T i m e i s a n i l l u s i o n, b u t n o t o u r s t o r i e s…
NAME: Kwon Haneul
AGE: 25 / 1362
SPECIES: Blood Cursed
OCCUPATION: Owner of Hidden City Cafe.
YEAR OF ARRIVAL: 1902.
Haneul’s life started with a wagon.
His parents had mules, three to be exact, and as such they were the rulers of their small village because they could leave if they so chose. He learned to control the mules when they were attached to a wagon at seven years old, his father beside him, as they rode down the dirt path to the village market. His whole life revolved around moving that wagon but he found his happiness in picking out the foods; smelling the tomatoes, picking the ripest apple. He was not supposed to be in the kitchens but he would often sneak in beside his mother to watch her as she created flavorful soups from flames and a dark pot.
By the time he was sixteen, he was well versed in the ways of their village. They lived beneath a mountain, so they were blessed with the luxury of rain and less snow than those who lived up hill. It was a simple life. One that he knew well. Even when his father died, Haneul did not feel a sense of gravity. He knew what he had to do and he did it; but now he could also work in the kitchen. Becoming the boss meant no one could question his decisions, or else risk his wrath.
The town prospered under his control. For ten full years he reigned as a psuedo-king, and he enjoyed his work. He was a natural leader. Although quiet and reserved, he listened well and understood. He could see the way the town needed to move, or if the rains were too much how they could harvest crops a little further up the mountain. The plague was out of his control but it ravaged the town, leaving the people fearful for the fate of the town. When he caught the plague, Haneul panicked. He had never felt such an intense fear grip his bones and turn his stomach inside out. He thought he was going to die tucked into his bed, comforted by one of his wives, when he heard the voices.
They sounded like angels but later he would considered them demons. Although they did what they thought was best, Haneul would never understand the first year of his newly cursed life. He rose, panting, huffing, thirsting. His bones ached for something that he could not quite put his finger on. There were others, too. Three, to be exact. But he was too focused on the thirst to do anything about helping those people, or even recognizing them. His eyes, burning from the pain of the unquenchable thirst, searched for the thing that might save him from this damnation.
He found it in the throat of a woman, the first one he killed. Sometimes, Haneul still mourns her. He remembers her face, because as he feasted for the first time, not knowing what he had become or why he had become this way, he realized what he was doing was wrong. For ten years, he became acquainted with his fellow cursed and they burned the town to the ground. Even his own precious gem, was lost to their thirst.
Then came the imprisonment. Of course, during his time there Haneul assumed the emotions of hatred; resentment. He was not kept alive on hope but by anger. First they changed him, then they imprisoned him as if he were their slave, and then they expected him to learn. To change. To grow. Haneul did not want to learn or change. He wanted to destroy. He wanted to tear down the world and throw it as far away from him as possible. In those years, for so somany years, he found himself thirsty for revenge. The other three looked to him, for some reason, and he allowed himself to become leader. Maybe his anger was what they latched on to, but, either way, they followed him and his ideals.
They were freed by a traveler and Haneul was thankful, so he changed him. On their hunt for the ones that had imprisoned them, Haneul changed many other humans. Before he realized what he as doing, he had built himself an arm army, one that he was in command of. They hunted for years, about twenty men and women, looking for revenge on the ones that Haneul claimed could change them all back. Save them. Give them new life. He never found them and after years of searching, of scouring Europe and Asia, Haneul gave up. They were not really what he was upset about anyways. No; he realized that much too late.
It wasn’t until about the 1800s that Haneul recognized he could not be angry any more. There was too much in the world for him to discover; to explore. Being angry would not change his situation, and although they were not thinking about changing more people, it happened. One was uncontrollable in the beginning, and suddenly there were ten new vampires as they began to be called.
The years passed and finally Haneul decided to move back to South Korea. The New World had just been formed, and although wars ravaged the country, he thought that it would be rather nice for all of them to have a new start. Haneul bought a restaurant in Seoul and began cooking again, but this time with a wide arrange of foods that he would never have been able to fathom back on the British Isles, all those years ago. He loved his restaurant, too, and finally found pleasure in something that he had not had in a long time.
He owns his own cafe that brings smiles to the faces of his customers, and that is enough for him. For now. His blood lust has died, but that does not mean that he does not remember the past. He has forgiven.
But Haneul will never forget what has passed, and since he is immortal, he has a long time to think about it.
t e l l m e, a r e w e a p r o d u c t o f w h o w e u s e d t o b e?
positive
Imaginative: Even before he was turned, Haneul spent his life trying to explore the world. He was one of the few people in his small town who wanted to weave together words into those crazy things called stories. He figured out how to use strawberries to stain bread a deep red. He now shows his imagination in food, sweets, really, but he’s always trying to discover; to develop new ideas.
Honest: He found himself often knowing just what to say and how to say it but Haneul has also learned never to lie. He’s truthful to himself and truthful to others and he stands by that motto. Haneul does not think he can be a good leader without honesty and so, no matter the hardship, he will speak the truth.
Sensitive: Although many believe sensitivity is a horrible trait, it has served Haneul well over the years. He knows pain. He can spot even the smallest bit of grief now, even if it is woven gracefully into a smile.
negative
Regretful: Haneul’s past is not behind him. He finds constant agony in remembering the things that he has done; constant doubt at how he has supported others in his life. He hates it but he regrets what he had become, even if it was only for a little while.
Reserved: Breaking down the shell of a broken down man is a difficult thing to do. Haneul clings to his walls because they are the last things still standing. Unless spoken to or unless he has to, he does not open up much.
Cynical: Haneu; does not see the world in a positive light. He knows what it has done to him and he knows what it will do to others. He’s not necessarily a debbie downer, but people do see him being grumpy.
blissful
calm
