Lee Jae-hee is a minor yet pivotal character in Illang: The Wolf Brigade, a role that serves as the emotional and narrative catalyst for the entire story. She is a young member of the anti-reunification terrorist group known as the Sect and functions as a courier tasked with transporting satchel charges, a role commonly referred to as a red hood due to the distinctive red cloak worn to evade surveillance. During a Special Unit raid on the Sect’s hideout in the storm sewers beneath Seoul, Lee Jae-hee is confronted by Special Unit soldier Lim Joong-kyung. Despite his attempt to coax her into surrendering, she shows no hesitation or fear and instead detonates the bomb she is carrying, killing herself instantly. This act is driven by an unwavering loyalty to the Sect’s cause and a willingness to die rather than be captured. Her death leaves a deep psychological scar on Lim Joong-kyung, instilling him with guilt and trauma that colors his subsequent actions. Lee Jae-hee’s background as a young courier suggests she was likely indoctrinated or coerced into the Sect’s militant activities, but her courageous and resolute demeanor during her final moments hints at a strong personal conviction. She has no dialogue beyond the confrontation and appears only in the opening sequence, yet her sacrifice sets off a chain of events: it leads Lim Joong-kyung to meet Lee Yun-hee, who claims to be Jae-hee’s sister, and ultimately exposes the larger conspiracy between the Sect, the Public Security Department, and the Special Unit. In terms of abilities, Lee Jae-hee is evidently trained in handling explosives and possesses the mental fortitude to carry out a suicide mission without hesitation. Her relationship with Lim Joong-kyung is defined by a single, tragic encounter where his compassion is met with her self-destruction, and her connection to Lee Yun-hee is later revealed to be fabricated—Yun-hee is actually a former Sect commander operating under an assumed identity. As a character, Lee Jae-hee exists primarily as a symbol of the brutal reality of the conflict and the human cost of the ideological war, leaving a permanent mark on the protagonist and the unfolding narrative.