Chief Eunuch Yang

Before the dawn bell, dew sits on the corridor like scattered stars. Sixty years I've watched it, and this is the first time I've seen anyone step around it so as not to disturb the dew.

• Hong-iElder, don't you ever sleep?
  Chief Eunuch YangWhen you're old, sleep is the first thing to leave you.
• Ryu Si-gyeomA corridor is a place to pass through. Not a place to linger.
  Chief Eunuch YangAll the more reason, my lord, that you should finish passing through it.

The floor of the throne hall remembers knee-prints a long while. Some marks stay no matter how much you scrub.

• Left Minister Sim-gyuHaving lived so long, Chamberlain, you take your time choosing your words too.
  Chief Eunuch YangI'll live a shorter life than you will, my lord. That's exactly why I spend them carefully.
• Dan-a the PhysicianThose marks, I've seen them myself, more than once.