Chetamja: The King’s Eyes — S2 - Chapter 51

OH?

I SEE A FAMILIAR FACE HERE.

TAKE A GOOD LOOK, BOYS...

BEHOLD YEONJEONG!

THE FINEST COURTESAN IN ALL OF JOSEON!

HELLO, LORD LEE SUNMONG.

IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE YOU LAST VISITED US.

YOU EVEN BROUGHT COMPANY TODAY.

PLEASE, FOLLOW ME.

YES, YES. LET'S GO.

COME ON, YOU COUNTRY BUMPKINS.

WH-WHY ARE THEY HERE...?

DAM...

FOLLOW ME.

WE NEED TO FINISH OUR TALK.

LET THE PARTY BEGIN! DRINK UP!

HAHAHA, YOU RASCALS.

EVERYTHING IS ON ME TODAY! DRINK AND ENJOY YOURSELVES!

LET ME POUR YOU A GLASS.

UHH... I-I'M NOT MUCH OF A DRINKER...

I-I CAN POUR MY OWN DRINK!

I DON'T NEED ANY HELP.

GEEZ, THOSE COUNTRY BUMPKINS DON'T GET HOW THIS WORKS, DO THEY?

IT'S QUITE RARE TO SEE MEN LIKE THEM THESE DAYS, MY LORD.

THEY'RE SO INNOCENT AND PURE. WHAT DO THEY DO FOR A LIVING?

HMM? WELL...

I CAN'T GIVE ANY DETAILS...

...BUT LET'S JUST SAY THEY SERVE A CRUCIAL ROLE ON JOSEON'S FRONT LINES.

OH MY. THAT'S VERY IMPRESSIVE.

DOES THAT MEAN THE FOUR OF THEM SERVE SUCH AN IMPORTANT ROLE FOR THE ENTIRE KINGDOM?

HUH...? THERE ARE MORE, OF COURSE. LET ME SEE NOW...

SPEAKING OF WHICH, YOU GUYS ARE...

NO! I NEED TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT, QUICK!

HAHA! S-SIR!

WHY, THIS LIQUOR TASTES EXQUISITE!

THIS MUST TRULY BE THE BEST PLACE IN HANYANG--

HUH? WHAT'S WRONG WITH HIM?

HA... HAHA... DUMOK LOVES HIS LIQUOR, BUT HE JUST CAN'T HANDLE THEM, SIR...

DUMOK... I WILL FINISH WHAT YOU HAVE STARTED.

S-SIR. HOW HAS GENERAL CHOI BEEN LATELY?

I HAVEN'T SEEN HIM FOR SOME TIME--

WHO CARES ABOUT HIM? KEEP QUIET, WILL YOU?

DARN IT! I FAILED...!

THAT'S WEIRD... I REMEMBER YOU WERE--

SIR...

HOW WAS THE BATTLE...

...AGAINST MANZHU LI?

I WANTED TO ASK WHETHER YOU CHOSE TO SPARE HIM...

...OR YOU SIMPLY WEREN'T ABLE TO KILL HIM.

OH...? IS THAT WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW?

WELL... HOW DID THAT GO?

BUT HERE'S THE THING.

IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE REALLY ASKING, GWIYEONG?

"HOW STRONG IS LI?"

"I'D LIKE TO KILL HIM MYSELF. DO YOU THINK I'D WIN AGAINST HIM?"

ISN'T THAT WHAT YOU'RE ASKING ME?

GWIYEONG MANAGED TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT, BUT THAT TOPIC...

YES...

WHAT DO YOU THINK, SIR?

CAN I... BEAT HIM?

HMM...

LET'S SEE NOW...

NOPE. NOT GONNA HAPPEN.

I DON'T THINK YOU'D BEAT HIM.

YOU ASKED ME IF I CHOSE TO SPARE HIM.

OF COURSE NOT. THE PLAN WAS TO KILL HIM.

BUT I COULDN'T. DO YOU KNOW WHY?

HE RAN FOR HIS LIFE.

WH-WHAT? LI RAN?

HOW COULD HE RUN AFTER LOSING HIS WIFE AND SON?

SOUNDS LIKE A COWARD TO ME, SIR.

NO, THAT'S NOT IT.

HE RAN SO HE COULD RETURN ANOTHER DAY.

IT IS THAT SELF-RESTRAINT WHICH MAKES HIM STRONG.

BUT SIR... THAT'S--

NOW, GWIYEONG. IF YOU ASKED ME WHETHER HE CAN KILL YOU RIGHT HERE AND NOW...

OF COURSE.

HE COULD KILL YOU MANY TIMES OVER.

DON'T YOU THINK YOU'RE OVERESTIMATING THE ENEMY, SIR?

DON’T YOU GET IT?

CAN I BEAT LI? SURE, ANYTIME.

I WOULD NEVER LOSE.

BUT CAN I KILL HIM?

NOT EXACTLY.

THAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LI AND YOU, GWIYEONG.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND?

