hello, lovelyz !!! 💖💖 i'm very excited to be here !! and to introduce you to park areum (aka nana): dandelion’s maknae, lead vocal and energy pill ! she’s mostly a very sunshine-y baby that thinks if she smiles brightly enough she can blind herself and other people to the issues she should probably deal with ! she’s also the famous niece of the even more famous wishbone’s ceo park dongwoo (no, they’re not that close and no, she can’t get you an autograph, please, she can barely look at him in the eye) ! under the cut has a quick rundown about her so please like this post if you’d like me to pop in your ims and feel free to slide into mine too if anything grabs your attention 💖💖💖💖
𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 | 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞 | 𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐲 | 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞
she was born on october 19th 2002 so she's a libra baby and 19 y/o (international age). because she's an only child, she was thoroughly doted by her parents so she can be a little spoiled.
as it's said everywhere she's a very upbeat girl, full of smiles and fun remarks, is very much an extrovert and easily get along with people (read: perfect for variety shows).
but she also knows how to tone it down and chill, but sort of still with that smile on her feel, you feel.
very caring too. part of it is because she actually cares and worries and the other is because if she focus on your problems and issues, she doesn't have to focus on hers 🤡
a big anime and webtoon fan, so come talk one piece with her. 🥺🥺
she's that type of lucky™ person: always got the "get one free" stick on her popsicle, always won in any sort of lottery she participated, when she didn't study for an exam or test, it either was all about things she already knew or it was cancelled (or even when she was guessing the answer, she guessed it right), always grabbed the attention of the important people and ended up being surrounded by friends, basically everything always turned well for her no matter what. or most of it anyway.
but because of that, most if not everything on her life doesn't really feel earned? which is the start of her impostor syndrome that is going to get much worse as times go on but she ignores it with a smile on her face because
she feels like she can't complain/be upset about it because it feels too much like she's complaining for no good reason. she feels like she's complaining literally ?? because she's too lucky ?? is she serious ?? yes, yes she is
so she copes with it by trying her best to repress those feelings and just get that happy go lucky and happy attitude.
and then she gets into wishbone and tbh she never thought that her uncle being one of the ceo was a big deal ?? there are other two who could veto her audition if this was nepotism but they didn't she thought she was ok and they were never ridiculously close anyway.
spoiler: she wasn't ok— to this day ahreum doesn't know if his uncle really accepted her just because they're family or not (she's too intimidated by him and their situation to ask) because way too many people started talking about how that's a possibility that ended up in an accusation + that nagging feeling of hers that she never gets anything because of her efforts but because the universe just likes her that much. ant that's the perfect combination for disaster.
so she can't really interact with ceo park unless it's super awkward and stiff, treating him more like her boss than anything else. she even calls him park ceo-nim.
basically a very loved and loving girl who hides her "bad" feelings as much as she can until they explode on her face or someone forces them out of her.
the imitation of his own part in crescent’s song perks a smiles onto his lips, finding the bravery in her rookie soul admirable. marco remembers the days of having been freshly debuted as a suffering trainee and having been urged every other second to do something just as traumatising to his pride and confidence as this. though, this time ahreum was doing it willingly, which baffles not only his subconscious mind but also the hairs that stand along his forearm. his smile only growing to a grin, though feigned it was well practiced enough to appear genuine. a small clap that follows as he applauds her short performance, “are you sure you’re not the main rapper?” a chuckle that follows.
and as the show begins, and the hosts prompt ahreum to talk about crescent as she had just prior, the same grin that perked at his corners, appears again. crescents forming at his features as he turns to give her his undivided attention, the movements and the rap line, the everything was a little too much for marco to handle. even for the vitamin of his own group, ahreum was a force to be reckoned with. he makes sure to give her the loudest applaud he could muster up, as the mcs move to question him. “she’s even better than me. i feel a little threatened, honestly.” a chuckle, “i was saying earlier, there’s no way she isn’t the main rapper of her group.” some accompanying laughter following his words as the mcs nod in agreement, comments about how they agreed with him resonated throughout the cast.
the laughter subsides and the mcs move on to their next segment, introducing the guests as the entire sequence plays out. the introduction of younger female sitting talking about her dreams of pursuing a career as a trainee to become an accomplished idol. words of self importance, laced by overconfidence bleeding from each syllable that lashes from her mouth, as if she was certain she would make it big in an industry as luck based as this. it doesn’t help that marco finds humour in her words, and lets a tiny smirk perk at his lips as she speaks about her aspirations. it was almost too cruel to shatter her dreams. though, the mcs keep it alive and support her through her monologue, invites her to the stage to give a small performance and marco catches a glimpse of the side eye she gives to ahreum. marco placing his microphone down in front of him, turns to ahreum and whispers, “it’s one of those.” an eye roll, as friendly as one can get.
marco already knows what kind of guest this was, already knows that her performance would either be a massive flop or mediocre at best. the mcs ask her how she feels about marco and ahreum being idols, and how she views their careers thus far. she gives a blunt response of, ‘oh, i don’t follow crescent or dandelion. i wouldn’t know to comment.’ she sounds slightly proud of herself, as the response receives a audible gasp from the audience as well as the mcs, to which marco chuckles. “i’m not sure how i’ll recover from this.”
even though it doesn't show, ahreum does worry about people not reacting to her clearly for comedic antics. of course that she wasn't half as nervous when she was doing it only for marco moments before the cameras were rolling, because it anything they could just move on from her awkward stunt and pretend that never happened (after all, it wasn't like there would be any record of it anyway). so she's more than relieved when all the mcs and audience reacts nicely to her imitation of marco, is relieved that the other does get along with it and they go smoothly to their first story of the shooting.
it's something pretty cliche, someone who wants to be an idol but can't for this or that reason. it makes her sympathize a little, nudges her sensitive spot that while she got what she wanted so easily (or that's what feels like considering how everyone gossips around her) and then there was this poor girl who was trying her hardest and even then wasn't getting results, but her sympathy can only last for so long when the way that the guest talks about how she's so confident that she has the skills and the charisma to make it big in the industry, that for some reason the companies are missing a great opportunity in not giving her a chance rubs her the wrong way a little. there's some color of arrogance painting her words that makes ahreum a little uncomfortable.
