Noah Kim

Noah Kim is one of the ten main protagonists in Ata Hāpara.

Appearance
Noah has bad eyesight, but chose to leave his glasses at home during this trip and instead wear contact lenses. He has black hair which he dyes various colours (it is currently rose gold) that he styles to the side, giving him a slight fringe. According to Margarita, he has a slight resemblance to Seventeen's Vernon.

At the retreat, he wears a dark grey shirt, a brown knitted sweater and a long sea green coat with dark blue jeans and converse. He also wears gloves which he takes off early in the book and refused to put back on - despite being cold and nearly burning his hands on a door handle. He keeps the gloves in his jeans pocket, however, as he gives them to Keiko.

Once they have arrived at the lodge he changes into a blue NASA t-shirt, and again refuses to change back into warmer clothes despite being visibly cold.

In Chapter 4 he puts on Gabriel's tan coat in order to chase Laila and Talia out into the snow. He continue to wears the coat for the remainder of the book, adding a black zip up hoodie in Chapter 6 when he and Talia return to the lodge to look for Margarita.

Early on in the book, he receives a large bruise on the left side of his forehead from one of the encounters with Tobias. He also gains a gash on his upper left arm when he is attacked by a Taniwha while trying to return to the lodge.

Personality
Described as methodical, protective, and humorous, Noah is very affable and has a witty sense of humour which can be off-putting to his friends. He's analytical, not one to believe in the occult, and isn't easily scared.

Noah is also a lover of gadgets, and can't go long without looking at his phone screen. He dreams of being an app designer. He loves technology, and can't stand a place without internet access.

During the events of Ata Hāpara, it becomes obvious that he is very protective and truly cares for his friends as he insists on finding Margarita and risks his life to rescue Laila and Tobias, despite the latter being involved in Keiko and Isabelle's disappearance. He also chooses to sacrifice himself (though he is later shown to be fine) to save Talia in one of Tobias' traps.

Noah seems to have trouble confessing his real feelings towards his crush Isabelle, something which causes him great distress after her disappearance. He has extreme issues with guilt, believing in part that - had he been on the trip instead of her then-girlfriend Kyra - she would not have gone missing.

Biography
Noah is a big lover of gadgets and seems to spend half of his life looking at his phone. He's never short of an app that can do this, that, or the other. He's loyal, analytical, and doesn't scare too easily. Before her disappearance, Noah spent a lot of time with Izzy. They were extremely close, though Noah would have liked her to be closer...

Noah is very affable, even if his nerdiness puts some of the others off, and he comes equipped with a seemingly endless supply of dad jokes.

[1|Chapter 1]
A year later, Noah returns to [Estate|the lodge] with the other survivors. He is first seen at the cable car station meeting with Margarita, and depending on the player's choice, can be happy to see her or be offended at the fact that she is snooping on his phone. He ends up showing her the shooting range he found at the back of the station, and upon Margarita's questioning for the reason that it even exists here, he jokingly comments on how Laila's dad thinks he is Grizzly Adams.The player then takes control of Noah in a shooting tutorial, in which he shoots bottles, sandbags, and cans. An option to shoot a squirrel later comes up, and if he takes this opportunity, it upsets Margarita and damages their relationship status, also causing a crow to attack Margarita and scratch her forehead. Once they spot the cable car coming down, they wait inside the station and he has an opportunity to explore. After entering, he explains to Margarita on the trip how he became friends with Laila in third grade and references the [Effect|Butterfly Effect], the defining mechanic of the game.

Once they arrive at the top, Noah and Margarita meet up with [|Jessica] and he jokingly states that, had they been stuck in there for much longer, he would have chewed off his own leg. He then snags the letter Harper is holding, and depending on whether or not Margarita snooped on him, he can remark on how he is just doing what Margarita taught him to.

He reveals that Harper is in a relationship with [|Mike], the class president, before teasing her to grab it back off him. Before leaving with Margarita to head to the lodge, Harper states that she wants to stay behind to greet anybody else that comes up, and Noah makes one last comment on how she is most likely just waiting for Gabriel.

[2|Chapter 2]
At the very beginning of this chapter, we can see Noah with his best friend Laila outside the cabin. After having a quick greeting with Talia and [|Matt], Noah and Laila go to open the front door, and Noah can either make conversation about the new relationship between Ari and [|Emily], or ask about Laila's well-being after the loss of his twin sisters.

