Nam Saeng then visits Moo Young in her hostage to find out whether she still in the same wavelength with him, eliminating prime minister. Happy that Moo Young keeps her vengeance at heart, Nam Saeng tells her that she just needs to prepare her sword and let him does the rest. With a grin, he reminds her to hit with one proper blow if she really wants to kill General Yeon this time, since her last attempt was an epic fail no matter how so close that was for her.

When Moo Young asks why he won’t kill Dad himself, Nam Saeng giggles, “How could I kill my father with my own hands? Who will follow a man who has killed his own father?”  He reasons that things will be seen differently if Moo Young is the one who kills Daemangniji, for people will just simply thinks that she kills for her revenge.

The plan benefits for them both, because then Moo Young will become queen and Nam Saeng will become prime minister. As he’s not ambitious enough, he then drops his bomb: “And as Dae Mangniji, I will marry you.” It’s clear that he’s eyeing the king position and thanks to God that Moo Young still has her common sense, since she just plays him to get what she wants and certainly it isn’t including marrying Nam Saeng. She persuades him to let her go by saying that she needs to meet Geumhwadan before they search for her and ruin “their” plan, he believes her and releases her.

She convinces her protector gang that she’s leaving to start a new life with Choong and that Choong never talks about it to them because he’s embarrassed. They believe her, and with that lie Moo Young leaves Geumhwadan.

In the meantime, Choong and Instructor Jang find the shed where Nam Saeng hid the princess during her abduction. Choong sees the necklace his mother gave Moo Young and a list of the intelligence agents, but before they have chance to learn the things they found, Nam Saeng pops out so suddenly right  in the doorway. He seems so gladly accuse Choong that he hid the princess in that shed.

It reveals later that Nam Saeng planted evidence in the shed to frame Choong. He wants to make Choong seemed as he works together with the princess to eliminate Daemangniji. His trap works only for a while, but he miscalculates one thing, Instructor Jang’s faithfulness to Choong and General Yeon.

The instructor twists the accusation, by claiming that he releases Moo Young with his own will for the gold Geumhwadan promises to him. He defends Choong with a total make up story based on the proofs Nam Saeng has planted, makes Nam Saeng rolls his eyes because he of course knows the truth.

During the interrogation Instructor Jang exchanging brief meaningful gazes with General Yeon, they both know that Nam Saeng is clearly trying to frame Choong. The General knows that his friend is lying to protect Choong, and the best he can do is to order the instructor imprisoned. Then Daemangniji leaves the room, lets Choong untouched and shortly stares at Nam Saeng accusingly. Nam Saeng infuriates that big bro won’t be getting any punishment, but his plan is already flopped. Nothing can touch his nemesis brother.

Choong visits his loyal comrade in prison, asking him why he took such an act for him, and his buddy-father-brother-teacher replies that he did it for General Yeon whom he’s served for many years. He tells Choong that his father needs his protection, and for that Choong has to be totally not imprisoned. Especially since they don’t know Nam Saeng’s plans yet.

“Your eyes are not those of a warrior,” the instructor tells Choong. “How difficult it must have been for you to kill people with such tender eyes. However, there is something you must finish. Please protect your father, General Yeon Gaesomun.”

Nam Saeng proceeds with his next move by telling Dad that he asks to be sent to another post outside the capital so he can do some retrospect of his own. He first whines how Dad always trusts Hyung-nim no matter what while he never trusts his own legitimate son the same way. Even if Choong has once betrayed him, but Dad’s trust is unshaken. Then Nam Saeng goes on that he has no more confidence to serve his father and he needs to leave somewhere to clear his mind and plan his own future.

General Yeon coldly tells him to just leave then, and Nam Saeng finally weeps, “You’re not even going to ask me to stay? Just once, can’t you say, ‘You’re also my son, I have faith in you too. Don’t even think about other things and stay by me.’ Can’t you tell me that just once?”

Dad doesn’t speak any word which is not a surprise, but then maybe it’s for the better, since the time Nam Saeng walks away from him the tears just dries and his sadness turns into grins. This pretty boy is totally crazy.

While his subordinate recruits intelligence agents to his side, Nam Saeng visits Mo Seol’s dad to make sure that he pledged allegiance to Nam Saeng along with some other generals. Mo Seol is against the idea of her dad chooses side with Nam Saeng, since it means her father will take part in a dangerous coup and if he sides with the wrong party it only ends in a disaster. Her dad pleads Mo Seol to keep it secret, and assures her how Nam Saeng has half the intelligence agents on his side while the king has the generals, so they will win this.

Mo Seol finds Moo Young in her hiding place and asks her if she really wants to kill the father of the man she loves. When she hears that for Moo Young General Yeon is is just a man who murdered her father, Mo Seol thinks that it’s just a good thing for her. If Moo Young kills Choong’s father and becomes his enemy, Mo Seol will benefit from this. Moo Young then tells her to not tell Choong about the plan if she really wants him, except that Mo Seol instead draws her sword and declares that she’s come to kill Moo Young.

Without a weapon in her arms to defend herself, Moo Young is unable to fight Mo Seol and she gets knocked to the ground. Preparing for the last one blow Mo Seol raises her sword for the killing blow, she asks if Moo Young will only stop once she ends up getting Choong killed.

Moo Young stunned when she sees how Mo Seol is stabbed from behind, right in front of her eyes. It’s Nam-saeng who kills her, because he couldn’t let her live to tell everyone their plan. With her last breath, Mo Seol puts her pleas to Moo Young: “Stop. You have to stop. You cannot kill Yeon Gaesomun. Don’t make Choong suffer any longer.”

Mo Seol collapses to the ground as Nam Saeng tells Moo Young that they’ll have to move, since Choong is searching the city to look for her. Nam Saeng once again confirms her that killing anyone whether it’s brothers, friends, or parents, really don’t matters to him.

Choong finds Mo Seol dying with blood all over her body, and Tae Pyung reports that it’s done by Nam Saeng. Mo Seol desperately blames him and Moo Young as she struggles to breathe—if Moo Young had truly died three years ago, for sure she and Choong would have been happily married, she knows she won’t survive and now she pours her heart out.

She tells Choong that Nam Saeng plans to kill the General on the day of the military parade, and Choong’s first question to her is to ask where the princess is. Mo Seol calls him cruel because all he worries is just the princess while she is the one who’s dying. Choong apologizes and says sorry but he doesn’t change his question, or his heart. The princess is the one who has it, and he isn’t going to lie about it. Then Mo Seol dies.

Moo Young appears in front of Choong after making sure he is alone and leads him to a quiet place. Choong tells her he was worried about her, and she replies that he has no reason to be—she’s given up on her revenge. Choong doesn’t even hesitate: “Then… can you leave with me?”

“Why should I?” she says. “I no longer have feelings for you.” Choong knows she’s lying, even when she argues Nam Saeng didn’t threaten her and that she made this decision on her own.

“Then it’s my decision to protect you,” Choong states wryly. He explains her about their situation—Even if he will always protect her, it doesn’t mean she can kill his father as she wants. Choong will stop her any way he can. He warns her not to let Nam Saeng uses her to kill General Yeon, because that will benefit her nothing but a great lose.

Until Nam Saeng’s voice is heard from behind: “You’re wrong, Hyung-nim.” He appears with his armed minions, makes Choong outnumbered. Moo Young unsuspectedly helps Nam Saeng lures Choong into the trap. Nam Saeng mercilessly taunts him how Choong doesn’t need to protect the princess anymore, since as the husband Nam Saeng won’t kill his princess-wifey.

Nam Saeng sneers at Choong and explains that he is going to marry Choong’s precious princess and make her his queen. Choong is predictably so furious with that insane wedding plan but he soon dragged off by the agents while Moo Young brushes Nam Saeng’s arm off. “You must keep your promise. You cannot kill him.” Moo Young won’t endangered Choong’s live either, she will carry on her plans but his live won’t be included in the game.

Geumhwadan at first confuse when they hear Moo Young wedding plan. They are wondering if she left them so she could become queen. However So Sa Bun thinks that Moo Young is the one using Nam Saeng to attack General Yeon, not the opposite. Yet they are sure she won’t marry Nam Saeng afterward, which Leader So immediately guesses that she plans on committing suicide after she kills the General.

Jang receives a mysterious message while Moo Young cleans her sword, and remembering how her father and brother were killed. The sword cuts her hand accidentally and it makes her thinks about her father’s words about how sword protects flower.

The message Jang accepted brings him the market to meet Moo Young, who mysteriously looked distant and sad. She actually comes to see her cousin to say her farewell, and seriously warns him that Nam Saeng in any way has to be stopped to inherit his father’s seat as the Daemangniji after his father’s death. Goguryeo will be in Jang’s hands then. She has given up the chance to be the queen of the country. Moo Young encourages him: “You’re the king of Goguryeo. You have to make the right decision.” Both cousins are teary eyed, they know things won’t end with rainbow at the end of the road.

Jang visits General Yeon and blatantly asks him to cancel the military parade, since Nam Saeng is plotting a rebellion against him. The General assures the king that nothing will happen, and when Jang says what if he works with Nam Saeng to bring him down, the General says he believes that the king will think the best for Goguryeo.

After bid her farewell to her cousin now it’s turn for Moo Young to say her goodbye to Choong. She visits him in the shed he’s being captured, “I came to say goodbye. This isn’t about my revenge… I’m going to end this fight once and for all.”

Choong still tries to convince her not to let herself to be used as Nam Saeng’s tools for power. But then she tells him not to worry because, “If there isn’t anyone left to be killed, then no one will be killed.”

Her words immediately shock Choong since they reveal Moo Young’s actual plan. She is really going to kill his father and then plans to commit suicide right after that. He begs her desperately to rethink her decision, and this time ever for Choong who is never selfish and thinks about himself now tries to make her thinks about him.

“Can’t you leave with me now?” he asks. “Why don’t you ever think about me? Why don’t you think about leaving me behind? Do you know what my life has been like without you? Why would you give me that pain again?”

He knows things are always so hard for them to bear when they thought one of them died leaving the other alone, so he wants to recall it to move Moo Young’s heart.

Moo Young cries as she also remembers how happy the time they ever spent together at the temple when Choong’s mama was still around. How she did the mundane house chores and shared meal with the man she loved, and had a taste how it felt living together with her future mother in-law, a quiet and simple yet happy life.

“All I ever wanted … was for us to stay together,” Choong says through his tears brings her back to present. Moo Young turns around to Choong with tears on her cheeks, and she forces herself to leave. Panic now, Choong struggles to free himself and kills all the guards outside who want to stop him following her.

King and Daemangniji are in their position in the court hall as the military parade is finished and Nam Saeng with his recruited loyal agents enter the hall as well. They are checked for possibility of carrying weapons into the palace, but Nam Saeng and his men have anticipated this by carrying wooden swords which made them all are allowed inside. Their real swords are actually carried by the agents who stand at the back row at the line-up.

Geumhwadan are there too, and they look so anxious since they don’t know what the princess actually is planning. Jang suspicious something is up when he doesn’t see Choong the Joye Director among the agents, and he whispers that to the General who now realizes it too. They have no idea that Choong is somewhere outside fighting his way through gangs of other agents loyal to Nam Saeng.

In the court hall General Yeon announces that Nam Saeng is going to be sent away and read Nam Saeng’s accomplishments during his time serving the country as the high officer in Joye Intelligence Agency. There are intercuts showing how Choong receives injuries after injuries as he fights alone through massive number of agents as Nam Saeng climbs the steps toward his father.

Nam Saeng totally copies the way his father dethroning the previous king, he flips the table in front of his father and grabs the sword he hides below that poor furniture. Nam Saeng sarcastically orders his father to step down from his spot as Choong slowly approaches the palace gates with him covered in blood. He drops his sword because weapon isn’t allowed to enter the court hall, and looks like he’s about to faint anytime from exhaust.

“Are you really going to kill me?” General Yeon indifferently asks Nam Saeng, who just smirks and keeps his eyes to the closed door. The doors suddenly swing open to reveal Moo Young, now dressed in her princess attire. As she moves toward General Yeon, Choong walks toward the court hall. The members of Geumhwadan surprise to see Moo Young when she draws her sword and just passes them.

By the time the princess reaches General Yeon within her sword distance, Choong appears at the door. Seeing him with all the wounds and the blood fighting his way to the palace AND to her, seems makes Moo Young to hesitate.

General Yeon uses that time to explain Moo Young why he did what he did to her father at that time. To fight Tang they need to be aggressive while her father was more passive and that was a sign for weakness in the General’s eyes.

Nam Saeng nags Moo Young to get it over which urges his men to lift their swords, but an order Choong barks just instantly makes them low their swords again. General Yeon tells Moo Young that he thinks Moo Young just fights for her personal revenge instead for Goguryeo. He adds that she can kill him if she really believes she is right and if she thinks she can protect Goguryeo from Tang.

Moo Young turns around, and Choong slowly shakes his head when their eyes meet. She then announces that she isn’t coming to kill General Yeon, or that she seeks for redemption. She asks the people who gather to shed no more blood for the sake of Goguryeo so that they can protect their country. “These are my last words as princess of Goguryeo.”

She quickly raises her sword to kill herself, but Choong rushes forward and grab the blade with his bare hands on time. Choong tells her, “You cannot die before I do.”

Nam Saeng laughs, he knew Moo Young won’t finish her plan. He then says now it’s Jang’s turn, and basically invites anyone willing to kill his father. He victoriously screams his winning as he unfolds the scroll of secret letter the king promised to him. A letter appoints him as the daemangniji. He reads it aloud, absolutely basks in his glorious thought but only to read: “The Dae Mangniji of Goguryeo is now… Yeon Gaesomun?”

