rkxsoojin-blog

[rkxsoojin-blog]

rkjaemin‌:

he looks around as they walked, switched with soojin so she could be at the 'safer’ side of the sidewalk. “do you still remember where we live?” he asks, smiling as he looked at his cousin. “you visited us a few times, right? do you remember that jerk… i mean, my hyung? jaehan hyung?” even when he makes an effort to be nicer, years of getting used to referring to jaehan as 'that jerk’ was something he can’t change. he wouldn’t be surprised if soojin didn’t agree, other people always found jaehan to be more sociable than him after all. he was the good brother, that one who entertained relatives and help their mom with the snacks. “he’s not there by the way… if you were looking forward to see him.”

 Soojin nods, a slow and steady nod that illustrates her uncertainty. 

 “Yeah? You sure? That’s good, then...” she says, deciding to brush aside for the time being that Jaemin was behaving strangely, and she’d hum a rather lazy sort of laugh, waving her hand dismissively, “I’m cold-blooded, on account of being dead on the inside, so I’m fine. Also....I hate scarves. If you’re not in like...Siberia, it’s just like, the fastest way to make yourself look like a douche.” 

 She eyes him nervously, trying to recall any other instance in her memory where he’d been all warm and gentlemanly; most of her recollection of him was of the prepubescent gremlin he’d once been, though, and she supposes that young adult Jaemin might have acquired a few new traits between then and now. 

 “I...I remember what the house looks like, I think? I’m gonna have to follow your lead to get there...” she says with a bit of a snort. She listens to him talk about his brother, looking at him for a moment with a bit of a smile, because he talks about his big brother like every little brother does, and she finds it adorable; he’d grown up a lot, but he was still a kid in a lot of ways, she supposed. “Looking forward to seeing him?!” and she’d grin at the thought,  “I think he got on my nerves because he was a goody-two-shoes and my parents cooed over him. He was just...a snot-nosed kid.” 

 She reached out to rest a hand on Jaemin’s shoulder, her eyebrows raised. 

 “That jerk, though, huh? You guys got beef, or what?” 

mission (im)possible

[rkxsoojin-blog]

tw: mention of death and creepypasta

Soojin isn’t thrilled about visiting her uncle, but her mother has begun to really annoy her of late, with her Kakao essays about the dispelling of negative energy, and the importance of blood, presumably penned after hearty helpings of ayahuasca, based on their vaguely spiritual incomprehensibility. So she’s begrudgingly agreed to accompany her cousin to see the man, and to retrieve some unspecified paraphernalia from their family home, hoping that his son would distract him enough that she wouldn’t have to really engage. 

 It’s not that she hates the guy or anything, it’s just that she’s seen the Slums of Beverly Hills before, and also, her emotional calendar is currently packed full; she’s got nothing to spare for this guy with the dead wife or his family.

 She’s got fond memories of her aunt, too. She recalls visiting them all in the summer, years ago, when Jaemin was still just a baby, still chubby-cheeked, even more awkwardly built than he was now. Their trips to Korea had slowed in frequency before she’d left elementary school, and much of middle school was a gray blur in her head, so her sharpest memories were of Jaemin’s brother condescending to her about her Korean fluency as a snotty child. Their mother was sweet, though; she’s always wondered how she’d managed to turn out so normal. She must have gotten all of the decent person genes, or something, leaving the scraps for Soojin’s mother. 

 She’s not sure why Jaemin wants to meet at a bus stop; it’s a little pedestrian. But she entertains his desires, finding him, her brows furrowing as she approaches to see him dressed like Jeff The Killer. 

 “Hey...” she greets him, uncertainty heavy in her voice, her arms hugged across herself. Her brows only knit tighter together as he speaks of this visit as though he was about to produce two cyanide capsules from his pocket, “Um...yeah, sure. Is everything okay?”

mission (im)possible

jaemin doesn’t realize that he’s left something valuable in his room until he was putting together some documents he needed for university. he’s gone over the folders exactly fifteen times before he’s given up and admitted that he had missed to pack those papers. he curses and groans – as quietly as he could of course, while haech sleeps next to him at five in the morning. the last thing that he wanted right now was to go back to their house after the hearsay his nosey aunts call him for. there was really no way around it.

and that’s how he finds himself, sitting at yet another bus stop, dressed in the all too familiar black hoodie that he only wears if there was something that needed to be done… discreetly. as if he was on a roll with missing out on the details, he caught sight of his cousin, soojin approaching their meeting place. whenever he thought about how many times they had interacted, it’s amusing to him that he doesn’t realize they were related. he really needed to sleep more, that’s for sure.

he gets on his feet and waves at his cousin, a smile as she came closer and closer. there would have been a different welcome greeting if this was someone else, renjun and donghyuck definitely got a different one the first time jaemin brought them along on his… errands. “you sure you want to go do this with me?” he tells her, hands slipping into the front pockets of his jeans. “you can back out now if you want.” he adds, sounding a little absurd about something that seems like a normal thing to do. after all, going back home to get some stuff one left behind was something everyone did – and that’s all he told soojin. not exactly how they were getting it. 

@rkxsoojin

[rkxsoojin-blog]

 Saerok was a sweet girl, Soojin thought, if a little neurotic, but they were friends, or at least friendly. Yerim, being stingy as she was, for a princess, had moved her into their apartment about a month ago, and in her relative absence of late, on account of her being a trainee, Soojin had taken to befriending the new girl in town. When Saerok had suggested her plan of vengeance to Soojin, she’d been happy to jump on board. She wasn’t certain of the full extent of the girl’s familial grievances, but she was more than willing to encourage healing in the form of retail therapy. 

 She turns her eyes from the suede-textured satchel in her hands to Saerok’s backside, which was currently wrapped in a dress like tinsel, and chuckles as she replaces the bag onto its display. 

 “Really?” she smiles, and closes the gap between them, snorting at Saerok’s remark on colour coordination as she peeks over her shopping sister’s shoulder to nod her approval, setting the small pile of ‘maybes’ she’d amassed on a nearby seat, “You could go a little shorter even, I’ve seen so many girls here dressing like they’re trying to make undercheek happen.” she considers the thought for a moment, “Which I’m totally here for, actually...”

material girl.

saerok couldn’t remember the last time she had actually gone shopping. almost everything she bought was always for track. it seemed that 90% of her closet consisted of workout pants and sports bras. she didn’t complain too much, they were comfortable, but she’d been thinking about how boring it was to wear the same 4 outfits when she wasn’t working out.

she’d never been super materialistic which is why buying clothing other than what she needed for training seemed ridiculous.

but after a heated argument with her dad about her future, saerok felt her credit card grow heavy in her pocket. in a wave of anger she bursts into soojin’s room and proceeds to inform her they were going shopping, “i’ll buy you whatever you want.”

now at the mall, saerok steps out of the fitting room and twirls on one foot in front of soojin. the silver material gives off a luminescent effect. “this is definitely a lot shorter than anything i’ve ever worn.” she comments. she had no issues with showing skin—she was an athlete so wearing shorts and a sports bra was just a given.

she looks at her ankle wrap in the mirror, “wow the beige in my cast really compliments the silver huh?” she’s being sarcastic, if not a little bitter.

                                                                       ( @rkxsoojin ) *

[rkxsoojin-blog]

[rkxsoojin-blog]

Reblogging for different timezones! Please come plot with this nuisance, she needs it  ♥

ANNOUNCEMENT

♥

Kim Minkyung is now Seo Soojin!

I’ve been considering this change for months now, and I’ve finally just bitten the bullet and gone through with it! In a perfect world I might not have had to, but we live in the timeline where Pledis sucks, and Minkyung is no longer an idol, nor in the public eye.

