#id.bio

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON INDIGO’S MAIN DANCE, LEAD VOCAL, RAP MOON JIHUN…

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: N/A CURRENT AGE: 26 DEBUT AGE: 21 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 18 COMPANY: MSG ETC: this member is known for their involvement in musicals

IDOL IMAGE

The steadfast, reliable one.

That’s what he is, that’s what he needs to be, or so he’s told.

Not the one who ever truly stands out, only ever when he’s given the time to take center stage as a dancer, but a jack of all trades who blends smoothly into anything that’s thrown at him. Dancing is what he does best, and he clears the stage every time he’s on there, so much so that there’s articles written about how he comes alive, and there’s comment chains about his so-called duality, on stage vs off stage, the artist vs the person, as if they truly knew either at all.

Where his bandmates are electric and mysterious, where they’re magnetic and bring people in, his job is to keep them there, to be the anchor. He’s approachable, perhaps a little too much, and the company pushes his open and earnest relationship to fans, because they need it. The company tells him to be the best friend, the big brother, never the favorite but good enough to make people feel comfortable. The meek shall inherit the earth, as they say.

It’s a polished and just-flawed-enough version of who he’s always wanted to become, once, before the mirror cracked and the smoke vanished. Smile for the camera, be that boy, strong, unwavering, always there for others, sometimes not quite there himself.

He pursues musicals, gets the OK from the company after much insistence, after convincing them that it’ll allow him to show versatility, that that’s the thing they want for the group right now. Selfishly, he wants it for himself first, to show that he can take on that challenge and see it through. The company agrees, if only because they need it, a way to show and confirm, after re:group, that their idols can truly adapt and thrive no matter what’s thrown at them. It’s publicity, at least, but then it’s up to him to make it good.

There’s a sort of vindication in it, although he’s always been told to avoid being too prideful, but sometimes he can’t help it. No hurt in telling yourself you’re doing well, after all, that your best is enough for once.

IDOL HISTORY

corner of the sky.

“Special”.

“Gifted”.

“Prodigal”.

Words that mean too much, until they dont mean anything at all.

-

When Moon Jihun is seven years old, his parents sign him up for the school talent show, at his express request. He had seen this performance on TV, of an artist whose name he can’t remember and that his seven-year-old grasp on language would probably jumble anyway, but it shakes something up in him like nothing has before. It plants a seed in his young mind that’s only begging to grow, so he bats his lashes as his mother, and she writes his name down because of course, anything for her little prince. Before he knows it he gets a taste of it, the costumes and the light and the dramatics, but most importantly he hears his own voice, feels his body moving, and he loves how it makes him feel.

Passion feels like all he needs and he cultivates it, for all the years afterward, and it’s only the beginning of the road. It’s also the foundation of a home, for Jihun, and back then it’s whole and beautiful and precious, not in ruins quite yet. He’s his parents’ and grandparents’ treasure, the pride of Seogwipo, center stage in flashing light. The family’s crown jewel who can do nothing wrong in their eyes.

Jihun, you’re so much more advanced than all the other kids!

You know, our Jihun practices a lot at home.

I think it shows, he’s so talented!

He works hard at performing because he loves it,  but he can’t deny that being told he’s good, being told he’s special, is more fuel to his fire. It must mean he’s doing something right, and it must be true, they have no reason to lie to him after all, they’re only here to encourage and lift him up. Honesty is the best policy, always, that’s what he believes and what he holds on to. So whenever his father grips him by the shoulders and tells him he’s special, he believes it. Whenever his grandmother hangs another picture on the wall, he feels his heart filling with pride. Every time he sees them sitting in a row, all eyes on him, it’s only more motivation to chase this dream.

He’s special, after all.

Fresh out of middle school, he moves to the big city, Seoul, center of the known universe. And, or so he thinks, fulfills his destiny.

The performing arts school building towers over him the first day, so many promises rising up to the sky, all the hope he’d shouldered from all his years practicing finally about to fully realize themselves into something concrete, something for the future.

The future, as it turns out, is a paper plane that burns at the slightest change of direction.

Outside of his bubble, away from his family, Jihun crashes in a way he’s never experienced before. Where’s that special kid, where’s the prodigal son, in the middle of all the other students who are stronger and better in every way? Where’s the gift gone, when he’s struggling to catch up, much less keep up, when he loses his breath and comes tumbling to the floor, lungs on fire, sweat trickling down his back, the unpleasant physical manifestation of failure.

That’s a new word, failure. It stains his tongue like the bitter taste of tobacco, the cigarettes he starts sneaking in between classes, hunched over, curled up on himself against the back wall of the building, shame and disgust and failure, failure, failure.

His parents’ praise echoes in his mind and he tries to crumple it up and throw it away, because it’s not enough. It was never enough and he can’t do anything with it now, not when he feels himself falling behind, slipping away, his dreams so far out of reach he should probably just let them go.

But letting go is not an option, of course. The only thing stronger than his shame is his stubbornness. If he’s just average, the only way is up. If he only has his determination to show for himself, then at least he’s got something. Everyone has to start somewhere, right?  

Know where you stand. Stand your ground. Throw yourself into practice.

He takes everything in stride. Classes, projects, late night training, throw five or six desperate kids in a room and call it a learning experience. Sneak into the school’s studio when no one is looking, stumble upon a classmate, keep each other’s secrets and keep each other afloat. There’s more vindication in knowing he’s trying than in being told he doesn’t have to. Maybe it’s too much sometimes, but there’s this growing, urgent need in Jihun’s gut to just prove that he can, so he keeps going, cultivates his work ethic far away from false promises and little white lies.

waving through a window.

He’s eighteen, waiting at the bus stop when it happens, a man in a cheap suit handing him a business card, the three letters MSG feeling like a punch in the throat. He knows them, of course, anyone with an interest in the industry does. The fine print in is the man’s words, though.

“You’ve got a face that’ll sell.”

It’s a start, maybe. It’s ok if he can capitalize off of that, show what he truly wants to. It’s a chance he can’t afford to pass up. Even if he doesn’t like to think of it that way, everything is a means to an end.

Trainee life is, for all he’s anticipated, just a leveled-up version of school. He gets the call back a week after his audition. The almost soulless voice on the other hand claims they saw something in him, and it’s been a while since he’s heard those words so Jihun takes them with caution, files them in a corner of his mind that’s still marked with a red flag.

He still shows up on the company’s doorstep with his suitcase and his aching heart.

The cycle starts again. Push yourself to the limit, say yes, thank you, I’ll do my best, I’ll work harder, and then do just that. It’s all you’ve got a claim to, after all. In that room he’s just like he was before, keeps himself afloat among the others, and eventually, he finds his footing. He can breathe a little easier, sleep a little sounder, even if he doesn’t get to do either of those things much. Little by little, finally, he makes himself known. Remarkable if only for how diligent he is, people also commend his hunger to prove himself. The downside, that he tries not to let become his downfall, is his tendency to bite off more than he can chew, leaving projects unfinished or unpolished just because he wants to move on to the next one, to do everything at once, to show his worth. Run through a dance cover, move on to some barely formed choreography, or two, sometimes both at the same time because he needs to keep his mind occupied and alert.

His body feels like it’s being taken apart every day, from the hazy dance practices that blend into each other, always longer and more grueling and the next, but he loves it, this feeling, when the world spins and he’s taken along in the movement. It’s all he ever wants to do. It’s all he feels that he knows.

“You just don’t stand out.”

It’s that sentence, that he seems to hear over and over, that makes his blood boil and sets his heart on fire. “If they’re not looking my way, I’ll make them.”

And he does.

If he’s always heard that debuting is the hardest part, he’d wager that following up is harder. It doesn’t feel difficult or painful when he stands on that stage for the first time, finally, a day that he’d begun to think would never come. It feels freeing. It feels like the sky has opened up and all the atmospheric pressure has been lifted, and rain is clearing yesterday’s pain to make way for tomorrow’s joy.

Tomorrow’s joy, he learns the hard way, only comes to the fortunate. They’re not among them. Months pass and comebacks happen and everything remains the same, leaving sweat stains and tear tracks everywhere they go, trying to make sense of a situation that never does. It’s not hard work that makes dreams come true, it’s luck, pure dumb luck, and theirs ran out so quickly that Jihun keeps wondering if there’s something they’re doing wrong.

Still they keep on going, stuck somewhere between determination and desperation, a single red thread that threatens to snap at any moment. It’s burned into Jihun’s skin, this lifeline, the promise of a better tomorrow that never seems to come; low sales, low views, low interest, low morale, but still this hunger, unsatisfied yet, and maybe it never will be.

soul of a man.

Re:group is grueling, worse than he’d imagined, worse than he’s been through.

Against the odds, he hears those words again. One by one as the guys walk in, this one is special, this one is gifted, this one is prodigal, and yet they’re all here, but to him they don’t seem to realize the reason why.

He gets the devil’s part, grits his teeth when he watches the episodes and sees what they’ve made of him, but he makes do with it. After all, this world will only ever let you be who they’ve already decided you are, and in a situation like this one, it’s pointless to fight against it. If you know who you are then it’s enough, and Jihun does, finally. So he works, and he works, because that’s all he knows, and he refuses to let anyone hold that against him at least. If the producers decide he’s the bad guy, too relentless and demanding and straightforward, then so be it. Through it all, he fights like a lion who refuses to die in the cage.

Too often his outspokenness is mistaken for humor, and the things he says that pertain to the hardships of the industry are brushed to the side or not taken seriously. The industry is cruel, this much he knows, but even in the role he’s been given, even as the MCs and the managers try to silence him, he knows he can hold on to what he believes. Sure he has to compromise, and it eats him alive on most days, how often he’s asked or downright forced to set his conscience aside. The fans notice, a little, but it’s only small things they can get attached to. For now it’s probably enough, not that he’d be allowed anything more.

At the conclusion of it all, under stage lights and scrutiny, as he’s been doing all his life, he waits for his name to be called. But the call never comes. It’s okay. It’s enough. he  did his best, and they’ll never take that away from him.

The gate opens to a brave new world instead.

one day more.

Fortune is a funny thing, really.

One day it seems like it’s all but abandoned them, thrown them to the side of the road to fend for themselves and eventually be picked on by vultures, a disgraceful end for a disgraceful life.

The next day, like some trickster god was in a benevolent mood and spun the wheel again, they wake up in a world where people have finally taken notice, where they’re not an afterthought anymore.

The first group schedule after the show, Jihun can barely see through the crowd and the flashing lights. It’s a new feeling and he thinks he could get used to it, even if the little voice in the back of his head warns him that this too shall pass if they’re not careful.

Take the second chance and run with it, because they don’t come easy, because it could be the last. Take the love, the admiration, the trophies, cherish them, because they could slip away at any moment.. Put in your demands now, because they can’t refuse you anything anymore. Now Jihun understands what it’s like to be the breadwinner, the move maker, the one that the light is finally shining on.

In the wake of their newfound success, Jihun gets cast in his first real musical, so far from the cardboard and the watercolor of the school talent show. It’s a never-ending thrill ride, a rush of adrenaline like he’s never known before, one that he hopes he never gets used to. He’s clawed his way up here and he’ll fight to stay, even when the industry is as unforgiving as its ever been.

When the cameras are off, as always, his strong moral compass is both his lifeline and his downfall. Even when it starts working in his favor, he still disapproves of many aspects of the idol industry, silently protests against the personal restrictions, refuses to settle for “this is how it’s always been done.” His intentions to voice that dislike are often shut down by his company to maintain the image they gave him, one that is a little too off to who he truly is for him to stay quiet for long. Maybe one day the industry will change enough that it will never have to be this way again, for him or anyone who shares his way of thinking. For now, if he can keep his balance despite all of it, if he can stay true no matter what, then he’ll have already won.

It takes a lot to break a man’s spirit. Even more when he’s already been patched up, and is held together with renewed hope; and the knowledge that if he holds on to his unwavering belief in what’s right, and keeps on his path as he has, then he’ll find a way out into the light in the end.

#id.bio #id.msg #id.indigo #id.kim taeho

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON OLYMPUS’ LEAD VOCAL JUNG DAEHAN…

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: Han CURRENT AGE: 27 DEBUT AGE: 22 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 13 COMPANY: Midas ETC: for his extensive commercial/variety work this member is known as the nation’s it boy

IDOL IMAGE

From the way that Midas often presented him, it was no surprise how much of a shock if others were to find out his true personality. Growing up terribly restricted by his family rules as well as pandering to his own likings in secret had cultivated a melancholic and yet careful personality for Daehan. He was anxious with people most of the time, their approval the greatest thing that he desired, most if not all of the time. Needy—perhaps, one might describe him to be, but all he yearned for was approval and recognition—at least from those that he considered close to his own heart. Even the simplest praise would light a soft smile upon his handsome face, his heart easily content with the recognition he would earn.  

Being scouted at the age of 13 meant that he had potential—Daehan liked to believe, but also gave him an opportunity to step away from the birdcage that was his family and into another place where he could, perhaps, make it all on his own. Entertainment, Music, Singing, Music Production—all the different parts of his dream that would come together when Midas selected him out of the many that had auditioned that day. But hope is something iffy and tricky, and Daehan learns the hard way that Midas selected him not for his singing talents or his musical production aspirations and musical skills—but for his looks.

The next door neighbour kind of boy, the romantic, handsome, cheeky and yet suave on television. He had a beautiful face to market that look, and the cheeky curves that would curve on his features when he smiled. He was a perfect candidate for the romantic boyfriend concept they had in mind for at least one of the boys in Olympus. And so he was taught the way of selling himself like an ideal boyfriend. Variety shows, commercials were lined up one after another, his background only serving as something much more enticing to the audience—a dreamy eyed boy abandoning the regular things for something much more unpredictable, wild and fun. It was the breaking of the moulds of obedience and hierarchical structure that most of the his fans saw in his bravery and openness about his family not supporting his work, and the romantic but dutiful son that constantly thought about them, filial and understanding, yet charming and cute as well as attentive.

Midas marketed Daehan as someone who encompassed everything that the girls wanted for their boyfriends, and what the boys desired to be in the future—the dreamy eyed nation’s boyfriend was the concept that Midas feverishly sold him for. It was close enough to Daehan’s own sweet and understanding personality, though without the melancholic and contemplative parts, especially with how cheeky and flirty they told him to act to whenever on various interviews and variety shows. It was awkward for Daehan to accept, even if it was as similar as it could be to his original personality—acting cute was something that he couldn’t do well, though Midas continually drilled into him of making this his special appeal. Eventually, he became used to what they demanded of him, and his supposedly drilled so far into him that it became something of a reflexive second nature to be flirtatiously charming.

He didn’t like the way he turned out, even though his fans gradually came to understand that the occasional shyness that seeped through was a part of his personality—and that only increased his appeal to them. Daehan didn’t like being fake to others—it made the connections with them seem unreal and unrealistic, but there still were things that one needed to do—for survival.

IDOL HISTORY

They say that third sons of the third sons are always the unfortunate ones. That the curse itself wouldn’t affect the first generation but the subsequent one—Han’s family was always secretly superstitious like that—though Han supposed that, with whatever that happened to him throughout his life with his family, that it was the truth that he was quite the unfortunate one.

After all, he was the third son of a third son, the youngest and the runt of the Jung family, who had their claws and teeth deep within Korean politics, medicine and diplomacy. The Jungs were cold people, vicious but beautiful, their lives all planned like map lines on a guiding map, with a hierarchical structure and a place for everyone to where they supposed belonged—and for Daehan, it was more or less the same. He’d been born the youngest and the weakest link of the family, but blessed with extraordinary looks compared to his brothers, as well as the brains for an above average intelligence. One would say that he was blessed—but with such blessing came the curse of having to live up to expectations, and expectations in the Jung family were always more than just a simple A on a piece of paper or a lovely drawing declaring love for your parents. No—it was much much more, always far too much, especially with Daehan’s two older and more outstanding siblings. But still, people said that Daehan was lucky, because his father had intended to skip his two older sons and make him the heir of the family and company, following, for once the idea of merits over legitimacy. But Daehan felt no liberation from his father’s intention, nor luck from all the secret congratulations. It only gave the dreamy eyed boy, who aspired to write, sing and love music more pressure within the bird cage that had kept his wings duly clipped.

He should have been happy with what he was given—Daehan knew, because there were so many others much less fortunate than him—but family felt like a metal collar that he couldn’t rid, slowly constricting around his slender neck.

His road had been planned out right from the start for him–an effortless Road to a doctorate and being a doctor, the future of working in the same hospital that his second brother did, and achieving great things that were supposed–had to be greater than the rest of his brothers to prove his worth.

That was the demand his father asked, no–ordered of him.

You’re the one I want to choose to be heir, son. Don’t disappoint me.

But all Daehan wanted to do was write and sing the beautiful pieces that fell from his lips and fingers, and the order from his father was like a chain of shackles that tied him deep down into the barren earth and enslaved his flighty feet.

….

His room became his only saving grace, the splash of colours that weren’t white and gray a beautiful relief for his tired eyes and lonely soul, the music production tools that he’d bought with his pocket money and the beat of music of his various compositions the only comfort and reprieve that he could work with.

It was the only relief that he had, studying intensely to follow that route and path his parents had displayed for him, until fate forcibly carved another pavement for him to follow his heart, with the announcement of Midas auditions.

For the first time in his life, Daehan disobeyed his parents in secret, the first time of exhilaration of disobedience and defiance hitting him in his veins as adrenaline as he gave the best performance of singing that he had ever given that day, cheeks flushed and dreams of hope deep within his brown eyes.

He never expects to receive the contract from Midas that soon, a deep hope stirring in the pits of his stomach as he tells his family of the news that he’s going to be an idol at Midas, since they called him back from the audition that he’d done behind their back.

He’s not prepared at all for the dead silence in the midst of the family dinner, the sounds of chewing and clanging of cutlery no longer filling the air like a melodious piece of deadened music.

“Daehan’s only kidding, father.” The first thing that leaves his eldest brother’s lips is words of denial. “I’ve been tracking his work, and he hasn’t been doing anything of that sort.”

“I skipped school that day, and told someone to cover for me.” Their disbelief makes him blurt the truth out in the most vicious way possible, the words cutting a chasm between him and his family that he never knew would last for the rest of his life.

“Step out of the house for whatever this Midas thing is, and I’ll have one less son. I already have two, so either way the loss is yours over mine.” Never had his parents words cut so deep, and with that tearstreaked rebelliousness, Daehan packed his bags and left the Jungs with his head held high.

If as a thirteen year old trainee life wasn’t hard enough, Daehan learnt that what was treasured within the confines of Midas was not the freedom that he had so naively believed. Did he think innocently that he’d be allowed to produce his own music for his own group?

Perhaps.

Had he been foolish enough to think that people would listen to his creative inputs?

Yes.

In the end–he’d simply flown from one lofty cage to another, with chains slowly bogging down his body and his feet.

….

His trainee years are more than silent, the comfort that he feels in being be able to at least do a fraction of what he truly desires to be making him much more satisfied than he had ever been with his family.

There were downsides to being a trainee of course, the debilitating downside of diets as well as constant practices had nearly made him collapse from exhaustion, leaving him with some minor dieting problems that he ended up managing to work around with, and when he finally debuted with Olympus, Daehan had never felt more relieved.

With how long he had been with the company, he always felt that he had something missing, and that was the reason why Midas didn’t see him fit to debut in his earlier years, only debuting him when he turned 22. But he needn’t have worried. Midas had needed a male with his face for the group, that fitted the image of an ideal but charming, all rounded boyfriend– and with him in their reserves, Daehan was immediately drafted into Olympus.

He supposed that he got along well enough with his group mates. That was at least his perception and the perception that they put on for everyone to see. Olympus did well with their concept, and Daehan gradually realised that even with only just part of his dream realised, the exhilaration of being on the stage and putting out music that others enjoyed was something that he gradually came to enjoy from the depths of his heart, apart from the commercials and the variety shows that Midas placed him in to spread word for his ideal boyfriend image. Commercials were easy, and variety shows even easier, with all the training that Midas had put him through with moulding to his image and personality till it was nothing but second nature, though much if it was thankfully enough—close to his own original personality and character.

