A LOOK INTO CHAE SEUNGHEON'S MOMENTS.
justice has been served
chae
chae
chae
seungheon
seungheon
seungheon
organized chaos
is it this way or that way?
with an anxious heart
i'm standing in front of the next choice
between paths that i've never gone on before
how can i find my way?
FULL NAME Chae Seungheon
DATE OF BIRTH 29 March, 1990
AGE 31 (32)
BIRTHPLACE Seoul, South Korea
HOMETOWN Seoul, South Korea
ETHNICITY Korean
NATIONALITY Korean
PRONOUNS he/him/his
ORIENTATION straight
LANGUAGES SPOKEN
Korean - Seungheon is fluent as it is his native language and the primary language he communicates in on a daily basis.
English - Seungheon is semi-fluent due to learning it in school and being employed at a large law firm that employs a significant number of foreign attorneys. Although a big chunk of his vocabulary is made up of legal jargon, Seungheon is still able to navigate relatively comfortably when traveling overseas in which his only option is to speak English.
OCCUPATION junior associate lawyer at Kim & Chang law firm
FACE CLAIM Yoon Doojoon [Highlight]
BACKUP Im Seulong [2AM]
APPEARANCE Seungheon has jet black hair that he usually styles up, off of his forehead. He has straight eyebrows and brown eyes with dark circles underneath due to his lack of sleep. He has a sharp jawline and is always clean-shaven. His broad shoulders accentuate his relatively thin frame and small waist.
MEASUREMENTS 180 cm, 64 kg
FASHION STYLE Seungheon's closet is filled with white dress shirts, black suits, and dozens of silk neckties in assorted colors. For more informal business casual occasions, he usually wears navy blue polos with black dress pants. When he's at home or out with friends, he is typically dressed in black shirts and black jeans or soccer pants. He especially likes wearing oversized hoodies in the winter. His outfits, both work and casual, are also completed with black socks and black Oxford dress shoes.
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Chae Seungheon (채승헌)
sleep-deprived since SNU
junior associate lawyer @kimchanglaw
PERSONALITY
diligent, ambitious, playful, goofy, spontaneous, scatterbrained, jaded, pragmatic
Seungheon has always been diligent and studious, both academically and professionally, as he strides forward with his head held high. He is persistent and systematically chips away at his tasks in order to reach his goals. Seungheon believes that success is achieved through consistent hard work and his life trajectory is testament to that. His ambitions have carried him to the top of his class and opened many doors of opportunity for him throughout the years. With a solid plan in hand and the drive to be the best version of himself possible, no goal is too lofty for Seungheon and he enjoys taking on new challenges that help elevate him to the next level.
Due to his professionalism, most people do not realize how playful Seungheon can be upon first meeting him. However, they are easily proven wrong once they start hanging out with him, especially in a more casual setting. He does like to go out and have his fair share of fun; the main issue is finding the time to do so. Seungheon also maintains that his goofy, self-deprecating sense of humor kept him sane during the late nights of studying throughout high school and university, and gives him a moment to breathe during the long and chaotic days at work. Being a little weird and wacky at times helps off-load some of the stress that's perpetually weighing him down. And since laughing is a great way to relieve stress, Seungheon doesn't hold back from making dumb jokes every so often, even if he's the only one who cracks up.
Seungheon is also good at rolling with the punches when changes unexpectedly occur. He is not easily fazed when schedules suddenly shift or meetings get pushed around. If someone asks him to jump into a new task or pivot his focus to something else all of a sudden, Seungheon readily says yes and dives right in. This spontaneity also carries into his personal life; if his friends suddenly propose a new fun activity or outing, Seungheon rarely says no. Free time is already precious as it is and he hasn't come to regret any spontaneous adventures with his friends yet. However, because his schedule is usually so full and he typically runs on very little sleep while so many things tumble around in his head, Seungheon can unwittingly be rather scatterbrained at times. His desk is as chaotic as his brain is, with files stacked miles high and dozens of folders simultaneously flipped open. Every time Seungheon does manage to properly clean up his workspace, it reverts back to its cluttered state within days since he will inadvertently tear up the place in frantic search of files or papers that he knows are somewhere. He just can't remember precisely where when he has twenty other things to remember at that exact moment.
