CompleX

Chae Seojin. 24 years of age. Concept Designer & Control Freak Genius.

[mkjayeon-blog]

@mkxseojin

“I’m not you fucking….personal hacker, Seojin,” Jayeon murmured snappishly, glaring up at him. She regretted revealing her pasttime to him–ever since he had found out he had been trying to cash in favors. “I don’t care how many embarrassing facebook posts you had in 2010–I’m not hacking facebook for you!”

[mkxseojin]

“I never said you were my personal hacker or anything! You can hack and we’re buds so I thought you could do be a solid,” he said with a grin, nudging her with his elbow. “I can delete them by hand and everything--I just want to see you in action. See if you’re really as good as you think you are.”

[mkahki-blog]

@mkxseojin

“The concept looks fine. I don’t know why you’re asking my opinion, oppa–I’m shitty at everything to do with this kind of thing,” She grumbled, hoping he’d ignore the whole ‘oppa’ part. She was trying to be nicer to him, but she didn’t want him to point it out or anything. That was besides the whole point. Sighing, she leaned up against him, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. “Wake me up when you’re done.”

[mkxseojin]

“You get mad at me when I don’t include you, and upset when I do--I can’t win with you. It’s your debut, after all. I want you to be happier with it than you are with your other concepts, since you can break away with it a little more than you can with Gossip. So give me your damn opinion, tiny.” He put his arm around her, pulling her a little closer as he tried to type one-handed. “As long as you don’t yell at me for it.”

[kxngjeno]

Maybe taking extra dance practices wasn’t the best idea, the outcome being an incredibly groggy Taesong who had been struggling all week to keep his eyes open. He seemed to have reached the penultimate of his lack of sleep, eyes closing and head resting on the wall beside him as the other spoke. It took him a few seconds before he woke up, face going red. “I’m sorry! What was that?” He asked, voice exhibiting clear signs of disorientation.

[mkxseojin]

Seojin smiled a little; he was very used to the grogginess and drowsiness. Late nights were something the concept designer had to deal with quite often. “I was just looking for Jewoo--you were training with him, right? Or am I in the wrong spot?”

[pimslady]

[rvsolhee]

“So I got an email from my mom today,” Eliza said, glancing up from her phone before turning it off with a little shake of her head. “She and my dad are flying out. They want to come see me perform……Right, so how do I let them down lightly and tell them I’m not currently promoting and there are no SPADES stages planned during their visit? This is probably one of the most awkward things I’ve ever had to do.” Maybe it was a blessing in disguise. She wasn’t sure she wanted her parents to see her doing that sort of choreography.

[mkxseojin]

Small talk was not really Seojin’s thing, so it took him a while to look up from his laptop after she began speaking. He chewed his lip--why she couldn’t just tell them was beyond him, but then again he’d barely spoken to his parents since his promotion. He regretted it of course, but it was true. “You’re a performer, aren’t you? You actually rap and sing and dance, it’s not just a lipsynching robot onstage? Why don’t you do an impromptu solo performance for them? Be more intimate anyway.”

[mkjayeon-blog]

He was really quite aggravating, but not the worst she’d ever had to put up with, so she could withstand him she supposed. That wouldn’t keep her from decking him someday, though. She was fully prepared to kick his ass. She scrunched up her nose. “Do you just look at my search history in your spare time, you fucking creep? That’s weird. That’s just weird. Yeah, yeah, whatever,” she said with a sight, pushing her hair back. “I may or may not do a little bit of hacking every now and then. Nothing malicious or anything…just something I’d definitely get locked up for.”

[mkxseojin]

“Not all the time, no. I have indeed looked at your search history in the past, but because it’s part of my job,, not because I’m a creep. Why were you looking up gore-y wound images, anyway? It might just be me, but that sounds disgusting.” He smiled, pulling up to a cafe and turning the vehicle off before turning to her with a grin. “Oh my god, Jayeon, are you part of Anonymous? Do you take down bad guys with your hacking? That’s fucking badass as fuck, you know that? You’re lucky I’m so good at keeping secrets, because that’s cool enough to tell everyone.”

