01x05 - Episode 5

[bunniefuu]

CAPTIVATING THE KING

EPISODE 5

My lady.

It has been a long time

since I have sent word to you.

The Special Firearms Unit

has been more alert to uncover

any suspicious behavior

since early last month,

so I had to be cautious.

The vigilance has increased

in and out of the palace

as the First Senior Consort

was caught sneaking a shaman

into the palace to perform rituals

- in hopes of bearing the King's son.

- How dare you!

- Hurry!

- What are you doing?

- She was expelled and exiled that day.

- Let me go!

However, before she was exiled,

she implored His Majesty that

Her Royal Highness approved the ritual,

so the palace was turned upside down.

Please forgive me!

Her Royal Highness gave me her permission!

Your Majesty!

It is a greater sin

to be unfilial than disloyal.

Your people are watching.

Your Majesty.

Her Majesty and the Great Lord

tried to soothe his anger

but to no avail.

His Majesty refused

to see Her Royal Highness

and stormed out for a walk,

raising an uproar.

Go find His Majesty immediately!

According to the maids

of the King's quarters,

Senior Court Lady Dong

is to blame for all of it.

His Majesty does not care

for Her Majesty and the concubines.

Scandalously, he only favors

Senior Court Lady Dong,

the late king's court lady.

Thus, Her Royal Highness,

who is hoping for a Prince Royal,

had to take drastic measures

and urged the First Senior Consort.

When His Majesty is out for a walk

or is not tending to state affairs,

he always goes to Yeongchwijeong

to play baduk with Prince Deokseong.

I would like to tell you more

about Yeongchwijeong,

but all servants of the court

are forbidden from entering.

Thus, not much has been known.

I will send you word again.

My lady.

I, Chu Dal-ha, send my greetings.

Prince Deokseong's residence

hosts feasts almost daily,

so I had no trouble getting in.

My lord.

Recently, he hired baduk players

to play and come up with clever moves.

It seems like it is to prepare tricks

to use against the King.

He is greedy yet resourceful.

Even the Three Hwans

seem wary of the flaunt of his power.

Right.

That refers to the Principal Director

of the Privy Council, Park Jong-hwan,

Great Lord Oh Wook-hwan,

and the newly appointed

Minister of w*r, Min Ji-hwan.

People coined the nickname by playing on

the last syllable of their names.

Prince Deokseong,

I enclose the play explanation

of the baduk player I have recommended.

I hope you find it helpful.

I send my greetings to you, Master Choam.

I have read the play explanation

you have sent me.

The skills of the baduk player

you have recommended are exquisite.

I must say I am quite satisfied.

"I would like to play baduk

with the player myself.

Please have them visit me

without any delay."

Congratulations.

You became Prince Deokseong's

baduk player as you wished.

I imagined you were looking forward to it.

Why do you look so dispirited?

Are you afraid

now that things have worked out?

I am not afraid,

for I have looked forward to this moment

for three years.

However,

I am concerned

that I may be putting you in harm's way

if I go through with this.

Absolute nonsense.

If you were that concerned,

you would have accepted my plea

to go easy on me during our game.

I shall fend for myself.

Thus,

just worry about yourself.

You have generously taken me in

and cared for a fool like me.

I will never forget your kindness.

My lady, the Sixth Royal Secretary

has been dismissed once again.

This is the third time already this year.

Why is it so difficult to revive

the peach tree the late king had planted?

Your Majesty,

I have committed an unforgivable sin!

I beg for your forgiveness!

I do not want to see you.

Leave my sight now!

With His Majesty's wrath

becoming greater by the day,

we are all praying

for a flower to bloom on the dead tree.

But I wonder if that day will ever come.

Your Majesty.

You do not look well.

The new emperor of the Qing

has been chosen.

Prince Rui must have compromised,

seeing how he handed over

the throne to his young nephew.

Upon hearing the news

of the Emperor's sudden demise,

I thought there would be

a bloodbath over the throne.

It seems like he made a wise choice.

No matter how strong

Prince Rui's authority is,

one cannot go against nature's orders.

Your Majesty.

That is not what I meant.

