𓆩♡𓆪 here i am, once more! you can call me tsun (she/her) and i have joined erm,,,, multiple times before,,,, so if you remember me then hi again!! if you don't then nice to meet you :3 hanna is not new to the wannabe!verse as she's quite literally the exact same with no changes made from her first time here, so i'm just going to re-link her intro (with all of her previous connection/plot ideas still valid for the taking) below, along with her other pages for perusal if ur interested!
་ ⸼ ⸒ ✴ INTRO & PROFILE & BACKGROUND
for regular plotting, like this post!
for a random starter, reply with any emoji!
for waterbomb 2024 plotting/threads, like the event plotcall!
last year, he was a waterbomb hopeful. fingers crossed and praying that the company he wanted would sign him. that didn't happen but he still had fun. this time though, it was different. he wasn't able to shout from the roof tops that he was finally a trainee and that meant the world to him.
he wasn't just scrolling through the crowd with his friends as a normal kid, he was a trainee. even if some of the small group didn't know. speaking of the group, tae had spent some time running around, firing off his water gun at his friends in random intervals.
it was all good and fun until his friend duck behind a person and ran away. tae had already prepared to shoot by the time he realized, accidently getting someone sqaure in the stomach. it took a few seconds, a few snickers at his expense before he quickly closed the gap between him and his unexpected victim.
"i am so, so sorry about that. i wasn't aiming to hit you if that's any consolation." it might not have been but it was true. "i had already pulled the trigger before they moved. you can douse me buckets of water as payback."
as usual, hanna wasn't exactly planning to attend waterbomb this year but just like before, one thing led to another and she ended up here. again. almost like a mysterious force that draws her back.
hanna supposes last year wasn't so bad though; she ran into some friends and had a decent time so at least this year, she's a bit hopeful that things will be okay.
it's as she's thinking this that she suddenly feels a shock of cold water hit her in the stomach, almost making her topple backwards from the sheer impact and force. while she stabilizes herself, the food in her hands is another story as it slips out of her grasp and falls with a sad thud on the ground. hanna looks down at it, shocked and mildly upset (but mostly annoyed), before looking up to see who the culprit was.
if her eyes are squinted into a glare at first, it quickly changes to one of confusion then recognition once she sees who the person is. "wait-- haven't we met before?" she asks first, trying to comb through her memory for where she's seen this guy before when it hits her: "oh! i filmed something for you before, right?" it was all coming back to her now, however she soon remembers why they've met again.
truthfully, hanna was still a little peeved but hearing his apology and explanation, any real irritation she felt was quickly disappearing since it didn't seem like he had any ill intentions and it was genuinely all an accident. "well, i guess it is called waterbomb for a reason," she decides on saying, the corner of her lips turning up in amusement. there was no sense in being upset or making a scene since he didn't mean to get her like that. "rather than throwing water onto you though, what i'd really like is the food i bought," she half jokes, half looks down at what used to be her snack as if she was mourning it.
་ ⸼ ⸒ ✴ 𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠 › extra dance training for cheer up !
𓆩♡𓆪 truth be told, hanna had felt some degree of relief when she was taken out of project novus. the pressure to sing and dance in preparation of fully debuting (and knowing that's what her main job would be if she did debut), and to catch up to the others who were leagues ahead of her in her mind, had hanna second guessing herself constantly and thus, led her to dragging her feet a bit when it came to focusing on the skills she needed to improve on.
for hanna, it felt like she had to put acting on the back burner in favour of practicing the skills needed more for being an idol and that conflicted her; logically, she understood what she needed to do to ensure greater success but in her heart, she couldn't deny that this wasn't really what she wanted to do--at least not right now--and it would be rude to both herself and the other girls if she wasn't taking this as seriously as they probably were.
so imagine her surprise when she finds out what drama the axis auditions were for, and that just when she thought she would be escaping the looming pressure that is dance, she was thrown right back into the thick of it.
life has a funny way of working out apparently, and hanna appeared to be one of its preferred victims. at least this time, she had to undergo extra training for an acting opportunity so it made the ordeal more bearable for her personally. it's not like she hates dancing, she just recognizes it as her weaker skill-- but if getting better at it meant it would help her in her role, well, she really had no choice but to lock in as they say.
