What are you doing?
Who was it?
Tell me.
Who was it?
Who did it?
He is that boy.
That Ttolbok
from Hanjitgol village.
Who was it?
Tell me!
Who is he?
-Let go of me! -Get a grip on yourself.
Let go!
-So-i. -So-i.
-Don't. -Let go!
It is all your fault.
If you had read it right, we wouldn't have ended up here.
Everyone will die because of your mistake!
Did you have that dream again?
I cannot believe you made that again.
No wonder you are having nightmares.
Why were you
at the Type-casting Foundry though?
Did you know that Scholar Yoon Pil was there?
I see you did not.
His corpse was found at the Type-casting Foundry.
I said you cannot.
She is not fit enough to have any visitors.
Be that as it may,
she should still be able to talk.
She...
cannot.
How sick is she to be not able to speak?
It is not because she is sick. She just can't speak.
So, please come back another time.
Gosh.
You sound just like the Queen.
Let me confirm it myself, then.
My gosh!
Just bring So-i out already.
What the hell has she been up to every night to cause all this?
Language!
"Language"?
KING SEJONG, YI DO
JEONG IN-JI, CHIEF SCHOLAR
Your Majesty.
Due to last night's events, the Hall of Governance...
Another...
Another one died.
Another...
Your Majesty.
Please forgive me,
but you must head
to the Hall of Governance.
I know.
I should.
His Majesty shall...
Your Majesty.
We had a terrible accident last night.
Last night revealed two critical weaknesses of this court.
YI SIN-JEOK, THIRD STATE COUNCILLOR
Preliminary actions were not taken to extinguish the fire.
JO MAL-SAENG, MINISTER
It took 15 minutes to contain the fire.
Chief State Councillor.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Make sure that the Office of Fire Control is operating properly
and increase the number of firefighters.
I'll execute your order.
Another issue
is that we had an intruder.
That should have never happened,
and someone will be held responsible.
Councillor.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Tell the captain of the Royal Guard that I want
a full report of last night's events.
-Yes-- -But Your Majesty,
this is not just a job for the royal guards.
A Hall of Worthies scholar was murdered within these walls.
The Royal Investigation Bureau should investigate--
Exactly.
That is our next agenda.
Yoon Pil's death.
The Type-casting Foundry?
We can simply rebuild it.
The intruder? Just like you said, we can catch the culprit
and make sure that this kind of event never happens again.
However, Yoon Pil's death is irreversible.
I will capture whoever is responsible,
have Yoon Pil's soul rest in peace,
and demonstrate the weight of the law.
Ministry of Rites.
Make sure Yoon Pil's funeral is held with the utmost respect.
Yes, Your Majesty.
I heard you have aphasia.
I will ask you a few questions about yesterday's events.
Cooperate, and I will take you back in no time.
Why were you at the Type-casting Foundry at that hour?
Why are you asking me such a thing
when you should be asking
for clues that will help solve the case?
What business does Prince Gwangpyeong's court lady have
at the Type-casting Foundry?
Are you suspicious of me?
Answer my question.
I was there running an errand for Prince Gwangpyeong.
And that is not something
a mere Royal Guard has the right to ask about.
Fine. Then I will ask again.
At the Type-casting Foundry last night,
I saw you with the intruder.
I wonder why
the intruder let you live
when you obviously saw his face.
That is what I am curious about.
What are your thoughts?
Instead of asking me,
you should figure out the answer to that yourself.
What you should be asking me right now
are clues that will lead to the culprit's capture.
Then I will ask you this.
Are you saying that you have any clues to tell me?
He was about two-meter tall.
He also had a mask that covered--
That much I know from being there too!
What is this?
He had a metal bracelet on
that looked like this.
You managed to memorize something so complex
in that split second of time?
I can memorize everything
that I see.
Really?
Am I supposed to believe this?
Can you really
memorize everything you see?
That is correct.
So-i has the ability
to memorize any letter or pattern she sees.
Anyway,
last night, she was
at the Type-casting Foundry to return a book I had borrowed
from Yoon Pil.
So she was there on an errand.
Is there more you wish
to ask her?
