The East Palace (2026) s01e07 Episode Script
Episode 7
[ominous music playing]
[Gu-cheon] Princess! Princess!
[squelching]
[Gu-cheon breathing heavily]
Is it tormenting you
to learn of the bloodshed
caused by your family 30 years past?
Do you despise your parents so deeply
that you would abandon your mind
and surrender your body?
Your mother came to me.
She appeared to me
and pleaded for me to save her daughter.
[groans]
[stirring music playing]
[Gu-cheon] And… I learned the truth
about your father.
How could a mere court lady
refuse a command like that?
Royal Noble Consort Sukbin Choi
forced your mother to do those deeds.
Your father saved your mother
by marrying her.
So don't turn your hatred upon
your mother or your father!
Do not allow that hatred
to be exploited by the spirit, Princess!
Princess!
Princess!
[woman] Princess.
What has caught hold of your gaze?
[music fades]
Are these the blossoms
of the ginger tree, Mother?
- Yes, my dear.
- [gentle music playing]
They grow in abundance
back in my hometown.
When I shared this with His Majesty,
he bestowed it upon you
as your childhood namesake.
Do you sometimes miss your homeland?
I don't.
There are no happy memories there.
My father died very young.
And my mother was often unwell.
[young Saeng-gang] Then, Mother,
please be born as my daughter
in your next life.
That way, I will keep you safe.
That is a wonderful and special idea.
[music fades]
- [squelching]
- [gasps]
[Gu-cheon grunts]
- [tense music playing]
- [both grunt]
[Saeng-gang gasps]
[panting]
- [man 1] How did that…
- [Saeng-gang groans]
- [man 1] Are you all right?
- [man 2] Your Majesty!
How did that happen?
- Are you all right?
- Is anyone out there?
- Is there no one to help?
- Bring something for the wound!
[woman 2] Your Highness!
Go check outside.
- Right now.
- Yes, Your Majesty.
[panicked chattering]
[door rattling]
[man 1] Chief Eunuch Kim.
What is going on?
[breathing heavily]
[grunts]
[groans]
[groans]
[Saeng-gang breathing heavily]
[Gu-cheon] Are you all right?
Has your sight returned? How?
We must stop the bleeding first.
That was far too close.
It's a good thing the Crown Prince fled
as soon as you woke up.
[Saeng-gang breathing heavily]
I was a complete and utter fool.
I allowed the Crown Prince
to overcome the ward
and use me as its vessel.
We should take you to the physician.
First though…
Where did you see my mother?
I would like to speak with her.
I must tell her that I will release
her lingering resentment, and that…
that I will be all right,
and she should go to the afterlife.
She can't do that now.
- She can still pass on.
- Not anymore.
Her soul was devoured
by a gwi-mae on the other side.
[stirring melancholy music playing]
What, um…
What does that mean?
Your mother's soul
was obliterated in the other world.
- [snarls]
- [Gu-cheon grunts]
[Gu-cheon panting]
[panicked scream]
[gasps]
[grunts] Go to Saeng-gang now!
I will be fine!
So go now, please. Protect my daughter!
Save Saeng-gang! I beg you.
[gasps]
[panicked scream]
I am sorry.
[pants, moans]
[breathing shakily]
[chuckles]
[Saeng-gang sobs]
[Saeng-gang crying]
[Saeng-gang crying]
THE EAST PALACE
[music fades]
The Princess came to see me last night.
According to the eunuchs,
she acted in a most unusual manner.
It's nothing to worry about.
You need not be concerned with her.
What's important is
I must go outside the palace
if I'm to send
the Crown Prince's soul to the afterlife.
There's no more need for that.
Do not send the soul to the afterlife.
Obliterate it.
Do you know what it means to do that?
To obliterate someone's soul?
It does not matter.
You won't be leaving these walls at all.
- The Princess can do it in your stead.
- I won't allow it.
I will urge the Princess
to withdraw from this.
It'll be too dangerous.
But you said we shouldn't worry.
So then something did occur
with the Princess.
And…
something happened to you as well.
She was given to you
because she can hear the spirits' voices.
The Princess has her uses.
You'll keep acting together.
I have clearly stated to you
that the Princess is in danger, perhaps--
Do not overstep your place by fretting
over the safety of the Princess,
or have you forgotten your lowly station,
and now she has become
an object of your desire?
[melancholy string music playing]
No, of course not.
She was starting to get in the way.
I simply want her to be gone.
The closer she gets to
the Crown Prince's secret, Your Majesty,
the closer she gets to uncovering
more secrets of the royal family,
and her heart
can no longer bear the weight.
[breathes heavily]
[melancholy string music continues]
[Gu-cheon sighs]
[Saeng-gang] Why are you still here?
Just in case you got possessed.
[Gu-cheon sighs]
Can you tell me now?
Your eyes… What happened to you?
[music fades]
I obtained the eyes of a gwi-mae.
The eyes of a gwi-mae?
What happens to you now?
Don't concern yourself with that.
Just hold on to this, please.
Don't be careless and lose it.
And you don't need to concern yourself
with the Crown Prince's spirit anymore.
With my sight restored,
I'll deal with the spirit on my own.
- Why are you being like this?
- Because you get in the way.
You may lose your body
to the Crown Prince once more.
Taking care of you
has nearly made my intestines fall out.
Gu-cheon.
