Day of the First Strife of the Princes, August 1398

Leaders of a small army discuss whether to go to the palace to kill the king or to travel to Chwiwoldang to kill the crown prince. Fifth son of the king, YI BANG-WON (Jang Hyuk), says they need Hwi to win, but the others disagree.

A man covered in blood thunders up on horseback, then approaches Bang-won to apologize for being late, He’s SEO HWI (Yang Se-jong), and Bang-won puts him in charge of the army and orders him to go to Chwiwoldang. specifically mentioning that Nam Jeon will be there, He gives Hwi a watchword: sanseong.

Hwi leads the army to Chwiwoldang and orders the attack. NAM JEON (Ahn Nae-sang) waits patiently as Hwi’s forces swarm inside, setting everything on fire and killing anyone they find. Soon, Hwi finds himself staring at a familiar face — NAM SUN-HO, (Woo-Do-hwan), Nam Jeon’s son. Sun-ho says that this is the end of Hwi’s path, but Hwi declares that, rather than let Sun-ho be the end of his path, he’ll kill Sun-ho’s father and take his own life.

Looking down at his sword, which has a ribbon embroidered with a bird tied to the hilt, Sun-ho says hoarsely, “Your blood on top of all the sins I already have to pay for? My father must not die by your sword.” Hwi replies, “I think we are finished.”

The two men stand still as their armies clash. But soon they join the fighting and eventually find themselves face-to-face. They only hesitate for a moment, then Hwi leaps and their swords clash.

Ten years ago, 1388, the year of Wihwado Retreat.

Hwi and Sun-ho’s practice swords clash as they spar on the edge of a cliff. Hwi annoys Sun-ho with his goofy puns and chides Sun-ho for being too serious. They switch to bows and padded arrows as they chase each other through the forest, and HAHA, Sun-ho nails Hwi right in the forehead when he gets too cocky. Twice.

They continue trading arrows and friendly insults, until Hwi shows his skill by leaping into the air and shooting off three arrows at once, hitting Sun-ho with all three. Damn. He orders Sun-ho to surrender, but Sun-ho tackles him instead.

They go for a swim later, and Hwi teases Sun-ho for being mean to a lowborn. Sun-ho sighs that he’s only considered quarter-noble, as his mother was both a concubine and a slave. Hwi counters good-naturedly that he’s still jealous of Sun-ho’s rich father.

On their way back into the city, they wait in line as each person is checked against a wanted poster. They get a glimpse of the face on the poster and joke that the wanted man is quite pretty.

Elsewhere, a woman we’ll get to know as HAN HEE-JAE (Seolhyun) leads a man through a field. Hee-jae muses, “Happiness and pain coexist in life. As much as good things happen, bad things also happen, so be strong and…” She turns and fusses at the man for carrying a sickle she told him to toss away, then does so herself. HA, she actually hits someone, and when he pops up shirtless, the woman recognizes him.

Oops, he’s been canoodling with Hee-jae’s follower’s wife. The husband flies into a rage, but Hee-jae demands payment for her services first, and that payment comes in the form of a secret. The husband warns Hee-jae that they’re both dead if the secret is leaked, then chases a second man away from his wife. Yikes.

Back in the city, Hee-jae contemplates the wanted poster that’s clearly a picture of her, then goes about posting signs demanding that the king stop his plan to conquer Liaodong, a peninsula just west of modern-day South Korea (the posters are the reason she’s wanted).

Platoon leaders are being tested into the military, and Hwi plans to take the test for the rice allotment while Sun-ho sighs that his father expects him to ace the test. Behind them, Hee-jae tsks that the country is falling apart, and they recognize “him” from the wanted posters.

The royal guard come near, so Hee-jae pretends to be talking intently to the boys, but one of the guards grabs her. She kicks the guard right in the jewels (and hee, Sun-ho and Hwi both cover theirs protectively) and runs off calling to Sun-ho and Hwi, “I’ll see you there!”

The guard assumes that Sun-ho and Hwi are the ones who put up the posters, and they suddenly find themselves running for their lives — literally, as there’s a bounty out for the head of whoever is stirring up discontent. They run into Hee-jae again in the market, and Sun-ho goes one way while Hwi and Hee-jae go the opposite way.

Once they’re clear, Hwi orders Hee-jae to explain why she made the guards think they were guilty. She just head-butts him in the nose and takes off again. Hwi corners her in a building where cloth is being dyed, but they hear the guards so Hwi shoves Hee-jae into a tiny storeroom.

Sun-ho is also in trouble — he ends up in a dead-end alley with a pair of guards right behind. He knows they won’t believe him if he says he didn’t put up the posters, and he’ll be tortured if he’s captured, but the guards tell him they’re just going to take his head.

He says he’s innocent, but they don’t care so long as they catch someone. Sun-ho realizes they’ll kill someone else if he escapes, and the guards don’t bother to deny it. Sun-ho tosses aside his weapons and takes the guards on bare-handed, breaking both their arms in mere seconds.

Meanwhile, Hwi and Hee-jae huddle inches apart in the storeroom as guards search the building. Just as a guard is about to open the door, a worker enters the room and distracts him. He leaves when he hears the horn calling him back.

As Hee-jae walks away, Hwi calls out that posters won’t prevent the war, or stop a tyrant king from being a tyrant. She argues that things will only change if they speak out and fight. Hwi counters that nothing will change, but Hee-jae says that that mindset is why lowborns get trodden on by nobles.

She turns to leave, but Hwi sees a shadow and calls out that the guards are still there. Hee-jae walks right into a guard and narrowly avoids his sword. A padded arrow flies past her head and whacks the guard in the face, then another, and Hwi and the guard fight while Hee-jae flings the drying dyed cloth at the guard to confuse him.

A third arrow to the face takes out that guard, but another attacks, and this time Hwi lashes out with his bow and feet. He knocks this one out with an arrow as well, but he ends up with a slash in his upper arm. Hee-jae bandages it with her headband, deliberately pulling it tight when Hwi says it’s fine just to hear him yelp and make a point.

She asks why he helped her when he could have gotten a huge reward for turning her in. Hwi says that putting up posters shouldn’t carry a death penalty, especially when most people can’t even read (Hee-jae tightens his bandage again, ha). Hwi is ready to go their separate ways, but Hee-jae says they need to hide and leads him to Ihwaru gisaeng house, which makes him adorably uncomfortable.

A guard captain, CHIEF PARK (Ji Seung-hyun) sees the blood drops that Hwi tried to hide and orders his men to knock down the door to the gibang. Hee-jae has Hwi dressed as a nobleman, and he watches, mesmerized, as the “man” he thought was helping him is transformed into a beautiful gisaeng.

