#rc.co

BTS:

ko suran is born oldest in a family of five, with two younger siblings. her dad works as a judo coach, former athlete in that field. and her mom owns a small hole-in-the-wall gopchang joint in their neighborhood; nearby is where her childhood home resides, just a couple blocks down.

overall, her youth could be summarized as comfortable, blessed even. a fond period of time filled to the brim with warmth. but in the details lies the duty of the oldest sibling. in caring for her siblings while their parents worked. in staying home rather than hanging with friends. that, is unavoidable—so to say, her role has been set. suran has known this for as young as ten, when she was responsible enough to stay home alone with her siblings.

however busy, dad doesn’t forget to pass on his passion. to teach his oldest the ropes in judo. to push her further, her entire life growing up, to do better and be better. the original plan was the national team. as a kid, later as teen with no specific aspirations at hand, it seemed doable. ideal. sure made dad happy, so why not?

seventeen, cusp of “adulthood”, dad suffers a minor heart attack and the world suran knows is fully halted. replaced with prolonged hospital visits, longer hours spent catching up on schoolwork and housework, adopting the role (once more) as the stand-in mother; the emotional support daughter. those months, followed by sour breakup with her then boyfriend, were both the longest and only months she’s ever reconsidered her role in life. how she’s allowed herself to be molded in any which way her parents wanted. how she’s allowed little freedom for herself.

it’s by chance, if anything. suran so happens to be at auditions (dragged along for moral support). she so happens to run into a staff. so happens to be talked into auditioning. so happens to make it in. then, the news that ruptures the comfortable, picturesque household. to be fair, dad brings up fair points (was it her dream? or was it something to just call her own?) but she, bullheaded exactly like her dad, isn’t willing to back down this time around. and with that in mind, opposition heavy on her back and sort-of-but-not-so-well wishes from (jealous) friends, she left for seoul.

the road to fame is a torturous upward climb, cross_over plays at a disadvantage coming from a fairly unknown company. but having fought tooth and nail to even be here, it wasn’t something that suran would back down from. and she, knowing fully well what she lacked in, worked twice as hard to improve otherwise. do better, be better, right?

as leader, the first half of the year consists entirely of bowing, strong bright greetings, smiling, and the sting pain-relieving patches. the best thing is to leave a strong, lasting impression after all. and as instructed by their manager, suran did all that she could on the rare few variety they’ve been invited to. danced as requested. flipped other guests as requested. over-exaggerated reactions, passed out albums. so on and so on.

with time, came the fruits of their labor. came the first visible trickle of fame (getting recognized by teens on the street? yeah), quickly escalating into more and more. into signing albums and shaking hands and posing for photos. into, finally, their first win on a music show. here, she feels, the tightening and broadening in her chest as something peculiar, akin to pride; ultimately overwhelmed. a moment she’d likely never forget in her life.

everything after falls into place all too quickly, so much that suran has trouble keeping up. the first unit debut, the second, her first solo schedule, and a couple others following soon after. two years went by just like that and their team stands to be the crown jewel of their company, a title she still can’t very much get used to. but what good is all of that, when the infighting never seems to end?

BTS:

past.

the one and only daughter of one of south korea’s former teen acting sensations, jo minah grew up just at the edge of the spotlight. while her mother transitioned smoothly from a former teen icon to respected drama actress, minah became known behind the scenes. she often chased after her parents during breaks in filming, wide-eyed as she asked for snacks during long days. her first moment in the center of the spotlight was when she was three, running up to her mom in the middle of an interview for a hug.

there were very few people who didn’t expect minah to go into entertainment as well, and she was soon enrolled in various acting, singing, and violin lessons as she entered school. while minah was never shy, she was more reserved than her peers growing up. it was an unintentional side effect of constantly being told to behave on set or with babysitters while her parents were working. she had become very good at entertaining herself.

when she was in middle school, minah tried out acting to follow in her mom’s footsteps. while she was able to land a few commercials and cameo roles, she was never able to quite find the opportunity to hit it big. while she entertained the idea of following her friends to idol auditions happening throughout the year, especially with the number of times she or someone in her class had been followed by the school gates by recruiters with business cards, she never followed through with the idea, preferring to keep trying at what she had hoped would be her future career.

in high school, minah’s acting dreams seemed to tither out of existence. to her family, it was to focus on school. in reality, it was a barely simmering frustration with her own lack of progress.

