Yoo Dan Ah

Yoo Dan Ah (유단아)
Older Younger
Age	17 years old
Debut	Chapter 0
Gender	Female
Hair	Violet
Eyes	Amethyst
Relationships
Father	Yoo Ja Gyeom
Mother	Unnamed Mother
Love Interest	Yi Won

Yoo Dan Ah is the only daughter of Prime Minister Yoo Ja Gyeom and her late mother. She is one of the three bridal candidates, the other two being Hyun Bin and Hwang Se Ryeon.

Appearance

      See also: Yoo Dan Ah's Outfits
Dan Ah is a fair-skinned young lady with long purple hair and amethyst eyes. As the daughter of a high-ranking official, she wears bright-colored hanbok. She has at least two designed unhye with one of these personally painted by Hong. On the first part of the series, she disguised as a young man who escaped her house. She wore a white baji jeogori with light brown linings and a body skirt underneath a light green kimono-like with gold linings tucked in a brown-and-yellow belt-like with a gold ribbon on her right side. She also wore a pair of brown hwa and a light green ribbon like ponytail to bun her hair into a man-like appearance.

Personality

Dan Ah is selfless and caring towards other people, as shown in how she goes out of their house to get a medicine for her ailing mother and helping the sick people affected by the plague. Ever since she met a boy at Bi Hwa Rim, Dan Ah is quite forgetful of her memories, only clinging on the song called Butterfly sung to her by the boy. She then mistakenly regards Yi Won as the boy whom she met ten years ago, falling in love with him although Yi Won does not reciprocate his feelings to her. As the daughter of a strict and controlling Prime Minister, her actions and behavior are the opposite of her father—clumsy and stubborn.

Plot

Dan Ah weeps after finding out about her mother's death

According to many residents, it is a miracle that she is born due to her mother's poor and deteriorating health. During her childhood as a seven-year-old, Dan Ah's mother was ill and she went out to look for the medicinal herb with red fruit hanging from it, much to her father's dismay. While searching, she came across the Bi Hwa Rim where she found the herb and also met Yi Hwi. As they are talking with each other, Dan Ah notices that her slippers are carried away by the strong current of the water. He stops her from going to the water, but she insisted on getting her slipper. He then goes to find her slippers, but was only able to find one and apologizes for the other missing slipper. He advises her to leave the place and keep it a secret since sunset is fast approaching. As she is about to go, her knees are injured and so Yi Hwi tends to her, carrying her home and singing the Butterfly lullaby. As she returns home, she finds grieving people in their house and goes to her mother, only to find her dead. She then is caught by her father and slaps her, but he sheds some tears after seeing the herb in Dan Ah's hands. She then cries out loud, knowing that her mother has passed away.

Ten years later during the festival in Ga Guk, Yoo Dan Ah disguises as a young lad on the marketplace. She soon gets in a fight with Nam Yang Heon. She tries to erase some soot on his clothes, but it just got even worse. Yang Heon then almost slaps the her when "he" screamed like a lady. As absolution, Yang Heon carries her away, seeking help from Yi Won. He ignores her when Nabi throws a fan on Yang Heon's face, losing his balance and causes him and Dan Ah to plunge over to Yi Won. Recovering from the fall, Dan Ah watches Nabi and Yang Heon argue with each other. As Nabi is slapped, she tells him that he should become a person first before discussing about nobility, shocking Dan Ah. As Yang Heon's men are about to kill them, Dan Ah is escorted by Nabi to escape the place. Dan Ah worries about Yi Won, but since one of her men is in the place, she assures that he will be fine. After escaping, Dan Ah thanks Nabi for her help and tells Nabi her name. She is saddened with Nabi as the latter did not state her name.

The next day, Dan Ah hides from her servants and encounters Yi Won, drinking alone. She then hides behind a boulder on which Yi Won sits and does not utter a word regarding her to her servants. As they leave, Dan Ah thanks Yi Won who still continuously feigns ignorance. However, she continues to walk and speaks with him when she realizes that Yi Won was the man who saved them from last night, though Yi Won does not remember. She then tells him that she likes to repay him for his help and treats him with liquor. In Yeon Wol Jung, he drinks all the liquor she bought until the drinks run out. Sleepy, he then lies on Dan Ah's lap and sings the Butterfly lullaby, much to Dan Ah's surprise. She then asks if he recognizes her from Bi Hwa Rim ten years ago. Leaving the place, she ponders how he suddenly forgot her, and also how she did not recognize him until he started singing.

Dan Ah ponders why Yi Hwi looks familiar

Dan Ah wanders around Bi Hwa Rim but becomes lost when she encounters an eighteen-year-old Yi Hwi. He then tells her to go back since the site is off-limits to other people. Realizing that he knows the way, Dan Ah follows him but loses him eventually. Dan Ah finally falls to the creek and thinks that she seems to have seen Yi Hwi somewhere. She wanders further in the creek and sings the Butterfly lullaby. She then catches attention of a person singing the same song and finds Yi Won singing. She interrogates him if he is the boy from ten years ago since he knows Bi Hwa Rim when he said that he did not, frankly answering that it was not him. Dan Ah weeps, realizing that he remembers everything except her.

