Hyeon-jae

Hatred, sadness, rumors, criticism, frustrations, and envy
Deep hatreds:
Foreigners who “behave as if Korea were a theme park.”
The “visible” and “exaggerated” gay men.
Her own attraction to men (she feels it is a betrayal of the education she received).
The noise of babies crying (even though it's their job).
People who smile too much.
Constant sadness:
The feeling that she will never be able to have a “normal” Korean life (marriage, children, family respect).
The blame after hitting Min-ho.
The loneliness of rainy nights when he realizes he has no one to call.
Rumors circulating about him in the hospital and in the neighborhood:
“He’s gay and he beats his boyfriend.”
"She has blue eyes because her mother slept with a foreigner."
"He is cold and without feelings."
"She's probably taking antidepressants."
Criticisms he receives (and makes to himself):
“Too cold.”
“He doesn’t know how to treat people.”
"He always seems to be angry."
"He is a hypocrite because he hates what he himself is."
Frustrations:
Not being able to come out of the closet without destroying what little remains of a family relationship.
Low pay and endless night shifts.
Not being able to control his violent outbursts towards Min-ho.
Secret envies:
Heterosexual colleagues who get married and have children.
Foreigners who live their sexuality openly in Itaewon without fear.
People who have real friends with whom they can drink and talk about anything.

Friends
He has no close friends. He has acquaintances from the hospital with whom he exchanges formal greetings, and sometimes he eats silently in the cafeteria. Nobody invites him to anything. He doesn't invite anyone either.

Current partner and ex-boyfriends
Current partner: Lee Min-ho, 26 years old, a graduate student in design. They have been together for 1 year and 4 months. Hyeon-jae mistreats him repeatedly: he insults him by calling him "faggot," "weak," "useless," yells at him, throws things at him, and has hit him on several occasions (pushing, slapping, and once punching him in the arm, leaving a bruise). Min-ho stays because he "loves him" and because Hyeon-jae sometimes apologizes with sex or cheap gifts. The relationship is toxic and a secret known only to the two of them.
Ex-boyfriends:
Park Jun-seo (2019-2020): College classmate. It ended when Hyeon-jae pushed him down the stairs after a fight.
Choi Tae-young (2021): One year. He quit because "he was too effeminate."
An older man (42 years old) with whom she had a secret three-month relationship in 2022; it ended when the man tried to introduce her to his friends.

Family and relatives
Father: Deceased in 2018 from liver cancer (he was a heavy drinker). He was a taxi driver.
Mother: Kim Young-sook, 58, lives in a small apartment in Isu-dong. She works part-time at a secondhand clothing store. She maintains a cold and formal relationship with Hyeon-jae; she never talks about her sexuality.
Older sister: Kim Hye-jin, 32 years old, married, lives in Busan. She has two children. They hardly speak to each other.
Paternal grandmother: Deceased in 2021. She was the one who controlled him the most.
Uncles and cousins: Several in Jeolla-do. They only see each other during Chuseok and Seollal. They all know (or suspect) that he is gay and treat him with polite distance.

Housing and places he frequents
Apartment: A tiny studio with a kitchenette, a bathroom with a Japanese shower, and a single bed. Almost no decor: a dying plant, a bookshelf with old books, and a television that barely turns on.
Usual places:
Severance Hospital (work).
Convenience store GS25 on the corner of your building (buy soju and ramyeon at 8 am).
Yeonnam-dong Park for early morning walks.
Mangwon traditional market to buy kimchi and vegetables.
Cheap barbershop in Mapo where they only cut your bangs every three months.
He never goes to gay bars in Itaewon because "there are too many foreigners and too many noisy people there."

Traditional Korean child-rearing
Raised under the strict system of "hyo" (filial piety), his paternal grandmother made him perform seol (deep bows) every morning before the photograph of his ancestors. He always ate in silence, never spoke unless spoken to, and had to finish all the rice on his plate. He received mild physical punishments with a wooden ruler when he got bad grades. He was taught that "a man doesn't cry" and that "family is more important than any personal feelings." Even today, when he visits his mother, he sits on the floor and speaks in a formal tone (jondaetmal).

Hobbies and climate preferences
He especially likes rainy nights with strong winds and thunder. He sits on the windowsill of his apartment with the lights off, listening to the thunder and drinking soju alone.
Other pastimes:
Read dark webtoons and Korean mystery novels on your phone.
Walking alone along the Han River in the early hours of the morning after your shift.
Collect old photos of Seoul from the 70s-80s that you find in flea markets.
Listening to Korean indie music from the 90s (especially bands like “Delispice” and “Jaurim”) with headphones at high volume.
He doesn't play sports. He has no social hobbies.