They then discover that the front door is frozen shut, so Laila then tasks Noah with finding another way in. Noah stops and has a quick chat with Talia, and can either make a confident comment or an unsettled one about everyone reuniting after the tragedy. He may also have a brief conversation with Ari and Margarita. When searching for an access point, Laila makes conversation about Talia and her relationship with Noah, to which he can either be defensive or submissive to his teasing.

Once Laila and Noah find an unlocked window leading into a part of the basement, Noah climbs in and quickly falls down. The light bulb in the workshop suddenly blows out, so Laila throws Noah a [|lighter] and comes up with the idea of unfreezing the lock using a can of deodorant in the bathroom along with the lighter, making a flamethrower. When retrieving the deodorant from the bathroom, he is startled by a wolverine hiding under the sink which eventually hops out of the cabin after he unfreezes the lock, allowing everyone else waiting outside to get in.

Later on in the chapter, Laila tasks Noah and Talia with finding a [Board|spirit board] as a means of entertainment. When Margarita and Laila are turning on the boiler for the hot water, Noah dresses as a monk and chases them out of the basement. After revealing himself, he states that he couldn't resist after discovering all of the film props that were stored down there, before revealing the spirit board.

[3|Chapter 3]
The chapter starts as Noah, Laila and Talia prepare for the seance. He explains how the seance works, and ultimately treats it as a joke, much to Laila and Talia's dismay. He hands the role of medium over to Talia, given that she hasn't been in a seance before. They eventually find out that they are communicating with one of Laila's dead sisters, and it leads them to believe that proof of their disappearance is hidden somewhere in the library. The pointer then flies off of the board, and Laila goes into a fit of panic, trying not to believe what he just saw. He then believes that Noah and Talia are playing with him, and storms off in anger.

Shortly after comprehending what had just happened, Noah and Talia decide to go and investigate the library, to which they find a secret room hidden behind one of the bookcases. Noah goes inside to look around after Talia chickens out, and finds a picture of the twins with a disturbing message scrawled on the back. Noah has the option to either show it to Talia or not. If he did, they would agree that they should bring this to Laila's attention, and if he didn't, Talia would wonder why the "ghost" lead them there. Either way, Noah will start to piece together that there might be a killer hiding in the area. Suddenly, they hear Laila screaming from the kitchen and run to his aid, but this only leads to Talia being grabbed and knocked out from behind a locked door. Noah slams the door in and dazes himself, leaving him open to an attack from The Psycho, knocking him out too.

Chapter 4
Noah wakes up on the kitchen floor with a large bruise on his forehead and realizes that Talia and Laila are missing. He searches the lodge for clues as to where they might be, which leads him outside to a large shed where he finds the missing duo tied up to a wall with a saw blade on a track rigged up in front of them.

The Psycho starts talking to them and instructs Noah to pull the lever in the direction of the person he wants to save. Laila instructs him to kill her and save Talia, violently bisecting her. He is then allowed inside to untie Talia, telling her not to look at Laila's corpse. Once back outside, they meet up with Kyra and Ari, struggling to inform them of what happened in their panicked state. Kyra suggests that Talia and Noah look for Margarita back at the lodge while she and Ari look for help.

Chapter 5
Talia, Noah, and Laila will be briefly mentioned by Ari and Kyra, while the couple discuss Laila's death and the mystery surrounding it.

Chapter 6
Noah and Talia discover in the lodge that Margarita is missing and head down into the basement to search for her. During this, they reflect on Yaling and Isabelle's disappearance after being harassed by ghosts and investigating fake clues set up by The Psycho. This eventually leads to either a dummy dressed in Margarita's clothes lying in a seat and this lets The Psycho steadily sneak up on Noah and knock him out with gas.

He awakens to find himself and Talia strapped to chairs, with one of his hands purposefully unrestrained so as to pick up the gun on a table in front of him. Saws above them activate and slowly descend on the pair, and The Psycho tells Noah that he must make the decision of either shooting himself or Talia, stating that whoever lives gets to be free. While Talia begs him to kill her to save himself, he chooses to fire the gun into the side of his head.

Chapter 7
It is discovered that the gun Noah was given only had blanks in it, and did not pose any danger to himself or Talia. The saw blades stop descending before they reach the pair. As Gabriel, Margarita, and The Psycho all show up in a big confrontation, The Psycho reveals his true identity.

