when he came into this class, he certainly hadn’t expected to see a face that he hadn’t seen in years let alone be partnered up with her. he had no problem working with her but there was really no way that he thought there’d be be to escape the awkwardness. it was on him really so it was up to him to make those first steps. he wasn’t sure how she’d receive it and his fingers lightly danced over one another between his knees but she seemed receptive enough, her comment making him bite his lip on the inside softly.
“yeah, i know right? i’m not drowning in acne and spitting through my braces anymore.” he joked with a soft laugh. his pre-pubescent life was not always the handsome features that he now bore. maybe that was why he was so humble about them. she’d alwaysa been pretty to him and she seemed to have gotten even prettier. “puberty was a helluva time.” he fell quiet for a moment before starting up again. “it’s nice to see you still sing. are you getting back into it?”
considering it was a beginners class, he thought that she’d have far more experience than him by now and even though it was beginners, he felt a bit shy admitting that he was there because he had never taken any classes for singing prior to this.
it’s always odd running into old friends, especially friends you haven’t spoken to in years. and saerom had no idea why. she just reacted in the way that mirrored his. allowing whatever friendship they had years ago fizzle out, the woman truthfully didn’t think about it often. she had learned to let things like that roll off her back and go far away from her. but it seemed as if the two had found their way back to each other; maybe it was meant to play out this way.
so she let’s herself simmer with whatever resentment she felt, before pushing it away with a deep breath.
saerom allows herself to crack a smile at his words, recalling the boy seongwu used to be. she never thought he was ugly or anything despite the flaws he described, truth be told she never really paid much attention to it. “no actually, just revisiting some of the basics i guess.” she speaks with a shrug of her shoulders. “you can never learn too much. how about you? ever done anything like this?”
if it wasn’t related to music, seunghun would rarely approach someone to work with him unless he knew the said person well and felt comfortable around them, but this kind of environment made him braver than usual and more open to hear other ideas. music was all about it, wasn’t it? and these workshops were proving his point as he saw himself forced to interact with other kids for different dynamics.
“it’s nice to meet you saerom!” he smiles widely. suddenly, he feels excited for this songwriting mission, ready to work with those different ideas and come up with something original and hopefully good. maybe he was starting to be ready to share his own thoughts and let his idea get out of his old yellow notebook. “that wouldn’t be fun, right? so follow me, i’ll introduce you to my friend. maybe we can get other people to join us as well.”
quietly, he leads the way to where he was starting to work with his younger friend. “did you have any ideas for the song?” he asks, turning to look if she was still behind him. “don’t be afraid to share them, yeah? all ideas are good ones.” he encourages the stranger in hopes she will feel comfortable even if she doesn’t know him or the other at all.
once she has the security of another, saerom instantly feels a little better. she was certainly on edge, and was beating herself up for getting into this situation. but now, with the promise of gathering in a group and getting those awkward greeting out of the way, it was easier for her to see the bright side. this could improved her writing skills immensely, especially if the others had more experience than her.
“nice to meet you too,” she responds brightly, managing to hold that smile on her lips a little more naturally. saerom quickly rises to follow the other with the promise of other teammates. she was definitely open to having more people’s input.
the woman follows closely behind, careful not to lose him as everyone is moving around trying to form groups. she looks for any lone souls, even looks for any familar faces to offer them a spot with them. “hmmm, not really.” the woman admits sheepishly, offering the man a slightest embarrassed smile. she nods her head in response to his words. “i won’t. i’m not used to sharing my ideas, but i will try for the sake of our group.”
he wasn’t trying to avoid her again but… it was like seeing the same ghost over and over again and each time it startled him internally more and more. to not have seen her for so long to now seeing her at every turn of his head was going to take some getting used to but it was not as if she was an unwanted presence. they’d used to hang out all the time and familiarity was always a place that was comfortable. he had actually missed her.
she made her way towards him and he smiled in return as she drew near, settling himself up in his chair to entertain his company, both hands rising and shrugging with his shoulders as he laughed. “can’t seem to get rid of me, huh?”
