APP - DEER COUNTRY
Character Base
β’ Character Name (Western Order): Cheol-gang Cho
β’ Age: 44
β’ Canon (Date/Year Released)/Canon Point: Crash Landing On You (2019) / Right before he's arrested.
β’ Items Coming Along:
β 1 Γ North Korean Type 68 pistol
β 1 Γ cartridge of ammunition
β 1 Γ box of FESKO matches
β 1 Γ pack of cigarettes
β 1 Γ wallet containing Korean won, US bank notes, North Korean ID card
β 1 Γ flag pin
β’ Content Warnings for Character: Violence, corruption, background of child homelessness/malnutrition/parental death, references to torture, discussion of the authoritarian government he is a part of.
Character Background
β’ History:
Cheol-gang spent his childhood and early adolescence as one of North Korea's countless got-jebi - a homeless orphan who begs for food and wanders freely within the country, largely overlooked by the authorities. He grew up an only child with both parents presumably deceased, which likely explains his brutal, calculating, and egocentric worldview - to some extent the traits that he has continued to harbor as an adult would have been necessary for survival on his own.
At some point, likely in childhood, he seems to have sustained nerve damage that affects the right corner of his mouth. It doesn't rise at all when he smiles or scowls, and although it doesn't affect his speech, his lips don't move evenly when he talks, either. I write this based on the most likely cause given his background - an untreated viral infection in childhood.
His luck changed in his teen or young adult years when Colonel Se, now his immediate superior, intervened in his life and "helped him get to where he is now", though canon does not specify how that happened. From that point onward, however, Cheol-gang began to climb through the ranks of the State Security Department, trading antiques, harboring criminals, collecting blackmail-worthy information on those above him and "giving" money to his superiors to put them in a position of debt to him. It's stated that he went to college, which, given his background and the difficulty of ascending socially in the DPRK especially from the position of social pariah, implies that Col. Se likely had a hand in making that happen.
This is a significant change from the social status he was born into - he has by this point spent over a decade as a very powerful, very respected, very feared man in North Korean society, and can effectively do whatever he wants and talk back to whoever he wants with minimal fear of retribution.
That having been said, he's not invincible. When Ri Mu-hyeok, the series protagonist's elder brother, began to unearth information on Cheol-gang's illegal collection of artifacts (and murders of witnesses and graverobbers) 7 years pre-canon, Maj. Cho arranged for his murder by car accident (rammed from the side by armored trucks outfitted with ramming spikes) and the subsequent coverup. The case was declared an accident and his father didn't request any further probe, but as of his canonpoint, Ri Jeong-hyeok, the victim's brother, has become determined to unearth the truth and see that Cheol-gang is tried for his crimes and sentenced.
At the same time, however, Cheol-gang has caught wind of the fact that Captain Ri, the greatest threat to the world he's created for himself, is harboring a South Korean woman who accidentally crossed the border - a crime punishable by a lifetime of hard labor or outright execution for both of them. This has become his obsession, resulting in a dual-sided game of cat and mouse between them.
At some point, likely in childhood, he seems to have sustained nerve damage that affects the right corner of his mouth. It doesn't rise at all when he smiles or scowls, and although it doesn't affect his speech, his lips don't move evenly when he talks, either. I write this based on the most likely cause given his background - an untreated viral infection in childhood.
His luck changed in his teen or young adult years when Colonel Se, now his immediate superior, intervened in his life and "helped him get to where he is now", though canon does not specify how that happened. From that point onward, however, Cheol-gang began to climb through the ranks of the State Security Department, trading antiques, harboring criminals, collecting blackmail-worthy information on those above him and "giving" money to his superiors to put them in a position of debt to him. It's stated that he went to college, which, given his background and the difficulty of ascending socially in the DPRK especially from the position of social pariah, implies that Col. Se likely had a hand in making that happen.
This is a significant change from the social status he was born into - he has by this point spent over a decade as a very powerful, very respected, very feared man in North Korean society, and can effectively do whatever he wants and talk back to whoever he wants with minimal fear of retribution.
