While the dramatic changing tides haven’t been easy for her to navigate, Michelle likes to think that she’s adjusting as best she can to the newness that surrounds her. For one thing, she’s not only embarking on a completely different career path than originally planned, but she’s living in a whole new country. Sure, she has genetic ties to South Korea, but for what seems like forever, it existed almost as a figment of her imagination given that she and her mother never had the money ( or the time ) to travel abroad; not even for a brief holiday visit. She recalls the stories that both of her parents used to tell her about living in Seoul and seeing it grow into the city its become today, and she always imagined it to be a place that she’d feel at home in, but so far, she’s sort of had the opposite experience. It’s hard to explain, but she longs to feel apart of it the longer she remains a resident. As far as her contract is concerned, she’s here ( at least ) until it expires, so she has no choice but to adapt.
What’s assisted her so far is her ability to naturally engage in conversation, and while she knows her grasp on the language isn’t top-notch and she still has no idea what social norms she needs to follow, she really tries her best to be pleasant to everyone—even when their response to her isn’t nearly as warm. So, when a bit of chill is found within Chunhwa’s tone, she immediately is taken back to the condescending attitudes she had to put up with as a figure skater. However, as she knows the other is a talented, respected “senior” of hers, Michelle doesn’t want to meet her icy words with even more frigid cool, so she at least attempts to be playful. Though, if this fails and things continue on the somewhat tense vibe they’re traveling down, she’s not going to be afraid to give the other a taste of her own medicine.
That’s one thing she has the most issues with in Korea—the constant expectation that younger, inexperienced individuals must bow down to their seniors whims and words no matter how they treat you. She’ll never abide by that, and hopes that it doesn’t land her scorching hot water in the future. Then again, if it does, it’s not as if she plans to exist in the entertainment industry for the rest of her life. If anything, it would just work as an excuse to get the hell out of it far faster than intended.
“Lucid? I feel like I’ve seen or heard that name somewhere, but I’m the worst when it comes to remembering stuff like that.” She begins, then nods as she takes the seat offered to her; setting her items down gracefully. “I don’t think Lucid’s in BC, but if it is, I’m so sorry… I’d feel so bad for just not even retaining that information.” Slowly, she lifts her beverage and takes a sip, then giggles at the mention of the dessert present. So Chunhwa’s that kind of girl… noted. “Oh, yeah. Well, I’m not going to lie to you, the diet culture here is… pretty ludicrous in my opinion. Like, I feel like I’m on a more rigid diet here than I was when I was figure skating, and let me tell you, that’s saying somethin’…” The younger replies, shamelessly digging into her treat; taking the biggest bite possible. “That, and to be frank,” she begins, then swallows. “I’ve been told that I shouldn’t try to lose more weight. I also sort of refuse to. I’m not about to be driven mad or anything if I step on a scale and it shows a number they do or don’t like.”
Continuing to indulge, she hums at the flavor, then gazes over to the other; offering a smile after dabbing her lips with a napkin. “If you don’t mind my asking, what are you known for in Lucid? I hope this doesn’t sound strange, but I have a feeling that you’re, like, terrifyingly talented. I get a vibe from you that you just kinda have your shit together. It’s… impressive.”
In all honesty, there is some leniency when it comes to the way Chunhwa handles seniority. She doesn’t really expect anyone younger or more junior than her to go the extra mile to please her and, if anything, she just expects the same level of respect she expects from her own younger sister. Chunhwa has heard horror stories within the industry of older idols who would more or less throw a fit if someone younger treated them with just a little bit less respect than intended, and she had been in the receiving end of some of that attitude when she was a trainee, but she just doesn’t see the point in stressing yourself over this sort of thing. Sure, she’ll treat people much older than her with the respect necessary, but she doesn’t expect people around her age to do the same to her. It’s fine, she won’t lose sleep over that. But she would be lying if she said she hasn’t taken advantage of it at times to keep some people around her on their toes. It’s fairly easy for her to put on a resting bitch face, to ditch the smile that shifts her face completely, and stare someone down while demanding they speak to her formally, regardless of the less than one year difference between their ages. And the number of times she’s told someone not to call her unnie or noona? Ah, being a trainee was truly fun when it came to terrorizing others.
Chunhwa could do this to the girl, but her slight accent tells Chunhwa she’s not from Korea in the first place. It’s not as fun to do this with people who most likely do not care about seniority as much as Korean born and raised people are. If anything, Chunhwa will bet that if she attempts, Rorin will just bite back at her, and she’d like her afternoon not to be tarnished by some bickering with a random trainee.
It’s only barely that she keeps her eyebrows from twitching at the girl’s words. Ah, Chunhwa can’t really tell if she’s being honest or just trying to pull on Chunhwa’s figurative pigtails with that comment about Lucid. Surely female trainees of all companies at this point have had to practice one of Lucid’s choreography at this point, haven’t they? They are known, within the industry at the very least, and Chunhwa is not willing to believe in ignorance. But she can go with it, if Rorin wants. Fuck if she’s going to lose her composure just to defend her group. “Dimensions. Lucid is in Dimensions. Surely as a trainee you know which groups are in your company, don’t you?”
Chunhwa watches as Rorin speaks, as she takes another bite of her cake. She chuckles, crossing her legs. Chunhwa was raised by a ballerina — dieting was one of the first things she learned in her life after moving to South Korea. She’s always been a dancer, always been pretty and envied because of her looks, but it has also always been easy for her to gain weight, so Chunhwa can’t afford certain luxuries. “Well, it doesn’t really matter what you think or what you want,” she tapped her nails against the table. “They will cut you mercilessly if you don’t look the way they want you to, especially in BC. Maybe not you, not with that face. I’m sure you could be virtually useless and they would still debut you with that face, but there’s only so much they’ll accept while you don’t make a name for yourself.”
Pushing her tongue against her cheek, Chunhwa narrows her eyes. She is still trying to assess whether the girl’s words are a backhanded compliment or genuine curiosity. “I’m the main vocalist,” and a damn good one at that, if Chunhwa must say so, even if Dimensions refuses to sell her for what she is. “What are you known for as a trainee?”
