beclaudine

[beclaudine]

claudine clearly doesn't know what's going on with the female trainees over at sr media, and she knows interrogating nayoung of all people would lead her nowhere. if there's anyone very serious about her job, it's nayoung, which is a trait of nayoung that claudine has always admired: her work ethic, no bullshit attitude. it's refreshing to see, and she's a little disappointed she won't be working together with nayoung in a group in the future.

"for a second there, i was worried you meant that the tea i made for you tasted weird." she half-jokes, letting out a crinkle of a laugh. even if it was, she wouldn't feel offended—she'd say nayoung had bad taste though, just because. "not too hot, at least?" she questions, despite not really fishing for compliments or criticism in the first place.

"honestly, i can't tell how serious they are with this sudden drama, especially with their best actresses busy. or maybe they're using this as a stepping stone? then again, they are looking to cast from the entire axis labels roster, not just sr media." she hums, wondering what's going through the heads of the authorities. she's curious, they haven't exactly revealed the contents of the script of even a premise of the drama either. how mysterious.

at nayoung's question though, claudine let's out a sigh as she leans back against her chair. "i'm currently battling the pettiness inside me. you know, since it's sr media who will be spearheading the production... and they didn't sign me." to say claudine can hold a decade-long grudge is an understatement. "i still don't know what lime saw in me that sr didn't. but i guess i'm not supposed to!"

her lips stretches into a grin moments later, determination flashing through her eyes. "i want to show them up though, make them see what they missed out on. so, yeah, i will audition! i already know which script i'll be auditioning with. any tips for me, miss nayoung?" she leans in close over the table, like she's beckoning nayoung to share her greatest advice through secret whispers.

since moving into the dorm with the other project novus girls, nayoung has felt even less relaxed than usual. of course, moving into a dorm for debut was always the end goal, but being around her coworkers constantly feels odd nonetheless. escaping to the solitude of her room has been enough for her to get by so far, but when claudine offered the opportunity to catch up, nayoung figured it was a good idea to take it.

and it is really nice to get out of the dorm and axis building and be somewhere else for a change. she almost misses her job at the convenience store, because at least it offered a change of scenery.

nayoung can't help but frown a little when claudine says she looks like she needs rest. does she really look that tired? she supposes she still doesn't sleep as soundly as she did in her apartment, and she's working harder than ever.

funnily enough, nayoung didn't consider claudine poisoning her – normal behavior for anyone other than nayoung, really. instead, she just lets out a small huff of laughter and takes a sip from the mug.

the drink is warm. comforting. somehow it reminds her of her grandparents, and she randomly feels a little melancholic.

"i'm good," she replies regardless. of course, she can't share too much about her whereabouts these days, but that much is the truth. at the mention of the drama auditions, she lets out an, "ugh," of distaste. "it's weird, isn't it? i don't know what they're thinking." she feels safe enough with claudine to speak her mind on this.

"maybe they're just trying to nurture new talent, but all of their best female actresses can't even participate." claudine has some acting experience herself, doesn't she? "are you going to audition?" nayoung trusts that she wouldn't do a horrible job.

[beclaudine]

DRAMA AUDITION - SCENE 4

claudine hadn't planned on auditioning—at least, there was that nasty voice in her head telling her not to. not because she doesn't believe she'll do a good job or anything of that sort. call her petty, but since she has a feeling sr media will be spearheading the production of everything related to the drama, she kind of wanted to opt out. but sarang said she could get her revenge by showing her abilities in acting, and she is 50% fueled by spite—so that eventually managed to get her to saunter into the audition room with her script in her hand.

the scene starts off with a monologue in her head, which means she needs to be expressive with her eyes—look a little shocked, a little caught off guard. "what? why is he so good-looking?" she stares at her scene partner, eyes boring into his skin, as if analyzing him with a look of surprise. "please have a seat," she says, sounding slightly strained in accordance to what's required of her from the script.

avoid eye contact, look elsewhere—like she's stuck in her own brain, drowned by her own thoughts. "i wish i could take my time appreciating his looks," she swallows, still avoiding eye contact, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere that's slightly more comedic.

