Dae Jang Geum

Jang-Geum asks the king for permission to cut him open to manually open up his blocked organs, since it’s the only method to save him. The king is shocked by the idea. Doctor Jung and Doctor Shin insist Jang-Geum cannot do such thing. Jang-Geum shows the doctors the rabbit she saved through surgery. The doctors ask how the rabbit could’ve endured such pain. Jang-Duk and Jang-Geum explain she used a needle to numb the nerve nearby. Jang-Geum demonstrates what she means on a fish. Lady queen asks Jang-Geum if it’s true that she suggested cutting open the king. Jang-Geum replies yes and the lady queen scolds her saying it is an unprecedented impossibility and even mentioning it is an offense against the king.

The king’s generals plead to the king to receive treatment from nae-ee-ohn doctor instead of Jang-Geum who is pushing her limits riding on the king’s favor. The king, barely gathering enough strength to talk, tells his generals to leave. Outside the generals run into Jang-Geum. the head general tells Jang-Geum they will not give up easily. Jang-Geum begs the king to accept her treatment. The king senses his death coming and smiles at Jang-Geum instead of answering her. JangGgeum states she truly wants to save him. The king replies it cannot be done. No matter how skilled she is she cannot save a dead man. The king tells Jang-Geum she is a great doctor worthy of being loved. Jang-Geum, with tears begs the king to agree to her treatment again. The king states when he goes to sleep he can hear Jang-Geum’s words circling his ears and he can rest well.

The king studies Jang-Geum as she tends to him. The king smiles at jang-geum. Jang-Geum leaves and outside the head guard tells her to follow her. A few guards wait for Jang-Geum and one of them covers her head with white sheet. Jang-Geum is taken to a boat and sent away to where Min Jung Ho farms. The king has arranged for their meeting. Back at palace the generals are angry Jang-Geum has disappeared.

Jang-Geum and Min Jung Ho embrace. The guard tells Min Jung Ho to receive the king’s order. Min Jung Ho bows and kneels to receive the king’s order. Tthe king instructs Min Jung-Ho to go to the nation of Ming Dynasty and tell Jang Geum he sends his gratitude and apology, as well as his blessing for her to learn more medicines in a even bigger country. Jang-Geum is reluctant to get on the boat to leave without trying to save the king, but the guard states it is the king’s order. Then, they hear the citizens cry out in front of the bullentin board as they read about the news that the king has risen to the heavens. Jang-Geum is upset and runs toward the soldiers to go back to palace. The guard grabs a wanted ad for Jang-Geum and orders Min Jung-Ho and Jang-Geum to leave at once for the king would not have wanted Jang-Geum to be captured. Min Jung Ho takes Jang-Geum away as the guard tries to distract the on-coming soildiers.

[8 years later, year 1550 A.D., remote town in outskirts of Joseon Dynasty]

A little girl named So-Won runs toward her father, Min Jung-Ho, with dirt on her clothes. Her mother, Jang-Geum, appears from behind the girl. So-Won is scared and Jang-Geum is angry. Jang-Geum punishes her daughter for going out without permission but Jung-Ho saves So-Won before she can be punished even more. The little daughter is full of curiosity just like the little Jang-Geum.

Jang-Geum practices medicine by saving whoever is sick in town. So-Won goes along Jang-Geum to help her whenever she is called to see a patient. Min Jung-Ho teaches writing and reading to local kids. On this day, So-Won runs to tell her father that the villagers are bullying Jang-Geum for wanting to do a caesarian on a pregnant mother. On her way, So-Won runs into Kang Duk-Goo who asks about where Jang-Geum is. The little girl points to the wrong direction and runs back home to tell her father about her mother and the strange man who’s looking for her.

Min Jung-Ho starts packing their stuff, and the father and daughter go to town to grab Jang Geum, and the three start running on foot. Kang Duk-Goo sees Jang-Geum and her family but they disappear before he can catch up to them.