[mkahki-blog]

“Stop. You make me sound like some sort of teen soap opera drama bullshit or something. I sound like a pathetic, whiny little brat,” she whined, groaning. “Yeah, well……..I don’t hate you either. You’re okay-ish. When you’re not being smug and stupid and annoying and nosey.”

[mkxseojin]

“Aren’t you, though? Ahki, you’re a teen soap opera in human form, and you know it. Mmm, well....you certainly can be a brat, I’m not gonna lie. You’re lucky you have good points,” he teased. “’Okay-ish’? Wow, alright. I strive to be okayish. It’s my goal in life. Oh, so what you’re saying is that I’m not okay-ish, but I have the potential to be. How sweet of you.”

[mkjonghyun-blog]

When the concept designer had come to him with an interest in discussing possible UNION comebacks, Jonghyun was about to explain to him that he might not be the best member to consult. In his eyes, he wasn’t the most popular member.  In fact, he would wager that he was the least popular member.  Sure, the fans loved him, and he really did love them back, but when compared to the amount of fan clubs and sites that the other members had, he found himself lacking.  Maybe it was because he didn’t have something interesting to make him stand out against the rest of them. He was talented, but maybe not as talented as the others.  He was attractive, but was he the most attractive member?  Probably not.  All he had was his dancing; sometimes his voice, sometimes his rapping, but mostly his dancing.  He was, in his opinion, fairly average.  So why come to the average member for advice on a concept?

But, as Seojin’s luck (or misfortune, perhaps) would have it, the main dancer’s curiosity kept all of those insecurities in the back of his throat, replacing all of the words with a simple nod of his head. “Or when I hear something bad,” Jonghyun joked, flashing a bright grin at the elder.  Settling back in his seat, getting as comfortable as possible, he held up an encouraging thumbs up, signalling for the other to start rambling off his ideas.

For the first minute or so, he absorbed the ideas with a few ‘oh’s and ‘ah’s, nodding his head when appropriate and making a face at the less impressive ideas.  But then it got to the point that he just wasn’t feeling any of the suggestions.  In fact, not a single one of them had really stood out as ‘the next UNION concept’ to him.  They were okay, but not great; like himself, they were pretty average. And as a result, Jonghyun found himself getting very, very bored.

With a huff, his gaze swept across the elder’s office, eyes settling on a gaming system tucked away underneath a television screen.  Before he could stop the wheels from turning in his mind, cogs ticking toward an idea, the words were already tumbling out of his mouth, “These ideas are okay, but you could do better.  Maybe I could do better, if I really thought about it.”  Okay, don’t be too cocky.  It could piss Seojin off a bit.  That was not the desired outcome of this.  He just wanted to have a bit of fun instead.  “I mean, probably not, but you never know.”

[mkxseojin]

He was creative and good at his job, yes, but he was in a funk. It was early in the morning and he hadn’t had his coffee and he had gotten a solid four hours of sleep the night before...needless to say, he was running on fumes, and good ideas were getting increasingly harder and harder to conjure up. He’d never admit it, but that’s why he’d asked for Jonghyun’s help. He had hoped that maybe having a fresh perspective in would get his creative juices flowing, but so far, he had absolutely squat and he wanted to curl up on the floor and sleep. 

He stifled a yawn, rolling his eyes. “Bad. Never heard the word. I don’t come up with bad suggestions. Even my bad ideas are above average,” he muttered, pushing his hair back and adjusting his hat, struggling to come up with another concept. He started with safe ones, ones he knew would be hits but that maybe were a tad overdone or outdated. When it came time to take the next step and get more creative, though, he blanked, inwardly groaning. He wanted to punch a wall. This was infuriating. 