But idol life was not without the ups and downs of a dating scandal. It had been a rumour that cropped up due to a variety show filming that he was in, Roommates, where at least 11 other idols were selected to live and room within a house. Whilst many had praised him for his kind, gentle and yet romantic boyfriend ways that seemed genuine onscreen, rumours spread about him being in a relationship with one of the female idols in the show itself–a scripted romantic line by the producers that had taken off due to their chemistry and playful flirtations with each other that never crossed the line.

Such romantic lines were troublesome, he would learn, more for the female than himself, because the one that was shaded badly in the scandal was not the nations boyfriend–but the girl that had apparently, stolen his heart. Midas threw themselves into clearing that stain from his image, declaring that he was unattached and single, and very much loyal to his group and fans, silently insinuating with him to not get too close with the other girl in the romantic line, and as time passed, the rumours and heated fan wars gradually died down. But the damage had been done–the impact much less to himself and more to the female counterpart of his in that romantic line, and Daehan remembered quietly apologising to the girl silently after filming for the issue. The issue had been brushed off fleetingly, but Daehan had always been a tad more sensitive than others to the issue, and it moulded for him a more careful personality onscreen than previously before.

As the years passed, and Daehan gradually came to the understanding that Olympus were no longer the ‘it’ group of the industry, having faded ever so slightly as their status as idols became from junior to seniors. But still—relevance was vital to the survival of a group, and even more important to the decision of whether Midas would keep them safely in its embrace—and for that, all of the members in Olympus worked more than just hard in securing themselves solidly in their place, especially with the up and coming boy groups seemingly threatening their various positions. With everything in place for Olympus, Daehan could now focus more on his aspirations—more commercials? Variety shows? Maybe..perhaps. What he wanted to do, however, was to try his hand at the musical production that he’d been isolated from for so long. Perhaps, he thought—he might finally see that long hidden dream in his heart come alive once more.

#id.bio #id.midas #id.olympus #id.park hyungsik

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON XLNC’S MAIN VOCAL, RHYTHM GUITAR LEE YEONGSHIK…

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: King CURRENT AGE: 25 DEBUT AGE: 22 indie / 24 at KJH TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 21 COMPANY: KJH ETC: This member is involved with producing

IDOL IMAGE

“Aren’t you that kid from Hongdae?“ “Wait! He’s the guy that got kicked out of KJH!”

The frequency in which Yeongshik performed on the streets of Pohang and Seoul would certainly not go unnoticed. However, that does not mean he was popular or successful. In fact, any pre-debut images or videos of him on the internet cater more to his looks than his performance ability. Since his official debut as a member of XLNC, some of those images have resurfaced. KJH uses those pieces of media as a means to paint him as XLNC’s King: a passionate hard-working young man who is trying to redeem himself within the idol industry, and with a dream to change the idol music industry for the better.

KJH knew that asking Yeongshik to alter or fabricate a persona for the sake of the band would be more trouble than what it would be worth. Instead, they decided to use his troublesome trainee past, self-important personality in juxtaposition with his tenderness for fans, and a hard-working Northern Geoyongsan country-boy past to push a “tsundere” image. While some of the members were given the permission to keep their own names, KJH felt that if they kept Yeongshik’s very old-sounding name, it would not be easy to market to the younger generations. Instead, the company decided to take his calloused image in contrast with his love for his fans and gave Yeongshik the stage name “Young King” using the “Y” and “K” in his name, but later decided to shorten it to “King”.

KJH has given him permission to openly discuss his past life experiences, even that of his time in KJH if only for it to make the company shine brighter for mercifully allowing the poor misguided youth to return with all quandaries forgiven.

“But you never wanted to be an idol. That’s why you left KJH before, right? So why the sudden change of heart?”

When asked in their earlier interviews what changed his mind about being an idol, his answer is always very frank and honest: the support from fans. Whenever XLNC’s fans, XL-ENTs are brought into the interviews, King cannot help but become soft and a little emotional. He also admits that the hard-working attitude of his fellow members inspires him and keeps him accountable. KJH thrives off of this genuine part of his personality as a means to market his ‘calloused but softening heart’. Very rarely will King ever openly discuss his relationship with the company outside of expressing his gratitude for their resources. However, he has yet to publicly thank them for “saving his band from disappearing”.

“He’s the strong silent type.”

On stage, King exudes confidence and passion behind his guitar and his husky singing voice. However, the second a camera pans in his direction, his newly-discovered case of stage-fright causes him to close his eyes for the majority of the performance. When asked about it, or teased about it on variety shows and interviews, he tries to make jokes about him trying to appear more passionate. However, producers and bandmates find frustrating and annoying when they are trying to film. A lot of apologies are made throughout pre-recording and filming. Some of his fans try to defend him as they see it as a small peek to the softer core of his personality and the “true” Lee Yeongshik.

Generally for interviews and variety shows, the members of XLNC are given leniency as to how they are allowed to act. King willingly developed the persona of being the “black hole” of the group when it comes to variety. It seemed to come naturally with the group’s obvious emotional distance with King and Kings’ general lack of tact and awkwardness in front of a camera. He doesn’t know where to stand, how to stand, which camera to look at, and actually stare at the camera and not meander his eyes elsewhere. The few times that he does talk it usually involves his knowledge of music and fish– at which point it’s nearly impossible to get him to shut up. This has become the butt of many variety jokes and even further decorated his strange variety persona. He has opted to take an even further step back on more recent variety shows and silently encourages his members to be the star variety personalities. However, when it comes to playing games or physical activities on variety shows, he’s suddenly very involved and excited!

“We love ourselves a thoughtful King!”

With their fanbase in Korea, Yeongshik does what he can to support the people that have supported them. He likes to organize small gifts for the few fans that come to their events (usually using money out of his own pocket). At fansigns and fan meets he is very kind to fans, but in a very genuine way that often shocks the fans and the company. He hates acting cute for the sake of being cute and calmly refuses to do aegyo with a tight smile. Even though he likes to treat his fans with care, he also maintains a professional and conservative distance from them. For example, if fans try to act too familiar he gently tries to set them straight. Or if fans try to confess their love to him, he gently turns them down. His unwillingness to conform to these usual idol roles, while being completely within the bounds of his real personality, further feeds into the image that the company has carved for him.

When it comes to interacting with international fans, King absolutely cannot do English. He didn’t study it at all in high school, and can only introduce himself and his role within the band simply because the company forced him to memorize it. His pronunciation is hardly inteligible and he makes no effort to try and improve. This aggravates some of their international fans, but King has no problem playfully shrugging it off and insists that he’s simply not smart enough for English. He has made an effort to study beginner level Japanese before their promotions in Japan and is able to write in Hiragana and Katakana on his social media pages.

“Which member are you the closest to?”

Suffice it to say that the members’ relationship with their main vocalist is rocky at best. Despite sticking through the debut, Yeongshik’s impulsive and selfish behaviour has been the cause of a lot of discomfort and awkwardness between the members. While he apologized for his past behaviour, and is currently making efforts to prove to his band mates that he is here to stay, the process is hard and grueling. The 25 year old, who has always been an independent lone-wolf, is now struggling to learn what it means to become part of a team; and while he doesn’t want to falsely force himself on the others, he is trying to do what he can in private and in the eyes of the public to show his appreciation and support to them.

In their behind-the-scenes footage on their group’s Youtube or live channels, King is more off-to-the-side and observant rather than participating in antics with his members. A lot of fans at the beginning of their debut interpreted this as him trying to appear “mature”, when in reality, he just hadn’t developed that level of closeness with his members. However, as time has worn on, King makes a little more effort to participate in videos with his members usually as the victim of their antics as he is often caught asleep on camera.

On his personal Youtube channel, King tends to primarily share covers of songs that he enjoys. The company allowed for this as a means for him to "release” the rock-side of him that gets repressed form the music he’s forced to do professionally. He has recently started to do reviews of music that has been released within the idol industry (again) as a means to develop a stronger understanding of the genres that he generally wouldn’t listen to. Of course, these videos are heavily edited and reviewed and monitored by KJH. He has asked permission from his company to have guest idols show up on his channel during these reviews to give more insight on the music, and, in the eyes of their respective companies, build partnerships and mutual advertisement opportunities.

Shortly before debut, he opened a Twitter and Instagram account to document his journey within XLNC and to interact with fans and other celebrities within the industry. On Twitter he often writes to his fans expressing his thanks, spams the promotional music show hashtag and shares snapshots of him working. On Instagram, King rarely posts pictures of himself, much to the disappointment of his fans. However, he often does live videos where he will do monitored Q&As, or will share sneak peaks of the latest Youtube video that he’s working on.

“You call yourself a King? Disgusting! Throw yourself back under the rock you came from, Faker!”

Despite his active online presence, hard-working image and rapport with fans and a handful of idols, there is a lot of negativity that still needs to be filtered. There are a handful of XL-ENT fans, as well as aggressive anti-fans that leave hateful comments on his social media pages. Some of these anti-fans suspect that something may have happened before their debut with KJH, given the sudden lack of closeness and chemistry between him and the other members. Some even go so far as to blame King for XLNC’s lack of success and popularity within the idol industry. For now, Yeongshik has been able to maturely avoid lashing out at these fans. But given his impulsive past, KJH is constantly on edge and have been trying to filter out those hateful comments.

IDOL HISTORY

1994 – Born in Pohang 2012 (Age 18) – Tried to promote independently in Pohang while working for his parents. 2013 (Age 19) – Moved to Seoul. 2014 (Age 20) – Tried to promote independently in Hongdae 2014-2015 (Age 21) – Applied and accepted as a trainee at KJH, but was kicked out; started his Youtube channel 2015-2016 (Age 22) – Successfully picked up by an indie-laebl; debuted with XLNC 2018 (Age 24) – XLNC signed with KJH; King threatened to leave the group, but ultimately decided to remain with the group

The Boy Who Would Be King:

Born in the popular port city of Pohang to a fisherman and his wife, Lee Yeongshik spent his entire life by open beaches and bringing his father’s catch to his mother’s stall in the famous Jukdo Market. Music was always tightly woven into Yeongshik’s life: from the music his father would sing while at sea, to the music played on television and radio. But nothing struck his heartstrings or energized him more than that of the rock bands Nell and YB (then known as Yoo Do-Hyun Band).

During his elementary and early high school years he would write lyrics about his life at school or the life of a fisherman’s son, and would remix these lyrics into his favourite existing songs or adjust the composition slightly. While in school, all of his efforts were put into his music classes. He learned how to read sheet music and how to play basic piano. As many teenagers his age tend to do, he challenged social constructs and would write poems or quirky songs that mocked the school system. More than once, his antics caused him some form of detention or other forms of acceptable punishment from his teachers.

For his birthday during his second year of high school, his parents gifted him with a second-hand guitar. Between work in the early morning, school throughout the day and remedial school during most of the early evening, the majority of his free time was spent learning how to play his guitar. Predictably, his grades began to slip and his parents encouraged him to find a tutor: a senior from his school. She appealed to his creativity and was able to make learning fun for him again, and he suddenly felt as though he could understand the meaning to the love songs he had been listening to most of his life. His mind wandered throughout the day at work, school and even tutoring to develop the perfect song to confess his love. When he was finally confident and proud of his creation and performed it to her, his feelings were not reciprocated and weren’t treated seriously. The broken-hearted boy immediately became jaded and bitter and deliberately filtered romance from his life entirely. Any confessions he received were met with cruel shutdowns. The once class-clown became the introverted, crass and outspoken loner.

The Call to Adventure:

As graduation drew near, he and his parents struggled to find a direction for Yeongshik’s future. Between a serious lack of financial security and Yeongshik’s terrible high school grades, post-secondary school simply was not an option. His parents knew he wouldn’t be happy taking over their business so they suggested that he try to pursue music. After graduating by the skin of his teeth, he worked for his parents in the morning and spent his afternoons and evenings busking on the busy streets of Pohang where tourism was the thickest. He would hit the markets and the beaches during the summer, and deeper into the city inside of bus and train stations during the winter. His music was a mix of his own prose as well as remixed covers of existing rock songs. Once he had made enough money, he moved to Seoul to live with his father’s estranged brother.

Yeongshik’s uncle was rarely home and made no effort to manage his small apartment to accommodate his guest. Yeongshik felt more than uncomfortable with his uncle, and would only go home long enough to bathe, sleep and occasionally eat the food his parents sent them. The rest of his days were spent busking in the afternoons and working in convenience stores in the late evenings and early mornings. He attended as many local indie rock events as he could afford, and even attempted to audition to perform. However, as a very young and  inexperienced soloist, gigs were impossible to come by. One of the venue owners suggested that he apply to an idol company if only to utilize their connections and resources. “You have the face and the voice to get in. Make the most of it and go.”

The Refusal:

Feeling desperate, Yeongshik looked into each of the top tier companies within the industry and felt that KJH was the best fit, as they were well known for their artistic freedom and generally produced high-quality music as was proven with the debut of Atlas. KJH told him to leave his guitar at home and to come to vocal lessons and idol training. The vocal lessons were certainly helpful and it was here that he really seemed to excel and was praised for the unique husky and deep quality of his voice that was absent in most current idol groups. Here he learned how to control his voice more and began to push the limits of his overall range. However, his dancing lessons were an entirely different story. His entire artistic career had been behind the security of a guitar and never before had he ever tried to do any kind of dance. His lack of skill and very vocal stubborn unwillingness to learn marked him as a trainee with a poor attitude. His poor attendance for both dance and idol behavioural lessons had him threatened to be kicked out of the company. Yeongshik decided that his pride and integrity as a rock artist was worth more than the resources that KJH had to offer, so during his final review and threat to be kicked out of the company, Yeongshik uncouthly vocalized his desire to quit and dropped out of the company. Even though Yeongshik’s connections and friendships within KJH were very few (given his aloof personality), he didn’t realize just how badly he had burned some of those bridges. Rumours spread like wildfire about his poor attitude and laziness as an idol.

Meeting the Mentor:

Once again, Yeongshik returned to busking on the streets of Hongdae. During this time he had decided to open up a Youtube account to hopefully reach a broader audience. With his uncle rarely home, he had the ample quiet space to work and record. His channel featured some of his best street-performances as well as recordings in the apartment of songs he wanted to share in higher quality. The comments in his videos were met with a mixture of praises and firey insults from those who had heard about his departure from KJH. Any of his rock covers that featured Atlas’ songs or any idol group were immediately flagged and reported by his ever aggressive antis, and at that point he decided to abandon the idea of gaining views with pop-covers and became a fully-fledged rock cover artist while sharing a few snippets of his own lyricless compositions.

After some time, he was approached by a familiar-looking representative of an indie-label that Yeongshik had attempted to audition for during his first few months in Seoul. The agent had said that with his talent with a guitar and husky voice, he would make a great candidate for their new band that they were hoping to debut in the following year. Yeongshik immediately agreed to participate in the audition for the band. He wasn’t even remotely hurt by the fact he had gone unrecognized by the agent. He was ready now and that was all that mattered.

Upon his arrival, the judges were very quick to praise him for his perseverance in trying to make it in the industry both on the streets and online. They also complimented him on his improved vocals and talent with his guitar. However, his reputation with KJH had left a very dark mark on his resume. They still presented him the opportunity to audition and after hearing him sing a cover and then share one of his own compositions with his guitar, they decided that they would allow him to join the other candidates for the band to test his chemistry and work ethic.

When he was introduced to the other members of the band that were present at the time, he found that they were already quite close to each other. Yeongshik visibly struggled to make an effort to connect with the other members, though not because he didn’t want to. The musician had been so engrossed with his own personal success that he had never had to consider the thoughts and opinions of others before this moment. However, gradually over time he started to open up a little more and was more approachable. His rough Kyungsan-do exterior and accent still painted him out to be aloof and unfriendly, but his bandmates started to understand him a little more and eventually their openness began to reflect in their chemistry when practicing and training together.

Crossing The Threshold:

The following 2 years were a trying but glorious time for XLNC. Their fanbase was small, but they were undoubtedly recognized for their talents within their small indie empire. With their constant performances and appearances around the country, Yeongshik’s Youtube presence started to dwindle due to a lack of time to edit his videos and was focusing more on producing. He adopted instagram and while he didn’t necessarily post many pictures, he would use the platform for live streams to openly interact with fans. Yeongshik’s relationship with his fellow band members seemed to solidify itself a little more. He was still the strong silent type, or the type that said a little too much at the wrong time. The lifestyles of the other members were very different from his own– but all was forgotten and forgiven the second the group was behind their instruments.

Ordeal, Death and Rebirth:

As luck would have it, the indie-label was unable to financially keep themselves stable and they presented XLNC the opportunity to sign with KJH. With the skyrocketing success of Atlas and rise of Jawbreaker, Yeongshik theorized that the indies’ fall was entirely KJH’s fault; that the idol company had bought out the indie-label in order to easily acquire what success XLNC had built on their own. Yeongshik spared no one’s feelings when he told his bandmates about what he had experienced in KJH and threatened to leave the band if they agreed to join KJH. The company was more than familiar with Yeongshik’s explosive nature and had come prepared with the proposition of producing opportunities, unlimited resources and higher quality marketing to reach a broader audience. They allowed him time to think it over before officially signing on with the rest of the group. Eventually, after a few long arguments with his band members that lasted late into the night, Yeongshik begrudgingly agreed to sign with the the rest of the group.

KJH spared no expense in milking the purchase of an indie group and they were even more excited to promote their edgy rebirth into the idol industry. Yeongshik was renamed King, much to his disdain, and while he was given production rights he had no where near the freedom that they had allegedly promised. Each of his creations were immediately shot down and rejected claiming that they didn’t fit the new image and that he needed to try harder. There was little to no support given to him from other people within the company as they all took this opportunity to extract their revenge on his poor behaviour in the past. His bandmates held a grudge against him not only for his past that was affecting their future opportunities within KJH, but they were also still very burned by his threat to leave the group.

King began to relapse back into himself again and kept himself busy by reopening his Youtube account. It is tightly monitored by the company and a few videos were forced to be removed because of whatever excuses they decided to throw at him. He was lucky enough to have been given the option to turn his instagram account private and opened a new one under KJH’s strict supervision. His anti-fanbase resurfaced, angrier than ever at Yeongshik’s return to KJH. The company was kind enough to take on the task of constantly monitoring his accounts to try and remove as many of the death threats as possible, but it didn’t stop fueling the anger and disappointment within the musician.

Reward and Seizing the Sword:

While things are still rough now within the company, a year after their debut under KJH, King was able to acquire a few small victories. His first victory was in finally receiving his first production credit for the song ‘Still’. With KJH dangling their carrot of production credits in front of his face, and giving him the occasional pat on the head for his good behaviour, King’s temper and bitterness began to simmer. He grew to realize that he had no one to share these victories with. He longed for the days when he and his bandmates had good chemistry on stage and were able to actually stand being together and share in their victories. After opening up to one of the few seniors he knew within the industry, at their suggestion he began to slowly attempt to mend his relationship with his bandmates and other idols within KJH. It’s far from perfect, but the effort he’s putting in has some people scratching their heads and wondering if it’s worth giving him a second chance. KJH suggested that he start opening up his cover projects to feature other artists as a means to share promotions for each other, while they secretly hoped it would paint him in a brighter and more idol-friendly image.

#id.bio #id.kjh #id.xlnc #id.koo junhoe

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON DIVINITY’S LEAD VOCAL CHA NARI...