"i don't even know who you are. your name is?" her character decides to be rude, an exaggerated sort of comic relief scene that's meant for gags and laughs. she's used to that, stage acting relies a lot on exaggerated gestures and expressive faces, which is what's required in a scene like this. "kang taemoo... the president of our company, kang taemoo?" she quickly changes her facial expression again, shifting to shock once more, smoothly transitioning to another expression as she stares at an imaginary card she's holding in her hands.

that's how most of the scene goes. she's playing a character that's playing another character after all—in a comedic manner, but still. while the monologue is playing in her head, she holds the cup with one hand, showing subtle signs of nerves as what is needed. "don't be so nervous," she chastises herself, a dialogue that's meant to be just in her head. she takes a deep breath, looking at her scene partner like a girl containing herself from exploding.

"it's a bit too hot in here, isn't it?" she lets her jacket fall from her shoulder in an exaggerated motion, seeming proud of herself—that's what the character is thinking: that this is the right course of action for her mission. then, a nervous laugh, as her scene partner caughts her character in her lie. shifting in her seat, pretending and pretending and pretending. "on to the next step."

she starts talking to her items—her shoe, a bag, whatever she can get her hands on. her character's mission is to make the other man uncomfortable, but it's not working. she tries again, talks about samantha and rachel, playing up the dramatics for the scene, all with a smile.

"you like me? you really like me?" she flips her hair, glancing at the man from the corner of her eyes. "should we get a room... so we can really get down to business?" her smile remains, now a little more mischevious, followed by a wink, suggestive, her tone more sultry than the last—and that's how the scene ends.

[beclaudine]

Chaeyoung Instagram Reel Update via supra_korea (240924)

ORIGINAL SOURCE

[beclaudine]

PSA

hello everyone! i've decided to change claudine's faceclaim to lee chaeyoung of fromis_9 (also to celebrate their upcoming comeback, i can't stray from my fromis roots... we will be tuning in) i think she fits the luxurious princess vibe a lot more! nothing much has changed, other than her height suddenly increasing to 169cm! she's still a pretty girl full of charms, whose only setback is that she's a little too vain about her beauty. anyway, that's all i have to say! yay!

[beclaudine]

hyejin’s chipper attitude is lifting claudine’s mood as well. she wouldn’t have been as interested in the workshop if she hadn’t run into hyejin, who’s a darling to talk to and kind. then again, it’s easy for claudine to be content when she’s surrounded by an energetic girl, which is what hyejin seems to be. “thank you! i kind of dived into this idol life on a whim, so i have no idea what to expect!”

it’s more than she bargained for, that’s for sure. but claudine is always up for a challenge, no matter who it is from or what it is about. “i’ve only ever done dance routines for stageplays, which is why i decided to join this workshop.” she feels comfortable enough to share that information with hyejin, who also seems like an open book herself. “i’m open to improvement though, and we can always do it together!”

the point of training together is to improve together, isn’t it? sure, there’s competition to be had and you’re basically chasing towards debuts while in a race with others—but clouding herself with thoughts like that will only bring negativity, she likes to focus on the positive aspects.

“i mean, yoga is always an option if you want to test your flexibility! i’ve definitely been slacking though, i used to be a lot better at managing my time when it comes to that, but now it’s just lots of training.” she sighs. she likes to keep busy, so it doesn’t bother her too much. “maybe we can go together to yoga classes some time! i’d be a lot more motivated with a partner!”

she is curious about hyejin’s next statement though. “what boy group choreographies do you want to learn?”

"i'm sure you will! crossing my fingers for you!" hyejin mused happily as she looked at the other girl. there's a lot for people to do as a trainee and she wonders if they would want all of them to be all-rounders. plus they had time before getting to debut at some point. they'd both get to refine what the company wanted of them in the meantime.

"that's good. i feel i lack in dancing a bit so i was ready to take this workshop." she's danced a bit since she joined studio delta but she still feels she could do more. she just likes singing and rapping much more though she knows she can't push dancing to the side. it's apart of being an idol like everything else.

hyejin flashes a smile back as she lets herself stretch a bit. she has to make sure she doesn't hurt herself when dancing. "i look forward to us working together." she beams, eager to work alongside claudine for this. she felt she'd already enjoy being beside the girl outside of this as well.

