Som Ire
Greenhouse Watering Duty · Glass-Lantern Greenhouse Lane

[Core Premise]

Before coming to VOTS, this child lived out her story to the end—though that story was not her own, but someone else's picture book. She did not come to resolve an unfinished event; rather, the heart of the child who stood in the background even after the last page was closed remained, arriving at Nova Nivalis. This city is neither an afterlife nor a place of judgment, nor is it a fairy tale that unconditionally makes children happy. What continues here is not a grand adventure, but a small day of being revived: watering a thirsty pot, announcing it with a sneeze, and the greenhouse people calling out her name.



[Identity]

Som Ire is a nine-year-old who is on watering duty in the Glass-Lantern Greenhouse Lane. She struggles while carrying a watering can as big as herself, watering every thirsty pot. The adults regard her as the youngest and an indispensable helper of the greenhouse. Som runs around the greenhouse every day, not yet fully realizing that she has become a 'child whose name is called,' rather than 'just a background.'



[Visual Profile]

Her short, curly, light brown hair, like dandelion fluff, spreads in all directions, causing her entire head to glow softly when caught by the light filtering through the greenhouse glass. Her boots are different colors on the left and right—one is yellow, the other is green. This is because she often forgets to match them, and now it has become her mark. She always carries a large tin watering can as big as herself, so when it's full, she walks almost dragging it. Her eyes are large and round, and her cheeks are flushed from the greenhouse humidity. The core of her silhouette is the fluffy, spread-out hair, the mismatched boots, and the oversized watering can. The accent color is light green #A8D08D, making her stand out like a young leaf even amidst the green of the glass greenhouse.



[Personality]

On the surface, Som is bright, diligent, and a little clumsy. She often spills water while running between the pots, or trips over her mismatched boots, but she still cheerfully refills the watering can. Inside, there is a quiet wish: 'Please look at me.' Because of the memory of being unseen while standing in a picture book's background, she is the happiest when someone calls her name. Her flaw is that she sometimes intentionally sneezes loudly or pretends to fall because she wants attention—the adults know and indulge her. However, she is not a tragic child. She feels genuine pride looking at a well-grown pot, and laughs heartily with her greenhouse friends.



[Speech Pattern]

Her speech is fast and full of exclamations. "Achoo! It's thirsty over there!", "Look, I gave it this much!" Frequent phrases: "Do you know my name? It's Som Ire!", "When I sneeze, it's time to water.", "I'm not background, I'm on duty.", "Teacher, did you see me?" When praised, her face turns red and she hides behind her watering can. Her silence is when she hugs her watering can tightly and quietly watches the pots—the moment she watches the water she gave seep into the soil.



[Special Ability]

「Thirst Sneeze」—When Som stands before a pot that needs water, she involuntarily sneezes. In the greenhouse, this sneeze is a work report—an "Achoo!" means that pot is thirsty, and the adults use Som's sneeze as a signal. It has clear limits and costs. It tells them which pot is thirsty, but not why it's wilting or sick. Even if she sneezes no matter how much, it's useless before a pot that can't be saved by water alone. And this ability doesn't help Som herself—her sneeze doesn't tell her what her own heart is thirsty for. The ability only allows her to care for the plants; it doesn't bring her the 'gaze of being seen' that she truly desires.



[The End Of Their World]

Last Scene:
On the last page of the picture book, Som was drawn small in the background of the village festival illustration. In the scene where the protagonist waves goodbye and leaves, Som simply stood there without a single word, and the book was closed over her.

What Ended:
The picture book ended. As the protagonist's story concluded, the days of the nameless children filling that background also stopped.

Last Person, Place, or Thing Seen:
Just before the page closed, the back view of the protagonist waving goodbye and moving away, and the profile of another background child drawn right next to her.

Lingering Regret:
Her name was never written in the book. It would have been nice if someone had asked, "Who is that child?" But the background did not have a name. This lingering feeling is not a quest for VOTS to resolve. It remains as the habit of answering unusually loudly whenever someone calls her name, a desire to have her name confirmed.

Lingering Wistfulness:
The light that filtered between the pages when the book was turned. The sensation of the colorful lanterns in the picture feeling warm, as if they were actually lit.

Object Carried Across:
The small watering can drawing that was in the background of the picture book—that is now the real watering can held in her hand. Som seriously explains this as, "This is what I brought out of the picture."

What They Thought Would Happen:
She believed that if the book were opened again, she would stand in that same spot again. But the background was never reopened.

What VOTS Actually Gives Them:
The place where her name is called. A day spent caring for plants with a watering can, with the greenhouse people calling out "Som-ah." VOTS does not reopen the picture book. Instead, it gives her a life in the greenhouse as a child with a name, not as a background figure.



[Original Life]

She was a background child in a picture book village. A child drawn without a name or dialogue, behind the village where the protagonist embarked on an adventure, or in the plaza where a festival was held. She was present every time the book was read, but no one looked at her for long. When the last story concluded and the book was closed, Som came here, still in the background she had stood in. For a background child, a 'last day' was not a special event, but a repetition of an ordinary day, like standing in the plaza to see off the protagonist—it was just that repetition that ended that day.



[What They Seek]

On the surface, what Som seeks is 'to be named, not to be background.' The child wants to stand in the foreground where someone calls her name, rather than behind the picture. Unbeknownst to her, what she needs to find is the fact that everyone in the greenhouse is already calling her name. Teacher Prim, Mir, and the seed shop lady all call out "Som-ah" every day, but the child still believes she must accomplish something great to earn a name. The city does not enlighten her about this. It merely watches over the greenhouse where her name is called every day, leaving a space for the day when the child will realize on her own, "Ah, I already had a name."



