Welcome to the highly secretive and heroic life of Yeong Ji Choe AKA Chilyoja (Korean Translation: "Healer").

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Born Korean-American in East Los Angeles, Yeong Ji's parents worked at least three jobs amongst themselves at any given time, from English as a Second Language (ESL) training to hotel staff management to local farmer's market operations (providing several dozen types of Korean foods, spices, meats and other types of unique Korean delicacies). Her parents work feverishly and most always leave to go to work before 4am and don't come back home until after 8pm everyday. Yeong Ji's oldest sibling, Mau, was left with the responsibility of taking care and raising the rest of the brothers and sisters (seven total). Yeong Ji is the 3rd oldest.

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Although workaholics, Yeong Ji's parents did try their best to be good parents, but mostly, good people. They volunteer for everything, help everyone and never ask for help. Her fellow siblings have been taught to enact the same way, however, Yeong Ji wasn't wanting to follow the herd; she was ready to go full-blown American lifestyle - clubs, parties, kissing boys, dancing to K-POP music and being a social media celebrity in the process on her Ya!Go! Social Media viral videos.  By age 14, Yeong Ji was a true public high school popular celebrity, one that everyone wanted to know of and be with.  At home, Yeong Ji was just the opposite; contrite, dutiful, submissive and respectful. Away from home, she wore modern short skirts and clothes, flirted with boys, danced in the halls, posting live video chats all day long and being a very selfish and standard modern teenager.  All that changed when her school became victim to another mass shooting.

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One day, Yeong Ji, while in class, heard the school's alarm system identify for an active shooter on campus. As such, the students were all forced to hide in closets and under tables with their classroom door locked from the inside, lights off. That didn't stop the 17-year old psychotic teenage shooter who'd had enough 'un-american' stuff happening in 'his' school. He and one of his fellow teenage shooter friends broke into the classroom and rounded up anyone 'not Caucasian', segregated them and were about to start shooting them...that is,  until Yeong Ji broke into action.

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Never in a fight in her life (well, except amongst her brothers and sisters, but does that really count?), Yeong Ji, without hesitation, karate-kicked the one kid about to shoot the segregated students and doing a cartwheel, grabbed a textbook and smashed the other shooter in the face so hard, it broke the shooters nose. She took both their weapons and frisked them for other weapons, taking a small arsenal from them...and saved the day.  Yeong Ji was a true hero.

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Hours later, Yeong Ji's parents admonished her for daring to do what she did. She had 'no place' in attacking her 'insane' attackers and that her actions were an effrontery to her entire family clan. According to her father, no woman in 'his clan' was allowed to correct a man, even if the man was about to commit a capitol offense. To add to that, her parents also found out about Yeong Ji's unmitigated outside-of-home 'lifestyle', disrespectful demeanor and her Americanized style of clothes she'd change into and wear at school. Her father went totally 'Vesuvius' on her, according to Yeong Ji's account of their fight.  Yeong Ji was promptly kicked out of the house with only her cellphone and the clothes on her back, never allowed to return home, converse with any of her family or siblings, nor allowed to use her family name ever again. As such, Yeong Ji was now parentless, penniless and officially homeless.

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Yeong Ji walked the streets for most of the night (luckily not getting attacked, since she was in the 'bad' part of town) finally coming to a location she'd seen and heard about that was considered to be a homeless shelter. It was an abandoned East L.A. transit municipal warehouse that had been converted by a local teen into a place for the homeless and desperate to safely sleep, get fed and maybe even get a shower, donated clothes and maybe even some help in finding a job.  It was run by a teen she'd heard called "Saint Michael", a teen who was graduating as valedictorian that same year.  Once at the 'shelter', she was treated to a warm meal, and talked to with respect and kindness and given a cot to sleep on in the shelter area. She accepted and, for the first time ever, cried herself to sleep.

