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Main Characters
Chae-gyeong
Shin Chae-gyeong/Queen Dangyeong/Deposed Queen Shin
- Played by: Park Min-young (adult), Park Si-eun (teenager)
Daughter of a politician. Meets Lee Yeok before she knows who he is.
- Age Lift: Historically she was only thirteen when she married Lee Yeok. For obvious reasons the series makes them both adults.
- Almost Kiss: She and Lee Yeok lean towards each other, staring into each other's eyes... and then Seo No interrupts.
- And I'm the Queen of Sheba: Tells Lee Yeok she's the king's niece. (Well, nephew; she's pretending to be a boy at the time.) Lee Yeok retorts he's the king's brother. Played with, since both of them are telling the truth.
- Crash-Into Hello: She first meets Lee Yeok when they both reach for a book, crack their heads together, and collapse in pain.
- Deadpan Snarker: Has her moments, usually at Lee Yeok's expense.Chae-gyeong: They say that men become like little babies after they get married. Are you already getting started?
- Distracted by the Sexy: She first meets Lee Yung while he's bathing. She's so distracted by his bare chest that it takes her some time to answer when he demands to know why she's there.
- Forced to Watch: Lee Yung forces her to watch Lee Yeok being tortured.
- Historical Domain Character: Queen Dangyeong
really did marry Lee Yeok and really was queen for only seven days. But almost everything else about the series' depiction is fictional. - Named by the Adaptation: The real Dangyeong's personal name has been lost to history.
- Sweet Polly Oliver: She's disguised as a boy when she first meets Lee Yeok.
Lee Yeok
Lee Yeok/Prince Jinseong/King Jungjong
- Played by: Yeon Woo-jin (adult), Baek Seung-hwan (teenager)
Lee Yung's half-brother.
- Age Lift: Historically he was only twelve when he married Chae-gyeong. For obvious reasons the series makes them both adults.
- Almost Kiss: He and Chae-gyeong lean towards each other, staring into each other's eyes... and then Seo No interrupts.
- And I'm the Queen of Sheba: Chae-gyeong tells him she's the king's niece. Lee Yeok retorts he's the king's brother. Played with, since both of them are telling the truth.
- Annoying Arrows: Downplayed. He gets hit by an arrow in the back. Instead of yanking it out he breaks off the shaft. He doesn't act like he's badly injured, but five years later he still has a scar from the arrow.
- Bare-Handed Blade Block: When Lee Yung threatens Chae-gyeong with a sword, Lee Yeok grabs the sword by the blade and pushes it away from her.
- Crash-Into Hello: He first meets Chae-gyeong when they both reach for a book, crack their heads together, and collapse in pain.
- Faking the Dead: Dresses a corpse in his clothes and sends it to the palace to make everyone think he's dead. His mother helps the deception by having the body cremated so no one can check his identity.
- Historical Domain Character: Though the real Lee Yeok bears little resemblance to his portrayal here.
- King Incognito: Chae-gyeong mistakes him for an arrogant commoner when they first meet.
- Leave the Two Lovebirds Alone: He shoos one of his friends away so he and Chae-gyeong can be alone.
- Mistaken for Cheating: He runs off right after his and Chae-gyeong's wedding. Her nanny jumps to the conclusion he's keeping a mistress.
- Sibling Triangle: He and his half-brother both fall in love with Chae-gyeong.
- Strong Family Resemblance: He looks a lot like his father. This helps Im Sa-hong and Jang Nok-su figure out who he really is when he's trying to keep his identity a secret.
Lee Yung
Lee Yung/Yeonsan-gun of Joseon
- Played by: Lee Dong-gun (adult), Ahn Do-gyu (teenager)
Tenth king of Joseon.
- Axe-Crazy / The Caligula: In the first episode he threatens to behead Lee Yeok and his friends if Lee Yeok loses a race. He becomes even more insane and cruel later.
