𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔

[eunbinbe]

♡ ˙ ˖ ✧ — SHIN EUNBIN / PROFILE & INTRO

[beheechul]

he's sure others have it worse than him and wouldn't even be able to last that long inside. there was a lot of noise as well as bodies almost everywhere. not a good place for introverts at all. he did what he could but being outside was a nice break from all the chaos inside.

"oh, i bet there are." he was sure there were people actually sleeping in there as well. probably too many sleepy drunks with how alcohol was being passed around. he just didn't try to touch any of it when in there at all. alcohol wasn't his go to.

he nods his head at her words. "i do. it's a bit freeing in a way plus it's fun to do the production side as well." he was passionate about it which was why he never let up on it. plus if his mom hadn't been his biggest cheerleader, he wouldn't have pursued this as hard as he had. "well, i could probably show you where to start if you'd like. no pressure at all though."

[eunbinbe]

being part of the cheer squad usually meant having to stay until the end and picking up after the kids who couldn't find their own way home. it was a lot of work, but it's just something that came naturally with her position.

her eyes sparkled at his offer as she turned over a bit more to completely face him. "really? that'd be so cool. i don't know if i'd be very good at it, but everybody starts somewhere, right?" it takes her back to when she first began to choreograph. her first works were probably super sloppy, but she's gotten better and found herself choreographing a lot more now.

"i might take you up on that offer. if i find the time, of course," she says with a slight sigh. "this whole cheerleading things takes up a lot of my time," she explains with a shrug. "but it's not like i'll be doing this forever, so."

[eunbinbe]

˙ ˖ ✧ — @mindeullebe

"okay, i'm thinking we lounge around with some food first and then try to make it to barricade once people start growing tired. yeah?"

waterbomb this year wasn't actually on eunbin's bucketlist. after experiencing it last year, it didn't seem like something she had to come back to every year. however, she was so easy to convince that when a friend asked her to tag along, she just couldn't say no.

unfortunately, the said friend had abandoned her to go off who knows where, and she ended up bumping into mindeulle instead. upon seeing him wandering around on his own, eunbin simply assumed that he was in a similar position as her.

"i don't think any of the exciting artists are performing this early anyway." she looks too cute to already get messed up by water guns and whatnot. she'd like to delay that as much as possible.

[behyeran]

when she's by herself hyeran tends to zone out. it's easy for her mind to wander various places. the voice that calls out to her startles her briefly. she turns to see another one of the cast, eunbin, sat beside her. the trainee gives the other girl a brief smile, processing her words.

'main character,' she repeats in her head, a slight flush crossing her cheeks. hyeran lets out a laugh, waving her hands in protest. "we're all important, aren't we?" she doesn't want to bring too much attention to the fact that she'd been cast as such. she's worried there might be some animosity between the members if she doesn't seem grateful or somehow flaunts her status.

when she's done worrying, the flush dissipates.

"me neither," she confesses. "i was really surprised to see the cast listing, but i'm doing my best," hyeran says with a smile.

"acting? no, only when i started as a trainee. honestly, i was more-so drawn to the acting workshops because of how it could help with my stage presence," she tells eunbin. "but i couldn't pass up this opportunity, you know?" hyeran tilts her head. "what about you?"

[eunbinbe]

acting and stage presence were conneced. that's something eunbin learned as soon as she became a trainee, and it's also why she understood why sr media might put more emphasis on it than the other companies. plus, it didn't hurt to have some acting experience in general. who knows where life will take them.

"really? well, you must have been so good and impressed everyone," she states with a chuckle. eunbin can't even recall how her audition went, if she's being honest. she was pretty nervous during it and was just hoping that she could get some feedback. she didn't expect to be casted, but it was exciting. eunbin was looking forward to this opportunity.

"when i became a trainee, i told myself i'd try out everything i could. so, when i heard about the audition, i decided to give it a go!" maybe she had taken a spot from someone who was a little more passionate about acting, but who's to say that she won't grow to love this, right? "i'll probably have to work twice as hard as everyone with how little experience i have, but i think it'll all be worth it."

[hannaxbe]

with preparations and training for the drama in full swing, hanna felt more at peace than ever, funnily enough. the drama was shaping up to be a busy time but she welcomed it, and even looked forward to it; there was a lot she wanted to prove with this drama, both to herself and the company - to prove she belonged here for good reason.

the extra training and lessons were hard work but hanna was thriving. even if she went home exhausted from a long day of practices and whatever they had to do that day, she was happy. she was also glad that the rest of her cast mates seemed nice and easy to work with - like eunbin, whom she found herself sitting next to during one of their practices.

dialects are a completely normal and valid concern for someone to have, especially when it comes to acting and how they enounciate lines, so hanna understands where eunbin is coming from. if your character didn't have a dialect and the project was set somewhere like seoul, it made sense to be worried about it. however, hanna was concerned she might not be the best person to ask for help on this since she was born and raised in seoul.