 The only thing that’s changed about this weirdo are her face and her birthday! Miss Thing is now a Pisces. She’s also 21 years old, but that was a change I made a couple of months ago, and forgot to post about, because I’m a flop mun.

 I also figured I’d take out both birds, and turn this post into a plot call as well! I’ve included some pre-written ideas below the cut, but I’m honestly way better with brainstorming! Please like this post if you’d like me to slide into your IMs, and don’t hesitate to hmu, on here or on Twitter! (Or to ask for my Twitter or Discord if you don’t have them) xoxo

Keep reading

[rkxsoojin-blog]

ANNOUNCEMENT

♥

Kim Minkyung is now Seo Soojin!

I’ve been considering this change for months now, and I’ve finally just bitten the bullet and gone through with it! In a perfect world I might not have had to, but we live in the timeline where Pledis sucks, and Minkyung is no longer an idol, nor in the public eye.

 The only thing that’s changed about this weirdo are her face and her birthday! Miss Thing is now a Pisces. She’s also 21 years old, but that was a change I made a couple of months ago, and forgot to post about, because I’m a flop mun.

 I also figured I’d take out both birds, and turn this post into a plot call as well! I’ve included some pre-written ideas below the cut, but I’m honestly way better with brainstorming! Please like this post if you’d like me to slide into your IMs, and don’t hesitate to hmu, on here or on Twitter! (Or to ask for my Twitter or Discord if you don’t have them) xoxo

GIRLS NIGHT OUT | f, 20-ish+ | 0/?     Soojin needs girlfriends (in the grandmotherly sense of the word). Just a network of girls who are all buddies, have a groupchat, hang out every once in a while. The successful friend, the uptight friend, the innocent friend, the mom friend, the messy friend (or two, or three). You get the gist, a girl gang. 

NO ANGEL | 20+ | 0/2    Soojin has had a number of flings in her lifetime; they start out hot, and fizzle out (or are stamped out by her, lest they get out of control). Sometimes into friendships, sometimes into rivalries. Whichever note the spark between you faded on, the feelings that remain are complicated.

BLAME IT ON U | 18+ | 0/?     Soojin has the sort of personality that is an acquired taste. Either that, or you simply need to be on a similar wavelength to understand where she’s coming from. You, however, don’t think you’ll ever be able to pick up whatever nonsense it is that she’s putting down. (Soojin needs enemies, frenemies, anything. this girl is so annoying istg. Someone kick her ass...)

[rkxsoojin-blog]

MGA5 DUOS 2 SINGING SHUT UP AND GROOVE by Heize & DEAN [00:06-02:06]

 Minkyung can feel the excitement pulsing to life inside of her chest every time her name is not spoken amongst those who have been eliminated; a strange, dangerous sort of excitement. 

 She still wasn’t entirely sure of why she was here, but she didn’t think she needed to be. She loved both being appreciated, and competition, and between the influx of fans from the show’s exposure, and the fact that said competition was heating up, the drive she felt to remain on the show, to keep moving forward, was now overwhelming. 

 She’s hardly considering the end of the race, just thinking about how next to best her opponents.

Minkyung isn’t thrilled when they’re informed that they are to do another duet performance. She’d previously thought that a show-off doesn’t like to share the stage if they can avoid it, but she’d actually had a lot of fun with Yewon, and quite liked the feeling of bouncing off of someone else. It’s just the fear that her skills will fade into the background that has her less than enthused. 

 She’s relieved, though, when she discovers who her partner is: Junhee. She’s been fairly impressed with his performance thus far, and thinks that the two of them just might make a good pair; their skills are in the same wheelhouse, so she’s certain that they’ll find a song where they’ll both shine. 

 It turns out that Junhee has his shit together, meaning he’s ready, meaning he’s got some friend that will allow them to practice in his studio, and is more or less primed to get to work right away. 

 The boy gives her the impression that he was the kid who shouldered more than his share of work in group projects, sweet and kind and nice and every other synonym, it takes her a second to warm up to him. She’s always mistrustful of such saccharine folk, suspect that they’re phony, but Junhee seems to be the real deal. 

 They endure the awkward phase that is him figuring out that half of what Minkyung says is half-ironic, and she’s impressed with how quickly he manages to catch on, even managing to discern when she was being serious and when she was not. Usually people just guess. 

 They decide rather early on Shut Up And Groove by Dean and Heize, a song that has a bit more edge, frankly, than anything she’d done thus far. Something she welcomes. It’s still a fun track, though. Easy to dance and bop to, easy to inject with personality. It’s a good chance for Minkyung to show off the R&B edge to her vocal tone. It’s the type of singing she does the most, the sort she’s best at. 

 The rehearsals are great, Junhee is an agreeable fellow, which serves as nice foil to Minkyung’s fire, and although she does pester him with questions about whether or not the concept of a drama geek exists in Korea, and about what it’s like to be an idol, they do manage to nail the song down. 

 She’s not so dazzled by the behind the scenes action Minkyung finds come the day of filming, it having somehow become another part of her routine, but she is excited for this performance, feeling that it has a certain energy to it. An energy that is rather authentically her. 

 She’s good at the whole rigmarole now, she believes, of bowing and introducing herself and the song, and smiling, and it isn’t long before her and Junhee are poised on stage, the music clicking on, and she steps forward.

밤 12시에 집을 가던 안가던 떡볶이로 세 끼를 채우건 말건 내 강아지가 잘 지내건 말건 신경꺼줘 내버려둬 갑자기 왜 그러는지 뭔 바람이 드셨는지 왠 야밤에 이리 전화를 거시는지 흥미롭지만 버스는 떠났으니

 She gestures with her hands as she sings the lyrics, as though she’s illustrating the lyrics via some made-up sign language, her shoulders relaxed as though she’s tired of life.

Go 닥치고 그냥 Groove 흘러 가는대로 넘어 넘어 넘어가 굳이 말안해도 돼 Go away 전부 지루하고 듣기 거북해 너같아

 The chorus begins, and they burst into song together, harmonising.  She makes sure her tone is pure, but rich and full, adding a bit of a sassy flourish to a word here or there while keeping in tune with Junhee. She was lucky to have gotten him, a musical theatre kid, as he had a serious set of pipes and strong technique. She was adamant, though, that they not just sing, but rather play the song like an exchange, and as the step around each other, a grin on her lips, she thinks they’re doing well. 

 She listens to him sing his verse, taking slow, measured steps every once in a while on time with a beat, dramatising her expressions as reactions to what he was singing, and when she lifts her mic to sing once more, she postures herself as if she’s responding, offering her partner a shrug. 

‘Everythings gonna be ok’ 공감 안되는 사랑 노래 가사들 불행하지 않아도 하나도 행복하지 않은 그런 날들 벗어나고 싶어 사랑 아님 이별 왜 모든건 이분법 인지 다른걸 보고싶어 이 거리 위를 미친척하고 달리다 보면 나올지 몰라 oasis

 Soon her second verse comes to a close, and they jump back into a harmony for a second chorus, a little more power from the both of them this time. Minkyung improvises a playful “shove” with no power behind it as she half-dances around him, giving her hips a bit of a sway. 

Go 닥치고 그냥 Groove 흘러 가는대로 넘어 넘어 넘어가 굳이 말 안해도 돼 Go away 전부 지루하고 듣기 거북해 너같아

 Once that comes to a close, Junhee gets a moment to shine, Minkyung having had more time to show off her vocals up unto this point, but Minkyung is certain to still be present, putting a cupped hand to her ear and reacting as though she was hearing the voice of an angel as Junhee slips up into his falsetto. 

Shut up and Groove Shut up and Groove Shut up and Groove Just keep groovin’

 The song ends on that rather cute note, and Minkyung playfully, and gently, slugs Junhee in the upper arm, muttering something about him having done great, and the two of them bow before stepping off the stage. 

