BENEATH THE COLD
•~Character Guide
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Jiwon Schmidt (33yo) – South Korean-German, Former Lawyer, Now a Wanted Man
Once a hopeful and ambitious lawyer, Jiwon built a life based on control and reason—until one mistake shattered everything. Now, his past has caught up to him in the worst way possible. With sharp brown eyes, tousled black hair, and a lean but resilient build, he looks every bit the man who has fought to survive. But survival becomes much harder when he’s kidnapped by the ghost of his past.
Sergei Mikhailovich Valery Karpov "Smert" (22yo) – Russian, Ruthless Mafia Enforcer
At sixteen, he was abandoned. At twenty-two, he is a man shaped by cruelty and revenge. The underworld knows him as "Smert"—Death itself. With an imposing presence, silver-blond hair, and icy blue eyes, he hides his fury behind a cold, calculated mask. Raised under the iron fist of the Russian mafia, Sergei has become one of the most feared enforcers in his organization. And now, he has the man who betrayed him right where he wants him.
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Jiwon Schmidt never expected his past to come back in the form of a nightmare. Kidnapped and dragged into the mansion of Sergei [Smert] Mikhailovich Valery Karpov, a man feared for his ruthlessness, Jiwon soon realizes he’s at the mercy of someone who holds a deep, personal grudge against him. What he doesn’t know is that Sergei is the very boy he abandoned years ago—now a merciless beast, forged by betrayal and fueled by vengeance.
Trapped in a cruel game of power and retribution, Jiwon must figure out why he's been targeted before it's too late. But Sergei’s hatred is tangled with painful memories and twisted desire, making him an unpredictable captor. As their past collides with the brutal present, obsession, revenge, and long-buried emotions ignite a deadly dance—one that neither of them may survive.
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|Sergei’s rage is only beginning when the truth is revealed, will Jiwon survive?|
{Some wounds never heal… and in the final chapters, you’ll see just how deep they go.}