That having been said, he's not invincible. When Ri Mu-hyeok, the series protagonist's elder brother, began to unearth information on Cheol-gang's illegal collection of artifacts (and murders of witnesses and graverobbers) 7 years pre-canon, Maj. Cho arranged for his murder by car accident (rammed from the side by armored trucks outfitted with ramming spikes) and the subsequent coverup. The case was declared an accident and his father didn't request any further probe, but as of his canonpoint, Ri Jeong-hyeok, the victim's brother, has become determined to unearth the truth and see that Cheol-gang is tried for his crimes and sentenced.
At the same time, however, Cheol-gang has caught wind of the fact that Captain Ri, the greatest threat to the world he's created for himself, is harboring a South Korean woman who accidentally crossed the border - a crime punishable by a lifetime of hard labor or outright execution for both of them. This has become his obsession, resulting in a dual-sided game of cat and mouse between them.
β’ Core Relationships:
Col. Se Dae-Ju. This relationship is particularly important to understanding Cheol-gang's manifestation of sociopathic characteristics because it shows that he falls about midway on the scale of severity - he's capable of having a limited degree of attachment/gratitude/loyalty only to those who are very immediate to him, whereas all other people are more-or-less inanimate objects defined by their usefulness to him. It's never specified how, but Cheol-gang tells Col. Se that he's the reason he is where he is today (as opposed to a far worse outcome and trajectory in life). In the same conversation, Cheol-gang tells Se that he's "the only family [he has]", which is a sentiment that would carry a lot of gravity in North Korean society. He follows that up by saying that he will remain loyal to him - and based on the fact that we never actually see Cheol-gang take any sort of retribution despite Col. Se aiding the man he's hunting down, my interpretation of the character is that this was genuine. Col. Se removed him from the most physically and emotionally traumatic situation of his lifetime,
Jung Man-Bok. Man-bok is the wiretapper from whom Cheol-gang gets his information on people he is trying to take down, and we see the severity of Cheol-gang's manipulative behavior through this relationship. He uses his power to free Man-bok's elderly mother from a concentration camp, but he does this because he wants emotional leverage, not out of any sympathy. He frequently references U-pil, Man-bok's son, in the context of his work: how smart his son is and how, if Man-bok cooperates, he can ensure that he leaves the village to study in Pyongyang. Cheol-gang even gives Man-bok a few US dollars to buy meat for his son at random, claiming that 'kids that age eat like a horse', but this seems to be an effort to maintain loyalty - on a separate occasion Cheol-gang explains his outlook that 'there's no such thing as free lunch' in conversation with Col. Se, and he later threatens to have U-pil killed if Man-bok doesn't cooperate with him.
Capt. Ri Jeong-hyeok. Cheol-gang's number one enemy, the brother of the man he murdered before he could bring evidence of his far-reaching crimes to the authorities. The two openly dislike each other, and on multiple occasions Cheol-gang verbally threatens him. Jeong-hyeok is his subordinate by rank, but frequently talks back to him in a way that would be completely unacceptable behavior toward a superior officer - were it not for the fact that his father is the director of the General Political Bureau, which allows him a degree of untouchability and leeway. He even interrupts an active investigation, another thing which would cause nearly any other officer to face dishonorable discharge if not outright imprisonment. He is eventually jailed for striking Cheol-gang during a house raid, but he's released a few days later thanks to his father's preeminence in North Korean politics.
Jung Man-Bok. Man-bok is the wiretapper from whom Cheol-gang gets his information on people he is trying to take down, and we see the severity of Cheol-gang's manipulative behavior through this relationship. He uses his power to free Man-bok's elderly mother from a concentration camp, but he does this because he wants emotional leverage, not out of any sympathy. He frequently references U-pil, Man-bok's son, in the context of his work: how smart his son is and how, if Man-bok cooperates, he can ensure that he leaves the village to study in Pyongyang. Cheol-gang even gives Man-bok a few US dollars to buy meat for his son at random, claiming that 'kids that age eat like a horse', but this seems to be an effort to maintain loyalty - on a separate occasion Cheol-gang explains his outlook that 'there's no such thing as free lunch' in conversation with Col. Se, and he later threatens to have U-pil killed if Man-bok doesn't cooperate with him.
