Yoo Seonhwa is elder sister of Yoo Seunghae and ex-girlfriend of Seol Jihu who manages a coffee shop on Earth. In Paradise, she is better known under her alter ego Baek Haeju, the Sacred Empress, and the first Earthling in history to reach Level 8.
Appearance
Earth
"The truth was, she was blessed with outstanding beauty, so there were quite a few men who would approach her and ask her out during the day.
Also, there would be no man alive who would simply walk by disinterested after hearing her comforting voice and the way she gracefully carried herself." — Chapter 43
Paradise
"With a despondent look, he stared at the woman who had interrupted him. She was holding an apple-green spear diagonally and wearing a white traditional jacket that was long enough to brush against the floor. Altogether, she was giving off a rather mysterious atmosphere." —Chapter 174
Personality
History
The Seol household took in the Yoo siblings as far as since elementary school and treated them just like family much to their gratitude.
When she and Seol Jihu entered the same university together, she was overjoyed when he confessed to her and the two began dating.
When she went overseas to pursue her dream, Seol was the one who stepped forward, delaying his return to university to support her with his tuition.
It was also after this time when Seol's innate ability the Nine Eyes disappeared and his fortune plummeted and he himself began to plunge into self ruin. Despite multiple occasions of Seol cheating money out of her and warnings from his family, she continued to kindly support him until even she was unable to stand his attitude any longer under the pretense of gratitude and love and the two of them split.
Sometime later, Seol would once again come to her doorstep to ask for money one last time before his first fateful meeting with Kim Hannah . It is more or less unknown how their relationship fared afterward until Seol's second coming.
As a result of his sudden influx of emotions from the previous timeline, Seol would after his fruitful second negotiation Kim Hannah go to return the ₩2 million he had weedled out from Seonhwa however before he could meet her himself, the Gate appeared and transferred him to the Tutorial.
The next time Seonhwa would appear was after Seol returned from the Lost Paradise following the end of the Neutral Zone. Using the money given to him by Kim Hannah, Seol began to repay his monetary debts and was surprised that even a casual estimate totaled his debt to her to around ₩46 million, approximately $40,000 USD.
After an unsuccessful first attempt to apologize to his family, he made his way to Seonhwa's coffee shop to find her though failed to muster the courage to enter. When Seonhwa noticed Seol standing still outside the shop, she went out to confront him, passing him his old bank card, mobile phone and the ₩2 million he had left behind.
Although speaking in a resentful manner at first, after perceiving Seol's sincerity, she began to loosen up but still rightfully remained distrustful of him. In response to his apology and request for forgiveness, Seonhwa did not outright forgive him but rather calmly acknowledged Seol's change and hoped he could continue to move forward so that one day they could speak to each other with smiles to their faces. However, she also implied, to Seol's recognition, that it was already too late for their relationship to return to like before. Understanding her situation, Seol thanked her for her incomparable kindness but still passed her the rest of the money that he owed her in his left hand before running off.
However, Seonhwa was both surprised and confused, having sensed the Mark that was imprinted in Seol's left palm though Seol himself failed to realize this even after the fact.
When Seonhwa called Seol's brother, Wooseok and told her about what Seol did shortly before meeting her, she especially reacted to the date Wooseok said he had last visited the casino, March 16th, recognizing it as the first of the two annual summonings to the Lost Paradise. Realizing this and putting two and two together, she tried but failed to call Seol back.
She also tried to look for him the day after, but by then he had already left for Lost Paradise with Kim Hannah.
She was briefly mentioned during the events of the Banquet, noted as the sole survivor of the third Banquet who killed everyone else in Stage 3 other than the sole escapee.
Under the mask of Baek Haeju, she helped Seol Jihu in the Arden Fortress War. She knew of the danger Seol Jihu was in when he goes to Paradise and wanted him to stop. Since she did not want to reveal that she also goes to Paradise, she suggested opening a cafe together and desperately urged Seol to quit his job at Sinyoung, in other words, to stop going to Paradise. Even though he would be earning more money and getting more free time from working in the cafe, Seol refuses because of his love for Paradise.
In Chapter 174, during the war of Haramark, she appeared in person along with the Executor of Wrath, Pride, Avarice and Lust as tide-turning reinforcements, interrupting Undying Diligence from killing Seol and his allies after Ian Denzel managed to make a slight opening.
When Seol Jihu requests her help as part of his attack force when they were preparing to enter the Spirit Realm, she agreed. Facing Raging Temperance, her insight and combat ability allows her to hold her own against him calmly. It was only when Twisted Kindness appeared, that she panicked and urged Seol to retreat. With Twisted Kindness holding back for the sake of her own amusement, she was able to hold on for a while and help Seol fight her. After recovering the Spirit Realm, she also took part in the battle at Tigol Fortress.
Powers & Abilities
Baek Haeju wields a jade-colored spear and possesses the powerful anti-evil energy of holy water. She is also capable of emitting wind-like blasts of energies from her hands. The flow of her mana is said to be similar to that of water, with a momentum rivalling a tsunami.
Haeju is powerful enough to be one of the few humans Undying Diligence could not let his guard down against. He further describes her a tricky opponent who let no provocations get through them and maintain their composure through the entirety of the battle, making only necessary moves.
- She also possesses a Divine Vestige, a trace of divinity which grants the possessor power on par with a Saint.
- Baek Haeju seemed to have an ability similar to Mental Transmission, which directly transferred one’s thoughts to someone’s head.
Trivia
- In Chapter 43, she sensed the Gold Mark that was imprinted in Seol's left palm though this was disguised by the author as her being surprised at the money he was handing her.
- She's been confessed to enough times that three of her co-workers, nicknamed 'the three no-answer stooges' by the owner of the coffee shop, began to judge the appearance of people who come, rating them based on their body, face and fashion sense
- She is the first Level 8 in Paradise.
- To finally get back with Seol, she managed to get him drunk and raped him when he was unconscious.
- Her Spear is a Divine Weapon called Tathagata Spear.
- She uses the Jade Spear Technique which is impressive on it's own right. However, the Crescent Blade Spear Technique is considered to be superior.
- Level 9 - Chapter 460