he’d been looking forward to attending this workshop and he was particularly excited for it. it was a workshop he felt he could not only learn a lot from but one that he felt that he would do well in. his time as a barista really had him skilled in the way of drink making as well as the effects of different beverages so he had done some research to implement on his own but to learn directly from a nutritionist was a whole different ballpark. he had his notepad and pen and he was ready to go.
he scoffs over-dramatically to tease her, his hands resting on his knees as he looked over at her and shook his head. “are you sure it’s not the other way around? you sure you didn’t see my name on the sign-up list first and get here late on purpose?” he raised a teasing brow before smiling and settling back in his chair, his head nodding as he looked towards her. “i did miss you though. it is nice seeing you around again.”
grudges aren’t really her thing; holding onto old feelings of hurt or resentment doesn’t sit well with her. it’s not within her nature. sure, old thoughts were bound to resurface, saerom attempted to ignore them. maybe it was time to move on, and she was coming to terms with that. “oddly enough.” she laughs. saerom knew how she felt about running into seongwu again. but she had no idea what was going through his mind. after all, he was the one who pushed her away in the first place. how would he feel running into her again?
“you caught me.” she teases, raising her hands in surrender. “i did see your name on the sheet and i just had to join.” the woman rolls her eyes, letting a tiny grin spread across her lips.
despite everything, she still felt close to the man. even after years passing with no interaction, saerom never forgot her old friend. of course the pain still lingered, but it was hard to remember the bad without all the good. “i missed you too, guess the universe is making up for missed time i guess.” she shrugs, “i don’t know anything about this stuff though.”
should he have even said that? he had been the one that slowly began to cut her off first.
saerom considered her singing talents a little more than basic level. but even then, she knew there were parts where she needed to improve. her vocal talents were far from perfect, and even though the workshop may be below what she would consider herself, the woman figured she would give it a try. she may learn something here that she’s never heard of before, and it could change her vocal abilities for the better.
at least least that’s what she hoped. saerom really was planning on this not being a huge waste of time.
the workshop is divied off among it’s participants and it doesn’t bother her much. singing was a talent she was well-versed in, so she felt confident showing her skills and expanding her knowledge. anything else, songwriting for example, was a little bit more of a stretch.
her eyes find his gaze and she immediately looks away. saerom hates to hold grudges, but this isn’t necessarily that. she can’t describe the feeling running into old friends, especially ones that you’ve grown apart from. it’s awkward and relieving at the same time? so she decides to answer when he speaks up first.
“i’ve been good,” she answers, “how have you been? it’s been a few years since we’ve seen each other. almost didn’t recognize you.”
chungha watched the presenter with faux interest. the last thing they needed was being scolded for not actually paying attention. at least if they feigned being interested then they would get away with it. not that chungha anticipated being scolded at one of these things but she didn’t want to risk it anyhow.
“beginner’s singing would be fun if i was a beginner,” chungha pointed out. she turns to her to give her a pointed look. “if i had been a trainee for this long and still needed to take beginner’s singing then sphere needs to get rid of me right now,” she said, whispering the last part so no one would overhear her mentioning her new company. she was still a private trainee. she’s seen on naver how big it blows up if a trainee ousts themselves or someone else. “at least with ballet i’m learning something completely new. i don’t know anything about ballet.”
chungha faced forward to the presenter once more. there was a powerpoint slide up at well. it felt useless when this was everything that could be found in the pamphlets. speaking of: the pamphlets were being displayed in the powerpoint. “i hope there’s food at this thing. i can’t imagine there not being any. but if that’s the case…” then she was going to give herself a break and head back to her company for her lunch. “i think i can get a visitor’s pass for you and you can come with. i’m not sure though.”
as expected, the presentation isn’t the least bit interesting. but it wasn’t liked she anticipated listening to anything the presenter said anyway. chungha was here, and the perfect distraction. saerom could feign interest enough to keep eyes off them, but she wasn’t so sure about her friend. at least she would have some entertainment.
