Lee Taemin

History

  BIOGRAPHY    somewhere in the land of mistria, nestled in the meadow valley bordering the edge of the forest, stood a lone homestead overlooked by the pines that stood watch overhead. at its heart was a quaint little cottage enshrouded by twisting vines, colorful flower blossoms and gorgeous blooming foliage, with ivy-laden arbors and flickering blue lanterns strung up in the branches of the willows and dogwoods.it was here, within this tranquil little corner of the earth some generations ago, that the lee family had taken root. through their compassionate love and labor, they had nurtured a gentle home for mistria’s fallen.theirs were the hands that buried the dead when others could not. theirs were the arms that cradled those left behind in comfort. it was because of their quiet, attentive care that their name rose to prominence.lee taemin understood the shape and language of loss before be understood the characters of his own name. he learned from his mother how to wash and prepare the bodies of the departed before he could read; he helped his father tend to the graves before he could keep a fire lit in the hearth by himself overnight.and yet, even those who selflessly live to watch over the fallen are not exempt from the eventuality of succumbing to the same inevitable fate.his father passed away first, suddenly, from an ailment unknown even to the finest medical practitioners mistria had to offer.his mother had been distraught, so overcome by her grief that the duty and responsibility of burying her spouse had fallen onto taemin’s shoulders. he’d barely entered his ninth winter, and yet, he had not faltered, nor had he cried, for neither of those things were luxuries he was able to afford.his mother fell six years later. heart failure, the physicians said.they tried for hours to revive her, from simple chest compressions to high-end medicinal drips found only at the larger scale establishments within the town centre. she was pronounced dead after several hours.once more, the duty of carrying his parent to the grave fell upon his shoulders.during the ceremony, he remained eerily steady, holding his younger sisters tightly as they sobbed against his chest. it wasn't until later, long after the sun had set, after he'd tucked the girls into their beds, that he crumbled in his own room.at just fifteen, he was pushed into a role of guardianship he was not ready for and forced to take the mantle in his parents' absence. he has hardly uttered a word since then.after the passing of his mother, taemin threw himself into his work. he tended to the graves and the gardens, shouldering the responsibility of the keepers while learning to survive and provide for his young sisters and, eventually, his young daughter. there had been no time to mourn or to grieve. not when there were people who were depending on him. so he held it in, even when it was clear that something inside him was breaking.his silence became the cornerstone of the hallowed grove graveyard. he cared for his daughter and sisters by day and looked over the graves by night. gone were the quiet lullabies and whispered prayers of peace for the departed, replaced instead with something quieter. something sadder.whenever he visits town nowadays, it always stirs up a myriad of whispers. anyone who's lived in mistria long enough knows of the tragedy that befell the lee household and the sacrifices taemin made just to give his daughter and sisters a comfortable life. he rarely shows himself unless it's for supplies, and he prefers to keep it that way as much as he can.

✿ฺ as this character is for an alternate universe, the mun has taken some creative liberties with his information. this is a fictional portrayal and in no way representative of the idol faceclaim.