Joseon X-Files - Secret Book
Dragon King Sutra
Mother!
Mother...
Mother!
- Jageun... - Mother!
- Episode 10: Return to Dragon Palace -
And you usually are such dashing specimen when ashore...
Your Excellency.
Methinks better days have graced you?!
You pestiferous dullard,
what are you so frantically gnashing with that trap of yours?
Were it not for this wander,
where else would I get the chance to gnash on such delectable nibble?!
Not surprisingly, no reports were filed by the local administration.
Meaning that all we have is talebearing suggesting...
that a dragon fell down after gliding in the sky.
Plenty of arcane objects falling from the sky in these dwellings, all right.
No... Afraid I must decline.
Aigoo... Now that was a long trip.
Ahh... Is not that enough?
What is this place?
*1598, vs the Wa; the battle where Admiral Lee Soonshin lost his life
It had been an outpost of the naval forces during the Battle of Noryang*,
but now the most astounding sight is likely to be that of a rare visitor.
I would understand if exiled, but no man would be eager to visit these lands.
For now, we better find somewhere to lodge.
Yes, yes.
Humble village elder Eo Sunkwon bids you welcome.
As galling as these dwellings might prove to be for such esteemed yangban,
may you accord us your considerate understanding.
Ohh Ohh!
Were you perchance aware of our arrival?
Tidings of wayfarers headed our way are indeed swift to grace my ears.
For dreary as it may be,
it still is a most cherished place to us all.
Ahh... I see.
We are only here on a brief jaunt, so never you worry.
Let's go.
If I may insist, we would be most elated to escort you.
How could I dare subject an esteemed Office inspector to any discomfiture?
My sincerest apologies.
I wish I could have invited you to my meager dwellings,
but as providence would have it, troublous quandaries afflicted us as of late.
I therefore arranged quarters for you here at the old naval outpost.
Your hospitality whelms me with gratitude,
but I do wonder how a civilian such as yourself...
could use such old government outposts as he pleases.
For His Excellency the former commander instructed me to...
personally oversee and operate this post on his behalf.
With Wa insurrections afflicting us throughout the years...
Aigoo...
I did manage to turn what was essentially a wasteland...
into what you could now describe as presentable dwellings, if I may say so.
When you decide to make your return to the mainland,
I shall endeavor to grace Your Excellency with a generous bequest.
So you really believe my official duty here is collecting salt levies?
I perfectly understand.
Never...
Never you mind, I shall settle everything.
Perchance,
did anything fall from the sky, about a moon past?
What... exactly are you referring to...
As for this fellow you had the pleasure of making acquaintance with,
he is deeply enthralled by astral phenomena,
curiosity that talebearing coming from these dwellings certainly aroused.
So, tell me... Did something indeed fall?
Ahh... Well...
I am aware of such talebearing,
*the divine rulers of the four seas in Chinese mythology
but they only amount to "dragon kings* descending from the sky."
For I did not witness any such occurrence personally...
Any other singular occurrence as of late?
I did notice an unusual quantity of fish lying lifeless ashore.
People clamor the advent of the dragon kings,
but if such were indeed the case, how propitious it would be.
And they say the mice play when the cats are away...
Does not sound too unfamiliar now, does it?
I guess he found himself in charge of salt and provisions at the outpost,
amassing quite the fortune and influence in the process.
Still, subjecting an Office inspector to that... really...
There was the distinct possibility of it just being a meteor.
Meteor?
On rare occurrences, burning rock can fall from the sky.
It leaves a long trail during its fall,
one so powerful, some say it even leaves huge craters upon impact.
It's a falling star, all right.
But I really am not sure.
A meteor would have caused great turbulence upon its arrival.
Although its absence could certainly be feasible if it just fell into the sea.
Could be that.
It's not like we could go check ourselves.
Listen.
I would like a word with you, would you please come closer?
I will not bite.
I am not trying to flaunt in vainglory,
so let us forget any social standing of ours and discuss amiably.
Hey... You!
Hey!
So, what, is acting terrified the local pastime here,
or are they all so demure by nature?!
Unless someone forced this upon them, they would never react this way.
I am sure that this silence conceals some secrets.
But if they keep this up, there will be no way to get to the root of this.
You wench!
Get on your knees!
You lowly vermin dare behold a yangban and go on as if nothing happened?
Should you continue subjecting me to such obloquious ignominy,
the entire village shall be held responsible for your vile misdeeds.
I beg you... Spare my life...
Aigoo... Naeuri... May you abate your ire.
