Moon River
Episode 23
The Wind That Blows on the Ridge
When I think of how you will shed tears every day
I must turn and leave,
I must go far away.
Are you sleeping?
Are you alright?
What are you doing here?
What is it?
~ Blossoms shiver in the cold wind. ~
~ Mother cries... because of separation. ~
Mother.
Help me get up.
Are you alright?
Mother... I am Iljimae.
But I heard that my son Iljimae is dead.
I heard he was executed.
Chief Gu Ja Myeong saved me.
Mother... I am your son.
You're my son?
Yes.
I am your son lljimae.
My son.
Mother.
Mother, what's wrong?
What took you so long?
If only I had known that you'd be back.
Why is your hand so cold?
Mother, what's this?
I wanted to join you.
Mother, no.
You can't imagine how hard this life has been for me.
Mother.
I'm about to unload the weight of this tiresome life & rest.
Let's...
sigh in relief.
Mother.
But what pains me most...
is that you will be endlessly lonely...
and your heart pained aches...
because of me and...
that leaves me with regrets.
Mother... Mother, wake up.
Mother, can you see me?
My son.
My son...
Mother.
Mother!
Open your eyes. Open your eyes, Mother.
Mother, look at me!
Mother!
Wake up.
Wake up and look at me, Mother.
Mother! Mother!
Mother!
This can't be happening.
I can't lose you like this.
Mother...
I finally met you.
I finally recognized you.
How could you do this to me, Mother?
Mother!
Mother.
Mother!
Like a fisherman, who lost his net looking at a school of fish...
Like a painter, who lost his sight looking at a canvas...
Like a musician, who lost his hand looking at his instrument...
Iljimae quietly stared into the complete darkness.
You leech.
Don't say that.
Like I said before, I'm on your side.
Yet you drugged me to drag me somewhere?
It was the only way I could take you.
To where?
I've been ordered by the Lord to bring you back to Liaodong.
You've come to your homeland, but what did you find here?
Brotherhood? Happy family?
There's no such thing. You can't even live in peace.
The only thing that awaits you in this country is a sharp sword.
Come back and marry Mo Ran.
You should keep your promise.
I have no obligation to marry a Qing woman.
You should go back to your country.
There's another reason why I need to take you back with me.
You won't be safe in this country anymore.
The Qing army will attack soon.
I'll be waiting in the first tavern down the mountain.
You can come, if you change your mind.
What are you going to do now?
I don't have a choice.
I'm going to take Kim Ja Jeom's head and bring it to the King.
What? You're going to take what?
Do you want to scare the King to his death?
No, you can't do that.
Then what should I do?
Tell me, what I should do, then.
I'm just a monk. I don't have any plans.
Why don't you talk to Choi Myeong Gil again?
Maybe he'll know a way. A way.
Will you consider going to Qing?
Qing?
A war is inevitable.
We should've prepared for the rain,
but we haven't.
The elite only care about getting more power and money.
This vessel of country is rotten throughout, from the smallest rafter to the largest crossbeam.
Once a war breaks out,
the royal court and the beautiful land will be covered in blood.
You mean there's nothing we can do?
We can't win, but there's a way to prevent losing.
If we can find out Qing's strategy beforehand, that is.
The politicians are corrupt, but there still are loyal people in this country.
They're already in Qing, getting information.
They're our only hope.
It would help us greatly if you go.
So how about it?
Will you consider going to Qing?
Would anything change if I go?
Everyone who cared about me in this country is now gone.
Dal... my teacher...
Chief Gu Ja Myeong... and my mother.
I couldn't even protect the lives of the people closest to me.
So what can I do?
I think I am better off if I stay close to Wol Hee and make her happy.
The world is falling apart. How could be Wol Hee happy?
I can protect Wol Hee.
Could you turn a blind eye to the numerous people...
who would suffer and die around her?
Whether you like it or not, you're like the ridge of a mountain.
You are destined to be the first to feel the rain and the wind.
Wol Hee is a tree.
A tree cannot grow on a ridge,
unless you calm the rain and the wind.
But then again, I heard that Joseon people are forbidden from entering Qing.
