The broken-winged dove, Yi Sang

[Note that Yi Sang's name uses Korean naming conventions, meaning that Yi is his surname and Sang is his given name. Also because of those naming convention, the whole name is usually said because both his surname and given name are one syllable.] Born and raised in District 19, Yi Sang's privileged childhood was nothing of note—except for this being the time where Yi Sang discovered his love of discovery. Yi Sang knew that he wanted to be a scientist early in life, and with his talent, he achieved that goal. He worked as a researcher for several companies early in his career, and he began to make friends in the scientific community. At one point, Yi Sang joined a club—formed by Young-ji and Dongrang—of scientists and technology enthusiasts known as the League of Nine Littérateurs (also known as the League of Nine or just the League for short). The League of Nine was a simple social club, and its members would hold "illuminators' conferences" where they would present technologies they developed to each other simply as a hobby—not to sell them or for any financial benefit; the tech invented by members of the League of Nine would remain solely in their hands. Overtime, Yi Sang, despite his awkwardness, found close friendship in the League of Nine—especially with Dongbaek, a lively and down-to-earth woman who was closest with Yi Sang. Though Yi Sang did not know it yet, his years with the League of Nine would be the best of his life: Those years were a time of innocence, a time of true friendship and discovery. While the bond between the League of Nine Littérateurs was stronger than ever, political and economic instability in District 19 was causing issues, and the League fell upon hard times. With a heavy heart, they ultimately all decided to leave District 19 and went to District 20, a much more stable place whose Wing was even sponsoring competent inventors. The transition was smoother than they thought: Yi Sang got a job as an architect, and the other members of the League of Nine found good jobs as well, allowing the League of Nine to continue like it always did. However, things changed when Young-ji brought a technology to an illuminators' conference that was on a different scale than the inventions of before. Young-ji, after years of hard work on his own time, brought an invention—that he called the Glass Window—that allowed one to look into alternate universes. This was a groundbreaking invention, albeit unstable in its current state. So, Young-ji gifted it to Yi Sang, trusting Yi Sang's genius to be able to refine the wondrous work. And, with great effort and many sleepless nights, Yi Sang did, creating a refined version of the technology which Yi Sang called the Glass Mirror. While the Glass Window was chaotic and unfocused, the Glass Mirror could show specific alternate universes depending on the user's choice. It was a truly marvelous thing, and Yi Sang had a personal, handheld version of it that he called Yeonsim. He used Yeonsim to talk to a version of himself from an alternate universe—who called himself Sang Yi—who already achieved all of his goals in life, who figuratively soared to heights Yi Sang could only dream of. Yi Sang grew attached to Sang Yi, and the pair chatted often via Yeonsim. Good times can only last so long, though. When the League of Nine Littérateurs received a notice from T Corp.—the ruling Wing of District 20—that they, by T Corp.'s law as a group of five or more people that are not a company, must acquire a permit for technological development and register all technologies with the T Corp. Research and Development Department. This would mean that the Wing would receive the blueprints for all of their inventions. This single notice sent the League into heated arguments about how to proceed: surrender themselves to T Corp., continue their work in hiding, or disband the League altogether. Yi Sang's heart was breaking at the sight of his friends at each other's throats, and he grew increasingly dependent on Sang Yi for comfort. Ultimately, after many hurtful words were exchanged, the League of Nine decided to continue their work in secret. They continued to hold illuminators' conferences like normal, but there was a new coldness between the members of the League; That notice from T Corp. created fissures within the League of Nine that would never again be mended. It hurt Yi Sang to witness his friend group splitting at the seams, but he lacked what it took to mend these fissures. In an attempt to escape from his painful reality, he grew dependent on Sang Yi and neglected his own universe. The League of Nine Littérateurs was already dying a slow death, but the raid by T Corp. on the League's hideout was its definitive end. The fact that T Corp. knew where the hideout was meant that a member of the League sold everyone out, but there was no time for pointing fingers in the chaos that followed. In said chaos, while Yi Sang's friends were being detained and he sunk to the lowest depths of despair, Gubo—another member of the League—snuck Yi Sang away along with Yeonsim. Yi Sang, in his despairing state, lacked the will to do anything other than go along with Gubo. Where Gubo took him was not to salvation, but into the captivity of Nagel und Hammer—N Corp. for short—a Wing, Gubo's new employers. Here, Yi Sang was confined to a single room and drugged into compliance while forced to further develop the Glass Mirror technology for N Corp. Gubo would occasionally visit, but him and Yi Sang had nothing to say to each other. Yi Sang was much more interested in conversing with Sang Yi via Yeonsim, the only thing Yi Sang had left. For a while, Yi Sang—in his depression—passively complied with N Corp.'s demands so that they'll leave him alone to stew in his despair. However, Sang Yi finally managed to convince Yi Sang to stop taking the "supplements" that he was being fed. After a few days of merely pretending to take them, Yi Sang's foggy mind began to clear—the depression remained, but it was now lucid. Sang Yi told Yi Sang that he had two choices: stay here and preserve the status quo, or leave this place to try and find something better. Yi Sang, pushing through the lethargy weighing on his soul, chose to escape. It was easier than he thought: The door to his cell wasn't even locked, but he never bothered to check in his depression-and-drug-fueled lassitude. So he walked, unimpeded, away from his prison, away from Yeonsim and Sang Yi, away from the crumbling ruins of his past—all in the fragile yet desperate hope that his broken wings could one day fly again.

