Once his identity was exposed,
he likely abducted my daughter as a means to threaten me.
That means he wants something.
He would not recklessly endanger Mistress Jae-yi.
We must find the bastard
to uncover his motive and whoever is behind him.
Above all, he must be--
Exposed as the imposter that he is.
That is the only way to repair your tarnished reputation
and reclaim your authority.
And if that happens,
do you believe you will be reinstated as grandmaster?
I would expect no less.
For I hold proof
that he is an imposter.
Proof?
Do you truly?
Whatever it is, present it to me this instant.
If I do,
what will you offer me?
What?
You have already abandoned me once, have you not?
I shall reinstate you.
That is not enough.
I seek rightful compensation.
What is it you wish?
I request
that you disown me.
I shall…
marry Jae-yi.
DEAR HONGRANG
There is proof that my son is an imposter?
My son
has fallen into a trap.
Chief Merchant Sim,
the stake,
and Jae-yi, that wench, have all conspired
to drive my son out
and seize control of the guild.
We must make haste.
I heard that the chief merchant is assembling a horde of assassins.
Go now.
Bring my son back to me,
but ensure that no one lays a finger on him.
It is imperative that you find him before the chief merchant or the stake.
As for Jae-yi,
kill her.
How could you let this happen?
What on earth were you doing?
It was likewise your duty to maintain a vigilant eye upon him.
We have yet to obtain the deed of gift.
Without Hongrang,
even if we expose Sim's misdeeds and those behind him,
we cannot take them down.
We do not have the means to oppose the numerous forces
that seek to destroy the Min Family's Guild.
Any word from the one above?
They said we must find Hongrang and bring him back at all costs
and that we must see this as a chance to identify the one pulling Sim's strings.
Please keep a close eye on Chief Merchant Sim.
Deputy Leader, you will track Hongrang.
It is crucial that you find him before Sim or Min Yeon-ui do.
You could sow misunderstandings or ignite their rivalries.
Create discord between them to delay their advance.
Do you believe that Hongrang will return with us willingly?
Threaten him if need be. He must return!
Kill Sim Jae-yi
and let him think it was Min Yeon-ui's doing.
- This way. - This way!
Tough, is it not?
It all feels hopeless.
Not at all,
because I now understand…
just how much I have been holding back
and how deeply…
I have desired you.
Nothing else matters as long as I have you with me.
I would accept any fate.
All I need is you.
But that also scares me
in case you feel differently.
Perhaps this is all too tough
and feels hopeless.
Perhaps you regret doing this.
Not at all.
Away from the guild, I can see things clearly.
What I could not stand in that place
was not Mother
and her mistreatment of me.
Nor was it
Father's indifference and his exploitative ways.
My life had always been like that.
It was all I had ever known.
But what I truly could not bear anymore…
was that in that place,
I could not love you.
So no matter how tough the road ahead or how hopeless everything feels,
should I come to regret my choices…
I know I can endure it.
I will be okay,
so long as you are by my side.
- Find them! - Yes!
We must find them first!
Take their weapons and clothes.
Let's go.
- Spread out, all of you! - Yes, sir!
- Leave no stone unturned! - Yes, sir!
- Do you see anything? - Nothing.
- Over there? - Nothing here.
The grandmaster approaches.
We shall head down.
I know that you wanted me to leave with you
for my own good.
I also believed it was the best choice for both me and everyone else.
But I was wrong.
Because now I can finally see where my heart lies.
Okay.
If I could choose any moment to have my way, it would be now.
The one thing I desire in life, also,
is Hongrang.
Let us go.
I know it is imprudent of me to ask,
but I hope that you can live,
not for me or Father,
but solely for yourself.
Once Hongrang and I disappear,
Father will have no choice but to hold on to you.
But I hope
you will not be too trusting of him.
You are mistaken.
What I desire most
is not the guild.
The only one I ever trusted…
was you.
Indeed, how clueless
and oblivious you are.
No.
I suppose you did not wish to know.
Grandmaster.
Our men are down.
This must be the Soul Reaper's doing.
I doubt that.
This seems to be the work of Yuk-son's men.
As expected, they have resorted to underhanded tactics.
Yuk-son will stop at nothing to eliminate Jae-yi.
Find a way to distract them, even for a moment.
Grandmaster.
Forgive my boldness,
but the Soul Reaper's capture takes priority
over protecting Mistress Jae-yi.
I'm not trying to protect her.
I intend to claim her.
Come again, ma'am.
