Yoon Bum

(윤범)

Yoon Bum (*윤범*, *Yoon Bum*) is the Main Character of Killing Stalking.

## Appearance

1/3
Yoon Bum is depicted as a scrawny young man, being underweight due to being malnourished by his uncle since he's little, causing his body to be underdeveloped. He has straight short black hair with bangs that part down the middle of his forehead and black eyes with what appear to be notable bags under his eyes. Bum is quite small for his age, standing over 160 cm, and has a youthful and boyish face (Being called someone's "Baby Brother" once and a kid sometimes), easily looking like as if he just got into middle or high school even though he's his late twenties, being 4 years older than Sangwoo. Bum usually carries a worried expression on his face and hardly ever smiles. According to Yoon Jae who went with Bum to the same elementary and middle school, Bum's face hasn't changed at all since then, claiming that Bum always looked depressed back then too.

Before entering Sangwoo's home, he was often seen wearing a dark green winter coat with a striped shirt underneath. However, after Sangwoo breaks his ankles and traps him in his house, Bum is generally seen in an oversized shirt and a dark skirt with bandages wrapped around his legs, with the later additions of them along his collarbone and jawline.

Outside of that, his figure is often reminded to the readers to be very feminine. Even Sangwoo recalls it often throughout the story and how Bum reminds him of his mother, as well does Bum's Uncle state how Bum looks like his ex (Bum's mother), even back when Bum was in elementary school. According to the girl from Chapter 41, Bum's hands are slender and pretty.

He also has a scar on his chin from Sangwoo (Due to him slashing Bum's chin open in Chapter 8), and more on his wrists from self harming. Due to the actions of his uncle and Sangwoo, Bum is often seen with bruises throughout the story.

* Bum as a kid, covered in bruises.
* Kid Bum with a cap with a frog symbol on it.
* Young teenage Bum.
* Teenage Bum in high school.
* Youn adult Bum in military.
* Bum with a frog.
* Bum with a different hairstyle.
* A happy Bum, a rare sight.
* Bum blushing.
* Bum at the end of the Manhwa.
1/10
## Personality

Having lost both of his parents as a kid and being abused, bullied, and neglected by everyone throughout his life, Yoon Bum is a withdrawn, shy, timid, and sensitive individual who suffers from BPD and often struggles socially. Seeing affection towards him as a sign of love, Bum becomes easily attached to people, latching onto anyone who shows him even the tiniest bit of affection, which is due to his lonely desire for affection since he's never having gotten any before, suffering from Affection Deprivation and Abandonment Issues. Due to growing up with knowing nothing but abuse at the hands of his uncle and his grandmother guilt tripping him, paired together with being bullied in school, sexually abused in military, as well as Sangwoo's abuse towards him later, Bum develops the mindset of thinking that he's disgusting and deserves to be "punished", suffering from low self-esteem as a result of his traumatic past and present experiences. This has resulted in many behavioral symptoms, such as being easily intimidated and apologizing a lot, shifting the blame often onto himself even when being abused. Dealing with his his uncle's abuse, loneliness, and thinking that he isn't needed by anyone, Yoon Bum cut his wrists in the past regularly to cope. Bum is rather naive, if not sometimes, very naive, which causes him to be manipulated so easily, however, he is not stupid since he managed to get into college despite the fact that he was verbally abused throughout his entire life and had nobody at home who would teach him anything. Although he's timid and almost never angry, Bum does stand up for himself when he feels like he's been through enough, just as he stood up to his uncle's hallucination in Chapter 33 for example, telling his "uncle" to leave him alone.

