Joseon X-Files - Secret Book
Episode 6: Ghosts of Yidu
Kim Hyeongdo of the Office of Inspector General?
His body was ravaged by stab wounds.
I shall let you inspect the body and draw your own conclusions.
If we're dealing with a murder, alert the capital bureau,
why bother the inspector with...
We were told of your repute in dealing with erratic cases,
which prompted us to summon you here.
Where was the body first discovered?
I thought I asked you a question...
Any conjecture on your part would be most appreciated.
Were you able to identify the victim?
Ahh... You people...
What is all this supposed to mean?
That body belongs to a soothsayer I employed.
You do look quite familiar indeed.
Have we ever met?
Would my official duties involve knowing every noble in the eight provinces?
Really...
If you say so, I shall take your word for it.
I sent him to my abode a few nights past,
but that is how he was found.
*Ojak - assistants of the local magistrates in charge of autopsies
Administration hirelings* could easily dispose of corpses,
just as you will find plenty of bureau officers eager to deal with murders.
It brings great shame to my noble legacy to say this,
but this abode of mine is haunted by spirits.
*Gweryeok Nanshin: Gwe (Arcane), Ryeok (Brute Strength), Nan (Treason), Shin (Ghosts)
So you believe in such superstitious chicanery*...
Quite the fascinating fellow you are.
Such otherwordly presences start haunting this place,
and in no time,
a corpse is found within these premises.
He got hacked to smithereens, all right.
How on earth... What is all this?
Can I entrust this to you?
Aigoo...
And how could we possibly be of service, in a haunted place like this?
In cases like this, a ritual is what you need.
Was there any apparatus hunting ghosts in Joseon?
Never asked you to capture them.
All I need from you is an explanation.
Your repute in dealing with such occurrences precedes you.
And who shall I thank for that?
Then,
just consider it a personal favor of mine.
How can he behave in that manner with an Office inspector?
A mere ritual is all it would take, wretched son of a...
So you really think those people believe in ghosts?
Uh?
Naeuri...
Are you really going there?
You just said you didn't know him.
Who said I didn't?
So you don't even know what the Chief of the Royal Palace Guard looks like?
Royal Palace Guard...
The Chief of the Royal Palace Guard?!
- No Trespassing -
This immense place...
so deep in the mountains?!
Meseems ghosts might have preceded us.
Uh?
Found anything of note?
Oh my...
-What... -What did I tell you?
Ghosts preceded us.
You're late.
Quite swift, all right.
Wonder what sordid fellow would send a woman to such nefarious dwellings all alone.
Did you not join me here after all?
Wow... Isn't this the perfect climate for a ghost to bask in?
What are you doing?
You must spare no salt when it comes to ghostly presences.
Forget that.
If it's a ghost haunting a corrupt courtier's abode,
would we not be dealing with a rather judicious spirit?
Yeah, right...
Ahh... So this damned traitor can't tame his greed even after death?
After death?!
Why, you didn't know?
His Excellency Choi Chanmin was beheaded for treason a few years past.
Choi Chanmin was actually never caught.
Uh?!
The Office was involved with that case as well, if I recall?
That's right.
The true ringleader suddenly disappeared,
whereas his kinfolks were sentenced to death despite being innocent.
Naeuri, he's nowhere to be found.
Rummage the entire premises.
That vile traitor is armed and will resist to the bitter end.
He was pierced by arrows, so he must be hiding nearby.
Didn't it end with very little fanfare for a man accused of treason?
Their failure to catch the culprit...
moved them to wrap up the case in haste.
Abandoning his kindred to their fate just to save himself...
Ignominious varlet.
So did anyone actually see these alleged ghosts?
Nobody witnessed them firsthand, but they mentioned strange occurrences.
Seems like several people met their demise after entering this place.
And as of late, some even saw light coming from inside here.
That is hardly something humans wouldn't be capable of.
All we've been doing all day long is opening door after door.
And I suppose these were his daughter's quarters.
There were far too many anomalies for humans to be responsible.