 Minkyung’s sitting pretty. She’s certain she is. 

[rkxsoojin-blog]

MGA5 DUOS SINGING I AM THE BEST by 2NE1GLOBAL ICON [1:28-3:28]

 Minkyung is thrilled to have made it another week, but she’s not so thrilled to learn that she’s meant to share the stage with someone as part of the following episode’s challenge. She supposes it only makes sense that she’d have to eventually, but she’s a bit of show-off, and it’s hard to show off when you’ve got to share the spotlight. 

 She’s relieved, though, to learn who she’s paired with, and meet her; Yewon seems sweet, small in a doll-like way, easy and non-threatening, and Minkyung immediately takes to her, deciding that Yewon is her temporary little sister. Much to her chagrin, though, Choi Yewon is a dancer, which means that naturally, whatever little routine the two of them prepare for their dual performance is going to have to involve some dancing, probably more dancing than the hop skip and jump bit that Minkyung was accustomed to, although Yewon was a cheerleader. Actual dancing, with like, moves and steps. 

 It’s a bit daunting, but Minkyung isn’t one to shrink from challenge, but rather to dive into it head first. 

 They decide that the best showcase of their two skills together would be something upbeat. Minkyung doesn’t want to go a more cutesy route, though, so they land, somehow, on I’m The Best by Global Icon, loud and bombastic, energetic. It has plenty of singing for Minkyung to pick up, and a tight little rap for Yewon to do. 

 It’s decided that Yewon, of course, will lead the dance break, and Minkyung finds, as they practice, that the dance isn’t exactly hard. Thankfully, Global Icon was never renowned for their dancing, the routine in question being rather wiggly, more about attitude and energy than precision, although she notices that Yewon introduces a bit of that whenever she does the dance portion. For Minkyung, it’s really about keeping up for the rest of it, and making sure her vocals were on point. Hopefully if she can embody the energy of the song enough, the judges won’t mind a if her dancing isn’t flawless. 

 She’s certain to learn what she can from the younger girl, though, asking for pointers here and there, noting how hesitant Yewon seems to be to tell her when she’s done poorly, even when Minkyung encourages her to. 

 A sweetheart.

 By the time the day of the performance has come around, though, Minkyung’s feeling confident enough. She dresses up, a little cooler than usual, a metal t-shirt with daisy dukes and a biker jacket, her smudgy eyeliner and knee-highs bringing her near to the realm of Harley Quin, which she only notices once she’s arrived.

 Once the two of them find their way on stage, Minkyung giving Yewon an encouraging pat on the back, along with a whisper of “We’ve got this, girlie,” they bow, introducing themselves as they previously arranged. 

  “Hello, we are Minwon!” they announce, their energy bright as Yewon declares herself the cutie rapper, looking to Minkyung to describe her own position in the group, which elicits a comedic shrug from the older girl. 

 “I’m...just Minkyung, but I’ve never received any complaints!” she jokes, and moments later she’s positioning herself, taking a deep breath.

  It is within seconds, jokes aside, that the music starts playing, and the two of them sing-speak the titular lines, already beginning to dance.

내가 제일 잘 나가 내가 제일 잘 나가 제 제 제일 잘 나가

 The dance is a little odd, involving a fair amount of snake-like writhing of their arms, but Minkyung tries to focus on the message of what she’s singing. I am the best. She does her best to push herself, to embody that as best she can through the motions of her limbs, an unapologetically confident smile gracing her lips, her eyes cool and focused. If she’s nervous at all about this dance, she’s not showing it, and truth be told, she isn’t. She feels confident that they’ve done this smartly. 

내가 봐도 내가 좀 끝내주잖아 Alright 니가 나라도 이 몸이 부럽잖아 Alright

남자들은 날 돌아보고 여자들은 따라해 내가 앉은 이 자리를 매일 넘봐 피곤해

선수인척 폼만 잡는 어리버리한 Playa 넌 바람 빠진 타이어처럼 보기 좋게 차여

 The main bulk of Minkyung’s performance comes through the verses, which she performs with attitude, her arms swooping around to form improvised gestures that match with the lyrics, and also serve to draw more attention to her, turning Yewon into a back-up dancer for just a moment. It also allows her to circumvent any potential sloppiness in her rendition of this dance, and turn it into a moment within the performance. She takes a few minor vocal liberties here and there, polishing up a note that was rather flat in the original song, adding a bit of vocal flourish to the end of playa . And then the chorus repeats, and she throws herself back into dancing alongside Yewon.

내가 제일 잘 나가 내가 제일 잘 나가 내가 제일 잘 나가 내가 제일 잘 나가 제 제 제일 잘 나가

 As the chorus winds down, Minkyung strikes a fierce pose so Yewon can step forward to lead into the dance break, having her own moment in the spotlight as Minkyung had had during the verses, before she steps forward to dance with her, throwing her arm upward before her, wobbling her head in time with the instrumental, as she sings a catchy na na na riff. 

누가 니가 나보다 더 잘 나가 No no no no na na na na  누가 니가 나보다 더 잘 나가

 As the song winds down, Minkyung lets loose, the dance becoming less strict and structured, she lets her natural sense of rhythm guide her a bit as she’s trills a fun ratatata, careful not to stray too far, lest it look messy. 

Bam ratatata ratatatata Bam ratatata ratatatata Bam ratatata ratatatata Bam ratatata ratatatata Bam ratatata ratatatata Oh my god

 On the final “oh my god” the two of them strike a pose, Minkyung stomping into a strong, wide stance and spinning around to look at the judges with a look of faux-surprise, her hand lifted to her mouth to catch her gasp, which fades into a smile as the lights come back up, the two of them relaxing, their performance having truly come to an end. 

 Minkyung thanks the judges, and the audience, and pulls Yewon into a friendly sidehug before she moves to step off of the stage, thinking that, strangely enough, it was kind of fun having someone else to bounce off of up there. 

[rkxsoojin-blog]

MGA5 MAIN SKILL PERFORMANCE SINGING INTO THE NEW WORLD by 소녀시대 CHI CHI [0:08-2:08] 

 Minkyung’s always been a self-assured sort; it isn’t arrogance, she insists, simply a healthy confidence. It’s not the belief that you’re infallibly wonderful, although Minkyung thinks she could certainly make a case for that argument, she’s pretty fucking cool, but rather an honest internal assessment of your own skill set, and perhaps a bit of emotional detachment. That helps with everything.

 It’s why she’s not in the least bit surprised that she’s made it through.

 Upon hearing the terms of the next performance, she’s actually excited, the flames of competition stoked within her, already reaching something of a fever pitch. God, does she want to win this. She loves winning. 

 She does understand, almost immediately, that there is one logistical problem, though, going forward into this particular challenge; there’s a surplus of vocalists.  She happens to be a vocalist. It’s uniquely tricky, because although she, quite frankly, thinks that it’s the most beneficial of the three relevant skills to have, being the only that has an element of innateness to it, a degree of un-learnability, it’s also the hardest to show off time and time again in ways that are fresh or interesting. 

 She can only imagine the number of ballads people are going to be doing, and it’s all she can do the following evening, to plot and scheme, to try and figure out how she might stand out from the crowd of crooners. 

 She may or may not have an obsession with standing out, and although she’d loved the gimmick she’d done last week, with her little light-up tiara, she thought it’d gone underappreciated, a little lost in the sea of one hundred contestants. 

 This week, she decides to keep it a little simpler, to go with a ballad, although instead of your bog-standard romantic plea, or woeful wail, she decides to do a ballad version of Into The New World by Chi Chi, still the nation’s girl group in her heart. She wants to do a Korean song, having done an English one last week, and chooses Into The New World because its lyrics are hopeful, and uplifting. It’s a song that she feels is quintessentially Korean, somehow. She’s heard drunken aunties belting it out in karaoke rooms, and has read about it being played over loudspeakers at political protests. It really gets around.