They’re sitting calmly when Chief Park enters the room and says he’s looking for the ones who put up the posters, then slams his sword point-down into the table. He compares Hee-jae’s face to the wanted poster and orders her to put on a straw hat. Hwi surreptitiously grips a metal chopstick in case he needs a weapon, but a haughty voice chastises Chief Park for making a scene.

It’s Sun-ho, who introduces himself as the nephew of the Second Royal Secretary and son of the head of the Royal Stables. Chief Park catches a glimpse of Hwi and seems to find him familiar, but he apologizes to Sun-ho and leaves. Hwi and Sun-ho exchange relieved smiles, but Sun-ho is startled to see Hee-jae, who invites him to join them.

She says she’s impressed, and he says sheepishly that he learned from his father how to intimidate, threaten, and tattle on those below him in rank. (Hwi: “What about ruining our fun?” Sun-ho: “I was born with that.” Hee.)

Hee-jae says she owes Sun-ho and Hwi, so she offers to teach them their drinking limit. Hwi says shyly that it’s not proper for men and women to drink together, but Hee-jae points out the unfairness of society’s expectations of men and women until they’re bickering again. Sun-ho breaks them up by introducing himself to Hee-jae, and he nudges Hwi to do the same.

After a few drinks, the guys dance while Hee-jae plays music. Outside, owner LADY SEO (Jang Young-nam) is angry that a low-ranked guard came into her gibang carrying a weapon, none of which is allowed. The gisaeng who let Chief Park in apologizes, and she tells Lady Seo that Lord Nam’s son is inside now, which is surprising as he supposedly drowned years ago.

When the party calms down, Sun-ho admits to Hwi and Hee-jae that he’s joining the military because he’s tired of being labeled a concubine’s son and wants to become his own man. He says that Hwi can do the same, and that it’s easiest when the country is in turmoil. He predicts that Goryeo will fall apart, and he plans to be at General Yi Seong-gye’s side and destroy the rotten kingdom.

Hwi doesn’t understand Sun-ho and Hee-jae’s obsession with changing the country — as long as he has food, wherever that food comes from is his “country.” Hee-jae mutters that she regrets drinking with them, sarcastically wishes them luck, and storms out. She runs into Lady Seo, who reminds her of the horrific ways some of her fellow gisaengs have died.

She tells Hee-jae that if she continues putting up posters, she has to leave the gibang, and orders Hee-jae to cut ties with her guests. Hee-jae snaps that she’ll decide what to do with Hwi and Sun-ho, and that her room may be tiny but it was her mother’s, so it’s hers now. Lady Seo has Hee-jae moved out of the room to make her point, sneering that Hee-jae will be dead soon, anyway.

In the morning, Hwi sneaks home and teases his younger sister, YEON (Jo Yi-hyun), for being such a bookworm, and she says he’s the one who should be studying. He wins her forgiveness with a pretty pair of new slippers (bought with money he won off Sun-ho, betting on their mock fights), then loses it again when the shoes are much too big, ha.

He grows serious to see that there’s hardly any rice and they’re running low on Yeon’s medicine. But he’s cheerful again when he brings her medicine and a honey cookie to chase the bitterness.

Chief Park reports to his superior that he didn’t catch the people putting up the subversive posters. He’s told to bring in three “guilty” people by tomorrow or it will cost him three hundred silver ingots. The taunting leaves him fuming, but when his subordinate suggests siding with General Choi and bringing in Lord Nam or Yi Seong-gye for conspiracy, he just tells his man to bring him three people who can’t read or write.

Yeon asks Hwi to take her to the marketplace, and when he offers to steal a hair ornament she likes, she tells him to buy it for her after he passes the military exam. Hwi figures out why she wanted to come here when she maneuvers them close to the testing place and urges him to register.

Sun-ho wanders over and Yeon freaks out — uh-oh, someone has a crush. The guys are fully aware of her crush on Sun-ho, and Hwi acts like he’s barfing in his mouth when Yeon acts all proper with Sun-ho, but Sun-ho is very sweet about it.

When Sun-ho registers for the test, the registrar snickers that he’s a bastard son. Hwi’s registration says that his father was boiled alive, so the registrar denies him entry. Hwi argues that his father was punished, not him, but the registrar sneers, “Dogs give birth to dogs.”

Yeon screams at the top of her lungs at the registrar to take it back. The registrar just laughs, and Yeon suddenly starts to shake and gasps to Hwi, “It’s back.” Her eyes roll back and she falls into a seizure, and Hwi is ready with a stick for her to bite on while Sun-ho holds her legs still.

As he holds his sister, Hwi remembers the day his father, SEO GEOM (cameo by Yoo Oh-sung) was sentenced to death for stealing army rations. He was given the choice to either step into into a hot cauldron with no water, and live as a ghost, or die honorably by taking his own life. If he chose the cauldron, he would be listed as a dead spirit on his family record and his children would be given illegitimate status, but if he takes his own life, his children wouldn’t be socially branded.

Geom had reached for the knife and the honorable death, but he’d hesitated when Hwi screamed. Then he’d lifted the knife, and as his tiny daughter watched, he’d taken his own life. That was when Yeon had her first seizure.

Back in the present, Yeon’s seizure finally ends. Sun-ho informs the haughty registrar that they got to keep their status because of their father’s honorable suicide, but the registrar just asks if his mother is a maid or a gisaeng. Sun-ho almost goes after the jerk, but Hwi urges him not to lose his own chance.

As Hwi piggybacks Yeon home, she asks him if she looked ugly, but he says sweetly that she has the prettiest seizures. Awww. Yeon asks him not to trade the slippers so that she has a reason to live longer and grow into them, and Hwi fights back tears as he agrees.

He tucks Yeon into bed and remembers his father again, who used to teach him swordsmanship with a sense of affectionate fun. Yeon would join in, and it’s obvious that they were a small but very loving family. But now, bitter and angry, Hwi takes his bow and snaps it in half.

Hee-jae visits a pharmacist, which is where she gets a lot of the rumors she deals in. While she’s there, she eavesdrops on Hwi as he promises to pay the pharmacist for Yeon’s medicine after he passes the military exam. The pharmacist refuses, so Hee-jae steps out and offers herself as collateral.

The pharmacist happily agrees, but Hwi hesitates, then takes the medicine anyway. As Hee-jae walks with him, he confesses that he’s not taking the exam and can’t pay, but that he was desperate. She looks surprised, then says she didn’t think he’d pass anyway, and that her plan is to collect interest from him.

Hwi asks how she expects to do that when she doesn’t know anything but his name. She stammers (ha, busted) so he tells her where he lives and that he works at a smithy, promising to pay her back.

Sun-ho’s father makes him stay up late practicing his archery until his hands bleed and his knees buckle, determined that any son of his will pass the military exam with top scores. He says it’s not just for Sun-ho’s sake but also his hyung’s — in fact, he expects Sun-ho to surpass his brother’s achievements.