It's likely these lowly boors never had the chance to see a yangban,
could we not blame such savagery on that?
Y...es... Yes, please spare my life!
What are all these?
They're huge.
I... I... just found them. Right over there.
You found them?!
You didn't even catch them, but just found them?
I mean...
Ever since that day,
we've been finding fish on the beach...
What day?
Did something happen here?
I mean...
The day the dragon king descended upon us.
Could you tell us more about that day?
What do you mean by this "dragon king descending upon us"?
What I meant is...
From the sky, suddenly this huge...
And right into the sea.
So a boisterous blare pierced the skies, and something fell into the sea?
Yes... And that would be the dragon king.
That is why Jageun's mother ended up in that state.
I can understand her mother, but what did that poor child ever do wrong?
Here you were... I have been looking all over for you.
I am sure our forlorn fishing hamlet is not proving to be much of a jaunt,
so may I requite your kind visit with a much more intriguing sight?
Salt is produced through these kilns by boiling brine.
Ceremonies before those kilns are very common amongst salt-producing villages.
But, knowing our most esteemed visitors graced us with their presence,
I hastily made amends to move the proceedings to today.
Your visit whelms us all with gratitude.
Divine providence blessed us with the honor of hosting the lord of the seas,
so we confide in your bountiful benevolence and hope you will join us.
Is the "dragon king" who descended into the offing your lord of the seas?
I hear a woman was hurt when it appeared.
And it still manages to command such deference from you?
I see you have heard...
And I recall telling my fellow villagers not to let that vitiate our esteemed guests' ears...
It might only seem like vacuous superstition to you,
but that is what paltry lowborns like us rely upon.
I hope you will not discredit it as mere chicanery.
May our every villager be blessed by the dragon king's divine benevolence.
Did we not survive such harrowing quandaries?
That is why we must forever be grateful for the dragon king's blessing,
and to the naval forces, who protected us until their bitter demise,
sacrifice which shall allow them entry into the sacred dragon palace.
Are they not the men responsible for rescuing our nation,
the people we owe our very survival to?
In life, sacrificing their lives to rescue Joseon.
And after their demise, becoming the dragon king's holy legion protecting the sea.
It is our duty and privilege to once again serve...
the spirits of the fallen, of those who found eternal sleep in the holy dragon palace.
And you can stomach that?
This is nothing you will find in Hanyang!
It's only in places like this that you can.
All that tirade about the spirit of those fallen soldiers sure was grotesque.
Because of the naval outpost,
*1597, while the Imjin War between Wa (Japan) and Joseon was raging
Wa forces invaded the island during the Jeongyu year*.
Those might be the fallen soldiers and harrowing quandaries he referred to.
But seeing how they seem so hell-bent on diverting our attention,
they must indeed be hiding something.
Ahh... And hide what?
Just like brides don't fart in their in-laws' presence,
with yangban from the capital around, they don't feel at ease.
Could indeed be the case, I suppose.
Yet, that woman attacked on the beach...
How could seafood be this insipid?
Without any salt, the stench of fish is even worse.
Can you really stomach that?
Meseems I'm still too qualmish for that sight, so I shall take a saunter.
Come on in.
My varlets will bring you something to drink.
I am sure Your Excellency joined the hostilities during the Wa invasion?
Naturally.
Back then, this island was in tumult.
Even my only son joined the naval forces,
and perished on that beach back in the Jeongyu year.
He joined the war to avenge his mother, and look at how it ended...
And it wasn't just my son.
All the lowborns populating this forlorn island put their life on the line.
Fighting for their land, their abodes...
I can imagine the distress.
The dragon king inhabiting this island...
He generously welcomed all those fallen souls to his sacred palace.
And this magnanimous deity...
recently blessed you all by descending into the sea.
I will tell you.
Just as you suggested, a mysterious entity recently descended into the sea,
and we believe that to be the dragon king, lord of the southern sea.
And is that all?
I did hear of talebearing suggesting that anyone embroiled in arcane occurrences...
is brutally beheaded, is that perchance the truth?
Seemingly.
My mission is to make sure that does not happen.
And so I shall ask again.
What really happened here?
By chance...
Naeuri...
May you pardon the interruption, but...
What is the matter?
Did you not see I was engaged in parley with our guest from Hanyang?
But...
The salt kiln...
All right.
May you accept my apologies.
I must deal with some complications regarding our kilns...
The night is ripe, so I suggest we continue our parley in the morrow.
I wish you a safe return.
