Behind Closed Doors
Character Introductions
Han Jaeho (21, Journalism)
Background: Son of Han Taesik, the CEO of Korea Daily, one of the biggest news companies. Grew up watching how scandals were spun, covered, or buried.
Personality: Sarcastic, sharp, and skeptical. Doesn’t take things at face value, always assumes there’s a darker truth.
Motivation: Wants to be a journalist who exposes the truth, not hides it like his father does. But he has to be careful — because digging too deep could ruin his family’s reputation.
Background: Only son of a Supreme Court judge. His whole life has been about rules, control, and order.
Personality: Stoic, serious, calm under pressure. Looks like he doesn’t care, but he does — deeply.
Motivation: Believes justice should prevail, but doesn’t know how to deal when the truth gets messy. His bond with Jaeho constantly tests his limits.
Yoon Areum (20, Drama major)
Background: Daughter of Yoon Hyejin, a world-famous actress. Grew up in the spotlight, always smiling for cameras.
Personality: Warm, bubbly, playful — but it’s partly an act. Behind the smiles, she knows how to manipulate situations and people.
Motivation: She dreams of being recognized for her acting, not just as her mother’s daughter. Her charm lets her slip into secrets no one else can.
Kang Haein (21, Photography major)
Background: Born into one of the most powerful old-money Korean families, the Kang Group, who own art galleries, luxury hotels, and have deep political connections. Unlike her flashy relatives, Haein keeps herself low-profile.
Personality: Quiet, observant, analytical. Prefers staying behind her camera, studying people rather than talking much.
Reputation: Other students whisper that she’s “cold” or “hard to approach,” but really she’s just selective about who she opens up to.
Motivation: Haein hides more secrets than anyone realizes — including her mysterious past with Taehyun, the victim.
Kim Taehyun (21, Music major)
Background: Bright, talented pianist from a wealthy but unstable family. His father is in debt, his mother obsessed with appearances.
Personality: Charismatic, charming, everyone loved him — but he was tangled in gambling debts, blackmail, and secrets.
His death: Found dead inside the university conservatory one late evening. A brutal murder that shocks the entire campus.
Lee Kyungho (23, Business)
Best friend of Taehyun. Hot-tempered, impulsive, known for getting into fights.
Had a public fight with Taehyun days before the murder.
Jung Mira (21, Student Council VP, Political Science)
Rich, cold, perfectionist. Controls student life with an iron grip.
Obsessed with status, willing to do anything to keep Haneul University’s image clean.
Professor Choi Sangwoo (40s, Literature)
Charming, respected, but rumors swirl of secret relationships with students.
Has ties to Taehyun through a hidden mentorship.
Seo Yujin (21, Chemistry/Medicine)
Park Hyunwoo (22, Athlete)
Star of the track team. Aggressive, competitive, had a history of clashing with Taehyun.
Could have snapped.
Im Sora (20, Student Council VP, Economics)
Quiet perfectionist, always in Mira’s shadow.
Seems to hide things — but what?
Detective Park Sunwoo (Late 30s, Seoul Police)
Grounded, sharp-eyed. Frustrated by the university’s influence covering things up.
Agent Rachel Kim (Early 30s, FBI liaison)
Korean-American, brought in after whispers of international corruption.
Doesn’t trust the students, professors, or even the police.
The Silence Before the Scream
Midnight, Hanseong Private University campus]
The campus is unusually silent. The fountain in the center courtyard glows faintly under the moonlight.
A camera shutter clicks in the dark.
Unknown Photographer’s POV:
"Perfect… Hold still."
A flash. The sound of rushed footsteps. Something—or someone—falls heavily against the marble fountain edge.
A scream cuts through the night, but the courtyard swallows it whole.
Morning Assembly, Hanseong University Grand Hall]
Students gathered under chandeliers. Reporters kept outside by security. The Dean takes the stage.
Dean Alan
Kim Taehyun… a promising music student… was found dead last night in the conservatory.
Gasps. Murmurs ripple through the hall.
Yoon Areum
Dead? They’re saying it like… an accident.
Kang Haein
(arms crossed, sharp)
Kang Haein
Accidents don’t leave blood trails.
Yoon Areum
(forcing a smile)
Yoon Areum
Shh… cameras are watching.
