sir...
Sir!
Teach me.
Teach you what?
Everything that I have just seen.
Why?
I must... get my revenge.
Revenge?
Do you want to kill someone?
Yes.
Is that why you have been sharpening your sword through the night?
I would not teach you even if you were trying to save someone.
But you want to kill someone?
Forget it.
Teach me. I will do anything you say.
So please. Please, sir!
Let go!
Then kill me. Kill me now!
If you are not going to teach me, kill me right here, you jerk!
After all,
I almost died just now. And it's not just today.
I always fight to die.
Do you know why?
I do not know what your story is,
but forget it and move on.
Why do I sharpen my sword through the night without sleeping?
Why do you think so?
It is not that I do not sleep.
I cannot sleep.
When I close my eyes...
Whenever I close my eyes,
I see
my father's...
I would have forgotten all about it if I could sleep.
I would have forgotten
all about my shitty past.
That is why I've been sharpening my sword.
Yes, that is how I've been living.
Because...
that is the only way that I can go on with my life.
Yi Bang-ji.
Yi Bang-ji, come and get me!
Now that you saved me, you have to deal with me!
Yi Bang-ji. Bring it on!
No matter how hard you try, you will be no match for me.
I do not fight those who are not warriors.
Get lost!
I told you that I do not fight those who are not warriors.
A warrior?
I may not fight like a warrior,
but I can die like one.
Yi Bang-ji.
Bring it on!
Master.
Why on earth
does he have the cut mark made by my sword?
Have I slashed him before?
You surely are the best swordsman in Joseon.
I am not the best in Joseon.
Are you about to tell me that story
about the time you have lost again?
It was when I was younger,
but I did lose that fight.
It has been over 20 years.
Your skill is more honed than then.
Time is fair to everyone.
So I am sure
he has improved as well.
Yi Bang-ji.
I lost.
Slay me.
Finish me before you go, Yi Bang-ji.
How can you humiliate me like this?
Yi Bang-ji!
I finished the inspection.
Good. The meat you brought in last time was of great quality.
Great work.
Thank you. I should get going then.
Wait.
Wait a moment.
I heard you were certain that Scholar Huh Dam
was murdered.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Did you find out the cause of death?
Yes.
Did you tell anyone else?
I did not,
as per your order, Your Majesty.
What was the cause?
Your Majesty, he died
by Geoniksagong,
an assassination method.
"Geoniksagong"?
This is a killing method called Geoniksagong.
You can drown someone with only one hop of water.
Is that possible?
No one can discern the cause of death
unless they know of this method.
You can drown someone to death by putting one hop of water in their nose?
How is that possible with such a small amount of water?
Well, first off,
you will need a tube about three chi long.
You fill the tube with a small amount of water,
then hit your target
by blowing into the tube.
Who's there?
Right then,
if you stop the water from leaking out of one's nose,
their airways will get blocked,
and they will drown to death.
How did someone use my master's lethal move?
How do you know this?
That is...
When I traveled the central plain with Lord Lee Se-yeong,
the barbarians of the north told me about it.
They do this to kill a horse without causing much pain.
Then the Imperial House of China found out about it,
and they began to use it as an assassination method.
I see.
Se-yeong said you helped him a lot when he was writing Forensic Monograph.
I can see why.
My goodness.
That is an overstatement. I have not done much.
If it was not for Lord Lee Se-yeong,
I would have been dead long ago.
How so?
When I was young,
my father was killed
by a group of thieves.
He was shot with dozens of arrows.
So I was about to do something bad
with my foolish spite.
That is when Lord Lee Se-young
calmed me down and took me to China.
I am the one who received his kindness.
I see.
Anyway, from now on, any important finding relevant to the case
must be reported only to Mu-hyul and me. Understood?
Yes, of course.
I will do as your royal command.
Stop right there.
JO MAL-SAENG, FIRST JUNIOR RANK
Are you not a slave of Banchon?
Yes, I surely am.
What is a slave doing in here?
I came to supply meat
after slaughtering a cow.
The Royal Cuisine Office is not in this area.
You are right, my lord.
I have been providing
His Majesty's meat to the court lady of the Royal Kitchen myself.
Why?
Well,
His Majesty loves meat,
so it must be inspected.
Even so,
why would they let a lowly butcher come in to the most secretive place in the palace?