"i don't know if i have any tips to help suppress dialects but we can repeatedly go over lines together, if you'd like? that way we can work on memorizing the script and check our pronunciation at the same time, so we can fix how it sounds if we need to," she suggests with a smile before letting out a laugh. "nothing like repeating things over and over to get used to something!" as boring as the method is, it was tried and true in many scenarios so hanna had long accepted that this would be her life as far as training goes.

[eunbinbe]

she wasn't entirely sure if she was the only one with a dialect problem, but it's definitely something she'd have to fix during this preparation period. it took hours and hours of practice for her to get it right for her audition, and it must have worked for her to have passed and gotten a part. however, this was only the beginning, and she'd have to work even harder.

with a nod, she looked up at hanna with a warm smile. "i don't actually have nearly as many lines as you probably do, but i do have to play two different characters. they're supposed to be twins!" she explains before looking down at the script and letting out a soft chuckle.

"right. repeating always works. it works with dance routines, so i'm sure it'll work with acting as well." eunbin sounds like she's mostly trying to convince herself—she is—but something about hanna's words have her feeling a little more confident. perhaps it's the fact that she doesn't feel like she's alone in this journey. "have you analyzed your character? do you feel connected to her yet?"

[kouxbe]

kou can't quite figure out how exactly he's gotten in this situation, or no, more broadly – how he'd gotten to this point in his life. an idol trainee? that had taken him a while to wrap his head around. but now an actor-to-be for a drama? that was something, that he can't quite imagine.

he's never thought of himself as an actor, back at home he'd never gone for any acting classes – only started when sr media began pushing their trainees to do so – and he'd never shown much interests from dramas, aside from a few good ones here and there.

and now here he was, preparing to act in a drama called cheer up. he decides to take eunbin's lead, because in truth, kou still found himself second-guessing his own dancing abilities often.

"this sounds like my nightmare," kou replies. he's not flexible, not at all – the last time he'd tried to stretch (hard), he's sure he'd pulled a muscle and wasn't able to stand straight for a few days. but eunbin has a point though, they'll want them to learn actual cheer moves, and kou doesn't want to be a burden to anyone. "do you have any tips...? i'm so stiff, i can't even reach my toes," he says, showing her a real-time example of him bending over to reach his toes, and failing. "please?"

[eunbinbe]

admittedly, she can't help but chuckle at how exasperated kou looked. the drama was a little out of the norm with how much dancing and cheerleading would be involved. sure, eunbin would find it fun as it was mixed all her interests together, but she could see how it could be stressful to others.

"well, if flexibility isn't your thing, i guess another tip would be to just really stretch out your arms and legs as far as you can." it was always easier to show an example than explain it with words, so eunbin quickly showed him one of the more basic cheer moves that all the newbies learned when they first joined the squad.

of course, she didn't want to get ahead of herself. there was no certainty that they'd be doing exactly what she did back as a cheerleader, but this was still a basic dance move that she thinks would be helpful. "like this!" she said before giving kou an encouraging smile. "that way the move looks longer and complete, and you can hide your inability to reach your toes," eunbin said a little teasingly.

[eunbinbe]

˙ ˖ ✧ — @behyeran

"our main character!"

a few of the trainees were gathered around for the extra acting lessons they were told to take, and eunbin couldn't help but take a seat beside hyeran. they haven't actually spoken much, so she wanted to take this opportunity to do so now. the production team did say they wanted to see the trainees form a bond.

with a beaming smile, she let out a soft chuckle before settling into her seat. "i didn't think i'd make it, if i'm being honest." hyeran didn't ask, of course, but how else should she start this conversation, right? this drama was pretty much all they had in common anyway.

"have you done any acting before? or is it a skill you built as a trainee here?" she was aware that some of the companies put more emphasis on acting than others, but she believes that's mostly sr media's specialty, not lime's, so she was curious to know if hyeran has some outside experience or not.