It is revealed that Laila has been an unwilling part of Tobias' scheme and that he faked her death to make them suffer. After Margarita and Gabriel release Talia and Noah, Gabriel knocks Tobias out and binds him due to him thinking Tobias was also responsible for Harper's death. Gabriel and Noah help Laila escort Tobias outdoors to the shed, despite his protests. Noah is furious that Tobias punched Talia in her face after she stabbed him with a pair of scissors to protect herself, and returns the favour by punching him in the face on the trip, stating he should never hit a girl. After they bind him to a support pillar, Noah disarms Gabriel when Tobias eventually provokes him enough to make him point a gun at him. Gabriel tells Noah to return to the lodge to check on everyone else, while Gabriel and Laila guard Laila for the night.

Chapter 8
We see Noah again when Kyra and Yaling show up at the cabin. Noah will question Kyra and Yaling about what happened and begins to hope that Isabelle may still be alive somewhere. When Russell arrives and informs the group about the Wendigo curse, Noah starts to get worried after Gabriel comes back to the lodge and leaves Laila and Tobias all alone in the shed. Even though Laila lied to them, he still feels obliged to find her, so he helps Russell locate Laila. As he leaves, Talia will tell him to come back safe because she doesn't want to lose her only friend.

When they arrive at the shed, they discover that Laila and Tobias are missing, and quickly decide to return to the lodge. However, they are ambushed by Taniwha. Russell is killed and Noah will run for the safety of the lodge. He is pinned by a Taniwha but is saved by Isabelle, who he does not immediately recognise, and the two of them make it back to the lodge where Talia lets them in.

After making it back, he will be shocked to realise Isabelle is alive, and the two of them will explain that Russell was killed by the Taniwha, and will be a comforting presence while Isabelle recounts the events of last year. The pair also share a close moment while waiting to go down to the basement where he talks about the events of the past year and the two almost confess their feelings for eachother before being interrupted by Gabriel.

In the basement, he will witness the hysteria that ensues when it is discovered that Kyra was bitten. He takes a cautious stance in the debate, stating that he "does not want to see [what the Taniwha can do] again."

When Bianca comes to the house, Noah will be visibly angry and will attempt to attack her. He will be injured in the leg by the metal pipe Bianca is brandishing, and will only be spared by Isabelle's call for Bianca to stop. While Isabelle distracts Bianca and "gets her monologing" about Mina's death and the purpose of the cult, Noah managed to kick Bianca' legs out from under her and stun her with the pipe. Whaitiri then attacks Bianca, ripping her throat out while Noah and the group watches. He will kick the body in disgust before spitting on it, appearing satisfied that he has done the right thing.

Chapter 9
He and Isabelle will kiss in the tunnels before she and Margarita go to the Observatory, and he will instruct Whaitiri to protect her.

Chapter 10
He will run out into the snow and help save the returning group, notably saving Isabelle from a Taniwha. Back in the lodge, he will ensure that Yaling, Talia, and Kyra leave the building before he does. He will attempt to wait for Isabelle, his hesitation allowing Connor to make it out again before him. Isabelle will then nod for him to leave, and he will escape. After Gabriel and the two Taniwha have escaped and Isabelle and Margarita have detonated the building, he will help Isabelle sit next to Yaling and will sit beside her with an arm around her as they watch the burning building.

Epilogue

 * When questioned on the nature of Russell and if any of his friends could have killed him, he steadfastly defends him, stating that Russell saved his life. He also notes, regretfully, that he watched him die.

He will also be mentioned by Talia and Isabelle:
 * The police will bring up his part in Bianca's death and question why he did it, Noah will be defensive and say that he was just trying to protect his friends, and that it wasn't like he set Whaitiri on the dying man.
 * He will also mention Isabelle, stating that he'd never been happier when he saw her alive and when he saved her from the Taniwha.
 * Talia will note that she is happy they got to know eachother better and that, if nothing else good came out of this experience, she is glad she got a new closefriend. She will then become defensive as the police ask if she thinks this is all just a game, and retorts that "they don't know what it's like to have no-one".


 * Isabelle will mention that she came back because she wanted to protect him, and when asked to clarify their relationship will say she supposes he is her boyfriend. She too will become defensive when her relationship with Kyra is brought up, stating that "they're not attacking her for dating Ari, are they?"