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: Lily CURRENT AGE: 23 DEBUT AGE: 21 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 17 COMPANY: Koala T. SECONDARY SKILL: Modeling

IDOL PROFILE

NICKNAME(S):  Alice (she is called this by some fans because she has always seemed somewhat out of place in the topsy-turvey world of Nightmare), Nana (an affectionate nickname from fans that stems from her cute nature). INSPIRATION: Nari was inspired to become and idol by the idols of her youth. She generally avoids talking about her childhood, but when she does it is to mention how much joy it brought her to see classic idol groups perform. They seemed so happy, so glamorous. From a young age, Nari imitated them, dancing in front of her TV. As she grew and it became clear she had a striking resemblance to a member of Diamant, it seemed that Nari was fated to become an idol the way she’d always dreamed. Nari worked hard in her teens to make that future a reality. SPECIAL TALENTS:

make up — Nari is well known for her skills as a make up artist. On variety shows she is sometimes asked to do the make up of male cast members or guests, to amusing results. She has also recently started her own beauty channel where she makes videos on different make up looks.

aegyo — Nari is always ready and willing to perform cute actions, even when others around her might seem reticent. She takes pride in her ability to be cute.

japanese  — As Nightmare’s audience expanded internationally, Nari, with no small     effort, learned Japanese in order to communicate with her international fans. Nari occasionally performs covers of Japanese songs as well.

NOTABLE FACTS:

Nari has a striking resemblance to a popular member of Diamant. It is commented on nearly every time she goes on variety shows or is discussed in the media.

Nari is known for being a fan of second and first generation girl groups such as Jubilee and Genie. Diamant is by far her favorite and she is quick to sing or dance to their songs when asked (and even when she is not).

When asked, Nari often alludes to her ideal type being a member of Titanium but     refuses to clarify which member, exactly, it is.

IDOL GOALS

SHORT-TERM GOALS:

As Nightmare transitions into Divinity, Nari wants to use this rebranding as an opportunity to make herself the new face of the group. More so than other members who might have played heavily into the group’s occult theme before, Nari’s softer image fits the new, lighter concept. Nari aims have her sub unit, Eve, succeed in their promotions, as she is featured much more heavily in the small sub unit than the ungainly large group. Additionally. Nari plans to grow her brand through her fairly new beauty youtube channel. She views this as an excellent way to reach current fans and, hopefully, gain more outside the group’s niche market. Her modeling is also a way to build up her public recognition outside of the group.

LONG-TERM GOALS:

Nari doesn’t plan on staying in Nightmare (now Divinity) forever. The group’s shifting concepts and lack of domestic appeal will only grow as a roadblock as she gets older. Nari knows that Koala.T isn’t keen on giving any members solos at the moment, but long term, perhaps after the group inevitably disbands, she wants to have a solo career. After a long, successful solo career, Nari envisions a state of semi-retirement. She will be wealthy, not having to work in order to afford a luxurious lifestyle, but still maintain a media presence so she is never forgotten.

IDOL IMAGE

Before it was Divinity, before it was even Nightmare, Nari was a perfect fit for Koala.T’s expected girl group. She always appeared to be bright and energetic, the trainee most skilled at aegyo. These aspects matched the expected colorful concept. They were an asset Nari wore proudly, expecting them to take her the final stretch to debut. The concept switch to a darker rock sound complicated matters. It was clear that Nari would never be as mysterious and brooding as the concept demanded. Alterations had to be made.

Newly branded “Lily”, Nari’s concept in Nightmare was a compromise more than anything else. No amount of black nail polish and dark clothes would ever completely roughen up her soft edges. The higher ups at Koala.T decided the best course of action was to lean into her attractive looks. Being too cute wouldn’t work; even at her darkest moments she didn’t look threatening. Instead, they tried to tinge the horror concept with some more sexy elements. Subtle suggestibility and bedroom eyes as opposed to baring it all.  Lily couldn’t exactly pull off scary, but perhaps she could be a bit of a temptress.  It wasn’t a perfect fit  — Nari always looked just a touch out of place in the horror-themed mvs, her movements too soft for the harsh choreography — but it worked well enough. Even an occult themed group like Nightmare could stand to have at least one somewhat cute member to balance out the elements that might otherwise be off putting.

The re-branding into Divinity has been nothing if not a boon for Nari. While her cute and pretty image held her back in Nightmare, it is proving to be an asset as the group transitions into a brighter, more mainstream image. While other members might have gone all-in to Nightmare’s witchy vibes, their decision to allow Lily to retain some aspects her cuter persona makes her immediately more accessible to the new concept. There’s very little she’s had to change.

Lily remains a bright figure in the group who plays heavily into her cuteness and desirability. Because of this, Nari has become the perfect face for Divinity. She, like the group, has maintained her core elements through every transition and concept change. Most importantly, Nari knows how to connect with the Korean public just as much as the group’s foreign fans. Born and raised in the south of the nation, Nari’s current image is something of the platonic ideal of a Korean idol. Outgoing, yet pushy, always cheerful, hardworking and beautiful. Nari is more than pleased with this turn of events and hopes to ride this concept change into the highest heights of fame possible.

IDOL HISTORY

Cha Nari was born in Daegu on April 12, 1996. Her parents, Hyejin and Joonho, had little to offer their first and only child. They both worked low-paying, menial jobs and could only afford a small apartment in the city. Still, though their home was humble, it was happy. Joonho loved his wife and daughter more than words could express and did all that he could to provide for them and make them happy. This was apparently not enough for Hyejin.

Less than a year after Nari was born, Hyejin began an affair with a wealthy businessman. He showered her in gifts. Within six months of starting the affair, Hyejin left her husband and one-year-old and never returned. Joonho was blindsided, having been completely unaware of the affair. He was grief-stricken; after all, he had just lost the love of his life, but he knew that he had to push on, if not for himself, then for his daughter. Even more than before, Nari became his whole world. He would do anything, give up whatever, for his daughter.

When she was very young, Nari wasn’t aware that she was poor. She had clothes to wear, she never went hungry, and she always, always had love. It wasn’t until she started school that Nari began to notice that she was different from other kids. Her classmates, she noticed, got new clothes and not hand-me-downs. They didn’t keep the same shoes until they wore holes in the bottom. Their lunches were larger and nicer. They had big birthday parties, got nice, new toys. Slowly, Nari realized just how much less she had. Her father gave her all he could but it would never measure up.

As Nari became a preteen, she became desperate to keep up with her peers. Nari searched for small jobs around her neighborhood to make just a little bit of pocket money. She ran errands, scrubbed bathroom floors, babysat. Nari did anything and everything just to be able to afford a nicer pair of shoes or some meat for her lunch. Her father, who worked nearly constantly to make ends meet, only saw this as Nari taking after his hardworking ways. He didn’t realize just how ashamed of their circumstances she was.

Puberty hit Nari hard. She’d been a thin and gangly child, but she blossomed into a beautiful teen. She became more popular with girls and boys alike. Nari took to lying to her schoolmates about where she lived and what her father did. She even lied and told people her mother had died, not abandoned her. By the time she was old enough to get a proper part time job, most of her classmates had no idea that the tall, beautiful, popular Nari came from such humble beginnings.

It was in her early teens that people started to notice just how much Nari looked like a member of Diamant. It truly was uncanny. Initially, this pleased Nari. Diamant and other idol groups had been her refuge during the difficult, early years of school when she felt lesser for not having money. She would lose herself in fantasies of being rich and famous like the idols. Being compared to one was the greatest compliment Nari could think of. She wasn’t talented at singing or dancing — she’d never had enough money or time to really try at either — but Nari still dreamed of becoming an idol one day.

That dream was always out of reach until, one day, she was stopped when shopping with her friends. The man said he was a scout for a music company, and he’d never seen such a beautiful girl. Surely, she wanted to be an idol. Nari glowed. The man gave her his card. He said that for a nominal fee, he could help Nari become a trainee. That was all that Nari had ever wanted, so of course, Nari scrapped together her savings and paid the man. She did so again a few weeks later when he asked for another payment, and again a month after that. It was only after she’d spent her very last won and gotten nothing in returned that Nari realized she’d been scammed. This revelation changed Nari. She was no longer wide-eyed and hopeful. Her heart had hardened to the painful realities of the world.

Despite such a major setback, Nari was still determined to become an idol. Nari started putting away money for singing and dancing lessons. Juggling her lessons, her job and school was difficult — many days she would only get roughly three hours of sleep — but Nari persevered. After months and months of lessons, Nari auditioned for every company she could find. Midas turned her down. 99 and MSG too. Even Singularity wouldn’t take her. It wasn’t until she auditioned for Koala.T Music that Nari found a company willing to take a chance on her. She was grateful.

As a trainee, it was painfully clear to Nari that she’d been chosen because of her looks, not on the strength of her talent. Nari had to work twice as hard as everyone else just to keep up. Still, she persevered. Nari spent every spare moment she had practicing. She wouldn’t let a little thing like lack of talent get in the way of her becoming an idol. By the time Koala.T began choosing trainees to debut in the group that would become Nightmare, Nari had fought her way tooth and nail towards the top of the pack. She’d never be the best or most talented but Nari’s hard work had transformed her into a more than serviceable singer and dancer.

The group’s initial colorful concept fit well with Nari. She was cute and bright and was an obvious choice. However, when the debut was delayed and the concept so drastically changed, the choice was drastically less obvious. Some members of management if she was too out of sync with the group’s new horror-tinged concept. Her hardworking nature and beauty beat out any doubts but the lack of connection to Nightmare’s theme would haunt Nari through her debut and beyond.

For her part hated the new concept. She’d been excited to dance to bright pop songs like her favorite idols in older generations. Nightmare was just too strange, too off putting. It would scare away the potential fans she so desperately wanted. Still, Nari knew that this would be her only chance to debut and fought to be in the group. Nari was proved right with their debut and subsequent promotions being lackluster but Nari was still happy just to be an idol. Sure, their fans were few and far away, but they had fans. She was on television, on the camera. She was far away from the sad, lonely, poor little girl she’d been not so very many years before.

Promoting in Nightmare was always a struggle. Nari had been right about the concept alienating potential fans. When Koala.T management announced the addition of subunits with more traditional concepts, Nari was overjoyed. Finally, she would get the chance to be the kind of idol she’d always wanted. Beautiful, bright, beloved. Still, it didn’t feel like enough. Really, when one of their members left the group, she could not blame her; Nightmare was clearly doomed to fail, even with the subunits, unless something drastic happened. She started to fear that was the beginning of the end, that everything would be destroyed before she even had a fighting chance. Then, salvation came. Koala T. decided to rebrand into Divinity, leaning into the style introduced into the subunits. She would still be forced to do the creepy-cute occult songs, but far less often. She could showcase her own unique skills, maybe even become part of the mainstream. Now, Nari is happy and excited about the future of Divinity, even more than when they first debuted. The future looks bright and she intends to take full advantage of it.

#id.bio #id.koalat #id.divinity

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON INDIGO’S MAIN VOCAL NO SIWOO...

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: N/A CURRENT AGE: 24 DEBUT AGE: 19 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 16 COMPANY: MSG ETC: this member was known for the influx of attention they gained after REGroup.

IDOL IMAGE

siwoo originally debuted with a younger brother type image - goofy but sweet, wholesome but a charming nuisance to the older members of the group. he was comfortable with the role and played it well, but it was too conventional and he tended to be overlooked as a member. after his popularity grew from regroup, however, siwoo has shifted into an older brother type of concept - dependable, admirable, ruffling hair and teasing everyone. he was teased both by fellow contestants on the survival show and by his group members about his “angelic” image, developed after he garnered praise for his patience and willingness to help.

of course, he’s hardly angelic behind the scenes. siwoo is proud and refuses to acknowledge his own mistakes. he doesn’t always recognize limits like when a joke has come too far or when he’s pushing someone too hard, which not only creates tension but also damages his now-carefully-curated image. he’s easily affected by the trend - if things are going well, he rides that high, but he’s easily defeated once the tide turns. it’s true that he’s generous and helpful and a true team player - he believes that a group can only be successful if every member trusts and relies on one another. however, he’s very attached to the idea of indigo as a unit. this developed primarily during their slump, when siwoo began to fear disbandment, but his clinginess worsened once the group began rebuilding and reaching new heights. the boys, himself included, now take on more individual schedules, and he’s afraid of one of them achieving enough success in a field that they’ll leave the rest behind, dooming the others to flopping like before. part of him knows that teamwork also means supporting one another in all your endeavours, not just in those related to actual group work, and siwoo does support his members - he just doesn’t want them to succeed individual at the cost of indigo.

IDOL HISTORY

the no family filled their home with music.

the notes of chopin twinkled out of the radio while their father cooked, carly simon’s voice underscored family game night, uhm junghwa blasted out of the car as soon as the key turned in the ignition. every birthday dinner ended with a trip to the local noraebang. family gatherings were incomplete without someone sitting down at the piano while others shouted out requests and sang along at the top of their lungs. it was rare for there to be a quiet moment at home.

it shouldn’t have been surprising, then, when their middle son came home from school one day and declared that he was going to put his heart and soul into pursuing a career in music. you’d think that he was being set up for this future, that it was inevitable, all things considered, for him to want to make a life out of this.

the no family loved music. it was a hobby, an escape. it was also an unstable, dangerous, exploitative career path. the industry was corrupt, cruel, extremely difficult to break into, extremely difficult to stay in. it wasn’t the right place for someone soft, sweet, and warmhearted like their son. careers should be pursued in fields that will never be deemed luxurious or unnecessary - like the family plumbing business. the world will always need plumbers. will they need musicians?

siwoo thought they did. plumbing was a respectable profession - he was never ashamed of what his family did for a living - but fixing rusty pipes and renovating washrooms never seemed as exciting to him as the rush of standing onstage, delivering music that gave people strength and allowed him to express himself beyond what words alone could explain.

his older sister, who went the practical route by studying accounting in order to become the family business’s bookkeeper, had been giving him piano lessons since he was a kid. for siwoo it had always been his three hours a week of respite. he confided in her about his wish to pursue music, confessing that it was the only thing he could imagine himself doing, even if their family didn’t understand it. she told him that she understood, and that she had a friend who was a trainee at an entertainment group - maybe they could get together and he could find out more about what the industry is really like. they met at a coffee shop on the trainee’s day off, siwoo filling a three hour conversation with probing questions about trainee life. the industry was hard, the trainee acknowledged, and the vast majority of trainees never reached debut. but if you loved music that much, wouldn’t you regret not even trying?

siwoo signed up for auditions at every company he could find, scheduling them months in advance to give him time to prepare. he could play piano, and he had a naturally clear singing voice that earned him compliments from untrained listeners, but he worried about whether that would be enough for entertainment companies that looked for visuals, charisma, and charm on top of talent. he signed up for dance lessons at his local community centre, nothing fancy or impressive but enough to give him a sense of rhythm and make him more comfortable with moving his body. he spent time every night practicing his singing and his piano, his concerned parents listening as the music bled through the walls. finally he auditioned, and auditioned, and auditioned. he failed many, but passed a couple, and ultimately chose to begin training at msg entertainment.

training was, predictably, hard. he had to work hard into the night, keep a diet, and continue going to school. he was far from home, and his parents were still unhappy with his decision - they sent him a meager allowance, and he called them regularly, but their tone was always cold, always distant, and probably would be until he relented and came home. but siwoo, proud as ever, refused. as exhausting as it was, training was the first thing he’d ever really been good at. he thrived under pressure, loved proving others wrong, relished every opportunity he had to improve his singing. he worked best when he had a goal in his sights, and he had lots as a trainee: the biggest one being debuting, of course, but smaller ones to help him get there too, like getting the top score on the next trainee evaluation or successfully singing a piece in a higher key. he was motivated and he pushed himself until he was placed in the lineup to debut and finally, in spite of it all, proved himself.

or so he had thought. indigo hit the ground running, earning praise and attention from all sides with their debut release. it was too early for his parents to be fully convinced of their son’s success, but his sister told him that they had put up his posters in the office and had bought their debut ep and were trying to convince every customer, neighbour, family member, and friend to do the same. siwoo thought that if indigo had a few more successful releases, his parents would finally admit to him that he made a good decision in pursuing this path, and their relationship could finally mend. but their first comeback got significantly less hype, and the third even less. indigo was shaping up to be more or less a failure for msg, not quite becoming entirely irrelevant but certainly not living up to their initial burst of popularity. siwoo’s pride disintegrated. what his parents had feared had come true: their son couldn’t make it in music.

he was young at debut and didn’t have an image that stood out much - he was a younger brother character, cute and sweet, straddling the line between irritating and endearing. msg didn’t have much for him to do when indigo slumped, so he went on the few shows he was invited to and otherwise didn’t do much of anything. he struggled when there were no discernible goals ahead of him - they had missed the window to win rookie of the year awards, they were not nearly popular enough to hope to get their music show win on any of their few comebacks. siwoo isolated himself, spending as little time in the dorm or the company building as possible, doing little more than the bare minimum when indigo prepared for an event or a performance here and there. the motivation that made him such a great worker as a trainee evaporated in the face of indigo’s decline

regroup changed everything. the way the company told the members that they were going on a show for failed idols made it sound like a last resort, but siwoo saw it as a new chance. it was essentially like training again - competing with a large group for limited spots, undergoing evaluations and exhausting schedules, and, most importantly, meeting goals. he regained the motivation he had lost, and viewers took note of how hardworking he was. he got to sing ballads than indigo’s dance tracks let him and got some attention for the extent of his talent that had previously gone under the public’s radar. he had a positive, easygoing attitude, and made friends easily with the other contestants. his popularity skyrocketed after an episode where he was grouped with a team of dancers on a vocals challenge and stayed up late every night leading up to their performance to help each member with their singing, leading that team to winning the challenge. he became known for having a heart of gold, being sweet, outgoing, patient, and helpful. he climbed the ranks of the show from borderline irrelevant to twelfth place, missing the final lineup by fewer spots than anyone had originally anticipated.

indigo blew up afterwards, and siwoo blew up with it. msg decided to all but scrap the group’s original dance-heavy sound and focused instead on showing off the boys’ vocal talents, and as main vocal, siwoo had some of the most attention-grabbing adlibs and lines in their songs. but even more than for his voice, he had become popular for his personality, and msg capitalized on this by throwing him into variety. siwoo was friendly, bright, and not easily embarrassed - he dove right into whatever humiliating situation the show called for without hesitation. he got good press after an indigo appearance on i can see your voice and got invited back to be on the panel several times since, and he was praised for his charming anecdotes on his frequent appearances in happy together episodes. he’s succeeded, as both a musician and a public figure, and most importantly, he’s proved himself to his family. they still aren’t happy about what he’s doing, but they can hardly argue with him now. everything is going more or less perfectly, but siwoo is starting to worry: if indigo continues on this upward trend and achieves even more heights, siwoo is, frankly, going to run out of goals. he’s thrilled with their success, and there are still some milestones both the group and he himself have not yet reached, but he’s afraid of running dry and plummeting into a debilitating slump again.

#id.bio #id.msg #id.indigo #id.yoon jeonghan

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON DIVINITY’S MAIN VOCAL LEE BADA…

IDOL DETAILS

CURRENT AGE: 19 DEBUT AGE: 18 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 16 COMPANY: KOALAT

IDOL IMAGE

the sparkle that lingers in her eyes, a sweet smile that just sits across her face,, and the charm that runs through her. she’s friendly and quiet, something that kaola.t believed they could really work with when it came to her image. however, there was, of course, the best parts that they were going to really make stand out. too, they wanted to show how small and mighty bada really is. it just seemed perfect, they way they were going to construct the young member of divinity.  

koala.t has chosen to market bada as the “little sister.” though, it seemingly like they’re choosing a slightly different approach. while she’s incredibly bubbly and happy, the one who could easily annoy the rest of the members on a variety show. she’s seemingly warm and bubbly like a day at the beach, feeling the sun radiating on your sun. however, they also seemingly wanted her to have a bit of a mysterious side to; something much like the ocean. however, most people don’t quite buy it, as they feel her visuals don’t fit mysterious as much as it fits her being rather boisterous, which is something that’s really easy to do. koala.t is slowly, but surely having her abandon the mysterious image, due to no one really getting it from her. boisterous isn’t something that much fits her actual personality of a bit of a girl on the quiet side; one that’s kind of just happy to be there. but, because she’s cute, she’s sure to really sell that. she’s the perfect girl, the perfect girlfriend that you want to take home to your parents due to her cute, pretty nature. that was something koala.t decided to cash in on.

she finds her image quite odd. usually, she’s very quite and keeps to herself, not excepting much of what people give her. she’s not really into the fact that they want her to portray a bit of a girlfriend image on top of being the little sister. however, she’s really excited about her little sister image, especially because of the fact that she was an only child, now turned to the young member of a girl group. the girlfriend image is something that she just seemingly can’t get behind; why is she pretending to be the girlfriend to her fans? what sense does that make? giving them hope of something that’ll never be? that’s something she can never put her finger on.

she wants to be the ocean, yet she feels slightly robotic.