At the end Jang betrayed Nam Saeng, and stays to his belief that only Yeon Gae Somun is able to protect Goguryeo. Jang sneers at Nam Saeng now, sarcastically tell Daemangniji how messed-up the military parade this year. Daemangniji apologizes to the king and basically hushes Nam Saeng to immediately leave the palace, and goes to his remote post out of town.

Nam Saeng trembles with rage and frustration, full with hatred he blames everyone and says he won’t let anybody alive. With Moo Young stands the closest to him, Nam Saeng wields his sword to stab her. Choong sees the move and quickly spins her around, which makes Choong is the one stands right in front of Nam Saeng’s sword. The sword pierces into Choong’s body and Nam Saeng happily twists the blade, now he has all the chance to kill his perfect Hyung-nim.

Choong drops to the ground, “I kept my word,” he says with a faint smile, till his last breath all he wants is to protect her. “Princess… You must live. I beg this of you.”

Numb with shock and surprise, yet Moo Young knows exactly what to do next, “Don’t you say you wish for us to live and die together?” she says instead. She draws her own sword and leaves Choong to collapse on the floor alone while she approaches Nam Saeng, her sword is in ‘ready to attack’ position.

Moo Young and Nam Saeng face each other off but while Nam Saeng attacks with all his might, Moo Young just lets her sword off her hand. She purposely uses Nam Saeng to kill her, as his sword freely stabs through her body. With Choong’s unavoidable death, she has no will to live anymore. She can die alone, but she can’t live alone.

Moo Young drags herself to lie next to Choong, and the two share their last gazes at each other as they are dying.

Moo Young: “The moment I met you, I thought that I would spend the rest of my life with you.”

Choong: “…Thank you.”

Moo Young: “I thought that you would always be by my side.”

Choong: “Thank you.”

Moo Young: “On the day my father died, I hated you so much I wanted to kill you.”

Choong: “I’m sorry.”

Moo Young: “Finally our wish to stay together for the rest of our lives came true.”

The two lovers smile to each other as their last breaths leave them. They both die side by side, together at last.

Cr: Naver

Standing in front of Moo Young, Choong starts to list the accusations towards the petite princess, the whip stays in his hands still unused. Moo Young of course denies all the accusations, stating that it isn’t her who rebels but King and the prime minister are. As if he wants to find way for her to escape the torture, Choong orders Moo Young to beg mercy from King and the prime minister. She resists, and it only urges Nam Saeng to move. He’s about to take over the torture from his brother when Choong hits the whip on Moo Young. There is no way Choong lets his psycho dongsaeng touches his lover.

Choong makes sure he only whips Moo Young’s hands, yields the whip high in the air so it will only the tip that hits her. At one point the whip slashes the pendant of the necklace Choong’s mother gave to Moo Young, causes the it slips to the ground and catches the prime minister’s eye. Meanwhile Nam Saeng notices that Choong doesn’t seriously torture her, forces Choong to start whipping Moo Young again. When he lifts the whip suddenly General Yeon orders him to stop.

Maybe the pendant on which Choong’s mother portrait painted reminds Yeon of love or whatever feeling he might feel towards her, but Yeon really leaves the stage and totally ignores Nam Saeng whining about being too soft to a rebel. Half-heartedly the General puts out his punishment, to behead Moo Young in Pyongyang Plaza three days later. An announcement which freezes Choong even long after everybody leaves the yard.

Instructor Jang meets the General after the torture. In a persuasive way he tells his old friend, the General himself, that now he can trust his son. There’s no need for him to test Choong anymore about his loyalty. Yeon asks Instructor Jang to give him some advice, as a friend, on what to do next. The instructor replies on how he knows that Yeon has regrets about the past, and not to let Choong to make the same mistake like he did to Choong’s mother.

The instructor then meets Choong, who stays in his office all tired and helpless. He tells him about two people he loved so dearly but couldn’t save any of them, how he wanted to be powerful so he wouldn’t have to lose anyone again. With the death of his mother and the capture of his lover Choong feels so lost, “What am I doing here?” he asks to himself.

Jang is also at lost and powerless in the palace, the feeling of being an ultra coward king now gets him and he cries for himself and Moo Young then. Meanwhile the captured princess is in her cell, with the memories of people one by one die because they defend her. First the Geumhwadan members, then Choong’s mother death flashes in her mind, and the last one is Choong, asking his mother to take care of her, worrying her. Tears drop from Moo Young’s eyes, as she realizes she has sacrificed so many people who love her.

Choong takes all his restless mind to the practice hall, plans to organize his thought by practicing his swordsmanship. However Nam Saeng interrupts his way of calming down by provoking him about his mother and the woman he loves. Choong puts down his sword and approaches Nam Saeng, telling him that he wants to talk to him now as a brother not as the director of the agency. Nam Saeng laughs at Choong’s words, saying that he never once at all considers someone with such low status as a bastard son, as a brother.

That statement hits Choong, and like a crazy dude Nam Saeng rants about how he didn’t purposely want to kill Choong’s mother but she just dies so easily. It’s never a wise thing to do but Nam Saeng adds Moo Young into their unfriendly chat, and Choong loses his control. He punches Nam Saeng again and again, and luckily Instructor Jang and Tae Pyung stops him before he kills that psycho brother with his own hands.

After that Choong heads to meet his father and reports him about his resignation as the director of the intelligence agency. He states that the rumour about him has damaged his father and Joye reputation and he doesn’t want to give them more trouble. However now Dad trusts him and doesn’t want to lose the son he obviously loves more than the other one. He tells him to stay, almost like he begs him to, and never say anything about quitting again. He leaves Choong no room to debate and the conversation ends there.

In the private chamber where Dad keeps Mom’s portrait, Choong prays for her there. Now he understands why Dad lets Mom go. It’s to protect her, from any conflict which could drag her into an unwanted situation and endangered her. Choong understands Dad’s choice now.

In the prison Moo Young has her nightmare, with her dad and brother died and burned in front of her.  She wakes up because of that, only to find the man who gives her the nightmare is standing behind her. He comes to tell her that he never thinks her dad as his enemy, but their destiny made them kill each other. He continues with offering her a deal to leave the city but never to come back again. Moo Young ignores the offer, but then Yeon tells her how he heard that she wept at the plaza on the day Choong was executed. Yeon says, “I do not want my son to weep.” He doesn’t offer her the escape because he cares about her, but he knows that executing her will give Choong unbearable pain for the rest of his life.

In their base the Geumhwadan looks for ways to save the princess. They don’t know how, but their traitor shows up to help them save her. At least because he becomes Joye spy so he’s free to wander around the agency and can look way to save her. Geumhwadan at first reluctant to accept his help but So Sa Bun totally rejects the traitor’s help. He doesn’t believe him.

Moo Young has another visitor for her in the prison. It’s Choong, looks very exhausted and lost. His voice is heavy with sadness when he tells her he just back from his mother burial. He knows now how it feels losing the parents, and asks her to forgive him for being not understanding. But Moo Young says it’s all her fault. If she wasn’t there, then his mother wouldn’t be dead. Then Choong sees Moo Young’s hands with the cuts she got from the whipping, which causes him to sit in front of her holding her hands so gently.

From outside the cell Choong caresses her cheek and says he’s the one who should say sorry. He begs her to let him protect her and gets her out of the prison. Knowing him so well, Moo Young asks whether that means he’s going to endanger himself again and asks why he does that. Choong replies, “Do you really not know why?”

He begs her to let her out and never come back. Moo Young tells him she can’t do that, but Choong keeps begging her. “I’m begging you. I need you to stay alive. Let me save you. You’re all that I have .. Just you.” Moo Young doesn’t say anything.

The next day the Geumhwadan spy comes to Joye and says that he doesn’t want to work for Joye anymore, Choong though tells him that this time they will work together for the princess. He asks the spy to bring him to Geumhwadan who at first welcome him with swords ready at hand, luckily he’s able to convince So Sa Bun that he comes to discuss a plan to save the prince.

That night all Joye agents celebrate their successfulness in capturing the rebel leader, Princess So Hee. Nam Saeng points out that he doesn’t see the director around, but Instructor Jang tells him that Choong is still mourning for his mother. Instructor Jang purposely sweet-talk Nam Saeng, persuade him to low his guard. In the meantime the instructor announces that he invites some gisaengs to bring joy to the celebration. Among the gisaengs, there is Dal Ki, the plan to save the princess is in progress.

After get all the agents drunk with the wine and all the seduces, Dal Ki and the other gisaeng pretend to persuade the instructor to get them to the prison. They heard how beautiful the princess is and now they want to see the beauty themselves. Instructor Jang acts like he can’t refuse them, and brings them all to the prison. The mission is to disguise Moo Young as one of the gisaengs, and the guards aren’t suspicious with another extra girl since the instructor brings a lot of them into the prison.

Some horse carriages bring the gisaengs out from the palace, but one carriage heads to a different destination. In the middle of a bridge the carriage stops, and Moo Young steps out confused. When she looks around, Choong is already behind her ready to take her to the safety. However in the middle of the journey Moo Young stumbles, and stops walking. Choong reminds her that Geumhwadan is waiting outside the gate to get her out of the city, and Moo Young finally asks him in a desperate voice, “Why are you saving me? What do you want me to do?”

Moo Young: “What if I give up? What will happen then?”

Choong: “The only reason I’m staying in the agency is to save you”

Moo Young: “What if I give up? What if I give up my revenge?”

Choong: ”I will not return then. I will stay with you. As long as you can stop, I can stop everything. Can you do that?”

Tears drop by drop on Moo Young’s cheeks while so tenderly Choong wipes them with his thumbs, she’s so confuse and lost and don’t know what to do next in her life if she gives up her revenge and Choong knows that. He pulls her in his embrace, so then she can cry on his chest and lays her burden on his shoulders. Later Moo Young just lays her head on his shoulders and falls asleep there. Choong brings her into a hut and rests her there on a more comfortable place, seeing how she smiles in her sleeps feeling secure and safe, Choong smiles back at her.

In the morning Moo Young wakes up alone, Shi Woo waits outside the hut to take her to the Geumhwadan base while Choong goes back to Joye. Instructor Jang is waiting for him there, assuring him that he guards his back.

Instructor Jang reports General Yeon how the princess broke up from her cell, the General surprisingly just nods over this report. It seems that the prison break is under Yeon’s approval, he loves his son enough to know that executing the princess will be live torturing hell for Choong. Nam Saeng is so enraged knowing this and when he wants to bring this to the prime minister, Instructor Jang reminds him that there is a much more urgent thing to face, like preparing for war with Tang.

At the palace the council are discussing their battle preparation with a general acknowledgement that General Yeon himself to lead their army. The General reports that he has ordered Choong to organize the troops, a report that urges Nam Saeng to ask his father to bring him to war instead of keep taking Choong to assist Dad. This request is denied, with the General reasoning how Nam Saeng lacks of experience in war. With that, General Yeon and Choong leave to battlefield.

That night Nam Saeng shares a conversation with Mo Seol, expressing his disappointment over Dad’s rejection. He says his father humiliated him in public, while Mo Seol knows better. She knows Nam Saeng is so jealous with the General’s affection and trust for Choong, how Dad dotes his eldest illegitimate son more than the other one.

Nam Saeng wants to hurt Mo Seol back, because she just hit the right button on him. He mocks her, reminding how Choong dumps her. Mo Seol replies that no matter Nam Saeng tries, he won’t be reinstated as Joye Director. Not only that, she adds how she respect the prime minister because personal interests never affects his decision. How he doesn’t succumb to tradition and prefers professional good judgement.

Like rubbing salt into a wound, Mo Seol goes on by saying that is exactly what the prime minister does when choosing his heir. Basically, she tells Nam Saeng that in his father’s eyes Choong is much better than him, and their father nurtures Choong as his next heir. When Mo Seol is about to leave, Nam Saeng tells her how he now wants to become someone higher and bigger than just a prime minister.

In one evening Nam Saeng drinks with the king and offers him his service and protection. As the price from his service, Nam Saeng wants the king to give him a secret letter. A letter which contained on the appointment of him as the prime minister as soon as the previous prime minister – Dad – steps down from his position. Jang asks Nam Saeng, whether his request means that he is going to betray his own father. He answers the king’s question by saying now the king has one more chance to fight.

While Choong and the General away at war, Moo Young sometimes visits and prays at the temple where she puts the altar of her dad and brother. She brings them flowers, and puts some too on the grave of Choong’s mom. She comes to the temple one day, at the same day Choong and Dad come home from war whom then welcomed by the whole intelligence agents at Joye with congratulatory at their grand victory over Tang.  Nam Saeng glares at Choong with envy and covers it quickly into a sneaky smirk.

Still with their armours on, the two warriors head immediately to the palace and report to the king. Being polished politicians and warriors, the General and Choong notice a different atmosphere at the palace at once. It seems that something is happened while they’re away and the General asks Choong to investigate, an order Choong will do only after he comes back from a place he wants to visit first. His father just nods, giving him private life he wants, even if he wonders that Choong might meet the princess.

Choong just visits the temple though, the place where he buries his mother. But then he’s surprised, when he sees a bouquet of flowers is put on his mother’s grave. He knows that it must be from Moo Young, and rushes to search the temple thinking that he might find her. He doesn’t see her though she did come to the temple. Choong sits on the terrace they once used to enjoy a meal together, missing her so bad.

It is revealed that Nam Saeng keeps watching Moo Young, as his right hand man spots her and follows her to the place she lives now. He puts a letter to be found by Moo Young, a letter which is faked as if it’s from Choong. In the letter Choong says that he will quit his job and leaves his father for her. Dal Ki is so excited about the letter, she’s still a young girl after all, who still dreams about romantic love and such. However Moo Young doubts the letter, saying that it just isn’t like him.

