✧ Ruby Red — The Dark Side of Kpop : Ahn Areum
Ahn Areum
smile_for_roo / rye / 9/10
character name
Areum Ahn
nickname(s)
D.Ace | Because of her initials, AA.
Lucky | Doctors, Experts, everyone calls her this because she survived the car accident. She hates it because she doesn't consider herself lucky at all.
birthdate & age
08/30/1993
birthplace & hometown
Incheon, South Korea
ethnicity
Korean
language(s)
Korean | Fluent | Her native languages.
Tagalong | Conversational | Her sister's best friend was Filipino.
the outside.
face claim & backup
Park Ji Young ( gallery )
Back up: Go Sohyun ( gallery )
style
With her pale skin and full lips, Ari has been called a beauty in her younger days. She stands at 164 cm and weighs about 44 kg. Ari has a lot of scars from the car accident, on her back, arms, legs, and side. Although they have healed immensely, Areum still sees them as fresh as they were the day they were first sewn up. Because of this, modest, oversized clothing is always used. Sweaters, long sleeves shirts, jackets, pants, and long skirts are a majority of her wardrobe. She hates her body because it reminds her of what happened. She downright refuses to wear tanktops, shorts, short dresses or skirts. If she absolutely has to (i.e. by her company) she insists she has opaque tights and a jacket. She used to care about fashion, but nowadays she doesn't care. "As long as it covers everything and nothing shows, I'll wear it."
the inside.
personality
"You don't get a voice like hers unless you've gone through something. It's a shame you don't get to hear it."
Positive: Polite, Filial, Kind, Patient, Devoted, Hardworking.
Look no further than Ari if you need the picture of a filial young lady. She prides herself on her respectfulness and polite nature, never speaking out of turn or unless spoken to, bowing completely to her elders, and not one rude comment will escape her. She's impossibly kind, but because of her reservations she hardly ever does things to gain spotlight, or when attention is on her. She does her deeds in the background -- getting her members water, rubbing their back if they're anxious on stage, even running errands if they said they wanted something and they had a bad day at training or rehearsal. So if you find the exact thing you wanted and a small, neatly written note saying, "Please be okay" next to your bedroom door in the morning, it was probably Ari. Not that she'll ever admit it. Because of her own troubles she has with everything, she tries her best to be understanding and patient with everyone, especially if they're having problems. She knows what it's like to be alone through a torturous event and wants people to take their time to get better. She works hard to regain strength and she's devoted to getting better and to her group. She doesn't want anything to happen to them because of her weakness.
"I have shed more tears than God could ever require."
Negative: Anxious, Distrusting, Crybaby, Easily Frightened/Triggered, Inhibited.
With her severe PTSD, a lot of anxiety is constantly following her around. It's racetrack of her mind, constantly going faster and faster and there's nothing she can do to stop it. It's constantly telling her that people think she was the cause of the accident, that she should've died too, and they're getting close to her so they can hurt her. Because of this, she's constantly questioning whether or not the people that try to get close to her are actually being nice or wanting her dead. Ari can't help but cry easily, especially if she's been triggered. She always sobs in the car inbetween going places, whether it be quietly to herself or loudly and protesting the whole way, crying out her sisters and friend's names. It depends on how gently they told her they were going to travel by car, or if they give her sleeping medication to handle the ride there. She is very much inhibited, you can always see it in her eyes, even when she's performing. There's a saying that you couldn't get a voice like that unless you suffer, and Lord knows (and most of the country) knows that Ari has suffered.
likes
»Quiet Places and people.
»Noise cancelling headphones.
»Sleeping medication.
»Hot Chocolate
»Fish (as pets)
»Visiting the Phillipines
»Making her friends/members smile
»When her anxiety doesn't cripple her ability to interact.
»The one sweet she likes: ice cream, especially mint.
dislikes
»Loud noises
»Cars
»Dogs/animals with fur
»People bringing up the accident
»Overly sweet food (like cotton candy)
»Pity.
»Doctors/Hospitals.
»Showing people her scars
»Threats towards her or her friends
funfacts
»Even though her previous group was disbanded, she will still respond to fans on the streets if they recongize her from that. They probably don't know any better.
»She's very self concious about her voice ever since the surgery. She thinks it's not as good as what it was because she lot a lot of her range.
»Her blood type is B+.
»Her ideal type is someone who's quiet, respectful and sweet. Someone who will love and understand her.
