#mlshr:characterstudy

*I DO NOT HATE WANG SO, NOR IS THIS A POST CRITICISING HIM. IT IS BASED ON MY OPINION , AND IT AIMS TO POINT OUT AND EXPLORE  HIS “VILLAINOUS SIDE” THAT SHAPES HIM THROUGHOUT THE DRAMA.

I just wanted to point this out because I’ve noticed people have two reactions to it. Either there’s people denying it or people heavily emphasising on it.I would like to clarify,that Wang So is very much a character that is caught in crossroads, stuck between both his selfless heroic nature and his ,beastly savage side.

The show never denied his villainy, not even for a moment.He was always dangerous,scary and he himself, usually acknowledges his crimes and extreme personality.

The only difference is , he had the scope to be a better person. He realises he is in the wrong and understands the consequences of his actions. But even then , he never changes. Murder is always a full forged solution in his book.

But what made his personality more flawed was his anger, pride and this ability to listen to only himself. It’s what made him into a powerful king too, but it’s also what affected his relationship with Soo towards the end.

It’s hard to discern whether his impulsive , suspicious nature is the result of his environment and circumstances that he grew up in or just his personality. His Nature. But Wang So has always been pragmatic, opportunist and suspicious of those around him.

When we see him enter the palace, he kills of a horse. When Jimong offers him the opportunity to protect the crown prince , he questions his intentions. And he never opens up to anyone and is always on guard, full of excuses and masks. Which is why when Yeonhwa suggests he learns with the princes, he says he prefers being alone with his hunts. We all know he wants to live in Songak,but he says this because he doesn’t want her to know his intentions. And even Yeonhwa,can see through it.

He isolates himself from people.And it’s this exact combination of stubbornness, impulsivity and constant suspicion that makes it so easy for him kill anyone quickly and justify it. And since he isolated himself, there’s no one to stop him or make him think on it.And hence, he grows up, used to his extreme actions and not reflecting on it. Though he has his moments of regret, it’s not something he dwells on a lot.And he will never admit to it too,because he has pride.

All this makes it all the more easy for him to justify his actions.

It makes him either invincible or impossible and stubborn. Quite possibly both, but that doesn’t mean he is not bound to face the consequences of his actions. He is human after all, and if he chooses reckless actions one after the other and defend it, he’s bound to face the consequences. It doesn’t matter if he has a good reason or not. General Park points that out to him , clearly.

But he doesn’t think it through , and just ponders it for a while. But this moment, pretty much sets the stage for his inevitable end. All throughout his life he has to kill to survive, but the more he kills, the more enemies he creates and the more he has to cover up his path. And hence , the lonelier he becomes.

Meanwhile his relationship with Soo blossoms,and he finds it hard to explain his feelings for her.She shows him empathy and never judges him in his worst state,and tries to understand him. She treats him with kindness and like any other human being. He finds it easy and comfortable to talk to her and be around her.He opens up to her easily and listens to her easily. He also thinks about her and willingly incorporates what she says into his thoughts and actions. In other words , he has a crush on he doesn’t realise it. It’s quite hard for him to understand his own feelings, given how lonely he grew up.

And when he does,he is confused yet thrilled. But he still doesn’t possess complete understanding of his emotions, and he is not completely comfortable with having a person who sees right through him. Like when she sees right through his insecurity of his scar.And he punishes her for that by silence , and reprimanding her when she makes his favourite tea.

He ignores her, and it’s not until she reaches out to him after the rain festival does he put his defences down. But then, this was only achieved through her own efforts.In order to help him,she creates a foundation that conceals his scar,and she helps him succeed in the rain ritual.

He pretty much sets his heart to her after that and chases her and focuses on getting her for himself.He never listens to her rejection or her refusal and is quite insistent with his ways.He seeks her out and is quite determined to have her and he uses all means possible to have her by his side. Like he asks the King for her, then he takes her out of the palace ,drinks poison to protect her and stands by her side.

But little does he realise that this puts her in danger more than anything else. Because the more he chases her the more jealous Wook gets, the more worried his father becomes and the worse her reputation becomes ,because everyone calls her “bad luck” and blames her for how he turned out. But thing is , he does not realise it. He never sees the damage he’s unintentionally caused to her because in his mind he’s doing the right thing, choosing the right thing. He won’t listen to anyone who disagrees and he defies anyone who tries to stop him and that includes the king. In his mind, he already sees himself as the Knight in shining armour, who fights for the woman he loves.

And as his feelings grow, he also finds himself getting easily jealous. He has this habit of just assuming things and sticking by it, and it makes it hard for him to communicate.When he has to marry someone and is aware that is a deal breaker to her, he never reveals to her the reason behind it. Fans say this better than making up a excuse but I don’t see how this is better as it just leaves her alone without an explanation.All because he assumes she would hate him anyway.At the end of the day an explanation is better than an assumption or an excuse. He gets jealous when Baek Ah gets her the best present. His emotions have now become completely besotted with her,and is eager for real romance .So it’s not much of surprise to see his reaction after he discovers Jung hid in her room,it’s clear that he’s suspicious and doesn’t trust her easily.But this time , he goes to her asks her. He communicates and clears his doubts and reaches a deal. And it’s all sweetness for once.

Soon, their loyalties are tested, and they both hesitate to sort it out on their own. Wang So tries to sort it out all by himself and Hae Soo is hiding the people he’s searching for, eventually confesses to her , she holds back since she has too many warnings and supernatural visions that hold her back, but she does trust him . But it’s too late,and he ends up killing a brother and that haunts him. But that’s what pushes him to realise his place and finally steer him towards his path of being king.But for that when he’s asked to sacrifice Soo, he understands and breaks up with her in the cruelest way possible,by blaming her for his brother’s death.

The thing is, while saying those cruel words, he is also venting his anger out to her. When he returns he is still cold to her , but she still chases after him.She is burdened with guilt,and he cannot deny his feelings. Soon this leads to reincoincillation But thing is, Soo know he left her for the throne, but listens to his other reason anyway.She is beyond the point of no return, desperate to be with him. Hence gets what he wants, the throne and the girl.And they’re happy , for a while.