"i do too. i'm crossing my finger it's different. feel i've been learning girl group dances way too often with regular training." she didn't hate it but a change would be nice. "ooo, that would be different and fun." she laughed a bit. "it would and i'd love seeing how everyone fairs. my flexibility is average. feel i need to train myself on that more. though i'd love to do more dances from boy groups as well."

[beclaudine]

puppy eyes.

ever since becoming a trainee, there's a list of people she hasn't been able to spend time with. the first is her own brother, but changmin seems busy with his own thing ( which she will interrogate him for at a later time, that's a promise ). another person would be @beyinuo, company that she dearly missed—not just because of the puppy looks yinuo would always give her, not because of the way compliments easily stumble out of yinuo's lips as soon as claudine walks into the room either! the other girl has a colorful personality that claudine enjoys being around, it's no doubt that yinuo simply has this aura that brings out the warmth in people—although claudine does like teasing her too.

"i know it's been a while since we met up, and i promise i'll make it up to you," claudine says, gently holding onto yinuo's wrist as she flashes her a smile. "you name it! i'll treat you today, okay? whatever you want. don't be fooled by the fact that most of my income is trainee allowance lately." on top of school and the general trainee woes, she hasn't been able to do much else—claudine is more fortunate than most though, so she has been surviving just fine on her own.

"or are you going to tell me that you'd rather spend your time indoors instead?" claudine questions with a raised eyebrow, remembering how yinuo tried to convince the two of them to stay in the last time they met up. "with how my limbs have been aching lately, i wouldn't stay no to that, and i would've asked you to massage me—just kidding! besides, i meant it when i said i want to make it up to you this time! maybe next time, we could go to a spa together." right now, that sounds like a dream.

"oh, we could paint our nails?" claudine suggests, rummaging through her stock of various beauty-related items. "i splurged a few weeks back, but they've just been rotting in my dresser."

[beclaudine]

small chance.

it's been a hot minute since claudine has seen most of the sr girls. funnily enough, despite not being in the same company, claudine thinks she gets along well with them more than she does the trainees from lime. she doesn't dwell on it for too long though, she doesn't exactly have the time and luxury to properly ruminate the fact that she should probably try a little harder with her fellow lime trainees. maybe it's because she sees them as future co-workers, it gets harder to not see them under anything other than a professional light?

she does wonder how the friends she had have been doing lately though, she hasn't had an opportunity to speak to any of them. @benayoung had always been someone with amazing work etiquette that can't be broken, so catching the other girl outside of the axis building is tricky. especially in recent days, what with nayoung being so busy ( claudine can probably guess why, seeing as how hush hush everything related to the mysterious project has been ). it's the perfect time to offer reprieve from the business though!

"you should really drink this herbal tea," claudine suggests, setting her concoction on the table with a smile. "it's a homemade recipe! well, passed down from my mom, and then her mom... you look like you need some modicum of rest." she has no idea what nayoung has been going through the past few weeks, but she can tell she needs a moment of relaxation from her features. "i promise it's not poisoned, i wouldn't want to poison one of my favourite models!"

claudine takes a seat from across the other girl, playing with the straw of her own drink. "i know you have a lot on your plate, so i'm assuming i can't steal so much of your time. still! how have you been doing? did you hear about the drama auditions? it's kind of suspicious how they held it after you guys are whisked away elsewhere. you would've killed it."

[beclaudine]

"of course i'm talking about you!" claudine insists, shaking her head as she listens to hanna try to defend herself. in truth, of course she isn't actually offended or anything, but she is plenty curious and wants to know exactly what has been going on. it hasn't slipped her field of vision that some of the sr girls have been gathering together more often than not, on top of that they haven't been around for the few rehearsals in the axis building. claudine doesn't need to be a fellow sr media trainee to notice something has changed.

"what, someone other than me? color me surprised!" she gasps dramatically, although she's simply teasing as usual—she can't help it, it's a trait of hers that comes out more often than not, especially around hanna. "it feels like it hasn't even been that long since you got signed, and you're already doing something mysterious that i know nothing about." she hums, leaning a little closer to the other girl with a spark in her smile. "is it something i'm not supposed to know about? you do realize that will only make me all the more curious, i'm about to start coming up with possibilities just because you've been rather quiet about this. it feels like you're once again a step ahead of me. it's only a little infuriating."

claudine looks back down on hanna's tray of food as she listens to the other girl's explanation. "it seems pretty edible though, and filling at least." she smiles, bumping her shoulder to hanna's. "don't sell yourself too short, i can't tell you whether i agree or not yet! you haven't given me a taste of your cooking after all."

she lifts up her meal. "it's just a simple lunch. healthy though. there's fish cakes, kimchi, bean sprouts... and rice. that's it. did you want to try? i did cook this myself. it's kind of rushed though, so it's not stellar or anything." she takes a chopstick and picks up one of the fish cakes, hovering it over hanna's lips. "open up, say ahhhh. and then you can tell me how it tastes."

