âcan you feel my breath
wanting you right now
even when Iâm looking at you, iâm
missing you
iâm so bad at this, wonât you set me freeâ
as if itâs your last was the last of three comebacks femme fatale had in their debut year. at the time, seolhwa took that frequency for granted, and was a bit burnt out by the time they came back with as if itâs your last. the stages arenât her best of all time, but the song is fine, save for a few parts that make her cringe. it was a softer concept than some others theyâve done, and fans say seolhwa fit it well, but it wouldnât be the first song sheâd remember if asked to name off their discography.
âso easily, with harsh words
you put scars in my heart
without even saying sorry
again, iâm comforting myself
always nervous
if youâre gonna leave me
i just want you to stayâ
with playing with fire as the other release of this era, square two easily wins out as seolhwaâs favorite body of work femme fatale has released so far. stay is a song she would have been happy to sing as a solo and helped her on her journey to releasing what styles her voice sounds best with.
âi canât stop this trembling
on and on and on
i wanna throw my all
into your world â
playing with fire is one of seolhwaâs favorite releases out of everything femme fatale has put out. musically and conceptually, it was something she could get behind and it never felt too tryhard. she wouldnât want femme fatale to stagnate and do the same thing repeatedly, but sheâd be happy with another release in a similar vein to playing with fire.
below the cut, you can find an update on seolhwaâs current life, career, and development for quarter three, as well as plot and thread ideas! she also has a plots page here. if you see anything that youâd like to plot out or write with her, like this or message me, and we can get to it! i never did end up messaging people about whether they wanted to keep what they might have mentioned before the revamp, so if you want me to check in with you about that, like this as well!
kids arenât really seolhwaâs thing.â itâs not like she has some kind of vendetta against them. theyâre often cute and she doesnât run and hide if one shows up, but cuteness can only get someone by for so long, child or adult, if they donât have anything else going for them. not to mention, sheâs heard of the corruption rampant in orphanages and doesnât trust the three entertainment companies to have really done much background research into the organization theyâre promoting by way of volunteering for them.
so, admittedly, she probably would have backed out of the volunteering event if she hadnât been pushed to participate with the implication the company wanted to get her some positive publicity to give her some good individual media karma. it could be that she was reading into it too much, but it sounded to her like that meant they were actually going to let her do something major enough on her own to warrant such a need, so sheâd found her reluctant maybe turning into a yes.
still, sheâs not a natural with the kids the way some of the other idols around her are and while sheâs had one or two run over to ask her if sheâs a part of femme fatale with a smile on her face, the one whoâs stuck by her side up until now is clearly growing bored with her considering he stands from where theyâre seated on the floor in front of a pile of legos and goes up to the closest other person he can find. she hears him ask jaeyoon for help because âthat girl isnât very good at legosâ (which she resents. sheâs great at legos, but this kid wonât explain what heâs trying to build). she speaks up, if only to keep the kid from innocently starting a list of her faults, âlooks like youâve got âlego masterâ written all over your face,â she jokes, âyou considered that as part of your image for when you debut? no oneâs done that one yet.â
like this and iâll write you a schedule starter maybe?
edit: iâm sorry i should have said i was looking for like,,, one thread. so iâm capping this at... a couple? weâll see but i donât think iâll do more than three for this call since random starters are not my forteâ€ïžÂ feel free to hmu if you wanna plot tho
summary: seolhwa tries on outfits for the ice cream comback.
triggers: n/a.
notes: n/a.
itâs a consequence of being in a group that sheâs never going to love everything they do. they donât ask for her say as one of four and so each comeback, when they get them, is reaching into a bowl of candy and hoping she doesnât pull out something thatâs already expired.
sheâs not always lucky, but she perseveres anyway. a moon doesnât quit easily, and seolhwa may not be the most shining example among the moon children, but sheâs a moon through and through nonetheless.
so, she doesnât like the song. and thatâs fine. she doesnât complain to the staff or pout during recording. lawyers donât like every case they take and doctors donât agree with the life decisions of every patient they have to treat. being an idol is a job just as any other and one day, sheâll have solo music where she can put her stamp of approval on each and every music release, but for now, thatâs a job above her paygrade.
luckily, one area femme fataleâs team rarely falls completely short lies in styling.
fashion had been an interest of seolhwaâs since her school days of having her parents called for altering her school uniform outside of the dress code, so she has no problem giving her input when sheâs brought into a fitting or standing face to face with her stylist.
