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YERIN leader & main vocal 1997 september 16

CHARACTER INFORMATION

faceclaim: go yoonjung, actress

legal name: hong yerin

stage name:

pronouns: she/her/hers

birth date: september 16, 1997

hometown: busan, south korea

position: candy’s leader and main vocal

established career claims: 140 ecp (orig. 125 +15 (future section))

062917: (predebut) lead role in a music video — cloud’s very nice / 10 points

072817: (predebut) standalone brand commercial — maxwell house colombiana coffee ep.1 / 15 points

013120 to 032120: main role in a television drama — itaewon class as jo yiseo / 40 points

121820: supporting role in a television drama — sweet home as park yoori / 25 points

021222: main role in a television drama — twenty-five, twenty-one as ko yurim/julia ko / 40 points

05XX22: solo pictorial for elle korea / 10 points

BIOGRAPHY

triggers: cyberbullying, underage smoking

there are always two constants in her life: rumors and music.

everything else is inconsequential.

BILLIONAIRE BAE JIHOON CAUGHT ENTERING HOTEL WITH MYSTERIOUS WOMAN

[+1,024, -29] his career is over [+638, -91] what a crazy b*stard to do such a thing [+379, -240] why does it look like soojin from that girl group that came back with a trashy song… [+165, -12] wait…isn’t he married with two kids?? [+78, -43] you would think he would be more discreet if he was going to cheat lol

it’s funny when you’re a man of power and money, you can get away with most things scot-free: pay off the media to hush-hush, sweep scandals under the rug by digging up dirtier secrets to smear someone else’s name, divert attention, save your own ass in the process.

soojin does not have the same luxury.

after all, she’s just collateral damage.

BREAKING NEWS: SUGAR’S HONG SOOJIN ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE FROM GROUP

Keystone Entertainment issues formal apology written by Hong Soojin and announces her departure from SUGAR and the industry. When pressed for further information, Keystone Entertainment declined to comment.

[+716, -63] serves her right for trying to steal someone else’s husband ㅋㅋ [+290, -18] what a sh*tty apology. her agency probably wrote the letter for her [+182, -39] she knows the world won’t forget, right? going in hiding is so shameful [+44, -157] nobody admitted to anything? does no one else find it fishy…?

when everything is a foregone conclusion, what is the point of an explanation?

people say it takes a village to raise a child.

for yerin, all she needs are loving hands and a patient smile.

behind closed doors, her mother dances around in a laundry-soft dress and a checkered apron humming to songs blasting on the radio. yerin watches, seated in a plastic chair with her legs swinging right on beat. her cue to chime in is when she sees her mother holding a spoon under her chin, making her little face crinkle up in a grin so bright it could rival the sun.

nights like these are normal — until they’re not.

“did you know yerin’s mom used to be an idol?”

“really? was she famous?”

“…probably not..”

“so how does your mom know then?”

“heard it from the tteokbokki lady.”

“should we ask?“

“ask who?”

“yerin.”

“nah. she’ll probably lie, anyway.”

if they’d thought to ask, she would tell them the truth: her mother sings. she never stops. from the moment yerin could string together words and recognize sound, her mother’s voice has been her favorite thing in the world. it’s the same voice that accompanies her on the train ride to and from school — old cd player in hand; always with her earbuds in, tuning out the world.

she would tell them her mother works two jobs trying to make ends meet, that she could barely afford the castaways bought at discount prices from the local thrift shop. (private lessons are expensive. so is food. and the half-basement a neighbor found for them.)

she doesn’t tell them her mother is nothing like the other aunties make her out to be.

because rumors have weight and nobody really cares for the truth, anyway.

it doesn’t matter that her mother is unchanging. simple but resilient.

the world and everyone else is not.