she'll think about how hypocritical it probably is of her to do this when she didn't have the same mindset for project novus, and how she feels bad about it, later. but right now, she has to focus on building on the basics she had learned and how those steps and sequence of movements are used in korean cheerleading and the types of performances they would do in the drama.
hanna has to admit it was interesting learning about this form of dancing and how certain movements that she remembered learning before felt new when incorporated into the cheer routines, that by the time she is over halfway through the month since she started taking extra lessons, she finds she's actually enjoying herself; maybe dancing wasn't so bad after all?
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?"
"that just means you'll have less to memorize which isn't a bad thing," hanna replies with a laugh as she opens up her script. "the more lines you have, the easier it is to mess up and forget certain parts-- or mix two different lines together without realizing." she almost grimaces saying this, remembering she's had her fair share of script blunders. it's not like she always has big parts or anything but even if you practiced a lot, it was easy to slip up by accident.
"and playing twins is tough! that's like two different personalities and behaviors you have to keep in mind, and you also have to not let one of them bleed into each other when acting as each of them..." hanna pauses as she thinks over her words and nods, almost solemnly. "yeah, they definitely gave you a different kind of challenge but they wouldn't pick you for this role if they didn't think you could do it," she concludes, smiling.
"what part did you want to go over first?" hanna asks, flipping through the pages to find a scene that had eunbin's character in, before her movements briefly stop as she considers the question. "i have, yeah! i really like chohee, she kind of reminds me of myself but i also just like how strong she is and how she carries herself. i think it'll be fun to play her!" hanna is basically gushing at this point, both happy to even be able to talk like this with someone and because she genuinely likes her role a lot. "what about you?"
joomi is still a little surprised he got chosen for a part in this drama at all.
he doesn't consider himself an actor in the slightest. he tried out because he didn't want the opportunity to pass him by – because if he got a part, it could only benefit the future success of his group, right? something like that.
and he did indeed get a part. he failed to account for how much preparations and filming for the drama would take over his life. practicing dancing more isn't a problem, and he doesn't even mind the extra acting lessons – god knows he needs them. it's just strange to train at the axis building full time and be away from his friends (and favorite recording studio) at studio delta.
he's trying to keep a positive mindset about it, though. it's definitely new and a good opportunity for him. he certainly won't be bored in the coming months, at least.
this is also an opportunity to build relationships with trainees across the other companies. many of the other cast members are unfamiliar to him. he's not the most outgoing person, but he has no problem chatting with others, especially when they approach him first. that's exactly what hanna does.
"hi, hanna?" he returns her question, hoping he got her name right. "i looked through my character info, but i don't know much about anyone else's either, so that would probably be a good idea."
from what he's read about his character, minjae, he seems like a bit of an antagonist. somehow, he feels like that suits him well.
hanna smiles and nods when she hears her name, grin growing wider when joomi agrees to her suggestion. "great, i took a look at the other characters briefly so i'd love to hear more from the ones playing them!" perhaps her excitement might be unexpected to some but despite everything, hanna has realized that acting is something she is truly passionate about and enjoys so this opportunity feel like a new wind in her sails, so to speak. if she felt a bit lost since becoming a trainee, wondering if she was cut out for this or not, this drama has helped her find renewed energy.
"i personally really like my character," she begins by saying, once she's taken a seat next to joomi. "i can see some parts of myself in her but there are other aspects that i think will be interesting to portray since she's way more feisty than i am." hanna lets out a laugh at this, remembering how refreshing she found her character, tae chohee, to be when looking over her profile and other details.;she wasn't a demure character, that's for sure.
"chohee feels a little rough yet carries herself with ease, and is someone who stands up for what she believes to be right and just, nor is she afraid to defend herself. she's really cool honestly, i'd look up to her if she was a real person in my life," she laughs again then looks at joomi. "what are your thoughts on your role so far? his name is minjae, right?"
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.