If you'll excuse me.
Dragon King Sutra
Devote your souls to the lord.
It is almost...
Almost time...
Magistrate Jang... What's wrong?
Is anything the matter?
Why... Is something wrong?
Just stay put.
As providence would have it, our meeting could not wait any longer.
May you accept my apologies for not telling you in advance, Your Excellency.
But considering the situation...
Are you telling me you were aware that this would happen?
How would I dare...
I could never imagine visitors like you could be blessed by heavenly bequest,
and I chose not to show it to you, believing it was nothing but a local matter.
But now that you have been blessed with the same honor...
Naeuri, please come here.
What do you think you're doing?
Everything is ready.
What is all this?
Considering the situation, we must ask you to entrust him to our care.
It is not only for our village, but also for their sake as well,
so may you accord us your most benevolent understanding.
Stop at once!
Come with me, Magistrate Jang.
- Don't do it. - You must observe extreme caution.
Magistrate Jang, come here.
You knave! Free the way!
You presumptuous varmint! Get out of the way!
What are you people doing?
Assistant Heo... What's wrong?
Assistant Heo! What is the matter?
Magistrate Jang!
Assistant Heo... Wake up!
Magistrate Jang!
Naeuri, that's enough.
Magistrate Jang...
I will just follow them.
Let us go.
Magistrate Jang!
Assistant Heo, will you get a hold of yourself or not?
- Feeling any better? - Yes...
I briefly found myself benumbed.
How about Magistrate Jang?
Those people took him along.
I was just about to go look for him.
Let us go, then.
No.
Just enjoy some repose here.
I shall go there alone.
Naeuri.
Never you mind.
Just be careful.
There is something ominous about this all.
Just have some rest.
I will be back in a moment.
Don't just stand there, and come on in.
Let us share the morning repast.
He's part of my retinue,
so I shall entrust him to a physician back on the mainland.
Just come in, for now.
You can always leave your two assistants here and personally tend to them.
Here...
Is that perchance some kind of contagious ailment?
I couldn't say.
Out of all the cases I personally witnessed,
there were no deaths or serious injuries.
They are the chosen ones, precious hosts blessed by divine bequest,
so I am sparing no effort to look after them, never you worry.
Chosen ones?
Since they are all parturient.
Parturient?!
So it is no ailment?
No, it is pregnancy.
Despite the fact men, even children are manifesting those symptoms?
Is this morsel not to your liking?
Answer me.
The fish bestowed upon us by the dragon king belongs to the chosen ones,
so we are forced to relish such meager victuals.
For they are hosting the dragon king's precious offspring.
What is that supposed to mean?
Are you telling me they're parturient with the dragon king's offspring?
Listen.
Are you Jageun?
She was the very first to be blessed by the dragon king's benevolence.
What?! Benevolence?!
She partook in this propitious blessing with her mother,
but our inadvertence caused a most lamentable miscarriage.
That is the reason why we had to so suddenly end our parley that night.
Magistrate Jang.
Are you all right?
I could not even eat rice cakes...
What on earth is going on here?
The dragon king's offspring?!
Have you ever witnessed records mentioning such occurrences?
*reign 600 - 641
King Mu of Baekje* was named Seodong during his childhood,
and legends narrate he was the offspring of a dragon inhabiting a pond.
Not to mention...
What's wrong?
Naeuri.
I better tell you in advance.
I might end up suffering from those same ailments very soon.
What?
What is that supposed to mean?
Meseems this condition is preceded by a loss of clarity.
It benumbs you, as you soon turn into something you wouldn't even recognize.
It might even lead me to do things against my will.
- So what can I do? - We have no time.
The moment those ailments assault me,
strange memories you never witnessed before engulf your mind.
As if being possessed by some kind of entity,
they are like voices in your head, guiding your every move.
And now...
I have to come back...
Assistant Heo!
Assistant Heo.
Assistant Heo, hang in there!
Assist...
Wake up!
Assistant Heo!
This way.
Come.
Careful.
Here... Look at me. Your hands.
Come on.
Sit.
Don't tell me you're trying to leave this island?
And I thought all my efforts in trying to explain the situation wouldn't be in vain...
How dare you try to abscond with the dragon king's offspring...
All these uncanny occurrences are nothing you can handle on your own.
It is nothing we can so nonchalantly ignore.
I know many people who could be of service,
so allow my return to the mainland.
How surprising...
No yangban or anyone bedecked in official robes can ever be trusted.