Killed Victims

 * One Taniwha
 * Bianca LaRue (Indirect)

Izzy and Keiko
Noah is one of only three people present at the lodge to have been present during the initial search for Izzy and Keiko. Noah and Izzy were in the same French class and appear to have known each other for some time, largely due to Noah's long-term friendship with Laila. They know each other very well, to the point where they buy gifts for each other to celebrate events like the beginning of mock exams, or the anniversary of the day Izzy accidentally hit him in the face with a pétanque ball. At some point in the last few years, Noah developed a crush on Izzy and began to spend more time with her outside of class, mostly in the library studying together. As he describes it, they are both "bookworm nerds who fuckin' love space", and he felt that he could connect with her in a unique way. It is also mentioned that Noah is one of the first people outside her immediate group of friends that Izzy came out to and that he didn't truly realise his feelings for her until she started dating someone else. When he heard she was dead, he immediately drove up from Dunedin to help with search and rescue.

He is the person who Izzy came back for, as she was determined to save him of all people. This in itself indicates that she thought very highly of him, being sure he would be given a prefect position. She also insisted that Russell returns for the Paua necklace, suggesting that she treasures the gift from him. They show great concern for eachother, as Noah is reluctant to let her leave to help Margarita find Jacob, and they kiss before she and Margarita make the climb up to the Observatory.

Noah and Keiko appear to have known each other relatively well, as Keiko understood the importance of the necklace he gave to Izzy, and seems to be aware of their mutual crush on each other.

Talia
Noah and Talia are said to be neighbours but admits that they never really spoke to each other before they became prefect partners. As joint wellbeing prefects, the two are both greatly concerned with the emotional states of their friends, going to great lengths to comfort them. They will explore and solve the mysteries behind The Cult together throughout the game, and Noah will confess his admiration and respect for her when they are both subjected to the gun trial. When Talia was punched in the face by Tobias after attempting to defend herself, Noah will ask what Tobias did to her; when Talia explains that she thinks the Psycho hit her, Noah will state that he's going to "murder his fucking face off", showing that he is angry that Talia was hurt. This is further shown when Noah punches Tobias in the face, he mentions that this was partially in relatiation for hurting Talia, and partly for what he did to Isabelle.

After Noah refuses to shoot the gun at all, she will tell him to "come back safe" and that she doesn't want him to die, seeing as they only just got to know eachother.

Kyra
Noah and Kyra have a complex relationship, as the latter seems to be aware of Noah's crush on Izzy, and Izzy's apparent reciprocation of his feelings. Noah repeatedly feels guilty for his feelings towards Izzy, and often reminds himself that she was Kyra's girlfriend - though he is aware of the fact that their relationship was rocky. Regardless of their conflicting interests, Noah appears to view Kyra as his intellectual equal, and she evidently cares for his wellbeing, suggesting for Noah and Talia to get everyone else together as she insists on getting help in the meantime after Laila's apparent death. Kyra also shows concern for Noah when reaching the Gondola Station, and when he gets back from his attempt to save Laila and Tobias out of the shed. Noah will also be the one asking her questions after she gets back to the lodge, and be concerned about her well-being. After finding out Izzy is alive and that she apparently wanted to return to save Noah rather than Kyra, he attempts to apologise to her, but she tells him she understands and that she is happy with Ari. The pair make amends for the tension over the last year and appear to be on good terms for the rest of the book. Most notably, Noah protests against Jacob wanting to shoot Kyra, and ensures she gets out of the lodge before him when they are escaping the Taniwha.

Harper
Harper and Noah do not appear to get along, as he does not respect her enough to give her privacy, as shown when he stole and read her letter intended for Jacob. However, they do appear to know eachother relatively well, as she keeps K-Pop on her phone specifically to annoy him. It is hinted at that they used to be good friends (thus her knowledge of what annoys him), but became distant after Izzy and Keiko's disappearance (considering Harper's negative relationship with Keiko). Despite current tensions in their relationship, Noah is concerned about her disappearance and comforts Jacob when the group believes she has died.