Bum is also a introverted, anxious, and depressed person who has difficulties with keeping eye contact with other people, being unable to look up when alone with a stranger, regardless if the stranger is a adult or just a kid. Due to his social anxiety, he often feels as if people are staring at him even though he (mostly likely) knows they aren't, though he still always catches people looking at him, feeling as if though everyone is judging him. This anxiety makes him extremely uncomfortable and tense. Even when he's in a parked car, he gets tense because he thinks that all the people around (whether they're far away or are currently going past the parked car), are looking at him, often being unable to tell whether they are actually looking at him or not. During his mental breakdown against Jieun (who Bum, due to the mental breakdown, hallucinated as his old high-school friend who abandoned him), Bum claims that he didn't care that he was always alone. However, that is actually a lie that he told himself at that moment because he already admitted before that he cuts his wrists because he's lonely. Bum actually feels deeply lonely, he always has. In school, he neither had friends nor did he have partners to work with. When Bum was ostracized by his class so much that the whispers and jokes became routine, it wasn't important to him, mostly because he was used to it by that point. It was shown in Chapter 29.5 that he doesn't want to be alone in a area that he's not familiar with and will follow any sound, regardless if it's suspicious or not, if it means that he's not alone anymore. Due to having never gotten affection from anyone, Bum always just wanted to be loved or appreciated by someone. When Sangwoo blamed Bum for getting raped by his uncle, Bum slit his wrists while crying, and when Sangwoo tried to stab Bum to death, Bum fell into deep depression in the hospital when he finally realized that Sangwoo never loved him.

Being extremely sensitive and a self-loathing individual, Bum speaks in a polite tone, though he also stutters often due to his low self-esteem. Because his abusers always blame him and make him think he's at fault even though he's not, Bum deeply apologizes often to the point of crying. Bum is in fact such a selfless and self-loathing individual that when Sangwoo blamed him for getting raped by his uncle and called him disgusting, instead of defending himself or getting angry at Sangwoo, Bum suggested in tears that Sangwoo should hit him if that will cheer him up, promising that he won't cry and will keep smiling, calling himself disgusting while breaking down in tears, shortly before slitting his wrists when Sangwoo still gave him the cold shoulder.

Bum has always been insecure since the death of his parents and that insecurity has gotten worse and worse due to the years of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse that was inflicted on him. Even as a young child, Bum was already so shy that he couldn't keep eye contact others which caused him to be bullied in school, with one of these bullies being Yoon Jae.
Because of the lack of needed education from his parents who died when he was very young, being abused while growing up, and never having had a single friend, Bum is socially awkward which sometimes brings out the worst, awkward moments in him, and it was shown in flashbacks that he didn't even know how to hold a spoon when he was a teenager, at least in the right way. After being kidnapped, locked in the basement, and regularly beaten and tortured by Sangwoo for months, Bum's mental state has gotten even worse. The effects of the verbal abuse that Sangwoo put Bum under, were severe. Bum started fearing for his life every day, experienced hallucinations, and also eventually, developed Stockholm Syndrome. Sangwoo utterly humiliated Bum in every way, locking him naked in the basement, insulting him, forcing him to wear women clothes and calling him a whore, forcing him to do the dishes and clean the floor, beating him, forcing him to sit on the floor when eating, raping him, as well as threatening to slit Bum's throat if he were to cross the line. Due to the physical abuse, Bum lives in great fear of Sangwoo, doing his best to avoid angering him since Sangwoo would beat Bum up with every mistake that he makes, and Bum is in such a state of traumatic shock, that he is even more withdrawn and submissive.

Bum stated that his sense of date and time has completely disappeared because of how often Sangwoo beats him up.

Regardless of that, Bum wasn't completely submissive to him from the get-go. He came up with plans to escape from Sangwoo, and when left with no other choice, was willing to poison him if it meant that he could escape with his life, fearing that Sangwoo would kill him sooner or later if he was forced to stay with him any longer. He even preferred being with his uncle, who always beats and rapes him, over being with Sangwoo. However, as a result of his escape attempts always ending up with more physical abuse and torture by Sangwoo, Bum started to think that any possibility of escape or fighting back against Sangwoo is simply no use. At the same time, Bum was in a constant battle with his emotions, starting to feel conflicted about how to feel with the situation that he's in. This is due to Sangwoo's Abuser Tactic by at first abusing Bum brutally, but then being kind for one moment, confusing Bum who always wanted someone to love him for once, as well as giving him false hope. As the story progresses, Bum slowly starts gaining more self-confidence, standing up to the hallucination of his abusive uncle, and having saved Seungbae's life in the end by at first stopping Sangwoo from killing him, and then refusing to stab Seungbae when Sangwoo ordered him to. Bum also finally realized that Sangwoo never loved him and that he should be thankful to Seungbae for saving him, but at this point, his Stockholm Syndrome was too severe, leading to the open ending for Bum.