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The next morning, Yeong Ji was up early helping volunteer to prepare food and drinks in the cafeteria. She (always) was a hard worker but this was the first time she'd done anything like this outside of her tightly regimented Korean family's circle of control. She felt good helping feed the several dozen downtrodden that arrived for breakfast that morning. In fact, Yeong Ji felt so good about it (and since school was closed due to the shooting), she stayed there volunteering to help out for a cot in the evening.  Eventually, the 'Saint Michael' she'd heard of introduced himself to Yeong Ji as Michael Parks.  After both went over to help clean tables, they continued their discussion and talk. Yeong Ji had never talked seriously with a boy in her entire life yet felt comfortable enough to talk to Michael who was so open and friendly, she was more than happy to share her sadness and personal stories with him. They talked well into the night. When the finally left each other, Michael stated that it seemed to him she was happy helping others, but also was happy being herself and that maybe...that's what she needed to do; bring the yin and yang of her life and like the Korean symbol of their flag represented, 'make a whole of the two sides'.  Yeong Ji that night decided that Michael's advice was the right choice for her. 

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After once again helping out in the shelter that morning, Yeong Ji saw an old Korean woman she knew (who always seemed so spry and active for her age) from church who'd seemed sad and depressed. Yeong Ji went to her and asked if there was anything she could do for her. The old woman recognized Yeong Ji immediately and said she heard of what her parents did to her and of Yeong Ji's heroic actions at the school. The old woman was sad because the same thing happened to her when she was young and she was ostracized just the same, and hearing about what happened to Yeong Ji opened that sad chapter in her life to remember once again. She told Yeong Ji she had a special gift for her that she'd hoped to impart with her; a gift that was centuries old and meant the world to her...to give to Yeong Ji to use 'as a truly heroic Korean woman should'.  Yeong Ji courteously thanked the old woman, stating it was unfair to receive such a gift, only for the old woman to simply say 'this item has been handed down from generation to generation in exactly this same way for this exact same reason' and that Yeong Ji should now 'take on the responsibility' she was now ready to accept in her new chapter in her life.  The old woman kissed her kindly on the forehead, said a Korean blessing to her and slowly walked away...almost seemingly looking older and more frail with each step she walked as she left.

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Yeong Ji kept the item the old woman gave her. It was a mask. An very old, wooden mask painted in pink and white (Yeong Ji's favorite colors).  Without any further concern, Yeong Ji placed the mask aside with a handful of things that had been donated/provided to her while at her stay at the shelter.  Later that night, Young Ji sat alone in a corner of the old warehouse...and tried on the mask so that she could take a selfie of herself (her first use of her cell phone since she was kicked out of her home). When she placed the mask on her face, strangely enough, it stayed in place; it didn't require a strap or wire to stay on; it seemed to lightly adhere to her skin, but nowhere near like duct tape, but instead, like a the sticky-surface of a sticky note. She could easily remove it however it did take a slight bit of effort for it to come off slowly. While Yeong Ji wore this mask, she felt energized and euphoric. When she took it off, she seemed...normal.  While sitting there looking at the mask in her hands, one of the shelter aides asked if Yeong Ji could help 'clean up a mess' one of the homeless left in the cafeteria area. She agreed to help, bringing the mask along with her.

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While swabbing the floors and cleaning the mess in the cafeteria, Yeong Ji had her cellphone playing a K-POP song as she mopped the floors. She got into the beat of the music while mopping and actual put the mask on, acting like some 'masked singer' from a TV show series.  Incredibly, she felt energized again, now dancing like she'd never danced before, acrobatically jumping from table to table, swinging from lights and landing with grace, all the while feeling like she could take on the world. By the time she was done with the song, she was balancing herself on the top end of the mop with one foot, like some professional Olympic athlete on a balance beam. Much to her own surprise, when an older woman volunteer at the shelter came around the corner and saw Yeong Ji's amazing balancing act, the older woman literally grabbed at her chest and commenced having a heart attack.