[Gu-cheon sighs]
[exhales, groans]
[Saeng-gang] Is this because of my mother?
If it's about that…
don't be troubled.
She met her end while trying to save me.
You have no reason to feel guilty.
It's not your fault what happened to her.
- Do you hear me at all?
- It is my fault.
[tender music playing]
Even before that…
there was a soul that was devoured
by a gwi-mae seeking my yin energy.
So you should just stay away from me.
Who knows what may happen to you
if you stay with someone so cursed.
[music intensifies]
[Gu-cheon] Never again
will I lose anyone because of my actions.
[music fades]
[Saeng-gang] Did you bring those wards
from your private residence?
You brought a lot of them with you.
You can go now.
[woman 1 and 2] Yes, Your Majesty.
[uneasy music playing]
[Sukbin] Where did you suddenly
run off to last night, Saeng-gang?
[door opens]
Kneel down, will you?
- Closer.
- [door closes]
Come, my child. [laughs]
Once again, you and I must go back
to the inseparable grandmother
and granddaughter that we were,
and with you, I will be able
to keep our family unharmed
so we can guard our family secret
that took place 30 years ago.
[chuckles] Oh.
Someone has already started to notice
the mess you've caused.
[woman] Your Highness,
your presence is urgently requested
at the Queen Dowager's quarters.
[Chief Eunuch]
His Majesty the King has arrived.
[unsettling music continues]
[door closes]
You may all sit.
You summoned even the royal kin.
For what urgent matter have you called me?
I do not have the leisure to sit
and enjoy refreshments at present.
[Queen] Thirty years ago,
while the late King's sons
met their untimely deaths,
I wish for you to tell me how it happened
that only you, out of them, survived.
[King laughing]
[unsettling music continues]
Has my own survival
truly displeased you all this time,
my dear Mother?
I am simply asking you to clarify
how you escaped the pond spirit's curse.
Can you explain?
At the time, I took refuge in the temple
of a renowned monk who exorcized spirits.
But you are aware of that, Mother.
No!
I am aware that there was no need for that
since there was no spirit there
to begin with.
The Princes' deaths 30 years ago
were not the work of some pond spirit.
That is clear.
This case of poisoning
was carried out by a mortal.
- Bring forth Inha!
- [door opens]
[Queen] Prince Inha collapsed
as soon as he entered the palace.
And something was found
in his quarters beside him.
The confectionery box,
which Prince Inha ate from.
And one more thing.
It was given to me by the Princess.
Her mother is also said to have died
after eating food
from a lotus-patterned confectionery box.
This is clear evidence
that the Princes' deaths
were not the work of the pond spirit,
but the acts of someone poisoning
the royal bloodline.
What do you think of this, Your Majesty?
Are you saying…
that I killed my very own brothers
by poisoning them one by one?
When everyone else is killed,
naturally, the sole survivor
becomes the main culprit.
And those actions allowed you
to be on the throne.
A throne that you could never
have claimed, Your Majesty.
[King] Are you willing
to stand behind the words you speak…
and bear their weight, Your Majesty?
[music fades]
What are you doing, Your Majesty?
Your Majesty.
[man 1] But that is…
Goodness.
[Iksang gasps]
[crunching]
[King sighs]
[man 2 clears throat]
[unsettling music playing]
[crunching continues]
[groans]
[King] You claimed it was poisoned.
We will have our proof in time,
will we not?
Oh…
- Chief Eunuch.
- Yes, Your Majesty.
[unsettling music intensifies]
Take Prince Inha
outside the palace right this minute.
Outside the palace in this state?
Something has piqued my curiosity.
[Chief Eunuch] Stop here!
Your Majesty,
the moment we left the palace,
the young prince regained consciousness.
What is that?
[Jang] And he asked us
to deliver a message to you.
Wait! What did he say?
That it was actually a spirit
that tried to kill him.
It said that it would sever
the royal bloodline.
[murmuring]
[Queen] No. That cannot be.
It must have been poison that did this.
Poison?
What nonsense is this?
Are you saying that I, their father,
am responsible for killing my sons
with my very hands?
They were all killed by the pond spirit.
The Most Favored Lady of the Court,
whom you put to death.
No, no.
[Queen breathes shakily]
I held back
out of concern for your well-being.
Now I simply have no other choice.
You cruelly put
the pregnant favored court lady to death,
completely severing the royal bloodline,
and branded me as a murderer.
Your ruler, your King,
and the most sovereign of this nation!
I will not tolerate this any longer!
You are to leave the palace.
At once.
[tense music playing]
[loud clattering]
[groans]
[Queen] How dare you command me!
I already know the entire truth!
I know it all!
This is all your doing!
I know the truth of it all!
I know it all! [gasps]
No, you bastard!
[strained breathing]
No, you do not.
Because it was you.
[Queen sobs]
You are behind
all of the palace tragedies and curses.
This all started because of you, Mother.
I was dragged by you
into this miserable hell
because of your pathetic actions.
Now, it is time you accept it.
- [Queen sobs]
- [King] Do you hear me?
[Queen breathing shakily]
This is your burden to bear.
Your karma, Mother.
[tense music intensifies]
I will never leave the palace. Not ever.
I will not leave, not even in death!
This palace belongs to me! It is mine!
This palace is mine! It belongs to me!
I will never leave here. Never!
