Minjae Jung

**Minjae Jung** is the second eldest brother to Katy and a lawyer.

portrayed by Nam Joo Hyuk

## Biography

### Early life

Minjae was the second son in the Jung family and was, like his siblings, born in South Korea. Growing up, he had admired his big brother in all the steps that he took to look after both him and Kai Dee. His parents were both hard workers but it was his brother who was a pillar in him growing up. Hae-Il had shown him what one should be like to which he had followed his footsteps. One thing that Minjae had dreaded was the idea of being arranged into a marriage but after his eldest brothers incident, their parents had stopped that notion. Choosing to simply push it aside and out of the way so that he nor his sister would have to worry about that. Minjae was glad because the idea of arranged marriages had always grinded his gears.

When Minjae was about 12 years old was when the first change in his life had happened. During a dinner with his family, his eldest brother had announced that he had gotten accepted into a school miles away in the United Kingdom. This had infuriated him that his older brother was leaving them behind as Minjae hadn't thought about this. He had just assumed that Hae-Il would go to a local school where he would still be close to them. The following days was spent not talking to him out of anger for choosing to go somewhere else. Weeks went by where he refused to speak to him even in passing statements. This was something he was stubborn on sticking with in his act of defiance. It had been decided by him that he would not speak to him at all.

This rang true until early in the morning when his brother was preparing the last few things to leave. Hearing the commotion of his brother moving bags by the door while his father prepared them coffee. Climbing out of bed as he stood in the hallway while his brother walked up the steps. An argument had pursued between the brothers in hushed tones over his eldest brother leaving. It led the young boy to burst into tears as it wound to an end. Sobbing as he wiped his eyes and tried to compose himself to the best of his ability. It led to a ruffle of the hair with an assurance that Hae-Il would return to his family. This wasn't a goodbye but merely a see you later which had to be enough for the tired boy. Returning to bed as he slept while his brother took off into the world.

Over the following years had been a new adjusting to a different life. There was no Hae-Il to guide him or look over his homework and his parents were too busy to do those parts. It was now that he was the present older brother to his 7 year old sister, Kai Dee. It had been up to him to provide all the care that he had gotten which had been a little scary in his mind. It was a new role and as he got used to it, he took on a different way of handling things then his brother. He was a lot more kinder and a little more lenient. When he was 16 years old, his father had come home with news of a relocation. This relocation would lead them to California in the United States which meant another big change. Minjae had never imagined leaving South Korea as a family but instead figured that one day he might move himself.

This would mean that both Kai Dee and himself would have to learn English which was a language that neither of them had any experience or knowledge in. Hae-Il had been the one who had spent a lot of time learning it so he could get into an English speaking college. Now the two younger Jung's would have to learn English to merely complete out their school years. The fact that he was almost done with a school he had to take an entrance exam for would mean nothing as well as the new friends he had made. It had been a struggle for him to process this but thankfully it wouldn't happen until the summer. They would finish out this school year and make the big move over the summer which ended up coming up on them pretty quickly.

The move over had been tough as there didn't feel like there was really enough time to learn the translation. His parents had already known the language due to their jobs but it had never been important to learn until now. Minjae could speak some parts of it here and there while Kai Dee could speak even less. There was no more time to prepare though as they had to make the move. Once in California, his father had already found a town that he had seemed to like which had been found through some research. It was a town by the name of Red Lieu and the transfer progress for schooling was painful. Instead of having two years left like he was supposed to, he now had to start over as a Freshman due to the language barrier as well as him not completing his first bit of school unless he could pass an exam in the beginning of the year for each subject which would mark him as completed for Freshman year and place him as a Sophomore. If it wasn't worse, Kai Dee and him had only about a month and a half to learn a new language. There was some anger towards his father at the suddenness but it was something that Minjae helped Kai Dee with.

They learned it together which would be something that took up most of the day. From the time that they woke up until the time they went to sleep was when they would quiz each other and go through the at home lessons that his father had purchased them. It was his mother who would look over the work to inform them of what was wrong versus what had been right. It was an exhausting task to go through and by the time the school year had come around, neither of them were really ready. It had already been decided that Kai Dee would take classes over next summer to get her caught up so she could go to High School on time whereas Minjae had another exam to worry which would test his English skills. While the day approached meant he suffered more where he often skipped meals to envelope into his studies. There would be some assistance due to his language barrier but it wouldn't be much.