Until the issue of their marriage comes up,and everyone around Soo reminds her that she cannot marry him and be queen.The whole court urges So to marry Yeonhwa and he holds back, stubborn and he refuses to listen to them.Again Hae Soo ,has to give her approval and seem weak or the bad person.She is willingly talking the burn out for their relationship, both publicly and personally. Meanwhile , So grows more powerful.And he doesn’t back down this time.

He gets more stubborn and set in his ways,and refuses to listen to anyone else, especially now that his word is practically the law.He distances himself from Soo because he’s failed to live up to his promises of marrying her and starts channeling his anger to the Court and Jung .So he doesn’t hold back and starts unleashing his power and vengeance , beginning with Jung when he opposes him, and forbidding him to see his mother.When his mother protests , he forbades him to see her , which causes the queen to go on a hunger protest, asking to see her Jung.

We see Soo try to stop it , yes out of concern for Jung. But only because it’s in her character and she foresees the disastrous consequences, that it could possibly haunt him in the end and it did, in a way he never saw coming. When she sends for him ,he doesn’t reprimand or argue with her,he directly threatens her with punishment , proving he’s finally become the King he’s destined to be. Everything that was Wang So has already submerged into his conscience and only Gwangjong remains.

How could anyone expect her to understand him, when the man who loves her and risked his life for her is now threatening her with punishment, while instilling fear in her ?He’s being a King more than anything else. Jung arrives late and the queen dies.He later berates her for not taking his side, and walks away before she has the chance to apologise or provide comfort. He’s broken yes, but he is also unwilling to listen.Then, he proceeds to kill Chaeryung without an explanation, probably expecting her understanding in that matter too. People still blame Hae Soo , like they do for everything. But it was too much of a shock for her, just watching as she is beaten to death,without any anticipation or explanation.So explains his reason, but it’s too late, the graphic images of what she saw still reel in her head and no excuses can properly apply, because he really did kill her without warning. The reality of the palace becomes clear to Soo, and she makes up her mind.

Meanwhile, Wang So is furious and he blames Wook for all this,and when he goes to his room.He finds Yeonhwa , sitting there trying to trick him into consummating the marriage,but he sees through it.He makes a deal with her to get his revenge against Wook and it involves making the same promise he made to Soo.

So executes his plan to stand up to Wook, but he’s shocked to see Soo stand up to him. He states that he doesn’t like it but he listens to her this time, only because she doesn’t give him the opportunity to walk away by kneeling and she comes up with a good reason.

People point out and sometimes even write lengthy metas defending his actions, romanticising it and citing it as the greatest example of love to ever exist. But they fail to understand why this is considered problematic.It’s problematic because it’s so twisted and it’s bound to have consequences. He’s out here framing his brother, using consummation with his sister as colleteral, and is deriving pleasure out of momentary revange using his position of authority.As if that’s not that’s not bound to have consequences.

As viewers, we have an idea of how conniving Wook is. But the  idea Goryeo’s society has of Wook is he is a wise scholar an benevolent individual, a brother in law of the king who would be gracious enough to marry off his sister to him. He has the ministers in his fingertips, and if the King were to kill him over a bird, it would just prove what they and history have been thinking : That he’s a tyrant and a wolf dog who’s only good at killing people. He’s early into his reign and it would certainly build up a reputation that would not get him respect from the ministers.On top of that this was a guy that blamed himself for killing his brother for years.

And that’s exactly why Soo stops him. Sure she doesn’t want Wook to die, but also doesn’t want So to be remembered only as a bloody king. But this riles up his suspicion and Jealousy and increases his paranoia more than anything else.Next we have Jung , who finally has a chance to use his decree. He goes to Soo, who basically says what she’s been saying all along.  That she wants to leave and there’s no hope for their relationship.She’s honest with him and even confesses her hate.He again doesn’t listen to her and walks away, vowing he’ll never let her go.

And it finally allows Yeonhwa to execute her plans meticulously and for Wook to have his revenge. Wook confesses his past relationship with Soo, and it literally turns his brain upside down.He cannot believe the woman he loves used to love his enemy and she still sticks up for him. And it’s all it takes for his paranoia to sweep in and convince himself that she has never loved him and it was all Wook. He says he’ll never see her again and agrees to let her out of the palace.

I guess his actions after this split truly exhibit the many layers of his characters: his insecurity, his hypocrisy, pride ,vulnerability and jealousy. Insecurity in his feelings for Soo, that she loves someone more than him. That she never loved him and has abandoned him.Jealousy in the fact that she loved and married someone else.I guess these overwhelming emotions make him really vulnerable, and that’s what makes him cry, and still keeps tabs on her, because despite all the anger and hatred , he cannot forget her.

Besides, we cannot discuss his aspects of villainy without discussing his childhood, which is really the cusp of where it all begin. Personally, I think he only survived because he’s Wang So. He Fought back.He never let anyone disrespect him,and he found his own way to derive respect.  I think he deliberately improved on his skills, from combat to education, he improved because he wanted to prove to everyone that’s he much more than what they think. He doesn’t care for people. He only cares for his people. He’s only selfless towards those he cares about.

And that’s where his final and most darkest qualities surface: his pride and hypocrisy.All of his actions, from the beginning to the end, have been influenced by his “pride”. There’s no denying that it’s a big part of his character and the writer made it clear from the get go. We cannot say if it’s because of his traumatic childhood, and how he was treated as a hostage or it really is a underlining element of his personality, but Wang So is all about proving thing this to people. Proving that he is someone who’s much better what they think and getting back at them for putting him through what they did. It’s Soo that makes him see that power can be something more . That it can be used to do something more and help people. It’s she who makes him selfless.