IDOL HISTORY

the smell of salt water and breezy winds; the only place lee bada had ever known. lee bada was born on october 31st, 1999 in the seaside town of sokcho. she would be the only child of her parents, two fishermen and the owners of a fresh seafood restaurant. they lived moderately, grateful for the success their restaurant had; as well as their little bundle of joy, a girl of the sea, the perfect embodiment, lee bada.

see, life was completely simple for them. that’s how their fates had seemed to be. each day, bada would get up with her parents early in the morning to help collect the early catch. after that, she would eat breakfast and get ready for school, before heading out. this was something that she was good at, schooling came somewhat easily to her, besides for mathematics, curse that subject and everything that it stood for. she’d come home, complete her homework, and help out in the restaurant. weekends would be filled with chores before she was allowed to go and hang out with her friends; it was simple enough. the lee family had always been about work first, play later as an award. bada was always sure to take that seriously; it has only felt right.

however, bada had always seemed to have something special about her. a voice that could combat that of a siren’s. however, this was something that bada ever took seriously; even though she was constantly practicing in a way. singing songs as she completed her chores, singing as she walked down school hallways on her own, or as she walked back home. was she meant to sing? that little was known. however, it was known that she was good at it and it was something she should show off.

a day would come, friends full of excitement about a show known as “Superstar K.” it was something that bada had never heard of; to be quite honest, she knew nothing about idols either or whom the latest group was. she had always been a fan of vocalists, it was the only melodies that had played in the hallways of her home. however, her friends would beg her to go onto the show; to show the country what lee bada had to offer. after much trial and error, her friends had succeeded in their efforts.

how was a little girl from a seaside town supposed to survive in a big city like seoul? how was she supposed to make it? she truly didn’t know and it was something that sat on her mind as her friends, her aunt, and she traveled to seoul in order for bada to audition for the competition show they all wanted her to so desperately on. it still seemed foolish to her; was she really meant to do this? that was something that was yet to be known. but, she should at least give it a shot, right?

and she did. she auditioned, she passed; things felt right, but there was an odd feeling in her gut that this was the right thing to do. she had even gotten herself in legendary vocal category; a girl with potential. before she knew it, she was working with a vocal coach to perfect her technique and began practicing for the show. she showed her vocals, pulling out surprises that she could be a real star by changing things up a bit. her most known performance would most likely be the week she performed miss a’s “hush.” it was the first song she was introduced to by an idol group, which she was nervous about. however, she pulled out all the spots, even if she had to listen to it multiple times over; nonstop until she could do it in her sleep.

her run on the show was successful. however, bada wouldn’t make it all the way to the end. devastation to her came when she was eliminated in fourth place. something she had now become completely attached to. this was never bada’s dream, this was never something that the girl had wanted to do. however, it had entered her heart. it was gone now and that was the first time in a long while that she had cried.

however, devastation was something that wouldn’t last very long. she went home for a few days, going back to her normal life as lee bada. your normal everyday high school girl, daughter of the sea. days went on, getting back into her routine. but, the day would come, she receives a love call from koala.t. it came as a shock, hearing that they had wanted to sign her; that she held the potential of being an idol. her new dream was upon her. a young girl begging her parents to let her go, become a trainee; much like ariel begged to go onto land. after much debate, her parents had agreed to sign the contract. the girl of the ocean would return back to the big city; the place she fell in love.

as a trainee, her focus would be on her technique, to be sure that it was up to par. however, a lot of her training would be focused on dancing and performance. it clear that she was lacking a bit in those areas. she was more of a vocalist, rather than an overall performer. the potential was there for her to become better; making sure to practice hard when she wasn’t at school. she wanted to make sure she could make it; which was why she made training more brutal than it had to be. even when she had fallen, she had gotten right back up. that was the right thing to do, right? those two years were the stepping stones for something even more brutal and to be quite honest, with her lack of knowledge, she wasn’t sure what she was getting into.

you see, as a trainee and later an idol, bada would find herself getting into some trouble. there were times where she often didn’t greet sunbaes. she saw merely as a mistake that wasn’t her fault; it was more on the fault of her knowledge of simply not knowing who were idols as well. she was new to this, while others knew; she simply didn’t know as she had never got into idols. it would take her a bit, till she would finally get it. that counted, right?

idol life has been short so far, but the experience has already been at an all time high with how much they’ve released. bada had learned how to deal with how much is going on, getting used to a fast life she hadn’t experienced before because of how simple she used to live. she hopes to stand out, to make a name for herself and the rest of divinity. she wants to fall more in love with her new dream; the one she never expected to fall in love with. she is doing her best with this whole idol thing, hoping she isn’t making too many mistakes.

#id.bio #id.koalat #id.divinity #id.kim jiwoo

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON R!OT’S MAIN RAP, VOCAL LEE JIMIN…

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: N/A CURRENT AGE: 20 DEBUT AGE: 20 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 17 COMPANY: 99 Ent. ETC: this member participated on UPRS and came in second prior to debut

IDOL IMAGE

with her mature features and sharp eyes paired with that deep voice and intense rap, jimin embodies the “cool girl” aesthetic. her personality is blunt yet rough around the edges, her anger and attitude often coming close to crossing the line into “unacceptable” territory. she’s far from tame and most would think that no company would want to take the risk of debuting her just yet, however, she was added to the r!ot lineup anyway and made it into the group with her list of flaws still a mile long. though, they knew exactly how to play it just right. jimin is not a “typical” idol, but then again that’s exactly what 99 is going for with r!ot—a group of girls meant to be just catchy enough to draw you in and just intimidating enough to make you keep your distance. her aggressive and loud stance is exactly what the group needs to stand out she bring their concept home.

her confidence paired with the skills she spent years cultivating makes her worth the risk, especially with the heavy criticism of idol rappers growing each new generation. however, her own attitude towards them is what holds her back. she never wanted to be an idol, hated idols even, and it shows in her performance. the occasional lazy movements, lip syncing instead of singing live with the rest of the group, slacking off on practice. she’s far from enthusiastic about her position as a member of the group, doing the bare minimum to keep her spot and avoid confrontation from the members. when the cameras are on her, she can do what she has to get by, but when the others are trying their hardest to stand out with so many groups debuting every day, she’s doing her best to fade into the background.

that doesn’t stop 99 from pushing her as an mc and on variety shows. her blunt attitude and quick wit make her easy to crack jokes with and keep banter going, her harsh nature coming off more as a dog that’s more bark than bite when combined with the typical wacky editing. she’s a tool to get her group out there, no matter how much she dislikes it. she feels it undermines her as a rapper and a musical artist to be paraded around like a show pony and make everyone like her. she should be loved for her music and music only, not her visuals or anything else irrelevant. while she can’t exactly take back the contract she signed, she can stage her own form of protest in being as bare minimum as possible.

IDOL HISTORY

Early Life

from the moment she was born, jimin was put at a disadvantage. coming from a single mother family with two children and being from a small time, their family was always the topic of whispers and rumors. her mother never finished school, meaning the only jobs she could get were those at a store, cafe or hair salon—never making enough money to care for her and her older brother. options were limited with her mother having little family willing to take on two kids with no guarantee she’d ever come get them, and ultimately her mother decided to give the two of them up by the time she was 4 and he was 6, sending them off to live with their grandmother.

needless to say jimin and jungmin, her brother, were as thick as thieves. they were unable to be separated even before they went into the system together. despite the closeness in age, jungmin did his best to take the role of parent with how often their mother spent out working or with “friends”, and even more so when they felt they had no one else they could depend on. and jimin did what she could to keep him safe, despite being younger. whether it be fighting on his behalf whenever he would be picked on by the other children, or waiting for him when he got back from school so they could walk hand in hand home.

their dependence on each other was a crutch and a weakness. they could hardly go the school day without one another and it only got worse as they grew older.

II. Adolescence

jimin has odd hobbies for someone her age. most kids frown at the idea of writing and willingly spending extra time in school, but it was what she enjoyed. particularly, spending hours on end writing stories or poems in her little notebook her brother got her with the little pocket money he had. it was something she was always drawn to, from when she was younger and writing diary entries to school age when she would always get the highest rank in the subject. combined with her odd childhood fascination with spiders and various other creepy crawlers and her bad attitude, she was naturally seen as a bit strange. she was never a people person—coming from her relying solely on her brother and her fear of abandonment coming from her relationship, or lack of, with his mother—but jungmin was instantly popular.

where jimin was awkward and aggressive, jungmin was kind and gentle. where jungmin was bright and energetic, jimin was gloomy and sluggish. polar opposites despite spending nearly every waking moment together for years. there came a time when they began to stray away from one another, more so on jungmin’s part. when they were younger, there was no problem with letting the rude little sister tag along with her older brother’s friends, but it became increasingly awkward and weird. eventually he began telling her excuse after excuse, lie after lie, to keep her home and away from him. he loved his sister, he did, but he wanted to be his own person. jimin couldn’t seem to understand that.

as the gap between them grew, so did her tendency to isolate herself. she focused solely on her studies, her writing. she didn’t have many people who could put up with her snapping at them, and thus didn’t have any real friends close enough to reach out to her. she was alone. and that was when she found music.

III. Discovery of Music

when she found music, she felt like she finally found herself. while jimin loved writing, she always felt something was missing. her teachers suggested an extra curricular or something to do instead of spending all her free time alone. the standard kpop groups she would see her classmates play or she’d overheard her brother talk about never interested her, and as she further explored music she found she had a strong dislike toward them and the treatment of music on their part. they didn’t appreciate the real art of it all, they didn’t understand what that music could really mean to someone. it was annoying in a way she couldn’t put into words.

that was what helped her discover the rap scene. living in hongdae, it was hard to really miss the huge hip-hop scene there, but it never occurred to her that she of all people could be a part of it. to say she was immediately good would be a lie. jimin started out participating in freestyle events and becoming more and more fascinated with the world. her craft was rusty, but she eventually managed to make a name for herself and felt like she fit with the people around her. it was real, the words truly meant something to them. it wasn’t like the music she heard her classmates gush about—it was raw and made her feel like part of a real movement. she loved it.

jimin didn’t start really rapping seriously until she was 15, attending proper competitions and turning her poems into raps and her stories into songs. it was like she was reborn as someone with confidence to be herself, her own person, regardless of the flaws and whether people liked her or not. she could let out all her pain and struggles, or everything that made her smile. it was an amazing feeling.

though she was young, she earned a decent amount of respect for her skills and ability to hold her own among older rappers. she was far from amazing, sure, but for her age she had a very solid foundation. that was probably what led to her being scouted. hongdae was known for the hip hop scene and the people within it, so it wasn’t strange for scouts for 99 to hang around the known populated areas for talent. jimin wasn’t the first or only choice, but she was recognized as someone who had potential and was called for an audition.

she initially decided to not go. it wasn’t her thing—she wasn’t idol material nor was the lifestyle what she wanted. but she was still young and immature and the scouts were very sweet talkers, and so she agreed to go. in heavy contrast to herself, her brother was excited to hear it. he followed all kinds of groups, especially girl groups, and the idea that his sister had the opportunity to work alongside them was almost too good to be true. and it was, because though she passed the audition, the moment she became a trainee was the moment she discarded it all.

IV. Trainee & Idol Life

needless to say jimin was unhappy as a trainee. the promises they told her and the lies they sold her to get their there were quickly thrown out the second she signed her name, leaving only anger and disappointment. the only reason she remained even after her hopes were crushed was because she couldn’t bring herself to let down the little family she had, who were so excited at the idea of seeing their little girl on the big screens in front of the whole country. she couldn’t bring herself to let them of all people down.

despite her reluctance, she wasn’t bad at it. rapping was naturally her strong suite, but dancing and singing weren’t particularly difficult for her. she was a natural, some praised her. it made her sick. jimin was completely at the mercy of the company and trainers, singing how they told her, dancing how they told her, rapping what they told her. it went against everything she knew and she hated it. there wasn’t much she could do, however. the longer she stayed, the deeper in debt she grew, and there was no way her family had the money to pay for any of it. her only option was to debut, and no matter how much she looked down on the others or how much she hated the idea, she worked toward it harder than anyone.

when she got the offer to be sent to a competition show while still as a trainee, she naturally hesitated. the competition among trainees was already more than she bargained for after all. but the possibility that she’d get to rap what she wanted, how she wanted, was just too much to give up.

when she was a contestant on unpretty rapstar, it was like a whole new world, but somehow the same one she’d left. she’d never tried “dissing”, not really, after all she was young and no one would truly try to take her down hard before. but that wasn’t like then. no one would go easy on there and she had to deliver the show people wanted to see. her cocky attitude and aggressive nature came in handy in a way it hadn’t before—she was exactly what people wanted to see when they turned the television on. she was all confidence and power, even if she lost or was less perfect on her rhymes. she held the attitude of a winner and when you have that, it doesn’t matter where you place. however, lucky for her, she managed to come out second and helped 99 solidify their plans for her.

with the hype surrounding her from the show, it wasn’t hard to figure out that she would be one of the girls debuting next. it was both a blessing and a curse for someone like jimin, but there wasn’t much that was within her power. when she was announced as r!it’s main rapper, she didn’t celebrate like the other members chosen. it was like one weight in her shoulders was exchanged for an even heavier one and it only got worse as the debut day grew closer. the only saving grace was her being allowed to have a hand in a track, allowing some ounce of actual jimin to be poured into the music she wanted to hate.

even while promoting as a member of a rookie group, jimin never changed who she was. she never forced a smile, never faked a giggle to seem more likeable. sure it made some variety appearances awkward, the hosts and members trying their hardest to joke her blank face off but she stayed true to who she was. lucky for her, it went hand in hand with the way the public viewed her based on her uprs appearance—confident, unshakeable, and powerful. somehow, her disinterest only propelled her forward, landing her a job as an MC of all things. if given the choice, jimin would happily hand the job over to another member, but the excited calls from her brother and grandmother after seeing her on television made it hard to hate. after all, it was the only thing that could get her to smile and act energetic with her co-MCs and that frown could only get her so far.

#id.bio #id.99 #id.riot #id.shin ryujin

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON R!OT’S LEAD VOCAL, RAP CHOO DASOM…

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: N/A CURRENT AGE: 22 DEBUT AGE: 22 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 19 COMPANY: 99 Ent. ETC: this member has significant popularity due to her overseas upbringing and has inadvertently become the spokesperson overseas

IDOL IMAGE

she’s the foreigner. worse, she’s the american one, and that in and of itself is a label to live up to. she has to be larger than life and outspoken, the one that international fans can relate to. she’s the foothold that 99 has for r!ot to get into the doors of the western world, and the pressure lies on her shoulders to live up to that. during vlives, she leads the conversations when the english language is involved. in a way it’s comforting to her, because she gets to speak in her native tongue without thinking or worrying about if she’s using the right words or wording her thoughts properly. living up to what an american k-pop idol is supposed to be like is a tough job, but she does it without complaint.

apart from being known as the unofficial overseas spokesperson, dasom is known for her nearly perfect execution of the girl crush concept. she has a look and vibe about her that screams girl crush, and that was a big part of the reason why she was scouted out by 99. as a trainee, they molded her into the image of girl crush, and it’s a role that her international fanbase hypes up a lot. it’s a role that dasom has a lot of fun portraying, as it’s something that comes more natural to her. she doesn’t mind cute concepts, but she knows that if she was forced to do one, it wouldn’t mesh well with who she is and she would come across as fake during performances.

even though she’s the most popular member overseas, that doesn’t translate into domestic popularity. not the least favorite member, but not the most by a long shot, dasom finds it hard to connect with domestic fans. not because she doesn’t want to or doesn’t try, but because 99 pushes her so hard to appeal to their foreign market that it leaves a disconnect between her and korean fans. despite the disconnect, she tries her hardest to form somewhat of a bond with them, and hopes that she’ll be allowed opportunities in the future to show her face more and wiggle her way into the hearts of the south korean public.

IDOL HISTORY

in spring of 1995 in the city of seoul, a man and a woman met by chance one evening when they were both working late. the man, at the time a twenty something year old with a wife and a kid, the woman, a nineteen year old fresh out of high school and interning while she took college classes. the chemistry between the two of them was palpable. from then on they pursued a friendship with one another. the man found himself connecting to the woman in ways that he couldn’t with his wife, while the woman was happy that she found someone that she could relate to. she never connected with anyone who was her age like that before, let alone a man.

as their friendship grew stronger and stronger, underlying feelings began to develop, and by the time september of 1995 rolled around, they were in a full blown affair with one another. things didn’t seem as though they were going to end between them anytime soon until the girl fell pregnant in january of 1996. when she tried to tell him that she was pregnant, he freaked out, telling her that it wasn’t his problem, but her own, and disappeared without a trace. heartbroken and embarrassed, the woman left seoul and south korea altogether. she fled to the states, settling down in new york before she could give birth.

and what became of the child? they made their arrival in the world on september twentieth of that year. choo dasom was a beautiful baby that everyone fell in love with the moment they laid her eyes on her. everyone apart from her own mother that is. her mother, was not happy with the arrival of her daughter. when she looked at her face, all she could see was the face of the man who she had fallen in love with and gave her all to, only to have her heart broken. she didn’t want anything to do with dasom, but her religious views and beliefs didn’t allow her to give the girl up for adoption.

as dasom grew older, she began to notice that her mother didn’t treat her like all the other kids’ moms treated them. they were given hugs and kisses as they were sent off to school, and were greeted with hugs and kisses at the end of the school day. the most that dasom ever received from her mother was a pat on the shoulder or head and a normal, lukewarm greeting. she started craving her mother’s love and affection, wanting to go above and beyond to receive the same treatment that all of her peers did, but it seemed as though nothing she ever did was good enough for her mother. she brought home good grades, was obedient and respectful, and when she was twelve, she even started babysitting and using the money she received from that so she could help contribute to the household. dasom was nearing her wits end trying to please her mother and nothing ever came from her efforts apart from frustration and sadness.

the one constant thing that had been ever present in her life was music. it wasn’t something that was planned, just an opportunity that arose when she was a little girl. overheard from a passing comment made by her mother, dasom learned that her mother loved the piano, and a lot of the music she listened to was heavily piano based. with that knowledge in mind, dasom had taken up the piano lessons that were offered at her, and from there things had flourished. she added guitar playing to her roster of things she was able to do, both instruments becoming something that she fell in love with. playing the piano and the guitar quickly became less about making her mother proud of her, and more about her own enjoyment.

dasom had become skilled in both instruments, her biggest strength being her piano playing. she had joined a junior orchestra that was run by a music program in the city, and was on her way to a music career. when she was seventeen, she was offered the opportunity to join a traveling music orchestra once she became of age and graduated from high school. of course it was an offer that she wasn’t going to turn down, and she immediately went home to tell her mother. for the first time in her life, she felt exhilarated. there were people out there who recognized her talent and wanted to give her the chance to grow and show off her abilities, and that filled her with a feeling of appreciation she’d never experienced before.

her world came crashing down around her a few months later when her mother told her that they would be packing up and moving from new york to seoul. she didn’t want to move, especially not when she was so close to graduating and joining the orchestra. she had plans and dreams that she was working hard towards, and her mother ripped that away from her without a second thought. dasom tried to beg and plead with her mother to put off her plans until she graduated, or to let her stay in the city with one of her close friends’ families, but her mother didn’t listen. they ended up moving just a week before the school year started, and she never quite forgave her mother for that, not even until this day.

the sudden shift in cultures from america to south korea was something that dasom had quite a difficult time adjusting to. she had been speaking korean her entire life, but she spoke it with an obviously american accent, and she didn’t speak as quickly as others did. at home in new york, she would speak to her mother in a mix of korean and english, oftentimes switching between the two a few times in the exchange of a few sentences. having to speak korean straight with no english inclusion was difficult for her, as well as having to take on korean customs and behavior. it had taken her quite some time, almost a year and a half, but she was finally starting to settle in and began to make friends and connections with people her age.

being scouted whilst shopping with her friends wasn’t something that a nineteen year old dasom thought would happen to her, but looking back on it today, she’s happy that it had. 99 entertainment scouted her for her looks, but were unaware of the fact that they had stumbled across someone that had a background in music already. her music knowledge had made it easier for her to understand the techniques that were being taught to the trainees. however, being able to read notes and knowing the vocal scale didn’t necessarily equate to being able to sing.

dasom started off as one of the bottom tier trainees in the bunch. not horrible, but not all that great either. she had a lot of potential and the trainers wanted to keep her there for that reason, but when there were so many other trainees who could sing better than her, the necessity of her presence was quickly starting to dwindle. it wasn’t until evaluations rolled around and dasom was almost removed from the label as a trainee that she really started to kick up her training process into high gear. she stayed behind after all the other girls left, asking the vocal trainers to work with her a little more, she pushed herself harder during dance practices and she developed her skills at a gradual, but steady pace. by the time the next evaluations rolled around, she had risen in the metaphorical ranks and had become one of the more well rounded trainees there.

after two years and ten months of training, dasom was told that she would be debuting. from then it was a whirlwind of debut preparations, ranging from hours spent in the studio to hours spent in dance practice rooms. it was exhausting, but she pulled through without slowing down. her looming debut was more than enough motivation for her not to let the last few grueling months throw her off her game.

with their debut comes a surge of popularity and recognition for dasom. as the foreigner and english speaker of the group, she’s gained the attention of a lot of fans, specifically overseas fans. because of that, when it comes to speaking for the group, the responsibility has fallen on dasom’s shoulders. it’s a responsibility that’s hard to bear, but like most things in her life, she bears it without complaint. it’s a lot of pressure and she has an underlying fear that she’ll crumble beneath it. she’s still a rookie after all, and she doesn’t know how much she can take before cracking.

