| “ | It makes everyone happy. And that makes me happy. So I guess it's some kind of self-satisfaction?
— Stephen Ahn to Gray Yeon, Episode 27
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” |
Stephen Ahn (안수호, Ahn Suho; "Suho Ahn") was Gray Yeon's classmate and best friend in Byuksan Middle School. He was a model student and an unfortunate set of incidents lead to him being hospitalized and caused Gray to eventually end up enrolling at Eunjang High School.
Appearance
Stephen is quite handsome, at the time he was seen as a model student and was very well-known for his grades and attractiveness. Although his height is unknown, because he is taller Gray his height is most likely around 170 cm or about 5' 5" during middle school. He has short auburn hair with bangs that cover his forehead. His eye color appears to be orange, leaning towards brown at certain parts.
History
Stephen liked to help others and bring joy to their lives,[1] to the extent that some questioned whether his intentions were genuine as he was seen to not have the need to do so due to his standard of living.[2] This led to Stephen and Gray sitting with Bryce Oh during a lunch break after noticing him all alone.[1] Towards Stephen, Bryce was at first admirable of him but that soon spiraled to hatred due to his inferiority complex.[3][4]
With Bryce gradually becoming a delinquent and hanging out with Oswald Yang and bullying other students,[5] Stephen became his main target of jealously and hatred. As such, Stephen quickly became the main target of ceaseless bullying from the delinquents of their classroom, which was common knowledge to everyone except Gray. Stephen, in his efforts to protect his best friend, pulled away from Gray and shouldered the burden alone.[4] His classmates silently mocked him calling him “Tape-man”[5] and, through a group chat, teased his use of a giant safety pin[2] and his relationship with Gray, which they regarded as suspect of something more than just friendship. These classmates remained bystanders to the violence and bullying that was committed against him.
During all of this, there was an upcoming Olympiad that Gray was attending.[1]
Later on, before a test, Oswald said that if Stephen was to score the lowest in the class, the bullying would stop.[4] However, Stephen clearly announced his utter resilience to the bullies by both being first in the entire school and receiving a perfect grade of a hundred.[2] It was suggested he did this in order to protect Gray as well from bullying. On this day, after Gray was called to attend the Olympiad, Stephen was called to the roof of the school.[6]
In a series of unseen events, Stephen ended up falling four stories from the school roof while the bullies had looked on.[6] It was never fully clarified whether the bullies pushed him off or if he had tripped, or some other incident occurred.
Later, Gray saw him in the hospital on life support, and according to the doctor, “the patient... sustained serious brain damage/the chances of him returning to a normal level of health are low/he will definitely live, but it looks like he won’t be able to live normally… for the rest of his life...”[6]
Stephen Ahn’s last location and status were mentioned through the hospital where he had been moved to another hospital due to the limited treatment options and the need for his family to remove themselves from that area.[7]
Plot
Episode 6
As Gray bashes Evan's face with a textbook, he thinks to the day late in the last summer, in which he swore to never lose again: a flashback shows Stephen, heavily bandaged, lying in a hospital bed.
Episode 26
Stephen watches Gray calmly studying as the class goes crazy around him due to a fight having broken out. Stephen recalls that he's seen him a lot at the podium in freshman year; he placed in various events while Gray was always awarded for his excellent grades. He notes that Gray is reckless since he writes to the point where his fingers blister.
Stephen approaches Gray and greets him. He asks why Gray is so hellbent on studying. He knows that Byuksan Middle School is number one for science high school admissions, and asks Gray if he's busting his ass to reach his goal of getting into a science high school. Gray answers "yeah" but Stephen calls him out as a liar.
Stephen tells Gray that he's not studying because of any clear goal he has. Gray wonders if Stephen really knows something or if he's just throwing it out there. Stephen asks Gray if he knows about Great Hunger. Stephen then jokes that he can't get first place in class for once due to Gray, but Gray notes how Stephen isn't even second place. Gray notes how Stephen was a peculiar guy who talked without a filter and was honest and straight to the point, and he had a pure curiosity towards others.
