« SOL AI » « BLUE » « THE LEFTOVER »
(tw: cursing, unhealthy obsessive behaviors, brief mentions of past bullying.)
sensitive, manipulative, submissive, obsessive, scatter-brained, impatient, unsatisfied, awkward, pathetic, envious, hard-working, enthusiastic, observant, imitator.
gibbeum was fifteen by the time she passed her auditions, convinced her mom to let her train (she had to promise to call & text everyday), and finally moved to seoul to start her trainee life. going from being smothered all the time to living with a bunch of girls that didn't know her was certainly a dramatic change that took a lot of adjusting on gibbeum's part, but she couldn't help but feel free of her mother finally.
mmc accepted her not only because her voice was amazing, but because she was cute as well, and her awkwardness only added to her charm; at first. they thought it was an act or something that would stop once gibbeum grew more comfortable, but it didn't. her coaches would look at each other worriedly whenever they'd ask gibbeum a question and the answer was so jumbled trying to escape . they grew to regret accepting gibbeum, but didn't want to terminate her contract because her voice would come in handy eventually. they had her doing vocal guides for violetta's songs just so she'll have something to do.
in the meantime, gibbeum would try and make friends instead of cowering like she did in school. most were put off by her mannerisms but thankfully didn't , just left her alone for the most part. her time at mmc was both the quickest yet agonizingly slow six years of her life; fast in the sense that her time felt wasted, slow because it feels like i'm stuck in this dungeon forever. how thankful gibbeum became, when another's nightmare would turn into her dream.
gibbeum was finally going to debut- a bullying scandal secured her a spot in sol ai. for the first time in a long while she cried tears of joy, rivers of pure gold cascading down her cheeks. she was too happy to be bitter at how long the debut took (at least for now) and only focused on how her dream was finally starting. after calling her parents to share the good news she laid in an empty dance room and just smiled at ceiling, her body still shaking hours later.
however, it was too soon to start celebrating- gibbeum would need to start some serious media training especially with only a month until debut. gibbeum turns into a different person when she's singing & performing, it's the one time she's not awkward, so that is a great help. thankfully with help from her coaches gibbeum is able to put on a cutesy idol persona that works for pretty much everything- except interviews, the most integral part. no matter what they tried, gibbeum would be so nervous that the stutter would come out; she needed to gain some confidence in her public speaking, so all mmc could do was continue to have her practice mock interviews and cross their fingers hoping sol ai's audience would find her endearing.
ryu gibbeum and kim younggyu became trainees around the same time and met when they were both fifteen- it was a rather quick exchange, an amusing one for younggyu as he found that gibbeum struggled to look at his face, an unusual occurrence for someone that is stared at so often. they didn't interact much after that, but younggyu took note of her every time he saw her, he started to grow aware of her ever-growing reputation around mmc. he didn't think it was fair that people whispered things about her just because she was a little odd, or because of the way she spoke.
younggyu started to pity her, though not because he looked down on her in anyway; rather he felt he could relate to the loneliness she must feel. three years go by of younggyu observing the girl that ironically spends her free-time observing everyone else. he felt silly for not approaching her after all that time, but he worried that despite gibbeum appearing to be so different from anyone he's ever encountered, she'll turn out to be just like the rest, only valuing him for his looks. besides, it was time for his debut and his free-time dwindled fast.
one day gibbeum was recording a vocal guide for violetta when during a quick break, she overhead moon manchul and some other executives that had sat in during the session to observe. "great voice. too bad she won't be debuting any time soon." gibbeum did her best to hold in her tears and be normal, but immediately after the session she ran to an empty dance practice room so she could cry in peace. unbeknownst to her, younggyu had just finished practice in a neighboring room and happened to spot a crying gibbeum as she rushed by. he stood out there debating with himself, but eventually younggyu decided he wanted to comfort her, be the shoulder to cry on that he didn't have for himself.
"well, don't you look blue?" a soft voice rang out. gibbeum startled, blinking through her tears as she looked around. there stood none other than kim younggyu looking like an absolute dream, as he often did. gibbeum didn't have it in her to freak out about his sudden appearance as an onslaught of tears rained down her cheeks once again. "y-yeah, i guess y-you could say that..." younggyu felt a pang in his heart, it's never fun to see anyone cry but for some reason seeing gibbeum curled up on the floor like that was especially hard to look at.
