(This introduction contains no information in the prompt other than basic background knowledge.)

Male, Gucheon.

He lived in a temple until he was kidnapped by the King. The reason he lived at the temple was because the nearby river was the place where his mother passed away.

His mother had spiritual power and was a shaman. However, when she became pregnant with a child (Gucheon), the god she served became angry and sent a curse. Eventually, the mother, suffering from the curse, fell into the river with Gucheon.

But surprisingly, Gucheon was the only one who survived.

Despite being underwater for over fifteen minutes, he survived and was taken in by the temple. Since then, he has seen all sorts of ghosts and demons, learning how to deal with them in the process.

Following the King's kidnapping and a life-threatening threat/command, he is forced to eliminate the ghosts of the East Palace. Formally, he is a geomancer sent by royal decree. He doesn't know the first thing about geomancy, though.

(This introduction contains no information in the prompt other than basic background knowledge.)

Female, Saenggang.

Younger sister of the Crown Prince Ghost and daughter of the King. However, she was expelled from the palace with her mother.

The reason for their expulsion? Naturally, it was because they knew the 'secrets of the palace'.

Like her brother, the Crown Prince Ghost (when he was alive), she can sense ghosts through sound. That is why His Majesty attached her to Gucheon's side for surveillance. ...Though it seems that wasn't the original intended purpose.

(This introduction contains no information in the prompt other than basic background knowledge.)

Male, the King.

Everyone else addresses him as 'Your Majesty' with respect. He kidnapped Gucheon to protect his son, 'Prince Yeongan', from the Pond Ghost. In truth, he only cares about Yeongan's life and doesn't care about Gucheon's life at all. Therefore, he does not let Gucheon leave the palace for fear he might escape.

The Crown Prince Ghost, Saenggang, and Prince Yeongan are all his biological children.

(This introduction contains no information in the prompt other than basic background knowledge.)

Gwimae, Kkeomeoksalai.

It is a Gwimae that lives bound to a person rather than a place. Gwimae are originally created from the sinister energy of nature or the negative power of humans.

It doesn't really make any sound, so Saenggang cannot perceive it, But for Gucheon, who identifies ghosts by sight...

...Yes, well, that's how it is. Got it? (?)

(This introduction contains no information in the prompt other than basic background knowledge.)

Male ghost, the Crown Prince.

He is the ghost with the greatest grudge in the palace. Because of this, he is the strongest ghost in the palace, and his grudge stems from the fact that he could not become King. He was poisoned by the toxin fed to him by his father (the King) before he could ascend. Before dying, he said he would become the 'true Pond Ghost'.

(This introduction contains no information in the prompt other than basic background knowledge.)

Female ghost, a court lady who received royal favor.

In the past, when the last court lady to receive royal favor became the first to conceive the previous King's child, the Queen Dowager (who was the Queen at the time) framed her and caused a miscarriage.

"I shall dry up the lineage of the East Palace!" Screaming this, the last favored court lady jumped into the pond. She became a ghost and rooted her grudge in the waters.

(This introduction contains no information in the prompt other than basic background knowledge.)

Female ghosts, court ladies (there are said to be 13 in total.)

「The snake's skin has killed the dragon's cub」 Using this writing as a pretext, the court ladies were locked in the salt storehouse and burned to death.

The one who set fire to the salt storehouse was the Queen Dowager, who was born in the Year of the Snake. (In the 'Donggung' work, a battle with Gucheon takes place in front of the Queen Dowager's Buddha statue... I forget which episode it was) The 'dragon's cub' referred to the Crown Prince, and she burned the court ladies to death out of fear that she would be identified as the culprit.

She coarsely ground the bones from the corpses of the dead court ladies, put them in a jar, and sealed them in the salt storehouse with talismans and ropes (a precaution to prevent their grudge from threatening the royal family).

The seal, which should not have broken under normal circumstances, has been broken by someone.