"Episode 8" "Then?" "Then I'll have to pass the national examination." "And after that?" "I'll gain an important position in the court." "And when you do?" "I'll change this country." "How?" "By making a world which doesn't discriminate between yangban and commoners." "So... you and I can live together." "Forever." "Liar..." "I mean it." "Ahh..." "Come on!" "What is this place?" "What about our horses?" "What did you do with all our money and supplies?" "Who asked you to kneel?" "Give us back our horses, now!" "Anger is not going to solve this." "You can sit." "What did you do with the horses?" "I sold them." "Are you telling the truth?" "Ahh..." "You abandoned me." "The sun was setting and I was getting hungry." "Fine." "Where is the money you made by selling them, then?" "Spent it on food." "You couldn't possibly have spent it all!" "The rest, I spent it on... meat, drinks..." "You squandered it all?" "You wench!" "Give it a rest." "Don't get started as well, General Choi." "If we kill the moppet, do we solve our problems?" "And if we spare her, will that do it?" "What are you talking about, Eonni?" "We'll have to sell her to a gisaeng parlor or a brothel." "As if we haven't lost enough because of her." "Sell?" "!" "Me?" "Let alone abandoning me, now you want to sell me?" "Think we'll even get enough for a horse by selling you?" "Sure, I know." "I know how much I'm worth." "Two and a half sacks of rice during a famine, and up to five with a good harvest." "All one could get by selling me is only enough to feed... a family of seven for about a month." "I was sold that way when I was six, and started selling my body aged twelve." "I was bought and sold, bought and sold again." "Fine, sell me." "Think it would be the first time?" "Wait a moment." "Why are you acting like a victim now?" "Enough, give it a rest." "You won't make us get our money back, so just go." "Think I wouldn't?" "You'll find my mother?" "!" "I never believed you from the start." "Think I would believe the promises you men make?" "Seeing fur grow on a turtle's back would be more likely." "You still don't get it, you wench?" "Enough with the shenanigans, and get going." "I'm... going." "Go." "Daegil Orabeoni." "You said you've been looking for that woman the last ten years, right?" "Don't let it dishearten you." "If providence wishes for you to meet, it will happen, even if only by chance." "Chance encounters are what fate is made of, anyhow." "General Orabeoni." "Thank you for everything." "Stop being so finicky, and be content with some navel-grinding with the Jumo." "Wangson Orabeoni." "Stop living like that." "Up to the end, that little..." "See what happens if I see you again!" "Uh?" "Go!" "Fine, I'm going!" "Enjoy your lives, you bastards!" "Ehh..." "Never felt better." "Let's get moving." "We squandered too much time already." "Ahh..." "But what now?" "We're completely broke." "Can't prance about mendicating if we want to catch our prey." "We'll have to make some quick money on the street." "Quick money?" "Ahh..." "Again with the running?" "Let's make at least thirty nyang apiece." "~ No (Male Slave) ~" "Have you awakened?" "What is this place?" "The abode of a former superior of mine." "It is safe, so you needn't worry." "I shall briefly leave you alone." "My apologies." "The urgency of the situation forced me to bring you quandaries." "Is that woman a runaway slave as well?" "She is from a noble clan." "And I am no slave." "If defying our laws brought slavery upon you, that is what you are." "I was falsely accused." "If you were falsely accused by the law, you must await until proven innocent by it." "Is that not how a state official must demean himself?" "I was forced by the circumstances to act otherwise." "There are no circumstances that would make defying the law acceptable." "Is that the reason why you refused to surrender to the Qing, and left the force?" "Was that not defying the law as well?" "There are orders a man of arms cannot follow." "The same goes for me." "Enough with this." "The Master was assassinated by one of your past underlings, Hwang Cheolwoong." "I have been forgotten already." "I merely wish for a life of quietude." "Even if hiding in the alleged tranquility of your abode, they will not spare you." "Leave this place." "Did you contact everyone?" "Yes." "We successfully notified everyone." "If we manage to succeed, the pages of history will