Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin (불멸의 이순ì‹)

Times of confusion? Do you see the present as time of confusion?

I could not say it is time of peace.

Young man!

How are you!

Do you think I will tolerate this insolence?

I do not fear death. But I cannot betray King by clouding his

judgment with insincere council!

Leave us.

Your Majesty...

Leave us, I said!

Yu Sung-ryong...

Such audacity!

Your Majesty, how could a newly appointed low ranking subject

display such contempt?

Contempt toward the King is contempt toward the kingdom.

You must remove him from service and let it serve as an example to all.

High ministers are preoccupied with self-preservation,

but this tenderfoot displays sincere concern for the future of the state.

Your Majesty...!

Keep a close eye on Yu Sung-ryong.

I will put him to important use someday.

13th King of Chosun Yung-jong... He took the throne at the tender

age of twelve after an unexpected death of his half-brother In-jong.

But for eight years thereafter, Queen Dowager Moon-jung administered

the state from behind the veil. Even after Myung-jong took active

control, the Queen Dowager dominated the court with royal in-laws like

Yoon Won-hyung in the forefront leaving no room for Myun-jong

to spread his wings as a King.

But upon the death of his mother and downfall of Yoon Won-hyung,

he begins o nurture great a ambition to clean up the corrupted government.

He tried desperately to bring back Neo-Confucius scholars like Twe-gae

Yi Hwang and Nam-myung Cho shik who had been silent since the death of

Cho Kwang-jo in the Literati Purging of 1519, but no one wanted to return

to the royal court.

What's more, another royal in-law named Shim Tong-won soon acquired

power to dominate the royal court, and chaos and disorder continued.

Yu Sung-ryong?

He is merely a second class ninth rank scribe.

Why do you fret?

Think about the past.

Cho Kwang-jo was but a sixth rank overseer of the Paper Manufactory.

But King Jung-jong gave him a little boost and what did he do?

He pushed the old guards out of court and filled it with bunch of radicals!

Who is to say we are not dealing with another Cho Kwang-jo?

I'm told Yu Sung-ryong is Twe-gae's most cherished pupil.

What will happen to us if he should rise to power and replaced the royal

court with his men?

What do you suggest we do?

Feed him something sweet.

Be it power or money, we have to get him hooked while he is young

and innocent and make him one of us.

What if he doesn't buy into it?

Then we'll just have to eliminate him even if it requires another

bloodbath like the purging of 1519.

That will do for now.

Fill it up.

Come have a drink, young man.

Do you know what this drink is? It's punishment.

Punishment?

I heard you haven't had an initiation party.

Don't you know that you have to throw a party for your new

colleagues when you enter service to display amity and goodwill?

You act so stiff and you haven't even had an initiation party;

it's no wonder they give you a hard time.

Everyone, consider this a Scribe Yu's party. This is his initiation ceremony,

so drink to your heart's content.

I intend to take this man under my wings and take care of him

like the rest of you... if you know what I mean.

Of course, sir.

Don't worry, sir.

How could we give him a hard time when you are behind him?

Thank you.

Why are you just standing there? Shouldn't you thank Lord him?

I do not know how to repay you for this kindness.

Oh my! This man is not so rigid after all!

Isn't that right?

Everyone knows how much His Majesty trusts and depends on Lord Shim.

You've won Lord Shim's favors, so your future is set, my man.

Is that right? I couldn't be happier!

Like the rest of these gentle men, I will be your faithful follower.

There you go! You're my kind of man!

And you're very smart!

But before I become your follower, there is one condition.

Condition?

Open up all of your vaults and silos and give away your grains and riches

to the hungry people of this state. Surrender your 90 room mansion and

display your honesty like Prime Minister Hwang-hee of the past.

Can you do it, sir?

There're guileful eunuchs running rampant in the palace clouding

His Majesty judgment to fill their own bellies.

Name them to His Majesty and remove them from the palace.