eebut of course that she still smiles, still pretends that she's listening and caring about what this girl has to say even if she knows what she's going to say next, especially when not only because of how this girl`s way of speak bothers her but because she has seen those kind of trainees before and she knows that they usually don`t last long before they break by the reality that is the idol training and the cruelty of the industry, that most of the time they aren`t even half as "talented" as they say they are. that's why she's almost zoning out with that same smile on her face when marco whispers on her ear. it takes her so off guard that ahreum has to fake a cough to cover the soft amused sound that escapes her lips, something between a chuckle and a snort.
ahreum takes down her own mic for a moment, especially when the mcs and the audience is too busy entertained by the guest. "yeah, it's going to be—" bad, is what she wants to say but ahreum knows it's too risky even if no one seems to be paying attention to them, so instead she goes with "fun." even if by the tone of her voice it`s very clear that she means something else and it's very obvious what word she'd be like to be using instead, though for anyone else they'd seem like they're just having a harmless little talk, just a junior and a senior who are getting along well.
and then their attention is demanded back to the guest and ahreum feigns hurt when the other girl answers that she doesn't follow dandelion and crescent (dandelion she sort of understands, but crescent? they're the kings of this generation of kpop and that was the hill that ahreum would die on). "it's ok, i'm ok" she sniffs very dramatically, contrarying her words. "i think this just means i have to work harder."
but, the girl says after the audience gives a good laugh both with marco and the dandelion maknae's words, and for some reason ahreum feels dread filling her stomach, from the things i've heard about dandelion it doesn't seem like nana-sshi needs to work that hard and ahreum knows that this is a joke (or maybe a stab covered as a joke), because she knows variety shows enough that she's sure no one would say that to her face and be serious about it, but her laugh doesn't come and ahreum is stuck with a half smile, especially when the girl keeps going.
if at level she can debut even if just because of her uncle, i can definitely debut too since i actually have the talent for it. or maybe this isn't exactly what she says, because no one would be this bold, ahreum is almost sure. maybe this is her just projecting her own insecurities, triggered by a badly made joke but she still freezes. she thinks she can hear the mcs trying to laugh it off, to move on so the awkwardness won't last long enough to cling for the rest of the shooting and ahreum knows that she should also laugh it off, to smile, to say something like a funny retort, perhaps to own up to the joke, but she's frozen, her brain blank to how she should react to it, what she should say.
at this point she just wants to go home. she knows that she can't, but that doesn't stop her from wanting to at least disappear in some way anyway.
“that wasn’t my fault,” he defends, just like he did back then—headstrong and tireless in his attempts to wash the blame from his hands. then again, hyeon had intended for her to miss 1st period. his own track record was already lousy enough that he’d even thought they might miss class together, sit in some corner and watch videos on his phone or maybe he’d go over her schedule with her and promise that he knew exactly where each and every one of her next classes were so that he could still come out as the hero in the end. (in retrospect, nothing ever really played out how he had intended for it to.)
sometimes he feels sorry when he looks at her. not pitiful, just like maybe he should’ve treated her better back then, given her more reasons to keep hanging on when his life was going downhill. suppose that that’s why they’d fallen out of touch, anyway: her always trying, him always expecting more. but they’re older now and while the energy between them feels just the same, he’s matured. odds are that she has too, even though there’s something so painstakingly familiar in the way she brushes off her emotions. again, he feels sorry. wonders if she’d be quicker to open up if he were more emotionally intelligent. a break from practice—right. “in other words, you’re slacking off.” it’s a taunt, spoking casually and through a devilish grin. of course he doesn’t mean it, and of course it isn’t the case, but what more is there to say when she won’t even toss out any crumbs?
so he lets her take the lead for now. if someone had snuck up on him and immediately started prying into their privacy, he probably wouldn’t want to talk either, and he doesn’t think that they’ve reconnected quite enough for him to get back to pushing his luck just yet.
“nah, wishbone and yuseong are currently fighting for my loyalty. wishbone offers more creative freedom, but yuseong’s more consistent and i’ve already signed their contract. it’ll take me a decade to pay off the breakage fee. oh, woe is me.” he leans his head back, stares at the far-away ceiling for a few long seconds and sighs. it’s all a matter of putting on a show, whether she’s looking at him or not. the theatrics never cease. still, he wonders if she’d believe if she’d believe the story if he’d told it with more certainty, or if he’d just look pretentious.
he certainly feels pretentious when he tells her the truth, though: “i’ve been working on something.” and he’s not sure whether the embarrassment comes from, because he’s so quick to seek praise & validation from anybody else. always hyeon, the try-hard. but with her, he’s still just hyeon. not much to speak of, but ambitious all the same. head down, he continues. “i helped write and produce one of blue.m’s songs, you know. humph or whatever. i made some connections through that, and now i’m working on something for you. well, for your group, but same thing, right?”
he laughs under his breath, a sound that’s stuck somewhere between smug and sheepish. somehow, even his truth sounds like a lie, so he refrains from discussing the matter any further. whether she’s a member of the group or not, he probably shouldn’t be talking about the project anyway, nda and all.
“back to you, though. i can’t help but feel like if you were really just trying to take a break, there are much better places you could do that, right? it’s a small company, but not so small that you should end up here.”
being with hyeon is easy, ahreum remembers, even with their differences so stark clear that if people were to put them into a metaphor, ahreum would be the sun and hyeon would be the moon. but still, being with him is easy; easier than she thought it'd be considering how they drift away from each other but in that moment it felt almost like they were back in high school, teasing and bantering with each other; one cheering the other up without much of a struggle, because ahreum already has a smile on her face, albeit small, even when hyeon is accusing her of slacking off. "i'm not!" and she shoves hyeon by his shoulder gently again. "breaks are also important! i need to keep my body in top shape so i can also give a top performance." she says like she's giving hyeon a lecture, even resting her hands on waist for a moment.
but then she can't keep that posture for long, not when ahreum can't help the giggles that escapes her lips with the way that the bluem member is being so dramatic. the lead vocalist teases him, slouching forwards so she can rest her crossed arms on top of her knees, resting her head on top of them with a shit eating smile. "you know, you'd have done great in the drama club back in high school."
ahreum does perk up, leaving all teasing and amused demeanor behind, when hyeon admits to be working on something and it seems to be something important considering how the other is being sheepish about this (something that she hasn't seen in a while), it almost makes her want to tease again if not for the fact that he keeps going and, "ya!" ahreum widens her eyes in surprise before they sparkle with sheer excitement and also because she's so proud of her friend, so genuinely happy that hyeon is getting his productions out there even if it's little by little. "isn't that a big thing?! hyeonnie, that's amazing, you are amazing!" she even shakes hyeon a little by his shoulders, the affectionate way she used to call the other escaping from her lips like it always belonged there.
