. · ✷ the name is hirai momo. currently 20 years old and an employee at a sheep café. i create music and i love it. some singing and rapping as a part-time dream. no dancing. ✷ · . KYOTO ✈️ SEOUL
#rippoco2k17
after last year’s disaster at trying to ice skate momo had made it very clear they were going to stay very far away to the rink to the point joy couldn’t even be heard coming from it ( she didn’t want to be tempted ). food, though, was another temptation - and one she didn’t have to cower away from. thankfully chungha had gone with her and the girl didn’t look like she wanted to take part in an icy fun either. food, on the other hand, was warm and welcoming.
“okay but, like, how tall is it in other scales?” momo took a bit out of her fish cake, embracing the deliciousness. “how many sharks would be enough to reach such height? how many momo’s?” the christmas tree, 10-meters tall, stared right back at them and momo was sure it was just as impressed by her questions. “how many chungha’s?”
once classes had ended, chaeyoung had plans to go to a café and get some work done. however, along the way she realizes that thanks to her distraction (which mostly consisted of her checking her social media) she took the wrong station. feeling a bit frustrated, chaeyoung decides that instead of trying to figure out how to get back to where she headed to, she would adapt and find another café nearby. after all, there were plenty of cafés all around seoul so chaeyoung knows that she is bound to find one.
and she was right. she found a café just like she had hoped for, but the café that she found is unlike the ordinary ones that she would visit whenever she wanted to get some work done. the one she went to is a sheep café and it took chaeyoung a couple of seconds to realize that until she saw photos and drawings of sheep on the wall. thinking that leaving the café would seem like the best option, she stops suddenly when she sees someone that is familiar to her. “momo?” chaeyoung questions in disbelief before she blinks her eyes. when she realizes that it is indeed her friend, her face lights up as she tries to get her friend’s attention. “momo!” the younger woman rushes towards her as she spreads her arms to offer a hug. “where have you been all this time?!”
the job was fun. momo had never met a sheep before - which would probably indicate that wasn’t the best job for her, but luckily she got in. the animals were all very nice ( as long as you fed them ) and her coworkers were all nice too. after moving back to seoul the girl didn’t have a job prepared to welcome her, so any job that would take her she’d get it. thankfully it was the best one she could ever wish for.
truth was she hadn’t planned her return that well at all. momo moved to a different country with her ambition on her back and that was basically it. the people she had met on her previous stay ended up receiving no notice of her arrival, so when chaeyoung showed up at her job momo was partially unsure of what to say. “chaeyoung!” her arms wrapped around the smaller, a sheep walking behind them as if it was a common thing to happen. “well, i was here.” her slow brain went for it again, and after they broke the hug it had to work a bit harder to make sense of the situation.
“oh- oh!” as if she had just discovered the murderer of a big case her hands started moving around, proud of her small achievement. “well, i moved back here… recently. hm… end of september!”
rest and relaxation. two words most anyone would associate with their homes. seola lives by the rules of home being the place she can be most comfortable, the place she can close her eyes and unwind, and for the most part, it is. her bed is a bit old, but it’s comfortable, and though some mind find her penchant for clean lines and cleanliness a bit cold, it puts her mind at ease. she’s about halfway into an afternoon nap when a loud scream startles her from her rest, causing her to jump up into a sitting position, eyes wide and body shaken. it takes a few moments for her to re-calibrate, and when she does, she’s on her feet and trying to find the source of the sound.
after a few moments, she realizes it’s coming from her neighbor’s apartment, and all sense of urgency rushes out of her. it isn’t that she doesn’t care for her neighbor’s well being, but the situation just seems like something out of the normal playbook. she wouldn’t be surprised if she went over to find momo on the couch watching a movie or drama, screaming at the characters or a particular scene. still, she supposes she should go check on the girl, just in case.
she throws on a pair of slip ons and heads next door, inputting the memorized code and stepping in to find momo frantically chasing after….something. panic rises up once again because if it’s a rat or mouse, seola is out of there.