He tells Sun-ho to rest, but Sun-ho picks up another arrow, aims… and hits a bulls’ eye. He says darkly, “I don’t shoot my arrows for your sake, or for my brother’s. It is only for me. Just for me.” To punctuate his point, he makes a second bulls’ eye.

His father tells him that a hunt will take place at the royal hunting ground, and that Right Chancellor Yi Seong-gye will be participating. He plans to take Sun-ho to impress the man he describes as “the new world,” and he warns him not to forget that he got this chance at his brother’s expense.

Sun-ho invites Hwi to go on the hunt as a “chaser” to flush out game, and Hwi grumbles that he’s not a servant. Sun-ho says that Yi Seong-gye will be there and might give Hwi a position in his private army, since he’s known to hire based on merit and not social status. Hwi finally agrees, but only if Sun-ho pays him well.

On the morning of the hunt, YI SEONG-GYE (Kim Young-chul) cuts an imposing figure, dressed all in black on his snow-white horse, but when Lord Nam greets him formally, he says with a smile not to worry about status today. He’s friendly to Sun-ho and asks to see his bow, then he shocks everyone by offering to let Sun-ho use his bow instead.

Sun-ho makes a minor mistake and has to be told to kneel as he accepts the bow, and it makes him nervous when the hunt begins. He misses a shot then drops an arrow, so Hwi runs over to pick it up and offer a little advice. Yi Seong-gye overhears him, and when Sun-ho hits the next grouse, his “Not bad” is aimed at Hwi, not Sun-ho.

Yi Seong-gye asks if Hwi shoots, and gives him arrows and an iron bow. Yi Seong-gye fires an arrow into a tree to use as a target and Hwi buries his arrow only an inch from Yi Seong-gye’s. His second arrow is farther, but it hits directly in the center of a knot in the tree.

Yi Seong-gye asks if Hwi applied to take the military exam, and Hwi explains that he’s from a low-class family. Yi Seong-gye says, “Who cares?” and snaps an arrow in half. He gives Hwi the point and tells him to show it at the registry, and he’ll be allowed to apply.

Hwi stammers that he’s not worthy, but Yi Seong-gye tells him, “If you pass the exam, it may open up opportunities for those even less fortunate. What is only land becomes a path if you walk on it. Pave the way.”

The hunt resumes, and Sun-ho’s father asks how he expected to stand out when he brought someone better than him with a bow and arrow. Sun-ho says that his father only sees Hwi, but not his own son. He vows not to lose to anyone on the day of the exam: “So do not mock me.”

After the hunt, Yi Seong-gye tells Lord Nam that a father wants his son to surpass him, then feels jealous when he does. He says he felt the same way when Bang-won passed the exam, and that Sun-ho needs to train more, but that he’ll make him a lieutenant if he passes the exam.

He suddenly pulls up his horse and says that he can’t ignore the king’s orders any longer, so he and his army, including Lord Nam, will depart in April. Lord Nam says it will be winter when they reach Liaodong, but Yi Seong-gye tells him, “My war will start and end at Gaegyeong.” (Gaegyeong was the capital city of Goryeo.)

When they’re finally alone, Hwi apologizes to Sun-ho for accidentally stealing his thunder. Sun-ho just tells Hwi that his future begins with that arrowhead, and to apply for the exam.

Hwi goes home to find Lord Nam at his house. He offers Hwi a small fortune for the arrowhead, and to know his place and stay away from Sun-ho. Hwi is offended, but Lord Nam says he’s not asking — he’s issuing an order.

It turns out that Hee-jae isn’t the only spy at Ihwaru… Lady Seo collects information from all of her gisaengs. She gives Hee-jae a note to deliver to Lord Nam, which Hee-jae finds strange as it’s not information she collected, but Lady Seo just tells her to obey.

Hee-jae’s best information isn’t written down — she’s deduced that General Choi Young won’t be leading the army to Liaodong by the fact that his horse, which is always prepared months before he leaves for a conquest, hasn’t been prepared this year. She confirms that this counts as “the 93rd” and reminds Lady Seo that at one hundred, she must keep her promise. Lady Seo asks what Hee-jae plans to do with the secret bottle after ten years, and Hee-jae says, “I will kill the person whose name is in that bottle.” Hmmm, interesting.

Hee-jae takes the letter from Lady Seo to Lord Nam, who gives her a package to take back with her. Hee-jae says that Lady Seo only wants Lord Nam’s kindness and refuses the package, but he insists, so she accepts the package but not the guard escort he offers.

She runs into Sun-ho on her way out, and when he sees the package in her hands, he warns her not to get involved in Lord Nam’s business. She says she’s not, but asks what she should do if she does get involved. Sun-ho tells her to either be Lord Nam’s enemy or his friend, but that if she doesn’t want to do either, “You’ll be the first to die.”

Lightening the mood, Sun-ho leads Hee-jae to see “something fun” at the testing registrar. He explains that the registrar called Hwi’s father a dog… and that Hwi is the son of Seo Geom, the greatest swordsman in Goryeo.

Just then, they spot Hwi striding purposefully through the market. Sun-ho joins him, telling Hee-jae, “He messed with my friend.” Hwi tells Sun-ho to stay out of this, but Sun-ho quips that he has to help Hwi register so he can beat him in the exam. They both break into a run and kick down the doors just as they’re being closed, and when the registrar sees who it is, he asks Hwi if his father climbed out of the cauldron.

Both Hwi and Sun-ho lunge, and are held back by guards. They fight their way free, then through more guards, coming to each other’s rescue multiple times until finally, Hwi limps to the registrar’s table.

He growls, “My father is not a dog. He was the greatest swordsman in Goryeo, Seo Geom. So tell me to get lost again if you dare, you son of a *****!” And with that, he buries the point of Yi Seong-gye’s arrow in the desk.

As they fight their way towards the registrar, Hwi slams the arrow he received from General Yi Seong-gye into them and dares them to leave. With a shaking hand, the registrar matches Hwi’s arrowhead to the fletched end of the arrow that was delivered to him. Terrified, he stamps Hwi’s name in his book, and Hwi and Sun-ho both heave sighs of relief.

They pick up Hee-jae on their way out, though she’s acting very distracted and can barely look Hwi in the eye. He’s in a great mood and jokes that he can pass the test, get his rice, and pay her back the money she lent him to buy his sister’s medicine.

They spot Chief Park heading their way, so the guys grab Hee-jae and whirl her around to face a booth. Chief Park doesn’t see them, but one of his guards, Colonel Choi, notices Sun-ho.

Heh, the kite seller says that if Hwi flies the kite he’s holding, he’ll have a happy marriage and conceive a son. Hwi stammers nervously, and Sun-ho smirks that maybe he’s the one with the bright future, cutting his eyes pointedly at Hee-jae, hee.