"and how come i'm only knowing about this now?!" then she narrows her eyes and presses her lips in a thin line like that's going to hold back the grin that is threatening to appear on her lips, pinching hyeon's cheeks as 'punishment' for keeping it from her, even if he most likely didn't do it on purpose, until her eyes melt into the softest shade of brown, her teasing demeanor being replaced by something more affectionate, endeared (and if her heart skips a beat when he tells her that he’s making a song for her, for her group, then there’s no one there to call her out on it, especially when she shrugs it off as just being overall happy for her friend) and just honestly— "but really, congratulations, hyeon." because she means it, because she knows how much it means to hyeon and how much the other craves validation and praise, something that ahreum tried to not be stingy about with him (even though it was hard not teasing hyeon sometimes). "you deserve it, both the recognition of your work and the opportunity. you know that, right?"
and of course that hyeon still hasn't let go of the fact that ahreum was crying in an empty and dusty staircase. she stiffly turns back to fancing the stairs and not hyeon (not really knowing when she turned around to face him, probably when she was shaking his shoulders), eyes averted to the ground instead of the boy by her side. "ah," she starts picking at her hangnails. "it's just a little noisy out there and i wanted some silence."
then ahreum wonders if hyeon has heard any of the gossip in the hallways in the way to that staircase, if he knows any of the accusations going around about her and her uncle; though of course he should know, it's hard not to, but even then dread drowns ahreum to her core, an uneasiness that gets her to not realize when she picks at one hangnail in particular a little hard enough that breaks her skin. "you," she starts careful, wonders if hyeon agrees with them, if he'd at least tell her to her face that he agrees with them considering how he has always been blunt. "you haven't heard anything weird, have you? on the way here? like from the trainees?"
“What, huh - “ the pencil he’d been balancing on his upper lip falls into his open palm, drowsy eyes rolling to blink back at Ahreum. “Me?!” he gasps, sliding his chair a bit closer as he tugs his phone from his pocket. “Hide him from you? Never. “
He makes quick work of pulling up his photo gallery, elbows resting on the edge of the table as he tilts the phone for her view. “I think Marmalade’s adjusting well! He still cries at my window at night, which… I’m sure the others aren’t too happy about. But I usually just crack it a bit and he’s back to sleeping, see!” He flips through a few photos of model Marmalade. The orange tabby looks practically ethereal, stretched out on Danny’s nightstand under a blanket of moonlight ( or well, streetlights - ethereal nonetheless ).
“Every once and a while he darts out of the dorm if I’m not paying attention, but luckily no one’s been home when he does. If my manager finds him…” he trails off, cheeks puffed as he flips through a few photos of Marmalade wearing one of his beanies. Or rather, Marmalade’s head being swallowed by bright blue fabric. “I wish it wasn’t such a big deal… Cats are so low maintenance! And not a distraction at all.” He huffs, sliding his phone into Ahreum’s hand so she can continue to browse while he rests his cheek on the table with a pout. “It’s not fair. All these rules…”
He raises an eyebrow inquisitively, “How are things at Wishbone? Can you all have pets? Maybe you could babysit Marm when schedules pick up again?”
ahreum looks way too much like the cat that caught the mouse when her little theatrics work and danny is whipping out his phone to show her more pictures of his recently adopted kitten, script now completely forgotten and with zero chances of getting any attention from her anymore. the dandelion maknae might be a little biased but marmalade is one of the sweetest and cutest kittens she has ever seen and she feels it's almost unfair that only danny gets to spend so much time with the kitten (which... made sense considering he was the owner and everything, but don't call her out on it) and ahreum only got pictures and sometimes a couple of videos if the kitten was doing something more adventurous.
so of course that she bothers danny to show her all the pictures and videos that he can since that's what she mostly gets.
"aw," ahreum automatically coos at the cutest pictures on the phone. "look at him." the kitten is just too cute, so cute that it almost makes her want to cry, she's probably the personafication of that pleading emoji. "do you think it's because he gets a little too warm?" she wonders the reason why marmalade would cry at the window and stop when danny opens it even if just a little, or maybe it could be something related to the times before the bluem member took the kitten in? who knows.
the dandelion maknae agrees wholehearted and express it through a heavy sigh. she also doesn't understand what is the point of them not being able to have pets (though she's completely biased and if it were for her, dandelion's dorm would be full of kittens and puppies), especially when they work so hard and have so little things they can fully enjoy during their free time, besides— "we're always under so much pressure for being idols, i think we deserve a little of kitten therapy." but then she does get a little distracted when she sees marmalade with a blue beanie. "he's so cute." she coos again, taking the phone to see the rest of the pictures. "can i send this one to myself?" she asks permission, showing the picture with blue beanie. "i want to make it my wallpaper."
"we can't. at least not yet." probably when they're able to get their own apartments. "i think chorong unnie is keeping a kitten, though i have yet to gather conclusive evidence." and that made ahreum want to sneak in a kitten for herself even more, but then she always refrains from it because if it leaks (not even necessarily to the media), people will start talking that she's allowed to have a pet when no one else can because her uncle is giving her privileges even if most likely she'd have to get rid of the kitten just like anyone else. she hates that every single movement that she does, people find a way to link it back to her uncle, to accuse that she's having it easier than everyone else and she'd rather not give them even more reason, no matter how unreasonable the whole situation is, to come for her.
"but i could still babysit marmalade." but of course that ahreum still won't deny that, eyes sparkling with excitement and perhaps a little bit of pleading. "i promise to look after him extra well, crack the window open every night and always send you pictures." she promises— vows.
the disappointment on her face was unveiled promptly, and Jiwoo realized he might have said too much. But knowing her based on the background alone, a taste of honest opinion would be better than sugar-coated words. She might have had the good things in life–which now were used against her just because of her connection with the higher ups–but Jiwoo knew best she just wanted to be accepted like everyone else.