for all criticism they might face, femme fataleâs outfits are rarely at the forefront of any hate brigade theyâre met with, outfits picture perfectly chosen for each concept to define it as an era of its own.Â
fittings are a bright light in the midst of a process that has been dull at others times, recording the same lyrics she hates over and over again serving as a reminder that sheâs an employee with a job to do before sheâs some wildly innovative artist.
itâs when the stylist pulls out a floral moschino dress with the puffy dreams of her childhood disney princess dreams that seolhwa insists that itâs perfect. she launches into explaining herself before the stylist can get a word in edge-wise and it leaves the older woman laughing, assuring seolhwa that sheâll set what she can do.
the other look she falls in love with has her sporting a scoop neck bandeau under a yellow and pink plaid set. when her stylist suggests she tries unbuttoning the top save for one button, itâs more obviously sexy than is usually reserved for her as the designated elegant and artsy girl, and seolhwa almost expects for it to be taken away for one of the other girls to try on until sheâs asked what she thinks.
tempering her expectations, sheâs practical. âitâs the perfect type of cheeky sexy for the song, but it wouldnât be practical to dance in.â
âno, but i was thinking that would be for the teaser photos.â
seolhwa turns in front of the mirror, checking out how she looks on all sides and grins. âthatâd be perfect.â
below the cut, you can find an update on seolhwaâs current life, career, and development for quarter three, as well as plot and thread ideas! she also has a plots page here. if you see anything that youâd like to plot out or write with her, like this or message me, and we can get to it! i never did end up messaging people about whether they wanted to keep what they might have mentioned before the revamp, so if you want me to check in with you about that, like this as well!
he almost offers to lend his copy to her, but instead, seungwoo slides the book back across the table towards himself. ever cautious of boundaries in recent years, he figures that theyâre not close friends yet â heâll share a book with anyone, but heâs met people who love books who almost look down on him for it. they protect their copies, they say. they canât trust anyone else not to dog-ear them. personally, seungwoo thinks that sounds pretty over the top. âyou should. â if you do, just shoot me a message. i can lend you mine.â ah, his loose tongue. he offered to lend it in the end anyways.
seungwoo, with his careful hands, disconnects his earphones, and tucks them back into their case, into his pocket. he returns his ear to seolhwa, chin resting on the heel of his hand as she relays his idea back to him. seungwoo nods, smiling. even if his own real contributions to marsâ discography isÂ
âno, thatâs not too much.â seungwoo insists, sitting up a little straighter, foot tapping beneath the table. âi think thatâs good. actually, i think it might be an even better idea. i dunno about it being a twist ⊠well, not explicitly a twist, anyways, you get me? i think itâd be better to leave it as something the listener sort of has to piece together themselves for listening â unless thatâs what you were thinking as well.â a pause. âthe instrumentalâs pretty summery. they could all be summer romances. fleeting, on vacation, that kinda thing. unless thatâs too cliche.â
she doesnât expect him to offer her his own copy, so when he does, she canât help her face visibly lighting up. sheâd have no trouble affording her own and if she finds a version with a really pretty cover, sheâll want to buy it to spruce up the prized bookshelf she keeps in her dorm room, but not everyone would be so willing to loan their own book out. âreally? thatâs nice of you. i might take you up on that offer. iâll let you know.â
âright, right,â she nods once again, cheeks puffing out as she holds her breath in thought. âitâs a pretty light-hearted instrumental to break out my m. night shyamalan impersonation.â sheâs silent for a moment again and then sets her pen down, resting her chin in her hands in defeat. âsome people make this look so easy. iâm better at this when i know exactly what iâm supposed to be writing about, i swear.â
fashion is something seolhwa has valued since she was young. her mother was very interested in fashion and staying on trend with her appearance (and still is), so thatâs something seolhwa saw modeled and naturally took to heart.
as the only daughter of her parents, seolhwa was the one her mom spoiled with gifts of designer clothes on birthdays and holidays. before seolhwa was able to shop for herself, she had brands like dior, burberry, and gucci in her closet. her parentsâ friends would gush over how fashionable she was for a little kid when in truth sheâd had little say in what she was put in or the clothes she owned.
