| Personality
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After the "death" of Junshik and triumph over Circe
For more than seventy years of existence, Seo-Jun has gone through three phases of personalities: the kind and hardworking brother, the mad and fearful slave; and ,now, the bitter and self-loathing lone lion. The demise of his younger brother, Junshik, has left a wound far deeper than any of Circe's physical or emotional abuse. It is a wound that caused the child of Rhea to harbor hatred against himself. Furthermore, this hatred comes from the idea that he has failed as a brother, for not being able to be there mentally when Junshik needed his support the most. And now that he is freed from Circe's curse of madness, the horrors of his past, along with Junshik's death, has started to haunt him in both dreams and memories alike. He has developed a post-traumatic stress disorder, on top of constant anxiety and insomnia.
Seo-Jun, still wise as he is, is not one to simply hate the people around him for what whatever turmoils he is suffering. He cannot avoid occasional episodes of aloofness and coldness, yet he still tries to be the old Seo-Jun that he was back then--when everything was still alright. However, even if he tries his best to mask the pain, there are times when he can't help but drag other people into his sullen little world.
While under the control of Circe
Seo-Jun was driven mad by the goddess by playing around with him, like most of her victims. After being devastated by his separation with Jun-Shik, traumatized by his sacrifice to be Circe's "lover", and plagued by her spells, he had turned into a completely different person. He was no longer the brother that Jun-Shik knew. He was reduced to an almost vegetable-like person. He mostly responded to his brother, because of the faint bond that still existed between them. He can still retrieve memories, but cannot interpret them in some way, possibly because his experiences had it all mixed up.
Although mostly unresponsive, Seo-Jun reacts to some external stimuli, such as when he is being hurt. He also has a generalized anxiety disorder; he becomes tense, agitated, and twitchy when he is being left alone by Jun-Shik. He has greater trouble concentrating his inner peace when anxious, and may act violent or throw tantrums. After what he had done to save Jun-Shik, he had lost much of his self-esteem, and is generally doubtful and distrusting, especially to women.
Before being driven to madness
Seo-Jun was the archetypal big brother. He was determined to raise his family to greater heights, and it was his driving force to work harder. Despite the poverty, he enjoyed his simple life, especially when with Jun-Shik, his younger brother. He was so protective of him that he wouldn't peel his eyes off him even for a moment; he would beat up those who bullied him, and everyone else who tried laying a bad finger on his brother was trying to invoke his indignation. He may have gone beyond his temper if Jun-Shik didn't stop him. Seo-Jun's simple-minded, sincere, playful, and a real helping hand to his mother, Jung-Hee. |
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| History
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Chen Yeong-Ho was the son of Chen Jong-Si, a prominent South Korean general and a demigod son of Ares. He was gifted with the Sight, and because of his father's position he was well known throughout the city of Incheon. Coming from a lineage of soldiers and being a son of the war god himself, Jong-Si was obssessed with the idea of turning Yeong-Ho into one of his men. He was then trained into the military in his late teens and early 20s in the morning, and trained to hunt down monsters at night. Yeong-Ho only knew about the existence of Greek monsters, and not the Greek gods themselves.
In the middle of his training, however, he decided to leave the force to become a doctor, a profession he dreamed of ever since he was child. That only meant he felt he was forced to fight, and when Jong-Si knew about this, he was so pissed off that he banished him from his home, both as a resident and as his son. After a few days from staying from a friend's home, he got wind that his father had committed suicide and that his decision in becoming a doctor immediately spread throughout the city. For that he was scorned by most of the people, and he was so fed up that he rejoined the military to shut them up. However he found more torment, pressure, and criticism when he reentered, so he left for North Korea to escape all troubles and start a new life.
Meanwhile, Rhea roamed the Earth once again after silencing herself from the rest of the gods after she fled from Olympus. The love she once had for Kronos was long gone, yet she longed for a man that would really make her happy. She found a few men of different appearance. They had black hair and black eyes, unlike the Caucasians. Intrigued by their unique beauty, she decided to fly towards the origin of these men, an Asian country. She knew having a child far from America would benefit him greatly, so she flew to the Changjin County and found the serenity more than blissful. There, the deity felt stricken with thirst. Suddenly, she was invited by a Korean man, Chen Yeong-Ho, to his home where she was treated as his honored guest.