Do you have anything else to tell him?
Since that is the case,
I am sure she can leave now.
Hello, sir.
What did you find?
Right.
There are no stab wounds or any external injuries.
Then what?
I will open him up
and do an autopsy to take a look at his lungs.
If a foreign substance is found in his lungs,
that means he suffocated from the smoke.
The smoke?
So it is fire this time.
Earth, water,
and now fire.
Sorry, but I do not quite follow.
It's nothing.
Cover him up.
Yes, sir.
I'm sure he just mumbled earth, water,
and fire.
Does he know the truth about Huh Dam's death?
Kang Chae-yun!
Hurry off
to the Hall of Governance.
What for?
His Majesty has summoned you.
What? His Majesty?
Why?
It is probably about last night's events.
You chased after the culprit,
so maybe he wants to reward you.
Is he...
truly Ttolbok?
Do you think the King is invincible?
He's the first of my subjects I saved.
I wish to have
a glass of drink poured by Your Majesty.
Deuk-ryong, are you out there?
Yes, sir.
Take Royal Guard Kang Chae-yun
outside the Sinmu Gate.
Yes, sir.
Discreetly.
Make sure you are not seen.
SINMU GATE: NORTH GATE OF GYEONBOKGUNG PALACE
Yes, sir.
There is no other way, Chae-yun.
I mean, Ttolbok.
Your Majesty.
Royal guard Kang Chae-yun is here.
Your Majesty.
You asked for me.
Where's Chae-yun?
He was summoned by His Majesty
to the Hall of Governance.
What?
So you saw him at the Type-casting Foundry?
Yes, Your Majesty.
Do elaborate.
Well...
When I entered the foundry
drenched in water...
That is why
I could not chase him.
I brought the court lady out to safety instead.
Before the fire started,
you were already there at the Type-casting Foundry.
Is that correct?
Yes, Your Majesty.
I was following the intruder's trail.
How did you know that he went there?
Well...
Tell me.
When the assailant kidnapped Scholar Yoon Pil...
To properly demonstrate the event,
could I possibly stand before you?
Go ahead.
I have never seen someone so agile before.
Actually, that is an understatement.
It was as if he could fly.
He floated down from the tree...
and took...
Scholar Yoon Pil like this.
And he went...
like this...
Stop!
What is going on?
Forgive me, Your Majesty.
But this is
the Hall of Governance.
It is not a place where you can move your limbs freely.
Get down on all fours and pay respect to His Majesty.
Yes, Commandant.
Allow me to start over.
The assailant grabbed Scholar Yoon Pil
and jumped up a tree.
The ground caved in as he pushed himself off the ground.
The ground caved in?
Yes.
If that is the result of his remarkable martial arts,
I thought that he would leave such a mark every time he jumps.
I was following such marks, which led me
to the Type-casting Foundry.
Yi Do...
Contrary to my notions of him when we first met,
he seems quite intelligent.
Your Majesty.
That reminds me.
Why did you burst in here earlier?
Good job. You made the right choice.
There was barely a 50 percent chance of success,
so you were right not to take action.
The drink from the King.
The chances will reach as high as 90 percent.
I will wait for that moment,
for I am Ttolbok from Hanjitgol village.
He's Ttolbok.
What did you just say?
Ttolbok?
He's the survivor...
of the night when Lord Sim On
as well as his whole family and servants were brutally murdered.
It's Ttolbok
of Hanjitgol village.
Your Majesty.
Tell him to cut the bullshit!
And now Ttolbok
is Royal Guard Kang Chae-yun.
While stationed up north,
all he wanted was to serve in the palace.
I can tell you that it was not to make a name for himself.
I will kill him.
I'll avenge my father's death.
Instead of wealth or a higher rank,
he requested a drink from you. Why do you think that is?
I will kill him.
For all these years...
Your Majesty.
He made it all the way here.
He's an assassin.
He's here as an assassin.
I am responsible for their deaths.
Your Majesty.
Because of me, his father died.
I am the reason why his family died.
Your Majesty.
I, Mu-hyul, commandant of the palace guards,
cannot condone a threat to your safety.
