Lady Danah Yu is the adventurous daughter of the Chief State Councillor of GaGook. She finds herself falling in love with Won Lee after she hears him singing a song from her memories and mistakes him as someone else. She runs away from her home fairly often, using various methods such as (initially introduced) dressing up as a boy. This is largely the reason her father often shows disappointment in her as she was missing (to go find medicine) when her mother died. Eventually she settles down in an attempt to become a lady, with Nabi's assistance. Her goal is to win Won Lee's heart.
Danah's most precious treasure are the shoes her mother gave her. She also greatly admires the art of Hong, whose true identity remains secret.
Appearance[]
Danah has purple eyes and very long, light blue-black hair, the end of which is tied into a loose braid. She wears a traditional female hanbok, with a jeogori (the shirt/sleeves) and chima (shirt). As she is from a wealthy family, her hanbok changes quite often.
Personality[]
Danah, according to the author, is a very kind, honest, bright, and innocent (if a bit slow).... Many readers find her incredibly stupid. However this cannot be taken too much in regard as she has often outsmarted her father and guards to escape her house. She is a clumsy and absentminded at times, which can get her into bad situations. She is also a bit obsessive over Won Lee as she is convinced he is the one who helped her out when she was a child. Her forgiveness over Won Lee's extreme indifference is because she assumes he does not remember. Hwi Lee has indirectly referred to her as a "fool" for the brash actions she has taken for him, even once attempting to protect him from assassins.
While not really a fighter (she is fairly weak), when Danah wants something, she will put her best foot forward to try and get it. For example, she works with Nabi to become a respectable lady even though she initially avoided all tasks related to that study.
Plot[]
History[]
Ten years before the story takes place, when Danah was 7 years old, she snuck away from home in order to find some medicinal herbs for her sick mother in BiHwa Forest. After finding what she searched for, she washed some dirt from her flower shoes at the edge of a river. A strange boy (Hwi Lee) surprised her from behind, causing her to drop the shoes in the strong current. As she cried about losing a precious gift from her mother, the boy jumped in the water and retrieved one of the shoes for her.[1] Danah continued to cry because her other shoe was still missing. The boy told her that she was lucky that he was the one who found her, otherwise she would be in big trouble. When the boy told her to get up so they can leave, she reached for his hand but winced in pain. The boy discovered that her knee was bleeding, so he used his hair tie to wrap the wound as she blushed.
He then told her to get on his back so he could carry her out of the treacherous mountains, but she hesitated until he gave her a list of dangers, such as wild animals and ghosts. She thanked him, then asked about the ghosts. He replied that he had never seen any himself. She said that she was still scared, so he sang her a butterfly lullaby that he claimed would put the ghosts to sleep. When Danah arrived home, she happily ran inside the gate holding the medicinal herbs and calling for her mother. However, all the servants were mournful and Danah suddenly feared the worst. She ran inside the house and found her mother lying still in bed. Her father appeared behind her, slapped her, and began to berate her for running away without telling anyone. Danah began to cry, and her father dropped to his knees and revealed that her mother waited for her until the very end. Danah dropped the herbs and began to wail loudly.[2]
Season 1[]
In disguise as a boy after running off from home for the city's moon festival, Danah accidentally soils a nobleman's clothes. He is about to fight her before learning that she is really a girl, so he tries to kidnap her instead. As she is carried away, she grabs onto the arm of a man with red hair who is gambling nearby, but he shrugs her off. Nabi stops him by throwing a fan at his head, then drags Danah off to safety before abandoning her. Danah asks her for her name, but she does not give it.[3]
Danah pops out of the bushes and flinches when she sees the man with red hair drinking wine by the river.[4] They stare at each other for a few seconds until the sounds of shouting people approach, so Danah hides behind the rock the man is sitting on. Several servants call out for her, and then ask the man if he had seen a young lady pass by. He merely responds in irritation, and they leave to search elsewhere.
When the man gets up and leaves, Danah follows and thanks him for pretending not to see her. She continues to talk about her confined life at home, and eventually recognizes him from the night before. When she says she is indebted to him, he brings her along to YonWol Jung to drink with him. When the alcohol runs out, he tries to sleep on her lap and sings a butterfly lullaby from his childhood. Danah recognizes it and asks him if he remembers meeting her 10 years ago in BiHwa Forest. She recalls that "he" was her one comfort on that woeful day long ago, and she feared that her memories of their meeting would fade over time. She begins to cry, happy that she has met "him" again.[5]
Season 2[]
Season 3[]
It is now the 11th year of King JinWon's reign; the royal wedding has finally entered the final stage and the two bridal candidates are sent to JinHee Palace. Nabi escorts Danah to her temporary residence, but Danah's leg gives out as they enter. Nabi warns her that she cannot trust anyone at the palace, and she must hide her weakness from the Queen Mother. The next day, the two bridal candidates meet at the Queen Mother's quarters, and both Danah and SeRyun Hwang introduce themselves to the Queen Mother, who compliments them on their beauty and asks them to assist each other and do their best to help His Majesty. The royal servants suddenly arrive with a royal decree announcing a third candidate: Princess HyunBin.[6]
At the banquet at JinHee Palace, as the three bridal candidates are quietly seated, the Ambassador and his associate gossip about the "crippled and scandalous daughter of the Councillor". When King JinWon finally arrives, Danah keeps her head lowered as Rei, who still thinks she is the woman the king has been pursuing, watches and waits to see her reaction. Rei then encourages her to take a look, and Danah is shocked to see that he is the young lord.[7]
At the bridal quarters, Nabi and Danah both sigh over the fact that they met someone they did not expect to the previous night. King JinWon suddenly appears, surprising them, and angrily pulls Danah away to spite Nabi. Danah misinterprets his anger and feels that she should be angry with him for knowing who she was the whole time. After a short conversation about recent events, the king tells her that they should just start over, leaving her with many unanswered questions before he leaves.[8]