"me?" it takes hanna a few moments to respond, not expecting claudine to have slipped into the seat next to her so suddenly so her reply probably sounds stupid-- like who else would claudine be talking to? she almost drops her spoon, actually, from the other's appearance which would've only added to that image of her but thankfully, she manages to catch it in time before it falls and splatters soup everywhere; hanna just hopes her surprise isn't too obvious because it's not like she didn't want to see claudine or anything, she was just surprised! in her defense, she had apparently zoned out pretty hard while eating lunch.

"i did think i'd see some friends who i knew were trainees already more often when i joined sr media since all the companies are connected," she agrees, having finally got her bearings together to act normal enough. hanna finds it's pretty easy talking to claudine though so that probably helps steady herself. "but i feel like i've seen them even less somehow," she laughs, although she's sure her being part of project novus at the moment only made that observation worse. hanna almost wants to tell claudine about it but remembering the contract--and that she couldn't even tell jay--made her quickly scratch that thought so she's glad the other changed the subject. she didn't even want to risk hinting it, at least not in a public space like this.

hanna gestures down to her tray, a bowl of stew sitting on it along with some side dishes. "i bought lunch today because i didn't have any leftovers to bring, or time to buy something from the convenience store." hanna was never a cook, anyways, although she could get by in a kitchen if necessary; she just preferred not to so if she didn't have delivery food leftovers, she'd buy a meal outside instead.

"yours looks good though," she points out as she eyes the other's food with interest, when she suddenly gets an idea that causes her to perk up excitedly and look at the other with wide, basically pleading eyes. "can i ask you to make me one for next time?" if sparkles could radiate around her head like in a webtoon, hanna thinks it would right now.

[beclaudine]

"it's like how youtubers and streamers are forced to shut down their channels, isn't it? we're not allowed to make our own public appearances without approval from our companies now," claudine's half-explaining and half-venting with a sigh. she gets it, it's similar to having an agency that dictates how she'll appear to the public. the only difference is, she's not exactly working for money in lime, she's working towards that for now.

"do you think you'll be able to get your ceo to sign off on that?" claudine questions, more curious than anything. "honestly, sound super fun in theory. like, we should definitely make use of pop culture nowadays don't we? but i have a feeling they'll be too scared whatever series we're cosplaying from would ruin our image one way or another. with the netizens that we have right now, one wrong recommendation of an anime we like will get people heated enough to demand we be kicked out of our group!" another sigh comes out of her, then a shrug. "it's kind of crazy how much power we give to people who don't know us beyond our public appearances."

then again, she digresses. "i did hear of a known cosplayer who recently debuted in a k-rock girl band though. maybe that could be what's in store for us? but... i think your idea sounds more like something sr media would pull." she shakes her head, forced to dismiss sua's brilliant plan. "do you think you want to do this full-time, by the way? you know, the idol thing."

"i don't see why they wouldn't let you even judge one. that's like, maybe one day of their time." sua grumbles, reaching up to massage out a knot in her shoulder. "wouldn't garnering more attention and experience like that be good for after debut too? so you'll have more people checking in on it?" sua doesn't understand how these companies function, how they work or how they operate. business moves are made, but a lot of them seem more like fumbles than outstanding, anyway. "now you're claudine, idol in training. a new era."

sua huffs out a laugh, leaning back as an impish grin crosses her features. "i know. i just wanted you to compliment me a little." she giggles, the sound sounding more gremlin than anything else. it's followed by a short laugh, genuine this time. "maybe a little impossible. but..." sua trails off, mirth bouncing in her shoulders as she considers it. "i think...they could make it work. imagine if we did something official for like an anime, or a game or something. and we cosplay it? make a music video or a trailer or something with it. and we're actually good at it?"

straightening up, she twists her body towards claudine, her expression serious. "i feel like i'm onto something. do you see the vision? or is the crazy tin foil hat on?"