Because that was also the end of the story he wanted to achieve: to be accepted as who he is. While it would never be easy, since there were things he refused to reveal yet, but having a person who would encourage you to go beyond your own limit would be a glorious stepping stone. Jiwoo had not found his person yet, but he could be one for someone else, for now. Ahreum needed a spark of assurance that she could be good at what she was doing, at least Jiwoo could do that for her.
“Sounds like a good plan. I’m not used to this thing so if you need extra help, let me know,” Jiwoo assured. Being in the kitchen was not a foreign activity for him. He had made his own meals ever since he was young since nobody in the household back then could do it properly for him. Cooking was a short therapy from his compulsive behavior. He could be satisfied with a cup of instant noodles rather than a fancy dinner in one night. Tossing different measurement for the seasoning was the most fun part. He could end up with a sweet scrambled egg or a salty soft tofu stew, Jiwoo would mind. Cooking was an experience, yet he believed baking was a different thing. Once you messed up a step, you would end up in a failure. The thought of practicing it stressed him out already.
“Anyways, what should I do now? As long as I don’t have to work on measuring in the ingredients, I’m good–” Jiwoo was rolling up his sleeves, preparing himself to help making another batch when those lean arms suddenly wrapped around his torso. He froze on his stance, didn’t know what to do to reciprocate such gesture. “Well…thank you?” he chuckled, feeling the warmth creeping up his nape. “Let’s do this. You can do this!”
with renewed enthusiasm and motivation, ahreum doesn't waste any more time in getting the ingredients together again, especially now that she had the help of jiwoo on the actual making process and not just the tasting one. maybe with the other's magic hands getting involved, the dandelion maknae will finally make something more edible this time. or at least that's what she's praying that is going to happen. or at least, considering how cute jiwoo is being for getting shy with a simple hug and praise from ahreum, how he's trying to be cheerful even if it's most likely only for ahreum's sake, she thinks it'll work regardless.
she goes back to separating the ingredients that they need for a new batch, making sure she's getting everything so she can start measuring them since jiwoo himself said that part isn't exactly his forte. "sure!" and then ahreum gives him the dry ingredients already in their right measures. "here, mix these together in that bowl. then i'll pass you the wet ingredients to mix all of them together." ahreum instructs, already feeling a little more confident now that she has jiwoo with her, also being sure that the other would warn her if she started doing something wrong or that could ruin their new attempt at cookies.
and soon enough she also gives jiwoo the wet ingredients. "here, just mix everything until they're one batter." ahreum also takes the chance that she has a helping hand, she can also focus on lowering the temperature of the oven like she said she'd (hopefully to avoid having them burn again) and also to put the cookies they already have baked into some cute bag so jiwoo could take them since he said he wanted. ahreum was almost sure that he either hasn't tasted them properly and thinks they're better than they actually are or because he's simply trying to be nice and not throw them away in front of ahreum, whichever the case is, she's grateful that jiwoo is at least trying, appreciates that he's trying to protect her feelings like that.
"let me know when you're done." she says while trying to tie a cute ribbon on it, after all, it's for her manager. "so we can open the batter and try to make cute shapes out of it." because even if they taste badly, at least they'd have good visuals.
summary — ahreum is more than happy to promote seojin and everything but she also lowkey regrets some of her life choices.
mentions —@seojinws
words — 1954
ahreum shifts in front of the camera, her background being one of the wishbone's studios, pictures of seojin from more serious to silly ones taped into the wall and a wishbone staff staying behind the scenes to help her if she needs anything. there's also a computer in front of her, after all, she's doing a reaction to seojin's new music video. her original plan was to make a vlive, but then the staff reminded her that she wouldn't be able to put the music video to everyone to see so that sort of missed the whole point of this.
maybe she's being a little extra, especially with how she's dressed as the complete opposite of her sunshine imagery as dandelion's maknae. the less natural makeup, the leather jacket she's wearing and choker on her neck, the pleadged skirt decorated with chains and fishnets even though they won't show up in the frame anyway. but alas, the things she does for seoijn (even though when she first threw the idea at him, he did seem a little opposed to ahreum dressing up in a little more edgy style) and to promote his new album. the lead vocalist took it as her personal mission to promote seojin better than wishbone herself even if they already do a job of it, so even though some people (including seojin himself) might argue that she's going that extra mile; the whole point is for her to go that extra mile.
"hello, everyone!" she greets and waves excitedly at the camera when the staff gives her the ok. "i'm dandelion's lucky charm, nana."
"today!" and then she looks down at the computer, already looking for the tab in which seojin's music video should be already open. "we're here on a very special mission. i even dressed up for it. wanna see?" she looks at the camera again and even though she obviously doesn't get an answer, the lead vocalist is standing up and taking steps back from the camera so her outfit would be shown. "very spooky and cool, right?" she even twirls a little bit, possibly breaking anything that could be spooky about what she was wearing before sitting back down.
"but today we aren't talking about dandelion!" ahreum goes back to the main point of this whole video. "as we you can see," and she gestures to the pictures of seojin behind her. "our precious sen just released a new album called 'moodswings in this order' and it's amazing. every song is a masterpiece." ahreum's eyes sparkles with pride of the hardwork of her friend. "i also know that everyone worked really hard on it and the results are just awesome, so a round of applauses for sen's greatest new album!" and ahreum does little applauds because she doesn't want to be too loud and scolded for it, however, she does notice something weird and—
"staffnim," she whines, looking somewhere to the side of the camera. "you should applaud too! again!" ahreum orders like a director, hoping that editor cuts out this part (they don't, simply put a black and white filter on it and actually cut only the part that ahreum repeats her words before the recording continues to now her applauding with the staff still out of view). "great! now, sen released not one— but two! mvs for this album and we're going to react to so beautiful. the other one is no blueberries with blue.m's hyeon and ladybug's esther sunbaenim, so make sure to check both of them out!"
"but maybe if you guys really like this reaction i could do another for no blueberries and drag blue unnie to react to it with me." she offers, almost sure that the main rapper had little reasoning to be opposed to the idea as far as ahreum was concerned, especially the whole thing was thematic. yoojin's fruit was a blueberry so it just made sense even if everything was just a very nice coincidence.
