♔ King's Visuals : Romeo

Who are you inside?

PERSONALITY TRAITS :

PERSONALITY :

Our little Romeo would actually be quite unnoticeable if it wasn’t for his striking and cold features. He was always quite, reserved and rarely talked to anyone. He was either interpreted as cocky because of his parents’ status or just really weird and unreadable. He is also often misunderstood as being heartless when he was younger because of his head strong personality and blank face.

Despite what people might think about him, he is actually very respectful towards his elders and everyone around him. He is also pretty much adored by the elderly since he’s very caring and thoughtful. When he takes a bus, though not too often, he always reserves a seat not for himself but for someone who might need it. He is also the member of Checkmate who takes care of the girls the most and spoils them to no end.

He also is very passionate about a lot of things like his music and his loved ones. He cannot go through a day without atleast humming a tune. And he is willing to get into a fight if his friends or family get in trouble. 

But of course, Minghua is not perfect. He often nags at s for being too cluttered and they would just tell him that he’s too clean. He also feels the need for everything to go perfectly and he will try to control it once something isn’t going his way. 

Lastly, he’s not too fond of confrontations nor arguments because he tends to lose his cool easily and takes it out on the other members when he gets angry. He is not very patient and would usually ignore people who made him wait.  

BACKGROUND :

Lee Minghua is the only child of Lee Changmin and Ong Kanghua. Changmin (25 then) and Kanghua (24 then) met when the former went to China with his medical team for a medical mission. Seoul National Hospital partnered with Beijing Medical Center and started a 3-month long project to give out free check-ups, exams and medicine to the less fortunate areas of China. Changmin was a neurologist while Kanghua was a oby-gyne at practice. They fell in love, and Changmin decided that he would not put this love on hold. So even after the program ended, Lee Changmin stayed and tried to look for a job in China instead to stay with Kanghua. 

After a few months, they got married and was blessed with a baby boy 10 months after. Little Minghua grew up rarely seeing his parents because of their careers. 

Minghua was born in a very stable family, being both of his parents are doctors. It was, however, quite difficult for him as he grew up. His parents were never around, leaving young, poor Minghua with the maids whom he doesn’t get along with either. He grew up in day cares and his nannies that he developed poor socialization skills. This took a toll on the boy’s self esteem and is usually really quite even when he got older.

When he was 4, his parents decided to move back to Korea. He was a little happy because he thought he would see more of his parents now but he was wrong. His parents only became more busy in his father’s hometown. He might have been young then, but he promised himself to never have a career path that would turn himself into his parents.

He did learn to have fun by himself; he likes doing physical activities, playing sports and playing his instruments. Those were the only things he did to express himself.

At 14, he moved to another school for his Senior High School years. He also gained a few friends there and he was starting to get to know himself a little bit more. When he was being interviewed by the head master and was asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, he answered without a hesitation, “I don’t really know, but I want to find out.” And that he did, Minghua planned on auditioning to be an idol ever since he was 16 and saw a starting out boy group play for one of his school’s festival. He was captivated seeing melodies blended with words and dance. It made him want to give it a shot. But his parents did not support his decision. They told him that he needed to find a more secure career but he was persistent. 

When he was 22 and old enough to make his own decisions because he already finished a degree in Accounting, he auditioned in 2014 to different agencies. He didn’t know about KS Entertainment then but he will in a few months. 

He received a call from SM Entertainment a week after his audition, saying that he was accepted and he needed to submit a few requirements. He collected the said requirements and was just about to submit it when he saw a crying girl exiting the elevators of the building. She looked like a little kid because of the way she pouted and cried. She felt his eyes on her and eyed the manila envelope in his hands, with a scoff she asked, “You’re one of the new trainees?” Minghua was speechless and was only able to nod at her. “Don’t waste your time here,” was the only thing she could mutter before she pushed past him and stormed out of the building. 

