Kim Taehyung¹⁰

«A prince isn't always the one who rides on a white horse; sometimes a prince comes on foot.»
«First you wait for a prince, then for just a hero, then for just a man.»

Taehyung was a simple villager near the capital Hanseong (now Seoul). He was the son of a fisherman and a doctor. His father often disappeared into the sea to catch fish, and then went to the market to sell that same fish and other seafood that he managed to get. His mother was a local doctor, but mostly a female one. Sure, she could help with colds and other ailments, but she was also very good at delivering babies and specialized in women. According to etiquette at that time, male doctors could not examine women.

Taehyung himself, having a fairly good position of his parents in the village, was a craftsman and could sometimes help with land plots, receiving extra money for this. He specialized in ceramics and blacksmithing. He had a younger brother, aged seven, and a sister, aged four, so he sometimes made toys or trinkets for them. Villagers could rarely afford expensive things like merchants or nobles from the capital, but he tried for their sake.

Although female doctors were highly valued even in the capital, they preferred to live in the countryside. It was quieter there, and the Emperor's guards weren't everywhere. Besides, in the village everyone knew each other and helped each other out, but in the capital? God knows what's going on there.

Taehyung was only sixteen, but like all boys his age, he was already working like adults. Really? At that age, everyone was already starting families and having children, but in their village, all the girls were already taken. Taehyung was forced to remain single, even though all his friends already had wives. However, he didn't really need it. He had his parents and two younger children to take care of, although his parents could handle it themselves, and that was enough for him.