"oook, so here we go." ahreum looks down at the computer and hits play on the video.
"wait, what?" is her first reaction, whatever sen was mumbling in english is a little too soft for her to fully catch it. so ahreum turns up the volume and repeats it, pauses it again just enough for her to translate what is being said and then she tilts her head to the side when she keeps the video coming and the indie artist appears soaked wet and going around like he can't firm his feet on the ground, seeming like the room around him keeps. "is this a boat or—"
and then seojin takes his shirt off.
and ahreum just stares blankly for a second too long, forgetting that she's supposed to be reacting and making this entertaining for everyone watching especially when this all is meant to be for people to watch the mvs by themselves more than once, but she can't also help how weird is seeing park seojin, someone who is a friend and the closest to the an older brother and dare she say father figure, in her company without his shirt. it's literally like seeing her actual dad half naked (though she does have to admit that seojin does have a better body than the older park).
she pauses the mv again and tries not to laugh as a reflection of the awkwardness that sinks in to her bones. the lead vocalist can't help but think that maybe she should've just watched the mv first to check those sort of things or at least have seojin warn her that it'd be barely 30 seconds in and ahreum already would want to close the video for the safety of her eyes and protection of her mental health as his daughter.
the staff notices that she's too silent for too long and asks quietly what is wrong. ahreum looks to the side again, can't help the chuckle that escapes even when she says it's nothing. the lead vocalist clears her throat and shifts on her seat. "ok, let's start again!" she calls out although there's something a little more stiff about her words painted in clearly forced excitement, how she pressing her lips into a thin line to try to control her smile.
so ahreum puts the video back to the start, a little after seojin mumbles in english so they're back on the boat and this time the dandelion maknae tries to focus on the dramatics of the scene, of the fact that seojin looks like he's agonizing over something, also probably in pain and it's a little easier to do that when the lights keep going on and off, when everything is black white so there isn't a lot of focus on the fact that the other is shirtless. besides she's sure that he isn't going to spend these sort of scenes will end soon and he won't spend that much time like that. "he's such a good actor." she comments. "did the boat sink and he died? and now he's reliving it?" ahreum also throws her theory from what she has seen from the video which to be fair isn't a lot.
the lead vocalist whistles to the melody of the song, dancing a little to one side to the other to the beat of it, then she sighs softly. "such a good song." she throws in. "the album really has this edgy aesthetic so it almost feels like it's going to be some sort of rock vibes, but it's sort of softer than that. i like it a lot."
and then ahreum is clearing her throat again, watching as seojin shows off his torso on his music video, and wonders if it's possible to see the pain in her eyes while she watches the other dance around shirtless in the video, going back and forth to that black and white set where at least seojin is soaked wet and wearing a leather jacket until it comes to the point that ahreum has to pause the video again.
"sen's body is..." the lead vocalist starts but finishes with a light chuckle that turns into an awkward laugh. she looks at the staff again then who seems to find amusement in ahreum's quiet suffering. "will we have to censor this?" ahreum asks in a playful tone but she sort of means every word anyway and they just laugh. "it's too much. how am i supposed to look at seojin in the eye after this?" she keeps going on, hopes that the editor will cut his part too, even if he once again doesn't. "does he hug his baby sister with that body?" ahreum takes a scandalized but still playful tone, even puts her hands on her waist.
then she looks back at the computer screen, hands still on her waist and ahreum contemplates if she should just give up on the whole thing, pretend that this vlog never happened, but then she looks at the time stamp on the video and she's already past half of it so it feels... a little of a waste. she might as well finish the whole thing and then whine at seojin for his half nudity and ask him to treat her for something as a way to make it up for her (even if deep inside that's all just an excuse for them to spend time together and ahreum to get free food on top of it).
"let's just finish this." and that's what she decides in the end.
surprisingly the mv goes smoothly, even with the still ridiculous amount of shirtless seojin, ahreum can focus on the aesthetic of the mv and trying to piece together the story behind it, throwing a comment here and there about what she thinks until the video ends with the gun sinking into water, apparently in the same room that the mv started.
the dandelion maknae applauds again when the mv ends. "ooh, so cool!" she coos and her words are sincere. "isn't it more interesting when you can make a lot of theories about the story than having something more straightforward?" ahreum asks for no one really.
"then!" her energy goes again, looking at the camera again. "i hope you enjoyed it as much as i did! and again please go check out sen's new album 'moodswings in this order', both of his mvs, this one and no more blueberries. and if you still have time, please check dandelion's new release peek a boo. all of them have a little of a spooky concept so it's just perfect for a halloween marathon!" nevermind that she's talking about music videos and not a series, much less a movie.
"don't forget on the comments if you'd like to have a part two—" and ahreum makes a two with one of her hands excitedly. "of this kind of reaction. and please show both dandelion and sen a lot of love, bye-bye!" she finishes the video in a more high pitched tone, clearly trying to act cute before the camera is cut off and she relaxes a little more on her seat for a moment.
since ahreum still has her manners, she stands up and bows, thanking the staff for their hardwork and making sure that the video was ok so it can be sent for the editor before deciding that she'd pay seojin a visit, after all, it'd be a pity to wait until whenever the video was going to be released to have the indie artist's reaction to ahreum's "new" style and of course to whine at him about her "loss of innocence" and how her eyes have been tainted because of him.
@wsahreum said: “i wish i could accept the compliment.”
it’s the first thing that geon hears when the door of his studio creaks open and his identification of the voice is instantaneous—it’s the nervous tremor that gives it away, he figures. not that he’d ever say as much to the girl it belongs to.
an unusual mix of curiosity & vigilance pushes him through the hallway until he finds ahreum and her uncle outside a practice room, almost like he’d pulled her from a session. maybe he had. either way, she looks uncomfortable and while geon doubts that the ceo’s intentions are bad, meaning well doesn’t erase anxiety. so he eases closer, shoulders squared in a subconscious display of defense while he formulates an excuse for interrupting their conversation.
it wouldn’t be believable to say that he’s sorry for falling behind when she looks to be fresh from practice. wouldn’t be believable to say that he’d called in an order for lunch, either, when the music still playing from the room suggests there are other trainees in the room. god forbid he seems to be showing signs of favoritism—(then again, would dongwoo even mind?)
