FULL NAME dakota rhee

OTHER NAMES 
KODY : the name he chooses to go by, since dakota is a bit of a mouthful. kinda used to people only calling him "dakota" if they're mad at him (aka his parents) or need something from him

SEONGBIN : his korean name. used exclusively by his parents and anyone in his hometown korean community. sometimes used by the korean international students at mandela, but he doesn't really use it much.

BIRTHDATE & AGE 06/06 & 26

 

GENDER male

PRONOUNS he/him

UALITY biual

 

BIRTHPLACE xenia, ohio

HOMETOWN xenia, ohio

ETHNICITY korean

NATIONALITY american

FACECLAIM byun baekhyun

STATURE 5'9" & 135 lbs

 

APPEARANCE kody is best summed up as: Average. his hair has been lightened a few shades to a pleasant brown, diligently keeping up with it so that he catches the first few sights of his roots before they grow out too far. he's got small, almost gentle features: his eyes shine in conversations and you just know he's about to say something ridiculous when his lips quirk up to the side, his nose small enough that he has to get his glasses adjusted so they stop sliding down his face all the time. average stature, average complexion, average walk.

 

STYLE 

VACATION : white button-ups in light almost transparent fabric + white tank top underneath / tan trousers / simple brown belt / brown birkenstocks / tan bucket hat + brandless black shades / corded cardigans that hang over his white tanks / soft black shorts with the ends at his kneecaps

FORMAL : navy suits + gold tie + white pressed collared shirt / gold cufflinks (a gift from his father upon graduating high school) / white socks pulled up to his shin / black pointed toe shoes / a gold watch (gifted from his mother upon graduating high school, passed down from his grandfather) / peppery cologne with a sharp scent / styled up hair so he looks older, wiser, sharper

CASUAL : uniqlo walking billboard : uniqlo button up cotton shirts + uniqlo trousers + uniqlo socks / baseball caps when he's out doing errands / gold cross necklace (from his grandma) / adidas stan smith sneakers with the blue accents / neutral colors or monochrome black n white

PERSONALITY 
animated, sociable... made friends easily despite being the most detached from typical mandela students. / had a "this is nothing to me" attitude that was equal parts insufferable and charming / good at gleaning context even if it's not immediately given to him (and it's how he survived so long among rich peers) / distaste for nepotism kids, hates the way that they're handed everything while he's gripping onto his scholarship with all his might / a hard-worker who prides himself on working up to his accomplishments / his ego is large, but not particularly fragile... he can take criticism and still know his own worth / more of a worker ant than a grasshopper / 

 

BACKGROUND 
grew up with two teacher parents: his mother was a kindergarten teacher at the local elementary and his father was a calculus teacher at the nearby high school. kody was always bright and excelled in his studies, generally being well-liked by his peers and teachers alike. however, after all of his toiling with scholarship apps, he ended up doing the impossible: getting a full-ride to mandela university. after this, he was hailed as a small-town wonder in their hometown. his parents always knew he was destined for great things, but they never anticipated him getting into one of the most prestigious universities on scholarship. while kody's head swelled with the praises, he knew that he had his work cut out for him once he got there.

 

coming from an environment where everyone knew everyone, he was suddenly the odd fish in the pond, the outsider. everyone knew each other, but kody was the one who seemed to be intruding. despite his horrendous first impressions with many entitled members of his major, he still somehow found his way through the social cues and nestled himself into a decent friend circle that he sought shelter in for exams and lonely lunch breaks. 

 

his popularity continued to grow with the more people he came to know, and soon enough kody was being invited to some of the biggest parties at the university. it was well-known that dakota rhee was a prolific scholarship bumpkin who had left his smalltown usa origins to play with the big fish. he was number one in his field, extremely witty, and most of all: a joy to be around. it was no surprise that he would eventually cross paths with gabriel yang...

 

THEIR SECRET despite all of his preconceived notions surrounding nepotism babies and the perceived distance between himself and top dog gabriel yang, kody was given an offer. if he could do this One Thing for gabriel, then he would be able to get a nice, cushy new york seat at a top-tier company. for kody who was barely scrounging up any connections at mandela networking events, this was so appealing he grew short-sighted. thus, he found himself helping gabriel get his foot in the door and helping to stabilize his new, fledgling company. of course, kody received zero credit for his contributions on the team, and even more infuriating: no compensation.

 

"your compensation is your job," gabriel had said, shrugging. "thank me when you get your first paycheck from estee lauder."

 

from then on, despite being praised by his proud parents, kody felt nothing but bitterness even in his times of greatest success. but if he let it slip how he was used, it would be found out that he got his position wrongfully. if he left the position out of spite, he would be left jobless and alienated. thus, of course, the only remaining option is to simply blame gabriel for all the wrongdoings... right?

 

TRIVIA 

AWARDS : valedictorian of his high school class, full-ride to mandela university, dean's list all four years at mandela

ALC TOLERANCE : a heavyweight, can hold down the liquor well enough that you wonder if it's even possible that he can get drunk... typically tipsy or buzzed at parties with a faint flush on the apples of his cheeks and hooded, sleepy eyes... gets even more talkative when he's intoxicated (if that's even possible)

HOBBIES : didn't have many hobbies outside of studying and hanging out with people, but he always is down for a game of bowling. has a skill for it somehow...

EGO : grapples with knowing his self-worth despite him knowing full well what is abilities are... is struggling with issues of self-hatred that he projects on his more wealthier peers (see secret for more elaboration)

SPENDING : has a difficult time justifying huge purchases of brand names.. took him forever to actually commit to getting airpods (was p much forced into it after apple took away the headphone jack) .. a lot of his namebrand pieces are gifts from his family that he'll wear till it disintegrates .. would unfortunately drop hefty funds on partying with others or a long night of karaoke

LUCK : has surprisingly good luck... wins rock paper scissors every time, also pulls on gacha for his friends in hs and uni to very satisfactory results
ETC : more can be added later...