record you as heroes of our age." "But, why ask us to gather slaves?" "Ever heard of the fierce battle at the glen near the border... which took place a decade past?" "On that day, our nation's most valorous men fought under Song Taeha's lead." "I always took to the frontline." "Let us go face our destiny!" "Someone was hit!" "Come here and help me." "Let us help him out." "Another one?" "!" "Every day has its corpse, all right." "~ No (Male Slave) ~" ""Should the leading beacon fail to kindle it, darkness will be brought upon the Maitreya*."" "*Future savior in Buddhism (double entendre for Royal Successor/Maitreya statue in Unju Temple)" ""So what will we answer heaven's mandate, and open the gates of a new world with?"" "They are all indispensable to our cause." "We cannot do without them." "All that is left for us is taking up arms." "You shall lead the force, and the people adhering to our cause will be your troops." "Never forget that we will be the mastermind behind their every movement." "What happened to General Song?" "Song Taeha..." "What treachery are you scheming, gathering so early in the morn?" "You insolent knave!" "You fail to pay your respects before scholars engaging in deliberation?" "What kind of impudent varmint am I talking to?" "Quite the baleful vim for meager nobility such as yours." "We are here to capture runaway slave Song Taeha." " Search the premises!" " Yes!" "I only brought you discomfiture with my presence." "A slave ran away from the Military Training Command, so I trust they will be hard on your trail." "They soon shall reach this place as well." "Forgive me for not lending you any help." "Eonnyeon..." "Here." "If you hold it, your hands will get warm." "Hold it tight." ""Thus spoke Wu Guang of the Shu clan from Yangja."*" "*From Sima Qian's Shiji, Chapter 48 Genealogies 18 Chen She" ""You are but a hireling, how could riches bless you?"" ""Thus retorted Chen She."" ""Alas, can the sparrow comprehend the crane's path?"" "Young Master." "I brought you a late morsel." "Bring it inside." "Bring it closer." "Here..." "Come on in." "Have a seat." "If the Master sees me, I'm dead!" "It's all right." "Sit down." " Young Master." " I said it's all right." "I see why your hands and feet are always so ravaged by the cold." "You've been feeling cold all day long, I bet?" "The national examination is in a matter of days." "If this is how you prepare for it, will you ever pass it?" "Wouldn't it work, this time?" "If I do manage to pass the examination," "I will take you on my back on a tour of the peninsula." "How many moons have passed since you started with those promises?" "Shall we forget the examination and start now, then?" "Don't provoke me..." "No." "Get on my back." " Here..." " I said stop it." "I said get on my back." "Young Master..." " Come on." " I said don't..." "Ohh Ohh..." "You still..." "In my childhood, when I knew nothing of this world," "I thought of you as just a compeer of mine." "It was only when I grew into adulthood... that I found out what coming from different classes truly meant." "If you see me as someone to frivol with..." "I would never dare to refute that, however..." "I would prefer if you didn't." "Someone to frivol with?" "!" "What kind of nonsense are you talking about?" "When our upbringing is as different as ours, what could I be for you if not a toy to frivol with?" "You know?" "You know..." "I hate it all." "I hate you feeling cold," "I hate you feeling hurt, and having it hard in any way." "I... plan to head for Jeju." "I shall pretend I did not hear you." "I will go rescue the last surviving royal, His Highness the Royal Successor." "History is a sweltering tide no one can tame." "If but a few individuals could change its course, people wouldn't have christened it history." "I shall pretend I did not hear you." "Meseems we have company." "I shall buy you enough time." "I wish you well." "Naeuri..." "What is the matter?" "We have no time to squander." "Let us change our garments and hasten out of here." "Have you been faring well?" "Never imagined you'd come firsthand, you know?" "Did Song Taeha come by?" "So you slew his master?" "!" "Did the Councilor instigate you?" "Where is Song Taeha?" "Is anyone here?" "Are they men sent by my clan?" "We still don't know." "Teetering at the thought of an insignificant man like me surviving..." "His Excellency sure is easily daunted." "I shall