Mei Chiang

**Mei Chiang** is a side character who is the mother of Shawn.

portrayed by Lee Min-Jung

## Biography

### Early life

Chiang Mei, originally born Dokgo Min, was born in North Korea where she had big dreams. She was always a lover of western culture especially to do with America. It was a dream of hers from a young age that she was told to keep silent so she did for years. In school was when she found a Chinese smuggler to smuggle all sorts of western items to her. It had become a secret obsession of hers. This was kept to herself in a small box until she was 18 when she met at the time Whan (but now Luoyang). Luoyang had been a charming older man who showed to be a patriot at heart but didn't get angry at her ramblings and adoration with Western culture. He seemed interested by it instead.

The two got married not long after they started dating as he swore she had been what he was looking for. There was no way for her to say no to that as her heart had been stolen by him. It was about a year later when she became pregnant and eventually gave birth to her first son. By now she had expressed and daydreamed often with her husband. They fantasized about going to different places in the world as they laid in bed. Mei made plans in her head as they talked for them to be able to actually do it. One day they would leave this place, and everyone who had doubted her would be made to regret that choice. Luoyang would be by her side as the one person who seemed to believe in her.

Three years later was when she got pregnant with a second child which had been another son. Once her second son was born, it opened her eyes to how much she really had to move on this plan. Getting in contact with the smuggler she usually was as she let them know when they wanted to leave as well as how many people there were. It would be four with her husband, her two sons, and herself. He had told her that he would get in contact with her further once there was a day that they would be leaving. She wouldn't hear back about it until her youngest son was a year old. After visiting for one of her usual pick ups, he gave her the needed information. This information included a date, a time, and a place as well as the advisement to bring only as much luggage as one could carry.

During the count down, she baited her time and tried to figure out how to tell her husband as well as when she should tell him. In their marriage, despite it having only going on for two years at that point, there had never been a moment where he talked down to her or laughed at what she talked about. It was very rare that he had raised his voice at her and in turn, she did her best to listen. She did her best to be a good wife since she knew that others had ended up with some who weren't as good as Luoyang was to her. This might be the first time that he yelled at her but she had to tell him. Leaving without him wasn't an option in the least bit so a week before it was time was when she pulled him aside after having set the kids to bed. Informing him of everything in an exasperated and hushed tone even in their own home. If anyone had heard this then it would all be over for the both of them.

A small hushed argument happened between the two before he stormed off to work. All Mei could do was go about her days and wait for her husband to bring it back up. They had a weeks time until they had to leave. About two days before it was time to leave was when he gave in and told her that they should do it. It was then that they packed things up to hide them under the bed. When the day came to leave, they began their travel to the location under the guise of night. Tying her youngest son to her back with a rope as she also helped tie some of the luggage to her in attempts to keep it on her person as well as give her extra weight. It was possible that they'd be going through the Yalu River and she'd be taken away if she didn't give herself an advantage.

Sure enough, it was that night when they were meant to leave. Traveling throughout the city and to the meeting point had been easy enough. Following to the next leg of the journey was pretty much smooth sailing as well before they ended up at the Yalu River which was just like she had predicted. Having asked how they smuggled before as well as the few different ways had gotten her the different answers. This would be a difficult trip though as spring had just started so the water would sure to be cold. There was a silent prayer of thanks that she had bundled her youngest son up. She knew she would have to change his clothing the moment she could so he didn't get sick because it was sure that they'd both get wet.

Passing through the river hadn't gone too terribly until they got to a point where she watched it reach her husbands chest. Judging by where it hit on his chest meant that it would hit not too far below her shoulders. Pausing in the middle of the water as she watched the others trudge on. Thankful that she had been relatively head of a few people as she took the opportunity to retie the rope of her baby so that he was even higher on her back and his head would stay above the water as long as she didn't get carried away. Entering to the deeper part of the water as she prayed her baby wouldn't cry. Prayed that he would keep the silence they've coaxed out of him.

Life wasn't that simple as he let out a cry due to the cold water. The waters tried sweeping her under but the luggage tightly secured around her kept her steady. It was her only life line in that moment as they got soaked, she got soaked, and her baby got soaked. Drenched to the bone as she moved as fast as she could. Not willing to risk bouncing so that her son would calm because it would be too dangerous. It was when she heard the first shot ring out and hit someone nearby her. They almost knocked her feet out from underneath her as they took off down the river. The last few strides to get to the other side of the river had not been a gracious one as she heard more shots ring out in the people who had still managed to be behind her. Heaving herself out of the cold water and onto the shore had been difficult.

