Everyone is something from the moment they are born.
Someone's son,
someone's baby brother.
Someone's cousin or friend.
Simply someone's neighbor, even.
But I was never something to anyone.
I was always alone.
As if I were dropped from the sky.
Who on earth
are you?
DEAR HONGRANG
So, you wish to leave with him?
Yes.
Do you have a reason for deciding so?
I already told you
that I would unshackle myself from your will.
One's birthright cannot be denied at one's discretion.
As my blood,
you have a legal right to the guild.
That, in essence,
implies reason, right, and necessity
for me, as the chief merchant, to keep you here.
Should I stay…
can you promise me protection?
I wish to live.
My only wish is to live a normal life for once.
Please let me go.
I cannot bear to spend
another day here.
She herself offered to leave with that stake?
And the chief merchant approved?
Yes, madam.
That shrewd wench.
She is cleverly finding ways to save herself.
The chief merchant should know by now.
It is about time
that he realized.
No matter how much he struggles,
he will always be
under my thumb.
Did I not make it clear that you must leave quietly?
That was the price of your life we agreed upon.
Tell me.
Why does Jae-yi insist on leaving with you?
Rodent Scrap.
You know that name, do you not?
I have nothing left to lose.
She is all I need.
I doubt you can say the same, as you must have had compelling reasons
to forsake your own name for all these years.
Whatever your reasons and plans may be,
I shall not pry.
Just let Jae-yi go.
Does Jae-yi…
Does she know of this?
Even Master Jang is resigning?
He cannot turn to the madam
but knows not what harm sitting idle might bring.
He is out to save his own neck.
The chief merchant must find himself in quite a predicament.
The shadow guild he had tucked away has been exposed,
and the grandmaster, his alter ego, has been driven out.
All his close allies are busy distancing themselves.
Now his daughter, his last claim on this place,
is being sent away as though in exile.
Chief Merchant Sim is now nothing more than a paper tiger.
This is your first morning assembly as grandmaster, is it not?
You have no idea how eagerly I have awaited this day.
What is wrong?
Where is everyone going?
You should make haste
to the treasure chamber, madam.
I am deeply honored that you have come to visit in person.
The more I see him, the more refined he seems.
It is as if
I am looking at a waterfall frozen in the snowy winter.
Fair and pure.
Strong and sharp,
yet graceful.
His keen intellect and aura are those of no ordinary man.
Even the most magnificent objects
are useless if they are not in your possession.
For an object one cannot use at will
may rather become a hindrance.
Indeed.
The sharper the sword,
the more threatening it becomes in the hands of another.
Be that as it may…
I hear that Lord Song's son, who had returned from the dead,
drew his last breath.
Yes, Your Highness.
If the child was fated to die,
he may as well not have returned.
But, Your Highness…
when they dug up his grave to put him back in the ground…
they found there the very body they had buried last year.
Due to Lord Song's repeated appeals,
the royal court has issued a decree
for a thorough investigation by the Royal Investigation Bureau.
Meanwhile, the Criminal Justice Agency is to search for other missing children,
increase patrols, and enforce stricter curfew measures for children.
They also aim to track down the Snow Man
by questioning witnesses
on his appearance.
Do you believe their pursuit of that mere delusion
will lead to an arrest?
Suppose they catch him. Then what?
Why waste their energy on such futile efforts?
This leaves me with no choice but to…
create a painting that captures the essence of yin and yang.
The recent state of disarray in our country
is the result of an imbalance between yin and yang.
Many years ago,
I lost my painting of yin and yang, did I not?
Since then, I haven't painted anything nearly as profound.
It has weighed on my heart.
Therefore, you must also refrain
from excessive preoccupation with the guild or such worldly concerns
and instead focus on matters of greater importance.
I shall oblige with the utmost sincerity.
Besides the burns and bruises found on the Song boy's body,
it is said they found injuries and inflammation caused by toxins.
Upon analyzing the toxins,
traces of lime, alum, arsenic,
and similar substances were found inside the boy.