You are right, Prince Deokseong.

It is only natural for the son

to inherit the throne than a brother.

It is the right way.

It seems I have been completely oblivious

to such a natural and just way.

Your Majesty.

I have committed an unforgivable sin.

I must have become senile with old age.

I beg for your forgiveness.

What is there to forgive

when you have only spoken the truth?

Is that not right?

My lady.

Why are you here?

Were you worried I would have forgotten

my way around the capital?

I have an urgent matter to discuss.

What is it?

Prince Deokseong died suddenly last night.

Rumor in the capital has it

that he was m*rder*d.

Three years of effort

have been destroyed at once.

There is still a way.

You cannot do that.

Why are you always saying no?

The idea you keep pushing forth,

that you will end it all

by k*lling the King in your own demise,

is an act out of spite and not revenge.

My father and Hongjang

would not have agreed to it either.

Why are you acting like this

when you agreed to follow my plan?

Things may not go as you have planned.

Look what happened to Prince Deokseong.

It will go as planned.

I will not allow failure,

but if I do end up failing,

then you may have your way.

That is a promise.

Why are you being so relentless?

What a way to treat me.

Fine. I promise.

What will you do now?

I am hungry.

Let us eat first.

Shall we?

Your Majesty.

The Principal Director

of the Privy Council,

the Great Lord,

and the Minister of w*r seek audience.

Let them in.

I believe I mentioned

that I would skip the morning assembly.

We are aware.

However, as members

of the Border Defense Council,

we have come to make an urgent request

despite the discourtesy.

What is this urgent request you speak of?

I shall inform you, Your--

You answer, Minister Min.

Your Majesty.

We seek to dismiss and punish the

Executive Assistant of Uiju, Kim Myung-ha.

Please grant us your approval.

What is the reason?

When those the Qing wanted

for trespassing on the border ran away,

Kim Myung-ha idly sat by.

He did not agree

to their extradition request either.

As he forsook his duties

to watch over the border,

it is only right

to dismiss and punish him.

I seem to remember

hearing a similar petition.

I knew you would remember, Your Majesty.

A report was once made

about his failure to capture

those who had trespassed the border

under the pretext of harvesting ginseng.

Thanks to your explanation,

I now clearly remember it.

Why did you not punish him back then?

This would not have happened

if you had fulfilled your duties.

Pardon?

Well, Your Majesty,

that was because…

It was clear he had received a bribe

and let them go,

but as we did not have

solid evidence or witnesses,

we could not punish him then.

Are you certain

the same thing will not happen?

Can you see it through this time?

Your Majesty.

If we do not punish

Kim Myung-ha for his crimes this time,

the Qing will not stand and watch.

We must dismiss and punish him

before the Qing's envoy arrives

to prevent their condemnation.

All right.

Summon him to the capital.

Father!

Father!

Father!

Father!

My lord.

Did you look into

the crumbling fortress wall?

I have safeguarded it temporarily,

but it will collapse after one heavy rain.

Jang Mu-dong's family

still lives underneath there, do they not?

Tell them to find another place.

They never listen to me.

It would be perfect

if we could just fix up the wall.

But why is His Majesty summoning you?

Could it be because

we let those escapees go?

I shall know when I get there.

My lord, I have an idea.

Run away tonight.

I shall be your guide.

You should save yourself first.

Stop talking nonsense.

Surely His Majesty will dismiss

Kim Myung-ha this time, will he not?

Who knows?

He never grants the court's petitions.

It has been a while.

It appears that many people

have long waited for my death.

They all look as if

they have encountered a ghost.

I do not know about others,

but my brother was quite anxious.

Your accomplishments,

regardless of their size,

have been eating him out.

His sighs probably made a big dent

in the floor of my family's parlor.

You have not changed.

I am glad that you smile.

Do not be afraid.

Who knows?

Today may not be your funeral,

but your luckiest day yet.

Your Majesty.

Please share your decision

on Executive Assistant Kim Myung-ha.

As of today,

you are dismissed from

the executive assistant position at Uiju.

You shall serve

as the Sixth Royal Secretary instead.

His luckiest day yet.

Your Majesty.