“ahreum!” he half-shouts, like he’s been trying to get her attention all throughout the hallways and hasn’t simply crept up on the two. he grins, raising one hand in a half-wave. “your phone,” he starts, pausing to glance towards her hands. no phone. great. “i think i fixed it, but i need your password to unlock it & make sure; could you come with me for a second?”
he turns towards the ceo briefly to give an ‘apologetic’ bow of his head. “my bad for interrupting, but i’m sure we’re all busy, so…” again, his hands raise and he waves them around vaguely. gesturing towards some non-existent point. “you know.”
a part of ahreum knows that her uncle just has his best intentions at heart, that he wouldn't let her debut, wouldn't even let her be in wishbones unless he saw something in her. as much as she has memories of an affectionate uncle, ahreum never believed that he'd be that affectionate that he'd let her in just because she's his niece, that he'd give her any sort of special treatment (at least not one in moments that actually matter). but it's hard to be reminded of that when it seems like he pulled out of her practice to comment something regarding her true beauty shooting schedule and of course that he also takes the chance to reassure her that she's going to do well so there's no need to feel nervous or something like that. to be honest, ahreum is only half pay attention because this looks bad.
it's just an unfortunate coincidence, ahreum saying she was going to get water when everyone was taking a break from practice and she bumps into her uncle who now is reassuring her that she's going to do great in her true beauty shooting, that he has seen the first episode and he's proud of her (and chorong). ahreum knows better than anyone how many eyes are in wishbone, especially directed to both of them, when the company is this small (compared to yuseong anyway). she knows that the hallway seems empty now but dandelion maknae is sure that by evening everyone is going to be gossiping about her ceo park takes time off of his work to get out of his way to compliment ahreum, to give her some sort of special treatment, that was probably also how she got her role in true beauty, how she even got to debut.
rumors are nasty even when they have no truth to back them up, rumors are easily spread around especially when a situation is as delicate as ahreum and ceo park's. everyone is dying to get evidence about the nepotism in wishbone and even if her uncle doesn't seem to be affected by the accusations, too secure about the truth of the matter and ahreum's skills and talent to prove that she deserves to be in dandelion and in the cast of true beauty, the lead vocalist is very much affected to it, to the point that she's starting to doubt herself and—
geon is a saving grace.
she doesn't miss the oportunity to say goodbye to her uncle, stiffly polite and anxious, before turning to the meta member. her phone is actually back at the dorm, ahreum forgot it in the middle of her rush and nervous about practice and rehearsing for her next parts in her drama, but her uncle doesn't know that. no one knows that besides maybe her manager and some of the dandelion members that she whined about that with.
"thank you, i owe you so much." is the first thing that she comes out of her mouth in the shape of a whisper when she's close enough and maybe her hands cling to his arm a little too tightly when they both turn away from where her uncle was hopefully so they can go to geon's studio or whatever; ahreum doesn't really care, still not really relaxing until they can be somewhere "safe". "you just saved me, oh god, i thought i was going to die of stress and nerves."
“Maybe we should think about quitting while we’re ahead.”
SENTENCE MEME / NOT ACCEPTING / WC: 282
ahreum had been reading over the script numerous times now, feeling herself finally familiarising herself with the words that now attached themselves to her role. with the drama coming along, she had to make sure that she was well prepared for her parts. that she knew them inside and out, that she could give it her all. after all, she did not want to disappoint her company nor the members of dandelion because this, this was a good chance to get not only herself, but also her group out there. she had to do her best.
she finds solace at the steps that no one ever stops by, she has been keeping a keen eye on her surroundings, getting to know the set more and more each day. the script still in her hands, making sure to go through everything one last time before her scene. the voice that echoes beside her catches her attention, gaze shifting only to meet with a fellow colleague, minho. a soft chuckle leaving from her lips, fingers only tightening onto the script by its corners as she lays them on her lap more neatly. "quitting? absolutely not, i'm only just starting to get the hang of this." her tone more vibrant than what she had intended but at least it leaves a good impression.
and, to be honest, she really is just starting to get the hang of the script. it's starting to roll off of her tongue more naturally now, and that's a good thing. "when is your next scene? do you have everything ready? surely, you're not thinking of quitting are you?" slight concern spreading across her features, as brows knit ever so subtly.
as much as ahreum and daniel have more of stealthy sort of friendship, because now they have the excuse to be in the same place at the same time (for work nonetheless), it seems fine that they act like they know each other; after all dandelion and blue.m did sort of a collab promotion during their last comeback, so some interaction between the two groups is to be expected, right?
their usual hangout spot is the privacy of a noraebang room so they both can hide under fabulous wigs and high fashion but low price glasses, because god forbid they end up in a dating scandal and besides hanging out in a karaoke room means they have the perfect excuse and environment to bop to crescent's iconic songs and what else could they really be better than that? well, besides of course seeing all the cat pictures that daniel had of the cat that he absolutely do not hide in blue.m's dorm room, so ahreum can't deny that it does feel a little weird that they're now in the table reading for true beauty, enjoying a break before they resume going through the script.
"danny," and her eyes are already sparkling with excitement, script forgotten on her hands, and ahreum moves closer to the bluem member almost like she’s going to tell him a secret. ahreum wouldn’t be surprised if he knows what she’s going to say just based on her behavior. “it’s been so long since you’ve sent me photos of your cat,” and maybe she sounds a little accusatory even though the last time danny sent her a picture was what? yesterday? this morning? “you’re not hiding it from me, are you?” she narrows her eyes at him.
because that has been what they’ve talking about lately during their stealthy hang outs in karaoke rooms, the cat that danny has been hiding in the bluem’s dorm since they aren’t allowed to have pets just yet. ahreum only had a cat when she was too young to remember most of it but she still offers her help even if most of the information that she gets is from google. besides, she’s willing to do pretty much anything if it means she gets to receive all the cute kitten pictures that danny has to provide. “how is it adapting to the dorms by the way?” even if it probably can’t leave danny’s room, at least not for long periods of time. “everything going ok?”
in an attempt to offer some peace between her and her uncle, ahreum decides to follow the wishbone ceos' theme for their costumes (ghostsbusters) and go as the iconic stay puft marshmallow man but make it cute.
dandelionwbr: thank you, everyone, for the happy birthday wishes!! especially our beautiful windies!! also thank you for making this first birthday with all of you by my side so special and i promise to keep working harder and harder so we have many more days like today to spend together! 🎉🎉🥳️🎂
Sure, anything that you’re wanting, I’ll get it for you ok? You’ve been working really hard for this since last year so there’s a lot of celebration needed! I can meet soon. I have a lot of finalizing to do with filming so my schedule is packed. You can ask me over the phone?