[Jang] Your Majesty, are you all right?
Please, calm yourself.
- [Queen whining]
- [Jang] Your Majesty.
[Saeng-gang gasps] Father! Wait!
[Chief Eunuch] Let us leave.
You willingly released
the spirit of the Crown Prince?
You took Prince Inha as your adopted son,
despite knowing the spirit would harm him.
How could you have done this?
Is your mind your own, Saeng-gang?
And who are you today?
Are you really the Princess?
[wind whistles]
Don't appear before me
until the pond spirit's been destroyed.
I cannot place my trust in you until then.
I, too, cannot place my trust in you
at the moment.
[intriguing music playing]
Father, why did
your first and second sons both die?
Like the third one you buried.
Were those two poisoned as well?
The consequences of that sin
will come for you.
It is inevitable.
[uneasy music playing]
Fine.
Then I shall wait.
[Saeng-gang scoffs]
[breathes heavily]
[Queen murmurs] The King…
The King…
I must kill the King.
[unsettling music playing]
- [Iksang] Come in.
- [door opens]
[Queen] I must kill the King.
[eerie dark music playing]
[King] Are you saying the plague
has reached the outskirts of the capital?
[man] We humbly apologize, Your Majesty.
All gates of the capital have been closed,
and we have restricted anyone
from entering or leaving.
[King sighs]
The Jeonuigam,
the Hyeminseo, and the Hwalinseo
are to report to me all measures in place
to contain the sickness at once.
And release all of the grain reserves.
Make sure the Minister…
[coughs]
[tense music swells]
- [Chief Eunuch] Your Majesty!
- [man 1] Your Majesty!
- [King coughs, gasping]
- [Chief Eunuch] Your Majesty.
Your Majesty. The plague has come.
I will summon the physician.
[King] No.
Gu… Gu… Gu-cheon.
[labored breathing]
G… Gu-cheon. I need Gu-cheon.
[groans] Now.
- [tense music playing]
- [coughs]
[groans, coughs]
[man 2] Your Majesty.
Your Majesty. Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
[King] Take a proper look at me.
Tell me what you see.
[dark, mysterious music playing]
[Gu-cheon] This is unlike the spirits
I see here in the palace.
I see people around you,
wailing in suffering.
[girl] Please help us.
[Gu-cheon] Their bodies are covered
in spots.
And a child, around the same age
as Prince Yeongan, is by your side,
clutching the hem of your shirt,
Your Majesty.
So they're the villagers.
The people with the plague you killed.
Did they come to the palace…
bearing ill will against me?
Won-gwis are remarkably simple.
If they hold resentment,
the soldiers who killed them
are the ones they'd go after.
But instead, they chose the one
who gave the order, Your Majesty.
Someone guided them to you
from the other realm.
So the one
who brought the spirits here is…
[tense music builds]
It was the Crown Prince.
[grunts, coughs]
- [King coughing]
- [music fades]
Then go… and resolve this to the end.
What about all the spirits here?
If they remain, you will be in danger.
I will conduct a Yeoje rite.
[tense music resumes]
[King] I will have it performed
tomorrow night
and have the spirits
driven out of here to end this.
Driven out of here?
That rite is for souls
who have died unjust deaths.
An appeasement rite will surely fail
if performed with that mindset.
You just focus
on the Crown Prince's spirit
and how to get rid of it.
The time we agreed upon draws near.
[tense music swells]
[spectral cries]
[music intensifies]
[crows squawk]
[crows squeal]
- [crows squawk]
- [music fades]
What are you doing?
Something calls.
I hear it.
What calls?
Gu-cheon.
It's nothing. Don't worry.
[Saeng-gang] Be honest with me.
Did your condition worsen
after you got the eyes of the gwi-mae?
Why are you here?
Did I not say that I would do this alone?
[Saeng-gang] Is this
really how you're going to be?
I told you,
my mother's soul being obliterated
was my fault for getting possessed.
None of it was your fault!
I know you are doing this
out of concern for me.
What's already happened
and whatever happens after tonight,
I promise you right now,
that is all my burden to bear.
None of it's yours.
[uneasy music playing]
[Gu-cheon] The Crown Prince's spirit
failed to approach the King.
It's drawing the spirits of the villagers
with the plague into the palace.
[distorted voice]
I will draw them all to this place.
[Gu-cheon] The Crown Prince's spirit
will surely seek out the King
and kill him.
[spectral voices]
[Saeng-gang] Draw them in…
[Gu-cheon] I couldn't even protect
your mother's soul.
I mustn't allow your father
to be taken as well.
[sighs]
I should send you
out of this place to free you,
but I need you in the palace.
I can only depend on you.
[gentle music playing]
We will wait until the morning arrives
so I can replenish my yang.
[Saeng-gang]
I will share my yang energy with you.
[Gu-cheon groans]
- [skin tearing]
- [groans]
[tense music playing]
[Gu-cheon] I will find out what he intends
to do with the plague spirits,
but I need you to buy me some time.
[breathes shakily]
[Gu-cheon] First, write a spell,
coat it with chicken blood,
and affix it to the King's bedchamber.
That way, the Crown Prince
will not be able to approach easily.
The King must be protected
until the Yeoje rite is held.
[dramatic percussive music playing]
What are you doing here?
Do not let anyone enter this chamber
from now on.
