#pg.profile

BTS:

She was born under the California sun to a pair of struggling restaurateurs; the autumn air wrapping her in hues of soft gold, blaze red, and mustard yellow. From the moment she took her first breaths, mother and father knew that she was going to be something remarkable, so they immediately rushed over to the store to pick-up a camcorder before making it home from the hospital—the excitement over their first daughter making them feel like new parents all over again. Up until this point, the couple had only birthed sons (four, the be exact) and had always hoped for a change of pace, but now with their little girl—who they affectionately named Cindy—they knew they didn’t have to try anymore; their undivided attention now set on their final child.

As she grew up, she knew nothing but adoration, cameras, and a perfect wardrobe—her mother almost treating her like a doll as opposed to a human-being. From her first small breaths, she was made to look immaculate no matter where the family went, and more often than not, her dad was wielding a camcorder that captured her every move. In their eyes, she was their precious princess, their soon-to-be star, and they did all they could to make sure that she knew how special she was. While their intentions were nothing but good, they later found out that their obsessive coddling created a monster; one who would begin to fully reveal itself upon the entrance of school.

Throughout most of her academic career, she was able to get by due to her charm and wit; her precociousness often impressing educators. Amongst her peers, though, she learned that she could use the same skills to win them over, too. All it took was a little bit of sweet-talking to make people swoon, and in middle school, when she began to grow a little more into her personality, she would often use her beauty to get her way. Boys loved her, so Cindy found it simple to flirt her way into their hearts; coercing the smarter, “nerdier” ones to complete her homework for her in exchange for a little attention. It was how she was able to remain a cheerleader for as long as she did. Honestly, it was a pretty good system, but all the while, her home life wasn’t great.

Having always fostered a gambling addiction, her father later succumbed to it fully—his once “innocent” goal of trying to turn his family into millionaires turning into something a lot more sinister. With so many mouths to feed at home, he couldn’t really handle the stress anymore, so he walked out on them; leaving the restaurant to his wife. He would make appearances intermittently as Cindy worked her way to high school, but after awhile, he disappeared forever. She filled the void he left behind with boys, recreational marijuana, and the leftover wine her mother didn’t drink; her mom’s way of coping being clutching onto the bottle in hopes it’ll make her feel alive again. Once their family business went under, they made the decision to move back to South Korea.

Culture shock was far more vicious than she anticipated. Did she speak the language? Yes, but her life had revolved around speaking English back home, so it took her awhile to find her footing with it. Not to mention she was miserable for having to leave all of her friends behind in California. Her life had become so dull in Korea, and it was clear that she was going to find some way to head back to the USA when she could afford it. For now, she had social media in order to keep close to her loved ones; her world slowly starting to revolve around apps like Instagram. She had a strong presence, that much was obvious, and it read stunningly in photographs. No wonder her family used to follow her around with a camcorder way back when. This magnetic appeal later attracted the sights of a talent scout for KN Entertainment. Later, she agreed to become a trainee.

It seemed as though no time had passed from the moment she was signed to the time she stood on-stage for her début. A mere six months had been eaten up by extensive training measures; her schedule no longer allowing the high school classes she had to drop out of eventually. Luckily her background in cheer gave her a experience in the art of performance, and well, she wasn’t the worst singer in Korea by any means; she was just very ill-prepared and undertrained. There wasn’t one single time that she didn’t rely on a backing track to handle her vocals and she came under fire for that a lot. As she was named TINKER’s “visual,” Cindy seemed to also work as the group’s punching bag. The general public was really harsh on her, but mostly because they thought she was too Westernized to be considered a classically Korean beauty.

She was further placed underneath a microscope due to her collective’s rapid rise to popularity, and she was often rumored to be classless and rude off-stage. Many were quick to blame her lack of respect for Korean culture on being poorly raised by her family; others said that she was just plain stupid. It never really seemed to end. It was hard for her to stop reading those hateful comments at first, but after awhile, she decided that other people’s opinions weren’t important for her growth. It just sucked that she had to learn that in such a rough way. All of this stress affected her in a variety of fashions initially, but overall, it made her crave excitement and pleasure in order to counteract it. What fun would work be without a little bit of playtime?

