#id.divinity

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 DETAILS

STAGENAME: Clara CURRENT AGE: 24 DEBUT AGE: 23 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 17 COMPANY: Koala.T ETC: her positive reception early on have given her a greater number of commercial opportunities

IDOL IMAGE

Demure smiles, soft giggles, well-read, the image Koala.T Music paints of Hanui is a delicate, sophisticated one. She’s designed to be the motherly one, loving, giving, a little bit self-sacrificial, maybe. The type of person one might join for a cup of tea when the heart is heavy and needs to have its voice heard. The aim is to have her inspire trust and comfort, give her the air of someone grounded and put-together. She is versatile, fits cute and creepy both well and adds her own a bit more grown-up spin to it.

Upholding the image has never been the issue, Hanui knows how to sell a concept, but when looking at herself on camera she knows she is every little bit what her family wants her to be: chic, feminine and far away from competing with her brother’s highly successful career as an entrepreneur. She left home as per her mother’s wishes and hoped that she might find a way to break free on the way but instead, here she is: shackled to the same concept again. Of course, if she wanted real freedom the idol business isn’t and will never be the real place for it but that isn’t a thought that really occurred to her at the time.

Koala.T has been playing the long game with Divinity and she has been part of it ever since training made her a viable enough option for a spot in the group. She is far from being talented, her skills are all hard-earned through long hours of work but that and her supposedly grounded, sweet nature have given her a running start with the group’s fanbase. Her looks have most certainly to do with her good reception as well, Hanui is under no illusions. And no doubt the pretty face and popularity are what have been garnering her commercial work offers.

While she only promotes with the EVE subunit the prospects of CFs ensure that her face could still pop up frequently enough to remind the world of her existence, so the company has been very adamant about wanting her to invest in that path. Good enough for Hanui, who doesn’t mind the extra money. After all, if she can buy herself free from Koala.T Music eventually she’ll also be able to buy herself free from her own family.

IDOL HISTORY

Very few things in Hanui’s life have ever really been about choice. Being born into a rich nouveau riche household as the family youngest meant being the family’s princess and princesses rarely ever come with freedom. Her home is her golden cage and she is raised to be her father’s newest accessory, a darling daughter to match the beautiful trophy wife and prodigious son. They do paint a very quaint picture, the epitome of a loving and successful family. Now, as far as the cliché goes, there is always a hook, something dark buried behind the pleasant smiles. Except for there isn’t, not really. Hanui’s parents are loving, if a little oppressive, and her brother fiercely protective of her. To the little girl the gilded bars of her cage only look like shiny walls protecting her from the scary world she is told awaits her outside.

And then she grows and the cage seems to shrink. Liberties she had as a child are taken from her as she is expected to deliver more; “you need to keep up your grades, Hanui”, “mind your manners, Hanui”, “we must make father proud, Hanui”, “mother will be sad if you disobey, Hanui”. She feels cornered, her head inching closer to the ceiling with every year and by the time she is in her teens she wants more, more than parents who have this perfect idea of who she’ll become. She’ll study a short programme at a SKY university, she’ll marry one of her father’s business associate’s sons or maybe someone successful she meets while concluding her studies, she’ll have children and be the epitome of a serene, beautiful mother, much like her own. Little Hanui would’ve thought it a fairy tale. Life is easy, after all, when you don’t have to waste a thought on where you want to go. “You can focus on getting there instead,” mother tells her, brushing out her hair before bed. “I am sixteen now, I can do this myself,” she wants to tell her. She doesn’t. It’d break mother’s heart. “I will, mother. I promise.”

Her father looks disappointed when she declares that she’d like to study engineering. “That is not very becoming of such a beautiful young lady, Hanui.” When she asks why, he waves her off. “Engineering comes with a tough industry. Women don’t last long there. And a four-year degree will be wasted when you get married. You won’t have to work, father will find you a good husband. I pinky-promised, remember?” She doesn’t want the promise of a Prince Charming husband she received when she was eight. She wants the long nights up pouring over equations and materials, she wants the thrill of new discoveries, of learning to shape the world she wants it to be. Engineering sounds like a better husband than most men she knows anyway. “How about you ask mother to help you pick a more suitable field of study? It’s good you’re already thinking ahead, but you don’t have to do this on your own. We want to help you, lovebug. Please let us.” They’ve helped her all life long, Hanui wants to protest. She doesn’t.

