goes back and forth between being dyed a jet black and dyed platinum blonde. currently way too long for his liking.
eyes
dark brown
physique
straight up ectomorph. one would think that from years of assassin work and the intense physical demands that came along with it, cyan would be decently muscled, but that's not the case. no matter what he does, he just can't get any sort of muscle mass and remains looking like a bean pole.
style
prefers streetwear as his every day clothing, but when on a job or going out, he'll put on a pair of jeans and a leather jacket. almost all of his clothes are some shade of black and it is very rare to see him in any sort of color.
solitude, peace and quiet, the sound of the rain, being curled up by a fire while reading, listening to music, alcohol, dogs, the scent of pine, swimming, winter, wearing all black, congee, watermelon, ny bagels
dislikes
people trying to force him to speak, dumb questions, idiots, slow walkers, incompetent people put in charge of things, flirting, loud noises, guns, intense heat, spicy foods, coconut, asparagus, the fact that he can't put on muscle, clingy people, mango
misc info
is low-key very scared of loud noises (but will never admit it). much prefers knives or arrows over guns because of this.
was hired to be a hacker but got roped into the assassin part of it all because they saw how freakishly accurate his aim was during training. absolutely hates having to pull the trigger or throw the knife.
is a very good singer but will only sing in the shower when no one is around or when he's very drunk and has no idea what he's doing.
decent mixologist.
the cupcakes he bakes are heaven sent.
personality
silent (very much so). strong (kind of). dangerous (absolutely).
very few people have ever heard cyan speak, the man choosing to remain in the shadows and follow along rather than allow his voice to be heard. it isn’t as if he’s afraid to speak up and offer his opinion, it’s simply just that he doesn’t want to. he doesn’t enjoy talking to people, doesn’t enjoy conversations, and certainly doesn’t want anyone’s attention on him any longer than it should be.
those that have had the pleasure of hearing him speak will know that everything he says is blunt and straight to the point, not trying to beat around the bush in the slightest. if he thinks it needs to be said and heard, then he’ll say it. but more often than not, he remains in silence, shrewdly assessing the situation with his mind firing at a million miles a minute.
though he may appear cold, closed off and indifferent, cyan does care. cares about those close to him and tries his best to show it by not being as silent. sometimes, and it is quite rare, but sometimes he’ll even go so far as to crack a smile, maybe even a joke or two.
i
ii
iii
iv
the blurry beginning
narong rattanakosin, shortly thereafter forever nicknamed cyan, was born in the late afternoon of january 5th in bangkok, thailand to parents he barely knew and hardly remembers. when he was three, social services stepped in and immediately placed him into foster care.
it was safe to say that he absolutely hated it and was beyond relieved when a brother he didn't know he had found him and volunteered to take him in when he was eight. so he packed up what little belongings he had and followed atchari, or cole as was his nickname, all the way to the united states, to brooklyn, new york. despite the twelve year age gap between them, the two brothers became incredibly close. cyan spent his days at school counting down the hours until he could go home and spend time with cole.
the in-between
as he got older, cyan couldn't help noticing cole's long, mysterious absences. sometimes he wouldn't come home until well after dinner or in the early hours of the morning. every time cyan asked, he received vague answers that were clearly lies. fed up, he gave cole an ultimatum—spill or he'd leave the city. and that was how he found out cole was a member of a local gang, and a higher up at that.
instead of running off at the news, cyan did the opposite; wanted to join. his brother was hesitant at first but eventually relented. cyan soon became an important asset— very gifted with computers with the ability to hack into almost anything, brilliant mind, attention for small details and uncanny ability to hit his mark every time (when needed).
he remained an active member until the age of 21, when he started to grow tired of the gang life and began to distance himself from it. after a few months spent mostly solo, he was approached by an agency claiming they'd been keeping their eyes on him for a while and, after explaining what i was, wanted him to join their organization. he mulled it over for a while before eventually accepting the offer and was soon shipped off to spain to learn the details.
many assumed that this was an exciting sort of lifestyle but it truly wasn't. his daily schedule was like this; wake up, eat, hack into whatever he was told to hack into, take people out when he was forced to, get paid a lot of money, sleep, repeat. though he wasn't overly fond of the execution part, he kept with it because it paid the bills (and then some), and if he suffered from many sleepless nights as a result, no one had to know.
the present
as always, all things must come to an end. this time it was when cole was brought into the question. not him precisely, but the gang he was still a member of, the gang cyan used to be part of. someone in it had managed to piss off a lot of people around the globe and now everyone who belonged had a target on their back.
cyan wouldn't have even known about it if he hadn't overheard the head of the organization he was working for saying he'd send two of his best to take care of the gang. knowing he was part of the two best and knowing he couldn't bring himself to go after the group he used to be part of and his brother was still part of, he quit. well, fled is more like it. he was assigned a mission the night before he'd have to fly back home to take out his brother, a mission that could be categorized in the high importance category and a perfect cover for fleeing. when everything was going down, cyan purposely missed his target and in the chaos that ensued, he disappeared.
having planted a virus in the company's tracking system before he left, cyan knew he'd be able to escape without being tracked or followed. and it worked. no one came for him, his brother was unharmed and so was his former gang. though he never rejoined them, he protected them from his laptop, keeping track of various assassin organizations assignments after easily taking down their shamefully weak firewall. as far as he knew, none of them had any interest in the gang. and so it remained like that for the next five years.
but as his luck would have it, not all would remain peaceful. this time, someone else in the gang managed to mess up very badly and got on the hit list of many people. knowing he couldn't protect cole and the others on his own, it was time to swallow his pride (and fear) and see if he could repair bridges he'd burned in his past.
