Your Majesty,
Garion was just arrested by the Royal Investigation Bureau.
What on earth happened?
What Nam Sa-cheol brought was a butcher's knife.
Lord Jo Mal-saeng confirmed that Garion's knife was missing
after raiding Banchon's slaughterhouse.
But...
At what hour did the assassin attack Nam Sa-cheol's residence?
Deputy Chief Counselor said that he heard the drum twice and the gong five times.
It should be around five past the second period.
AROUND 11:00 P.M.
That is when I relayed your order to Garion.
I was with him at that time.
That means he was framed.
However,
So-i cannot testify to that.
No, of course not, Your Majesty.
She would have to explain why she left the palace after the curfew.
In order to do so, she would have to reveal the order you gave her.
But we cannot sit back and let Garion die.
-Boss. -Boss!
-My goodness. Where is Boss? -Over there.
Boss, you will not believe this,
-but Garion got arrested. -What?
-Is that true? -What happened?
Is it true?
Did you order Garion to do a background check
on me?
I did.
I ordered him to do that.
You are carrying out His Majesty's orders.
Therefore, it is of my obligation to investigate you thoroughly.
If that is the case,
that means it is highly unlikely
for Garion to be the culprit.
What do you mean?
He was my prime suspect,
but he was moving under your orders.
He was at Lord Nam Sa-cheol's residence,
but it was to supply some meat secretly.
-Meat? -Yes.
That is what Lord Nam said.
The only thing we are not sure about is the knife.
As you may know, Garion may be a butcher, but he is skilled at conducting autopsies.
Someone like him
would never leave his weapon at the scene of a crime.
The Royal Investigation Bureau is investigating the case,
so if he really is innocent, we will find out.
Yes, of course.
If not, then I will.
However,
whether it be his arm, leg, or life,
he would lose at least one of them...
for he is not a nobleman.
I heard that Nam Sa-cheol threatened you
to bring His Majesty's meat for his family's ancestral rites.
That's right. All I did was bring him the meat.
Of course.
I do not believe that you are the culprit.
That is right, my lord.
It was not me.
You wouldn't have done such a thing
when His Majesty trusts you enough to put you in charge of the autopsy,
would you?
You are right, my lord.
I have no reason to do such a thing.
By the way,
when did you settle down in Banchon?
Pardon, my lord?
From what I heard, you weren't born there.
When I was 12,
my father left me in Banchon.
I see.
Then...
where is your father now?
He passed away...
a long time ago.
I could not even give him a proper burial as his son.
Oh, dear.
What happened?
All I heard was that he died from arrows
shot by bandits.
I couldn't even be with him
when he took his last breath.
Affection for one's family
is the same for all men
whether they be slaves, scholars, noblemen, or orphans.
Your father must have thought of you as he passed away.
You must have felt guilty
for not having been able to be there for his last moment
or give him a proper burial.
But look at you now.
Are you trying to follow him and die before your time?
How are you going to face your father
when you meet him in the afterlife?
My lord,
you have the wrong person.
I know.
There is no way you are a member of Secret Roots.
All you did was run an errand.
My lord...
You cannot give up your life for what you did not do.
Who was it?
Who forced you to do such a thing?
My lord...
It seems like Kkeut-su of Banchon met Scholar Hyegang's servant.
Why? What for?
I do not know for sure,
but it must have been on Ms. Dodam's orders.
My lord!
What is it?
Was... someone here?
Anybody! Is anybody out there?
Did someone enter this room?
Who entered this room?
No one, my lord.
That cannot be.
I am certain that someone was here.
Why do you say so, my lord?
What's wrong?
My lord?
My lord,
what is so important about that letter?
This...
This is...
For the first time in 24 years,
Secret Roots has given me
-an order. -Is this...
Is this really from the leader of Secret Roots?
How could you choose Kkeut-su over me for this mission?
I apologize.
However, I did not choose him over you.
I received an order telling me that we should be ready
for the unfortunate.
This mission needed to be carried out discreetly.
"Discreetly," you say?
What is it about?
On the day Scholar Hyegang visits the Royal Academy,
the Leader will be there too.