Kang Duk-Goo returns to Han-Yang city and reports his sighting to his wife and to Jang-Duk. Both women are happy that Jang-Geum and Jung-Ho are still living in Joseon (Korea) with their little daughter. Yun-Saeng goes to see the queen and begs her to pardon Jang-Geum. The queen replies too bad Jang-Geum is in nation of Ming, if she were still in Joseon, she would’ve brought her back to palace. Yun-Saeng reports Jang-Geum has been in Joseon all these years. The queen is pleasantly surprised. Chan-Ee, now a sang-goong and Lady Min are relieved and happy by the queen’s response.

So-Won continues to help her mother with her medicine practice. On this day, So-Won walks back home with Jang-Geum after treating an elderly. So-Won hides behind Jang-Geum when she sees her father running toward them. Jung-Ho worrily tells Jang-Geum that So-Won is missing. Jang-Geum tries to hold her laugh as So-Won teases her father. When they go back, they see soildiers surrounding their home. They have come to bring them back to the palace.

Jang-Geum and Jung-Ho are given their old attire and escorted back to Han-Yang city in a wagon. As they enter the palace, So-Won asks questions non-stop as she is surprised by everything she sees.

Jang-Geum and Jung-Ho reunite with their former colleages as the staff of nae-ee-ohn, the cooks of soo-rak-gan, and the upper generals of the palace circle them with smile and nods. The queen arrives telling Jang-Geum and Jung-Ho how happy she is to see them and why they have lived in exile all these years. The queen states the king was proud of them both and felt bad about what happened to Min Jung-Ho. The queen states she will give Jang-Geum and Min Jung-Ho their old position back and asks them to return to the palace.

Lady Min, Yun-Saeng, and Chan-Ee are astonished by how similar So-Won is to Jang-Geum as a child. So-Won continues to entertain them with her non-stop chatter about everything her mother has taught her. Jang-Geum and Jung-Ho bring So-Won to see the Kang Duk Gu and his wife and Jang-Duk. Kang Duk-Goo and So-Won recognize each other immediately and Duk-Goo understands why she reminded him of Jang-Geum when he ran into her in the remote city.

Jung-Ho asks Jang-Geum whether she wants to return to the palace or go back to where they’ve been living. Both decide to leave. Jang-Geum tells the queen her decision. The lady queen replies she is sad but will respect her wish.

Jang-Geum gives the palace one last look and steps outside its gates to her awaiting husband and daughter. The three start to walk back to where they came from. Jung-Ho asks Jang-Geum what palace meant to her. Jang-Geum replies the palace gave her the chance to cook and the chance to practice medicine, but it also took away Lady Jung and Lady Han from her. The palace was a place that made her feel she had everything when in fact she had none, a place that made her feel like she could do anything when she couldnt’ do anything. Jang-Geum states the palace was a sad place for her. Min Jung Ho smiles and asks if the road they travel is not sad. Jang-Geum replies yes. Jung-Ho is happy but tells Jang-Geum even so she cannot cut open people since such practice is still not accepted in Joseon. Jang-Geum replies it should be since it can save lives.

Then they discover So-Won is missing. But So-Won runs toward them to tell Jang-Geum a woman nearby is in pain. Jang-Geum and Jung-Ho follow So-Won to the lady’s place. The woman is in difficult labor and will die from giving birth. Jang-Geum tells Jung-Ho surgery is the only chance to save both mother and baby and Jung-Ho follows her instructions.

Jang-Geum successfully saves both mother and baby by doing a caesarian delivery. Jang-Geum, Jung-Ho, and So-Won sit by the woman and smile as they welcome the new born into life.

The king asks Jang-Geum if she likes Min Jung-Ho. Jang-Geum replies yes. The king stares at her, tells her he is the king of this nation and asks her if she knows what consequence her answer can lead to. Jang-Geum replies she knows, and states she is merely a woman who has found medicine to be her livelihood. The king angrily tells Jang-Geum to show up to their daily morning walk tomorrow as usual.