✉︎ sending to › › › ( dad seojin 👨👧 )
· THE. BEST. DAD. EVER.
· ah
· then don't forget to take your breaks!!! and drink lots of water!!!! and eat!!!!
· should i bring coffee to your mv set again?
· ah, through the phone is a little...
· i'd prefer to do it on person, but if there's really no other way
· just make sure that no one is going to be eavesdropping, ok??
@wsahreum said: “you’re getting exceptionally good at finding me.”
he finds her between the third and fourth floors of wishbone records, perched on a staircase that he doubts is used very much if the dust lining the railing is anything to go by. intuition tells him that she must want to be alone, but instinct tells him to approach anyway—so he does, docs squeaking against linoleum as he looks at the back of her head. he lays his palm against the crown of her skull, ‘playfully’ pushes forwards: not enough to be a true bother, but enough of a disturbance to get on her nerves (he hopes).
“always have been,” is his answer, short, sweet and just as snarky as ever. a tired sigh is huffed out as he lowers his weight to sit beside her. in fact, he’s tired from working on a song for her group. something he might brag about if the timing was better, but he’s smarter than he lets on. smart enough to read between the lines, know that ‘you found me’ means ‘i was hiding’ and unless she’s still carrying on that game of hide & seek from eight years ago, it can’t be a good thing.
“remember your first day of high school? when i gave you shitty directions to your homeroom?” back then, he’d hoped that she’d text him again, ask for his help. he can’t remember what his motive had been now. boredom, probably. always looking for an excuse to bullshit his way out of his own classes. “somehow, i found you on the other side of the wing.” he snorts and nudges her side with his elbow, always a little too forceful.
“seriously, though: what the hell are you doing here? it’s all… dusty.”
ahreum has been enduring this for five years now and she thought that at this point she'd be a little more used to it or maybe it was because she was in the safe bubble that her members and friends provided and no one dared to throw accusations right at her face anyway. no matter how much they gossiped behind her back, they never had the courage to tell ahreum that they thought she was taking advantage of her uncle being a ceo and that she doesn't deserve to be in dandelion, that her talent consisted of being born in the same family as park dongwon and that he decided to make an entertainment company.
maybe she was getting a little comfortable inside her bubble and this was the universe reminding her that she should never forget, that perhaps this was the price she was paying for all the nice things that has happened on her life so far, for all the fortunate things that the universe has given her even though she never asked for any of it, probably would be doing better if some of it didn't happen at all.
she finds solace in a part of the stairs that no one stops by and it shows in how dusty everything is around her, clearly not being seen some cleaning since maybe wishbone was established. but ahreum doesn't complain, actually is happy that there's an excuse for her runny nose and redness of her eyes, the puffyness of her face that reflexes the tears that she was shedding moments ago. ahreum is already in the process of wrapping those upset feelings back inside her heart, to shove them down until she can tell herself that she's fine and actually believe it when it's hyeon who interrupts her moment. and surprisingly he does break a tension that still would take ahreum time to do the same.
"you mean when you almost made me miss the first period?" she accuses him in a playful tone, giving her own nudge on the other even though hers was possibly not even as strong. and ahreum remembers perhaps a little too fondly considering how she almost got into trouble. the memory is laced with warm affection because it was during the time that things weren't complicated between them, when ahreum didn't have problems with hyeon's friends and hyeon still reached out to talk to her as much as she did.
to be honest, ahreum had the hopes that hyeon would ignore the fact that he found her in this dusty place and they could have a brief trip through memory lane, that they could reminisce about the stupid things they did when they were younger and ahreum especially had some embarrassing stories she'd love to comment with hyeon. but of course that those are crushed because of course the other asks her about why she'd bother to hide away in a dusty staircase and ahreum's reply is almost automatic. "nothing." she shrugs, looks at her feet in hopefully a casual way so hyeon won't caught her lying. perhaps they spend enough time away that he can tell when she does anyway. "just needed a small break from practice." from the other trainess' gossip, her mind specifies but ahreum's mouth remains silent.
"what are you doing here?" and of course she also changes the center of the topic, doesn't let hyeon question her further, even playfully nudges him again so it seems like she's still the playful and bright ahreum and that she wasn't upset, but her gesture is stiff, her tone is stiff, her nudge is stiff, her words a little awkward like she's trying to make up for the hint of misery that could be in her voice with overdoing things. "got tired of yuseong and wants to change companies?"
Ahreum!! I'm so proud of you for getting so much attention on your comeback. You're doing really well. Don't forget, you worked hard to get here. When you're free, I'll treat you to whatever meal you want. Even if it involves a bucket of ice cream.
✉︎ sending to › › › ( dad seojin 👨👧 )
· dad, thank you!!!! 🥺🥺🥺
· who is the best dad in the world? park seojin or park seojin?
· let's go!! we also have to celebrate your comeback!! you're preparing for it, right?
· as much as bucket of ice cream seems tempting, i'm feeling like having japchae
· besides i have something to ask you so let's meet soon!!
There was not much of a shift from when the cameras stopped rolling to reality. Im Jukyung to Han Chorong was not as drastic of a change than one could have assumed. ( Aside from not needing glasses, of course. ) She could only be led to the conclusion that her status as a perpetually awkward individual granted her the opportunity in the first place. She certainly looked the part with her hair back to its long dark brown state. Nevermind the fact that, initially, she intended to audition for the part of Soojin but Chorong being cast as the icy princess character did not fit with the casting agents.
Though, she browsed through the comments of the announcement posts out of sheer curiosityㅡsomething she would have been greatly advised against doing had she divulged this information to anyone else. It came to surprise her when netizens complained that casting a pretty girl to play a character that was supposed to be the ugly duckling. The reactions in her brain conflicted to the point of the synapses fizzling out. Once again, she came under the conclusion that talent did not earn her the role; her looks did.
