(This drama is a fiction based on history.)
(The contents may be different from the actual events.)
(Episode 7)
It is you.
Why did you lie?
Why deny it?
It is you.
You are him.
Goodness.
My goodness, lady.
Are you okay?
That way!
Stop!
If we lose him, we will be dead.
Search the area!
- Yes, sir! - Yes, sir!
Why are we being chased?
Who are those men?
It is because you meddled in my business.
Let me...
Why did you lie to me?
How long were you planning on lying?
Did you not feel bad for me...
for following you around?
How could you do this to me?
I have been so worried for the last few days.
No.
It has been years, not days.
Do you know what I have been through?
I did not know you were alive and well...
Do I look well?
Why did I pretend not to know you?
How long was I planning on lying?
I would have lied to you forever if I could have.
I would have pretended not to know you.
You are slow-witted, hotheaded,
nosy,
and reckless.
Look what happened.
Whenever I am with you, I get into trouble.
Did you really not miss me?
What do you think?
Yes.
I was Prince Jin Seong,
Lee Yeok once.
Until I was attacked by assassins...
while on exile.
Assassins?
I was shot by arrows,
stabbed with a sword,
then I rolled down a hill.
I should have died.
But I lived. It was a miracle.
Who...
did that to you?
You could...
ask for your brother, the King, to help you.
Because of your naive idea,
I died.
If you want me to die again,
go and ask people to save me.
If you need, take my bodyguards,
palace guards, soldiers, anyone.
I will find him and kill him, Your Majesty.
No.
Bring him to me.
I must...
see him for myself.
I need the troops...
to catch a thief.
Close the gate.
Check everyone before letting them through the gate...
as of now.
He is not in the east valley.
I am relieved though.
Because the one I came to like again is...
you, the Prince.
I was worried...
that I fell for someone weird.
Let us stay together...
until the sunrise.
Since this will be the end.
When the morning comes,
I will not call your name ever again.
I will not miss you...
nor will I wait for you.
My promise to wait...
is invalid now.
Begin the search.
- Yes, sir. - Yes, sir.
Chief Royal Secretary is...
leading the search with Royal Investigators.
We must find Nak Cheon before they do.
I was shot by arrows,
stabbed with a sword,
then I rolled down a hill.
I should have died.
But I lived. It was a miracle.
Where is the man?
Take her.
Wait.
Should we gather the boys before we follow them?
It looks like they are headed deep into the mountain.
Do you not think it will be too late?
Did someone get hurt?
Well,
she was washing bloody bandage, but...
That means he is around here.
This is lizard's tail. It only grows by a stream.
Then why are they headed toward the rocky mountain?
Where is he?
You are here, master.
We were searching the area.
That means you do not have him yet.
Instead, we caught a girl who helped him escape.
She is the girl you mentioned.
Look who this is.
The daughter of Chief Royal Secretary Shin Su Geun.
I heard someone noble like you helped a thief escape.
Where is he?
You could ask for your brother, the King, to help you.
Because of your naive idea,
I died.
Why was Chae Gyung...
Why was she arrested?
She has ties to the man which you asked us to find.
Lady Shin was with him through the night,
led the Royal Guards astray,
and helped the man escape.
But still. How can you put her in prison?
Your Majesty, to be honest, that man is...
the thief who stole from the offering ship.
Stole from the ship?
That means the ship was not caught in a storm.
I apologize, Your Majesty.
It was too menial to tell you about these...
So that man who looks like Prince Jin Seong is...
the thief who stole the offerings, and...
Chae Gyung was unaware, helped him, and got arrested.
I believe we need to investigate further...
to see if she was aware or unaware of his doings.
I will hear it from Chae Gyung myself.
Your Majesty.
Did you say he stole the offerings?
That cannot be. He is...
That man is...
just a merchant.
That merchant deceived you.
I am not deceived.
Then...
tell me everything you know about him.
I will let you go...
once we have him.
I do not know anything.
We just ended up together by coincidence.
You do not know?
No.
Not a thing?
No.
Are you determined to deceive me?
How dare you lie to me?
Is this because of Yeok?
Are you trying to deceive me...
because of some man who looks like Yeok?
He may be falsely accused.
Someone may have tried to trap him.
Who on earth is he that someone would...
plot a scheme to trap him?
I apologize, Your Majesty.
I have nothing more to say.
Chae Gyung would not do this...
just because he looks like Yeok.
She even defended him saying...
he could be falsely accused.
Your Majesty, everything will be clear...
once we arrest that thief.
For now, Lady Shin is the only chance...
we have of finding him.
Let everyone in and out of the city...
know that Lady Shin is arrested...
Chief Eunuch.