One midnight during Deung Ha Bul Myung's retrieval of the compact at her residence, Yi Hwi hides in Dan Ah's room but is not able to check the place. As a result, she catches him and asks his purpose for coming, to which he silences her. She bites his hand and tries to shout for help, but he gets her and unexpectedly falls. Yi Hwi then cushions her fall and, as repayment, she lets him go. She is then knocked unconscious by Yi Jeok to be able to escape with Yi Hwi. He then notices a pair of red shoes and ponders if Dan Ah is the girl from ten years ago.

At the market streets, Dan Ah finds Yi Won playing the Water Beetle Game, much to his annoyance. As he sets off, she follows him and shouts at her not to do so. She asks him if she is going to Ju Wah Ae Rim to which he denies. She tells him that if he followed her advice, he could have won money from the game. On one side, a painting of "Hong" is hung and Dan Ah explains that he is a famous ambiguous painter who only paints Bi Hwa Rim. As she speaks more about Hong and his paintings, she is left behind by Yi Won and instead meets an injured Nam Yang Heon. She then runs away from him and is helped by Yi Hwi in hiding. She then accidentally sits on a painting tube which damages the painting. She asks him if he is "Hong" and he tells her that he is. She confesses that she likes Hong's painting and, upon realizing that she is an avid fan of his paintings, Hong gives the damaged painting to her. After repeatedly denying it, Dan Ah finally takes it. Outside, they encounter Ma Mi Song who informs them that the slums is currently being raided by the Imperial Army.

Yi Won "shares" his blanket with Dan Ah

At the site, she and Yi Hwi dash to see two siblings who are orphaned and sick. They then find Chung who seems to be arguing with someone. It is revealed that Woon is being lifted on the neck by Yi Won. Realizing the situation is getting worse, Dan Ah plans to interfere with Yi Won, but Hong stops her and does it instead. He grabs Woon and kicks Yi Won off of him. Hong and Yi Won engage in a one-on-one battle but she stops them. Amid the angry villagers, Dan Ah closes the door shut. As the villagers break in, they find the room empty. The three run away from the villagers, but Yi Won complains why they need to run for he knows that he can knock them down. He tells them that if he truly is the Crimson Moon, they will be charged with harboring a fugitive, but they tell him that he admitted he was not the Crimson Moon. As they reach a bridge, Hong pushes Yi Won and Dan Ah to the water to hide from the villagers. Hong gives Dan Ah some cloth to serve as a blanket, but Yi Won grabs it and argues that he is cold, too. He then hugs Dan Ah to share his blanket with her, but Hong separates them immediately.

Hong paints Dan Ah's shoes

Dan Ah goes home and expects to be opened by her servant, but she is opened instead by her father himself. Her father reprimands her for her actions during night and tells her that she will soon be entering the palace to be married to the emperor. Dan Ah argues with her father, saying that she loves someone else and wants to be married to him. She adds that her father was married to her mother without force, but he slaps her, reminding her not to talk of her mother again. She runs away to Bi Hwa Rim where she reunites with Hong instead of Yi Won. As she struggles not to cry as Yi Won told her before, Hong contrastingly advises her to cry out loud, which she follows. Noticing her injured feet, Hong carries her to a boulder to tend to her, reminiscent of what happened ten years ago in the same location. She continues to cry, telling Hong that she misses Yi Won and does not care about becoming Queen. She thanks Hong for tending to her injury, and he gives her a pair of plain unhye which Yi Jeok and Mu Jin have left. She tells Hong that she wants to wear beautiful flower shoes so that she may go to Yi Won just like what her mother believed. Seeing the plainness of the shoes, Hong paints Dan Ah's shoes with flowers and tells her that those shoes will make her go to Yi Won's side.

Dan Ah asks Nabi to teach her win over a man's heart

One morning, Dan Ah encounters Yi Won playing the Water Beetle Game on the marketplace, but he notices Nabi with Yi Jeok and runs toward them. She then wonders who the lady might be as her servant finally finds and brings her back home. In her room, Dan Ah grows jealous of the woman whom Yi Won likes. Later, she recklessly tumbles upon her father who introduces her to Nabi as her new teacher. Captvated by Nabi's beauty, Dan Ah is asked by Nabi if she wants to learn anything specifically. Knowing that Nabi is the most popular woman with men, she asks to teach her how to win over a man's heart. She explains that ten years ago, her mother passed away due to an unspecified illness and made her feel melancholy. After saying the history that happened ten years ago in Bi Hwa Rim, Nabi realizes that Dan Ah does not love Yi Won, but Yi Hwi himself. She then tells Dan Ah that she will teach her how to win his heart. But, she opens up that she heard from the Prime Minister she is getting married to another man. However, she tells Dan Ah to gain his love first, so Dan Ah is advised to write him a letter to convey her feelings for him. She immediately writes a letter and thanks Nabi her for her help.