On the other hand, the excited Dal Ki encourages her. She says that Choong is the only person who knows that Moo Young lives there, and how with the letter Choong’s mother pendant is attached too. No one has that but Choong. Dal Ki advises her to tell So Sa Bun, but Moo Young wants to find out about it alone.

So then Moo Young waits for Choong alone, only to get kidnapped by someone. Dal Ki is so taken aback when Choong comes to visit Moo Young, and tells her that he didn’t send Moo Young any letter. Somewhere Moo Young gains her consciousness, and finds her hands and feet all tied up. Meanwhile General Yeon seeks an audience with the king, who then carefully warns him about how much the General trust his son.

Moo Young is surprised to see Nam Saeng at the place she’s being kidnapped, and he teases how Moo Young comes at once as soon as she gets a letter asking her to run away with him. That actually her vengeance is nothing compares to love. But then, Nam Saeng says the reason he brings her there is to give her another chance to kill the prime minister.

Nam Saeng tells Mo Seol his plan, which makes her gasps on his crazy idea. He says he realizes that she is right. His father isn’t moved by personal affection nor cares about who the legitimate son is. His father also thinks he isn’t as good as his brother and how he is always favouring the hyung-nim. So then he will show his true potential to dearest Dad, by becoming king. He will dethrone the current king, and defeat the prime minister for treason.

Mo Seol practically laughs at his idea and still ignores him when he mentions that her dad agreed to join him. Mo Seol still tries to bring some sense to Nam Saeng by reminding him that even if he success in pulling another coup, it doesn’t mean he can just become the king.

Then Nam Saeng drops his last bomb, how he is going to marry the former king’s daughter, Princess So Hee a.k.a. So Moo Young and makes her his wife. With that royal marriage he will become the husband of the queen. He says that he will dig her eyes and break her legs if he has to, but he will marry her even if she resists.

Cr To Naver

“Move!”, Moo Young hisses. “I’ve waited for years for this moment.”
Choong can only reply with a sad question, “Why throw your life away?” He understands her completely, he knows how big the hatred she has for his father, her need to take her revenge. But as the person who holds the responsibility to protect the prime minister, Choong tells her clearly that she can’t kill the General. Moo Young screams at Choong to get off her way and pushes Choong hard.

A moment later, the General wakes up as if he just fallen asleep and asks a few minutes to Jang to gain his consciousness back. Meanwhile Moo Young runs to the backyard, crying and sobbing with her emotion and adrenaline rush. Choong catches just few steps behind her, and spots her hiding behind a pole.

Too bad that when he wants to approach her, some intelligence agents stop him middle way which causes Choong to lie and point to random direction to distract them. He still tries to protect Moo Young and at least provides her some time to escape from the palace. Moo Young hears this and she tries her best to pull herself together then leaves the palace, her sword lies on the ground, smeared with blood.

In the palace General Yeon reassures Jang that he’s not offended with how Jang tries to trick him. He however half-mocks Jang, tell him how he should stab the General with his own sword. He knows that deep in his heart Jang acknowledges his authority in ruling the kingdom, that Jang worries Goguryeo will fall with the General’s death. To ensure he doesn’t need to be responsible with the falling of Goguryeo, so then Jang lets Moo Young to do all the killing.

While Moo Young is in the palace trying to kill the General, Geumhwadan separate and do their task as assigned. They will take down all the generals and minister who helped General Yeon rebelled to the former king. Mo Seol is happened to be with her father, discussing why dad wants to cancel her wedding with Choong.

She actually correctly guesses that it perhaps because Choong doesn’t want her, but since her father doesn’t want to hurt her feeling he covers it by saying how he hears that Choong involves with the Geumhwadan. When she angrily gets back to her house that‘s when Shi Woo jumps from the roof to kill her father. Geumhwadan is moving.

However due to be outnumbered with the guards Mo Seol and her father have, Shi Woo has to flee away and Mo Seol quickly meets the other intelligence agents who still in position guarding the prime minister’s residence. She says how the rebels seem to target the pro General Yeon warlords, and Nam Saeng suddenly asks about Choong whereabouts. It’s obvious that he wants to plant the idea to everybody that Choong  secretly supports Geumhwadan and betrays them all.

So Sa Bun meets back with other Geumhwadan at the spot they arranged before and notices that they lost many of their members. They ask about how the princess doing with her assassination, and Leader So informs them that she failed though she safely escapes. He instructs to tell General Yang’s army to retreat, their plan is doomed. The other members seem to be succeeded in doing their tasks, but then they realize that Boo Chi doesn’t make to the designated spot. It’s either he’s get caught, or die in his act.

At Joye an agent report that an assassin tried to kill the prime minister in the palace, and Nam Saeng sighs in a big disappointment when he hears Choong is there to save Dad. Instructor Jang now gets that all the attack by the Geumhwadan is to create diversion so then they can attack the palace while the prime minister is there, but the ever envious tantrum dongsaeng can think is to doubt how their director could guess the assassin would be in the palace to murder the prime minister.

Moo Young back to Geumhwadan base, desperate and exhausted, Choong thinks about how she keeps destroying herself with her revenge, and Nam Saeng keeps poking his brother with how Choong seems to deliberately lose the assassin who tries to kill their dad.

The next morning in the palace General Yang Moon is questioned on why he moved his troop to Pyongyang without direct order from the prime minister. General Yang steps forward and openly declares that it’s a warning for the prime minister. Yang says that Goguryeo is a country led by a king and the assembly, not by one man decision. But now Goguryeo is a country under the tyranny of the prime minister. He says that it’s best for General Yeon to resign from his position as the prime minister and to abolish that office permanently. For his brave act General Yang gets killed by General Yeon, and Jang looks with a defeated feeling. His only ally has gone now.

At Geumhwadan, Moo Young starts losing her confidence and faith. She starts to realize that her revenge scheme sacrifices the people too, that for this battle her people also die for her cause. With that, Moo Young dismisses Geumhwadan as a movement to rebel to Yeon’s government.

At Joye Choong gives instructions to his agents to put all the Geumhwadan bases around Pyongyang under their watch. He wants the rebels to be caught before they have chance to gather and start to regroup. To Nam Saeng’s provocative questions, Choong boldly answers that they can kill the rebels at sight. When Nam Saeng provokes further whether the princess as the rebel leader should be caught alive, Choong firmly confirms they should do that, disappoints Nam Saeng all over again. Though if Nam Saeng notices closely, he will see Choong hides his reaction as best as he can when it comes to Moo Young.

At the border, So Sa Bun and Moo Young see how tight the security now. It won’t be easy to get through the security check so then they can go out of the capital city. Moo Young suggests to leave separately to make them easier to flee when she notices Instructor Jang passes by. She immediately asks them to turn around and starts running, with now the curious training agent instructor and his troop tail right behind them. Moo Young finds herself trapped in an alley with the instructor, and the used to be her fellow agent in front of her. She snatches a knife to prepare an attack when someone suddenly grabs her wrist behind some hanging fabrics.

It’s her warrior-saviour-protector-guardian angel again, Choong, as he always manages to protect her while he still has his breath. He gets her out of the alley and together they hide behind a cart while the instructor checking up with his troop. Somehow the instructor spots Choong hides just few steps nearby but he knows that with Choong now, there’s someone special Choong needs to protect. His loved one. He understands what Choong tries to do and after leads his troop into wrong direction, the instructor also leaves the area letting Choong saves his lover.

Choong brings Moo Young to a beach after their flee, and she reminds him to go back before people starts to suspect him. She says that the Joye director shouldn’t help the rebels, yet Choong replies that he isn’t there with her as the Joye director. He is there because he wants to pay her back. He tells Moo Young that the beach where they are now is the one where Moo Young first saved him three years ago. How since then, he made up his mind to spend the rest of his life just for her.

“Are you really not going to stop?” Choong asks her. Moo Young sighs, saying just like how he first came to the palace only to be acknowledged by his dad, now she just wants to seek revenge. Since she will keep going to retaliate, she wishes he stops suggesting her otherwise. Calm and ever tender, but with a resolute tone, Choong tells her what he will do next, “I will spend the rest of my life trying to save you”. Moo Young stares at him, sad and surprised, but says nothing.

Nam Saeng reports to his father the next morning with the latest update about the damage they suffer after Geumhwadan moves last night, then boasts that he will torture their Geumhwadan hostage to reveal their plan and location. Daddy looks totally unconcerned and in a weak state with the stab injury he suffers. He instead wondering why it’s Nam Saeng the assistant director who does the reporting, and not Choong the director himself.

Nam Saeng slightly disheartens because Dad always looks up for Choong, but he uses whatever chances he has to badmouth Dad’s favourite son. He says how Choong is nowhere to be found, and just instantly disappears right after he orders the Joye agents to capture every Geumhwadan member they can find. Nam Saeng twists everything for his own benefit and makes Choong as the spy for Geumhwadan in the palace.

He pollutes his father’s mind, playing with the hope his father has to trust Choong. He points how the assassin the king’s chamber is not after the king but the prime minister himself. Plus, it was Choong who advised him to stay in the palace and sent all the agents to prime minister’s manor leaving the palace unguarded. How Choong came back all alone, and lets the assassin get away. When his dad seems to ignore everything Nam Saeng says, he throws the last question, the one which stuns dad, “Do you love him that much?”

If Nam Saeng was there that night just like General Yeon, maybe he gets why the General behaves that way. Choong sincerely loves and protects his dad, but he loves the princess too and though it is remarkably hard, he just does his best to protect them both.
Moo Young wakes up in the morning with the voice of Choong asks a favour to his mother.

Apparently Choong brings her to the temple where his mother stays and wants her to take care of Moo Young, Choong lets his mother know how important Moo Young is for him. Meanwhile with his deteriorated health, only bad thoughts come to General Yeon’s mind. It seems that all Nam Saeng’s badmouthings finally get to him.

Choong still tries to persuade Moo Young to abandon her vengeance, and she resists. Finally he pleads, “Can’t you just give it up for me? Can’t we just live on?” Moo Young stands firm. But Choong is this big man with a huge heart, so when lunch comes he enjoys it happily with Moo Young, refuses anything to ruin such a rare day. He asks Mum who still busy with her laundry to join them with the lunch but she refuses, insists both lovers to just have their time. However, in Moo Young’s mind Choong’s plead lingers, to let go all the revenge and just live on. It’s not help either that Choong treats her so sweetly, totally smiley and glowing with joy.

Not very far away from the temple Dal Ki watches them, now she knows where the princess hides. Moo Young meanwhile spends a precious time with Choong’s mum. Seeing how she looks troubled and anxious, she tells Moo Young to learn to let go. She basically advices her that though it isn’t easy, but by going through a process she finally can let things go. She then gives the twin pendant she shares with Choong to Moo Young and happily remarks that she thinks now the twin pendant has find its rightful owner.

At Joye Nam Saeng is busy torturing Boo Chi, forcing him to make a fake statement that Choong is with the princess now. Luckily Choong is back to the agency, and Instructor Jang still covers him from his whereabouts. Choong then visits his father and apologizes for unable to be found anywhere. “Try making an excuse. Lie to me at least!” his father retorts. Choong doesn’t say a word, they both know what he does. Angry and helpless, General Yeon turns to face him, “Are you really going to betray me?” The only thing Choong can say is, “You don’t need to worry”.

However it turns out that Choong needs to be extra worry now, since Nam Saeng comes to the temple she lives with Choong’s mother. Nam Saeng wields his sword to threat Moo Young, but before he can do that Choong’s mother stops him. She says that a sword isn’t allowed in such a sacred place like the temple. Nam Saeng puts the sword towards her only to be challenged with Moo Young’s sword.

With a sneaky smile Nam Saeng offers her to come with him voluntarily if she doesn’t want to see Choong’s mom gets hurt. Moo Young has no choice but to surrender, but as the Joye agents bring her Choong’s mother tries to stop them. She has promised Choong to protect her, she says, but as she finishes the sentence Nam Saeng then stabs her. He kills Choong’s mother right there.

Tae Pyung reports Choong about the last development, he’s so shocked to hear that the news sends him numb. Instructor Jang reports General Yeon the same thing, and the General trembles with grief. He cries in silent in front of Choong’s mom portrait, alone in his private chamber.

All the agents gather at Joye after the captured. General Yeon is there, Nam Saeng too with satisfied face and smug face that he has hit his brother with a huge fatal blow, Choong is the last one enters the hall looks like he’s flying on the edge of sanity and one wrong delicate push will explode him from within. Weird twitching smirks keep coming on the corner of his mouth, Choong desperately tries to get him controlled to not laugh and cry at the same time. Especially when Dad announces they capture the rebel leader, the princess, and Nam Saeng proudly announces how he killed the old woman who tries to interrupt them. Poor Choong, all he wants is to protect the ones he loves, but he ends up losing all of them.

General Yeon then tells Jang that he has captured Princess So Hee, and Jang can execute her himself to show king’s authority to people. Moo Young is dragged to be punished in the front yard and she’s astounded to find Boo Chi there, and Choong too. Moo Young and Choong exchange these long sad and desperate gazes, while Jang and General Yeon sit on the stage.

When the interrogation starts Boo Chi quickly distract them by admitting that he is the Geumhwadan leader. He says princess is just a figure so then the mass will gather and fight for them, his fake confession makes Nam Saeng angry and he stabs him. Boo Chi tells the princess that for him she’s his king and he promises to be a tiger in his next life so he can protect her. Nam Saeng kills him instantly upon this.

