He serves a king who is the sworn enemy of the woman he loved
Hailing from the Poongsan (豊山) Hong family clan, a prestigious house, he was the eldest son in the family (長子) and groomed for greatness.
An expert in Sung Confucianism, he was cool-headed and measured. Among high ministers, he would boldly proclaim his opinions of dissent when required. This would appear to be arrogant, but he was regarded as a genius to which the royal courtesans gave him the nickname Naengminam (冷美男).
He has a likeminded friend in Kang In-woo. They in no way resembled each other but they had a close friendship as if they were brothers. Then Princess Jungmyung entered their lives!
They both knew Princess Jungmyung when they were young boys and witnessed her grieving the death of her brother. At the time, Joo-won was just a helpless boy and all he could do was hug her and promise that he would protect her from harm. But Gwanghae sent assassins to kill Jungmyung and he thought she was dead, which left a hole in his heart...
Years later, Joo-won ironically found himself as a trusted royal subject to Gwanghae and serving him faithfully. His friend, In-woo, became hostile towards him for his about face. And the criticism stung. But Joo-won saw the precarious situation of the kingdom in a changing world. Although Gwanghae was a tyrannical ruler he was also very cunning. Joseon desperately needed to survive since it was surrounded by powerful neighbors waiting to pounce. Gwanghae was the only king who could push back the resistance from the ministers who wanted Joseon to take a neutral stance. Abandoning the philosophy that his family clan stood for, Joo-won oversaw the Hwagidogam ministry that held sway over the kingdom. Under secret orders, he went to Japan to smuggle brimstone material to make gunpowder and that is where he encountered Princess Jungmyung…
Unable to recognize her, Joo-won helped her to return to Joseon by giving her papers as a skilled handler of brimstone. To put her to use, he had her given a position at the Hwagidogam. Nobody except Joo-won knew that she was his lover. Without knowing that Jungmyung was plotting revenge on Gwanghae, he began to fall deeper in love with her...