[eunbinbe]

˙ ˖ ✧ — @hannaxbe

when eunbin initially auditioned for the drama, she didn't expect to be picked. of course, it was a great opportunity, and she was elated to be a part of the project, but she couldn't help but worry about her actual acting.

it seems like the company was more than aware of this because they had made it clear that she should get some extra acting lessons in. that's what she was hoping to focus on this month. looking around, she felt a bit of relief upon realizing that she wasn't on this ship alone.

"i think the hardest part is making sure my dialect doesn't pop out." while eunbin's been living in seoul for a couple of years now, she couldn't completely stop her busan dialect from slipping out from time to time. that's why she wanted to work on her pronunciation more than ever to ensure that it didn't happen during the actual filming. "pronunciation seems to be like the most basic skill when it comes to acting. i dont' want to miss out on it," she explains to hanna who happens to be beside her.

[eunbinbe]

˙ ˖ ✧ — @beyuwol

while they were told to focus a bit more on their dancing, eunbin couldn't help but wonder if this was also a sign for them to increase their stamina. she knew better than anybody else that this drama was going to involve a lot more than just acting with it being centered around cheerleading.

"we're going to have to build up our endurance," she mentioned to yuwol beside her. she had been rolling out her ankles, focusing a little more on stretching. if she were allowed to, she would've started the exercises that she used to do before cheer practice, but eunbin doesn't want to look like she's getting ahead of herself.

letting out a chuckle, she continued to stretch out her arms and legs. "i wonder how much actual cheerleading they're going to make us do. if they're asking us to work on our dancing, i'm assuming it's going to be quite a bit."

[eunbinbe]

˙ ˖ ✧ — @kouxbe

when eunbin had initially auditioned for the drama, she didn't think it would involve a cheer squad. now, she was surprised to say the least, but she was also very excited because this is all she's been doing for the past couple of years.

they had been given things to work on, and she was a little surprised to find that she had to improve her dancing, but it probably had to do with the fact that she simply hadn't been around as much as the others. knowing how intense the choreography for cheerleading could go, she was aware that a little more focus on her dancing wouldn't be too bad.

"we're really going to have to work on our flexibility," she told kou. it sounds almost like a warning, but the amount of stretching she would do before practice each day was proof that this drama would push them physically. "once we start learning the actual cheer moves, they're going to want us to stretch our arms as far as we can," she explained with a chuckle. "maybe that's why we're being given extra dance lessons."

[eunbinbe]

˙ ˖ ✧ — NON-TRAINEE SELF-PARA. a peek into eunbin's college life now that she's juggling training & school.

when eunbin initially accepted the offer to become a trainee, she expected it to keep her busy, but she didn't think that juggling school life and trainee life together would be this difficult.

having wrapped up her final exams, she was finally on summer break, but the past few months had been rough. truthfully, she couldn't even say how well she just did on her exams as she didn't have much time to study. no wonder entertainment companies made their trainees drop out of school. it was simply too much to handle.

nevertheless, it's not like she was set to debut or whatnot, so she still had to do decently with her grades. eunbin was never the smartest student anyway—she mostly made her way around campus with a bright smile and extracurricular activities—but she didn't want to fail either.

when she had told her cheer squad she had to quit, it was hard to explain why. anybody could tell just how passionate she was about being part of the team, but she simply couldn't handle it on top of her training schedule. being a student and a trainee as a job, but the cheer squad? that would be like working three jobs, and eunbin simply couldn't do it all.

it had been painful to walk away from what was probably the best part of her college life, but there were choices she had to make, and this was one of them. it was also extra difficult coming up with an excuse as she couldn't let it slip that she was a trainee. that part was still a secret to many, and she really didn't want anybody finding out in case she didn't actually debut.

would she be embarrassed? she's not entirely sure, but she would feel a little disappointed in herself.

anyhow, she was glad that summer vacation had come by. this was the first time she wouldn't be coming back to school for cheer squad training, and she felt bittersweet. however, if she wanted to open a new door, she had to close some old ones.

[bexstevie]

"to be honest, i didn't either." stevie admits with a little giggle, scratching his cheek. "there's a lot of things i'm learning they actually try to teach you. stage presence, selfies, yadda yadda yadda..." he props his head on his arm, a thoughtful look on his face.

truthfully, he still doesn't...know how they're going to be taught that. presence is something that feels like it has to come naturally, no? "maybe energy through the performance? like...i can kinda get it for dancing, at least. if people are better dancers than you, naturally they stand out more, yeah?"

he pushes to sit himself up straight again. "i'm thinking facial expression control, too? i dunno man. it feels like this stuff should just...come to you. like why force it? you can like, over perform too, y'know?" there's been cases and articles of idols saying they do too much-- over dance, over sing, over act. "like...what's a good balance?"