[dramatic percussive music builds]
[music subsides]
I asked you a question.
Why have you come here suddenly?
I did not wish to be here either,
but I was told that I must protect you
until the Yeoje rite is held.
So Gu-cheon has spoken to you, I see.
[spectral voices, crying]
[spectral voice] There is something
I must tell you, Your Majesty.
What is it?
[breathes shakily]
There is… someone here
who is not a plague spirit.
[spectral voice] Your Majesty.
He's behind you, Father.
[unsettling music playing]
[spectral voice] There is something
you must know about the Crown Prince.
Stay where you are.
[spectral voice] Please, I beg you,
hear me out, Your Majesty.
He says that he wishes to speak to you
about the Crown Prince.
- No.
- [pounds table]
- Do not listen.
- [spectral voice] Please, I beg you.
What is it
that you are trying to keep hidden?
- You are to leave at once. Now.
- No, I refuse.
Father, you must speak for yourself.
You can't keep evading the truth.
That's enough, Saeng-gang!
Whatever it is that voice
so earnestly begs you to hear,
- I will hear it speak.
- [loud clattering]
[breathing heavily]
- Do not come closer. Do not listen.
- [uneasy music playing]
I said you are to learn nothing more
about this! Leave, now!
- Leave this place at once!
- Father!
[King sobs]
[breathes shakily, sobs]
[coughs]
[gasps, coughs]
[coughs]
- [unsettling music playing]
- [breathing heavily]
Who is speaking?
You need to tell me honestly.
Did you kill him, Father?
I commanded it.
Why did you have him killed?
He said that…
he was trying to confess that he saw…
what the Crown Prince had done.
[unsettling music intensifies]
[Crown Prince sighs]
I see.
This palace has always been
the most interesting place.
Would you not agree?
[spectral voices]
[Saeng-gang] Are you saying
the Crown Prince could hear
the voices of spirits as well?
- [music fades]
- [rain pattering]
[King] I want you to tell me exactly
how I, your father, became King.
[clears throat]
Because the late King's sons died
one after the other.
And tell me the reason…
why they all died?
I was told
it was the curse of the pond spirit.
[King sighs]
Be honest with me.
I don't understand what you mean.
In our lineage,
there are children among the relatives
on my mother's side of the family
who are born with a cursed ability
our ancestors had passed down,
and you have that ability.
[uneasy music playing]
You can hear the voices, can you not?
So you must have known in advance
that the pond spirit never even existed
and how it wasn't a spirit
who killed the late King's sons.
But, in fact, it was a human.
[breathing heavily]
Your Majesty!
[King] And yet,
my first and second sons
have died as well.
They both died,
even though no such spirit ever existed.
They vomited black blood,
just as my brothers did.
Meaning…
you must have heard the secret
from 30 years ago
and reenacted it.
Did you really think
that I'd let you get away with it?
[uneasy music intensifies]
Did you…
Did you really poison this?
[gasps]
How could this happen?
How could a father
kill his own children by poison?
You can never become the King
and rule the people of this land.
I will not allow you
to ever realize that agenda.
[screams] Why?
That's how you became King yourself,
so why?
Why is it that I am not allowed
to ever be King, huh?
[laughs]
[coughs]
[chokes]
[gasps]
[chokes]
We do not need
another brother killer to be King.
That role is mine alone.
You, too…
[music subsides]
…will be known as having died
by the curse of the pond spirit.
Yes, do as you wish.
[pants]
[tense dramatic music playing]
[gasps, coughs]
[body thuds]
[gasping]
Oh, my father,
since you are the pond spirit…
[gasps]
…it is only fitting
that I die by the spirit's hand.
[coughs, wheezes]
And when I do die, Father…
I will become the true
and now very real pond spirit.
[laughs, wheezes]
[gasping]
[Crown Prince] Father!
[Crown Price gasps loudly]
[Crown Prince] As the curse decreed
30 years ago…
[gasps]
…I will completely sever
the royal bloodline.
If I… cannot be the king someday…
[King groans]
- [groans]
- Father?
[groans]
[tense rhythmic music playing]
[gasps, groans]
[Saeng-gang breathing heavily]
[echoes] Father.
Father!
[spectral voices]
[Crown Prince] Then you, too,
cannot be the King, Father.
[tense dramatic music playing]
[gasping breath]
[spectral screaming]
[gasping breath]
[music swells]
[shaman] May peace fill this house
and harmony be fulfilled!
With one heart,
we offer this solemn prayer!
Your Royal Highness,
who is the householder deity,
take our gifts to you!
Even though, Crown Prince,
we've not much to offer,
please partake in this meal
and drive away the plague spirits
from this palace!
[tense dramatic music continues]
[screaming]
[Gu-cheon] Is he devouring human souls
like a gwi-mae?
Stop that at once!
[spectral screaming]
[Gu-cheon grunts]
[grunting]
[squelching]
[spectral screaming continues]
[crunching]
[screaming]
[screaming stops, gasps]
[moans]
- [spectral screaming]
- [moans]
[wind whistling]
[Crown Prince moans]
[wind whistling]
[gasps]
[tense dramatic music continues]
Does that mean…
His Majesty's dead?
[Saeng-gang] Father.
Father!
[panicked breathing]
[squelching]
[breathes shakily]
Gu-cheon!