"um, if you'd like someone to talk to, i'm here. i was just about to go to the cafe actually, would you like to come with me?" gibbeum couldn't believe it, barely holding herself back from pinching herself; surely this was a dream. she shyly nodded and felt her heart beat speed up when younggyu smiled softly at her, holding the door open for her as she stood up.
that night was something the both of them needed, without either of them realizing it. younggyu had escorted her to mmc's cafe and bought some sodas and ramen for the both of them, gibbeum tried to exclaim that she could pay for hers herself (but to be real, she was actually happy about this) but younggyu wasn't having any of it. they sat at a table and ate together whilst gibbeum tried to explain her feelings from earlier, but it was hard; not just because of her stutter, but she reckons even without it trying to speak to someone as handsome as younggyu without their heart beating a mile a minute would be a hard task.
however, he was so patient. not once did he try to rush her or look at her with any judgement, he made sure to look invested in her words without coming off as pressuring or annoyed. it was the easiest time gibbeum had speaking in so long, she didn't realize until it was over that towards the end of their rendezvous she was barely stuttering at all. it helped that younggyu lightened the mood after she told her story, joking that the both of them had old-fashioned names. despite younggyu going by jiho, gibbeum simply couldn't help but refer to him by his real name, something that he really liked. younggyu started calling her blue, teasingly at first, but gibbeum found it cute and the nickname stuck.
the two started meeting whenever they could, a fairly often occurrence so long as younggyu wasn't on tour. gibbeum practically lived in mmc 24/7 so it was never a problem on her part. one of their favorite past times was going to the rooftop and watching the sunset together, younggyu encouraging her to speak more as he noticed how much she improves around him. his intentions were always pure, he genuinely started to care for the girl and just wanted to see her succeed. he still felt like the reputation she got was unfair, but ever since his debut he hadn't been around enough to see just how obsessive gibbeum became with her following and lingering around mmc idols. maybe he was a bit blinded; it felt nice not being so lonely, so nice finding someone that he thought could see the real him.
i wish i could say gibbeum's intentions were just as pure. while her appreciation for his friendship and care was 100% real, it didn't stop her from using him for her own delusional fantasy, thinking that having younggyu as her perfect idol boyfriend would fix her reputation and get moon manchul to debut her (though an industry that typically prohibits dating would usually never see that as a good thing, in gibbeum's mind everything makes sense).
and why wouldn't it make sense? gibbuem got the news of her debut after another year of the two growing closer. while correlation doesn't exactly equal causation, gibbeum couldn't help but see it that way. she ran to him with the news and shyly kissed his cheek, heart pounding and face flushed; she tried to play it off as a spur of the moment thing, but gibbeum had planned it from the jump; she really needed to kickstart her perfect idol boyfriend fantasy so that the two could be an idol power couple! younggyu remained oblivious, to be honest he was stunned by kiss and couldn't help but blush as butterflies fluttered inside his chest.
younggyu wanted to ask her on a date but her schedule became so tight as sol ai was set to debut in a month, still he bid his time, trying to calm gibbeum's nerves whenever the girl expressed any. though upon finding out gibbeum had recommended blue to be her stagename, younggyu felt a little upset. he wanted that to be something cute between the two of them; gibbeum is younggyu's blue, but now she will be the world's blue. perhaps he was just being sensitive though, and didn't want to rain on her parade.
after sol ai's debut, gibbeum's ego soared; despite their original reception being not great, gibbeum simply lived in her own head and convinced herself that this is her perfect life imagined. she got a little sloppy, riding that high; as she was gossiping with some of her groupmates after a recording session, she exclaims "everything is working out great! once i have younggyu- i mean jiho- i'll have the perfect boyfriend for my perfect life!" and wouldn't you know, younggyu was waiting to see her after hearing that sol ai booked the recording booth, and his heart shattered. was all of this just a lie?
RYU
RYU
BIRTH NAME 류기쁨.
NICKNAMES
❍ mmc's shadow this includes many variants (just "shadow" "the shadow of mmc" etc.) & is the go-to nickname for everyone that works in mmc, usually with a negative connotation attached. "don't talk to the shadow, she'll literally watch you while you sleep."
❍ bbeum a standard from those that can say they are close to gibbeum if any.
❍ blue what would soon become her stagename was actually a nickname given to her by younggyu. the first time they spoke he had said "well, don't you look blue?" gibbeum was on the verge of tears and yes, very blue. it stuck.
DATE OF BIRTH 25/06/1999.
BIRTHPLACE & HOMETOWN geumjeong-gu, busan, south korea.
NATIONALITY korean.
ETHNICITY korean.
LANGUAGES
❍ korean she never really had a gyeongsangdo (daegu, busan) dialect to begin with, so after moving to seoul she speaks completely in gyeonggi (seoul) dialect.
❍ english gibbeum is conversationally fluent, thanks to a decent english learning program at her school.
FACECLAIM 연제, alice.
APPEARANCE AND STYLE
she stands at a solid 170cm. gibbeum doesn't really care for makeup or putting effort into her hair but she does so to fit in, typically just doing the bare minimum. whenever she tries to paint her nails it comes out pretty messy, so unless she's able to get them done (also something she personally doesn't care about, but appearances) she'll just keep them filed with a clear coat on top. she wants an extravagant style, but despite her parents doing fairly well they don't have enough for luxury brands; still, when gibbeum tries to put together a nice & sophisticated outfit using what she has it doesn't have the desired effect. for now she's come to terms with her rather minimal style by assuring herself that when she makes it big, she'll have a closet full of designers.
EXPECTATION
REALITY
keep scrolling down!