[eunbinbe]

eunbin was aware that not everybody could become an idol. it genuinely was a full-time job, and those thoughts only became more solidified as she became a trainee. they really were taught almost everything.

"but the best dancers aren't always considered the best performers, right? i feel like i see fans arguing about this online a lot," she comments with a chuckle. eunbin wasn't invested in what fans of members had to say, but it was hard to miss such arguments when they were practically everywhere.

that's why she was so intrigued by this workshop. just what could they learn that would increase their stage presence? don't most people get drawn into whoever they find the most attractive? "facial expressions definitely seem important. i've also seen people talk about some idols who go overboard on those, and the comments weren't pretty." with that she shakes her head.

[eunbinbe]

˙ ˖ ✧ — @bexstevie

"i didn't know you could learn how to stand out on stage."

eunbin knew the importance of stage presence when it came to idols because even she had to admit that there were always members who stood out more to her when a group performed. however, she always assumed that it mostly just had to do with natural charisma. that's how it was back with her cheer squad. you couldn't exactly tutor someone on how to catch people's eyes, could you?

well, it seems like she was about to be proven wrong with this workshop. more than anything, eunbin was curious about what they would learn. what went into building a star who shined on stage?

"what do you think they'll teach us? our best angles? or like how to put in energy throughout the performance?" out of the many workshops she's taken during her time as a trainee, this had to be the one where eunbin was absolutely clueless on what it would consist.

[beheechul]

usually heechul spoke openly about how he didn't want to do certain things but some of his friends didn't listen at all. it was easier for him to stay on the sidelines and do his own thing. his social battery was much smaller so he always felt better being on his own or with one other person. groups sucked out all his energy much more especially when it was forced upon him.

"i mean i'm sure some people appreciated that. you know napping somewhere does sound more appealing." it would be quiet at least and away from all the noise. there was just so many people inside that heechul would rather be anywhere else.

he honestly didn't quite understand how others could thrive with so much energy going on. maybe it was due to him being an introvert instead of an extrovert. that probably made all the difference. "we could. there's so many people in there, no one would know a thing. i might. i could be streaming instead or working away at another song."

[eunbinbe]

at times, eunbin couldn't help but wonder how agonizing social settings like this may be for those who don't like to socialize. even she had a difficult time after a few hours, and she was probably one of the most social people around.

"there are probably a few people in there sleeping with their eyes open." with the number of alcohol bottles that have been opened, she's more surprised that there aren't more students out here, falling to the floor. "i've seen way too many kids who don't know their tolerance level and go all out," she admits with a slight scrunch of her nose.

her ears perk up at his words, and she glances over with more curiosity present in her eyes. "do you write music? that's so cool!" she's always been more of a dancer, so it was fascinating to meet someone who did more work regarding songs. "i've always wanted to try that out, but i don't even know where to start."

[bexstevie]

"i don't think i've ever played piano before," stevie recalls, tilting his head back as he considers it. he's pressed a few keys on the board before, but stevie can't read sheet music and he certaintly can't tell when he hits a wrong note. stevie snorts at eunbin's explanation, cracking a wide grin. "honestly? same." he laughs. stevie would have rathered been out and about with friends then stuck messing with an instrument. he liked when his dad played, and stevie found it fun when his dad took time out of his day to try and teach him-- even if it never stuck to him. "i don't think my body can stand sitting still unless i'm like, sleeping."

"how many people do you know can play the kazoo? like really play it?" stevie shoots the question at eunbin, but his smile is impish and playful. truth be told, stevie just wanted to get away from the guitar a bit, and it was an instrument that he'd at least have fun playing even if it's not really realistically used. it'd be a fun party trick on a variety show, at best, maybe. "i'm going to get the sickest kazoo solo in a studio delta song one day. just you wait!"

stevie's eyebrows raise. "drums? oh, wow. it's always looked kinda hard to me." he rubs at the side of his neck in thought, expression pinched as he thinks about it. "i mean, yeah! it looks fun. but...like it'd hurt your arms? all that--" he makes an awkward motion of reenacting drums, a smile building on his face at how stupid stevie's sure he looks. "y'know? i bet you'd get muscle from playing it, too..." he taps his chin in thought.

[eunbinbe]

eunbin recalls how much her mother wanted her to excel in the piano, but she was never the child who could sit still and play the keys. "i think my mom dreamed of dressing me in those pretty frilly dresses and showing up to my recitals, but i didn't let her dreams come true," she comments with a soft laugh.