 She arranges her piece so that the first minute or so features a slow, steady build of her vocals, the musical accompaniment light, just some sparkling piano and gauzy synths, a string here and there, but then, after that minute, once she hits the chorus, the track goes silent, and she proceeds to belt out the words of the chorus a capella. 

 Minkyung wants to lean into this being a show of the contestants’ main skill, so she wants her voice, her vocals in all their purity, to be the main focus of the performance. It’s somewhat daunting, and potentially risky, because although there’ll be some reverb on her microphone, if she pushes her voice too far and it cracks, if she wavers on a riff, if a note is offkey, it will be entirely obvious; there’ll be no backing track to mask it. 

 She’s certain to practice it, of course, but the truth is, she’s hardly nervous. She can’t see the viewers on the other end of the cameras, only the audience in the studio, which is comparable to shows she’s played before. This performance is still very much her forte, it’s standing and singing, and she’s sure to be smart. 

 She doesn’t like to advertise them, ever, but she knows her limits, and knows what’s too much for her. Sure, stretch them out, work to improve them, but part of being good is knowing how to sell the abilities you’ve already got. 

 The day of, she dresses a little more simply, a cute, a bright red stretch dress that hits her mid-thigh and fits her tightly, over which she’s tossed her signature denim jacket. On her feet, are white sneakers, and although she’s done her hair and make-up nice, she’s not looking to impress anyone with her outfit choice, not today, at least. 

 She wonders if she’ll have another moment trying to find a seat, until Suwoong finds her, wasting no time in dragging her to sit with him and his pals, which she’s grateful for; she thinks he’s pretty cool, perhaps because he reminds her a bit of herself. They chatter a bit as the show begins.

 By chance, Xuxi sits next to her that day too, and they briefly catch up, talking about their animals, who had met months earlier at the dog park. 

 Eventually, it’s her time to step to the stage, and she does so with a sense of grace, bowing low before the judges before she rights herself. 

 Once shes introduced what she’s doing, she takes position, finding the camera with the red light, watching the stagehand counting down in her periphery, and then the music clicks on, a warbled, hazy piano note, the instruments sad in a distinctly sentimental, nostalgic sort of way, and a moment later she begins to sing.

전해 주고 싶어 슬픈 시간이 다 흩어진 후에야 들리지만 눈을 감고 느껴 봐 움직이는 마음 너를 향한 내 눈빛을

특별한 기적을 기다리지 마 눈앞에선 우리의 거친 길은 알 수 없는 미래와 벽 바꾸지 않아 포기할 수 없어

변치 않을 사랑으로 지켜 줘 상처 입은 내 맘까지 시선 속에서 말은 필요 없어 멈춰져 버린 이 시간

 The vocal labour is rather light for the first three little verses, although she does build with each one, gaining a bit of volume and power as they wind forward. Her focus at first is on cadence, and rhythm, these verses a little bouncier than the chorus, and she manages a slow, thoughtful stroll along the edge of the stage as she lets each note slip from her mouth, looking back and forth between the cameras, and the judges, wanting to perform this to them both. As the first part of her performance comes to a close, her ending it with a bit of a high-note on shi-gan, she pushes forward into the first half of the chorus as the twinkling piano notes fade into vague, barely-present strings, her voice lifting up into a strong belt, although not yet at the top of her range.

사랑해 널 이 느낌 이대로 그려 왔던 헤매임의 끝 이 세상 속에서 반복되는 슬픔 이젠 안녕

 She stands still, assuming a triumphant stance that she supposes matches the hopeful, future-orientated tone of the words she’s singing, although it’s mostly to preserve stamina. As the first half of the chorus ends, she steadies herself, sneaking a hearty breath, and launches into the final few lines, her voice lifting to the top end of her range as the musical accompaniment drops out entirely, her voice entirely naked now. 

 Minkyung doesn’t want to strain her voice, or to stretch too hard for the notes, so she’s practiced this part a thousand times, practiced it so that she can hit the notes and still maintain some resonance in her face, to give the notes roundness and warmth.

수많은 알 수 없는 ��� 속에 희미한 빛을 난 쫓아가 언제까지라도 함께하는 거야 다시 만난 나의 세계

 She drags the last note out, swooping up into it so that it builds, and she holds onto it for a few seconds, until her two minutes is up, and then she turns from the mic to breath, giving another bow before she steps from the stage to find her seat, wondering if that’d been enough not just to stand out, but to prove her skill. 

 Minkyung liked to think it had.

[rkxsoojin-blog]

MGA5 C A L L B A C K THE INTERVIEW

 After all of the performances, the good, the bad, and the ugly, had worn down, the whole lot of them are informed that as the judging panel deliberates, they’re going to be taken back for one-on-one interviews regarding the competition thus far. There’s a bit of a wait, but before long, Minkyung is whisked away by a production hand to cabinet of a room, partaking in a quick sound check, before the camera is trained on her, one of the staff members clearing their throat.

Are you going to keep that tiara on?

“Well...a princess shouldn’t remove her finery in front of prying eyes, right?” she answers with a playful smirk.

Okay...well, how did you feel when you received the news of the callback?

”I was thrilled!” she says, “Elated. Whatever word you want to use. I...I had a lot of fun with my audition, and was really hoping I’d made it through.”

What did you think when the judges were revealed?

 Minkyung shrugs. “Hasn’t the panel always been the same? I mean, it’s cool, I guess.”

Do you not admire the judges?

“Oh, of course, I do!” Minkyung says with a smile, “Tiger JK is great! Katie Lee is like...an icon. I’m not as familiar with the other three, but they’re all impressive in their own right, I’m sure. They all have a lot of success, so clearly they’re smart, hard-working people.” 

How do you think you did?

”I think I did great.” Minkyung says without skipping a beat, giving her ponytail a bit of a flip.

Do you think you are a little too confident? 

Minkyung thinks for a moment, readjusting her posture to be a little less defiant, “I don’t think I’m perfect. In fact, I know I’m not. I just think that...if you can let go of your doubt, and have fun with a performance, or be otherwise emotionally invested in it...the audience can feel that, and take that ride with you. So...it’s my goal not to worry too much, and to focus on...doing the best I can. So that the audience can enjoy a good performance.”

So you’re not a princess all the time, then?

“I’m about as far from royally dignified as it gets,” Minkyung says with a friendly laugh, her shoulders heaving gently, her posture relaxed, “So no, it was a conceptual choice, for the song I did. I have a lot of range. There are other tricks up my sleeve, but I mean, on the flipside...every girl is a princess in her own right, yeah?”

Were there any performances you liked? 

“Who was the kid who did Goodbye Baby? With the long neck?” she thinks for a second, searching the ether of her mind for the name she had lost, “Ah! Na Jaemin. He was a cutie, and he...just seemed like he really gave it his all. A little stiff, maybe, like I could see him thinking, but he’s got a lot of potential, clearly, and a lot of hunger. And I think those are good things.” she hums as she considers some others, “I liked Huang Xuxi’s! I mean the outfit and the song choices were great, and I think he really stood out as far as the guys go? So tall, too! Nobody else was serving that energy. Yuqi did great, too. It was so much fun. Her energy was great. And um...oh! Haruto. I loved that.”

You liked Haruto’s performance?

 Minkyung nods eagerly. “Oh my god, yes. What a show! It was a spectacle, wasn’t it? Him like...falling was just the cherry on top. I mean...” she winces a bit, out of sympathy, “I’m sure it was embarrassing, but whatever. It was easily one of the most memorable things I saw all day. He should be proud of that.” 

What did you think of Kyulkyung’s performance?

