- "You never saw me coming. Don't feel so bad. Nobody ever sees me. I'm in everyone's blind spot."
— Vigil Operator Video
Chul Kyung Hwa (Hangeul: 화철경, Hwa Cheol Gyeong), codenamed Vigil is a Defending Operator featured in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, introduced in the Operation White Noise expansion introduced alongside Zofia and Dokkaebi.[1]
Vigil will also be an Operator featured in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Quarantine.
Biography
A North Korean by birth, Chul Kyung Hwa doesn't remember much of his early life. As a child, he and his family defected from the oppressive country and made their way across Asia in an attempt to eventually reach the Republic of Korea. Throughout it all, everyone impressed upon Chul Kyung that anything he said or any strange behavior would get them caught... it was life or death. So he buried his emotions deep, lest he betray his parents and be responsible for their capture; he became a stone to the outside world. During the journey, his older brother drowned while they were crossing a river. They then stayed in a safe house for over a month in near silence before taking a train ride that resulted in soldiers arresting two fellow defectors. His mother later grew sick and was slowing them down during a jungle crossing. After they were forced to leave his mother behind, Chul's father urged him not to cry so as to not alert nearby armed patrols. Gaining asylum in South Korea, it was not the happy life they'd envisioned. The loss of his family proved too much for Chul Kyung's father, who committed suicide, leaving his son an orphan. Chul Kyung remained a stone, never showing emotion, never betraying his inner thoughts.
Chul Kyung was adopted into the Hwa family, who believed it best if he forget his past, which started by changing his full name to Chul Kyung Hwa. Chul Kyung was actively encouraged to forget his real name and he obliged. It was another form of camouflage. He grew up in a system of rules and codes of conduct, and they provided him with a reason to be stoic, to follow orders. He could hide behind the rules. Chul's trauma showed during his adolescence as he became reclusive and was a slow reader, however, he later showed great improvement and focus by improving his grades.
Chul Kyung gravitated toward electronics and electrical engineering. Wants to use his talents and demonstrate pride for the country that took him in, he entered the ROK Navy, proving the exemplary sailor. He earned himself a berth in the ROKN UDT/SEALs, not only passing with distinction, but becoming an exemplary operator in radar systems and stealth technology. This resulted in Chul being handpicked by the respected 707th Special Mission Battalion: White Tigers for unconventional warfare missions. Chul soon proved to be quick and lethal. Naturally, his status as the child of defectors was not shared with his fellow soldiers to better give him a fair shot. During a joint training exercise with the U.S. Navy SEALs, Chul met and was trained by Craig "Blackbeard" Jenson. In 2017, South Korea was given an opportunity to send two operators into Rainbow, Chul Kyung was at the top of the list. Chul does his best to keep fellow 707th Operator Grace "Dokkaebi" Nam on her best behavior, to her chagrin. While Chul simply wants to make sure he has nothing negative to report from her, Nam suspects that he is doing it under direct orders from Major General Ku to compromise her position on the team.[2]
Psychological Profile
Chul Kyung carries the scars of his childhood, where the only safe haven from the uncertainty of escape was to hide deep inside himself and become a stone. While a highly effective and competent by-the-numbers operator, it's made him highly uncomfortable in social situations. He is diligent, methodical, and tenacious, albeit quiet. Notably, he is anxious when it comes to his own body language and expressions, how others might interpret his actions. He feels exposed, an open book that betrays all his secrets. Chul Kyung is most comfortable wearing his ballistic mask, where he feels he can actually breathe and hide another layer of protection.[3]
Psychological Report
"Specialist Chul Kyung "Vigil" Hwa had a tumultuous childhood. Much of it is lost to him, and what he remembers is precious. I assured him that my role isn't to pick apart his past or dredge up events that would unsettle him, though of course I'm always here should he or any of our operators need me. I explained that my role Is to shape a cohesive team — everyone fits in some way, and it's up to me to piece it all together. [...]
Preservation of anonymity drives everything Hwa does. He's uncomfortable with me recording our conversations, and that a notification on my phone revealed our meeting time. He's equally anxious in social situations. It's difficult to tell if he has a strong self-concept or an utter lack of one. What is apparent is that Hwa can't let anyone in, which means he's often trapped alone with his own thoughts. [...]
I wanted him to have a clear picture of who he was, at that moment, in my office. To see himself not just as an elite operator or a small child who lost his family. So I suppose he may not have understood where I was going when I asked if he liked Saturday morning cartoons.
We ran through a casual series of likes and dislikes ranging from quiet contemplation to free association. He was uncomfortable, but he humored me. As he relaxed, some of his own answers caught him off guard. From discussing breakfast cereals and the realization that he doesn't know how to ride a bike, he was able to relate a memory to me. He described how the scent of hot soup triggered a vivid image — a woman, who he assumed was his mother, smiling and handing him a bowl. His face softened, and for a moment, he was home. [...]