“momo!” she calls out, eyes trying to search for whatever it is momo is chasing after. “what is that?”
after poco decided to leave them it was true that kihyun got way more upset than she did. the mourning time had already passed and momo decided she was ready to get a new pet. what it would be ended up taking her a bit more time, but once she saw him it was love at first sight. a ferret, out of all things, was what the girl chose. she didn’t know anyone who had one and hadn’t even met one of those in real life before, but the girl was still sure she’d be able to care of him without a problem.
her eyes followed him as it got used to her apartment, smelling and investigating everything that got in its way. without a worry, momo put down the bag with everything she had bought that day right on the floor. she slowly took things out - all of those things meant for him - and then before she knew it the plastic bag was taken away.
at first, she thought it was just the wind, but then she saw the tail. “ya!” the girl let out a screech, running behind the creature at a fast but responsible speed. momo wouldn’t want to either run into things or end up falling on top of her new pet. the bag still had things inside of it, but that didn’t seem to be a problem to the animal. seola was a wild element that only served to startle her. “well, i don’t know his name!” momo screamed back, eyes focused on the moving bag. “help me catch it, quick!”
the journey to get rid of the flyers seems long and arduous for chaeyoung and at this point, she wonders if she could even get it done before sunset. when she thinks about how she wants to get something to drink, she spots a familiar place — the same café momo works at. hoping that by some miraculous luck her friend would be there, she takes a few steps closer to the café until she sees her friend. “momo! hi!” she greets enthusiastically as if all of her fatigue disappears the moment she sees her. “i hope you’ve been doing great! i became a trainee recently and i guess due to some sort of initiation ritual, they told me that i’m supposed to give these flyers to people. so i was wondering if you could take this flyer off my hands please? it’s from nova entertainment!”
work was the same as always: exciting! you could never really know what to expect when working with sheep, and each day was a different adventure. meeting new people was always nice. the reactions to having such an animal near you while you tried enjoying some coffee came differently from person to person. but some other times a known face decided to stop by. “chaeyoungie!” the taller moved closer to the other, forgetting if she had any duties to take care of. “what? really?” she took the flyer from the other, giving it a quick look before smiling at her friend. "i’m so happy for you! why didn’t you tell me?” and so her hand patted the girl on the back of her head, proud of the smaller’s achievements.
NOW PLAYING: GLASS SHOES ( 0:25 - 0:36 )
ICE CREAM CAKE ( 2:02 - 2:24 )
CAUSE YOU’RE MY STAR ( 2:30 - 2:41 )
GLASS SHOES ( 3:19 - 3:31 )
aka a kt audition
↪ performed and remixed by: HIRAI MOMO
outfit: 🍑 🍑 🍑
kt. her first audition ever and it was with kt.
it made her think about when she went back to japan. after spending two years in korea she told herself there was no way they’d actually want her. they were given the time and opportunities to find her, but eventually, she gave in to her father’s words. it was a fun time going back home. she got to spend time with her sister face-to-face which was much of a rarity. they didn’t even get to video call each other that often because of conflicting schedules. although good, it was also sad. home would always be home, but if her dreams meant having to go away then she was going to do it.
the first person she notified after getting the call was her ferret, cream puff, but after the celebration was done her sister didn’t let her down with a proper reaction over text. momo had always imagined audition with her favorite opening theme ( the one from powerpuff girls z ), but they told her to show two different talents. maybe singing and rapping would have been enough - but why not three?
no time was wasted before the girl was already sitting by her computer, searching for inspiration. the first song was picked because it had been stuck in her mind, and the others quickly came along as she thought of what would match the feeling she was trying to give off. she had been doing it for years. momo didn’t only make her own music but also found enjoyment in remixing popular songs together during her free time. they weren’t normally posted because of their short length, but it didn’t mean the talent wasn’t there. one minute. that would be perfect.
december meant it should be cold, but momo didn’t really care. the excitement in her heart sent adrenaline all over her body, filling her veins with warmth. people looked at her weirdly as she walked down the streets holding tightly to the sides of her body with all of her teeth showing in a smile. the nice lady who welcomed her said she could sit if she wanted to, but the girl didn’t have it in her to do it. her audition was only a few steps away, and she wasn’t going to be ready to rest until it was done.
they called her name not after too long. she hopped her way to the room but calmed her legs before going in. it was good to show excitement, but maybe not too much. her feet stopped where the marking told her the center was. like an owl, her head turned to scan the entire room before lowering her head in a bow. katie lee. her face twisted itself while her hair didn’t let them see it before her back was straight again. a dream come true. if katie lee was there then it was something important. she was important.