Weeks passed and Rhea was enjoying herself in the place. She fell deeply in love with Yeong-Ho and had a few intimate nights. Things turned upside down when she told him about her pregnancy. Know she would be putting her and his child's life at risk if she stayed any longer, the deity told the mortal the truth. Surprisingly, Yeong-Ho accepted all of these as well and still wanted to have a son. So she left for nine months and returned with a demigod child, which the father named "Seo-Jun". The love of the two for each other rekindled a few years later, and they shared another passionate night prior to the goddess' leave. Nine months later, a healthy baby boy was born, and he was lauded "Jun-Shik."
Seo-Jun and Jun-Shik spent their childhood helping Yeong-Ho in tending the small farm they have acquired. Unlike normal kids who would wake up early in the morning to go to school, they woke up early to ready fields and feed livestock. There were also times that they would butcher animals, and went with their father to the market to sell their harvest. It was too early for them to experience the difficulty of everyday labor, but if they stopped working, they would have nothing to eat. They made enough money to satiate only their hunger, and the rare excess they received was for emergency situations. The Chen family basically lived a simple yet toil-filled life, but you wouldn't hear them complaining. When they have spare time, Seo-Jun and Jun-Shik would visit a friend of theirs who went to school to learn at a least a few things.
Actually, that friend of theirs was the only one who understood their situation; the rest of the kids at the village didn't. They would pick on Jun-Shik, because he was helpless, weak, and clumsy; he was bullied in a nutshell. But his big brother always came to the rescue. Seo-Jun got into fights just to defend him, and did everything to protect him. It was for this reason that they didn't try bullying Jun-Shik whenever he was around. They practically feared Seo-Jun, and it was his reputation that kept them at bay.
Things went as they were until the waning days of World War II, where an agreement was reached between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Soviets would occupy North Korea only as far as the 38th parallel upon Japan’s surrender, while the rest would be left to the Americans. This influenced the present day Communists and Democrats. The Korean peninsula was then split between the US and Russia in 1945 at the 38th parallel line of latitude.
The breaking of the land of morning calm led to the infamous Korean War. Having their father summoned for service, the children, left in the village, feared it. Seo-jun and Jun-shik then did their best to continue on despite their worries; they assured each other. The two prayed intently for their father's safe return, but their prayers were never answered.
The Battle of Chosin became a phenomenal clash, with the temperate dropping dramatically to -37 degrees Celsius. The brothers, who were left in the village of Chosin, manged to survive the harsh winter. Seo-jun, being responsible, prepared much in advance for the winter. He has stocked on firewood and necessities that could last for the two. They were thrifty in their consumption, starving themselves at times to save food for the next day. Monsters didn't became a threat thanks to Rhea's fading blessing. However, their most of their livestock and plant life were lost.
As expected, Yeong-ho was shot in battle and taken into the medic tent. Due to the dying's significant numbers, Yeong-ho was less prioritized. A skilled doctor, who was assigned to him, knew his origin and privately abhorred him for the great general's death. As revenge, he allowed the boys' father to die in a slow death of infection, gangrene, and frostbite brought by the harsh winter. A week later, news came to the Chen brothers, devastating them greatly; Seo-jun, staying strong, consoled his 12 year old brother.
During the Christmas of 1950, a major evacuation was held at the port of Hungnam. Seo-Jun, now the one left to take care of Jun-shik, decided to play along with fate and hope for a better life. Afterall, there was nothing left in the farm; everything, even their father, seemed to have been lost. Amongst 14,000 civilians, the brothers boarded a merchant ship towards the city of Busan in South Korea, one of the two cities uncontrolled by the Soveit.
However, having no other known relatives, the boys thrived in the cramped refugee camps. Since it was Winter, Seo-jun always gave the warmest clothes, blankets, and hugs to his little brother. Often, the two would get cheated off their portion of food and water; but the brothers held up their heads and hunted for fish and rabbit meat. They used their skills and powers to aid them in surviving. This was their life for a year or so, like rats in the sewers.