As such, time has also worn down Seungheon, especially over the past decade. Being in law has its lows, which most people turn a blind eye towards since the highs are seemingly glamorous. Regularly seeing people on the verge of collapse, recognizing the cracks within society that may never heal, and watching corporations try to find loophole after loophole wears down on a person's psyche. And Seungheon is no exception to that. He's much more jaded than he outwardly lets on, because there's no point in showing it. There's nothing he can truly do to fix the system. Not when he's just one relatively insignificant person in the grand scheme of things. Especially when society in general has not been kind to millennials like him. Nevertheless, Seungheon has always been pragmatic about his goals and his capabilities. Had he not been so academically inclined, Seungheon knows that he realistically would not have been accepted into SNU as a student or Kim & Chang as a lawyer. While he may never change the world in a grandiose way that gets recorded in history books for future generations to laud over, Seungheon doesn't need anything like that to feel fulfilled. He's just trying to live his own life the best way he can and that's honestly enough for him.
tomorrow, today
jj project
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BACKGROUND
Seungheon had a relatively average childhood as an above-average student. Like most of his peers, he arrived at school an hour early to play soccer in the courtyard. He obediently handed in his homework, paid attention to his teachers, and volunteered to answer questions or participate in class demonstrations. Although he wasn't necessarily the most popular kid in school—that title was usually reserved for the class clowns and the louder, more rebellious children—Seungheon was still well-liked by his teachers and his classmates, and never found himself excluded in social circles at school. Because of his high grades and studious nature, Seungheon was often voted as class leader and his classmates usually looked to him to answer difficult questions whenever they played educational games in class. He never rocked the boat like the more raucous students in class did and always put his best foot forward whenever they were tasked with completing worksheets in class.
After school, Seungheon attended several extra-curricular academies. He had English class on Mondays and Wednesday, piano lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and art school on Fridays. After those one-hour lessons, he went to a cram school that was across the street from his elementary school and studied there until dinnertime. Even when there wasn't as much homework given by his teachers, Seungheon often studied ahead and helped his classmates with homework while they were at cram school together. On rare days with no assigned homework, Seungheon usually joined his friends in the school courtyard to play soccer until sundown before heading home to relax on the couch with a good book in hand.
For Seungheon, being a kid was great. Homework was easy, school was fun, and soccer with his friends during lunch was always the highlight of his day. He didn't have much to complain about and life went along swimmingly. His parents didn't have to emphasize the importance of high grades, since he was already considered an overachiever at school. He met their expectations with ease and was a rather obedient child, so their family life at home was pleasantly peaceful.
Middle school drastically surged in academic intensity and Seungheon found himself spending much more time at cram schools than he had before. Although his homework and exams were now substantially more difficult than they had been during his elementary school days, Seungheon still managed to keep up relatively easily, especially in comparison to his classmates who did not care for school as much. For him, studying was an easy way to pass the time. Soaking in new information and completing practice problems were peaceful pastimes that also happened to help keep his grades above the curve. And the challenge of surpassing his classmates who were of similar academic ranking also kept school rather interesting and enjoyable.
However, high school was when everything truly ramped up. School was no longer fun and games at this point, when every test score and every extra-curricular activity mattered for college applications. And as one of the most academically inclined students in his high school, expectations were wordlessly upon Seungheon's shoulders before he knew it. His classmates always came to him for help in between classes and during cram school hours, all desperate to keep their grades up as well so that they'd have a shot at getting admitted into reputable universities. School became a repetitive cycle of classes, more classes, even more classes, homework, cram school, more homework, studying, even more homework, various extracurricular activities throughout the week, more studying, and even more studying. And if he got lucky, he could maybe catch a few hours of sleep before the grind repeated itself over and over again.
With everything he was juggling, Seungheon began to forgo sleep and it soon became part of his lifestyle, unhealthy as it was. But it couldn't be helped due to how competitive one needed to be for college applications. By then, Seungheon truly understood the societal pressure of attaining success in education in order to achieve long-term financial stability later on. It was a matter of survival; only the smartest, most capable people would reap the benefits of a prestigious profession in an esteemed corporation. Whereas everyone else would end up continuously struggling in their adult life thanks to low-paying jobs and lack of financial freedom. So as long as he bit the bullet and grinded away now, he could set himself up for a relatively smooth and worry-free life later on. And with college entrance exams looming ever closer, Seungheon feverishly studied day and night in order to acquire results that could hold up against the formidable test scores of other top high school students in the country who were fighting just as fiercely for the limited acceptance letters that the most renowned universities sent out every year.
After three years of non-stop studying, it all finally came to fruition when Seungheon received the coveted acceptance letter to Seoul National University (SNU) and was named valedictorian of his class before graduation. All of the sleepless nights he had spent with his textbooks, painstakingly taking notes and reviewing them until the words were burned into his brain, had been worth it. Seungheon could finally breathe and relax for a moment as he reveled in his well-earned accomplishments now that the first major hurdle had been cleared.
In March 2009, Seungheon began his new life as a first-year political science student at SNU. He had his sights set on law school, so he immediately threw himself into studying and networking with his professors and TAs. At SNU, Seungheon was surrounded by the best of the best in the country; he was no longer the top student in school like he had been in grade school and Seungheon soon realized how average he actually was in comparison to his classmates. In order to maintain his grades and attempt to stay ahead of the curve, sleep quickly dropped back down to the bottom of his priority list as he studied feverishly to keep up with his peers.
