Eunhwa/Story

Spoilers!*"Your greatest villain Drake shall warn you, SPOILERS AHEAD!"*The following article or section contain **spoilers!** Viewer discretion is advised.

Overview**Story**VoicelinesGallery

## Behind the Scenes

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Sa Moon-young

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Anne Yatco

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Sayaka Senbongi

## Profile

The leader of Absolute, the strongest squad of Elysion, if not all of the Ark. Famed as the "Miracle Squad" for coming back from missions with not even a single hair out of place, a good chunk of that success can be chalked up to Eunhwa's ever-present demand for perfection, from herself, her squadmates, and even some of the people she works with. This, combined with her already cold attitude give her an unfriendly vibe, but anyone with the will (and patience) will find a surprisingly caring side, albeit one that puts the "tough" in "tough love."

As the leader of Elysion's strongest squad, Eunhwa sometimes gets work as an instructor for Nikkes. Those that make it through her lessons have a moderately higher survival rate, though even those looking at it from the outside might find it a bit much.

### Nikke Backstory

The leader of Absolute who evokes an air of both arrogance and composure. Her perfectionism has pushed Absolute up to the pinnacle of success.

## Personality

Due to her intense perfectionism, Eunhwa speaks in a cold, aloof, and rather brash manner, especially to strangers. Her extreme judgment and criticism towards other Nikkes usually led to her being disliked, as shown with her interaction with Anis. She favors comradery between squads and does not take disobedience or betrayal lightly, such as questioning Rapi who left her squad without any notice.

While she displays coldness for most of the part, Eunhwa can be easily shaken off and will not hesitate to open fire and engage against a fellow Nikke.

## Story

### Background

In her past life as a human, Eunhwa was a fledgling commander after completing her 20th mission. She lead a team of Nikkes on a recovery mission, but her squad completely ignored her orders due to them seeing her as inexperienced. This lead to every single one dying within 10 minutes and forcing her to fend for herself in a Rapture's lair. She was incinerated by a beam cannon not long after, but her body was recovered by Elysion and she became a Nikke. This was what lead to her current attitude.

Eunhwa and Rapi were once good friends as fellow members of Absolute. However one day, Rapi left the squad without telling anyone, their first notice being a piece of paper notifying them of her resignation. The shock and betrayal Eunhwa felt from this soured her relationship with Rapi, and between missions and their own hang-ups, the two have never been able to mend the rift since.

### Character Story

#### Episode 1 - Instructor Eunhwa

Eunhwa was an instructor for a group of newly created Nikkes. While performing a role call, she learned not all of the Nikkes survived processing so she dubbed them the "Owls" and by the color of their uniforms to better tell them apart. After Yellow Owl's response was too slow, she shared that Royal Road has the highest accidental conversion rate since that's where she hails from. She continues to drill into her pupils that they are worthless livestock whose lives are lesser than humans and serve as their tools to help them reclaim the surface. She tells Gray Owl to be useful at least once before she dies and after the latter hesitates, she agrees to do so.

Both the Commander and Ingrid were watching Eunhwa as she worked and he didn't understand why she was acting so harsh. She assured him this was a necessary part of the process. Nikkes are indoctrinated to believe they are weapons from creation, even if their heart won't agree with it, to sever them from their pasts. The protagonist doesn't think that's needed and while Ingrid wished more people had the same view, this was what was required to be done. She assigned him to help Eunhwa as a human instructor. Even though he won't be doing too much, she was willing to answer his questions. His role would end after two nights and three days. The two would have to train the six Owls through two battle simulations and a real exam on the surface. She expects 73% of them to perish during the exam, but given how Eunhwa is the leader of Absolute and a capable leader, she thinks their odds of survival will increase. As for why he was selected to join her, the commander's path differs from Eunhwa's as in he's an idealist and she's a realist. His calm leadership style contrasts her charismatic brand of tutelage which will hopefully help the two grow as leaders. He figures that Eunwha's not thrilled with this arrangement given their tenuous relationship, something Ingrid agrees with given she's not very welcoming to commanders since she views them as incapable. Ingrid hopes that he will be the first she will warm up to. Since she shared all of the details, Ingrid left as he moved to meet his new students. They are to follow his orders as necessary even if it costs them their lives. Eunhwa also warns she will personally execute any who crosses the commander. Everyone then moves to begin the first simulation.