One day, they wondered too far from the refugee camp, and were found by two homosexual enemy soldiers with eyes of lust. The fifteen-year old Seo-jun protected his twelve-year old brother and scornfully volunteered to be the first and only victim. Just as he was suppose to be "held down," vines sprout from the ground and arrows shot the two soldiers, killing them instantly. Behind them approached two female satyrs, who were fending off monsters from their backs for a while. They were part of the pack of experienced satyrs released to Korean grounds to scout and transport godly offspring to Camp Half Blood. She explained everyone down for the brothers. Of course, the brothers were never happier to leave their cursed past behind and immediately comply to the satyr's invitation.
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Camp wasn't exactly a home to the brothers. Upon arriving, the boys were claimed by Rhea, which was the least good thing she could do. Jun-shik was immensely bullied and teased by the other campers, but was saved by his brother in most occasions. Being feared, Seo-jun, however, was only occasionally bothered, compared to his little brother.
Their claiming became news to the gods, and the whole decision of wiping off their existence, while deciding not to kill them, came into light. In the very beginning, Rhea's children wanted their mother to not have kids anymore, because she has already silenced herself from the world to be in peace, and they don't want any unnecessary troubles to arise when Rhea gives birth to new children. They wanted her to be safe from the vengeance of Kronos, but Rhea got mad and done her own way. Most of them refused, while some concerned about Rhea hopped to it. They, specifically, were the Big Three.
After a month in the Hermes' cabin, things turned worse. In a dream, two sons of Zeus and Poseidon were given instructions to do their father's bidding, eliminate the Chen brothers. Seo-jun and Jun-shik, glad to be off camp for some time, hesitantly accepted the sons of Poseidon and Zeus' invitation to a "quest" to the Sea of Monsters. But as expected, they were brought there purposely. When the child of Poseidon managed to move across Scylla and Charybdis, they threw Seo-jun and Jun-shik overboard. Zeus' son then sent a powerful storm to blow them off to Circe's Island. Despite Jun-shik fainting along the way, the two were successfully washed into the shores of Circe's Island.
There, Hades bribed Circe in freeing her from her island if she contained the two siblings in her island until Rhea loses hope that her children are alive. However, Hades didn't hold his side of the deal, so Circe loosened up all of her presence-concealing magic, and refused any further orders. She mentioned the gods’ plans to the siblings, feeling that there were no longer any restrictions on disclosing that information to them. This sparked their rage, yet their morale was diminished by the fact of being trapped in her island.
As slaves, the Chen brothers were treated poorly by Circe, especially Jun-shik. Over time, Circe had fallen in love with the masculine Seo-jun; she gravely admired his strong personality, which made Jun-shik more of the Guinea pig, while Seo-jun became her personal butler, fetching herbs and feeding her pets. She always tired more of the unstable potions and spells on Jun-shik. There even came a time where the boy felt a burning torture inside to the near point of death. Whenever Seo-jun wanted to put a stop to this by volunteering to intake and test those spells, the goddess had always switched the bottles at the last minute.
Two years have passed; the boys have grown into fine young men, with the ages of 15 and 18 respectively. Seeing she had more creations to test, she turned the boys into immortal beings, with the intention to keep them forever to be her dolls. Circe was then less strict towards their wants, even leaving them alone for a while.
One tragic day, while Jun-shik was cleaning the potion bottles with Seo-jun, a loose flying pig tackled him. This caused one very important potion to break. The potion was one Circe spent years to find the perfect ingredients in. Obviously, when Circe returned, she was furious and went on a rampage. Seo-jun interfered and apologized. Changing expressions, Circe took her opportunity and told Seo-jun to enter her room later night.
