Sungkyunkwan Scandal
Park Yoo-chun
Park Min-young
Song Joong-ki
Yoo A-in
Seo Hyo-rim
Ahn Nae-sang
Kim Kap-soo
Jo Sung-ha Lee Jae-yong
This is where the former king
first had "Geumdeungjisa" kept.
Where learning leads
and where a nation begins.
Where the ancestral tablets of Joseon's kings are enshrined.
Right here.
Why did you come here alone?
It's not here.
I really thought I'd find it here.
I was scared...
you might have gotten hurt.
- To Jongmyo! - Yes, sir!
We didn't find anyone!
There wasn't anyone where the ancestral tablets are kept.
The Red Writer headed this way!
Catch him!
Please move quickly until we get to Sungkyunkwan.
Once we get there, the soldiers won't be able to do anything.
The Red Writer slipped away again?
Did the king's men come again?
This time,
they looked like private soldiers.
Private soldiers?
Private soldiers.
There is someone,
a kid who doesn't belong at Sungkyunkwan.
I should go find them.
They should be...
it's lights out soon.
The director may not be in, but we have to do our duty.
What is the meaning of this?
This is Sungkyunkwan, a sacred shrine to Master Confucius.
You may be government soldiers,
but you have no right to search our students.
I'm exercising my authority as the proctor.
Make way.
Proctor!
- What was that? - What's going on?
Not here. No!
Our priority is finding the injured Red Writer.
Also look for "Geumdeungjisa." And make sure you do it surreptitiously.
If they found it in Jongmyo
and haven’t gone to the palace,
Geumdeungjisa must be somewhere at Sungkyunkwan.
Yongha.
Do you really think you can get us out of this with your smooth talk?
So,
what do you mean to say?
The injured Red Writer is somewhere on campus.
Have you seen him, Kim Yunsik?
So
you'll confess that you're the Red Writer?
I'm doing this
as I want to hold on to the hope that Joseon is a nation
where principles hold sway.
But more importantly,
I can't let Jaesin be taken away...
especially given the state he's in.
Search thoroughly. The Red Writer might be hiding in there.
Yes, sir.
Stop this.
All the students are watching you.
Do you want to become the first proctor to sully Sungkyunkwan
by bringing in government soldiers?
I will become the first proctor
to demonstrate what power can do.
Look forward to it, Gu Yongha.
- What's going on? - What's going on?
Yongha.
The Red Writer is in here!
- What? - The Red Writer?
- Lee Seonjun? - Lee Seonjun's the Red Writer?
Yongha.
Lee Seonjun is the Red Writer?
Well, how could I not know it?
Both are the same
and say the right things only.
Confucius would say
"it's easy to miss what is in front of you".
What are you doing?
Do you expect me to believe you're the Red Writer?
This is not the one that Sungkyunkwan has been treating me.
Against the law of the nation and the Minister of War.
Will you take this gamble?
Is there any other evidence you need?
Lee Seonjun!
Get a move on!
Arrest the Red Writer!
Take the criminal away.
But father...
Stay put.
I'll take over from here.
Did you say that the Red Writer
was taken to Prosecution?
However, Your Majesty.
The one taken as the Red Writer
was not Mun Jaesin.
Then, if it
was not Mun Jaesin
who would that be?
That is
the son of the Prime Minister,
Lee Seonjun.
He's the Red Writer?
Yes.
That's what they say.
The Red Writer?
He's the Red Writer?
But
why?
Don't worry too much.
If I wasn't sure Lee Seonjun would be safe,
I wouldn't have let him go.
He's the only son of the prime minister.
The minister of war will have to restrain himself.
I guarantee it.
What are you talking about?
Lie still. You lost a lot of blood.
You tell me.
What about Lee Seonjun? What about the minister of war?
Jaesin.
Did he confess
in my stead? Did he say he was the Red Writer?
Did he?
Yes.
You can't go to jail in the state you're in.
So just lie still.
Can you ruin the floor like that?
Well, well, why are these rascals showing off as
they are the only boys around, huh?
Yongha.
The war minister's men forced their way into Sungkyunkwan.