I don't even know if you can get in.
The third option.
What is the use of killing Kim Ja Jeom, if it cannot save the weak?
The sign of war was already in the air, like a deadly virus.
Yang Po.
Iljimae.
Let's go... to Liaodong.
Really? Good thinking.
Let's leave tomorrow.
- Can we? - Of course.
- I'll be waiting for you. - Alright.
I don't like the look on Iljimae's face.
What if he tries to kill us on the way?
If you're scared, you don't have to come.
I never get scared!
Do you think Iljimae will really marry Miss Mo Ran?
What if he refuses to marry her?
We should've gotten his written promise.
What's most important is to take him back.
We can worry about that later.
Oh my Iljimae... what do we do with you?
After hearing Iljimae's news from Master Yeol Gong...
Geol Chi waited at the Doseon temple.
Ahjussi.
Oh! Iljimae!
Oh! You really are alive!
What? Qing?
But, what about Wol Hee?
She is sick because of you!
What if she dies?
You know you're all she lives for! Are you going to dump her?
I've made up my mind already.
What?
How could you call yourself a human being?!
I have had enough of you!
How could you do this?
This is not why I saved you.
When I fished you out of the dirty Cheonggyecheon waters,
I thought of you as a son sent from the heavens...
and raised you as one.
How could you treat people like this? How could you?
Can you get up?
Can you walk?
Walk where?
You have to stop Iljimae.
- Did you meet him? - I did, but he's going to Qing.
If you miss him this time, you'll never see him again.
Why? Why is he going to Qing?
I don't know. I think he's gone mad.
Get up. Let's go.
Go and ask him to stay.
Tell him that you won't let him go anywhere.
- Get up. - Let's go. Let's go.
Wol Hee! Where are you going in your condition?
I have to go. I have to go.
Calm down. Let's calm down and think of a way.
Cha Dol, go and get a horse.
Yes, Seon Dal-nim.
Good.
'Don't kick an ash without thinking.
Have you ever been in fire because of someone?'
Ahn Do Hyeon's poem may have been written for Wol Hee.
Anyway...
I'm here, too.
We came here together, and now we're going back together.
This must be our fate.
Alright, you can go with us. But don't talk in front of me.
If you do, I'll kill you.
Let's go to Jemulpo and take a boat.
I got nothing from coming to Joseon as a spy, but the only thing I lost was my eye.
Not bad.
The one-eyed Wang Hweng Bo.
C.O.O.N!
She 'C'ame 'O'ut 'O'f 'N'owhere! I hope Iljimae doesn't change his mind.
What if the girl makes him stay?
Let's wait and see.
Take me, too.
I don't care where. Just take me with you.
Whether it be to Qing, the end of the world, or even the afterlife.
Go back.
I can't.
I wouldn't have come in the first place if I was going to go back.
I'm going with you.
My work is finished in this country.
Stop wasting your time. Go back.
He's done a terrible thing to Wol Hee.
How sad.
Don't be weak. Let's go.
Wang Hweng Bo is back home.
This is great.
The smell of home! The smell of dumplings! The smell of pancakes!
I took little Iljimae last time. Now I'm back with big Iljimae.
Miss Mo Ran is waiting for you.
I have to make a stop somewhere.
This place used to be crowded with servants and guests.
But only the smell of incense guarding the shrine remained.
Iljimae!
I've done a terrible thing to my parents.
I don't know what happened to my father, or how my mother died.
It happened about a year after you left for Joseon.
Your mother died from an unknown disease.
Afterwards, your father immersed himself deeply into the Catholicism from the West.
One day,
he sold his house,
left the ancestral tablets in this villa, and left.
No one knows what happened to him afterwards.
You really do have a scar on your face.
Officer Yang told me what happened to you.
Mo Ran, I'm...
You don't have to say anything.
You're back, and that's all that matters.
I won't let you go anywhere.
Iljimae.
Where are you going now?
Back to my unit in Shenyang.
A war is on the way, and we need a lot of people who know a lot about Joseon.
And that's me.
I'm going to be a war hero!
Officer Yang...