Nam Saeng still feels the need to brag on his action and continues by accusing Choong. He starts that as the former personal guard of the princess, not to mention how he and the princess was in love during that time, it is impossible that Choong didn’t recognize her. How Choong purposely hid the fact the princess was hiding at Joye organization, and the conclusion is Choong work together with the princess to rebel.

When the instructor asks on what base he accuses Choong like that, Nam Saeng moves to get a torture tool. He wants to torture Moo Young to make her confess that she works with Choong. But before Nam Saeng can touch her, Choong stops him saying that he has nothing to do with Moo Young so Nam Saeng can’t torture her, especially since the confession from an excessive torture is a fake one.

However, General Yeon shocks everybody by orders Choong to torture the princess himself. He says that’s the only way Choong can prove his innocence, and if Choong does that all the allegations against him will be dropped. But if Choong can’t, he and the princess will have to die there. Nam Saeng insists to do the torturing himself, but Choong can’t let him touch the princess. He snatches  the whip from Nam Saeng’s hand, and approaches Moo Young.

Cr to Naver

However there are two questions she desperately wants him to answer, which is, why oh why despite him knows that Geumhwadan would trick and make him the hostage, but he still brought her back to them. Then the second is, why Choong keeps her real identity a secret from everyone in the agency including his father.

Choong is about to answer when So Sa Bun suddenly enters the hut, obviously worries that Moo Young might release the special hostage. He comes in time, but Moo Young orders him to let Choong go, an order So Sa Bun disobey at once. He reminds the princess that Joye also captures some Geumhwadan members, and they will need Choong as their bargaining tool.

At Joye Nam Saeng works hard to convince Daddy dearest that Choong betrays him. He endlessly twists anything Choong did as his betrayal acts, but when General Yeon finally mentions what possibly the reason Choong covers Moo Young’s real identity as Princess So Hee, Mo Seol gasps behind him. Though she really surprises that Moo Young is actually the princess they’re looking for, but she informs the General there’s no way Choong supports Moo Young’s acts as the rebel leader. Mo Seol reports how Choong has exclusively instructed her to watch Moo Young, he is aware that the princess is their enemy.

General Yeon visits Jang at the palace to tell him that he knows not only the princess is alive but she also secretly has met Jang. Knows there’s no way for him to lie, Jang decides to tell the truth but also makes up a lie, he lets her come close just because he wants to persuade her to stop with all her revenge scheme. All the General does after listens to him just to remind the coward king that he becomes the king just because the General tells him so, and he is still alive also because the General still wants him alive. Tears roll down from the coward king’s eyes, tears of fright and helplessness.

It’s a good sign that Papa Yeon doesn’t take anything his tantrum pretty son said as an absolute truth, since he privately asks Instructor Jang whether it’s true Choong betrays him once again. The instructor immediately explains that Choong doesn’t try to save the princess, but instead he tries to save his mother since Geumhwadan has her as hostage. The instructor tries to convince Yeon that Choong will never betray him again, but Yeon clearly doubts it. He knows how his son still loves the fugitive princess.

Nam Saeng fumes when he finds out that all his badmouthing effort for his brother doesn’t work at all. Not only Dad doesn’t put any order to punish Choong if he returns, but the General also gives the temporary vacant chief seat to the instructor, basically Nam Saeng doesn’t even move a bit from where he stands. He expresses his anger by emotionally tortures then kills the Geumhwadan members they have.

Meanwhile back in Geumhwadan base Choong endlessly tries to get their attention, he wants them to escape immediately with the princess. He knows with Joye intelligence they might have located the base, and now is on their way to catch them all. They report what Choong said to the princess and discuss whether to run or simply ignores him. That’s when for the first time ever Moo Young heard how three years ago Choong has helped her to escape by betraying his father.

Shocked with what she heard, Moo Young confirms it with Choong. Her eyes fill with tears as she hears Choong says how he wanted, and thought, that he could save her from the doom that time. She has been so wrong about him all this time, thinking that he was there to kill her. Without hesitation she unties him, sets him free. Yet, Choong reminds her to run away soon from their base as Joye might just few steps behind them now. He wishes her safety, a sincere wish, and she knows.

Moo Young helps Choong walk for a while until he is pretty steady to move on his own, and she tells him how actually Nam Saeng also knows the fact that she is a girl. She warns him that Nam Saeng might plan something with the knowledge. They separate then, because Moo Young still has to escape and Choong must meet his mother.

Choong finds the temple and as Moo Young said, meets his mother there. They hug and have chat afterwards, with Mom blaming herself how she lets her beloved son growing up alone. She says she purposely chooses to leave the secular world so Yeon and Choong, the people she loves the most, can pursue their big dreams. She thinks that as a slave, her low social status will be an endangered burden for them. I love how Choong answers, that her existence is neither weakness nor danger for him.

His mother then asks Choong to thankful to Moo Young. She says how Moo Young has convinced her to stay and meet him, though at first she thought to just leave without meeting her son at all. But as Moo Young said, it feels so great to meet her son at last. Choong is touched upon hearing this, and since he thinks the place seems to be safe, he asks his mother to just stay around so he can visit her often.

Choong returns to Joye with an unwelcoming remark from Nam Saeng. He keeps rubbing him how Choong is able to return alive from a rebellion base, and openly declares that he is suspicious that Choong might work together with Geumhwadan. Before the two gets into a fight, Instructor Jang reminds Choong to meet his father.

Dad asks Choong whether Mum is ok. When Choong replies if somehow he wants to meet her, the General says knowing she is alright is enough for him. Later he explicitly shows that he doubts Choong, when it comes to his relationship with Princess So Hee. But Choong assures him, that now for Choong the princess is merely a leader of rebels.

Mo Seol who now feels threatened with the existence of Princess So Hee, Choong’s undying old flame, persuade her father to arrange a marriage between her and Choong. She convinces her dad that the marriage isn’t only good for her, but also will benefit for his political status as well. As the in-law of the prime minister, he will have the full support from the General.

A meeting among the General, Mo Seol’s dad and Choong is held. The General clearly support the arranged marriage since he himself suggested the idea to Choong. The General likes Mo Seol, and her background as the daughter of the wealthiest man in Goguryeo will provide Choong with great social status. For him she’s a perfect candidate wifey for his beloved son.

However it’s clear for Mo Seol’s dad that Choong isn’t really enthusiast with the idea. Choong immediately resists when topic of marriage is discussed, no matter how blunt a person is, there’s no way he doesn’t recognize how uninterested Choong with the idea of marrying his daughter. Especially when he also knows how Choong seems to hold any feeling toward the princess. But General wants his order to be obeyed, so Choong comforts Moo Young’s dad by saying he’ll marry his daughter as soon the time is right.

So the next day Choong and Mo Seol has a weird date, which actually it’s a cover-up duty with them both disguise as a couple. They need to locate the next Geumhwadan base but Mo Seol wants it to be a real date. It’s almost hilarious looking at how Choong just want to be anywhere but there with Mo Seol, but she insists to enjoy their date no matter how reluctantly the guy looks. She tells Choong that she is confident enough to win his heart and gets him to marry her willingly.

Later separately at Joye and the Geumhwadan base, they both discuss about whether to change or not to change the date to attack the prime minister.  Both sides know they pretty familiar with each other moves so what matters is who is the most prepared one. Tae Pyung reports that a large number of troops have come to the capital city, he says that they possibly General Yang Moon’s private soldiers, and the one who permits them to move is the king. He knows now that the king allies with General Yang to put down the prime minister.

While Choong meets his dad to plan about their move, Moo Young meets the king for her move too. She wants Jang to cooperate and provide a distraction so she can approach the General close enough without getting noticed. While they discuss, Moo Young finds out that Jang still want to preserve the throne as his. He doesn’t have any plan to let her go back to the throne, but since the killing of the General is more important than their disagreement Moo Young lets it slide. She leaves him with a big question though, even as king, Jang practically has no one to follow him. Nobody believes him enough, as a leader.

Choong recommends his father that with the current state, the safest place to him is the palace. No one dares to attack him in the palace, especially since the rebel is the one who supports the palace. He also warns his father to arm himself wherever he goes.
Choong calls Tae Pyung then, informs him that he needs to be away for a bit. Forever loyal, he offers to accompany the boss. It reveals that Choong visits the temple where he asks his mother to stay, and coincidentally Moo Young also goes there at the same time. She visits the temple to pray and asks for strength from her father, and when she finishes praying she sees Choong’s mother outside the temple.

They chat for while, with Choong’s mother tells Moo Young how her son will visit her occasionally. And right about time, Choong appears. Choong informs her that he purposely comes for her. Slowly and sad, almost like he begs, he asks Moo Young to stop. He says he knows all her plan, and there’s no way Geumhwadan can defeat the mighty Joye and the prime minister. He adds how he hopes he never sees her again because he knows when they do, the only alternate they have is one or both of them die in the battle.

Of course that doesn’t stop Moo Young, so that night both Moo Young and Choong prepare their men to battle. They encourage their soldiers in inspiring but different ways, although it’s pretty contrast to compare Choong’s well trained guys with the rag-tag team Moo Young has. So from Moo Young’s side their plan is she will attack General Yeon herself in the palace, while the other top Geumhwadan assassin will kill the Generals and Ministers from Yeon’s side.

So the help Moo Young asks from Jang is to make Yeon comes to Jang’s throne room alone. Jang makes reason to get Yeon drinks wine with him, a polite request Yeon can’t refuse since the king himself invites him. Before he leaves he catches a glimpse of his swords and Choong’s words flashes to his mind, “Arm yourself wherever you go.” However, maybe Yeon thinks the king won’t dare to do anything to him so he leaves his swords, and goes to king’s quarter unarmed.

Choong and all top agents including Nam Saeng and Instructor Jang are ready in the prime minister’s house, but since no sight that Geumhwadan or Yang’s troops to attack Choong starts getting alarmed. Meanwhile General Yeon arrives in king’s room and they start to have their wine date. It seems that the General likes the wine so much because he seems can’t stop drink it, while the king just rants and rants. The General really has no idea that Moo Young is in position, right behind the throne the king sits with her sword in her hands.

Just then, the wine cup slips from the General’s hand. He’s poisoned, and now he knows. The next sight he sees is how Moo Young emerges from her hiding place, and she approaches him now with her sword. The General is totally stoned, and powerless.

Moo Young: “I come to end all this and reclaim my father’s honor!”

With that sentence she stabs her sword into General’s Yeon body. The General tries to hold the sword by grabbing its blade with his own hand, and asks what she will gain after killing him. She replies that it has nothing to do with the General, then she pulls the sword out of his body. She swings the sword, ready to behead him. Only a sword blocks hers, it’s Choong’s.

Cr to Naver

Dal Ki sees Nam Saeng with his sword and warns Boo Chi, wants him to do something to at least tell the couple below that a danger moves toward them. Boo Chi then shoot an arrow, close enough for Choong to notice there are other people around them. Agitated with the shot, Choong shouts out at the shooter causing the night guards to come and checking around. Nam Saeng hides back behind the wall, satisfies that now he has a weapon to destroy Choong. He now knows too that Moo Young is Princess So Hee and Choong protects her, keeps it secret from Dad.

Choong pulls out the arrow which sticks to a wall and takes off the written message attached to it. With the message, a similar pendant with the one Choong has, is attached too. In a disgust and rage, Choong stares at Moo Young, “Did you kidnap my mother? You even have to do this?”

Moo Young just as shocked as Choong when she sees the pendant and understand the meaning behind the message. She didn’t give such low order to Geumhwadan, and she won’t touch Choong’s mother either. When the guards come, now upset Choong shows the message to them, plainly says that it’s from Geumhwadan. He declares open war with Moo Young now, and she even can’t blame him for that. Choong orders the guards to lock Moo Young up in prison, and Nam Saeng chooses that time to go out from his hiding place, pretending he doesn’t know anything.

Although he hates Moo Young now with what he thinks she does, Choong still can’t bring up the fact that she is Princess So Hee. He frantically finds any reason he can use on why he wants her to be locked up, and Moo Young watches helplessly when Choong blurts out that the reason is because she’s lying that she’s actually a girl. That man obviously still loves her and finds any way he can to protect her.

But Nam Saeng indeed is a sneaky guy, he argues that Choong’s order to lock Moo Young up is too much. He says the only mistake she does is being a girl, and looking at how she can enter an intelligence agency then tricks them all into thinking she’s a man, is an awesome ability. He recommends her to be trained by Mo Seol, all acting like he doesn’t know anything between Choong and Moo Young.

Moo Young tries to persuade Choong to let her contact the Geumhwadan, she believes once she deals with them then the gang will release his mother. But Choong bitterly asks how he can trust her, a question she can’t answer. She’s been lying to him for the whole three years, she can’t give anything to Choong to trust. Anyhow she still offers herself to be locked and released only after Choong’s mother comes back save and sound, a sincere offer Choong ignores. Right now he just doesn’t want to hear anything from her.

Deep in the forest Dal Ki wants Boo Chi to reassure her that what they do with kidnapping Choong’s mother is alright. Boo Chi says that what they do is right, at least they now have a hostage as a bargain tool now that princess is also taken as hostage. Choong calls Mo Seol at the same night, wants her to watch Moo Young personally. Mo Seol at first refuses, but she always likes and even has crush to Choong so she’ll help. She explicitly declares that she’ll wait for Choong, because the love that Choong cherishes so deeply is already dead, and the dead won’t come back alive. Wrong.

