Welcome to Aurora Bay, [ARABELLA "BELLA" PARK]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [HAN SO HEE]. You must be the [TWENTY-FIVE] year old [MED STUDENT]. Word is you’re [HARDWORKING] but can also be a bit [RETICENT] and your favorite song is [BACKBURNER BY NIKI]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [AURORA BAY TOWERS]. // @aurorabayaesthetic
CHARACTER BASICS
NAME: arabella park NICKNAME: bella, bells to the people she's close with AGE: twenty-four DATE OF BIRTH: december 21, 1998 ZODIAC SIGN: capricorn GENDER & PRONOUNS: cisfemale, she/her ORIENTATION: pansexual STATUS: single HEIGHT: 5′3″ OCCUPATION: 1st year med student/part-time cashier at aurora candy shop NEIGHBORHOOD: aurora bay towers
BIOGRAPHY:
due to the 1997 asian financial crisis, her parents used their savings to migrate to the united states to escape the economic crisis that swept their homeland in pursuit of a brighter future for themselves and their growing family. they settled in the small town of aurora bay, where her father took on various jobs to make ends meet, while her mother assumed the role of a dedicated homemaker, looking after her older brother and ensuring their small family had a stable foundation. a year later, arabella was born.
from her earliest memories, arabella could recall the heart-wrenching sounds of her mother crying and the screams that reverberated through their home. despite her father's determination to provide for the family, he harbored a temper that cast shadows over their supposedly serene existence. whenever he's struggling to pay their bills or got laid off from his job, her mother took the brunt of his frustrations. but nonetheless, her mother always kept up a smile on her face and acted like everything was fine.
she couldn't remember how old she was when it all began, but it felt like a never-ending nightmare whenever her father got drunk. she remembered being a little kid hiding in the closet with her brother, her mother's whispered assurance that that they're just playing hide and seek and that she shouldn't come out until their mom comes to find them. she hated that closet, but at the same time, it felt like a safe space for her.
the turning point came when arabella was around thirteen years old--her father's misguided attempts to make quick money through gambling had resulted in mounting debts that threatened their very home. in one fateful night, he came home looking anxious and beaten as he packed their bags with a manic urgency. her mother, desperately trying to reason with him, received no response to her inquiries about his sudden behavior.
it wasn't even an hour later when the cops came barging into their house to arrest her father for the alleged murder of a colleague at work, a man to whom he owed a significant debt. her dad vehemently pleaded that it was an accident, but the evidence suggested premeditation and he was charged with murder.
the moment the cops arrived to arrest her father, all bella felt was a surreal blend of relief and uncertainty. with her dad removed from the picture, she thought that life might finally get easier for them. yet, life would prove that challenges persisted, taking on different forms.
to pay her father's debts, they were forced to sell their home in fisher's cove, relocating to a one-bedroom apartment in oceancrest. her mother tirelessly juggled multiple jobs to put food on their table. at school, arabella's solitude deepened; since she was already a quiet child to begin with, the news of her father's arrest made her even more of an outcast among her peers. she could feel the whispers and stares, but she buried herself in her studies, consistently ranking at the top of her class. her only competition was jackson ellis, a fellow student who soon became a friend and a source of support, rather than a rival.
they were pretty much opposites when it came to their upbringing, but somehow, the two of them fitted perfectly. he became her refuge, the first person she fell in love with, and eventually, her first boyfriend. knowing what he has gone through with his father also made her even more protective of him, wanting to shield him from that even though she has no means to do so other than caring for him in the best way she can. they remained together throughout high school until a family crisis called arabella away. her grandmother had been diagnosed with cancer, and her mother decided to return to south korea to care for her.
her college years felt like a fresh start for the girl as she moved to seoul after receiving a scholarship from seoul national university; she slowly came out of her shell and has grown less timid now. she's still reserved and closed off for the most part, but she has learned how to somehow make friends even if she still kept most of them at arm's length. it was also around this time that her grandmother passed, which only fueled her determination to pursue a career in medicine.
after earning her undergraduate degree in molecular biology and biotechnology, arabella took a few gap years to work and save money for her medical studies. she applied to different companies and after a few months, she got an offer from one in aurora bay. without really thinking it through, she packed her bags and moved back to the place she once called home.
she didn't really mean for it to happen, but seeing jackson once again ignited the feelings she had never truly let go of. even in college, she never had a boyfriend or girlfriend even if that was around the time that she realized that she liked girls as well. her studies were her priority at that time that she didn't really have much time to go out on dates.
learning that jackson was now in a committed relationship, she ought to have stayed away from him--but the attraction between them was too powerful for her to resist and she simply couldn't deny her feelings for him. the first time they've allowed themselves to cross that line, well she didn't exactly expect them to be caught by his girlfriend. she felt guilty about it, but not guilty enough to stop whatever was going on between them.
after jackson and liza broke up, the two began an affair that was kept a secret. they were in their own little world for awhile, but that bubble was popped once more when bella got an offer from a university in europe that would fund her research to continue her undergraduate thesis for a year in hopes of it getting published. it was too good of an opportunity to pass up, so bella ended up taking it.
a year later, bella found her way back to aurora bay to start her first year as a med student and is now living in the aurora bay towers since it was cheaper to stay there. she's still a broke student and is working a part time job in aurora candy parlor while also looking for different scholarships to apply for.
WANTED CONNECTIONS
childhood friends (she probably didn't have many since she mostly kept to herself but i would love a few)
her older brother
a roommate
people who weren't exactly that nice to her during high school because of what happened to her dad
neighbours in aurora bay towers
study buddies or soon to be study buddies at least
crush/crushing on her
new friends/old friends
a summer fling she had during her college years where your muse could have taken a vacation in south korea or something and that's how they met
bella just literally got back to aurora bay during the night of the rave so i would love love some fresh new connections for her. however, she spent her childhood in aurora bay and has been around here a year or so ago as well so there could be some old connections there as well. if you'd like to plot with her, just give this a like and ill come to you for plotting.
CURRENT CONNECTIONS
ex boyfriend: jackson ellis
new friends: asher ortiz
med school buddy: ariel davis
estranged father (doesn't really know he's her father): elijah seok
