The wound

His father died of something boring and his mother stopped being present for him in any meaningful way. He has built a chosen family because the original one stopped functioning, and he is constantly afraid the chosen one will fail the same way. He overworks. He doesn’t sleep. The crew has rules about checking on him during long jobs because he forgets to eat.

The longing

To matter to people who matter to him, in a way that won’t be taken away. He hasn’t put this into words, even to himself.

Skills

The best Quiet-walker in his age cohort, by reputation. Network intrusion, hardware modification, drone control — he runs three personal drones routinely; up to six in operations. Reads people poorly but reads systems brilliantly. Speaks Cantonese, English, code.

Relationships within the crew

• With Min — she’s his sister. Functional, total, non-negotiable.
• With Bo — closest in age; they share a bedroom in the walk-up. Easy companionship.
• With Faan — mild hero-worship. Faan handles it well.
• With Nadia — she scares him a little, which she enjoys.
• With Dr. Kwan — he treats her with deep, slightly formal respect. She’s the only crew member he addresses with honorifics.

Series arc

Sky House’s interest in him will become explicit. He’ll be offered a path he doesn’t want and isn’t sure he can refuse. His mother — who he hasn’t spoken to in three years — will reappear in a way he can’t ignore. The question of whether he can let himself be chosen by the people who’ve already chosen him is his arc.