Kang Chanhee (Chani, SF9)
19 (01/17/00), freshman (in freshman dorms)
major: pre-law / minor: philosophy
clubs: debate, photography
sports: fencing
greek letters roleplay
live at peace with everyone
Chanhee's two when his father dies. His mother runs her own law firm and Chanhee grows up in very comfortable surroundings. Just the two of them. And the household staff.
He's twelve when his mother re-marries. She marries an even wealthier older man, one with a child of his own. Chanhee doesn't remember being asked if he'd like a sibling.
It's the worst thing his mother's ever done to him, which in the grand scheme of things isn't so bad. He gets used to not being an only child, but he doesn't like it.
there is a time for everything
He's a clever kid and a good study. He's always at or near the top of his class. He sticks with the piano lessons he was signed him up for because it'll look good on college applications, but he doesn't care about it.
When his parents push for him to try a sport to futher round out his application, he picks fencing. Swords are cool and the sport doesn't need much movement, even if he still ends up in gyms with recorded lectures playing in his ears. He doesn't like working out but he does like winning matches, so the effort's worth it.
When he dabbles in photography for a class project, he discovers his first hobby that has nothing to do with his parents, his future, or his college applications. His parents indulge him, but make it clear the hobby's gone the moment his grades slip.
As iron sharpens iron,
so one person sharpens another
Chanhee's high school study group is made up of the other top students in his class. They're friends but rivals. It's the rivalry that makes him suspicious when one of the girls waves what's purported to be the answers to their next exam under their noses, claiming she got them from a TA. He doesn't trust her and doesn't take the answer sheet, but when everyone in their study group gets a perfect score, he's suddenly interested. She brings answers for the next exam and then the next, continuing all throughout their junior year.
It doesn't feel like cheating. Perfect or nearly perfect scores are normal for Chanhee. The results are the same. But now he doesn't have to put in hours of work. He can walk around with the camera his parents bought him for his birthday. He can read the books he wants to read and watch more than 30 minutes of TV.
They're all smart kids but Chanhee's the one who takes charge and makes the rules. No bringing the answer sheets to school. No bringing it up over text or mail. Someone gets caught, they go down on their own.
Don't squeal.
Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm
It all would've been fine, if it hadn't been for a friend's crush on another student outside of their group. When the top handful of students are regularly acing their exams, it's not out of the ordinary. When half the class suddenly aces an exam, it is.
Bags are searched and of course two students not even in the study group are caught with copied answer sheets. Fingers are pointed until they finally point back at the study group as orchestrating it all.
They're brought in and Chanhee's quick with a defense. Of course the other students want to blame him and drag his name into this mess. They're jealous of his grades. And beside the words of cheaters, they don't have any proof. The others copy his defense and it grows louder when the parents arrive, furious that the school would dare accuse their gifted children.
The school agrees to drop the issue on one condition. The kids have to take a test next day on the same subject. If their scores don't match up, they'll be expelled for "academic dishonesty".
Chanhee stays up studying. When his mother walks into his room and sets down a bottle of pills with instructions to only take one and save the rest for college, he listens to her. He doesn't sleep, but he doesn't feel tired as he takes the test.
Perfect score. As expected of a top student.
pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up
He feels a little bad when they're expelled. He's left to argue with a straight face that he had no idea all his friends were cheating. It's a stretch, but there's no hard proof, he passed the second exam, and his parents raise enough of a stink that the school caves to their demand that he stay with an unblemished record. He hears rumors later that his step father also made a generous donation to the school.
He's not surprised when he finds "cheater" written across his desk later. He eventually stops bothering to clean it off. A handful of students are sympathetic, believing he really was falsely accused, but most believe he weaseled his way out of trouble.
He studies hard, keeps quiet, and graduates with a flawless record and perfect GPA.
grant what i hope for
Chanhee plans to stay on a straight path from now. Cheating hadn't turned out to be worth it in the end, even if the time to relax had been nice. He takes a gap year after graduating in 2018 and spends the time vacationing outside of Korea. He finally quits the piano. And he gets accepted to Korea University in time to enroll in Fall 2019 classes.
career goal is to be a judge
likes games and knowing the rules
so he can bend them or ignore them
an opportunist, likes to get ahead and stay there
happy to let someone else take charge unless he thinks he can do a better job
quiet and observant when first meeting new people
that changes once he gets to know someone
generally a good person to those he cares about
but he won't stick his neck out to save yours
an excellent poker face and liar
trying to be a better person
maybe