After his first year at SNU, Seungheon enlisted in the military in order to complete his mandatory service. This way, it would be easier to jump back into his studies after his enlistment and build upon his knowledge once he reached his upper-division classes. Although military service was much more physically demanding and socially isolating than he had expected it to be, Seungheon had his textbooks with him to study and pass the time before his bedtime curfew at the base. And it was rather nice to finally have a regular sleep schedule again after years of pulling all-nighters. Seungheon wished he could have retained this healthy sleep cycle once he returned to SNU, but the harsh demands of maintaining high grades in the most prestigious university in the country meant that he was back to studying all day and all night once he completed his military service.
Seungheon's last two years of undergraduate study were essentially a rat race as he spent every waking hour knee-deep in writing and revising research papers, creating presentations, preparing and participating in mock trials, and studying for the Legal Education Eligibility Test (LEET). With only two thousand spots available across all law schools in the country, his applications had to be top-notch and impeccable. The University Library became his second home, particularly Reading Room 3A which was open twenty-four hours every day. It was rare for Seungheon to not be there and his friends knew that they could always count on having a quiet place to study if they joined him there. And the months after law school applications closed, leading up to acceptance decisions, were the most nerve-wracking period of Seungheon's life, even though it was also the freest he'd been since high school.
It wasn't until he received an even more coveted acceptance letter from SNU that Seungheon allowed himself to release the breath he had been unconsciously holding for weeks. He almost couldn't believe that one of the 150 letters they had sent out this year was now in his hand. He had successfully cleared another hurdle and was able to enjoy the rest of his undergraduate life until graduation with newfound serenity. This also made the transition to law school significantly smoother, especially since he didn't have to move again and he was already very familiar with the law department at SNU. There were no major shifts in his routine and Seungheon was able to adapt quite easily to the next stage of his life.
After his second year of law school, Seungheon was accepted into the summer associate internship program at Kim & Chang, arguably the highest ranked law firm in the country. The process had been akin to fighting for university acceptance letters again, except that all of the applicants were also hardened and battle-scarred soldiers who were trying to claw their way to the top after decades of schooling. Luckily, having built up strong relationships with his professors after six years of being at SNU, Seungheon had received strong recommendation letters alongside his high grades. And he had walked into his internship interview armed with poise and knowledge, which eventually secured him the summer position.
However, what Seungheon hadn't expected was the stark difference between school and an actual law firm office. These environments were incredibly different from each other and Seungheon found himself learning more than he had expected to on the job. Deadlines were fast-paced and always changing, either moving up or getting pushed back, depending on the status of the cases he was placed on. There were always dozens of meetings to attend with clients from all over the world, since Kim & Chang functioned on an international level. And there was a never-ending to-do list of tasks; as soon as he finished one assignment, five more were instantly added to his ever-growing pile. Instead of having an ebb and flow of work to manage, it was a constant barrage of high-volume responsibilities that Seungheon had to bounce between as he followed the heels of several senior associates who were frantically dashing around the law firm as well. Nevertheless, it was valuable experience and Seungheon used everything he learned at Kim & Chang to successfully finish off his last year of law school.
After graduating from SNU School of Law, Seungheon holed himself in his apartment to study for the bar exam. This was the last major obstacle he needed to hurdle over before becoming a working member of society. And after months of non-stop studying, Seungheon managed to pass the bar exam with flying colors and receive his license to practice law. After also completing the required character review and background check, Seungheon was finally free to look for a job. He immediately reached out to his contacts at Kim & Chang, who welcomed him back with open arms. The interview was much more relaxed this time around and Seungheon received an official job offer soon after.
With all of the paperwork finalized and the job contract signed, Seungheon hopped right back into the fray at Kim & Chang, now a junior associate lawyer and one notch higher on the hierarchal totem pole. His life as a junior associate hasn't been much different from his internship days. He definitely has a lot more on his plate, now assisting a mixture of both senior associates and partners in the law firm. And before he knows it, Seungheon finds himself in a new cycle of constant work and sleeplessness that he feels like he'll never be able to escape from.
LIKES sleeping, skateboarding, museums, street food, discounts, bean bag chairs, ice cubes, the zoo, playing chess, lemons
DISLIKES needles, jellybeans, tardiness, poetry, peppermints, rap music, slow responses, swings, clowns, pineapples
TRIVIA
— He can sleep on any surface, anywhere, at any time. No matter how hard or bumpy it may be, even if it's the ground, Seungheon will knock out in seconds once his brain is ready to shut down for some much-needed rest.
— He has every food delivery app downloaded on his phone, since he rarely cooks at home.