»She wears one of her sister's pendant, and the other's ring, as a memory of them.
»She is incredible at connecting to their sadder songs, sometimes even getting more parts than usual because her tone fits with it so well.
»She's been asked several times why she hasn't left the music industry after what happened. She just smiles and says, "They wouldn't have wanted me to quit."
»She keeps asking her company for help, submitting request papers as often as every month, and keeps getting denied. Her condition is getting worse.
Her hobbies: Listening to her music, running errands for her members, marine biology (she loves fish), watching romcom movies (they make her genuinely happy and laugh), and rehablitation for her voice.
Her Habits: Using her noise cancelling earphones to calm her down, fidgeting with the hems of clothes when she thinks they don't cover enough skin, hiding behind her hair when she is embarrassed.
Fears: Cars, loud noises, Screaming, being abandoned and alone, crashes of any kind.
the outside.
background
Born on South Korea soil in Incheon, Areum had a pretty decent life. Her father was a lawyer and her mother was a high school teacher, making it easy for her and her two older sisters to fly by life without much trouble with monetary or extra things they might need/want.
Living in Incheon, you meet a lot of people who travelled there often.One of them happened to be her oldest sister's best friend, a Filipino girl named Maria. Her parents were both in the flight and airport career path, making it much easier for them to live by one of the largest international airports in the world. With Maria's parents gone frequently, she stayed with the Ahn's a lot. The older girls would pass their time going to school and doing their homework while watching their favorite music shows. Ari would frequently ask to join, and Maira, being the nicest person she was, always allowed her.
Eventually Maria expressed interest in becoming a singer like those on T.V., and it didn't take long for the older girls to follow. So they'd start rehearsing day in and out on the weekends to perfect their harmonies and steps. Ari would be pulled from her own daydream to watch and critique the future group. Everytime she'd mention that something was missing, some umph. They had beautifully blended voices and beautiful faces, but there was a certain part missing, hanging over their heads. They would always agree, but could never find out what it was.
One day the girls had to stay later than usual for cleaning duties, coming home to the house being filled with a pure, clear and dynamic voice. They found little Ari in the living room, practicing an Ailee routine on her own. They had found the missing piece of their group. After that, they soon found auditions for SuperKStar. So they went and auditioned, blowing everyone everyone away with their unique voices and of course, their secret weapon: Ari's powerful and youthful vocals. They ended up making it to the final round of the competition, soon making it in the big leagues and performing on shows. They weren't winning number 1, but they were definitely popular.
Two years down the road, and they had a recording session to get to. So they all piled into the car and headed out. It was the last time that Ari would see her sisters and Maria alive.
She doesn't really remember how it happened-- the driver seemed fine, and she and the others were all laughing and having a good time, excited for their new song... Then it all went wrong at once. There was suddenly a screech of several tires, a loud crashing sound, and screaming-- so much screaming. Ari remembers waking up to someone asking her if she could breathe. She didn't respond, and there was a lot of red in her sight. Looking around, she saw everything. Ari saw her sisters bodies twisted and their eyes glassed over, Maria's body on top of her own, glass twisting and piercing her skin, her own blood mixing with hers. She knew she screamed again before blacking out.
When she woke up in the hospitial, she discovered that the car was in a terrible five car accident. One car tried merging into their lane, running into them and flipping them into the next two lanes and causing a disastorous pileup. She was one of four survivors out of the ten people involved. When she asked if any of her sisters or Maria had survived, the doctor just shook his head, giving his sincere apologys. Ari can't remember a day she cried more. She was in the hospital for their funerals, not being in fit condition to move. She had many reconstructive surgeries to help heal her body and remove scars on her face and neck, but by doing so, she lost most of her range and had to completely relearn how her voice worked. She thought that this would change her contract, but her manager had already explained her situation: TS Entertainment still had her contract and held it as valid, and were going to put her in another group. She was officially stuck in a hell hole, not being able to leave the place that she and her old group used to be.
With experiencing the event and witnessing her group members die, and by being one of the only survivors, Ari developed severe PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and had to take leave from the kpop scene in order to recooperate. Although TS forced her to join the new group, her manager did insist on giving her one month after being released from rehabilitation to recover mentally. She started experiencing very realisitic flashbacks, dissociating herself from reality, nightmares that would keep her up at night (and cause her to lose a lot of much needed sleep), increased anxiety and emotional imbalance. While her emotional imbalance got better and she's able to keep herself together in front of others, the flashbacks, nightmares, and anxiety are still very much present. When doctors highly encouraged and recommended that Ari go to a professional therapist specalized in treating PTSD, her company said that the one month was just fine for her and she's recovered very well and with her new group, will continue to get better.