What do you mean by appointing him

to the Sixth Royal Secretary?

You must interrogate

and punish him for his crimes!

I am not done speaking.

Pardon?

Yes, Your Majesty. I apologize.

Heed me well, Kim Myung-ha.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Please give me your command.

There is only one duty

for the Sixth Royal Secretary.

Revive the peach tree in the Royal Garden.

If you fail to do so,

you will be dismissed

and you shall be punished severely.

I shall carry out your command

with all my heart.

I am getting quite lonely

spending time alone at Yeongchwijeong.

I would like to appoint a gidaeryeong.

What do you think?

Your Majesty.

Forgive me, but gidaeryeong

is a position I have not heard of.

One serving that role

will come to Yeongchwijeong upon my order

and play baduk with me.

It is a post that only caters to me.

Regardless of class or age,

if they are a capable baduk player,

I shall even allow a palcheon

to take the examination.

PALCHEON: THE EIGHT LOWEST CLASSES

THAT CARRIED OUT MENIAL TASKS

However,

public officials do not qualify,

even those who serve

at the lowest of the lowest rank.

Do not waste more time

and post the announcement.

Your Majesty.

You should have informed me beforehand.

Then I would have found fine baduk players

to send to Yeongchwijeong.

I brought it up during the assembly

to prevent just that from happening.

It was a warning…

not to send anyone in your pocket

to Yeongchwijeong again.

Your Majesty.

I am afraid I do not understand--

I am talking about Prince Deokseong.

I am aware that he was your man, Uncle.

Since when were you aware of it?

Prince Deokseong never tried to

hide the fact from the start.

Therefore, I did not cast him away.

But he died out of the blue.

Mobilizing the Special Firearms Unit

to seek his k*ller would have been easy,

but I held back.

I could make a fair guess

on who it would be.

However,

I will not hold back

should it happen again.

It would be wise to remember that.

What is your reason for appointing

Kim Myung-ha as the Sixth Royal Secretary?

What is the problem?

I dismissed him as per your request,

and the Sixth Royal Secretary was vacant.

Everyone avoided the position

as if it were a pest,

so I appointed him to that role.

The Qing will not stand back

to his promotion.

It is within my purview as the king

to judge his merits or demerits.

And it is the court's duty

to coax the Qing to accept my ways.

Am I wrong, Uncle?

Your words are correct

a thousand times over, Your Majesty.

You may leave then.

Lord Park.

What did His Majesty say?

He did not say much.

There you are.

Principal Director.

Your father's memorial day

is approaching, is it not?

It is early next month,

five days after

the late king's memorial service.

High treason such as his

would call for the remains

to be desecrated.

Despite being the traitor's son,

you were given a position

and an opportunity to repent.

His Majesty's kindness

is truly overwhelming.

You had better not

repay his kindness with evil.

Yes, my lord.

Congratulations on your promotion

to the Sixth Royal Secretary.

How could he bring

a traitor's son into the court?

Why did you not dissuade him?

Prince Rui has conceded the throne

to his young nephew

and has accepted to be a regent.

That must have caused

His Majesty a great amount of distress.

Are you saying he grew anxious that

Grand Prince Munseong would plot treason

with Kim Myung-ha at his side

and that he summoned him

to keep an eye on him?

What good is the Special Firearms Unit?

He could have just ordered them

to find his crime and punish him!

And what is this gidaeryeong nonsense?

Why would he establish a position

that is not even necessary for the state?

What will the people think?

I have no idea what he is thinking.

The gidaeryeong may be useful

in looking into the King's intention.

We need someone

to replace Prince Deokseong, after all.

The King is a very skilled baduk player.

In order to satisfy him,

they must be a very proficient player.

I know of a baduk master.

The gidaeryeong is as good as chosen,

so do not worry.

You make everything sound so easy.

Nothing is as easy as Guan Yu

beheading the leader of his enemies.

It will take

quite a bit of wealth and effort.

And what about Kim Myung-ha?

We cannot sit back and watch.

I have an idea.

Lord Park,

the Chief Royal Secretary is here.

Did you ask for me, Lord Park?

I asked to see you

as you would be distressed.

