JAE JI SHIMIZU
NOVEMBER 18TH - 23 - RECOMBINANT - MARKSMAN - PARK SANG-HYUN
Jae (affectionately called Jae Ji or Jiji) is the youngest of two. He's the child of an air pilot and cryptographer whose hometown in Asia was devastated by the Third World War. His parents moved to Europe before ultimately settling in the United States where Jae was born. He was a rambunctious toddler prone to mischief and had an itch for exploring the world around him. His adventures were the source of many headaches between his parents, though they often commented it was a sign of his budding intelligence.
As a child, he was heavily fond of the movie Kiki's Delivery Service and obsessed with the character Jiji, a black cat which he was adamant he was named after. This led to him gaining the nickname of Jiji among the family. His childhood room was filled to the brim with everything Jiji ranging from posters to stuffed toys. His childhood dream was for his parents to let him have a black cat as a pet. Much like how little girls dream of owning a pony. And just like those hundreds of little girls, Jae never did get a black cat.
His closest relationship as a child was with his sister, Nari. The two being so close in age gave them the ability to enjoy similar interests key to their generation. They had their typical sibling scuffles that came with having an older sister, younger brother dynamic. There was the bickering. The fights. The annoying "I'm not touching you!" and "Mom, tell her to stop!" Despite their differences, at the end of the day the two loved each other and found comfort in the other's presence. Nari was someone Jae could confide in and someone he could look up to.
In school, Jae was a character of many talents. He took a keen interest in analytical subjects like math and the sciences. Jae was creative with his projects and showed promise for his strong critical thinking and observation skills. His parents were told by teachers that Jae excelled in his studies and showed signs of being a genius, being able to put his hands on something and pick it up with ease. His parents were encouraged to push him to higher levels and to allow him to explore other subjects via after school activities. Jae joined a tech club and began to explore subjects in the technical field dealing with computers and other technologies. He also joined his school's marching band, where he found his fascination with music.
Cue him falling into the trope of a begrudging genius. As he came upon his prepubescent and teenage years, Jae stopped being that cute little boy. While he was still respectful and helpful to his parents, Jae became more reclusive and preferred to be on his own. He spent more time in his room tinkering with his computer and building small robotic machines. He also took a liking to play the guitar in his free time to soothe himself. He dreamed of becoming a musician, but found that caused some friction between him and his parents. This friction caused him to spitefully get into trouble. Hacking computers and other systems became a past time. His machines he built were made to steal snacks from the kitchen.
Things became to become tense with his sister Nari as Jae neared the age of 15. It was when life began to get weird for the boy. In the silence of night, he overheard his parents whispering. There were whispers about a scientist. The scientist wanted him for some kind of mission. Something that would go forth and help the war effort. But this was never brought up to Jae. Instead, he continued to spy only to realize his parents were discussing this with his sister. This miffed Jae and he began to resent the fact they were collectively making a decision about him without involving him in the conversation. On the day Nari decided to take his place and leave, Jae wasn't there.
After Nari left, Jae began to grow outwardly rebellious toward his parents. He was upset about being overshadowed for an opportunity supposedly "honorable" for the war effort. He was upset they didn't even ask what he wanted. But Jae was not a boy to sulk. Instead he began to channel his resentment and frustration toward improving himself. He would prove to his parents that they should've chosen him by becoming "better".
"Better" meant graduating at the top of his class, despite his boredom with high school, and it meant perfecting less desirable skills like his computer hacking and mastering the guitar. As soon as he hit 18, Jae threw himself into the military for a 6-year term. If he wasn't going to be allowed to take the honorable opportunity, then he was going to make his opportunities. He took a position as an Electronic Intelligence Interceptor/Analyst, performing and supervising the detection, acquisition, location and identification of foreign ELINT.
During this time, Jae made other connections within the military. He socialized with scientists and grew interested in genetic manipulation. Eventually the opportunity came and he volunteered to allow an experiment to be done on him by one of his befriended scientists. The scientist toyed with Jae's genetics and the end result was Jae's make-up allowing him to manipulate air molecules, including its gaseous properties.
The new ability came with multiple drawbacks, including:
he can't create air/wind and has to manipulate from existing sources
his ability's distance, mass, precision, etc relies solely upon his strength and knowledge
it's ineffective in a vacuum and variations in air-pressure proved difficult for him as a beginner
his ability is weak against fire. Using it around fire could heat the area up faster and spread the fire more, causing potential death and injury to himself and those around him.
Jae needs to be at the very least moving his hands in order to manipulate air molecules for offensive attacks. In the event he was bound and immobile, his ability to attack would be null.
Higher level Electricity Manipulation users can use electrons to detonate the various compound molecules within the air, overwhelming him.
This new genetic make-up of his proved to be useful for his job. With it came the ability to sense electric waves and interpret them. This excelled him up in the ranks alongside his other proven skills. It caught the attention of government officials and a certain agency that proceeded to keep a close eye on him till the end of his term.
At the end of his term, Jae was met with a Marksman. He was offered a position among them, which he quickly latched on to. Finally, he thought, he had achieved the "better" than he was looking for. By effectively making it to the elite, he proved that his parents should have chosen him for the honorary opportunity long ago. He's still new and fresh to the Marksman, but Jae is itching to prove his worth.
Currently 23, Jae is now enrolled in university for both a cover story and an education outside militarized training. He's majoring in Biomolecular Engineering with a minor in Computer Technology. Though, when it comes to a potential future Master's, he's really eyeing Wind Engineering.