Sun-ho suggests they buy a kite and fly it for luck on their test, and he tells Hwi to bring Yeon. Unaware that Yeon is Hwi’s sister, Hee-jae has a little jealous fit and picks out a squid kite for Hwi. She leaves them after making plans to fly their kites tomorrow.

She’s still distracted, as she recalls that she once met Hwi’s father. She remembers one night, when she and her mother had been chased by assassins. Her mother had pressed a bamboo letter carrier into little Hee-jae’s hands and urged her to take it to Lady Seo, promising to catch up later.

But Hee-jae’s mother had been shot in the arm with an arrow, and Hee-jae had watched the assassins catch up and kill her. She had bravely refused to hand over the letter, and just as the assassin raised his sword to kill her, Seo Geom had stepped in and fought them off, noticing their military-issue swords.

An assassin had told Seo Geom to move, but he’d said wryly that someone told him he’s the greatest swordsman in Goryeo. He’d introduced himself as Commander in Chief of the Northern Punitive Forces, then he’d dispatched the assassins. His sleeve had been slashed, and Hee-jae could see a tattoo on his arm.

He’d buried Hee-jae’s mother under a stone cairn, assuring Hee-jae that he’d built enough cairns on the battlefield that it wouldn’t come apart. He’d told her, “Don’t let anyone oppress you. That’s the only way you won’t collapse. Don’t let anyone intimidate you even if they’re stronger than you. Only then can you hold out.”

She had promised to repay Seo Geom’s kindness, and he’d said with a smile, “With high interest.” But not long after that, she’d witnessed his disgrace and suicide, and had seen his children screaming for their father. She understands now that Hwi is the boy she saw that day.

Colonel Choi asks Chief Park why he didn’t say anything when he saw the three they suspect of putting up the subversive posters. Chief Park won’t admit to seeing anyone, so Colonel Choi says that he’ll seize the opportunity for himself if Chief Park doesn’t report it by tomorrow.

When it’s time to go kite-flying, Yeon comes out of the house wearing makeup that looks like, as Hwi says, she applied it with her feet. But when the guys see Hee-jae, her understated beauty stuns them both. Hwi hilariously introduces Yeon to Hee-jae as “my boss,” and Hee-jae extends a sisterly offer to show Yeon how to apply her makeup to look more natural.

While flying their kites, Hee-jae notices how sweet Hwi is with his sister. Their kite string breaks so Hwi chases after it, and it eventually lands just over the edge of a cliff. He’s about to climb down to fetch it, but Hee-jae has followed him and she warns that he’ll fall and die.

She says it’s only a myth that a broken kite string foreshadows an early death, and that his worry over Yeon won’t cure her illness. He asks how she knows, and she tells him that Yeon’s hands are cold, and she’s wearing lots of makeup to cover her pale cheeks and purple lips.

Hwi says that Yeon’s epilepsy is getting worse, and sighs that she’d have been better off with a sister like Hee-jae. But Hee-jae says that nobody can replace him, and Hwi smiles gratefully.

Hee-jae reaches down for the squid kite and nearly slides off the edge, scaring them both. Hwi grabs her hand, complaining that she’s heavy, but she’s able to reach the kite. He yanks her back up, hard, and they land with Hwi on his back and Hee-jae on top of him.

They freeze like that for a long moment, then they sit up, unable to look at each other. Then Hee-jae notices that it’s dusk and people are releasing sky lanterns so they watch the beautiful display, though Hwi would rather look at Hee-jae. They eventually make their way back to Yeon, who’s surprised that Sun-ho isn’t with them, since he went after them.

A spy reports Hwi, Sun-ho, and Hee-jae’s location to Colonel Choi, so he and Chief Park head there together without telling anyone. They find Sun-ho walking alone and Colonel Choi attacks, and Sun-ho manages to avoid him for a long time before he’s finally overpowered and arrested. He’s amused until Colonel Choi says he’ll catch “that Ihwaru bitch” next, and that he’ll soon have his father, too.

Colonel Choi stands, proud of his catch…. then a sword emerges from the center of his chest. He falls dead, revealing Chief Park, who looms over Sun-ho menacingly.

The others wait for Sun-ho until Yeon falls asleep on Hee-jae’s shoulder. Hwi piggybacks his sister, and Hee-jae wishes she had someone to carry her home. She recites Seo Geom’s words to her from all those years ago about not being oppressed or intimidated even if others are stronger than you. At Hwi’s confusion, she simply says that she figured he never got to hear the words.

At home, Sun-ho cleans up a bad gash he received on his arm while fighting Colonel Choi. He watches his hand shake as he remembers Chief Park cutting the ropes binding him, and saying, “I did not kill him, and you did not see anything. The one who lets the secret out, dies first. I didn’t save you for your sake, nor for your father, so don’t fool yourself that I’m on your side.”

Sun-ho recalls when he was a child, and his older brother had fallen into a river and was drowning. Sun-ho had tried to rescue him, but a heavy branch had struck his hyung’s head and killed him.

In his grief, Lord Nam had growled at Sun-ho, “Why you? Why are you the one who made it out alive? You should have died instead of him!” He’d gripped Sun-ho’s throat, screaming that Sun-ho should have died instead of his son.

Hwi and Sun-ho practice for the military exam, Sun-ho on fancy equipment with skilled trainers, and Hwi alone in the forest with makeshift gear. On the day of the test, Lord Nam gives Sun-ho a bow that he says was his hyung’s, and that it will ensure he always hits his target. He tells Sun-ho that the time of the sword is coming, and that a sword will never discriminate against him for being illegitimate.

Sun-ho asks for his father’s promise never to mention Min-ho, his brother, to him again if he passes the test: “I wish to live my own life from now on.” Lord Nam gives his word.

Hwi stares at his father’s bow, remembering the man who was once his whole world. Yeon says that it’s not their father’s fault she’s sick, but the fault of the person who framed him. She speaks of how he would give his own rice to his needy subordinates, and made his own family lived on millet, so there’s no way he was siphoning military rations. Hwi agrees and picks up his father’s bow, which has his and Yeon’s names engraved on it.

The testing begins,and though Sun-ho’s injured arm still bothers him, he and Hwi both pass the archery and horseback combat sections of the test. Last is swordsmanship, and Hwi says that he’s confident they can both pass and change their destinies, then the world. Sun-ho only says that he’ll fight to the death, even if his opponent is Hwi.

They both defeat a long string of opponents until they’re the last two left. The final round will determine the top-scoring candidate, and Hwi and Sun-ho face each other, both determined to win.

A crowd watches, including Hee-jae, as the friends begin their fight. At first they’re evenly matched, but Hwi gets lucky with a strike directly to Sun-ho’s injured arm. He’s alarmed to see Sun-ho bleeding, but Sun-ho continues to fight. They ram the points of their practice swords into each other’s sternums at the same time and fall back gasping.