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Yeong Ji was practically in shock seeing the older volunteer woman fall over from a heart attack. Regardless, with the motions of what you'd think would be that of a trained paramedic (and Olympic athlete), Yeong Ji dismounted from the mop's handle like an agile cat, landing right next to the dying woman's body, crouched down to try and help her. Yeong Ji cried out for help, but everyone seemed to be moving in slow motion (as one's perspective seems to be in crises such as this).  Yeong Ji tried to comfort the woman, asking what she could do for her, only to see the life slipping from the old woman's eyes. Yeong Ji grabbed at the old woman's hands, attempting to utter a Korean prayer of salvation to her...and that's when Yeong Ji's hands and body began to glow a soft pink glow; a glow that seemed to travel right into the old woman's body.  Two seconds later, the old woman sat straight up from the floor, seemingly unharmed, unhurt and no longer showing any signs of having a heart attack.  The old woman called Yeong Ji an 'angel of healing'. The old lady got back onto her feet, almost as if nothing was ever wrong with her, and went back to the main office, testing her pulse and taking some medication from her purse. The crowd of gathering 'altered' folks stood staring at Yeong Ji in her mask, asking her if she was some type of 'superhero'.  Trying to figure out what had just happened,  Yeong Ji mindlessly uttered the word "Chilyoja", which means 'Healer" in Korean. Minutes later, everyone dispersed, including Yeong Ji who climbed up onto the warehouse's roof (like an Olympic gymnast) to take in what happened. She realized only then she was still wearing the mask she'd been given.

 

It was the mask.

 

It somehow, someway had magical healing properties that allowed it's wearer to impart to help 'heal' or 'mend' people's injuries or conditions, as well as somehow provide the wearer with an energized physical state, allowing the wearer to perform amazing feats of agility and grace.

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The mask.

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She had to go find the old Korean woman from her church that gave her the mask and give it back to her...or at least find out about what this crazy, possibly magical, mask really was and what it could truly do other than stop heart attacks.

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After a day's worth of investigating and querying the neighborhood locals, Yeong Ji finally found the home of the old Korean woman. Sadly, the old Korean woman had died that previous night, only being found by a neighbor a mere 1/2 hour before Yeong Ji shoed up at the old woman's home.  Yeong Ji was able to catch a glimpse of the old Korean woman being taken out of her home by the coroner. The old KOrean woman looked liked she'd seriously aged overnight, looking more like she was over 200 years old...and desiccated to top that. The neighbors confirmed that no one knew of any family she had or what her real age was, only that she'd come from Korean after the Korean War with her G.I. husband. Her husband, an American military veteran from the Korean War, had died only days before and strangely enough, as stated by the neighbors, the husband, when they removed his body from the house, looked the same way as his wife at death  - looking hundreds of years old and like a desiccated corpse. Something seemed strange about this whole thing and Yeong Ji was not about to let any of this go.

 

After doing some research at the town library (she did do well in school), Yeong Ji discovered the old woman had a Korean Army 'classified' file (all in Korean writing) come up in an online YaGo! Search for her name, dating back to1953...back at the end of the Korean War.  Nonetheless, with no way to access the file, Yeong Ji continued searching for more info, only to conclude in a researcher's dead end. Even the 'classified' file path Yeong Ji had found before had now mysteriously disappeared and could no longer but found. The old Korean woman was truly a mystery...but the mask...the mystery of what the mask was is what Yeong Ji needed to figure out next.

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That night, Yeong Ji snuck into a Korean hospital in East L.A.. Not wearing the mask but bringing it with her, she went from room to room seeing the state of the hospital patients. In one room, she heard the labored breathing of an old Korean woman; breathing that sounded like she was struggling to take each breath as her last. Yeong Ji went into the woman's room and asked the old woman if she wanted to be helped, and if so, would she be willing for Yeong Ji to try something to help her live and/or breathe better.  The old woman willfully nodded repeatedly indicating she wanted to live. Putting on her new mask, Yeong Ji once again attempted the same thing she did the night before, and as if on cue, the pink auras began emanating from the mask, through Young Ji's body and hands and into the old woman in her sickbed. Seconds later, the old woman's labored breathing stopped, and instead the old woman sat up and breathed a deep, sound breathe like that of a young person awaking from a long night's sleep.