They talked of walls shaking violently, and utensils floating in the air.
This really calls for a ritual!
Seems like even that had no effect.
During the mudang's ritual, rain and thunder howled from the sky,
and all the sacrificial vessels suddenly set forth towards the bystanders.
So these ghosts of ours can even summon natural phenomena?
Of course not,
but there is something very odd about this all.
I see the keeper here had a predilection for these rituals.
Did you...
find this around here as well?
They could just have buried or disposed of them...
If it was real gold, would they have left it here?
Anything out of the ordinary?
All the door-rings have been removed.
But why?
Looks like they were trying to avoid the morning dew?!
Seeing shadows emerge from an empty house that is suddenly lit...
would certainly awaken people's curiosity.
And from a place haunted by ghosts, at that.
Let the dew ravage your lungs or ghosts haunt your soul,
not much difference, don't you think?
Where is she?
Naeuri...
Naeuri! I caught her!
Naeuri!
And who are you?
I am only a mudang who performed rituals here.
Soothsayers and now even mudang?
I wonder what's next.
So tell me, why maunder this empty abode?
I left my sacrificial vessels behind, so I merely came back for them.
So why would you try to elude us?
If someone suddenly emerged from such ominous dwellings,
would you not be daunted by that?
Weren't you mudang able to communicate with the afterlife?
People can be much more daunting than the most ominous ghosts.
So, what,
are you really telling me that a ghost was behind all this?
I suppose the rage felt by the ghosts of this clan's ancestors is to blame.
Ancestors?!
Is it because of that pond?
But I hear that you suggested digging that.
It was simply a matter of rectifying this house's fortunes through geomancy.
However,
while we were digging that pond, we found something peculiar.
A ghost?
A huge metal stake emerged from the soil.
I did try to remove the stake, sensing a nefarious energy around it,
but it was so firmly planted, there was no taking it out.
And from that day onwards...
It appeared! That ghost.
Does that explain your ritual?
Yes.
It was to placate the ancestors' rage, but...
But it had no effect.
Of course... They're ghosts as well, after all.
Where is that pond you dug?
This..
Was this planted or did it just spurt out?
This is no stake... It's a post, all right.
Is this that "geomancy" you talked about?
It might be a little too extravagant to be classified as such,
but can you deny its effect on this place?
And would its effects merely stop at controlling this abode's energy?
Ming Taoist priest Xu Shihao once drove a metal stake into Goryeo soil,
as he claimed it possessed the Son of Heaven's energy.
Considering Goryeo's downfall and the subsequent founding of Joseon,
it's hard to say whether Xu's metal stake had any effect.
I need to show you something.
Wow...
How much blood was shed here?
Still feels all sticky.
That is what befits such consuming grudges.
I suggest you leave before any harm is brought upon you.
It is peculiar indeed.
Would you be able to reach that far?
Where?
Right over there.
You and your jests...
How about you?
There are far too many anomalies for this to be considered a human feat.
So you believe in ghosts as well?
I'm merely saying it's much too unfeasible a feat for a man.
It sure is.
It would be hard to believe.
It's almost as if someone was trying to communicate something to us.
Be that a man,
or a ghost as you say.
We shall begin ransacking the entire premises.
Looking for what?
Marks on the wall such as that.
And why would we bother?
What if we end up meeting that ghost?
It's getting dark as it is...
Was that not the very reason why we came here?
You take Assistant Heo along.
You come with me.
With all these ominous forces surrounding us, I suggest you leave.
Just in case you hadn't realized it already,
I'm afraid I don't believe you quite yet.
And I could easily apprehend you as the culprit and end it all here,
should I be inclined to.
Let us go.
That temper...
As if he believed in ghosts to begin with.
What else can we do?
Let's get going.
Ohh Ohh... Now what is all this, the moment we set out?
So this is the fate awaiting forlorn dwellings like these.
This place must have been brimming with guests back in the day.
Howls of condolence might swelter the wake of a courtier's dog,
but when it's the courtier who heads for the Pearly Gates, wouldn't he travel alone?