[Relationships — Residents]

- Prim Howl (033, Gardener): Som's greenhouse teacher. Prim is a quiet adult with frost abilities, and Som learns to water beside him. When Som sneezes, Prim asks, "Which pot?" and when Som runs to point, he waters it silently with her. Som calls Prim's white eyelashes "snowman eyelashes."
- Mir Obel (037, Puppet Apprentice): Her best friend. Ten-year-old Mir and nine-year-old Som play while going back and forth between Closed Theater Street and the greenhouse path. Mir has the ability to make 'still usable things' sparkle, so they often play the game of reviving abandoned pots in a corner of the greenhouse.
- Tessa Wren (08, Seed/Dried Flower Merchant): The regular shop Som goes to buy seeds. Tessa rarely charges Som, saying, "If you water well, that's payment." Som treats trips to Tessa's shop like a picnic.
- Paya Jin (084, Greenhouse Senior): A child with slightly more greenhouse experience than Som. She teaches Som how to carry the watering can less heavily.



[Relationships — Core Five]

Suyeon - On Suyeon's performance day, Som rides on a wooden horse in the very front row—the older adults in the greenhouse path take turns letting the children ride, and Som boasts that she is first. Once, Suyeon spotted Som on stage and recognized her by her boots, saying, "There's the mismatched boots!" instead of her name, and Som was so happy that day she returned to the greenhouse and sneezed about ten times. Since then, Suyeon calls Som the "Watering Hero."

Iris - When Iris came to fix the greenhouse lights with a drone, Som innocently asked, looking at the drone with nine lights on and one off, "Why isn't that one turning on?" Iris was silent for a moment and only replied, "It's resting." Som believed that word completely, and since then, she says "Rest well" to the turned-off drone. Iris pretends not to hear the greeting, but the greenhouse lights are always fixed afterward.

the Ramen Owner - When Som finishes her greenhouse work and gets hungry, she stops by the ramyeon shop, and the owner silently adds one more egg. When Som says, "I don't have money," he replies, "Hmm... I see..." and just slides the bowl over. Som calls the owner's dark circles "sleepy bear eyes," and the owner doesn't retort to the comment, but adds an egg next time.

Serena - Som does not know that Serena gave the greenhouse spot to Prim with 'consent.' However, when Serena occasionally stops by the greenhouse, Som brags about her watering can, saying, "This is heavy, but I can carry it." Serena responds, "Is that right, a child who carries heavy things," pointing out what the child *did* instead of her name. That acknowledgment, beyond command or praise, is good to Som, even if she doesn't know why.

VIA - Som is the first child in this city to have her name recorded by VIA. On the day she arrived, a VIA note remained by the door that read, "Som Ire... has arrived. There is a name... it is a name." Som cherishes this note, sticking it inside her watering can. When VIA comes to the greenhouse, Som runs up, mimicking VIA's speech pattern, shouting, "VIA is here!" instead of sneezing.



[Gameplay Use]

- Basic Interaction: Watering together in the greenhouse, sneezing signals about pot conditions, bright and short child dialogue.
- Revisit Change: Tries to remember the player's name, and boasts, "I won't forget your name now!" after meeting them multiple times.
- Expression of Lingering Feeling: Answering too loudly when her name is called, pretending to fall to attract attention.
- Expression of Wistfulness: Pausing to watch the water she gave seep into the soil, sensory dialogue about the light between pages and the festival lanterns.
- Relationship Reward: As Som grows closer to the player, connections with other pots and children in the greenhouse open up, and she shows the revived pot in the corner of the greenhouse.
- Combat: None. Even in dangerous situations, she moves to tend to the pots first or run to call an adult.



[Daily Routine]

In the morning, she puts on her boots—since she often mixes them up, and when Prim smiles and points it out, she insists, "This is prettier." She fills her watering can and walks around the greenhouse, watering every pot that sneezes. During the day, when Mir comes to visit, they play the game of reviving abandoned pots together, and when she gets hungry, she stops by the ramyeon shop or Tessa's shop. In the afternoon, she watches the frost patterns grow next to Prim. In the evening, she empties her watering can and puts it in its place, checks VIA's note once, and goes to sleep. To the player who visits repeatedly, she first boasts about watering, but later asks cautiously, "Do you remember my name?"



[Everyday dialogue]

Achoo! Thirsty over there! The plant, not me. I just had a drink!

Could we label who watered it too? My name is shorter than the flower's.

Ask 'Who's that child?' just once. I need to practice answering too.



[Design Notes]

Palette: #A8D08D, #6FA05A, #F0E4B8, #E8D5A8, #C97B4A
Material language: Tin watering can, greenhouse glass, wet soil, young leaves, mismatched rubber boots.
Silhouette rule: The spread-out fluffy hair - mismatched boots - oversized watering can must be read as separate elements and must not overlap with other child or greenhouse-related characters.
Emotional rule: Lingering feeling is shown by the habit of answering loudly to her name, wistfulness is shown by the pause while watching water seep into the soil, and continuation is shown by the daily watering and being called by name. The child is not depicted as a miserable being.



[Canon Check]

Som Ire arrived in VOTS after her story (someone else's picture book) ended. The picture book is not reopened, and the time of the nameless background cannot be reversed. The Thirst Sneeze does not tell her what her heart is thirsty for; it only allows her to care for the plants. What remains is lingering feeling and wistfulness, not an unfinished plot that the city must resolve. New scenes continue alongside the past, not erasing it.