Rampant — Characters & Cast

Initially self-preservation and freedom from a country that discarded him; later, honoring his brother's sacrifice and protecting the commoners no one else will.

Begins as an arrogant royal hostage in Qing whose ambitions reach no further than personal pleasure and taking a bride back with him to China. His brother's suicide brings him home; the Night Demons and the people of Jemulpo keep him there. He moves from disowning Joseon to accepting that its defense is his to shoulder.

Absolute power — a conviction that a humiliated, vassal Joseon deserves a ruler willing to do anything, and that he is that man.

The corrupt Minister of War, who works to convince the royal family that Lee Chung is not the rightful heir. As the plague spreads he treats the collapse as a ladder rather than a disaster, escalating from courtly manipulation to open confrontation with the prince.

Defending her port and its residents; refusing to wait for a court that is not coming.

An archer and one of the protectors of Jemulpo, she is already fighting the Night Demons when Lee Chung arrives. She embodies the grassroots resistance that shames the prince into commitment, and their rapport — he takes a liking to her — humanizes his turn toward the people.