1/2
Bum generally has a childlike personality, loving frogs and sweets, being easily flattered and blushing easily or being insecure in public as well as about himself. He's open/honest about expressing his feelings and when experiencing things for the first time, like having a surprised look when seeing the amusement park for the first time or telling Sangwoo how he finally managed how to ski. In fact, many people with BPD state that they feel emotionally immature and childlike most of the time, feeling like a child. Bum is very timid when it comes to Sangwoo, sometimes insecure. He also has a special fondness for frogs in general since childhood (Wearing a cap with a frog symbol on it as a kid, being happy when finding a frog when hiking, fondly holding the frog keychain with both hands, etc) though is embarrassed about it in the present due to his age. Since he never got any present in his life, Bum appreciates gifts dearly, such as he hold the frog keychain, his first present that he ever got, with both of his hands and panicked when he thought that he lost it.

A trait that is crucial to Yoon Bum's character is his empathy. While not completely innocent, it is shown multiple times throughout the story that he doesn't want to hurt people at all and just wants to be loved for once in his life. He loved Sangwoo and sympathized with him even after Sangwoo broke Bum's legs, beat, tortured, manipulated and raped Bum until the very end as well as attempted to kill Bum multiple times (mostly fueled by the fact that Bum suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder and then Stockholm Syndrome since Bum was forced to stay and couldn't escape while Sangwoo kept abusing and manipulating Bum).
He sympathized with the girl from his high school time and was on good terms with her when they met again in the present. When he noticed the bruises on her wrist and she told him that her boyfriend abuses her, he let her cry her heart out and sympathized with her.
He never wanted revenge or was angry at his superior in military who bullied and sexually abused him during his military service.
He didn't want his uncle to die even though the uncle regularly beat, starved and raped him since he was little. He even tried to stop Sangwoo from killing his uncle (who just beat and almost raped Bum again), and he angrily told Sangwoo that he never wanted his uncle dead, but just to never see him again, showing that, although Bum was scared of his uncle, he truly never wanted him to die despite everything his uncle did to him for all those years.
He was terrified when Sangwoo killed Seokho and his face expression clearly showed that he pitied the man, despite having only known him for a short time.
He never wanted revenge nor was angry at Jieun despite the fact that she humiliated and bullied him and she only died because Sangwoo planned her death for months without telling Bum and then forced Bum to do it who had a blackout moment due to all the abuse that Sangwoo put him through. Bum wasn't mentally there when it happend, the lack of emotional reaction at first was because he was experiencing a Derealization episode, and after realizing what he did, he felt bad for the entire story, had nightmares, refused to eat meat for weeks, and felt bad when meeting the girl from his high school time again in the present.
He never wanted revenge nor was angry at Yoon Jae, who bullied Bum in their school days, when they met again in the present.
He saved Seungbae's life twice and in the end, he refused to kill him when Sangwoo ordered him to do so.
He also treated the grandma who killed Sangwoo with kindness.

1/3
Due to his BPD and Anxiety, Bum either panics or experiences Nausea when he's not with the person that he fell in love with (or became attached to), stating how the empty, depressing feeling causes him to "dry heave". This results in him either stealing the belongings of the people he falls in love with or simply holding their things, just to feel closer to them and to calm down. This can be seen in the high school flashback with the nail polish of the girl when she abandoned him and then in the present with Sangwoo's clothes, when he abandoned Bum for days and left him at home alone with the corpse of his uncle.

## Sexuality

Yoon Bum seems to be bisexual since he shows interest in both women and men, although this could be maybe even considered as Pansexuality since Gender doesn't seem to matter to him and he fell in love with a female and later on a male because they were the first people who showed somewhat of a affection to Bum (regardless if they were using or abusing him too), who's never gotten any before. It is possible that the constant sexual abuse that was lashed out on Bum due to his uncle and the guys in military changed his sexual orientation, as well as warped his perception of love and sexuality, however, it is not exactly clear. It's made repeatedly clear that Bum is willing to believe that he and Sangwoo can be a couple, even despite the abuse and torture that is inflicted on Bum due to Sangwoo. Because he's already been there, due to his uncle. He's been told by Sangwoo that it was his fault for being raped by his uncle, accused of enjoying it, and having his pain and shame dismissed or laughed at. Sexuality is intrinsically linked with pain and suffering for him. Expressing that pain and suffering is associated with ridicule. In the mind of a person that confused and broken, it's uncertain if Bum could truly understand what it would even mean to identify as gay/bi/etc. Therefore, he's probably pansexual.