Ttolbok...
Kang Chae-yun.
Do not give out...
any orders.
Just...
turn a blind eye.
Then I will...
take care of this problem myself.
I will get going then.
Wait.
I need some time to think.
Your Majesty.
Court lady So-i who is following your order...
He is the one
that she yearns for.
She thinks that Ttolbok died.
That is why
we cannot predict what will happen
once she finds out.
So-i must not know about this!
Your Majesty!
Wait! I told you to wait!
Wait for my order.
Stay put until then.
You!
How dare you!
KING SEJONG, YI DO
Lower your sword.
But Your Majesty...
Now.
Why did you do it?
Do you know
who I am?
His Majesty asked you a question!
She has aphasia.
QUEEN SOHEON
A servant of
Lord Sim On's residence?
Yes, Your Majesty.
On the day of the prison break,
she lost all members of her family.
She was trying to escape,
so I took her in.
Will you find me at fault?
Has she
always had aphasia?
It happened...
at that night.
Can you at least hear?
I am sorry.
Your Majesty.
You are here.
I am afraid the prince is not present though.
I know that.
I am here to see So-i.
NORAEDANG
I memorized the work
of Scholar Yoon Pil before his life was taken.
More than 70 percent of them have been categorized.
He stored the rest in a different place.
You seem worried, Your Majesty.
Is something troubling you?
Yoon Pil is dead.
Yes,
-it's a tragedy-- -Huh Dam is dead.
Go In-seol is dead.
My father-in-law is dead.
So are my uncles.
All of the queen's relatives...
are dead.
So-i.
Your family...
and your friends died too.
Your Majesty.
After that night,
I promised myself every day.
I promised...
never to let others die because of me.
However,
another died.
Again...
Those I cherish and adore...
died while doing my work.
Again...
I killed them again.
It is not your fault.
What are you saying?
It is my fault.
I killed them!
Everything that happens in Joseon is my responsibility.
It is my responsibility
even if flowers wither, floods occur, and lightning strikes.
That is what a king is.
He is responsible for everything
and no excuses can be made!
That is the weight of the crown!
Your Majesty.
So who are you to say that it is not my fault?
My people died while doing my work!
It is as if I killed them myself!
It is not your fault.
It is not...
your fault.
It is not...
your fault.
It is not your fault.
Do not cry.
Your Majesty.
This is an order.
Do not cry.
Do not...
shed even a single tear for me.
In order to assassinate me,
Ttolbok, the man you have been yearning for,
is here.
If you waver,
then I will crumble.
So please don't.
That is also an order.
What are all these?
What is that?
Isn't that a type?
I think there is more.
This
must be a dying message.
DYING MESSAGE: A MESSAGE LEFT BY A MURDER VICTIM BEFORE DEATH
A dying message?
Yes, sir.
Here they are.
Spread them out.
MANG, GI
GON, GU
To pierce, a mouth,
to discard, and body.
Pierce the mouth to discard the body.
Pierce the body to discard the mouth.
Discard the mouth to pierce the body.
Discard the body to pierce the mouth.
Pierce the body and mouth to discard both.
So what does it mean?
That...
I don't know.
I cannot make out the order either.
You said you knew everything in this world.
Was that a lie?
Of course not!
It is one out of the four I mentioned. You wait and see!
-Pierce... -Darn.
Huh?
Who is this fellow?
This is a restricted area!
You snobby government officials!
Why look down on me when you wanted my help?
Darn you all!
Who was that?
What was it? I think his name is Han.
He is a nobleman who failed 12 state exams
and is mooching off in Banchon.
He's jobless.
What? Then why let him in here?
Because he's a tattletale.
Are you insane? Things are bad around here as it is!
Word will get out!
Yes, that is the plan.
Take a look at this.
What is that?
Who else knows about these four letters?
My goodness.
I wanted to keep it a secret,
but everyone will know soon.
Why is that?
Royal guard Kang Chae-yun
is spreading the word everywhere.
What?
Pierce the mouth to discard the body. Pierce the body to discard the mouth.
Discard the mouth to pierce the body. Discard the body to pierce the mouth.