after graduating from high school, minah followed the track most teenagers her age followed: she went to college. she stayed close to home, attending a seoul university for art and acting. while her ability to thrive at university gave her a confidence boost she hadn’t realized she needed, there was still something missing. after years of idols at the edge of her line of sight, jo minah decided to audition at redux’s july auditions.

debut.

with an insanely short trainee time under her belt, jo minah debuted as the rapper and vocalist of cross_over. minah wouldn’t say she had been a prodigious trainee to warrant debuting after only a few months of training as an idol, but her years of singing lessons did seem to pay off.

while she was able to garner fondness and fans for her more serious and mature on-stage persona and surprisingly bright and cheerful off-stage persona, it was impossible to avoid the whispers and theories behind her inclusion in the line-up and her short trainee period. she was talented enough, sure, but to debut so quickly? surely it must be from connections, from family friends and her parents’ own links and fame in the entertainment industry.

off-stage, minah’s cultivated a bit of a wholesome image that contrasts with the moody maturity of her on-stage persona. she’s easy to laugh on variety shows, her naivety and the pause between the end of a joke and the start of her infectious giggling makes her memorable in cross_over’s variety schedules. she’s far from a variety staple or star, but she’s made herself a welcome addition to the shows cross_over has found themselves invited to.

firmly set in the middle of cross_over’s age ranking, minah has been given the role to play of the mediator of the group. the middle sister who is a bit airheaded but with her heart in the right place and a gentle nudge away from pulling two arguing parties apart to cool down.

BTS:

growing up in a farm somewhere rural with an extended family and sharing a room with four siblings sounds like a nightmare to most city kids but seon gowon doesn’t take anything for granted, even in poverty. for a little girl who never had a blonde barbie to play with, they would think that she’s a poor girl, understanding that she has gone through a lot and having to learn to be independent at an age where you’re supposed to be carefree, go wild and make the most of your childhood freedom, they would hope that the days ahead will be kinder to her.

for a girl whose world is as small as field crops and livestock ranches, baby gowon chooses to think that the scenery of her family’s farm throughout four seasons and the starry night sky above her head are filled with wonders, if not the only wonders in the world. her heart is made of gold and a smile will always be painted on her face, no matter how tiring all the cooking and cleaning is, no matter how exhausting it feels to grow up as a female in a traditional, old-fashioned family in the countryside.

she is her hometown’s hidden gem, the rising star of cheongyang. everyone loves that kid seon gowon, especially the elderly, because of the way she follows her parents everywhere to help them with the farm work, of how she’s so polite and bubbly and would greet everyone with a silly yet incredibly adorable grin on her face. then she’s gifted with the purest voice of an angel, enchanting as a siren, a voice that could cure gloominess and turn a storm away. when a talent scout at midang ent pays a visit to his hometown here at cheongyang, he came across the hidden gem as if she was born for this path.

11 years old, alone in the middle of the bustling life in seoul with extremely minimum knowledge of how the city functions. they call her a countryside bumpkin, making fun of the way she dresses and talks. many trainees refuse to take their “friendship” with her to the next level because she asks too many questions. they think she’s an idiot and too boring for a fun party even though she acts like a great person. social life is wearing her out but trainee life’s not getting any better. gowon can’t dance, the only thing she’s good at is singing but it’s going to take more than just a few years for her vocal to be ready to take on any range.

but seon gowon always sees beauty in everything ( even when all hope is lost, is it annoying that she just tries too hard to stay positive in every situation? ), seon gowon works harder than anyone and even when things seem tough, she pushes herself forward. she was born for this path. the year is 2017, the lost girl left midang ent, thus beginning a new chapter with redux culture. it’s a risky move but after the rain comes the rainbow, right? furthermore, it’s always easier to start fresh when no one knows about your bitter past but it’s not just that. redux culture is home. eventually, all the blood, sweat and tears that she shed at 3am every day are all worth it. variety shows and interviews love her, people don’t usually hear the surname “seon” so it’s the first thing she’s known for. then she has this countryside frankness and a quirky humor that is rather fascinating, combining the natural ability to radiate such irresistibly good vibes, fans love how genuine and kind-hearted she is, netizens always bring up her name when there are discussions of who are the prettiest new faces or which idol has the model materials, and then she’s surrounded by people loving how hilarious and entertaining she is! seon gowon, undoubtedly, is an outstanding factor. she has the talents, she has the personality, she has the looks. she’s promised a bright future ahead. for a moment, everything seems right. 

