Here’s a collection of quotes from the Korean series, The Murky Stream (2025):
Episode 1
“If one is born as a man, it’s his duty to rise to office in order to rule the world.” – Daeil
“Is wealth worth more than a man’s life?” – Jang Siyul
“People are like pebbles on a path. Nothing’s more worthless than human life.” – Asst Officer Lee
“No matter where you go, there’s always one loach that dirtiest the water.” – Bang
“No pay for compulsory labor yesterday. Now we can’t get paid because they’re from noble families. How are we to make a living?” – Jang Siyul
“No one should work for free.” – Jang Siyul
Episode 2
“It’s hardship, so what? We’re Bandits. We turn our backs.” – Mudeok
“Someone ordered our work. Yet no one claims responsibility for our payment.” – Jang Siyul
“I don’t need your charity. This is my wage. Can’t you be courteous?” – Jang Siyul
“Try starving for three days for a single doe of rice. You’d be willing to untie your pretty sash.” – Jang Siyul
“No matter how strong a Tiger is, it cannot fight a pack of wolves on its own.” – Yoon
“What’s the point of having so much money when I’d just be a merchant?” – Daeil
Episode 3
“I wanted to be an official so I can protect my family.” – Jang Siyul
“If the country abandons the people, then who are we supposed to believe in!” – Jang Siyul
“Should I call him a tiger caught in a trap, or a hole running wild?”
“We’re not just friends. We are brothers.” – Jung Chun
“Please be a good official. Please.” – Jang Siyul
“They say a fish rots from the head, but I struggle to find a spot in this city that doesn’t smell.” – Jung Chun
“Who is it that protects the commoners if the officials care only for pleasure?” – Jung Chun
Episode 4
“By nature, heroes don’t fall from the heavens above us. True heroes rise up on their own with their feet on the ground.” – Mudeok
“Your ridiculous flattery saved you.” – Asst Officer Lee
“I will pave the way for you. For mold like you to thrive in this world, I’ll give you what you need. A dark and damp environment.” – Wanghae
“I’ll have to teach you a lesson, reestablish order around here. And if that order is not to your liking, then remake it so that it is. That’s the sort of grit real men have.” – Deokgae
“Let’s fight.” – Jang Siyul
Episode 5
“You’ve got some real fire in you, I’ll give you that. Where did you learn to fight?” – Deokgae
“I’m not afraid. Dying isn’t the thing I’m scared of. It’s this… Having to live like this. That’s what scares me.” – Jang Siyul
“What if we tried making it on our own? We’ll live together as brothers.” – Jang Siyul
“Brother. I will protect you.” – Jang Siyul
“The thing about being a man is sometimes you succeed, sometimes you fail, sometimes you have to leave.” – Deokgae
“You meet a tiger in the woods. If you try to fight it, you’re going to die. And if you tried to run, you wouldn’t get far. So what do you do? You climb on his back and hang on.” – Deokgae
“Don’t get off. Never get off his back. Live with everything you have.” – Deokgae
“See, this is what family means. When we’re together, nothing can break us.” – Jang Siyul
Episodes 6-7
“Only the powerful get to say whatever they want to in this world.” – Daeil
“In the end, we are nothing but merchants with little clout.” – Choi Eun
“The rope you’re clinging on to right now is one that I threw down.” – Asst Officer Lee
“They may lead lives the world sees as shameful, but they have become like family to me.” – Jang Siyul
“So protecting the king means loyalty, does it? But acting to protect the people is traitorous? That makes little sense to me.” – Lord Yu Tae Seok
“I’m Mapo’s worst keeper of secrets.” – Walwal
“We eat together, we starve together. If one gets knocked down, we’re supposed to take revenge together, right?” – Malbok
“Brother. I tried to take revenge for you. I got him.” – Malbok
“Don’t blame me. I gave you every opportunity to turn and run.” – Wanghae
“Brother, I don’t know about you. But I just don’t think I can never look at that river the same way again.” – Jungbok
Episode 8
“Ultimately, human nature is like a starving demon. It’s all disgusting and rotten. It’s total hypocrisy.” – Lord Oh
“I am worried that right now, Siyul is heading straight into the belly of the beast.” – Mudeok
“You do what you have to do. And I’ll do what I have to do. That’s all there is.” – Jang Siyul
“If you want me to leave, I will. But first, I will give back what I owe you before I do.” – Jang Siyul
“The very future of Joseon rests with this map.” – Lord Yu Tae Seok
“Don’t ruin the job with your personal emotions.” – Wanghae
“You must be strong of heart and mind from here on.” – Choi Jeongyeop
Episode 9
“The light outside the door. Is that the light of dusk or the light of dawn?” – Choi Eun
“We only have one life, so why waste it living frugally? At the end of it, all our bodies die before rotting to dust. Half measures get you nowhere.”
“Everyone dies. The only difference is who goes first.” – Wanghae
“Either I turned my back on him or he turns his back on me. I don’t see any other options.” – Mudeok
“In the end, it seems life is a nightmare.” – Jang Siyul
“In this world, death would be a blessing.” – Jang Siyul
“A life for a life, blood for blood.” – Jang Siyul
Genre: Historical
Synopsis: A period drama that follows the fate of three characters in a lawless land in Joseon, where a once clear river has turned into a murky stream.
No. of episodes: 9
Cast: Rowoon, Shin Ye Eun, Park Seo Ham
Screenwriter: Cheon Sung Il
Director: Choo Chang Min
Network: Disney+
Date: September 26, 2025
English subtitle translation / Images: Disney+
KORB 