Stephen tells Gray that he can be first place if he wants to be. Gray doesn't consider Stephen to be in his field of competition due to Stephen being in 23rd place. Stephen points at a blank space on Gray's paper and tells him about it. Gray notes that Stephen is correct but the problem Gray was working on wasn't even in their class' curriculum. Gray still thinks Stephen is spewing nonsense, but on the next monthly exam Stephen scored first place, beating Gray.
Episode 27
A student mentions to his friend that his class doesn't have to worry about tardy fees because Stephen covers all class expenses through winning academic competitions and donating the prize money.
After the next monthly exam, Stephen is no longer first place and is back to his usual ranking in the twenties. Gray notes that Stephen seems to see school as nothing more than a playground. The two continue to hang out with each other and Gray begins to be influenced by Stephen without realizing it.
Stephen is asking his homeroom teacher to sign off on a district supported business application, but Mr. Bang thinks it’s worthless and a waste of time. Stephen says the class already qualifies for it and he’s already filled out all the necessary papers except for the teacher’s signature. Ms. Lee offers to sign it instead.
Gray and Stephen are at Gray’s house playing Takkan. Gray easily beats Stephen and reveals that he memorized the entire manual. Stephen says it was random character luck but Gray smiles and says that luck is part of skill too.
Later, Stephen shows Gray a safety pin and demonstrates that by clipping it onto his pants, his pants don’t drop even without a belt. Gray asks Stephen what he’s trying to do by donating all his prize money and getting all kinds of support from the district program. Stephen says that since it makes everyone happy, it makes him happy, and that it was some kind of self-satisfaction. He tells Gray that he can tell him all about it because he feels like he’s the only one who could understand all of him for who he is.
Gray realizes that Stephen, who had the maturity and impartiality unlike any other middle schooler, was the one who completely filled the hole in his heart.
When Gray and Stephen are watching students from other classes getting scolded for not paying lunch fees. Stephen tells Gray that there are a lot of kids that are tight on money. Gray mentions that there aren’t any in their class, but a flashback shows Stephen requesting his prize money to be used for financial support for class expenses, including overdue lunch fees.
Mr. Bang has an antipathy for Stephen and sees Stephen helping out his classmates as just annoying extra work. Stephen’s background isn’t the kind the teacher feels he’ll benefit from if he helped him compared to the other students with wealthy parents.
During lunch, as Gray and Stephen grab their food and are looking for a table, Stephen asks Gray if he’s entering the Olympiad, to which Gray confirms. Gray inquires as to why Stephen isn’t signing up and Stephen says there’s no prize money. Stephen notices Bryce Oh sitting alone and says they should sit there. Stephen happily greets Bryce and says they should eat together.
Episode 28
Bryce Oh, who is shy and quiet, puts in a continuous effort to hang out with Gray and Stephen. Gray doesn’t care about Bryce at first, but he and Stephen get used to the new addition to their friend group and they start hanging out regularly together. Bryce also begins to change.
Stephen is hanging up posters on the bulletin board, resulting in students mockingly calling him “Tapeman”. Bryce congratulates Gray on scoring first place on the monthly test and says that Stephen scoring first place was a fluke. He says that Stephen’s real place is in the lower-middle range. He says that Stephen feels so fucking fake. Stephen finishes up taping the posters and reminds Gray of the Takken revenge match. Two girls who also attend Byuksan fangirl over Gray and Stephen.
The next day, Bryce no longer wears his glasses and now gels his hair back. Stephen comments that Bryce’s new look is good, but Bryce seems more annoyed by him. After school, the three play Takken at Gray’s house. Bryce says that it’s boring and that they hang out like losers, to which Stephen proclaims to be the King of Losers. Bryce laughs at Stephen and says that he’s the dumbest out of the three of them, but Stephen just laughs along and brushes the insult off.
Stephen decides to study as if he were playing a game. Bryce also studies hard. The next monthly test reveals Stephen in first place, Gray in second place, and Bryce in thirteenth place. Bryce’s ego is scarred and becomes angry at Stephen, resulting in Bryce’s behavior negatively changing.
