Hojin Fernsby

Details

Hojin is often underestimated because of his length, only being 1m68, but once people see how muscled he is, they easily take him seriously. His clothes are often dirty from working. He has brown eyes and black hair that he keeps short enough so it won’t get in his eyes.

Hojin is a very caring person that would do anything for his family and friends, dropping whatever he’s doing immediately when they need him. His entire life, he’s cared for those around him, taking on extra work, sneaking food to his sister, keeping their secrets. It’s why he’s made the decision to not tell anyone what happened to Angie, not even their friends.

On the other hand, Hojin carries a lot of anger with him. The seed for it was planted years ago and has been growing over all that time. It’s not fair that his parents and sister need to suffer while others have it so easy and he wants to fight the system that’s responsible for this. He has no idea how to do this or what to do with the anger inside of him. With his friends, he's fun, with outsiders, he appears friendly and nice, but inside he’s in turmoil.

When she was seventeen Haewon moved to Dawnmire where she met Insu Fernsby. The two fell in love, married and not long after, Hojin was born. Life was never easy, but they had each other and that was enough. They worked hard to get enough food on the table and while they had to make certain sacrifices, they managed to keep their son unaware of how low on the social ladder their family was. A few years later, the family was completed when Hojin’s sister was born. The extra mouth to feed, however, did make their money problems only more difficult. Hojin quickly learned to help his mother spin wool and repair clothes and his father with repair jobs he did outside his work.

When he was about eight or nine, Hojin met Angie. They played together and one day she invited him to her home. He hadn’t been aware of her status until he saw how big it was; the hallway was larger than his entire house. But it didn’t matter. They were friends and who society saw them as was of no importance. There were other kids they were close with and grew up with, forming a close-knitted group. Eventually even building their own clubhouse in the woods.

When he was old enough, around fourteen, Hojin became a blacksmith’s apprentice. His parents wanted a better life for him and so they sent him to live with the local blacksmith to learn the trade. Meanwhile, his father’s health became worse. Working long days underground without access to fresh air took its toll. The man needed medication and Haewon had to care for her husband which meant she had to drop part of her own work. These two elements combined meant that the family once again was having a hard time. Hojin worked as hard as he could—taking on extra jobs besides the time he spent as an apprentice—and would sometimes sneak food from the smithy for his parents and sister.

While he did everything he could to keep his family afloat, Hojin blamed the system that forced some people to live in poverty and fight to live another day while others swam in money they’d never worked for. This was around the time that Angie came to the same conclusion and while their group of friends had always been rebellious like teens are, now they only went further and further.

Until it came back to bite them. They’d found a lycanthrope trapped in a piece of machinery and stupid kids as they were, they dared each other to get closer and closer to the creature. Eventually, Angie was dared to touch it. She did, but the others got scared as the werewolf woke up. Hojin was the only one still present to see Angie get bitten. The girl almost lost her finger and when she fainted from blood loss, Hojin carried her home where she was tended to by a doctor.

By the time Angie woke up, their friends had come to see her. Hojin told Angie and them the same cover story he’d told her parents and the doctor: that she’d been attacked by a stray dog. When they finally left and he and Angie were alone, he told her the true story: she’d been bitten by the lycanthrope they’d found in the woods.

Hojin built a cage underneath their clubhouse in the woods. They didn’t use the basement so it was a safe space to keep the secret from their friends. The first full moon was the hardest. Neither of them fully knew what to expect since they didn’t know much about lycanthropes, but the cage held and they survived the night. From then on, he spent every full moon with Angie. He’s the one that locks her up, but also the one that comforts her once the night is finally over.

The incident that turned Angie made Hojin more cautious—every time one of his friends suggested something stupid, he was the one to question whether it was a good idea—, but that changed when his father got injured in a working accident. The man had already changed so much from the one Hojin had grown up with since he’d become ill and now there was nothing of that version of him left. His father became unable to work and turned to drinking to fill his days. Hojin doubled down on his hatred of the mining operation and the upper class.

When Angie’s brother died during a hunt and her world fell apart once more, Hojin did everything he could to be there for his friend. He believed her when she claimed Emelio couldn’t have been killed by a wolf and supported her. With what happened to his father and to her brother, Hojin’s belief that this world is unfair and his want to do something about it only grew. For now, he’s not been able to channel this energy into anything productive, though. What is there to do when the world is the problem?

- He absolutely loves dogs.
- He's no longer an apprentice and now works as a blacksmith.