Lime, alum,
and arsenic.
All materials not commonly used.
They must have been supplied in bulk from somewhere.
- Let us investigate further. - Yes.
We must hurry.
Now that the situation has escalated, they are likely moving fast.
When will you return?
I am not sure.
It is a relief to know that you are going with your brother.
You have a point.
It is far better than marrying a stranger or being mistreated by her mother.
What about Hongrang? Did he not say anything about you leaving?
And so,
regardless of whether some stranger takes control of the guild and home,
you are willing to walk away?
You have found out he is an imposter.
That is why you have packed all your belongings
to go and search for the real Hongrang.
Does he not anger you?
Why are you turning a blind eye?
It is me, not him,
that I cannot forgive.
Because you were fooled?
Do you know what I first felt
when I found out he was an imposter?
Relief.
I felt a sense of relief.
All this time, he deceived me and everyone else
by stealing my brother's name.
My brother may still be somewhere, lost and wandering.
Yet, when I learned he wasn't my brother,
I felt relieved.
What is more,
I do not want him to get hurt.
I cannot bear the thought of it.
That is why I leave.
I cannot…
forgive myself for this.
Welcome, sir.
That pair is light and comfortable.
- I shall take them. - Coming right up, sir.
Grandmaster.
You must reveal his true identity.
Once you do,
his death will be inevitable.
Once he is gone,
your worries for Mistress Jae-yi can be put to rest.
No, that must not happen.
How so?
Jae-yi's heart
is with him now.
If she loses him now,
he will weigh on her heart forever.
Does it not anger you that all those years of hard work and endurance
will amount to nothing?
Indeed.
Those years were difficult.
But it was Jae-yi who helped me endure them.
That is why I cannot bring myself
to lose her.
Moreover…
I cannot be the one to send him to his death.
After all,
he has saved my life several times.
Please spare us.
Let's go!
Have a little patience, will you?
It will make your skin as fair as porcelain.
Jae-yi.
Brother.
Java sparrows.
They say that they bond with their mates for life.
If one of them dies,
the surviving sparrow cannot live much longer.
I suppose
they are each other's lifeline.
I hope that you will take good care of them.
Never mind.
We will raise them together in Gapsan.
All right.
We should do that.
Promise me.
What?
That you will forget everything.
Everything
that happened here at Min Family's Guild.
If I am honest,
this place has always felt like a battlefield to me.
I never knew when or from where danger might strike.
I lived in constant anxiety and fear of what may come to harm me.
Everything in the guild appeared to be a sword or a spear
ready to pierce me at any moment.
Except one thing.
Except you.
I, as well.
I felt the same.
Very well.
Now that it is just the two of us,
let us forget everything.
Free of anything to fear or to be wary of,
you shall be my lifeline
as I shall be
your lifeline.
All right.
I will forget everything.
I must forget.
What do you think you are doing, you vile scoundrels?
Forgive our indiscretion.
I am merely here
to escort you to my master who wishes to see you urgently.
An imposter?
He is an imposter.
I am well aware
that you have sent me countless imposter Hongrangs
over the years.
All the more reason for you to trust me.
Since I created all those imposters,
I should be the best at discerning them.
However, I do not say this based on perception or intuition alone.
The rogue is not acting alone.
Someone sent him to infiltrate your guild.
He has the ruthless Geomgyedan, a group of swordsmen trained to kill, behind him.
If that were true, what would be their goal?
You.
They wish to overthrow you and swallow the guild whole.
Have you heard of the Snow Man?
Even if not, I trust you have heard about the talk of the town, Lord Song's son.
Those bastards are plotting something related to that incident.
They seek to tie you to the events surrounding the boy and this Snow Man.
They aim to tarnish your reputation
and strip you of your title as chief merchant for good.
Do you have any grounds for such accusations?
I have proof.
They have dug a trap
that you will soon inevitably fall into.
Why do you hesitate?
I am offering you your saving grace.
Think about your position
within the guild as of late.
I hear your standing is hanging by a thread.