But with that pride and pent up anger, he has this side of him that’s bit of an hypocrite. Why else do you think he’s able to continuously make excuses for all his actions, from the beginning? I’m not sure if it’s because he’s him or hypocrisy is a dominant gene that gets passed on to every member of the Goryeo Royal family and runs fresh in their veins , but just like all of them, he’s an hypocrite. He only sees his side of things.

He blames Soo for leaving him , but he left her as well. Two years prior, and even now. He accuses her of not trusting him and not understanding him , but as we can see , he’s the one with trust issues and he’s the one who misunderstood her feelings. He spies on her and assumes she never loved him , and really, this time he cannot blame anyone else but himself for his actions. It’s because of these actions that they have such a painful separation. He’s so involved with himself at this point , that besides seeing only his side of things, he views himself someone who’s wronged, but he never sees how much he’s actions hurt and affect the ones he’s loved .

There’s no denying that that throne makes him very vulnerable that his insecurities and guard go up times higher , making him isolate people even more. But it’s what makes him such a hypocrite , because he can only see his side of things and excuse anything he does. Especially now that he’s a king , he believes his judgement is better than everyone. Besides, anyone in a position of power, have to be a bit of an hypocrite to begin with. The trick is to not let it completely consume you. But it does and it isolates him, and its what causes him to shut himself from everyone.

In retrospect, I still vehemently hold on to my view that it was best for Hae Soo to leave the palace.With his tunnel vision, once again he never sees the danger he puts Soo in. He tells Soo that she would be his only Queen, but he says the same thing to Yeonhwa to make her give up on her brother. But he doesn’t see that she expects to have him all to herself and be  his “only queen”. So when he plans on making Soo his “second queen” and she has a child on the way, how did he think Yeonhwa will react? With open acceptance and genuine Joy? He’s so blind to her problems and caught up in his struggle, it does not even occur to him how there’s no hope for her in the palace.

All of this problems arise because of all the reasons that I’ve discused in detail. I’m not denying Hae Soo has a part in it, but this is a post focusing on Wang So’s flaws. It’s because he’s possessive, stubborn, arrogant and ignorant that he reaches the conclusion that she never loved him, believes the words of a random spy and spies on her and sees what he wants to see.

There is this thing where people always compare his love to Jung’s and argue that Jung loved better, because he didn't expect anything in return.I would like to remind them that there was a time and Soo didn’t reciprocate Wang so’s feelings and he was ready to sacrifice everything for her. He would drink poison for her. But it all changed when she started loving him back. It’s hard predict how Jung would’ve been if she reciprocated his feelings, but I’m sure he wouldn't’ t have been the same. But where his love triumphs  over So is in the respect he had for her as a person. Jung respected Soo. He respected her choices, her likes and her personality. Whereas,So only agreed with aspects of her personality and disagreed with the rest. He never respected or understood her as a whole. There was no acceptance of her as whole. His love is great but it’s also very suffocating, because there’s no space for her as a whole , flawed person. In his love there’s only space for the Soo he wants her to be: kind, understanding, fun, naive,loyal, and smart. But the stubborn, arrogant, independent, impulsive Soo that can argue back and make her own decisions ? Let’s just say there’s a reason her never listens to her in the first place.

Which is why when the news of her death reaches him and he reads the letters,  The consequences of his actions finally hit and the reality is so cruel he cannot handle it. Which is why he is in so much denial,that he is rushing in the hopes of seeing her one last time. But this time, he’s simply too late.

And this was partly a consequence of his own actions, but it finally hits him: He’s all alone now.He finally understands Hae Soo and longs for her.

The thing is, it wouldn’t have ended up all like this if he had listened to her or apologised. But like mentioned above, all his insecure,dark qualities come together, and bring out his worst self.

But ironically, that’s exactly what Goryeo needed at the time.They needed a king who’s stubborn, not easily influenced and full of pride that will withstand till the end.A king who is powerful enough to push his law through, despite opposition from noble families. And now, he has more than enough reasons to influence him and push him through those decisions. From his horrible childhood to Soo, everything stood as a reason for shaping him into who he is set to become: The powerful 4th King of Goryeo.

But its sadly it’s exactly those qualities destroys his relationship with Soo. As long as he is king, she will be used as his weakness.

My main point in writing this lengthy, tedious post is because to be honest, I’ve seen way to many Wang So stans in this app, who in order to support him, bash and blame other characters for his actions, and look at him through dreamy, swoon worthy glasses. They overlook his flaws and make defences for it, but the things flaws are very much a central point of his character.

He is a passionate lover and an astute King. But he is also is an experienced and skilled warrior, a possessive and jealous man who has no problem with scheming or giving out harsh punishments.He is childish, with trust and mommy issues and he has never recovered from the scars of his childhood. All of which eventually shapes the man he becomes.

Though it’s romantic that he states he will find her wherever she is, even if he does, it won’t bring him the romance or closure he desires. Why? Because, he still has to face the consequences of his own actions. He has to answer why he never came to get her, why he thought she never loved him etc..

He has to learn from his mistakes and understand Soo better.He needs to learn to differentiate love, and to trust her more.He needs to handle his anger properly and not confuse and channel it towards Soo. He needs to respect and understand Soo better, and all of that takes time.And space. And lots of conversations and privacy.

It’s ironic but once again through on his own words, he’s set to prove himself all over again. For all the discussions on “fate”, it seems like he’s deciding his own “fate” now. Again, very heroic but the road to it is very difficult, and there’s no Hae Soo to bear the brunt of making difficult decisions anymore.

But the real question is, whether is the same qualities that drew them apart, will it lead him to her now?

Many call Hae soo dumb and compare her to Ruoxi and I have to emphasise , time and time again Ruoxi knew what she was getting into , knew the place, time and people.

Hae Soo did not .

Ruoxi was lucky and privileged on so many levels . Everyone knew she was different and even in the rigid institution such as the Place make allowances for her, because they find her cute and smart.

The princes , on her side trying to help and mediate for her.

Her sister, on her side , as always and she is alive for most of the drama.

The Palace servants who adore her.