Minghua wasn’t able to do anything but just stare at the retreating figure of the girl. He didn’t know what it was, but he felt like the crying girl was right. He felt like he should believe her and he did. Clutching tightly on to the envelope, he walked out of the building and headed back home to look for more companies. 

A few months passed and news of Chinese EXO members leaving made him even more glad about not joining SM Entertainment. Although there was still one problem, where will he go now? (to be continued in training tag..)

TRIVIA :

▸ Likes:

- Eating - despite his lean built, Minghua has a very big appetite. s often joke that he looks like an angel but he eats like a truck driver, 
- Making people laugh - he may not have many people close to him but he makes sure that those who are always smile or laugh at his very cute jokes.
- Long naps in the middle of the day - he can sleep anywhere, at any time, in any position.
- Buying shoes - he is an absolute shoe junkie, often scrolling through online shops for shoes and hitting the mall at least once a week to buy himself a new pair.
- Dogs - he is in absolute awe of dogs and he hopes to someday own one. 
- Practicing and performing - despite it being draining and tiring, Minghua actually enjoys being  in the dance studio and recording studio to perfect his moves and tone. 
- Listening to music - he likes to listen to music when he’s not doing anything. 
- Mastering a piece on any instrument - he often practices his instruments and even though he plays well, it still makes him happy when he memorizes a song by heart.

▸ Dislikes:

- Arguing - not so good with confrontation and has a really bad temper, so he tends to say things he doesn’t mean when he’s angry. 
- Getting scratches on his car - he is not an , it just irks him when his car is damaged because its bothersome to have it fixed.
- Clutter - he always nags at s when they are too dirty when it comes to their things. 
- Not getting enough sleep - he insists that he has to get 8 hours of sleep, but we all know that doesn’t happen. 
- Being confused - he never likes being out of the loop or not understanding things. 
- Spicy food - his enormous appetite cannot tolerate spicy food and nobody understands why. 
- Sodas - he never likes drinking sodas because he says it makes his stomach hurt. 
- Posting on SNS - he feels that fans already get enough glimpses of his life as it is, which is why he rarely posts things on his accounts.

▸Habbits:

- Fixing his bangs - when he walks past a mirror, he always has to fix his bangs. Always.
- Using alcohol - he is quite sensitive about what he touches so even without him knowing, he always cleanses his hands with alcohol.
- Coughing - no, he’s not sick, he just does it out of habit. 
- Biting his thumbnail - he does it when he’s nervous and it grosses him out but he can’t help it

▸ Hobbies:

- Basketball - he didn’t have much friends to play with before but he always tries to shoot a few hoops every now and then.
- Working out - he says he does it for health purposes but Checkmate members say its just for vanity. 
- Biking - he bikes around the neighborhood during mornings. Its something he looks forward to. 
- Cooking - he cooks and takes care of s since he is the oldest. 
- Checking out new songs - he really likes listening to new music and giving it a chance.

▸ Other:

- Is a very heavy sleeper and can fall asleep anywhere.
- Is often pertained to as the mother of the group because he likes to cook for his fellow members and often scolds them whenever the dorm is messy. 
- Has the least aegyo in the group.
- Can’t dance girl group dances. 
- Aside from being able to play the piano, he is also keen on using the guitar.
- Likes to watch action movies like Fast & Furious, Transformers and such. 
- Hates eating alone which is why he always drags his other members to eat with him at night. 
- Always concerned about the female members of Checkmate Project, he often drives for them whenever they need a ride. 
- Minghua is very athletic but does not know any self-defense,
- Prefers healthy snacks like sweet potatoes rather than sweets.
- When they were all trainees, he used to always sneak in street food into their dorms. 
- Minghua has a hard time controlling his temper and often walks out on s when they argue or fight.
- Gahee says that Minghua often brings pizzas and such to the dorms. He spends a lot of his money on his other members because he has nothing to spend it on. 
- Doesn’t have much friends prior to debut. 
- Before debuting, Minghua tried to post his videos on Youtube but failed because he didn’t know how to edit his shots.
- According to Prince, Minghua is actually very socially challenged but he tries his best to be more open. 
- Has 2 closets just for shoes back home in Daeju.
- Often referred to Gahee’s counterpart as a joke because Gahee’s reckless and honest, while Minghua is very poised and well-mannered. 

