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The year 1609. As political strife surrounding Gwanghaegun's enthronement ravaged Joseon,
a chain of strange, unexplainable natural phenomena started alarming the populace.
- Reign of Gwanghae - First Year (1609) - August 25, Joseon
Ringleader of the Malseju* sect, Han Sangpil.
*Lit. End of the World Society
Abide by His Majesty's orders at once!
Brethren! Heed my pleas.
If you recite the sacred teachings and invoke the gods' immense powers,
they would summon spirits to protect us,
and command a horde of heavenly soldiers against the forces of evil.
Should they grace us with a human army,
we could even devise the most grandiose of endeavors!
You delirious varlet!
Heed my pleas!
I told you the gods of heaven would grace us all!
What are you waiting for? Feed him that poison!
No... Please...
Drink it!
Drink it and open the gates of the otherworld, you knave!
I said drink it!
You bastard...
You wretched bastard...
Gangwon Governor Lee Hyeongwook reported as such.
Gangneung Prefecture.
At the hour of the snake (9-11am) on the 25th day of the 8th month,
the sky was clear with nary a cloud in sight,
when suddenly a gigantic object pierced the skies, emitting a rumbling sound.
It was shaped like a large gourd, with a pointed top and enormous bottom.
As if falling down, it rapidly moved north from the sky's center.
Its shape continued to grow and become brighter,
surrounding every place it grazed in a white mantle of light.
- WITH S2 Presents -
JOSEON X-FILES: Secret Book - Episode 1: The Secret Light (Part 1) -
- Gangwon Governor's Offices -
Should we not alert His Majesty?
Would the court possibly believe something like that truly happened?
Do you truly plan to submit this report?
I do.
But it could bring our downfall, on the contrary.
How could the court trust such calamity has befallen us?
Glancing at the sky in His Majesty's presence alone would cost you your life.
Your Excellency!
- Governor Lee Hyeongwook -
- Hanyang (Joseon Capital) -
An urgent provincial report!
Has the messenger left already?
- Close the gates at once! - Yes!
Chief Inspector, you shall immediately escort Governor Lee to the capital,
while I will inform the other magistrates in the area.
- Nine -
Seems like I might have won this hand.
I have a nine.
I'm sure no one has a ten?!
- What is it? - But I do have a ten?!
What?
Wait... Wait a moment!
You damned...
Son of a slut.
Ehh Ehh... Caught red-handed, weren't we?!
Wearing the tricks of the trade under your sleeve, I see.
So, what, shall we cut off a finger or two,
or just go for the wrist right away? Tell me!
You crooked little twerp, here you were!
And you are?
Me?
An inspector from the Board of Punishments.
You seem to be a noble.
I shall close an eye just this once, so you may return home.
Aigoo... Afraid I can't do that?!
What?
Looked like you'd eaten your tongue only a moment ago,
but then you suddenly toss that amulet around and claim to be an inspector,
so could I just back off quietly?
Isn't that right, Oh Seongshik?
Wow... These days fake amulets look a lot better than I thought?!
What's this?
Ohh ohh... Oh Seongshik... Afraid this might mean trouble?! Uh?
Wh...Who... are you?
Me?
Ahh... How should I put it...
I'm from the Office of the Inspector-General.
Kim Hyeongdo is my name.
Why?
Now that you got caught cheating and pretending to be an officer,
are we suddenly getting a tickling sensation where the sun doesn't shine?
What are you waiting for?
Confiscate all the money this cunning twat stole.
You bastard!
Who is that?
It's me... Jang Man!
Aigoo...
What are you doing here?
The higher-ups are looking for you.
The higher-ups?!
Ahh... How can you hit people like that?
Might be a secret investigation.
A secret investigation?!
What was your purpose in submitting such a ludicrous report, Your Excellency?
Let us hear it.
Who else plotted all this?
Are you really going to keep resisting this way?
What else do you want me to say?
All your other magistrates on the scene denied any such event took place,
so why are you spreading such heinous talebearing by yourself?
It is no talebearing...
I saw it with my very eyes.
How could I lie to His Majesty?
Really...
Words will have no effect on this fellow.
Enough, enough... That shall suffice.
What preposterous palaver...
Could such a thing ever fly in the sky?
Unless nefarious intents motivated your claims,
why would anyone subject His Majesty to such wicked chicanery?
I shall expose your accomplices at all cost.
*Haegwe-Je: a ritual by the king taking place after strange phenomena
Using such trivial pleas to request a ritual*...
Think His Majesty would just oblige?
Enough.
Let us enjoy a moment of respite.
Hyeongdo...
Kim Hyeongdo?!
He's been appointed to the Office of the Inspector-General only a year past,
and is honest to a fault, taking secrets to his grave.
Considering someone with no party affiliations like you recommended him,
could it be otherwise?
Let us finish here...
Have you been informed?
Yes, Your Excellency.
We don't have much time.
Swiftly conclude the investigation and demand an impeachment.
Impeachment, you said?
There are yet no grounds to give a definitive verdict, to my knowledge.
Is that so?
You're right.
This case still isn't closed...
Indeed...
We've never met, I trust?
