Jihun Song

Introductions
"avoiding the reigns of the government his entire life with a lineage like his had been an exhausting, crazy, nearly impossible journey. keyword nearly. jihun song has dodged the gwageo and his family’s advances to marry him into another yangban family for nearly seven years now, using the cunning wit and quick thinking that his family values in their heir so much to escape his seemingly inevitable fate.

so very uninterested in becoming a “slave to the state” --as he himself calls it, he’s become his family’s black sheep, with a dirty mouth and unintentional disregard for other’s feelings. people would describe him as eccentric, sometimes charming(though very rarely), and maybe just a little bit childish. an evasive creature with a knack for disobedience, ultimately, he’s just trying to have a good time.

not ready to let go of his youth as he pushes his twenty seventh year of being alive, it looks as though he’ll just have to keep on running. good thing he’s so light on his feet." - Jihun's introduction for Le Grande Macabre (circus)

Appearance
Jihun is a young man with dark brown eyes and shaggy, self butchered hair. He goes out of his way to wear his hanbok and gat incorrectly on purpose, choosing comfort over appearance in that regard. His gat is wrapped around his neck like a collar, while his hanbok is worn with less layers than traditionally.

Post Le Grande Macabre
Jihun is seen (properly) wearing the Joseon Guard uniform, with an added addition of 3 lanterns that hang around his belt. Each lantern comes with a name ("성열, 아이비, 로스" / "Sungyeol, Ivy, Roth") in memory of the only people he considered his friends.

His hair is cropped shorter, though still clearly cut himself. It's rarely seen however as he wears his gat most of the time.

Pre Le Grande Macabre
Despite not talking to people in years, Jihun is surprisingly socially adept, and gets along with people easily should he be forced into a situation where he must speak to others. He speaks rather intimately and can often be misinterpreted as rude and/or overbearing, despite this, he himself rarely feels close to anyone and considers himself detached from those around him.

He's considerably playful and friendly, sometimes sarcastic, and generally just immature. When faced with a difficult or traumatic situation, a more childish side takes over his usual laid-back persona. He does not handle emotionally charged situations very well.

Post Le Grande Macabre
Jihun is actually a very uncaring person, he rarely considers peoples feelings and values no one's life but his own. Though still putting on a playful and friendly front, the things he says and how he handles things can be considered quite cruel and cold-hearted.

After the events of LGM, he gives up on living a life of individualism, turning to a life of conformity as the military's "attack dog".

Background
Jihun's birth would kill his mother, a frail woman who had been trying for a child for almost seven years. Because of this untimely death, his father would not be able to produce another heir to keep the Song Family's yangban status. Growing up under his father's scrutiny, he gained a knack for rebellion and mischief, his teen years and onward would be spent dodging his father's advances to have him take the gwageo and being married into another yangban family to keep their status. A feat harder than it looks, as it put him on a track of loneliness, unable to talk to anyone in fear of them being connected to his father.

Moon Sungyeol and the Curse
Jihun has only ever had one friend in his entire life because of his father's adamant sheltering, a guard assigned to him when he was old enough to walk by the name of Moon Sungyeol. On top of watching over Jihun when he wasn't studying, he would also teach him how to wield weapons they train in the garrison for, as well as how to fish and games children from his own family played. Sungyeol raised Jihun with the belief that he should be able to live as he pleased. To Sungyeol, to follow your own heart is the ideal way to live. Their bond was very close, and Sungyeol was the only person Jihun ever referred to as his "hyung." To symbolize their close relationship, Sungyeol gifts Jihun with his dagger on his 15th birthday.

Shortly after, Jihun's father catches on and thinks that Sungyeol's teachings are affecting Jihun's decisions. Fearing that Jihun would stray from his path of taking the Gwageo to keep the Song Family's yangban status, he has Sungyeol executed by beheading. Furthermore, to keep Jihun from associating with anyone else who could potentially veer him off his intended path, he tells Jihun that Sungyeol's death had cursed him, and that anyone he chose to love would be severely punished for it. Though it was untrue, and Jihun didn't believe it at first, his father made sure to make it very real by having Jihun's favorite places burned down, and those who he suspected of getting close to his son either paid off or injured to drive them away. The 'curse' causes Jihun to spiral into a life of loneliness and detachment, in fear of his curse causing unnecessary harm to others. After Sungyeol's execution, a distraught Jihun seeks out the rest of his only friend's dead body and digs it up himself. In an act of confusion and despair, he takes Sungyeol's heart from his corpse, proceeding to preserve it in a jar and hide in a wooden lantern.

Le Grande Macabre
Put into a situation where he must kill to survive, Jihun feels a sense of liberation given the opportunity to create bonds in a setting where the inevitable is death itself. As such, being given the guilty alignment as well as the radio operator role, he sets on baring his heart completely to his network partners Ivy Arnette and WIlliam "Roth" Dire.

Beyond building his bonds, thinking for himself felt out of the question, and he preferred to let his partner Carmine Founin lead him. He realizes very early on that the life of individualism he'd thought he'd been living actually was one of cowardice and escapism.

