Hong Gil-dong
Chunseom
Gildong's mother
A gentle, humble maid and concubine whose only wish is her son's safety, and who lives to see him become a king.
Chunseom is a household maid who becomes a concubine of Minister Hong and the mother of Gildong. She is soft-spoken, self-sacrificing, and devoted. When he is a baby she prays that heaven will watch over him, and when he leaves home she asks if he must truly go out alone into the harsh world.
Because of her low status, she and her son live under the shadow of the legitimate family. Choran envies and bullies her. Chunseom does not fight back, and she never complains of what she suffers. Her strength is her endurance and her love, and she is the person Gildong thinks of when he decides what kind of world he wants to build.
“My son... my precious Gildong... you have turned your sorrow into a blessing for thousands.”
In the story
Contains spoilers.
After the assassination attempt, Gildong bows to Chunseom and his father and leaves. She weeps as he goes. Years later, once he rules Yuldo, he sends a fleet to bring her and In-hyeong across the sea. She marvels at the paradise he has made, where no child is called lowly.
She tells him that he has turned his sorrow into a blessing for thousands. She lives out her long life in peace surrounded by grandchildren, who ask her whether their father could really fly. Gildong says that Mother's laughter is the greatest treasure in all Yuldo.
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