Regardless, the opportunity in itself was dazzling. Actors seen in other dramas or movies moved about the set comfortably, some giving her tips or suggestions unsolicited or whenever she happened to build up the courage to ask. An extra or not, the idol possessed a desperation to learn, to overcome the stigma of idol actors not being up to par.
“Mortals?” The teasing from Dandelion’s youngest snapped Chorong out of her endless daydreaming. Now mentioned, it did feel a bit strange to be the object of affection of two ( admittedly ) very attractive young men. She briefly crossed her arms and gave a snort. “Where’s this interview coming from all of the sudden?” Her hands quickly shifted to clutch at her own shoulders. “I’ll have you know it’s… very awkward. Especially considering who the two playing those ‘handsome boys’ happen to be.”
She ceased her whining to look up at Ahreum with a sense of pride, shifting in her seat to gain enough ground for her hands to grab for the girl’s waist and snake around it in a comforting hug. “And what about you? What’s it like having a cute boyfriend now, huh? You should enjoy it while it lasts since you’re definitely not allowed to have one yet!” She was unsurprisingly firm on this point. No dating until you’re married, Ahreum.
ahreum is already giggling before chorong can even start replying to her questions. she knows very well the awkward position that the other is in, especially because some fans can be quite scary and end up going after dandelion because of this drama, accusing chorong of stealing "their oppa". of course ahreum is somewhat in the same position, considering who she's paired with for this role, but at least the dandelion maknae is just "threatening" the phoenix fandom while chorong is "threatening" both phoenix and crescent fandoms. but ahreum is also sure that all those fans will fall for the other's charm so she'll be all ok. dandelion will be ok.
"i thought i'd interview our lovely main female lead since i caught her in a rare moment of free time." and ahreum fluster her pretty pretty eyes at chorong, her tone a little more high pitched and sweet like that would make the other a little more aggreeable in answering ahreum's question even though that wasn't really necessary. she's sure that chorong wouldn't run away from the question in the end, especially when it was also a presented opportunity for her to return the favor and ask ahreum about her own fictional boyfriend (but thank god that at least she doesn't have any kissing scenes with taeyang, she doesn't think she could survive the awkwardness).
"be careful to not actually fall for their charms!" the younger idol warns in an overly exaggerated tone. after all, at least with miles, she's almost sure that chorong sees him as anything but a romantic interest and ahreum is almost sure she has seen the crescent maknae give the heart eyes to someone else more often than not. "you only deserve the best and i still need to verify if they're good enough for you." she huffs, hands on her waist, and even if they're said in clearly manner that isn't serious, ahreum sort of still means it. especially the part of chorong only deserving the best and the unsaid implication that she'll hunt either of them down if they ever do anything to break chorong's precious heart.
and for no one's surprise, ahreum melts into chorong's hug. "unnie! don't tease me." can't help how she unnies when the other is clearly teasing her (though ahreum wonders how playful it actually is when chorong seems so serious about this not so unsaid rule of ahreum not being allowed to date so soon), cheeks warming up with a light blush. "it's much more embarrassing than i was expecting." she admits anyway, presses her hands to her warm cheeks. "but i guess when you're in love, those embarrassing things aren't so embarrassing? it makes me wonder what it'd feel like to actually have a boyfriend. though i hope we won't be this mushy."
the first thing thing that fills ahreum when she receives the script is anxiety.
acting was something that ahreum has considered before while being a trainee and having to take at least a couple of acting classes, especially because the company did want to utilize the fact that she has done school musicals before. but she wasn't expecting it to be so soon after dandelion has debuted, especially in a drama that already has chorong in it to promote dandelion, they don't need a second member in it, especially when they're both in somewhat delicate roles— chorong more than herself, considering the oldest member has to deal with being in the center of a love triangle with a crescent and a phoenix member while ahreum only has to "deal" with is being paired with taeyang from phoenix but then they don't even kiss, only act ridiculously cheesy with each other.
acting was something that she was expecting the company to push on her sooner or later, but now that it has happened she doesn't quite know what to do with. she doesn't know if she can deliver what is people expecting of her— are people even expecting something of her? or they're just going to assume that this is her uncle giving her yet another act of favoritism. is he giving her an act of favoritism?
she looks at the script given to her with a blank stare, but there are a storm of thoughts on her mind and an invisible hand squeezing her lungs, her breath hitches and—
someone (ahreum is sure she has seen them before, assumes they're part of the staff) puts a hand on her shoulder, asks if she's ok because she has been quiet for a little too long and her expression didn't seem good. and of course that ahreum pushes those feelings away like she always does and smiles, makes an excuse that she hasn't been sleeping well because of their preparation for the comeback and then chuseok with isac was also coming along. the person seems to buy it and drops the topic.
and of course the lead vocalist keeps that smile when they congratulate her for the role or make a couple of jokes about her role and teased chorong about hers, promises that she's going to do her best so she can bring some positive attention to dandelion (so she won't fuel hateful netizens to come at her and her group, so she won't have even more people questioning her right to the role). she puts a smile on her face because that's always easier, that's what always stop people from questioning her about things she doesn't want answer, from bringing topics that she doesn't want to talk about.
the secong thing that fills ahreum when she sees the script is excitement.
after the initial panic and when she can look at the script better— actually when she can look at the whole thing from a difference perspective. it's a fun drama (maybe with some questionable humor sometimes, but) and she isn't going to be alone. having chorong on set and also being someone with who ahreum shares a lot of her scenes with is definitely a relief in itself. the older member will surely be someone that will help ahreum ground herself even if the other might not know what she's doing for the maknae.
besides, sooah in herself is a fun character, full of her own egocentric antics that are actually charming and hopefully she'll have good enough chemistry with her romantic pair so they can pull it off. their scenes are usually comedy centred and considering how much ahreum is funny during variety shows, that is surely something that ahreum is more comfortable with than if it was a more drama heavy type of role.
ahreum takes a deep breath, goes over her parts again, but this time she has a much more clear and positive view about it, mumbling her lines and highlightening them so she'll find them more easily, so hopefully she'll memorize them faster.
she looks through the script again, not with so much anxiety nor excitement, but with confidence that she can do a good job, that this is something that she can do and ahreum hopes that this will last until the end of the shooting.