"how do you even play the kazoo? like i don't think i've ever seen someone play it for more than a second." to her, a kazoo was one of those instruments that kids liked to pick up in the middle of music class so they didn't have to play anything else. it never crossed her mind to learn how to play it, so it was interesting to see stevie's mind jump to the kazoo out of all the instruments in the world. "i'll be sitting front and center in the front row when you do get that kazoo solo."

as she mentioned, if she really had to learn an instrument, she'd like to play the drums. drummers in bands always looked the coolest in her eyes. "yeah, i'm sure it'll hurt my arms, but i feel like that's the case with most instruments anyway. might as well have fun banging on the drums if my arms are going to hurt, right?" she was half-joking, but it still sounded like a lot of fun. "oh, what about the harp? i mean i don't think i can stay still for that either, but it's always looked so cool."

[eunbinbe]

˙ ˖ ✧ — DRAMA AUDITION. eunbin re-enacts a scene from start up for her audition.

when eunbin initially heard of the drama audition, she was on the fence about giving it a try. however, when she began her life as a trainee, she made it a goal to dip her toes into everything she could, even if she didn't end up debuting. that way, she could really make her most out of the whole experience.

truthfully, all the given options were pretty tricky, but she tried to recall what she learned from the one acting workshop she had taken. while it definitely wasn't enough to turn her into some top-tier actress, there were some tips they had given that helped her immerse into the given scene.

she tried to focus most on the range of emotions she had to express. from anger to frustration and at the end, a faux calmness all while she would have to cry. did she choose a tough scene to re-enact? probably. but it was also the one that she wanted to try the most.

when she stands in front of the staff members, she takes a brief moment to really get into the scene. while she hasn't been through what dalmi has been through, there are a wide range of things she could take inspiration from. nevertheless, what mattered the most for her at this moment was to get through this audition with no regrets.

"stop making me feel pathetic and just go!" while practicing, eunbin thought that this was the turning point in this scene for dalmi. it's when she realizes that she can't just convince dosan through nice, sugar-coated words. she has to hurt him to make sure that he makes what she believes is the right decision.

this is also where she the anger boils down, and she needs to appear as if she's made a firm decision herself to let him go, so he makes the right choice. "you're not the dosan from the letters," she says before digging through her makeshift bag to hand over the ball. "i'm also not your dream."

her breath is relaxed, and she's avoiding looking her fellow actor in the eyes as she does her best to hold back her tears as dalmi. she can't show herself crying now, so he doesn't know that this is hurting her as well.

before she knows it, she's done acting out the scene. giving a quick bow to the staff in front of her, she wipes the tears that have fallen onto her cheeks before leaving the room. while she doesn't know what results await her, eunbin feels pretty refreshed from giving this a try. it was fun, and that's what ultimately mattered to her.

[bejoomi]

joomi doesn't really know how he ended up letting eunbin drag him along to another workshop he otherwise wouldn't have signed up for, but what the hell, sure. he's felt a little stuck these days. maybe trying something new is exactly what he needs?

ironically, for as much as joomi talks, he is not a fan of public speaking. it's too much pressure. too many eyes on him. he's still not entirely comfortable with being the center of attention, and public speaking of any kind demands it. hosting is no different, as far as he's concerned.

but he's very aware public speaking is an important skill to develop, and hosting can only help him even if he doesn't host anything in the future. maybe he'll be a natural?

"i hope so," he practically murmurs. it could also be embarrassing, but he takes comfort in the fact that he's surely not the worst at speaking here.

he hopes he's not, anyway.

he figures he might as well get into a better mindset, though, and get to know eunbin a little better in the process. "if you could host any show, what would it be?" he asks.

[eunbinbe]

before she went down this path as a trainee, eunbin always dreamed of being a sports announcer. while she wasn't the biggest fan of sports out there, she found their job a little more fun than being a news anchor. they got to be out on the field and interviewing the athletes themselves. that sounded a lot more interesting than having to go through piles and piles of news.

"i think being a host on a music program would be fun. don't you?" however, her thoughts have changed a bit. while she still had that dream of being a sports announcer in the back of her head—it was also her backup plan in case this whole idol thing never worked out—she had seen the way idols got to host music programs, and it looked like fun.

"i think the whole getting to dress up in a new concept and be the first to see all these news performances sounds cool. they always get a front-row view of comeback stages and whatnot!" it was something she would've never imagined before becoming a trainee but now, it's something that continued to catch her attention.