Her enemies? They respect her and even make friends with her.

The King, on her side, she defies him to many times and he does punish her , but he also forgives and takes her back.

The Head Enuch, who cherishes her.

The Mongols and Princess Minmin, who cherish and forgive her.

Both eighth , fourth and fourteenth who loved her and fought for her.

The Empress, who agreed to let her have a relationship with the king, and tried to convince the Emperor to take her back.

It’s uncanny for all the realism that the story is trying to convey, that Ruoxi had this many characters supporting her, and everything was set up for her to accept and adjust into the Qing life but she still refused to accept it, because things didn’t go the way she envisioned. And by trying to stop them , recklessly, she only made things worse. She just cannot accept it , though there were little dangers and abuse awaiting her life in the palace.

Meanwhile,Hae Soo is out here , stuck in a system she neither understands or supports .

From the moment she gets there, she is always put in danger.

From being under suspicion for spying bathing princes to beating up a prince.

Nobody listened to Hae Soo, or allowed her to exercise her own free will.

When she is in the Palace, the King is quick to remind her to know her place.

She had visions from the future, that seem to hit her whenever she’s able to make a decision that the universe wouldn’t agree with it.

The princes are eager to play with her and romance her and this puts her in danger, as we can clearly see court ladies bullying her and Court lady Oh punishing her.

Jimong is eager to use her for his own benefit of making fourth prince king, but he never gives her advice on how she can live for herself.

All the princes who claim to love her impose their own will on her and expect her to take their side at everything.

Her enemies like Yeonhwa love blaming her for everything , framing her and then using her when necessary.

And she was tortured and was never treated well.

Her mother figures died early.

Everyone from water maids to the mighty royals love placing the blame on her for just about everything, beating her up and bullying her.

On top of that, two of the men she loved didn’t even understand an aota of her feelings and schemed and pushed her away because they couldn’t handle their own jealousy.

To top that, everyone was always watching her and spying on her.

Nobody even listened to her to begin with .

The question you should ask yourself is , is this women even allowed to show that she is smart?

When she is not even listened to ?

When the tiniest choice and involvement gets her framed and puts her in danger with no one on her side, is it even reasonable for someone to expect her to scheme and act arrogant, as if she’s a Royal when she’s not ?

Because, honestly there’s no point in fighting over who’s smarter without even analysing the circumstances they were put in or what privileges and choices they were afforded.

Bbjx was very much a story of how individual flaws lead to destruction and affect human relationships.

TRIGGER WARNING IF YOU VEHEMENTLY THINK HE DOES *

Sweet ,serious ,intoxicating Wang So.One never gets enough of him do they ?

We all have our reasons for liking the character.I like him for his duality, whereas others seem to like him for various reason and sympathise with him on a deeper level.

I get that .Wang So was very much, from the beginning to the end of the drama “a political hostage”, only differing in various contexts. He couldn’t do what he wants or be with who truly wants to be because of “the throne”.

He went through abhorrent, extreme amounts of abuse.Both physically, from his hostage clan and emotionally, by loneliness and by being caught between his parents, one who favoured him and one who abandoned him.He was also caught between the feud of two rival clans .

He grew up,learning survival and sharpening his wit.All this is made very clear in the beginning of the drama.

Obviously,  he never accepted his fate. Soon, he learned to kill ,hunt and wield his sword and excelled at it. He used his sword to save himself many times and it resulted in building him a savage , scary reputation.But he did not deny it, but instead he thrived of the fear and power it got him.

This is pretty much shown in his opening scene.

There has been hints of his “hunting tendencies” and his cruelty through the first episodes. Whether it’s what he says to Yeonhwa , or what people say about him and his “cruelty” to the members of his clan. He’s obviously very trained and experienced at both hunting and killing.

We see that when he assassinates the monks and sets the temple on fire.

The way he closes his eyes and lets his senses to do the work pretty much shows how skilled and experienced he is. 

My points for deliberately emphasising on these aspects of his character is to point out that these are internalised parts of his character that he never loses,but doesn’t exhibit when he no longer has any particular need for it. I believe we tend to overlook it because the drama doesn’t show it much and it strategically begins the storyline from his entry into the palace,making his childhood nothing more than a tragic backstory for the audience to sympathise with.

Now ,enter Hae Soo. A modern woman with a heart of gold ,brute bravely and very modern,and in those times,unorthodox thinking and sensibilities.She has her own pursuit but she keeps butting into his and ruining his plans.

He doesn’t mind even threatening or raising a sword to her neck or going to duel with Wook to put an end to it.He’s very short tempered,emotionally explosive and has his feelings all over the place .

But she keeps going after him. And seeks him out even when he’s at his most deranged.

And even then,she spares him kindness and understanding,giving him exactly what he’s been craving for : Acceptance.

He takes his time,but he eventually understands and acknowledges his feelings and admits it to her.

She rejects him,countless times but he pursues her, relentlessly.His deep emotional attachment to her is no joke.But it’s also not a heroic ,epic form of love that should be held to a higher standard. Though I admire his ability to give her space ,respect her choices and seek her out whenever he can,I don’t appreciate how he blatantly disregards his own well-being or position to save her.As far as I am concerned,Hae Soo hates it too.In fact ,the two most “romantic” or “epic” moments in the series showcase this.

Though it’s safe to say that it did make Soo look at him in a different angle ,it also made Soo feel very guilty,as she starts to think he ends up where he is because of her.As much as I would like Soo to understand that everyone ended up where they are because of their own personal choices, I can’t deny the fact that she is partly right.

Given his already shaky position at court,him throwing everything away for the sake of a girl only makes him look irrational in the eyes of Goryeo society. From a prince who is savage and feared,he is now a prince who cares little about his position,throwing it all away for the sake of a Water Maid.If he had proceeded with a marriage,he would have looked like a buffoon and someone who’s clearly not suited to be King. They clearly would not have been very happy for long,because even if he’s stripped of his duties he would still be a prince by birth and thus be a target for whoever sat on the throne.