[music intensifies]
[pants]
[squelching]
[breathing echoes]
[epic rock music playing]
[music fades]
[Gu-cheon] Princess! Princess!
[squelching]
[Gu-cheon breathing heavily]
Is it tormenting you
to learn of the bloodshed
caused by your family 30 years past?
Do you despise your parents so deeply
that you would abandon your mind
and surrender your body?
Your mother came to me.
She appeared to me
and pleaded for me to save her daughter.
[groans]
[stirring music playing]
[Gu-cheon] And… I learned the truth
about your father.
How could a mere court lady
refuse a command like that?
Royal Noble Consort Sukbin Choi
forced your mother to do those deeds.
Your father saved your mother
by marrying her.
So don't turn your hatred upon
your mother or your father!
Do not allow that hatred
to be exploited by the spirit, Princess!
Princess!
Princess!
[woman] Princess.
What has caught hold of your gaze?
[music fades]
Are these the blossoms
of the ginger tree, Mother?
- Yes, my dear.
- [gentle music playing]
They grow in abundance
back in my hometown.
When I shared this with His Majesty,
he bestowed it upon you
as your childhood namesake.
Do you sometimes miss your homeland?
I don't.
There are no happy memories there.
My father died very young.
And my mother was often unwell.
[young Saeng-gang] Then, Mother,
please be born as my daughter
in your next life.
That way, I will keep you safe.
That is a wonderful and special idea.
[music fades]
- [squelching]
- [gasps]
[Gu-cheon grunts]
- [tense music playing]
- [both grunt]
[Saeng-gang gasps]
[panting]
- [man 1] How did that…
- [Saeng-gang groans]
- [man 1] Are you all right?
- [man 2] Your Majesty!
How did that happen?
- Are you all right?
- Is anyone out there?
- Is there no one to help?
- Bring something for the wound!
[woman 2] Your Highness!
Go check outside.
- Right now.
- Yes, Your Majesty.
[panicked chattering]
[door rattling]
[man 1] Chief Eunuch Kim.
What is going on?
[breathing heavily]
[grunts]
[groans]
[groans]
[Saeng-gang breathing heavily]
[Gu-cheon] Are you all right?
Has your sight returned? How?
We must stop the bleeding first.
That was far too close.
It's a good thing the Crown Prince fled
as soon as you woke up.
[Saeng-gang breathing heavily]
I was a complete and utter fool.
I allowed the Crown Prince
to overcome the ward
and use me as its vessel.
We should take you to the physician.
First though…
Where did you see my mother?
I would like to speak with her.
I must tell her that I will release
her lingering resentment, and that…
that I will be all right,
and she should go to the afterlife.
She can't do that now.
- She can still pass on.
- Not anymore.
Her soul was devoured
by a gwi-mae on the other side.
[stirring melancholy music playing]
What, um…
What does that mean?
Your mother's soul
was obliterated in the other world.
- [snarls]
- [Gu-cheon grunts]
[Gu-cheon panting]
[panicked scream]
[gasps]
[grunts] Go to Saeng-gang now!
I will be fine!
So go now, please. Protect my daughter!
Save Saeng-gang! I beg you.
[gasps]
[panicked scream]
I am sorry.
[pants, moans]
[breathing shakily]
[chuckles]
[Saeng-gang sobs]
[Saeng-gang crying]
[Saeng-gang crying]
THE EAST PALACE
[music fades]
The Princess came to see me last night.
According to the eunuchs,
she acted in a most unusual manner.
It's nothing to worry about.
You need not be concerned with her.
What's important is
I must go outside the palace
if I'm to send
the Crown Prince's soul to the afterlife.
There's no more need for that.
Do not send the soul to the afterlife.
Obliterate it.
Do you know what it means to do that?
To obliterate someone's soul?
It does not matter.
You won't be leaving these walls at all.
- The Princess can do it in your stead.
- I won't allow it.
I will urge the Princess
to withdraw from this.
It'll be too dangerous.
But you said we shouldn't worry.
So then something did occur
with the Princess.
And…
something happened to you as well.
She was given to you
because she can hear the spirits' voices.
The Princess has her uses.
You'll keep acting together.
I have clearly stated to you
that the Princess is in danger, perhaps--
Do not overstep your place by fretting
over the safety of the Princess,
or have you forgotten your lowly station,
and now she has become
an object of your desire?
[melancholy string music playing]
No, of course not.
She was starting to get in the way.
I simply want her to be gone.
The closer she gets to
the Crown Prince's secret, Your Majesty,
the closer she gets to uncovering
more secrets of the royal family,
and her heart
can no longer bear the weight.
[breathes heavily]
[melancholy string music continues]
[Gu-cheon sighs]
[Saeng-gang] Why are you still here?
Just in case you got possessed.
[Gu-cheon sighs]
Can you tell me now?
Your eyes… What happened to you?
[music fades]
I obtained the eyes of a gwi-mae.
The eyes of a gwi-mae?
What happens to you now?
Don't concern yourself with that.
Just hold on to this, please.
Don't be careless and lose it.
And you don't need to concern yourself
with the Crown Prince's spirit anymore.
With my sight restored,
I'll deal with the spirit on my own.
- Why are you being like this?
- Because you get in the way.
You may lose your body
to the Crown Prince once more.
Taking care of you
has nearly made my intestines fall out.
Gu-cheon.
