≛ 문다빈 is up to hijinks
TW: death, alcoholism
FACE CLAIM park jiyeon
[ actress & t-ara member ]
BACK UP im jinah [actress, formerly of after school ]
APPEARANCE dabin often gets told she looks a lot like her mother, but the older she gets, the less she believes it to be true for in her face she sees an equal amount of her mother and her father. tall and slim, dabin doesn't do much to maintain her weight besides keeping a balanced diet and running after her kids.
she has naturally long black hair but, as of late, has gone a dark brown during winter and autumn and a medium brown during the spring and summer.
the daily makeup is light and natural, never missing the false eyelashes or eyeliner no matter how late she may be in getting ready. she feels without eyeliner, and if she had to choose to wear only one makeup product for the rest of her life, it'd be eyeliner.
HEIGHT 167cm
STYLE / FASHION work consists of dress pants and blouses, with the occasional blazer or when necessary. heels are also always a must when dabin's at work. she believes others will take her more seriously if she's in pants rather than a skirt or dress.
the dress pants and blouses often follow her into her casual wear, but depending on the weather and if she has business to attend to, she enjoys wearing long pleated skirts or dresses. jeans rarely appear in her outfits but make their rounds every so often. comfort-wise, she enjoys plaid pants with an oversized shirt or a matching pajama set.
color isn't an issue for dabin, but she prefers pastel and slightly muted colors when she does wear color.
TRAITS
ESTJ-A, VIRGO, LAWFUL NEUTRAL
the positives. dedicated, strong-willed, practical, organized
blunt. the neutrals. enigmatic
stubborn, bossy, perfectionist, restless. the negatives
EXPANDED
ever since she was young, dabin has always given her all to everything she set her mind to or whatever goal was selected for her. even if things didn't go the way she would have hoped while chasing after a goal, she wouldn't give up until a resolution was reached regardless of if it was a win or failure. as she grew up, dabin learned to stand up for her own wants, to an extent for she always found herself yielding to her mother. once her mind is set on one goal, even if others disagree, she'll chase after it. the only time she'll back down from something she wants for herself would be after much disapproval from her mother and by much disapproval, meaning her mother showing her disapproval at least three times. after the first disapproving comment from her mother, she’ll consider her goals. by the second comment, she’s usually quite insecure about her decision, so by the third comment, her mother has won in talking dabin down from pursuing what she wants. upon entering her late twenties, dabin has realized that she shouldn’t give her mother so much control over her life, even if it isn’t a direct line of control; by allowing her mother’s disapproving comments to affect her so much has caused her back down from one too many opportunities to enjoy her life.
how much dabin cares and is willing to bend to her mother’s opinion is surprising to others because she is stubborn with everyone else. typically she’s dabin’s way or the highway. there is no talking her out of something or showing her another way to do things. even if she fails miserably by being stubborn, she won’t admit her lack of judgment; instead, she will brush it off and act like it didn’t happen. because of her stubborn ways, dabin tends to be bossy. she likes things her way and won’t hesitate to voice them out, even if it means having to boss people around to get a result she will be happy with. it also doesn’t help that dabin is a perfectionist. the tiny little details matter to her just as much as the big details, and she has no issue nitpicking until things are up to her standards. she sometimes drives herself crazy with how much she's nitpicking, for she has grown to understand that not everyone has the same standards she holds herself and most people in her life to. still, she can't imagine holding her tongue just because she's afraid to be annoying, bossy, or irritating.
if it is not apparent already, dabin has little to no issue expressing what is on her mind. honesty is the best policy in her mind, even if it’s cold and harsh. there is no time to beat around the bush or fluff up an opinion or thought to try and ease the blow of the truth because it wastes time. this is both a positive and negative for dabin because it cuts out the bull when dealing with people and having people deal with her; after all, they, too, will get straight to the point, but it makes dabin seem insensitive and rude at the same time, not that she cares too much. but it does prove difficult to make close and long-term friends and relationships.
