Great.
Everything is in its proper place now.
You are a gisaeng’s daughter.
Ma’am.
So this is where you belong.
I’m a gisaeng’s daughter?
No. Please, don’t tell her anymore.
Don’t tell her anything.
What are you doing? Pay your respects to her.
She is your birth mother.
No.
Don’t be immature.
She’s your daughter.
No. I’m not your mother.
I’m a mother to no one.
No.
I’m not your mother.
I’m a mother to no one.
Have you changed your mind, now that you’ve seen your mother?
Is she really my mother?
Do you want to see your mother?
No.
[Episode 2]
Hey, Hyeonguem.
Your pretty face has turned really sour.
Come here. Have something to eat.
You should be a good mother.
You need to have energy to take care of your young one.
Come here, and get something to eat.
Can you help me with something?
How?
What’s going on?
I persuaded the cell keeper.
Not bad.
I’ve learned this from you.
Jini is not my child.
How long do you think you can keep up this lie?
Can you keep it a secret?
What are you talking about?
I know it’s not going to be easy.
But no one knew about her in the first place.
It’s very possible if you cooperate with me.
It’s no use.
It’s my last request.
I beg you.
If you let her go, I’ll do anything for you.
I’ll run into a fire if you want me to.
I’ll commit suicide on this spot if you tell me to.
I can promise you that.
So please, let her go.
She was born a gisaeng.
We can’t change her fate.
No. I’m not going to allow that.
I won’t let Jini live like me.
Don’t worry about it anymore. She’s no longer in your arms.
No one ever forced her to become a gisaeng.
It was her own decision.
But she’s only 10-years-old.
She doesn’t know anything.
She’s extremely talented.
She was just fascinated with a circus act.
It was her passion that brought her here.
She’ll be unhappy.
What’s wrong with being a gisaeng?
You know the answer to that!
I know that this is hard on you.
But this is as far is it goes.
No. You don’t understand.
You don’t know love.
You don’t know what it’s like to be a mother.
You don’t know anything.
All you care about is being the head royal mistress.
Leave my daughter alone.
Don’t waste your breath. We’re done here.
I can’t sacrifice my daughter for your own selfish greed.
I was wondering who it was, dancing in tune with the drums.
Do you think that you were helping Hyeongeum out for the better?
If one is too stubborn, he or she is bound to break.
You have to be flexible at times.
What will you do if I’m not flexible?
Don’t do anything.
That’s the best way to help Hyeongeum out.
What are you doing?
Get the officer, right now.
Yes, ma’am.
You must be Jini.
Your dad was a really handsome fellow.
He was worthy of your mom’s love.
Your pretty eyes resemble your dad’s.
Are you telling me to get an abortion?
At times, pain and happiness come with love.
Your mother and father were happy, but only your mother was in pain.
Love can make one sick if taken in excess doses.
She was very unfortunate to have her eyesight taken away from her.
It’s dark. I can’t see anything.
Please, turn on the lights.
So, I’m just a kid who’s been thrown away.
First, my father left me...
And then my mother gave me away.
I’m a real fool.
Don’t hate your mother.
She’s had a hard life.
Tell me once more.
What did you just say?
Please, have Hyeongeum released from her prison cell.
You’re out of your mind.
I know she’s a talented artist, but she broke the law and should be punished.
I’m not clueless about the laws of the country.
So are you making fun of me, the district official?
Sir...
No way.
Just be thankful that she hasn’t lost her life.
I’m going to send Hyeongeum away to be a government slave.
I’ll be fully responsible for her.
Fully responsible?
That’s right.
Hyeongeum is Songdo’s finest artist.
I can’t send her away.
If Hyeongeum ever causes trouble again,
you can kill me.
Maekmu, what did you just say?
Are you serious?
I hope you’re not joking.
You want me to look for a new leader to head the troupe?
Yes, the troupe of Songdo will soon be without a leader.
Sir.
Hyeongeum will never give up being a mother.
And Baekmu isn’t one to go against her word.
What about keeping an eye on Hyeongeum so that she doesn’t cause trouble?
That’s not possible.
Government officials aren’t supposed to look after gisaengs.
So let Hyeongeum do as she pleases.
Baekmu was of low class, but she’s too stuck up.
But her talents are second to none.
Who cares if she’s talented?
She’s not a great woman.
Baekmu isn’t a good role model for the rest of the women.
Go ahead and look for a new troupe leader.