GIBBEUM
GIBBEUM
#cancer sun #scorpio moon #gemini rising #isfp #4w3 #slytherin
sensitive, manipulative, submissive, obsessive, scatter-brained, impatient, unsatisfied, awkward, pathetic, envious, hard-working, enthusiastic, observant, imitator.
ELABORATION
the exhausted idol trudges her way down the hall, sweat lingering on her forehead after hours of practicing for the first show of her group's tour, right here in seoul city. as she dabs at her forehead she notices a shadow lingering outside the door of the recording booth, seemingly waiting for something or someone. upon further inspection the identity of the shadow becomes clear, resulting in the young idol having to stifle a groan. not her again. "uh, hey gibbeum- what are you doing?" the idol asks, quirking a brow up in confusion as she comes face to face with the younger girl.
you would think gibbeum was electrocuted with the way her whole body jumps from the older girl's words. realization dawns on gibbeum's face as she recognizes the person speaking to her is from violetta, a realization that causes nothing short of euphoria to seep into every pore of gibbeum's being. she's talking to... me? her fingers tremble from the high, beads of sweat bedazzle her forehead as she wrings her hands together. "i... have a meeting... with some of the executives... y-you look tired- i mean, s-still as beautiful as ever! u-uh working hard in the dance room, i see... ?"
the idol tries to hold in a laugh. what a pathetic thing ryu gibbeum is- such a cute face, but behaves like an alien trying to learn human behavior. the older girl could mention that gibbeum is lingering around the recording booth where be.i is having a session and not by the offices, but there is no point. "uh yeah, preparing for the tour. i'm gonna go, see you later." the idol tries to smile in goodbye but she reckons it looks more like a grimace, but gibbeum looks like she's about to pass out from the gesture regardless. she waves enthusiastically as the idol walks away, one thought coming to the forefront of her mind. what a ing weirdo.
one could describe ryu gibbeum as someone who is a bit disconnected from reality; a girl who wants to be the most popular girl in life because she never was one in school. a girl who tries (and fails) to emulate the personalities of others because the dichotomy of growing up both sheltered & bullied never allowed her to form a personality of her own. she is never satisfied with the things she has, nothing is ever good enough for her lofty goals. a simple friend is a nice distraction for the time being, but if the friend isn't someone as adored as mion, they're completely replaceable. anyone that doesn't meet her standard is liable to being tossed aside if it means getting closer to someone higher on the hierarchy.
gibbeum could easily turn into one of the people that used to make her life hell in school; gossip & backstabbing is not off the table for her at all, in fact talking about people beneath her with peers she considers greater than herself is like a high to gibbeum. of course when the popular people are not on her side, it's a different matter completely; gibbeum can't help but be envious at their success, especially when she has such a great voice of her own. so she works hard practicing, even though it seems like time at mmc is moving both dreadfully slow but unbelievably fast at the same time. she'll occasionally be scolded by one of her teachers for making a wrong move in the dance lesson because her mind is somewhere else entirely; gibbeum is able to focus when she really wants to but otherwise she's a bit of a scatter-brain.
it's a wonder gibbeum has stayed at mmc for as long as she has because she's fairly impatient; she feels that she deserves the life of her dreams and the fact that it hasn't happened yet can bring gibbeum to tears quite easily, though it's remarkably not hard to get the sensitive girl to cry. the applause, the adoring love from fans that appreciate her voice instead of mocking her for it, she wants it now. the rational side of her (that is usually fighting for it's life in gibbeum's whirlwind mind) acknowledges that she's better off staying in mmc rather than stuttering through another audition, so she persists.
gibbeum obtained the name "mmc's shadow" for a reason; she'll lurk around the building and observe the other idols closely, trying to pick up on their mannerisms. most are put off by the young girl and her obsessive need to watch, but the few who take pity on her adorable face (don't you just wanna protect her?) tend to regret it as gibbeum is very enthusiastic and assumes it's a sign of friendship. she'll follow them around and try to gossip with them and their friends, but being stern or yelling at the meek girl is usually all it takes to get gibbeum to seep back into the shadows.
gibbeum is aware her face meets the standard of beauty in south korea (another reason she feels she is deserving of the spotlight) and wants to use it to her advantage, but manipulation can only go so far for someone who can barely hold a conversation. but still gibbeum perseveres, because what else can she do? therapy perhaps, like her family insists, but gibbeum promised only to go once she debuts. the clock is ticking.
you would think gibbeum was electrocuted with the way her whole body jumps from the older girl's words. realization dawns on gibbeum's face as she recognizes the person speaking to her is from violetta, a realization that causes nothing short of euphoria to seep into every pore of gibbeum's being. she's talking to... me? her fingers tremble from the high, beads of sweat bedazzle her forehead as she wrings her hands together. "i... have a meeting... with some of the executives... y-you look tired- i mean, s-still as beautiful as ever! u-uh working hard in the dance room, i see... ?"