Besides ,him not being King would probably change history for the worst, as it would completely change the order of Kings,which would probably lead to change in the order of dynasties as well and the entire future of Korea ,maybe even Asia.

Many fans, still hold it that what Wang So got in the end was a very tragic fate and that he deserved better. But I will argue against that . For me ,it shouldn’t be a question of if he deserves better but what he deserves more?

The throne or love ? Its easy to conclude he needed love the most seeing how lonely he is. But the thing his being King is a lonely and paranoid Job. The show illustrates that very clearly by showing the lives of all three Kings before him. All of whom who died. lonely, miserable deaths.Even King Taejo ,who in the sense of the world ,had everything anyone could ask for: The power, the wealth, the Women, Children, friends and the woman he loves by his side for most of his reign, died a lonely ,miserable death.

We have very little idea of what truly went on between Court Lady Oh and King Taejo, besides how they ended and the miscarraige plot. We never Know if Court Lady Oh stayed truly due to her wishes or becuase the King refused to let her go. What we do see is ,the King being lonely and paranoid throughout the course of his life in the drama. But he only realises it after her death. Worse, he pretty much blames her for the way things ended and was probably, in denial of how miserable the woman he truly loves was for most of his life. There’s no guarentee So and Soo would have been different if she had continued to stay in the palace.

Most fans hold it that So is so different from his father, that he puts the woman he loves before anything else. But throughout the course of the drama, it doesn’t bring protection or comfort to Hae Soo, but puts her in danger and makes her more miserable than anything else. Because, in the political sense , Hae Soo is nothing more than leverage to be used against him. That has also been illustrated very clearly.

When she used by Yo & Wook to control So

When she was used by the Hwangbos to pressure him into marriage and to question his legitimacy as King

Even in death, her name is still used by Yeonhwa to hurt him. Making it clear, wherever she’s at, she will always be his weakness in the political sense. And his ability to put her before everything else, only makes him look like a weak, incompetent ruler in the eyes of the Goryeo society. As long as she stays, he would never fully concentrate on his duties as King and would never be able to rule the way he wants. Though its never said, it’s explicitly shown throughout the series.

Her leaving was a strategic move on her part, as it left him to do pretty much whatever he wants with the throne, and saved their child from danger. Though in the end, he may seem lonely and lost, it cannot be denied that in the eyes of the world, he has everything. Though it may seem like he has no freedom to do as he pleases, he has the freedom to rule as he pleases.

And it all comes down to the fact that he has no visible weakness or family. Though lonely, he used his power to enact laws no other King before or after him dared to. Though he was hated in his times,with his power and his work as King, he went on to become the most powerful King in history of Goryeo. Even Wook is forced to grapple with the fact. 

Having the freedom to rule as he pleases is a freedom only few Kings can afford. Since this drama is focused on looking at him through the romantic lens , we pity him and say he has lost everything. I feel through that perspective, we are looking at it through a narrow spectrum, becuase once you look at the bigger picture, you will relaise how much he has gained than lost.

From being a lowly, absued political hostage that was hated and disrespected enough to be thrown stones at, he rose to become one of the most powerful king of Goryeo, all in his own merit. His rise in rank is clearly expressed through his clothes. Now everyone, who either threw a stone at him or abused him are under his mercy and there’s nothing they can do to escape it. From someone who’s life was controlled, he became someone who controlled everything. Though history is harsh, it isn’t free from the fact that he was a wise, capable ruler.

•This is a very long post that can be considered a rant ,but I use valid points that sound valid to me .And yes, I hate her for reasons I’ll discuss below.

We all love a independent , strong female lead don’t we?  Especially, a woman who is strong, intelligent female charector in Historical Saeguks, who doesn’t rely on men for support and ruthlessly cry over them.

I have to admit, when I first came across Yeonhwa I was,thrilled. She was completely enchanting on screen, with her looks , posture and aura. Her hatred for Hae Soo didnt put me off so much. But slowly and surely, she started ticking me off as the drama progressed. While we saw many charecters like Soo and So evolve, but we saw her evolve backwards, as in she became far less likable as the episodes progress.

At first when we are introduced to her in her robes with a string of sevants at her beck, we are not denied of her sneaky , smug personality. In fact, the first thing Soo notices was how she likes to put people down in a roundabout way, and her crooked smile and expresion. Which is a very accurate depiction of her personality.

At the very first episode, we see her immaculate manipulation skills as she basicallly manipulates Soo into mixing the glue on her own accord.

I was still rooting for her though, and I was willing to give her the benefit of doubt, as she seemed to genuinely care about her family and So. I very much believed her stance of pushing her brother to get into a stronger political marraige to protect her family and that she had genuine affection for her brothers and their lives, when they tried to get Soo out of a political marraige.

It’s obvious from the first episodes that she and Soo don’t get along. Especially in episode four she clearly gets a rise out of whipping Soo. The actress mentioned there was a reason why she hated her long that wasn’t shown but I think her deep resentment comes from Hae Soo refusing to show respect and easily obey her in the first episodes.That’s why she is so pissed at her.

For Yeonhwa, status and reputation are the most important.Especially after her exile , she works very hard at presenting this sweet, poslished image of herself to the world.She is happy when Soo is about to be married off,but she is pissed when she learns it’s her father. Why? Because that would mean Soo would surpass her in social status and to Yeonhwa nothing more is nightmarish than treating Soo as her equal.

All that pretence came crashing down in episode seven, where her true manipulative nature and motive is revealed. I have to give it to her because boy did she really own this episode. We first see her encouraging her brother to be King while playing the sweet, caring sister. Smiling sweetly and stating to him that she will not mind if she is even sold off, stating she will only marry someone who will help him become King.

Earlier , we see her play the perfect daughter to the King, smiling sweetly, saying pretty much what she said to Wook, that she does not mind being married off, but in a different fashion that shows she trusts and loves her father. We see her try hard to fix her face from showing her true ambition, and saying the right things that only bring him joy.