More shots seemed to echo everywhere as she followed the pathway that others in front of her had taken. Gasping for breath as she shivered, her lungs stung, and her legs burned. It took every ounce of her to focus on moving forward as she risked the bounces while on land. Trying to calm her crying child who eventually did calm through them despite the cold weather. They ran through the forest once they got it, the group of them. Mei was sure her legs would fall off as she sprinted through it doing her best to dodge branches and trees. When they got to the truck there was sunlight drifting into the sky. Illuminating out the darkness of the early morning as she was helped into the back of the truck. Gathering her self is when she realized one of the smugglers had died. At some point in the craziness, he hadn't made it.

Climbing onto the back of the truck was when she heard the sigh of relief from someone. Looking up to meet the eyes of her husband who covered her face in kisses. Mumbling praises and thanks to whatever was looking over them that night. Once he had released her was when she got the plastic bags untied from ropes to take out the suitcases so she could change her youngest son out of his soaked clothes to stop his fussing. They were given a moment to warm up before the truck rumbled off to the next destination. She was too tired to count how many were gone and let sleep take her most of the trip after she retied her youngest to her front.

When she woke was when they were taken to a building that had food. They were explained that in a few hours they would be taken to their own homes. Her husband took her over to talk to some young girl whos grandfather had saved their eldest from getting killed. It was agreed that they would take her with them so she wasn't alone. It was her husband who had seemed like it was something he had to do and Mei wasn't going to complain. They had survived escaping North Korea which had been a amazing feat in itself. From there they were relocated to an older woman's home whos husband had died and kids had all moved out. They lived there for a year before her husband saved enough money to get the five of them a small place to live in for the next five years. Once those five years had passed was when they moved to South Korea where they helped their, for all intensive purposes, adopted daughter off at her families door. From there they had found a place to settle down and call home but it wasn't Mei's intended final destination. That would take a flight trip and she might not be able to convince her husband until after their sons were finished with schooling.

While in middle school, Shunyuan was arranged to marry a nice young girl who was bright and bubbly. The arrangement had been made by her husband and the girls father; the two went to the same school. It had been a nice arrangement for him to secure a future as the one to carry the family blood line. Life had fallen into a smooth order in which Mei had grown used to it and now her box of Western stuff wasn't shoved in a box but could be hang around the house. It helped her feel closer to her dream and as fate would have it, the opportunity would arise albeit not in the perfect world where it should. Shunyuan had been caught having sex with his fiancée's older sister. He was thrown out of the home as the engagement was called off. A shame had settled upon her husband that he did not know how to handle so he took a job offer that he had gotten which led them to California. It led them to the state where movies were made and a lot of the things that helped craft her dreams as well as her fantasies came from.

It wasn't long into High School that their eldest made friends including a pretty Korean girl who lived in America. This girl was one that Shunyuan had quickly became best friends with which had made Mei excited at the idea of him marrying a pretty Korean girl who lived in America. One who might have the same love for this country but was still in the same roots as her. All she could do was hope that the friendship would blossom into more. Meanwhile, she got her first job at a Korean BBQ place from the day that she brought in some home made Kimchi to try to make friends. Getting job as a chef as she got along with the women who were all Korean just like her. It had given her a place to be while her husband was at work and her sons were at school. Of course, she made sure to be home in time to make dinner all the same but it was still something. She waved her son off when he went off to college despite it not being for something she understood or saw really as worth it. Part of her figured that he'd switch his career path but needed to get it out of his system.

### Season 1

When her eldest son returned after two years of college, her youngest was still in High School. They were both very bright boys who seemed to enjoy America albeit not as much as she was. It had been everything that she dreamed of and more. It had made her probably a better mother then when she was cooped up in a place that she simply didn't want to be. Sam Blackmore's disappearance couldn't dampen her shine even a little bit and she wouldn't let it. Her spirits weren't dampened until everything that had happened revealed itself. A dead young girl who got caught in a cross fire and a broken group of friends. All she could do though was what she was taught to do; stay out of business that wasn't hers. She paid mind to bother her sons and her own life but neither of her sons wanted her in their business.

### Season 2

The trial was not something she felt had been her business. The publicity of it had felt very invasive and so Mei chose to avoid word of it. It was bad enough to know that her son was involved in such horrors. It felt better to continue on with her life while being a pushing system to her oldest son to marry a good girl like Katy. Someone who had been his friend consistently and even supported him. Mei hadn't been stupid and knew the look of a love struck young girl as it was once her for Luoyang. There was still a love struck look in her at times when she looked at her husband. The only thing that stopped her constant badgering was the fact that the Mayor had set up a meeting with the family in which her son was supposed to marry into. The marriage possibility was back on the table albeit it disappointed Mei a little because it would mean her son moving back to South Korea.