“well i’m not necessarily a beginner either, “ she counters, raising an eyebrow at the other woman. “but you have a point.” saerom nods, not really even considering the fact of chungha’s trainee status. she just wanted some company in the workshop. “you never know what you could learn though. plus beginner’s singing has something ballet doesn’t. which is me.” she grins.
saerom turns her head to watch chungha’s feigned interest in the presentation, letting a little laugh pass her lips when her words are not related to what the speaker is saying at all. she couldn’t really blame her for thinking about food, saerom would be lying if she denied the thought having crossed her own mind. “oooh a visitor’s pass, sounds promising. is company food actually good? because if not, we can stop by some bbq place. i’m sure there’s one not far from here.”
And yet, even though Dongyoon already had guessed that yoga definitely would bore him, he was there, ready to do yoga (or ready…). It begins out good and smoothly, Dongyoon follows the moves of the instructor, but then it happens, and Dongyoon isn’t too sure when it happens, but it happens, he’s asleep, deep in sleep. The dreamworld seems much easier than the class, the class was boring him while in his dreams the male is with his loved boyfriend, the thought of his boyfriend makes the male smile. Dongyoon was sleeping good, and then suddenly he feels something bothering him. “Stop that you troll” he said pushing away whatever was bothering him.
saerom isn’t one to get into other people’s business; she simply doesn’t have the time to bother with that. she is very much a woman who likes to keep her nose where it belongs until her attention is necessary. and it appears that today, a snoring man disrupting her yoga instruction was certainly enough to beckon for her attention. not because she wanted to be a negative nacy or anything of the sorts, but because it was distracting and awkward... not to mention embarrassing. she felt pity for the instructor.
“excuse me,” she raises an eyebrow at the stranger’s words. troll? saerom rolls her eyes at the man and continues to poke him despite his swatting. mostly out of spite this time. “you are the troll, and an obnoxious one at that. now stop snoring and find inner peace.”
It’s not Xiao’s first self defense class so the guy feels kind of confident in the class unlike other classes he had taken. Xiao stands in a loose shirt, his football shorts and hair messy but pretty like usual, he’s ready to learn. And then there gets said to partner up, Xiao looks around half awkwardly, desperately looking for a face he might know, and then a recognizable face comes to him; Saerom. “Saerom!” he says excitedly, “sure thing!” the male replies back with a smile. “I’d be glad to have you as my partner”
maybe to onlookers, her pairing up with the other was kind of odd. she saw a lot people running to pair with the same gender, perhaps it was easier that way. but saerom didn’t really care. she was just glad she didn’t have to get all up on a stranger for this workshop. perhaps it was stupid of her to assume they wouldn’t be pairing up for this - after all, the workshop was self-defense. but it didn’t matter because she had her partner and was not letting go.
she would much rather avoid any awkward partnering with strangers.
it seemed that was xiao was on her ever growing list of brothers. but she didn’t mind at all, the kid was cute and kind enough to bring out any sisterly instincts she had.
“i knew you wouldn’t be able to turn me down.” she says with a grin, raising a hand to pat his shoulder. “what’re you doing taking self-defense? better not be getting into fights.” saerom teases the younger boy with a grin.
saerom is happy for an distraction the world presents her. songwriting was hard enough, and now she had put herself into a situation where the task would be that much worse. she hated sharing her ideas mainly due to the fact that she had no idea what she was doing. songwriting was something she just did because she liked it, not because she had training or even the slightest idea on how to properly do it. that’s mainly why she decided to do this, to move out of her comfort zone and into uncharted territory. but she was having hesitations and the workshop hadn’t even begun.
so a distraction was crucial for her even sticking around for the thing.
thankfully, her eyes land on a familiar face. a sigh of relief passes her lips, and she’s already walking towards the man - unsure if he’s actually seen her yet. saerom raises her arm to wave wildly at her friend, beckoning for his attention silently as to not make a scene with her screaming his name. instead, she suits for a quieter call of his name as she nears the other, offering him a smile as she stops directly in front of chris. “didn’t expect to see you here! maybe this won’t be as awful and nerve wrecking as i was anticipating.”