To start out timid, Jihun's first kill is Setanta Liath by strangulation. Afterwards, he handles the showman act quite well in his kills.

After his first kill, realizing he's going to sooner or later have to kill his companions, he requests that Orcus let him keep the hearts of Ivy and Roth, should he end up winning and getting out alive. To him, their deaths were inevitable, inside and outside of Circus because of his curse, and this was the only way he knew how to preserve those he cherished.

Jihun's second kill is his own friend Ivy Arnette. Valuing his friend's life, he chose to end it quickly by slitting his throat. Afterwards however, as an act of showmanship, he desecrated Ivy's corpse himself, hollowing his torso of its organs and mutilating his hands. Ivy's murder is considered Jihun's first loss of innocence.

His third kill is Milo Ainsworth, who he chooses to dismember with a saw provided by the Circus itself. A little disappointed with his lack of creativity regarding the kill, he himself suggests that Orcus make the pieces of the body float like a ghost, to play on Ainsworth's occult studies. So like stop flaming Orcus for it <3

Last but certainly not least, his final kill would be his other network companion, Roth. Jihun expresses regret when tasked with the job, wishing he'd acted sooner since he'd grown much more attached to him since Ivy's demise. He knows he must be the one who does it, feeling as though it would be cowardly to ask Carmine to instead for his sake. Not knowing where tomorrow would lead, Jihun makes Roth's death painless by snapping his neck, before adding his theatrics, peeling off the skin of his face. Roth's body reveal is the final blow to his already shattered innocence.

Post Le Grande Macabre
Jihun returns home to nothing. It seems his father who'd accumulated so many enemies over the years had been assassinated, and the Song Family Estate was burned to the ground. Where there should be grief, Jihun feels like the shackles he thought he was returning to had finally been released. For a bit he tries to live as he did before the Circus, but finds that he doesn't feel joy anymore doing it. It's a hollow feeling and with the guilt of his friend's deaths crawling on his back, it pushes him to apply for the military.

Despite Jihun passing their assessment with flying colors, they almost can't accept him because of his refusal to state his family name. Not wanting to lose him, they have him married into the Kang Family.

Joining the military does not necessarily fulfill the emptiness, but it gives him a purpose and takes the burden of thinking for himself off his shoulders, so he sticks to it and eventually climbs the ranks through loyalty and lack of hesitation when taking orders no matter how gruesome.

Sungyeol Moon
Jihun's bodyguard since he was young. The first and only person for a while he'd ever consider his friend and refer to as his "hyung." Sungyeol raised Jihun almost singlehandedly. Their bond is very close.

Ivy Arnette
One of Jihun's network companions in Le Grande Macabre and one of the people during he dedicates his time there to pouring his heart into. Their personalities may be very different but Jihun finds that he rather likes the contrast, and thinks it's fun to tease ivy. He feels comfortable with physical affection around him and isn't afraid to show it. Jihun feels close enough to Ivy to call him Ivy-hyung.

William "Roth" Dire
One of Jihun's network companions in Le grande macabre and the second person during he dedicates his time there to pouring his heart into. Jihun admires Roth to a great degree, and develops a complicated affinity for him. He feels hesitant to try to instigate physical affection with him, in fear of coming on too strong perhaps, but clearly would like to, indicated by his acts of attempting to comfort him, and being confused by his own movements, as well as going out of his way to actually hold Roth when his body is revealed. Jihun is close enough to Roth to call him Roth-hyung or just Hyung.

Orcus
Orcus is the host of Le Grande Macabre that Jihun builds a funny little friendship with. As Orcus gives him the room and means to perform as he desires, and encourages his behavior, Jihun naturally builds a bond with it. As the entity cannot actually die, Jihun does not mind calling Orcus his friend.

Carmine Founin
Carmine is Jihun's guilty partner. She guides him through the majority of Le Grande Macabre, using him like an attack dog more than anything. She's his realization of his own lack of individualism and self awareness. She's also the main reason Jihun turns to the military after the Circus.

Cheongyeon Kang
Jihun's wife after the events of the Circus. They're in a more or less loveless marriage, as Jihun still fears his 'curse', and is technically only there to produce an heir for the Kang family. She doesn't necessarily mind his neglect and usually goes out to have fun by herself. Despite their odd relationship, Jihun and her get along quite well, and most would consider them friends. He won't though.

Trivia

 * Jihun does not actually have visceral reactions to blood, he himself has committed cruel executions outside of the Circus.
 * Ivy and Roth's murders were by Sungyeol's Dagger.
 * He likes sweets.
 * Ivy's lantern (post LGM) is tied to the others using the ribbon Jihun took off his persons during the body reveal.
 * Jihun's "Curse" causes him to have recurring nightmares of killing his friends and those close to him, and he dreads waking up to find he's actually gone through with it. During Ivy and Roth's kills he thinks he's dreaming. And afterwards their deaths continue to haunt him.
 * He took great care to make sure Ivy and Roth's deaths were painless before he performed his theatrics. For the rest of ya'll... gm i guess.