[Gu-cheon sighs]
[exhales, groans]
[Saeng-gang] Is this because of my mother?
If it's about that…
don't be troubled.
She met her end while trying to save me.
You have no reason to feel guilty.
It's not your fault what happened to her.
- Do you hear me at all?
- It is my fault.
[tender music playing]
Even before that…
there was a soul that was devoured
by a gwi-mae seeking my yin energy.
So you should just stay away from me.
Who knows what may happen to you
if you stay with someone so cursed.
[music intensifies]
[Gu-cheon] Never again
will I lose anyone because of my actions.
[music fades]
[Saeng-gang] Did you bring those wards
from your private residence?
You brought a lot of them with you.
You can go now.
[woman 1 and 2] Yes, Your Majesty.
[uneasy music playing]
[Sukbin] Where did you suddenly
run off to last night, Saeng-gang?
[door opens]
Kneel down, will you?
- Closer.
- [door closes]
Come, my child. [laughs]
Once again, you and I must go back
to the inseparable grandmother
and granddaughter that we were,
and with you, I will be able
to keep our family unharmed
so we can guard our family secret
that took place 30 years ago.
[chuckles] Oh.
Someone has already started to notice
the mess you've caused.
[woman] Your Highness,
your presence is urgently requested
at the Queen Dowager's quarters.
[Chief Eunuch]
His Majesty the King has arrived.
[unsettling music continues]
[door closes]
You may all sit.
You summoned even the royal kin.
For what urgent matter have you called me?
I do not have the leisure to sit
and enjoy refreshments at present.
[Queen] Thirty years ago,
while the late King's sons
met their untimely deaths,
I wish for you to tell me how it happened
that only you, out of them, survived.
[King laughing]
[unsettling music continues]
Has my own survival
truly displeased you all this time,
my dear Mother?
I am simply asking you to clarify
how you escaped the pond spirit's curse.
Can you explain?
At the time, I took refuge in the temple
of a renowned monk who exorcized spirits.
But you are aware of that, Mother.
No!
I am aware that there was no need for that
since there was no spirit there
to begin with.
The Princes' deaths 30 years ago
were not the work of some pond spirit.
That is clear.
This case of poisoning
was carried out by a mortal.
- Bring forth Inha!
- [door opens]
[Queen] Prince Inha collapsed
as soon as he entered the palace.
And something was found
in his quarters beside him.
The confectionery box,
which Prince Inha ate from.
And one more thing.
It was given to me by the Princess.
Her mother is also said to have died
after eating food
from a lotus-patterned confectionery box.
This is clear evidence
that the Princes' deaths
were not the work of the pond spirit,
but the acts of someone poisoning
the royal bloodline.
What do you think of this, Your Majesty?
Are you saying…
that I killed my very own brothers
by poisoning them one by one?
When everyone else is killed,
naturally, the sole survivor
becomes the main culprit.
And those actions allowed you
to be on the throne.
A throne that you could never
have claimed, Your Majesty.
[King] Are you willing
to stand behind the words you speak…
and bear their weight, Your Majesty?
[music fades]
What are you doing, Your Majesty?
Your Majesty.
[man 1] But that is…
Goodness.
[Iksang gasps]
[crunching]
[King sighs]
[man 2 clears throat]
[unsettling music playing]
[crunching continues]
[groans]
[King] You claimed it was poisoned.
We will have our proof in time,
will we not?
Oh…
- Chief Eunuch.
- Yes, Your Majesty.
[unsettling music intensifies]
Take Prince Inha
outside the palace right this minute.
Outside the palace in this state?
Something has piqued my curiosity.
[Chief Eunuch] Stop here!
Your Majesty,
the moment we left the palace,
the young prince regained consciousness.
What is that?
[Jang] And he asked us
to deliver a message to you.
Wait! What did he say?
That it was actually a spirit
that tried to kill him.
It said that it would sever
the royal bloodline.
[murmuring]
[Queen] No. That cannot be.
It must have been poison that did this.
Poison?
What nonsense is this?
Are you saying that I, their father,
am responsible for killing my sons
with my very hands?
They were all killed by the pond spirit.
The Most Favored Lady of the Court,
whom you put to death.
No, no.
[Queen breathes shakily]
I held back
out of concern for your well-being.
Now I simply have no other choice.
You cruelly put
the pregnant favored court lady to death,
completely severing the royal bloodline,
and branded me as a murderer.
Your ruler, your King,
and the most sovereign of this nation!
I will not tolerate this any longer!
You are to leave the palace.
At once.
[tense music playing]
[loud clattering]
[groans]
[Queen] How dare you command me!
I already know the entire truth!
I know it all!
This is all your doing!
I know the truth of it all!
I know it all! [gasps]
No, you bastard!
[strained breathing]
No, you do not.
Because it was you.
[Queen sobs]
You are behind
all of the palace tragedies and curses.
This all started because of you, Mother.
I was dragged by you
into this miserable hell
because of your pathetic actions.
Now, it is time you accept it.
- [Queen sobs]
- [King] Do you hear me?
[Queen breathing shakily]
This is your burden to bear.
Your karma, Mother.
[tense music intensifies]
I will never leave the palace. Not ever.
I will not leave, not even in death!
This palace belongs to me! It is mine!
This palace is mine! It belongs to me!
I will never leave here. Never!
[Jang] Your Majesty, are you all right?