This sets her on her mission for pretty much the entire drama. Whether it’s marrying one of the princes or being a sister, she only wants to align herself and remain family with whoever eventually sists on the throne.  She wants to be Royalty, for life.

There is no need for love for her, in her mind there is only ambition and power.

In episode seven, we see her play the sweet sister all over again,but this time to gain the sympathy of her brothers, as she arranges a brithday party for Eun, where she announces the King’s decision to marry her off to incite sympathy and action from them.

This is where her hypocrisy is defined at it’s finest. Because she judged for Soo for getting help from the princes so hard and now she is pretty much expecting the same. And it’s all fine on her part because they are Royalty.

She does get the attention she wanted as Yo offers his hand in marraige,but she sets her eyes on So, in whom she sees great potential but admits needs more power and polishing. As she admittedly stated that she wanted to tame him in an earlier episode.

I think she sees in So a potential to be King,but she also sees in him a potential to be controlled, and that is why she chases him. I think she is very aware of his capacity and true, kind nature and that is why she concludes this.

I guess she wants all the recognition for turning a wild prince into a powerful , capable King.

But the thing is, she is a very skilled liar and her loyalties lie all over the place. She pushes her brother to be king, but she also keeps Yo on his toes without rejecting him completely while she chases So, offering him the power that she is pushing her brother to chase. She very much enjoys people fighting over her as it makes her feel powerful, as clearly shown in her expressions in episode five.

She accuses Soo of playing with people’s emotions and betraying her brother, but she does the exact same thing. Intentionally. As early as episode seven.

I think she hates Soo because she easily won the affection and loyalties of the princes without making an effort ,is easily favoured by them, and is protected by all of them. And she does so without having the ettiquette, understanding of the palace nor does she have the position, but she is easily given all the privilleges, even being allowed to be a part of a royal birthday celebration.She’s a contradiction to every thing she ever learnt and she captures the hearts of two of the men she cares for.

So when Soo manages to get the interest of So, she immediately loses the hold she has over him and silently watches in scathing jealousy as both So and the Princes become completely enthralled by Soo’s performance. She doesn’t understand her and she only sees her as the threat.

We see her continue to put Soo in her place and her hatred and her vengence to have her removed festers in episode nine, when her brother is so willing to give up everything and move to their hometown to settle down with Soo.

Yeonhwa has this clear pretense she uses, playing the victim and having justifiable resons. She cities the reason of protecting their clan and constantly brings up what Queen Yoo did to them. But she contradicts her own grudge, by teaming up with the same person who is responsible for their exile to get what she wants.

I think this makes it clear what her loyalties and priorities lay, she will team with her mother’s enemy and even her own, if that enemy can provide her with the assistance that her family refuses to provide.

So she teams up with Yoo to poison the Crown Prince , while secretly arranging to eliminate Soo at once. I think this is her another tactic,to place a card on the table while hiding one under her sleeve.

When her plan goes awry, she is shocked that the man she has her eyes on will drink the poison for the woman she hates. So she pretends to drink the poison, pretty much imitates So and falls and gets the Queen to expose it, as she weakly states to get help for So. Brilliant execution,on her part.

Most say this expresses her love for him, while I say this exposes her brilliant, conniving mind, and the ability to play the perfect, self-sacrificing women in society’s eyes.She does it mainly because it will be a waste of all her efforts,whether its the scheming or pushing both her brother and So to be King at once.

But Soo escapes execution, but this does get her brother to finally act on her wishes and break up with Soo, and she is delighted. 

She also uses and throws away people, and she tactfully does this with Queen Yoo. And she also places the blame on Queen Yoo for Court lady Oh’s death, which logically the blood really is on her hands, as it was the result of her efforts to have Soo framed. Again, playing with guilt and emotions. Showing no remorse or responsibility.

Her brother, pretty much grows cold and distant,as he now hates her for what she did to his relationship and is willing to offer her up as collateral in order for his bid for the throne. I don’t support him, but he is pretty much stating what she promised him episode seven. She still rejects Yo, as she doesn’t want to be just one of his wives, and approaches So, offering him marraige.

And she finally states and reveals her true colors to him. Finally stating that she was lacking something, despite all the love and privilleges, and finally realised that power was what she needed, when in exile.

She still plays her card as a innocent women perfectly, stating she has loved him for long and is destined to be with him and hence, marraige.

We all know she is doing this to escape being collateral, and will immediately push him to be king if he agreed.

But he doesn’t so she sticks to her brother, encourages him to fake a decree and use the oppertunity to become King.

Feels no sadness when her father dies, silently vows she will reach the very ambition that he didn’t want her to have.

But still she isn’t compeletly loyal to her brother, as she literally offers So her power and the oppertunity to be King while blocking the roads for her brother.I was pretty sure she would’ve been moved if So said he wanted to be King to claim her heart instead of Soo’s. But he doesn’t, so she blocks his path.

In episode fifteen, we see the full extent of her personality, namely her very flaws. We see how hypocrytical, shallow, vain and foolish she really is , while reminding us that she is still very much the person who has mastered the art of the double game. 

We see her get shocked at Wook’s confession, while he’s literally out here carrying the same act that she planned years ago : Poisoning Mu.

We still see her foolishly still have hopes of being Yo’s queen, as she silently hints at the ring he gave her years ago. This was her most foolish moment, as it showed how little she understood or had humanity. I don’t know what caused her to conclude that Yo would still harbor affection for her and take her as his Queen , after she rejected him, humiliated him and betrayed him. In her mind, she foolishly thinks people will accept, love and praise her if she offers them power, but what she doesn’t realise is people act around her that way because they have to, there’s nothing true or genuine about thier motives, and they usually want something from her.Like she wants something from them.

Yo puts her in her place and informs her that she will be sent to Khitan, and we finally get to see her break. She’s very alone in this and this is very much the result of her reckless, misplaced loyalties and scheming.