I hear you handle most major cases at the Office, these days?
I was not aware a State Tribunal inspector could have any influence over us,
but I'm afraid I have little time for people of such dubious manners.
Just so you know,
I never recommended you on purpose.
They merely asked me for any candidate free of partisan affiliations.
No magistrate on the scene confirmed the Gangwon governor's claims.
So ask for an indicting memorial accusing him of perjury,
and get it back sealed.
What?
That's what the higher-ups want.
- How many did you send? - Yes...
Ten elite troops of outstanding dexterity,
a dauber with a keen eye for paintings, and an interpreter.
Our missing men?
Still nothing to report.
Assistant Heo, have you looked into it?
It's known as "utsuro fune" (hollow ship) in Wa language,
and recorded as a ship flying in the sky.
All these drawings come from different areas, places and times.
Despite that, they all seem to describe what are very similar objects.
Then, aren't you suggesting they all saw the same thing?
It might be the case for these three drawings,
but other records narrate of a ship sailing above Mount Fuji,
so we might be dealing with different objects.
A ship sailing above the mountains?!
Seemingly, it appeared and then mysteriously vanished in a heartbeat.
There were similar sightings in Ming territory as well.
How could any such thing fly?
What happened to the Gangwon governor's report?
Master.
Is what you said really the truth?
Could you not retract those claims?
Leave.
When faced with such daunting accusations,
what is the point of obsessing over such claims?
If you were put in charge of this,
step down.
I beg you, do it for me.
Master...
If you were put in charge of this,
step down.
I beg you, do it for me.
Ahh... Forgive me...
On the contrary, I should be thankful, Naeuri.
Have you had lunch?
Going on a long trip for once, so better be ready for it.
This should be enough to earn my keep, I hope?!
You could wipe your behind, for starters.
Yes...
What's capturing your thoughts at this hour?
Is it your first time in Gangwon?
I come from a dancing troupe, after all.
There is no place in the eight provinces I haven't visited.
I bet.
Back then, women were all around me...
Must have been quite popular, I bet.
Ehh... Don't get me started.
I could sing and I even had the looks.
If they only sensed I was going to sing,
all those women's hearts would start to throb matching the song's beats.
Seems like I shouldn't have taken that lifestyle away from you, then.
Ahh... Still, now I'm having it much better.
A useless jester like me working for the government?!
You can't imagine how proud of me my mother is.
She only used to go batty twice a day, now it's a full-time job.
Men looking like pansies...
He'd make quite the good eunuch.
- Gangneung, Gangwon Province -
The 25th day of the 8th month, hour of the snake.
Heaven and earth trembled in terror, rumbling sounds of thunder filling the air.
I already had a chance to see it.
Seeing what kind of traces it left behind,
it can only be a meteor.
The report talked of a strange, indescribable object piercing the sky.
That is why I took the liberty of perusing other provincial records from the same day,
after hearing about the Gangwon governor's report.
Here are reports from magistrates in Wonju, Ganseong, Goseong and Chuncheon.
Just in case you needed them, I also added their testimony.
So why would only the governor claim to have witnessed that?
I suppose someone not too familiar with the area would be shocked by a meteor.
Because of this place's geography,
you can easily see meteors even by the day.
Some days, tens of stars fall from the sky,
a few of them blinding you with their bright lights.
It is very likely that the governor only saw one of those.
If what pierced the skies was only a meteor,
how do you explain the rumbling sound His Excellency heard?
Nothing more than a stroke of lightning.
I'm sure you're well aware of how unpredictable the weather can be here.
The thunderbolts' furious rumble could easily shock people.
Is that so?
If you had first inquired about it with us,
there would have been no misunderstanding.
I fear the governor might be facing undue distress.
But, tell me.
Why did you prohibit entrance to those quarters?
Ahh... His Excellency's offices, you mean.
Did Your Excellency order that?
Direct orders from the State Tribunal.
Unfortunately, seems like they believe his report...
might be connected to some sort of treacherous complot.
Hence, they ordered me to investigate all his personal belongings...
and shed light on any possible involvement.
I see.
But I seem to recall hearing someone scream, earlier on?
Ahh!
It must be the ringleader of that Malseju sect.
Ringleader of the Malseju sect?!
Yes.
He was sentenced to death,
but as he kept screaming and asking for mercy,
we just confined him to the cellars.
We're going to proceed with his execution in the morrow, anyhow.
Why?
Care to witness his execution?
No.
Meseems it's nothing I should get involved with.
When did you get here?
What's that?
The master's diary.
But even yangban write using the vulgar script (hangeul)?!
He's always been very fond of it.
Ahh... I see...
This was neither a meteor nor a planet.
It was spotted in Gangneung, Wonju, Chuncheong, Yangyang and Ganseong,
five different places at the very same time.
It traveled five hundred ri at once.
Five hundred?!
I perused countless books to find any possible clue,
but no document has ever mentioned such object before.
Countless people all over Gangwon province witnessed this event,
and even the Wa narrate of this bizarre object's existence.
It's known as "utsuro fune" in Wa language.
It had the shape of a large bowl turned upside down, tied to a smaller one.