> GABRIEL YANG | friendly, but not close

kody had heard of him from the moment he first entered mandela university. of course, it was impossible Not to: gabriel was popular, amiable, super bright, and super talented. it did not go unnoticed by kody, who was dutifully inspecting the social ladder. despite how easygoing gabriel appeared, kody simply determined that they would never coexist in the same spaces... where gabriel flourished, kody was forgotten. 

 

however, as kody gradually began to accrue some popularity of his own, he wound up being invited by a friend of a friend to one of gabriel's parties... and he was enamored by the guy who seemed to command a room with no effort at all. kody liked his vibes! he felt down-to-earth, humble, and like a real self-starter...

 

and on the day that gabriel yang came to him and asked him to assist with the creation of paddle... well, how could kody refuse? overnight, kody suddenly became one of the inner circle with gabriel yang, and this was not the worst spot to be in. he admired gabriel's drive and passion toward making paddle into a workable, efficient app... kody admired that work ethic. mostly, he admired that gabriel was a self-starter paving his way on his own. (to his knowledge)

 

however, after all of the hours they put into the app, perhaps kody got the wrong impression or he felt as though they were something they were not... kody thought that gabriel appreciated him and respected him for his abilities, and that maybe in some weird sense of the word, they could be considered friends! but the lack of credit given to kody for his work and the seemingly indifferent (yet still very amicable) treatment gabriel bestowed upon him... well, it put a bitter taste in kody's mouth.

because of this, kody isn't sure how he feels about gabriel, who doesn't see anything wrong with what transpired--after all, kody got what he wanted in the end! but kody knows that a lot of his ill will is a product of his own self-hatred and his inability to forgive himself for selling out.

 

> ESME NAKANO | comfortable companions (?)

meeting in a gen ed course his first year, kody was instantly very taken with esme's personality. she spoke in big pictures, had big goals, and seemed almost comfortable with kody speaking to her. they had usual classmate interactions throughout the year, bonding through the sheer luck of sitting next to each other on the first day, but kody enjoyed her presence. they exchanged contacts and continued to meet up throughout their time at mandela. whether it was study sessions or picking up lunch between their courses, kody liked talking to her, and he liked that she seemed to actually listen. 

 

after getting integrated into gabriel's circle, he typically floated between gabriel and esme, speaking with esme whenever gabriel didn't occupy her attention or when kody wasn't helping gabriel crunch numbers. in kody's eyes, esme is a friend of his, an unlikely companion found through the seas of snobs at mandela. to esme, their dynamic is perhaps a little more murky. 

 

following kody's instatement at estee lauder, he feels a bit of shame when he thinks of esme now. esme, who comes from wealth but doesn't actively profit from it, is still trying to make her way in the world on her own. for kody, who has nothing to his name, he's used nepotism to get to where he is. he feels it's a bit difficult to face her now, but he still misses her presence. 

 

[more can be added w collabs n such]

kody's already a few glasses deep of whatever was being served in the very bright pink bowl of punch, the artifical sweetness lingering on his tongue as he talks with gabriel. it's not often that they have time together, and kody knows that every second spent with the Illustrious CEO of Paddle is a second treasured. 

 

gabriel gives him a curious grin, "SO HYPOTHETICALLY, IF YOU WERE TO MURDER SOMEONE, WHAT WOULD YOU USE?" kody raises an eyebrow. "so we're just diving into the deep questions straight away?" he snickers around the rim of his glass. "wait gimme a sec... i gotta think of something good..."

 

he hums in thought, eyes watching the other partygoers mosey about. "i think it's best to use something mundane... and if possible, something you could simply see as an accident?" he wiggles his eyebrows. "let's view it more as a murder method than a murder weapon in this case... like, say, i dunno, your foot! you trip the victim down the stairs and they fall and die on impact at the bottom... then the murder weapon walks away with you and no fingerprints needed!"

 

he takes a long sip from his drink before he squints accusingly at gabriel. "and no i have not totally thought about this in the shower when i'm bored!"

 

kody's answer must have amused him, as he continues speaking with a coy smile. "AND HOW WOULD YOU GET AWAY WITH IT?" kody gives gabriel a bit of a sideways glance, before saying with a bit more seriousness: "don't be sloppy." he then shrugs as he finishes the remaining drink left in his cup.

 

"like let's take my previous example, tripping someone down the stairs and foregoing leaving behind fingerprints or a murder weapon by essentially bringing the weapon with you," kody begins to gesture with the cup, imitating someone walking away. "you gotta make sure there's a) no witnesses, and b) that you aren't missed.. gotta get a solid alibi and even more so, you gotta be a good actor!"

 

gabriel tilts his head and kody imitates him but with a certain lighthearted mocking air. "when people find the body at the bottom of the stairs, you gotta be ready to go 'oh my god! how did this happen!'" kody's voice picks up a couple octaves and he comically slaps his hands onto either side of his face, mirroring the cover of Home Alone.

 

upon seeing a lack of reaction from gabriel, kody sighs, dropping his hands down and nudging gabriel's chest with the bottom of his cup. "hmph. guess i gotta work on my performance?" an exaggerated roll of his eyes. "everyone's a critic these days, huh? i'll go drown my sorrows in another delicious and slightly suspicous drink from the punch bowl."

ALIAS & ACTIVITY tofu & 25%

 

COMMENTS i love u and that's why i squeezed my last brain cells for this.. also im back in my (sickly) baekhyun era.