Rika

***SPOILERS AHEAD, READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION!***

If you haven't played Mystic Messenger completely, you might read something that will reveal to you the complete story of the game. So please pay attention!

***THIS CHARACTER IS NOT AN ACCURATE REPRESENTATION OF ALL PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS!***

Mental Illness does not make you an inherently bad person. This character is dramatised for the sake of story purposes, they are fictional and not a good representation of real world mental illnesses!

 If you are not a professional psychiatrist or other mental health professional, you have no right to judge how mental illness affects a person.

**Trivializing and demonizing mental illness will not be tolerated. Offenders will be issued ONE warning before being blocked!**

## Rika

* Normal
* Another Story
* Secret Ending
* Teenager
* Tween
* Child

### Real Name

Kim Rika
 Mina (birth name)
 Serena (post-adoption)

## Character Information

### Age

Calculated official age: 28\*
Korean age: 29\*
First official age: 23\*
Korean age: 24\*

## Physical Appearance

### Height

159 cm
 5'2 ft

### Weight

46 kg
 101 lbs

## Background Information

### Occupation

Founder and former leader of RFA Leader of Mint Eye

### Affiliations

RFA
Mint Eye

### Relatives

Mother
Birth Mother (deceased)
Yoosung (Cousin)
Yoosung's Mother (Aunt)

***Rika Kim*** (birth name: **Mina.** foster name: **Serena Kim**), is the main antagonist of *Mystic Messenger*. She is the founder of the RFA and the fiancée of V who tragically "died" 18 months before the events of the game.

## Appearance

Rika is a beautiful and slender pale-skinned young woman with wavy waist-length blonde hair that transitions to a lighter color with bangs hanging on the left side, bright lime-green eyes and she is shown to be smiling most of the time.

On normal occasions, she is seen wearing a brown knee-length dress with a large cream colored bow just below her collar bone on her left side. She has also been seen wearing a formal suit with her hair placed in a high ponytail when hosting the RFA parties.

In Another Story, she wears a halter top open chest black dress and a black masquerade mask.

In Secret 01, she is seen wearing a long-sleeved dress adorned with rather intricate and elaborate designs.

## Personality

Rika was known to the RFA members as strong-willed and charismatic woman who wanted to help those around her to the best of her abilities. Due to her incredible ambition for helping anyone in need, she created the RFA to raise funds to donate to several charity organizations and give money to these who need the most. She touched hearts and improved the lives of countless strangers. She was also capable of hosting great parties and managing to invite a large number of guests from all different backgrounds thanks to her tremendous influence on other and splendid persuasiveness, which is mainly because of her phenomenal speech skills, described by others as “having a way with words”, even going as far as saying that she can make anyone follow her blindly in a matter of minutes simply by speaking to them.

Since she was abandoned and was repeteatly abused, tortured, and treated like a demon by her fervently religious adoptive parents. Rika is still suffering from the scars of her abusive upbringing and the inumerious traumas she suffered that made her highly mentally unstable, paranoid, mistrusful, angry, inadequate and violent, giving her a very low self-esteem, believing that she doesn't deserve to be loved, that she’s a devil who was born a ball of darkness, viewing herself as mere filth and a stupid, good-for-nothing orphan.

She desperately craves loves from others. This drawns her to V's photographic work which is subtextually about the unconditional love the sun provides, a kind of love she never experienced growing up and wishes to give to others so they won't suffer like she did.

As stated by her, it was painful to act like the person she wasn't, so she always found herself avoiding people who “lived in the light”. According to 707 and Unknown, she always looked uncomfortable around people that didn't need her help. And always looked scared that people will leave her, which is the main reason that driven her to use people’s trauma as a way to brainwash them into thinking Mint Eye is where they'll find happiness, so that they'll stay by her side.

Mika, who was Rika’s childhood friend, took advantage of her dreams to help others and manipulated Rika into thinking that her methods weren’t good enough and that she needed to do more to save others from the cruel world they live in, by nurturing their insecurities, giving love to the strong and not abandoning the weak. And thus the concept of Mint Eye was born.

Due to Rika’s fear of abandonment and not being loved, she always doubted V’s love for her. Her paranoia was worsened when Mika gaslighted Rika into thinking the V is a liar who only needs a victim to “play savior for” and that he will eventually leave her because of how dark she is. her condition worsened after Sally’s death, which she blamed herself for. only for it to be immensely intensified by the death of Mother Choi, which completely shattered her mentality.

After Mika’s death, Rika becomes extremely paranoid that Mika was right and that V was a hypocrite and that he never actually loved her. Which caused a huge fight between the two that led her to injure V’s eyes before fleeing to go after Mika’s plan to start the Mint Eye, to prove to herself and Mika that V will love her regardless, no matter what she does to him or other people.