In the room he shares with Moo Young poor Tae Pyung flares up. Not only that she gets caught up as a girl, but also now he becomes a laughing stock because he has no idea that all this time he shares a bedroom with a girl. Funnily he also reminds her to be careful since he knows Mo Seol has been waiting to get at her. He tells her how Mo Seol likes their boss, but boss’s fave is always her. Mo Seol opens the door to pick her up right after Tae Pyung finishes his sentences, telling her that now every of her moves is gonna be watched and reported.

In the class next day Mo Seol teaches about the Hanja encryption, how meaningless individual words can be formed into a whole different word when they’re combined together. Somehow the word “Love at heart/To secretly love” pops out during the lesson, brings back all sweet memories Moo Young shares once with Choong in the past. Moo Young’s determined heart for not to be swayed slowly cracks, after bits by bits revelation on how Choong actually still loves her, she obviously still feels the same for him.

In the sword sparring duel Moo Young beats out all her opponents, maybe because she also tensed knowing Geumhwadan kidnaps Choong’s mother so she stops hiding her abilities and shows all she has. The training instructor is so mad that a female member of the new recruits comes as the strongest among them and asks anyone who wants to challenge her to step forward. Choong coincidentally walks into the room so then the instructor asks him to spar with her.

Choong beats her almost instantly, gives her a hard time she doesn’t even have chance to fight him back. As if he wants to tell her that if what he wants is to hurt her, it’ll be so easy. He can do that openly and publicly, no sneaking from behind, no lying with whatever reasons. Moo Young doesn’t mind that he’s angry, she accepts and understands why. There are lines not to be crossed even when revenge needs to be done, and do a harmful thing to innocent people is one of them, Choong’s mother is a perfect example for that case.

Moo Young finds out that now she really is being watched, there’s nothing she can do to contact Geumhwadan. She’s followed and observed wherever she goes and Geumhwadan wonders why. Finally Boo Chi admits that he kidnaps Choong’s mother as a hostage, So Sa Bun at first disagrees with what he does but then the umbrella maker convinces them that Boo Chi’s plan might help them. They though think that Choong tries to get them with princess as his bait, but then So Sa Bun decides that they’ll exchange Choong’s mother with princess to get her out from Joye.

Meanwhile Nam Saeng and Choong both discuss about Moo Young in separate places, Nam Saeng with his assistant and Choong with Tae Pyung and the training instructor. Nam Saeng wonders why Choong keeps that he has the princess as a secret from their dad, thinking there might be more important reason other than how Choong and princess used to be lovers. Nam Saeng starts to develop a scheme to put as if Choong has betrayed their dad, by secretly communicating with Geumhwadan all this time. After he destroys Choong, the favourite son of dad, he will fly high even more than Daemangniji himself.

Choong in the other hand tells his closest colleagues that Geumhwadan has his mother, so he won’t do anything to harm the princess. He tells them how things need to be done secretly because it concerns with his mother and princess lives, and they all will be in danger if the prime minister finds out they actually have the princess in their hands.

Desperate to find way to contact Geumhwadan, Moo Young sneaks out from her bedroom to ask for a favour from Jang. She asks him to help her send a letter to Geumhwadan, to arrange the release of Choong’s mother. Mo Seol reports this to Choong, who wonders why on earth Moo Young goes to king’s chamber at night. Mo Seol interprets Choong’s wonder as jealousy, and tries to comfort him by hugging him from behind. Choong however refuses the act, and calmly thank her for reporting Moo Young to him.

In the palace Jang discusses the emergency need of a chancellor with his ministers. The chancellor has to be someone who can embrace all parties, deals with domestic affairs such as starving all over the country due to fail harvests, moreover the threat invasion from Tang. Yeon as the prime minister surprisingly agrees with the idea, since he indeed needs someone strong enough to help him deal with the works while prime minister is busy blocking internal and external attacks to the government. The question is who will the prime minister elect as the new chancellor?

In a private meeting between General Yeon and Jang, Yeon recommends General Yang Moon to king as the candidate for the new chancellor. According to the prime minister, Yang Moon is the most eligible candidate among all the warlords they have now. At the end of the meeting, Yeon tells Jang that he puts out an order to search the princess in case she’s alive, an order which makes Jang laugh. He says if the princess is really still alive, she will come to the palace to kill him first. Yeon just smirks at the king statement, he has no idea that not only the princess is already in the palace, she also has met the king as well.

Yeon perhaps will get so enraged much more, if he knows that Yang Moon actually is waiting for the king after their meeting over. Together with Jang, Yang Moon plans a strategy to put Yeon down from his position as the mighty prime minister of the country. King and Yang will act as if they keep disagreeing to each other, to avoid any suspicion from Yeon, then secretly Yang will increase his personal army while Jang contacts Tang side, Geumhwadan will work from outside. Yeon will be surrounded and put to corner, without no one to help him, totally isolated.

In Yeon’s residence, Dad has his swords taking-care ritual with sons while they’re also having some chats. Nam Saeng says they need to start watching Yang, and Choong argues that Joye will stay out from any political conflict. Joye is an intelligence agency, not a tool to be used in politics, an opinion Dad so agrees. Nam Saeng can’t hold his temper seeing Dad always nods at everything favourite son says, pointing a fact how the same son once held a sword on daddy’s throat. I laugh when Yeon and Choong completely ignore that statement, treat it as if both think that it’s just one of Choong’s foolishness he made when he’s still young and naive.

Still ignoring Nam Saeng, Dad turns to Choong asking him what he thinks about Mo Seol. Choong knows where this question is heading to, but he pretends he has no idea with the question and instead asks Dad why with her. Clearly Dad wants to see him married and thinks that Mo Seol is a perfect wifey candidate for Choong. Choong avoids the question saying he’s now too occupied with Joye, which urges Nam Saeng to automatically argue him.

He half-mocks Choong, ranging from possibly Choong has somebody else at heart, to pity him on how late they talk about his marriage just now. In a fishy tone he says that if Choong’s mom here he for sure has already married, and if Choong indeed wants to marry perhaps he needs to contact mom soon. Choong keeps his mouth shut, worries Dad might suspect anything.

Of course good things always happen with bad guys. Nam Saeng’s right hand man reports that they followed the man who made contact with princess and found Geumhwadan base. They also found that Geumhwadan lock an old lady in abandoned hut, but have no idea about who she is. But Nam Saeng knows, she’s Choong’s mother. His father’s concubine. Jang’s personal guard meets Dal Gi at the gibang, and gives her the letter from Moo Young.

She expresses her objection at how Geumhwadan uses such dirty trick like that, and So Sa bun sighs, they will exchange princess and Choong’s mother soon. But then Boo Chi provides another idea, just as dirty as involving Choong’s mom, but they have no more choice. Boo Chi’s idea might gives them more winning point in winning the battle, an idea So Sa Bun can’t refuse. They will exchange princess with Choong’s mom, but as they get the princess they will capture Choong as well. Knows he defeated, So Sa Bun orders to send a letter to Choong.

Choong accepts the letter, and tells his friends the training instructor and Tae Pyung, that Geumhwadan wants to exchange his mother with princess. With one condition. He has to go by himself, and escort the princess to the destined place. It’s a trick and Choong knows that, but he’s cornered. Only after Geumhwadan gets him, his mother will be released.

Choong though is not appointed as the director of intelligence agency and went to war as an acknowledged general for no reason. He knows the Geumhwadan will divide their force, half to capture him and the other half to defend their base. He instructs Tae Pyung to ambush the base once the half of the force leaves and catch every one of them, and asks the training instructor to stay out from the mission. He will have to succeed him, if Choong doesn’t come back.

So then he calls Moo Young, and takes her to the destined place Geumhwadan told him, Choong exchanges her with his mother. All the way to the exchange location both of them quiet and deep in their thoughts, perhaps they know this is the last time they can see each other. Geumhwadan also moves from their base, exactly like what Choong has predicted, only few of them stay to guard their headquarters. Once So Sa Bun and his men leave, Choong’s agents ambush the base and catch every one of them.

Choong and Moo Young arrives at the destined location, where she has to cross a bridge so she can join back with the Geumhwadan. She immediately asks them where Choong’s mother is since she doesn’t see her around. Instead of answering her question, So Sa Bun asks the princess to come to them. Choong gently tells her to go, saying that’s all he can do for her. Keeping her save by pulling her out from the tiger den in Joye, and returning her home to Geumhwadan.

So Moo Young crosses the bridge and once she reaches the edge, a group of men come from behind and surround Choong, ready to capture him. Moo Young has no idea that he’s trapped in Geumhwadan dirty trick, while she asks the gang leader why she still doesn’t see Choong’s mother anywhere. In a shock she realizes Geumhwadan doesn’t keep their words, and even move further with capturing Choong. All the time Moo Young tries to persuade the gang to let go his mother, Choong watches her from a far with sad eyes, as if he wants to remember her forever before he gets captured and possibly gets killed.

Moo Young turns around and gasps to see Choong has already surrounded by other Geumhwadan, she almost breaks when she comprehends how Choong probably has predicted this but he has no choice but to surrender, or Geumhwadan won’t let his mother go. Scared with the knowledge she asks him loudly, “You knew this? You knew this would happen?”

Choong remains silent, he only lifts his sword and gets prepared to fight. He won’t surrender to them that easy. In disbelief Moo Young stares at her men, she once again tries to remind them that what they do is wrong. But her words doesn’t mean anything, she sees how Choong gets captured, after receiving so many blows and wounds all over his body.

Moo Young once again tries to talk to So Sa Bun about using dirty tricks towards Choong and his mother, but she meets dead end. Since she now is sure that talk won’t work, she then intimidates Dal Ki to tell her where they lock Choong’s mother. Moo Young then heads to the hut to free Choong’s mother and tells her the safe route to escape. She promises her that Choong will meet her soon there, and how Choong values the pendant his mother gave him long time ago. Choong’s mother smiles with that precious info and she turns around to leave. Both of them aren’t aware that Nam Saeng’s man is watching them.

After she releases Choong’s mother, Moo Young heads off to her next target. To free Choong. She finds him tied up in a hut, severely wounded, and barely stands on his own feet. She ties him off, then tells him his mother is safe now. She gives him a paper where his mother will wait for him, and Choong wonders why she lets him go. She replies that since she’s safe, she wants him and his mother to be safe too. She adds in a plain truth, that Choong would do the same for her, Choong doesn’t even try to argue because he knows it’s true.

Choong then asks her to leave, because he’ll get to go picking mom, but Moo Young stays there. She knows how badly he’s injured and it seems he can’t go anywhere that night. She’s right, Choong starts to groan from excessive pain and Moo Young can’t help but to do anything to ease his pain. She helps to put more pressure on Choong’s deep wound on his chest to stop the bleeding, but the pressure gives him more pain Choong loses himself. So Moo Young lays him on the floor, to let him rest better and then just sits there, watching him.

The next morning So Sa Bun has his first shock, Choong’s mother has gone from the hut she’s being locked up, and perhaps that because Moo Young sets her free, plus there’s another chance that she releases Choong too. In Yeon residence Nam Saeng meets General Yeon, to reveal the fact that Moo Young is actually Princess So Hee and he creates these lies to Dad, says that Choong actually betrays him. How Choong has been communicating with Geumhwadan all this time, and that he’ll forever choose the princess over Dad.

It’s understandably that this information enrages the General, especially when he remembers how it’s true Choong had once wield a sword to his father’s neck just because he wants to help the woman he loves. At the same time Choong wakes up from his sleep, and is surprised to see a lovely sight next to him. Moo Young actually sleeps just beside him that night, unable to leave him all alone with his pain and his wounds.

The sense of being stared at wakes Moo Young, and she jumps up to check on Choong. But then she just sits there, right in front of him while Choong looks at her with his deep sad longing gaze. The love is still there.

Cr To Naver

Choong carries unconscious Moo Young on his back and brings her to Joye, and Tae Pyung – Choong’s rigt hand man – helps him take care of Moo Young. Tae Pyung clearly adores Choong and such a fanboy to his own boss, when he sighs that it should be him who takes the arrow for his commander instead of Moo Young. Tae Pyung reminds him that including the fire incident, Moo Young has saved Choong’s life twice.

Choong stays in Moo Young’s room, still in shock and grief over the fact that Moo Young is actually Princess So Hee. I guess that he already suspects her identity but tries to deny it because he can’t accept that hatred and revenge have put them both at the centre of such two different sides. He spends so much time in Moo Young’s room it urges Mo Seol to get him out telling him that as the deputy director Choong still has many tasks to do regarding the big trap that kills so many Joye agents. Mo Seol expresses her objection that Choong seems to favour Mo Young much more than the other soldiers, but Choong ignores her and walks out.

In Geumhwadan base, they suffer the same things. Not only now they worry over the princess’s safety, but they also lose so many members during the battle with the Joye agents. Meanwhile in the palace, Jang and the other minister talks about how the mighty prime minister seems can’t control his own children causing such an intelligence agency falls into a trap and suffers a great damage. But as a mighty general with such intelligence, General Yeon is able to find the real root of the case. That a living descendant of the former king is still alive out there, and the rebels are actually his/her supporters and now they start to move.

Back to Joye, Choong not only has to deal with his childish-tantrum dongsaeng, cares the wounded soldiers and the survivors, sorts out the damages, but also worries over Moo Young. He spends another night in her room, sitting quietly and watching her sleep, restless and contemplating.  The next day both Joye and Geumhwadan separately hold a praying ritual for their dead fellow soldiers, and in her room Moo Young gathers her consciousness back and wakes up.

