After being summoned back to the capital, Kim Myung-ha, played by Lee Shin-young, joins hands with Hee-soo to get revenge on the man who killed his father.
Kim Myung-ha is the son of the Minister of War, Kim Jong-bae, and the Queen’s nephew.
While his father is embroiled in plotting against Yi In to make Prince Royal the King’s successor, Myung-ha enjoys a fairly carefree life.
However, Myung-ha’s life changes when one of his mistakes leads to his father being branded as a traitor.
The consequences of Myung-ha’s actions
Myung-ha is in love with Kang Hee-soo and wishes to marry her, but she rejects his proposal, as he has failed to win against her in baduk.
Despite the rejection, Myung-ha remains determined to marry her, even after discovering Hee-soo’s disguise while playing baduk.
As Hee-soo, disguised as Mangwoo, plays with Yi In and frequents the same courtesan house as him, Kim Jong-bae orders her arrest in order to frame Yi In.
While Myung-ha does not disclose Hee-soo’s identity, Hee-soo surrenders to convince Jong-bae that her companions and Yi In are innocent.
The King’s sudden death intensifies the pressure on Jong-bae to extract a false confession from Hee-soo, a responsibility that Myung-ha assumes to protect her.
Myung-ha requests Hee-soo’s signature on the confession, which only makes Hee-soo dislike him more. Faced with her refusal, he resorts to forging her signature.
The fact that Myung-ha forged the signature does not stay hidden because of Yoo Hyun-bo, whose testimony leads everyone to believe that Jong-bae is a traitor.
Jong-bae is executed by Yi In then and there. On the other hand, at the Queen’s request, Myung-ha’s life is spared. He is then ordered to serve as an executive assistant in Uiju.
Teaming up with Hee-soo
Three years after leaving the capital, Yi In’s ministers advise him to punish Myung-ha, as they believe that he let the people the Qing want for trespassing the borders escape.
They accuse Myung-ha of taking bribes, even though there is no evidence against him. Myung-ha is then summoned to the capital by Yi In.
Yi In follows his ministers’ advice and dismisses Myung-ha from his post, but he then appoints him as the Sixth Royal Secretary, whose job is to revive the peach tree that Yi In’s brother planted.
Myung-ha’s return to court coincides with Hee-soo, who has returned to seek revenge on Yi In, becoming the gidaeryeong.
This time, when they meet, Hee-soo asks him to join her in her pursuit of revenge, but Myung-ha initially refuses, scared that history might repeat itself.
Despite his apprehension of hurting Hee-soo again, he ultimately agrees to join hands with her, as he is still in love with her. It is his love for her that makes him risk everything after losing it all once before.
Also Read: Kang Hee-soo: Captivating the King character explained