Her fears greatly decayed her in morals and sanity. Subconsciously consumed by the anger and violence of the abuse she had suffered growing up, she becomes abusive to her own believers rationalizing it as "saving" them, due to her fragile ego. She inflicts her own trauma of abandoment and betrayal onto Saeran, whom she ends up manipulating and abusing the most for her own goals, to use him as a weapon, a slave that will do whatever she wants.

Rika’s fear-induced torture went to a greater extent in Ray’s AE. She goes as far as to kidnap the twins and sell them out to Saejoong Choi, the same person she was supposed to protect them from all these years, knowing how much trauma and pain he inflicted on his sons. In exchange for robbing the twins of their freedom and keeping them as her “own sons” to selfishly lives a “happy family life” with them. After multiple protests from the two, she drugs and chains the twins in V’s house, replicating the same abuse and fear their Mother and Father had put them through.

Rika regained her moral compass in several cases and grew to regret what she did to Saeran deeply. In V's AE she's shown to be ashamed after seeing how her actions in Mint Eye were heavily disapproved by the RFA and how much disappointment and pain she caused. In Ray's AE, She realizes her actions and that she should be condemned. In both After Ends, she turns herself in to the law to repent for her actions.

In Secret End 1, the shock of V's death irreversibly breaks her mind. Her manipulation towards Saeran didn't save anyone, it was the opposite. It resulted in him killing one of the people she admired the most (despite the troubled relationship with him). And upon this horror she loses all manners of speech and most of her memories, reverted to the state of a toddler. Yoosung takes her in, not knowing about her dark past nor Mint Eye. It is still pointed how she finally seemed to have found happiness though, as she is no longer tormented by the inumerous traumas of her childhood. She mostly has the happy memories of the sun that V left her with.

## Background Story

The name ***Rika*** is only a pseudonym and her birth name is only revealed to be ***Mina***, them changed to ***Serena*** after adoption in the Rika Behind DLC.

Within the Casual and Deep Story routes, the player (MC) has limited information about Rika. When the player first joins RFA, the player is presented with the knowledge that Rika had passed away one and a half years ago due to suicide by jumping off a cliff. However, just like where she lives, the facts about her death were also so secretive and easily triggered suspicions, such as nobody ever seeing the corpse, V being the only witness to her jumping and not answering some of the police’s questions and so on.

Rika was the one to originally bring together the RFA and was the one to start the charity events for the RFA. Most of the members in the RFA are grateful towards Rika and viewed her incredibly favorably. The other RFA members reportedly went in the chatroom much less after she 'died' and the messenger only becomes active again when the MC joins.

However, more of her past is shown in Rika Behind DLC and Another story.

Mina was an orphan after her birth mother was implied to have committed suicide, not much is known about her birth father. As a three-year-old, Mina was very tame, reserved, very innocent and fairly bright, as she learned how to talk early, she had separation anxiety and rarely cried. At the adoption center, Mina was close to Mika, a six-year-old Christian girl who acted as a bigger sister to the other orphans and often took care of them, especially Mina. Whom she formed a strong bond with. It was hinted that Mika was jealous of Mina and the other children, as it was stated by a teacher at the adoption center that “she always tried to stand out”.

Because of Mika’s past experience with adoption, she established and idea that “grow-ups love is weird”, because no matter how much their children love them unconditionally, it often goes unreciprocated, that the world doesn't work with love, but with conditions and comparisons. Later, Despite protest, Mika was too old to receive funds and services at the adoption center and had to be moved to an orphanage, which didn't sit well with neither Mika nor Mina, due to Mika’s fear of not being adopted if she went to an orphanage, and due to Mina’s separation issues and her love and attachment to Mika. Both girls ended up making a promise to be adopted together and live happily, away from “bad parents”.

A couple of months later, Rika's Mother visited the adoption center, looking for a child who can be a “devout servant to God” to fit her devout Christian family because “the Heavenly Father” has given her a sign. She was introduced to Mika, who fit her requirements perfectly. The woman was mesmerized by how angelic Mika was, so she left after telling an employee that she had to pray some more and bring her preacher tomorrow to confirm if Mika really is the sign given to her by God. After limited interaction, Mika concluded that the woman is a “bad parent”, but it was fine because “children need bad parents to survive in this world”, because parents “shouldn't raise children with love but with conditions”, showcasing Mika’s ideology of how children should be raised. Nevertheless, even though the woman preferred Mika, the pastor chose Mina over Mika, so Mina was adopted instead. Mika protested to not let Mina be adopted by such bad people, and begged to be adopted in her place, because they will forsake Mina if they didn't like her, exactly like what happend to her before. However, According to Rika, she was glad she was adopted instead, because she didn't want Mika to end up in this family.