— He is highly allergic to latex, and has developed mild allergies to avocados and mangoes as well due to cross-reactivity.
— He cannot stand having an inbox full of unread emails and opens every single email he receives, even if it isn't important.
— When he played soccer in high school, he was a striker and became captain of the varsity team in his third year. Seungheon continued playing soccer for fun as an undergraduate student in SNU, but stopped completely once he started law school due to lack of free time.
— He color codes all of his notes and reports to stay organized.
— He usually sends voice memos to friends in lieu of text messages, since he doesn't have the time or energy to type out his responses.
— He doesn't know anything about celebrities or pop culture. Seungheon might recognize some faces, having continuously seen them on ads plastered all over the metro station, but he won't know their names or why they're famous.
— He has dozens of podcasts downloaded on his phone to listen to on his commute to and from work, and as he gets ready for bed.
— As much as he loves his parents and his relatives, going home to see them for family holidays like Seollal and Chuseok can be quite stressful due to how often they all ask Seungheon when he'll finally settle down and get married. After all, he needs to find a girlfriend first before he can even begin to fathom marriage.
— He can sleep on any surface, anywhere, at any time. No matter how hard or bumpy it may be, even if it's the ground, Seungheon will knock out in seconds once his brain is ready to shut down for some much-needed rest.
— He has every food delivery app downloaded on his phone, since he rarely cooks at home.
— He is highly allergic to latex, and has developed mild allergies to avocados and mangoes as well due to cross-reactivity.
— He cannot stand having an inbox full of unread emails and opens every single email he receives, even if it isn't important.
— When he played soccer in high school, he was a striker and became captain of the varsity team in his third year. Seungheon continued playing soccer for fun as an undergraduate student in SNU, but stopped completely once he started law school due to lack of free time.
— He color codes all of his notes and reports to stay organized.
— He usually sends voice memos to friends in lieu of text messages, since he doesn't have the time or energy to type out his responses.
— He doesn't know anything about celebrities or pop culture. Seungheon might recognize some faces, having continuously seen them on ads plastered all over the metro station, but he won't know their names or why they're famous.
— He has dozens of podcasts downloaded on his phone to listen to on his commute to and from work, and as he gets ready for bed.
— As much as he loves his parents and his relatives, going home to see them for family holidays like Seollal and Chuseok can be quite stressful due to how often they all ask Seungheon when he'll finally settle down and get married. After all, he needs to find a girlfriend first before he can even begin to fathom marriage.
DAILY LIFE, ROUTINE!
Seungheon's schedule is both extremely packed and rather unpredictable, so he has gotten good at changing plans on the fly and pivoting his priorities to meet sudden deadlines. The first thing he does when he wakes up at seven in the morning is check his inbox and reply to as many emails as possible. As he gets dressed and washes up, Seungheon is glued to his phone and makes a mental checklist of things he needs to accomplish that day. He and Dowon then meet up with Yeojin and Yongjoon at Get Well Soon Coffee for breakfast before splitting off to their respective jobs.
Most of Seungheon's morning at the office is spent replying to more emails, returning phone calls, organizing schedules for various partners within the law firm, and doing last-minute research or adding final revisions to documents that will be used in court cases the next day. He is constantly running around the office, and poring over dozens of books at his desk with numerous colored pens and highlighters scattered around him.
If a law firm partner requests Seungheon's presence for a court case, he heads directly to the courthouse instead of the office after breakfast. With his briefcase in hand, Seungheon attends client meetings with the law firm partner and helps take notes that will be used in the upcoming court case. During the hearing itself, Seungheon carefully watches and takes copious notes for the law firm partner to review afterwards.
Seungheon then meets up with Yongjoon for lunch and the two junior associates discuss the cases they are working on while lamenting over the immense workload they are juggling. After lunch, Seungheon prepares documents for all of his client meetings in the afternoon. He usually has three or four of these meetings to attend with various partners within the law firm, and he is allowed to actively contribute to discussions during these meetings while he is taking notes. In between client meetings, Seungheon has individual meetings with the law firm partners that he is assisting and spends the time strategizing draft preparation or presenting research that might be useful for the cases they've been assigned to.
After a full afternoon of back-to-back meetings, Seungheon returns to his desk and combs through his inbox for important emails that need immediate replies. He then spends the next few hours doing research and collecting evidence to be used in future trials. Even though there is less running around in the afternoon, it isn't abnormal for random tasks to suddenly pop up for Seungheon to take care of as soon as possible. If he needs advice or clarification on deciphering and understanding any difficult legal documents that he comes across, Seungheon does not hesitate to ask around for help, although he does limit these requests to other junior associates or a few senior associates he is comfortable with so as not to needlessly bother any of the partners within the law firm.