it’s a small world. that’s her first thought when her eyes land upon seongwu yet again. was this the third time this week? saerom is a jumble of emotions, but somehow relief bubbles in her chest at the sight of the man. it’s odd how one can go years without seeing someone, but now they can’t seem to get rid of them. it’s odd, but the thought brings a smile to her face.
saerom approaches seongwu first this time, walking over to the man with a confident stride and a grin. “you again?” she jokes, offering her old friend a grin.
drinks for vocal cords upkeep, the woman’s selection of the workshop was interesting to say the least. things like this weren’t really her thing, and honestly they usually bored her. but saerom felt this workshop would be different. the information could definitely be useful, and where would another opportunity like this arise? if there was something to aid her in her singing and keep her sounding beautiful, she’s 100% up for it.
“i’m starting to think you’re stalking me,” saerom takes a seat by seongwu, leaning back in the seat and extending her legs in a stretch. “i’m starting to think you maybe missed me a little too much.”
she guides saerom to stay in the back. she did not want to be towards the front when it came to these things. chungha had a smart mouth and a tendency to have smart quips. when they settled in the farthest possible seats, she turns to the other. “how long do you think this’ll take?” although according to the pamphlets it says only thirty minutes. “i bet you it’ll take the whole hour…presenters love to drone on and on about basically nothing.”
☆ ┊ MAY29 .
saerom wasn’t the type to the opportunities pass her by - even if they came in the strangest forms. the idea of brushing up and practicing a few skills sounded promising to her, even if it was in the form of workshops with a bunch of strangers. and idol-wannabes....
she and chungha decided to tackle the first part of the day together. the opening speech; saerom already knew she would have a time occupying chungha’s patience. saerom isn’t surprised when her friend leads her to seats farthest from the speaker - settling down in a seat beside her friend.
she wasn’t a huge fan of these presentations herself, but saerom found it a bit easier than chungha to bite her tongue. the woman almost wished they had skipped out on this first event. she could already guess what the next hour would consist of. thank you’s, information that no one truly cared about, hopefully something about food... but that would mean saying goodbye to chungha earlier. and she wasn’t the biggest fan of that.
“i have no idea,” she sighs, crossing her arms across her chest. “i really hope not.” she stares blankly at the people shuffling around in front of them, trying to find seats and familiar faces. saerom flicks her gaze back to her friend, offering her a pout. “you sure you don’t want to sneak into beginner’s singing with me? i’m sure it’s more fun than ballet.”
“hi, i’m seunghun,” he greets her with a grin, a polite bow following his words. “i’m working with a friend, do you want to join us? we just started sharing our first ideas and it would be nice to have more thinking heads.” he offers. it’s also new to him to be the first to initiate a conversation like this, but he’s happy for the opportunities workshops offer him.
☆ ┊ MAY30 .
what was she thinking... saerom was not one to grow uneasy in crowds, to be uncomfortable in foreign situations - but this workshop crossed some boundaries. songwriting came naturally to her. she wasn’t the best, but she never made a move to be technical about it or whatever. whatever she wrote was just what she was feeling, and there wasn’t much more thought behind it other than that. but something had possessed her to sign up for this workshop.
and she’s starting to have major regrets.
the woman never shared what she wrote, so when it’s announced they’ll be working in groups she begins to panic. saerom is second guessing herself while everyone is moving to find groups to work in. are her ideas even good enough to share? she highly doubted it. she has half the mind to just get up and sneak out in order to spare herself the embarrassment, but the sudden approach of a stranger makes her hesitate.
she doesn’t know why, but she’s surprised to have encounter a seemingly decent person. saerom lets a smile slip onto her lips, a sigh of release leaving her chest at his offer. “i’m saerom,” the woman greets, returning the bow after rising to her feet. “i would love to actually. i was beginning to think i might be on my own on this one.”