Yes, Your Majesty.
How is Mother doing nowadays?
- My goodness. - That is uncanny.
I tried to get green color with mugwort juice.
Do you not think it is more beautiful than last year's?
It definitely is.
But why is the Queen not here with us?
Something shameful happened to her family,
so I believe she is laying low in her place.
The rumors about Chief Royal Secretary's daughter...
getting arrested must be true.
It is a shame to see that happen on a good day.
- Court Lady Ju. - Yes, Queen Dowager.
I will give this to the Queen as a gift. Keep it aside.
Yes.
People make colored flour balls to wear...
or to hang by the door...
to frighten away evil spirits.
Every year during Yudujeol, the ladies...
of the Internal Court and the Queen Dowager did this.
It hit the mark.
Are you...
trying to deceive me?
It looks like...
the King suspects Prince Jin Seong is alive.
He went to see what the Queen Dowager is up to.
Does the Queen Dowager know?
It is her only son. Of course she does.
Normally,
she would have tried to defame the King...
after finding out...
about Lady Shin's arrest.
But she stayed very quiet.
Therefore,
the King was convinced.
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty. Are you all right?
When Prince Jin Seong comes to maturity,
turn over the throne to him.
Your Majesty.
Chief Royal Secretary.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Killing my brother without my permission.
The brother I thought was dead...
coming back alive.
Which crime do you think is more grave?
I ignored it at the time because...
I was able to experience freedom...
that I have not in many years.
My deceased father's will.
My mother, the dethroned queen.
The ministers' prejudice against...
the filthy bloodline,
All the anxiety and anger caused by everything...
had disappeared...
with that boy.
However,
all of those are coming back.
Now they are saying that I tried to...
kill my own brother.
Please forgive me, Your Majesty.
I will leave this matter to you entirely.
So keep this in mind.
On the day my freedom ends,
you will lose your wealth, power, reputation,
and everything else...
you have.
I will bear it in mind, Your Majesty.
What will you do?
I have no choice.
In order to live,
I must kill others.
Like I always have.
Around the eighth day of June, this man stole...
the offerings from the three southern provinces.
He used Lady Shin...
to run away from the royal forces.
If he does not surrender until 7pm on the 30th,
Lady Shin will be accused of all his crimes...
and will receive a severe punishment.
The thief who stole the offerings ran away.
He let a girl take all the blame...
and he is on the run.
Goodness.
He wants Yeok to come to the palace.
It's an invitation.
Yeok will not stand this.
No!
Chae Gyung! Chae Gyung!
No!
I am sorry.
You must have been shocked.
You will be released soon.
When you do,
let us move to Geochang.
We will forget about marriage.
We will go to Geochang...
and live peacefully.
Whenever you force something,
it goes wrong.
I once left you in Geochang.
But then I tried to make you live...
by Joseon's law.
Royal Investigation Bureau...
put up a notice saying that if he does not show up...
until the 30th, they will punish you instead.
Would he come to save you?
- So... - No.
He should not come.
He is not the thief.
He only saved me from danger.
If he committed no crime, why did he run away...
and why did you hid him?
You could die even when you did not commit a crime.
He could come here and prove his innocence.
I saw an innocent man die.
I saw an innocent man being chased.
Just because you are innocent...
does not mean you will be safe.
So...
are you trying to take his punishment?
Yes.
I will be punished instead.
Chae Gyung!
It is my fault.
Father. Mother.
I will take the punishment.
I will be punished.
I will never...
let anyone die or get hurt because of me.
What happened to Chae Gyung...
since she moved to Hanyang?
As you know,
I arrived here a while after she did.
When I met Lady Shin again,
she acted differently than before.
She kept saying...
she saw a ghost.
She said the ghost looked like the Prince.
You mean Prince Jin Seong?
She went to...
a pawn shop to find that man.
The next day,
she spent a long time in Mount Inwang.
Prince Jin Seong's grave is in Mount Inwang.
Does that mean...
Chae Gyung being like that...
has something to with Prince Jin Seong?
The Prince Jin Seong who died?
How did it go?
Your Highness.
Please listen to me carefully.
You must pretend you do not know anything.
Your Highness and the Crown Prince could be in danger.
What do you mean, Brother?
He is not just a thief.
The one Chae Gyung is protecting,
the one the King is looking for,
the one the Chief Royal Secretary is obsessed over...
is the same person.
It is Prince Jin Seong.
How?
Prince Jin Seong died.
The Queen Dowager and I held his funeral.
You broke the custom and cremated him.
The Queen Dowager is a faithful Buddhist,
so she desperately...
wanted her dead son...
to be reincarnated.
Did she cremate him...
in order to hide it was fake?