Jang-Geum leaves and arrives at Min Jung-Ho’s. She nervously tells him what happened and is worried what might happen to Min Jung Ho. Min Jung-Ho replies she did well and feels proud that she recognized him in front of the king. The king and his guard arrives outside Min Jung Ho’s office. The king overhears their conversation and becomes furious, then leaves. The head guard coughs to signal they’re there. Jang-Geum and Min Jung Ho come outside and see the king leaving. The guard tells them the king wants both of them to show up to the walk tomorrow.

Next morning, the king puts on a good spirit and asks Jang-Geum how she and Min Jung Ho recognized each other later if they didn’t know each other the first time they met. Jang-Geum replies she left her father’s gift to her accidently when she saved Min Jung Ho, and later they were able to recognize each other through the trinket. The king asks to see it. Jang-Geum replies she gave it to Min Jung-Ho. The king is taken aback and a little jealous and changes the topic. The king tells the guard to prepare for arrow practice.

The king asks Min Jung-Ho to accompany him in shooting arrows. The king tells Min Jung Ho they’ll each shoot 5 times and the winner gets to have Jang-Geum’s trinket gift. Min Jung-Ho obliges since he has no other choice. Jang-Geum watches as the two men shoot arrows toward a red target. Min Jung Ho shoots 4 tiimes on target. The king also gets bulls eye 4 times. The king shoots his 5th arrow and misses the center. Just as Min Jung Ho is about to draw his 5th, the king tells Min Jung Ho he fancies Jang-Geum and asks if he feels the same about her. Min Jung-Ho shoots his arrow to the bull’s eye and replies yes. The king is furious again and grabs his bow and arrow, then points toward Min Jung-Ho. Everyone’s shocked. The king hesitates then points the arrow toward a flying bird instead and leaves.

All day Jang-Geum can’t concentrate as she worries about what might happen to Min Jung Ho. Yun-Saeng calls Jang Geum to her room. Yun-Saeng tells Jang-Geum she told the king about her and Min Jung Ho so everything’s gonna be ok. Chan-Ee and Min sang-goong ask Jang-Geum what’s it like to love a man as they giggle. Jang-Geum says it’s a warm feeling but bursts into tears and says, “What am I gonna do? What am I gonna do?”

The lady queen asks the king to give her instructions on what to do regarding the matter of making Jang-Geum a concubine. The lady queen asks the king whether or not she should carry it out. The king doesn’t reply and looks in deep thoughts. The lady queen senses the king likes Jang-Geum and states tomorrow she will announce to carry out the order of making Jang-Geum a concubine.

At night, Lady Min brings apples to the king. The king asks Lady Min if Jang Geum told her to bring them to him. Lady Min replies yes. The king grabs an apple, smells it and states something so fragrant and good for you should be kept nearby at all times. LadyMin replies yes but senses the king is speaking about something else. The guard arrives to tell the king Min Jung-Ho has come to see the king. Lady Min leaves and runs to tell Jang-Geum that Min Jung Ho is in the king’s room.

Min Jung-Ho tells the king he once tried to run away with Jang-Geum because that was the only way he thought he could spend a day with Jang-Geum, but they returned the same day because Jang-Geum did not want to turn her back on the palace and her medicine practice. Min Jung-Ho tells the king he doesn’t want to block Jang-Geum’s path with anymore sadness and asks the king to grant him death and he will gladly take all the blame.

Min Jung Ho returns to his office and Jang-Geum is waiting for him nervously. Min Jung Ho says nothing and grabs Jang-Geum into his arms to embrace her. Yun-Saeng goes to see the king and begs the king to grant her death for she made a mistake. The king asks what is the meaning of death, and the meaning of love. Next day, the lady queen hands her assistant the document to carry out Jang-Geum’s inauguration as concubine. But the head guard arrives telling the lady queen the king has declined making Jang-Geum a concubine. The king meets with Jang-Geum and tells Jang-Geum he will not make her his concubine but asks her to stay by his side as his main physician, as an order from the king and a plead from a man.