Who matters to you?

RELATIONSHIPS :

▸mom — Ong Kanghua (51) / obstetrics-gynecology  / struggles to balance work and family / 7/10
Both parents are fairly busy and rarely see their son, but Kanghua tries harder to bond with her son despite the erratic and demanding schedule. On her days off, Kanghua makes it a point that she will cook his meals and that they would do something together. Sure, they’d only go to malls often times, but at least she gets to buy things for her son, she felt that it was the least she could do after having him grow up by himself. Kanghua works very hard so that Minghua will live a comfortable life without having to worry about finances, which is why she was slightly disappointed when her son only aspired to be an idol and not someone with a stable income. However, when she saw that it was really something he wanted to do, she chose to be happy for him and to support him.

▸dad — Lee Changmin (52) / neurologist / strict but goofy/ 5/10
Minghua rarely saw his dad but when he does, Changmin always had a smile plastered on his face. He is less around their house since he is always on call but he does try to get to know his son when he can by taking him to games and sometimes, on really rare occasions, they go hiking. Chagmin was less understanding about Minghua’s ambition in becoming an idol. Up until now, he does not support his son but he does tolerate it and still acts the same when they don’t bring up his career. Minghua rarely shares his feelings and thoughts to his parents which is why they don’t know him all too well.

▸ group members — King (varies) / idols/ varies / 9/10
Romeo was one of the first people chosen for King which is why it is no doubt why he is close to them, despite him having a hard time opening to others. Although it did take a while, he got to know the boys and began to feel at home with them. They often joked around and even when they were working, it just felt relieving to be with them somehow. They would often fight but they are brothers.

▸ group members  — Queen (varies) / idols / varies / 8.5/10
He is the member that is very close to the Queen. He often takes them out, though he doesn’t feel anything for any of them. He also asks them often how they are doing and urges them to take care of themselves. It would seem that he treats these girls like his own sisters.

▸ friend — Choi Minho (23) / idol / charismatic but fun to be around  / 8/10
He rarely gets friends, especially close friends outside of his group. Minho is one of the rare people that sort of just clicked with Minghua. They often went out with their members and always seemed to be really close when they are together in variety programs.

Why do you matter?

SUB-UNIT & POSITION:  ♔ King's Visual

TALENT TWINS :

▸Singing Twin: EXO's Do Kyungsoo or B.A.P.'s Jung Daehyun
▸Dancing Twin: BTS's Park Jimin
▸Rapping Twin: Block B's Woo Jiho (this is only when he really, really tries.)
▸Piano and Guitar Twin: EXO's Park Chanyeol (guitar reference is Kyungsoo's video.)

TRAINING :

▸ In 2014, he was scrolling through the channels at the time and he came across a music program. He always enjoyed watching shows like these because he gets ideas on what he could be doing. The next singer on the program on the show was quite unfamiliar to him, “Sol?” He decided to look him up and saw that he was from a new agency and that agency was currently holding auditions. He didn’t waste any time and worked on a piece. 

He got accepted and didn’t think twice anymore and trained under the new agency. He got along well with his fellow trainees and was working hard during practices. He was pretty much like the oldest one there but that didn’t stop him from doing what he wanted.

Another year passed and there were already rumors of groups being formed so they were training extra harder to catch the eye of the staff. It was also then that another group of trainees were added to the company. Everybody looked up at the new trainees when they entered the halls. One in particular caught Minghua’s eye, he immediately recognized her as the crying girl from last year. 

“I would like you all to meet the talented set that were chosen in this year’s fall auditions. I trust you will all make them feel comfortable and will share good memories together,” one of the talent managers gestured for the fresh faces to join the group. “I will now leave you to Mr. Kang, have a great day.”