once seolhwa was old enough to begin to pick out clothes for herself, though, she didnât lose her love for designer brands. her mom favored more classic and vintage styles than seolhwa herself did and her pick of brands and styles changed, but her wishlist for birthdays always included new designer items that her mom would happily buy her because it was one point in which they could relate to each other even while seolhwaâs interests branched out into areas like music and art that were less familiar to both of her parents.
since becoming an idol, fashion has become an even more important part of seolhwaâs life. fans look to femme fatale for fashion inspiration because of the way theyâre marketed and it made seolhwa more aware than ever of her outfit choices and the impact her style can have. sheâs only come to pay more attention to her style because of this and everything she wears has thought put into it, from her airport fashion to her workout clothes to her pajamas.
seolhwaâs style is typically very traditionally feminine. she loves dresses and skirts, lace, pastels, florals, and crops tops. more often than not, youâll find her dressed very in line with current feminine fashion trends with a touch of classic vintage style, but a part of her closet leans more laidback boho as well and if sheâs practicing or hanging out without the expectation of cameras, itâs not unusual for her to dress in a crop top and sweats. she likes an edgier look with black leather, chokers, and band tees, too, but itâs less in line with her image so sheâs not officially styled that way as often.
while designer brands were her introduction to fashion, seolhwa has also developed a love for unique pieces from small boutiques. she often online shops for handmade clothes and accessories from etsy stores and small online shops.
12. what career opportunities would you like to pursue that youâve yet to, or what achievements would you like to obtain that youâve yet to?
âWhere do I start? I want to release solo music. That was the goal, really, from the beginning, and it will happen before Femme Fataleâs contract expires if itâs the last thing I do. I want to go on television more and perform on stage in front of people more. Iâd like to hold my own solo concert one day and model for brands and magazine covers. I might even give acting a spin, who knows?â
13. if you could become a model or ambassador for any brand, what would you choose?
âI want to sign a deal with a luxury brand or two. Prada, Gucci, Saint Laurent, Versace, Valentino. Iâll leave my options open as long as the brand isnât hideous and I can connect with it artistically. Besides that, I want to be a soju model one day. Chamisul or Chum Churum are the obvious choices there.â
14. if you could be on any variety show, which one (or which type of one) would you want to be on?
âA music or art variety show or one based on puzzles and problem-solving. Why not both? I can do both, so itâs a shame I havenât really gotten to show it. Shows with physical competitions arenât really my style, but at this point, Iâd take the offer to have something to do and to show my face on television.â
15. if you were offered the chance to become a ceo of an entertainment company, new or existing, would you take it? why or why not?
âWhere I am now, Iâm not done with what I can do as an idol. I wouldnât have to quit being an idol to be a CEO, but Iâm not at Bang Sunyoung level yet to be starting or taking over my own company, so I wouldnât take the offer now. That doesnât mean Iâll never decide to kickstart my own company. If I feel I have something I can offer as a CEO that the industry is missing, Iâll take up the mantle.â
25. what is your least favorite part of being an idol?
âThere are times it doesnât feel very stimulating or fulfilling. From the outside, it seems exciting and ever-changing, but in truth, itâs a lot of the same cycle over and over again. Femme Fatale doesnât even restart that cycle as often as most and Iâve still noticed it. If I was given more individual activities, that might switch things up some for a short time at the very least, but that hasnât happened yet.â
26. what is your favorite part of being an idol?Â
âBeing influential. That could sound conceited or attention-starved, but everyone wants to be in a position where people care what they do and have to say. This only applies to be an idol in a successful group, but people listen to our music. Thatâs what any creative wants: someone to listen.â
27. would you rather be incredibly famous with a terrible reputation and hated by most or be fairly unknown with a good reputation and adored by those who know of you? why?
âReal life is never that binary. There are any number of people out there well-loved and well-known and likewise for those no oneâs heard of who exist in a world of scorn. Thereâs a lot to be said for a good reputation, just as thereâs a lot to be said for being adored. If I had to? Iâd be famous with a bad reputation.â
28. what moment in your career are you proudest of so far?
âSaying debuting to a question like this makes you sound like the idol version of someone who peaked in high school. I wonât say that, but our debut era was a great source of pride for me. Every time we come back with a new song and it does well, I feel proud. Holding our first ever concert is probably my proudest moment so far.â
29. what have you learned about yourself and/or society since becoming a celebrity?