## Mental State

### Borderline Personality Disorder

* Splitting
* Self harming
* Suicidal Behavior
* Unstable self-image
* Loss of Touch with Reality
* Fear of Abandonment
1/6
It is stated by the Author (as well at the beginning of the story) and many signs (Self-harming, Anxiety, Episodes of Depression, High Empathy, Fear of Rejection, Abandonment Issues, etc) are shown throughout the story, that he suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder, likely due to the trauma of losing his parents and being abused by everyone.

*BPD has long been believed to be the one psychiatric disorder that produced the most intense emotional pain, agony, and distress in those who suffer with this condition. Studies have shown that borderline patients experience chronic and significant emotional suffering and mental agony.* *People with BPD are often exceptionally enthusiastic, idealistic, joyful, and loving, but may feel overwhelmed by negative emotions (anxiety, depression, guilt/shame, worry, anger, etc.), experiencing intense grief instead of sadness, shame and humiliation instead of mild embarrassment, rage instead of annoyance, and panic instead of nervousness.* *People with BPD are also especially sensitive to feelings of rejection, criticism, isolation, and perceived failure. Before learning other coping mechanisms, their efforts to manage or escape from their very negative emotions may lead to emotional isolation, self-injury or suicidal behavior.* *People with BPD can be very sensitive to the way others treat them, by feeling intense joy and gratitude at perceived expressions of kindness and intense sadness or anger at perceived criticism or hurtfulness.*

Basically, a person with BPD is hyper-empathic, extremely sensitive to the emotions and energy of people, animals, and to the elements in the environment. They experience emotions intensely which can lead to them obsessing over things, may it be over how they look, what they eat or over a person they love. It's different for everyone, but most of the people who suffer from BPD experience it unintentionally often. Abandonment Issues is also a symptom.

When the Author was asked if she did a lot of research about BPD, she stated that she didn't and how she just tried to express Yoon Bum's behavior in a *"not so normal way"* and how it just so happend that those behaviors resembled that of people with BPD.
When the Author was asked why she decided to use Borderline Personality Disorder as Yoon Bum's condition, she stated that she wanted Yoon Bum to be truly unique and decided that BPD best described the person she wanted Yoon Bum to be.

### Social Anxiety

1/5
Bum shows signs of Social Anxiety during the story on multiple occasions, a few examples being in Chapter 15, 24, and 29.5.

*Social anxiety disorder is a persistent fear of one or more situations in which the person is exposed to possible scrutiny by others and fears that he or she may do something or act in a way that will be humiliating or embarrassing. It exceeds normal "shyness" as it leads to excessive social avoidance and substantial social or occupational impairment. Feared activities may include almost any type of social interaction, especially small groups, dating, parties, talking to strangers, restaurants, interviews, etc. Those who suffer from social anxiety disorder fear being judged by others in society. In particular, individuals with social anxiety are nervous in the presence of people with authority and feel uncomfortable during physical examinations. People who suffer from this disorder may behave a certain way or say something and then feel embarrassed or humiliated after. As a result, they often choose to isolate themselves from society to avoid such situations. They may also feel uncomfortable meeting people they do not know, and act distant when they are with large groups of people. In some cases, they may show evidence of this disorder by avoiding eye contact, or blushing when someone is talking to them.*

### Hypersexuality

Rape and sexual abuse can lead to all sorts of things, including hypersexuality. Since Bum was regularly raped by his uncle for years and sexually abused in military, it's
possible that became hypersexual as a Result of Rape Trauma Syndrome (RTS). Hypersexuality is in fact a common symptom of sexual abuse during childhood, as well is it a symptom of BPD.

*Hypersexuality is known to present itself as a symptom in connection to a number of mental and neurological disorders. Some people with borderline personality disorder (sometimes referred to as BPD) can be markedly impulsive, seductive, and extremely sexual. Sexual promiscuity, sexual obsessions, and hypersexuality are very common symptoms for both men and women with BPD. On occasion for some there can be extreme forms of paraphilic drives and desires. "Borderline" patients, due in the opinion of some to the use of splitting, experience love and sexuality in unstable ways.*

Considering how much Bum was abused by not just one, but multiple people throughout his life, it is possible that he is a victim to revictimization.