One night, Dan Ah writes a letter to Yi Won confessing her true feelings for him:

Young master,

Thoughts fill my head and I find it difficult to think straight. In contrast to the sadness that envelops you, the warm light from the moon looks beautiful tonight. It is the kind of night that brings your smile to mind. Do you know? Like an inkblot that seeps through a piece of stationary, like that, you have laid a permanent mark on my life. In front of you I forget my words, and as you walk farther away, my feet refuse to follow you. Do you remember? That winter... Those stories you told me under that cold moon... That was it. That was the beginning of it all. To me, you have always been beautiful. That chance encounter has become my fate.

I will be waiting at Hwa Gwi Cheon tonight.

From,

Yoo Dan Ah.

Dan Ah flees from an assassination attempt on her life

As midnight strikes, Dan Ah becomes drenched under the rain and was not able to meet Yi Won. She notices Yi Won but pays no attention to her. She follows him when men from Nam Hyeon surround them. As they attack, she covers Yi Won and she receives a cut. As Gwak Ji Ryeon appears, he does not give any instruction to Dan Ah to run, but contrastingly gives a signal to the assassins to kill her. As an assassin is about to kill her, the Crimson Moon suddenly appears and covers her, receiving a slash on his back and tells her to flee. Initially, she is reluctant to flee seeing the Crimson Moon badly hurt with the huge wound he has received. However, after some time, he is able to convince her and finally runs away. Along the way, Dan Ah sees Yi Won unhurt. While she follows him, she falls on the ground because of an injury on her foot. She sees him ignore her, but she notices him return for her. He gives her his pair of shoes and, again, she becomes reluctant in wearing them. He impatiently orders him to wear them and she does so. They then continue to walk while an unmasked Crimson Moon watches from a distance with Dan Ah's shoes.

In Physician Ma's clinic, Woon nosebleeds upon bumping into Dan Ah. She then hurriedly fetches some water to tend to him. Physician Ma advises her to rest more, but she tells him that she needs to find the Crimson Moon. She asks Physician Ma if he was able to treat him, but he denies that he has treated him. He promises that he will tell her any news if he hears of him.

One morning, Dan Ah greets her father like a respectable lady and gives him an embroidered purse containing some sweets in order to help him relieve stress. Despite believing that her own work needs improvement, her father comments that he rather likes it. After he leaves, Dan Ah returns to being a vivacious lady and asks her teacher Nabi if she did great in impersonating a respectable young lady. Nabi replies that it was good and asks why she had a sudden change of heart. Dan Ah tells her that she would not be by her father's side much longer, much to Nabi's astonishment. Nabi asks the specifics of her "trip" and if she is going together with "young master". Dan Ah seemingly does not have any odd interest in him, admitting that he runs away because she keeps on following him. She also asks Nabi whether she can come with her if Yi Won does not come with her. She becomes confused at this, but Dan Ah dodges the question and tells her mentor to continue their lessons. Nabi then tells Dan Ah that she will go with her before she enters the palace.

Inside the Prime Minister's house, Dan Ah becomes disappointed with Nabi's sudden farewell. She asks Dan Ah to cheer up, so the latter tells her to take care with a grin. As Nabi leaves, Dan Ah hurriedly calls and gives Nabi her perfume case with plum blossoms. Though this is her most valued possession, Dan Ah gives it to Nabi and tells her teacher she was happy to met her. Dan Ah blushes at Nabi and admits that she truly is the "world's most beautiful" before finally parting ways.

As usual, Dan Ah is in the market, looking for Yi Won, but to no avail. As she wanders around, she sees the government's bounty on the Crimson Moon, much to her surprise. She drops by Physician Ma's clinic and is given medicine by Sori who instructs her to get plenty of rest. He also tells Dan Ah that the boys and Physician Ma are at Moon's End Village tending to the plague-stricken land. She volunteers to help them, but is rejected by her servant and Sori. She just gives money to Sori as a form of donation. Sori tells her she does not need to give any more money, since the Crimson Moon appeared at Moon's End Village and left a generous supply of grain and medicine. However, Dan Ah still manages to go the the village to help the sick patients as she is found by Hong.

Quotes

• "She was as beautiful as the moonlight... and just as cold." (Referring to Nabi)
• "So cruel... How could he have completely forgotten?" (Referring to Yi Won)
• "On that day, when I learned how to cry out loud and how to sing a lullaby to erase my fears, I lost my mother."
• "I like you! N-No, that's not what I meant. I like Hong's "Bi Hwa Rim!"" (To Hong)
• "Why... Why is it you again?" (Referring to Hong)
• "Who could that woman be...? It looked like Young Master liked her... I'm jealous. I want him to like me, too." (Referring to Nabi and Yi Won, respectively)
• "The more you chase after a man, the more they run away." (To Nabi)
• "Nabi... If... and this is a big 'if'... If the young master refuses to come with me... Nabi, will you join me?" (To Nabi)
• "You're like everyone else, always worrying about me. You're just as bad as my nanny or father." (To Nabi)
• "I was so happy... to have met you." (To Nabi)
• "Y-You truly are "the world's most beautiful". How would you make men feel if you're able to even make my female heart beat so?" (To Nabi)

Trivia

• Dan Ah is afraid of ghosts.