Laila
Noah and Laila have a long history together, as they met in year 3 according to Noah. They often joke around and talk about Noah' relationship, or lack thereof, with anyone. Laila encourages Noah to go for it, playfully teasing him about how he can hook up with whoever he wants on the retreat, and that now is the time to make a move on anyone he fancies. When Noah disagrees, she appears sensitive and silently acknowledges that he still has feelings for Isabelle. It's clear the two have a close, friendly relationship, and Laila wants to see him happy. Noah makes the choice to kill Laila in the shed and feels repentant about her alleged death.

He is overjoyed when she appears, alive, with Tobias, though he is visibly worried to see her in her delerious state. He is the first to volunteer to accompany her to tie Tobias in the shed, and talks briefly with her about what happened, whereupon she thanks him for choosing to kill her, and affirms that it was the right thing to do, even if neither of them knew she would survive it.

Their relationship is strong enough to have Noah willingly risk his life to get her from the shed. Noah reasons that even though Laila may have lied to them about her mental state, she did it so as not to worry them, and still willingly chose to die for Talia in the shed. He is visibly relieved when he sees her returning to the lodge, and thanks Gabriel for bringing her back like he promised.

Ari
Ari and Noah seem to be quite close, though they are not shown interacting much. They are seen comforting Noah after Laila's supposed death, and it is implied that they are quite good friends, with Noah noting how good Ari's hugs are. It is likely that their lack of interaction was probably based on Ari's relationship with Kyra and the stress this put on Noah, considering his feelings for Kyra's ex. Noah also asks about Ari's well-being when Kyra returns to the lodge after her escape from the mines.

Gabriel
Gabriel and Noah do not have a lot of interaction in the game and indeed seem like very different people personality-wise. However, when the group comes back together in Chapter 7 and find out the truth about who the masked man is, it's Noah and Gabriel that go with Laila to take Tobias out to the shed and tie him up.

When Noah hits him, there's an awkward moment between the two as Gabriel claims that Noah 'knows him better' than to believe he'd actually hurt Tobias, and Noah asks Gabriel to warn him next time, implying they actually are at least good friends, though we see little of it in the game. Later, they interact again; when Russell comes to the lodge, Noah opens the door for Gabriel.

Throughout the book they refer to eachother affectionately more than other characters and frequently banter between themselves. On many occasions, one will tell the other to "f--- off" in a lighthearted manner, suggesting they come into playful conflict relatively often.

Noah also subtly gives Gabriel the opinion that he believes Kyra needs to leave the lodge if she's bitten by the Wendigo in the mine. He also criticises Talia for saying that, if Kyra kills him, they'll help bury the body. Nevertheless, a moment later he admits she is probably right, causing Jacob to sneer at him.

Margarita
Margarita is one of Noah's closest and oldest friends, the two becoming close when she emigrated to New Zealand as a child. The two both have a good knowledge of eachother's homelands, with Noah referring to her as a Manileñoa, and her callig him 'Kuya' when he references an Aswang. He also repeatedly calls her almost any name other than Margarita, largely choosing from a list of other cocktails.

She can be seen affectionately punching his shoulder and laughing as he dances while doing target practice. He seems to listen to what she has to say, as he can tell Talia about Margarita's worries that they are being followed by the former staff member of the lodge when listing evidence early on in the book. Noah is very concerned about Margarita when he and Talia aren't able to find her immediately in the lodge. He calls out her name a few times while searching for her, and can convince an uncertain Talia that they need to continue for Margarita's sake, worried that she's been taken by the same.

Trivia

 * In ten years, he sees himself building apps for the ISS.
 * Noah' favorite quote is by Neil deGrasse Tyson: "The Universe is under no obligation to make sense to you."
 * Noah has a fear of failure, a fear he shares with Kyra and Izzy.
 * He can be heard in one of Tobias's hallucinations.
 * His friendship with Izzy likely began by Laila introducing them, and then blossomed due to their shared nerdiness and love of space, and their encounter in the library where they discussed eidetic memory.
 * He started dying his hair after Izzy and Keiko went missing.
 * It was white in the immediate aftermath, red-brown for a few months, bright red around Izzy's birthday, grunge purple for the Halloween period, silver for exams, slime green during Noahtmas, purple and pink ombre over the new year, yellow-gold in time for the school ball, and is currently rose gold.
 * After they escaped from the mountain he dyed it blue ombre. In the same session, Izzy had her hair dyed silver-purple and Keiko had the streak in her hair changed to deep pink.