Mina thought she'll be happy once she's adopted, but she lived every day in fear. Rika's Mother was shown to be extremely abusive towards Mina, who was named Serena after adoption. Always shouting at Serena that God will expel her to hell if she slightly misbehaves, which only made Serena timider and gave her a specific image of how cruel God is, which contradicts what Mika told her about how nice and forgiving God is. Serena was afraid of being forsaken and abandoned by God and her family, and as her fear grew, her tension around her parent grew worse. Serena’s foster father was revealed to be a non-christian hospital director, and that he never wanted to parent Serena, however, the Mother tried to reason with him that they can’t ignore God’s sign, and kept on praying to convert the Father as she wanted to go to heaven with him.

Rika endured extreme mental and sexual abuse, which started after the Mother doubted that Serena is the one God chose, so she resorted to the same pastor to make sure if she really is the sign sent by him, because Serena is “too useless, ignorant, and naive to truly hear God”. Serena always protested against staying with the pastor alone. The reason was later revealed, as the pastor chose Mina over Mika at the adoption center only because he liked her more, and sexually harassed her every time he was left alone with her, under the excuse that “Satan” has eyes on her and that she needed to be cleansed. Serena voiced out her issue with the pastor to her foster mother, but was only met with invalidation, by telling her that she was only being cleaned out of the devil living inside her, and that nobody would ever want to harass someone like her. According to Rika, she couldn't reject the pastor because she was afraid of being forsaken, and came to believe that she completely lost the power to protect herself, which was when she realized that people will be abused and forsaken if they’re weak, that there's no such thing as a kind or helping God, only a merciless one who will expel her to hell if she doesn't obey.

At school, Serena couldn't meet the school’s demands. She was constantly bullied and was only met by sneering and avoidance and rumors that she was “possessed by Satan”. And even after telling her mother, she was invalidated and told that “nobody would want to torment someone as stupid and dark as her”. Serena was told to smile when other children smiled, to follow them in playgrounds and offer them gifts first to befriend them, but nobody ever told her how to survive while voicing out her needs, the more she struggled to be loved, the more lonesome she grew. And as she couldn’t let her heart speak for years, the devil inside her only grew bigger.

One day, when rika was 16 years old, her mother wanted to visit her husband’s hospital and pray there to let God convert him. But the pastor told her that he should visit and pray there himself because there's a higher chance of conversion if he did I it himself, and insisted on taking Serena with him to “protect her”. At the hospital, Rika took off on her own to find her father, because she “would’ve rather died than to stay with that monster”. By coincidence, she passed by a ward, which was Mika’s ward, who was 18 years old at the time, and looked rather sickly and thin like a “corpse”. A nurse is seen announcing to Mika that she would be getting discharged tomorrow and that there's not anything they can do about her condition. Once the nurse leaves, Serena enters, astonished to find her childhood friend, It was stated that the two haven't met ever since Serena’s adoption. Serena missed her dearly and felt really happy to have finally seen her again. It was revealed that Mika was still at the orphanage and was envious of how Serena has a family and goes to a good school. Serena didn't have the heart to tell her about how miserable she was because Mika seemed sick and she didn't want to add up to her troubles.

Finding Serena, the pastor interrupts their meeting asking Serena to come home with him, saying he's her guardian. Serena was seen scared and uncomfortable, refusing to go with him, and expressing how much she hates him. Mika then tells the man off that Serena is her sister and that her ward is off-limits to everyone except family, so he wasn't welcomed. Mika then pleads with the nurse, since it was her last day, to take the man out since he isn't Serena's actual father. The pastor leaves, visibly angry. Then it was revealed that Mika was sent to the orphanage a year after Serena was adopted. Mika says that she's been doing community service as a hobby, and wants to become a nurse who helps others and encourages Serena to help others as well. Serena then informs Mika that the God Mika has been telling her about was nothing like a loving God, and He would forsake her for the smallest things. Mika then breaks into tears and Serena notices how skinny she's gotten. Eventually, Mika brushes it off and says it's because she probably has tough days ahead of her, telling Serena that she's happy Serena is getting a lot of love, even the love Mika should've had instead. Mika didn't know how to show her sorrows to someone else, as she was also afraid of being forsaken, Serena didn't ask any further questions to prevent triggering her. According to Rika, they were concerned about each other, yet they couldn't be completely honest with each other, they had to pretend to be okay because that was what the world taught them, that Mika kept on clutching Serena’s clothes, as a silent desperate way to plead with Serena to save her. And that if there was a God, he wouldn't have let them meet again in a place like this.

Mika gave Serena an address and contact number for the orphanage she stayed at before letting Serena go back home with her father. Serena learned from her father after that Mika had eye cancer, close to untreatable. And that she’ll probably meet an early demise if not treated. Serena implored her father to pay Mika’s hospital bills. However, while trying to find her after she was discharged, it turned out both the address and contact number were fake, so it was impossible to find and help her. That made Serena doubt if she did grow up in an orphanage, and made her question why Mika didn't ask for her help knowing she's the adopted daughter of a hospital director. Rika blamed herself for being powerless and not picking up Mika’s signal begging Serena to save her.