Seungheon and Dowon try to be home at the same time to have dinner together, but their busy schedules don't always align so there are many evenings when Seungheon dines alone in their apartment. If Seungheon is especially swamped at work, he has dinner at the office with Yongjoon instead. Yeojin tries to join the boys for dinner, either at their apartment or at the office, since she has a relatively freer schedule than they do. After his evening meal break, Seungheon continues reviewing evidence and drafting documents. The work day isn't over until he has sent off every last draft for approval to the law firm partners. More often than not, his work lasts past midnight, sometimes up until two in the morning if his workload that day is especially egregious. Seungheon then spends another hour answering any remaining emails and making his to-do list for the next day. Once that's finalized, he finally heads to bed and knocks out for a few hours.
On weekends, Seungheon's workload is much lighter and he mostly works on document revision. After lunch, Seungheon either hangs out with his friends or takes a long nap to recover his sleep debt. Some days, he goes to the gym for a one-hour workout or skateboards around the park for some exercise. Weekends are the only time when Seungheon feels even remotely like a normal person with a proper work-life balance and he rarely turns down invitations to go out with his friends unless he is exhausted beyond belief and needs to recover from an incredibly taxing week of work.
Most of Seungheon's morning at the office is spent replying to more emails, returning phone calls, organizing schedules for various partners within the law firm, and doing last-minute research or adding final revisions to documents that will be used in court cases the next day. He is constantly running around the office, and poring over dozens of books at his desk with numerous colored pens and highlighters scattered around him.
If a law firm partner requests Seungheon's presence for a court case, he heads directly to the courthouse instead of the office after breakfast. With his briefcase in hand, Seungheon attends client meetings with the law firm partner and helps take notes that will be used in the upcoming court case. During the hearing itself, Seungheon carefully watches and takes copious notes for the law firm partner to review afterwards.
Seungheon then meets up with Yongjoon for lunch and the two junior associates discuss the cases they are working on while lamenting over the immense workload they are juggling. After lunch, Seungheon prepares documents for all of his client meetings in the afternoon. He usually has three or four of these meetings to attend with various partners within the law firm, and he is allowed to actively contribute to discussions during these meetings while he is taking notes. In between client meetings, Seungheon has individual meetings with the law firm partners that he is assisting and spends the time strategizing draft preparation or presenting research that might be useful for the cases they've been assigned to.
After a full afternoon of back-to-back meetings, Seungheon returns to his desk and combs through his inbox for important emails that need immediate replies. He then spends the next few hours doing research and collecting evidence to be used in future trials. Even though there is less running around in the afternoon, it isn't abnormal for random tasks to suddenly pop up for Seungheon to take care of as soon as possible. If he needs advice or clarification on deciphering and understanding any difficult legal documents that he comes across, Seungheon does not hesitate to ask around for help, although he does limit these requests to other junior associates or a few senior associates he is comfortable with so as not to needlessly bother any of the partners within the law firm.
Seungheon and Dowon try to be home at the same time to have dinner together, but their busy schedules don't always align so there are many evenings when Seungheon dines alone in their apartment. If Seungheon is especially swamped at work, he has dinner at the office with Yongjoon instead. Yeojin tries to join the boys for dinner, either at their apartment or at the office, since she has a relatively freer schedule than they do. After his evening meal break, Seungheon continues reviewing evidence and drafting documents. The work day isn't over until he has sent off every last draft for approval to the law firm partners. More often than not, his work lasts past midnight, sometimes up until two in the morning if his workload that day is especially egregious. Seungheon then spends another hour answering any remaining emails and making his to-do list for the next day. Once that's finalized, he finally heads to bed and knocks out for a few hours.
On weekends, Seungheon's workload is much lighter and he mostly works on document revision. After lunch, Seungheon either hangs out with his friends or takes a long nap to recover his sleep debt. Some days, he goes to the gym for a one-hour workout or skateboards around the park for some exercise. Weekends are the only time when Seungheon feels even remotely like a normal person with a proper work-life balance and he rarely turns down invitations to go out with his friends unless he is exhausted beyond belief and needs to recover from an incredibly taxing week of work.
NAME Moon Dowon (31)
FACE CLAIM Lee Jinki (Onew) [SHINee]
R/S roommate, best friend
OCCUPATION resident doctor at Yonsei University Gangnam Severance Hospital
Moon Dowon is a second-year resident doctor who is training to specialize in orthopedic surgery and one of Seungheon's best friends since college. They were roommates together in the same dormitory at SNU, all throughout their undergraduate years and doctorate studies. Although their professional interests greatly differed, they still bonded over their similar upbringing and propensity towards academics. Any time Seungheon needed a study buddy, he could always rely on Dowon enthusiastically agreeing to bunker down in the library with him for hours.
