(Episode 28)
Why did you have to be born on the 19th of November?
Why...
Why does it have to be today?
Hey.
I was told that you wanted to see me.
I wanted to have a drink with you.
Sit down.
Drink it.
I am sure one drink will be okay.
No. I cannot.
I must have chosen a great royal guard for myself.
Right. Did you send a letter to your family?
You passed the exam and got promoted too.
No, I did not have the chance yet.
I see. Your father's mind must be made up.
You are still hesitant to talk to him.
And...
he is benevolent and warmhearted too.
When I have failed as a son, he still...
He always...
I did not know...
a father and a son could love each other this much.
I am envious.
I was afraid to stand before my father.
It felt as if I was standing on thin ice.
I always held my breath...
and had to stand firm to the toes.
I always thought it was because I was scared...
to be abandoned or kicked out.
But in retrospect,
I just...
wanted to be loved by him at least once.
That was all.
At least once.
I know...
that I do not deserve to say this.
Had I not known anything,
and had I lived as a father...
who adored his own son...
Do you...
regret it?
The thin ice has cracked,
and I have been floundering...
in icy cold water for a long time.
It does not matter if I regret my action or not.
I must lie down.
At this rate, the guards might arrive anytime soon.
It was not easy to separate them from the King.
Do not tell me that you have other intentions.
Now that you are about to execute the deed,
are you going soft because he is your...
I dare you. He is not my father.
Forget about bringing him to the palace. I want to kill him now.
I am hanging by a thread.
Unless you want me to kill you, shut your mouth.
Are you out of your mind?
The King must arrive at the palace alive.
Are you trying to sabotage the plan?
If you want to carry out the revolt successfully...
with your absurd justification,
be quiet.
"Be quiet"?
What if I do not stay quiet? What will you do?
What?
Will you kill the King right here?
You must have lost your mind.
That rude...
Your Highness.
Let us go.
We have taken control of the soldiers...
and seized the post station as well.
And Queen Dowager is escorted to the palace too.
As long as your brother does his part,
you will soon greet a new king.
Once you ascend to the throne,
will you keep your promise you made to me?
That also depends on your brother.
If Nok Du finishes his job...
and the revolt is successful...
I will kill him...
as I told you.
Why?
Does that bother you?
No.
All I ask is that you keep your promise to me.
Your Majesty.
This is Chief Administrative Officer Baek.
Yes.
Come in.
What is this about?
Well...
It is...
Speak.
Did you find the prisoner and the Queen?
It is not about them.
It is about your royal guard.
Yeon Soo...
is dead?
Yes.
Even his family did not know...
as they stopped exchanging letters a long time ago.
He died from a chronic illness a very long time ago.
Then,
what about my royal guard?
Who on earth is he?
Something was off about him,
so I looked into the Yeon family.
When I investigated him,
I heard a name.
Nok Du.
Did you say his name was Nok Du?
Yes, Your Majesty.
They called him by that name.
Then...
he is...
He is your son...
whom Jung Yun Jeo took care of.
That cannot be.
That is impossible.
- Your Majesty... - I must see him.
He will have to explain it to me himself.
Bring him to me.
Yes, Your Majesty.
You seem to be worried about something.
Yes.
I am.
There is something I must know...
although I do not want to.
I am afraid I will find out about it.
- Hurry up. - Goodness.
You and I are like friends.
Is that so?
Why are you...
crying?
No, Your Majesty.
I had trusted you...
completely.
So how dare you?
How dare you?
How dare you deceive me...
while lingering by my side?
Your Majesty.
Hurry!
We cannot waste any more time.
We will bring the King to the palace.
You may kill the royal guard...
and those who get in your way.
Let us go.
Are you not the Chief Royal Secretary?
Yes, Your Majesty. You are correct.
It is getting late.
You should not be at such a dangerous place.
That is none of your business.
But...
why have you brought these armed men?
It is, indeed, my business.
I must secretly escort you back to the palace...
by tonight.
What?
Get him!
Is it you, the Chief Royal Secretary?
Your Majesty.
It is me.
Are you not...
Dong Joo?
Why are you here?
Why are you dressed like so?
Please...
throw your sword down the cliff.
What?
What are you saying?
Please.
If you do as I say, I will answer your questions.
If you refuse...
Your Majesty!
Are you happy now?
Now tell me why you are doing this to me.
First,
my name is...
Yu Eun Seo.
"Yu Eun Seo"?
Not only did you kill my entire family...
because you believed they conspired against you,
but you were going to dig up their graves.
Yu Yeon Kyung.
Then are you...
his granddaughter, the sole survivor?
Yes.
He was my grandfather.
He was the one who told me...
to do everything I wanted to do even though I was a woman.
You became an orphan at such a young age.
It must have been tough.
And it is all thanks to you.
Thanks to you, I have learned how to make and use a bow.
Are you going to kill me?
Yes.
So this is why you approached me, just like he did.
Fine.
Did he scheme my assassination with you?
What do you mean?
Do you think I killed your grandfather for no reason?
That is incorrect. Had I not killed him,
he would have killed me instead...
and replaced me with a new king.
That was...
the reality back then when your grandfather was alive!
Look!
See for yourself who is eyeing my throne!
It is my own son!
It is him whom I had thought was dead!
What did you just say?
Nok Du is...
The King killed your whole family...
and dragged your life to the gutter.
You despise him...
with all your heart and are desperately trying to kill...
that darn King.
He is the King's...
He is the son of the King.
I am going to right what is wrong.
I must protect my father.
Do you think I will let that happen?
I will kill him first.
I can do that.
There is no reason I cannot!
You are going to kill your son?
Yes.
I am willing to kill anyone...
who wishes to steal the throne from me!
Does Nok Du know...
that this is how you feel about him?
I am sure he does.
He has disguised himself, stayed by my side,
heard, and saw everything.
You are crazy.
Yes.
You have to be crazy to endure the throne.
I have dreamt...
of killing you for the longest time.
I thought I would feel relieved and happy.
But I was wrong.
I cannot believe I wasted all those years...
only to kill a beast like you.
I cannot believe I hurt him for a man like you.
What did you just say?
You may be the highest of all ranks...
and have the world at your feet.
But you are already a dead man.
You cannot trust anyone.
And no one trusts you either.
You are just an empty shell.
You are not...
even worth killing.
Have you seen His Majesty?
I heard he went out looking for you.
I have something to tell you.
Your Highness, we have a problem.
Grand Prince Neungyang has plotted a revolt?
His Majesty fell down the cliff,
and there is a conspiracy going on at the palace?
Yes, while people search for His Majesty,
I will be at the palace at the promised time.
You and the soldiers here should come with me.
We must find His Majesty...
and stop the revolt.
Send a message...
and gather soldiers from all the nearby areas.
They must hurry up and arrive at the palace in time,
while we do what we can to stall.
If what you say is true,
the soldiers we have here will not be enough.
Yes, I know.
We will have to hang in there.
Good work.
What do you think you are doing?
I am here to clear up all the traitors.
If you regret your decision, you are free to change your mind.
I promise that you will be forgiven.
No one?
Then I guess I have no choice.
Come inside.
(The Tale of Nokdu)
I am sorry.
I did not know you were alive.
You wish to be the king when no one even knows...
how you were raised?
You were a playboy who used to spend time at a gisaeng house.
I do not want to hide anymore, Father.
Let us leave the palace first.
If we stay here...
Father! Father!
How could you come back here?
I will go wherever...
whether it may be a battlefield or a place that is burning down.
I told you already.
I can no longer live without you.