although dabin may be a bossy and stubborn perfectionist, others cannot deny how practical and organized she is. she is all about efficiency, and while others are still talking in terms of theoretical ideas, she’s already figuring out how to do things or if it would be impossible to do with the tools in the world. she has a knack for figuring things out quickly, and if people spend too much time discussing hypotheticals, she’ll act on her own. organization is everything to dabin. it’s one of the many things that makes the earth go round because the world would be chaotic without it. she’s not only great at physically organizing and tidying things, but she also knows how to do it with people. delegating and grouping people based on their strengths to get a job done quickly comes easily to her and is one of the many traits that allows her to take on leadership roles.
behind the dedicated and blunt woman at work, people do not know much about dabin. she has strong opinions and is straightforward with her words but expresses very little about her actual emotions and feelings. even those close to dabin will tell you she’s a bit mysterious when she’s not bossing others around. it’s not too hard to figure out what dabin will like in terms of getting things done for a project or job, but it is hard to figure out what dabin would like for a gift. she may be an extrovert, but she often asks more about the other person than shares information about herself. if asked straightforwardly about anything, she’ll come up with a response, but usually, she enjoys hearing other people talk about themselves. she’s not emotionless; she’s just careful about who she chooses to share her emotions with and who she can openly express many emotions with. she likes to appear calm and collected to those beyond her inner circle. some find her unapproachable, while others find her fascinating.
one thing that everyone close and not close to dabin can quickly point out is her inability to sit down and relax. she never fails to find something to do when she’s supposed to be resting. she gets anxious from not doing anything for too long. her definition of relaxation isn’t lounging around but keeping her mind and body occupied.
BACKGROUND
1993
dabin is the eldest daughter of her mother, hwan jihye, and father, moon wonsik. she was expected to be a male, but to her parents' surprise, she came out as a daughter. she quickly became the apple of her father’s eye and growing up her father pampered her. although her father spoiled her, her mother did not let it get to dabin’s head. most of the discipline dabin received as a child came from her mother; very rarely was it from her father, but when it was, he was always straight to the point.
being the firstborn and the eldest daughter, dabin had a lot of pressure to perform well in every aspect of her life. she had to set a good example for her siblings and cousins. she conformed to what was expected of her and, at points in her childhood, actively sought to be the top at everything she did, hence her being at the top of her class, if not #1, throughout middle school and much of high school.
for much of her childhood, she obeyed her parents with little to no questions. it was only in the last few years of high school that she began to show a little deviance, such as questioning why only she had to do this or that and actively questioning her parents for their decisions that she didn’t agree with, though not enough for her parents to take strong action. of course, she passed on whatever she didn’t want to do to her younger siblings based on what she thought they could handle.
her bossy and perfectionist nature started from a young age, as dabin could not keep her nose out of anything. whatever her siblings were assigned to do, she made sure they did them and did them well, not because she wanted to be mean, but because she felt it was her responsibility as the oldest to make sure they did well. part of it was out of fear that if they didn’t do well, she’d get blamed for not helping, and part of it was simply because she couldn’t stand messy work. she never got a kick out of bossing her siblings around; it was merely so they could finish things quickly and effectively so they could play or go back to whatever they had been doing before being tasked with things.
2012
college was a crucial turning point for dabin. she began to feel the weight of all the responsibility she had endured as the eldest daughter. the need to be “the perfect daughter,” “the perfect granddaughter,” and “the grandchild who could do nothing wrong” weighed heavily. part of her wanted to break away from it all, but another part was too afraid to take the leap; all she had ever known was her family, and she also felt prideful in having such titles. instead of breaking away from the family and the titles that had been bestowed on her, she turned to alcohol. It wasn’t intentional, but a friend, at the time suggested they drink to celebrate their college acceptance to SNU, and since they both were finally legal, she didn’t see a harm in having a small drink. however, the euphoria and confidence she felt from having alcohol in her system changed dabin forever. alcohol became dabin’s safe space. over the next year, she developed an unhealthy relationship with alcohol (more details in her secret section).