#### Episode 2 - Battle Simulation

The first simulation was conducted on the first floor of Elysion Tower and from the get-go, it was clear the Owls had difficulties cooperating together. Gray Owl tried to protect Purple Owl, causing her to ignore Blue Owl's orders. Purple was spacing out because she forgot how the formation they needed to make was created.

Monitoring them in another room, Eunwha was unimpressed by their performance. After berating the three for their mistakes that would've killed their teammates if this was actual combat, she resets the simulation and the Owls start again. She sees little prospects from them, but the commander feels she hasn't fully accepted her role as their teacher. She agrees and will have them train until it's time to get some rest. She tells Weakling to not interfere, but he still wants to help. She thinks his kindness and concern will do nothing but lead the Owls to an early grave. Seeing as Eunwha is determined to get them prepared on her own, he leaves.

He returns to the monitor room around 11:00 PM to discover Eunhwa reviewing the simulation footage. She has made some casual observations like how Red Owl becomes more violent when nervous and while Grey Owl has rough movements, she seems mentally fit and can take on bolder roles with Yellow Owl as her polar opposite. The commander alerts her of his presence and she's surprised he hasn't left yet. Despite her insistence to be left alone, he wants to help. She still thinks that he is unable to complete even the simplest task she could possibly give him and even if he did, he would probably make errors. After being dismissed again, the commander decides to ~~leave~~ stand his ground so he can help the Owls improve any way he can.

He thinks of something he can do whether it means investigating documents created by Eunwha pertaining to the Owls, or watching the footage himself to see if he notices anything. Given what is available to them, the commander thinks there's a way to have the Owls function as an effective unit. After mentioning that Purple and Red Owl seem to work well together, Eunwha figures that the two of them and Grey Owl together would provide a nice balance for each other only to realize Weakling figured that out. He also thinks Yellow and White Owl would work well together from what he gathered due to working with others in the past. Eunwha's opinion of the commander slightly improves but poses a test to see if he has genuine insight or if his analysis was a fluke. He would be sent into the simulation with the Owls and die numerous times if he fails, a challenge he is willing to face. As for his assignment, of the 23 remaining videos Eunhwa has to analyze, she wants Weakling to view half of them by tomorrow and complete a report on the Owls addressing their strengths and weaknesses and how the latter can be compensated. Using the data he collects, the Owls' strategy will be modified accordingly. If she approves of his work, she will have him do more. Multiple sleepless nights for a Nikke is no problem, but is strenuous for a human. Despite that, he thinks he can manage. Pleased with his resolve, she promises to hold nothing back.

#### Episode 3 - An Unforeseen Fate

Despite claiming to be able to operate without sleep, the commander wakes up the following morning realizing he overslept. He was even more surprised to see Ingrid who's here to see how progress with the Owls is going. He is convinced the next simulation will end up better than the first. Eunhwa arrived to check up on Weakling only to also be shocked by Ingrid's appearance. She was disappointed with the first simulation and warned if they don't show improvement, she will send the Owls to perform other tasks. While Eunhwa believed that meant they would be sent to harvest Nikke parts from the Outer Rim or to procure resources from poisonous mines, Ingrid meant they would not be placed in combat. The leader of Absolute is determined to prevent that from happening and came up with some solutions that should demonstrate the Owls' full potential. To see it action, the second battle simulation began.

The Owls have held their own for a while during this situation and it appears the suggestions made from their teachers were paying off. Suddenly a massive explosion erupted and those in the Monitoring room lost visual contact with the Owls. The protagonist worries the worst has happened but Eunhwa has faith in them. Contacting her teacher on her walkie-talkie, Purple Owl informs them their team's mission was a success, all enemies are cleared, and all of the Owls survived. Yellow Owl also called in with the same results.