Get rid of Jae-yi before Hongrang returns.
Jae-yi!
I am not sure.
I suppose I see a resemblance…
Where was she headed?
She was looking for a place to stay in the area,
so I directed her to an inn down that way, just past the creek.
Thank you.
Let us go.
Well done.
If anyone else comes asking,
answer them in the same way.
I sure will.
You said you'd be fine.
You said you'd be fine as long as I was with you.
I am right here,
so you must endure.
You must live.
- Find them! - Yes!
And the foot of the mountain?
No traces of them there.
There were traces of blood?
Yes.
We also found a poisoned arrow.
Which means one of them may be in a critical state right now.
Search the area for antidotal herbs,
then scour the surroundings for any traces.
Yes.
After him!
Seize him!
Drops of blood!
That way!
Let us continue.
Please
just leave.
I have orders to bring you back at all costs.
Yes, I promise you that I will return.
How can I trust you after you betrayed us?
If she were to die,
I would take my own life without a second thought.
Once I get her somewhere safe,
I shall return of my own accord.
So please,
leave us for now.
I beg you.
Go, then.
Jae-yi.
I provided dozens of the best mercenaries out there,
and yet they still lost them?
I'm told Yuk-son and the soldiers hired by Madam Min
kept sabotaging our men.
You call that an excuse?
We both knew she would interfere.
We should have been leaps and bounds ahead,
yet they have set us back!
Our men are still on the chase,
so if we wait--
I do not wish to hear it.
I must do something about this.
Come.
Hongrang
was an imposter all along?
Yes, Your Highness.
For many, countless years,
I have offered my support in the search for your son.
Now you even ask me to help you find your daughter,
taken by that imposter?
Please look upon us with benevolence.
Why,
how impertinent of you.
In recognition of your efforts toward greater matters,
I have shown you favor.
How dare you forget your place as a lowly merchant
and display such insolence?
How much longer do you wish to mobilize the nation's resources
for your trivial family affairs?
I beg for mercy, Your Highness.
If you know what you have done, get out of my sight at once.
Please allow me to ease some of your concerns, Your Highness.
Your lost painting of yin and yang.
I shall find it for you.
Careful now.
Are you okay?
There is an unoccupied house on the mountaintop.
If you have journeyed this far into the mountains,
you must have had no choice.
I trust you have your reasons.
Come here, my lady.
Why am I your lady?
Because "lady" means "lay down with me all day."
So be my lady, won't you?
Come here and lie down facing me.
I want to see you up close.
For years
and years.
For all eternity.
I am sorry.
I will never leave you…
feeling my absence.
I will never leave you waiting.
Even if we are separated…
I will always return
to be with you.
Do you promise?
Yes.
I promise.
How is it? Does it taste all right?
Yes.
Help yourself. Eat all of it.
- Let me get you some water. - Sure.
Oh, wait! I think I sprained an ankle.
Hey, stop! Hey!
Never in my life
have I gazed at the stars so leisurely.
I saw countless stars while up on that tiled roof,
but I have never seen such beautiful stars.
If you ever meet
your little brother again,
what do you wish to say to him?
There you are.
Just that?
"There you are"?
As if nothing has changed.
As if I saw him yesterday.
Just like that.
How nice and welcoming,
as if he is returning to where he belongs.
I hope he feels that way.
Give me your hand.
How pretty.
Just like you.
Do you think so?
Then think of it as me.
I will be here on your sleeve.
So if you ever find yourself
feeling afraid
or anxious,
or when you hurt yourself without even thinking,
whenever this wound flares up,
look at this.
Remember that I am always
holding you close.
Okay.
Excuse me.
Do you perhaps
sell hairpins of some sort?
There you are…
What is wrong?
I just swallowed wrong.
One moment.
What brings you here?
I brought you some cinnamon punch.
Thank you.
But we have no gift in return.
Do not worry about that and enjoy it.
What do you think you are doing?
Are you all right?
Do not worry. I am here.
Shoot!
Good heavens!
What happened?
Mistress Jae-yi!
My son!
What do you think you are doing? Move aside at once!
- Take him inside. - My son.
My son!
How dare you touch him! My son!
What do you intend to do to my son?
Chief Merchant Sim!
Silence!
Let us hear it from you.
What are you?
You will answer me when I ask.
It does not matter whether you tear or break his limbs off.
As for his torso,
you must leave his back unscathed.
I could not tell you what I was.
I am hideous
and hateful.
Disgusting, even in my own eyes.
Subtitle translation by: Jimin Choi