the idol tries to hold in a laugh. what a pathetic thing ryu gibbeum is- such a cute face, but behaves like an alien trying to learn human behavior. the older girl could mention that gibbeum is lingering around the recording booth where be.i is having a session and not by the offices, but there is no point. "uh yeah, preparing for the tour. i'm gonna go, see you later." the idol tries to smile in goodbye but she reckons it looks more like a grimace, but gibbeum looks like she's about to pass out from the gesture regardless. she waves enthusiastically as the idol walks away, one thought coming to the forefront of her mind. what a ing weirdo.
one could describe ryu gibbeum as someone who is a bit disconnected from reality; a girl who wants to be the most popular girl in life because she never was one in school. a girl who tries (and fails) to emulate the personalities of others because the dichotomy of growing up both sheltered & bullied never allowed her to form a personality of her own. she is never satisfied with the things she has, nothing is ever good enough for her lofty goals. a simple friend is a nice distraction for the time being, but if the friend isn't someone as adored as mion, they're completely replaceable. anyone that doesn't meet her standard is liable to being tossed aside if it means getting closer to someone higher on the hierarchy.
gibbeum could easily turn into one of the people that used to make her life hell in school; gossip & backstabbing is not off the table for her at all, in fact talking about people beneath her with peers she considers greater than herself is like a high to gibbeum. of course when the popular people are not on her side, it's a different matter completely; gibbeum can't help but be envious at their success, especially when she has such a great voice of her own. so she works hard practicing, even though it seems like time at mmc is moving both dreadfully slow but unbelievably fast at the same time. she'll occasionally be scolded by one of her teachers for making a wrong move in the dance lesson because her mind is somewhere else entirely; gibbeum is able to focus when she really wants to but otherwise she's a bit of a scatter-brain.
it's a wonder gibbeum has stayed at mmc for as long as she has because she's fairly impatient; she feels that she deserves the life of her dreams and the fact that it hasn't happened yet can bring gibbeum to tears quite easily, though it's remarkably not hard to get the sensitive girl to cry. the applause, the adoring love from fans that appreciate her voice instead of mocking her for it, she wants it now. the rational side of her (that is usually fighting for it's life in gibbeum's whirlwind mind) acknowledges that she's better off staying in mmc rather than stuttering through another audition, so she persists.
gibbeum obtained the name "mmc's shadow" for a reason; she'll lurk around the building and observe the other idols closely, trying to pick up on their mannerisms. most are put off by the young girl and her obsessive need to watch, but the few who take pity on her adorable face (don't you just wanna protect her?) tend to regret it as gibbeum is very enthusiastic and assumes it's a sign of friendship. she'll follow them around and try to gossip with them and their friends, but being stern or yelling at the meek girl is usually all it takes to get gibbeum to seep back into the shadows.
gibbeum is aware her face meets the standard of beauty in south korea (another reason she feels she is deserving of the spotlight) and wants to use it to her advantage, but manipulation can only go so far for someone who can barely hold a conversation. but still gibbeum perseveres, because what else can she do? therapy perhaps, like her family insists, but gibbeum promised only to go once she debuts. the clock is ticking.
BACKGROUND
kim saebom always wanted to be a mother. she couldn't really pin-point why, after all not every woman has to be a mother. saebom just really looked forward to finding the love of her life and starting a family with him, hoping in particular to have a winter baby as winter is her favorite season; and years later, this would all come true... ! partially- gibbeum came into their lives like a whirlwind, saebom was only 23 and working as a waitress whilst gibbeum's father myungbin was working as a teacher's assistant at busan national university. not only was gibbeum a surprise, but she was actually born in the summertime- saebom only felt pure joy for her summer baby though. faovrite season or not, saebom was finally living her dream; she quit her job and moved in with myunbin, getting married soon after to be "responsible" parents but surprisingly, their love flourished and are still deeply in love even to this day.
one of gibbeum's earliest memories was watching her mother flush the spider that made gibbeum cry down the toilet; quite a random instance to remember, but it was the first hint as to what saebom and gibbeum's dynamic came to be. as a mother saebom felt it was her duty to protect gibbeum from anything & everything, she needed to be with gibbeum 24/7 because what kind of mother would she be if she wasn't there for her daughter? gibbeum grew up not knowing what alone felt like. she also never really had to form a personality of her own; she just saw what kind of actions got the best reactions from her mother and played that part. they would soon learn however, that the one thing saebom couldn't protect gibbeum from was her own mouth.
stutters are a genetic thing, a neurological condition that results in frequent problems with the normal fluency and flow of speech. gibbeum had a stutter since she was old enough to speak, but so did many of the kids in myungbin's family, they all eventually grew out of it. by the time gibbeum turned 11 and the stutter was still ever present, saebom & myungbin decided that it was time to seek a speech therapist. while most of myungbin's family grew out of their stutter, their were a few who struggled with it to this day, including myungbin's brother. they wanted to try and nip it in the bud as soon as possible, but there's not really a cure for stutters; gibbeum would give everything to wake up and have the ability to speak "normally." at night when she was supposed to be asleep, she'd instead sit by her window hoping to see any shooting stars just so she could make that wish.
