Tell me, Crown Prince.
Why do you resent Father?
Why are you doing this?
Now you mean to hurt Father after murdering Prince Yeongan?
Look closely.
See how I died.
It was Father who poisoned me.
Father killed me.
Now you know.
You're awake!
Your Majesty.
Chief Eunuch.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Summon the Chief Royal Secretary.
Your Majesty.
We have no time to spare.
The plague must be contained at once.
Carry out the edict as written.
Are you saying that you are ordering us to kill
everyone in the entire village, Your Majesty?
PUT THEM ALL TO DEATH
And do not delay.
He is an ak-gwi.
A living, breathing ak-gwi.
It was Father who killed me.
He killed me when I learned of all of his sins.
And now you will be next since you know the secret as well.
- I am next. - He will kill you too.
You are next. You know the secret, do you not?
Father poisoned me. Father killed me. He killed all of us.
I will die next.
He will kill you soon.
I know the truth as well.
THE EAST PALACE
You are next.
Damn it.
I can't see clearly from here either.
Princess.
You defied my direct order to save Prince Yeongan.
And in spite of that, you hid in here and deceived me,
making your King look like a fool.
And because of that, Your Majesty, I saved you from the spirit.
I'm told you unearthed the Crown Prince. Is that right?
Where is the body now?
I'm unable to tell you that.
It is essential to destroy the spirit.
Even if that spirit was your son, Your Majesty.
I will give you ten days.
Destroy the spirit within that time.
But ten will not suffice.
Ten days.
If so, then you must follow every one of my instructions.
Mind your tongue. How dare you speak to His--
I will place a protective ward in your bedchamber
to keep the spirit from entering the room.
Unless you wish to cough up more blood
and linger before death's door.
On one condition.
And that is
it's to be installed outside the hall.
There you are.
Princess.
Saeng-gang!
It can't be…
Princess, are you all right?
Are you all right?
What happened?
You lost consciousness.
It appears that… you were taken over by the Crown Prince.
He decided to use your body to hide his own.
Then he must…
He must still be clinging on to me?
I don't know.
You don't know?
I can't see any spirits. I injured my eyes in the Realm of Gwi.
Get some rest for now.
I will go look for the Crown Prince's body.
That will not be necessary.
What do you mean by that?
Even if you do find his body and put his spirit to rest,
it has been made clear that we will not be spared.
For it is the King that killed his own son.
Killed his own son?
The rice they had placed in his mouth had turned black.
He was poisoned.
If we do not meet a similar fate,
then we must uncover the incidents and find the proof
of what happened 30 years ago.
That it was all my father.
We must do this before more people are killed.
I sent the troops and carried out the order you commanded.
However, some soldiers decided they should release
several women and children, and those who did appear to have fled.
And are those who took it upon themselves to release them still there?
They are, Your Majesty.
Seize them all.
Then, in front of the rest of the troops…
behead each one.
I suppose that I have no choice but to meet the Crown Prince's spirit.
What do you mean by that?
I must ask directly how he learned…
learned of the crimes my father committed.
He might be asking for my help
so that he may ease his resentment.
Princess, he's an ak-gwi who has taken lives.
So forget it.
Here, make this instead.
What am I looking at?
A ward to keep the Crown Prince's spirit from clinging.
It’s best to keep it attached to you.
It must be frustrating
not being able to see anymore.
There's one good thing though.
It's nice that, for the first time in my life,
I can't see spirits or gwi-maes at all.
Then you'd wish to
continue not being able to see?
Forever?
Whatever my wishes are,
my sight must return if we want to find the Crown Prince.
It's the only way we'll get through this.
What are you doing?
I just wanted to check whether
the Crown Prince's spirit has secretly clung to you.
But with my sight as it is, how could I even know, right?
About your eyesight…
Do you think it is restorable?
I have to find the damn shaman who did this to me.
The one hiding him is the one wishing for the King to be dead.
Do you suspect anyone at all?
Why have you come all the way here?
I have a matter to inquire about.
