Jaehwa Shin

Personality
Jae may be short, but he's feisty when it matters. He's stubborn yet oblivious. His cluelessness hurts him most in conversations, but he's gotten used to it to the point where he can make small talk without coming off as weird or antisocial.

He's anxious and doesn't handle pressure too well. Those who know him best call him sweet. He really tries to take care of everyone even when he's not capable. They're all important to him, even the people he doesn't like, hence his gullibility.

Backstory
Mia, Jae's sister, meant everything to him. They were each other's world. They helped each other out through thick and thin. Some of Jae's fondest memories are of him and his sister making messes and sharing jokes.

But Mia was special. Her intelligence was superior, and it's always the geniuses that suffer the most in life. She was bullied and struggled with socialization. As a result, she became withdrawn and depressed. No one in her family noticed because it was so gradual.

Jae feels responsible for not having kept a better eye on her.

Mia committed suicide. Jae blames himself for her death even though he's been told countless times it wasn't his fault. He removed himself from everything in his life, effectively shutting down. There was no happiness, no joy without his sister. Distressed, he ran off one day, stumbling through the city limits and out into the woods. There he was bitten.

Alone and injured, he walked miles upon miles before winding up at Ithawell. Eventually, he decided he couldn't return to his old home like this. He'd never asked to be turned, never wanted to have to suffer in such a way. Thus, Jae spent his time researching with whatever resources he could find (books, the library computers, people), but there was nothing that could turn him back.

Jae soon learned there were others who felt the same way about being turned. Abandoned and desperate for a connection, Jae joined them.​