(this is a lesson she too will learn.)

she’s ten when she learns that music is visceral, powerful, serene.

it’s far easier to make friends with a banged up keyboard and a shoddy secondhand guitar when they have no eyes, no ears, no mouth.

the neighborhood kids with all their incessant backhand whispering and gossip can’t compare to the judgment she feels for herself as she learns to differentiate black and ivory keys, and pluck at nylon strings clumsily. no amount of snickering could compare to the cacophony of sounds that greet her when she first slams her hands down on the keys or the painful sting of soft callouses forming on her fingertips.

ignorance is hard when nobody can possibly understand that words do hurt — that she is human and can be broken too.

she’s twelve when her mother falls in love.

her home is no longer a cramped half-basement on the outskirts of town but in a quaint little apartment nestled deep in the veins of seoul. it’s the epitome of concrete jungle — harsher, sleeker, and so much colder.

school is no better. it’s hardly anything more than a circus with everyone vying for center stage. it’s hard to lie low when echoes of home crackles through in the curling drawl of an accent; syllables far more blunt and razor edged than the soft-rounded cadence that’s the norm.

the hallways in school are no better than the streets back home. the only difference is: it echoes louder; the ripple effects far more volatile. people care more but also care less, she realizes. anonymity means nothing when her peers can draw her face with smiling mouths and cruel hands.

loose lips are a given and word of mouth is just as deadly.

school is a petri dish, after all — teens and their raging hormones; puberty at its finest.

so she keeps to herself, minds her own business, and if there’s hardly an open seat available to her at the cafeteria table, she makes herself at home in an empty classroom. she drifts day to day, living on the edge of frenzied conversations — a wraith; an unwanted, wretched thing.

there’s a pack of smokes she stole from youngjae earlier in the day sitting on the ledge beside her. earbuds in and the world open beneath her feet. she thinks it looks beautiful; this vantage point and feeling so high up.

she sings, lets the wind carry her heart away from her. she sings and wishes and wants.

a voice intrudes and pulls her roughly back to reality.

“you shouldn’t smoke.”

“says the smoker.”

nimble fingers yank the half-lit cigarette from his mouth. she knows better than to smoke it though. instead, she leaves it dangling between her lips, cupping the end of it in her hands as if she were about to catch the ashes flying away.

“you ever thought about auditioning?”

she shrugs dismissively, not looking at him.

“singing makes you happy.”

the cigarette drops from her fingers and a scuffed shoe comes down hard, crushing it into the ground.

her eyes close. breathe in, breathe out.

“it feels like home, doesn’t it?”

she doesn’t say anything.

(it hasn’t felt like home in a long time.)

for fourteen years, she’s managed to avoid it but trouble comes knocking at her sister’s graduation ceremony. it comes disguised as a well-to-do lady in a tailored suit and a voice so velvety smooth, yerin can’t help but sigh at what seems to be a scripted casting that sounds too good to be true.

her mother snatches the business card and rejects the woman on her behalf. it’s not until they’re outside that she notices her mother’s hands are shaking.

she’s heard stories, wisps of rumors that have haunted her at every turn, every age, back when she was too young to understand that eavesdropping was rude.

she knows her mother has lived it, has run from it — a gilded world that promised too much in exchange for her youth. and yet, yerin can see the longing her mother tries so hard to bury. she has caught her far too many times looking at yellowing photocards, fingers caressing a vinyl still wrapped in its fading cover to believe her mother’s forgotten it all.

“do you miss it?” yerin asks softly, fingers grasping her work-weathered hands like a lifeline.

“yes.” very much.

there’s so much heartache nestled in that bitter admittance, so much her own heart cleaves in two hearing it.

“okay.” i know.

she holds her mother while she cries, vowing to finish what she started all those years ago.

becoming a trainee is easy. it’s acclimating that’s difficult.

she’s no social butterfly. far be it for her to bend her back trying to kiss ass and make friends when she can use that time holed up in a studio, making the most of every hour she’s booked to sing.

she’s content, she tells herself, to be shunned by people who are eager to turn her into a scapegoat — the punchline to every joke. girls are cattiest when pitted against one another, after all.

“that girl, ye…whatever her name is. she’s hardly competition. no backing, no money, no connections. she might look a little pretty but so what? she’s in a sea of roses. nothing special.”

“yeah…but honestly, she does have a nice voice.”

“hey, why are you siding with that bitch anyway?

“what? it’s true and you know it. you’re just jealous.”