2013
it is hard to imagine that in nearly one year dabin was an alcoholic. she started and ended her day with a drink. not enough to be drunk throughout the day but just tipsy enough for her to feel the alcohol in her system. on the weekends, she let loose and fully gave herself up to alcohol, chasing the high she’d get whenever she was drunk. no responsibilities and no judgment because everyone her age was out partying and drinking.
it was only on a fateful night at the start of the semester that she met her now-husband, jihu. she was out with friends partying for the last time before school was set to start when he bumped into her, nearly black-out drunk. usually, she’d ignore any drunk guy, but he was cute and kept apologizing to her. however, his apology was “i’m sorry for bumping into you” and half “i’m sorry, i love you. i just have too much pressure on me right now.”. it was the latter apology that caught dabin’s interest, for she was still too sober to be able to relate to that. she took pity on him. she was also curious as to what he could be going through to be so drunk at only 10pm when the night was just getting started. she helped the poor boy get a taxi home, but his face stuck in her mind.
as if in a movie, jihu was in her business class the following week, and although he didn’t remember her, she remembered him. dabin had group projects to thank for getting her close to jihu, and their friendship quickly blossomed, and just as quickly, their friendship turned romantic. they bonded over the pressures of being the oldest and the pressures of coming from families that had family fun businesses.
jihu was the first person to notice that dabin had an attachment to one particular water bottle and curiosity got the better of him because what kind of water did she have in there that she always needed to have the water bottle with her. he took a sip and quickly figured out it was not what that she was drinking, but tequila. instead of judging her, he took the time to ask why. jihu was the first person dabin came clean to about her addiction and what made her continuously turn to alcohol. she admitted she had a problem that was slowly getting worse because she needed more and more alcohol to feel it in her system but couldn’t find a way out. after much consideration, she decided to go to therapy but to detox by herself slowly. with jihu’s support, dabin was able to get sober by the beginning of 2015.
2015-2017
dabin’s and jihu’s relationship grew stronger after she became sober, and the two decided to finally get married. jihu popped the question in the summer of 2015, and by february 2016, the two were married. dabin’s quick pregnancy was unexpected, for she wanted to build her career before having kid as she had just graduated college, but the two welcomed their first born child into the world in february of 2017.
although 2016 and 2017 marked some important chapters in her life, they also marked some of the darkest chapters for the hwan family with the passing of her grandmother and grandfather. each of her grandparents death happened a few months after she celebrated a highlight of her life. it was hard for her, but because she had a strong support system and newborn child, she managed to get through the deaths of her grandparents.
2018
dabin will forever remember the day she got that call from her mother. despite her mother's attempt at calmness, she could hear the frantic undertone in her mother’s voice. her father was in the hospital. the day in the hospital was a blur. her father was in perfect health, or that’s what everyone had assumed, as he had no symptoms to say otherwise. however, that wasn’t the case as he had fainted at work and was bound to a hospital bed. seeing her father in the hospital bed was the first time dabin let her calm facade down in front of her family. she cried with no care.
her father was cleared to go home a few days after his hospital stay. still, dabin knew her father had health issues that he didn’t want to discuss with his kids. no matter how much she pushed and prodded for answers, she didn’t get any and she didn’t want to stress her father or mother out more than she had initially. dabin wanted to believe that her father was getting treatment and was going to get better. she went out of her way to spend more time with him despite the hope that he would get better because something just didn’t feel right. a few months later, she got the dreaded call that her father had passed. she later learned her father had health complications from his fall, and no matter what treatment, it couldn’t have been prevented.
the death of her father sent dabin in a spiral, especially because she had just seen her father the day before. it was grief like no other and in a panic of not being able to control her feelings, she went back to the one place she knew she’d get relief: alcohol. she needed to drown out the feelings. for the next two years, dabin would struggle with her alcohol addiction. (more info in her secret section)
2020 - 2023
her in and out of rehab took a toll on her relationship with her son, and when her son told her that he simply wanted to see her more, it broke her heart. she finally took rehab and therapy seriously and finally got sober again in early 2021. dabin is forever grateful for jihu, who stood by her side no matter what happened and always cared for their son in her darkest days.
life was never the same after her father’s death, but she learned how to grieve appropriately. she learned to be a better mother for her son and a better wife for her husband. she especially focused on her career, which she did exceptionally well once she found a suitable position.
in 2022, dabin and her husband welcomed their second born, a daughter. she's happier now and is content with her life.
