INT. FOYER/THRONE ROOM – DAY
SEASON LATE SUMMER
Male servant tries to prevent PM from entering.
YOUNG MALE SERVANT
My lord, you can't just go in unannounced. I need to send for His Highness first.
PM throws the servant to the side, knocking his head slightly on the wall, making servant dizzy.
PRIME MINISTER
Get your hands off me. He'll see me whether he likes it or not.
Servant shakes his head, trying to come to his senses and runs to find the steward, yelling out for help. PM heads swiftly for throne room.
THRONE ROOM
HR sits eating breakfast alone, humming to herself. PM enters and sees her, grins and approaches her. HR gets up to make a quick escape, but the PM is too fast and grabs her by the arm.
PRIME MINISTER
Where do you think you're going? Trying to run away from your own father? I didn't expect to see you here at all, but I think I can honestly say that this is the first time I'm genuinely happy to see you.
HYE-RYUNG
Let me go.
(struggling against him)
PRIME MINISTER
I will, after I've killed you.
(pulls a knife out and puts it to her throat)
This is all your fault. If you'd been a better daughter, if you'd even tried to help your family, I'd have everything I need. The only good you ever did was to get me a high position at court, and even that I did myself, using you. All this time here, you'd think you could have managed more than that. He could be eating out of the palm of my hand if you'd made the slightest attempt on my behalf. But that's how worthless you are. You've betrayed your family. Your mother died as a result of your betrayal.
(Gwi's gong noise begins towards the end of this with other sounds starting to drown out)
HYE-RYUNG
My mother died because she was married to a coward.
PRIME MINISTER
You'll die for that.
PM goes to throw the knife into her abdomen but Gwi runs between them. PM stabs Gwi instead. Steward runs into throne room with two other male servants who pull HR away from Gwi and PM. Muffled sounds, gong, and HR screaming.
HYE-RYUNG
No! Gwi!
Gwi looks down at the knife, in more pain than he'd expect to be but still knowing he can't be killed anyway. Smiles at PM. PM's pleading is muffled under the gong noise.
GWI
I am thrilled that it's finally time to send you to hell where you belong. They will give you such good treatment there, wait and see.
Gwi bites PM and throws him to the floor, spits his blood out with disgust and then bends down to wipe his face with PM's robe. Gong noise begins to fade and the chaos with HR and servants becomes clearer. More servants have gathered and only release HR when they are certain that the PM is dead. While standing, Gwi looks down to see the knife in his abdomen crumble into gold dust, feels the spot and begins to panic. HR rushes toward him while the servants also come close to help. Gwi and HR speak at the same time.
HYE-RYUNG
(panicked, feeling around his abdomen for the wound, speaking at the same time as Gwi)
Are you hurt? Is it serious? How could you-?
GWI
(with distress and urgency, taking her face in his hands)
Hye-ryung-a listen, listen. Look at me!
(she becomes still)
Hye-ryung-a I don't have much time. I can feel it, my demi-god status has been restored. I'm not a vampire anymore. And the gods are pulling at me. There's nothing I can do about it. I am going to disappear soon. I don't know when I'll be back because they decide everything now. I'll come as soon as I can. Do you understand? I'll come back to you as soon as I can. Hye-ryung-a, I love you.
HYE-RYUNG
No, no, no. Tell them no. You can't leave me. Please don't go.
(he's fading, her desperation increases)
I love you, Gwi. No-
HR falls to the floor in shock when he completely disappears, crying, crawling around on the floor looking for any trace of him, looks even around father's body. Mumbles to herself the things he said mixed with Gwi, where are you, etc.
Steward takes charge.
STEWARD
(to one servant)
Bring Kim Mi-sook quickly.
(to the other servants)
Three of you, dispose of this body as quickly as possible. Everyone else, back to your posts until I call for you.
Servants rush to do his bidding while the steward bends down to HR.
STEWARD
My lady, will you- I'll bring you some water.
Steward goes to the table and brings her back some water and a cloth for her face.
STEWARD
Here, my lady. Don't be too distressed.
(smiles, encouraging)
Master said he was a demi-god again. How can that be? And he said he'd be back as soon as he could, didn't he?
HR looks up at the steward, bewildered, wild.
HYE-RYUNG
When will that be? What happened? I don't understand-
MS rushes into the throne room.
MI-SOOK
Miss, I'm here. What happened?
(runs to HR, kneels next to her, looking between HR and steward)
HYE-RYUNG
(grabbing MS's hands, confused, panicky)
What happened? I don't know. Lee Seong, he just disappeared, didn't he? Did he?
Steward tries to calmly and positively recount the past few minutes to MS.
MI-SOOK
He's a demi-god again then? Oh, don't cry, my dear. It's wonderful news if he's been rescued from this life. And he specifically stressed the importance of his return?
STEWARD
(wanting to encourage HR)
He was insistent.
MI-SOOK
(MS hugs HR)
We can trust him to be telling the truth, my lady. I'm sure of it. He wouldn't lie to you.
STEWARD
(to MS)
Why don't you take Miss Choi to her room for now? I will need to gather the servants shortly. The news is probably spreading quickly; I may need to dispel some fears.
MI-SOOK
Yes, sir.
MS and HR leave. HR looks back for any trace of Gwi left behind as they leave. Steward looks around as well, baffled, snaps out of it and goes into action.