“please. she acts all high and mighty in front of us, but i bet she’s on her knees when we turn our back. you saw the way she was praised lately? unbelievable. a few days ago, she was reprimanded for her blank face. stage presence? zero facial expressions? ha. if she debuts before i do, i’ll kneel and call her unnie.”

school, studio, stage: they’re different, but battlefields all the same.

people talk. constantly. incessantly.

they never stop.

when sapphire debuts, she laughs.

it’s a snoozefest amidst a betting pool of so many other tryhards, they barely make a splash. yet, sandwiched between girls prettier, more charming, and bolder than her, it’s yerin who turn heads and garner some talk as the reserved maknae whose powerful voice eclipsed her presence — and everyone else.

in an industry as cutthroat as this one, timing and luck is everything.

the company gambles big on the next comeback, hoping the catchy lyrics and easy choreography would be the next viral hit.

it’s not.

the song flops and a few months later, sapphire disbands weeks before their 1st anniversary.

CROWN ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES MERGER WITH KOEX ENTERTAINMENT. SAPPHIRE TO DISBAND.

[+524, -76] aww…that’s so sad. is it just me or did anyone else like their comeback song? i thought it was very cute even if the mv looked tacky and low budget [+108, -31] wow so sudden?? you think any of them will resign with KOEX? It was so nice to see all members having decent vocals [+69, -24] that maknae looks familiar hmm.. i think she used to go to my middle school? heard she had a reputation and played around. tsk tsk. look at karma doing its job hahaha

yerin is unfazed.

hindsight is 20/20 and all this has taught her is to always be prepared for anything.

she knows she won’t survive in this kind of jungle if she continued to keep a lid on her brimming ambitions. she’s got a dream to chase, a world to seize in the palm of her hands, and she’ll be damned if she left it slip away without a fight.

so she auditions. again and again and again. until she makes it.

she swears her hand shakes when she signs the dotted line for the second time.

it’s hard at first.

opening up about herself isn’t something that comes naturally. having spent years in chosen solitude, it’s weird to think there are people who genuinely care about how she’s feeling, how they ask after her when she looks a little worse for wear, how warm people can be when she gives them a chance.

one friend becomes two. then, three.

slowly, yerin learns to smile and laugh without hiding her face behind her hand or her hair. her voice brightens, becoming fuller and rounder; her accent smoothing out the longer she learns to let herself speak her mind.

with every day that passes and they remain by her side, her heart heals a little more.

her circle of misfits changes over the course of the years as people come and go. the training rooms become a revolving door of fresh faces and veteran souls. new and old colliding in a clash of egos and brutal desperation.

it gets harder and harder to predict who will stay and who will leave.

this world is hell — egotistical and hypocritical. your friends will be your enemies sooner than you think. opportunities to feature in a music video and a commercial stokes a fire that burns red and hot.

envy, she learns, is a disease.

BC ENTERTAINMENT’S SURVIVAL SHOW “CANDY SHOP” TO FEATURE 13 TRAINEES

BC Entertainment has announced the creation of a new girl group through a new survival show, “Candy Shop.” The show will feature 13 trainees, split into two groups based on readiness of debut: “Sweet” and “Sour.” All 13 trainees will have the opportunity to secure a chance to debut in BC Entertainment’s first girl group since Lily’s debut in 2010.

Stay tuned for further updates regarding list of contestants and latest coverage.

[+791, -63] a survival show? is bc entertainment lacking in ideas? they must be crazy to let the public decide who will debut ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[+390, -18] i’m excited for the contestants. bc has some well-known trainees and it’s about time we get to see them debut!

[+185, -39] hope everyone votes for trainees who are actually talented and not just because they’re a pretty face…

[+24, -57] not going to watch. you know the votes will be rigged. don’t waste your time

when the show begins airing, they tell her she’s different.

“you don’t see it?”

she doesn’t have time to worry about anything else by going on the grind, working herself into a mess of aching muscles, until her voice cracks and fades. candy shop is a ticket to a second chance and she knows very well she might not get another one if she doesn’t grab it with both hands.