What brings you here?
What am I going to do? Iljimae left.
Please get Iljimae back.
You can do that, right? Go and stop Iljimae.
I can't do that.
Officer Yang.
My job was to bring Iljimae to Liaodong.
I wasn't given the task to keep Iljimae here.
Officer Yang.
We should've made him write that promise.
Why did Iljimae come back if he wasn't going to get married?
My work here is finished. I must bid farewell.
Goodbye.
Mo Ran didn't know that love only gets caught in the net of love.
Iljimae.
Meanwhile, at Shenyang, the capital of Qing...
When can I go back to Joseon?
Why? Are you homesick already?
It feels like I just got here, but I think so.
The date has been set. You will be able to go back soon.
I can take you to a place where they play Joseon music.
Joseon music?
It's not a bad idea to listen to that music again.
Do you like it?
It's wonderful. Thank you.
Cheers.
Isn't that...?
That's the man who looks like a girl.
What is he doing here?
- We don't know anyone like him here. - That can't be!
He was staying here! I have to see the Captain!
Tell me where he is. He was staying here.
WHB yelling asking to be told where his old captain is Don't just stand there, tell me!
He was staying here!
There is no one like him here anymore.
Hey! Don't shut the door! Don't shut it! Don't shut the door!
Oh, no. Now what do I do? What do I do? I'm all alone now.
What am I going to do?
- We meet again. - Huh?
Did you grow a butterfly to bloom a flower?
I only bring a sword with me.
Since we have an important guest, I'll bring better tea.
It's good.
This is my favorite.
Can I eat everything?
Go ahead.
I came back with high hopes, but my unit is now gone.
My Captain is nowhere to be found.
This is all because our operation in Joseon failed.
What a pity.
If you have no place to go, I can find a job for you.
What job?
What about the Royal Guards?
The Royal Guards?
Of the Emperor?
I know the Captain of the Royal Guards, but it won't be that easy.
Of course not. What do I have to do?
Do you know of a man named Iljimae?
He's here.
Welcome.
I am Lee Myeong.
I am Jin.
I am Seon.
I am Mi.
We've been trying to uncover their strategy for the attack on Joseon.
If we knew... we could've used that to our advantage.
They already planned their campaign.
It's in the document called the Joseon Plan.
Do you know where it is?
We do, but we don't know how to get it out of there.
Where is it?
It's in the Emperor's bedroom.
Here.
Before Iljimae left he told me to hold this for him, hold this.
What's this?
He said he once tried to buy cloth for the wedding, but came back empty-handed.
Yes, he was so fickle that day.
He couldn't decide what to buy.
I guess it bothered him. He bought this one.
Come on, open it.
What a beautiful color. And it's so soft.
It's Sukgosa. Perfect for a lady.
He asked me to take care of this until he gets back,
but seeing you this way, I had to give it to you.
When I asked him why he didn't give it to you right now...
he said that if he doesn't make it back, it'll only make you wait in vain.
Oh... Iljimae is not gone for good.
Oh... then Iljimae didn't leave for good. He's intending to come back.
I see.
It must've been hard for Iljimae to leave his beloved behind.
His beloved?
Wol Hee, now that you know how Iljimae feels, you should get well.
He's right.
Did he see me?
Good thing I'm fast.
The Royal Palace?
He's been roaming near the palace the whole day.
That means then... he's after something in the palace?
What is he after?
Could you find out?
Of course. I'm very good.
You have any information for me?
Have you heard about Iljimae?
Iljimae?
- Is it a person? - He's a very famous thief in Joseon.
He's in Shenyang right now.
Tell me more.
Where did Iljimae go?
Did you ask for me?
- Someone's interested in the Royal Palace. - The Royal Palace?
- Where is the Emperor? - He just left for his bedroom.
Stop him, but don't let him know what's wrong.
Yes, Sir.
The Emperor's bedroom is guarded by maids at all times.
The only time it is left unattended is when the Emperor is changing his clothes.
There will be a sword next to the bed.
It is a treasured sword handed on down through many generations.
Opposite the sword will be a red chest of drawers.