Have you held a shamanic rite lately?
A shamanic rite?
When Prince Yeongan collapsed, I believe it was you
who summoned a shaman.
Where might he be currently?
You sought me out to ask such a thing? You wretched child.
After everything you did, you have the nerve.
You've become pathetic.
Your Majesty.
What's important is…
I would guess that he has to be
the feng shui master His Majesty brought in.
Why have you arrived with him?
He's inspecting the palace grounds by His Majesty's command.
- The Queen Dowager's-- - You speak nothing but lies.
I know full well of the heinous acts he has done here.
You, speak for yourself.
Is there still a spirit in this palace
that wants to end the royal bloodline or not?
A spirit in the palace? Uncle would scoff and simply laugh in your presence.
What did you say?
Whether spirits are at work or not,
is it not a relief that His Majesty has recovered?
Considering that the plague continues to spread.
Oh. Princess, have you not heard yet?
Your Father
deployed his troops to where the plague had broken out,
and once there…
commanded that everyone be put to death.
Children and elders alike, every last one of them, dead.
He is an ak-gwi. A living, breathing ak-gwi.
They say it was the first act His Majesty took upon awakening.
- Mother! - Leave no one alive!
Mother! Please, wake up.
He will kill everyone.
Father poisoned me.
He will put us all to death.
You are next. He will kill you soon.
He is an ak-gwi.
Get your hands off the Princess at once.
A centipede as large as a snake was on you.
What's with all the bugs here?
Uncle, what news do you have for Her Highness?
Have you come to report on the plague matter?
I have no official post.
Why would I concern myself with matters such as this?
The reason I have an audience with Her Royal Highness
is to pay my respects, as His Majesty issued an edict
appointing my eldest son
as Crown Prince.
Bring Prince Iksang's eldest son, Prince Inha, into the palace
so he can learn the proper customs and hold the investiture ceremony
as soon as possible.
The nation is in turmoil.
Since the East Palace cannot remain vacant any longer,
I will take Prince Inha as my adopted son
and seat him upon the throne.
He will kill me.
I know he will.
He is a man
who killed his own son.
He would not… hesitate.
RABBIT
Why? Why'd you hit me?
You need to get a hold of yourself.
Dark thoughts weaken your mind and make the heart fall apart.
A spirit could just slide in through those cracks.
Set the ward.
My sight still fails me, so you will have to do it.
Lower.
- Place it lower. - I'm doing that.
It's as low as it can be.
RABBIT
I said to--
I'm letting this slide only because you can barely see.
Why are we putting up these rabbit signs, and why upside down?
The Crown Prince was born in the Year of the Rabbit.
If it's upside down,
his soul cannot pass through here without a body to hide in.
So you need to be careful.
Unless you wish to have your body taken by him.
There was no other choice when it happened.
I'm not sure how one could stay so collected
after finding out your father's a murderer.
I'll say this again.
You must keep your wits about you going forward.
If not, you must stay close to somebody else,
somebody you can rely on.
There is someone that I can rely on about this.
Saeng-gang.
Hello, Grandmother.
Have you been well?
Good for her. I'm glad.
You are leaving the palace?
I came here so I could tend to Prince Yeongan.
But that's no longer possible, unfortunately.
With you and Gu-cheon here,
His Majesty should be safe from all of this.
However, this matter of the late Crown Prince…
It's hard to believe he's become a spirit, isn't it?
This palace is truly a frightening place to be.
It's not a place for an old woman.
He looks like a walking corpse.
- I hear you. - Right? He can't even eat or speak.
If a shaman loses their presiding deity,
they honestly may as well be dead.
Heavens! Let's get going.
Take me in.
I shall be your new presiding deity.
Your Royal Highness!
Gu-cheon, what happened?
My eyes.
I can't see at all anymore.
That damned shaman.
He must have burned the object that cursed my eyes.
He's already begun with a new presiding deity.
Isn't there something we can do about it?
Now that I can't see spirits at all,
this work is doomed.