She goes to Soo to manipulate her into taking her place and to make her give up on So, but Soo refuses and she states the most punchable line of hers yet.

“Now I know why I always hated you. For you, feelings and marriage are just silly games. They aren’t life and death like they are for me.” 

It’s very much a punchable line because it shows how shallow and irresponsible she really is. She ended up where she is because of her own devious, reckless actions but she blames this woman who’s been minding her own buisness and places the blame on her while seeing herself as the victim. 

She is a Princess with a family and it’s not only her who marries to elevate. It’s every woman’s duty to marry well and protect their family in Goryeo.Even Hae Soo ends up marrying for survival,just like she escaped it .She has more pressure becuase well, she is a Princess and it’s her duty. Every Royal family member married someone they did not like because,well responsibility.But she can’t accept it because it’s literally her one disadvantage and she uses it to play victim. Again.Soo’s perception only differs because its quite modern.

She promises she will make Soo regret it, and she plays the double game perfectly. She offers the whereabouts of a wanted Prince to the King in exchange for stopping her marraige, and since the whereabouts happened to b Soo’s quarters, she reveals it So as well, hoping to break off their relationship as she smiles smugly.

She knows very well, that the infomation is going get the prince killed. And the Prince is a brother she grew up with, who is being framed but she is happy that the information is breaking off a relationship she hated.

So leaves the palace for a while and she supports her brother, but she and her mother are quick to switch her loyalty to So when he satges a coup and becomes King.

She then pressures her brother who she used to push to be King, to get his help to now push her to be Queen. And,she succeeds.And still foolishly assumes she has won, as she sits triumphantly on the throne.It’s the night of the consummation,and she is still so naive and foolish,thinking this marriage and power is going to help her win the heart of the man she wanted. While him,the King was being forced into it and to break the heart of the woman he loves. She looks at him expectantly and he just walks away. So she continues her political diplomacy and tells him to get rid of Hae Soo,as she is a “risk”and he basically puts her in her place,telling her to be satisfied with being Queen.

This where we finally get to see her cry,and we don’t feel for her at all. She is sad but not deveasted and it shows how naive she really is . Because all I see is a girl crying,not a broken hearted woman. I guess that’s all she was deep down, a little girl with thirst for power, whose ambitions were nurtured due to her spoiled upbringing, who by her admission, had a brother that never said no to her since she was young.

She doesn’t give up easily ,and she sets off to get the King’s trust and break his relationship with Soo. But the King ignores her and she waits until their relationship is Rocky to seduce him,and she tries to trick him by pretending to be Soo.

This is where in my opinion, I truly understood how her mind works.She is a woman of her times ,yes but she is not exactly a original thinker or a broad minded person. She listens,watches and learns from the scheming woman around her and lusts after power and things that are far from her reach. She is smart but not wise, as trying to trick the King into sleeping with her only exposes her devious ways,makes her look untrustworthy. The thing is for all the times people praise her for her intelligence, they forget that she has born and raised to be that way. Her schemes and plans are meticulous because besides seeing them, she also has nothing but time to carefully think and plan her plots, since she doesn’t have to work nor does she have responsibilitiy like her brothers. I think the drama, did a very good job in aligning her with Yo in earlier episodes.Like Yo,she has the appearances and qualities of the Perfect Royalty,but what they both truly lack is tact,understanding of their true responsibility and original and innovative thinking. They are both not adept at handling pressure and easily break when things don’t go their way. The only difference is Yeonhwa knows how to hide it better.She is corrupt, narrow minded and the definition of wasted beauty and brains,because there is no point in having it all if your priorities and perceptions are fucked up. She doesn’t even want to be a human, she wants to be “ a God above the King”.

The King is furious but this time he sees right through her, and gets her right where it hurts: power. He makes a deal to consummate their marriage and make their child a Crown Prince but in exchange she has to throw away their family and she does , in a heartbeat.

So the King frames her brother and plans to execute him,she doesn’t bat an eye. Her mother approaches her and she basically puts her in her place stating that she is the Queen now and that she has far more things to be concerned about than her brother’s crimes. And her mother is shocked and there is no end to her arrogance.

That is power to Yeonhwa: the need to feel important,powerful,superior and control others and watch as people bow down to her. Everything comes down to her and she has no consideration for anything beyond her. That is why she deserves to be put in her place, as it’s dangerous putting absolute power in her hands, as it’s similar to putting a favourite a toy in a child’s hands. One can only watch as she plays with it until it breaks.

Her brother gets exiled and she still isn’t satisfied and she can’t digest the fact that she has to make sacrifices and get judged while Soo gets all the love. She walks in and as per usual ,places the blame on Soo while saying the most despicable line yet.

“You ruined everything,yet you shamelessly still live?” 

An apt sentence applicable to herself, I’ve always chuckled at how much the things she says to Soo to degrade her are more applicable to her than anyone else.

As she wishes,Soo leaves and dies.But the King doesn’t trust her and doesn’t give her the chance to get involved in politics and she spends her days begging him to visit her and her children. But he’s colder than ever.

The thing about Yeonhwa is ,she has agency and is smart,but she is far from empowering.She props the very system that subjugates her as she only seeks to reap the maximum benefits from it. Her political sense is very narrow ,as it limited to scheming, controlling the clans and elevating herself. The big ambition that she always speaks about cannot be visionary if it doesn’t extend beyond elevating herself. As she would realise later, having the throne won’t make you safe, happy or noteworthy. Because, politics and power is gigantic responsibility more than anything else. This is why Soo unironically ends up having more influence, than her because she sees how the throne affects everyone.We rarely see Yeonhwa understand and express opinions or interests beyond the scheming for power. Authority is making the right desicions , improving the economy, caring for the people ,balancing political and social structure , foreign relations and war tactics.It’s not all power and glory and “ honour and recognition”.This is why sadly, she ends up being a Queen who’s forgotten, despite being the Kings only wife.

I would’ve rooted for her and even accepted her if she showed true,broader understanding of politics and had a true passion for it. But all she has is fascination and obsession.