Soren, or Jude as he prefers to be called, doesn’t like opening himself up to others. His experiences shaped him into someone who is cold, methodical in his disinterest. He passes through life is his own world. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t seek out external comfort. He has friends, acquaintances who he actively cherishes. Still, that doesn’t mean much when he is never truly honest about his history or himself.
If one were to find a way to get him to lower his defenses, they’d find someone who enjoys actually being seen by others. He would be all-smiles, soft and charismatic as he would tell jokes and discuss his history. They’d find he’s a tactile sort of person, always running his hands through a person’s hair or bumping shoulders as he passes them by. Perhaps, they might find that beneath his toughened exterior was a man who just wanted someone to care.
However, as he is now, it would be near impossible to get him to open up enough to show anyone his softer side.
likes
Coffee, history, poetry, the color green, natures, traveling, trivia, true crime, overcast days, photography, research, fitness, dieting, deep conversations, archaeology, girl scout cookies, black-and-white films, french cuisine, animals, snow, self-introspection.
dislikes
Himself, romance, laziness, hot coffee, social media, restlessness, math, bees, reality television, small talk, incompetence, seafood, the color yellow, indoors, questions about his past, illness, hotels, dusty places (attics, basements, etc.), the beach.
quirks
Always has a weapon on him. Makes conversations confusing or uncomfortable when he’s bored so people leave him alone. Has wet hair every morning whenever he goes out to jog. Lies about being sober. Carries matches in his shoes. Surprisingly is an avid reader. Struggles with keeping friends long-term due to his situation.
hidden talents
Is fully capable of falling asleep anywhere at any time. Has a huge affinity for dancing that he rarely discloses to others.
reputation
Jude has always been cast in an odd light. When he was younger, he was often labeled as a ‘loose cannon’ or ‘problem child’. Now that he’s older, there are many facets of him that still portray him as a problem — he is often cruel or acts uninterested, he is mocking to those he deems unworthy of his time & he is not kind in his dismissal to anyone’s romantic feelings towards him.
little more
history
i. youth, interrupted.
Soren Jude Lee was born in the coastal town of Yeosu, South Korea to his mother, Naomi Yun and his father, Asher Lee. The pair were both agents that had been born in different countries; but, they were both Korean. Due to their heritage, it gave them ample opportunity to accept missions within the Korean peninsula. The pair happened upon one other during one such mission — and a torrid love affair produced marriage and their son.
Jude’s childhood was atypical. He was often forced to move, never finding roots. Although his parents adored him, they never had enough time in the day to give him the attention he deserved. He often begged for a sibling, for a friend he could keep at his side for as long as he could. His parents, aware of his loneliness, consented. His sister,Chunhei, was born six years after him. From the moment he saw her sweet face poking out of the blankets at the hospital, his weakness was developed.
As the pair grew, it quickly became apparent that their father was getting in too-deep for his own good. A secret had been uncovered, the wrong person informed — and before Jude could even turn eight, his dad was buried. His mother took the loss hard. She cut all association with her agency, found a small village in South Korea to raise her children and stayed there, stuck in her grief. Her maternal nature never really recovered — Jude and his sister were forced to take care of themselves more often than not.
The neighbors were empathetic, often coming over to visit and bring them meals. The charity was appreciated; but, it did nothing for Jude’s pride to have to accept handouts when his mom was just there, alive but not really in the moment. It stung him to know that even though him and his sister were her last ties to their father, she couldn’t find the strength to pick herself up and give a damn about them.
ii. falling from grace.
Jude excelled in his studies. He worked long hours on the weekends, not willing to rely on his mother’s resources any more than he needed to. When he was close to graduating from high school, he decided to take some basic electives for university to prepare himself to attend. He would be forced to move to a major city, he knew, and the thought of leaving his sister behind scared him.
After he had graduated, he was out partying with his friends when a strange man in a suit approached him. He offered him money, status, anything he wanted if he followed in his father’s footsteps and became the sort of man his father had once been. The prospect had made him frown, declining; but accepting the business card he was being handed.
A few months later, it turned out he would have no other choice. His mother was sick constantly. When she went to hospital, they discovered a complex series of lumps along her abdomen that had grown cancerous. With little faith in the country doctors, Jude called the man and accepted his deal.
The descent into crime and assassination was a blurry and surreal experience. He was flown out to Sweden, taught the necessities and then shipped out to shoot his target. Taking a life became an expectation he’d never expect to have. It was constantly a battle of his moral when it came to doing the right situation that was often not blurred by a black-and-white structure.
While he would be off on assignments, he would send his family the money. After he had completed his first mission, he moved all three of them to a major city and found the best hospital he could. His mother was given the best care; and within two years, she was recovering whole-heartedly. He was scared to tell her how he had been able to afford their circumstances. Whenever he would come home, he knew she knew — the side eyes, the contemplative silences that brewed between them when they were alone.
They went on living; but, it was with a strained sort of unspoken tension.