“hello! my name is hirai momo, i’m twenty years old and originally from kyoto, japan.” her words came out faster than she wanted them to. it was something that happened when she was excited, but once she noticed it the girl tried slowing them down. “i prepared something i edited myself, so hopefully you’ll enjoy it!” please do. her heart and soul had been laid in that 1-minute audio clip and she could only hope they wouldn’t crush them.
with a single head movement, the person in charge of pressing play let the audio start and momo quickly let out a deep breath. she tried making the transitions as smooth as possible, but there were parts she’d need to struggle with her breathing. the rapping, for example, was meant for two people to perform it, but there she was about to do it by herself.
it was a recent song, and the part chosen was something that could easily get stuck in your head for days. her main goal wasn’t exactly to make her audition haunt each one of the panel members to their dreams, but if it happened then it’d certainly be a plus! the start set the mood, and she was most certainly going for something on the cute side. maybe what was about to come didn’t exactly fit the bill, but removing the original instrumental from behind the rap and using something softer instead made it fit better.
Pops 내 입안에 녹아 내리는 중
Pops, it’s melting in my mouth, Putting so much in
잔뜩 넣어 내 입안이 녹아 내리는 줄
That it’ll feel like my mouth is melting down
Baby Boy 다른 남자들은 아무것도 몰라
Baby boy, other guys don’t know anything,
You’re so fine해서 안 튀는 옷만 골라
You’re so fine so only wear clothes that don’t make you stand out
Never get me wrong my boo
I have no 관심 in that bag
I have no interest in that bag
지루한 월화부터 수목까지 Man I wanna pass
From boring Mon-Wed, Thurs Man I wanna pass
날 보는 네 시선에 See some good vibe
Your look toward me, I see some good vibes
기분 좋은 느낌이야
It’s a good feeling when
너와 눈이 마주치는 순간
My eyes meet yours
she didn’t have the time to stop in between parts, take a breath, and then continue to the next rap, but momo managed to make it happen. the song was much older than the first one so she had already partially learned the lyrics when it first came out. she had definitely practiced before coming even if there wasn’t much time given, but i wasn’t that big of a challenge to achieve. even if she was in kt she decided to audition with a song from sphere. it probably wasn’t that great of an idea, but once it was settled in her mind the girl couldn't imagine the song any other way. she’z was a very popular girl group so hopefully, they wouldn’t mind it too much.
새로운 세상에 눈을 뜬 거야
I’ve opened my eyes to a new world
널 알게 된 순간
The moment I met you
even if it was only two lines, it was sung softly as if it was the bridge of her short song. she used it to calm it down after the strong rap so the ending could have the impact that she wanted. it would be ideal to showcase all of her singing skills, but if it meant sacrificing a high note for the song to flow better then momo had no shame in doing it. they probably had the tapes of her screaming in the hongdae talent show, anyway - and if they didn’t then a quick search of her name online wouldn’t make it too hard to find.
it ended just like it started and momo couldn’t have been happier. it went exactly as she wanted. the faces of the panel didn’t give her any kind of vibe, which she saw as being better than looks of disgust or disappointment. she thought it was easier to hide what you liked than what you didn’t. with a bow, she thanked them for their time, leaving the room as she was told. all she could do was wait and that was definitely going to be something she’d do. all of her co-workers already knew about it, so whenever her phone received a notification they’d stop to look. she’d wait for it. she had already done it for so long.
NOW PLAYING: AUDITION TAPE
aka a bright interview
↪ answers by: HIRAI MOMO
what’s my name? hirai momo. how old am i? ...twenty? her birthday had happened several months ago, but if her memory failed under normal circumstances the fact she was waiting for an interview made things just a little bit worse. yes, she was twenty. she remembered the numbers on the cake. hopefully, they wouldn’t ask about it. all her data was already written on the form, anyway. funny how her life could fit on a single sheet of paper. momo had written and produced multiple songs, but all the time wasted on it was resumed in a single line.