Capt. Ri Jeong-hyeok. Cheol-gang's number one enemy, the brother of the man he murdered before he could bring evidence of his far-reaching crimes to the authorities. The two openly dislike each other, and on multiple occasions Cheol-gang verbally threatens him. Jeong-hyeok is his subordinate by rank, but frequently talks back to him in a way that would be completely unacceptable behavior toward a superior officer - were it not for the fact that his father is the director of the General Political Bureau, which allows him a degree of untouchability and leeway. He even interrupts an active investigation, another thing which would cause nearly any other officer to face dishonorable discharge if not outright imprisonment. He is eventually jailed for striking Cheol-gang during a house raid, but he's released a few days later thanks to his father's preeminence in North Korean politics.
Character Personality Through Key Moments
(2+) Positive Experiences:
Cheol-gang is very clever and highly intelligent. He consistently correctly anticipates what Jeong-hyeok is going to do before he does it, covers his tracks successfully for over a decade by knowing which strings to pull and laying connections well in advance of his needing them, and even convincingly fakes his own death. He graduated from college despite having no schooling as a child and is implied to be genuinely interested in early Korean history based on his knowledge of artifacts and the numerous books in his office.
He's incredibly tenacious and will continue pursuing what he wants to do if he's even remotely physically capable of doing so. Cheol-gang doesn't just 'let go' of obsessions - he has an intense drive to follow them to their end and doesn't leave loose strings. He spends months investigating Jeong-hyeok at great personal risk (if he wanted to, Captain Ri's father could very easily have him killed) and crosses the border by crawling through a tunnel for almost 24 solid hours to continue hunting down the woman he was harboring. He's shown sitting upright, administering his own injections, and continuing to work despite having been shot and subsequently operated on days prior - and while showing signs of a postoperative infection with fever. When he decides that he wants to antagonize Jeong-hyeok at his sentencing, he keeps speaking until he finishes the thought even as multiple soldiers kick and beat him to make him be quiet.
Cheol-gang has what can best be referred to as enormous force of presence. At 5'8, he's shorter than most of the men he commands, but people - even his superiors and the one man he ostensibly wouldn't betray - find him very unnerving and intimidating. Cheol-gang stares at people and doesn't break eye contact at the normal times, and he carries himself in the same sort of way an animal that knows it has no natural predators does, with a purposeful stride and his hands usually clasped behind his back. He's introverted and superficially polite, but he has the sort of presence that makes people stop talking when he enters the room; in one scene, he passes through a hallway where two guards are lighting cigarettes (a scarce resource) and they both drop them on the wet ground and snap to attention immediately.
(2+) Negative Experiences:
Cheol-gang has a near-total lack of compassion. He's not quite like Patrick Bateman of American Psycho or Villanelle from Killing Eve in that he isn't shown to derive enjoyment from killing or torture themselves, but he also seems to very easily make the decision to kill when people get in his way or threaten his power - such as when he has three grave robbers killed after they've given him the map coordinates to what they found simply to tie up possible loose ends. He's never shown experiencing remorse for any of his actions, nor does he seem to have any moral problem with being a high-ranking officer in a group that tortures civilians. He directly tells Man-bok that he understands the difference between right and wrong and that he simply has higher priorities than abstract notions - namely, power.
Cheol-gang is extremely ambitious. He's willing to kill, bribe, and risk his own life in order to ascend in North Korea's power structure, as illustrated by the lengths he goes to in order to capture Se-ri and bring her back to the DPRK as well as his multiple homicides. One of his most telling lines is as follows: "I'm not interested in money. I just needed things that I could only get through money. For example, I want the power to be able to kill whoever and wherever." By the canonpoint when he says this, he's well on his way to making that a reality. It can be argued that his obsession with Ri Jeong-hyeok stems from the fact that he's the one man who can make his entire empire collapse like a house of cards.
β’ Canon Powers: Nothing supernatural/magical, but Cheol-gang physically stands out for a few reasons:
- Martial Arts. Cheol-gang is shown to be exceptionally talented in hand-to-hand combat, some of which is thanks to training, some of which is thanks to the luck of hereditary advantage. He has strength, well-above-average flexibility for his age and sex, and quick reaction times. Even while handcuffed, he manages to knock out and disarm several MPs in the courtroom.
- Marksmanship. Cheol-gang is shown to be a good aim and fast on the draw. As an officer and a member of the DPRK's State Security Department, he would have had plenty of target practice coming up.
β’ Blood Type: Warmblood, and not thrilled about it.