After the ritual is done, Choong gets back to Moo Young’s room to check her. He’s a bit surprised to see she has get off from her bed, but he tells her that he’s going to send a doctor to see her wound. Moo Young says she’s ok and he doesn’t need to specially send her a doctor. Pretending that he still doesn’t know that she’s actually his Princess So Hee, Choong gently scolds her for being so lightly cares with her own life by blocking an arrow for him using her body. Moo Young however, refuses to be touched by his attention, her resistance breaks Choong’s heart. That poor man just wants to make sure that his love one is all right, but girl can’t even stand his touches.

Choong is surprised when Jang visits Moo Young, a king comes and visits a low rank soldier is very intriguing, something Moo Young points out at Jang too. But Jang tells her right now mostly people just think he’s crazy, assuring her that no one will suspect his visit. He also worries over the princess’s health, and wonders why the espionage task must fall into her. She replies she’s the one who knows the palace best, and once she gets in she won’t leaves again. She’s going to put everything back into its place again.

Choong also clearly covers Jang’s motive in visiting Moo Young, because he tells the training instructor perhaps the king just wants to hear a heroic story from the source himself. The news of Moo Young saving the deputy director spreads over the palace, so it’s actually a pretty believable story. Even a report how king visits and talks to Moo Young personally reaches the prime minister too, but he seems doesn’t think that it’s suspicious enough.

Moo Young is tidying up her bed that night when Tae Pyung gives her some stuff, a sweet cake and few bandages. He tells her how the injured soldiers have their parents to visit, and because orphanages like Moo Young doesn’t, then their deputy director prepares the cake so she won’t feel all alone. Their boss himself is a bastard son, so he knows how it feels to be lonely. Then he tells her how the boss told him that Moo Young resembles his lover who dies because he couldn’t protect her. For sure, this information shakes Moo Young’s heart.

She walks out to the yard only to find Choong is there too, though actually he was standing outside of the room when Tae Pyung told her about her resemblance with his long gone lover. Moo Young is about to turn her body when he stops her, asking about the wound. She thanks him for caring, but he replies that he’s the one who suppose to thank her.

He thanks her for saving his life twice, and Moo Young looks at him with such tender eyes, something Choong notices. Moo Young of course argues, says she does nothing and deep inside her heart she toughened up herself, “I will never … be swayed.” She has to keep reminding herself that, because the accident really changes their relationship now, even when she still pretends that she’s not Princess So Hee.

Choong interacts with her in a more personal intimate way now, still treats her like a guy to guy but the delicate nuance in his treatment can’t escape from her observation. It never occurs to her that Choong has found out who she is, and that somehow he compromises with full knowledge how she holds revenge towards him and the new Yeon regime. He helps her with her cover, supports her in any way he knows. If the girl he loves wants to stay in disguise as a guy, then he’ll let her be.

When Choong leaves her to go inside, a pendant slipped off him and falls to the floor. Moo Young sees that and picks it up to give it back to him. She tells him how pretty the woman drawn in the pendant is, and Choong says that it’s his mother’s picture. The pendant is given to him when they parted long time ago, and it’s so precious to him.

The next day General Yeon gathers all the agents and gives them a short encouragement speech and announces that he degrades Nam Saeng from his position as the director of Joye into deputy director, and appoints Choong to lead the intelligence agency as the new chief.

It rages Nam Saeng, and he fumes and rants to their father how a bastard son from a slave girl like Choong is put above him. Choong just quietly stands and listens to him flaring up and as if he rolls his eyes over his lil bro’s tantrum, finally Choong says he rejects the position. Nam Saeng gets angrier when Choong declines the position he so desires, their father gets annoyed too with both of them, and he brusquely warns Choong that thing will be the same if Choong makes mistakes and he needs to  do his job thoroughly.

Restless and agitated, Choong tries to organize his thoughts by practicing his sword stances in the practice room. The training instructor approaches him, knows that he needs a friend to talk. The instructor then shows a geumhwadan poster, and tells him that Geumhwadan is a secret organization established to protect the former king and the descendants. The organization consisted of Goguryeo’s best swordsmen, and once the former king died, they disappear too and no one is able to trace them. The instructor believes that above the prisoner who escaped from Joye’s underground prison which is the Geumhwadan leader, there’s another central character, the one who really holds the command of the organization. They need to catch that person.

When Choong meets his father, he notifies him that as the new appointed chief of the intelligence agency he prefers them for not to be involved with the political war. The agency has to focus only to catch traitors or blocking attacks from outsiders. The prime minister agrees to his condition if he’s willing to do the same. If the rebellions are really supported by Geumhwadan, then they must be stayed close with the former king’s descendant and they possibly know a lot about the princess.

Knowing how the princess they’re talking is standing behind him, Choong counters by saying that the princess is dead, he wants to protect her as long as he can. Before they parted, Choong tells General Yeon that the agency will take over the security measurement for the prime minister’s safety and his residence will be guarded day and night

Tae Pyung gives Moo Young a schedule on their night duty to guard prime minister’s residence, and in that schedule her turn will be on the tenth days. In a class, Mo Seol teaches the new recruits including Moo Young, that the biggest responsibility of an agent is to gain enemy’s heart and trust. She also explains that the dangerous threat for an intelligence agent is to fall in love with the enemy. As if Moo Young still needs to be reminded of such things, which unfortunately yes, she does.

Finally Tae Pyung finds out that Moo Young is a girl, because he coincidentally enters the room they share when she is changing her bandage. She tries to persuade him to help her with her disguise, and while they have the conversation thing is getting worse for her because Nam Saeng pops out out of the blue and now Moo Young has to convince him too about her disguise.

The greedy Nam Saeng wants to help her covering the fact that she’s a girl with one condition; he wants her to spy his brother, Choong. He wants to know his weaknesses so he can defeat him and reclaims his position. Moo Young hates him and the idea of course, but she has no choice but agrees.

She meets with Jang too that night, and it’s clear that she still wants to keep a distance from him. Despite that fact Jang tells her though, how he buries with his own hands the remains of the former king and Moo Young’s brother whom Jang endearingly calls them with his father and his brother, in a mere unmarked land behind the palace. That night, both Jang and Moo Young cry for their father and their brother.

As soon as he appointed as the new chief of the intelligence agency, Choong moves fast. He asks his old friend, Jin Gu, to be his informant and report him what people in the market or streets talk about. Meanwhile in their base, Geumhwadan still suffers for their last damage and now they’re in lost what to do. One of the members see their confusion and disappointed at what he sees. He thinks he joins the movement with an expectation that Geumhwadan will provide better future, but now they’re all still in hunger, they lost in the fight with Joye, and seems now they’re starting to lose their focus in the battle of will too.

The next day, he heads to Joye and openly admits as one of the Geumhwadan and asks a meeting with the Joye director, Choong himself. Choong at first sceptical with what the member offers since he thinks it’s just another plan to trap the agency again. But Choong’s basic nature is a warm hearted one, so he melts when the member confesses that he wants to exchange the info he has with a bag of rice. He sits in front of him, and listens to the biggest info the man carries with him. That daughter of the former king is still alive. Princess So Hee isn’t dead as what people believe she is all this time. He’s surprised though, that instead of probing him more the chief just plainly asking who else knows about this truth.

The member maybe never thinks that Choong has aware with the princess identity since the first time she joins the agency. Choong walks silently to gather his thoughts  while a flashback of how he finds out the truth about her comes to mind. It’s unavoidable now, he has to let the princess go since it only matter of time till any other people will uncover Moo Young’s real identity. He has to make her leave before it’s too late and too dangerous for her to stay, because when it happens, there’s nothing he can do to save her.

Moo Young and another agent go patrol on the next day, they get a tip that there’s a gisaeng house which frequently used by a guy who plaster the whole town with geumhwadan posters. The gisaeng house is indeed the geumhwadan base in downtown city, and Moo Young has to sneak to contact the gang that their base seems to be revealed so they need to clear the base soon.

The geumhwadan is more concern about Moo Young’s safety if she stays much longer in Joye, especially after her disguise as a guy is known by her male roommate. However, Moo Young insists to stay for 10 days more as the tenth day will be her turn to do night watch in Yeon residence. Having no choice with her persistence, So Sa Bun tasks Boo Chi and Dal Gi to follow and protect the princess from distance. Yet it seems that Boo Chi and Dal Gi has a secret plan to do which doesn’t involve Leader So at all.

Suddenly Choong comes to Gibang and when asked he just says that he drops by after probing the area. When he wants to go back to Joye, he demands Moo Young to go back with him telling her there’s something she needs to do for him. He remains silent during their way back to the agency, so Moo Young guesses somethig big will happen. Once they reach Joye, Moo Young asks Choong about what’s happening. Instead, he asks her back, demanding to know her real identity, twice. She answers with her fake identity, that she’s So Moo Young, the son of Daeja Fortress Constable.

In a tired voice Choong tells her about why he always doubts her. Because what he sees from her eyes all this time merely revenge. His words surprises Moo Young, and when she tries to escape from the conversation his next words stop her. Choong says, “Those eyes, were not the ones I knew”.

Moo Young still tries to argue, but then Choong starts talking to her in honorifics, putting himself as someone with much lower social status than her. Choong knows that she’s actually Princess So Hee. He tells her that it’s still not too late and how he wishes her not to dip her hands into more blood anymore.

He knows that she leads Geumhwadan, also that she’s the one behind the Daemangniji monument incident, and the one who sets the trap that kills so many Joye agents, and also how she disguises under fake name and false identity. He says that he can bury everything now, if she stops what she’s working. That being survives from the tragedy is the most precious thing for her. And also for someone else, he himself.

Moo Young: “It’s true that I live only for revenge. I’m now Moo Young without parents, a brother, a name, or even a shadow”.

Choong: “You treated me who had no parents, siblings, or a name, like a human. And the moment you died, I died too”.

But then Choong draws his sword, saying that he’s Yeon Choong now, the director of Joye Intelligence Agency. He has responsibility to bear, and a task to fulfil. Moo Young bluntly asks him to kill her, because there’s only sword which stands between them. In a distance Boo Chi prepares his arrow, ready to shoot Choong if he tries to kill her. Choong moves forward, puts the point of his sword to Moo Young’s throat then slowly pulls the sword away, in their hiding spot Boo Chi lower down his arrow again. They have no idea that Nam Saeng follows their conversation secretly behind a wall.

Choong takes a deep breath and sadly asks her to leave. That’s all he can do, he says. He continues with how he pleads her not to see each other again, because once they do, he will have to kill her. Moo Young listens to him quietly with tears in her eyes, just like Choong has too.

Cr to Naver

The people who gather to see the ceremony break into a messy crowd, scared and panic. Choong barks his orders to the agents and goes immediately to the stage to protect the king, ministers and all VIP guests are seated and stands with his back in front of them all. Nam Saeng worriedly runs to find his father and just before that Moo Young reaches into her uniform to get her dagger. Obviously she tries to use the uncontrolled situation to murder the prime minister, but now with two of his sons ready to protect their dad she knows she can’t do that.

Moo Young puts back her dagger, nevertheless Boo Chi comes out from his hiding place with his bow and daringly shoots an arrow to the prime minister. The arrow misses its target and unfortunately it simply reveals that someone wants General Yeon to die there at the moment. Choong instantly runs to chase him, with Moo Young and Mo Seol behind him.

The other Geumhwadan members drag Boo Chin straight away coz his attempt is too dangerous especially since he fails and now all the agents are ready to hunt him down. Mo Seol darts her hairpin-secret weaponry onto Boo Chi’s direction, however Moo Young blocks the attack with her spear then acting all innocent because she then runs after him too.

In the palace Jang seems to be extra happy as he gladly points out the embarrassing situation namely; the failure of the intelligence agency. He mercilessly mocks General Yeon saying how he has two of his sons there, yet they’re not even able to protect their father’s honor.

But it’s General Yeon he deals with, so when the General reveals what he plans to do to counter the shameful event, his plan proves that it brings only greater authority to the Joye Agency and himself as the prime minister. No more public gathering allowed, catch anyone who spreads rumors, and eliminate all indications of rebellion no matter insignificant it looks.

General Yeon gets his two sons to report him who they think is responsible, and Nam Saeng is just about to rant when his father interrupts him how he ignored Choong’s suspicions. The General asks Choong about what he thinks and plans regarding the situation they have now, and turns out Choong’s just exactly the ones of his father’s. Clearly that he wins the General favour, almost always, and Nam Saeng looks more and more agitated with that fact.

King Jang and Moo Young meet and discuss about the event and he knows that it’s all Moo Young’s act. Moo Young calmly says that what she did is just the beginning. At the Joye Office, Nam Saeng speculates about who’s responsible. He says it’s either someone who hates his father, or someone who wants his father’s power, all said while he purposely glances in Choong’s direction.

Almost like he’s just talking to himself, Choong blurts out the possibility of revenge as a possible reason behind the fail ceremony event. Nam Saeng takes it as one possibility until he reaches a conclusion: the rebels seem to be the supporters of the former king, and the only person they will serve is the only daughter of the dead king himself, Princess So Hee.

Everybody thinks that the princess is thought to be dead, however Nam Saeng insists if anyone confirmed the body. It reveals then that all they saw is her remains, but never the body of the princess herself. For Nam Saeng it tells that she’s alive, so he orders to search for her in secret.

Choong remembers how he held her clothes at her grave and claims that the princess is dead. I think Choong knows that Moo Young is the princess but he wants to protect her so he helps her indirectly by persevere that the princess is really dead. Nam Saeng replies that he did heard hyeong-nim’s love story with the princess, but he will only believe that princess is dead after he sees that with his own eyes.

Suddenly Nam Saeng wants Moo Young to be called and when he notices that Choong wonders with that, he explains that Moo Young is his favourite agent among the others. He tells Choong how he wants Moo Young to do something for him today. What he wants her to do is to kill Leader So by beheading him.