“hirai momo?” she rose from her seat - also raising her hand in case it wasn’t obvious. the woman guided her through the building and into the room the interview would happen in. momo had experience with korean hotels ( she was living in one about a month before ), but that place was a whole other level. she wished she could live in there. even the chair she was told to sit on was comfortable. since when did those things happen?
her eyes followed every movement around the room, excited for the interview to start. they made her say random things to check if the sound equipment was properly working. the girl also took the chance to strike some different poses when they were testing the camera. she wasn’t sure if any of them actually enjoyed it, but momo certainly did. being nervous wasn’t something that normally happened to her, and playing around helped things stay that way. “we’ll be starting now.”
⭐ WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE AN IDOL?
her chest expanded, both figuratively and physically. oh, man, that was the dream, wasn’t it? the main reason why she moved to south korea and left everything behind. “well, i was five when i was first introduced to korean music in the form of shinhwa. i really enjoyed their music and everything they did. my uncle lived here in seoul, so he always brought me things that caught my interest.” momo had seriously thought about framing the first cd she ever got, but then she’d never be able to play it or flip through the pages that came with it. “they really inspired me to start singing, rapping, and dancing. it came to a point when i even created my own songs… i want to be an idol because it’s my dream! and i won’t ever give up on it.”
⭐ WHICH SKILL ARE YOU THE BEST AT?
⭐ WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU STILL NEED TO IMPROVE ON?
momo had gotten stuck in the special skill section of the form. she was known to both sing and rap, but what would be best to write down? the one skill girls normally used was singing, so she thought the smart thing to write down would be that. “i believe i’m good at both singing and rapping. the thing i’d need to improve would certainly be dancing…” of course she liked to dance - she was a human being. it still didn’t mean she was good at it. “i’ve never taken proper classes before, and it’s much easier to randomly sing than to randomly dance. when i’m on the car, for example, it’s very easy to sing along to whatever plays on the radio, but i can’t jump and move around to an invisible choreography.”
⭐ WHO ARE YOUR BIGGEST INFLUENCES?
she laughed as if the answer was obvious. they were everything to her and the spark that started this passion. “well, as i said… shinhwa…” a hand landed on her chest, eyes squeezing as if she was getting emotional ( maybe she was, a little bit ). “they really were what started this entire dream, and also one of the reasons why i’d really love to get into kt. it’s where they’re signed under, and they seem very happy with it. just like the saying goes: if they smile, i’m happy too!”
⭐ WHAT IS THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE YOU’VE HAD TO OVERCOME SO FAR?
“i think the entire korean thing.” her hand flew back to the air. momo wasn’t someone that could be considered smart and her grades were good enough proof. moving to another country proved to be a bigger challenge than she had originally expected. “i had a bit of trouble learning the language and sometimes i still get a bit confused. also lost. it took me some time to get used to the city and everything… but i’ve been here for a while now! it’s not that bad.”
⭐ YOU LISTED A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE… WHAT’S YOUR FAMILY LIKE?
the family section was definitely the hardest to fill out. momo had a lot of names to write down, and it was tough to admit she didn’t know the ages of her parents. the girl had to cheat by checking on the internet, but in the end everything had worked out in her favor. “we’re a very close family, i’d like to believe. my uncle is my father’s brother, and even if they have a big age gap they are very close. not only that but uncle moved to seoul and that still didn’t break their relationship. when i originally moved here i actually lived with them for a while. my cousins are like siblings to me and we’re just a big family.”
⭐ IF YOU WEREN’T TRYING TO BE AN IDOL, WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING RIGHT NOW?
she thought back to her other dream: university. it sounded each time further and further away, but it was something else she couldn’t give up on. “well, i currently work in a sheep café, so i think i’d be sticking to that.” it was a good job. damn, it was a great job. she got to work with sheep all day long. sheep. sometimes the smell wasn’t great and momo was the one who needed to deal with it, but it was just a small detail when you got to work with sheep. “i can’t complain about it, really. it’s a great job.”
// ( ★ ) star bright casting auditions ‘17 : entry application form !