Her mother is so excited about the scout approaching them, one might think that she’s the one being asked to join an entertainment company. Hanui listens with brows drawn together, not sure if she really trusts the woman chattering animatedly with her mother about the future she might have. “I’m still here, you know?” She wants to say. She doesn’t. Her mother signs her up for an audition without really asking, finds her last minute courses for singing and dancing so she won’t be so unprepared. “It’ll do you good, to get a bit off your butt and do something different than sticking your nose into books,” she explains cheerfully while brushing Hanui’s hair before bedtime. “Trust mother a little bit, yes, lovebug? We just want what is best for you and this is such an opportunity! Imagine, the lady said you could be on music shows and seeing the world if you do well!” There is no real if in that statement. Her mother picked her future like one might pick a pretty dress for a party and Hanui wouldn’t dare break her heart. Not when mother is so genuinely happy for her.

She doesn’t cry in front of her parents. Her brother, now a successful entrepreneur in his own right, is rarely at home but when he is, he is the one to take her aside, stroke her hair, hold her tight as she patches up her blistered feet, ices her shoulders, cries because trainee life is hell on earth and mother and father can’t know. Hanui isn’t good at this. She has to get better, she owes her parents after they invested money into her being able to become an idol trainee but it is so, so hard and she has no idea how to start. She knows it’s her good genetics that got her into the company. “You’re still young,” the vocal coach told her after her first (and very humiliating) vocal lesson. “You will have to work harder than your peers but if you do we might get you somewhere useful still.” Somewhere useful isn’t where she wants to be. Hanui wants the safety of her books, the knowledge that she won’t be ridiculed for her weight or for how awkward she looks in the mirror when dancing, that no one will hark on how she lacks flow when rapping. She wants the three hours of extra sleep she got before she had practices to attend after class. She wants time to spend with her friends at school. And for the first time she is being denied what she truly wants.

It gets better. It’s a cliché and she hates the phrase but it does. Maybe just because it gets easier, because she gets used to the constant fatigue and the scrutiny and the terrifyingly narrow cage she is stuck in. The gilded bars have long ceased to be interesting. But she finds ways to carve out a niche for herself, even if she has long since resigned herself to the fact that she will never be the best at anything. It’s a dull, sad conclusion she draws after years at the top. Her parents are blissfully unaware, only hear that she has been selected to be part of project Divinity and enthusiastically congratulate her. “Oh, lovebug, look at you! One step closer to your dreams!” Hanui doesn’t mention how it has never really felt like her dream. Whatever Koala.T Music has in mind for Divinity, it is a slow race with an equally slow build-up: song cover after song cover uploaded onto SNS start drawing them an audience to showcase the girls to. They’re an experimental project, she understands, and the inquisitive part of her thrives trying to understand the storyline they’re pushing, how every little puzzle piece starts becoming more important in retrospect. She is glad, it makes the prospect of portraying this narrative for the next few years more bearable, at the very least.

It’d be a lie to claim she isn’t deeply flattered by the positive reaction she receives to the part she plays. Interacting with fans makes her happy, gives her a sense of not being completely unmoored, even when she can’t compare to the other girls in terms of skill. It’s all a game, she tells herself, and playing the game is something she grows accustomed to. Her role is infuriatingly reminiscent of the fairy tale her parents dreamt up to her but it’s something she’s familiar with, something she knows how to deliver. So she pushes back the girl made of fire and stardust. Just for a little longer, she tells herself every day, refuses to think of how much time “a little longer” truly is.