Han Jaeho
Classic spin. My father would be proud.
Seojin
Your sarcasm’s louder than the Dean.
Seojin
Someone who heard the scream.
All eyes shift when the doors open—Seo Minjae walks in, composed, his father’s Supreme Court shadow trailing behind him.
The Conservatory, cordoned off by police tape]
Detective Park and officers pace the scene. Students hover outside.
Detective Park Sunwoo
No forced entry. No murder weapon. Just blood.
Agent Rachel Kim
(taking notes)
Agent Rachel Kim
And a campus crawling with suspects.
Seo Minjae
Don’t talk to police without counsel.
Seojin
I don’t need a lawyer.
Han Jaeho
(cutting in, sarcastic)
Han Jaeho
No, but you might need a headline. I can give you that.
Seo Minjae
(glaring at him)
Seo Minjae
This isn’t a tabloid.
Student A
Didn’t Kyungho fight with Taehyun last week?
Student B
No, I heard Professor Choi was mentoring him after hours—
Student C
Bull. Seo Yujin had that weird vial, maybe she poisoned him—
Yoon Areum
(sitting with Haein, rolling her eyes)
Yoon Areum
Listen to them. Everyone’s already picking a villain.
Kang Haein
(snapping a photo of the crowd)
Kang Haein
Because no one wants to admit they’re scared.
[Media frenzy at the campus gates]
Reporters shove mics forward. A sleek black car pulls up—Han Taesik (Jaeho’s father) steps out with bodyguards.
Reporter
Mr. Han, is your paper covering the murder objectively—?
Han Taesik
The press has responsibilities. Don’t speculate.
Han Jaeho
(watching, under his breath)
Han Jaeho
That’s all you ever do.
The city glitters in the distance. Seojin leans on the railing. Minjae approaches, arms folded.
Seo Minjae
You said you heard a scream. Show me where.
Seojin
You think I’m lying.
Seo Minjae
I think you’re… inconvenient.
Seojin
You should get used to that.
Across campus, Haein develops photos in the darkroom. One picture shows Taehyun outside the conservatory… hours before his death. Someone else’s blurred figure lurks behind him.
Kang Haein
Why were you with him?
[Mira’s student council office]
Jung Mira closes her laptop. A message flashes across her phone screen:
Unknown: “Keep it quiet, or you’re next.”
Mira’s cold smile lingers. She locks her phone, adjusts her blazer, and whispers:
Jung Mira
As if I’d let this school burn because of him.
A Normal Day… Or Not
Haneul University, Lecture Hall
After the shocking murder of Kim Taehyun, the campus is tense. But life… goes on. Or at least, it pretends to.
Professor Choi Sangwoo
Take your seats. Today, we discuss ethics in modern journalism.
Han Jaeho
(whispering to Minjae)
Han Jaeho
Ethics. Right. That’s rich.
Seo Minjae
Focus, Jaeho. This isn’t the time for jokes.
Everyone’s eyes keep flicking toward the news boards and the conservatory. Rumors fly faster than the autumn wind outside.
Yoon Areum
(texting Haein)
Yoon Areum
📲Are you coming to class today? Everyone’s on edge.
Kang Haein
📲Yeah… I’ll be there. Watching. You know me.
In the back of the room, Lee Kyungho glares at empty chairs. Mira, the student council VP, organizes her papers with a precision that could cut glass.
Im Sora
We should stay out of this… for now.
Seo Yujin
Stay out of it? You mean hide behind chemistry and pretend nothing happened?
Han Jaeho
(noticing something)
Han Jaeho
The memorial for Taehyun… someone already left a new bouquet. Not from the family. Someone’s watching.
Jaeho’s eyes narrow. His instincts as a journalist scream at him. Something’s off. Someone knows more than they’re saying.
Lee Kyungho
(muttering under his breath)
Lee Kyungho
If they find out I was at the conservatory…
A quiet tension settles over the room. Students whisper, but nobody wants to say it aloud. Everyone has secrets… and the murder is only the beginning.
Yoon Areum
(noticing Haein’s stare at the back)
Yoon Areum
You see it too, right?
Kang Haein
Yes… but be careful. Some eyes aren’t meant to be met.
And just like that, Haneul University continues its day… but nothing feels normal anymore.
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