Ever since Serena and Mika met again, Serena couldn't sleep, thinking of how miserable Mika was, walking into death's embrace all alone. And started thinking that maybe that's what would become of her. Convinced that Mika is already dead. And seeing how forsaken Mika was, Serena promises never to abandon anything in hopes of providing it with 'true love'. Serena rescues Sally, an abandoned puppy who was roaming around her house alone. Her mother is not very pleased with her decision to help the dog, and kept on ordering Serena to send away the dog. Serena then tells her mother about how the pastor keeps sexually harassing her every time they're alone, even after she told him many times to stop. To which her mother brushes off as "a ritual to condemn Satan out of her", and that “there’s nothing holy about her body, so there's no need for him to touch her”. Serena refuses to abandon Sally and insists that if Sally is gone, she’s going too. Only for her mother to tell her to leave as “she’s no child of the lord”. Rika realized at that moment that her family wouldn't care if she was gone, that the real love Mika told her about is that real families will never forsake each other, no matter how much they hate each other. But Serena’s family was nothing but an empty case. And that there is no choice but to make a contract with devil breathing within her.

Serena and Sally then run away to the local church, where the pastor is holding a sermon. Her foster mother chases after her, much to Serena's amusement, seeing how her mother couldn't even speak out loud, afraid she’ll catch the attention of their neighbors. According to Rika, once she decided that it doesn't matter if her family forsakes her, she became free. Once reaching the church, she expresses her disgust towards everyone and blames them all for Mika’s lonesome death, yelling that God who forsakes people is bad, parents who forsake their children just because they've done something wrong are bad. And accuses the pastor of being a criminal, telling him to never use God to do his horrible acts again. She was wondering if she and Sally will end up just like Mika when all she ever wanted was to love, love her family, and love her friends. Rika knew that neither her parent nor God will protect her. The only choice for her is to let the devil inside her protect her in order to love.

Serena was dragged back home, where Sally was forcefully kicked out, Serena did everything in her power to convince her mother to let her keep Sally, offering to be practically nonexistent, that she won't let the people from church see her again, she can transfer somewhere else, that she’ll do nothing in this house except sleep. When none of her beggings worked, she resorted to threatening her mother, that if she does expel Sally out of the house, something bad will happen at the church. That Satan is living inside of her and he’s telling her if she expels her, he will shut down her mother's path to heaven. Her mother trembled and believed every word Serena’s devil made up. Rika then realized that she can secure herself and make up for her weaknesses by stirring up fear.

Serena dropped the name “Serena” and adopted a new name, Rika. Then started visiting a cathedral in a poor neighborhood away from her house for community service. Trying her best to offer support and kindness to forsaken people, regardless of age. She saw how their eyes sought help and love, just like Mika’s eyes did. As she wanted to be a loving parent to them. However, she didn't know how a loving parent should behave, that she already signed a contract with her devil so she wouldn't dare become one. So she prayed, prayed for a sign that'll show her what a good parent is like.

Two years later, by the time she became 18. Her relations started to settle on a pattern. Due to her charisma and compassion, it took her less than a couple of days to win people’s hearts whom she can help and take care of. She was sympathetic towards the wounded and the traumatized, finding herself a good friend to them. While keeping distance from people who didn't need her help, as she felt anxious around them, finding herself conscious of her every word and movement, afraid they would see her flaws and fears.

Rika wanted to be light, to show everyone the dazzling light of love. And while she was captivated by such thought, her prayer from two years ago was finally answered. By pure chance, Rika got a ticket to a small photo exhibition and laid her eyes on a specific picture of the sun. Rika saw the picture and thought that’s what a perfect parent is like. Bathing all lives in warm light, wishing nothing in return. Not leaving a form of life forsaken. Embracing everything and everyone on this earth, both the good and the bad. Rika doubted that she can ever be a loving parent like the sun, as they are different by origin. How from being forsaken at birth, getting adopted by abusive parents, and using Satan and her devil to protect herself. She cannot be light. She can't run away from the fact that her devotion to forsaken people is just an unhealthy attachment to Mika derived from the darkness. She saw what she wanted, but she felt her heart sink, knowing she’ll never have it, so she tried to forget the pictures she saw but couldn't. The more she tried, the more the image of ever-so-lasting love and light that the pictures would portray would stick to her. In the end, she would do personal research to find out that the picture was shot by V, a 17-year-old photographer who just debuted. Falling for the light of love that shone through V’s works, she started admiring him, hunting down his exhibition.