Divinity debuts and it’s really not grandiose. No one is really surprised but Hanui still feels guilty when she sees her parent’s disappointment, embarrassment when she hears them tell their friends how they should give their music a go. “Our Hanui is part of that group!” She isn’t sure that really helps their case when she knows more than enough of her father’s friends never saw why she would choose idol life over university. If only they could stop. It’d save them a lot of grief if they did. The offer to star in a CF a bit over six months later comes a bit as a surprise, especially because it is an invitation extended to only her. And when Hanui thinks of herself in the future she can imagine doing this until she has enough money of her own to choose her own way.

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.

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: Miyoung CURRENT AGE: 20 DEBUT AGE: 19 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 15 COMPANY: Koala T ETC: she was a fansite master for another group on the site (debuted before 2017) and was scouted at a fansign

IDOL IMAGE

with the concept of down-to-earth idols growing in popularity, koala.t went one step further with meiying’s image and pushed her as just an ordinary girl who happens to be an idol. the classmate, the girl-next-door, someone you meet at the store. with lots of casual pictures, relaxed captions, and comments echoing what everyone is already thinking, meiying is highly relatable, especially as people from her fansite days can confirm that this is her real self. it isn’t of course, but as the people that knows the true meiying can be counted on two hands, that isn’t really a problem.

its’ with this image koala.t is hoping to attract lower end, everyday brands that would normally not even look for someone to promote their products. so far there has been no deals signed, but as fans often ask meiying about the products she uses and recommendations on those she does not, the appeal is clearly there. meiying herself has started to try and establish herself as someone who knows fashion and beauty, which is difficult has the high-end brands she prefers clashes with who koala.t wants her to be.

the end result is what the fans fondly call “everyday princess”, a meiying that mixes drug store and high-end cosmetics, disapproves of companies spending thousands on outfits that are going to be used once, but highly recommends expensive training shoes for their durability. anti’s and media often call her fake, but fans, even those of other koala.t groups, are quick to jump to her defense. as for as talent and skills go, while she’s never on the lists for best idol dancers or vocalists, even those that hate her grudgingly admit she’s solid as far as idol skills go.

one backside to her image is that fans seldom shy away from approaching her when she’s out and about, even during her personal time. meiying herself highly enjoys this, but as it makes security difficult and bothers her non-famous friends and family, she has asked people stop seeking her out when she’s having time off. of course it’s only been partially successful.

IDOL HISTORY

meiying hails from guangzhou, but has always been more interested in korean idols than chinese. perhaps it’s because in chinese showbiz everyone is a jack-of-all-trades, and thus idol doesn’t really mean the same thing. either way, she has wanted to become a korean idol for a long time, and been preparing for it ever since she figured out how. when asked why, she claims that it’s because she wants to be a positive role model, and love performing. that is not true in the slightest.

while meiying adores being on stage, it’s not the performing she likes. in fact she finds it rather tedious. the thing she craves is the spotlight, the attention of the audience, looking out over the crowd and seeing people holding signs with her name and face. she wants fame, plain and simple. money would be nice too, but it’s honestly an afterthought in the end.

it’s debatable whetever it’s harder to to make it on the chinese scene or the korean one, but in the end it all comes down to the same thing - which company you have behind you. seeing most information comes by word of mouth, meiying simply looked at the popularity and success of other groups. she’d managed to convince her parents to let her apply to school of performing arts in korea as her high school of choice, and planned to audition as soon as she got settled. midas media, 99 entertainment, and msg entertainment was her the three that she was considering, and with two of them recently having debuted a new girl group, it was an easy choice.

in the summer of 2014, meiying moved to seoul, and auditioned for 99 entertainment. with almost fluent korean, decent dance and vocal skills, and of course great visuals, she was accepted on her first try. she threw herself straight into practice, but focused more on reaching the top of social hierarchy of the other trainees. this was difficult has a foreign trainee, but even if she isn’t the most intelligent or talented, meiying has always had a natural charisma and persuasion skills. when school started up later in the year, she did the same thing with her class. there would always be people that sneered at her, but in general meiying was finally living the life she’d always wanted. of course that would quickly change

when returning from a late night cramming session to the dorms one night in early 2015, the taxi meiying was in was struck by a drunk driver. fortunately she had her seat belt on and didn’t receive any major injuries, at least not at first glance. when she arrived to the hospital minutes later, it was revealed that due the fact that she’d been talking on the phone during the crash, and said phone had been smashed between her head on the window, small shards from her plastic case and even from the screen had found their way into the ear canal. the doctors quickly went in and removed them, but whetever she’d retain her hearing on that ear was still unsure.