Bryce begins to bully students who rank lower than him in the power hierarchy. Stephen steps in to stop Bryce from bullying one of their classmates, Donny. Stephen tells Bryce to cut it out and that he should be nice to his friends. Gray notices Bryce’s angry expression, but it is revealed that he and Stephen failed to notice Bryce’s deranged ego.
Episode 29
Stephen notices that Gray is unable to find his performance evaluation homework. He scratches out his name from his own paper and gives it to Gray. Since he doesn't have a paper to turn in for himself, Stephen gets corporal punishment.
Sometime later, Gray is reading several martial arts and self-defense books and Stephen comments that he’s trying to be both brain and brawn. Gray says that he reads it for fun. Stephen mentions that it’s hard to see Bryce around lately, and Gray tells him that Bryce hangs out with Oswald’s squad and that he even smokes. Stephen says that doesn’t sound like Bryce.
Stephen goes over to Gray’s house to play some Takken. While showering, Stephen notices that Gray’s parents aren’t really around much. They play their revenge match and Gray wins in the end. Stephen waves goodbye as he leaves and starts to head home. He decides to walk to get some exercise instead of taking the bus.
In an alley, Stephen sees Bryce and greets him. He sees Donny beaten up and Oswald stealing Donny’s money.
Episode 30
Stephen asks Oswald what’s wrong with Donny, who is slumped on the ground and covered in blood and bruises. Stephen says that they should be nice to their friends. Oswald stands up and glares at Stephen, saying that he heard Stephen talking shit about him behind his back. He sees Stephen’s fake, virtuous, good guy act was rubbing him the wrong way.
Stephen says there must’ve been a misunderstanding and that he never said anything about Oswald to anyone. Oswald doesn’t believe him and Bryce claims that Stephen’s been talking shit about Oswald since way back. Oswald punches Stephen in the face and says that even if Bryce hadn’t told him about Stephen talking shit, he still hated Stephen before that.
Stephen wonders why Bryce hates him so much. Oswald beats up Stephen while Bryce smugly watches. Bryce didn’t care about the truth as long as he could repair his petty ego. Bryce hated those with gifts and just wanted to pull them down. The situation is amusing to him and that is all he cares for.
The next morning, Gray is shocked and asks what happened to Stephen. Stephen says it’s nothing and tells Gray to stay put if anything happens in the classroom. He tells Gray that he doesn’t want him to get roped into it. Stephen has a pained expression that Gray has never seen before and tries to mask it with a smile.
When Gray goes to the teacher's office because his name isn't on the Olympiad registration list, Oswald, Bryce, and Oswald’s lackey enter the classroom. Oswald pulls the chair out from under Stephen who was sleeping at his desk, sending him falling to the floor. Oswald raises his arm to hit Stephen and in the hallway, Gray has a bad feeling and looks back, worried about Stephen
Episode 31
Oswald raises his hand to hit Stephen and Stephen flinches. Oswald laughs and points out how terrified Stephen is. The entire class is too terrified to speak up or do anything. Oswald asks Stephen what happened to all the shit talking behind his back and to say that shit to his face. Bryce’s admiration for Stephen had turned into jealousy and then hostility and then to contempt, resulting in him telling lies to Oswald. The lies became facts and Stephen isn’t allowed a chance to prove his innocence and became an enemy of Oswald’s gang.
Oswald grabs Stephen by his hair and says that since Stephen said he could take him, then should they fight right now? Bryce says that Stephen only got first place because he copied Gray’s answers. Stephen wonders why Bryce is doing this to him and wonders why no one is stepping up to stop the bullying. He wonders why Oswald believes Bryce’s lies. He realizes that no one cared about what the truth was.
Stephen glares at Oswald and claims that he could beat him. In the face of the rage and violence of the group, Stephen chose to not even attempt to clear his name. Oswald and Bryce beat him up.
When they return to the classroom, Gray wonders where Stephen is. Gray receives a text from Stephen saying that he’ll go home early that day. Stephen begins to distance himself from Gray. Stephen is worried that if Gray stayed close to him, Gray would become the gang’s target as well. It is painful for Gray to watch Stephen slowly fall into a darker place. No matter how many times Gray asked, Stephen wouldn’t tell him about anything that was happening to him.