It's unacceptable.
I will seek redress.
The minister of war would apologize for his crime
and let go of Lee Seonjun.
Will it be possible?
Trust me.
I'm Gu Yongha.
And "Geumdeungjisa"'?
Geumdeungjisa was not in Jongmyo or at Sungkyunkwan?
That's how it should be.
Geumdeungjisa was merely the king's wishful thinking.
And yet the prime minister treated me like a criminal over it.
Is that why you arrested Lee Seonjun?
But he's not the Red Writer.
We can make him the Red Writer.
We came here to take Lee Seonjun, to the Investigators' Bureau.
The Red Writer is the criminal that the Investigators' Bureau has been watching for.
Furthermore, any crime of student is under the jurisdiction of the Investigators' Bureau.
These are the data that show the activities of the Red Writer for the past few months.
This type of serious culprit cannot be turned over to the Ministry of War.
Then
take a careful look at all crimes
of the Red Writer fairly and squarely.
Supreme Investigator.
Let me tell you the method to safely
take out the snake from the snake den.
It is to use someone else's hands.
The son
has come to cause troubles to the Investigators' Bureau.
It is not a trouble at all.
Prosecuting the criminal who
violated the national law
is my job.
Supreme Investigator.
This man is not the Red Writer.
It does not make sense to have him pay for it.
Is there any place on earth
that one has to commit crime to be
a criminal and pay for his wrongdoing?
Don't you worry that no Red Writer
will allure people and disturb them with "Geumdeungjisa"
as I will do my duties to undertake
as the Supreme Investigators' Bureau.
Do you plan to make up...
for what happened ten years ago?
I didn't do anything wrong that night.
But
you kept your silence thereafter.
Is this your way of rebelling against me?
Don't you think it's a bit too much?
I have only lived the way you taught me
to live.
Commit not to trivial gains, but to what's righteous.
Earn the trust of your friends.
Do not fear death if by death
you can right what's wrong.
Am I wrong?
Morning news! Morning news!
- The Red Writer's at the Investigation Bureau! - What?
- Let me see that. - The Red Writer's at the Investigation Bureau!
- What's going on? - What?
This is a trap, a trap.
How can Lee Seonjun be the Red Writer?
He was an innocent man who has firm belief in principles.
He walked the fences and had the arrows?
It means there is something, but...
I just could not figure
Well, it has to be known
for me to visit the Prime Minister to console him or stay still here
I could make up my mind then.
I am more upset on how the government soldiers acted.
That is what I am saying.
The soldiers ambushed Sungkyunkwan when I was not around.
Why Lee Seonjun was turned over to the supreme investigator?
Isn't it the duty of the Investigator to involve in matters of the students?
Where have you all these years?
The Supreme Prosecutor is the Soron.
The Noron turned over the son of Noron to Soron? Will this is...
Just a show case, a show case.
Yongha...
The supreme investigator
lost his son ten years ago.
If this is about revenge...
That won't happen.
Jaesin!
I won't let Lee Seonjun get hurt over what happened in the past.
And who would believe that fool is the Red Writer?
Certainly not with the real Red Writer right here.
Are you planning to go and confess?
In the state you're in?
He went in your stead out of concern for your health.
If you don't accept his concern for you,
I won't forgive you.
Because
I would have done the same
for you.
Let me go anyway.
I need to talk to the supreme investigator.
I need to let my father know it wasn't the prime minister
who took my brother from us.
He needs to know if we are to save Lee Seonjun.
Jaesin.
Is that true, Crazy Horse?
Would I joke about that?
So, you two...
Stop worrying that Lee Seonjun's father may have been involved.
And you!
Don't forget what you said.
You said you would seek redress
for the government soldiers' trespass.
Of course.
Have everything in order before I return, okay?
I'm
Yes.
You're Gu Yongha.
Lee Seonjun's innocent.
You must release him.
You know very well
who the real Red Writer is.
I'll deal with this on my own.
It wasn't the prime minister
who killed my brother.
You heard Inspector Yun's testimony.
How does that change anything?
Consequently, they took away
my son to take over the power.