in order to recuperate properly, she had take a break from both school and training. any louder noises could further damage her hearing, and the protections available could open up the wounds. she couldn’t even get on a plane to go home and recuperate. thankfully her mother traveled over and rented an apartment for them to stay in, but being so isolated was truly devastating to such a social person as meiying. she still chatted with her friends, but it was not the same thing as going out and doing things together. falling behind on her training was also a hard hit to take, given how cut throat the idol world is.

eventually she returned to both school and 99 entertainment in fall that same year, she would flinch at loud noises, which made training very difficult. her contract with the company which had been put on hold during her healing period was cancelled just a few weeks later, and meiying just stood there without direction. she tried to stay in contact for the other trainees, but since most of their time spent together was at the company and dorms, and some resenting her for leaving, it led to many friendship dwindling.

her mother eventually had to go home to china, but still rented the apartment for meiying to stay in. meiying honestly planned to go back home as soon as the school term was up, but then something happened - another former trainee reached out. this person had decided that being an idol was not for her, but instead choose to run a fansite for the koala.t music group celeste. as their company had debuted another group, b.rite, earlier in 2015 they were looking for people to run another fansite for the new group. after taking a listen to their debut track and being pleasantly surprised, meiying decided to give it a go.

despite being a fansite master for one of the first fansite for b.rite, meiying never considered herself a fan of the group, but then again she’s a manipulative narcissist who would rather die than consider herself a fan of anything. in terms of music, they’re easily her favourite boy group, though some of poizn and 1nferno’s recent releases has caught her ear. the members are likeable enough, and while she doesn’t go out of her way to praise anyone, she’ll not let anyone insult them in her presence. thus, in the more traditional definitions of fan, meiying is one. just not to herself.

as a fansite master, she finally got use for the camera her father gave her as a get well present. being very into fashion and beauty, she quickly found photography and videography to her liking. the fansite, named b.well, quickly grew from just updates and translations into various visual content, fashion finds, and then event and fundraising co-ordination. while school kept her from attending every fansign, fanmeeting, and other events, she was there as often as she could to support the group as well as other growing fansites. she became known as a mentor-like figure, often reaching out to teach and help out other sites, even for other groups. the only place you would never find her was at louder events, such as festivals and music shows. the loud cheering and blasting of the speakers made her want to curl into a corner, but with her accident and injury being a known fact in the community, many were quick to jump and get pictures for her.

then, in 2016, came that fated day. the fanmeeting to celebrate b.rite’s on year anniversary was something the community had looked forward to, with various charity fundraisers as well as gifts having been planned. meiying’s gift was one to herself as well as the group - finally getting therapy in order to being able to attend the events she so far had missed. well, turns out that decision was just the right one, as she was scouted at that meeting. a former 99 entertainment employee recognized her and since her image matched what koala.t music was looking for for their new girl group, he approached her. meiying was shocked, but eventually accepted, taking this as a sign from the universe that she was finally ready to go into the world of idols again. the old celeste and clover was two of her favorite groups, and with what she now knew about the company due to her time as a fansite master, it was a leap of faith well worth making.

sadly this further alienated her from those few 99 entertainment trainees that she still spoke to, but seeing she had a new group of people she could find friends within, she decided to say fuck it. she threw herself wholeheartedly into dance, having focused on vocals during her time at 99 entertainment in order to not create a rivalry with a dance trainee, and eventually debuted as the main dance and vocal of divinity. while the group is not very popular, they have not even been debuted for a year, and the concept of units and such frequent promotions is sure to gain them more attention as time goes on.