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.
to say hanna is excited about the drama would be an understatement. she still couldn't believe how quickly things had gone from 0 to 100, and while she still had some regrets, perhaps her exit from the project was for the better because it led to this opportunity instead - one she felt more suited for and where she could actually feel confident for once. even the extra training wouldn't get her down, although she did feel a little offended that they seemed to think she needed more work on her acting. at the same time, she was happy for any reason to focus on acting more so hanna brushed that thought aside for the moment.
a month of preparations before beginning filming was kind of crazy though and hanna felt the pressure, both from wanting to do well and also because the drama focused so much on teamwork that they wanted the cast to work well together too. she was never one to force friendships but she did want to try and achieve a comfortable work environment since they would also be filming together a lot so she made sure to try talking to the others as often as she could.
joomi wasn't someone hanna was familiar with before the cast was announced so she wasn't really sure about his skillset or what he'd be like - but there was only one way to find out!
"hi, joomi?" she approaches him with a simple greeting, smiling. "have you looked over the character details yet? i wanted to see what everyone's characters were like since they'll be a team together but i haven't really gotten to talk to most of the cast before now," she admits, a bit sheepishly. hanna does have a habit of keeping to herself as a defence mechanism of sorts but it's not like she has a problem initiating conversations or talking to others. "do you want to go through the info we have so far together?"
"i see you're back." that's the greeting claudine decides on when she sees hanna's name on the roster of trainees—actresses—that will be part of the cheer-up cast for the foreseeable future. she doesn't know whether she should ask what happened with her project, if it's a bitter memory @hannaxbe would prefer not to bring up, but she'd be lying if she said that she wasn't curious. she'll save that for a later time though, especially considering what they're supposed to be doing right now.
"at first, i thought auditioning would mean i could do something other than dancing, singing and rapping. turns out i'm still forced to dance anyway!" now that she knows it'll be all about cheerleading though, she's determined to at least get good enough that she doesn't embarrass herself in front of the camera.
"on the other hand, you found your way back to me!" claudine teases, nudging the other girl with her elbow as she lets out a laugh. "i guess you can't escape me after all." of course she had hoped for the best when she realized hanna would be involved in sr media's project, she does feel selfishly glad that she's able to work with hanna yet again though.
"so, cheerleading." claudine peeks up at hanna from the corner of her eyes as she stretches her legs, slowly getting her body warmed up. "is that something you're familiar with?"
the words claudine greets her with aren't accusatory but somehow, hanna feels bad. she could argue that claudine is probably her closest friend just as much as she viewed the other as a worthy rival, yet she couldn't tell her anything about project novus-- and now it was all over. she's actually not sure if she's still bound by contract to not tell anyone about it since she's no longer part of it though, so maybe it would be okay to tell her now?
"what, did you miss me?" hanna decides on replying instead, always opting to tease the other if given the chance to. her smile turns playful and she laughs, before rolling her eyes subtly. "i know, i thought i was free from dancing yet here it is again. i think these circumstances suit me better though," she admits, trying to sound as neutral as possible. hanna does wholly believe she's better off as an actress than an idol but she can't deny that she feels regretful about her exit from the project; however, she doesn't want to bring it up just yet in case it sounds like she's bragging.
"and at least we get to do this together! i'll feel less terrible about dance lessons if i'm doing them with you," hanna grins, nudging claudine back before following the other and beginning her warm up. "i don't think cheerleading in korea is the same as the kind you'd see in an american movie though..." her voice trails off as she stretches a particularly tight muscle but once she feels the knot loosen, she lets out a satisfied sigh. "and american cheerleading outfits are cute so it's too bad... but i'm excited for this drama! it's been so long since i last got to act like this." hanna's smile is wide and bright as she looks over at claudine. "you're excited too right?"