So what do you suggest we do?
How do you plan to deal with this ghost you believe in?
What could a mudang possibly do?
Could a vengeful spirit's wrath be so easily quelled?
So that's what forced Choi Chanmin to abandon this place.
Must have been quite regrettable, leaving behind such sumptuous dwellings.
Had you been working for this clan already?
I wasn't.
I merely was led here,
after learning that something was disrupting this place's energy.
So you must truly be talented.
Was not this abode's keeper accused of treason?
After which he abandoned his kindred and ran away...
Quite the despicable specimen.
Had he been captured and sentenced,
I doubt he'd have any excuse to make.
Will he really be all right?
I'm sure that Inspector Kim already knows.
Ahh... I really can't figure you people out...
Why, will staring at it bring anything to mind?
I have no idea yet.
Aigoo...
And what would that be?
There.
Is that not a charm?
And a charm would glitter like that?
Powerful clans used to believe that golden charms...
would increase their chances of having their prayers heard.
So it is likely coated in gold.
Gold?!
Ahh... Then...
That means that golden charms might be all over this abode?
It is possible.
Wow...
So when you were... "possessed" as you call it,
how did that feel?
There are questions you should never ask.
I was sweltered by high fever, as if on the brink of demise.
After enduring it for over a month, I had to accept it as my destiny.
So even you mudang face dire quandaries.
It's merely what awaits lowly ancestry such as ours.
Tell me, how old are you?
A little more.
Be careful.
Aigoo...
Almost there...
Are you all right?
- Aigoo... My back... - Why even bother going up there?
Ahh... The charm.
The charm.
Why, never seen a gold-coated charm before?
You never really showed interest in any such thing...
I don't think His Excellency put this here.
These are much too different from Joseon patterns.
I was given this in the south.
It is a sort of charm as well.
And she didn't even blink once before that man's ravaged visage...
Ghosts must really be scary, all right.
And what is all this?
It might be about this place's origins.
*Namgyeong, one of Goryeo's three capitals; was in Yangju until early 12th Cen.
"There was a man known as Elder Na from the Southern Capital*."
"He gained possession of a land lot to build his abode,"
"but his actions enraged the spirit inhabiting the land,"
"who summoned thunder and rain against him."
"So vicious a storm it was, the construction had to be halted,"
"subjecting Elder Na to great destitution."
"Na summoned a priest from the Hwehwe people*,"
*How Uyghur people were called on Goryeo and Joseon records
"who suggested that the abode's shape and position could invoke spirits."
"After changing the abode's foundations and planting ten metal stakes..."
"around the lot, those spirits were forever repelled."
"Elder Na built a shrine around the ten metal stakes,"
"and every year summoned the Hwehwe priest for a ritual."
"This all happened in the seventh year of King Chungmok's reign (1351)."
Back in the Goryeo dynasty.
Then, are you telling me this place was centuries old?
But this place's form...
Is this all... like, geomancy?
Does not seem so.
It's almost as if they arranged it in a formation.
Formation?!
What kind of formation?
To repel that ominous energy.
Just like with those metal stakes.
Then, His Excellency couldn't have been responsible for this.
Ahh... Then, that Goryeo ghost?
Ahh... really, this is something.
But there is something that still makes me wonder.
Whether the ghost summoned thunder and rain,
- or else... - Or else?
Whether all these strange occurrences only happen with such climate.
May I ask you what you do for a living?
I wonder...
I don't know what that really is myself.
There are a few things I must ponder,
so remain here at your leisure.
I thought about all this once again.
The pond you were attempting to dig is what invoked those spirits,
which at long last turned this into an inhospitable, haunted place.
The ominous energy surrounding it would have created havoc anyhow.
Which is why...
About that slovenly shrine we saw...
It must have required copious amounts of chicken blood, methinks.
What are you trying to say?
I'm sure you're well aware yourself,
but blood spilled can coagulate in less than half a day.
On the contrary, that blood felt quite fresh,
leading me to think someone must have spilled it there on purpose.