[beclaudine]

the lines that stumble out of claudine's lips might sound a little dramatic, cheesy even, something that would be related to a romcom that brings out the cringe in people. however, claudine doesn't falter when she says them, continuing on regardless.

perhaps it's because she's used to bringing lines like that to life through theatre, those types of poetic speeches are often associated with the stage plays she grew up performing after all. moreover, she has to make it so that the audience is invested, believes in the performance despite the over-the-top lines she has to utter. say them all with grace. at least it seems to working with yuji, instead of alarming her. noticing the light pink dusting yuji's cheeks, claudine can't help herself from giggling a little. "i couldn't pass up the opportunity," claudine admits, smiling just as wide as the other.

"that being said, i do believe in creating my own coincidences!" claudine adds on, it is a philosophy that she has shared with yuji before. "so i might've also been hoping to run into you again. would that make it better?" another laugh leaves her lips, enjoying her time. "it was a very eventful holiday, wasn't it? i did spend time with my brother, but honestly, i mostly took the time to relax and rest after how much work we had to do. what about you?"

as she settles herself in the seat, yuji chances a glance up at claudine, a smile playing on her face even if her eyebrow raised cocked in curiousity. it's hard to keep her expression on, breaking out into a little laugh as claudine playing along with her.

"how many coincidences have to happen before it starts to become questionable though?" yuji's head cocks to the side, amusement coloring her even if her tone is still inqusitive at it's core. a playful gasp leaves her at the confession, leaning in a little closer as she plays along. "i knew it," she murmurs, smile curving wider, flashing teeth. "what an honor." she muses, leaning back with a pleased smile, her shoulders shaking with mirth at the wink shot to her. yuji's cheeks tinge pink with the boldness of it.

"you're good at talking," yuji directs a compliment towards the other. it's almost fluttering in a way with how smooth it is; a confidence yuji still struggles to find her footing in. "well, your wish has come true." yuji sighs, as if the statement exhausts her-- but as she makes herself comfortable in her seat, her smile never strays. "were the holidays good for you?"

[beclaudine]

wavelengths.

“don’t you seem super busy lately?” claudine points out, not beating around the bush as she slides across to sit by @hannaxbe’s side. “it truly feels like it has been a while since i caught you like this. here i thought, with us frequenting the same building every so often, i’d run into you more.” while her words can come off rather accusatory, claudine is simply teasing at the end of the day. she doesn’t mean what she’s saying.

besides, it’s not like hanna is purposefully avoiding her. claudine can see the signs, how hanna had been grouped together with the other girls in sr media for something. honestly, it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. should she hint that she knows though? hanna probably has to keep it a secret.

“if i can’t catch you while you’re training, we should eat together during breaks at least!” claudine chirps, crossing her legs as she settles in her seat. “so, what did you pack for yourself today? or did you buy something?” claudine questions as she takes out her own boxed lunch, setting it down on the table.

[beclaudine]

free time is tricky, nowadays. after resigning her life to becoming a trainee, there's substantially less freedom that claudine is allowed to indulge herself in. for one, she is forced to put her cosplay career on hold, arguably permanently. it's essential that she focuses all her time and energy into training to become the next successful idol, meaning that her attention can't be lead astray by her professional hobbies.

besides, claudine is still an active student for the time being. juggling university, training and professional cosplay doesn't feel realistic—the latter needs to be sacrificed, for the sake of her future. school has been keeping her busy too, she had been casted as one of the leads in a play her department will be holding. preparation and rehearsals have taken a huge chunk of her daily routine. it's all worth it in the end though, she always feels like herself on the stage, seizing her lines and embodying them as the character she played—she knows she's born to be on stage, in whatever capacity that may be.

now that it's over though, ending in a success, she'll be able to take a breather. claudine stays behind, just like the rest of the cast, greeting some of the audience and taking pictures too. a girl approaches her, carrying a rather luxurious aura that claudine herself is familiar with, catching her attention. it helps that she compliments claudine too, though.