It’s a great chance to reform the troupe.
How did you end up having an official from Songdo fall for you?
He knows what power is all about.
If he really wants to be transferred to the capital, he has no other choice.
Don’t you agree?
I guess you’re too young to know.
I just don’t understand you.
Why are you so desperate to cut down on a lame troupe in the country?
Lame troupe in the country?
That’s not right.
What?
Even if you were to practice all your life, you’d never be as good as Baekmu.
Ma’am.
We should consider ourselves lucky because Baekmu isn’t street smart.
If she hadn’t been focused in the arts, we wouldn’t be here in the first place.
I need to send my child away.
That’s right.
Will you help me?
Wait a few more days.
I’ll look for a place for you and the baby.
No, that’s not possible.
I won’t leave.
What are you talking about?
If Jini is gone, you won’t be able to bear it.
It’s something that I must endure.
If I don’t stay behind someone else will get hurt.
Will you take care of Jini like your own child?
This scent. This was the scent.
I knew I could never forget it.
You smell so good.
My mother’s scent.
Baby...
Why did you say I wasn’t you daughter?
Is it because you don’t like me?
Is that why you want to send me away again?
Is it true that you can’t see?
Does that mean you can’t see me?
Then you don’t know what I look like?
Jini.
I may not be a good child, but I’m not such a bad kid, either.
I’m doing my best not to be bad.
Can you tell that just by touching me?
Can’t you?
Mother...
I really wanted to call you that.
That’s why I held onto your hand.
Do I have to leave again?
Do you want me to go away?
Tell me not to go.
Don’t throw me again, mother.
Baby...
Oh, my pretty baby.
My pretty baby.
Do you think you won’t regret having Jini live with you here?
I brushed her hair for the first time today.
She was bald when I first gave birth to her, and now she has long silky hair.
I bought this three years after Jini was born.
When she was five, I wanted to make her clothes.
And do her hair as well.
Because I’ve never been able to have a relationship with her,
I haven’t been able to do anything right.
I shouldn’t have held her in my arms.
If I hadn’t done that...
I would’ve been able to give up on her.
I hope God won’t punish me.
I want to have her in my arms, even if it’s just for a second.
She’s gone through so much that I can’t give up on her twice.
Don’t dream of getting married to a single man.
If you can handle the tough stuff,
our lives aren’t really that bad.
A gisaeng must be educated enough to share ideas with intellectuals.
One must be highly intellectual.
And gisaengs are very free when it comes to looking their best.
We don’t have to compare fabric.
We don’t have to be envious of the princesses in the palace.
We have what the royal family doesn’t have.
It’s the special talent for the arts.
Beautiful music that comes from the heart.
The music that is refreshing, like the sound of a stream.
And there’s dance. Life is about the arts.
One’s life is always fair in the arts.
You must strive to be the best.
We may not be of high class, but we can live our lives the way we want to.
This is what being a gisaeng is all about.
Breathing in rhythm is most important, whether you dance or sing.
You must master how to pace yourself.
That’s how it all begins.
Into the water!
No, I can’t do it.
Eunho.
Come to your senses.
Would I be begging you for help if I could do it on my own?
We need to have someone who’s smart to come with us.
But I don’t want to. I’m not going.
- You’re a cold guy. - Give it up.
Hey, Sangsu. Han Sangsu!
Have you changed your mind?
I can’t...
Come to my house tomorrow.
For what?
I’ll be dead after my dad beats me up.
I’m sure you’ll be there for my funeral.
Whatever.
That’s the least you could do for a friend.
Breathing out is more important than breathing in.
And this is reflected in our dance.
But it’s not just about dancing.
In life, breathing out can be more important in general.
We must live our lives so that we breathe out and not get stressed.
Count to a hundred.
And breathe out slowly while you’re counting.
You must not come out of the water before then.
That’s too long, ma’am.
Can you cut it in half?
No.
Next.
Expression.
How many more beatings will it take to make you stop crying?
Do you want to starve for 3 months?
No way. I’d rather die than starve.
Next.
I told you not to show your feelings.
A gisaeng must not show signs of happiness nor sorrow.
You must learn how to hide your feelings from everyone. Got it?
I don’t want to hide them.
What?
What’s the use of relationships if we can’t share anything?
What will it take for you to come to your senses?
Don’t show off your feelings.
You must hide them again and again.
That’s the role of a gisaeng.
Write a poem.
Hey. Kim Eunho.
