THE BODYGUARD
Full name:
Kang Min-Jae
Meaning:
Kang: Means strong or river and symbolizes resilience and unyielding flow.
Min: Means quick-witted or clever
Jae: Means talent or ability.
Nickname/Aliases:
Min: Used only by close friends and family.
Jae: Used by professional colleagues.
Mr. Kang: Used by clients and in formal settings.
Hometown:
Los Angeles, California, USA (born and raised in Koreatown)
Currently living:
London, Great Britain. He relocated for this high-profile assignment.
Nationality:
American (Korean American)
Languages:
English (Native)
Korean (Fluent, heritage language)
Spanish (Fluent)
French (Fluent)
Chinese (Fluent)
Japanese (Fluent)
Dialect:
Has a standard American English with faint California influence.
Accent:
Neutral American, sometimes code switches to a slight Korean inflection when speaking Korean or when relaxed.
Birthday:
July 22
Age:
28
Zodiac Sign:
Cancer
Sexuality:
Bisexual - Open in private circles but discreet due to profession.
Gender:
Male
Education:
- Los Angeles High School with honors in physical education and ROTC.
- University of Southern California with a B.S. in Criminal Justice and a minor in Asian American Studies.
- Various private security certifications, including Executive Protection, Advanced Firearms, Defensive Driving, and Crisis Management.
Title:
Senior Executive Protection Specialist
Affiliation/Occupation:
Bodyguard: Kang has been involved with private security since graduating from college. He started at local firms in LA before joining one of the top national/international private security firms, Aegis Global Security. He specializes in high-net-worth individuals such as celebrities, diplomats, and executives facing threats. Kang is known for discretion, blending into environments (corporate settings, events, travel, etc), and proactive threat neutralization without drawing attention.
Signature:
A clean and sharp signature with a slight flourish on the "J".
Character Profile:
Appearance: Kang Min-Jae stands at 6'2" with a lean and muscular build. He weighs around 205 pounds, and his physique is honed for agility, endurance, and functional strength rather than bulk. He has broad shoulders that taper to a narrower waist, powerful legs from years of training, and an exceptional core stability. He moves with quiet precision and is always balanced and ready for anything that might happen. His heritage shows in warm golden-toned skin, a sharp jawline, and high cheekbones.
His hair is jet black and is always kept in a neat, short textured crop that is faded on teh sides and slightly longer on the top for easy styling, which is practical for his job but still holds some class to it. In off-duty moments, it can get somewhat tousled. His eyes are a deep chocolate brown, almost black in low light, and both intense and observant. They soften noticeably when he lets his guard down, revealing a warmth that many don't believe he was capable of showing. Kang has a faint scar that is situated above his left brow from a training mishap, and another thin one that runs the length of his right forearm, an injury he received from a past assignment.
Jae maintains a clean-shaven face most days for a professional look; however, he allows light stubble when blending into casual settings. He wears a simple black leather bracelet on his right wrist and rarely takes it off, as it was a gift from his grandfather. On his left pinky finger, he wears a subtle silver ring.
In professional settings, Kang blends in seamlessly with tailored dark suits, often navy or charcoal, that conceal his holsters and gear. Crisp white shirts with no tie, or when one is required, a slim one. Accompanying this ensemble are polished dress shows and a low-profile earpiece. He often wears dark aviators outdoors. When off duty and at home, he prefers fitted black tees, cargo pants for joggers, and sneakers, all of which are practical and comfortable. His cologne is a subtle, clean scent with woody hints of cedar and vetiver, noticeable only when someone is close to him.
Tonal/voice:
Min-Jae's voice is low, calm, and often measured with a smooth timbre that commands attention without raising volume. It's reassuring in tense moments, calming in others. He speaks deliberately, rarely wasting words. His American accent is neutral, but a soft Korean lilt emerges when he is emotional.
Personality:
Kang Min-Jae presents a professional facade where he is stoic, unflappable, and hyper-vigilant. He is the 'invincible' guardian, observant, silent unless necessary, and blending into crowds or boardrooms. Clients trust him because he anticipates threats before they materialize. Kang despises unnecessary drama and handles paparazzi or aggressive competitors with cool efficiency.
Privately, he has a dry sense of humor and a quiet loyalty. Once his trust is earned, he is protective and attentive, showing care through action. These actions can include small gestures like remembering preferences for ensuring safety. He values deep connections over superficial ones, a value that was shaped by a family that emphasises honor and duty. His softer side can emerge slowly and is often accompanied by gentle teasing, rare genuine smiles, and physical comfort. Touch is his quiet love language, too, but only with those he trusts completely.