The sixth royal secretary

may be among the lowest ranks,

but the position requires one

to relay the royal commands.

It is not something

Kim Myung-ha should handle.

I hope you are not planning to let him be.

I cannot disobey royal command.

Then how about we delay giving him

his official appointment letter?

Yes, my lord. I shall do that.

How incompetent.

It is about time we chejik him.

CHEJIK: TO REPLACE A PUBLIC OFFICIAL

Must I tell you what to do as well?

I will ensure that Kim Myung-ha

does not receive the appointment letter.

Do not worry.

Gidaeryeong?

After Prince Deokseong's death,

I imagined there would be

no more shortcuts.

This is good.

I am against this idea.

What kind of a fool voluntarily

walks into the tiger's den?

Like you said,

I am going in to catch the tiger.

Why are you silent?

You should be convincing her not to!

Are you ready to risk your life?

I have been ready ever since I etched

my vow to my heart three years ago.

All right, then.

I support your decision.

Bollocks. This is crazy.

It looks like no one is willing

to listen to what I say.

Do whatever you want.

Goodness.

Let me know if there is anything you need.

I imagine you would need a baduk table.

It is not necessary,

but sure, get me one.

Yes, my lady.

Why must we endure this t*rture

on this hot summer day?

This heat is no big deal.

If you play your stones well,

you might enter Yeongchwijeong

and have wealth and fame for generations.

If there was no condition

that public officials could not apply,

you both would be there as well.

- Do you not think so?

- That is not true.

I am not interested

in such a meaningless position.

Is that so?

I guess I got the wrong idea

from your younger brother

playing over there.

I wrongfully thought that your family

had higher hopes for him than you.

Goodness.

Lord Min.

You are crossing the line.

Third Minister,

you are here as the overseer.

Please refrain from jesting.

Overseer, my foot.

The winner is already as good as decided.

Sorry?

What did you say?

What?

I said it was about time

the games were over.

Look at that.

He must have been lingering distastefully

even after he had already lost.

That face.

Wait.

I know that face.

Who was it?

Kang Mong-woo.

Congratulations.

You!

Stop right there!

Hold him there!

Do not let him leave!

You cannot run away this time.

You crook.

My lord, a crook?

There seems to be a misunderstanding.

A misunderstanding?

I beat you three years ago

in a baduk gamble.

Do you not remember running away

without giving your table and stones?

Gosh, look here.

Look carefully.

This good-looking face

and graceful figure.

It is hard not to remember.

Did you just laugh?

Why?

What part of it was so funny?

My apologies.

I cannot take my eyes off of baduk stones

when I sit down for a game,

so I have trouble

remembering my opponents.

Also,

I rarely lose.

Then it is harder not to remember me.

Think back carefully.

Right. It rained that day.

When you noticed the drizzle,

you threw your stone and bolted out.

Rain.

- It is raining!

- What?

- It really is.

- Indeed.

Mongwoo.

It is your turn.

I lose.

It is impressive

that you remember something

from three years ago.

The victim never forgets.

The late king suddenly passed away then

and the spy incident blew up,

so most of the skilled baduk players

were arrested and interrogated.

Thus, I had given up on finding you.

Now,

hand over the baduk table and stones

you owe me from three years ago.

Give them to me now.

I apologize,

but I cannot give them to you now.

What?

Do not tell me

you are trying to brazen it out.

I am not.

However,

I need my baduk table and stones

until the gidaeryeong examination is over.

I must train in order to see fruition.

I will pay you back

once I become the gidaeryeong.

You seem to be quite confident.

Well, I may have a chance

since you have not applied.

I guess you are right.

I will see you tomorrow, my lord.

Listen.

Do you know the patron of Kang Mong-woo?

I apologize,

but I only learned of his name just today.

How disappointing.

Should I have followed him?

Kim Hong-du makes his living

by playing baduk on the streets.

Rumor says he was a sage

who used to train in Mount Geumgang.

Na g*ng-taek is the great-grandson

of Lord Na Jin-yu,

the former director

of the Office of Royal Decrees.

"Kang Mong-woo"?

Who is this man?

