The tale of Gil-dong echoes through the streets of Hyeminseo as people gather to discuss the enigmatic thief. Some believe he’s a noble rogue, stealing from the rich and gifting to the poor. Others insist he’s a handsome man, some say he’s a centenarian hermit, while others claim he’s Baekjong—a mythical figure. Some even whisper that he’s a furry monster. The rumors have made it difficult for the authorities to catch this elusive thief.
Meanwhile, we meet Hong Eun-jo, a kind and compassionate female physician at the Hyeminseo. She’s well-liked by many, and she thinks the rumors about Gil-dong are greatly exaggerated.
At the police bureau, we encounter Yoon-bok and Officer Park as they discuss the swirling rumors surrounding Gil-dong. Suddenly, Prince Yi-yeol arrives with his bodyguard, Dae-chu. The prince is immediately drawn to the legend of Gil-dong and orders Yoon-bok to take him to the last home Gil-don robbed.
Upon arrival, they realize that Gil-dong had only taken three does of rice and left behind a drawing as compensation. As expected, the owners didn't report the robbery because they had obtained the grains of rice through corruption. The amount stolen was too insignificant to report. They begin investigating other incidents to uncover the drawings Gil-dong left behind.
Yi-yeol instructs Yoon-bok to find the individuals spreading rumors about Gil-dong. He’s convinced that there’s some truth in the rumors and that Gil-dong is behind them. He also doesn’t believe Gil-dong is as righteous as people perceive him to be. Unfortunately, Yi-yeol becomes so engrossed in the investigation that he forgets his scheduled meeting with the Queen Dowager.
The Queen Dowager is disappointed that Yi-yeol is up to his mischievous antics when the king is keeping a close watch on him. She sends word to her brother to quickly arrange Yi-yeol's marriage.
On the other side of the palace, King Yi-gyu learns of the Queen Dowager's intention to have Yi-yeol marry the Chief Censor's daughter.
Feeling that the union between these two families would be detrimental to his interests, he orders the Chief Royal Secretary to intervene. Secretary Im wishes for Yi-yeol to marry the daughter of the Commander-in-Chief in Goryeo. In the meantime, King Yi-gyu indulges in his concubine and neglects his Queen consort, Shin Yeo-gyeong. She is hurt and confronts Secretary Im about his intentions to marry his son, Im Jae-l, to her niece. She fears that the Im family is expanding its influence through marriage, and no one is stopping them.
Im Jae-l is entertaining his concubine at the library when he runs into his betrothed, Shin Hae-rim. He introduces the two women to each other, causing Hae-rim to feel hurt and leave immediately. Later, Jae-l tells his concubine that he is looking to marry for love.
Meanwhile, Eun-jo continues working as a physician to bring money for her family. As the daughter of a concubine, she is regarded as a slave. Unfortunately, her mother is sick, and her brothers take advantage of her hustling spirit. Her father tries to be kind to her, but acknowledging her would put him at odds with the people. Still, Hong Min-jik buys Eun-jo her first silk dress and shoes and asks her to wear them when tending to Secretary Im's ailing father. He wishes for Eun-jo to marry one of the sons of Secretary Im. Although she is against the concept of marriage, Eun-jo honors her father's wishes.
At the palace, the Queen Dowager scolds Prince Yi-yeol for spending his time at the police bureau. She pushes him to consider marrying the Chief Censor's daughter. He agrees on the condition that he first sees the girl. He then visits the Chief Censor and his daughter, bringing up the involvement of the family in disposing of the former Queen Consort. By doing this, he ruins his chances of marrying into the Chief Censor family. However, Yi-yeol is doing all this to protect his mother from the king and his stepbrother.
On his way back to the palace, someone accidentally pours dirty water on him. Yi-yeol sends Dae-chu to fetch him clean clothes from the palace. In the meantime, he puts on some rags and waits for Dae-chu's return at the market.
Elsewhere, Eun-jo talks to the eldest son of Secretary Im about their upcoming wedding. Whatever he tells her causes her some grief. She walks back home, acting a little distracted. As she passes the market, she finds Prince Yi-yeol caught up in some drama with a nobleman's son. Everyone assumes Yi-yeol is a slave because of his outfit.
Fearing that Yi-yeol might be mistreated as a mad slave, Eun-jo steps in to save him from being flogged. Thankfully, she manages to save them both by lying that Yi-yeol is her family’s slave and begs for mercy. Unfortunately, Yi-yeol nearly ruins her work by acting offended. Eun-jo quickly drags Yi-yeol away once she sees her brothers walking towards them. Yi-yeol willingly follows her when she explains that she could be flogged to death for lying. After a while, they realize no one is following them and agree to part ways.
Yi-yeol is surprised by her nosiness, and she says it is her only gift. She hints at her hard life but refuses to tell Yi-yeol the truth about her family. Given her silk dress, he assumes she is from a struggling noble family. It starts raining, and they take cover together under a building. He is shocked when Eun-jo removes her silk shoes to prevent them from getting muddy. She also tells him that she owns only one silk dress.
As they wait for the rain to pass, Yi-yeol mentions that he has never been rained on. Eun-jo tells him that sometimes standing in the rain feels like washing away her sorrows. Suddenly, Yi-yeol finds himself covering her from a water tarp that is about to fall. Eun-jo helps him rinse his coat and begrudgingly thanks him. The rain finally stops, and Yi-yeol gives her his sisal shoes. Before Dae-chu arrives, Yi-Yeol asks Eun-jo to meet him on the day of the full moon at Soha village in the evening. He claims he wants to reward her, but he actually wants to punish her for mistaking him for a mad slave.
In the evening, Dae-ll tries to talk Min-jik out of treating Eun-jo with compassion. He threatens to sell the silk dress Min-jik got for Eun-jo. Through a flashback, we learn that Eun-jo is set to marry the ailing father of Secretary Im and not his son. Unfortunately, Min-jik had no idea about this. Later that evening, Eun-jo discovers that her dad has been doing transcription work for the past year to keep the family afloat.
Things took a drastic turn for the family after Min-jik was fired as the minister of war during the Literati purge. He didn’t get along with the new king and spoke his mind. His family lost everything, and even their house now belongs to Secretary Im.
The following day, Yi-yeol heads back to the police bureau to oversee the interrogation of two people accused of spreading rumors surrounding Gil-dong. Yi-yeol suspects the woman knows more than she is saying and asks Yoon-bok to keep an eye on her.
In the interim, Eun-jo pays a visit to Secretary Im and strikes a deal with him. She agrees to marry his ailment-ridden father, provided that Secretary Im keeps the secret of her true betrothed until the wedding day. Secretary Im agrees and sends lavish wedding gifts to Min-jik. It soon becomes apparent that Secretary Im is taking advantage of Min-jik’s family after they were ousted during the Literati purge.
After her meeting with Secretary Im, Eun-jo walks aimlessly to Soha village and finds Yi-yeol waiting for her. She decides to seize this opportunity to live as a woman for one last time. She suddenly runs up to him and pulls him in for a kiss. After the kiss, she runs away, leaving Yi-yeol stunned and processing what just happened. Yi-yeol realizes that she stole his first kiss and chases after her. However, Eun-jo hides behind a tree as curfew begins.
Later, she gets ready and puts on her Baekjong mask. The episode ends with Prince Yi-yeol vowing to find her, while she prepares to rob another storehouse as her alter ego, Gil-dong.