Sun-ho has a much harder time getting back on his feet, and Hwi begs him to stop, afraid his friend could die. But Sun-ho quotes him, “Don’t joke about swordsmanship, there’s no such thing as friends before swords.” He repeats that he’ll kill Hwi if he has to, and tells Hwi to fight properly.

Hwi looks heartbroken, but he can see that Sun-ho means every word. They fight again, and Hwi shoves Sun-ho backwards, but Sun-ho pulls Hwi down by the collar and tosses him over his head. Hwi barely gets his weapon up to block Sun-ho’s strike, then he goes after Sun-ho, who’s bleeding badly now.

They’re nearing the end of their strength when Hwi gets in two hard whacks, sending Sun-ho to the ground. The examiner nods his head, so Hwi drops his guard. Sun-ho hauls himself to his feet, and with all the strength he has left, he slams Hwi in the head with his practice sword. Hwi slumps to the ground, and Sun-ho’s eyes roll back as he falls to his knees.

The fight is declared over, and Sun-ho named as the winner. Hwi gasps that the fight was already over, but the examiner says he only nodded. Hwi screams at the injustice, asking how he can do such a thing, but the examiner says coldly, “You should first figure out why I couldn’t do such a thing.”

Hwi runs up the steps to get in the examiner’s face and asks if this is because of his father’s death. The examiner laughs and says that if Hwi is curious, he should “ask the cauldron your father was dipped in.” Hwi grabs him in fury, so he’s beaten by the guards until he gives up.

He’s dragged past Sun-ho, who reaches out for his friend, but he’s too weak to fix what he’s done. Hwi is left bleeding in the dirt, once again tossed out for no reason other than the circumstances of his birth.

Later, Sun-ho is awarded top honors, and the examiner tells him that this is the moment his life changes. But Sun-ho can’t smile, painfully aware that his life has changed, but not in the way he wanted. He watches as the examiner and his father exchange a meaningful look.

Hwi staggers home painfully, with Hee-jae following at a distance. At one point Hwi stops and drops his head to cry… then he passes out. Hee-jae helps him up and takes him to Ihwaru gibang, calling out for ice and cotton cloth. The gisaengs hesitate, but Lady Seo tells them to do as Hee-jae says.

Hee-jae cleans up Hwi as he sleeps, and later Lady Seo asks what her relationship is with Hwi. Hee-jae simply says, “We are meant to be together.”

She’s by Hwi’s side when he wakes, and he shows a spark of his old spirit by answering, “What do you think?” when she asks if he’s okay. He asks about Sun-ho, so Hee-jae says he’s getting an appointment. Hwi asks why Hee-jae gave him the squid kite, since the one with the lilies (the one supposed to guarantee a happy marriage) was prettier, and Hee-jae promises to get him the lily kite next time.

Hee-jae ties a bandage around Hwi’s head to hide his worst wound, so as not to scare Yeon when he goes home, and he’s affected by her closeness. Hee-jae says lightly that he’s the son of a disgraced father, brother to a girl with epilepsy, and now he’s failed the exam.

Hwi says he’s the worst, but Hee-jae asks what’s wrong with that. They sit in silence for a long time, then Hwi leans in and kisses Hee-jae. He backs up and looks into her eyes, and kisses her again. They feel a little awkward afterward, then Hee-jae remembers Yeon.

As Hwi is putting on his shoes, Hee-jae slides him some medicine for his cuts. She tells him not to cry in front of Yeon, and he jokes that he’s never cried in his life.

Lady Seo instructs a gisaeng to open the doors to the main room when Hwi leaves. She does, affording Hwi an unwelcome view of Lord Nam drinking with the examiner. Lord Nam sees Hwi and freezes, and Hwi’s eyes fill with tears as he remembers a day shortly after his father’s death.

Hwi had huddled beside his father’s body in front of Lord Nam’s house and begged for help to bury his father beside his mother, because Lord Nam had been his father’s friend. Little Sun-ho had watched as his father said it would taint his own family to help Hwi, and coldly sent him away.

Hee-jae confronts Lady Seo to ask angrily if the message she delivered to Lord Nam was from the examiner. She says that message ruined a man’s life, but Lady Seo counters that it bought the gibang a year’s worth of rice. She reminds Hee-jae that she told her to end her relationship with Hwi, and warns her to avoid friendship and love unless she wants her heart broken.

Hee-jae fires back that that’s how Lady Seo lives her life, but she can’t do that — she won’t do that. She finds her way out blocked by Lady Seo’s guard, and Lady Seo informs her that she’s confined to the gibang until this all blows over.

When Lord Nam leaves the gibang, Sun-ho is waiting for him, and before he can ask, Lord Nam admits to bribing the examiner. Sun-ho looks horrified and asks how Lord Nam isn’t ashamed, and why he didn’t tell him this before the exam.

Lord Nam grabs Sun-ho’s injured arm, making him cry out in pain. He whispers, “That’s why I bribed him,” and adds that he didn’t tell Sun-ho because he still needed to do his best. Sun-ho argues that he still could have won on his own, but Lord Nam snaps that he couldn’t afford to take a chance. He reminds Sun-ho that he said he fights for his own sake, “But I put you in first place for my sake.”

Sun-ho sobs that Lord Nam ruined his only friendship, and Lord Nam challenges him to tell Hwi that the examiner was bribed and take back his friend. Sun-ho just hangs his head as tears course down his face, and Lord Nam says that Sun-ho is the one who betrayed Hwi, even if he uses his father as an excuse.

Yeon waits in the yard for Hwi, and he has to collect himself so he doesn’t cry in front of her. She can tell by his expression that he failed, and he fibs that he’d rather be a blacksmith anyway. Yeon starts to cry when she sees Hwi’s battered face, but she hugs him and tells him he did well.

Hee-jae spends all night thinking about the part she inadvertently played in Hwi’s betrayal, and in the morning, she gets an idea. She eats her breakfast then leaves a note in the rice bowl for Hwa-wol.

Lord Nam and Sun-ho meet with Yi Seong-gye in the woods, and follow him as he talks about a time that Lord Nam saved his life in battle. Yi Seong-gye says that he’s repaying Lord Nam today, as they arrive at a clearing where the examiner has been bound and gagged.

Yi Seong-gye explains that the Inspector General received an anonymous letter informing them that the exam was rigged. Yi Seong-gye asks who knows of this, and Lord Nam says only himself and the examiner. Yi Seong-gye draws his bow, aims at the examiner, and says that his debt to Lord Nam is paid.

He suddenly turns and aims at Lord Nam, and his arrow flies so close that it cuts Lord Nam’s cheek. He tosses his bow to Sun-ho and his guard releases the examiner, who runs away. Yi Seong-gye tells Sun-ho that this all happened because of him, and that a mouth isn’t shut by being covered — it only shuts with death.

