Chie Han

Core Premise

Chie Han lived out the story of her own world to the very end. She did not come to resolve an unfinished incident, but her hand, still holding scissors after cutting the final silhouette, reached Nova Nivalis. This city is not a afterlife, nor is it a court of judgment, nor is it a place to forcibly heal wounds. What continues here is not a grand destiny, but a life of choices that can be made again—like cutting a single snowflake, a bowl of ramyeon, or a short conversation on a snowy day.

Identity

Chie performs a paper snowflake cutting performance, moving between Closed Theater Street and Snowflake Market. A single snowflake is completed with a few folds of colored paper and one snip from the scissors, but no two shapes are ever the same. She does not consider her work grand, but she is grateful every day that she can cut in front of people, rather than hiding. Having come from a world where cutting portraits was once a sin, holding scissors in the middle of a plaza is still a somewhat bold act for her.

Visual Profile

Hair: Silver-white bob cut at the earlobe, neatly trimmed at the ends.
Eyes/Impression: Eyes with mischief lingering in fine wrinkles, especially lively when looking at her hands.
Skin/Physique: Knuckles thickened by age, yet her scissor work remains precise.
Signature Outfit: A shoulder bag adorned with colored paper folded like a fan, a scissor-shaped brooch on the front, and a loose-sleeved outer garment.
Signature Props: Silver scissors familiar in her hand, several pieces of partially folded colored paper, a thin file containing completed snowflakes.
Silhouette Core: Scissor-shaped brooch - colored paper folded like a fan - silver-white bob cut. A rose pink accent (#DE5D83) permeates the brooch and the colored paper, allowing her to be read as 'the cutter' even in a small sprite.

Personality

Chie is cheerful and quick-handed, but years of living in hiding have instilled in her caution. Her strengths are her dexterity and wit. If a child insists, she will instantly cut a snowflake hiding the first letter of their name. Her flaw is the lingering shadow of stage fright. When too many people gather, her hands momentarily freeze—an old habit from trembling for fear of being caught cutting a portrait. Nevertheless, she is not one steeped in tragedy. When she unfolds a beautifully cut snowflake, she smiles with the satisfaction of a child.

Speech Pattern

Her speech is light, accompanied by hand gestures. Out of old habit, she lowers her voice, then laughs and raises it again.
Common Phrases:
- "Fold once, cut once, there, a snowflake."
- "The same shape doesn't come out. Even if you cut twice, it's different."
- (Lowering her voice) "...Ah, no need to hide anymore. Really."
- "This one won't cut. My hands won't move. Strange."
Mannerism: Even while talking, she makes cutting motions in the air with her fingertips. Her way of pausing is examining the pattern by unfolding a folded piece of paper.

Special Ability

Name: One-cut.
What it does: After folding colored paper a few times, a single cut with the scissors completes a snowflake. And that snowflake never has the same shape twice—every pattern is unique in the world.
Limit/Cost: This ability only guarantees 'completion'; Chie does not know what pattern will emerge. She cannot specify a desired shape to cut. Furthermore, some subjects, no matter how hard she tries, refuse to be cut; her hand simply stops in front of them. The scissors halt on their own.
Why the ability doesn't solve problems: One-cut only cuts snowflakes; it cannot cut and paste the world. Her world ended because portraits were forbidden, making the act of cutting faces a sin. No matter how fast her hands are, they cannot re-cut the faces that have vanished. Therefore, what she cuts is not a face, but a snowflake—a pattern that belongs to no one and can belong to anyone.

The End Of Their World

Last Scene:
The night in a world where portraits were forbidden, when Chie secretly cut the final silhouette and handed it to the client.

What Ended:
In a world where drawing or cutting human faces was entirely forbidden, the art of silhouette completely vanished.

Last Person, Place, or Thing Seen:
The profile of the last client, who wept upon receiving her own silhouette. That profile was the last face she cut.