“You could do better, huh? Really?” Seojin challenged, raising an eyebrow and smiling. “Alright then. Let me see what you’ve got. Hit me with your best shit and I’ll tell you if it’ll be a hit or not. Try the job out. who knows--maybe someday you can take my job--if you’re any good.”

[mkahki-blog]

She pulled away from him a little, glaring. “Stop figuring me out. I’m fucking puzzling and a pain and you hate me. So stop figuring me out like you know everything. I don’t care if you do know everything. Just stop,” she complained, burying her head in his chest again. He was a pain, but he had in a sense adopted all her nonsense. As much as he pretended he didn’t, he cared about her.

[mkxseojin]

He rolled his eyes. “No, you’re not. You’re a teenage girl fighting for independence while trying to figure out who you are. And I don’t. I don’t hate you. The only people around here I hate are Joonki and Yejin. You I’m okay with. I do indeed no everything. When you’re as smart as me, you can’t hold it all back,” he told her with a laugh, stroking her hair. He wondered if this was what having a daughter would be like. No, scratch that. A little sister. A close little sister who tried her best to deny all closeness.

[mkjayeon-blog]

“Oh, I’m sure it’s all part of the plan, isn’t it?” she commented sarcastically, rolling her eyes at him and shaking her head a little. “You most certainly cannot, or I will aim at your dumb face. I’ll break your nose. Now that would be funny. Size isn’t everything, Seojin. I’m sure you of all people know that,” she commented with a grin. “As long as I look rabid. Like I could fuck you up. I’m cool with that,” she replied blandly. “I can cut them off. Easy solution. Try again later.” She sized him up again before shaking her head a little, putting her arms behind her head. “Why should I tell you? What have you ever done to prove to me that you’re trustworthy, huh? What assurance do I have that you won’t turn me in?”

[mkxseojin]

He hummed as he drove, tuning her out a little and focusing on the road. He had no doubt she could probably fuck him up pretty good, but it was fun fucking around with her. Making her angry and aggressive. It was entertaining to see how easily she got riled up, and honestly, a little hot. But you’d never get him to admit that last part. He hummed to himself, glancing over to her. “Well, for one, I have your search history. I know the weird ass murder-y shit you’ve been looking up on company computers and I let it slide. Plus, like I said before, you’re my favorite subordinate. Plus my whole life is a secret, so I’m pretty good at keeping those. C’mon--tell me.”

[mkahki-blog]

Her lip quivered a little, and she crossed her arms, making a huffy little sound. He was right. why did he always have to be right? It wasn’t fair. She wanted to be right for once. “I do, though. It is true. You and Misook are the only nice ones who get it,” she mumbled against his chest in a rare moment of vulnerability. “Kind of. Anger has a lot more passion behind it.”

[mkxseojin]

He laughed a little, ruffling her hair. “There’s not a lot to get, kid. As soon as you stop being an ass and open up to people, it’s easy to relate and figure out how to work with you,” he explained, smiling at her. He liked being around her when she wasn’t being a ridiculous pain. She was kind of like a baby sister. Sometimes annoying, and sometimes someone he didn’t mind being around. “If you say so.”

[mkjayeon-blog]

“You’re face is something else, that’s what,” she grumbled, rolling her eyes. “I’ll get you in the gut. Hard. You’ll be throwing up–that’s how hard I’ll get you, bud. Won’t even be sorry about it either. You’re not bigger than me by much. Maybe you’re a freakishly big puppy. If I’m a rodent, I want to be something with razor sharp teeth and rabies so I can majorly fuck you up,” she said decidedly, nodding with a grin. “If you had no arms you wouldn’t be able to pick me up, you know. Just saying….” She smiled at him innocently, shrugging her shoulders and lying, “Yep. A murderer. Serial killer. Killed 10 of my last 11 bosses. You’re the eleventh. I’d watch out if I were you, sweetie.”

