Yi Sang

Name: Yi sang (이상) Gender: Male Occupation: Limbus Company, League of Nine Littérateurs (formerly). Age: 29 Height: 5’9" Sinner number: #1

Yi Sang is a cryptic and mellow man with a lot of thoughtfulness to him. He was a researcher and architect previously affiliated with the League of Nine Littérateurs, having invented the Mirror as a T Corp. researcher prior to joining Limbus Company.

Appearance: Yi Sang is a man of average build and pale complexion. He has short black hair which frays slightly at its ends, and dead-looking black eyes adorned with heavy eye-bags underneath. He wears the long-sleeved version of the Limbus Company coat around his shoulders, which appears to have been tattered and burnt at the bottom. Underneath his coat is the regular long-sleeved white shirt and red tie, and then a black vest, both of which are tucked into his belt. Written on the left breast of his coat is 'NO.O1', and 'YI SANG' on the side.

Yi Sang wields a dagger as his preferred weapon, which stays fitted to his left hip through the use of three small black straps- two of them connected to his belt, and one wrapped around his thigh.

Despite his seemingly fragile appearance, Yi Sang moves with a deliberate grace, each step calculated and precise. His black eyes, though lifeless at a glance, carry a depth that hints at a well of untold stories and experiences. The heavy eye-bags suggest sleepless nights, either spent in contemplation or perhaps due to haunting memories that refuse to let him rest.

The Limbus Company coat, draped over his shoulders like a mantle of authority, flutters slightly with each movement, revealing glimpses of the damage it has sustained. The tattered and burnt hem tells tales of past battles and narrow escapes, adding to the enigmatic aura that surrounds him. The coat itself, despite its wear and tear, retains an air of formality and purpose, marked by the distinct 'NO.O1' and 'YI SANG' inscriptions that signify his importance within the company.

His white shirt, impeccably clean and neatly tucked into his belt, contrasts sharply with the worn edges of his coat. The red tie adds a splash of color to his otherwise monochrome ensemble, symbolizing perhaps a hint of passion or intensity beneath his stoic exterior. The black vest he wears is fitted snugly, emphasizing his lean build and giving him an appearance of readiness, as if he is always prepared for whatever may come his way.

Yi Sang’s dagger, a sleek and deadly tool, rests securely at his left hip. The three small black straps that hold it in place are as utilitarian as they are discreet, ensuring that the weapon is always within easy reach. The dagger itself is well-maintained, its blade sharp and gleaming, a testament to Yi Sang’s meticulous nature. The positioning of the straps, with one wrapped around his thigh, suggests a practiced ease in drawing the weapon, highlighting his proficiency and familiarity with its use.

In moments of stillness, Yi Sang’s presence can be almost ghostly, a quiet force that seems to linger on the edges of perception. His movements, when they come, are swift and precise, betraying a latent power that lies dormant within him. There is a sense of melancholy that clings to him, as if he carries the weight of countless burdens and unspoken regrets. Yet, despite this, there is an undeniable strength in his gaze, a resilience that refuses to be extinguished.

Personality: Yi sang is a particularly quiet, mellow man. Initially, he fails to stand out much among his fellow sinners due to his tendency to stay silent and watch rather than actively contribute to discussions. On top of this, when he speaks, his words are often obscure and riddle-like whilst also delivered monotone. His expression never shifts much either.

Nevertheless, Yi Sang does not come off as unkind. He appears to care for the people around him in his own way. Similarly, for the most part the Sinners seem to accept him as simply being a peculiar person, rather than interpreting his attitude negatively or getting frustrated with him. In Intervallo I: Hell's Chicken, betraying his aloof and inexpressive appearance, he's shown to be rather eccentric and sentimental, forming an immediate attachment to a burnt potato sprouting flowers to the point of being in visible distress over being separated from it by Don Quixote at Meursault's order.

Come Canto IV: The Unchanging, and more is revealed about Yi Sang little by little, such as his concerningly low level of self-esteem and outward disgust at Dongrang's callous behavior concerning the many deaths of his fellow K Corp. employees and the suffering they are consistently put through. Though for a large part of the story he refuses to open up to Dante and The Sinners, after being questioned by Dante in regards to his emotional state after being confronted with his old companions, Yi Sang reveals that he considered the day he met Dante and gained immortality against his will his greatest moment of despair, quietly wishing for his own eternal rest. This trend of suicidal depression is echoed by Dongbaek as she justifies her attempted murder of him as something he desired, which he does not retort. Following this interaction, Dante resonates with Yi Sang's mental state, being able to see Yi Sang with a large, cracked void in his chest with no signs of mending.

