Bim Rax

Core Premise

Before coming to Nova Nivalis, this person lived out the story of his own world to the very end. He did not come to resolve an unfinished incident, but arrived in this city of eyes because the direction of his senses and relationships remained even after the final scene. VOTS is not an afterlife or a hall of judgment, nor is it a place that compensates for unreceived treatment. What continues here is not a grand destiny, but small daily life—like a pair of shoes, a compliment, or a bowl of soup—that can be chosen again. Bim Rax is a boy who only polished other people's shoes until the end, and he did not come to cancel that fact, but to choose how to live alongside the act of polishing.

Identity

Bim Rax shines shoes in a corner of City Hall Steps. His hands are fast, and his words are even faster; he adds at least three compliments per customer. He introduces himself not as a 'shoe shiner' but as a 'compliment collector.' He reads compliments from the shoe polish, and for those with no compliments, he invents and adds one himself. He never leads with his own story, always starting with others. This repetition—polishing, complimenting, calling the next customer—is not a repetition of wretchedness for him, but the shape of his day.

Visual Profile

Hair: Short, light mint-green wavy hair, wearing a khaki beret tilted at an angle, stained with shoe polish in places.
Eyes: Bright brown eyes with a mischievous glint; his eyebrows move busily whenever he speaks.
Skin/Build: A lean, sun-tanned build; his fingertips are always stained with shoe polish.
Signature Attire: A shirt with rolled-up sleeves, a chest holster holding a shoe brush, and pants worn at the knees.
Signature Props: A holster holding three shoe brushes, polishing felt, and a low wooden footrest.
Silhouette Core: The tilted beret, the brush holster on his chest, and the extended wooden footrest. The accent color #3EB489 is carried by the beret and his hair, allowing him to be read as the 'boy with fast hands' even in small sprites. His attire is not a flashy uniform, but the work clothes of a boy who polished others' shoes until the end in a fallen nation.

Personality

On the surface, he is jovial, bright, and talkative. When a customer arrives, he throws out a compliment first and is not shy. Inside, there is an old hunger: 'Why don't I receive compliments?' While showering others with praise, he stammers when he receives it himself, unsure of what to do. His strength is his observational skills. Based on the condition of the shoes, he can tell what kind of day that person has had. His flaw is that he cannot praise himself and always puts others first. He is not a boy who only sinks into tragedy. When he sees a well-polished shoe, he feels genuine satisfaction, and he spends his days chatting with his peers on the steps.

Speech Pattern

His speech is fast, and he places compliments at the beginning of sentences. It has a rhythm.
Common Phrases:
- "Wow, look at the condition of these shoes today. You must have been somewhere nice?"
- "I'll add a compliment for free. Service."
- "It shows on the polish. Who said what today."
- "Me? Well... I just polish them well, you know."
- "Let me polish them for you. Sit down, sit down."
Habit: He continues speaking before the other person can answer. Silence is rare. However, when he receives a compliment, his words suddenly catch, and he rubs an unrelated shoe with the felt.

Special Ability

Name: Polish Reflection.
What it can do: When he meticulously polishes and shines a pair of shoes, the owner's 'recently heard compliments' briefly appear on the surface of the polish, like letters or voices. He reads these and relays them to the customer. If there are no compliments, he invents and adds one himself.
Limit/Cost: Only the most recent compliment, and only for a brief moment while the polish is active. It disappears if the shoe is scratched or gets dirt on it. While he reads others' compliments, nothing reflects on the polish of his own shoes no matter how much he polishes—he cannot read the compliments he has received.
Reason for not solving problems: This ability cannot create compliments out of nothing. It does not fill the loneliness of someone who doesn't receive praise, nor does it satisfy his hunger. The compliments he invents are sincere, but they do not resolve anyone's lack. They only make someone smile for a moment.

The End Of Their World

Last Scene:
On the day the country collapsed, he polished the last customer's shoes until the end without accepting payment. When the polish was perfect, the customer was already preparing to leave.

What Ended:
The 'Gentleman's Country,' which ran on etiquette and formality, collapsed entirely. The shoes to polish, the people to be formal for, all disappeared.

Last Person, Place, or Thing Seen:
The back of the last customer walking down the steps, wearing shoes with perfect polish. He left no words of thanks, nor any comment on how well it was polished.

Lingering Regret:
He couldn't ask that last customer, 'Was it well polished?' He wanted to be recognized for his skill just once, but he never asked. This lingering feeling is not a quest to be resolved in VOTS. It remains as a habit where his words catch when he receives praise, within the scope of not changing another person's choices or speaking only when he wishes.

Lingering Wistfulness:
The sparkle in the moment the polish is complete, and the satisfied expression of the customer when they briefly look down at their shoes.

Object Carried Across:
A piece of worn felt from polishing the last customer's shoes. He still uses that felt to give the final polish.

What They Thought Would Happen After the Ending:
He believed that if the country stood again, customers would line up on the steps again. The country did not stand again.

What VOTS Actually Gives Them:
A corner of the steps where he can polish shoes without being paid. Neighbors who tell him, 'You polish so well,' and a hand that records even the compliments he invents. VOTS does not erase the fact that his country ended without him being recognized. Instead, it gives him a place to hear those words little by little every day.

Original Life

Originally, he was a shoe shiner boy from a country where etiquette and formality were everything. Gentlemen required their shoes to have perfect polish, and the boy polished others' shoes all day at the very bottom of that formality. No one asked his name, and few ever said that the polishing was good. On the last day the country was falling, he polished the last customer's shoes for free, and for the first and last time, he inwardly boasted, 'This polish is my skill.' He brought this pride and unacknowledged hunger to this city.

