Gu Am Heo Joon
[Episode 90]
So what he said was true after all.
I shall go to his office and confess everything.
I am sorry to worry you.
I am ready to receive any punishment.
You can't do that! I can't let you be arrested.
Sir...
It has already been 10 years. They shouldn't punish you for that!
I'll try to persuade him myself, so you stay out of this.
Sir, I can't let you do that.
I could care less about your past.
What's important to me is your present.
You care for patients with all your heart.
You worked so hard to be a good doctor. That is who you are!
Do not go and confess. I'll take care of it.
Just listen to me.
Sir. Sir!
When this part underneath the ball of your foot is massaged...
...you'll feel less tired.
Hong-choon!
Hong-choon.
What is it?
Don't say anything. Not a word.
I am dying for you, my love.
Please don't do this. What if someone sees us?
Hong-choon! Hong-choon!
Hong-choon, you truly are beautiful!
I may be having a heart attack.
Is His Majesty inside?
He is with Lady Kong-bin.
What do we do?
Let's go to Jinsuk Palace.
Can we do that?
This is an emergency.
Let's go. Go.
Please stop.
Do you know how long it's been?
I've been busy with affairs of the state.
I know that you have been spending nights with Lady In-bin.
You have given me two sons. How can I neglect you?
Come on. Please...
Your Majesty, Lord Sung is here.
What is it?
Your Majesty, please forgive us for interrupting,
but a plague is spreading rapidly in Hwanghae Province.
Come inside.
A plague? Tell me the details.
It first broke out in Eunyu, and is spreading through the coastal areas,
as well as Jaeryung, Haeju, and also north to Pyongan Province.
Haeju is not far from the capital. That means the plague could get here.
We have to devise measures to stop it.
Call up an emergency meeting at the court.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Choose a suitable official to take charge of the situation.
And select royal physicians to be dispatched.
Yes, Your Majesty.
What is the matter?
We have an emergency meeting.
Lord Sung is here.
There's a plague spreading in Hwanghae Province.
Doctor Yang, select doctors to be sent to the area at once.
Yes, sir.
What did you find?
Late Lord Lee Jung-chan's butler has confirmed the identify of Heo Jun's wife.
Let us go to the public hospital.
What brings you here?
We need to talk.
I thought you had something to say. Why are you quiet?
Chun-soo, I have a favor to ask.
Please forgive Doctor Heo of his past.
I know it's a difficult favor to ask. I know it's a lot to ask for.
But Doctor Heo is such a talented doctor.
He could become the chief royal physician someday.
He has the skills and heart for it.
It would be a terrible waste to see him go down because of his past.
I can't do that.
Chun-soo...
He broke laws and remained in hiding for the last ten years.
He deceived everyone.
How can I let someone so shameless work as a royal physician?
I'm sure you were deceived as well.
But you don't know him.
If you saw the way he treats his patients, you would feel differently.
Please do this for me.
I didn't hear anything. Just leave, my friend.
Why stir up the past? What have you got to gain?
Why are you doing this? Can't you see you're being irrational?
I am not doing this just for Doctor Heo.
I'm doing this for all of the poor, sick people.
The poor patients who come every day to be treated by him!
Please, Chun-soo...
He may be a good person as you say.
But he is still guilty of crimes, and I can't ignore that.
I must treat him like any other criminal.
I can't do this for you. I'm sorry.
Sir! Sir! Sir! Sir!
Seriously, terrible news!
What's so terrible this time?
There's a plague in Hwanghae Province.
What does that have to do with me?
Officials are being sent to the area.
You've been chosen from among the justices.
What? Me?
Do we have to go, too?
Sir.
Search the premises.
Yes, sir.
Search the premises!
Yes, sir!
I am Deputy Bae Chun-soo from the constabulary.
How can I help you, sir?
Where is Doctor Heo Jun?
He has been dispatched to Hwanghae to deal with an epidemic.
Why are you looking for him?
What's the rush? What's going on?
I wonder.
Stop! This village is a restricted area.
They are royal physicians. Move out of the way.
You can't pass this road, sir. Please go around.
There was mention of Haeju. Did the plague reach this far?
Let's hurry.
Sir.
Here is our pass.
The plague has spread to Haeju?
Yes. The place is a living hell now.
Let's go!
The royal physicians from Hanyang.
Where is the governor?
In his office. Please follow me.
This must reach Hanyang today.
Yes, sir.
Sir, the royal physicians from Hanyang have arrived.
Welcome.
I'm Doctor Heo Jun.
I'm Doctor Lee Gong-ki.
