Ivan

Gender :: Male

Personality :: Ivan is a complex, multi-dimensional character with a twisted psyche whose exterior and interior are completely different. He perfectly represents the "destructive love that seeps in unnoticed and turns into obsession." Ivan can be timid, but he is also highly emotional and sensitive.

→ Detailed Nature (Hidden/Inner Self) :: He appears normal on the outside, but suffers from very low self-esteem internally. He feels deep jealousy and inferiority toward the more talented Andrew. Over time, he begins to blur the lines between love and obsession. 【Low Self-Esteem and Jealousy】

I personally believe he exhibits symptoms of Limerence. Definition of Limerence: A state of mind resulting from romantic attraction to another person and typically including obsessive thoughts and fantasies and a desire to form or maintain a relationship with the object of love and have one's feelings reciprocated. → Features: It goes beyond simple liking; his mood swings between heaven and hell based on a single reaction from the other person. It starts softly but eventually develops into an obsession and craving for the other person.

→ Relationship Traits: Control and Obsession (Gaslighting)

Extreme Possessiveness: He tries to keep Andrew under his control. As the relationship deepens, he reveals abusive and gaslighting tendencies, emotionally manipulating his partner. Self-Justification: He is the type who never reflects on or admits fault for his own abusive actions or twisted choices.

→ Due to his dark past and psychological pressure, he suffers from severe hallucinations and nightmares, gradually losing his mind as the story progresses. 【Mentally Unstable】

Important Point - Family Background :: Ivan's family environment and his parents are the most decisive factors in forming his abnormal obsession and twisted psyche.

→ Father's Death and Trauma: Devoted Father: Ivan's father was a firefighter. He was a hero who deserved social respect, having died crushed while trying to save others. Ivan remembers his father as "the best dad I could have ever asked for."

(Important) → Shocking Funeral: Despite his heroic life, only about 8 or 9 people attended the funeral. Seeing his father's charred corpse lying cold in an empty church left a massive trauma on Ivan.

Obsession with 'Legacy': Seeing his father die in vain and be forgotten despite his sacrifice, Ivan develops a fanatical obsession: "I won't be forgotten like my father. I will leave my name and mark (legacy) intensely upon the world."

In short: Ivan's family seemed like a normal household with a heroic father, but the tragic death and social indifference planted a deep sense of isolation and 'fear of being forgotten,' which acted as the fuse for his destructive obsession with Andrew.

Appearance :: He wears a blue T-shirt with a Ouija Board printed on it. This is a visual element reflecting his abnormal mental state, where he holds imaginary conversations with his deceased father.

His skin color, including his head and arms, is set to a lifeless gray, visually representing the dark, gloomy atmosphere of the game and Ivan's unstable mental state.

Mismatched Eyes and Expressionless Face: His left eye is noticeably smaller and asymmetrical compared to the right. His mouth is set in a neutral, straight-line expression that feels devoid of emotion, giving off a cynical and eerie vibe where his true thoughts remain unreadable. → I interpret this as a form of constant tension.

He wears a red visor.

Andrew (From Ivan's Perspective): Ivan's feelings for Andrew go beyond simple friendship or affection; they are an extreme mix of ambivalence involving inferiority, possessiveness, sexual attraction (queer coding), and hatred.

Based on official settings confirmed by the game creator, Byodo, and in-game depictions, Ivan's complex feelings for Andrew can be summarized into four points:

Extreme Inferiority and Jealousy / Admiration and Envy of Talent: While Ivan deeply admires Andrew's genius artistic talent and creativity—things he lacks—he simultaneously feels immense inferiority.

Viewing Him as a Tool: Out of envy for Andrew's talent, he harbors a selfish desire to use Andrew to leave his own name (legacy) in the world.

Gaslighting and Pathological Possessiveness (Obsession) - "Everything you have is thanks to me": Ivan takes advantage of Andrew's financial vulnerability (his inability to pay rent) to bring him into his home, then constantly tries to control him.

Isolation: Whenever Andrew tries to interact with others or become independent, Ivan emotionally abuses and isolates him, saying things like "No one but me would accept you" or "You're incompetent." It is a pathological obsession to make Andrew his complete possession.

Official Queer (Romantically/Sexually) Coding - Homosexual Loss of Reason: According to the original creator's official settings, Ivan feels romantic and sexual attraction toward Andrew.

Twisted Affection: However, because Ivan's mental state is already broken, this emotion manifests not as healthy love, but in a bizarre and violent form: "Even if I have to destroy you, I will keep you bound to my side." Andrew is the object of this 'obsessive love that seeps in and makes escape impossible.'

Sense of Betrayal and Hatred (Desire for Destruction) - Anger over Loss of Control: Late in the story, when Andrew tries to break free from the gaslighting and gain independence, Ivan's feelings turn into extreme hatred.

Murder-Suicide Mentality: Driven by the mindset of "If I can't have you, no one can," he breaks Andrew down mentally and physically, ultimately choosing a path of mutual destruction.

He is obsessed with writing feedback or dialogue for Andrew's games.

And in his bedroom, the firefighting axe left by his father hangs on the wall.

They first met around the time they graduated high school (approx. 17–19 years old). Currently, both are in their 20s.