During the day of the test, after a horrible sleep schedule over the past few days just, it was the day of reckoning. Something that he wasn't sure he was going to pass and nervous was an understatement. After hours of test taking, he was told that he would get his results by the end of the weekend and he would know if he would be a Sophomore that following Monday. The walk home had been a long one in which he opted not to ask his parents for a ride home. That day he got home to sleep for the entire afternoon and well into the early hours the next morning. Lack of sleep had finally caught up to him to which there was nothing that he could do but give into the urge to sleep. It wasn't until the next morning when Kai Dee had come in shaking him asking about their lessons in the attempt at English. Waking up was when he continued their usual routine while he awaited for the phone call. It was later that afternoon when the letter was dropped off in the mail box for him to learn that he had just barely passed. He would be a Sophomore this coming Monday and to prepare for the change in schedule.

From there, school had been difficult to adjust to and he often still found himself studying English. Both Kai Dee and himself had been thrusted into a world entirely different from their own with half a summer to prepare. There was more he wish he could have done especially for his younger sister but he couldn't nor was he any Hae-Il who would've been able to handle this with stride. Over his time in High School was when he would find an obsession in things like true crime, human rights, and the injustices in the world. It was something that fascinated him especially at playing the part of someone who could fight it. When he graduated from High School was when he took a year off. Opting to go travel the world with the intent of attending protests, helping those who needed it, forming rallies, getting people to safe place, and the likes. It had been eye opening for him so when summer came was when he applied for Harvard University of Law. Making sure that the return address would be his parents home so they could call him to inform him of any changes. When he got the phone call eventually with an acceptance letter meant a return back to America so he could hit the ground running.

College had been a different experience as he enjoyed the freedom that came with it along with the new information. Hae-Il had liked challenges whereas Minjae had simply enjoyed the learning journey. There was no race in it for him and he focused on moving one foot ahead of the other instead of where he was compared to the other students around him. It might have been a cut throat line of work but his ability to focus on what information he absorbed put him ahead without trying. It made other students envy him as well as his kindness towards them pissed them off even more. This was how he navigated throughout his college experience while he took summers to continue doing what he loved in helping people around the world to fight injustices. It had landed him into some hot waters at some points but he seemed to always manage to pull himself out of it.

### Season 1

During the aftermath of the disappearance of Sam Blackmore, Minjae wasn't in town. Minjae was in college to which his parents had left him blissfully unaware of what was going on. Of course he kept in contact with his family but Kai Dee hadn't picked up the phone that summer too much. He had known years ago of the boy vanishing from his parents but not everything else happen. His obliviousness was shared by everyone and he continued to flourish in this college setting where he felt like he was making a difference.

### Season 2

It wasn't until the court case came up within his class that he had learned of Sam's returning. He had seen the news of Sam Blackmore being found but the police were withholding details for that moment while they investigate. One of his professors had assigned that they watch the event which would be filmed on live television to study it which was when he had learned all that his sister had faced. Failure had swept up in him to take Hae-Il's place as elder brother combined with the fact that he simply had no idea about it. Calling Hae-Il had been pointless as he didn't answer any questions to do with Kai Dee. His parents had simply gave him basic answers but no reassurance to his own doubts. He threw himself into school for the next two years until he graduated and focused on his relationship with a girlfriend at the time. Towards graduation was when she broke it off stating that she had no interest in following him but valued his goals. Encouraging him to go forth and have them take their separate ways. There was no room for arguing with her and so he returned back to California.

There had been nothing he could do then but he has moved to Los Angeles where he intends to be a lawyer for high profile people to earn plenty of money in which he could put back into the other things he liked in fighting the injustices of the world. While Hae-Il was willing to throw himself back into the family, Minjae stayed away as he even opted to not return. Those two years had been spent not returning for Holiday's or even when he graduated to return to them. Of course, his parents had flown out to see him graduate but that was the only interaction he had with them. Thankful they were more focused on his school work then his absence.