"hmm, aren't you perceptive?" claudine smiles, always one to accept praises, especially when she knows she deserves them. "you have a good eye for the arts, then." claudine returns, perhaps sounding a little vain, but she believes she has the right to speak as she does.

she takes the pen with a small giggle, signing as requested. "is it the character that was your favourite, or was it me?" she questions with an eyebrow raised, although her tone is leaning towards playful more than anything. "i'm curious, that's all," she reasons. "maybe if i like your answer, i'll take a picture with you."

@beclaudine (position zero) 

lili considered herself to be a fair appreciator of the arts, though it wasn't something she indulged in too often outside of enjoying literature in her spare time. it fell into her lap easily regardless thanks to her mother; growing up listening to her viola playing, and even learning to play from her herself. when she was younger, she also accompanied her mother when she wanted to go to the theatre. she doesn’t remember much, but she remembers the way her heart felt warm at getting to spend time with her like this.

maybe it’s because of that long gone feeling that she takes a flyer from a k-arts student, advertising a performance the theatre department was holding soon. lili didn’t have much planned that day anyway, outside of continuing to study for her next exam. she could easily study earlier, and then head off to the campus later that day before the show began.

by the time the show was finished and the cast had their curtain call, lili found herself staying back along with a few other audience members to give her compliments. after speaking to some of the cast, she finally comes face to face with claudine. “hello– ah, you played the female lead, didn’t you?” she starts off, only to pause once she realizes who she was speaking to. “your performance was brilliant.”

she rummages in her purse for a second before holding up a pen and the performance’s program, looking back up at claudine with a polite smile. “if you don’t mind, could you sign this for me? the entire play was amazing, but i’d be lying if i said your character wasn’t my favorite.”

[beclaudine]

“hmmm, i hope i find what i’m good at soon!” claudine replies, wondering exactly what that would be. for now though, she’s determined to make up for whatever it is she’s lacking throughout her training period. it feels as if she has a long way to go honestly, but it’s not like she’ll be debuting the next day!

“in the mean time, i’ll try to work on where i know i lack… like here!” she’s familiar with dancing, at least the sort of routine one would see in a musical theatre. it’s clearly different compared to the sort that idols do, but at least she wouldn’t completely blind. besides, she has been training for a while, learning to dance is a part of that.

claudine stretches her legs with a hum, pressing one of them against the railing. “great! you’ll be my partner for the day,” claudine expresses with a smile towards the other girl, happy that hyejin accepted her invitation without much of a fight. now the workshop is a lot more colorful!

“i wonder what they’ll be teaching us in this workshop. surely it wouldn’t be the same thing as we learn during regular training, right?” she tilts her head, curious. “do you think we’ll learn ballet?” she questions with an eyebrow raised, followed by a laugh. “that would make things interesting. i should test my flexibility one of these days! what about you?”

well hyejin had been dancing more in her free time to make choreography but it wasn't her main focus it seemed. she was changing that now, wanting to make sure that she was as well rounded as possible. plus she'd get to see others dancing as well which she was all for getting to see.

maybe if she works harder, she'll be able to prove herself more. sure it's not singing or rapping at all though she's up for improving. she could probably meet someone new who she hasn't before outside of the other trainees that she's always interacting with.

this workshop already seems much better with getting to talk to the other girl. she can't help the smile that spreads across her lips. "i mean i get that. you'll figure out what you are good at later. i just have skills i like focusing on more."

"you can call dibs on me, i don't mind." she beams, keeping her voice low before laughing a bit. "i try to be a good dancer but i wanna improve more. i like rapping and singing much more."

[beclaudine]

“ohhh, is that another invitation?” claudine questions, quirking an eyebrow at the other girl with a smile. while claudine is usually self-sufficient, doesn’t allow herself to get caught up in gifts when she knows she can pamper herself, she doesn’t turn down whatever is being offered to her. especially when it means she gets to spend more time with hanna. “i wouldn’t say no,” she grins, accepting the offer rather quickly. “do i get to choose where we go for that, or do you have something in mind already? i’ll let you think about that while you get your skates.”

claudine waits, surfing through her phone for a few minutes until hanna returns. when she hears her voice, she looks back up at her friend with a smile. “took you long enough! were there a lot of people who didn’t bring their own skates?” claudine asks, leaning back slightly on her chair as she inspects the skates that hanna got. “they don’t look too bad,” she comments.

it doesn’t take long until hanna runs into another problem though, except this time it makes her laugh. “what are you saying? you’re definitely overthinking this. you should just make sure you’re comfortable, that’s the first step!”

claudine decides to kneel on the floor instead, reaching out to tie hanna’s skating shoes for her—why not? “you’re taking forever, it almost feels like you’re doing this on purpose. are you?” she’s not actually accusing hanna, simply teasing. “is this too tight for you?” she asks once she is done. “i hope not! we should really get on the rink!”

