The King and the Clown

Two male street clowns, Jangsaeng and Gong-gil, escape to Seoul after their manager is killed during a confrontation over Gong-gil's exploitation. They flee with their fellow performers and form a new troupe with three other street artists. Their aim is to find a safer stage for their art and preserve the bond they share.

The troupe crafts a daring performance that mocks members of the royal court, including King Yeonsan and his favorite Jang Nok-su. The act provokes a treason charge and severe flogging for the performers. This defiant choice forces them to confront the dangers of court politics.

Facing execution after the treason accusation, Jangsaeng strikes a tense bargain with the king's consultant, Choseon, to entertain the monarch in exchange for clemency. The troupe travels to perform at court, enduring pressure as they prepare. Their fate hinges on whether their art can win the king's favor.

They perform for the king, and although the three minor performers crack under pressure, the act finally pleases the monarch. The king laughs and invites Jangsaeng and Gong-gil to join his court, setting their path toward power and danger. This invitation seals their trajectory with the royal household.

Emboldened by the court's laughter, the two clowns recruit more performers and distribute flyers seeking new members. They build a larger group that travels the city, spreading their art and widening the social reach of street performance. The troupe's audacity grows as their fame spreads.

The troupe notices Jangsaeng and Gong-gil share identical handwriting, an accidental skill learned by watching Gong-gil write. This becomes a subtle clue to their deep bond and shared history. Their close connection heightens tension among rivals within the troupe and at court.

A new performance mocks council members for taking costly gifts in exchange for favors, exposing court corruption. The king delights in the satire, but the council members are enraged, and a corrupt minister is publicly punished—his fingers severed and displayed as a warning. The incident unsettles the court's fragile balance.

The king's obsession with Gong-gil deepens as he is summoned to the private chambers for finger puppet shows. Jangsaeng grows anxious over the king's fluctuating favor and the danger it poses to Gong-gil and the troupe. The relationship at court becomes a source of tension and risk.

A brutal production directed by Choseon depicts the former king's mother being poisoned after a palace conspiracy; the Queen Mother dies from the shock. The troupe's work escalates the danger surrounding the royal family. Jangsaeng pleads for Gong-gil to leave, but Gong-gil wavers amid the court's peril.

Nok-su orchestrates Gong-gil's arrest by releasing flyers bearing Gong-gil's handwriting. To protect his friend, Jangsaeng takes the fall and faces a death sentence himself. Choseon privately assists Jangsaeng's escape, urging him to forget Gong-gil and flee the palace.

Choseon helps Jangsaeng escape temporarily, but he returns to the rooftop to mock the king in a bold, defiant act. The king shoots arrows at him, and Jangsaeng is captured again and imprisoned, his eyes burned as punishment. The episode deepens the tragedy and tests their bond.

Gong-gil attempts suicide but is saved by palace doctors; the king's interest in him wanes, and he returns to Nok-su. Choseon has already taken his own life, refusing to join a coup against the king. The palace's political intrigue continues behind the scenes.

With Jangsaeng blindfolded on the rope, the two performers recount their trials as Gong-gil joins him mid-air. In the climactic Jungjong coup, their artistry momentarily dizzying the king. They leap from the rope as the palace erupts around them, facing the end of an era and the fragile dawn of another.

In the aftermath, the troupe reunites with surviving friends. They joke, sing, and dance as they walk away into the distance, renewed by their shared history. They believe their clowning can endure in a world of court intrigue and peril.