*A little known fact is that being sexually assaulted puts you at a much higher risk of being assaulted again in the future, as does childhood sexual abuse. Sometimes referred to as revictimization, it is not exclusive to sexual assault. Victims of domestic violence are more likely to undergo it a second time. Even robberies and burglaries seem to be self-propogating (and significantly so. Being robbed once places you at a nine times higher risk of being robbed again). Being sexually assaulted greatly increased the risk of future assaults, with one study purporting that being sexually assaulted once meant a victim was 35 times more likely than others to be revictimized. There are several theories which may answer what what contributes to this devastating, but common pattern. It varies from victim to victim. The first time an individual is victimized, they often take on the responsibility for the abuse. This can be a way for a victim to reclaim control. It is reassuring to believe that changing habits, behaviors, or interactions will ensure that the abuse will not reoccur. When someone is victimized a second or third time (or more), research shows they are even more likely to feel guilt and shame and to judge themselves harshly.*

*People who were sexually abused as children have learned silence, and may be unable to enforce appropriate boundaries, given their childhood experiences. Some theorize that it is a way of attempting to master anxiety or trauma. Some suggest that traumatization may cause some to revert to familiar patterns, despite whatever pain it may cause. And some others suggest that victims who have been assaulted early learn to associate sex with pain and trauma, and therefore are less likely to be able to distinguish between consent or coercion. A victim is very often disbelieved once. After multiple instances, a forced sexual encounter is seen as their fault, be it the way they dress, the way they conduct themselves or how much they drank. An easy answer is to assume they are trying to cover up regretted sexual encounters, or that they misunderstand the concept of rape. Victims may take years to recover from a sexual assault. Being assaulted multiple times can compound the trauma. Sexual assault victims are much more likely to suffer from depression, attempt suicide, develop PTSD, self-harm or use maladaptive coping strategies such as eating disorders or substance abuse. The repetition compulsion is a phenomenon that still confounds researchers in terms of successful interventions, but that doesn’t mean that informal, but steady support from friends or family won’t be effective in any victim’s recovery process.*

### Derealization

Bum has shown signs of Derealization during the story. Derealization is a common topic with BPD.

*The experience of derealization can be described as an immaterial substance that separates a person from the outside world, such as a sensory fog, pane of glass, or veil. Individuals may report that what they see lacks vividness and emotional coloring. Emotional response to visual recognition of loved ones may be significantly reduced. Familiar places may look alien, bizarre, and surreal. One may not even be sure whether what one perceives is in fact reality or not. The world as perceived by the individual may feel as if it were going through a dolly zoom effect. Such perceptual abnormalities may also extend to the senses of hearing, taste, and smell. The degree of familiarity one has with their surroundings is among one's sensory and psychological identity, memory foundation and history when experiencing a place. When persons are in a state of derealization, they block this identifying foundation from recall. This "blocking effect" creates a discrepancy of correlation between one's perception of one's surroundings during a derealization episode, and what that same individual would perceive in the absence of a derealization episode. Frequently, derealization occurs in the context of constant worrying or "intrusive thoughts" that one finds hard to switch off. In such cases it can build unnoticed along with the underlying anxiety attached to these disturbing thoughts, and be recognized only in the aftermath of a realization of crisis, often a panic attack, subsequently seeming difficult or impossible to ignore. This type of anxiety can be crippling to the affected and may lead to avoidant behavior. Those who experience this phenomenon may feel concern over the cause of their derealization. It is often difficult to accept that such a disturbing symptom is simply a result of anxiety, and the individual may often think that the cause must be something more serious. This can, in turn, cause more anxiety and worsen the derealization. Derealization also has been shown to interfere with the learning process, with cognitive impairments demonstrated in immediate recall and visuospatial deficits. This can be best understood as the individual feeling as if they see the events in third person; therefore they cannot properly process information, especially through the visual pathway. People experiencing derealization describe feeling as if they are viewing the world through a TV screen. This, along with co-morbidities such as depression and anxiety, and other similar feelings attendant to derealization, can cause a sensation of alienation and isolation between the person suffering from derealization and others around them. Partial symptoms would also include depersonalization, a feeling of being an "observer"/having an "observational effect".*

People with BPD who experience a Derealization episode are aware when acting out on their emotions, but cannot stop themselves. They feel as if they are trapped inside their own body and are unable to do anything to stop their other half from acting out on their emotions. When they're overwhelmed with anxiety they enter fight or flight mode. Their bodies concentrate their blood supply toward their chest to improve their chances of survival. This means their prefrontal cortex (the brain's decision-making center) starts running at low capacity which makes their decisions blunt, desperate and focused on getting them out of the situation physically and emotionally unscathed. They basically stop being their complete selves and "de-evolve".