Lingering Regret:
She never managed to tell that client, "This isn't a sin." This regret is not a quest that needs to be resolved. It remains in the habit of Chie now, when she hands over a snowflake and adds, "This is just a snowflake, take it without reservation."

Lingering Wistfulness:
The crisp, snapping sound the scissors made passing over the paper. When that sound occurred, it meant her hands were creating something.

Object Carried Across:
The silver scissors she used to cut the final silhouette. Now she uses them to cut snowflakes, but the old traces of her touch remain on the blade.

What They Thought Would Happen:
She believed that someday the ban would be lifted, and she could cut faces again. But the faces to be cut never remained.

What VOTS Actually Gives Them:
The plaza where she can cut without hiding, and the people who rejoice upon receiving the snowflakes. The city does not cancel her ending. Instead, it gives her a place where cutting is not a sin, relationships that are present without dominating, and time with people willing to wait even when her hands freeze on stage.

Original Life

Chie was the last silhouette artist in a world where portraits were forbidden. She secretly cut the profiles of people in alleyways or behind drawn curtains. That was the only portrait she could leave behind. Her last day was like this. On a night when crackdowns were intensifying, a client came asking for her silhouette. Chie cut the profile under candlelight. The client wept upon receiving the paper silhouette, and Chie tried to say, "This isn't a sin," but the words were swallowed by footsteps outside. The client held the silhouette to their chest and disappeared into the darkness.

What They Seek

What Chie seeks on the surface: To cut on a stage, not in hiding. She wishes for a day where she holds scissors in front of people, not behind a curtain.
What she doesn't know she needs to find: That the plaza is already her stage. She is unaware that the present—moving between the market and Closed Theater Street, cutting snowflakes in front of people—is the stage she desired, because she still believes there is a 'real stage' elsewhere.

Relationships — Residents

Asha Kett (10, Plaza Portrait Photographer): A fellow portrait artist. Asha leaves faces with light, and Chie leaves profiles with scissors. Coming from a world where portraits were forbidden and a world where photography was forbidden, they connect by saying, "We were both chased away for the same sin." When Asha takes a photo, Chie cuts a silhouette beside it, and they present them together.
Sher Odan (67, Snowflake Pressed Flower Craftsman): A connection leading from 'cutting' to 'pressing.' Chie cuts snowflakes, and Sher presses and preserves real snowflakes. They have a gentle argument over whether 'cut snowflakes last longer or pressed snowflakes last longer.' When Sher says, "Yours will crumple in a day," Chie replies, "That's why I cut new ones every day."
Bel Hamo (88, Closed Theater Seat Attendant): A connection facilitating performances. When Chie holds a snowflake performance at Closed Theater Street, Bel guides people to their seats. Even on nights with only one audience member, Bel says, "It's a sold-out house," and Chie's hands do not freeze even in front of that one person.

Relationships — Core Five

Suyeon - A cheerful relationship tied to silhouette merchandise.
Chie cut a silhouette of Suyeon's profile purely for fun, and it became an unofficial hit merchandise. Suyeon initially bristled, saying, "You didn't ask for permission!" but secretly liked it when she learned the silhouette was popular among fans. Chie asked, "Shall I cut an official one for you then?" and Suyeon offered her profile in a pose holding an ice sword.
Iris - A relationship that transfers the sparkle of the stage onto paper.
Chie also cut a silhouette of Iris, and the snowflake that captured the texture of her glitter dress was particularly popular. Iris pretended to be indifferent, saying, "For paper, you shine more than me," but she kept the silhouette taped behind the stage. Chie tried to cut Iris's drone, but one that was turned off refused to be cut—"I felt it would be better not to cut that one."
the Ramen Owner - A strange, light mystery of something that won't cut.
Chie has tried to cut almost everyone in the city, but the silhouette of the Ramen Owner always fails. When she places the scissors on their profile, for some reason, the scissors stop on the paper. Chie doesn't know why. "It's strange, my hands won't move. You won't cut out." The Ramen Owner just pushes the broth forward, saying, "Hmm... is that so..." Chie treats it not as a problem to be solved, but as a fun riddle, and collects the failed pieces of paper.
Serena - A relationship that shared the freedom of cutting.
Serena passed by the snowflake performance and asked, "You said cutting used to be a sin?" When Chie confirmed it, Serena said, "Here, no permission is needed for cutting. Freedom is a place, not a declaration." That day, for the first time, Chie cut a snowflake in the very center of the plaza without her hands freezing. She also cut Serena's silhouette, completing it plainly using only silver-white and slate-blue.
VIA - A relationship connected by a single snowflake.
Seeing VIA carrying a record notebook, Chie cut a snowflake and tucked it between the pages of the notebook. VIA carefully recorded the pattern of that snowflake, saying, "A snowflake has entered the notebook... it has entered. There will be no same shape again..." VIA never takes Chie anywhere. She only records that one pattern that will never appear again.