Even though it was completely against the rules to fall into romantic relationships, Cindy couldn’t help but indulge in a quite a few of them. She has an aura that’s been doused in Venus’ essence; her pheromones and femininity make her a valuable target for men looking for a girl to claim as their own. It’s fun to be pursued, after all. She’s always had an easy time winning over the hearts of boys—especially the gullible, traditional ones. It isn’t easy being desired all of the time, though. Because she’s had (and still has, to a degree) so many suitors, it’s always difficult for her to settle on just one. Being unfaithful is something her father left behind for her… and it’s too bad that she took to it so kindly.

After a few years with her group-mates, she’s been able to warm up to them more. She had to create a new family in them after being so distant from her friends back in Valley Glen. People still criticize her, but instead of focusing on her appearance now, it’s more-so due to her overall lack of talent. Her fanbase is quick to comeback with their positive opinions, too, but in truth, Cindy knows that she’s not really ever going to be a good idol. She relies heavily on her appearance and her stage presence, but in KN Entertainment’s eyes, for the most part, that’s good enough. Just like with most of her life, all she has to do is get dolled up and smile for the camera. Hopefully that’ll be her saving grace for the long haul.

BTS:

You discover early on that “no” isn’t a word you particularly like—not unless you’re the one using it.

It’s movie night with mom’s eighth copy of Swan Lake, this time courtesy of the Royal Ballet and this time somehow compelling enough that you comment on how pretty and sad Margot Fonteyn looks. Your parents share a look and your mother, heart nearly thumping out of her chest, emergency ejects from her spot on the couch to make a phone call.

She’d made a good call, so to speak—you take to ballet swiftly and your instructors make note of your well-matched physique and willingness to learn, the latter of which catches your parents by welcome surprise.

Your ego inflates indefinitely and you make enemies out of most your peers, extracurricular or otherwise. But then, you’ve always been a prideful creature—the corps, school, and every social interaction has only ever been a stepping stone.

You jump at the opportunity to apprentice abroad, but huddled amongst hundreds of other hungry hopefuls you find yourself very quickly eclipsed. Your will wavers and your eyes wander.

What 16-year-old Ryubin might have labeled a shameful return home you label a triumph. You strangled that little asshole and left her to rot in a dreary London catacomb, resurrected now as (*deep inhale*) “Been”.

Even if you missed out on the Prix, you picked up some new tricks to bring back and share. Mom is gracious enough to tuck her disappointment away, force a smile, and make another phone call for you.

It’s another arduous climb from there but you’re well taken care of at home and your newfound godlike benevolence makes swallowing people’s shit this time around a lot easier.

You swear to cut down—figuratively, of course—every little asshole that reminds you of you. Gaze fixed on the mirror and the troupe of warriors reflected behind you, it’s a goddamn battlefield.

BTS:

Born to a middle class family of five in Seoul. Grew up singing in choirs and admiring the existing idols, wanting to be exactly like them.

Scouted by an agent from KN Entertainment for her looks and auditioned for them. She was shortly accepted and trained for five years before debuting in xxin. While Somin wasn’t on bad terms with the other members, she wasn’t exactly the closest with any of the members either. She preferred to keep everyone at a distance in order to protect herself from anyone with ill-intent.

Fame soon got to her head, causing her golden personality to fade and she lost herself. For most of the time xxin was active, Somin was not who she knew she was. Rumors about her snotty attitude made an appearance multiple times, but nothing could change her mindset. That was until the car accident that placed her in a rocky spot. For the first time since debut, Somin truly felt fear. It showed her that somin of xxin wouldn’t be something that lasted forever. she could lose everything in an instant, and she’d have nothing else to take pride in.

Somin is sent on a journey through her mind as she is changing her view on life. Assumingly going through an existential crisis, she tries multiple methods to find out who she was behind everything she was trained to be. The underlying problem that concern her was who was she really as a human. Thoughts of who she would be if she didn’t become an idol plagued her mind all of the time.