Thank goodness you are here. I am so relieved to see you.
What's the situation, sir?
I've never seen a worse disaster.
Doctor Heo and Doctor Lee were sent...
Did you hear?
Nurses are also being selected to go to Hwanghae Province.
If they order me to go, I would rather die.
I'd rather kill myself than go.
We decided on the ones to be dispatched.
Call out the names.
Yes.
Gae-keum, Ye-jin, Chae-sun, Sae-hee. We leave for Hwanghae Province at once.
Ma'am...
Ma'am... I...
I have to give a massage to the king...
Be quiet!
We will leave at noon with the royal physicians and assistants.
Get yourself ready for the trip.
No, I can't go. Please.
Shut up!
We'll be on our way, sir.
I'm sorry that we have to stay behind.
It will be very hard to treat all the patients by yourself, sir.
And you are taking a trip to hell.
Take care of yourself.
You can always give the king a massage after you come back.
Don't be so sad.
Yes, ma'am.
We will get going.
It's too hot. And I'll be so far from Hong-choon.
I don't want to go.
Why are you so late?
I'm sorry, sir.
Lord Sung and Doctor Yang are waiting.
We'll go after the roll call.
It broke out 10 days ago in Eunyul and then spread to Jangsan and Ongjin.
It swept through Jaeryung, and now it has reached Haeju.
Hundreds of people have lost their lives already.
It only took two days for it to spread from Jaeryung to Haeju.
At this rate, it will reach Hanyang in ten days.
What do you think? Is there a way to stop the plague?
We can't give you any answer until we look around the affected area.
Then you want us to just watch people die?
Sir, that's not what he meant...
I don't want to hear it. People are dying.
That is the best answer a royal doctor can say in this situation?
Calm down.
These people just got here, and they didn't even unpack.
They first have to look into what is happening.
I brought the people you asked for.
Have them come in.
We found men who recovered from the plague.
Did you really recover from the plague?
Yes, sir. I suddenly had a high fever, and started to have rashes on my head,
but I recovered after taking crayfish soup.
I covered the room with chicken blood and ate pheasant meat.
Let me take a look at them.
What do you think?
They were never infected with the plague.
But our town's doctor said it was the plague.
He did.
The rashes on the head and blisters may seem like symptoms of the plague,
but the scars between the fingers mean that he had a slight skin infection.
And this man was suffering from jaundice that went away on its own.
Are you sure about it?
Yes.
Take them away.
Yes, sir.
What do we do now?
Doctor Heo.
Yes.
As you can see, we are in hell.
I understand that even a royal physician can't treat all diseases.
But you must find a cure at all costs.
We must stop it from spreading to Hanyang.
Hurry up, hurry!
We're evacuating people to a nearby village.
Get mine, too.
No, sir. What if you catch the plague?
This is a village under my jurisdiction.
I'll show you around myself.
It broke out five days ago here.
We couldn't do anything about it.
This plague is serious. The last winter was unusually warm.
Germs that should've succumbed to cold weather survived the winter.
Symptoms begin with a fever and rashes all over the head.
The throat swells after that.
The time it takes to claim a life differs.
Some people die instantly and others usually die within ten days.
The unusual part is that Eunyul, where it first broke out, has the least casualties.
And Ongjin had the most casualties compared to the other regions.
What is the reason for it?
It may be because of a regional difference.
Or it could be because the prescription in Eunyul was more effective.
What was their prescription?
It was a medicine which consists of 14 herbal ingredients.
Then why doesn't everyone use it?
The same medicine didn't help in Ongjin.
We must survey the situation in Eunyul and Ongjin more closely.
It will take me three days to cover the areas.
But you must give instructions. You can't be gone for three whole days.
More royal physicians should be on their way, sir.
Let's go.
Matrimony vine. Licorice.
We took these three and gave them to the patients.
Let me take a look.
Doctor Heo is back from Eunyul and Jaeryong, sir.
When did you get here?
Just now.
I'm sorry that we couldn't come sooner to help.
Don't say that. I'm just glad to see you all here.
Myung-won!
It must've been hard.
Well, we'll suffer together now.
Doctor Heo, you have been doing a good job.
Greet Minister Jung Sung-pil. He was sent to be in charge.
I have something to say.
I am Heo Jun from Yongcheon.
You deserve to be punished!
He is one of the doctors!
Doctors are getting sick, too?
What are you doing?
I can't do this.
I don't know if I can stop this plague.
Have courage.
Allow me to fulfill my duty as a doctor.
Don't try to fool me!
Your life is pretty much over.