Ingrid was very impressed with the work Eunhwa had done. She admitted to not being solely responsible for their success and confessed Weakling proved to be useful, something he did not expect her to say. Though she didn't like the happy grin on his face, she knew they would have to work even harder tonight so the Owls would be ready to brace the surface. He was pleasantly surprised Eunhwa was willing to receive his aid and he was ready for another sleepless night.

Around 11:00 PM that night, the two instructors were busy working in the Monitor room after the Owls went to sleep. They have 25 videos to cover stretching from the Owls' trek from the 5th to the 15th floors of Elysion Tower along with the topographical data of the practice battle location that also needs to be examined. She also informs him neither of them will lead the Owls during the exam since the government refused her request because they felt there is no use for an operator when training Nikkes. Since they had plenty of work that needed to be finished by the next morning, they split up the labor and did their tasks.

After an hour, the only noise in the room that could be heard was the sound of typing. Eunhwa was focusing with her full concentration and seeing her resolve, he wishes to do the same. This lasts until he loses his concentration again, this time due to being tired from sleep deprivation. Eunhwa took a break from her work and shared a bit of her past with Weakling.

She never liked group assignments since she felt her professor was trash, before correcting herself since she was the protagonist's senior. While the two may be stuck babysitting now, Eunhwa had to sharpen her skills on her own to realize her dream of reclaiming the surface. She has suppressed that vision, but has put in time and effort to make it a reality. Though she still considers the protagonist a weakling, he is far more useful compared to the others she was forced to work with. Despite that, she admits to not hating working with others. Things changed when she became a commander after her 20th mission. She took a squad with some experience to the surface on a recovery mission. Her team failed to listen to her instructions deriding her as a newbie that was just hired after graduating the Military Academy. They all died as a result within less than 10 minutes and Eunhwa was left to fend for herself in a Rapture's lair. She struggled to survive until she was incinerated by a beam cannon. What was left of her corpse was retrieved by Nikkes and was sent to Elysion which is how she became one herself. Weakling felt what happened to her was horrible and apologized for reopening old wounds. She had no issues with telling him about herself since she felt she wasn't special as a human. She admitted to sharing this information so the commander would stay awake since they need to be thoroughly prepared for the exam tomorrow. Their talk was enough to revitalize Weakling and the two continued to work.

#### Episode 4 - The Day of the Real Test

On the day of the Owls' exam on the surface, Eunhwa informed them of their assignment. The six have to reach the lab alive. Six drones will be monitoring them so she and the commander can keep an eye on them via real-time video feed as they're monitoring them in a tent further away. Ingrid is also watching them from a separate location. She warns them that if things take a turn for the worse, they will be on their own. For the next three hours, the Owls will have to use what they've learned to the best of their abilities. After sending them on their way, Weakling still questioned if the Owls could succeed. Eunhwa believes that the two of them did the best they could and if they perish because they can't learn, then they didn't deserve to live in the first place.

The first hour proved to be uneventful with things going according to plan. The Owls eliminated ten Raptures with an average damage rate is 9%. At this current trajectory, the six have a high chance of all surviving. After the second hour, Eunhwa grew bored as nothing significant happened. Around half an hour before the exam was supposed to end, Eunhwa noticed something very troubling. She discovered a Lord-class Rapture on the edge of one of the drone feeds, something that's not supposed to be part of the exam. She figured it was attracted by the scent of the Owls and she knew if they had an operator and her request wasn't denied, the Rapture would've been taken care beforehand. The squad is nowhere near qualified to take it on. Things take a turn for the worst as the Owls panic since they don't know what to do with Purple having had her arm shot. Fortunately, Weakling has a plan to save them.

Though they can't interfere directly otherwise the Owls would fail, they can still give them instructions from the tent. While Eunhwa commands the Owl's, the protagonist will use the drones to calculate a path to lead the Owls and the Rapture to their location so she can eliminate it herself. Even though the drones are stuck at fixed locations, he knows how to adjust them so they have a better view. He learned how from his time in the Military Academy. After throwing another of her insults at the commander, she admits he came up with a great plan.