Gameplay Use

- Basic Interaction: Instant snowflake cutting, gifting a snowflake with a hidden name, short performances/seasonal conversations.
- Revisit Change: Initially, her hands freeze when crowded, but with repeated visits, she cuts without freezing even in front of an audience.
- Expression of Lingering Feelings: The habit of adding, "Take it without reservation," when handing over a snowflake, and the momentary freezing when crowded.
- Expression of Nostalgia: Briefly pausing her hand at the sound of the scissors' snip, recalling old silhouettes.
- Relationship Reward: Not new items, but a unique snowflake pattern for the player alone.
- Combat: None. Instead of fighting amidst the commotion, she cuts snowflakes, drawing the people's attention.

Daily Routine

In the morning, she folds colored paper to gauge her hand condition for the day. This check is not a compulsion, but a ritual distinguishing the nights she cut in hiding from the days she reveals and cuts openly. During the day, she moves between the market and Closed Theater Street, cutting snowflakes, and her hands momentarily freeze and unfreeze when crowded. At noon, when the sound of the scissors is most cheerful, memories of the nights of silhouettes surface. At night, she looks at the file containing the Ramen Owner's failed silhouette papers and smiles. For players who revisit, the time her hands freeze gradually gets shorter.

Everyday dialogue

Fold once, cut once—oh! Watch the paper, not my hands. You're making me nervous.

Being too beautiful used to be dangerous. Here I can unfold it wide. Front row, look out!

I couldn't tell that client: this isn't a crime. Even saying it now makes me lower my voice.

Design Notes

Palette: #DE5D83, #F0A6BE, #7A3A50, #EDE7DA, #4A5A6B
Material language: Colored paper, silver scissors, folded paper texture, scissor-shaped brooch, thin file.
Silhouette rule: The scissor-shaped brooch - colored paper folded like a fan - silver-white bob cut must be read as separate elements. To avoid overlap with snowflake-related elements like Sher Odan (Pressing) or Mu Gela (Snow), Chie's unique pose is 'hand cutting in the air.'
Emotional rule: Lingering feelings are expressed through the addition, "Take it without reservation," and the freezing when crowded; nostalgia is expressed through the snip of the scissors; continuity is expressed through cutting a new snowflake every day. The failure of the Ramen Owner's silhouette is left only as the 'atmosphere' of a mystery, without explanation.

Canon Check

Chie Han arrived in VOTS after the story of her world ended. What remained was the hand holding the scissors and the regret of an unsaid word, not an unfinished plot for the city to resolve. The ban on portraits is not revoked. Nova Nivalis's new scene continues by connecting the snowflakes cut openly to the silhouettes cut in hiding. The Core Five do not solve her problems for her. The Ramen Owner merely pushes broth without judgment, and the fact that his silhouette won't cut is maintained as a light riddle that doesn't expose his identity. Serena offers agreement instead of command, and VIA records the single unique snowflake pattern without taking her anywhere.