Is there any way to bring back some of your sight?
There is one way, but it is far too dangerous.
Why is that?
Because it means disturbing what must never be disturbed.
But if you're able to bring back your vision…
then we must do it.
No.
I would rather flee than commit such an act.
I will survive somehow, as long as I stay hidden.
Where do you think you're going? You can't see anymore!
Since it's come to this,
you should flee the palace and come with me.
The moment we flee, His Majesty will send out his troops to have us beheaded.
And I don't wish to leave the palace again for something that was not my fault,
like when I was a child.
I will have to seek out the Crown Prince's spirit alone if you won't help us.
I'll find a way to keep us both safe, even if you can't.
And how would you do that alone?
If the Crown Prince's spirit comes near me,
I'm not going to stop it.
Do you not remember how dangerous this is for you?
If the spirit takes your body--
That will not happen.
No matter the cost, His Majesty's sins must be proven.
You have honestly gone insane.
Did you see the Princess's complexion?
Her complexion, Your Majesty?
Did it not look as though
she was being tormented by a kind of spirit?
So could that spirit, the Court Lady,
still linger in the palace walls?
Definitely not.
That tragic young man called Gu-cheon
certainly destroyed the spirit of the Most Favored Lady.
I felt my body grow lighter.
All of the resentment I had to endure has now vanished.
And yet Prince Yeongan still died,
and both His Majesty and the Princess have fallen ill.
Could it be that another vengeful spirit is after the throne and His Majesty?
Oh, Your… Your Majesty.
It was my very own shame that clouded my sight.
Why was His Majesty the only son of the late King
to have somehow survived this calamity?
How did he, out of everyone, survive the terrible curse?
- Indeed. There must be another cause. - That will be all today, Your Highness.
There was a physician at the Royal Infirmary
who examined the Princes that died 30 years ago.
Find him at once.
He is dead?
Yes, Your Majesty.
I traced the royal physician who attended to the Princes that died 30 years ago.
And, a few years after that,
he suddenly vomited dark blood and died.
The symptoms seem to match those of the dead Princes.
So, whatever targeted the royal house
was not the work of spirits here.
Pardon?
Where is Prince Iksang's son right now?
Oh! Prince Inha!
- Madam! - Prince, what happened?
No!
Summon the physician at once.
Yes!
What brings you here so late?
You have been summoned by Her Majesty, Princess.
For what reason?
Prince Inha has fallen unconscious.
Then why is it I have been summoned?
In his chamber,
we found a box of confectioneries.
Mm.
It bears the same markings as the box you brought Her Royal Majesty
the Queen Dowager.
Her Majesty says that he appears to have collapsed
after consuming what was inside the box.
Your Highness?
Saeng-gang.
Saeng-gang!
Saeng-gang.
What is wrong with you? Have you come to your senses?
Wait, why am I here?
I'm wondering that as well.
You appeared out of nowhere and just stood there without a word.
I should take my leave from here.
What is going on with you? You can tell me, your grandmother.
Grandmother.
It's happening again.
I think Father is
becoming the pond spirit.
I believe he is turning into it.
The pond spirit, you say?
The one who killed his brothers 30 years ago was…
It was His Majesty.
What are you…
- What are you trying to say, child? - And now, once more…
It appears he'll do the same thing.
He had Iksang's son summoned here to the palace and poisoned him tonight.
That cannot be.
A lotus-patterned confectionery box was found in the Prince's chambers.
My mother received it as well.
She died after eating the contents of one just like that.
- That cannot be. - It's true.
Grandmother, please.
You also noticed something amiss about Father, did you not?
If you know anything, please say it.
He must be stopped, no matter what he does.
And if there's no other way,
then he must relinquish the throne on his own.
I do apologize.
Disappeared?
Yes!
I was certain she would be here.
Oh, then where'd she go?
Wait, just tell me what happened.
When she heard from Lady Jang,
who recently found that Prince Inha had collapsed,
she suddenly started to push people away and walked off somewhere alone.
They say the Princess's face, it was pale.