You will only notify the court of our allegedly treacherous conduct,
and bring demise upon us, think I wouldn't know that?
Treacherous?!
Is this all because of the dragon king's offspring?
You needn't worry, then.
And I told you those have nothing to do with any dragon king.
People have just been possessed by something.
I hear of countless men beheaded for allegedly "treacherous" misdeeds?
So the moment the court hears of this,
demise will loom around the corner for every single one of us!
You truly believe you could deceive me?
There is no talking to you, is there?!
So those fallen soldiers would return to life through these villagers' bellies?
Sure... Let us suppose that it is indeed the case.
For it would certainly be a harrowing sight, but not much of a culpable misdeed.
But, tell me.
Was it Jageun?
How do you explain the cruelty of using a child like her for all this?
And how about those men?
Will you have to pry this divine offspring out of their bellies?
Is it something your beloved lord of the sea would do?
If our country's protection is at stake, what sacrifice would be too daunting?
Even a young moppet should be prepared to stake her all for the sake of her country!
Indeed!
How commendable.
What remarkable patriotic fervor!
But have you not thought about this?
The crimson tide which engulfed this beach was not solely made up of our naval forces.
Countless Wa men lost their lives here,
so is there not a possibility such offspring could be enemy soldiers?
Don't you dare begrime the divine offspring's legacy!
They do not deserve your contempt.
They are the very people who sacrificed their lives...
to protect the country that you perfidious varmints abandoned!
My son! All those fallen soldiers gracing us once again from the dragon palace!
So that those Wa usurpers will never again besoil these lands,
the lord of the southern sea has brought our fallen soldiers back to life!
Indeed! An omen of the lord's intents graces the horizon!
Harrowing quandaries accompany it!
It suggests the Wa usurpers shall once again violate our soil!
And it is to once again protect us that the dragon king...
Assistant Heo! Get up! Get a hold of yourself!
Naeuri... Naeuri!
Wake up!
Naeuri...
Assistant Heo... Assistant Heo!
I was told of your miscarriage.
Yes...
I would understand if you don't believe it.
Ahh... No.
I am sure it merely made its return back to the sea.
But what I was wondering...
is how this offspring you were hosting was the only one which found its way out.
Yes...
From the very moment I carried that offspring,
I felt benumbed, without any energy.
And I suddenly began craving salty food.
That is why I began eating salt directly from our kilns.
Salt?!
Yes.
The so-called offspring inhabiting your bellies...
is neither the fallen naval forces coming back to life,
nor anything the dragon king blessed you with.
They are creatures from a distant world far past the horizon,
falling into our soil and assuming new semblances.
Creatures that only fleetingly used your bodies as nothing but a vessel.
You... You knave!
And now I shall prove it to you.
- Catch that knave! - Yes!
Catch him! Do it!
Magistrate Jang.
Darling... Look at me.
Salt...
Salt! Salt!!
Salt... We must find more salt!
Where is the salt?
That way!
Let's go!
That sound...
It sounds almost as if it's calling them back to the sea.
And in every walk of life, there are always those not so eager to follow orders.
Eager to satiate their curiosity and make new experiences.
Naeuri.
You knave...
You knave!
It's all over now.
Have you not seen what happened?
It is time to go now.
We are grateful for all your care and hospitality.
We recovered enough to be able to make our return.
Perchance,
are you my son?
Yongil, is that you?
Yongil... Yongil!
You are very odd and fascinating creatures.
Our gratitude.
Father.
Yongil...
Yongil! Yongil...
So all this time,
that thing was in my belly?
Ohh Ohh! A most welcome downpour might be to blame,
but look at this wondrous day, and the gentle breeze grazing by.
Don't you agree?
So, what, are you just going to leave that village elder there?
Because, truth be told, it still remains treason.
As if living in such forsaken dwellings were not enough, what treason?!
A look at him in the morn, and it seems all this took quite the toll on him.
I felt such pity for him, I just let him be.
Right... Magistrate Jang.
Maybe you'd fancy another octopus leg?!
I remember you gnashing on it with such fervor, I saved another.
Here... No need to feel burdened.
People call me the Man of Thunder.
And that is the reason why my acolytes follow me.
Father...
The time has finally come for you to come back.
Meseems Jiseung might have encountered some difficulties.
What did you do to His Excellency?
Why are you doing this?
If you truly wish for his survival,
you must head to your library and bring that back.
Assistant Heo!
Inspector Kim!
What object was he referring to?
What is it?
Inspector Kim!
I will destroy it!