“this show…it’s eating you. you’re not happy.”

they’re right.

she can’t afford to be. not when all her energy is spent on being good enough—better—than everyone else. being a part of “sweet” feels like she’s got the world pressing down her shoulders. everyone’s expectations rise twofold; their eyes sharper, their mouths unforgiving.

every episode aired is like another knife to the chest. her ranking fluctuates; turbulent like her emotions. the pressure is finally getting to her and she botches two of her performances. the criticism washes over her — she should be immune to all this: rumors, gossip, pettiness.

in front of the world, she hits rock bottom.

still, she refuses to cry. what else can she do but endure?

so she sings, it’s all she knows how to do. if she can’t even do this, what else did she have left?

it ends like a dream — with a jolt and a heaving gasp.

rank 6: judges’ choice. hong yerin.

for the first time, she cries.

candy debuts and takes the world by storm.

she’s come full circle. their color pop, sugar cute concept is exactly as yerin expected. It’s fun, feel good, and catchy in a way sapphire never was.

candy shop’s popularity helps pave the way. this is how she learns that power and money means everything. public reaction still at an all-time high, following them at every turn. yerin knows she can’t risk stepping out of line. being named leader is both a blessing and a curse in disguise. the title, a leash that forces her to grow up fast.

candy’s meteoric rise to the top as the nation’s girl group comes with hard lessons.

lesson #1: she’s not as popular as some of her members.

that rank 6 will haunt her until she retires, she’s well aware. with it comes the lingering resentment from diehard fans of all the trainees who failed to make it. failed — because she stole their spot. failed — because she lacks stage presence and while pretty, her visuals must’ve been the result of money. failed — because she’s still that girl who chooses to step back when given the opportunity to shine, insecure and afraid to risk it all.

it doesn’t help that she’s quieter, noticeably more reserved in both speech and mannerisms.

she’s not bold or sassy. sweet or cute. rather, she’s almost unassuming when she’s surrounded by the rest of candy.

the rumored ice princess. cold and intimidating.

lesson #2: this is not a democracy. she’s just one person. weak and marginally insignificant.

as a main vocalist, she’s already given many lines in every song. it’s not her fault, but fans could care less. as the leader, she should give her lines to other members, they say. she shouldn’t be greedy, it’s not fair, they say.

“i don’t need to sing the chorus twice, maybe this line can suit…”

“it’s fine. you can sing it. you can handle it, right?”

“yes, but —”

“it’s decided.”

she sighs.

lesson #3: in the end, she’s just a pawn. another investment the big wigs deemed worthy of a gamble.

the trick of the trade is to gather ammunition. in a company as big as bc entertainment, yerin is well aware that she is expendable. candy has a shelf life. there’s never any guarantee that she will retire with a legacy that stays for generations.

being patient is a survival skill and she has it in spades.

in due time, her obedience is rewarded. her value as a member of candy increases slowly but steadily. discussions with company executives bear fruit in the form of a gamble — yerin, how do you feel about acting?

she doesn’t even hesitate. she closes her eyes and lets them decide for her.

it’s a decision that shoots her to the top of the world. jo yiseo becomes her saving grace.

was it luck? was it talent? murmurs ripple through the grapevine. she must’ve just got lucky with the role. did she even audition? bc ent. sure is the king of backing.

rumors continue to follow her, even as she auditions over and over again. through countless meetings and table read-throughs and multiple rejections. itaewon class's success turns a blessing into a curse.

sweet home goes global and the spotlight glare only brightens. the heat of it scorching, burning. park yoori is more understated than jo yiseo’s vibrance and larger-than-life presence. it suits her — yoori’s quiet tenacity, her stubborn but kindhearted nature. yoori settles like a second skin where yiseo felt like a mask she still struggles to remove.

yerin lies low after.

they call it burnout. she calls it paranoia, a lingering fear that ate her alive.

script after script is offered her way; all of which are declined with an excuse that she wanted to focus on group activities, that she was waiting for the right timing and the right role.

two years later, it comes in the form of twenty-five, twenty-one. ko yurim elevates her once again to the top of the world. a girl with a big dream and a closed-off heart struggling to make it, struggling to open up. it’s a coming-of-age story like no other but yerin falls in love, falls so deeply, yurim becomes her.

a year ago, yerin was the talk of the town.

a year later, it is like she has vanished once again.

with all eyes on her waiting to see what she’ll do next, the fear of losing everything begins to strangle her.