Her parents are trying to get in contact with her, desperately wanting to keep their last daughter mentally and physically safe, however, TS severely limits their interations, not accepting their offers to pay for needed traumatic treatment.
family
▪ Father | Ahn Sunghwa | lawyer | Sunghwa was a good father, although a bit absent from Ari's life. When the accident happened, he ruthlessly prosecuted those who caused it, making them pay for taking two of his daughters, and wanting to ensure that Ari's medical bills would be paid for. He wants nothing more than for Ari to quit TS Entertainment and come back home.
▪ Mother | Jung Bang-ul | high school teacher | As a mother, Bang-ul was encouraging, but as a teacher, she was also practical. She gave her girls a single chance for SuperKStar. If they made it, they could pursue their career. If they didn't, then they had to get practical careers. She wishes now more than anything that she could've forced all of the to not audition and stay at home.
▪ Sister | Ahn Byul | Singer; Deceased | Oldest of the Ahn sisters, Byul was by far the most responsible, looking forward to settling down, getting married and having children of her arm after her career as a singer. Relationship wise, being so much older than Ari, she saw her more as a child to take care of and protect from the media. She was in the front passenger seat during the car crash, and was thrown out the windshield from impact, dying almost instanteously.
▪ Sister | Ahn Sunhwa | Singer; Deceased | The middle sister of the Ahns, and probably the one with the brightest future in the entertainment business. She loved to model and act, having the perfect face and talent for it. She was planning on pursuing an acting career after their newest EP came out, having an offer with a drama series. She and Ari would be the ones to be the most charismatic on stage; you could tell they loved what they were doing.She was didn't have her seat belt on, trying to turn and get a better view of Maria and Ari in the back, and was thrown around the vehicle as it turned, snapping her neck.
friends
▪ Practically Sisters | Maria Reyes | Singer; Deceased | Ari grew up with Maria, and saw her as an older sister. Maria was always the one to let her in on everything she and the older siblings were doing, and encouraged her to join them when she discovered she could sing. Maria was impaled by glass and plastic by being thrown, her spine being snapped. She was barely hanging on when they got to the hospital, and died during surgery form bloodloss.
▪ I am here for you | Jun Hyoseong | Singer, member of Secret | Hyoseong was the first to offer compassion and love to Ari when she first came back to the company room. She didn't want the younger girl to feel like she was completely alone, and frequently checks up on her to make sure she's alright. She helps every month with the paperwork to try and get her professional help.
▪ I will try to fix you | Yoo Youngjae | B.A.P member | Youngjae and Zelo were the first two to come and talk to Ari, finding her approachable. When the crash happened, Zelo distanced himself while Youngjae tried to get closer. He tries to help her in any way that he can, including sending encouraging texts saying that she can make it, and that he believes in her.
▪ I'm sorry I'm not strong enough to try | Zelo | B.A.P member | During her trainee and old group days, she and Zelo were close and liked to mee tup for lunch most days when they were free. Once the car crash happened, Zelo panicked and distanced himself from Ari. He didn't know exactly how to help someone who was as traumatized as she was, especially when getting updates on her flashbacks from Youngjae. He doesn't want to make them worse, because he doesn't know how to make them better.
Other
▪ Fan turned Friend | Kim Jongdae aka Chen | Member of EXO | Jongdae and she met on Immortal Song, when he and Baekhyun did their duet. He mentioned he loved hearing her previous group, and loved her just as much now in the one she was currently in. Ari thanked him and mentioned she was a fan of his as well. Later, while they were off camera, he pulled her aside and said, "It must be hard, and I'm sorry for bringing it up. Let me know if there's anything I can do, okay?" She sometimes calls him when she's in her panic attacks, finding his voice grounding and helpful. 
▪ More than Anything, I want to be like her | Hwayobi | "Queen of R&B" | When she was featured on a track with fellow company group "Untouchables", Ari immediately fell in love with her voice, and although she lost a lot of her range, she hopes to one day be able to go into more of an R&B style of music.
THE Stage.
