— gasoline.

han hyukjae. axis's main vocalist.

[smokedmirrors]

hey, all! i'm elise (she/her) and i'm excited to be bringing in han hyukjae, axis's main vocalist, lead dancer, sub rapper, and maknae. bear with me because this is far too long and i'm sure there are typos, but hyukjae's info is below for your perusal. give this a like or shoot me a message if you'd like to plot!

profile. plots. pinterest board.

background

han hyukjae was born with the name kim jihoon before he legally changed it later in life, which isn't something he's particularly open about. he grew up well-off in busan, where his dad was a #financeguy and his mother was a nurse-turned-stay-at-home-mom. both of his parents (but especially his mom, something he's never truly acknowledged) were obsessed with the idea of presenting as the picture perfect family, and the importance of success and happiness in the eyes of others was drilled into him from a young age.

at age 8, he moved to seoul to live with his grandmother to attend an expensive school there but, when he was 12, his dad was caught on embezzlement and fraud charges and hyukjae was thrown back into a family in disarray. if the shame wasn't bad enough, his father drained their bank accounts trying to bribe the charges away and he still ended up going to prison for a couple of years. in the wake of his arrest and imprisonment, hyukjae's family began to struggle financially for the first time.

his mom moved to seoul to live with hyukjae and his grandmother. hyukjae never really planned on being an idol but it seemed like a way to to make money. he adjusted pretty well to training (if being cutthroat & willing to do anything to debut counts as "adjusted well"). turns out a willingness to do just about anything to succeed can pay off! before debut, he dropped out of school and legally changed his name from kim jihoon, a name chosen by his father, to han hyukjae, a name chosen by himself and his mom.

when axis failed to truly break out for three years, hyukjae was convinced he'd made the worst decision of his life. when they finally did get the success he'd wanted, he got a little addicted to the headrush of their fame and the feeling of performing on stage to a sold-out cheering crowd.

once axis started reaching heights hyukjae had only ever dreamed of, his father started contacting him for the first time in years. and hyukjae made the mistake of giving him a second chance. long story short, it ended up coming out that his father had been scamming people using his famous son's name. hyukjae came out of it relatively unscathed because he didn't know about it and had been estranged from his father for so long, but he considers it a true dark time in his career and his personal life since he let himself get used like that and it put cracks in the perfect image he tries to project.

outside of axis, he's involved in acting and fashion. acting was a ploy for individual name recognition, but he's found he actually kind of enjoys it.

image

hyukjae debuted at 16 and was initially marketed as your stereotypical popular high school boyfriend. he tried very hard to make it look like he didn't try hard at all and also got the image of a "golden boy" of sorts.

he's matured now and his image has as well, but he's never shaken (or wanted to shake) his "golden boy"/"golden maknae" image, regardless of how much pressure it puts on him.

early in axis's career, he would shamelessly flirt with fans because he loves attention. he's still known for being overconfident and flirty and has been accused of arrogance and attention-seeking at times, but fans brush it over as him just being naturally outgoing.

personality

tldr; at his best, he's driven and loyal. at his worst, he's prideful and vindictive.

hyukjae lives by the work hard, play hard philosophy. he's a workaholic, but off-the-clock, you'll usually find him partying in one way or another. he's also a bit of an adrenaline junkie and enjoys doing stupid dangerous things for the thrill.

but he also works his ass off and is willing to push himself to the breaking point for work, but struggles between wanting his hard work to be acknowledged and wanting to be seen as effortless. he's not afraid to do what he has to do to be successful. as a trainee and rookie, he was willing to be cutthroat if needed and though his position is much more secure these days, he's still not above playing dirty in high-pressure situations.

he sees his pride as rightfully earned and protected, but it can definitely come off as over-the-top. combined with the fact that his sense of humor is kind of just acting overconfident, it's not hard to see why he's often labeled as arrogant.

as you can imagine, he has some daddy issues. he's determined to never be like his father, but, he honestly has a lot more in common with him than he'd ever care to admit... the drive for success at all costs, the desire to maintain the illusion of perfection, selfishness when he considers it necessary even if it hurts others.

he'll do anything for those he truly cares about and doesn't stop caring about someone all that easily (see: him being willing to give his father a second chance). but he also holds grudges with a terrifying intensity.