Fine. You may go.
Yes, my lord.
Please excuse me.
Your Majesty.
What should we do with the members?
What do you mean?
There are people who are on a mission without knowing the whole picture.
And?
Should we tell them?
No.
It could put them in danger.
Your Majesty,
Go In-seol and Huh Dam have died already.
We should tell the members who know the whole thing to come together--
Coming together.
That is also what the enemy wants.
Tell each member of the team separately
not to make a move until they get another order.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Kang Chae-yun insisted
that he takes on the investigation.
That is how it ended up like this.
This happened in the Hall of Worthies, which His Majesty takes pride in.
If the Royal Investigation Bureau took this,
everyone would find out. His Majesty probably wished to prevent that.
Do you not get His Majesty's intention?
Yes, you are right.
Therefore,
find out the truth about the incident as soon as possible
so that His Majesty can feel at ease.
Yes, sir.
However,
I wish for you
to report the progress to me.
I could probably help you out in many ways from now.
Well,
I was going to do that anyway.
Of course, I should.
JANG EUN-SEONG, ASSISTANT SECTION CHIEF OF MINISTRY OF RITES
Why are you so late?
What could be the reason
that you are never on time?
Then why are you always on time?
What?
What are you talking about?
I am always late.
SEONG SAM-MUN, SIXTH COUNSELOR
Why do you always come early and wait?
Always.
PARK PAENG-NYEON, SIXTH COUNSELOR
Why are you laughing, Counselor Jang?
JANG SEONG-SU, FIFTH COUNSELOR
Why do you two
always let Counselor Seong get you?
Pardon?
When did he ever get me?
First Counselor.
There is an odd rumor going around
regarding the death of Scholar Huh.
Do you know
anything about it?
An odd rumor?
Have you not heard
that Scholar Huh was murdered?
Murdered?
How dare a scholar speak of such a rumor
and try to confuse people?
Well,
I did not start it.
It's just what I have heard.
Is there such a rumor?
Yes.
How come I have not heard of this?
Since His Majesty established the Hall of Worthies,
it has not been closed for one day.
It has already been
three days since it's closed.
Isn't it odd?
I was told that the scholars should come back to work tomorrow.
The Hall of Worthies will be open again starting tomorrow.
Starting tomorrow?
Why? Is there a problem?
No.
Anyway,
why do I not see Yoon Pil?
Is he slacking off
somewhere else
just because the Hall of Worthies has been closed down?
Tell him to come see me immediately when you see him.
-Yes. -Yes.
This man is...
He's a scholar
of the Hall of Worthies.
YOON PIL
Things are going just as you planned.
They got an order to investigate Huh Dam's sudden death,
and the royal guards took the job.
The royal guards? That is unexpected.
I thought Mu-hyul would step in.
But is this not for the better?
An autopsy office was set up in the butchery of Banchon,
so we can keep an eye on the royal guards.
You must keep an eye on them
and find out what they are up to.
Make sure you don't make any mistake
regarding Scholar Yoon Pil's case.
Absolutely.
I will let Pyeong know as soon as he gets here.
Anyway,
when will we get Yoon Pil?
Tonight.
What brings you here?
You cannot go inside right now.
Let him know that I am here. I must see him.
You cannot.
This is an emergency.
Try again.
Good. Try to make it sound breathier.
No, that is not it.
That is too breathy.
Make it sound less breathy.
Please leave.
This is an emergency. Let him know that I am here.
What is it?
Your Highness. Scholar Yoon Pil
is nowhere to be found.
Since when has he gone missing?
What are you talking about?
You must find him as quickly and as secretively as possible.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Why are we back at the Hall of Worthies?
We already checked this place.
Think, you idiot.
It will be opened tomorrow.
We should come back
and see if we missed anything.
There is an old saying that goes like this.
"The crime scene knows everything."
There is no such saying.
What's wrong?
Something feels off.
Get him!
-Go that way. -Okay.
Get that jerk!
He is fine. He just fainted.
GUN, NA, MI, YOK
This is Scholar Yoon Pil.
What? Yoon Pil?
Let us report this to Officer Jeong, and bring him
to the Office of the Royal Guard.
Why was Yoon Pil here?
You still have your moves.
-What? -That high-flying technique.
I hope no one saw that.
Yes, no one did.
But you shouldn't use it in the palace.
