Wannabefob

Coming back with a continuation of my current blogging series here! Glad that I’m finally finding some downtime to chug some posts out. Anyways, this next part is on Queen Seondeok’s family. And by Deokman’s family, I mean her great grandfather Jinheung, her father Jinpyeong, her sister Princess Chunmyung, and Chunmyung’s son Chunchu. So enough with the introduction, let’s get to the meat of this post! (Oh yeah: spoilers included – you’ve been warned!)

King Jinheung (Deokman’s great grandfather, featured in the first episode of the drama):

We don’t know much about King Jinheung from this drama except that he’s smarter than he looks. He foresaw Misil’s betrayal of him and for that reason took some precautions in order that she would not gain power (although he failed in this regard). Jinheung was a wise man but his old age and his bad health caused him to leave the earth so I really don’t have much to say about him. Oh, also, he was the one who helped Misil rise to power – she wouldn’t be anything without him. He sure helped raise up the perfect villain.

King Jinpyeong (Deokman’s father):

King Jinpyeong is a softie and quite weak compared to his grandfather. He becomes ruler at a young age and at that time Misil has already grown in her influence and power amongst the government. So as a result, he’s more of a puppet king than an actual one – he follows much of what Misil says because the amount of power she has is overwhelming and he really has little influence of his own. He wants to destroy Misil but lacks the determination and the power himself to do so. This lasts for pretty much his entire reign.

He is so easily influenced by those around him that when Deokman is discovered to be princess, he cannot help but command his men to find and kill her, his own daughter that he abandoned years ago. Of course he does not want to but he must because of his officials’ opinions and desires.

Princess Chunmyung (Deokman’s twin sister):

Princess Chunmyung is Deokman’s twin sister and the more fortunate of the two in that she was born first (in the drama at least – in history it’s debatable) and as a result not abandoned. She grew up in the palace with no knowledge whatsoever of Deokman’s existence. Misil often threatened her, and believing that she was the fulfillment of the prophecy that Munno foresaw before her birth, So despite Misil’s threats and taunts, Chunmyung decided to stand up against Misil and defeat her.

Chunmyung surely had her small victories against Misil but was never able to do anything more. Yet Chunmyung played a large part in the drama (while she was alive at least) because she was able to protect and watch over Deokman, especially when she realized who Deokman was. She did much of the behind the scenes work and her efforts to destroy Misil and protect Deokman were genuine. I admire Chunmyung’s character because she did not back down after her husband died in the war – instead, she fervently tried to stop Misil and became even stronger as a result. Up until her death, Chunmyung was a friend and beloved sister to Deokman. Her death, although unfortunate, worked out for the benefit of Deokman as it helped pave the way for her to return to the palace.

Kim Chunchu (Chunmyung’s son):

Now we have Chunchu, Chunmyung’s son, who returns as a grown man later in the drama. He first comes to compete with Deokman for the throne and although he looks and acts frail and weak, he is actually very intelligent and not to be taken for granted. He out-wits Misil – in the beginning, she and her men were sure that they would be the ones using Chunchu, but instead, Chunchu manipulates the situation and uses them.

Chunchu eventually supports Deokman’s rise to become Queen and advises her during her reign as Queen. She appoints him as her successor should she die or retire, and begins to train him up by giving him more power over certain parts of the palace/court. When Deokman is stumped and sees no solution to a problem, Chunchu is the one who wisely gives her a different perspective – he often sees more clearly than she does, and out of all the people closest to her, she knows that he can be trusted. I like to call Chunchu Deokman’s glasses, if I may. Yet this is not to say that she is helpless and weak without him, for she also knows much more than Chunchu due to her experience as Queen. She teaches him that having knowledge is not all that there is in ruling a nation, and she continually shows him more of what it’s like to be a ruler.

Chunchu is also one of the characters that understands Deokman best and her reasons for doing things that often appear questionable to everyone else. For his deep insight and perspective, I say that Chunchu is quite the character. He doesn’t seem like he plays that big of a role but it becomes pretty evident when you look at all the conversations he has with Deokman and his screen time on the show.

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Closing remarks:

Deokman’s family is overall very upright and just, and each character of her family that I have mentioned plays crucial parts in the drama, but interestingly enough, they work together best when they are separate. As in: Chunmyung aided Deokman in her earlier days and helped her to become princess, whereas Chunchu helped Deokman during her reign as Queen. Working together for the same goal but in different time slots and not physically together.