#id.bio #id.99 #id.riot #id.seo soojin

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON B.RITE’S MAIN VOCAL IM CHANGMIN...

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: N/A CURRENT AGE: 24 DEBUT AGE: 19 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 15 COMPANY: Koala.T ETC: this member has become known as the nation’s little brother for his variety work

IDOL IMAGE

Here’s a boy who embodies the image that B.rite is meant to give off - vibrant, pure and energetic. Changmin stays true to his given name - Sunshine. The energy that he radiates, even offstage, is something that pulls people in. From the moment he stepped foot into Koala.T Music headquarters, they knew that he had a place in their new up and coming boy group. He had the youthful, boyish and vibrant vibe that they wanted the group to give off. His personality was one of the biggest reasons why he had debuted in the first place. Sure, his voice was amazing, but they couldn’t capitalize off of a voice with a shitty personality. They could, however, capitalize off of a bright personality and a mediocre voice. Luckily for Changmin, and everyone else, they had hit the jackpot with him.

The public seems to eat up everything that Changmin does. All he has to do is give the camera a sweet smile and everyone watching on the other side of the screen will melt down to their shoes. The main vocalist is too sweet to take advantage of this though. He loves his fans, and he doesn’t want to use his natural charms against them. Koala.T doesn’t see any issue in trying to use his sway over the public for their own benefit. Changmin has become something sort of a cash cow for the. He’s always asked to be on variety shows and to do CFs and brand endorsements. Of course the label accepted most, if not all of the offers that came his way. Anything to get B.rite’s name out there even more than.

Despite being the nation’s little brother, there are a lot of people who dislike him, more specifically the people who bias one other person in the group and no one else. They tell him all the time that he’s nothing but an attention seeking brat who takes all opportunities from his group members. The love outweighs the hate though, and because of that, Koala.T continues to send him off to shows several times a year just to make sure that he, and in return B.rite, remain successful and relevant.

As one of the older members of the group, he does feel a certain responsibility for everyone. He may not be the most responsible member of the group, and he can act a bit childish from time to time, he knew when the right moment to grow up was. There are several times where he can be seen speaking for the whole group at award shows and during interviews, something that brings him more support and loving compliments. At this point, it feels as though no matter what Changmin does, he’ll always be seen as a golden boy in the eyes of Koreans, but he doesn’t particularly care. He preens under the praises and absorbs them. Not many people are aware of his need to be appreciated constantly, something that came as a result of his mother’s constant praises. If he’s not being praised, he feels as though he’s letting not only his mother down, but everyone else as well, and that’s another depressive slump he never wants to step foot in again.

IDOL HISTORY

I.

The year is 1995 and the month is July, the beginning of summer vacation for two soon-to-be students in their last year of schooling before going off to university. A couple since their first year of high school, the two have been through quite a lot with each other, things that have only made their relationship grow strong and resilient. Or so they thought. The beginning of August is when the two of them decide to come clean about the girl’s pregnancy. Yuri is only eighteen at the time, but she’s ready to accept full responsibility for her actions. Kiyoung? Not so much. He doesn’t want to be a father yet, and he tries fruitlessly to get Yuri to agree to having the pregnancy terminated, but to no avail whatsoever. Yuri is set one hundred percent in her ways, and there’s nothing he or anyone can do to deter her from having her baby.

Her parents, both God fearing and conservative people, aren’t happy in the slightest when they hear the news of her pregnancy. Neither are Kiyoung’s parents, and they immediately come together to pull the two teens apart. Yuri’s heartbroken, of course. She wants to raise her baby with her boyfriend, forming a small, tight knit family so they can all grow together. Her despair grows even more when her parents tell her that she’ll be staying on the countryside with distant relatives until she gives birth. She tries to turn to Kiyoung for help and support, but he’s already turned his back on her, moving on with his life as a single teenager. Heartbroken, she moves on to the countryside without looking back, a bitter taste of resentment in her mouth.

II.

It was a chilly morning when Changmin came into the world. The sun hadn’t even risen yet, and because of the far distance from his relative’s house to the nearest hospital, he ended up being a home birth. From the moment he was born and she laid eyes on him, Yuri loved her son with every fiber of her being. The fact that he looked just like his father, with the exception of his eyes and lips, didn’t matter to her. No matter how much contempt she had for his father, she never allowed it to murk up her feelings towards her child, whom she named based on the fact that he had a bright smile and eyes just like the sun.

During his childhood, and to present day, she swore that he never cried as a baby. That he came into the world smiling like he was wise beyond his years. Changmin, a child at the time, would laugh at his mother’s words, not believing in them in the slightest, but they weren’t far off from the truth. Changmin was a happy baby, and he turned into an even happier child. The first few years of his life were spent going to preschool and helping out on his relatives’ rice farm, up until he was six years old and his mother landed a job as a secretary in Busan. Despite not having a college degree. She was an intelligent, hardworking woman, but what put her above the other applicants was her beauty, the point that drove her employer to actually hire her.

They packed up their few things and moved to the city, his mother finding a cozy, albeit tiny, apartment. It was an open concept apartment, the living area serving a dual purpose as a sitting space and their bedroom, while the kitchen and bathroom was only a few feet away. It was small, but it worked for them. Even though he didn’t have much growing up, he never once lost his sweet smile and sunny disposition. He had his mother, the woman who provided more than enough love and affection for him that he needn’t want for anything. Birthdays and Christmases were uneventful, no presents were exchanged, but the time they spent with one another was priceless and it made Changmin happy.

III.  

All throughout his life, even without him realizing it, music was very much so prominent. His mother sang to him constantly throughout his childhood and into his adolescence. Yuri’s dream was once to become a singer herself, but her dreams came to a screeching halt once she birthed Changmin. She couldn’t become a professional singer, but what she could and did do was pass on her love of singing to her son. Changmin had been blessed with quite the voice himself, him quickly realizing his talent for it at a young age. He wanted to take vocal lessons, had asked his mother about them for years, but no matter how she tried to swing it, she just couldn’t afford them. So she did the next best thing.

Every night when she got off from work and Changmin completed his homework, she would take him to the local internet cafe so he could watch singing lesson videos online. Every weekend they would do the same, although they would spend the entire day there because they didn’t have work nor school. After months of doing that, Yuri began to encourage her son to stand in the middle of the cafe and sing. At first he was too nervous to do it on his own, so she would stand and sing with him. Eventually he gained the confidence to sing on his own, and he started singing in the cafe a few times a week.

Unbeknownst to him, he had gained the attention of a high school girl while singing. She was the daughter of an employee from Koala.T Music, and she told her father about the strange, but talented, boy who would spend his weekends singing at the cafe. With his interest piqued, the older gentleman went to go see what all the fuss was about, and he wasn’t disappointed with what he saw. He could sense something in Changmin, something that Koala.T could capitalize on, and he didn’t hesitate to approach both him and his mother before they could leave the cafe.

It was like a dream come true for the fourteen year old, who had dreams of becoming a singer much like his mother. His mother, understanding of how he felt because it was how she too had once felt, gave him the okay to follow through with an audition the following month.

IV..

The audition process was easy, but the training process wasn’t. He went through hell during his years of training, trying to prove himself and grow as an artist. Criticism wasn’t something that he took very well, especially since he had never really experienced harsh criticisms before. When he would sing with his mother, Changmin always received praises, or gentle criticisms. Yuri had always been considerate of his feelings. The vocal trainers at Koala.T weren’t so easy on him. When he began training, people were actually pointing out the flaws in his voice and telling him what was wrong with how he sang and how to fix it, and he didn’t take that well at all. He took constructive criticism as people judging him, and it began eating at him.

He soon began to lose the passion he had for music, because he began to feel as though he couldn’t do anything right. But that made him push himself harder and faster. Eight months into his training had passed, and he had pushed himself so hard that he had a several vocal strain and had to be put on vocal rest for three months, something that pushed him into a deep depression. He started to blame himself for everything that went wrong. Maybe if he was good enough, none of this would have happened.

Despite his poor state of mind, he continued to stay upbeat and bright. He didn’t want anyone to see his struggles, especially his mother. Around that time, Yuri had started dating a man. A wealthy man who treated her well and gave her the world, and Changmin didn’t want to ruin that for her by reeling her into his problems. She was happy, and he refused to interfere with her happiness. He had already been the cause of her giving up her dream, he didn’t want to ruin her life even further.

Slowly but surely his vocal cords began to heal, and he was able to get back into training. The final three and a half years of his training went relatively smoothly, on the outside that is. For some reason, he couldn’t break himself out of the habit of shutting down whenever he received harsh criticism. He knew that he had to learn how to get over it, but it was just too hard for him. Instead of asking for help, much like before, he decided to just cover up and ignore the problem with smiles and a cheery attitude.

V.

After five long and grueling years as a trainee, Changmin was finally awarded the chance to debut. Even if he wasn’t obligated to take it, he would have anyway because he felt as though he deserved it after everything he had gone through. Being a debuted idol was different from being a trainee. A good different. Changmin very much so preferred his life as an idol to his life as a trainee. He could interact with fans, put himself out there more, and find out where he fits in the industry. It was all a learning experience, even after nearly five years of being an idol.

When he first debuted in July of 2015, Changmin wasn’t sure what to expect. He knew that he and his members had trained long and hard enough to be ready for life as idols, but he didn’t know how well received they would be due to the fact that their concept was going in the opposite direction of what most boy groups were doing at the time. Like most periods of time in his life, Changmin was happy. B.rite’s concept was right up his alley, being something that he was quite comfortable with. For him, it wasn’t a concept, it was who he was. It was easy for him to take on the role of bright and quirky because that was just who he was as a person, and fans were able to see that clear as day since day one.

Another thing Changmin hadn’t been expecting was how easily and eagerly he was accepted when it came to promoting B.rite on variety shows. His first time on a variety show was enough to prove to everyone that he was nothing short of a natural when it came to being on camera. It was quite easy for him to turn on his charm and make not only the audiences at home, but the MCs swoon and melt under his aegyo and cheeky puns.

As more releases came and more promoting schedules followed, there were times where networks would offer B.rite a chance to promote on their shows by making appearances, but the catch was that one of the members of B.rite who attended had to be Changmin. He brought in a lot of views, and the general public loved him. More often than not, if the group was going to make an appearance, Changmin would be there front and center, charming the hearts of audiences across the nation.

That didn’t make some people happy though. Anti fans of B.rite, or even solo fans of certain members of the group, would leave nasty comments about Changmin online, claiming that he was hogging the attention and the spotlight from his group members. There was a swarm of hate from antis surrounding him regarding his very frequent appearances on television coming from online forums and social media, while netizens and the general South Korean public had nothing but positive things to say about the idol they had knighted as the Nation’s Little Brother.

Despite the passing time, Changmin hasn’t changed. He’s the same, smiling, bubbly boy that he was twenty years ago, and that is a big part of the charm about him that keeps drawing people in. It’s what makes him the perfect candidate for variety shows and brand endorsements.

The vocalist wants more than that though. He wants the opportunity to showcase his voice outside of B.rite. Being a singer is what he’s always wanted, and he’s been itching to push Koala.T into allowing him to release solo material, but he knows that’s just a dream waiting to get shot down. His value lies within his star power regarding variety, and Koala.T isn’t going to allow him to step out of the lane that has proven to work best for him.

#id.bio #id.koalat #id.brite #id.kang daniel

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON R!OT’S MAIN VOCAL, LEAD DANCE JANG GOEUN…

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: N/A CURRENT AGE: 20 DEBUT AGE: 20 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 14 COMPANY: 99 ent. ETC: using her gifts as a guitarist, she’s been uploading covers on youtube to acclaim

IDOL IMAGE

goeun has worked towards one goal for her whole life. she has an overwhelming sense of competitiveness and drive, and as a result can come off as serious and intense. it’s also no secret within the industry that she harbours a grudge against midas for kicking her out of mayday, although she’ll deny it if asked. she’s bitter and spiteful with a chip on her shoulder. she’d argue that her chip is what has made her so focused and driven this time, even if she tends to push things to unhealthy excess.

after getting kicked out of mayday, goeun has come to see virtually all other trainees and rookie idols as threats. the exceptions are her fellow r!ot members. she’s incredibly loyal and dedicated to them, knowing that they can only be successful as a group if they work as a team. that being said, she has placed the same high standards she has on herself on them as well. she can be harsh and condescending towards them, particularly as someone who trained for a long time, had been through much of the predebut process before anyone else had, and knows how easy it is to lose everything. most of it comes from a fear of losing one of them if they were to start slipping the way she had, but it doesn’t always come off as caring - often she ends up adding stress to an already stressful situation. she’d hoped this anxiety would go after their debut, but the stakes are higher than ever now with the public’s eyes on them - r!ot’s fall now is much further than before and only continues to grow.

99 has assigned goeun a mother-hen image, fuelled by her long training period, protective personality, and ability to cook. r!ot is a fun, powerful, and energetic group, and goeun is there to be charismatic onstage but seen as comfortable and someone to rely on offstage, to the other girls as well as to the fans. the most significant problem goeun faces with this image is that she’s not really sure the members see her that way. it’s one thing for the company to ask her to behave like this, but it’s another for the members to do it too, and to do it in a way that convinces the public of their tight bond.

IDOL HISTORY

jang goeun was raised surrounded by music. her mother debuted in 1989 and released two trot albums after trot had already started to become old-fashioned, earning her some praise but generally escaping the attention of the public. her father wrote both of her mothers’ title songs and quickly fell in love with her. when their agency went bankrupt, they got married and left seoul to open a music school in his hometown of gyeongju. sounds of piano scales and guitar tuning bled through the walls of goeun’s bedroom in the apartment above the school. she took piano, voice, and guitar lessons and decided, unsurprisingly, that she wanted to pursue music herself, setting her sights on joining the glamorous ranks of the idols she saw on the family television.

her parents understood the industry and did everything they could to support her dream. they set their sights on getting her into a major entertainment company, one that wouldn’t be likely to fold like theirs did, and to do that she had to give the perfect audition, be the perfect candidate for trainee. her father drove her an hour twice a week to a dance studio in busan for lessons, specifically chosen as it was the one jubilee’s main dancer had attended. her mother played diamant and stat1c cds in the car to perfect her singing idol-style and taught her to sing trot properly as an extra viable skill. she took english and japanese classes after school and studied music theory and composition. finally, in early 2013, she took the bus to busan for auditions and was accepted to the iconic, monolithic midas media. her parents arranged for her to live with an aunt and within two weeks goeun was in seoul.

early on, her excessive preparations paid off. having already put in so much work honing her skill, goeun had a leg up over those who had been brought into the company for their still-untrained raw talent. she was surprisingly adept for a new trainee, competition for the other vocalists, someone who threatened the amount of lines and ad-libs you got. about two years after she began her training, she was put into a group planned for debut and moved into the dorm with mayday’s members. training was gruelling, and all of the girls were in an intensely competitive setting. as much as goeun thrived on competition, she had grown used to more or less coasting by during her time as a trainee, earning praise without having to put as much time and effort as her colleagues. but it was only a matter of time before a chasm formed. those who had spent their time focusing and building good work habits caught up to her and eventually surpassed her. goeun lagged behind. she got yelled at regularly in practice for not putting enough effort in, for bringing down the other girls who were working so much harder.

as goeun felt herself slipping away from the top, she scrambled to put in more effort and more hours into her work, but it was too little, too late. four months before the set debut date, she was cut from the lineup. her vocals were good, her dancing was good, she fit the concept. but when it came down to it, another girl had worked harder, had sweat more, had proved herself more worthy of that spot. goeun was told “better luck next time” and was given the week off.

next time did come, although she had to pull herself up out of rock bottom and triple her efforts to make it happen. with mayday debuting and midas also having aurora in their roster, she knew she’d have to wait a long time before another girl group was likely to come around. so she quit and set out to audition again, this time going for another powerful company, but one with a wildly different management strategy: 99 entertainment. in a way, this was a better fit, she told herself: she had goals of producing music in the future, and 99′s aura of artistry convinced her it would be more likely here than in midas’s restrictive, tightly managed environment. she focused all her energy into training, building herself a work ethic from the humiliation of getting kicked out of mayday and having to watch the group skyrocket to fame and success from afar. she was placed in r!ot and moved into 99′s company dorms. being kicked out once scared her into putting as much time and effort into it as needed for her to show 99 that she’s good and only going to get better. it finally paid off on january 28th, 2019, when she finally stood onstage as an idol.

idol life has been pretty good so far. reactions to r!ot’s debut song were generally polarizing, but the girls themselves were well received and have started gathering an audience that’s excited for their next release. but 99 is being uncharacteristically strict with their management, and goeun does not have nearly as much creative freedom as she hoped she would, nor does she see herself getting much in the near future. she did manage to get permission from the company to post guitar covers on the group’s youtube channel, which gives her a chance to play around with adapting and producing, albeit on a small scale. her efforts have been noticed and praised, though, particularly for her skill and how different the acoustic sound is compared to r!ot’s music. it’s great and it’s humbling and she loves doing it, loves reaching out to the fans on a more regular basis than their promotional periods allow, loves the acclaim she gets in return. but it won’t be enough forever, and soon goeun’s creative muscles are going to be begging to be stretched further.