Powerful Queens throughout history,though hated and slandered at their times, are remembered because they proved to be capable and wise and tended to their responsibility well.No one can deny their ability or legacy,and they mostly sought to uplift their sex during their reign.

Yeonhwa doesn’t care for the responsibility and is very demeaning to her own sex.She usually sees other other women as rivals.Shown through her attitude to Soo or when she asks Yo to divorce his wife.In her mind she is the only capable ,perfect women and other women are below her and she doesn’t bat an eye if they suffer.

Most conclude that Yeonhwa lacks empathy because she was raised in those times. But that’s not true,though you can’t afford love if you’re royalty ,that doesn’t mean you don’t experience it. King Taejo had a love. So,Baek Ah,Eun all experience and show love. Is it just because she is a princess in exile ? No,she very clearly states she lacked something when she had everything as a child. If the exile didn’t happen,she would’ve realised her power hungry nature anyway, as there is no end to her greed and Jealousy, till the end. Even in the last scene we see her hate So’s reforms because she interprets them as gifts to Soo out of Jealousy without realising how powerful it makes her.

The thing is,Just because she is a princess doesn’t mean she is meant to lack empathy. Most conclude this because she is the only princess we see. But the thing is, there is another Princess with the beauty ,wit and scheming skills who can love and be a decent ,kind human being. Her name is Woo Hee,and she sacrificed herself for her people. She was a spy yes,but for a greater cause. She had a horrible childhood , tried to kill and killed a man but that was the true definition of trying to survive. She matured and puts aside her grudges and never inflicts pain on others. Unlike Yeonhwa,she truly understands the responsibility she represents.

If you’re still adamant,let’s take the example of Jung,who was born a Prince and was spoiled in a similar way like Yeonhwa. He can be bull-headed and polarising ,but he understands his responsibility as a prince and fights wars. He loves Soo dearly and selflessly raises her child ,though he never gets the love he craves from her.

All of this leads me to conclude, Yeonhwa is and was the same person she is now. She is vain,shallow ,arrogant and greedy. She wants to be a Kingmaker but she is very shallow and extreme in her execution, as countless scheming displays ambition that never goes unnoticed. Being a Kingmaker requires wit,knowledge, trust and silence. You only help your Prince if he needs it, you don’t push him to it and you try to hide your ambition and knowledge and show your support continuesly . And Soo does this , while Queen Yoo and Yeonhwa make a fool of themselves by putting pressure and scheming. The whole royal family knew of their scheming nature and left them alone in the end.

Her loneliness is well deserved and part of her own making. She threw everyone away and everyone ignored her in the end. She is very much an improved version of Queen Yoo, everyone , especially her family and clan can see it. She stated that she wants power to protect her clan but she proves that she cares little about it,as even in her reign as Queen ,her family was in exile and their clan probably lost their standing. Just like Queen Yoo’s reign.Her mother is now competing with her for the throne.Like she did with Queen Yoo.

But atleast Queen Yoo has other Queens and Court ladies to bully. Yeonhwa has no one but herself and she just has to just settle for it.

In conclusion ,she is the least sympathetic,redeemable villain I’ve come across. What led me to not sympathise with her is how she easily plays victim while she is the most privileged,protected person in the story. Everyone thinks she protected herself,but the truth is she would be nowhere without her position and family. She would be done for if Wook confessed her crimes. I hate it when people who have everything continue to complain about their lives and insist they have it worse more than anyone else,while clearly being ignorant to the suffering of other around them. Every Villain in MLSHR had a redeeming quality,motive ,circumstance or atleast a redeeming relationship with another character. They atleast showed tiniest bits of remorse for their actions and acknowledge villainy. We don’t see her do either ,and she Probably sees her current situation as unfair,still refusing to admit her villainy. She is meant to be hated and interpreted as evil, and I have to give props to Kang Hanna, as she played the role to perfection.

If I had to say one thing about her though, I think marriage for her is survival in a sense that she’s surviving by protecting the only thing she’s known: power. Unlike Hae Soo, while she has her intelligence, she doesn’t have any special skill,knowledge or understanding of life outside the royal family. She doesn’t want to be the wife of a noble or go to Khitain, because it doesn’t provide her with security or position. I think she’s so accustomed to the privileges and riches that she can’t live a life beyond that. She considers it to be lowly and impossible. Her position is the only thing that protects her.While Soo had the favour of four kings,Yeonhwa only had her family and position to keep her safe.

I will admit that she did have her feminist moments, and I appreciate how she was willing to not settle for less. I loved it when she asked if the only way to control women is through marriage and tries to use marriage to elevate herself. But the thing is marriage is control and it all comes down to the value your husband is willing to put on you,especially in patriarchal times like Goryeo. This is discussed in episode five and is very telling of its time. If you’re husband doesn’t trust you and treats you like property,there’s nothing you can do as your worth is attached to the value he sees in you. Do I feel bad for her? No, she very much wanted to reap the benefits of patriarchy than put an end to it . Truth is ,she wanted to control him instead and if she did suceed then only God can help Goryeo.

EDIT: I wondered for long ,why is her character so despicable and greedy,after some contemplation,I’ve reached it.Its for the purpose of historical accuracy, as when you see international version,you see that her mother is plotting to push her grandson on the throne,due to Yeonhwa’s betrayal and thus her nephew becomes King.Historically,Gwangjong mistrusted his five year old son , making her devious and scheming gives depth to that. Her Son ,ruled for five years and had very little interest in politics,which again can be attributed to her ambition and pushy ways. In history her daughters were married off to powerful nobles to establish a strong power base ,which in MLSHR universe proves her to be a hypocrite because we all what she did to escape being married into a noble family.

But it’s exactly what gets her in the end, because at the end of the show her mother pushes her nephew to be King , who ends up marrying her Daughter probably due to her efforts, and her daughter betrays her like she betrayed her mother and becomes his Queen if MLSHR universe is to be assumed. Classic Karmic retribution If I might say.