It’s just this scary and disturbing that Nam Saeng seems to see that the teaching of how to kill a human being is just so exciting and fun. That after her first murder then the next will be much easier than using her chopsticks. Moo Young of course hesitates at first but then she moves her sword and gets stopped by Choong. He just nods and agrees when Nam Saeng thinks CHoong stops her killing Leader So because he wants him to be on his side. However once they’re out of the prison, Nam Saeng grumbles that things won’t work out well according to Choong’s plan.

Moo Young rushes to the gisaeng’s house which actually a secret Geumhwadan headquarter. She wants them to get Leader So out from the prison soon because she’s not sure when Nam Saeng wants to kill him. Dal Ki the gisaeng wants Moo Young to get out from the palace too since they worry that Choong will recognize Moo Young if she stays much longer, but Moo Young stays calm. She says she doesn’t think he’s aware she’s the princess and that she needs to hang in there as long as she can.

So that night the Geumhwadan sneaks into the prison with Moo Young watches the situation for them. As a matter of fact, Choong keeps searching proofs about Moo Young and now knows that while they can trace Moo Young’s family and other important people for her, they can’t however find her friends. It’s obvious now that Moo Young has created this fake life for her new identity.

In the prison a man with a mask on pours gasoline while Nam Saeng alone and think seriously in the Joye Agency.  Choong then meets Moo Young who’s still outside watching for the Geumhwadan. When he asks her why she’s there, Moo Young nervously answers that it’s her turn for the night patrol.

Out of the blue Choong asks her: “Do you have someone that you want to protect?” Moo Young says no, then asks him the same question.
Choong answers it with, “She is dead”. He looks at her with guilt in his eyes and shame in his face.  It’s almost felt like he wants her to know and understand. Choong adds, “I killed her.”

The masked man who poured the gas now starts the fire but in almost the same time gets killed by Nam Saeng’s right hand man. While the prison guards busy with the fire, Boo Chi gets out from his hiding and rushes to Leader So’s prison cell and breaks the lock. Moo Young and Choong’s moment breaks when they see the fire lights up the sky and they rush off to the prison.

Choong sees the Geumhwadan try to escape from the prison, then soon he and Boo Chi engage in a fight with fire surround them. Dal Ki helps Boo Chi by throwing a dagger which then stabs Choong in the shoulder, and when Choong determined to chase them Moo Young pulls him from behind at the same time a burnt out wooden pole drops off the ceiling almost to crash on Choong.

Both Choong and Moo Young collapse to the ground, but Moo Young then falls unconscious. Choong carries her onto his back to safety, and in a distance Nam Saeng spots them both and quick to follow. Choong looks panic and a bit lost but anxious Nam Saeng immediately holds her in his arms and calls her name continuously. While he does that he glares at Choong as if he blames him for not protecting her as he should. It’s so sad how Choong receives those glares willingly, that it’s true he can’t protect her the way he suppose to.

Moo Young’s eyes finally opened and the first one she sees is Nam Saeng, yet she automatically turns her eyes to look for another man, Choong. When he hears how Moo Young can respond to his question, Choong just leaves and let Nam Saeng takes care of her. It seems that Choong feels he’s not the right person to take care of her, he doesn’t see how Moo Young refuses Nam Saeng’s touch after that.

Mo Seol worries so much over Choong’s stab wound, something Choong totally ignores. She heard though, that Moo Young was hurt coz she tries to protect him. Because of that she says she reconsiders her thought that Moo Young is a double agent, based on how she thought Moo Young purposely blocked her attack at the monument ceremony. Choong gets more curious and yeah, more convinced after he heard Mo Seol’s story.

Leader So is taken to the Geumhwadan hiding post, and he meets the umbrella maker there. Shi Woo his son is there too, apparently all these years he travels around the country to gather more supporters and allies for their side.

General Yeon later talks again with his two sons about the fire, and Nam Saeng quickly blames Choong at his careless action for letting a big leader of the rebels alive. Plus, the prison is under Choong’s jurisdiction, and he lets a fire happens.

Nam Saeng proudly voices his suspicion that the rebels are those who loyal to the former king, and how he send agents to confirm the princess’ death. Choong dismisses his act, and says that it’s better to keep an eye on any warlords who used to be close to the former king. Their dad tells them to do anything they have to and he wants to see who gets the job done first.

Jang obviously enjoys how General Yeon keeps getting bothered with this and that. The General warns him though, that anything he’s planning needs to be stopped.  Jang blurts he’s just a puppet, and puppets can’t make plans. But yeah, he can stand by and just watch.

Nam Saeng tells his thought to Mo Seol that the late king’s followers have to be base  close to the capital, and she advices him to take a look at the weapons smuggler who they once captured and died. Nam Saeng opens his clothes and sees the bamboo and flower patterns  have tattooed on his chest, he remembers then how the smuggler confessed that the location of the weapons is right outside the city wall.

Nam Saeng thinks the smuggler worked for the rebels, then perhaps they can find clue from the weapon location. He immediately instructs most of the agents to follow him into the mission, but after he leaves Mo Seol gleefully says that he actually doesn’t hear the full story.

Moo Young asks another agent where they head to for the mission and knows that they all fall into the trap she sets with the Geumhwadan. It’s all bait they’ve prepared. Moo Young planned to get them into one place and swipe them all in one huge attack. In the location all the Geumhwadan ready to ambush, with the umbrella maker reminds them to be careful, the princess can be just to be among their enemy.

Moo Young keeps looking around as if she anticipates someone to come, her act makes Nam Saeng playfully teases her that could it be she looks for him. However Moo Young simply asks whether Choong will come and join them. Nam Saeng says that no way Choong will come.

At the Joye, Choong comes to the agency and finds the office rather empty. Mo Seol tells him that Nam Saeng brings almost all the agents to a mission, and how she thinks Nam Saeng wants to take all the credit if he gets the mission done. Soon Choong finds from Mo Seol that their enemies used a dying man as their agent, and he would only  reveal what he wanted to tell them. Choong now believes it’s all a trap, which his lil bro walks into with his opened eyes. Now he has to save them before it’s too late.

At the location they set to trap Nam Saeng and Co, someone comes out to pull Moo Young away from the battle field. She acts like she goes hunting for the rebel, something makes Nam Saeng smiles proudly at her, though I suspect more people are waiting deep in the forest to kill whomever agents with her.

Choong rides hard on his horse along with his troops to catch while Nam Saeng victoriously walks into a shabby sack which the smuggler said as the place he hid the weapons. He finds the Geumhwadan symbol inside a wooden chest, and realizes belatedly how his agents outside are dying under rain of torched arrows. He finally grasps that it’s a fatal trap but shock gets him numb and unable to think or do anything.

Choong rushes and scolds him for being reckless then after a quick assessment order to retreat. Still in denial for being trapped so easily, Nam Saeng refuses to back away and screaming like a loon that he wants to kill all the rebels. Without wasting any time Choong gets other agents to guard and take his brother to safety, he himself draws his sword and jumps right into the battle field.

Boo Chi, Dal Ki and Chi Woon prove to be the best warrior among the rebels as they kill so many of Choong’s agents, while as the best swordsman in the country Choong is the most deadly opponent for the rebels. He ends up directly fighting the strongest three of the Geumhwadan members and able to maintain his ground alone.

In a distance Moo Young spots the scene, she tightened her lips before clenching her sword and approaches Choong, her sword is ready in position to stab him from behind. Choong on the other hand, notices her and swing his sword to join her. In a split second Choong moves his body as human shield for her, and through his grinded teeth he orders her to retreat.

This confuses Moo Young and the gang, they never expect Choong like this. As her commander, it’ll be natural to let Moo Young not only to fight with him but also to fight for him. Asking a low soldier like her to retreat and he’ll fight for them both is not common, which only means that he wants to protect her. Choong even hits some arrows shot into her direction to the ground, he does protect her.

Moo Young grasps the fact that whatever happens, Choong will protect her. This knowledge makes her instinctively hits the arrows which now directed to Choong, even steps in front of him, but then very bad thing takes place. An arrow shot straight to her chest, when she falls Choong lets go his sword and catches her into his arms.

The camera pans slowly into Choong’s tense and frightened face, while Moo Young closes her eyes.

Cr To Naver

At the same time King Jang catches Moo Young’s lie by telling her that no matter she tries to disguise, he’ll recognize her easily with the fact that they grew up together. He asks her in such a rhetorical way whether she comes to kill him. Just before she answers the question, King’s personal guard puts his sword to Moo Young’s throat anticipating a sudden bold movement from her.

Moo Young smirks before she mocks Jang how he betrayed them all and ending up just to be a puppet king. Jang tries to defend himself from her accusation but she replies that he must be feeling guilty if he’s making excuses. Knowing for sure what to do next, Moo Young offers a partnership to Jang to work together and defeat General Yeon.

While they still converse General Yeon arrives, causes Moo Young tries to sneak out of the room before she gets noticed by the General. I don’t know why, maybe Jang just bored to death or whatsoever, but he holds Moo Young there by insisting that she has to stay to hear the night password. In such a sneaky tone, Jang tells General Yeon that he dreams the princess comes back alive to take revenge on him and General Yeon. General Yeon laughs with the idea, even if the princess were alive, what could the girl do? Moo Young gets agitated when she hears this and promises to herself that she’ll make them pay for the crimes they’ve committed against Goguryeo.

However once she comes out of the room Choong is already there waiting for her. She’s a bit surprised but still doesn’t suspect anything until she hears Choong instructs his men to bring out the prisoner. Choong carefully tries to catch any reaction from her, but Moo Young hides her surprise very well and shows nothing to him. Almost like he disappoints but still manages to put another effort, Choong strives for the last attempt, ordering Moo Young to kill Leader So by shooting an arrow to him. It has to be done as soon as Leader So runs to the gate which has opened for him.

Moo Young tries to refuse this command but Choong draws a sword toward her asking why she lies about her identity to him. In a low voice weighed with anger and anxiety, Choong commands Leader So to run and how Moo Young has to shoot him down. Choong is so desperate to find the truth about her and he’s willing to prove it in  one way or the other, so he sets this trap to see if she’s the princess he suspects.

Anyhow a spear flies and hits Leader So’s back, makes him falls to the ground and missed from the arrow. The spear is thrown by a training instructor for the Joye Agents, who then reminds their assistant director that traitors shouldn’t die while running, instead they should be beheaded on their knees. Then he asks permission to leave the scene and orders Moo Young to follow him while taking the prisoner back to the prison.

Before she leaves, Moo Young bows to Choong and says that she won’t disappoint him. When she walks away, Choong hisses through his gritted teeth, “Disappoint me? Do you even know why I’m disappointed?”

Moo Young grumbles about Choong’s temper with the instructor who to her surprise objecting at her complaint and instead telling her clearly that an order from a high officer like Choong has to be obeyed. He says that while Moo Young joins the intelligence agency because of his ambition, Choong comes to Joye because he wants to become more powerful. The information confuses Moo Young since she knows Choong is one of the best swordsmen around the country. She then asks why Choong desire the power, and we hear the instructor patiently explains, “So he wouldn’t lose his loved ones ever again.”

Choong still stands alone in the yard with Moo Young’s hairpin, remembering how the princess gave it to him and also how it was come again to him after her “death.” He’s now convinced that Moo Young isn’t the princess because he really has the heart to shoot Leader So and he’s so disappointed in himself for even thinking she was alive. “The princess is dead,” he tells to himself himself, “I killed her.” Then he throws the hairpin away as unable to bear the sad fact.

In the practice room Moo Young trains hard with the other new recruits, not far from them Nam Saeng watching her with a smile on his lips. Nam Saeng’s right hand man tells him how he thinks Moo Young can’t be a good agent because Moo Young is still unable to kill anyone. Nam Saeng agrees, but only to say that Moo Young has to be more than good. He wants Moo Young to be his right hand man and urges the agent to take Moo Young with him for their upcoming mission, capturing a weapon smuggler.

So Moo Young and two other agents visit a gisaeng house for their mission, but what they don’t know is that the gisaeng who serves them is actually a Geumhwadan member and she signals Moo Young to follow her secretly. In the back room of the house, the umbrella maker, his daughter and Boo Chi are waiting for her. They just share tiny bits of info they can gain at the moment, and Moo Young finally back to see her agent friends.

Then they spot the weapon smuggler and as soon as Moo young catches him, they bring him to the Joye Agency to question him. Nam Saeng is the one who does the interrogation and starts it by casually slapping the smuggler. During the interrogation Nam Saeng asks Moo Young to go drinking with him like getting her into a casual date, and gradually the slapping becomes harder which makes some of the agents turn away their faces because of the cruelty.

His torture somehow cuts his own hand, and Nam Saeng grows more furious and hits the smuggler even harder until Choong arrives at the scene. Coldly he stops the beating by nonchalantly sits in front of the smuggler and look at him in the eyes. He asks him in such a flat deceiving tone whether the smuggler has parents, children or person he loves. Because if he has, then Choong won’t kill him for not saying anything to them. Choong will just find his family and all his loved ones and kill them all right in front of him. Moo Young seems a bit shaken to see how Choong turns out much colder than he was used to be now.

Moo Young tells Choong that the smuggler confessed everything but not to whom he sells the weapons. Choong is ready to interrogate him more when Moo Young tells him that the smuggler has died. Choong gets tense with the info because all he wants is that the smuggler to confess, they may torture him but not to kill him. Moo Young replies back with his own words about capturing the smuggler’s family and kill them, as if she’s expressing her objection of the way Choong intends to get information he wants. He reasons that sometimes they need to kill few so they can save more.