#id.bio #id.99 #id.riot #id.park jiwon

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON HEAVEN’S MAIN DANCE KIM MINHEE…

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: Rina CURRENT AGE: 27 DEBUT AGE: 20 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 15 COMPANY: 99 ETC: This member is often in the news for her creativity, artwork, and vlog content

IDOL IMAGE

rina is no princess. she’s not what the public would consider a perfect example of what its supposed to be a proper woman or an idol, in this case. she’s not overly sweet nor she’s surrounded by flowers and politeness. she’s as flawed as any other human being but that exactly what ends up selling her in the end.

they tried to make her sweet and sexy and nice at the beginning. tried playing her in a way that could make the public look up to her. she’s a pretty girl, her small facial features and easy smile are great and beautiful and they could actually make it work, but one year passes and then two and then they realize that this isn’t working and that perhaps asking her to be the perfect girl wasn’t the best way to address this. she was an idol yes, and she’s a woman, so there’s more pressure there, correct, but not giving the public something to make her relatable wither her image somehow. it doesn’t work for her.

they change strategies then. instead of playing her up as someone flawless, 99 allows her to act a little more freely, a little like herself. it was a good thing, in the eyes of the company, that she had to deal with her surgery right at that time because it helped to hype up the image they wanted for her. she started with small things; more relatable stuff that could make people peak their interested in her. she talked about her younger brother and the bickering they used to have, and about busan and the school she went to when she was little, of the classes she had while she was a trainee and the drawings and doodles she has in a notebook.

easily but steadily she created this persona. not quite the girl next door kind of person, but near enough, not exactly the big sister image but she does look after people publicly to give her the right to that title too. sexy and fond and just generally nice could work well enough. but also because of her little slip in their earlier years when she stagnated, there were rumors surrounding her lack of want to still be an idol and although untrue, she still tried to compensate for that fact. she didn’t want to look lazy or unprofessional, so they had hard-working to add to her list.

she became known for being friendly. not only with idols or their staff, but fans too. she created a heavily crafted relationship with the people who followed them, either for the sake of maintaining them interested or simply because she enjoyed talking to some of them. after a few of years in the business, being pleasant and charismatic paid off and that close relationship she built became nicely seen by the public. the fact that she started to build a community on youtube also helps her to show that off, she tries new things and does stuff that usually, for tv shows wouldn’t be interesting but she gathers tips and laughs off her mistakes.

she became the usually nice idol with good reputation, but she knows better. she knows it can easily be tarnished if she doesn’t take care of her image, that there are people waiting for her to fail and to fall.

IDOL HISTORY

busan was nice and neat, her life wasn’t complicated, it wasn’t chaotic. they lived their lives as they were supposed to. her mother and father were both partners in their law office, they had two beautiful children who did well at school and never gave them much of a headache. they weren’t interested in gossip or trends as long as their reputation as reliable remained untouched. they kept the same pattern for years. no scandals to stain the family’s name, no unexpected situations to throw them off the tracks. it was all peaceful. too easy. too boring.

as kids, they were angels. there wasn’t much they could do besides playing and studying and following their parents like ducklings. minhee wasn’t one to mind the quiet and stillness of everything. she was older, she learnt to be more contained, to look after her brother, to look after their apartment if her parents were away. her brother was another story. the youngest of the house, the first son, the messiest and the loudest, the one who made their mother laugh and who was taken to go fishing with their father.

as they grew up and their interests started diverging from their shared games and mutual bickering, the house wasn’t so peaceful anymore. two preteens growing up under the same roof, they were just waiting for the hurricane to come. they fought way too much, said words they shouldn’t too often, there was always a disagreement. she always loved music classes, her parents could afford that monthly expense and minhee took them with the utmost pleasure, her brother in the other hand didn’t show any interest for anything she did, almost stubbornly so, just to be contrary of her. even at school they pretended not to be related, which was stupid because everyone knew the kim siblings.

she was fifteen when she told her parents she wanted to become a singer and they were against the idea as strongly as they could. she was too young to follow something so foolish, that she shouldn’t think that because she had a couple of dancing and singing classes that she was good enough to become a professional and lastly, if she did become an idol, who’d take the family name seriously. despite the promises that she’d hit big no matter what and that she wouldn’t bring shame to them, they were unbendable. at least, until their favorite spoke up, telling them he’d do the same and take care of minhee while they were at it.

she was boiling with fury still when she auditioned, first to msg and then 99 entertainment. both are great names, both have their respective reputations and she’s excited and anxious, still angry, but she forgets that for a second when she performs. she never goes past the first stages for msg but 99 keeps her on their grip. she keeps performing and keeps giving her best in what she believed to be good, until she’s finally accepted. the young girl who got in because she was a decent and hard-working dancer and not simply because of her looks and charm. in contrast to her, there was her prodigy brother, with his perfect styled hair and killer smile that put him in without breaking a sweat.

that became her fuel. become better and work harder to surpass him even though she felt she was the only one competing. she’s so young and so naïve. she wants to impress others, but she also wants to exceed herself, push herself to her own limits, do what she’s told. do singing classes, go on diets and present dance performances, she does it all, she wants to be perfect and wants to be the best but she’s not competing against others, she’s competing against a shadow.

four years pass and all she worked for starts to pay off.

it’s not fair to say she’s fulfilled. even now, she’s not certain if the nights she spent sleepless were worth it, if the meals she skipped gave her any positive result. even when she had a serious injury on her knee and had to go under surgery, she felt she was lacking yet the incident happened because she was overworking herself to, literally, the breaking point. she mourned her incapability of performing fully, and even then, against the doctor’s orders, she went back on stage, too scared of what could come if she remained behind.

she’s more scared than she lets out. she was never the most popular girl in heaven, she came to terms with that a long while ago but accepting that didn’t mean she could ignore everything so easily. thoughts that she wasn’t enough. she did think that. of not being good enough, debuting for the simple reason of being available. in the back of her mind, she reasoned with herself, saying it was a ridiculous statement, that 99 wouldn’t be a fool to do as such and if she managed to debut, it was on her own merit, it meant she was worth of it.

she was stagnant. for a little while she did the bare minimum to improve herself and it showed when she went back on the stage. she was the same as the previous comeback, and then again and again until it was all but an endless cycle. it wasn’t until 2015 that she started working at full force again. her brother was improving, heaven was improving, and she wasn’t following, she was pulling them back and she didn’t want that.

working too hard has good and bad results and that saying was proven right when ‘um oh ah yeah’ preparations started. she paid no mind to the discomfort at first, but it wasn’t long after that problems started showing and there was nothing else, they could do besides resorting to surgery. it happened just after they finished the shootings for the mv and a couple of weeks before they started promoting, but recovery is not something that happens in a blink of eye; it didn’t mean she didn’t force herself (literally) back to her feet. despite orders from the doctor to not work and just take her time at resting, minhee still showed up on the stage, sat on a chair with a leg immobilized, but she still sang. it took her longer to recover, that was certain, but she still felt slightly good that her efforts were noticed. people praised her for her commitment and that was a needed boost to her work plans even though, in the long term, the fact she worked while she was supposed to rest didn’t bring any new lights or high praises, she was doing her job and things went back to normal after a while.

in 2017, minhee lived a turn of popularity though. she started her own youtube channel in january that year, but she had no big expectations. she noticed as the platform became fairly popular and as it was an easier way to communicate with fans, both internationally and in south korea. their fanbase, despite small, was loyal, and keeping them with content was needed but ended up being quite pleasant for her as well. there she could do everything and anything. from silly things like decorating cakes to things evolving her work as an idol. news started to pay attention to that. she wasn’t a hundred percent sure of the reason, mayhap because they were impressed, she could do more than just dancing and singing, or because the way her accent slipped sometimes was simply amusing or she was just a charming idol in the end. her easiness to speak to a camera and be charismatic while doing so was noticed by variety programs that started taking interest in her. the important part is that it worked, so she kept doing it.

even now things are not as bad as it used to be for her but still, there are issues to bother her during the night. in all those seven years since heaven debuted, she’s still of where her career will take her, if she’ll have a spot if they ever came to an end or if they’ll remain relevant. most importantly, the question is if she’s finally comfortable enough to admit that her little rivalry with her brother despite helping her craft her own start of career, was childish.

#id.bio #id.heaven #id.99 #id.yoon bora

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON DIVINITY’S LEAD VOCAL, LEAD DANCE CHA NARI…

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: Lily CURRENT AGE: 23 DEBUT AGE: 22 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 17 COMPANY: Koala.T ETC: She was given modeling opportunities prior to debut

IDOL IMAGE

With Nari, the company decided to lean into the “cute” aspect of Divinity, as opposed to the “creepy”. Even if KMT didn’t plan to promote Divinity through traditional methods, not every member needed to be mysterious and artistic at all times.  That was never going to be Nari, the amount of aegyo she did made sure of that. But she could be a bright figure in the group, an adorable, if somewhat sultry magical girl. An innocent temptress, pure, pristine, but desirable; their Lily. Nari’s current image is something of the platonic ideal of a Korean idol. Outgoing, yet not pushy, always cheerful, hardworking and beautiful. Nari is the kind of member seemingly created by the idol gods to bring in devoted fanboys.

KMT’s commitment to social media engagement has only made fans feel closer to Nari, as if she were their very own personal idol. Her active (and popular) instagram and beauty youtube channel make Nari seem accessible. Every moment is carefully choreographed, but has the appearance of being off the cuff. Covens feel like they know Nari, that they’re her friend or, perhaps more. Nari and the Koala.T management are both fine with leaning in heavily to this. Nari wants the fans and KTM wants their money.

In addition to her easy (and frequent) aegyo, KTM has also been pushing a narrative of Nari as the “sexy” member of Divinity. Nothing too overt, no outfits more salacious than bare midriffs or short shorts — both standard girl group fair in 2019. Instead, Nari is subtlety alluring, the mere suggestion of sex, with her swiveling hips and bedroom eyes than anything legitimately provocative. For now, it seems to be working. Fans and members of the media are more than happy to, at least for now, look past her average (for an idol) singing and dancing and focus on her looks. Nari knows she’ll never be known for her talent. If a few winks here and there are what it takes to become a successful idol, then that’s what she’ll do.

IDOL HISTORY

Cha Nari was born in Daegu on April 12, 1996. Her parents, Hyejin and Joonho, had little to offer their first and only child. They both worked low-paying, menial jobs and could only afford a small apartment in the city. Still, though their home was humble, it was happy. Joonho loved his wife and daughter more than words could express and did all that he could to provide for them and make them happy. This was apparently not enough for Hyejin.

Less than a year after Nari was born, Hyejin began an affair with a wealthy businessman. He showered her in gifts. Within six months of starting the affair, Hyejin left her husband and one-year-old and never returned. Joonho was blindsided, having been completely unaware of the affair. He was grief-stricken; after all, he had just lost the love of his life, but he knew that he had to push on, if not for himself, then for his daughter. Even more than before, Nari became his whole world. He would do anything, give up whatever, for his daughter.

When she was very young, Nari wasn’t aware that she was poor. She had clothes to wear, she never went hungry, and she always, always had love. It wasn’t until she started school that Nari began to notice that she was different from other kids. Her classmates, she noticed, got new clothes and not hand-me-downs. They didn’t keep the same shoes until they wore holes in the bottom. Their lunches were larger and nicer. They had big birthday parties, got nice, new toys. Slowly, Nari realized just how much less she had. Her father gave her all he could but it would never measure up.

As Nari became a preteen, she became desperate to keep up with her peers. Nari searched for small jobs around her neighborhood to make just a little bit of pocket money. She ran errands, scrubbed bathroom floors, babysat. Nari did anything and everything just to be able to afford a nicer pair of shoes or some meat for her lunch. Her father, who worked nearly constantly to make ends meet, only saw this as Nari taking after his hardworking ways. He didn’t realize just how ashamed of their circumstances she was.

Puberty hit Nari hard. She’d been a thin and gangly child, but she blossomed into a beautiful teen. She became more popular with girls and boys alike. Nari took to lying to her schoolmates about where she lived and what her father did. She even lied and told people her mother had died, not abandoned her. By the time she was old enough to get a proper part time job, most of her classmates had no idea that the tall, beautiful, popular Nari came from such humble beginnings.

It was in her early teens that people started to notice just how much Nari looked like a member of Diamant. It truly was uncanny. Initially, this pleased Nari. Diamant and other idol groups had been her refuge during the difficult, early years of school when she felt lesser for not having money. She would lose herself in fantasies of being rich and famous like the idols. Being compared to one was the greatest compliment Nari could think of. She wasn’t talented at singing or dancing — she’d never had enough money or time to really try at either — but Nari still dreamed of becoming an idol one day.

That dream was always out of reach until, one day, she was stopped when shopping with her friends. The man said he was a scout for a music company, and he’d never seen such a beautiful girl. Surely, she wanted to be an idol. Nari glowed. The man gave her his card. He said that for a nominal fee, he could help Nari become a trainee. That was all that Nari had ever wanted, so of course, Nari scrapped together her savings and paid the man. She did so again a few weeks later when he asked for another payment, and again a month after that. It was only after she’d spent her very last won and gotten nothing in returned that Nari realized she’d been scammed. This revelation changed Nari. She was no longer wide-eyed and hopeful. Her heart had hardened to the painful realities of the world.

Despite such a major setback, Nari was still determined to become an idol. Nari started putting away money for singing and dancing lessons. Juggling her lessons, her job and school was difficult — many days she would only get roughly three hours of sleep — but Nari persevered. After months and months of lessons, Nari auditioned for every company she could find. Midas turned her down. 99 and MSG too. Even Singularity wouldn’t take her. It wasn’t until she auditioned for Koala.T Music that Nari found a company willing to take a chance on her. She was grateful.

As a trainee, it was painfully clear to Nari that she’d been chosen because of her looks, not on the strength of her talent. Nari had to work twice as hard as everyone else just to keep up. Still, she persevered. Nari spent every spare moment she had practicing. She wouldn’t let a little thing like lack of talent get in the way of her becoming an idol. By the time Koala.T began choosing trainees to debut in the group that would become Divinity, Nari had fought her way tooth and nail towards the top of the pack. She’d never be the best or most talented but Nari’s hard work had transformed her into a more than serviceable singer and dancer.

Nari was ecstatic when she was chosen to be in Divinity. She was much less excited when she became aware of the reality of Koala.T’s predebut plans for the group. The social media plans were fine, as were the smaller promotional efforts. Those made sense, coming from a smaller company. Nari didn’t appreciate, however, just how long it all took and how niche the group became. She didn’t want a few, loyal, fans. She wanted to be known and appreciated by the masses. KTM couldn’t expect them to reach everyone, certainly not the whole Korean public by replying to a few tweets and having the odd guerrilla fanmeet. Still, it was better than not debuting at all, so Nari kept her mouth shut and went along with the program. For her apparent loyalty, Nari was rewarded by being given modeling opportunities. It would make for good press as well as capitalize on her beauty and resemblance to a member of Diamant.

When the group finally debut, it wasn’t the runaway success Nari always dreamt of. She saw it coming, but it was a disappointment nonetheless. Nari remained determined to make it work, for herself even if the group itself night fail. After securing company approval, Nari opened a YouTube channel in the early months of 2019. The channel focuses on makeup and fashion and features idols as guest as often as Nari can manage. Nari has no plans to let her group’s novel concept get in the way of her own success.

#id.bio #id.koalat #id.divinity #id.ahn solbin

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON XLNC’S LEAD RAP, LEAD VOCAL, LEAD GUITAR YOO JINHWAN…

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: N/A CURRENT AGE: 22 DEBUT AGE: 18 indie / 20 with KJH TRAINEE SINCE AGE: N/A COMPANY: KJH ETC: KJH is interested in pushing this member on variety

IDOL IMAGE

Jinhwan has a bit of a reputation as a flower-boy face with a playboy personality. Despite never having experienced a dating scandal, Jinhwan usually grabs attention for charming the cast on whichever variety show he appears on. Within XL-ENTs, he’s known as being one of the most relaxed with fans, often allowing XL-ENTs to blur the line of what is appropriate interactions between idols and their fans. He’s well-liked by male fans as well, as he isn’t the type to get embarrassed by their affections and encourages the same as he does female fans. Jinhwan is also a notorious lurker on social media, but he isn’t secret about it, and is known to like or reply to fans’ comments and tweets with hearts, laughter, or other emojis. He enjoys and thrives off of the attention– he’s even admitted that his favourite thing to hear from fans is, “I like you even more today than yesterday.”

Despite his friendliness with the fans, though, Jinhwan isn’t one to reveal deeper aspects of his personality to the public. The sensitive and prickly sides of his personality are glossed over with sweet-talk and brazen faux-confidence. As such, fans often complain that Jinhwan can be a bit of a mystery in some respects, commonly declining to clearly answer questions about more personal aspects of his life, such as his family, life before debut, or any sort of relationships– romantic, friendly, or otherwise. However, he only jokes about this when fans try to call him out– “If I told you everything, then there would be nothing left to be curious about~”

This leads to fans absolutely adoring any softer side they see of Jinhwan. He’s good at hiding any emotion other than happiness, so when something slips out, it’s even more satisfying for fans. His only openly emotional moments are when he’s performing and in his element, meaning his fancams are popular among his fans for proof of Jinhwan’s more emotional side. Occasionally, his secretly soft side can be seen when he’s talking about XL-ENTs. “I just want us to make good music, and the fact that you’re all here to support that… It’s the most important thing in the world to me.”

IDOL HISTORY

1996.

Jinhwan is born on June 17, 1996 in Incheon, the first and only child of his family. They’re modest, maybe bit on the well off side— his mother, who works as an administrative assistant, doesn’t make much, but his father works as an airline pilot, so they’re comfortable. He’s the first in his generation, meaning that the focus is always on him as a child, always under pressure to do well— something that he resents, later on, never having an interest in school. The only thing Jinhwan has ever loved, ever put any energy into, was music.

2001.

When Jinhwan is four, his parents sign him up for piano lessons. It’s something they think is important, a valuable skill for children to learn, an appreciation for the arts combined with the dedication of a craft. Jinhwan adores it, practices all the time, with a dedication that his parents embrace, at first. They take pride in their son’s hard work, take pride in his skill, show him off to the rest of the family. He doesn’t just love it, he’s good at it, too, learning to read sheet music as he learns to read hangeul, training his ear so his pitch is perfect. It’s a treat to their parents, to see their son excel so clearly, but they don’t yet realize the storm that was brewing.

2006.

Jinhwan is ten when his parents sit him down at the kitchen table, spoon dug into his rice, and tell him they’re moving to Japan.

He takes it well, all things considered. Jinhwan’s friendly enough, but he’s an introvert at heart— there isn’t many people at his school that he’ll miss. And it’s not like he isn’t used to travelling and plane rides, since his family vacationed often, sometimes for entire summers. Moving is a bit harder, since he’ll have to learn another language, but Jinhwan doesn’t mind. So he just shrugs at his parents, eats a spoonful of rice, and says okay.

He’s only there for a year, which is fine by him, the length of his dad’s contract. It’s enough time for his Japanese to develop, picking up the language quickly between school and his young age. It isn’t enough time for him to make friends, though— who wanted to be friends with the foreign kid who was just going to leave anyways? So instead of making friends, or joining clubs, Jinhwan listens to music. He develops a taste for Japanese rock music, since it’s what’s available to him, the Korean wave not reaching Japan yet. But it’s enough to keep him company until he’s back home, reunited in Incheon with his piano again.

2009.

As soon as Jinhwan puts his hands on his first guitar, he decides that it’s the only thing he ever wants to do. It’s his thirteenth birthday, and his parents get it for him as a surprise, wanting him to branch out from the piano. He was already great at piano, already excelled, and they wanted to see if he could carry the skill.

Jinhwan proves them right three times over. While he loved piano, guitar is all consuming— it becomes an obsession, and soon he’s never caught without a guitar in his hands. He plays until his fingers are calloused and blistering, up until the early morning to practice his favourite songs over and over. With the guitar, he can play the songs he likes to listen to, instead of classical songs his parents want him to play— it becomes his escape, his freedom. School falls away, friends falls away, everything cast to the wayside so Jinhwan could play his guitar, over and over, every second.