Pierce the body and mouth to discard both.
What does it mean?
That is what I wanted to ask.
Why did he swallow those before dying?
It was not voluntary!
Someone must have shoved them down his throat.
That is absurd. He was probably flustered in the fire
that he ended up swallowing them.
This is why
people think you commoners are stupid.
Then what happened?
This is what you call
a dying message.
A dying message?
What the heck is that?
A message
left by the victim at the brink of death.
I see.
A dying message
means a will left by the dead.
Have you all heard?
We are mourning Scholar Yoon.
What is the meaning of your barbaric actions?
Don't listen to it if you don't want to.
It's about Scholar Yoon.
What about him?
Tell us.
Scholar Yoon
left a dying message.
-What? A dying message? -That's right.
What was it?
Well...
Can you guess the meaning of it?
GON, GU, MANG, GI
I am well aware of what I am good and bad at.
I will not try to solve the message. Do you know why?
I would not be able to.
Yoon Pil was a clever man.
The message will not be easy to solve.
Now I get it! That's why you want it out on the streets.
Noblemen and scholars will solve it for you.
That's not it. It will not be a generic message.
Then what?
It's probably a secret code.
Someone who knows it and is impatient will spill the secret.
We only have to stir up the tension until then.
Stir up? where?
First, Hall of Worthies.
-Why? -You saw the tattoo.
What about it?
It was too small to make out exactly,
but it was a square within a circle. Scholar Huh had one on his shoulder too.
What's so special about it though?
How stupid are you? Why would two people have the same tattoo?
Well...
Were they in the same gang?
Or...
Were they a couple?
Ouch!
They're of the same organization.
Gon, gu, mang, gi, was it?
What does it mean? Does it indicate the killer?
I'm not sure.
He said he would let the word spread.
He probably
is trying to have the scholars solve the message for him.
Your Majesty.
You need to make a decision now.
Kang Chae-yun is a dangerous man.
Chae-yun
seems to know how to dry drown someone through the nose.
The deaths of Go In-seol, Scholar Huh, and Scholar Yoon
are being investigated by him through the five elements.
He must have had to endure
quite a lot in order to kill me.
You're tenacious, I give you that.
What does gon, gu, mang, gi mean?
Why do you think I know?
If you did not, you would be trying to solve it.
However, that is not the case.
You are right. I do know.
Then why
are you not saying anything?
It is because I cannot believe it.
I just cannot.
Gosh!
Get lost!
Please don't.
Those bastards.
Wait.
Why?
They look like the Ming people from Taepyeong Guest House.
Getting involved will not do us any good.
Gosh!
What are you doing?
And who might you be?
Why are people from Taepyeong Guest House
creating such a scene?
Why you...
Do not wield your sword so easily.
But they...
SIM JONG-SU
I am Sim Jong-su of Bukchon.
So?
The land of nobles will teach you manners.
JUNGHAE
Get him!
Stop.
I apologize on behalf of my immature subjects.
Let's go.
Since when did Hanyang have such a swordsman?
He's quite agile.
That was incredible.
Gon, gu, mang, gi...
Gon, gu, mang, gi?
What is it?
I am Royal Guard Kang Chae-yun.
I'm here to see the Deputy Chief Counselor.
He is not here at the moment.
Then whom should I talk to
regarding Scholar Yoon Pil?
JANG SEONG-SU, FIFTH COUNSELOR
Ask the second deputy director.
What is this about?
Hold on.
Were you not on the streets just now?
You saw that? Don't embarrass me by talking about it.
When did a deputy director like you
study such martial arts?
His martial arts come second to Mu-hyul's,
and his writing skill far excels that of a polished writer from the Ming--
Sixth Counselor!
Please head inside.
In you go.
I will cut right to the chase.
Please allow me to conduct a body search on the scholars.
What?
What did you just say? A body search?
Did I hear that correctly? A body search?
This is Deputy Chief Counselor.
Who dares to examine the scholars' bodies?
We found a suspicious mark on Scholar Yoon's body.
So?
What does that have to do with his death?
I cannot tell you the reasons, for the case is classified.
