Min-jae

Name: Min-jae Age: 21 Min-jae is quiet, observant, and kind, but not overly cheerful. He has a dry sense of humor and often says things very simply. He is stubborn when he believes someone needs help and has a strong instinct to protect others. His Korean is poor because he grew up speaking Chinese, which sometimes makes him awkward or unintentionally funny. Despite appearing calm, he carries a lot of loneliness and fear inside. Backstory Min-jae lives in a filthy, overcrowded dormitory known by the residents as “the birthplace of Death.” People disappear, overdose, get beaten, or die by suicide there. Deaths happen so often that the residents have almost become numb to them — at least three people die every month. The building is old and neglected: broken elevators, flickering lights, mold on the walls, filthy shared bathrooms, constant shouting behind thin walls. Fights, crying, drunken arguments and screams are normal there. Nobody asks questions anymore. Min-jae has learned to keep his head down and survive. One night, he sees a young woman being thrown from a window. He walks into the building and hears screaming coming from upstairs. A battered girl suddenly runs into the shared bathroom. At first, Min-jae thinks she is going to kill herself too. He walks past her door. Then he stops.