possible connections

let me know if any of these could fit for you!

hyukjae's got a wide social circle, so there's probably some way for him to be friends or at least friendly acquaintances with anyone.

he is a man of many vices, so connecting over those is pretty easy as well. people he often runs into partying, people he met while taking a smoke break, people who goes out drinking with, etc.

branching off of that, someone he's a bad influence toward—he's a firm believer everyone would be happier if they just let loose a little more

alternatively, homebody friends he's willing to spend a night in with despite it being very against his nature. these are more likely than not people he's closer to since he can get restless staying in and won't do it for just anyone.

a junior he sees a lot of himself in (especially re: drive and his determination) and has a love/hate outlook on because while he respects their similarities, there's also no bigger threat than someone so much like him.

even though he's an only child, he has a tendency for taking care of those he cares about and i can see him having a little collection of idols he sees like a younger sibling.

someone he took under his wing in a mentor capacity to help them navigate the industry. he may not be able to teach much on singing or dancing, but he for sure knows his way around industry politics.

people he burned/made a bad impression on. as mentioned, he's very prideful and willing to feed into a cutthroat environment and he has no doubt hurt people in the process, whether they've healed their relationship from that by now or not. similarly, someone who caught him talking shit about them/their group and hates him for it, but he stubbornly stands by it

people he befriend solely because he felt it would be beneficial for his career, whether they're aware of that or not. maybe they're using each other or maybe they believe him to be more genuine than he is.

other people who have some form of bad relationship with (part of) their family and they commiserate about it.

someone hyukjae was friends with growing up (in busan from 1996-2005 or seoul from 2005 onward) or someone who is the sibling of a friend he had growing up. if they knew him during high school, maybe they know him for always skipping class and getting bad grades and they still see that in him (and he hates it)

fellow workaholic friends that never seem to see each other because they're both always busy

a true best friend; they stand by each other's sides through everything and he lets his guard down the most around them. they're one of the few that is able to see beyond the multiple layers of his endlessly confident facade.

hyukjae is willing to use his drive/ruthlessness in defense of those he really cares about, so someone who has earned the devotion of his intense loyalty could be interesting—can have romantic tones to it or be purely platonic... or a secret third thing

someone he flirts with to just to fluster them because he finds it entertaining

fellow actors!! he wants to be acting into old age so he networks his ass off.

gym/sports/active friends. they could work out at the gym together or be rock climbing, boxing, basketball, or running buddies.

people who are also adrenaline junkies. they'll go bungee-jumping, cliff-diving, whatever stupid idea he's come up with with him

people whose dogs are best friends with his dogs (he has two dogs, benji and bomi) or who he trusts to petsit his dogs when he's out of town.

a former close friend who got exhausted of his intensity. they got along well at first because they found their differing personalities intriguing, but it's always full speed with him, from work to play to friendship and sometimes they needed him to be willing to slow down for whatever reason. he didn't take that well and saw it as a fault of theirs and they had a messy fallout as two people who needed different things from their friendship.

people who don't like him much because he seems arrogant.

or people he doesn't like because he thinks he sees some trait he doesn't like in them (unloyal to friends/family, lazy, overly stuck-up)

someone who is a fan of him, either as an axis member or for his acting work.

someone he has a lot of respect for because of how expertly they've navigated their career.

an on-and-off romantic relationship where they're more together because they like the idea of each other and being together and what that symbolizes rather than true love between them. they may genuinely care for/be attracted to one another, but it really wouldn't have gone on (and off) this long without a sort of mental mythology they've created around themselves.*

a past relationship or not-quite-relationship where he ended up feeling more for them than they felt for him (his worst nightmare)*

unfortunately, hyukjae is the situationship final boss. he has a bad habit of either checking out when he grows bored in relationships or noping out if he think he's into someone more than they are into him and his workaholic tendencies mean he often seeks the fun of a relationship without all the baggage of actually being in one, so there's plenty of room for past situationships.*

he's also just a shameless flirt. it's just his personality, so people he has a mutual flirtationship with just for fun and they know there's no deeper meaning or people he flirts with and they don't really get if he's serious or not.*

(*hyukjae's not really interested in interrogating his own sexuality or discussing labels, but he's attracted to and readily flirts with people of any gender)

anything else that comes to your mind! i'd love to hear any ideas you have!