After moving drone number one to ~~the second floor of the laboratory~~ to where the Raptures are concentrated, Eunhwa notices some of the ten Raptures are energy types, something the two can use. After the Owls cause a large enough distraction while also causing the building housing the Raptures to collapse, the Lord-class Rapture was injured and tricked by a decoy giving them an additional ten seconds. Moving drone number two the ~~laboratory's front windows~~ laboratory's entrance, not only has the number of Raptures grown, but there is a clear path to lead them to the tent. After the Owls took their positions, drone number three was moved to focus on the Lord-class Rapture. The mines placed by Yellow prevent it from changing course. Once everyone was within range, Eunhwa sniped the Rapture causing an explosion to engulf it.

With that taken care of, Ingrid calls in to report that the test is over and the Owls have passed and are now full fledged Nikkes. The protagonist was surprised she was monitoring them too and was proud they were able to work together. The Owls praised their instructor for her help and for saving their lives, but she didn't think she deserved any credit since all she did was clear an obstacle that shouldn't have been present. Weakling clarified her point as her not doing anything special. Even if that was the case, the Owls will never forget what Eunhwa has done for them and bowed to show their respect. They want to see her again in the Ark, but she instructs them to head to the elevator so they can be repaired. Despite how irritated she seemed, they knew their instructor cared about them.

Upon reaching the elevator, the two sent the Owls on their way. They didn't join them since Eunhwa had a personal matter she needed the protagonist's help to deal with. The Owls depart, confident Eunhwa will be fine and they promise to send her letters. As to where they're going, she has no intentions of telling him anything yet.

#### Episode 5 - Eunhwa's Dream

After the Owls successfully reached the Ark, the commander follows Eunhwa to a still unknown destination for still unknown reasons. It did seem like she was asking him for a favor, something that someone as prideful as her would have difficulty doing. In truth, Eunhwa brought them to the place where she and her first squad perished. A meaningless commander suffered a preventable death because her idiot subordinates failed to listen. Though she thought she would feel bad coming here, she's actually a bit relieved. From their time together, Eunhwa discovered a spark of hope that her dream could be realized albeit not in the way she intended.

After observing Weakling while working together, she admits he demonstrated toughness, judgment, and analytical skills that she deems acceptable. While other commanders hold the view that Nikke are nothing but cannon fodder (something she still doesn't entirely believe is untrue), she didn't expect to see someone who was in her position perform as well as he did. In essence, Eunhwa formally acknowledges the protagonist as not only her commander, but as a colleague that she shares a similar goal with. She mentions that this praise will only stick so long as he maintains this level of excellence moving forward and he continues on his current path. He was definitely surprised she would speak so highly of him due to believing she hated him. As for their past transgressions, Eunhwa apologizes for misjudging him due to her experiences with other commanders. If she had truly gotten to know him for who he was before, the two may have grown closer as a result. Despite that, she's willing to make up for it in the future. After staring at the ruins for a while, Eunhwa was ready to return, but Weakling was willing to wait for her to mourn if she needed to. Because of him, she no longer has any regrets and is optimistic about things to come.

Once the two reached the elevator, they were greeted by the other members of Absolute Emma and Vesti. While they were surprised to see the commander with their leader, Emma teased that they came to congratulate her for a job well done before revealing that since a Lord-class Rapture was discovered, a Tyrant-class Rapture is probably resting nearby so they had to head back where the two came from to end it. Emma asked to borrow Eunhwa and apologized if they had any plans before this, but he was fine in postponing things until she came back, something she had no intentions of joining. After Emma tried to break the ice between them, Absolute headed out.

While on their walk, Emma was curious about how things went. Eunhwa admitted to not hating her time as an instructor, something that came as a surprise to her. She figured the two would be arguing constantly, but Vesti believes that's not something the commander would do. Eunhwa wanted to finish the mission as quickly as possible which caused Emma to complain she treated her pupils better than her own squad mates. Eunhwa felt like there was nothing to talk about, but after the two brought up Weakling and how nice of a person he was, Eunhwa began to blush and tried to hide it. Emma easily picked up on it and suggested if she liked him so much, she should give him a warm farewell.

For a brief moment, Eunhwa slightly turned her head back and mouthed something to Weakling.

*Goodbye.*

*And thank you.*

*Commander*.

## References

Notes

References
1. ↑ Eunhwa's character story."