By next year, Rika met a forsaken child, who was sneaking around the cathedral. The boy was thin and wary. He wore clothes faded and tattered, and looked old enough to be in middle school but she was confused as to why he wasn't in school at this time of day. Rika approached the boy that turned out to be Saeyoung, who was 12 years old at the time. Saeyoung was wandering around the cathedral because he heard singing. He asked Rika what kind of place is a cathedral and started looking consciously around, seeing if there's anything that might harm or threaten him. Rika told him that a cathedral is a place where you can gather and earn God’s teachings and general knowledge. Saeyoung was particularly interested in the songs, as he wanted to sing for his little brother. Rika thought that maybe he wasn't skipping school, but perhaps being neglected at home. She thought that if she didn't look after him, he would end up just like Mika. So she started teaching him basic subjects, finding out he was very talented in math which surprised everyone at the cathedral. Saeyoung’s visits were irregular, and he didn't talk about his family. Whenever he was asked to bring his brother, he'd say that he can't. Saeyoung enjoyed his time at the cathedral, but he was always concerned about his brother. Rika started seeing herself and Mika in him, growing attached to him.

Due to her devotion to community service and to Saeyoung, who was attached to Rika wholeheartedly. Rika was highly regarded by the people there. And was called “Rika the Angel”. However, back at home, Rika’s foster mother would state that she would get rid of Rika’s room in two years and kick both her and Sally out. Because by then, they wouldn't have any legal responsibility for her, that they're the victims of having to raise her, and that they should’ve brought the angelic girl instead of her. Rika was disgusted because the angelic girl they're talking about ended up forsaken and dead at her father’s hospital. Rika found their behavior and their lack of knowledge on how to love properly pathetic and poor, and that whenever she's around bad people like them, her devil naturally comes out.

When Rika first met Yoosung, who was the nephew of her foster mother. She could picture him as forsythias in full bloom. A child who grew up basking in his parents' love. Rika felt like his make-up is so different from hers. She only belonged with people who have crooks and holes in their lives, so she felt comfortable and familiar around Saeyoung, a boy full of wounds. Rika felt nervousness stir up inside of her whenever she was around Yoosung, nervous about her darkness. Rika felt jealous of him, and amused by the fact that two sister from the same family can treat their children so differently. Rika was sacred that this bright boy would be ruined and tainted with darkness if he stayed around a devil like her. She was sure he can a blazing light for someone else, something she can never be. She doubted that he needed salvation from her, so she wondered why he always followed her and smiled at her. Not knowing how to handle him, she can only act confident around him, which made her uncomfortable, so sometimes she would avoid him completely. She figured that the day she can give him more than what his parents can offer, then maybe she can be comfortable with him.

One day at the cathedral, Rika asked Saeyoung if there's anything he would like to do. Saeyoung mentions that he has to be back home in 3 hours, so Rika offers to go to an exhibition together, knowing V’s photo exhibition was being held that day. Saeyoung agrees. And while he got caught up in a science exhibition, Rika visited V’s exhibition and lost her heart in his works. Enchanted by his work, as if she found the loving parents she never had, and if only she can provide such love to Saeyoung. She was then approached by a man. Rika could realize upon first sight if the person in front of her is bright, completely different from her, or dark, just like her. But she couldn't tell for this man. He felt like an empty container, void of any type of characteristics. The man introduced himself as V, he decided to say hi since he saw her visiting the same photo yesterday. Rika admits that she's a huge fan of his works. She wondered why she can't feel anything from him if he's a bright or a dark person. Just as V was about to leave, Rika stopped him, not wanting to leave her curiosity unanswered. Without realizing it, she started talking about her secret impressions. She explains that the sun is the mother of all, flowers can never bloom if it wasn't for the energy constantly provided by the sun. She can feel this constant light of love and warmth from all of V’s works. And when she looks into them, she feels like this fear inside of her is gone, though temporarily. She asks him if she will ever find herself in a world full of love and warmth, just like the one she finds in his works, that everyone can be the sun and asks him if that's what he thinks of when taking pictures. V replies that he doesn't think of such grand vision when taking pictures, as he doesn't believe he's capable of such a great thing. But he does have a tiny hope of making people feel love through his works. Amazed by how Rika views his work, V offers to give her the picture as a gift. V tells her that if she can feel love upon seeing the picture, it means the picture belongs to her. She refuses as she hates getting something for free, something so priceless at that. V then offers that she buys him coffee after the exhibition is over in exchange for the picture. He states that the impression she told him was intriguing. And he'd like to hear what else she thinks of when gazing at his works, and he'd like to know what is life like in her eyes. Rika was caught off guard, she couldn't believe that he wanted to know about a walking ball of darkness like her. He asked for her name and questioned if “Rika” was her real name. So he told her his real name first; Jihyun Kim. Regardless, she never told him her real name.

Later that day, V and Rika sat down at a cafe and started conversing. V told her that he realized that he needed her as soon as his eyes held hers because he's never seen someone with such deep honest impressions like her. Rika was deliberating about the love embedded in his photos, asking him if she can bask in such love. Rika thought that he wouldn't hate her for saying something like that to him, that he wasn't judging her by any standard. V told rika that she deserves to be loved, and he'd like to help her believe that she does. Rika realized that they're fated. That maybe there is a God who loves her enough to have sent him to her.