gibbeum was having a hard time in school because of it; something her parents were aware of and another one of their reasons for signing her up for speech therapy. however, they had no idea the severity of it. she was called all sort of horrendous names just because she was different, her desk vandalized with a bunch of ugly words. she was either alienated completely or harassed, there was never any in between. those that dared to reach out would in turn be ostracized, so few attempted. gibbeum suspected teachers would purposely call on her just to hear her jumble over her words, tears streaming down her face while her classmates cackled & hollered.
in a sea of seemingly never ending darkness, a light would soon come to the surface. as one of the first things her speech therapist recommended for gibbeum was to try singing. it could be anything, creating a long stream of nonsense words together or simply singing along to the radio, as long as she was singing in some capacity. there were many benefits; singing stimulates and strengthens the muscles involved in articulation, respiration and phonation.
gibbeum sang her little heart out. by the time she was 12, gibbeum spent most her time at home being smothered by her mother as usual, but singing all the while. myungbin saw that not only was gibbeum happier when she sang, she was really good at it. as much as he loves his wife, he also noticed that her attachment style was very over the top and unhealthy; he proposed an idea that would get gibbeum some time away from home doing what she loved to do; vocal lessons.
much to saebom's chagrin, it was decided. money wasn't an issue as a few years prior, myungbin upgraded from teacher's assistant to a full-blown history professor. there was no reason for gibbeum not to do vocal lessons. from the age 12 to 14 gibbeum's life went by in a blur; being bullied at school, going to vocal lessons afterwards and putting her sadness into her vocals, improving exponentially. speech therapy continued once a week, where her progress was noted, however gibbeum would easily slip into her stutter whenever the girl was flustered, which was fairly often.
as she and her peers continued to grow, gibbeum noted that many of the kids in her class started to gain an interest in idols. idol music was something she sang along to on the radio, so it wasn't completely new to her; however, the idea of these idols being worshipped & adored was. she saw how her classmates would look at horizone with such admiration in their eyes, just once she wanted them to look at her like that. to beg on their knees for forgiveness because how dare they mistreat such a vocal goddess like ryu gibbeum?
gibbeum became so obsessed with the idea, that she started to actively see which companies would come to busan for auditions. one spring day she finally came across a post announcing auditions in her area, by none other than mmc entertainment, home to horizone themselves. she had kept her aspirations a secret from her parents, especially her mother, thus far but now was the time! an expected "no" rang clear from saebom but myungbin was all for it; all he ever wanted was for gibbeum to find happiness, if this is it for her, then he will help her follow her dreams. to be honest, neither of them really expected her get in; their daughter had a lovely voice, but they know how she is interacting with people. so imagine their surprise when gibbeum passed all of her auditions.
one of gibbeum's earliest memories was watching her mother flush the spider that made gibbeum cry down the toilet; quite a random instance to remember, but it was the first hint as to what saebom and gibbeum's dynamic came to be. as a mother saebom felt it was her duty to protect gibbeum from anything & everything, she needed to be with gibbeum 24/7 because what kind of mother would she be if she wasn't there for her daughter? gibbeum grew up not knowing what alone felt like. she also never really had to form a personality of her own; she just saw what kind of actions got the best reactions from her mother and played that part. they would soon learn however, that the one thing saebom couldn't protect gibbeum from was her own mouth.
stutters are a genetic thing, a neurological condition that results in frequent problems with the normal fluency and flow of speech. gibbeum had a stutter since she was old enough to speak, but so did many of the kids in myungbin's family, they all eventually grew out of it. by the time gibbeum turned 11 and the stutter was still ever present, saebom & myungbin decided that it was time to seek a speech therapist. while most of myungbin's family grew out of their stutter, their were a few who struggled with it to this day, including myungbin's brother. they wanted to try and nip it in the bud as soon as possible, but there's not really a cure for stutters; gibbeum would give everything to wake up and have the ability to speak "normally." at night when she was supposed to be asleep, she'd instead sit by her window hoping to see any shooting stars just so she could make that wish.
gibbeum was having a hard time in school because of it; something her parents were aware of and another one of their reasons for signing her up for speech therapy. however, they had no idea the severity of it. she was called all sort of horrendous names just because she was different, her desk vandalized with a bunch of ugly words. she was either alienated completely or harassed, there was never any in between. those that dared to reach out would in turn be ostracized, so few attempted. gibbeum suspected teachers would purposely call on her just to hear her jumble over her words, tears streaming down her face while her classmates cackled & hollered.
in a sea of seemingly never ending darkness, a light would soon come to the surface. as one of the first things her speech therapist recommended for gibbeum was to try singing. it could be anything, creating a long stream of nonsense words together or simply singing along to the radio, as long as she was singing in some capacity. there were many benefits; singing stimulates and strengthens the muscles involved in articulation, respiration and phonation.