Right, well…

I apologize, but I do not know.

I asked the clerks, but no one knew.

Is he not your man, Minister Min?

He is not.

Why would you think that?

I hear the people group you

with Lord Park and me

and refer to us as the Three Hwans.

It is preposterous,

but you may nurture such ambitions

by becoming the patron of the gidaeryeong

who has access to Yeongchwijeong.

Is that why you became the patron

of the street baduk player,

knowingly risking Her Majesty's honor?

Who says that?

Who says I am Kim Hong-du's patron?

I do not think I mentioned the name.

Do not tell me you tailed me.

I hear that the man has been blabbing on

about how he has prayed

for Her Majesty's recovery

at Mount Geumgang.

Such insolence!

Her Majesty is healthier

than any ladies of the royal palace!

Is that so?

That is a relief then.

Why you little!

So…

you do not know

who is behind Kang Mong-woo?

No, I do not.

He applied to be a gidaeryeong

without a patron?

He must either be utterly naive

or very skilled in baduk.

That is good.

This man proves that the

gidaeryeong examination is fair and just.

Report this to His Majesty.

Yes, Lord Park.

Do you want to know who Kang Mong-woo is?

What is this?

Did you lie despite knowing his identity?

You have gotten very bold

since I last saw you.

He is that man from back then.

The baduk gambler from three years ago.

- What?

- The baduk gambler.

He is the very man who won

all the baduk tables in the capital

three years ago.

I shall bet on Na g*ng-taek!

- Bring it in.

- All right.

- Any more bets on Na g*ng-taek?

- Na g*ng-taek!

Now, does anyone want to

bet on Park Se-gye?

Great Lord.

It was you.

I was afraid the Special Firearms Unit

had caught me.

Why would you worry about that?

Do not be concerned.

I have paved the path already.

Are you saying there is someone in the

Special Firearms Unit who takes bribes?

He will lose his life

if Joo Sang-hwa finds out!

Have you ever seen anyone

bite the hand that feeds them?

No one says no to some extra money.

How is the life of a county magistrate

treating you?

It is all very bothersome.

I eagerly wait for the day

you will call me back to the court

as I endure my tenure there.

Do not worry.

I have spoken

to the Principal Director already.

I will put my trust in you, my lord.

All right!

Does anyone want to bet more money?

Here!

- Gosh.

- Kim Hong-du!

I will bet on Kim Hong-du!

Who is he?

He is the servant of the Great Lord!

- Me too!

- I want to bet on him!

- I will make the same bet!

- Quiet, everyone!

The bet on Kim Hong-du has been closed.

- Just take mine!

- That is cheap!

All right!

Who else will you bet on?

Kang Mong-woo!

I will bet on Kang Mong-woo.

"Kang Mong-woo"?

Did he just say Kang Mong-woo?

Does the name sound familiar?

Min Ji-hwan says otherwise,

but I think Kang Mong-woo is his man.

Is that all?

What do you mean?

Do you know how much this is?

This is all I have!

That is a lot.

Great.

Come forward

if you wish to bet on Kang Mong-woo!

Kang Mong-woo? Who is that?

It sounds like a lost dog's name.

I hope you will not regret it

after you get bitten by that dog.

Who is Kang Mong-woo?

Kang Mong-woo?

How is that funny to you?

That means you are the underdog, my lady.

I told you so, did I not?

I said no one would bet on Kang Mong-woo

and that was exactly what I wanted.

Those ignorant fools

were only betting on the Three Hwans' men.

I was furious inside

and almost caused a scene there.

Good job holding it in.

Thank you for your work.

I will get going then.

Kim Myung-ha has returned to the court?

Yes.

The King went against

the court officials' will

and appointed him

as the Sixth Royal Secretary.

Why would he do that?

I assume it is to keep a close eye on him.

Seeing that the King gave him

a position no one coveted,

it must be to punish him

should an opportunity arise.

Do you think that is all?

Is something bothering you?

Why now?

He stayed put for the last three years

indulging in drinks,

women, and games only.

So why is he suddenly making moves?

That is what the King always does.

You are right.

With the Three Hwans leading the court,

he could be sending the court a message

not to look down on him as the king.