He orders Sun-ho to fix this or else he and his father both die right now. With no other way out, and though it looks like it goes against his every instinct, Sun-ho conquers his shaking hands and kills the examiner with one shot. Yi Seong-gye warns that he’ll take care of things himself if anything like this happens again, but Sun-ho promises him, “From this day on, all blood will be on my hands.”

After Yi Seong-gye leaves, Lord Nam says to Sun-ho what they both already know — that Hwi also knows about the bribe. Sun-ho says that the law can force Hwi to serve in the military until he’s sixty years old. Lord Nam sneers that Sun-ho can’t kill Hwi, but Sun-ho says that where he’s going won’t be considered living.

Lord Nam asks if he can trust Sun-ho, and Sun-ho replies, “Hwi has been my lifelong friend, but I won’t die for him."

Despite the horrible events of the last couple days, Hwi can’t help but grin when he thinks about kissing Hee-jae, and he tucks the bandage she tied on his head inside his shirt, over his heart. He serves dinner, and Yeon gets mad when she notices that Hwi has put a stone in his rice bowl to make it look like he’s eating as much as he served to her.

Their meal is interrupted by royal guards, who accuse Hwi of failing to pay his military cloth tax and say that he’s being drafted immediately. He stammers that he’s exempt since his father is dead and he cares for his sister, but they surround him.

Hwi flies into a rage when a guard knocks down Yeon, and she watches, terrified, as he’s hit in the head and starts bleeding badly. The last thing Hwi sees as he’s dragged away is Yeon falling with a seizure, hitting her head on the table as she crumples to the ground.

Hwi screams desperately for someone to help her or she’ll die, but the guards show them no pity and drag him away, leaving Yeon alone. Hwi is still howling when he’s thrown into a prison cell, begging someone to send a message to Sun-ho to take care of his sister.

Sun-ho is nearby, horrified by the screams of his friend and the knowledge that he’s done this. He hears Hwi calling to Yeon not to die, and he runs to find her unconscious. He carries her home and puts her in his bed, calling for a doctor, and when his father tries to have Yeon removed, Sun-ho barks at them not to come near her.

Lord Nam says softly that he’s always taught Sun-ho not to yell, but to threaten. So Sun-ho does exactly that… he whispers into his father’s ear, “One more person knows you bribed the examiner… me. I know the truth. What if I told General Choi? I only shoot arrows for my own sake. Why should I care who becomes my target? I will not let Yeon die, so do not provoke me.”

Lord Nam backs down and allows Sun-ho to help Yeon, but he warns Sun-ho to keep her hidden, because he’ll kill anyone who finds out. Sun-ho nods, and Lord Nam leaves him.

Hwi is taken from his cell, but nobody will tell him anything about Yeon. He’s informed that Nam Sun-ho, the one he’s been saying will help him, is the person who sent him here. Hwi just shuts down, unable to understand the nightmare he’s been ****** into.

Hee-jae is finally allowed to leave the gibang. Lady Seo tells her that soon a boat will be shipping soldiers to the battlefield, and that one passenger is named Hwi. She tells Hee-jae to go see the outcome of her foolishness.

Hwi is already on the boat, looking beaten and dejected. He sees Hee-jae arrive just moments after the boat pulls away from the dock, but she can only stand in the rain and cry.

Three months later — 1388, year of the Wihwado Retreat, Liaodong

Hwi wakes on a battlefield and gasps in pain. He lies there, injured, as men fight and die all around.

Hee-jae watches the boat that’s taking Hwi away until she can no longer see him. When she turns around, Sun-ho is there, and she asks if this is his father’s doing. He says that he asked his father to bribe the examiner, but Hee-jae interrupts him with a slap, knowing that’s a lie.

Sun-ho tells her to forget Hwi, but she asks if Sun-ho can do that. He says that he will, because he has to. Hee-jae says with disdain that if their positions were reversed, Hwi would do everything he could to save his friend, “Even if you’d been dragged to Hell.”

Three months later.

Chief Park congratulates a colleague on his promotion to captain of the Liaodong Expeditionary Army, and he asks to be made deputy captain. Later he unpacks a set of heavy armor and touches it reverently.

We’re told that the expeditionary army consists of over fifty thousand soldiers and twenty thousand horses. Lord Nam promises to make sure General Yi Seung-gye’s family is safely hidden, but General Yi says that that will make General Choi Young suspicious of him. Lord Nam is more worried about General Yi’s second wife, sure that General Choi will target her first.

Hee-jae has been looking for Yeon, Hwi’s younger sister, but her gisaeng friend Hwa-wol says gently that Yeon is probably dead. Hee-jae is planning to leave Ihwaru gibang, and Hwa-wol asks why, when she’s so close to seeing her mother again. Hee-jae says that she’s tired of letting Lady Seo run her life.

Sun-ho has come to see her, dressed in his armor as he’s preparing to go to war. Hee-jae advises him to be a bit cowardly in order to survive, then adds, “Although you’re already cowardly enough.” Ouch, but she’s not wrong.

She asks if Goryeo will be overturned, and Sun-ho says that the king comes first, country second. He pours her the last drink, which is traditionally for “the one in your heart.” Hee-jae understands what he’s implying, but she says firmly, “My last already went to Hwi.” Sun-ho says he knows, but he still wanted her to know how he feels.

General Yi’s army sets out for Liaodong, and he tells Lord Nam that the king and General Choi sent advance troops secretly. He scoffs that the advance troops are not trained soldiers, and will probably die before the main troops arrive.

Hwi is one of those advance troops, and we see them on the battlefield. Hwi is injured but he manages to avoid death, though he’s shocked by the horror all around him. At one point he’s nearly killed by an enemy, and he’s only saved at the last second by none other than Chief Park.

Chief Park tosses Hwi a bow and tells him to snap out of it, so Hwi picks up some arrows and follows him. They fight in tandem, watching each other’s backs, with Hwi plucking arrows from the bodies of dead soldiers when he runs out.

Eventually the battle ends, and the captain walks the field marking down which of his soldiers are dead. One young man is badly injured, but the captain orders his man MOON-BOK (In Gyo-jin) to write him down as dead.

Despite his own injury, Hwi insists on doctoring the young man’s wound. The young man pleads for help, crying that he needs to take care of his old, sick grandmother. Hwi says that he also needs to survive for his sister, so they can go home together, but the young man spits up blood and dies.

The captain sneers that Hwi looks like a dead man, too, and offers to go ahead and put him on the list. Hwi retorts, “Just wait. I will be sure to outlive you by at least one day. If you want to kill me, draw a mark for yourself as well.”

Hwi walks away to be alone, his thoughts filled with memories of home. He still carries the cloth that Hee-jae used to bandage his head, and he sits for a long time just holding it and thinking of her.