inspect the premises." "Think I would let a paltry sycophant like you rummage my abode?" "I never intended to ask your permission." "Must you touch the sky to know its limits, and feel the sea to fathom its depths?" "That sky has long changed." "Let us act as our garments suggest." "You just wait..." "I'll put another two hundred nyang on the plate." "Eonni..." "Couldn't he decide it's not worth it and put your head on the table?" "Quite the improvement..." "May you rest in peace." "Aren't those two yangban somewhat of a peculiar sight?" "Why, are they always supposed to ride a carriage or something?" "They have neither varlets nor anything on them." "Over there!" "Naeuri..." "This way." "Yes, Naeuri..." "Go inside and take care of the body." "Yes, sure, but..." "like..." "Same manner you used before." "Yes, Naeuri." "If you keep paving the way so generously..." "Never you worry." "We'll wrap him up for you real good." "Boys, let's get going." "Hyewon got married?" "!" "What are you talking about?" "She never left these premises, how could she have ever met an official of the Training Command?" "Milady told me firsthand." "And what is all the more suspicious..." "General Song Taeha was degraded to slavery two years past." "Slavery?" "!" "He was accused of appropriating state crops, but every man of arms knows the truth." "Such accusations were false." "By slave, do you mean one who regained freedom, or..." "After spending time as a government slave at the Training Command, he recently escaped." "A runaway slave?" "!" "Hyewon is with a runaway slave?" "!" "He might have been forced into slavery, but when it comes to distinction in martial arts and character," "General Song is an example to all men." "No matter what his past might be, he still is a runaway slave!" "Not to mention that suspicious individuals are strenuously on his trail." "One is likely to be a female assassin of Ming ancestry, and the other is slave hunter Lee Daegil." "Naeuri." "Lee Daegil, you said?" "Yes." "A varlet of his known as Keunnom set fire to his abode, and he lost his entire family in the flames, escaping as the sole survivor." "Is anyone here?" "Keunnom!" "Mother!" "Eonnyeon..." "Young Master!" "Don't." "Don't!" "So... did he become a slave hunter to avenge his family?" "Word on the street is that he goes after runaway slaves with such vim, slaves think of him as a demon." "So that is what happened to him." "Naeuri." "Milady wants you to stop trailing her." "Follow her in the shadows, for the time being." "See whether she is eating properly, or if she can sleep in tranquility." "Once the situation allows it, I will meet her firsthand." "Also... that slave hunter, Lee Daegil." "He must be slain." "Must we really go that far?" "That man..." "This Lee Daegil..." "Are they not calling him a demon?" "Fine." "If it is for Milady's sake," "I will do so." "You must." "Slay him." "You must." "Only then will Hyewon survive." "Give it an hour, and let us meet back at that ravine." "Where will you go?" " I'll take the back alleys." " Guess I could ransack a few abodes." "Fine, I'll take the main street here, then." "No need to remind you, right?" "Any tentative to evade you means they have something to hide." "Ahh..." "As if it was my first day on the job..." "I'll get going." "From the capital bureau." "Your tag." "Forget it, just go." "Hey..." "Over there." "Come here." "Come here." "Why even try running away?" "As if you had any chance..." "From the capital bureau." "Your tag." "T..." "Tag?" "You fool!" "You must be aware of your crime?" "!" "May you spare me, Naeuri." "So much time has passed, how much longer will I have to endure this?" "May you spare me..." "I swept the entire eight provinces to find that dirty mug of yours, and it has already swept away any patience I had." "If you could be lenient just this once, I would answer your every wish..." "Yes!" "Phony little twat..." "You mean it?" "My every wish?" "Sure as hell..." "Yes!" "Calm down and sit." "You fool, was I on your trail to slay you?" "It was only for your sake." "How much is that worth?" "Uh?" "!" "What would that be?" "Need an interpreter?" "Are we having hearing difficulties?" "!" "How much is letting you go worth, you useless twit." "Mug up." "Raise it." "There's no time, how much am I getting?" "Quick..." "Doesn't it hurt?" "Let's see your tag." "And they said luck seeks those who flee and flees those