The Leader will be there in person?
Yes.
Someone could have been following you, so--
Does that mean
we will get to see the Leader in person?
Yes.
He must think that it is about time he showed himself.
Anyway, I apologize for what happened.
I should have told you first.
Nam Sa-cheol and Garion...
Are you sure...
that we have nothing to do with that incident?
Yes.
If you lie to me again or keep any secrets from me...
That will never happen.
I'll have your neck.
We cannot prove his innocence.
How is shit like this possible?
Secret Roots is framing Garion.
It sure is...
a superb move on their part.
How can they get in the way
of everything I do?
They threatened Nam Sa-cheol to stop him from conducting the opinion poll
and framed Garion so that he couldn't carry out my orders.
Then it indicates
that Secret Roots is onto something.
It is odd though.
If they knew about my secret order,
they could have beaten it out of Garion.
If they found out about the details of the order,
that would have been enough to use against me.
This does not fit their best interests.
I wonder why...
A lowlife
should be stronger than this to survive in this world.
He wants to know who gave me the order,
but there isn't such a person.
Right.
At what time did you arrive
at Lord Nam's house with the meat?
It was around...
three past the second period.
When did you get back to the Autopsy Office?
I heard two drum beats
and five chimes of the gong,
so it was probably five past the second period.
Your knife went missing around that time.
Yes, probably.
Did you cross paths with anyone?
I did not see a single person.
What did you do after you returned
to the Autopsy Office?
I went to bed.
Alone?
Didn't you see anybody?
Was there really no one around?
Tell me.
There was someone, right?
Do not bother.
Who was it? Who did you see?
You will end up being punished too.
Who was it?
Please don't do this.
Who was it?
Tell me before I beat you to death!
Really? Kang Chae-yun?
Yes, he said that someone who conducts autopsies
wouldn't have used his own knife.
He thinks that Garion is framed.
If he believes in Garion's innocence,
he will try and get to the truth.
So-i.
It was the young court lady, So-i.
Court lady So-i?
You said you were back around five past the second period.
FIVE PAST THE SECOND PERIOD: 11 P.M.
After the curfew bell,
court ladies cannot leave the palace.
So how could a court lady be out and about at that time?
How?
Why?
She was relaying
His Majesty's order.
His Majesty's order?
What was it about?
You were with Garion at that time,
but you cannot testify to it.
Hence, you want me to prove his innocence on behalf of you.
If you do not testify,
Garion will die.
Can you live with that?
If I were to testify, I must reveal what I was doing that night.
Are you referring to His Majesty's order?
Yes.
I cannot say what it was since it is an important matter of state.
Have you even considered
what would happen to Garion
while writing your thoughts to me?
Prove his innocence, you say.
It is not to save his poor life though.
Whatever nonsense
this important matter of state is,
you just need that lowlife
to carry out the plan.
Should I still be grateful?
Should I be grateful
that His Majesty want him alive and not dead?
You once asked me why I take ziziphus seed and snowbell together.
My foolishness as a child led my father and those I love to death.
His Majesty's work is not just his. It is important to me too.
I want to sleep.
I want to break free,
and I want to live.
My life and Garion's, and the success of this mission
lie in your hands now.
Please save him.
You're back.
Why him?
When I asked him to save Garion, he asked
if it was for the greater good or Garion's life.
A long time ago,
when I became the King,
they all said I could do anything for the greater good.
I also heard
that a king should always do so.
Then when I acted for the greater good,
this young boy
said to me
that it was all bullshit.
Gosh.
That boy is Kang Chae-yun.
He is the one I fear the most,
but he is also the one I can trust the most.
That is my reason.
Could he be...
the last judge you were referring to?
That's right.
The one I fear the most.
The one who is furthest from my reach.
Attention!
Garion's knife was stolen
from his slaughterhouse last night.
I'm sure you know
that he has been framed to take the fall because of it.
Did any of you
see anything suspicious?
-No, we didn't see a thing. -Nothing.
We were all asleep.
Yes, we were.
Ms. Anseong.
What were you doing at that time?
Me?
Well... I was asleep, sir.
I really was!
My lord.