âEveryone learns about themselves and society as they grow up. Whether theyâre a celebrity or not, everyone is always learning, so thereâs hundreds of answers I could give to this. As far as what Iâve learned as a result of being a celebrity, Iâve learned just how much I donât like being limited by outside forces. I donât want to be told what to be or what to do. Iâd like to decide that myself.â
30. what would you like to change about how society views or treats idols?
âEveryone should be more compassionate to everyone. Celebrities may be a standout in the lack of compassion people can receive, but thatâs because weâre viewed as larger than life. Itâs how everyone treats everyone else on the street, blown up and multiplied by thousands. Anything Iâd change about how society views or treats idols, Iâd change about how they view or treat other people to. By nature, though, people are prone to judgment and the desire to feel higher than others. Itâs not an easy change to make just by wishing.â
30 5 DAYS OF CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: THE IDOL EDITION : DAY FIVE
+ Day Twenty-Five: What does your muse want to be remembered for in the idol world? Do they want to be remembered for their vocal prowess? Their image? Their dancing skills? Their scandals?
This would be a hard question for Seolhwa to answer specifically. She wants to prove herself worthy of adoration and lauded for her skills, but itâs not like she has a specific goal of being known as the best singer in the industry (she isnât) or a gamechanger for idols as a whole (she wonât be). If asked, sheâd probably say she just wants to be successful, make music while she can, challenge herself, and make a good living for herself. Ultimately, if sheâs remembered, she wants to be remembered as an idol who was good in a number of different areas and had some kind of impact on culture.
+ Day Twenty-Six: Does your muse ever regret becoming an idol? Do they ever think about what they would be doing instead if they lived a normal life? If they could go back in time, would they do everything all over again? Or would they end up doing something else?
Sometimes. In becoming an idol, she threw away the kind of secure and respectable future most would never dream of giving up as easily as she did. Sure, debuting as an idol under Gold Star is a guaranteed success, too, but sheâs not looked at the same way she would be if sheâd become an engineer or politics. Femme Fatale doesnât keep her as busy as she wants to be. As someone who thrives on having her mind constantly occupied, there are a lot of days sheâs wished sheâd taken her original path instead. She doesnât know that sheâd go back and do something differently, though. Itâll take a few more years for her to decide that.
+ Day Twenty-Seven: After working hard on promotions, your muse is given the chance to take a two week vacation anywhere in the world at any time they want, with nobody bothering them. Where would they go and when? Why would they want to take their vacation there? If they had the opportunity to bring three other people, who would they bring?
Sheâd go to Paris because itâs her favorite city sheâs been to and she wants to spend more time there. The marketable answer is to say sheâd bring her members, but in truth, sheâd probably bring her best friend Gyuri and her two dogs, Honey and Mocha.
+ Day Twenty-Eight: Talk about your museâs low point in life. Why was this a low point in their life? What kind of challenges did they face and how did they feel about this? Were they able to overcome it? If it is still ongoing, are they working on overcoming these challenges?
Seolhwa likes to think her iron will is to strong to have had a true low point, but sheâs had a few. One was during her training period when her relationship with her parents was strained and there was no promise of anything sheâd given up her initial plan for. Others would have been during Femme Fataleâs long breaks between releases in 2018-2019, 2019-2020, and 2020-2021. Each long break made her increasingly restless and doubtful about if she was spending her time the best she could.
+ Day Twenty-Nine: Talk about your museâs most meaningful moment as an idol. This is what they feel so far is the highest point in their life and where theyâve never been happier. Recall the memory and describe it; what happened and how did they feel?
The immediate success Femme Fatale was met with was a high point, as was Femme Fataleâs performance at Coachella. Those were the two moments in Seolhwaâs idol career that it most felt like everything sheâd worked for and sacrificed has been worth it.
+ Day Thirty: Think about your museâs life down the road. Where would they be and what would they be doing? Would they still be in the entertainment industry? Would they settle down and have a family?
Seolhwa could wind up in any number of places down the line. She might retire and decide to go into a more academic field anyway. The most likely options are that she ends up leaving Gold Star and starting her own label or she leaves Gold Star and spends the rest of her life flitting from one place to another, holding a bunch of freelancing jobs in different areas, having already filled her bank account through Femme Fatale and individual activities. Settling down and having a family is an unsettling thought to someone as flighty as her, but I wouldnât say itâs completely impossible if she were to find someone with the right personality and life situation. Right now, it looks unlikely sheâd do that, though.