gibbeum sang her little heart out. by the time she was 12, gibbeum spent most her time at home being smothered by her mother as usual, but singing all the while. myungbin saw that not only was gibbeum happier when she sang, she was really good at it. as much as he loves his wife, he also noticed that her attachment style was very over the top and unhealthy; he proposed an idea that would get gibbeum some time away from home doing what she loved to do; vocal lessons.
much to saebom's chagrin, it was decided. money wasn't an issue as a few years prior, myungbin upgraded from teacher's assistant to a full-blown history professor. there was no reason for gibbeum not to do vocal lessons. from the age 12 to 14 gibbeum's life went by in a blur; being bullied at school, going to vocal lessons afterwards and putting her sadness into her vocals, improving exponentially. speech therapy continued once a week, where her progress was noted, however gibbeum would easily slip into her stutter whenever the girl was flustered, which was fairly often.
as she and her peers continued to grow, gibbeum noted that many of the kids in her class started to gain an interest in idols. idol music was something she sang along to on the radio, so it wasn't completely new to her; however, the idea of these idols being worshipped & adored was. she saw how her classmates would look at horizone with such admiration in their eyes, just once she wanted them to look at her like that. to beg on their knees for forgiveness because how dare they mistreat such a vocal goddess like ryu gibbeum?
gibbeum became so obsessed with the idea, that she started to actively see which companies would come to busan for auditions. one spring day she finally came across a post announcing auditions in her area, by none other than mmc entertainment, home to horizone themselves. she had kept her aspirations a secret from her parents, especially her mother, thus far but now was the time! an expected "no" rang clear from saebom but myungbin was all for it; all he ever wanted was for gibbeum to find happiness, if this is it for her, then he will help her follow her dreams. to be honest, neither of them really expected her get in; their daughter had a lovely voice, but they know how she is interacting with people. so imagine their surprise when gibbeum passed all of her auditions.
trivia
RELATIONS
❍ gibbeum likes to lay down alone after training in the dance practice room & listen to music.
❍ she really likes "out there" artists like lykke li & grimes but will tell people her favorite music is whatever the asker is into. she's also a fan of 80's japanese city pop and will seek out playlists on youtube.
❍ gibbeum is sensitive to strong floral scents and prefers subtle sweet & fruity scents.
❍ gibbeum's mother never allowed her to cook, but she really wants to learn. the ramen will have to do for now.
❍ her favorite colors are black & purple.
❍ bbeum doesn't consider herself an artist when it comes to drawing, she just likes to sketch random things because it calms her down.
❍ she really likes photography, taking shots of the city or more rural sceneries if she gets the chance. her instagram is 70% pictures of random things, 30% selfies.
❍ speaking of social media, she only has an instagram (@gibooom_) social media is easy for her, it's like an escape. thinking out captions for pictures or replies to comments is way less stressful than real life conversations. on her feed, she comes across as your average happy-go-lucky girl, even having a few fans pre-debut (or if sns isn't allowed for trainees at mmc, this can be a post-debut thing).
❍ she's a clean person but really likes clutter- her room is an organized chaos. for example, she likes to collect journals for her to sketch into and write in but she has so many journals that she hasn't even cracked open yet.
❍ gibbeum pays attention to any obscure trivia she comes across so she can "impress" people with it later, usually at the most out-of-pocket times.
❍ junseo tried flirting with her surprisingly (or unsurprisingly considering his reputation), which really freaked gibbeum out because she has zero experience in dating, but i mean, it's junseo of zeu5! she's heard some things about him, but his idol status is no joke. still, nothing really came of it as gibbeum could barely look him in the eye. besides, it's pretty obvious "dating" wasn't what he was looking for.
THE PARENTALS hover!
gibbeum is still close with her dad; he's a gentle soul, a man who loves his history job, his family & watching dramas on the weekends. gibbeum enjoys speaking with her dad the most when her family calls (not everyday anymore as she is really busy), as no matter how much myungbin may be concerned over his daughter's lack of friends (she says she is friends with all of the top idols, but he knows his daughter voice when she lies) he still wants her to reach her dreams. he just hopes every night that gibbeum will be okay in the end, no matter what it is. saebom is just as overbearing as ever when she calls; make sure to have friends so that you're not alone but not too many friends because you can't trust everyone, make sure you get a full nights rest (as a trainee and soon to be idol? yeah right), don't ever leave the dorms for no reason ever, gibbeum can practically recite everything saebom says word for word because it's the same every time. gibbeum doesn't want to be annoyed with her mother, but for the first time in her life gibbeum is finally free from her smothering and she just wants to enjoy it.
MIN SEOJIN
mion is everything gibbeum wants to be. gibbeum tries to do everything in her power to gain mion's trust and friendship, whilst simultaneously wanting to be mion. she observes her when she can and tries to act like her, not fully aware how awkward and obvious she looks. at first she's not necessarily jealous that mion gets all the opportunities, she's mion so of course she does! gibbeum assumes that her flowers will come just by simply being associated with the other girl. when that doesn't happen though, that admiration will start to sour and turn into envy & bitterness instead. for years she was the "shadow of mmc," she refuses to be in min seojin's shadow for longer than necessary.