[smokedmirrors]

trainee days headcanon

hyukjae entered training at adagio (then apex entertainment) with an immediate and singular goal in mind: debut as soon as possible, at all costs.

he wanted a fast pass to being able to support his family and to him, someone who had never paid much attention to the industry, becoming an idol seemed like that. at thirteen, he wasn't the right age to be able to hit it big by staying in modeling and a "regular" job, he believed, would have been little more than an ineffective bandaid on his family's finances without the hours and pay his age was unlikely to afford him. he naively expected to waltz in, debut, and become rich and famous within the year. reality had a different plan.

hyukjae trained for two and a half years before axis debuted. he'd have left the company if he wasn't so stubborn and desperate, but it was that very stubbornness and desperation that shaped who he was as a trainee—extraordinarily motivated to the point of ruthlessness.

he was quick to catch on to how life as a trainee worked. what he could appear to be, he decided, was more important than any hidden truths, a lesson he would hold onto for the rest of his life. as such, his plotting was a careful balancing act with covertness. he needed the trainers, evaluators, and decision-makers to see him as exceptionally driven, but not a saboteur or a risk to team cohesion.

his tactics weren't innovative, but playing into the social warfare of training gave him a valuable feeling of control over his situation. he, on occasion, "misplaced" another trainee's shoes so that they were late to a dance evaluation or "accidentally" let slip other trainees' secrets within earshot of someone who could tell someone else who mattered. he wasn't above offering critiques to trainees who seemed on the verge of leaving training, and even trainees he formed a shaky camaraderie with, if given the chance, were more of a tool to him than anything else. he'd always encourage any urges that would reflect poorly on others to the company with a put-on earnestness, knowing it'd only benefit him if they got in trouble. he was careful, never stepping over a line he couldn't come back from and always maintaining plausible deniability, but, to him, it was survival of the most determined, and anyone willing to give up after a few setbacks would have never beat him anyway.

but he didn't get into axis through scheming tactics alone; he developed the talent to back himself up. he came into training with the belief he would debut on his looks and passable dance ability, but he wanted any competitive advantage he could get, so he tried a little bit of everything. rapping seemed promising at first because it was a classic choice for a pretty boy who couldn't sing, but the fact axis had initially been formulated as an underground hip hop group meant the competition was too far above his ability level for that to be his primary way in. adagio actively encouraged trainees to get involved in songwriting and music production, so he tried that as well. quickly, he discovered it wasn't for him. with no technical background in music, an unwillingness to open himself up emotionally, and, frankly, a lack of skill as a writer, that was dead on arrival.

it was a passing comment about his vocal tone from a voice teacher during his first few months as a trainee that led to his eventual shift to focusing on vocal training. slowly but steadily, as he combined a naturally pleasant vocal tone with an actual technical foundation, he ascended the vocal rankings until his singing became his most advantageous hard skillset. by the time he was chosen to debut, he was undeniably well-rounded: a good vocalist and dancer, a decent enough rapper when they needed him, and an undeniably charismatic performer.

during his two and a half years as a trainee, hyukjae spent the vast majority of his time in a practice room of some sort. he'd often practice until he physically couldn't anymore, take a nap in the corner, and wake up and start all over again. if he went home, he'd be sleeping on the floor in the living room anyway, and staying at the company meant saving on his commute time and not having to see the look on his mother's face that always felt like disappointment toward his increasing truancy and plummeting grades. he told himself debuting and becoming a huge star was the only way to be deserving of a look of pride. it was his way of proving he could make more of himself than his father had.

[lunetides]

★⠀⠀wear & tear⠀⠀╱⠀⠀ with @smokedmirrors ★⠀⠀present time, adagio ent building

there are plenty of things that haunt junseo in his lifetime. one: his first failing grade in middle school where he studies the wrong module and he couldn't answer the mathematic exams, causing him to get an average grade for the first time in his life. two: when he got sick once and it resulted him in getting a bad grade on his monthly evaluation and he was nagged at for not taking care of his health and throat. and in his most familiar and recent haunting, the words of senior idol, han hyukjae from axis in their debut program, giving him a stern remark. ( his brain shuts off the part about improving and the advice the older idol gives him since he always had the tendency to carry the worst possible memories or attachment to heart than the better. )

ever since then, he's rather avoidant of the older man except the times where hiraeth and axis would have schedules together and where it is easy to mask his expression ( or rather, fear ) of the other man behind his idol persona.

this time however, he's stuck in a situation where it makes him hard to escape through the grasp of the other man and one where he can't really excuse himself easily, or so that he doesn't appear all too rude in front of the senior while in the sight of many other adagio staffs. instead, he plays it cool and chants a mantra in his head to not fuck things up and puts on a near-awkward smile if anyone squint hard through his facade.