FULL NAME: 平井もも // hirai momo
AGE: 20 years old
BIRTHDAY: 1997.06.12
GENDER: female
HEIGHT: 167cm
WEIGHT: 48kg
BIRTHPLACE: kyoto, japan
CITY OF RESIDENCE: yongsan-gu, seoul, south korea
PREVIOUS MUSICAL EXPERIENCE:
have been writing and producing songs for some years now
some are uploaded to my youtube channel which has a small following
participated in the kt & royal contest
participated in the hongdae talent show
FAMILY RELATIONS:
father: hirai hayato, 51 — bookstore manager
mother: hirai koharu, 48 — seamstress
sister: hirai megumi, 17 — high school student
uncle: hirai shigeru, 41 — computer scientist
aunt: hirai rina, 41 — web designer
cousin: hirai kenji, 15 — middle school student
cousin: hirai kaori, 12 — primary school student
SPECIAL SKILL: singing
OTHER TALENTS:
soap sculpting
can use MIDI programs and also know how to play the guitar
pretty good at cooking
FAVORITE MUSICIAN/INSPIRATION: SHINHWA!!!!
DREAM COMPANY: kt
2ND DREAM COMPANY: --
IMAGE PROFILE: [ face.jpg ]
( ✗ ) Move the symbol between the parentheses if you agree to the terms listed by the audition guidelines and also agree to be present during the official dates of the STAR BRIGHT casting ‘17 auditions.
she’s never really minded when her mother asked her to run a few errands, because she never thought it was a big deal. if her mom is cooking, the least she could do is pick up food for her to make, and besides, she’s never been the type to fight over things. maybe she’s too much of a follower, but again, it’s not a big deal.
gahyeon makes her way through the aisles with a basket filled with food for dinner, heading for the baking section as a last stop. she looks up from the list her mom gave her and sees someone standing there, which isn’t strange by itself, but it’s somewhat unusual when the person has luggage with them. she wonders if maybe the girl had just come from the airport, but personally, a grocery store wouldn’t be the first place she would think of when she flies somewhere. not that she ever has, but she’s just imaginging.
“um…” she walks up to the girl tentatively, tilting her head to the side. “do you need help? are you looking for something?”
momo got surprised by the presence of another being inside a grocery store. by the clothes she was wearing the older guessed she wasn’t an employee, but just a nice and concerned citizen. “well, i’m looking at something.” she turned the box around for the other to see, hoping she wasn’t the only one confused with the situation. it had a beautiful cake image on the front ( which was probably a big lie of how the cake was going to look like ), but what really bothered her was what they had so blatantly written on the top right corner.
“it says the flavor is ‘party’, and i have no idea what they mean by that.” it sounded very weird, but what if that actually was the best cake in the store? momo wouldn’t be able to make that decision herself. some sort of light guided the gentle girl to help her, and she couldn’t be more thankful. her other hand took a box of orange cake, putting it next to the other one. “i wanted the best tasting one, but what if i don’t know what some of these taste like? how will i know which one is the best one?”
suji wonders if she should have just kept to herself. this is what she gets for being too nosy. plus, she realizes that asking a stranger if they were alright probably isn’t the best start to a conversation. well, what’s said has already been said so there’s no way to turn back time now. “okay, good,” she simply notes with a nod of her head.
however, of course, she’s continued on to say more, and she’s a tad thankful that the question that comes out of the other’s mouth isn’t one that she necessarily doesn’t have an answer to. “i think … you might be missing a few notes?” she furrows her brows as she moves in closer to the piano, trying out the theme song but it doesn’t sound quite right either. “maybe the keys are out of tune,” she decides to blame the piano, unsure of why she can’t get it either. if the two of them are struggling, then it must be the piano, right? that’s the only logical answer.
when not even the other’s attempt came out right momo thought she should be glad it wasn’t completely her fault, but it only managed to get her more frustrated. if it wasn’t them then it must have been the toy. but a craftsman never blames his tools. her face got all twisted. it was supposed to be a good day filled with toys and good music, but the girl had to go ahead and get herself stuck in a melodic loop.
“there aren’t any other pianos, though.” and it extremely upset her. if she could simply just change it for one that allowed enjoyment out of its teeth momo would have already made the switch ( maybe - she was really good at struggling ). as much as it’d be better for everyone to just let that one pass by and get over it, she couldn’t. “maybe i should buy it. and then i can take it to the, like... cat doctor.” the cat-shaped instrument smiled back at her with its out of tune teeth. she really had no idea what was the proper name for a person who fixed toys. “this will bother me for the rest of the day.”
↪ it’s okay
↪ he was old
↪ for a hamster at least
↪ should i make a funeral
↪ do people do that for pets
↪ i think he deserves it but i also don’t think there would be a coffin small enough ㅋㅋ
