☆ welcome to infinite entertainment! it's CHO NARI, who is MAIN VOCALIST of FLORA. i’ve heard whispers that the 27 year old is pretty RESOURCEFUL but lowkey GUARDED. also, doesn’t she remind you of JENNIE KIM?
Hello darlings !!! This is Esme (21+, she/her) and I'm here with another kid (yeah, I know). Some of you might remember this muse from before (new name and face), but she's my baby and she has always belonged here in Infinite.
There was a time when she was known as South Korea’s Little Sister, a child actress that was in a lot of dramas and was invited to many variety shows because she was cute and charming, and her quirkiness was adorable. But then she grew up and she wasn’t the cute girl anymore, so girl went and become an idol because it kinda just fell into her lap. She went with the flow not really knowing it was her father’s doing, but hey ignorance is bliss.
But life taught her not everything's perfect. She's nothing like what people expect her to be when they see her. Once a happy and outgoing girl, she's now very closed off and shy, protecting herself from getting hurt again. The industry hasn't been kind to her, and it has made her wonder if a career as a singer and being part of a company that doesn't care about anything but money is what she really wants for her. If you want to plot message me at @offleurs or like this and we’ll figure something out !!!
BIO °° ABOUT °° PROFILE °° PINTEREST °° PLOTS
Childhood
She was born under the first full moon of july, in a year when said month started and ended with one, which was supposed to be hopeful, but it only was the beginning of her parents' downfall.
Was raised by her dad, and in part her brother since he is eight years older than her.
Her dad is Cho Sungmin, a known actor both in movies and dramas.
He married a non-celebrity woman against everyone telling him not to, completely in love that he didn’t realize she only wanted to secure the bag. Of course, it all went to hell at some point.
Her parents got divorced when she was three, hasn't heard from her mom since then.
Although his dad went through a lot during the separation/divorce/all around mess, he always made sure Nari had a happy childhood.
Doted on from the moment she took her first breath, her father gave her everything she wanted. It was more out of the guilt he felt for being so busy and not around as he should. So there was nothing she could ever wish for that she wouldn’t get. Nari wanted to dance? There was a ballet teacher waiting for her the next day. She wanted to learn to play piano? There was a big one in the living room the very next morning. Money was never a problem in the Cho household, but it can’t really buy happiness and Nari, as grateful as she was, would have wanted to see her father and brother more often.
No surprise that, when a eleven-year-old Nari said she wanted to be an actress, her father got her a minor role in a drama.
Debuted as a child actress in 2007, a minor role in the drama Witch Yoo Hee.
Good student usually minded her own business, friendly at all times. All of it not to cause her father any problems.
In reality, and it’s something she still deals with, part of her always thinks that no matter what she does, she will never be as good as her brother. He is a popular idol from a popular group, then debuted as a soloist. People love him, seems like he has his life figured out, and their father is so proud. So she’s trying to follow the same steps and failing.
The thing is, his brother was a very much wanted child. Nari was her mother’s last chance to fix a broken marriage.
Bullying TW // But it wasn't perfect. She was the golden child around the people who loved her, but things at school were different.
Nari wasn't the pretty girl around, she wasn't popular, too shy, and spoke too quietly. Other girls made fun of her because of her being an actress and her family. And she didn't have many friends, she spent the breaks reading and studying.
Becoming a teenager didn't help, because as the other girls worried about their looks and what they wore, Nari worried about becoming the actress she dreamed of.
After many minor roles, she finally decided that she wanted a lead role, but it wasn't as easy. It didn't matter that she wanted it, and without her father's doing, she couldn't do it on her own.
She needed a manager and a company.
She got an audition for New Star Entertainment and ended up becoming a trainee instead. Of course, she got the audition and got accepted because her dad pulled some strings.
Deep down she knows it, or at least suspects it, but she always wants to believe that she got it on her own.
Debut
There was a part of her that thought she would ever really debut, that she would make it as a lead actress first.
Surprise, she was actually talented enough to be selected as the main vocalist for a new girl group.
She considered quitting, but anything was better than waiting for something that didn't seem to happen.
She was worried about how the other members would react, she knew people talked behind her back about how everything she had was thanks to her dad., but she found her home with them. They didn't care about any of that, but about the person she was.
Still, she kept that cheerful facade she had built, not wanting others to see her insecurities.
She doubted herself, her talent, and everything she did.
But being on the stage changed it if even for just a few minutes.
She was highly criticized at first for her voice, but people never wasted time saying she didn't have what it took to be a main vocalist.
But she trained her voice, worked hard, and practiced harder. Pushed herself to her limits and definitely got better. People always talked shit, but she gained a lot of confidence in herself.
Being part of a group with such loving and accepting girls helped her to get out of her shell, and she began socializing a lot more.
Slowly, that shy and quiet girl became such a ray of sunshine, someone who easily made friends everywhere she went.
She finally landed a lead role in 2016, Love in the Moonlight.
See, for a moment, she thought this was about her being a talented actress and that people were finally seeing that. It was really how pretty she was and how popular Flora was getting, so adding an idol to the drama would help ratings.
And so it became her life, her looks were more important than her talent and her hard work.
So it was like that - her voice wasn't enough to be a main vocalist and her talent as an actress wasn't enough to please people, all she got was the way she looked. It really affected the way she saw herself.
But she pushed and pushed, and tried to get roles that at least challenged her as an actress, and to be the best singer she could possibly be.
2018 (Death tw)
It was the most bittersweet year in Nari's life.
Whilst Tempted had a mixed reception in South Korea, it was well-received internationally. Nari ranked second in the list of the top 10 most talked about actors and actresses in South Korea. Despite the question of idol singers in lead roles, Nari was subsequently praised for her improvement and potential in acting, opening the door for her. It led her to get cast as the lead in the historical drama 100 Days My Prince.