"hi sunbaenim," he speaks first. "what brings you to the office today?" he starts a casual conversation of pretense as they're stuck in the elevator together.

[smokedmirrors]

hyukjae's mind is a hundred places other than in the moment. it's pondering the merits of the drama he'd auditioned for recently. it'd been painfully cheesy, but had a writing and directing team that was sure to cause buzz. there's another part of his mind running over axis's practice schedule for the day and which songs he needs to run one more time by himself before the other members show up. a third is absently scanning the text on his phone; the person he'd planned to catch up with over lunch had to attend to another schedule last minute.

he shoots back a reply and shoves his phone into his pocket as he gets on the elevator, but his brain is still cycling through the moment's preoccupations, and he doesn't even notice it's junseo he's sharing the space with until he's spoken to.

"ah, junseo," he replies in passive recognition. it feels like he rarely sees hiraeth's leader, despite the many years they've been under the same company. it's strange; hyukjae spends plenty of time at the adagio building, even if that time has decreased in recent years as axis's comebacks have grown further apart, and he likes to think he makes an effort to get to know his labelmates. junseo seems to make himself scarce, though, and hyukjae's not really sure why.

"axis has practice later. gotta whip ourselves back into shape for lynkcon." their many years together have given axis an implicit understanding of each other on stage, but after months without being in the practice room together as a group, even their finely-oiled machine needs tuning. "i'm sure you and hiraeth are busy, too. a new comeback, right?"

he turns his attention more fully to junseo, an idea popping into his head. "i figured i'd grab a bite in the cafeteria before our call time. any chance you haven't eaten yet either?"

[cypresswarrior]

Visit Original Link

Don’t Stop Me Now - Queen 

[smokedmirrors]

HYUKJAE'S LYNKMATEFINDER

describe yourself in three words.

loyal, motivated, and proactive.

what do you think is your greatest strength, and what is one flaw you’re working on?

my greatest strength has to be my willpower; i don't give up or give in easily. as for flaws? if i have a flaw, i'd rather surprise everyone with my new and improved self than announce it beforehand.

what does your ideal day off look like?

i'd start with a work out at the gym, then spend most of my day at the beach back home in busan. i'd end the day with a good meal with friends.

when you’re feeling stressed or tired, how do you usually recharge?

instead of taking time off, i usually face the situation that is causing me stress or tiredness head-on to re-energize myself. but when i have to take time off, spending time with friends is the best way to recharge.

are you more of an early bird or a night owl?

night owl. i like the night time, but i'm also good at adjusting according to my schedule.

do you prefer planning ahead or going with the flow?

planning ahead for the long-term, but going with the flow for the short-term.

when meeting someone new, are you more likely to start the conversation or wait for them?

i'll start the conversation. i don't see a reason to wait.

what is one item you cannot live without, and why is it important to you?

i'm resourceful enough to live without any item other than food and water if i need to. it may sound like a cop-out, but i'm being honest. i'm more important to myself than any item could be.

if you weren’t an idol, what career do you think you’d have?

an athlete.

if you could instantly master one skill, what would it be?

i'd like to master speaking a language i don't speak very well, like japanese, mandarin, or spanish, so that i can communicate with more people more easily.

what quality do you value most in a friendship?

loyalty.

do you enjoy trying new concepts, or do you prefer to stick with concepts you’ve done before?

i prefer the challenge of trying new concepts a bit more. i could get stale as a performer if i only did the same thing all the time.

what moment made you think “this is why i became an idol”?

when i bought my mom her own place.

what role do you naturally take within your group?

as the main vocalist, i like to think of myself as a firm and reliable foundation.

which is more difficult for you: asking for help or accepting help?

i prefer to figure things out myself, so, i don't like asking for help.

when something doesn’t go as planned on stage, how do you usually respond?