OCCUPATION chief operating officer of hwan family business (she wants to take over the family business once her mother decides to retire)
ROUTINE routines are important to dabin and her husband because of their kids. sticking to a routine helps them and their family function.
the han family's day starts at 5:45am. jihu and dabin are both away and jihu takes charge with breakfast. dabin then takes care of waking up minjun and getting him ready for school at 6:30am, followed by waking up minhee at 7am, if she's not already awake, and getting her ready for daycare. breakfast follows after all the kids and parents are ready and by 7:45am, jihu and minjun are out the door. dabin takes care of leftovers and dishes before she's out the door at 8am. minjun is off at school by 8:15am and minhee is off at daycare by 8:30am. by 9am, both dabin and jihu are at work. minjun is at school and minhee is at daycare.
jihu picks minjun up from school but 3:30pm and spend some time together before jihu works from home. minhee is picked up by dabin around 4:30pm and by 5pm the entire han family is home. dabin plays with and takes care of her kids while jihu finishes work.
by 6pm, jihu is done with work and dabin starts on dinner, leaving the kids with their father until dinner is ready around 7pm or 7:30pm. most days of the week, dabin's mother joins them for dinner. every other saturdays dabin and jihu have a bigger dinner with dabin's mom and jihu's parents.
by 8pm of 8:30pm, dinner is done and dabin helps the kids get ready for bed while jihu cleans up the kitchen and dishes. after kids are put to bed and the kitchen is cleaned up, dabin and jihu both tidy the house up before unwinding for the day. typically they're both in bed by 10pm.
every other friday dabin works from home and she picks up minjun up from school. minhee stays home with her on the fridays that she works from home. jinhu usually has longer days at work on the days that dabin works from home and he picks up dinner on his way home. he's typically home by 7:30pm.
CURRENT LIVING SITUATION
dabin lives with her husband and kids in a detached residential house in gangnam, seoul. she is currently in the discussion phase with her mother about moving back to her childhood home with her husband and kids, as the house is simply too big for just her mother*. her mother also wants to be closer to her grandkids and kids in general, so her mother believes if dabin comes home, the rest of the kids will follow, or at the very least visit more often.
*subject to change dependent on other applicants/siblings
SECRET dabin is a former alcoholic. since turning 19, she had an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, turning to it to cope whenever she was faced with hardship. eventually, she began to drink whenever she felt anxious, for it helped her numb whatever anxiety she was feeling and gave her the confidence to continue on her way. it was only when she met her husband in 2013 that she realized she had a problem, and with his help, she began her recovery, getting completely sober by 2015.
dabin relapsed when her father passed away in 2018. she was very close with her father, so when her father passed all the ways she had learned to cope with her emotions went out the window, and she turned to the only way she knew that would numb the pain: alcohol. despite having a one-year-old son and a loving husband, dabin couldn't keep herself from spiraling. she was in and out of rehab for the next two years.
the end of 2020, when the only thing her son asked for, for the upcoming christmas was for his mom to stop taking so many business trips (the lie she and her husband would tell their son when dabin was in rehab), was the push dabin needed to get fully sober.
this upcoming christmas will mark nearly 3 years of getting sober for dabin.
the only people who know of dabin's history with alcohol are her husband and her mother. she decided to keep her alcoholism a secret from her siblings and immediate family because she feels ashamed to admit that she struggled with an addiction. she was always "perfect" and "the grandchild that could do nothing wrong" to her family growing up and she continues to feel the pressure to maintain such a facade. her mother telling her to keep it a secret in order not to tarnish the reputation she has built doesn't help either.
being around unopened alcohol doesn't trigger her, but when a bottle is opened and she can smell it, she does need to leave the environment. coming into contact with drunk and tipsy people doesn't bother her too much, as it mainly reminds her of where she doesn't want to be.
↬ hot showers / as nice as a bath sounds, she gets restless just sitting in th tub. with a shower, she can at the very least scrub herself clean a few times.
↬ spicy food / the spicer the better. she often doesn't have spicy foods because she has kids, so when given the chance to order something spicy, she will.