It was a huge opportunity, and despite how busy Flora’s schedules were, Nari gave her best to be present for both.
Flora had become one of the biggest groups in the industry thanks to their hard work, catchy songs, and lovely personalities
Right after the incredible success of 'Yes or Yes', the girls were preparing for the repackage comeback when tragedy reached their life.
It was no secret how close the girls and all their families were, so when Silver's brother Eunwoo died in a car accident, the girls felt devastated by the news.
Nari was away at a location filming for the drama when she received the news, the manager in charge to look after her was the one who had to tell her. Still, she had to go out and finish her day before going back to Seoul.
As it should be, Silver went on hiatus to go home and be with her family, leaving the other girls to promote 'Best Thing I Ever Did', and their Japanese comeback.
Nari became the acting Leader, looking after the girls and the group in the best way she could, trying to stay strong for everyone. It was exhausting to be there for Flora and filming at the same time, but Nari knew she had no option.
It was no surprise when rumors took over social media, people wanting to know the real reason why Silver was on hiatus. All of them were upsetting, but it seemed that people enjoyed kicking them when they were already down.
Nari knew there was no special treatment in any way, but she had expected New Star to protect Silver's privacy, and instead, it seemed that their way to fix this was to force Silver to come back before she was ready so Flora didn't lose their popularity.
It was heartbreaking seeing Silver going through something so painful and still having to work so hard, to practice every day, forced to act like nothing was wrong. It made Nari sick, and for the first time, she saw the real industry and how rotten it was.
There was a shift in the Flora energy - Nari couldn't help but stop trusting their staff, to think there were always ill intentions behind their actions. It was a horrible way to live, but she couldn't change the way she felt.
Suddenly, she became too quiet, keeping to herself. She only spoke to the staff if she really had to, keeping her interactions for her members only.
People couldn't be trusted - no staff, no other idols, absolutely no person that was part of New Star deserved an ounce of their attention.
2019-2020
Mental health TW // Soon, the stress took the best of her. Nari often felt like she couldn't breathe, trapped in between the walls of the New Star building or even the Flora dorms.
It was her father who, worried, suggested she went to see a therapist. The company didn't seem too happy with it, afraid that the information would become public and Flora suffered another hit to their image. But her father wanted the best for her and still took her.
Nari was diagnosed with anxiety and depression, which lead her to take a break from acting for a while. Deciding that if she ever went back, she would do it for a project she truly wanted to do and with people she was comfortable with.
However, since Silver had already taken a six-month break in 2018, Nari wasn't allowed to take time off Flora’s schedule.
Her therapist suggested she found activities that kept her mind busy, and after she tried a few, Lego building and knitting were the ones that worked the best for her.
Nari received a script from a director she had worked with in the past. It wasn't a lead role, but an important character for the drama. Nari hesitated for a while before deciding to go back.
The great working environment and meeting so many new people made her remember why she loved acting. It was great for her, and for the first time in a while, she felt more herself.
Merger
If she has to be honest, she didn't care much about it. All companies are the same, and she still gets to be in Flora and perform. She didn't expect Infinite to be better than New Star, but she was with her girls.
It was difficult to see so many people she wasn't used to, feeling insecure and anxious. She tried her best, but Nari couldn't trust anyone.
This made it difficult, really, because she couldn't find it in herself to socialize with people.
For the most part of 2021, Nari did her job or was at the dorms.
The only major change was that she got her own apartment for privacy and to have a room completely for her Legos only.
Still, she decided to keep living with the girls in the Flora dorms.
Tour
Traveling the world with the girls is fun, but because of the tour she has missed great acting opportunities and that has been troubling her.
Sharing with so many people makes her anxious, she usually keeps to herself or her members. She's trying not to be noticed that much.
Nari has been slowly opening up, letting her true self be seen more often than before, but she still is very careful.
After almost a year of traveling, she had given herself the chance to open her mind and maybe try to get to know others.
It hasn't been easy, but it's been a big step to at least try to.
Present
Nari has been focusing on herself and healing.
she’s been working on a solo project, still not so sure about it.
Hoping for a good acting role after almost two years of no acting.
Random Facts
Despite how quiet and reserved she might seem, she's a ball of energy. If she's comfortable around you, she'll always be smiling.
She's actually quite funny if given the chance.
The clumsiest person you have ever known, but only off stage. When she’s on the stage, she transforms completely, she’s a whole different person who seems to know what she’s doing (spoiler alert, she doesn’t), and you can’t believe she’s the same person who fell backstage just a few minutes ago.
Big big fan of everyone, has albums and lightsticks, has gone to concerts, and collects photocards. But she won't say so.
If you’re her friend, she has probably knitted something for you. it’s her love language. Loves knitting and she does vlives just so the fans can see it.
She also absolutely loves eating and baking, but on tour, she hasn't had the chance to do it as often. She's always been in charge of feeding the Flora members, making sure they always have something to eat ready for them.
Nari wears her contacts all the time. But if she trusts you enough, you'll get to see her with big round glasses and hair in a messy bun.
She still doesn't trust any staff, they're all the same. And she doesn't trust people's intentions either.
Living like this is exhausting, and she often wonders if it's worth it.
She loves building legos and has a big collection, like huge.
People online are so mean, always judging her and saying awful things about her. She posts on instagram for their fans, but she is always afraid of reading the comments.
She always has dating rumors even for breathing too close to someone else, she's always dating a new person every three seconds and she hates it. Reason why she doesn't like being seen with others.
Which is crazy, because she doesn't really befriends people, and it's really all about how good she looks next to someone else.
She’s pretty nice, you just have to work past all the walls she has built around her to see it.