”Kyulkyung?” Minkyung says, raising her eyebrows. She’d almost considered mentioning her as one of the performers she’d liked but hadn’t wanted to ramble as she was so prone to do, but now, she wonders why the producers are asking, “It was beautiful. She’s a great dancer. Really pretty, too. I sat next to her in the audience, actually, she seems sweet.”

Do you think she’s a threat to you? 

 Minkyung smirks, a sparkle in her eye, "I hadn’t really considered that, no.” she says with a casual flip of her ponytail, her smirk drying a bit in nature, a little wryer, and she shifts in her seat, clearly excited, “I hope she is! I’d love some competition.” 

Are you a competitive person?

“Absolutely.” Minkyung answers almost immediately, no hesitancy in her tone of voice, “I think...it’s great. At least for me. It...really drives you to put your best foot forward, right? Helps you grow. I look forward to it.” 

Is there anyone you are certain will move onto the next phase of the MGAs?

”Kim Minkyung.” she says with a giggle, blushing a bit, and covering her smile for a moment.

Would you like to name anyone else?

Minkyung winks, shaking her head no, a playful smile gracing her lips.

Is there anyone you are certain will be eliminated today?

“The people I don’t remember.” she says, lifting her hand to her head thoughtfully, “Vague, I know, but...I think everyone who entertained, who stuck in peoples’ minds. I think they’re safe.”

 It’s then that the interview is wrapped up, and they let her go, telling her that a production assistant will direct her to the waiting area, and as she leaves she passes another contestant being led in to be put on the spot themselves. 

 Minkyung feels a strange sense of excitement, and hopes that she’d stuck in the minds of the judges in the way that she’d described. She wanted to be a part of this, however it ended. 

[rkxsoojin-blog]

 MGA5 C A L L B A C K SINGING I DON’T WANT IT AT ALL by KIM PETRAS [1:53-2:28, 3:05-4:06]

 It takes Minkyung a minute to check her email, even after she hears the tiny little ding of the notification, and when she does, she’s initially a little surprised; she thinks she did pretty well at her audition, she just hadn’t given much thought to the what if of her actually making it through. Somehow in her mind it had been done and dusted the moment she’d returned her cute little nametag and left, and mentally, she had moved on. 

 For a moment, she considers backing out; she hadn’t really auditioned out of any true desire to be an idol, right? But there’s already a pool of leaden resolve forming in her belly, one that she recognises, and one that she isn’t exactly happy to see. 

 Minkyung loves a good challenge. She’s competitive down to her very core, and knowing that out of all the idol hopefuls, all the fame-hungry whomevers that would have auditioned for this show, that she’s in the top hundred? She’s satisfied with that, she just thinks she could do a whole lot better, that’s all. 

 Not to mention that the audition itself had been really quite fun. Minkyung feels like she’s her best self when she’s performing, and the allure of a bigger stage, more of a production, as opposed to some practice room in the back of a high school is positively alluring. 

 She immediately begins bouncing options around in her mind, and as always, she’s got a thousand ideas buzzing about her, so it’s really a job of whittling the numbers down. 

 The one thing she knows for absolute certain is that she wants to make a bit of a scene, it’s just a question of how to do so in the way she wanted to, with a bit of subtlety, so it might seem a little more organic. 

 She decides that she wants to lean into the cutesy thing, in an ever-so-slightly tongue-in-cheek way, as always. She supposes that’s just her thing. 

 The outfit comes first, for some reason, a little high-waisted denim mini skirt, a faded Spice World tee, a choker, and a pair of glittery silver knee-high boots that she’d gotten from a stall in Hongdae that were almost certainly some kind of designer bootleg. 

 It’s then, looking at the bootleg leg boots that she has a bit of a creative epiphany. 

 She doesn’t want to do something dour, or serious, not yet at the very least. She wants something bubblegum bubbly, something fun and bouncy, so she designs to lean into the fraudulent designer aesthetic and do I Don’t Want It At All; a high energy bop with cutesy materialistic lyrics that will be fun to jump around to. It’s also a rather challenging song in some respects, and Minkyung relishes chances to show-off just a tad. 

 She isn’t a dancer, so she doesn’t bother with a choreography, or any such thing, but instead sets into figuring out an arrangement. She only has two minutes and wants to make sure that her performance still has a sense of build, some peaks and valleys, lest it become monotonous by remaining at a singular level the entire time. She also wants to make sure she can show off a decent range of vocal technique within that short time span. 

  She opts to do the second verse and the pre-chorus, to create a bit of a build from a lower energy to a higher one, but instead of going straight into the chorus, she’ll instead jump into the bridge, and finish off with the final chorus, which is higher energy than all the ones before it, and will also give her the opportunity to really belt out a high note or two. She thinks it’s a well-balanced arrangement, and she practices it often enough that the song clings to her head like glue, almost driving her nuts. 

 By the time the day of rolls around, she wakes up to the song already playing in her head, which is perhaps a good thing. 

 She dolls herself up, throwing a denim jacket over the outfit she’d previously selected, cinching her hair into a high pony, something fun to throw around, and before long, she’s arrived. 

 It’s always interesting seeing the other side of this sort of a production, the security check-ins, the form-signing, the cameras and boom mics and stage lighting, the bones of the operation all naked like you never see them on the actual show. Its both grounding and a little exciting, like being let in on a big secret. 

 She finds a seat at random, smiling at Yuqi and her little girlfriend as she passes them by, quietly wishing them luck and ending up sat between a girl called Kyulkyung, and a boy called Suwoong, surrounded by a great load of noisy people, which ends up being great fun. Her and Kyulkyung eye one another up for a moment, whispering a few mild critiques and some small talk between one another before she’s distracted by Suwoong, who is uniquely friendly, on a similar wavelength to herself, Minkyung thinks. He initiates small talk with her, leaning over after every performance so they can express some brief opinions on it, their opinions becoming more imaginative as the performances continue, eventually turning into a strange game of elaborating on the theoretical life of the contestant in question based on their outfit, or gait, or choice of song and dance. 

 The section she’s sat with are all chatter, and they cheer and clap for every contestant who goes up, and by the time Minkyung hears her name called, shes been imbued with enough of that joyous energy that she hops up with zeal, finding her way to the stage easily where she she bounces into the the designated spot, the stage lights immediately rather warm against her skin, the cameras trained on her. 

 She gives the judges, and the camera, a sweet smile, bowing a good ninety degrees before pulling back up and introducing herself with a bit of a giggle. 

 “Hello! I’m Kim Minkyung! It’s nice to meet you on the stage today” she says, the smile that parts her lips suddenly a little strange, mysterious almost, as though she knew something those whom she smiled at did not. The glimmer of confidence, the cool unarrogant sort, unmistakable in her eyes. She doesn’t bother expressing some hope that they’ll enjoy her performance, as she’s more than hopeful that they will. She’ll make sure they do.

 There’s a brief count from some staff members behind the cameras, and without time to waste, the music starts, an instrumental that she’d artfully snipped together herself to match the arrangement she was doing. As it does, she doesn’t begin to sing, having purposely left a few extra seconds of music on the front of the track, but rather feigns surprise, almost worry, lifting an urgent finger to the judges to indicate that they wait, as though she’d forgotten something crucial, skittering quickly to the side of the stage in her boots, where she bends down to accept a plastic tiara, with little LED lights spelling the word “princess” on its front from a waiting staff member, a gag that she’d arranged beforehand, even though everyone on the show’s end seemed to be confused by the request. She secures the fluffy pink tiara tightly to the front of her head with a smile, flicking a switch on its rearside to turn the lights on, and then skips confidently back to the centre of the stage, stomping her feet into a self-assured stance and jumping right into her verse.