Eventually, General Yi’s army arrives at the base camp. While surveying the advance troops, Sun-ho thinks he sees Hwi and runs to him, but it’s just another soldier who resembles Hwi.

Sun-ho reports to General Yi that the soldiers are experiencing a dysentery outbreak and many are deserting, and that the archers can’t fight because their bowstrings are coming loose from melted glue. General Yi approves of his candid advice.

At the advance army camp, the captain orders Hwi to infiltrate the enemy and kill their general. Hwi argues that it’s a death sentence, but he has no choice. Chief Park volunteers to go with Hwi, and the captain tells Chief Park to behead Hwi if he tries to defect.

The two head to a lookout point where Chief Park offers Hwi his horn bow, which can shoot farther than Hwi’s. They identify the general’s tent, and Hwi readies his bow. Chief Park advises Hwi to add five steps to his distance since the wind is blowing behind him, and Hwi freezes — it’s the exact same instructions his father gave him when he was a child.

Hwi follows the advice and his arrow strikes the general’s tent, drawing him out into the open. Chief Park steadies Hwi’s shaking hand as he draws his second arrow, then Hwi lets it fly, and his arrow meets its mark in the general’s neck. He and Chief Park run from the soldiers who try to catch them, and Chief Park continues to instruct Hwi as they enter a narrow trail purposely to slow down the enemy’s horses.

When their pursuers are forced to ride in a line, Hwi starts shooting the soldiers off their horses and Chief Park closes in to finish them off. Hwi grapples with one soldier on foot, and when Chief Park sees another galloping towards Hwi, he throws himself in the path of the sword.

Hwi kills his opponent, shoots the last soldier, then turns to see Chief Park on the ground. He tears open Chief Park’s sleeve to check his wound, and he’s stunned to see that Chief Park has the same snake tattoo that Hwi’s father, Seo Geom, wore. Hwi demands to know who Chief Park is, and Chief Park croaks, “The leader of the Black Snake Unit, which belonged to the former Northern Punitive Force. My name is Park Chi-do.”

Hwi carries Chi-do (he saved Hwi’s life… he’s earned his name) back to camp and reports to the captain that he shot the enemy general. The captain sneers that the only witness to corroborate Hwi’s claim is practically dead, and he even accuses Hwi of injuring Chi-do to hide a lie.

Moon-bok snaps at the captain to stop talking nonsense, and his buddy Jung-beom backs him up. Hwi thanks Moon-bok and Jung-beom, but they counter that they should be thanking him. They carry Chi-do to his tent, where Hwi watches over him.

When he wakes, Chi-do points out the set of armor he brought and says it belonged to Hwi’s father, and that Seo Geom asked him to give it to Hwi when he was old enough. He tells Hwi, “He was always so proud of you, and he always missed Yeon.”

Hwi’s breath hitches, then he applies himself to repairing the armor, which is engraved with his and Yeon’s name, just like his bow. Tucked into a small tear in the armor, Hwi finds a piece of paper that’s been stamped, but nothing is written on it so Hwi puts it back where he found it.

The next time the gisaengs gather to pass information to Lady Seo, Hee-jae instead tells Lady Seo that she will no longer be used after Lady Seo used information she brought to kill her friend. She vows to become the one who receives information, not someone who collects it, and that she’ll use that information to punish those who do wrong to her and others.

She says she’ll leave now, and rises her her feet. She tells Lady Seo, “I will die outside these premises, so I hope you live a long, healthy life here at Ihwaru.” Lady Seo suddenly suffers a coughing fit, and she gasps to Hee-jae that everything happened because she wanted it, so she can’t blame anyone or regret anything. Hee-jae whispers that she’ll carry no regrets or blame, then she leaves.

Outside, Hee-jae asks Gyeol, Lady Seo’s bodyguard, how long she’s had that cough. He says it’s been ten years, and that Lady Seo always stifled her cough in front of Hee-jae. He tells Hee-jae that he killed the man who ate her friend’s sister’s liver (supposed to cure leprosy), and that Hwa-wol’s stepfather, who sold her to the gibang, died of lung disease. As for those who killed Hee-jae’s mother, Gyeol promises Hee-jae that he’ll find them no matter what.

Hwa-wol catches up to Hee-jae and gives her some food, then cries that Hee-jae is mean and heartless (for leaving). Hee-jae asks her to tell Hwi where to find her if he ever comes by, then she leaves for good.

After being at the front line for a month, Lord Nam and General Yi realize that illness and deserters are getting worse. General Yi hopes that the advance army will have a competent leader, but Lord Nam says that their captain is the most incompetent leader they have. General Yi growls that it doesn’t have to be him, and Sun-ho looks at him thoughtfully.

The advance army’s camp is ambushed, and for the first time, Hwi dons his father’s armor. He slices through the enemy army like a deadly whirlwind, screaming orders to his fellow soldiers as he goes. The enemy have the advantage with their horses, so Hwi calls for Moon-bok and Jung-beom to cover him as he targets the mounted soldiers.

At one point during the battles, Hwi looks up to see an enemy archer aiming right at him. He readies an arrow, but nearby, a soldier knocks Moon-bok down and raises his sword to kill him. With only an instant to choose, Hwi swivels and kills Moon-bok’s attacker, then is shot in the shoulder by the archer.

Unable to handle his bow, Hwi grabs a sword and charges at the archer, leaping into the air and slashing his throat. Moon-bok starts screaming joyously — that was the enemy’s new general, and the Ming army turns and flees.

Hwi is surrounded by his fellow soldiers, the arrow still sticking out of his shoulder. Their captain orders them to charge, but the soldiers wait for an order from Hwi. He breaks off the arrow in his shoulder, then bellows, “Soldiers… CHARGE!”

After the battle, Moon-bok and Jung-beom find Hwi digging a grave for their dead, and they tease him for acting like a “fake lieutenant.” Hwi says he’s just doing what he can to stay alive and earn his way out of the army so that he can go home to his sister honorably.

Jung-beom takes over digging so that Moon-bok (who used to be a mortician) can look at Hwi’s injury. He stitches up the arrow wound, and Jung-beom brings Hwi some “medicinal” wine to pour on the area. Moon-bok swipes it and takes a slug, then dares Jung-beom to drink, so he does… and falls over, hee.

That evening, Hwi tells Chi-do that they only have seventy-five able fighters left, and the main army is still stuck across the river. Chi-do says that this is the purpose of an advance army — to fight and die first.

Meanwhile, Hee-jae makes her way to the home of Lady Kang, General Yi’s wife in Seoul, who is considered as wise and honorable as any general. Oddly, the gates are open and the home seems deserted. Hee-jae lets herself in to look around, and she’s grabbed from behind and a knife held to her throat.