I've encouraged Hwa to carry on these associative exercises throughout his day. I know various members of Rainbow have reached out to him and while there are indications he respects them, there are still barriers he may not yet be ready to take down."
— Dr. Harishva "Harry" Pandey, Director Of Rainbow
Gameplay Description
A Light Armored Operator, Vigil comes equipped with his ERC-7 Video Disruptor, which will erase him from video feeds for a set amount of time.
- The ERC-7 works on a charge system; it has infinite uses but limited duration and charge. It can be manually deactivated while active.
- The ERC-7 has a maximum duration of 12 seconds.
- The ERC-7 recharges when it is deactivated. The recharge rate is twice as fast as the depletion rate, with a maximum recharge time of 6 seconds.
- The ability icon for the ERC-7's cloak will blink red to show the player that the ERC-7 has only 4 seconds of use left.
- Vigil can activate his ERC-7 as long as he has at least 25% charge.
- When the ERC-7 is active, Vigil gains the following effects:
- Vigil becomes invisible to all Attacker camera feeds, including Drones and Surveillance Cameras hijacked by Dokkaebi's Logic Bomb.
- The Video Disruptor has an effective range of 12 meters and takes a second before making Vigil fully invisible to cameras.
- Any camera feed that is under the effects of the ERC-7 will have a unique interference border around the edge of the screen, which gets bigger the closer Vigil is.
- Affected surveillance tools will also emit a white light.
- Due to only editing the camera feed, Vigil can still be heard by drones or cameras.
- Vigil's movements will not trigger the pings from Lion's EE-ONE-D.
- If Vigil triggered the pings from the EE-ONE-D before activating the ERC-7, activating ERC-7 will have no effect.
- IQ becomes able to detect Vigil's gadget on his back with her Electronics Detector.
- Firing a gun or performing a melee strike will automatically deactivate the ERC-7.
- Both Thatcher's EMP Grenades and Twitch's Shockdrone can temporarily disable Vigil ERC-7 and prevent him from using ERC-7 for a certain period, even when ERC-7 is not active.
Strategies
Counters
- Jackal is still able to detect Vigil's footprints, as the ERC-7 only protects him from visual electronic monitoring.
Loadout
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ERC-7 |
- "Vigil scans surrounding devices to wipe his image from cameras and drones."
— In-game description
Chul Kyung’s quiet lethality in the field allows him to rely on his Electronic Rendering Cloak (ERC-7) to remain undetected. The ERC-7 uses Diminished Reality technology to remove perceivable stimuli from its direct environment. Vigil carries a prototype in his backpack, which scans surrounding electronic devices and wipes his image from any cameras in view.[1]
Device Evaluation
Device: Electronic Rendering Cloak "ERC-7"
Operator: Specialist Chul Kyung "Vigil" Hwa
Evaluation Lead: Specialists Craig "Blackbeard" Jenson, Jack "Pulse" Estrada, and Masaru "Echo" Enatsu
Due to previous commitments, my bud Vigil (Specialist Chul Kyung Hwa) couldn't make it to the ERC-7's evaluation. So there was a bit of jockeying for position on this eval. Mira, Harry, and whoever else should meet up and figure out how to handle this situation in the future. No harm done — just a crowded room. I was happy to have Pulse and Echo's technical input on a device that, frankly, I find kind of baffling. Sure, it's effective... Just a bit flashy and over-complicated for my tastes.
Vigil has some ideas about cloaking for real space — I've attached his research on some wild stuff about cephalopods and "visual appearance modulation." Pretty cool — but that's a future discussion. For this evaluation we tested the ERC's function in disrupting cams and scans like the EE-ONE-D. You'll see from the data that the ERC-7 is doing fine. Any adjustments would likely be minor.
I've locked it up until Vigil gets back, though. I know exactly what kind of "adjustment" Lion would make to it.
- - Specialist Craig "Blackbeard" Jenson
Quotes
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Trivia
- A 'vigil' is a period of staying awake during the time usually spent asleep. This reflects Vigil's personality as a man who never lets his guard down around others, always tense, doing his duty no matter what others think of him.
- Vigil does his best to keep fellow 707th Operator Grace "Dokkaebi" Nam on her best behavior, to her chagrin. While Vigil simply wants to make sure he has nothing negative to report from her that threatens her place in Rainbow, Dokkaebi perceives him as the epitome of the Old School thinking of the ROK Military that she left behind.[4][5]
- There is only one known individual whom Vigil trusts enough to confide with: his former trainer, Navy SEALs Operator Craig "Blackbeard" Jenson.[4]
- Vigil somehow became a friendly target for SAS Operator Mark R. "Mute" Chandar, who tells Chul Kyung that he is 'too quiet.'[4]
- Vigil is the first and currently only Light Armoured Defender since Jäger and Bandit to be able to equip an ACOG Sight, through the BOSG.12.2, which is shared with Dokkaebi.
Gallery
Models
Stills
Icons
Videos
Patch Changes
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References
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