Stage Name
▪ Ari
Position
▪ Lead Vocalist
Talent Twins
▪ Vocal: Krystal of f(x) ( 1 2 3 ) back in her group before the surgery (main vocalist) ( 1 2 )
▪ Dance: ChoA of AOA ( 1 2 )
▪ Rap: Krystal of f(x) ( 1 )
Training Years
▪ 2 and a half years
TRAINee Life
▪ TS Entertainment snatched up 3.A.M. (her old group's name) faster than any of the others could after the finale of SuperKStar. The girls weren't even aware of the terrible slave contracts and how they wouldn't see a cent of what was owed to them. In fact, they were lied to. They were told that the money would go straight to their parents, so they didn't question where all of their money was. 3.A.M trained very rigously alongside Secret and B.A.P., the groups getting to know each other quite well.
Ari met Youngjae and Hyoseong during vocal practice, since she was one of the strongest singers in the group. She was a normal teenage girl then, eager to learn and blissfully unaware of how awful the company was, and so the two more experienced and aware idols made sure to keep her that way.
Ari definitely struggled in learning how to rap, and she's still awful at it, but she scraped by because Zelo took pity on the poor thing and tried to help her. She was no CL, but hey, she wasn't stuttered of gasping for breath anymore, and her group was mostly a ballad group, so it was less than likely for her to ever rap.
After her surgery, Ari put everything into trying to regain her voice, but her range is still limited compared to what she was able to do. Youngjae and Hyoseong were extremely sympathetic, something Ari interpreted as pity more than once, and so when it comes to her rehearsing, they try and leave her to it, since it's a very vunerable time for her.
Training with a new group was extremely hard, to say the least. She wouldn't be thinking and call out Maria or Sunhwa's name, only to realize that they weren't there and burst into tears. It's gotten immensely better, but the hurt still flashes across her face when she makes the mistake.
Solo Activities
>> 3.A.M.- FORMER MEMBER, DISBANDED BECAUSE OF CAR ACCIDENT.
>> IMMORTAL SONG 2- FIVE APPEARANCES, WON ONCE WITH SONG "MARIA" FROM OST 200 POUND BEAUTY.
>> Collaboration/DUET WITH MAIN VOCALIST "BUTTERFLY"
>> collaberation/DUET WITH CHEN: "WHEN I WAS... WHEN U WERE."
>> OST- "All of the sudden" for My lovely girl
>> MUSIC VIDEO- EXO:902014 Chen's no.1 (female lead)
Future Activities
>> Guest MC for MUSIC BANK with Minho and Zico, temporarily replacing Kim Sohyun.
>> Running Man Guest twice, once with Ruby Red and another time on the New Idols vs Old Idols vs Running Man, replacing Soyou.
>> Hello Counselor with Ruby Red. Not the best idea in the world seeing as some of the guests push the girls too far.
>> Roommate replacing Park Bom, also leaving at the same time due to a scandal breaking out.
>> Beatles Code with Ruby Red and solo artist Jonghyun.
>> Sukira Radio as a surprise phonecall for Jongdae after not being able to talk for a few months because of promotions.
What does she think of the conditions at Tsent?
"Well... you can sort of tell what my answer should be, hm? TS... is not good. But, they give my money to my parents, at least... they say that. I actually haven't been able to talk to my parents for a while. I've been so busy with promotions, I can't even talk to Hyoseong until late into the night..." *sighs* "It's not fair, absolutely but--what can we do?"
Would she ever leave ruby red?
"I..." *shifts uncomfortably* "I want to leave the company, desperately, but... The girls... they're my friends. I couldn't leave them behind. Not here, at least. Not at this company. Unless we're all together, I won't leave. I just couldn't do that to them."
possible scandals
▪ {NEW DEVELOPMENT} Former 3.A.M. member ARI to join new TS girl group!
▪ {BREAKING} Ruby Red member ARI had a mental breakdown backstage on Inkigayo!
▪ {BREAKING} Ruby Red member ARI's mental breakdown caused by idol friend in car accicent (fellow member or from Roommate)
▪ {BREAKING} ARI of Ruby Red's night terrors are revealed on Roommate!
▪ {NEW DEVELOPMENT} ARI to leave Roommate because of news of night terrors and PTSD.