If you wanna get down tonight You better hook it up at the place I like Better make it fit like the perfect size Aw yeah, aw yeah And if you give me everything I want You go from none to number one Yeah, you're so cute, yeah, you're so fun Aw yeah, aw yeah

 She holds her position for this potion of her performance, her voice easy over top the bright, glittery synths. As she slides into the pre-chorus she begins to strut along the stage, each girlish stomp in time with a beat of the song. She’s not a dancer, but she’s got enough bodily sense to keep on rhythm as she bops and sways along with the song, a grin on her lips, pivoting her head so that she can feel her ponytail whipping about behind her. 

Baby, don't you fight it Close your eyes and swipe it Maybe I could be with you If you buy me diamonds And you keep me smiling Baby, I can be with you Oh, with you 

 Minkyung is having a lot of fun with her performance, bouncing along with each word, the vocals themselves having yet to become too demanding for that. She flutters her eyes with girlish flourish, mimicking the motion of a credit card swipe alongside the pertinent words, pointing at the camera with a wink, smiling wide and flashing the cartoonishly large hunk of plastic masquerading as a diamond on the cheap costume jewelry she was wearing. She’d initially wanted to strike a balance, to figure out how to be peppy and referential without being too much, but she had realised that being a little too much was a perfect fit for this particular song, and had decided to lean into it as a concept, summoning every drop of pseudo-ironic bubbly zest she could, although the gleam in her eye was entirely real. 

 She ends the pre-chorus with a high note on “Oh, with you,” ceasing her gleeful prancing so she could properly belt in out, the music fading into a more subtle, slow synth build beneath her as she flips her ponytail with apparent delight to sing an adorable “Woo! ah...” once the high note is through, blowing a kiss with the judges with her two fingers before bringing her hand forward so she could form a finger heart in the same motion, in time with each syllable. The gallivanting she’d been doing across the edge of the stage now slowing to a sensuous prowl to reflect the energy of the song itself.

I don't want it all  Give me summer in the Hamptons Give me summer in the Hamptons (I don't want it at all) Give me summer in the Hamptons In the Hamptons In the Hamptons I want all I want

 On the original track, the bridge made use of a robotic filter of sorts, but Minkyung takes the opportunity to show off some of her technique, leaning into a bit of vocal fry distortion to give her voice some edge and grit in lieu of any metallic effect, the bridge slowly building into a belt before she jumps straight into the final chorus, which she opts to stand still for, having found her way to centre stage once again, she focuses her attention back onto the microphone, and her singing, knowing that this bit was a challenge in terms of maintaining proper breath support, the way she wanted to do it. 

I want all my clothes designer (Ooh!) I want someone else to buy 'em (Yeah!) If I cannot get it right now (Now!) I don't want it, I don't want it, I don't want it at all I don't want it, I don't want it, I don't want it at all Give me all of your attention (Ooh!) Give me summer in the Hamptons (Yeah!) If I cannot get it right now (Now!) I don't want it, I don't want it, I don't want it at all I don't want it, I don't want it, I don't want it at all

 The synths rocket upwards in intensity the minute the bridge ends, and Minkyung launches right into the chorus, asserting what she wants and how she wants it. She chooses to lean into some of the ad-libs that Kim had done on the final chorus, including a sustained belt at the end of the fifth line. It’s fairly close to the ceiling of her range, especially after all of the energy she’d just expended, right in the middle of a bunch of other singing, and she has to sneak a breath as inconspicuously as possible, almost gasping it, turning her head away from the mic to do so. She manages it, however, having practiced this exact part almost endlessly, and plows through the rest of the chorus with a smile of self-satisfaction gracing her lips. 

 The song ends just as she makes one final declaration of how she wants it, and she’s sure to close with a bit of flourish, bringing her arm up in a big dramatic swoop to pose cutely with a v-sign at her temple. 

 She’s shocked at first, by the cheers from her little loud section, jumping ever so slightly before bursting into a laugh, bowing and thanking the judges quickly before she returned to her seat, happy to plop down in her seat, her legs trembling with the rush of adrenaline.

 As she watches the next contestant step up to bat, she begins to process just how much she enjoyed that, the bloom of desire to win this in her chest now twofold in nature.

[rkxsoojin-blog]

June 14th, 2019 ♥  Hanlim Multi Art High School Secondary Skill Rapping POST TO BE (COVER) by ALICE VICIOUS [ 1:38-2:29 ]

  Minkyung sips her bottled milk tea, and munches on a handful of almonds, and a little sandwich she’d packed for herself, making a quick visit to the little girl’s room, waiting the rest of the twenty minute break out on her phone while attempting small talk with a couple other people, wishing them luck, the typical lot. 

 Once the break’s over, those waiting are brought back to the practice room area, and informed that they must improvise a performance to display the performance skill that they think is their next best-honed. 

 Minkyung’s a little annoyed, frankly, again, simply not being the type of person who appreciated surprises. She’s a control-freak, damn it, she needs to have control over her freak, but it doesn’t take her long to draft a plan, so the initial irritation is washed away by a wave of mental preparation. 

 Minkyung doesn’t have two left feet, or anything, she just...doesn’t dance. She’d always been a stand-there-and-sing sort of performer, so obviously pulling out some dance was out of the question, which left rap as her only viable option. Luckily for her, she’d prepared one somewhat recently. 

 She thinks it may be a risk to do the same song twice, but she’d written her own words over a song that didn’t originally feature a rap verse; it’d give her a chance to show off her lyricism in Korean as well as her actual rap skill, not that she was a regular Minaj or Lamar, or anything, but it was something she’d been practicing for a while now, and at the end of the day it wasn’t really the same song. 

 What she doesn’t have, that she did have when she wrote the lyrics, of course, is an actual composition to rap over, a backtrack, which is problematic, until she decides to really adopt the spirit of improvisation. She decides then that she’ll tap out a beat on the back of her guitar, its interior cavity, and the faint vibrations of the chords lending the beat a bit of substance, a roundness, and allowing her to properly keep time. 

 The most nerve-wracking part of this whole process had been waiting, and eventually, after what seems like ages, her name is called, and she steps into the practice room, the same staff member helps her pull her stool over tot he centre of the room, and she plops down. 

 The tone of the song is mostly the same, the lyrics casually braggadocious as ever, but her lyrics are typically just a little adorable, and once she’s prepared, her guitar face-down on her lap as she drums a bit of a rhythm into it, she musters a bit of her attitude, and lets the words flow from her lips.

너무하단 말은 삼가해줄래 anyway you'll accept it you don't deserve it 누가봐도 탐나 i'm the champion 넌 겨루지도 못해 1차 예선 탈락 

that's how it post to be 네 남자가 나를불러 as a 공주님 여기저기서 소문이 난 모양이야 가져가봐 the tiara only fit on me

악당이란건 원래 날고 기어봤자 적당히 놀아줘도 벌써 엄말 찾아 더러운 입 함부로 놀려봤겠지만 예쁜 입술로 i blow a kiss!

 She’s sure to perform each word, focusing her eyes a bit, fluttering her lashes, punctuating the last line by actually blowing a little kiss with a wry smile, and then she pivots into an English verse, this one a little more melodic, although she keeps it low and rhythmic, skipping out on flourish until the very end so that it might still be considered rapping, replacing the word hoe with a girlishly coy gasp and an exaggerated expression of conservative shock. She’s always believed that part of performance is acting, and it’s why she’s always admired popstars; they’re the full package of song and dance and drama, part songstress and part personality, and even if she’d never wanted to be commodified in the way they are, she’s always wanted to emulate them to a degree.

If your dude come close to me He gon' wanna ride off in a ghost with me  I might let your boy chauffeur me But he got to eat the booty like groceries

But he gotta get rid of these [gasp] for me I might have that boy sailing his soul for me Oooh, that's how it post to be If he wants me to expose the freak

 She’s a little more shaken up by this performance by the time it’s over, not because she feels she’s done poorly, but simply because its more impromptu nature has left her just a little more nervous for its delivery. She would like to think that she did well, though, and she stands, giving the judging panel another polite bow before she fetches her guitar case and struts out, her eyes falling over those still waiting for the final part of their audition. 