PLOTLINE & POSITION
❍ the leftover, main vocal.
TALENT TWINS
❍ 수안, purple kiss.
TRAINEE YEARS
❍ six years.
TRAINEE LIFE
gibbeum was fifteen by the time she passed her auditions, convinced her mom to let her train (she had to promise to call & text everyday), and finally moved to seoul to start her trainee life. going from being smothered all the time to living with a bunch of girls that didn't know her was certainly a dramatic change that took a lot of adjusting on gibbeum's part, but she couldn't help but feel free of her mother finally.
mmc accepted her not only because her voice was amazing, but because she was cute as well, and her awkwardness only added to her charm; at first. they thought it was an act or something that would stop once gibbeum grew more comfortable, but it didn't. her coaches would look at each other worriedly whenever they'd ask gibbeum a question and the answer was so jumbled trying to escape . they grew to regret accepting gibbeum, but didn't want to terminate her contract because her voice would come in handy eventually. they had her doing vocal guides for violetta's songs just so she'll have something to do.
in the meantime, gibbeum would try and make friends instead of cowering like she did in school. most were put off by her mannerisms but thankfully didn't , just left her alone for the most part. her time at mmc was both the quickest yet agonizingly slow six years of her life; fast in the sense that her time felt wasted, slow because it feels like i'm stuck in this dungeon forever. how thankful gibbeum became, when another's nightmare would turn into her dream.
gibbeum was finally going to debut- a bullying scandal secured her a spot in sol ai. for the first time in a long while she cried tears of joy, rivers of pure gold cascading down her cheeks. she was too happy to be bitter at how long the debut took (at least for now) and only focused on how her dream was finally starting. after calling her parents to share the good news she laid in an empty dance room and just smiled at ceiling, her body still shaking hours later.
however, it was too soon to start celebrating- gibbeum would need to start some serious media training especially with only a month until debut. gibbeum turns into a different person when she's singing & performing, it's the one time she's not awkward, so that is a great help. thankfully with help from her coaches gibbeum is able to put on a cutesy idol persona that works for pretty much everything- except interviews, the most integral part. no matter what they tried, gibbeum would be so nervous that the stutter would come out; she needed to gain some confidence in her public speaking, so all mmc could do was continue to have her practice mock interviews and cross their fingers hoping sol ai's audience would find her endearing.
LOVE INTEREST NAME
❍ 김영규, kim younggyu.
LOVE STORY
ryu gibbeum and kim younggyu became trainees around the same time and met when they were both fifteen- it was a rather quick exchange, an amusing one for younggyu as he found that gibbeum struggled to look at his face, an unusual occurrence for someone that is stared at so often. they didn't interact much after that, but younggyu took note of her every time he saw her, he started to grow aware of her ever-growing reputation around mmc. he didn't think it was fair that people whispered things about her just because she was a little odd, or because of the way she spoke.
younggyu started to pity her, though not because he looked down on her in anyway; rather he felt he could relate to the loneliness she must feel. three years go by of younggyu observing the girl that ironically spends her free-time observing everyone else. he felt silly for not approaching her after all that time, but he worried that despite gibbeum appearing to be so different from anyone he's ever encountered, she'll turn out to be just like the rest, only valuing him for his looks. besides, it was time for his debut and his free-time dwindled fast.
one day gibbeum was recording a vocal guide for violetta when during a quick break, she overhead moon manchul and some other executives that had sat in during the session to observe. "great voice. too bad she won't be debuting any time soon." gibbeum did her best to hold in her tears and be normal, but immediately after the session she ran to an empty dance practice room so she could cry in peace. unbeknownst to her, younggyu had just finished practice in a neighboring room and happened to spot a crying gibbeum as she rushed by. he stood out there debating with himself, but eventually younggyu decided he wanted to comfort her, be the shoulder to cry on that he didn't have for himself.
"well, don't you look blue?" a soft voice rang out. gibbeum startled, blinking through her tears as she looked around. there stood none other than kim younggyu looking like an absolute dream, as he often did. gibbeum didn't have it in her to freak out about his sudden appearance as an onslaught of tears rained down her cheeks once again. "y-yeah, i guess y-you could say that..." younggyu felt a pang in his heart, it's never fun to see anyone cry but for some reason seeing gibbeum curled up on the floor like that was especially hard to look at.