Hey, Kim Eunho.
Move your arm.
Show me a little, will you?
I wouldn’t have asked for this if you hadn’t let go of the dress.
Eunho. Eunho!
Your hand. Move your hand.
How could you do that as a gentleman?
I guess it’s because they weren’t able to steal the dress.
What are you talking about?
You know what I’m talking about.
I guess the exams are near.
Like father, like son.
No, it’s not "Like father, like son."
Actually, in this case, it’s more “Like teacher, like student.”
Keumchoon, what are you talking about?
Aren’t I right?
I’m talking about 20 years ago.
You had failed the local exams 3 years straight.
People had said that you would pass the test if you sat on a gisaeng’s red dress.
So that’s when you broke into the gisaengs’ quarters.
How dare you!
That’s all for now.
I’ll teach these kids a lesson.
That won’t be enough.
Please, come visit us one day.
You used to come by often.
How dare you talk of this in front of my students?
That’s why I said, “Like teacher, like student.”
But still…
Do you have someone you like?
I don’t know.
Don’t be shy.
That’s not it.
I told you I wasn’t interested in that.
It’s not right.
A flower isn’t a flower if it doesn’t attract butterflies.
A flower meets a butterfly, and seeds are replanted.
Let’s just go.
How long are we going to walk along this road?
I’m tired.
Do you want to head back?
I guess you’re tired of being my eyes.
That’s not it.
I’ve been training since early this morning.
They must be going to the mountains.
I can hear at least three or four men on horses.
And because I can hear them loudly, they must be carrying a carriage, right?
No one can see inside the carriage.
The bride is lowering her head.
The hair piece on her head is wobbling back and forth.
It’s a good thing.
It’s what makes a woman happy.
To be a wife of a single man, and to cook and to have babies.
Look at your hands.
Your hands have grown so much.
You’re a lady now.
I hope you can live the life of a woman.
So that you can live as a person and not a gisaeng.
Stop it.
It’s been 6 years already.
You’ve been saying the same thing for 6 years.
Aren’t you sick of it?
I’m a person.
Gisaengs are people, just like everyone else.
No, they’re not.
Gisaengs are nothing but toys and a joke.
We’re just something that men like to play with.
Mother...
Don’t learn the arts.
Don’t stay here any longer.
The more you learn, the sadder you will become.
It’s not too late.
You can run away.
I’ll do my best to help you...
No more. Let’s not talk about this anymore.
This is all for your own happiness.
I’m happy right now.
I like hanging out with my friends.
I like learning new instruments everyday and learning new dance routines.
I’m so happy that I feel like I’m going to die.
Stop it, Jini...
Don’t think that you and I are the same.
I’m different from you.
I’m not interested in marriage or being in love with a man.
Be careful. It’s very valuable.
Take it to the other room.
Sir, what took you so long?
What’s all this?
What else?
I think this is the third time that your dad has had a new concubine.
Go and see your mother.
She’s been in a bad mood since early this morning.
Mother, it’s me.
You’re home.
Don’t be too concerned, mother.
I hope you never turn out like him.
Give your future wife your all.
Being genuine is most important in life.
How can one be human when he or she is no longer genuine?
This is a spoon case.
This is a pillow case.
And this is... Is it a folding screen?
Eunho is so lucky.
Stop talking like that.
It’s not like that.
I was just sewing because I was bored.
Everyone knows that you’re making this to take with you when you get married.
Go to your own room.
But what to do?
While you’re busy sewing all night, Eunho is stealing gisangs’ dresses.
What if he ends up falling for a gisaeng?
Stop talking nonsense, and go to your room.
I’m being serious.
He’s not like that.
I’m sure he had a good reason to do that.
You’re extremely faithful.
Are you reading with your hands?
Are you upset about something?
I don’t know why I can’t breathe properly.
Are you that worried about your mother?
My chest felt really stuffy all day.
A stuffy chest? What are we going to do about that?
That’s not all.
My legs are so shaky that hey don’t have any strength.
It doesn’t sound like you’re just worried about your mother.
What do you mean?
These symptoms are more like a man in love.
Why do you only draw bamboo when girls should be drawing flowers and birds?
I can read your feelings.
It’s too harsh. The painting reflects it.
Drawing is about using the skills in your hands.
You feel too much, but your hands don’t follow your heart.
Is this yours?
It’s quite impressive.
I have to throw it away. Please, give it back to me.
Throw it away? Why? It looks fine...