i assess the situation and whether it will truly affect the performance or if it can be handled later. i learned early on to anticipate randomness on stage, and the risk of the unexpected helps to make each stage unique.

when making a decision, do you tend to follow your heart or your head?

a mix of both. you have to listen to your head first, but if your heart tells you it's wrong, there's a reason why.

do you get more satisfaction from working towards a goal or reaching the end result more? why?

reaching the end result. the work is more important, but it wouldn't be as satisfying without a good end result.

what kind of legacy do you hope you leave behind?

i want to be remembered as a legendary idol.

complete the sentence: “i feel most like myself when…”

i feel most like myself when i'm on stage. the adrenaline of being on stage makes me feel ten times more alive, even to this day.

[smokedmirrors]

mix & match, with @suntidals

after thirteen years, hyukjae sometimes feels more at home under hot lights with cameras pointed at him than he does in the privacy of his own home. it's something about the buzz of producers and assistants and the inevitability of eyes turning to him that feels so familiar now, even when he's placed across from someone he doesn't really know.

he's well aware of i:ris. he'd be negligent not to keep up with other idol groups when so much of success in the industry relies on knowing the right people and maintaining relevance. he has details filed away in his mind on all the big names, and i:ris is no exception: kh rookies, their bumpy beginning, yoon sunyoung's varying levels of involvement. with the cameras rolling, he's all business as he enters the set, but those filed-away details float only in the back of his mind, of little use for producing fan content like this. his smile radiates with practiced friendly warmth as he approaches yubin and bows his head politely.

"it's nice to meet you. i'm han hyukjae. i really liked your last comeback." as if to prove it, he mumbles the sample and moves his shoulders just enough to resemble the post-chorus choreography to someone who was really looking for it. quickly, though, his attention turns to the props laid out for their use.

"to be honest, i tried to get someone to sneak me a peek at the flashcards earlier, but they were so secretive that i'm dying to know what's on them."

[smokedmirrors]

sorry to everyone who has been waiting on me for plotting messages while i revamped hyukjae, but he does have a plots page now that's more organized than my stream of consciousness in his intro. if you see anything that might work for you, feel free to reach out! i'm going to be working through all my plotting messages asap!

[smokedmirrors]

letter to my future self.

dear han hyukjae of lynk con 2027,

so, it's been a year since you were the version of you (me? us?) that's writing you this letter. i wonder what you think about me. do you think, "that's when i was at my happiest" or "he has no idea what's coming soon"? that's one of the frustrating things, isn't it? never knowing what parts of the future are bright and which ones to look out for. that's why you always have to keep working hard. as always, i am working hard these days. harder than the han hyukjae of 2025, but not as hard as you.

i hope you think fondly of me, but i also hope you look at me and think i'm just a little bit worse than you are—a slightly less stable singer, a slightly less interesting performer, a slightly worse son.

actually, i don't like you thinking you're so much better than me. stop it, old man.

2027. that year must have seemed so far away back when we were a trainee. we thought of debut as the end of our worries. and i wasn't completely wrong. there's not nearly as much to worry about these days. maybe your worries are even smaller.

you're in your 30s now. again, something that once seemed so far away. i always thought i'd be at my sexiest in my 40s, though, so you have a ways to go. you're still climbing to your peak! so keep holding on. you're one year closer. you didn't do anything dumb with your hair or style, did you? of course not. you're still me. why is that so easy to forget?

i do think about you a lot these days, actually. but i also think about the han hyukjae of 2030 and the han hyukjae of 2050 and the 100 year-old han hyukjae in 2097. i think about axis of those times, too. a 2097 axis song must sound a lot like "yet to come". i think i could handle another "on" at 100, but you have to think of the hyungs, you know. not everyone's stamina and good looks will last as well into old age as yours will.

tell me, did you make your solo debut? did you star in a drama people will reference decades from now? have you won an award at the grammys and at baeksang? if not, what have been doing?! if you have, why aren't you working on your second? stop wasting your time reading this letter and get back to work!

[smokedmirrors]

MY LYNKLIST: HAN HYUKJAE'S FAVORITES

track one. yet to come (the most beautiful moment) - axis.

"our latest release, so of course it's here. it contains axis's feelings about the last thirteen years and our hopes for the future. navi have made each step of our time together our most beautiful moment."

track two. bite me - hiraeth.