In court the king asks his generals if they recognize Jang-Geum as the one who saved his life, the one who found a treatment for the contagious disease the prince suffered from, and if she is the one with highest skills in nae-ee-ohn. The generals are speechless. The king states Jang-Geum is to be Dae Jang-Geum from this day forward and she will be awarded the title of the king’s physician. A general protests but the king states he will not hear one more complaint about it and orders Min Jung-Ho to carry out his order at once. Jang-Geum is robed in special attire and before the nae-ee-ohn staff, and Min Jung Ho reads the king’s order aloud. Jang-Geum accepts the document with the king’s order and bows before her colleagues.

The generals ask the king to punish Min Jung-Ho. The king hesitates and agrees. Min Jung-Ho is taken away by guards. Chan-Ee informs Jang-Geum about the news Min Jung Ho is now an outcast. The medicine women wonder what they should call Jang-Geum from now on since technically she should be addressed as minister but they settle on Dae Jang Geum. Jang-Geum runs around palace looking for Min Jung Ho. Then Jang-Geum goes outside the palace to look for him. Jang-Duk hands her the trinket she gave Min Jung Ho and states he has already left town.

Jang-Geum finally catches up to Min Jung Ho and the guards who are escorting him. Jang-Geum cries and states this can’t be but Min Jung Ho tells her to return to the palace because she has travelled a difficult road to where she is, and from now on she must be more alert than ever as the road before her will be more difficult than ever. Min Jung Ho tells Jang-Geum to forget everything in the past cleanly. Jang-gGum asks if he can forget everything. Min Jung Ho replies he can and he already has. Jang-Geum with tears replies she can’t forget him and begs him to take her trinket at the least, and she watches as the soildiers take him away.

Back at palace, Jang-Geum examines the king. Afterwards Jang-Geum asks if she can have a piece of land to cultivate more herbs and study more medicine. The king agrees and Jang-Geum begins her farm project. Jang-Geum updates the king on her herb progress but looks around where they are and the king realizes Jang-Geum misses Min Jung Ho. Jang-Geum studies in the library and remembers her enounter with Min Jung Ho at the library where they first officially met.

The king is getting old and Jang-Geum continues to look after him as she studies herbs and food science.

Jang-Geum goes by a creek and remembers the way Min Jung Ho carried her on his back during their run away. Then Jang-Geum sees an injured rabbit and takes it back to the palace to perform surgery. The king’s lower organs are shutting down like Jang-Geum feared they would some day. The king is dying but he tells Jang-Geum she is not to blame for his own aging body. Some of the generals want to hold Jang-Geum responsible for the king’s condition but the nae-ee-ohn staffs state Jang-Geum has done more than she can to save the king.

Jang-Geum wants to try surgery on the king that she used to save the rabbit, but Jang-Duk stops her saying though it worked on animal once it is too risky to use on human. Jang-Geum goes to see the king and asks the king to trust her once more. The king asks what she means and Jang-Geum replies she knows one method of opening up his internal organs which is to use knife and do surgery on him. The king is shocked by the concept.

Doctor Shin reports to the king that the medicine house supports Jang-Geum and recognizes that she is best fit to head nae-ee-ohn as a ranked general. The ministers in court protest to the king saying Jang-Geum cannot break the tradition but the king announces Jang-Geum is to be his main physician and a medicine general. Min Jung-Ho’s superior tells Min Jung Ho to persuade the king to re-think the king’s decision but Min declines. The superior gets furious and says in that case their mentor-mentee relationship is over. Back at nae-ee-ohn, Doctor Shin tells the nurses and the doctors to accept Jang-Geum as their new superior.

Jang-Geum treats the young prince with Doctor Jung as her assistant. The prince is reluntant to eat the medicine but Jang-Geum promises he can play in the yard with her if he does, so the prince agrees and they play outside afterwards.

The mother queen arrives outside the king’s corridor and sits on the floor outside. The king comes out and begs her to get up but the mother queen states she is barely punishing herself for teaching her son wrong, causing him to award a woman into the hall of male physicians. The king replies he will follow her wishes and begs her to get up. The mother queen asks if he’s sincere and finally gets up after the king states yes. Min Jung-Ho watches and then goes back to his office.