she begins to wonder if this was a mistake. self defense sounded interesting, but the timing was poor. saerom had been at the venue since 12, meaning she had a ridiculous amount of time to kill before her next workshop. a ridiculous amount of time to grow nervous and reconsider the entire thing.
the woman was fine in the beginning, arriving to the workshop with only a small list of apprehensions and an eager mind. as a woman, she knew it was important for her to know how to defend herself in unwanted situations. and a self-defense class was an easy solution.
when it’s announced that they would be working in pairs, her eyes instantly dart to the surrounding crowd for a partner. saerom lets out a sigh of relief when her gaze lands upon xiao - familiar face that she would be more than willing to work with. his name leaves her lips and she’s quickly approaching him - glaring at any eyes that threaten to steal her hopeful partner. “hey.” she greets, offering the man a grin. “wanna partner up? help a girl out.”
inner peace. saerom signed up for yoga in hopes of achieving something similar. but mainly, she was just seeing if it was worth all the hype. the woman couldn’t count how many people had ranted and raved about how amazing yoga was. her mother had a habit of telling her that she needed to relax more, and suggested yoga to her daughter multiple times before. but the woman was never presented the opportunity until now, and she felt like she would regret it if she didn’t do it at least once.
plus the fact that the class was being taught by an idol was a plus.
saerom is focusing, eyes closed and deep breaths passing soundlessly through her nose. the area is relatively quiet and peaceful ( as yoga should be ), but one sound was disturbing her particularly. the woman cracks an eye open in search of the oddly familiar sound, turning her head slightly to glance at the man seated on the ground next to her.
soft snores left his frame and she felt so awkward. what was wrong with him? “hey.” she whispers, trying to avoid any unwanted attention from others while attempting to wake the sleeping stranger. using her toe, the woman extends her leg and quickly pokes at the man’s leg. “hey, hey. wake up.”
saerom began to wonder if the cycle would ever end. the endless circle of her coming to her parents rescue at their every beck and call, of her being the only reliable child, of her constantly being suffocated by her stupid brothers and their friends. seungho was still young and living at home, so he kind of had an excuse for being useless. however, that did not make him any less annoying.
mom and dad are gone for the weekend and we don’t have any money for takeout, please come cook for us. saerom was reluctant, but it was hard to ever tell her little brother no. so she begrudgingly made her way home where she found seungho and an assumed friend as she had seen him around once or twice. whatever they were doing, they took a break as soon as the woman arrived - her brother setting off into the house in hunt for god knows what and leaving her alone in the living room with hangyul.
luckily, she wasn’t shy nor the one for small talk. saerom had managed to speak to him a few times before so thankfully it wasn’t painfully awkward. key word: painfully. a sigh passes her lips as she leans back onto the couch directly across from the other, pulling her knees up to her chest. “hey.” she speaks and it’s at least the 100th time she’s said it. “seungho called me here and now he’s being stupid. i’m bored, and i’m not going to stop annoying you until you give me some attention.”
frustrated. that was the simplest way to explain her mood right now.
saerom already had to fend off at least three men in the mere hour she had been at the gym. there was a point when one just gets used to it, and then there’s the uncross-able line; the men today had long crossed that line. normally, it wasn’t hard for her to ignore them, to brush off whatever comments they threw her way. want me to show you how to do that, or looks like you could use some help with that. “no. i’m fine.” she would reply, giving them a once over. “if i need something, i’ll find someone who looks capable of doing so. thanks anyway!”
and she was off on her way towards the treadmills.
tennis shoes step onto the track and saerom sighs as she places her water bottle in the little holder next to the controls. her fingers find the buttons that control her speed, and she presses it a few times before increasing the elevation slightly. turning her head, she looks over the woman who is using the machine beside her. “they give you a hard time too?” she speaks, attempting to control her breath. “i just want peace. this would not happen if i had a penis.”