making her debut doesn’t ensure anything. she was a victim of the hate train before, she just doesn’t know that it’s going to happen again because that’s just who she is ― a ball sunshine and rainbows, a dreamer, good vibes and positive energy. they are calling her out for faking cuteness and acting like an idiot, making fun of how she never graduated from middle school. what she fears the most is brought up in the comment section as well when they trash her origins and say that all this innocent, candid countryside girl persona disgusts them. they are telling her to gain weight over here then losing weight over there, they are making up rumors and gossips and it’s just too much―― how can she handle all of that? she’s strong enough to handle the pain but does she really deserve it? does anyone ever? everyone has a breaking point, she thinks she’s on the verge of it but for now, gowon does a pretty good job at swallowing the tears away.

it’s a constant battle inside her head every day. she fights away her tears, she fights to keep the smile on her lips. she fights away her pain, she fights away the pressure, and she tries to fight away everyone’s sadness along with hers. she fights to stay awake, she fights to maintain her figure. she fights to improve herself, she fights to push through her limits. all of these just to bring out her best performances in front of everyone. she’s a warrior and a fortress, well, for now.

BTS:

PART 1.

you’ve always had everything served nicely on a silver platter, from the very moment you came into this world with clenched fists and an ugly cry. han heiran, a child of a once famous and renowned actress who, many suspect, had married her oh-so-successful husband to solidify her wealth and status, refusing to ever fade back into pitch-black obscurity. life was boring, life was exciting, life was everything and nothing and you were neither shielded from nor exposed to the cruel public, but living with such a famous star eventually came with the ultimate price.

you mother had always expected the best, pushing you as her only child into the circles of the high society, and yet her abundant efforts were faced with much resistance and defiance, as you were everything but easy to control, tame and contain. wild, ferocious, and certainly illusive, far out of everyone’s grasp, you were a true rebel child, blossoming into a proper troublemaker during your teenagehood. countless of times, you had refused to be associated with the han image, wishing to forge a path of your own only when it was truly convenient for you, for you knew that you could get away with everything with the help of your parents’ money and status.

then came high school and you were of course among the top students thanks to your father’s generous donations and recommendations, but you knew that the life of an academic wasn’t meant for you. the han child, a delinquent, prone to sneaking out, skipping classes, smoking, drinking and hanging out with the most problematic kids at school, there were plenty of rumors that swirled around in the air, including those of your cruelness, but none have ever seen the light of the day. many would say that these are the side effects of being a han, of being a child of two such powerful individuals, and truth be told, all you wanted was something of your own, a chance to prove yourself, to be something more than just your silly name.

maybe you’ve always been a hopeless attention-seeker, mommy’s little troubled girl, so it’s no wonder you ended up turning to the entertainment industry, searching for approval in the eyes of people you never met before. there are voices who are better than yours, bodies that can twists and turn with more elegance and vigor, and yet it’s your peculiar charm and oddness that makes you stand out, makes you a worthy opponent and not just a decorative figurine imported for the sake of her beauty.

once you became a trainee, you knew that there was no turning back, that you’d always be fond of the world of idols, sins, praise and glamour. still, you’re many things, among them you’re unconventional too, suffering from a syndrome that doesn’t let you be like other girls. you’re different, better, you’d whispered to yourself, knowing that with each and every day you looked more and more like your mother.

PART 2.

then you debuted and for the first time in your life you didn’t get what you’d wanted.  placed into a group in which the concepts of light and darkness prevail, you had expected to become a member of the OVER team, but of course you were so foolishly tricked, and pushed into an entirely different direction. you wept and screamed like a little child over to phone, loathing the day you had signed the contract with redux.

but fame suited your soul for a while, it felt like coming home, coming back to a house you’d never known and yet always yearned for; and for the first time ever, you mother started paying attention to you, started treating you like an actual person instead of an accessory she had purchased during an overseas stay at a private resort. a little too late mother, you once said to her, refusing to let her creep back into your life. you’re family, of course you are, but now you’re more than just a han, you’re a star.

apart from the superficial, short-lived thrills that came with the new life, you soon found yourself sinking deeper, frustrated with the life you were living. you had always tried to avoid a life under strict rules, but just like that, you walked into the trap willingly, having no one else to blame but yourself. so you retreated like a wounded animal, finding solace in places far away from the scrutinizing lights and phone cameras.

you went back to school too, picking theatre studies since you’ve always had a flair for the dramatic. besides, your mother’s a famous actress, they couldn’t just say no to you. yet you kept the news of your little endeavor under wraps, partly because of your painful desire for privacy, but the truth is, you were frightened, afraid to come face to face with the truth; maybe talent doesn’t run in the family after all.