Rika became V's model and visited his home studio regularly. V sounded like he'd give her love and affection. But once she became his model, the two didn't talk much. He'd merely observe her, take pictures, then get them developed. V was so mysterious that Rika started to believe that someone as great as him wouldn't need someone like her. So she hid her darkness from him thinking that maybe she got the wrong idea about him. Perhaps it's because he's an artist that she couldn't fathom what he was like. She thought that once he learns what she's truly like, he might want to forget everything about her. In his presence, she pretended to be a bright person who grew up with lots of love. And the moment her modeling was over, she'd leave as soon as she could. As her modeling sessions continued, Rika grew less confident, as she returned to what she really was. Dark, gloomy, distraught.

2 months after she became his model, she was kicked out from her house, finding herself and Sally a temporary home at the cathedral. Rika was glad that there was still a place for someone like her. The only people who have never forsaken her are the people like her, unlike V and Yoosung, the people her devil can't get close to. Rika wondered why she still dreams of being loved, why she can't stop admiring the light. She wished she could be friends with people like the light, get close to the light at least once...which she didn't deserve. The three-year-old Mina was still breathing within her, being protected by her devil. Mina bursts out of her prison upon meeting V. She screamed to him to love her like he promised when they first me. But if she does ask him to give her endless love, he would treat her as mad and forsake her. Rika wished to have never got to see his picture, to never have known V. So she stopped visiting his studio all together.

The same week, when V noticed that Rika didn't visit his studio, he decided to visit her house. Asking her foster mother if she was home, she tells him that she left a long time ago, that she was a heathen who made God angry and they've been practically strangers. Meanwhile at the cathedral, Rika and Saeyoung were discussing getting him a new teacher, a nun interrupts the two, telling that there's a man looking for her. Upon seeing V, she froze. She asked him how did her find her. V replied, saying that he can't let go of what once won his heart. Rika was confused so he asked her why she didn't come back. She said that she thought he'd be better off with another model, that she's not the bright, happy person his pictures portray, that she's a dark tragic person.

    Expecting him to hate her after admitting to her nature, she was shocked when he asked her to show him how dark and tragic she is. She refused because once she does, he’ll hate her and stay away from her. V says that he thinks she's tired from thinking before she acts and tells her to please stop thinking and just tells him. Rika started to think that he's looking right into her heart. Can she stop thinking and show him what she's like? She wished that he wouldn't forsake her once she does so. Rika gives in to his warmth. Tells him that she's tired because she's scared that she might be abandoned. That she always wanted to be loved, but she was scared to ask people for love because she didn't want them to hate her. And once they hate her, she’ll be all alone by the time she leaves the world. And end up just like Mika. V asks her to please tell him what she wants, tell him her heart’s wishes with no thinking and let him be her sun. She fell in his embrace, not believing her world. She wanted to trust him, to never leave his embrace. She begs him to never leave her, even if she does something that's out of human comprehension, even if she turns out to be a bunch of flaws, and throws a fitful tantrum. Not believing her would, she doubted him and asked him how can he prove himself. V tells her that he'd marry her if she wants. Rika then heard Mina laugh for the first time in her heart. Because she has finally met someone just like her, very far from ordinary.

Rika had lived much of her life with paranoia, depression, anxiety, and psychosis, which later worsen once Sally (Rika's dog) died, which is three years before the events of the game, with Rika blaming her death on herself for not going through with the surgery, picking the 'natural' way. By this point, V sends her to see a therapist to help her cope with her mental illness, which Rika only sees for three weeks before quitting.

Before the Death of Sally, Rika felt suffocated around V, she was paranoid that her darkness will melt and perish around his light, that the devil that protected her from childhood will melt with it, that caused her to ask V for her own apartment under the impression that she needed it to focus on her charity work. This was later proven to be an excuse for her to have a place for herself and Mika to stay at and plan for Mint Eye.

Rika always had a dream, to “make forsaken people happy. She also was scared to be forsaken herself, feeling lost over what she should do to be loved. Mika used those to her advantage, by offering to make a plan so that they can survive in this world without being forsaken. That they won't the people struggling to find love, but rather become the people who give love.

Giving Rika the idea to use Unknown to steal all information from RFA. At first, Rika disagreed because she felt as she cannot use a boy who needed to be saved. Following with Mika telling her that she’s saving him by using him, that she needed to be strong enough to use harsh measures to truly save people and to stay protected. Because they find love one day and find hatred the next day, there's no point in being a “good child”, so she should be strong enough to be the person who gets to judge who is being a “good child”.

Rika later agreed to Mika’s plan after her mental state impossibly intensified because of the death of Mother Choi. Her death led Rika to feel as if she needed to save Saeran one way or another, even if it means hurting him in the process. According to Rika, her fear of being forsaken made the “Mina” inside her trust and follow Mika’s plan. Rika knew how wrong Mika is, and that they’re both abnormal to go through with it, but they're both devils, and devils can't forsake each other. Rika let Mika take over her as she wanted to let Mika protect her, because she knew how desperate Mika was, and how much she needed Rika.

