#min-soo

Brownie Points:

Seeing his treatment of Yona right after her mother died makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Even when he was so young, he had been so kind, and I can’t forget that (I reckon Yona can’t, either)

He’s unbelievably charming? That disarming disposition of his also makes him a dangerous adversary, as we’ve seen in how he deals with high-ranking people, both from Kouka - Guen-Tae! - and other countries

This guy was born for the role of someone in a position of authority. He’s amazingly good at dealing with people and settling matters. He was able to suppress the countries around Kouka with minimal bloodshed (except for Xing, that credit goes to Yona & co. He wasn’t able to see how Yu-Hon’s actions were abominable)

He’s good at the politics game (again, goes back to his attitude and skill in handling people and winning them over)

He’s selfless to a fault. This is exceptionally good for his country, as its strength and safety is his greatest priority. Also good for his people, as he actually seems to care about the inner workings too (like when he went to the Chi’Shin to fix the economy, Awa to check on trafficking, and Suika for the Nadai). This isn’t so good for anyone who personally values him, because they can never be his priority. You can’t count on him to be by your side. Also, it’s terrifying how manipulative and scheming he can be. (By manipulative I mean he can bend the situation so that it fits his desired outcome)

The way he cared for his mother right after supporting Yona. It breaks my heart to see what he had to deal with at such a young age.

He’s humble. That’s been made clear on multiple occasions, both when he was younger and now that he’s king.

His genius. Now, I’m no expert on battle strategies and tactics, but this guy is taking win after win.

He’s generally a good king. It must be said. There are a few things I don’t agree with him on, like the Xing matter, how he’s dealing w Yona, her dragons, and Hak right now in the castle, and how he became king in the first place. Otherwise, for Kouka, he is a great king. If not for Hak (and the entire plot), I would’ve liked to see him as King to Yona’s Queen.

Things I can’t forgive him for:

Along with Il, he failed Yona. With the prowess of someone who dedicated a whole decade to scheming for a coup, he couldn’t find a subtle way to train her and make her a better princess. (we see her now and know for a fact that she’s capable, but her father failed in terms of raising her to be a princess and Soowon, who has his eyes on royal affairs, hadn’t tried to see if having Yona rightfully on the throne is a viable option)

He didn’t try to subtly get Yona & Hak on  his side. Of course, Il had his eyes on Soowon, so he can’t just as well directly tell them about his plans, but we see Yona now, and unlike Soowon, she is clearly able to realize her father’s wrongdoings, and she desperately tries to fix them. Who’s to say that if Soowon (indirectly) tried to open her eyes to the world she wouldn’t have tried something with her father? Her father believed she was the rightful ruler; if Soowon asked him to step down, he wouldn’t, but if the rightful sovereign (Yona) asked him to step down so she could assume her throne, wasn’t that what he wanted to happen eventually anyway? He was just a placeholder till Hiryuu reclaims his throne. Goes back to point 1 of failing her. She’s capable both in morals (she genuinely, desperately wants justice, righteousness, and the good of the people) and skills (does this need any explanation? Look at what she’s done with the help of her dragons and Yoon and Hak: getting Shin-Ah out of the mountains, Awa with Kumji, helping the fire tribe villages regain life, getting rid of the Nadai in the water tribe, helping Yoon with his Iza seeds for the fire tribe, protecting Lily in Sei, winning over the princesses of Xing and preventing a war, and much more that I can’t remember off the top of my head) All she needed was the actual training necessary to gain the skills required of a ruler (and for someone to remove her blindfold, of course, and that could’ve been Soowon, in a way other than he did)

We know that he chose the time to kill Il bc he had been told that Yona doesn’t make a habit of visiting her father at night, which means that Soowon initially intended to appear innocent in Yona’s eyes and she shouldn’t have been a witness. Therefore, she would’ve remained a princess. Did he plan on having her quietly twirling her hair, thinking of nothing but beautiful kimonos, and longing to see him as she did when she was a princess? Was she not counted in his plans at all? Did he not actually want her to be a princess in action as well as name? How was that to happen if he didn’t train her, since he had a whole coup squad with him that he was willing to work with? It amazes me that he has such connections and didn’t consider making Yona (and Hak!) one of them. As Min-Soo said, her power in gaining the favor of the tribes’ people is truly formidable.

When she witnessed the murder, he was the one to raise his sword against her. I wished he would have just demanded her death as necessary by a guard or something, but it struck deep that he himself held the sword at first. (Not that I liked that he tried to murder her in the first place)

Soowon is blind to his father’s flaws. In fact, he looks up to him in both right and wrong, to the point where he can’t admit that what Yu-Hon did to those Xing captives was truly detestable and dishonorable.

He was plotting for a decade, and he knew for a fact that he was going to betray his friends and trample over their entire world - still, he made no effort to break away from them; he remained close, so he betrayed them as a dear, precious friend rather than a distant childhood memory, and therefore his betrayal hurts much more. This is my biggest problem with him, tbf. As soon as he knew that there’s a great chance he’s gonna betray them like that, he lost his right to their friendship, warmth, trust, care, and affection - as great a king as he is, he is a terrible friend.

What Hak thought in a chapter of the Xing arc: how Soowon was able to stomach making Yona’s day and then destroying her entire world that same night. Now, I believe both Il and Yu-Hon deserved to die, but Yona (and likewise, Soowon) didn’t deserve the tragedies that befell them (sins of the father, anyone?)

He’s a good king for Kouka, but he’s willing to subjugate other countries (unfavorable terms in the treaty with Xing) in order to strengthen his own. Any one who has lived in a country that has been oppressed/colonized by another can see what’s wrong with this.

In conclusion,

The og trio’s relationship will likely never go back to how it was, and though the thought is heartbreaking, I actually don’t want it to. I love Yona, and I always got the feeling that she cared far too much for Soowon while he didn’t hold her in high regard, and I don’t like that. It may just be his selflessness in how he prioritizes his country, but I wish he’d value Yona and Hak more. I’d like to see a heartfelt moment between the three sometime before the story ends (I pray it never ends).

What are your thoughts on this?