Yi Sang is, in summary, a man with a beautiful soul crushed by the weight of the City. Of course, people are always more complicated than a single sentence. Outwardly, Yi Sang is a melancholic, highly poetic, clearly depressed, lethargic, and very sentimental man. His depression—and therefore all of the traits springing from it—originates from the shattering of the League of Nine Littérateurs. Without them, he has sunken into despair—even having suicidal thoughts—but a fragile and tentative hope, given to him by Sang Yi, keeps him going. His ambition is merely to make it another day. Due to his depression, he is a lethargic person, and he finds it easier to go along with what other people want of him rather than deciding for himself. Due to his memories with the League, he is highly conflict adverse, and he is content ignoring problems to avoid openly confronting them. However, for all his flaws, Yi Sang is a kind, warm, and gentle soul. He always tries to soothe the pain of others, and he is an empathetic man who understands the value of human life. He is very sentimental—fond of keepsakes—and his heart holds room for deep affection. To him, the bonds between people are the most precious things in the world. While weighed down by lethargy and depression, he is curious at heart; he truly does love discovery, especially in science. He is literally a genius, highly intelligent and creative—but he does not consider himself as such, being a very humble man. Not only that, he is highly educated, and he is very knowledgable in science and mathematics. Despite this, he is rather socially inept and struggles with social cues, coming off as awkward but well-meaning. Additionally, he can be quite scatterbrained and is easily distracted. The soft-spoken Yi Sang speaks in a highly poetic and ornate—bordering archaic at times—manner. This is no front he puts up or result of depression: This has just always been his sincere behavior. Whether in lighthearted or serious situations, he always speaks in this idiosyncratic manner. Another linguistic idiosyncrasy of his is his frequent use of the word "ideal" and its subsidiaries (unideal, ideality). It's a pun in Korean ("isang" means, among other things, "ideal" in English) that doesn't translate well into English—but it brings Yi Sang joy to make such puns, so he does it anyway. Yi Sang is fluent in both English and Korean.

Yi Sang is a young man who stands at an average height of five feet and eight inches. He possesses a slight, frail frame—thin and hairless—with soft, ghostly pale skin. He has short, messy, jet-black hair and dark-brown eyes that could be described as onyx. His slender hands are soft and without callouses. He has prominent dark circles beneath his eyes that contrast with his pale skin. His facial features are delicate and soft. He smells faintly of lavender.

Yi Sang, unlike just about anyone who lives a violent life in the City, has no augmentations nor any combat skills whatsoever. This effectively makes him prey for any semi-competent fighter in the City, as his physical abilities and skills are just those of a normal, unaugmented human.