#janessa because it's the name her mother intended for her. and it connects her to her grandmother.

[merrock]

CHARACTER INFORMATION

face claim: Sandra Oh.

full name: Jennifer Yunjin Suh.

nickname(s) / goes by: Jenn.

pronouns & gender: she/her, cis woman.

sexuality: bi-curious.

birth date: September 15, 1971.

birth place: Merrock, ME.

arrival to merrock: local; came back to Merrock in 2000.

housing: rural countryside.

occupation: owner & baker of Cookie Cabin, volunteer at the Community Center.

work place: Cookie Cabin.

family: divorced; has three children from her first marriage.

relationship status: single.

filling connection: Rafael Bardales' pretend date.

PERSONALITY

Upon looking at her, there isn't much to Jennifer Suh. She's the woman who is impeccably dressed with a wide grin on her face and a childlike kindness that makes her embrace everyone she meets with open arms. However, she's surprisingly introverted for the job she has and can be something of a hermit. But if a friend needs her, she'll dust herself off and come out of her hole. She's an interesting person to have in your life and has stories for days, but can be a little self-involved and work-obsessed. She's extremely trusting and loyal to those she gets close to, and she tends to be overly protective of them as well. Overall, she's someone you'd want to have in your corner.

WRITTEN BY: Janessa (she/her), est.

BACKGROUND / BIO

triggering / sensitive content: military mention, death, divorce.

Miracles come in all forms and for Si-hyun and Sora Suh, their miracle came in the form of their daughter on the night of September 15, 1971. Their daughter's birth hadn't been anything out of the norm, but to see a healthy baby nestled in the arms of joyful parents, that was a special day. The first child was named Jennifer, and from then on, the Suh's continued to grow their family with three more children. Their little family became inseparable.

Being the eldest in the Suh household was actually a lot easier than some would think. Jennifer's life was a bit of a breeze if anything, or at least, that's what it felt like to her. Jennifer's parents were two of the most easy going people, wanting to make sure their children's lives were comfortable. And with that, the Suh children got to do what they wanted. She grew up in the suburbs of Merrock, in a cookie cutter house right along a cul-de-sac where her parents would come home late to provide for their children. Her father, Si-hyun, was an orthopedic surgeon at the local hospital while her mother, Sora, was a pre-school teacher. Her parents immigrated from South Korea in the late 60s, making Merrock their forever home. Because of her parents, working hard and taking care of people was ingrained into her from a very young age. An incredibly empathetic soul, Jennifer loved taking on a caretaker role within her family.

Her mother would joke that she was a natural at being a mother, which clearly wasn't a lie. She loved babysitting and made an effort to take care of her younger siblings as much as she could. It ended up getting to a point where her obsession with babysitting became something more than a hobby. Before the Babysitter's Club series came out, Jennifer created her own kind of club where she and her friends would help look after children throughout their neighborhood. It was one of her teenage projects that kept her busy continually and helped her make a small sum of money she could use on herself. She ended up saving up a lot of that money rather than spending it right away, which was different than most at that age. She was frugal and organized, but also incredibly giving when it came to her work.

By the time high school rolled around, Jennifer had a vision of how her life was going to go. If everything went well for her, she intended on being a family woman by the time she was done with her college studies. Luckily for her, she met the man she would subsequently marry, a classmate from her history class. What she didn't realize after meeting him right away was what their future would bring. It was in their junior year of high school that Jonathan told her he was going to go to school in Texas. At first she resisted the idea, but after talking, planning, and really thinking about it, she followed him to Texas where they both went to school to get their undergrad degrees at UT Austin.

There, he eventually joined the armed forces while she took the role of a house wife. At first, it was a little unnerving for her, especially when they moved to live on base. Things were not only different, but a little rough for her as well. She was a very shy person, and she didn't mix well in new social situations. To her luck, she was welcomed in by a small group of wives who helped her integrate better. Jennifer would like to think that back then, life for them was wonderful. However, she also believes they'd somehow jinxed themselves somewhere down the line. Almost eleven years into their marriage, her husband was killed after leaving the States for a tour; a week before she discovered she was pregnant with their third child. The news of his death tore her apart. Incredibly emotional and sometimes all too sensitive, she found herself wondering how she was going to survive now that all the plans they had made had been laid to waste.