So you're going to resort
to the same thing they did?
I won't let you.
I'm going to confess.
The proof that I'm the real Red Writer
is etched on my body.
Every morning for the past ten years,
as I put on my uniform,
I waited for this day to come.
So I won't let you
get in my way.
Proctor Ha Insu,
the student council officers want to submit an appeal to the king
and stage a protest.
The war minister's soldiers forced their way into Sungkyunkwan
and violated the sanctity of the Grand Shrine and the main lecture hall.
Sungkyunkwan is an extraterritorial zone
and yet the soldiers arrested a Sungkyunkwan student.
We want the world to know how angry we are.
We also want an apology from the minister of war
and his majesty's guarantee that this
won't happen again.
So?
You exercised your authority and allowed soldiers to enter.
If you repent and apologize,
we will ask you to head the appeal.
But if you don't repent and don't partake in the appeal...
We will head the appeal.
And we also plan to hold you accountable and demand your impeachment
for allowing the war minister's men
to enter our campus.
The main lecture hall at 5:00 p.m.
What a shame.
I'll have to put you in a tight spot, too.
And hold you accountable for deceiving your classmates.
Gu Yongha, who had presented himself as wealthy nobility,
is actually the son
of a middle-class merchant.
How much longer were you planning to play nobility,
hiding behind your fancy garb?
Did you say the main lecture hall at 5:00'?
I hope
we don't see each other there.
What's the matter?
Ladies' Man, we're still good for 5:00 p.m., right?
Are we really going to impeach Ha Insu,
Ladies' Man?
This is
quite interesting, isn't it, Gu Yongha?
Ladies' Man turned as pale as a ghost.
He must have never seen this coming.
Right, Gobong?
I won't give the king an excuse to acquit Lee Seonjun.
There will be no appeals or protests.
But next time you need government soldiers for something,
have us do it.
Some students were hurt last night
and it was not pleasant seeing soldiers in the main lecture hall.
I felt the same way.
Valuable books were damaged...
You have an opinion? But you're not entitled to have one.
As Ladies' Man would say, we have a great show in store for us.
We'll get to see what Gu Yongha decides to do.
I will keep updating you on Crazy Horse's situation.
Crazy Horse isn't back yet?
The thing is,
I hear he's locked up in his room.
Things must not be going smoothly with the supreme investigator.
So now
our only recourse is the appeal and protest?
If we work together to prove Lee Seonjun's innocence,
he will be acquitted, right?
That might not be easy.
You see, Big Man...
I....
I'm sorry.
I don't think
I can lead the appeal.
What's going on,
Yongha?
It's 5:00 p.m.!
I'm doing this
because I hold on to the hope that Joseon is a nation
where principles hold sway.
Have everything in order before I return, okay?
I don't plan on apologizing.
I exercised my authority as the proctor and got the Red Writer arrested.
And the Red Writer is being punished in accordance with the law.
Thus,
I won't be taking part in any appeal or protest.
You leave us with no choice.
You will have to step down from your post.
You have betrayed our pride in being students
at Sungkyunkwan.
You have no right to demand my resignation.
You may have been able to enter Sungkyunkwan as the son of a merchant,
but you have no right to be here,
especially as an officer
of the student council.
- Take a look. - What's this?
What's this about?
Go on. Have a good look.
You...
He's not nobility?
What's the meaning of this?
I'm
not nobility.
My family
has long been a middle-class merchant household.
I do not have a grandfather
who was a high-ranking government official.
My father
wanted me to have a better life,
so he bought a fake family registry.
To be precise, he bought the facade of nobility.
And that's me,
standing before you.
He's not even nobility.
We're gathered here today to seek an apology from the war minister
and organize a protest to inform the court
of Lee Seonjun's innocence.
What I set out to do today,
I relegate
to Kim Yunsik.
Yongha.
- What's he talking about? - Is he shirking his responsibility?
I'm not qualified.
But it's not because I'm middle class.
It's because...
I was ashamed of my true self.
But
I'm not going to be ashamed any more.
What's he babbling about?
For a middle-class kid, he sure talks a lot.