And who would possibly do that?
Which is why all the clues at my disposal...
lead to just one single word of warning.
And what is it?
"Leave this place."
Once everyone left this place, what were your plans?
Wh...What are you trying to say?
Despite being haunted by spirits,
His Excellency filled this abode with people without reserve.
Even though everyone was daunted by this place.
The same goes for you.
Was there a reason why you'd try everything to get your hands on this place,
even at the cost of facing those spirits' vengeful wrath?
I merely came here to gather my sacrificial vessels...
Exactly.
To gather them.
No...
It's more likely you came looking for something.
And to my knowledge, only one thing disappeared from this place.
His Excellency Choi Chanmin, sentenced for treason.
So he doesn't even get scared, all by himself?
Naeuri...
And why...
Why would I be looking for a traitor?
Give it a rest.
I recall he had a daughter about your age.
And they say children grow up in no time...
You must forgive me for not recognizing you.
Is using these ghostly charades to pay back the affront...
they brought upon a father who would rather save himself at your expense...
going to make any difference now?
Your jests are not amusing me.
Aww... My...
Naeuri!
Naeuri!!
Naeuri...
Milady...
Magistrate Jang!
Magi...
Aigoo... Naeuri! Aigoo...
Magistrate Jang, are you all right?
Naeuri...
Assistant Heo...
Where is Assistant Heo?
Aigoo, Naeuri... She sent me here...
Assistant Heo!!
Assistant Heo!
- You look that way. - Yes.
Assistant Heo!
Assistant Heo...
Assistant Heo!
- Found anything? - No.
She's not here, I can't find her...
- Magistrate Jang. - Yes.
- You go take a look over there. - Yes.
Assistant Heo!
Assistant Heo?
Assistant Heo! Where are you?
Assistant Heo!!
I can't see a thing.
Naeuri!
Magistrate Jang!
What's the matter?
Wait... This...
Was she taken by the spirits?
Assistant Heo!
What on earth is going on?
What is this place?!
Assistant Heo!
- Assistant Heo! - Asisstant Heo!!
Assistant Heo!
- Assistant Heo! - Naeuri!
There... That way!
Assistant Heo!
Where are you?
Down here.
Naeuri... Inside the well!
- Naeuri! - Assistant Heo!
Are you all right? Any injuries?
Nothing serious, thankfully.
Let us find something to pull her out of there.
- Yes, yes... - Hold on a moment!
Naeuri,
I think someone else might be here.
Someone else?
That mudang who came with me perished.
No... I'm sure there is someone here.
I don't know who you're referring to,
but we can talk about that after we leave this place.
This place is too dangerous.
I don't think I could even explain what I witnessed.
We found His Excellency Choi Chanmin's body.
What's that supposed to mean?
He was found inside a well behind your abode.
Was there ever a well there?
What were you digging up that soil for?
Isn't filling holes with water what behooves you to do in a place where traitors lived?
Doesn't look like you found anything of note there?!
I think that from now on we might get to meet each other a lot more frequently.
Mysterious metal posts made ironware float in the air,
at times hurling themselves at bystanders or even pulling them.
Coming alongside thunderbolts, the effect is like that of a magnet.
Pure coincidence as it might have been,
the abode's peculiar structure might be behind these phenomena.
Both its structure and decorations differ from anything found today,
making it impossible to pinpoint this design's origins.
These objects clearly have a purpose for someone,
but as it stands, there is no way to find out the truth.
- Kim Hyeongdo -
It's me.
Kim Hyeongdo.
I'm afraid we never met before.
Is this what people had been talking about?
It always had been there to begin with, people just didn't see it.
To my surprise, she was alive. What should I do?
Wouldn't going back to where you first started solve it?
Wait a moment!
There is no time. Where did the carriage go?
- What are you doing? - It's too late now.
- Are you telling me it keeps repeating itself? - It's what they wished for.
And how could they expect their wishes would turn into this?
I will put an end to that.
Are you happy now?
What led you here?