In the prison Mo Seol gets an explanation from the agency doctor that the smuggler will just die not from the torture they gave but from the lung disease he has, Leader So hears this explanation too from his cell. It turns out that the smuggler is an agent planted by the Geunhawadan as a bait for the Joye Agency. At Joye Agency, Tae Pyung, Choong’s trusted man reports him that he finds nothing unusual about Moo Young. Despite that, he tells Choong how Nam Saeng seems to favor Moo Young. Choong still watches Moo Young then.

In a practice room, the training instructor watches the agents sparring to each other when Choong comes to visit. They then agree to have a friendly duel which they do in front of the other agents. Nam Saeng watches the duel with a gloomy face seeing how his brother seems to be very capable and highly respected as an officer and as a warrior in the eyes of all the agents.

In the other room Mo Seol teaches the new recruits about how female spies in Baekje and Shilla use their make up to send messages. Somehow she picks Moo Young as the model to demonstrate the kind of make up used, and starts putting the cosmetics on Moo Young’s face. When she looks at her she’s a bit surprised seeing how pretty Moo Young becomes, as the other agents agree too. Moo Young immediately rubs the make up off her face, cautious that somebody will notice her disguise.

She’s too late. Choong watches the demonstration silently from the stairs with so much pain in his face, something Mo Seol seems to notice. He walks out to the yard and takes back the hairpin he threw out before. He looks in misery when images of Moo Young in makeup flash through his mind. He seems to be convinced now that Moo Young is the princess he always loves, and that he knows why she so insists to maintain her disguise as a man.

King Jang and Moo Young now become allies to throw away their common enemy, General Yeon, and discuss what way best to do that. Moo Young says her plan is to isolate General Yeon from his supporters, dividing them so they later clash into each other fighting over power. Nam Saeng’s greed is also great to be used as another tool for their plan.

At Yeon’s resident, the Yeon family plays Baduk with Mo Seol also joins the game and chit chat with them. Nam Saeng asks his father about the chancellor position and suggests that Mo Seol’s father will be a good candidate, and they discuss the personality of the ministers they can think for the position one by one.

Suddenly the General interrupts the conversation to ask if his dearest eldest son is using his ten days well. Choong states that he found no one from the list, because he can’t even use Leader So. He resists too long, and if he gives up now Choong can’t trust or use him.

Nam Saeng says that was Choong did too several years ago, Choong went up against their father but then changed his mind. Choong replies that’s exactly why his father doesn’t trust him and that he can’t get rid of him either. The General utters, “I don’t trust anyone. If you want to follow in my footsteps, don’t try to gain my trust. Overcome me instead.”

It now seems that everybody tries to whether persuade or buy the other. Nam Saeng gets bribed from Mo Seol’s dad, and King Jang approaches other minister to gain allies. It’s no big surprise that at the court meeting the next morning, Nam Saeng gets nominated by most of the ministers to be the chancellor.

This new development surprises General Yeon, while Nam Saeng looks very satisfied and proud with himself. But Nam Saeng looks upset because instead of accepting the recommendations from the ministers he has bribed and electing him as the new chancellor, his father suggests all the ministers to take more time to think about it. And that’s the time when one of Yeon’s supporter who seems to also eyeing the chancellor position suggest to  that they destroy the late king monument and build a new monument to honour General Yeon’s achievements. Jang seems to be astonished with the idea but he agrees to it anyhow and even suggests to hold a big ceremony the day the monument is finished.

The Geumhwadan and Moo Young plans something huge to do at the ceremony day and we see later one of the Geumhwadan female member who uses her Gisaeng disguise for her daily appearance, Dal Gi, meets with the man who suggests the building of the Yeon’s monument privately.

It’s Monument Ceremony Day, and because Nam Saeng persistently take effort to gain Dad’s favour he dismiss Choong’s authority as the chief of security by taking over the charge. Nam Saeng is the one who arrange the security and control the intelligence agency members for that day. He tasks Choong to do unimportant mission, something Choong flatly informed him those kinds of missions are hold-up for today’s ceremony. Nam Saeng also surprisingly tasks Moo Young to hold responsible for the prime minister’s security.

As cautious as ever, Choong observes a suspiciously huge pile of dirt and examines it, the pile was actually created because Geumhwadan dug an underground tunnel right below the monument. Choong locates the entrance and very bothered with the findings so he goes back to their post and starts to direct the agents into their position.

Nam Saeng is so mad seeing it and yells to his much bigger and commanding brother how he dares to disobey direct order from him. At the end it’s clear who between them both the agents listen and respect more when Nam Saeng sees how all of them hurriedly follow Choong’s orders and leave him alone in the post.

The king and all the ministers are seated on the stage, ready for the ceremony. It’s so lucky that though General Yeon asks Moo Young a question, he still don’t recognizes her. Outside the ceremony site, Choong with few of his men search for any suspicious person or action, that pile of dirt really rings a warning alarm for him.

Then it’s time for the ceremony to start, and after a brief speech of flattering General Yeon they start to pull the cover of the monument. Everybody is shocked when a corpse of the minister who suggest the building of the monument is tied to it, a painting of the bamboo flower which is the Geumhwadan’s symbol attached to his dead body. With the symbol, there is also a written message says, “Yeon Gae Somun murdered the king.”

The crowd panic, a hidden rope is pulled by the hiding well Geumhwadan members causes the monument falls flat to the ground. Moo Young hides a tiny smile, and Choong goes straight into field general’s mode, controlling the chaos.

Cr to Nate

Refuses to accept Nam Saeng’s answer just like that, Choong asks one of the agents to bring an agent from Daeja to confirm Moo Young’s identity. When he sees Moo Young, the Daeja agent tells Choong that he only knows Lord Daeja’s eldest son, however he says that Moo Young indeed looks like Lord Daeja himself. Moo Young takes a relief breath when Choong gives up and leaves the room.

Back at the umbrella maker’s place Boo Chi is worried when he hears Choong is the assistant director at the agency. He reminds Moo Young how it’s more like a tiger’s den the agency is with both Nam Saeng and Choong there. Nam Saeng is already hard enough, but Choong’s presence even poses a greater threat for Moo Young’s plan. Despite Boo Chi’s warning, Moo Young still believes she can carry out their plan and persist to continue. Just like Moo Young worries, Choong sends a spy to Daeja with a task to verify whether Moo Young’s document is true. He repeats his favor to his agent that everything must be done secretly.

Later in Joye Agency, Nam Saeng holds a meeting with the agents about a new group of people who seems to demand for a revolution. Choong is there too and immediately we know that both of  General Yeon’s sons seem not able to be getting along so well, not only from personal aspect but also in the way they do their job. While Choong chooses to approach a case through a methodical work, Nam Saeng prefers much quicker and destructive solution.

Their first clash pops out when they deal with the demanding for revolution group. Choong agrees to Nam Saeng’s idea of gathering the whole group in one place so then they can get them all at once. But whereas Choong just uses his sword to threat the group leader to answer his questions, Nam Saeng instantly killing some the members of the group, escalating a plain threat into a dead one.

The scared-to-death group leader then gives up and willing to answer all the questions, makes Nam Saeng grins like a psycho killer and after instructing his agents to bring the poor man to the prison, he puts an order to slay every member of the group there. Choong interrupts his order mid way, and instead order to just bring them into prison reminding Nam Saeng that it’s the agency policy to bring the hostages to be questioned. On the way back to Joye with their prisoners, one of the agent tells Moo Young about an underground prison for rebels in Joye.

That night Moo Young is hesitant at first to share the same room with her male roommate, but of course she has to sleep with him in that room to avoid more suspicion. When they’re about the sleep, her roommate who also happens to be Choong’s right hand man, asks her curiously on why their assistant director seems to be very agitated with Moo Young. Instead of answering his question, Moo Young asks about what kind of man General Yeon Choong is. Her roommate answers with how their boss used to be a martial art street performer, and he becomes who he is now coz of his superior Dad, the Generalissimo Yeon Gae Somun. However the young agent says that’s only what looks on the surface and refuses to tell more. Turning himself to the other side of his bed, he just falls asleep.

At Nam Saeng’s place, guests filling up his living room for attending his birthday party. Though they look like they enjoy the dinner, they feel a bit sad knowing no one seems attending the King’s birthday party. Especially since in the reality, those people come just because they want to favor Nam Saeng. They talk about the upcoming Tang delegation and Nam Saeng announce the matter will be decided by themselves there in his living room because he’s representing his dad as the prime minister and no assembly needed for that.

Meanwhile Moo Young gets her first task as the new recruit, to get the night password from the king himself, something she doesn’t wanna do coz the king might just recognize her immediately. She’s a bit surprised though, when her colleague tell her about king’s ill-tempered. From what she knows about her cousin, there’s no way he will running around naked at night in the palace.

In the throne room King Jang – which then in history known as King Bojang – gets drunk alone. No one appear for his birthday dinner party, but Prime Minister Yeon. Bitterly laughing, he welcomes the General who tells him about the next exchanging ambassador with Tang. The king basically replies since the prime minister already gives decision with anything, why bothers reporting him. The General leaves him and walks away deeply in thought so he doesn’t notice agent Moo Young who stands right in front of him.

Meanwhile just when the General disappears from the room, the King goes mad, flipping all the table and the dishes to the ground. He only stops when his personal guard calms him just when Moo Young comes into his sight. She tells the king that she’s there to receive the night password while keeping her head down, worries that the king might aware of her. What she worries proven right, the king asks her to look up and shows her face. After staring at her for a while, the King whispers the password. “Gu Bi Woon”, meaning a very sad person or a terrible fate.

The next morning Ohn Sa Mun receives a bad news, he’s dismissed as the chancellor because his distant relatives are involved in a rebellion. They find this fact after interrogating the captives whose captured when Choong and Nam Saeng work together for the first time. Knowing that the dismissing will stir a dissatisfaction in Ohn’s mind, the king starts building his plan to utilize the conflicts among General’s Yeon followers for his benefit.

At General’s Yeon place, Nam Saeng asks his father about who he considers as the next chancellor. Without any hesitation he promotes himself for the position, telling the General how as the main line of the Yeon Family he needs to prepare to inherit his father position. With an unmoving face his father notifies that though he is the main line of the family, but the eldest is Yeon Choong.

This can be said as a form of acknowledgement from the General to Choong’s leadership quality since we all know how the General doesn’t give a damn about bloodline. He’s pretty much used to oppose the idea of the former king wish to install his crown prince because he thinks the prince at that time was too weak to be the next king. That he prefers Choong to inherit his position is so telling Nam Saeng to whom his father fond of now.

As Nam Saeng leaves his dad’s place Choong arrives too, looks all mighty and capable as he always be. They exchange bow politely, but Nam Saeng gets back in and stays in the corridor when he hears what his dad plans for Choong. Their father wants Choong to be as powerful as he is without relying on the General name anymore. He gives Choong a book contained with list of potentially powerful rebels which now captured in prison, within 10 days Choong has to be able to find which of the rebel can give him the most power to be used and pull anyone who wants to his side.

That night a gathering is held to welcome the new recruits of Joye, and once again Nam Saeng shows his resentment towards Choong in public. He’s still mad at the manifest their father gives to Choong but Choong keeps quiet, rejecting his provocation even when Nam Saeng brings up Choong legitimate status as General Yeon’s eldest son. Fired up by his own provocation, Nam Saeng uses Choong staff’s mistake to get his step brother stand in an arena for a duel.

Of course having a sword fight with a general who went fighting in front line for the last three years and used to demonstrate his martial art skill in streets just to earn living is too much for Nam Saeng. With one very strong blow, Choong beats him and in a flat tone tells him he still needs to do something outside.

When Choong and Nam Saeng are having their duel, Moo Young secretly leaves the arena and goes back to the office, she wants to sneak into the director’s office. She able to find what she looks though, the list of the rebels hold in Joye prison and that’s when she hears there’s somebody outside. It’s Choong actually, and when he’s about to step his foot to the room he already senses that the room is infiltrated. He walks into the room then grabs Moo Young who’s hiding behind a bookshelf on her collar, and slams her to a desk near them.

Choong gets very surprised when he finds out that the person he slams is the person he’s very suspicious about. Perhaps he also senses that it’s actually a girl hides in a guy’s clothes, he uses his masculinity to intimidate her. With such intimate pose, he asks Moo Young again about who she really is and what she was doing there. Moo Young reasoning that she left her pass there and when she’s cornered with Choong’s questions, Mo Seol comes in and saves her.

After the confrontation with Choong, Moo Young doesn’t want to waste any time and goes ahead to the prison to meet Leader So. At the same time, Choong also decides to visit the Geumhwadan leader that night. Leader So is so thankful seeing the princess is still alive, but before they can talk further, Choong comes to the prison. He tries to persuade Leader So to give up and stands by his side, when the leader asks him whether Choong has forgiven himself about the princess, Choong lies and tells him he doesn’t even remember her face anymore. Outside the palace Boo Chi receive the letter Moo Young sends secretly, so now he knows that Leader So is still alive. Unlucky for Moo Young, when she gets back to her room her roommate actually still awake and knows she’s wandering outside the whole night.

Moo Young practices with the other agents the next morning when King Bojang comes and visits . Choong comes too and raises his eyebrows when he notices the king’s presence. Suddenly the king asks him a question, what will Choong do if the princess comes back alive? Will he stands for the princess and betray his father once again? Choong answers the question by saying how the princess is already dead and that he has no plan to betray his father for someone who is dead.

Moo Young is called to the palace to see the king, and Choong accepts a surprising news. Moo Young is not the son of Lord Daeja, and King Bojang knows that agent Moo Young is actually Princess So Hee.

Cr to Nate