At a construction site at night, Oswald and his gang are bullying Stephen again. Oswald tells Stephen that if he can get last place on the upcoming test, he’ll leave him alone. Stephen limps away as he is dismissed.
Episode 32
Jeremy shows Gray the group chat made by Bryce that includes everyone in the class except for Gray and Stephen. The group chat insults Stephen and Gray and says there must be something going on between those two and calls them disgusting. Gray realizes that he and Stephen were oblivious to the fact that a majority of their classmates, under the lead of Bryce and Oswald, ridicules them in the group chat.
When class ends and Gray notices Stephen in a hurry to leave. He manages to catch up to him at the school entrance. Stephen tells Gray that he could be Oswald’s next target if he’s near him. Gray yells that he doesn’t care and doesn’t want Stephen to avoid him.
Stephen notices that Gray didn’t bring an umbrella and the two walk together for a bit. Stephen apologizes to Gray for getting him roped into the mess but Gray says it isn’t his fault. Stephen thinks he might break if Gray ends up getting hurt too and tells Gray that he’s good at taking hits and to not worry about it. He suggests some Takken after the Olympiad tomorrow.
Gray snaps and yells at Stephen to quit acting like he’s okay. He says his face is always covered in bandages and mentions the things everyone in class has been saying behind their backs. Stephen tells him it’s gonna be alright and thinks to himself that Gray becoming a target is his fault. He thinks that he needs to turn their eyes all towards himself so that they don’t target Gray. When their routes split, Stephen tosses the umbrella to Gray and runs off in the rain.
The next morning, Mr. Bang announces the monthly exam scores. He reveals to everyone that Stephen placed first in the entire school with a perfect score across all subjects, shocking the entire class. That moment sent chills throughout Gray’s entire body.
Episode 33
The first period class ends and Oswald is pissed off. He orders Stephen to go to the roof.
At the Olympiad, Gray begins his test and declares that he’ll be like Stephen and he won’t lose. Hours later, the Olympiad ends. Gray tries calling Stephen but it goes to voicemail. He notices he has several messages on Ketalk from Jeremy. Jeremy informs Gray that Stephen fell from the roof.
Not too long ago, a student rushed into the teachers’ lounge and shouted that Stephen fell from the roof. Oswald, Bryce, and Oswald’s lackey are all standing on the rooftop in disbelief, claiming that they were just trying to scare him. The teachers rush over and an ambulance takes Stephen away.
Oswald says that they only scared him and didn’t push him. He says Stephen lost his balance and fell on his own. He tells Bryce and their friend that as long as their stories match, there shouldn’t be a problem and that he’ll call his dad, who’s a city representative, to help.
Just as Gray arrives at the hospital, the doctor tells Stephen’s mom that Stephen sustained serious brain damage and that for now, the chances of him returning to a normal level of health are low. Other than life support, there aren’t any other clear options that will guarantee results. He will definitely live but he won’t be able to live normally for the rest of his life.
Gray silently stands by Stephen’s side for an hour with a blank face. Gray wonders that just like how Gray saw a light in Stephen, did Stephen also see a light in him, or was he lonely in his own world. Gray falls to his knees on the sidewalk and breaks down into sobs.
Episode 34
In the principal’s office, Oscar Yang and the school admin decide to not make the incident a larger problem. They don’t think Stephen’s mom will cause any trouble as long as they choose their words carefully. Since there isn’t any solid evidence of Oswald Yang’s involvement, they declare that Stephen fell on his own.
In the teacher’s lounge, Ms. Lee thinks it doesn’t make any sense how Stephen is in a coma but the culprits only get off with three days of in-school community service.
Two months later, when Gray returns to school, Oswald Yang and his posse arrive at the classroom and notice Gray’s presence. Oswald says that since Stephen isn’t around, he’s been bored. He jokes that maybe he should visit him at the hospital to see if he’ll come back from death at the sight of them.
Episode 36
Gray repeatedly slaps Bryce and demands to know why Bryce did that to Stephen.