- Establishing Character Moment: Within minutes of his first appearance he pointedly ignores everything his ministers tell him, cuts them off before they have a chance to give full reports, and throws a document away.
- Exact Eavesdropping: He hears everything Jasun says when she tries to warn Lee Yeok about him.
- Historical Domain Character / Historical Villain Downgrade: The real Yeonsan-gun of Joseon was much, much worse than the series' version of him.
- Jerkass Has a Point: He's a terrible king to say the least, but he has a point when he criticises the ministers' selfishness.
- Laughing Mad: Bursts out laughing when he's deposed.
- Princeling Rivalry: A one-sided version. In a flashback we see Lee Yung clenching his fists as he watches their father praise Lee Yeok. Unfortunately he hasn't grown out of his resentment as an adult.
- Sanity Slippage: He gets crazier as the series goes on. By the time Lee Yeok deposes him he's completely insane.
- Shameful Strip: Subjects Myeong-hye to one in an attempt to make her betray Lee Yeok.
- Sibling Triangle: He and his half-brother both fall in love with Chae-gyeong.
- Splitting the Arrow: During their archery practice Lee Yung splits one of Lee Yeok's arrows. Played with, since in this case the villain, not the hero, fires the second arrow.
- The Un-Favourite: Seongjong favoured Lee Yeok over Lee Yung and didn't even try to hide it.
- Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: In spite of everything he does, it's hard not to feel sorry for him.
Royal Family
Dowager Queen Jasun
Queen Dowager Jasun/Queen Jeonghyeon
- Played by: Do Ji-won
Lee Yeok's mother.
- Historical Domain Character: Like almost every other character she really existed, though very little is known about the real Jasun.
- Only Sane Woman / Properly Paranoid: She repeatedly warns Lee Yeok to beware of Lee Yung. He doesn't listen to her at first. He only realises she's right after Lee Yung tries to kill him.
Shin Bi
Shin Bi/Queen Jeinwondeok/Deposed Queen Shin
- Played by: Song Ji-in
Lee Yung's wife and Chae-gyeong's aunt.
- Double In-Law Marriage: An especially bizarre example since the wives are actually aunt and niece, but are close enough in age to be sisters. She marries Lee Yung, while his half-brother Lee Yeok marries her niece.
- Historical Domain Character: Like Jasun, very little is known about her historical counterpart.
Jang Nok-su
Jang Nok-su/Royal Consort Jang
- Played by: Son Eun-seo
Lee Yung's favourite concubine.
- Historical Domain Character: Like almost every other named character she really existed.
King Seongjong
Lee Hyeol/King Seongjong
- Played by: Kim Jung-hak
Ninth king of Joseon. Father of Lee Yung and Lee Yeok.
- Historical Domain Character: He existed, though the real guy probably didn't tell Lee Yung to abdicate in favour of Lee Yeok.
- Parental Favouritism: He favoured Lee Yeok over Lee Yung and didn't even try to hide it. To be fair to him, it's very hard to favour Lee Yung.
- Posthumous Character: He's dead by the time the series starts.
Queen Jeheon
Queen Jeheon/Deposed Queen Yun
- Played by: Woo Hee-jin
Lee Yung's mother.
- Awful Wedded Life: With Seongjong. He married other women, while she used Lee Yung as a pawn when she and Seongjong fought.
- Historical Domain Character: And the real Jeheon's marriage to Seongjong was even more unhappy than the series shows.
- Missing Mum / Posthumous Character: She died during Lee Yung's childhood.
Myeong-hye
Yun Myeong-hye/Queen Janggyeong
- Played by: Go Bo-gyeol
Daughter of a politician.
- Historical Domain Character: Not mentioned in the series is that the real Myeong-hye married Lee Yeok after Chae-gyeong was deposed and sent away.
- Shameful Strip: Lee Yung cuts off her outer clothes and threatens to do the same to her underwear unless she betrays the Snail Brides.