Her name is indeed Gyeon Jeok-hui.
She came to the country two years ago with an envoy and stayed as a translator.
So she stayed as a spy.
Yes. Why else would a translator be on the streets after the curfew?
She was following me.
I will look into it.
No one?
No one heard or saw anything?
Well,
I did hear a cow mooing.
A cow mooing?
It sounded so forlorn
that I figured it knew it would be butchered tomorrow.
A cow mooing?
Chae-yun!
Chae-yun, wait up.
What is it?
Garion brought Lord Nam the meat from the cow he butchered last night.
There was no cow in his slaughterhouse last night.
Do not be nervous and make the sound.
Are you kidding me? Louder!
Well...
It is not a crime
to moo like a cow.
-So? -I could not hear it.
See?
Look carefully.
You and Kkeut-su live 250 steps away.
No matter what sounds you make, he cannot possibly hear them in his house.
That means you were not in your house at that time.
Kkeut-su mistook you for a real cow,
which means you were somewhere in this area.
Right? I doubt you can say otherwise.
Two. There were two men!
One went in first
and another followed soon after.
Two men?
I couldn't see them both,
but I think I can recognize one of them if I see him.
They are the court ladies
who have been working with me.
First, Geun-ji specializes in foreign languages.
I am Geun-ji who specializes in
Japanese, Mongolian, and Sanskrit.
Mok-ya specializes in dialects.
I am Mok-ya who specializes in dialects from Jeolla-do, Gyeongsang-do,
and Chungcheong-do.
Lastly, Deok-geum
is the one who drew all the drawings here.
You three should get ready now.
-Yes, Your Majesty. -Yes, Your Majesty.
There is something you should allow us to do beforehand, Your Majesty.
Sure. What is it?
You told me to be unbiased in judging the letters.
-Right. -That is why
I ask for your forgiveness in advance for my words
that might be audacious and daring.
Yes, of course. Do what you must do.
You chose the right man for the job.
Let us begin.
Yes, of course.
First of all,
I divided the sounds of our language into two groups
which are consonants and vowels.
I wondered why consonants and vowels
were different from one another.
Geu, neu, meu.
-"Geu..." -Repeat after me.
Geu, neu, meu.
-"Geu..." -"Geu, meu..."
-That's it. Meu. -"Meu."
His Majesty is a man who exhausts himself.
Even though he could just distribute the letters,
he double checks and triple checks and has them verified.
That is why I believe in you.
That is why I believe in your work.
Kang Chae-yun... One day, he will come to believe, too.
So do not fear him.
Why? Hieroglyphics must be simple and clear.
My lord!
My lord, Garion is not the culprit.
What are you talking about?
There is a man who saw someone take Garion's knife that night.
There is a witness?
Did the witness see the face?
Yes, two men entered his slaughterhouse at different times.
The witness saw the face of one of them.
He is a nobleman with a long face, narrow eyes,
little space between his eyebrows, and a square jaw.
A nobleman?
I do not know why the two entered in short intervals, but--
That nobleman is not the culprit.
What do you mean?
See my face.
I have a long face, narrow eyes, and little space between my eyebrows.
Then you were at...
I was there for Garion's autopsy report.
Why did you--
I have been investigating Secret Roots throughout my whole career,
but His Majesty put you in charge instead!
Then...
I also saw...
the second man.
Then that man must have taken the knife.
Consonants are shaped after the body organs that make sounds?
We speak from our vocal organs,
so the letters depict that logic?
A language stems essentially from sounds,
so the letters depict that logic.
-The sound... -It was pictured.
Could either of you say something?
What do you think?
Please do not rush me.
I need more time to think.
Yes, of course.
Sam-mun, what do you think?
I believe there are more steps to take before asking me that.
Why do you say so?
Your Majesty, regarding the guttural consonants...
Hue, ho, and ha.
It is hard to distinguish them from vowels,
and they have not been pictured yet.
He is right.
This current alphabet is incomplete.
You two sure can be brutally objective.
Yes, you are right.
In order to learn the logic that will complete this alphabet,
I have given a secret order.
But, it was...
given to Garion.
Someone must be framing Garion.