Right.

That must be it.

How the time flies.

It seems like yesterday

that Master Chu barely managed to return

and we found Lady Hee-soo

and went into hiding in the mountains.

Search thoroughly!

- Yes, my lord!

- Yes, my lord!

Are you crying?

As if.

The smoke got in my eyes. That is all.

Do not be concerned.

Lady Hee-soo is exceptional.

She will beat all those nobodies

and become the gidaeryeong.

I am not worried that she will lose.

I am worried because she will win.

You are right.

The palace and whatnot will only be filled

with obstacles for her.

Do you remember the prince

who used to play baduk with the King?

They say he suddenly met his end

while being carried on the palanquin

because he got

on the bad side of the King.

No way.

They say Monk Yusim,

who suddenly passed away last year,

was also poisoned to death

by the King's assassin.

He poisoned his own older brother

and his sister-in-law.

Gosh.

I mean, not even venomous snakes

bite their own kin.

You must tell Lady Hee-soo

never to eat anything

when she is in the palace.

I do not want to hear it.

Stop saying such sinister things!

Why are you yelling all of a sudden?

I am just worried.

- What is with her?

- It is not like I made things up.

Consider Master Choam's efforts

and drink up every single drop.

You and your nagging.

Are you still worried?

Worried, my foot.

Why would I be worried?

With your skills, becoming the gidaeryeong

is a piece of cake.

And after that, the heavens will help you

punish those who deserve it.

I do not need the heavens' help.

I will do it.

I will punish them myself.

Of course.

Those b*stards.

They should croak

before they can even utter an oath.

This is the list of people

who won today's game.

Read them to me.

Yes, Your Majesty.

"Kim Mal-son, Kim Hong-du,

Na g*ng-taek,

Park Se-gye,

Hong Yun,

Kang Mong-woo,

An Du-eon…"

Wait.

What did you just say?

Are you referring to An Du-eon?

KANG MONG-WOO

Is something wrong, Your Majesty?

It is nothing.

I would like to be alone now.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Have a pleasant night.

It is Mongwoo.

This will be the prize of our bet.

It cannot be.

It must be someone with the same name.

I had my doubts,

but you survived.

I stand before you as I survived.

Why have you returned?

You and your discourtesy have not changed.

Answer me.

So you have come.

I was worried you might not show up

after all my threats yesterday.

How can I not come when I will win?

Your confidence would top them all.

Let us go before you are late.

An Gyeong-yeop!

Kang Mong-woo!

What is the issue?

As it happens,

there are no more plates left.

No more left?

What shall we do, Lord Min?

In such a case,

it would be right to give him a free win.

That cannot be.

Here comes His Majesty!

Stop.

Raise your head.

What is your name?

It is Kang Mong-woo, Your Majesty.

He should be in the middle of a game.

Why is he not playing?

We did not have enough players

to match with him,

so we were discussing what to do.

In such cases,

it is common practice to give him a win.

But some voiced that it would be unfair.

- What should we do?

- The Sixth Royal Secretary shall play.

Your Majesty.

Forgive me, but I am present

as well as my brother, the overseer.

Why might you be ordering

Kim Myung-ha to play?

I have stated that public officials

cannot apply to become a gidaeryeong.

Thus, you are all disqualified.

I named Kim Myung-ha specifically

as he is eligible, not having received

his appointment letter yet.

Would you be willing

to resign from your post for this?

Forgive me, Your Majesty.

I had not thought it through.

Begin the game.

You will lose to me at this rate.

I lose.

Would you like to count the stones?

I shall do that.

Protecting this spot led

to the Sixth Royal Secretary's defeat.

He saved a stone

when he should have discarded it.

I thought I could expand my territory

after saving the stone.

Saengbulyeosa.

Even if you do save it,

a life without any merit

is a pointless one.

It is better to discard a stone

that has been cornered

rather than to strive to save it.

I respectfully disagree, Your Majesty.

How insolent!

How dare you share your opinion

when he did not even ask for it?

I apologize, Your Majesty.

He is ignorant of the court etiquette.

What are you doing?