## Secret Ending (1 & 2)

During Secret Ending One, it is revealed that Rika is the founder of the cult Mint Eye (deemed as 'savior') and she is shown as being deeply disturbed and fixated on 'cleansing' the world and saving people. The players are also introduced to more of the backstory of Rika and how she ended up as she is now. Rika then later reveals that she originally planned to bring all of the RFA members to Mint Eye.

Rika seems to despise V at this point, calling him a traitor for being involved with RFA, stating that she's glad he's blind because she'll be free to do whatever she wants. However, V is still madly obsessed with Rika, stating she can 'destroy him' all she wants.

Further into the first secret ending, Rika hopes to be able to brainwash Seven implying that he is much better than his brother, Unknown. As well as stating she had no plans to kill Seven despite promising him she would. This greatly angers Unknown as he was entirely against it, as he was wanting to kill him for revenge for 'abandoning him'. Rika then scolds Unknown for disagreeing with her, implying he has no use to her now, causing great mental damage to Unknown.

At this point, Rika sends her disciples to brainwash Unknown some more, but Seven intercepts between the two, shocking Unknown before he faints due to his wound. Unknown then pulls out his gun, eventually shooting V, which causes Rika to come back to (somewhat) reality and grieves for V.

At the end of Secret Ending One, Rika is standing far from V's funeral, Yoosung mentioning that ever since his 'suicide', she had stopped talking. However, she begins talking about V being the sun, and how he is always with her.

Within Secret Ending Two, Rika is now being taken care of by Yoosung as the doctors believed it was best for someone from her family to take care of her, rather than a round-the-clock doctor. Yoosung and Zen watch her within her shared apartment with V taking photos and smiling, stating she is similar to that of a child with how happy she is.

After a while, Zen has a prophetic dream about her and tells Yoosung to send Rika away somewhere without informing Jumin and Jaehee. It's implied they do this in her best interest, and she will be better off wherever they sent her.

## Relationships

### V

V was Rika's fiance and they are seen to have loved each other very much. Right before her "suicide", V proposed to her and the two became engaged. However, their relationship is highly dependent on one another to the point of it being unhealthy. Due to Rika's instability, she assaulted him which causes him to become blind. She also created a religious cult and blames V for bad things that happened to them in a twisted ideology she developed for "saving" people. V ended up admitting he never actually loved her and that it was only an obsession.

### Yoosung

Rika is Yoosung's cousin through adoption. While the two did not meet until later on, Yoosung feels that they became close. The two worked on community service together. After the death of her puppy, Yoosung vowed to become a veterinarian. Yoosung ends up taking care of Rika after V's death. While Yoosung was very fond of Rika, it is revealed in the Secret End 01 that she hates pretending to smile and act a certain way around him.

### Jumin Han

Jumin, Rika and V are seen to be close friends. He also trusted Rika and respects her as seen most of the time, such as when he heard that there was a bomb implanted in Rika's apartment. He stated that he felt as if 'she was the only woman that understood him, could look right through him with just a glance' and he also felt as if 'he could trust her' and that 'she was the only woman, until MC came, that didn't like him just for his money'. It also seems that Jumin's feelings for Rika ran a bit deeper than friendship, as he constantly states that Rika was never supposed to be his throughout his route.

### Zen

Rika is one of Zen's first fans who is also seen admiring his plays and acting. In Zen's route, it is shown when she gave him red flowers as a congratulation.

In the second and last part of the secret ending, Zen had a psychic dream that Rika would be interrogated and possibly incarcerated. But because Zen wasn't aware of Rika's deeds being "the leader of Mint Eye," the person who brainwashed Saeran and caused V's blindness; he instead strongly suggested to Yoosung that they should send her to Alaska for her to recover from her aphasia and mental illness. At first, he had a hard time convincing Yoosung but eventually was able to send Rika to Alaska believing that it was better for her to go there for treatment and hopefully recover.

### 707

Rika discovered 707 when he was a child, uncovering the unimaginable abuse he and his twin brother, Saeran, faced at the hands of their mother. She ended up turning Seven to Catholicism and helped him become baptized under the name Luciel. She also "rescued" Seven's twin from his abusive mother and took care of him right up until her breakup with V. After this, she used various brainwashing techniques to distort Saeran's view of his brother, forcing a wedge in between the two. At the end of the Secret 01 route, Rika revealed that she wanted to brainwash Seven into joining Mint Eye.

### Sally

Sally was her pet dog, however around the age of seven she got cataracts in her eyes and Rika refused to pay for the surgery, causing Sally's death (she was blinded and got hit by a car). Rika is greatly depressed by this and regrets not allowing the surgery, going as far as to blame herself for the dog's death.

### Yoosung's Mother

Yoosung's mother is Rika's aunt, but the details of their relationship remain unknown.