Dowon is the mellow one in their friend group and goes with the flow, content to let either Yeojin or Seungheon take the lead when planning their social outings. He also serves as an steady anchor for his friends, always ready to lend a hand or an ear whenever they need help. Although it can get stressful in the operating room at the hospital, Dowon is great at keeping his cool and providing a calm environment for his patients. In fact, one of the reasons why Seungheon enjoys rooming with Dowon so much is because of the tranquility he naturally brings to their shared living space.
Now that they're both working professionals, Seungheon and Dowon see each other much less than they did as students, even though they rent an apartment together. Because Seungheon is always at the law firm and Dowon is always at the hospital, their paths rarely intersect, especially during the week. However, their bond is still as strong as ever after almost ten years of being best friends and roommates. They check in with each other via text at least once a day and always tag each other in memes during breaks. And they frequently lament over current societal issues affecting them and their peers, like the ongoing exorbitant housing rates that have left them unable to purchase their own homes, even as working men in their thirties. Seungheon is incredibly grateful to have found such a compassionate, steadfast friend like Dowon and he's going to be sad when they eventually stop living together. It'll be a necessary change as they gradually move towards their next stage in life, but it'll still be a very bittersweet moment when it does finally happen.
NAME Ahn Yeojin (31)
FACE CLAIM Kim Taeyeon [SNSD]
R/S best friend
OCCUPATION accountant at Hwang-Ok E-Commerce
Ahn Yeojin is a senior accountant at Hwang-Ok E-Commerce and one of Seungheon's best friends since college. They met at a networking event hosted by the College of Social Sciences and exchanged contact information after a lengthy conversation about their future goals. They then ended up in some of the same lower-division classes together, so Seungheon began inviting Yeojin to study with him and Dowon. She accepted and the three students eventually became a close-knit trio as they all got to know each other more through candid conversations during their study breaks. And although she graduated earlier than the two boys, due to their mandatory military service, Yeojin often visited Seungheon and Dowon at their respective bases, and kept them updated on everything that was happening outside.
Yeojin is the assertive one in their friend group and never hesitates to speak her mind. Seungheon has also become much more aware of social issues that plague women in their country through Yeojin and her experiences, both the good and the bad. He does his best to make sure Yeojin feels safe and supported whenever they go out, especially at night, and has confronted several sleazebags on multiple occasions. Yeojin appreciates how Seungheon and Dowon are protective of her without stifling her, and sees some hope in humanity through their kind and loyal actions.
Because Yeojin has the most free time in their friend group, she is often the one who has to make sure they all don't overwork themselves. She gets on Seungheon's case all of the time whenever she notices his dark circles getting even deeper and often plans their holiday getaways, since she knows Seungheon won't take a vacation if she doesn't. Even though she is an incredibly ambitious woman herself, Yeojin has managed to find a harmonious balance between her work life and her personal life. And it has served her well, both in terms of her physical health and mental health. Yeojin worries about her friends experiencing burn-out, so she doesn't hesitate to nag and push them—especially Seungheon— towards a more sustainable lifestyle.
NAME Song Yongjoon (31)
FACE CLAIM Jang Wooyoung [2PM]
R/S co-worker, friend
OCCUPATION junior associate lawyer at Kim & Chang law firm
Song Yongjoon is a second-year junior associate lawyer at Kim & Chang and one of Seungheon's close co-workers. They both started on the same day, freshly licensed and prepared to exceed expectations. Although Yongjoon and Seungheon typically work with different partners, their desks are next to each other in the office and the two colleagues often collaborate with one another to help finish each day's mountainous pile of tasks. They've also wordlessly become each other's emotional support system at work, especially on days when it feels like chaos reigns supreme due to how many tasks that need to be completed as soon as possible get assigned to them on such short notice. And if one of them happens to be falling behind, the other easily tags in to help out. Seungheon and Yongjoon have built up a strong collaborative environment in their space that also extends to other junior associates in the law firm.
Yongjoon has also been informally inducted into Seungheon's social circle after he revealed that he moved from Ulsan prior to starting at Kim & Chang and didn't really know anyone or anything in Seoul. As a naturally outgoing guy, Yongjoon easily melded into the friend group, as if he'd been there from the start. On their off-days, Seungheon and his friends enjoy taking Yongjoon around the city to show him all of the sights and share any hidden gems within Seoul that aren't as crowded with tourists. Yongjoon is happy to have found a second family in Seoul so soon after moving to the capital city and doesn't feel as homesick as he expected to since his friends do such a great job of chasing away the tendrils of loneliness before they can grow.