 She silently wonders where amongst all of these hopeful souls she’s ranked, what the judges thought of her, what the odds were of her receiving a call back. 

 She returns her name tag to an attendant in the lobby, wishing him a nice day as she steps outside, where she retrieves her phone, immediately dialing Yuqi’s number, “Hey kid, I just got done auditioning...how do you think you did?”

[rkxsoojin-blog]

June 14th, 2019 ♥  Hanlim Multi Art High School Special Skill The Craft 

 “You listed some of your special skills when you applied to audition. Why don’t you show some of them off?” 

 Minkyung had entirely forgotten about that little section of the form, and for a moment she panics; she’s a planner, she likes to have a bullet point list of things to check off, and very rarely is one of those bullet points “a surprise.” 

 She thinks for a moment, about what she had listed in that section. 

 She’d already played the guitar, and anyone with a functioning brain that’d been paying attention would have seen by now that she was fluent in Korean and English. Her Spanish and Mandarin were so rudimentary that to try and show them off would just be an exercise in making herself look like a mega-fool, and there was no piano in sight for her to play a ditty on. 

 “I...I said it as a joke, really but...” she thinks for a moment, remembering that she had some cutesy pink tarot cards she’d bought back in Seattle (as a gift for Yerim before they’d been lost in the bottom of her purse with her spare bubblegum and an extra hair-tie or two), “I can...do a tarot reading for you.” 

 She laughs at the face the staff member makes, clearly having not really expected Minkyung to become a fortune-teller for this segment. 

 She removes the deck from her bag, finding one of the pieces of long-lost spearmint gum in the process, which she quickly removes from its foil to pop into her mouth, offering the staff member a second piece, which she politely, and probably wisely, declines. Peeling the plastic wrapping away, she takes the cards from their cute little box and stacks them on the centre of the table. 

 “Okay so...I need you to think of a question. Just any question about your life that you want this reading to sort of...answer for you.” she says, taking a deep breath in, before asking the staff lady to remove three cards from the deck. 

 “Are you superstitious?” the woman asks, and Minkyung shakes her head. 

 “Nah, I don’t really know if I believe in all of this, y’know?” she says with candor, which elicits a bemused laugh from the woman whose fortunes she is about to read. 

 “Okay, so we’ve done a very basic past-present-future thing here, so...whatever your question is, this reading will explore its answers over time...does that make sense? I don’t feel like what I’m saying makes sense this is just...it’s what I read online...” 

 She flips the first card over to reveal the Seven of Wands, the second to reveal the Ten of Swords, and then the third, The Five of Cups. 

 “Ah,” she says, “So...as you can see...this is the Ten of Swords it’s...uh, it’s a dude who is like, dead on the battlefield...uh...what was the question you asked?” 

 The staff woman eyes the card for a moment before she responds, “I uh...I wanted to know if I’d get promoted.”

 “Oh...oh okay well...” Minkyung tries not to laugh, but can’t quite help it, “So this the...the first card, means that like, you’ve had a challenging time in your profession, and have had to fight your battles, so like, you’ve been wronged, maybe caught off-guard, too, but you’ve persevered. The second card...the present, uh...well...you’ve been betrayed, or wounded, maybe and um...yeah, it’s not great. It’s not lookin’ too hot, but...the third card is really good! You can see...he’s been through hard times, his three cups are knocked over, but he’s still got two, so like, he’s got opportunities and chances still, so moving forward you should try not to dwell on what was, and instead make sure you’re focusing on the opportunities ahead and...things will start looking up.”

  She watches as the staff woman processes the apparent good news. 

 “See, I’m a shaman, a witch,” Minkyung says with a laugh, word-vomiting as she always did, “Was that dumb? Is magic even real? I dunno...” 

 The staff present seem both confused and amused, which is a response that Minkyung is fairly used to conjuring forth, and as they wrap up, getting things set up for the next applicant, they tell her that she’s got a twenty minute break, to have a snack or a drink, or to use the restroom, and tell her where to go afterwards, and she thanks them for their time, and wishes the staff lady she’d communed with spirits on the behalf of good luck before she’s off to nibble at some almonds. 

[rkxsoojin-blog]

June 14th, 2019 ♥  Hanlim Multi Art High School The Interview

 It turns out, the next step is an interview, which doesn’t thrill Minkyung, admittedly; there’s very little she’s not entirely self-aware of, and she knows she’s weird and rather filter-free, both by Korean standards, and the foreign standards she was often judged by. But whats a girl to do? 

 She’s gussied up a bit, although there’s not much for the staff members assigned to said task to do; she’s wearing a full-face of make-up as it is.

 Then they sit her down and have her field a few mock questions, just to get her warmed up she presumes, not that she’s not always loose as a goose, whether it serves her well or not. 

 Eventually, she’s sat before an actual camera, and the interviewer sets into asking her actual questions this go-round, and they’re surprisingly difficult for her to answer. 

 “My musical influences?” she repeats the question as if to measure it against her tongue, taking a moment to formulate an answer, “A bit of everything? I love...Britney Spears...and the Pussycat Dolls...and even though I missed the 90s, for the most part, I still love 90s music. I love SES and Fin.K.L. and...really all those first generation idol girls? Girl Power, really. Girl Power and bright colours and...cutie sexy.” she says it with a giggle, certain to mention the likes of SES and Fin.K.L. so that what she was saying had at least a tiny bit of relevance to the whole topic of the show she was inexplicably taking part of; she doesn’t think that her truest of musical heroes, Heidi Montag and Lindsay Lohan, would have read as well.

 The next question is a real kicker, and the one she was in all honesty dreading the most, being the one that she has no real answer to. For a moment she wonders if she won’t get in trouble for being truthful, as though the staff might be offended to find out that she’s not all that invested in the whole thing. 

 “What’s my reason for becoming an idol?” she laughs, holding her hand to her mouth as she does so, “Truthfully?” she asks, having to stifle another laugh, her cheeks going red as she realises that she’s about to  admit that she’s just here to chill, “I don’t have one. I just...my friend wanted to audition with me, and it looked like fun...I like a challenge, so I decided to give it a shot.” 

 She imagines for a moment, that answer inter-cut with all of the sob stories about being genuinely inspired by some idol as a child, all the triumphant declarations about passion and love for performance, and wonders how shallow she’ll sound. There’s something about that aesthetic that she loves, though, and she gives her hair a little flip, and licks her lips as they ask her next about her dream company.

 It takes her a moment to recall what she’d written on her applicant form. 

 “Um...I think...Royal?” she says it with a smile, “I like Luxe, so...I say Royal. I’m not picky, though, I’m sure they all have their merits...” she smiles, turning to the interviewer with a laugh, “Is that bad to say? Should I be more difficult and be really choosy?” 

 They wrap the interview up, and Minkyung thanks the interviewer, thinking this segment must be over before the interviewer shakes her head, letting her know that there’s something else. 

[rkxsoojin-blog]

June 14th, 2019 ♥  Hanlim Multi Art High School The Strongest Skill Singing POST TO BE by OMARION [ 1:08-2:08 ]

 Minkyung wasn’t originally sure how to make her audition interesting. It was singing, she was a competent vocalist, whatever. She was sure that plenty of the idol hopefuls were competent vocalists, as well. She only had a minute, and she figured that she had to rely on her presence, whatever that was. 