𓆩♡𓆪 as excited as hanna is for this opportunity, there's just one problem: choosing a scene with a short monologue to perform. every possibility she thought of was a scene with someone else but she only had herself and a camera to work with, since she wasn't doing a traditional audition with a panel of judges who would read the other character in the scene's lines for her to respond to. if she did find a scene that only had one person then it wasn't much for her to work with in this context.
so she had one other choice: to simply turn a scene meant for two, into one. it wouldn't be difficult for her to do; she would just have to make some minor adjustments so the dialogue made sense for a single person to say instead but she would otherwise keep most of the original lines as is.
next is setting up up her phone to film herself horizontally, propped up on a tripod a good distance away so only the upper half of her body was captured. she opted to keep things minimal so there'd be less distractions, so her backdrop is a solid coloured wall, and she made sure she wasn't overly dressed or made up; the goal is to look natural.
then she looks over the script she had written out one last time before setting it down and out of sight. she probably could've kept the script hidden from camera but still visible for her to read if she needed, since this was being filmed and sent to be reviewed separately rather than performing in front of an audience of judges but it would hurt her pride to do that - so of course, she memorized the entire scene since it was the least she should do.
after doing a last check to ensure everything is set up just as she wants it, hanna presses record and moves to stand in front of her phone. "hello, i'm chu hanna, an sr media trainee," she begins by introducing herself with a bow. "i will be reading a scene from the drama, 'start-up', in the form of a monologue." she's not sure if she needs to do this much but better safe than sorry, she figures.
hanna then takes a few moments to pause and get herself into the zone, putting her stage crying skills to the test and willing her eyes to tear up ever so slightly so they looked glassy and on the verge of spilling, before launching into the scene in earnest.
"i feel humiliated. it sucks!" hanna rants while looking at her phone, as if the person she's speaking to is on the other side of it. it's unsurprisingly easy for her to relate to what dalmi is feeling, since had been--and still kind of is--going through the same emotions thanks to how her exit from project novus went. even to her own earns, the words and the voice she says them in feels all too real. "you were chosen by that big shot, and i wasn't. he wants you, not me," she continues, sounding more frustrated and disappointed with every passing second.
"do i really have to say this myself?!" a pause to let out a sigh, then to look away as if she truly hates having to explain herself when all she wants to do is be left alone. "that's why i tried to end it nicely. can't you just play along?" her tone sounds a bit angrier - not at the person her words are directed at, but herself; the character in this scene is breaking up with her boyfriend for his sake so she has to play the villain despite trying to end things neatly before, so she wouldn't have to hurt him like this.
however, hanna purposely skips over the part where the two characters interact with each other directly, deciding to go straight to the next line to continue acting this scene out as if it was a monologue instead.
"we shouldn't be unreasonable and hold on to an illusion," she says finally, after waiting a few moments to let the silence sink in as if the tension was building. hanna makes sure to sound firm and with a sense of responsibility, like she's trying to convince her partner but is also trying to convince herself that she's making the right decision for the both of them by doing this.
unlike the original scene though, she makes eye contact with her phone again, this time to speak with more resolve and finality. "we should accept reality; we're not kids anymore. we can't dream forever, can we?" she lets out another sigh, shakes her head and looks away. the dialogue comes all too easy for her, words she's thought to herself multiple times for years now. the overall context of this scene is a bit different than her own story but they're similar enough that it's easy for hanna to immerse herself in the scene and make acting it out feel that much more natural to her.
"i have to go." hanna slightly turns her body away from the camera, not only to represent dalmi walking away in the original scene and not showing her partner her actual emotions, but to also keep her face visible in the shot so it can catch the way her eyes are watering more than at the start of the monologue, a tear falling down her cheek soon after as if on command.
she then finishes the scene by walking out of the frame, still crying but with a resolute expression, before entering the shot a few seconds after to bow once more. hanna had dried her eyes quickly in that brief period of time off-screen, appearing now as if she'd never cried at all if her eyes weren't red from the fake crying, so could properly close the video. "thank you for your time!"