What They Seek

What he outwardly seeks: To be the receiver of compliments, not the giver. Just once, for others to recognize his skill first.
What he needs to find but doesn't know: The fact that he is already being told 'You polish so well' every day. When he receives praise, he stammers and doesn't realize it is praise directed at him.

Relationships — Residents

Lina Forth (14, Announcer): The announcer above the steps and the shoe shiner below. In exchange for Lina unofficially overlooking the City Hall steps' business, Bim sends her daily compliments saying how well her announcements sounded. "Your voice reached the end of the steps today." Their transaction is announcements and compliments.
Pal Gru (87, Regular with Magnifying Glass): A regular elder who always sits on the bench next to Bim's footrest. His eyesight is dim, so he can't see the polish well, but he is pleased when Bim says, "It's perfect today." In return, the old man tells Bim stories of the old gentleman's country.
The Trio of Peers (073·094): Three peers who chat on the steps. He plays in the area below the steps with Koda Mim, who is nocturnal, and Roki Bam, the snowball tactics expert. In front of them, Bim is just a noisy boy, without compliments.

Relationships — Core Five

Suyeon - When he polishes Suyeon's stage boots, the polish overflows with compliments that he cannot read all of them. The cheers of the fans, "Unnie is the best," overlap so thickly that Bim's service of 'adding a compliment if there are none' is the only one that is useless. Instead, Suyeon offers him a challenge of Cola Bibim-myeon, and Bim politely declines, saying, "The shoe polish looks tastier to me." Suyeon laughs heartily and doubles the price for the boots.
Iris - When he polished Iris's stage boots, there were no compliments on the polish. She is someone who creates stars, yet she had no record of being complimented herself. Bim pauses for a moment and invents, "These are the hands that make stars." Iris turns away saying, "So what?" but throughout that week, her boots shone the brightest. From that day on, Bim always prepares an extra compliment just for Iris.
the Ramen Owner - It is Bim's secret to secretly polish the Ramen Owner's old sneakers. When the owner is at the stove wearing an apron, he pulls out the shoes and polishes them under the apron before placing them back in their spot. Even when he shines them, no compliments appear, so Bim invents one each time, but the owner pretends not to notice, saying, "Hmm... I see..." However, in a corner of the ledger, it is written, "The shoes are bright."
Serena - Serena's shoes are always perfectly clean, making her the worst business for Bim. There is nowhere to polish. One day, when Bim lamented, "There's nothing for me to do with your shoes, Madam," Serena took off her shoes and placed them on the footrest, agreeing, "Then try your practice today." It was not an order, but a yielding of space. A line of compliments Serena received long ago faintly appeared on the polish, which Bim read but did not speak of.
VIA - VIA records all the compliments Bim invents and adds. Every time Bim creates one because there is nothing on the polish, VIA writes that compliment into the ledger as if it were real, saying, "There was something said... it was said." When Bim says, "That was just something I made up," VIA replies, "Even if you made it up, it was heard... it was heard." Since then, Bim feels strangely reassured that the compliments he gives remain somewhere.

Gameplay Use

- Basic Interaction: Shoe shining, receiving a compliment, short chats on the steps.
- Revisit Changes: On the first visit, he only reads the customer's compliments; on repeated visits, he gradually reveals stories he wanted to be acknowledged for. Still, he does not make non-existent compliments real with his ability.
- Expression of Lingering Feelings: The habit of his words catching and rubbing an unrelated shoe with felt when he receives praise.
- Expression of Poignancy: Sensory dialogue about the moment the polish is complete and the customer's satisfied expression.
- Relationship Reward: A sincere compliment added to the player, connection with the peers on the steps.
- Combat: None. Even in a crisis, he chooses to make people laugh to relieve tension or guide them.
- Player Choice: Leave shoes for him, return his compliments, wait for him to boast.

Daily Routine

In the morning, he places his footrest in the corner of the steps and checks his brushes and felt. During the day, he polishes the shoes of passersby, reading and adding compliments. He plays with the trio of peers on the steps in his spare time. Around evening, he stops by the ramen shop to secretly polish the owner's shoes and get some broth. At night, he folds the felt of the last customer, confirms that nothing reflects on the polish of his own shoes, and goes to sleep. For players who visit repeatedly, his boasts gradually increase, but no matter how close they become, he cannot shake the habit of praising others first.

Everyday dialogue

Fine shoes! They're scheduled to become finer after meeting my brush!

One shoe gleams, the other remains cautious. I'll give them both some confidence!

Nicely polished? Today I'm asking first. You can't know what I'm wondering unless I say it.

Design Notes

Palette: #3EB489, #2C7A5B, #C9A24B, #3A3A3A, #E7E2D6
(#3EB489 is the Masterplan designated accent color—beret and hair. #C9A24B is the warm accent for shoe polish and shine.)
Material language: Polished leather, shoe polish, worn felt, khaki fabric, wooden footrest.
Silhouette rule: The tilted beret, the chest brush holster, and the extended footrest must be read as separate elements and not overlap with other characters.
Emotional rule: It is not concluded with a single tragic expression. Lingering feelings are shown through the stuttering when receiving praise, poignancy through the moment the polish shines, and continuation through the compliments he adds every day.

Canon Check

Bim Rax arrived in VOTS after his country ended without recognition. What remains is hunger and poignancy, not an unfinished plot that VOTS must fill. His ability cannot create compliments out of nothing, and the core cast does not fill his lack for him. The new scene in Nova Nivalis does not erase the fallen country but continues the daily compliments next to it.