Yongjoon has also decided that he will be focusing on intellectual property law as his professional specialization. Kim & Chang partners with dozens of conglomerates all over the country, and Yongjoon has helped many of these large companies file trademarks and protect newly approved patents from being stolen by competitors. Yongjoon has suggested IP law as a possible path for Seungheon on several occasions. It pays incredibly well and Kim & Chang has a well-established IP law department that they could both work in together, which would make collaboration between them even easier. Yongjoon and Seungheon have also discussed possibly starting a law firm together if they decide to go independent after working at Kim & Chang for several years. This idea is still up in the air, especially since it'll be awhile yet until they're considered for promotions to partner. At the very least, Seungheon knows that he has Yongjoon in his corner to back him up and lend a hand whenever he needs it.
NAME Yeon Boreum (31)
FACE CLAIM Shin Hyesun
R/S acquaintance
OCCUPATION former ballerina, current owner of Myunghwi Arts Foundation
Seungheon and Boreum met through Yeojin as a mutual connection. The two girls reconnected after Boreum returned to South Korea several years ago. Yeojin noticed how much more muted Boreum seemed and was horrified to learn what had happened to her overseas. Since then, Yeojin has been trying to spend more time with Boreum and support her friend through this incredibly difficult and emotionally taxing time.
Most of the time, Boreum declines Yeojin's invitations to hang out, especially when others like Seungheon are involved. Boreum just doesn't have the bandwidth to properly socialize with people, not when she still has nightmarish flashbacks of her traumatic fall. Boreum knows that her friend means well, so she does unexpectedly join Yeojin and the boys once in a blue moon, if only to distract herself from getting consumed by her dark thoughts.
So Seungheon truthfully isn't very close to Boreum, having only interacted with her a handful of times. It would be more accurate to say that he isn't close to Boreum at all. She keeps her walls up at all times and Seungheon doesn't know how to knock them down when she stays incredibly tight-lipped about everything. He'd like to get to know her and fully bring her into their friend circle like they have with Yongjoon, but it doesn't seem like it'll happen any time soon with Boreum only really speaking to Yeojin whenever she does show up to a group dinner. Every time they do meet, Seungheon sees the sadness in her eyes and wonders if there's any way to chase these negative emotions away.
memories
life direction
Seungheon is in his second year at Kim & Chang, and he's been getting more and more questions from both his fellow associates and his superiors about what branch of law he wants to specialize in as he gains more experience within the law firm. As of now, he is still running between different departments at Kim & Chang, dipping his hands into every pot available. But Seungheon knows that he needs to make a choice relatively soon and start pivoting his focus to whichever specific field of law he decides on for the sake of his professional future. While it isn't unheard of for a lawyer to be a jack-of-all-trades and take on all sorts of cases, having a specialization will make it much easier for Seungheon in the long run.
The problem is, Seungheon has absolutely no idea which branch he's truly interested in and passionate about. He spent so much of his youth trying to excel in every academic subject possible that he never really tried to limit himself and hone in on just one field. Any specific choices that he did make along the way, such as majoring in political science at SNU, came about because he had a clear-cut end goal of becoming a lawyer due to financial stability and societal prestige. As drilled into him like most of his peers, these were two of the most important factors to keep in mind when preparing for his future. Seungheon's other career options were either a doctor or an accountant. But because his highest marks in grade school were usually in language arts, social studies, and English, it was a logical choice for him to pursue law as an occupation over the other two.
With that in mind, corporate law seems to be the most straightforward path for Seungheon. He's already worked with various conglomerates, both domestic and international, and has a direct connection to Hwang-Ok E-Commerce through Yeojin. A majority of the cases that come through Kim & Chang are corporate as well, so he wouldn't have to worry about finding a new job at a different law firm in order to gain valuable experience in that field. Although Seungheon doesn't feel particularly passionate about corporate law, he's familiar enough with this field that specializing in it wouldn't be difficult and would still net him a relatively high salary.
However, if he wants to truly ensure financial stability and security, medical law—specifically, medical malpractice law—is probably the way to go. It's one of the highest echelons of law practice and Seungheon is no stranger to shooting for the top, having done so his entire life. But he also doesn't know if it would be a good fit. Seungheon doesn't doubt that he can eventually learn medical terminology and medical analysis, especially with Dowon's help. But it will realistically take years before he is competent enough to be given cases of his own and build a decent client base, since he has almost no experience in medical law. He only took one class in health law at SNU, and has worked on only a handful of medical malpractice and personal injury cases at Kim & Chang. He would have to build himself from the ground up again, which isn't necessarily ideal at this age.
And then there's family law. It seems rather thought-provoking and Seungheon has always had a vested interest in helping others, both professionally and personally. Relationships are quite fascinating to him, even if he doesn't have much romantic experience due to his workaholic lifestyle. However, Seungheon also recognizes how emotionally taxing this field can be, especially when dealing with divorce cases and custody battles. The decisions that he'd make, the advice that he'd give, could change the lives of his potential future clients—and their children—forever. And it may not necessarily always be for the better, as sad as that sounds. Not to mention, family law is admittedly not as lucrative as other specializations. In a perfect world, money wouldn't be such a huge factor. But the harsh reality is that society currently exists in the shackles of capitalism and Seungheon is no exception to that right now.