↬ sour candy / she hated sour candy when she was younger, but she has found that when she's feeling overwhelmed with emotions, a sour candy will bring her back to earth, hence she always has a bag of sour candy with her.
↬ hydrangeas / her favorite flowers.
↬ window shopping / she doesn't enjoy the act of spending money, but she does enjoy the thought of spending money, so when she goes "shopping" it's really her window shopping. she'll probably return with only one or two things.
↬ action, horror and mystery movies / she loves being kept on her toes when it comes to movies. these movies do just that for her.
↬ dogs / ever since she was a kid she has wanted a dog, but has never made the commitment to get one.
↬ plans & agendas / when possible she'll always ask for an written plan or agenda to ensure that her and everyone's time is well spent.
↬ hot weather / the simple fact that you get sweaty when it's hot is enough for her to dislike it.
↬ bitter melon / she has tried to many times to enjoy the vegtable, but it's still too bitter for her to enjoy.
↬ people who talk with their mouths full / chew and swallow. it's not that hard. if you ask her a question while she's munching, she will take her time to swallow her food before she replies. she just finds it impolite to talk with your mouth full of half chewed food and frankly, don't ask someone while they're mouth is stuff full.
↬ mice & rats / it's normal to not like mice or rats, but she absolutely hates them in any form. a cute stuffed animal? no thank you. a cute animation of them? no thank you. no matter what form, they are gross to her.
↬ hospitals / after seeing her father in a hospital bed and having spent a few days with him before he was released, she grew to dislike them. it quite the challenge now that she has kids that need annual check-ups, so jihu always goes with her.
↬ pranks / she has never been fond of pranks especially when they dramatically disrupt someone's day. there are better things people can put their minds to.
↬ being late & when others are late / she hates being late and hates it even more when other people are late. she's rather arrive 10 minutes early than be 1 minute late. it all comes down to being respectful of other people's time for her.
↬ go with the flow planning / she's not a huge fan of "we'll decide when we get there" or "we'll just go with the flow" type of traveling or planning. the time spent discussing where to go or what to do could have been spent more efficiently. at the very least, have an idea of what to do.
↬ running her hand through her hair / typically the first sign that she's irritated. if she does it once she'll cool down, but if she does it a few times within a 15 minute time frame, hell might break loose.
↬ picking at her nails / only when she's lying does she unconsiously pick at her nails. she doesn't even have to look at her nails, her fingers are already doing it.
↬ going to museums / specifically kid friendly musuems for her son. she didn't get to go to museums as a kid, so seeing her son and daughter enjoy themselves at museums heals her inner child.
↬ cooking / although she cooks regularly for her family, when she has free time she enjoys trying out new recipes or refining recepies.
MOTHER hwan jihye | 60 years old | 90% | lee mi-sook
≛ dabin and her mother had an okay relationship growing up. being a daddy's girl didn't help their relationship as jihye had to take on the "mean" parent shoes while her husband took on the "nice" parent shoes. dabin always respected her mother, but found it difficult to play and be open with her mother since she felt her mother would only lecture her about how as the oldest and as a girl she needed to be well behaved and proper. she was close with her mother in that she got a lot of one on one time, but only because her mother wanted to shape dabin into the perfect daughter, just as she was.
in college their relationship became strained as dabin wanted to figure out her own life, but also so badly wanted her mothers approval because for once she was starting to make her own decisions in life. they didn't talk very much as dabin prefered her friends or alcohol. it was easier to not talk than it was to talk and chance a lecture from her mother.
it was only after her son's birth did she begin to rekindle her relationship with her mother. in some ways dabin understood why her mother may have been so "no nonsense" with her growing up as she began her motherhood life. it clicked that there were a lot of moving pieces in the way her mother functioned, it wasn't just about kids and family, but about her career and family business.
after her father's death, even when she spiraled, she felt for her mother. she had lost a father, but her mother lost her other half. when jihye learned about her alcohol addiction, she did everything she could to help dabin and jihu. researching some of the best rehab centers for dabin and making sure her daughter went and stayed on track to be sober. even when dabin would relapse after treatments, jihye showed nothing but compassion. perhaps she felt a little guilty for how hard she pushed her eldest daughter to be the perfect daughter. dabin's battle to become sober after her father's death catalyst for them to be as close as they are now.
they still don't always see eye to eye and they bicker a lot, but they know they both care deeply about each other. sometimes it's a battle of ego with the two and most times dabin gives in, but as of late, jihye has been slowly giving in. dabin always goes to her mother for advice especially when it comes to her kids.