However, if you allow this,
we will be able to prevent others from the same fate.
Is that a threat?
A threat?
You cannot even tell me why,
but not allowing the body search will cause future deaths.
If that is not a threat, I do not know what is!
I will not allow it.
Even if I did allow it,
the scholars of Joseon would not comply blindly.
Now leave. Get out of here!
OFFICE OF ROYAL GUARDS
Lead me to the Autopsy Office.
The Autopsy Office?
What is that?
The Autopsy Office where Scholar Yoon Pil lies!
I don't know where it is.
Besides, the body has already--
-No! -Gosh!
Lead the way.
Immediately!
Jung, gi, and mang?
You added gu and gon together
to make "jung."
Yes, although it does seem quite childish.
What does it mean?
"Gi from China killed him."
Gi from China?
The Ming envoy's name is
Gi Je-yeon.
The Taepyeong Guest House has made its move?
It is only an assumption.
Shin,
monkey,
southwest,
or the 17th hour.
Oh, please.
If that is the case, it could be "gab" or "jeon" too.
What about the mang then?
How would you interpret it then?
I think the answer...
is in the stroke count.
One for gon and three for gu, gi, and mang.
-So? -Gon stands for His Majesty.
Gu stands for the three state councillors.
The strokes of gi and mang add up to six, so what could it be?
Could it be the Six Ministries?
Correct!
So what does that all mean?
That...
I do not know.
And if
I cannot solve it, then...
If you cannot solve it, no one can.
Is that what you want to say?
Counselor Jang, you sure are smart.
I am the fool for actually listening to you.
Start over with mang.
Mang?
I said it is a waste of time.
Let's go out for drinks instead, Paeng-nyeon.
Now
is not the time for solving that.
It's Jang Eun-seong from the Ministry of Rites.
He is the right-hand man of Yi Sin-jeok.
That's...
Who does she serve?
His Majesty.
HALL OF WORTHIES
Lord Yi Sin-jeok
called for Deputy Chief Counselor Choi Man-ri.
Over there! Someone else is coming.
His Majesty
called for Lord Jeong In-ji.
Gosh.
Watch your step.
They must be going out for drinks again.
Who is he?
He is Scholar Seong Sam-mun, son of Lord Seong Seung.
I think he's the best of all the scholars in the Hall of Worthies.
Why?
Because he's so clueless.
What else?
It's Lord Sim Jong-su. We should say hello.
Chae-yun!
-That idiot! -Chae-yun!
-No! -Stop!
That moron!
What is it?
What's going on?
The corpse is missing.
What?
The corpse?
Explain.
Well, that's...
I swear
I locked the doors.
Did they steal the body?
Yes.
Who were they?
I do not know, but they seemed inexperienced.
Whoever they are, they must be affiliated with Huh Dam and Yoon Pil.
If Lord Jeong In-ji finds out,
I'm a dead man.
What are you going to do?
All you have to do is keep quiet.
You may leave now.
Yes, sir.
What do you wish to confirm?
Find out who they are
and wait for your next order.
Yes, ma'am.
Sir.
Most scholars combined the letters
and guessed what they indicate.
Gab, shin, and jeon were among the few letters.
And Gi from China.
One suggested that it indicated Gi Je-yeon of China.
Are you clueless as well?
Don't you know what the letters mean?
Your Majesty,
do you?
Does the dying message
really indicate us?
According to Pyeong, Yoon Pil spoke of us
during his interrogation before his death.
So these four letters, gon, gu, mang, and gi
must indicate us.
However...
How this can be interpreted that way
is still a mystery.
Your Majesty.
What does gon, gu, mang, gi mean?
We were not the only members
of Cheonji.
There are only eight people in this world
who can solve this puzzle.
Not even everyone in Cheonji knows.
His Majesty
is up to something in secret.
Mil?
Mil!
Yoon Pil...
delivered a message in letters only we would recognize.
Your Majesty, if that is the case,
what about "mang"?
How on earth
do these letters indicate us?
Mil...
and bon.
Mil...
and bon.
It means "Secret Roots."
Subtitle translation by Hye-lim Park