And then, just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished out of the blue.
They even narrate of an enormous ship floating above Mount Fuji.
Is revealing such heinous phenomena to His Majesty...
and petitioning for a ritual truly the right thing to do?
From time immemorial,
the king has always been considered as being borne from the heavens.
Anyone challenging the legitimacy of His Majesty's succession...
could be using this as a pretext to devise treacherous complots.
Before even greater calamity befalls us, His Majesty must be alerted.
I have heard talebearing of an entire village disappearing after that day.
Who was that?
- Not a man, for sure. - What?!
Have you seen anyone pass by?
Did anyone?!
I must apologize. I suppose all this commotion woke you up?
What is the matter?
One of the prisoners caused a commotion and tried to escape.
It's too dangerous out here, so I suggest you return to your quarters.
I will not alert the guards, so reveal yourself.
I can't remain here...
Help me out!
I did nothing wrong!
I merely told them what I saw!
What is it that you saw?
They all disappeared...
That thing...
That thing will take away us all!
That...
That lump of light.
That light...
That lump of light looking like a gourd.
Are you telling me you really saw that?
Not just once.
Not just...
Where... Where can I see that?
That...
Are you all right?
How could you just kill a person that way?
He's a sentenced prisoner who tried to escape.
If I hesitated any longer, your life would have been in peril.
Still...
Be that as it may!
He was going to be executed in the morrow, anyhow.
What are you waiting for?
Take care of his body.
Yes.
Naeuri!
Why bother coming to the Malseju sect ringleader's abode?
Let's just go, uh?
Naeuri!
Ghosts are haunting this place!
Magistrate Jang.
Still talking about ghosts in this day and age?
You can reach the Ming's Yanjing in a mere month these days...
Ghosts?! Yeah, right...
Naeuri!
Even if it only took a day!
Ghosts exist.
Na...Naeuri!!
What's the matter?
Do you know where that place is?
It has five peaks.
Why would we bother going there?
It's a wretched, desolate place!
Once you've opened the pot,
shouldn't you go all the way and fill it with rice?
And why would you bother with boiled rice now?
Let's just go back!
Sure we will.
So we're going back?
When we're done there, that is.
Ahh... I really...
And why should we go there?
The way I see it,
the governor let that ringleader or whatever's-his-name fool him.
Why?
Aren't they both saying they saw something in the sky?
Let's use that meat under your hair to think, shall we?
It was Governor Lee Hyeongwook who captured that man.
If he really was fooled by him, why would he imprison the man?
So, what, do you really believe that what His Excellency claims is real?
Might not be real, but it could be the truth.
He's not the kind of man who would just speak in vain.
So there was such a place indeed!
One, two, three...
It's five peaks all right, but what about the flying gourd?
But why would the army come all the way here?
What else? Some drills, I guess...
And what is that?
What on earth happened to this dog?
Aigoo... There was a village so deep in the mountains?!
Did they all go out to get potatoes?
There is not a single person in this village.
What?
Look around.
It's dinner time already,
but there are no smoking chimneys in sight.
Are you suggesting it's a ghost town?
Aigoo!
Guess it'll belong to a six-year-old kid?
Here...
Oh my!
What on earth...
Almost scared me to death.
Seems like this might be the village where people disappeared.
Disappeared?!
Naeuri!
I have a bad feeling about this. Let's just leave.
I'm sure everyone disappeared at the same time.
But where did they go?
Naeuri! It's getting dark!
- Light a torch. - What?
Are you going to spend the night here?
It's already too late to go back.
Ahh... I'll be damned!
I told you we shouldn't have come!
Go after it! Catch it!
- Naeuri, what are you trying to do? - Catch that.
That way! Catch it.
Don't you know how dangerous that could be?
What are you doing, Jang Man?
Stay away! Away! Away!!
What...
There's another sandal here?!
Looks like the same one?!
Oh my!
What the hell...
Naeuri!
- It was there before. - Uh?
I can't explain how something like this could happen,
but if we really traveled back in time,
shouldn't we be able to see that light again?
Oh my...
Damned snake! You almost scared me to death.
Aigoo... Naeuri!
Naeuri!
Magistrate Jang!
Kim Hyeongdo.
Brought to you by WITH S2 Written In The Heavens Subbing Squad
This is a FREE fansub. NOT for SALE! Get it for FREE @ withs2.com
Main Translator and Timer: Anarchist
Timing QC: Hanjae Editor/QC: thunderbolt
Coordinators: mily2, ay_link
What are you trying to hide?
The governor is plotting treason.
Stop trying to find out.
They're strange phenomena which occurred in Gurapa (Europe).
What are we dealing with?
Peculiar indeed.
Are you telling the truth?
I... didn't see a thing.
For knowing it all and still framing the governor,
I will make you pay!
Are you telling the truth?
I didn't see a thing.
Magistrate Jang!
Ever seen me before?
Your Excellency! Your Excellency!!
- Betrayal and Conspiracies -
Must you really see it for yourself?
Master...
- The Secret Book is Finally Revealed! -
From here on in, you shall work for us.
Fire.
- Joseon X-Files: Secret Book -
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