Please, calm yourself.
- [Queen whining]
- [Jang] Your Majesty.
[Saeng-gang gasps] Father! Wait!
[Chief Eunuch] Let us leave.
You willingly released
the spirit of the Crown Prince?
You took Prince Inha as your adopted son,
despite knowing the spirit would harm him.
How could you have done this?
Is your mind your own, Saeng-gang?
And who are you today?
Are you really the Princess?
[wind whistles]
Don't appear before me
until the pond spirit's been destroyed.
I cannot place my trust in you until then.
I, too, cannot place my trust in you
at the moment.
[intriguing music playing]
Father, why did
your first and second sons both die?
Like the third one you buried.
Were those two poisoned as well?
The consequences of that sin
will come for you.
It is inevitable.
[uneasy music playing]
Fine.
Then I shall wait.
[Saeng-gang scoffs]
[breathes heavily]
[Queen murmurs] The King…
The King…
I must kill the King.
[unsettling music playing]
- [Iksang] Come in.
- [door opens]
[Queen] I must kill the King.
[eerie dark music playing]
[King] Are you saying the plague
has reached the outskirts of the capital?
[man] We humbly apologize, Your Majesty.
All gates of the capital have been closed,
and we have restricted anyone
from entering or leaving.
[King sighs]
The Jeonuigam,
the Hyeminseo, and the Hwalinseo
are to report to me all measures in place
to contain the sickness at once.
And release all of the grain reserves.
Make sure the Minister…
[coughs]
[tense music swells]
- [Chief Eunuch] Your Majesty!
- [man 1] Your Majesty!
- [King coughs, gasping]
- [Chief Eunuch] Your Majesty.
Your Majesty. The plague has come.
I will summon the physician.
[King] No.
Gu… Gu… Gu-cheon.
[labored breathing]
G… Gu-cheon. I need Gu-cheon.
[groans] Now.
- [tense music playing]
- [coughs]
[groans, coughs]
[man 2] Your Majesty.
Your Majesty. Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
[King] Take a proper look at me.
Tell me what you see.
[dark, mysterious music playing]
[Gu-cheon] This is unlike the spirits
I see here in the palace.
I see people around you,
wailing in suffering.
[girl] Please help us.
[Gu-cheon] Their bodies are covered
in spots.
And a child, around the same age
as Prince Yeongan, is by your side,
clutching the hem of your shirt,
Your Majesty.
So they're the villagers.
The people with the plague you killed.
Did they come to the palace…
bearing ill will against me?
Won-gwis are remarkably simple.
If they hold resentment,
the soldiers who killed them
are the ones they'd go after.
But instead, they chose the one
who gave the order, Your Majesty.
Someone guided them to you
from the other realm.
So the one
who brought the spirits here is…
[tense music builds]
It was the Crown Prince.
[grunts, coughs]
- [King coughing]
- [music fades]
Then go… and resolve this to the end.
What about all the spirits here?
If they remain, you will be in danger.
I will conduct a Yeoje rite.
[tense music resumes]
[King] I will have it performed
tomorrow night
and have the spirits
driven out of here to end this.
Driven out of here?
That rite is for souls
who have died unjust deaths.
An appeasement rite will surely fail
if performed with that mindset.
You just focus
on the Crown Prince's spirit
and how to get rid of it.
The time we agreed upon draws near.
[tense music swells]
[spectral cries]
[music intensifies]
[crows squawk]
[crows squeal]
- [crows squawk]
- [music fades]
What are you doing?
Something calls.
I hear it.
What calls?
Gu-cheon.
It's nothing. Don't worry.
[Saeng-gang] Be honest with me.
Did your condition worsen
after you got the eyes of the gwi-mae?
Why are you here?
Did I not say that I would do this alone?
[Saeng-gang] Is this
really how you're going to be?
I told you,
my mother's soul being obliterated
was my fault for getting possessed.
None of it was your fault!
I know you are doing this
out of concern for me.
What's already happened
and whatever happens after tonight,
I promise you right now,
that is all my burden to bear.
None of it's yours.
[uneasy music playing]
[Gu-cheon] The Crown Prince's spirit
failed to approach the King.
It's drawing the spirits of the villagers
with the plague into the palace.
[distorted voice]
I will draw them all to this place.
[Gu-cheon] The Crown Prince's spirit
will surely seek out the King
and kill him.
[spectral voices]
[Saeng-gang] Draw them in…
[Gu-cheon] I couldn't even protect
your mother's soul.
I mustn't allow your father
to be taken as well.
[sighs]
I should send you
out of this place to free you,
but I need you in the palace.
I can only depend on you.
[gentle music playing]
We will wait until the morning arrives
so I can replenish my yang.
[Saeng-gang]
I will share my yang energy with you.
[Gu-cheon groans]
- [skin tearing]
- [groans]
[tense music playing]
[Gu-cheon] I will find out what he intends
to do with the plague spirits,
but I need you to buy me some time.
[breathes shakily]
[Gu-cheon] First, write a spell,
coat it with chicken blood,
and affix it to the King's bedchamber.
That way, the Crown Prince
will not be able to approach easily.
The King must be protected
until the Yeoje rite is held.
[dramatic percussive music playing]
What are you doing here?
Do not let anyone enter this chamber
from now on.
[dramatic percussive music builds]
[music subsides]
I asked you a question.