Shortly after his death, she moved back to Merrock, though it took her awhile to decide that it was the best choice for her and her children. Rather than reach out to her parents, she sought out her older cousin, Robin, who had lived with her family when they were younger. She briefly moved in with Robin so she wouldn't have to deal with her parents treating her like she was a fragile woman, wanting to find a place on her own and get back on her feet with little to no help. Looking for a job and needing to provide for her family, Jennifer took up a position at New Haven Daycare Center as she had experience in looking after children. For years, Jennifer worked at the daycare as an child care assistant, helping to watch over little ones as their parents worked.

It was as she worked at the daycare when she realized that she had a knack for baking, specifically baking homemade cookies. During her time at the daycare, she spent many years selling her baked goods at bake sales and fundraisers. She found herself making cookies as treats for the kids before they went home for the day, or making large batches anytime there was a birthday or holiday to celebrate. It was during those moments that she realized she already had a lifetime of experience creating something precious that she could share with the world: her family's wildly popular cookies, made from carefully guarded secret recipes passed down for generations. Witnessing and seeing the happiness on the faces of those who had those cookies put the desire of a cookie business in her heart. She wanted to bring those smiles to people's faces not only at the daycare, but all throughout Merrock. Jennifer has always had a profound love for people and while she loved the camaraderie that came with her working relationships at the daycare, she walked away from her position there in pursuit of a purpose fueled by her core values and passion.

The first batch of cookies she sold for her new business hit the cooling rack in 2015 inside of her kitchen, as she began baking cookies for a living at the enthusiastic encouragement of family and friends. As a couple years went by, she expanded her business and opened her first Cookie Cabin shop in a cozy little building in downtown Merrock, with barely enough room to turn around. From those humble beginnings, news quickly spread about "the best cookies in town" and Cookie Cabin continued to grow as they became a favorite spot within the small town. Just after her 50th birthday in 2021, she bought a shop out in Hideaway Market that was going out of business and refurbished the whole place, turning it into what is now Cookie Cabin's location. It's the one place that brings her true peace when she needs it the most and it's one of her favorite places in the world.

Resilient isn't a word Jennifer would describe herself as, but she proved to be just that. Despite her insecurities about how she would succeed or get through life without her late husband, she managed to create an amazing business all on her own. Being a single mother wasn't easy, but she wanted to give her children the best life she knew they deserved. All that mattered to her was that they were loved and that they had a fulfilled childhood. Now that they're all grown up and living their own lives, she couldn't be more prouder and happier at the choices she'd made.

A few years after moving back to Merrock, a part of her thought about moving on and getting back out in the dating scene, but she decided that she enjoyed being a mother more than being a partner. However, her life changed one night ten years ago when she went to a Gala that was being hosted in town and met someone who would make her rethink her decision. They drank, they played some ice breaker games at the bar, and when it was time to go home, she left with him. He had been quite charming towards her the whole night. Before long, she found herself dating him. It wasn't even a year into their relationship when he proposed. Jennifer happily accepted and she found herself getting married a second time. She was the picture perfect wife and her marriage looked like it was right out of a Hallmark movie. At least, on paper. Behind closed doors and known only to her husband, it wasn't the same relationship as the years went by. Her spouse was always gone because of his demanding career and she felt neglected. That only intensified when her husband forgot a milestone anniversary, spending time with his friends out golfing instead of with her.

Deciding that she was not as happy as she once was with her marriage, Jennifer served him divorce papers and moved out of their shared house out on the coast, finding herself in a cute little cottage in the countryside. Jennifer bought it due to its charm and spent tiresome years restoring it, slowly but surely. Jennifer put the finishing touches (for now at least) on it last fall, allowing for her children and their families to stay with her when they needed to. In the last few years, things had changed a lot for Jennifer Suh. Now that the divorce is finally finalized, she is going to do whatever it takes to ensure that she still has her self-worth. As someone who has been putting others before herself her entire life, she's been learning to put make herself a priority and make herself the main character in her own life.

Jennifer's focus for the longest time had always been, "pay the bills, support yourself, support your loved ones," and she luckily created a job she genuinely loves. And even though life hadn't always been kind to her, Jennifer has found satisfaction with the cards she has been dealt. She raised marvelous children, made some incredible friends, and decided to live the life she's always wanted. Those were enough to fill the void in her chest, and she could only hope that Jonathan was looking down on her with a smile on his face.