་ ⸼ ⸒ ✴ 𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝 › on the last episode ...

"i guess it's only fair i pay for it," hanna pretends to sigh like she's actually put out by the idea but honestly, she would've treated claudine anyways, whether it was in apology or just because she wanted to. "should i treat you to a meal too?" she jokes, although if the other said yes then she wouldn't take it back.

after all, she doesn't even know how long they'll spend skating so if they got bored or tired of it quickly (or hanna finds out she's actually terrible and wants to leave before further embarrassing or injuring herself), that means less time to hang out with claudine so having a meal together would prolong that.

"pray for me," hanna fake sobs, ever so dramatic in front of the other because she knows claudine will see through her act. it's not like she's trying to be super convincing but it's just easy to be a little extra with her since she gets it.

she leaves soon after, hoping to beat any potential lines, and is glad to see that it's a pretty short wait before it's her turn to rent skates-- and thankfully, all the ones available look to be in good condition and most importantly, not stinky. it's not long before she returns, skates held by the strings in one hand and the other in her pocket to stay warm. hanna plops herself down onto the bench next to claudine and grins. "mission success! no stinky or worn down skates," she laughs, holding up the pair as proof before setting them back down to put them on.

or, well, she attempts to until she runs into a very small problem: "how tight am i supposed to tie these?" she doesn't want to fall out of them but she doesn't want to cut off circulation in her foot somehow. or maybe she was just overthinking this??

[beclaudine]

claudine doesn’t really regret her decision to become a trainee, not in any way that matters—she knows that she’s determined to continue her path on this career. that doesn’t mean there aren’t things that she misses though, especially nowadays. while cosplay is more of a hobby than it is an occupation, claudine has done her fair share of modeling in that field. photoshoots, working together with a few brands at times—she can’t do it anymore though, she can’t pursue being a professional cosplayer anymore now that she’s entering another industry that also requires her to be a public figure.

so when sua brings it up, claudine immediately groans and dramatically leans against the mirror. “i miss it too, so bad.” she almost whines, turning to sua with a pout. “it’s so weird, not attending any coswalks. i had to turn down a lot of people who asked me to be a judge for a bunch of cosplay competitions. who am i right now?” she questions, letting out another sigh.

“don’t sell yourself short, you’d knock it right out of the park too if they ever hold cosplay workshops,” she argues lightly. “that sounds impossible though, doesn’t it? unless it’s halloween.”

a home for flowers. feat. @beclaudine

"i miss cosplaying," sua brings up to claudine during a break in training, frowning down at her phone screen as she idly scrolls through the timeline. her scrolling had taken her past a dangan ronpa cosplay, and sua was suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to do one of her own, crazily enough. she'd chalk it up to the fact that she can't do that right now, probably not anytime soon, either. sua sighs, shoulders drooping a bit.

her attention drifting, she sifts through a cosplay tag online, curious to see what's trending now. "they should have a lesson for that here," sua mumbles, glancing up at her training partner. she trails her eyes over the other girl's features once, nodding to herself. "you'd hit it out of the park." she sends a compliment towards claudine, eyes flickering back down to her phone. while sua enjoys the idea of cosplay and likes the experience, claudine is far more skilled than her.

[beclaudine]

it's about time that claudine actually... gets into the groove of this idol thing. what better way to do that than brush up on her more technical skills? she knows that’s where she’s lacking, which is why she decided to join the dancing workshop this time around.

sure, it’s interesting so far—but she’s starting off with the theories of everything before getting into the swing of applying what she’s learning into dancing itself. although she thinks what comes after won’t be too far from what she does on a weekly basis as a trainee.

her attention is easily captured when another trainee—a pretty girl, at that—speaks to her. instantly, the workshop is less boring. “tell me about it! i can’t really tell you what i’m good at right now though, since i think i’m… still considered a newbie?” she hums.