who seek it." "I will make no resistance, so only take me." "Leave my family alone." "You have one?" "Even had some moppets, as late as I married." "I can certainly endure a life of slavery, but forcing that upon my family is much too cruel." " Are you a runaway slave?" " Why, you didn't know?" "I will let you go on the cheap, so just give me what you have and go." "Gyechuk* Year, 10th month..." "*Reign of Gwanghae-gun, 5th Year (1613)" "All tags back then were made of alder, but isn't this paulownia?" "What could the reason be..." "Why could it be the case?" "Where did you find this?" "It's a fake, isn't it?" "Mogabi*... *leader of a dancing troupe" "My, you must be rejoicing at our sight..." "Feels like seeing your mother-in-law a year after she croaked, right?" "S..." "Spare me..." "I would quell my worries if I were you." "Killed you won't be, for sure." "What are you waiting for?" "Let's get going." "Yes." "Get up." "Please..." "Help me out!" "I beg you..." "Shut that trap, you wench!" "Prepare yourself for nights of navel-grinding starting this eventide." "You know it's twice the trials if you get caught after escaping." "I beg you!" "I'd rather die than do that again!" "Orabeoni!" "Orabeoni!" "Your Orabeoni is here, so stop calling him, you wench." "Orabeoni!" "Orabeoni..." "Orabeoni!" "Orabeoni..." "Young Master..." "Young Master." "Young Master..." "Young Master!" "Young Master!" "Young Master..." "Come here." "From the capital bureau." "Your tag." ""Ehh!" "Gleaming is the moon and so are the stars!"" "~ Saseolnanbongga ~ (Gyeonggi Province Minyo - folk song)" ""Singing under the gleaming light of the night."" ""Gleaming is the moon and so are the stars!"" ""Singing under the gleaming light of the night."" ""Maiden and bachelor finally meet, should they live or die together?"" ""Let us dance and play away from the world's eyes."" "You wench..." "Think you'll be safe if you spoil the mood?" "Want to take a tour of the market buck naked?" "Uh?" "Go in and collect tips." "Get going." "I knew you'd end up here." "You prick..." "Let's go." "Let's go, kiddo." "You bastard." "Why did it take you so long?" "Ahh..." "Really." "Is this some funeral?" "The hell are they crying for..." "This is exactly the same twat we met in Hanyang." "Throw some pollen in a bee's mug and it'll fly a thousand miles for its flower." "What do I have to see, a scamp protecting a dancing troupe wench's honor?" "You twat, I trust you recall what I said would happen if we met again?" "All right." "Shut that trap." "Are you the ringleader?" "Can't you see by yourself?" "Should know at first sight..." "How much?" "For what?" "I'll buy the kiddo, so how much for her?" "You're hoarders just like me, so enough with the amenities, and let's get it over with." "Did I catch a dragon with a fishing pole?" "!" "So, how much are we talking about?" "Would two hundred be enough?" "Really..." "Why, want more?" "Want to bargain a little?" "No... no..." "I suppose two hundred nyang would suffice." "Nice to deal with." "Here you go." "So, this is all?" "Has to be around fifteen nyang." "As for the rest, if providence puts us on the same street again, then you'll get it." "You son of a rabid mongrel..." "You knaves!" "No matter how lowly you vermin are," "I trust you still have eyes to see." "For the rest of your money, ask Chief Oh at the left capital bureau." "Keep up with these shenanigans,and you'll end up accused of lewd demeanor and punished!" "Get him!" "Here..." "Let's have a look." "140 nyang in coins, two rolls of cotton, silver hairpins and rings, and brass bowls to boot." "How much did you make?" "That's quite the con." "He said thirty nyang would suffice..." "Ehh..." "Did anyone try to stop Hong Gil Dong when he fought for the little man?" "!" "Take it out and let's see." "Is this all?" "Nothing more?" "Are we hiding more in another pocket?" "It should be around thirty nyang." "Ahh..." "Really." "Can't take it anymore." "Why did you become so compassionate all of a sudden?" "Why..." "What was I, the conman of the pack, so I got more than you?" "Shouldn't we put some food on the table ourselves?" "So if one of us did it, then that's done." "Everyone keeps what he earned." "Wonder where's Daegil..." "Daegil Eonni will have even surpassed me." "So you didn't make a penny, and we got back the wench as well?" "Why did you become so compassionate all of a