#i. yi yujin ›› intro.

[flcralhaze]

{ kim jiwon , 31 , cis woman , she/her } we are so glad to see you safe, foreign ambassador & physician , princess yi yujin of china ( korea ) ! it’s dangerous out in the world these days , but i hear that you are adaptable and fierce enough to handle it. just don’t let your duplicitousness bring you down. stay on your guard , because with your secret being at risk for exposure , you wouldn’t want everyone to find out you are not the real princess. you are an imposter who took her place - a scheme orchestrated by anti monarchists so they could plant a fake amongst the royals. but your loyalties are wavering.

basic information.

current name: yi yujin. original name: kwon hanuel. name meaning: valuable , precious. age: thirty-one. gender & pronouns: cis woman , she / her. orientation: biromantic , bisexual. spoken languages: korean , mandarin , japanese , thai , english , french , italian. title: foreign ambassador for korea , imperial princess of the joseon dynasty. martial status: unwed , unbetrothed. loyalty: korea , publicly. the rebellion , in truth?

personality.

positive: adaptable ,  fierce ,  astute ,  empathetic , patient. negative: duplicitous ,  reticent ,  calculative , conflicted. moral alignment: tba. temperament: tba. mbti: tba. enneagram: tba. hobbies: medicine/healing , archery , sword fighting , hunting , herbology.

family ties.

father: kwon jungwoo , a korean noble , a prominent leader against the monarchies in asia. mother: kwon eunhee , deceased. father: emperor yi seong-jin. mother: empress yi mi-kyong. siblings: one older brother , the imperial crown prince , and one other sibling ( twin or younger ).

history.

who are you? do you remember?

a common girl born to a poor family. her mother didn't long survive after her birth and her father never forgave her. but he hated the monarchies more. if they had more coin, perhaps he could've paid for a doctor when his wife's fever started. maybe she wouldn't have been so weak in the first place had they enough food on the table and a roof that kept out the cold. a single loss awakened a rage that spread. discontent, he found those who shared his anger, not only in korea but across the globe, and joined their ranks, becoming a trusted co-conspirator, leading the movement in korea and pulling strings throughout asia.

with help from his friends, he gained a position at court utilizing false documents. hanuel, who was still too young to understand why her father, who was absent so often, was constantly cross, exchanged her old childhood home for apartments in the imperial palace. for a girl who'd grown up in poverty, it was a dream come true. she learned the ways of the palace with ease, twirling about in her new hanboks, and making friends with any who crossed her path - including the royal children. it was then that people began noticing how similar hanuel looked to the eldest imperial princess. suddenly, her father saw a use for the daughter he wished had never been born. the rebels planted the seed but the yi family watered it by supporting the idea that hanuel should start working as princess yujin's double at certain events.

with the pieces in place, the plan was enacted. a carefully designed tragic accident befell the young imperial princess but it was kwon hanuel who was declared dead, her body lost to the river and never found. yi yujin returned, and none knew a switch had occurred.

the years passed. hanuel's memories turned blurry. hanuel's father left court. eventually, she had lived longer as yujin than she had as hanuel, who, in the eyes of the world, had perished before her twelfth birthday. and maybe, in spirit, she had. yujin played the part of princess perfectly, a simple task when no one knew the truth. she was beloved by the court and never wanted for anything. as she got older, yujin also became more aware of the movement steadily growing in the shadows and like a moth already caught in the spider's web, gradually became more involved. it was impossible not to - the rebels kept a close eye on her; she was, after all, their secret weapon, privy to conversations that others plotting against the royals could only dream of hearing, and they expected that she relay information to them that could aid their plans.

with her older brother standing as the future face of the yi dynasty in korea, the decision was made that yujin would represent the family abroad - a decision, she eventually realized, was encouraged by rebels hiding in plain sight. she was sent to france so she could shadow the korean ambassador there. but it was also there that she connected with anti-monarchists from outside of korea for the first time. her true identity wasn't known by all rebels but by enough. after spending some time in france, she assumed her own post in another country.

her parents eventually requested she return home but it wasn't a glorious homecoming. her brother had fallen gravely ill over the winter and while he'd survived, his strength didn't returned. the prince had always been prone to sickness but it'd never been this bad. he was often bedridden and even when he wasn't, he couldn't venture far from the palace anymore. quietly, korea closed its gates to outsiders - the crown prince's health a secret that all wanted kept. yujin decided to remain at the palace and study medicine under the court physician. maybe, just maybe, she could help cure her brother from whatever ailment haunted him. if it was a true illness, she would eventually wonder, remembering how no one had been surprised when she'd informed them of her brother's failing health. yujin quickly fell in love with the study of medicine and proved to be a very talented physician.

but the yi family knew they couldn't stay isolated forever without drawing suspicions. so yujin once again assumed the role of ambassador for her country, this time in a more familiar nation, having accompanied her father there for diplomatic summits: china. there she has remained since, playing two roles, one in public and the other in secret.

the murders and the reckoning shook yujin more than she would admit. despite being told of the evils of the monarchy and seeing how certain monarchs failed their people, yujin had many fond memories of royals she'd met over the years. could she really stand aside and watch them fall? ( but would they not turn on you if they knew the truth? ) and she also couldn't help but wonder why she should give up a life she'd grown to love. only the choice isn't hers. the choice has never truly been hers at all.

who are you? did they ever give you the chance to choose? who do you want to be?

headcanons.

while some continue holding onto hope that yujin's older brother will recover or at least grow strong enough to rule, it's widely believed throughout the joseon court that he will either pass before the current emperor does or be unable to rule without a regent due to how often he is bedridden. thus, yujin is being quietly prepared to take on either role. it's also an unspoken belief that regardless of what happens, any child she has will be the future of the yi dynasty.

she has been betrothed twice before. both times, however, her partner has perished in a tragic "accident". while yujin's hands are technically clean as she played no part in the accidents, she is aware that the deaths weren't true accidents and that people behind the scenes have pulled strings to ensure her betrotheds are people the anti monarchists wish to eliminate. it's why she is secretly relieved that the betrothal to the scottish king now seems unlikely.

refused to help or ask her father aid during the china-japan conflict, citing korea's commitment to neutrality. however, she did offer her skills as a physician to the soldiers on the battlefield.

a very skilled archer and huntress. she can fight well with a sword too, but she always chooses a bow and arrow if given the choice.

despite questioning if her loyalties truly lie with the correct side, yujin still continues relaying information to the rebels. she is very terrified about what they'll do if they learn she's having doubts and thus hasn't spoken about them to anyone.