S044 - Nguyen, Karen

#1

Name: Karen Nguyen
Gender: Female
Age: 18
Grade: 12th
School: John Endecott Memorial Academy
Hobbies and Interests: Shojo manga, makeup, listening to music (pop, classical), cute animals

Appearance: Karen is a slim, petite Vietnamese-American girl, standing at 5’2”, and weighs 120 pounds. She has a heart-shaped face, pale brown skin, with narrow dark brown eyes, a small, slightly upturned nose, and thin lips. Her black hair is straight and reaches down past her shoulders.

In terms of fashion, her parents restrict her wardrobe to professional-looking or business attire, such as polos, blouses, khakis, slacks, and slip-on shoes. One the day of the abduction, Karen wore a gray long coat over a black blazer. Under that, she wore a white button-up shirt with a shirt pocket, a black miniskirt, black slip-on loafers, white knee-high socks, and a black tie.

Biography: Karen is the only child to Chi Nguyen, a Vietnamese immigrant, and Erika née Smith, an American businesswoman. The pair met at the law firm that Chi had transferred to, where they worked as lawyers. They struck up a kinship and later affection for each other. They later married in 2002, and one year later, Karen was born on December 1. Chi and Erika continue working at the law firm as husband-wife lawyers.

Karen’s upbringing was rather strict. Her parents wanted to ensure that she’d grow up to follow in their footsteps and become a lawyer, believing it to be the most accomplishing career choice. In order to do this, they had Karen enrolled in preschool as soon she turned three, hoping to give her a head start in her education. Karen didn’t mind at the time, since she enjoyed playing with other children. Karen was a social child, getting to know her fellow preschoolers and discovering new activities, like art, games, and reading.

In elementary school, Karen began to face pressure from her parents to do her best in her studies. Whenever she brought home grades that weren’t up to their standards, such as a C, she’d be restricted from playing with any toys she had, and watching TV. Feeling stressed at the thought of being grounded, this prompted Karen to make more of an effort to study harder. The better grades she brought home, the more free time Karen could attain. Her parents made sure to monitor her, to make sure she did her studying. This left her feeling nervous and annoyed, figuring her parents did not have faith in her to do well without their input.

During a trip to the local library as a kid, Karen discovered manga for the first time. What she picked out was a copy of Sailor Moon. She was fascinated by the art style and found the drawings inside beautiful. She wanted to take it home, but her father, having a low opinion of manga and comics in general, finding them ridiculous and childish, forbade it. That did not deter Karen’s curiosity however, as she discovered more manga in her school library. Since then, she has borrowed volumes from time to time and kept them in her desk or locker to read later. Some of her all-time favorite series include Fruits Basket and Sailor Moon. Reading manga gives her a sense of relief and relaxation from all the studying she does daily.

To help her focus on studying, Erika had Karen listen to classical music, believing it would help stimulate her. It seemed to work at first, as Karen consistently brought home good grades. Over time, Karen herself grew to appreciate it due to her results. However, as Karen grew older, she became more curious about other kinds of music. Whenever Karen is out shopping with her parents, she will listen to the radio station and listen out for any songs she liked. At school, she asks her friends if she can listen to any music they have, as at home, her mother forbids her from listening to any music other than classical while studying, deeming it distracting. Most songs Karen enjoys are pop songs from popular artists such as Ariana Grande, Maroon 5, and Lorde, among others. She enjoys pop music for its catchy rhythm and energetic instrumentation.

Karen always wanted a pet, like a cat or a dog, finding them cute and entertaining. Her desire started when she watched online videos of pets doing humorous antics. However, her parents, deeming a pet as another distraction, told her it was too big of a responsibility. Regardless, Karen looked into pet care and what kind of animals she might want to keep. The more research she did, the more fascinated she was by the behavioral patterns of dogs, cats, birds, and bearded dragons, among others. As soon as Karen can afford her own home, she hopes to adopt a pet of her own.

Another point of contention with her parents is jewelry, makeup, and cosmetics. Karen had found the women on fashion magazines, television shows, and movies glamorous, and wanted to look beautiful like them. However, her parents want her to keep a clean image, so Karen isn’t allowed to have any piercings or apply a heavy amount of makeup. The most she is allowed to apply is lipstick, which she borrows from her mother, and to wear, a pearl necklace she also borrows. Karen wishes to experiment with new kinds of jewelry and makeup, such as mascara, eye shadow, earrings, and necklaces. She envies female classmates allowed to wear makeup and finds them pretty, and views herself as plain by comparison.

Karen finds her parents' restrictions frustrating to deal with, and has grown resentful towards them to a degree. She feels she lacks any independence or control over herself, and school is the only place she can indulge in her passions. Her constant studying has caused her a lot of stress. She has been looking into other career avenues, such as veterinarian, due to her interest in animals. Since she has yet to have a pet of her own, working with other people's pets could fulfil her desire. She hopes to move out when she graduates in hopes of living her own life. She wants to take a gap year before applying for any colleges. However, her parents are pushing her to apply for some prestigious law schools early, that way she can beat other applicants in admissions. One night, when she expressed her desire to study veterinary, her parents berated her, claiming she’d be wasting the many years they gave her to prepare. After this little incident, Karen’s resentment towards her parents grew stronger, feeling less like their daughter, and more like a pawn.

At school, Karen does well academically, getting As in most subjects. Social studies is her best subject, being taught certain aspects by her parents over the years. In terms of perception from her peers, Karen is seen as a serious student who is constantly in study mode. She tends to spend much of her free time studying and reading manga in the library. Only a select few people she considers friends know of her true interests, and some even consider this side of her cute. Karen cherishes spending time with these friends, as it allows her to express herself and her true interests. She is also a member of the school’s debate club, something her parents pushed her into as practice for her career as a lawyer. While she is quite skilled at debating, she was reluctant to join, and only did so to keep her parents from pestering her.

Outside of school, Karen is more relaxed and social. She likes to make plans with her friends to go to lunch, go shopping, the movies, and even the local pet store. With her friends, she feels comfortable and more open with her true passions, as well as her relationship with her parents. She also uses this time to secretly rebel against her parents, by trying on new outfits, sampling makeup, and listening to music at music shops, or on her friends’ iPhones. She hasn’t gone through purchasing any of these, however, fearing her parents’ repercussions. Her friends are understanding of this, some even a bit worried about her home life.

Advantages: Karen is rather intelligent and can potentially outsmart other students. Her friend group is small, but trustworthy, which may lead her to not trusting more deceitful students.
Disadvantages: Karen doesn’t have much of a social presence outside of debate club, so some students may not be inclined to trust her. Her petite stature can lead to more athletic students overpowering her.

Designated Number: Student No. 044

---

Designated Weapon: COP .357 Derringer (four barrel .357 pistol)

Conclusion: In the name of the moon, I'll punish you! Pulls out five-inch gun - Josie Knight