She didn't look like herself at all, like her spirit had fled.
The Princess's heart has fallen apart.
Do you know where the Princess is now?
I do.
A place where there is someone she can rely on.
But that man, Gu-cheon, does he…
does he know anything about this yet?
Not about this.
Only I, who can hear the voices,
know what's happening.
Don't lie to me.
Sorry?
Saeng-gang.
Mother?
This is a spell.
You must not remain at that person's side.
I know you are the pond spirit.
It will all be revealed sooner or later.
Seems your mother is outside the chamber.
How long will she keep following me around?
This is why I never wanted to come here.
So… might she have other spirits with her?
Saeng-gang.
You must not remain at that person's side.
You must not remain…
The serpent's shed skin killed the dragon's child.
It's dangerous. It's too dangerous, Saeng-gang.
Your Grace.
Nobody must know about this poison. Understood?
When I was a child,
you always came to see Mother and I after we were cast out of the palace.
And each time, without fail,
you came bearing bundles and boxes filled with food.
The one who poisoned Mother…
Grandmother, it was you.
Yes, and now, you have consumed the very same thing.
I used only a weakened dose,
so you will not have the same fate as the others did.
You will simply spend the rest of your life unable to speak,
lying like a living corpse, eternally.
Grandmother.
So you were the pond spirit.
- Your Royal Highness! - Bring a stretcher now!
- Summon the physician! - Oh no!
Go, you, you, you, go!
I cannot believe he suddenly passed away
while riding a horse.
His Majesty's health was always so frail.
The Crown Prince passed away
not long after the death of the Most Favored Lady of the Court,
who promised… to end the royal line.
What a splendid coincidence that is.
I present this to you, Your Grace.
Nobody must know about this poison. Understood?
We must make sure that the people believe
that the Princes died at the hands of the spirit's curse.
I'm referring to the pond spirit who cursed the royal family and died.
Your Majesty.
The Queen,
who turned the Most Favored Lady of the Court into the spirit,
has to be the one to take the blame for all of this.
THE SERPENT'S CAST SKIN KILLED THE DRAGON'S CHILD
There is surely someone among you wenches
who has insulted the royal house.
And then,
after all the Princes are dead…
my own son
will become the Crown Prince.
So I must remove anyone at all
who might reveal the secret.
Anyone who would harm my son, no matter who they are,
with no exceptions.
So is that why you killed Mother as well?
You killed her,
all because she came to learn of Father's secret later on?
What? Later on?
Your mother was with me from the beginning of it all.
That was the very reason your lowly mother, a mere court lady,
was able to become a concubine of the King.
That throne was made with the help of your father and your mother.
And you, my dear child,
are simply the product that sin created.
He must be stopped.
We must prevent any further sacrifices.
There were never such things as spirits.
No spirit sought to wipe out the royal bloodline.
The King…
He himself is the living ak-gwi.
The King must be stopped.
Saeng-gang?
Saeng-gang!
Spirits have crossed the threshold of this place.
Where has the Princess gone?
I do not know where.
But first, you should attend to…
My son.
She discarded the ward.
It’s broken now.
What sin have you committed that has made you so afraid
that you've had spells written on every door?
Answer me now! What did you do to make your own granddaughter lose consciousness
and yield her body to a spirit?
What is that?
A straw effigy.
It will take the misfortune in my stead.
In your stead? What does that mean?
You must hang this up
exactly where I told you.
And what will you do in the meantime?
I will save the Princess.
Huh?
I warned her to be careful, to not get possessed by a spirit.
How foolish and pathetic of her.
Here.
So in the end, it comes to this.
Be it always my cursed fate.
RABBIT
Help her, please.
You can save Saeng-gang.
Please help her.
Please save my daughter.
My sins
have put my daughter in grave danger.
Your Highness.
Save my Saeng-gang.
Save her from that ak-gwi.
Princess!
Regain control of yourself.
If you are to withstand the Crown Prince's attack,
you must keep your wits about you.
Are you listening at all?