He is disciplined, honorable, and incredibly resilient, but he also carries internal eight from past losses and high-stakes work.
Weaknesses and Flaws:
Min-Jae can overthink threats, sometimes leading to a hyper-vigilance that completely and utterly exhausts him. He has a bad habit of bottling emotions, rarely discussing personal struggles. Perfectionism in his role makes him incredibly self-critical if anything slips, and he tends to isolate during stress, fearing the vulnerability could compromise protection. He can be stubborn and overly loyal, which can blind him to red flags in relationships.
Strengths:
Exception situation awareness and quick decision-making. Unwavering loyalty and integrity, as well as physical and mental endurance. The ability to adapt in any environment and remain calm under pressure.
Backstory:
Born in LA's Koreatown to parents who immigrated to the US (his father a small business owner running a Korean grocery store, and his mother a nurse), Jae grew up bilingual and grounded in his ethnic culture. His grandfather, a former ROK Army veteran, was one of the first to really teach him discipline, as well as archery, the basics of self-defense, and the importance of protecting those who can't protect themselves. These lessons were often rooted in stories of wartime survival and family honor.
After high school, Kang pursued criminal justice at USC while working security gigs to help with family finances. Post-graduation, he briefly considered law enforcement but found himself instead drawn to private contracting because of its flexibility and the higher stakes. At the age of 23, he took his first major assignment: protecting a rising Korean American tech entrepreneur who was a family friend of his parents, during a high-profile international expansion trip to Seoul.
Unfortunately, the job went catastrophically wrong during a late-night ambush tied to corporate espionage and local organized crime, and Min-Jae was separated from teh client in the chaos. He fought fiercely but sustained serious injuries, including the jagged scar on his forearm, but arrived too late, and the client was fatally shot. The man had been like an older brother figure to Jae, someone who had mentored him through college and treated him like family. Teh guilt consumed him, and he replayed every decision, every moment he could have reacted faster or anticipated the threat better. Investigations cleared him of fault, but this failure haunts him.
That loss redirected his entire path, and to Jae, standard police work felt too bureaucratic and reactive. He wanted, needed, a role where he could be proactive, invisible, and absolute in his vigilance. Immersing himself in elite executive protection training, he joined Aegis Global Security. Here, he spent the next few years building an impeccable reputation for discretion and success, which often resulted in him taking assignments that involved international threats or corporate rivals. This was partly to atone for his previous failure and partly because high-profile clients reminded him of the man he couldn't save. The job is Min-Jae's penance, and he protects so no one else has to bury someone they love due to his shortcomings.
Relationships:
- Ji-Hoon Kang: Father, alive, runs the family Korean grocery in LA. Proud of Min-Jae's success but quietly worried about the toll the job takes. Their conversations often skirt around the "incident" that Min-Jae never really wants to discuss.
- Soo-Min Kang: Mother, alive, nurse. The nurturing force who patched him up after the attack and still checks his scars during visits. She senses his guilt but respects his silence.
- Ha-Joon Kang: Grandfather, deceased. Major influence. His teachings on duty and protection feel both comforting and accusing to Min-Jae now.
- Yun-Jun Kim: The first high-profile client and family friend. Former protectee and mentor figure. His death remains the unspoken shadow in Min-Jae's life. No siblings, but had a small, tight-knit extended family in Korea and the US, though he kept most at arm's length.
Miscellaneous:
Talents/Special Skills:
- Expert in close-quartered combat, firearms, and defensive tactics.
- Advanced defensive driving and evasive maneuvers.
- Blending in: Can pass as executive staff, driver, or civilian effortlessly.
- Archery and marksmanship, honed by his grandfather, are now a meditative escape.
- Multilingual and quick language. Can use basic sign language for silent communication.
Strengths:
Disciplined with military-like routine and focus.
Loyal
Observant, notices details others often miss, hyper aware of things around him.
Calm demeanor, rarely does he get rattled, even when traumatic memories of his failure resurface.
Pets:
None currently because he travels too much and doesn't feel like he deserves teh responsibility. He had a rescue dog named Shadow in LA before the incident, but gave him to his parents afterward because he was convinced attachments only lead to loss.
Fall Month: 1 
Night 
Fog Moon: 
