Dae Jang Geum

With Hang Sang Gong’s body lying still on the dead grassfield, Jang-Geum weeps as she verbally denies the death of her mentor. The guards tell Jang-Geum to get moving since Han Sang Gong is already dead but Jang-Geum protests. Finally the guards bury Han’s dead body alongside the marsh.

Min Jung-Ho gets out from his confinement and chases after Jang-Geum’s trails on horse. When Min arrives Jang-Geum’s boat had already left, and Min is left standing still by the river with tears.

Back in the palace, the head guard delivers the news of Court Lady Han’s death to Jae-Jo Sang Gong and Choi Sang Gong who ask about her body and Jang-Geum. The head guard states she was buried by the water and Jang-Geum is on her way to Jeju Island. Young-Roh deliver the same news to Geum-Young. Just then Yun-Saeng arrives begging the two to help her get to Jeju Island as now Jang-Geum is alone. Yun-Saeng gets rejected by Geum-Young, then agitated, runs to Jae-Jo Sang Gong screaming for permission to send her away to Jeju Island. Chan-Ee and Min Sang Gong arrive to pull Yun-Saeng away and beg for forgiveness stating Yun-Saeng is not in a clear state of mind.

Gam finds money his wife has hidden in their room and packs to leave for Jeju Island. His wife stops him before he can leave the front door and tells him Jang-Geum is now a slave who has committed a high offense and there’s nothing they can do for her at the moment so the best is to wait it out. Min Jung Ho arrives. Na Ju Deuk said Min is not worthy to be a official since he didn’t help Jang-Geum for fear of lowering his status. She criticizes him for not reciprocating the sacrifice Jang-Geum endured when it was her turn to save him. Realizing Jang-Geum is the savior that he’s been looking for, Min is shaken and wanders around the streets aimlessly.

On the island of Jeju, the slave Jang-Geum is caught by the guard during her attempt to escape. She is thrown into a locked room when another captured woman asks Jang-Geum to help her undo her bondage. Then the woman helps Jang-Geum with her bondage. Jang-Geum asks the woman if she is also a slave and if they can escape together since she must return to Han-Yang city. The woman tells Jang-Geum there’s a way to get out. Then at night, the two carry out a plan by first alerting the guards that Jang-Geum has polio and must be isolated. Jang-Geum shows the guards her fake polio marks and they escort her into a hut where she will spend the night alone. The officer assigns one man to guard her hut. Once the guard dozes off, Jang-Geum escapes. As she runs she remembers the instructions given to her by the other woman by the name of Jang-Duk. Jang-Duk has told Jang-Geum to look for her boat by the shore. When the officer arrives he scolds the sleeping guard and gives him food to take to jang-geum. Once inside the hut the guard realize Jang-Geum has escaped.

Once Jang-Geum arrives by the shore she asks the soldiers about a boat from Jang-Duk. The soldiers comment Jang-Duk must have played a joke on her and they start chasing after her. Min Jung-Ho watches as a woman is being chased by soldiers from above the cliff but he is too far to see that the woman is Jang-Geum. Jang-Geum is captured and sent back to her work station. Min Jung-Ho goes around town asking for Jang-Geum’s whereabouts.

Jang-Geum meets Jang-Duk again and asks her why she tricked her but Jang-Duk replies she did it to save her and orders Jang-Geum to give up any hope of escape. Jang-Geum states no one can stop her from achieving her goals.

Min Jung-Ho asks the officer how he can meet jang-geum. The officer states it’s impossible because she is a slave who had more than once tried to escape thus heavily guarded.

Choi Sang Gong becomes the next head of soo-rak-gan (literally knife and fork department, but basically is the Royal Kitchen). Her subordinates presents her gifts to congratulate her and to gain her favor so that Choi may pick them as her lead assistant. Min Sang Gong forgot to bring a gift but she blantantly asks Choi to pick her as the 2nd person in command. Choi tells her to return to her seat. Choi announces she is different from Han who raised hell in soo-rak-gan. Choi-sg boldly states she will bring peace and progress to the Royal Kitchen.

Yun-Saeng continues to weep over Han Sang Gong and Jang-Geum, and asks Gam Tuk-Poh to make a trip to Jeju Island to check on Jang-Geum and deliver her letter to Jang-Geum.

Choi Pan Sul throws a party for his sister over her promotion. Geum-Young finds out Min Jung-Ho left Han-Yang city and wonders if he left for Jeju Island.

At Jeju Island, Min Jung-Ho exchanges money for news of Jang-Geum, then gives a woman money to deliver a letter to Jang-Geum. The woman returns with the undelivered letter, saying the slaves were sent to the farm to work through the night. By now, Jang-Geum has many bloody wounds on her feet from her escape attempts and the bondages that came after each capture, but at the farm, Jang-Geum attempts escape again. Min Jung-Ho arrives at the farm and overhears the other slaves wondering if she will be captured again and what will happen to her this time.

Jang-Geum doesn’t get far before the guards find her but just as they’re about to catch her Min Jung-Ho arrives and sweeps her away. Min injures his ankle in the process.

After Min and Jang-Geum find a hiding place, Jang-Geum nurtures Min’s wound. Min states he finally realize who she is. Even though he cannot remember the event, he remembers the feeling which her care gave him last time, just like this time. Min Jung-Ho tells Jang-Geum about his sorrow in not being able to help her by her side during her hardship. Min Jung-Ho asks Jang-Geum for another chance to reveal the evil conspiracy inside the palace. He tells her that after 3 days, after 1 yr, after 3 yrs, after 7 years, and til the end he intends to be by her side. Jang-Geum tells Min that Han Sang Gong when passed away, she said she will go back to the palace first, and for that reason Jang-Geum cannot stay in Jeju Island and must return to the palace.

Jang-Geum watches the ocean alone and weeps as she remembers Han Sang Gong. She imagines Han Sang Gong by her side comforting her and telling her not to cry. Min watches Jang-Geum from a distance behind her.

Next day, Min Jung-Ho and Jang-Geum turn themselves in. Min Jung-Ho asks the officer to give her one more chance but the officer states Jang-Geum has escaped too many times. Just then town’s medicine woman, Jang-Tuk arrives saying she will be responsible for Jang-Geum.