His parents realize their mistake soon, when Jinhwan’s grades start slipping. Jinhwan’s always been bright, a clever boy, but his interest in school was out of obligation more than anything. Now that he has something he loves, nothing else matters. They try to dissuade Jinhwan— set rules for when he can play his guitar, crack down on his homework— but it doesn’t work. Because even when they put a pen in his hand and his notebook in front of him, all that come out is chords and melodies, his brain filled with song.

2012.

Jinhwan doesn’t get into a good high school. It’s not like he’s ever tried very hard, and the fact doesn’t upset him in the slightest. His parents, though, are a different story. They scold him for it incessantly, bring it up often, you’re so bright, Jinhwan, if you just applied yourself you could go wherever you wanted. The damage has been done, though, so instead, they focus on Jinhwan getting the best grades possible, sign him up for cram school, make sure he goes. And he does, because he’s not a bad kid, doesn’t want to waste his money— it’s his time spent outside school and his cram academy that becomes a problem.

Jinhwan wants to be a musician. It’s not a new thing to him— he’s known this for a long time. But in high school, now that he’s older and has more freedom, it becomes an obsession. The rock and roll lifestyle becomes his dream— the parties and the touring are far off still, but one thing Jinhwan has access to is drinking. And with a group of friends of burnouts like him, none of them giving a shit about school, it’s something that’s easy to do. It feels good, to him, his stress melting away with the alcohol, when nothing matters other than having a good time. Jinhwan is careful about pictures, knows that if he wants to have a career later on this might not fly, but he’s not careful about his limits, often drinking more than he should when he’s stressed. He knows it’s not the best habit, especially when he’s only sixteen, but he can’t bring himself to care. He doesn’t think of stopping, until his mom finds out.

She keeps it from his father, a small mercy he appreciates, but she cries when she talks to him about it, and fuck if that doesn’t hurt. He kicks it for now, keeps his head down—not to focus on school, never to focus on school, but at least to stay out of trouble. Jinhwan just waits it out, counting down the days until his graduation happens.

2015.

Jinhwan’s graduation happens, and he starts sending auditions for in February, fresh out of high school, just a few months shy of his 19th birthday. He knows he’s screwed his chance at doing much else— it wasn’t like he had been going to an academic high school anyways, and his university entrance exam scores were shit. He didn’t care, though, since there wasn’t anything he wanted to do other than music. Jinhwan’s got a solid bit of confidence under him anyways— his guitar skills were solid, and he could definitely sing. He filmed something in his room, not thinking too much of it, nothing but him, a guitar and a webcam. When he sends it off, he doesn’t stress much about it, but within a few days, he had three offers for contracts. Despite the arguably better chance at success with the bigger companies, Jinhwan chose to join the smallest company in the hopes of more freedom, much to the disappointment of his parents.

He moves away from Incheon immediately, dropping everything to head to Seoul. It wasn’t a hard decision for Jinhwan to make— he had friends in Incheon, sure, but Jinhwan had always been the type to hold people at arm’s length, so he knew he wouldn’t miss them too terribly. Even if he did have people he was particularly close to, Jinhwan’s number one priority was always to become a musician. He told his parents that he was leaving, and despite their attempts to talk him out of it, Jinhwan remained set on his goals. He left his family’s house, and moved into a boarding house in Seoul to focus on his music full time. To say that his parents were disappointed in his choices were an understatement— they disapproved outright, and to Jinhwan, no matter what he did, he could never seem to win them over.

It doesn’t matter, though, once 2016 comes around and Jinhwan is able to start making music. They match him up with a couple other guys in the label, form a band out of four of them, tell them they’ll be called XLNC. They work together to start putting out tracks, playing to their strengths, moody, emotional, artistic. It works, for them, and Jinhwan is happy. There’s still struggle, still hardship— it wasn’t like their company was huge, and resources were scarce— but Jinhwan is making music, performing onstage, and that is the only thing that matters.

2018.

It’s the only thing that matters until it isn’t anymore. The resources get scarcer and scarcer, and in return, the company pushes them harder and harder, getting them to perform at every opportunity they could in order to make money. Jinhwan is exhausted all the time, his body breaking down, his hands constantly in pain from playing with no break and his brain hazy from lack of sleep. And it’s not just their bodies that suffer—they don’t have the money or time to take care of their instruments as well, and Jinhwan loathes as he sees things falling aparts. He just doesn’t expect it to be onstage.

They’re at a rock festival, playing the same songs they’ve been performing for months, when it happens. Jinhwan is playing his guitar, looking down at his hands, going through the motions, when one of his strings snaps. It hits him directly in the face, and for a moment, he’s stunned, before he feels the stinging burn of where it hit him, a welt invariably forming. It hurts, but the show must go on— so he keeps going, taking a moment to turn away from the crowd and get himself together before going back up to the mic. It’s hard to play when he’s down a string, but he manages, though that doesn’t stop him from being pissed as all hell when he leaves the stage, ducking away from the staff who try to help him, to make sure his pretty boy face isn’t damaged for good. Because it didn’t matter, if things were going to be like this all the time, if he couldn’t even play his music properly because the company was screwing him over.

But their saving grace comes soon after—an offer the boys couldn’t refuse, a big company swooping in to save them from obscurity. We saw the video of you boys at the festival, they say, we’re impressed by your music, you boys are professional. We want to offer a contract to all of you, to stay as XLNC but with us instead.

The promise of a big company is alluring, the fame and the resources to tempting to pass up. Jinhwan doesn’t think twice— he’s the first one to sign the contract.

2019.

He’s the first one to sign the contract, but everything at KJH is smoke and mirrors. They were promised fame, promised resources, and relative to what they had before, it’s what they got— but everything comes at a price. Jinhwan is used to the freedom of a smaller company, used to the creative input. Now, though, Jinhwan is always held back, kept from chiming in because the company had it handled for him. You’re an idol now, they tell him, you have other things to worry about.

They push him on variety shows instead, fill up his time with filming for those. Jinhwan knows how to talk, has a silver-tongued charm, feigns charisma easily. He’s pretty enough, tall enough, knows how to flirt and make friends. He knows what he can do, and he does it well, but it’s not what he wants. That doesn’t matter to the company, though— all they see him as is someone they can use.

His image is a cover up, though, nothing but a facade. In reality, Jinhwan’s sensitive to the what others think now that he’s in the public eye, meaning he’s prickly at the best of times and confrontational at the worst. And now that the company is pushing them on social media, making them post frequently, Jinhwan has access to all the opinions— the good, the bad, and the ugly. He’s constantly stressing about what people are saying about them, what the public thinks, how their music is charting. If anything is aimed at Jinhwan in particular, that hits him even harder.

He knows this, though, knows he’s doing this to himself, so he tries not to let himself get to the point of arguing or fighting with others, instead choosing to remove himself from the situation entirely and try to drown the feelings out. His drinking habit comes back, and he knows the members notice it, find it strange how he stays out so late, stumbling into the dorms until the early hours of the morning. Jinhwan tries to hide it from management, but he’s toeing a thin line— one day, he’ll get caught, and he bets it’s soon, but he doesn’t stop. Why deal with bad emotions when you can get drunk, flirt with someone cute, and drown those feelings out with good ones, right?

…Right?

#id.bio #id.kjh #id.xlnc #id.cha hun

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON JAWBREAKER’S LEAD VOCAL, LEAD DANCE JANG JINKYONG…

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: Isa CURRENT AGE: 24 DEBUT AGE: 22 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 17 COMPANY: KJH ETC: This member is involved with lyric writing and producing

IDOL IMAGE

her first taste of public attention came with going on micky mouse club house a trainee, shortly before her debut. it had been the first glimpse into her, it had been the perfect that to test the waters with her. quickly earning a title as a brainy idol on the show, doing best in quizzes and test like games. being able to boost about her self-taught language skills and studying habits. coming off the show, she was viewed a studious idol. ( and still is. ) unpon debuting, during interviews and chats, studying was something she mentioned. in fan taken photos, you can see books in her hands even out of school. or catch her studying in the bts clips of anything jaw breaker related. mainly mentioning her goal of wanting to learn as many languages as possible and wanting to go to college at some point. if the group has a v-live session or she is allowed to a solo one, jinkyong will try and answer’s fans questions about their on home-work. it’s not something that is widely public knowledge but can find post about it on fan communities. mainly her fan base does as a small promotion tactic for her and it’s earned a positive response from non-fans who causally view the post.

while she doesn’t have the image of a ‘happy virus’ fans do find some of her small quirks cute. one mainly being her love for the manga one piece, she’s an avid fan and if asked about, jinkyong could go on and on about it. some find it charming because it’s a moment where jinkyong completely lets go of insecurities and is extremely confident. often, as her signatures for fans she’ll write down a quote she likes and so far no quote as been the same. it’s allow’s others to find her endearing, even if she isn’t the member they look to first. for those like to see an idol slowly opening up and becoming confident, watching them grow. jinkyong was the idol for them. the company has pushed the fact that she’s one of the self-producing girls on the team, studying from the ground up and working on each album bit by bit. they often push her to show this to fans, doing v-lives in which she talks about song-making and production. they’ve noticed that once she finds a topic she can talk at length about, she opens ups and the fans love it even more.

and in her years as a debuted idol, this hasn’t changed. with their ‘no’ comeback and the choice to chop of her hair brought positive attention. after they switched to a girl crush sound, jinkyong had been noticed more but it wasn’t until the elegance and maturity of no that they had a concept for that stayed with the fans. slowly but surely taking on the title of girl crush herself, now her quietness is charming. the way she takes care of the members by default.  ( if you look closely in the v-lives, she’s the member to silently re-fill everyone’s drinks or give them food. ) kjh quickly jumped on this, a cool and level headed member. one who simply does. ( even going as far to change up her personal fashion for instagram pictures, more mature, more elegant than previous. ) by her fourth year, they’d effectively branded her as a chic, cool. an unnie you’d love to hang out with, a woman who gets things done. on camera, she’s not allowed to show her self-doubts, not anymore. she’s not longer a one year rookie, by now everyone expects even more growth and jinkyong has to give it. she’ll be smart, slightly aloof but always aware. her smile will be charming and her eyes full of confidence and promise. someone who’s able to pull in fans once they discover her passion, once they see the smile that kjh chooses when to come out and stay hidden.

and once the camera’s off, she’s simply jinkyong, a woman who’s striving to not be forgotten in the ever changing idol landscape. throwing every worry she has in the back of mind, putting it off for another because today, she has to be in front of the camera and she has to sell herself, she wants to get people interested and an idol who’s unsure of herself in fourth year, that’s not something people want to buy.

IDOL HISTORY

her parents couldn’t wrap their heads around the idea of an ‘idols’. even when her older cousin finally made their debut, jinkyong could remember her parents saying it was a bad idea. a stable job that would allow them to live happily is what they wanted. it was expected that jinkyong would follow them, become a teacher or get a well paying desk job.( or she could even dare to dream high and study medicine.) they had taught her that it was best if she played it safe.

and jinkyong? she did just as she was told. there hadn’t been a reason to not listen to her parents. plus, she did like studying, pouring over books. she was the model student, the model daughter. everything they wanted. until middle school at least. jinkyong was considered ( and considered ) herself painfully shy, she only had a few friends. the small group that reached out to her. it was there she found her best friend and it had been her best friend that convinced her join the school’s dance club. even if it was just to meet new people, she should try it.

and she did. after her parents approval of course. they did. they hadn’t seen it as a bad thing.(  not at first. ) she was a top student, her grades were always stellar and jinkyong was good for her words. if she promised she would keep up with her school work. they had complete faith in her. they saw it as a good why to socialize ( even her parent realized their daughter wasn’t a social butterfly. ) it had been with those thoughts that they signed off on it. no one expected the out-come, jinkyong had fallen in love with performing. even if she hadn’t been on the level of her best friend who was amazing. it just felt good, good to go out with her friends and busk. it had felt good to see people cheering her on and even better when they saw improvement. she wasn’t the best but she had been working towards it.

she still hadn’t dared to ask her parents about becoming an idol. but after a dance team event, her family was approached by a woman. offering jinkyong the role as a trainee at her company.  then came the begging, the constant begging. ( “mom..dad..they wanted me! please.” ) finally, she got a yes but wouldn’t just come easy. now they were even stricter about her grades and where they expected her stay on top of her grades. she wasn’t allowed to backslide. ( and they wanted her to get a taste, to see that being an idol wasn’t the right idea at all. )

free time with her friends almost came to an end. ( which she almost felt horrible for but they encouraged her. ) instead she threw herself into her company, coming home late, forcing herself to finish her home work and forcing herself to go to school and stay awake in classes. jinkyong had been determined to work hard, it would pay off. it had to pay off. it did pay off.

( she thought it did. )

they did busking, any trainee cover videos that had been uploaded, had her in them. it looked promising. after a year of training and putting pressure on herself, she would debut. she had been selected for the debut group. a group that would debut with a bubbly and lively image. then, in the final hour, just at the members where being finalized. jinkyong was cut. ( how? why.? but she was only given vague reasons as to why she didn’t make. )

there still hadn’t been any thoughts of giving up.  work harder, train more, do anything to become a stand out trainee. there was the chance that her dancing wasn’t up to par, maybe her singing or rapping needed work more work. it would be hard to find another company. she should just stay and try again for another group debut. but when her parents saw that a new group was coming out and jinkyong wasn’t in it, they jumped at the chance to pull her out. it was as if they had been waiting for this moment. a chance that would prove them right when it came to her career.

( and she hated the fact that they said they were doing it for it. that they were only thinking about her. that they knew what would be best for her and following her dreams wasn’t apart of it. )

then they would pile on how much they did for her. how they only wanted her to succeed in life. the guilt ate her, was she being over dramatic? was rapping, dancing, and just performing on stage that bad? did really have no idea of how much her parents were trying to save her the trouble? would she just really throw away all of her hard work at school until this point?

( but when it came to the question of she would be happy with the desk job, she wasn’t. she wouldn’t be happy until she truly tried to achieve what she really wanted. )

a year off. a year off from any official training. but un-official had become one of her main goal. going back to her dance club, working part-time to earn money for vocal and rap lessons. ( and a new route. suggested by one her friends. ) if she couldn’t perform, she could learn to create music, it’d still be great to see someone performing songs written by her. it was a great idea, one that she chased with workshops and studied the art by herself. but after a year her want, the need to stand on stage was still there.

it was the loudest fight she had ever had with her parents. the only argument that she dared to start. it was as if they didn’t know who was standing in front of them. they had no idea where the passion came from. and after a month of a cold war in the home, she had been allowed to go on auditions. her secret training had paid off, she finally found a home in kjh. then the warnings came. from the company, there would be no debut coming soon. it would be hard, they would push her to her limits, it could be heaven or most likely hell.  ( and from her parents, try again but you’ll fail, what happened the first time. foolish. maybe a second failure would help her learn. ) this time, no freedom, no fun. training and school. they wouldn’t make it easy for her.

( but jinkyong was more happy to give it up if it meant a second chance at debuting. )

she knew she would be in for the long haul, the company so far had no plans for a new girl group. and trainees could be seen coming and going, it was risky but it would have to be worth it. she showed her passion. they would be able to see that she was worth it soon enough. it was still an eye-opening experience. maybe training had been easier at her old company, maybe they didn’t push them hard enough. but kjh had given her a slight insight as to why her old company might have pulled her out for another member. she lacked charm. she had skill, there was talent but she wasn’t charming. it was something she could see when comparing herself to other trainees. ( or maybe it was in her but this was the only explanation she had. ) and she did all she could to stand out, sharping the skills they told her to focus on, showing them her interest in not just singing but creating music as well.

this time, her parents were impatient. after a two years and no debut, her parents had had been ready to pull her out again. ( they didn’t see the leaps in progress. how proud she had been once she received just the tiniest of praise from her coaches. they didn’t see they way her eyes lit up at the thought of finally debuting. and she was sure they didn’t care. they hadn’t seen how she managed to walk with a little more confidence everyday. ) there was only one difference, she wasn’t a child they could pull out whenever they wanted now.

( it was also here that her relationship with her parents truly broke.  just when would she be that amazing idol she claimed she would be?  it was with that last line she simply stopped caring.  she couldn’t let herself carry any guilt. she couldn’t allowed their doubts to become her self-doubts. it ended with her holding on her dreams. that over finding that perfect desk job they wanted. it ended almost everything. )

fast forward and now jinkyong is the model trainee. coming early and leaving late. ( which has landed  with no school ( only self-study. ) she has more time to spend pouring over lessons, more time ask her coaches to review the songs she’s made. taking down notes of every little thing that is told her to. and it pays off. finally a group is put together. trainee’s she’s known since joined the company.marketed as self-producing idols. ( as much as the company will allow, at least. )

but it’s enough for jinkyong, enough for jinkyong to sign away her life and give her company everything.

june marks the debut of jawbreaker, the debut of isa.

iron, strong willed. she’s put as much thought into her name as she did into everything in her life.

debuting feels like a dream, almost like it’s not real. even at their debut stage, there’s a fear she’ll be told it’s all a joke. old insecurity makes way for new ones. just when it felt like she found her footing, she was a little lost again. their first two concepts were fun, she enjoyed them but it felt like she didn’t fit. ( she found herself envious of her members that she felt easily fit their concepts. they were could pull it off. ) but she felt awkward. it wasn’t until their fourth concept that she felt like fit her. ( and she loved their debut, but she liked it better on the others. )

it was also around the time she found her footing with the girls. they weren’t suddenly together but being in a group was a different ball park. she often felt odd out of place, at first she was painfully shy. retreating into her books and self-study during her personal time. loud when they were in front of fans and quiet when it was just them. that painful shyness had come back full force. coupled with the realization that idol life was just as tough and tiring as they made it seem. ( at least her under company, debut then comeback after comeback. constant contact with fans, in that first year and half, personal time and privacy wouldn’t be heard of. )

but it pays off, they hit the ground running and they don’t stop. kjh carefully crafted a role for her, allowing her to grew into the idol she wanted to be. she’s been able to fit herself in with her group-mates a little better. being kind and silent, behind the screen and even more so on. and now that they’re in fourth year, a brand new pressure has presented it’s self to her.

carefully balancing, isa. a self-producing idol, a member who loves the others and constantly finding a new way to be comfortable in front of fans. she’s whatever the company wants to bold her into. then jinkyong, now a woman who’s borderline obsessive about training and improving, who has to push down the envy she feels when it comes to her members. simply because she wants to carve out her future just like them. becoming a house hold name is her goal. and it feels like there is a limited amount of time to make it. a woman wanting her musical creations to be taken a bit more seriously, ( a woman waiting for her parents to see that she’s good enough. that this choice was right. to finally feel proud of her. ) the pressure is on like never before and it’s not something she can run from. ( and wouldn’t want too. ) it’s the desperation to shine as brightly as she can that drives her and the fear of failing that causes her to always have a slight uneasiness inside.

strong willed, stubborn  and passionate. top class idol. producer. entertainer. all titles she wants to see related to her.

isa.

it was never going to be easy and she was never going to give up.

#id.bio #id.jawbreaker #id.lee kaeun #id.kjh

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON B.RITE’S MAIN RAP, LEAD DANCE MOON DAEWON…

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: Danny CURRENT AGE: 21 DEBUT AGE: 17 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 14 COMPANY: Koala.T ETC: He has been making a name for himself on gaming related variety and streaming platforms, when time allows

IDOL IMAGE

Daewon was just a kid when he came to KTM. 14 and looked even younger. He grew over the years, but even at 18, a legal adult in nearly every country in the world, management still saw the kid in him. That was how they cast him, the kid. Always happy, always laughing. Always doing something inadvisable, as though KTM didn’t carefully choreograph his every movement.  B.Rite’s Danny is the class clown, willing to do anything for a laugh. The conspirator, convincing his group members and fellow variety show guests alike to make just as much of a fool of themselves as he did with little more than a broad smile and an infectious laugh. Danny is the one to play pranks on his members and run away, giggling schoolboy. He’s the one to jump off a cliff into the water, shouting joyously the whole way down. Smile, laugh, be happy. Any worries he has are temporary, easily pushed aside. Life is there for Danny to take and he does.