After xxin disbands, Somin took a break from the industry and went back to school. In her last year of schooling, she decided that she’ll take another shot at being a singer She auditions for Redux and makes it in.

As someone who was previously an idol, the second time around isn’t easier than the first time. Any lingering pride was shut down as she was quickly humbled by others in the company. People who were the full package, running circles around her present day as the standard has been raised higher than it was a decade ago.

It was embarrassing to say the least, witnessing others who were better at rapping, dancing, and even singing without debuting. There was no special treatment for being a former member of xxin. If she even wanted to consider herself up to par with the other artists, she had to train harder in the one thing she was good at. Singing was her only hope, as dancing had never been something she picked up on easily, and rapping wasn’t her forte either.

Her debut underperforms. More than she thought it would. It was the final blow to her ego, and she even contemplated finding a way to go back to her normal life before accepting the position she was in. Somin couldn’t rely on the past to get her through everything easily. Her former group was more of a good memory, and she now wanted to establish herself as an artist without always having xxin constantly attached to her name.

Somin is happy to have a smaller following at the beginning of her solo career now. It keeps her humble and encourages her to work hard for whatever she earned. Secretly, she prefers for it to stay that way so not many eyes are on her and she can live freely. She still was a private person, and with popularity, she had to sacrifice more of her privacy. It was like a trap, as it would soon lead her down to living as someone the public approved of instead of herself. That was something that Somin wished to not due in fear of losing herself again.

BTS:

‘91: “Yulhee, sweet girl. Peek-a-boo!”

‘95: “Bye bye, Grandma! See you next year!”

‘98: “No, Mommy, I’m too tired for bedtime stories. You go to bed.”

‘03: “Are you gonna stop staring at me?” “Oh sorry, I was just-” “…Yeah, alright.”

‘05: “I’ll sit here.” “…”

‘10: “Come, I saved a seat for you.” “Don’t need to tell me twice.”

‘12: “Human resources would love you.” … “Shit, down to even the coffee.” … “Spot’s yours in July.”

‘13: “You’re not settling down anytime soon, right?” “You could be less excited, Grandma.”

‘16: “Let’s get married.”

BTS:

He is the child of teen pregnancy with his mother having been pregnant at sixteen. Due to this, his parents were disowned by their families which forced them both to leave their education behind to try to make a living to support themselves. His father rotated through menial entry level jobs, while his mother babysat neighborhood kids. This also allowed her to be home with Jae for most of his formative years.

Gradually, his parents’ relationship deteriorated. When Jae was eleven his mother left their family. No one has been able to locate her, and he stopped trying to reach her once he started working.

Jae had his first paying job early as a dishwasher following his mother’s exit to help support his father.

At sixteen, he was on a school trip with his high school in Seoul where he was scouted by eSteem Modeling Agency. Quickly, he was ushered into the world of fashion; first starting with small designer runway shows before he began landing major fashion campaigns with name brands. He was traveling between countries for work and spent most of his time in Milan and New York.

It was in New York at a promotional exhibit for a brand he was working with that he was approached by a YHY Media employee. As he always felt guilty being so far from his father who had no one else, he decided prematurely that he would join the company whilst knowing little about them or the intense demands of this new industry.

Since debuting:

Most of his popularity with his domestic audience comes from his previous work as a model, so much of it is surface level attraction instead of reliable fan support. Internationally, like his group, he has more genuine fans.

He has been heavily doubting his decision to sign with YHY following the controversies within the company. Jae is struggling specifically with the many rules of the company and its paranoia towards relationships as it has caused him to abruptly cut off a lot of ties from his previous life.

Most recently he has been receiving criticism regarding performances as they seem more lackluster compared to when he first debuted.

His music talent is not given much attention by the company and he is still mostly used on a physical stance; appearing at events, being featured in CFs, etc.