The Mount Inwang grave keeper said...
the Queen Dowager never visited the grave...
except for the commemorative ritual.
The anniversary of his death was a few days ago,
but she did not visit the grave.
Are you saying Second State Counseilor may have...
found out Yeok is alive?
Yes, Queen Dowager.
It will be only a matter of time...
before the King and his people find out he is alive.
How is Yeok doing?
The snail wives are with him at the moment.
These are pills I got after I heard Yeok is dead.
Just one pill is enough to get you killed.
Tell Yeok this.
If he gets sentimental about his childhood and...
comes to the Royal Investigation Bureau to save her,
I will take this pill and die.
Queen Dowager.
This is not just a threat.
I would rather die first...
before I see my son die twice.
You are the one who saved him.
After that day, his life is not his own.
You must remind him of that.
Yes, Queen Dowager.
Where did he go?
Who are you?
Hey, it is me. It is me, Suk Hee.
Where is Chae Gyung?
What happened to Chae Gyung?
She is locked up in the Royal Investigation Bureau...
for letting you escape.
Hey.
Nak Cheon.
- Hey, stop him. - Stop him.
Nak Cheon.
Fine, go. But if you want to go,
you must step on each one of us before you go.
What are you doing? Go after him.
Go after him.
My goodness.
Nak Cheon!
Royal Investigation Bureau will hold you responsible...
if he does not show up until 7pm on the 30th.
But why would he come to save you?
You must not come.
Do not come.
Come on, open up the door.
What is taking so long?
- Open the door. - Open it.
Let us go.
It is taking forever.
Come on.
Let them pass.
We can go. Let us hurry.
You can pass through.
Let us hurry up and get in.
We must hurry.
Goodness, hurry up.
Come on.
Chief Royal Secretary.
What is going on?
Is it true she is the offering thief's accomplice?
Is it just your daughter, or is it...
your entire family?
Deputy Minister.
Nothing has been confirmed yet.
You should all keep it to yourself.
Let us quiet down. He is asking us.
His Majesty is not doing well today,
so he cannot come to the morning assembly.
You may return.
- Goodness. - My goodness.
Goodness.
Do not worry about your daughter.
Once the thief turns up,
everything will be over.
Are you really...
trying to catch a thief?
He is not just a thief.
He is a rebel who tried to steal...
from His Majesty.
He must be your mortal enemy.
You are recklessly throwing your life to find him.
I have not put in my life.
If you have not done so,
you will need to do so.
If you do not catch him after going this far,
I will hold you responsible for everything.
It looks like...
you should get ready to pay for this with your life.
How can you lose him?
If you are going to work like this,
get lost right this second.
I understand you are angry,
but you have no right to tell us to get lost.
Yes, it is a different story if it comes from Yeok.
Yeok was...
I was the one who saved and brought Nak Cheon here.
Have you forgotten?
Water.
I shall get some.
No.
He was an utter mess.
However,
he was so determined to live,
so he was whistling.
We had to fake his death just in case.
We searched villages ravaged by the plague for days...
to find a corpse that looked like him.
Only after...
we had sent the fake corpse to the palace...
were we able to relax.
That is what I did to save him.
Must I watch him fall in danger for a girl?
What about his dream to become the King?
You all...
expect something from him.
You gave up your hopes and dreams...
to help him bring upon a new Joseon.
That is why you work in this pawn shop.
We will search for him,
but it will not be to stop him.
It will be to find a better way.
Any news?
I apologize, Your Majesty.
We have not yet heard anything.
Your Majesty, Lord Shin Su Geun is here.
Should you not refrain from seeing him?
Let him in.
These are status reports from various ministries.
They explain how they distributed the rice...
and are relieving the people's suffering.
Please read through them.
Is that all?
I thought you would...
ask me to save Chae Gyung.
As much as...
I love and trust my daughter,
I trust you, Your Majesty.
My daughter who says nothing...
even when she is in prison,
and Your Majesty who has chosen to turn a blind eye.
It must be...
because...
there is a reason...
you cannot speak of.
And so...
I cannot ask you to...
forgive my daughter...
or just release her.
If you were to tell me what concerns you,
I will...
do my very best to help you solve that issue.
Before...
I am your subject,
I am your family.
You are excused.
Your Majesty.
Where is he hiding?
Why must my people suffer...
because of him? Why?
Your Majesty.
Here is your food.
I think I must be crazy.
I know you must not come,
but I looked around just in case.
How could someone be so selfish?
Your Majesty.
Is this normal?
Each time I come to Hanyang,
I meet you in the marketplace, not the palace.
What is all that on your face?
Before I am your subject,
I am your family.
Gi Ryong.
I am at your disposal.