Don't open just any drawer.
It's in the third drawer from the left, second from the top.
Read the document and put it back.
If they find out that someone has seen it, they'll change the plan immediately.
Go! Go! Go!
Just like when he drove sword through Kim Ja Jeom's pillow,
Iljimae left the same warning.
Hot! Hot! Hot! Very very hot!
Iljimae! I heard that you've been roaming the Royal Palace.
I am not Iljimae!
I don't look like him, and I don't think like him!
I'm not Iljimae!
Make him talk!
No! No! That's too hot!
It's hot!
So hot!
Why am I getting punished here for pretending to be Iljimae?
I should be punished in Joseon. It's not fair!
One unit will stall the Joseon army in the north by pretending to attack.
The main body will attack Hanyang.
It'll take less than ten days for them to get to Hanyang.
Ten days?
The Joseon royal court probably thinks it'll take at least three months.
In the worst case scenario they'll try to stall.
Qing wants to use that against Joseon.
Iljimae, you have to go to Joseon. Can you do that?
- Yes. - Go wait in the Inn.
I'll come up with a countermeasure plan and bring you a letter to carry back.
Alright.
Everyone's waiting. Do you want to go now?
Let's go.
We have to get him.
The same Iljimae who burned the secret letter from the traitors to Qing...
now has to deliver a secret letter to Joseon.
How did you...
Where is the man who looks like a girl?
Why did you...?
I've been living all my life for one person and one person alone.
But, you killed that person.
That's not true. Why would I kill Chief Gu?
Anyways...
Here. Please...
What's that?
You have to send this to Joseon.
Get that!
Give me the letter.
Where did he go?
He's very lucky.
You mean Iljimae didn't kill Chief Gu?
Iljimae told me,
that a man named Gu Ja Myeong sacrificed his life to save him.
That can't be true.
Iljimae killed Chief Gu and ran away.
Ran away?
Read that letter.
This is why Iljimae came all the way here?
Due to your ignorant desire for revenge, you've jeopardized the fate of our country.
Because of you Chief Gu died in vain.
Chief Gu tried to teach Iljimae to care for others...
but how could you make his efforts end in vain?
How is he?
He's still breathing. It's amazing.
Did you get in touch with the others?
We sent someone, but we haven't heard from them.
Oh, no. We don't have time to waste.
Sir, send me. I'll go.
- I'll go with her. - I'll go, too.
The border has been shut down. You won't get there on your own.
Give me the letter.
I'll go to Joseon.
I will take it with my life.
Who do we have here, who do we have?
Are you alright now?
She's eating much better now.
And she's not alone.
- I have something to give back to you. - Give back what?
Take care of this until Iljimae comes back.
Iljimae will come back for sure.
Of course, he must come back.
We have one more person waiting for him.
One more person waiting?
By the Amnok River, on the border of Qing and Joseon...
Stop!
This is the way to the border. We can't let anyone pass.
Who are you?
Go after her!
Search the inside of the cave.
Chief Gu...
- There she is! - Get her!
Get her! Get her!
I have to deliver the letter. I have to...
Shoot!
Chief... Chief...
Chief!
We found a body shot with arrows from the Qing army, wash up on the river.
This was found with it.
- Get me a horse. - Yes, Sir.
We have to notify the Commanding General in Hwangju.
Yes, Sir.
The Commanding General is given the important task of...
...commanding the army during wartime.
This was Gwon Yul's job during the Hideyoshi Invasion.
Once the letter, that was exchanged for Su Ryeon's life is...
...given to the Commanding General...
...Qing's ambition for war... against Joseon would be stopped.
But...
So this was what he was after.
Return of Iljimae ~ Volume 24 The Place I Dreamed Of
Hurry up, will you? I just can't have you do anything!
Cha Dol!
Iljimae, there's no way you can beat me.
...he looks like a girl and...
Run!
Mother, please hurry and read this to me.
Live forever, Iljimae
This world, that follows the wind and the clouds,
the scenery that changes with each passerby,
the blade in my hand cries in my stead...
won't you leave me alone at last?
I am just a lonely wolf.