That's right.
What I'm saying is,
you can no longer threaten me, Ha Insu.
This is Sungkyunkwan.
And I'm Gu Yongha.
Those weasels.
How did you know well the products from Qing China.
They have an uncanny ability for picking out expensive Chinese imports.
You must have lived
with a constant sense of dread.
I was deceiving the world.
I deserved it.
So, are you happy?
And that's why I wanted to find it...
Geumdeungjisa.
I wanted to see if there really could be
a world without social classes.
I put a huge burden on you.
It's now up to you to rally everyone to sign the appeal
and join the protest.
You know
that a protest is the only way to save Lee Seonjun, right?
You can do it, Big Man.
I'm not sure
whether I'm qualified.
It's a daunting task,
and
I'm neither experienced, nor competent.
But you want this dearly.
No one wants to save Lee Seonjun
more than you.
That's
your qualification.
The son of the Minister is the Red Writer.
I don't believe that.
It is humbling, Your Majesty.
However, Prime Minister.
All these Reports complain
numerous criminal activities that the Red Writer committed in the past.
He deceived people, arson, and looting.
Now I could see the mind of the king's father.
He loved his son but could not break down the justification of the vassals
and he had to order his son to die.
Perhaps kings are placed in such position.
I would not beg to release my son.
On that day in 1762,
This vassal... just did what I believed was right.
Oh, it really is great.
Are you saying that we have to break the moral laws to
keep the party platform?
You abandon
your son Lee Seonjun.
Lee Seonjun is
my son, now.
But you are also a father too.
Do you know that?
It is the first time that you called
yourself as "This Vassal" before me
ever.'.
What's this?
Please participate in the protest...
for Lee Seonjun's acquittal.
Lee Seonjun is not the Red Writer.
The war minister's men arrested the wrong...
Is this
what Yongha coached you to do?
Yongha's a liar. How can we trust a liar?
I dare say you may be a liar, too.
I'm not sure if I believe Lee Seonjun
isn't the Red Writer any more.
- Yeah. How are we to believe you? - I'm not convinced any more.
Let's go.
Yup.
- For Lee Seonjun's acquittal... - Whatever.
The protest is for Lee Seonjun's acquittal.
Are you sure he's not the Red Writer?
This is going to the king.
If something goes wrong, won't our entire families go down?
What if this keeps us from getting government posts?
Lee Seonjun is definitely not the Red Writer.
I believe the truth will come to light,
so please help me.
You've resorted to begging.
You're no match for me.
You will fail.
When there's a will, there's a way.
Taking part in the appeal and the protest
is a direct affront against me.
If anyone else wants to go down like Gu Yongha,
go ahead.
Even Confucius would've stayed out of this one.
Let's go.
Listen carefully, Kim Yunsik.
Just because there's a will, doesn't mean there's a way.
It is power that makes the way.
Then I want that power.
Before we set out for the protest tomorrow,
I'll demand you be held accountable for allowing government soldiers
to enter Sungkyunkwan.
You're a troublesome lot.
One goes against royal orders
and continues his Red Writer activities.
The other gets arrested.
You're putting me to the test.
Unless the real Red Writer is caught,
you might end up
being punished for being the Red Writer.
Is that okay with you?
What a great friend you are.
I didn't
start out knowing exactly how things would unfold.
Between the easy path and the hard path,
choose the latter.
You may not always succeed,
but you won't have any regrets.
That was my father's teaching.
Have you resented me?
I have come between a father and a son
who are as close as can be.
Yes, I've resented you.
But I couldn't turn my back on you, either.
My father gave me life.
You have given me a cause.
You, too, are my father.
How can they?
How can people think Lee Seonjun is the Red Writer?
They've spent so much time with him. They should know him.
Do you think people get to understand one another just by...
spending a lot of time together?
It's only human not to understand
even your roommate's feelings.
That's why you need
evidence and justification;
evidence that Lee Seonjun is not the Red Writer,
and justification for his majesty to acquit Lee Seonjun.
This is awful.
Do I have to do this?
My skin is so fair that black washes me out.
Just look.