The trainees scrambled back up on their feet and stretched to get ready for another routine. Minghua stared warily at the girl, she looked quite thinner and was paler than she was last year. She looked at him also and Minghua was shocked that she actually flashed him a knowing smile back. She, despite him thinking otherwise, remembered him also. 

Another 6 more months filled with blood, sweat and tears flew by when the day they would announce the members of the first ever group came. Minghua was biting his thumbnail unconsciously as the manager announced the names, he felt like it was forever and he envied all those who were already called. He clasped his eye shut and prayed that his name would be called, so when the last name came, he couldn’t hold in his tears.

Finally, he would be given a chance.

PRE-DEBUT :

▸ Joining a few competitions in the field of dancing, singing and playing instruments are the only pre-debut experience of Minghua. 

SCANDALS :

▸ February 2016 - KS Entertainment under fire for pictures of trainees smoking | True, but not really.
It is true that there were photos of KS Entertainment trainees outside of the building, and it is also true that Minghua was among the people captured in the photos. It is however false that he was smoking like his fellow trainees; his group of friends just like to stick together when they rest outside during breaks and some of them were smokers.

Questions from the CEO

WHY DID YOU PICK KS ENT.-OR TO BE AN IDOL AT ALL? : 

▸ Ever since I was a little kid, I was already fascinated with how music works. A simple melody blended with the right words can change one’s life. It always made me feel better, listening to music. And that’s how I want to help people, by sharing our music to them. And KS Ent. seems very promising and it feels good to be part of an agency wherein the artists are cared for.

IF YOU COULD PICK ANOTHER SUB-UNIT, WHICH WOULD IT BE AND WHY? : 

▸  Is Rook considered a sub-unit or is it a completely different group? Well either way, I would be glad if I got to join them for a few projects. Knights seem a little too big league for me but if I would be chosen then that would be great and I would work really hard as well! I’d love to work with the girls.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE CEO HAND SELECTING KNIGHT'S MEMBERS? : 

▸ I don’t really think its my place to object his decisions for his own company. And besides, I know that he knows what he’s doing so for now, I will look forward to the announcement.  

CHECKMATE WILL BE KS' FIRST GROUP, YOUR THOUGHTS AND/OR FEELINGS? : 

▸ My mom always told me “Why be part of something that’s already big when you can be the one that makes something big?” It is definitely an honor and we will try our best to make everyone in this company proud.

ANY OTHER ACTIVITIES YOU'D LIKE TO DO IN THE FUTURE (ACTING, VARIETY, MUSICALS, ETC.)? : 

▸ Acting seems to be the next route for visuals, isn’t it? *Chuckles awkwardly* But if given the chance, I would like to try my hand at Variety programs. So i could enhance my social skills more

HOW WOULD YOU TREAT YOUR HOOBAE/KOHAI? : 

▸ I don’t really have younger siblings so I wouldn’t know how hoobae’s are supposedly treated in these situations. But as for me, everyone, whether they are younger or older than me, I will treat them with the same treatment they give me. Of course, everyone should be treated with equality and respect.

ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SAY? : 

▸ Just thank you for this opportunity and we won’t let you down.

BACKFROMTHEDEAD : CHAZTINE

LAST WORDS :  Feel free to ask me if there are any confusions and also to change stuff to fit your story better. I tried my best to answer this but I feel like its lacking somehow. Again.
PASSWORD : We are royalty! *bows* Annyeong, King’s Romeo imnida! | Visuals Duet | Kim Myungsoo

SCENE REQUESTS : 

▸ King and Queen’s Visuals collab with Chen and Chanyeol’s If We Love Again
▸ I would also STILL love it if a girl from queen and a guy from king would end up as a couple lol
▸ Maybe all Checkmate members can go on a healing trip to the beach?

turn in : story : cheatsheet