Chihwaseon (Strokes of Fire) Page #5

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She came back home

and helps us run the inn.

Hey, Seung-ub!

I'm so glad to see you. Do you

remember me? I'm Oh Cheon-suk.

How could I ever forget?

Erotic picture books

sell well these days.

They'll fetch high prices

if you paint some.

Have a look.

They're saucy!

We've been combing Seoul

for you for a month.

Where have you been hiding?

Come with us. King's orders.

Let go of me, halfwits!

Excuse me!

Come here.

What's going on outside?

The King is moving his residence

to Kyungwoo palace.

Why?

With the aid of the Japanese army,

the Reformists have seized power

and executed the top Conservatives.

The world has gone awry.

Care to see what I'm working on?

Yes, sir.

Come on in.

Yes, sir

Let go of me, halfwits!

I'll go myself. Hands off of me.

Let go of me, halfwits!

The Reform Party attempts a coup

with the aid of Japan.

The coup is foiled

by the Chinese army's intervention.

It's five days since

they came for you.

Everyone's been worried about you.

The world has changed a lot.

The Reformist Revolution has been

put down by Chinese intervention.

Hong and Park have been killed.

The other leaders seem

to be preparing for exile in Japan.

What became of

Master Kim Byeong-moon?

Apparently he's hiding in some remote

place. If they catch him, he'll be executed.

No Entry. House of Kim Byeong-moon,

guilty of high treason.

It's a precious piece,

full of life and rhythm.

What do you think of it, father?

I can almost hear the wind

blowing through the trees.

- Ohwon!

- Yes, sir!

I have seven sons.

Paint me seven cranes

around that pine tree.

Imagine the pine tree surrounded...

by hills and rivers and

seven cranes already there.

I was given this painting

when I was an official.

Some say it's a forgery.

Since you're here, enlighten me.

Most paintings attributed to

me are fakes. This one, too.

When I see your work, I can tell whether

you painted it with gusto or not,

and if you were standing or sitting.

I can even imagine your movements.

That painting we saw was one of yours.

Why did you say it's fake?

I gave it to a friend

for his father's birthday

but he used it as a bribe.

That makes it a fake.

Let me see...

I was told it's hereabouts.

This is the kisaeng

who lived with her.

My name is Ae-wol.

Mae-hyang left three years ago.

Did she say where she went?

I don't know.

It was dawn

on a very cold winter day.

Some soldiers came.

She ran away half-naked.

Three months later, one night

in spring, she sneaked back,

took a quilted coat

and ran away again.

The coat, which she'd

padded lovingly

and stitched with devotion,

she intended for you.

All these fields don't feed

the starving people,

only the corrupt officials.

What use are all those granaries?

It's a dream! It's a dream!

It's all like a dream!

You and I walk into the dream

This is the very dream

Waking from a dream makes me

fell into another dream.

Life was born from dreams,

live in dreams and die in dreams.

All in vain, the waking of dream.

Why then do we dream?

Sorry to spoil your enjoyment.

Ohwon!

I was able to see your painting "Reeds

and Wild Geese" at Minister Min's house.

That flock of geese

flying freely over the reeds...

if I could see it again,

my duties would feel lighter.

Thank you for the compliment but I

painted those wild geese ten years ago.

How could I paint them again?

To an artist, repetition is death.

Why all this foolish talk?

Stick to painting!

If you snubbed him because he's

only the Governor of Gobu village,

you're in for a surprise.

He's very powerful.

Those sparrows chased by a hawk

make me sad.

They remind me of

the suffering people of Gobu.

But I also feel moved when

they swoop on the hawk

like the people when

they're good and angry.

What kind of man

is the Governor?

With the King's support

and his own powerful family,

he can indulge all his appetites.

He's very corrupt.

You cheeky girl!

How can a kisaeng like you

speak ill of the Governor?

Keeping company with the hero

who disobeyed the King

and escaped from the palace

has emboldened me.

You're a plucky woman!

Fine furrowed field,

will you receive my seed?

I'm ready. I'll bear your child.

I'll make him a painter

greater than you

and wipe out the rancor

of my humble roots.

Thank you.

Fate decreed that we should meet.

Get harder.

Gather your energy.

You must sow deep inside me.

Harder.

Harder...

That's good...

Out you come.

Son of a b*tch!

Let him get dressed.

Where is the Governor

of Gobu hiding?

I don't know.

He hasn't been here.

Mongrel dog!

The lapdog doesn't know where

its mangy master is? Don't give me that.

Beat it out of him!

Here's another.

Please don't kill him! He's the

famous artist, Ohwon Jang Seung-ub!

He came from Seoul just to paint.

Spare his life.

If it's Ohwon Jang Seung-ub,

let him go.

We can't lose a man

of such divine talent.

You're just a parasite, feeding on

the honey you get from noblemen.

A grubby little money-grabber.

Piece of sh*t!

Master.

I've decided to stay here.

Becoming a painter like you always

seemed like a wild dream to me.

I served you because

I enjoyed your company

but seeing those people,

I've found my true calling.

If I can help to change the world,

I want to join up.

Where will you go, Master?

Life is a drifting cloud.

I'll go wherever my feet take me.

Protecting the homeland

and Comforting the people.

Eliminating the violence

and Salvating the people.

The tyranny of the governor

Cho Byung-Gap caused...

the sweeping uprise of

the smothered people of Chosun.

Master! Master!

What are you doing here?

I never thought I'd see you

in this world again.

The folk here are honest

and good-hearted.

I live quietly,

teaching the children.

You should come back to Seoul.

With Japan in power, the Reformists

are gaining fresh impetus.

I like this place.

Reform was a useless dream.

We should have relied on ourselves.

If the revolution had won

with the help of Japan,

what future would

our country have had?

Rumor has it the rebellious peasants

were massacred at Ugeumchi.

Protecting the homeland and the people...

Yet another empty dream.

When downtrodden,

one must rise up for justice

but one must pick the right moment.

They gave foreigners an excuse

to enter our country.

We should have built up

our own forces.

I happened upon

this painting of yours.

In it, I finally felt

the heartbeat of Korea.

It's a masterpiece.

Not a single stroke is wasted.

Who the hell are you? The rebel leader

was sold out by his trusted aide.

Night is falling

on the Chosun dynasty.

Your painting is the last flicker

of life in this dying country.

Catholics being less persecuted,

I came back to Seoul not long ago.

Since I'm only a kisaeng, I drifted

from one house of joy to another.

The Governor of Jeju island liked me

so I came with him to Seoul.

He died soon after.

I opened this house thanks to him.

I have no worries about money.

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