If so, the revelation that Hongrang is an imposter
would be an opportunity for you, would it not?
My price is 5,000 nyang and that imposter.
What is this proof that you have?
Bring me the money
tomorrow night at 10:00.
I shall present you with the evidence.
Tell me.
Who is the painter?
Where is he?
I have no clue.
I know nothing, okay?
- I really do not! - Then let me remind you.
Please, no.
That was alum powder.
That was arsenic.
Have some patience.
It will make your skin as fair as porcelain.
Remember now?
The question is, where did the Song boy suffer such a tragedy?
As he turned up with his entire body charred,
either a great fire broke out somewhere,
or the child was trapped someplace that was deliberately set ablaze.
Given he managed to return home even in such a horrific condition,
it suggests that he was likely nearby.
But you see,
upon examining the clothes he was wearing when he returned,
a broken ceramic piece was found stuck to the fabric.
You must see what I'm getting at.
Now,
see for yourself.
It is too soon to be surprised. I suggest you take a peek inside.
Do you know who this stone kiln belongs to?
Why, it belongs to you.
Of course you would have been oblivious.
The chief merchant has no time to worry about an abandoned kiln site,
and those bastards knew that too.
- Clean this place up. - Yes.
What?
What is it?
If the Song boy escaped, you should have disposed of what was left.
Why did you leave the kiln site for everyone to see?
If you moved the children, you should have reported to me at--
"Report"?
Who do you think you are to demand that I report to you?
- What did you say? - A money king, my foot.
A money slave, rather.
All that remains in your hands
is a mere facade of the Min Family's Guild.
And now you are on the verge of even losing that.
You dare speak to me in that manner?
Here, take this at least
to help alleviate your state of destitution.
Can you even begin to comprehend how much this piece will fetch?
In other words,
I am now worth too much to be humoring the likes of you.
You are in a state of oblivion.
You have lost sight of your function and purpose.
Open up. It is me!
Open up, quick!
I finally found you.
This is not the painter.
I miss her.
I just…
want to see her.
Young Master.
Are you in?
Where have you been all day to come home at such an hour?
Pardon me.
Young Master Mu-jin and Mistress Jae-yi will set off tomorrow.
Should you not bid them farewell?
Hongrang.
He is…
what, you say?
I was waiting for you.
To say goodbye?
No.
Then why?
I deceived you.
I…
I am not Hongrang.
I am not your little brother.
Then what are you?
Who are you?
I am
no one in particular.
I only wished to be normal, but I never was.
I was born a lowly and insignificant slave to a noble household.
For some time,
I was a living talisman who withstood all misfortune
on behalf of the young master.
Then, one day,
I ran away.
After living on the run,
evading pursuit,
I finally met him.
By him, you mean…
The Snow Man.
He dragged me someplace
where I had to…
suffer things beyond my comprehension.
At last,
when I found out why,
I realized my life could never be normal.
I could not tell you…
what I was.
I am hideous…
and hateful.
Disgusting, even in my own eyes.
You were…
the last person I wanted to tell.
Given what I am,
I know I have no right.
But I still waited for you here.
Hoping…
ardently
that you would come.
Though I have deceived you all this time
and caused you so much pain…
I missed you.
I knew I had to see you.
I love you.
It is love that I feel
for you.
Nothing else could explain
what I feel for you.
Whoever you are,
even if you are an imposter,
even if everything has been a lie and you have deceived me.
I know that no one,
not even myself,
could offer me forgiveness,
but I desperately…
want you.
That is why I must leave you.
No.
You cannot.
I will not let you.
Hold this, will you?
Pull this here.
All done.
Rest yourself.
That one is done.
Where on earth could she be?
- Did you search the backyard? - Try searching inside.
They have taken the horses.
The horse belonging to In-hoe is gone too. What if they caught on and fled?
It has not been very long.
Scour the vicinity for them. Hurry!
Yes, sir.
Jae-yi!
Grandmaster!
Hongrang.
He is also nowhere to be found.
Subtitle translation by: Jimin Cho