BTS:

1.0

junbae grew up in a busy household with three younger sisters he helped care for while his parents worked ( usually before and after school ). he was there for them so much they often referred to him as ‘ other mom ’. their parents never intended for it to be like this, but with such busy careers for the both of them it was more forgetfulness than anything. even though they weren’t around, there was always a lot of love when it counted.

for most of her life his mother was a dancer, encouraging the activity in the household for as long as junbae can remember. she always assured him that it doesn’t matter what you look like, it’s how you feel when you move. it’s something that ignited his own love for the art as he grew older.

as he moved through life and into high school, with his mother’s well known name as a dancer it was only natural that junbae was accepted into busan dance academy. now was the time when what you look like would really begin to matter. even with how strict his training became, he only fell in love with it more and more every single day. he became determined to learn and grow as much as he could.

unfortunately with how much he pushed himself, during a practice session junbae landed incorrectly on one of his ankles, fracturing the bone. he wasn’t able to dance properly for months, and sometimes even now it still gives him grief and pain if he strains it too much, or if it’s a particularly cold day. when he was unable to dance it was during this time he began to draw and sketch, still wanting to be involved somehow with practices, and used this time to create art of his friends. turns out, he was pretty good at that, too.

once he was back on his feet, it was obvious to him dancing is something he wanted to do for the rest of his life, feeling the loss immensely when he had no choice in whether or not he could practice. the only thing was, now he’d lost some of his confidence. the fall had not only resulted in a physical injury, but a mental one too, stopping junbae from putting his all into his practice the way he used to. it was suggested that he look into another style, something not as physically taxing as contemporary dance. encouraged by his friends who were going to an audition too, he found himself trying to out to be a trainee for yhy media. he didn’t have much experience singing, but according to the employees anything could be taught. while a little tentative he was still a skilled dancer, plus he was handsome, and everything else would come with time if he wanted it enough. after a difficult decision was made, he was signing on the dotted line and uprooting his life to seoul.

2.0

being announced as the leader of the company’s first all boy group came as a shock to junbae, but after so many years of doting on his sisters he supposed looking out for others was expected to come naturally to him. he always wants whatever’s best for his group, even if it sometimes means he needs to take a step back and pass on something that is important to him, to someone else. while with his background it may have been expected for him to take a lead position with dancing, it was obvious that his confidence after his injury never truly returned and it was never an opportunity that was awarded to him. if he has to take a positive out of this, he would say he’s thankful to have a vantage point from the back of the group choreography to keep an eye on his teammates.

while his true love still lies with the art of dance, junbae was surprised to find singing is something he’s found a passion for, too. with a lot of practice, it’s helped to take some of the stress and attention away from his previous injured ankle, because ( not that he’ll ever mention of it ) it can still cause trouble for him to this day. he’s constantly working on improving his voice, because the leader doesn’t want his group worry about him and his position within the group when it’s his job to worry about them.

junbae’s popularity in the group is well known. he’s often featured the most during interviews, has the most screen time during variety shows, and fans charge each other a ridiculous amount for his photocards. that doesn’t mean he is free of antis. there’s often been criticism that he’s too ‘ soft ’ to be gozip’s group leader, his caring, affectionate and somewhat motherly personality ( along with his inability to not giggle ) is seen as too ‘ cute ’ for a group with concepts such as theirs.

junbae actively likes to take care of himself from the inside out, often encouraging his group to do the same. he speaks to a therapist twice a month purely to talk about anything that’s on his mind ( sometimes, he doesn’t know something is bothering him until he speaks about it ), and always makes a point to try and eat healthily. however, he is still a human, and still enjoys greasy / heavy food. he just prefers to make his ‘ cheat ’ meals himself so he knows what he’s putting into his body. over the years he’s gained a lot of practice cooking enough to feed six adult men, even when he has to get creative and hide vegetables in the meal so they can’t see them.

BTS:

Kim Junho

The second son to a happily married couple, and the youngest until they welcome their only girl just four years later. Fulfilling his wife's passion, Junho's father leaves his desk job to open a galbi restaurant, one of the many in Suwon. It doesn't stand out in the least, but at least it's the happiest place for their family.