In her private quarters, the goddess and demigod discussed their treaties. The goddess decided to let the little boy free in exchange for Seo-jun's love, which he complied. Seo-jun had to pretend to be the goddess' lover nearly daily in exchange of not Jun-shik's life, which can also be classified as "rape." The Chen brothers were also separated in the island, so they couldn't plan an escape. Other than their schedules were changed, Circe had set up an alarm that activates by Jun-shik's presence. Seo-jun was locked in a room to never be opened unless for meals, which only Circe could deliver. The sacrificial brother lived a horrid and terrifying lifestyle, only to be unchained at the master's pleasure.
While Seo-jun was raped by Circe, Jun-shik was grief stricken to not be in contact with his beloved hyung. Other than work, he also somehow was curious of why the potion-testing got less and never got his answer. As much as he enjoyed his freedom, the boy developed pessimistic and mind-polluting thoughts that his brother chose not to see him anymore. Luckily, he was often comforted by kind domestic animals, which were actually Circe's previous lovers. Circe allowed him to freely roam and explore the island.
Approximately 50 years has passed, and their heroes, Godfrey Strauss and Logan Lautner, have finally come. Thanks to Heinrich's orders, the two Broken Covenant members were in an exploration to find a special relic that might be on Circe's island. The skilled demigods had no problem in passing through the monsters and navigating themselves towards the island. On the shore, they found Jun-shik, who guided the two towards the relic, with the request to save his brother. As the goddess was gone for the noon, the two defectors unlocked the guarded room and rescued Seo-jun, who was delusional and wrecked. Once Seo-jun stepped out of the alarmed room, Jun-shik cried from realizing what happened. With no time to lose, they escaped with Godfrey and Logan.
The four demigods then sailed off to the coast of New York, somewhat on a safe trip. The monsters they encountered were easy to handle for four skilled half-bloods. Intrigued by their arduous story, the two invited them to join the BC, where they assured that the help they needed was within reach. Once they arrived, other members treated Seo-Jun’s mental problem. They managed to rescue his sanity, but it will take a really long time before he recovers completely. Ever since then, they have sworn their loyalty to Heinrich Alten under the faction of Opus Superum.
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What seemed to be the effects of more than 50 years of slavery turned out to be an elaborate curse by Circe. Seo-Jun's mind was merely controlled by the goddess in hopes of breaking the bond between him and his brother, Junshik. Alas, the younger child of Rhea never left his brother even if it meant being hurt every time Seo-Jun had a fit of madness. Circe, however, was not done in her schemes. By possessing Seo-Jun, she taunted Junshik to come to her island and settle the matter once and for all. If the younger demigod outwitted her in a series of challenges, then he and his brother would be freed at last; otherwise, they would spend their eternity on the island as her slaves.
Junshik bravely accepted the challenge albeit the dire consequences should he fail. Together with a child of Proteus, the children of Rhea sailed through the treacherous waters of the Sea of Monsters and onto the Island of Circe. It was sufficed to say that Junshik bested Circe in all of her tasks, thanks to his years of training in the Broken Covenant; the child of Proetus proved himself to be an excellent and amphibious warrior. Unfortunately, when Junshik thought the conflict was over, Circe summoned her trump card: a dragon. At that point, the demigods were already exhausted of almost all of their energy. However, in a miraculous turn of events, Seo-Jun's sanity overpowered Circe's curse which may possibly be triggered by the sight of his younger brother already at the brink of death. In the fight that ensued, Seo-Jun was too late to realize that the dragon was targeting his brother all along. Soon enough, he found himself holding Junshik's limp, cold, and lifeless body.
Inasmuch as Circe felt furious and cheated, she kept her word. Seo-Jun was finally given freedom after more than 50 long years. However, it was at the expense of the life of Junshik, something that sent him into a great deal of trauma, stress, and melancholy. On their way back to The Sanctuary, Seo-Jun refused to say a word. Even upon arriving, he isolated himself in his room--a place he used to share with his one and only family. Those were the darkest days of his life, days that were even darker than his time at Circe's Island.
As of now, Seo-Jun is still in a state of bereavement. However, it's not just Junshik that is in his mind anymore. Several weeks after his brother's death, he starts having dreams of a certain girl with brown hair and scarred skin. Night after night, the same dreams occur to him. It's as if this girl wants to be found...
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Chen Seo-Jun