GOSH, GENERAL. YOU’LL SPOIL THEIR APPETITE.

YOU’RE NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT SUCH GLOOMY THINGS ALL DAY, ARE YOU?

HUH? WAS I DRONING ON?

HAHAHA! YOU'RE RIGHT! WE'RE HERE TO PARTY!

NOW, LET THE MUSIC PLAY!

COME WITH ME.

DAM. THAT'S YOUR UNIT, RIGHT?

THAT'S IMPRESSIVE. EVEN THE LEGENDARY GENERAL LEE IS THERE...

YOU'D BETTER NOT SAY ANYTHING AGAINST THEM.

OF COURSE NOT. IF ANYTHING, I'M JEALOUS.

I'M TAKING YOU TO MY PEOPLE,

BUT NONE OF THEM ARE AS FANCY AS YOUR PEOPLE.

WHY WOULD I EXPECT ANYTHING LIKE THAT?

YOU'RE JUST REBELS--

OKAY, HERE HE IS.

SAY HELLO.

THESE ARE...

MY PEOPLE.

WH-WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?

YOU SAID YOU'RE PLANNING A REBELLION!

WHAT'S WRONG? NOT WHAT YOU EXPECTED TO SEE?

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

IS THIS WHO YOU WANTED ME TO MEET?

OH... YOU MUST BE DAM.

HUH? HE'S MUCH YOUNGER THAN I THOUGHT.

DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO EAT?

WHAT’S THE POINT OF ASKING? ARE WE GOING TO FEED HIM NOW?

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE...?

THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO SUFFERED UNDER THE KING’S POLICY*.

*KING SEJONG ADOPTED A POLICY OF MOVING PEOPLE FROM THE SOUTHERN REGIONS TO THE NORTH DURING HIS REIGN.

JANG CUT OFF ONE OF HIS LEGS SO HE WOULDN’T BE FORCIBLY TAKEN...

TO THE NORTH.

DESPITE WHAT HE DID, HE WAS STILL TAKEN NORTH... WITH THE REST OF HIS FAMILY.

AFTER THE KING SEALED THE NORTH, THEY ESCAPED THE LOCKDOWN...

AND ARE STILL ON THE RUN.

YU OVER HERE CUT OFF HIS HAND FOR THE SAME REASON.

AS FOR THE OLD MAN, THEY SOLD OFF ALL HIS CHILDREN AS SLAVES.

WHAT WERE YOU EXPECTING? A ROWDY BUNCH OF BANDITS?

MY PEOPLE...

...ARE JUST LIKE YOU.

THAT'S WHY WE UNDERSTAND YOU BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE.

WE SUPPORT YOUR PLAN.

THIS IS WHY I WANTED YOU TO JOIN US...

AND WORK WITH US.

HERE, HAVE THIS..

IT'S A RICE CAKE.

YOU KNOW WHAT, DAM?

?

RICE CAKES...

...ARE A RARE TREAT WE ONLY GET TO HAVE DURING TIMES OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY.

PEOPLE CAN ONLY MAKE AND SELL THESE RICE CAKES WHEN THERE IS A BOUNTIFUL HARVEST.

IT'S A SIGN THAT NO ONE IN THE LAND IS GOING HUNGRY.

WHAT IF I TURN YOU DOWN?

WHAT IF I CHANGE MY MIND AND REPORT YOU TO THE AUTHORITIES?

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT OF THAT?

I DON'T THINK YOU'D DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

BUT IF YOU WERE TO DO SO...

IT IS WHAT IT IS.

WE ALL KNEW WHAT WE WERE GETTING OURSELVES INTO.

WE WON'T BLAME YOU.

THE CHOICE IS YOURS, DAM.

LET'S HAVE ONE LAST ROUND OF DRINKS, SHALL WE?

YOU ALREADY HAD MUCH TO DRINK, SIR.

YOU SHOULD GET GOING NOW.

I'M COMPLETELY FINE!

HEY, GWIYEONG! YOU'D BETTER NOT GO FOR A SECOND ROUND WITHOUT ME!

SURELY NOT, SIR...

I WISH YOU A RESTFUL NIGHT.

FINE. TAKE ME HOME!

PHEW... HOW MUCH CAN ONE MAN DRINK IN A DAY?

THAT'S NOT A MAN. HE'S A WALKING JAR OF LIQUOR, THAT'S WHAT.

I'M GLAD HE DIDN'T NOTICE DAM WAS MISSING.

BUT WE WASTED AN ENTIRE DAY.

YOU'RE ALL SOBER, RIGHT?

LET’S HURRY AND START LOOKING FOR DAM.

WE DON’T HAVE MUCH TIME LEFT.

EITHER I’M STILL DRUNK... OR I’M SEEING THINGS.

WHAT IS THIS NONSENSE ABOUT? WE HAVE NO TIME FOR JOKES.

WELL, THE THING IS...

I THINK I FOUND...

DAM.

?!