Who and why?
Who gained the most from this incident?
All scholar-officials are against the opinion poll.
Therefore, it is nearly impossible to single out who benefited.
What about...
Secret Roots?
Does Secret Roots actually...
Yes.
Secret Roots does exist.
Then all the rumors--
What rumors?
There was a rumor that the late King
eliminated Jeong Do-jeon's family, Lord Sim On, and Lord Kang Sang-in
because they were in Secret Roots.
What?
Darn it!
I cannot believe that I was thinking exactly like my father.
Your Majesty, what's wrong?
I do not know about the rest,
but Lord Sim On was not in Secret Roots.
Yes, I guess it is a possibility.
How can I retrieve an answer when the question is invalid?
Is anybody out there?
Yes, Your Majesty.
I need to meet Royal Guard Kang Chae-yun.
I am heading out.
You cannot tell who it is since all scholar-officials
will benefit from this incident?
Yes, Your Majesty.
Out of all of them,
who has the most to gain from the incident?
Well...
There are normally four reasons people take actions for.
They are gong, mang, tong, and rak.
They mean fear, hope,
pain, and joy.
Take fear, for instance.
When one wants to avoid danger,
one becomes illogical
and even desperate sometimes.
Yes, Your Majesty.
I know it quite well
hence I was a soldier on the battlefield for a long time.
Can you read fear?
I bet you can.
You said you were afraid to be alone
and was terrified of the world that killed
your innocent father.
Why were you standing so far back?
I do not understand the question, Your Majesty.
When I was talking to Kang Chae-yun, you were at least five steps behind me.
Do you not know what he wishes to do to me?
Your safety always comes first--
I need you to be particularly vigilant.
You often let your guard down.
Always stay within three steps from me.
I wonder if he understood my words though.
Mu-hyul, what do you think?
What do you mean, Your Majesty?
Hold on a second.
Are you saying that you did not understand me either?
Did I make it sound too difficult?
I'm worried as to whether he understood me.
What does that mean?
Why did he mention fear?
How can fear make you desperate?
How can you read fear? It's not like it's a book.
I don't get it.
Me neither.
You figured it out, didn't you?
No, but I'm getting a weird feeling.
I need to take a look at Lord Nam's residence.
The Royal Investigation Bureau already processed the scene.
Why is a royal guard double checking what was already investigated?
I am investigating the scholars' deaths on His Majesty's order as well.
I walked in to find a letter pinned to my desk with a knife.
A sword came at my neck from the behind.
Then, he ran away.
He flew off at about that spot.
He must be the one that appeared at the palace.
-That spot? -Yes.
I have one last question.
How tall was he?
He was about two chi...
No, about three chi taller than me.
Then...
was he about this tall?
Yes, that is exactly it.
Then it wasn't him.
Can you read fear?
I am sorry for putting you through this again.
We'll get going.
Chae-yun.
If it was him, the ground and roof should have been disturbed.
Come on! Why do you always leave me behind?
Gather in.
Let's try this.
Your role is the most important.
Me?
What about me?
It needs to be him. Let's go.
I find that royal guard suspicious.
It's fine.
He's just ambitious, that's all.
Look around more carefully. Can't you see it?
I can't return to the palace without it.
Try over there. Be thorough, okay?
I know I dropped it around here somewhere.
Look closely. Is it really not there?
I can't return to the palace without it.
I wonder where it went.
What is going on?
Oh, my...
Well, you see...
My gosh!
I found it.
As you can see, I lost my identification medal.
I wasn't able to return to the palace, so I came to look for it.
How can a royal guard make such a mistake?
-Chae-yun! -Chae-yun!
We apologize, my lord.
We have a witness.
What?
A... A witness?
A witness saw a man steal something from Garion's house
that night.
-So? -Well,
-it turned out to be... -What is it?
-What? -Go on!
Well, the witness...
Painter!
The witness is a painter.
A painter, someone who paints?
Yes, he's drawing a composite sketch as we speak
with two hands at top speed!
We'll catch the culprit in no time.
I'll pluck out his tongue
and chew it into a million pieces.
Do you really have a composite sketch?