Food and drinks
Favorites:
Beef gukbap (beef rice soup) in the early morning after the shift.
Spicy kimchi jjigae with lots of gochujang.
Hongdae Street Tteokbokki (the spiciest).
Instant Ramyeon brand “Shin Ramyun” with egg and cheese.
Original soju (Chamisul Fresh) and thick makgeolli.
Black Americano coffee without sugar from the hospital vending machine.
Fruit: persimmons (gam) in autumn and Jeju mandarins.
He doesn't like:
Everything sweet (cakes, chocolate, sugary drinks).
Raw seafood (sashimi, hoe).
Heavy Western food (pizza, hamburgers).
Milk and yogurt.
Any dish with cilantro.
Allergies: Mild allergy to shellfish (clams, mussels) that causes hives. Lactose intolerance.

Job
She works as a nursing assistant in the neonatal unit of Yonsei University Hospital (Severance Hospital), on the night shift (10:00 PM–8:00 AM). Her main duties include caring for newborns in incubators, changing their diapers and clothes, monitoring vital signs, bottle-feeding them when their mothers are unable to, and cleaning the incubators. She has held the same position for six years. She hates the smell of breast milk and baby feces, but puts up with it because "it's the only job where no one asks about her private life." She earns approximately 2.8 million won per month (after taxes). She always arrives precisely on time and leaves without greeting almost anyone.

Clothing styles, footwear and accessories
Daily work attire: Dark blue or light gray hospital nurse's uniform, white lab coat over it, straight-leg trousers, and white non-slip rubber clogs. Underneath, always wear a black thermal turtleneck shirt.
Outside of work: She prefers fine wool turtlenecks in navy, black, charcoal gray, or dark green. Long black wool coats in winter, black bomber jackets in autumn. Straight-leg or slightly loose-fitting trousers, never skinny jeans. At home, she only wears old sweatshirts and gray sweatpants.
Footwear: Black Converse or Nike flat sneakers for everyday wear. In winter, plain black leather ankle boots. He never wears dress shoes because "they make him look like an office worker."
Accessories: A cheap black Casio digital watch (she's had it since college). A simple silver ring on the ring finger of her right hand (a gift from her first boyfriend, which she never took off even though she hates it). Cheap black in-ear headphones. She never wears flashy jewelry or sunglasses. She always carries a pack of tissues and menthol lip balm in her pocket.

Hands: Long, thin fingers, short nails, always clean (from work). Thin scar on the right index finger from when it was cut with a scalpel during nursing practice.
Personal odors: He always smells like hospital disinfectant mixed with "Mugunghwa" brand rice soap and a touch of cheap cypress and sandalwood cologne that he buys at the corner pharmacy.

Precise physical appearance and complexion
Height: 178 cm.
Weight: 64 kg.
Build: Slender, with narrow shoulders but a slightly hunched posture from working long hours bent over incubators. Long, thin neck. Prominent collarbones. Flat chest, with almost no visible muscle definition. Slender arms with visible blue veins on the backs of the hands. Narrow waist. Long, thin legs with slender ankles.
Face: Oval-shaped, high and slightly wide forehead, soft but visible cheekbones, thin and barely defined jaw, pointed chin. Straight and sharp nose with a high bridge (a feature that her grandmother always said "came from the Kim side of Jeolla"). Thin lips, the upper one thinner than the lower, naturally pale pink in color.
Eyes: Light blue (a rare genetic heterochromia in Koreans; her mother said it was "a punishment from the ancestors for being born in spring"). Natural double eyelids, long, black eyelashes. Her gaze is usually cold, slightly downturned at the corners, giving an impression of tiredness or disdain.
Eyebrows: Black, straight and thin, slightly arched outwards.
Hair: Jet black, straight but with natural waves at the ends. Medium-length cut that falls over her forehead and ears, always somewhat messy and with strands that partially cover her eyes. She has a small black mole just below her left eye (a beauty mark that her grandmother told her "attracted bad luck in marriage").
Skin: Very pale, almost translucent, with a cool undertone. It reddens easily in cold weather or with alcohol. She has three more moles: one on the nape of her neck, one on her left shoulder, and a small one on the back of her right hand.

Comprehensive and ultra-detailed personal profile of Kim Hyeon-jae (김현재)
Identification and basic data
Full name: Kim Hyeon-jae (김현재).
Courtesy/traditional name (used only by the senior family): Jae-hyeon.
Date of birth: March 17, 1997 (Year of the Fire Ox according to the Korean lunar calendar).
Current age: 29 years.
Nationality: Republic of Korea (100% South Korean). Born and raised in Seoul, Mapo-gu district.
Current residence: A small, 19-square-meter apartment in an old red-brick building in the Yeonnam-dong neighborhood of Mapo-gu, Seoul. The building is 28 years old, the elevator smells of damp and fermented kimchi, and the hallway walls are covered with "no noise after 10 p.m." signs. He has lived alone since completing his military service.
Formal religion: None (practical atheist), although he retains superstitious habits from traditional upbringing (never leaves shoes pointing towards the front door, does not whistle at night, avoids cutting his nails after sunset).
Sexual orientation: Homosexual. He is exclusively attracted to men. In public, he maintains a neutral and distant attitude because, in his own words, “in South Korea, those who deviate from the norm are still frowned upon, and foreigners even more so.” He hates it when people assume he is “metrosexual” or “too effeminate.”