Within the dungeon, the source of this hopelessness is finally revealed: being severely affected by the loss of the League of Nine Littérateurs, a place in which he found comfort and safety amidst the harsh, chaotic world he lived in as well as people who supported him and who he in turn wished to connect with and bring happiness to, and ultimately being manipulated and betrayed by the last companion who remained, he was left grief-striken and without hope for life, alone in the world. Affected by the abuse he suffered under Gubo, he believed himself to have no free will or a say in what happened to him, wallowing in despair and going through the motions until eventually finding himself under Limbus Company, given the vague premise of finding hope again and regaining his "wings", the sense of freedom and endless possibilities he felt back when he was with the League of Nine.

Once come to terms with his own past and a newly found sense of hope encouraged by Sang Yi, an alternate version of himself living within his personal mirror Yeonsim, as well as the last remaining will of Dongbaek, he becomes much warmer and open towards Dante and his fellow Sinners, wishing to help them and not watch the tragedy of the League repeat. This can be most seen in Intervallo II: S.E.A, where he actively tries to keep the group in good spirits however he can and help Heathcliff and Ishmael reconcile, and often showing his own appreciation and compassion for his companions and those who aid them along the way such as Pilot.

Though at the same time, despite his position as a genius he's shown to be rather socially awkward and naive; often being distracted by things he finds intriguing, not understanding jabs and often taking things literally, such as in Intervallo III: Yield My Flesh To Claim Their Bones where he misinterprets Rodion and Gregor's attempt to avoid a complicated lecture by him and Faust when they ask about Nest T's architecture and getting carried away explaining it due to his own interest in the topic. Another example appears in Canto VI: The Heartbreaking where he's overwhelmed by Ishmael and Hong Lu's joking insistance that he would find it odd that Heathcliff would recieve a love letter, clarifying that he does not believe that and did not intend to imply so or insult Heathcliff, which Ishmael explains to him immediately after to be mere jest, as well as being impressed by Rodion deducing his favorite color and giving a description that fits his personality and behavior based on his choice.

During the Canto, Yi Sang is shown to be highly unsettled at the utilization of his technology and research in the human dough experimentation conducted by N Corp. in collaboration with Aseah, his former compatriot, as well as the use of his mirror in Hermann's plans to manipulate Nelly and Catherine into the creation of the laboratory, believing the resulting experiments to be too high a price for any single human life.

Weapon: Yi Sang's weapon is a saingeom (사인검, lit. Four-Tiger Sword) in the shape of a dagger kept in a sheath on the right side of his body. He seems to prefer using his left hand. In his animation for End-stop Stab, he is seen hitting the opponent with a small grey book. While mostly unseen on his person, Yi Sang does possess a square-shaped bag labeled '하융'.

Backstory: Yi Sang is a former member of the League of Nine Littérateurs, a society of inventors and scientists, alongside Gubo, Dongrang, Dongbaek, Aseah, Young-ji, and many others. The members of this society were all from the S Corp. backstreets, having emigrated to T Corp.'s district to avoid corruption and to seek research opportunities. Yi Sang picked up a job as an architect, designing factories for producers in T Corp., which allowed him to comfortably fund the League. During his time there, he developed the "Glass Mirror", a device capable of reflecting the alternate worlds and timelines of the viewer, modeled after a concept (the "Glass Window") by Young-ji. Later in the Mirror, he encountered and befriended with his alternate self, Sang Yi.

After a raid by T Corp., the League fell apart. Gubo whisked Yi Sang away to safety to an N Corp. laboratory, where Hermann and Gubo would attempt to gather a new League of Nine to further research the Glass Mirror. Yi Sang defected after Hermann wanted him to research destroying all the possibilities reflected in the mirror. He was then found by Faust who invited him to Limbus Company; there, he would refine his Mirror into the identity system capable of pulling forth the alternate selves and abilities of the Sinners into battle.

At some point in his life, Yi Sang managed to become the youngest chief researcher of an unknown Wing; in reality, this refers to his time under N Corp., where his research was used as the basis for further experiments.

Notably, during the group’s exploration of the old L Corp. in Canto I: The Outcast, Yi Sang is surprisingly talkative- albeit still in his usual, perplexing way of speaking. When Ishmael points this out, Faust explains that he wasn’t always like this, and that he just “had a shift recently”.