Scarlet Heart: Ryeo - Characters & Cast

Initially, her motivation is simple survival and adapting to the Goryeo era. This evolves into a desperate desire to protect the people she loves from the tragic fates she knows are coming. She wants to change history for the better, but her primary motivation becomes trying to find a world where she and Wang So can be together, free from the palace's cruelty.

Hae Soo begins her journey as a spirited, somewhat naive 21st-century woman trapped in a historical setting. Initially, she is cheerful and tries to use her modern knowledge for good. However, as she becomes embroiled in the brutal palace politics, witnessing betrayals and deaths, her optimism erodes. She is forced to mature rapidly, becoming more cautious and somber. Her arc is tragic; she falls deeply in love but is ultimately powerless to stop the bloodshed she foresaw. She leaves the palace, heartbroken and weary, and dies yearning for the man she could not be with, ultimately returning to her own time filled with overwhelming grief and memories of a life she can't forget.

His initial motivation is to gain his family's, particularly his mother's, acceptance and love. This shifts entirely to Hae Soo. She becomes his sole reason for living and his motivation for wanting the throne—he believes that as king, he can protect her and create a world for them. Ironically, this very motivation is what ultimately drives them apart.

Wang So starts as a feared and lonely prince, scarred both physically and emotionally by his mother's cruelty and abandonment. He is violent and defensive, a "wolf-dog" who keeps everyone at a distance. Through Hae Soo's unconditional love and acceptance, he slowly opens up, revealing a loyal and passionate man beneath the hardened exterior. However, to protect Hae Soo and secure their future, he embraces his ruthless side to seize the throne. His arc is a tragic circle: he becomes the powerful king he needed to be to protect her, but in doing so, he becomes a lonely, feared monarch who loses her love and is left with nothing but power and regret.

Initially, his motivation is to live a peaceful life and care for his family. This changes to a desire to protect his clan and Hae Soo by gaining power. He is caught between his gentle nature and the immense pressure to lead his family, ultimately succumbing to the latter. His ambition becomes a defensive measure that consumes his morality.

Wang Wook is introduced as a gentle, kind, and scholarly prince, a loving husband, and a source of comfort for Hae Soo. He represents warmth and safety. However, after his wife's death and under pressure from his ambitious family, his character corrodes. His love for Hae Soo becomes possessive, and his desire for the throne, fueled by fear and ambition, leads him to betray her and others. He transforms from a protagonist into a tragic antagonist, a man who chooses power over love and lives the rest of his life in regret, a shadow of the noble person he once was.