The lady queen meets with Jang-Geum and tells her it’s hard to go against the mother queen’s will so Jang-Geum should be the one to give in. Jang-Geum smiles and replies when she was little her mother scolded her for catching rabbits with the boys saying that is not a job for girls.

Shin-Bi goes to see Jang-Geum at night and encourages her by saying everyone already knows Jang-Geum’s skills with or without a big title. Shin-Bi leaves and Jang-Geum takes off her socks to rub her aching foot. But the king arrives in her room.

Min Jung-Ho thinks about writing a letter but grabs the pen set Jang-Geum gave him and heads toward Jang-Geum’s room instead. Outside her room, Min Jung Ho sees the king’s personal guards waiting with a lamp. Inside, the king apologizes to Jang-Geum. Jang-Geum notices the king holds one of his hands into a fist whenever he talks and suggests taking a walk outside since it’s spring night. The king and Jang-Geum stroll through the palace as Jang-Geum explains how the weather affects the citizens and their health and how the nature is key to illness. Then Jang-Geum suggests to the king to take his shoes off and walk on the ground to feel the way the ground vibrates like her teacher taught her in the past.

The king is impressed by Jang-Ggeum’s knowledge and takes off his shoes to walk around without his shoes on. Jang-Geum tells the king he should stroll everynight when he encounters difficulty sleeping. The king asks how she knew he had trouble sleeping. Jang-Geum replies he holds his hand into a fist whenever talks which suggests he is stressed and when a person is stressed they have trouble sleeping. Jang-Geum also sugggests to the king that whenever he feels stressed he should talk to someone he trusts instead of holding it all inside himself.

The king is once again impressed by Jang-Geum’s knowledge and sensitivity and begins to walk more without his shoes. Next day in court the minister generals ask the king to punish Min Jung-Ho. The king is angry and sends them away but they state they will return tomorrow. The king is angry and sits with his hand into a fist as he stresses about what’s going on in the court. The head guard asks the king where he wants to sleep tonight and the king replies Jang-Geum’s. The king arrives at Jang-Geum’s room but tells the guard he wants to go to Yun-Saeng’s instead. When he arrives at Yun-Saeng’s room the king changes his mind again and suggests taking a walk instead.

Next day the king talks to Jang-Geum about all his troubles. The king tells Jang-Geum he never wanted to be the king but he became a king, and ever since he wondered if he had the make up of a king. Jang-Geum and the king continue to talk about their childhoods, and their memories as they laugh in between. Jang-Geum tries to explain the meaning of the king’s memories. The king replies Jang-Geum is teasing him but Jang-Geum says she is being sincere. Jang-Geum tells the king to forgive himself about whatever he feels is his shortcoming and focus on the future. Min Jung-Ho watches as the king and Jang-Geum laugh.

Jang-Geum instructs the head guard to put lots of apples before him since the smell of apple is good for the king and the king should eat lots of apples. She also tells the guard to tell the royal kitchen to prepare water kimchee instead of chili kimchee and to not offer tea at night.

The king asks Min Jung-Ho how he met Jang-Geum. Min Jung-Ho explains he has known her since the days when Jang-Geum was a kitchen maid. Then Min Jung Ho tells the king how he met Jang-Geum at the library the first time, but Jang-Geum saved him once outside the palace before that.

The king comments how Min and Jang-Geum have a long history, but the king’s history with jang-geum goes back even more. The king explains the story of Jang-Geum as a child delivering wine to his place when he was still a prince and how she begged to be a palace maid. The king asks Min if he agrees that he and Jang-Geum have quite a destiny together. Min nods.

Min Jung Ho meets with Jang-Geum and tells her she understands her helping the king, but taking a walk with the king every morning will cause a stir among palace people. Jang-Geum replies she understands.

The mother queen meets with the king and the lady queen. The mother queen asks why he meets with Jang-Geum every morning. The king replies she is healing his heart troubles but the mother queen states that’s non-sense and suggests making Jang-Geum a concubine instead.