Their restaurant starts gaining traction by the time he starts high school, and his free time somehow keeps disappearing without him noticing. If he’s not helping out at the restaurant, he comes home to sticky notes stuck to the fridge: There’s leftovers so reheat them before eating; leave some for your sister! Your brother’s busy studying for his college entrance exam, so don’t make a lot of noise. (He can’t complain even if he wanted to.)

Do you want to be a star? is an offer and opportunity that seemingly comes out of nowhere, the casting agent’s business card already in his hands before his brain can start processing the situation. The next thing Junho knows, he’s whisked away to some fancy café while the agent talks his ear off about the famous company. He can barely believe it — him, a celebrity?

How does someone who didn’t have much interest in the entertainment industry become a trainee? How can the company accept someone who doesn’t have half the desperation these other trainees have? Did he have connections or was it just plain luck? Junho understands where they’re coming from, sure, but wasn’t he accepted as a trainee because they saw something in him?

Sore muscles and pain relief patches become the new norm, and so does staying back at the practice room for one last song and being the only one there. When he goes back home after a while, his sister jokes that he stinks of sweat now instead of smoke.

Song Hakjin

The new name is hard to get used to, like wearing newly bought shoes that don’t fit as well as they should; uncomfortable and leaves you with blisters. A staff convinces him otherwise; it’s a high-quality product that’ll last you years. An investment if you will. All you need is to break them in. Lots of actors have stage names, so how is this any different? Or would you rather search your name and have the comedian’s face come up instead?

[+24, −493] 헐~ KN really knows how to choose their idols. Just look at Song Hakjin… He doesn’t know how to sing or dance. It’s not wrong to say he debuted purely because of his pretty face. F*ck… If it’s that easy to become an idol then maybe I should audition too ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Days turn into weeks, and weeks turn into months before he realises how deep of a hole he’s already in. MY*MYND already has thousands (maybe millions?) of fans locally and internationally. It takes him a while to accept that there are people out there who support him despite his shortcomings. That they love seeing him improving step by step throughout the years if the comments on their most recent performance video count for anything.

Song Hakjin’s foray into acting comes as a surprise to some, but it’s not completely unexpected. Beating out several other actors at the audition for one of the lead roles, though? That’s when he asks the manager if he’s pulling his leg. (He's just doing his job, Hakjin.)

BTS:

Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea to a working class mother and father, Rorin never had it easy as a child. Living in a more expensive area of town due to their jobs, the two of them could barely afford to stock their fridge with groceries, so there was no room for luxuries and impulse purchases. Finding joy in the simple things was a necessity, so as a child, she found pleasure in the various hobbies she could teach herself at home. For one thing, they didn’t cost any money, and for another thing, it gave her a vivid and wild imagination. From sketching original cartoon characters to emulating the voices of those she loved, to later using her artistic skills to pick-up on calligraphy, she took on a lot of simple interests. In school, she was very detail-oriented, organized, and focused—her parents drilling in her head that a good education could promise her a beautiful future. Never wanting to disappoint them, she worked hard; never receiving low grades.

Upon the entrance to middle school, her father was let-go from his job; his decades of work in vain. With her mother being the sole earner of their home for awhile, the Byun household saw a lot of dark moments. Her income wasn’t nearly enough to put food on the table and pay their bills, but they somehow managed to make things work. Home-life was a mess, and what’s worse is that school wasn’t much better for her. Because of her financial situation, many students made fun of her. Due to her smarts, she was able to test into a pretty good school with a scholarship, and it was made apparent that she wasn’t like the kids who paid to study there. That insecurity and ridicule is what caused her to begin lying to earn her peers’ respect. First, it was letting them know that her dad had picked up another job that was paying them good money. Then, it was using every penny of her menial allowance money to buy herself meaningless things to show status. Many lunches and dinners were sacrificed; all in exchange for a little acceptance.