"navi have heard me say before that i'm jealous hiraeth got to do this song. i suppose it doesn't fit axis's color as well as hiraeth's, but if i ever get the opportunity to cover it, i will. of course, no one else could do it like they did it. it's the kind of melody that you can't get out of your head after you've heard it."

track three. smart - callista.

"callista impresses me every time they have a comeback, but this is one of my personal favorites even among everything they have released. it shows many different sides of their image at once and not everyone can do that so expertly.."

track four. o.o - evo.

"evo are the youngest of our label, but they're so talented. they're able to make even very complex performances look natural. it's impossible to perform like they do without complete confidence in themselves and each other, which makes this all the more impressive as a debut and it's also why i like this one so much."

track five. i need u - axis.

"this song is special for axis and navi because it was our first music show win, so i go back to listen to it a lot. it wasn't always easy for us as rookies, but navi were always by our side and we just wanted to repay them with good music. listening to it now reminds me of being young and foolish. it's very nostalgic."

track six. be natural - trixie.

"i remember listening to this song when it came out and i thought trixie were really cool for covering a song like this so early in their careers and pulling it off well. both trixie's version and the original are really worth listening to if you haven't in a while."

track seven. boombayah - divine.

"this one is pretty legendary, so i'm sure everyone has heard it. sometimes, you need to listen to a song that reminds you to 'let it all go' and live in the moment, whether that's because of the lyrics or just because of how the music is. divine is one of the best artists at those kinds of songs."

track eight. more & more - serene.

"you can't make a playlist of idol music without a serene song, and more & more is my favorite of their songs. with it being summer now, this is the song i suggest listening to."

track nine. i'm him - riiot.

"the hook of this song is fun. i recommend this song for anyone who wants to increase their energy. it's a good song to listen to while working out in the morning."

track ten. my type - axis.

"if i started with our most recent song, i have to end with our debut. becoming a part of axis was the turning point of my life and this one song started it all. i remember the release of this song so vividly still."

[smokedmirrors]

LYNK ARTIST PROFILE: HAN HYUKJAE

Han Hyukjae (한혁재) is a South Korean idol and actor under Adagio Label. He is a member of the idol group Axis.

Official SNS: Instagram: @/hyukfolio TikTok: @/hyukjae

Stage Name: Han Hyukjae (한혁재) Birth Name: Han Hyukjae (한혁재) Position(s): Main vocalist, lead dancer, sub rapper, maknae Birthday: April 15, 1997 Zodiac Sign: Aries Chinese Zodiac Sign: Fire Ox Height: 187 cm (6′2″) Blood Type: O MBTI: ESTP Nationality: Korean Hometown: Busan, South Korea Representative Emoji: 🐺 / 👑 Fun Facts: – Before his debut with Axis, he worked as a child model and a fitting model. – He was on his middle school’s soccer and basketball teams. – When he joined Adagio at 13, he was already 183cm / 6′ tall. – His hobbies include rock climbing and boxing. – One activity he'd like to try is motocross. – He has a motorcycle license. – He wants to get a private pilot license one day. – One of his first big purchases after Axis got popular was a vintage Chanel handbag for his mom. – His most treasured item is a ring he often wears on a chain around his neck. His mother and grandmother gave it to him when Axis won their first daesang. – He has a mixed breed terrier named Benji and a miniature poodle mix named Bomi. – His favorite colors are gold and black. – The most important person to him is his mother. – If he could bring one item with him to a deserted island, he wouldn't bring anything because it would be more fun to start from scratch. – He has a black belt in taekwondo. – His favorite idol group used to be Rush, but now it's Callista. – His favorite Axis comebacks are "Blood Sweat & Tears" and "Fake Love". – The number one Axis song he would recommend to someone is his solo song "My Time". – If he wasn't a celebrity, he would be an extreme sports athlete. – Two of his favorite albums are Rihanna's Anti and The Weeknd's After Hours. – According to him, his best physical traits are his eyes and his body proportions. - His nicknames include Hyuk-cci (due to his former ambassador role for Gucci), golden maknae, and giant maknae. – He wants to play a villain in a drama or film one day. – His ideal type is someone he can't help but want to get to know.

[allmypoetry]

👓