- Beg for his forgiveness.

- Leave him be.

You may continue.

Had the Sixth Royal Secretary

not given up and reinforced this region,

I would have lost the game.

If one examines closely,

one will always find a way

to save a cornered stone.

A likely story.

Kim Myung-ha is not good enough

to be the victor of this game.

Why would he trouble himself

when he will lose anyway?

Why do you look up at the sky

when you will die anyway, Your Majesty?

You impertinent fool!

How dare you speak out of turn

before His Majesty?

You cannot let his arrogance slide,

Your Majesty.

Why are you standing about, Captain Joo?

Drag him out immediately!

As many have witnessed your impertinence,

I must give the order to drag you out

and pull your pompous tongue out

to preserve my dignity as the king.

Do you have any last words?

Baduk is shared between two players.

While the two engage in a game,

they only converse through their stones.

They share a conversation

that transcends age, status,

and even loyalty.

If you still think

I deserve to be ex*cuted,

the gidaeryeong you should appoint

will have to be someone

perceptive and eager to please.

That way, you can avoid the hassle

of pulling out a tongue every time.

You brat!

- That is enough, Minister Min.

- Your Majesty…

I apologize.

How audacious of you.

You have one damnable tongue.

It is to my liking.

I will tell you a way

to save yourself from punishment.

Become the gidaeryeong at all costs.

Should you disappoint me,

I will pull your tongue out myself.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Let us head to

the Queen Dowager's quarters.

Yes, Your Majesty.

His Majesty wishes to visit

the Queen Dowager's quarters!

Here comes His Majesty.

Welcome, Your Majesty.

- Your Majesty.

- Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Did something good happen?

It is quite rare

to see you in high spirits like this.

I cannot hide anything from you, Mother.

I visited Chundangdae

to watch the gidaeryeong examination.

You must have found someone

to your liking.

Indeed.

There is someone I quite like.

Is that true?

I am very curious.

So, what is his name?

Mong-woo.

His name is Kang Mong-woo.

Your Royal Highness, you do not seem well.

- Do you feel ill?

- No.

Do not worry about me

and look after yourself, Your Majesty.

I apologize, Your Royal Highness.

Mother.

Even my eyes are telling me

that you do not look well.

Are you sure you are all right?

Of course, I am.

I hope the man you are fond of

makes it to the end

and becomes the gidaeryeong.

Do not be concerned.

He will become the gidaeryeong

without a hint of doubt.

Who became the gidaeryeong?

It looks like a three-year-old debt

returned to me as pure gold.

Who gave you the permission

to start playing?

My apologies.

I was not aware of your presence,

Your Majesty.

That seat

was occupied by

Prince Deokseong for the past three years.

Prince Deokseong…

was my first baduk master.

You must be deeply distressed

to have lost your baduk friend

so suddenly.

I remember receiving a report

of your death three years ago.

I was at death's door.

But I survived through sheer luck.

Then your best move

would have been to run away.

What is the reason

for your return?

The entire land of Joseon is yours.

Where could I run to?

I thought it would be better

to come before you

and seek a way to survive.

Why are you hiding your real name

and using the name Mong-woo?

I am not hiding my name.

You would have forgotten,

but I only play baduk when there is a bet.

- And--

- You only tell your real name

to an opponent who beats you.

It is an honor.

I did not expect you to remember--

I remember everything about you.

So stop hiding behind

all those nonsensical formalities

and answer my question immediately.

Why have you returned?

Shall I answer for you?

You have returned

to get revenge.

You harbor treasonous ambition

of murdering me, no?

Saengbulyeosa.

You have survived,

yet you are no better than the dead.

What will you do now?

Answer me

with that wicked tongue of yours.

What will you do?

CAPTIVATING THE KING

I will be your patron.

No man can resist

power, wealth, and beautiful women.

I would like to

become a dependable patron for you.

Do not worry.

You are the gidaeryeong and my person.

I shall protect you too.

Why would I risk my life

for something that will clearly fail?

If you want to live,

examine closely before answering.

That way, you will see a way

to save yourself.

The opportunity to get revenge

on the enemy who slayed your father.

Will you join hands with me?