### Stockholm Syndrome

*Stockholm Syndrome has been defined as a condition in which hostages develop a psychological alliance with their captors during captivity. Emotional bonds may be formed between captor and captives, during intimate time together, but these are generally considered irrational in light of the danger or risk endured by the victims. Stockholm syndrome is a "contested illness" due to doubt about the legitimacy of the condition. It has also come to describe the reactions of some abuse victims beyond the context of kidnappings or hostage-taking. Actions and attitudes similar to those suffering from Stockholm syndrome have also been found in victims of sexual abuse, human trafficking, terror, and political and religious oppression.*
*Victims of the formal definition of Stockholm syndrome develop "positive feelings toward their captors and sympathy for their causes and goals, and negative feelings toward the police or authorities". These symptoms often follow escaped victims back into their previously ordinary lives. A person who develops Stockholm syndrome often experiences symptoms of posttraumatic stress: nightmares, insomnia, flashbacks, a tendency to startle easily, confusion, and difficulty trusting others.*

## History

Due to both of his parents dying when he was little, Bum was forced to live with his abusive uncle and grandparents, with the grandfather being never seen in the story and already dead by the time Bum was a young teenager. The household Bum grew up in was poor, he had to sleep on a mattress on the floor, never had a normal bed, and also had to eat on the table on the floor. His uncle took his frustration over Bum's mother leaving him for Bum's father on Bum out which includes severe abuse. He constantly beat and starved Bum and eventually began to regularly rape Bum as well. The grandmother was rather neutral, she tried to stop her son once when he was beating Bum, but then told Bum to die like a dog after he ignored her due to the abuse. She also fed him once when her son was gone even though he forbid her that. It is unknown whether she purposely told Bum to sleep in his uncle's Room because he apparently wouldn't come home that night which turned out to be wrong since he came home and ended up violently beating&raping Bum in his room, or not.

Bum never had friends in school and was bullied in his Elementary&Middle School Days by Yoon Jae who took advantage of Bum's insecurity and said how Bum always cried back when they were in school or asking how things are going with his uncle, joking even in the present about him and not feeling guilty about it. Considering that the girl from Bum's high school time immediately assumed that the bruises on Bum's body and Bum's body being malnourished, were the doings of Bum's uncle, Yoon Jae wasn't the only one who was aware of the uncle situation. It is unknown how both of them knew about the uncle.

He enrolled in college four years late due to his uncle still abusing him and met Sangwoo in the second semester of his first year of Sungsoo University. Due to it being required for men and maturing boys to serve in the Korean military, Bum received confirmation after his first semester of college, despite his previous presumption his underweight body would exempt him from active duty. He was made an active duty soldier by a narrow margin but he wasn't too worried about it, thinking that he'd be able to quietly go through his army service. However, because the Sergeant marked him, Bum was an outsider in the army, being ostracized even in his own platoon. His squad leader, the Sergeant, then attempted to rape him. He was told later that the attempt was stopped by someone thanks to Sangwoo's intervention. However, it turned out in Chapter 50 that Bum was regularly sexually abused and raped there. When he completed his military service, he saw Sangwoo again with a girl. Although he attempted to deny his feelings of attachment toward him, he was unable to stifle them, remarking them as something he "wouldn't be able to forget as easily as before."

### Chapter 25

In a flashback, Yoon Bum was seemingly jailed due to unknown reasons and he would need to pay 3,000,000 won for a settlement. Due to his anger, the uncle grabs Bum by his hair and screams at him, telling him him to die just like his parents did. A woman who is there pays the money out of empathy only as he begs her to do so as he would be confined for his horrific abuse to Bum.

At home, the uncle starts severely beating Bum as "pay back" for the money he himself didn't pay, even attempting to rip Bum's Genitals off. As his mother begs him to stop, he throws her out of the room, and continues his severe beating on Bum. Afterwards, he starves Bum and threatens his mother to not feed him.