Yes, my lord.
It's coming along as we speak, so we'll have it in no time.
We should get going then.
What brings you by, my lord?
I was in the neighborhood, so I came to ask a few questions.
Sure. Let's head inside.
Good.
Put those things away.
My lord, if you will.
My goodness.
I completely forgot that I was on my way to Chief State Councillor.
I'll come back after meeting him.
My lord.
A composite sketch of you is being drawn.
But I am sure no one saw me.
Find me an assassin.
Yes, my lord.
We should tell Sim Jong-su at least!
Jeongmu Brigade is already in Hanyang, so--
I do not have the authority to make any orders.
I need the Leader's permission.
Boss,
the plan is already underway.
Is everything going as planned?
The event is in two days!
I will install rocks within the capital by the end of tonight.
Hello.
What... What are you doing?
Ma'am,
Sim Jong-su is asking for you.
I knew you would come by sometime,
but I did not expect it to be so late at night.
Identify yourself.
Lord Nam, it's you.
What are you doing out at this hour?
You mentioned a composite sketch.
Is that it?
Yes.
Since the witness is a painter, it's in great detail.
I see. Have you reported it to His Majesty?
Actually,
I was just on my way to do so.
Right. What a relief.
This was never my intention,
but you forced my hand by wishing an early death.
You!
Do you have any idea who I am?
I was just passing by.
Please don't kill me.
I am the eldest son of my family.
Please don't do this to me.
Here. You can have it.
Yes, of course you should hand it over.
I don't know where it came from, but a mutt kept on walking
back and forth.
Nam Sa-cheol!
What? A fabrication?
Yes, Nam Sa-cheol confessed to everything.
A fabrication?
What son of a bitch does such a thing?
How could I have appointed him to the Hall of Worthies?
I figured that you already knew this.
Well, I had my suspicions and doubts.
Anyway, it looks like Kang Chae-yun understood what I meant.
Yes, it is a relief.
I guess he is better than you
for you did not understand my words.
Your Majesty,
I understood what you meant but--
It did not seem like you did.
You have been a combatant all your life,
so I understand that matters of politics and power are not your strong suit.
Your Majesty, I said
that I understood your words.
Sure, let's say that you did.
Garion managed to bear the torture and remain silent about my order.
I am amazed by his willpower.
He has shown me that I can trust him with all my work.
Wait.
There is something I must do.
Your Majesty...
What are you doing? Get up.
You saved my life, sir.
I must be the first untouchable to leave
the Royal Investigation Bureau alive.
Here. Take this.
What is it?
It is a bottle of alcohol from Lord Jo Mal-saeng.
Take it.
My gosh.
I guess he was sorry.
Thank you.
How are your legs? Can you walk?
This is nothing, sir.
A few meals will have me back on my feet again.
I will never forget what you did for me.
Get going then.
Was Garion released?
Why were you so desperate though?
You worked frantically to save him.
Is it because he reminded you of your father?
Enough with the nonsense.
Why do you have something like this?
Give it back.
Hold on.
Give it back!
Isn't this makeup for lips?
Like this.
Hey, pretty boy!
You shouldn't do this to a guy.
Why? You look pretty yourself.
Janggi.
Gi... Gima.
Hold on. Let me think.
Masil.
Sil... Siltarae.
Wait.
Come on.
Then let's play a game. Gudeuljang.
Janggial.
Altong.
Tongjeung.
Are you angry? I'm sorry about that.
What's wrong?
Yain.
-What? -Yain.
Are we playing Word chain?
-Inju. -"Inju"?
That's right.
Hold on.
Jumeoni.
"Jumeoni"?
Let me think.
Are you out?
You are, so I win.
Jumeoni.
"Jumeoni"? You mean "pocket"?
You can't come up with anything, can you?
I can't think of a word
that can come next.
Thank you for welcoming me...
at this late hour.
Now that we are on good terms, I doubt you'll be suspicious of me again.
Help!
What is that sound?
It's not a big deal.
Please do not be bothered by it.
A man screamed for help in the language of Joseon at Taepyeong Guest House.
How can that not be a big deal?
Whatever it is, it is our business.