“if we have a duo choreography to practice, can i call dibs on you?” she asks, voice hushed to a whisper, followed by a light giggle afterwards. “either way, i’m sure you’re more of a dancer than i am.”

ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴅᴀɴᴄᴇ

for @beclaudine

hyejin had done a few workshops though she seemed to have avoided the dance related one until now. she couldn't avoid it forever and knew that she needed to make sure her dancing was up to par along with her other skills.

once she signed up for the workshop and went to attend it, she can't help but gravitate to one of the girls she sees there. hyejin was always a sucker for pretty girls so she knew that she was gonna cozy up to her if possible. it would make the workshop more fun as well in her eyes.

"ready to learn to dance better?" she asks, flashing a bright smile. "i feel i rely on singing and rapping more so this is needed." she can't help but laugh a little though keeps her focus on the other girl as she lets herself get ready for what the workshop entails.

[beclaudine]

“definitely not all that bad,” claudine confirms—probably better than her, when it comes to the more technical skills of being an idol. she knows there are some areas in which she is lacking, a little behind as opposed to people who always knew they wanted to be an idol. she knows she’s on a probationary contract herself, so she wonders whether her own contract will expire or be extended afterwards. “are you gunning for a contract yourself? in the same company?” she questions, curious.

at ria’s enthusiasm though, claudine smiles, finding the other’s excitement and bubbly energy cute more than anything. “i wouldn’t mind if you did!” claudine insists. “maybe i should get my notebooks, huh? so that i remember everything you’re going to infodump me,” she teases, but is kind of serious about it. the knowledge would probably help her in the long run, especially if she intends on debuting in this industry. so far, her feelings haven’t changed.

“i look forward to it! are you interested in interior design?” she giggles, doesn’t discourage any of ria’s suggestions. “it could use someone else’s touch, i haven’t been able to decorate myself… i do like it minimalist, usually. but that won’t fly in this festive season, right?”

beclaudine

claudine nods, listening to everything ria is saying. honestly, if she’s really that curious she could just ask noel directly. she doesn’t want to bring up painful memories of that time though, so she’s glad ria is sharing everything to give her more insight and community news. “i’m sure he’s doing well where he’s at right now,” claudine assures the other girl. well, she has heard whispers here and there about project green and watched the halloween performance. she has a feeling she knows where that road is taking them. “oh my god, actually…” she lowers her voice into a whisper, leaning to ria’s ear. “i don’t have a favourite idol, or anything of the sort… truth be told, i’m kind of blind to this world. i don’t know much about idols, i kind of just got lucky, i think.” she knows that there’s a lot more to it than luck, that they see something in her—but luck is a pretty big factor too. who knows. “you’re gonna have to tell me about what you know. give me a crash course on prizm!” she smiles, finding ria’s enthusiasm absolutely adorable. “you’re absolutely right. we’ll be so much more prepared compared to everyone else, it’d be great!” she giggles, already excited for the two of them. “i need some decorations too, i’ve been lacking christmas decorations ever since moving.” she lets out a sigh. “i need to make my apartment a lot more festive than it is right now. more merry!”

“ah” she hums “thinking about it, i don’t really know how far he’s come” she pouts a bit, “oh?”. “he doesn’t sing nor dance for me, so i have no idea how far he’s come, he got his contract extended, so he can’t be all bad, right?” was this true? ria really didn’t know anything about how good or bad noel was at singing, dancing and that kind of stuff? they’d always known everything about each other, or so she thought, perhaps it’s more him knowing everything about her? 

“what?!” she places a hand over her mouth, eyes wide in surprise. “you’re just like my brother! he also doesn’t know this kind of stuff” she shakes her head. “when it comes to the kpop world, i know everything! i’m a fan of basically everyone, i keep up with all the groups and i know all the songs”. “warning though, i could talk about prizm for hours, or for days basically, they’re one of my favourite groups”.

“i know right! it’s a good idea to start already now, people usually tell me it’s too early to start” she shakes her head. “i don’t need more decorations, i definitely have enough, but i can’t control myself and buy more every year” she bites her lip. “i’ll help you find some decorations, get your apartment more decorative”.