FATHER moon wonsik | deceased | 95%
≛ dabin was a daddy's girl. she doesn't bother to argue otherwise anymore. she wishes she could brag about it now. she was always close to her father, finding it easier to talk to him rather than her mother. there were many times she wanted to confess that she needed alcohol to feel like she was a good enough daughter for him or her, but she never found the courage. even if she didn't say it, she swears her father knew for he would be especially kind and understanding with her.
she often visits her father's grave either with her kids or by herself. there are many things she wishes her father could be here to witness in the flesh, but she knows her father is watching over her and his family.
HUSBAND han jihu | 32 years old | 100% | lee junho | co-ceo of han insurance
≛ a gentle soul to those he loves, yet stern when he needs to be, jihu is a balance of both soft and hard. the eldest in his family and heir to han insurance, jihu knows how important one's apperance is to the outside world, but with a mother who allowed him the space to be a child and make mistakes, jihu also knows how important it is to give yourself grace.
he's an outgoing soul who happily will take the spot light when you give it to him. he's sensitive to other's needs, often times putting their's above his. not quick to anger, but when he is angry it's game over. he doesn't forget when one has harmed him or his loved one and often holds a grudge. he's also not one to easily express how he feels even though he knows how important it is. although he likes a plan, he also enjoys going with the flow in his every day life, much to the dissatisfaction of dabin.
he currently co runs han insurance with his father, who is slated to retire next year in 2024.
jihu is the love of her life and wonders every day how she got to lucky and blessed to have such a man as her husband. he gave her so much time, patience and love when she felt she didn't deserve it. jihu taught her how to give herself grace and dabin taught jihu the real definition of strength for even when dabin was fading, she refused to give up. jihu brings dabin relaxation and dabin brings jihu structure. jihu teaches dabin that it's okay to be soft and dabin teaches jihu that sometimes you need to be hard even if it makes you look like the bad person.
they are a very affectionate couple who understand each other without having to say much. a simple look is all they need to understand what the other one needs. they give and take equally and understand that a relationship won't always be 50/50, but sometimes 40/60 or even 30/70, but eventually they'll find their way back to balance and equality. sometimes they do argue over how to raise the kids for dabin wants minjun to be strong and not a pushover while jihu encourages minjun to express his emotions even as a boy.
SON han minjun | 6 years old | 100%
≛ minjun. a bright yet mature little boy who never fails to make his parents laugh and smile. sometimes he's a total goof ball and other times he speaks with so much poise and knowledge, it's hard to believe he's only 6 years old. he loves asking questions and always wants to learn more about anything and everything. he's a laid back child who easily adapts to new routines, even though he's constantly on a routine. he listens well and needs little discipline. he does however get fussy when he's tired. it's not always easy to understand what he's feeling either for he tends to only want to show his happy face. the way to his heart is currently dinosaurs and kimbap.
DAUGHTER han minhee | 1 year old (17 months) | 100%
≛ a fiesty little girl who challenges all forms of authority when she's being fussy. she has no fear and is always testing her parents limits, emotionally and physically. she's a runner, she's a track star, literally. she started walking at 10 months and has only gotten better and better at it. as soon as she feels she can run free, she will. she finds it funny when her parents or whomever is watching her chases after it, for it's all a game to her. she's a bit of a picky eater, but with enough plane feeding and fake eating her food, she'll eat. she's full of giggles and smiles and surprisingly doesn't cry too often. she's slowly learning how to talk and her favorite word is "no". the way to her heart is currently shiny things, unicorns and strawberry yogurt.