Chae Gyung.
She is...
so much like her father.
That is why...
she bothers me so much.
The Queen Dowager purchased this poison...
on hearing you had died.
At the time, she purchased it with plans to...
follow in your footsteps.
- This time... - What do you mean?
It is not just her.
Me and your friends standing here.
All the snail wives helping you will die.
Why?
We vowed to die before you...
and to protect you with our lives.
You are our hope and dream.
You managed fine until now.
Must you enter the tiger's lair now?
Knowing it is a trap?
Yes. Will you hand yourself over...
to the King over a girl?
Even if the skies fall,
Chae Gyung will not die.
But you will.
You managed fine until now.
Must you enter the tiger's lair now?
Knowing it is a trap?
Why are you so rash?
You must lie low and bide your time.
When the morning comes,
I will not call your name ever again.
I will not miss you...
nor will I wait for you.
My promise to wait...
is invalid now.
We made a promise, Chae Gyung.
Since Lord Shin's visit...
the King has been in a bad mood.
What if he demands...
we release the girl tomorrow?
You must make the call before it is too late.
What call?
Corner the girl if you must.
Force Prince Jin Seong to come over.
Are you...
afraid of the Second State Councilor?
You must be very desperate.
You are talking nonsense.
I can barely breathe.
How about we hang her in the market square?
Are you okay?
How did you end up here?
Do not answer if you do not want to.
I am too nosy.
I do not know where to begin.
I did so many things.
The life of...
a lowly girl like me with no one to rely on...
is very obvious.
I am treated cruelly...
or lowly.
I did not want to live a lowly life,
so I chose a cruel one.
That is how...
I ended up here.
You deserve to stay warm.
Thank you.
How can you...
smile at a time like this?
Have you heard anything about the thieves...
who stole the offerings?
Are they still at large?
If you know anything about them,
you should tell the authorities.
You could...
end up losing your own life.
Then...
he will not have to come here.
I said I would not wait.
That is what I told him.
I will not wait.
Not again.
I will not let him die for me again.
(We shall close due to the owner's personal reasons.)
"We shall close due to the owner's personal reasons."
"The owner."
Nak Cheon.
Be quiet.
How do I get out of this one?
Yes, you walked into my trap.
There you go!
Let us play again.
- Hey. - Will you really...
not do anything?
Were you always this timid and cowardly?
- Did you not know? - No.
I have never seen you act like a coward.
From the day we met,
when you told the villagers that you know the thief,
to the day you survived and came to find me in Namdo.
You were braver than any man I had ever known.
I vowed to...
live like you and to live for you.
Chae Gyung made you want to live this life.
Did she not?
- She did. - Then...
And I lost my life.
Yes.
I regret everything.
Getting involved with you,
listening to Chae Gyung,
going against my brother,
and dying a traitor.
Do you mean that?
I am sorry for coming clean so late.
Let us play.
Then there is nothing more for me here.
Seo Noh.
Seo Noh. Seo Noh, you fool.
You will regret this!
We need Suk Hee to get him back.
Where is he?
I sent him to pass an urgent message.
The snail wives...
are to lie low and not come here for a while.
I guess,
if the girl were to talk about you,
she would mention the pawn shop first.
Of course, what I mean is,
she would not talk about us.
Should I live as a black stone...
or a white stone?
The white is better.
It is a king. The king can do anything.
Gi Ryong.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Will you have a drink?
Thank you, but I shall refrain.
If Yeok...
is really still alive,
why has he not shown himself to me?
Why is Chae Gyung trying so hard to deceive me?
Perhaps it is because he died a traitor.
That was over five years ago.
It is long enough for him to request a pardon.
He remained in hiding to attack me.
It means that Yeok...
suspects me and is avoiding me.
He thinks it is me...
who killed him or at least...
had someone else kill him.
He wishes to get his revenge...
and take the throne.
I wish...
he is just a lookalike.
If not,
then this time I might have to...
kill him with my own hands.
This will only end...
when the Prince comes here.
Or...
Or what?
Shin Chae Gyung...
must disappear.
What if I were to make it look like...
she took her life in prison?
Were you...
hanging in there in this condition?
Do not come here.
You must not come.
You will...
thank me for this.
This medicine...
will end your pain.
(Queen for Seven Days)
Do you want to play hide and seek with me?
Do not be foolish.
One mistake and Chae Gyung will die.
Second State Councilor or his daughter.
That thief! He must be made responsible!
You did not think I would be dead.
Why must you go to such lengths to catch him?
I cannot believe that...
I resorted to such cowardice to catch you.
You must not come here. You will die if you do.
You said you would not wait.
You told me not to come,
but you must have waited for me.