Is that an owl hooting?
He's executing the technique.
There is an intruder in the palace!
Tighten the security!
An intruder?
There was an intruder in the Hall of Worthies,
so Royal Guard Kang Chae-yun chased after him.
There was an intruder in the Hall of Worthies?
Who was it?
It was Scholar Yoon Pil.
What? Yoon Pil?
They caught him soon after,
but another intruder came
and took Scholar Yoon.
However, I doubt that they have escaped
since we tightened the security as soon as we were informed.
How did such an absurd thing happen?
Bring them in and find out the reason of intrusion and the people behind them.
-Do you understand? -Yes.
Darn it!
Yoon Pil broke into the Hall of Worthies
and Kang Chae-yun caught him immediately,
but another intruder took him away?
Yes.
That was what happened according to Kang Chae-yun.
Does he seem suspicious?
No, he does not.
However,
all of this started happening
after Kang Chae-yun came to the palace.
I will deal with Kang Chae-yun later.
For now, focus on two things.
Finding the intruder
and Yoon Pil.
Very well, Your Majesty.
Yoon Pil...
If he got kidnapped...
Type-casting Foundry?
What do you think?
His Majesty is asking you a question.
Indeed.
My thoughts exactly, So-i.
Go to the Type-casting Foundry.
PRODUCES TYPE CASTINGS AND PRINTS BOOKS
Go do as you wish.
The commandant has ordered us
not to leave our post for any reasons
until further notice.
Then get moving.
-Yes, sir. -Yes, sir.
My gosh, I never knew I would work all night like this at this age.
This is so tiring.
This is all because of him.
Why is he so out of it?
-He looks dumbfounded. -That little...
Officer Jeong.
Yes. Let's go.
Did you see him?
Yes.
That was the high-flying technique.
He seemed like he was highly trained.
He was as good as I am.
It looked like he was better at it.
Well, I guess you two are about the same in terms of how skilled you are.
Anyway, who could it be?
Who else could execute the technique like that?
"Gun, na, mi,
and yok."
Is that right?
What does this mean?
Why did you not tell him about this?
This is it.
Yes.
He definitely flew up that way.
That is it.
What is that?
You need an incredible amount of energy to execute the high-flying technique.
The ground you jump on will cave in, branches will be broken,
and roof tiles will break.
That is where he first jumped off from.
The farthest distance you can travel per execution
is 20 steps.
And by the direction which the branch is broken...
It may be 20 steps for you,
but it seemed like he could travel farther.
Fine.
Anyway, there were soldiers in the back,
and there was nothing to jump off from to the east and the north.
He definitely headed to the southwest.
About 20 steps that way.
It is that way.
See? He can only travel 20 steps.
I knew I was right.
Do you hold grudges?
Fine, he can only travel 20 steps.
So where did he go next?
He has not left the palace yet.
Really?
Young court lady, you should not be outside at this hour.
Have you not heard?
PERMISSION TO LEAVE
Please.
Who is it?
TYPE-CASTING FOUNDRY
We cannot trace him anymore.
You two.
What are you doing here?
Did you not hear how we were never to leave our post?
I am glad to see you.
I saw something suspicious over there.
Something suspicious? My foot.
I do not see anything.
Stop causing trouble and follow me.
Chae-yun.
What?
This smell.
Smell?
What smell?
This is...
I smell sulfur.
TYPE-CASTING FOUNDRY
What is going on?
Get water!
Go get water!
-Over here. -Quench the fire!
My goodness, what is going on?
He is in there.
He is...
He is in there!
Are you insane? No!
Hey!
What are you doing? Stop!
-Come back! -Chae-yun!
-Stop! -Chae-yun!
-No! -Chae-yun!
-Chae-yun!
Move aside!
What happened?
We suddenly heard a loud explosion,
and it was caught on fire.
Chae-yun ran into the fire.
What? Kang Chae-yun did?
Chae-yun!
Are you all right?
Who was it?
-Who was that man? -What are you doing?
Who was it?
Tell me. Who was that man?
Who did it?
I'm Ttolbok from Hanjitgol village!
Who is it? Tell me who's behind this!
Tell me.
Who was that man?
He is that boy.
That Ttolbok
from Hanjitgol village.
Who was it?
Tell me!
Subtitle translation by Eun-sook Youn