THE HWAN FAMILY
UNCLE hwan jaebeom | 50 years old | 55% | lee byun-hyun
≛ he last time dabin talked to her uncle jaebeom was at her father's funeral. it was a surprise to see that he made it all the way to korea for her father's funeral and that meant rather a lot to her. she doesn't quite condone his lifestyle and she definitely hates how he so easily has kids left and right, but she has to give it to him for he does take care of all his kids.
they don't talk too much, but when they do, they seem to know where each other's boundaries are and don't push past them. they like to keep things cordial, though jaebeom won't hesitate to slip here and there that dabin is a little too much like her mother at times and that she needs to let loose.
UNCLE hwan jaejoon | 50 years old | 40% | lee byun-hyun
≛ dabin does her best to keep things cordial with jaejoon, but just because he's more reliable than jaebeom doesn't mean he's easier or nicer to talk to. jaejoon always has something to say and dabin wants to believe it's from the goodness of his heart, but sometimes she wishes he would keep his "good intentions" to himself. more times than not when she's forced to converse with her uncle, she leaves irritated that he feels he has the right to judge her when there are sooo many things she could say about the things she has heard about him and youngae. she however, doesn't have the time nor energy to stir the pot.
AUNT-IN-LAW kim youngae | 50 years old | 65% | yum jung-ah
≛ sometimes dabin feels bad for youngae, especially some of the things she has heard from her mother about her. dabin cannot imagine being stepped all over. despite that, dabin always has a good time when she talks to youngae. she enjoys helping youngae when she can for it keeps her busy and away from her uncle.
COUSIN hwan youngjae | 21 | 70% | kang minhee | thirstysummer collab
≛ given that youngjae takes photos for the hwan company of land and estates, dabin has often times had to talk with her cousin about work. work is an easy way into each other's lives, so it's not uncommon for dabin to ask youngjae how he's doing and what's new in his life while she's giving him details about a new property. she wouldn't say they're extremely close, but he is one of the few cousins that she keeps up with regularly. he also has met minjun and minhee and had, so she'd consider him a close cousin.
THE HAN FAMILY
FATHER-IN-LAW han yunseo | 65 years old | 50% | ceo of han insurance
yunseo is one of the riches man in korea with his family business in insurance. han insurance started with life insurance, but now carries property and private health insurance.
unlike his son, he's rather quite and reserved. very slow to open up and even when he opens up, it doesn't quite seem like it. rather uptight, he puts business first. efficiency is key for him and he'd rather cut to the chase at all times. stubborn as a mule, he'd rather die before he lets something he doesn't approve of happen.
dabin and her father-in-law don't always see eye to eye, but dabin understands his ways. he's similar in a way to her mother, but much more closed off to his family. dabin respects the empire he has made of han insurance. he's busy most of the time, but does try and make time to come over for dinner at least once a month out of the two times dabin and jihu hosts.
MOTHER-IN-LAW kim sanghee | 65 years old | 80%
sanghee reminds dabin of her father, but an even softer version. she's beyond kind and understanding and is always eager to help whenever she can. dabin and her mother-in-law talk at least once a week and dabin is grateful her mother-in-law is so willing to help watch minjun and minhee.
↬ fears / spiders, mice, rats, being a disappointment, failing to be a good mother to her children, failing to be a good wife
↬ favorites / jjambbong, hydrangeas, soccer, winter, christmas, elephants, sunsets
↬ jihu wasn't her first relationship, but he was the first man she brought home.
↬ she had two other relationships in high school, but didn't see a long term future with them
↬ she had her first kiss her first year of high school with a guy a year older than her
↬ when she drank after her father's death, her go to was red wine. before that it was tequila and soju. she was never a fan of beer.
↬ she knows how to play both chess and checkers. she was actually really good at chess in high school.
↬ she knows how to play the violin and piano.
↬ she can't sing to save her life so she always skips on karaoke. if she's forced to go, she chills in the corner or plays the tambourine.
↬ she used to be afraid of the dark, but got over by using a night light until nearly the end of middle school.
