AN DAEUL
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ABOUT MUSE
NAME: An Daeul. STAGE NAME: N/A. FACECLAIM: Park Jihoon, actor/soloist. BIRTHDAY: March 21st, 2000. CANON: N/A. DEBUT DATE: October 2022. AGENCY: Secret Garden. OCCUPATION(S): Influencer, model, personality. CAREER PAGE: Epitome.
BACKGROUND:
After she gave birth, Daeul’s mother decided she wasn’t ready to start a family, and in haste, she laid him in the arms of his father; trusting him with their son from that point onward. Young and clueless, An Ho-su had no choice but to grin and bear it; never wanting to send his son into a flawed and broken system.
Instead, he accepted the challenge, and dedicated his life to providing for his child. However, he couldn’t do it alone, and luckily for him, he had the help of his entire family, especially his beloved mother.
It took a village to raise An Daeul, one that molded him into the man he is today. He likes to say that he has all the best parts of his dad, and his grandmother, and even his uncles and aunts, but also, unbeknownst to him, he possesses parts of his mother, too.
He’ll discover more about that later on in life, though.
His first ever memory is watching his grandmother dive into the sea. He was terrified, and his father had to hold him back from diving in after her, but the instant he saw her come back up to the surface, all of his worries came to a screeching halt. It was right then, in that moment, that he realized that she is fearless, and her bravery cemented itself into his being right then and there.
If she can confidently charge into the water, then he could certainly do anything he set his mind to, too, and she drove that point home to him on a daily basis. It’s always been her philosophy that, life can only be lived to the fullest when a person experiences no fear. Sure, it’s human nature to be afraid of things, but forcing oneself to fight off the headlock of terror takes strength; tenacity. His grandmother taught him to be tough, and for that, he’s forever indebted to her.
However, what everyone forgot to realize is that, strength can manifest itself in many different ways, and in An Daeul, it equipped him with an independence, an individuality, that’s assertive, powerful, but at the same time, extraordinarily different, too—one that still forces him to stand up for what he believes is right even today. It has instilled in him an unrelenting fighting spirit, one he’s learned to manipulate into a sweet-talking charm.
This is where his mother’s influence comes in.
Much like the woman who birthed him, it’s impossible to dislike him, and it’s because he asserts himself with a certain romance, an almost poetic flair. This is a skill he mastered throughout his youth, and now as an adult, his speech is mellifluous, fine-tuned, and provocative.
His mouth has won him many arguments, has scored him many lovers, and has talked its way out of being punched in the face quite a few times, as well. It’s what got him through his military service, and what convinced his family that leaving Jeju Island for awhile would be a transformative experience for him; one to learn and grow from. Like his mother, he’s an adventurer, and his endless curiosity doesn’t want him confined to the familiarity his hometown; not forever.
His mouth also got his family to accept that he’s gay, and that he also likes dolling himself in dramatic makeup from time-to-time, despite their traditional beliefs. They make it no secret that he confuses them, and they worry about him being all alone in the city, but he is who he is, and he refuses to be anyone else, especially to the people who are supposed to love him no matter what. It’s their choice if they want to remain in his life, and adopting this state of mind has blessed him with a freedom seldom felt by many others in his country.
Daring to be an individual within a collectivist society is essentially selecting “hard mode” in the game of life, but he’s up for the challenge. In a way, he sort of just… does whatever he wants; acts first and learns from his mistakes later. Daeul thinks it’s a waste of time to worry, or to overthink, and he practices living dangerously in the moment. That’s why when he was direct-messaged by a casting agent for a reality TV program, one who promised him a legitimate opportunity to mingle with other single men in the area, he said yes with no hesitation whatsoever.
Now, he wasn’t expecting anything to come out of this. In truth, he thought it would be a fun, once-in-a-lifetime experience; a fond memory to look back on when he’s older; a way to introduce himself as the talented professional makeup artist he’s become. Would it put him beneath a microscope, to a degree? Sure, but he was fine with that, as he genuinely never thought the show would gain traction.
After the season aired, however, the response it received was highly positive; his presence in it, alone, enough to cause hearts to flutter all across the country. All at once, he experienced a rise in notoriety that he honestly never expected, and before he gave himself too much time to think about it, he signed a contract with Secret Garden.
They told him that they could help him build a career that only few lucky people get a chance at, and with the world at his fingertips, he thought, why the hell not? Overnight, his life transformed into one that he’s still wrapping his head around, and it’s all moved so fast, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. All he can hope is that he’s making a difference somehow; that he’s giving his life meaning.
If his existence in the world of entertainment helps normalize people like him to the general public of South Korea, even to a small degree, he’ll be satisfied. For now though, he’s trying not to get lost in the limelight; remaining strong against its ever-so-tempting dark-side. Let’s hope he can keep his head above water. If his grandmother taught him as well as he thinks she did, he’ll be just fine.
IMAGE:
An Daeul is a sweet-talker; a charmer; a modern-day Casanova. He weaves poetic stanzas with his verbiage, and wins the hearts of all who he encounters. He’s also a painter, one who utilizes delicate palettes to create works of art on his preferred canvas: the facial structure of human beings. He’s a being that wows his viewers with striking visuals, and stuns even further when he unveils his bold and colorful personality.
To women, he’s the quintessential best friend; one who is beautiful enough to possibly steal your man if you don’t keep an eye on him.
To men, he’s very perplexing, yet teasing—poking enough fun at them for their wariness of him to get them to play into the joke; if they’re uncertain, that is. To men like him, he’s desirable; delectable; a voice that needs to be heard. He wears that title with pride, and uses his signature way-with-words to advocate for his community.
He’s multifaceted, an artist. He’s someone that’s easy to respect and grow fond of, even for the most conservative of people. He leans on his likability a lot, hoping it doesn’t falter, and so far, it’s worked rather well for him. He just hopes that no one unlocks his temper.
His mouth can turn into a dangerous weapon, it can be reckless, and he knows that one unfortunate slip of the tongue could be enough to land him in scalding hot water. So, for now, he’s careful, and kind, and only shows the best sides of himself—aiming to win literally everyone who tunes into his content over with his cozy, convivial vibe.