Some students tell Gray to stop and that he’s going too far, but Gray coldly orders them to get their hands off of him. He tells them that they should have tried to stop it when Oswald’s gang was bullying Stephen, calling his classmates out on their cowardice as their trying to stop Gray only tells him that Oswald’s gang was too intimidating to try to stop, but he isn’t. He tells them not to touch him unless they want to also get beaten.
Episode 37
Gray goes to Gangnam General Hospital but the front desk informs him that Stephen was transferred to another hospital because his treatment options were very limited at Gangnam General and Stephen’s mom wanted to leave the place as well. Gray no longer knows where Stephen is.
Ms. Lee calls Gray and tells him that she sent his award certificate by mail. She tells him that what happened to Stephen breaks her heart too but that Gray can’t let himself break down because of it and to be stronger and keep going.
Episode 86
After defeat Wolf Keum, Gray hallucinates Stephen running towards him. He asks where he has been. In reality, it is Ben running towards Gray.
Episode 92
While hospitalized after his fight with Wolf, Gray ruminates about his memories, especially those of Stephen.
Episode 100
At Eunjang, Gray goes to the rooftop and is no longer afraid. He thinks that it's strange that he feels much better now. He has an unexplainable yearning that can't be put into words. Eugene asks Gray if he's okay and Gray says he is. Gray tells him that they should get going or they'll be late. Eugene notices Gray has a new bag and, weirdly, a giant safety pin. It is the safety pin that belonged to Stephen.
Episode 129
Gray mentions to Eugene and Teddy that he had a friend (Stephen) who was accepted into a local program before, and he regrets never helping him back then.
Episode 144
Wesley is upset because his grades dropped, he was kicked out of the elite class, and he's unqualified for the special mock exam. He has an idea on how to get back at Gray for embarrassing him and takes a photo of the back of his friend's head with a similar hairstyle and hair color as Stephen, and edits the photo to look realistic.
Episode 145
Gray receives a text from an unknown number with the photo Wesley had photoshopped. The texts claim that Stephen works part-time at a market stall in Busan. Everyone has a trigger point that incapacitates them from making rational judgments. Gray's trigger point is Stephen, and he believes the texts.
Episode 146
As Gray eats the soft boiled eggs Ben had brought, he remembers eating food with Stephen and letting him have all the eggs.
Episode 147
Ben and Gray arrive at Busan. Ben suggests showing a picture to people to ask if they’ve seen Stephen. Gray unlocks his phone and hands it to Ben; Ben notices that it must be hard for Gray to look at even a photo of him. Gray says it is the first time he’s opened his gallery since that day, but he feels a lot better now. Ben finds Stephen’s photo and thinks he’s pretty like a celebrity.
Episode 153
Gray receives texts from the unknown number claiming that he had sent them on a wild goose chase as a prank and says Stephen is dead. Ben angrily turns Gray’s phone off and asks if Gray’s okay. Gray says he thought it might’ve really bothered him forever and wanted to play dumb so it looked like he was listening to Ben’s suggestion. He thanks Ben for coming with him and says he’s okay now.
Episode 156
Gray remembers Stephen and decides that he won't stay in the back anymore. He won't let Ben take the weight all on his own.
Episode 180
A flashback shows City Representative Oscar Yang being accused of using insider info, which he did use. He asks his assistant if he dealt with Oswald and his assistant replies that there won't be any more trouble from Byuksan Middle School. The assistant says that the local residents and organizations are up in arms about the development project, and that it isn't going to blow over easily. Oscar Yang points out he bought the borderline areas outside of audit jurisdiction and bought everything under aliases. He says after two months, people will forget about it.
Stephen tells Gray that all people do things for a profit and claims that he’s probably the most important person to himself. He thinks that people should never cheat and exploit people for their own gain, and the fruits of one’s labor must always be respected. The flashback ends.
Episode 191
Gray says that Eugene might be interviewed for a local newspaper or two and remembers Stephen, whom Gray simply refers to as a weirdo, who went around doing interviews once.