Stay out of it.
This may be Taepyeong Guest House, but you are on the Joseon soil.
Who are you to tell a Joseon's government official
to stay out of it?
Open it.
It would be a wiser choice to just leave.
Right.
Would that be better?
What is the meaning of this?
An envoy of Ming has no authority to arrest,
interrogate, or torture the people of Joseon!
We brought him in to clear up a misunderstanding.
There was no torture.
Then tell me.
What is that hot iron rod for?
You must have been trying to torture...
Anyway, this cannot be allowed.
I apologize. We will release him right away.
Can I...
take him with me?
Aren't you from Jeongmu Brigade?
What are you doing in the capital?
To protect the Leader.
Didn't you know?
"To protect the Leader?"
What do you mean?
First corps of Jeongmu Brigade is here to take over the capital.
"The capital?"
On whose orders?
Ms. Dodam.
"Ms. Dodam..."
Yoon Pyeong!
Hello, sir.
What is the meaning of this?
Did you call for the Jeongmu Brigade?
Is that why they are here to protect the Leader
without my knowledge?
I have no answer to that.
You bastard!
Just because you serve the Leader closely, doesn't mean you can be arrogant.
You and Ms. Dodam both played me like a fiddle.
Draw your sword.
I'll teach you some manners.
Lord Yi...
My goodness.
Look at you.
You poor thing.
My gosh.
There are...
a lot of things that I wish to ask you.
I would much appreciate your help.
Pardon?
-Are you a member of Secret Roots? -What?
My lord, I was just cleared of all charges!
Why would you ask me that?
My goodness.
My lord, please...
Please, my lord.
SAVE GARION!
If you are not an underling of Secret Roots,
why would I have been given this order?
My lord...
Garion.
I also hate doing this,
but...
we cannot only do what we like.
Now tell me.
Are you...
an underling of Secret Roots?
Yes, that's it.
That's how a bodyguard of the Leader should be.
Do you also think that Mu-hyul is Joseon's best swordsman?
I will show you that he is not.
My lord!
My lord.
My lord, please don't do this.
Please don't.
Once I get rid of this vermin,
I will come for you next, so wait your turn.
My lord, this was all to help the Leader--
Shut it!
Didn't I warn you?
If you were to deceive or keep things from me,
I would have your neck.
Please lower your weapon and let me explain.
Explain first.
Now tell me.
If you excuse your men,
I will tell you everything.
Good. I am glad you made that decision.
Garion,
you may be nothing but a lowly butcher,
but you have still lived a decent life.
However, even if you do 100 things right
but one thing wrong,
lowlifes like you will meet their ends.
Do you understand?
Then what should you do with someone
who did one of the two things right, but did the other one wrong?
What do you mean?
For example...
What should be done with a person who obeyed the order
to become a core member of the Royal Court
but ignored the order given for the first in 24 years
by the leader of Secret Roots?
I will return one day.
When I do,
you must be a core member of the Royal Court.
Do you understand?
What?
Who are you?
All I heard was that he died from arrows shot by bandits.
Your father...
has passed away.
I showed off my little talent, then...
I want him captured!
The best way to hide is to mix with the crowd.
I will hide among the people.
I will be close by.
No way.
-No way... -The best way to hide
is to mix with the crowd.
I said I would be close by.
Garion is the Leader.
I called the brigade
for his protection.
What...
What did you just say?
What?
Jeong Gi-jun, the Leader of Secret Roots,
is Garion.
Sir, please hide. I'll take care of the rest.
No, I have another idea.
Stay away for now.
Yes, sir.
-Catch him! -Catch him!
The Leader has been arrested!
His life is on the line! Do it!
SAVE GARION!
All members of Secret Roots must gather to protect the Leader.
I want everyone here including the Jeongmu Brigade.
If push comes to shove, we will break him out of prison.
Yes, ma'am.
Didn't you see the types burn
and the palace run red with blood?
Wait for my next order, Yi Sin-jeok.
Your Majesty, the night has deepened.
I don't care. I must see Garion tonight.
Yi Do,
you cannot do anything.
Subtitle translation by Hye-lim Park