"um, if you'd like someone to talk to, i'm here. i was just about to go to the cafe actually, would you like to come with me?" gibbeum couldn't believe it, barely holding herself back from pinching herself; surely this was a dream. she shyly nodded and felt her heart beat speed up when younggyu smiled softly at her, holding the door open for her as she stood up.
that night was something the both of them needed, without either of them realizing it. younggyu had escorted her to mmc's cafe and bought some sodas and ramen for the both of them, gibbeum tried to exclaim that she could pay for hers herself (but to be real, she was actually happy about this) but younggyu wasn't having any of it. they sat at a table and ate together whilst gibbeum tried to explain her feelings from earlier, but it was hard; not just because of her stutter, but she reckons even without it trying to speak to someone as handsome as younggyu without their heart beating a mile a minute would be a hard task.
however, he was so patient. not once did he try to rush her or look at her with any judgement, he made sure to look invested in her words without coming off as pressuring or annoyed. it was the easiest time gibbeum had speaking in so long, she didn't realize until it was over that towards the end of their rendezvous she was barely stuttering at all. it helped that younggyu lightened the mood after she told her story, joking that the both of them had old-fashioned names. despite younggyu going by jiho, gibbeum simply couldn't help but refer to him by his real name, something that he really liked. younggyu started calling her blue, teasingly at first, but gibbeum found it cute and the nickname stuck.
the two started meeting whenever they could, a fairly often occurrence so long as younggyu wasn't on tour. gibbeum practically lived in mmc 24/7 so it was never a problem on her part. one of their favorite past times was going to the rooftop and watching the sunset together, younggyu encouraging her to speak more as he noticed how much she improves around him. his intentions were always pure, he genuinely started to care for the girl and just wanted to see her succeed. he still felt like the reputation she got was unfair, but ever since his debut he hadn't been around enough to see just how obsessive gibbeum became with her following and lingering around mmc idols. maybe he was a bit blinded; it felt nice not being so lonely, so nice finding someone that he thought could see the real him.
i wish i could say gibbeum's intentions were just as pure. while her appreciation for his friendship and care was 100% real, it didn't stop her from using him for her own delusional fantasy, thinking that having younggyu as her perfect idol boyfriend would fix her reputation and get moon manchul to debut her (though an industry that typically prohibits dating would usually never see that as a good thing, in gibbeum's mind everything makes sense).
and why wouldn't it make sense? gibbuem got the news of her debut after another year of the two growing closer. while correlation doesn't exactly equal causation, gibbeum couldn't help but see it that way. she ran to him with the news and shyly kissed his cheek, heart pounding and face flushed; she tried to play it off as a spur of the moment thing, but gibbeum had planned it from the jump; she really needed to kickstart her perfect idol boyfriend fantasy so that the two could be an idol power couple! younggyu remained oblivious, to be honest he was stunned by kiss and couldn't help but blush as butterflies fluttered inside his chest.
younggyu wanted to ask her on a date but her schedule became so tight as sol ai was set to debut in a month, still he bid his time, trying to calm gibbeum's nerves whenever the girl expressed any. though upon finding out gibbeum had recommended blue to be her stagename, younggyu felt a little upset. he wanted that to be something cute between the two of them; gibbeum is younggyu's blue, but now she will be the world's blue. perhaps he was just being sensitive though, and didn't want to rain on her parade.
after sol ai's debut, gibbeum's ego soared; despite their original reception being not great, gibbeum simply lived in her own head and convinced herself that this is her perfect life imagined. she got a little sloppy, riding that high; as she was gossiping with some of her groupmates after a recording session, she exclaims "everything is working out great! once i have younggyu- i mean jiho- i'll have the perfect boyfriend for my perfect life!" and wouldn't you know, younggyu was waiting to see her after hearing that sol ai booked the recording booth, and his heart shattered. was all of this just a lie?
luna note. i decided to delete the birthdate and personality for younggyu as i wasn't sure what to put for his birthday and i didn't wanna unintentionally go against how you see younggyu! i did hope to potray him in a way that gets what i perceive to be his personality across. however if you'd like me to add these things i'll be happy to do so. also, sorry for the cliffhanger! but i leave the fate of these two in your hands!
STARLIET ❍ LUNA ❍ 65/100
COMMENTS
here's my lil leftover bbeum! if chosen i'm really excited to see where she will go- i feel like there are so many possibilities! perhaps being an idol boosts her confidence and the more public speaking she does, the more her speech improves, she gets some therapy for her childhood and she's finally happy that her dreams are coming true! (well, if sol ai can grow more popularity at least...) or the constant pushing aside even after debut in favor of mion makes her spiral out of control and perhaps ignites her villain ark? i feel like her upbringing is a good villain origin story tbh. if she's a bit too intense, i apologize- when i first saw the leftover plotline i brainstormed someone that was left behind unfairly but as gibbeum came to fruition i found the idea of someone being left behind for a reason really interesting! but of course her more off-putting behaviors can be tuned down if it's a bit much. anyway, i'm just really excited to turn her in, i hope you enjoy reading about her & i will enjoy reading sol ai no matter the turn out! oh also, yeonje used to go by hyeseong before her group elris revamped to be alice. there are a lot more pictures that show up for her when you search 'hyeseong elris.'
B-SIDE REQUESTS
❍ hush, everglow. last dance, wjsn. girls, nature.
coded by lowcation
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