Why have you come here suddenly?
I did not wish to be here either,
but I was told that I must protect you
until the Yeoje rite is held.
So Gu-cheon has spoken to you, I see.
[spectral voices, crying]
[spectral voice] There is something
I must tell you, Your Majesty.
What is it?
[breathes shakily]
There is… someone here
who is not a plague spirit.
[spectral voice] Your Majesty.
He's behind you, Father.
[unsettling music playing]
[spectral voice] There is something
you must know about the Crown Prince.
Stay where you are.
[spectral voice] Please, I beg you,
hear me out, Your Majesty.
He says that he wishes to speak to you
about the Crown Prince.
- No.
- [pounds table]
- Do not listen.
- [spectral voice] Please, I beg you.
What is it
that you are trying to keep hidden?
- You are to leave at once. Now.
- No, I refuse.
Father, you must speak for yourself.
You can't keep evading the truth.
That's enough, Saeng-gang!
Whatever it is that voice
so earnestly begs you to hear,
- I will hear it speak.
- [loud clattering]
[breathing heavily]
- Do not come closer. Do not listen.
- [uneasy music playing]
I said you are to learn nothing more
about this! Leave, now!
- Leave this place at once!
- Father!
[King sobs]
[breathes shakily, sobs]
[coughs]
[gasps, coughs]
[coughs]
- [unsettling music playing]
- [breathing heavily]
Who is speaking?
You need to tell me honestly.
Did you kill him, Father?
I commanded it.
Why did you have him killed?
He said that…
he was trying to confess that he saw…
what the Crown Prince had done.
[unsettling music intensifies]
[Crown Prince sighs]
I see.
This palace has always been
the most interesting place.
Would you not agree?
[spectral voices]
[Saeng-gang] Are you saying
the Crown Prince could hear
the voices of spirits as well?
- [music fades]
- [rain pattering]
[King] I want you to tell me exactly
how I, your father, became King.
[clears throat]
Because the late King's sons died
one after the other.
And tell me the reason…
why they all died?
I was told
it was the curse of the pond spirit.
[King sighs]
Be honest with me.
I don't understand what you mean.
In our lineage,
there are children among the relatives
on my mother's side of the family
who are born with a cursed ability
our ancestors had passed down,
and you have that ability.
[uneasy music playing]
You can hear the voices, can you not?
So you must have known in advance
that the pond spirit never even existed
and how it wasn't a spirit
who killed the late King's sons.
But, in fact, it was a human.
[breathing heavily]
Your Majesty!
[King] And yet,
my first and second sons
have died as well.
They both died,
even though no such spirit ever existed.
They vomited black blood,
just as my brothers did.
Meaning…
you must have heard the secret
from 30 years ago
and reenacted it.
Did you really think
that I'd let you get away with it?
[uneasy music intensifies]
Did you…
Did you really poison this?
[gasps]
How could this happen?
How could a father
kill his own children by poison?
You can never become the King
and rule the people of this land.
I will not allow you
to ever realize that agenda.
[screams] Why?
That's how you became King yourself,
so why?
Why is it that I am not allowed
to ever be King, huh?
[laughs]
[coughs]
[chokes]
[gasps]
[chokes]
We do not need
another brother killer to be King.
That role is mine alone.
You, too…
[music subsides]
…will be known as having died
by the curse of the pond spirit.
Yes, do as you wish.
[pants]
[tense dramatic music playing]
[gasps, coughs]
[body thuds]
[gasping]
Oh, my father,
since you are the pond spirit…
[gasps]
…it is only fitting
that I die by the spirit's hand.
[coughs, wheezes]
And when I do die, Father…
I will become the true
and now very real pond spirit.
[laughs, wheezes]
[gasping]
[Crown Prince] Father!
[Crown Price gasps loudly]
[Crown Prince] As the curse decreed
30 years ago…
[gasps]
…I will completely sever
the royal bloodline.
If I… cannot be the king someday…
[King groans]
- [groans]
- Father?
[groans]
[tense rhythmic music playing]
[gasps, groans]
[Saeng-gang breathing heavily]
[echoes] Father.
Father!
[spectral voices]
[Crown Prince] Then you, too,
cannot be the King, Father.
[tense dramatic music playing]
[gasping breath]
[spectral screaming]
[gasping breath]
[music swells]
[shaman] May peace fill this house
and harmony be fulfilled!
With one heart,
we offer this solemn prayer!
Your Royal Highness,
who is the householder deity,
take our gifts to you!
Even though, Crown Prince,
we've not much to offer,
please partake in this meal
and drive away the plague spirits
from this palace!
[tense dramatic music continues]
[screaming]
[Gu-cheon] Is he devouring human souls
like a gwi-mae?
Stop that at once!
[spectral screaming]
[Gu-cheon grunts]
[grunting]
[squelching]
[spectral screaming continues]
[crunching]
[screaming]
[screaming stops, gasps]
[moans]
- [spectral screaming]
- [moans]
[wind whistling]
[Crown Prince moans]
[wind whistling]
[gasps]
[tense dramatic music continues]
Does that mean…
His Majesty's dead?
[Saeng-gang] Father.
Father!
[panicked breathing]
[squelching]
[breathes shakily]
Gu-cheon!
[music intensifies]
[pants]
[squelching]
[breathing echoes]
[epic rock music playing]
[music fades]