𓆩♡𓆪 it had all happened so fast. one second hanna felt satisfied with her recent performance for project novus, the next she was being told that she hadn't done enough to be kept on. her dismissal was so straight to the point and over so fast that she didn't even have time to process everything - and then she was told to pack up and move out of the dorms immediately after.
consistency. confidence. reliable talent.
apparently hanna had failed in at least one of those areas, if not all of them, and while she was never aiming to debut as an idol, it still hurt hearing that because the entire time she spent as a project novus member, she was genuinely trying to keep up. she thought she was doing well; that maybe she had some kind of role to play here and she possessed something that she could bring to the group.
but she was so wrong-- and to further rub salt in the wound, the company apparently didn't have the time or resources--and desire, probably--to keep investing in her either, so she really must've been a lost cause.
and honestly? maybe she is.
so many of her attempts to continue pursuing this industry haven't worked out since her peak as a one hit wonder child, that hanna had to wonder if she was truly meant to be here. maybe this was the universe telling her to finally quit after all because nothing seemed to be working out?
not even whatever it is sukyung wanted to talk to her about gave her hope; in fact, hanna had assumed it was to tell her something like her trainee contract would be shortened. if it was, she can't say she'd blame them considering how things had turned out.
so when they arrive back at the dorms and take a seat in the living room, hanna looks down dejectedly, preparing herself for whatever is to come. she can't even muster up an act to pretend like everything is okay, despite the small smile sukyung shows her, because what would be the point? there's nothing to gain from pretending right now. hanna just sits there in silence, listening to sukyung's words with a feeling of defeat, until she hears it:
"we have another opportunity for you."
her head snaps up at a worrying speed, eyes wide and filled with a mix of surprise, disbelief, confusion, and even a little fear. a paper appears on the table in front of her next and hanna stares at it wordlessly.
here she is, preparing for the worst and thinking everything is falling apart, when suddenly she's being offered a chance to participate in the very same drama that caused her to feel jealous of the other trainees because she couldn't audition for it.
was this really happening right now?
hanna can hardly believe things have turned around so fast. normally, good things don't happen to her but maybe the universe is taking pity on her for once. in the back of her mind, she supposes this is what they mean when people would say 'when one door closes, another opens' - she just didn't think it'd ever happen to her.
she blinks several times, first at the paper, then at sukyung, then back at the paper-- and then maybe a couple more times after that before finally picking up the pen and quickly signing her name. there is no way she's going to miss out on this chance, even if she's still processing the whirlwind of emotions she's gone through since the earlier meeting, and everything that's happened in the short period of time since then.
what she is sure of is she has a monologue to film now, and she has to make this her best one yet. unlike with project novus though, she's confident this is something she can do well in - and there's no reason for her to not put her all into this, now that she was no longer focusing her every day on being a potential debut member.
she might not be meant to be an idol--at least, not right now--but she wasn't done with this path yet, and hanna will prove she belongs here.
hello!! although i'm still trying to find my muse again and gather energy to write more consistently (which is why i've fallen behind on plotting and threads in general), this is just a small plot call to ask if any sr media trainee would like to do the improvisation workshop with hanna for this month? please like or reply if interested!
nayoung is trying to be friendlier with the novus girls.
to be fair, that's mostly just manifested as her not always being in her room and actually being accessible for conversation should any of the others decide to approach her. she still doesn't entirely know how to talk to girls as allies – friends, even – opposed to competition, but it doesn't seem like any of them are really scared of her. that counts for something, right?
now, she sits on the living room sofa in the dorm, on the other side of the couch from hanna. they turned on a drama they've both already seen before, what nayoung thinks was a silent agreement to find something to do together that doesn't actually require them to talk to each other.
nayoung less-than-half pays attention, spending most of her time on her phone playing block game with the sound off.
she takes a break from the game and focuses more on the drama after she's lost the same round three times in a row and she feels herself getting frustrated. she reminds herself there are far more important things going on: her approaching debut – hopefully. their approaching debut?
there's also that drama that axis is holding auditions for. she's still a little bitter that the project novus girls can't participate. she understands why, but the timing of it all is stupid. why would they hold auditions for a drama that the most talented actors in the company can't even attend? their lead actresses are probably going to be awful in comparison.
hanna has a history with acting, right? nayoung thinks she remembers that. at the very least, she has a history now thanks to their lessons at sr media. she wonders if she feels the same way. it's worth asking about, isn't it?
