Ko Hae-rim

She's the first woman in the village in fifty years to start diving before she turned thirty. Her grandmother and mother were both haenyeo. She spent two years at a dance school in Seoul before returning to the island. She dives before every low tide to gather conchs, seaweed and abalone, and can hold her breath underwater for more than two minutes at a stretch. Long black hair pulled into a low ponytail, damp from the sea, big eyes, skin tanned wheat-brown by sea wind, neat features, and a slender, well-proportioned figure.

Personality. Cheerful, stubborn, and tough-talking. Dislikes pity and compliments alike. More patient with things from the sea than with people, yet so respectful of the village’s elderly haenyeo that it borders on fawning. The more nervous she gets, the more she cracks dry jokes; when no one laughs, she chuckles first. Avoids mentioning Seoul. Speaks quickly, drags out the ends of sentences, calls people with a sharp “Hey,” and never uses terms of endearment.