hello, hello, hello - it is i, your beloved count olaf faye. this is my like 400th rookies muse, but i am back yet again to give my muses another shot. this is my babe saerom, a brand new muse, and she’s ready to freaking rumble. she’s a “can’t keep a job” type of girl who just loves to do whatever she wants! in all honesty, she’s a sweetheart but she doesn’t let that show quiet often. you read all about her on this page ( thank you to the lovely ume for the template asdfgh ) and take a look here for some more detailed open plots.
i’d love to get some plots going for her asap and knock those charisma starters out of the way, so along with some extra details about her under the cut, i’ve placed some dandy sentence starters at the bottom of this post. so feel free to REPLY with the NUMBER of the sentence you like, and i’ll get on it asap! otherwise, if you’d rather plot out something more detailed, message me here or find me on twitter under foxglves
☆ ABOUT SAEROM ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ☆
lee saerom, twenty three
also goes by sae
seoul high school alumni ‘15, snu alumni ‘19
she’s had a few jobs after graduating college, but right now she cleans houses for people ( mainly rich families who pay her well ) and is a freelance singer. she mostly performs at clubs or little hole in the wall restaurant, but she also does some busking for a little extra cash.
she’s got her a doggie named soju whom she loves very much
been a singer for as long as she can remember! started out a church/school so she asked if she could take lessons since all of her brothers got to do sports and shit
a little bit about her past part one: she is the only daughter of five children; she’s got three older brothers and one younger one. ps if anyone wants to bring in another muse, hmu for some sibling connections asdfghjkl
a little bit about her past part two: growing up it was just easier to get along with the boys than girls because of her brothers, but this wasn’t a problem until the girls were old enough to adopt jealous into their relationships with saerom. her brothers were pretty protective but they couldn’t stop whatever shitty words they called her. all the girls thought she was a slut, and guys thought she was tease.
a little bit about her past part three: she tried to fit in with the girls a bit more in high school so she joined the cheerleading team. this went pretty okay, but didn’t help her too much. let’s just say college was a relief for her. she’s really got a fuck it attitude towards the whole thing, but it really bothered her for awhile.
she’s really close with her family and right now she actually lives with one of her brothers and his pregnant wife - annnnd she’s dreading for that baby to come because she’ll probably have to find somewhere else to live :)
saerom is kinda the weak link in the family because all the adults have their lives figured out, and here she is out of college working wherever she can find ( nothing serious or long term ) but her parents don’t really expect much other than her producing grandkids so :):):):)
she likes to write her own lyrics sometimes, but she keeps this pretty private!
social media wise, she keeps a pretty low and casual profile. occasionally she’ll post clips of her singing or where she’ll be performing next, on instagram/twitter but it’s all casual after that.
one of her brothers is a fitness & health instructor so she’s pretty into hitting the gym and skipping out on junk food. she often tries to convince her friends to join this lifestyle as well, but ice cream is often too tempting.
( TW BRIEF MENTION OF HOMOPHOBIA ) college for saerom is how she figured out more of who she was. her parents kept a tight leash on her in high school because she was too “pure” and they feared corruption. in college, she was away from home and could do whatever she wanted - and they included pursuing whoever and whatever she wanted. one way or another, she figured out that girls were always too appealing and boys were usual a hit or miss. saerom identifies as bisexual, but knows how her parents will react so this is a secret very few people know. ( END TW )
saerom is brutally honest sometimes, but that’s mainly because she’s a shit liar. don’t ask her to lie because you will be disappointed.
☆ SENTENCE STARTERS ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ☆
“i just did some calculations, and i’ve been able to determine that you’re full of shit.”
“did you really just insult Captain America in front of me?”
“this would not happen if i had a penis!”
“i’m not going to stop annoying you until you give me some attention.”
‘ no, i didn’t drop all this on the floor. i dramatically knocked it out of my own hands because i have something to prove. ‘
“the best way to solve problems is to create more problems until you are dead.”
“i’m sorry, but it was too funny for me to intervene.”
“that trip looked hilarious– but also kinda painful; you okay?”
“i have said this a hundred times, and i will say it again; i will punch you in the dick.”