In high school, she started to sew designer tags onto her thrift store clothing—claiming that she admired expensive, vintage fashions. By this point, she’d learned to lie as if it was her second language. It became so comfortable for her to spill untruths to friends. What’s worse is that they believed her for a very long time, but as they aged, they were able to find flaws in her stories. It was difficult for her to keep up with fibs she’d told, so before graduation, she was exposed as a fraud. That completely muddied up her spot as number one in her class. Looks like her overactive imagination couldn’t save her this time around, but she hoped that she could create a new version of herself in college.

Thanks to yet another scholarship earned because of her grades and high test scores, Rorin began attending university—her chosen career path in the world of business marketing and media. With how her brain worked, it was easy for her to come up with strategies to sell things to a consumer; her way of lying used to dupe people into purchasing products. Though, in the midst of her studies, she was stopped at a shopping mall by a casting agent from Midang Entertainment. After he praised her visuals, she was in complete shock. For most of her life, she felt as though she paled in comparison to all of her former “friends” from years ago. They had the money to afford cosmetic surgery, high-end cosmetics, and skincare to keep them aglow twenty-four-seven, and she had nothing except good genetics. If that. That’s what the company seemed to like about her, though: the pale skin, the large eyes, the look of innocence, the naturalness. It was what they were looking for completely.

Their offer brought up a lot of thought. First of all, it was flattering that they stopped her in the first place. She wasn’t someone that was used to being called “beautiful,” so that left an impression on her that she couldn’t forget easily. Secondly, if she was passable enough to début, that could mean a lot of money in the future. That’s the most crucial thing to her: becoming independently wealthy to a place where she could support her family. Yes, earning a degree and holding down a good job would have a similar effect, but she wasn’t sure which road to financial gain would be faster to travel down. In the end, she took a leave of absence from school and start training; aiming to be an idol.

What she lacked in performance she made up for with sharp intellect; her every move calculated to show that her charms weren’t necessarily resting on singing or dancing. It was made apparent from day one that she was meant to be someone marketed for their supposed “beauty” alone; someone that didn’t have a crucial musical role in their group, but one who attracted fans with smiles, winks, and solo magazine covers. Was she able to pick-up on the basics of dance, the easy fundamentals of singing, and the power of rapping? Yes, but only to a degree that made her match the concept and sound. Instead of polished belted notes, she stuck to a girlish, cute timbre that made her recognizable. For dancing, she didn’t focus on technique, but instead, on exuding a pleasant energy; donning endless grins and flirtatious gestures to pull in a crowd. That made her an asset instead of a hindrance, so despite not being fully prepared, she was added to Wish Day.

Being appointed as the group’s official visual, netizens had a lot to say about her at their début. Some praised her “effortless beauty,” but others were critical of her appearance. Often, her “haters” would point out that her face wasn’t exactly the smallest around and that her body didn’t perfectly suit the current ideal. At first, it was a massive blow to her system. Who wants to read such awful things about themselves anyway? It took her a moment to navigate her way through comments sections on live stages and fan-cams, but after awhile, she was able to draw a line between Roa and Rorin. In a lot of ways—mostly physically—they were the same, but behind the scenes, they couldn’t be more opposite. That division alone is what allowed her to mostly keep her sanity in check.

In essence, this wasn’t necessarily a dream of hers that came true; it’s just a job. It’s one that could set her up for life if she plays her cards right. Money’s the end goal, after all. It had to take a lot more than toxic comments to throw her off course. Keeping her eyes on the bigger picture, she has countered with wrapping herself up in a more palatable façade. After the first two years in the industry came and went, she began to approach an image that made her everyone’s ideal type; longing to appear as “girlfriend material” to both guys and girls. These moves, like always, were done on-purpose; her hope that being someone adored would earn a much bigger payout than someone controversial.

With each new release, Rorin’s been able to reveal all the best sides of herself to the public at large. Does she still get an influx of comments telling her that she’s a clumsy dancer or complaining about the fact that she never actually sings live unless forced? You bet, but she takes comfort in just accepting those as true facts. She can still be desirable even if she’s sloppy on-stage. It’s not like she’s in the dance-line or renown for stunning vocals, so why should it matter if she was lacking in comparison to the others?