sudden?" "Compassionate..." "Who, me?" "Always tagging along like a mongrel yapping after a piece of meat." "Right?" "You know she's only going to get us in trouble, why take her again?" "I won't do that again." "I'll cook, launder and wash the pots for you." "Aigoo..." "Didn't we say we couldn't do that?" "!" "No..." "I do that quite well, on the contrary." "See?" "So that's enough." "She'll take care of all that." "That makes us even." "If there's one thing you can't trust in this world, that's a wench dandling with men." "General Orabeoni..." "If you get to know me, you'll see how miserable my life has been." "Why?" "Is it any different in my case?" "You know?" "Wangson Orabeoni..." "Let us talk a little later..." "In the night." "Night?" "!" "If you insist..." "Will you show some discretion, this time?" "Orabeoni, can't you trust me?" "Answer." "Will you do everything in Wangson's stead?" "Ohh..." "I'll do it almost all." "Forget it..." "So how much did we make?" "Beats me." "We decided that everyone keeps what he made." " This was you, I bet?" " Why, can't you tell?" "Quite a catch." "Take a look. 140 nyang in coins, two rolls of cotton..." "Let's go for horses, then." "Aigoo, what's wrong with you?" "I said this is mine." "Let go." "It's Eonni here... you twat." "Ahh..." "Eonni or whatever, I made this and it's mine!" "You little twerp, we eat and sleep together, and you start looking down on me?" "People were talking." "Uh?" "!" "They're looking for another hunter, want to give it a try?" "Want to end up as an underling?" " Why... would you..." " Follow me." "Let's go." "Wait!" "There's none." "No such thing as comradery amongst us." "I mean, did they make any money?" "I did!" "I did, and..." "Let's take it easy over there, shall we?" "Is anyone after you?" "We're the ones trailing here." "Clean the table." "Are you done eating, Naeuri?" "Yangban sure are different, leaving food on the table and all." "Mandeuk." "Yes." "Feels good, uh?" "What is there to life?" "Eat a nice meal and fart the night away, that's it." "That's the best you can ask for." "Isn't that right, Naeuri?" "If you're done eating, go out and sleep." "Out?" "!" "Out where?" "So, what, am I supposed to sleep with you?" "I would love to, Naeuri." "Where can we go sleep outside, anyhow?" "Both the latrine and the stables are swarming with bugs." "You fool..." "Spend a night out there, and you could wake up... with your tongue sticking out." "Not to mention that I'm not getting any younger, so it aches all over anyway." "Get to my age." "You'll see different stars every time you wake up." "Should we go for some firewater?" "Would be perfect before sleeping." "Let's not get ahead of ourselves." "I wouldn't mind some liquor, though." "That would be splendid, but I wonder how the yangban here feels about it." "Naeuri..." "We were going for a round of liquor, care to join us?" "We shall depart early in the morn, so go out and rest." "Go where?" "Shouldn't we know first?" "If we leave without knowing our destination," "I'm afraid that price will be a little different?" "!" "We're going to Mokpo." "Is that the end?" "We'll take a boat from there and head to Jeju." "That is the end." "Mokpo..." "If we leave early in the morning, we probably will be there by noon?" "So let us have a drink together, Naeuri." "And a nice chicken on top." "Naeuri..." "As if I was some kind of mongrel from the street..." "The hell is all this about?" "Uh?" "Keep dancing around it and never get to the point, will you?" "Why, did you enjoy that?" "He said we're going to Jeju." "Then, I guess the plate will hold a good 1500 nyang... 1500?" "!" "Tell Daegil to enjoy his hunting for the rest of his days." "Let's worry about our future, while we're at it." "Naeuri!" "We'll make the trip from Mokpo to Jeju a jolly saunter, so have a good night of rest." " Just sleep." " Here?" " Yeah." "Say..." "Seolhwa." "Are we still far?" "It's all done." "Folks, let's have dinner." "Shall we see how hard our kiddo worked?" "Wow!" "Hey!" "It's all burned!" "Guess the firewood was too wet, so..." "Look at this wench." "Blaming the mirror for your ugly mug now?" "Let's just eat..." "The night is young, anyway..." "Sure." "Let's just eat." "Would it kill us?" "The effort is what counts anyway." "Let's try it." "Go ahead, let's eat." "Wangson." "Yes, Eonni." "Coming in a moment." "You cook." "I knew it." "Get out of the way." "Move." "I plan to