Episode 267
At the end of the series, it is revealed that Stephen has been awake for an unknown amount of time and is able to stand and walk around without crutches. He works at a cafe at Donghae Rest Stop. When Jeremy's class has a field trip, Jeremy sees Stephen working at the cafe and informs Gray. Gray reunites with Stephen and Stephen is shocked to see him. It is unknown why Stephen never contacted Gray after waking up.
Relationships
Gray Yeon
Stephen and Gray were best friends. He cared deeply for Gray, believing him to be one of the only individuals capable of understanding him. When the bullying begins, he distances himself from Gray in order to protect him. When Gray finds out about the harassment, Stephen continues to distance himself despite the pain it causes both of them because the thought of Gray being hurt by the bullies was an even more unbearable thought. Stephan's fate continues to traumatize Gray in high school, as shown by his rooftop trigger. In contrast, Gray is often reminded of his happiness in his friendship with Stephen when he begins to develop his relationships with his new high school friends.
Bryce Oh
Stephen was the first to approach Bryce after seeing him eating by himself. He treated Bryce kindly and considered him to be a friend. However, Stephen was naive and didn't notice that Bryce never truly cared about him and Gray; Bryce simply didn't want to be alone. The moment Bryce had the chance to hang with the cooler kids, Oswald Yang's gang, he took it. Having an inferiority complex towards Stephen, who is considered attractive by Byuksan's female students and managed to score higher than Bryce when he actually put in effort to study for the monthly exam, Bryce fed lies to Oswald to target Stephen. He showed zero remorse about Stephen falling from the roof and only showed fear when he had to face Gray after the latter defeated Oswald Yang and the other lackey.
Jeremy Park
Jeremy was never close to Stephen on, but he was never malicious towards him. When Oswald Yang created a secret group chat where everyone in class secretly insulted Stephen and Gray, Jeremy showed it to Gray, despite the entire class having been told to keep it a secret from them. Jeremy also informed Gray when Stephen fell from the roof while Gray was away at the Olympiad. In high school, when his school was on a field trip and stopped by Donghae Rest Stop, Jeremy recognized Stephen as the barista at the cafe and informed Gray of his whereabouts to reunite the two.
Abilities
Mental
Stephen was supremely intelligent. Whereas an exceptional student like Gray Yeon had to study incessantly to achieve similar grades, Stephen was able to attain the highest scores in tests with seemingly minimal effort.
Physical
Stephen was never seen actually fighting back because he thought that he need to draw attention away from Gray, effectively letting himself be a victim. He was seen as fit and athletic so it can be assumed that he would have been able to hold his own in a basic fight and depending on the situation, it is quite possible that he could have won. But beyond what we've heard from other character, not much is known about Stephen's physical abilities and it is unlikely that we will see them in action.
However, after falling from the rooftop, the doctor stated, "For now, the chances of him returning to a normal level of health are low...It looks like he won't be able to live normally for the rest of his life." which means that he most likely has long lasting side effects due to the severe brain damage.
Gallery
Quotes
| “ | Whatever it is though, Gray, I can tell you about all of it. For some reason, I feel like you're the one who could understand me, all of me, for who I am,
— Stephen to Gray, Episode 27
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” |
| “ | Check this out. Ta da—it's a pin for mattress sheets I snagged. Just clip this on and the pants don't drop even without a belt.
— Stephen to Gray. Episode 27
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” |
| “ | I'm just fine right now, you know. You know how good I am at taking hits
— Stephen to Gray, Episode 32
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” |
| “ | I need to bring their attention to myself, completely. So they won't have a chance to look at you, Gray.[2]
— Stephen to Gray, Episode 32
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” |
Trivia
- Oftentimes, the translators misspell Stephen's name as Stephan.
- In most of Gray's flashbacks, Stephen's face is never clearly shown to the viewer.
- Stephen likes soft-boiled eggs and Chinese food.
- According to an interview with Seopass, Stephen is the titular Weak Hero.
- It is unknown why Stephen never contacted Gray after waking up.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Chapter 27
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Chapter 32
- ↑ Chapter 30
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Chapter 31
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Chapter 28
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Chapter 33
- ↑ Chapter 37