 For a while she thought she might lean away from the sort of thing she usually did, do something cleaner, some old ballad or something; she wasn’t really in this for her, right? What did it matter what the judges thought, she was auditioning in solidarity with someone else, not really trying to make it to the top. Only, for Minkyung that was easier said than done; she wasn’t a half-asser, no matter how she tried to convince herself to just do some throwaway, she was competitive and a creative, and she wanted to genuinely try. If she ended up on television, maybe someone would see her doing her thing, and appreciate it, and find her on Soundcloud, or something. It was a good opportunity for exposure. 

 She doesn’t know how or why she lands on Post To Be, a good half-decade late to the party, but she does; she likes the rhythm of the song, and the bravado in its lyrics, and she decides to rearrange it, to strip it down and slap it over a bit of acoustic guitar strumming in a sort of tongue-in-cheek way. She thinks that everything good has at least a bit of humour in it, or a bit of irony, at the very least, but she doesn’t want her performance itself to be a joke, because she isn’t. She initially considers doing a very simple cover, throwing together an instrumental for it in class, even writing a couple Korean rap verses for it before she decided to just do an acoustic version.  

 She expects to wait in a hallway, in one of those stiff chairs mass-produced for clinics and schools and bureaucratic offices, but instead, she’s led to a practice room, a sign printed with the word “singing” hanging on its door. And as she waits for the other auditionees to do their bit, she listens in, trying to gain a sense for the acoustics in the place so she could adjust her technique accordingly. She wonders if her decision making will translate, or if her presence, as...odd as it tended to be, was going to do anything for the judges or the eventual television audience, but decides not to worry about it all that much. She doesn’t really care how she’s perceived, she just wants to do. 

 She has almost forgotten where she is by the time her name is called, lost in daydream plan, and she grabs her guitar case, moving to the centre of the room, where she bows, polite as ever, and smiles, giving a brief introduction of herself, along with a little explanation of what she was going to be performing. 

 A staff member helps her pull a stool to the middle of the room, and she plants herself on it, her fingers finding their places on her guitar’s neck. 

 It’s not the same guitar, but she recalls for a second when she got her first one, after a summer of insisting upon getting lessons; she’d always wanted to write songs, envisioning her future self as the angsty young bohemian strumming away in some cafe with a beanie on her head, or in Pike’s Place Market with their guitar case before them on the ground, filled with change and small bills. She’d eaten up her lessons, and written notebooks of songs with the handful of chords she’d learned. 

 It was ironic then, how time had changed her, that she was now doing highly produced Pop R&B on Soundcloud, and that she was now here, playing those chords to audition for an idol talent competition, but she supposed that was the way of life; shit changed. 

 She smiles, and wastes no more time, beginning to strum the melody of the song, almost immediately bursting into song over top of it. Her fingers pluck at the guitar-strings gently, so they produce a delicate sound that is a simple, subtle compliment to her voice, which takes centre stage. 

If your chick come close to me She ain't going home when she post to be, no I'm getting money like I'm post to be  I'm getting money like I'm post to be

 She sings the song with a smile, which is audible in her tone, but also an ironic sentimentality that matches the gentle guitar strums, but is just a tiny bit silly when lyrical content is considered.

 She watches the judges as she plays, flashing them her teeth, interacting with them through the song as best she could; she doesn’t like to sing at people. They’re not responsive, by any means, which is what she expected, but she still wants to put on a strong performance. 

 Her voice finds the melody easily, although she does take liberties with it, approaching each riff the way some 1970s acoustic songstress might, as opposed to the way Omarion and Jhene Aiko had, even giggling halfway through as she slips in a breath, because she’s having fun with it. 

 She stops strumming for a second, lifting her hand to her temple to flash a v-sign, and wink as she sings the coordinating lyrics. 

Ooh, the girls go for me Have your chick send a pic, like, "Pose for me!"

 She returns her fingers to the frets for a few seconds longer, being wise to dodge a few words here and there that simply aren’t appropriate for her to be singing, replacing them with “homies” or “brothers” or simple hums, which she uses to show off some rich, resonant tone in her voice, eventually retiring the guitar as her audition comes to a close, so her vocals can entirely stand on their own as she belts out the last few lines, ending with a bit of a flourish.

Murder she wrote, yeah, yeah When I hit it, I'ma kill it, I'ma get it like  Murder she wrote You wanna know how I know what I know? 

 She stands then, giving another bow, and is directed off-camera, replacing her guitar in its case as she’s told where she is to go next, satisfied with the quality of her performance, and the delivery of her technique. 

[rkxsoojin-blog]

June 14th, 2019 ♥  Hanlim Multi Art High School The Arrival

 Minkyung is playing audition wingman today, or at least that’s what she’d thought she’d be doing when she'd originally agreed to try out for this thing with her friend. Then it’d turned out that she wasn’t even scheduled to audition in the same place, or on the same day, and although she’d strongly considered backing out, having only agreed to it after being poked, and prodded, and pestered, and harassed. But she liked to at least maintain a facade of loyalty and reliability, so she’d powered through with practicing even, instead of defaulting to being a flake. An especially impressive feat considering that she was expected to drag her corpse from its resting place at the bright and early hour of six in the morning, something she hadn’t done in years. 

 Who said people couldn’t change?

 She’s rather sleepy upon arrival, which makes sense considering the ungodly hour, but she manages, through the lovely drag of sleep inertia, to check herself in, receiving a nametag printed with a black marker 김민경, and then she’s directed to a gymnasium, where she immediately experiences flashbacks to middle school at the sight of scales and vaguely nurse-like people. As she waits to have her measurements taken, she clings to the coffee she picked up on the commute for dear life, slowly reviving with each sip of it from a dried-out husk into something resembling a human person, a human person with pep, hopefully. 

 She takes a look around at some of the others waiting for their chance to audition, a little surprised that most of them look fairly normal. It’s not really what she expected. Surely those craving fame and fortune would be at least a little visibly unhinged. She doesn’t know why she associates this idol business so strongly with cheerleaders, she just always has, and she kind of expected that sort of manic spirit finger energy from more of these people. Wide eyes and forced smiles, that sort of thing. 

 She’s a little disappointed, frankly. 

 When she is eventually called to be weighed, and measured, she wonders what exactly the standards they’re looking for are; they can’t be taking down bodily measurements for fun, or for simple posterity. It’s not a great feeling, she thinks, and she has to shake it away, or try to. She’s here to support her friend, not to internalise any of this. 

 After her measurements are dutifully recorded, she’s directed to another area of the school, on the second floor, and told to be ready for her first performance.

[rkxsoojin-blog]

MGA5 PROFILE

// ( ★ ) MGAS SEASON 5: ENTRY APPLICATION FORM

FULL NAME: Kim MInkyung BIRTHDATE: 98 - 07 - 29 GENDER: F HEIGHT: 173 cm WEIGHT: 53 kg BIRTHPLACE: Chuncheon, South Korea CITY OF RESIDENCE: Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea

PREVIOUS MUSICAL EXPERIENCE: High School Concert Choir (2 years), played Audrey in high school’s rendition of Little Shop of Horrors, Indie Music Career (released via Soundcloud), University Courses (Musical Composition)

FAMILY RELATIONS: Kim Seulmi, 49,  Former Musician Joshua Kim, 54, Music Professor Andrew Kim Minseok, 16, Student

MAIN SKILL: Singing

OTHER TALENTS: Plays Guitar (7 Years), Plays Piano (10 years), Speaks Korean, English, some Spanish, some Mandarin, Witchcraft 

FAVORITE MUSICIAN/INSPIRATION: Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Pussycat Dolls, Dream, Lady Miss Kier, Lee Junghyun, SES, Fin.K.L, Heidi Montag

IMAGE PROFILE: [X]

DREAM COMPANY: Royal

2ND DREAM COMPANY: Whichever

( ✗ ) Move the symbol between the parentheses if you agree to the terms listed by the audition guidelines and also agree to be present during the official dates of the MGAs Season 5.