"did you hear about the drama axis is auditioning trainees for?" she speaks up during the next ad break in their drama. what better way to bond than complaining over the same thing, right? or something like that.
to say hanna has been feeling a bit... complicated about the way things have been going lately would be kind of an understatement. anyone with two eyes and a brain would immediately recognize that project novus is too good of an offer to turn down and you would be stupid to - so hanna of course said yes when she was approached for it, even if she didn't have a very large interest in becoming an idol.
she's been trying her best with the project despite feeling unqualified being there because why would she join if she wasn't going to do anything?
hanna doesn't exactly regret signing on, but she does find the timing of it all unfortunate; there was no way to know about the drama audition that axis was holding in advance yet she feels like it's just her poor luck that it happened after she had hedged her bets on project novus. couldn't anything go her way just once?
as she sits in their dorm's living room, eyes on the drama playing on the tv although she's barely registering what's going on like she's in a trance, her brain is filled with thoughts like this that she almost forgets nayoung is in the room with her. they had both been existing in the same space in silence which she was fine with honestly; her brain was a bit occupied at the moment anyways-- that is, until nayoung speaks up and it just so happens to be about the very topic that has been stewing in her mind recently.
she flinches just a little, not expecting the drama to be brought up suddenly, but hanna relaxes after a moment then turns her head to the other. "i did," she answers, sort of plainly. "i was surprised, honestly. why now of all times?" does she sound disappointed? well, she is - and hanna knows she probably shouldn't be so obvious about it but she finds herself unable to hold back her true feelings. "it would've been nice if we could've auditioned too," she admits with a shrug, trying to sound nonchalant - and probably failing. then again, part of her kind of hoped nayoung was on the same page as her because she's been dying to talk about this to someone.
𓆩♡𓆪 hanna has never found it hard to receive criticism and feedback, perhaps because she's had many years since she was a child to get used to everything being said about her from innocent-seeming or lighthearted to scathing remarks about her abilities, her career, and even her family if you dug deep enough; not to mention the way other students at her school would talk about her, both behind her back and in front of her like she wasn't there. she's probably become a bit desensitized to it, honestly - like a mask goes up immediately, the moment she reads or hears something said about her, and she appears as if she's emotionless and unaffected by it all.
but the truth is, hanna is her own biggest critic and knows exactly what hurts herself the most and wounds her pride. she knows her weaknesses but tries to minimalize or cover it up to others as best she can; however, since joining project novus, it's as if everything she's lacking is being pulled to center stage and put on display for all to witness, whether it's eunjeong or sukyung seeing right through her or even hanna herself comparing her level to the other girls. this mission only further proved her observations and now she had to be interview about it, too?
she could only sigh. still, she had to push through this and fortunately for hanna, she feels genuine satisfaction with the performance they put on no matter what might be said about it, so maybe the interview wouldn't be too bad.
why did you and your partner focus on a particular skill?
"personally, since i know i'm probably the weakest dancer among the project novus girls, i really didn't want to incorporate a lot of dancing in our performance--if any at all--because i thought it would detract from the overall completeness of our stage if we added another aspect that we both didn't feel confident in executing. yuji might've been fine with dancing but i didn't want to drag her down," hanna adds in a laugh as she says this before continuing. "i think i'm still lacking in both singing and dancing but if i had to choose which i was better at between the two, i would pick singing - so i felt highlighting that would make more sense in this situation. since i also have experience with stage productions, focusing on a more theatrical performance and planning it out was something i felt comfortable doing so we could really show off our best sides."
did you agree with the chosen performance?
"definitely! any decisions we made regarding our performance, we discussed together until we came to an agreement. we were often on the same page so it was pretty easy to, honestly," she chuckles. "yuji had brought a lot of song choices and ideas on how to arrange them but we ended up picking something we were both happy with. if we had an opinion on anything, i believe we heard each other out fully so we were both equally reflected in our performance."
how was working with your partner?
"i already told yuji this but i'm so glad we were partnered up," hanna answers without hesitating, almost gushing. "she's so creative and provided a lot of ideas, especially when it came to choosing a song and arranging it to suit us. i feel like i really lack in the actual musicality of creating a performance like this so having her as a partner to make up for that was super reliable; i trust her opinion a lot," she adds on with a nod. "so i think we worked pretty well together... kind of like she took the lead with the music and i took charge of the performance aspect? everything just kind of fell into place like we were different pieces of the same puzzle."
do you think you can work with your partner long-term?