[mkxseojin]

“At least it’s interesting enough for you to comment on it. Gettin people talking is half of it, you know,” he said, fully aware he wasn’t making much sense. “Only if I can throw up on you. Cover you in vomit. That would be so funny. I’m bigger than you by quite a bit, babe. Like......a rabid, mutant rat? I can see that. You kinda look like one,” he teased, snickering to himself. “I very clearly have arms, and there’s nothing you can do about that,” Seojin said with a laugh. He rolled his eyes. “Aren’t I special. Seriously, what’d you do? I’m not gonna fire you or anything. I like you, I don’t want to get rid of  you. I’m just curious. What did you do?”

[mkxjoonki]

He tapped his fingers on the dark wood of the meeting room table.  It was too early for this bullshit, he could already tell. Any meeting with Seojin was bullshit and right now he was wishing he put up more of a fight when he threatened to take up drinking again this morning– but Minah had always been persuasive and it was an empty threat at the time, but right now he’s wishing it wasn’t because he honestly felt he needed a good couple shots to deal with his asshole of a boss.

He was even early to the meeting room in hopes to move things along quicker, but luck still wasn’t on his side and he was contemplating how hard he would have to bash his head on the table to have to go to the hospital. He’d do anything to get out of this meeting and avoid listening to an hour of rambling about ‘the southern Gothic cheerleaders and their heavy influence on this pop song and floral patterns so symbolize…’ he honestly tuned out at that point, but it was still torture.

Counting down the minutes until he could leave, he actually felt like crying when the door open behind him and he just hoped Minah knew not to bring roses to his funeral. He hated roses. @mkxseojin

[mkxseojin]

Seojin didn’t like most people. They were whiny and full of themselves and every day there was someone new in his office, complaining about their next concept or trying to tell him how he could do better, and it was bullshit. He was great at his job. He hadn’t failed a concept yet, in all his years working at MK. The idols needed to open their damn eyes and see that he knew what he was doing, and that they should just stick to singing and dancing and looking pretty.

No, he didn’t like most people. And on the list of people he disliked, Joonki was right at the fucking top. No, that was a lie--Joonki got his own list. The stylist did good work. Good enough for him to stay. But that didn’t mean Seojin was going to make his life easy. Who knew? Maybe he’d leave on his own. Though, not like that’d be any better. That would mean Yejin would be in charge. He hated her just as much, but he had try to be nice to her--her dad held Seojin’s career in the palm of his hands.

He half wanted to show up half an hour late and keep Joonki waiting, but unfortunately he had appointments all day that couldn’t be moved, so he was on time as he ambled into the meeting room, throwing his shit down and sitting in one of the chairs. “Look alive,” Seojin said scathingly, an arrogant smirk on his face. “You’re officially on the clock.”

[mkxseojin]

Seojin was lucky he was pretty creative. His job required quite a bit of creativity and adapting and figuring out what people wanted to see or what would do well. Usually he could come up with multiple concepts for each group every comeback, giving him the luxury of picking and choosing the best, and having others to fall back on just in case. He was good at his job. But even then, he liked having outside opinions. It was rare, but sometimes people had perspectives he’d never considered before.

That’s what he was doing right then--searching for a better perspective. Who better to ask than someone in the actual group? They knew their fans, after all. They got to meet them. Surely they’d be able to give Seojin at least a little something he could work with.

UNION’s next comeback wasn’t super close, but he still liked to plan this stuff ahead of time, instead of procrastinating to the last minute. “I’m just going to start talking aloud. Not all of  the stuff I say is gonna be gold, but stop me when you hear something good,” Seojin muttered to the group member, pushing his hair back and putting his hat back on. It was nice to have company sometimes, he supposed. Less talking to himself. @mkjonghyun

[mkjayeon-blog]

“Oh, don’t you worry your pretty little head. I promise to despise you as soon as this shit’s over, if that’s what you really want. If you really want me too, I could even punch you in the face in front of everybody. I’d certainly enjoy that. You look cute. But in the oh-a-cute-little-puppy kind of way, not the wow-he’s-hot kind of way. I’m definitely not hitting on you. The thought of that makes me gag.” She shook her head. “I’d put up a fight. I’d bite you and punch you and scratch you and kick you and you’d have to leave me here. Of course; haven’t you heard? Confidence is key.” She snorted a little–he had guessed right. She was, technically, a criminal. “I’ll never tell,” she replied, shrugging as if she was joking.