When the uncle went to work, the grandma cleans Bum's bruises and asks him if he doesn't learn anything from the beatings from his uncle. As Bum doesn't answer her, she tells him to die like a dog, calling him a wicked boy as she's about to leave the room. However, she changed her mind and gave Bum a bowl of rice. Due to Bum eating fast, she told him to slow down and how he should help her out once he's done eating.

Later, while Bum was helping his grandma, the uncle suddenly comes home drunk and angrily asks where Bum is who hid himself out of fear, while his mother asks him why he is looking for Bum again. The uncle then began to puke and when noticing that a bowl was used, he asks his mother if she thinks that he wouldn't notice. When she asks what he's talking about, he becomes angry and hits her and then screamed around where Bum is. When he found him, he goes to vent at Bum about his mother, how he was his mother's boyfriend, how she left him for his brother after he introduced her to him, and how his parents neglected him and gave his brother all the love during his childhood. He says that his brother and his ex (Bum's parents) deserved to die and that Bum is the product of their "sins", making Bum cry.

It is implied that the uncle later masturbates in the bedroom, when Bum, who was drinking water in the middle of the night because of the heat, went to check where the strange sounds came from and then immediately ran back to his room and pretended to sleep when his uncle saw and followed Bum to his room before giving off a creepy laughter as he went back to his room, making Bum afraid.

The next day, as Bum was lying in his bed and his stomach growled while the others were eating, his grandma suddenly came to his room and told him that his uncle said to come eat, causing Bum to be scared since he's usually being starved. While eating, the uncle told his mother how he thinks that they need to call the shaman because he had the feeling that someone was spying on him last night. When she asked him if she should find one, he said no, grabbed Bum's shoulder, and said that next time, he'll make them pay to watch, while creepily smiling at Bum.
Later, as Bum was showering, his uncle came home early, wondering Bum. As Bum was drying after the shower, his uncle sexually harasses him by looking at his thighs.

Before Bum went to sleep, his grandma told him that he should try and understand his uncle and feel bad for him because he went through a lot as a child and isn't married at his age yet.
At the same night, the uncle gets into Bum's bed and starts raping him while his mother is sleeping besides them. Bum wakes up from a weird dream and is horrified at the sight of his uncle.

### Chapter 26

Non-consensually, Bum's uncle rapes Bum while saying his Ex-lover's (Bum's Mother) name in trance like state, Bum tried to stop him but failed to do so. The following day, as a traumatized Bum was helping his grandma in peeling the potatoes, she becomes angry that Bum is doing it wrong, screaming at him to give her the knife. As Bum accidentally hurts himself with the knife, his grandma berates him, telling him that it's all because he held it like that, that he hurt himself. Bum blames himself, saying that everything that's happend to him is his fault. His grandma tells him to hand her the knife while Bum apologizes for getting blood on the newspapers. He then ran away with the knife from home. Outside, as Bum was walking around, he fell to the ground from exhaustion due to everything that has recently happend to him.

At home, the uncle learns that Bum ran away and tells his mom that she should have stopped Bum. She asks him if they should call the police, but he says no and how he'll look for him. Before the uncle went searching for him, Bum came back and knocked at the door. The uncle quickly grabbed a wodden bat and told his mother to open the door, wanting to "punish" Bum. Bum, still traumatized, apologized for running away. While Bum went back to his room, they noticed his hand bleeding. The uncle then angrily pounded against the door, screaming at Bum to open up while Bum cries.

The next day, Bum asked his grandma who's watching TV if he could have some money. While she ignores him, he tries to ask her again, but she becomes angry and screams at him, but then asks him how much he needs and he says 10,000 Won (9 Dollars). Bum used it to go to a "jjimjilbang" (public bathhouse, a sauna) to deal with everything that has happend to him and sleeps there that night, to hide from his uncle in fear that he might rape him again if he stays home.
The next day, as Bum comes home, his grandma was mad at him, telling him that his uncle was furious last night and was screaming and throwing things. She suddenly asks Bum if he's hungry and how she'll find him something to eat. As Bum was eating faster than usual, fearing to see his uncle, his grandma told him to slow down and that his uncle wouldn't come home that night, facilitating Bum, who then also happily showered.

Before they went to sleep, she told Bum that he should sleep in his uncle's room since his uncle wouldn't be home at that night anyways. After Bum went to his uncle's room and went to sleep, his uncle ended up coming home however, went to his room, locked the door, woke Bum up by violently kicking his head several times, asking him if the sauna was refreshing before repeatedly beating Bum while he's naked with a belt and then raping him violently and disturbingly.