I look like the Grim Reaper.
No, no. You look great.
You're color-coordinated. That outfit goes with your hair.
Well, yeah.
I guess I can pull off any look there is.
I like this.
I look a lot more svelte, don't I?
I feel deft enough to save Lee Seonjun ten times over.
All right. Our first course of action is to head
to Jaesin's house, right?
Give it up.
Given your condition,
I can't have you sleep in this shed.
Lee Seonjun's innocent.
Release him!
Is this how you want to get back at the prime minister?
Will this bring my brother back?
If you really cared about his honor,
you would
have spoken up right after the incident.
You're being cowardly right to the end.
I protected you.
In return for my silence,
I got to protect you and my power.
Now
it's time to put my power to good use.
Sorry.
I didn't know that.
I stepped out of line, thinking I was in greater pain than you.
I am sorry.
I thought I loved my brother more than you.
I'm sorry for that, too.
I am sorry, father.
Please...
Please let Lee Seonjun go.
That kid and I...
have along way to go together.
Please keep me from hating you...
again.
I...
I don't want to go through that hell.
We need to get rid of them to get into the shed.
Come on now.
Put your scholar's brain to work.
Thief!
That's how my scholar's brain works.
We're here for the Red Writer.
Crazy Horse.
Are you being weird again?
You have no idea
how long today
has been for me.
What's the matter with him?
Ladies' Man was way more amazing
than his usual self today.
Sir, some men came for for your son.
Let them go.
Lee Seonjun is not the Red Writer.
I know that and his majesty knows it, too.
But we don't have evidence or justification.
Even though Lee Seonjun's in prison,
the real Red Writer is still out and about.
Therefore, Lee Seonjun is not the Red Writer.
What can be better evidence and justification?
So what's left is tomorrow's protest, right?
Will the other students show up?
They have to.
I didn't walk around in public
in this awful robe for nothing.
Now that we've proven the real Red Writer is at large,
the students will show, lest they're scared of Ha Insu.
Shouldn't Lee Seonjun
know what's going on?
We're going over now
to update him.
Really?
But
I can't stay in this ghastly thing any more.
You two go first.
Don't go in without me.
I've never been to a prison.
It scares me.
I hope we don't get shooed away because it's too late at night.
He must have no idea we're coming.
He'll be so surprised.
Do you think he might be upset because it took us so long to visit?
Jaesin?
I can't do it.
You'll have to go in...
all by yourself.
Why? What's the matter?
I don't want to see his ugly face.
The thing is,
I feel bad he's in there instead of me.
So, go on.
Kim Yunsik.
Well...
Have I told you this?
Thank you.
For what?
Thank you
for being you.
You're so silly.
I'm coming along because you're worried sick,
but if Lee Seonjun or his father finds out,
we'll both get an earful.
Your marriage with him is now a lost cause.
I'm not going because I'm expecting something.
If you think about it,
he's in there because of me.
I have to see him. It's more painful not to.
That's why I'm going.
Kim Yunsik?
You look worn and tired.
I heard.
Foolishly enough,
I was relieved.
I don't expect
to be able to forgive my father.
If you let me...
I'd like to apologize
on his behalf.
I won't let you.
Because no one can pick his or her own parents.
That's what you told me.
What I can give you...
is not forgiveness...
but love...
a woman's love.
I want you to reciprocate...
not as a sinner...
but
as a lover.
So you ended up staying behind?
Just forget her.
Keep forgetting her
and it will become habit.
Let this be the last day you keep her in your heart.
The protest will begin with our refusal to have breakfast.
The other students will be coming soon.
Let's think positively.
Kim Yunsik!
So the Red Writer struck again.
What did I tell you?
I'm older and wiser.
I've believed in Lee Seonjun's innocence since yesterday.
Thank you.
I don't like Lee Seonjun,
but breakfast today looks terrible.
I guess I'm in.
There's a saying:
Do it and you'll regret it.
Don't do it, and you'll regret it.
It's better to regret after giving it a go, right?
Is that what Confucius said?
Nope.
I'm my own master.
It's the saying of yours truly.
You've come, too.