## Etymology

* The name **Rika** means "pear" (梨) (**ri**) and "flower, blossom" (花) (**ka**) in Japanese.
	+ The name **Rika** is also Norse baby name. In Norse, the name **Rika** is a feminine form of Eric, which means "forever strong". This alludes to the possible reference to how she remains strong despite her illness.
		- In the first-of-two parts of the secret ending, it was revealed that Rika's name is *not her real name* when V asked her if "Rika" was her real name after he just revealed his real name to her. In Rika's behind story, it was revealed that she was named "**Mina**" at birth and then legally named "Serena Kim" when she was adopted by Yoosung's aunt and uncle.

## Trivia

* Rika views V as the sun and the game's ending song "Like the Sun in the Sky" refers to how Rika views V.
* Rika suffers from depression, anxiety and paranoia.
* According to the RFA's Top Secret Book:
	+ Rika's phone number is +82)10-5514-$Q\*\*
	+ Rika's email is Rika@cheritz.com
	+ Rika has a special talent for cooking and interior decorating.
	+ Rika likes apple tart, and dislikes anything hot and spicy, as she says she has a cat's tongue.
	+ Rika's most used apps are the camera, photo album and calendar.
	+ Rika desires world peace.
	+ Rika's favorite quote is "*I can understand everything through love.*"
* Rika was the person who suggested to give Jumin Han a pet cat, which turned out to be Elizabeth 3rd, due to his inability of expressing his emotions to people.
* Rika has a pet dog named Sally, who has lost her sight. The vet had recommended eye surgery but Rika refused. Sally ended up running off into the roads losing her life (Yoosung suggests that she couldn't stand not being able to see).
* In the second and last part of the secret ending, it was implied that Rika's real mother committed suicide while Yoosung's aunt, Rika's adoptive mother, mentioned to Yoosung that she (or they) regrets adopting Rika. This is later confirmed in 'Another Story.'
* In Another Story, it is stated that Rika's adopted parents are rich and they are estranged (someone who is no longer close or affectionate to someone; alienated) from the rest of the family.

* According to Rika's Scrapbook:
	+ Rika designed RFA's logo by herself.
	+ Rika's belongings: cell phone, pendant with a picture of her and V, mint-flavored candies, picture of the sun taken by V, and a pen & notebook.

## The spaceship reveals

### V's Route

* "I think my hair is frizzier today than yesterday."
* "Light and darkness..."
* "I miss warm milk with a teaspoon full of sugar"
* "...Magenta, where hope and dreams are. Don't you want to join us?"
* "Sunflower and evening primrose..."
* "My dear God..."
* "Love obsession love obsession"

### Ray's Route

* "I'm used to people not knowing how I feel."
* "I thought I said to change the flowers last time."
* "Static just keeps happening in my hair"
* "Must look into mass production..."

### Ray's After Ending

* "I keep showing that I am tired of herbal tea, but V just wouldn't get it."
* "My hair turned glossy thanks to the coconut oil that I applied."
* "A house comes with a lot of spiders... I wish we could move to an apartment."
* "I want some yogurt - I wonder if it's true that dairy products are in fact not healthy."
* "Maybe I shouldn't get strawberry flavored lip balms... Maybe that's why I use my lip balms too fast."
* "Get enough vitamin B5 to stay emotionally secure... Says a wiki on vitamins..."
* "Ack! How come this pair of sunglasses fired laser beams? Whose is this?"
* "SEVENSTAR Drink would taste perfect... If it tastes more like popping candies."
* "One day, I will get my revenge on game of stacking chairs."

## Welcome messages

### 7:00 (7 am) - 12:00 (Noon)

* "Let's start the morning together"
* "There are so many souls awaiting my help today as well."
* "The sun is so gorgeous. I'd hate to leave my bed."
* "What should we do today? Want to give me an idea?"

### 12:00 (noon) - 17:00 (5 pm)

* "If that day where everyone can enjoy a meal together would come..."
* "Get plenty of energy and cheer up!"
* "It's the time when the sun reaches the top of the sky."
* "Make sure you get your lunch!"

### 17:00 (5 pm) - 21:00 (9 pm)

* "It's so sad to see the sun set. It feels like the warmth is waning..."
* "What's today's menu for dinner? I wish we could've dined together."
* "Come, sit. Sit with me and let's chat."
* "No one knows the sensual moment of darkness gushing in and light retreating."

### 21:00 (9 pm) - 00:00 (midnight)

* "Will you protect me?"
* "The night is so deep and cozy. Why don't you lean as well?"
* "The time when I am the weakest..."
* "The time when my darkest starts to stir..."

### 00:00 (midnight) - 7:00 (7 am)

* "It feels like you and I are the only ones in this world..."
* "Oh dear, are you still awake? What are you thinking about?"
* "I would never have realized how beautiful the sky is at night, if it weren't for the sun."
* "The time for purifying the soul. May your soul also purify"