Can you do it?

How dare you!

There's more. His Majesty is faced with great difficulties as he tries

to rectify the court because honest ministers have left the royal court.

Go to each of them in His Majesty's place and convince them to return.

Are you trying to patronize me?

Patronize you? Of course not. These are faithful subject's duty.

I will regard you as my great teacher and serve you with

highest respect for the rest of my life.

Isn't that what you want, your lordship?

How dare you!

When then, I will leave you now and eagerly wait your answer.

That... that... bastard!

Ji Gwa... Stop the swords, Master?

How can I stop the sword?

Are you up already?

Good morning.

Did you do all that this morning? Wow, you did a lot of work!

Go figure. What's going on with him?

He's made more than half of this batch. And he's dam good!

He's going to be better than a professional potter any day now!

I know.

When he came back from wiping out the Japanese. I thought he'd focus on his

training and not come near the work-shop. But he isn't training, is he?

Maybe he got sick of fighting.

Maybe he's going to give it up and settle down here as a potter.

Are you going to practice?

Why are you just standing there?

Soon-shin...

I have a lot to do today. Go ahead without me.

You've been putting it off for weeks now.

Has it?

Soon-shin...

Mijin, I enjoy making pottery.

When I focus my thoughts on my fingertips and follow the clay,

I can forget about everything.

The painful things we went through here, the brutal killings,

I can forget everything.

Sometimes I think if every day is just like today

for us and for everyone in this village,

it would not be so bad.

But is that possible?

Hang in there... hang in there...

Chun-su, open your eyes. Open your eyes, Chun-su.

Merciless bastards? How could they do this to another human being?

Chun-su, can you hear me? Open your eyes, Chun-su.

Wa... water...

Oh, thank god! Chun-su, are you all right?

Water...

That's it. I'm so proud of you!

The baron?

Never mind the baron. You got yourself to worry about.

He's probably dead by now. They took him to the capital city weeks ago.

The baron is dead?

Look what they did to you and you're just the supervisor.

I'm sure baron got it worse.

Never mind the baron and worry about yourself now.

Everyone in the company split up and went their separate ways.

Why did you stay behind?

I stayed so I could watch you die! Do you have a problem with that?

Idiot.

If that makes you angry, get back on your feet.

And you can beat me up or do whatever you want!

Mujik...

Are you all right, Chun-su?

Young man,

can I ask you a question?

Me? Go ahead, sir.

I'm looking for a man by the name Yi Soon-shin.

I was told he is staying in this village.

Brother Soon-shin?

Brother?

Yes, we're like brothers. Follow me.

Madam!

Please take a break.

What are you doing outside? You're not well.

Yes, cold air is the worst thing for malady of the chest.

Please go back inside.

No, I'm much better now.

I wish there was something I could do to help...

Help? Nonsense! You just rest and we'll take care of everything.

All of us are Nalbal's fathers now.

Brother!

You have a visitor.

A visitor?!

Kyun! What brings you all the way here?

What are you doing here?

The winter is coming, so we are insulating rooftops, and getting firewood to the...

That's not my question!

Kyun...

When are you going to stop living like this?

I said nothing when you called a lowly salt merchant your friend, but

now you're living among these peasants and calling each other brothers!

Pick up your things now! We're going back to the capital!

Back already? Did you finish the work?

No, we couldn't finish.

Soon-shin's visitor from Seoul was furious with Soon-shin.

A visitor from Seoul?

I think he's a lieutenant or something.

He was all over Soon-shin about living here with us peasants and

demanding him to pack his things. Soon-shin couldn't say anything.

Eunu, Soon-shin looked like he was going to leave, didn't he?

What's he going to do here if he doesn't leave?

He's learned enough martial arts, and he can't live the rest of his

life as a potter when he's a nobleman.

What do you mean you can't go?

What are you trying to achieve here?

Making pottery and wasting your time away among peasants...

is that your idea of a worthy life?