↬ enjoys giving gifts to others, but has a hard time accepting gifts from others
↬ she used to always get her nails manicured, but she learned how to do gel polish at home and never went back to a nail salon unless she had something important coming up
↬ getting a nanny to help with minhee and minjun have come up many times, but both her and jihu want to make it work between themselves. daycare isn't bad since minhee enjoys it and the daycare they go to, they've been with ever since minjun was a baby
↬ every month they hire a cleaning company to come deep clean the han house
↬ she enjoys taking trips with her kids and isn't the kind of parent to say "wait until they're older"
↬ she got a tattoo of a dolphin in college on her back as a dare, but got it removed in 2013
↬ her honeymoon with jihu was in hawaii for a week
↬ she has thought about being a sponsor in aa, but doesn't quite think she's ready nor does she have the time to properly give to someone
↬ knows how to drive, but hates driving in the snow
↬ she can snowboard and skii
CHUSEOK one of her favorite holidays because she gets to be with family and the foods. as a child it was her favorite holiday because of the food. she enjoys cooking up a feast now that she is old enough and has kids. she does wish her kids could spend time with cousins as she did when she was a child, but her siblings have yet to have kids and as far as she knows her cousins don't have any kids.
HALLOWEEN she's the mom who goes all out for her kids. whatever her kids wants to be they will be even if it's something weird like a toliet, yes minjun was a toliet one year because he had just learned how to use the toliet by himself and loved flushing the toliet. she doesn't go too crazy decorating the house, but puts in enough effort for her kids to feel the halloween spirit.
CHRISTMAS dabin's favorite holiday because of all the vibes and the cold weather. she loves decorating the house, both inside and outside. every few years she'll switch color themes to keep the holiday exciting for herself. she also loves giving gifts and gift wrapping, so there's no better holiday for her than christmas where she can go crazy with giving gifts. she often hosts a christmas eve dinner and does a little gift exchange.
NEW YEAR'S because christmas is such a huge deal, new year's is on the calmer side. if she gets invited somewhere she'll go, but if not, she likes to spend the night with her family having a chill night in and a hearty home cooked meal to welcome in the new year.
HOW DID YOU FEEL COMING BACK TO HWAN VILLAGE (OR HAVING EVERYONE COME BACK TO HWAN VILLAGE)?
"to be honest, i feel a bit odd now that grandpa and grandma hwan are no longer around... and of course my dad. it'll be empty without them... i also feel a bit nostalgic at the same time because of all the past gatherings. i hope that we'll be able to keep up with these gatherings, because i never realized how much i cherished them until i had kids. it'll be nice to have family around minjun and minhee."
WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE AUNT OR UNCLE?
"most definitely aunt youngae, but if you're asking for a biological aunt or uncle, it'd have to be uncle jaebeom."
WE'RE DOING SECRET SANTA THIS YEAR. WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO GET?
"i have pretty much everything i want. if i had to choose, give me an experience like a redeemable coupon to get a massage or facial. or even just free tickets for my kids to go to a show."
SHOULD WE DO THIS AGAIN NEXT YEAR?
"well, i'd love to keep these gatherings up, but if this year is a disaster, we'd all be better off not keeping this up. it'd be a waste of everyone's time if these don't go well each year."
THE PARENTS ARE GIVING US A SURPRISE ON NEW YEAR'S DAY. WHAT DO YOU HOPE IT IS?
"a surprise big enough to surprise all of us? i don't have any hopes, but it sounds like they might try and take us all on a family trip, all expenses paid, and i know that for sure won't go well. it's a miracle we can even get all together like this."
PASSWORD
mother's daughter - miley cyrus
too sad to cry - sasha alex sloan
oldest - brooke alexx
let it go - james bay
older - sasha alex sloan
version of me - sasha alex sloan
COMMENTS
hi! i can't believe i finished. i went back and fourth between a few ideas, but settled on this more healed eldest daughter version of dabin. i hope everything makes sense with and if anything doesn't, i'll be happy to clarify and make changes!
SCENE SUGGESTIONS
↬ minjun and minhee having fun with dabin's cousins
↬ dabin cooks an entire meal or a few dishes for her family
↬ making christmas cookies go wrong, either the cookies end up burnt or decorating them is a total failure
↬ a white christmas and they all go sledding somewhere
Comments