 

The once-dying woman had now been healed thanks to Young Ji and her magical mask.

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Sadly, the more Yeong Ji tried to use the mask to heal others, the less it was able to do.  She'd helped over a dozen people in the hospital, however, the last several seemed to progressively not get 'as' healed, seeming more like a down-sliding scale of 10% less healing per person thereon, until basically she couldn't heal them at all. Realizing there were limits to her mask's powers, she left the hospital. The hospital cited the next day about terminally ill patients that had been miraculously cured by what the patients identified simply as an 'angel' who'd visited them.  The media buried the story on page 22 of the newspapers and barely gave it a mention in online news.

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For the next few days, Yeong Ji went from hospital to hospital doing the same thing, getting the same results. If she was lucky, she might be able to heal a few more than a dozen patients, pending on their medical severity and/or condition.  Each time she did this, however, she felt drained and weak. She quickly realized that her body, as well as the mask, had limits with this new powers.

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Still staying at the warehouse shelter, Yeong Ji was cornered by Michael Parks one afternoon. He told her that he'd been told of what Yeong Ji did for the staff volunteer woman who had the heart attack days before, and that Yeong Ji was the one who saved her life with 'powers'.  He told her he was told about Yeong Ji's 'balancing act' and the 'pink light of healing' she'd done. Before Yeong Ji could try to refute anything, Michael flexed his arm, making a radiant golden magic-like translucent shield emanate from his forearm. He explained to her he had 'abilities' as well, and wondered if she'd be willing to use her powers to help save and protect others, much like he and a couple other local people with amazing skills and abilities wanted to do.  She happily agreed to help, but only so long as she could keep her family name from the media or others; she'd already unintentionally shamed her family once and was unwilling to compound her transgression; she'd have to do under an alias of some type of superhero codename. Michael agreed with her and together along with Michael's other special friends, went and got registered the next day, becoming their own teenage East L.A. hero team known as "Hardcorps".

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Today, using her official superhero codename as 'Chilyoja' (even though her roommate, Blaize, still likes calling her 'Healz' instead), Yeong Ji continues being a member of Hardcorps. She still lives at the shelter with the others in her team. The only time Yeong Ji enacts like her old contrite self is in the presence of any Korean elders and statesmen/women, otherwise, she'd be easily no more noticeable that an high-energy teenage American girl who loves social media, dancing and helping others. She has yet to talk to her parents since she was kicked out of her home, but has, on several occasions, talked with her siblings in secret, making sure they are all okay (which they are, even though Yeong Ji's father has become more angry and reclusive since he kicked out Yeong Ji).

 

She is friendly, kind and courteous, however, in a fight, she is street tough and doesn't pull her punches (which she now knows how to fight thanks to her roommate Blaize showing her how to street fight).  She in kind of boy-crazy, but she doesn't 'sleep around' either.  She rarely takes off the mask anymore but when she does, it's usually in privacy or amongst her teammates.  She no longer goes by her formal name of Yeong Ji, but when forced to give a name while she's 'out of mask' she gives them a fake name of Hana Won ("One"). Otherwise, she is seemingly carefree, spirited and energetic, and willing to help out others, no matter their place in society.

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On a side note, Yeong Ji has discovered that the eldest brother, Mau, has since 'left' home, leaving one night in a fit of anger at his parents, vowing to never come back home.  He left messages to his siblings that he is done with the parents' archaic, pathetic ways and has moved on to gain his own fortune and start his own family; a family free of ancient cultural taboos and systems. He also mentioned to them that he now understands why Yeong Ji left when she did. The third eldest girl, now 16, is in charge of the remaining family children...including a new sibling born last year...a sibling Yeong Ji has yet to meet or see....or even know its name or sex.

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