I know I can be
cowardly and afraid.
That's why I want Sungkyunkwan to be better protected than any other place
in the world.
It was wrong of the government soldiers to barge in,
and it was wrong of them to arrest Lee Seonjun like that.
Myeongsik...
I'm sorry about yesterday.
I tend to get suspicious, you know?
The Soron trio is on board, too!
Let's go!
Ladies' Man.
- Yongha. - Gu Yongha.
Are we all here?
You have proven to me
that Sungkyunkwan is still the funnest place there is.
That's why
I'm planning to act
like real nobility and an aristocrat from now on.
Don't be bothered by it, okay?
Now,
where is he?
Where's Crazy Horse?
He should be coming. This is for Lee Seonjun.
- Yeah. - Where can he be?
Speak of the devil.
- Hey, Crazy Horse! - Wow!
I've never seen you like this.
We are going to see his majesty after all.
Even a crazy horse has to groom himself into a polished steed.
We're all here,
so let's get going.
- Let's go! - Let's go!
We're coming, Lee Seonjun!
I warned you.
By partaking in this protest,
you're pitting yourself against me.
I told you.
You'll be held accountable for what you did.
We're going to his majesty to get Lee Seonjun acquitted
and have the war minister apologize
for trespassing on our campus.
Will you lead us as the proctor of Sungkyunkwan?
Never!
That leaves us no choice.
We can't recognize you as our leader.
I will lead the protest.
Excuse us.
Stop right there!
All of you, stop!
Do you think you can insult me
and get away with it?
I warned you.
All the students are watching you.
We didn't betray you first.
You were the one who betrayed Sungkyunkwan.
Don't forget that.
Hold on, proctor.
I'm going with them.
Are you nuts, Gobong?
Let me have my say.
Proctor.
Don't you get it?
Even a fool like me
can tell that you're in the wrong.
Do you really not get it?
I'll become a bigger fool if I stay by your side.
I need to speak my mind once in awhile.
I can't see
you sink any lower.
Would you go to the Peony Pleasure House?
You...you!
Proctor is a great benefactor for me.
That's all.
The Sungkyunkwan students are here to submit an appeal!
Please acquit Lee Seonjun.
- Acquit Lee Seonjun! - Acquit Lee Seonjun!
Please order the government soldiers to make an apology.
- Order an apology! - Order an apology!
The students of Sungkyunkwan are here to ask for Lee Seonjun's acquittal
and an apology from the war minister for having his men enter our campus.
Will you relay our message to his majesty?
Isn't Big Man something else?
That's what a Sungkyunkwan student does.
Please acquit Lee Seonjun!
- Acquit Lee Seonjun! - Acquit Lee Seonjun!
Sungkyunkwan is a great place, father.
I've met great friends with whom I am fighting
for the right cause.
I've seen the face of hope
that cannot be found
in any book.
You asked yourself whether it was right of you
to let a daughter develop a passion for learning?
I ask you now,
is it right of me
to feel overwhelming passion
surge through me right now?
What was the new Joseon
that you envisioned?
In that new Joseon,
would it be okay for me
to have a passion for life?
That's the last syllable of my name.
And it also means hope.
The gate.
For my teacher, this Geumdeungjisa
would be the hope
as if his life was depending on it.
Where learning leads and where a nation begins...
The gate of Sungkyunkwan
leads to Banchon, the lowliest of districts in Joseon.
My brother told me that.
No way.
How can this be?
The world must be coming to an end.
How can a girl even think of entering Sungkyunkwan?
I knew
there was something off about Kim Yunsik.
What are you saying?
Kim Yunsik is a girl?
I found "Geumdeungjisa,"
father.
So Lee Seonjun, who's in prison, if not the Red Writer?
I was quite bored in there, all alone.
Don't you ever take things into your own hands again.
What does not meeting today because we met yesterday mean?
So what are we?
Kim Seungheon's son...
I suppose I can't say he's a son any more.
Is that true?
Don't tell me you didn't know
that Kim Yunsik's a woman.
So why?
Forsake Kim Yunsik and realize your long-held dream.
Please...
help me, father.