(after all, you know what they say: the higher you climb, the harder you fall.)

IMAGE & CAREER

yerin is known as a perfectionist and consummate professional, in that she is rarely seen flustered by onstage or offstage mishaps. she’s steadfast and responsible, with an innate tendency to attract attention for her graceful mannerisms and articulate speech. yerin is often the mouthpiece as the one taking the lead during interviews and onstage speeches. her reserved personality has caused many to think her detached and cold, earning her the nickname, “ice princess.” though sounding affectionate, anti-fans have used the moniker to spread rumors about her supposed arrogance and poor reputation both as a student and as a trainee. in addition, her less vibrant stage presence in comparison to her members has caused some to call her “blank face” and lament on the mismatch in her abilities: a pretty and talented vocalist, but an underrated performer.

outside of candy, she’s more known as a talented idol actress. yerin isn’t known for being particularly ambitious with her individual schedules, but she has slowly been gaining attention, especially with her roles in hit dramas, such as itaewon class, sweet home and twenty-five, twenty-one.

bc entertainment’s bold push to establish yerin as an actress has divided fandom. it’s hard to avoid the stigma of idol actors polluting the big and small screens, but yerin has managed to cement her place as someone to keep an eye on. her performance as jo yiseo landed her on the radar of industry professionals and won the hearts of viewers, marking yerin as an up-and-coming actress. her role as park yoori in sweet home and as ko yurim in twenty-five, twenty-one have garnered praised for her ability to thoroughly portray flawed underdog characters viewers want to root for. her popularity has definitely experienced a steady rise in recent years.

public reception is always mixed when it comes to comments about her on forums and articles, with her loudest critics being those who like to harp on her manufactured visuals, her supposed bad reputation as a student, criticizing her for not being up to par with the rest of candy, how candy shop was probably rigged and that she should not have debuted or that she’s undeserving of her position. negativity like this follows yerin no matter the accomplishments she has amassed.

while she might not have the expected girl-next-door charm and cute-lovely energy, yerin makes up for it in the occasional shy, startled smiles when she spots her fansite masters and her gentle warmth during one-on-one interactions and fan meetings. given the chance, yerin is capable of surprising even her most loyal of fans with spurts of energy and dynamic reactions. she’s just very subtle about it. with candy’s beginning to evolve into a more mature image, yerin will likely begin to feel more at ease with future concepts and discography.

FUTURE

yerin is an ambitious person, even if she seems magnanimous. she has played the role of the yes-woman so well, it’s expected by the company that she would always be rule-abiding and passive. not one to enjoy or incite conflict, her obedience is a strategy she uses to ensure she stays in the company’s good graces. she knows well enough the rumors that continue to follow her from predebut to present has some impact on her image, especially when she was competing on candy shop and later as a member of candy. she can’t afford to be anything less than perfect to avoid fanning any flames that could potentially burn her in the future.

thus far, her growing popularity has allowed her be met with some leniency and freedom to express herself openly during discussions about her individual schedules. acting has become an avenue in which she hopes to establish herself more prominently in and she’s grown to love immersing herself in scripts and characters. she enjoys the challenge and while her insecurity plays a huge role in how dramas and her characters are perceived, her desire to exceed expectations is just as strong. she will work to expose the public to a different side of her every time she appears on screen and hope to endear them to her through her characters. one day, she hopes to be acknowledged as a talented vocalist and a versatile actress.

in the near future, i’d like to also shift her focus between promoting with candy and her acting projects to fashion & modeling. not sure if i’ll have her specialize primarily in brand commercials or appearing in magazine pictorials.

in the distant future, when her value and fandom is big enough to warrant discussions about a solo debut, i might have yerin dip her toes in writing lyrics for her own song(s). not sure if they’ll be digital releases as she’d likely have an aversion/fear of performing on stage alone or if she’d eventually overcome her insecurity and garner enough self-confidence to promoting a single/mini-album. who knows?

#famedfollow #bcentertainment #candy #queued post

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