▪ {BREAKING} More footage of Ruby Red's ARI's mental instablity, including night terrors.
the one and only.
love interest
Kim Jongdae aka Chen
backup love interest
Zelo
personality
The sweetest person on the planet, on and off stage. He's a true gentleman who is just genuine, even on stage. He loves what he does, and you can tell when he performs. He's super cheerful and always looks on the bright side of life, wanting to bring out the best in people and not wanting them to be sad. He's got this smile that lights up an entire room, and a certain person's entire day, or week even if she gets to see it. Even though he has the least amount of fans, he is thankful for each and every one of them, loving the opportunity to meet them at fanmeets. He's hardly ever disappointed or sad, but when it is, the whole energy around him just dampens and his friends do whatever they can to make him smile again.
relatonship
Like mentioned before, Jongdae was actually a big fan of 3.A.M. as a trainee, admiring their powerful voices and how they gave it everything they got. So when he found out that ARI was apart of the Immortal Song episode he was also going to be on, he was excited and also anxious for her. She hadn't been on a lot of vareity shows since the accident, and he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable.
When he first met her, he was giddy. He'd never met an idol he's admired outside of his company, so it was like being a fan at a fansign. He immediately said he was a fan of her before and now, making sure to be vague as to not touch on a sensitive subject. ARI was rather surprised but very flattered, praising him for being a well rounded singer as well, and they had a small chat. During breaks, he even went over and sat next to her, being called out and made fun of for doing so. He just laughed it off, smiling widely and ARI couldn't help but smile with him.
After the show, before they left, Jongdae insisted on trading numbers, saying that he wanted to make sure she was okay, and that she could call him anytime if she needed to, then wished her the best of luck in her career, hoping to see her soon.
The next time he saw her, she was on the verge of a panic attack from watching one of his performances. They had used firecrackers during the dance, and it frightened ARI to death. He immediately went to calm her down, but was turned down by the other group members, saying that they'd take care of her. He insisted on seeing her after her own performance, apologizing to her and getting her water (hehe) to help her. She thanked him and they talked for a bit, promising to keep in touch.
It did happen that way, little messages of encouragement like "I saw you on the music show! You did really well!" or even just sweet reminders like "I hope you ate well today! If not, please do!"
Soon promotions picked back up for both groups, making it hard for them to see each other physically, and even the messages got sparser. Then, when EXO went on the radio, ARI surprised him with a phone call, making him extremely happy and gained a lot of teasing form the members. When questioned about their relationship, Chen laughed it off, saying that they were just friends, and he was a lucky fan that ended up becoming close with someone he admired. ARI mentioned she didn't really fit his ideal type either, and he didn't fit hers, so they're both just awkwardly stuck in the friend zone. She did make her "oppa" promise that he'd call her after the broadcast, saying she had exciting news she couldn't release to the public yet but wanted to tell him.
Chen obeyed, and ARI admitted to not really having anything, she just wanted to talk to him more. He found himself really, really pleased with this, and talked to her all the way back to the dorm. After that, they really did try to talk to each other any minute they could, happy and hugging each other whenever they saw each other in person.
Not all of it was happy though, many nights Chen was woken up by his phone ringing, with ARI on the other line after waking up from a nightmare, still disoriented and needing something to ground her. He'd softly speak to her, assure her everything and everyone was okay, to breathe, and just talk her through it.
It's not that ARI and Chen don't have feelings for each other, it's that ARI still needs a lot of emotional work before getting to a place where she's stable enough for a relationship. Chen is more than willing to wait and help her through it.
last messages.
comments/suggestion
I absolutely ADORE this applyfic idea. I've been wanting to do a tragic character for a while, and when I saw that the Lead Vocalist was in the spotlight for a while and developed a disorder around the time, I immediately wanted to dive into PTSD. Unfortunately, PTSD needs a major kick in order to even be properly developed, so I tried to make it as traumatic for her as possible (I'm a terrible person) without trying to make it a sob story. But if it seems that way, please let me know and I'll hop on fixing it (:
scene request
>> Ruby Red's vareity personalities, getting to open up and become more friendly (i.e. approachable/presentable to the public).
>> Ruby Red supporting ARI while she's performing Maria on Immortal Song.
>> When ARI has nightmares and it's released to the public, she's really upset and Chen calls her to make sure she's okay.
>> Ruby Red going to perform in their respective hometowns, finding out more about each other.
>> Chen finding ARI panicking after an unnecessarily loud scream from a group next to them, pulling her aside and kissing her forehead gently to get her reoritented before she goes into full panic mode.
password
Deja Vu
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