To top it off, there's the ever-growing housing market issue. Even with Seungheon's relatively high-paying salary, it'll take years for him to be able to afford a house at the exorbitant rate that the housing market is currently skyrocketing. He has already squandered away most of his youth and early adulthood in school, making next to no money for most of his life except for his prior part-time jobs that provided him just enough to pay for housing while he was a student. Thankfully, he no longer has to worry about that now, but the future seems incredibly daunting when it feels like his only choices are to rent for the rest of his life or move back home with his family. While there's nothing inherently wrong with either outcome, Seungheon would much rather have his own place, bought with the hard-earned money that he spent two decades slaving away in school for. After all, every adult around him had repeated countless times that getting into a top university and securing a respectable job would allow him to cruise through the rest of his life without much worry or stress. But Seungheon is learning how far that is from his present reality.
Right now, it feels like he's standing at a fork in the road. Except this fork is branching off into a dozen different directions and Seungheon is at a complete loss as to which is the correct path for him. Being an adult—truly being an adult—is much more difficult than he had ever expected and Seungheon doesn't know how he can continue running forward when he doesn't have a clear target in sight. He's not getting any younger, and his family loves to remind him of this fact whenever they lament over how he's still single and unmarried. It's the very definition of a midlife crisis, especially for someone whose life has been seemingly put together since childhood.
Just as he feels like he's about to collapse, completely stretched thin from everything he's juggling, Seungheon realizes that he cannot continue to grind himself into dust. His body just cannot keep up anymore. He is no longer the young high school student who could pull all-nighters on a regular basis. He no longer has to chase the mountain summit, having already reached it multiple times over. It's okay for him to slow down a bit and finally smell the roses. It's alright for him to take a step back so that he can look at the overall big picture. And it's okay to not know exactly what the future holds, because everything can change on a dime. And regardless of what does happen, he'll be fine. After all, he knows how to adapt. He knows how to be flexible. And after years of putting his career first and foremost, perhaps it's now time for Seungheon to start prioritizing his personal life a little more.
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interview
HELLO, IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU. NOW, BEFORE WE START, CAN YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF?
Nice to meet you. My name is Chae Seungheon. I am a junior associate lawyer working at Kim & Chang, the largest law firm in the country. I also received both my bachelor's degree and my JD from Seoul National University.
WHAT ARE YOUR CURRENT GOALS IN LIFE? DO YOU HAVE A LIFE MOTTO OR PRINCIPLE YOU LIVE BY?
I am currently focused on gaining as much knowledge and experience as I can at Kim & Chang. I haven't decided yet if I want to aim for partnership there or if I'd like to start my own law firm later on, but it'll be another five to six years before I have to actively make that decision so I'm not worrying about it now. I don't really have a life motto, but I do think it's important to always work hard and aim high. As exhausting as it is to forgo sleep and work non-stop, I would not have gotten into SNU or Kim & Chang if I hadn't put in the countless hours needed to realize my ambitions.
WHAT ARE THREE WORDS YOU IMAGINE PEOPLE DESCRIBE YOU AS?
My friends often tell me that I'm an intelligent, sleep-deprived workaholic. But I personally like to think of myself as a bit of a comedian as well when I'm not completely wiped out by work.
HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED LATER IN LIFE?
I live a very unglamorous life as a regular civilian, so I don't think there's any particular reason for people to remember me. But I suppose I would like to be remembered by my friends and colleagues as someone they could always rely on, no matter what situation came up.
ANY LAST WORDS BEFORE WE END? IT'S BEEN GREAT HAVING YOU.
I appreciate the flexibility in setting up this interview to accommodate my busy schedule. The world of law is very fast-paced and hectic, and things can change very spontaneously at a moment's notice. So thank you for bearing with me and being so understanding when I had to reschedule multiple times. I do have to run to another appointment now, but thank you again for this and please feel free to contact me if you ever need a legal consultant!
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dear love interest,
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ending credits
LUV_KERO. EMILY. 10/10.
COMMENTS Here is my last of three and probably even more of a meme than my first, LOL. XD Definitely let me know if some things aren't consistent or correct and I'll fix them right away! Once again, feel free to either pair him up with another character or keep him single! His love life is in your hands, HAHA. :') Thank you for creating such a fun story! And thank you so much for all of the extensions! ^^; I'm so glad I got to create some new characters for this and I hope you have a wonderful time writing it! ^^ Super excited to see the adventures that all of the cast members experience in TML and I'll be here every step of the way, rain or shine! :D
SCENE SUGGESTIONS None at the moment
PASSWORD Yeon Boreum
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