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: Circe CURRENT AGE: 22 DEBUT AGE: 21 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 17 COMPANY: Koala.T ETC: She was a former child actress of moderate acclaim who was scouted by the company

IDOL IMAGE

Sassy. Fiery. Extroverted. Sexy. Koala.T quickly realized Jia would never fit any of those molds, despite their expectations of what a Latina should act like. They tried, dear god they tried, but it never worked for her. She was too quiet, too introverted, too uptight. The only time she could be called sexy was while dancing, which she was she lost all her inhibitions, having grown up with such fluid movements. For a child actor, she was surprisingly sheltered. While this meant Koala.T never had to worry about her getting into trouble, it also meant they had to rethink who she would be in the group.  The most they could hope for was quirky, odd, maybe a little eccentric. They settled on restrained. Everyone would dream of uncovering the “real” her and her other, bolder, group members could take the lead in interviews. She could speak every once in a while, make people work for her words. Koala.T never had to worry that she would take it too over the top and become unlikable. She had acted for years and certainly knew when to smile and when to hold back. In fact, it would make their vision for her as an actor all the more impressive. People would line up to see her quiet nature break down, to find a crack in her armor on screen. Since Divinity’s debut,  that has been the role Jia played. She is cute, quiet, and shy, except when performing. The most common comparison is of her to a witch, albeit a cute one. Because of her past and her impressive range, Koala. T aims to place her in television shows and web dramas. They see her as perfect for the small screen, though they are still trying to figure out just what kind of roles she is best for.

IDOL HISTORY

Everyone in Los Angeles is an actor. Jia was no exception. Her father, Gabriel Acosta, was Puerto Rican and German and damn proud of both. Her mother, Da-un, was Korean. Among Americans, she went by Daisy. Both might have never met had her father not broken his arm. Her mother was the nurse on call. Her three older sisters strived to be academics or doctors, but Jia knew that was not for her. She was a quiet child, almost worryingly so. Her mother began putting her in school stage productions hoping it would cure her shyness, despite the lack of love she had for the theater. Everyone was stunned to realize Jia was actually good in front of an audience. Despite her nerves, she excellent at memorizing lines, having always been a smart kid. After a few school plays, her parents decided to explore the world of child acting, figuring it was a good way for her to earn money for college, because she was certainly going to go to one if it killed them. It was a tough market. Though Jia knew several languages, Asian roles were few and between, and no one would cast her as a Latina despite her proficiency in Spanish. She was never a stranger to racism, but those years helped her realize just how different she was. She didn’t fit in anywhere, not entirely.

When she was twelve, her grandfather on her mother’s side developed cancer. Her mother was the only one left to care for him, so the Acostas uprooted their children and moved to Korea. It was a culture shock for Jia, who had never set foot in its soil and was suddenly bombarded by family she had never met, some of which didn’t speak a word of English. Her Korean wasn’t bad per se, but it was rougher than her Spanish and certainly worse than her English. It was a difficult time for her. She decided to continue acting, mostly to make herself comfortable with speaking Korean among natives, but she did not have any jobs for a while. During that time, she found comfort in books.

Jia grew up around books. Her father never failed to bring classics home. She read Frankenstein at an age most kids were looking at Judy Bloom. Jia always had a fascination with the macabre. Despite her meek personality, she loved horror movies and had the stomach for the goriest of films, having spent her share of time in the ER, waiting for her mother. It was a quirky quality of hers, one of which she was told to bury when the jobs started rolling back in. Jia was filming a commercial when Koala.T scouted her. She was seventeen and figuring out what to do with her life, already becoming tired of the same acting roles over and over. They thought she had potential as an idol and invited her to audition. Her parents had mixed feelings about the situation. They wanted her to go to a university, for her to be a doctor or even a theater teacher, not a performer. She managed to convince them, mostly because it was a long shot. Her vocal and dancing experience was limited to school musicals, and there idol market was much more difficult to enter than the child acting market. To her surprise, she left the audition as a trainee.

Her parents gave her a few years after she graduated high school to debut or else they were pulling the plug on the whole thing. It it was their compromise because while they were supportive of their daughter they were unwilling to have her throw away her life on something so impractical, something that had so little chance of working out. She trained every day and discovered a talent for rapping, which she honed. She found herself in a line up for a magical girl group. She debuted with Divinity, though she seemed more like a witch than anything else.

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.