## Plot

Yoon Bum is the Protagonist of Killing Stalking. Due to both of his parents dying when he was little, Bum was given under the care of his grandparents and uncle, with the latter severely abusing, raping and starving him, making Yoon Bum a lifelong abused victim due to also getting bullied in school, getting sexually abused and raped in military and Oh Sangwoo abusing him in several ways as well. Getting little to no affection from anyone, Bum frequently cuts his wrists due to loneliness and gets attached to those who show him affection, making him a sensitive person.

Bum is suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder which leads to him growing strong attachments to people who show him affection for once, is being abused by his uncle and generally seems to have went through a lot. He falls for Oh Sangwoo, a peer from his time in the military who saved him from a rape attempt once. His crush turned into an obsession, mostly fueled by the fact that Bum suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder and Sangwoo was one of the first persons who, in Bum's eyes, showed him affection by saving him. When he decides to enter Sangwoo's home while he is out of his house, Yoon Bum finds a bruised, tied up woman in Sangwoo's basement and as he tries to help her, he is discovered by Sangwoo, who is revealed to be a serial killer. Sangwoo then breaks his legs and locks him in his basement and despite Yoon Bum's previous love for him, Sangwoo puts Bum into a highly abusive and manipulative relationship until the very end.

Bum's fate at the end of the story is unknown.

## Relationships

#### Parents

Yoon Bum's mother and father died when he was very young, so he was forced to live with his abusive Uncle and Grandparents. He doesn’t seem to remember much if not anything about his parents nor does he seem to have any other family members, so he only had his Uncle and Grandparents left.

#### Uncle

Yoon Bum's paternal uncle is severely abusive to him. He beat, starved and raped him regularly. He takes his anger out on Bum due to Bum's mother leaving him for his brother, getting married, and having him together. He thinks that Bum's parents deserved to die and that Bum is the result of their "sins".

Bum had a hallucination of his uncle chasing him in Chapter 33 into the house, where Bum was almost raped again, but fought him off and angrily told him that he's not his Mom/The ex of his uncle, standing up for himself. The uncle then left while Bum broke down in tears.

When they meet again after quite a time due to Sangwoo bringing him to Bum and leaving them alone, the Uncle hasn't changed a bit, first insulting Bum and trying to manipulate him, then beating him up and trying to rape him. After his death, Bum told Sangwoo while in tears that he never wanted his Uncle to die, but never see him again, implying he still cared about his uncle, but was also scared of him due to everything he did to him.

After the uncle's death due to Sangwoo and Sangwoo leaving Bum alone with the corpse in the house, Bum was sobbing and remembered things from his childhood, unclear whether true memories or not (Very likely fake memories Bum's brain shortly created to protect Bum from more trauma). Bum finally realized how heinous his uncle was to him but as he hallucinated that his uncle was still alive, telling Bum nasty things, Bum began having a panic attack, went upstairs and hid himself scared in the closet. The impact of his death caused Bum to have a nightmare about him.

#### Grandmother

Though cruel at times, Yoon Bum's grandmother is much kinder than her son. She tried to stick up for him and fed him sometimes against her son's orders, which Bum appreciated. However, she once told Bum to die like a dog and guilt tripped him despite knowing how abusive her son is towards Bum. Although unknown if intentionally or not, she told Yoon Bum the day after his uncle raped him, that he should sleep in his uncle's room, even though she was aware of her son's abuse on Bum, mentioning that she wanted to sleep alone and that her son wasn't coming home in that night, which turned out to be a lie, since the uncle came home when they were sleeping, causing Yoon Bum to get violently abused by his uncle in his room with a belt, and then raped.

It is unknown what Bum's opinion about her in the present was.

#### Grandfather

It is not known what kind of Relationship Bum and his Grandfather had, but his Grandpa seemed to have been already dead by the time Yoon Bum was a young teenager.

## Notes and Trivia

* The name "Yoonbum" means "Emotional Gift" (윤범).
* Bum's favorite animal are frogs.
* According to the author, her inspiration in building Yoon Bum's character was simply that she wanted him to be unique. But as the story progressed, Bum started to resemble a personal acquaintance.