At soo-rak-gan, Lady Min is teaching the new maids how to cook. Then Chan-Ee runs in and tells Min Sang Gong there’s a shocking news. Lady Min takes Chan-Ee into her room and Chan-Ee tells Lady Min the mother queen has ordered Jang-Geum to be a concubine. Lady Min reports the news to Yun-Saeng. Then Chan Ee reports the news to the Kangs who are surprised and worried about Min Jung-Ho. Kang and his wife begin to argue again about what’s gonna happen to Min Jung Ho and Jang-Geum. Chan-Ee who knows nothing about Jang-Geum’s relationship with Min Jung Ho, asks what’s going on. Kang whispers in her ears about the relationship.

Kangs go to see Jang-Duk and Kang Duk Gu complains to Jang-Duk about what’s gonna happen. They agree that Jang-Geum wouldn’t be happy about it. At nae-ee-ohn Min Jung Ho, the scholar, and Doctor Jung and Shin discuss how if Jang-Geum becomes a concubine then she wouldn’t be able to practice medicine again. The medicine women ask Jang-Geum if what she wanted was to be the king’s concubine. Shin-Bi defends Jang-Geum saying she only wants to practice medicine.

Jang-Geum leaves and outside she runs into Min Jung-Ho. They exhange looks but they say nothing to each other. Jang-Geum goes to see the lady queen and explains herself. The lady queen assures Jang-Geum that if the king doesn’t want it to happen then there’s nothing the mother queen can do. The king thinks about what his mother said to him and wonders if he thinks of Jang-Geum more than just a medicine woman.

The king goes to see Jang-Geum, and Jang-Geum begs the king not to accept the mother queen’s suggestion. The king tells Jang-Geum he didn’t know his own feeling until the mother queen said something. The palace officers are happy that Jang-Geum has been ordered to be a concubine since she won’t be praciting medicine then. In the court the ministers and officers beg the king to accept the mother queen’s order.

The mother queen comes to see the lady queen and asks her why she hasn’t insisted on Jang-Geum becoming a concubine. The lady queen replies Jang-Geum is a medicine woman and the king only sees her as a medicine woman. The mother queen gets angry and orders the lady queen to insist on making Jang-Geum a concubine. Min Jung-Ho practices arrow-shooting until his fingers start to bleed. Then he goes to see Jang-Geum. Jang-Geum takes care of Min Jung Ho’s wound. Min Jung Ho watches Jang-Geum mending his would and says silently, “This is the hand that I should have held onto then. Now i may never be able to hold it again.”

Chan-Ee goes to tell Lady Min and Yun-Saeng about Jang-Geum and Min Jung Ho’s long relationship. Yun-Saeng asks Jang-Geum if it’s true that Min Jung Ho is the one Jang-Geum loves. Jang-Geum begins to cry and Yun-Saeng cries with Jang-Geum and asks Jang-Geum what she will do now. Jang-Geum shakes her head indicating she doesn’t know what to do and cries more. Yun-Saeng goes to see the king and tells the king that Jang-Geum’s life is her work and if she becomes a concubine she will not be happy, then begs the king to disallow it to happen. The king agrees Jang-Geum’s work is very important to Jang-Geum’s happiness. Then Yun-Saeng mentions Jang-Geum and Min Jung-Ho love each other deeply. The king is shocked and sends Yun-Saeng away. After Yun-Saeng leaves, the king drinks wine and remembers his conversation with Min Jung Ho about his first meeting with Jang-Geum.

The king goes to see the mother queen. The mother queen tells the king and the lady queen to make preparations to make Jang-Geum a concubine. At court, the king keeps his stare at Min Jung-Ho while the officers again beg him to accept the mother queen’s order. The king tells his guard to call Jang-Geum in to see him. Jang-Geum arrives at the king’s room. Alone with Jang-Geum, the king tells her to sit closely to him. Jang-Geum sits down and looks up as the king stares at her. The king asks Jang-Geum if it’s true that she is loving Min Jung-Ho. Jang-Geum replies yes. The king is furious.