A female voice asks who she is, and Hee-jae says, “You should light the furnace. Unless there’s smoke, people will think the house is vacant. Keep the gates open, too — if closed they’ll jump the wall.” She offers to sere Lady Kang until the conquest is over, and to protect her life with her own.

LADY KANG (Park Ye-jin) shows her face and asks Hee-jae why. Hee-jae says that she believes Lady Kang can get her to a position that’s too good to be true — beside the queen. Lady Kang warns that protecting her will put Hee-jae in danger, but Hee-jae says that she trusts Bang-won to reach Lady Kang before General Choi’s assassins.

Lady Kang asks why General Yi would send Bang-won out of all six of his sons, and Hee-jae says that Bang-won is the only one who can fight off assassins… and that General Yi has eight sons. The two youngest are hiding behind the screen, and when they come out, Hee-jae introduces herself.

Hwi and Jung-beom sit on an outcropping, looking across the river at General Yi’s camp. Hwi says that they’ll retreat if the king dies, if there’s an assassination attempt, or if someone tries to take the throne.

Hwi writes a note that only seventy-five of the five hundred advance soldiers are still able to fight, then sends it over the river tied to an arrow. The arrow buries itself into a post only inches from Sun-ho’s head, and a short while later, an arrow flies the other way with a note asking how long they can hold out.

Hwi replies that they can only hold out until they’re dead, and Sun-ho answers that he’ll relay the message. His note asks the sender’s name, but Hwi’s response arrives after the officers are summoned to General Yi’s tent for orders.

The officers discuss the fact that Goryeo has become a country of corruption and their plans for rebellion. General Yi warns against assassinating the king, because they need to paint him as a coward in order to turn the people against him. He formally declares his intent to disobey the king’s orders to fight this war, and to retreat.

Hwi and Jung-beom wait in the rain for a response from the main camp. Unfortunately, it’s not Sun-ho who receives his message with his name on it — it’s Lord Nam. When Sun-ho asks who was sending the messages, his father lies that the rain washed away the ink.

Sun-ho reports to General Yi about the advance army’s dire situation. Lord Nam argues that the remaining seventy-five men are lowlifes, and even Sun-ho agrees that sacrifices must be made in a revolution. General Yi argues that they are also citizens of Goryeo, but Sun-ho accuses him of only trying to appear compassionate.

General Yi makes his decision, and tells his lieutenant, Sung-rok, to form a death squad to cross the river and make sure there are no survivors. He orders Sun-ho to go along, saying that if he accomplishes this, he’ll keep Sun-ho at his side. He offers Sun-ho his sword, and this time when Sun-ho appropriately kneels to accept, General Yi tells him to stand.

Concerned that General Choi will go after his family, General Yi entrusts Lord Nam with a note instructing Bang-won to escort his mothers to a safe area. Lord Nam asks why he’s not sending his eldest, Bang-woo, and General Yi says that, regardless of the order of their birth, he considers Bang-won his “first” child.

Bang-won plays drinking games with his men at Ihwaru gibang. Hwa-wol complains to Gyeol that Bang-won is acting immature while his father is at war, but Gyeol notes that Bang-won and his party aren’t actually drunk — their weapons are within reach and they’re spread out to keep an eye on all parts of the property.

The message from General Yi arrives, and sure enough, Bang-won and his men are suddenly quite sober. Bang-won orders Cheonga to escort his mother, while he and Tae-ryong will travel to Pocheon for “the bitch” (Lady Kang) and will meet up with them in Hamhung. He warns CG that General Choi will be after him, and that if his family dies, his father’s revolution will fail.

When Bang-won arrives at Pocheon, Hee-jae knows who his is by his signature red arrows and his “eyes of a dragon.” Bang-won introduces himself in banmal to Lady Kang, who isn’t pleased that it took him this long after news of the rebellion to arrive. She insists he call her “Mother,” refusing to move unless he shows her some respect.

He does, though with obvious disdain. Bang-seok, the youngest of Lady Kang’s sons, says hello to his hyung-nim, but Bang-won smirks, “Who says I’m your hyung?” Lady Kang says that she knows why General Yi sent Bang-won — as an example of how not to raise her sons.

The advance army realize that there’s trouble when they notice General Yi’s army preparing to retreat. The captain dismisses Hwi’s warning, sneering that he’s only a lieutenant because there’s nobody else left. Hwi yells that the captain sees them as dispensable, so the caption grabs a piece of firewood and begins beating Hwi for insubordination.

Hee-jae’s cloth falls from Hwi’s clothing and the captain picks it up, assuming Hwi stole it. He tosses it into the fire, and Hwi immerses his entire arm into the fire to get it back. Furious, he grabs a sword and advances on the captain, who starts stammering promises to recommend Hwi for a real promotion.

He claims that he’s taken an interest in Hwi, giving him credit for their survival. Hwi growls, “Then what’s my name? Do you even know any of our names?” Of course the captain doesn’t, so Hwi raises his sword… but Chi-do stops him.

Back in his tent, Hwi cries as he holds his salvaged cloth and thinks of Hee-jae. He hears her voice telling him, “Don’t let anyone oppress you. Only then will you not collapse. Don’t let anyone intimidate you, even if they’re stronger than you. Only then can you hold out.”

Lord Nam gathers a party and orders them to kill every surviving member of the advance army, and to burn their boat and die honorably if anything goes wrong. He watches his son march away, unaware that he may be about to face Hwi for the first time since betraying him.

Meanwhile, Moon-bok asks Hwi what he plans to do about General Yi’s retreat. Hwi says it’s not like they can kill the captain and flee, but Jung-beom doesn’t see why not, since dying is their only other option.

Chi-do overhears their conversation and decides to take matters into his own hands. He slips into the captain’s tent and stabs the sleeping form on the dais… but the captain has already deserted and is making his way towards the river, having been informed of a small messenger boat.

Unfortunately for him, the captain encounters Sung-rok and his party on the way. He’s relieved to see Sung-rok for about three seconds, until Sung-rok skewers him and his accomplice then continues on to the camp.

The party takes out the advance army’s sentries, then split up to dispatch the sleeping soldiers. They manage to kill a few before they run into Chi-do, and Sung-rok says he’s come to deliver a message. Chi-do asks for the watchword, and Sung-rok snarls, “Slaughter,” as his men attack.

Chi-do fights them off while yelling that they’re under attack. The advance army is only stunned for a moment before they begin fighting in earnest, but Sung-rok and Sun-ho fight heartlessly, taking down many of their own countrymen without hesitation.

Hwi is on the other side of the battle, bravely facing the men who came to kill him and his fellow soldiers. At one point, Hwi watches as Moon-bok is injured, so he rushes over to fight off Moon-bok’s attacker.

Their swords clash… and Hwi and Sun-ho both freeze in horror as they see each other for the first time in months.