"of course! yuji is really easy to talk to and work with, plus like i said, she's a very reliable presence to have. i still feel like there's lots for me to learn as an idol trainee and yuji feels like a good example to learn from so i'd love to keep working with her long-term."
do you believe you’re inferior, equal, or superior to your partner in terms of skill?
"oh." hanna pauses for the first time since the interview started, not only because she was caught off guard by how direct the question is and that it was being asked at all, but also how targeted it feels to be asked this specifically. this is why she feels like eunjeong and sukyung can see through them so easily, and why she feels like she's always laid out bare under their scrutiny. "in the scope of idol skills, yes, i do feel inferior," she finally answers truthfully. "i feel incredibly lacking when compared to all of the girls if we're talking about basic idol skills, like i'm several years behind everyone else since this was never something i really trained for or focused on before being signed here..."
hanna trails off at this, wondering for a moment if she should continue with what she was thinking, but since they were asking--and she didn't want to be seen as completely incompetent--she decides to bite the bullet and say what's really on her mind. "but if we're talking about acting, i think i could hold my ground. i don't know the level of anyone else's acting ability so i'm not saying they're bad but i know what i've gone through, and i'm confident in my skills and experience - even if i haven't been able to show much of it yet, or prove my level by this company's standards. i feel like i got to show a bit of that with our performance, however, so i hope i was able to convey this properly."
hanna lets out a little laugh and lightly nudges the other girl. "of course! if anything, i feel bad you got partnered up with me," she adds on in an also light-hearted tone, shrugging at the same time. she's not saying this to be self deprecating but she's not naive enough to not be aware of her own shortcomings and how much she feels she lacks in comparison to the other girls.
"honestly, yes-- i am nervous because i don't want to fail or be the reason we do... this is like, the first time i've had to do something like this with so much at stake," she laughs again. this wasn't just a university production that she had a small hand in and maybe got to add some input for; this was a duet performance they were basically creating on their own that would also impact their future in this project.
"i would rather focus on our strengths and be the best at that, then try to add stuff we might not be too confident in even if they think it's too safe," she nods, agreeing with yuji's comment. "like if we try to put in too much then we might spread ourselves too thin, you know? i'd feel bad too, if our performance was ruined because my dancing was subpar... so i'm fine with a more vocal heavy performance!"
at the mention of making it more theatrical though, hanna perks up with (obvious) interest and smiles. "i like the sound of that! feels like it'd be a missed opportunity not to, since we are sr media trainees," she points with a chuckle. not to mention, she's been itching to finally show her biggest strength and the one she's most sure of: acting. "once we pick a song, we can figure out the kind of concept or theme to go with and plan the performance from there. i've done a lot of productions in the past and at my school so i can help out more with that!"
if there's one thing hanna is sure about project novus: she's not sure if she really deserves to be here. living with other girls she's barely talked to before? doable. doing a photoshoot? a little concerning but not impossible. creating a performance from scratch where they're in charge of everything, and it's only going to be two of them on stage instead of a whole group? hanna wants to leave-- almost. she's not planning to obviously (unless of course she's kicked out - which honestly, could happen after this next mission they've given them) but the chances of being dropped will most likely increase if she fails here.
the ONLY bright side that hanna can see at the moment is her partner, whom she basically sees as a shining ray of light. hanna is so thankful that her duo is someone who seems perfect to make up for what she lacks so she has hope that she won't completely fall on her face right from the get-go.
"i'm so glad they partnered us up," hanna admits with an obviously happy (and relieved) sigh. "the idea of having to decide everything about this performance from scratch almost gave me a heart attack." was she being dramatic? a little but she supposes that's in her nature at this point. "all i really know is... i don't think i can excel at a dance heavy performance." this much was probably obvious about her but even if it wasn't, she was ready to contribute anything to this mission that she could - even if that means being plainly honest about her weaknesses.