It was an easy role for Daewon to play when he debuted. He’d grown in confidence, if not into himself, during his years as a trainee. He did want to make people laugh, to make them smile, to have them like him. What 17 year old doesn’t? He was a boy, not quiet yet a man, craving acceptance from the company, from his members, from the public. Daewon did what was necessary to get that acceptance. He still does, but it’s harder now. More than simple acceptance, now Daewon wants to be taken the slightest bit more seriously seriously. He wants to, sometimes, just sometimes, not always be the joker. He’s still a fool, on camera and off, but not every waking moment. It’s not as easy for Danny as it once was to being a smiling, happy-go-lucky person as he was. He feels a bit lost, conflicted. He has things he wants to say, deep thoughts he wants to share, that KTM has no interest in letting him. He should just focus on his variety appearances, or even his gaming, things that build B.Rite’s brand. No one comes to the group to hear a member’s personal struggles. They want B.Rite members to make them happy with their youthful joy. No one seems to do that better than B.Rite’s Danny.

IDOL HISTORY

Daewon was born in Seoul. Born and raised. Never lived anywhere else. Not that you’d guess that by looking at him. Western features mixed with, sometimes overpowered his Korean ones. That was all thanks to his father.

In the late 1990s, David Scott came to Korea for work, a cog in a wheel in a big machine. Though, admittedly, he was a rather big cog then, even bigger now. The trouble was David didn’t speak a word of Korean. So, instead of hiring an actual Korean to do their business in Korea, they got him a tutor. Moon Sungmi was a good teacher. Somehow, she got David to learn the language. Eventually he became something close to fluent, though that thick American accent never went away. Neither did Sungmi. By 1996, they were married. Before 1998 was even half over, they had their first child. A son. They named him Daniel. Or rather, David named him that. Sungmi gave him a more traditionally Korean name: Daewon. Daniel and Daewon. He learned to respond to both. They were both him, after all, and he was both of them. Two parts of a whole that never seemed to combine all the way through. He always had to choose between one or the other. No matter what he chose, it was never the right answer.

Daewon was followed by three others. First a girl, then another, and finally a boy. Six in one home would usually be cramped but David could afford to buy enough room for his large family. Daewon and his little sisters and brother never went without. There was no scrimping, no cutting back for the Scotts. They got what they wanted, when they wanted it. So long as their father approved. Nothing ever happened unless David approved. That was why, when the time came, Daewon was enrolled in an international-style school.

He was Daniel there. Only ever Daniel. His classes, apart from Korean language, were taught in English. His classmates, his friends, were all the children of expats living in a nation nothing like their own, looking for the comfort of the familiar. But he already was home. The only one he’d ever known. The only one he’d ever wanted. He didn’t want it. He didn’t want to be Daniel all the time. He wanted to be Daewon. He was proud of who he was. He didn’t want to hide his Korean heritage, push it to the side for something entirely foreign. But he couldn’t tell his father that. David Scott, who was so caught up in making sure his children were in touch with his culture, would never consider that, perhaps, they wanted to hold on to their mothers — theirs — as well. And so, he stayed Daniel.

Despite this, Daewon was not without connections to Korean culture. He spoke Korean at home, far more than English, mostly with his siblings and mother but even his father, if only for the convenience. He played with neighborhood children, his Korean mother sang him traditional nursery rhymes. Daewon and his siblings grew up watching the same programs as any other Korean child. Through his experiences outside of his father’s control, Daewon came to appreciate what he was missing at school. The main tethers Daewon had to his Korean heritage were his grandparents. Sungmi’s parents loved Korea. They were proud of who they were and where they came from, proud of their nation’s history. They wanted their grandchildren to understand why. They told them stories, taught them details about Korean history their teachers often breezed through, glossed over.. The Scott children learned things they were never taught in school. Daewon’s grandparents gave him enough books about Korea to fill an entire bookcase. Despite his father’s complete apathy toward it, Daewon grew to share in his grandparent’s pride. He might not be like everyone else around him, but he was Korean. No one could ever take that from him.

When he was eleven, Daewon decided that he didn’t want to go to his international school anymore. He didn’t want to be Daniel. At least not all the time. He wanted to go to a normal Korean school and be friends with normal Korean kids. He wanted the things he’d been deprived of. And so Daewon came up with what he thought was a very compelling argument: he spent years learning the way his father did, he should spend some time learning the way his mother did. He came up with a whole speech, practiced it with on his grandparents. He even had his youngest sister act as assistant, pointing out and changing the visual aides (all of which he created). And then… nothing. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t come with the courage to confront his father like that. His dad was going to say no, he knew that. Daewon couldn’t face the rejection.

A few weeks went by before Daewon heard a knock on his bedroom door. It was his mother. She’d heard from an anonymous source (his little sister) about his plan. And about how he’d abandoned it. Sungmi was proud of her son and didn’t know why he wouldn’t go through with it. Daewon tried to explain but words failed him. Sungmi understood anyway. For once, she put her foot down. Her son, her Daewon, would go to a Korean school.

Whatever Daewon was expecting at his new school, he didn’t get it. He thought it would be perfect. He thought he’d be accepted right away, make lots of new friends right off the bat. But of course, nothing is ever perfect. Nothing ever comes as easily as wanted. Daewon learned the hard way that his father wasn’t the only person he’d have to fight to claim himself as Korean. His new classmates thought he was a foreigner, not of their world. And in someways, he wasn’t. There were things that his grandparents didn’t, couldn’t prepare him for. Some cultural nuances, generational trends, he had to learn on his own. He persisted. Through force of will and a cheerful personality, Daewon won over many of his classmates. He’d always have his detractors but at least now Daewon felt as though he belonged, at least a little.

Daewon’s new friends didn’t share the burden of being in a foregn country the way his old school friends had. They were freer, it seemed to Daewon. They explored their talents and interests, shared them with each other. It was through these new friends that Daewon found his talent for rap. He’d always been drawn to music; he had guitar lessons, sang in school productions, but Daewon had never tried to rap. For a kid, he had a decent flow, good expressions. Daewon began writing his own raps after a while. It felt… freeing. Like he could finally say all the things he’d always been too afraid to. Like he finally had an outlet for all the frustration he’d felt fighting to just be who he was.

When Daewon was fourteen, he and his friends all made a pact. They’d heard from some older students about auditions for Koala.T Music. If they could pass the auditions, if they could debut, then the whole country would be able to hear their music. Being teenagers, they couldn’t see a downside. Eight went into the auditions, but only two passed. One of them was Daewon.

At first, Daewon didn’t want to continue after his audition. What was the point if most of his friends wouldn’t be there? It wasn’t like his dad would approve, anyway. He’d just chalk it up to a fun experience. Daewon didn’t expect the support he got. His friends, while a little jealous, yes, wanted to see him succeed. His siblings thought the whole thing was just cool. His grandparents were proud of him, his mother, too. Most surprisingly of all, his father supported it. David Scott realized, somewhat belatedly, that his son would never, no matter how hard he tried, have the same life he did. He would have his own experiences. He had his own talents. Daewon cried the day his father told him that. Tears of shock and yes, happiness.  He would be an KTM trainee. He would become an idol.

Like everything, it seemed, being a trainee was harder than Daewon expected. Long hours practicing, instructors who didn’t care if he was just a kid. No one seemed to care that a daily schedule of before school practice, school, afterschool practice and homework might’ve been a bit much for a fourteen year old. Daewon wanted to quit many times, but his friends, his family were always there to motivate him. Though he sometimes forgot, being a trainee reminded Daewon of just how lucky he was. He pressed on.

Weeks turned into months, months into years. By the time Daewon was chosen for Brite’s final lineup, he wasn’t the same kid he’d been when he auditioned, though he was still underage. He hit a growth spurt, his voice was lower. Most importantly, though, he was polished. Gone was the small, ungainly kid and in his place was a practice performer. He was vibrant, charismatic on stage and off. Confident in ways he’d never been. It was easy to see why management gave him a carefree and playful image to go along with the group’s debut boy next door concept. Being a young kid, not even old enough to drink at the time of his debut, it seemed a perfect fit. Excited just to be debuting, Daewon even accepted the use of an old childhood nickname, Danny, as his stagename. He hadn’t been called that in years, but it was alright. The world would finally get to hear his music and that was what mattered.

While the groups concepts varied wildly over the ensuing years, B.rite’s Danny stayed the same. To the world, he was still a kid. Quick to tease or crack a joke. The public expected him to do silly, sometimes dangerous things and he did them. More than once, he was injured in such a stunt, limiting his ability to perform. Koala.T seemed happy with the result regardless. Danny quickly became a variety favorite known for his willingness to do anything. This earned him a brief stint as a recurring guest host on After School Club and a few appearances on Running Man, among other shows. Danny was always a joy to have grace the tv screen.

But Daewon is not Danny. Not all the time. In the same way that he wasn’t Daniel. After nearly three years, the act has grown slightly weary. Repeated injuries and constant comebacks have Daewon feeling tired, run down at only 21. It becomes harder and harder to keep up the happy façade his image requires. Daewon wishes things would slow down, that the demands on him would lessen instead of increase. He wants the time to rest, to work on his own music. He wants to be able to put out songs that speak to his experience, that have his voice. It’s what he’s always wanted but he’s grown tired of waiting. Still, the world turns and KTM, B.rite and the nitelights continue to expect a bright, cheerful Danny, so Danny he will remain. At least for now.

#id.bio #id.koalat #id.brite #id.chwe hansol

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON R!OT’S MAIN DANCE KIM MIJUNG…

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: Jade CURRENT AGE: 21 DEBUT AGE: 21 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 16 COMPANY: 99 ETC: Though often overlooked in the group, she has begun picking up modest acting roles

IDOL IMAGE

99 Entertainment is hoping to make the best of a bad situation where Mijung’s stoic nature is concerned. She lacks charisma and emotion in spoken interviews, though she wows when performing. To capitalize on this, 99 Ent. hope to portray Mijung with a cool and mysterious image. She can pull off the aloof, unattainable essence but managers are constantly trying to pull some playfulness out of her to soften the edge. But when she dances, it’s like she’s someone else. It comes out effortlessly then. Little smiles and smirks to go along with her deep stares. She feels it in the music and it comes out, without her even meaning to. How do they get her to perform that attitude on demand when there’s no beat to follow? It’s a struggle for all involved. Still, her talent is undeniable.

Jade is something of R!ot’s ice queen. More often than not, her face is blank and stoic. This expression, neutral for her, comes off as angry or rude. As a result, netizens and members of the media often mistake Mijung for being stuck up or upset. Mijung doesn’t know how to fix it, so 99 has decided to roll with it. Jade is just too cool, too flawless to deal with people. Her quietness isn’t out of shyness, it’s out of disinterest. She has better things to be doing, more important places to be, deeper thoughts to be thinking. Only the best for R!ot’s Jade. It’s a strange turn of events for middle class Mijung.

The company is also trying to parlay Jade’s ‘too cool for you’ image into something of an acting career. Roles are chosen for Mijung carefully, to accentuate the girl crush style all the while trying to minimize her lack of acting experience and talent. It’s not always successful. Jade is known for being a mediocre actor at best, but she still has dedicated fans, mostly raves, who will gladly watch anything she’s cast in. 99 isn’t looking for Jade to earn any awards, anyway. She doesn’t have to be a fantastic, or believable actress. Which is good, because she likely never will be.

IDOL HISTORY

Kim Mijung was born in Busan on the 29th of December, 1997. Mijung never spoke much, even as a child. She didn’t start speaking until she was three, though her first words came in the form of a full sentence. Her parents were concerned. Her older sister, Aejung, and younger sister, Yoojung, both developed normally. They spoke early and often while Mijung often sat quietly and observed. It wasn’t normal, the Kims thought. And so they took her to one specialist after another, from speech therapists to child psychologists. Nothing was wrong, they all told the Kims. Her hearing was fine, her vocal chords normal. Intellectually, Mijung tested within the expected range for her age, perhaps a bit above. She could speak if she needed to; she simply chose not to. Though still troubled by Mijung’s silence, her parents slowly accepted the fact that she was not and would never be like her sisters.

Because of her quiet nature, Mijung had fewer friends than her sisters. Her parents tried to counteract this by putting her in after school activities. Football, piano, gymnastics; Mijung performed well in each of these, particularly the more physical ones. There was one such activity that Mijung took to like no other: dancing. It came naturally to her, like nothing ever had. Through dance, Mijung could express herself the way she’d never been able to with words. She felt free. Mijung continued in her other teams and clubs, but it was clear to all that dance was her one true passion.

Things took an unexpected turn for Mijung when she was thirteen. Her younger sister, Yoojung desperately wanted to study abroad. Being so young, of course their parents were reluctant to send her thousands of miles away. Yoojung wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. After months of begging, crying, and pleading, the Kims agreed to let Yoojung study in Australia. The had one condition: Mijung needed to go with her. She was the responsible, dedicated older sister. She could take care of Yoojung, keep her out of trouble. It was framed as though Mijung could have, in theory, said no. But really, she had no other choice. Mijung couldn’t have lived with the guilt of denying her sister what she so desired. When the next term started, the two younger Kim sisters were living in Melbourne with a host family.

Mijung struggled in Australia. Her English was lacking to say the least. Her school work obviously suffered as a result, but the issues did not end there. Not having fluency in the official language of the country she was living in made life difficult for Mijung in other ways. Navigating her way around town and buying things in shops became challenges. Each and every interaction about anyone who didn’t speak Korean was a test of Mijung’s will. Existing pushed her out of her comfort zone. Between Mijung’s reserved nature and not being able to communicate, making friends almost seemed out of the question. It was an isolated existence. Still, Mijung pushed through, unwilling to force her sister to return to Busan with her. More than ever, Mijung threw herself into her dance. There she found comfort and satisfaction. She didn’t need to know any language to dance.

Slowly but surely, things got better. Mijung adjusted, learned the language. She adopted a Western name, Jade, though she still preferred being called Mijung. She once again managed to make a few, precious friends. By the time Mijung was sixteen, Mijung finally felt at least somewhat comfortable with her life in Australia. While Mijung was finally settled into her life abroad, her sister was once again looking for something new and different. When she heard about 99 Entertainment holding international auditions in Melbourne, Yoojung jumped at the chance. Mijung went along to look after her, like any good big sister would.

Mijung never had any intention of becoming an idol. It never even crossed her mind. She wanted to be a dancer, a choreographer, not a singer, not a public figure. All Mijung wanted was to express herself. That, however, was not the case for her younger sister. Yoojung craved the idol lifestyle, the fame and attention. She felt like she was meant for it and a large company like 99 seemed like an obvious choice. It was no surprise to the ever confident Yoojung when she passed the audition. Mijung, on the other hand, could hardly say the same when she passed the audition as well. Why would an idol company want someone like her? In the end, it didn’t much matter why. From the moment 99 Entertainment said yes to both of the sisters, it was clear they would both go to Seoul and become trainees.

Being a trainee proved difficult for Mijung. Though she excelled in the dance classes, her shortcomings were obvious. She had no previous vocal training, her personality left a lot to be desired and she struggled in the language courses. Mijung never felt confident in her abilities in any area apart from dance. It seemed that it was only a matter of time before Mijung would be cut loose. But still, she persisted. Mijung didn’t want to let her sister down, to be a failure. Slowly, she improved. After years of training, it appeared that Mijung had surpassed her younger sister in all areas. All but personality, that was. Mijung remained as quiet and stoic as ever despite all of her media training.

Two years after becoming a trainee, Mijung’s sister Yoojung was frustrated at the lack of opportunities to debut. Lured in by the promise of debuting sooner, Yoojung left 99 Entertainment to become a trainee in another company. Mijung was devastated. She’d given up her life in Busan, her hard fought friendships, her ambitions to become a choreographer for Yoojung. She’d pushed herself to do things she never even wanted for the sake of her sister and her dream. What did her sister do as thanks? Abandon her. The relationship between the sisters was fractured, seemingly irreparably. From then on, Mijung rarely communicated with her sister in any way.

Most everyone expected Mijung to leave 99 Entertainment when her sister did. Maybe she’d join another company, maybe stop being a trainee altogether. This did not happen. Instead, Mijung redoubled her efforts. She worked harder than she ever had before, setting herself apart from the example Yoojung had left. Mijung believed that when she started something, she needed to stay to the finish, no matter how difficult or uncomfortable it became. For the first time, Mijung dedicated herself to debuting.

In late 2017, Mijung was allowed to enter a survival talent competition with the ultimate prized coveted by trainees:  a debut. 99 Entertainment was neither willing no ready to debut a new group, but by this point, they’d recognized Mijung’s talent and dedication. The show was considered Mijung’s test run. If she did well, more importantly, if the public liked her, she was all but guaranteed a proper debut once her obligations toward the show were over. The brass ring had never seemed to close, so within reach.

Finishing the show on top was Mijung’s only goal. It was the only outcome she would accept. Countless hours of sleep were lost to long, rigorous practices over the course of the show’s months long run. It paid off. Mijung quickly rose through the ranks. In the end, Mijung was selected to be a part of the winning group. Mijung cried when her name was called out. She’d never been so happy.

Her joy was shortlived. Mijung heard talk during the show of it’s unpopularity. There were whispers of poor ratings, lack of interest, cancellation. At the time, Mijung tuned it out. It was a distraction, one she could not afford. But after the finale, the whispers grew louder and louder, until not even stubborn Mijung could drown them out. The new group’s debut was postponed. The show had been a critical and ratings failure. Mijung felt like a failure. Again, she cried.

Mijung returned to her training at 99 Ent, eyes downcast and very much in limbo. The company wouldn’t put her in their next planned debut if she still had a contractual obligation to debut in the competition show’s girl group. For months, there was no word from the company that put on the show. Mijung continued to practice, train, but there seemed little point. Then, finally, she was told. There would be no debut. This time, Mijung did not cry. She felt far too numb. She’d flown too high and got burned.

For the first time, Mijung considered giving up.

She didn’t. She couldn’t. Mijung went through so much and to quit then would make it all be for nothing. This was just one more obstacle, another painful reminder of how much farther she still had to go. Mijung, once again, rededicated herself to being selected by 99 Ent to debut. She harnessed her pain to push her forward, to toughen herself against the harsh realities of the idol industry. At least now, Mijung told herself, she was free to do whatever 99 Entertainment wanted of her. She would not let this failure hold her back.

With her dancing talent and her newly rediscovered drive, Mijung rose to the top of 99 Ent’s trainee pool. Her personality remained dull during interviews but Mijung displayed an extraordinary stage presence and charisma when dancing. She’d never be the main face of a group but Mijung somehow seemed a perfect fit for the new girl group the company was planning to debut. The girl crush concept meshed well with her cool, almost unapproachable air. A talented dancer, she could easily handle the hard-hitting choreography. By the end of 2018, nearly a year after the failure of her stint on the compeition show, Mijung was chosen to be the new group, R!ot’s, main dancer.

R!ot’s debut was everything a rookie could’ve asked for. The song was a massive hit and Mijung, who debuted using her western name, Jade, as her stage name was praised for her dancing skill and charisma on stage. The nearly five years she spent training, the disappointment of the competition show, the betrayal of her sister, all seemed worth it. Mijung was certainly not the most popular member of the group, her personality failing her when the performances were over, but Mijung was happy all the same.

The company, however, was not so satisfied. Determined to find a way to further monetize Mijung despite her apparent lack of off stage charisma, R!ot’s management has used the time since the group’s debut into acting. Producers and casting directors are more than happy to play along. R!ot’s new fans are expected to tune in en masse despite Mijung’s wooden acting, ever eager to consume whatever content the group members put out as they wait for their first comeback. For her part, Mijung is not pleased with this turn of events. She didn’t mind being in the background and feels uncomfortable in front of the camera. And yet, she doesn’t complain. She worked so hard for so long for the chance to become a proper idol. Mijung is going to continue doing whatever 99 Entertainment asks of her.

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