β’ Omen: A male Western Coyote.
β’ Blessed Day: Dec 27th.
β’ Patron Pthumerian: Dorothea, and he's going to do what he can to get on her good side. She has attributes he admires and values, so we'll see how that goes.
β’ Blood Power Manifestation: None.
One: x
Two: x
β’ Player Name: Lauren
β’ Player Age: 25.
β’ Player Contact:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
bluehellgazette / grinchhands mcgee#7599 ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
discord.
β’ Permissions: Here.
He's incredibly tenacious and will continue pursuing what he wants to do if he's even remotely physically capable of doing so. Cheol-gang doesn't just 'let go' of obsessions - he has an intense drive to follow them to their end and doesn't leave loose strings. He spends months investigating Jeong-hyeok at great personal risk (if he wanted to, Captain Ri's father could very easily have him killed) and crosses the border by crawling through a tunnel for almost 24 solid hours to continue hunting down the woman he was harboring. He's shown sitting upright, administering his own injections, and continuing to work despite having been shot and subsequently operated on days prior - and while showing signs of a postoperative infection with fever. When he decides that he wants to antagonize Jeong-hyeok at his sentencing, he keeps speaking until he finishes the thought even as multiple soldiers kick and beat him to make him be quiet.
Cheol-gang has what can best be referred to as enormous force of presence. At 5'8, he's shorter than most of the men he commands, but people - even his superiors and the one man he ostensibly wouldn't betray - find him very unnerving and intimidating. Cheol-gang stares at people and doesn't break eye contact at the normal times, and he carries himself in the same sort of way an animal that knows it has no natural predators does, with a purposeful stride and his hands usually clasped behind his back. He's introverted and superficially polite, but he has the sort of presence that makes people stop talking when he enters the room; in one scene, he passes through a hallway where two guards are lighting cigarettes (a scarce resource) and they both drop them on the wet ground and snap to attention immediately.
(2+) Negative Experiences:
Cheol-gang has a near-total lack of compassion. He's not quite like Patrick Bateman of American Psycho or Villanelle from Killing Eve in that he isn't shown to derive enjoyment from killing or torture themselves, but he also seems to very easily make the decision to kill when people get in his way or threaten his power - such as when he has three grave robbers killed after they've given him the map coordinates to what they found simply to tie up possible loose ends. He's never shown experiencing remorse for any of his actions, nor does he seem to have any moral problem with being a high-ranking officer in a group that tortures civilians. He directly tells Man-bok that he understands the difference between right and wrong and that he simply has higher priorities than abstract notions - namely, power.
Cheol-gang is extremely ambitious. He's willing to kill, bribe, and risk his own life in order to ascend in North Korea's power structure, as illustrated by the lengths he goes to in order to capture Se-ri and bring her back to the DPRK as well as his multiple homicides. One of his most telling lines is as follows: "I'm not interested in money. I just needed things that I could only get through money. For example, I want the power to be able to kill whoever and wherever." By the canonpoint when he says this, he's well on his way to making that a reality. It can be argued that his obsession with Ri Jeong-hyeok stems from the fact that he's the one man who can make his entire empire collapse like a house of cards.
Deer Country Attributes
β’ Canon Powers: Nothing supernatural/magical, but Cheol-gang physically stands out for a few reasons:
- Martial Arts. Cheol-gang is shown to be exceptionally talented in hand-to-hand combat, some of which is thanks to training, some of which is thanks to the luck of hereditary advantage. He has strength, well-above-average flexibility for his age and sex, and quick reaction times. Even while handcuffed, he manages to knock out and disarm several MPs in the courtroom.
- Marksmanship. Cheol-gang is shown to be a good aim and fast on the draw. As an officer and a member of the DPRK's State Security Department, he would have had plenty of target practice coming up.
β’ Blood Type: Warmblood, and not thrilled about it.
β’ Omen: A male Western Coyote.
β’ Blessed Day: Dec 27th.
β’ Patron Pthumerian: Dorothea, and he's going to do what he can to get on her good side. She has attributes he admires and values, so we'll see how that goes.
β’ Blood Power Manifestation: None.
Writing Samples
One: x
Two: x
The Player
β’ Player Name: Lauren
β’ Player Age: 25.
β’ Player Contact:
discord.β’ Permissions: Here.