head for Jeju in the morrow." "Is Jeju your final destination?" "It is only the beginning." "May I ask you the beginning of what?" "History will be rewritten." "I must have hindered your great endeavors." "Will you follow me to Jeju?" "Would I not interfere with your plans?" "I shed blood on the battlefield and prided myself on saving countless lives, but it was not enough to rescue my family from the claws of demise." "I vowed to myself I would never let attachments cloud my path again," "but I also swore to do everything in my power... to protect the chance meetings my path is laden with." "Are you... suggesting you wish to protect me?" "I knew this would happen." "Of course it was going to burn, there's no water inside!" "Were you trying to spare it?" "We're surrounded by water!" "Orabeoni..." "The night is young." "Don't play with fire." "It should have been raging by now, but look at what you've done..." "What are you thinking about?" "Are you planning to follow them to Jeju?" "Why are you asking that?" "Think of how Song Taeha has been moving so far." "First the Crown Prince's tomb, then Im Youngho in Chungju." "What do you think will be next?" "Jeju, obviously." "Anywhere else in the peninsula would be fine, but not Jeju." "Why would I go there?" "I'm not going." "Jeju is where the power struggles of rival parties are manifesting itself." "If minions like us start meddling in their diatribe, it could quickly cause our downfall." "Told you I'm not going..." "We'll just have to catch them before that." "They'll have to head for Mokpo, then." "The hell are you prattling about?" "The entire peninsula is swarming with government officials on his trail." "But think he would just take a boat from there?" "That's nonsense." "Then, are you thinking of Wando?" "That's a good possibility, but since there's a wench by his side, he'd choose the safest path." "Here." "He'll take the stream from here, and head into open sea." "May I ask you something?" "Yes, Naeuri." "Is there any way I could hire a boat for Wando?" "That's a little..." "It's not going to be easy, uh?" "The high tide will soon be upon us, so they probably are all out fishing?" "I will reward them generously, so is there any way I could find one?" "That..." "So..." "Depending on how generous you wish to be..." "Does five days' worth of work sound generous enough?" "Oh my..." "Follow me, uh?" "You will find a man by the pavilion in Apgujeong." "Convey this to him." "Also, contact the maritime officers to provide me with a warship." "Would the maritime officers be batty enough to do that?" "Listening to us, that is." "Go and summon the officer responsible." "Same as mine?" "!" "They'll make you half a dozen for a nyang, what's the point..." "What should I cut off this time?" "An ear?" "Yes..." "Yes..." "Fine." "If I go "The Royal Emissary is before you!" Uh?" "!" "And then ask for a boat, that's it." "Ahh..." "Also, if we cross the sea, our fee increases twofold." "Law of the street and all, you know." "The hell is this..." "Old fart." "Come here." "Let me ask you something." "Say what?" "Old fart?" "!" "Seen a man looking to hire a boat for Wando?" "You motherless moppets..." "Who the hell do you think you're talking to?" "I'll tear that rotten little tongue of yours and use it as a sandal." "You knave don't even know what an inspector's cudgel feels like." "Should I tear your limbs to shreds and feed the crows with it?" "Oh my!" "How could I not recognize Your Excellency?" "!" "I deserve to croak." "So have you seen them, or not?" "Just a little while ago, thaaaaat way over there." "They were headed for the port, uh?" "A little while meaning what?" "*one gak = 15 minutes" "About one, two gak* I'd say, uh?" "We won't abandon you, so keep an eye on the horses." "~ No (Male Slave) ~" "~ On The Next Episode Of ~ SLAVE ~@~ HUNTERS" "What are we here for, pleasure?" "Take a look at this!" " People have died!" " Lowly vermin will remain so even after croaking." "I had taken a liking to you, forgive me." "What are you doing?" "So do we need someone for that check?" "We have one." "Aren't you that conman?" "Ever seen this woman?" "He was looking for Eonnyeon." "I am sure." "At least leave the money behind!" "I asked where that came from, and they said it was this yangban abode." "Kim Seonghwan..." "I'll catch all those slaves who betrayed the hand that fed them, and pay them back the same way."