[mkxseojin]

“No, no, not the face. The face is precious. Punch me in the gut or something. Slug me in the arm. That’ll make more of a statement. Going for the face is going too far. I’d enjoy a punch to the arm. Or the ribs. It feels nice being hated. I’m bigger than you, you dumbass, how am I a little puppy? If I’m a little puppy then...you’re some kind of tiny rodent” he told her, an impish grin on his face as he turned a corner. “That wouldn’t work if I was a masochist. Not saying I am, but if I was, that wouldn’t matter to me.” Coming to a stop at a red light, he glanced over to look at her face, his eyebrow raising in surprise. “Oh my god, you are aren’t you? What’d you do? Credit card fraud? You a thief? You a murderer?”

[mkahki-blog]

“Well, they try to tell me what to do, and I don’t even get any wiggle room! I think I’m allowed to pout just a little bit. Yeah, well……if no one’s nice to me, why should I be nice to them? Doesn’t make sense…..” she trailed off awkwardly, knowing she was beat but refusing to admit it. “You’re not any better than I am. If I’m a tiny demon, you’re the bigger demon I answer to. You even look like a demon….” She sighed, squeezing him a little tighter. “No. I’m not usually mad. Just bitter.”

[mkxseojin]

“No, you’re not. This might be hard to hear, sweetheart, but it’s your job. You signed a contract. Your life in the public eye isn’t yours anymore. You don’t get wiggle room. You can be as angry and not-cute as you want on your own time, but not in public.” He was being hard on her, yeah, but it was true. Idols lives weren’t their own. “You say that like you actually answer to me, which we both know isn’t true,” he snorted. He was a little smug as he hugged her--he knew the girl didn’t hate him, no matter how often she said she did. “Isn’t that the same thing? For you, anyway?”

[hsxjiyeon]

Minjung narrowed her eyes as she listened, still thoroughly unconvinced. “So you want my personal opinion on it, is what you’re saying,” She repeated, trying to get to the point. Even as Seojin explained, he didn’t shed much light onto his intentions, and she didn’t have the patience to go in circles over it. “I have no problem with giving you my personal thoughts, but you would have a better grasp on how people would react to concepts than I would. However I can tell you what might work best for certain people on the roster in relation to their reputations. Even to this day I don’t understand these fans, I just know how to shut them up and keep them happy– or try to, anyway. Though similar, we’re on different spectrums.” Realizing that she was straying from the topic at hand, she shook her head, pointing to the chair in front of her. “No, sit. Show me what you have. Who is it for?”

[mkxseojin]

“Yes, that’s what I’m trying to say,” he said with a sigh, scratching his head. He was too tired--why he didn’t just say that in the first place was beyond him, but he had made himself look like a complete idiot in the process. He sat down, leaning back in the chair a little and sighing. “It’s for Ahki--er, Angel I mean. Not for Gossip, though--for the subunit. Chemistry. I have a couple concepts I’ve been running through my mind, and....I know they’ll both be successful in their own right, I can’t decide on one. I could go with the safe, cute route--it’s something people know and expect from her, as much as she hates it. Or I could let her image mature a little bit. Still cute, but less pigtails and aegyo and bouncing around. It’d be new, so people would be all over it. Not to mention she’s singing instead of rapping, so people’ll love it anyway, no matter what I do. I just thought that you, as someone who knows her fans, would have a good idea of what they’d like and would be able to help me figure out if it’s time for me to let her image mature a little or not. If the fans are ready for that.” He sighed. He should know this. But he was stressed and overthinking things and a fresh opinion would help him.